,,chambers' ,,edinburgh ,,journal       
,,conducted ,,by ,,william ,,and        
,,robert ,,chambers1 ,,editors ,,of     
',,chambers',s   ,,information ,,for    
,,the ,,people1' ',,chambers',s         
,,educational ,,course1' c4     ,,no4   
#dcb4 ,,new ,,series4   ,,saturday1     
,,april #aj1 #aheb4   ,,price #a-a_/b;d4
     ,,the ,,medi,,val ,,mania4         
,history is said to be a series of      
reactions4 ,society1 like a pendulum1   
first drives one way1 and then swings   
back in the opposite direction4 ,at     
present1 we may be said to be returning 
at full speed towards a taste for       
everything old1 neglected1 and for ages 
despised4 ,science and refinement have  
had their day1 and now rude nature and  
the elemental are to be in the          
ascendant4 ,in our boyhood1 we learned  
the ,roman alphabet2 but youngsters now 
had need to add a knowledge of          
black-letter1 which is rapidly getting  
back into fashion4 ,perfection is only  
to be found in the darkness and         

ignorance of the middle ages4  ,it is   
proper1 no doubt1 to get rid of what is 
tame and spiritless in art2 and it must 
be owned that nearly everything that was
 done in architecture and decoration    
during the ,georgian era was detestable4
 ,but it is one thing to reform1 and    
another to revolutionise4 ,let us by all
 means go to nature for instruction2 but
 nature under the exercise of cultivated
 feeling--selecting what tends to       
ennoble and refine1 not that which      
degrades and sends us back to forms and 
ideas totally out of place in the       
nineteenth century1 and which1 for that 
very reason1 can have nothing but a     
temporary reign1 to be followed in the  
succeeding age by a violent reaction4   
,on a former occasion1 we drew attention
 to this tendency towards medivalism as 
regards ornamental design1 and took the 
,great ,exhibition to witness the fact4 
,we have also pointed to that strange   
phenomenon1 the rise anew of monastic   
institutions among us1 long after their 

object is accomplished1 giving a        
spectre-like expression to an obsolete  
idea2 we have exposed1 likewise1 the    
inclination of the working-classes to   
trust to the protection1 and1 on every  
emergency1 claim as a matter of right   
the aid of the wealthy1 thus wilfully   
and deliberately returning to the       
condition of serfdom3 we have now to    
trace the medival mania in a department 
where1 notwithstanding all this ominous 
conjunction of symptoms1 its appearance 
is truly surprising--in the department  
of high art in painting4  ,our readers  
need not fear that we are about to      
inflict on them a scientific            
dissertation4 ,all we wish to do1 is to 
explain to them a word1 with the meaning
 of which many of them are very         
imperfectly acquainted1 and by the mere 
explanation1 to enable them to determine
 upon its claims to designate--not      
merely a school1 but the school of art1 
destined1 if founded in truth and       
nature1 to overturn every other4 ,this  

word--,pre-,raphaelitism--is taken from 
the name of one of the ,italian masters1
 and it is necessary1 in order to       
understand the question1 to ascertain   
what were the circumstances and the     
genius that have thus set him up as a   
landmark in the history of art4  ,after 
the fall of the ,western ,empire1 the   
fine arts were lost1 and their          
productions literally buried in the     
wreck4 ,the minds of the composite      
nations that arose in ,europe had no    
guide4 ,men were left to their own      
instincts1 only faintly aided by the    
ruins and traditions of degenerate      
,rome2 and each series of countries had 
its own style of art1 framed or adopted 
by the genius of the people4 ,during the
 middle ages1 the style most general in 
,northern ,europe was the ,gothic2 and  
by that term the whole system of art    
during the period is popularly known in 
,england4 ,the state of painting1 under 
the ,gothic rgime1 may be seen in the   
stained windows of the cathedrals2 in   

which strong outlines and bright colours
 are laid down without any reference to 
chiaro-scuro1 or the scientific         
arrangement of light and shadow4 ,this  
seems a natural stage in                
art-development1 and at the same moment 
it was seen in equal perfection in      
,china and ,europe4 ,in the former      
region1 the people are now beginning to 
advance a step beyond1 through their    
imitation of ,english pictures2         
although1 but a few years ago1 they     
burst into fits of laughter on seeing   
the shadow of the nose in a portrait4   
,in ,europe1 a gigantic and almost      
sudden stride was made1 towards the     
close of the fifteenth century1 under an
 influence from which the ,chinese were 
debarred1 and the nature of which we    
shall presently explain4  ,let us first1
 however1 just notice1 that the charms  
of gaudy inartistic colouring frequently
 exercise a powerful sway even over     
minds familiar with better things2      
although that sway is always indicative 

of the decay of intellectual or moral   
freshness4 ,thus1 it is remarked by an  
old ,greek author 7,dionysius of        
,halicarnassus71 that the perfection to 
which painting had been brought by      
,apelles1 had degenerated under         
,augustus2 the painters being so much   
fascinated by the new art of colouring1 
that they neglected design1 and         
preferred the brilliant or gaudy to the 
solid1 and counterfeit to natural       
beauty4 ,what this 'perfection' of      
,apelles was1 we cannot now tell2 but   
the probability is1 that it existed only
 in design1 and that the union of this  
with artistic colouring was reserved for
 the modern masters4  ,before these     
masters appeared1 and before the        
influence we are about to refer to was  
felt in ,europe1 some efforts were made 
by unassisted genius to rise beyond the 
conventionalities of the time2 in the   
latter half of the thirteenth century1  
,cimabue already surpassed his modern   
,greek preceptors2 and his disciple     

,giotto was considered so natural and   
original1 that his style could not be   
referred to any existing school1 but was
 called the maniera di ,giotto4         
',instead of the harsh outline1' says   
,vasari1 'circumscribing the whole      
figure1 the glaring eyes1 the pointed   
hands and feet1 and all the defects     
arising from a total want of shadow1 the
 figures of ,giotto exhibit a better    
attitude2 the heads have an air of life 
and freedom1 the drapery is more        
natural1 and there are even some        
attempts at fore-shortening the limbs4' 
,all this1 however1 although a decided  
improvement on medival art1 was rude and
 imperfect--it was only the first faint 
dawn of a better light4 ',as yet1' to   
use the words of ,roscoe1 'the          
characters rarely excelled the daily    
prototypes of common life2 and their    
forms1 although at times sufficiently   
accurate1 were often vulgar and         
heavy4444 ,to everything great and      
elevated1 the art was yet a stranger3   

even the celebrated picture of          
,pollajuolo exhibits only a group of    
half-naked and vulgar wretches1         
discharging their arrows at a miserable 
fellow-creature1 who1 by changing places
 with one of his murderers1 might with  
equal propriety become a murderer       
himself4'  ,but the time at length came 
when that stimulus was to be            
communicated to taste which sent a      
thrill throughout the general heart of  
,europe4 ,the pictures of the old       
,greeks were lost for ever1 dead and    
gone2 but their statues were only       
buried--buried alive--and now1 at the   
command of wealth and genius1 they were 
dug out of their tomb of ages1 and came 
forth1 unharmed1 in their enchanted life
 and immortal beauty4 ,yes1 unharmed2   
for in the head1 the torso1 the limb1   
the hand1 the finger1 the same principle
 of life existed as in the entire       
figure2 and1 owing to the sublime law of
 proportion1 which bound all together1  
the minutest fragment indicated a       

perfect whole4 ,the palace of ,lorenzo  
de ,medici was the assembling-place1 and
 the ideal beauty of the ,greeks found a
 new shrine in the groves of ,florence4 
,these became a true academia1 where    
genius studied and taught1 and where the
 presiding spirit of the place was      
,michael ,angelo ,buonarotti1,a the     
sculptor--painter--architect--poet1     
whose universal mind appeared to fit    
him1 not so much to shine in any one    
department--although shine he did in    
all--as to give an impetus to the whole 
,revival4 ,but ,michael ,angelo1 as a   
painter1 excelled chiefly in design2    
while one who was his contemporary1 and 
being a few years later in the field1   
has been supposed by some to be his     
imitator1 was the painter par excellence
 of the new era--the first great painter
 of the moderns4 ,this was ,,raphael4   
,he was the pupil of ,perugino2 and     
while such1 contented himself with      
imitating1 with the utmost fidelity1 the
 works of that artist2 till at length   

emancipating himself from tutelage1 he  
went for inspiration to the cartoons of 
,michael ,angelo1 to the sculptures of  
the ,medici gardens1 and to nature      
herself4 ,vasari makes ,michael ,angelo 
the magnus ,apollo of ,raphael2 but     
,quatremre de ,quincy assigns to the    
latter artist a holier worship4 ,in a   
letter from him1 which he quotes1       
respecting his famous picture of the    
,galatea1 ,raphael says1 that in order  
to paint a beautiful woman1 he must see 
many1 but that1 after all1 he must work 
upon a certain ideal image present in   
his mind4 ',we thus see1' says the      
,french critic1 'that he really sought  
after the beautiful which ,nature       
presents to art1 but which the          
imagination of the artist alone can     
seize1 and genius alone realise4'       
,raphael was the first of the moderns to
 idealise beauty1 or1 in other words1 to
 represent nature in the form she is    
striving1 in her infinite progression1  
to attain1 but which as yet she only    

indicates here and there in those hints 
and parts that prophetic genius combines
 and moulds into a whole4 ,he softened  
the harsh outlines1 mellowed the glaring
 colours1 and harmonised the awkward    
proportions of medival art4 ,with him1 a
 new epoch commenced1 adorned by many   
illustrious names1 from ,julio ,romano1 
the poet of painters1 to ,titian1 who   
clipped his pencil in the rainbow4 ,the 
,lombard school of ,titian was the third
 of the three first great schools of the
 ,revival1 in which taste1 emancipated  
from the darkness of the middle ages1   
sought inspiration in nature and the    
,greek sculptures4 ,what would be       
thought if a school were to arise three 
hundred years later1 not merely         
discarding the experience and teachings 
of the great masters1 but claiming by   
its very name to return into the gulf   
from which these had been emancipated8  
,this school of decline has1 in fact1   
made its appearance among the other     
symptoms of the medival mania1 and we   

now gravely hang up in our exhibitions  
the productions of the                  
,pre-,raphaelites6 ,the name at first   
provoked so much ridicule in ,england1  
that their friends were at pains to     
inform the world1 that it was assumed   
merely for the purpose of intimating    
their entire separation from the schools
 of ,raphael and his successors1 and    
their exclusive devotion to nature4 ,the
 artists of ,germany1 however1 with whom
 the mania commenced1 were less         
scrupulous4#a ,they imitated1 purposely1
 the rudeness of the early painters1 and
 even favourably distinguished the      
juvenile works of ,raphael when he was  
as yet the mere copyist of ,perugino4   
,it is thus only the reformed schools   
the ,pre-,raphaelists avoid2 for ,mr    
,ruskin's notion1 that there were no    
schools at all before ,raphael1 is quite
 too wild for answer4#b ,the name1      
however1 is of little consequence4 ,the 
nature returned to is obviously1 to any 
one who has eyes in his head1 the nature

 of the middle ages2 and if our readers 
will look again at the quotations we    
have made above--which were not taken at
 random--they will find1 in the words of
 ,dionysius of ,halicarnassus1 ,vasari1 
and ,william ,roscoe1 a pretty accurate 
description of the genius and manner of 
the ,pre-,raphaelites4  ,nor could the  
fact be otherwise4 ,we have noticed the 
identity of taste between the ,chinese  
and the unawakened ,europeans1 as       
pointing to a natural stage in          
art-development2 and if we allot to the 
new school a position one degree higher 
than that of ,cimabue and ,giotto1 it is
 all that can be claimed by artists1 who
 have even attempted to dismiss from    
their minds a later and nobler          
experience4 ,their rule is--to have no  
rule2 to copy nature1 just as she       
happens to be before them2 to select    
nothing1 reject nothing1 subordinate    
nothing1 and thus to have no composition
 and no chiaro-scuro4 ,they recognise no
 inequality1 no relationship of objects3

 a pin in a lady's dress1 and the nose  
on the lady's face1 are treated with the
 same even-handed justice4 ,the harmony 
of colours is a mere dream3 let them    
only be as bright as a stained-glass    
window1 and all is well4  ,at this      
moment1 there are two specimens of      
,pre-,raphaelitism to be seen at the    
,exhibition of the ,scottish ,academy in
 ,edinburgh4 ,they are both             
distinguished1 like the philosopher in  
,andersen's ,drop of ,ditchwater1 by    
having no name2 but a quotation is      
appended to each of the numbers in the  
catalogue1 and is to be supposed to     
indicate1 the subject4 ,no4 #i1 in the  
,great ,room1 has this quatrain from    
,tennyson--      ',she only said3 ,my   
life is dreary--       ,he cometh not6  
she said2     ,she said3 ,i'm aweary1   
aweary--       ,i would that ,i were    
dead4'  ,in illustration of this        
awkwardly-constructed stanza1 a female1 
uncomely and ungraceful1 is represented 
as standing in the attitude of a yawn1  

not indicated by the gaping mouth1 but  
by the contorted person1 and arms       
twisted behind the back4 ,she is close  
to a stained-glass window1 whose gaudy  
colours are challenged by her own bright
 blue dress1 the object of the artist   
throughout appearing to be violent      
opposition1 not harmony4 ,the picture1  
with its violent dislocations1 both of  
bones and impressions1 conveys the idea 
of anything but repose1 although a mouse
 on the floor bids us notice1 that      
notwithstanding appearances1 the        
ungainly lady stretches herself in      
silence4 ,there cannot well be anything 
more inelegant and untrue than this     
piece2 yet there is clever painting here
 and there2 and some of the accessories1
 if taken without reference to the      
design1 in which they are blots1 are    
models of their kind4 ,the thought      
belongs to the middle ages2 the         
mechanical touch to the post-,raphaelite
 era4  ,the other picture1 ,no4 #ic1 in 
the same room1 is larger and more       

ambitious4 ,it represents a carpenter's 
workshop1 with a mechanic at each end of
 the long bench2 one of these1 a        
half-starved1 hideous wretch1 with      
hardly a trace of the human anatomy in  
his composition2 and the other1 a       
respectable and rather sagacious-looking
 person1 with immeasurable legs4 ,behind
 the bench is a frightful old woman1 of 
the lowest class2 and before it another1
 younger1 but repulsively ugly and      
vulgar1 examining1 in conjunction with  
the respectable workman--and with her   
brow knotted in an awful congeries of   
wrinkles up to her fiery hair--the hand 
of a little boy4 ,this little boy1      
though plebeian and red-haired1 is not  
unpleasing3 he has apparently cut his   
hand while playing with some of the     
edge-tools lying about the shop2 while  
his brother1 a better-figured as well as
 better-behaved boy1 with a hairy apron 
round him1 is making himself useful in  
carrying a basin of some dark-coloured  
stuff--probably carpenter's glue4 ,but  

let us see what the legend attached to  
the number says3 ',and one shall say    
unto him1 ,what are these wounds in     
thine hands8 ,then he shall answer1     
,those with which ,i was wounded in the 
house of my friends4'--,zechariah1 xiii4
 #f4 ,what does this mean8 ,it means1   
innocent reader1 that the piece we have 
described in its principal features is  
the ,holy ,family of the                
,pre-,raphaelites6 ,this is their mode  
of going to nature1 selecting nothing   
but the mean and repulsive1 and         
rejecting nothing but poetical and      
religious feeling and common decency4   
,but if the theory of the               
,pre-,raphaelites is just as regards    
painting1 it must be just as regards the
 other departments of taste4 ,suppose it
 applied to musical composition4 ,let us
 throw overboard everything that        
degrades music to a science1 and 'go to 
nature1' as ,mr ,ruskin counsels1       
'rejecting nothing1 selecting nothing1  
and scorning nothing4' ,what would be   

the result8 ,the result would be the    
torture of everybody in the country who 
had the misfortune to possess a         
cultivated ear4 ,and yet the music of   
that time would not be absolutely       
disagreeable in itself3 it would merely 
involve the deprivation of what had     
become a necessary to the taste2 for    
nature would still inspire simple       
sounds1 connected more or less with the 
feelings4 ,nature1 in fact1 proceeds in 
music upon laws that are merely         
elaborated and carried out by science2  
while in painting1 she offers an endless
 variety of objects and effects1 to be  
selected1 grouped1 and made into a      
picture by the artist4 ,we all feel this
 when gazing on natural scenery4 ,we are
 actuated by an unconscious eclecticism1
 and make the composition for ourselves4
 ,to some natural scenes1 no skill could
 impart interest of any kind2 others    
attain to a certain character of the    
picturesque2 while others1 again1       
combine in themselves all the elements  

of a good picture4 ,but even with these 
last1 mere imitation will not do4       
,nature1 as ,hazlitt observes1 'has a   
larger canvas than man'--a canvas       
immensely larger2 and the artist1 since 
he cannot copy1 must select4 ,the same  
reasoning applies to figure and         
group-painting1 and its accessories4    
,nature rarely forms a perfect group1   
because it is not her purpose to embody 
a single expression4 ,as for small      
accessorial objects1 such as a pin or a 
leaf1 being painted with the same care  
and accuracy as principal objects1 this 
is a defect in drawing1 that argues a   
singular want of reflection4 ,in nature1
 we see distinctly the figure and its   
more prominent parts1 but we see the    
minute accessorial parts so             
indistinctly1 that sometimes we can     
scarcely tell what they are4 ,the       
precise detailing of these objects1     
therefore1 may have the truth of fact1  
but it is destitute of the truth of     
nature4  ,what would be the effect of   

the new system1 if applied to romantic  
fiction8 ,but the question is           
unnecessary2 for the new system ignores 
romance1 which is the truth of nature   
not of fact4 ,a pre-,raphaelite story1  
taken from real life1 might be romantic 
in its incidents and striking in its    
catastrophe2 but it would want coherence
 in the design1 and therefore produce no
 sustained emotion2 and its characters  
being drawn1 without selection1 from    
vulgar prototypes1 would excite more    
disgust than interest4 ,the drama8--but 
there the new theory of art becomes too 
ridiculous3 a tragedy on such a plan    
would be received with alternate yawns  
of ennui and shouts of laughter4 ,all   
these are pertinent questions2 for fine 
art1 in literature1 music1 sculpture1   
painting1 architecture1 forms a         
homogeneous circle under one law of     
taste4  ,it may be supposed that we are 
ascribing too much importance to the    
department of the medival mania under   
examination2 but1 for our part1 we      

'scorn nothing' that presents a bar1    
however slight1 to the progress of      
civilisation and refinement4            
,pre-,raphaelitism is only one form of a
 degradation of taste which appears to  
keep pace with the utilities of the     
time1 and we shall never be slow in     
lending our aid to cleanse the temple of
 its desecrators4             ,l4,r4    
,,footnotes3  #a ,see the ,moyen ,age of
 ,du ,sommirard4  #b ,pre-,raphaelitism4
 ,by the author of ,modern ,painters4   
,a ,,legend ,,of ,,amen-,,corner4       
,about the time that every prince in    
,europe was sending a special embassy to
 ,london1 to congratulate ,james ,i4 on 
his book against witchcraft1 which none 
of them ever professed to have read1 a  
strange occurrence happened in an       
ancient house1 situated in the          
,amen-,corner of ,paternoster ,row4     
,like most of the houses of old ,london1
 its lower half was brick1 and its      
upper1 ,english oak4 ,it had been built 
in the time of the first ,tudor1 but1   

being still a substantial tenement1 was 
purchased some ten years before the     
period of this narrative1 by two        
brothers named ,christopher and ,hubert1
 who carried on their business there4   
,they were of ,english blood1 but had   
been born in ,germany1 their grandfather
 having fled thither in ,queen ,mary's  
day under strong suspicion of owning a  
,coverdale ,bible2 and in the good city 
of ,augsburg his son and grandsons had  
been brought up to his own craft1 then  
known as the singular art and mystery of
 printing4 ,a separate and a            
thinly-scattered guild was that of the  
printer in those days4 ,their craft had 
nothing in common with the world's older
 arts1 excepting those of the scribe and
 the scholar4 ,the entire book-trade1   
now divided into so many branches1 was  
in their hands--binder1 engraver1       
printer and publisher1 being generally  
the same person2 and this1 together with
 the laborious precision required in    
working the primitive press1 made them  

throughout ,christendom a sort of caste 
who acquired their trade by inheritance1
 and kept it as such4 ,two generations  
of their family had transmitted the     
types to ,christopher and ,hubert2 but  
not to them alone4 ,there had been an   
elder brother1 ,gottleib1 who printed   
with them at ,augsburg4 ,their mother   
had died early3 the plague summoned     
their father when they were little more 
than boys1 and the man grieved sore to  
leave his sons so young1 and an edition 
of the ,latin ,fathers1 which he had    
calculated on finishing in five years   
with great praise and profit1 just      
begun2 but ,gottleib promised him that  
he would finish the work in his name1   
and take care of his young brothers till
 they were old enough to be expert and  
prudent printers2 so the old man died in
 peace4  ,gottleib was the glory of his 
craft1 and the praise of all ,augsburg4 
,throughout ,germany there was not a    
more skilful printer1 nor in the city a 
more wise and virtuous youth4 ,old men  

asked his help in their difficulties1   
the young chose him as umpire in their  
disputes4 ,he was charitable to the     
poor1 a peacemaker among his neighbours1
 and a faithful and kindly guardian to  
his young brothers4 ,carefully he       
instructed them in all the mysteries of 
their art1 though it lengthened his own 
labour by many a toilsome hour4         
,patiently he bore with the waywardness 
and inexperience of their youth4 ,at    
hearth1 and board1 and labour1 ,gottleib
 was their blithe companion2 in hard    
work1 their help2 in times of trouble1  
their comforter2 and when disputes came 
between them1 he was the ready          
arbitrator1 on whose justice both could 
rely4 ,at the church1 they sat one on   
either side of him2 on festival and     
holiday1 they walked out with each an   
arm of ,gottleib1 and the burgomaster's 
son was not more confident in his       
father4 ,thus they lived and laboured   
cheerfully together1 in the old house   
their father left them1 for five years4 

,the complete edition of the ,latin     
,fathers went forward1 and the boys grew
 to man's estate1 till ,gottleib was no 
longer the tallest of the three4        
,neighbours remarked1 too1 that he      
looked no longer the strongest4 ,his    
once ruddy cheek at times grew pale and 
wan2 still1 there was no complaint of   
sickness in the house1 and the edition  
was completed4 ,all men praised1 and    
some printers envied the work1 though it
 was finished in the name of their dead 
father4  ,one evening1 ,gottleib        
rejoiced over it greatly1 saying his    
promise was fulfilled1 and ,christopher 
and ,hubert were now as good printers as
 himself3 he bade them a kindly and glad
 good-night1 and the young brothers     
talked long together1 for ,gottleib     
slept alone2 but in the morning he did  
not come as usual to call them1 and when
 they went to wake him1 their brother   
was kneeling at his bedside1 with his   
hands clasped as if in prayer--an       
earlier summons had reached him1 and the

 great soul was gone6  ,honour and      
profit followed the work they had       
printed with him4 ,their craft grew     
proud of them1 and friends began to say 
they might be burgomasters in time2 but 
the light of their days had gone down   
with ,gottleib4 ,the old house had grown
 so dreary without him1 that they could 
not live in it4 ,every street and corner
 of the city brought their loss to mind2
 and hearing that there was peace and   
room for printers in their father's     
country1 the young men sold their       
,german dwelling to a wealthy burgher1  
collected their money1 chattels1 and    
types1 and came with them to ,london4   
,paternoster ,row was even in those days
 the resort of traders in books2 and    
happening to see the antiquated house in
 ,amen-,corner1 the strangers thought it
 had a pleasant likeness to their old   
home2 so they purchased it at the       
expense of nearly all they possessed1   
except their printing-press1 with which 
they established themselves there1      

determined never to part1 but live      
together in the country of their        
fathers4  ,hard by there lived a widow  
of ,german parentage1 whose husband had 
been a printer2 but he and his seven    
children were all dead4 ,gunhilde1 for  
such was her name1 was old1 poor1 and   
lonely1 and she became their            
housekeeper4 ,years of resolute toil and
 prudent frugality passed over the      
brothers1 till they were no longer      
strangers in old ,london1 nor           
inconsiderable among the inhabitants of 
the ,row4 ,their press had done its part
 in the work of the times4 ,they had    
printed the ',book of ,sports' and the  
',westminster ,confession2' broadside   
ballads concerning ,robin ,hood and     
,maid ,marian2 and heavy folios on      
,free-will and ,predestination4         
,christopher and ,hubert had increased  
in substance also to a degree never     
dreamed of in their ,german home4 ,the  
dealers in books began to talk of them  
as somewhat notable men2 but cares and  

causes of division had come with        
property and importance4 ,in some       
respects1 the brothers were of the same 
temper3 both were earnest1 brave1 and   
high-spirited--strong to will1 and      
steady to work4 ,they had been faithful 
friends and loving brethren through many
 a change and trial2 but there was a    
grievous fault in both4 ,each was given 
to exact from the other's friendship1   
though in a different fashion2 for      
,christopher expected too much of inward
 affection1 and ,hubert had too much    
respect to outward observances4 ,alike1 
on the ground of resemblance and of     
difference1 sprang up the roots of      
bitterness which troubled their days4   
,at first1 their strangership1 their    
strivings to live and thrive in the     
,english land1 and1 above all1 the      
memory and loving counsels of their lost
 ,gottleib1 had bound them heart and    
hand together2 but as the years of      
manhood hardened heart and mind1 as     
increasing gains brought leisure and    

anxious looks on life1 differences of   
opinion1 of tastes1 and of inclinations1
 gradually crept in between them1 and   
their elder brother waned away from     
their remembrance1 far off among the    
scenes and familiars of youth4  ,time   
brought further occasion of discord3 the
 house of an ,english bookseller at the 
foot of the ,row had grown more         
attractive than his own to ,hubert1     
because of a certain ,mistress ,margaret
 who lived there with her father4 ,the  
bookseller was old1 narrow-minded1 and  
stiff for presbytery2 he approved of no 
people but ,englishmen1 and had a       
special prejudice against ,german       
,lutherans4 ,his daughter believed      
firmly in his wisdom1 and had been from 
infancy the old man's darling4 ,she was 
fair1 good1 and clever2 but the girl had
 a wayward pride1 and a wit that was too
 ready for her judgment4 ,nevertheless1 
,hubert had found favour in her eyes as 
well as in those of her father1 perhaps 
because he endeavoured earnestly to win 

it2 while ,christopher was composing    
tender verses1 addressed to a young and 
very pious ,catholic widow in the       
neighbourhood1 who held fast her then   
persecuted faith4  ,the bookseller      
hesitated on giving his daughter to a   
,lutheran1 and the widow remained       
undecided2 but under their influence1   
,christopher and ,hubert learned to     
contemn each other's choice1 and dispute
 over creeds which neither acknowledged4
 ,thus the controversies of the age1    
with all their bigotry and              
uncharitableness1 found entrance to     
their home4 ,christopher lost no        
opportunity of throwing scorn on the    
,puritans1 on account of the bookseller2
 and ,hubert never spared to testify    
against ,popish errors1 by way of       
reflection on the widow4 ,the loving    
brotherhood1 which had been to them a   
rampart against the world's sins and    
follies1 was broken down1 and all manner
 of petty jealousies1 vanities1 and     
mistakes1 flowed in to swell the flood  

of strife4 ,there had been fierce       
debates and bitter words between them1  
wrath that overcame the friendship of   
years1 hard misjudging of each other's  
motives1 and mighty magnifying of small 
offences4 ,one evening they sat in      
sullen pride and anger by the fire4 ,it 
was the same hearth at which for ten    
years they had met when the work of the 
day was done4 ,their early difficulties 
in the great1 strange city had been     
debated there4 ,the gains of their      
prosperous days had been reckoned1 their
 risks and speculations discussed1 but  
now their seats were pushed to the most 
distant corners1 and between them stood 
a table covered with papers and         
account-books2 for they had at last     
determined to divide their possessions  
to the uttermost farthing1 and part     
company for ever4 ,with merchant-like   
exactness1 every tittle was reckoned up 
and shared4 ,the old house was to be    
sold to a ,jew for a sum already agreed 
on1 and one item only remained which    

they could not divide1 an heirloom's    
value being fixed upon it4 ,that was the
 ,coverdale ,bible with which their     
grandfather had fled to ,germany4       
,neither would consent to take the book1
 or receive anything in its stead1 for a
 savage pride was in their hearts2 and  
there lay the large worn folio1 with its
 brazen clasps1 between them4 ,the day's
 work had been hard1 for though         
comparatively rich1 ,christopher and    
,hubert were laborious men from habit1  
and the elder at length leaned his head 
on the table to rest a moment1 and think
 what could be done4 ,hubert also leaned
 his brow on his hand1 and it might be  
the sight of that old volume1 in spite  
of themselves1 brought faraway memories 
crowding back on both4 ,they thought of 
the ,german city where they had been    
born2 of their long-dead father2 and1   
last of all1 of ,gottleib4 ,they knew   
the grass was long upon his ,german     
grave2 but suddenly1 as wild and vague  
regrets for all that had come and gone  

began to rise upon them1 the door of    
their room was opened1 and there entered
 a stranger of most noble presence and  
aspect1 who1 without a word1 drew back  
the table and seated himself between    
them4  ,the brothers were astonished2   
but when he said in their own ,german   
tongue3 ',friends1 why do you muse so   
silently8' his voice sounded in their   
ears like the church-bells of ,augsburg4
  ',we have cause for silence and       
musing1 friend1' said ,christopher4     
',and what is your business with us8'   
demanded the fiery ,hubert4  ',i have   
come1' said the stranger1 'to shew you a
 rare and curious sight which lies in   
your very neighbourhood1 though you     
never saw it1 not having yet reached the
 ground from which it is rightly seen4' 
',we have no time for sights at this    
late hour1' cried ,hubert4  ',our       
accounts and goods occupy us now1 but we
 will go to-morrow1' said ,christopher4 
',nay1 friends1' said the stranger1     
taking a hand of each1 'it were well    

that you should see it soon4 ,all who   
earnestly look upon that sight1 are     
somewhat instructed to their private    
benefit2 and it may be that you also    
will learn something touching the use of
 these1' he added1 pointing to the open 
account-books and the clasped ,bible4   
,christopher and ,hubert felt persuaded 
to accompany him3 he led them1 it seemed
 but a few steps from their own door1   
through a dark and narrow lane1 in which
 the busy men had never been2 but there 
streets and houses abruptly terminated1 
and they stood by the side of a broad   
and thronged highway4 ,a road like that 
the brothers had never seen in all their
 journeys4 ,it ran due east and west1   
from the rising to the setting sun2 but 
far to the eastward1 a mist1 like the   
smoke of congregated houses1 shut out   
the view2 and on the west1 a fog more   
dense than that of autumn or mid-winter 
closed the prospect4 ,the space between 
was thronged with travellers1 who       
emerged from the eastern mist1 and were 

manifestly going to the other4  ,a light
 shone on them1 but it was gray and     
uncertain1 like that of twilight4       
,sometimes the sun1 sometimes the stars 
shone through1 and strange clouds and   
meteors passed across the sky4  ',what  
way is this1' thought the brothers1     
'which lies so near our own dwelling1   
and yet has neither night nor day8' ,but
 as their eyes grew accustomed to the   
light1 they perceived that the          
travellers on that road were of all     
ages--man1 woman1 and child4 ,yet each  
journeyed in a track cut for himself in 
the soil1 from which it appeared none   
could stray4 ,some of these tracks were 
wide1 and others narrow2 some had       
numerous windings1 and some were but    
slightly curved2 many were rough and    
stony1 others of the bare earth1 with   
brambles growing thick at their edges2  
and some were half covered with grass   
and wild-flowers4 ,christopher and      
,hubert1 however1 observed that none of 
them were perfectly smooth or straight2 

that dust and rubbish were plentiful in 
them all2 and that every track on that  
highway crossed some other4 ,the        
travellers1 too1 differed wonderfully in
 their manner of journeying4 ,some moved
 like mourners at a funeral2 some like  
runners to a goal4 ,there were those who
 went steadily forward1 with the pace of
 soldiers on a march2 others1 who seemed
 in great fear1 looking perpetually     
behind or before them2 and very few who 
walked at their ease4  ,as the brothers 
marvelled at this diversity1 they       
discovered that there was none of all   
the travellers without a burden1 and in 
that matter there appeared no less      
variety4 ,bundles of every shape and    
size were on their shoulders3 some      
looked huge1 and were tied up in        
sackcloth2 others were covered with rich
 cloth1 and bound with silken cords4    
,some bore theirs concealed under long  
mantles2 but ,christopher thought it was
 mostly weights of iron or lead they    
carried4 ,further particulars astonished

 the brothers still more4 ,the greater  
part appeared to have a strange         
propensity for increasing the           
difficulties of their way1 by walking in
 whatever manner was least practicable4 
,many augmented the burdens1 under which
 they already staggered1 with dust and  
rubbish1 which they collected from all  
sides2 and far more were endeavouring to
 pile up the scattered stones and thorns
 on their equally burdened neighbours4  
,all this time1 the air was filled with 
a clamour of complaints1 generally      
referring to their tracks and burdens2  
and ,christopher and ,hubert remarked   
with amazement1 that it was by no means 
those who had the roughest track1 or the
 heaviest bale to carry1 that travelled 
most laboriously1 or seemed least       
content with the journey4  ,no          
traveller1 indeed1 appeared satisfied1  
and whenever their tracks crossed1 the  
unruly creatures were sure to jostle    
each other2 but let the accident happen 
as it would1 every man laid the blame   

loudly on his neighbour4 ,they had also 
innumerable disputes concerning the     
clouds and meteors of the sky2 regarding
 the dust under their feet2 and more    
especially touching some glimpses of an 
azure heaven1 which they caught at times
 through the western mist4 ,on that     
subject1 the fierceness of their debates
 was marvellous1 and the clamour        
occasionally became deafening2 but the  
brothers observed that the noisiest     
traveller generally came quietly out of 
the one mist1 and disappeared with as   
little tumult in the other4  ',what     
think ye of these people8' said the     
stranger1 when ,christopher and ,hubert 
had gazed and wondered long4  ',they are
 mad6' said ,christopher1 'to give and  
take such trouble for no end4'  ',what  
grievous disturbance they make about so 
short a journey6' cried ,hubert4 ',good 
stranger1 tell us of what ,bedlam are   
they8'  ',they belong to all the        
madhouses of the world1' said the       
stranger4  ',but why are they           

here8--where are they going8--and what  
lies beyond these mists8' cried the     
brothers in a breath4  ',dear brothers1 
who were so true and loving of old1'    
said the stranger1 'concerning this     
matter1 believe that you will learn     
hereafter2 for the present1 know that   
this which ye have seen is the great and
 busy road of life2 but strive to become
 more wise and prudent travellers1 and  
see that ye fall not out by the way4'   
,as he ceased1 a gleam of sunshine broke
 through the twilight1 and fell full    
upon him4 ,in its brightness1 the noble 
aspect did not alter1 but grew more     
familiar to their eyes2 and ,christopher
 and ,hubert knew at the same moment    
that he was none other than their       
brother ,gottleib4 ,both sprang to      
embrace him1 but the way1 the           
travellers1 and ,gottleib1 vanished from
 them4 ,they looked into each other's   
faces by the early sunlight which       
streamed through the closed shutters of 
their room1 and gleamed on the brazen   

clasps of the ,coverdale ,bible1 still  
lying between them on the table where   
they had fallen asleep4  ,such is the   
account of the affair given by          
themselves2 although more1 it is        
believed1 to suit the taste and belief  
of the time they lived in than their    
own4 ,the two brothers had passed many  
hours silent and in the dark2 and it is 
not unreasonable to suppose that the    
visionary world1 into which they had    
unconsciously slipped1 presented to both
 such phenomena--founded on the         
meditations and recollections in which  
both had been immersed--as were easily  
rendered in the exoteric types of       
romance4 ,the brothers talked long over 
the vision1 and could scarcely satisfy  
even themselves that it was indeed a    
dream2 but they agreed on its use of    
wisdom and warning1 and disputed no     
more4 ,the old house was not sold1 nor  
the types divided4 ,it is even affirmed 
that the bookseller's daughter and the  
,catholic widow lived there as right    

friendly sisters-in-law2 and after many 
a broadside and folio page1 the press   
they had worked for so many years at    
length struck off the tale we have just 
related--the ,german brothers supposing 
that some honest men in ,england might  
profit1 as they had done1 by a look upon
 ,life's ,highway4     ,,dust-,,showers 
,,and ,,red-,,rain4   ,recent scientific
 investigations in ,europe and ,america 
have thrown some interesting light on   
the nature of these very curious        
phenomena4 ,the results arrived at may  
be brought familiarly before our        
readers4  ,mr ,charles ,darwin1 in the  
narrative of his voyage in the ,beagle1 
states that while he was at ,st ,jago1  
one of the ,cape de ,verd islands1 in   
,january #ahcb3 ',the atmosphere was    
generally very hazy2 this appears       
chiefly due to an impalpable dust1 which
 is constantly falling1 even on vessels 
far out at sea4 ,the dust1' he goes on  
to say1 'is of a brown colour1 and under
 the blow-pipe1 easily fuses into a     

black enamel4 ,it is produced1 as ,i    
believe1 from the wear and tear of      
volcanic rocks1 and must come from the  
coast of ,africa4' ,the same opinion was
 held by scientific men generally1 as   
well of the dust met with in the ,north 
,atlantic1 as of that which sometimes   
falls on the islands and shores of the  
,mediterranean3 ,africa was supposed to 
be the original source of the air-borne 
particles4 ,some of the dust1 however1  
having been sent to ,ehrenberg of       
,berlin1 that celebrated savant1 after a
 microscopical examination1 laid an     
account of his inquiry before the       
,akademie der ,wissenschaften1 in ,may  
#ahdd1 in which he shewed that the dust1
 so far from being inorganic1 contained 
numerous specimens of a species of      
flint-shelled animalcules1 or infusoria1
 known as polygastrica1 and minute      
portions of terrestrial plants4 ,the    
investigation led him to certain        
conclusions3 '#a4 ,that meteoric        
dust-rain is of terrestrial origin4 #b4 

,that the same is not a rain of volcanic
 ashes4 #c4 ,that it is necessarily a   
dust carried up to a great height by a  
strong current of air or whirlwind from 
a dried-up swamp-region4 #d4 ,that the  
dust neither demonstrably nor           
necessarily comes from ,africa1         
notwithstanding that the wind may blow  
from thence as the nearest land when the
 dust falls1 because there are in it no 
forms whatsoever exclusively native to  
,africa4' ,these were remarkable facts1 
but warranted by the evidence3 one1 if  
not more1 of the animalcules was proved 
to be peculiar to ,america1 and that    
country was naturally inferred to be the
 quarter from which they had been       
derived4  ,the inquiry once begun was   
followed up2 other specimens of dust    
were submitted to the same critical     
test1 and found generally to contain a  
much greater number and variety of      
infusoria than the first--mostly        
fresh-water forms1 but with a few of    
marine origin2 whence the conclusion1   

that they had been brought from a       
coast-region2 and especially remarkable 
was the fact1 that among all the forms  
there was not one peculiar to the       
,african continent4 ,one example was    
known to belong to the ,isle of ,france1
 the others were chiefly ,south         
,american4 ,after an examination of six 
specimens1 obtained at different        
intervals1 ,ehrenberg discovered that   
they contained four organisms in common4
 ',i now consider myself1' he observes1 
'justified in the conclusion1 that all  
the ,atlantic dust may come only from   
one and the same source1 notwithstanding
 its extent and annual amount4 ,the     
constant yellow and reddish colour of   
the dust1 produced by ferruginous       
matter1 its falling with the trade-winds
 and not with the harmattan1 increase   
the interest of the phenomena4'  ,it had
 always been supposed1 that the dust    
which traversed the ,mediterranean was  
borne from the ,great ,sahara2 but in a 
quantity collected on board the ship    

,revenge1 at ,malta1 an infusoria       
peculiar to ,chili was met with1 which1 
with other characteristics1 proved the  
dust to be the same as that observed on 
the ,atlantic4 ,their colour1 too1 was  
identical2 while the ,sahara is a       
'dazzling white sand3' hence the dust   
brought across the ,mediterranean by the
 sirocco was not peculiar to ,africa4   
,the conclusion here arrived at was     
still further verified by another       
sirocco-storm in ,may #ahdf1 which      
extended to ,genoa1 and bore with it a  
dust that 'covered the roofs of the city
 in great abundance4' ,this1 as was     
clearly ascertained1 contained          
formations identical with those which   
had been collected off the ,cape de     
,verd2 and it was shewn that the        
dust-showers of the ,atlantic1 and those
 of ,malta and ,genoa1 were 'always of a
 yellow ochre-like colour--not gray1    
like those of the kamsin1 in ,north     
,africa4' ,the peculiar colour of the   
dust was found to be caused by          

iron-oxide2 and from one-sixth to       
one-third of the whole proved to consist
 'of determinable organic parts4' ,in   
the following year1 #ahdg1 ,ehrenberg   
had another opportunity of testing his  
conclusions1 in specimens of dust which 
had fallen in ,italy and ,sicily in     
#ahjb and #ahac2 the same result came   
out on examination2 'several species    
peculiar to ,south ,america1 and none   
peculiar to ,africa4'  ,thus1 omitting  
the two last-mentioned instances1 there 
had been five marked falls of dust      
between #ahcj and #ahdf2 how many others
 passed without notice1 it would now be 
impossible to ascertain4 ,the showers   
sometimes occur at a distance of #hjj   
miles from the coast of ,africa1 and    
this region lies between the parallels  
of #ag and #be degrees north latitude1  
and whence1 as we have seen1 they extend
 to the northern shores of the          
,mediterranean4 ,in the dust collected  
from these various falls1 there have    
been found altogether nineteen species  

of infusoria2 of which eight were       
polythalamia1 seven polygastrica1 and   
two phytolitharia1 these chiefly        
constituting the flint-earth portion of 
the dust4 ,the iron was composed of the 
gaillonilla1 and 'the carbonic chalk    
earth corresponded tolerably well to the
 smaller number of polythalamia4' ,the  
uniform character of the specimens      
obtained at intervals over so long a    
course of years is especially           
remarkable4  ,to turn1 now1 for a few   
moments to the second phenomenon        
indicated in our title4 ,in ,october    
#ahdf1 a fearful and furious hurricane  
visited ,lyon and the district between  
that city and ,grenoble1 during which   
occurred a fall of blood-rain4 ,a number
 of drops were caught and preserved1 and
 when the moisture had evaporated1 there
 was seen the same kind of dust--of     
yellowish-brown or red colour--as that  
which had fallen in a dry state on the  
occasions already referred to4 ,the     
strictest pains were taken to ascertain 

that it was not the common dust swept   
from roads during a gale of wind2 and   
when placed under the microscope1 it    
exhibited a greater proportion of       
fresh-water and marine formations than  
the former instances4 ,phytolitharia    
were numerous1 as also 'neatly-lobed    
vegetable scales2' which1 as ,ehrenberg 
observes1 is sufficient to disprove the 
assertion1 that the substance is formed 
in the atmosphere itself1 and is not of 
,european origin4 ,for the first time1 a
 living organism was met with--the      
',eunotia amphyoxis1 with its ovaries   
green1 and therefore capable of life4'  
,here was a solution of the mystery3 the
 dust1 mingling with the drops of water 
falling from the clouds1 produced the   
red rain4 ,its appearance is that of    
reddened water1 and it cannot be called 
blood-like without exaggeration4        
,again1 in ,march #ahdg1 a coloured snow
 fell in the ,tyrol1 presenting a most  
singular appearance1 and1 when dried1   
leaving behind a brick-coloured dust4   

,most of the organised forms therein    
contained were ,european and ,american1 
with a few ,african2 and again the      
microscope shewed it to be similar to   
the dust before examined1 leaving no    
room to suppose it of local origin4     
',the predominating forms1 numerically1 
of one kind of dust1 are also the       
predominating forms in all the rest1' as
 ,ehrenberg observes2 and says further3 
',impossible as it is to conceive of all
 the storms now compared from #ahcj to  
#ahdg1 as having a continuous genetic   
connection1 it is equally impossible    
also to imagine the masses of dust      
transported by them1 with such a degree 
of similarity1 not to have a genetic    
connection4444 ,the great geographic    
extent of the phenomenon of a reddish   
dust nearly filling the atmosphere1 and 
itself filled with organisms so similar1
 many of which are characteristic of    
,south ,america1 not only admits of1 but
 demands a more earnest attention to the
 probable cyclical relations in the     

upper and lower atmosphere1 whereby very
 great masses of fixed terrestrial      
matter1 earths and metals1 and          
especially flint-earths1 chalk1 iron1   
and coal1 apparently heterogeneous1 and 
yet related by certain peculiarities1   
are held swimming in the atmosphere1 now
 like clouds thinly spread by whirlwinds
 or electricity over a broad space1 and 
now condensed1 and1 like the dust of the
 fir-blossoms1 falling in showers in    
every direction4'  ,ehrenberg1 then1    
states his views as to the cause of the 
phenomenon4 ',although far from         
attaching undue weight to a hypothesis1 
,i cannot but consider it a matter of   
duty to seek for a connection in the    
facts1 and feel myself constrained--on  
account of the above-mentioned          
particulars1 and in so far as they      
justify a conclusion--to suppose an     
atmospheric current1 connecting ,america
 and ,africa with the region of the     
trade-winds1 and sometimes1 particularly
 about the #aeth and #afth of ,may1     

turning towards ,europe1 and bringing   
with it this very peculiar1 and         
apparently not ,african dust1 in        
countless measure4 ,if instead of       
attacking hypothesis by hypothesis1 we  
strive with united effort to multiply   
scientific observations1 we may then    
hope for a progressive explanation of   
these mysterious relations1 so          
especially worthy of study4'  ,some     
progress has already been made by a     
transatlantic investigator in the       
explanation so much desired by the      
distinguished naturalist4 ,lieutenant   
,maury1 of ,washington--an outline of   
whose views regarding the winds was     
given in ,no4 #dab of this              
,journal--finds in ,ehrenberg's         
researches a beautiful and interesting  
confirmation of his own theory2 namely1 
that the trade-winds of either          
hemisphere cross the belt of equatorial 
calms4 ,observations at the ,peak of    
,teneriffe have proved that1 while the  
trade-wind is sweeping along the surface

 of the ocean in one direction1 a       
current in the higher regions of the    
atmosphere is blowing in the reverse    
direction4 ,according to ,lieutenant    
,maury1 a perpetual upper current       
prevails from ,south ,america to ,north 
,africa1 the volume being equal to that 
which flows southward by the north-east 
trade-wind4 ,this wind1 it should be    
remembered1 does not touch the ,african 
continent1 but the limits of its        
northern border are variable2 whence the
 fact1 that the falls of dust vary      
between #ag and #be degrees of north    
latitude1 as before stated4 ,as the belt
 of calms shifts its position1 so will  
there be a variation in the locality of 
the descending atmospheric current4     
,the dust-showers take place most       
frequently in spring and autumn2 that   
is1 'after the equinoxes1 but at        
intervals varying from thirty to fifty  
days2' the cause being1 that the        
equatorial calms1 at the time of the    
vernal equinox1 extend to four degrees  

on either side the equator2 and as the  
rainy season then prevails between those
 limits1 no dust can consequently be    
taken up in those latitudes4 ,but the   
same period is the dry season in the    
valley of the lower ,orinoco1 and the   
surface of that extensive region is in a
 favourable condition to give off dust2 
and at the time of the autumnal equinox1
 another part of the great ,amazonian   
basin is parched with drought1 on which 
,lieutenant ,maury observes3 ',may not1 
therefore1 the whirlwinds which         
accompany the vernal equinox sweep over 
the lifeless plains of the lower        
,orinoco1 take up the rain-dust1 which  
descends in the northern hemisphere in  
,april and ,may--and may it not be the  
atmospherical disturbances which        
accompany the autumnal equinox1 that    
take up the microscopic organisms from  
the upper ,orinoco and the great        
,amazonian basin for the showers of     
,october8' ,humboldt gives a striking   
picture of the region in question1 and1 

if the phrase may be permitted1 of its  
dust-producing capabilities2 so that the
 origin of this light powder1 as regards
 one locality1 may be said to be placed 
beyond a doubt4  ,as yet1 the reason why
 the dust falls1 as it were1 concretely1
 and not generally diffused through the 
atmosphere1 is not known2 it is one of  
the obscure points waiting further      
investigation4 ,why it should travel so 
far to fall in a particular spot is1 in 
the present state of our knowledge1 not 
easy to explain4 ,the coarsest dust is  
generally the first to fall2 and it     
seems clear1 that the descent occurs    
when and where the conditions are       
favourable4 ,lieutenant ,maury          
considers1 'that certain electrical     
conditions are necessary to a shower of 
dust as well as to a thunder-storm2' and
 that1 in the periodical intervals1 we  
may get a clue to the rate of motion of 
the upper aerial currents1 which appear 
to be 'remarkable for their general     
regularity1 their general direction1 and

 sharpness of limits4'  ,it is scarcely 
possible not to feel that the           
investigations here briefly sketched1   
possess unusual interest4 ,as ,ehrenberg
 says1 the subject is one 'of vast1     
manifold1 and rapidly-increasing        
importance1 and is but the beginning of 
a future great department of knowledge4'
 ,now that it has been published in a   
connected form1 and the attention of    
scientific observers directed to it1 we 
may hope soon to hear of corroborative  
evidence from all parts of the world4   
,we may mention1 as bearing on the      
question1 that sand-showers are not     
unfrequent in ,china4 ,dr ,m',gowan of  
,ningpo1 in a communication to the      
,asiatic ,society of ,bengal1 states1   
that at the beginning of #ahea1 three   
showers occurred within five weeks2 the 
last1 which commenced on the #bfth      
,march1 and continued four days1 being  
the heaviest4 ,the wind during the time 
varied from north-east to north-west1   
the breeze interrupted by occasional    

calms4 ,no rain had fallen for six      
weeks2 and though1 as the doctor        
observes1 'neither cloud1 fog1 nor mist 
obscured the heavens1 yet the sun and   
moon were scarcely visible2 the orb of  
day appeared as if viewed through a     
smoked glass1 the whole sky presenting a
 uniform rusty hue4 ,at times1 this     
sameness was disturbed1 exhibiting      
between the spectator and the sun the   
appearance of a water-spout1 owing to   
the gyratory motions of the impalpable  
mineral4 ,the sand penetrated the most  
secluded apartments2 furniture wiped in 
the morning1 would be so covered with it
 in the afternoon1 that one could write 
on it legibly4 ,in the streets1 it was  
annoying--entering the eyes1 nostrils1  
and mouth1 and grating under the teeth4 
,my ophthalmic patients generally       
suffered a relapse1 and an unusual      
number of new cases soon after presented
 themselves4 ,were such heavy           
sand-storms of frequent occurrence1     
diseases of the visual organs would     

prevail to a destructive extent4'       
,these showers sometimes spread over    
several provinces at once1 and far out  
to sea4 ,the ,chinese call them         
yellow-sand4 ,their source is the great 
desert of ,gobi1 or ,sand-,ocean1 more  
than #bjjj miles long1 and from #cjj to 
#djj broad1 in the interior of ,asia4   
,dr ,m',gowan states1 that the fall     
amounted to ten grains per square foot1 
but without specifying whether this     
quantity includes the whole duration of 
the shower4 ,during calms1 it remains   
suspended4 ,the dust thus raised from   
the ,mongolian steppes gives the        
peculiar tinge to the ,yellow ,sea4     
,notwithstanding the annoyance of these 
dust-showers1 they have a valuable      
compensation4 ,the ,chinese1 whose      
closeness of observation in agricultural
 matters is well known1 assert that they
 are always followed by a fruitful      
season--not1 it is true1 as cause1 but  
as effect4 ,the explanation is1 that the
 soil of the provinces most subject to  

the visitation1 being of a compact      
character1 is loosened and lightened by 
the sand borne on the wind from the     
,tatarian plains1 and at the same time1 
the lighter fertilising matters carried 
away by the great rivers are replaced2  
and thus1 that which at first sight     
appears an unmitigated evil1 becomes the
 cause of good harvests1 for they       
invariably follow a fall of sand4       
,,the ,,city ,,inquest ,,for ,,the      
,,poor4   ,i keep a shop in the ,city1  
and open it every morning as ,bow       
,church bells are ringing out eight     
o'clock4 ,i pay a very heavy rent1 as   
well as ,queen's taxes and poor's-rates2
 and ,i could do neither1 to say nothing
 of maintaining my family1 if ,i did not
 mind my business1 and work hard4 ,but  
by the help of constant attention and   
industry1 ,i am happy to say1 ,i am able
 to make my shop keep me and my family  
too1 which it does comfortably1 and     
lifts me1 in some sort1 above the world1
 and enables me to bear the character1  

which ,i should always like to retain1  
of a respectable man4  ,we dwellers in  
,london ,city proper are supposed to    
entertain a very high regard for        
respectability1 and so we do2 and ,i am 
going now to detail the operations of   
what1 ,i suppose1 must be called an     
institution altogether peculiar to the  
,city1 of which the world out of the    
,city knows very little1 and which has  
been in being ,i don't know how many    
centuries--before there were any        
poor-laws1 or any 'good ,queen ,bess2'  
and which must have been a respectable  
affair--if ,i am any judge of what that 
means--from the very first1 whenever    
that was4 ,it is a good thing to relieve
 necessity in any shape1 and a better   
thing to help it to help itself2 but to 
dispense charity without doing a        
mischief in some way or other1 either by
 rewarding imposture1 encouraging       
idleness1 or repressing the springs of  
self-reliance or self-exertion1 is about
 the hardest business ,i have ever had  

to do with1 and ,i have had some knotty 
affairs to get through in my time4 ,now1
 the various wards of the ,city do every
 year1 ,i think1 manage this difficult  
matter very carefully and efficiently1  
though not without a good deal of       
trouble2 and as ,i think their mode of  
doing it sets a good example1 ,i have   
made up my mind to let the public know  
something about the ,inquest for the    
,poor1 which comes off in ,december     
every year4 ,i believe it will be a     
novelty to most people out of the ,city 
limits1 and to not a few within them as 
well4 ,what ,i know about it1 ,i have   
derived from experience3 that1 indeed1  
is all ,i have to relate2 and when ,i   
have told my tale1 the reader will be as
 wise as ,i am1 in this respect at      
least4  ,about the middle of last       
,december1 ,i received a citation to    
attend a wardmote1 to be held in the    
schoolroom of my parish4 ,i was in      
expectation of this summons1 as1 the    
parishioners being called upon in       

rotation1 ,i knew that my turn would    
come on upon this occasion4 ,the number 
of tradesmen1 who must be all of        
respectable character1 summoned to the  
first meeting1 is always greater than   
the number required to serve on the     
inquest1 because many find it very      
inconvenient1 and others find it        
impossible1 to give their services4     
,valid excuses are admitted in plea     
against the performance of the duty2 but
 a frivolous excuse is not allowed2 and 
a tradesman1 whose turn it is to serve1 
if he can prefer no good reason for not 
serving1 must serve or pay the fine4    
,six guineas is the heavy penalty       
inflicted upon a recusant who declines  
service altogether4 ,this preliminary   
meeting is called merely to insure a    
sufficient company to be in attendance  
in the vestry of ---- ,church1 at the   
general wardmote held on ,st ,thomas's  
,day4  ,after an early breakfast on the 
morning of the day above named1 ,i      
repaired to the vestry1 which was very  

fully attended1 and where1 in the course
 of the forenoon1 the common-councilmen 
for the ward were elected for the       
ensuing year1 and1 their election       
settled1 were all duly admonished       
respecting their duties by the chairman4
 ,then1 from the number of respectable  
tradesmen in attendance1 myself and     
eleven others were elected to prosecute 
the inquest for that year on behalf of  
the poor2 and we in our turn were       
admonished by the same authority1 that  
we were not to compass any treason1 nor 
to conspire against ,her ,majesty the   
,queen--than which1 ,i am very sure1    
nothing could have been further from our
 thoughts4 ,the inquest being thus      
incorporated1 we proceeded to elect a   
foreman and a treasurer1 and to decree  
fines for non-attendance4 ,the fines    
were appropriated to the payment of     
expenses1 no part of the money collected
 being available for any other purpose  
than that of charity4 ,the collection   
commenced by a contribution from each   

member of the inquest1 each giving      
liberally1 and setting a generous       
example4 ,all these necessary           
preliminaries being settled1 every man  
of us got into a handsome cloak1 trimmed
 with fur1 hired for the occasion1 at a 
cost of five shillings per head1 and1   
with the beadle of the ward blazing in  
scarlet and gold1 pacing majestically   
beneath a three-cornered hat1 and       
pushing a ponderous gold mace in        
advance1 we were marched off to         
,guildhall1 to pass muster before ,gog  
and ,magog1 and to be presented to his  
worship the lord mayor4 ,his lordship1  
who was surrounded by a staff of        
officials in gorgeous liveries1 was very
 glad to see us3 indeed he told us      
so--said that he was extremely gratified
 at receiving so highly respectable a   
company1 and expressed more than once   
his satisfaction at finding that we were
 so ready to act in the cause of charity
 as to sacrifice our valuable time1 and 
unite together for the succour of the   

distressed4 ,he addressed us1 in fact1  
for nearly a minute and a half2 after   
which1 as time was pressing1 and others 
were waiting to be presented1 we were   
signaled forward to a side-door1 and    
made a very sudden exit into the street1
 whence we marched back to the vestry to
 disrobe1 with the exception of some few
 of our number1 who knowing that the    
business of the charity was done for the
 day1 abandoned their cloaks to the care
 of the owner1 who contrives generally  
to be in attendance at this critical    
moment1 and proceeded to look after     
their own private affairs4 ,we all met1 
however1 in the evening1 and partook of 
a substantial dinner1 to which1         
according to a custom which has         
prevailed from time immemorial1 the     
church-wardens of the parish and the    
foreman and treasurer of the inquest of 
the preceding year were invited4 ,the   
dinner went off1 as a dinner should do1 
with perfect harmony and good-feeling2  
and some very excellent speeches were   

made on the subject of the inquest--its 
undeniable efficacy and utility1 and its
 great antiquity4 ,we broke up at a     
sober hour1 each member being charged to
 present himself at the vestry at nine  
in the morning on that day week1 under  
the penalty of half-a-guinea4  ,it would
 have suited my interests very well1    
when the day came round1 to have        
forfeited my half-guinea1 and have      
attended exclusively to my own business2
 but judging it more to my credit to go 
through with the work ,i had undertaken1
 ,i was at my post1 together with       
several of my colleagues1 before the    
hour had struck4 ,some of our members   
did not come at all the first day1 but  
sent their half-guineas2 others1 having 
to come in from the suburbs before      
omnibus-time1 arrived too late1 and were
 fined in smaller sums for the breach of
 punctuality4 ,our party being at length
 complete1 to the number of ten1 we     
indue our cloaks1 and1 pioneered by the 
ward-beadle with his ponderous mace1 we 

sally forth to feel the charitable pulse
 of several parishes4 ,ten good men and 
true1 swathed to the chin in voluminous 
folds of broad-cloth fringed with fur1  
and headed by the ample proportions of  
the mace-bearer in scarlet and cloth of 
gold2 our apparition1 and our mission   
too1 were plainly a mystery to the major
 part of the population1 who1 seeing us 
but once a year1 and then but           
momentarily1 as the procession emerges  
suddenly from one door to plunge into   
another1 do not very well know what to  
make of it4 ',is that there a buryin' or
 a marryin'8' ',what's that lot o'      
fellows after8' ',what's up now1        
,jem8'--such are a few of the inquiries 
which from time to time testified the   
astonishment of the uninitiated2 to all 
of which our imperturbable leader       
opposed a face as impenetrable as that  
of the sphinx of the desert4 ,we should 
have been sadly at a loss1 by the way1  
without him4 ,he knew every soul in the 
whole ward who would come down to the   

extent of a sixpence for the sake of the
 poor2 and he led his small phalanx     
boldly to the charge through all        
impediments4 ,under his guidance1 we did
 what certainly we should never have    
attempted without it4 ,we stormed the   
stout citadels of the merchants1 and    
carried their strongholds up as high as 
the third and fourth floors1 and        
captured many a poor man's dinner from  
the very jaws of the cash-box4 ,we dived
 into cellars1 and crouched and crept   
into subterranean dens4 ,we threaded    
muddy lanes1 and wandered among         
bewildering wharfs1 and mounted lofts   
and sheds1 and squeezed ourselves into  
all sorts of out-of-the-way slums4 ,we  
climbed ladders leading up into creaking
 timber galleries1 and got into regions 
of old planks and cobwebs1 dim with dust
 and odorous with ancient smells4 ,we   
assailed the scholar at his studies1 and
 the craftsman at his labour1 and from  
all and each we met with a courteous    
reception1 and gathered the sinews of   

benevolence4 ,the dispositions of men   
vary in few things more than in their   
several modes of conferring a favour4   
,some of our most liberal donors        
thoughtfully sent their bank-notes to   
the vestry1 to save us the trouble of   
waiting upon them2 others1 on the       
contrary1 levied the full value of their
 gifts1 by keeping us wearily waiting   
before we got them4 ,a barber1 whom we  
found at his block busily weaving a wig1
 and whose diminutive crib would not    
contain half our company1 apologised    
because it was not in his power to do   
much for us1 and then diffidently       
tendered a guinea4 ,a portly dealer in  
feminine luxuries talked largely of the 
claims of our indigent brethren1 and the
 sacred obligations of charity1 and     
wound up his sonorous homily with the   
climax of half-a-crown4 ,we found one   
burly gentleman1 buried up to the elbows
 in red-tape and legal documents1 who   
professed a perfect horror1 a rooted    
antipathy1 to the poor in every shape1  

and who had a decided conviction that   
poverty was a nuisance which ought to be
 put down4 ,when he had said all this1  
and a great deal more1 he very          
consistently lent a hand towards abating
 the nuisance1 by presenting us with a  
contribution of double his usual annual 
subscription4 ,when we had got out of   
earshot1 our experienced chaperon       
remarked to me3 ',when ,i hered him     
agoin' on so1 ,i knowed he was agoin' to
 come down 'ansome4 ,he's a wery nice   
genelman1 what enjoys a grumble1 and    
don't mind paying for it6'  ,our        
domiciliary visits occupied between     
three and four days1 and the rain fell  
in torrents during the whole time4 ,we  
were wet through in spite of the cloaks 
we wore1 but canvassed the whole        
district successfully notwithstanding1  
and probably collected every shilling   
that was to be got4 ,our guide had so   
often felt the pulse of the whole ward  
in this way1 that he never suffered us  
to waste our time or our demands upon   

those whom he knew to be impracticable2 
and thus we got through the business    
much more quickly1 as well as more      
prosperously1 than we could possibly    
have done had we been left to our own   
resources4 ,the result of our united    
labours was a purse of nearly ,l4#bjj2  
and now came the more pleasant part of  
our duty--the distribution of alms1 at a
 season when poverty is most severely   
felt1 to the most deserving of the most 
needy4  ,the distribution took place a  
few days after the collection was       
finished4 ,in the interim1 blank tickets
 had been distributed to such of the    
donors as chose to receive them1 upon   
which they inscribed the names of the   
poor persons whom they recommended for  
relief4 ,the vestry where we were       
elected was the scene of the            
distribution4 ,the body of the church   
was allotted for the accommodation of   
the poor ticket-holders1 who formed a   
numerous and very motley crowd1 and who 
were called in to receive their dole in 

rotation1 by the ward-beadle1 from a    
list which he had prepared4 ,i suspect1 
however1 that the system of rotation was
 not very rigidly observed1 inasmuch as 
half-a-dozen women1 with squalling      
children in their arms1 were among the  
very first who were called in and dealt 
with1 by which means something like     
peace and quietness were obtained while 
the claims of the crowd of the remaining
 applicants were severally considered4  
,what followed was a very different     
affair from that which transpires weekly
 at the parish pay-table4 ,i have been  
church-warden1 overseer1 and guardian of
 various parishes in my time1 and ,i    
have seen the poor in all conditions and
 under all circumstances1 and ,i thought
 ,i knew them well enough2 but ,i       
derived a new lesson now1 and learned   
that it is possible for humanity to     
undergo the direst misfortunes without  
losing heart and hope--to drain the cup 
of misery to the dregs without becoming 
utterly selfish--and to be long immersed

 in the lowest depths of necessity1 and 
yet be human still4 ,i shall describe   
one or two of these hapless claimants   
upon the benevolence of their wealthy   
fellow-citizens1 premising that a few of
 them only are the recipients of parish 
pay4 ,they see no disgrace1 perhaps1 in 
participating in a voluntary alms1      
because it is voluntary1 and1 as such1  
cannot be regarded as the peculiar      
property of that numerous class who     
assert and maintain a life-interest in  
compulsory funds legally levied for     
their support4  ,one of the first who   
seemed to attract general sympathy was  
an old1 old man1 trembling on the very  
verge of the grave1 who had outlived    
almost every faculty of mind and body4  
,he could walk only by instinct1        
advancing his foot mechanically1 to save
 himself from falling1 when he was      
pushed gently forwards4 ,when standing1 
he could not seat himself--and when     
sitting1 he could not get up without    
help4 ,in whatever posture he was       

placed1 there he remained4 ,altogether  
insensible to question and remark1 he   
looked wildly round upon us1 and smiled1
 and winked with both eyes4 ,these were 
his sole remaining capabilities--to     
wink1 and to look agreeable4 ,he had    
been recommended as an object worthy of 
charity by a liberal donor1 and he was  
brought in person to justify the        
recommendation4 ,he was clean1 and neat1
 and tidily dressed1 but evidently in a 
state of perfect unconsciousness of     
everything around him4 ,he had lived    
once1 but it was in times long past and 
gone3 you might guess him to be what age
 you chose1 but you could hardly think  
him older than he was2 time1 who had    
stolen his faculties1 had forgotten to  
wreck the casket that contained them3   
the spirit of life had left its         
tenement1 and by some strange mistake1  
the animated machine had gone on without
 it4 ,my neighbour1 the watchmaker1     
compared him to a clock with the        
striking-train run down1 and the works  

rusty beyond repair4 ,he could not thank
 us for the alms we gave him1 but he did
 all he could--he winked1 and smiled1   
and tried to make a bow1 but failed in  
the attempt1 and resigned himself       
cheerfully to the care of his friends1  
who carried him off4  ,another quiet    
applicant was a lady1 whose natural-born
 gentility poverty might obscure but    
could not conceal4 ,years of want and   
struggling deprivation had dimmed her   
charms2 but they had neither bowed nor  
bent her stately form1 nor quenched the 
inherent virtue of self-respect1 nor    
deprived her of the correct and         
appropriate diction1 and the winning and
 courteous expression which once graced 
a drawing-room4 ,she was introduced to  
us by the beadle as ,lady ,w----2 and   
although draped in very humble and      
well-worn apparel1 she looked what she  
was--a gentlewoman in every sense of the
 word2 though beyond an empty title1 she
 possessed hardly anything in the world4
 ,she answered our inquiries with a     

natural courtesy1 which at least some of
 us felt to be a condescension4         
',gentlemen1' she said1 'it is true1 as 
your attendant states1 that ,i am a     
lady4 ,in my youth1 ,i married a titled 
man4 ,i make no boast of that--it was1  
indeed1 my misfortune4 ,i was brought up
 and educated to occupy a station       
inferior to few3 ,i filled that station 
for many years2 it is not for me to say 
how appropriately2 and though calamity  
has overtaken me now1 and ,i have been  
familiar with necessity for so long a   
time1 yet ,i feel that ,i am a lady     
still4 ,i may be reproached with        
poverty1 and that ,i can bear2 but ,i   
trust ,i shall never be justly          
reproached with having fallen to the    
level of my circumstances4 ,i am        
grateful to you for the assistance you  
so kindly render me2 and ,i can express 
that sentiment1 and feel it deeply1 too1
 without humiliation1 because the aid   
you supply is as voluntary on your part 
as its acceptance is necessary on mine4'

 ,when our foreman had instinctively    
wrapped the donation awarded to her in a
 quarter sheet of letter-paper1 and     
presented her with it1 she bent with a  
dignified obeisance1 and silently       
withdrew4  ,a third applicant1 worthy of
 a passing notice1 was a lady of a very 
different stamp4 ,who or what she had   
been in former years1 ,i could not      
ascertain1 but she appeared before us in
 the character of a middle-aged         
mince-pie monomaniac1 and jam-tart      
amateur4 ,the poor harmless creature was
 clad in the veriest shreds of dusky    
feminine attire1 which barely shielded  
her limbs from the inclemency of the    
weather4 ,she had a notion that she1    
too1 was a lady1 and that1 being a lady1
 she was bound to live by the           
consumption of pastry1 and nothing else4
 ,we were admonished by our custodian   
that whatever amount we awarded her1    
whether it were much or little1 would be
 forthwith consigned to the             
confectioner1 in exchange for mince-pies

 and tarts of the very best quality2 and
 ,i regret to say1 that this            
announcement had the effect of reducing 
considerably the sum she derived from   
the charity of the ward1 and effectually
 preventing the consummation of any very
 formidable debauch with her favourite  
viands4 ,but the poor simpleton was as  
merry as she was innocent and harmless2 
and all unsuspicious of the latent      
grudge which had lessened her gratuity1 
tripped hastily off1 to enjoy at least  
one delicious repast4  ,after we had sat
 some hours1 a very distressing case was
 brought forward4 ,a poor woman1 the    
wife of a working-man1 and the mother of
 a young family1 had been deserted by   
her husband1 who had left her1 besides  
her own children1 the charge of his     
bedridden parents4 ,under this          
accumulation of burdens1 she had been   
heroically struggling for some months1  
in the vain attempt1 by her single      
energies1 to ward off the approach of   
want1 and to act at the same time the   

part of nurse to the old couple4 ,she   
had succeeded in a great measure1 and   
modestly sought but a little help to    
enable her to persevere in her arduous  
undertaking4  ,then came an old man1    
verging on fourscore1 the very beau     
ideal of the merchant's serving-man of  
the last century4 ,he had once been     
comparatively prosperous1 but1 judging  
from his cheerful face1 perhaps hardly  
ever happier than he was now4 ,for fifty
 years of his life1 he had been custos  
and confidential house keeper to a      
well-known firm1 which1 after four or   
five generations of unvarying           
prosperity1 had sunk in the panic of    
#ahdf into the gulf of bankruptcy4 ,in  
the general wreck that followed1 old    
,benjamin was forgotten1 or remembered  
only with a pang of unavailing regret4  
,he found a refuge1 however1 in some    
small garret1 where he contrives to     
preserve his cheerfulness and his       
pigtail1 the only outward and visible   
sign of his former respectability1 and  

where he acts as master of the          
ceremonies to a clique of ancient       
ladies1 his fellow-lodgers1 to whom he  
is at once the guardian and the beau of 
the fourth floor4 ,when he had received 
his own little modicum of benevolence1  
he pleaded hard for the immediate       
settlement of the claim of one of his   
fair coterie1 a widow of fourscore and  
five2 and finding that his request could
 not be complied with1 but that she must
 be left till her turn came1 he retired 
to a corner of the room1 and waited a   
full hour and more1 until her business  
was settled1 when he bowed              
ceremoniously1 till his pigtail pointed 
to the zenith1 and tendering his arm1   
escorted her home with all the vivacity 
and politeness of the days of hoops and 
high-heeled shoes4 ,i have scarcely yet 
found out the reason why it was that the
 spectacle of this happy1 kind old soul1
 made me feel a little1 only a little1  
ashamed of myself4  ,this cosy old      
couple had hardly tripped out of sight1 

when our prosy synod was honoured by the
 advent of a real and extraordinary     
phenomenon4 ,this was nothing less than 
a half-crazy poetess1 who prided herself
 on speaking in rhyme--and such rhyme1  
amusing from its very badness4 ,on she  
was going at a great rate1 when she was 
called to order in a manner which       
admitted of no demur4  ',mrs ,margaret  
,maggs6' roared the beadle2 and the     
tenth ,muse1 brought to a sudden        
stand-still1 ceased her oracular        
utterances1 and1 grasping her modicum of
 shining silver1 vanished from the      
presence4  ,the distribution lasted the 
whole of the day2 and it was a weary day
 for some of the poor applicants1 whose 
turn came last1 and who almost fainted  
for want of refreshment4 ,but all who   
deserved it1 went home effectually      
relieved and gladdened2 and many who did
 not1 got a lesson upon the occasion1   
and learned that ,charity is not always 
as blind as she is supposed to be4 ,the 
whole of the money collected is not     

distributed at once4 ,about a third part
 of the amount is reserved until the    
approach of the next ensuing winter1    
when a second distribution takes place1 
generally to the same applicants4  ,i   
have heard it insinuated before now1    
that ,city functionaries of all sorts   
are prone to take too good care of      
themselves1 whenever they meet to       
consider the wants of the poor4 ,i may  
perhaps be allowed to say1 that when we 
have a feast1 we pay for it2 and that   
not one farthing of any collection made 
in the ,city for the poor was ever1 to  
my knowledge1 appropriated to any other 
purpose4 ,as a respectable man1 ,i1 for 
one1 would never countenance any        
intromission of that kind4              
,,occasional ,,notes4   ,,london ,,cab  
,,reform4  ,if ,john ,bull were not1    
with all his grumbling1 one of the most 
patient animals in existence1 he could  
never have endured so long the cabs     
which he has to employ for the          
conveyance of his person through the    

streets of his metropolis4 ,they are    
very poorly furnished and nasty1 far    
below similar conveyances in any        
continental city with which we are      
acquainted4 ,greater fault still is to  
be found with the drivers1 a large      
proportion of whom are so prone to      
overreach1 that it is hardly possible to
 settle for their fares without a       
squabble4 ,our experience leads us to   
say1 that at an average a stranger pays 
#cj per cent4 above the proper sum1     
besides having his temper in almost     
every instance ruffled to some extent by
 the sense of having no adequate        
protection from the rudeness of this    
class of men4 ,for a lady1 there seems  
to be no chance of escape but by the    
alternative of some enormous overcharge4
 ,altogether1 this department of public 
economy in ,london is in a most         
unsatisfactory state4 ,most people avoid
 using these street vehicles whenever   
they can1 and this is especially true of
 strangers4 ,we can state as a fact1    

that a provincial gentleman of our      
acquaintance is accustomed to take the  
inconvenience of the cab-system into    
account in deliberating whether he shall
 have a month of ,london life or not4   
,it is one of the repelling             
considerations1 to a degree that the    
,londoners themselves are not aware of4 
,in an age of such exquisite contrivance
 and precision in mechanical and        
commercial matters1 it might have been  
anticipated that the bad system of      
,london cabs could not long survive4    
,all dishonest businesses write their   
own doom4 ,those only thrive which      
sincerely seek the good of the public4  
,accordingly1 it is not surprising1 at a
 time when one-and-a-half per cent4 is a
 fact in banking1 to find two large and 
powerful companies getting up to        
supersede the bad1 old1 dear1 cheating  
cabs with a new and civilised set4 ,it  
is proposed by one of these bodies to   
'provide for the public a superior class
 of carriages1 horses1 and drivers1 at  

reduced and definite fares2 to afford   
the utmost possible security for        
property1 and especially prompt and easy
 redress of complaints4' ,with better   
vehicles at three-fourths of the present
 charges--namely1 #f;d4 a mile--and     
these to be settled for in a manner     
which will preclude disputes1 this      
company deserves1 and will be sure to   
obtain1 the public patronage4 ,one good 
feature of the proposed arrangements    
will1 we think1 be highly satisfactory3 
the company will form a sufficient      
magistracy in itself to give quick and  
easy redress in the case of any wrong4  
,but1 indeed1 from the precautions taken
 as to the employment of drivers1 and   
the hold which the company will have    
over them1 through the medium of        
guarantee and their own deposits in a   
benefit-fund1 it seems to us that the   
good conduct of the men towards their   
'fares' must be effectually secured4    
,the other company proposes to have two 
classes of vehicles--one at #h;d4 and   

the other at #d;d4 a mile2 and it       
contemplates the use of a mechanism for 
indicating the distance passed over4 ,we
 most earnestly hope that both companies
 will succeed in establishing themselves
 and carrying an improvement so         
important to the public into effect4    
,,colonial ,,penny-,,postage4  ',i shall
 write to every one in turn1 but it is  
expensive sending to many at once1' says
 one of the poor needlewomen1 whom ,mr  
,sydney ,herbert's ,female ,emigration  
,fund has enabled to obtain a           
comfortable home at ,adelaide4 ,well    
might she complain of the expense4 ,when
 at home1 she could send a letter to the
 most distant corner of the ,united     
,kingdom for a penny4 ,in ,australia1   
she finds that the cost of sending a    
letter to her mother in ,london is a    
shilling4 ,it is strange that the       
colonists do not make an outcry about so
 extravagant a charge4 ,of all the      
anomalies in ,english legislation1 our  
colonial postage-system is certainly one

 of the most glaring2 and yet1 in the   
midst of so much effort for emigration  
and colonisation1 hardly any one seems  
to be aware of it4 ,the people of       
,england1 ,ireland1 and ,scotland have1 
for the last twelve years1 enjoyed the  
incalculable benefits of                
,penny-,postage1 but they have never    
thought of extending its blessings to   
their fellow-countrymen1 scattered      
abroad among our various colonies over  
the whole surface of the globe4  ,under 
the old dear system1 the cost of sending
 a letter home from any of the colonies 
was not felt so much as it is now4 ,the 
emigrant1 before he left home1 had      
always been accustomed to pay from #i;d4
 to #as4 #b;d4 for letters from distant 
parts of the ,united ,kingdom1 and he   
could not complain at finding the       
postage from ,canada or ,australia to   
the mother-country only a little dearer4
 ,but the case has been entirely changed
 since ,rowland ,hill's plan came into  
operation4 ,what seemed a moderate rate 

before that great improvement took      
place1 is now an exorbitant charge1     
which no working-man will pay very      
frequently4 ,in this1 as in most other  
affairs1 it is not the actual but the   
comparative cost of the article which   
makes it seem dear4 ,to a person who has
 recently left his native land1 and who 
is probably still suffering from        
homesickness1 a letter from any beloved 
friend or relative is worth far more    
than many shillings2 indeed1 the value  
cannot be estimated in sterling coin4   
,but1 unfortunately1 the first mode in  
which the emigrant discovers that the   
social luxury of correspondence has     
advanced #aajj per cent4 in price1 is   
not in the tempting shape of a letter   
from home4 ,he must first write to his  
friends before he can expect them to    
write to him1 and that is a task which  
nine persons out of ten1 on the most    
charitable calculation1 are very        
strongly tempted to procrastinate1 from 
day to day1 even without any pecuniary  

obstacle4 ,but how much stronger the    
temptation to put off the writing of    
'that letter' from day to day for weeks1
 and at last for months1 when the poor  
emigrant1 still struggling with         
difficulties1 finds that1 instead of    
only a penny for each letter1 he must   
now pay a shilling8 ,what wonder though 
many thousands1 who have left friends   
and relatives behind them1 all anxiously
 on the outlook for some tidings of     
their welfare1 should defer the task of 
writing home for a month or two1 finding
 it so dear2 and1 having got over the   
first few months1 gradually become      
careless1 and never write home at all8  
,there are few people who have not known
 many instances of this kind2 and we    
have little doubt that it is owing      
mainly to this cause that they have     
given up all correspondence with the old
 country4  ,it is strange that ,mr      
,sydney ,herbert1 ,mrs ,chisholm1 and   
the rest of those honourable men and    
women who have taken so much pains to   

promote emigration1 should not have seen
 the importance of obtaining colonial   
postage reform4 ,mr ,gibbon ,wakefield1 
in his ,england and ,america1 published 
nearly twenty years ago1 lays much      
stress upon the impulse which healthy   
emigration to our colonies would derive 
from any measure which should enable the
 poorer class of emigrants to write home
 more frequently4 ,as a proof of this1  
he remarks1 that the great emigration   
from ,england which had recently taken  
place--an increase of about #bjj per    
cent4 over former years--had been mainly
 caused by the publication of letters   
from poor emigrants to their friends at 
home4 ,with a view to encourage such    
correspondence1 he suggests that1 for   
some years after their arrival in a     
colony1 poor emigrants should be allowed
 the privilege of sending their letters 
free of postage4 ,thanks to ,rowland    
,hill1 we have learned that letters can 
be carried at so very small a cost1 that
 even the poor can afford to pay the sum

 charged by the post-office authorities 
in this country2 and it requires little 
more than a stroke of the colonial      
secretary's pen to extend the same      
invaluable privilege to the thousands of
 emigrants who leave this country every 
month for some one or other of our      
numerous colonies4 ,what ,mr ,gibbon    
,wakefield says of the free-postage plan
 of that time1 would apply with nearly  
equal force to the proposed ,colonial   
,penny-,postage3--',in this way1 not    
only would the necessary evil of going  
to a colony be diminished--that is1 the 
emigrants would depart with the pleasant
 assurance of being able to communicate 
with their friends at home--but the     
poorer classes in the mother-country    
would always hear the truth as to the   
prospects of emigrants2 and not only the
 truth1 but truth in which they would   
not suspect any falsehood4' ,he goes on 
to say1 that the statements published   
about that time1 by an emigration-board 
sitting in ,downing ,street1 shewing    

what high wages were obtainable in the  
colonies1 'though perfectly true1 have  
not been received with implicit faith by
 the harassed1 and therefore suspicious 
class to whom they were addressed2 nor  
would any statements made by the        
government ever obtain so much credit as
 letters from the emigrants themselves4'
 ,all who have ever paid any attention  
to the subject of emigration1 and who   
have mixed familiarly among the poorer  
classes1 will agree with ,mr ,wakefield4
 ,all the government returns that ever  
were made1 backed by ever so many       
extracts from colonial newspapers1 about
 the high rate of wages1 and the        
cheapness of provisions1 will not make  
half the impression upon a poor man     
which a single letter from an emigrant  
brother1 a son1 or a trustworthy friend1
 will produce4  ,we should be glad to   
see the country rouse itself on this    
important question1 regarding which     
numerous meetings have already been     
held4     ,,surveying ,,voyage ,,of     

,,the ,,rattlesnake4   ,since war went  
out of fashion1 many officers of the    
,british navy have been employed in     
exploring seas1 and surveying coasts1 in
 different parts of the world1 for the  
laudable purpose of facilitating        
navigation2 and there would be little   
harm in supposing1 that there might be  
as much glory in verifying the position 
and extent of a shoal or sunken rock1 as
 in capturing an enemy's frigate4 ,at   
all events1 these surveying voyages     
furnish useful occupation1 not          
unattended with danger2 and they involve
 the necessity for a good deal of hard  
work1 of a dry and technical character1 
three years being the time usually      
allotted to a cruise4 ,australia1 owing 
to the dangerous character of its       
northern and eastern shores1 has been   
the scene of numerous surveys1 among the
 latest of which was that by ,captain   
,blackwood in the ,fly4 ,one important  
result of this survey was the finding of
 a passage through the great ,barrier   

,reef for vessels navigating ,torres    
,strait2 but as more than one passage   
was considered essential to the safety  
of a route so much frequented1 the      
,rattlesnake was commissioned1 in       
,september #ahdf1 for a further survey1 
to be carried on in what is called the  
,coral ,sea1 having ,new ,guinea1 the   
,louisiade ,archipelago1 and the        
continent of ,australia1 as its         
boundaries4#c  ,after some months spent 
in preliminary examination of different 
parts of the ,australian shores and     
seas1 the ,rattlesnake sailed from      
,sydney1 at the end of ,april #ahdh1 for
 the main object of her cruise4 ,she had
 the ,bramble1 a small schooner1 as     
tender1 and was accompanied by the ,tam 
o' ,shanter1 a vessel chartered for the 
conveyance of ,mr ,kennedy's expedition1
 which was to land at ,rockingham ,bay1 
#abjj miles to the northward1 'and      
explore the country to the eastward of  
the dividing range1 running along the   
north-east coast of ,australia1 at a    

variable distance from the shore1 and   
terminating at ,cape ,york4' ,having    
assisted in landing this party1 and     
arranged to meet them at the head of    
,princess ,charlotte's ,bay1 on their   
toilsome1 and1 as it proved1 disastrous 
overland journey1 the ships pursued     
their route1 and soon commenced a series
 of triangulations1 which were continued
 without a break for more than #fjj     
miles4 ,the ,bramble waited ten days at 
the appointed rendezvous without seeing 
anything of the overland expedition1    
which1 as it afterwards appeared1 did   
not reach the same latitude until two   
months later1 and then at a considerable
 distance from the coast4  ,in ,october1
 the vessels were at ,cape ,york1       
waiting for ,mr ,kennedy1 and receiving 
supplies from a storeship despatched    
from ,sydney1 and letters from the      
'post-office' on ,booby ,island4 ,in his
 capacity as naturalist and ethnologist1
 ,mr ,macgillivray made frequent        
excursions1 collecting plants and       

animals1 and words for a vocabulary4    
,the natives are described as           
inordinately fond of smoking whenever   
they can get choka1 as they call        
tobacco4 ',the pipe--which is a piece of
 bamboo as thick as the arm1 and two or 
three feet long--is first filled with   
tobacco-smoke1 and then handed round the
 company1 seated on the ground in a     
ring2 each takes a long inhalation1 and 
passes the pipe to his neighbour1 slowly
 allowing the smoke to exhale4 ,on      
several occasions at ,cape ,york1'      
continues the author1 ',i have seen a   
native so affected by a single          
inhalation1 as to be rendered nearly    
senseless1 with the perspiration        
bursting out at every pore1 and require 
a draught of water to restore him2 and  
although myself a smoker1 yet1 on the   
only occasion when ,i tried this mode of
 using tobacco1 the sensations of nausea
 and faintness were produced4' ,there is
 something new in the idea of taking    
whiffs of ready-made smoke1 which might 

perhaps be turned to account by         
enterprising purveyors of social        
enjoyments on this side of the world4   
,after the abortive attempt to establish
 the colony of ',north ,australia' at   
,port ,curtis1 at a cost of ,l4#ae1jjj1 
and the abandonment of ,port ,essington1
 it is not uninteresting to learn that  
,cape ,york presents many natural       
capabilities for a settlement4 ,there is
 a good harbour1 safe anchorage1        
abundance of fresh water all the year   
round1 and a moderate extent of         
cultivable land1 all of which will help 
to constitute it a desirable coaling    
station for the contemplated line of    
steamers from ,sydney to ,singapore and 
,india4 ,the ,port-,essington experiment
 was so complete a failure1 that after  
trying for eleven years1 the colonists  
were 'not even able to keep themselves  
in fresh vegetables4' ,fortunately1 but 
little encouragement was ever offered to
 permanent settlers1 or the             
disappointments caused by an            

unproductive soil and unhealthy climate 
would have been greatly multiplied4 ,a  
singular example of the lex talionis    
occurred among the natives at this      
place4 ,one of them having been severely
 wounded in punishment for an offence1  
the penalty was considered too severe1  
and 'it was finally determined that1    
upon ,munjerrijo's recovery1 the two    
natives who had wounded him should offer
 their heads to him to be struck with a 
club--the usual way1 it would appear1 of
 settling such matters4'  ,here we find1
 too1 another of those instances of     
intelligence in a native1 the more      
extraordinary when contrasted with the  
low mental condition of the aborigines  
in general4 ,sir ,thomas ,mitchell1 and 
other ,australian travellers1 have      
spoken of their acutely-endowed guides  
in terms almost of affection2 and ,mr   
,macgillivray relates that1 during his  
stay at ,port ,essington1 a native named
 ,neinmal became greatly attached to    
him4 ',one day1' he continues1 'while   

detained by rainy weather at my camp1 ,i
 was busy in skinning a fish2 ,neinmal  
watched me attentively for some time1   
and then withdrew1 but returned in half 
an hour afterwards with the skin of     
another fish in his hand1 prepared by   
himself1 and so well done1 too1 that it 
was added to the collection4 ,he went   
with us to ,singapore1 ,java1 and       
,sydney1 and1 from his great            
good-humour1 became a favourite with all
 on board--picking up the ,english      
language with facility1 and readily     
conforming himself to our customs and   
the discipline of the ship4 ,he was very
 cleanly in his personal habits1 and    
paid much attention to his dress1 which 
was always kept neat and tidy4 ,i was   
often much amused and surprised by the  
oddity and justness of his remarks upon 
the many strange sights which a voyage  
of this kind brought before him4' ,the  
,nemesis steamer underweigh puzzled him 
at first2 he then thought it was 'all   
same big cart1 only got him shingles    

7wooden roofing-tiles1 so called7 on    
wheels6' ,neinmal spoke of his          
countrymen as 'big fools1' and held     
white men in such estimation1 that he   
volunteered for a voyage to ,england2   
but having been prevented1 returned to  
,port ,essington1 where he learned to   
read and write4 ,his superiority        
rendered him obnoxious to the older     
members of his family2 and one day1     
while on a visit to his tribe1 'he was  
roused from sleep to find himself       
surrounded by a host of savages         
thirsting for his blood4 ,they told him 
to rise1 but he merely raised himself   
upon his elbow1 and said3 ,if you want  
to kill me1 do so where ,i am2 ,i won't 
get up4 ,give me a spear and club1 and  
,i'll fight you all one by one6 ,he had 
scarcely spoken1 when he was speared    
from behind2 spear after spear followed1
 and as he lay writhing on the ground1  
his savage murderers literally dashed   
him to pieces with their clubs4'  ,in   
,june #ahdi1 the ,rattlesnake and       

,bramble were at work in the ,louisiade 
,archipelago1 finding out the safest    
channels and anchorages among its       
numerous rocks1 shoals1 and reefs4 ,the 
natives of some of the islands had never
 seen ,europeans before1 yet seemed     
little inclined to acknowledge the      
superiority of their visitors4 ,they    
manifested but little alarm on          
witnessing the effects of firearms2 and 
on one occasion attacked two of the     
ship's boats with a courage and         
self-reliance extraordinary under the   
circumstances4 ,in general              
characteristics1 they resemble the      
,torres ,strait islanders3 some of them 
friz their hair up into a mop two feet  
in diameter1 wear a comb nearly a yard  
long1 and bunches of dogs' teeth hanging
 behind1 by way of ornament1 and take no
 little pride in adorning their persons 
with paint and tattoo-marks1 and flowers
 and plants of strong odour4 ,bracelets 
of various kinds are a favourite        
decoration1 and among these the most    

curious 'is that made of a human lower  
jaw1 with one or more collar-bones      
closing the upper side1 crossing from   
one angle to the other4 ,whether these  
are the jaws of former friends or       
enemies1' says ,mr ,macgillivray1 'we   
had no means of ascertaining2 no great  
value appeared to be attached to them2  
and it was observed1 as a curious       
circumstance1 that none of these jaws   
had the teeth discoloured by the        
practice of betel-chewing4'  ,a supply  
of yams being wanted1 the cutter was    
sent one day at the beginning of ,july  
to open a trade1 if possible1 with the  
natives of ,brierly ,island1 on which   
occasion ',mr ,brady took charge of the 
bartering1 and drawing a number of lines
 upon the sandy beach1 explained that   
when each was covered with a yam1 he    
would give an axe in return4 ,at first1 
some little difficulty occurred1 as the 
yams were brought down very slowly--two 
or three at a time2 but at length the   
first batch was completed1 and the axe  

handed over4 ,the man who got it had    
been trembling with anxiety for some    
time back1 holding ,mr ,brady by the    
arm1 and watching the promised axe with 
eager eye4 ,when he obtained possession 
of it1 he became quite wild with joy1   
laughing and screaming1 and flourishing 
the axe over his head4 ,after this      
commencement1 the bartering went on     
briskly1 amidst a great deal of         
uproar--the men passing between the     
village and the beach at full speed1    
with basketfuls of yams1 and too intent 
on getting the kiram kelumai 7iron axes7
 to think of anything else4' ,in this   
way1 #cfh pounds of yams were collected1
 at a cost of about a half-penny per    
pound4  ,among contrivances for         
procuring food1 the natives of some of  
the islands train the sucking-fish      
7,echeneis remora7 for the chase in the 
water1 as dogs are trained to hunt on   
land4 ,a line is made fast to the       
creature's tail2 it is then started in  
pursuit of prey1 and as soon as it has  

attached itself to a turtle1 or any     
other 'game1' the line is hauled in1 and
 the prize secured4 ,while the          
,rattlesnake lay at anchor1 a number of 
sucking-fishes took up their quarters   
under her bottom1 and whenever the      
sailors dropped a bait overboard1 it was
 always seized by one of the remor1     
greatly to the annoyance of the anglers 
on deck4 ',being quite a nuisance1'     
writes ,mr ,macgillivray1 'and useless  
as food1 ,jack often treated them as he 
would a shark1 by spritsail-yarding1 or 
some still less refined mode of torture4
 ,one day1 some of us1 while walking the
 poop1 had our attention directed to a  
sucking-fish1 about two and a half feet 
in length1 which had been made fast by  
the tail to a billet of wood1 by a      
fathom or so of spun-yarn1 and turned   
adrift4 ,an immense striped shark1      
apparently about fourteen feet in       
length1 which had been cruising about   
the ship all the morning1 sailed slowly 
up1 and turning slightly on one side1   

attempted to seize the seemingly        
helpless fish2 but the sucker1 with     
great dexterity1 made himself fast in a 
moment to the shark's back4 ,off darted 
the monster at full speed--the sucker   
holding on as fast as a limpet to a     
rock1 and the billet towing astern4 ,he 
then rolled over and over1 tumbling     
about1 when1 wearied with his efforts1  
he lay quiet for a little4 ,seeing the  
float1 the shark got it into his mouth1 
and disengaging the sucker by a tug on  
the line1 made a bolt at the fish2 but  
his puny antagonist was again too quick1
 and fixing himself close behind the    
dorsal fin1 defied the efforts of the   
shark to disengage him1 although he     
rolled over and over1 lashing the water 
with his tail until it foamed all       
round4' ,after such a spirited combat1  
it is somewhat tantalising to read1 that
 the final result could not clearly be  
made out2 it is scarcely possible1      
however1 not to wish success to the     
remora4  ,on the #ahth ,august1 a party 

landed on the coast of ,new ,guinea1 and
 paid a friendly visit to some of the   
,papuans who had been off to the ship1  
and found them less fierce and          
distrustful than those of the islands4  
,some of them thought the muskets were  
water-vessels1 and others were afraid of
 a knife3 it was too sharp4 ,they are   
excellent mimics2 and one of them       
imitated the ,english drummer so        
cleverly on an old tin-can1 as to excite
 roars of laughter among all who        
witnessed the performance4 ,some of     
their dances are extraordinary1 more    
resembling a fencing-match than         
movements of the light fantastic toe2   
and the following description of a dance
 after nightfall is curious3--',on      
seeing a number of lights along the     
beach1 we at first thought they         
proceeded from a fishing-party1 but on  
looking through a night-glass1 the group
 was seen to consist of above a dozen   
people1 each carrying a blazing torch1  
and going through the movements of a    

dance4 ,at one time1 they extended      
rapidly into line2 at another1 closed1  
dividing into two parties1 advancing and
 retreating1 crossing and recrossing1   
and mixing up with each other4 ,this    
continued for half an hour2 and having  
apparently been got up for our          
amusement1 a rocket was sent up for     
theirs1 and a blue-light burned2 but the
 dancing had ceased1 and the lights     
disappeared4'  ,on the #ast ,october1   
the ,rattlesnake was again at ,cape     
,york4 ,about the middle of the month1  
an incident occurred which relieved the 
dulness of a period of inactivity--the  
discovery and rescue of a white woman1  
who had been for some time a prisoner   
among the natives4 ,we shall abridge ,mr
 ,macgillivray's narrative of her story4
 ,her name is ,barbara ,thomson2 she was
 born at ,aberdeen1 and emigrated to    
,new ,south ,wales with her parents4    
,about four and a half years prior to   
the event1 she had accompanied her      
husband in a small cutter1 to try to    

save some part of the cargo of a whaler 
that had been wrecked on the ,bampton   
shoal4 ,the pilot missed his route1 two 
of the crew were drowned by accident1   
another was left on a desert island1 and
 at last the little vessel1 caught by a 
gale in ,torres ,strait1 struck upon a  
reef on ,prince of ,wales ,island4 ,the 
only two men left on board were drowned 
in attempting to swim to shore2 but the 
woman was saved by a party of natives1  
one of whom1 ,boroto by name1 forced her
 to live with him as his wife1 in which 
position she for a time was exposed to  
much cruelty1 owing to the jealousy of  
the women of the tribe4 ,she eventually 
was saved from persecution by a singular
 belief prevalent among the             
natives--that white people are the      
ghosts of departed aborigines--one of   
the principal among the blacks having   
persuaded himself that he had found in  
her his long-lost daughter1 after whom  
,barbara was named ,giom4 ,the          
head-quarters of the tribe were on an   

island1 and the captive frequently saw  
vessels pass on their way to ,torres    
,strait1 but without any opportunity of 
making her case known4 ,she had heard of
 the first arrival of the ,rattlesnake  
and tender at ,cape ,york2 and on the   
last visit1 had induced the blacks to   
escort her to within a short distance of
 the anchorage1 they believing that she 
only wished to shake hands with her     
countrymen1 and would soon return1 laden
 with knives1 axes1 and tobacco4        
,although lame1 she hurried on1 fearing 
that her conductors might change their  
mind1 and made towards some of the      
ship's company1 who were on shore       
shooting4 ,except a fringe of leaves1   
she was quite naked1 and her appearance 
was so dirty and miserable1 that they   
took her for a gin1 or native woman1 and
 paid no attention to her1 when she     
called out3 ',i am a white woman2 why do
 you leave me8' ,she was immediately    
taken on board the ship1 and but just in
 time to escape from a small party of   

the tribe1 who had followed to detain   
her4  ,mr ,macgillivray continues3      
',upon being asked by ,captain ,stanley1
 whether she really preferred remaining 
with us to accompanying the natives back
 to their island1 as she would be       
allowed her free choice in the matter1  
she was so much agitated as to find     
difficulty in expressing her            
thankfulness1 making use of scraps of   
,english alternately with the ,kowrarega
 language1 and then1 suddenly awakening 
to the recollection that she was not    
understood1 the poor creature blushed   
all over1 and with downcast eyes beat   
her forehead with her hand1 as if to    
assist in collecting her scattered      
thoughts4 ,at length1 after a pause1 she
 found words to say3 ,sir1 ,i am a      
,christian1 and would rather go back to 
my own friends4 ,at the same tune1 it   
was remarked by every one that she had  
not lost the feelings of womanly        
modesty2 even after having lived so long
 among naked blacks1 she seemed acutely 

to feel the singularity of her position1
 dressed only in a couple of shirts1 in 
the midst of a crowd of her own         
countrymen4'  ,in accordance with her   
wish1 ,mrs ,thomson was kept on board1  
and had a cabin given up to her own use2
 good living and medical attendance soon
 cured the soreness of her tanned and   
blistered skin1 and the ophthalmia1     
which had deprived her of the sight of  
one eye4 ,the black ,boroto grew        
desperate when he found that she would  
not return to him1 and threatened to cut
 off her head to satisfy his            
vengeance--a catastrophe which the      
rescued woman avoided by not going on   
shore2 and she was eventually handed    
over1 in good condition1 to her parents 
on the return of the vessel to ,sydney1 
at the beginning of #ahej4  ,shortly    
afterwards1 to the great sorrow of all  
on board1 ,captain ,stanley died1 at the
 early age of thirty-eight4 ,he had     
brought his scientific labours to a     
successful close1 and might have looked 

forward to a brief period of honourable 
repose2 but the fatigue and anxiety of a
 laborious survey in a hot climate1 and 
the news of the decease of his father1  
the late ,bishop of ,norwich1 depressed 
him beyond the power of recovery4 ,this 
was not the only melancholy incident    
connected with the ,rattlesnake's       
voyage4 ,mr ,kennedy's expedition had   
proved a most disastrous failure4 ,the  
party1 as we have seen1 had landed in   
,rockingham ,bay1 and commenced their   
journey northwards1 with a              
well-appointed caravan of carts1 horses1
 and men1 all in high spirits4 ,but more
 than a month elapsed before they could 
extricate themselves from the swamps and
 scrub which cover that part of the     
country2 and at the beginning of        
,november1 five months later1 they had  
not advanced more than #djj miles in a  
direct line3 nineteen of the horses were
 dead1 and the stock of provisions      
nearly exhausted4 ,mr ,kennedy then     
determined on pushing forwards1 with a  

light party1 for ,cape ,york1 #aej miles
 distant1 whence relief was to be sent  
to the eight individuals who were left  
behind1 nearly worn out with fatigue and
 exhaustion4 ,this party consisted of   
the leader2 ,jackey ,jackey1 a faithful 
and intelligent native2 and three of the
 strongest of the men4 ,one of the      
latter accidentally shot himself1 and   
the other two became so weak1 that they 
also were left at an encampment1 with as
 large a supply of provisions as could  
be spared4 ,after incredible hardships1 
,mr ,kennedy and his companion reached  
,escape ,river1 twenty miles from ,cape 
,york1 where they were attacked by a    
party of natives1 while entangled in a  
scrub1 and the gallant leader of the    
expedition fell a victim to their       
ferocity4 ,three spears had entered his 
body1 and ,jackey ,jackey1 in simple but
 touching words1 describes his last     
moments4 ',mr ,kennedy1' he asked1 after
 having carried the wounded man out of  
sight of the natives1 'are you going to 

leave me8' ',yes1 my boy1 ,i am going to
 leave you1' was the reply of the dying 
man4 ',i am very bad1 ,jackey4 ,you take
 the books1 ,jackey1 to the captain2 but
 not the big ones3 the governor will    
give anything for them4' ',i then tied  
up the papers4 ,he then said3 ,jackey1  
give me paper1 and ,i will write4 ,i    
gave him paper and pencil1 and he tried 
to write2 and he then fell back and     
died1 and ,i caught him as he fell back1
 and held him1 and ,i then turned round 
myself1 and cried4 ,i was crying a good 
while1 until ,i got well2 that was about
 an hour1 and then ,i buried him1 ,i dug
 up the ground with a tomahawk1 and     
covered him over with logs1 then grass1 
and my shirt and trousers4 ,that night  
,i left him1 near dark4'  ,jackey       
contrived to evade the pursuers1 and a  
week afterwards got on board the        
schooner1 which was lying in ,port      
,albany1 ,cape ,york1 waiting the       
arrival of ,mr ,kennedy's expedition4   
,on learning the fatal result1 the      

captain sailed1 in the hope of saving   
the men who had been left behind4 ,of   
the two who had belonged to the advanced
 party1 nothing was discovered except   
some articles of clothing1 and it was   
believed they had perished4 ,of the     
eight first left near ,weymouth ,bay1   
two were still alive1 but in the last   
stage of exhaustion1 having endured     
privations and hardships almost without 
a parallel4  ,the brig ,freak was       
subsequently despatched from ,sydney1   
for the purpose of securing any papers  
or documents1 or the mortal remains of  
any of the unfortunate expedition4      
,jackey ,jackey was on board1 and by    
means of his remarkable sagacity1 led   
the way to the respective camps4 ,the   
bones of two of the men were found2 also
 some of ,mr ,kennedy's instruments1    
portions of his clothing1 and his       
manuscript journal1 which had been      
hidden in the hollow of a tree2 but     
after a minute search for the place     
where his body had been buried1 it could

 not be discovered4  ,we might extend   
this painful narrative did our space    
permit2 but we must now close1 with a   
recommendation of the book under notice 
to those who are interested in the      
progress of natural or geographical     
discovery4  ,,footnotes3  #c ,narrative 
of the ,voyage of ,h4,m4,s4             
,rattlesnake1 commanded by the late     
,captain ,owen ,stanley1 during the     
years #ahdf-ej1 including ,discoveries  
and ,surveys in ,new ,guinea1 the       
,louisiade ,archipelago1 c4 c4 ,by ,john
 ,macgillivray1 ,f4,r4,g4,s41           
,naturalist to the ,expedition4 ,london3
 ,boone4 #b vols4 #hvo4     ,a          
,,celebrated ,,french ,,clockmaker4     
,the superiority of ,french clocks and  
watches has been achieved only by the   
laborious efforts of many ingenious     
artisans4 ,of one of these1 to whom     
,france owes no little of its celebrity 
in this branch of art1 we propose to    
speak4 ,brguet was the name of this     
remarkable individual4 ,he was a native 

of ,neuchtel1 in ,switzerland1 and      
thence he was removed1 while young1 to  
,versailles1 for the purpose of learning
 his business as a horologist4 ,his     
parents being poor1 he found it         
necessary to rely on his own energy for 
advancement in life4  ,at ,versailles1  
he served a regular apprenticeship1     
during which his diligence in improving 
himself was almost beyond example4 ,he  
became greatly attached to his          
profession2 and soon1 by studious       
perseverance1 his talents were developed
 by real knowledge4 ,at length the term 
of apprenticeship expired1 and as the   
master was expressing to the pupil the  
satisfaction which his good conduct and 
diligence had given him1 he was struck  
with astonishment when he replied3      
',master1 ,i have a favour to ask of    
you4 ,i feel that ,i have not always as 
,i ought employed my time1 which was to 
have indemnified you for the cares and  
lessons you have spent on me4 ,i beg of 
you1 then1 to permit me to continue with

 you three months longer without        
salary4' ,this request confirmed the    
attachment of the master to his pupil4  
,but scarcely was the apprenticeship of 
the latter over1 when he lost his mother
 and his stepfather1 and found himself  
alone in the world with an elder        
sister--being thus left to provide1 by  
his own industry1 for the maintenance of
 two persons4 ,nevertheless1 he ardently
 desired to complete his necessary      
studies1 for he felt that the knowledge 
of mathematics was absolutely           
indispensable to his attaining          
perfection in his art4 ,this determined 
purpose conquered every obstacle4 ,not  
only did he labour perseveringly for his
 sister and himself1 but also found     
means to attend regularly a course of   
public lectures which the ,abb ,marie   
was then giving at the ,college         
,mazarin4 ,the professor1 having        
remarked the unwearied assiduity of the 
young clockmaker1 made a friend of him1 
and delighted in considering him as his 

beloved pupil4 ,this friendship1 founded
 on the truest esteem and the most      
affectionate gratitude1 contributed     
wondrously to the progress of the       
student4  ,the great metamorphosis which
 was effected so suddenly in the young  
clockmaker was very remarkable4 ,there  
is something very encouraging in his    
example1 affording as it does a proof of
 the power of the man who arms himself  
with a determined purpose4 ,at first1   
the struggle with difficulties appears  
hard1 painful1 almost impossible2 but   
only let there be a little perseverance1
 the obstacles vanish one after the     
other1 the way is made plain3 instead of
 the thorns which seem to choke it1     
verdant laurels suddenly spring up1 the 
reward of constant and unwearied labour4
 ,thus it was with our studious         
apprentice4 ,his ideas soon expand2 his 
work acquires more precision2 a new and 
a more extended horizon opens before    
him4 ,from a skilful workman1 it is not 
long before he becomes an accomplished  

artist4 ,yet a few years1 and the name  
of ,brguet is celebrated4  ,at the epoch
 of the first troubles of the           
,revolution of #aghi1 ,brguet had       
already founded the establishment which 
has since produced so many master-pieces
 of mechanism4 ,the most honourable1 the
 most flattering reputation was his4    
,one anecdote will serve to prove the   
high repute in which he was held1 even  
out of ,france4 ,one day a watch1 to the
 construction of which he had given his 
whole attention1 happened to fall into  
the hands of ,arnold1 the celebrated    
,english watchmaker4 ,he examined it    
with interest1 and surveyed with        
admiration the simplicity of its        
mechanism1 the perfection of the        
workmanship4 ,he could scarcely be      
persuaded that a specimen thus executed 
could be the work of ,french industry4  
,yielding to the love of his art1 he    
immediately set out for ,paris1 without 
any other object than simply to become  
acquainted with the ,french artist4 ,on 

arriving in ,paris1 he went immediately 
to see ,brguet1 and soon these two men  
were acquainted with each other4 ,they  
seem1 indeed1 to have formed a mutual   
friendship4 ,in order that ,brguet might
 give ,arnold the highest token of his  
esteem and affection1 he requested him  
to take his son with him to be taught   
his profession1 and this was acceded to4
  ,the ,revolution destroyed the first  
establishment of ,brguet1 and finally   
forced the great artist to seek an      
asylum on a foreign shore4 ,there       
generous assistance enabled him1 with   
his son1 to continue his ingenious      
experiments in his art4 ,at length1     
having returned to ,paris after two     
years' absence1 he opened a new         
establishment1 which continued to       
flourish till #ahbc1 when ,france lost  
this man1 the pride and boast of its    
industrial class4 ,brguet was member of 
the ,institute1 was clockmaker to the   
navy1 and member of the ,bureau of      
,longitude4 ,he was indeed the most     

celebrated clockmaker of the age2 he had
 brought to perfection every branch of  
his art4 ,nothing could surpass the     
delicacy and ingenuity of his free      
escapement with a maintaining power4 ,to
 him we owe another escapement called   
'natural1' in which there is no spring1 
and oil is not needed2 but another1 and 
still more perfect one1 is the double   
escapement1 where the precision of the  
contacts renders the use of oil equally 
unnecessary1 and in which the waste of  
power in the pendulum is repaired at    
each vibration4  ,the sea-watches or    
chronometers of ,brguet are famous      
throughout the world4 ,it is well known 
that these watches are every moment     
subject to change of position1 from the 
rolling and pitching of the vessel4     
,brguet conceived the bold thought of   
enclosing the whole mechanism of the    
escapement and the spring in a circular 
envelope1 making a complete revolution  
every two minutes4 ,the inequality of   
position is thus1 as it were1 equalised 

on that short lapse of time2 the        
mechanism itself producing compensation1
 whether the chronometer is subjected to
 any continuous movement1 or kept steady
 in an inclined or upright position4    
,brguet did still more3 he found means  
to preserve the regularity of his       
chronometers even in case of their      
getting any sudden shock or fall1 and   
this he did by the parachute4 ,sir      
,thomas ,brisbane put one of them to the
 proof1 carrying it about with him on   
horseback1 and on long journeys and     
voyages2 in sixteen months1 the greatest
 daily loss was only a second and a     
half--that is1 the #eg1fjjth part of a  
daily revolution4  ,such is the         
encouraging example of ,brguet1 who was 
at first only a workman4 ,and to this he
 owes his being the best judge of good  
workmen1 as he was the best friend to   
them4 ,he sought out such everywhere1   
even in other countries2 gave them the  
instruction of a master of the art2 and 
treated them with the kindness of a     

father4 ,they were indebted to him for  
their prosperity1 and he owed to them   
the increase of fortune and of fame4 ,he
 well understood the advantages of a    
judicious division of labour1 according 
to the several capabilities of artisans4
 ,by this means1 he was able to meet the
 demand for pieces of his workmanship1  
not less remarkable for elegance and    
beauty than for extreme accuracy4 ,it   
may indeed be said1 that ,brguet's      
efforts gave a character to ,french     
horology that it has never lost4 ,so    
much may one man do in his day and      
generation to give an impetus to an     
important branch of national industry4  
,,saint ,,elizabeth ,,of ,,bohemia4     
',would that we two were lying          
,beneath the church-yard sod1           
,with our limbs at rest in the green    
earth's breast1            ,and our     
souls at home with ,god6'#d      ,i     
never lay me down to sleep at night     
,but in my heart ,i sing that little    
song3       ,the angels hear it1 as1 a  

pitying throng1     ,they touch my      
burning lids with fingers bright1       
,like moonbeams--pale1 impalpable1 and  
light4       ,and when my daily pious   
tasks are done1       ,and all my       
patient prayers said one by one1        
,god hears it4 ,seems it sinful in ,his 
sight     ,that round my slow           
burnt-offering of quenched will1        
,one quivering human sigh creeps        
windlike still8     ,that when my       
orisons in silence fail1     ,lingers   
one tremulous note of human wail8       
,dear lord--spouse--hero--martyr--saint6
 erelong     ,i think ,god will forgive 
my singing that poor song4      ,a year 
ago1 ,i bade my little son       ,bear  
on a pilgrimage a sacred load       ,of 
alms2 he cried out1 fainting on the     
road1     ',mother1 ,o mother1 would    
that this were done6'     ,him ,i       
reproved with tears1 and said3 ',go on1 
,nor feebly sink ere half thy task be   
o'er4'       ,would not ,god say to me  
the same1 and more8     ,i will not sing

 that song4 ,thou1 dearest one1         
,husband--no1 brother--stretch thy      
steadfast hand     ,across the void6    
,mine grasps it4 ,now ,i stand1     ,my 
woman-weakness nerved to strength       
divine4     ,we'll quaff life's aloe-cup
 as though 'twere wine1     ,each to the
 other2 journeying on apart1     ,till  
at heaven's golden doors we two leap    
heart to heart4  ,,footnotes3  #d ,from 
,kingsley's ,saint's ,tragedy4          
,elizabeth1 ,princess of ,bohemia1 the  
most sincere among the mistaken devotee 
saints of the middle ages1 renounced her
 royal state1 her husband and children1 
and spent her life in the sternest      
asceticism1 and in the most self-denying
 acts of charity4     ,a                
,,man-,,of-,,war1 ,,or ,a ,,man ,,of    
,,peace4   ,it will probably be         
remembered that1 a few years ago1 a     
great excitement was caused by the      
discovery of vast deposits of guano upon
 the island of ,ichaboe1 situated on the
 west coast of ,africa4 ,the remarkable 

fertilising qualities of guano gave it  
great value as an article of commerce1  
and a large number of vessels were      
despatched from various ports to take in
 cargoes at the island4 ,it was computed
 that at one time not less than #ejj    
vessels were lying off ,ichaboe1 and as 
there was no settled authority to       
regulate the trade of the place1 a scene
 of indescribable confusion and tumult  
soon presented itself4 ,the crews of    
several of the ships having established 
themselves upon the table-land at the   
top of the island 7the island being     
little more than a huge rock1 rising    
with almost perpendicular cliffs from   
the ocean71 a dispute arose between them
 and their captains1 which soon         
proceeded to open mutiny on the part of 
the men4 ,the only access to their      
position being by long ladders1 the men 
set their masters at defiance1 and held 
possession of their stronghold1 which   
was inaccessible1 except by permission  
of the mutineers4 ,the captains         

despatched a vessel to the ,cape of     
,good ,hope1 for the purpose of laying a
 complaint before the governor1 and     
soliciting his aid4 ,the governor was   
about to despatch a man-of-war--the only
 remedy that is generally thought of in 
such cases--when a good1 devoted man1 a 
missionary at ,cape ,town1 named        
,bertram1 hearing of the affair1        
represented to the governor his earnest 
desire to spare the effusion of blood1  
and his conviction that1 if he were     
allowed to proceed to the island1 he    
could bring the quarrel to an amicable  
settlement4 ,mr ,bertram obtained the   
consent of the authorities1 and the     
order for the sailing of the man-of-war 
was suspended4 ,he proceeded to         
,ichaboe1 and being rowed ashore1 began 
to ascend one of the lofty ladders4 ,two
 seamen1 well armed1 who had guard      
above1 shouted to know who he was and   
what he wanted4 ',a friend1 who wants to
 speak to you1' was the reply4 ,the     
guards seeing a single man1 unarmed1    

climbing fearlessly towards them1       
permitted him to ascend4 ,he called the 
men round him1 spoke kindly but         
faithfully to them1 heard their         
complaints1 and undertook to negotiate  
for them4 ,he did this with so much tact
 and judgment1 that a reconciliation was
 soon effected1 and harmony restored    
between the captains and their crews4   
,mr ,bertram remained ten days with the 
men on the summit of the island1        
employing the time to the best advantage
 in preaching and teaching amongst them4
 ,it was only on the plea of urgent duty
 that the men would permit him to leave 
them4 ,they clustered round him1 as he  
was about to descend from amongst them  
for the last time2 each was eager to    
wring him by the hand1 and tears rolled 
down many a weather-beaten cheek as he  
bade them a last adieu4 ',god bless you1
 sir6' they exclaimed2 'you have been   
our true friend2 would that you could   
stay amongst us1 for we feel that you   
have done us good4' ,it will be well for

 nations when they have more faith in   
the power of a man of peace1 and less in
 that of a man-of-war4--,bond of        
,brotherhood4     ,,note ,,to           
,,intending ,,emigrants4   ,in reply to 
numerous correspondents who make inquiry
 respecting the most suitable fields for
 emigration1 we have again to intimate1 
that we cannot assume the responsibility
 of privately advising individuals on   
the important step of emigrating to one 
place in preference to another4 ,every  
one is best acquainted with his own     
desires1 abilities1 and necessities1 and
 should1 with the general assistance of 
public opinion and the press1 be able to
 make up his mind whether he should or  
should not emigrate1 or what distant    
land will be to him most answerable and 
agreeable4 ,with the view of doing all  
in our power to assist in forming this  
resolution1 we have lately had prepared1
 under our own inspection1 a series of  
cheap and accessible ,manuals on the    
subject of ,emigration2 containing1 we  

believe1 all desirable information for  
those who are disposed to emigrate2 and 
a perusal of which may possibly obviate 
the necessity of seeking private counsel
 on any point4 ,the ,manuals may be had 
from any of the ordinary agents for     
supplying this ,journal2 they separately
 refer to ,,australia1 ,,america1 ,,new 
,,zealand1 the ,,cape1 and ,,port       
,,natal2 and in addition1 there is one  
devoted to general considerations and   
directions4 ,the whole1 however1 may be 
obtained bound in a single volume4      
,price #ds4 #f;d4 ,cloth1 ,lettered1    
,,the ,,emigrant',s ,,manual4  ,a       
complete ,,manual for ,,emigrants1      
embracing the latest and most           
trustworthy information1 in ,one        
,volume4 ,it may also be had in ,parts1 
each referring to a distinct ,,field    
,,of ,,emigration4  ,,australia1        
#as4--,,new ,,zealand1 ,,cape of ,,good 
,,hope1 c4 #as4--,,british ,,america1   
and ,,united ,,states of ,,america1     
#as4--,,emigration in its ,,practical   

,,application to ,,individuals and      
,,communities1 #as4         99       99 
99       99       99  ,printed and      
,published by ,w4 and ,r4 ,,chambers1   
,high ,street1 ,edinburgh4 ,also sold by
 ,w4,s4 ,,orr1 ,amen ,corner1 ,london2  
,d4 ,n4 ,,chambers1 #ee ,west ,nile     
,street1 ,glasgow2 and ,j4 ,m',,glashan1
 #ej ,upper ,sackville ,street1         
,dublin4--,advertisements for ,monthly  
,parts are requested to be sent to      
,,maxwell  ,,co41 #ca ,nicholas ,lane1  
,lombard ,street1 ,london1 to whom all  
applications respecting their insertion 
must be made4