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diff --git a/old/51100-0.txt b/old/51100-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 4ac8552..0000000 --- a/old/51100-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2222 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, -Science, and Art, No. 726, by Various - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere 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/license - - -Title: Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 726 - November 24, 1877 - -Author: Various - -Editor: William Chambers - Robert Chambers - -Release Date: February 1, 2016 [EBook #51100] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'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. 726. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1877. PRICE 1½_d._] - - - - -WAR AND TELEGRAPHY. - - -It is vexing, even saddening, to think how large an amount of -discovery, invention, and skill is applied to the murderous purposes of -war. As we advance in civilisation, armies become larger and larger, -and more abundantly supplied with agencies we would willingly see -devoted to more peaceful purposes. Whether wars of race, wars of creed, -wars of ambition, or wars of national vanity, the result is much about -the same in this respect. Some consolers tell us that wars by-and-by -will become so terrible as to check the desire to wage them: let us -hope so, despite present symptoms. - -Science has unquestionably rendered a vast amount of aid to attack -and defence in war within the last few years. Gunpowder, gun-cotton, -dynamite, and other explosive substances for fire-arms, torpedoes, -and military mining have had their properties and relative powers -investigated with remarkable completeness. Gun-carriages have -been so vastly improved, that by Captain Scott's contrivances a -six-hundred-pounder can be managed as easily and quickly as a -thirty-two-pounder could in the days of our fathers or grandfathers; -while by Major Moncrieff's automatic apparatus a gun lowers itself -behind the screen of a parapet or earthen battery for loading, and then -raises itself twelve or fifteen feet to fire over it. - -Photography, again, is applied in a great variety of ways to aid -warlike operations. At the office of the Ordnance Survey, or under the -supervision of the Director, an amazing number of such photographs are -taken, enlarged or reduced from the original dimensions according to -circumstances, and multiplied or prepared for printing by a very rapid -process of zincography or some other kind of electro-engraving. One of -the Reports issued by the Director tells us that he supplies the War -Office with photographs of plans of battles, important fortified posts -and their surrounding districts, barracks and forts in all parts of -the British dominions, &c. All the equipments of troops for the field -are similarly photographed or zincographed, as unerring patterns for -reference. For such wars as we have been engaged in during the past -five-and-twenty years (happily few in number), such as the Crimean, -Abyssinian, and Ashanti campaigns, photographs and zincographs have -been supplied in large number to the officers, illustrating all details -which the home authorities have been able to ascertain, and which are -likely to be useful in the intended operations. - -What are we to say of the _torpedo_, and its management by electricity? -This is really a wonderful subject, the influence of which on future -naval warfare even the most skilled and experienced officers can only -dimly surmise. We know that during the civil war in America, the -Federal torpedoes wrought more destruction on the Confederate ships -than all the guns in the Federal fleet; that, on the other hand, the -Confederate torpedoes so effectually guarded the approach to Richmond -up James River, that a hostile flotilla was compelled to retire baffled -and disappointed. One unlucky Federal ship unwittingly passed over a -submerged torpedo at the moment of explosion. And with what result? -'The hull of the ship was visibly lifted out of the water, the boiler -exploded, the smoke-funnels were carried away, and the crew projected -into the air with extreme velocity. Out of the crew of one hundred and -twenty-seven men, only three remained alive--the vessel itself being -blown to atoms.' The arrangements have been so much improved since that -time, that messages can be sent across a river or estuary from shore to -shore through the very wire which is to discharge the torpedo! In every -naval war during the last few years, torpedoes have been more or less -employed. In what way the weaker Russian fleet has been able to baffle -the stronger fleet of the Turks in the struggle of 1877, the newspapers -have told us in full detail. There is no necessity for pursuing this -part of the subject further, seeing that it was lately treated with -some degree of fullness in our pages. - -But the greatest marvel of all, in regard to the application of -electricity to warlike purposes, is the _electric telegraph_. -We know what service the lightning-messenger renders to society -generally in the peaceful daily maintenance of commercial and social -intercommunication; and military men now know what a potent instrument -it is in the conduct of field-operations and siege-works. An officer -well qualified to judge affirms that the memorable Franco-German War, -so disastrous to France, could not have been carried on without the aid -of the electric telegraph by the German forces. The warlike struggles -engaged in by various European powers in the Crimea, in India during -the Mutiny, in China, in New Zealand, in the Austro-Italian provinces, -in Morocco by the Spaniards, in America by the Federals and the -Confederates, in Holstein during the brief Dano-German War, in Bohemia -during the still briefer Austro-Prussian War, in Abyssinia, in France -during the struggle against the Germans, in Ashanti--all these were -marked by the adoption of the electric telegraph to a greater or less -extent. - -Many of us remember, from the vivid descriptions written by the -special correspondents of the daily newspapers, how terrible were -the sufferings of the British troops in the Crimea during the winter -of 1854-5, engaged in trench-work and other siege-operations under -almost every kind of privation. But we also know how impossible it -would have been to learn the news quickly in England and to send -instructions, without the aid of telegraphy. An electric cable was for -this very purpose submerged in the Black Sea from the Turkish mainland -to the Crimea; while on land, wires were set up from Balaklava to the -headquarters outside Sebastopol. Thus it was that daily messages could -be exchanged between Lord Raglan's headquarters and the War Office in -London--also between the special correspondents of the daily papers -and their employers in Fleet Street or Printing House Square. So in -like manner, during the struggle arising out of the Indian Mutiny, the -advancing British columns contrived, wherever possible, to maintain -unbroken telegraphic communication with Calcutta, whereby the viceroy -was kept informed of what was going on. Of course the mutineers or -rebels destroyed or disrupted the wires wherever and whenever they -could; and to repair the damage thus inflicted formed no small part of -the arduous duties of the British officers. - -Our little but expensive war in Abyssinia in 1868, marked by a less -shedding of blood than almost any other war in modern times, was -an engineers' war from first to last. A wild and unknown country -was surveyed and accurately mapped out, four hundred miles of -road constructed, tube-wells sunk, photographs of various useful -kinds taken, and a telegraphic system established. The telegraphic -arrangements first made had to be abandoned, owing to the scantiness -of the facilities for transporting the necessary materials. The more -restricted plan actually adopted was difficult enough, so limited -were the means of obtaining wood for telegraph poles. On approaching -Magdala, however, Captain St John (who had the management of this part -of the engineering) succeeded in laying down from five to ten miles -a day. Short as was the war, this telegraph conveyed more than seven -thousand eight hundred messages during the five months of its working, -and aided most materially in giving effect to General (now Lord) -Napier's well-planned and successful scheme of operations. - -Our strange Ashanti War gave further evidence of the formation of a -telegraph line through a wild country inhabited by a barbarous people. -Lieutenant Jekyll, who had the management of this work, has given a -lively account of the difficulties that beset him, and his mode of -overcoming them. It was at first intended to fight the war with native -levies and to lay down a railway; but Sir Garnet Wolseley, on landing -to take the command, soon found that the natives were not sufficiently -reliable, that the country was almost impracticable for a railway, that -he must have English troops, and that an electric telegraph would be a -highly useful aid. Lieutenant Jekyll, with a small staff, went inland -and bought bamboo canes of the blacks, set them up as posts, and laid -his wires from Cape Coast Castle to Coomassie at the rate of about two -miles a day. A gang of fifty natives helped him. Of these worthies -he says: 'They were not promising in appearance, and I was compelled -to dispense with the services of those who were _less than four feet -high_! (We italicise these words to shew what pigmies many of the West -Africans are.) But they had with them an intelligent headman; and by -dint of supervision, supplemented by a little flogging once now and -then, turned out a tolerably useful body for light work, as niggers -go.' The line was extended by degrees as far as Accrofumu, about a -hundred miles from the coast. An amusing proof was afforded of the -tendency of the natives to regard the telegraph as a kind of fetich, -charm, or spell. The English one day saw bits of white cotton-thread -suspended from tree to tree for several miles, as if to obtain thereby -some of the mysterious benefits which the white man evidently expected -from the wire. When the native helpers received small electric shocks -occasionally, consequent on the testing or using of the line, they -made sure that a charm was at work; and the lieutenant was half afraid -his men would run away in terror. The climate was very trying to the -English, who, lying ill with fever, got the natives to rouse them when -any movements of the receiving apparatus were observed. Nevertheless, -this telegraphic line rendered services much more than compensatory for -the expense, difficulty, and anxiety of laying, maintaining, and using -it. - -The truly wonderful and eventful Franco-German War of 1870-1 exhibited -the value of electro-telegraphy with a completeness never equalled -before or since. A foretaste had been given in the Austro-Prussian or -'Seven Weeks' War' of 1866; when four complete and distinct telegraphic -organisations were adopted--one with Prince Frederick-William's fine -army; one with that of Prince Charles; one at the king's headquarters; -and one in reserve. Each could lay down wires as fast as the -headquarters could advance. The speedy termination of the war averted -the necessity of constructing field-telegraphs, such as those about to -be described. - -When the German forces advanced to Paris in the closing months -of 1870, the plan pursued with the telegraph was as follows: The -ordinary commercial and railway telegraphs were gradually extended -over the frontier into France, as the German armies advanced. The -field or _étappen_ telegraphs maintained communication between the -base of operations, the ammunition dépôts, and the advanced columns -of the various army corps. When the sappers and miners had pushed on -to the vicinity of Paris, the ubiquitous wire travelled with them. -The materials used were light and simple; the operators employed -to transmit and receive messages had been trained in the state -establishments; and headquarters were kept instantly informed of -any observed movements on the part of the French. The telegraph was -indeed in constant use by the Germans--for arranging the transport -of ammunition; for hourly communication with the commissariat; for -directing the conveyance to Germany of sick and wounded, as well as -prisoners; for regulating the traffic on the field railways; for -maintaining unbroken connection between the troops, which formed -a belt of ninety miles' circumference around Paris; for summoning -reinforcements to any point where suddenly needed; and to send news of -any gap in the continuity of the immense ring of soldiers encircling -the beleaguered city. - -If any evidence were needed of the invaluable services rendered by the -electric telegraph in the war just noticed, it was furnished by M. Von -Chauvin, who attended before a Committee of the House of Commons on -Postal Telegraphs in 1876. He stated in distinct terms that the war -could not have been carried on without this potent aid. - -Our own English system of war telegraphy, organised at Chatham, has -been improved from time to time. Light iron telegraph poles are -provided, to support insulated wires. There is a travelling office on -wheels for the operators; while the materials are carried in specially -constructed wagons. So strong is the wire that wheels may go over -it; and therefore the line is laid above ground or _on_ the ground -according to circumstances. Spikes of peculiar form enable the wires -to be hung on trees or walls to meet the contingencies of towns and -villages. The nucleus of the staff of operators is a small body of -Royal Engineers, under their own officers, comprising about fifty -military men, with occasional assistance from others--well organised -into superintendents, inspectors, clerks, linesmen, storemen, artisans, -and labourers. The wagons for materials contain drums on which the wire -is coiled; this is unrolled as the wagon moves on, which is as fast as -the operators can lay the line. At the present time, ten thousand miles -of prepared wire are said to be kept in store, ready for any exigences. - -We might go on to notice the aid furnished to warlike operations by the -electric light; as for instance, at Paris in the closing weeks of 1870, -when such a light on Montmartre enabled the Parisians to gather some -knowledge of what the besiegers were about at night. But enough: the -brief summary above given will suffice to shew how electricity is used -in war. - - - - -NEARLY WRECKED. - - -CHAPTER III.--WILFRED'S LETTER. - -Time went by, and nothing happened to justify Mabel's fears. Wilfred -seemed to be working hard and getting on well. His talent was -pronounced unmistakable by the master under whom he was placed, and -he himself was in good spirits about his future. But before very long -matters began to change. His letters to Mabel were less frequent and -shorter than they had been; he spoke with less openness and frankness -of his doings; and it was evident to her that there was a _something_ -which he was careful to keep from her. - -She longed to see Mr Merton, to hear from him what news he had of his -son, and whether his ideas about Wilfred corresponded with her own; but -she dared not speak to him about it. She knew how hard he had always -been to Wilfred, how intolerant of all his faults; and she knew well -there would be little mercy to be hoped for him at his father's hands -if, as she suspected, he had been taking more to pleasure and less to -work lately. She dared not even speak to her father of what she feared, -for could she expect even him to think as leniently of her dear one as -she did? So she had to go on from day to day keeping her trouble--which -was not less difficult to bear because it was only suspected--to -herself. - -At last, when Wilfred had been about nine months in Paris, but too -certain proof arrived of how true her suspicions had been. Mr Colherne -was staying away from home--a very unusual proceeding, and Mabel was -left alone. He had gone to pass a few days with a friend in Scotland, -whither it had been impracticable for his daughter to accompany him. - -The morning after his departure, Mabel came down to breakfast rather -later than usual, singing a snatch of one of her favourite ditties, and -burst open the dining-room door in a way that was indicative of her -lively feelings. Her eye lighted upon a letter that was lying in her -plate; the writing was that of Wilfred Merton. The missive was almost -illegible and very brief, and acted upon her gay spirits like a sudden -freezing. It ran as follows: - - MY DARLING MABEL--I must write a few words, the last you will - ever have from me, to tell you that whatever may appear, - however any one may try to persuade you, I still love you; - love you, as I have done all my life, with all the best part - of my nature. Believe that, Mabel, my own, always. I write to - say good-bye, for I shall never see you again; and yet I never - longed to see you as I do at this moment. I feel half mad now, - and hardly know what I am writing. How shall I say it; I have - nothing to live for, except disgrace, and I will not live for - that, I am resolved. Once more, good-bye, dearest and best. Try - to forgive me, and then forget me, as every one else in the - world will soon do. - - WILFRED MERTON. - -For an instant Mabel sat quite still, gazing straight before her with -one expression, that of blank despair, upon her face. This sudden -fearful shock had quite stunned her. But she was not a girl to remain -inactive, simply grieving over misfortune, when there was anything to -be done. Her resolution was promptly taken. She rang, and a servant -appeared. - -'Tell Hawkesley to bring the brougham round as soon as he possibly -can,' she said; 'tell him not to mind how it looks, but to be at the -door as soon as possible.' - -'Is anything the matter, miss?' said the man, astonished at this order. - -'Yes. I have no time to lose.' - -'Is it master, miss?' he asked, with that dreadful habit of his class -of questioning instead of doing what is wanted. - -'No; papa is quite well. But don't stop now; go yourself to the stable; -I haven't a minute to waste.' - -In a few minutes more she was seated in the brougham which was fast -making its way to Mr Merton's bank in the City. - - -CHAPTER IV.--THE JOURNEY. - -Mr Merton was sitting in the private office of his counting-house with -a large book open before him. Just as he was in the middle of some -calculation which, to judge from the expression of his face, was pretty -abstruse, the door opened and a clerk entered. The banker looked up -with no appearance of being pleased at the interruption. - -'What is it, Mr Chester?' he said, rather angrily. - -'There is a young lady, sir, who says she must see you as soon as -possible, and alone.' - -'O nonsense. I can't possibly attend to her. Don't you know who she is?' - -'No, sir; she wouldn't give me her name, nor tell me her business. -I said that I was sure you couldn't see her; but she said it was -absolutely necessary that you should do so, and that you would know her -directly.' - -'You must tell her that it is out of the question for me to see her, if -she will not send word who she is, or what she wants.' - -'There's no good, sir; I have told her so. But she is quite determined -to come; and I thought I had better speak to you, as it seemed so -strange to have her waiting about there.' - -'Well, in that case I suppose you must shew her in.' - -The clerk withdrew, and in an instant returned with a young lady who -had a thick veil over her face. Having ushered her into the room, he -withdrew and shut the door, leaving Mr Merton and his visitor alone. - -No sooner was the door closed than the lady put up her veil and -disclosed the features of Mabel Colherne. - -'Why, Mabel!' said Mr Merton, appearing considerably more surprised -than pleased at finding who his visitor was; 'what in the world brings -you here?' - -Mabel for her only answer put Wilfred's letter into his father's hands. -He read it through without shewing any signs of either surprise or -regret, and when he had finished it, handed it back to her without -speaking. - -'Well, Mr Merton?' she said, feeling impatient at his silence. - -'Well, Mabel?' he returned. - -'Have you read the letter?' - -'Most certainly.' - -'And have you nothing to say?' - -'What _am_ I to say?' - -'Mr Merton,' exclaimed Mabel, hardly able to control herself, 'can you -read such a letter from your son, and not care about it?' - -'I have given up thinking of Wilfred as my son at all, Mabel. I gave -him the chance of rising in his odious profession by sending him to -Paris, and what has been his conduct in return for my kindness? He has -done nothing but amuse himself, and get into all kinds of disreputable -mischief. I should have told you all this before, and tried to persuade -you to break off with him; but I did not do so; in the first place, -because I was sure you would not listen to me; and in the second, -because I did not want to be the means of cutting him off from your -affection, and thus rendering his amendment impossible.' - -'I have been afraid that something has been going wrong with Wilfred -lately. I wish you had told me before; I might have been able to -influence him for good.' - -'I don't believe that any influence in the world would be useful to -him; he is a thoroughly worthless fellow. I paid his debts once upon -condition that he would contract no more, but I might have saved myself -the trouble; within a month he wanted more money. I was not going to be -guilty a second time of the weakness of saving him from difficulties he -had brought upon himself, in spite too of all my warnings; so I wrote -back to say that I would have no more to do with him.' - -'Mr Merton, you will not keep to such a cruel resolution now, with such -a letter as this before you?' - -'Are you so weak, Mabel, as to be taken in by such nonsense as this? -Don't you see that being unable to get at me, he is simply trying what -he can do with you?' - -'No, Mr Merton; I don't believe that, and won't for a moment. I trust -my own instinct, which is a woman's natural guide, and generally a -very sure one, and I am certain that Wilfred intends doing something -desperate.' - -'I have told you before now that my son is a foolish weak fellow, and -not worth anybody's love.' - -'What is that to me, Mr Merton?' exclaimed Mabel, exasperated beyond -endurance. '_I_ love him, and I can hardly be expected to stand quietly -by and let him be ruined, because the affection you ought to bear your -son is wanting in your nature. Who knows but that the treatment he thus -received under his own father's roof may have'---- - -'What do you wish me to do? What is there that _can_ be done?' cried Mr -Merton, interrupting the girl's impassioned burst. - -'I want you to go with me to Paris to see Wilfred, that we may take him -away from harm, if it be not too late. If papa had been at home now, -he would, I am sure, have gone with me; but I could not wait till he -comes.' - -'You can hardly be serious in proposing for me to go on such a wild -expedition as that, I think?' - -'Mr Merton, I am quite sure that that letter means more than you think; -and I am determined that he shall not be left to be ruined without an -attempt to save him. If you will not come I must and will go alone.' - -'You are mad, Mabel! Go to Paris alone, and to see this worthless -fellow! What do you suppose the world would say of such conduct?' - -'I can't think of that when the person I love best on earth is in such -danger, as I am sure Wilfred is now, and there is a chance, however -faint it may be, of my saving him. I can answer to heaven and my own -conscience for what I am going to do, and I must brave the world. I -shall write and tell papa what I have done, and I am sure that he will -follow me as soon as possible. Good-bye, Mr Merton; there is no use in -my stopping here longer.' - -'Stay, Mabel!' he began, detaining her as she rose. 'I cannot possibly -allow you to go alone, and I have of course no power of interfering -with your actions. If you really are bent upon this scheme, which -I still think an utterly mad one, I must, for the sake of my own -reputation as much as for yours, accompany you.' - -'Believe me that my fears are not uncalled for. I am sure something -dreadful is going to happen to Wilfred, and I only dread being too late -even now. I am very thankful you are going with me; and am certain that -you will never repent it.' - -'No thanks: it is only necessity that makes me do it. When do you -start?' - -'To-night, if possible.' - -Mr Merton looked into a Bradshaw that was lying upon the table. 'The -train to meet the night-boat leaves London at half-past eight; to catch -that you must start from your house at half-past seven.' - -'I will do that. Will you meet me at the station?' - -'Yes; I will be there at a quarter past eight.' - -'Good-bye till then; and thank you again a thousand times.' - -Mr Merton attended her to the outer door of the office, and she drove -home well satisfied with her mission. Writing to her father, to tell -him everything, and what she was going to do, she packed a small box -to take with her, and then did little else but wish the day, which -seemed interminable, gone. Long before it was necessary, she was at the -station; and punctual to the appointed minute, Mr Merton appeared. - -After a journey that to Mabel seemed endless, they at length reached -Paris, and drove straight to the hotel in which Wilfred lived. - -As they stopped, Mr Merton said: 'You may depend upon it we shall -find our trouble wasted, and that the object of your anxiety is out -somewhere amusing himself.' - -Mabel did not answer. She could hear her heart beat as she sprang -out of the cab; and without waiting for her companion, entered the -court-yard of the hotel, and went to the den appropriated to the -_concierge_. That gentleman was reading a newspaper, in which he seemed -much interested, and did not look up as she came near him. - -'Monsieur Merton, est-il chez-lui?' she asked breathlessly. - -The concierge put his finger against the word he was reading, in mute -protest against being interrupted, and looking slowly up, said rather -dreamily: 'Plaît-il, Madame?' - -'Monsieur Merton, est-il chez-lui?' she repeated more eagerly than -before. - -The man turned round, and walking with the most provoking deliberation -to the other end of the room, where numerous keys were hanging, looked -at the place appropriated to the one belonging to Wilfred's room, and -seeing that it was unoccupied, came back to Mabel and answered: 'Oui, -Madame.' - -'Quel est le numéro de sa chambre?' - -'Soixante-deux, au cinquième,' said the concierge, returning to his -paper as he finished speaking. - -Mr Merton had paid the driver and joined Mabel as this conversation -came to an end, and they started to mount the stairs to the fifth floor -as directed. - -Even Mabel's youth and energy could not prevent her from getting out -of breath in that long climb; and by the time she and Mr Merton had -arrived at the fourth floor, they were obliged to stop and rest. - -Before they had stood an instant, they were startled by a loud report -of a pistol coming from the floor above them. With a loud scream, -Mabel sped up the remaining stairs and entered the room named by the -concierge. - -Mr Merton came almost instantly after her, and found Wilfred lying -insensible on the floor, and Mabel kneeling by his side, trying to -restore consciousness. - - -CHAPTER V.--SAVED. - -Within an hour, two of the most skilful physicians that Paris could -boast were with Wilfred Merton. And when they left him, their verdict -was not one to give much hope. He had shot himself in the chest, -and it was very doubtful whether he would recover from that fearful -self-inflicted wound. - -Mr Merton's anguish during those long days and nights while Wilfred -lay at death's door was terrible to behold. Alienated as had been his -affection for his son while absent, the feelings of parental love -returned tenfold, now that he might be on the point of losing that -son for ever; and as he nursed his boy with that womanly gentleness -which is so touching in a man, it was evident that his whole hope of -happiness was bound up in his recovery. - -Mr Colherne had, as Mabel predicted, lost no time in following her to -Paris, and though he could hardly feel the intense and painful interest -in the invalid that his father felt, still for Mabel's sake he became a -willing sharer in the nursing. - -As for Mabel, hope was very strong in her, and made that time of -watching much easier to bear. She could not help believing that that -strong determination to cross the Channel had been put into her mind to -enable her to save the one who was so dear to her; and in that belief -she put her trust. - -At last, after long, weary, sometimes almost despairing watching, the -patient took a favourable turn. The burning fever ceased; and one day -the doctor told the anxious watchers that there was great hope; that -indeed, unless any unforeseen complications arose, there was nothing -further to fear. - -Then the pent-up feelings of Mr Merton--that grief which he had tried -so unsuccessfully to conceal from his companions, could be kept in no -longer; he threw his arms round Mabel's neck, buried his face on her -shoulder, and burst into tears, those tears which, when shed by a man, -are so inexpressibly painful to see. - -'Mabel,' he said, 'I owe all this to you; if it had not been for you, I -should have been my son's murderer.' - -Mabel pressed her lips upon his forehead in silence; her heart was too -full of thankfulness for speech. - -Wilfred was very patient, and manfully bore all the trials of the time. -As soon as he was well enough to be able to think of what he had done, -a feeling of intense remorse had come over him, and had taken such -powerful hold that at first it threatened to throw him back. But the -gentle hand of Mabel was a wonderful restorer; a word or two of loving -assurance changed this bitter remorse into a quiet sorrow. It happened -one day, about a week after this, that while Mabel was reading at the -window of the invalid's room, she heard Wilfred's voice gently calling -to her. It was as if the voice of her lover had been suddenly restored -to him. - -'Can you forgive me, my darling?' he asked. - -'Am I not a woman, Wilfred? And is it not a woman's privilege to -forgive?' - -'I don't think you are a woman, Mabel; I think you are an angel.' Few -words, but conveying volumes. - -From that moment her lover began to mend steadily, though still slowly; -every day there was more and more to hope, until at length Wilfred was -pronounced wholly out of danger. And then one evening in the dusk, -when the lamps were being lighted in the street below them, and the -increased hum and buzz of the later day were coming on, Wilfred and -Mabel found themselves again alone. - -'Mabel,' he said in a low voice, when they had been quite silent for -a long time, 'I have been wanting an opportunity to tell you all the -wrong that I have done. Shall I tell you now?' - -'Yes, Wilfred, now--in this twilight light.' She slid her hand into his -as she spoke, and they remained in that position while he told her his -story. - -There was nothing new about it; it was the old story. Led by bad -companions into temptations, his naturally lively and weak nature was -not able to resist; ashamed of himself for his own conduct when he -found himself outrunning his allowance, and obliged to apply to his -father for help. Thrown into despair by his father's harsh conduct -to him, he had plunged still more wildly into the excesses and -dissipations of his leaders, till at last, horrified at what he was -doing, and seeing no means of escape from the snares in which he had -allowed himself to be caught, he had written that letter to Mabel; -had waited, vaguely hoping for he knew not what, for some days, and -had ultimately sought to put an end to himself in a fit of intense -depression. Weakness, that shoal which is even more fatal, because -more hidden than wickedness, had wrecked him, as it has wrecked so -many. In the deep remorse that he now felt, he greatly exaggerated the -wickedness of his conduct, for though he had been guilty of grievous -folly, he had done no positive or irremediable wrong either to himself -or others. The only actual definite sin he had committed was the -suicidal one, from the consequences of which Mabel's resolution had -happily saved him. - -When he had finished this history, he paused an instant, and then -added, without looking at her: 'And now, Mabel, that you have heard -all this, do you still say that you forgive me? Can you still love me?' - -'A love would be very useless, Wilfred, that deserted its object just -when it was most wanted; I hope my love is a truer one than that.' - -'Mabel, my beloved,' said he, drawing her closer to him as he spoke, -'if it had not been for you, I should have been beyond the power of -repentance now. Your affection has saved me once, and it shall keep me -from harm now, for ever!' - -Before very many years had gone by, Wilfred Merton's name was known as -that of a successful young painter. He and his wife were settled in -London, and were able to live in very comfortable style. They had no -children, which was their only serious drawback to happiness; but if -ever Wilfred, seeing his wife look longingly at some merry group of -little ones, and guessing her thoughts, tried to console her, she would -put her hand into his and say, her truthful eyes looking full at him as -she spoke: 'I have you, Wilfred, beside me, and I am content.' - - * * * * * - -The foregoing narrative, which is founded upon events which actually -took place, may be turned to advantage by those parents who are prone -to thwart the natural inclinations of their children, or cut them -adrift without a proper guide. The career of many a man has been -blighted by the mistaken, though perhaps well-meant policy of a father -who, desirous to see his son follow up his own profession, has tried to -compel that son to work contrary to his inclination, with results more -or less disastrous. - - - - -GEMS AT RANDOM STRUNG. - - -The history of precious stones, those beautiful objects which have -strongly appealed to the imagination of men in all ages, has been -written many times; and yet their latest chronicler is doubtless -justified in assuming that the knowledge of them in its practical sense -is not widespread; that even in the jeweller's trade there are many who -are not skilled in detecting the real measure of difference between -one stone and another, either by the specific gravity, which supplies -the essential test, or by the minor tests of rarity and quality. In -treating of the history and distinguishing characteristics of _Precious -Stones and Gems_, Mr Streeter has certainly conferred a benefit on -'the trade;' to the general reader the book can hardly fail to be of -interest, for it puts a captivating subject before him under a variety -of aspects, and appeals successfully to imagination as well as to taste -for exact knowledge. - -From the magnificent specimens which the rescued Sindbad carried away -with him when he tied himself with his turban to the roc's leg, on -through a long succession of fable and of history, diamonds will never -cease to enchant mankind, having always taken the lead in interest, as -they have been supreme in value among those treasures of the mineral -kingdom which are called gems or precious stones. Ages before men -discovered that their beauty could be enhanced by handiwork, their -rarity and their price had endowed them with a surpassing charm; and -now, when handiwork has been brought almost to perfection, and science -has dispelled the mystery with which the diamond was invested, they -maintain their immemorial supremacy. In company with Mr Streeter we may -trace the beautiful things from their habitat in India, the Brazils, -South Africa, the Ural Mountains, and Australia, through their history -in the ancient times and in medieval days, when they formed the theme -of many fables and the object of much superstition. - -The diamond dwells in the same lands and in the same strata with many -other gems, but it is the most precious as it is the most difficult to -find; and though its nature resembles theirs in many respects, in one -it is unique--it is the hardest of all known substances, and belongs to -those bodies which refract light most strongly. Its magnifying power -is greater than that of glass; but it is seldom used for microscopic -lenses, owing to the great difficulty of making them perfectly -accurate. It was believed to possess double refraction, but that has -been disproved; and the deviation which gave rise to the error is -traced to the existence of internal air-bubbles, as in amber, by which -the course of the light is altered. It is the triumph of cutting to -exhibit these qualities to the highest degree, and thus did Babinet, a -great authority on diamonds, test them. 'In a sheet of white paper he -bored a hole somewhat larger than the diamond to be tested: he let a -ray of sunlight pass through the hole, and holding the diamond a little -distance from it, yet at such an angle as to allow the ray to alight -on a point of the flat facet, he found this facet to be forthwith -represented on the paper as a white figure, whilst all around little -rainbow circles were delineated. If the observer found the primary -colours red, yellow, and blue definitely separated one from the other -in these little circles, and if their number were considerable, and -they stood at equal distances from each other, then he pronounced the -brilliant to be well cut.' - -From Mr Streeter we learn that in commercial estimation, coloured -gems stand far behind the diamond; insomuch, he tells us, that this -stone represents ninety per cent., and the others altogether only ten -per cent. of the quantity on sale. A hundred years ago, Brazil became -the rival of India in the production of diamonds, and the finders -were the poor mulattos and negroes, who explored for them the sterile -wilds of Minas-Novas, and sold them to the merchants. The story of -the discovery of these gems at Bahia is as follows: A slave who came -from Minas-Geräes was tending his master's flocks in Bahia, and he -noticed that the soil resembled that of his native place. He groped -in the sand and found seven hundred carats of diamonds. He ran away, -and offered the gems for sale in a distant city. Of course such wealth -in the hands of a slave aroused suspicion, and the negro was arrested -and sent back to his master, who tried in vain to come at a knowledge -of his secret. At last he bethought him of sending the slave again to -tend his flocks at Bahia, and he watched him. Again the slave-shepherd -groped in the gem-hiding sand, and the truth was discovered. Then came -numbers of wealth-seekers from Minas-Geräes and other parts of Brazil, -so that the next year twenty-five thousand men were diamond-hunting in -Bahia, and the amount daily obtained for some time rose to one thousand -four hundred and fifty carats. The trade was a prerogative of the -Portuguese crown, and Lisbon was the chief emporium of the gems. The -precious things are of fluctuating value. In 1836 they were very dear; -but in 1848 the price fell; and a few years ago there was 'a glut in -the market,' in consequence of Dom Pedro's having paid the Brazilian -state debt to England in diamonds instead of money, when the price fell -fifty per cent. in the Leipsic market. - -Mr Streeter, who has great faith in the future of Queensland as a -diamond-field, gives a most interesting account of the discoveries in -New South Wales, that wonderful colony, whose long-delayed luck has -come at last, and from all sides at once; but dwells at length and with -exultation upon the Cape diamond-fields. 'South Africa,' he says, 'is -richer, and its produce is far more to the purpose of modern history, -and to the supply of the precious stones, which form our wealth of -gems, than the old diamond-fields of the East or West.' The history of -the discovery of gems in the colonies partakes of the romance which -attended the discovery of gold; and is not free from the tradition -of crime and misfortune, which rests upon similar revelations in the -Old World. Idle as are the superstitions which impute specific evil -influences to certain gems, it is not to be denied that there have been -many instances of 'fatal jewels;' and that cruelty, injustice, and -terrible human suffering have attended the rifling of the earth's bosom -for those mysterious treasures formed by her wonderful chemistry from -an invisible component of the atmosphere. Many of the strange stories -of medieval alchemists deal with the attempt to make diamonds, and Mr -Streeter tells us of the experiments which have determined their nature -and combustibility. There is a fascination to the imagination in the -following description of the burning of diamonds: - -'In 1750 the Emperor Francis I., at Vienna, subjected, in the presence -of the chemist Darzet, diamonds and rubies worth six thousand florins -to the heat of a smelting-furnace for twenty-four hours. The diamonds -were found to have totally disappeared; but the rubies remained, and -appeared much more beautiful than before. In 1771 a magnificent diamond -was burned at Paris in the laboratory of the chemist Macquer. Hence -arose a great discussion. The diamond had disappeared; but whither? -Had it volatilised? Had it burned? Had it exploded? No one could -say. Then stepped forward a celebrated jeweller, by name Le Blanc, -who asserted the indestructibility of the diamond in the furnace, -stating that he had often placed diamonds in an intense fire to purify -them from certain blemishes, and that they had never suffered the -smallest injury.' (This has been done also by Mr Streeter with similar -results.) 'The chemists D'Arcet and Bonelle then demanded of him that -he should make the experiment on the spot in their presence. He took -some diamonds, inclosed them in a mass of coal and lime in a crucible, -and submitted them to the action of the fire. He had no doubt that he -should find them safe. At the end of three hours, on looking into the -crucible, they had utterly disappeared.' - -Then appeared upon the scene the famous Lavoisier, he to whom the -Convention refused a fortnight's reprieve from the guillotine, just as -he was on the threshold of a probably sublime discovery in the science -of light; Fouquier-Tinville returning him for answer that the Republic -had no need of chemists and _savants_. In the presence of Lavoisier, -Maillard, another jeweller, took three diamonds and closely packed them -in powdered charcoal in an earthen pipe-bowl in a strong fire; and when -the pot was taken out, there lay the diamonds in the powdered charcoal -untouched. It was, however, gradually discovered that it was only by -entirely shutting out the air, and therefore the oxygen with which the -carbon combines, that the diamonds were preserved from burning; whereas -by the simple admission of air, of which oxygen is a constituent -part, diamonds burn just the same as common coal. This was proved -by Lavoisier in 1776; and Davy subsequently shewed that the diamond -contains no hydrogen. So, when the most precious object which the earth -produces is burned, the gas formed from its combustion is just that -which our fires and our gas-burners yield, and our own bodies too, -by the combustion which attends their living; and, says Mr Streeter, -'the old fable of the maiden from whose lips fell diamonds, may have -a really scientific basis after all.' It takes immense heat to burn a -diamond, and if it were possible to collect the black material which -covers the surface during the process, it would be found to be simply -soot. - -The origin of the diamond is still a matter of scientific investigation -and dispute; and the various opinions concerning it may be collected -under two heads: (1) The diamond is formed immediately from carbon or -carbonic acid by the action of heat. (2) It is formed from the gradual -decomposition of vegetable matter. The various methods by which the -supporters of the respective theories suppose the transformation to -have been wrought, are full of interest and suggestion. In Brazil it -was discovered that the matrix of the diamond is itacolumite, and it -is said that the gems obtained from itacolumite sandstone have rounded -angles and corners, whilst those from the sandy schist are perfect -crystals. 'If,' says Mr Streeter, 'this be a fact, we must believe that -the agency which changed the sandstone into itacolumite acted also on -the diamond.' - -Whether in the mines or by the rivers, whose 'golden sands' are flecked -with gems, in rich Brazil, the labour of procuring these beautiful -gems is great, and large specimens are rarely found; so rarely, that -big diamonds have their histories--terrible histories too often--like -heroes and race-horses. They are weighed by the carat, a word which -Mr Streeter considers to have been derived from the name of a bean, a -species of _Erythrina_, which grows in Africa. 'The tree which yields -this fruit is called by the natives "kuara" (sun), and both blossom -and fruit are of a golden colour. The bean when dried is nearly always -of the same weight, and thus in very remote times it was used in -Schangallas, the chief market of Africa, as a standard of weight for -gold. The beans were afterwards imported into India, and were then -used for weighing the diamond.' It is estimated that in ten thousand -diamonds rarely more than _one_ weighing twenty carats is met with, -while possibly eight thousand of one carat or less may be encountered. -An elaborate system of rewards and punishments is adopted in the -Brazilian mining and river-searching works; but it is believed that in -spite of this, one-third of the produce is surreptitiously disposed of -by the labourers. - -The histories of those world-famous diamonds the Sancy, the Regent, -the Koh-i-noor, the Blue (or Hope) diamond, and others, have been -related before, and history and romance have dealt with the misery -and crime, the evil passions and the mystic fancies, involved in the -stories of some of these. In a few lines Mr Streeter gives a sketch -of the Brazilian contribution to this many-chaptered story, which is -not generally known. 'The discovery of these precious stones in 1746,' -he says, 'proved a great curse to the poor inhabitants of the banks -of the diamond rivers. Scarcely had the news of the discovery reached -the government, ere they tried to secure the riches of these rivers -for the crown. To effect this, the inhabitants were driven away from -their houses to wild far-away places, and deprived of their little -possessions. Nature itself seemed to take part against them: a dreadful -drought, succeeded by a violent earthquake, increased their distress. -Many of them perished; but those who lived to return on the 18th May -1805, were benevolently reinstated in their rightful possessions. -Strange to say, on their return the earth seemed strewn with diamonds. -Often the little ones would bring in between three and four carats of -diamonds.' - -Next to the diamond comes the oriental ruby, and in former days it was -more prized than the gem, which has a genus all to itself. The ancients -gave immense sums for fine specimens of the ruby variety of 'corundum,' -or aluminous stone. In Benvenuto Cellini's time a perfect ruby of -a carat weight cost eight hundred crowns, whilst a diamond of like -weight cost only one hundred. The two most important rubies ever known -in Europe were brought to England in 1875. One was a dark-coloured -stone, cushion-shape, weighing thirty-seven carats; the other a blunt -drop-shape of 47-1/16 carats. Mr Streeter thinks that the London market -would never have seen these truly royal gems but for the poverty of the -Burmese government; and adds an interesting account of the estimation -in which rubies are held in the distant Land of the White Elephant. -The sale of the two rubies caused such excitement that a military -guard had to escort the persons who conveyed the precious packet to -the vessel. No regalia in Europe contains two such rubies. The smaller -was sold abroad for ten thousand pounds; the larger has also found a -purchaser, but Mr Streeter does not tell us at what price. The great -ruby of the kings of Burmah is said to be as large as a pigeon's egg, -and of wondrous quality; but is a treasure which no European eye -has ever seen. Very few rubies pass out of the country; the king is -excessively fond of these gems, and prohibits the export of them. The -Burmese have strange notions about rubies; 'they believe that they -ripen in the earth; that they are at first colourless and crude, and -gradually become yellow, green, blue, and last of all _red_--this being -considered the highest point of beauty and ripeness.' - -The sapphire, the emerald, and the opal (the last erroneously supposed -to exist in India, whereas it is found almost entirely in Hungary), -the turquoise, and the cat's-eye (a rare variety of the chrysoberyl, -and inferior in hardness to the diamond and sapphire only), are, -each in its turn, the subjects of Mr Streeter's lucid and learned -exposition; after which he passes to the less valuable classes, -pearls, onyx, and the gems used for engraving and other purposes. The -increasing estimation in which the true Ceylonese cat's-eye is held -(it is one of the most fashionable gems at present, and there are -specimens in the market worth upwards of one thousand pounds), renders -the following particularly interesting: 'In India the cat's-eye has -always been much prized, and is held in peculiar veneration as a charm -against witchcraft. It is the last jewel a Cingalese will part with. -The specimens most esteemed by the Indians are those of a dark olive -colour, having the ray so bright on each edge as to appear double. -It is indeed wonderfully beautiful with its soft deep colour and -mysterious gleaming streak, ever shifting, like a restless spirit, -from side to side as the stone is moved; now glowing at one spot, now -at another. No wonder that an imaginative and superstitious people -regard it with awe and wonder, and believing it to be the abode of some -"genius" or djinn, dedicate it to their gods as a sacred stone.' - - - - -THE INN AT BOLTON. - - -When I was a little boy--I am now an old man of sixty--'Aunt Oliver,' -as we used to call my father's widowed sister, was in the habit of -paying long visits at my father's house. She had not long been a widow; -and though past the meridian of life, was still a beautiful woman. But -what made her so exceedingly popular with all my father's children was -her repeated kindnesses, displayed to us in the shape of various useful -and ornamental gifts, carefully chosen to suit our several ages and -characters; but above all, her wonderful condescension in giving up -her own pursuits on many a winter's night, that she might recount to -us, as we sat grouped around the nursery fire, some of the incidents -of her varied and eventful life. She had been a great traveller in her -day, having been to Rome, and even visited the Holy Land; and what is -more, she had written a book of travels! a circumstance which caused -us to regard her with a strange curiosity almost amounting to awe; a -feeling on our part which, but for her uniform kindness, might have -detracted from that universal love we one and all bore towards her. One -of my aunt's adventures made a strong impression on my youthful mind, -and is even now, after a lapse of half a century, still fresh in my -recollection. Thinking it might serve to divert those who have a fancy -for the humorous, I have gathered up the threads of the story from the -storehouse of my memory, and now present it in narrative form, under -the foregoing title. - - * * * * * - -My uncle, Mr Oliver Brown, was in the iron trade; and in connection -with his business, which was a very large one, was in the habit of -paying periodical visits to the manufacturing town of Bolton, near to -which his principal iron-works were situated. He usually paid these -visits alone; but on the occasion of which I am about to speak he was -accompanied by my aunt, who deemed it her duty to be with her husband, -as it was winter-time and he had only just recovered from a severe -illness. It was late in the evening of a bleak November day that the -coach which conveyed Mr and Mrs Oliver Brown from their comfortable -country-seat, distant some fifty miles from Bolton, entered the noisy -ill-paved streets of that bustling town, and proceeded to what at that -period was the principal inn of the place. Both travellers were tired -by their journey, and after a hasty dinner, were glad to retire to rest. - -'Did you say number twenty-seven, second floor?' inquired Mrs Oliver, -addressing the lady at the bar, as she took a chamber candlestick from -her hand and proceeded to mount the stairs. - -'Twenty-seven, second floor,' responded the landlady with an -affirmative nod and a gracious smile. - -'Twenty-seven, second floor,' repeated my uncle as he followed in the -wake of his more active and enterprising helpmate, who, threading her -way up the spiral staircase and along a labyrinth of corridors and -passages, had already arrived at the dormitory in question. Mr and Mrs -Oliver were soon in bed; and there we will leave them, whilst we look -in at number twenty-nine on the same floor, and make the acquaintance -of Mr and Mrs Wormwood Scrubbs, the occupants of that apartment. They, -like their neighbours at number twenty-seven, were in comfortable -circumstances, and like the latter, not much given to travelling -for pleasure's sake on a cold raw day in November; but an affair of -business which demanded their presence at Bolton had compelled them to -sacrifice their ease and comfort, and come to that town on this bleak -November day. Mr Scrubbs had long been subject to attacks of gout -in the foot; and as he had heard of this disease having a tendency -sometimes to shift its seat to the brain or the stomach, when it was -apt to assume a more serious type, he had made it a rule to carry about -his person in the daytime, and to place under his pillow at night, -a certain medicine which an eminent physician had assured him would -speedily arrest any such erratic tendency on the part of the malady -from which he suffered. - -Now, on this particular night, whether from over-exertion, exposure -to cold, or some other cause I know not, Mr Scrubbs happened to be -visited with certain premonitory symptoms of an approaching attack of -gout, whereupon he instinctively felt under his pillow for the valuable -specific I have referred to. He then remembered he had inadvertently -left it in the pocket of his greatcoat, which he had thrown upon the -sofa in the private sitting-room into which Mrs Scrubbs and himself had -been ushered on their arrival at the inn; whereupon, being unwilling to -disturb his better-half, who was in a profound sleep, he let himself -quietly out of bed, and throwing his dressing-gown over his shoulders, -proceeded to light his candle. Having done this, he gently opened the -door and sallied forth, leaving the door slightly ajar, in order that -he might the more easily find the room on his return. - -It so chanced just about the time Mr Wormwood Scrubbs was proceeding -on the above mission, that Mrs Oliver Brown, who was too fatigued -to sleep, suddenly recollected that she had left her reticule with -her purse inside it on the table in the room where she and Mr Brown -had had their dinner; and wisely considering that it would not be -prudent to leave it there till morning, she resolved to descend to the -sitting-room and recover the bag at once; accordingly slipping out of -bed, she struck a light, and opening the bedroom door, stepped into the -corridor into which it led. She then proceeded to assure herself by a -reference to certain figures that were painted over the door-frames -of the several dormitories that the room she had just quitted was -number twenty-seven and no other; and having satisfied her mind on this -point, she left the door ajar, and gliding swiftly along the different -passages and down the cork-screw-shaped staircase, soon reached the -sitting-room, whence, having found the bag she was in search of, she -retraced her steps in the same rapid way, exercising her memory as -she went along by repeating the number of the room to which she was -returning. - -Now Mrs Oliver Brown, who, by the way, had an undoubted bump for -localities, had formed an idea--and a very correct idea it was--that -number twenty-seven was the second room on the left-hand side of the -corridor; but on her return, finding the door of this chamber closed, -whilst that of the one adjoining it was open, she not unnaturally -supposed she might have made a mistake in regard to the position of -number twenty-seven; but in order to set all doubt at rest upon this -point, she was about to refer to the number on the door-frame, when -a sudden gust of wind sweeping along the whole length of the passage -extinguished the candle, leaving her in utter darkness. Thus situated, -Mrs Oliver Brown did what most ladies (and gentlemen also, I think) -would have done under the circumstances: she groped her way along the -passage till she came to the open door of number twenty-nine, went -softly in, shut the door in the same quiet way, and got into bed, -where, being greatly fatigued with all she had undergone, she soon fell -fast asleep. - -In the meantime, Mr Wormwood Scrubbs having repossessed himself of -his gout mixture, had also returned to the corridor, where seeing -a door ajar precisely as he had left his own, he at once went in, -closed the door, blew out his candle, and popped into bed, where my -excellent uncle was still sleeping as peacefully as a baby, and utterly -unconscious of the recent migratory movements of Mrs Brown, which were -destined to produce such an unlooked-for disturbance in the domestic -arrangements of the two families occupying respectively numbers -twenty-seven and twenty-nine. - -Mr Wormwood Scrubbs, however, though now quite easy both in body -and mind, was unable to sleep, and lay awake, first thinking of one -thing and then of another, till he was suddenly recalled to the stern -realities of life by hearing his wife's voice proceeding apparently -from the adjoining room. In a state of immense perplexity, he struck -out with his sound leg in the direction of the sleeping figure at his -side, when having come in contact with a plump warm body corresponding -to that of his amiable helpmate, he paused, and suspending all further -investigation for the present, calmly awaited the issue of events. Nor -had he very long to wait. - -Mrs Wormwood Scrubbs was a lady of a highly nervous and excitable -temperament, with whom, when once roused, it would be about as useless -and dangerous an experiment to attempt to argue as with a tigress -surrounded by a litter of famished cubs. She had just waked up from -her first sleep, when happening to put her hand upon that part of the -connubial couch where her Wormwood's head was wont to rest, she found -it brought in contact with a lace nightcap, and a profusion of long -curls that had escaped from beneath it. - -'Why, what's this, Scrubbs? What tomfoolery's this you're after? What's -this, I say?' tagging, as she spoke, at the head-dress of her supposed -husband. 'Why, goodness gracious, it isn't Scrubbs after all!'--as -starting up in bed, my aunt in gentle but startled accents implored her -to be quiet. - -'But who are you? and what are you doing in number twenty-nine?' - -'Number twenty-nine! Surely this is not twenty-nine, but twenty-seven,' -doubtingly returned my aunt, as the idea suddenly flashed upon her that -she _might_ have mistaken the one room for the other. 'I think I can -explain it all.' - -'Explain it all! Of course you'll explain it all, and something more -than that, before I've done with you, you good-for-nothing impudent -hussy that you are!' - -'For heaven's sake, be calm, my good woman, or you'll rouse the whole -house,' expostulated my aunt in the gentlest manner possible. - -'Don't "good-woman" me!' shouted Mrs Scrubbs at the top of her voice, -as springing from the bed, she seized the bell-rope and pulled at it -with a violence that threatened to carry everything with it. Amid -this terrific uproar, Mr Scrubbs and his bedfellow Mr Brown, who had -been vainly trying to make themselves heard from the adjoining room, -suddenly appeared candle in hand upon the scene. - -As oil cast upon the troubled sea will instantly reduce that element -to a state of the profoundest calm, so did the sudden appearance of -Mr Scrubbs act as if by a charm to allay in one moment all the angry -feelings of Bella Scrubbs, and where only a few moments before all was -violence and discord, there now reigned perfect peace and good-will. - -The mutual explanations that ensued, it is needless to say, were -perfectly satisfactory to all the parties concerned; and after a -readjustment of partners, the two families once more took possession of -their respective chambers, where I need hardly say they were not again -molested during the remaining part of that memorable November night. - - - - -ROCKBOUND. - - -Of the thousands of tourists who flock every year from all parts of -the civilised world to gaze upon the picturesque beauties of the -Highlands, to muse among the ruined aisles of Iona, or to listen to the -diapason of the sea, as it sinks and swells through the pillared caves -of Staffa, few, comparatively speaking, care to go so far north as the -Shetlands; yet these islands, though generally bare, have a beauty of -their own--the breezy, ever-changeful beauty of the sea. - -The scientific tourist will not fail to find something to interest -him in Shetland. There are bold headlands, wide reefs of black crags, -and a flora which, although neither rich nor varied, has charms -for the botanist. There are broad stretches of sandy beach, not so -sterile as they look, but affording, in hidden nooks and crannies, -no bad hunting-ground for a naturalist out for a summer holiday. If -you are a member of the Alpine Club, there are here no mountains for -you to climb, but there are cliffs such as might well appal the most -practised mountaineer; and in summer there is the sun, shining in a -cloudless sky nearly all through the four-and-twenty hours. There in -summer, midnight is not like the midnights of more southern climes, but -is permeated by the rays of a sun, set indeed, but so soon about to -rise, that there is scarcely any absence of light. - -If you are a painter, you may have sea-views in abundance. You may -choose your own time and place and grouping; early morning if you -will, with the white mists rolling in over the shimmering sea, and the -clamorous gulls hovering above skerries that are crusted all over with -dense clinging masses of sea-weed. Or you may wait till the ascending -sun rolls back the curtain of mist, and the sea gleams out before you -a wide sheet of burnished gold, spangled with the rocky islets of a -storm-swept archipelago. The waves roll in at your feet--long majestic -ridges of water, dappled with lines of foam; the wide swell of the -Atlantic sweeping in from the far shores of Labrador; while from far -inland some tiny streamlet tumbles down to the sea through a natural -copsewood of dwarf ash and birch and hazel. - -Bold points and headlands stand like brave sentinels far out to sea, -sheltering little natural harbours where the fisherman's boat rides in -safety. Tiny fiords run inland into deep glens, with here and there a -fisherman's hut or a crofter's cottage. Perhaps, however, you may have -a fancy for foul weather, when the sky darkens like a pall over the -sea, and the storm-fiend rouses himself from his ocean lair, and the -tempest-tossed waves scud along in wreaths of foam to break in hoarse -thunder upon the shore, or hurl themselves in impotent rage against the -face of the steep headland. In Shetland you have grand alternations of -calm and storm. - -It is perhaps, however, for the student of human nature that Shetland -has the greatest attractions. Here he will find a simple, kindly, -primitive set of people, of Norwegian descent, but now anglicised -in language and usages. They are, however, fond of old legends and -stories. Mrs Saxby, the authoress of _Rockbound, a Story of the -Shetland Isles_, in a pleasantly told narrative introduces us to this -primitive people. We have for the scene of the story an island called -Vaalafiel, five miles long, and a little over two in width, with a -tiny harbour, and gray old mansion-house set in a strip of scraggy -pine-wood. Vaalafiel, Mrs Saxby tells us, 'is coiled upon the sea -much in the way a kitten rolls itself together on the hearth-rug--the -creature's paws being represented by the narrow belts of land -overlapping each other and forming the arms of our voe (fiord), whose -crags are very suggestive of claws. Rising abruptly from the shores -of this harbour, the island becomes a hill, whose eastern side is a -precipice dipping into the German Ocean. The north point terminates -in a bold headland, from whence the hill slopes gradually southwards, -until it ends in a beautiful stretch of sand, kissed white by the broad -waves of the Atlantic. The neighbouring islands cluster north and -south, leaving deep narrow channels, where the two great seas keep up -a perpetual warfare; and he is a daring sailor who ventures to cross -those tideways when their "dark hour" approaches.' - -Under the old house of Vaalafiel and the cliffs adjacent to it were -wide underground caverns, such as in the 'good old smuggling times' -were no uncommon adjuncts to country houses, and even manses, if they -happened to be conveniently near the shore. This smugglers' cave was -the scene of a tragedy, such as was of no unfrequent occurrence among -desperate men in these lawless days. A hasty blow struck in sudden -passion hurried one rash soul to its last account, and darkened as with -the brand of Cain the lives of many others. There is an old nurse, -full of well-nigh forgotten Norse superstitions, and a little lonely -child, the heiress of the rockbound islet, whose dearest pleasure was -to watch the sea on the serene summer evenings when the sky became -like a poet's dream, and earth and sea put on the glory of the clouds. -Mrs Saxby describes 'the Shetland summer night as not dark at all; -it is merely a twilight, which is prolonged sufficiently to assume -a character of its own. Not dark, not light, not a brief uncertain -mingling of both, but a quiet earnest period of rest, when Nature -dreams but does not sleep, and yet is not awake. We call it "the dim," -and you can discern objects quite clearly while it broods over the -earth.' The wild winter nights have a grand storm-driven beauty of -their own, when the Aurora Borealis shoots forth a fitful light, and -the nursling of the gray North 'catches glimpses of the beauty dwelling -in colour.' The solitary child Inga, bearing in her brave little heart -the burden of her father's dimly realised crime, yet cleaving to him, -because he loves her, with an affection far stronger than that which -binds her to her cold unloving mother, develops into a healthy spirited -girl. Lonely and prosaic as her life was, it was not, however, without -a salutary admixture of holidays and holiday amusements. The lady of -Vaalafiel, although a somewhat stern disciplinarian, was wise enough -to recognise the truth of the axiom, that 'all work and no play make -Jack a dull boy,' and so upon birthdays and such kindred anniversaries -she somewhat relaxed the rigidity of her rule. A fat bullock was killed -in honour of the young heiress, and Miss Inga's favourite Newfoundland -dog (evidently desirous of contributing his share to the feast) went -off one night to the hills and ran down half-a-dozen sheep. It was -found that he had performed the service of a butcher in a perfectly -scientific manner; so the animals were carried home and added to the -larder.' - -With such a superabundance of _pièces de resistance_, even the -crustiest old bachelor in the world might have found a picnic tolerably -enjoyable; and Miss Inga and her young friends had a most delightful -day of it in their sweet northern Arcadia, clad as it then was in all -its witching garb of summer. 'The sun,' she says, 'rose in cloudless -glory, and everything was dipped in sunshine of another kind as -well; for Aytoun' (a divinity student quite as fascinating as _The -Modern Minister_) 'had returned for the midsummer vacation, and that -would have been gladness enough for me. There were with him some of -his college companions, who made sparkling speeches, sang hearty -songs, assisted in distributing prizes to the winning boats, and then -challenged the islanders to a football match. Which played best is -an undecided question to this day, for each side had a method of its -own, and did not comprehend that of its opponent. Then the people were -gathered on a smooth meadow near our house, and the plaintive Foula -Reel called upon old and young alike to join in the graceful and truly -poetic dance of Shetland. The natural good breeding of the islanders -allowed us to remove every restriction on their pleasure, which was -characterised by a hearty enjoyment without the slightest approach to -excess.' - -As unlike as possible to a heroine of romance, the child reared in -this homely fashion is yet sweet enough to carry blessing and love -wherever she goes; to heal old wounds with her simple beauty and -goodness; to carry peace into the unforgiving relentlessness of her -mother's heart; and to efface the blackness of her father's crime -(justifiable homicide, a soft-hearted jury would resolve it into) -with tender penitential tears. Miss Inga is in truth a very lovable -character, innocent, simple, and yet intelligent; gentle and winning -in her ways, although she can be spirited and resolute upon occasion; -full of affectionate respect for her stern mother, and of deep romantic -devotion for her father, for whose sake she marries without love, -which no properly constituted heroine of romance ever does or can do, -but which many a good woman has done, to find, as she did, peace and -household joy and contentment at a good man's hearth. - -Many of the descriptive passages in _Rockbound_ are written with -considerable vividness and effect, as for instance the storm, through -whose agency a crisis in the plot of the tale is worked out. 'A -tempestuous morning was breaking, and sea and wind were uttering -wrathful warnings of what might befall the unwary fishers who were out -on the deep, and I looked out with eyes which scarcely saw--with a mind -on which impressions seemed lost. As if still in a dream, I beheld the -furious waves come rolling majestically from the far deep and break -with thundering sound upon the rocky arms of our voe. As I gazed, there -suddenly appeared round a point of the high land a little vessel with -closely reefed sails struggling in the sea between Vaalafiel and its -neighbouring island. Her hull was partially concealed from my view -by the arms of our voe, but very soon I seemed to know that it must -be the _Seamew_, and that she was attempting to enter the harbour; -and a thought occurred to me which was suggestive of peril at once: -Why do they try to pass through so narrow and dangerous a strait when -the storm is at its worst? As if in answer to my thought, the vessel -hoisted a flag of distress, probably with a forlorn hope that some -wakeful eye might see it, and then she lay to, as trying to advance in -the very teeth of the gale. My father, everything, was forgotten in -that breathless moment, as I watched my tiny ship thus turn, pause, and -enter the rocky path beset by death. She was evidently being driven by -cruel necessity to dare so hazardous a piece of navigation, and I soon -discerned that she was no longer manageable. Just then a gust of wind -still more furious than before caught her at a critical moment, and in -less time than I say the words in, she was tossing among some detached -rocks at the entrance to the harbour, a total wreck, and likely to go -down every instant. - -'I had stood terror-bound till then; but the sight of figures clinging -to the spars stirred me to action, and I flew to arouse our servants. -They were soon hurrying to the neighbouring cottages, in hope of -assistance from any men who chanced to be at home; and I ran along the -shore until I reached the crags opposite where the disabled yacht lay. -I was soon joined there by numerous women and a few old feeble men, -who shook their heads and groaned when I frantically implored them to -launch a boat and go to the rescue. "There's no an able-bodied man in -the island wha kens hoo to handle an oar," they cried; "oor men are a' -at the haaf" (deep-sea fishing). "The Lord preserve them this awfu' -hoor."' - -Then for a touch of simple pathos, take the neglected child's scanty -recollections of her unloved childhood: 'One of the few things I -remember is that I always wore a black frock. This circumstance is -impressed on my mind, because I had, and still have, a perfect passion -for rich gorgeous colours. Nature in the gray North seldom gave my eyes -a feast of radiant hues; no brilliant butterflies and flowers clothing -the earth in the garments of heaven; no winter clusters of red berries -and wreaths of evergreen. There were some old pictures in the house in -which scarlet shawls and purple curtains played a prominent part, and I -spent a large portion of the time usually devoted to sleep by sensible -children in admiring these, and conjuring up fantastic histories of -each portrait.' - -Altogether, the book is sweet, fresh, tender-hearted, like a whiff of -the foaming ocean spray, quite out of the hackneyed round, and yet -sufficiently realistic to impress the reader with a conviction that -it is the record of a life which has been lived, which, if not the -highest aim of the novelist's art, is yet an indispensable adjunct to -it. We have only to add that Shetland is now easily reached by regular -steamers plying between Granton (Edinburgh) and Lerwick, the capital of -the islands; while we believe a small steamer plies from Lerwick for -local accommodation. A summer cruise in a yacht would, however, be the -perfection of voyaging for the purpose not only of seeing Shetland, but -Orkney and various intermediate islands, such as Fair Isle and Foula, -which are out of the way of general traffic. To visit these distant -fragments of land in the north, forming the scene of Scott's vivid -romance of _The Pirate_, would furnish a new sensation never to be -forgotten. - - - - -THE MONTH: - -SCIENCE AND ARTS. - - -The Report of the meeting of the British Association held last year -at Glasgow has just been published in a goodly volume of more than -three hundred pages. Among its contents are Reports of Committees, of -which it may be said that the more widely they are known the better; -and bearing in mind recent disasters at sea, the Investigation of the -Steering Qualities of Ships by Professor Osborne Reynolds of Owens -College, Manchester, appears the more interesting. 'The experiments of -the Committee on large ships,' he remarks, 'have completely established -the fact, that the reversing of the screw of a vessel with full way -on, very much diminishes her steering power, and reverses what little -it leaves; so that where a collision is imminent, to reverse the screw -and use the rudder as if the ship would answer to it in the usual -manner, is a certain way of bringing about the collision.' This is -an important fact, for it is well known that collisions have been -occasioned by the very means made use of to avoid them. And Professor -Reynolds says further: 'It appears that a ship will turn faster, and -for an angle of thirty degrees, in less room when driving full speed -ahead, than with her engines reversed, even if the rudder is rightly -used. Thus when an obstacle is too near to admit of stopping the ship, -then the only chance is to keep the engines on full speed ahead, and so -give the rudder an opportunity of doing its work. These general laws -are of the greatest importance, but they apply in different degrees to -different ships; and each commander should determine for himself how -his ship will behave.... It is also highly important that the effect of -the reversal of the screw should be generally recognised, particularly -in the law courts; for in the present state of opinion on the subject, -there can be no doubt that judgment would go against any commander who -had steamed on ahead, knowing that by so doing he had the best chance -of avoiding a collision.' - -The statements thus set forth are illustrated by diagrams which shew -the position of the vessel after reversal of the screw, and the -position after steaming ahead. The latter shews that collision would be -entirely avoided. - -We frequently read that in future sea-fights the ram will be relied -on for running down enemy's ships and sending them to the bottom. But -where is the captain at the present day who has had experience of -ramming, and of other evolutions which will be required in a fleet -of steam ironclads under quite new conditions? Soldiers can go into -temporary camps and get experience in 'autumn manÅ“uvres;' but sailors -cannot have mock-actions and run down ships which cost half a million -sterling, nor venture to try the eighty-ton-gun on their consorts. -Hence there will be very much to learn in the first great naval battle. - -Under these circumstances, Professor Reynolds recommends that small -steam-launches should be built of wood, each representing the exact -form of one of our large ships, and that with these all possible -manÅ“uvres should be carried out, and officers make themselves -familiar with all the effects of the screw on the rudder, with all -the conditions of steering, with all the evolutions requisite to -bring about or to avoid a collision, and with the effects of ramming. -If strongly built of wood, these little vessels would withstand an -experimental blow from the ram. - -The value of such experiments would be real, for it is now known that -the behaviour of a small copy of a ship is exactly the same as that -of the great ship, in proportion to the size. The waves set up by the -launch bear the same relation to her size as the waves of the ship do -to the ship. The recognition of this law marks an epoch in the progress -of naval architecture. Given a model, Mr Froude 'can now predict with -certainty the comparative and actual resistance of ships before they -are constructed.' - -The Report of the Committee for investigating the circulation of the -underground waters in the New Red Sandstone and Permian formations -of England, and the quantity and character of the water supplied to -various towns and districts from these formations, conveys information -interesting to everybody--for everybody drinks. At Liverpool there -are wells sunk in the New Red Sandstone which yield more than seven -million gallons daily; at Birkenhead the same; at Coventry, Birmingham, -and Leamington four millions and a half; at Nottingham nearly four -millions; and at Warrington and Stockport more than a million and -a half gallons every day. The total makes up a large quantity; but -it is nothing in comparison with the supply which the whole area of -the New Red may be expected to furnish. This area, says the Report, -is certainly not less than ten thousand square miles in extent in -England and Wales, with an average rainfall of thirty inches, of which -certainly never less than ten inches per annum percolates the ground, -which would give an absorption of water amounting to no less than one -hundred and forty-three millions three hundred and thirty-six thousand -gallons per square mile per annum; which, on an available area of ten -thousand square miles, gives an annual absorption of nearly a billion -and a half of gallons in England and Wales. As if to heighten the -effect of this good news, we are told the 'New Red Sandstone Rock -constitutes one of the most effective filtering media known.... It -exerts a powerful oxidising influence on the dissolved organic matter, -which percolates it to such an extent, that in the waters of certain -deep wells, every trace of organic matters is converted into innocuous -mineral compounds.' And again: 'Waters drawn from deep wells in the New -Red Sandstone are almost invariably clear, sparkling, and palatable, -and are among the best and most wholesome waters for domestic supply -in Great Britain.' After reading this, may we not say that Undermere, -about which no one will quarrel, is the lake whence great towns in the -north should draw their water supply? - -During the meeting of the British Association at Plymouth last August, -the Mineralogical Society held their second annual gathering under the -presidency of Mr Sorby, F.R.S., who in his address gave an account -of a new method for determining the index of refraction of minerals, -which can be readily employed in their identification. This seems a -dry subject; but it is one likely to be valuable and interesting to -mineralogists and chemists, and to lead to an entirely new branch of -mineralogical study, and to the discovery of a new class of optical -properties of crystals. For a proper understanding of the method, a -knowledge of optics, of mathematics, and other branches of science -would be necessary; but we may state generally that it is based on -the fact, that if an object, when placed in focus for examination on -the stage of a microscope, is covered with a plate of some highly -refracting substance, the focal length is increased; in other words, -the microscope must be raised a little farther from the object in order -to restore the focus. The distance to which the microscope has been -moved thus becomes a measure, which can be accurately determined on -a scale to thousandths of an inch. By this measure, therefore, very -minute differences of refraction can be determined, and the several -minerals identified; and Mr Sorby, in conjunction with Professor -Stokes, Sec. R.S., has arrived at certain definite conclusions, -which, embodied in numerical tables, may ere long be consulted by all -interested in the subject. - -On this point Mr Sorby explained in his address: 'On applying this -method to the study of various minerals, the difference is found to -be very great. We can mostly at once see whether they give a single -unifocal image or one or two bifocal images, and form a very good -opinion respecting the intensity of the double refraction, and easily -determine whether it is positive or negative.... These facts combined -furnish data so characteristic of the individual minerals, that it -would usually be difficult to find two approximately similar.... It has -been said that in studying the microscopical structure of rocks it is -often difficult to distinguish nepheline from apatite. But the index -of nepheline is about 1.53, whereas that of apatite is 1.64, and such -a considerable difference could easily be recognised in a section not -less than one-fiftieth of an inch in thickness.' - -The observations hitherto made prove that minerals may be ranged -in classes according to their refracting power and their chemical -composition. The fluorides are lowest in the scale, while quartz, -corundum, the sulphides and arsenides, are among the highest. From -these particulars it will be understood that researches into mineralogy -have a prospect of becoming more and more interesting. - -As we have a British Association for the Advancement of Science, so -our neighbours across the Channel have a French Association. It met -last August at Havre, and in a few of its fifteen sections manifested -signs of activity. Among the meteorologists, diagrams were exhibited -shewing clearly that the 'changes of pressure in the upper regions of -the atmosphere are by no means similar to those at the surface of the -earth; for when the pressure at the lower station decreases, it rises -at the upper station, and the reverse; or when it is steady at the one, -it rises or falls at the other.' A line of telegraph for meteorological -purposes is now erected from Bagnères to the Pic du Midi, seventeen -miles. The Pic is nine thousand feet high, and will be an interesting -observing station, in constant communication with the lower regions. -A proposition was made that the Transatlantic steam-ship companies -should be requested to institute regular meteorological observations on -board their vessels; and that the captive balloon of next year's Great -Exhibition at Paris should be an observing station. Paris is chosen as -the meeting-place of the Association for next year, and at the same -time a free international meteorological congress will be held. - -During recent years it has been said that the marshes and saltish -depressions in the territory of Algiers and other parts of North Africa -were once covered by the sea, and schemes have been announced for -readmitting the sea by cutting channels from the Mediterranean. Mr Le -Chatelier, a French chemist, says--the existence of the salts is not -due to the drying up of a former sea, but to the masses of rock-salt -which exist in the mountains. From these the salt is dissolved out by -rain or by subterranean waters, and the saline solution percolates the -soil to feed the artesian reservoirs which underlie the desert. These -observations will require attention from geographers. - -If any apology were required for a somewhat late notice of Dr Sayre's -method of rectifying curvature of the spine, it would be found in the -fact that among the arts the healing art holds an eminent place, and -has special claims on every one's attention. Dr Sayre, an American, has -this year visited England to make known his method of curing those -malformations of the backbone under which many persons remain cripples -for the whole of their life; and now that it is known, the wonder is -that it was not thought of before. In carrying out the operation, the -patient is lifted from the ground, and suspended by a support under -the chin and back of the head: sometimes a support is placed under the -armpits, and sometimes the arms are raised. In this position the weight -of the pelvis acts on the crook in the spine, and pulls it straight; a -bandage dipped in plaster of Paris is then bound round the body; a few -iron splints are inserted in the bandage, and as the plaster dries, -a mould is formed, which keeps the straightened bones in place. The -suspension is now at an end; the patient is found to be an inch or two -inches taller than before the operation, and can walk without limping. -After a few days, the plaster-mould is cut up each side, to allow of -removal for washing the body; but the two halves are quickly replaced -and held in position by a bandage. In some instances six months' -wearing of the plaster-mould effects a cure, and the patient enjoys an -ease and activity never before experienced. - -This method of cure contrasts favourably with the treatment which keeps -the patient supine many weary months. As may be imagined, it succeeds -better with children than with adults; but even adults have been cured. -A case occurred at Cork, the patient being a woman aged twenty-two, and -requiring a little mechanical pulling to assist in the straightening; -but it was accomplished, and she walked out of the room two inches -taller than she entered it. - -Mr Hoppe-Seyler, a learned German, has published a paper on Differences -of Chemical Structure and of Digestion among Animals, supported by -numerous examples, which shew that according to the organism so is the -power to form differences of tissue; and he sums up thus: 'Looking at -the question broadly, we find that the chemical composition of the -tissues and the chemical functions of the organs present undoubted -relations to the stages of development, which shew themselves in the -zoological system, as well as in the early stages of development of -each individual higher organism. These relations deserve further notice -and investigation, and are qualified in many respects to prevent and -correct errors in the classification of animals. It is generally -supposed that the study of development is a purely morphological -science, but it also presents a large field for chemical research.' -This concluding sentence is significant, and should have serious -consideration. - -Waste pyrites from the manufacture of sulphuric acid is, as regards -hardness, a good material for roads when mixed with gravel; but -chemically it is not good. In the neighbourhood of Nienburg, Hanover, -where roads and paths were covered with waste pyrites, it was found -that grass and corn ceased to grow; and a farmer on mixing well-water -with warm milk, observed that the milk curdled. The explanation is, -that the waste pyrites 'contained not only sulphide of iron and earthy -constituents, but also sulphide of zinc, and that by the influence of -the oxygen of the atmosphere and the presence of water, these sulphides -were gradually converted into the corresponding sulphates;' and these, -continually extracted by the rain-water, soaked into the soil, -contaminated the wells, and produced other injurious effects. - -The want of really efficient names to distinguish various kinds -of manufactured iron has long been felt in the iron trade. The -Philadelphia Exhibition gave rise to a Commission which, after -discussion of the question, have recommended that all malleable -compounds of iron similar to the substance called wrought-iron shall -be called 'weld-iron;' that compounds similar to the product hitherto -known as puddled steel, shall be called 'weld-steel;' that compounds -which cannot be appreciably hardened when placed in water while red-hot -shall be called 'ingot-iron;' and that compounds of this latter -which from any cause are capable of being tempered, shall be called -'ingot-steel.' - -By further exercise of his inventive abilities, Major Moncrieff has -produced a hydro-pneumatic spring gun-carriage perfectly adapted for -use in the field. A gun mounted on this carriage could be made ready -for action within ten minutes after its arrival in the trenches. - -The Science and Art Department have commenced the publication of -a 'Universal Art Inventory, consisting of brief Notes of Fine and -Ornamental Art executed before the year 1800 chiefly to be found in -Europe.' This is a praiseworthy undertaking, for there are so many -rarities of art which can never be seen by the multitude, which can -never be moved from their place or purchased, that an inventory thereof -with descriptive notes cannot fail to be of great utility. Nearly all -the governments of Europe and many royal personages are co-operating -in this work, which includes reproductions in possible instances. -Some of these reproductions are well known to the frequenters of the -South Kensington Museum; for example, the great mantel-piece from the -Palais de Justice at Bruges; Trajan's Column from Rome; a Buddhist -gateway from India, of the first century; a monument from Nuremberg, -and other elaborate works. As a means of reference, this Inventory -will be welcome to many a student, and as it necessarily will take -many years to complete, there will be the pleasure of watching for -fresh instalments of information. But all students should remember -that 'the laws of design are as definite as those of language, with -much the same questions as to order, relationship, construction or -elegance; differing for dissimilar styles as for divers tongues. The -pupil in design has similar obstacles to encounter with those of the -schoolboy in his alphabet and grammar; the ability to use the pencil or -the brush will no more produce an artist than the acquirement of the -writing-master's art with Lindley Murray's rules will make a poet.' - -Professor Justin Winsor, one of the American delegates to the -conference of librarians held last month, points out with much -earnestness that by the extension of libraries a great impetus may be -given to national education, and an opening made at the same time for -the employment of women. In America, pains have been taken to engage -men and women in the work who are content to labour to attain the level -of a far higher standard than the public at large have been usually -willing to allow as the test of efficiency. 'We believe,' remarks the -Professor, 'that libraries are in the highest sense public charities; -that they are missionary enterprises; that it is to be supine if we -are simply willing to let them do their unassisted work; that it is -their business to see two books read instead of one, and good books -instead of bad. To this end it has been urged that one of our principal -universities shall have a course of bibliography and training in -library economy.' - -In reply to various correspondents, we beg to state that the -information regarding the manufacture of vegetable isinglass in Rouen, -which appeared under the head of _A Few French Notes_ in No. 717 of -this _Journal_, was taken from _L'Armée Scientifique_, a work compiled -by the well-known French savant, M. L. Figuier. As there seems to be -some difficulty in reconciling M. Figuier's statements with the present -state of the process as carried on in France, we are making further -inquiry, and hope to be able to give early and definite information. - - - - -A FEARFUL SWING. - - -The 'Shaftmen' at our collieries are selected for their physical -strength and pluck, in addition to the skill and practical knowledge -required for their particular work. The incident we are about to relate -will shew how severely the former of these qualifications may at times -be tested. - -The work of these men is confined to the shaft of the pit, and consists -mainly in repairing the 'tubbing' or lining of the shaft, stopping -leaks, or removing any obstructions interfering with the free passage -of the cages up and down the pit. The coal-pit at N---- has a double -shaft, divided by a 'bratticing' or wooden partition. These divisions -we will call A and B. Two cages (the vehicles of transport up and down -the pit) ascend and descend alternately in shaft A. At a certain point -the shaft is widened, to allow the cages to pass each other, and their -simultaneous arrival at this point is insured by the arrangement of the -wire-ropes on the winding-wheels over the pit-mouth. The oscillation of -the cages is guarded against by wooden guiders running down each side -of the shaft, which fit into grooves in the sides of the cage. - -On one occasion during a very severe frost these guiders had become -coated with ice, and thus their free passage in the grooves of the -cages was interfered with. Before this obstruction was discovered, the -engine having been set in motion, the downward cage, which fortunately -was empty at the time, stuck fast in the shaft before arriving at the -passing-point. The ascending cage, whose only occupant was a small boy -returning to 'bank,' proceeding on its upward course, crashed into the -downward cage in the narrow part of the shaft, where of course there -was only a single passage. Though the shock was something terrific, the -steel rope was not broken; as the engineman, whose responsible position -entails the greatest presence of mind and watchfulness, had stopped the -engine on the first indication of an unusual tremor in the rope. Yet -such was the violence of the meeting, that both cages, though strongly -constructed of iron, were bent and broken--in fact rendered useless--by -being thus jammed together in a narrow space. The greatest anxiety was -felt as to the fate of the boy, as it was seen that even if he had -escaped with his life after such a severe crash, his rescue would be a -work of great danger and difficulty. - -We may imagine the horror of the poor little fellow while suspended -in the shattered cage over a gulf some four hundred feet deep, both -cages firmly wedged in the shaft, and the ropes rendered useless for -any means of descent to the scene of the catastrophe. The readiest -way of approach seemed to be by shaft B, the position of which we -have indicated above. Down this then, a Shaftman, whom we will call -Johnson, descended in a cage until he arrived at an opening in the -brattice-work by which he could enter shaft A. He found himself (as he -supposed) at a point a little above where the accident had occurred; -and this conclusion he came to from seeing two ropes leading downwards, -which he naturally took to be those by which the cages were suspended. -Under this impression he formed the design of sliding down one of the -ropes, with a view to liberating, if possible, the entangled cages and -securing the safety of the unfortunate boy. The hardy fellow was soon -gliding through the darkness on his brave and dangerous errand. He had -descended about forty feet, when, to his horror and amazement, his -course was suddenly checked by a bend in the rope; and the terrible -discovery flashed upon him, that he was _suspended in the loop of the -slack rope_, which here took a return course to the top of the downward -cage! - -It will be understood that when the descending cage stuck upon the -runners, as the rope continued to unwind from the pulley it hung down -in a loop, descending lower and lower, until the engine was stopped by -the meeting of the cages. This loop or 'bight' was naturally mistaken -by Johnson for the _two ropes_, and he did not discover until he found -himself in the fearful situation described, that he had entered through -the brattice into shaft A _below_ instead of above where the cages -were fixed. There he hung then, over a yawning abyss many fathoms -deep--closed from above by the locked cages--all below looming dark and -horrible. - -None of course knew his danger; his hands were chilled by the freezing -rope; his arms, already fully exercised, began to ache and stiffen with -the strain and intense cold, added to the bewildering sense of hopeless -peril. Good need there was then that pluck and endurance be found in -the Shaftman! His square sturdy frame and unflinching spirit were now -on their trial. Had his presence of mind gone or his nerve failed, he -must have been paralysed with fear, lost his hold, and been dashed into -an unrecognisable mass. - -But self-preservation is a potent law, and working in such a spirit he -framed a desperate plan for a struggle for life. The guiders running -down the inside of the shaft are fastened on to cross-beams about six -feet apart. Johnson hoped that if he could reach one of these, he might -obtain a footing whereon to rest, and by their means clamber up to the -opening in the brattice-work. How to reach them was the next question -that flashed lightning-like through his brain. This he essayed to do -by causing the rope to oscillate from side to side, hoping thus to -bring himself within reach of one of the cross-beams. And now commenced -a _fearful swing_. Gaining a lodgment with one knee in the loop, he -set the rope swinging by the motion of his body, grasping out wildly -with one hand each time he approached the side of the shaft. Once, -twice, thrice! he felt the cold icy face of the 'tubbing,' but as yet -nothing except slimy boards met his grasp, affording no more hold than -the glassy side of an iceberg. At last he touched a cross-beam, to -which his iron muscles, now fully roused to their work, held on like -a vice. He soon found footing on the beam below, and then letting go -the treacherous rope, rested in comparative security before beginning -the perilous ascent. With incredible endurance of nerve and muscle he -clambered upward alongside the guider, by the aid of the cross-beams, -and by thrusting his hands through the crevices of the timber. In this -manner he reached the opening into shaft B, where the cage in which he -had descended was waiting. Chilled, cramped, and frozen, and barely -able to give the signal, he was drawn to the pit-mouth prostrate and -exhausted. The boy was rescued unhurt by a man being lowered to the -top of the cages in shaft A. Johnson suffered no ill consequences, and -though a hero above many known to fame, he still pursues his hardy task -as a Shaftman; while beneath the homely exterior still lives the pluck -and sinew of iron that did not fail him even in his Fearful Swing. - - - - -TO MY ROBIN REDBREAST. - - The following lines are taken from _The Captive Chief, a Tale of - Flodden Field_, by James Thomson (H. H. Blair, Alnwick, 1871). - - - Now keenly blows the northern blast; - Like winter hail the leaves fall fast, - And my pet Robin's come at last - To our old thorn; - With warbling throat and eye upcast - He greets the morn; - - Like some true friend you come to cheer, - When all around is dark and drear. - And oh! what friend to me more dear - Than your sweet sel'? - Your mellow voice falls on my ear - Like some sweet spell. - - Oft at the gloaming's pensive hour, - When clouds above me darkly lower, - I've sought a seat in some lone bower, - With heart opprest; - You soothed me with your magic power, - And calmed my breast. - - When Morning dons her sober gray - To usher in the coming day, - And PhÅ“bus shines with sickly ray - On all around, - No warblers greet him from the spray - With joyous sound. - - But you, sweet bird, unlike the throng, - Salute him with a joyous song. - When heavy rains and sleet prolong - The dreary day, - You chant to him your evening song - Upon the spray. - - No blackbird whistles in the grove, - Where late in chorus sweet they strove; - No warbler's tongue is heard to move, - But all is sad; - No cushat woos his amorous love - In hazel glade. - - * * * * * - -Printed and Published by W. & R. CHAMBERS, 47 Paternoster Row, LONDON, -and 339 High Street, EDINBURGH. - - * * * * * - -_All Rights Reserved._ - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular -Literature, Science, and Art,, by Various - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL *** - -***** This file should be named 51100-0.txt or 51100-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/1/0/51100/ - -Produced by Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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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/license - - -Title: Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 726 - November 24, 1877 - -Author: Various - -Editor: William Chambers - Robert Chambers - -Release Date: February 1, 2016 [EBook #51100] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL *** - - - - -Produced by Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_737" id="Page_737">{737}</a></span></p> - -<h1>CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL<br /> -OF<br /> -POPULAR<br /> -LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART.</h1> - -<div> -<h2>CONTENTS</h2> - -<p class='center'> - -<!-- Autogenerated TOC. Modify or delete as required. --> - -<a href="#WAR_AND_TELEGRAPHY">WAR AND TELEGRAPHY.</a><br /> -<a href="#NEARLY_WRECKED">NEARLY WRECKED.</a><br /> -<a href="#GEMS_AT_RANDOM_STRUNG">GEMS AT RANDOM STRUNG.</a><br /> -<a href="#THE_INN_AT_BOLTON">THE INN AT BOLTON.</a><br /> -<a href="#ROCKBOUND">ROCKBOUND.</a><br /> -<a href="#THE_MONTH">THE MONTH: SCIENCE AND ARTS.</a><br /> -<a href="#A_FEARFUL_SWING">A FEARFUL SWING.</a><br /> -<a href="#TO_MY_ROBIN_REDBREAST">TO MY ROBIN REDBREAST.</a><br /> - -<!-- End Autogenerated TOC. --> - -</p> - - - - -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/header.png" width="600" height="294" alt="Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art. Fourth Series. Conducted by William and Robert Chambers." /> -</div> - - -<hr class="full" /> -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="" width="85%"> -<tr><td align="left"><b><span class="smcap">No.</span> 726.</b></td><td align="center"><b>SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1877.</b></td><td align="right"><b><span class="smcap">Price</span> 1½<i>d.</i></b></td></tr> -</table></div></div> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<div> - - -<h2><a name="WAR_AND_TELEGRAPHY" id="WAR_AND_TELEGRAPHY">WAR AND TELEGRAPHY.</a></h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">It</span> is vexing, even saddening, to think how large an -amount of discovery, invention, and skill is applied -to the murderous purposes of war. As we advance -in civilisation, armies become larger and larger, -and more abundantly supplied with agencies we -would willingly see devoted to more peaceful purposes. -Whether wars of race, wars of creed, wars -of ambition, or wars of national vanity, the result -is much about the same in this respect. Some -consolers tell us that wars by-and-by will become -so terrible as to check the desire to wage them: let -us hope so, despite present symptoms.</p> - -<p>Science has unquestionably rendered a vast -amount of aid to attack and defence in war within -the last few years. Gunpowder, gun-cotton, dynamite, -and other explosive substances for fire-arms, -torpedoes, and military mining have had their -properties and relative powers investigated with -remarkable completeness. Gun-carriages have been -so vastly improved, that by Captain Scott's contrivances -a six-hundred-pounder can be managed -as easily and quickly as a thirty-two-pounder -could in the days of our fathers or grandfathers; -while by Major Moncrieff's automatic apparatus a -gun lowers itself behind the screen of a parapet -or earthen battery for loading, and then raises itself -twelve or fifteen feet to fire over it.</p> - -<p>Photography, again, is applied in a great variety -of ways to aid warlike operations. At the office of -the Ordnance Survey, or under the supervision of -the Director, an amazing number of such photographs -are taken, enlarged or reduced from the -original dimensions according to circumstances, and -multiplied or prepared for printing by a very -rapid process of zincography or some other kind -of electro-engraving. One of the Reports issued -by the Director tells us that he supplies the War -Office with photographs of plans of battles, important -fortified posts and their surrounding districts, -barracks and forts in all parts of the British dominions, -&c. All the equipments of troops for the -field are similarly photographed or zincographed, -as unerring patterns for reference. For such wars -as we have been engaged in during the past five-and-twenty -years (happily few in number), such as -the Crimean, Abyssinian, and Ashanti campaigns, -photographs and zincographs have been supplied -in large number to the officers, illustrating all -details which the home authorities have been able -to ascertain, and which are likely to be useful in -the intended operations.</p> - -<p>What are we to say of the <i>torpedo</i>, and its -management by electricity? This is really a -wonderful subject, the influence of which on future -naval warfare even the most skilled and experienced -officers can only dimly surmise. We know -that during the civil war in America, the Federal -torpedoes wrought more destruction on the Confederate -ships than all the guns in the Federal -fleet; that, on the other hand, the Confederate -torpedoes so effectually guarded the approach to -Richmond up James River, that a hostile flotilla -was compelled to retire baffled and disappointed. -One unlucky Federal ship unwittingly passed over -a submerged torpedo at the moment of explosion. -And with what result? 'The hull of the ship -was visibly lifted out of the water, the boiler -exploded, the smoke-funnels were carried away, -and the crew projected into the air with extreme -velocity. Out of the crew of one hundred and -twenty-seven men, only three remained alive—the -vessel itself being blown to atoms.' The -arrangements have been so much improved since -that time, that messages can be sent across a river -or estuary from shore to shore through the very -wire which is to discharge the torpedo! In every -naval war during the last few years, torpedoes -have been more or less employed. In what way -the weaker Russian fleet has been able to baffle -the stronger fleet of the Turks in the struggle of -1877, the newspapers have told us in full detail. -There is no necessity for pursuing this part of the -subject further, seeing that it was lately treated -with some degree of fullness in our pages.</p> - -<p>But the greatest marvel of all, in regard to the -application of electricity to warlike purposes, is -the <i>electric telegraph</i>. We know what service the -lightning-messenger renders to society generally<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_738" id="Page_738">{738}</a></span> -in the peaceful daily maintenance of commercial -and social intercommunication; and military men -now know what a potent instrument it is in the -conduct of field-operations and siege-works. An -officer well qualified to judge affirms that the -memorable Franco-German War, so disastrous to -France, could not have been carried on without -the aid of the electric telegraph by the German -forces. The warlike struggles engaged in by -various European powers in the Crimea, in India -during the Mutiny, in China, in New Zealand, in -the Austro-Italian provinces, in Morocco by the -Spaniards, in America by the Federals and the -Confederates, in Holstein during the brief Dano-German -War, in Bohemia during the still briefer -Austro-Prussian War, in Abyssinia, in France -during the struggle against the Germans, in -Ashanti—all these were marked by the adoption -of the electric telegraph to a greater or less extent.</p> - -<p>Many of us remember, from the vivid descriptions -written by the special correspondents of the -daily newspapers, how terrible were the sufferings -of the British troops in the Crimea during the -winter of 1854-5, engaged in trench-work and -other siege-operations under almost every kind of -privation. But we also know how impossible it -would have been to learn the news quickly in -England and to send instructions, without the aid -of telegraphy. An electric cable was for this very -purpose submerged in the Black Sea from the -Turkish mainland to the Crimea; while on land, -wires were set up from Balaklava to the headquarters -outside Sebastopol. Thus it was that -daily messages could be exchanged between Lord -Raglan's headquarters and the War Office in London—also -between the special correspondents of the -daily papers and their employers in Fleet Street or -Printing House Square. So in like manner, during -the struggle arising out of the Indian Mutiny, the -advancing British columns contrived, wherever -possible, to maintain unbroken telegraphic communication -with Calcutta, whereby the viceroy -was kept informed of what was going on. Of -course the mutineers or rebels destroyed or disrupted -the wires wherever and whenever they -could; and to repair the damage thus inflicted -formed no small part of the arduous duties of the -British officers.</p> - -<p>Our little but expensive war in Abyssinia in -1868, marked by a less shedding of blood than -almost any other war in modern times, was an -engineers' war from first to last. A wild and -unknown country was surveyed and accurately -mapped out, four hundred miles of road constructed, -tube-wells sunk, photographs of various -useful kinds taken, and a telegraphic system -established. The telegraphic arrangements first -made had to be abandoned, owing to the scantiness -of the facilities for transporting the necessary -materials. The more restricted plan actually -adopted was difficult enough, so limited were the -means of obtaining wood for telegraph poles. On -approaching Magdala, however, Captain St John -(who had the management of this part of the -engineering) succeeded in laying down from five -to ten miles a day. Short as was the war, this -telegraph conveyed more than seven thousand -eight hundred messages during the five months of -its working, and aided most materially in giving -effect to General (now Lord) Napier's well-planned -and successful scheme of operations.</p> - -<p>Our strange Ashanti War gave further evidence -of the formation of a telegraph line through a -wild country inhabited by a barbarous people. -Lieutenant Jekyll, who had the management of -this work, has given a lively account of the difficulties -that beset him, and his mode of overcoming -them. It was at first intended to fight the -war with native levies and to lay down a railway; -but Sir Garnet Wolseley, on landing to take the -command, soon found that the natives were not -sufficiently reliable, that the country was almost -impracticable for a railway, that he must have -English troops, and that an electric telegraph -would be a highly useful aid. Lieutenant Jekyll, -with a small staff, went inland and bought bamboo -canes of the blacks, set them up as posts, and laid -his wires from Cape Coast Castle to Coomassie at -the rate of about two miles a day. A gang of -fifty natives helped him. Of these worthies he -says: 'They were not promising in appearance, -and I was compelled to dispense with the services of -those who were <i>less than four feet high</i>! (We italicise -these words to shew what pigmies many of the -West Africans are.) But they had with them an -intelligent headman; and by dint of supervision, -supplemented by a little flogging once now and -then, turned out a tolerably useful body for light -work, as niggers go.' The line was extended by -degrees as far as Accrofumu, about a hundred -miles from the coast. An amusing proof was -afforded of the tendency of the natives to regard -the telegraph as a kind of fetich, charm, or spell. -The English one day saw bits of white cotton-thread -suspended from tree to tree for several miles, -as if to obtain thereby some of the mysterious benefits -which the white man evidently expected from -the wire. When the native helpers received small -electric shocks occasionally, consequent on the testing -or using of the line, they made sure that a charm -was at work; and the lieutenant was half afraid -his men would run away in terror. The climate -was very trying to the English, who, lying ill -with fever, got the natives to rouse them when -any movements of the receiving apparatus were -observed. Nevertheless, this telegraphic line -rendered services much more than compensatory -for the expense, difficulty, and anxiety of laying, -maintaining, and using it.</p> - -<p>The truly wonderful and eventful Franco-German -War of 1870-1 exhibited the value of -electro-telegraphy with a completeness never -equalled before or since. A foretaste had been -given in the Austro-Prussian or 'Seven Weeks' -War' of 1866; when four complete and distinct -telegraphic organisations were adopted—one with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_739" id="Page_739">{739}</a></span> -Prince Frederick-William's fine army; one with -that of Prince Charles; one at the king's headquarters; -and one in reserve. Each could lay -down wires as fast as the headquarters could -advance. The speedy termination of the war -averted the necessity of constructing field-telegraphs, -such as those about to be described.</p> - -<p>When the German forces advanced to Paris in -the closing months of 1870, the plan pursued -with the telegraph was as follows: The ordinary -commercial and railway telegraphs were gradually -extended over the frontier into France, as the -German armies advanced. The field or <i>étappen</i> telegraphs -maintained communication between the -base of operations, the ammunition dépôts, and the -advanced columns of the various army corps. When -the sappers and miners had pushed on to the vicinity -of Paris, the ubiquitous wire travelled with them. -The materials used were light and simple; the -operators employed to transmit and receive messages -had been trained in the state establishments; -and headquarters were kept instantly informed -of any observed movements on the part of the -French. The telegraph was indeed in constant -use by the Germans—for arranging the transport -of ammunition; for hourly communication with -the commissariat; for directing the conveyance to -Germany of sick and wounded, as well as prisoners; -for regulating the traffic on the field railways; for -maintaining unbroken connection between the -troops, which formed a belt of ninety miles' circumference -around Paris; for summoning reinforcements -to any point where suddenly needed; -and to send news of any gap in the continuity -of the immense ring of soldiers encircling the -beleaguered city.</p> - -<p>If any evidence were needed of the invaluable -services rendered by the electric telegraph in the -war just noticed, it was furnished by M. Von -Chauvin, who attended before a Committee of the -House of Commons on Postal Telegraphs in 1876. -He stated in distinct terms that the war could not -have been carried on without this potent aid.</p> - -<p>Our own English system of war telegraphy, -organised at Chatham, has been improved from -time to time. Light iron telegraph poles are provided, -to support insulated wires. There is a -travelling office on wheels for the operators; while -the materials are carried in specially constructed -wagons. So strong is the wire that wheels may -go over it; and therefore the line is laid above -ground or <i>on</i> the ground according to circumstances. -Spikes of peculiar form enable the -wires to be hung on trees or walls to meet the -contingencies of towns and villages. The nucleus -of the staff of operators is a small body of Royal -Engineers, under their own officers, comprising -about fifty military men, with occasional assistance -from others—well organised into superintendents, -inspectors, clerks, linesmen, storemen, artisans, and -labourers. The wagons for materials contain -drums on which the wire is coiled; this is unrolled -as the wagon moves on, which is as fast as the -operators can lay the line. At the present time, -ten thousand miles of prepared wire are said to be -kept in store, ready for any exigences.</p> - -<p>We might go on to notice the aid furnished to -warlike operations by the electric light; as for -instance, at Paris in the closing weeks of 1870, -when such a light on Montmartre enabled the -Parisians to gather some knowledge of what the -besiegers were about at night. But enough: the -brief summary above given will suffice to shew -how electricity is used in war.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> -<h2><a name="NEARLY_WRECKED" id="NEARLY_WRECKED">NEARLY WRECKED.</a></h2> - - -<h3>CHAPTER III.—WILFRED'S LETTER.</h3> - -<p><span class="smcap">Time</span> went by, and nothing happened to justify -Mabel's fears. Wilfred seemed to be working hard -and getting on well. His talent was pronounced -unmistakable by the master under whom he was -placed, and he himself was in good spirits about -his future. But before very long matters began to -change. His letters to Mabel were less frequent -and shorter than they had been; he spoke with -less openness and frankness of his doings; and it -was evident to her that there was a <i>something</i> -which he was careful to keep from her.</p> - -<p>She longed to see Mr Merton, to hear from him -what news he had of his son, and whether his -ideas about Wilfred corresponded with her own; -but she dared not speak to him about it. She -knew how hard he had always been to Wilfred, -how intolerant of all his faults; and she knew -well there would be little mercy to be hoped for -him at his father's hands if, as she suspected, he -had been taking more to pleasure and less to work -lately. She dared not even speak to her father of -what she feared, for could she expect even him to -think as leniently of her dear one as she did? So -she had to go on from day to day keeping her -trouble—which was not less difficult to bear because -it was only suspected—to herself.</p> - -<p>At last, when Wilfred had been about nine -months in Paris, but too certain proof arrived of -how true her suspicions had been. Mr Colherne -was staying away from home—a very unusual -proceeding, and Mabel was left alone. He had -gone to pass a few days with a friend in Scotland, -whither it had been impracticable for his -daughter to accompany him.</p> - -<p>The morning after his departure, Mabel came -down to breakfast rather later than usual, singing -a snatch of one of her favourite ditties, and burst -open the dining-room door in a way that was -indicative of her lively feelings. Her eye lighted -upon a letter that was lying in her plate; the -writing was that of Wilfred Merton. The missive -was almost illegible and very brief, and acted -upon her gay spirits like a sudden freezing. It -ran as follows:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">My darling Mabel</span>—I must write a few -words, the last you will ever have from me, to tell -you that whatever may appear, however any one -may try to persuade you, I still love you; love -you, as I have done all my life, with all the best -part of my nature. Believe that, Mabel, my own, -always. I write to say good-bye, for I shall never -see you again; and yet I never longed to see you -as I do at this moment. I feel half mad now, -and hardly know what I am writing. How shall I -say it; I have nothing to live for, except disgrace, -and I will not live for that, I am resolved. Once -more, good-bye, dearest and best. Try to forgive -me, and then forget me, as every one else in the -world will soon do.</p> - -<p class='right'> -<span class="smcap">Wilfred Merton.</span> -</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_740" id="Page_740">{740}</a></span></p> - -<p>For an instant Mabel sat quite still, gazing -straight before her with one expression, that of -blank despair, upon her face. This sudden fearful -shock had quite stunned her. But she was not a -girl to remain inactive, simply grieving over misfortune, -when there was anything to be done. Her -resolution was promptly taken. She rang, and a -servant appeared.</p> - -<p>'Tell Hawkesley to bring the brougham round -as soon as he possibly can,' she said; 'tell him not -to mind how it looks, but to be at the door as -soon as possible.'</p> - -<p>'Is anything the matter, miss?' said the man, -astonished at this order.</p> - -<p>'Yes. I have no time to lose.'</p> - -<p>'Is it master, miss?' he asked, with that -dreadful habit of his class of questioning instead -of doing what is wanted.</p> - -<p>'No; papa is quite well. But don't stop now; go -yourself to the stable; I haven't a minute to waste.'</p> - -<p>In a few minutes more she was seated in the -brougham which was fast making its way to Mr -Merton's bank in the City.</p> - - -<h3>CHAPTER IV.—THE JOURNEY.</h3> - -<p>Mr Merton was sitting in the private office of -his counting-house with a large book open before -him. Just as he was in the middle of some calculation -which, to judge from the expression of his -face, was pretty abstruse, the door opened and a -clerk entered. The banker looked up with no -appearance of being pleased at the interruption.</p> - -<p>'What is it, Mr Chester?' he said, rather angrily.</p> - -<p>'There is a young lady, sir, who says she must -see you as soon as possible, and alone.'</p> - -<p>'O nonsense. I can't possibly attend to her. -Don't you know who she is?'</p> - -<p>'No, sir; she wouldn't give me her name, nor -tell me her business. I said that I was sure you -couldn't see her; but she said it was absolutely -necessary that you should do so, and that you -would know her directly.'</p> - -<p>'You must tell her that it is out of the question -for me to see her, if she will not send word who she -is, or what she wants.'</p> - -<p>'There's no good, sir; I have told her so. But -she is quite determined to come; and I thought I -had better speak to you, as it seemed so strange -to have her waiting about there.'</p> - -<p>'Well, in that case I suppose you must shew -her in.'</p> - -<p>The clerk withdrew, and in an instant returned -with a young lady who had a thick veil over her -face. Having ushered her into the room, he withdrew -and shut the door, leaving Mr Merton and -his visitor alone.</p> - -<p>No sooner was the door closed than the lady put -up her veil and disclosed the features of Mabel -Colherne.</p> - -<p>'Why, Mabel!' said Mr Merton, appearing considerably -more surprised than pleased at finding -who his visitor was; 'what in the world brings you -here?'</p> - -<p>Mabel for her only answer put Wilfred's letter -into his father's hands. He read it through without -shewing any signs of either surprise or regret, -and when he had finished it, handed it back to her -without speaking.</p> - -<p>'Well, Mr Merton?' she said, feeling impatient -at his silence.</p> - -<p>'Well, Mabel?' he returned.</p> - -<p>'Have you read the letter?'</p> - -<p>'Most certainly.'</p> - -<p>'And have you nothing to say?'</p> - -<p>'What <i>am</i> I to say?'</p> - -<p>'Mr Merton,' exclaimed Mabel, hardly able to -control herself, 'can you read such a letter from -your son, and not care about it?'</p> - -<p>'I have given up thinking of Wilfred as my son -at all, Mabel. I gave him the chance of rising in -his odious profession by sending him to Paris, -and what has been his conduct in return for my -kindness? He has done nothing but amuse himself, -and get into all kinds of disreputable mischief. -I should have told you all this before, and tried to -persuade you to break off with him; but I did not -do so; in the first place, because I was sure you -would not listen to me; and in the second, because -I did not want to be the means of cutting him off -from your affection, and thus rendering his amendment -impossible.'</p> - -<p>'I have been afraid that something has been -going wrong with Wilfred lately. I wish you had -told me before; I might have been able to influence -him for good.'</p> - -<p>'I don't believe that any influence in the world -would be useful to him; he is a thoroughly worthless -fellow. I paid his debts once upon condition -that he would contract no more, but I might have -saved myself the trouble; within a month he -wanted more money. I was not going to be guilty -a second time of the weakness of saving him -from difficulties he had brought upon himself, in -spite too of all my warnings; so I wrote back to -say that I would have no more to do with him.'</p> - -<p>'Mr Merton, you will not keep to such a cruel -resolution now, with such a letter as this before you?'</p> - -<p>'Are you so weak, Mabel, as to be taken in -by such nonsense as this? Don't you see that being -unable to get at me, he is simply trying what he -can do with you?'</p> - -<p>'No, Mr Merton; I don't believe that, and won't -for a moment. I trust my own instinct, which is -a woman's natural guide, and generally a very sure -one, and I am certain that Wilfred intends doing -something desperate.'</p> - -<p>'I have told you before now that my son is a -foolish weak fellow, and not worth anybody's love.'</p> - -<p>'What is that to me, Mr Merton?' exclaimed -Mabel, exasperated beyond endurance. '<i>I</i> love -him, and I can hardly be expected to stand quietly -by and let him be ruined, because the affection -you ought to bear your son is wanting in your -nature. Who knows but that the treatment he -thus received under his own father's roof may -have'——</p> - -<p>'What do you wish me to do? What is there -that <i>can</i> be done?' cried Mr Merton, interrupting -the girl's impassioned burst.</p> - -<p>'I want you to go with me to Paris to see -Wilfred, that we may take him away from harm, -if it be not too late. If papa had been at home -now, he would, I am sure, have gone with me; but -I could not wait till he comes.'</p> - -<p>'You can hardly be serious in proposing for me -to go on such a wild expedition as that, I think?'</p> - -<p>'Mr Merton, I am quite sure that that letter -means more than you think; and I am determined -that he shall not be left to be ruined without -an attempt to save him. If you will not come -I must and will go alone.'</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_741" id="Page_741">{741}</a></span></p> - -<p>'You are mad, Mabel! Go to Paris alone, and -to see this worthless fellow! What do you -suppose the world would say of such conduct?'</p> - -<p>'I can't think of that when the person I love -best on earth is in such danger, as I am sure -Wilfred is now, and there is a chance, however -faint it may be, of my saving him. I can answer -to heaven and my own conscience for what I am -going to do, and I must brave the world. I shall -write and tell papa what I have done, and I am -sure that he will follow me as soon as possible. -Good-bye, Mr Merton; there is no use in my -stopping here longer.'</p> - -<p>'Stay, Mabel!' he began, detaining her as she -rose. 'I cannot possibly allow you to go alone, and -I have of course no power of interfering with your -actions. If you really are bent upon this scheme, -which I still think an utterly mad one, I must, -for the sake of my own reputation as much as for -yours, accompany you.'</p> - -<p>'Believe me that my fears are not uncalled for. -I am sure something dreadful is going to happen -to Wilfred, and I only dread being too late even -now. I am very thankful you are going with me; -and am certain that you will never repent it.'</p> - -<p>'No thanks: it is only necessity that makes me -do it. When do you start?'</p> - -<p>'To-night, if possible.'</p> - -<p>Mr Merton looked into a Bradshaw that was -lying upon the table. 'The train to meet the -night-boat leaves London at half-past eight; to -catch that you must start from your house at half-past -seven.'</p> - -<p>'I will do that. Will you meet me at the station?'</p> - -<p>'Yes; I will be there at a quarter past eight.'</p> - -<p>'Good-bye till then; and thank you again a -thousand times.'</p> - -<p>Mr Merton attended her to the outer door of the -office, and she drove home well satisfied with her -mission. Writing to her father, to tell him everything, -and what she was going to do, she packed -a small box to take with her, and then did little -else but wish the day, which seemed interminable, -gone. Long before it was necessary, she was at the -station; and punctual to the appointed minute, Mr -Merton appeared.</p> - -<p>After a journey that to Mabel seemed endless, -they at length reached Paris, and drove straight -to the hotel in which Wilfred lived.</p> - -<p>As they stopped, Mr Merton said: 'You may -depend upon it we shall find our trouble wasted, -and that the object of your anxiety is out somewhere -amusing himself.'</p> - -<p>Mabel did not answer. She could hear her heart -beat as she sprang out of the cab; and without -waiting for her companion, entered the court-yard -of the hotel, and went to the den appropriated to -the <i>concierge</i>. That gentleman was reading a newspaper, -in which he seemed much interested, and -did not look up as she came near him.</p> - -<p>'Monsieur Merton, est-il chez-lui?' she asked -breathlessly.</p> - -<p>The concierge put his finger against the word -he was reading, in mute protest against being -interrupted, and looking slowly up, said rather -dreamily: 'Plaît-il, Madame?'</p> - -<p>'Monsieur Merton, est-il chez-lui?' she repeated -more eagerly than before.</p> - -<p>The man turned round, and walking with the -most provoking deliberation to the other end of -the room, where numerous keys were hanging, -looked at the place appropriated to the one belonging -to Wilfred's room, and seeing that it was -unoccupied, came back to Mabel and answered: -'Oui, Madame.'</p> - -<p>'Quel est le numéro de sa chambre?'</p> - -<p>'Soixante-deux, au cinquième,' said the concierge, -returning to his paper as he finished -speaking.</p> - -<p>Mr Merton had paid the driver and joined -Mabel as this conversation came to an end, and -they started to mount the stairs to the fifth floor -as directed.</p> - -<p>Even Mabel's youth and energy could not prevent -her from getting out of breath in that long -climb; and by the time she and Mr Merton had -arrived at the fourth floor, they were obliged to -stop and rest.</p> - -<p>Before they had stood an instant, they were -startled by a loud report of a pistol coming from -the floor above them. With a loud scream, Mabel -sped up the remaining stairs and entered the room -named by the concierge.</p> - -<p>Mr Merton came almost instantly after her, and -found Wilfred lying insensible on the floor, and -Mabel kneeling by his side, trying to restore consciousness.</p> - - -<h3>CHAPTER V.—SAVED.</h3> - -<p>Within an hour, two of the most skilful physicians -that Paris could boast were with Wilfred Merton. -And when they left him, their verdict was not one -to give much hope. He had shot himself in the -chest, and it was very doubtful whether he would -recover from that fearful self-inflicted wound.</p> - -<p>Mr Merton's anguish during those long days -and nights while Wilfred lay at death's door was -terrible to behold. Alienated as had been his -affection for his son while absent, the feelings of -parental love returned tenfold, now that he might -be on the point of losing that son for ever; and as -he nursed his boy with that womanly gentleness -which is so touching in a man, it was evident -that his whole hope of happiness was bound up in -his recovery.</p> - -<p>Mr Colherne had, as Mabel predicted, lost no -time in following her to Paris, and though he -could hardly feel the intense and painful interest -in the invalid that his father felt, still for -Mabel's sake he became a willing sharer in the -nursing.</p> - -<p>As for Mabel, hope was very strong in her, and -made that time of watching much easier to bear. -She could not help believing that that strong -determination to cross the Channel had been put -into her mind to enable her to save the one who -was so dear to her; and in that belief she put her -trust.</p> - -<p>At last, after long, weary, sometimes almost -despairing watching, the patient took a favourable -turn. The burning fever ceased; and one day the -doctor told the anxious watchers that there was -great hope; that indeed, unless any unforeseen -complications arose, there was nothing further to -fear.</p> - -<p>Then the pent-up feelings of Mr Merton—that -grief which he had tried so unsuccessfully to conceal -from his companions, could be kept in no -longer; he threw his arms round Mabel's neck, -buried his face on her shoulder, and burst into -tears, those tears which, when shed by a man, are -so inexpressibly painful to see.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_742" id="Page_742">{742}</a></span></p> - -<p>'Mabel,' he said, 'I owe all this to you; if it -had not been for you, I should have been my son's -murderer.'</p> - -<p>Mabel pressed her lips upon his forehead in -silence; her heart was too full of thankfulness for -speech.</p> - -<p>Wilfred was very patient, and manfully bore all -the trials of the time. As soon as he was well enough -to be able to think of what he had done, a feeling of -intense remorse had come over him, and had taken -such powerful hold that at first it threatened to -throw him back. But the gentle hand of Mabel -was a wonderful restorer; a word or two of -loving assurance changed this bitter remorse into -a quiet sorrow. It happened one day, about a -week after this, that while Mabel was reading at -the window of the invalid's room, she heard -Wilfred's voice gently calling to her. It was as if -the voice of her lover had been suddenly restored -to him.</p> - -<p>'Can you forgive me, my darling?' he asked.</p> - -<p>'Am I not a woman, Wilfred? And is it not a -woman's privilege to forgive?'</p> - -<p>'I don't think you are a woman, Mabel; I -think you are an angel.' Few words, but conveying -volumes.</p> - -<p>From that moment her lover began to mend -steadily, though still slowly; every day there was -more and more to hope, until at length Wilfred -was pronounced wholly out of danger. And then -one evening in the dusk, when the lamps were -being lighted in the street below them, and the -increased hum and buzz of the later day were -coming on, Wilfred and Mabel found themselves -again alone.</p> - -<p>'Mabel,' he said in a low voice, when they had -been quite silent for a long time, 'I have been -wanting an opportunity to tell you all the wrong -that I have done. Shall I tell you now?'</p> - -<p>'Yes, Wilfred, now—in this twilight light.' She -slid her hand into his as she spoke, and they -remained in that position while he told her his -story.</p> - -<p>There was nothing new about it; it was the -old story. Led by bad companions into temptations, -his naturally lively and weak nature was -not able to resist; ashamed of himself for his own -conduct when he found himself outrunning his -allowance, and obliged to apply to his father for -help. Thrown into despair by his father's harsh -conduct to him, he had plunged still more wildly -into the excesses and dissipations of his leaders, -till at last, horrified at what he was doing, and -seeing no means of escape from the snares in -which he had allowed himself to be caught, he had -written that letter to Mabel; had waited, vaguely -hoping for he knew not what, for some days, and -had ultimately sought to put an end to himself -in a fit of intense depression. Weakness, that -shoal which is even more fatal, because more -hidden than wickedness, had wrecked him, as it -has wrecked so many. In the deep remorse that -he now felt, he greatly exaggerated the wickedness -of his conduct, for though he had been guilty of -grievous folly, he had done no positive or irremediable -wrong either to himself or others. The -only actual definite sin he had committed was -the suicidal one, from the consequences of which -Mabel's resolution had happily saved him.</p> - -<p>When he had finished this history, he paused an -instant, and then added, without looking at her: -'And now, Mabel, that you have heard all this, do -you still say that you forgive me? Can you still -love me?'</p> - -<p>'A love would be very useless, Wilfred, that -deserted its object just when it was most wanted; -I hope my love is a truer one than that.'</p> - -<p>'Mabel, my beloved,' said he, drawing her -closer to him as he spoke, 'if it had not been for -you, I should have been beyond the power of -repentance now. Your affection has saved me once, -and it shall keep me from harm now, for ever!'</p> - -<p>Before very many years had gone by, Wilfred -Merton's name was known as that of a successful -young painter. He and his wife were settled in -London, and were able to live in very comfortable -style. They had no children, which was their only -serious drawback to happiness; but if ever Wilfred, -seeing his wife look longingly at some merry -group of little ones, and guessing her thoughts, -tried to console her, she would put her hand -into his and say, her truthful eyes looking full at -him as she spoke: 'I have you, Wilfred, beside -me, and I am content.'</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The foregoing narrative, which is founded upon -events which actually took place, may be turned -to advantage by those parents who are prone to -thwart the natural inclinations of their children, -or cut them adrift without a proper guide. The -career of many a man has been blighted by the -mistaken, though perhaps well-meant policy of -a father who, desirous to see his son follow up his -own profession, has tried to compel that son to -work contrary to his inclination, with results more -or less disastrous.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> -<h2><a name="GEMS_AT_RANDOM_STRUNG" id="GEMS_AT_RANDOM_STRUNG">GEMS AT RANDOM STRUNG.</a></h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> history of precious stones, those beautiful -objects which have strongly appealed to the -imagination of men in all ages, has been written -many times; and yet their latest chronicler is -doubtless justified in assuming that the knowledge -of them in its practical sense is not widespread; -that even in the jeweller's trade there -are many who are not skilled in detecting the -real measure of difference between one stone and -another, either by the specific gravity, which supplies -the essential test, or by the minor tests of -rarity and quality. In treating of the history and -distinguishing characteristics of <i>Precious Stones and -Gems</i>, Mr Streeter has certainly conferred a benefit -on 'the trade;' to the general reader the book can -hardly fail to be of interest, for it puts a captivating -subject before him under a variety of -aspects, and appeals successfully to imagination as -well as to taste for exact knowledge.</p> - -<p>From the magnificent specimens which the -rescued Sindbad carried away with him when he -tied himself with his turban to the roc's leg, on -through a long succession of fable and of history, -diamonds will never cease to enchant mankind, -having always taken the lead in interest, as they -have been supreme in value among those treasures -of the mineral kingdom which are called gems -or precious stones. Ages before men discovered -that their beauty could be enhanced by handiwork, -their rarity and their price had endowed -them with a surpassing charm; and now, when -handiwork has been brought almost to perfection, -and science has dispelled the mystery with which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_743" id="Page_743">{743}</a></span> -the diamond was invested, they maintain their -immemorial supremacy. In company with Mr -Streeter we may trace the beautiful things from -their habitat in India, the Brazils, South Africa, -the Ural Mountains, and Australia, through their -history in the ancient times and in medieval -days, when they formed the theme of many fables -and the object of much superstition.</p> - -<p>The diamond dwells in the same lands and in -the same strata with many other gems, but it is -the most precious as it is the most difficult to find; -and though its nature resembles theirs in many -respects, in one it is unique—it is the hardest of -all known substances, and belongs to those bodies -which refract light most strongly. Its magnifying -power is greater than that of glass; but it is seldom -used for microscopic lenses, owing to the great -difficulty of making them perfectly accurate. It -was believed to possess double refraction, but that -has been disproved; and the deviation which gave -rise to the error is traced to the existence of -internal air-bubbles, as in amber, by which the -course of the light is altered. It is the triumph -of cutting to exhibit these qualities to the highest -degree, and thus did Babinet, a great authority on -diamonds, test them. 'In a sheet of white paper -he bored a hole somewhat larger than the diamond -to be tested: he let a ray of sunlight -pass through the hole, and holding the diamond -a little distance from it, yet at such an angle -as to allow the ray to alight on a point of the flat -facet, he found this facet to be forthwith represented -on the paper as a white figure, whilst all -around little rainbow circles were delineated. If -the observer found the primary colours red, yellow, -and blue definitely separated one from the other -in these little circles, and if their number were -considerable, and they stood at equal distances -from each other, then he pronounced the brilliant -to be well cut.'</p> - -<p>From Mr Streeter we learn that in commercial -estimation, coloured gems stand far behind -the diamond; insomuch, he tells us, that this -stone represents ninety per cent., and the others -altogether only ten per cent. of the quantity -on sale. A hundred years ago, Brazil became -the rival of India in the production of diamonds, -and the finders were the poor mulattos and -negroes, who explored for them the sterile wilds -of Minas-Novas, and sold them to the merchants. -The story of the discovery of these gems at -Bahia is as follows: A slave who came from -Minas-Geräes was tending his master's flocks in -Bahia, and he noticed that the soil resembled -that of his native place. He groped in the sand -and found seven hundred carats of diamonds. He -ran away, and offered the gems for sale in a -distant city. Of course such wealth in the hands -of a slave aroused suspicion, and the negro was -arrested and sent back to his master, who tried -in vain to come at a knowledge of his secret. -At last he bethought him of sending the slave -again to tend his flocks at Bahia, and he watched -him. Again the slave-shepherd groped in the -gem-hiding sand, and the truth was discovered. -Then came numbers of wealth-seekers from -Minas-Geräes and other parts of Brazil, so that -the next year twenty-five thousand men were -diamond-hunting in Bahia, and the amount daily -obtained for some time rose to one thousand -four hundred and fifty carats. The trade was a -prerogative of the Portuguese crown, and Lisbon -was the chief emporium of the gems. The -precious things are of fluctuating value. In -1836 they were very dear; but in 1848 the price -fell; and a few years ago there was 'a glut in -the market,' in consequence of Dom Pedro's having -paid the Brazilian state debt to England in diamonds -instead of money, when the price fell fifty -per cent. in the Leipsic market.</p> - -<p>Mr Streeter, who has great faith in the future of -Queensland as a diamond-field, gives a most interesting -account of the discoveries in New South -Wales, that wonderful colony, whose long-delayed -luck has come at last, and from all sides at once; -but dwells at length and with exultation upon -the Cape diamond-fields. 'South Africa,' he says, -'is richer, and its produce is far more to the -purpose of modern history, and to the supply of -the precious stones, which form our wealth of -gems, than the old diamond-fields of the East or -West.' The history of the discovery of gems in -the colonies partakes of the romance which attended -the discovery of gold; and is not free from the -tradition of crime and misfortune, which rests -upon similar revelations in the Old World. Idle -as are the superstitions which impute specific evil -influences to certain gems, it is not to be denied -that there have been many instances of 'fatal -jewels;' and that cruelty, injustice, and terrible -human suffering have attended the rifling of -the earth's bosom for those mysterious treasures -formed by her wonderful chemistry from an invisible -component of the atmosphere. Many of -the strange stories of medieval alchemists deal -with the attempt to make diamonds, and Mr -Streeter tells us of the experiments which have -determined their nature and combustibility. There -is a fascination to the imagination in the following -description of the burning of diamonds:</p> - -<p>'In 1750 the Emperor Francis I., at Vienna, subjected, -in the presence of the chemist Darzet, -diamonds and rubies worth six thousand florins -to the heat of a smelting-furnace for twenty-four -hours. The diamonds were found to have totally -disappeared; but the rubies remained, and appeared -much more beautiful than before. In 1771 a -magnificent diamond was burned at Paris in the -laboratory of the chemist Macquer. Hence arose a -great discussion. The diamond had disappeared; -but whither? Had it volatilised? Had it burned? -Had it exploded? No one could say. Then stepped -forward a celebrated jeweller, by name Le Blanc, -who asserted the indestructibility of the diamond -in the furnace, stating that he had often placed -diamonds in an intense fire to purify them from -certain blemishes, and that they had never suffered -the smallest injury.' (This has been done also by -Mr Streeter with similar results.) 'The chemists -D'Arcet and Bonelle then demanded of him that -he should make the experiment on the spot in -their presence. He took some diamonds, inclosed -them in a mass of coal and lime in a crucible, and -submitted them to the action of the fire. He had -no doubt that he should find them safe. At the -end of three hours, on looking into the crucible, -they had utterly disappeared.'</p> - -<p>Then appeared upon the scene the famous -Lavoisier, he to whom the Convention refused -a fortnight's reprieve from the guillotine, just -as he was on the threshold of a probably sublime -discovery in the science of light; Fouquier-Tinville<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_744" id="Page_744">{744}</a></span> -returning him for answer that the -Republic had no need of chemists and <i>savants</i>. -In the presence of Lavoisier, Maillard, another -jeweller, took three diamonds and closely packed -them in powdered charcoal in an earthen pipe-bowl -in a strong fire; and when the pot was -taken out, there lay the diamonds in the powdered -charcoal untouched. It was, however, gradually -discovered that it was only by entirely shutting -out the air, and therefore the oxygen with which -the carbon combines, that the diamonds were -preserved from burning; whereas by the simple -admission of air, of which oxygen is a constituent -part, diamonds burn just the same as common -coal. This was proved by Lavoisier in 1776; and -Davy subsequently shewed that the diamond contains -no hydrogen. So, when the most precious -object which the earth produces is burned, the -gas formed from its combustion is just that which -our fires and our gas-burners yield, and our own -bodies too, by the combustion which attends -their living; and, says Mr Streeter, 'the old fable -of the maiden from whose lips fell diamonds, -may have a really scientific basis after all.' It -takes immense heat to burn a diamond, and if it -were possible to collect the black material which -covers the surface during the process, it would -be found to be simply soot.</p> - -<p>The origin of the diamond is still a matter of -scientific investigation and dispute; and the various -opinions concerning it may be collected under -two heads: (1) The diamond is formed immediately -from carbon or carbonic acid by the action -of heat. (2) It is formed from the gradual decomposition -of vegetable matter. The various -methods by which the supporters of the respective -theories suppose the transformation to have been -wrought, are full of interest and suggestion. In -Brazil it was discovered that the matrix of the -diamond is itacolumite, and it is said that the -gems obtained from itacolumite sandstone have -rounded angles and corners, whilst those from -the sandy schist are perfect crystals. 'If,' says -Mr Streeter, 'this be a fact, we must believe that -the agency which changed the sandstone into -itacolumite acted also on the diamond.'</p> - -<p>Whether in the mines or by the rivers, whose -'golden sands' are flecked with gems, in rich -Brazil, the labour of procuring these beautiful -gems is great, and large specimens are rarely -found; so rarely, that big diamonds have their -histories—terrible histories too often—like heroes -and race-horses. They are weighed by the carat, -a word which Mr Streeter considers to have -been derived from the name of a bean, a species -of <i>Erythrina</i>, which grows in Africa. 'The tree -which yields this fruit is called by the natives -"kuara" (sun), and both blossom and fruit are of -a golden colour. The bean when dried is nearly -always of the same weight, and thus in very remote -times it was used in Schangallas, the chief market -of Africa, as a standard of weight for gold. The -beans were afterwards imported into India, and -were then used for weighing the diamond.' It is -estimated that in ten thousand diamonds rarely -more than <i>one</i> weighing twenty carats is met -with, while possibly eight thousand of one carat -or less may be encountered. An elaborate system -of rewards and punishments is adopted in the -Brazilian mining and river-searching works; but -it is believed that in spite of this, one-third of -the produce is surreptitiously disposed of by the -labourers.</p> - -<p>The histories of those world-famous diamonds -the Sancy, the Regent, the Koh-i-noor, the Blue -(or Hope) diamond, and others, have been related -before, and history and romance have dealt with the -misery and crime, the evil passions and the mystic -fancies, involved in the stories of some of these. -In a few lines Mr Streeter gives a sketch of the -Brazilian contribution to this many-chaptered -story, which is not generally known. 'The discovery -of these precious stones in 1746,' he says, -'proved a great curse to the poor inhabitants of -the banks of the diamond rivers. Scarcely had -the news of the discovery reached the government, -ere they tried to secure the riches of these rivers -for the crown. To effect this, the inhabitants -were driven away from their houses to wild far-away -places, and deprived of their little possessions. -Nature itself seemed to take part against -them: a dreadful drought, succeeded by a violent -earthquake, increased their distress. Many of -them perished; but those who lived to return on -the 18th May 1805, were benevolently reinstated -in their rightful possessions. Strange to say, on -their return the earth seemed strewn with diamonds. -Often the little ones would bring in -between three and four carats of diamonds.'</p> - -<p>Next to the diamond comes the oriental ruby, -and in former days it was more prized than the -gem, which has a genus all to itself. The ancients -gave immense sums for fine specimens of the ruby -variety of 'corundum,' or aluminous stone. In -Benvenuto Cellini's time a perfect ruby of a -carat weight cost eight hundred crowns, whilst a -diamond of like weight cost only one hundred. -The two most important rubies ever known in -Europe were brought to England in 1875. One -was a dark-coloured stone, cushion-shape, weighing -thirty-seven carats; the other a blunt drop-shape -of 47<sup>1</sup>/<sub>16</sub> carats. Mr Streeter thinks that the -London market would never have seen these truly -royal gems but for the poverty of the Burmese -government; and adds an interesting account of -the estimation in which rubies are held in the -distant Land of the White Elephant. The sale -of the two rubies caused such excitement that a -military guard had to escort the persons who conveyed -the precious packet to the vessel. No -regalia in Europe contains two such rubies. The -smaller was sold abroad for ten thousand pounds; -the larger has also found a purchaser, but Mr -Streeter does not tell us at what price. The great -ruby of the kings of Burmah is said to be as large -as a pigeon's egg, and of wondrous quality; but -is a treasure which no European eye has ever -seen. Very few rubies pass out of the country; -the king is excessively fond of these gems, and -prohibits the export of them. The Burmese -have strange notions about rubies; 'they believe -that they ripen in the earth; that they are at -first colourless and crude, and gradually become -yellow, green, blue, and last of all <i>red</i>—this -being considered the highest point of beauty and -ripeness.'</p> - -<p>The sapphire, the emerald, and the opal (the -last erroneously supposed to exist in India, -whereas it is found almost entirely in Hungary), -the turquoise, and the cat's-eye (a rare variety -of the chrysoberyl, and inferior in hardness to -the diamond and sapphire only), are, each in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_745" id="Page_745">{745}</a></span> -its turn, the subjects of Mr Streeter's lucid and -learned exposition; after which he passes to the -less valuable classes, pearls, onyx, and the gems -used for engraving and other purposes. The -increasing estimation in which the true Ceylonese -cat's-eye is held (it is one of the most fashionable -gems at present, and there are specimens in the -market worth upwards of one thousand pounds), -renders the following particularly interesting: 'In -India the cat's-eye has always been much prized, -and is held in peculiar veneration as a charm -against witchcraft. It is the last jewel a Cingalese -will part with. The specimens most esteemed by -the Indians are those of a dark olive colour, -having the ray so bright on each edge as to appear -double. It is indeed wonderfully beautiful with -its soft deep colour and mysterious gleaming -streak, ever shifting, like a restless spirit, from -side to side as the stone is moved; now glowing -at one spot, now at another. No wonder that an -imaginative and superstitious people regard it with -awe and wonder, and believing it to be the abode -of some "genius" or djinn, dedicate it to their gods -as a sacred stone.'</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> -<h2><a name="THE_INN_AT_BOLTON" id="THE_INN_AT_BOLTON">THE INN AT BOLTON.</a></h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">When</span> I was a little boy—I am now an old man of -sixty—'Aunt Oliver,' as we used to call my father's -widowed sister, was in the habit of paying long -visits at my father's house. She had not long been -a widow; and though past the meridian of life, was -still a beautiful woman. But what made her so -exceedingly popular with all my father's children -was her repeated kindnesses, displayed to us in the -shape of various useful and ornamental gifts, carefully -chosen to suit our several ages and characters; -but above all, her wonderful condescension in -giving up her own pursuits on many a winter's -night, that she might recount to us, as we sat -grouped around the nursery fire, some of the -incidents of her varied and eventful life. She -had been a great traveller in her day, having -been to Rome, and even visited the Holy Land; -and what is more, she had written a book of -travels! a circumstance which caused us to regard -her with a strange curiosity almost amounting to -awe; a feeling on our part which, but for her -uniform kindness, might have detracted from that -universal love we one and all bore towards her. -One of my aunt's adventures made a strong impression -on my youthful mind, and is even now, -after a lapse of half a century, still fresh in my -recollection. Thinking it might serve to divert -those who have a fancy for the humorous, I have -gathered up the threads of the story from the -storehouse of my memory, and now present it -in narrative form, under the foregoing title.</p> - -<p class='p2'>My uncle, Mr Oliver Brown, was in the iron -trade; and in connection with his business, which -was a very large one, was in the habit of paying -periodical visits to the manufacturing town of -Bolton, near to which his principal iron-works -were situated. He usually paid these visits alone; -but on the occasion of which I am about to speak -he was accompanied by my aunt, who deemed it -her duty to be with her husband, as it was winter-time -and he had only just recovered from a severe -illness. It was late in the evening of a bleak -November day that the coach which conveyed Mr -and Mrs Oliver Brown from their comfortable -country-seat, distant some fifty miles from Bolton, -entered the noisy ill-paved streets of that bustling -town, and proceeded to what at that period was -the principal inn of the place. Both travellers -were tired by their journey, and after a hasty -dinner, were glad to retire to rest.</p> - -<p>'Did you say number twenty-seven, second -floor?' inquired Mrs Oliver, addressing the lady at -the bar, as she took a chamber candlestick from -her hand and proceeded to mount the stairs.</p> - -<p>'Twenty-seven, second floor,' responded the -landlady with an affirmative nod and a gracious -smile.</p> - -<p>'Twenty-seven, second floor,' repeated my uncle -as he followed in the wake of his more active and -enterprising helpmate, who, threading her way up -the spiral staircase and along a labyrinth of corridors -and passages, had already arrived at the -dormitory in question. Mr and Mrs Oliver were -soon in bed; and there we will leave them, whilst -we look in at number twenty-nine on the same floor, -and make the acquaintance of Mr and Mrs Wormwood -Scrubbs, the occupants of that apartment. -They, like their neighbours at number twenty-seven, -were in comfortable circumstances, and like -the latter, not much given to travelling for pleasure's -sake on a cold raw day in November; but -an affair of business which demanded their presence -at Bolton had compelled them to sacrifice -their ease and comfort, and come to that town on -this bleak November day. Mr Scrubbs had long -been subject to attacks of gout in the foot; and as -he had heard of this disease having a tendency -sometimes to shift its seat to the brain or the -stomach, when it was apt to assume a more serious -type, he had made it a rule to carry about his -person in the daytime, and to place under his -pillow at night, a certain medicine which an eminent -physician had assured him would speedily -arrest any such erratic tendency on the part of -the malady from which he suffered.</p> - -<p>Now, on this particular night, whether from -over-exertion, exposure to cold, or some other -cause I know not, Mr Scrubbs happened to be -visited with certain premonitory symptoms of an -approaching attack of gout, whereupon he instinctively -felt under his pillow for the valuable -specific I have referred to. He then remembered -he had inadvertently left it in the pocket of his -greatcoat, which he had thrown upon the sofa in -the private sitting-room into which Mrs Scrubbs -and himself had been ushered on their arrival -at the inn; whereupon, being unwilling to disturb -his better-half, who was in a profound sleep, -he let himself quietly out of bed, and throwing -his dressing-gown over his shoulders, proceeded -to light his candle. Having done this, he gently -opened the door and sallied forth, leaving the -door slightly ajar, in order that he might the -more easily find the room on his return.</p> - -<p>It so chanced just about the time Mr Wormwood -Scrubbs was proceeding on the above -mission, that Mrs Oliver Brown, who was too -fatigued to sleep, suddenly recollected that she had -left her reticule with her purse inside it on the -table in the room where she and Mr Brown had -had their dinner; and wisely considering that it -would not be prudent to leave it there till morning, -she resolved to descend to the sitting-room and -recover the bag at once; accordingly slipping out<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_746" id="Page_746">{746}</a></span> -of bed, she struck a light, and opening the bedroom -door, stepped into the corridor into which it -led. She then proceeded to assure herself by a -reference to certain figures that were painted over -the door-frames of the several dormitories that the -room she had just quitted was number twenty-seven -and no other; and having satisfied her mind -on this point, she left the door ajar, and gliding -swiftly along the different passages and down -the cork-screw-shaped staircase, soon reached the -sitting-room, whence, having found the bag she was -in search of, she retraced her steps in the same -rapid way, exercising her memory as she went -along by repeating the number of the room to -which she was returning.</p> - -<p>Now Mrs Oliver Brown, who, by the way, had -an undoubted bump for localities, had formed an -idea—and a very correct idea it was—that number -twenty-seven was the second room on the left-hand -side of the corridor; but on her return, finding -the door of this chamber closed, whilst that of -the one adjoining it was open, she not unnaturally -supposed she might have made a mistake in regard -to the position of number twenty-seven; but in -order to set all doubt at rest upon this point, she -was about to refer to the number on the door-frame, -when a sudden gust of wind sweeping along -the whole length of the passage extinguished the -candle, leaving her in utter darkness. Thus situated, -Mrs Oliver Brown did what most ladies (and -gentlemen also, I think) would have done under -the circumstances: she groped her way along the -passage till she came to the open door of number -twenty-nine, went softly in, shut the door in the -same quiet way, and got into bed, where, being -greatly fatigued with all she had undergone, she -soon fell fast asleep.</p> - -<p>In the meantime, Mr Wormwood Scrubbs having -repossessed himself of his gout mixture, had also -returned to the corridor, where seeing a door ajar -precisely as he had left his own, he at once went -in, closed the door, blew out his candle, and popped -into bed, where my excellent uncle was still sleeping -as peacefully as a baby, and utterly unconscious -of the recent migratory movements of Mrs Brown, -which were destined to produce such an unlooked-for -disturbance in the domestic arrangements of -the two families occupying respectively numbers -twenty-seven and twenty-nine.</p> - -<p>Mr Wormwood Scrubbs, however, though now -quite easy both in body and mind, was unable to -sleep, and lay awake, first thinking of one thing -and then of another, till he was suddenly recalled -to the stern realities of life by hearing his wife's -voice proceeding apparently from the adjoining -room. In a state of immense perplexity, he struck -out with his sound leg in the direction of the -sleeping figure at his side, when having come in -contact with a plump warm body corresponding -to that of his amiable helpmate, he paused, and -suspending all further investigation for the present, -calmly awaited the issue of events. Nor had he -very long to wait.</p> - -<p>Mrs Wormwood Scrubbs was a lady of a highly -nervous and excitable temperament, with whom, -when once roused, it would be about as useless and -dangerous an experiment to attempt to argue as -with a tigress surrounded by a litter of famished -cubs. She had just waked up from her first sleep, -when happening to put her hand upon that part of -the connubial couch where her Wormwood's head -was wont to rest, she found it brought in contact -with a lace nightcap, and a profusion of long curls -that had escaped from beneath it.</p> - -<p>'Why, what's this, Scrubbs? What tomfoolery's -this you're after? What's this, I say?' tagging, -as she spoke, at the head-dress of her supposed -husband. 'Why, goodness gracious, it isn't -Scrubbs after all!'—as starting up in bed, my aunt -in gentle but startled accents implored her to be -quiet.</p> - -<p>'But who are you? and what are you doing in -number twenty-nine?'</p> - -<p>'Number twenty-nine! Surely this is not -twenty-nine, but twenty-seven,' doubtingly returned -my aunt, as the idea suddenly flashed upon -her that she <i>might</i> have mistaken the one room for -the other. 'I think I can explain it all.'</p> - -<p>'Explain it all! Of course you'll explain it all, -and something more than that, before I've done -with you, you good-for-nothing impudent hussy -that you are!'</p> - -<p>'For heaven's sake, be calm, my good woman, or -you'll rouse the whole house,' expostulated my -aunt in the gentlest manner possible.</p> - -<p>'Don't "good-woman" me!' shouted Mrs Scrubbs -at the top of her voice, as springing from the bed, -she seized the bell-rope and pulled at it with a -violence that threatened to carry everything with it. -Amid this terrific uproar, Mr Scrubbs and his bedfellow -Mr Brown, who had been vainly trying to -make themselves heard from the adjoining room, -suddenly appeared candle in hand upon the scene.</p> - -<p>As oil cast upon the troubled sea will instantly -reduce that element to a state of the profoundest -calm, so did the sudden appearance of Mr Scrubbs -act as if by a charm to allay in one moment all the -angry feelings of Bella Scrubbs, and where only a -few moments before all was violence and discord, -there now reigned perfect peace and good-will.</p> - -<p>The mutual explanations that ensued, it is needless -to say, were perfectly satisfactory to all the -parties concerned; and after a readjustment of -partners, the two families once more took possession -of their respective chambers, where I need -hardly say they were not again molested during -the remaining part of that memorable November -night.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> -<h2><a name="ROCKBOUND" id="ROCKBOUND">ROCKBOUND.</a></h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Of</span> the thousands of tourists who flock every year -from all parts of the civilised world to gaze upon -the picturesque beauties of the Highlands, to muse -among the ruined aisles of Iona, or to listen to -the diapason of the sea, as it sinks and swells -through the pillared caves of Staffa, few, comparatively -speaking, care to go so far north as the -Shetlands; yet these islands, though generally -bare, have a beauty of their own—the breezy, -ever-changeful beauty of the sea.</p> - -<p>The scientific tourist will not fail to find something -to interest him in Shetland. There are -bold headlands, wide reefs of black crags, and -a flora which, although neither rich nor varied, -has charms for the botanist. There are broad -stretches of sandy beach, not so sterile as they -look, but affording, in hidden nooks and crannies, -no bad hunting-ground for a naturalist out for -a summer holiday. If you are a member of the -Alpine Club, there are here no mountains for -you to climb, but there are cliffs such as might<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_747" id="Page_747">{747}</a></span> -well appal the most practised mountaineer; and -in summer there is the sun, shining in a cloudless -sky nearly all through the four-and-twenty hours. -There in summer, midnight is not like the midnights -of more southern climes, but is permeated -by the rays of a sun, set indeed, but so soon about -to rise, that there is scarcely any absence of light.</p> - -<p>If you are a painter, you may have sea-views in -abundance. You may choose your own time and -place and grouping; early morning if you will, -with the white mists rolling in over the shimmering -sea, and the clamorous gulls hovering above -skerries that are crusted all over with dense clinging -masses of sea-weed. Or you may wait till the -ascending sun rolls back the curtain of mist, and -the sea gleams out before you a wide sheet of -burnished gold, spangled with the rocky islets of -a storm-swept archipelago. The waves roll in at -your feet—long majestic ridges of water, dappled -with lines of foam; the wide swell of the Atlantic -sweeping in from the far shores of Labrador; while -from far inland some tiny streamlet tumbles down -to the sea through a natural copsewood of dwarf -ash and birch and hazel.</p> - -<p>Bold points and headlands stand like brave -sentinels far out to sea, sheltering little natural -harbours where the fisherman's boat rides in -safety. Tiny fiords run inland into deep glens, -with here and there a fisherman's hut or a -crofter's cottage. Perhaps, however, you may -have a fancy for foul weather, when the sky -darkens like a pall over the sea, and the storm-fiend -rouses himself from his ocean lair, and the -tempest-tossed waves scud along in wreaths of -foam to break in hoarse thunder upon the shore, -or hurl themselves in impotent rage against the -face of the steep headland. In Shetland you -have grand alternations of calm and storm.</p> - -<p>It is perhaps, however, for the student of human -nature that Shetland has the greatest attractions. -Here he will find a simple, kindly, primitive -set of people, of Norwegian descent, but now -anglicised in language and usages. They are, -however, fond of old legends and stories. Mrs -Saxby, the authoress of <i>Rockbound, a Story of -the Shetland Isles</i>, in a pleasantly told narrative -introduces us to this primitive people. We have -for the scene of the story an island called Vaalafiel, -five miles long, and a little over two in width, -with a tiny harbour, and gray old mansion-house -set in a strip of scraggy pine-wood. Vaalafiel, -Mrs Saxby tells us, 'is coiled upon the sea much -in the way a kitten rolls itself together on the -hearth-rug—the creature's paws being represented -by the narrow belts of land overlapping each -other and forming the arms of our voe (fiord), -whose crags are very suggestive of claws. Rising -abruptly from the shores of this harbour, the -island becomes a hill, whose eastern side is a -precipice dipping into the German Ocean. The -north point terminates in a bold headland, from -whence the hill slopes gradually southwards, until -it ends in a beautiful stretch of sand, kissed -white by the broad waves of the Atlantic. The -neighbouring islands cluster north and south, -leaving deep narrow channels, where the two great -seas keep up a perpetual warfare; and he is a -daring sailor who ventures to cross those tideways -when their "dark hour" approaches.'</p> - -<p>Under the old house of Vaalafiel and the cliffs -adjacent to it were wide underground caverns, -such as in the 'good old smuggling times' were -no uncommon adjuncts to country houses, and -even manses, if they happened to be conveniently -near the shore. This smugglers' cave was the -scene of a tragedy, such as was of no unfrequent -occurrence among desperate men in these lawless -days. A hasty blow struck in sudden passion -hurried one rash soul to its last account, and -darkened as with the brand of Cain the lives of -many others. There is an old nurse, full of -well-nigh forgotten Norse superstitions, and a -little lonely child, the heiress of the rockbound -islet, whose dearest pleasure was to watch the -sea on the serene summer evenings when the -sky became like a poet's dream, and earth and -sea put on the glory of the clouds. Mrs Saxby -describes 'the Shetland summer night as not dark -at all; it is merely a twilight, which is prolonged -sufficiently to assume a character of its own. Not -dark, not light, not a brief uncertain mingling of -both, but a quiet earnest period of rest, when -Nature dreams but does not sleep, and yet is not -awake. We call it "the dim," and you can discern -objects quite clearly while it broods over the -earth.' The wild winter nights have a grand -storm-driven beauty of their own, when the Aurora -Borealis shoots forth a fitful light, and the -nursling of the gray North 'catches glimpses of -the beauty dwelling in colour.' The solitary child -Inga, bearing in her brave little heart the burden -of her father's dimly realised crime, yet cleaving -to him, because he loves her, with an affection far -stronger than that which binds her to her cold -unloving mother, develops into a healthy spirited -girl. Lonely and prosaic as her life was, it was not, -however, without a salutary admixture of holidays -and holiday amusements. The lady of Vaalafiel, -although a somewhat stern disciplinarian, was wise -enough to recognise the truth of the axiom, that -'all work and no play make Jack a dull boy,' and -so upon birthdays and such kindred anniversaries -she somewhat relaxed the rigidity of her rule. A -fat bullock was killed in honour of the young -heiress, and Miss Inga's favourite Newfoundland -dog (evidently desirous of contributing his share -to the feast) went off one night to the hills and -ran down half-a-dozen sheep. It was found that he -had performed the service of a butcher in a perfectly -scientific manner; so the animals were -carried home and added to the larder.'</p> - -<p>With such a superabundance of <i>pièces de resistance</i>, -even the crustiest old bachelor in the world -might have found a picnic tolerably enjoyable; -and Miss Inga and her young friends had a most -delightful day of it in their sweet northern Arcadia, -clad as it then was in all its witching garb of -summer. 'The sun,' she says, 'rose in cloudless -glory, and everything was dipped in sunshine -of another kind as well; for Aytoun' (a divinity -student quite as fascinating as <i>The Modern Minister</i>) -'had returned for the midsummer vacation, and -that would have been gladness enough for me. -There were with him some of his college companions, -who made sparkling speeches, sang hearty -songs, assisted in distributing prizes to the winning -boats, and then challenged the islanders to a -football match. Which played best is an undecided -question to this day, for each side had a method -of its own, and did not comprehend that of its -opponent. Then the people were gathered on a -smooth meadow near our house, and the plaintive<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_748" id="Page_748">{748}</a></span> -Foula Reel called upon old and young alike to join -in the graceful and truly poetic dance of Shetland. -The natural good breeding of the islanders allowed -us to remove every restriction on their pleasure, -which was characterised by a hearty enjoyment -without the slightest approach to excess.'</p> - -<p>As unlike as possible to a heroine of romance, the -child reared in this homely fashion is yet sweet -enough to carry blessing and love wherever she -goes; to heal old wounds with her simple beauty -and goodness; to carry peace into the unforgiving -relentlessness of her mother's heart; and -to efface the blackness of her father's crime -(justifiable homicide, a soft-hearted jury would -resolve it into) with tender penitential tears. -Miss Inga is in truth a very lovable character, -innocent, simple, and yet intelligent; gentle and -winning in her ways, although she can be spirited -and resolute upon occasion; full of affectionate -respect for her stern mother, and of deep romantic -devotion for her father, for whose sake she marries -without love, which no properly constituted -heroine of romance ever does or can do, but which -many a good woman has done, to find, as she did, -peace and household joy and contentment at a -good man's hearth.</p> - -<p>Many of the descriptive passages in <i>Rockbound</i> -are written with considerable vividness and effect, -as for instance the storm, through whose agency -a crisis in the plot of the tale is worked out. -'A tempestuous morning was breaking, and sea -and wind were uttering wrathful warnings of what -might befall the unwary fishers who were out -on the deep, and I looked out with eyes which -scarcely saw—with a mind on which impressions -seemed lost. As if still in a dream, I -beheld the furious waves come rolling majestically -from the far deep and break with thundering -sound upon the rocky arms of our voe. As I -gazed, there suddenly appeared round a point of -the high land a little vessel with closely reefed -sails struggling in the sea between Vaalafiel and -its neighbouring island. Her hull was partially -concealed from my view by the arms of our voe, -but very soon I seemed to know that it must be -the <i>Seamew</i>, and that she was attempting to enter -the harbour; and a thought occurred to me which -was suggestive of peril at once: Why do they try -to pass through so narrow and dangerous a strait -when the storm is at its worst? As if in answer -to my thought, the vessel hoisted a flag of distress, -probably with a forlorn hope that some wakeful -eye might see it, and then she lay to, as trying to -advance in the very teeth of the gale. My father, -everything, was forgotten in that breathless moment, -as I watched my tiny ship thus turn, pause, -and enter the rocky path beset by death. She -was evidently being driven by cruel necessity to -dare so hazardous a piece of navigation, and I soon -discerned that she was no longer manageable. -Just then a gust of wind still more furious than -before caught her at a critical moment, and in less -time than I say the words in, she was tossing -among some detached rocks at the entrance to the -harbour, a total wreck, and likely to go down -every instant.</p> - -<p>'I had stood terror-bound till then; but the sight -of figures clinging to the spars stirred me to action, -and I flew to arouse our servants. They were -soon hurrying to the neighbouring cottages, in hope -of assistance from any men who chanced to be at -home; and I ran along the shore until I reached -the crags opposite where the disabled yacht lay. -I was soon joined there by numerous women and -a few old feeble men, who shook their heads -and groaned when I frantically implored them to -launch a boat and go to the rescue. "There's no -an able-bodied man in the island wha kens hoo -to handle an oar," they cried; "oor men are a' at -the haaf" (deep-sea fishing). "The Lord preserve -them this awfu' hoor."'</p> - -<p>Then for a touch of simple pathos, take the -neglected child's scanty recollections of her unloved -childhood: 'One of the few things I remember -is that I always wore a black frock. This -circumstance is impressed on my mind, because I -had, and still have, a perfect passion for rich -gorgeous colours. Nature in the gray North -seldom gave my eyes a feast of radiant hues; no -brilliant butterflies and flowers clothing the earth -in the garments of heaven; no winter clusters of -red berries and wreaths of evergreen. There were -some old pictures in the house in which scarlet -shawls and purple curtains played a prominent -part, and I spent a large portion of the time -usually devoted to sleep by sensible children in -admiring these, and conjuring up fantastic histories -of each portrait.'</p> - -<p>Altogether, the book is sweet, fresh, tender-hearted, -like a whiff of the foaming ocean spray, -quite out of the hackneyed round, and yet -sufficiently realistic to impress the reader with a -conviction that it is the record of a life which -has been lived, which, if not the highest aim of -the novelist's art, is yet an indispensable adjunct -to it. We have only to add that Shetland is now -easily reached by regular steamers plying between -Granton (Edinburgh) and Lerwick, the capital of -the islands; while we believe a small steamer -plies from Lerwick for local accommodation. A -summer cruise in a yacht would, however, be the -perfection of voyaging for the purpose not only of -seeing Shetland, but Orkney and various intermediate -islands, such as Fair Isle and Foula, which -are out of the way of general traffic. To visit these -distant fragments of land in the north, forming the -scene of Scott's vivid romance of <i>The Pirate</i>, would -furnish a new sensation never to be forgotten.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> -<h2><a name="THE_MONTH" id="THE_MONTH">THE MONTH:</a><br /> -<br /> -SCIENCE AND ARTS.</h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> Report of the meeting of the British Association -held last year at Glasgow has just been -published in a goodly volume of more than three -hundred pages. Among its contents are Reports -of Committees, of which it may be said that the -more widely they are known the better; and -bearing in mind recent disasters at sea, the Investigation -of the Steering Qualities of Ships by -Professor Osborne Reynolds of Owens College, -Manchester, appears the more interesting. 'The -experiments of the Committee on large ships,' he -remarks, 'have completely established the fact, -that the reversing of the screw of a vessel with -full way on, very much diminishes her steering -power, and reverses what little it leaves; so that -where a collision is imminent, to reverse the screw -and use the rudder as if the ship would answer -to it in the usual manner, is a certain way of -bringing about the collision.' This is an important<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_749" id="Page_749">{749}</a></span> -fact, for it is well known that collisions have been -occasioned by the very means made use of to -avoid them. And Professor Reynolds says further: -'It appears that a ship will turn faster, and for -an angle of thirty degrees, in less room when -driving full speed ahead, than with her engines -reversed, even if the rudder is rightly used. Thus -when an obstacle is too near to admit of stopping -the ship, then the only chance is to keep the -engines on full speed ahead, and so give the rudder -an opportunity of doing its work. These general -laws are of the greatest importance, but they apply -in different degrees to different ships; and each -commander should determine for himself how -his ship will behave.... It is also highly important -that the effect of the reversal of the screw -should be generally recognised, particularly in the -law courts; for in the present state of opinion -on the subject, there can be no doubt that judgment -would go against any commander who had -steamed on ahead, knowing that by so doing he -had the best chance of avoiding a collision.'</p> - -<p>The statements thus set forth are illustrated by -diagrams which shew the position of the vessel -after reversal of the screw, and the position after -steaming ahead. The latter shews that collision -would be entirely avoided.</p> - -<p>We frequently read that in future sea-fights the -ram will be relied on for running down enemy's -ships and sending them to the bottom. But where -is the captain at the present day who has had -experience of ramming, and of other evolutions -which will be required in a fleet of steam ironclads -under quite new conditions? Soldiers can -go into temporary camps and get experience in -'autumn manœuvres;' but sailors cannot have -mock-actions and run down ships which cost -half a million sterling, nor venture to try the -eighty-ton-gun on their consorts. Hence there -will be very much to learn in the first great naval -battle.</p> - -<p>Under these circumstances, Professor Reynolds -recommends that small steam-launches should be -built of wood, each representing the exact form -of one of our large ships, and that with these all -possible manœuvres should be carried out, and -officers make themselves familiar with all the -effects of the screw on the rudder, with all the -conditions of steering, with all the evolutions -requisite to bring about or to avoid a collision, -and with the effects of ramming. If strongly -built of wood, these little vessels would withstand -an experimental blow from the ram.</p> - -<p>The value of such experiments would be real, -for it is now known that the behaviour of a small -copy of a ship is exactly the same as that of the -great ship, in proportion to the size. The waves -set up by the launch bear the same relation to her -size as the waves of the ship do to the ship. The -recognition of this law marks an epoch in the -progress of naval architecture. Given a model, -Mr Froude 'can now predict with certainty the -comparative and actual resistance of ships before -they are constructed.'</p> - -<p>The Report of the Committee for investigating -the circulation of the underground waters in the -New Red Sandstone and Permian formations of -England, and the quantity and character of the -water supplied to various towns and districts from -these formations, conveys information interesting -to everybody—for everybody drinks. At Liverpool -there are wells sunk in the New Red Sandstone -which yield more than seven million gallons daily; -at Birkenhead the same; at Coventry, Birmingham, -and Leamington four millions and a half; at Nottingham -nearly four millions; and at Warrington -and Stockport more than a million and a half -gallons every day. The total makes up a large -quantity; but it is nothing in comparison with -the supply which the whole area of the New Red -may be expected to furnish. This area, says the -Report, is certainly not less than ten thousand -square miles in extent in England and Wales, -with an average rainfall of thirty inches, of which -certainly never less than ten inches per annum -percolates the ground, which would give an absorption -of water amounting to no less than one hundred -and forty-three millions three hundred and -thirty-six thousand gallons per square mile per -annum; which, on an available area of ten thousand -square miles, gives an annual absorption of -nearly a billion and a half of gallons in England -and Wales. As if to heighten the effect of this -good news, we are told the 'New Red Sandstone -Rock constitutes one of the most effective filtering -media known.... It exerts a powerful oxidising -influence on the dissolved organic matter, which -percolates it to such an extent, that in the waters -of certain deep wells, every trace of organic matters -is converted into innocuous mineral compounds.' -And again: 'Waters drawn from deep wells in the -New Red Sandstone are almost invariably clear, -sparkling, and palatable, and are among the best -and most wholesome waters for domestic supply in -Great Britain.' After reading this, may we not say -that Undermere, about which no one will quarrel, -is the lake whence great towns in the north should -draw their water supply?</p> - -<p>During the meeting of the British Association at -Plymouth last August, the Mineralogical Society -held their second annual gathering under the presidency -of Mr Sorby, F.R.S., who in his address -gave an account of a new method for determining -the index of refraction of minerals, which can be -readily employed in their identification. This -seems a dry subject; but it is one likely to be -valuable and interesting to mineralogists and -chemists, and to lead to an entirely new branch -of mineralogical study, and to the discovery of a -new class of optical properties of crystals. For a -proper understanding of the method, a knowledge -of optics, of mathematics, and other branches of -science would be necessary; but we may state -generally that it is based on the fact, that if an -object, when placed in focus for examination on -the stage of a microscope, is covered with a plate -of some highly refracting substance, the focal -length is increased; in other words, the microscope -must be raised a little farther from the -object in order to restore the focus. The distance -to which the microscope has been moved thus -becomes a measure, which can be accurately determined -on a scale to thousandths of an inch. By -this measure, therefore, very minute differences of -refraction can be determined, and the several -minerals identified; and Mr Sorby, in conjunction -with Professor Stokes, Sec. R.S., has arrived -at certain definite conclusions, which, embodied in -numerical tables, may ere long be consulted by -all interested in the subject.</p> - -<p>On this point Mr Sorby explained in his address: -'On applying this method to the study of various<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_750" id="Page_750">{750}</a></span> -minerals, the difference is found to be very great. -We can mostly at once see whether they give a -single unifocal image or one or two bifocal images, -and form a very good opinion respecting the intensity -of the double refraction, and easily determine -whether it is positive or negative.... These facts -combined furnish data so characteristic of the -individual minerals, that it would usually be difficult -to find two approximately similar.... It has -been said that in studying the microscopical structure -of rocks it is often difficult to distinguish -nepheline from apatite. But the index of nepheline -is about 1.53, whereas that of apatite is 1.64, and -such a considerable difference could easily be -recognised in a section not less than one-fiftieth of -an inch in thickness.'</p> - -<p>The observations hitherto made prove that -minerals may be ranged in classes according to -their refracting power and their chemical composition. -The fluorides are lowest in the scale, while -quartz, corundum, the sulphides and arsenides, are -among the highest. From these particulars it will -be understood that researches into mineralogy -have a prospect of becoming more and more interesting.</p> - -<p>As we have a British Association for the Advancement -of Science, so our neighbours across the -Channel have a French Association. It met last -August at Havre, and in a few of its fifteen sections -manifested signs of activity. Among the meteorologists, -diagrams were exhibited shewing clearly -that the 'changes of pressure in the upper regions -of the atmosphere are by no means similar to those -at the surface of the earth; for when the pressure -at the lower station decreases, it rises at the upper -station, and the reverse; or when it is steady at -the one, it rises or falls at the other.' A line of -telegraph for meteorological purposes is now erected -from Bagnères to the Pic du Midi, seventeen miles. -The Pic is nine thousand feet high, and will be an -interesting observing station, in constant communication -with the lower regions. A proposition -was made that the Transatlantic steam-ship companies -should be requested to institute regular -meteorological observations on board their vessels; -and that the captive balloon of next year's Great -Exhibition at Paris should be an observing station. -Paris is chosen as the meeting-place of the Association -for next year, and at the same time a free -international meteorological congress will be held.</p> - -<p>During recent years it has been said that the -marshes and saltish depressions in the territory of -Algiers and other parts of North Africa were -once covered by the sea, and schemes have been -announced for readmitting the sea by cutting -channels from the Mediterranean. Mr Le Chatelier, -a French chemist, says—the existence of the -salts is not due to the drying up of a former sea, -but to the masses of rock-salt which exist in the -mountains. From these the salt is dissolved out -by rain or by subterranean waters, and the saline -solution percolates the soil to feed the artesian -reservoirs which underlie the desert. These -observations will require attention from geographers.</p> - -<p>If any apology were required for a somewhat -late notice of Dr Sayre's method of rectifying -curvature of the spine, it would be found in the -fact that among the arts the healing art holds an -eminent place, and has special claims on every -one's attention. Dr Sayre, an American, has this -year visited England to make known his method -of curing those malformations of the backbone -under which many persons remain cripples for the -whole of their life; and now that it is known, the -wonder is that it was not thought of before. In -carrying out the operation, the patient is lifted -from the ground, and suspended by a support -under the chin and back of the head: sometimes -a support is placed under the armpits, and sometimes -the arms are raised. In this position the -weight of the pelvis acts on the crook in the spine, -and pulls it straight; a bandage dipped in plaster -of Paris is then bound round the body; a few iron -splints are inserted in the bandage, and as the -plaster dries, a mould is formed, which keeps the -straightened bones in place. The suspension is -now at an end; the patient is found to be an inch -or two inches taller than before the operation, and -can walk without limping. After a few days, the -plaster-mould is cut up each side, to allow of -removal for washing the body; but the two halves -are quickly replaced and held in position by a -bandage. In some instances six months' wearing -of the plaster-mould effects a cure, and the patient -enjoys an ease and activity never before experienced.</p> - -<p>This method of cure contrasts favourably with -the treatment which keeps the patient supine -many weary months. As may be imagined, it -succeeds better with children than with adults; -but even adults have been cured. A case occurred -at Cork, the patient being a woman aged twenty-two, -and requiring a little mechanical pulling to -assist in the straightening; but it was accomplished, -and she walked out of the room two -inches taller than she entered it.</p> - -<p>Mr Hoppe-Seyler, a learned German, has published -a paper on Differences of Chemical Structure -and of Digestion among Animals, supported by -numerous examples, which shew that according to -the organism so is the power to form differences of -tissue; and he sums up thus: 'Looking at the -question broadly, we find that the chemical composition -of the tissues and the chemical functions -of the organs present undoubted relations to the -stages of development, which shew themselves in -the zoological system, as well as in the early stages -of development of each individual higher organism. -These relations deserve further notice and investigation, -and are qualified in many respects to -prevent and correct errors in the classification of -animals. It is generally supposed that the study -of development is a purely morphological science, -but it also presents a large field for chemical -research.' This concluding sentence is significant, -and should have serious consideration.</p> - -<p>Waste pyrites from the manufacture of sulphuric -acid is, as regards hardness, a good material for -roads when mixed with gravel; but chemically it -is not good. In the neighbourhood of Nienburg, -Hanover, where roads and paths were covered with -waste pyrites, it was found that grass and corn -ceased to grow; and a farmer on mixing well-water -with warm milk, observed that the milk -curdled. The explanation is, that the waste pyrites -'contained not only sulphide of iron and earthy -constituents, but also sulphide of zinc, and that -by the influence of the oxygen of the atmosphere -and the presence of water, these sulphides were -gradually converted into the corresponding sulphates;' -and these, continually extracted by the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_751" id="Page_751">{751}</a></span> -rain-water, soaked into the soil, contaminated the -wells, and produced other injurious effects.</p> - -<p>The want of really efficient names to distinguish -various kinds of manufactured iron has long been -felt in the iron trade. The Philadelphia Exhibition -gave rise to a Commission which, after discussion -of the question, have recommended that -all malleable compounds of iron similar to the -substance called wrought-iron shall be called -'weld-iron;' that compounds similar to the product -hitherto known as puddled steel, shall be -called 'weld-steel;' that compounds which cannot -be appreciably hardened when placed in water -while red-hot shall be called 'ingot-iron;' and -that compounds of this latter which from any cause -are capable of being tempered, shall be called -'ingot-steel.'</p> - -<p>By further exercise of his inventive abilities, -Major Moncrieff has produced a hydro-pneumatic -spring gun-carriage perfectly adapted for use in the -field. A gun mounted on this carriage could be -made ready for action within ten minutes after its -arrival in the trenches.</p> - -<p>The Science and Art Department have commenced -the publication of a 'Universal Art Inventory, -consisting of brief Notes of Fine and Ornamental -Art executed before the year 1800 chiefly -to be found in Europe.' This is a praiseworthy -undertaking, for there are so many rarities of art -which can never be seen by the multitude, which -can never be moved from their place or purchased, -that an inventory thereof with descriptive notes -cannot fail to be of great utility. Nearly all the -governments of Europe and many royal personages -are co-operating in this work, which includes -reproductions in possible instances. Some of these -reproductions are well known to the frequenters of -the South Kensington Museum; for example, the -great mantel-piece from the Palais de Justice at -Bruges; Trajan's Column from Rome; a Buddhist -gateway from India, of the first century; a monument -from Nuremberg, and other elaborate works. -As a means of reference, this Inventory will be -welcome to many a student, and as it necessarily -will take many years to complete, there will be the -pleasure of watching for fresh instalments of information. -But all students should remember that -'the laws of design are as definite as those of -language, with much the same questions as to -order, relationship, construction or elegance; differing -for dissimilar styles as for divers tongues. -The pupil in design has similar obstacles to -encounter with those of the schoolboy in his -alphabet and grammar; the ability to use the -pencil or the brush will no more produce an artist -than the acquirement of the writing-master's art -with Lindley Murray's rules will make a poet.'</p> - -<p>Professor Justin Winsor, one of the American -delegates to the conference of librarians held last -month, points out with much earnestness that by -the extension of libraries a great impetus may be -given to national education, and an opening made -at the same time for the employment of women. -In America, pains have been taken to engage men -and women in the work who are content to labour -to attain the level of a far higher standard than -the public at large have been usually willing to -allow as the test of efficiency. 'We believe,' -remarks the Professor, 'that libraries are in the -highest sense public charities; that they are -missionary enterprises; that it is to be supine if -we are simply willing to let them do their unassisted -work; that it is their business to see -two books read instead of one, and good books -instead of bad. To this end it has been urged -that one of our principal universities shall have a -course of bibliography and training in library -economy.'</p> - -<p>In reply to various correspondents, we beg to -state that the information regarding the manufacture -of vegetable isinglass in Rouen, which -appeared under the head of <i>A Few French Notes</i> -in No. 717 of this <i>Journal</i>, was taken from <i>L'Armée -Scientifique</i>, a work compiled by the well-known -French savant, M. L. Figuier. As there seems to -be some difficulty in reconciling M. Figuier's statements -with the present state of the process as -carried on in France, we are making further -inquiry, and hope to be able to give early and -definite information.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> -<h2><a name="A_FEARFUL_SWING" id="A_FEARFUL_SWING">A FEARFUL SWING.</a></h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> 'Shaftmen' at our collieries are selected for -their physical strength and pluck, in addition -to the skill and practical knowledge required for -their particular work. The incident we are about -to relate will shew how severely the former of these -qualifications may at times be tested.</p> - -<p>The work of these men is confined to the shaft -of the pit, and consists mainly in repairing the -'tubbing' or lining of the shaft, stopping leaks, or -removing any obstructions interfering with the -free passage of the cages up and down the pit. -The coal-pit at N—— has a double shaft, divided -by a 'bratticing' or wooden partition. These divisions -we will call A and B. Two cages (the vehicles -of transport up and down the pit) ascend and -descend alternately in shaft A. At a certain point -the shaft is widened, to allow the cages to pass -each other, and their simultaneous arrival at this -point is insured by the arrangement of the wire-ropes -on the winding-wheels over the pit-mouth. -The oscillation of the cages is guarded against by -wooden guiders running down each side of the shaft, -which fit into grooves in the sides of the cage.</p> - -<p>On one occasion during a very severe frost these -guiders had become coated with ice, and thus -their free passage in the grooves of the cages was -interfered with. Before this obstruction was discovered, -the engine having been set in motion, -the downward cage, which fortunately was empty -at the time, stuck fast in the shaft before arriving -at the passing-point. The ascending cage, whose -only occupant was a small boy returning to -'bank,' proceeding on its upward course, crashed -into the downward cage in the narrow part of the -shaft, where of course there was only a single passage. -Though the shock was something terrific, the -steel rope was not broken; as the engineman, whose -responsible position entails the greatest presence -of mind and watchfulness, had stopped the engine -on the first indication of an unusual tremor in the -rope. Yet such was the violence of the meeting, -that both cages, though strongly constructed of -iron, were bent and broken—in fact rendered useless—by -being thus jammed together in a narrow -space. The greatest anxiety was felt as to the -fate of the boy, as it was seen that even if he had -escaped with his life after such a severe crash, -his rescue would be a work of great danger and -difficulty.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_752" id="Page_752">{752}</a></span></p> - -<p>We may imagine the horror of the poor little -fellow while suspended in the shattered cage -over a gulf some four hundred feet deep, both -cages firmly wedged in the shaft, and the ropes -rendered useless for any means of descent to -the scene of the catastrophe. The readiest way -of approach seemed to be by shaft B, the position -of which we have indicated above. Down this then, -a Shaftman, whom we will call Johnson, descended -in a cage until he arrived at an opening in the -brattice-work by which he could enter shaft A. -He found himself (as he supposed) at a point a -little above where the accident had occurred; and -this conclusion he came to from seeing two ropes -leading downwards, which he naturally took to be -those by which the cages were suspended. Under -this impression he formed the design of sliding -down one of the ropes, with a view to liberating, if -possible, the entangled cages and securing the -safety of the unfortunate boy. The hardy fellow -was soon gliding through the darkness on his brave -and dangerous errand. He had descended about -forty feet, when, to his horror and amazement, his -course was suddenly checked by a bend in the -rope; and the terrible discovery flashed upon him, -that he was <i>suspended in the loop of the slack rope</i>, -which here took a return course to the top of the -downward cage!</p> - -<p>It will be understood that when the descending -cage stuck upon the runners, as the rope continued -to unwind from the pulley it hung down in a loop, -descending lower and lower, until the engine was -stopped by the meeting of the cages. This loop or -'bight' was naturally mistaken by Johnson for -the <i>two ropes</i>, and he did not discover until he -found himself in the fearful situation described, -that he had entered through the brattice into shaft -A <i>below</i> instead of above where the cages were -fixed. There he hung then, over a yawning abyss -many fathoms deep—closed from above by the -locked cages—all below looming dark and horrible.</p> - -<p>None of course knew his danger; his hands -were chilled by the freezing rope; his arms, already -fully exercised, began to ache and stiffen with the -strain and intense cold, added to the bewildering -sense of hopeless peril. Good need there was then -that pluck and endurance be found in the Shaftman! -His square sturdy frame and unflinching -spirit were now on their trial. Had his presence -of mind gone or his nerve failed, he must have -been paralysed with fear, lost his hold, and been -dashed into an unrecognisable mass.</p> - -<p>But self-preservation is a potent law, and working -in such a spirit he framed a desperate plan -for a struggle for life. The guiders running down -the inside of the shaft are fastened on to cross-beams -about six feet apart. Johnson hoped that -if he could reach one of these, he might obtain a -footing whereon to rest, and by their means -clamber up to the opening in the brattice-work. -How to reach them was the next question that -flashed lightning-like through his brain. This he -essayed to do by causing the rope to oscillate from -side to side, hoping thus to bring himself within -reach of one of the cross-beams. And now commenced -a <i>fearful swing</i>. Gaining a lodgment with -one knee in the loop, he set the rope swinging by -the motion of his body, grasping out wildly with -one hand each time he approached the side of the -shaft. Once, twice, thrice! he felt the cold icy -face of the 'tubbing,' but as yet nothing except -slimy boards met his grasp, affording no more hold -than the glassy side of an iceberg. At last he -touched a cross-beam, to which his iron muscles, -now fully roused to their work, held on like a vice. -He soon found footing on the beam below, and -then letting go the treacherous rope, rested in -comparative security before beginning the perilous -ascent. With incredible endurance of nerve and -muscle he clambered upward alongside the guider, -by the aid of the cross-beams, and by thrusting his -hands through the crevices of the timber. In this -manner he reached the opening into shaft B, where -the cage in which he had descended was waiting. -Chilled, cramped, and frozen, and barely able to -give the signal, he was drawn to the pit-mouth -prostrate and exhausted. The boy was rescued -unhurt by a man being lowered to the top of the -cages in shaft A. Johnson suffered no ill consequences, -and though a hero above many known to -fame, he still pursues his hardy task as a Shaftman; -while beneath the homely exterior still lives -the pluck and sinew of iron that did not fail him -even in his Fearful Swing.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> -<h2><a name="TO_MY_ROBIN_REDBREAST" id="TO_MY_ROBIN_REDBREAST">TO MY ROBIN REDBREAST.</a></h2> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>The following lines are taken from <i>The Captive Chief, -a Tale of Flodden Field</i>, by James Thomson (H. H. Blair, -Alnwick, 1871).</p></div> - - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0"><span class="smcap">Now</span> keenly blows the northern blast;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Like winter hail the leaves fall fast,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And my pet Robin's come at last<br /></span> -<span class="i18">To our old thorn;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">With warbling throat and eye upcast<br /></span> -<span class="i18">He greets the morn;<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Like some true friend you come to cheer,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">When all around is dark and drear.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And oh! what friend to me more dear<br /></span> -<span class="i18">Than your sweet sel'?<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Your mellow voice falls on my ear<br /></span> -<span class="i18">Like some sweet spell.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Oft at the gloaming's pensive hour,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">When clouds above me darkly lower,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">I've sought a seat in some lone bower,<br /></span> -<span class="i18">With heart opprest;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">You soothed me with your magic power,<br /></span> -<span class="i18">And calmed my breast.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">When Morning dons her sober gray<br /></span> -<span class="i0">To usher in the coming day,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And Phœbus shines with sickly ray<br /></span> -<span class="i18">On all around,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">No warblers greet him from the spray<br /></span> -<span class="i18">With joyous sound.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">But you, sweet bird, unlike the throng,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Salute him with a joyous song.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">When heavy rains and sleet prolong<br /></span> -<span class="i18">The dreary day,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">You chant to him your evening song<br /></span> -<span class="i18">Upon the spray.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">No blackbird whistles in the grove,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Where late in chorus sweet they strove;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">No warbler's tongue is heard to move,<br /></span> -<span class="i18">But all is sad;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">No cushat woos his amorous love<br /></span> -<span class="i18">In hazel glade.<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class='center'>Printed and Published by <span class="smcap">W. & R. Chambers</span>, 47 Paternoster -Row, <span class="smcap">London</span>, and 339 High Street, <span class="smcap">Edinburgh</span>.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class='center'><i>All Rights Reserved.</i></p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular -Literature, Science, and Art, No. 726, by Various - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL *** - -***** This file should be named 51100-h.htm or 51100-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/1/0/51100/ - -Produced by Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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