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diff --git a/old/65723-0.txt b/old/65723-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 4822f70..0000000 --- a/old/65723-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2127 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, -Science, and Art, Fifth Series, No. 22, Vol. I, May 31, 1884, by Various - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, - Fifth Series, No. 22, Vol. I, May 31, 1884 - -Author: Various - -Release Date: June 29, 2021 [eBook #65723] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Susan Skinner, Eric Hutton and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The Internet - Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL OF POPULAR -LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART, FIFTH SERIES, NO. 22, VOL. I, MAY 31, -1884 *** - - - - -[Illustration: - -CHAMBERS’S JOURNAL - -OF - -POPULAR - -LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART - -Fifth Series - -ESTABLISHED BY WILLIAM AND ROBERT CHAMBERS, 1832 - -CONDUCTED BY R. CHAMBERS (SECUNDUS) - -NO. 22.—VOL. I. SATURDAY, MAY 31, 1884. PRICE 1½_d._] - - - - -OUR DETECTIVE POLICE. - - -The number of murders that have taken place, and the very few murderers -that have been brought to justice in and about London during the last -few months, must go far towards contradicting the assertion to the -effect that the metropolis of England is ‘the safest city in the world’ -to live in. And if to the list of crimes against life which have not -been, and never are likely to be, brought home to the perpetrators, -we add the innumerable thefts, burglaries, and other offences against -property which go unpunished because the criminals are never found out, -it can hardly be denied that we require a new departure in the system -of our Detective Police, for the simple reason that, as at present -constituted, the practical results of the same are very much the -reverse of satisfactory. - -It has been my lot, for reasons which need not be entered into here, -to see not a little of the French detective system, and of the plans -adopted by those employed in discovering crime in Paris. The two -systems, those of the London and Parisian detective, differ most -essentially. With us, it is as if the general commanding an army in the -field was to send spies into the enemy’s camp, taking care they were -dressed and behaved themselves in such a manner that every one would -know who they were. On the other hand, the French system of detection -is based on the principle that the enemy—namely, the criminals amongst -whom they have to make their inquiries—should never be able to discover -who the spies are. Now, with some fifty or sixty detectives trained -to perfection in the art of disguising themselves, must it not be far -more easy to discover the whereabouts of crime and the identity of the -criminals, than can possibly be done under our system? Our detectives -are as well known to a Londoner of any experience, and we may presume -they are also just as well known to the criminal classes, as if they -wore uniform. Nay, in a very useful volume called _The Police Code and -Manual of the Criminal Law_, compiled by Mr Howard Vincent, it is -clearly laid down that ‘the idea that a detective to be useful in a -district must be unknown is erroneous in the great mass of cases, as he -is then unable to distinguish between honest men who would help a known -officer and others.’ - -It seems to me, as it must do to all who study the question, that this -is the fundamental mistake we make, and that it is for this reason our -detection of crime is so defective. We have no spies in the enemy’s -camp. Our detective officers are merely policemen in shooting-jackets -and billycock hats. The great criminal army knows who they are as well -as if they wore their blue tunics. A French detective has nothing -whatever to do with arresting criminals. He is not the sportsman who -shoots the bird, but only the dog which points out where the game is -to be found. The French agents of police, or detectives—many of whom -have been over in England on business, and are well acquainted with -our system—say that our regular police who keep order in the streets -are the best guardians of peace and order in the world, but that our -detective system is the worst and, practically, the most useless in -Europe. Nor can any one acquainted with the subject say they are wrong. -Even the most casual readers of the papers must be struck with two -facts relating to crime in London. In the first place, the vigilance -of the ordinary police is so great, that, as a rule, they lay hands -upon a very great number of criminals, and cause a vast deal of crime -to be punished. But, on the other hand, if a murderer, burglar, or -other offender against society _does_ manage to get clean away, he is -rarely if ever caught. The police—that is, of course, the detective -police—invariably ‘get a clue’ to the affair; and there the matter -seems to end. The detection of crime is evidently not an art that has -been cultivated in England. - -The French detective is a man who would never be thought, by any one -who did not know him personally, to be connected with the police. In -fact, he generally does his best to hide his real occupation from -even his most intimate friends. Like our Londoner who is ‘something -in the City,’ he assumes the indefinite appellation of _un employé -du gouvernement_; but in what office he is ‘employed,’ or what his -‘employment’ may be, he refrains from stating. He is generally a quiet, -unpretending individual, who neither courts nor avoids notice. The -facility with which he assumes all kinds of disguise, and the admirable -manner in which he acts the part he assumes, must be seen in order -to be realised. As a rule, he takes some time before bringing his -inquiries to a close; but he is rarely at fault in the long-run, and -generally manages to bring down the game he is hunting. - -Our English detective is the exact contrary of his French _confrère_. -He does not wear uniform, but he might just as well do so, for his -appearance and dress proclaim him to be what he is quite as plainly -as if he was clad like X142 of the force. He is a well-meaning, -intelligent fellow; but both his want of training and the system under -which he has to work quite unfit him for the detection of any crime -which is hidden in mystery. I remember, some years ago, being on a -visit at a country-house, where the jewel-case of a lady visitor was -stolen. It was quite safe when the owner had finished dressing for -dinner; but a couple of hours later her maid missed it, and gave the -alarm. Search was made—it is needless to say, in vain. The house was -full of visitors, many of whom had brought with them their own valets -and ladies’ maids, besides which there was a large staff of servants -belonging to the house itself. A telegram was despatched to Scotland -Yard the next morning; and in due time two detective officers arrived -from London. They examined the room from which the jewel-box had been -taken; questioned, and, as a natural consequence, set by the ears, all -the servants of the house, as well as those of the different visitors; -made inquiries at the neighbouring railway station about the travellers -who had left the place during the last few days; and finally, took -their departure, leaving matters exactly where they were—where they -have remained to the present day, and where they are likely to remain -for all time. - -As a comparison with the foregoing, I may mention a case of a very -similar kind which I once witnessed in Paris. A friend of mine, living -with his wife, daughter, and a male and female servant _au second_ -of a large old-fashioned house, found one morning that all his plate -had been stolen. It was quite safe when the family went to bed the -previous night; but in the morning it had vanished. He communicated -with the police; and an elderly gentleman, who looked like the manager -or one of the head-clerks of a bank, was sent to the house. Neither the -_concierge_ nor any one else had the slightest idea who the individual -was. He came ostensibly to see my friend on some business, and only -told _him_ what this business really was. He came again the next day -and the following four or five days, making his visits purposely when -my friend and all his family were out, so as to have an excuse, whilst -awaiting their return, of talking to the servants, or of wasting a -quarter of an hour in the _concierge’s_ den. He managed to ingratiate -himself with this latter individual; and in the course of the next few -weeks, during which time he still paid occasional visits, ostensibly -to my friend, became quite intimate with the servant. It ended in the -_concierge_ being arrested one fine day on a charge of having stolen -the plate. This was brought about partly by something the detective had -seen in the _concierge’s_ room, but chiefly on account of what he had -heard at a place where a number of the agents or brokers for stolen -goods used to congregate for business, and to which the detective went -in the character of a thief. The crime was thus discovered, and the -thief was duly punished. - -I mention these two cases, out of not a few with which I am acquainted, -as illustrating in some measure the very different systems on which -the detectives of England and France do their work. In the latter -country, as in every other country in Europe, London is regarded by the -dangerous classes as the happy hunting-ground of thieves and rogues -of all kinds. I am fully aware that many Englishmen would regard the -French detective mode of working as underhand and mean, and object to -what they would term any underhand work of the kind. But surely when -a question of such magnitude as the detection of crime is mooted, -the authorities ought not to be guided by what is merely a matter of -sentiment. Murderers, burglars, thieves, swindlers, and all other -evil-doers, do not hesitate to use the most effectual means at their -command in order to insure success to themselves. Why, then, should -we do so? Crime of every kind is getting daily more and more clever -and scientific in its working; why should we not avail ourselves of -every possible advantage which the perpetrators of crime can command? -One thing is very certain, that unless we take a new departure in the -manner we attempt to detect crime, the dangerous classes will very soon -have everything their own way. As a French police agent once told me, -every crime that is undiscovered serves as an incentive for a dozen -more of the same kind. - -With respect to the very strong dislike which some persons have to -anything in the shape of a secret police—or rather to disguised -agents of the police acting as spies in the camp of the dangerous -classes—it ought not to be forgotten that the same prejudice existed -half a century ago against the ‘new police,’ or the ‘Peelers’ as they -were called, being substituted for the watchmen or ‘Charlies’ of our -grandfathers’ days. If the authorities are wise enough to constitute -and maintain a really efficient system of secret police agents in the -place of what we now call ‘plain-clothes officers,’ the result will -be much the same as was the substitution of a regular metropolitan -police in place of the old watchmen. But if this greatly called-for -change is delayed much longer, we shall see the criminal classes -gaining in strength every year, until it will become as difficult to -get the mastery over them as is the case in some of the Western States -in America. A secret police, or rather, a number of secret agents of -the police, organised on the French system, is what we must institute -ere long, and the sooner it is taken in hand the better. Those who -require their services do not hesitate to employ ‘Private Inquiry -Offices’ and other similar establishments; why should the government -decline to entertain the idea of such an agency as is here advocated? -If any man of influence and authority in the land could be present at a -‘business’ meeting of English, French, and a few German thieves in some -of the lowest haunts of ‘Foreign London,’ an efficient system of secret -detective police would very soon become established in what has been -foolishly called ‘the safest city in the world.’ - -In England, we have a curious but very erroneous idea that if a -policeman wears a suit of plain clothes instead of his regular uniform, -he is fully able to find out all about any crime that has ever been -committed. A greater mistake was never made. Not only to the ‘dangerous -classes,’ but to almost every Londoner who is anything of an observer -regarding his fellow-men, ‘plain-clothes’ officers, as our detectives -are called, are actually as well known as if they wore the helmet, -blue tunic, and black leather waist-belt of the regular policeman. It -is quite otherwise in France. A French detective, as we have remarked -before, has nothing whatever to do with serving summonses or warrants. -He never arrests a criminal, but he points out to the regular police -where criminals are to be found. It is only on very rare occasions that -he even appears as witness against a prisoner; and when he does so, he -assumes for the future a dress and general appearance quite unlike what -he has hitherto borne. A French detective who cannot disguise himself -in such a manner that his oldest friend would not be able to recognise -him, is not deemed worth his salary. He takes the greatest professional -pride in this art. In a word, the French detectives are the spies sent -by the army of law and order to find out all about the enemy that is -constantly waging war against life and property. In England, we have -no similar set of men, and what are the consequences? Why, that unless -a murderer, burglar, or other offender is either taken red-handed, or -leaves behind him some very plain marks as to who he is or where he is -to be found, crime with us is, as a rule, undetected. Sooner or later, -notwithstanding our national prejudices against all that is secret and -underhand, we must adopt a system for the detection of crime on the -plan that is found to work so well in France; and the sooner we do so -the better, unless we want to make England in general, and London in -particular, more than even it is now the happy hunting-ground of all -the scoundrels in Europe. All Frenchmen who have visited our country -say that our _ordinary_ police is the very best in the world; that the -manner in which they preserve order in the streets is above praise; -and they are right. Nor can a word be said against the character, the -integrity, or the intentions also of our detectives. But the system on -which they are trained is essentially bad. They are the wrong men in -the wrong place—the square pegs in the round holes. - - - - -BY MEAD AND STREAM. - - -CHAPTER XXX.—CURIOUS. - -‘I am going to the village, Ada, to see Mr Beecham, but I shall not be -long,’ said Wrentham to his wife. - -She in her pale, delicate prettiness was as unlike the mate of such a -man as Wrentham as a gazelle linked to a Bengal tiger would appear. But -she was fond of him, believed in him, and was as happy in her married -state as most of her neighbours seemed to be. Indeed, she believed -herself to be a great deal happier than most of them. So far as the -household arrangements were concerned, he was a model husband: he -interfered with none of them. He seldom scolded: he accepted his chop -or steak with equanimity whether it was over or under done (of course -he did not think it necessary to mention the repasts he indulged in -at the _Gog and Magog_); and he had even put on a pair of unbrushed -boots without saying anything aloud. What woman is there who would not -appreciate such a husband? - -Mrs Wrentham did appreciate him, and was devoted to him. She had -brought him a few hundreds, with which her father, a country tradesman, -had dowered her, and of that Wrentham declared he was able to make a -fortune. With that intent most of his time was occupied in the City; -and she often lamented that poor Martin was so eager to make ‘hay -whilst the sun shone’—as he called it—that he was working himself to -death. - -‘Never mind, dear,’ he would say: ‘there is no time like the present -for laying by a store; and we shall have leisure to enjoy ourselves -when we have made a comfortable little fortune.’ - -‘But if you should kill yourself in the meanwhile, Martin!’ - -‘Nonsense, Ada; I am too tough a chap to be killed so easily.’ - -Then he would go off gaily to the City (or the betting-ring). She would -sigh, and sit down to wait for the happy time when that little fortune -should be made. - -The man whilst he spoke to her was sincere enough; but in the feverish -excitement of his speculations he forgot all about wife and home. - -At present he was at ease, for he did not mean to go farther than the -_King’s Head_. So he made the little woman quite happy by his effusive -tenderness, and still more by the information that she might wait up -for his return. What pleasanter intimation could a loving wife receive? - -The village was in darkness, for gas had not yet found its way into -Kingshope. The feeble glint of a candle here and there looked like a -dull glowworm striving to keep up a semblance of life. The half-dozen -shops with their oil-lamps were a little brighter than the houses; but -their innermost corners were dark and mysterious. Even the _King’s -Head_ and _Cherry Tree_ wore such veils upon their faces that a -stranger would have passed by without suspecting that these were -hostelries within the gates of which was to be found good entertainment -for man and beast, and where on market-days and fair-days were held -high revels. - -In one of the darkest parts of the street there was a little window -illuminated by a single ‘dip:’ that ‘dip’ revealed a jumble of -sweetmeats, cheap, gaudy toys, and penny picture-books. The eager eyes -of a group of children discovered there a palace of wonder and delight, -filled with objects of surpassing interest and ambition. There was -a wooden sword which young Hodge regarded as more powerful than his -father’s spade and pick-axe: there was a gilt gingerbread man with -a cocked-hat, which was looked upon with breathless admiration as a -correct model of the Prince of Wales in all the splendour of royal -attire. There was a brief discussion as to whether the cocked-hat -should not have been a gold crown, which was undoubtedly the proper -headgear for a prince. This, however, was settled by a mite of a girl, -who suggested that the cocked-hat was worn when the Prince went out for -a walk, and the crown when he was in the palace. - -Next in attractive power was a greenish bottle full of brandy-balls; -and the children’s teeth watered as they gazed upon it. A Lord Mayor’s -dinner must be a small thing compared with that window with its jumble -of sweets and toys. - -‘Wouldn’t you like to have some of these nice things? How happy we -would be if life could be all gilt gingerbread and brandy-balls!’ - -That was exactly what they had been thinking, and an appalled silence -fell upon the little group, as they turned to stare at the wizard -who had read their desire through the backs of their heads. But they -all knew the kindly face of the gentleman who was looking at them so -pleasantly. They did not note the shade of sadness and pity that was in -his eyes. The faces of the younger children broadened into smiles of -expectation: the elder ones hung their heads a little—shy, doubting, -hoping, and vaguely fearing that they had been caught doing something -wrong. - -Mr Beecham patted one of them on the head—a child of about six years. - -‘Suppose you had sixpence, Totty, what would you do?’ - -‘Buy all the shop.’ - -‘And what then?’ - -‘Eat um,’ was the prompt and emphatic answer. - -‘What! would you not share with your friends?’ - -Totty looked round at her friends, who were anxious about her next -reply. - -‘Such a lot of ’em,’ she said with a kind of sulky greediness. - -‘Well, sixpence will not buy the whole shop; but I shall give it to -your brother, and he must spend it upon something which can be easily -divided into equal parts, so that you may all share alike.’ - -The gift was accepted in silence; but he had only moved a few paces -away when there arose a hubbub of young voices angrily disputing as -to what should be purchased with their fortune. He turned back and -settled the matter for them. Whilst thus occupied, he was visited with -the unpleasant reflection that what we want does not cause us so much -trouble as what we possess. These children had been happy gazing at -what they had no expectation of attaining. In imagination they could -pick and choose each what he or she most fancied. Then he had come -like an evil genius amongst them and by his trifling gift had produced -discord. Had he purchased all that was in the shop there would still -have been dissatisfaction. - -‘Communism will never thrive,’ he muttered as he walked away, after -pacifying his little protégés as best he could; ‘the selfish individual -will always be too strong for it. Master Philip is making a mistake.’ - -‘He _is_ a rum chap,’ was the comment of Mr Wrentham, who had been -watching the incident from the outside of the small semicircle of light -cast from the window of the sweet-shop. ‘In his dotage?... No. I might -have said that, if we had not spent a few evenings together. A man who -can pick up Nap and play it as he did, is no fool, however much of -a knave he may be. He is not that either.... Wonder what can be the -reason of Hadleigh’s curiosity about him.’ - -His first movement from the darkness in which he stood suggested that -he purposed saluting Mr Beecham at once; but he altered his mind, lit -a cigar, and strolled leisurely after him. He had found a new interest -in the stranger: it sprung out of his profound respect for Mr Hadleigh, -for he was convinced that every word spoken by that gentleman, and -certainly every act performed by him, was the result of careful -reflection and shrewd foresight. He was not a man to do anything -without a distinct view to his own advantage. Wrentham intended to -share that advantage. But as he was at present unable to conceive -what it might be, and was working entirely in the dark, with the hope -merely that he should discover the meaning of it all as he proceeded, -he considered it wise to move with caution whilst he maintained the -bearing of a most willing servant. - -He had been under the impression that he had sounded the depths of Mr -Beecham’s character pretty correctly; but Mr Hadleigh’s inquiries and -the incident with the children suggested two such opposite phases, that -Wrentham could only conclude one of them must be wrong. Mr Hadleigh -had started the suspicion that Beecham had some design in hand, the -discovery of which would be useful: the scene with the children brought -Wrentham back to his first impression—that he was a simple-minded but -clear-sighted gentleman who was willing to lose a few pounds at cards -occasionally without grumbling. - -Mr Beecham had so few visitors in his village quarters, that he had -not yet found it necessary to give the attendants at the _King’s Head_ -the unpalatable but frequently unavoidable instruction to say ‘Not at -home.’ So that, on Wrentham’s arrival, his name was at once conveyed to -him. The message brought back was that, if Mr Wrentham would be good -enough to wait for a few minutes, Mr Beecham would be ready to receive -him. - -When at length he was shown into the room, Mr Beecham was closing a -large envelope, which he placed on his desk in order to shake hands -with his visitor. At each side of the desk was a bright lamp with a -white shade, reflecting the light full upon the document he had laid -down. Wrentham had no difficulty in reading the address. - -‘Hope I am not disturbing you. Got home early, and took it into my head -to come down and have a cigar and a chat. If you’re busy, I’ll bolt.’ - -‘No necessity. I had only to address an envelope to a friend with some -inclosures, and that is done. You are very welcome to-night, although -we are not likely to have a chat, as I have invited some young people -to a conjuring entertainment.’ - -‘I am afraid you will find me an ungracious guest,’ said Wrentham, -laughing, ‘for I had made up my mind to have a quiet evening with you -alone, and I have no fancy for jugglers—their tricks are all so stale.’ - -‘You will find this man particularly amusing. He is clever with his -tongue as well as his hands, and is remarkably well-mannered, although -you will be astonished, perhaps, to learn that he is only a street -performer. I ought not to have told you that until after you had seen -him. However, my chief pleasure will be—and I am sure yours will be—in -seeing how the children enjoy the magician’s wonders. Mr Tuppit tells -me that he never has so much delight in his work as when he has an -audience of young people. We have got the large dining-room for the -performance, and it is likely to turn out a brilliant affair. You must -stay.’ - -At the mention of the conjurer’s name, Wrentham made a curious -movement, as if he had dropped something—it was only the ash of his -cigar which had fallen on his sleeve. He dusted it into the fender. - -‘I wish I could go into things of this sort like you,’ he said, smiling -admiringly at Mr Beecham’s enthusiasm; ‘but I can’t. I don’t believe -you could do it either, if you had heavy and anxious work on hand. -But you belong to the lucky ones who have successfully passed the -Rubicon of life. You have made your hay, and can amuse yourself without -thinking about to-morrow. I am never allowed to get to-morrow out of my -head.’ - -‘Most people say that,’ was Mr Beecham’s response, with one of his -quiet smiles; ‘and I always think it is because we waste to-day in -thinking of to-morrow.’ - -‘Hit again,’ exclaimed Wrentham with a frank laugh. ‘I believe you are -right; but we cannot all be philosophers. Nature has most to do in -forming us, whatever share education may have in it. Where the dickens -did you pick up your philosophy? In the east, west, north, or south? -Have you been a traveller for pleasure or on business? Where have -you been? What have you done, that you should be able always to see -the sunny side of life? There’s a string of questions for you. Don’t -trouble to answer them, although I should like if possible to learn how -you became what you are—so calm, so happy.’ - -All this was spoken so good-humouredly—as if it were the outcome of -nothing more than jesting curiosity—that Wrentham fancied he had very -cleverly turned to useful account a passing observation. His host could -not avoid giving him some direct information about his career now. - -Mr Beecham appeared to be amused—nothing more. - -‘I have travelled in many directions of the compass, partly on -business, partly on pleasure. Everywhere I have found that although -the scenes are different, men are the same. Those who have had a -fortune made for them spend it, wisely or unwisely as may be; those who -have not, strive or wish to strive to make one for themselves. Some -succeed, some fail: but the conditions of happiness are the same in -either case—those who are the most easily content are the most happy.’ - -‘Beaten,’ thought Wrentham. ‘What a clever beggar he is in answering -the most direct questions with vague generalities.’ What he said was -this: - -‘I suppose that you had a fortune made for you, and so could take -things easy?’ - -‘A little was left to me, but I am glad to say not enough to permit me -to be idle. I cannot say that I have worked hard, but I worked in the -right direction, and the result has been satisfactory—that is, so far -as money is concerned.’ - -‘Wish you would give me a leaf out of your book: it might start me in -the right direction too.’ - -‘Some day you shall have the whole book to read, Mr Wrentham, and I -shall be delighted if you find it of service.’ - -‘But what line were you in? I should like to know.’ - -‘So you shall, so you shall—by-and-by.—You have allowed your cigar to -go out. Try one of these Larranagas; and excuse me for a minute—I want -to send this away.’ - -He took up the packet which Wrentham had observed lying on the desk, -and quitted the room. - -‘Wish I could make him out,’ was Wrentham’s reflection, as, after -lighting his cigar, he stood on the hearth with his back to the fire -and glared round the room in search of something that might help to -satisfy his curiosity. ‘Maybe there is nothing to make out.... But -what does he want sending off letters to Madge Heathcote at this time -of evening? I saw the address plainly enough, and that letter was for -her.... There _is_ something to find out.’ - -(_To be continued._) - - - - -THE ASHBURNHAM COLLECTIONS. - - -In 1763, Mr Grenville, then First Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor -of the Exchequer, had occasion to enlist the services of a gentleman -familiar with ancient handwriting, in the arrangement of papers -and other business. So well did Mr Thomas Astle do his work, that, -two years later, he was made Receiver-general on the Civil List; -subsequently becoming, in succession, chief clerk in the Record Office, -and keeper of the records in the Tower. Astle was a diligent and -discreet collector of manuscripts; and mindful of his obligations to -the Grenvilles, directed by his will that his valuable library should -pass into the possession of the Marquis of Buckingham for the sum of -five hundred pounds. That nobleman gladly accepted the conditional -bequest, and housed the sometime keeper’s treasures honourably at -Stowe. As opportunities offered, he and his successor added books and -documents to Astle’s store, until they had brought together a mass of -original materials for the history of the three kingdoms unrivalled by -any other private collection. - -The middle of the present century saw Stowe shorn of its glories; -and in 1849, its famous manuscripts were advertised for public sale; -but their threatened dispersion was fortunately averted by the Earl -of Ashburnham purchasing the entire collection, and adding it to his -own extensive library, rich in works of early European and English -literature. At the time of the earl’s death he was the possessor -of four distinct collections, known as the Stowe, the Barrois, the -Libri, and the Appendix. The last-named, representing his occasional -purchases, consisted of two hundred and fifty volumes, including richly -illuminated missals and Books of Hours, choice copies of the works -of Chaucer, Wickliffe, Gower, Dante; English chronicles, monastic -registers, and individual manuscripts of great rarity and value. The -Barrois collection of seven hundred and two manuscripts was notable -for its specimens of ancient bindings, its illuminated manuscripts, -and its examples of early French literature; while the Libri section -was remarkable for its very ancient manuscripts, its copies of Dante’s -Commedia, its works of early Italian literature, its rare autographs, -and its letters of distinguished French men of science. - -In 1879, all these treasures were offered by the present Earl of -Ashburnham to the trustees of the British Museum for the sum of one -hundred and sixty thousand pounds; but upon their requesting him to -separate the manuscripts from the printed books, the earl intimated -that, finding he had underpriced his library in the first instance, -he should require the hundred and sixty thousand pounds for the -manuscripts alone; or fifty thousand for the Stowe collection, and -fifty thousand for the Appendix collection, if the trustees elected to -buy them only; and with that intimation the negotiation ended. In the -autumn of 1882 the Museum authorities sought Lord Ashburnham again, to -learn that he would only sell the collection as a whole at the price he -had originally named. The keeper of the department of Manuscripts went -down to Ashburnham Place, examined the collection volume by volume, and -returned with above nine hundred of the choicest volumes and portfolios -of papers, for the inspection of the trustees themselves; and they came -to the conclusion that, all things considered, the collection was worth -the money demanded for it; and recommended the Treasury to purchase it, -and give the trustees power to make over certain portions of the Libri -and Barrois collections—said to have been abstracted from the public -libraries of France—to the French government on payment of twenty-four -thousand pounds. To this proposition the Treasury would not agree, not -being prepared to purchase the collection _en bloc_. - -Then Lord Ashburnham agreed to sell the Museum the Stowe and Appendix -divisions for ninety thousand pounds. The Treasury offered seventy -thousand pounds; whereupon the earl requested that the manuscripts -in the possession of the Museum trustees should be returned to their -proper home. Determined, if possible, to avert what they regarded -as an irreparable national calamity, the trustees proposed to make -good the twenty thousand pounds by allowing a reduction on the annual -vote for the Museum to the amount of four thousand pounds for the -next five years. ‘My Lords’ were obdurate, the earl was firm; and the -disappointed Museum trustees had nothing left to them but to retire -with an expression of their regret at the untoward result of their -efforts to save the precious manuscripts from probable expatriation. A -week or two later, however, they were gladdened by receiving a verbal -intimation from the guardian of the public purse that the government -were ready to purchase the Stowe collection provided it could be -obtained for forty thousand pounds. Lord Ashburnham would not lower -his demand to that extent, but consented to accept forty-five thousand -pounds. So the bargain was struck, the House of Commons voted the -money, and the much-talked-of manuscripts became the property of the -nation. - -Whatever the pecuniary value of the Stowe collection may be, the -custodians of our great library may well rejoice upon acquiring its -nine hundred and ninety-six volumes of charters and cartularies; -ancient missals and rituals; old English chronicles; old statutes; -reports of famous trials; household books; royal wardrobe accounts; -papal bulls and indulgences; historical, legal, and ecclesiastical -documents; diplomatic, political, and private correspondence; and -papers of more or less value to the antiquary, genealogist, and general -student. In truth, the subject-matter of this mass of manuscripts is of -so varied a nature that it would almost be easier to say what is not, -than what is to be found therein. We shall not attempt to do either, -but content ourselves with enumerating some of the curiosities of the -collection. - -First among these comes a volume of Anglo-Saxon charters, the cover -of which is adorned with figures of saints and martyrs, and a -representation of the crucifixion, worked with the needle, in coloured -silks and gold-thread. The first charter in the volume is one of six -lines, by which Withred, king of Kent, granted certain lands to the -nuns of Liming; His Majesty, ‘being illiterate,’ making the sign of -the cross against his name. Another relic of Anglo-Saxon times is -the register of Hyde Abbey, Winchester, the greater part of which is -supposed to have been written in the reign of Canute. On the first -page are portraits of that monarch and his queen ‘Ailgythu’ in their -robes of state. On the fourth leaf are memoranda of the Conqueror’s -building a palace at Winchester, and of the burning of the city -in 1140 by Robert, Earl of Gloucester. A copy of Alfred’s will is -followed by an account of the burying-places of the Anglo-Saxon kings -and saints, various forms of benedictions, a list of relics preserved -at Hyde, and a calendar of saints. On one page is a fragment of the -_exultat_ as chanted on Holy Saturday in the monastery, with the -musical notes—consisting of lines and points placed over the syllables, -and indicating by their forms the high and low tones in which these -syllables were to be sung. - -Of historical interest are—the original report of the trial of ‘Johanne -d’Arc,’ dated the 7th of July 1456, and duly signed and attested by the -notaries; the original declaration of eight of the bishops in favour -of Henry VIII.’s assumption of power in church matters, in which they -pronounce that Christian princes may make ecclesiastical laws; and -two little volumes—one about three inches square, containing sundry -calendars and tables, written on leaves of vellum, and bearing on the -fly-leaf, in the handwriting of the Duke of Somerset: ‘Fere of the lord -is the begenning of wisdume: put thi trust in the lord w^h all thine -heart; be not wise in thyne own conseyte but fere the lord and fle from -evele frome the toware the day before deth, 1551. E. SOMERSET.’ The -other booklet is about an inch square, and bound in gold, enamelled in -black, and furnished with two small gold rings, by which it could be -suspended to its owner’s waist. It consists of a hundred and ninety-six -pages of vellum, on which are written the seven penitential psalms. -This was one of Henry VIII.’s gifts to Anne Boleyn, and was given by -her—Horace Walpole says—to her maid of honour Mrs Wyatt, when the -beautiful queen bade farewell to the world on Tower Hill. - -Among other originals of political importance may be noted the -return concerning the levy of ship-money, made to Sir Peter Temple, -High-sheriff of Bucks, from the parish of Great Kimble, bearing the -names of those who tendered their refusal to the constables and -assessors; the said constables’ and assessors’ names appearing in -the list of protesters, at the head of which stands the name of John -Hampden. Of a little later date is the secret article of the treaty -made in 1654 between Louis XIV. and the Protector of England for the -expulsion from France of Charles II., the Duke of York, and eighteen -royalists; Cromwell undertaking in return to expel certain Frenchmen -from England. This document is signed by De Bordeaux on the part of -the French king; by Fiennes, Lisle, and Strickland on the part of the -Commonwealth. The Grand Monarch’s own signature appears to an order -addressed to the governor of the Bastile—an order for him to permit the -Countess de Bussy to sleep with her husband. - -There are two literary curiosities in the shape of a five-act tragedy -by Bale, Bishop of Ossory, who died in 1563; and a comedy, author -unknown, intended to be played for the amusement of Elizabeth and her -court; the latter ending with the following lines, addressed to Queen -Bess: - - May you have all the joys of innocence, - Injoyinge too all the delights of sense. - May you live long, and knowe till ye are told, - T’ endeare your beauty, and wonder you are old; - And when heaven’s heate shall draw you to the skye, - May you transfigured, not transfigured dye! - -In the original draft of a dedication to be prefixed to some operas by -Purcell, Dryden says: ‘Musick and poetry have ever been acknowledged -sisters, which walking hand-in-hand support each other. As poetry is -the harmony of words, so musick is that of notes; and as poetry is a -rise above prose and oratory, so is musick the exaltation of poetry. -Both of them may excel apart; but sure they are most excellent when -they are joined, because nothing is then wanting to either of their -perfections, for thus they appear like wit and beauty in the same -person.’ At the end of a copy of Bacon’s _Essays_, presented to Mrs -Newsham, in 1725, by ‘her servant, A. Pope,’ is a sonnet in the poet’s -handwriting, entitled _A Wish to Mrs M. B. on her Birthday, June 15_. -It is to be found in his works, expanded into a twenty-line _Epistle -to Miss Martha Blount, on her Birthday_. - -‘The Emperor of Morocco’s curses against his two eldest sons, taken -from the original in his own writing in the register of the principal -church at Morocco,’ is a curiosity, if scarcely a literary one; and -the same may be said of a specimen of French penmanship—a series of -portraits of the time of Louis XIV., executed with such freedom that -they seem to have been done with one uninterrupted flourish of the pen. -Each portrait has a song with music appended to it, the volume ending -with a piece of music in Rousseau’s own hand, composed by him at Paris -in 1776. - -The letters, original and transcribed, in the collection are so -multitudinous, that it is impossible to enter into detail about -them; they cover every reign from Edward III. to George III., and -unrepresented Englishmen of any note are few indeed; while epistles -written by such illustrious foreigners as Doge Andrea Contarini, -Francis I., Cardinal Mazarin, Louis XIV., Madame de Maintenon, -Voltaire, Frederick the Great, Mirabeau, Lafayette, and Napoleon the -Great, figure in the catalogue of contents. - -We must mention that among the treasures acquired by the nation are -a number of manuscripts in the Irish language, and of manuscripts -relating to the history and antiquities of Ireland; besides the -correspondence of Arthur Capel, Earl of Essex, Lord-lieutenant -of Ireland under Charles II. The government having decided that -manuscripts in the Irish language, and those bearing more or less -directly upon Irish history and literature, should be lent indefinitely -to the Royal Irish Academy, for the use of students and the public, -the greater portion of the above will be lost to Bloomsbury—how large -a portion will not be known, until the representatives of the British -Museum and the Irish Academy have settled the matter between them. - - - - -A SKETCH FROM MY STUDY WINDOW. - - -There were three of them, little pale-faced, grave-eyed girl-children, -unmistakable Londoners in their lack of the healthy colouring and -sturdy limbs which would have marked country-bred children of their -age. The eldest was perhaps eleven; the younger ones, eight and six -years old respectively; and it was pretty, as well as pathetic, to see -the prematurely motherly care which the eldest sister—whom the little -ones called ‘Gertie’—bestowed upon the tiny mite whose responsible -protector she seemed to be. - -When first I noticed them, they were walking demurely round the -gravel-path of the square upon which my study window looks out. Each -had a skipping-rope dangling loosely from her hands; and the younger -ones were evidently intent upon some grave story from the lips of -their sister. Presently, they came along the upper side of the garden, -towards my window, and I had my first glimpse of their faces. Each -was pretty in her childish way. The eldest, tall for her age, slight -and dark, had regular features and soft brown eyes, whose naturally -pathetic expression was heightened by the deep mourning-frock and -crape-trimmed hat which each alike was wearing. The two younger -children were less noticeable in appearance, the second being, I -fancied, ordinarily a merry, dimpled little maiden, whom, but for some -temporary cloud on her spirits, I could more easily have pictured -enjoying a good game of romps with some of the other small frequenters -of our garden; and the youngest, like Gertrude, a pensive-faced baby, -with sadly transparent colouring and fragile figure, betokening -constitutional delicacy. It was summer-time; and as they passed beneath -my widely opened window, I caught the word ‘Mother’ two or three times -repeated, gravely pronounced by Gertie; and I judged, from the reverent -expression of the three little faces and from their deep mourning, -that she was recalling to the memory of her charges some childish -reminiscences of a recently lost parent. - -I had certainly never seen them before, or, child-worshipper that I -was, I could not have failed to recognise them. All the other young -people in the garden—from Tommy, surname unknown, aged two, with a -penchant for sticky sweetmeats, and an aversion to nurses, to Miss -Mildred Holford, verging upon sweet seventeen, and alternating between -spasmodic propriety and innate tomboyism—were intimately known to me—by -sight, at all events; and in my idle speculations upon the little -strangers, I jumped to the conclusion—subsequently verified—that they -were new-comers to one of the large empty houses facing mine on the -further side of our square. - -From that day forward I saw them frequently, generally, as on the first -occasion, alone, the eldest in charge of the younger ones, sometimes -accompanied by a tall lady, also in deep mourning, whom they addressed -as ‘auntie;’ sometimes with a sober, matronly looking nurse, who -carried in her arms a bundle of white drapery, enveloping what I opined -to be a baby of tender weeks. This baby was the favourite toy of the -three little sisters. Nothing else possessed the slightest attraction -for them when their tiny brother was present; and it was a pretty study -to watch the pride and delight of the two elder girls, when their nurse -allowed each in turn to carry the white-robed atom a few steps away -from her side and back again. Nor was little Ethel, the youngest of the -trio, debarred from the privilege of playing nurse sometimes. Too weak -and frail to be safely trusted to carry the precious burden, it was her -chief delight to sit, still as a mouse, on the corner of one of the -garden-seats, crooning and talking baby-talk to the unconscious morsel -on her lap, while the nurse and elder girls kept guard at a few yards’ -distance, their absence being clearly a highly valued condition of this -innocent ‘confidence-trick.’ - -Morning after morning, throughout the first week of their residence -in our square, was the same routine carried out; the younger ones -sometimes indulging in a run with their hoops, from Gertie’s side; -sometimes amusing themselves with dolls or skipping-ropes; or again -listening while their aunt or Gertrude read aloud to them. But on -Saturday morning they did not appear as usual, and I found myself quite -missing their company, and puzzling myself with vague speculations to -account for their absence. Even in this short time my heart had gone -out towards the little motherless girls, and I had begun unconsciously -to weave fanciful theories of their past and present life, to account -for the sweet seriousness and precocious womanly airs of the eldest -girl, and the influence of love—for her manner was untinged by any -assumption of elder-sisterly prerogative—which she clearly possessed -and exercised over the younger ones. Rightly or wrongly, I never -knew, but I pictured them the children of parents separated by a long -interval of years in age, but united by strong bonds of confidence and -affection. Gertrude’s sedate air suggested that she had been rather -the companion than the plaything of her mother; and that the mother’s -influence had been tender, without caprice, was apparent from her -child’s gentle gravity, and from the unquestioning attention paid to -her lightest hint or remonstrance by the younger sisters. The words, -‘Mother would not have wished it,’ or, ‘Father would not like to -see it,’ from her lips were sufficient in a moment to quell Edith’s -occasional fractiousness, or to dry Ethel’s ready tears; while the -confidence existing between all three was enough to show that no undue -favouritism had ever wakened jealousy of one another. Unselfish to -a fault, Gertrude was the one to give way in every question of mere -personal preference; but she never swerved from her adherence to what -she believed would be ‘mother’s’ wish or course of action, and an -appeal from her opinion to aunt or nurse was rare indeed. - -Such were some of my dreams of these little ones that Saturday morning. -Luncheon-time came, and passed, without a sign; and so restless and -idle had I been all morning, owing to the absurd interest I had taken -in the non-appearance of my little friends, that, contrary to my usual -custom, I was obliged to forego my half-holiday and settle to work -again. Suddenly, glancing from my book for the thousandth time that -day, I spied the little trio approaching. They looked less grave than -usual, and were manifestly preoccupied, as I judged from the frequent -glances cast by one and all towards the entrance-gate, at the far -corner of the square. At last the cause became evident. The gate swung -open, and an elderly gentleman in deep mourning came hastily into the -garden. He was quickly perceived; and with a glad cry of ‘Father!’ all -three children scampered off to meet him. ‘Father’s’ half-holiday was -clearly the event of the week for his little motherless girls; and for -the first time since I had seen her, the sad cloud passed from Gertie’s -eyes, and for a few hours was lost in the light of unalloyed happiness. -Under ‘father’s’ generalship they played merry childish games, laughing -and romping as I had never yet deemed it possible they could laugh or -romp; and when the delicate little Ethel grew weary and could play -no longer, there was a knee for each of the younger pets, and a seat -at her father’s side for Gertrude, while it was evident that he was -spinning yarns and racking his brains for fairy tales, each of which -was rewarded with unanimous applause, and reiterated calls upon the -narrator’s memory or invention. So passed the happy holiday afternoon, -a peaceful idyll in the great prose volume of London life; and when at -length the father rose from his seat, and, with a tiny hand in each of -his, moved slowly homewards, I felt as if the colour had faded out of -the summer evening, and the workaday clouds had begun to close in upon -me again. - -So the July days glided by, bringing no greater change into the lives -of my three little maidens than the regular alternations of grave -morning walks and gay Saturday afternoon romps. They seemed shy of -making friends among their light-hearted young neighbours; and the -other children appeared to be awed and checked in their advances by the -sombre crape and sedate looks of the new-comers. Now and then, a timid -overture was made, generally to Edith, the second of the trio, whose -dimpled cheeks looked more suggestive of successful negotiation than -her sisters’ demure faces; but such attempts were rare, and as a rule, -my own unsuspected interest was the only notice taken of their doings, -and they were left unmolested in the pursuit of their quiet routine. - -By-and-by my vacation-time arrived, and I left the heat and bustle -of London for a country rest. On my return, the days had shortened -perceptibly, the sun was shorn of half his brightness, the garden -trees were shedding their leaves, and autumn fogs and winter frosts -were approaching apace. There, as usual, on the first morning after -my return to work, were the little ladies. But there were no longer -quiet hours of basking in sunshine on the seats, and much of the sober -confabulation seemed to have taken wing with the flight of their summer -surroundings. Time was acting its usual part as the disperser of clouds -and lightener of hearts. ‘Mother’ had become less a recent reality than -a sweet occasional memory, and the young blood of the younger sisters -called for more active exercise than the grave promenade that had -sufficed previously. - -But as autumn faded into winter, and the London sky donned its -accustomed leaden-hued uniform, the fireside usurped the attractions of -the window-seat, and but for an occasional glimpse, accidentally caught -as I passed the window, I lost sight of my little triad of maidens. - - * * * * * - -The spring of 187- was unusually late in making its appearance. The -sun sullenly refused to pierce the shroud of fog and mist; the buds -seemed reluctant to shed their outer coats, and unfold their tender -greenery to the dangers of frost and blighting east wind. The grass -was still discoloured and sodden in our garden, and the costermonger -appeared to have forgotten his customers in our square, so tardy was -he in making the welkin ring with his hoarse vindication of his wares, -‘All a-blowin’ and a-growin’.’ Though the almanac stoutly averred that -we had entered upon the ‘merrie month of May,’ a fire was still an -absolute essential for comfort, and I hesitated long before wheeling -my writing-table to the window and taking up my fine-weather quarters. -However, the move was at length made; and the first group that met -my eyes, as they wandered from my work to the outer world, was the -now familiar one of the ‘serious family.’ But they were no longer -alone; with them walked a middle-aged lady, of precise and dignified -aspect, whom it required but slight knowledge of female human nature to -identify as a governess. The little ones too were changed. Gertie and -Edith had grown apace. The former, prettier and even more demure than -of yore, had shot up into a tall slip of a girl, giving promise of -graceful figure and carriage, though as yet showing the angularity and -awkwardness of too rapid growth. Edith was more roguish-looking, and -a trifle less roundabout than before, and had clearly a fine fund of -animal spirits, longing for a chance of making their escape. But Ethel! -Alas! more plainly than ever were the sure signs of delicacy noticeable -in the sweet wee face and unnaturally deep-set eyes. She had lost -rather than gained ground during the long severe winter. The effort -to take part even in her sisters’ quiet sports was clearly beyond -her strength, and it was sad indeed to catch the patient, hopeless -expression with which she urged her weariness, as a plea for resisting -Edith’s thoughtless, childish allurements. - -Before long, I noticed that she had given up the attempt to join the -play; and Edith herself was forced to recognise her plea, and to find -allies in her romps among the other small-fry in the gardens, with many -of whom she had now struck up acquaintance. Presently, even the daily -walk grew to be too much for the feeble little frame, and a miniature -carriage was devised, in which, tended constantly and lovingly by -her eldest sister, she spent her outdoor hours. Many a long silent -morning did she while away under the trees, the baby on her lap, and -the sweet child-voice of her devoted sister reading to her, or telling -her stories, with unwearying patience. Many a time have I paused in my -work to watch the sad drama of pure unselfish love. Many a Saturday -afternoon have I spent at my window, unable to turn away from the -simple yet solemn scene, enacted in that commonplace London square, to -seek pleasure and distraction among the busy haunts of river-side or -park. - -Those Saturday half-holidays were no longer joyous festivals for the -father and children. His coming was as regular, and as eagerly looked -for, as ever; but now there was no glad rush to meet him at the gate, -no merry romps, in which he was the youngest child among the group. -He saw, all too clearly, and Gertrude too had long since recognised, -the inevitable parting that was slowly but surely approaching, and -the tender devotion of both parent and sister was touching indeed to -witness. Again a little while, and the bright summer sun, falling on -the garden and its merry groups of children, kissed the little pale -cheek no more. I could see the sudden pause in game and romp, when the -two sisters appeared as usual for their morning walk. I could see the -players hasten to their side, and could imagine the eager inquiries for -the little invalid, the looks and words of childish sympathy offered -with heartfelt though transient earnestness, before they turned away -to resume their games, claiming Edith as a playmate, and leaving poor -Gertie alone with her sad thoughts. Till at length the day came when -inquiry was vain. The blinds were drawn close in the house across the -square; the accustomed walk in the garden was omitted; for the little -sister’s pure innocent spirit had passed away into eternal peace; and -ere yet the mourning-frocks worn for their mother were laid aside, baby -Ethel had gone to join her in the better home, and Gertrude had another -sweet memory to treasure up in her young heart, another heavy grief to -add intensity to the pathos of her soft brown eyes. - -Many months passed without my catching more than a passing glimpse of -the young mourners. The garden had too many associations with the past -to be any longer the scene of Edith’s romps or Gertrude’s daily walks; -and it was only when I happened by accident to meet the children in the -street, or to get a distant peep at them in the gardens of the Temple, -now their chosen resort, that I could judge of my favourite’s recovery -of her spirits, or admire the delicate beauty which grew with her -growth. She was fulfilling the promise of her childhood, and ripening -into a quiet pensive style of beauty, forming a more marked contrast -than ever to the vivacious younger sister, whose chatter and merry -laugh rippled through the cloistered precincts of the Temple, and drew -many a backward glance from the blue-bag laden lads passing through -these quiet courts. Then came a long break in my connection with our -square. Duty called me from England for a spell of some years, and on -my return to the familiar scenes, I found it impossible to take up the -old threads of association, and to recognise, in the grown youths and -maidens who played lawn-tennis in the well-known garden, the little -ones whom I had seen playing under care of nurses and governesses on -those grass plots in my student days. I was forced to form a new circle -of acquaintances-by-sight, among another generation of children, and I -looked in vain for any among the gay tennis-players to remind me of the -sombre-clad sisters, in whose childish joys and sorrows I had learned -to feel so deep an interest. - -Not long after my return to England, I was present, one summer night, -at a large party given by a neighbour of ours in the square. It was -a sultry evening, and the gas-lighted drawing-room, stripped of its -furniture, and given up to such indefatigable dancers as will not be -daunted by a thermometer standing at fabulous figures in the shade, -had no attraction for a lazy non-dancer like myself. I therefore -strayed, shortly after midnight, into the cooler atmosphere of an -anteroom, where card-tables were set out, and a few of the quieter -sort were enjoying a rubber within hearing-distance of the music. One -of the players rose from his seat as I entered, and moved towards the -folding-doors which opened into the drawing-room. There he stood for a -moment or two watching the waltz, and then beckoned to some one among -the dancers. From my quiet corner I saw a young couple approach in -answer to his sign, and a happy, ringing voice entreated for one more -dance. - -‘I have promised it to Gerald, father, and he will be so disappointed -if I go before he has had it. Just this one more, and I will come.’ - -‘Very well, dear,’ he replied. ‘But then we must really be going. -Remember, you will have a tiring day to-morrow.’ - -‘It is because of to-morrow that I don’t want to disappoint Gerald -to-night,’ she answered, smiling to her partner. ‘He won’t care to -waltz with me after to-morrow.’ Gerald did not look as if he indorsed -this statement, which was made with a pretty affectation of despair; -and the couple were just turning to the dancing-room again, when the -gentleman she had addressed as ‘father’ asked: ‘Where is Gertrude?’ - -‘She was with Mrs Gaythorn a few minutes ago,’ replied the girl.—‘Oh! -here she comes.’ - -I glanced at the approaching figure, and instantly recognised my -favourite of days gone by. She had fully realised all my expectations -of her. Tall, graceful, beautifully moulded in face and figure, -there was all the old pensiveness and the sweet half-melancholy of -expression; and as she met my gaze, standing in her white cloud-like -draperies in the shadow of the doorway, I could see at once that -she was utterly unconscious of her loveliness, and unspoiled by the -admiration it must win. I could not, even at the risk of appearing -impertinent, resist the pleasure of studying her beauty and noting the -grace of every movement and gesture. Fortunately, the corner in which -I had ensconced myself was shaded, and my admiration passed unnoticed -and unrebuked. I watched her as she courteously but decidedly declined -the invitations of two or three eager candidates for the dance; and -when at last the waltz was over, and the pretty girl I had before -noticed came back, leaning on her partner’s arm, and showing me in her -_riante_ features a dim resemblance to the merry little Edith of my -earlier recollections, I followed the party down-stairs. Then having -seen them don their wraps and start two and two, Gertrude with her -father, and Edith with the happy Gerald, to walk round to their own -side of the square, I took my hat and strolled home, my mind full of -the sad memories of the old days when I used to watch the little trio -of serious faces from my study window. - -The following morning broke with a cloudless sky and brilliant -sunshine, even in our gloomy old-fashioned quarter of London. I was -taking a half-holiday that day; but feeling disinclined for exertion, -I contented myself with a volume of Thackeray and a seat under the -plane-trees in the square garden, where the sparrows were twittering -with a specious make-believe of being in the country. My book lay -neglected at my side, and my thoughts were wandering again to the past, -prompted by my _rencontre_ of the previous night. Half curiously, I -turned from the contemplation of the groups of youngsters playing on -the grass, to look up at the windows of the house in which my little -friends had lived. A carriage and a cab stood at the door; and even -as I looked, the door itself was opened, and a procession of trunks -and bonnet-boxes was carried down the steps and deposited on the roof -of the cab. Among the luggage was an unquestionably male portmanteau; -and it needed not the white rosettes worn by the servants to suggest -to me the meaning of these preparations. The despairing glance and -mock-mournful suggestion that ‘Gerald will not care to waltz with -me after to-morrow,’ recurred to my mind, confirming my conclusion. -Five minutes more and the doorway was filled with a group of host and -guests bidding farewell to the happy couple. Edith—the brightness of -her eyes slightly dimmed as she clung to her father and sister in a -last embrace—forced a glad smile through her tears as she turned to -her young husband. Together they passed down the steps and entered the -waiting carriage. A parting cheer, a shower of rice and satin shoes, a -rattle of wheels upon the stony street, and in a moment the carriage -turned the corner of the square and disappeared from sight. Gertrude, -who with her father and one or two of their guests had remained at the -foot of the steps, to see the last glimpse of her sister, now turned -to re-enter the house. But before they passed out of earshot, I heard -one of the elder gentlemen exclaim, in a tone of banter: ‘Well, Miss -Gertrude, I suppose it won’t be long before we see some fine young -fellow coming to carry you off; and then, what will your poor father do -without his housekeeper?’ - -Gertrude turned at the words, and met her father’s eyes with an -expression of true, lasting, unselfish affection, which disposed of -any need for answering this question. There was no misconstruing its -meaning, no room to doubt its changeless truth. Her father took the -hand she had slipped into his own, and pressed it closely, without -speaking a word. So they moved slowly up the steps and into the house. -The door closed; and the picture of sweet unspoken confidence passed -from my eyes, to be engraved indelibly on my memory, the closing scene -of the simple drama of everyday life, of which I had so long been an -unknown and unsuspected witness. - - - - -AN INTERESTING ISLAND. - - -There are few subjects of more general interest to the inhabitants of -this country than agriculture, in one form or another. To those who -earn their bread by tilling the soil, it is of the first importance; -to those who do not, it is of importance as indirectly affecting -their material prosperity. But apart from the question of pecuniary -interest, there is an inborn love of agricultural pursuits, which is -a national characteristic. In some few privileged persons the taste -shows itself so strongly as to lead them to indulge in farming for -pleasure. Others, whose time and means will not allow of this, it leads -to employ much of their leisure time in gardening. Many are obliged to -confine its indulgence to tending a few flowers in pots. They are very -few indeed who feel no interest whatever in the subject. The trait has -shown itself more or less in all the greatest races that have swayed -the destiny of the world. The haughty Roman dictator who yesterday -was omnipotent, is content to-day to return humbly to his farm, and -exercise his authority not over a nation, but over a team of oxen. - -A peculiarly interesting example of the splendid results which have -been brought about by this national taste is presented by the island -of Ascension, which has been transformed from a comparatively barren -rock, exposed to the most terrific and damaging winds, producing scarce -enough of the coarsest vegetation to afford a meagre sustenance to a -few wild goats, into a pleasant and fertile island, amply supporting in -comfort and luxury a very considerable population. This change it took -some time and considerable trouble to effect; but before indicating how -it was brought about, a short history and description of the island -itself may not be out of place. - -The island owes its name to having been discovered on Ascension Day in -the year 1501, by the Portuguese navigator Juan de Nova Gallego. Two -years later it was visited by Alfonzo d’Albuquerque; and from time to -time other navigators landed, among them Captain Cook. Such was its -dreary aspect, however, that no one was induced to settle on it. But -‘Jack’ has always been famous for his ingenuity, and even here it did -not fail him. In the north-west part of the island, which affords the -best anchorage for ships, there is a small inlet called Sandy Bay. One -of the rocks near the landing-place contains a very curious crevice. -This was soon christened ‘The Sailors’ Post-office;’ and it became an -established custom to leave letters there, well corked up in a bottle, -which were always taken to their respective destinations by the first -ship bound thither which happened to call. This seems to have been -the sole use made of the island till the year 1815, when it was taken -possession of by the English, who erected a fort and placed a garrison -on it soon after the banishment of Napoleon to St Helena. - -Ascension is situated far out in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of -Africa, and eight hundred miles north-west of St Helena. It is of a -triangular shape, eight miles long, and six broad at its widest part, -with an area of thirty-four square miles. It is one of the peaks of the -submarine ridge which separates the northern and southern basins of the -Atlantic. Its volcanic origin is clearly shown by the numerous crevices -and ravines into which its surface is broken, and which are filled -with scoria, pumice-stone, and other igneous products. The highest -peak, called the Green Mountain, rises to a height of two thousand -eight hundred and seventy feet. From this the land, on the north, sinks -gradually towards the shore; but on the south it terminates in bold -lofty precipices. Communication with the shore is frequently rendered -dangerous by the setting in of heavy seas or rollers, which rise -suddenly in the most perfect calm, and break with tremendous force on -the beach. The cause of this phenomenon is unknown. Only such plants -as required very little water were to be found. Of these, the tomato, -castor-oil plant, pepper, and Cape gooseberry were the chief. It was -always famed for its turtles, which abound to such an extent that as -many as two thousand five hundred have been captured in one year. -They are now usually collected into two ponds or crawls, the water of -which is occasionally changed. They can be obtained only by purchase, -any one taking them on the beach or near the island being liable to a -heavy penalty. Fish abound, of which the conger-eel is the most prized. -Another indigenous delicacy is the egg of the tropical swallow, or -‘wide-awake’ as it is called on the island. They are largely used as -an article of food, ten thousand dozen being frequently gathered in a -week. In addition to the goats referred to above, the only other useful -product was the wild guinea-fowl, which were found in considerable -numbers. - -Napoleon’s presence, even as a prisoner, in the island of St Helena -determined the English government to place a garrison on Ascension. -This was in 1815; and for years that garrison was entirely supported on -food and water brought there at great expense by ships. The death of -the illustrious prisoner in 1821 did away with the immediate necessity -for keeping a garrison there; but the Admiralty were anxious if -possible to turn the island into a victualling station for the African -squadron. To ascertain the practicability of this plan, they appointed -Captain Brandreth, in 1829, to make a thorough survey, and use every -effort to discover water. We can imagine him diligently examining every -portion of the barren and uninviting rock, long discouraged by want of -success. With indefatigable zeal, he and his willing workers sank shaft -after shaft in the hope of discovering a spring, however far down. His -strong belief that one did exist was at length justified. In the Green -Mountain, at a great level from the sea, he found one at a depth of -twenty-five feet which proved to be capable of supplying all the wants -of the island. Large tanks were at once made and piping laid to the -garrison. - -Having now an abundance of water, the most vigorous efforts were put -forth to bring some of the land under cultivation. The most promising -parts of the Green Mountain were first planted; and sheltered spots -in other parts of the island were chosen, and the ground broken up -and irrigated. Recourse was even had to excavating in the side of the -mountain, in order to gain the desired shelter. The government did -all in their power to insure the success of these attempts. They sent -out a trained head-gardener from the Kew Gardens, who took the utmost -interest in his work. Great progress was made with the planting of -young trees, shrubs, furze, grasses, and hardy plants. The Australian -wattle was perhaps the most successful. Holes four feet wide and three -deep were prepared, in which it was planted in layers. The hardiness -and rapid growth of these may be seen from the fact, that in twelve -months they reached an average of between six and seven feet in -height. Among the grasses early tried was one kind known by the name -of ‘Para,’ a case of which was sent out by Sir William Hooker, of the -Royal Gardens, Kew, who always took great interest in the cultivation -of Ascension. This grass succeeded admirably, increasing in the most -astounding manner, and growing down all weeds and inferior grasses. -In 1861, Captain Bernard was appointed governor of the island, and by -that time the most thankless part of the task of bringing Ascension -into cultivation had been accomplished. He displayed, however, the full -zeal of his predecessors; and with the able assistance of Mr Bell, the -head-gardener, accomplished wonders in the next few years. A scarcity -of manure was one great drawback. This was supplied by using the guano -which was found in large quantities on Boatswain Bird Island, a small -rock that lies off the west coast of Ascension. This is now largely -supplemented by the manure supplied by the cattle, the island being -able to support a large number without any imported food. The rapidity -with which sheep fatten on the grass is very satisfactory, nearly -doubling their weight in three months after importation. - -The island is by no means free from vermin. The horses and cattle -suffer greatly from a fly, in appearance like the house-fly, but -which bites venomously, and causes intense irritation. The ‘black -grub,’ as it is called there, effects great devastation at times among -the plants, and as yet no practical remedy has been found for its -ravages. The next destructive enemy is the field-rat, which attacks -the root-crops, and feeds principally on the sweet-potato. Land-crabs, -too, exist in very large numbers, and add to the destruction. Another -animal, the wild-cat, proves itself an enemy, as it lives on the -rabbits, and is useless as a vermin destroyer. A determined war is -being waged against all these tormentors, a regular system of trapping -having been set on foot. In one year, fifty-three cats, seven thousand -four hundred rats, and eighty-five thousand one hundred and fifty -land-crabs, were destroyed. The thorough cultivation of the ground is -also being furthered by the introduction of rooks, minhas, and other -birds that help the farmer. With all these drawbacks, the island has -been brought step by step from its original barrenness to such a -pleasing condition, that we now have over thirty-one acres under actual -cultivation, producing among other things, sweet and English potatoes, -cabbage, carrots, pumpkins, and turnips; pine-apples, bananas, endive, -French beans, leeks, herbs, seedling date-palm, and coffee; sugar-cane, -guavas, oranges, shaddocks, fig bushes, mulberries, and cuttings of -shrubs. There is good pasturage one thousand acres in extent for -cattle, and five thousand acres for sheep, supporting easily over forty -head of cattle and between seven and eight hundred sheep. Parts of -the island are now well wooded, and about forty acres are laid out in -fruit-trees and shrubbery. Few brighter monuments could be pointed out -of the success sure to attend the enterprise and unyielding zeal of a -nation when well and wisely directed. - - - - -THE MONTH: - -SCIENCE AND ARTS. - - -Mr Petrie’s excavations in Upper Egypt, to which we briefly alluded -last month, have already made considerable progress, and no fewer than -one hundred and forty labourers are busily at work upon them. To some -extent, the discoveries made possess that peculiar interest which -attaches to the excavations at Pompeii, for they bear witness to the -home-life of a people that lived many centuries ago. Thus, the walls -of the now exhumed temple have had built upon them at a remote period -various private dwellings. In one of these, apparently lived an artist, -who possibly was engaged upon the decoration of the temple itself; -his sketch-book and eraser—represented by a slab of fine limestone -and a piece of black emery—have been found. The limestone is ruled -in squares, just in the same way that a modern artist will rule his -paper preparatory to making a drawing ‘to scale.’ Other houses seem to -have been used as workshops for a Company of jewellers, for chips of -carnelian, lapis-lazuli, and other valued stones have been found there, -together with waste metal from copper working. A box filled with rolls -of burned papyri, upon which, however, the writing is still legible, -is considered one of the most important finds. Mr Petrie is careful to -examine every block of stone and every brick in search of inscriptions. -Every inscription so found is carefully copied, and every other object -of interest is photographed. The work is evidently being carried on -with both energy and skill. - -Another important archæological discovery has been made also in Upper -Egypt by Professor Maspero, who has found between Assiout and Thebes -the hitherto unsuspected site of a vast necropolis. Five catacombs have -been already opened, and have yielded one hundred and twenty mummies; -and Professor Maspero in a cursory manner has fixed the positions of -more than one hundred of such sepulchres. We may therefore conclude -that some thousands of embalmed bodies lie in this old cemetery, many -of them probably of historical interest. In addition to the mummies, -there will also be many treasures, in the shape of papyri, &c., which -experience has taught us to look for. It seems to be something more -than a fortunate accident that so many ancient peoples were moved to -bury with their dead, relics connected with the arts or pursuits of the -deceased. - -A Canadian correspondent of _Nature_ gives a curious and interesting -account of a phenomenon often to be seen on Lake Ontario during the -prevalence of cold and stormy weather, such as the past season has -afforded. ‘Ice volcanoes,’ as they are aptly named, are formed by an -uneven strip of ice accumulating along the shore, on which appear -mounds twenty or thirty feet in height. Many of these mounds are -conical in form, and often have a crater-like opening, communicating -with the water beneath. In stormy weather, every wave dashes spray and -fragments of ice through this opening, which congeal upon the sides of -the cone and add to its height; just in the same way that the fragments -of pumice and other material ejected from a fiery volcano gradually -build it up into a mountain. But the ice volcano soon becomes extinct, -for the crater is gradually clogged up with ice, and the irruption can -no longer find a vent. - -M. Trouvelet, who for the last nine years has been engaged in studying -and mapping the configuration of the planet Mars, which, although not -our nearest neighbour in the solar system, is that most conveniently -situated for telescopic observation, has just presented a Report of -his labours to the French Academy of Sciences. Sir W. Herschel long -ago discovered that the polar patches of white on Mars increased and -decreased in size in the winter and summer seasons of the planet, in -the same manner as is experienced in the like regions of our own earth. -Other observers have also mapped out the distant orb into regions of -supposed land and sea, sometimes obscured by belts of cloud; moreover, -the spectroscope has revealed to us, in its own wonderful way, the -undoubted presence of water upon the planet. What are believed to -be the continents of Mars are covered with faint grayish spots; and -as these spots change their form and volume with the changes of the -Martial seasons, M. Trouvelet supposes them to represent masses of -vegetation which grow and die under the same solar influences which -affect our own globe. Every contribution towards our knowledge of -distant worlds—many of them proved to be so much greater than our own -globe—must always have a fascinating interest for us. - -The ingenious individual who lately accounted for the possession of -a suspicious amount of dynamite by the statement that he used it as -a remedy for chapped hands, may be congratulated upon pointing out a -legitimate use for that commodity, although we trust that the majority -of sufferers from injured cuticle will be content with glycerine in an -uncombined form. Hitherto, almost the only legally recognised use for -the explosive has been for mining operations, and without doubt it has -in this connection been of immense service. Attempts to use dynamite -for firearms or artillery have hitherto failed because the explosive -action is so rapid that the strongest barrel is shattered. Indeed, -dynamite was employed by our naval brigade at the late bombardment -of Alexandria for destroying the guns of a deserted fort. For such -purposes, and for torpedo warfare, dynamite is invaluable; but hitherto -it has been found impossible to use it in gunnery. An entirely new form -of weapon has, however, recently been tried with success in the United -States, in which dynamite, although not representing the propelling -force, plays an important part. The new form of gun consists of a tube -forty feet in length, made rigid by being fixed to a steel girder. By -means of compressed air, a dart-like projectile charged with dynamite -is propelled with great force from the tube. The weapon already tried -has only a two-inch bore; but with an air-pressure of four hundred -and twenty pounds on the square inch, a range of a mile and a quarter -is attained. With the four and six inch weapons now in course of -construction, it is believed that, with increased pressure, a range of -three miles will be possible. The guns can be cheaply made, and are -free from smoke or noise; while their destructive power must be far -greater than those heavy guns whose shells can only be charged with -gunpowder. - -In our own navy, a new form of machine-gun will be probably supplied -to the various ships, more especially for boat-service. For some time -the Nordenfelt gun has been a service-fitting; but it is now proposed -to introduce a Nordenfelt of larger calibre, which will fire explosive -shells instead of solid bullets. From recent experiments at Portsmouth, -the new weapon seems to be wonderfully efficient. For instance, a -gun firing a shell weighing only two pounds was able to send its -projectile through a solid steel plate two inches thick at a range of -three hundred yards. It was shown, too, that a far larger Nordenfelt, -a six-pounder, could be fired from a boat without straining it. These -destructive weapons can be fired so rapidly as to deliver from eighteen -to twenty-five shots per minute. - -The _Telegraphist_ newspaper publishes an account of what must be -regarded as a truly marvellous triumph of electrical communication, -before which Puck’s proposal to ‘put a girdle round the earth in forty -minutes’ seems to be quite a second-rate achievement. A correspondent -of the paper in question visited the office of the Indo-European -Telegraph Company by invitation, in order to note how good signalling -could be maintained over thousands of miles of wire. First, a few words -of conversation were exchanged with the telegraphist of a German town. -The wire was next connected with Odessa, and next with the Persian -capital (Teheran). In a few more minutes the experimenters in London -were talking with the clerk in charge at Kurrachee; next they had a -chat with a gentleman at Agra; and as a final triumph of science, the -line was made direct between London and Calcutta, a distance of seven -thousand miles. It is said that the signals were excellent, and the -speed attained about thirteen words per minute. - -In a recent lecture upon gas-lighting, Mr Thomas Fletcher pointed out -that blackened ceilings and darkened picture-frames are not due to -smoke from the gas-burners, but are caused by floating particles of -dust being caught in the flame and thrown against the ceiling. It is -easily proved, by holding a glass tumbler for a few seconds over a -flame, that water is one of the products of combustion of gas. This -water condenses upon a cold ceiling when the gas in a room is first -lighted, so that the burnt particles of dust readily adhere to the flat -surface. The servant who lights the gas on a dark morning before she -proceeds to sweep and dust the room does practically all the smoking of -the ceiling that takes place. - -That unfortunate commercial experiment, but marvellous triumph of -engineering skill, the _Great Eastern_ steamship, will shortly proceed -to Gibraltar to take up her position in the harbour as a coal-hulk. -The gigantic paddles with their engines will be removed, leaving the -screw propeller only to carry the ship to her last berth. The Admiralty -authorities look with much favour upon the scheme, for the immense ship -will supersede a number of small coal-hulks which now encumber the -harbour, and are a source of much inconvenience to other vessels. We -are glad that a use has been found for the unwieldy vessel, whose only -serviceable work has been as the layer of the first Atlantic cables. -She was far too big to be profitably worked, and has for many years -been lying idle. Her new vocation, although of a lowly kind, is at -anyrate better than pauperism. - -A new motor, called a ‘Triple Thermic Motor,’ has, it is said, -been in use in New York for the past seven months driving a sixty -horse-power engine. Heat is generated by a fifteen horse-power boiler, -and the steam thus raised is carried to a receptacle containing -carbon disulphide, which passes into vapour at one hundred and -eighteen degrees Fahrenheit. An engineer, in reporting upon this -new contrivance, says that the fifteen horse-power boiler with very -little fire under it generates steam, which operates the motor, which -in turn runs the sixty horse-power engine. These seem to be all the -particulars published; and it would be interesting to have details of -the motor, if it be really as successful as reported. There are one or -two difficulties to surmount in the employment of carbon disulphide. -It has a most disagreeable and penetrating odour; its vapour is highly -inflammable; and lastly, it is by no means cheap. - -Some interesting particulars of the American lead-pencil trade have -recently been published. With the improved machinery now in use, it -is possible for ten men to turn out four thousand pencils a day. The -cedar comes from Florida in slabs cut to pencil-length. Four parallel -grooves are sawn in each little slab, each groove being destined to -hold the lead, or rather graphite. The so-called leads are kept in hot -glue, and after being inserted in the grooves, are covered over with -a thin slab of cedar, also glued; then the whole is passed through a -moulding-machine, and comes out at the other side in the form of four -finished pencils. The graphite is mixed with a variable amount of white -clay—the greater the proportion of clay the harder the pencil—and is -ground with moisture into a paste. The paste is pressed into dies, and -is baked at a high temperature. - -The recent outbreak of smallpox in London reminds us that we have -not yet succeeded in stamping out this loathsome disease, although -the practice of vaccination has checked it to a wonderful extent. -Anti-vaccination agitators are very fond of pointing to the -circumstance that many persons who have been apparently successfully -vaccinated in childhood are in after-years attacked with smallpox. -This is perfectly true; and statistics are available which show that -in the years between 1871 and 1881 nearly eighteen thousand such -cases were treated in the London hospitals. But the popular agitator -abstains from pointing out that in ninety per cent. of these cases the -sufferers were above ten years of age. These figures prove, in fact, -what has been long ago acknowledged, that vaccination does not afford -permanent protection. When a child reaches adult age, revaccination -should take place. In our smallpox hospitals, the nurses and attendants -enjoy complete immunity from infection by taking care to adopt this -precaution; and all persons, for the general good of the community at -large, would do well to submit to the trifling inconvenience which the -operation entails. - -The Isthmus of Corinth Canal, a scheme which was promoted originally so -far back as the time of the emperor Nero, is now almost an accomplished -fact. The dredging operations at the approaches to the canal proceed -very rapidly, for about five thousand cubic metres of soil and sand are -removed every twenty-four hours. There are large numbers of workmen -employed also on the central portions of the channel, and they have the -help of railway and plant for the conveyance of material. A new town, -called Isthmia, has sprung into being, and it contains some two hundred -houses and stores. - -‘The Rivers Congo and Niger viewed as Entrances for the Introduction -of Civilisation into Mid-Africa,’ was the title of a paper lately read -before the Society of Arts by Mr R. Capper, Lloyd’s agent for the -district of the Congo. The lecturer stated that within the past five -years, the western African trade has quadrupled in value. Twelve years -ago there were but four English houses, one French, and one Dutch, -trading up the Congo. There are now upon the river’s banks forty-nine -European factories, and the imports and exports are valued at two -millions sterling. Mr Capper pointed out that the great value of these -rivers lies in the possibility of connecting them with future railways. -Such railways could be easily laid, for the interior of Africa is one -vast tableland. A railway across the Desert of Sahara would turn a -perilous journey of four months into one of twenty-four hours. By such -means the interior slave-trade would be annihilated. - -Boring in the earth for water is an operation often attended by great -uncertainty. Some few years ago in the heart of London a firm of -brewers bored to a depth of several hundred yards without tapping the -precious fluid, and the expensive well had to be abandoned. Quite -recently, at Burton-on-Trent a similar failure occurred upon a far -smaller scale. When the operators had pierced to a depth of one hundred -and seventy-six feet without finding water, they called in the advice -of some experienced artesian-well engineers, who recommended the -abandonment of the works, and the commencement of a fresh bore upon a -site which they selected two hundred yards away. At a depth of only -one hundred and fourteen feet, a copious supply of water was found, -yielding, in fact, between five and six thousand gallons per hour. It -is remarkable that the sites of both bores were at the same level. - - - - -OCCASIONAL NOTES. - - -THE RECENT EARTHQUAKE IN ENGLAND. - -During the past few years, there have been recorded, unhappily, an -unusual number of earthquakes in various parts of the world; and many -thousands of lives have been lost by those terrible convulsions of -nature. Inhabitants of Britain, although constant in their complaints -of fog, inclement seasons, and other meteorological inconveniences, -have hitherto congratulated themselves upon living in a country which -is exempt from volcanic phenomena, and in which earthquakes seemed to -be things of a past era. These comfortable reflections were suddenly -dispelled on the morning of the 22d of April, when over a large tract -of country in Southern England a shock of great severity occurred. -In the town of Colchester, and many villages eastward of it, the -destruction of houses was very great. Many were entirely unroofed; and -in some villages, as the writer can testify from personal observation, -it was the exception to note a dwelling in which the chimney-stacks -had not been demolished. Providentially, no lives were lost, although -several narrow escapes have been recorded. The damage is estimated to -amount to several thousand pounds, and unfortunately the sufferers are -as a rule very poor cottagers, who are unable to bear the expense of -the necessary repairs. For their relief, a subscription has been set on -foot under the auspices of the Lord Mayor, and there is little doubt -that sufficient money will be readily forthcoming for their needs. - -The occurrence of such a rare phenomenon in the British Isles—not -quite so rare, by the way, as some people imagine, for nearly three -hundred shocks have been actually recorded—has caused an immense -amount of earthquake lore to be unearthed and published in the various -newspapers. From _Iron_ we have an interesting account of the way in -which luminous paint is utilised in connection with earthquake alarms -in countries where such visitations are prevalent. We are informed that -large consignments of the paint are sent to such places, and that the -material is employed in the following manner. Small metallic plates -covered with the paint are fixed on the doorposts of the different -rooms, so that at the first alarm—and happily there is often a -premonitory warning of something more serious to follow—the inmates of -the houses can readily find their way outside. In Manila, the paint is -laid in patches about the staircases, door-handles, and various points -of egress. A light which gives off neither fire nor heat is of the -greatest value in such situations, where any other form of light would -be apt to add its quota of disaster to the dangers to life, already too -prominent. - - -IMPROVED ELECTRIC LIGHTING FOR SHIPS. - -Mr J. D. F. Andrews, Woodside Electric Works, Glasgow, has lighted with -electricity, after a new fashion, the North German Lloyd S.S. _Ems_. -The system, which includes over three hundred and twenty incandescent -lamps and a masthead arc lamp, presents some features of a novel and -important character. In the case of the small lights, Swan’s lamps and -Siemen’s machines are employed. The wires are all completely hidden, -but they are nevertheless arranged in such a way that they can be -easily reached when necessary. For these lamps there is provided a -new style of holder, which is at once simple and efficient. Each lamp -has its own switch, which is entirely of metal; and it is provided -with a lead-wire, which fuses in the event of the current being too -strong. In the case of every set of about twenty lamps there is another -switch, so that the lights can be turned on and off in groups as well -as individually; and another lead-wire, so that the leading wires may -be protected from too strong a current. The whole system is such as -to preclude the possibility of fire. Duplicate machines are fitted -up to guard against any breakdown, and either of them can be started -or stopped without interfering with the engine which drives them. -The masthead arc lamp, of which Mr Andrews is the inventor, is here -brought into requisition for the first time. It has about five thousand -candle-power concentrated in a single beam of light, that can be moved -in any direction forward of the ship. In construction it is extremely -simple, consisting merely of a cylinder and piston, the former being -an electrical coil of wire. The illuminating power of the lamp is so -great that by means of it an object half a mile away can be clearly -distinguished by the naked eye on a dark night. - - -DUTCH RUSH. - -‘Many years ago,’ says Mr W. Mathieu Williams, in the _Gentleman’s -Magazine_ for March, ‘when the electrotype process was a novelty, I -devoted a considerable amount of time and attention to the reproduction -of medallions and other plaster-casts in copper by electro deposition. -This brought me in contact with many of those worthy and industrious -immigrants from Bagni di Lucca (between Lucca and Pisa), who form -a large section of the Italian colony of Leather Lane and its -surroundings. These Lucchesi are the image-makers and image-sellers, -and general workers in plaster of Paris. Among other useful lessons I -learned from them was the use of the so-called Dutch rushes, which are -the dried stems of one of the most abundant species of the equisetum -(_Equisetum hyemale_) or “horse-tail,” which grows on wet ground in -this country and Holland. It is well known to practical agriculturists -as a tell-tale, indicating want of drainage. - -‘Plaster-casts are made by pouring plaster of Paris, mixed to a creamy -consistence with water, into a mould made of many pieces, which pieces -are again held together in an outer or “case-mould” of two or three -pieces. When the mould is removed piece by piece, fine ridges stand up -on the cast where the plaster has flowed between these pieces. These -ridges are removed by rubbing them obliquely with the surface of the -stem of the dried equisetum. It cuts away the plaster as rapidly as a -file, but without leaving any visible file-marks. The surface left is -much smoother than from fine emery or glass-paper, and the rush does -not clog nearly so fast as the paper. - -‘In order to find the explanation of this, I carefully burned some -small pieces of the equisetum stem, mounted the unbroken ash on -microscope slides with Canada balsam, and examined its structure. This -displayed a flinty cuticle, a scale-armour made up of plates of silica, -each plate interlocking with its neighbours by means of beautifully -regular angular teeth, forming myriads of microscopic saw-blades, which -become loosened from each other and crumpled up in drying, and thus -present their teeth obliquely to the surface. These teeth supply the -image-maker with a file of exquisite fineness, and harder than the -best Sheffield steel. Their comparative freedom from clogging I think -must be due to their loose aggregation while held by the dried and -shrivelled woody tissue of the sub-cuticle. - -‘This natural file is used for other purposes, such as the polishing of -ivory, hard woods, and metal, but is only understood in certain obscure -industrial corners. I here commend it to the attention of my readers, -because I have just discovered a new use for it. Like many others, -I have been occasionally troubled by minute irregularities of the -teeth, lacerating the tongue, and producing small ulcerations, which, -I am told, are dangerous to those who have passed middle age, being -provocative of cancer. A friendly dentist has ground down the offending -projections with his emery-wheel, and thus supplied relief. But in -course of time other sharp angles have stood forth, but so trivial that -I felt ashamed of visiting the torture-chamber for their removal. I -tried emery paper; but it was ineffectual and unpleasant, as the emery -rubbed off. Then I tried the Dutch rush, rubbing its surface crosswise -and obliquely against the offending angles. The success was complete, -both grinding down and smoothing being effected by one and the same -operation.’ - - -LIGHTNING-STROKES IN FRANCE. - -M. Cochery, the French Minister of Posts and Telegraphs, has presented -to the French Academy of Sciences a Report on the lightning-strokes in -France during the last half of 1883. During the month of July there -were no fewer than one hundred and forty-three strokes in France, -thirty of these occurring on the 10th, and thirty-two on the 3d. -Seven men, four women, a young girl, and a child were killed by these -strokes, and over forty persons were injured, including ten men who -were affected by the same flash, which struck a plane-tree in their -neighbourhood. Nine horses were also injured by the flash in question, -which happened at Castres, in the department of Tarn, at 9.15 A.M. on -July 4. The same storm also killed a woman at Castres, three-quarters -of an hour earlier. The total number of animals killed during July was -fifty-seven, including a calf, two horses, three sheep, one goat, one -dog, and one chicken; while fourteen cows, eleven horses, one dog, -and a goose were injured. In general, the strokes were attracted by -poplar-trees, or masts, chimneys, and steeples, as well as elm, oak, -and fir trees. The stems and points of lightning-rods have also been -struck, the latter being fused, and the former heated red-hot. The wire -used to support vines has also drawn the stroke. In the majority of -cases, rain, often abundant, attended the discharge. In August there -were only nine strokes, as compared with one hundred and forty-three in -July; six persons were killed, and two bulls were injured. In September -there were fourteen strokes, killing four persons and six animals, and -injuring ten persons in all. In October there was only one stroke, on -the 16th (4 P.M.), at Castellane, in the Basses-Alpes. In November and -December there are no strokes recorded. - - - - -‘ONLY COUSINS, DON’T YOU SEE?’ - - - Charming cousin, tell me where - Shall I find one half so fair? - Let me, as I taste thy lip, - Swear how sweet is cousinship. - Like a sister? Yes, no doubt; - Still, not sister out and out. - Who that ever had a sister, - Felt his heart beat when he kissed her? - Who by looking ever knew - That his sister’s eyes were blue? - Who in name of all the loves - Bets his sister pairs of gloves? - - Charming cousin, still are you - Sister in a measure too. - We can act as pleases us, - No one thinks it dangerous; - Talk of love or of the weather, - Row or ride or read together, - Wander where we will alone, - Careless of a chaperon. - You may dance with none but me— - ‘Only cousins, don’t you see?’ - Cousins safely may forget - All the laws of etiquette. - - Charming cousin, in your eyes - I can read a faint surprise; - Most bewitchingly they glisten - To my nonsense as they listen; - ‘What can Harry mean to say?’ - You may come to know some day. - Just one word, sweet cousin mine, - Ere we go to dress and dine: - If I ever chance to woo, - Cousin, she must be like you, - And the one who comes the nearest - To yourself will be the dearest; - Type of what my love must be, - Cousin, what if you are she? - - J. WILLIAMS. - - * * * * * - -The Conductor of CHAMBERS’S JOURNAL begs to direct the attention of -CONTRIBUTORS to the following notice: - -_1st._ All communications should be addressed to the ‘Editor, 339 - High Street, Edinburgh.’ - -_2d._ For its return in case of ineligibility, postage-stamps - should accompany every manuscript. - -_3d._ MANUSCRIPTS should bear the author’s full _Christian_ name, - Surname, and Address, legibly written; and should be written on - white (not blue) paper, and on one side of the leaf only. - -_4th._ Offerings of Verse should invariably be accompanied by a - stamped and directed envelope. - -_If the above rules are complied with, the Editor will do his best to -insure the safe return of ineligible papers._ - - * * * * * - -Printed and Published by W. & R. 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