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diff --git a/old/50486-0.txt b/old/50486-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 8fc0a69..0000000 --- a/old/50486-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2221 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, -Science, and Art, No. 721, by Various - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 721 - October 20, 1877 - -Author: Various - -Editor: William Chambers - Robert Chambers - -Release Date: November 19, 2015 [EBook #50486] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBER'S JOURNAL *** - - - - -Produced by Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: - -CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL - -OF - -POPULAR - -LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART. - -Fourth Series - -CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM AND ROBERT CHAMBERS. - -NO. 721. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1877. PRICE 1½_d._] - - - - -TOYS. - - -Of British industries, not the least interesting to a large world of -readers, great and small, will be found the manufacture of toys. Mr -Bartley, in treating this subject in Mr Stanford's useful series of -Handbooks to British Manufactures, rightly assumes that objects which -are so inseparably connected with the happiness of our early life -cannot be held unimportant; while we need but mention the name of -Charles Dickens, in order to lend a charm to the avocations of a doll's -dressmaker and a journeyman toy-maker. Although the English productions -are almost entirely confined to a few special types of goods, which not -only hold their own among foreign rivals, but are largely exported to -the continent, we find that in London alone there are, besides various -importers of toys, eleven rocking-horse manufacturers, ten wholesale -dealers, and one hundred and fifty-one retail dealers, not including -the large tribe of small retailers, who combine other occupations with -the sale of toys. Though Germany, Switzerland, and France are the great -storehouses of all toys of which the material is soft wood, the toy -manufacture of London forms a large and interesting industry. - -Penny wooden toys are turned out of a manufacturing establishment -which consists of a toy-maker, his wife, and family. When the father -has finished his work on the lathe, the mother and children have each -their particular share in gluing, pasting, and painting. The material -for these articles are scraps of timber bought out of builders' yards, -the principal tools being the chisel and the lathe. Pewter toys are -made in London in very large quantities. At one establishment a ton -of metal is consumed each month in the production of Lilliputian tea, -coffee, and dinner sets. English taste may be gathered from the fact, -that the number of _tea_-sets made is nearly thirty times larger than -either of the other two. Twenty-three separate articles make up a set, -and of these articles two millions and a half are made yearly by one -house alone. The metal is provided from miscellaneous goods, such -as old candlesticks, tea-pots, pots and pans, bought from 'marine' -store-dealers by the hundredweight; and when melted, is formed into the -required shapes by different processes of casting in moulds. One girl -can make two thousand five hundred small tea-cups in a day. Putting -together the four separate pieces of a mould made of hard gun-metal, -she fills it with the molten metal, dips its mouth into cold water, -takes it to pieces, and turns out a cup that only wants trimming. - -Under the head of paper toys, miniature packs of cards demand a large -amount of material and labour. It is astonishing to read that one firm -alone in London turns out each year _one million_ packs of toy cards, -using five or six tons of paper for the purpose, on each sheet of which -are printed three packs in black and red. When these sheets have been -pasted on cards--called 'middlings'--one girl can cut up and complete -eight hundred and sixty-four packs each day, earning about one pound -a week. These cards are sold at twopence, one penny, and a halfpenny -a pack. The penny cards have, as might be expected, far the largest -sale with the public; the manufacturer getting five shillings for a -gross of twelve dozen, or somewhat less than half the retail price. -Many thousand gross of these little packs go to all parts of the world. -The twopenny packs are precisely the same as the penny packs, with -the addition of an ornamental paper back to each card. The demand for -these superior packs is small, for when the price of an article gets -above a penny, we read that it at once shuts it out from a certain -class of the buying public. The purchaser that will spend more than a -penny will spend sixpence. The spending public, it seems, go in sets. -There is the farthing set, mostly children, who patronise small shops -of toys and sweets; there is the halfpenny set; and the penny set. We -then jump to the sixpenny set. There is a very large manufacture of toy -picture-books which are sold at one penny, a halfpenny, and a farthing. -Even the farthing books have a picture on the cover printed in four -colours; and valentines printed from wood-blocks and hand-painted can -be sold for a halfpenny. - -Another large industry grown up or developed of late years is the -manufacture of india-rubber toys. The india-rubber, cut up into -small pieces, and formed, by the admixture of white-lead and other -substances, into sheets of a putty-like inelastic material, is fitted -into two pieces of an iron mould, variously shaped according to the -requirements of the toy, and then plunged into the vulcanising bath--a -vessel filled with sulphur and other ingredients. When taken out, the -india-rubber has become elastic, the two pieces of mould are unscrewed, -and the toy, after trimming and painting, is ready for use. - -Toy-boats, which in their construction go through fifteen different -hands, are very cheap, though the whole of the work is done by hand. In -one London manufactory as many as ten thousand sailing-boats are made -every year; upwards of five hundred twelve-feet lengths of three-inch -deals being used in their manufacture, and eight tons of lead being -required for their keels. - -We have left to the last place notice of the toy which is the -speciality of English toy-makers, the wax-doll. The wax, after being -melted in large vessels by means of boiling water, is poured into -hollow plaster-moulds made in three pieces, and laid in rows with the -crown of the head downwards. When the workman has filled from a can ten -or twelve of these moulds, returning to the first one in the row, he -pours back into his can as much of the wax as remains fluid; and so on -with the other moulds. Most of the wax is thus poured back again into -the can; but that which adheres to the mould has now become a hollow -wax head, thick or thin according to the time which elapses between -pouring the wax into the mould and pouring it out again. Then comes the -process of fixing the glass eyes, which, save the very best, are now -made abroad, the Germans having driven the Birmingham manufacturers -out of the field. The wax ridges left by the joints of the mould are -smoothed down, the surface is brushed over with turpentine to clean -it, and with violet powder to beautify it; and when the cheeks have -been tinted with rouge and the lips with vermilion, the head is ready -for the hair-dressing operations. For the best dolls, the wig is made -by a lengthy process of fixing one or two hairs at a time, so as to -give a natural appearance to the hair. In the common dolls, the hair -is more quickly put on in locks. The black hair, most of which comes -from abroad, is human; but the favourite flaxen curls are of mohair, -the silky wool of the Angora goat. _Composition_ dolls' heads are -made of pasteboard from iron moulds. The pasteboard is placed over a -mould representing half a head cut vertically behind the ear, and is -then forced by means of a pestle into every crevice. Another mould for -the other half of the head, is similarly filled; and when nearly dry, -the two halves are removed from the moulds and pasted together. The -head thus moulded, which becomes as hard as leather, is coated with -a composition of size and whiting, washed with oil and turpentine; -and then having received a pair of eyes, is dipped into a vessel of -melted wax, and re-dipped until it looks like a solid wax-head. The wax -is then cut from off the eyes, and scraped from the part of the head -which the hair will cover; and the head is then ready for painting, -powdering, and hair-dressing. A third class of dolls, known in the -trade by the misnomer of 'rag dolls,' is the pretty muslin-faced -creature with blue eyes and becoming cap. Her face is of wax, covered -with an outer skin of muslin, and is made by pressing a wax mask, -moulded in the ordinary way, into a mould exactly like the one in which -the wax was cast, over which is stretched a piece of thin muslin. In -this way the wax necessarily adheres so closely to the muslin, that -it becomes a sort of skin to the mask. These faces are nothing but -masks, and require the caps to conceal the junction with the skulls, -made of calico and sawdust, like the bodies. The bodies are mostly the -handiwork of women and the smaller members of the doll-maker's family. -The doll manufacturer gives out so many yards of calico which are to -produce so many bodies, the sawdust to be found by the maker. Then by -a division of labour in cutting out, sewing up, filling with sawdust, -and making the joints, many dozen bodies will be turned out by one -family in a week. The arms are a branch of the trade upon which certain -persons are almost exclusively employed. They are made of calico above -the elbow, of leather for the part below, and are paid for at the -incredibly small price of sixpence-halfpenny a dozen pairs; smaller -arms for very cheap dolls costing three-halfpence a dozen pairs. We -read that the hands, which thus cost each the sixteenth part of a -penny, have always a certain number of fingers! The materials are found -by the makers themselves; so when we consider that each doll sold to -the public for sixpence should not cost more than threepence in the -making, if the toy-merchant and the retailer are to earn a living, -there remains but a pittance to be earned by the Caleb Plummers and -Jenny Wrens. Though most dolls leave their first homes in an undressed -condition, the larger establishments employ many young women in the -dressmaking department of their trade. One article of dolls' attire -forms a distinct branch of trade--the little many-coloured leather -shoes, which are made from the waste material left by the makers of -children's ornamental boots and shoes. A thousand such pairs are made -weekly by one large manufactory in Clerkenwell. - -And now we replace our puppets in their box, grateful for having been -let into some of the mysteries of their creation, not only the more -ready to admire the charming little picture of the toy-maker, by John -Leech, in the _Cricket on the Hearth_, but more sensible of a sympathy -with doll-nature, and more certain that toys are as much needed for -old as for young. Happy is it if the toys of grown-up folks cause as -little mischief and as much pleasure as the innocent toys of childhood! - - - - -FROM DAWN TO SUNSET. - -PART II. - - -CHAPTER THE THIRTEENTH. - -When Deborah awaked, old Marjory was sitting watching over her; the sun -was still glorious on the woods outside, but the chamber was left in -grateful gloom. She could not even distinguish her father's picture; -but soon, clear and distinct through the gloom, laughed out the boyish -face of Charlie. Charlie? What had Charlie done? Mute and still, -Deborah looked up at her old nurse, while the darkness of reality -dawned on her wakening mind. - -'Thou'rt ill, child,' said old Marjory abruptly. - -'What makes you think so, dame?' asked Deborah faintly. - -'Why, thy face betrays thee; it is white as my apron, and thine was a -sleep o' sorrow. _I_ know it. Thou'lt eat summat now, an' no more o' -these airs.' - -'Have ye no letter or message for me, Marjory? What are you hiding -there?' and Deborah raised herself in feverish excitement. - -'Why, it's a letter that'll keep, I warrant me, my Lady Deb. It's from -the old man at Lincoln.' - -'Give it me, Marjory, and leave me, dear old dame. I wish to be alone.' - -So Marjory left her; but soon the old woman was knocking at the door -again with food and wine for Deborah. She found her sitting on the -floor white as a ghost. 'O child, thou'rt faintin' for good victuals! -There! eat and drink like a Christian. Why, bless thee, Lady Deb, dear, -I know the master's in his old quandaries. But don't take on, my Rose.' - -'Dame, come and comfort me. Pray, take that food away! Let me lay my -head on thy kind old breast. Thou'rt a mother to me, Marjory--always -wert. Dame, I've no dear mother!' - -The dame took her darling in her arms, and rocked her gently to and -fro, with the toil-hardened old hand stroking the girl's silken hair, -and her grave old face laid against it. - -'No; thou hast no mother, poor lamb; worse for thee.' - -'It's hard to know right from wrong, Marjory; but I am quick to decide, -and once decided, never falter. I try to do all for the best.' - -'I know it, I know it. But child, my Lady Deb, have no dealin's with -that old man Master Sinclair. He's a demon.' - -'Hush! or give the demon his due, Marjory. He has been kind to my -brother Charlie.' - -'For what? We all know it; all Enderby knows what he's after.' - -'That is no concern of Enderby's. I hate this gossip. Look you, dame, -if I choose to wed fifty such, it is no concern of Enderby's. If I did -wed Master Sinclair, it would be of mine own free will: let all the -world know that!' - -'But thou'lt never wed him, dearie!' cried the old nurse, in tremulous -breathless haste. - -'I do not answer you Yes or No; but I am my own mistress.' - -'Too much so--ever too much so,' muttered Marjory below her breath. - -'What say'st thou, Marjory?' - -'That thou wantest a strong kind hand over thee, bein' too headstrong -by half. I wish Master King was here; _he'd_ advise thee!' - -'Best not,' said Deborah, with a quick breath of pain. 'Let "Master -King" attend to his own affairs. Each one has his troubles. Nurse, love -me! I have need of it. O that I were a little tiny child again, when, -in affright or in distress, I wrapped these arms o' thine about me; -and they would seem to shelter me from all the world! O that thou wert -magician, fairy, to give me my childhood back! I was happy _then_.' - -'An' not now? What ails my bright bird? Is it Master Charlie?' - -'O Marjory, don't speak of that. Look you at his picture; look there! -Could those fearless eyes ever turn aside in shame or dread? Would -Charlie, with all his faults, ever bring _dishonour_ on us? Tell me -that?' - -'No, _never_.' The old face turned white, but did not flinch; Marjory -believed in the honour of her wild boy, as in her own soul. - -'Ah, Marjory, nurse, my darling! How I do love thee! No; never believe -that any but a black liar would ever accuse Charlie Fleming of a mean -low act. Wild, reckless he may be, but dishonourable, never! Ah, my -love, my comfort, our true and faithful friend, _we_ believe in Charlie -Fleming!' - -'Where is my boy?' asked the old woman, with troubled tears in her -eyes. 'Why don't he come to Enderby? They _will_ say strange things o' -him if he don't come home. Oh, he'll break his father's heart by bein' -so wild; but it's his father's blood that's in him.' - -'And his mother's too, for they say our sweet mother was a mad, mad -lass. Dame, who was she? What was my mother's name?' - -The girl gazed straight at the old woman till Marjory's eyes fell, and -the girl's fair face was flushed with crimson. 'I have never asked -you,' she said, 'not since I was a child; but who was my mother, dame? -Prithee, tell me. Ah, say not that there was shame! Poor and honest, I -care not; but naught of _shame_.' - -'No, my Lady Deb, no; naught o' shame. She was the child o' wedded -parents, I promise thee; she was lawful wedded wife, thy mother; but -if I was to tell thee who she was, Sir Vincent would strike me dead. I -cannot tell thee; there's my faithful promise given, not.' - -'I will not ask ye then. One day I will--must know. Does Charlie know?' - -'Ne'er from me or his father. But no one knows what Master Charlie -knows.' - -'There's my father calling me; I must go. Good-bye, dame. Pray for me.' - -Deborah went down into the hall. Sir Vincent got up and met her. He -shut the door carefully, and led her to a chair; he sat down opposite -her, and screening his face from the light with one great sinewy hand, -gazed out from under its shadow, as if he would read his daughter's -soul. For her part, she gazed at him with all her great and tender soul -in her eyes, her own despair forgotten in her father's. There was a -long silence between them, each gazing on the other, sorrow-stricken -and speechless. - -'Father,' said Deborah softly then, 'sweet father, have I not done thee -some good? See! here's the letter from Lincoln; and in three weeks -I shall be Master Sinclair's wife. It is my duty, father, my free -choice. My heart is very strong. Sweet father, thou'rt sad still, ay, -even heart-broken; I know thy face so well! I have saved Charlie. -Listen! This Master Sinclair puts everything in my power, makes me -absolute mistress of all he has. My first act will be to save us from -ruin; Charlie from ruin too. But tell me what more there is? What -serpent has wronged Charlie falsely? ay, _falsely_, for before heaven, -father, I would _swear_ that Charlie has done no dishonour! Sooner -would I doubt my own soul than his. He is incapable of double-dealing, -incapable of all meanness and dishonesty. To doubt him, to believe for -one moment that he could act dishonourably, is to believe that Charlie -Fleming is no son of thine and mother's; that this Charlie Fleming is -not the boy who has grown up under thine eyes and mine; graceless, -truly, but the very soul of honour. Even the masters at his school, -his tutors, his comrades who knew him best, have done him justice in -calling him honourable and true. Then doubt him not for one moment!' - -Under the fire and sweetness of her faith in her brother, Sir Vincent -waxed wan, and his fierce eyes grew dim with sadness. - -Laying one hand upon her hands, and shading his own face still, he -whispered brokenly: 'Believe on--hope on. Sweet child, sweet Deb, my -brave best one, I _must_ confide in thee, or my old heart will break. -This boy--this son, in whom I trusted--Ah me!' and with his clenched -hand on his brow and his eyes raised to heaven, the father gave a deep -and bitter sob--'has _betrayed_ me--_his father_!' With a strange -hoarse eager whisper, and eyes that gleamed like a madman's, Sir -Vincent leaned forward and uttered those words to Deborah. She, white, -still, waited without a word for more. 'I have seen the papers--Adam -Sinclair holds them--by which that boy of mine has anticipated my -death, and raised money upon Enderby; his writing--his name--Charles -Stuart Fleming. Adam Sinclair has got those papers out of Parry's -hands; and by marrying thee, my fairest and my best, he buys those -papers of Parry and destroys their shameful purport. But Deb--does -that wipe out the stain? Does that blot out the fact that that boy of -mine, deceiving and betraying me--ay, cursing my lengthened life, and -hungering for the old man's death--has got a hound to raise this money? -Ay, that hound has in turn betrayed him into Sinclair's hands; and -Charles Fleming's black-heartedness is laid bare to him and me.' - -'Have ye seen those papers, father, with your very eyes? And Charlie's -writing?' - -'Ay, ay.' - -Deborah panted, terribly white and wild she looked, with her hands -pressed on her side. Sir Vincent kneeled down beside her and laid his -head upon her shoulder. Bitter, bitter was that hour. - - -CHAPTER THE FOURTEENTH. - -Some days after that--it might have been centuries to Deborah -Fleming--she heard a peal at the great hall bell; and Kingston -Fleming, pale, disordered in dress, and haggard-eyed, entered the -library. Deborah was looking idly over the books, not reading; she -was stunned, and could neither read nor write; she scarcely had the -power of thought. One look at King, and she knew that he knew her fate. -'Deborah!' he said, roughly and hoarsely, 'you have played me _false_! -By words strong and binding as an oath, you told your brother you would -not wed Adam Sinclair--that no ruin, no misery, should lead you to so -ignoble a sacrifice. Is it then under the mask of doing good, ye do -this grievous evil? Soiling your soul, sacrificing your life, not to -save your father and your brother, for Charles Fleming would rather see -you dead than accept your bounty _then_, but to win rank and money--to -shuffle off this miserable coil of poverty, that wearies you; and to -sell yourself for gold and tinsel to this hoary reprobate! No good -intention, no amount of self-sacrifice, could justify so detestable a -deed.' - -Palely beautiful, but full of calm scorn, Deborah Fleming faced her -fiery and impetuous kinsman; before she spoke, her haughty eyes flashed -fire and disdain. - -'Kingston Fleming, are _you_ my brother? Are _you_ my guardian, my -master, or the master of this house, that you dare to insult me thus? -What earthly right have you to question or to jeer at me? Were I a man, -I would strike you on the face for this. Coward! Because I am alone and -a woman, you dare to insult me by these words! What if I choose to be -wed to Adam Sinclair, and to love his "gold and tinsel;" what is that -to you? What if I choose to "sell" my precious self for his name and -fortune; what is that to you? I have my father's consent; I am under my -father's protection; you have no earthly claim on me. Fair and friendly -have you ever been to me. Courteous has been your kindly interest in -me from childhood upwards; but scarcely enough so, to justify your -interference now. I thank you, Master Kingston Fleming, for your -anxiety on my account; but I'll thank you also to leave me and mine -alone.' - -Even in that wild moment, Kingston saw that she was trembling with -fierce passion--ay, she could have struck him; in that moment, she -_hated_ him. But Kingston too, goaded by his wild unavailing remorse -and love, mad with the knowledge of how cruelly his taunt had wronged -her, desperate at her beauty and her sacrifice, cared for nothing. -Dashing down his hat and whip, he caught her hands in his: 'Beautiful, -cruel, heartless, reckless Deborah! Child, I have loved thee--too late, -too late. I am _free_! I am free to woo thee; I am a free man now! -But when I come in mad haste to ask thy love and pity, I find thee -betrothed, and cast away, and _sold_! Listen! I would have _made_ thee -love me. No woman on earth have I loved but Deborah Fleming! I would -have _made_ thee love me!' - -Then, with a sharp bitter cry, Deborah wrenched away her hands. -Conscious of her brother's dishonour, sublime in the greatness of her -sacrifice, and her terrible secret and her suffering, she looked back -on Kingston only with passion and scorn, to hide the love that would -still master her, and hurled him back taunt for taunt. 'Ah! you are -a good one to preach honour and good faith to me! throwing over one -woman to woo another who is betrothed! I feel dishonoured even to have -heard your words of love, when I have plighted troth to Adam Sinclair. -But don't think to win or move me by thy treachery. Deborah Fleming -doesn't change her troth-plight every hour. Her vows once made, are -binding, binding till _death_!' - -'Then good-bye, Deborah.' He took up his hat and whip and strode to the -door. His looks were turned back on her, a smile was in his haggard -eyes--intense passion, love, and suffering; his face was pale as death. -His last sight of her was the proud erectness of her figure, and the -bright watchfulness of her beautiful haughty eyes, following him, and -burning on him. But when he was gone from her sight, the bells of -Enderby, as all through their interview, came clanging wildly out, -clashing on heart and brain. - -'I know not if I love or hate him most!' cried the girl, half mad with -her despair. 'I love him, and I hate him too!' - -Then rang out the bells of Enderby, loud and clear, the refrain, 'I -love him, and I hate him too!' Low in the lull, loud and clear on the -gale, 'I love him, and I hate him too!' - -Mistress Dinnage in those days was well-nigh desperate. After hearing -that Deborah Fleming was betrothed to Adam Sinclair and was to be -wedded to him in three weeks' time, she knew no rest. It was all -for Charlie, it was on his account; Charlie therefore must know of -this, and there would be an end of it. For two evenings Mistress -Dinnage watched for her lover in vain. She had talked herself hoarse -to Deborah; she had exhausted threats and entreaties: she might as -well have talked to the idle wind--and so she knew--as to Deborah -once resolved. On the third evening-watch, however, Margaret saw the -well-known form. She was out in a moment under the gloom of the trees -and the twilight. - -'I have somewhat to tell you, Charlie. Let me speak quickly and -clearly, love. Your sister Deborah is betrothed to Master Sinclair; -they are to be wedded in two weeks and four days. There have been sad -doings at Enderby. Your father! Ah! I dare not tell ye what I fear. -But oh! grievous trouble has he been in through tidings from Master -Sinclair about _you_! So Mistress Deborah promised then and there to -be Master Sinclair's wife. Oh, I tell you she is desperate since! She -loves another; I know it; but she gives up all for you and Enderby.' - -'Can this be true! Meg, I will kill him first. Has he betrayed me then? -What tidings has he sent?' - -'I know not; but of terrible losses, be sure. Ah, dear, are ye not in -terrible trouble, and waiting about for love of me? Stay no longer, -Charlie! Think not o' me; I will follow; I've got good courage. Release -sweet Mistress Deborah.' - -'How, quotha? Death only will release that mad reckless girl. Ah! I -might have known her.' - -'Neither prayers nor commands, Charlie, would she listen to; no, not -if you were rolling in riches now, she says she would not break her -oath. Charlie! O love, what do I urge you to! You must fight that old -man, and we must fly. Not to kill him, Charlie, hark ye!--not to kill -him; but to disable him for what life he has left! Think me merciless, -unwomanly; I care not, so that it saves her. Or stay, stay, Charlie! -Will ye use all your influence first to turn him? O ye can talk to -tenderness a heart o' stone! Talk to Adam Sinclair then till he melts -to pity; but set sweet Deborah free!' - -'_Talk_ to him!' said Charlie Fleming, with a short laugh; 'ay, I -will _talk_. But we have old accounts to settle first, old debts to -square. We have a little affair to settle between ourselves, Adam -Sinclair and I. Hark ye, Meg! He has accused me of foul play--not to -my face, not he! but behind my back. He has accused me of cheating at -cards--a dirty trick to brand on a man; and as ye know, love, whatever -Charlie Fleming's faults, he would scorn so foul an act. I don't mind -telling ye now, Meg, that I must wipe off this slander with blood. -All my comrades are up in arms at it; and even _now_ I am on my way -to Lincoln, to meet Adam Sinclair face to face; and in case I fall, -Meg--to bid thee now farewell.' He took her in his arms; he folded -back the long dark hair from the passionate face. In bitter wrath and -passion had she trembled at hearing of the foul slander put on his fair -fame; and her fiery spirit, following the spirit of his words, had -made her grasp his hands, and pant and frown in eagerness for revenge. -But when she pictured him dead--lying perchance beneath the old man's -deadly shot, stiffening in his blood, in the perished glory of his -youth and strength--then her woman's heart began to shudder and to -faint: she leaned on his broad breast and moaned. - -'What! sick?' he whispered. 'Faint? A little _poltroon_! The wife of a -Fleming must be brave. _Thou_ wouldst hate and despise Charles Fleming -if he could for one moment brook such an insult as this. Come; I meant -to bid thee good-bye, and hide this from thee; but now I have told thee -all, thou must face death with me, and take it as it comes.' - -'I know it! I know it! Not for one moment would I say aught but "Go!" -Yet, pity my woman's fears; think how long I have loved but thee! Ay, I -have kissed the stones where thy shadow passed! and to lose thee now, -_now_--my husband of but a week, my darling _husband_! Nay; I will not -grieve before 'tis time!' she cried with sudden fire, gazing up at him. -'See! I am so brave that I would fain be thy second, and see thy true -shot speed to that old coward heart! Oh, thou'lt kill him, Charlie, -thou'lt kill him, or hurt him sorely. A dead-shot he may be; but men -say thine is deadlier. Nay; do not laugh; I have listened, till I know -better than thou canst know thyself, all Charles Fleming's brave gifts. -They say thou'rt a deadly shot.' - -He stooped and kissed her. 'A deadly shot! Yes; I will shoot him for -love of _thee_. Better not mangle the old traitor; I will kill him -clean, or not at all. Thank heaven, if he kills me it will be clean! -Love, if I fall, don't weep; _I leave a hope with thee_.' These words -were whispered; she did not answer, she did not speak. - -A few more happy stolen hours, and he was gone. She went with him to -the gate in the woods, where he was wont to come and go, through the -mossed entrance and the tangled clambering ivy. There they stood, her -hand upon the gate; her dark head, that reached no higher than his -heart, laid there. The mute clinging hand did not escape him; every -motion, every gesture of his young love, was marked by his keen hawk -eyes, as if it were her last. He pulled open the stubborn gate; still -the two clung as if they would never part. - -'Sweet love, good-bye.' He listened for her answer, but only heard a -sob; kisses were Margaret's good-bye--kisses, and the deathless love -within them. Then her arms fell asunder, and leaning against the gate, -she let him go. With the iron grasped within her little hands, she -stood gazing through the bars and saw him wave adieu; still stood, -while the quick hoofs bore him far away; still stood, gazing for him -through the night, though Mistress Margaret Fleming (for Mistress -Fleming indeed she was) saw him no more! - - - - -COD-FISHING IN ICELAND. - - -Though the French are not naturally a maritime nation, there is a hardy -race of fishermen to be found on the coasts of Normandy and Brittany, -from whose ranks are obtained a large proportion of the hands that -are employed in the cod-fishing of Newfoundland and Iceland. Though -it is a painful and dangerous occupation, there are few that offer a -higher remuneration to the masters and crews; the shoals of fish are -inexhaustible, and the demand is always greater than the supply. - -It is, however, not always easy to get up the necessary complement of -hands; and captains sometimes have recourse to the unlawful acts of the -press-gang of former days. A ship ready to start will enter a little -creek on the coast of Brittany near an almost unknown village; and -after mass on Sunday, the captain announces at the church door that he -is in want of men for Iceland. The advantages are loudly proclaimed: -good food, good wine, brandy, meat three times a week, and above all, -an immediate bounty of from four to eight pounds, with future pay in -proportion to the results. The extreme poverty of the peasants makes -such a sum of money seem fabulous; they have only to say Yes. And yet, -how hard it is to them to leave their beloved home and speak the fatal -word! The captain knows how to overcome their irresolution. Installed -in a neighbouring _cabaret_, he patiently waits until some young and -vigorous men enter, when he pours forth all his eloquence, enumerates -the advantages, slurs over the danger and fatigue, shakes the gold in -his purse, orders an abundance of cider and brandy, and in the end, -draws his victims into the net. - -The engagement is signed; and the labourer, who has spent the winter -in collecting sea-weed for the fields and sowing his crops, leaves -the women to manage the rest. All being favourable, he will return in -September with twenty pounds in his pocket. A few voyages make him a -good sailor, when he can be drafted into the fleet at Cherbourg, thence -to be transformed into a servant of his country. - -From the difficulty of obtaining men, French shipbuilders reduce the -labour by mechanical appliances; so that five or six men will navigate -ships of two hundred tons. But in cod-fishing craft it is necessary -to have as many men as possible, and twenty are usually taken. The -arrangements are wofully insufficient. There are only sleeping-places -for a third; one sailor resting whilst two are fishing. Thus, after six -hours spent on deck without shelter from rain, wind, and snow, the -waves washing over and the heavy line in their hands, the men go down -stiff with cold and worn out with fatigue. Yet they must lie dressed as -they are, on a hard damp mattress; and frequently the clothes are never -changed from the beginning to the end of the voyage. - -After five voyages a man is authorised to take the command, and though -styled captain, he is nothing more than the head of the fishermen. -It is his work to keep the account of the number of cod caught; the -sailors taking care as they hook a fish to cut out its tongue and place -it in a bag hung to their belt. When the hour of repose comes the -tongues are taken to the captain, and about ten centimes is allowed for -each. The second in office is only chosen as being the most skilful -with his line; then comes the man who cuts off the cods' heads, opens -and prepares the fish for the salter; and lastly the one who lays them -in the barrels and closes them for sale. - -With this short description of the crew we will pass over the voyage, -as described by a French writer, M. Aragon, and take the reader to the -Icelandic coast, Patrix-Fiord, where a number of vessels are already -collected. Deserted during the past season, it now presents a scene -of the greatest animation. A man-of-war is there to provide for any -repairs that may be needed; carpenters and blacksmiths are busy doing -their work, the bay echoes with the noise of hammers and saws. Other -vessels, called _chasseurs_, come from France to take away the fish. -On the shore rises the little wooden hut of the _cocman_, a Danish -merchant who lives there during the summer months to trade with the -people and sell spirits. No night comes on to interrupt the incessant -labour; during the middle of May the sun is never below the horizon, -and but a few stars may be seen on the zenith about the end of June. - -Those ships that have chosen their position for fishing take down their -sails and lie as quietly at anchor as the wind will permit, the men -standing in a close line at the side of the vessel. They are clothed -from head to foot in knitted or flannel garments, with waterproof -capes and hats. A petticoat of strong linen is tied round the waist, -descending below the knees, and to preserve the feet from wet they wear -woollen stockings and waterproof boots. Thick woollen gloves lined with -leather save their hands from the injury of constant friction from -the heavy line. The whole forms a curious picture of ragged, patched, -greasy, well-tarred habiliments, which a comic pencil might rejoice -to portray. The men, indifferent to their appearance, seek only to be -saved from moisture. The lines they use are necessarily very heavy to -bring on board a fish weighing say forty pounds. There are two hooks -baited with the entrails of fish; but the voracity of the cod is such -that it is scarcely necessary to be too particular as to the lure. Thus -the men stand for six hours consecutively, gently moving the line, and -when a shake indicates a catch, lifting the heavy weight on board. - -The fatigue is very great, and much of it is pure loss, as the line too -often brings up another fish, called the flétan, which though very good -to eat, does not bear preserving. The sailors hold this interloper in -extreme aversion, as it often breaks the line by its weight, and gives -them much trouble to heave on board. - -Let us now take a glance at the scenery which surrounds these hardy -seamen. The coast is broken up into large gulfs, strewn with shoals and -reefs of a most dangerous character, where misfortunes are so frequent -that the place is called by the fishermen 'The Ships' Cemeteries.' -Enormous precipices line the coast, with heaps of volcanic stones, worn -by the action of the waves, lying at the foot. These rocks are cut -at certain distances into spaces like the mouth of an immense river, -called fiords, which communicate with the sea by a comparatively narrow -inlet, and spread out into a sort of lake, surrounded by vertical -and jagged rocks. The more sinuous the outlet, the more sure is the -anchorage; and in each bay there is generally found one sandy spit, -forming a sort of natural jetty, behind which the ships are secure, and -where the cocman builds his hut. Far away in the distance rises the -gigantic cone of the extinct volcano Sneffiels-Jœkul, whose summit is -covered with rosy-tinted snow. In the hollows of the rocks thousands -of sea-birds build their nests, to be slaughtered by the inhabitants -at a certain season for the sake of _fuel_, their flesh being utterly -unpalatable to the least fastidious appetite. - -One of the most important fiords is the Dyre-Fiord, where a small -hamlet of a dozen huts or _bœrs_ is built in a large meadow. These -constructions are not easy to describe; they are low and massive, -formed of lava-stone and peat. To avoid cold and damp within, a very -small door opens into a dark narrow passage, towards which the rooms -converge. The walls and pointed roof are covered with turf, upon which -grows a thick crop of grass, making it very difficult to distinguish -the _bœr_ from the field in which it stands. Within, the accommodation -is most simple--a kitchen and one sleeping-apartment, with closets -to contain provisions, clothes, and fishing apparatus. Beyond the -vegetable garden is a building for drying fish, the planks of which -are separated to admit the free circulation of the air. Here the -decapitated cod are hung, emitting a savour far from pleasant. The -heads form the food of the Icelanders with butter and milk; the fish -are sold for export. The sea-wolf is also largely eaten, though its -flesh is tough and rancid, the frequency of leprosy and elephantiasis -in the island being attributed to this unwholesome diet. - -Men and women, masters and servants, all inhabit the same room, -whilst cleanliness is not much attended to; but poor as they are, -and accustomed to great privations, they set an example of cheerful -contentment. The beauty of the young girls is remarkable; their fair -hair falls in long plaits, partially covered by a black cloth coif, -daintily worn on one side of the head, and finished at the top with -a tassel of coloured silk run through a silver or steel buckle, -which floats on the shoulder. It reminds the traveller of the Greek -head-dress; but the blue eyes with their sweet benevolent expression -soon recall to his mind their Danish origin. The dress is made of the -cloth woven in the country, and on festival days the bodice is gaily -adorned with silver braid and velvet, whilst the belt and sleeves -are ornamented with silver devices, beautifully chased and often of -great value. On wet and cold days the shawl becomes a useful mantilla, -completely enveloping the head, and defending the wearer from the -effects of the frequent storms. - -The people offer the most generous and cordial hospitality to all -travellers, and especially to shipwrecked mariners. An opportunity -for proving this hospitality once occurred in the open and dangerous -bay of the Westre-Horn, surrounded by breakers and reefs. Here forty -vessels were fishing on a fine morning in March, when the breeze began -to freshen. The cod was abundant, and the men were tempted to stay -too near the coast. All the vessels but five doubled the point; these -beaten back by the enormous waves, and not daring to raise a sail, were -broken on the rocks. Thirty men reached the shore, sixty-six found a -watery grave. The _Sea-bird_ struggled long, until breaking up, all -perished excepting the mate and cabin-boy; the former had received a -severe wound in the leg by falling on some broken glass. Tied to the -rigging, together they awaited their fate, frozen with cold, the waves -washing over them. After three hours the boy expired of exhaustion; -and the mate unloosing the ropes was soon thrown on to the shore. The -corpses of his friends were lying around him, the survivors having -gone inland for shelter; but with great difficulty he followed them, -crossing streams and marshes, sinking into ice and snow at every step, -his wounded leg torn by the sharp points. Six weary hours were thus -passed, when his heartrending cries at length reached two Icelanders, -who carried him into a _bœr_ not far off. - -For five months these good people nursed and tended the sufferer. At -the end of that time he was still confined to bed, but the healing -had begun. A vessel was sent round to bring him away; yet his hosts -evinced much sorrow at the prospect of his departure. At their request -the captain left him one night longer, when the shipwrecked mariner -was escorted to the beach by the whole family, all manifesting a -deep emotion. After thanking the father, not only for his care of -the survivor, but also for the burial he had given to the victims of -the storm, the captain assured him that the French government would -indemnify him for the expense he had incurred; but the good man only -pressed his hand, declaring that he had done his duty, and deserved -neither indemnity, thanks, nor recompense. The Minister of Marine sent -a gold medal to him after hearing of his generous conduct. - -Robbery, murder, and theft are almost unknown in this peaceful little -country; not a soldier or policeman is needed even in the capital -Reikiavik; a fact which fully proves the virtues of the Icelanders. -Travellers have asserted that the hospitality was not quite so -disinterested as it appears, and there may be an exception in certain -localities, such as the road to the Geysers, traversed every year by -many tourists. Here the Lutheran ministers offer shelter in their -churches, which are transformed into hotels, and provide fish, milk, -and coffee for those who need it at a certain charge. Roads are -almost unknown; the configuration of the ground wholly prevents their -formation. The island has been the scene of such tremendous volcanic -action that the mountains are heaped together in the most fantastic -manner. From the glaciers which cover the summits of extinct volcanoes -rush torrents of water, bringing down the disintegrated rocks to -accumulate in the valleys below. - -Yet in the midst of these convulsions, Nature does not forget her -rights, and wherever a little earth can be found there grows a tuft of -grass. Meadows undulating with the rocky ground cover it with a green -mantle, and in summer the botanist will find most of the wild-flowers -which bloom in our temperate climates. During the winter, the water -infiltrating through the soil turns the whole into an impassable -marsh, where the unwary traveller may sink into quicksands of the most -dangerous character, since there is no exterior sign to denote their -existence. In a country whose natural configuration scarcely admits -of carriage-roads, ponies are invaluable, their robust constitution -defying alike climate and fatigue. Small in size, quiet and patient, -they resemble the Corsican or Pyrenean breed. Such is their docility, -that the most inexperienced rider may mount without fear, and trust to -their instinct in the difficult mountain passes. Three or four thousand -are exported yearly into England, where they are used chiefly for -coal-mines; and such is the estimation in which they are now held, that -their cost has largely increased. - -The eider-duck is one of the most profitable sources of revenue, and -strict laws prevent their wanton destruction. A gun is not allowed to -be fired near the places they frequent, for fear of alarming them; -thus they have become so tame that they allow themselves to be stroked -without fear. They choose the islands for their homes--where their -deadly enemy the fox cannot reach them--and the steep barren rocks -in the fiords. Many of the owners clear a thousand a year by the -sale of the down, without any expense. It is scarcely necessary to -make laws for the preservation of game, since shooting is a pleasure -the Icelanders wholly despise. The curlew, snipe, golden plover, and -wild-duck abound, as well as the delicate white partridge; but the -natives despise them as food, and prefer smoked or dried salmon, with -which their streams abound. - -In the middle of August the greater part of the French ships meet -in the Faskrud-Fiord before starting home. By this time the snow is -beginning to fall and ice to form around the bays. Detached icebergs -make their appearance in forms as singular as varied, sometimes -resembling fantastic animals or the prow of a ship. The anchors are -raised, and the convoy leaves the wintry shore; and anticipations of -home once more dawn on the weary fishermen. - - - - -THE ADMIRAL'S SECOND WIFE. - - -CHAPTER VII.--COMING-HOME. - -Preparations for the much-talked-of marriage are pushed on rapidly; -and before the spring flowers are making the slopes of Hayes Hill glad -with their brightness, the wedding--a very quiet one--takes place. -Laura Best is not present, though everybody says how charmingly she -has acted towards Katie. She called on the bride-elect, and on the -wedding morning a short perfumy note of congratulation and a handsome -set of opals arrive as a marriage gift. Sir Herbert is pleased at his -daughter's attentions to his bride, and is glad that after all such a -friendly feeling has sprung up between them. - -The fact is, Laura Best, finding that opposition cannot prevent the -marriage, has decided to give it her apparent sanction. Not for worlds -would she interfere with the happiness of the wedded pair or throw -unpleasantness on their path. So she quietly does all that is needful -in the way of proper attention, and then goes home to Hayes Hill to her -children and duties there. Yet in secret she bears a heavy heart with -her, and mourns over her father's infatuation. - -If the Admiral's wedding has been a quiet one, the home-coming is -destined to be quite the reverse. The whole town of Seabright wakes up, -and great preparations are made to welcome the pair. The ships in the -bay are illuminated, flags flutter in the breeze, and bells peal out -their jubilant chimes. - -Katie smiles proudly to herself as she walks through the lofty -apartments of Government House, and feels she is mistress there now. -It is pleasant to roam about everywhere, and know that she has the -right to do so; pleasant also to stand in the shade of the deep window, -and listen to the joyous pealing of the bells, which she knows are -pealing for her. Wealth and rank are in her grasp; she has entered on -the honours of her new position, and will rule with no timid hand. -Self-confident and fearless, she laughs to herself in utter exultation -at the warnings, the croakings, the forebodings that a while ago -assailed her. Walter Reeves is very angry indeed, when he finds out -how unceremoniously he has been set aside; and he is intensely bitter -against Katie in the first flush of his disappointment; so doubtless -it is fortunate for all concerned that his ship, the _Leo_, is ordered -off on a cruise in the Mediterranean. He will be away for nearly twelve -months, and surely in that time the most poignant heart-wound may be -healed. Besides, change of scene is all-potent in such cases! - -As months pass away, Lady Dillworth's tastes rapidly expand and assert -themselves; ere long she becomes the leader of society in Seabright, -and the most fashionably dressed woman there. Sir Herbert is generous -beyond measure; Katie must not have a wish ungratified, or a desire -unfulfilled if he can help it. And so the young wife, loving admiration -and homage with a wild passion, basks in them to her heart's content. -The semi-official parties at Government House, stately and dignified -as they were, rapidly give place to balls and quadrille assemblies, -to late hours and overcrowded rooms. The junior officers of the -ships rejoice at the change; while the older ones shake their heads -ominously, and gradually withdraw themselves from excitements that have -no longer any charms for them. - -Lady Dillworth is the belle on all occasions. Whether she entertains -the company with her rich voice as she sings for them, or delights them -with her sparkling conversation, or whirls with some favoured ones -through waltz or galop, she is ever the attraction of the evening. - -If the Admiral sometimes thinks there is rather too much gaiety, and -longs to have Katie now and then all to himself, he does not say so, -for he cannot bear to deprive her of any enjoyment on which her heart -is set. Often and often during the season, at Katie's old home, sounds -of the rattle of carriages come up to the cosy drawing-room, and the -lamps flash for a moment on the blinds. - -'There they go--another party at Government House, I suppose!' Mr Grey -will say, as he quietly looks up from his books. - -'Yes, my dear; Katie is giving a ball to-night, and such a magnificent -dress she has got for it! Sir Herbert grudges her nothing.' - -'So much the worse for Katie. Spending is an art easily learned; and -where in the world _she_ gained her education on that point, I am -puzzled to know. Not from you, Sarah; you were always economical.' - -'Katie's position is different from ours, dear; she must keep it up.' - -'But she has no need to keep up such an endless whirl. I wonder the -Admiral is not tired to death of it. _I_ should be, I know.' - -And so, all through the quiet night, husband and wife are roused every -now and then from their slumbers by the rattle of passing wheels; and -Mrs Grey sighs to herself about Katie's love for excitement, but will -not blame her aloud, even to her husband's ears. - - -CHAPTER VIII.--RETURN OF THE 'LEO.' - -December comes round again with its blustering winds and rude gales; -there is every prospect of a spell of rough weather, and Captain Walter -Reeves looks with intense satisfaction at his gallant ship the _Leo_, -again riding securely at her anchor in Seabright Bay. - -A season on shore just now, when festivities are about to commence, is -in his idea far preferable to being tossed about on a squally sea or -cruising about from port to port; so he congratulates himself on being -ordered home. He hears of the gay doings at Government House, and how -Katie is the reigning belle of Seabright; and he listens placidly, -without one throb of emotion. Time has proved a panacea. He has no pang -of regret that Sir Herbert is the husband of this very attractive woman -of fashion, instead of himself. As a matter of duty, he is on his way -to call at Government House, when outside a fashionable shop in one of -the streets he sees a well-appointed carriage drawn up, and in it he -catches a glimpse of a well-known form and face. An obsequious shopman -is standing on the edge of the curb-stone displaying some articles of -bijouterie; a coachman in dark livery, with a black cockade in his hat, -is holding the reins. It _is_ Lady Dillworth. There is no mistaking -her imperial manner, as she speaks out in that slightly commanding -voice; neither is there any mistaking her handsome face, her brilliant -eyes, her dark coronal of hair, as she sits there in her proud beauty. -Walter, as he crosses the street, takes note of her velvet, her -sealskin, and the feathers and the damask rosebuds in her bonnet, and -thinks all this suits the Admiral's wife very well. He hears her say -to the shopman: 'The price is eight guineas, you say. Are the stones -real?' - -'Yes, my Lady; and they are very fine and well set. You are the first -to whom I have had the honour of shewing them.' - -'Send one of them to Government House. Or stay,' adds she musingly--'I -want another for a present for a friend; so you may send me two -bouquet-holders.' - -'Sixteen guineas for such rubbish as that! I'm very glad the money -comes out of the Admiral's purse, and not out of mine. A poor -Commander's exchequer would not stand many such attacks as that,' -thinks Walter, rather ungallantly, as he now greets the occupant of the -carriage. - -Katie is surprised to see him, and says so as she holds out her -daintily gloved hand. 'I had no idea the _Leo_ had returned. Have you -been long here?' - -'I arrived only last night, and am on my way to Government House.' - -'How unfortunate there is no one at home! Sir Herbert went to Belton -Park this morning, and I am on my way to the station to meet a -friend who is coming to stay with me. By-the-by, you know the young -lady--Liddy Delmere. Do you remember her?' - -'Isn't she very pretty and a blonde?' - -'Yes; she has both those attractions.' - -'And doesn't she sing nicely?' - -'O yes! Liddy can sing if she likes; and her voice is not a bad -soprano,' replies Lady Dillworth with one of her brightest smiles. - -'Then I'm sure I've often met her at your house in former days.' - -'You had better come and refresh your memory this evening. We shall be -quite alone, and very pleased to see you at Government House.' - -Captain Reeves is of course delighted to meet Lady Dillworth on such -friendly terms. He accepts the impromptu invitation at once. - -The past, with its shadows and disappointments and jealousies, is gone -for ever. Better now to banish every recollection of it from his heart, -and meet Katie on an entirely new footing. - -As if by tacit understanding, they both decide this is the wisest plan. -They meet and separate as mere every-day acquaintances. Nothing can -be more unembarrassed than her ladyship's smile as she acknowledges -Walter's parting bow, and drives off, to the admiration of the staring -urchins in the street. - -'Quite alone' is a mere relative term with Lady Dillworth; for when -the footman throws open the drawing-room door on that evening to -announce Captain Reeves, the latter sees the room is already half full -of guests. Katie stands near the piano; her dark velvet dress falls in -sweeping folds, unbroken by flounce or trimming; the beautiful set of -opals--her step-daughter's wedding present--shine out with a subdued -light from neck, arms, and breast. Beside her is Liddy Delmere, who in -her bright blue silk dress, and with her sunny hair tied with ribbons -of the same azure tint, forms a contrast to her hostess, in which -neither loses. - -Ere long, Walter finds himself seated beside Miss Delmere, for they -have renewed their acquaintanceship with mutual satisfaction, and -plunge at once into discursive recollections of the past. - -'We had some pleasant times together in the days long ago,' begins -Walter. - -'O yes; I remember meeting you several times at Mrs Grey's, also at a -picnic on Bushby Plain, and at a gipsy party. Hadn't we capital fun -sometimes?' - -'Yes, really. What a pity these happy days are over. We never can -recall those bright fresh hours, when the heart gilds everything with a -magic glamour.' - -'Speak for yourself, Captain Reeves! For _my_ part, I enjoy things as -much as ever I did; and my heart "gilds" a good deal still. Do tell me -some of your adventures. What have you been doing all the months you -were away?' - -'Nothing worth relating. I neither discovered a desert island nor a new -race of savages. I really have no wonders to narrate.' - -'How marvellous! The very lack of incidents makes the thing curious. -Now, if _I_ had been cruising about in the _Leo_ for months, I should -have gleaned materials enough for at least two volumes of travels.' - -'Ah! you ladies draw largely on the imagination. My experience is just -this: I went away from England last spring; I return again in time for -the Christmas pudding.' - -'You sailors are all alike. I never met one yet who could give me the -merest sketch of his voyage--all seems a blank, but the going and -returning,' Liddy asserts laughingly. - -'We had some nice balls at Malta,' replies Walter, rousing himself with -a sudden recollection. - -'Had you? Who gave them?' - -'Sometimes _we_ did; and crowds of the prettiest girls I ever saw, -came.' - -'Very flattering to the givers.' - -'Oh, I wish you could see the _Auberge de Provence_ when it is made -ready for a ball; it looks just like a fairy scene. The old knights -of Provence would never recognise the place if they could return to -take a peep at it. As one passes through the hall, it appears like an -orange grove; the trees are full of golden fruit and fragrant blossoms; -and clusters of coloured lamps shine out like rubies through the green -leaves.' - -Walter is fairly launched into his subject now; one recollection -speedily calls up another, till Liddy and he grow eloquent, and enjoy -themselves amazingly. - -He begins describing some musical charades they 'got up' at Malta. - -'How nice they must be! But I can't quite understand them.' - -'We merely take a word, divide it, and make our singing descriptive of -the parts, instead of acting them out. For instance, take Ravenswood.' - -'A sweet word, particularly if one has to croak out a raven chorus! Oh, -I should like that extremely!' laughs Liddy. - -'Ah, no; you don't catch my meaning. We make quite a grand affair of -it, have a drop-scene, on which birds and trees are painted, and our -illustrations are from the opera of _Lucia di Lammermoor_.' - -'Quite a musical drama on a small scale, I declare! I wish we could get -up something of the sort here. I'll ask Lady Dillworth about it. And -here she comes.' - -Katie walks over, looking rather amused at the evident good -understanding between Liddy and Walter, as they thus interchange -recollections with much _empressement_. She seats herself beside them, -and the subject is discussed in all its points. Lady Dillworth enters -into it with impulsive eagerness. Already she is longing for something -new and fresh, something that will cause a sensation among the 'upper -ten' at Seabright. - -Several other guests join them, and ere long an animated group of -people are professing willingness to aid such a charming scheme; -anything novel is so attractive to those whose whole life is -excitement. Walter takes the initiative at once. - -'I have all the music we need. The bandmaster of the 25th arranged -it for me with the songs, duets, and choruses. It's capital for -drawing-room practice, if we can only get enough performers.' - -Everybody is ready to join, so the _rôle_ is settled on the spot. -Walter is to be Edgar; Liddy, Lucy Ashton. But here the young lady -enters a protest. - -'I don't wish to be Lucy. If you want me, you must let me be Lucy's -mother. I make a splendid old woman.' - -'Then who will be the unfortunate bride?--Will you, Lady Dillworth?' -asks Major Dillon, turning towards her. - -'O yes, if Miss Delmere objects.' - -So it is settled. Walter infects the whole party with his eagerness. -Scenes, music, costumes, and arrangements are talked over; and Katie is -all anxiety to carry out the plans with due effect. Walter is to bring -on shore the music-scroll and sketches of the costume; and the intended -performers are invited to meet him to-morrow morning at Government -House, for the first rehearsal. - -'Now _that_ affair is settled, we'll have some music,' Katie says, as -she rises and goes towards the piano. Walter follows her. 'Have you -forgotten all your songs, Captain Reeves?' - -'O no. How could I? _You_ taught me most of them,' he replies. - -'Will you try one now?' - -'Don't ask me to sing a solo. I should break down at once; but if you -will allow me to join you in a duet, I'll try to manage it.' - -Katie turns over a book of manuscript music, and they fix on _Then and -Now_. - -'The words are dreadfully stupid, but the air is pretty,' asserts Lady -Dillworth, as she runs over the prelude: - - We heard the tower bells pealing - On that soft summer night, - Your hand was linked with mine, love; - Your heart, like mine, was light. - We whispered low together - Of that hope and of this; - While far above, the joyous bells - Seemed echoes of our bliss. - - Again those bells are pealing; - We hear them now, and sigh; - No longer can their chimes, love, - Blend with our thoughts of joy. - Our lives for aye are parted; - And on the wintry air, - Those crashing sounds but haunt us now, - Like echoes of despair. - -The two voices ring harmoniously and plaintively through the rooms. -One could almost imagine the singers are actually using the 'past to -give pathos' to the words. But nothing is further from their thoughts. -Katie is only deciding that, after all, Walter's voice will 'do' -with hers in the duets of the charade; and Walter is wishing--just a -little--that Miss Delmere had retained the part of Lucy, as at first -proposed. - - - - -ELECTRICITY AS A LIGHT-PRODUCER. - - -It has long been the opinion of scientific people that in electricity -we have a power the development of which is only at present in its -infancy. The marvellous details of our telegraphic system constantly -remind us that there is a mysterious fluid round about us which can -to a certain extent be made subservient and obedient to the will of -man. This familiarity with that which would a few centuries ago have -been stigmatised as the outcome of sorcery, has led the ignorant to -place a blind belief in its powers. The subtle fluid has in fact taken -the place of the necromancer's wand, and is believed by many to be -capable of anything or everything. The electrician is thus credited -with much that does not of right belong to his domain, and the wildest -speculations are occasionally indulged in as to what next he will do -for us. That electricity will prove of far more extended use than the -present state of knowledge allows, we all have vague anticipations, -and among these is the reasonable hope that it will some day supersede -coal-gas as a means of artificial illumination. We propose, by a brief -review of the present position of electrical research, to point out how -far such a hope is justified by facts. - -Sir Humphry Davy was the first to discover that when the terminal -wires of a powerful electric battery were furnished with carbon-points -and brought into such a position that they almost touched, the space -between them became bridged over with a dazzling arc of light. The -excessive cost of producing this light (owing to the rapid consumption -of the metal-plates and acids which together form the battery-power) -rendered it for a long time almost inapplicable to any other purpose -than that of lecture-room demonstration. But it was evident to all that -a means of illumination so nearly approaching in its intensity the -light of the sun, would, if practicable, be of immense value to society -at large. Apart from its cost, there were many other hindrances to -its ready adoption. The incandescent carbon-points--which we may here -remark are cut from a hard form of gas-coke--were found to waste away -unequally. Some plan had therefore to be hit upon of not only replacing -them at certain intervals, but also, in view of this inequality of -consumption, of preserving their relative distance the one from the -other; otherwise the light they gave became intermittent and irregular. -These difficulties were met by employing clock-work as a regulator, -and more recently by a train of wheelwork and magnets set in motion by -the current itself. These arrangements naturally led to complications, -which required the constant supervision of skilled operators, and the -coveted light was necessarily confined to uses of a special nature -where the question of cost and trouble was unimportant. - -The use of the battery for the electric light has for some years -been almost entirely superseded by the magneto-electric machine. The -construction of this machine is based upon Faraday's discovery, that -when a piece of soft iron inclosed in a coil of metal wire is caused -to pass by the poles of a magnet, an electric current is produced in -the wire. The common form of this machine consists of a number of such -iron cores so arranged upon a revolving cylinder that in continual -succession they fly past a number of stationary horse-shoe magnets -placed in a frame round its circumference. By a piece of mechanism -called a commutator, the various small streams of electricity thus -induced are collected together into one powerful current. This -invention forms one of the most advanced steps in the history of the -electric light. But although it produces electricity without the -consumption of metal involved in the battery system, another element -of cost comes into view in the expense of the steam-power necessary to -work it; besides which the original outlay is considerable. - -In the year 1853 a Company was formed at Paris for producing (by the -aid of some large magneto-electric machines) gas for combustion, -by the decomposition of water. The Company failed to produce gas, -and what was perhaps more to the annoyance of the subscribers, they -failed also to shew any dividends, and the expensive machines were -voted impostors. However, an Englishman, Mr Holms, succeeded in -turning them to better account, and eventually produced by their aid -a light of great power. Mr Wilde of Manchester was another worker in -the same field; and improved machines were soon introduced to public -notice by both gentlemen. A few years after, the South Foreland and -Dungeness lighthouses were provided with experimental lights. (The -first-named headland had previously been furnished with an oxyhydrogen -or lime light, a source of illumination which is also open to the same -objections of requiring constant attention and renewal.) - -It is a matter of surprise to most visitors to the South Foreland -lighthouse to find that a small factory and staff of men are necessary -to keep the electric apparatus in working order. The extent of the -establishment is partly explained by the fact that, in case of -a breakdown of any part of the apparatus, everything is kept in -duplicate. Hence there are two ten horse-power steam-engines, and a -double set of magneto-electric machines, although only half that number -are in actual use at one time. The old oil-lamps are also kept ready, -in view of the improbable event of both sets of electrical apparatus -going wrong. - -Although lighthouses were the first places to which electrical -illumination was applied, there are many other purposes for which -that species of light is invaluable. One of the chief of these is -its use in submarine operations. Unlike other lights, being quite -independent of atmospheric air or any kind of gas for its support, and -merely requiring an attachment of a couple of gutta-percha-covered -wires for its connection with the source of electricity (which may -be at a considerable distance from the place of combustion), it -is specially applicable to the use of divers. The importance of a -means of brilliantly lighting the work of those engaged in clearing -wreck or laying the foundations of subaqueous structures cannot be -over-estimated. There is another service too in which we may hope -some day to see it commonly employed: we mean as a source of light to -our miners. For this purpose, the burner could be placed in a thick -glass globe hermetically closed; in fact the globe might even be -exhausted of air, for experiments prove that the light is in several -respects improved when burnt in a vacuum! The danger of fire-damp -explosion would by this means be almost altogether obviated; for -unless the glass were broken (and abundant means suggest themselves -for protecting it), no communication could be made between the light -and the gas-laden air of the mine. As a means of night-signalling, the -electric light can also be profitably applied. This can be done by an -alphabet of flashes of varying duration; the readiness with which the -light can be extinguished and rekindled by the mere touch of a wire, -rendering it peculiarly adapted for such a purpose; while the distance -at which it can be seen is perhaps only limited by the convexity of -the earth. Several of Her Majesty's ships are now being fitted with -the electric light, which is to serve both for signalling purposes, -and as a precautionary measure against the attack of torpedo-boats. -For military field operations a brilliant light is often useful; and -an electrical apparatus is in actual use by one of the belligerents -in the present war. In this case, the light is doubtless worked by an -electric battery, as a steam-engine is hardly a convenient addition to -the impedimenta of a moving column. - -Having called our readers' attention to the several special public uses -for which the electric light is available, we may now consider how far -it can serve us for the more common wants of every-day life. In its -crude state as we have described it, governed by such a touchy thing -as clock-work, it could not possibly compete with gas for ordinary -purposes. But one or two improvements have within the last few months -been made, which have led many to hope that the day is not far distant -when the light will become common in our streets, if not in our houses. - -These improvements are two in number. The one is a plan whereby the -electric current can be subdivided so as to serve a number of different -lights, and the other is an improvement in the arrangement of the -burner. The first-mentioned invention seems most certainly to bring -the system more on a par with gas-lighting, only that wires take -the place of pipes. But the second offers features of a more novel -character. The carbons, instead of being placed point to point, one -above the other, as in the old system, are put side by side and made -into a kind of candle. The carbons therefore represent a double wick; -while the portion of the candle usually made of tallow is made of -kaolin, a form of white clay used in the manufacture of porcelain. The -points are thus kept at a fixed distance apart; and as they burn, they -vitrify the kaolin between them, which both checks their waste and -adds, by its incandescence, to the light produced. The old difficulty -of keeping the carbons apart by the aid of clock-work, therefore -disappears. The invention of this 'electric candle' is due to a -Russian engineer, M. Jablochkoff. Another plan which is also credited -to the same inventor is that of doing away with the carbon-points -altogether, and substituting for them a thin plate of kaolin. The -light produced is said to be softer, steadier, and more constant than -that obtained by any previous method. Successful experiments with -M. Jablochkoff's invention both in France and England have shewn it -to be readily applicable to many purposes. It was lately tried at -the West India Docks, London, where its power of illuminating large -areas for the purpose (among others) of unloading ships by night, was -fully demonstrated. Moreover, its portability is such that it can be -carried into the depths of a ship's hold. We may mention as a result -of these experiments, that the various gas companies' shares have been -depreciated to a considerable extent. - -Meanwhile, improvements in the magneto-electric machine have not been -wanting; Siemens in England and Gramme in France have succeeded in -obtaining intense currents from machines far less bulky than those -of the old pattern. But still steam-power is required to set them in -motion, and until this is obviated, we cannot expect that the electric -light can become really available for more general use. The inventors -claim that their method of illumination is, for the amount of light -obtained, far cheaper than any other known, pleading that one burner -is equal to one hundred gas-lights. But we must remember that for -ordinary purposes this amount of light is far beyond our needs. In -factories where steam-power is already available, and where the light -would supersede a large number of gas-burners, it can of course be -employed with profit. Indeed we learn that at several large workshops -in different parts of France the light is in actual use with the best -results. Some of the railway stations both there and in Belgium are -also making arrangements for its immediate adoption. - -The problem, however, which has now to be solved is, whether the light -can be made available for domestic purposes. We fear that the necessary -motive-power presents an insuperable objection; for although, as we -have explained, one engine will feed a certain number of lights, it -will bear no comparison in this respect with the capabilities of a -small gas-holder. Besides which, a man would have far more difficulty -and expense in starting a steam-engine in his back-garden than he -would have (as is commonly done in country districts) in founding a -small gas-factory for the supply of his premises. Without losing sight -of the benefits which coal-gas has given us, we may hope that it is -not the last and best kind of artificial illumination open to us. It -blackens our ceilings and walls; it spoils our books and pictures, -besides robbing our dwellings of oxygen, and giving us instead a close -and unhealthy atmosphere. The combustion of electricity is on the other -hand, as we have already shewn, _independent of any supply of air_; -and instead of vitiating the atmosphere, it adds to it a supply of -that sea-side luxury ozone, which may truly be said to be 'recommended -by the faculty.' Besides these advantages, it can be used without -any sensible rise of temperature. Another great advantage which its -use secures is its actinic qualities, which would enable artists and -all whose work depends upon a correct appreciation of colours, to be -independent of daylight. - -In conclusion, we may say that, beyond the special uses for the -electric light which we have enumerated, and for which it has by -experience been found practicable, we see no likelihood of its more -general adoption until two requisites are discovered. The one is a -substance that will, without wasting away and requiring constant -renewal, act as an incandescent burner; and the other is a cheap -and ready method of obtaining the electric fluid. For the former we -know not where to look, for even the hardest diamond disappears under -contact with the electric poles. But with regard to the latter, we -cannot help thinking how, many years ago, Franklin succeeded by the aid -of a kite-string in drawing electricity from the clouds. Is it too much -to hope that other philosophers may discover some means not only of -obtaining the luminous fluid from the same source, but of storing it up -for the benefit of all? - - - - -JAPANESE WRESTLERS. - - -It is a fine clear day in February; and the bright sun shining without -a cloud to impede his rays, lights up the hull of H.M.S. _Lyre_, -swinging lazily round her anchors in Yokohama Bay. Scarcely a ripple -can be seen on the surface of the water, and numberless boats are -darting to and fro, conveying passengers from the various ships to -the shore. On board the corvette the blue-jackets and marines are -reclining about the forecastle smoking and sewing, for it is Thursday -afternoon, the day set apart in English men-of-war for the men to make -and mend their clothes; a concession which Jack values the more for the -privilege of smoking all the afternoon which accompanies it. Clearly -it is not a day for any one to remain cooped up in a ship, who is not -detained there by duty. So think we officers; for most of us have -shifted into plain clothes, and are ready to go ashore. The officer -of the afternoon watch, who is endeavouring to beguile the weary four -hours he has to spend on deck by levelling his spyglass at every object -far and near, looks gloomily at a party of us getting into a sampan, -and remarks, with a view to cheering us up, that the glass is falling -rapidly, and he expects dirty weather before the night; _he_ wouldn't -go ashore if he could, &c. But we have been at sea too long to be -persuaded out of anything by a little chaff; so with a parting joke at -sour grapes, we get into the crazy little sampan, and manage to seat -ourselves without capsizing her, a work of some little difficulty. The -four half-naked, muscular little fellows who form our crew work their -long sculls with great vigour, keeping time to the beat of the unwieldy -oars with a shrill monotonous chant, whose burden is 'Go ashore! go -ashore!' - -It is a glorious view that lies before us on that bright winter day. -The long esplanade, or _bund_, that fringes the shore is lined with -the tall white houses of the foreign settlement, to the southward of -which is the beautiful wooded hill called the Bluff, the white cliffs -of which are dazzlingly bright in the sunlight. The bungalows of the -foreign residents are for the most part on the Bluff, each house -inclosed in its own beautiful grounds; and here too, about two miles -from the settlement, is the race-course, an invariable accompaniment to -any large gathering of Englishmen in the East. Yokohama itself lies in -a valley between the Bluff on the one hand and the Kanagawa hills on -the other; but inland rises range after range of lofty mountains, and -towering far above everything is the snow-capped crest of Fusiyama, the -'peerless' mountain of Japan, which is forty-five miles distant from -the bay where our ship is lying. Fusiyama is a volcano in the shape -of a truncated cone, but no eruption has taken place for more than a -century; a fortunate thing for the country, as fifty thousand people -are said to have perished at its last great outbreak, which almost -destroyed the capital, Yeddo. Shocks of earthquake are very frequent, -though slight, in Yokohama and the neighbouring town, Kanagawa; in -fact, most of Japan is subject to these volcanic disturbances, which -occasionally cause great damage. It is on this account that the houses -are built generally of such slight materials, as they can endure shocks -which would infallibly overthrow any building constructed after the -European fashion. In the summer, when the snow has melted from the top -of Fusiyama, bands of pilgrims dressed in white, who have come from -all parts of the empire to worship the peerless mountain, throng in -great numbers along the roads at its base. At this season the ascent is -often accomplished by foreigners for the sake of the magnificent view -which is obtained from the summit on a clear day; though whether it is -worth while going through so much to obtain so little is of course a -matter of opinion. Many people will tell you they go up for the sake of -saying they have been there, forgetting that any one who has not been -there can as easily say the same thing. For my own part I never could -see the object of climbing a mountain only to come down again on the -other side, and therefore in my numerous excursions into the interior -of Japan, I gave Fusiyama a wide berth. Ponies are usually employed by -those who believe in the merits of four legs as compared to two; and -the deep ashes which cover the upper part of the mountain render this -mode of ascent preferable to the severe labour of climbing on foot. -The weather is so clear on the day in question that the deep gullies -down the sides can be easily traced by the naked eye as we are pulling -ashore. - -While we have been admiring the beauties of the scene, our sampan -has passed round the projecting arm of the English Hatoba, a stone -jetty which protects the landing-place from the heavy swell which -often sets into the bay; so we land and make our way to the bund with -some difficulty, owing to the crowd of coolies who are passing to -and from the merchants' godowns with heavy packages slung on bamboo -poles between two men. Now comes the question, how are we to pass our -time? for amusements are somewhat limited in a small settlement like -Yokohama. To be sure, we can go to the club and play billiards or bowls -or read the papers; but the afternoon is so fine that it seems a pity -to waste it indoors. We might spend a few hours very pleasantly in the -Benten Doré, a street filled with shops for the sale of lacquer-work -and curiosities of different sorts; but unfortunately it is nearly the -end of the month, and I need scarcely tell any one acquainted with -the manners and customs of naval officers that our dollars have grown -small by degrees and beautifully less, and we are anxiously waiting for -pay-day. - -The most popular idea seems to be to walk round the race-course to -Mississippi Bay, on the south side of the Bluff, the favourite drive -of the Yokohama ladies; but just as we have resolved on this, a man -passes making some proclamation in a high sing-song tone, which -seems to meet with general approval from the natives. On inquiring, -we find that he is announcing the arrival of the champion troupe of -wrestlers, who intend giving a performance that afternoon on a piece -of waste land just outside the boundaries of the foreign settlement. -Nothing could have happened more apropos; so jumping into some of the -odd-looking little hand-carriages which ply for hire in great numbers -about the streets of most Japanese towns, we are rattled along the -streets at a rapid rate by the active little drivers, who seem to -possess the enviable faculty of never tiring, for they trot along as -gaily at the end of a thirty miles' run over indifferent roads, as -when they started. On arriving at our destination, we find numbers -of natives on the same errand, 'gaily dressed in their Sunday best,' -entering an inclosure which has been hastily made out of long bamboos -covered with matting, to keep out the too curious eyes that would gaze -at the performance gratis. A payment of a quarter _bu_ each (about -threepence in English money) admits us to the interior, which presents -a very striking scene. Round the sides of the large inclosure are -numerous bamboo stages, crowded with the wealthier class of natives -and a few foreigners; while in the amphitheatre some thousands of -people are assembled, many of them women, whose gay robes set off their -attractions to perfection. - -Every one has his holiday face on, and the ceremonious politeness -which usually characterises the meeting of any Japanese, has for the -time given place to mirth and gaiety. Itinerant vendors of cakes and -sweets ply their trade among the crowd with much apparent success; -and here and there is a stall for the sale of _saki_, a strong spirit -brewed from rice, and much resembling inferior sherry in the taste and -smell. There is a total absence of intoxication, and I may say very -few drunken men are ever to be seen about the streets. By the time we -have mounted a stage, and settled down on the chairs a neatly dressed -_musŭme_ (young girl) has procured for us, the performances are about -to commence, and a man is giving out the names of the first pair of -wrestlers. - -In the centre of the amphitheatre a mound has been raised, on which a -ring has been formed by banking up the earth to the height of a few -inches. Two grave-looking elderly men, apparently the judges, now seat -themselves upon mats on the mound, and unfurling their paper umbrellas, -light their pipes, and commence smoking in dignified composure; while -the two wrestlers doff their _kimonos_ (robes) and enter the ring -perfectly naked but for a cloth round the loins. They are very far -removed from our idea of what an athlete ought to be, for though -muscular, they have an ungainly heaviness of figure. Weight is indeed -thought of such importance in these contests that men are fattened for -them like prize cattle, under the mistaken belief that such size is an -advantage to the fortunate possessor! - -A tedious preliminary performance has to be gone through before the -actual business of wrestling commences. Each man comes to the centre -of the ring, and squatting down in front of his antagonist, raises -each leg in turn, and then brings it down heavily on the ground, at -the same time striking his thigh smartly with his open hand. I suppose -this is meant as a sort of challenge; but it has an extremely ludicrous -effect, at least to foreigners, to see two very fat men so employing -themselves. Both men now quit the ring and take a draught of water -and a pinch of salt, while they rub their arms and hands with mud, in -order that they may get a better hold of each other's naked body. -At length they re-enter the ring, and the real struggle now begins. -They squat in front of each other like two huge frogs and strike their -hands together, at the same time uttering a curious hissing noise, -which gets louder and louder till they suddenly fly at each other like -angry cats. Heavy blows and slaps are exchanged freely in the effort -to close, but umpires are behind each shouting out cautions at any -attempted infringement of the rules on either side. When they have -fairly got hold of each other many a cunning feint and twist is shewn, -and the struggling bodies and limbs entwine so rapidly that the pair -look like one gigantic octopus. At length the bout is concluded by -one man being hurled bodily out of the ring into the crowd outside, -and the cheering from the excited spectators is absolutely deafening. -The victor stalks about the ring for some time in great dignity, -receiving the congratulations of his friends, and then repeats his -former challenge, striking his thighs heavily and crowing like a bantam -cock. Another wrestler, nothing daunted, at once comes forward to try -his fortune; while the vanquished combatant, who has picked himself up -amidst a running fire of chaff from the unsympathising crowd, resumes -his _kimono_ with an assumed air of indifference and vanishes behind -the spectators. - -Three men in succession did the first victor overthrow before he found -a foeman worthy of his grip; but he too in turn soon succumbed to a -fresh challenger. The judges during all the confusion maintained their -seats in great dignity, and smoked away with quiet unconcern while the -wrestlers strove and kicked beside them. Their office seemed to be to -settle any disputes; but it was almost a sinecure, as I saw hardly any -during the afternoon, everything being conducted with perfect fairness -and good-humour. All the hard work seemed to be done by the umpires, -who were dancing about each combatant in a perfect state of frenzy, and -their repeated screams of 'Anatta! anatta!' (Sir! sir!) when any unfair -movement was attempted on either side, soon reduced their voices to -mere croaks. To win a round, a man had either to lay his opponent flat -on the ground or thrust him out of the ring. Several of the first bouts -we witnessed were decided in the latter manner, a heavy man driving his -antagonist clean out of the circle by the weight and impetus of his -first assault. Any method whatever seemed to be allowed in catching -hold; I saw one man win a heat by dexterously catching his opponent by -the scruff of the neck and jamming his head on the ground, the whole -body perforce following suit. This seemed to be regarded as a sort of -'fool's mate,' for I noticed that the loser was much laughed at; and -although the same manœuvre was attempted several times afterwards, it -was never successful. - -The light weights had their contest first; and then came the middle -weights, if such a term can be applied to men of fifteen stone at -least. But the real event of the day was the concluding struggle -between the champions, about a dozen in number, who would have passed -muster in any assembly where height and strength were the test. Not -one of them was under six feet in height, and most of them were -considerably over; one gigantic fellow must have been nearly seven -feet. All of them were disfigured by the same inordinate amount of -flesh; but the muscles of the arms and legs were very powerfully -developed, and the activity displayed in spite of their enormous size -was something marvellous. In one severe contest the gigantic champion -threw a lesser athlete clear out of the ring on to the heads of the -spectators below, overwhelming one of the unfortunate judges in the -transit. The latter, however, soon arose, gave himself a shake, and -resumed his pipe and seat, apparently none the worse for his rude shock. - -The final contest of the day, which took place just before dusk, -was between our friend the giant and the next biggest of the band; -and after a severe struggle, ended in the former being thrown as -scientifically as ever I wished to see. The earth shook with the -violence of the fall; but the vanquished hero picked himself up at -once, and with a good-humoured laugh at his opponent, resumed his -_kimono_; and the sports were concluded. - -Not the least amusing part of the afternoon's amusement was afforded -by a blue-jacket on leave from the _Lyre_, who threw his cap into the -ring, and wanted to try conclusions with the biggest man of the party -for a few dollars. A long and amusing conversation took place between -the sailor and the natives; but the challenge was not accepted, so -Jack put on his hat and walked jauntily away. He was a tall powerful -man, and I daresay could have held his own against the giant himself, -in spite of his inferiority of weight; for it is a well-known fact -that the enormous amount of flesh cultivated by the Japanese wrestlers -stands seriously in their way when opposed to a foreigner in good -condition. It is not very many years ago that a shining light of the -English Church in the East came to Japan and astonished the natives -by throwing some of their best men. No doubt, before many years, the -Japanese, who are very quick at seizing any new idea, will perceive the -folly of feeding their athletes to such a size, and follow the English -system of training. A very noticeable feature about these contests was -the perfect good-humour with which they were conducted, not a single -man losing his temper, in spite of the heavy blows and cuffs which -were exchanged with great vigour before closing with each other. While -discussing the afternoon's amusement, we walked to the bund in the -twilight, and a twelve-oared cutter soon took us on board in time for -dinner. Next morning at daylight we were under weigh for Hong-kong. - - - - -SHAMROCK LEAVES. - -A WAKE. - - -Tim Scanlan, while he lived, was only a labouring man; but he was well -liked in the country; and it was expected that his funeral would be -an unusually large gathering. Crowds flocked to the wake, and a great -provision of tea, whisky, pipes, and tobacco had been made. The widow -occupied her post of honour at the head of the coffin, and displayed -a fair show of grief, joining in with vociferous weeping whenever the -'keening' was led by the older women. She was young enough to have -been the dead man's daughter, having come to his house a 'slip' of a -servant-girl, whom he had married and ruled over very masterfully. - -As the night wore on, the whisky began to tell on those outside the -room where the corpse lay. The noise increased, and soon apparently -became loud enough to 'wake the dead,' as the saying is; for to the -consternation and amazement of every one present, the defunct, after -a deep sigh and sundry groans, opened his eyes and struggled up into -a sitting posture. When the startled company had recovered from the -shock, poor Tim was lifted out of the coffin; whisky was liberally -poured down his throat; and well wrapped up in blankets and seated in -the big chair by the fire, he gradually revived from the trance or -stupor that had been mistaken for death. The last of the guests had -departed from the cabin, and Tim, still propped up before the fire, was -left to the care of his wife. Instead of coming near him however, she -slunk off, cringing timidly away into a dark corner behind his chair, -whence she directed frightened glances at her resuscitated spouse. - -'Mary!' said the man in a stern voice. - -No answer. - -'Are you there?' peering round, his face quivering with anger and -weakness. - -'Yis, Tim, I'm here,' faltered Mary, without stirring. - -'Bring me my stick.' - -'Ah, no, Tim; no! Sure you never rose yer hand to me yet! And 'tisn't -now, when you're all as one as come back from the dead, that'---- - -'Bring me my stick.' - -The stick was brought, and down on her knees beside the big chair -flopped the cowering wife. - -'Well you know what you desarve. Well you know, you young thief o' the -world! that if I was to take and beat you this blessed minute as black -as a mourning-coach, 'twould be only sarving you right, after the mean, -dirthy, shameful turn you've done me!' - -'It would, it would!' sobbed the girl. - -'Look here!' gasped Tim, opening his breast and shewing an old tattered -shirt. 'Look at them rags! Look at what you dressed up my poor corpse -in; shaming me before all the decent neighbours at the wake! An' you -knowing as well as I did about the elegant brand-new shirt I'd bought -o' purpose for my berrin; a shirt I wouldn't have put on my living -back--no, not if I had gone naked in my skin! You knew I had it there -in the chest laid up; and you grudged it to my unfortunate carcase when -I couldn't spake up for myself!' - -'O Tim, darlin', forgive me!' cried Mary. 'Forgive me this once, and on -my two knees I promise never, never to do the likes again! I don't know -what came over me at all. Sure, I think, the divil--Lord save us!--must -have been at my elbow when I went to get out the shirt; tempting me, -and whispering that it was a pity and a sin to put good linen like that -into the clay. Oh, how could I do it at all?' - -'Now, hearken to me, Mary;' and Tim raised the stick and laid it on -her shoulder. She knew he wouldn't beat her even if he could with his -trembling hands; but she pretended to wince and cower away. 'Mind what -I say. As sure as you do me the like turn again, and go for to dress me -in those undacent rags, I tell you what I'll do--I'll _walk_.' - -'O don't, Tim, don't!' shrieked Mary, as pale as ashes. 'Murther me -now, if it's plazing to you, or do anything to me you like; but for the -love of the blessed Vargin and all the Saints, keep in yer grave! I'll -put the new shirt on you; my two hands 'll starch it and make it up -as white as snow, after lying by so long in the old chest. Yer corpse -will look lovely, niver fear! And I'll give you the grandest wake that -iver man had, even if I had to sell the pig, and part with every stick -in the cabin to buy the tay and the whisky. I swear to you I will, -darlin'. There's my hand on it, this blessed night!' - -'Well, mind you do, or 'twill be worse for you. And now give me a drop -of wather to drink, and put a taste of sperrits through it; for I'm -like to faint with thirst and with weakness.' - -Mary kept her promise; for such a wake was never remembered as Tim -Scanlan's, when, soon after, the poor man really did depart this life. -And the 'get up' of the 'elegant brand-new shirt' in which the corpse -was arrayed, was the admiration of all beholders. - - - - -CARRIER-PIGEONS. - - -The value of these birds as carriers of messages was interestingly -demonstrated at the siege of Paris, as it used to be in the French war -seventy years ago, before the invention of the electric telegraph. It -now appears that carrier-pigeons may be employed with advantage in -taking messages from boats engaged in the Scottish herring-fisheries, -when no species of telegraph is available. The following notice of the -fact occurs in the _Fishing Gazette_: - -'The experiment which was tried last year of employing carrier-pigeons -for the purpose of bringing early intelligence each morning from the -fishing-ground of the results of the night's labour, is again being -resorted to this season, and with the most satisfactory results. One -of the birds is taken out in each boat in the afternoon; and after -the nets have been hauled on the following morning and the extent of -the catch ascertained, the pigeon is despatched with a small piece of -parchment tied round its neck, containing information as to the number -of crans on board, the position of the boat, the direction of the wind, -and the prospects of the return journey, &c. If there is not wind to -take the boat back, or if it is blowing in an unfavourable direction, -a request is made for a tug; and from the particulars given as to the -bearings of the craft, she can be picked up easily by the steamer. The -other advantages of the system are that, when the curers are apprised -of the quantity of herrings they may expect, they can make preparations -for expediting the delivering and curing of the fish. Most of the -pigeons belong to Messrs Moir and Son, Aberdeen. When let off from -the boats, the birds invariably circle three times round overhead, -and then sweep away towards the land with great rapidity, generally -flying at the rate of about a mile per minute. Two superior birds in -Messrs Moir's possession have occasionally come a distance of twenty -or twenty-five miles in as many minutes; and on Tuesday one of these -pigeons came home sixteen miles in the same number of minutes. Another -of Messrs Moir's pigeons flew on board the _Heatherbell_ on Tuesday -afternoon off the Girdleness, bearing a slip of paper containing the -intelligence that the boat from which it had been despatched at 11.54 -had a cargo of twenty-five barrels of herrings. The pigeons require -very little training, and soon know where to land with their message. -A cot has been fitted up on the roof of Messrs Moir's premises at the -quay for the accommodation of the birds, and they invariably alight -there on their return from sea.' - -According to the London newspapers, there was lately an amusing -experiment to test the flight of carrier-pigeons against the speed of -a railway train. The following is the account given of this curious -race, which took place on the 13th July: 'The race was from Dover to -London between the continental mail express train and a carrier-pigeon -conveying a document of an urgent nature from the French police. The -pigeon, which was bred by Messrs Hartley and Sons of Woolwich, and -"homed" when a few weeks old to a building in Cannon Street, City, was -of the best breed of homing pigeons, known as "Belgian voyageurs." -The bird was tossed through the railway carriage window by a French -official as the train moved from the Admiralty Pier, the wind being -west and the atmosphere hazy, but with the sun shining. For upwards of -a minute the carrier-pigeon circled round to an altitude of about half -a mile, and then sailed away towards London. By this time the train, -which carried the European mails, and was timed not to stop between -Dover and Cannon Street, had got up to full speed, and was proceeding -at the rate of sixty miles an hour towards London. The odds at starting -seemed against the bird; and the railway officials predicted that the -little messenger would be beaten in the race. The pigeon, however, as -soon as it ascertained its bearings, took the nearest homeward route in -a direction midway between Maidstone and Sittingbourne, the distance -"as the crow flies" between Dover and London being seventy miles, and -by rail seventy-six and a half miles. When the continental mail express -came into Cannon Street station, the bird had been home twenty minutes; -having beaten Her Majesty's royal mail by a time allowance representing -eighteen miles.' - - * * * * * - -The Conductors of CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL beg to direct the attention of -CONTRIBUTORS to the following notice: - - _1st._ All communications should be addressed to the 'Editor, - 339 High Street, Edinburgh.' - - _2d._ To insure the return of papers that may prove ineligible, - postage-stamps should in every case accompany them. - - _3d._ Manuscripts should bear the author's full CHRISTIAN name, - surname, and address, legibly written. - - _4th._ MS. should be written on one side of the leaf only. - - _5th._ Poetical offerings should be accompanied by an envelope, - stamped and directed. - -_Unless Contributors comply with the above rules, the Editor cannot -undertake to return ineligible papers._ - - * * * * * - -Printed and Published by W. & R. 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