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diff --git a/old/66267-0.txt b/old/66267-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index e325d24..0000000 --- a/old/66267-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2183 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, -Science, and Art, Fifth Series, No. 39, Vol. I, September 27, 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. 39, Vol. I, September 27, 1884 - -Author: Various - -Release Date: September 11, 2021 [eBook #66267] - -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. 39, VOL. I, SEPTEMBER 27, -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. 39.—VOL. I. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1884. PRICE 1½_d._] - - - - -HOME-NURSING. - -BY A LADY. - - -THIRD ARTICLE. - -In our last paper we spoke of the choice of a sick-room; we shall -now proceed to discuss its management. In commencing to nurse a case -that promises to be anything like lengthy, it is well to consider -how to save unnecessary dust and unnecessary labour, whilst keeping -the room in its proper state of cleanliness. With this end in view, -heavy woollen draperies, retaining dust and bad smells, should be -avoided; and if curtains are used at all, they should be of lace, or -some light, washing material. The best chairs are those with simple -wooden frames and cane seats and backs. Should a sofa be necessary, -and a regular invalid couch not procurable, nothing is better than a -chair-bed—provided it does not creak—fitted with washing-covers to its -cushions. Much has been said for and against the use of carpets in a -sick-room; and taking all into consideration, we see no reason for -changing our opinion that, in ordinary cases, it is better to let them -remain; they make a room pleasanter and more natural, and do away with -the noise of scrubbing, incidental to a boarded floor. - -If there are cupboards, they should be cleaned out before beginning -to nurse, and in no case must they be used as receptacles for food or -for anything that has become soiled in using. A chest of drawers is a -comfort if used with discretion; but in home-nursing, it often proves -the reverse of useful, and serves as a treasury for all sorts of things -which have no business in a sick-room. - -Pictures have a brightening effect, but they must hang straight, or -your patient may worry himself with endless efforts to make them fit in -with the pattern of the paper; though, if possible, the paper should be -without those decided markings which so often add to the distress of -unduly sensitive nerves. - -Growing-plants have a cheerful look, and are not deleterious, as many -suppose; cut flowers may also be indulged in, with the exception of -those which have a heavy, sickly smell; but it is better to remove them -at night. In summer, it is necessary to take precaution against the -patient’s being disturbed by the buzz of insects; a fly-catcher at the -open window will generally be sufficient; but such things in the room -itself are worse than useless. - -Small washable ornaments may be allowed to remain, but not to a greater -extent than suffices to give the room its customary appearance, for it -must be remembered that all useless articles increase the number of -dust-receptacles and make the process of tidying-up more lengthy. I -have seen mantel-boards and brackets covered with cloth, and literally -crowded with ornaments, which have not been properly dusted for weeks -because it made the patient sneeze! Such instances point the moral in -regard to cloth-coverings as well as superfluous ornaments. - -A folding-screen is an almost indispensable article of sick-room -furniture; it not only serves to keep off draughts and the glare of the -fire, but in convalescence is useful for putting round the invalid’s -chair. By its help, too, ventilation is made so much easier, that, -if nothing pretty and ornamental is to be had, it is worth while to -extemporise a screen with an ordinary clothes-horse and sheet; but a -chintz or holland cover, bound with braid and made to tie on, is much -more cheerful than the dull expanse of a sheet. - -And now for the most important article of furniture, the bed, on which -depends so much of the patient’s comfort or discomfort. If possible, -have a light iron frame without a foot-rail, or with only a low one. -For an adult, the bed should measure not less than six feet three -inches in length and about three feet in width. Greater width increases -the difficulty of reaching the patient, and it is astonishing the -journeys such a thing as a handkerchief will make over a large surface -of bed. The height of the bed is another serious consideration, for -should it be too low, the nurse will find it add considerably to -the back-aching tendency of nursing; and if too high, the constant -straining up to the patient will be quite as bad. The rule then, -is, that the bed when made shall be so proportioned to the nurse’s -height as to enable her to lift and attend to the patient without any -undue effort. In home-nursing, the bed question is often overlooked -altogether, or made much more of a difficulty than it need be; and -though that relic of unenlightened days, the four-poster, is almost -extinct in some households, most of the beds are large, and to alter -the furnishing of a room seems beyond the imagination of the ordinary -housekeeper. But surely, in time of illness, the first consideration -should be how best to mitigate the patient’s sufferings and lighten -the nurse’s labours; and in all but quite slight cases, it is worth -considerable effort to secure the right kind of bed and bedding. -This brings us to another home-nursing difficulty; for in spite of -recent progress in hygienic knowledge, there are still not a few -individuals who are foolish enough to prefer the unwholesome softness -of a feather-bed to the healthy firmness of a good hair mattress. Yet -few victims to this enervating habit fail to complain of the lumps, -only to be got rid of by a large expenditure of strength and time. And -if this be so in ordinary life, how much more complicated do matters -become when the patient is too weak to bear to be removed for the -necessary shaking, and is yet in a state to feel every discomfort -with added force. Indeed, so true is this, that in serious illness, -a feather-bed may be reckoned as an invincible enemy to comfort and -cleanliness; and it is better not to allow your patient to remain under -such unfavourable circumstances, even though it involve a few hours -of dissatisfied grumbling. It may make things easier if the change is -ushered in by allowing the feather-bed to remain under the mattress -till the patient has become accustomed to the new order of things, when -it will be well to substitute flock for feathers. - -If the nurse’s height will allow of two mattresses, it is a good plan -to alternate them so that the under one of yesterday shall be the upper -one of to-day. Those who have not tried this simple way of securing -a change, will hardly believe the comfort it affords to a helpless -patient. - -On the same principle, it is a great alleviation to the monotony of -long illness if the room will allow of two beds, one for day, the other -for night; and this arrangement permits the thorough airing of bed and -bedding, which it is otherwise so difficult to secure. - -Bed-hangings are happily following the lead of the ancient four-poster, -and will soon be only remembered as things of the past; and in illness, -even the valance, still in use, had better be banished. Pillows should -be firm and not too soft; and bolsters should have covers of their own, -and not be rolled round in the under-sheet, according to a common and -very shiftless process. I have known the sheet to be tucked round the -bolster in such a careless way that by the patient’s merely getting -into bed it has been pulled out of place, and has continued a fruitful -source of irritation for the rest of the day. - -How to keep the under-sheet smooth and free alike from crumbs and -wrinkles is one of the professed nurse’s arts, and is just one of those -apparently small matters, neglected as such by inexperience, which -make home-nursing the unsatisfactory thing it often is. Yet those who -have gone through a tedious illness can hardly fail to remember the -discomfort of what a tiny patient used to call ‘rucks.’ To him, poor -little man, rucks made stopping in bed a misery; and his incessant -demands to have them removed, suggested to even his inexperienced -nurse the idea that there might be a right and a wrong way to such -a commonplace thing as bed-making. The right and only proper way of -arranging a bed for illness is to give special, minute attention to -the placing of under-blanket and sheet. If the former can be dispensed -with, especially in summer-time, it will be well; but very few patients -will agree to this, and it is hardly of sufficient importance to argue -about, except in special cases, when the doctor will probably give his -veto. - -In an ordinary way, be careful to choose a thin blanket, without holes -of course, but one that has been pretty well worn, and that, therefore, -will not greatly add to the heat of the patient’s body. Then—more -important still—the blanket must be considerably larger than the bed, -in length as well as width. The mattress being arranged as evenly as -possible, the under-blanket should be laid upon it, and well tucked -in at top and bottom, as well as sides, till there is not a crease or -wrinkle of any sort. The under-sheet must now be put on in the same -way, and the nearer it resembles a drum in tightness the better. A few -minutes spent in extra care at this point will save the patient hours -of discomfort later on. - -Should there, unfortunately, be no covered bolster, the sheet, after -being securely tucked in at the bottom, must be drawn tightly upwards, -and the bolster rolled round in the free end and then placed well -up against the bed-head. The difficulty is to get the sheet tightly -stretched without pulling the bolster away from its proper place. The -number of pillows must be regulated by the nature of the patient’s -malady and partly by his previous habits. In ordinary cases, one large -pillow is enough, and it is a good plan to place it lengthways, one -end resting against the bed-head, and the other on the mattress, thus -avoiding the hollow between the patient’s shoulders and the bed, which -is a fruitful source of uneasiness and restlessness. In convalescence -and in many forms of illness, pillows play an important part, and we -shall have more to say about them later on. - -We now return to the bed, furnished as far as the under-sheet and -pillow. Should the patient be quite helpless, it will be necessary to -place next, the contrivance known as a draw-sheet, which should consist -of old linen or calico that has been washed to extreme softness. It -should be folded lengthways till just long enough to reach from below -the patient’s shoulders to his knees. This, with an under-piece of -mackintosh, is carefully put in place and tucked in with the same care -and tightness as the under-sheet. - -In regard to the upper bed-clothes, they too require care in tucking -in, especially at the bottom; and if so long as to need folding back, -the folding must on no account be done at the top. I have seen patients -with chest complaints literally labouring under the weight of clothes -placed in exactly the wrong place. In illness, as a rule the feet need -extra covering, and the breathing organs no more weight of clothes than -is absolutely necessary. The upper-sheet being light, may be allowed to -turn over for neatness, but blanket and counterpane must only come up -to the patient’s neck. This folding back is such a common error, that -it needs special notice, and in ordinary life, as well as in illness, -should never be tolerated. The number of upper-clothes to be put on -the patient’s bed will vary with circumstances; but, as a rule, in a -room with a fire, one blanket and a counterpane will be enough. The -great point is to secure warmth without weight, and for this purpose, -the ordinary cotton counterpane is about as bad as possible. An -excellent substitute is the kind of blanket known as the ‘Austrian,’ -which is cheerful in appearance as well as light and warm. In cases of -exhaustion, nothing is better than a chintz-covered down, which can be -shifted or removed without disturbing the patient. - -A good many amateur nurses err on the side of over-heating a patient, -and do not understand its connection with restless tossing and broken -sleep. Should these symptoms occur at night, especially if accompanied -with a flushed face and moist skin, it is well to gradually reduce the -number of coverings, carefully noticing the effect of so doing. - -On the ground of their greater warmth, cotton sheets and pillow-cases -are preferable to linen; but some people have a decided fancy for the -latter, and it may safely be used, provided the sheets are warmed just -before being put on the bed. Simple airing is not enough; I have known -the chill of linen set a patient off into a shivering fit, although the -nurse has been particularly strong in the airing line. - -It is absolutely necessary that all the bedding used in illness shall -be thoroughly aired, but, of course, it should never be done in the -sick-room. Unhappily, it is by no means rare to find the fire screened -from a patient by clothes-horse or chairs, covered with damp things, -the vapour from which ought to be sufficient warning of the folly of -such a practice. A good rule in this connection is that everything, -down to cups and saucers, shall be removed from the sick-room as soon -as soiled, and only returned to it in a condition for immediate use. - -Re-making the patient’s bed is our next consideration. If well enough -to go into another room, he should either be carried there, or laid on -a sofa and wheeled in. As soon as he is out of the way, the window of -the sick-room should be thrown open to its widest, and the bed-clothes -taken off one by one, well shaken, and left so exposed that the air -can circulate freely around them. The mattresses should share the same -treatment, and if possible, be left for a few minutes before being -replaced. The patient will indeed be peculiar who does not enjoy the -refreshment of a bed thus aired. - -But in helpless illness, the changing of bedding is a more complicated -matter, and needs practice to make perfect. There are two ways of -changing the under-sheet The first may be used when the patient is -not quite helpless, and the nurse has to work alone. The soiled sheet -is freed at the top, and after the removal of pillows and bolster, is -rolled up to the patient’s head; the clean sheet, after being well -tucked in at the top, is loosely rolled in such a way as to lie close -against the soiled one; they must now be worked down together, rolling -the soiled, and unrolling the clean, the patient raising himself on -elbows and feet just enough for the nurse to pass the sheets under -him. In this way it is possible to get the under-sheet smooth and -tight; but it is not an easy thing, and an assistant should be had if -possible. If help is to be had, and in all cases where the patient -is quite powerless, it is better to adopt the second plan. Remove -the pillows and bolster, so that the patient lies quite flat in bed; -turn him over on his side with his back to you. Loosen the sheet -lengthways, and proceed with the rolling and unrolling as before, till -the rolls come close up to the patient’s back. Depress the mattress -under him, whilst the assistant draws the sheet through, and in so -doing, slowly turns the patient on his back. He will now be lying on -the clean sheet, and the difficulty is over. The trained nurse will be -able to do this without removing the upper clothing, and in no case -should all the coverings be taken away. Draw-sheets may be removed in -the same way, but being small, are easier to manage. Some people tack -or pin the clean to the dirty, and draw through whilst an assistant -keeps the patient raised. Changing the upper clothes is not such a -serious undertaking, though seldom properly managed by amateurs. The -counterpane and blanket may be taken quite off the bed, and given to -an assistant to shake, outside the room; but the sheet must never be -removed without an immediate substitute. A good plan is to loosen the -soiled sheet all round, tuck the clean one well in at the foot, and -draw the free end upwards, under the dirty sheet, which is gradually -drawn away or rolled up. As a general rule, the patient’s bed should be -made and his night-shirt changed at least once a day, and cases where -this is not feasible ought not to come within the scope of home-nursing. - -If a pair of clean sheets a day cannot be managed, one may be made to -do, by letting yesterday’s clean upper sheet be to-day’s lower one; but -draw-sheets must be changed as soon as soiled, irrespective of number. -Where mackintosh is used, it should also be frequently changed, washed -over, and thoroughly dried, in the open air if possible. - -The patient’s bed, it will be seen from the directions for making it, -must never stand so that one side is against the wall, nor must it be -in a direct current of air; but it is well if it can be so arranged -as to face the fire and at the same time allow the patient to amuse -himself by looking out of window. In badly finished houses, there is -often considerable draught from cracks in door or window frame, and -from this the patient must be carefully guarded by the judicious use of -screens. - -We now turn to consider how the sick-room may be kept in that state -of perfect cleanliness essential alike to the patient’s comfort and -recovery; and of all neglected points, this is perhaps the one most -frequently forgotten or ignored; not one in a hundred of home-nurses -having a conception of her duty in this respect. Difficult it -undoubtedly is; but where the patient can be removed to another -room for an hour or two once a week, it is quite possible for even -inexperience to be successful. - -We will suppose the weekly removal has taken place, and the nurse has -to make hay while the sun shines. She first strips the bed, sending the -clothes into another room to be aired; and throwing the window open -to its widest, she directs her attention to the grate. The best way -of removing the ashes is to carefully collect all the large pieces of -coal and cinder, and then very gently draw the ashes away into a piece -of stiff paper, which folded over them, will prevent any dust rising -in their transit. After cleaning grate and fire-irons and making up -the fire, the nurse turns her attention to the carpet, which, after -being well strewn with damp tea-leaves, should be briskly swept with a -hand-broom. If the furniture is simple, it may be washed over with a -wet cloth and dried, all cushions or stuffed furniture being beaten out -of the room. The window, often overlooked, should be nicely cleaned; -and then the bed being re-made, the patient may be brought back into -a room thoroughly well cleaned and aired. It is not necessary that a -nurse should herself perform all menial work; indeed, it is much better -she should not; but she ought to see that the above directions are -faithfully carried out. For the rest of the week, the carpet should -be wiped over with a damp (not wet) cloth, tied to the end of a long -broom, and the furniture well and quickly dusted. It is not enough to -merely wipe over furniture and let the dust loose; the duster should -be folded over bit by bit as it becomes soiled, and once or twice -during the process of dusting, shaken out of a window in another room -or in the staircase. A room thus treated will keep in perfect order -for some time; but should the illness be long, an effort must be made -to take the carpet up about every six weeks or two months, that it may -be beaten and thoroughly aired. If carpets are made in the sensible -fashion of squares, secured by brass nails with broad heads, there will -be little difficulty in managing this; but it will not hurt the carpet -to let it remain loose. - -In cases where the weekly removal is impossible, the floor must be -wiped over carefully every day with a damp cloth, and tea-leaves used -now and then, the patient being protected from the dust by screens; but -this plan is only for use as a last resource in extreme cases. Under -such circumstances, it is not a bad plan to have a small portion of the -furniture, say a chair or table and an ornament or two, removed each -day and thoroughly cleaned, out of the room; otherwise, it is almost -impossible to keep things in proper order, in spite of daily dusting. - - - - -BY MEAD AND STREAM. - - -CHAPTER XLVIII.—ANXIETIES. - -Madge wakened with the weary sensation of one who has passed through -a long nightmare. It was some minutes before she could recall the -incidents of the previous day; still longer before she could realise -the unhappy meaning of the scene with Philip, and the fact that -Uncle Dick and Aunt Hessy had found in her conduct cause for grave -displeasure. - -Surely she had been acting very wickedly, when those three, who -were dearer to her than all the world beside, turned from her, and -were vexed as well as pained by what she was doing, so far as they -understood it. Surely Mr Beecham must be mistaken in the course he was -pursuing—she did not even now doubt the goodness and generosity of his -motives. There was only one way in which she could set the minds of -her friends at ease; and that she must adopt, no matter what it might -cost herself. She dare not hope that Philip would be readily satisfied -and come back to her; but at least he should understand that she had -been thinking of his interest more than of herself. And Uncle Dick and -Aunt Hessy would be relieved from anxiety on her account, and then—who -could tell?—maybe they would influence Philip. Maybe Uncle Dick would -overlook his loss of fortune, and tell him that he never meant to -separate them on such a sorry score as that. - -The one way which she saw to bring about this desirable consummation -was to inform Mr Beecham that she could no longer keep his secret; and -that, if he did not come to Willowmere within the week to release her, -she would take back the pledge she had given him and explain everything -to her relatives. - -Having arrived at this resolution, she was restored to a calm state -of mind which was wonderful in contrast with the fever of the night. -Morning is the time of hope and energy to a healthful nature; and Madge -felt this, although the atmosphere was cold and the sky white with its -load of snow, which was presently to descend in thick flakes, covering -up the last patches of earth and shrub left bare by the glimpses of -sunshine that had succeeded the previous fall. - -She went about her duties quietly and resolutely; but it was hard to -meet the wistful eyes of Dame Crawshay without throwing herself into -the arms that would have received her so gladly, and at once tell all. -She had, however, made a bargain, and she would keep to it. Aunt Hessy -would approve of what she was doing, when the time for explanation -came. Uncle Dick was surly at breakfast, and he scarcely spoke to her -at dinner. He did not once refer to the cattle show, and he went out to -inspect his stock, a discontented and unhappy man. - -Madge felt assured that Philip would say nothing more unless he heard -from Uncle Dick; nevertheless, she was all day looking out for some -sign from him. Old Zachy the postman came twice, and she saw him -approach, her heart pausing, then beating quick with excitement. But -Zachy brought nothing from her lover. And she was pained as well as -disappointed, although she assured herself again that she had not -expected anything, and that she had no right to expect anything until -Philip received some token of Uncle Dick’s kindly intentions. Besides, -she argued, it was needful to bear in mind the distracted state he -was in about his affairs, and how many things he must have to attend -to which could not be postponed on any account. Indeed, she did -remember all this, and was so keenly sensible of the cruel effect his -misfortunes were producing on his mind, that she was frightened about -him—more frightened than she had been even on the occurrence of the -accident with the horse. - -So, when postman Zachy had made his second and last round in the -afternoon, she could not rest until she had consulted Dr Joy regarding -Philip’s health. Having explained to Aunt Hessy where she was going and -why, she started for the village, although the snow had begun to fall -in a way which would have made any town-miss who understood what the -signs meant glad to stay at home. What the snow meant was to fulfil -the threats it had been making for several days, and to come down more -heavily than it had done for years. - -Dr Joy was surprised to see her on such a gloomy afternoon; but he -understood the nature of her visit, after a few words of such necessary -explanation as she was at liberty to give. - -‘And I want you to tell me plainly what his condition is, doctor,’ she -concluded, ‘for I—that is, we are all very anxious about him.’ - -The good little doctor looked at her earnestly for a moment, as if to -assure himself that she was not only desirous of hearing the truth but -also able to bear it, and then made reply frankly, but was unable even -then to dismount entirely from the hobby which he and his wife rode so -diligently in theory. - -‘You will agree with me, my dear Miss Heathcote, that economy is the -great principle which should regulate our lives—not merely economy in -finance, but likewise in work, in strength, and (most important of all) -in health. I daresay our friend has told you that I spoke to him on -this subject.’ - -‘When writing, he mentioned that you had visited him,’ she answered, -with some nervous anticipations assailing her. - -‘Well, I warned him then that his condition was extremely precarious. -It is, in fact, that condition which when a man has fallen into, it -requires him directly to throw up everything, if he cares to live. It -requires him to sacrifice fortune, prosperity, and to run away anywhere -and do anything to escape it.’ - -‘But how can he do that?’ - -Her own observations of Philip’s changing moods recently, formed a -convincing argument in favour of the importance of what the doctor -said. The doctor shook his head and smiled regretfully. - -‘That is precisely what he asked; that is what every man to whom the -advice is given asks. My answer is—_don’t_ ask how, but go at once. -Your affairs will be settled much more satisfactorily to all parties -in a year or two if you go, than they can be if you remain and die in a -month or two.’ - -‘But surely Philip is not so bad as that!’ - -‘You asked me to speak plainly, and I am quoting extreme cases,’ said -Dr Joy, anxious to mitigate the alarm which he saw his verdict had -created, whilst at the same time holding to his point. ‘Philip is -not quite so bad as that yet; but he will be in a few months, unless -something occurs to relieve him from his present anxieties.’ - -The doctor’s last words gave her more encouragement than he could have -expected, or perhaps intended to give; and the terror which had made -her pulse seem to stop, was changed to confident hope. She had every -reason to believe that in a few weeks, it might be in a few days, -Philip would be relieved of all his anxieties. But this did not lessen -in any degree her eagerness to have direct and frequent information -as to the state of his health. Dr Joy readily agreed to call at the -chambers in Gray’s Inn on the following day, and report to her on his -return; then they were to arrange about further visits. Thus being -relieved to some extent on this important point, she prepared to take -leave; but Dr and Mrs Joy suggested that she should have a fly to take -her home, as the snow was falling fast, and already lay three or four -inches deep on the ground, whilst it had drifted into an embankment -against the opposite houses. - -‘I should not think of your hiring a conveyance,’ said the doctor; ‘but -we have had a long and heavy day, and both my horses are fagged out.’ - -But Madge would not hear of this kindly proposal. ‘I like the snow,’ -she answered, ‘and a brisk walk will do me good.’ At another time, she -would have smiled at the timidity of her friends on account of the -weather. - -‘You will catch your death of cold, my dear,’ said Mrs Joy, ‘and then -you will not be able to come to Edwin’s lecture next week. I assure you -it is the most interesting one he has yet delivered.’ - -Even the danger of missing the doctor’s lecture was not enough to -deter her from walking home. As she was passing the _King’s Head_, the -Ringsford carriage drew up at the door, and out of it jumped Coutts -Hadleigh, in the full uniform of a captain of Volunteers. He was taken -by surprise, and uttered a natural exclamation: - -‘Why, what brings you so far from home on such an evening as this? -There is going to be a regular out and outer of a snowstorm, and I -would not be here myself, only this is the night of the feed I give -every year to my men, and all the arrangements were made.’ - -She was more pleased to meet him than she was generally, for he might -be able to give her some news of Philip. So, without troubling to -answer his inquiries, she put her own. - -‘Don’t know anything about him,’ he answered—callously, as she thought, -‘except that he has got into a precious scrape, and will disgrace our -family, unless that uncle of his helps him out of it.’ - -‘Disgrace?—How is it disgrace to fail in a noble enterprise?’ - -‘Ah, it’s something worse than failing in a noble enterprise,’ answered -Coutts, returning to his habitual tone of cynical indifference. ‘But -don’t let us talk about it, if you please. I would rather not, even to -you, until all the ins and outs are known.’ - -‘When will you know about your brother’s affairs?’ - -‘I cannot say; but he will tell you all about them; and if he doesn’t, -I will. Meanwhile, let me do him a service—get into the carriage, -and Toomey will drive you home. I am sure that is what Phil and the -guv’nor, too, would say, if they found you trudging along the road in -such weather. Do get in, or they will both have me down in their black -books. The carriage is not to come back for me, so you won’t give the -horses any extra work.’ - -She consented; and Toomey, who was glad enough to turn homeward for -his own comfort as well as that of the horses, wheeled round, and -drove off at a good pace. A little way out of the village they nearly -ran over a man, who, walking in the same direction, had not heard the -carriage making up on him, either on account of the preoccupation of -his thoughts or the thick carpeting of snow on the road. - -‘All right,’ growled the man, having saved himself, and Toomey drove on. - -Madge recognised the voice of Caleb Kersey. She would have liked to -speak to him, but it was too late. She supposed, however, that he was -on his way to visit Sam Culver, from whom he would learn the cause of -Pansy’s disappearance. Caleb was on this quest, as she surmised, and he -was going to Ringsford, but not to seek information from the gardener. - - -CHAPTER XLIX.—AT MIDNIGHT. - -Coutts Hadleigh relished good wine; but he was cautious in his cups, -as in everything else. On this evening, however, he ‘drank fair,’ as -it is called, with his comrades; and those who were acquainted with -his habits noted the fact with increasing curiosity as the evening -advanced. This was the fifth annual dinner he had given to ‘his men’ -since the captain’s commission had been thrust upon him, and he had on -no previous occasion displayed so much hilarity or provided so many -cynical anecdotes for the entertainment of the company. His lieutenant -and sub.—both proprietors of the land they farmed—concluded that the -captain must have made some exceptionally lucky stroke in business -recently. Coutts believed he had. - -The members of the Kingshope Volunteer corps were mostly young farmers -and the sons of farmers, who should have possessed the physical -proportions which would have specially qualified them for the soldier’s -career. But it was surprising to observe how few of them presented -these qualifications. When Dick Crawshay first saw them mustered, he -exclaimed in loud indignation, his huge form towering over the whole -troop: ‘What! is that all our county can show in the way of Volunteers? -Why, half a dozen of our old yeomen would scare them into the middle -of next week without a tussle! They are more like a set of town -scarecrows than country-bred lads.... Ah, this comes ov givin’ the land -to people that have money and no muscle, and meddle with things they -know nothing about.’ - -He was right in a certain degree, for these youths were the sons of -wealthy merchants who take up farming as a hobby, and leaving the work -to hired labourers, are indifferent to losses, and therefore able to -pay rents which the working farmer has struggled for a time to compete -with, and given up in despair, or emigrated. This was a sore subject -with yeoman Dick, and although regularly invited by Coutts to this -annual feast, he regularly refused to go—and even kept within his own -bounds whenever he knew there was a parade. The prejudice prevented him -from learning that a goodly number of these young fellows made up for -physical deficiencies by skill as marksmen and efficiency in drill; so -that the Kingshope Volunteer corps formed a by no means unsatisfactory -body of men for home defence. But had any one dared to hint that -even in some respects they might be favourably compared with the old -yeomanry, he would have made Dick his foe. - -On the present occasion, Captain Hadleigh’s company showed that they -had improved slightly on one of the yeomanry practices by keeping up -their revels to a late hour without all getting drunk. The lieutenant -having to pass Ringsford on his way home, and having his gig with -him, drove the captain to the gates of the Manor. The snow had only -ceased falling a little while before the company at the _King’s Head_ -broke up, and now it lay deep on the roads, houses, and fields. The -old church looked like a huge snow-house; and the meadows in the dim -moonlight presented a white surface, apparently on a level with the -hedgerows. - -The lieutenant’s powerful cob had its work to do, for at every step -its hoofs sank deep in the snow-covered road. But the travellers were -merry, and did not mind the slowness of their progress. Their chief -trouble was to keep the road and avoid the open ditches. They succeeded -in this, and also succeeded in distinguishing the point where the Manor -gates broke the white wall. - -Coutts made his way through the side-gate, which shook large pancakes -of snow down upon him as he opened it. - -The avenue being guarded by its long arch of tree-branches, the path -was comparatively easy to traverse, and Coutts was soon in front of the -house, which, like the church, was a shapeless white mass, broken by a -few points of light. Underneath these few lights was dark shadow. As -Coutts ascended the steps of the portico, a man stepped out from the -shadow. - -‘I want to speak to you a minute, Mr Coutts Hadleigh; I’ve been waiting -all evening for you.’ - -Coutts was no coward, although his brain was somewhat muddy with wine; -but this sudden apparition made him spring to the top of the steps and -ring the bell, as he exclaimed fiercely: - -‘Who are you, and what do you want with me at this hour?’ - -‘I want to know where is Pansy Culver?’ said the man with enforced -calmness, which contrasted to his advantage with the blustering ire of -the other. - -‘Confound your impudence—how should I know?’ - -‘I saw you with her at the London station. Where has she gone to? Where -did you send her to?’ - -‘She didn’t tell me where she was going to, and I didn’t send her -anywhere.’ - -Caleb Kersey’s calmness broke bounds, and he next spoke with savage -determination: - -‘You are lying, and you shall tell me the truth.’ - -‘You’re an insolent fool.’ - -As Caleb swiftly ascended the steps, he received a vigorous buffet on -the breast, which tumbled him backward on the snow. The door was open; -Coutts entered; the door was instantly closed, bolted, chained, and -locked. - -‘Tell that fellow Kersey to go about his business,’ said Coutts to the -attendant who had been waiting up for him; ‘he is drunk or mad. If he -has any business with me, he knows where to find me at proper hours.’ - -With that he went up-stairs in a furious temper with the man who had -insulted him, and had evidently intended to offer violence to his -person. Before he had reached the first landing, there was an impatient -but not a very loud knock at the door. The servant repeated his young -master’s message, put out the hall lights, and gladly enough went off -to bed. - -Caleb stood in the portico hesitating as to what he should do. He had -been waiting there for hours; he had been told that Mr Coutts Hadleigh -was not at home—the servant declined to say where he might be found. -The snow and the cold did not appear to affect him. He waited, and at -last the man had come, but had not given the watcher any satisfaction. -Caleb was aware that his application was untimely: but that was not -his fault: the circumstances were exceptional. He must know from this -villain what he had done with Pansy, and then he would seek her father, -whose authority would rescue her from the evil influence under which -she had fallen. - -The poor fellow never thought that his first step ought to have been -to consult Pansy’s father. A natural delicacy, rude and earnest, made -him shrink from the idea, because he felt sure it would cause him pain. -He learned from his friends in the village that Pansy had gone away -somewhere; and as the gardener had no special need or liking to speak -of her grandfather, he had not mentioned to any of his gossips whither -she had gone. So Caleb, sitting in a train which was just starting, -having caught sight of Pansy and Coutts Hadleigh talking together on -the platform at Liverpool Street Station, instantly concluded that -there was something wrong. He would have jumped out of the carriage; -but the other passengers prevented him, and he had to endure cruel -torments of speculation and rage until he reached his destination. - -He had no hope of winning Pansy; but he might save her from the fate -to which she seemed to be hasting. He had no doubt she had been taught -to repeat some falsehood to her father, which kept him quiet about -her absence, and he had no doubt of her danger. Then with a sullen -resolution, in which the anxiety of a lover was combined with the -suppressed fury of a maniac, he sought Coutts Hadleigh, determined to -force the truth from him. - -In those cold weary hours when he was hanging about the Manor waiting, -the words of Philip frequently recurred to him: ‘Trust her, man; -trust her.’ He imagined that he did trust her; he was sure that she -did not mean to do wrong. But at the same time the wicked comment of -Wrentham also presented itself, reminding him that trust gave the woman -opportunity to deceive. He did not like the man who spoke or the words -he uttered; but the remembrance made him uneasy. - -‘Ah, if Master Philip had not been in such a pickle with his own -affairs, I’d have gone to him now, and he would have told me what was -best to do, even though the villain be his own brother. But it would -be a mortal shame to put more trouble on him when he’s down enough -already. I’ll go my own way.’ - -All these things were careering through his mind, as he stood under the -portico wondering how he should act. He heard a casement open above—it -seemed to be directly over his head—and Captain Hadleigh shouted: - -‘You’d better move off quietly, Kersey, or I’ll call our fellows and -send for the police.’ - -The casement was closed violently, the two sides banging together, the -principal windows of the Manor opening on hinges like doors, in the -French fashion. - -Caleb stepped out from beneath the portico and looked up. There was a -ruddy glow—the effect of the light shining through deep maroon-coloured -curtains—in two windows on the first floor. One of these windows opened -on to the top of the portico which formed part of a balcony. That was -the one from which Hadleigh must have spoken, thought Caleb; and was -immediately satisfied on the point by seeing the shadow of a man who -was passing slowly between the light and the curtains. - -‘The stable ain’t far off, and I can find a ladder there,’ muttered -Caleb, moving away from the front of the house. - - * * * * * - -Mr Hadleigh, sen., was seated at his writing-table, his back towards -the windows. Before him lay those sheets of manuscript which he had -written at intervals during the past year. The broad shade on the lamp -cast the soft light down on the table, and had it not been for the -bright glow of a huge fire, the rest of the room—and especially the -upper part—would have been in comparative darkness. As it was, the -flickering flame of the fire made the shadows above and around him -flutter and change like living things. - -He was not writing. He was carefully separating certain pages from the -others; having done so, he fastened them together neatly, and with his -hand covering them, as if to hide the words from himself, he leaned -back on his chair. Suddenly he rose and paced the floor slowly in -melancholy reflection. - -When he resumed his seat, there was a placid expression on his face, -like that of one who, after a long mental struggle, has come to a -final decision and found peace. - -With as much sad deliberation as if he were committing a dear one to -the grave, he placed the separate packets of manuscript in different -envelopes. The first and largest he addressed in a bold clear hand, -‘_To Mrs Philip Hadleigh. To be opened after my death._’ - -Over the second packet his pen was poised for some moments, and his -hand was not so steady as before when he began to write. - -‘_To my son, Philip Hadleigh. To be opened after my death and read by -him alone. When he has read, he shall decide whether to burn at once or -first to show it to his wife. The secret of my life is here._’ - -As his pen stopped, a chill blast passed through the room, making the -lamplight waver, as if it were about to be extinguished. Mr Hadleigh, -surprised, raised his head slowly, and slowly looked round. - -The window behind him was open, and before it stood a tall, -rough-looking, muscular man. Mr Hadleigh’s sallow cheeks became more -sallow, his eyes started, and his lips trembled slightly. He recovered -himself instantly, and rising calmly from his seat, and at the same -moment lifting the shade from the lamp, his eyes remaining fixed all -the time on the intruder, burglar, intending murderer, perhaps. - -When the light was uncovered, the man drew back a pace with a kind of -growl of surprise. Mr Hadleigh retained perfect self-possession; but he -was not much relieved from apprehension by recognising in his midnight -visitor the leader of the agricultural agitators who had on various -occasions openly declared antagonism to the master of Ringsford. - -(_To be continued._) - - - - -A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE _NOT_ DANGEROUS. - - -A remarkable circumstance recently occurred which brings out strongly -the fact that scientific teaching in medical and surgical matters has -made giant strides of late. On the 8th of July an accident happened -to a ‘marker’ at the ranges of the Civil Service Rifle regiment at -Wimbledon when marking at the five hundred yards’ range. According -to the report, a rifle-bullet seems ‘to have bounded off the corner -of the target and to have entered the marker’s breast.’ Fortunately, -the great annual meeting of the National Rifle Association was to -commence in a day or two, and the Field Hospital prepared for the -meeting was being got ready under the charge of Sergeant Monaghan -and Corporal Melville, both of the Army Hospital Corps. Thither the -wounded man was immediately carried; but there was no surgeon present -or anywhere near. Seeing, however, the serious nature of the case, the -two soldiers, without a moment’s hesitation, took steps to extract the -bullet, which had entered the right breast just under the collar-bone. -Having carefully examined his patient and found the exact locality of -the bullet, Sergeant Monaghan, with the assistance of the corporal, -made an incision in the back and was enabled at once to extract the -bullet from the spot where it had lodged, just opposite to the point -of entry in the breast. The injured man, a member of the corps of -Commissionaires, expressed himself much gratified with the prompt -attention he had received, as well as with the skilful operation by -which, without a moment’s loss of time, the important act of removing -the bullet had been accomplished. Too much praise cannot be given to -the two soldiers, who by their ready and intelligent action, saved -their patient not only from prolonged suffering, but perhaps even from -death itself. - -The well-known saying of ‘A little knowledge is a dangerous thing,’ -is here singularly confuted, for it was just the ‘little knowledge’ -applied with sagacity and intelligence that probably saved the life of -a fellow-creature. - -Many of our readers will doubtless remember a melancholy occurrence -which took place last year on one of the Swiss mountains, when a -valuable young life was lost for the want of a ‘little knowledge,’ and -in itself, very simple knowledge too. A German engineer and two guides -were ascending one of the famous Swiss mountains, when the younger -of the guides appears to have had a very bad fall, by which either a -bottle or a lamp-glass was broken, the fractured part entering the -young man’s thigh and dividing the femoral artery. It would not, we -should suppose, have required very profound surgical knowledge to know -that the man would inevitably bleed to death unless this great artery -could be immediately compressed; but incredible as it may appear, -neither the German nor the other Swiss guide knew anything about the -matter. They tried to stop the spouting blood with their handkerchiefs, -which of course was of no avail. Neither thought of tying the -handkerchief or other ligature round the upper part of the limb, and -then twisting it tight by the application of a stick; and so the poor -young fellow quickly bled to death. Now, if the bleeding could have -been arrested by ligature until surgical assistance was procured, the -young guide would doubtless have recovered, for the injury, as a mere -flesh-wound, was in itself by no means serious. Here, then, a ‘little -knowledge’ would have done a vast amount of good. - -One of the best, most useful, and practical associations of the present -day is the St John’s Ambulance Society, which teaches all who care -to learn how to act in such emergencies as that related, and to take -instant action _on the spot_, until surgical aid can be obtained—a -ticklish and anxious time, often fraught with serious danger, when -there is not a minute to spare, and where loss of time means loss of -life. - -Let every one, therefore, who has any real love for his fellows, and -who feels that he or she has the nerve requisite for the work—for -this is a _sine quâ non_—at once learn how to act in cases of sudden -accident, illness, faintness, drowning, or any other of the many -unlooked-for ills and mishaps that ‘flesh is heir to’—a species of -knowledge that will improve the mind of the possessor, and may be -productive of infinite good. - - - - -THE LAST OF THE STUARTS. - -A MODERN ROMANCE. - - -III.—KING CHARLES III. - -There were great preparations at Balquhalloch Castle for the worthy -reception of the king; and but for the fact that the editor, who was -also the sole reporter, of the Aberdumble _Warder_ was at the time -confined to his house from indisposition, the whole matter would no -doubt have found its way into the papers. The Princess spared neither -trouble nor expense. Two Aberdumble carpenters arrived, and erected -opposite the porter’s lodge a wooden triumphal arch. An Aberdumble -painter followed after them, and inscribed upon the arch, in large red -letters on a blue ground, a legend welcoming His Majesty to his own -again. And when the painter had departed, the Princess, accompanied by -Tom Checkstone and Father M‘Fillan, drove into Aberdumble and hired -all the flags in the town. She also subsidised the local brass band, -the members of which she instructed to be at the castle at a given -hour, prepared to play at her behest the stirring strains of _Who’ll -be King but Charlie_, and as many other Jacobite tunes as they knew or -could learn meanwhile; and she further engaged four pipers, who were to -stand just within the castle gate and salute her royal nephew in their -most tremendous style. It must be confessed that the Princess was a -trifle indiscreet. She undoubtedly laid herself open to a prosecution -for treason-felony, if not indeed for treason of the highest and most -deadly type; but fortunately for her, the Aberdumble people had grown -accustomed to her eccentricities, and not a soul dreamt of gainsaying -her will and pleasure in the matter. She therefore returned with a -carriage-load of flags, which she caused to be festooned from the -battlements. In her own boudoir and with her own fingers, she had -long since worked in silk a faithful copy of the old royal standard -of Scotland, and this she ordered to be run up on the flagstaff that -surmounted the keep, whenever the king should set foot within the -castle walls. Furthermore, she directed that at that auspicious moment -her head-butler, assisted by one of her stable-boys, should begin -the firing of a royal salute from an old brass gun that stood upon -the western wall; and in order to provide for this, she purchased -in Aberdumble, Archie M‘Pherson the ironmonger’s entire stock of -sporting-powder. - -Betimes there came a telegram for the Princess. ‘Shall be with you,’ it -ran, ‘at noon to-morrow;’ and it had been despatched by Charlie from -the telegraph office in Fleet Street, London. - -The Princess passed the night in a state of the utmost excitement. -Instead of retiring to rest, she paced to and fro until daylight -began to dawn; and it was only at Tom’s urgent entreaty that she then -consented to repair to her boudoir and lie down for a few hours. She -had talked of attempting to raise the country side, and of going to -the railway station at the head of her kilted and armed retainers, -to welcome her nephew; but Father M‘Fillan’s more sensible counsel -prevailed. He pointed out that nothing could be gained by undue haste, -and that any ill-advised display of force would probably end in the -speedy collapse of the movement long ere it could ripen and bear good -fruit. The fact is that, but for the common-sense of the chaplain, the -Princess would have done a thousand rash deeds. Fortunately, he had -constituted himself her temporal as well as spiritual adviser; and -being a man of extraordinary kindness and goodness, he had easily won -the Princess’s confidence. He regarded her as a harmless maniac, and -believed that there would be no danger in humouring her within due -bounds; nor did he conceal his opinions from Tom Checkstone, who, while -professing to coincide with them, fully made up his mind to carry on -the game until it should bring some decided advantage to himself and -his friend Charles Stuart. - -The Princess, accompanied by Father M‘Fillan, and by Tom, who rode, -drove to Aberdumble Station without the retinue of armed tenants; and, -punctual to the appointed hour, the king’s train arrived. The Princess -would have respectfully kissed His Majesty’s hand; but Charlie, with -right royal condescension, embraced his aunt and kissed her upon both -cheeks. Then, having graciously shaken hands with Tom and the priest, -he entered the carriage, which was driven rapidly back to Balquhalloch. -A few children followed it for a short distance, but they were soon -left behind, and it was not until the castle was well in sight that any -further signs of excitement and expectation became visible. - -The first loyal greeting came from Daft Andy M‘Gregor, an old fellow -of eighty-seven. He had heard from his grandfather of the great doings -of the ’45; and fully believing that patriotism required it of him, -he stood at his cottage door waving a rusty claymore, and flang his -bonnet into the air as the carriage rolled quickly by. A more formal -welcome awaited the king at the gateway of the castle. The porter’s -eldest son, in his Sunday clothes, walked gravely forward, bearing on -a cushion the castle keys, and, with profound obeisance, presented -them to Charlie, who as gravely received them and gave them into Tom’s -custody. At that moment the four pipers struck up; and the carriage, as -it passed through the gateway, was saluted by a boom from the old brass -gun. Tears stood in the Princess’s eyes, as, giving her hand to Father -M‘Fillan, she alighted. ‘Thank heaven for this day!’ she exclaimed -devoutly; while in a louder voice she added: ‘God save the king!’ - -The cry was taken up by all the servants and tenants who had collected -in the courtyard, and was accentuated by a second boom from the brass -gun. Thus acclaimed, the king, supported by Tom, walked into the great -hall, and was thence conducted by the Princess herself to his private -apartments. - -‘The first thing,’ she whispered to him, ‘will be to hold a council.’ - -‘Of course!’ assented Charlie. ‘We must hold a council at once. Let me -see. May Tom—I mean Mr Checkstone—act as my private secretary until I -can appoint some one else to the post?’ - -‘Most certainly! Your Majesty’s wishes are commands. I will send Mr -Checkstone to you.’ And the amiable Princess respectfully kissed her -nephew and retired. - -A minute later, Tom peeped in at Charlie’s door and entered his room. -The two young men at once burst into fits of suppressed laughter. - -‘It is really too bad!’ exclaimed Charlie. ‘You can’t imagine how -difficult it has been for me to keep my countenance.’ - -‘Never mind; you have done very well so far,’ returned Tom. ‘I am to -be your private secretary _pro tem._, and you are to hold a council. -I must therefore beg your Majesty to graciously nominate your -councillors.’ - -‘Whom shall I nominate? There is Father M‘Fillan.’ - -‘And Alexander Gordon, the factor; he is a presentable sort of fellow.’ - -‘And my aunt, the Princess.’ - -‘Ah, the constitution doesn’t permit you to nominate women.’ - -‘Well, then, we four can hold the council, if the council must be -held,’ said Charlie.—‘Now, how am I to comport myself?’ - -‘Father M‘Fillan understands, of course, that we are only masquerading; -but you mustn’t let him know that you have even the most distant -designs on your aunt’s money-bags, for he would spoil the game in an -instant if he did know it. As for Sandy Gordon—to him you must be the -king, the whole king, and nothing but the king. If I were you, I should -knight him. It would consolidate his loyalty.’ - -‘I’ll make him a baronet, if you like,’ assented Charlie. ‘It won’t -cost any more.—But what are we to do in council?’ - -‘To decide upon your plan of action,’ said Tom. ‘And we may as well -settle that here. The decision must be that no public steps are to be -taken at present.’ - -‘Quite so.—But don’t, Tom, push matters too far. I only want to be able -to marry Kate, you know; and really five hundred a year from my aunt -would satisfy me.’ - -‘All right, old fellow; you shall have a thousand.—But now to business. -I will go and announce the nomination of councillors. The council -will meet in the drawing-room in half an hour. Shave yourself, and -make yourself look as royal as possible. There was to be a valet to -wait upon you, but he hasn’t yet arrived from Edinburgh.—How they are -pounding away with that absurd brass gun! Fortunately, the powder has -almost run out, so you won’t be troubled with your full salute.’ And -Tom disappeared. - -The first sitting of King Charles III.’s council was not a long one. -The decision at which Charlie and Tom had already arrived was, of -course, adopted. Sandy Gordon was offered, but modestly declined, the -honour of knighthood; and Father M‘Fillan was commissioned to inform -the Princess that the king did not deem it expedient for the present -to take any public steps to assert his authority beyond the loyal -precincts of Balquhalloch. - -The Princess, who for nights had been dreaming of rebellion, was -grievously disappointed, and sought to bend her nephew’s determination. -After dinner, when for a short time she was alone with him, she talked -the matter over. - -‘Well, my dear aunt,’ said the king at last, ‘I need not tell you -that if we organise a rising, I must put myself at the head of it. -And if I put myself at the head of it, I must of necessity risk my -life. At present, as you know, I am not married. I am the last male -of our house. Ought I not, before facing the danger, to look to the -interests of my race, and indeed of the country? If I had a son, or -even a daughter, I could go forth with a lighter heart to battle; for -in that case my death would not mean the inevitable extinction of all -our hopes. You, it is true, would succeed me, but only for a few short -burdensome years; and with you the line would pass out of existence.’ - -‘True,’ assented the Princess; ‘you certainly ought to marry, and to -marry quickly. But whom can you marry? Who is worthy of you? Your -royal grandmother was a Tudor, a worthy spouse for my father of sacred -memory. But there are no Tudors now; and besides, you ought not to -marry a cousin. I fear that you must seek an alliance on the continent, -among the Bourbons or the Hapsburgs.’ - -‘Why not among the English Plantagenets?’ asked the king. - -‘Would that some remained,’ ejaculated the Princess. - -‘But one does remain,’ said Charlie. ‘The fact is that I have had the -good fortune to make the acquaintance of one whom I have determined to -wed; and, my dear aunt, she is a Plantagenet. Mr Checkstone, who has -the honour of her acquaintance, will tell you about her.’ - -‘Indeed!’ exclaimed the Princess. ‘This news greatly rejoices me. Let -Mr Checkstone write to her at once in my name and ask her to come and -visit me. I will judge of her worthiness.’ - -‘You had better write,’ suggested the king. ‘Why not write informally, -as my aunt. You must remember that we cannot yet afford to risk -anything by publicly hinting at my pretensions, much less by boldly -proclaiming to the country and the powers that be that I intend to -seize the crown.’ - -The Princess reflected; but she gave way, and, for once in her life, -signed herself simply Henrietta Maria Stuart. - -In due course Kate received the invitation. It was accompanied -by a private letter from Charlie; and when she had read the two -communications, she forfeited a month’s salary and quitted her -situation. A few days had to be spent in preparing for the visit to so -large and grand an establishment as she knew Balquhalloch to be; but in -less than a week after hearing from Miss Stuart, Catharine Plantagenet -left London for Scotland. - - -IV.—THE COLLAPSE. - -The Princess was charmed with Catharine Plantagenet, who, in truth, was -as gentle and true-hearted a girl as could be met with anywhere; but -when she became fully aware of the deception to which she was a party, -it was with the greatest difficulty that Charlie persuaded her to -refrain from telling her proud hostess the secret of her birth. - -‘Well,’ said Catharine, ‘under any circumstances I won’t consent to -take advantage of your aunt’s weakness. I hate false pretences. Your -aunt ought to do something for you, I confess, but let her do it with -her eyes open.’ - -Ere long, however, the Princess, upon her own initiative, made a -proposition to which even Catharine saw no objection. - -‘My dear,’ she said one morning, ‘I am getting old, and since you have -been here with me, I have begun to feel that I should not like to be -without you. Now I know perfectly well that Charles will be glad to -stay here for the present; so, why don’t you make up your minds to -marry and stay here together? When I die, the castle and everything -belonging to it will be his. You need never regard yourselves, -therefore, as trespassers upon my hospitality.’ - -‘And you really like to have me with you?’ asked Catharine. - -‘Certainly, my dear.’ - -‘For my own sake, I mean?’ added Catharine. - -‘Yes, for your own sake, and quite apart even from the fact that -Charles loves you. I shall speak to him about it.’ And speak to him she -did. - -‘You will be quieter and better off here than in London,’ she said; -‘and you will be able to mature your plans for the future. You and -Catharine shall have a separate establishment for yourselves; there is -plenty of room for all of us. And if you have any hesitation on the -score of money matters—which, after all, trouble the highest as well as -the lowest—I may set your mind at ease, my dear Charles, by telling you -that I have determined to give Catharine on her wedding-day a hundred -thousand pounds by way of jointure. When I die, the rest will be yours.’ - -‘You are very good, aunt,’ exclaimed the king, who was fairly overcome -by his relative’s liberality. ‘Yes; nowhere can we be happier than -here. But let us be married quietly.’ - -‘By all means! Father M‘Fillan shall perform the ceremony in the -chapel. Get Catharine to name a day—the sooner the better.’ - -Charlie talked over the matter that very evening with his sweetheart, -and an arrangement was soon come to between them. The wedding was -fixed for an early date; a few favoured guests were invited; and in -due course Charlie and Catharine became man and wife, Tom acting as -best-man, and Sandy Gordon, who, on account of his age and patriarchal -beard, seemed to be peculiarly fitted for the part, giving away the -bride. There was, of course, a feast for the tenantry; and the brass -gun on the wall was again fired—this time until it burst; but, as the -Princess regretfully said, the ceremony was not worthy of the event. It -ought to have taken place at Holyrood or Westminster Abbey. - -Charlie and Catharine went to Edinburgh for their honeymoon; and when -they returned to Balquhalloch, the castle settled down once more into -its normal condition of peace and quietness. Tom and the Princess spent -much of their time in the library, working hard at the family history; -and the young couple, with nothing to worry them, and only themselves -to think about, passed a delightful existence, which seemed as if it -could never become wearisome. - -But matters could not go on for ever in this way. The Princess in time -began to ask Charlie about his plans. ‘Will arms be required?’ she -wanted to know. ‘Will there be uniforms for the troops? What hope is -there of foreign assistance? Can the officers and men throughout the -country be bribed?’ And above all, ‘When are you going to rise and -strike for your rights?’ In short, the situation threatened to become -critical. And when, nearly a year after his wedding, Charlie found -himself the proud father of a boy, he realised that he must either act, -or permit his good aunt to scorn him as a weak-kneed, cowardly shadow -of a king. - -The auspicious event caused the Princess to be unusually active. She -desired, ere the grand stroke should be dealt, to be in a position to -publish abroad a full and complete pedigree, tracing the descent of the -Stuarts of Balquhalloch from the royal Stuarts of Scotland; and hearing -that a number of old records bearing upon the question were for sale in -London, she despatched Tom Checkstone thither with _carte blanche_ to -buy whatever he could lay his hands upon. Tom was absent for ten days; -and when he reappeared, he had with him a large chest full of dusty, -mouldy, discoloured documents. These treasures were conveyed to the -library, and for a week the Princess almost lived among them. - -One day Charlie and Catharine, who was now convalescent, were sitting -at luncheon, when, without warning, the Princess burst into the room. -She was very violently excited. Her gray hair had fallen loose, her -cheeks were pallid, and her hands were clenched convulsively. - -‘What is the matter?’ exclaimed Charlie and Catharine, both rising -together and rushing to support their aunt. - -‘Matter!’ she cried—‘matter?’ and she began to weep hysterically. - -‘Tell me,’ implored Catharine. ‘What can we do?’ - -But Tom, who had followed the Princess, and who now appeared in the -open doorway, soon explained the cause of the outbreak. - -‘Look here!’ he said, as he held out a yellow parchment. ‘It is a -terrible blow to your aunt, Charlie. There has been some mistake. You -are not descended from the royal Stuarts at all. A similarity of names -and some careless copying are responsible for the error.’ - -Charlie seized the manuscript, and having hastily glanced at it, threw -it aside, and went to his aunt, who was already being attended to by -Catharine. - -The Princess had fainted; but ere long she recovered, and was able to -tell her version of the story. She had been completing the pedigree; -she had almost arrived at the last link, when the whole chain had been -snapped by this hideous discovery. She would never get over the shock. -To think that after all she was a nobody! It was too dreadful! - -They led her to her own room, and in time succeeded in calming her. -Then, in order to convince himself, Charlie carefully examined the -parchment. Its statements could not be gainsaid. The Stuarts of -Balquhalloch had no connection with royalty; and he would not now be -required to seize the throne of Great Britain. To him the revelation -came, it must be remarked, as a welcome relief; but for days and weeks -it made his poor aunt miserable; and when she finally reconciled -herself to her lot, it seemed as if her energy and pleasure in life had -departed for ever. Indeed, she never entirely got over the blow, and at -the beginning of this year she died. - -Charlie and Catharine were with her to the last, and she bequeathed -everything to them. Balquhalloch, therefore, is now theirs; and Tom -Checkstone, who, rightly or wrongly, regarded himself as Charlie’s good -genius, holds sway as his friend’s secretary, man of business, chum, -and general factotum. - - - - -THE MONTH: - -SCIENCE AND ARTS. - - -On the 27th of August, the British Association commenced its -fifty-fourth annual meeting—not this year, however, on British soil, -but at Montreal in Canada. Some hundreds of members travelled from this -country to be present at the meeting. Both on the part of the city and -of the Dominion, the reception of the Association has been everything -that could be desired by its members. Montreal itself raised forty -thousand dollars towards defraying the expenses of the visit, and three -hundred of the members were, besides, received as guests into private -houses. The new President, Lord Rayleigh, Professor of Experimental -Physics in the University of Cambridge, delivered the opening address, -in which he sketched the progress that had been made in certain -important branches of science. The final meeting of the Association was -held on the afternoon of September 3, and was largely attended, about -two thousand persons being present. Lord Rayleigh in addressing the -assembly, said that no meeting had been held in which the Association -had been provided with such spacious rooms. Resolutions in favour of -the erection of a free public library in Montreal, as a memorial of the -visit, were then passed, and a large amount of money was immediately -promised in aid of this object, among the donations being one of -ten thousand pounds. The total money grants in favour of scientific -investigations made at the Montreal meeting were fifteen hundred and -fifty pounds. The tickets issued for members of the Association for -this session numbered seventeen hundred and thirty, and the money -received amounted to eighteen hundred pounds. - -Within the last twenty-five years, and more especially since the -Franco-German war, when the French made such good use of balloons, -there have been somewhat frequent rumours that the problem of aërial -navigation, comprised in the possibility of guiding and propelling a -balloon in a given direction, had been solved. The machine in each -case is carefully described, and generally it is represented as -having risen gracefully in the air, travelled about a little, and -then returned to its starting-point. Then, nothing more is heard of -it. Such an event is said to have occurred last month in France. The -gas-vessel—it can hardly be called a balloon, for it is cigar-shaped—is -nearly two hundred feet long. A platform is hung below, upon which is -a screw propeller, worked by a dynamo-machine and a large rudder. This -description tallies almost exactly with the form of so-called steerable -balloons which have been constructed, tried, and found useless by -M. Giffard, M. Tissandier, and others in previous years. The French -government have spent much money in experimental ballooning, and this -last achievement is the result. Perhaps the authorities were obliged -to show something for the money that was being spent, but we fear that -that something is not anything new or profitable. Until an aërial -machine be produced which shall make its way _against_ strong currents, -balloon navigation will remain as it has hitherto been. - -Here is a clever American notion, and one which will probably have -a wide application. It consists of a noiseless door-closer. In the -ordinary metal or india-rubber spring, so commonly fixed to doors, -the greatest energy is exerted at first, and the door generally slams -with a noise which is very distressing to any one with nerves. In the -new arrangement, the spring is fixed to the piston attached to a small -air-cylinder, so that as the door closes, the resistance of the air -in the cylinder checks its motion before the terrible bang arrives. A -small opening in the cylinder then lets in the air, so that the spring -once more asserts its authority with sufficient persuasion to gently -close the door. - -After the terrors excited by the alleged danger of using arsenical -wall-papers, it is rather a relief to read the opinion of Mr R. -Galloway, who has written an article upon the subject in the _Journal -of Science_. ‘Has it,’ he asks, ‘ever been proved that persons -who inhabit rooms the wall-paper of which is stained with emerald -green, suffer from arsenical poisoning?’ He then points out that the -injurious effects, if any, must be due to the mechanical detachment -of the pigment from the paper, and that such homœopathic doses of the -substance as could be carried by the air, would be totally different -from the effects which arise from larger doses of arsenic. Moreover, -he has made inquiry as to any cases of poisoning occurring during the -packing of this finely divided pigment—during which operation the -packers are surrounded by clouds of its dust—and could hear of none. Mr -Mattieu Williams, a well-known writer on Science, is also of opinion -that ‘arsenical wall-papers’ are practically harmless. We are glad to -record these opinions, for the tendency of the present time is to point -out lurking dangers in every direction, until one is apt to wonder how -our forefathers, in their happy ignorance of sanitation, ever contrived -to reach adult age. - -At Reading, this autumn, a honey-fair is to be held, when prizes -will be distributed to beekeepers who work on humane and advanced -principles, and also to those who can show the greatest amount of -unadulterated honey raised in a Berkshire hive. Such a show as this is -worthy of every encouragement, for honey fetches a high price, and so -does wax, even in these days of cheap sugar and composite candles. It -thus becomes possible for the intelligent cottager to add considerably -to his scanty means; and if he can be taught that honey can be won -without periodical destruction of bees and comb, so much the better. -There is some complaint that the newfangled hives, efficient though -they be, are too expensive to supersede the old straw skep. The British -Beekeepers’ Association might well turn their attention to this aspect -of the matter. - -Last year, Professor Huxley stated it as his opinion that no act of -man could possibly influence the increase or decrease in the number of -sea-fish. This was in answer to the gloomy anticipations of many that -the herring and other fisheries would be gradually annihilated unless -our fishermen were compelled by law to observe certain conditions. So -far as herrings are concerned, the recent enormous catches have shown -that there are fish as good and plentiful in the sea as ever yet came -out. Last month, we saw these fish in splendid condition being sold at -the Farringdon Fish Market, London, at one penny per dozen. By the way, -can any one explain why, in these days of refrigerators and cheap ice, -eighty-six tons of fish should be allowed in one month to become—at -Billingsgate—unfit for human food? - -At a flower-show at Frome the other day, prizes were offered by Miss -Ormerod, the consulting entomologist to the Royal Agricultural Society -of England, for the best collection of food-plants injured by insects, -accompanied by samples of the injurious creatures themselves, and a -short written account of the nature of their depredations and the -preventive measures to be adopted in dealing with them. There was only -one competitor, Mr Herbert Haley of Frome; but the collection which he -showed was a very complete one, and was most highly commended by Miss -Ormerod. As this was the first injurious-insect competition in this -country, and was probably known to comparatively few persons, we need -not be surprised at the want of competitors. Ten years ago in Paris, a -similar Exhibition took place, in which nearly four hundred competitors -took part. The exhibits included useful as well as injurious insects, -which were divided into separate classes. Such competitions ought to be -productive of a great amount of good. - -Recent experiments have led to the adoption of many alterations in the -torpedo system, which is likely to play such an important part in naval -operations of the future. Hitherto, the torpedo—a huge fish-like case -to hold explosives, and containing within itself an air-engine for -propelling it through the water—was thrust from a ship’s side below -the water-line. But it was found in practice that it was impossible to -fire the agent of destruction in a straight line, especially if its -mother-ship were under way. In the new method, the torpedo, which is -sixteen feet long and fourteen inches in diameter, is fitted into a -steel tube just large enough to contain the projectile. The pressure -of a key admits highly compressed air to this tube, and the torpedo -is shot out of an open port on exactly the same principle that a pea -is projected from a pea-shooter. But in the case of the torpedo, its -little but powerful engine is set to work the moment it reaches the -water, and away speeds the torpedo on its terrible errand. - -Professor Tuck of New York has constructed an electric torpedo boat, -which will render submarine warfare very terrible, if the hopes raised -by its recent trial are fulfilled. It is made of iron, in the shape of -a cigar, or rather pointed at each end, and is thirty feet in length. -It can travel on the surface of the water, or several feet below, -at the will of its commander. The torpedoes are carried outside the -vessel, and can be detached by the action of an electro-magnet, when it -is desired to let one rise to the surface against any ship that may be -lying overhead. By means of attached wires, the torpedo can be exploded -when the submarine boat has retired to a position of safety. Jules -Verne’s clever romance _Thirty Thousand Leagues under the Sea_, seems -here to come into play. - -Under the supervision of Mr Preece, the well-known electrician to -the Post-office, an experiment of great interest has been recently -conducted at Wimbledon, near London. The object of the experiment was -to ascertain the best method of lighting streets by electricity, the -lamps employed being the incandescent pattern advocated by Edison, -Swan, and others. Some of the lamps were placed singly, others on poles -twenty feet high, while at the same time the efficiency of different -kinds of reflectors was tested. The cost is calculated to amount to -one farthing per lamp per hour for each unit of light, valued at -ten candles. Now, the cost of gas for a similar amount of light is -one-fifth of a penny, so that the difference in expense between the two -systems is not very great. On the other hand, the advantages of the -electric light in the open air, where no question of impure products -of combustion need come in, almost disappear; gas, therefore, still -fulfils the required conditions. - -It is to be hoped that the new regulations for the prevention of -collisions at sea, which have just been published, will have the effect -of reducing those calamities, which have of late become fearfully -familiar. The twenty-seven articles contained in these regulations -refer to lights, sound-signals for fog, steering and sailing rules, -precautions to be adopted, and special rules for squadrons and -convoys. We may call particular attention to article nineteen, which -indicates how one vessel can signal to another by a steam-whistle. -Thus—one short blast to mean, ‘I am directing my course to starboard;’ -two short blasts, ‘I am going to port;’ three to mean, ‘I am going -full speed astern.’ Any one will readily remark how such signals -could be added to almost indefinitely. Indeed, it is simply the -method adopted in the army for flash-signalling with the heliograph, -adapted to sound-signalling with the steam-whistle. In such a system, -unfortunately, there are few, in moments of danger, who can keep their -heads cool enough to avoid making perilous mistakes. It is somewhat -like talking quietly when the house is on fire. - -About four years ago, the startling scheme of carrying ships upon a -specially constructed railway track bodily across that little neck of -land which ties together the two Americas was conceived by Mr Eades. -This scheme was communicated to the British Association at York in -1881, and although the idea seems a novel one, like most engineering -enterprises it can be doubtless accomplished if investors can be made -to believe in its power of paying a good dividend. The suggested -route would require a track one hundred and thirty-four miles in -length, which must be laid with a compound railway of extremely solid -construction. The worked-out details of the method of raising a ship -on a pontoon, transferring it to a travelling cradle, and finally -committing it to the deep once more, after its journey on dry land, are -most ingenious. Mr Eades, who hails from the United States, is now in -England, endeavouring to interest capitalists in his proposals. - -The demolition of the old law-courts which adjoined Westminster Hall, -has brought into view one of the most interesting pieces of stonework -belonging to Norman times that can be found in London. The state of -preservation of the wall of the old hall, upon which the marks of the -mason’s tools are still visible, is due to the circumstance, that -from a very early time it was under cover, for a cloister extended -along the whole length of the building on this side. Mr Pearson, the -architect, was lately requested to report upon the subject, and to -suggest the best method of restoration compatible with the preservation -of this unique relic of the reign of William Rufus; and it has been -determined to restore the cloister as it originally stood. According to -the opinion of Mr Shaw-Lefevre, the First Commissioner of Works, the -edifice when completed will, with the Houses of Parliament and the old -abbey adjacent, form one of the grandest groups of buildings in Europe. - -The attractions of South Kensington Museum have lately been added to by -the opening of a room containing a collection of antique casts, which -have been collected and arranged by Mr W. C. Perry. This collection -numbers about three hundred specimens, which illustrate the whole -historical range of ancient art. Such a record of the plastic art of -ancient times is of deep interest to the archæologist, as well as of -immense value to the art student. The arrangement of the specimens is -mainly chronological, and where one or two casts are, on account of -inconvenient size, not shown in their right place, it is in consequence -of want of space. We may venture to hope that at some not distant date, -better accommodation will be found for this valuable and interesting -collection. - -The Great Western Railway has always been famed for the wonderful -engineering difficulties which were grappled with by the daring Brunel, -and many evidences of his skill are apparent to the traveller on that -line. But even Brunel did not conceive the bold idea of piercing a -tunnel twenty-six feet in diameter, and four and a half miles in -length, beneath the bed of the Severn. But this great work has now -been in progress for some years, and the operations latterly have -been pushed forward with such rapidity by three thousand busy men, -that its completion may soon be looked forward to. The tunnel will -shorten considerably the distance between London and South Wales. It -is constructed so as to dip considerably towards the centre, to which -point any water will naturally gravitate. Here it will enter a drainage -subway, which will carry it to the Welsh side, to be pumped up into the -river. The great difficulty which the workers have had to contend with -is the irruption of vast bodies of water from local springs. The crown -of the tunnel lies at a depth of from eighty to a hundred feet beneath -the bed of the river. - -In these days of quick communication by telegraph and telephone, it -is strange to see how it becomes occasionally convenient to employ -‘the bird of the air’ to ‘carry the voice.’ In Haddingtonshire, at the -Penston Colliery, messages are carried from the pits to the offices, a -distance of more than six miles, by pigeons, and they accomplish the -work in about as many minutes. Telegrams are found to take about an -hour in executing the same business, and telephones are inadmissible, -because as yet no plan has been found by which the sounds can be -permanently recorded. - -In a recent lecture on Cholera and its Prevention, Professor de -Chamont called attention to the very common and erroneous idea that -tobacco-smoke, camphor, and other strongly smelling compounds act as -disinfectants. He pointed out that although chlorine, sulphurous acid -gas, and carbolic acid may under certain conditions be safely regarded -as true disinfectants, the best and most efficient known is _fire_. He -also, in speaking of sulphurous acid gas, generated by burning sulphur, -showed that a ready way of facilitating combustion was first of all to -pour upon the brimstone a little alcohol. - -Mr Graham, who recently gave an account of his mountaineering -experiences in the Himalaya, seems to have negatived some of our -preconceived notions regarding the difficulty of breathing at high -altitudes. At an elevation of more than four miles above the sea-level, -Mr Graham and his companions felt no inconvenience in breathing -except what might be expected from the muscular exertion they had -gone through. Loss of sight, nausea, bleeding at the nose or ears, -and other unpleasant symptoms often described by travellers, were -entirely absent. But the heart was sensibly affected, its rapid pace -being easily perceptible, and its beatings quite audible. It may -be remembered that Mr Glaisher and Mr Coxwell, in the course of an -experimental balloon ascent some years ago, nearly lost their lives -by the effect upon their breathing organs of the highly attenuated -atmosphere to which they had risen. But the altitude then reached was -about double that attained by Mr Graham in the Himalaya. - -A scheme has been proposed for the construction of an Indo-European -railway, the chief novelty of which is the adoption of a route along -the south shore of the Mediterranean. The line would utilise the -railroads of France and Spain. Then there would be steam-transit from -Gibraltar Bay to Ceuta in Morocco. Here would be the terminus proper of -the international railway, which would be in connection with the lines -already laid in Algeria and Tunis. The route would be continued through -Tripoli to join the Egyptian lines, and eventually along the coast of -the Persian Gulf to Kurrachee in India. Here, of course, contact would -be made with the great Indian railway system. Preliminary surveys have -been already made, and the nominal capital of the undertaking is fixed -at ten millions sterling. - -At the late meeting of the British Association in Canada, a very -curious contribution to our knowledge of carnivorous plants was made -by Professor Moseley, as a result of certain experiments he has made -with the water-weed _Utricularia vulgaris_. This plant is furnished -with small pear-shaped bladders, which at certain seasons are charged -with air, and cause the weed to rise to the surface of the water. This -movement has hitherto been supposed to be connected with the phenomenon -of fertilisation. But Professor Moseley points out that each bladder -has an opening closed by an elastic door, which will easily yield to -the pressure of a small fish; and that any unfortunate intruder is -either caught bodily, or can be securely held a prisoner by head or -tail until dead. That there is here anything analogous to digestion as -seen in other carnivorous plants, such as the _Dionæa_, &c., does not -appear; but it is thought probable that the decomposing animal matter -may contribute eventually to the life of the weed. - -An invention of considerable importance in connection with the -probability of saving life at sea has made its appearance during the -month. This consists of an adaptation of the use of oil at sea to the -ordinary life-buoy. Round the inside of the buoy is a brass reservoir -filled with oil. This is so arranged that when the buoy is hung upon -the vessel’s side no oil can escape; while the moment it assumes a -horizontal position, as, for instance, when it is thrown into the sea, -the oil flows freely, and the water all around the buoy is rapidly -covered with a thin film. This soon widens into a large circle, within -which, of course, the waves are unbroken, which enables persons to be -the more easily secured by the ship’s boats. Since it is a well-known -fact that in rough weather, when the cry ‘Man overboard!’ is oftenest -heard, life-buoys are frequently useless, as even the strongest men are -commonly washed off them, this practical adaptation of the use of oil -at sea will probably prove of signal importance. It could, we imagine, -also be readily applied to many of those improvised sea-rafts and -similar appliances, and render them of great value in rough weather. -It was the fault of many of those ingenious contrivances of this kind -which were to be seen at the Fisheries Exhibition last year, that no -one could possibly live on them in broken water, and this objection -the use of oil in this way would certainly obviate. It should be -noticed, however, that the chief value of the invention consists in the -arrangement for the oil to flow automatically. - -In addition to the electrically lighted colliery in South Wales, -noticed in last ‘Month,’ we hear of another in Lanarkshire belonging -to Mr John Watson, Earnock, near Hamilton. There may possibly be other -workings thus illuminated throughout this country; and there is no -doubt that ere long the brilliant and comparatively safe electric light -will be generally adopted underground. - -In Prussia also, as we learn from a contemporary, the electric light -at the Mechernich Mines has now had a fair trial for more than three -years, and has proved a complete success. The expectation that it would -both facilitate the operations and increase their security, has fully -been realised, and an extension of the plant is now being carried out. -An open working two thousand feet long, one thousand feet wide, and -over three hundred feet deep, in which three hundred men and twenty -horses are continually occupied, was first to be supplied with the -electric light, and it was a question whether arc lamps would answer -for this purpose in the smoky atmosphere caused by blasting operations. -For the first experiments, arc lamps of three thousand and one thousand -candles were used, with the positive carbon in the lower holder. The -effect was brilliant, yet the light did not penetrate the white smoke -cloud which collects at the upper wall immediately after the shot. But -as the smoke settles within ten minutes, it was thought advisable to -acquiesce in this interruption of a few minutes, and to use smaller -lamps of three hundred and fifty candles, which proved quite efficient. -Of these, there are ten in use, with about ten thousand feet of lead -cable, the cable being partially elastic, as the lamps with their -wires have to be removed when the blasting is to take place. The lamps -were originally supplied with hexagonal lanterns with obscured glass -to protect the eyes of the miners. The glasses were, of course, soon -broken, but no complaints are said to have been made about the naked -electric lights. - -The speech-recorder would appear to be an instrument of no small -importance, if it is able to do in a practical manner that which the -title of a patent recently applied for by Mr W. E. Irish would lead -us to suppose. The title of the patent is as follows: ‘A system or -method and means of receiving and recording articulated speech and -other sounds transmitted telegraphically, telephonically, or otherwise, -by the aid of electricity.’ The transmitting, as by telephone, and -recording of speech in characters which may be easily read, would be -of incalculable value. If this instrument fulfils what is claimed -for it, the anticipations once hoped for in the phonograph will be -realised, and in the future we may expect to see business-men talking -their correspondence into a box in which mechanism, by the aid of -electricity, records the same on paper, which may be forwarded as a -letter. Moreover, literary men will be saved the drudgery of the pen, -and have their thoughts recorded as rapidly as they can convey them -to the instrument. The system of natural phonetic signs, which we -should expect this instrument to describe, may also be the means of -influencing spelling and of simplifying the phonographic difficulties -of the language. Applications innumerable suggest themselves to us to -which such an apparatus may be applied; the verifying and duplicating -of orders received and sent telephonically, would form no small item in -the advantages to be derived from such a system. - -According to the _Journal de Rouen_, quoting from the _Polytechnische -Zeitung_, the recent invention of M. Verk, by which is produced the -effect of any metal on felt, is likely to become extremely useful when -applied to theatrical stage properties, as, besides being inexpensive, -the articles so treated are not materially increased in weight. The -things intended to assume a metallic appearance are first of all -covered with a layer of felt, which is coated over with a resinous -substance mixed with plumbago or blacklead. This is left to dry, -and is then passed over with a hot iron. The article is next rubbed -with pumice-stone, which produces the effect of burnished steel. If -copper, bronze, or silver is wished to be imitated, the felt—which is -rendered a conductor by its coating—is covered readily by immersion in -a galvano-plastic bath. - - - - -OCCASIONAL NOTES. - - -TELEGRAPHING EXTRAORDINARY. - -A contemporary supplies some interesting particulars as to the number -of words transmitted by telegraph to all parts of the kingdom on the -occasion of the Prime Minister’s recent visit to Edinburgh. On the -evening of Mr Gladstone’s arrival, press messages containing over -seventeen thousand words were handed in at the telegraph department of -the General Post-office; but the actual number of words transmitted -was over sixty-seven thousand, owing to the fact of the same report -being sent to more than one newspaper. Mr Gladstone’s visit to the -Forth Bridge works led to the transmission of twelve thousand words, -and his movements on the following day to nineteen thousand. On the -occasion of his first speech on Saturday evening (August 30) in the -Corn Exchange, sixty-two thousand four hundred and seventy-one words -were handed in, and one hundred and thirty-eight thousand four hundred -and forty-five transmitted. The number would have been greater had not -Sunday intervened, allowing of the transmission of many messages by -train. On Monday evening (September 1) the press messages reached the -enormous number of one hundred and seventeen thousand words, causing -the transmission of about four hundred and twenty-seven thousand words, -the largest number ever transmitted on any one night from Edinburgh. -After the Waverley Market speech of Tuesday night (September 2), one -hundred and seventy-two thousand eight hundred and twenty-one words -were transmitted. - -On Monday evening, when the strain was heaviest, one hundred and -thirty operators were at work, and in spite of the constant stream of -messages the department kept abreast of the reporters. As many as four -towns in the same telegraphic circuit were enabled to read almost the -same message at the same time. The message having been ‘punched’ on -long slips of prepared paper, the plan was adopted, instead of running -it entirely through one machine, of taking the slip out of the first -machine after it was three yards clear, and running it into a second -and a third. - - -CASUALTIES ON THE BRITISH COAST. - -A blue-book on sea-casualties to British vessels from July 1, 1882 to -June 30, 1883, contains the Report of the Marine Department of the -Board of Trade, showing that the total number of vessels belonging -to the United Kingdom to which casualties occurred (total losses and -serious and minor casualties) was 5409. This is higher by one hundred -and eleven than in 1881-82, when it was 5298, and higher than any year -since 1876-77, when it was 5801. The number of total losses was eight -hundred and ten (tonnage 277,490). This is lower than the previous -two years, but higher than in either of the four years preceding. -The decrease in the last two years is in sailing-vessels (classed -and unclassed) and in unclassed steamships. There is, however, a -large increase (twenty-five per cent.) in the total losses of classed -steamships. The number of serious casualties not amounting to total -losses was 1268, and was lower than any of the previous six years, -except 1879-80, when it was slightly higher. The decrease is entirely -confined to sailing-vessels. The number of steamships (five hundred -and seventy-one) to which serious casualties occurred is larger than -in any of the previous six years, and the tonnage of the vessels -affected is nearly one hundred and fifty thousand more than in 1876-77. -From 1877-78 there is a steady annual rise in serious casualties -to steamships from four hundred and six in 1877-78 to five hundred -and seventy-one in 1882-83. In 1876-77 they were four hundred and -ninety-three. The loss of life in vessels belonging to the United -Kingdom was 2501 in 1882-83, or seven hundred and seventy-six less -than in 1881-82, but was more than the loss in each of the five years -preceding 1881-82, and was three hundred and thirty-one more than -the average for the six years. Of these 2501 lives, 1463 were lost -in missing vessels. The number of missing ships was one hundred and -fifty-two, namely: Sailing-ships, 133; tonnage, 32,995; lives lost, -1080: steamships, 19; tonnage, 14,626; lives lost, 383—total lives -lost, 1463. - - - - -‘YES.’ - - A little rain, - The sun again, - A shadow; - A summer day, - Some new-mown hay, - A meadow. - - A girlish face, - A matchless grace, - And beauty; - We spend the day - In making hay— - Sweet duty. - - Some fading flowers, - Some happy hours, - But fleeting. - A week of rain, - And then again - A meeting. - - One quick shy look, - A rippling brook, - Some clover; - A sky of gold, - The story old, - A lover. - - A fair sweet maid, - A short word said; - What is it? - I try my fate, - And not too late - To miss it. - - The years have gone, - And still loves on - That lover; - He loves always, - As days and days - Pass over. - - A loving wife, - A long, long life - Together, - Have made him bless - That shy sweet ‘Yes’ - For ever. - - NORA C. USHER. - - * * * * * - -The Conductor of CHAMBERS’S JOURNAL begs to direct the attention of -CONTRIBUTORS to the following notice: - -_1st._ All communications should be addressed to the ‘Editor, 339 - High Street, Edinburgh.’ - -_2d._ For its return in case of ineligibility, postage-stamps - should accompany every manuscript. - -_3d._ MANUSCRIPTS should bear the author’s full _Christian_ name, - Surname, and Address, legibly written; and should be written on - white (not blue) paper, and on one side of the leaf only. - -_4th._ Offerings of Verse should invariably be accompanied by a - stamped and directed envelope. - -_If the above rules are complied with, the Editor will do his best to -insure the safe return of ineligible papers._ - - * * * * * - -Printed and Published by W. & R. 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