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diff --git a/old/66175-0.txt b/old/66175-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index cea82c1..0000000 --- a/old/66175-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2139 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, -Science, and Art, Fifth Series, No. 36, Vol. I, September 6, 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. 36, Vol. I, September 6, 1884 - -Author: Various - -Release Date: August 30, 2021 [eBook #66175] - -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. 36, VOL. I, SEPTEMBER 6, -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. 36.—VOL. I. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1884. PRICE 1½_d._] - - - - -‘GRAND DAY.’ - - -To the majority of people, the surroundings of the legal profession, -to say nothing of the law itself, are subjects fraught with no -inconsiderable amount of the mysterious. For instance, what a variety -of conceptions have been formed by the uninitiated with respect to -one ceremony alone connected with the ‘upper branch’ of the legal -profession; we mean that known as ‘Call to the Bar.’ The very -expression itself has often proved a puzzle to the lay outsider, and -perhaps not unnaturally, because there can be no doubt that it is -one of those out-of-the-way phrases the signification of which sets -anything like mere conjecture on that point at defiance. There is a -hazy notion abroad that ‘Call to the Bar’ involves proceedings of a -somewhat imposing character, especially as there is just a smack of the -grandiloquent about the term. Accordingly, it may be disappointing to -many persons to learn that, in the first place, there is no ‘calling’ -at all connected with the ceremony, except the calling over the names -of the gentlemen who present themselves for admission to the profession -known as the Bar. And in the next place, it may be a little surprising -to learn that there is no semblance even of a ‘bar’ of any description -employed in the performance of the ceremony alluded to. - -Again, people appear to have a somewhat indistinct notion about legal -festivities, the traditional fun of a circuit mess, the precise share -which ‘eating dinners’ has in qualifying a student for the Bar, and -so forth. Often, too, they wonder how it is that men addicted to such -grave pursuits as those followed by the working members of the Bar, are -so much given to mirth and jollity and costly festivity. The answer to -this is that, just in proportion to the mental tension superinduced -by the demands of their calling, is the recoil of their minds in an -exactly opposite direction after that tension. - -Well, then, assuming that barristers are not only a learned and -laborious but also at suitable times a convivial body of men, we will -endeavour to describe the proceedings in the Hall of an Inn of Court -on the evening of a day when barristerial conviviality is supposed to -reach its culminating point—namely, on what is termed ‘Grand Day.’ - -We may observe that during each of the four legal terms or sittings -there is one Grand Day, but the Grand Day of Trinity Term is the -grandest of them all, and is accordingly styled ‘Great Grand Day.’ -Also, that these days are observed in each of the four Inns of -Court—namely, the Inner and Middle Temple, Lincoln’s Inn, and Gray’s -Inn. For present purposes, however, we shall suppose our Grand Day to -be in Trinity Term, and at an Inn which we shall for certain proper -reasons call Mansfield’s Inn. - - * * * * * - -It is a glorious summer evening, and as we approach our noble old -Hall, we soon perceive that something ‘out of the common’ is going on. -There is the crimson cloth laid down for the noble and distinguished -guests who are always invited on these occasions; and near the entrance -there is a little knot of spectators of all kinds, from the elderly -respectable gentleman down to the shoeless ‘arab’ from the streets. -The carriages are beginning to arrive; and the sooner we are inside -the Hall the better. But there is something to be done before we get -thither. We must first enter one of the anterooms. Here there is a -great crush owing to the invariable preliminary to every dinner in -Hall—the ‘robing,’ as it is called; for benchers, barristers, and -students all dine in gowns. There are two men now busily engaged -at this work of robing, selecting from a great black mountain of -gown-stuff the attire suited to each member. On they go, asking all -the time the question, ‘Barrister or student, sir?’ of those with -whom they are unacquainted, until the last man is served. But who is -that portly looking personage, wearing a gorgeous scarlet gown, who -ever and anon appears on the scene and gives directions? Nonsense! -Did you say the head-porter? Certainly; and he is so called, after -the _lucus a non lucendo_ fashion, because he is never employed to -carry anything except perhaps letters and messages. In like manner the -women called ‘laundresses’ who attend to the chambers in the Inns of -Court, are so termed because they never wash anything at all, which in -some instances is but too painfully true. But the ‘head-porter’ _is_ -carrying something this evening, in the shape of an enormous baton with -a silver knob big enough to produce five pounds-worth of shillings. -Then there is another important-looking gentleman, of graver and more -anxious demeanour, wearing a black gown, who seems to be the life and -soul of the preparations generally, and who moves about with such -alacrity as to suggest an approach to the ubiquitous. This individual -is the head-butler, and of course his position is one of serious -responsibility, especially on the present occasion. - -Being now robed, we enter the Hall. What a babel of tongues is here -also! ‘Have you got a mess?’ is the question asked by friend of friend. -(An Inn of Court mess consists of four persons, the first of whom -is called the ‘Captain.’) ‘Come and join our mess,’ says another. -‘I have a capital place up here,’ shouts a joyous young student. -‘Oh, but you’ll be turned down,’ replies his friend, with a slightly -consequential air; and we see that the latter, by his sleeved and -otherwise more flowing robe, is a barrister, although as juvenile as -his hopeful friend; hence the tone of importance. - -‘We sit by seniority on Grand Day,’ our learned young friend goes on to -state, and languidly falls into a seat. - -‘When were you called, sir?’ says a voice to the languid but -consequential one. The voice proceeds from a form which might easily be -that of the other’s father, if not grandfather; but the question is put -_pro formâ_. - -‘Hilary ’78’ is the answer. - -‘Then I fear I must trouble you to move, for I was called in Hilary -’58, ha, ha, ha!’ in which the students previously corrected heartily -join. - -‘Oh, all right,’ with a slight _soupçon_ of deference; and away go the -youngsters; while the man called to the Bar in 1858 will very likely -have to make way for another called in ’48, and so on, until the whole -are duly and severally located. - -There is an unquestionable aspect of distinction about the place this -evening. The old Hall itself, in the centre of which is displayed the -costly plate of Mansfield’s Inn, seems to smile in the sunshine of the -summer evening. Yet, as the light softly steals in through the stained -glass forming the armorial bearings of distinguished members of the Inn -long since passed away, we seem to feel a sort of melancholy, in spite -of all the gaiety around, from the consideration—which _will_ force -itself upon the mind—that the paths of law, like glory, ‘lead but to -the grave.’ - -Then, again, the timeworn and grim-looking escutcheons of the old -‘readers,’ which crowd the wainscoted walls, seem to be less grim than -usual. At the same time, it is impossible not to heave one little -sigh, as we look up and see in front of us the name and arms, say, of -Gulielmus Jones, Armiger, Cons. Domi. Regis, Lector Auct. 1745 (William -Jones, Esquire, Counsel of our Lord the King, Autumn Reader, &c.), and -wonder how much that learned gentleman enjoyed his Grand Days in the -period of comparative antiquity mentioned on his escutcheon. - -Our business, however, is strictly with the present; and as one of the -features of Grand Day dinner is that the _mauvais quart d’heure_ is a -very long _quart_ indeed, we shall be able to look round before dinner -and see what is going on. - -It requires no very great expenditure of speculative power to -comprehend the nature of the present assembly, numerous though it is. -Each member of it will readily and with tolerable accuracy tell us who -and what he is, as mathematicians say, by mere inspection on our part. -The fact is, we are really face to face with a world as veritable and -as varied as that outside, only compressed into a smaller compass. - -Here are to be seen old, worn, sombre-looking men, some of them bending -under the weight of years, and actually wearing the identical gowns—now -musty and faded, like themselves—which had adorned their persons when -first assumed in the heyday of early manhood, health, high spirits, -and bright hopes. Among these old faces there are some that are genial -and easy-looking; yet, beyond a doubt, we are in close proximity to -many of those individuals who help to constitute that numerous and -inevitable host with which society abounds—the disappointed in life. We -see clearly that upon many of these patriarchal personages, the fickle -goddess has persistently frowned from their youth up, and that they -have borne those frowns with a bad grace and a rebellious spirit. - -Hither, also, have come those who began their career under the benign -and auspicious influences of wealth and powerful friends; yet many -of these are now a long way behind in the race—have, in fact, been -outrun by those who never possessed a tithe of their advantages. -Such men form a very melancholy group; and we gladly pass from them -to another class of visitors. These are they whose lives have been -a steady, manful conflict with hard times and hard lines, but who, -uninspired by that devouring ambition already alluded to, have not -experienced the disheartening and chilling disappointment which has -preyed upon some of the others. These men, however, have seen many of -their early hopes and aspirations crushed; but they have borne the -grievance with patience and cheerfulness. They may have had a better -right to expect success than some of those who had been more sanguine; -but they have not sneered at small successes because they could not -achieve grander ones, and have not been ashamed to settle down as -plodders. They are most of them gentlemen in all senses of the word; -men of whom universities had once been proud, and who had also honoured -universities; men who, if unknown to the world at large, have yet -enlightened it; men whose bright intellects have perhaps elucidated -for the benefit of the world the mysteries of science, thrown light -upon its art, literature, and laws; and who, without having headed -subscription lists or contributed to so-called charities, have yet -been genuine benefactors to their species. But with all this, they are -nevertheless men who, destitute of the practical art of ‘getting on in -the world,’ have not made money. They have never condescended to ‘boo’ -or toady, in order to do so, and thus they must be content to shuffle -along the byroads of life as best they can, after their own fashion. - -Intermingled with such members of the Inn as we have just mentioned are -their opposites—those who are regarded as having been successful in the -race of life. How portly and well got-up they are; how bland are the -smiles which light up their jolly, comfortable-looking countenances, -whereon exist none of those lines so painfully conspicuous elsewhere. -There is no lack of geniality here; and you are certain that these -gentlemen possess happy, if not indeed hilarious temperaments, the -buoyancy of which is never endangered by the intrusion of any such -‘pale cast of thought’ as wears away the existence of those others whom -we have referred to. - -This species of ‘successful’ barristers, fortunate though they may -be, and risen men, too, in one sense, must yet not be confounded with -that other set of men who make up the real _bonâ fide_ rising and -risen ones. These latter are grand fellows, and constitute the most -interesting group of the evening. In some respects they are like those -others we have spoken of, who have had to fight; but unlike them, they -have possessed and exercised the gifts of energy, tact, perseverance, -a wider acquaintance with human nature; and they have also possessed -the inestimable gifts of good physique and the capacity for unmitigated -labour. Like the other successful ones, they have risen; but unlike -them, they have achieved honours which appertain more closely to their -profession. They are the men from whose ranks our judicial strength -is recruited; men who in time may become statesmen too, and leave -distinguished names behind them. They are, in short, gifted honourable -men, whose promotion is a delight to their friends and a benefit to the -community, because the promotion of such is always well deserved. - -Observable also in the present assembly are several of what may be -termed the purely ornamental limbs of the law, who are to be found in -the Inns of Court, and elsewhere. This class comprises country squires, -gentlemen at large generally, and so forth, who, although entitled to -the designation of ‘barrister-at-law,’ make no pretensions—at anyrate, -here—to any depth of legal learning. Yet, likely enough, many of -them are administrators of the law as county magistrates. However, -great lawyers are not always the best hands at discharging the often -rough-and-ready duties of ‘justices out of sessions;’ and whatever may -be the ability of our friends now in Hall, one thing concerning them is -clear, that they are to-night amongst the jolliest of the jolly. Look -at them greeting old friends, dodging about the Hall, replenishing here -and there their stock of legal _on dits_ and anecdotes for retailing to -admiring audiences elsewhere, discussing the affairs of the Inn and of -the nation generally! - -Lastly, there are the youngsters, ranging from the shy students only -recently ‘of’ the Inn, to the youthful barristers who have just assumed -the wig and gown. Some of the latter are engaged in detailing to eager -and ambitious listeners the glories surrounding the first brief, while -all are brimful of mirth and hopefulness. To such, the business of -Grand Day appears tame in comparison with the high and substantial -honours which they all firmly believe to be in store for them in -the future. Ah! the future; that alluring period, so surpassingly -enchanting to us all in the days of youth! - -Such is the assembly before us at Mansfield’s Inn on Grand Day of this -Trinity Term. - -‘Dinner!’ shouts the head-porter, who stands at the door with his -great silver-headed baton in hand. We now see the use of this badge -of office; for immediately after enunciating the above welcome word, -he brings his baton heavily on to the floor three times. Then slowly -advancing up the Hall, we see that he is a sort of vanguard, or rather -_avant-courier_, of a host which is gradually following him, gentlemen -who walk two and two in procession, almost with funereal precision and -solemnity. As they proceed, the previous loud hum of conversation is -considerably lulled, and everybody is standing at his place. These are -the Benchers of the Inn and their guests. The proper designation of -the former is ‘Masters of the Bench’ of the Inn to which they belong. -Each is called ‘Master’ So-and-so; and the chief of their body is the -Treasurer of the Inn, who holds office for one year. The guests are -invariably persons of well-known position in the Army and Navy, the -Church, Politics, Law, Science, Literature, and Art. Sometimes royal -personages honour the Inns with their company on Grand Day; and it is -well known that several members of the royal family are _members_ of -certain Inns. The Prince of Wales is a Bencher of the Middle Temple, -and dined there on Grand Day of Trinity Term 1874, when an unusually -brilliant gathering appeared. The Prince on that occasion delivered a -humorous and genial speech, in which he reminded his learned friends of -the circumstance of Chancellor Sir Christopher Hatton opening a ball -in that very place with Queen Elizabeth. On the recent occasion of the -Prince again dining there, no speeches were delivered in Hall. - -The procession moves on; and as many of the various guests are -recognised, the hum of conversation recommences. The Benchers wear -silk gowns; and now we are actually brushed by a K.G., whose blue -ribbon is unquestionably a _distingué_ addition to evening dress; -or by a G.C.B., whose red ribbon is so extremely becoming as to -set some of the youngsters speculating which they would rather be, -a Knight of the Garter or a Grand Cross of the Bath. Here we are, -then, with peers, right honourables, generals, judges, orators, -poets, painters, humorists, and so forth, around us; but, alas, in -the midst of so much grandeur, we are troubled by a prosaic monitor -whose demands are becoming imperative. In other words, we are getting -hungry. Well, we have not much longer to wait. ‘Rap, rap, rap!’ goes -the head-porter—this time with an auctioneer’s hammer on one of the -tables. Immediately dead silence ensues, and then ‘grace’ is read by -the Preacher of the Inn. - -Now we fall to. There is soup, fish, joint, poultry, pastry, beer, -champagne, and one bottle of any other wine for each mess; and all for -half-a-crown! However, we know the Inn is rolling in wealth, and we -feel no compunction as to assisting in the heartiest way to carry on -the work of consumption going on in all directions. - -Presently comes the rapping of Mr Head-porter again, who now proclaims -‘Silence!’ and having secured this, there comes another request to the -assembly: ‘Gentlemen, charge your glasses, and drink to the health of -Her Majesty the Queen.’ The Treasurer then rises and says: ‘Gentlemen, -“The Queen;”’ whereupon a great and enthusiastic shout of ‘The Queen!’ -bursts forth. There is no more conservative body of men than the Bar of -England, nor has the Crown more staunch or more devoted supporters than -the gentlemen of the Long Robe. At the same time, no body of men in -this country has ever more firmly withstood any attempt to extend the -royal prerogative to the injury of the subject. The toast, ‘The health -of the Queen,’ is always drunk at these Bar gatherings with an amount -of fervour which betokens strong attachment to the constitution; and on -this particular occasion, the intensity and unanimity of the response -forcibly reminds one of the discharge of a sixty-eight-pounder! - -As a rule, there is no speechifying in Hall, and there is none this -evening. The practice is for the Benchers to take dessert in one of -their reception-rooms, called ‘The Parliament Chamber.’ There, all -the speeches are made, and the speakers are refreshed by the choicest -products of the vineyard which money and good judgment can procure. Who -would not be a Bencher? - -And now, so far as the ordinary portion of the assembly is concerned, -dinner is over. Grace again is said; and the Benchers, with their -guests, retire in the order in which they entered. But now there is -not altogether that grave air of solemnity about the procession which -distinguished it at its entrance; indeed, everybody looks and feels all -the better for the good things which have been partaken of. Neither the -distinguished guests nor those of the Benchers who are popular with -the Inn are allowed to depart without a friendly cheer; and if some -personage happens to be very popular indeed, his name is shouted out in -a fashion often bordering on the obstreperous. - -The last two members of the retiring procession have now passed through -the door of the Hall, and away go also the majority of those who have -been dining. A few of the ‘Ancients’ or senior barristers are left -behind, to finish their wine and their chat; but by twelve o’clock the -Hall itself and its purlieus are once more deserted and silent. - - - - -BY MEAD AND STREAM. - -BY CHARLES GIBBON. - - -CHAPTER XLV.—HIGH PRESSURE. - -Madge reached home in the darkness, and opened the outer door so -quietly that she got up to her own room without being observed by -any of the inmates. Hat and cloak were off in a minute, and flung -carelessly anywhere—thus marking how completely her mind was distracted -from ordinary affairs; for, as a rule, she was careful in putting -things away. - -Then!—she did not fling herself on the bed, and give way to an -overwhelming sense of despair, in the manner of heroines of romance. -She sat down; clasped hands lying on her lap, and stared into the -darkness of the room, which was luminous to her hot, dry eyes, and -wondered what it was all about. - -Her engagement with Philip was broken off, and _he_ wished it to be -so! Now, how could that be? Was it not all some disagreeable fantastic -dream, from which she would presently awaken, and find him by her side? -They would laugh at the folly of it all, and be sorry that such ideas -could occur to them even in dreams. And that horrible, silent drive -to the station; the silent clasp of hands as the train started; no -word spoken by either since, in her pain and confusion, she had said -‘Good-bye,’ and he had echoed it—all that was a nightmare. She would -shake it off, rouse up, and see the bright day dawning. - -But she could not shake it off so easily. He had said that she was to -consider herself free from all bond to him. He wished it—there was the -sting—and they had parted. It was a different kind of parting from the -one she had prepared herself to pass through with composure. Was it a -distorted shadow of her mother’s fate that had fallen upon her? - -At this she started, and bravely struggled with the nightmare which had -weighed upon her from the moment the fatal word ‘Good-bye’ had escaped -her lips. They were not parted—absurd to think that possible. She took -blame to herself; she had been hasty, and had not made sufficient -allowance for his worried state. Perhaps she had been quickened to -anger by his apparent want of faith because she would not reveal what -she had promised to be silent about for his sake. She, too, felt -distracted at the moment; and want of faith in those we love is the -cruelest blow to the distracted mind. - -Ay, she should have been more forbearing—much more forbearing, -considering how worried he was. And she could see that haggard face now -with the great dazed eyes of a man who is looking straight at Ruin, -feeling its fingers round his throat choking him.... Poor Philip. She -had been unkind to him; but it should be all put right in the morning. -She would tell Aunt Hessy and Uncle Dick, and they would force him away -from that dreadful work which was killing him, and—— - -And here what threatened to be a violent fit of hysteria ended in a -brief interval of unconsciousness. - -The door opened, light streamed into the room, and Aunt Hessy, lamp in -hand, entered. Madge had slipped down to the floor, and long, sobbing -sighs were relieving the overpent emotions of her heart. - -‘Thou art here, child, and in such a plight!’ - -The good dame did not waste more words in useless exclamations of -amazement and sorrow, but raised her niece to the chair and, without -calling for any assistance, applied those simple restoratives which a -careful country housewife has always at command for emergencies. The -effect of these was greatly aided by the sturdy efforts made by the -patient herself to control the weakness to which she had for a space -succumbed. - -‘I’ll be better in a minute or two, aunt,’ were the first words she -managed to say; ‘don’t fret about me.’ - -‘I shall fret much, child, if thou dost not continue to fret less -thyself.’ - -‘I’ll try.... But there is such sore news. Philip says he is ruined, -and that he must—he must ... because it is Uncle Dick’s wish ... he -must’—— - -She was unable to finish the sentence. - -‘Say nothing more until I give thee leave to speak,’ said Aunt Hessy -with gentle firmness; but the tone was one which Madge knew was never -heard save when the dame was most determined to be obeyed. ‘We have -heard much since thou hast been away; and we have been in fright about -thee, as it grew late. But though thou wert with friends, I knew that -home was dear to thee, whether thou wast glad or sad. So I came up -here, and found thee.’ - -‘But the ruin is not what I mind: it is his saying that we are to part.’ - -To her surprise, Aunt Hessy did not immediately lift her voice in -comforting assurance of the impossibility of such a calamity. She only -raised her hand, as if to remind her that silence had been enjoined. -Seeing that this was not enough, or moved by compassion for the -distress which shone through Madge’s amazement, she said: - -‘We shall see about that, by-and-by.’ - -But Madge could not be so easily satisfied; for something in her aunt’s -manner suggested that there might be truth in Philip’s assertion of -the view her guardians would take of the position. He had said they -would hold it as contrary to common-sense that a man who had been -disinherited by his father and ruined by speculation should keep a girl -bound to wait for him till he had retrieved his fortune, or to marry -him and share—or rather increase his poverty. That was a cruel kind of -practical reason which she could neither understand nor appreciate. If -they really intended to insist upon such a monstrous interpretation of -the engagement she had entered into with Philip, then she must try to -explain how differently she regarded it. The moment of misfortune was -the moment in which she ought to step forward and say: ‘Philip, I am -ready to help you with all my strength—with all my love.’ - -Only Philip had the right to say: ‘No; you shall not do this.’ - -And there the poor heart sank again, for he had in effect said this: he -had told her that he _wished_ the bond to be cancelled. That was a very -bitter memory, even when she made allowance for his conviction that her -guardians expected him in honour bound to make such a declaration. Now, -however, she recognised self-sacrifice in his act; and feeling sure -that it was love for her which prompted it, took comfort. - -Her first idea, then, was to find out what her guardians were to do, -and she was about to rise, with the intention of asking her aunt to go -with her to the oak parlour, when she was interrupted. - -There was first a banging of doors below; next there was a deep voice -from the middle of the staircase: - -‘I say, missus, art up there?’ - -Before any answer could be given, Uncle Dick presented himself with as -near an approach to a frown as his broad honest face was capable of -forming. - -‘So you are here, Madge. Thought as much. I told the missus you could -take care of yourself; but a rare fuss you have been making among -us, running about here, there, and anyhow, when you know the day for -Smithfield is nigh, and ever so many things to do that you ought to do -for me. I say that ain’t like you, and I’m not pleased.’ - -While Crawshay was venting this bit of ill-humour, he stood in the -doorway, and as Madge had risen, the lamp was below the level of her -face, so that he could not see how ill she looked. - -‘I hope I have not forgotten anything,’ she said hastily; ‘you remember -the first papers were filled up by—by Philip.’ - -‘They’re right enough; but here’s a letter from the secretary you -didn’t even open.’ - -‘It must have come after I went away.’ - -‘Like enough, like enough,’ he went on irritably, although the dame had -now grasped his arm, and was endeavouring to stop him. ‘Away early and -back late—that’s the shortest cut into a mess I know of.—Where have you -been?’ - -It was evident that the unopened letter of the Smithfield secretary had -less to do with his ill-humour than he was trying to make believe. The -question with which he closed his grumble suggested the real cause of -vexation. - -‘Quiet thyself, Dick,’ his wife interposed. ‘Madge is not well -to-night, and it makes her worse to find thee angry.’ - -‘Could a man help being angry?’ he said, becoming more angry because of -his attention being called to the fact that he was so, as is the wont -of quick tempers. ‘Have you told her about them blessed letters?’ - -‘I have told her that we received them: to-morrow, we can tell her what -they are about.’ - -‘I would rather know at once, aunt,’ said Madge calmly, as she advanced -to Crawshay, and only a slight tremor of the voice betrayed her -agitation. ‘They concern Philip; and I should not be able to sleep if -anything was kept back from me. He is in cruel trouble, Uncle Dick, and -he says you want me to break off from him, and that has upset me a -little, although I know that you would not ask me to do such a thing, -when he is in misfortune.’ - -‘Dick Crawshay never left a friend in a ditch yet, and he had no -business to say that of me,’ blurted out the yeoman indignantly. Then, -checking himself, he added: ‘But there’s sense in it too. Maybe he -wants to break off himself; and I shouldn’t wonder, either, if he has -heard what that fellow Wrentham says about your goings-on with Beecham.’ - -‘Goings-on with Mr Beecham!’ - -‘Ay, that’s it.... Come now, lass, tell truth and shame the devil—was -it Beecham you went off in such haste to see to-day?’ - -‘I went to see Mr Shield, and saw Mr Beecham at the same time.’ - -‘Then it is true, mother—you see she owns to it,’ said Uncle Dick, his -passion again rising. ‘And you’ve been writing to Beecham and meeting -him underhand.’ - -‘Not underhand, uncle,’ she exclaimed, drawing back in surprise and -pain. The word ‘underhand’ assumed the significance of a revelation -to her; but even now she did not see clearly the extent of the -misconceptions to which her conduct was liable, if criticised by -unfriendly eyes. - -‘You say it ain’t underhand! I say it’s mortal like it. You never said -a word about Beecham this morning, though you must have known that you -were going to see him.... Come now, did you not?’ - -He added the question in a softer tone, as if hoping for a negative -answer. But Madge evaded a direct reply. - -‘What is in the letters to make you so vexed with me?’ she asked. - -‘What’s in them?—Why, Shield says that Philip has been a fool, allowing -himself to be cheated on all sides, and that there’s nothing for him -but the Bankrupt Court. That’s a fine thing for a man to come to with -such a fortune in such a short time. But I might have known it would -end in this way—it’s the same thing always with them that set up for -improving on the ways of Providence.’ - -Uncle Dick was in his excitement oblivious of the fact, that whilst he -had cast some doubt on the success of Philip’s project, he had approved -the spirit of it. Madge did not observe the inconsistency; she was -so much astonished by what appeared to be the harsh language of Mr -Shield, notwithstanding the assurances he had given to her. But she was -presently set at rest on this point by Aunt Hessy. - -‘Thou art forgetting, Dick, that Shield says he’ll see what can be done -to put Philip right again.’ - -Madge was relieved; for in spite of its improbability, the thought had -flashed upon her, that Austin Shield might have been deceiving her as -to his ultimate purpose regarding Philip. - -‘That may be,’ continued Uncle Dick in a tone of general discontent; -‘like enough, he’ll spend more money on the lad, if so be as that -Beecham hasn’t got something against it; and blame me if ever I trust -a man more, if Beecham be a knave.—Now you can settle all that, Madge. -Seems you know more about him than any of us. Tell us what you know.’ - -There was no way of evading this request, or rather command; and yet -she could not comply with it immediately. She had been told that Philip -would be safe if she kept her promise. - -‘What, will you not speak?’ thundered Uncle Dick, after he had waited a -few seconds. ‘You know that Beecham has to do with Shield, and will say -nought!’ - -‘There is nothing wrong about him,’ she pleaded. - -‘Does Philip know you are in league with this stranger, and maybe -helping to ruin him?’ - -‘I have not told Philip, but’—— - -‘I don’t want your buts—honest folk don’t need them. That scamp -Wrentham is right; and it’s a bad business for Philip, and for you, -and for all of us. Think on it, and when you do, you’ll be sorry for -yourself.’ - -He wheeled about, and went downstairs with loud angry steps. - -There was a long silence in the room; and then Madge turned with -pleading eyes to the dame. - -‘He is very angry with me, aunt,’ she faltered. - -‘I am sorry that I cannot say he is wrong, child,’ was the gentle, but -reproachful answer. - - - - -THE COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS OF THE WHALE. - - -Whales are more numerous than is usually supposed—that is to say, there -is a greater variety of these giants of the deep than the two or three -which are known to commerce; such animals being abundant in all seas, -so far as they have been explored. It is not, however, our intention -to enter into the natural history of these cetaceans farther than may -be necessary to understand their commercial value. Nor do we intend to -dwell on the dangers which are incidental to the pursuit of the whale, -of which it would not be difficult to compile a melancholy catalogue. -Terrible shipwrecks, vessels ‘crunched’ by the power of the ice without -a moment’s warning, others run into and destroyed by the animal itself; -pitiful boat-voyages, so prolonged as to cause deaths from hunger and -thirst; ships ingulfed amid the roar of the tempest, and crews never -heard of since the day they sailed—these are among the incidents which -have from its beginning marked the progress of the whale-fishery; the -mortality connected with which has often attracted attention, not only -in the icy regions of the arctic seas, but also in those of the Pacific -Ocean, in which, all the year round, men pursue the sperm-whale with -unceasing activity, at a risk to life and limb only faintly realised by -landsmen. - -It is ‘for gold the merchant ploughs the main;’ and there are persons -who say that the risks encountered by whale-ships are not greater than -those common to most branches of the mercantile marine. ‘And if it -pays,’ say the advocates of whaling, ‘why not carry on the enterprise?’ -But no matter what defence may be offered, whale-fishing has always -been much of a lottery, in which the few have drawn prizes, whilst the -many have had to be content with the blanks. - -The fortunes of ‘whaling’ are exceedingly varied: one ship may capture -ten or twelve fish;[1] some vessels occasionally come home ‘clean;’ -while others may each secure from two to half a dozen. We have before -us several records of the financial results of whale-fishing, in which -the profits and losses among Pacific whalers exhibit some striking -differences. One ship, for instance, places at her credit during her -voyage one hundred and thirty-two thousand dollars; but to the owners -of the fleet of whalers fishing from New Bedford, United States, in -1858, there accrued a loss of more than a million dollars. Again, a -Scottish whale-ship from Peterhead, in Aberdeenshire, was one season -fortunate enough to capture forty-four whales, the largest number -ever ‘fished’ by one vessel. The value of the cargo in oil and bone -considerably exceeded ten thousand pounds sterling. One of the largest -cargoes ever landed was brought home by the steamer _Arctic_ of Dundee, -commanded by Captain Adams, one of the ablest arctic navigators. It -consisted of the produce of thirty-seven whales, which, besides oil, -included almost eighteen tons of whalebone. - -The only whales of commerce were at one time the great sperm-whale -of southern latitudes, and ‘the right’ or Greenland whale, both -of which are animals of gigantic size and great power, the latter -being undoubtedly the larger. No British vessels take part in the -sperm-fishery, their operations being confined to the arctic regions. -Dundee is now the chief whaling port, sending out annually sixteen -ships to Greenland. The Greenland whale, which our British whalemen -endure such dangers to procure, seldom exceeds sixty feet in length, -and is about half that number in circumference. An average-sized -specimen will weigh some seventy tons or more, and forms a mass of -matter equal to about two hundred fat oxen. One individual caught -by a Scotch whaler was seventy-two feet in length, with a girth -of forty-five feet, the total weight being reckoned at upwards of -one hundred tons. The chief product of the sperm and ‘the right’ -whale—their oil—is of course common to both animals, and is obtained by -boiling their fat, or ‘blubber’ as the substance is technically called. - -It is somewhat curious that in both of these whales the head is -the portion, size being considered, which is the most valuable. In -the sperm-whale, ‘the case,’ situated in the head, is filled with -a substance which is known as spermaceti, and brings a high price. -One of these giants of the deep will sometimes yield a ton of this -valuable substance, which is found, when the whale is killed, as an -oily fluid, that when prepared, gradually concretes into a granulated -mass. In the Greenland whale the great prize is ‘the bone’ with which -its head is furnished, and which at the present time is quoted as -being of the enormous value of two thousand two hundred and fifty -pounds per ton! The price in America is even higher, the last sales -in that country bringing two thousand five hundred pounds. It is only -the Greenland fish which yield this valuable commodity. The whale of -the Pacific is furnished with teeth; but ‘the right’ whale has in -lieu thereof a series of plates, or laminæ, on the upper jaw, which -are in reality the whalebone of commerce. The uses to which ‘bone’ is -applied vary according to the demands of fashion, so that within the -last hundred years the price has fluctuated exceedingly, and has been -quoted from almost a nominal price per ton up to the sum mentioned. -At one period, we are told in an American account of the fishery, the -rates for whalebone were so low that few whalemen would bring any of -it home, their space being of much greater value when packed with oil. -Threepence a pound-weight was at one time all that could be obtained -for it; now the price of bone is twenty shillings per pound-weight. It -may be explained that the yield of bone is as eight or ten pounds to -each barrel of oil. A vessel which brings home one hundred tuns of oil -will, in all probability, have on board six tons of whalebone. - -There is a special product of the sperm-whale which is of greater -value than either spermaceti or whalebone; it is known as ambergris. -For a series of years there raged a hot controversy as to what this -valuable substance really was, the most extraordinary opinions being -offered regarding its origin, composition, and uses. One statement, -dated so far back as 1762, says that ambergris issues from a tree, -which manages to shoot its roots into the water, seeking the warmth -therefrom in order to deposit therein the fat gum of which it is the -source. ‘When that fat gum is shot into the sea, it is so tough that it -is not easily broken from the root unless by the strength of its own -weight. If you plant such trees where the stream sets to the shore, -then the stream will cast it up to great advantage.’ Another authority, -Dr Thomas Brown, in a work published in 1686, shows that an idea then -entertained was, that ambergris was only found in such whales as had -come upon the substance floating in the sea and swallowed it. In course -of time it was found that this precious commodity was generated in the -whale itself. An American doctor residing in Boston made it public in -1724, that some Nantucket whalemen, in cutting up a spermaceti whale, -had found about twenty pounds of the valuable substance, which, they -said, was contained in a cyst or bag without either outlet or inlet. As -a matter of fact, ambergris, which is an important drug, is a morbid -secretion in the intestines of the sperm-whale. Captain Coffin, in a -statement he made at the bar of the House of Commons, said that he had -lately brought home three hundred and sixty-two ounces of that costly -substance, which he had found in a sperm-whale captured off the coast -of New Guinea. At the time of Coffin’s examination, ambergris was of -the value of twenty-five shillings an ounce. The Pacific whalers search -keenly for this commodity, and large finds of it sometimes bring them a -rich reward. - -Formerly, it was the oil which rendered the whaling voyages -remunerative, and made or marred the fortune of the venture, but the -case is now altered, owing to the enormous prices realised for bone. -The head of the sperm-whale is equal to about a third of its whole -size, and ‘the case’ yields spermaceti, which commands a high price; -but in the case of the Greenland whale, as we have shown, only a -comparatively small weight of whalebone is contained in the mouths -of each of them; but small as it is, the quantity tends to swell the -account and increase the dividends. Whaling ventures are usually made -by Companies, and nearly everybody engaged in the hazardous work has -a share in the venture—the men being partially paid by a share of the -oil-money. Whalers earn their wages hardly. The work—not to speak of -the dangers incurred—is always carried on at a high-pressure rate, -and is anything but agreeable. The pursuit and capture of a whale -are usually very exciting, some of these animals being difficult to -kill, even when the boats, after a long chase, come within such a -distance of them as admits of striking with the harpoon. Many are -the adventures which take place on the occasions of whale-killing; -though most of the animals attacked finally succumb. Then begins the -labour of securing the prize, and converting the products which it -yields into matter bearing a commercial value. The dead whale must be -brought either close to the ship, or the ship must be brought close -to the whale, which, in the icy waters of the high arctic latitudes, -involves a great deal of fatigue, the animal being sometimes killed at -a considerable distance from the ship. On some occasions a day will -elapse before it can be known that the whale will without doubt become -the prey of those who have found it, and several boats may require to -take part in the process of killing. As many as four boats may at one -time be ‘fast,’ as it is called, to the same animal—in other words, -they have all succeeded in planting their harpoons in the whale. But -the harpoon, even when shot from a gun into the fish, does not kill -it; the putting of the animal to death is accomplished by means of -what are called ‘lances,’ instruments which are used after the animal -has been harpooned. After that process has been successfully achieved, -the labour of capture, which may have taken from two to ten hours to -accomplish, is over. Instances are known where boats have been ‘fast’ -for upwards of fifty hours before the whale was finally despatched. - -The whale is usually dragged to the ship by the boats engaged in its -capture. Holes are cut in its tail, and ropes being then attached, -the laborious process of towing the gigantic carcass commences. Once -alongside of the ship, the work of flensing, or cutting-up of the -whale, is speedily in operation, all engaged being in a state of -ferment, and eager for further work of the same sort. The crew may be -likened to those animals which, having tasted blood, long for more. -The operation of removing the bone from the head of the whale is -first entered upon; this is superintended by an officer known as the -‘spectioneer,’ and who is responsible for this part of the process. -After the bone has been carefully dealt with, the blubber is cut -off the body in long strips, which are hauled on board by means of -a block-and-tackle. It is first cut into large squares, in which -condition it is allowed to remain till the salt water drains out of -it, a few hours, or even a day or two, being allowed, according to the -work on hand. The skin is then peeled off, and the mass of fatty matter -is further dealt with by being chopped into little pieces, which are -stowed away in barrels or tanks, to be brought home to the boileries, -in order to be, as we may say, distilled into a commercial product. -When the fish has yielded up its valuable products, the flensed carcass -is cut adrift. Sometimes the ponderous jawbones are preserved; when -that is the case, they are cut out of the head and lifted on board. -The strips of blubber vary in thickness from ten to sixteen inches, or -even more, according to the size and fatness of the fish. In general, -it averages twelve inches all over the body, the thickest portion being -at the neck, where twenty-two inches of blubber are sometimes found. -The yield of oil is of course in proportion to the size and condition -of the animal, and will run from five to twenty tuns. A whale caught -many years ago by the crew of the _Princess Charlotte_ of Dundee -yielded thirty-two tuns of oil. An examination of some old records -of the fishery shows fifteen hundred tuns of oil to the one hundred -and thirty-five fish of the Aberdeen fleet of eleven vessels; twelve -hundred and forty-three tuns to the Peterhead fleet of eleven ships -(three vessels had been lost), which captured eighty-eight whales and -three thousand seals. - -In sperm-whale fishing, the process of flensing and disposing of the -carcass is much the same as in the Davis Straits’ fishery. When the -body has been stripped of the blubber, it is thrown loose, and is -permitted to float away, to become the prey of sharks and sea-birds -which are usually in attendance. In the process of dissecting the great -whale of the southern seas, the head is usually the last portion dealt -with. It is cut off and kept afloat till required, being carefully -secured to the vessel. The valuable contents of ‘the case’ are brought -on board by means of buckets, and are very carefully preserved, being -known as ‘head-matter.’ A large whale of the Pacific seas will yield -from seventy to ninety, or even on occasion a hundred barrels of oil. -Sperm oil is more valuable than train oil, the produce of the Greenland -fish. In a trade circular, we find as we write, ‘crude sperm’ quoted at -sixty-four pounds ten shillings per tun, the other sort being set down -as ranging from twenty-seven to thirty-two pounds. But the prices are -ever varying according to supply and demand. Spermaceti is offered at -about a shilling per pound-weight. - -The ships which go whale-fishing from Scotland to the arctic regions -make an annual voyage, which lasts from five to nine months; but -sperm-whalers often remain at sea for a period of three years. They -boil out their oil as they cruise about in search of their prey; or -when blubber has so accumulated as to warrant the action, the ship will -put in at some convenient island, where the process of melting the fat -can be conveniently carried on. - -We have no statistics of the number of vessels or men at present -engaged in the southern fishery; but the exciting nature of the -work being attractive to many persons, crews are never wanting when -ships are being fitted out to hunt the sperm-whale. At one period in -Great Britain, ‘whaling’ was an enterprise of great moment, and was -encouraged by government, which awarded bounty-money to ships engaged -in that particular enterprise. In the earlier years of the present -century over one hundred and fifty British ships were engaged in the -industry of whale-fishing; by 1828, the number had, however, fallen to -eighty-nine vessels, forty-nine of these being fitted out at Scottish -ports. In that season, eleven hundred and ninety-seven fish were -killed, the produce being thirteen thousand nine hundred and sixty-six -tuns of oil, and eight hundred and two tons of whalebone. Dundee, as -already mentioned, and Peterhead are the principal centres of the -British whaling industry, the number of vessels employed by the two -ports being between twenty and thirty; but for many years past, some -of these ships also make a voyage in the way of seal-fishing, which -sometimes proves a profitable venture. The total value of the seal and -whale fisheries so far as the Dundee fleet was concerned amounted last -year to £108,563; in 1882 it was £110,200; while in 1881 it reached -£130,900. - -No recent statistics of an authentic kind of the seal-fishery have been -issued other than those contained in the newspapers; but from figures -before us relating to a period from 1849 to 1859, we find that over -one million seals were killed within that time by Scottish sealers -alone; and the success of individual crews in the killing of these -animals, it may be said, comes occasionally within the realms of the -marvellous. The oil obtained from the seals is as valuable as that got -from the arctic whales, whilst their skins are also of some commercial -importance. It was a happy circumstance that just as whale-fishing -began to fall off, gas as an illuminant became common; and although -train and sperm oils are still used in various manufactories, and -especially in jute-mills, the mineral oils which have been found in -such quantity have doubtless served many of the purposes for which -whale-oil was at one time in constant demand. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] The whale suckles her young, and is therefore a mammal, and not, -strictly speaking, a fish. It is, however, so called by all sailors. - - - - -MR PUDSTER’S RETURN. - - -IN TWO CHAPTERS.—CHAPTER I. - -Mr Solomon Pudster and Mr Gideon Maggleby were bosom friends; nor -could they well be otherwise. They were both born on the 29th of May -1815, in Gower Street, Bloomsbury; Solomon entering upon the world’s -stage at an early hour in the morning at No. 69, and Gideon first -seeing the light about mid-day at No. 96. At the age of ten, the -boys were sent to Westminster School; at the age of seventeen, they -became fellow-clerks in the great West India warehouse of Ruggleton, -Matta, & Co.; and at the age of four-and-twenty they went into -partnership as sugar-merchants in Mincing Lane. At that period they -were bachelors; and being already sincerely attached one to the -other, they decided to live together in a pleasant little house in the -then fashionable neighbourhood of Fitzroy Square. For years they were -almost inseparable. Day after day they breakfasted and dined together -at home, and worked and lunched together in the City; and but for the -fact that the firm purchased a large sugar estate in Demerara, Solomon -Pudster and Gideon Maggleby would probably have never been parted for -more than a few hours at a time until death decreed a dissolution of -their partnership. The sugar estate, unfortunately, required a great -deal of looking after; and at regular intervals of two years, one of -the partners was obliged to cross the Atlantic and to remain absent -from his friend for five or six months. Solomon and Gideon alternately -undertook these troublesome expeditions, and braved the heat and -mosquitoes of the tropics; and meantime the firm of Pudster and -Maggleby prospered exceedingly; and no shadow of a cloud came between -the devoted friends—the former of whom, on account of his being a few -hours the older, was declared senior partner in the firm. - -But in the year 1865 an important event happened. Mr Pudster and Mr -Maggleby ran down by train one evening to see the fireworks at the -Crystal Palace; and on their return journey they found themselves -in a compartment the only other occupant of which was a remarkably -buxom and cheery-looking widow of about forty years of age. The two -gentlemen, with their accustomed gallantry, entered into conversation -with her. They discovered that she and they had several friends in -common, and that she was, in fact, a certain Mrs Bunter, whose many -domestic virtues and abounding good-nature had often been spoken of in -their hearing. They were charmed with her; they begged, as if with one -accord, to be permitted to call upon her at her house in Chelsea; and -when, after putting her into a cab at Victoria Station, they started -off to walk home, they simultaneously exclaimed with enthusiasm: ‘What -a splendid woman!’ - -‘Ah, Gideon!’ ejaculated Mr Pudster sentimentally, a few moments later. - -‘Ah, Solomon!’ responded Mr Maggleby with equal passion. - -‘If only we had such an angel at home to welcome us!’ continued the -senior partner. - -‘Just what I was thinking,’ assented Mr Maggleby, who thereupon looked -up at the moon and sighed profoundly. - -‘No other woman ever affected us in this way, Gideon,’ said Mr Pudster; -‘and here we are at fifty’—— - -‘Fifty last May, Solomon.’ - -‘Well, we ought to know better!’ exclaimed Mr Pudster with honest -warmth. - -‘So we ought, Solomon.’ - -‘But upon my word and honour, Gideon, Mrs Bunter’s a magnificent -specimen of her sex.’ - -‘She is, Solomon; and I don’t think we can conscientiously deny that -we are in love with her.’ - -‘We are,’ said Mr Pudster with much humility. - -Having thus ingenuously confessed their passion, the two gentlemen -walked on in silence; and it was not until they were near home that -they again spoke. - -‘I suppose that it will be necessary as a matter of formal business,’ -suggested Mr Pudster diffidently, ‘for us to call upon Mrs Bunter and -apprise her of the state of our feelings. We mean, of course, to follow -the matter up?’ - -‘Certainly, certainly,’ agreed Mr Maggleby; ‘we mean to follow the -matter up.’ - -‘Perhaps the firm had better write to her and prepare her mind,’ -proposed the senior partner, with kindly forethought. - -‘The firm had better write to-morrow, Solomon; but, Solomon, it occurs -to me that the firm cannot marry Mrs Bunter. You or I must be the happy -man; and then, Solomon, we shall have to separate.’ - -‘Never!’ ejaculated Mr Pudster, who stopped and seized his friend by -the hand—‘never! You shall marry Mrs Bunter, and we will all live -together.’ - -‘Solomon, this magnanimity!’ murmured Mr Maggleby, who had tears in -his eyes. ‘No; I will not accept such a sacrifice. You, as the senior -partner, shall marry Mrs Bunter; and, with her permission, I will -stay with you. The firm shall write to prepare her mind. Business is -business. The firm shall write to-night; and I myself will take the -letter to the post.’ - -Half an hour later, Mr Maggleby handed to Mr Pudster a letter, of which -the following is a copy: - - 14 MINCING LANE, CITY, - _August 4, 1865._ - - _To_ MRS FERDINAND BUNTER, - _Matador Villa, Chelsea._ - - MADAM—Our Mr Pudster will do himself the honour of calling - upon you to-morrow between twelve and one, in order to lay - before you a project which is very intimately connected with - the comfort and well-being of the undersigned. We beg you, - therefore, to regard any proposition that may be made to you by - our Mr P., as made to you on behalf of the firm and with its - full authority.—We remain, madam, most devotedly yours, - - PUDSTER and MAGGLEBY. - -‘How will that do?’ asked Mr Maggleby with conscious pride. - -‘Excellently well, Gideon,’ said Mr Pudster. ‘But don’t you think that -“most devotedly yours” sounds rather too distant? What do you say to -“yours admiringly,” or “yours to distraction?”’ - -‘“Yours to distraction” sounds best, I think,’ replied Mr Maggleby -after considerable reflection. ‘I will put that in, and re-copy the -letter, Solomon.’ - -‘We are about to take an important step in life,’ said Mr Pudster -seriously. ‘Are you sure, Gideon, that we are not acting too hastily?’ - -‘Mr Pudster!’ exclaimed Mr Maggleby warmly, ‘we may trust these sacred -promptings of our finer feelings. We have lived too long alone. The -firm needs the chaste and softening influence of woman. And who in this -wide world is more fitted to grace our board than Mrs Bunter?’ - -‘So be it, then,’ assented the senior partner. - -Mr Maggleby re-copied the letter, signed it with the firm’s usual -signature, and carried it to the nearest letter-box. When he returned, -he found his friend waiting to go to bed, and trying to keep himself -awake by studying the marriage service. - -On the following forenoon, Mr Pudster, with the scrupulous punctuality -that is characteristic of City men, called at Matador Villa, Chelsea, -and was at once shown into the presence of Mrs Bunter, who was waiting -to receive him. ‘I am quite at a loss to understand why you have done -me the honour of coming to see me to-day,’ said the widow. ‘From your -letter, I judge that you have some business proposal to make to me. -Unfortunately, Mr Pudster, I am not prepared to speculate in sugar. I -am not well off. But, perhaps, I am under a misapprehension. The letter -contains an expression which I do not understand.’ - -‘It is true,’ replied the senior partner, ‘that we _have_ some hope of -persuading you to speculate a little in sugar; and there is no reason -why your want of capital should prevent your joining us.’ - -‘I quite fail to grasp your meaning,’ said Mrs Bunter. - -‘Well, I am not very good at explanations,’ said Mr Pudster; ‘but I -will explain the situation as well as I can. You see, Mrs Bunter, Mr -Maggleby my partner, and myself, are bachelors and live together. We -find it dull. We long for the civilising influences of woman’s society. -We are, in fact, tired of single-blessedness. The firm is at present -worth a clear five thousand a year. It will support a third partner, we -think; and so we propose, Mrs Bunter, that you should join it, and come -and take care of us in a friendly way.’ - -Mrs Bunter looked rather uncomfortable, and was silent for a few -moments. ‘You are very good,’ she said at last; ‘but although I am not -well off, I had not thought of going out as a housekeeper. The late Mr -Bunter left me enough for my little needs.’ - -‘I hope so indeed, madam. But we don’t ask you to come to us as a -housekeeper simply. Marriage is what we offer you, Mrs Bunter. In the -name of Pudster and Maggleby, I have the honour of proposing for your -hand.’ - -‘Mercy!’ exclaimed Mrs Bunter in some agitation. ‘Surely you would not -have me marry the firm?’ - -‘I put it in that way,’ said Mr Pudster, ‘because Maggleby and I are -practically one and the same. But I will be accurate. The proposition -is, Mrs Bunter, that you should become the wife of—ahem!—the senior -partner; and that Gideon Maggleby should live with us in his old -sociable way. Excuse my blunt way of expressing myself, Mrs Bunter.’ - -‘Then you, Mr Pudster, are the senior partner!’ said Mrs Bunter, with a -very agreeable smile. ‘I am very much flattered, I assure you; but your -proposal requires consideration.’ - -‘No doubt,’ assented Mr Pudster. ‘The firm is willing to wait for your -reply. In matters of business we are never in a hurry.—When may we look -for your answer?’ - -‘Well, you shall have a note by to-morrow morning’s post,’ replied Mrs -Bunter. ‘I may say,’ she added, ‘that I have heard a great deal of your -firm, Mr Pudster; and that I am conscious that it does me great honour -by thus offering me a partnership in it.’ - -‘Indeed, madam, the honour is ours!’ said Mr Pudster, bowing as he -retired. - -No sooner had he departed than the widow burst into a long and merry -fit of laughter. Her first impulse was to write and refuse the -ridiculous offer; but as the day wore on, she thought better of the -affair; and in the evening, after dinner, she sat down quite seriously, -and wrote a letter as follows: - - MATADOR VILLA, CHELSEA, - _August 5, 1865._ - - _To_ MESSRS PUDSTER and MAGGLEBY, - _14 Mincing Lane, City._ - - GENTLEMEN—I have decided to accept the very flattering offer - which was laid before me to-day on your behalf by your Mr - Pudster. If he will call, I shall have much pleasure in - arranging preliminaries with him.—I remain, gentlemen, very - faithfully yours, - - MARIA BUNTER. - -‘I must fall in with their humour, I suppose,’ she reflected. ‘And -really, Mr Pudster is a very nice man, and almost handsome; and I’m -sure that I shall do no harm by marrying him. Besides, it is quite true -that they must want some one to look after them. If they go on living -by themselves, they will grow crusty and bearish.’ And Mrs Bunter sent -her maid out to post the letter. - -Three weeks later, the widow became Mrs Pudster; Mr Maggleby, of -course, officiating as best-man at the wedding, and being the first -to salute the bride in the vestry after the ceremony. Thenceforward, -for a whole year, the three members of the firm lived together in -complete harmony; and the pleasant history of their existence was -only interrupted by Mr Pudster’s enforced departure for Demerara in -September 1866. Mr Maggleby, it is true, offered to go instead of -him; but Mr Pudster would not hear of it; and Mr Maggleby was obliged -to confess that business was business, and that it was certainly -Mr Pudster’s turn to brave the mosquitoes. And so, after confiding -his wife to the care of his friend, Mr Pudster departed. During his -absence, all went well; and in March 1867 he returned to England. But -this time the heat had been too much for poor Mr Pudster. His wife -noticed that he was looking unwell. Maggleby, with sorrow, perceived -the same. Pudster laughed. Nevertheless, he soon took to his bed; and -after a long and painful illness, died. - -The grief of Mrs Pudster and Mr Maggleby was terrible to witness. -Mrs Pudster talked of retiring from the world; and Gideon Maggleby -disconsolately declared that he had no longer anything left to live -for. No one, therefore, will be much surprised to hear that towards the -end of March 1868, Mr Gideon Maggleby led Mrs Solomon Pudster to the -altar. - -‘Solomon will bless our union,’ Mr Maggleby had said, when he proposed. - -‘Ah, dear sainted Solomon!’ Mrs Pudster had exclaimed as she fell -weeping upon Mr Maggleby’s breast. - - - - -SUDDEN RUIN. - - -In a former paper (April 19, 1884), instances were cited of fortunes -suddenly made, not by inheritance or industry, but by what people -are pleased to call luck. Cases of sudden ruin are less frequent, -for, generally speaking, the wreck of a man’s fortune is like that of -a ship: some rock is touched; water flows in; frantic attempts are -made to lighten the vessel or to steer it into port; and finally, the -foundering is slow. The striking upon a rock, however, is commonly with -fortunes, as with ships, a sudden accident. It may be the result of -careless or incapable steering; or it may be caused by a combination -of adverse tides and winds, which no human skill can stem, and which -hurry on the ship helplessly to destruction, inevitable, though it is -not always foreseen. The rock, in whatever way it may be reached, is -the determining cause of ruin; and when we speak of a man having been -suddenly ruined, we mean that the calamity which brought him to poverty -by degrees more or less rapid, occurred at a time and in a manner which -took himself and his friends by surprise. - -We are happily exempt in this country from those overwhelming disasters -occasioned by political convulsions. Those who witnessed the flight of -French ladies and gentlemen from their country upon the downfall of the -Second Empire heard tales of misfortune not easily to be forgotten. -Senators and prefects who, in July 1870, were living in luxury and -power, drawing large salaries, and secure of the future, were towards -the middle of September huddling in lodging-houses of towns on the -English south coast; and along with them were bankers who had been -obliged to suspend payment, and manufacturers and landowners of the -eastern provinces who had fled from the tide of invasion, after seeing -their factories or fields burnt, ravaged, and overrun by the enemy. - -In most of these cases, ruin had been sudden and irremediable, so much -so, as to appal sympathising British minds. And yet vicissitudes quite -as pitiable had been witnessed in London a few years before—that is, -on the Black Friday of May 1866, when, within a single day, hundreds -of fortunes were wrecked in the City. For the most part, the people -who were ruined on this awful Friday had had no warning of the fate -impending over them; and this must needs be so whenever banks or -financial companies fail. The credit of these establishments is like a -piece of glass, which must remain undamaged, or there is an end to its -value. For self-preservation, banks and companies feel bound to conceal -their difficulties till these are past mending; and thus it generally -happens that whenever a House suspends payment, almost all its -customers are utterly unprepared. What this means, we all know, if not -from personal experience, at least from misfortunes which have fallen -upon persons of our acquaintance. Our country neighbour who lived in -such grand style, returns from town one evening with a haggard face. -A few days later it is announced that his house is to let; there is -a sale; a notice among the bankruptcies in the _Gazette_; the family -quietly leave their home; and from that time, only intimate friends -know for certain what has become of them. Perhaps, years afterwards, -somebody who knew the neighbour in great wealth, finds him eking out -a penurious existence in the suburbs of some large city. Among the -hundreds of acres of cheap houses which form the outskirts of London, -the people ‘who have seen better days’ are an unnumbered multitude. -Every suburban clergyman and doctor knows some, and generally too many -of them; every bachelor in quest of furnished lodgings is pretty sure -to stumble upon several people in this plight. Auctioneers and brokers, -however, know them best of all, for it is they who play the chief part -in the closing act of the drama of Ruin, when the last waifs of former -wealth—the pieces of good old furniture, the pictures, china, books, -and other such long-treasured valuables, have to be sold off to buy -necessaries. - -One of the most frequent and deplorable agents of sudden ruin is -the dishonest partner. No business can be managed without mutual -confidence between those who conduct it; and though, when we hear -that a commercial man has brought himself within reach of the law, -we are inclined to doubt if his partner can have been unaware of his -malpractices, yet it must be obvious that the dishonesty of one partner -too often arises from the unsuspicious simplicity of the other. There -are even instances in which no amount of sagacity will save a man from -the enterprises of a roguish partner. The following is a very common -case: A and B being partners, A dies, and his son succeeds to his share -of the business. So long as A was alive, the speculative tendencies of -B were kept in check; but young A has not the same experience as his -father; he has learned to respect B; he looks to him for guidance; and -if B has made up his mind to extend the business of the firm by new -methods, now that he is head-partner, the junior partner will generally -be a mere tool in his hands. If young A be more fond of pleasure than -business, he will of course be even less than a tool—a mere cipher; and -B will be left to manage matters as he pleases, until he succeeds in -his schemes, and proposes to buy A out of the business; or fails, and -brings A to poverty and disgrace. It is a cruel thing that if B has -absconded, A will have to bear the entire brunt of creditors’ wrath, -and perhaps be criminally punished for his innocence. But partners have -learned this lesson so often, that it is almost a wonder how any sane -man can assume responsibilities without ascertaining the nature and -extent of them. It is certainly not for the public interest that the -sudden ruin of an honest partner should be pleaded in extenuation for -his ignorance or carelessness. - -Let us take some other causes of sudden ruin. We may set aside the -destruction of property by fire or flood, as offering examples too -many and obvious; nor does the sudden ruin of spendthrifts by cards -or betting call for notice. But the ruin which comes to a man through -sudden loss of character in his trade or profession is always most -lamentable, especially when the offence perpetrated was unintentional, -and did not appear to call for so heavy a punishment. The chemist -who asked to be discharged from serving on the jury in ‘Bardell _v._ -Pickwick’ on the ground that his assistant would be selling arsenic to -the customers, expressed an alarm in which there was nothing jocular at -all. We know of a chemist whose assistant committed this very mistake -of supplying arsenic for some other drug, and three children were -poisoned in consequence. The chemist was totally ruined. A coroner’s -jury having brought in a verdict of manslaughter against him, he took -his trial at the assizes, and was acquitted. But doctors ceased to -recommend him; the public avoided his shop; his appointment as local -postmaster was taken from him, and in a short time he became bankrupt. -Poisoning by inadvertence has been the ruin of many a chemist, and of -not a few country doctors who supply their own medicines. - -But we remember an instance of a young doctor destroying his career by -means just the contrary of this—that is, by suspecting that poison had -been administered, when such was not the case. One of his patients, a -lady, who seemed to have nothing worse than a cold, died very suddenly. -The doctor had reason to believe that this lady and her husband had -been living on bad terms, so he not only refused to certify as to -the causes of death, but openly hinted his suspicions that there had -been foul-play. At the inquest, however, it was proved that the lady -had died from heart-disease; and the reports about her having been -on bad terms with her husband were shown to have proceeded from the -malicious tattle of a busybody. As a result of this affair, the doctor -lost almost all his patients. It was thought that he had not behaved -with discretion; and his ruin was consummated by an action for slander -brought against him by the widower, whom he had too hastily accused of -poisoning. - -This action for slander reminds us of another case of ruin which had -some comical features, and was in fact related to us in a very humorous -way by a French journalist. The gentleman in question had accepted the -editorship of a small daily newspaper published in a Belgian city. His -salary was to be twenty pounds a month, with free board and lodging -in the house of his employer, a notary, who owned the newspaper. Our -friend discharged his duties to everybody’s satisfaction for about five -years, when a bustling young journalist of the locality became intimate -with the notary, and pointed out to him that he—the bustling one—could -edit the paper quite as well as our friend, and for half the money. -Our friend had just applied for an increase of salary; so the notary, -with unreflecting parsimony, resolved to dispense with his services, -and installed the bustling young man in his chair. But not more than -a fortnight afterwards, the Bustling One, either from negligence, or -because he had some private grudge to pay off, inserted a libellous -paragraph against a banker in the town. An action was instituted. The -proprietor of the paper was sentenced to pay a large sum by way of -damages, with all the costs of the trial, and the advertisement of the -judgment—filling about two columns of small print—in twenty newspapers -of France and Belgium. This heavy fine, the numberless worries -attendant upon the action for libel, and the loss of professional -status which accrued to the lawyer from the whole thing, proved the -death of the newspaper. As our friend remarked: ‘I think the notary -would have found it cheaper to raise my salary.’ - -It may happen, however, that to make inopportune demands for an -increase of salary will ruin not him who refuses, but him who asks. -A case starts to our recollection of a man who had an excellent -appointment in the City. He was drawing one thousand pounds a year for -work which required some talent, but was pretty easy and pleasant; -moreover, he was on the fair way to better things. But he was too -impatient. His employers bore with him for a while, and in fact raised -his salary four times within three years, for they fully appreciated -his services. A day came, however, when they had to tell him plainly -that his demands were unreasonable; upon which he stood on his dignity -and resigned. He quite expected that he would instantly find in the -City another situation as good as that which he had left; but he was -not able to get an appointment at so much as half of his former salary. -Everywhere his presumption in asking for twelve hundred pounds a year -was laughed at; and he soon had to acknowledge to himself that in -the former situation which he had so foolishly thrown up he had been -most generously overpaid. Deeply mortified, too proud to return to -his old employers, who would have been willing to take him back, the -misguided man became a City loafer; he tried to set up in business for -himself without sufficient capital, and, after a series of luckless -speculations, took to drinking, and was no more heard of. This story -points a moral, which ambitious young men do not always sufficiently -lay to heart—namely, that to resign a good berth before making sure of -a better is to run the risk of being left out in the cold. It is by no -means a recommendation to a man out of place to have formerly received -a high salary and to have served under first-rate employers. All the -persons to whom he applies will naturally conclude that he must have -left his good appointment for unavowable reasons; and even the best -certificates of character from his old masters will not serve to dispel -this notion. We knew an unwise young man, who, leaving a good place out -of pure caprice, was earnestly advised by his employer to think twice -of what he was doing. ‘You will find it a positive disadvantage to have -served in our House,’ said his employer; ‘for we are known to be just -masters, and nobody will believe that you left us of your own accord.’ -The young man would not heed the warning; and the upshot was that he -had to emigrate, having failed in all his endeavours to get another -situation. - -The ruin which is produced by business competition does not come -within the scope of this paper. Everybody must sympathise with the -snug old-fashioned inn which is suddenly brought to nought by the big -Railway Hotel, and with the petty tradesmen who are impoverished -by the establishment in their midst of some colossal ‘universal -provider;’ but these are unavoidable incidents in the battle of life. -An interesting class of sufferers remains to be specified in persons -who own house-property, and find the value of their houses suddenly -depreciated by causes beyond their control. Let a sensational murder -be committed in a respectable street, and the rents of the houses in -that street will probably fall twenty-five per cent.; while the house -in which the deed was done will in all likelihood remain untenanted for -years. A murder, the perpetrator of which escaped detection, naturally -marks a house with almost indelible disrepute; people do not like to -inhabit such a place; and the landlord is often reduced to giving up -the house at a mere nominal rent to be the abode of some charity. An -epidemic, again, will play havoc with the value of houses, by getting a -whole locality noted as unhealthy; and this it may be said is the fault -of the landlords; but it is not always so. We were acquainted with a -gentleman who became possessed by inheritance of a row of houses, as -to the antecedents of which he knew nothing. Soon after he had got -this property, typhoid fever broke out in one of the houses and spread -down the row. The drains were examined, and found in good order; but -under one of the houses was discovered a vast cesspool, caused by the -drains of two large houses which had formerly stood near the site. -The emptying of this pool, the building of new foundations to several -of the houses, the laying down of new water-pipes, &c., proved a very -costly piece of work, and brought little profit when it was finished; -for the row of houses had got a bad name, and years elapsed before the -landlord could find good tenants for them even at much reduced rents. -This was really a hard case; and the harder because the landlord, being -a high-principled man, felt bound to pay substantial indemnities to -those who had suffered through the bad condition of his property. - - - - -BACK FROM ‘ELDORADO.’ - - -It was a scorching afternoon in October, when, with much clatter and -racket, cracking of long whips, and a volley of eccentric profanity -from the Dutch conductor and his sable satellites, the mule-train of -that eminent Cape patriot Adrian de Vos scrambled headlong, as it were, -out of the market-place of Kimberley in ‘the land of diamonds,’ jolted -and swung through the ‘city of iron dust-bins,’ finally disappearing in -a cloud of dust adown the Dutoitspan Road. - -I may state that I was awaiting the arrival of the ‘veldt express’ -at the little oasis in the desert, dear to all acquainted with the -‘Eldorado’ of the Cape Colony, by the name of Alexandersfontein. -Distant only a few miles from the hot fever-stricken ‘camp,’ it is -blessed with a spacious hotel and—luxury of luxuries—a veritable -open-air swimming-bath, together with a meandering brook, which -gladdens the eye of the parched, home-sick, and, most likely, -disappointed searcher after diamondiferous wealth. I had spent the most -part of the day with an Irish surgeon stationed there, who had been -doing his best to persuade me to travel to Cape Town in the orthodox -manner, by stage-coach, and not by the ‘heavy goods,’ as it is termed; -but during the last year or so I had roughed it too much to care for -a little additional hardship, and I wanted to complete the tale of my -experiences in South Africa by personal contact with those unfortunates -who from time to time abandoning their last dream of success, cast down -and forsaken, broken in health, wealth, and estate, set forth gloomily -on the journey back from Eldorado. - -We were not altogether without amusement at Alexandersfontein, for, in -addition to the attractions of the swimming-bath, there was the mild -excitement of vaccinating ‘niggers,’ brought in at intervals by an -Africander scout, the smallpox scare being at the time at its height, -and my friend a government officer. Nevertheless, I confess I was -glad when a pillar of dust, rising up from the arid road far away to -the deep-blue sky overhead, announced that the mule-train was fairly -_en route_ for us. I am glad now that it was dark when they arrived, -because, if I had seen the accommodation provided by that philanthropic -conveyer of broken hearts and shattered fortunes to the coast, I think -it very likely that I might have declined to obey the order shouted at -me through the still, sub-tropical night, to ‘get aboard.’ As it was, -clutching my rifle with one hand, and grasping a leathern portmanteau, -destined for a pillow, in the other, I struggled upward over the -disselboom, thrust my head underneath a flapping canvas covering -stretched over the whole length and breadth of the wagon, and receiving -a friendly but rather violent impetus from my friend the surgeon, -shot forward into the midst of a conglomeration of human forms, tin -cases, deal boxes, ropes, and sacking. I was welcomed with anathemas, -apparently proceeding from the internal economy of a ‘mealy’ bag in -the corner. I could hear my Irish friend shouting a last adieu, which -mingled strangely with the vociferations of the half-caste driver to -his mules; and then, as the whole machine lurched heavily but rapidly -forward, I collapsed against the corner of a huge tin case, slid thence -into a hollow caused by the merchandise, and thus cramped up in a hole -about two feet in width, prepared to pass the night. A dismal lantern, -swinging and jolting overhead, threw a sickly gleam around; the keen -wind of the karroo whistled past as we pushed onward in the darkness, -and forward into the wilderness, leaving behind us the land of untold -riches, the wonderful camp with its mines assessed at millions, its -busy streets, its citizens with but one aim, the greed of gold—and -its quiet burial-place, where hundreds of brave young Englishmen lie, -wrapped in that deep sleep to which no dreams of avarice may come. - -Our route lay over wide-stretching plains of fine sand, studded with -stunted thorn; flanked on either side by lone mountain ranges, whose -lofty heads assume fantastic shape of cone, table-land, or pyramid; -here and there a miserable watercourse threading its way to the -babbling Modder or stately Orange River. A solitary, silent land, where -the glad song of birds is unheard, but the ever-watchful vulture -circles overhead; where the sweet scent of flowers is unknown, but the -gaunt mimosa stretches out its bare branches, and seems to plead with -the brazen skies for a cloud of moisture. Far distant from each other -are the white, flat-roofed Boer farmhouses; while midway to the railway -centre of Beaufort West lies the quaint Dutch village of Hopetown with -its ‘nightmare’ church; and farther on, Victoria, nestling at the foot -of a great brown hill. - -Monotonous? Well, truly I tired of the all-pervading sand, of the glare -of the fierce sun, of the jolting and bumping of the springless wagon; -but there was the abiding excitement of the commissariat question, the -occasional sight of a flock of wild ostriches, the rough incidents of -the nightly outspan, and, as the cumbrous machine rolled onward over -the starlit plain, the exchange of confidences, or the singing of songs -to the accompaniment of a wheezy accordion, which one of the party—a -miserable little Israelite from Houndsditch—had provided. - -I think the most remarkable amongst the ‘voyagers’ was a tall gaunt -man, whose snow-white beard and sunken cheeks bore evidence to the fact -that time had not dealt gently with him. He reminded me irresistibly -of King Lear; and when camping for the night, he crouched over his -solitary pannikin with his hands stretched out, to prevent any disaster -to the blazing structure of sticks and ‘peat,’ his white locks blowing -in the wind, and his keen, hard, glittering eye eagerly watching for -the right moment at which to insert his pinch of hoarded tea, he -presented a mournful embodiment of hopeless failure. He was a lonely, -morose man; defeat and disaster had occurred to him so often, that he -sought for no sympathy, and expressed no hopes for the future. When the -lighter spirits in this storm-beaten company were essaying to laugh -at dull care, and even making jests at the bitterness of the divers -fates which had overtaken them, he would sit apart with folded arms, -now and again muttering to himself, and once surprising me with an apt -quotation from a Latin author in the original. I am afraid we were -all inclined to laugh at him for his queer ways and solitary habits; -but I never did so after one night, when I found him, some distance -from our camp, kneeling on the bare sands, his arms tossed aloft to -the stars, that shone like lamps in the dark-blue dome of the midnight -sky, and his lips babbling incoherently of the wife and children, home -and kindred, he had left long, long ago, never to see again in this -world, in his thirst for the gold which had lured him from continent to -continent. - -We had another victim of the gold-mania with us in the person of a -bald-headed Irish bookbinder. Of all the gentle enthusiasts I have -ever met, he was the most extraordinary. He had just returned from -a particularly disastrous prospecting trip to the newly discovered -gold-field euphoniously termed ‘the Demon’s Kantoor;’ and previous to -that, he had made equally unsatisfactory migrations into Swazieland, -the Delagoa Bay, and other regions, returning from each of them ragged, -penniless, but happy, to recruit his finances with a spell of work at -his trade in the towns, whilst devising some fresh scheme of martyrdom -for the cause of the glittering metal that had bewitched him. He was -a devout Protestant, and would gravely rebuke any who gave way to the -very common colonial vice of hard swearing; and during our halts by the -wayside, generally stole away to any available shade, and taking forth -from the bosom of his ragged red shirt a book of devotion, would read -therein, heedless of the shouts and laughter of the drivers and the -screams of the mules; though, to be sure, I have reason to believe that -the precious volume contained a good deal about ‘the gold of Ophir’ and -‘the land of Midian.’ He admitted, with a genial smile, that he had -dug a grave for the fruits of six months’ self-denying labour amid the -hillocks and boulders of the Demon’s Kantoor; but he hoped by about a -year’s industry in Cape Town to realise sufficient to enable him to -penetrate into the Kalahari Desert, where, if he escaped the poisoned -arrow of the Bushman, or the slow death from starvation or thirst, he -was perfectly certain of finding nuggets of wondrous size, and ‘rotten -reef’ worth fabulous amounts. Indeed, so happy was he at the prospect -of his good fortune, that in the fullness of his heart, he sought to -raise the spirits of a dark, melancholy young man, by offering to share -it with him. But the latter only shook his head and buried his face -in his hands, being engaged just then in a retrospect of his fallen -fortunes, from which nothing but an occasional fit of assumed reckless -levity could rouse him. Poor fellow! He was leaving every farthing -he had in the world—the remnant of a noble patrimony—in a worthless -diamond mine in the vicinity of Kimberley; and he was haunted with the -memory of a golden-haired wife and two blue-eyed children on whom the -‘camp-fever’ had laid its deadly hand. - -As for the light-hearted actor, who, by some strange mischance, had -found himself left on ‘the Fields’ with the theatre closed and the -company gone, and had just raised enough by the sale of his wardrobe to -‘catch a storm,’ as he expressed it, to waft him to Cape Town—he could -not understand what despair or earnestness meant. His delight was to -astonish the Kaffirs and half-breeds, as they crouched around the fires -at night, with extravagant selections from the transpontine drama. He -would make their eyes roll and their teeth chatter by holding converse, -in sepulchral tones, with the incorporeal air, and then set them all -grinning with glee at some fanciful imitation of domestic animals. -He was never tired of telling stories of his wanderings, and joined -heartily in the laughter at some ludicrous blunder which had for the -nonce involved him in ruin. I am afraid he was not very particular as -to his method of getting out of scrapes, for he related with great glee -how, being deserted by a manager in Japan, he and a brother _artist_ -got up an acrobatic performance for the benefit of the natives. As -neither of them knew anything about the business, the grumbling was -excessive; and the climax was reached when, having attained to some -‘spread-eagle’ position on the framework they had erected on the -stage, and being quite unable to get down gracefully, he let go, and -fell with a crash. ‘We then,’ he said, ‘announced an interval of -ten minutes, secured the receipts from the innocent heathen at the -“Pay-here” box, and—fled the city!’ He had gone to the Diamond Fields, -because he had been told he could make ‘kegs of dollars’ there; and he -trusted in chance or good fortune to convey him to Australia. - -Despite the coarse food and its coarser preparation, the nights spent -upon the ground beneath the wagons, the awful shaking over the mountain -tracks, the dust, the thirst, the intolerable heat, there are many -pleasant recollections of that memorable excursion. But when I see -the young, the hearty, the strong, setting off, in the pride of their -manhood, in search of that prize which flattering Hope assures them -waits in distant lands for enterprise and courage to secure, I wonder -how many will escape the dangers of ‘flood and field,’ to undertake, -broken in spirit, bankrupt in health and wealth, the journey back from -Eldorado. - - - - -STEEL. - - -Steel, we are frequently and emphatically reminded, is the material of -the future. Passing from assertions respecting the time to come, let -us concern ourselves with the present and the past of the material, -and inquire why and wherefore steel should be held up so prominently -as destined to make its mark in the future. Every age has stamped for -its own not only a certain style of architecture or a peculiar class -of construction, but it has also impressed into its service different -materials, by means of which it has carried out those designs to which -it has given birth. As formerly wood gave place to iron, so now, slowly -yet surely, is the use of iron waning before the enhanced advantages -accruing from steel in large constructive works. As ductile as iron, -and possessed in a superior degree of tenacity, more uniform and -compact, it is not a matter of surprise that steel should have largely -usurped the position formerly occupied by iron in the engineering and -constructive world, or that engineers and architects should gladly -avail themselves of such a material in their designs, more especially -when they desire to combine the maximum of strength and security -with the minimum of weight and mass. So slight is the difference in -appearance between rolled iron and rolled steel, that the casual -observer will be unable to distinguish between the two substances. A -certain amount of experience and skill is requisite before the eye -becomes sufficiently educated to appreciate the appearance presented by -each material. Nor should we omit to notice a method both simple and -expeditious by which all doubts may be set at rest. A drop of diluted -nitric acid placed on a piece of steel will at once separate the carbon -in the steel, producing a black stain on its surface. On iron, no such -effect will result. - -The extensive works for manufacturing steel in England, Wales, -Scotland, and on the continent, amply testify to the growth and vigour -of the industry; and if further proof is wanted, it is supplied by -the fact of the conversion of their plant by existing ironworks, to -enable them to turn out steel. Such steps—though frequently producing -financial distress, happy if only temporary—show the direction in which -the commerce of the present day is moving. - -That steel should so speedily overcome the initial difficulties -incident to the introduction of every new material, adduces important -evidence in its favour. In shipbuilding, for example, the inconvenience -and delay occasioned by employing steel side by side with iron -presented a formidable barrier to its use, the alternate demand -for iron and steel built vessels causing no small confusion in the -yards. The gradual and, before long, probable abandonment of iron in -this class of constructions, is rapidly enabling shipbuilders to lay -themselves out for steel, and steel only. We should not omit to notice -the employment of steel plates, one-sixteenth of an inch in thickness, -for the ‘skin’ of torpedo launches, a use to which the lightness and -tenacity of such plates eminently adapt them. - -The effective and systematic manner in which it is now customary in -large works to test all steel previous to its despatch, has aided in -no small degree to remove the feeling of doubt and uncertainty which -was attached to the material on its introduction. There hung around -steel an insecurity and a novelty, which, until dissipated, caused a -feeling of distrust that might have proved fatal to its extended use, -had not precautions been taken by its manufacturers to demonstrate the -consistency and reliability of the article they sought to bring into -the market. For the purpose of making these tests, a special machine is -provided, usually driven by steam. A strip from the plate to be tested -is placed in ‘jaws’ at each end; the machine is then set in motion, the -strain on the test-piece being gradually increased until its ultimate -tensile strength is reached, and it breaks—a travelling pointer -indicating the pressure exerted by the machine on the steel test-piece -at the moment of fracture. Thus the ultimate tensile strength per -square inch and also the elasticity of the plate under manipulation are -ascertained. - -In order to check these and similar tests, one or more inspectors are -stationed at the manufacturers’ works by the government, the company, -or the engineer in whose designs the steel is to be employed. The -Admiralty employ a number of men to watch the tests of all the steel -destined for the royal dockyards; a similar class of inspectors perform -a like task, under Lloyd’s rules, for the private yards and the vessels -of our merchant service; whilst every engineer under whose directions -steel is being made places his assistants—their number varying with -the importance and extent of the work—to see that these tests are -faithfully carried out, that they duly fulfil the conditions he has -laid down, and to report to him the quality, quantity, and progress of -the material under their charge. - -Accurate records are made of every test to which the steel has -been subjected, and the results of the behaviour of the material -are carefully noted. Hence, should any event occur to call special -attention to any particular bar, its history can be traced from the -very first to the moment it took up its position in the finished -structure for which it was destined. - -So rigid and well checked a system of testing cannot fail to command -the favour of all engaged in the design of vessels, roofs, or bridges, -and to inspire the general public with confidence in and reliance -on this comparatively young member of the material world, daily -increasingly impressed into its service, and tending to promote the -general well-being and comfort of the civilised world. - - - - -THE STRAY BLOSSOM. - - - Under a ruined abbey wall, - Whose fallen stones, with moss o’ergrown, - About the smooth fresh turf were strown, - And piled around the roots—and tall, - Green-ivied trunks, and branching arms - Of beeches, sheltering from the storms, - Within its empty, roofless hall— - There, in a broken sill, I spied - A little blossom, purple-eyed. - - I took it thence, and carried far - The plant into a greenhouse, where - I tended it, with blossoms rare, - Until it brightened, like a star - Delivered from a passing cloud, - That hides it ’neath a silver shroud, - Yet fails its loveliness to mar; - Until it ceased to be a wild - And common thing—and then I smiled. - - It grew, and thrived; new buds put forth, - And more, and more, and still became - More fruitful, till, no more the same - Meek, lowly child of the far north, - It reared its lordly stem on high, - Climbing towards the distant sky, - As though it deemed its greater worth - Deserved a higher place, and kept - Still reaching onwards—then I wept. - - I wept, because I thought the weed - Showed strange ingratitude to me, - And had forgot how lovingly - I nourished it when in its need. - And then the flower bent down its head, - Touched me caressingly, and said: - ‘Think not that I forget thy deed, - The tender care and constant thought - That in my life this change have wrought. - - ‘Now to the far-off skies I climb, - Because I fain would show thee, there - Is something higher than the care - Of a mere plant, to fill the time - God giveth thee. How, then, my love - For thee more truly can I prove - Than by thus pointing to a clime - Where Hope’s fulfilment thou shalt find, - And earthly love to heaven’s, bind?’ - - * * * * * - - So, from a tiny seedling, grows - Sweet Friendship’s root from year to year, - Nourished alike by smile and tear, - By sun and storm, and winter snows - Of jealousy and blind mistrust; - Through which the deathless plant shall thrust - Its growing flower, until it blows - At last, within that land on high - Where virtues bloom eternally. - - F. E. S. - - * * * * * - -Printed and Published by W. & R. CHAMBERS, 47 Paternoster Row, LONDON, -and 339 High Street, EDINBURGH. - - * * * * * - -_All Rights Reserved._ - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL OF POPULAR -LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART, FIFTH SERIES, NO. 36, VOL. 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