,,chambers' ,,edinburgh ,,journal       
,,conducted ,,by ,,william ,,and        
,,robert ,,chambers1 ,,editors ,,of     
',,chambers',s   ,,information ,,for    
,,the ,,people1' ',,chambers',s         
,,educational ,,course1' c4     ,no4    
#ddd4 ,,new ,,series4   ,,saturday1     
,,july #c1 #aheb4   ,,price #a-a_/b;d4  
,,the ,,art ,,season4   ,returning with 
the circling year1 and advancing pari   
passu with the multitude of metropolitan
 musical attractions1 comes the more    
silent reign of the picture             
exhibitions--those great art-gatherings 
from thousands of studios1 to undergo   
the ultimate test of public judgment in 
the dozen well-filled galleries1 which  
the dilettante1 or lounging ,londoner1  
considers it his recurring annual duty  
strictly to inspect1 and regularly to   
gossip in4 ,as places where everybody   
meets everybody1 and where lazy hours   
can be conveniently lounged away1 the   
exhibitions in some sort supply in the  
afternoon what the ,opera and parties do

 in the evenings4 ,nearly all through   
the summer-day1 they are crowded with a 
softly-rustling1 humming1 buzzing crowd1
 coming and going perhaps1 taking little
 heed of the nominal attraction1 but    
sauntering from room to room1 or        
ensconcing themselves in colonies or    
clusters of chairs1 and lounging        
vacantly in cool lobbies4 ,at energetic 
sight-seers1 who are labouring away1    
catalogue and pencil in hand1 they stare
 languidly4 ,they really thought        
everybody had seen the pictures2 they   
know they have3 they have stared at them
 until they became a bore4 ,but this    
sort of people1 who only come once1 why1
 of course1 they suppose this sort of   
people must be allowed to push about as 
they please4 ,but it is a confounded    
nuisance2 it is really4  ,the great army
 of art amateurs1 connoisseurs1 and the 
body who are regarded in the artistic   
world with far greater reverence--the   
noted picture buyers and dealers1 have  
come and seen1 and gone away again2     

after having lavishly expended their    
approbation or disapprobation1 and      
possibly in a less liberal degree1 their
 cash4 ,after the first week or so1 the 
galleries begin to clear of gentlemen of
 the class in question2 even artists    
have got tired of coming to see their   
own pictures1 particularly if they be   
not well hung2 and so the exhibition is 
generally handed over during the greater
 part of its duration to the languid far
 niente elegant crowd we have seen      
thronging its corridors4 ,the grand day 
for the moneyed amateurs1 who come to   
increase their collections1 is1 however1
 that of the private view4 ,this        
generally occurs on a ,saturday1 and the
 public is admitted on the following    
,monday4 ,within an hour of the opening 
on the former day1 the rooms are crowded
 with a multitude of notabilities4 ,you 
see that you are in a special class of  
society1 or rather1 in two special      
classes--literary and artistic on the   
one hand2 wealthy and socially elevated 

on the other4 ,the fact is evident in   
the general mutual acquaintanceship     
which prevails1 principally within each 
respective circle1 but by no means      
exclusively so4 ,first1 you are sure to 
observe a cluster of those peers and    
members of parliament who busy          
themselves most in social1 literary1 and
 artistic questions4 ,bishops1 too1 are 
regular private-view men2 capital       
judges1 moreover1 and liberal buyers2   
and we seldom miss catching a glimpse of
 some dozen faces1 whose proprietors are
 men standing at the very top of our    
historic1 philosophic1 and critical     
literature1 and who move smilingly      
about1 amid the keen but concealed      
inspection of the crowd1 who pass their 
names in whispers from group to group4  
,but the class of regular picture-buyers
 is quite sui generis4 ,you may pitch   
upon your man in a moment4 ,ten to one1 
he is old1 and has all the shrivelled1  
high-dried appearance of the most       
far-gone and confirmed bachelorism4     

,everything about him looks old and     
old-fashioned4 ,his hair is thin and    
gray1 and he shuffles along on a couple 
of poor old shanks1 which will never    
look any stouter unless it be under the 
influence of a fit of the gout4 ,he     
wears a white neckcloth1 arranged with  
the celebrated wisp-tie--shoes a great  
deal too big for him--and to his keen1  
twinkling eyes he applies a pair of     
heavy horn or silver-set glasses4 ,these
 old gentlemen appear to know each other
 as if by magic4 ,they cluster in groups
 like corks in a basin of water1 and    
then go hobbling eagerly along1 peering 
closely into the more promising works1  
jerking their heads from side to side1  
so as to get the painting in as many    
lights as possible2 and full of         
talk--good critical talk--about the     
productions in course of inspection4    
,true1 there may be something in their  
observations speaking too much of the   
technical1 and too little of the more   
ideal faculty4 ,they are greater upon   

flesh-tints and pearly grays1 middle    
distances and chiaroscuro1 than upon    
conception1 expression1 or elevation or 
magnificence of sentiment4              
,nevertheless1 they know thoroughly what
 appertains to a good picture4 ,they    
give a work its place in a moment1 and  
assign it to its author by internal     
evidence1 with an unfailing accuracy1   
which speaks of long training and       
constant familiarity with all the main  
studios of ,london4 ,perhaps you observe
 one of our friends apparently          
fascinated before a particular canvas3  
he dances about1 so as to get it in     
every angle of light4 ,then he shuffles 
off1 and brings two other skilful old   
foggies1 holding each by an arm2 and the
 three go through the former ceremony as
 to the lights1 and then lay their heads
 together2 and then our original        
personage glides softly up to the table 
where the secretary's clerk sits with   
pen and ink before him1 and whispers4   
,the clerk smiles affably--turns up a   

register3 there are two or three        
confidential words interchanged2 and    
then he rises and sticks into the frame 
of the lucky picture a morsel of card1  
labelled ',sold2' and leaves the        
purchaser gloating over his acquisition4
  ,and where do these pictures go8      
,frequently to some quiet1 solemn old   
house in the ,west ,end1 or to some     
grange or manor far down in the country4
 ,the picture-gallery is the nursery of 
that house--its pride and its boast4    
,year after year has the silent family  
of canvas been increasing and           
multiplying4 ,their proprietor is1 as it
 were1 their father4 ,he has most likely
 no living ties1 and all his thoughts   
and all his ambitions are clustered     
round that silent gallery1 where the    
light comes streaming down from high and
 half-closed windows4 ,the collection   
gradually acquires a name4 ,descriptions
 of it are found in guide-books and     
works upon art4 ,strangers come to see  
it with tickets1 and a solemn           

housekeeper shews them up the silent    
stairs1 and through the lonesome mansion
 to its sanctum sanctorum4 ,at length1  
perhaps1 the old man takes his last look
 at his pictures1 and then shuts his    
eyes for ever4 ,it may be1 that within  
six weeks the laboriously collected     
paintings are in a ,pall-,mall          
auction-room1 with all the world bidding
 and buzzing round the pulpit2 or it may
 also chance that a paragraph goes the  
round of the papers1 intimating that his
 celebrated and unrivalled collection of
 modern works of art has been bequeathed
 by the late ,mr ,so-and-so to the      
nation--always on the condition1 that it
 provides some fitting place for their  
preservation4 ,the government receives  
bequests of this kind oftener than it   
complies with the stipulation4  ,in the 
beginning of ,march1 the first of the   
galleries opens its portals to the      
world4 ,this is the ,british            
,institution1 established at the west   
end of ,pall-,mall1 and now in existence

 for the better part of a half century4 
,the idea of the establishment was to   
form a sort of nursing institution for  
the ,royal ,academy4 ,here artists of   
standing and reputation were to exhibit 
their sketches and less important works2
 and here more juvenile aspirants were  
to try their wings before being         
subjected to the more severe ordeal of  
,trafalgar ,square4 ,the idea was good1 
and flourished apace2 so much so1 that  
you not unfrequently find in the        
,british ,institution no small          
proportion of works of a calibre hardly 
below the average of the ,great         
,exhibition2 while the ,a4 ,r4 ,a4's1   
and even the aristocratic ,r4 ,a4's#a   
themselves1 do not by any means disdain 
to grace the humble walls of the three  
rooms in ,pall-,mall4 ,this year1 the   
only picture of ,sir ,edwin ,landseer's 
exhibited--a wild ,highland corry1 with 
a startled herd of red deer--is to be   
found in the ,british ,institution4 ,but
 the merit of the works is wonderfully  

unequal4 ,they are of all classes and   
all sizes1 in water-colour and in oils4 
,clever sketches by clever unknowns1    
rest beside sprawling frescos by youths 
whose ambition is vaster than their     
genius2 and finished and accomplished   
works of art are set off by the foils of
 unnumbered pieces of unformed and not  
very promising mediocrity4 ,among them  
are the productions of many of the more 
humble painters of genre subjects--the  
class who delight in portraying homely  
cottage interiors1 or troops of playing 
children1 or bits of minutely-finished  
still life--or careful academical       
studies of groups with all the          
conventions duly observed3 this class of
 pictures musters strong1 and           
connoisseurs1 without so much remarking 
their imperfections1 carefully note     
their promise4  ,a month after the      
opening of the ,british ,institution1   
three galleries become patent on the    
same morning3 the ,old ,water ,colour1  
in ,pall-,mall ,east1 the ,new ,water   

,colour1 in ,pall-,mall ,west1 and a    
still more recently founded society1    
called1 somewhat pompously1 the         
,national ,institution of ,fine ,arts4  
,these are mainly composed of dissenters
 from the other associations--gentlemen 
who conceive that they have been        
ill-treated by ,hanging ,committees1 and
 a large class of juvenile but promising
 artists1 who resort to the less crowded
 institutions in the hope of there      
meeting with better places for their    
works than in the older and more        
established bodies4 ,the two            
water-colour galleries are both highly  
favoured exhibitions1 and present works 
of an importance quite equal to those of
 the ,academy itself4 ,water-colour     
painting is indeed a national branch of 
art in ,england4 ,neither ,french1      
,germans1 nor ,italians1 can presume for
 a moment to cope with us in the matter 
of aquarelles4 ,they have no notion of  
the power of the medium1 of the strong  
and rich effects it is capable of       

producing1 and the transparency of the  
tints which a great water-colour artist 
can lay on4 ,nearly twenty years ago1   
there was but one water-colour society2 
but increasing numbers1 and the usual   
artistic feuds1 produced a partly       
natural1 partly hostile1 separation4    
,the ladies and gentlemen who withdrew  
were mainly figure painters2 those who  
stayed were mainly landscape artists2   
and thus it happens1 that while in the  
new society you are principally         
attracted by historic and genre groups  
and1 scenes1 in the old you are         
fascinated by landscape and city        
pictures of the very highest order of   
art4 ,the painters1 too1 you observe1   
are very industrious4 ,the fact is1 they
 can work more quickly in water than in 
oil4 ,copley ,fielding will perhaps     
exhibit a score of landscapes1 blazing  
with summer sunshine2 ,david ,cox1 half 
as many--stern and rugged in tone and   
style2 ,george ,tripp will have painted 
his fresh river and meadow scenes by the

 dozen2 and the two brothers ,callum    
will each have poured in old ,gothic    
streets and squares1 and ships in calm  
and storm1 which catch your eye scores  
of times upon the walls4 ,as in the     
other society1 many of the finest 'bits'
 contributed by the water-colourists are
 not much above miniature size4 ,the    
screens on which these gems are hung    
attract fully as much as the walls with 
their more ambitious freight2 and       
,jenkin's rustic lasses1 and ,topham's  
,irish groups1 and ,alfred ,fripp's     
dark-eyed ,italian monks and ,campagna  
peasants1 are as much gazed at as       
,richardson's sunny landscapes or       
,bentley's breezy seas4  ,five minutes' 
walk takes us to the new society4 ,no   
lack of landscape here2 but it is       
inferior to that in the rival           
institution1 and its attractions are    
eclipsed by ambitious pictures of       
historic or fictitious interest2 the    
scene almost always laid in the         
picturesque streets or rooms of a       

medival city1 and the groups marvels of 
display in the matter of the painting of
 armour1 arms1 and the gorgeous velvets1
 minivers1 and brocades of feudal grande
 tenue4 ,see ,mr ,edward ,corbould4 ,he 
is sure to be as picturesque and        
chivalrous as possible4 ,there is the   
very ring of the rough old times in his 
caracoling processions of ladies and    
knights1 or his fierce scenes of        
hand-to-hand fight1 with battered       
armour1 and flashing weapons1 and       
wounded men drooping from their steeds4 
,or he paints softer scenes--passages of
 silken dalliance and love2 ladies'     
bowers and courtly revels in alcoved    
gardens4 ,mr ,haghe is equally medival1 
but more sternly and gloomily so4 ,he   
delights in sombre1 old ,flemish rooms1 
with dim lights streaming through narrow
 ,gothic windows1 upon huge             
chimney-pieces and panellings1 incrusted
 with antique figures1 carved in the    
black heart of oak--knights1 and        
squires1 and priests of old4 ,then he   

peoples these shadowy chambers with     
crowds of stern burghers1 or grave      
ecclesiastics1 or soldiers 'armed       
complete in mail2' and so forms striking
 pieces of gloomy picturesqueness4      
,figure-paintings of a lighter calibre  
also abound4 ,there is ,mr ,john        
,absolon1 who is in great request for   
painting figures in panoramic pictures2 
,mr ,lee1 whose graceful rural maidens  
are not to be surpassed3 ,mr ,warren1   
whose heart is ever in the ,east2 and   
,mr ,mole1 who loves the shielings of   
the ,highland hills4 ,landscape1 though 
on the whole subordinate to genre       
pictures1 is very respectably           
represented2 and the lady-artists       
usually make a good show on the screens1
 particularly in the way of graceful    
single figures1 and the prettinesses of 
flower and fruit painting4  ,we can     
merely mention the ,society of ,british 
,artists and the ,national ,institution 
of ,fine ,art4 ,both are mainly composed
 of the natural overgrowth of artists   

who prefer a speedy and favourable      
opportunity for the display of their    
works in minor galleries1 to waiting for
 years and years ere they can work      
themselves up to good positions on the  
walls of the ,academy4 ,many of these   
gentlemen1 however1 exhibit both in the 
smaller and the greater collection2 but 
here and there an artist will be found  
obstinately confining his contributions 
to one pet establishment--possibly      
entertaining a notion that he has been  
deeply wronged by the ,hanging          
,committee of another4  ,both of the    
exhibitions under notice are very       
various in merit2 but each generally    
contains some able works1 and the       
specialties of one or two painters      
distinguished by notable peculiarities4 
,thus the president of the ,british     
,artists1 ,mr ,hurlstone1 has for       
several seasons confined himself to     
,spanish subjects2 ,mr ,west paints     
,norwegian landscape2 ,mr ,pyne sends to
 this gallery only his very splendid    

lake-pictures2 and ,mr ,woolmer's       
curious sketches1 which seem compounded 
of the styles of ,turner and ,watteau1  
blaze almost exclusively upon the walls4
 ,the best men of the ,national         
,institution contribute also to the     
,royal ,academy--as1 for example1 ,mr   
,glass1 with his capital groups of      
hunters or troopers1 so full of life and
 movement2 and ,mr ,parker1 with his    
smugglers and coast-boatmen4 ,in this   
exhibition--and1 indeed1 in all the     
,london exhibitions--a family1 or rather
 a race or clan of artists1 connected at
 once by blood and style1 and rejoicing 
in the name of ,williams1 abound and    
flourish exceedingly4 ,these ,williamses
 are dreadful puzzlers to the students  
of the catalogue2 they positively swarm 
upon every page1 and the bewildered     
reader is speedily lost in a perfect    
chaos of undistinguishable initials4    
,sometimes1 indeed1 the ,williamses come
 forth under other appellations--they   
appear as ,percies and ,gilberts2 but   

the distinguishing mark is strong1 and a
 moment's inspection convinces the      
amateur that the landscape before him1  
attributed to ,mr ,so-and-so1 is the    
work of 'another of these everlasting   
,williamses4'  ,but the first ,saturday 
of ,may arrives1 and with it many a     
rumour1 true and false1 of the state of 
matters within the ,royal ,academy--of  
the academicians who exhibit1 and of    
what are to be 'the' pictures4 ,from    
early morning1 ,st ,martin's bells have 
been ringing1 and a festival flag flies 
from the steeple2 no great pomp1 to be  
sure1 but it marks the occasion4 ,about 
noon1 the ,queen's party arrives1 and   
,her ,majesty is conducted about the    
rooms by the leading members of the     
,academy4 ,between one and two1 she     
departs2 and immediately after1 the     
crowd of ticket-holders for the private 
view cluster before the closed gratings4
 ,punctually as the last stroke of the  
hour strikes1 the portals are flung     
open1 and a cataract of eager amateurs  

rush up the staircases1 and make their  
way straight to the inner room1 or room 
of honour1 all in quest of the picture1 
to which the pas has been given1 by its 
being hung upon the line in the centre  
of the eastern wall of the apartment4   
,the salons fill as by magic2 in half an
 hour1 you can hardly move through a    
crowd of dignitaries of all             
kinds--hereditary1 social1 literary1    
scientific1 and artistic4 ,perhaps1     
indeed1 there is no muster in ,london   
which collects a greater number of      
personages famous in every point of     
view4 ,the ladies of the aristocracy    
swarm as at a drawing-room4 ,the        
atmosphere is all one rustle of laces   
and silks2 and it is anything but easy  
to make one's way among the bevies of   
clustered beauties who flock round their
 chaperone1 all one flutter of ribbons1 
feathers1 and flowers4 ,and to the      
,academy1 at all events1 come all manner
 of political notabilities3 you find a  
secretary of state by your elbow1 and   

catch the muttered criticism of a       
prime-minister4 ,ordinary peers and     
members of parliament are thicker than  
blackberries4 ,bishops prevail as usual2
 and apropos of ecclesiastical costumes1
 peculiar looped-up beavers and         
single-breasted greatcoats1 the odds    
are1 that you will be attracted by the  
portly figure and not very refined face 
of the ,romish dignitary whose          
pretensions1 a couple of years ago1 set 
the country in a blaze4 ,the muster of  
literary men is large and brilliant4 ,mr
 ,hallam is most likely there as        
,professor of ,ancient ,history to the  
,academy2 and ,mr ,macaulay as          
,professor of ,ancient ,literature4 ,sir
 ,george ,staunton puts in an appearance
 as ,secretary for ,foreign             
,correspondence2 and blooming ,sir      
,robert ,harry ,inglis1 with the largest
 of roses at his button-hole1 looks the 
most genial and good-humoured of        
'antiquaries4' ,the ,academicians--lucky
 ,forty6--muster early4 ,happy fellows6 

they have no qualms of doubt1 or        
sick-agonies of expectation as they     
mount the broad flight of steps4 ,they  
have been giving hints to the ,hanging  
,committee1 or they have been on the    
,hanging ,committee themselves4 ,well   
they know that their works have been at 
least provided for--all on the line1 or 
near it2 all in the best lights2 and all
 titivated and polished up and varnished
 on the walls1 and adapted1 as it were1 
to the situation4 ,you may know an ,r4  
,a4 on the private view-day by the      
broad1 expanding jollity of his visage1 
if he be a man of that stamp1 or by a   
certain quiet1 self-satisfied smile of  
self-complacence1 if he be a man of     
another4  ,but he looks and bears       
himself as a host4 ,he cicerones        
delighted parties of lady-friends with  
his face all one smile of courtesy1 or  
he does the honours with dignity and a  
lofty sense of--we do not speak         
disrespectfully--of being on his own    
dunghill1 in respect to the more        

important exigeant connoisseurs1 whom he
 thinks it right to patronise4 ,he      
always praises his brethren's works1 and
 discovers in them hidden virtues4 ,for 
the ,associates1 he has minor smiles and
 milder words4 ,the ordinary mob of     
exhibiters he looks down upon with a    
calm and complacent gaze1 as though from
 the summit of a ,mont ,blanc of        
superiority4 ,at any bold defier of the 
conventions and traditions of the       
,academy drawing-school1 he shakes his  
head4 ,the pre-,raphaelite heresy was a 
sore affliction to him4 ,he looked upon 
,millais and ,hunt as a ,low-church     
bishop would regard ,newman and ,pusey4 
,he prophesied that they would come to  
no good4 ,he called them 'silly boys2'  
and he looks uneasily at the crowds who 
throng before this year's picture of the
 ,huguenot ,couple--not recovering his  
self-complacency until his eye catches  
his own favourite work1 when he feels   
himself gradually mollified1 and smiles 
anew upon the world4  ,not so the       

nameless artist1 whose work of many     
toiling days1 and many sleepless nights1
 has been sent in unprotected to take   
its chance4 ,he knows nothing of its    
fate until he can get a catalogue4 ,it  
may be on the line in the east room2 it 
may be above the octagon-room door2 it  
may not be hung at all4 ,only the great 
artistic guns are invited to the private
 view1 the rest must wait till ,monday4 
,possibly a stray catalogue puts him so 
far out of his pain on ,sunday4 ,if not1
 he passes a feverish and unhappy time  
till the afternoon of ,monday2 and then1
 first among the crowd1 rushes franticly
 up stairs4 ,we had an opportunity the  
other day of seeing the result of a case
 of the kind4 ,the picture--a work of   
great fancy and high feeling1 but       
deficient in manipulative skill--the    
artist1 a poet in the true sense of the 
word1 had spent months in dreaming and  
in joying over4 ,he found it in the     
dingiest corner of the octagon-room4    
,his lip quivered and his chest heaved4 

,he pulled his hat further down on his  
face1 and walked quickly and quietly    
out4  ,we would gladly1 indeed1 see the 
octagon-room abolished4 ,a picture is   
degraded1 and an artist is insulted1 by 
a painting being hung in this darksome  
and 'condemned cell4' ,the canvas gets a
 'jail-bird' stamp1 and its character is
 gone4 ,in ,france1 at the              
,palais-,royal1 the young artists have a
 far better chance4 ,after a stated     
time1 the pictures1 which1 as the best  
have primarily had the best places1     
change stations with their inferiors2 so
 that everybody in turn enjoys the      
advantages of the brightest lights and  
the most favourable points of view4  ,no
 need1 of course1 of attempting even the
 most summary sketch of the styles and  
ordinary subjects of the great painters 
who bear aloft the banner of the        
,british school of art--of ,landseer's  
glimpses of the ,highlands2 or          
,stanfield's skyey1 breezy landscapes2  
of the quiet pieces of ,english rural   

scenery--meadows1 and woodland glades1  
and river bits1 fresh and rich1 and     
green and natural--of our ,lees1 our    
,creswicks1 our ,coopers1 our           
,witheringtons1 our ,redgraves1 our     
,ausdills2 of the classic elegance and  
elevated sentiment of groups by our     
,dyces and our ,eastlakes2 of the       
abundance of clever genre               
subjects--scenes from history or        
romance--poured in by our ,wards1 our   
,friths1 our ,pooles1 our ,elmores1 our 
,eggs2 or of--last1 not least--the      
strange but clever vagaries of that new 
school1 the pre-,raphaelites1 who are   
startling both ,academy and public by   
the quaintness of their art-theories1   
and the vehement intensity of their     
style of execution4 ,all the summer     
long1 the world is free to go and gaze  
upon them4 ,all the summer long1 the    
salons are crowded from morning till    
night--in the earlier hours1 by artists 
and conscientious amateurs1 the humbler 
sort of folks1 who have daily work to   

do2 in the later1 by our old friends1   
the staring1 insouciant1 lounging1      
fashionable mob1 whose carriages and    
,broughams go creeping lazily round and 
round ,trafalgar ,square4 ,and at       
parties and balls1 and all such         
reunions1 the exhibition forms a main   
topic of discourse4 ,bashful gentlemen  
know it for a blessing4 ,often and often
 does it serve as a most creditable     
lever to break the ice with4 ,the       
newspapers long resound with critical   
columns apropos of ,trafalgar ,square4  
,you see 'sixth notice' attached to a   
formidable mass of print1 and read on1  
or pass on1 as you please4 ,but you     
distinctly observe1 at any rate1 the    
social and conversational1 as well as   
the artistic importance of the ,royal   
,academy2 and you confess1 that a       
,london season would be shorn of its    
brightest feature if you shut the gates 
of the ,national ,gallery4              
,a4 ,b4 ,r4   ,,footnotes3  #a          
,associates ,royal ,academy1 and ,royal 

,academicians4     ,,bill ,,williams3   
,a ,,story ,,of ,,california4   ,it was 
in the first flush of the ,californian  
fever1 when moderate people talked of   
making one's fortune in a fortnight1 and
 the more sanguine believed that golden 
pokers would soon become rather common1 
that the ,betsy ,jones from ,london to  
,new ,zealand1 with myself on board as a
 passenger1 dropped anchor in the bay of
 ,san ,francisco1 and master and man    
turned out for the diggings4 ,it is my  
impression that not a soul remained on  
board but the surgeon1 who was sick1 and
 the negro cook1 who wouldn't leave him2
 and the first man ,i met on the deck of
 the ,go-,ahead steamer1 which took as  
up to ,sacramento1 was our enterprising 
captain1 clad in a canvas jacket and    
trousers1 with the gold-washing         
apparatus1 two shirts1 and a tin kettle1
 slung at his back4 ,the crew followed  
his example1 and all the passengers4    
,the latter were some thirty men1 from  
every corner of ,britain1 and of various

 birth and breeding4 ,there were        
industrious farm-servants and           
spendthrift sons of gentlemen among     
them4 ,some had sailed with money1 to   
purchase land in the southern colony1   
some were provided only with their hopes
 and sinews2 but ,california was an     
irresistible temptation to them all1 and
 by general desire1 they had come to try
 their luck at the washing4 ,we had mere
 boys and men of grizzling hair in our  
company4 ,two were married1 but they    
wisely left their wives in ,san         
,francisco1 where1 having brought with  
them some spare blankets and crockery1  
the ladies improvised a boarding-house1 
and ,i believe realised more than their 
wandering lords4 ,nevertheless1 we1 one 
and all1 went up the broad river with   
loftier expectations than the prudent   
among us cared to make public4  ,there  
was one who made no secret of his hopes4
 ,the man's name was ,bill ,williams4 ,i
 had had a loose acquaintance with ,bill
 from school-time1 for we had been      

brought up in the same good town of     
,manchester1 where his father was a     
respectable tradesman1 and his three    
brothers were still in business4 ,many a
 town and many a trade had ,bill tried  
to little purpose4 ,never doing what his
 relatives could call well1 he had gone 
through a series of failures1 which     
tired out both kinsmen and creditors1   
and at length shipped for ,new ,zealand1
 leaving a wife and seven children to   
the care of the said three brothers1    
till he should see how the climate      
agreed with him1 and find a home for    
them4 ,bill did not belong to the       
extended fraternity of scapegraces4 ,he 
was neither wild nor worthless1 in the  
ordinary sense of those terms1 but there
 was a faith in him1 the origin of which
 baffled his most penetrating friends1  
that he was to get money somehow without
 working for it by any of the common    
methods4 ,unlike many a professor of    
better principles1 ,bill had carried    
that faith into practice4 ,under its    

influence1 he had engaged in every      
scheme for making fortunes with         
incredible rapidity which coffee-house  
acquaintances or advertising sheets     
brought to his knowledge4 ,there was not
 a banking bubble by which he had not   
lost1 nor a mining company of vast      
promise and brief existence in which he 
had not held shares4 ,uncompromisingly  
averse to the jog-trot work of ordinary 
mortals4 ,bill was neither indolent nor 
timid in his own peculiar fashion of    
seeking riches4 ,he would have gone up  
in a balloon to any height1 or down in a
 diving-bell to depths yet unsounded1   
had the promise been large enough2 and  
there was something so suitable to his  
inclinations in the ,californian        
reports1 that he was the prime mover of 
our visit to ,san ,francisco1 and the   
entire desertion of the ship4 ,strange  
to say1 every man on board believed in  
,bill2 from the captain to the          
cabin-boy1 they had all listened to his 
tales4 ,where he had learned such a     

number1 fortune knows1 concerning found 
treasures1 and wealth suddenly obtained 
by unexpected and rather impracticable  
ways4 ,that was the whole circle of     
,bill's literature1 and going over it   
appeared his chief joy2 but the gem of  
the collection was a prophecy which a   
gipsy woman1 whom his mother met once in
 a country excursion1 had uttered       
concerning himself--that he should find 
riches he never wrought for1 and leave a
 great fortune behind him4 ,in the faith
 of that prediction ,bill had lived2 and
 it was a curious illustration of the   
sympathetic force inherent in a firm    
belief1 that both passengers and seamen1
 even those who affected to laugh at the
 rest of what they called his wonderful 
yarns1 entertained a secret conviction  
in favour of that tale1 and felt secure 
of gold-gathering in ,bill's company4   
,i am not certain that my own mind was  
entirely clear of a similar impression1 
but the two among us who contemned      
loudest and believed most devoutly1 were

 the captain and his mate4 ,they were   
brothers1 and of ,jewish parentage2 the 
rest of the family still hang about an  
old-clothes and dyeing establishment in 
the neighbourhood of ,houndsditch4 ,i   
made that discovery by an accidental    
glance at a torn and mislaid letter     
before we left the ,thames1 and thought 
proper to reserve it for private        
meditation4 ,the relationship of the two
 was kept a profound secret1 for reasons
 best known to themselves2 but to the   
eye at least it was revealed by their   
striking resemblance1 both being small1 
spare1 dingy-complexioned men1 with     
keen1 cunning eyes1 and faces that      
looked as hard and sharp as steel4 ,ever
 since they first heard of the prophecy1
 they had half ridiculed1 half          
flattered1 and kept remarkably familiar 
with ,bill4 ,that familiarity rather    
increased as we went up the ,sacramento4
 ,a goodly number we made on the deck of
 the ,go-,ahead1 our only place of      
accommodation2 and at length we reached 

the new town1 the golden city1 which    
takes its name from the river1          
christened in old times of ,spanish     
voyaging by some discoverer for his     
,catholic majesty1 and which was to be  
the metropolis of the diggings4 ,when ,i
 first saw it1 it consisted of some     
hundred huts and tents1 a large         
frame-house1 in which an advertising    
board informed us there was an ordinary1
 a gaming-table1 and all manner of      
spirits2 and a timber wharf1 somewhat   
temporarily put together1 at which we   
landed4 ,yet the city was rising1 as    
cities rise only in the western         
hemisphere3 broad streets and squares   
were marked out2 building was going     
forward on all sides2 while             
bullock-wagons1 canoes1 and steamers1   
brought materials by land and water4    
,the enterprise and vagrancy of all     
nations were there1 as we had seen them 
at ,san ,francisco2 and those not       
engaged in building the town1 were going
 off in caravans to the gold-gathering4 

,we fraternised with a company of       
,americans1 who said they knew 'a bluff 
that flogged creation for the real      
metal1' and sold us two spare tents and 
a wagon1 at a price marvellous to ask or
 pay4 ,our journey was not far4 ,it led 
along the course of the ,sacramento1 and
 towards evening we came in sight of the
 diggings4 ,a strange sight it was for  
one accustomed to ,london streets and   
shops4 ,the ,sacramento runs through a  
great inclined plane1 sloping from the  
hill-country to the sea4 ,here and      
there1 it is covered with low coppice or
 underwood2 but the greater part is bare
 and sandy1 or sprinkled over with thin1
 dry waving grass4 ,as far as the eye   
could reach upon the plain1 and up the  
river-banks1 the smoke of fires was     
rising from hut1 tent1 and upturned     
wagon1 which served for temporary       
dwellings4 ,groups of men were hard at  
work in small trenches1 and numbers more
 stood with pan and cradle1 washing out 
the gold in the shallow creeks of the   

river4 ',our location1' as the          
,americans called it1 was an earthy     
promontory jutting far out into the     
water4 ,close by its landward base we   
pitched our tents1 turned up our        
wagon--the bullocks that brought it     
belonged to the ,americans1 who promised
 to sell us a share when they were      
killed--and commenced operations4       
,digging out tenacious clay1 and washing
 its sandy particles for minute grains  
of gold1 sleeping under canvas at night1
 and living on half-cooked and not very 
choice provisions1 have little in them  
of interest worth relating4 ,the first  
thing that struck me1 was the silence   
that prevailed among the workers4 ,in a 
district so populous1 scarcely a sound  
was heard from tent1 trench1 or river4  
,caravan after caravan1 as it arrived1  
pitched its tents1 and fell to work in  
the same quiet fashion4 ,a cynical      
character might have attributed this to 
the absence of all feminine faces1 for  
in my time there was not a woman at the 

diggings4 ,incredible as it may seem to 
the fair ones themselves1 they were not 
missed2 but nobody missed anything      
except gold4 ,relations parted2 old     
comrades left each other with scarcely a
 leave--taking in search of better      
gatherings2 our ,american friends began 
to get tired of the bluff that flogged  
creation2 for although we were getting  
gold1 it was but little1 and the more   
impatient spirits of our company        
departed with them to find another4  ,i 
wondered that ,bill did not join their  
company4 ,he was long ago weary of      
gold-washing2 the work was too regular1 
and the returns far too slow for him4   
,he used to declare that shopkeeping was
 better2 and it is probable that most of
 us had similar convictions regarding   
the vocations we had left in ,britain2  
but except occasionally cooking for the 
rest1 smoking the tobacco he had        
providently brought with him1 and       
suggesting wild projects of digging down
 the bluff1 and dredging the river for  

lamps of gold1 which1 he said1 all the  
grains we found came off1 ,bill at last 
did nothing at all4 ,with hard labour   
and harder fare1 we had collected some  
of us more and some less of the precious
 dust2 but nobody's fortune was yet     
made1 and the rainy season set in4  ,the
 heavy rains confined us for days to the
 shelter of tent and wagon2 but the days
 were nothing to the nights1 which on   
the banks of the ,sacramento are almost 
equinoctial throughout the year2 and we 
had neither coal nor candle4 ,all the   
fuel that could be found was rather too 
little for culinary purposes4           
,concerning the rest of our comforts1   
there is no use in being particular2 but
 at intervals between the drowning      
showers1 we were willing enough to come 
out and work1 though the muddy soil and 
the swollen river made our labour still 
harder1 and our profits less4 ,the best 
service was done us by an honest        
,paisley weaver1 who had left his       
helpmate and two children at ,san       

,francisco1 in hopes of taking back1    
quite full1 a strong chest1 of some two 
hundredweight capacity1 which he had    
brought with infinite pains to the      
diggings4 ,he enlivened our wet leisure 
by repeating whole volumes of ,burns and
 ,scott4 ,bill also returned to his     
wonderful stories1 though the captain   
and mate sneered at them more than ever2
 indeed1 they were by far the most      
discontented of the company1 and an     
unaccountable sort of distrust seemed   
growing between them and ,bill4 ,at     
length1 fever and ague began to thin the
 ranks of the gold-seekers2 we saw the  
working-parties around us diminish day  
by day1 and graves dug in the shadows of
 the low coppice4 ,our company kept lip 
amazingly1 perhaps because1 according to
 the captain's counsel1 we held but     
little communication with other workers2
 but the want of the buffalo-meat1 which
 the ,indian traders were accustomed to 
bring1 was much felt among us2 and one  
day less rainy than usual1 ,bill        

,williams1 as the idlest1 was sent up   
the river's bank1 on their wonted track1
 to look out for their coming4 ,the rest
 were busy1 and did not miss him2 but ,i
 thought he stayed long4 ,the sky became
 unusually dark2 great clouds floated   
over us from the west1 and then broke   
with a sudden thunder-crash1 which was  
renewed every five minutes with such    
rain and lightning as ,i had never seen4
 ,we ran to our tents1 and1 when fairly 
sheltered1 ,bill also arrived1 wet to   
the skin1 out of breath1 and looking    
terribly frightened4 ,he said1 hastily1 
that he had seen nothing1 and no word of
 the ,indians2 but the poor fellow began
 to shiver as he spoke1 and before      
evening the fever was strong upon him4  
,to keep the rest safe1 he was quartered
 alone in a small hut which the         
,americans had left us4 ,it was a poor  
shelter1 being built of turf1 and roofed
 with boughs and grass1 but as good as  
any we had4 ,there was no surgeon among 
us1 and handing him food or drink was   

deemed a perilous business2 but all his 
comrades had a sort of a liking for     
,bill1 and1 besides1 he was regarded as 
the palladium of the party4 ,the fever  
was not violent1 though ,bill raved at  
times1 and all his wanderings were after
 gold4 ,i have heard him talk for       
half-hours together in a loud whisper1  
as if communicating a secret to some    
very dull car1 concerning a pool among  
rocks1 with glistening sands1 and       
something shining far down in a crevice4
 ,he was restless1 too1 and kept looking
 out on the track of the ,indians after 
they had come and gone4 ,one evening ,i 
observed him particularly so4 ,the night
 fell with heavy rain2 we all took early
 to shelter1 and slept so soundly1 that 
,bill was forgotten among us2 but in the
 morning we found him lying wrapped in  
his blanket1 as thoroughly wet as if he 
had been dipped in the river1 while the 
hut remained quite dry4 ,where he had   
been1 or under what illusion of the     
fever1 we could not learn1 for he never 

spoke a rational word after4 ,the wet   
and exposure increased his malady       
tenfold4 ,he became fiercely delirious1 
and struck at whoever approached him1   
swearing he would let nobody kill him   
for his gold4 ,the captain warned us    
all1 that this was the most dangerous   
time for infection2 but ,i saw that he  
and his brother had got wind of         
something1 for their eyes were never off
 the hut4  ,towards the second evening1 
,bill grew worse1 his ravings became    
faint and low1 and he lay gathered up on
 a corner of his mattress4 ,i had placed
 a pitcher of water as near him as      
possible1 escaping by chance a blow     
which the poor soul struck at me in his 
feverish fury2 but ,i could not help    
thinking of him when we had all gone to 
rest4 ,the night was so still1 that ,i  
could hear the rush of the river and the
 cries of the night-hawks on its        
opposite bank2 but being unable to      
sleep1 ,i crept out of the tent1 and    
looked to ,bill's hut4 ,a smothered     

sound of scuffling came from that       
direction1 and stepping nearer1 ,i saw  
by the rising moon1 which just then     
shone with extraordinary brightness1 two
 men struggling1 as it seemed for life1 
in the narrow space between ,bill's bed 
and the door4  ',if you don't give me   
the full half1 ,i'll tell them all1'    
said the voice of the captain's brother2
 but almost as he spoke1 his antagonist 
threw him heavily back4 ,i knew it was  
upon poor ,williams1 for a low moan     
reached my ear1 and ,i sprang forward   
just in time to intercept the victor1   
who stumbled over me as he rushed out1  
and a heavy bag rolled from him4 ,the   
next moment the other was at my side1   
and ,i stood face to face with the      
captain and his brother in the broad    
moonlight4 ,the bag for which they had  
sneaked1 and sinned1 and scuffled1 had  
burst by the fall1 and its              
contents--stones1 gravel1 and sand1 with
 some small sparkles of gold-dust       
amongst them--were scattered at my feet4

 ,both stood stupefied1 and ,i stepped  
into the hut2 but ,bill was dead1 and   
growing cold1 with his stiff hands      
stretched out1 as if clutching at       
something1 and a wild expression of pain
 and anger in the ghastly face1 which   
lay turned up to the moon4 ,her light   
filled the hut1 and lay upon plain1 and 
tent1 and river4 ,it was a glorious     
night1 such as sometimes shines in the  
gold-country4 ,i woke up my comrades1   
and told them what ,i had seen1 but they
 all said3 ',poor ,bill6 ,how could they
 help it8 and it was a good thing that  
the captain and his chum had been       
disappointed2' upon which every man     
composed himself again to sleep4  ,next 
morning1 the captain and mate were gone 
with all their traps1 having joined1 as 
we afterwards heard1 a company returning
 to ,san ,francisco4 ,we laid ,bill     
beside the gold-seekers who rested in   
the coppice1 and our company broke up1  
and scattered away3 some settled at ,san
 ,francisco2 some went to the ,united   

,states2 and ,i1 having collected       
through so many hardships almost a pound
 of dust1 returned to the employment ,i 
had left in ,london with such high      
contempt4 ,from an old comrade1 however1
 still located at the diggings1 ,i heard
 by letter that a party of ,americans   
had made a great discovery of gold among
 some rocks in a creek of the           
,sacramento1 and that they had found1   
sticking fast in a crevice close by1 a  
small spade marked with the name of     
,bill ,williams1 which the poor fellow  
had cut on the handle1 as ,i well       
remembered1 in one of his many idle     
hours4 ,this explained to me ,bill's    
long absence when he went to look for   
the ,indians1 his after-anxiety1 and    
where he had been in the delirium of the
 fever1 filling up that canvas bag which
 so fatally deceived the captain and his
 brother4 ,the last ,i heard of these   
worthies was1 that they had gone to the 
diggings in ,australia2 and ,i never see
 gold in any shape without a            

recollection of their disappointment1   
and my own experiences in ,california4  
,,hygienic ,,change ,,of ,,air4   ,the  
age of hygiene is rapidly approaching1  
when the exhibition of drugs will be the
 exception instead of the rule in       
medical treatment4 ,for this reason1 the
 effect of climate on disease is rising 
into a subject of first-rate importance1
 and1 no longer a prejudice or a        
tradition1 submits to the investigations
 of science4 ,the chief recent writers  
on what we already presume to call      
climatology1 are ,sir ,james ,clark in  
,england1 ,schouw in ,sweden1 and       
,carrire in ,france2 and now there comes
 ,dr ,burgess1 armed with the united    
authority of these physicians1 and with 
his own experience1 to indoctrinate the 
public as well as the profession4 ,his  
book is of moderate size and price1 and 
we recommend it to all invalids1 whether
 they are able to travel abroad1 or are 
confined by circumstances to their own  
country2 but in the meantime1 as the    

subject is both new and interesting to  
general readers1 we propose giving them 
an inkling of what it contains4#b  ,we  
do not mean that the subject of climate 
is new in itself3 it is only new in its 
treatment4 ,we have all1 from our       
earliest youth1 heard of the effects of 
climate2 we have all been brought up to 
believe in certain foreign places2 and  
we have all observed that               
when--consumption1 for                  
instance--approaches its last stage     
7rarely before71 it is shipped off1 as a
 matter of course1 for ,italy or the    
south of ,france4 ,and1 alas6 we have   
all heard from the wan lips of the      
stricken one excluded by poverty from   
the privilege of foreign travel3 ',if ,i
 could but get to a warm climate1 ,i    
should live6' ,such notions1 right or   
wrong1 depended exclusively upon habit  
or prejudice4 ,experience had no effect 
upon them1 any more than it had upon the
 orthodox course of medicines which     
entitled the death of a patient to be   

considered professionally legitimate4   
,sometimes1 indeed1 the venue was       
changed1 and one place became more      
fashionable than another to die in4     
,here the group of ,english tombs grew  
gray and ancient1 and there a new city  
of the silent sprang up with the        
suddenness of an ,american emporium4    
,but still the cry was3 ',a warm        
climate6 ,give us ,italy1 or we perish6'
  ,but we need not say the cry was3 it  
continues to this moment4 ,such         
impressions are long of being dispelled2
 it takes a great many years for the    
voice of doubt even to reach completely 
the public ear2 and we think it a       
privilege to be able to take such       
advantage of our wide circulation as    
will give repining invalids to          
understand1 that the advantages of a    
foreign climate are closely limited by  
one portion of the profession1 and      
considered by another portion as highly 
problematical1 if not entirely          
visionary4 ,this applies1 however1      

mainly to consumption2 for the          
advantages of the climatic change are   
seldom denied in dyspepsy1 rheumatism1  
scrofula1 and the tribe of nervous      
diseases4 ,even in these1 however1 the  
locality chosen is rarely a proper one4 
,there are countries which1 if they     
could only obtain the stamp of fashion1 
would be invaluable to the invalid4     
',the climate of ,norway1 for example1' 
says ,dr ,burgess1 'is admirably suited1
 during several months of the year1     
between the middle of ,may and the      
middle of ,september1 for certain forms 
of dyspepsy1 lesions of the nervous     
system affecting the mind1 or that form 
of general innervation which results    
from an overwrought brain1 and diseases 
of repletion4 ,but ,norway is little    
frequented1 because it is not           
fashionable1 although it would be       
difficult to point out a more           
appropriate occasional residence for the
 numerous class of invalids just        
mentioned1 than ,christiania1 with its  

picturesque environs1 sublime scenery1  
and clear and rarefied atmosphere4'     
,the non-professional predilection in   
favour of a warm climate for            
consumption1 may be referred1 we        
suspect1 to the analogy that exists     
between the earlier stages of that      
disease and those of a common cold4 ,in 
fact1 in most cases in this country1    
consumption is for a long time styled a 
cold2 then it becomes a bad cold2 then a
 worse2 till it is impossible to        
withhold from it the more formidable    
name4 ,a cold1 however1 it should be    
considered1 occurs as frequently in     
summer as in winter2 and in neither is  
it owing to the temperature1 whether    
high or low1 but to the atmospheric     
changes4 ,the warmer the weather is1 the
 greater will be the morbific effect of 
a cold draught of air4 ,that a warm     
climate in itself is neither prevention 
nor cure in consumption1 may be inferred
 from the prevalence of the complaint in
 all latitudes4 ,in ,india and in       

,africa it is as rife as in any part of 
,europe4 ,by the ,army ,reports from    
,malta1 we find that upwards of #cj per 
cent4 of the whole number of deaths     
throughout the year is caused by        
phthisis4 ,in ,madeira1 according to ,dr
 ,heineken1 ,dr ,gourlay1 and ,dr       
,mason1 no disease is more common among 
the natives than pulmonary consumption4 
,at ,nice1 it is stated by ,dr ,meryon1 
more natives die annually of consumption
 than in any town in ,england of the    
same amount of population4 ,in ,genoa1  
one of the most prevalent and fatal of  
the indigenous diseases is pulmonary    
consumption4 ,in ,florence1 pneumonia is
 marked by a suffocating character1 and 
rapid progress towards its last stage4  
,in ,naples1 #a death from consumption  
occurs in a mortality of #b-a_/c2 while 
in the hospitals of ,paris1 where       
phthisis is notoriously prevalent1 the  
proportion is only #a in #c-a_/d4 ,in   
short1 in all the celebrated sanatoria  
to which we fly for relief1 we find the 

disease as firmly established as at     
home4  ,if we examine the analogies     
presented by the history of the inferior
 animals1 we find no argument in favour 
of a foreign climate4 ,the fishes1      
birds1 and wild beasts of one region1   
die in another4 ',man1 although endowed 
in a remarkable degree1 and more so than
 any other animal1 with the faculty of  
enduring such unnatural transitions1    
nevertheless becomes sensible of their  
injurious results4 ,for familiar        
illustrations of this influence1 we have
 only to look to the broken-down        
constitutions of our ,indian officers1  
or to the emaciated frame of the        
shivering ,hindoo who sweeps the        
crossings of the streets of ,london4    
,the child of the ,european1 although   
born in ,india1 must be sent home in    
early life to the climate of his        
ancestors1 or to one closely resembling 
it1 in order to escape incurable        
disease1 if not premature death4 ,again1
 the offspring of ,asiatics born in this

 country pine and dwindle into one or   
other of the twin cachexi--scrofula and 
consumption2 and1 if the individual     
survives1 lives in a state of passive   
existence1 stunted in growth1 and       
incapable of enduring fatigue4 ,if such 
extreme changes of climate prove        
obnoxious to the health of individuals  
having naturally a sound constitution1  
how are we to expect persons in a state 
of organic disease to be thereby        
benefited8 ,in fact1 view the subject in
 whatever light we may1 we must         
eventually arrive at the natural and    
rational conclusion--that nature has    
adapted the constitution of man to the  
climate of his ancestors4 ,the accident 
of birth does not constitute the title  
to any given climate4 ,the natural      
climate of man is that in which not only
 he himself was born1 but likewise his  
blood-relations for several generations4
 ,this is his natural climate1 as well  
in health as when his constitution is   
broken down by positive disease1 or     

unhinged by long-continued neglect of   
the common rules of hygiene4' ,it is ,dr
 ,burgess's theory1 therefore1 that when
 change is necessary1 a modification of 
the patient's own climate--that is to   
say1 change of air in the same          
climate--is more in accordance with the 
laws of nature1 and more likely to      
effect good1 than a violent transition  
to warmer countries4  ,with regard to   
the curability of this disease1 there is
 now1 we believe1 no doubt of the fact1 
although1 unfortunately the process has 
not yet come completely into the hands  
of the physician4 ,that a cure has      
frequently taken place1 somehow or      
other1 even in advanced stages of       
pulmonary consumption1 has been         
demonstrated by post-mortem             
examinations2 but nature herself seems1 
in these cases1 to have been her own    
doctor1 for no mode of treatment of     
general applicability has been          
discovered4 ,some think that the        
progress of tubercles may be arrested in

 the first stage--others1 that nothing  
can be effected till the second4 ,some  
resort to the water-cure--others1 to the
 still more marvellous ,spanish baths of
 ,panticosa2 and others1 again1 swear by
 cod-liver oil4 ,as to the last remedy1 
our author quotes the statements of ,dr 
,williams1 'that the pure fresh oil from
 the liver of the cod is more beneficial
 in the treatment of pulmonary          
consumption than any agent1 medicinal1  
dietetic1 or regimenal1 that has yet    
been employed4 ,out of #bcd cases       
carefully recorded1 the oil disagreed1  
and was discontinued1 in only #i        
instances4 ,in #ai1 although taken1 it  
appeared to do no good2 whilst in the   
larger proportion of #bjf out of #bcd1  
its use was followed by marked and      
unequivocal improvement--this           
improvement varying in degree in        
different cases1 from a temporary       
retardation of the progress of the      
disease1 and a mitigation of distressing
 symptoms1 up to a more or less complete

 restoration to apparent health4 ,the   
most numerous examples of decided and   
lasting improvement1 amounting to nearly
 #ajj1 have occurred in patients in the 
second stage of the disease1 in which   
the tuberculous deposits begin to       
undergo the process of softening4 ,the  
most striking instance of the beneficial
 operation of cod-liver oil in phthisis1
 is to be found in cases in the third   
stage--even those far advanced1 where   
consumption has not only excavated the  
lungs1 but is rapidly wasting the whole 
body with copious purulent              
expectoration1 hectic1 night-sweats1    
colliquative diarrhoea1 and other       
elements of that destructive process by 
which1 in a few weeks1 the finest and   
fairest of the human family may be sunk 
to the grave4 ,the power of staying the 
demon of destruction sometimes displayed
 by the cod-liver oil is marvellous4'   
,dr ,burgess1 however1 although         
witnessing the same results even in     
far-gone cases1 limits their duration to

 a year or eighteen months1 after which 
the medicine lost its effect4 ,although 
the oil1 therefore1 is serviceable      
through the process of nutrition1 he    
considers it no specific1 and concludes 
on the subject thus3 ',all that our     
present knowledge enables us to state   
positively on the subject is this3      
cod-liver oil is the most effectual stay
 to the progress of consumption1 in a   
great majority of cases1 that we        
possess2 this salutary action is not    
always lasting1 and there are cases in  
which its administration cannot be      
borne1 and others in which it produces  
no good effects whatever4 ,in those     
cases in which the stomach rejects the  
pure oil1 if it be given in combination 
with phosphoric acid1 it will generally 
be borne easily1 and the acid will      
assist the tonic action of the oil4'    
,the non-professional notion respecting 
the curative powers of climate is1 that 
by breathing a mild and soothing        
atmosphere1 the phthisical patient      

withdraws irritation1 and leaves nature 
at liberty to effect her own cure4 ,but 
this1 it seems1 is entirely erroneous1  
inasmuch as it is through the skin1 not 
the lungs1 that a warm climate acts     
beneficially4 ,when an atmospheric      
change takes place so as to produce a   
chill1 'whereby the cutaneous           
transpiration is instantly checked1 the 
skin then becomes dry and hard1 so that 
the respiratory organs suffer from the  
excessive action they now undergo1 for  
the matter of transpiration must be     
eliminated through the lungs if the     
action of the skin be interrupted4'     
,this is illustrated by the             
instantaneous relief usually afforded by
 free perspiration in cases where       
difficult breathing and oppression of   
the chest have been occasioned by       
artificial heat4 ,what really soothes1  
therefore1 is equability of climate1 not
 high temperature4 ,some authors even   
think that a cold climate is more       
suitable for consumption than a warm    

one1 and point to ,upper ,canada1 with  
its pure1 dry1 tonic atmosphere1        
affording hardly any trace of the       
complaint at all4  ,here we might stop1 
as the nature of our work precludes our 
following ,dr ,burgess in his exposition
 of the action of climate on the lungs  
and skin2 but it may be useful1 and at  
any rate amusing1 to trace his          
iconoclastic progress through the       
popular shrines of ,hygiea on the       
continent4  ,malta is a famous resort   
for phthisical patients1 although during
 the winter and spring the weather is   
cold and variable1 and in autumn the    
sirocco is frequent4 ,when a sirocco has
 blown for some days1 it lulls suddenly1
 and is succeeded by an equally strong  
breeze from the north-west1 contrasting 
violently with the former in temperature
 and everything else4 ,the extremes of  
heat and cold are as great here and in  
other places in the ,mediterranean as in
 ,london4 ,in ,malta1 our author saw    
five or six cases of bronchitis1 which  

in a single month terminated in         
incurable phthisis2 and in two cases1   
six weeks only elapsed between the first
 signs of the tuberculous deposit and   
the death of the patients4  ,madeira1 a 
still more popular sanatorium for this  
disease1 is a complete delusion4        
,instead of the climate being           
essentially dry1 it is saturated with   
humidity during a great part of the     
year2 and the peculiar sirocco of the   
place is of a hot1 dry1 irritating      
nature4 ,an intelligent medical author1 
who had resorted to ,madeira for change 
of air1 remarks1 that 'very frequent and
 remarkable variations in a given series
 of years1 incontestably prove that     
,madeira is no more to be relied on than
 any other place for certainty of fine  
weather1 and that it has equally its    
annual variations of temperature4444    
,from what has been stated by writers1 a
 person might be led to believe that    
disease was scarcely known there2 but ,i
 am afraid1 that were the subject       

thoroughly investigated1 as it ought to 
be1 few places would be found where the 
system is more liable to general        
disorder2 while1 at the same time1 ,i   
suspect that the average duration of    
life would turn out to be inferior to   
that of our own country4'  ,our author  
knows no place more unfavourable to     
patients suffering from organic diseases
 of the lungs1 than the far-famed       
sanatoria--,aix and ,montpellier4 ,the  
atmosphere is pure1 but ever and anon   
keen and piercing1 and the bise and     
marin--one cold and cutting1 and the    
other damp--irritate the lungs1 and     
excite coughing4 ,add to this1 that     
,provence is proverbially the land of   
dust1 and1 what is worse1 the land of   
the mistral--a wind from the north-west1
 which carries stones1 men1 and         
carriages before it4 ',for several days 
in spring the climate may no doubt be   
delicious1 although1 however1 always too
 warm about mid-day1 when suddenly the  
mistral1 of evil celebrity1 begins to   

blow4 ,it is difficult to give an       
adequate idea of the change1 or of the  
injurious effects of the climate under  
the influence of this scourge4 ,the same
 sun shines in the same bright blue sky1
 but the temperature is glacial4 ,the   
sun is there only to glare and dazzle1  
and seems to have no more power in      
producing warmth1 than a rushlight      
against the boisterous winds1 which     
chill the very marrow in one's bones4   
,during the prevalence of this wind1 it 
is impossible to stir out of doors      
without getting the mouth and nostrils  
filled with dust4 ,all nature seems     
shrivelled and dried up under its       
baneful influence4'  ,nice1 likewise1 is
 scourged by the mistral1 which there1  
however1 divides its empire with winds  
from the north and north-east4 ',but one
 of the greatest vices characterising   
the climate of ,nice1 if not the        
greatest1 is the remarkable variation of
 temperature noticed between day and    
night--in the sun and in the shade4 ,the

 land or continental winds prevail      
during the night2 the southerly or      
maritime during the day4 ,the former are
 cold and dry2 the latter1 soft and     
humid4 ,as soon1 therefore1 as the      
former subside1 and the sun rises in the
 horizon1 the humidity commences to shew
 itself in the atmosphere2 whilst1 on   
the contrary1 when the diurnal winds    
cease1 and the sun sets1 the above      
hygrometric condition of the air        
disappears4' ,m4 ,carrire cannot        
conceive why our countrymen prefer ,nice
 to a milder climate1 and considers that
 the annual mortality in the ,english   
colony ought to discourage other hectic 
invalids from going thither4  ,central  
,lombardy is1 in general1 characterised 
by marshy swamps poisoning the whole    
atmosphere with their miasmatic         
exhalations4 ,the meteoric influences   
are decidedly cold and variable2 and the
 'extremes of temperature increase in   
proportion as we approach the valleys at
 the foot of the ,central ,alps1        

especially those most distant from the  
,adriatic coast4' ,this climate1 our    
author tells us1 cannot afford more     
benefit to the consumptive than that of 
the fens of ,lincolnshire1 or of the    
marshes of ,holland4 ,brescia1 ,pavia1  
,mantua1 and other ,lombard towns1 also 
share in this character2 and at ,verona1
 ,mr ,b4 ,honan writes1 that of all     
humbugs1 the humbug of an ,italian      
climate is the most intolerable4  ,at   
,genoa1 although the air is pure and    
transparent in fine weather1 it is      
liable to sudden gusts of wind and      
violent transitions dangerous to the    
invalid4  ',in no part of ,england could
 a climate be found more unfavourable   
for consumptive invalids than that of   
,florence1 a town built in a deep       
ravine1 almost surrounded by the        
,apennines1 and intersected by a squalid
 river4444 ,extreme cold in winter1     
great heat in summer1 the prevalence of 
the northerly winds1 the chilling       
effects of which are not always         

neutralised by the antagonistic winds1  
rapid and violent transitions1          
profoundly affecting the system1 even in
 healthy persons2 and combined with     
these violent atmospheric and thermal   
variations are also1 in similar         
proportions1 hygrometric and electric   
ever-changing influences4' ,leghorn1 the
 seaport of ,tuscany1 is built in a sunk
 locality1 in the midst of a marshy     
country4 ,beggars1 galley-slaves1       
assassins1 smugglers1 these are the     
picturesque portions of the inhabitants2
 and the promenade is an arid beach1    
anything but soothing to the respiratory
 organs4 ,the ,english cemetery is a    
touching spectacle1 with its numerous   
monuments of brilliant marble2 among    
which stands conspicuous the tomb of    
,smollett4  ,of ,pisa1 the grand central
 dept of ,italy for foreign consumptive 
patients1 ,dr ,burgess says3 ',the      
excess of humidity and warm temperature 
of the ,pisan climate depress the vital 
force1 induce an overwhelming lassitude1

 and are1 in my opinion1 most           
unfavourable elements in a climate so   
generally recommended for pulmonary     
consumption4 ,whatever effect the humid 
mildness of the air may have in         
diminishing excitability1 and in        
allaying pulmonary irritation in        
patients of a nervous temperament1 it is
 decidedly injurious in those of a      
feeble and lymphatic habit4444 ,the     
delusion of an ,italian climate1 as     
regards the cure or prophylaxis of      
tubercular consumption1 is in no part of
 that country1 so delightful to persons 
in sound health1 more clearly portrayed 
than at far-famed ,pisa4 ,the stagnant  
life1 the death-like silence1 the dreary
 solitude of this dull town1 whatever   
utility these elements may have in      
allaying the restless irritability of   
nervous and excitable patients1 always  
produce serious evils upon those        
consumptive invalids of a melancholy    
turn of mind1 or whose spirit is broken 
by hope deferred4 ,brooding over their  

melancholy condition1 in a foreign land1
 away from the comforts of home1 without
 the solace and cheering influence of   
friends and relations1 they soon break  
down and perish4' ,m4 ,carrire and ,sir 
,james ,clark consider the climate of   
,rome adapted only for consumptive      
patients in the first stage of the      
complaint2 but ,dr ,burgess1 after a    
train of reasoning founded on scientific
 facts1 comes to a conclusion consonant 
with his own theory1 that it is not     
adapted for consumption in any stage or 
form whatever4  ,it is needless to      
follow our author to ,naples1 for this  
place is admitted by all writers to be  
injurious in cases of pulmonary         
consumption2 but we may conclude this   
fragmentary survey by stating that1     
according to ,dr ,burgess1 the least    
injurious portions of ,italy are the    
,lake of ,como and the city of ,venice1 
the air in neither of them being warm1  
but in both equable4 ,here we end as we 
began3 ',it is a mistake to suppose that

 a warm1 humid1 relaxing atmosphere can 
benefit pulmonary disease4 ,cold1 dry1  
and still air1 appears a more rational  
indication1 especially for invalids born
 in temperate regions4' ,it will be seen
 that our author differs occasionally   
from both his great predecessors1 ,sir  
,james ,clark and ,m4 ,carrire2 but even
 in so doing1 he has at least the merit 
of fairly opening out a most important  
subject4  ,let it be understood1 that we
 have merely mentioned the nature of the
 contents of this volume1 without       
attempting to follow ,dr ,burgess either
 in his reasonings or in the facts on   
which these are founded4 ,we have now   
only to recommend the work as one that  
will be found highly interesting and    
suggestive1 both by the medical and     
non-medical reader4#c   ,,footnotes3  #b
 ,climate of ,italy in ,relation to     
,pulmonary ,consumption3 with ,remarks  
on the ,influence of ,foreign ,climates 
upon ,invalids4 ,by ,t4 ,h4 ,burgess1   
,m4 ,d41 c4 ,london3 ,longman1 ,brown1  

,green1  ,longmans4 #aheb4  #c ,we print
 the above as we received it from a     
respectable contributor1 but without    
giving any opinion ourselves upon a     
subject of which we are not qualified to
 judge4--,ed4 ,c4 ,j4     ,,the         
,,device1 ,,or ,,impress4   ,if the     
various works of useful and ornamental  
art discovered in the sepulchres of     
nations long since fallen into oblivion1
 were of no other value1 at the present 
day1 than merely to be applied to the   
purposes which they were originally     
intended to subserve2 if they did not   
elucidate the manners1 customs1 and     
progressional refinement of men with    
passions and feelings similar to our    
own2 the labour and expense incurred by 
their exhumation would be thrown away4  
,it is not1 then1 for the intrinsic     
value of the specimens to be produced1  
neither is it for any very particular   
admiration of the 'good old times1' but 
to exhibit and illustrate a very general
 and exceedingly active phase of our    

ancestors' minds1 that1 turning over the
 refuse materials of history1 we proceed
 to disinter1 from their worm-eaten     
pages1 the dead and almost forgotten art
 of ,device--an art that once claimed an
 extensive literature1 and canons of    
criticism1 peculiarly its own4 ,from    
about #bej to #djj years ago1 were the  
high and palmy days of this 'dainty     
art4' ,then1 the learned and subtile    
schoolmen of the age did not disdain to 
write upon it1 with ink scarcely dry    
upon the pens with which they had been  
discussing the most abstruse dogmas of  
theology2 then1 not unfrequently1 the   
cureless curate1 by the concoction of a 
happy device for a generous patron1     
found himself a beneficed bishop4 ,nor  
is such preferment to be wondered at4   
,the qualifications considered necessary
 to constitute a device-maker1 were     
fully equal to those which ,imlac       
described to ,rasselas as requisite to  
form a poet4 ',philosophy and poetry1'  
wrote ,pre le ,moyne1 'history and      

fable1 all that is taught in colleges1  
all that is learned in the world1 are   
condensed and epitomised in this great  
pursuit2 in short1 if there be an art   
which requires an all-accomplished      
workman1 that art is device-making4'    
,ruscelli says3 ',it belongs only to the
 most exquisite wits and best-refined   
judgments to undertake the making of    
devices4' ,yet1 though the learned      
doctors of ,padua1 ,wirtemberg1 and the 
,sorbonne1 engaged in deep disquisitions
 on the emblematical properties1 natural
 and mythical1 of cranes and crescents1 
sunflowers and salamanders1 pelicans and
 porcupines--the length and language of 
mottoes--how the wind should be         
pictorially portrayed1 with many other  
equally weighty considerations1 still   
the chivalrous knights of the tournay1  
and the fair ladies of their devoirs1   
attained proficiency in the art4 ,wolf  
of ,wolfrath1 the lute-player1 records1 
that at a grand tournament held at      
,vienna in #aefj1 crowns of laurel were 

awarded to the knights who wore the     
wittiest devices1 as well as to those   
who excelled in feats of arms4  ',but1' 
the reader very probably exclaims1 'what
 was this art of device8'  ,it consisted
 in translating an idea into a symbol1  
and illustrating that symbol by a       
tersely-expressed motto4 ',the object of
 a device1' according to the ,lord of   
,fossez1 'was to express covertly1 by   
means of a picture and words1 a         
conception of human wit2' and it was    
distinguished from an emblem1 inasmuch  
as the emblem demonstrated something    
universal1 whereas the device was       
peculiarly appropriate to the person who
 wore it4 ,the old writers glory in its 
antiquity1 citing many instances of its 
having been known and used by both      
,greeks and ,romans4 ,even during the   
dark ages it was not entirely lost2 it  
merely slumbered until the renaissance1 
and the invasions of ,italy under       
,charles ,,viii4 and ,louis ,,xii41 when
 it awoke to a vigorous existence4      

,thus1 though of much greater antiquity 
than heraldic blazonry1 which only dates
 from the time of the ,crusades1 it was 
not hereditary1 could be adopted or     
changed at pleasure1 and did not define 
the rank of the wearer4 ,shakspeare1 who
 well understood the nature of the      
device1 distinguishes between it and    
armorial bearings in the passage where  
,bolingbroke recounts his injuries3     
',disparked my parks1 and felled my     
forest woods2     ,from my own windows  
torn my household coat1#d     ,razed out
 my impress'----  ,the old heralds1     
however1 looked upon the device with but
 little favour4 ,camden sneeringly says1
 that ',armes were most usual among the 
nobility in wars till about some hundred
 years since1 when the ,french and      
,italians1 in the expedition of ,naples1
 beganne to leave armes1 haply for that 
many of them had none1 and to bear the  
curtaines of their mistresses' beddes1  
their mistresses' colours1 as impresses 
in their banners1 shields1 and          

caparisons4' ,daniel1 one of our        
earliest ,english writers on the        
subject1 is worth quoting for a         
definition of the impress1 and to shew  
the exclusive spirit of the age4 ,he    
says3 ',impresa1 used of the ,italians  
for an enterprise taken in hand1 with a 
firm and constant intent to bring the   
same to effect4 ,as if a prince or      
captaine taking in hand some enterprise 
of war1 or any other perticulaire       
affaire1 desirous by some figure and    
motto to manifest to the world his      
intent1 this figure and motto together  
is called an impress1 made to signify an
 enterprise1 whereat a noble mind       
levelling with the aime of a deep       
desire1 strives with a steely intent to 
game the prize of his purpose4 ,for the 
valiant and hautie gentlemen1 disdayning
 to conjoine with the vile and base     
plebeians in any rustique invention1    
have procured to themselves this one    
most singulare4'  ,paul ,jovius1 a      
celebrated ,italian historian and       

bishop1 in his treatise on devices1     
says1 that the figure or emblem1 which  
he terms the body of the device1 must be
 exactly fitted to the motto1 which he  
terms its soul2 and though it should not
 be so obscure as to require a sibyl to 
explain it1 yet the motto ought to be in
 a foreign or dead language1 so that it 
may not be comprehended by the          
vulgar--'such dainties not being        
intended for vulgar appetites4' ,the    
human figure1 also1 should never be     
introduced into the emblem1 and the     
motto ought not to contain more than    
three or four words4 ,these rules1      
however1 were not strictly adhered to1  
even by ,jovius himself4 ,the treatise  
is written in the form of a dialogue    
between the bishop and his secretary2   
its gossipping manner1 quaint style1 and
 the great importance attributed to the 
subject-matter1 remind us exceedingly of
 the ,complete ,angler of our old       
,english friend ,izaak ,walton4 ,as an  
example of a perfect device1 ,jovius    

mentions one worn in the ,italian wars  
by ,antonio ,colonna1 the friend of     
,michael ,angelo4 ,it represented a     
branch of palm laid across a branch of  
cypress1 with the motto1 ,erit altera   
merces 7,there will be another reward47 
,another1 highly praised by the old     
device-writers 'for being of subtle     
invention1 and singular in outward      
view1' was assumed by a ,spanish knight1
 ,don ,diego ,mendoza1 to signify the   
slight encouragement he received from   
the fair lady who was mistress of his   
affections4 ,it represented a well1 with
 a circular machine for raising water1  
full buckets ascending and empty ones   
going down1 the motto1 ,los llenos de   
dolor1 y los vazios de esperanza 7,the  
full one is grief2 the empty1 hope47 ,by
 the way1 we find a similar figure in   
,richard ,,ii41 where the unfortunate   
monarch says3      ',now is this golden 
crown like a deep well1     ,that owns  
two buckets1 filling one another--      
,the emptier ever dancing in the air1   

,the other down1 unseen1 and full of    
water3     ,that bucket down and full of
 tears am ,i1     ,drinking my grief    
while you mount up on high4'  ,jovius   
also warmly commends a device worn by   
,edward ,stuart1 ,lord of ,albany1 a    
famous captain of tried valour in the   
,french army1 during their ,italian     
campaigns4 ,of the blood-royal of       
,scotland1 being cousin to ,james ,,iv41
 he wore1 as his arms1 a lion rampant in
 a field argent2 and as his device1 a   
buckle1 with the motto1 ,distantia      
jungit2 'thereby implying that he was   
the bond which held united the kings of 
,france and ,scotland1 to countervail   
the forces of their natural enemy1 the  
king of ,england4'  ,a quaint bit of    
romance1 in connection with a lady's    
device1 is perhaps worthy of notice4    
,hippolita ,fioramonda excelled all the 
ladies of her day in beauty and         
courtesy1 and wore1 as her device1      
moths1 embroidered in gold1 on a        
sky-blue robe--a warning to the amorous 

not to approach too closely the light of
 her beauty1 lest1 like moths attracted 
by a lamp1 they should be burned4 ,there
 being no motto1 one of her admirers1   
the ,lord of ,lesui1 a brave knight1    
famous for his horsemanship1 asked her  
for an explanation of such a singular   
and imperfect device4 ,she replied3 ',it
 is to use the like courtesy to         
gentlemen who call to see me1 as you do 
to those who ride in your company2 you  
being accustomed to put on the tail of  
your horse a small rattle1 to make him  
more fierce in kicking1 so as to warn   
any who may approach you of the danger  
of his heels1 thereby causing them to   
keep aloof4' ,notwithstanding this      
repulse1 the knight persevered1 though  
unsuccessfully1 in his suit1 until he   
fell mortally wounded at the battle of  
,pavia4 ,then the lady ,fioramonda      
relenting1 had him sought for on the    
sanguinary field1 and carried to her own
 house1 where1 to his great contentment1
 he died in her arms4 ,such imperfect   

devices1 however1 were considered       
unworthy of the name1 unfit for men of  
gravity1 and suited but to make sport   
with ladies4 ,of this description was   
that of ,augustine ,porco1 a gentleman  
of ,verona1 who1 being in love with a   
lady named ,bianca1 wore in his scarlet 
cap a small1 real1 white wax-candle1 and
 perseveringly followed the lady to     
every place of public resort she        
visited4 ,to the inquiries of his       
friends respecting this extraordinary   
device1 he merely replied1 that it      
signified ,candela bianca 7,a white     
candle71 and1 consequently1 doubts were 
entertained of the eccentric gallant's  
sanity4 ,at last1 though love is        
proverbially blind1 the lady--probably  
she had a prompter--discovered that the 
true meaning was ,can de la ,bianca     
7,the dog of ,bianca71 and with her hand
 rewarded the ingenuity and perseverance
 of ,signor ,porco4  ,through devices we
 obtain glimpses at the morals1 as well 
as the manners1 of a foreign people and 

a bygone age4 ,the amorous devices of   
many ecclesiastical dignitaries afford a
 capital reason for the rule1 that the  
motto should not be comprehensible 'by  
the vulgar4' ,that of ,cardinal ,medici1
 who loved the lady ,julian ,gonzago1   
was a comet surrounded by stars1 the    
motto1 ,micat inter omnes 7,it shines   
among them all71 from the lines of      
,horace3      ,micat inter omnes ,julium
 sidus     ,velut inter ignes luna      
minores4  ,the allusion to the star of  
,julius in connection with the lady's   
name renders this device1 in our        
opinion1 rather neat and classical4  ,a 
still more startling sign of the times  
is exhibited by the device-loving       
bishop4 ,he relates that one ,mattei1 a 
man of noble courage1 when waiting with 
dissimulation and patience an           
opportunity to murder a person by whom  
he had been insulted1 applied to him    
7,jovius7 for an appropriate device2 and
 the bishop1 'wishing to shew that a    
noble mind has power to digest1 with    

time1 every grievous injury1' designed  
an ostrich devouring a nail1 with the   
motto1 ,spiritus durissima conquit4     
,mattei wore the device1 and ultimately 
succeeded in assassinating his victim2  
and 'so much was this noble revenge     
commended1' that the pope promoted the  
ruffian to be captain of his guard--the 
family of the murdered man signing an   
agreement to cancel all future quarrels4
  ,great care was requisite1 when       
framing a device1 lest any part of it   
could be turned into ridicule by a witty
 or spiteful enemy4 ,charles the ,bold1 
,duke of ,burgundy1 bore a flint and    
steel1 with the motto1 ,ante ferit quam 
flamma micet 7,as he strikes1 the fire  
flashes72 and when defeated1 and slain  
at the battle of ,nancy1 the day being  
cold1 with snow on the ground1 his      
triumphant enemy1 the ,duke of ,loreno1 
said3 ',this poor man1 though he has    
great need to warm himself1 has not     
leisure to use his tinder-box4'         
,however puerile the 'art' may appear to

 us now1 there can be little doubt1 that
 the construction of devices1 as an     
incentive to the acquisition of general 
knowledge1 and as a kind of mental      
training1 was not altogether useless in 
its day1 and formed a link1 were it ever
 so slender1 in the development of the  
human mind4 ,estienne1 a noted ,french  
device-author1 observes1 that 'to       
express the conceptions of our own mind 
in the most perfect device1 there is    
nothing so proper1 so gentile1 so       
powerful1 or so witty1 as the           
similitudes we discover when walking in 
the spacious fields of ,nature's        
wonderful secrets2 for the grace of a   
device1 as well as the skill of him who 
makes it1 consists in discovering the   
correspondence of natural qualities and 
artificial uses with our own thoughts   
and intentions4'  ,the old scholastic   
logic was freely employed in the        
arguments by which the device-authors   
advanced their own opinions1 or attacked
 those of their contemporaries4         

,ammirato condemns the unphilosophical  
definition of ,jovius--that the emblem  
is the body1 and the motto1 the soul of 
a device4 ,with long1 and1 we must      
acknowledge1 to us at least1 not very   
intelligible argument1 he maintains1    
that 'the motto is the major part of a  
syllogism1 and the emblem the minor2    
from the conjunction of which the       
conclusion is drawn4' ,unprofitable and 
uninteresting are these discussions4 ,we
 shall1 in preference1 mention the      
canons of device-criticism1 which were  
of most general prevalence4  ,comparison
 was considered an essential property of
 a perfect device4 ,thus the ,pillars of
 ,hercules1 with the motto1 ,plus ultra 
7,more beyond71 adopted by ,charles ,v41
 in allusion to the ,spanish discoveries
 and conquests in ,america1 and still to
 be seen on the coin of that nation1    
was1 by the connoisseurs1 termed a mere 
conceit4 ,the scholar's two pens1 with  
,his ad aethera 7,by these fame71 being 
also devoid of comparison1 was equally  

inferior4 ,not more than three figures  
were permissible in the emblem1 unless  
the greater number were of the same     
species4 ,a device portraying an        
elephant1 with a flock of sheep grazing 
quietly around1 the motto1 ,infestus    
infestis 7,hostile only to the wicked71 
was strictly correct1 as the sheep1     
being all of one species1 were          
recognised merely as one figure4        
,metaphor was not allowed in the motto3 
a device faulty in this respect1        
represented a ball of crystal1 the      
motto1 from ,plautus1 ,intus et in cute 
7,the same within and without72 crystal 
being devoid of skin 7cutis71 the       
expression was metaphorical4 ,the       
introduction of negatives into the motto
 was considered good3 as a sundial1 with
 ,ne aspiciatur non aspicitur 7,unless  
looked upon--by the sun--it is not      
esteemed1 or is of no use71 a good      
device for a king's favourite2 a flame  
of fire1 with ,nunquam deorsum 7,never  
downwards72 a gourd floating on a       

stream1 with ,jactor non mergor         
7,abandoned1 but not sunk47 ,when the   
motto was taken from a well-known       
classic1 fewer words were required3 thus
 in a device representing a flame blown 
upon by the wind1 with ,lenis alit      
flammas1 grandior aura necat 7,a gentle 
wind nourishes flame1 a stronger1       
extinguishes71 the words1 grandior necat
 7a stronger1 extinguishes7 would have  
been sufficient4 ,nice discrimination   
was required in selecting the most      
suitable language for a motto4          
,according to ,contile1 the ,spanish was
 most suitable for love-matters2 the    
,italian1 for pleasant conceits2 the    
,greek1 for fiction2 and the ,latin1 for
 majesty4 ,household furniture1 and     
implements of husbandry1 were considered
 improper subjects for the emblem of a  
device2 consequently1 that of the       
,academia della ,crusca was set down as 
decidedly vulgar1 it being a sieve1 with
 ,il piu bel fior ne coglie 7,it        
collects the finest flour of it7--a play

 on the word crusca 7bran71 assumed as  
the title of the ,academy1 from its     
having been instituted for the express  
purpose of purifying 7sifting7 the      
,italian language4  ,objects that were  
not recognisable unless painted in      
colours1 were also inadmissible2 thus   
the otherwise clever device of the ,earl
 of ,essex--a rough diamond1 with the   
motto1 ,dum formas minuis 7,in          
fashioning1 you diminish71 came under   
the censure of the critics4 ,in like    
manner1 objects not easily              
distinguishable from others1 were liable
 to the same condemnation4 ,the         
celebrated device assumed by ,mary      
,queen of ,scots on the death of her    
first husband1 ,francis ,,ii41          
representing a liquorice-plant1 with    
,dulce meum terra tegit 7,the earth     
covers my sweet71 was pronounced faulty1
 because the liquorice-plant could not  
be readily distinguished from other     
shrubs1 the roots of which wanted the   
property of sweetness so necessary to   

give point to the device4 ,unnatural or 
chimerical figures could not be         
admitted1 excepting those to which      
tradition or classical authors had given
 fixed forms and attributes--as the     
mermaid1 harpy1 phoenix2 consequently1 a
 device representing a winged tortoise1 
the motto1 ,amor addidit 7,love has     
added them71 was improper4 ,qualities   
ascribed to animate or inanimate bodies 
by the ancients1 were considered        
legitimate1 though known by the moderns 
to be fictitious4 ,thus the dolphin1    
from the story of ,arion1 appears in    
devices as the friend of the distressed2
 the salamander1 living in fire1        
typifies the strong passions1 natural1  
yet destructive to their victim2 the    
young stork1 carrying the old one1      
illustrates filial piety2 the crane1    
which1 according to ,pliny1 holds a     
stone in its claw to avert sleep1 is a  
fit emblem of watchfulness2 the         
pomegranate1 king of fruits1 wears a    
regal crown2 the crocodile1 symbol of   

hypocrisy1 sheds deceitful tears4 ,in   
short1 almost everything that was in the
 heavens above1 in the earth beneath1   
and in the waters under the earth1 was  
seized by the device-maker1 and         
converted into a symbol of some virtue1 
vice1 or other quality of the mind4 ,nor
 was there only one emblem taken from   
each object2 by varying the             
circumstances1 they were multiplied to  
an enormous amount4 ,menestrier gives no
 less than #ead different devices1      
founded upon the properties of the sun  
alone4  ,though devices previous to the 
reign of ,henry ,,viii4 were seldom worn
 in ,england1 yet the insignia of the   
order of the ,garter1 instituted in     
#acej1 in connection with its well-known
 motto and assumed origin1 may be       
considered a genuine device4 ,the next  
earliest we meet with was worn by ,henry
 ,,iv41 and represented a blazing       
beacon1 the motto1 ,une sans plus 7,one 
alone47 ,this motto has been termed     
inappropriate2 but1 considering that    

beacons were always placed at           
considerable distances from each        
other--one sufficing for a considerable 
district--we may conclude that the      
usurping ,henry implied1 that there was 
only one king in ,england1 and that one 
was himself4 ,richard ,duke of ,york1   
when he took up arms against ,henry     
,,vi41 assumed1 as his device1 a sun1   
partly visible only through thick       
clouds1 with the motto1 ,invitis nubibus
 7,obscured by clouds47 ,after his      
death1 his son ,edward1 in consequence  
of the success of the ,yorkist cause1   
changed this device to a full sun       
unobscured4 ,this was the sun of ,york  
so frequently alluded to by ,shakspeare1
 and such a stumbling-block to his      
commentators4 ,henry ,,viii41 on the    
occasion of his visiting ,francis ,i4 at
 the field of the ,cloth of ,gold1 wore 
an ,english archer1 dressed in ,lincoln 
green1 drawing his arrow to the head1   
the motto1 ,cui adhereo prest 7,he whom 
,i aid1 conquers72 a very significant   

intimation to ,charles ,v4 and ,francis1
 both of whom were anxious for ,henry's 
alliance against each other4 ,ann       
,boleyn wore a white-crowned falcon     
standing on a golden stem1 from which   
sprouted red and white roses1 with the  
motto1 ,mihi et meae 7,to me and mine47 
,this device of the fair and unfortunate
 ,ann has survived to the present day4  
,now1 emblematical of her fall1 as it   
was once of her high station1 it is     
degraded to be the sign of an ale-house1
 and known to the village topers as the 
,magpie and ,stump6 ',the gentle ,surrey
 of the deathless lay1' one of the last 
victims of the tyrant ,henry1 wore a    
broken pillar1 with the motto1 ,sat     
super est 7,enough remains47 ,one of the
 charges brought against him1 when      
arraigned for high treason1 was for     
wearing this very device4 ,mary1 when   
she ascended the throne1 wore a         
representation of ,time drawing ,truth  
out of a well1 with the words1 ,veritas 
temporis filia 7,truth is the daughter  

of ,time72 and ,cardinal ,pole wore a   
serpent surrounding the terrestrial     
globe1 with the motto1 ,estote prudentes
 7,be ye cunning47 ,both of those       
devices were very significant of the    
period and of their wearers4  ,the      
romantic amusements of ,queen ,elizabeth
 raised the device to the highest       
pinnacle of importance it ever possessed
 in this country1 ,hentzner1 a ,german  
traveller1 who visited the palace of    
,whitehall in #aeih1 says1 that he saw  
in her majesty's bedroom 'a variety of  
devices on paper1 cut in the shape of   
shields1 with mottoes1 used by the      
nobility at tilts and tournaments1 hung 
up there for a memorial4' ,as to        
,elizabeth herself1 ,camden states1 that
 the enumeration of the various devices 
worn by her would fill a large volume4  
,the generality1 however1 of the devices
 of that reign were fulsome flatteries1 
allusive to the ,maiden ,queen2 such    
as--the moon1 with the words1 ,quid sine
 te coelum8 7,what would ,heaven be     

without thee87 or1 ,venus seated on a   
cloud1 with1 ,salva1 me ,domina6 7,save 
me1 ,o lady67 ,the best of the time was 
worn by the impetuous and ill-starred   
,essex1 to signify his grief on one of  
the occasions when he had lost the      
queen's favour4 ,it represented merely a
 sable field1 surrounded by the words4  
,par nulla figura dolori 7,grief cannot 
be painted47 ,the ',english ,bayard1'   
,sir ,philip ,sidney1 does not appear to
 great advantage in his devices4 ,one1  
we presume intended to shew the         
steadfastness of his purpose1           
represented the tideless ,caspian ,sea1 
the motto1 ,sine refluxa 7,without ebb47
 ,another of 'that famous soldier1      
scholar1 and poet1' throws a curious    
light on the manners of the age4 ,camden
 tells us that ,sir ,philip1 'who was a 
long time heir-apparent to the ,earl of 
,leicester 7his uncle71 after the earl  
had a son born to him1 used at the next 
tilt-day following the motto1 ,speravi  
7,i had hoped71 with a dash across the  

word1 thereby signifying that his hope  
was dashed4' ,would any gentleman now   
thus publicly express his disappointment
 at such an event8  ,the pedantry of the
 first ,james was almost as favourable  
to devices as the pageantry of          
,elizabeth2 but the days of chivalry1   
the glories of the triumph and the      
tilt-yard1 were fast passing away1 while
 the new arts of wood and copper-plate  
engraving were rising into eminence2 and
 consequently devices1 instead of being 
worn singly on the shields and trappings
 of knights and maskers1 were soon found
 collected1 and seasoned with poetry on 
the pages of printed books4 ,these books
 of emblems1 as they were termed1 are by
 no means uninteresting2 haply1 at a    
future time1 we may have an opportunity 
of referring to them4 ,the early        
printers1 we should observe1 were the   
first who used devices on paper1 each   
having a distinguishing emblem and      
motto1 which they displayed on the      
title-pages of their works4 ,we read of 

only one device worn by ,james2 it      
represented the ,scottish thistle united
 with red and white roses1 the motto1   
,rosas ,henricus1 regna ,jacobus1       
implying that as ,henry united roses1   
,james united kingdoms4 ,though foreign 
to our subject1 we may mention here1 as 
it is not generally known1 that it was  
,james who removed the red dragon of the
 ,tudors from the royal arms1 placing as
 a supporter in its stead the unicorn of
 ,scotland4 ,we meet with only one      
device of the unfortunate ,charles4 ,it 
represented a snake that had just cast  
its skin1 the motto1 ,paratior 7,more   
ready47 ,during the civil war1 many     
mottoes and figures were adopted by both
 the royalist and parliamentary parties1
 but few of them can be termed regular  
devices4 ,with the ,restoration1 a new  
description of court amusement came into
 fashion1 and the device soon became a  
prey to 'dull forgetfulness4' ,many     
emblems1 however1 were then and         
subsequently assumed as crests1 and a   

great number of mottoes were taken to   
point the moral1 if any1 of heraldic    
blazonry4 ,though repudiated and        
unrecognised by the strict herald1 they 
are now generally considered to be the  
particular property and distinguishing  
ensign of certain surnames and families1
 and as hereditary as the quaint and    
fanciful charges and quarterings of     
coat-armour itself4   ,,footnotes3  #d  
,the armorial bearings or coat-armour of
 his house4     ,a ,,country ,,wedding  
,,in ,,france4   ,no part of ,france1   
with the exception of ,brittany1 has    
preserved its patriarchal habits1       
national character1 and ancient forms of
 language1 more than ,touraine and      
,berry4 ,the manners of the people there
 are extremely primitive1 and some of   
their customs curious and interesting4  
,the following account is from the pen  
of a modern ,french writer of great     
power of observation and description4   
,it was in winter1 near the time of the 
carnival1 a season of the year when it  

is very customary to celebrate country  
weddings4 ,in the summer1 there is      
seldom time1 and the farm-work will not 
allow of a three days' holiday1 to say  
nothing of the slackened diligence which
 is the unavoidable consequence of a    
village festival4 ,i was seated under   
the large kitchen chimney1 when the     
firing of pistols1 the barking of dogs1 
and the squeaking sounds of the bagpipe1
 announced the approach of the betrothed
 couple4 ,presently after1 old ,maurice 
and his wife1 with ,germain and ,marie1 
followed by ,jacques and his wife1 the  
chief respective kinsfolk1 and the      
godfathers and godmothers of the        
betrothed1 made their entrance into the 
yard4  ,marie1 not having yet received  
the wedding-presents1 called livres1 was
 dressed in the best attire of her      
simple wardrobe3 a coarse dark gown2 a  
white handkerchief1 with large flowers  
of gaudy colours2 a red calico apron2 a 
snow-white muslin head-dress1 the shape 
of which called to mind the coiffure of 

,ann ,boleyn and ,agnes ,sorel4 ,marie's
 features were fresh-looking1 and       
lighted up with a smile1 but without any
 expression of pride1 albeit she had    
some good reason for such a feeling at  
this moment4 ,germain was grave and     
tender in his attentions to his         
betrothed1 like the youthful ,jacob     
saluting ,rachel at the wells of ,laban4
 ,any other girl would have assumed an  
air of importance and triumph2 for in   
all classes of society1 it is something 
for a girl to be married for her        
sparkling eyes4 ,but ,marie's eyes      
glistened with tears of emotion and     
love2 you could see at a glance that she
 was too deeply affected to be heedful  
of the opinion of others4 ,pre ,maurice 
was the spokesman on the occasion1 and  
delivered the customary compliments and 
invitations4 ,in the first place1 he    
fastened to the mantelpiece a branch of 
laurel ornamented with ribbons3 this is 
called the exploit--that is to say1 the 
form of invitation4 ,he then proceeded  

to distribute to each of those invited a
 small cross1 made of blue and rose     
coloured ribbon--the rose for the bride1
 the blue for the bridegroom2 and the   
guests had to keep this token--the women
 to deck their head-dress1 and the men  
their buttonhole1 on the day of the     
wedding4 ,this is their ticket of       
admission to the ceremonies4  ,pre      
,maurice1 after making his compliments1 
invited the master of the house and all 
his 'company'--that is to say1 all his  
children1 his kinsfolk1 his friends1 and
 servants--to the benediction1 to the   
entertainment1 to the feast1 to the     
dance1 and 'to all the rest2' observing 
with the usual form of words3 ',i have  
done you the honour of bidding you to   
the wedding4'  ,notwithstanding the     
liberality of the invitation carried    
thus from house to house1 through the   
whole parish1 the natural politeness of 
the peasants1 which is remarkably       
discreet1 prescribes that only two      
persons of each family should avail     

themselves of the summons--the head of  
the family and one of the children4     
,the invitations being concluded1 the   
betrothed couple and their relatives    
repaired to dinner together at the      
farmhouse1 after which ,marie tended her
 three sheep on the common1 and ,germain
 went to work in the fields1 as if      
nothing had happened4  ,the day before  
that appointed for the wedding1 at two  
o'clock in the afternoon1 the band of   
music arrived--that is to say1 the      
bagpipe1 and the man with the           
triangle1--their instruments ornamented 
with long floating ribbons1 and playing 
a march for the occasion1 somewhat slow1
 indeed1 for feet not indigenous to the 
country1 but in perfect harmony with the
 character of the soil and the          
up-and-down nature of the roads in those
 parts4 ,some pistol-shots1 fired by the
 young folks and children1 announced the
 commencement of the nuptials4 ,the     
company gradually assembled1 and a dance
 was struck up on the grass-plot before 

the house4 ,at nightfall1 strange       
preparations were begun1 the party      
separating into two bands2 and when     
darkness closed in1 they proceeded to   
the ceremony of the livres1 or          
present-making4  ,this took place at the
 house of the bride--,mrs ,guillette's  
cottage4 ,the good woman took with her  
her daughter2 a dozen young and pretty  
pastourelles1 ,marie's friends and      
relatives2 two or three respectable     
matrons1 her neighbours1 loquacious1    
quick of reply1 and rigid guardians of  
ancient usages2 then she selected a     
dozen vigorous champions from her       
kinsmen and friends2 and lastly1 the old
 chauvreur or flaxdresser of the parish1
 a man of eloquence and address if ever 
there was one4  ,the part that in       
,brittany is played by the bazvalan or  
village tailor1 is in our part of the   
country acted by the flaxdresser or     
woolcomber--two professions which are   
often united4 ,he is present at all     
solemnities1 gay or grave1 being        

essentially a man of erudition and a    
good speaker2 and on these occasions he 
has always to act as spokesman1 and to  
execute well and worthily certain       
formularies of speech1 in use from time 
immemorial4 ,his wandering profession1  
which introduces the man into so many   
family circles1 without allowing him to 
fix himself in his own1 naturally serves
 to render him talkative and amusing1 a 
ready story-teller1 and an able man of  
song4  ,the flaxdresser is particularly 
sceptical4 ,he and another rustic       
functionary1 of whom we shall speak     
presently1 the grave-digger1 are always 
the esprits forts of the place4 ,they   
are so much in the habit of talking of  
ghosts1 and are so well acquainted with 
all the tricks of which these evil      
spirits are capable1 that they scarcely 
fear them at all4 ,it is especially in  
the night that all these worthies1      
grave-diggers1 flaxdressers1 and ghosts1
 exercise their industry4 ,it is in the 
night also the flaxdresser relates his  

lamentable stories4 ,but he is no more  
than the sacristan addicted exclusively 
to the pleasure of inspiring his        
auditors with fear2 he delights in      
raising a laugh2 and is jocose and      
sentimental by turns1 when he comes to  
speak of love and ,hymen4 ,he is the man
 to collect and store up in memory the  
most ancient songs1 and to hand them    
down to posterity2 and1 as usual1 he was
 in the present instance the person     
charged with the presentation of the    
wedding-gifts at the nuptials of ,marie4
  ,as soon as all were assembled in the 
house1 the doors and windows were closed
 with the greatest care2 the very       
leucomb shutter of the granary was      
barricaded2 planks1 trussels1 and tables
 were put up across all the points of   
egress1 as if one was preparing to      
sustain a siege2 and within this        
fortification reigned a solemn silence  
of expectation1 until from a distance   
were heard singing1 laughter1 and the   
sound of rustic instruments4 ,these were

 the bridegroom's band1 ,germain at its 
head1 accompanied by his stoutest       
companions1 the grave-digger1 kinsfolk1 
friends1 and servants1 who formed a     
joyous and solid cortge4  ,as they      
approached the house1 however1 they     
slackened their pace1 consulted         
together1 and were silent4 ,the young   
girls1 shut up in the house1 had        
contrived to find little slits in the   
windows1 through which they watched the 
procession as it arrived1 and formed in 
order of battle4 ,a fine chilly rain    
fell1 which added to the excitement of  
the situation1 whilst a large fire      
crackled and blazed on the hearth within
 doors4 ,marie would gladly have        
shortened the inevitable slowness of    
this state of siege3 she did not at all 
like to see her betrothed dawdling about
 in the wet and cold2 but she had no    
voice in the affair--nay1 she had even  
to share ostensibly in the cruelty of   
her companions4  ,when the two camps    
were thus pitched in face of one        

another1 a discharge of firearms from   
the party without doors set all the dogs
 in the neighbourhood in commotion3     
those belonging to the house flew to the
 gate1 barking loudly2 and the little   
children1 whom their mothers vainly     
endeavoured to quiet1 fell to crying and
 trembling with fear4 ,the grave-digger1
 the bard and orator of the bridegroom1 
now stationed himself before the door1  
and in a pitiable voice began a dialogue
 with the flaxdresser1 who was at the   
garret-window over the same door4       
,grave-digger4 ,hollo6 my good folks1 my
 dear neighbours1 for mercy's sake open 
the door4  ,flaxdresser4 ,pray who may  
you be2 and how come you to take the    
liberty of calling us your dear         
neighbours8 ,we don't know you4  ,g4 ,we
 are honest folks in trouble4 ,don't    
fear us1 my friends1 but bestow your    
hospitality on us4 ,the sleet falls     
fast1 our feet are all frozen1 and we   
have come such a distance that our shoes
 are worn out4  ,the flaxdresser        

inquires sharply who they are1 and      
receives various ridiculous answers4 ,at
 length the besiegers say--             
,grave-digger4 ,well1 then1 if you'll   
not listen to reason1 we shall enter by 
force4  ,flaxdresser4 ,try1 if you like4
 ,we are strong enough not to fear you2 
and as you are insolent1 we shall not   
answer you any more4  ,so saying1 the   
flaxdresser slammed to the wicket with a
 bang1 and went down a ladder into the  
room below4 ,he then took the bride     
elect by the hand1 and the young folks  
joining them1 all fell to dancing and   
shouting gaily1 whilst the matrons of   
the party sang with shrill voices1 and  
amidst shouts of laughter1 at the people
 outside1 who were attempting the       
assault4 ,the besiegers1 on their side1 
pretended rage2 they fired their pistols
 at the doors1 set the dogs barking1    
rattled the shutters1 thumped the walls1
 and uttered loud cries4  ,the garrison 
at last seemed to manifest some desire  
to capitulate2 but required as a        

condition that the opposite party should
 sing a song4 ,as soon as the song was  
begun1 however1 the besieged replied    
with the second line2 and so long as    
they were able to do this1 they were    
safe4 ,the two antagonists were the best
 hands in the country for a song1 and   
their stock seemed inexhaustible4 ,once 
or twice the flaxdresser made a wry     
face1 frowned1 and turned to the women  
with a disappointed look4 ,the          
grave-digger sang something so old that 
his adversary had forgotten it1 or      
perhaps had never known it2 but         
instantly the good woman took up the    
burden of the song with a shrill voice1 
and helped their friend through his     
trouble4 ,at length the party of the    
bride declared they would yield1        
provided the others offered her a       
present worthy of her4 ,thereupon began 
the song of the ,wedding-gifts1 to an   
air as solemn as a church psalm1 the men
 outside singing bass in unison1 and the
 women answering from within in         

falsetto4 ,in twenty couplets at least  
the men enumerate all the               
wedding-presents1 and the matrons at    
length consent that the door should be  
opened4  ,on this being arranged1 the   
flaxdresser instantly drew the wooden   
spigot which fastened the door on the   
inside--the only fastening known in most
 of the dwellings in our village--and   
the bridegroom's band rushed in1 but not
 without a combat1 for the lads who     
garrisoned the place1 even the old      
flaxdresser and the ancient village     
dames1 considered it their duty to      
defend the hearth4 ,the invaders were   
armed with a goose stuck upon a large   
iron spit1 adorned with bouquets of     
straw and ribbons1 and to plant this at 
the fire was to gain possession of the  
hearth4 ,every effort was of course made
 to attain this object4 ,now came a     
veritable battle1 although the          
combatants did not come to actual blows1
 and fought without any anger or        
ill-will4 ,but they pressed and pushed  

one another so closely1 and there was so
 much emulation in the display of       
muscular power1 that the results might  
have been more serious than they        
appeared amidst the singing and         
laughter4 ,the poor old flaxdresser1 who
 fought like a lion1 was pinned to the  
wall1 and squeezed until he could hardly
 get breath4 ,more than one hero was    
rolled in the dust1 more than one hand  
was withdrawn bleeding from an attack on
 the spit4 ,these sports are dangerous1 
and in consequence of the occurrence of 
serious accidents1 our peasants have    
resolved to drop them4 ,the enormous    
iron spit was twisted like a screw      
before it was at length flung across the
 fire-irons1 and the conquest achieved4 
,there was now no lack of talk and      
laughter4 ,each one exhibited the wounds
 he had received2 but as they were in   
many cases given by the hand of a       
friend1 nobody complained4 ,the matrons 
cleaned the stone-floor1 and order was  
re-established4 ,the table was covered  

with pitchers of new wine4 ',when they  
had all drunk together1 clinking their  
glasses1 and had taken breath1 the      
bridegroom was led into the middle of   
the room2 and1 furnished with a ring1 he
 had to undergo a new trial4  ,during   
the contest1 the bride had been         
concealed1 with three of her companions1
 by her mother1 her godmother1 and her  
aunts1 who had seated the four young    
girls on a bench1 in a corner of the    
room1 and covered them with a large     
white cloth4 ,the three girls had been  
selected of the same height as ,marie2  
and this cloth veiling them from head to
 foot1 it was impossible to distinguish 
one from another4 ,the bridegroom was   
only allowed to touch them with the end 
of his switch1 to point out which he    
guessed to be his bride4 ,if wrong1 he  
could not dance with the latter that    
evening1 but only with the one he had   
selected in error4  ,the party then     
separated1 to re-assemble at eight      
o'clock the next morning4 ,at the       

appointed time1 after a breakfast of    
milk-soup1 well peppered to stimulate   
the appetite--for the nuptial-feast     
promised to be a rich one--all assembled
 in the farmyard4 ,a journey of several 
miles had to be performed to obtain the 
nuptial benediction4 ,germain mounted   
the gray mare1 which had been new shod  
and decked with ribbons for the         
occasion2 the bride rode behind him2    
whilst his brother-in-law1 ,jacques1 was
 mounted on the old gray1 with the      
grandmother4 ,the joyous cavalcade set  
out1 escorted by the children on foot1  
who kept firing pistols and making the  
horses start4 ,mrs ,maurice1 the mother1
 seated with the children and the       
village fiddlers in a cart1 opened the  
procession to the sounds of the little  
band of music4  ,a crowd was gathered at
 the mairie and the church to see the   
pretty bride4 ,we must describe her     
dress1 it became her so well4 ,her clean
 muslin cap1 embroidered all over1 had  
lappets trimmed with lace2 a white      

kerchief1 modestly crossed in front1    
left visible only the delicate outline  
of a neck rounded like that of a dove2  
her dress of fine green cloth set off   
her pretty figure2 and she wore an apron
 of violet silk1 with the bavette or    
bib1 which the village lasses have since
 then foolishly given up4  ,at the      
ceremony of the offrande1 ,germain1     
according to custom1 placed the         
treizaine--that is to say1 thirteen     
pieces of silver--in the hand of his    
bride1 and slipped on her finger a      
silver ring of a peculiar form1 which   
had existed unchanged for ages1 but     
which has now been replaced by the      
alliance d'or4  ,we pass over the       
ceremony of the wedding4 ,the party     
remounted their steeds1 and returned    
home at a rapid pace4 ,the feast was    
splendid1 and lasted till midnight1     
interspersed with song and dance4 ,the  
old folks did not quit the table for    
fourteen hours4 ,the grave-digger       
superintended the cuisine1 and filled   

his part to admiration2 in fact1 he was 
famous in this line1 and between the    
services1 he left his cooking and joined
 in the dance and song4 ,he was strong1 
fresh1 and gay as a lark4 ,on leaving a 
wedding-party1 he would go and dig a    
grave1 or nail down a coffin--a task of 
which he acquitted himself with pious   
care4  ,we now come to the third and    
most curious day of the nuptials1 which 
is still strictly observed4 ,as the     
ceremony of the livres is the symbol of 
taking possession of the heart and home 
of the bride1 that of the chou is the   
type of the fecundity of marriage4      
,after breakfast the next morning1 this 
performance commenced--a custom of      
ancient ,gallic origin1 which became    
gradually a sort of ,mystery or         
,morality of the middle ages4 ,two lads 
disappear during the breakfast1 go and  
dress themselves up1 and then return1   
accompanied by music1 dogs1 children1   
and firing of pistols4 ,they represent a
 couple of beggars--husband and         

wife--covered with rags3 they are called
 the gardener and his wife 7le jardinier
 and la jardinire71 and give out that   
they have the charge and the cultivation
 of the sacred cabbage4 ,the man's face 
is bedaubed with soot and wine-lees1 or 
sometimes covered with a grotesque mask4
 ,a broken pot or an old shoe1 suspended
 to his belt with a bit of string1      
serves him to beg for and collect the   
offerings of wine4 ,no one refuses2 and 
he pretends to drink1 and then pours the
 wine on the ground1 in token of        
libation4 ,he now feigns to be tipsy1   
and rolls in the mud2 whilst his poor   
wife runs after him1 reproaching him    
pathetically1 and calling for help4 ,a  
handbarrow is now brought1 on which is  
placed the gardener1 with a spade1 a    
cord1 and a large basket4 ,four strong  
men carry him on their shoulders4 ,his  
wife follows on foot1 and the old folks 
come after with a grave and pensive air2
 then the nuptial procession march two  
by two to the measure of the music4 ,the

 firing of pistols recommences1 the dogs
 bark more loudly than ever at the sight
 of the gardener thus borne in triumph1 
and the children jeer him as he passes4 
,the procession arrives at the bride's  
dwelling1 and enters the garden4 ,there 
a fine cabbage is selected--a matter    
which is not effected in a hurry1 for   
the old folks hold a council1 each one  
pleading for some favourite cabbage4    
,votes are taken2 and when the choice is
 made1 the gardener ties his cord round 
the stalk1 and retreats to the further  
end of the garden1 whilst the other     
actors in the comedy--the flaxdresser1  
the grave-digger1 the carpenter1 and the
 shoemaker--all stand round the cabbage4
 ,one digs a trench1 advances1 recedes1 
makes a plan1 spies at the others       
through a pair of spectacles2 and1 in   
short1 after various difficulties and   
mummeries1 the gardener pulls the cord1 
his wife spreads her apron1 and the     
cabbage falls majestically amidst the   
hurrahs of the spectators4 ,the basket  

is then brought1 the two gardeners plant
 the cabbage in it with all sorts of    
precautions2 fresh earth is put round   
its root1 it is propped with sticks1 and
 carefully tied up4 ,rosy apples on the 
end of sticks1 branches of thyme1 sage1 
and laurel are stuck all round it1 and  
the whole is decked with ribbons and    
streamers4 ,the trophy is then replaced 
on the handbarrow with the gardener1 who
 has to hold it upright1 and prevent any
 accident4 ,lastly1 the procession      
leaves the garden in good order1 and to 
a measured march4 ,on coming1 however1  
to the gate1 and again when they enter  
the court-yard of the bridegroom's      
house1 an imaginary obstacle opposes    
their passage4 ,the bearers of the      
burden stumble1 raise a great outcry1   
draw back1 advance again1 and1 as if    
repelled by some invincible force1      
pretend to give way under their load4   
,meantime the bystanders keep           
exclaiming1 to excite and encourage the 
bearers3 ',bravo6' ',well done1 my      

boys6' ',courage6' ',have a care6'      
',patience6' ',stoop now2 the gate is   
too low6' ',to the left--now to the     
right6' ',look sharp now6' ',now you're 
through6'  ,on reaching the court-yard  
of the bridegroom1 the cabbage is lifted
 off the barrow1 and carried to the     
highest point of the house--whether a   
chimney1 a gable1 or a pigeon-house4    
,the gardener plants it there1 and      
waters it with a large pitcher of wine1 
whilst a salvo of pistol-shots1 and the 
joyous contortions of the jardinire1    
announce its inauguration4 ,the same    
ceremony is immediately recommenced3    
another cabbage is removed from the     
bridegroom's garden1 and carried with   
the same formalities to the roof of the 
house which his wife has just quitted4  
,these trophies remain there1 until the 
wind and rain destroy the baskets1 and  
carry away the plants2 but they         
generally remain long enough to verify  
the predictions of the village dames1   
that ere their removal1 the new-married 

couple shall be blessed with a pretty   
little addition to their domestic       
happiness4  ,the day is far advanced    
when these ceremonies are accomplished1 
and all that remains1 is to escort with 
music the parents of the young couple to
 their homes4 ,there they have a dance1 
and all is over4     ,,noble ,,instance 
,,of ,,turkish ,,generosity ,,and       
,,honesty4   ,i happened1 a short time  
ago1 to be in company with a retired    
shipmaster in ,liverpool1 who1 after    
spending forty-five years of his life   
chiefly in command of vessels from that 
port1 had retired to enjoy the fruits of
 a well-deserved competency4 ,the       
conversation turned upon the difficulty1
 nay1 almost the impossibility1 of being
 able1 in this highly-civilised and     
moral country1 in the ordinary business 
of life1 to trust only to the word or   
honour of the contracting parties4 ,the 
,ancient ,mariner fully agreed with me  
in my opinions1 and said1 that during a 
long intercourse with his species in    

every quarter of the globe1 the only men
 he had met with whose words were equal 
to their bonds1 or whose honesty would  
stand the test of being trusted with    
untold gold1 were--the ,turks4 ,on my   
expressing surprise at this unqualified 
encomium in favour of a set of men on   
whom1 as a nation1 we have generally    
been accustomed to look with distrust   
and suspicion1 the old gentleman said3  
',i will give you an account of the     
circumstances which first led me to form
 this opinion1 and leave you to judge   
for yourself2' and added1 that during an
 occasional intercourse with them1      
extending over a period of twenty years1
 he had had it only the more            
strengthened and confirmed4 ,he then    
said3 ',it is now upwards of thirty     
years since ,i had1 for the first time1 
any intercourse with the ,mediterranean3
 our vessel was chartered to            
,constantinople2 and one of the         
principal owners1 a ,liverpool merchant1
 was aboard acting as his own           

supercargo4 ,although it was my first   
acquaintance with the ,turks1 it was not
 his1 as the sequel will shew4  ',as we 
approached our destination1 we availed  
ourselves of the customary aid of one of
 the local pilots2 but he who on this   
occasion undertook the responsibility1  
proved but an inexperienced guide2 and  
from some mistake in his bearings1 ran  
the vessel upon a sandbank1 from which  
every effort to dislodge her1 laden as  
she was1 proved unavailing4 ,we were on 
a bleak part of the coast1 and not more 
than half a mile from the shore1        
although a considerable distance from   
our destined port4 ,it was necessary1   
therefore1 to take out several          
boat-loads of the cargo1 and send them  
on shore1 whatever might be the risk    
they ran of being left there1 while we  
were getting the ship afloat again4 ,on 
expressing my fears as to their safety  
to the merchant whose property the goods
 were1 he at once said3 ,i know the     
,turks1 and will abide the consequences 

of the step2 although1 situated as we   
were1 we could not shrink from the      
results1 whatever they might be1 without
 incurring a much heavier loss1 if not  
the entire destruction of the vessel4   
,accordingly1 the boats were got out1   
and part of the cargo at once           
transferred to them1 and conveyed to the
 shore1 ,i acting as cockswain on the   
occasion4 ,as the foremost boat         
approached1 a number of turbaned figures
 were seen advancing1 who1 as soon as it
 touched the beach1 rushed into the     
surf1 and1 with a shout1 hauled it high 
and dry1 and commenced at once to bear  
off its cargo to a field in the         
immediate neighbourhood1 above          
high-water mark4 ,remonstrance or       
resistance would have been equally out  
of the question1 as neither understood a
 word the other said1 and their numbers 
were overpowering4 ,so rapidly did the  
goods vanish from the boat under their  
active operations1 that ,i had not even 
time to take a note of the particular   

packages4 ,as soon as the boat was      
emptied of its contents1 they assisted  
in pushing it off again into deep water2
 and in a very desponding state of mind 
regarding the ultimate fate of the goods
 which ,i had left on shore1 ,i returned
 to the ship4 ,on expressing my fears on
 that score to the merchant1 who met me 
at the gangway1 he smiled1 and said3    
,it's all right1 ,i saw by the turbans  
and dresses of the men who came down to 
you that they were ,turks2 and ,i know1 
from experience1 that we run no risk    
whatever in leaving the goods under     
their self-imposed guardianship4 ,as he 
was the party who was most interested in
 the result1 ,i said nothing more1 but  
proceeded to lighten the ship as        
speedily as possible1 by making several 
additional trips to the shore with as   
much of the cargo as enabled us to get  
at the ballast2 and on each occasion we 
received the same prompt and energetic  
assistance from our turbaned allies1    
each boat-load being carried to the     

corner of the field where the others    
were deposited4 ,it required two days to
 get the ship sufficiently lightened of 
her ballast1 so as to get her afloat    
again1 and this we were enabled to do   
without her sustaining any damage of a  
serious nature1 as the weather1         
fortunately for us1 continued perfectly 
calm4  ',during these two nights that   
the goods were left on shore1 they were 
watched by two of the ,turks alone2 and 
when we were ready for their reshipment1
 they assisted us as energetically in   
replacing them in the boat1 as they did 
at first in removing them from it4 ,on  
our last trip to the shore1 the merchant
 went with us1 and ,i took several      
pieces of gold with me1 which ,i offered
 to the honest fellows who had so       
generously and voluntarily rendered us  
such efficient service2 when1 to my     
still greater surprise1 they1 to a man1 
making a low bow1 and muttering         
something1 which to me was              
unintelligible1 put their hands on their

 hearts1 and refused to accept it4 ,the 
merchant1 who understood a word or two  
only of their language1 said that he    
could make out that what they had said  
was1 that we were brothers1 and in      
distress1 and that was enough to induce 
them to do what they could to assist us4
  ',our vessel then proceeded on her    
voyage to ,constantinople1 which she    
reached in a short time1 and got her    
cargo safely disembarked4 ,while there1 
,i occasionally met in the streets      
several of the men who had assisted us1 
and received from them in passing always
 a pleasing smile of recognition4'  ,i  
ask my readers whether they think that1 
if such a thing had occurred on almost  
any part of our own coasts1 a similar   
result would have taken place8 ,is it   
not notorious1 and a deep and indelible 
stain on the great proportion of our    
population on the coast1 that on a wreck
 taking place1 the natives not only     
pilfer all that they can lay their hands
 upon1 but sometimes do not even        

hesitate1 it is alleged1 to extinguish  
any glimmering sparks of life that may  
be perceptible in the bodies of the     
unfortunate mariners who have been      
washed ashore--with a view to protect   
themselves in the possession of their   
basely acquired spoil8 ,and is it not   
equally notorious1 that so far from     
their doing anything to warn a ship in  
distress1 that they see approaching     
their iron-bound shores1 of its danger1 
and doing anything to prevent it1 they  
very often shew false signals1 so as to 
draw the unfortunate vessel upon the    
rocks which it is so anxious to avoid8  
,such practices are an everlasting      
disgrace to the natives of many parts of
 our coasts2 and how nobly1 therefore1  
does the conduct of the poor ,turks     
contrast with it1 and that1 too1 be it  
borne in mind1 even when rendered to    
those whom they are taught to regard as 
,infidels6  ,my venerable informant also
 told me1 that during an occasional     
intercourse1 extending over a period of 

nearly twenty years1 with the natives of
 several parts of ,turkey1 he had never 
met with a solitary instance even of    
dishonesty1 or a departure from an      
agreement1 the conditions of which had  
only been settled by a verbal           
engagement1 even when the result would  
evidently be unfavourable to them4      
,,lady ,,betty1 ,,the ,,hangwoman4      
,the following curious sketch is from   
,mr ,w4 ,r4 ,wilde's ,irish             
,popular ,superstitions1 printed in     
,m',glashan's ,readings in      ,popular
 ,literature4 ,it does not refer to a   
superstition1 but to      one of those  
facts which exhibit as much of the      
preternatural as      the wildest       
excursion of fancy4 ,a portion of the   
little volume is      reprinted from the
 ,dublin ,university ,magazine1 and1 for
 aught      we know1 ,lady ,betty may   
have made her appearance originally in  
that work4  ,the old jail of ,roscommon 
stood1 and1 although now converted to   
other purposes1 still stands in the     

market-place1 in the centre of the town4
 ,it is an exceedingly high1 dark1      
gloomy-looking building1 with a         
castellated top1 like one of the ancient
 fortresses that tower above the houses 
in many of the continental cities4 ,it  
can be discerned at a great distance2   
and1 taken in connection with the       
extensive ruins of ,o',connor's ,castle1
 in the suburbs1 and the beautiful abbey
 upon the other side of the town1 seems 
to partake of the character of the      
middle-age architecture4 ,the fatal drop
 was1 perhaps1 the highest in ,ireland4 
,it consisted of a small doorway in the 
front of the third storey1 with a simple
 iron beam and pulley above1 and the    
lapboard merely a horizontal door hinged
 to the wall beneath1 and raised or let 
fall by means of a sliding-bolt1 which  
shot from the wall when there was       
occasion to put the apparatus of death  
in requisition4 ,fearful as this        
elevated gallows appeared1 and unique in
 its character1 it was not more so than 

the finisher of the law who then        
generally officiated upon it4 ,no       
decrepit wretch1 no crime-hardened      
ruffian1 no secret and mysterious       
personage1 who was produced occasionally
 disguised and masked1 plied his        
dreadful trade here4 ,who1 think you1   
gentle reader--who now1 perhaps1 recoils
 from these unpleasant but truthful     
minuti--officiated upon this gallows    
high8--a female6--a middle-aged1        
stout-made1 dark-eyed1                  
swarthy-complexioned1 but by no means   
forbidding-looking woman--the celebrated
 ,lady ,betty--the finisheress of the   
law--the unflinching priestess of the   
executive for the ,connaught circuit1   
and ,roscommon in particular1 for many  
years4 ,few children1 born or reared in 
that county thirty1 or even             
five-and-twenty years ago1 who were not 
occasionally frightened into 'being     
good1' and going to sleep1 and not      
crying when left alone in the dark1 by  
huggath a' ,pooka1 or1 'here's ,lady    

,betty4' ,the only fragment of her      
history which we have been able to      
collect is1 that she was a person of    
violent temper1 though in manners rather
 above the common1 and possessing some  
education4 ,it was said that she was a  
native of the ,county ,kerry1 and that  
by her harsh usage she drove her only   
son from her at an early age4 ,he       
enlisted2 but1 in course of years1      
returned with some money in his pocket1 
the result of his campaigning4 ,he      
knocked at his father's door1 and asked 
a night's lodging1 determined to see for
 himself whether the brutal mother he   
had left had in any way repented1 or was
 softened in her disposition1 before he 
would reveal himself4 ,he was admitted1 
but not recognised4 ,the mother1        
discovering that he possessed some      
money1 murdered him during the night4   
,the crime was discovered1 and the      
wretched woman sentenced to be hanged1  
along with the usual dockful of         
sheep-stealers1 ,whiteboys1             

shop-lifters1 and cattle-houghers1 who1 
to the amount of seven or eight at a    
time1 were invariably 'turned off'      
within four-and-twenty hours after their
 sentences at each assizes4 ,no         
executioner being at hand1 time         
pressing1 and the sheriff and his deputy
 being men of refinement1 education1    
humanity1 and sensibility1 who could not
 be expected to fulfil the office which 
they had undertaken--and for which one  
of them1 at least1 was paid--this       
wretched woman1 being the only person in
 the jail who could be found to perform 
the office1 consented2 and under the    
name of ,lady ,betty1 officiated1       
unmasked and undisguised1 as hangwoman  
for a great number of years after2 and  
she used also to flog publicly in the   
streets1 as a part of her trade4        
,numerous are the tales related of her  
exploits1 which we have now no desire to
 dwell upon4 ,we may1 however1 mention  
one extraordinary trait of her          
character4 ,she was in the habit of     

drawing1 with a burnt stick1 upon the   
walls of her apartment1 portraits of all
 the persons she executed4     ,,the    
,,will ,,and ,,the ,,way4   ,i learned  
grammar when ,i was a private soldier on
 the pay of sixpence a day4 ,the edge of
 my berth1 or that of my guard-bed1 was 
my seat to study in2 my knapsack was my 
bookcase1 and a bit of board lying in my
 lap was my writing-table4 ,i had no    
money to purchase candle or oil2 in     
winter1 it was rarely that ,i could get 
any light but that of the fire1 and only
 my turn even of that4 ,to buy a pen or 
piece of paper1 ,i was compelled to     
forego some portion of food1 though in a
 state of half-starvation4 ,i had not a 
moment of time that ,i could call my    
own2 and ,i had to read and write amid  
the talking1 laughing1 singing1         
whistling1 and bawling of at least half 
a score of the most thoughtless of      
men--and that1 too1 in the hours of     
their freedom from all control4 ,and ,i 
say1 if ,i1 under these circumstances1  

could encounter and overcome the task1  
is there--can there be1 in the whole    
world1 a youth who can find an excuse   
for the non-performance8--,william      
,cobbett4     ,,paper-,,mills4   ,a     
return has been made of the number of   
paper-mills at present at work in       
,england1 ,wales1 ,ireland1 and         
,scotland2 also of the number of        
'beating-engines' in each mill4 ,from   
this it appears that there are in       
,england #cjd paper-mills at present in 
activity1 having #abfg beating-engines  
at work1 and #ajg silent4 ,in ,scotland1
 there are #dh mills1 having #bgh       
beating-engines at work1 and #h silent4 
,in ,ireland1 there are #bh mills1      
having #ga beating-engines at work1 and 
#ae silent4 ,in ,wales1 there are no    
paper-mills4 ,the total is1 #hhj mills1 
having #afaf beating-engines at work1   
and #acj silent4     ,,lines ,,to ----4 
,o could ,i love thee1 love as thou art 
worthy to be loved1     ,thy deep1 thy  
constant tenderness my purpose might    

have moved4     ,i know1 might ,i accept
 thy heart1 a blissful lot were mine2   
,would we had earlier met--but no6 ,i   
never could be thine4      ,i love thee 
as a sister loves a brother kind and    
dear1     ,and feel a sister's thrilling
 pride whene'er thy praise ,i hear2     
,and ,i have breathed a sister's prayer 
for thee at ,mercy's throne1     ,and   
ne'er a truer1 purer love might sister's
 bosom own4      ,i knew this trial was 
in store2 ,i felt it day by day2        
,and oft in agony ,i prayed this cup    
might pass away2     ,and yet ,i lacked 
the power to tell1 what thou too late   
must hear1     ,to tell thee that       
another claims this heart to thee so    
dear4      ,alas6 that ,i must cause    
thee pain--,i know that thou wilt       
grieve--     ,for oh6 thou art all      
truthfulness2 thou never couldst        
deceive2     ,and ,i have wept when     
anxious care sat heavy on thy brow1     
,have wept when others wounded thee1 and
 ,i must wound thee now4      ,it may be

 that in after-years we yet shall meet  
again1     ,when time has cancelled     
every trace of this dark hour of pain3  
,o may ,i see thee happy1 blest1        
whate'er my lot may be1     ,and1 as a  
sister and a friend1 ,i shall rejoice   
with thee4                              
,,harriet4     ,,process ,,for          
,,producing ,,tapered ,,iron4   ,in ,no4
 #dcj of this ,journal1 page #bjg1 there
 is some mention of the patented rolling
 process for tapering bar-iron by       
machinery4 ,this important invention is 
not of ,american origin1 as persons     
unacquainted with the facts might       
imagine3 it was first practised at the  
,mersey ,steel and ,iron ,company's     
works at ,liverpool1 and then patented  
by ,mr ,william ,clay in the ,united    
,states4 ,the ,company mentioned were   
awarded for the manufacture the         
prize-medal of the ,great ,exhibition1  
and the silver medals of the ,franklin  
,institute of ,philadelphia1 and the    
,american ,institute of ,new ,york4     

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