diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'old/67009-0.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | old/67009-0.txt | 2175 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 2175 deletions
diff --git a/old/67009-0.txt b/old/67009-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3a0beef..0000000 --- a/old/67009-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2175 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, -Science, and Art, Fifth Series, No. 109, Vol. III, January 30, 1886, by -William Chambers - -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. 109, Vol. III, January 30, 1886 - -Editor: William Chambers - Robert Chambers - -Release Date: December 25, 2021 [eBook #67009] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Susan Skinner, Eric Hutton and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The Internet - Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL OF POPULAR -LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART, FIFTH SERIES, NO. 109, VOL. III, JANUARY 30, -1886 *** - - - - -[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. 109.—VOL. III. SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 1886. PRICE 1½_d._] - - - - -LITERARY ENDEAVOUR. - - -A recent writer remarks that ‘the practice of letters is miserably -harassing to the mind. To find the right word is so doubtful a success, -and lies so near to failure, that there is no satisfaction in a year -of it.’ A cynical warning, indeed; but there is, we think, no danger -of a scarcity of literary effort in the immediate future, whatever -the appreciable results of it may be. There will always be a host of -aspirants for literary honours, and the reason of this may perhaps lie, -to a certain extent, in that very uncertainty which attends the pursuit -of letters as an avocation; the brilliant rewards which have been -earned and the underlying risk of failure, present together the very -conditions of enterprise most powerfully attractive to many minds. For -it must be remembered that there is no fixedness in the canon either -of public opinion or of criticism in literature; that which fails to -win attention to-day, may attract to-morrow; and success, especially -that form of it which results from passing popularity, is in many cases -very much dependent on the proverbial fickleness of the reading public. -It would be difficult, we think, on other grounds than that of this -attractiveness of the chances and prizes of the literary occupation, -to account for the active competition which is so observable in the -profession. That the pure literary faculty, as a stimulus, does not -form a distinguishing characteristic of all aspirants, is plain enough. -No doubt, a great impetus has been given to literary endeavour by the -periodical press, which, by popularising ephemeral literature among the -masses, and by its own requirements of supply, has thus increased its -production. And the same is true of the newspaper press also, with its -opportunities for the contribution of correspondence, which, though -frequently a humble enough opening for talent, has often sufficed to -originate and foster the habit of more ambitious composition. - -The canon of literary criticism is, we have said, not an unvarying one. -But undoubtedly there is, for all perfect, and still more for all -enduring work in the world of letters a certain measure and standard -of excellence in the mode of expression, which even the most brilliant -genius cannot afford wholly to disregard, but which is as incapable of -exact definition as it is difficult of attainment. It is much more, -certainly, than ‘the finding of the right word,’ even granting that the -right idea be behind it. A literary composition may be characterised -by the most perfect accuracy of expression, may be faultless in every -detail, and yet be after all a very mediocre piece of work at the best, -though it may be difficult exactly to indicate in what respect it is -defective. We can only in a case of this kind point to acknowledged -merit as possessing what the attempt in question lacks. - -It has also to be noted that excellence in literary workmanship -is properly independent both of the nature of its subject and the -scale on which it is executed. An instance of this may be found -in Thackeray’s _Roundabout Papers_. In these apparently careless -sketches, a designedly trivial subject is chosen; the treatment of it -is everything, and the artistic finish is of the highest; the subject -is dwarfed in the handling, and yet the very handling interests the -reader abnormally in the subject. Perhaps, however, this subordination -of the subject to the treatment—as in the inimitable narrative of -the schoolboy purchasing, from his companion, the pencil-case with -the movable calendar atop—is as a whole inferior to that method by -which the incidents of the subject are brought out in relief, as it -were, by the simplicity of the description, so much so, that the art -of that simplicity is concealed. Nathaniel Hawthorne in his _House -of the Seven Gables_ and several of the _Twice-told Tales_ has some -exquisitely pellucid specimens of this complete literary facility. -In such masterpieces we see the results only, without any indication -of the labour involved in its execution. The statue is there in all -its finished loveliness, but the chips of the marble have been swept -away. ‘How clear and flowing your melody is,’ was once remarked -to an eminent musical composer; ‘how easily you must write!’ ‘Ah!’ -replied he, ‘you little know with what hard work that ease you speak -of has been purchased.’ When the late Charles Mathews was playing -in Melbourne, fifteen years ago, he received what he considered the -highest compliment of his professional career. A little girl in the -audience was asked by her friends at the conclusion of the performance -how she was pleased, to which she replied: ‘I didn’t care for Mr -Mathews’ acting a bit; he just walked up and down the stage as papa -walks up and down the dining-room at home.’ It is the fact of this -appearance of perfect spontaneity in the highest art, being really -the outcome of the most assiduous care, that renders it so truly -inimitable, and the counterfeit so easy of detection. The ‘round O of -Giotto’ was only a perfect circle, but it needed the master-hand to -execute it with a simple sweep of the crayon. Ruskin tells us in one -of his treatises on Landscape Painting, that in some of the greatest -works of genius, an effect which is almost magical at the proper focal -distance, is conveyed by what appears, to the uninstructed eye and -viewed close at hand, to be a mere dash of loaded colour, but which in -reality could not be added to or diminished by the smallest particle -without detracting from the effect. - -If it be true that literary excellence is only to be attained by the -patient bestowal of ‘infinite pains,’ that there is no easy method -of reaching it, it is no less the fact that, as a general rule, the -time is wasted—perhaps worse than wasted—which is devoted by the young -writer to a laborious imitation of the style of any distinguished -author. Such an imitation is generally an unsuccessful one, and results -in a reproduction of the faults and defects of the original without -its graces. The advice Dr Johnson gave to those ‘desirous of attaining -the English style,’ to ‘give their days and nights to the volumes of -Addison,’ must be taken with reserve. Such a style, though eminently -beautiful in itself, would practically nowadays be out of date, even if -faithfully reproduced, while at the same time it is most likely that -the student would overlook that deficiency of force with which the -manner of Addison is fairly chargeable. The best model for style is not -that of any particular or favourite writer, but rather the excellency -of the best writers generally—the highest qualities of the highest -types. - -We have hitherto spoken of that perfect mastery of our language in -writing which has been the possession of those famous in the history -of English letters, and it may be inquired if such a high standard -should in all cases be necessarily aimed at, seeing that for many -purposes of everyday life a lesser degree of cultivation might be -found as practically useful. To this it is sufficient to reply that -much positive good must result from an endeavour to follow the -best examples in the practice of any art, and further, that such an -endeavour will be found the surest way by which to avoid all faulty and -careless work, which can under no possible conditions be praiseworthy -or even tolerable. No young writer can afford to write carelessly, -till such time, at all events, as he has become fully versed in his -art, when he will probably find that to write with the effect of -carelessness is beyond his power. At the same time, young writers -should be careful not to adopt for imitation a style of too great -elevation, for by so doing they may find that they have contracted that -worst of all literary diseases—bombast. - -In estimating the amount of labour bestowed on the production of -literary work, care must be taken to include the original mental -processes involved in the conception of the ideas, as well as -the subsequent elaboration of them in detail; the higher sort of -composition includes both; and it is evident that when the question -comes to be one of the labour of origination, we find ourselves in -a region where estimate is all but impossible. ‘The workshop of the -imagination’ will reveal no record of its toil. Edgar Allan Poe, -indeed, in his _Philosophy of Composition_ introduces us to what -he would have us believe to be the very beginnings of invention, -endeavouring to portray the very earliest growth of his marvellous -constructive faculty exemplified in his poem of _The Raven_. But his -explanation reads more like an intellectual pastime than a reality, -even if it were beyond question that the central idea of the poem -was original, and not borrowed from an eastern source. In the case -of Auguste Comte, however, we have an instance of the amount of -intellectual travail which may often precede the birth of a great work, -the mental preparation before the committal of the thoughts to paper. -To quote M. Littré’s account of Comte’s method: ‘Here is the way in -which he composed each of the six volumes of the Positive philosophy. -He thought the subject over without writing a word; from the whole -he passed to the secondary groups, from the secondary groups to the -details. Then, when this elaboration, first total, then partial, was -completed, he said that his volume was done.’ - - - - -IN ALL SHADES. - - -CHAPTER VI. - -The three weeks’ difference in practical time between England and the -West Indies, due to the mail, made the day that Edward and Marian -spent at Southampton exactly coincide with the one when Mr Dupuy and -his nephew Tom went up to view old Mr Hawthorn’s cattle at Agualta -Estate, Trinidad. On that very same evening, while Nora and Harry were -walking together among the fields behind the battery, Mr Tom Dupuy was -strolling leisurely by himself in the cool dusk, four thousand miles -away, on one of the innumerable shady bridle-paths that thread the -endless tangled hills above Pimento Valley. - -Mr Tom was smoking a very big Manila cheroot, and was accompanied -upon his rounds by a huge and ferocious-looking Cuban bloodhound, -the hungry corners of whose great greedy slobbering mouth hung -down hideously on either side in loose folds of skin of the most -bloodthirsty and sinister aspect. As he went along, Tom Dupuy kept -patting affectionately from time to time his four-footed favourite, to -whom, nevertheless, every now and again he applied, as it seemed out -of pure wantonness, the knotted lash of the cruel dog-whip which he -carried jauntily in his right hand. The dog, however, formidable as he -was, so far from resenting this unkindly treatment, appeared to find in -it something exceedingly congenial to his own proper barbarous nature; -for after each such savage cut upon his bare flanks from the knotted -hide, he only cowered for a second, and then fawned the more closely -and slavishly than ever upon his smiling master, looking up into his -face with a strange approving glance from his dull eyes, that seemed -to say: ‘Exactly the sort of thing I should do myself, if you were the -dog, and I were the whip-holder.’ - -At a bend of the path, where the road turned suddenly aside to cross -the dry bed of a winter torrent, Tom Dupuy came upon a clump of tall -cabbage palms, hard by a low mud-built negro hut, overshadowed in front -by two or three huge flowering bushes of crimson hibiscus. A tall, -spare, gray-headed negro, in a coarse sack by way of a shirt, with -his bare and sinewy arms thrust loosely through the long slits which -alone did duty in the place of sleeve-holes, was leaning as he passed -upon a wooden post. The bloodhound, breaking away suddenly from his -master, at sight and smell of the black skin, its natural prey, rushed -up fiercely towards the old labourer, and leapt upon him with a savage -snarl of his big teeth, and with ominous glittering eyes. But the -negro, stronger and more muscular than he looked, instead of flinching, -caught the huge brute in his long lean arms, and flung him from him by -main force with an angry oath, dashing his great form heavily against -the rough pathway. Quick as lightning, the dog, leaping up again at -once with diabolical energy in its big flabby mouth, was just about to -spring once more upon his scowling opponent, when Tom Dupuy, catching -him angrily by his leather collar, threw him down and held him back, -growling fiercely, and showing his huge tearing teeth in a ferocious -grin, after the wonted manner of his deadly kind. ‘Quiet, Slot, -quiet!’ the master said, patting his hollow forehead with affectionate -admiration. ‘Quiet, sir; down this minute! Down, I tell you!—He’s death -on niggers, Delgado—death on niggers. You should stand out of the way, -you know, when you see him coming. Of course, these dogs never can -abide the scent of you black fellows. The _bookay d’Afreek_ always -drives a bloodhound frantic.’ - -The old negro drew himself up haughtily and sternly, and stared back in -the insolent face of the slouching young white man with a proud air of -native dignity. ‘Buckra gentleman hab no right, den, to go about wid -dem dog,’ he answered angrily, fixing his piercing fiery eye on the -bloodhound’s face. ‘Dem dog always spring at a black man wherebber dey -find him. If you want to keep dem, you should keep dem tied up at de -house, so as to do for watchdog against tievin’ naygur. But you doan’t -got no right to bring dem about de ro-ads, loose dat way, jumpin’ up at -people’s troats, when dem standin’ peaceable beside dem own hut here.’ - -Tom Dupuy laughed carelessly. ‘It’s their nature, you see, Delgado,’ -he answered with a pleasant smile, still holding the dog and caressing -it lovingly. ‘They and their fathers were trained long ago in slavery -days to hunt runaway niggers up in the mountains and track them to -their hiding-places, and drag them back, alive or dead, to their lawful -masters; and of course that makes them run naturally after the smell of -a nigger, as a terrier runs after the smell of a rat. When the rat sees -the terrier coming, he scuttles off as hard as his legs can carry him -into his hole; and when you see Slot’s nose turning round the corner, -you ought to scuttle off into your hut as quick as lightning, if you -want to keep your black skin whole upon your body. Slot never can abide -the smell of a nigger.—Can you, Slot, eh, old fellow?’ - -The negro looked at him with unconcealed aversion. ‘I is not rat, -Mistah Dupuy,’ he said haughtily. ‘I is gentleman myself, same as you -is, sah, when I come here over from Africa.’ - -Tom Dupuy sneered openly in his very face. ‘That’s the way with all -you Africans,’ he answered with a laugh, as he flipped the ash idly -from his big cheroot. ‘I never knew an imported nigger yet, since I was -born, that wasn’t a king in his own country. Seems to me, they must all -be kings over yonder in Congo, with never a solitary subject to divide -between them.—But I say, my friend, what’s going on over this way -to-night, that so many niggers are going up all the time to the Methody -chapel? Are you going to preach ’em a missionary sermon?’ - -Delgado glanced at him a trifle suspiciously. ‘Dar is a prayer-meetin’, -sah,’ he said with a cold look in his angry eye, ‘up at Gilead. De -bredderin gwine to meet dis ebenin’.’ - -‘Ho, ho; so that’s it! A prayer-meeting, is it? Well, if I go up there, -will you let me attend it?’ - -Delgado’s thick lip curled contemptuously, as he answered with a frown: -‘When cockroach gib dance, him no ax fowl!’ - -‘Ah, I see. The fowl would eat the cockroaches, would he? Well, then, -Louis Delgado, I give you fair warning; if you don’t want a white man -to go and look on at your nigger meetings, depend upon it, it’s because -you’re brewing some mischief or other up there against the constituted -authorities. I shall tell my uncle to set his police to look well after -you. You were always a bad-blooded, discontented, disaffected fellow, -and I believe now you’re up to some of your African devilry or other. -No obeah,[1] mind you, Delgado—no obeah! Prayer-meetings, my good -friend, as much as you like; but whatever you do, no obeah.’ - -‘You tink I do obeah because I doan’t will let you go to -prayer-meetin’! Dat just like white-man argument. Him tink de naygur -can nebber be in de right. Old-time folk has little proverb: “Mountain -sheep always guilty when jungle tiger sit to judge him.”’ - -Tom Dupuy laughed and nodded. ‘Well, good-night.—Down, Slot, down, good -fellow; down, down, down, I tell you!—Good-night, Louis Delgado, and -mind, whatever you do, no obeah!’ - -The negro watched him slowly round the corner, with a suspicious eye -kept well fixed upon the reluctant stealthy retreat of the Cuban -bloodhound; and as soon as Dupuy had got safely beyond earshot, he sat -down in the soft dust that formed the bare platform outside his hut, -and mumbled to himself, as negroes will do, a loud dramatic soliloquy, -in every deep and varying tone of passion and hatred. ‘Ha, ha, Mistah -Tom Dupuy,’ he began quietly, ‘so you go about always wid de Cuban -bloodhound, an’ you laugh to see him spring at de troat ob de black -man! You tink dat frighten him from come steal your cane an’ your -mangoes! You tink de black man afraid ob de dog, yarra! yarra! Ha, dat -frighten Trinidad naygur, perhaps, but it doan’t frighten salt-water -naygur from Africa! I hab charms, I hab potion, I hab draught to quiet -him! I doan’t afraid ob fifty bloodhound. But it doan’t good for buckra -gentleman to walk about wid dog dat spring at de black man. Black man -laugh to-day, perhaps, but press him heart tight widin him. De time -come when black man will find him heart break out, an’ de hate in it -flow over an’ make blood run, like dry ribber in de rainy season. Den -him sweep away buckra, an’ bloodhound, an’ all before him; an’ seize -de country, colour for colour. De land is black, an’ de land for de -black man. When de black man burst him heart like ribber burst him -bank in de rainy season, white man’s house snap off before him like -bamboo hut when de flood catch it!’ As he spoke, he pushed his hands -out expansively before him, and gurgled in his throat with fierce -inarticulate African gutturals, that seemed to recall in some strange -fashion the hollow eddying roar and gurgle of the mountain torrents in -the rainy season. - -‘Chicken doan’t nebber lub jackal, yarra,’ he went on after a short -pause of expectant triumph; ‘an’ naygur doan’t nebber lub buckra, dat -certain. But ob all de buckra in de island ob Trinidad, dem Dupuy is -de very worst an’ de very contemptfullest. Some day, black man will -rise, an’ get rid ob dem all for good an’ ebber. If I like, I can kill -dem all to-day; but I gwine to wait. De great an’ terrible day ob de -Lard is not come yet. Missy Dupuy ober in England, where de buckra -come from. England is de white man’s Africa; de missy dar to learn him -catechism. I wait till Missy Dupuy come back before I kill de whole -family. When de great an’ terrible day ob de Lard arrive, I doan’t -leave a single Dupuy a libbin soul in de island ob Trinidad. I slay dem -all, an’ de missy wid dem, yarra, yarra!’ - -The last two almost inarticulate words were uttered with a yell of -triumph. Hearing footsteps now approaching, he broke out into a loud -soliloquy of exultation in his own native African language. It was a -deep, savage-sounding West Coast dialect, full of harsh and barbaric -clicks or gutturals; for Louis Delgado, as Tom Dupuy had rightly said, -was ‘an imported African’—a Coromantyn, sold as a slave some thirty -years before to a Cuban slave-trader trying to break the blockade on -the coast, and captured with all her living cargo by an English cruiser -off Sombrero Island. The liberated slaves had been landed, according -to custom, at the first British port where the cutter touched; and -thus Louis Delgado—as he learned to call himself—a wild African born, -from the Coromantyn seaboard, partially Anglicised and outwardly -Christianised, was now a common West Indian plantation hand on the -two estates of Orange Grove and Pimento Valley. There are dozens of -such semi-civilised imported negroes still to be found under similar -circumstances in every one of the West India islands. - -As the steps gradually approached nearer, it became plain, from the -soft footfall in the dust of the bridle-path, that it was a shoeless -black person who was coming towards him. In a minute more, the -new-comer had turned the corner, and displayed herself as a young and -comely negress—pretty with the round, good-humoured African prettiness -of smooth black skin, plump cheeks, clear eyes, and regular, even -pearl-white teeth. The girl was dressed in a loose Manchester cotton -print, brightly coloured, and not unbecoming, with a tidy red bandana -bound turban-wise around her shapely head, but barefooted, barelimbed, -and bare of neck and shoulder. Her figure was good, as the figure of -most negresses usually is; and she held herself erect and upright with -the peculiar lithe gracefulness said to be induced by the universal -practice of carrying pails of water and other burdens on the top of the -head from the very earliest days of negro childhood. As she approached -Delgado, she first smiled and showed all her pretty teeth, as she -uttered the customary polite salutation of ‘Marnin’! sah, marnin’!’ and -then dropped a profound courtesy with an unmistakable air of awe and -reverence. - -Louis Delgado affected not to observe the girl for a moment, and went -on jabbering loudly and fiercely to himself in his swift and fluent -African jargon. But it was evident that his hearer was deeply impressed -at once by this rapt and prophetic inattention of the strange negro, -who spoke with tongues to vacant space in such an awful and intensely -realistic fashion. She paused for a while and looked at him intently; -then, when he stopped for a second to take breath in the midst of one -of his passionate incoherent outbursts, she came a step nearer to him -and courtesied again, at the same time that she muttered in a rather -injured querulous treble: ‘Mistah Delgado, you no hear me, sah? You no -listen to me? I tellin’ you marnin’.’ - -The old man broke off suddenly, as if recalled to himself and common -earth by some disenchanting touch, and answered dreamily: ‘Marnin’, -Missy Rosina. Marnin’, le-ady. You gwine up to Gilead now to de -prayer-meetin’?’ - -Rosina, glancing down at the Bible and hymn-book in her plump black -hand, answered demurely: ‘Yes, sah, I gwine dar.’ - -Delgado shook himself vigorously, as if in the endeavour to recover -from some unearthly trance, and went on in his more natural manner: ‘I -gwine up too, to pray wid de bredderin. You want me for someting? You -callin’ to me for help you?’ - -Rosina dropped her voice a little as she replied in her shrill tone: -‘You is African, Mistah Delgado. Naygur from Africa know plenty spell -for bring back le-ady’s lubber.’ - -Delgado nodded. ‘Dat is true,’ he answered. ‘Creole[2] naygur doan’t -can make spell same as African. Coromantyn naygur hab plenty oracle. De -oracles ob Aaron descend in right line to de chiefs ob de Coromantyn.’ - -‘Dem say you is great chief in your own country.’ - -The old man drew himself up with a haughty air. ‘Me fader,’ he answered -with evident pride, ‘hab twelve wives, all princess, an’ I is de eldest -son ob de eldest. King Blay fight him, an’ take me prisoner, an’ sell -me slabe, an’ dat is how I come to work now ober here on Mistah Dupuy -plantation.’ - -After a pause, he asked quickly: ‘Who dis sweetheart dat you want spell -for?’ - -‘Isaac Pourtalès.’ - -‘Pourtalès! Him mulatto! What for pretty naygur girl like you want -to go an’ lub mulatto? Mulatto bad man. Old-time folk say, mulatto -always hate him fader an’ despise him mudder. Him fader de white man, -an’ mulatto hate white; him mudder de black girl, an’ mulatto despise -black.’ - -Rosina hung her head down slightly on one side, and put the little -finger of her left hand with artless coyness into the corner of her -mouth. ‘I doan’t know, sah,’ she said sheepishly after a short pause; -‘but I feel somehow as if I lub Isaac Pourtalès.’ - -Delgado grinned a sinister grin. ‘Very well, Missy Rosy,’ he said -shortly, ‘I gain him lub for you. Wait here one, two, tree minute, -le-ady, while I run in find me Bible.’ - -In a few minutes, he came out again, dressed in his black coat for -meeting, with a Bible and hymn-book in one hand, and a curious volume -in the other, written in strange, twisted, twirligig characters, such -as Rosina had never before in her life set eyes on. ‘See here!’ he -cried, opening it wide before her; ‘dat is book ob spells. Dat is -African spell for gain lubber. I explain him to you’—and his hand -turned rapidly over several of the brown and well-thumbed pages: ‘Isaac -Pourtalès, mulatto; Rosina Fleming, black le-ady; dat is de page. -Hear what de spell say.’ And he ran his finger line by line along -the strange characters, as if translating them into his own negro -English as he went. ‘“Take toot’ ob alligator,” same as dis one’—and -he produced a few alligators’ teeth from his capacious pocket; ‘“tie -him up for a week in bag wid Savannah flower an’ branch of calalue; -soak him well in shark’s blood”—I gib de blood to you—“den write de -name, Isaac Pourtalès, in big letter on slip ob white paper; drop it in -de bag; an’ burn it all togedder on a Friday ebenin’, when it doan’t -no moon, wid fire ob manchineel wood.” Dat will gain de lub ob your -lubber, as sure as de gospel.’ - -The girl listened carefully to the directions, and made Delgado repeat -them three times over to her. When she had learned them thoroughly, she -said once more: ‘How much I got to pay you for dis, eh, sah?’ - -‘Nuffin.’ - -‘Nuffin?’ - -‘No, nuffin. But you must do me favour. You is house-serbant at Orange -Grove; you must come see me now an’ den, an’ tell me what go on ober in -de house dar.’ - -‘What far, sah?’ - -‘Doan’t you ax what far; but listen to me, le-ady. De great an’ -terrible day ob de Lard will come before long, when de wicked will -be cut off from de face ob de eart’, an’ we shall see de end ob de -evil-doer. You read de Prophets?’ - -‘I read dem some time.’ - -‘You read de Prophet Jeremiah, what him say? Hear de tex’. I read him -to you. “Deliber up deir children to de famine, an’ pour out deir blood -by de sword.” Dat de Lard’s word for all de Dupuys; an’ when de missy -come from England, de word ob de prophecy comin’ true.’ - -The girl shuddered, and opened wide her big eyes with their great ring -of white setting. ‘How you know it de Dupuys?’ she asked, hesitating. -‘How you know it dem de prophet ’ludin’ to?’ - -‘How I know, Rosina Fleming? How I know it? Because I can expound -an’ interpret de Scripture; for when de understandin’ ob de man is -enlightened, de mout’ speaketh forth wonderful tings. Listen here; I -tellin’ you de trut’. Before de missy lib a year in Trinidad, de Lard -will sweep away de whole house ob de Dupuys out ob de land for ebber -an’ ebber.’ - -‘But not de missy!’ Rosina cried eagerly. - -‘Ah, de missy! You tink when de black man rise like tiger in him wrath, -him spare de missy! No, me fren’. Him doan’t gwine to spare her. De -Dupuys is great people now; puffed up wid pride; look down on de black -man. But dem will drop dem bluster bime-by, as soon as deir pride is -taken out ob dem wid adversity.’ - -Rosina turned away with a look of terror. ‘You comin’ to -prayer-meetin’?’ she asked hastily. ‘De bredderin will all be waitin’.’ - -Delgado, recalled once more to his alternative character, pushed away -the strange volume through the door of his hut, took up his Bible -and hymn-book with the gravest solemnity, drew himself up to his -full height, and was soon walking along soberly by Rosina’s side, as -respectable and decorous a native Methodist class-leader as one could -wish to see in the whole green island of Trinidad. - -Those who judge superficially of men and minds, would say at once that -Delgado was a hypocrite. Those who know what religion really means -to inferior races—a strange but sincere jumble of phrases, emotions, -superstitions, and melodies, permeating and consecrating all their -acts and all their passions, however evil, violent, or licentious—will -recognise at once that in his own mind Louis Delgado was not conscious -to himself in the faintest degree of any hypocrisy, craft, or even -inconsistency. - -(_To be continued._) - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] Obeah, a form of African magic or witchcraft. - -[2] The word _Creole_ is much misunderstood by most English people. In -its universal West Indian sense it is applied to any person, white, -black, or mulatto, born in the West Indies, as opposed to outsiders, -European, American, or African. - - - - -SOME AMERICANISMS. - - -A very erroneous impression generally exists in this country as to the -manner in which the English language is spoken in the United States. -This has arisen in some degree from the circumstance that travellers -have dwelt upon and exaggerated such peculiarities of language as have -come under their observation in various parts of the Union; but also -in greater measure from the fact that in English novels and dramas in -which an American figures—no matter whether the character depicted -be represented as a man of good social position and, presumably, -fair education, or not—he is made to express himself in a dialect -happily combining the peculiarities of speech of every section of the -country from Maine to Texas. With the exception of the late Mr Anthony -Trollope’s _American Senator_, I cannot recall to mind a single work -of fiction in which this is not the case. Take, for instance, those -portions of _Martin Chuzzlewit_ the scenes of which are laid in the -United States; Richard Fairfield, in Bulwer’s _My Novel_; the Colonel -in Lever’s _One of Them_; Fullalove, in Charles Reade’s _Very Hard -Cash_; the younger Fenton in Yates’s _Black Sheep_; or the American -traveller in _Mugby Junction_—in each and every instance the result is -to convey a most erroneous idea as to the manner in which our common -tongue is ordinarily spoken in the United States. - -It is the same on the stage. The dialect in which Americans are usually -made to express themselves in English dramas is as incorrect and absurd -as was the language put into the mouths of their Irish characters by -the playwrights of the early part of the eighteenth century. - -As a matter of fact, the speech of educated Americans differs but -little from that of the same class in Great Britain; whilst, as regards -the great bulk of the people of the United States, there can be no -question but that they speak purer and more idiomatic English than -do the masses here. In every State of the Union the language of the -inhabitants can be understood without the slightest difficulty. This is -more than can be said of the dialects of the peasantry in various parts -of England, these being in many instances perfectly unintelligible to -a stranger. Again, the fluency of expression and command of language -possessed by Americans even in the humbler ranks of life forms a marked -contrast to the poverty of speech of the same class in this country, -where, as an eminent philologist has declared, a very considerable -proportion of the agricultural population habitually make use of a -vocabulary not exceeding three hundred words. - -But to return to the subject of this paper. Some words which have -become obsolete in this country, or now convey a totally different -meaning from that primarily attaching to them, are still current in -America in the sense in which they were originally employed. _Prink_, -to ornament or adorn, which is found in Spenser and other writers of -the Elizabethan age, is at the present day a common term in the Eastern -States. One Yankee girl will say to another, who has been some time -at her toilet, ‘Oh, you have been prinking;’ or, ‘What a long while it -has taken you to prink.’ In fact the verb is used in all its moods and -tenses. _Muss_, a confused encounter or scramble, is generally supposed -to be a purely American idiom. On the contrary, it is good Shakspearean -English. In _Antony and Cleopatra_, Antony says: - - ‘Of late when I cry’d ho! - Like boys unto a muss, kings would start forth.’ - -_Lamm_, to beat, to maltreat, is an American word of English parentage. -In a north-country ballad of the time of Edward VI., one line runs, -‘They lammed him and bammed him;’ and the word may also be found in -Marlowe. _Sick_ is an expression universally used in the United States -in the sense of indisposition. A man will say, ‘I am sick,’ never, ‘I -am ill.’ It scarcely need be said that the phrase was perfectly good -English two centuries and a half ago, the word ‘ill,’ with the meaning -now attaching to it, not once occurring in the translation of the Bible. - -_Bug_, again, employed in America as a generic term for every species -of insect, was used in England, formerly, in the same sense. ‘A bug -hath buzzed it in mine ears,’ says Bacon in one of his letters. At -the present day, the word has in England so limited an application, -that when an edition of the works of Edgar Allan Poe was published in -London, the editor altered the title of one story, _The Golden Bug_, to -_The Golden Beetle_, in order not to give offence to ‘ears polite.’ - -_Fearful_, which now signifies to inspire terror or awe, has still in -the United States the meaning it bore in Shakspeare’s time, when it was -invariably used in the sense of timid or afraid. In _Romeo and Juliet_, -when Romeo, after slaying Tybalt, is lying hidden in Friar Lawrence’s -cell, the Friar says: - - ‘Romeo, come forth, come forth, thou fearful man;’ - -and again, in _The Tempest_, in that scene in which Prospero threatens -Ferdinand, Miranda exclaims: - - ‘O dear father, - Make not too rash a trial of him, for - He’s gentle and not fearful.’ - -So obsolete, however, is now the word in the sense in which it is -employed by the poet, that in most editions of Shakspeare, a footnote -is appended to it, giving the definition as ‘timorous.’ In America, the -expression, ‘He is a fearful man,’ or, ‘She is a fearful woman,’ is -frequently applied to an individual of timid disposition, the meaning -intended to be conveyed being precisely the opposite to that which in -this country would attach to the phrase. - -Some common English words have in the United States completely lost -their original signification, wherefore, it would not be easy to say. -_Ugly_, for instance, means ill-natured; _smart_, clever; _clever_, of -an amiable disposition; and _lovely_—although this last locution is not -perhaps so common as the others—lovable. - -I was, when resident in New York, present during a conversation in -the course of which a rather curious equivoque occurred, owing to -the peculiar sense in which the words in question are used on the -other side of the Atlantic. On the occasion referred to, an American -lady and an Englishwoman—who had only been a short time in the United -States—were speaking of an old gentleman with whom they both were -acquainted. The former was warm in his praises. - -‘Mr R——,’ she declared, ‘is quite lovely.’ - -‘Why,’ was the surprised reply, ‘how can you think so? I consider him -decidedly ugly.’ - -‘Ugly!’ indignantly retorted the first speaker. ‘He is not at all ugly. -On the contrary, he is real clever.’ - -‘That Mr R—— is a man of talent, I admit,’ was the response; ‘but he is -certainly anything but good-looking.’ - -‘Well, I do not deny that he is homely, and I never said that he was -not,’ rejoined the other lady. - -‘But,’ exclaimed the puzzled Englishwoman, ‘you have just asserted that -he was not ugly.’ - -‘No more he is!’ was the quick retort. - -When the dialogue had reached this point, it being obvious not only -that the two ladies were at cross-purposes, but that they were, in -consequence, becoming a little heated, I deemed it advisable to -interpose, and explain how their mutual misapprehension had arisen. - -In connection with the phrase, ‘A man of talent,’ made use of by my -countrywoman in the course of the above conversation, I may observe -that ‘talent’ or ‘talented’ is an expression seldom heard from the lips -of a native of New England. Lord Macaulay asserts that these words owe -their origin to the ‘Parable of the Talents’ in the New Testament, and -on one occasion he challenged Lady Holland to cite a single instance of -their being employed by any English writer prior to the latter part of -the seventeenth century. To the circumstance, therefore, that at the -period when the Puritans left their native land to seek new homes in -the New World, the words in question had not been incorporated into the -language, may, I conceive, be attributed the fact that to this day they -seldom have a place in the vocabulary of the inhabitants of the Eastern -States. - -When a word is already in existence which is fully adequate to express -the idea it is employed to convey, it seems not a little curious that -the use of it should be superseded by another, not, indeed, coined -for the purpose, but by one divorced from its original meaning. Yet -this has been the case in various instances in the United States. -A place where goods are sold at retail is called a ‘store,’ not a -shop, the use of the latter word being exclusively confined to those -establishments in which some manufacturing or other mechanical industry -is carried on. When ‘corn’ is spoken of, maize or Indian corn is -always meant; all the other cereals being invariably designated by -their respective names, as wheat, oats, barley, &c. Railway in America -becomes ‘railroad;’ station, ‘depôt;’ line, ‘track;’ carriage, ‘car;’ -whilst for tram, the phrase employed is ‘horse-car.’ A timber building -is a ‘frame-building;’ a row of houses is a ‘block’ of houses. For -poorhouse or workhouse, the expression used is ‘almshouse.’ When the -idea intended to be conveyed is that which an Englishman attaches to -the latter phrase, the word ‘asylum’ or ‘home’ is used by an American. - -In fact, a list which should comprise all the words employed by our -transatlantic cousins in a different sense from ourselves would be -a tolerably long one. But the desultory examples I have given will -suffice to illustrate the fact—to which I have already adverted—that in -numerous instances, and without any apparent cause, many common English -words have acquired in the United States a totally different meaning -from that which they bear in this country. - - - - -A GOLDEN ARGOSY. - -_A NOVELETTE._ - - -CHAPTER IX. - -It was nearly ten o’clock on the following morning before Edgar reached -the _Bedford_, Covent Garden. He found the American in his private room -waiting his arrival, and clad in a loose dressing-gown, which made him -look extra tall and thin—a wonderful garment, embracing every known -hue and colour, and strongly resembling, save as to its garishness, a -Canadian wood in the fall. Mr Slimm laid aside a disreputable brier he -was smoking, as soon as he perceived his visitor. ‘Morning!’ he said -briskly. ‘Tolerably punctual. Hope you don’t object to the smell of -tobacco so early?’ - -‘I don’t know,’ Edgar replied, throwing himself down in a chair. ‘Like -most well-regulated Britons, I cannot say I am partial to the smell of -tobacco before breakfast.’ - -‘Do you know,’ Mr Slimm responded dryly, ‘I have seen the time when I -never smoked before breakfast. I don’t allude to any great outbreak of -virtue on my part; but the fact is, when a man can’t get a breakfast, -he can’t be accused of smoking before it—no, sir.’ Having administered -this crushing piece of logic with characteristic force, Mr Slimm rang -the bell and proceeded to order ‘the fixings,’ which was his term for -the matutinal repast. - -‘You Britishers have got some sound notions on the subject of dinners -and promiscuous refreshment; but your imagination don’t soar to -breakfast. There’s nothing substantial about it,’ said Mr Slimm, -after finishing a pound or so of steak. ‘The Francatelli who rules -the kitchen here is fairly good; and I flatter myself if I stay here -much longer he will know what a breakfast is. I stayed for a week at -a little place off the Strand once; but I was almost starved. Ham and -eggs, chops and steaks, was the programme, with a sole, by way of a -treat, on Sundays.’ - -‘Very sad,’ replied Edgar, with considerable gravity. ‘You must have -suffered. You don’t seem, however, particularly short here.’ - -‘Well, no,’ Mr Slimm admitted, at the same time helping himself to -fish; ‘I can manage here.’ - -‘I hope last night’s little scrimmage has not injured your appetite -this morning?’ Edgar asked politely. - -‘Not much. Æneas Slimm generally can pick up his crumbs tolerably. This -little village is a fine place to sharpen the appetite.’ - -‘How long do you propose to stay here?’ - -‘I don’t know; it all depends. I am doing London, you see, and when I -do a place, I do it well. You’ve got some fine old landmarks here—very -fine,’ said Mr Slimm with proverbial American reverence for the -antique. ‘I guess we should be proud of the Tower over to New York—yes, -sir.’ - -‘I have never been over it,’ Edgar said carelessly. - -‘Do, tell. Man, I guess you’re funning. Seems to me kind o’ incredible -for an Englishman to live in London and not see the Tower.’ - -‘Really, Mr Slimm, I have never seen the Tower.’ - -‘Wall, if this don’t beat snakes! Never seen the Tower!’ exclaimed -the American, chipping his third egg. ‘Maybe you never heard of a -picturesque pile known to the inquiring stranger as the British -Museum?—Now, _have_ you ever heard of Westminster Abbey?’ - -‘Well,’ said Edgar laughingly, ‘I believe I have; but I must confess -that I have never been inside either of the places you mention.’ - -‘Wonderful! Mr Seaton, you’re born to make a name. The man who can pass -these places without emotion, ain’t no common shake. I guess you’re the -kind of matter they make genius out of.’ - -‘You seem to be astonished. Surely, in New York, you have buildings and -churches quite as fine as anything in London?’ - -‘You think so, do you? Wall, if it’s any consolation to you, keep -on thinking so; it won’t hurt any one.—Mr Seaton,’ continued Slimm, -lowering his voice reverently, ‘when I get pottering about down at -Westminster, and look at the Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, strike -me if I don’t wish I was a Britisher myself!’ - -‘That is high praise indeed; and I think it is due to your native -patriotism to say your approval does you credit. But candidly, it -always struck me that our Houses of Parliament are particularly -mean-looking for their position.’ - -‘Maybe, maybe,’ Mr Slimm replied meditatively; ‘but there’s something -about them that makes me feel chockful of poetry. When I wander into -the Abbey among these silent stones and listen to that grand organ, I -feel it does me good.’ - -‘You do not look like a man who took any particular delight in music.’ - -‘I don’t, and that’s a fact. I don’t know F sharp from a bull’s foot; -but I can feel it. When the artist presiding at the instrument pulls -out that wonderful stop like a human voice, I feel real mean, and -that’s a fact—yes, sir.’ - -‘It is wonderful what an effect music has on the human understanding,’ -Edgar replied. ‘“Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast.” My -wife always says’—— - -‘Your wife! I didn’t know you were married.’ - -‘Considering I never told you that interesting fact, I do not see -very well how you could know,’ Edgar replied with a smile; which was, -however, not so cordially received by Mr Slimm. - -‘Um,’ he said doubtfully.—‘Now, look here, my young friend; I’m a rough -chap, and I’ve just got to say my mind, if I die for it. Don’t you -think a young married man has no business in such a place as we met -last night?’ - -‘But, you see, I had business there,’ Edgar said, still smiling. ‘It -was stern business, and nothing else, which took me to that place.’ - -‘You’ve got the bulge of me, and that’s a fact.’ - -‘You mean, you don’t understand. Well, I am what is usually known—or -rather, in my case, unknown—as a literary man. I am working up a series -of articles on gambling-houses.’ - -‘Why don’t you get on a more respectable line?’ - -Edgar tapped his pocket and nodded significantly. - -‘Hard up,’ said Mr Slimm. ‘Case of needs must when what’s-his-name -drives. You don’t look as if you were dragged up to this sort of thing -neither?’ - -‘To be candid with you, I was not,’ Edgar replied, urged by some -strange impulse to confide in the American. ‘I am a university man -without money. My history is a common one. Educated at a public school, -and afterwards at Cambridge, I am expected to get a living in some -mysterious way. All my little money was spent upon my education, and -then I had to shift for myself. Much good my second-class honours have -done me.’ - -‘Then, to prove your wisdom, you got married?’ - -‘Of course. But now comes the most remarkable part of my story. My wife -was her uncle’s heiress—not that her money was any inducement to me—and -I was engaged to her with his approval. It was arranged I was to manage -his property, and we were to live with him. Then a relative of his—a -lady—came to stay, and everything went wrong from that time. Finally, -acting under the lady’s wonderful fascination, my wife’s uncle forbade -our marriage, and ordered her to marry a nephew of the lady’s. This, of -course, she refused to do, and was consequently disinherited.’ - -‘What sort of a seraph was the lady?’ asked Mr Slimm, with considerable -interest. - -‘Don’t mention her, pray. She had the evil-eye, if ever woman had.—But -to continue. After our wedding, we came to London, and at different -times tried to bring about a reconciliation; but to no effect. Then the -old gentleman died.’ - -‘A common story enough; but considerable rough on you and your wife,’ -said Mr Slimm. - -‘After that, a most remarkable occurrence happened. When the will was -proved, not a sixpence of the old gentleman’s money could be found—that -is, excepting the few hundreds in the local bank for household -expenses. It is four years ago now, and to this day not one farthing -has turned up.’ - -‘Penny plain, and twopence coloured,’ the American said sententiously—‘to -be continued in our next. There’s the making of a sound family romance -about this.—Anything more?’ - -‘A little. An old companion of my wife’s turned up the other day—or -I should say my wife found her accidentally in London. She was -standing in the rain on Waterloo Bridge, looking into the water.—You -comprehend, don’t you?’ - -‘“One more unfortunate, weary of breath,”’ quoted Mr Slimm with a -tender inflection which surprised Edgar. ‘Go on.’ - -‘It was a wonderful coincidence, if nothing more. It appeared that my -wife’s uncle on his dying bed gave her a paper for my wife; and he -charged her most solemnly to find her and deliver it, which has been -done.’ - -‘And it was some secret cipher, bet my boots.’ - -‘On the contrary, it is only a letter—a valedictory letter, containing -no clue whatever.’ - -‘Stranger, you take this matter sort of calm,’ said Slimm solemnly. ‘I -should like to see that letter. Mark me; providence has a hand in this, -and I want you not to forget it. Such a meeting as that between your -wife and her old companion didn’t happen for nothing. Listen, and I’ll -tell you what once happened to me in Australia. I shall never forget -it. I’m a rich man now, for my wants; but I was poor then; in fact, it -was just at the time when fortune had turned. I had, at the time I am -speaking of, nearly a thousand ounces of dust buried in my tent. As -far as I could tell, not a soul in the camp knew what I had, as I had -kept it quiet. Well, one night, I started out to visit an old chum in -a neighbouring claim. It was nearly dark when I started, and I had no -companion but my dog. I had not gone very far when he began to act in -a ridiculous manner, barking and snapping at my horse’s heels, till I -thought he was stark mad. Then he turned towards home, stopping every -now and then to whine, and finally he struck off home in a bee-line. -I rode on, never thinking anything about it till suddenly my horse -stumbled and nearly threw me. He had never done such a thing before, -and I hadn’t got twenty yards before he did it again. Stranger! I -want you to believe I was scared, and I don’t scare easy either. Then -I thought of the tales I had read about dogs and their cunning, and, -urged by something I can’t understand, I turned back. You’d better -believe I’m glad I did. When I got back to my tent, I stole in quietly, -and there were three of the biggest scoundrels in the camp digging away -exactly over the gold. I didn’t give them much time for meditation, I -reckon. It was a tough fight; but I saved my gold. I got this valentine -to remember it by; darn their ugly pictures;’ and Mr Slimm bared his -huge chest, and displayed a livid gash seamed and lined thereon. - -‘And the robbers—what became of them?’ - -‘Suffocation,’ Slimm replied laconically. ‘The quality of mercy is -strained pretty considerable in a mining camp.’ - -‘And the dog?’ - -‘Dead!—killed by these scoundrels. I ain’t powerful in the water-cart -line; but I don’t mind saying I snivelled then. I can’t think of that -faithful insect without a kind of lumpiness in my throat—And now, my -friend, don’t you tell me there’s no such thing as fate. You mind if -your affair don’t turn out trumps yet.’ - -‘I don’t think so,’ Edgar replied dubiously. ‘It is all forgotten now, -though it was a nine days’ wonder in Somersetshire at the time.’ - -‘Somersetshire? Now, that’s strange. I’m going to Somersetshire in a -few days to see a man I haven’t set eyes on for years. He is a very -different man from me—a quiet, scholarly gentleman, a little older -than myself. He is a bookish sort of man; and I met him in the mines. -We kind of froze to each other; and when we parted, it was understood -that whenever I came to England, I was to go and see him. What part of -Somersetshire do you hail from?’ - -‘The name of my wife’s old home is Eastwood.’ - -‘Eastwood? Tell me quickly, is it possible that your wife’s uncle is Mr -Charles Morton?’ - -‘The same,’ Edgar gasped.—‘What do you know of him?’ - -‘What do I know of him? Why, he was the man I was going to visit; and -he’s dead, poor old fellow! You see, I always liked him, and once I -saved his life. It’s a curious thing, but when you do a man a favour, -or save his life, or any trifle of that kind, you always get to like -him some way. Poor old Morton! Well, if this don’t beat snakes! And -your wife is the little Nelly he was always raving about? Dear, dear!’ - -‘There must be something more than meets the eye here,’ Edgar said, -with a little quaver in his voice. ‘Taking all the circumstances into -consideration, it looks as if some inscrutable providence has a hand in -it.’ - -‘You bet. I’m not particularly learned, nor no scholar; but I do -remember some lines of your immortal poet which tells us “There’s a -divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will.” The more I -think of life, the more it puzzles me, and that’s a fact. To think of -you and I—two people in five millions—meeting by such chance! And to -think of your wife being the niece of my old friend!’ - -‘Did he speak much of her to you?’ Edgar asked. - -‘A few. “Speak” is no word for it: he raved about her. If ever a man -loved a girl, it was your uncle. You must not judge him harshly.’ - -‘I do not; I never did. That there has been collusion, or something -more, I have always been convinced. He was so fond of me till his -half-sister came; and as to Nelly, he worshipped her.’ - -‘He just did, I know. I should like to see that letter.’ - -‘So you shall; but really, I can see nothing in it.’ - -‘Try and describe it to me.’ - -‘That is soon done. It is a commonplace epistle, saying he wished to be -remembered as a friend, asking me to forgive him, and hinting that if -he had his life to live over again, how different things would be.’ - -‘That is only a blind, perhaps.—Describe the letter.’ - -‘It is written on part of a sheet of foolscap; and from the beginning -of the first line to the finish, the paper is covered with writing.’ - -‘No heading or superscription, no signature?’ queried Mr Slimm. - -‘No; it is not signed; but is precisely like a letter without heading -or signature trimmed close up to the writing with a pair of scissors.’ - -‘And is it folded, or are there any lines about it?’ - -‘It is folded like an ordinary note, and there are various horizontal -and perpendicular lines upon it. The lines are dotted. Can you make -anything of it?’ - -‘Yes,’ said the American quietly. ‘I can make fortune of it. Show me -that letter for five minutes, and I will show you something you would -give ten thousand pounds to see.’ - -And so, arranging for an early meeting, they parted for the day. - - * * * * * - -Next morning, Eleanor told her husband of a curious dream she had had -during the night. She thought she stood on a strange shore, with the -sea spread out before her to the utmost horizon. It was sunrise, and -coming towards her over the quiet waters, was a great ship—an ‘Argosy -with golden sails’—and somehow she thought it brought golden treasure -for her. Three times she dreamed the dream, and saw the stately ship. -She asked Edgar what he thought of it. He said that dreams went by -contraries. - -(_To be concluded next month._) - - - - -LEGAL ANECDOTES. - - -The writer remembers hearing of a gentleman who, not wishing to pay the -legal and recognised fee for a consultation with his lawyer, devised -an expedient whereby he expected to gain the information he required -without the usual cost. He accordingly invited the man ‘learned in the -law’ to dine at his house on a particular evening, as a friend and -an old acquaintance. The lawyer gladly accepted the invitation, and -attended at the house of his friend and client prompt to the minute. -The conversation for some time was very general and agreeable, and -by-and-by the shrewd client, by hinting and suggesting, at last drew -the lawyer out into a learned and explicit dissertation upon the -subject the host wished to be informed upon. The client was pleased, -satisfied, and smiling, chuckled in his sleeve, thinking how nicely he -had wormed out the advice desired and pumped his lawyer, free of cost! - -The feast over, the lawyer departed, equally pleased, and both being -satisfied, all went as merry as a marriage bell. But a few days -afterwards, the client received a letter from his lawyer informing -him that the charge for professional consultation and advice was -thirteen shillings and fourpence, and would he ‘kindly attend to the -payment of same at his earliest convenience, and oblige.’ The client -was wild—caught in his own trap. But being determined to outwit the -lawyer and gain his own ends, he forwarded to the latter a bill for -‘dinner, wines, and accessories supplied’ on the 16th inst., amounting -to thirteen shillings and fourpence, saying that if he would settle the -inclosed bill, he should only be too pleased and happy to settle the -lawyer’s little bill. The lawyer retorted by threatening to commence -an action against mine host for selling wines without a license, unless -his, the lawyer’s, bill was immediately paid. Do I need to say that the -lawyer was victorious? - -When I was a boy, I heard of a lawyer who was called up in the middle -of a cold winter’s night to draw out the will of an old farmer who -lived some three miles away, and who was dying. The messenger had -brought a cart to convey the lawyer to the farm; and the latter in -due time arrived at his destination. When he entered the house, he -was immediately ushered into the sickroom, and he then requested to -be supplied with pen, ink, and paper. There were none in the house! -The lawyer had not brought any himself, and what was he to do? Any -lead-pencil? he inquired. No; they had none. The farmer was sinking -fast, though quite conscious. At last, the legal gentleman saw chalked -up on the back of the bedroom door column upon column of figures in -chalk. These were milk ‘scores’ or ‘shots.’ He immediately asked for a -piece of chalk, and then, kneeling on the floor, he wrote out concisely -upon the smooth hearthstone the last will and testament of the dying -man! The farmer subsequently died. The hearthstone will was sent to -the principal registry in London with special affidavits, and was duly -proved, the will being deposited in the archives of the registry. I may -mention that the law does not state upon what substance or with what -instrument a will must be written. - -It is stated that a lawyer was some time ago cross-examining a witness -in a local court, when he asked: ‘Now, then, Patrick, listen to me. -Did the defendant in this case strike the plaintiff with malice?’—‘No, -sor, sure,’ replied Pat gravely; ‘he struck him wid the poker, bedad.’ -Again he inquired of the same witness: ‘Did the plaintiff stand on the -defensive during the affray?’—‘Divil a diffinsive, yer honour; he stood -on the table.’ - -A celebrity noted for being ‘a bit of a poet’ was brought up before -a bench of local magistrates for an assault, when the following -conversation took place: - -_Magistrate._ Is your name John Fray? - -_Prisoner._ It is, your honour; so the people say. - -_Mag._ Was it you who struck this man and caused the alarm? - -_Pris._ Sure it was, your honour; but I thought there was no harm. - -_Mag._ Now, stop that! Did you come here to make rhymes? - -_Pris._ No, your honour; but it will happen sometimes. - -The magistrate, laughing at the fellow’s ready wit, said: ‘Go away, you -rascal, get out of my sight!’ - -_Pris._ (_smiling_). Thank ye, your honour; an’ a very good-night. - -There was once a plain out-spoken judge, who, addressing the jury, -said: ‘Gentlemen of the jury, in this case the counsel on both sides -are unintelligible; the witnesses on both sides are incredible; and the -plaintiff and defendant are both such bad characters, that to me it is -indifferent which way you give your verdict.’ - -It was once reported to the notorious Judge Jeffries that the Prince of -Orange was on the point of entering into the country, and that he was -already preparing a manifesto as to his inducements and objects in so -doing. ‘Pray, my Lord Chief Justice,’ said a gentleman present, ‘what -do you think will be the heads of this manifesto?’—‘Mine will be one,’ -he grimly replied. - -An undoubted alibi was some time ago successfully proved in an American -court as follows: - -‘And you say that you are innocent of the charge of stealing this -rooster from Mr Jones?’ queried the judge. - -‘Yes, sir, I am innocent—as innocent as a child.’ - -‘You are confident you did _not_ steal the rooster from Mr Jones?’ - -‘Yes, sir; and I can prove it.’ - -‘How can you prove it?’ - -‘I can prove that I didn’t steal Mr Jones’ rooster, judge, because I -stole two hens from Mr Graston same night, and Jones lives five miles -from Graston’s.’ - -‘The proof is conclusive,’ said the judge; ‘discharge the prisoner.’ - -It is said that the other day a client received the following bill from -his lawyer: ‘Attending and asking you how you did, 6s. 8d. Attending -you on the pier, when you desired me to look through a piece of smoked -glass, 6s. 8d. Looking through the same, 6s. 8d. Rubbing my eye, -which watered, 13s. 4d. Attending at luncheon, when you praised the -sandwiches and asked me to partake thereof, 6s. 8d. Consulting and -asking my opinion thereon, when I said they were very good, 6s. 8d.’ -Most probably the client treated this as a joke; or perhaps it drove -him to extremities. - -‘Gentlemen of the jury,’ said a counsel in a suit about a herd of hogs, -‘there were just thirty-six hogs in that drove; please to remember that -fact—thirty-six hogs; just exactly three times as many as there are in -that jury box, gentlemen.’ We are informed that that counsel did not -win his case. The jury were not so pig-headed. - -Judge Kent, the well-known jurist, presided in a case in which a man -was indicted for burglary, and the evidence at the trial showed that -the burglary consisted in cutting a hole through a tent in which -several persons were sleeping, and then projecting his head and arm -through the hole and abstracting various articles of value. It was -claimed by his counsel that inasmuch as he never entered into the tent -with his whole body, he had not committed the offence charged, and -must therefore be set at liberty. In reply to this plea, the judge -told the jury that if they were not satisfied that the whole man was -involved in the crime, they might bring in a verdict of guilty against -so much of him as was involved. The jury, after a brief consultation, -found the right arm, the right shoulder, and the head of the prisoner -guilty of the offence of burglary. The judge accordingly sentenced the -right arm, the right shoulder, and the head to imprisonment with hard -labour in the State prison for two years, remarking, that as to the -rest of the man’s body, he might do with it what he pleased. - -Lord Justice-clerk Braxfield was a man of few words and of strong -business habits, and consequently when he courted his second wife, -he said to her: ‘Lizzie, I’m looking out for a wife, and I thought -you just the person to suit me. Let me have your answer on or off -to-morrow, and nae mair aboot it.’ The lady, next day, replied in -the affirmative. Shortly after the marriage, Lord Braxfield’s butler -came to him to give up his situation because he could not bear her -ladyship’s continual scolding. ‘Man,’ Braxfield exclaimed, ‘ye’ve -little to complain of; ye may be thankfu’ ye’re no’ married to her.’ - -During the time that Brougham was rising in his profession, he had a -friend, a brother-counsel, who had contracted the habit of commencing -the examination of a witness in these words: ‘Now, sir, I am about -to put a question to you, and I don’t care which way you answer it.’ -Brougham, with others, had begun to grow tired of this eternal formula, -and consequently one morning he met his brother-lawyer near the temple -and addressed him thus: ‘Now, Jones, I am about to put a question to -you, and I don’t care which way you answer it.—How do you do?’ - -The celebrated lawyer Butt was one night going home very late, when he -was accosted by a desperate-looking villain in one of the suburbs of -Dublin, and asked what he was going ‘to stand.’ ‘Well,’ replied Butt -meekly, ‘I’m very sorry that I can’t give you much, my friend, but what -I have we will share. Here,’ he continued, drawing a revolver from his -pocket, ‘is a weapon which has six chambers; I will give you three, -and’—— But the lawyer immediately found himself alone. - -‘Mr Robinson,’ said counsel, ‘you say you once officiated in a pulpit. -Do you mean that you preached?’—‘No, sir; I held the candle for the man -who did.’ ‘Ah, the court understood you differently; they supposed that -the discourse came from you.’—‘No, sir; I only throwed a light on it.’ - -‘Gentlemen of the jury,’ said an Irish barrister, ‘it will be for you -to say whether this defendant shall be allowed to come into court with -unblushing footsteps, with the cloak of hypocrisy in his mouth, and -draw three bullocks out of my client’s pocket with impunity.’ - -We have heard of several cases of female ingenuity in aiding the -escape of prisoners. Here is one. The criminals were handcuffed, and -with their escort were awaiting the train which would convey them -to the county jail. Suddenly a woman rushed through the crowd of -spectators, and with a shower of tears, cried out: ‘Kiss me; good-bye, -Ned.’ The escort good-naturedly allowed the process of osculation -to be performed, and the sheriff smiled feelingly. The woman passed -a key from her own to the prisoner’s mouth, with which he undid the -‘bracelets,’ and escaped whilst the train was in motion. - -There is a girl who seems to have peculiar notions of breach of promise -cases, for she threatens to sue her own father for breach of promise! -She explains that the old gentleman first gave his consent to her -marriage with her lover, and then withdrew it, and that in consequence -her beau got tired of waiting, and has gone off with another girl. - -‘Prisoner at the bar,’ said the judge to a man on his trial for murder, -‘is there anything you wish to say before sentence is passed upon -you?’—‘Judge,’ replied the prisoner, ‘there has been altogether too -much said already. I knew all along somebody would get hurt, if these -people didn’t keep their mouths shut. It might as well be me, perhaps, -as anybody else. Drive on, judge, and give me as little sentiment as -you can get along on. I can stand hanging, but I hate gush.’ - - - - -THE MONTH: - -SCIENCE AND ARTS. - - -The annexation of Upper Burmah to the British Empire represents the -most important addition to our possessions which has been made for -very many years. Lying between India and China, the two most populous -countries in the world, Burmah is favourably situated as a highway, -along which a vast trade can be conducted. As to the country itself, it -presents many valuable features. It has a plentiful rainfall, a healthy -climate, and a luxuriant vegetation. The principal crops are rice, -oil-seed, cotton, and tobacco. Sixty-one varieties of rice are known -to cultivators, and half of these are of the hard kind familiar to us. -The remainder have a soft glutinous grain, which is preferred by the -natives of Burmah. The revenue and population of the country have both -increased enormously during the past ten years. - -In Mr Hallett’s interesting paper addressed to the members of the -Scottish Geographical Society, entitled ‘A Survey for Railway -Connections between India, Siam, and China,’ he showed that there is -now no political hindrance to prevent our driving the locomotive up to -the gates of China and opening up a vast trade with that prosperous -empire. Mr Hallett has personally explored and surveyed Burmah, Siam, -and the Shan States, and he points out how a railway can be made to -join the Brahmapootra valley with the valley of the Irrawadi, and that -such a railway could join the line which already finds a terminus at -the seaport of Rangoon. This short line of railway, only one hundred -and sixty-two miles in length, pays a good dividend, although it finds -a formidable rival in the admirable flotilla of steamers which ply on -the Irrawadi River hard by. - -At a recent meeting of the Russian Geographical Society, M. Grjimaïlo -gave an interesting description of the Pamir region, which we may -remind our readers is a high tableland of Asia on the western limit -of Little Tibet. His tour through this little-known region covered -a period of eighteen months, during which time he was able to make -extensive observations of its flora and fauna, as well as of the -condition of its inhabitants. During the long winter, the people have -to seek the shelter of their tents, and seem in the spring to wake up -from a kind of lethargy with the joy and light-heartedness of children. -The women do most of the work, which is of a pastoral kind. The country -is intersected with enormous glaciers, and is situated at such a great -elevation that the natives call it by a name which signifies ‘Roof of -the World.’ - -The Cleopatra’s Needle which adorns Central Park, New York, has -suffered much from transatlantic cold, and a mass of scales and chips -has been removed from it by atmospheric influences, as thoroughly as -if a number of masons had been set to work to achieve the same result. -This gradual disintegration of the noble Egyptian obelisk has, however, -been stopped by coating the monument with paraffin, which coating has -given a slightly darker colour to the stone. Those who have charge -of public buildings in Britain which have been built of perishable -stone—and there are unfortunately many such—would do well to make a -note of this employment of paraffin as a successful preservative. - -A new artificial fireproof stone or plaster has recently been invented. -Its principal constituent is asbestine, a mineral which is plentiful -in certain localities in the State of New York, U.S.A. This asbestine, -which is a silicate of magnesium, is mixed with powdered flint and -caustic potash, and is then mingled with sufficient water-glass -(silicate of soda) to make it into an adhesive plaster. In this -condition it is prepared for transport, and is mixed with sand before -use. This plaster is not only fireproof, but it adheres with wonderful -tenacity to perfectly smooth surfaces. It does not, therefore, require -a roughened surface before attachment, such as a wall composed of -nailed laths, as is the usual case. A common mode of applying it is -to line a room with sheet-iron, protected from rust by a coating of -asphaltum, and to spread upon this metal basis a thickness of the new -plaster. Besides being unaffected by heat, it will not crack if water -is thrown upon it when in a heated state. - -Mr Hannay, of Glasgow, has invented a new form of lamp which will prove -very useful for various industrial purposes, where the more intense -rays of the electric arc are not readily available. The lamp consists -of a cylindrical vessel containing about thirty gallons of any heavy -hydrocarbon oil, such as creosote. At one side of this vessel is an -entry-pipe for air, which must be under pressure of about fifteen -pounds on the square inch. The air thus admitted forces the oil up a -vertical pipe which springs from the bottom of the vessel, and ends -in a burner which extends for some feet outside the oil receptacle. -Another pipe surrounds the oil-tube, and through this, part of the air -is carried, so that at the point where both tubes terminate, there -rushes forth a blast of mingled air and creosote in fine particles. -This is turned into a flame of great brightness when a match is applied -to it, a flame, too, which is unaffected by wind or rain. The quantity -of oil given above will supply a light for about twenty hours, which -will be effective at two hundred yards from the lamp. This contrivance -has already been used with success at the Forth Bridge works. It is now -being introduced for various purposes by Mr James Sinclair, 64 Queen -Victoria Street, London. - -A plan for rendering paper so tough that it can be used for various -purposes for which formerly it was considered there was ‘nothing like -leather,’ has recently been published. The process is of continental -origin. The paper pulp during manufacture is mixed with chloride of -zinc in solution, and the more concentrated this solution is, the -tougher is the finished paper. It is said that the new material has -been successfully used in boxmaking, combmaking, and has actually -taken the place of leather in bootmaking. This last application of -the material is perhaps not quite so much of a novelty as it seems to -be; for in the cheaper kinds of boots and shoes, the soles, instead -of being of solid leather, are often made of a compound of which -brown-paper pulp seems to be the chief constituent. The adulteration -is not apparent to the wearer until wet weather makes it very evident -indeed. - -In the building operations of man he uses hair to bind the particles of -lime together in forming a plaster wall. In the work of nature, much -the same end is achieved by binding loose particles of soil together -with the rootlets of various plants. The continually slipping particles -of a newly made embankment have to be rendered secure by this means; -but such grasses as have hitherto been used for the purpose need -several months for their development. M. Cambier, of the French railway -service, has recently pointed out that the double poppy is a valuable -plant for this purpose. Its germination is rapid, and in a week or two -its rootlets are sufficiently strong to give some support to the soil. -But at the end of three or four months, the roots attain a length of -twelve inches, and form a far stronger network to hold the soil in -place than any grass known. The plant is an annual, but it sows itself -after the first year. - -We are glad to notice that a ‘Plumage League’ is being established for -the purpose of discountenancing the inhuman fashion now in vogue of -introducing the dead bodies of birds as ornaments on ladies’ bonnets, -hats, and dresses. Lady Mount-Temple, in advocating the establishment -of this League, the members of which will bind themselves to discourage -in every way the use of plumage in dress, writes thus: ‘A milliner -told me she had put twelve birds on one (dress). Another told us of -a ball-dress covered with canaries.’ We should rejoice to see the -Princess of Wales or some other member of the Royal Family setting her -veto upon the cruel practice of adorning female dress with the bodies -of our feathered songsters. - -The Crematorium at Woking Cemetery has just been used for the third -time under the auspices of the Cremation Society. In France, the -Prefecture of the Seine is about to spend three thousand pounds -on the erection of a similar building in the well-known cemetery, -Père-la-Chaise. Sanitary reformers will rejoice that cremation is -making some progress in both countries, although that progress is slow. - -The fastest time ever made by a steam-vessel has recently been -made by the Falke torpedo boat, built by Messrs Yarrow for the -Austrian government. The mean speed of her six runs over the -measured mile—during which time she was fully fitted and in fighting -trim—reached the wonderful figure of 22.263 knots per hour. She then -ran, according to contract with the Austrian government, for an hour -at full speed, when she covered just twenty-two and a quarter miles. -It is said that the vessel answered her helm well throughout these -trials, and that there was very little vibration from the engines even -when going at the highest speed. Messrs Yarrow are building twenty-four -torpedo boats for the British government, besides several others for -foreign customers. - -Every poison is supposed to have its antidote, and the establishment of -the torpedo system has necessitated the introduction of an antidote in -the shape of torpedo catchers. The first vessel of this type which has -been constructed has lately been tried at Portsmouth with satisfactory -results, not only with regard to speed, but also with regard to -manœuvring power. The vessel was fitted with an inner and an outer -rudder on the system of Mr J. S. White, and known as the ‘turn-about’ -method. This vessel is built of thin steel; it possesses a conning -tower on deck, from which it is steered, and it is one hundred and -fifty feet in length. - -Some interesting gunnery experiments have just been concluded at -Portland Bill. Their object was to test the value of the Moncrieff or -‘disappearing’ principle of mounting guns for coast-defence, a system -which, like most others, has its detractors as well as its advocates. -At Portland, a dummy gun only was used, so that the ship firing upon -it from the sea had not the disadvantage of attacking a foe who could -hit back. The gun was placed in a pit, and was so arranged that it -remained hidden for two and a half minutes; then it appeared for half -a minute, delivered its imaginary fire—which was represented by a puff -of gunpowder to aid the foe in sighting it—and again disappeared. The -ship _Hercules_ failed to make any impression upon the gun at all, -although it was only made of wood and canvas. We may therefore conclude -that the Moncrieff or ‘disappearing’ system of mounting guns is the -most effectual which has ever been brought forward, and we may look for -its great extension in our coast-defences. - -Professor Germain Sée, of Paris, during a course of lectures on -dietetics, has recently pointed out the importance of water in -connection with food, that fluid being the only one which can dissolve -the salts taken with the food into the body, and eliminate them from -the system. He also remarked that it was quite impossible for man, -an omnivorous being, to exist entirely on vegetable foods. So-called -vegetarians are forced to make up for the want of solid meat by -consuming eggs, milk, and butter. A healthy man must for his food draw -upon the elements furnished by the three kingdoms of nature. - -A new kind of turning-lathe, which seems really to possess the merit -of novelty, is described by the _Scientific American_. It is intended -for turning such articles as balusters for staircases, when such -articles are required in quantities, and when they are wanted to be -square or octagonal, instead of round. The lathe consists of a kind of -skeleton cylinder, upon the surface of which the square rods which are -ultimately to form balusters are readily clamped by levers working at -each end. An ordinary T-rest supports the tool in cutting the required -ornamentation on the rods as the lathe revolves. When one side of the -rods has thus been treated, they are unclamped, turned over, and once -more fixed in place. In this way the four sides of the square rods are -operated upon one after the other. This lathe, which has been patented, -will finish with clean, sharp edges about fifty balusters or other -pieces of wood an hour. - -The _Lancet_ alludes to an alleged discovery which has been made in -Columbia, which, if it should be confirmed, will be a valuable aid in -surgery. It is reported that a certain shrub which is called ‘aliza’ -exudes a juice which has the property of stopping hemorrhage, so that -if a surgeon’s operating knife were only smeared with this juice, his -work could be done with little or no loss of blood. - -A meteorological station twenty thousand feet above the sea-level -is being established by the Mexican government among their highest -mountains. Those who remember the hardships which were encountered by -Mr Wragge in his constant visits to the instruments on Ben Nevis before -the observatory building was established there, will be prepared to -understand the difficulties of dealing with a station at so much higher -an altitude. For this reason, the instruments are being constructed to -work automatically, to be self-recording, and, as far as possible, to -require no attention for twelve months, if need be. - -The Chinese alphabet consists in its integrity of about forty -thousand pictorial symbols, and it is this alphabet which with some -modifications has been used from time immemorial by their clever and -more advanced neighbours in Japan. But the adoption of Western ways -which has since 1868 been so rapid among the Japanese, has made them -discontented with a system so elaborate and bewildering. They have -therefore formed a Society called the Roman Alphabet Association, -by which they seek to replace the cumbrous Chinese alphabet by the -twenty-two letters of the Roman alphabet which are found sufficient -to express all the sounds found in the Japanese language. The change -is a necessary one, and marks a new and important phase of Japanese -progress. It is somewhat akin to the movement which has for some time -been in progress in Germany, by which Roman characters are being -substituted for the old Gothic ones. - -At a late meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society, it was announced -that M. M. Henry had photographed part of the Milky-way. The exposure -required was an hour, but the star discs were perfectly round and -sharp. This wonderful result shows that the driving clock for keeping -the telescope in motion, so as to counteract the motion of the earth, -must have been of the most perfect kind. - -From Germany, we learn that in that country during the last ten years -the leather manufacture has shown a most extraordinary development. -Large factories have been established, which produce goods of the -highest quality, and compare favourably with those of foreign make. No -expenses have been spared to import the best machines; the sons of the -most prominent manufacturers are sent to America, England, and France, -to learn the manufacture of the leather trade in all its details. The -largest firms study principally the American methods of manufacturing, -and the consequence is that many German factories are managed after the -American system. German manufacturers are anxious to raise their goods -to the highest perfection, and look forward to the time when German -machine-made ladies’ boots will be found in the West End of London. - -We learn from a South African newspaper that Natal is at last going -to cultivate tea in earnest. The aroma of the samples produced is -described as excellent; it has a taste by no means unpleasant, which is -not characteristic of China teas, but it is one which would be readily -acquired and appreciated. It is anticipated that fifty thousand pounds -will be grown this season. - -A large German lithographic firm doing a considerable trade in England, -it is said has entirely left off printing from stone, and uses zinc -plates only. The saving is said to be very considerable, and may -partly explain how they are able to print more cheaply than our own -lithographers. A Chicago trade journal estimates that if a work is -to be printed in ten colours, requiring five double-sized stones of -twenty-eight by forty-two inches, the cost of each stone would be about -twelve pounds, while a first-class zinc plate costs eight shillings. - -Mr H. T. Crewe, 17 Sunning Hill Road, Lewisham, London, S.E., has -recently patented a system by which conservatories, the various -structures of the horticulturist, and other buildings, can be fitted -with glass roofs and walls without the use of putty. The system is an -extremely simple one. Panes of glass are laid upon parallel rafters or -beams. They are not placed flatly one beside the other, but the upper -panes are made to slightly overlap the lower panes. They are fixed -together by means of little metal clips, which receive screws, that -afterwards pass through holes in the panes and into the rafters or -beams. Among the advantages claimed for the new system of glazing are, -that it causes the roof to remain perfectly rain-proof, and that the -greatest facility and despatch are attained in detaching and replacing -panes. Condensation is carried away from the inside of the glass by the -grooves which are cut in the rafters or beams. - - - - -OCCASIONAL NOTES. - - -SAFETY IN RAILWAY TRAVELLING. - -Mr Edward Harford, general secretary to the Amalgamated Society of -Railway Servants, replying to a request forwarded by peers, members of -the House of Commons, and others for information as to the causes of -railway accidents, and the means which, in the opinion of the Society, -ought to be adopted for the safety of the general public and of railway -servants, has issued a list of twenty-three proposals which set forth -the necessary requirements. The principal are the following: - -‘All railways ought to be worked on the absolute block-system, strictly -carried out, so that no two trains shall ever be in one section at the -same time. - -The blocks and interlocking systems should be electrically combined and -controlled, so that the safety of a block-section shall be under the -control of two signalmen. - -Junction block-working should be adopted at all junctions, so that no -two trains which can foul each other at the points and crossings shall -ever be allowed to approach a junction at one and the same time. All -sidings and goods-lines should be provided with properly interlocked -safety-points. - -One code of block-system regulations and one pattern of signals should -be adopted throughout the kingdom. A red light should be the only -danger-signal. The practice of using purple or other lights is highly -dangerous. - -Facing-points ought to be avoided as far as possible. All -facing-points, and points leading to main-lines, ought to be provided -with a locking-bar and bolts, and properly interlocked with the signals -and with the electric apparatus. - -All passenger-trains ought to be provided with an efficient automatic -continuous brake, having brake-blocks upon the wheels of the engine, -tender, and every vehicle throughout the train, and fulfilling the -five conditions laid down by the Board of Trade, August 30, 1877, and -highly approved by the Society. To avoid the present dangerous practice -of brake-power being cut off and rendered useless by the introduction -of an unfitted vehicle, it ought to be the law that the Company should -not be allowed to send vehicles over the line of another Company unless -each vehicle is provided with the same form of continuous brake as that -used by such foreign Company. - -All goods-engines should be fitted with brakes upon their wheels, -and those required occasionally for passenger-traffic should have -continuous brakes. - -All passenger-trains should be fitted with efficient means of -communication with the driver and guards. Passengers should be able to -reach it without putting their hands outside the window. The present -cord-system is unreliable, and the plan of having no communication on -trains which stop every twenty miles is very risky to the public. - -All passenger-platforms should be raised to the standard height, and -all carriages fitted with a high continuous footboard, to prevent -persons falling between platforms and trains. - -The crank or driving-axles of locomotive engines should be taken out -after they have run a certain mileage. What the mileage limit should be -ought to be at once decided by the Companies and the Board of Trade. - -Overwork on railways is highly dangerous, and ought to be abolished.’ - - -HOW CHILDREN GROW. - -During the International Medical Conference held in Copenhagen in the -summer of 1884, a paper read by the Rev. Mailing Hansen, Principal -of the Danish Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, was listened to -with marked attention and interest. It gave the results of the daily -weighing and measurements of height which he had carried on for nearly -three years on the one hundred and thirty pupils—seventy-two boys and -fifty-eight girls—of the Institution, and demonstrated facts as to -the development of the human body during the period of childhood that -perfectly startled and astonished the assembled medical authorities, -opening an entirely new field for investigation and reflection. Since -then, Mr Hansen has continued his observations; and though he has yet a -tremendous amount of work before him, he believes himself able to state -now the outlines of the results he has obtained. - -The children are weighed four times daily in batches of twenty—in the -morning, before dinner, after dinner, and at bedtime, and each child is -measured once a day. The common impression is, no doubt, that increase -in bulk and height of the human body during the years of growth -progresses evenly all through the year. This is not so. Three distinct -periods are marked out, and within them some thirty lesser waverings -have been observed. As for bulk, the maximum period extends from August -until December; the period of equipoise lasts from December until about -the middle of April; and then follows the minimum period until August. -The lasting increase of bulk or weight is all accumulated during the -first stage; the period of equipoise adds to the body about a fourth of -that increase, but this gain is almost entirely spent or lost again in -the last period. - -The increase in height of the children shows the same division into -periods, only in a different order. The maximum period of growth in -height corresponds to the minimum period of increase in bulk, and _vice -versâ_. In September and October a child grows only a fifth of what it -did in June and July. In other words, during a part of the year—autumn -and beginning of winter—the child accumulates bulk, but the height is -stationary. In the early summer the bulk remains nearly unchanged, but -the vital force and the nourishment are expended to the benefit of -height. While the body works for bulk there is rest for the growth, -and when the period of growth comes, the working for bulk is suspended. -The human body has, consequently, the same distinctly marked periods of -development as plants. - - -A CHESS-CLOCK. - -An ingenious clock has recently been patented by Messrs Frisch and -Schierwater, 29 Church Street, Liverpool. It not only shows the -ordinary time, but registers on separate dials—marked respectively -‘black’ and ‘white’—the period occupied by the players in a game of -chess. It also indicates the number of moves in a game and whose turn -it is to play. Another feature is the index upon the dial. This can -be set for any time agreed upon—from one to fifteen minutes—during -which a move must be made. The expiration of that time is shown by -an indicator and by the ringing of a bell. By pressing a knob at the -top of the clock, it is possible to temporarily check the progress of -the mechanism. This would of course become necessary upon the players -requiring a rest, or upon any other interruption taking place. The -invention is, we believe, the first clock that has been constructed -with a view to recording the movements in chess-playing. It may of -course be utilised for other purposes. Being a travelling clock, it -may be employed for indicating the times of different countries. The -index and call-bell may be used, too, for public meetings, allowing -so much time for each speaker; for a telephone Company, regulating an -allowance of time; or for the testing of any machinery. The movement -can be fitted to any existing clock. As a result of practical trial, -the ‘Schierwater’s’ Patent Chess-Clock has been commended by many -well-known chess-players. - - -NOVEL PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPERIMENTS. - -The sinking of the caissons of the Forth Bridge has afforded -opportunity for testing whether it was possible to obtain photographs -below water in compressed air by the aid of electric light. To the -novel conditions under which these attempts—the first, we believe, in -this country—were made, their chief interest is due, rather than to any -particular success hitherto achieved. We have recently described the -method of founding by compressed air, and depicted the interior of a -caisson, so that our readers are conversant with the surroundings under -which the attempts were made. - -A trial was made on shore by electric light at night to determine the -length of exposure necessary for the plates; but subsequent experience -proved the data thus obtained to be of little value in the air-chamber. -Various trials were then made in the air-chamber with different classes -of plates and gradually increasing lighting-power; eventually, five -arc-lamps—each equivalent to twelve hundred candles—and plates of -exceptional rapidity, were employed; and these, with an exposure of two -minutes, gave the best results obtained. - -The roof and sides of the air-chamber were whitewashed, to render them -conspicuous and to diffuse the light. The formation of moisture on the -lens threatened at first to give trouble; but after a little time -the glass became warmed, and the difficulty ceased. The haze in the -air-chamber, which any sudden expansion of the air—such as that due to -its escape when the air-locks were opened—greatly intensified, proved -a formidable obstacle, and must always render the highest results -unattainable. The only course was to seize the most favourable moment -when the haze was at its minimum. White objects and light clothing gave -the best results; whilst the eyes of a group—presumably from their -glistening properties—are remarkable for definition and sharpness. - -So far as could be ascertained, no injury resulted to the dry plates -either from air-pressure or moisture. - - - - -AN OLD ‘CHUBB.’ - - - Last night I found an old forgotten key - Deep in an unused drawer; and quick tears fell - As in my hand I took it tenderly— - For ah! I knew the story it would tell - - Of a familiar door, a ‘vanished hand,’ - A cheery ‘click’ by eager children heard— - ‘Papa is home!’—Ah, little loyal band! - How oft your hearts grew sick with hope deferred - - In the time after! for ‘Papa’ went forth - And came not back. Then dawned some darksome days: - The cottage home was sold; and we came north - To a gray city street, to flowerless ways. - - On the bright steel, great spots of rust had grown— - ‘It would not turn so easily as then’ - (I thought), ‘and “Rosebank” is no more my own— - I have no claim to enter it again. - - ‘Maybe its door has now a different lock— - And oh, if even I could venture there, - What should I find? my misery to mock— - Ghosts of the dead—strangers’ careless stare.’ - - I took the key and laid it out of sight: - ‘Since thou canst no more ope the door for me - Of that dear home, thou needst not see the light, - For only doors of tears are oped by thee.’ - - KATE. - - * * * * * - -The Conductor of CHAMBERS’S JOURNAL begs to direct the attention of -CONTRIBUTORS to the following notice: - -_1st._ All communications should be addressed to the ‘Editor, 339 - High Street, Edinburgh.’ - -_2d._ For its return in case of ineligibility, postage-stamps - should accompany every manuscript. - -_3d._ To secure their safe return if ineligible, ALL MANUSCRIPTS, - whether accompanied by a letter of advice or otherwise, _should - have the writer’s Name and Address written upon them_ IN FULL. - -_4th._ Offerings of Verse should invariably be accompanied by a - stamped and directed envelope. - -_If the above rules are complied with, the Editor will do his best to -insure the safe return of ineligible papers._ - - * * * * * - -Printed and Published by W. & R. 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. 109, VOL. III, JANUARY 30, -1886 *** - -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. |