diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'old/66748-0.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | old/66748-0.txt | 2146 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 2146 deletions
diff --git a/old/66748-0.txt b/old/66748-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 0e51a07..0000000 --- a/old/66748-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2146 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular -Literature, Science, and Art, Fifth Series, No. 52, Vol. I, December 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. 52, Vol. I, December 27, 1884 - -Author: Various - -Release Date: November 16, 2021 [eBook #66748] - -Language: English - -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. 52, VOL. I, DECEMBER 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. 52.—VOL. I. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1884. PRICE 1½_d._] - - - - -THE STORY OF ABE. - - -Those who profess to know all about slavery will tell you that -the negro was a thousand times happier as a slave than he is as a -freeman. This may be true of some of the race; we do not enter into -the question. The field-hand was in general an entirely irresponsible -creature. He belonged to his master as thoroughly as the dogs and -horses did, and he was of infinitely less importance. He had his -daily task and his daily rations; he had also, if owned by a kind -master, his little amusements, chief of which were the dance and the -camp-meeting. Such a life would naturally not inspire one with any very -high ambition. Give the plantation negro his hoe-cake and his bit of -fat pork, his banjo, and the privilege of telling his experience to -an unlimited chorus of ‘Halleluiahs!’ and ‘Bress de Lords!’ and you -gave him perfect bliss. If the white man was his oppressor, he seldom -knew it. ‘De family’ were, except in rare cases, admired and revered. -And these poor creatures who did not own themselves, assumed and felt -an air of proud proprietorship when speaking of the glories of their -master’s state, and specially of each ‘young mas’r’ and ‘lily miss.’ -‘Young mas’r’ was at once their tyrant and their darling. I have heard -a wedding ceremony wound up with, ‘Hark, from de tombs a doleful -sound!’ with all its concomitant tears and groans, because ‘Marse -Harry’ had so ordered. - -This state of things by no means came to an end with the civil war. -Long after the slaves were freemen, and the broad acres had changed -owners, and ‘old mas’r’ had fallen in battle or died broken-hearted, -all that were left of the proud old name were still ‘de family’ to -those loving hearts. While the writer lived in one of the border towns -of Virginia, the mother of one of her maids appeared one day to ask for -largess. ‘We’se done goin’ to hab a party, Miss Anne,’ said she; ‘an’ -some ob de ladies dey gibs me flour; an’ some, eggs; an’ some, sugar; -an’ ole missis she would a’ gib me a whole great big cake, but I up an’ -tole her I had one.—It was a lie,’ she explained earnestly, fearing -I would think further gifts unnecessary; ‘but some o’ dem pore white -trash say de missis hain’t got nuff to eat.’ And Chloe fairly sobbed. - -I ventured to ask the occasion of the festivity. - -‘Well, ye see, Miss Anne,’ said Chloe, brightening, ‘us cullud pussons -is gettin’ married now just like white folks; an’ as my ole mammy ’ll -be eighty the day after to-morrow, Marse George said I had oughter gib -her an’ father a weddin’.’ - -Better late than never, thought I, as I added something to Chloe’s -basket. - -In addition to the plantation negroes and the often petted and spoiled -household servants, there was among the coloured population of the -South a certain proportion of skilled mechanics. These were not only, -from their superior intelligence, more alive than the rest of their -race to the hardship of slavery, but, from their greater value, -more apt to suffer from it. Why, for instance, should Jim, a good -blacksmith, trifle his time away on the plantation, where there was -little or nothing for him to do, when Smith in the adjacent town will -give Jim’s master, always in need of money, handsome payment for the -slave’s services? The master is perhaps a kind man, and Smith known to -be just the reverse, but hiring is not like selling. And so Jim goes, -and toils in the sweat of his brow till Smith’s payment to the master -is wrung out from him a thousandfold. - -It is of one of these mechanics I am going to tell you, and, excepting -that the names of the persons connected with the story have been -changed, every word of Abe’s story is true. - -In the heart of West Virginia, on the picturesque banks of the -Great Kanawha River, there is a large tract of land once owned by -Washington. Besides the niece who afterwards became Mrs Parke Custis, -Washington had another in whom he was greatly interested, the daughter -of his brother Lawrence. This lady, much against the wishes of her -distinguished uncle, became the wife of Major Parks of Baltimore; -and when this gallant officer, fulfilling Washington’s predictions, -had spent all he could lay his hands upon and a great deal more, the -couple, for his sins, were banished to what was then the wilderness -of Western Virginia. Their daughter in course of time married Mr -Prescott, a rich young planter from the east, whose money, laid out -on the Washington acres, produced a flourishing plantation; while on -one of the most romantic sites on the Kanawha arose a noble mansion -known as Prescott Place. Here Mrs Prescott exercised for years a lavish -hospitality; and here were preserved, until fire consumed them and -the mansion together, sundry relics of Washington, chief of which was -a characteristic letter to his niece, written before her marriage, -warning her that as she made her bed, so she should lie upon it. - -When young Laura Prescott married gay Dick Randolph, Abe, the son -of Mr Prescott’s body-servant, was one of numerous presents of like -kind. Abe was an excellent carpenter; and when dark days came to the -Prescotts and Randolphs, it was Abe himself who persuaded ‘Marse Dick’ -to sell him to a man from the north named Hartley, who from being a -slave-driver had risen to be a slave-owner, and who had the reputation -of being a very demon. Again and again Hartley offered a tempting -price, and again and again Dick Randolph refused it; nor would he have -yielded at last, hard pressed as he was, had he not felt that Abe, -being about to be hired to a builder in the neighbourhood, would be -really out of Hartley’s power. And when, some months after the sale, -Abe walked over to Prescott Place to tell that his new master was going -to allow him to purchase his freedom by working over-hours, Mr Randolph -felt quite at ease about the faithful fellow. A price being set by -Hartley, Abe set himself cheerfully to earn it—for years commencing his -day’s work with the dawn, and carrying it far into the night. - -But the general opinion of Hartley had not, it was soon seen, done him -injustice. Twice, thrice, was the price of Abe’s freedom raised just as -he seemed on the eve of gaining it; and after the third disappointment, -the slave became utterly hopeless, and, abandoning all extra labour, -spent his spare hours in the darkest corner of his wretched cabin, -brooding over his wrongs. This was by no means what Hartley intended; -so, to encourage Abe, he was led to promise, in the presence of Mr -Randolph, that he would abide by the sum last named. In law, of course, -the promise was good for nothing; but the _ci-devant_ slave-driver was -supposed to have some regard for public opinion. In vain Mr Randolph -offered a higher price than was demanded for the slave himself. Abe -should buy himself, Hartley said, or he should not be bought at all. - -Three years had passed, when Abe, getting a half-holiday from the -builder who hired him, set off for Hartley’s with the stipulated sum. -On his way there he stopped at Prescott Place to tell the good news. -This was just at the beginning of the war; and Mr Randolph, being about -to join the army, had promised to take Abe with him as his servant. - -Next morning, while breakfast was being served at Prescott Place, a -loud scuffle was heard at the dining-room door, and Hartley, using his -whip freely on the servant who tried to stop him, strode into the room -livid with passion, and flourishing his whip in Mr Randolph’s face, -yelled, with an oath: ‘Where is that nigger?’ - -Dick Randolph’s blood was up in a moment, but he was first of all a -gentleman. ‘Do you see my wife?’ he asked sternly. - -A coarse response from Hartley was all the reply, and in a moment the -ruffian had measured his length on the floor; nor did he remember more -till he found himself struggling in a pool of not very clean water -by the highway. The negroes had received orders to take him off the -plantation, and the precise spot where they were to deposit him not -having been mentioned, they had selected one in accordance with his -deserts. - -Hartley thought it prudent to disappear for a time. Whether he was -simply a coward, or feared that some ugly facts connected with the case -might leak out, was never known. Abe himself was not seen or heard of; -and his story, except by a few, was soon, in these eventful times, -forgotten. - -But the facts of the case were these: on the evening referred to, Abe -had found his master pleasant, and even jocular, wishing he had not -given the promise, offering to buy Abe back again, and so on. At last -he turned to business. The money was produced and counted. - -‘Well?’ said Hartley, inquiringly. - -Abe did not understand. Hartley seemed waiting for something. At last -he spoke plainly. ‘Where is the rest of the money?’ - -The scoundrel had made up his mind to deny having received the previous -payments, to deny all knowledge even of sums he had meanly borrowed -from his slave, and to hand him back to helpless, hopeless slavery. - -That night Abe appeared at the cabin of his wife, a slave on a distant -plantation. There he briefly told the story of his wrongs, adding: ‘I -am going to-night. It may be long before you see me; but if it is fifty -years, I will come back for you, if you are faithful.’ - -Phyllis promised to be true; and kept her promise as slaves do; that -is, she married—they called it marrying—the first man who asked her. - - * * * * * - -The five years of the war had come and gone, and ten years more. Major -Randolph, past middle age, and utterly ruined, was trying, in a small -Virginian town, to take up the profession of law, which, in happier -days, he had studied, but had not cared to practise; and the widow of -Hartley, who had meantime died bankrupt, was keeping a boarding-house -in the same place; when, on a certain forenoon, there was shown into -the Randolphs’ parlour a tall, portly, middle-aged man, gentlemanly in -appearance, and thoroughly well dressed, but perfectly black. The Irish -maid-of-all-work had forgiven his colour for the sake of his clothes. - -Mr Randolph happened to be at home, and it was to him the stranger -eagerly turned. ‘Marse Dick!’ he cried. - -‘Abe!’ - -And Abe it was. And there were tears in at least three pairs of eyes -as the master and slave of former days shook hands. - -Well, Abe might have been a long-lost brother, Major Randolph was so -glad to see him. He made him tell his adventures from the time he left -Hartley until he appeared in the Randolphs’ parlour; he showed him his -sons and his daughters, and rattled on about old days. But never a word -did he say about wounds and losses and disappointments; though it could -hardly have escaped Abe’s affectionate eyes that, while his own outer -man bore such marks of prosperity, his old master’s had grown actually -shabby. - -By ways and means generally forthcoming to border negroes who had -the courage and prudence to avail themselves of them, Abe had gone -northward first, returning to Virginia, however, the moment the -emancipation proclamation was issued. Hearing of Major Randolph’s -absence and his own wife’s unfaithfulness, he had wandered farther -and farther from his old home, and had settled at last in a far -south-western state. There he had worked steadily; at first on shares, -then for himself; till at the time of his visit to Virginia, he was the -manager and largest shareholder of the celebrated Hot Springs of A——. - -Need I say how earnestly ‘Marse Dick’ was besought to try the springs -for his rheumatism, to bring ‘Miss Laura’ and the family, to enjoy -horses and carriages, to fish and hunt, and generally to enter into -possession? - -Old Mrs Prescott, who still lived, shared with her son and daughter the -pleasure of Abe’s return, and the young Randolphs listened with delight -to such an interesting romance. And yet—truth compels me to confess -that the eldest daughter gave more than one uneasy glance into the -street, and was literally sitting on thorns. What if a morning caller -should find a negro in the Randolph parlour? Even kind Mrs Randolph -had a feeling of uneasiness as the early dinner-hour approached. But -the master guessed at no such embarrassments. The hour came; the bell -rang, and as easily and cordially Major Randolph said: ‘You will come -to dinner with us, Abe.’ - -‘After you and the family, Marse Dick.’ - -‘_With_ me and the family,’ replied Major Randolph. - -And though Abe earnestly begged to be allowed to wait, into the -dining-room he went. And I may add, that had the most curious or -mischievous eyes been on the watch for solecisms of any kind, they -would have been disappointed. - -‘What would you have had me do?’ said Major Randolph afterwards. ‘There -was Abe, dying to lavish on his old master all he possessed. Was I to -be outdone in hospitality by my own old slave?’ - -‘And Abe had just as much delicacy as papa,’ owned Miss Randolph, who -felt she could afford to praise when the critical period was safely -over—a merciful providence having kept away visitors. ‘He spoke just as -good English as we do. But did you notice that, though he spoke of Mr -Hartley and Mr everybody else, he always called papa “Marse Dick?”’ - -Before Abe left town, he had put a little bit of business in Mr -Randolph’s hands—no other than the settlement of a mortgage that -threatened to ruin Mrs Hartley and her children. ‘O Marse Dick!’ he -said, ‘I have been keeping away till I was rich enough to buy that -man up; and then I meant to meet him face to face and ask him what he -thought of himself. I doubt if I could have kept my hands off him; and -now he is gone. I hope the good Lord will forgive me!’ - -Were I writing a romance, I might tell how Abe made his old master’s -fortune. But I have given you a poor idea of Major Randolph if I -have led you to imagine he would allow himself to profit by his old -servant’s prosperity in the smallest degree. If Abe told him of a good -investment, he had no money. If a loan was modestly and hesitatingly -offered, on the plea that Abe wished to place money at interest, and -that there were so few whom he could trust, it was kindly but decidedly -refused. And so Abe grows richer, and Major Randolph poorer than ever. -The old-time slaves, with many misty ideas on the subject of religion, -had one article of belief which they understood clearly, and for which -they would have suffered martyrdom—namely, that in the next world it -would be their turn to sit at table and eat the good things, while -the proud white folks should ‘grease de griddle and turn de cakes.’ -The doctrine is founded on the principle of compensation, but the -compensation in some cases begins here. - - - - -ONE WOMAN’S HISTORY. - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -‘I have something of serious import to say to you,’ were Mora’s first -words as he went forward a few steps and then halted. ‘Hector Laroche, -do you know that you are in imminent danger of your life?’ - -He gave a little start and looked at her fixedly for a moment or two. -‘No; I am not aware of anything of the kind,’ he answered with a sneer. -‘Madame, you are oracular!’ - -‘Oh, hush! This is no time for levity. Will you not believe me when -I tell you that your life is in danger? The assassins have tracked -you—they have followed you here—they have sworn to take your life!’ - -‘The assassins! What assassins?’ he shrieked as he bounded to his feet. - -‘Can you not guess? Think, Laroche, think! Oh, how like you it was to -turn traitor to the cause to which you had bound yourself by oath, and -to betray your comrades! But your treachery has been discovered. The -penalty you cannot be ignorant of.’ - -He had turned livid with terror while Mora was speaking. A glassy film -had overspread his eyes, which looked dilated to twice their ordinary -size. His gaze wandered from corner to corner of the room with a sort -of stealthy fright, as if dreading that an assassin might spring upon -him at any moment. A cold perspiration bathed him from head to foot; -he trembled in every limb, and would have fallen had he not supported -himself with his back and hands against the bureau. - -‘How am I to know that what you have just told me has any truth in -it?’ he asked at length, with a strange hoarseness in his voice. -‘What should you, Mora De Vigne, know of secret societies, plots, and -conspiracies? Who should speak to you of these things, the secrets of -which are known to the initiated alone? No; it is a lie—a lie! Some -wretched fool has imposed upon you, or else you have concocted this -story yourself in order to frighten me away.’ - -Looking straight at him, Mora said slowly: ‘_The right hand of the Czar -is frozen._’ - -A low cry burst from the wretched man’s lips; he buried his face in his -hands and fell on his knees; he knew that his doom was sealed. - -A pang of compassion shot through Mora’s heart. She made a step or two -forward and then drew back with a shudder. All her womanly instincts -revolted against the man. Not even at that supreme moment could she -bring herself to go near him. ‘You must go away at once—to-night,’ she -said. ‘To-morrow may be too late.’ She found herself repeating the very -words of Jules. - -‘Go away—where?’ he asked with a groan, turning his haggard face full -upon her. ‘All places are alike. There is no escape—none!’ He rose to -his feet and staggered across the room to the ottoman, on which he -sank, and buried his face in the cushions. - -‘Will you allow me to send for Colonel Woodruffe? He will be able to -counsel you far better than I as to what had best be done for your -safety.’ - -As Laroche neither assented nor dissented, Nanette was at once -despatched in quest of the colonel, who was still with Sir William. He -followed close on Nanette’s heels. A few words aside from Mora put him -in possession of the facts of the case. - -‘Laroche, this is a bad business—a very bad business,’ he said as he -crossed to the ottoman and laid a hand on the Frenchman’s shoulder. -‘But sit up, and let us look the situation in the face. Whining is of -no use—never is. We have to act. While there’s life there’s hope, and -I for one don’t despair of dragging you out of this dilemma, however -awkward it may look just now.’ - -‘No, monsieur; there is no hope—none,’ cried Laroche. ‘They have -tracked me here—they will track me everywhere, till one day their -opportunity will arrive. I know—I know!’ His nervous agitation was -still so extreme that the words seemed as if they could scarcely form -themselves on his lips. - -‘Here—drink this,’ said the colonel, handing him a glass containing -brandy, which Mora had brought at his request. - -Laroche swallowed the spirit greedily. It helped to steady his nerves -for the time being, if it did him no other good. - -‘What Madame De Vigne says is quite true,’ resumed the colonel. ‘You -must get away from this place without an hour’s delay. I have thought -of a plan which will at least insure your safety for a little while -to come; after that, you will have to shift for yourself. I knew this -part of the country well when a boy. There is a farmhouse kept by an -old acquaintance of mine in a lonely valley about two miles from the -opposite shore of the lake. I will take you there to-night, and you can -stay there till you have decided what your future plans shall be.’ - -‘O monsieur, you are too good! I have not deserved this,’ cried the -abject wretch. - -‘You speak the truth, Laroche; you have not deserved it,’ answered the -other gravely. ‘How soon can you be ready to start?’ - -‘In ten minutes, monsieur.’ - -‘Good.’ - -‘But I shall need money, monsieur.’ - -‘It shall be found you. Have you any idea as to what your plans will be -after you leave the farmhouse?’ - -‘I shall endeavour to make my way to London—it is the best hiding-place -in the world for those who know it. There I shall lie quiet for a -little while. After that’—— He ended with an expressive lifting of his -shoulders. - -‘If you will get ready, then,’ said the colonel. ‘I too have a few -arrangements to make.’ - -Laroche nodded; then he went to the door, opened it, and gazed -furtively up and down the corridor. Not a creature was in sight. He -darted away and sped up the thickly carpeted staircase as noiselessly -as a shadow. - -The colonel sent Nanette in search of Archie Ridsdale. He came at once, -and as soon as the situation of affairs had been partially explained -to him, he was despatched with a message to the boathouse. Then the -colonel in his turn left the room. He was only absent three or four -minutes, and when he came back he was carrying a small roll of notes in -his hand. - -Mora had subsided into an easy-chair from the moment Colonel Woodruffe -had taken charge of the situation, and there she was still sitting. Who -could have analysed her thoughts during the last painful quarter of an -hour, or have adequately described the varied phases of emotion which -ebbed and flowed through her heart! - -Immediately following on the return of the colonel, came Archie -Ridsdale. Each of them was muffled in his ulster, for although the -storm had not yet broken over the valley, it might do so at any moment. - -A minute later the door opened and Laroche stole in. For a moment -or two none of them recognised him. His black beard and moustache -had vanished; a grizzled wig with long lanky tufts of hair, which -fell on his coat-collar behind, covered his head; his eyebrows had -been manipulated to match the wig; while a pair of heavy horn-rimmed -spectacles served to disguise him still further. There was no longer -the slightest trace of a Parisian dandy in his appearance; his clothes -were homely, and of the fashion of some years previously. He looked -like a small provincial shopkeeper who might have come over to England -for a holiday. But no disguise could hide the pallor of his face, the -nervous twitching of his thin lips, or the abject terror that lurked in -his eyes. - -Archie and the colonel stood up. The moment of departure had come. -Laroche turned to his wife, who had also risen. Placing both his hands -over his heart and bending low in front of her, he said in a husky -whisper: ‘Mora, pardon, pardon! We shall never meet again.’ - -For a moment or two she hesitated; all the woman within her was -profoundly moved; then she went up to him. ‘Hector, with my whole heart -I forgive you!’ she said. - -That was their farewell. A moment later Mora heard the door close -behind the three men. - -She turned down the lamp and drew back one of the curtains. It was -pitch-dark outside; not a star was visible. She opened the window a -little way, in order that she might watch as well as listen. Presently -she heard a faint noise of footsteps on the gravel below. The three men -had left the hotel by way of the French-window in the sitting-room on -the ground floor. - -Mora stood with straining eyes and ears. Suddenly the darkness was -shivered by a quivering flash of lightning, and in that instant she saw -the figures of the three men crossing the slope of the hill on their -way to the lake. At the same time, she imagined she saw the stealthy -form of Santelle disappear behind a clump of laurel, as if he were -watching the retreating figures.—Will he have known Laroche in spite of -his disguise? - -The thought sent a cold tremor through her heart—half of horror, half -of regret. But darkness had come again in the twinkling of an eye, and -she saw nothing more. With a heavy sigh, she let the curtain drop into -its place just as the door opened and Clarice entered the room. - - -CHAPTER XVII.—CONCLUSION. - -Three weeks had passed since the flight of Hector Laroche, when -one wet forenoon Colonel Woodruffe, in company with a constable in -plain clothes, found himself at the door of a low lodging-house in -a frowsy-looking street in close proximity to one of the docks. -The landlord of the house admitted the visitors, and ushering them -up-stairs, unlocked the door of a small bedroom. There, on a ragged -straw mattress, lay the dead body of Hector Laroche. A paragraph in the -morning’s paper had aroused the suspicions of Colonel Woodruffe, who -happened to be in London at the time, and he at once ordered a cab and -set his face eastward. - -The statement of the landlord of the lodging-house was to the effect -that Laroche had lodged with him for little more than a week at the -time of his death; that he was exceedingly quiet and well behaved; that -he lay in bed nearly the whole day, reading the newspapers and French -novels, and having a bottle of brandy at his elbow; and that he rarely -went out of doors till after nightfall, and then only for a short time. -On the Tuesday, contrary to his custom, he had gone out about noon, -and on returning a little before dusk, had remarked to the landlord -that he should only require his bed for one night more, as he had just -secured a berth on board a steamer which was to sail the following day. -At that time, he appeared to be somewhat the worse for drink. He went -up-stairs soon afterwards, and nothing more was seen or heard of him. -As he was in the habit of not rising till late, no comment was made on -his non-appearance next morning; and it was not till two o’clock in the -afternoon that the landlord knocked at his door. There being no reply -to his summons, he opened the door and went in. There he found Laroche, -lying on his bed as if asleep, and dressed, except for his coat and -waistcoat. But over his face was spread a fine cambric handkerchief, -which medical evidence afterwards proved to have been saturated with -chloroform. On the table by his side were a novel, a half-emptied -bottle of cognac, a phial, uncorked, containing chloroform, and the -dead man’s watch and chain. In one of his pockets was found a purse -containing a considerable sum in notes and gold. - -At the inquest, the tendency of the evidence pointed strongly to the -probability of the deceased having committed suicide while under the -temporary influence of strong drink. There was only one piece of -evidence forthcoming which served in some measure to invalidate that -assumption. The landlord of the house deposed to the fact of the lock -of the bedroom door having been secretly tampered with, so that while -the door was to all appearance fastened on the inside, it could be -opened without difficulty from without. As, however, there was no -evidence forthcoming to implicate any one in particular with the act in -question, and as the property of the dead man had apparently not been -touched, the jury had no option but to bring in an open verdict. The -evidence tendered by Colonel Woodruffe was confined entirely to the -question of identity. - -Two days later he attended Laroche’s funeral—the solitary ‘mourner’ -there. This he did out of respect for Mora. - -Whether Laroche’s death was the result of his own rash act, or whether -it was due to certain other agencies of which mention has previously -been made, is one of those mysteries respecting which the world will -probably never be any wiser than it is now. - - * * * * * - -Lady Renshaw was as good as her word when she stated that she had -discarded her niece for ever. But it is possible that she might not -have proved quite so obdurate had she not at the same time found -herself so thoroughly checkmated in other directions. Her surprise at -finding Mr Etheridge transformed into Sir William Ridsdale, and the -knowledge that all her scheming to secure the rich baronet’s son for -Miss Wynter had not only proved futile, but had evidently been seen -through from the first by the keen-eyed Sir William, combined with -her chagrin that Madame De Vigne, instead of being regarded in the -light of an adventuress, was looked upon as a person whose friendship -any one might feel proud to claim, following so close upon Bella’s -‘heartless duplicity,’ proved more than she had the courage to face. -And when, in addition, a horrid suspicion began to shape itself in her -mind that Dr M‘Murdo—no doubt instigated thereto by that odious Miss -Gaisford—instead of having fallen in love with her, as she so fondly -dreamed, had been merely trying to make her look ridiculous, and amuse -himself at the same time—it was no wonder she made up her mind that the -sooner she left the _Palatine_ and its inmates behind her the better. - -Thus it fell out next morning that when Bella, intent on forgiveness -and reconciliation, knocked at her aunt’s door, there came no response; -after which a very brief inquiry sufficed to establish the fact that -Lady Renshaw had risen at some abnormally early hour, and, accompanied -by her maid, had started southward by the first train. She had left -behind her no word or message of any kind for the dismayed girl, who -found herself thus cruelly deserted in the huge hotel. - -But Miss Pen came to the rescue almost before Bella in her bewilderment -had time fully to realise the fact of her aunt’s desertion. The little -circle of which Miss Pen formed a component part welcomed her as -one of themselves, now that the incubus of Lady Renshaw’s presence -was removed; and Bella quickly found that what she had lost in one -direction was far more than made up to her in others. When, two days -later, the party at the _Palatine_ broke up, Miss Wynter accompanied -the Rev. Septimus and his sister to their home in the Midlands, there -to remain till Mr Dulcimer was prepared to claim her as his wife. And -there, some three months later, a quiet wedding took place, our good -vicar tying the knot, Sir William himself giving away the bride, who -had not failed to become a great favourite with him, Archie acting as -best-man, and Miss Loraine as bridesmaid-in-chief. Miss Pen played a -voluntary on the organ, and there was a mist of tears in her eyes as -she did so. Some vague dream of the past, never to be realised in this -world, may perchance have been busy in her mind at the time. - - * * * * * - -When spring came round again, the worthy vicar was called upon to tie -two more nuptial knots. Mora and her sister were married on the same -day. Archie and his wife went abroad for a year’s travel; and now that -they are back, Clarice, who has far greater faith in her husband’s -abilities than he has himself, has made up her mind that Archie must go -into parliament. She firmly believes that if he will only do so, there -is a brilliant future before him. Time will prove. - -Sir William has ventured to spend the last two winters in England, and, -somewhat to his surprise, has found himself none the worse in health -for doing so. He divides his time pretty equally between his son’s -house and that of Colonel Woodruffe. He did not forget our friend Mr -Dulcimer when an opportunity presented itself. Through his influence, -Dick was appointed to the secretaryship of a large public Company, the -salary of which just doubled his previous income. Meanwhile, his wife -had not found existence even in a small suburban villa by any means so -unendurable as she at one time professed to fear it would be. In truth, -her high spirits and good temper are enough to brighten any home. She -has all the appearance of being one of the happiest women in England. - -Lastly, what is there left to record of her who has been the central -figure of our little history? Happily, not much. Are not the happiest -lives those of which there is nothing to relate? With Mora the days -of storm and stress are over; the past with all its wretchedness and -misery seems little more than a hideous dream. She is happy in the -present, and, so far as human fallibility can judge, there seems every -prospect of her continuing so in time to come. Dr Mac came all the way -from Aberdeen to attend her marriage. As he shook hands with her after -the ceremony, he said: ‘What a pity, my dear madame, what a great pity -it is that Providence did not bless you with a twin-sister!’ - -‘Why so, doctor?’ - -‘Because, in that case, there is just a possibility that another poor -mortal in addition to my friend the colonel might have been made a -happy man to-day.’ - - _Note._—All dramatic rights in the foregoing story are reserved - by the author. - - - - -STUDIES IN ANIMAL LIFE. - -HONESTY. - - -It is to be hoped that the animal scale of morality is not so low that -when a brute acts honestly it does so only because honesty is the best -policy. There are many instances known of animals acting honestly, when -the slightest promptings of instinct would have shown that it was more -politic to act otherwise. Self-denial and self-sacrifice have been -frequently needed of animals, and in the hour of temptation they have -not succumbed. Neither fear, nor pain, nor the cravings of hunger have -sufficed to deter many noble members of the brute world from their -sense of duty. Quite recently the Canadian papers reported an anecdote -of canine fidelity which, had it been told of a Roman soldier or a -Hindu nurse, would have been bruited throughout the civilised world as -an instance of humanity’s supremest devotion to duty. The story as told -to us is, that when nearing Montreal, the engine-driver of a train saw -a great dog standing on the track and barking furiously. The driver -blew his whistle; yet the hound did not budge, but crouching low, was -struck by the locomotive and killed. Some pieces of white muslin on -the engine attracted the driver’s notice; he stopped the train and -went back. Beside the dead dog was a dead child which, it is supposed, -had wandered on to the track and had gone to sleep. The poor watchful -guardian had given its signal for the train to stop; but unheeded, had -died at its post, a victim to duty. - -This is no solitary specimen of canine integrity. The author of _Salad -for the Social_ tells of a dog whose master deposited a bag in one -of the narrow streets of Southampton, and left his dog to guard it, -with strict injunctions not to leave it. The faithful creature was so -staunch in the fulfilment of duty, that rather than forsake its trust, -it actually allowed a heavy cart to drive over it and crush it to death. - -It is not merely momentary impulse, nor ignorance of the effects of -this steadfastness—as some may imagine—that prompts animals to act thus -faithfully; there are numerous cases on record to prove that they will -sustain hunger, endure pain and fatigue, and withstand temptation, at -the dictates of duty, as gallantly as any human being. Youatt is the -authority for the following remarkable instance of canine integrity. -An officer returning from a day’s shooting deposited his spoil in a -certain room, in the custody of his dogs. Mechanically he locked the -door, put the key in his pocket, and departed. Soon afterwards, he was -called away upon urgent business, and during his absence of several -days, forgot all about his game and the dogs. When he returned home, -he hastened to the room, and there found both dogs dead of hunger. Not -only had they refrained from touching the game, but they had also kept -quiet, having neither barked nor cried, evidently fearing to betray the -trust they deemed their master had confided to them. - -It is related by Professor Bell that when a friend of his was -travelling abroad, he one morning took out his purse to see if it -contained sufficient change for a day’s jaunt he proposed making. He -departed from his lodgings, leaving a trusted dog behind. When he -dined, he took out his purse to pay, and found that he had lost a gold -coin from it. On returning home in the evening, his servant informed -him that the dog seemed to be very ill, as they could not induce it to -eat anything. He went at once to look at his favourite; and as soon as -he entered the room, the faithful creature ran to him, deposited the -missing gold coin at his feet, and then devoured the food placed for -it with great eagerness. The truth was that this gentleman had dropped -the coin in the morning; the dog had picked it up, and kept it in its -mouth, fearing even to eat, lest it should lose its master’s property -before an opportunity offered to restore it. - -Professor Bell also tells of a Newfoundland dog kept at an inn in -Dorset, which was accustomed, every morning as the clock struck eight, -to take in its mouth a basket placed for the purpose and containing -some pence, and go with it to the baker’s. The man took out the money, -replacing it by a certain number of rolls, which Neptune returned home -with. He never touched the eatables; but on one occasion when another -dog attempted to despoil the basket, master Nep put down his burden -and gave the intruder a thrashing; that accomplished, he regained his -charge, and carried it home in triumph. - -In his interesting African Travels, Le Vaillant details how he missed -his favourite setter. After a fruitless search, and the repeated firing -of his gun to guide the animal, he sent an attendant back by the way -they had travelled to try and discover the lost favourite. About two -leagues back on the route the dog was found keeping guard over a chair -and basket which had been dropped unperceived from the wagon. But for -this fortunate discovery of the honest dog, it must speedily have -perished by hunger or from the beasts of prey. - -In Taylor’s _General Character of the Dog_ is given an account of -one of these faithful animals which daily carried to a labourer in -Portsmouth dockyard his dinner. Trusty, as the dog was rightly named, -had to take the basket containing his master’s mid-day meal upwards of -a mile, so that he had frequently to rest on the journey. He was very -careful as to where he deposited his load, and would not allow any one -to come near it. When he reached the dock-gates, he often had to wait -until they were opened for the admission or egress of any one; but the -instant he could effect an entrance, he ran in with his charge and -carried it to his master, who, after he had partaken of his dinner, -re-delivered the empty basket to his faithful servitor to carry home -again. - -In his _Essay on Instinct_, Hancock tells of a dog belonging to a -Glasgow taproom keeper that was accustomed to carry its master’s -breakfast to him in a tin can between its teeth. When the family -removed, the dog changed his route, and never went wrong. It could -not be induced to accept a favour when on its master’s errands, and -carefully avoided any of its own species. This incorruptible servant, -which by the way understood Gaelic as well as English, often carried -home meat to the weight of half a stone, but never attempted to touch -it. Dogs, indeed, rarely attempt to touch food belonging to their -owners. One very remarkable instance is recorded by Jesse of a dog that -accompanied its mistress when returning from market with a basket of -provisions. They were overwhelmed by a snowstorm, and not discovered -for three days; the woman was found to be dead; but the dog, which was -lying by her side, was alive. The honest creature, however, had not -touched the eatables in his mistress’s basket, but, as neighbouring -villagers remembered when too late, had been endeavouring, on the -evening of the storm, by whinings and sighs they could not comprehend, -to induce them to follow it to where its mistress was. - -In his _Anecdotes of Dogs_, Captain Brown speaks of a mastiff that was -locked up by mistake an entire day in a pantry where milk, butter, -and meat were within reach. The hungry dog did not touch any of these -things, although it ate voraciously as soon as food was given to it. - -Colonel Hamilton Smith is our authority for the anecdote of a dog that -followed its owner, who was on horseback, and who contrived to drop -some cakes from his basket as he cantered home. On his arrival, he -found that his trusty follower had gathered up some of the lost cakes -and carried them home and had gone for the remainder, which it duly -returned with untasted. - -‘Dogs,’ says Colonel Smith, ‘have an instinctive comprehension of the -nature of property;’ and it is really most remarkable, considering that -they have not human speech, how frequently, and how well, they make -us understand their views on this point. The colonel alludes to the -case of a lady at Bath who was somewhat alarmed by the behaviour of a -strange mastiff that seemed anxious to prevent her going on. Finding -she had lost her veil, she turned back, the dog going before her until -she came to the missing article and picked it up. As soon as the dog -saw she had regained her property, it scampered off to its master. - -Anecdotes of this character are innumerable, as are also those of -dogs reclaiming property belonging, or which has belonged, to their -owners. Sir Patrick Walker furnishes a most valuable instance of this -propensity in our canine cousins. A farmer having sold a flock of -sheep to a dealer, lent him his dog to drive them home, a distance of -thirty miles, desiring him to give the dog a meal at the journey’s end -and tell it to go home. The drover found the dog so useful, that he -resolved to steal it, and instead of sending it back, locked it up. The -collie grew sulky, and at last effected its escape. Evidently deeming -the drover had no more right to detain the sheep than he had to detain -itself, the honest creature went into the field, collected all the -sheep that had belonged to its master, and, to that person’s intense -astonishment, drove the whole flock home again! - -Dogs are not only honest in themselves, but will not permit others to -be dishonest. The late Grantley Berkeley was wont to tell of his two -deerhounds ‘Smoker’ and Smoker’s son ‘Shark,’ a curiously suggestive -instance of parental discipline. The two dogs were left alone in a room -where luncheon was laid out. Smoker’s integrity was invincible; but his -son had not yet learned to resist temptation. Through the window, Mr -Berkeley noticed Shark, anxiously watched by its father, steal a cold -tongue and drag it to the floor. ‘No sooner had he done so,’ says his -master, ‘than the offended sire rushed upon him, rolled over him, beat -him, and took away the tongue;’ after which Smoker retired gravely to -the fireside. - -Mr Blaine, among many similar records, tells of a spaniel he had which -protected the dinner-table, during its master’s absence, from the -attempts of a cat which sought to make too intimate an acquaintance -with the leg of mutton. Both the animals belonged to Mr Blaine, and -were on friendly terms with each other; but one was honest, and the -other was not. - -Hitherto, specimens of canine integrity have alone been cited; but -it must not be supposed that dogs are the only animals which exhibit -honest traits. Captain Gordon Stables, in his book on _Cats_, proves -by several tales of real life that pussy is often as trustworthy as -any dog. His own cat ‘Muffie’ is allowed her place on the table at -meals, and never attempts to touch the viands, even when left alone, -nor, what is more suggestive, never allows any one else to touch them. -The present writer’s family had a white cat which for nearly twenty -years was trusted with anything, until one luckless day, in its old -age, its appetite overcame its reason; it broke the eighth commandment, -and stole a piece of steak. The distress and shamefacedness of the -poor animal after the crime were quite pathetic; she hid herself in -dark corners; turned her back on observers, and for several days was -so ashamed of herself, that she could not look any one in the face, -although, poor old favourite, not a person reproached her for her first -known offence against the laws of property. - - - - -BOOK GOSSIP. - - -More than two years ago we had the pleasure of noticing, with -favourable comment, a new book, _Bits from Blinkbonny_, by ‘John -Strathesk.’ It was a clever and entertaining book, presenting -successive pictures of Scottish village life drawn with so much truth -and character as at once to stamp them genuine portraitures. - -The author, encouraged no doubt by the well-merited success of the -above volume, has issued a second, entitled _More Bits from Blinkbonny_ -(Edinburgh: Oliphant, Anderson, and Ferrier). ‘Continuations’ are -proverbially risky, and we fear we cannot congratulate the author on -having escaped the risk unscathed. The title will perhaps help the -book temporarily—from a publisher’s point of view; but it would have -fared better in the long-run had it been issued as an independent -work on village life in Scotland, leaving the former volume to stand -by itself. As it is, however, it is only when compared with its -predecessor that this volume may be said to indicate any falling-off -on the part of the author. It is full of bright and truthful sketches -of the habits of life and modes of thought prevalent in the Scottish -Lowlands, and can scarcely fail to be read with interest by those to -whom such sketches appeal. Here is a story told by a barber regarding -one of his customers. The customer referred to was a man who got his -hair cut only twice a year, and when he came for this purpose it was -always completely matted. The barber recommended him to ‘redd’ (that -is, comb) his hair every day. ‘No very likely,’ was the reply; ‘it’s -only redd every six months, and then it’s like to rive a’ the hair out -o’ my head; if I was reddin’t every day, I wadna hae a hair left at the -month’s end.’ - -The volume, we may add, is tastefully printed and bound, while the -pictorial illustrations give force to its local characterisations. - -⁂ - -In _Photography for Amateurs_ (London: Cassell & Co.), Mr T. C. -Hepworth, lecturer to the late Polytechnic Institution, gives excellent -hints and instructions for beginners in this art. For those who -have taken up photography as a pleasant occupation of their leisure -hours, this book can be especially recommended. Most travellers in -Central Africa, or in any little known part of our world, now find -the photographic camera a necessary adjunct of their equipment, as, -by its aid, rapid and correct pictures can be made of striking and -picturesque scenes. This is equally true of a pedestrian at home, and -Mr Hepworth looks back with delight to a walking tour in the Highlands, -when he found so many lovely little nooks in the Trosachs and elsewhere -admirably suited to his art. The effective delineation of objects by -photography demands both care and experience; but there are now many -amateurs of both sexes who can turn out very satisfactory pictures. -Landscape photography is one thing, and portraiture is another and -more difficult undertaking, for the inexperienced; but with the help -of such a manual as this, which describes the necessary apparatus, -negative-printing, fixing and washing the prints, &c., the way must be -greatly smoothed for beginners in the art. The Introduction presents a -concise history of the art up to the time when the use of gelatine dry -plates made the practice of photography more convenient and possible -for amateurs. - -⁂ - -Lately we noticed in these pages the publication of a volume of -music entitled _The Athole Collection of Dance Music of Scotland_, -edited by Mr James Stewart Robertson (Edradynate). To this we have -now to add by the same publishers, _The Killin Collection of Gaelic -Songs_, with music and translations, by Mr Charles Stewart (Edinburgh, -Maclachlan and Stewart). In selecting and arranging the melodies in -this collection, the editor has borne in mind (1) Those that have -already established themselves as favourites; (2) Those that have not -been published until now, but which, in his opinion, are deserving of -publication; (3) Some ancient chants to which the Fingalic poetry was -sung; and (4) A few hymn tunes—one of them old, and the others on the -lines of old Gaelic melody, in the hope of showing how admirably that -melody is fitted for sacred song. Mr Stewart has been assisted by Mr -Merryleas in arranging the harmonies and accompaniments; and in the -supplying of English words for the Gaelic originals he has had the -efficient help of such well-known pens as those of Principal Shairp, -Professor Blackie, Dr Norman Macleod, and others. This collection of -Gaelic music ought to have a hearty reception, not only from those who -are familiar with Celtic surroundings, but also from students of music -generally, as an important contribution to the history and archæology -of the art. - -⁂ - -The International Forestry Exhibition of 1884 gave a new impetus to -the study of forestry. The importance of that science is now coming -to be generally recognised, and private individuals, as well as those -mysterious beings ‘the authorities,’ are bestowing some attention upon -the practical application of its principles. Dr J. C. Brown has, more -than any other living writer, identified himself with this important -subject, and it is worthy of notice that all the works which have been -produced by his prolific pen during the last few years are remarkable -for their wide learning, profound and practical acquaintance with the -science as practised all over the world, and happy style of expression. -His _Introduction to the Study of Modern Forest Economy_ (Edinburgh: -Oliver & Boyd) is no exception to this rule. Within very moderate -limits, he has contrived to convey much information relative to the -present state of forest-science. - -The facts relating to the time when the greater part of Europe was -covered with forests are of great interest, and also the account -here given of the consequences of their disappearance. And it may be -observed that in addition to such generally admitted evils as the -scarcity of timber and droughts—as to the latter of which Dr Brown -gives us many graphic illustrations, collected during his residence -at the Cape of Good Hope—it is alleged that many of those devastating -inundations which occur with such alarming frequency in some countries -are due to this cause. It is certainly worthy of notice that floods -seldom originate in densely wooded lands, and have been largely -prevented in France by artificial _reboisement_; while in Northern -Germany, the same process has been very successfully followed in fixing -down and utilising drift-sand. - -⁂ - -To judge by the examples of stuffed pets which are to be seen in -many private houses, there certainly seems to be room for a handbook -on the art of stuffing fish, flesh, and fowl. This has at anyrate -been supplied in _Practical Taxidermy_, by Montague Brown, F.Z.S. -(London: L. Upcott Gill). As a ‘manual of instruction to the amateur in -collecting, preserving, and setting up natural history specimens of all -kinds,’ the volume leaves little to be desired. Not only has Mr Brown -betrayed many of the secrets with which professional taxidermists have -sought to surround their art, but he has particularised with minuteness -and patience the whole _technique_ of skinning and preserving birds, -mammals, fishes, and reptiles. Moreover, his book justifies its title, -for it is above all things practical. Besides being a guide to the -taxidermist’s art, the book gives a chapter on ‘dressing and softening -skins and furs as leather.’ - -⁂ - -The study of the diseases of plants offers a very wide field to the -inquirer, and it is only of recent years that investigations in this -direction have come to be regarded as of economic importance. In spite -of the strong prejudices of agriculturists of the old school, it is -believed that vegetable pathology will prove to be of the greatest -practical value, and that the time is approaching when the best means -of preventing the attacks of disease will be a recognised branch of -practical agriculture. This eventuality is certainly indicated by the -appearance of _Diseases of Field and Garden Crops, chiefly such as are -caused by Fungi_, by Worthington G. Smith (London: Macmillan & Co.). -Originally delivered as addresses at the request of the officers of the -Institute of Agriculture at the British Museum, South Kensington, these -notes are very full and elaborate, while the admirable illustrations -with which they are accompanied give them an additional value. Although -necessarily technical, the definition of all the phenomena of the -diseases has been given in familiar words, and all botanical terms -have been explained. To illustrate the thoroughness with which the -work has been done, having regard to the limits of the volume, we find -under ‘Potatoes’ the new disease (_Peziza postuma_) which has made its -appearance within the last few years, the dreaded disease produced by -the parasitic fungus of the murrain, the smut, scab, and the old potato -disease in its active and passive state. Then mildew and blight are -treated of as affecting respectively onions, straw, turnips, cabbages, -grass, corn, borage, barberries, parsnips, peas, and lettuces. There -are also valuable notes upon the new diseases which are making such -havoc with grass, wheat, barley, ryegrass, and onions; and their -fungoid character is conclusively established. The book, like those on -cognate subjects by Miss Ormerod, which have been already noticed in -these pages, will amply repay careful study. - - - - -THE MONTH: - -SCIENCE AND ARTS. - - -The Society of Arts, London, has just commenced the one hundred and -thirty-first session of its useful career. Professor Abel, the chairman -of its Council, presided at the opening meeting, and his speech was a -resumé of the progress of scientific research in various directions, -in which a large number of persons are just now much interested. Being -an electrician, he naturally devoted some time to the progress of -electrical illumination, and pointed to the wonderful display at the -recent International Health Exhibition as an illustration of the grand -results now possible. He also expressed himself satisfied with the -recent advances made in the direction of electric railways and other -means of locomotion to which the comparatively new power has been -experimentally applied, not omitting a very favourable reference to the -telpherage system of Professor Fleeming Jenkin. - -The present position of the science of aërial navigation does not -commend itself to Professor Abel as holding out much hope of future -success. The recent experiments in France, during which an electrically -propelled balloon was made to take more than one short excursion in -a predetermined direction, merely prove that electricity can, under -exceptionally favourable circumstances, be employed in this new -service. But much has been done in making balloons serviceable for -purposes of reconnaissance in warfare, the various details, such as -making and transporting hydrogen gas in a compressed state to the field -of action, having been successfully provided for. - -Attention was also called in Professor Abel’s address to compressed -carbonic acid gas as a convenient source of power. Messrs Krupp, the -great cannon-founders, at their extensive works at Essen are using -this power for maintaining steel castings under pressure during the -solidification of the metal. The earthen mould is closed directly it -is filled with metal, after which the compressed gas is admitted to it -from a reservoir of liquid carbonic acid, and in this way the space -above the molten metal is filled with gas under very high pressure. -A tendency to the formation of flaws and cavities, which nearly all -metals are subject to—meaning, in the case of railway plant, broken -bridges and fractured crank axles—is in this way completely avoided. It -is believed that the employment of this gas under pressure—compressed, -that is, to the liquid state and stored in iron bottles—has a very wide -future before it in many other useful applications. - -Lastly, the important question of a pure water-supply engaged the -professor’s attention, and his opinion on this point will be best given -in his own words. ‘I venture,’ he says, ‘to think that our hope for -a radical improvement in the water-supply of this great metropolis -lies rather in the application of a simple, expeditious, cheap, and -effective mode of chemical treatment to supplies from sources now in -use, previous to their filtration, than in a complete change of our -source of supply.’ It now, therefore, remains for future experimenters -to devise some means by which water can be freed from those germs -which, under various names, are now said to be responsible for the ills -of mankind, and at the same time be left uncontaminated by any foreign -matter. The problem seems to be a hard one to solve, but not harder -than many which have been successfully conquered by modern science. - -Whilst our never-ending difficulties in the Soudan and South Africa -are giving us costly information regarding those parts of the huge -continent, Mr Joseph Thomson comes back from his hazardous journey in -Eastern Africa to tell us about a tract of country with regard to which -hardly anything before was known. If we refer to a map of Africa, we -shall be readily able to note the position of Lake Victoria Nyanza, -with which Mr H. M. Stanley’s name is identified. Between this lake -and the coast lies the theatre of Mr Thomson’s wanderings. With an -inadequate number of followers, the great majority of whom he describes -as the very offscourings of Zanzibar villainy, this intrepid explorer -prosecuted his work in the face of almost inconceivable perils. His -contributions to geographical knowledge are of great importance, and -his sole reward is the hearty reception accorded to him the other -evening, when he gave a graphic account of his adventures to the Royal -Geographical Society. - -At the recent Exhibition at Philadelphia, attention was directed in -a rather comical but effective manner to the Edison electric lamp. -A powerful lamp of this description was fastened to the head of a -black man, concealed wires being carried down his body from it and -connected with copper discs on the heels of his boots. This coloured -gentleman—the term ‘darkie’ is here obviously inadmissible—could become -luminous at will by simply placing his heels upon certain copper -conductors laid along the floor, which were in circuit with the general -system for lighting the building. - -A still more startling novelty in electric illumination was organised -in New York a few weeks ago, an illustration of which is given in -the _Scientific American_, published in that city. This consisted of -an electric torchlight procession, which traversed several of the -streets; and its object was, we presume, to advertise the Edison system -of electric illumination. The procession may be best described as a -hollow square formed by about three hundred men, each wearing a helmet, -surmounted by a powerful electric lamp, and each holding the protected -rope which carried the current from one to the other. In the centre of -the square travelled a steam-engine and dynamo-machine—on trucks drawn -by horses—followed by coal and water carts to supply the engine with -its necessary food. Both horses and trucks were decorated with lamps, -and the leader of the brilliant throng carried a staff tipped with -radiance of two hundred candle-power. - -Our readers will learn with interest that Mr Clement Wragge, the -pioneer of the meteorological station on the summit of Ben Nevis, is -initiating a work of similar character in Australia. He has placed -self-registering instruments on the top of Mount Lofty in connection -with the Observatory at Sydney, and has appealed to the public to help -in promoting scientific research by leaving them untouched. - -An explosion last July at a gunpowder factory in Lancashire, by which -four men lost their lives, was caused by lightning. This disaster -once more calls attention to the grave necessity which exists for -buildings, and such buildings especially, to be protected by efficient -lightning-conductors. From Colonel Ford’s Report upon the matter, which -as Inspector of Explosives he has just presented to the Secretary of -State, it appears that a conductor was fitted to the doomed building, -but that it was a defective one. He states that there is no authentic -case on record where a properly constructed lightning-conductor -failed to do its duty; and recommends that these safeguards should be -periodically examined and tested. - -From time to time, we have given in these pages the results of -different experiments with the new method of preserving fodder, known -as ensilage, and have expressed the hope that our farmers may find -in it some compensation for recent bad times. We now learn from the -agricultural returns for 1884 how widespread have been the experiments -in this direction. These returns state that no fewer than six hundred -and ten silos have been built in this country, of which five hundred -and fourteen are to be found in England, sixty in Scotland, and -thirty-six in Wales. Of the English counties, Norfolk heads the list -with fifty-nine silos. In Scotland, Argyll has twelve, and is followed -by Lanark and Renfrew, which counties have each half that number. The -largest silo noted in the returns is in the county of Argyll. We may -gather from these figures that the principle of ensilage as adapted to -British farming has now entirely passed the experimental stage. (This -important subject is further noticed in one of our Occasional Notes. -See p. 829.) - -The novel proposal has lately been made by Mr W. O. Chambers, the -Secretary of the National Fish-culture Association, that fishponds -should be established on lands which are unavailable for ordinary -crops, and that unprofitable agri-culture should give place to -profitable aqua-culture. The fish which it is said can be made to -accomplish this desirable result is the carp, and the German carp in -particular. According to Mr Chambers, this fish attains in three years -a weight of four pounds, and its fecundity is so great that it will -yield an average of half a million eggs. He states that one acre of -water will produce, with little or no expense for food or maintenance, -five thousand fish per annum. In a word, we are recommended to do as -did the monks of old when monastic buildings were dotted over the -land. The remains of fish stews or ponds left to us by the monks can -be pointed to in plenty, and the question arises, if fresh-water -fish-culture is really so profitable, why were these ponds suffered to -fall into disuse? Another consideration arises as to whether, supposing -the scheme to be possible, modern taste, not compelled to eat fish on -certain days, would find the fresh-water variety palatable? - -The British Rainfall Association is one of those unobtrusive societies -which is doing quietly a work of great good. Begun some years back -by Mr Symons, who set up a rain-gauge in his garden in London, and -put himself in communication with a few friends in other parts of the -country who did the same, the Association now numbers two thousand -observers, spread over the United Kingdom. Mr Symons has lately -published a curious diagram showing approximately the amount of rain -which has fallen each year in Britain for two centuries. Of course -such a record cannot pretend to be infallible, especially in the case -of the earlier period which it covers, but it opens out more than one -extremely interesting subject for inquiry. - -The year 1884, with its genial spring, its splendid summer, and its -gorgeous autumn, has been one in which the rainfall has been somewhat -below the average; and in some districts there have been positive -symptoms of a water-famine. But if we look back to the last century, -we find a period of drought between the years 1738 and 1750, which, -if it recurred in the present day would, in Mr Symons’s opinion, dry -up the water-supply of nearly every town in the kingdom. Another -curious observation is this: an unusually wet year seems to occur at -intervals of ten years, the years ending with the figure four being the -favoured ones. Thus, 1854, ’64, ’74, and so on, were wet years. But at -the same time another twelve-year cycle of dry years also occurs—the -years 1824, ’36, ’48, and so on, having been particularly limited in -their rainfall. In this year of grace 1884, the two cycles terminate -together, as they must do every now and then. So we have a year of -doubt, and know not until its close which influence has proved the -stronger. - -Notwithstanding the rapid advance that has been made during the past -few years in the beautiful art of photography, and the various new -applications of it in different arts and sciences, in one particular -it has stood still. A negative picture upon glass can, as every one -knows, be produced in a fraction of a second. But the after-process -of producing so-called positive prints on paper from that negative is -a tedious business, depending in great measure upon the brilliancy -of the weather. Messrs Marion of London have endeavoured to obviate -these inconveniences by the manufacture of a special kind of paper, -the nature of which they at present keep secret, and which they now -offer to the photographic world. By this paper a negative can be made -to yield a positive image in a few seconds, quite independently of -daylight, for a gas jet or paraffin lamp is sufficient to affect its -extreme sensitiveness. This invention will enable a photographer to -send his patron a dozen or more copies of a portrait that has been -taken the same day. - -The Bread Reform League is a useful society which has been formed to -counteract the modern tendency to make what is properly called ‘the -staff of life’ in such a way that many of its most useful ingredients -are discarded. This society has, under the organisation of its -energetic honorary secretary, Miss Yates, opened an Exhibition in -London, where different samples of bread stuffs, treated in various -ways, are shown. The profits of this Exhibition are to go to a ‘Penny -Dinner and Breakfast Fund’ for the benefit of needy children attending -the Board Schools. Hitherto, only food for the mind has been provided -at these establishments, and the fact has recently leaked out that -forty per cent. of the children arrive at some of them without any -breakfast, and that at other schools twenty-eight per cent. often are -dinnerless. It is a terribly sad story, and one very difficult to -reconcile with the oft repeated boast that London is the richest city -in the world. - -The _Graphic_ makes a very sensible suggestion with reference to -those gloomy places called railway waiting-rooms. In similar places in -France, the walls are often adorned with well-executed maps in relief, -showing the country through which the line passes. Why should not this -system be adopted in Britain? Constant travellers know to their cost -that there are many railway stations in the kingdom where waiting-rooms -are only too necessary. The cry of ‘All change here!’ often means that -all will be compelled to wait here for an indefinite period. Now, -if waiting-rooms were furnished with maps and framed notices giving -some account of the history of the surrounding neighbourhood, its -antiquities, natural beauties, &c., the dreary time might in many cases -be turned into a pleasant visit, and would most infallibly do good as -an advertisement to the railway itself. - -At a recent sale of art treasures at Cologne, there were put up to -auction two curiosities which had been bought by their late possessor -at some obscure town in Switzerland twenty-four years ago for the sum -of twenty-three francs. One was a fifteenth-century cup of Venetian -glass, and the other was a bundle of tapestry. At the last sale, -these articles formed two distinct lots, and they realised more than -thirty-six thousand francs—that is, fifteen hundred pounds sterling. - -The question of ‘musical pitch’ has for many years troubled musicians, -each country adopting a note giving a different number of vibrations -per second as its standard. In Britain, we have the Philharmonic -pitch, and when any one talks of having his piano tuned up to concert -pitch, the Philharmonic standard is the one indicated. For some -reason, the modern pitch is made higher than that recognised in past -days, and consequently the compositions of some of the best composers -are now heard in a key higher than that intended by their authors. -We understand that a conference upon the subject is shortly to be -organised. In the meantime, the Italian War Minister has sought the -opinions of living composers with reference to the best pitch for -military bands. We need only refer to the reply of one of these, Verdi, -whose name is as familiar in Britain as in the country of his birth. -He writes in reference to the modern high pitch: ‘The lowering of -the diapason will by no means impair the sonorousness and brilliancy -of execution; it will, on the contrary, give something noble, full, -majestic to the tone, which the strident effects of the higher pitch do -not possess.’ He goes on to say that one pitch should be common to all -nations. ‘The musical language is universal; why, therefore, should the -note which is called A in Paris or Milan become B♭ in Rome?’ - -A German paper gives some interesting statistics relative to ear -disease, which have been collected from different aural surgeons. -From these, we gather that males are more subject to ear disease than -females. Out of every three middle-aged persons, there is found one who -does not hear so well with one ear as with the other. The liability -to disease increases from birth to the age of forty, after which it -decreases as old age is reached. Of six thousand children examined, -twenty-three per cent. show symptoms of ear disease, and thirty-two -per cent. a deficiency of hearing power. With regard to the results -of surgical treatment, we learn that of the total number of cases of -all kinds, fifty-three per cent. are cured, and thirty per cent. are -benefited. We fancy that these figures are rather more favourable than -surgeons in this country can show, it being well known that aural cases -are among the most uncertain and unsatisfactory to deal with. - -The steamship _Ionic_, which lately left this country for New Zealand, -took out with her a large number of passengers of a description not -usually met with on shipboard. They consisted of one hundred and -fifty-eight stoats and weasels, whose mission in New Zealand will be to -prey upon the rabbits which are fast overrunning that country. This is -the third consignment which has left our shores. The little animals are -accommodated in zinc-lined boxes, and during the forty days’ journey -are calculated to require for their food more than two thousand live -pigeons, which accompany them. The poor pigeons also require food, and -therefore sixteen quarters of Indian corn were taken out for their -consumption. Altogether, the expense to the colonial government must be -something considerable, but will not be grudged if the required result -is achieved. - - - - -STOCK EXCHANGE MORALITY. - - -Perhaps there are few institutions possessing attributes more -diametrically opposed to one another than the Stock Exchange. -Undoubtedly useful in its way, it nevertheless abounds in gross abuse. -It is a necessity to the _bonâ fide_ investor, as indicating the -locality where he can on the instant purchase or find a market for -almost any stock in the world; yet it becomes a very hotbed of vice -in the hands of the professional speculator. We apply this term to -the man who fraudulently buys without the intention of paying, and -worse still, sells what he does not possess. The method of so doing -was fully explained in an article on ‘Corners’ in No. 19 of this -_Journal_. Take a quite recent illustration of the two evils. Only a -short time ago, a letter purporting to come from Mr Gladstone’s private -secretary, addressed to the Secretary of the Exchange, was received -by him, and posted up in the House. It stated that certain unexpected -interests would be paid to the Peruvian bondholders. The price went -up over thirty per cent. in a few moments, so that any one having -bought ten thousand pounds-worth the day before, could have then sold -them for nearly fourteen thousand pounds. It is more than probable -that the writer of the forged letter had previously purchased without -any intention of paying or ‘taking them off,’ and on the imposition -taking effect, at once sold out not only those he possessed, but also -more that he did not possess. Within half an hour, the forgery was -discovered, when the price immediately fell the thirty per cent. it -had just risen. Thus this impudent adventurer would not only secure an -enormous profit by the rise, but by buying back on the fall the extra -quantity he had sold on the rise, reap an additional profit. - -Now, it is this class of gambling, particularly the selling of what -one does not possess, for the purpose of depressing the value of a -certain stock to the prejudice of real holders, that constitutes the -most unwholesome element of our Stock Exchange. Every conceivable -artifice, the most consummate cunning, the most unblushing lies, are -employed to depreciate a security which has either risen to a high -figure on its merits, or else been puffed up artificially beforehand. -Syndicates, as they are called—combinations of unprincipled men -usually—are formed for the purpose, and there are indeed very few -stocks existing at the present day that are not honoured by their -especial syndicate. On any unfavourable rumour, more often concocted -than otherwise, these eagle-eyed monsters swoop down upon their -unsuspecting and inoffensive prey, attacking with the ferociousness of -a bear, until, in sheer desperation, one victim after another succumbs, -and sells out to the ‘bear’ at an enormous sacrifice, in order to save -the remnant of his dwindled inheritance. If, as they were uttered in -it, the falsehoods of a single day could but glue themselves to and -stick on the walls of that building, it would be a feat impossible of -achievement for a fly to crawl unscathed between them! Monte Carlo is -bad; but an institution where more fortunes are dishonestly lost and -won in a day than at that notorious gambling-place in a week, must be -at least no better, if not infinitely worse. - -That there are men of integrity on ’Change, men of known principle, -gentlemen in every sense of the word, admits of no doubt; and it is -they who would first appreciate any effort, legislative or otherwise, -for the suppression of the practices alluded to here. An act called -‘Leeman’s Act’ was passed some years ago for the special protection -of shareholders in banking establishments, which made it illegal to -sell shares of any bank without first proving yourself to be a _bonâ -fide_ holder of its shares, giving their respective numbers, &c. The -same protection should be afforded to every shareholder, no matter of -what stock; and the time has now arrived for the legislature to take -the matter seriously in hand. The blessings conferred thereby would be -inestimable. - - - - -OCCASIONAL NOTES. - - -MECHANICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF LIGHTNING STROKES. - -At the first monthly meeting for the session of the Royal -Meteorological Society, a paper was read by Colonel the Honourable -Arthur Parnell on ‘The Mechanical Characteristics of Lightning -Strokes.’ The main objects of this paper were—first, to attempt to -show that lightning is not a sort of electric fluid that descends -from the clouds, injures buildings and persons in its course, and -dissipates itself in the earth; but that it is a luminous manifestation -of the explosion, caused by two equal forces springing towards each -other simultaneously from the earth and the under surface of the -inducing cloud, and coalescing or flying out nearly midway between the -two plates of the electrical condenser formed by the earth and the -cloud; secondly, to demonstrate that of these two forces, it is the -earth-spring or upward force alone that injures buildings, persons, or -other objects on the earth’s surface, and that constitutes tangibly -what is rightly known as a lightning stroke. The author gave the -details of two hundred and seventy-eight instances, the records of -which were intended to demonstrate with more or less precision the -existence of an upward direction in the force of the stroke. The theory -of the descent of the electric fluid was suggested a few years ago by -M. Colladon, a French Professor, and a notice of it will be found in -_Chambers’s Journal_ for October 16, 1880. - - -PERSONS KILLED BY WILD ANIMALS IN INDIA. - -A return published in the governmental _Gazette_ shows that the number -of persons killed by wild animals and snakes in 1883 was 22,905, as -against 22,125 in the previous year. Of these, 20,067 deaths were due -to snake-bites, 985 to tigers, and 504 to other carnivora. The loss -of cattle from the same cause amounted to 47,478 animals, being an -increase of 771 on the figures for the previous year. It is somewhat -remarkable that while the great majority of human deaths is set down -to snakes, only 1644 cattle are said to have perished from that -cause. Nearly three-fourths of the deaths occurred in Bengal and the -North-west Provinces. The number of dangerous animals killed during -the year was 19,890, and more than fifteen thousand pounds was paid in -rewards. In regard to the fearful mortality from snake-bites, it might -be suggested that the government should increase the rewards paid for -bringing in the dead bodies of these reptiles, or otherwise take more -active measures for their destruction. - - -ENSILAGE. - -Mr Edward S. Blunt, Blaby Hill, Leicester, writing to the newspapers on -the subject of Ensilage, says that he has recently opened two of his -silos, and both have proved very satisfactory. He adds: - -‘Two years since I tried pits sunk in the ground without any building; -last year I tried bricks cemented on the inside; this year I have tried -wood, and am so pleased with the result that I certainly shall stick -to it for the future. Notwithstanding its perishable nature, I believe -it will compare most favourably as regards expense with anything else. -I have used one-inch red deal boards, grooved and tongued, and these I -find quite sufficient to resist what little lateral pressure there is. -I have built my silos, four in number, partly in the ground and partly -out. This may be considered merely as a matter of convenience, as I -find the ensilage just as good in one part as in the other. I construct -them in such a manner that they are easily put up and taken down again; -thus at a very trifling cost they can be removed from one place to -another. My first silo, a round one, only six feet in diameter, was -filled in May with rough grass cut from the hedge-sides and from under -some trees; neither cattle nor horses would eat this before it went -into the silo, but both will eat it readily enough now that it is made -into ensilage. My second silo, only eight feet in diameter, was first -filled with pea-straw after the main crop had been gathered for market, -and then refilled with the second cutting of clover; this is all very -good quite up to the boards at the sides. - -‘I am weighting my silos this year with a press I have invented and -patented. I obtain my weight by means of levers: two levers, each -twenty feet long, with four hundredweight at the end, will give eight -tons weight upon the silo, and being thoroughly continuous in its -action, I am able to dispense with the labour and cost of moving so -large a quantity of dead-weight.’ There is to be a model of the silo -and press exhibited at the Smithfield Show, Islington. - -Mr Blunt further explains his method of filling the silo. He says: -‘In nearly every instance I placed the grass or clover in the silo the -day after it was cut, and as it was put in, it was well trampled. In -three or four days the silage sank from twelve feet to eight, and as it -sank I put in more. In about ten days from the time when the silo was -first filled I put on the weight. The silage at this time had attained -a temperature of from one hundred and forty to one hundred and fifty -degrees. After the weight was applied, the temperature never rose any -higher; but, at the end of a fortnight, had fallen to one hundred and -thirty degrees, and then continued to fall. When the silage had sunk -sufficiently low in the silo, I took off the weights and boards and -filled up to the top again; this I repeated three or four times.’ - - -A HANDY GAS COOKING-STOVE. - -To his already extensive list of gas cooking apparatus, Mr Fletcher, -Warrington, has just added what he calls his ‘Large Cottage Cooker,’ -which is simply a Gas cooking-stove in the cheapest and simplest -form to be effective. For two pounds may be had a good roasting, and -a fairly good pastry and bread oven, with a reversible boiler and -grillers on the top. The body of the stove is made of galvanised iron, -and the shelves are wrought iron. The height of the whole is thirty -inches; space inside the oven twelve by twelve by sixteen inches. - -When we consider their convenience to housekeepers and the time which -they save, we do not wonder that the use of such stoves is rapidly -extending. The equable nature of the heat insures good cookery; a -pot or kettle may be boiled on the burner in a few minutes, and the -housewife may be kept quite easy as to the state of her kitchen fire -for cooking purposes. In fact, in summer the kitchen fire may be -dispensed with altogether. There is no smoke or ashes; pans and kettles -are easier kept clean, and all this is done at but a trifling expense -for gas—say one penny per hour for a medium stove. A potato steamer -will be found a useful adjunct to the stove. By its aid, the potatoes, -after being boiled, are finished off with steam in the upper part of -the same vessel; and will be found drier and mealier than if cooked in -an ordinary pot in the old way. - - -RAILWAY PASSENGERS. - -A curious return has just been issued, showing the number of railway -passengers who have travelled on all the railways in the United Kingdom -during the half-year ending 30th June last, by which it will be seen -that railway shareholders continue to be mainly indebted for their -dividends to third-class traffic. During the above period the number -of passengers who travelled were as follows, omitting fractions: First -class, sixteen million one hundred thousand; second class, twenty-five -million eight hundred thousand; third class, two hundred and forty-one -million seven hundred thousand—the number of third-class passengers -being more than five hundred per cent. in excess of first and second -class combined; and the relative amount of receipts is in equal -proportion. This remarkable difference applies to all the lines in -common, the third-class passengers being in excess all throughout the -kingdom. But the North London line is especially striking in regard -to receipts, inasmuch as the receipts from the third-class passengers -amounted to about eight hundred per cent. more than from the first -and second combined! Within the same period, the Metropolitan and -District Railways, and the North London Railway, carried over fifty -million passengers; to which enormous return must be added, as showing -the prodigious traffic within the area of the metropolis, that of -the Great Eastern; London, Chatham, and Dover; London and Brighton; -South-western; and South-eastern—a large portion of whose traffic is -purely metropolitan. - - -THE NEW ALBO-CARBON LIGHT. - -An experiment has been tried on a grand scale with this new and -beautiful light, which as an illuminating medium will most certainly -take a front place, whether the question is gas or electricity. The -immense church belonging to the Oratory of St Philip Neri at Brompton -has lately been illuminated by the employment of eight twelve-light, -two six-light, and two four-light clusters constructed on this -principle; and these have been found so effective, that the interior -of this vast and very lofty building is filled with a brilliant, yet -soft and subdued, light, which covers the area of the great church. -The authorities of the Oratory have expressed their satisfaction at -the favourable results of the experiment; and the capability of the -Albo-carbon Light has been demonstrated as to bringing out clearly -the architectural features of our churches, which, as a general rule, -are not celebrated for the excellence of their various systems of -gas-lighting. Therefore, any clear and brilliant light which will -do this, and at the same time not add too much to the heat of the -interior, should be hailed as an inestimable boon, and be one of the -chief recommendations of this new and beautiful system. - - -THE LAST OF OLD SION COLLEGE. - -One by one the old City landmarks are disappearing before the ruthless -hand of the modern speculative builder. Many of the City churches -have already been taken down and their sites covered with shops or -warehouses; Charter House and St Paul’s School are both going; and -Sion College is gone—to be opened in a new building on the Thames -Embankment, into which the ancient stone front is to be transferred -from London Wall. The College, of which all the City vicars and rectors -are Fellows, was originally incorporated in 1630, but burnt down in the -great fire of London, to be rebuilt shortly afterwards. The site is let -for building, but the ancient wooden fittings of the Hall and Library -have been sold. The fine library of books will be removed to the new -building when complete. - - -IRISH FEMALE EMIGRATION. - -Mr Vere Foster, of Belfast, has issued another appeal on behalf of -his Irish Female Emigration Fund, which has already been the means of -granting assisted passages to twenty thousand two hundred and fifty -girls from the west of Ireland to the United States and colonies, at -an expenditure of about thirty thousand pounds. This scheme has the -support—as it should have—of the clergy of all denominations, and there -is little doubt that if carefully gone about, it will prove a benefit -both to Ireland and the colonies. Mr Foster, who has exhausted what he -can spare of his own means and the funds placed at his disposal, has -also given assistance by loan to four hundred girls, who have promised -to repay him. We trust they may do so, as the good fortune of four -hundred more hangs on this contingency. - -The purpose of the fund is the relief of present poverty in the densely -peopled districts of the west of Ireland, by assisting the emigration -of young women of good character of the farm and domestic-servant -class. To such it gives a chance of well-doing impossible at home, -where, if they marry and rear families, there is but a prospect of -poverty for themselves and all concerned. The scheme is a resumption of -that adopted with gratifying results immediately after the great famine -of 1846-7. - -The plan which Mr Foster has had in operation for helping these young -women for the past five years is a very simple one. Blank forms of -application are issued to inquirers, when, if returned and approved of, -vouchers to a certain value are issued in their favour. These vouchers -are available within three months of issue for embarkation from -Liverpool or from any port in Ireland where the necessary arrangements -have been made. The promoter of this scheme does not approve of -shipping young girls in large companies, but leaves them the utmost -freedom in their choice of ship and port and time of embarkation. This -enables them to take a passage when perhaps they can have the company -of friends and neighbours. The young women thus assisted were between -eighteen and thirty years of age; and it is satisfactory to know that -most of them are going on well, and that many of them have sent home -money to their friends more than once. - -One of the most satisfactory forms of good doing is to help people to -help themselves. This is the object of the Irish Female Emigration Fund. - - -EXPLORATION IN THE CHILIAN ARGENTINE ANDES. - -It would appear, from the proceedings of the Berlin Academy of -Sciences, that Dr Güssfeldt’s explorations in the central Chilian -Argentine Andes extended from November 1882 to March 1883, in the wild -and lofty mountain region containing Aconcagua, the most elevated -known point of the American continent, which lies between thirty-two -and thirty-five degrees south latitude, and is bounded on the east by -the Argentine Pampas, and on the west by the Pacific. Much of this -journey being through new country, Dr Güssfeldt daily observed the -great orographical and landscape features, the glacial conditions -above the snow, the character of the vegetation, and the phenomena -of rock-weathering. He also undertook the special duty of fixing -positions astronomically and taking altitudes; for which purpose he -was provided with nineteen instruments. The central Chilian Argentine -Andes are sketched by the traveller as two parallel chains, having on -the Pacific an outlying coast-range. The western chain is the true -water-parting of the Atlantic and Pacific; and the eastern is in many -places broken through by the waters rising in the great trough between -the two chains, which has no well-defined valley formation, indications -of a longitudinal depression being only found at intervals, constantly -interrupted by cross ridges. This trough or basin, one hundred and -eighty-five miles in length, is very difficult of exploration, and only -three months of the year are available for the purpose. The doctor -crossed the divide at four points, and obtained altitudes from nine -thousand four hundred and ninety-four feet to twenty-two thousand -eight hundred and sixty-seven feet, which was reached near the great -volcano Aconcagua, not far from the commencement of Valle Hermoso. -A most interesting question of the effect of rarefied air at great -elevations upon the human frame is dwelt upon by the doctor. He states -that he and his assistant attained twenty-one thousand and thirty feet -on Aconcagua, and were able to work their scientific instruments at -that height, though not in good condition, through anxiety and want of -sleep. Their lungs were physically exhausted by the effort of speaking; -but there was no flow of blood from nose or ears. He says that the -so-called _puna_ can be resisted by mental effort and confidence, -the only effect upon a properly trained individual being increased -lung-action, and that any one who could work as he did at twenty-one -thousand and thirty feet, could reach the top of Aconcagua, where the -proportion of oxygen is only 6.2-3 per cent. less than at the former -elevation. - - -NATIVE TREATMENT OF DISEASES IN INDIA. - -A correspondent thus writes: Regarding the native treatment of -diseases, one of the most curious things I ever witnessed was a -half-clad native shouting through the streets of a country town: -‘Does any one want back his sight?—one rupee only!’ as if he were -hawking fruits or sweetmeats; and, to my astonishment, a patient soon -presented himself to be operated on for cataract. There and then -standing in the bazaar, the itinerant oculist took out his penknife -and performed the operation in a few minutes, bound up the man’s -eyes, and telling him to keep in the dark for a fortnight, received -his fee of one rupee, and shouted his war-cry for more patients. The -operation was almost unvaryingly successful; one instance among my -servants being a woman of eighty, who had charge of my fowl-house, and -had for many a day been sightless, except to distinguish light from -darkness, and who in this way was successfully operated upon. Besides -this operator are bone-setters, and medical rubbers male and female, -especially represented by the hereditary low-caste _accoucheuse_ of -each village, whose skill in shampooing is such an aid in her lowly -calling—as the natives regard it—as to supplant much of the useless -medicine and enforced rest of more civilised countries, and save -endless mischief and suffering to her sex. What skill they have is of -course almost purely traditional. None of the science of the world -or British usage has yet altered in the slightest degree either the -customs of the native or his horror at the idea of male physicians for -women—especially in certain ailments—and their wonder at our obtuseness -and disregard of propriety on so delicate a point. To supply a vacancy -so long unfilled, lady-doctors have now appeared on the scene, who, it -is hoped by reaching the zenanas, may reach the real source through -which a higher enlightenment in India is possible. An immense field -is open to them along with every encouragement; and were but some of -the many young ladies at home who are straining health for a future -pittance in one or other of the spheres of teaching, to turn their -attention in this direction, they would find an opening of wider -and greater utility before them, and a prospect of large and rapid -emolument. - - - - -LONG AGO. - - - We wandered in a garden fair, - When summer sun was shining, - And laden was the balmy air - With scent of roses rich and rare - Around us intertwining. - There trilled the thrush his glorious song; - There thrilled the echoes all night long - The warbling nightingale. - You taught me all each songster said, - And in each floweret’s heart you read - Some hidden tale; - You said their message I should know: - ’Twas simple as an easy rhyme— - But that was once upon a time - Long ago! - - We parted in a woodland glade - When autumn winds were sighing, - In gold and russet bright arrayed - A glowing canopy displayed - The summer leaves a-dying; - And but the wind, no other sound - Than a leaf that fluttered to the ground, - And a far-off robin singing, - We heard. You guessed my thoughts, and said: - ‘In spring, the swallows who have fled - Will back be winging; - The trees a brighter emerald show, - The rose a richer crimson glow, - Than any gleamed in this year’s prime’— - All this was once upon a time - Long ago! - - ‘What though a while we part,’ you cried; - ‘What though the wind is sighing; - The spring will autumn’s frost deride, - The summer laugh at winter-tide, - Long power to grief denying. - We part, but never say farewell; - Nor let the dead leaves to us tell - A tale of changeless sorrow; - Fair Spring comes sparkling down the dell, - And in that morrow, - If still upon this world below, - We’ll meet ’neath yonder spreading lime’— - You said so once upon a time - Long ago! - - Perchance you have forgot all this; - ’Twas long ago; - Perchance you sneer at words like bliss - And lovers’ woe. - Or else you are amused—as I— - To think we once swore we should die, - If fate us parted; - To think we vowed so soon to meet, - And said in spring-time we would greet, - Or else be broken-hearted. - Strange—is it not?—to have fancied so. - You smile, no doubt, such things to know; - Or do you count it as a crime - To think of once upon a time - Long ago? - - LINDA GARDINER. - - * * * * * - -_Volume I. of the Fifth Series of CHAMBERS’S JOURNAL is now completed, -price Nine Shillings._ - - * * * * * - -_A Title-page and Index, price One Penny, have been prepared, and may -be ordered through any bookseller._ - - * * * * * - -_An elegant cloth case for binding the whole of the numbers for 1884 is -also ready._ - - * * * * * - -_Back numbers to complete sets may at all times be had._ - - * * * * * - -In our next Part will be given the opening chapters of an original -Novel, entitled: - -A HOUSE DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF. - -BY MRS OLIPHANT. - - * * * * * - -END OF THE FIRST VOLUME. - - -Printed and Published by W. and R. Chambers, -47 Paternoster Row, London, and 339 High Street, Edinburgh. - - * * * * * - -_All Rights Reserved._ - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL OF POPULAR -LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART, FIFTH SERIES, NO. 52, VOL. I, DECEMBER 27, -1884 *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for -copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very -easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation -of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project -Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may -do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected -by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark -license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country other than the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - 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. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm website -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that: - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of -the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the Foundation as set -forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, -Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up -to date contact information can be found at the Foundation's website -and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without -widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our website which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This website includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. |