,journals47 ,,blackwood',s ,,edinburgh ,,magazine4 99 99 99 99 99 ,no4 ,,cccxxxvi4 ,,october1 #ahdc4 ,,vol4 ,,liv4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,contents4 ,,mill',s ,,logic4 ,,my ,,country ,,neighbours4 ,,travels ,,of ,,kerim ,,khan4 ,,the ,,thirteenth2 ,a ,,tale ,,of ,,doom4 ,,reminiscences ,,of ,,syria4 ,,the ,,fate ,,of ,,polycrates4 ,,modern ,,painters4 ,a ,,royal ,,salute4 ,,physical ,,science ,,in ,,england4 ,,chronicles ,,of ,,paris4 ,,the ,,rue ,,st ,,denis4 ,,the ,,last ,,session ,,of ,,parliament4 ,,mill',s ,,logic4#a #a ,a ,system of ,logic1 ,ratiocinative and ,inductive2 being a connected view of the ,principles of ,evidence1 and the ,methods of ,scientific ,investigation4 ,by ,john ,stuart ,mill4 ,in two volumes4 ,london3 ,parker4 ,these are not degenerate days4 ,we have still strong thinkers amongst us2 men of untiring perseverance1 who flinch before no difficulties1 who never hide the knot which their readers are only too willing that they should let alone2 men who dare write what the ninety-nine out of every hundred will pronounce a dry book2 who pledge themselves1 not to the public1 but to their subject1 and will not desert it till their task is completed4 ,one of this order is ,mr ,john ,stuart ,mill4 ,the work he has now presented to the public1 we deem to be1 after its kind1 of the very highest character1 every where displaying powers of clear1 patient1 indefatigable thinking4 ,abstract enough it must be allowed to be1 calling for an unremitted attention1 and yielding but little1 even in the shape of illustration1 of lighter and more amusing matter2 he has taken no pains to bestow upon it any other interest than what searching thought and lucid views1 aptly expressed1 ought of themselves to create4 ,his subject1 indeed--the laws by which human belief and the inquisition of truth are to be governed and directed--is both of that extensive and fundamental character1 that it would be treated with success only by one who knew how to resist the temptations to digress1 as well as how to apply himself with vigour to the solution of the various questions that must rise before him4 ,this book1 the author says in his preface1 makes no pretence of giving to the world a new theory of our intellectual operations4 ,its claim to attention1 if it possess any1 is grounded on the fact1 that it is an attempt not to supersede1 but to embody and systematize1 the best ideas which have been either promulgated on its subject by speculative writers1 or conformed to by accurate thinkers in their scientific enquiries4 ,to cement together the detached fragments of a subject1 never yet treated as a whole2 to harmonize the true portions of discordant theories1 by supplying the links of thought necessary to connect them1 and by disentangling them from the errors with which they are always more or less interwoven--must necessarily require a considerable amount of original speculation4 ,to other originality than this1 the present work lays no claim4 ,in the existing state of the cultivation of the sciences1 there would be a very strong presumption against any one who should imagine that he had effected a revolution in the theory of the investigation of truth1 or added any fundamentally new process to the practice of it4 ,the improvement which remains to be effected in the methods of philosophizing1 and the author believes that they have much need of improvement1 can only consist in performing1 more systematically and accurately1 operations with which1 at least in their elementary form1 the human intellect1 in some one or other of its employments1 is already familiar4 ,such is the manly and modest estimate which the author makes of his own labours1 and the work fully bears out the character here given of it4 ,no one capable of receiving pleasure from the disentanglement of intricacies1 or the clear exposition of an abstruse subject2 no one seeking assistance in the acquisition of distinct and accurate views on the various and difficult topics which these volumes embrace--can fail to read them with satisfaction and with benefit4 ,to give a full account--to give any account--of a work which traverses so wide a field of subject1 would be here a futile attempt2 we should1 after all our efforts1 merely produce a laboured and imperfect synopsis1 which would in vain solicit the perusal of our readers4 ,what we purpose doing1 is to take up1 in the order in which they occur1 some of the topics on which ,mr ,mill has thrown a new light1 or which he has at least invested with a novel interest by the view he has given of them4 ,and as1 in this selection of topics1 we are not bound to choose those which are most austere and repulsive1 we hope that such of our readers as are not deterred by the very name of logic1 will follow us with some interest through the several points of view1 and the various extracts we shall present to them4 ,the ,syllogism4--,the logic of ,induction1 as that to which attention has been least devoted1 which has been least reduced to systematic form1 and which lies at the basis of all other modes of reasoning1 constitutes the prominent subject of these volumes4 ,nevertheless1 the old topic of logic proper1 or deductive reasoning1 is not omitted1 and the first passage to which we feel bound1 on many accounts1 to give our attention1 is the disquisition on the syllogism4 ,fortunately for us it is not necessary1 in order to convey the point of our author's observations upon this head1 to afflict our readers with any dissertation upon mode or figure1 or other logical technicalities4 ,the first form or figure of the syllogism 7to which those who have not utterly forgotten their scholastic discipline will remember that all others may be reduced7 is familiar to every one1 and to this alone we shall have occasion to refer4 ,all men are mortal4 ,a king is a man2 ,therefore a king is mortal4 ,who has not met--what young lady even1 though but in her teens1 has not encountered some such charming triplet as this1 which looks so like verse at a distance1 but1 like some other compositions1 approximates nothing the more on this account to poetry8 ,who has not learnt from such examples what is a major1 what a middle term1 and what the minor or conclusion8 ,as no one1 in the present day1 advises the adoption1 in our controversies1 of the syllogistic forms of reasoning1 it is evident that the value of the syllogism must consist1 not in its practical use1 but in the accurate type which it affords of the process of reasoning1 and in the analysis of that process which a full understanding of it renders necessary4 ,such an analysis supplies1 it is said1 an excellent discipline to the mind1 whilst an occasional reference to the form of the syllogism1 as a type or model of reasoning1 insures a steadiness and pertinency of argument4 ,but is the syllogism1 it has been asked1 this veritable type of our reasoning8 ,has the analysis which would explain it to be such1 been accurately conducted8 ,several of our northern metaphysicians1 it is well known--as1 for example1 ,dr ,campbell and ,dugald ,stewart--have laid rude hands upon the syllogism4 ,they have pronounced it to be a vain invention4 ,they have argued that no addition of knowledge1 no advancement in the acquisition of truth1 no new conviction1 can possibly be obtained through its means1 inasmuch as no syllogism can contain any thing in the conclusion which was not admitted1 at the outset1 in the first or major proposition4 ,the syllogism always1 say they1 involves a petitio principii4 ,admit the major1 and the business is palpably at an end2 the rest is a mere circle1 in which one cannot advance1 but may get giddy by the revolution4 ,according to the exposition of logicians themselves1 we simply obtain by our syllogism1 the privilege of saying that1 in the minor1 of some individual of a class1 which we had said1 in the major1 already of the whole class4 ,archbishop ,whately1 our most distinguished expositor and defender of the ,aristotelian logic1 meets these antagonists with the resolute assertion1 that their objection to the syllogism is equally valid against all reasoning whatever4 ,he does not deny1 but1 on the contrary1 in common with every logician1 distinctly states1 that whatever is concluded in the minor1 must have been previously admitted in the major1 for in this lies the very force and compulsion of the argument2 but he maintains that the syllogism is the true type of all our reasoning1 and that therefore to all our reasoning1 the very same vice1 the very same petitio principii1 may be imputed4 ,the syllogism1 he contends1 7and apparently with complete success17 is but a statement in full of what takes place mentally even in the most rapid acts of reasoning4 ,we often suppress the major for the sake of brevity1 but it is understood though not expressed2 just as in the same manner as we sometimes content ourselves with merely implying the conclusion itself1 because it is sufficiently evident without further words4 ,if any one should so far depart from common sense as to question the mortality of some great king1 we should think it sufficient to say for all argument--the king is a man6--virtually implying the whole triplet above mentioned3-- ,all men are mortal4 ,the king is a man2 ,therefore the king is mortal4 ,in pursuing the supposed investigation1 7into the operation of reasoning17 says ,archbishop ,whately1 it will be found that every conclusion is deduced1 in reality1 from two other propositions1 7thence called ,premisses27 for though one of these may be and commonly is suppressed1 it must nevertheless be understood as admitted1 as may easily be made evident by supposing the denial of the suppressed premiss1 which will at once invalidate the argument2 e4g4 if any one1 from perceiving that 'the world exhibits marks of design1' infers that 'it must have had an intelligent author1' though he may not be aware in his own mind of the existence of any other premiss1 he will readily understand1 if it be denied that 'whatever exhibits marks of design must have had an intelligent author1' that the affirmative of that proposition is necessary to the solidity of the argument4 ,an argument thus stated regularly and at full length1 is called a syllogism2 which1 therefore1 is evidently not a peculiar kind of argument1 but only a peculiar form of expression1 in which every argument may be stated4--,whately's ,logic1 p4 #bg4 ,it will be found1 he continues1 that all valid arguments whatever may be easily reduced to such a form as that of the foregoing syllogisms2 and that consequently the principle on which they are constructed is the ,,universal ,,principle of reasoning4 ,so elliptical1 indeed1 is the ordinary mode of expression1 even of those who are considered as prolix writers1--i4e4 so much is implied and left to be understood in the course of argument1 in comparison of what is actually stated1 7most men being impatient1 even to excess1 of any appearance of unnecessary and tedious formality of statement17 that a single sentence will often be found1 though perhaps considered as a single argument1 to contain1 compressed into a short compass1 a chain of several distinct arguments4 ,but if each of these be fully developed1 and the whole of what the author intended to imply be stated expressly1 it will be found that all the steps1 even of the longest and most complex train of reasoning1 may be reduced into the above form4--,p4 #cb4 ,that it is not the office of the syllogism to discover new truths1 our logician fully admits1 and takes some pains to establish4 ,this is the office of other operations of mind1 not unaccompanied1 however1 with acts of reasoning4 ,reasoning1 argument1 inference1 7words which he uses as synonymous17 have not for their object our advancement in knowledge1 or the acquisition of new truths4 ,much has been said1 says ,archbishop ,whately1 in another portion of his work1 by some writers1 of the superiority of the inductive to the syllogistic methods of seeking truth1 as if the two stood opposed to each other2 and of the advantage of substituting the ,organon of ,bacon for that of ,aristotle1 c4 c41 which indicates a total misconception of the nature of both4 ,there is1 however1 the more excuse for the confusion of thought which prevails on this subject1 because eminent logical writers have treated1 or at least have appeared to treat1 of induction as a kind of argument distinct from the syllogism2 which1 if it were1 it certainly might be contrasted with the syllogism3 or rather the whole syllogistic theory would fall to the ground1 since one of the very first principles it establishes1 is that all reasoning1 on whatever subject1 is one and the same process1 which may be clearly exhibited in the form of syllogisms4 ,this inaccuracy seems chiefly to have arisen from a vagueness in the use of the word induction2 which is sometimes employed to designate the process of investigation and of collecting facts1 sometimes the deducing an inference from those facts4 ,the former of these processes 7viz4 that of observation and experiment7 is undoubtedly distinct from that which takes place in the syllogism2 but then it is not a process of argumentation3 the latter again is an argumentative process2 but then it is1 like all other arguments1 capable of being syllogistically expressed4--,p4 #bfc4 ,to prove1 then1 this point demonstratively1 7namely1 that it is not by a process of reasoning that new truths are brought to light17 becomes on these data perfectly easy2 for since all reasoning 7in the sense above defined7 may be resolved into syllogisms2 and since even the objectors to logic make it a subject of complaint1 that in a syllogism the premises do virtually assert the conclusion1 it follows at once that no new truth 7as above defined7 can be elicited by any process of reasoning4 ,it is on this ground1 indeed1 that the justly celebrated author of the ,philosophy of ,rhetoric objects to the syllogism altogether1 as necessarily involving a petitio principii2 an objection which1 of course1 he would not have been disposed to bring forward1 had he perceived that1 whether well or ill founded1 it lies against all arguments whatever4 ,had he been aware that the syllogism is no distinct kind of argument otherwise than in form1 but is1 in fact1 any argument whatever stated regularly and at full length1 he would have obtained a more correct view of the object of all reasoning2 which is merely to expand and unfold the assertions wrapt up1 as it were1 and implied in those with which we set out1 and to bring a person to perceive and acknowledge the full force of that which he has admitted2 to contemplate it in various points of view2 to admit in one shape what he has already admitted in another1 and to give up and disallow whatever is inconsistent with it4--,p4 #bgc4 ,now1 what the ,archbishop here advances appears convincing2 his position looks impregnable4 ,the syllogism is not a peculiar mode of reasoning1 7how could it be87--if any thing at all1 it must be a general formula for expressing the ordinary act of reasoning--and he shows that the objections made by those who would impugn it1 may be levelled with equal justice against all ratiocination whatever4 ,but then this method of defending the syllogism1 7to those of us who have stood beside1 in the character of modest enquirers1 watching the encounter of keen wits17 does but aggravate the difficulty4 ,is it true1 then1 that in every act of reasoning1 we do but conclude in one form1 what1 the moment before1 we had stated in another8 ,are we to understand that such is the final result of the debate8 ,if so1 this act of reasoning appears very little deserving of that estimation in which it has been generally held4 ,the great prerogative of intelligent beings 7as it has been deemed17 grants them this only--to admit in one shape what they had already admitted in another4 ,from the dilemma in which we are here placed1 the ,archbishop by no means releases1 or attempts to release us3 he seems 7something too much after the manner and disposition generally attributed to masters in logic-fence17 to have rested satisfied with foiling his opponents in their attack upon the exact position he had bound himself to defend4 ,he saves the syllogism2 what becomes1 in the controversy1 of poor human reason itself1 is not his especial concern--it is as much their business as his4 ,you do not1 more than ,i1 he virtually says to his opponents1 intend to resign all reasoning whatever as a mere inanity2 ,i prove1 for my part1 that all reasoning is capable of being put into a syllogistic form1 and that your objection1 if valid against the syllogism1 is equally valid against all ratiocination4 ,you must therefore either withdraw your objection altogether1 or advance it at your peril2 the difficulty is of your making1 you must solve it as you can4 ,gentlemen1 you must muzzle your own dog4 ,in this posture of affairs the author of the present work comes to the rescue4 ,he shall speak in his own words4 ,but we must premise1 that although we do not intend to stint him in our quotation--though we wish to give him all the sea-room possible2 yet1 for a full development of his views1 we must refer the reader to his volumes themselves4 ,there are some disquisitions which precede the part we are about to quote from1 which1 in order to do complete justice to the subject1 ought to find a place here1 as well as in the author's work--but it is impossible4 ,it is universally allowed1 that a syllogism is vicious1 if there be any thing more in the conclusion than was assumed in the premisses4 ,but this is1 in fact1 to say1 that nothing ever was1 or can be1 proved by syllogism1 which was not known1 or assumed to be known1 before4 ,is ratiocination1 then1 not a process of inference8 ,and is the syllogism1 to which the word reasoning has so often been represented to be exclusively appropriate1 not really entitled to be called reasoning at all8 ,this seems an inevitable consequence of the doctrine1 admitted by all writers on the subject1 that a syllogism can prove no more than is involved in the premisses4 ,yet the acknowledgment so explicitly made1 has not prevented one set of writers from continuing to represent the syllogism as the correct analysis of what the mind actually performs in discovering and proving the larger half of the truths1 whether of science or of daily life1 which we believe2 while those who have avoided this inconsistency1 and followed out the general theorem respecting the logical value of the syllogism to its legitimate corollary1 have been led to impute uselessness and frivolity to the syllogistic theory itself1 on the ground of the petitio principii which they allege to be inherent in every syllogism4 ,as ,i believe both these opinions to be fundamentally erroneous1 ,i must request the attention of the reader to certain considerations1 without which any just appreciation of the true character of the syllogism1 and the functions it performs in philosophy1 appears to me impossible2 but which seem to me to have been overlooked or insufficiently adverted to1 both by the defenders of the syllogistic theory1 and by its assailants4 ,it must be granted1 that in every syllogism1 considered as an argument to prove the conclusion1 there is a petitio principii4 ,when we say-- ',all men are mortal4 ,socrates is a man2 ,,therefore ,socrates is mortal'-- it is unanswerably urged by the adversaries of the syllogistic theory1 that the proposition1 ,socrates is mortal1 is presupposed in the more general assumption1 ,all men are mortal2 that we cannot be assured of the mortality of all men1 unless we were previously certain of the mortality of every individual man2 that if it be still doubtful whether ,socrates1 or any other individual you choose to name1 be mortal or not1 the same degree of uncertainty must hang over the assertion1 ,all men are mortal2 that the general principle1 instead of being given as evidence of the particular case1 cannot itself be taken for true without exception1 until every shadow of doubt which could affect any case comprised with it1 is dispelled by evidence aliunde1 and then what remains for the syllogism to prove8 that1 in short1 no reasoning from generals to particulars can1 as such1 prove any thing2 since from a general principle you cannot infer any particulars1 but those which the principle itself assumes as foreknown4 ,this doctrine is irrefragable2 and if logicians1 though unable to dispute it1 have usually exhibited a strong disposition to explain it away1 this was not because they could discover any flaw in the argument itself1 but because the contrary opinion seemed to rest upon arguments equally indisputable4 ,in the syllogism last referred to1 for example1 or in any of those which we previously constructed1 is it not evident that the conclusion may1 to the person to whom the syllogism is presented1 be actually and bona fide a new truth8 ,is it not matter of daily experience that truth previously undreamt of1 facts which have not been1 and cannot be1 directly observed1 are arrived at by way of general reasoning8 ,we believe that the ,duke of ,wellington is mortal4 ,we do not know this by direct observation1 since he is not yet dead4 ,if we were asked how1 this being the case1 we know the ,duke to be mortal1 we should probably answer1 because all men are so4 ,here1 therefore1 we arrive at the knowledge of a truth not 7as yet7 susceptible of observation1 by a reasoning which admits of being exhibited in the following syllogism-- ',all men are mortal4 ,the ,duke of ,wellington is a man2 ,,therefore ,the ,duke of ,wellington is mortal4' ,and since a large portion of our knowledge is thus acquired1 logicians have persisted in representing the syllogism as a process of inference or proof2 although none of them has cleared up the difficulty which arises from the inconsistency between that assertion and the principle1 that if there be any thing in the conclusion which was not already asserted in the premisses1 the argument is vicious4 ,for it is impossible to attach any serious scientific value to such a mere salvo1 as the distinction drawn between being involved by implication in the premisses1 and being directly asserted in them4 ,when ,archbishop ,whately1 for example1 says that the object of reasoning is 'merely to expand and unfold the assertions wrapt up1 as it were1 and implied in those with which we set out1 and to bring a person to perceive and acknowledge the full force of that which he has admitted1' he does not1 ,i think1 meet the real difficulty requiring to be explained2 namely1 how it happens that a science like geometry can be all 'wrapt up' in a few definitions and axioms4 ,nor does this defence of the syllogism differ much from what its assailants urge against it as an accusation1 when they charge it with being of no use except to those who seek to press the consequence of an admission into which a man has been entrapped1 without having considered and understood its full force4 ,when you admitted the major premiss1 you asserted the conclusion1 'but1' says ,archbishop ,whately1 'you asserted it by implication merely2 this1 however1 can here only mean that you asserted it unconsciously--that you did not know you were asserting it2 but if so1 the difficulty revives in this shape4 ,ought you not to have known8 ,were you warranted in asserting the general proposition without having satisfied yourself of the truth of every thing which it fairly includes8 ,and if not1 what1 then1 is the syllogistic art but a contrivance for catching you in a trap1 and holding you fast in it8' ,from this difficulty there appears to be but one issue4 ,the proposition1 that the ,duke of ,wellington is mortal1 is evidently an inference1 it is got at as a conclusion from something else2 but do we1 in reality1 conclude it from the proposition--,all men are mortal8 ,i answer1 ,no4 ,the error committed is1 ,i conceive1 that of overlooking the distinction between the two parts of the process of philosophizing--the inferring part and the registering part2 and ascribing to the latter the functions of the former4 ,the mistake is that of referring a man to his own notes for the origin of his knowledge4 ,if a man is asked a question1 and is at the moment unable to answer it1 he may refresh his memory by turning to a memorandum which he carries about with him4 ,but if he were asked how the fact came to his knowledge1 he would scarcely answer1 because it was set down in his note-book4 ,assuming that the proposition1 ,the ,duke of ,wellington is mortal1 is immediately an inference from the proposition1 ,all men are mortal1 whence do we derive our knowledge of that general truth8 ,no supernatural aid being supposed1 the answer must be1 from observation4 ,now1 all which men can observe are individual cases4 ,from these all general truths must be drawn1 and into these they may be again resolved2 for a general truth is but an aggregate of particular truths--a comprehensive expression1 by which an indefinite number of individual facts are affirmed or denied at once4 ,but a general proposition is not merely a compendious form for recording and preserving in the memory a number of particular facts1 all of which have been observed4 ,generalization is not a process of mere naming1 it is also a process of inference4 ,from instances which we have observed1 we feel warranted in concluding1 that what we found true in those instances holds in all similar ones--past1 present1 and future1 however numerous they may be4 ,we1 then1 by that valuable contrivance of language1 which enables us to speak of many as if they were one1 record all that we have observed1 together with all that we infer from our observations1 in one concise expression2 and have thus only one proposition1 instead of an endless number1 to remember or to communicate4 ,the results of many observations and inferences1 and instructions for making innumerable inferences in unforeseen cases1 are compressed into one short sentence4 ,when1 therefore1 we conclude1 from the death of ,john and ,thomas1 and every other person we ever heard of in whose case the experiment had been fairly tried1 that the ,duke of ,wellington is mortal like the rest1 we may1 indeed1 pass through the generalization1 ,all men are mortal1 as an intermediate stage2 but it is not in the latter half of the process--the descent from all men to the ,duke of ,wellington--that the inference resides4 ,the inference is finished when we have asserted that all men are mortal4 ,what remains to be performed afterwards is merely deciphering our own notes4 ,archbishop ,whately has contended1 that syllogizing1 or reasoning from generals to particulars1 is not1 agreeably to the vulgar idea1 a peculiar mode of reasoning1 but the philosophical analysis of the mode in which all men reason1 and must do so if they reason at all4 ,with the deference due to so high an authority1 ,i cannot help thinking that the vulgar notion is1 in this case1 the more correct4 ,if1 from our experience of ,john1 ,thomas1 c4 who once were living1 but are now dead1 we are entitled to conclude that all human beings are mortal1 we might surely1 without any logical inconsequence1 have concluded at once1 from those instances1 that the ,duke ,wellington is mortal4 ,the mortality of ,john1 ,thomas1 and ,company1 is1 after all1 the whole evidence we have for the mortality of the ,duke of ,wellington4 ,not one iota is added to the proof by interpolating a general proposition4 ,since the individual cases are all the evidence we can possess2 evidence which no logical form into which we choose to throw it can make greater than it is2 and since that evidence is either sufficient in itself1 or1 if insufficient for one purpose1 cannot be sufficient for the other2 ,i am unable to see why we should be forbidden to take the shortest cut from these sufficient premisses to the conclusion1 and constrained to travel the 'high priori road' by the arbitrary fiat of logicians4 ,i cannot perceive why it should be impossible to journey from one place to another1 unless 'we march up a hill and then march down again4' ,it may be the safest road1 and there may be a resting-place at the top of the hill1 affording a commanding view of the surrounding country2 but for the mere purpose of arriving at our journey's end1 our taking that road is perfectly optional3 it is a question of time1 trouble1 and danger4 ,not only may we reason from particulars to particulars1 without passing through generals1 but we perpetually do so reason4 ,all our earliest inferences are of this nature4 ,from the first dawn of intelligence we draw inferences2 but years elapse before we learn the use of general language4 ,the child who1 having burnt his fingers1 avoids to thrust them again into the fire1 has reasoned or inferred1 though he has never thought of the general maxim--fire burns4 ,he knows from memory that he has been burnt1 and on this evidence believes1 when he sees a candle1 that if he puts his finger into the flame of it1 he will be burnt again4 ,he believes this in every case which happens to arise2 but without looking1 in each instance1 beyond the present case4 ,he is not generalizing2 he is inferring a particular from particulars4--,vol4 ,i4 p4 #bdd4 ,from the considerations now adduced1 the following conclusions seem to be established3--,all inference is from particulars to particulars3 ,general propositions are merely registers of such inferences already made1 and short formulae for making more3 ,the major premiss of a syllogism1 consequently1 is a formula of this description2 and the conclusion is not an inference drawn from the formula1 but an inference drawn according to the formula3 the real logical antecedent1 or premisses being the particular facts from which the general proposition was collected by induction4 99 99 99 ,in the above observations1 it has1 ,i think1 been clearly shown1 that although there is always a process of reasoning or inference where a syllogism is used1 the syllogism is not a correct analysis of that process of reasoning or inference2 which is1 on the contrary1 7when not a mere inference from testimony17 an inference from particulars to particulars2 authorized by a previous inference from particulars to generals1 and substantially the same with it3 of the nature1 therefore1 of ,induction4 ,but while these conclusions appear to me undeniable1 ,i must yet enter a protest1 as strong as that of ,archbishop ,whately himself1 against the doctrine that the syllogistic art is useless for the purposes of reasoning4 ,the reasoning lies in the act of generalisation1 not in interpreting the record of that act2 but the syllogistic form is all indispensable collateral security for the correctness of the generalisation itself4--,p4 #bei4 ,by this explanation we are released from the dilemma into which the syllogistic and non-syllogistic party had together thrown us4 ,we can acknowledge that the process of reason can be always exhibited in the form of a syllogism1 and yet not be driven to the strange and perplexing conclusion that our reasoning can never conduct us to a new truth1 never lead us further than to admit in one shape what we had already admitted in another4 ,we have1 or may have1 it is true1 a major in all our ratiocination1 implied1 if not expressed1 and are so far syllogistic2 but then the real premiss from which we reason is the amount of experience on which that major was founded1 to which amount of experience we1 in fact1 made an addition in our minor1 or conclusion4 ,but while we accept this explanation1 and are grateful for the deliverance it works for us1 we must also admit1 7and we are not aware that ,mr ,mill would controvert this admission17 that there is a large class of cases in which our reasoning betrays no reference to this anterior experience1 and where the usual explanation given by teachers of logic is perfectly applicable2 cases where our object is1 not the discovery of truth for ourselves1 but to convince another of his error1 by showing him that the proposition1 which in his blindness or prejudice he has chosen to contradict1 is part and parcel of some other proposition to which he has given1 and is at all times ready to give1 his acquiescence4 ,in such cases1 we frequently content ourselves with throwing before him this alternative--refuse your major1 to which you have again and again assented1 or accept1 as involved in it1 our minor proposition1 which you have persisted in controverting4 ,it will have been gathered from the foregoing train of observation1 that1 in direct contradistinction to ,archbishop ,whately1 who had represented induction 7so far as it consisted of an act of ratiocination7 as resolvable into deductive and syllogistic reasoning1 our author has resolved the syllogism1 and indeed all deductive reasoning whatever1 ultimately into examples of induction4 ,in doing this1 he is encountered by a metaphysical notion very prevalent in the present day1 which lies across his path1 and which he has to remove4 ,we allude to the distinction between contingent and necessary truths2 it being held by many philosophical writers that all necessary and universal truths owe their origin1 not to experience 7except as occasion of their development17 and not1 consequently1 to the ordinary process of induction1 but flow from higher sources--flow immediately from some supreme faculty to which the name of reason has by some been exclusively appropriated1 in order to distinguish it from the understanding1 the faculty judging according to sense4 ,we will pause a while upon this topic4 ,contingent and ,necessary ,truths4--,those who have read ,mr ,whewell's treatise on the ,philosophy of the ,inductive ,sciences1 will remember that there is no topic which that author labours more sedulously to inculcate than this same distinction between contingent and necessary truths2 and it is against his statement of the doctrine in question1 that ,mr ,mill directs his observations4 ,perhaps the controverted tenets would have sustained a more equal combat under the auspices of a more practised and more complete metaphysician than ,mr ,whewell2 but a difficulty was probably experienced in finding a statement in any other well-known ,english author full and explicit4 ,referring ourselves to ,mr ,whewell's volumes for an extract1 in order to give the distinction here contended against the advantage of an exposition in the words of one who upholds it1 we are embarrassed by the number which offer themselves4 ,from many we select the following statement3-- ,experience1 says ,mr ,whewell1 must always consist of a limited number of observations4 ,and1 however numerous these may be1 they can show nothing with regard to the infinite number of cases in which the experiment has not been made4 ,experience1 being thus unable to prove a fact to be universal1 is1 as will readily be seen1 still more incapable of proving a fact to be necessary4 ,experience cannot1 indeed1 offer the smallest ground for the necessity of a proposition4 ,she can observe and record what has happened2 but she cannot find1 in any case1 or in any accumulation of cases1 any reason for what must happen4 ,she may see objects side by side1 but she cannot see a reason why they must be ever side by side4 ,she finds certain events to occur in succession2 but the succession supplies1 in its occurrence1 no reason for its recurrence4 ,she contemplates external objects2 but she cannot detect any internal bond which indissolubly connects the future with the past1 the possible with the real4 ,to learn a proposition by experience1 and to see it to be necessarily true1 are two altogether different processes of thought4 ,but it may be said1 that we do learn1 by means of observation and experience1 many universal truths2 indeed1 all the general truths of which science consists4 ,is not the doctrine of universal gravitation learned by experience8 ,are not the laws of motion1 the properties of light1 the general properties of chemistry1 so learned8 ,how1 with these examples before us1 can we say that experience teaches no universal truths8 ,to this we reply1 that these truths can only be known to be general1 not universal1 if they depend upon experience alone4 ,experience cannot bestow that universality which she herself cannot have1 and that necessity of which she has no comprehension4 ,if these doctrines are universally true1 this universality flows from the ideas which we apply to our experience1 and which are1 as we have seen1 the real sources of necessary truth4 ,how far these ideas can communicate their universality and necessity to the results of experience1 it will hereafter be our business to consider4 ,it will then appear1 that when the mind collects from observation truths of a wide and comprehensive kind1 which approach to the simplicity and universality of the truths of pure science2 she gives them this character by throwing upon them the light of her own fundamental ideas4--,whewell1 ,vol4 ,i4 p4 #fj4 ,accordingly1 ,mr ,whewell no sooner arrives at any truth which admits of an unconditional positive statement--a statement defying all rational contradiction--than he abstracts it from amongst the acquisitions of experience1 and throwing over it1 we suppose1 the light of these fundamental ideas1 pronounces it enrolled in the higher class of universal and necessary truths4 ,the first laws of motion1 though established through great difficulties against the most obstinate preconceptions1 and by the aid of repeated experiments1 are1 when surveyed in their present perfect form1 proclaimed to be1 not acquisitions of experience1 but truths emanating from a higher and more mysterious origin4#b #b ,necessary truths multiply on us very fast4 ,we maintain1 says ,mr ,whewell1 that this equality of mechanical action and reaction is one of the principles which do not flow from1 but regulate1 our experience4 ,a mechanical pressure1 not accompanied by an equal and opposite pressure1 can no more be given by experience than two unequal right angles4 ,with the supposition of such inequalities1 space ceases to be space1 form ceases to be form1 matter ceases to be matter4 ,and again he says1 ,that the parallelogram of forces is a necessary truth2 a law of motion of which we surely can conceive its opposite to be true4 ,in some of these instances ,mr ,whewell appears1 by a confusion of thought1 to have given to the physical fact the character of necessity which resides in the mathematical formula employed for its expression4 ,whether a moving body would communicate motion to another body--whether it would lose its own motion by so doing--or what would be the result if a body were struck by two other bodies moving in different directions--are questions which1 if they could be asked us prior to experience1 we could give no answer whatever to--which we can easily conceive to admit of a quite different answer to that which experience has taught us to give4 ,this distinction1 which assigns a different mental origin to truths1 simply because 7from the nature of the subject-matter1 as it seems to us7 there is a difference with regard to the sort of certainty we feel of them1 has always appeared to us most unphilosophical4 ,it is admitted that we arrive at a general proposition through experience2 there is no room1 therefore1 for quibbling as to the meaning of the term experience--it is understood that when we speak of a truth being derived from experience1 we imply the usual exercise of our mental faculties2 it is the step from a general to a universal proposition which alone occasions this perplexing distinction4 ,the dogma is this--that experience can only teach us by a limited number of examples1 and therefore can never establish a universal proposition4 ,but if all experience is in favour of a proposition--if no experience has occurred even to enable the imagination to conceive its opposite1 what more can be required to convert the general into a universal proposition8 ,strange to say1 the attribution of these characteristics of universality and necessity1 becomes1 amongst those who loudly insist upon the palpable nature of the distinction we are now examining1 a matter of controversy2 and there are a class of scientific truths1 of which it is debated whether they are contingent or necessary4 ,the only test that they belong to the latter order is1 the impossibility of conceiving their opposites to be the truth2 and it seems that men find a great difference in their powers of conception1 and that what is impossible with one is possible with another4 ,but 7wisely1 too7 passing this over1 and admitting that there is a distinction 7though a very ill-defined one7 between the several truths we entertain of this nature2 namely1 that some we find it impossible1 even in imagination1 to contradict1 whilst of others we can suppose it possible that they should cease to be truths--does it follow that different faculties of the mind are engaged in the acquisition of them8 ,does nothing depend on the nature of the subject itself8 ,that two sides of a triangle1 says ,mr ,whewell1 are greater than the third1 is a universal and necessary geometrical truth2 it is true of all triangles2 it is true in such a way that the contrary cannot be conceived4 ,experience could not prove such a proposition4 ,experience is allowed to prove it of this or that triangle1 but not as an inseparable property of a triangle4 ,we are at a loss to perceive why the same faculties of the mind that can judge1 say of the properties of animal life1 of organized beings1 cannot judge of the properties of a figure--properties which must immediately be conceived to exist the moment the figure is presented to the imagination4 ,we say1 for instance1 of any animal1 not because it is this or that animal1 a sheep or an ox1 but simply as animal1 that it must sustain itself by food1 by the process of assimilation4 ,this1 however1 is merely a contingent truth1 because it is in our power to conceive of organized beings whose substance shall not wear away1 and consequently shall not need perpetual restoration4 ,but what faculty of the mind is unemployed here that is engaged in perceiving the property of a triangle1 that as triangle1 it must have two sides greater than the third8 ,the truths elicited in the two cases have a difference1 inasmuch as a triangle differs from an animal in this1 that it is impossible to conceive other triangles than those to which your truth is applicable1 and therefore the proposition relating to the triangle is called a necessary truth4 ,but surely this difference lies in the subject-matter1 not in the nature of our mental faculties4 ,but we had not intended to interpose our own lucubrations in the place of those of ,mr ,mill4 ,although ,mr ,whewell1 says our author1 has naturally and properly employed a variety of phrases to bring his meaning more forcibly home1 he will1 ,i presume1 allow that they are all equivalent2 and that what he means by a necessary truth1 would be sufficiently defined1 a proposition the negation of which is not only false1 but inconceivable4 ,i am unable to find in any of ,mr ,whewell's expressions1 turn them what way you will1 a meaning beyond this1 and ,i do not believe he would contend that they mean any thing more4 ,this1 therefore1 is the principle asserted3 that propositions1 the negation of which is inconceivable1 or in other words1 which we cannot figure to ourselves as being false1 must rest upon evidence of higher and more cogent description than any which experience can afford4 ,and we have next to consider whether there is any ground for this assertion4 ,now1 ,i cannot but wonder that so much stress should be laid upon the circumstance of inconceivableness1 when there is such ample experience to show that our capacity or incapacity for conceiving a thing has very little to do with the possibility of the thing in itself2 but is in truth very much an affair of accident1 and depends upon the past habits and history of our own minds4 ,there is no more generally acknowledged fact in human nature1 than the extreme difficulty at first felt in conceiving any thing as possible1 which is in contradiction to long-established and familiar experience1 or even to old and familiar habits of thought4 ,and this difficulty is a necessary result of the fundamental laws of the human mind4 ,when we have often seen and thought of two things together1 and have never1 in any one instance1 either seen or thought of them separately1 there is by the primary law of association an increasing difficulty1 which in the end becomes insuperable1 of conceiving the two things apart4 ,this is most of all conspicuous in uneducated persons1 who are1 in general1 utterly unable to separate any two ideas which have once become firmly associated in their minds1 and1 if persons of cultivated intellect have any advantage on the point1 it is only because1 having seen and heard and read more1 and being more accustomed to exercise their imagination1 they have experienced their sensations and thoughts in more varied combinations1 and have been prevented from forming many of these inseparable associations4 ,but this advantage has necessarily its limits4 ,the man of the most practised intellect is not exempt from the universal laws of our conceptive faculty4 ,if daily habit presents to him for a long period two facts in combination1 and if he is not led1 during that period1 either by accident or intention1 to think of them apart1 he will in time become incapable of doing so1 even by the strongest effort2 and the supposition1 that the two facts can be separated in nature1 will at last present itself to his mind with all the characters of an inconceivable phenomenon4 ,there are remarkable instances of this in the history of science2 instances in which the wisest men rejected as impossible1 because inconceivable1 things which their posterity1 by earlier practice1 and longer perseverance in the attempt1 found it quite easy to conceive1 and which every body now knows to be true4 ,there was a time when men of the most cultivated intellects1 and the most emancipated from the dominion of early prejudice1 could not credit the existence of antipodes2 were unable to conceive1 in opposition to old association1 the force of gravity acting upwards instead of downwards4 ,the ,cartesians long rejected the ,newtonian doctrine of the gravitation of all bodies towards one another1 on the faith of a general proposition1 the reverse of which seemed to them to be inconceivable--the proposition1 that a body cannot act where it is not4 ,all the cumbrous machinery of imaginary vortices1 assumed without the smallest particle of evidence1 appeared to these philosophers a more rational mode of explaining the heavenly motions1 than one which involved what appeared to them so great an absurdity4 ,and they1 no doubt1 found it as impossible to conceive that a body should act upon the earth at the distance of the sun or moon1 as we find it to conceive an end to space or time1 or two straight lines inclosing a space4 ,newton himself had not been able to realize the conception1 or we should not have had his hypothesis of a subtle ether1 the occult cause of gravitation2 and his writings prove1 that although he deemed the particular nature of the intermediate agency a matter of conjecture1 the necessity of some such agency appeared to him indubitable4 ,it would seem that1 even now1 the majority of scientific men have not completely got over this very difficulty2 for though they have at last learned to conceive the sun attracting the earth without any intervening fluid1 they cannot yet conceive the sun illuminating the earth without some such medium4 ,if1 then1 it be so natural to the human mind1 even in its highest state of culture1 to be incapable of conceiving1 and on that ground to believe impossible1 what is afterwards not only found to be conceivable1 but proved to be true2 what wonder if1 in cases where the association is still older1 more confirmed1 and more familiar1 and in which nothing even occurs to shake our conviction1 or even to suggest to us any conception at variance with the association1 the acquired incapacity should continue1 and be mistaken for a natural incapacity8 ,it is true our experience of the varieties in nature enables us1 within certain limits1 to conceive other varieties analogous to them4 ,we can conceive the sun or moon falling1 for although we never saw them fall1 nor ever perhaps imagined them falling1 we have seen so many other things fall1 that we have innumerable familiar analogies to assist the conception2 which1 after all1 we should probably have some difficulty in framing1 were we not well accustomed to see the sun and moon move1 7or appear to move17 so that we are only called upon to conceive a slight change in the direction of motion1 a circumstance familiar to our experience4 ,but when experience affords no model on which to shape the new conception1 how is it possible for us to form it8 ,how1 for example1 can we imagine an end to space and time8 ,we never saw any object without something beyond it1 nor experienced any feeling without something following it4 ,when1 therefore1 we attempt to conceive the last point of space1 we have the idea irresistibly raised of other points beyond it4 ,when we try to imagine the last instant of time1 we cannot help conceiving another instant after it4 ,nor is there any necessity to assume1 as is done by the school to which ,mr ,whewell belongs1 a peculiar fundamental law of the mind to account for the feeling of infinity inherent in our conception of space and time2 that apparent infinity is sufficiently accounted for by simple and universally acknowledged laws4--,vol4 ,i4 p4 #cac4 ,mr ,mill does not deny that there exists a distinction1 as regards ourselves1 between certain truths 7namely1 that of some1 we cannot conceive them to be other than truths17 but he sets no value on this distinction1 inasmuch as there is no proof that it has its counterpart in things themselves2 the impossibility of a thing being by no means measured by our inability to conceive it4 ,and we may observe1 that ,mr ,whewell1 in consistency with the metaphysical doctrine upon space and time which he has borrowed from ,kant1 ought1 under another shape1 to entertain a similar doubt as to whether this distinction represent any real distinction in the nature of things4 ,he considers1 with ,kant1 that space is only that form with which the human mind invests things--that it has no other than this merely mental existence--is purely subjective4 ,presuming1 therefore1 that the mind is1 from its constitution1 utterly and for ever unable to conceive the opposite of certain truths1 7those1 for instance1 of geometry27 yet as the existence of space itself is but a subjective truth1 it must follow that all other truths relating to it are subjective also4 ,the mind is not conversant with things in themselves1 in the truths even of geometry2 nor is there any positive objective truth in one department of science more than another4 ,mr ,whewell1 therefore1 though he advocates this distinction between necessary and contingent truth with a zeal which would seem to imply that something momentous1 or of peculiar interest1 was connected with it1 can advocate it only as a matter of abstract metaphysical science4 ,he cannot participate in that feeling of exaltation and mystery which has led many to expatiate upon a necessary and absolute truth which the ,divine ,power itself cannot alter1 which is equally irresistible1 equally binding and compulsory1 with ,god as with man4 ,of this spirit of philosophical enthusiasm ,mr ,whewell cannot partake4 ,space and ,time1 with all their properties and phenomena1 are but recognized as the modes of thought of a human intelligence4 ,we have marked a number of passages for annotation and extract--a far greater number than we can possibly find place for alluding to4 ,one subject1 however1 which lies at the very basis of all our science1 and which has received a proportionate attention from ,mr ,mill1 must not be amongst those which are passed over4 ,we mean the law of ,causation4 ,what should be described as the complete and adequate notion of a cause1 we need not say is one of the moot points of philosophy4 ,according to one school of metaphysicians1 there is in our notion of cause an element not derived from experience1 which1 it is confessed on all hands1 can teach us only the succession of events4 ,cause1 with them1 is that invisible power1 that mysterious bond1 which this succession does but signify3 with other philosophers this succession constitutes the whole of any intelligible notion we have of cause4 ,the latter opinion is that of ,mr ,mill2 at the same time the question is one which lies beyond or beside the scope of his volumes4 ,he is concerned only with phenomena1 not with the knowledge 7if such there be7 of things in themselves2 that part1 therefore1 of our idea of cause which1 according to all systems of philosophy1 is won from experience1 and concerns phenomena alone1 is sufficient for his purpose4 ,that every event has a cause1 that is1 a previous and uniformly previous event1 and that whatever has happened will1 in the like circumstances1 happen again--these are the assumptions necessary to science1 and these no one will dispute4 ,mr ,mill has made a happy addition to the usual definition of cause given by that class of metaphysicians to which he himself belongs1 and which obviates a plausible objection urged against it by ,dr ,reid and others4 ,these have argued1 that if cause be nothing more than invariable antecedence1 then night may be said to be the cause of day1 for the one invariably precedes the other4 ,day does succeed to night1 but only on certain conditions--namely1 that the sun rise4 ,the succession1 observes ,mr ,mill1 which is equivalent and synonymous to cause1 must be not only invariable but unconditional4 ,we may define1 therefore1 says our author1 the cause of a phenomenon to be the antecedent1 or the concurrence of antecedents1 upon which it is invariably and unconditionally consequent4--,vol4 ,i4 p4 #daa4 ,a dilemma may be raised of this kind4 ,the universality of the law of causation--in other words1 the uniform course of nature--is the fundamental principle on which all induction proceeds1 the great premise on which all our science is founded4 ,but if this law itself be the result only of experience1 itself only a great instance of induction1 so long as nature presents cases requiring investigation1 where the causes are unknown to us1 so long the law itself is imperfectly established4 ,how1 then1 can this law be a guide and a premiss in the investigations of science1 when those investigations are necessary to complete the proof of the law itself8 ,how can this principle accompany and authorise every step we take in science1 which itself needs confirmation so long as a process of induction remains to be performed8 ,or how can this law be established by a series of inductions1 in making which it has been taken for granted8 ,objections which wear the air of a quibble have often this advantage--they put our knowledge to the test4 ,the obligation to find a complete answer clears up our own conceptions4 ,the observations which ,mr ,mill makes on this point1 we shall quote at length4 ,they are taken from his chapter on the ,evidence of the ,law of ,universal ,causation2 the views in which are as much distinguished for boldness as for precision4 ,after having said1 that in all the several methods of induction the universality of the law of causation is assumed1 he continues3-- ,but is this assumption warranted8 ,doubtless 7it may be said7 most phenomena are connected as effects with some antecedent or cause--that is1 are never produced unless some assignable fact has preceded them2 but the very circumstance1 that complicated processes of induction are sometimes necessary1 shows that cases exist in which this regular order of succession is not apparent to our first and simplest apprehension4 ,if1 then1 the processes which bring these cases within the same category with the rest1 require that we should assume the universality of the very law which they do not at first sight appear to exemplify1 is not this a real petitio principii8 ,can we prove a proposition by an argument which takes it for granted8 ,and1 if not so proved1 on what evidence does it rest8 ,for this difficulty1 which ,i have purposely stated in the strongest terms it would admit of1 the school of metaphysicians1 who have long predominated in this country1 find a ready salvo4 ,they affirm that the universality of causation is a truth which we cannot help believing2 that the belief in it is an instinct1 one of the laws of our believing faculty4 ,as the proof of this they say1 and they have nothing else to say1 that every body does believe it2 and they number it among the propositions1 rather numerous in their catalogue1 which may be logically argued against1 and perhaps cannot be logically proved1 but which are of higher authority than logic1 and which even he who denies in speculation1 shows by his habitual practice that his arguments make no impression on himself4 ,i have no intention of entering into the merits of this question1 as a problem of transcendental metaphysics4 ,but ,i must renew my protest against adducing1 as evidence of the truth of a fact in external nature1 any necessity which the human mind may be conceived to be under of believing it4 ,it is the business of human intellect to adapt itself to the realities of things1 and not to measure those realities by its own capacities of comprehension4 ,the same quality which fits mankind for the offices and purposes of their own little life1 the tendency of their belief to follow their experience1 incapacitates them for judging of what lies beyond4 ,not only what man can know1 but what he can conceive1 depends upon what he has experienced4 ,whatever forms a part of all his experience1 forms a part also of all his conceptions1 and appears to him universal and necessary1 though really1 for aught he knows1 having no existence beyond certain narrow limits4 ,the habit1 however1 of philosophical analysis1 of which it is the surest effect to enable the mind to command1 instead of being commanded by1 the laws of the merely passive part of its own nature1 and which1 by showing to us that things are not necessarily connected in fact because their ideas are connected in our minds1 is able to loosen innumerable associations which reign despotically over the undisciplined mind2 this habit is not without power even over those associations which the philosophical school1 of which ,i have been speaking1 regard as connate and instinctive4 ,i am convinced that any one accustomed to abstraction and analysis1 who will fairly exert his faculties for the purpose1 will1 when his imagination has once learned to entertain the notion1 find no difficulty in conceiving that in some one1 for instance1 of the many firmaments into which sidereal astronomy now divides the universe1 events may succeed one another at random1 without any fixed law2 nor can any thing in our experience1 or in our mental nature1 constitute a sufficient1 or indeed any1 reason for believing that this is nowhere the case4 ,the grounds1 therefore1 which warrant us in rejecting such a supposition with respect to any of the phenomena of which we have experience1 must be sought elsewhere than in any supposed necessity of our intellectual faculties4 ,as was observed in a former place1 the belief we entertain in the universality1 throughout nature1 of the law of cause and effect1 is itself an instance of induction2 and by no means one of the earliest which any of us1 or which mankind in general1 can have made4 ,we arrive at this universal law by generalisation from many laws of inferior generality4 ,the generalising propensity which1 instinctive or not1 is one of the most powerful principles of our nature1 does not indeed wait for the period when such a generalisation becomes strictly legitimate4 ,the mere unreasoning propensity to expect what has been often experienced1 doubtless led men to believe that every thing had a cause1 before they could have conclusive evidence of that truth4 ,but even this cannot be supposed to have happened until many cases of causation1 or1 in other words1 many partial uniformities of sequence1 had become familiar4 ,the more obvious of the particular uniformities suggest and prove the general uniformity2 and that general uniformity1 once established1 enables us to prove the remainder of the particular uniformities of which it is made up4 99 99 99 ,with respect to the general law of causation1 it does appear that there must have been a time when the universal prevalence of that law throughout nature could not have been affirmed in the same confident and unqualified manner as at present4 ,there was a time when many of the phenomena of nature must have appeared altogether capricious and irregular1 not governed by any laws1 nor steadily consequent upon any causes4 ,such phenomena1 indeed1 were commonly1 in that early stage of human knowledge1 ascribed to the direct intervention of the will of some supernatural being1 and therefore still to a cause4 ,this shows the strong tendency of the human mind to ascribe every phenomenon to some cause or other2 but it shows also that experience had not1 at that time1 pointed out any regular order in the occurrence of those particular phenomena1 nor proved them to be1 as we now know that they are1 dependent upon prior phenomena as their proximate causes4 ,there have been sects of philosophers who have admitted what they termed ,chance as one of the agents in the order of nature by which certain classes of events were entirely regulated2 which could only mean that those events did not occur in any fixed order1 or depend upon uniform laws of causation4 99 99 99 ,the progress of experience1 therefore1 has dissipated the doubt which must have rested upon the universality of the law of causation1 while there were phenomena which seemed to be sui generis2 not subject to the same laws with any other class of phenomena1 and not as yet ascertained to have peculiar laws of their own4 ,this great generalisation1 however1 might reasonably have been1 as it in fact was by all great thinkers1 acted upon as a probability of the highest order1 before there were sufficient grounds for receiving it as a certainty4 ,for1 whatever has been found true in innumerable instances1 and never found to be false after due examination in any1 we are safe in acting upon as universal provisionally1 until an undoubted exception appears2 provided the nature of the case be such that a real exception could scarcely have escaped our notice4 ,when every phenomenon that we ever knew sufficiently well to be able to answer the question1 had a cause on which it was invariably consequent1 it was more rational to suppose that our inability to assign the causes of other phenomena arose from our ignorance1 than that there were phenomena which were uncaused1 and which happened accidentally to be exactly those which we had hitherto had no sufficient opportunity of studying4--,vol4 ,,ii4 p4 #ajh4 ,hypotheses4--,mr ,mill's observations on the use of hypotheses in scientific investigation1 except that they are characterized by his peculiar distinctness and accuracy of thought1 do not differ from the views generally entertained by writers on the subject4 ,we are induced to refer to the topic1 to point out what seems to us a harsh measure dealt out to the undulatory theory of light--harsh when compared with the reception given to a theory of ,laplace1 having for its object to account for the origin of the planetary system4 ,we had occasion to quote a passage from ,mr ,mill1 in which he remarks that the majority of scientific men seem not yet to have completely got over the difficulty of conceiving matter to act 7contrary to the old maxim7 where it is not2 for though1 he says1 they have at last learned to conceive the sun attracting the earth without any intervening fluid1 they cannot yet conceive the sun illuminating the earth without some such medium4 ,but it is not only this difficulty 7which doubtless1 however1 is felt7 of conceiving the sun illuminating the earth without any medium by which to communicate its influence1 which leads to the construction of the hypothesis1 either of an undulating ether1 or of emitted particles4 ,the analogy of the other senses conducts us almost irresistibly to the imagination of some such medium4 ,the nerves of sense are1 apparently1 in all cases that we can satisfactorily investigate1 affected by contact1 by impulse4 ,the nerve of sight itself1 we know1 when touched or pressed upon1 gives out the sensation of light4 ,these reasons1 in the first place1 conduct us to the supposition of some medium1 having immediate communication with the eye2 which medium1 though we are far from saying that its existence is established1 is rendered probable by the explanation it affords of optical phenomena4 ,at the same time it is evident that the hypothesis of an undulating ether1 assumes a fluid or some medium1 the existence of which cannot be directly ascertained4 ,thus stands the hypothesis of a luminiferous ether--in what must be allowed to be a very unsatisfactory condition4 ,but a condition1 we think1 very superior to the astronomical speculation of ,laplace1 which ,mr ,mill1 after scrutinizing the preceding hypothesis with the utmost strictness1 is disposed to treat with singular indulgence4 ,the speculation is1 we may as well quote throughout ,mr ,mill's words1 that the atmosphere of the sun originally extended to the present limits of the solar system3 from which1 by the process of cooling1 it has contracted to its present dimensions2 and since1 by the general principles of mechanics1 the rotation of the sun and its accompanying atmosphere must increase as rapidly as its volume diminishes1 the increased centrifugal force generated by the more rapid rotation1 overbalancing the action of gravitation1 would cause the sun to abandon successive rings of vaporous matter1 which are supposed to have condensed by cooling1 and to have become our planets4 ,there is in this theory1 ,mr ,mill proceeds1 no unknown substance introduced upon supposition1 nor any unknown property or law ascribed to a known substance4 ,the known laws of matter authorize us to suppose1 that a body which is constantly giving out so large an amount of heat as the sun is1 must be progressively cooling1 and that by the process of cooling it must contract2 if1 therefore1 we endeavour1 from the present state of that luminary1 to infer its state in a time long past1 we must necessarily suppose that its atmosphere extended much further than at present1 and we are entitled to suppose that it extended as far as we can trace those effects which it would naturally leave behind it on retiring2 and such the planets are4 ,these suppositions being made1 it follows from known laws that successive zones of the solar atmosphere would be abandoned2 that these would continue to revolve round the sun with the same velocity as when they formed part of his substance1 and that they would cool down1 long before the sun himself1 to any given temperature1 and consequently to that at which the greater part of the vaporous matter of which they consisted would become liquid or solid4 ,the known law of gravitation would then cause them to agglomerate in masses1 which would assume the shape our planets actually exhibit2 would acquire1 each round its own axis1 a rotatory movement2 and would in that state revolve1 as the planets actually do1 about the sun1 in the same direction with the sun's rotation1 but with less velocity1 and each of them in the same periodic time which the sun's rotation occupied when his atmosphere extended to that point2 and this also ,m4 ,comte has1 by the necessary calculations1 ascertained to be true1 within certain small limits of error4 ,there is thus in ,laplace's theory nothing hypothetical2 it is an example of legitimate reasoning from a present effect to its past cause1 according to the known laws of that case2 it assumes nothing more than that objects which really exist1 obey the laws which are known to be obeyed by all terrestrial objects resembling them4--,vol4 ,,ii4 p4 #bg4 ,now1 it seems to us that there is quite as much of hypothesis in this speculation of ,laplace as in the undulatory theory of light4 ,this atmosphere of the sun extending to the utmost limits of our planetary system6 ,what proof have we that it ever existed8 what possible grounds have we for believing1 what motive even for imagining such a thing1 but the very same description of proof given and rejected for the existence of a luminiferous ether--namely1 that it enables us to explain certain events supposed to result from it8 ,nor is the thing here imagined any the less a novelty1 because it bears the old name of an atmosphere4 ,an atmosphere containing in itself all the various materials which compose our earth1 and whatever else may enter into the composition of the other planets1 is as violent a supposition as an ether1 not perceptible to the senses except by its influence on the nerves of sight4 ,and this cooling down of the sun6 ,what fact in our experience enables us to advance such a supposition8 ,we might as well say that the sun was getting hotter every year1 or harder or softer1 or larger or smaller4 ,surely ,mr ,mill could not have been serious when he says1 that the known laws of matter authorize us to suppose1 that a body which is constantly giving out so large an amount of heat as the sun is1 must be progressively cooling--knowing1 as we do1 as little how the sun occasions heat as how it produces light4 ,neither can it be contended that because no absolutely new substance1 or new property of matter1 is introduced1 but a fantastic conception is framed out of known substances and known properties1 that therefore there is less of rash conjecture in the supposition4 ,in fine1 it must be felt by every one who reads the account of this speculation of ,laplace1 that the only evidence which produces the least effect upon his mind1 is the corroboration which it receives from the calculations of the mathematician--a species of proof which ,mr ,mill himself would not estimate very highly4 ,many are the topics which are made to reflect a new light as ,mr ,mill passes along his lengthened course2 we might quote as instances1 his chapters on ,analogy and the ,calculation of ,chances3 and many are the grave and severe discussions that would await us were we to proceed to the close of his volumes1 especially to that portion of his work where he applies the canons of science to investigations which relate to human nature and the characters of men4 ,but enough for the present4 ,we repeat1 in concluding1 the same sentiment that we expressed at the commencement1 that such a work as this goes far to redeem the literature of our age from the charge of frivolity and superficiality4 ,those who have been trained in a different school of thinking1 those who have adopted the metaphysics of the transcendental philosophy1 will find much in these volumes to dissent from2 but no man1 be his pretensions or his tenets what they may1 who has been accustomed to the study of philosophy1 can fail to recognize and admire in this author that acute1 patient1 enlarged1 and persevering thought1 which gives to him who possesses it the claim and right to the title of philosopher4 ,there are few men who--applying it to his own species of excellence--might more safely repeat the ,io sono anche6 of the celebrated ,florentine4 ,,my ,,country ,,neighbours4 ,people are fond of talking of the hereditary feuds of ,italy--the factions of the ,capulets and ,montagues1 the ,orsini and ,colonne--and1 more especially1 of the memorable ,vendette of ,corsica--as if hatred and revenge were solely endemic in the regions of ,the ,pyrenean and the river ,po6 ,mere prejudice6 ,there is as good hating going on in ,england as elsewhere4 ,independent of the personal antipathies generated by politics1 the envy1 hatred1 and malice arising out of every election contest1 not a country neighbourhood but has its raging factions2 and ,browns and ,smiths often cherish and maintain an antagonism every whit as bitter as that of the sanguinary progenitors of ,romeo and ,juliet4 ,i1 for instance1 who am but a country gentleman in a small way--an obscure bachelor1 abiding from year's end to year's end on my insignificant farm--have witnessed things in my time1 which1 had they been said and done nearer the tropics1 would have been cited far and near in evidence of the turbulence of human passions1 and that the heart is deceitful above all things1 and desperately wicked4 ,seeing that they chanced in a homely parish in ,cheshire1 no one has been at the trouble to note their strangeness2 though1 to own the truth1 none but the actors in the drama 7besides myself1 a solitary spectator7 are cognizant of its incidents and catastrophe4 ,i might boast1 indeed1 that ,i alone am thoroughly in the secret2 for it is the spectator only who competently judges the effects of a scene2 and merely changing the names1 for reasons easily conceivable1 ,i ask leave to relate in the simplest manner a few facts in evidence of my assertion1 that ,england has its ,capuletti e ,montecchi as well as ,verona4 ,in the first place1 let me premise that ,i am neither of a condition of life1 nor condition of mind1 to mingle as a friend with those of whose affairs ,i am about to treat so familiarly1 being far too crotchety a fellow not to prefer a saunter with my fishing-tackle on my back1 or an evening tete-a-tete with my library of quaint old books1 to all the good men's feasts ever eaten at the cost of a formal country visit4 ,nevertheless1 ,i am not so cold of heart as to be utterly devoid of interest in the destinies of those whose turrets ,i see peering over the woods that encircle my corn-fields2 and as the good old housekeeper1 who for these thirty years past has presided over my household1 happens to have grandchildren high in service in what are called the two great families in the neighbourhood1 scarcely an event or incident passes within their walls that does not find an echo in mine4 ,so much in attestation of my authority4 ,but for such an introduction behind the scenes1 much of the stage business of this curious drama would have escaped my notice1 or remained incomprehensible4 ,i am wrong to say the two great families2 ,i should have said the two great houses4 ,at the close of the last century1 indeed1 our parish of ,lexley contained but one2 one which had stood there since the days of the first ,james1 nay1 even earlier--a fine old manorial hall of grand dimensions and stately architecture1 of the species of mixed ,gothic so false in taste1 but so ornamental in effect1 which is considered as betraying the first symptoms of ,italian innovation4 ,the gardens extending in the rear of the house were still more decidedly in the ,italian taste1 having clipped evergreens and avenues of pyramidal yews1 which1 combined with the intervening statues1 imparted to them something of the air of a cemetery4 ,there were fountains1 too1 which1 in the memory of man1 had been never known to play1 the marble basins being1 if possible1 still greener than the grim visages of the fauns and dryads standing forlorn on their dilapidated pedestals amid the neglected alleys4 ,the first thing ,i can remember of ,lexley ,hall1 was peeping as a child through the stately iron gratings of the garden1 that skirted a by-road leading from my grandfather's farm4 ,the desolateness of the place overawed my young heart4 ,in summer time the parterres were overgrown into a wilderness4 ,the plants threw up their straggling arms so high1 that the sunshine could hardly find its way to the quaint old dial that stood there telling its tale of time1 though no man regarded2 and the cordial fragrance of the strawberry-beds1 mingling with entangled masses of honeysuckle in their exuberance of midsummer blossom1 seemed to mock me1 as ,i loitered in the dusk near the old gateway1 with the tantalizing illusions of a fairy-tale--the ,barmecide's feast1 or ,prince ,desire surveying his princess through the impermeable walls of her crystal palace4 ,but if the enjoyment of the melancholy old gardens of ,lexley ,hall were withheld from me1 no one else seemed to find pleasure or profit therein4 ,sir ,laurence ,altham1 the lord of the manor and manor-house1 was seldom resident in the country4 ,though a man of mature years1 7,i speak of the close of the last century17 he was still a man of pleasure--the ruined hulk of the gallant vessel which1 early in the reign of ,george ,,iii41 had launched itself with unequalled brilliancy on the sparkling current of ,london life4 ,at that time1 ,i have heard my grandfather say there was not a mortgage on the ,lexley estate6 ,the timber was notoriously the finest in the county4 ,a whole navy was comprised in one of its coppices2 and the arching avenues were imposing as the aisles of our ,gothic minsters4 ,alas6 it needed the lapse of only half a dozen years to lay bare to the eye of every casual traveller the ancient mansion1 so long ,bosom'd high in tufted trees1 and only guessed at till you approached the confines of the court-yard4 ,it was hazard that effected this4 ,the dice-box swept those noble avenues from the face of the estate4 ,soon after ,sir ,laurence's coming of age1 almost before the church-bells had ceased to announce the joyous event of the attainment of his majority1 he was off to the ,continent--,paris--,italy--,i know not where1 and was thenceforward only occasionally heard of in ,cheshire as the ornament of the ,sardinian or ,austrian courts4 ,but these tidings were usually accompanied by a shaking of the head from the old family steward4 ,the timber was to be thinned anew--the tenants to be again amerced4 ,sir ,laurence evidently looked upon the ,lexley property as a mere hotbed for his vices4 ,at last the old steward turned surly to our enquiries1 and would answer no further questions concerning his master4 ,my grandfather's small farm was the only plot of ground in the parish that did not belong to the estate2 and from him the faithful old servant was as careful to conceal the family disgraces1 as to maintain the honour of ,sir ,laurence's name in the ears of his grumbling tenants4 ,the truth1 however1 could not long be withheld4 ,chaisefuls of suspicious-looking men in black arrived at the hall2 loungers1 surveyors1 auctioneers--,i know not what4 ,there was talk in the parish about foreclosing a mortgage1 no one exactly understood why1 or by whom4 ,but it was soon clear that ,wightman1 the old steward1 was no longer the great man at ,lexley4 ,these strangers bade him come here and go there exactly as they chose1 and1 unhappily1 they saw fit to make his comings and goings so frequent and so humiliating1 that before the close of the summer the old servitor betook himself to his rest in a spot where all men cease from troubling4 ,the leaves that dreary autumn fell upon his grave4 ,according to my grandfather's account1 however1 few even of his village contemporaries grieved for old ,wightman4 ,they felt that ,providence knew best2 that the old man was happily spared the mortification of all that was likely to ensue4 ,for before another year was out the ring fence1 which had hitherto encircled the ,lexley property1 was divided within itself2 a paltry distribution of about a hundred acres alone remaining attached to the old hall4 ,the rest was gone6 ,the rest was the property of the foreclosee of that hateful mortgage4 ,within view of the battlements of the old manor-house1 nearly a hundred workmen were soon employed in digging the foundations of a modern mansion of the noblest proportions4 ,the new owner of the estate1 though only a manufacturer from ,congleton1 chose to dwell in a palace2 and by the time his splendid ,doric temple was complete1 under the name of ,lexley ,park1 the vain-glorious proprietor1 ,mr ,sparks1 had taken his seat in ,parliament for a neighbouring borough4 ,little was known of him in the neighbourhood beyond his name and calling2 yet already his new tenants were prepared to oppose and dislike him4 ,though they knew quite as little personally of the young baronet by whom they had been sold into bondage to the unpopular clothier--him1 with the caprice of ignorance1 they chose to prefer4 ,they were proud of the old family--proud of the hereditary lords of the soil--proud of a name connecting itself with the glories of the reign of ,elizabeth1 and the loyalty shining1 like a sepulchral lamp1 through the gloomy records of the ,house of ,stuart4 ,the banners and escutcheons of the ,althams were appended in their parish church4 ,the family vault sounded hollow under their head whenever they approached its altar4 ,where was the burial-place of the manufacturer8 ,in what obscure churchyard existed the mouldering heap that covered the remains of the sires of ,mr ,jonas ,sparks8 ,certainly not at ,lexley6 ,lexley knew not1 and cared not to know1 either him or his4 ,it was no fault of the parish that its young baronet had proved a spendthrift and alienated the inheritance of his fathers2 and1 but that he had preserved the manor-house from desecration1 they would perhaps have ostracized him altogether1 as having lent his aid to disgrace their manor with so noble a structure as the porticoed facade of ,lexley ,park6 ,meanwhile the shrewd ,jonas was fully aware of his unpopularity and its origin2 and1 during a period of three years1 he allowed his ill-advised subjects to chew1 unmolested1 the cud of their discontent4 ,having a comfortable residence at the further extremity of the county1 he visited ,lexley only to overlook the works1 or notice the placing of the costly new furniture2 and the grumblers began to fancy they were to profit as little by their new masters as by their old4 ,the steward who replaced the trusty ,wightman1 and had been instructed to legislate among the cottages with a lighter hand1 and distribute ,christmas benefaction in a double proportion1 was careful to circulate in the parish an impression that ,mr ,sparks and his family did not care to inhabit the new house till the gardens were in perfect order1 the succession houses in full bearing1 and the mansion thoroughly seasoned4 ,but the ,lexleyans guessed the truth1 that he had no mind to confront the first outbreak of their ill-will4 ,nearly four years elapsed before he took possession of the place2 four years1 during which ,sir ,laurence ,altham had never set foot in the hall1 and was heard of only through his follies and excesses2 and when ,mr ,sparks at length made his appearance1 with his handsome train of equipages1 and surrounded by his still handsomer family1 so far from meeting him with sullen silence1 the tenantry began to regret that they had not erected a triumphal arch of evergreens for his entrance into the park1 as had been proposed by the less eager of the ,althamites4 ,after all1 their former prejudice in favour of the young baronet was based on very shallow foundations4 ,what had he ever done for them except raise their rents1 and prosecute their trespasses8 ,it was nothing that his forefathers had endowed almshouses for their support1 or served up banquets for their delectation--,sir ,laurence was an absentee--,sir ,laurence was as the son of the stranger4 ,the fine old kennel stood cold and empty1 reminding them that to preserve their foxes was no longer an article of ,lexley religion2 and if any of the old ,october1 brewed at the birth of the present baronet1 still filled the oaken hogsheads in the cellars of the hall1 what mattered it to them8 ,no chance of their being broached1 unless to grace the funeral feast of the lord of the manor4 ,to ,jonas ,sparks1 ,esq4 ,m4,p41 accordingly1 they dedicated their allegiance4 ,a few additional chaldrons of coals and pairs of blankets1 the first frosty winter1 bound them his slaves for ever4 ,food1 physic1 and wine1 were liberally distributed to the sick and aged whenever they repaired for relief to the ,doric portico2 and1 with the usual convenient memory of the vulgar1 the ,lexleyans soon began to remember of the ,altham family only their recent backslidings and ancient feudal oppressions3 while of the ,sparkses they chose to know only what was evident to all eyes--viz41 that their hands were open and faces comely4 ,into their hearts--more especially into that of ,jonas1 the head of the house--they examined not at all2 and were ill-qualified to surmise the intensity of bitterness with which1 while contemplating the beauty and richness of his new domain1 he beheld the turrets of the old hall rising like a statue of scorn above the intervening woods4 ,there stood the everlasting monument of the ancient family--there the emblem of their pride1 throwing its shadow1 as it were1 over his dawning prosperity6 ,but for that force of contrast thus afforded1 he would scarcely have perceived the newness of all the objects around him--the glare of the fresh freestone--the nakedness of the whited walls4 ,a few stately old oaks and elms1 apparently coeval with the ancient structure1 which a sort of religious feeling had preserved from the axe1 that they might afford congenial shade to the successor of its founder1 seemed to impart meanness and vulgarity to the tapering verdure of his plantations1 his modern trees--his pert poplars and mean larches--his sycamores and planes4 ,even the incongruity between his solid new paling and the decayed and sun-bleached wood of the venerable fence to which it adjoined1 with its hoary beard of silvery lichen1 was an eyesore to him4 ,every passer-by might note the limit and circumscription dividing the new place from the ancient seat of the lords of the manor4 ,yet was the landscape of ,lexley ,park one of almost unequalled beauty4 ,the ,dee formed noble ornament to its sweeping valleys2 while the noble acclivities were clothed with promising woods1 opening by rich vistas to a wide extent of champaign country4 ,a fine bridge of granite1 erected by the late ,sir ,windsor ,altham1 formed a noble object from the windows of the new mansion2 and but for the evidence of the venerable pile1 that stood like an abdicated monarch surveying its lost dominions1 there existed no external demonstration that ,lexley ,park had not from the beginning of time formed the estated seat of the ,sparkses4 ,the neighbouring families1 if neighbouring could be called certain of the nobility and gentry who resided at ten miles' distance1 were courteously careful to inspire the new settler with a belief that they at least had forgotten any antecedent state of things at ,lexley2 for they had even reason to congratulate themselves on the change4 ,jonas had long been strenuously active in the ,house of ,commons in promoting county improvements4 ,jonas was useful as a magistrate1 and invaluable as a liberal contributor to the local charities4 ,during the first five years of his occupancy1 he did more for ,lexley and its inhabitants than the half-dozen previous baronets of the ,house of ,altham4 ,of the man he had superseded1 meanwhile1 it was observed that ,mr ,sparks was judiciously careful to forbear all mention4 ,it might have been supposed that he had purchased the estate of the ,crown or the ,court of ,chancery1 so utterly ignorant did he appear of the age1 habits1 and whereabout of his predecessor2 and when informed by ,sir ,john ,wargrane1 one of his wealthy neighbours1 that young ,altham was disgracing himself again--that at the public gaming-tables at ,toplitz he had been a loser of thirty thousand pounds--the cunning parvenu listened with an air of as vague indifference as if he were not waiting with breathless anxiety the gradual dissipation of the funds1 secured to the young spendthrift by the transfer of his estate1 to grasp at the small remaining portion of his property4 ,unconsciously1 when the tale of ,sir ,laurence's profligacy met his ear1 he clenched his griping hand1 as though it already recognized its hold upon the destined spoil1 but not a word did he utter4 ,meanwhile1 the family of the new squire of ,lexley were winning golden opinions on all sides4 ,the boys were brave--the girls were fair1 the mother virtuous1 pious1 and unpretending4 ,it would have been scandalous1 indeed1 to sneer to shame the modest cheerfulness of such people1 because their ancestors had not fought at the ,crusades4 ,by degrees1 they assumed an honourable and even eminent position in the county2 and the first time ,sir ,laurence ,altham condescended to visit the county-palatine1 he heard nothing but commendations and admiration of the charming family at ,lexley ,park4 ,charming family6--a ,jonas ,sparks1 and charming6 was his supercilious reply4 ,i rejoice to find that the fumier ,i have been forced to fling on my worn-out ancestral estate is fertilizing its barrenness4 ,the village is probably the better for the change4 ,but1 as regards the society1 ,i must be permitted to mistrust the attractions of the brood of a ,congleton manufacturer4 ,the young baronet1 who now1 though still entitled to be called young1 was disfigured by the premature defeatures of a vicious life1 mistrusted it all the more1 when1 on visiting the old hall1 he was forced to recognize the improvements effected in the neighbouring property 7that he should be forced to call it neighbouring67 by the judicious administration of the new owner4 ,it was impossible to deny that ,mr ,sparks had doubled its value1 while enhancing its beauties4 ,the low grounds were drained1 the high lands planted1 the river widened1 the forestry systematically organized4 ,the estate appeared to have attained new strength and vigour when dissevered from the old manor-house2 whose shadow might be supposed to have exercised a baleful influence on the lands wherever it presided4 ,but it was not his recognition of this that was likely to animate the esteem of ,sir ,laurence ,altham for ,mr ,jonas ,sparks4 ,on the contrary1 he felt every accession of value to the ,lexley property as so much subtracted from his belongings2 and his detestation of the upstarts1 whose fine mansion was perceptible from his lordly towers--like a blot upon the fairness of the landscape--increased with the increase of their prosperity4 ,without having expected to take delight in a sojourn at ,lexley ,hall--a spot where he had only resided for a few weeks now and then1 from the period of his early boyhood--he was not prepared for the excess of irritation that arose in his heart on witnessing the total estrangement of the retainers of his family4 ,for the mortification of seeing a fine new house1 with gorgeous furniture1 and a pompous establishment1 he came armed to the teeth4 ,but no presentiments had forewarned him1 that at ,lexley the living ,althams were already as much forgotten as those who were sleeping in the family vault4 ,the sudden glow that pervaded his whole frame when he chanced to encounter on the highroad the rich equipage of the ,sparkses2 or the imprecation that burst from his lips1 when1 on going to the window of a morning to examine the state of the weather for the day1 the first objects that struck him was the fair mansion in the plain below1 laughing as it were in the sunshine1 the deer grouped under its fine old trees1 and the river rippling past its lawns as if delighting in their verdure----,yes6 there was decided animosity betwixt the hill and the valley4 ,every successive season served to quicken the pulses of this growing hatred4 ,whether on the spot or at a distance1 a thousand aggravations sprang up betwixt the parties3 disputes between gamekeepers1 quarrels between labourers1 encroachments by tenants4 ,every thing and nothing was made the groundwork of ill-will4 ,to ,sir ,laurence ,altham's embittered feelings1 the very rooks of ,lexley ,park seemed evermore to infringe upon the privileges of the rookery at ,lexley ,hall2 and when1 in the parish church1 the new squire 7or rather his workmen1 for he was absent at the time attending his duties in ,parliament7 inadvertently broke off the foot of a marble cherub1 weeping its alabaster tears1 at the angle of a monument to the memory of a certain ,sir ,wilfred ,altham1 of the time of ,james ,,ii41 in raising the woodwork of a pew occupied by ,mr ,sparks's family1 the rage of ,sir ,laurence was so excessive as to be almost deserving of a strait-waistcoat4 ,the enmity of the baronet was all the more painful to himself that he felt it to be harmless against its object4 ,in every way1 ,lexley ,park had the best of it4 ,jonas ,sparks was not only rich in a noble income1 but in a charming wife and promising family4 ,every thing prospered with him2 and1 as to mere inferiority of precedence1 it was well known that he had refused a baronetcy2 and many people even surmised that1 so soon as he was able to purchase another borough1 and give a seat in ,parliament to his second son1 as well as resign his own to the eldest1 he would be promoted to the ,upper ,house4 ,the only means of vengeance1 therefore1 possessed by the vindictive man whose follies and vices had been the means of creating this perpetual scourge to his pride1 was withholding from him the purchase of the remaining lands indispensable to the completion of his estate1 more especially as regarded the water-courses1 which1 at ,lexley ,park1 were commanded by the sluices of the higher grounds of the ,hall2 and mighty was the oath sworn by ,sir ,laurence1 that come what might1 however great his exigencies or threatening his poverty1 nothing should induce him to dispose of another acre to ,jonas ,sparks4 ,he was even at the trouble of executing a will1 in order to introduce a clause imposing the same reservation upon the man to whom he devised his small remaining property--the heir-at-law1 to whom1 had he died intestate1 it would have descended without conditions4 ,the ,congleton shopkeepers1 muttered he1 7whenever1 in his solitary evening rides1 he caught sight of the rich plate-glass windows of the new mansion1 burnished by the setting sun17 shall never1 never lord it under the roof of my forefathers6 ,wherever else he may set his plebeian foot1 ,lexley ,hall shall be sacred4 ,rather see the old place burned to the ground--rather set fire to it with my own hands--than conceive that1 when ,i am in my grave1 it could possibly be subjected to the rule of such a barbarian6 ,for it had reached the ears of ,sir ,laurence--of course1 with all the exaggeration derived from passing through the medium of village gossip--that a thousand local legends concerning the venerable mansion1 sanctified by their antiquity in the ears of the family1 afforded a fertile source of jesting to ,jonas ,sparks4 ,the ,hall abounded in concealed staircases and iron hiding-places1 connected with a variety of marvellous traditions of the civil wars2 besides a walled-up suite of chambers1 haunted1 as becomes a walled-up suite of chambers2 and justice-rooms and tapestried-rooms1 to which the long abandonment of the house1 and the heated imaginations of the few menials left in charge of its desolate vastness1 attributed romances likely enough to have provoked the laughter of a matter-of-fact man like the owner of ,lexley ,park4 ,but neither ,sir ,laurence nor his old servants were likely to forgive this insult offered to the family legends of a house which had little else left to boast of4 ,even the neighbouring families were displeased to hear them derided2 and my grandfather never liked to hear a joke on the subject of the coach-and-four which was said to have driven into the court-yard of the ,hall on the eve of the execution of the rebel lords in #agde1 having four headless inmates1 who were duly welcomed as guests by old ,sir ,robert ,altham4 ,nay1 as a child1 ,i had so often thrilled on my nurse's knees during the relation of this spectral visitation1 that ,i own ,i felt indignant if any one presumed to laugh at a tale which had made me quake for fear4 ,among those who were known to resent the familiar tone in which ,mr ,sparks had been heard to criticise the pomps and vanities exhibited at ,lexley ,hall by the ,althams of the olden time1 was a certain ,general ,stanley1 who1 inhabiting a fine seat of his own at about ten miles' distance1 was fond of bringing over his visitors to visit the old ,hall1 as an interesting specimen of county antiquity4 ,he knew the peculiarities of the place1 and could repeat the traditions connected with the hiding-places better than the housekeeper herself2 and ,i have heard her say it was a pleasure to hear him relating these historical anecdotes with all the fire of an old soldier1 and see his venerable grey hair blown about as he stood with his party on the battlements1 pointing out to the ladies the fine range of territory formerly belonging to the ,althams4 ,the old lady protested that the general was nearly as much grieved as herself to behold the old mansion so shorn of its beams2 and certain it is1 that once when1 on visiting the hall after ,sir ,laurence had been some years an absentee1 he found the grass growing among the disjointed stones of the cloisters and justice-hall1 he made a handsome present to one of the housekeeper's nephews1 on condition of his keeping the purlieus of the venerable mansion free from such disgraceful evidences of neglect4 ,all this eventually reached the ears of the baronet2 but instead of making him angry1 as might have been expected1 from one so tetchy and susceptible1 he never encountered ,general ,stanley1 either in town or country1 without demonstrations of respect4 ,though too reserved and morose for conversation1 ,sir ,laurence was observed to take off his hat to him with a respect he was never seen to show towards the king or queen4 ,about this time ,i began to take personal interest in the affairs of the neighbourhood1 though my own were now of a nature to engross my attention4 ,by my grandfather's death1 ,i had recently come into the enjoyment of the small inheritance which has sufficed to the happiness of my life2 and1 renouncing the profession for which ,i was educated1 settled myself permanently at ,lexley4 ,well do ,i remember the melancholy face with which the good old rector1 the very first evening we spent together1 related to me in confidence that he had three years' dues in arrear to him from ,lexley ,hall2 but that so wretched was said to be the state of ,sir ,laurence's embarrassments1 that1 for more than a year1 his dread of arrest had kept him a close prisoner in his house in ,london4 ,we have not seen him here these six years6 observed ,dr ,whittingham2 and ,i doubt whether he will ever again set foot in the county4 ,since an execution was put into the ,hall1 he has never crossed the threshold1 and ,i suspect never will4 ,far better were he to dispose of the property at once6 ,dismembered as it is1 what pleasure can it afford him8 ,and1 since he is unlikely to marry and have heirs1 there is less call upon him to retain this remaining relic of family pride2 yet ,i am assured--nay1 have good reason to know1 that he has refused a very liberal offer on the part of ,mr ,sparks4 ,malicious people do say1 by the way1 that it was by the advice of ,sparks's favourite attorneys the execution was enforced1 and that no means have been left unattempted to disgust him with the place4 ,yet he is firm1 you see1 and persists in disappointing his creditors1 and depriving himself of the comforts of life1 merely in order that he may die1 as his fathers did before him--the lord of ,lexley ,hall6 ,i don't wonder6 said ,i1 with the dawning sentiments of a landed proprietor--',tis a splendid old house1 even in its present state of degradation2 and1 by ,jove6 ,i honour his pertinacity4 ,thus put upon the scent1 ,i sometimes fancied ,i could detect wistful looks on the part of my prosperous neighbour of the ,park1 when1 in the course of ,dr ,whittingham's somewhat lengthy sermons1 he directed his eyes towards the carved old ,gothic tribune1 containing the family-pew of the ,althams1 in the parish church2 and1 whenever ,i happened to encounter him in the neighbourhood of the ,hall1 his face was so pointedly averted from the house1 as if the mere object were an offence4 ,i could not but wonder at his vexation2 being satisfied in my own mind1 that sooner or later the remaining heritage of the spendthrift must fall to his share4 ,judge1 therefore1 of my surprise1 when one fine morning1 as ,i sauntered into the village1 ,i found the whole population gathered in groups on the little market-place1 and discovered from the incoherent exclamations of the crowd1 that the new proprietor of the ,hall had just driven through in a chaise-and-four6 ,yes--the new proprietor6 ,the place was sold6 ,the good doctor's prediction was verified4 ,sir ,laurence was never more to return to ,lexley ,hall6 ,the satisfaction of the villagers almost equalled their surprise on finding that ,general ,stanley was their new landlord4 ,it suited them much better that there should be two families settled on the property than one2 and as it was pretty generally reported1 that1 in the event of ,sparks becoming the purchaser1 he intended to demolish the old house1 and reconsolidate the estate around his own more commodious mansion1 they were right glad to find it rescued from such a sentence--,general ,stanley1 who was the father of a family1 would probably settle the hall on one of his daughters1 after placing it in the state of repair so much needed4 ,when the chaise-and-four returned1 therefore1 a few hours afterwards1 through the village1 the ,general was loudly cheered by his subjects4 ,his partiality for the place was so well known at ,lexley1 that already these people seemed to behold in him the guardian of a monument so long the object of their pride4 ,for my own part1 nothing surprised me so much in the business as that ,sparks should have allowed the purchase to slip through his fingers4 ,it was worth thrice as much to him as to any body else4 ,it was the keystone of his property4 ,it was the one thing needful to render ,lexley ,park the most perfect seat in the county4 ,but ,i was not slow in learning 7for every thing transpires in a small country neighbourhood7 that whatever my surprise on finding that the old ,hall had changed its master1 that of ,sparks was far more overwhelming2 that he was literally frantic on finding himself frustrated in expectations which formed the leading interest of his declining years4 ,for the progress of time which had made me a man and a landed proprietor1 had converted the stout active squire into an infirm old man2 and it was his absorbing wish to die sole owner of the whole property to which the baronets of the ,altham family were born4 ,he even indulged in expressions of irritation1 which nearly proved the means of commencing this new neighbourship by a duel2 accusing ,general ,stanley of having possessed himself by unfair means of ,sir ,laurence's confidence1 and employed agents1 underhand1 to effect the purchase4 ,in consequence of these groundless representations1 it transpired in the country that the decayed baronet had actually volunteered the offer of the estate to the veteran proprietor of ,stanley ,manor2 that he had solicited him to become the proprietor1 and even accommodated him with peculiar facilities of payment1 on condition of his inserting in the title-deeds an express undertaking1 never to dispose of the old ,hall1 or any portion of the property1 to ,jonas ,sparks of ,lexley ,park1 or his heirs for ever4 ,the solicitor by whom1 under ,sir ,laurence's direction1 the deeds had been prepared1 saw fit to divulge this singular specification1 rather than that a hostile encounter should run the risk of embruing in blood the hands of two grey haired men4 ,excepting as regarded the disappointment of our wealthy neighbour1 all was now established on the happiest footing at ,lexley4 ,the reparation instantly commenced by the ,general1 gave employment throughout the winter to our workmen2 and the evils arising from an absentee landlord began gradually to disappear4 ,it was a great joy to me to perceive that the new proprietor of the ,hall had the good taste to preserve the antique character of the place in the minutest portion of his alterations2 and though the old gardens were no longer a wilderness1 not a shrub was displaced--not a mutilated statue removed4 ,the furniture had been sold off at the time of the execution2 and that which came down in cart-loads from town to replace it1 was rigidly in accordance with the semi-,gothic architecture of the lofty chambers4 ,poor ,sparks must have been doubly mortified2 for not only did he find his old eyesore converted into an irremediable evil by the restoration of the ,hall1 but the supremacy hitherto maintained in the neighbourhood by the modern elegance of his house and establishment1 was thrown into the shade by the rich and tasteful arrangements of the ,hall4 ,from the contracted look of his forehead1 and sudden alteration of his appearance1 ,i have reason to think he was beginning to undergo all the moral martyrdom sustained for thirty years past by the unfortunate ,sir ,laurence ,altham2 and were ,i not by nature the most contented of men1 it would have sufficiently reconciled me to the mediocrity of my fortunes1 to see that these two great people of my neighbourhood--the nobly-descended baronet and rich parvenu--were miserable men2 that1 so long as ,i could remember1 one or other of them had been given over to surliness and discontent4 ,before the close of the year the grand old ,hall had become one of the noblest seats in the county4 ,there was talk about it in all the country round1 and even the newspapers took notice of its renovation1 and of ,general ,stanley's removal thither from ,stanley ,manor4 ,many people1 of the species who love to detect spots in the sun1 were careful to point out the insufficiency of the estate1 as at present constituted1 to maintain so fine a house4 ,but1 after all1 what mattered this to ,general ,stanley1 who had a fine rent-roll elsewhere8 ,the first thing he did1 on taking possession1 was to give a grand ball to the neighbourhood2 nor was it till the whole house was lighted up for this festive occasion1 that people were fully aware of the grandeur of its proportions4 ,he was good enough to send me an invitation on so especial an occasion4 ,but already ,i had imbibed the distaste which has pursued me through life for what is called society2 and ,i accordingly contented myself with surveying from a distance the fine effect produced by the light streaming from the multitude of windows1 and exhibiting to the whole country round the gorgeous nature of the decorations within4 ,to own the truth1 ,i could scarcely forbear regretting1 as ,i surveyed them1 the gloomy dilapidation of the venerable mansion4 ,this modernized antiquity was a very different thing from the massy grandeur of its neglected years2 and ,i am afraid ,i loved the old house better with the weeds springing from its crevices1 than with all this carving and gilding1 this ebony1 and iron1 and light4 ,the people of ,lexley imagined that nothing would induce the ,sparks's family to be seen under ,general ,stanley's roof4 ,but we were mistaken4 ,so much the contrary1 that the squire of ,lexley ,park made a particular point of being the first and latest of the guests--not only because his reconciliation with his new neighbour was so recent1 but from not choosing to authenticate1 by his absence1 the rumours of his grievous disappointment4 ,for all the good he was likely to derive from his visit1 the poor man had better have stayed away2 for that unlucky night laid foundations of evil for him and his1 far greater than any he had incurred from the animosity of ,sir ,laurence4 ,nay1 when in the sequel these results became matter of public commentation1 superstitious people were not wanting to hint that the evil spirit1 traditionally said to haunt one of the wings of the old manor1 and to have manifested itself on more than one occasion to members of the ,altham family1 7and more especially to the late worthless proprietor of the ,hall17 had acquired a fatal power over the two supplanters of the ruined family the moment they crossed the threshold4 ,general ,stanley1 after marrying late in life1 had been some years a widower--a widower with two daughters1 his co-heiresses4 ,the elder of these young ladies was a hopeless invalid1 slightly deformed1 and so little attractive in person1 or desirous to attract1 that there was every prospect of the noble fortunes of the ,general centring in her sister4 ,yet this sister1 this girl1 had little need of such an accession to her charms2 for she was one of those fortunate beings endowed not only with beauty and excellence1 but with a power of pleasing not always united with even a combination of merit and loveliness4 ,every body agreed that ,mary ,stanley was charming4 ,old and young1 rich and poor1 all loved her1 all delighted in her4 ,it is true1 the good rector's maiden sisters privately hinted to me their horror of the recklessness with which--sometimes with her sister1 oftener without1 but wholly unattended--she drove her little pony-chaise through the village1 laughing like a madcap at pranks of a huge ,newfoundland dog named ,sergeant1 the favourite of ,general ,stanley1 which1 while escorting the young ladies1 used to gambol into the cottages1 overset furniture and children1 and scamper out again amid a general uproar4 ,for though ,miss ,mary was but sixteen1 the starched spinsters decided that she was much too old for such folly2 and that1 if the ,general intended to present her at court1 it was high time for her to lay aside the hoyden manners of childhood4 ,but1 as every one argued against them1 why should this joyous1 bright1 and beautiful creature lay aside what became her so strangely8 ,mary ,stanley was not made for the formalities of what is called high-breeding4 ,her light1 easy1 sinuous figure1 did not lend itself to the rigid deportment of a prude2 and her gay laughing eyes1 and dimpled mouth1 were ill calculated to grace a dignified position4 ,the long ringlets of her profuse auburn hair were always out of order--either streaming in the wind1 or straying over her white shoulders--her long lashes and beautifully defined eyebrows of the same rich tint1 alone preserving any thing like uniformity--a uniformity which1 combined with her almost ,grecian regularity of features1 gave her1 on the rare occasions when her countenance and figure were at rest1 the air of some nymph or dryad of ancient sculpture4 ,but to compare ,mary ,stanley to any thing of marble is strangely out of place2 for her real beauty consisted in the ever-varying play of her features1 and a certain impetuosity of movement1 that would have been a little characteristic of the romp1 but that it was restrained by the spell of feminine sensibility4 ,heart was evidently the impulse of every look and every gesture4 ,for a man of my years1 methinks ,i am writing like a lover4 ,and so ,i was6 ,from the first moment ,i saw that girl1 at an humble and unaspiring distance1 ,i could dream of nothing else4 ,every thing and every body seemed fascinated by ,mary ,stanley4 ,when she walked out into the fields with the ,general1 her two hands clasping1 like those of a child1 her father's arm1 his favourite colts used to come neighing playfully towards them2 and not the fiercest dog of his extensive kennel but1 even when unmanageable by the keeper1 would creep fawning to her feet4 ,it was strange enough1 but still more fortunate1 that all the adoration lavished upon this lovely creature by gentle and simple1 ,christian and brute1 provoked no apparent jealousy on the part of her elder sister4 ,selina ,stanley was afflicted with a cold1 reserved1 unhappy countenance1 only too completely in unison with her disastrous position4 ,but her heart was perhaps as genuine as her face was forbidding2 for she loved the merry1 laughing1 handsome ,mary1 more as a mother her child1 than as a sister nearly of her own years--that is1 exultingly1 but anxiously4 ,every one else foresaw nothing but prosperity1 and joy1 and love1 in store for ,mary4 ,selina prayed that it might prove so2--but she prayed with tears in her eyes1 and trembling in her soul6 ,for where are the destinies of persons thus exquisitely organized--thus full of love and loveliness--thus readily swayed to joy or sorrow1 by the trivial incidents of life--characterised by what the world calls happiness--such happiness1 ,i mean1 as is enjoyed by the serene and the prudent1 the unexcitable1 the unaspiring6 ,miss ,stanley foresaw only too truly1 that the best days likely to be enjoyed by her sister1 were those she was spending under her father's roof--a general idol--an object of deference and delight to all around4 ,at the ,general's housewarming1 though not previously introduced into society1 ,mary was the queen of the ball2 and all present agreed1 that one of the most pleasing circumstances of the evening was to watch the animated cordiality with which she flew from one to the other of those old neighbours of ,stanley ,manor1 7whom she alone had managed to persuade that a dozen miles was no distance to prevent their accepting her father's invitation27 and not the most brilliant of her young friends received a more eager welcome1 or more sustained attention throughout the evening1 than the few homely elderly people1 7such as my friends the ,whittinghams17 who happened to share the hospitality of ,general ,stanley4 ,i daresay that even ,i1 had ,i found courage to accept his invitation1 should have received from the young beauty some gentle word1 in addition to the kindly smiles with which she was sure to return my respectful obeisance whenever we met accidentally in the village4 ,mary was dressed in white1 with a few natural flowers in her hair1 which1 owing to the impetuosity of her movements1 soon fell out1 leaving only a stray leaf or two1 that would have looked ridiculous any where but among her rich1 but dishevelled locks2 and the pleasant anxieties of the evening imparted such a glow to her usually somewhat pale complexion1 that her beauty is said to have been1 that night1 almost supernatural4 ,she was more like the creature of a dream than one of those wooden puppets1 who move mechanically through the world under the name of well brought-up young ladies4 ,it will easily be conceived how much this ball1 so rare an event in our quiet neighbourhood1 was discussed1 not only the following day1 but for days and weeks to come4 ,even at the rectory ,i heard of nothing else2 while by my good old housekeeper1 who had a son in service at ,general ,stanley's1 and a daughter waiting-maid to ,miss ,sparks1 ,i was let in to secrets concerning it of which even the rectory knew nothing4 ,in the first place1 though ,mr ,sparks had peremptorily signified from the first to his family1 his desire that all should accompany him to ,lexley ,hall on this trying occasion1 7and it was only natural he should wish to solace his wounded pride1 by appearing before his noble neighbour surrounded by his handsome progeny17 two of his children had risen up in rebellion against the decree--and for the first time--for ,sparks was happy in a dutiful and well-ordered family4 ,but the youngest daughter1 ,kezia1 a girl of high spirits and intelligence1 who fancied she had been pointedly slighted by the ,misses ,stanley1 when1 in one of ,mary's harum-scarum expeditions on her ,shetland pony1 she had passed without recognition the better-mounted young lady of ,lexley ,park2 and the eldest son1 who so positively refused to accompany his father to the house of a man by whom ,mr ,sparks had inconsiderately represented himself as aggrieved1 that1 for once1 the kind parent was forced to play the tyrant1 and insist on his obedience4 ,it was1 accordingly1 with a very ill grace that these two1 the prettiest of the daughters1 and by far the handsomest of his three handsome sons1 made their appearance at the fete4 ,but no sooner were they welcomed by ,general ,stanley and his daughters1 than the brother and sister1 who had mutually encouraged each other's disputes1 hastened to recant their opinions4 ,how could you1 dearest father1 describe this courteous1 high-bred old gentleman1 as insolent and overbearing8--whispered ,kezia4 ,how could you possibly suppose that yonder lovely1 gracious creature1 intended to treat you with impertinence8--was the rejoinder of her brother2 and already the ,stanleys had two enemies the less among their neighbours at ,lexley ,park4 ,on the other hand1 the ,general had been forced to have recourse to severe schooling to bring his daughters to a sense of what was due to his guests1 as regarded the family of a man who was known to have spoken disparagingly of them all4 ,moreover1 if the truth must be owned1 ,mary was not altogether free from the prejudices of her caste2 and1 proud of her father's noble extraction1 was apt to pout her pretty lip on mention of the people at ,lexley ,park2 for the ,general1 who had no secrets from his girls1 had foolishly permitted them to see certain letters addressed to him by the eccentric ,sir ,laurence ,altham1 justifying himself concerning the peculiar clause introduced into his deeds of conveyance of his ,hall estate1 on the grounds of the degraded origin of the upstart he was so malignantly intent on discomposing4 ,they will spoil our ball1 dear papa--,i know these vulgar people will completely spoil our ball6 said she4 ,i think ,i hear them announced3--',mr ,jonas ,sparks1 ,miss ,basiliza and ,miss ,kezia ,sparks6'--,what names8 ,the parents of ,mr ,sparks were dissenters1 observed the ,general1 trying to look severe4 ,dissenters are apt to hold to scriptural names4 ,but name is not nature1 ,mary2 and1 to judge by appearances1 this man's--this gentleman's--this ,mr ,sparks's daughters1 have every qualification to be an ornament to society4 ,with all my heart1 papa1 but ,i wish it were not ours6 cried the wayward girl4 ,on the present occasion1 especially1 ,i could spare such an accession to our circle2 for ,i know that ,mr ,sparks has presumed to speak of---- ,she was interrupted by a sterner reproof on the part of the ,general than he had ever before administered to his favourite daughter2 and the consequence of this unusual severity was the distinguished reception bestowed1 both by ,selina and her sister1 on the family from ,lexley ,park4 ,next day1 however1 ,general ,stanley found a totally different cause for rebuke in the conduct of his dear ,mary4 ,you talked to nobody last night1 but those ,sparks's6 said he4 ,lord ,dudley informed me he had asked you to dance three times in vain2 and ,lord ,robert ,stanley assured me he could scarcely get a civil answer from you6--,yet you found time1 ,mary1 to dance twice in the course of the evening with that son of ,sparks's6 ,that son of ,sparks's1 as you so despisingly call him1 dearest papa1 is a most charming partner2 while ,lord ,dudley1 and my cousin ,robert1 are little better than boors4 ,everard ,sparks can talk and dance1 as well as they ride across a country4 ,not but what he1 too1 passes for a tolerable sportsman2 and do you know1 papa1 ,mr ,sparks is thinking seriously of setting up a pack of harriers at ,lexley8 ,at ,lexley ,park6 insisted her father1 who chose to enforce the distinction instituted by ,sir ,laurence ,altham4 ,i fancy he will have to ask my permission first4 ,my land lies somewhat inconveniently1 in case ,i choose to oppose his intentions4 ,but you won't oppose them6--,no1 no1 dear papa1 you sha'n't oppose them6--cried ,mary ,stanley1 throwing her arms coaxingly round her father's neck1 and imprinting a kiss on his venerable forehead4 ,why should we go on opposing and opposing1 when it would be so much happier for all of us to live together as friends and neighbours8 ,the ,general surveyed her in silence for some moments as she looked up lovingly into his face2 then gravely1 and in silence1 unclasped her arms from his neck4 ,for the first time1 he had gazed upon his favourite child without discerning beauty in her countenance1 or finding favour for her supplications4 ,my opinion of ,mr ,sparks and his family is not altered since yesterday1 said he coldly1 perceiving that she was about to renew her overtures for a pacification4 ,your father's prejudices1 ,mary1 are seldom so slightly grounded1 that the adulation of a few gross compliments1 such as were paid you last night by ,mr ,everard ,sparks1 may suffice for their obliteration4 ,for the future1 remember the less ,i hear of ,lexley ,park the better4 ,in a few weeks we shall be in ,london1 where our sphere is sufficiently removed1 ,i am happy to say1 from that of ,mr ,jonas ,sparks1 to secure me against the annoyance of familiarity with him or his4 ,the partiality of his darling ,mary for the handsomest and most agreeable young man who had ever sought to make himself agreeable to her1 had sufficed to turn the arguments of ,general ,stanley as decidedly against his parvenu neighbours1 as1 two days before1 his eloquence had been exercised in their defence4 ,and now commenced between the young people and their parents1 one of those covert warfares certain to arise from similar interdictions4 ,mr ,sparks--satisfied that he should have further insults to endure on the part of ,general ,stanley1 in the event of his son pretending to the hand of the proud old man's daughter--sought a serious explanation with ,everard1 on finding that he neglected no opportunity of meeting ,mary ,stanley in her drives1 and walks1 and errands of village benevolence2 and by the remonstrances of one father1 and peremptoriness of the other1 the young couple were soon tempted to seek comforts in mutual confidences4 ,residing almost within view of each other1 there was no great difficulty in finding occasion for an interview4 ,they met1 moreover1 naturally1 and without effort1 in all the country houses in the neighbourhood2 and so frequently1 that ,i often wondered they should consider it worth while to hazard the ,general's displeasure by partaking a few moments' conversation1 every now and then1 among the old thorns by the water-side1 just where the bend of the river secured them from observation2 or in the green lane leading from ,lexley ,park to my farm1 while ,miss ,stanley took charge of the pony-chaise during the hasty explanations of the imprudent couple4 ,having little to occupy my leisure during the intervals of my agricultural pursuits1 ,i was constantly running against them1 with my gun on my shoulder or my fishing-rod in my hand4 ,i almost feared young ,sparks might imagine that ,i was employed by the ,general as a spy upon their movements1 so fierce a glance did he direct towards me one day when ,i was unlucky enough to vault over a hedge within a few yards of the spot where they were standing together--,miss ,mary sobbing like a child4 ,but1 ,god knows6 he was mistaken if he thought ,i was taking unfair heed of their proceedings1 or likely to gossip indiscreetly concerning what fell accidentally under my notice4 ,not that a single soul in the neighbourhood approved ,general ,stanley's opposition to the attachment4 ,on the contrary1 from the moment of the liking between the young people becoming apparent1 the whole country decided that there could not be a more propitious mode of reuniting the dismembered ,lexley estates2 for though the ,general was expressly debarred from selling ,lexley ,hall to ,sparks or his heirs1 he could not be prevented bequeathing it to his daughters--the heirs of ,jonas ,sparks being the children of her body4 ,and thus all objections would have been remedied4 ,but such was not the proud old man's view of the case4 ,he had set his heart on perpetuating his own name in his family4 ,he had set his heart on the union of his dear ,mary with her cousin ,lord ,robert ,stanley2 and ,everard ,sparks might have been twice the handsome1 manly young fellow he was--twice the gentleman1 and twice the scholar--it would have pleaded little in his favour against the predetermined projects of the positive ,general4 ,there was certainly some excuse for his ambition on ,miss ,mary's account4 ,beauty1 merit1 fortune1 connexion1 every advantage was hers calculated to do honour to a noble alliance2 and as her father often exclaimed1 with a bitter sneer1 in answer to the mild pleadings of ,selina--,such a girl as that--a girl born to be a duchess--to sacrifice herself to the son of a ,congleton manufacturer6 ,two years did the struggle continue--during the greater part of which ,i was a constant eyewitness of the sorrows which so sobered the impetuous deportment of the light-hearted ,mary ,stanley4 ,her father took her to ,london1 with the project of separation he had haughtily announced2 but only to find1 to his amazement1 that ,eton and ,oxford had placed the son of ,mr ,sparks of ,lexley ,park1 a member of ,parliament1 on as good a footing as himself in nearly all the circles he frequented4 ,even when1 in the desperation of his fears1 he removed his family to the ,continent1 the young lover 7as became the lover of so endearing and attractive a creature7 followed her1 at a distance1 from place to place4 ,at length1 one angry day1 the ,general provoked him to a duel4 ,but ,everard would not lift his hand against the father of his beloved ,mary4 ,an insult from ,general ,stanley was not as an offence from any other man4 ,the only revenge taken by the high-spirited young man1 was to urge the ungenerous conduct of the father as an argument with the daughter to put an end1 by an elopement1 to a state of things too painful to be borne4 ,after much hesitation1 it seems1 she most unhappily complied4 ,they were married--at ,naples ,i think1 or ,turin1 or some other city of ,italy1 where we have a diplomatic resident2 and after their marriage--poor1 foolish young people6--they went touring it about gaily in the ,archipelago and ,levant1 waiting a favourable moment to propose a reconciliation with their respective fathers--as if the wrath and malediction of parents was so mere a trifle to deal with4 ,the first step taken by ,general ,stanley1 on learning the ungrateful rebellion of his favourite child1 was to return to ,england4 ,he seemed to want to be at home again1 the better to enjoy and cultivate his abhorrence of every thing bearing the despised name of ,sparks2 for now began the genuine hatred between the families4 ,nothing would satisfy the obstinate old soldier1 but that the elder ,sparks had1 from the first1 secretly encouraged the views of his son upon the heiress of ,lexley ,hall2 while ,mr ,sparks naturally resented with enraged spirit the overbearing tone assumed by his aristocratic neighbour towards those so nearly his equals4 ,every day produced some new grounds for offence2 and never had ,sir ,laurence ,altham1 in the extremity of his poverty1 regarded the thriving mansion in the valley with half the loathing which the view of ,lexley ,park produced in the mind of ,general ,stanley4 ,he was even at the trouble of trenching a plantation on the brow of the hill1 with the intention of shutting out the detested object4 ,but trees do not grow so hastily as antipathies2 and the ,general had to endure the certainty1 that1 for the remainder of his life at least1 that beautiful domain must be unrolled1 map-like1 at his feet4 ,nor is it to be supposed that the battlements of the old hall found greater favour in the sight of the parvenu squire1 than when in ,sir ,laurence's time the very sight of them was wormwood to his soul4 ,unhappily1 while the ,congleton manufacturer contented himself with angry words1 the gentleman of thirty descents betook himself to action4 ,general ,stanley swore to be mightily revenged--and he was so4 ,on the very day following his return to ,england1 before he even visited his desolate country-house1 he sent for ,lord ,robert ,stanley1 and made him the confidant of his indignation--avowed his former good intentions in his favour--betrayed all ,mary's--all ,mr ,everard ,sparks's disparaging opposition2 and ended by enquiring whether1 since whichever of his daughters became ,lady ,robert ,stanley would become sole heiress to his property1 his lordship could make up his mind to accept ,selina as a wife8 ,proud as he was1 the ,general almost condescended to plead the cause of his deformed daughter3 enlarging upon her excellences of character1 and1 still more1 upon her aversion to society1 which would secure the self-love of her husband against any public remarks on her want of personal attractions4 ,alas6 all these arguments were thoroughly thrown away4 ,lord ,robert was1 as his cousin ,mary had truly described him1 little better than a boor4 ,but he was also a spendthrift and a libertine2 and had ,miss ,stanley been as deformed in mind as she was in person1 he would have joyfully taken to wife the heiress of ten thousand a-year1 and two of the finest seats in the county of ,chester4 ,to herself1 meanwhile1 no hint of these family negotiations was vouchsafed2 and ,selina ,stanley had every reason to suppose--when her cousin became on a sudden an assiduous visitor at the house1 and very shortly a declared lover--that their intimacy from childhood had accustomed his eye to her want of personal charms--she had become endeared to him by her mild and submissive temper4 ,so little was she aware of her father's testamentary dispositions in her favour1 that the interested nature of ,lord ,robert's views did not occur to her mind2 and1 little accustomed to protestations of attachment1 ,selina's heart was not very difficult to soften towards the only man who had ever pretended to love her1 and whose apparent attachment promised some consolation for the loss of her sister's society1 as well as the chance of reunion with one whom her father had sworn should never1 under any possible circumstances1 again cross his threshold4 ,six months after ,general ,stanley's pride had been wounded to the quick by the newspaper account of a marriage between his favourite child and a man of the name of ,sparks1 balm was poured into the wound by another and more pompous paragraph1 announcing the union1 by special license1 of the ,right ,hon4 ,lord ,robert ,stanley and the eldest daughter and heiress of ,lieut4-,gen4 ,stanley1 of ,stanley ,manor1 only son of the late ,lord ,henry ,stanley1 followed by the usual list of noble relatives gracing the ceremony with their presence1 and a flourishing account of the departure of the happy couple1 in a travelling carriage and four1 for their seat in ,cheshire4 ,this announcement1 by the way1 probably served to convey the intelligence to ,mr and ,mrs ,everard ,sparks2 for the ,general having carefully intercepted every letter addressed by ,mary to her sister1 ,lady ,robert had not the slightest idea in what direction to communicate with one who possessed an undiminished share in her affections4 ,on ,general ,stanley's arrival in ,cheshire1 at the close of the honeymoon1 the most casual observer might have noticed the alteration which had taken place in his appearance4 ,instead of the sadness ,i had expected to find in his countenance after so severe a stroke as the disobedience of his darling girl1 ,i never saw him so exulting4 ,yet his smiles were not smiles of good-humour4 ,there was bitterness at the bottom of every word he uttered2 and a terrible sound of menace rung in his unnatural laughter4 ,consciousness never seemed a moment absent from his mind1 that he had defeated the calculations of the designing family2 that he had distanced them2 that he was triumphing over them4 ,alas6 none at present entertained the smallest suspicion to what extent6 ,preparatory to the settlements made by the ,general on ,lord and ,lady ,robert ,stanley1 it had been found necessary to place in the hands of his lordship's solicitors the deeds of the ,lexley ,hall estate2 when1 lo6 to the consternation of all parties1 it appeared that the ,general's title was an unsound one2 that by the general terms of this ancient property1 rights of heirship could only be evaded by the payment of a certain fine1 after intimation of sale in a certain form to the nearest-of-kin of the heir in possession1 which form had been overlooked or wantonly neglected by ,sir ,laurence ,altham6 ,the discovery was indeed embarrassing4 ,fortunately1 however1 the sum of ten thousand pounds only had been paid by the ,general to satisfy the immediate funds of the unthrifty baronet2 the remainder of the purchase-money having been left in the form of mortgage on the property4 ,there was consequently the less difficulty1 though considerable expense1 in cancelling the existing deeds1 going through the necessary forms1 and1 after paying the forfeiture to the heir1 7to whom the very existence of his claims was unknown17 renewing the contract with ,sir ,laurence2 to whom1 so considerable a sum being still owing1 it was as essential as to ,general ,stanley that the covenant should be completed without delay4 ,but all this occurred at so critical a moment1 that the ,general had ample cause to be thankful for the promptitude with which he decided ,selina's marriage2 for only four days after the signature of the new deeds1 ,sir ,laurence concluded his ill-spent life--his death being1 it was thought1 accelerated by the excitement consequent on this strange discovery1 and the investigations on the part of the heir to which it was giving rise4 ,for the clause in the original grant of the ,lexley estate 7which dated from the ,reformation7 affected the property purchased by ,jonas ,sparks as fully as that which had been assigned to the ,general2 and the baronet being now deceased1 there was no possibility of co-operation in rectifying the fatal error4 ,it was more than probable1 therefore1 that ,lexley ,park1 with all its improvements1 was now the property of ,john ,julius ,altham1 ,esq46--the only dilemma still to be decided by the law1 being the extent to which1 his kinsman having died insolvent and intestate1 he was liable to the suit of ,jonas ,sparks for the return of the purchase money1 amounting to ,l4#ade1jjj4 ,already the fatal intelligence had been communicated by the attorneys of ,john ,julius ,altham to those of the astonished man1 who1 though still convinced of the goodness of his cause1 7which1 on the strength of certain various statutes affecting such a case1 he was advised to contest to the utmost17 foresaw a long1 vexatious1 and expensive lawsuit1 that would certainly last his life1 and prevent the possibility of one moment's enjoyment of the estate1 from which he had received the usual notice of ejection4 ,fortunately for him1 the present ,mr ,altham was not only a gentleman1 and disposed to exercise his rights in the most decorous manner2 but1 of course1 unbiassed by the personal prejudices so strongly felt by ,sir ,laurence1 and so unfairly communicated by him to the ,general4 ,still1 the question was proceeding at the snail's pace rate of ,chancery suits at the commencement of the present century1 and the unfortunate ,congleton manufacturer had every reason to curse the day when he had become enamoured of the grassy glades and rich woodlands of ,lexley2 seeing that1 at the close of an honourable and well-spent life1 he was uncertain whether the sons and daughters to whom he had laboured to bequeath a handsome independence1 might not be reduced to utter destitution4 ,such was the intelligence that saluted the ill-starred ,mary and her husband on their return to ,england6 ,instead of the brilliant prospects in which she had been nurtured--disinheritance met her on the one side1 and ruin on the other6 ,her vindictive father had even made it a condition of his bounties to ,lord and ,lady ,robert1 that all intercourse should cease between them and their sister2 a condition which the former1 in revenge for the early slights of his fairer cousin1 took care should be punctually obeyed by his wife4 ,till the event of the trial1 ,mr ,sparks retained1 of course1 possession of the ,park2 but so bitter was the mortification of the family1 on discovering in the village precisely the same ungrateful feeling which had so embittered the soul of ,sir ,laurence1 that they preferred remaining in ,london--where no one has leisure to dwell upon the mischances of his neighbours1 and where sympathy is as little expected as conceded4 ,but when ,mary arrived--poor ,mary6 who had now the prospect of becoming a mother--and who1 though affectionately beloved by her husband's family1 saw they regarded her as the innocent origin of their present reverses--she soon persuaded her husband to accompany her to her old haunts4 ,do not imagine1 dearest1 said she1 that ,i have any project of debasing you and myself1 by intruding into my father's presence4 ,had we been still prosperous1 ,everard1 ,i would have gone to him--knelt to him--prayed to him--wept to him--so earnestly1 that his forgiveness could not have been long withheld from the child he loved so dearly4 ,i would have described to him all you are to me--all your indulgences--all your devotion--and you1 too1 my own husband1 would have been forgiven4 ,but as it is1 believe me1 ,i have too proud a sense of what is due to ourselves1 to combat the unnatural hostility in which my sister and her husband appear to take their share4 ,o ,everard6 to think of ,selina becoming the wife of that coarse and heartless man1 of whom1 in former times1 she thought even more contemptuously than ,i2 and who1 with his dissolute habits1 can only have made my poor afflicted sister his wife from the most mercenary motives6 ,i dread to think of what may be her fate hereafter1 when1 having obtained at my father's death all the advantages to which he looks forward1 he will show himself in his true colours4 ,thus1 even with such terrible prospects awaiting herself1 the good1 generous ,mary trembled only to contemplate those of her regardless sister2 and it was chiefly for the delight of revisiting the spots where they had played together in childhood--the fondly-remembered environs of ,stanley ,manor--that she persuaded her husband to take up his abode in the deserted mansion at the ,park1 where1 from prudential motives1 ,mr ,sparks had broken up his establishment1 and sold off his horses4 ,attended by a single servant1 in addition to the old porter and his wife who were in charge of the house1 ,mary trusted that their arrival at ,lexley would be unnoticed in the neighbourhood4 ,confining herself strictly within the boundaries of the ,park1 which neither her father nor the bride and bridegroom were likely to enter1 she conceived that she might enjoy1 on her husband's arm1 those solitary rambles of which every day circumscribed the extent2 without affording reason to the ,general to suppose1 when1 discerning every morning from his lofty terraces the mansion of his falling enemy1 that1 in place of the man he loathed1 it contained his discarded child4 ,the dispirited young woman1 on the other hand1 delighted in contemplating from the windows of her dressing-room the towers beneath1 whose shelter she had abided in such perfect happiness with her doating father and apparently attached sister4 ,they loved her no longer1 it is true4 ,perhaps it was her fault--7she would not allow herself to conceive it could be a fault of theirs7--but at all events she loved them dearly as ever2 and it was comforting to her poor heart to catch a glimpse of their habitation1 and know herself within reach1 should sickness or evil betide4 ,if ,i should not survive my approaching time1 thought ,mary1 often surveying for hours1 through her tears1 the heights of ,lexley ,hall1 and fancying she could discern human figures moving from window to window1 or from terrace to terrace2 if ,i should be fated never to behold this child1 already loved--this child which is to be so dear a blessing to us both--in my last hours my father would not surely refuse to give me his blessing2 nor would ,selina persist in her present cruel alienation4 ,it is1 indeed1 a comfort to be here4 ,her husband thought otherwise4 ,to him nothing was more trying than this compulsory sojourn at ,lexley2 not that he required other society than that of his engaging and attached wife4 ,at any other moment it would have been delightful to him to enjoy the country pleasures around them1 with no officious intrusive world to interpose between their affection4 ,but in his present uncertainty as to his future prospects1 to be mocked by this empty show of proprietorship1 and have constantly before his eyes the residence of the man who had heaped such contumely on his head1 and inflicted such pain on the gentlest and sweetest of human hearts1 was a state of moral torment4 ,in the course of my fishing excursions--7for1 thanks to ,mr ,sparks's neighbourly liberality1 ,i had a card of general access to his parks7--,i frequently met the young couple2 and having no clue to their secret sentiments1 noticed1 with deep regret1 the sadness of ,mary's countenance and sinister looks of her husband4 ,i feared--,i greatly feared--that they were not happy together4 ,the ,general's daughter repined1 perhaps1 after her former fortunes4 ,the young husband sighed1 doubtless1 over the liberty he had renounced4 ,it was spring time1 and ,lord ,robert having satisfied his cravings after the pleasures of ,london1 by occasional bachelor visits on pretence of business1 the family were to remain at the ,hall till after the ,easter holidays1 so that ,mary had every expectation of the accomplishment of her hopes previous to their departure4 ,perhaps1 in the bottom of her heart1 she flattered herself that1 on hearing of her safety1 her obdurate relations might be moved1 by a sudden burst of pity and kindliness1 to make overtures of reconciliation--at all events to dispatch words of courteous enquiry2 for she was ever dwelling on her good fortune that her father should1 on this particular year1 have so retarded the usual period of his departure4 ,yet when the report of these exulting exclamations on her part reached my ear1 ,i was ungenerous enough to attribute them to a very different origin1 fancying that the poor submissive creature was thankful for being within reach of protection from conjugal misusage4 ,meanwhile1 she was so far justified in one portion of her premises1 that no tidings of her residence at ,lexley ,park had as yet reached the ear of her father4 ,the fact was1 that not a soul had courage to do so much as mention1 in his presence1 the name of his once idolized child2 and ,lord ,robert1 having been apprized of the circumstance1 instantly exacted a promise from his wife1 that nothing should induce her to hazard her father's displeasure by communication with her sister1 or by acquainting the ,general of the arrival of the offending pair4 ,the consequence was1 that in the dread of encountering her sister1 7whom she felt ashamed to meet as the wife of the man they had so often decried together17 ,lady ,robert rarely quitted the house2 and these two sisters1 so long the affectionate inmates of the same chamber--the sisters who had wept together over their mother's deathbed--abided within sight of each other's windows1 yet estranged as with the estrangement of strangers4 ,and then1 we pretend to talk with horror of the family feuds of southern nations2 and1 priding ourselves on our calm and passionless nature1 feel convinced that all the domestic virtues extant on earth1 have taken refuge in the ,british empire6 ,every day1 meanwhile1 ,i noticed that the handsome countenance of ,everard ,sparks grew gloomier and gloomier2 and how was ,i to know that every day he received letters from his father1 announcing the unfavourable aspect of their suit2 and that 7owing1 as was supposed1 to the suggestions of ,general ,stanley's solicitors7 even the conduct of the adverse party was becoming offensive4 ,the elder ,sparks wrote like a man overwhelmed with mortification1 and stung by a sense of undeserved injury2 and his appeals to the sympathy and support of his son1 were such as to place the spirited young man in a most painful predicament as regarded the family of his wife4 ,unwilling to utter in her presence an injurious word concerning those who1 persecute her as they might1 were still her nearest and dearest by the indissoluble ties of nature1 all he could do1 in relief to his overcharged feelings1 was to rush forth into the ,park1 and curse the day that he was born to behold all he loved in the world overwhelmed in one common ruin4 ,on such occasions1 while pretending to fix my attention on my float upon the river1 ,i often watched him from afar1 till ,i was terrified by the frantic vehemence of his gestures4 ,there was almost reason to fancy that the evil influences of the old ,hall were extending their power over the valley2 and that this distracted young man was falling into the eccentricities of ,sir ,laurence ,altham4 ,after viewing with anxiety the wild deportment of poor ,mary's husband1 ,i happened one day to pass along the lane ,i have described as skirting the garden of the manor-house1 on my way homewards to my farm2 and on plunging my eyes1 as usual1 into the verdant depths of the clipped yew-walks1 visible through the iron-palisades1 was struck by the contrast afforded to the scene ,i had just witnessed1 not only by its aristocratic tranquillity1 but by the grave and subdued deportment of ,lady ,robert ,stanley1 who was sauntering in one of the alleys1 accompanied by a favourite dog ,i had often seen following her sister in former days1 and looking the very picture of contented egotism4 ,i almost longed to call aloud to her1 and confide all ,i knew and all that ,i supposed4 ,but what right had ,i to create alarms in her sister's behalf8 ,what right had ,i to incite her to disobedience against the father on whom she and her husband were dependent8 ,better leave things as they were--the common philosophy of selfish1 timid people1 afraid of exposing their own heads to a portion of the storm their interference may chance to bring down1 while assisting the cause of the weak against the strong4 ,i used often to go home and think of poor ,mary till my heart ached4 ,that young and beautiful creature--that creature till lately so beloved--to be thus cruelly abandoned1 thus helpless1 thus unhappy6 ,perhaps not a soul sympathizing with her but myself--an obscure1 low-born1 uninfluential man1 of no more value as a protector than a willow-wand shivered from the ,lexley plantations6 ,not so much as the merest trifle in which ,i could demonstrate my good-will4 ,i thought and thought it over1 and there was nothing ,i could do--nothing ,i could offer4 ,when ,i did hit upon some pretext of kindness1 ,i only did amiss4 ,the fruit season was not begun--nay1 the orchards were only in blossom--and times were over for forcing-houses at ,lexley ,park6 ,thinking1 therefore1 that the invalid might be pleased with a basket of ,jersey pears1 of which a very fine kind grew in my orchard1 ,i ventured to send some to her address4 ,but the very next time ,i encountered ,everard in the village1 he cast a look at me as if he would have killed me for my officiousness1 or1 perhaps1 for taking the liberty to suppose that ,lexley ,park was less luxuriously provisioned than in former years4 ,nor was it till long afterwards ,i discovered that my old housekeeper 7who had taken upon herself to carry my humble offering to the park7 had not only seen the poor young lady1 but been foolish enough to talk of ,lady ,robert in a tone which appears to have exercised a cruel influence over her gentle heart2 so that1 when her husband returned home from rabbit-shooting1 an hour afterwards1 he found her recovering from a fainting fit1 he visited upon me the folly of my servant2 and such was the cause of his angry looks4 ,a few days afterwards1 however1 he had far more to reproach his conscience withal than poor ,barbara4 ,having no concealments from his wife1 to whom he was in the habit of avowing every emotion of his heart1 he was rash enough to mention of having met the travelling carriage of ,lord and ,lady ,robert on the ,london road4 ,they had quitted the ,hall ten days previous to the epoch originally fixed for their departure4 ,gone--exactly gone6--already at two hundred miles' distance from me6 cried poor ,mary1 nothing doubting that her father had1 as usual1 accompanied them1 and feeling herself now1 for the first time1 alone in the dreary seclusion to which she had condemned herself1 only that she might breathe the same atmosphere with those she loved4 ,yet they had certainly decided to remain at the ,hall till after ,easter6 ,perhaps they discovered my being here1 and the discovery hastened their journey4 ,unhappy creature that ,i am1 to have become thus hateful to those in whose veins my blood is flowing6 ,everard1 ,everard6 ,o1 what have ,i done that ,god should thus abandon me8 ,the soothing and affectionate remonstrances now addressed to her by her husband1 had so far a good effect1 that they softened her despair to tears4 ,long and unrestrainedly did she weep upon his shoulder2 tried to comfort him by the assurance that she was comforted1 or at least that she would endeavour to seek comfort from the protection and goodness whence it had been so often derived4 ,a few minutes afterwards1 having been persuaded by ,everard to rest herself on the sofa1 to recover the effects of the agitation his indiscreet communication had excited1 she suddenly complained of cold1 and begged him to close the windows4 ,it was a balmy ,april day1 with a genial sun shining fresh into the room4 ,the air was as the air of midsummer--one of those days on which you almost see the small green leaves of spring bursting from their shelly covering1 and the resinous buds of the chestnut-trees expanding into maturity4 ,poor ,everard saw at once that the chilliness of which his wife complained must be the effect of illness4 ,more cautious1 however1 on this occasion than before1 he enquired1 as her shivering increased1 what preparations she had made for the events which still left her some weeks for execution4 ,none4 ,his sisters had kindly undertaken to supply her with all she might require2 and the services of the nurse accustomed to attend his married sister1 were engaged on her behalf4 ,at the end of the month this woman was to arrive at ,lexley1 bringing with her the wardrobe of the little treasure who was to accord renewed peace and happiness to its mother4 ,though careful to conceal his anxiety from his wife1 ,everard ,sparks1 disappointed and distressed1 quitted the room in haste to send for the medical man who had long been the attendant of his family4 ,but before he arrived1 the shivering fit of the poor sufferer had increased to an alarming degree4 ,a calming potion was administered1 and orders issued that she was to be kept quiet2 but in the consternation created in the little household by the communication ,dr ,r4 thought it necessary to make of the possibility of a premature confinement1 poor ,mrs ,sparks's maid1 a young inexperienced woman1 dispatched a messenger to my house for her old kinswoman1 and it was through ,barbara ,i became acquainted with the melancholy incidents ,i am about to relate4 ,the sedatives administered failed in their effect4 ,a fatal shock had been already given2 and while struggling through that direful night with the increasing pangs that verified the doctor's prognostications1 the sympathizing women around the sufferer could scarcely restrain their tears at the courage with which she supported her anguish1 rejoicing in it1 as it were1 in the prospect of embracing her child--when all present were aware that the compensation was about to be denied her1 that the child was already dead4 ,just as the day dawned1 her anxious husband was congratulated on her safety1 and then the truth could no longer be concealed from ,mary4 ,she asked to see her babe4 ,her husband was employed to persuade her to defer seeing it for an hour or two1 till it was dressed--till she was more composed4 ,but the truth rushed into her mind1 and she uttered not another word1 in the apprehension of increasing his disappointment and mortification4 ,so long did her silence continue1 that1 trusting she had fallen asleep1 old ,barbara's granddaughter entreated poor ,everard to withdraw and leave her to her rest4 ,but the moment he quitted the room1 she spoke1 spoke resolutely1 and in a firmer voice than her previous sufferings had given them reason to suppose possible4 ,now1 then1 let me see my boy1 said she4 ,i know that he is dead4 ,but do not be afraid of shocking or distressing me4 ,i have courage to look upon the poor little creature for whom ,i have suffered so much1 and who1 ,i trusted1 would reward me for all4 ,the women remonstrated1 as it was their duty to remonstrate4 ,but when they saw that opposition on this point only excited her1 dreading an accession of fever1 they brought the poor babe and laid it on the pillow beside its mother4 ,that first embrace1 to which she had looked forward with such intensity of delight1 folded to her burning bosom only a clay-cold child6 ,even thus it was fair to look on--every promise in its little form1 that its beauty would have equalled that of its handsome parents2 and ,mary1 as she pressed her lips to its icy forehead1 fancied she could trace on those tiny features a resemblance to its father4 ,old ,barbara1 perceiving how bitterly the tears of the sufferer were falling on the cheeks of her lost treasure1 now interfered4 ,but the mother had still a last request to make4 ,a few downy curls were perceptible on the temples--in colour and fineness resembling her own4 ,she wished to rescue from the grave this slight remembrance of her poor nameless offspring2 and her wish having been complied with1 she suffered the babe to be taken from her relaxed and moveless grasp4 ,leave me the hair1 said she1 in a faint voice4 ,thanks--thanks6 ,i am happy now--,i will try to sleep--,i am happy--happy now6 ,she slept--and never woke again4 ,at the close of an hour or two1 her anxious husband1 finding she had not stirred1 gently and silently approached the bedside1 and took into his own the fair hand lying on the coverlid1 to ascertain whether fever had ensued4 ,fever8 ,it was already cold with the damps of death6 ,imagine1 if you can1 the agony and self-reproach of that bereaved man6 ,again and again did he revile himself as her murderer2 accusing himself--her father--her sister--the whole world4 ,at one moment1 he fancied that her condition had not been properly treated by her attendants2 at another1 that the medical man ought not to have left the house4 ,nay1 hours and hours after she was gone for ever--after the undertakers had commenced their hideous preparations--even while she lay stretched before him1 white and cold as marble1 he persisted that life might be still recalled2 and1 but for the better discrimination of those around him1 would have insisted on attempts at resuscitation1 calculated only to disturb1 almost sacrilegiously1 the sound peace of the dead6 ,i was one of the first to learn the heart-rending news of this beloved being's untimely end2 for my old woman having asked permission to remain with her through the night1 7explaining the exigency of the case17 ,i could not forbear hurrying to the house as soon as it was day1 in the hope of hearing she was a happy mother4 ,somehow or other1 ,i had never contemplated an unfavourable result4 ,the idea of death never presented itself to me in common with any thing so young and fair2 and as ,i walked through the park1 and crossed the bridge1 with the white cheerful mansion before me1 and the morning sun shining full upon its windows1 ,i thought how gladsome it looked1 but could not forbear feeling that1 even with the prospect of losing it--even with the certainty of beggary1 ,everard1 as a husband and father1 was the fellow most to be envied upon earth6 ,i reached the house1 and the old man who answered my ring at the office entrance1 was speechless from tears4 ,though usually hard as iron1 he sobbed as if his heart would break4 ,i asked to speak with ,barbara--with my housekeeper4 ,he told me ,i could not--that she was busy laying out the body4 ,i was answered4 ,that dreadful word told me all--,i had no more questions to ask4 ,i cared not who survived1 or what became of the survivors4 ,and as ,i turned sickening away1 to bend my steps homewards1 ,i remember wondering how that fair spring morning could shine so bright and auspiciously1 when she was gone from us4 ,it seemed to triumph in our loss6 ,alas6 it shone to welcome a new angel to the kingdom of our ,father who is in heaven6 ,suddenly it struck me1 that ,i1 too1 had a duty to perform4 ,in that scanty household there was no one to take thought of the common forms of life2 so ,i hastened to the rectory1 to suggest to our good pastor a visit of consolation to the house of mourning1 and acquaint his sisters with its forlorn condition4 ,like myself1 they began exclaiming1 ,alas6 alas6 ,it was but the other day that----reverting to all the acts of charity and girlish graces of that dear departed ,mary ,stanley1 who had been among us as the shadow of a dream4 ,before ,i left the rectory1 ,dr ,whittingham had issued his orders2 and lo6 as ,i proceeded homewards1 with a heavy step and a heavier heart1 the sound of the passing bell from ,lexley church pursued me with its measured toll1 till ,i could scarcely refrain from sitting me down by the wayside1 and weeping my very soul away4 ,on reaching the lane ,i have so often described as skirting the gardens of the old ,hall1 ,i noticed1 through the palisades1 a person1 probably one of the gardeners1 sauntering along ,lady ,robert's favourite yew-walk4 ,no6 on a nearer approach1 ,i saw1 and almost shuddered to see1 that it was ,general ,stanley himself 7who1 ,i fancied1 had accompanied his son-in-law to town7 taking an early walk1 to enjoy the sweetness of that delicious morning4 ,as ,i drew nearer1 ,i averted my head4 ,at that moment ,i had not courage to look him in the face4 ,i could scarcely suppose him ignorant of what had occurred2 and1 if aware of the sad event1 his obduracy was unmanly to a degree that filled me with disgust4 ,but just as ,i came opposite the iron gates1 he hailed me by name--more familiarly and courteously than he was wont--to ask whether ,i came from the village1 and for whose death they were tolling8 ,if worlds had depended on my answer1 ,i could not have uttered a word6 ,but ,i conclude that1 catching sight of my troubled face and swollen eyelids1 the ,general supposed ,i had lost some near and dear friend2 for1 instead of renewing his question1 he merely touched his hat1 and passed on1 leaving me to proceed in my turn4 ,but the spectacle of my profound affliction probably excited his curiosity2 for ,i found afterwards1 that1 instead of pursuing his walk1 he returned straight to the house1 and addressed the enquiry which had so distressed me1 to others having more courage to reveal the fatal truth4 ,i believe it was the old family butler1 who abruptly answered--,for my poor young lady1 ,general--for the sweetest angel that ever trod the earth6 ,for my part1 ,i wonder the announcement did not strike him to the earth6 ,but he heard it without apparent emotion2 like a man who1 having already sustained the worst affliction this world can afford1 has no sensibility for further trials4 ,still the intelligence was not ineffective4 ,without pausing an instant for reflection1 or the indulgence of his feelings1 he set forth on foot to ,lexley ,park4 ,with his hat pulled over his eyes1 and a determined air1 rather as if about to execute an act of vengeance than offer a tardy tribute of tenderness to his victim1 he hurried to the house--commanded the startled old servant to show him the way to her room--entered it--and knelt down beside the bed on which she lay1 with her dead infant on her arm1 asking her forgiveness1 and the forgiveness of ,god1 as humbly as though he were not the ,general ,stanley proverbial for implacability and pride4 ,old ,barbara1 who had not quitted the room1 assured me it was a heart-breaking sight to behold that white head bowed down in agony upon the cold feet of his child4 ,for he felt himself unworthy to press her helpless hand to his lips1 or remove the cambric from her face1 but called1 in broken accents1 upon the name of ,mary6 his child6 his darling6 addressing her rather with the fondling terms bestowed upon girlhood than as a woman--a wife--a mother6 ,but a more affecting story still1 said the old woman1 was to see that ,mr ,everard took no more heed of the ,general's sudden entrance than though it were a thing to be looked for4 ,he seemed neither to hear his exclamations nor perceive his distress4 ,poor gentleman6 ,his haggard eyes were fixed1 his mind bewildered1 his hopes blasted for ever1 his life a blank4 ,he neither answered when spoken to1 nor even spoke1 when the good rector1 according to his promise1 came to announce that he had dispatched the fatal intelligence by express to his family1 beseeching his instructions concerning the steps to be taken for the burial of the dead4 ,but why afflict you and myself by recurring to these melancholy details6 ,suffice it1 that this dreadful blow effected what nothing else on earth could have effected in the mind of ,general ,stanley4 ,humbled to the dust1 even the arrival of the once despised owner of ,lexley ,park did not drive him from the house4 ,he asked his pity--he asked his pardon4 ,beside the coffin of his daughter he expressed all the compunction a generous-hearted and broken-hearted man could express2 and all he asked in return1 was leave to lay her poor head in the grave of her ancestors4 ,no one opposed his desire4 ,the young widower had not as much consciousness left as would have enabled him to utter the negative ,general ,stanley seemed prepared to expect2 and as to his father1 about to abandon ,lexley for ever1 to what purpose erect a family vault in a church which neither he nor his were ever likely to see again8 ,to the chapel at ,stanley ,manor1 accordingly1 were the mother and child removed4 ,the ,general wrote expressly to forbid his son-in-law and ,selina returning to the ,hall1 on pretence of sustaining him in his affliction4 ,he chose to give way to it2 he chose to be alone with his despair4 ,never shall ,i forget the day that mournful funeral procession passed through the village6 ,young and old came forth weeping to their doors to bid her a last farewell2 even as they used to come and exchange smiles with her1 in those happy days when life lay before her1 bright--hopeful--without a care--without a responsibility4 ,i had intended to pay him the same respect4 ,i meant1 indeed1 to have followed the hearse1 at an humble distance1 to its final destination4 ,but when ,i rose that morning a sudden weakness came upon me1 and ,i was unable to quit my room4 ,i1 so strong1 so hardy1 who have passed through life without sickness or doctor1 was as powerless that day as an infant4 ,it was from the good rector1 therefore1 ,i heard how the ,general 7on whom1 in consequence of the precarious condition of the afflicted husband1 devolved the task of chief mourner7 sustained his carriage to perform with dignity and propriety his duty to the dead4 ,as he followed the coffin through the churchyard1 crowded by his old pensioners--many of them praying on their knees as it passed--his step was as firm and his brow as erect as though at the head of his regiment4 ,it was not till all was over--the mournful ceremony done1 the crowd dispersed1 the funeral array departed--that having descended into the vault1 ere the stone was rolled to the door of the sepulchre1 in order to point out the exact spot where he wished her remains to be deposited1 so that hereafter his own might rest by her side1 he renounced all self-restraint1 and throwing himself upon the ground1 gave himself up to his anguish1 and refused to be comforted6 ,that summer was as dreary a season at ,lexley as the dreariest winter6 ,both the ,park and the ,hall were shut up2 nor did ,general ,stanley ever again resume his tenancy of the old manor4 ,when the result of the ,chancery suit left ,mr ,altham in possession of the former estate1 the ,general literally preferred forfeiting the moiety of the purchase-money he had paid1 and giving up the place to be re-united with the property1 which the rigour of the law thus singularly restored to the last heirs of the ,althams2 and such was the cause of my neighbour1 the present ,sir ,julius ,altham1 regaining possession of the ,hall4 ,it was not for many years1 however1 that the cause was ultimately decided4 ,there was an appeal against the ,chancellor's decree2 and even after the decree was confirmed1 came an endless number of legal forms1 which so procrastinated the settlement1 that not only the original unfortunate purchaser1 but poor ,everard himself1 was in his grave when the mansion1 in which they had so prided themselves1 was pulled down1 and all trace of their occupancy effaced4 ,i sometimes ask myself1 indeed1 whether the whole of this strange eventful history1 with which the earliest feelings of my heart were painfully interwoven1 really occurred8 whether the manor ever passed for a time out of the possession of the ancient house of ,altham8 whether the domain1 now one and indivisible1 were literally partitioned off--a park paling interposing only between the patrician and plebeian4 ,often1 after spending hour after hour by the river side1 when the fly is on the water and the old thorns in bloom1 ,i recur to the first day ,i came back into ,lexley ,park after the funeral had passed through1 and recollect the soreness of heart with which ,i lifted my eyes towards the house1 of which every trace has since disappeared4 ,at that moment there seemed to rise before me1 sporting among the gnarled branches of the old thorn-trees1 the graceful form of ,mary ,stanley1 followed by old ,sergeant1 bounding and barking through the fern2 and the ,general looking on from a distance1 pretending to be angry1 and desiring her to come out of the covert and not disturb the game4 ,exactly thus1 and there1 ,i beheld them for the first time4 ,what would ,i not give to realize once more1 if only for a day1 that happy1 happy vision6 ,stanley ,manor is let to strangers during the minority of ,lord ,robert's sickly son2 the father being an absentee1 the mother in an early grave4 ,she lived long enough1 however1 to be a repining wife2 and my neighbour1 ,sir ,julius ,altham1 has more than once hinted to me1 that1 of the whole family1 the portion of ,selina most deserved compassion4 ,to me1 however1 her callous conduct towards that gentle sister1 always rendered her the least interesting of my ,,country ,,neighbours4 ,,travels ,,of ,,kerim ,,khan4#c #c ,travels of ,kerim ,khan2 being a narrative of his ,journey from ,delhi to ,calcutta1 and thence by ,sea to ,england3 containing his remarks upon the manners1 customs1 laws1 constitutions1 literature1 arts1 manufactures1 c41 of the people of the ,british ,isles4 ,translated from the original ,oordu--7,,ms47 ,among the various signs of the times which mark the changes of manners in these latter days of the world1 not the least remarkable is the increasing frequency of the visits paid by the natives of the ,east to the regions of ,europe4 ,time was1 within the memory of most of the present generation1 when the sight of a genuine ,oriental in a ,london drawing-room1 except in the angel visits1 few and far between1 of a ,persian or ,moorish ambassador1 was a rarity beyond the reach of even the most determined lion-hunters2 and if by any fortunate chance a stray ,persian khan1 or a very magnificent three-tailed bashaw1 was brought within the circle of the quidnuncs of the day1 the sayings and doings of the illustrious stranger were chronicled with as much minuteness as if he had been the denizen of another planet4 ,every hair of his beard1 every jewel in the hilt of his khanjar1 was enumerated and criticised2 while all oriental etiquette was violated by the constant enquiries addressed to him relative to the number of his wives1 and the economy of his domestic arrangements4 ,mais a present on a change tout cela4 ,the reforms of ,sultan ,mahmood1 the invention of steam1 and the re-opening of the overland route to ,india1 have combined to effect a mighty revolution in all these points4 ,osmanlis1 with shaven chins and tight trousers1#d have long been as plenty as blackberries in the saloons of the ,west1 eating the flesh of the unclean beast1 quaffing champagne1 and even 7if we have been rightly informed7 figuring in quadrilles with the moon-faced daughters of the ,franks2 and though the natives of the more distant regions of the ,east have not yet appeared among us in such number1 yet the lamb-skin cap of the ,persian1 the pugree1 or small ,indian turban1 and even the queer head-dress of the ,parsee1 is far from being a stranger in our assemblies4 ,we doubt whether the name of ,akhbar ,khan himself1 proclaimed at the foot of a staircase1 would excite the same sensation in the present day1 as the announcement of the most undistinguished wearer of the turban some ten or twenty years ago2 but of the ,tours and ,narratives which are usually the inevitable result of such an influx of pilgrims1 our ,oriental visitors have as yet produced hardly their due proportion4 ,for many years1 the travels of ,mirza ,abu-,talib ,khan1 a ,hindustani#e ,moslem of rank and education1 who visited ,europe in the concluding years of the last century1 stood alone as an example of the effect produced on an ,asiatic by his observation of the manners and customs of the ,west2 and even of late our stock has not been much increased4 ,the journal of the ,persian princes 7a translation of which1 by their ,syrian mehmandar1 ,assaad ,yakoob ,khayat1 has been printed in ,england for private circulation7 is curious1 as giving a picture of ,european ways and manners when viewed through a purely ,asiatic medium2 while the remarkably sensible and well-written narrative of the two ,parsees who lately visited this country for the purpose of instruction in naval architecture1#f differs little from the description of the same objects which would be given by an intelligent and well-educated ,european1 if they could be presented to him in the aspect of utter novelty4 ,the latest of these ,oriental wanderers in the ungenial climes of ,franguestan1 is the one whose name appears at the head of this article1 and who1 with a rare and commendable modesty1 has preferred introducing himself to the public under the protecting guidance of ,maga1 to venturing1 alone and without a pilot1 among the perilous rocks and shoals of the critics of the ,row2 him therefore we shall now introduce1 without further comment1 to the favourable notice of our readers4 #d ,shalwarlek--tight trousers--was a phrase used1 under the old ,turkish regime1 as equivalent to a blackguard4 #e ,the ,moslems1 and other natives of ,india descended from foreign races1 are properly called ,hindustanis1 while the aborigines are the ,hindus--a distinction not well understood in ,europe4 ,the former take their name from the country1 as natives of ,hindustan1 which has derived its own name from the latter1 as being the country of the ,hindus4 #f ,journal of a ,residence of ,two ,years and a ,half in ,great ,britain1 by ,jehangeer ,nowrojee and ,hirjeebhoy ,merwanjee of ,bombay1 ,naval ,architects4 ,london3 #ahda4 ,of ,kerim ,khan himself1 the writer of his narrative1 and of his motives for daring the perils of the kala-pani1 7or black water1 the ,hindi name for the ocean17 on a visit to ,franguestan1 we have little information beyond what can be gathered from the ,,ms4 itself4 ,there can be no doubt1 however1 that he was a ,mussulman gentleman of rank and consideration1 and of information far superior to that of his countrymen in general2 nor does it appear that he was driven1 like ,mirza ,abu-,talib1 by political misfortune1 to seek in strange climes the security which his native land denied him4 ,his narrative commences abruptly3--,on the #bast of ,ramazan1 in the year of the ,hejra #abee1 7,dec4 #a1 ,a4,d4 #ahci17 between four and five in the afternoon1 ,i took leave of the imperial city of ,delhi1 and proceeded to our boat1 which was at anchor near the ,derya ,ganj4 ,the voyage down the ,jumna1 to its junction with the ,ganges at ,allahabad1 a distance of not more than #eej miles by land1 but which the endless windings of the stream increase to #bjaj by water1 presents few incidents worthy of notice3 but our traveller observes par parenthese1 that though it is said that the sources of this river have not been discovered1 ,i have heard from those who have crossed the ,himalaya from ,china1 that it rises in that country on the other side of the mountains1 and1 forcing its way through them1 arrives at ,bighamber4 ,they say that gold is found there in large quantities1 and the reason they assign is this--the philosopher's stone is found in that country1 and whatever touches it becomes gold1 but the stone itself can never be found6 ,near ,muttra he encountered the splendid cortege of ,lord ,auckland1 then returning to ,calcutta after his famous interview with ,runjeet ,singh at ,lahore1 with such a suwarree as must have recalled the pomp and sultanut for which the memory of ,warren ,hastings is even yet celebrated among the natives of ,india3 his staff and escort1 with the civil and military officers of government in attendance on him1 amounted to about #djjj persons1 besides #cjj elephants and #hjj camels4 ,the noble buildings of ,akbarabad or ,agra1 the capital and residence of ,akbar and ,shalijehan1 the mightiest and most magnificent of the ,mogul emperors1 detained the traveller for a day2 and he notices with deserved eulogium the splendid mausoleum of ,shalijehan and his queen1 known as the ,taj-,mahal4 ,there is nothing that can be compared with it1 and those who have visited the farthest parts of the globe1 have seen nothing like it4#g ,at ,allahabad he launched on the broad stream of the ,ganges2 and after passing through part of the territory of ,awadh or ,oude1 the insecurity of life and property in which is strongly contrasted with the rigid police in the ,company's dominions1 arrived in due time at the holy city of ,benares1 the centre of ,hindoo and ,brahminical sanctity4 #g ,many of our readers must have seen the beautiful ivory model of this far-famed edifice1 lately exhibited in ,regent ,street1 and now1 we believe1 in the ,cambridge ,university museum4 ,it is fortunate that so faithful a miniature transcript of the beauties of the ,taj is in existence1 since the original is doomed1 as we are informed1 to inevitable ruin at no distant period1 from the ravages of the white ants on the woodwork4 ,the shrines of ,benares1 with their swarms of sacred monkeys and ,brahminy bulls1 were objects of little interest to our ,moslem wayfarer1 who on the contrary recounts with visible satisfaction the destruction of several of these ,but ,khanas1 or idol-temples1 by the intolerable bigotry of ,aurungzib1 and the erection of mosques on their sites4 ,among the objects of attraction in the environs of the city1 he particularly notices a famous footprint#h upon stone1 called the ,kadmsherif1 or holy mark1 deposited in a mosque near the serai of ,aurungabad1 and said to have been brought from ,mekka by ,sheik ,mohammed ,ali ,hazin1 whom the translator of his interesting autobiography 7published in #ahcj by the ,oriental ,society7 has made known to the ,british public1 up to the period when the tyranny of ,nadir ,shah drove him from ,persia4 ,here1 during his lifetime1 he used to go sometimes on a ,thursday1 and give alms to the poor in the name of ,god4 ,he was a very learned and accomplished man2 and his writings1 both in prose and verse1 were equal to those of ,zahiri and ,naziri4 ,when he first came to ,india1 he resided for some years at ,delhi2 but having had some dispute with the poet-laureate of the ,emperor ,mohammed ,shah1 he found himself under the necessity of retiring to ,benares1 where he lived in great privacy4 ,as he was a stranger in the country1 was engaged in no calling or profession1 and received no allowance from the ,emperor1 it was never known whence1 or how1 he was supplied with the means of keeping up the establishment he did1 which consisted of some hundred servants1 palanquins1 horses1 c4 ,it is said that when the ,nawab ,shujah-ed-dowlah projected his attack on the ,english in ,bengal1 he consulted the ,sheik on the subject1 who strongly dissuaded him from the undertaking4 ,he died shortly after the battle of ,buxar in #aahj1 7,a4,d4 #agff47 ,the battle of ,buxar was fought ,oct4 #bc1 #agfd2 but that ,sheik ,ali ,hazin died somewhere about this time1 seems more probable than that his life was extended 7as stated by ,sir ,gore ,ouseley7 till #aggi2 since he describes himself at the conclusion of his memoirs in #agdb1 when only in his #ec;d year1 as leading the dullest course of existence in the dullest of all dull countries1 and disabled by his increasing infirmities from any active exertion of either body or mind--a state of things scarcely promising a prolongation of life to the age of ninety4 #h ,these sacred footmarks are more numerous among the ,buddhists than the ,moslems--the most celebrated is that on the summit of ,adam's ,peak1 in ,ceylon4 ,resuming his voyage from ,benares1 the ,khan notices with wonder the apparition of the steamers plying between ,calcutta and ,allahabad1 several of which he met on his course1 and regarded with the astonishment natural in one who had never before seen a ship impelled1 apparently by smoke1 against wind and tide3--,i need hardly say how intensely ,i watched every movement of this extraordinary1 and to me incomprehensible machine1 which in its passage created such a vast commotion in the waters1 that my poor little budjrow 7pinnace7 felt its effects for the space of full two hos1 7nearly four miles47 ,the picturesque situation of the city of ,azimabad or ,patna1#i extending for several miles along the right bank of the ,ganges1 with the villas and beautiful gardens of the resident ,english interspersed among the houses1 is described in terms of high admiration2 and the mosques1 some of which were as old as the time of the ,patan emperors1 are not forgotten by our ,moslem traveller in his enumeration of the marvels of the city4 ,a few days' more boating brought him to ,rajmahal2 on one side of which1 says he1 the country is called ,bengal1 and on the other ,poorb1 or the ,east--a name from which the independent dynasty of ,moslem kings1 who once ruled in ,bengal1 assumed the appellation of ,poorby-,shaby4 ,he was now among the rice-fields1 the extent and luxuriance of which surprised him3 ,there are a great variety of sorts1 and if a man were to take a grain of each sort he might soon fill a lota 7water-pot7 with them--so innumerable are the different kinds4 ,the cultivators who have measured the largest species1 have declared them to exceed the length of fifty cubits2 but ,i have never seen any of this length1 though others may have4 ,he now entered the ,bhagirutti1 or branch of the ,ganges leading to ,calcutta1 and which bears in the lower part of its course the better known name of the ,hoogly--while the main stream to the left is again subdivided into innumerable ramifications1 the greater part of which lose themselves among the vast marshes of the ,sunderbunds2 but he complains1 that though by this branch large vessels and steamers pass up and down to and from the ,presidency1 the route is very bad1 from the extensive jungles on both banks1 which are haunted by ,thugs and ,decoits1 7river pirates37--indeed ,i have heard and read1 that the shores of the ,ganges have been infested by freebooters1 pirates1 and thieves of all sorts1 from time immemorial4 ,he escaped unharmed1 however1 through these manifold perils2 and passing ,murshidabad1 the ancient capital of ,bengal1 and other places of less note1 his remarks upon which we shall not stay to quote1 reached the ghauts of ,calcutta in safety4 #i ,most of the principal cities of ,india1 in addition to the ancient name by which they are popularly known1 have another imposed by the ,moslems3--thus ,agra is ,akbarabad1 the residence of ,akbar--,delhi1 ,shahjehanabad2 and ,patna1 ,azimabad4 ,in some instances1 as ,dowlutabad in the ,dekkan1 the ,hindu name of which is ,deogiri1 the ,mohammedan appellation has superseded the ancient name2 but1 generally speaking1 the latter is that in common use4 ,a place so often described as the ,city of ,palaces1 presents little that is novel in the narrative of the khan2 but he does full justice to the splendour of the architecture1 which he says exceeds that of ,china or ,ispahan--a superiority which arises from the immense sums which every governor-general has laid out upon public works1 and in improving and adorning the city3 the ,marquis ,wellesley1 in particular1 expended lakhs of rupees in this way4 ,the account which he gives1 however1 from a ,mahommedan writer1 of the disputes with the ,mogul government which led to the transference of the ,british factory and commerce from its original seat at ,hoogly to ,kali-kata1#aj or ,calcutta1 differs considerably from that given by the ,british historians1 if we are to suppose the events here alluded to 7the date of which the khan does not mention7 to be those which occurred in #afhf and #afhg1 when ,charnock defended the factory at ,hoogly against the ,imperial deputy1 ,shaista ,khan4 ,our traveller's version of these occurrences is1 that the factories of the ,english1 which were then established on the ,ghol ,ghaut at ,hoogly1 having been overthrown by an earthquake1 ,mr ,charnock1 the head officer of the factory1 purchasing a garden called ,banarasi1 had the trees cut down1 and commenced a new building4 ,but while it was in progress1 the principal ,mogul merchants and inhabitants laid a complaint before ,meer ,nasir1 the foujdar1 7chief of police17 that their houses and harems would be overlooked1 and great scandal occasioned1 if the strangers should be allowed to erect such lofty buildings in the midst of the city4#aa ,the complaint was referred by the foujdar to the nawab1 who forthwith issued orders for the discontinuance of the works1 which were accordingly abandoned4 ,the ,company's agent1 though highly offended at this arbitrary proceeding1 was unable to resist it1 having only one ship and a few sepoys2 and1 in spite of the efforts of the foujdar to dissuade him1 he embarked with all his goods1 and set sail for the peninsula1 7qu4 ,indjeli87 having first set fire to such houses as were near the river4 ,at this time1 however1 the ,emperor ,aurungzib was in the ,carnatic1 beleaguered by the ,mahrattas1 who had cut off all supplies from his camp2 and the ,company's agent in that country1 hearing of this1 sent a large quantity of grain1 which had been recently imported for their own use1 for the relief of the army4 ,having thus gained the favour and protection of the ,asylum of the ,world1 the ,english were not only permitted to build factories in various parts of the country1 but were exempted from the duties formerly laid on their goods4 ,charnock returned to ,bengal with the emperor's firman2 and the nawab1 seeing how matters stood1 withdrew his opposition to the erection of the factory at ,hoogly4 ,the ,english1 however1 preferred another situation1 and chose ,calcutta1 where a building was soon erected1 the same which is now called the old fort4 ,this account1 which is in fact more favourable to the ,english than that given by their own writers1 is the only notice of these transactions we have ever found from a ,mahommedan author2 for so small was the importance attached by the ,moguls to these obscure squabbles with a few ,frank merchants1 that even the historian ,khafi-,khan1 who acted as the emperor's representative for settling the differences which broke out about the same time in ,bombay1 makes no allusion to the simultaneous rupture in ,bengal4 #aj ,so called from ,kali1 the ,hindu goddess1 and kata1 laughter2 because human victims were formerly here sacrificed to her4 #aa ,from the sanctity attached by ,oriental ideas to the privacy of the harem1 it is a high crime and misdemeanour1 punishable by law in all ,moslem countries1 to erect buildings overlooking the residence of a neighbour4 ,at ,constantinople1 there is an officer called the ,minar ,aga1 or superintendent of edifices1 whose especial duty it is to prevent this4 ,our author1 like ,bishop ,heber1#ab and other travellers on the same route1 is struck by the contrast between the robust and well-fed peasantry of ,hindustan ,proper1 and the puny rice-eaters of ,bengal2 who eat fish1 boiled rice1 bitter oil2 and an infinite variety of vegetables2 but of wheaten or barley bread1 and of pulse1 they know not the taste1 nor of mutton1 fowl1 or ghee1 7clarified butter47 ,the author of the ,riaz-es-,selatin1 is indeed of opinion that such food does not suit their constitutions1 and would make them ill if they were to eat it--an invaluable doctrine to establish in dieting a pauper population6 ,as to their dress1 they have barely enough to cover them--only a piece of cloth1 called a dhoti1 wrapped round their loins1 while their head-dress consists of a dirty rag rolled two or three times round the temples1 and leaving the crown bare4 ,but the natives of ,hindustan1 and even their descendants to the second and third generation1 always wear the jamah1 or long muslin robe1 out of doors1 though in the house they adopt the ,bengali custom4 ,the author of the ,kholasat-al ,towarikh1 7an historical work17 says that both men and women formerly went naked2 and no doubt he is right1 for they can hardly be said to do otherwise now4 ,such are the peasants of ,bengal--a race differing from the natives of ,hindustan in language1 manners1 food1 dress1 and personal appearance2 but who1 from their vicinity to the seat of the ,english ,supreme ,government1 have served as models for the descriptions given by many superficial travellers1 as applying to all the natives of ,british ,india1 without distinction6 ,the horrible ,hindu custom of immersing the sick1 when considered past recovery1 in the ,ganges1 and holding their lower limbs under water till they expire1#ac excites1 as may be expected1 the disgust of the khan2 but the reason which he assigns for it1 the belief of these people1 that if a man die in his own house1 he would cause the death of every member of the family by assuming the form of a bhut or evil spirit1 is new to us1 and appears to be analogous to the superstitious dread entertained by the ,greeks and ,sclavonians1 of a corpse reanimated into a ,vroucolochas1 or vampire4 ,but if a man escapes from their hands1 and recovers after this treatment1 he is shunned by every one2 and there are many villages in ,bengal1 called villages of the dead1 inhabited by men who have thus escaped death2 they are considered dead to society1 and no other persons will dwell in the same villages4 #ab ,almost immediately on leaving ,allahabad1 7on his way from ,calcutta to the ,upper ,provinces17 ,i was struck with the appearance of the men1 as tall and muscular as the largest stature of ,europeans2 and with the fields of wheat1 almost the only cultivation4--,heber's ,journal1 vol4 iii4 ,some of our boatmen passing through a field of ,indian corn1 plucked two or three ears1 certainly not enough to constitute a theft1 or even a trespass4 ,two of the men1 however1 who were watching1 ran after them1 not as the ,bengalis would have done1 to complain with joined hands1 but with stout bamboos1 prepared to do themselves justice par voye de faict4 ,the men saved themselves by swimming off to the boat2 but my servants called out to them--',ah6 dandee folk1 beware1 you are now in ,hindustan2 the people here know well how to fight1 and are not afraid4' #ac ,i told his 7,pertab ,chund's7 father1 that it was wrong to keep him where he then was1 and he told me to take him down to the river4 ,he was lifted up on his bedding2 his speech was not very distinct at that time1 but sufficiently so to call on the name of his ,t'hakoor1 7spiritual guide17 which he did as desired2 he then began to shiver1 and complained of being very cold4 ,i was one of those who went with the rajah to the river side4 ,jago ,mohun ,dobee pressed his legs under the water1 and kept them so2 and about #aj p4m4 his soul quitted the body4 ,when he died1 his knees were under water1 but the rest of his body above4 ,evidence of ,radha ,sircar and ,sham ,chum ,baboo1 before the ,mofussil ,court of ,hoogly1 ,september #ahch1 in the enquiry on the impostor ,kistololl1 who personated the deceased ,pertab4 ,the stay of the khan in ,calcutta was prolonged for more than a month1 during which time he rented a house from a native proprietor in the quarter of ,kolitolla4 ,while removing his effects from his boat to this residence1 he became involved in a dispute with the police1 in consequence of the violation by his servants1 through ignorance1 of the regulation which forbids persons from the ,upper ,provinces to enter the city armed2 but this unintentional infringement of orders was easily explained and arranged by the intervention of an ,european friend1 and the arms1 of which the police had taken possession1 were restored4 ,while engaged in preparing for his voyage1 the khan made the best use of his time in visiting the public buildings1 and other objects of interest1 among which he particularly notices the minar or column erected in the maidan1 7square17 near the viceregal palace of the ,nawab ,governor-,general ,bahadur1 by a subscription among the officers of the army1 native as well as ,english1 to the memory of the late ,sir ,david ,ochterlony2 but rates it1 with truth1 as greatly inferior1 both in dimensions and beauty1 to the famous pillar of the ,kootb-,minar near ,delhi4 ,the colossal fortifications of ,fort-,william are also duly commemorated2 they resemble an embankment externally1 but when viewed from within are exceedingly high--no foe could penetrate within them1 much less reach the treasures and magazines in the interior4 ,our traveller also visited the ,english courts of justice1 in the proceedings of which he seems to have taken great interest1 and was apparently treated with much hospitality by many of the ,european functionaries and other residents1 by whom he was furnished with numerous letters of introduction1 as well as receiving much information respecting the manners and customs of ,ingilistan1 or ,england4 ,the choice of a ship1 and the selection of sea-stock1 were of course matters of grave consideration1 and the more so from the peculiar unfitness of the habits and religious scruples of an ,indian ,moslem for the privations unavoidable at sea2 but a passage was at last taken for the khan and his two servants on board the ,edinburgh of #adjj tons1 and it being agreed that he should find his own provisions1 to obviate all mistakes on the score of forbidden food1 and the captain promising moreover that his comforts should be carefully attended to1 this weighty negotiation was at length concluded4 ,it is due to the khan to say1 that whether from being better equipped1 or from being endued with more philosophy and forbearance than his compatriot1 ,mirza ,abu-,talib ,khan1 7to whom we have above referred17 he seems to have reconciled himself to the hardships of the kala-pani1 or ocean1 with an exceedingly good grace2 and we find none of the complaints which fill the pages of the ,mirza against the impurity of his food1 the impossibility of performing his ablutions in appointed time and manner1 and sundry other abominations by which he was so grievously afflicted1 that at a time of danger to the vessel1 though many of the passengers were much alarmed1 ,i1 for my own part1 was so weary of life that ,i was perfectly indifferent to my fate4 ,abu-,talib1 however1 sailed in an ill-regulated ,danish ship2 and in summing up the horrors of the sea1 he strongly recommends his countrymen1 if compelled to brave its miseries1 to embark in none but an ,english vessel4 ,during the last days of the khan's sojourn in ,calcutta1 he witnessed the splendid celebration of the rites of the ,mohurrum1 when the slaughter of the brother ,imams1 ,hassan and ,hussein1 the martyred grandsons of the ,prophet1 is lamented by all sects of the faithful1 but more especially by the ,rafedhis or ,sheahs1 the followers of ,ali1 of whom there are many in ,calcutta1 though they are less numerous than the orthodox sect or ,sunnis1 from whom they are distinguished1 at this season1 by wearing black as mourning4 ,at the ,baitak-,khana 7a quarter of ,calcutta7 we witnessed the splendid procession of the ,taziya1#ad with the banners and flags flying1 and the wailers beating their breasts4444 ,it is the custom here1 at this season1 for all the natch-girls 7dancers7 to sit in the streets of the ,chandnibazar1 under canopies decorated with wreaths and flowers in the most fantastic manner1 and sell sweetmeats1 cardamums1 betelnuts1 c41 upon stalls1 displaying their charms to the passers-by4 ,i took a turn here one evening with five others1 and found crowds of people collected1 both strangers and residents3 nor do they ordinarily disperse till long after midnight4 ,on the second day after his visit to this scene of gaiety1 he received notice that the ship was ready for sea2 and on the #hth of ,mohurrum #abef1 7,march #ac1 #ahdj17 he accordingly embarked with his baggage and servants on board the ,edinburgh1 which was towed in seven days1 by a steamer1 down the river to ,saugor2 and the pilot quitting her the next day at the floating light4 ,i now found myself1 7says the khan17 for the first time in my life1 in the great ocean1 where nothing was to be seen around but sky and water4 #ad ,taziya1 literally grief1 is an ornamental shrine erected in ,moslem houses during the ,mohurrum1 and intended to represent the mausoleum of ,hassan and ,hussein1 at ,kerbelah in ,persia4 ,on the #ajth and last day of the mourning1 the taziyas are carried in procession to the outside of the city1 and finally deposited with funeral rites in the burying-grounds4--,see ,mrs ,meer ,hassan ,ali's ,observations on the ,mussulmans of ,india4 ,letter ,i4 ,the account of a voyage at sea1 as given by an ,oriental1 is usually the most deplorable of narratives--filled with exaggerated fears1 the horrors of sea-sickness1 and endless lamentations of the evil fate of the writer1 in being exposed to such a complication of miseries4 ,of the wailing of ,mirza ,abu-,talib we have already given a specimen3 and the ,persian princes1 even in the luxurious comfort of an ,english ,mediterranean steamer1 seem to have fared but little better1 in their own estimation at least1 than the ,mirza in his dirty and disorderly ,danish merchantman4 ,our bones cried1 ',alas6 for this evil there is no remedy4' ,we were vomiting all the time1 and thus afflicted with incurable evils1 in the midst of a sea which appears without end1 the state of my health bad1 the sufferings of my brothers very great1 and no hope of being saved1 we became most miserable4 ,such is the naive exposition of his woes1 by ,h4 ,r4 ,h4 ,najaf ,kooli ,mirza2 but ,kerim ,khan appears1 both physically and morally1 to have been made of different metal4 ,ere he had been two days on board we find him remarking--,i had by this time made some acquaintance among the passengers1 and began to find my situation less irksome and lonely2 shortly afterwards adding--,the annoyances inseparable from this situation were relieved1 in some measure1 by the music and dancing going on every day except ,sundays1 owing to the numerous party of passengers1 both gentlemen and ladies1 whom we had on board--seeing which1 a man forgets his griefs and troubles in the general mirth around him4 ,so popular1 indeed1 does the khan appear already to have become1 that the captain1 finding that he had hitherto abstained from the use of his pipe1 that great ingredient in ,oriental comfort1 from an idea that smoking was prohibited on board1 instantly sent for my hookah1 had it properly prepared for me1 and insisted on my not relinquishing this luxury1 the privation of which he knew would occasion me considerable inconvenience4 ,in other respects1 also1 he seems to have been not less happily constituted2 for though he says that the rolling and rocking of the ship1 when it entered the dark waters or open sea1 completely upset my two companions1 who became extremely sick--his remarks on the incidents of the voyage1 and the novel phenomena which presented themselves to his view1 are never interrupted by any of those pathetic lamentations on the instability of the human stomach1 which form so important and doleful an episode in the relations of most landsmen1 of whatever creed or nation4 ,the commencement of the voyage was prosperous2 and the ship ran to the south before a fair wind1 interrupted only by a few days of partial calm1 till it reached the latitude of ,ceylon1 where the appearance of the flying fish excited the special wonder of the khan1 who was by this time beginning1 under the tuition of his fellow passengers1 to make some progress in the ,english language1 and had even attempted to fathom some of the mysteries of the science of navigation2 but though ,i took the sextant which the captain handed me1 and held it precisely as he had done1 ,i could make nothing of it4 ,the regular performance of the ,church service on ,sundays1 and the cessation on that day from the ordinary amusements1 is specially noticed on several occasions1 and probably made a deeper impression on the mind of our ,moslem friend1 from the popular belief current in ,india that the ,feringhis are men of no caste1 without religious faith or ceremonies--a belief which the conduct and demeanour of the ,anglo-,indians in past times tended1 in too many instances1 to confirm4 ,off the southern extremity of ,ceylon1 the ship was again becalmed for several days2 but the tedium of this interval was relieved1 not only by the ordinary sea incidents of the capture of a shark and the appearance of a whale1 7the zoological distinctions between which and the true fishes are stated by the khan with great correctness17 but by the occurrence of a mutiny on board an ,english vessel in company1 which was fortunately quelled by the exertions of the captain of the ,edinburgh4 ,the spicy gales of ,ceylon1 blowing off the coast to the distance1 as stated1 of fifty miles1 7an extremely moderate range when compared with the accounts of some other travellers17 at last brought on their wings the grateful announcement of the termination of the calm2 but before quitting the vicinity of this famous island1 7more celebrated in eastern story under the name of ,serendib17 the khan gives some notices of the legends connected with its history1 which show a more extended acquaintance with ,hindu literature than the ,moslems in ,india in general take the trouble of acquiring4 ,among the rest he alludes to the epic of the ,ramayuna1 and the bridge built by ,rama 7or as he calls him1 ,rajah ,ram ,chunder7 for the passage of the monkey army and their redoubled general1 ,huniman1 from the ,indian continent into the island1 in order to deliver from captivity ,seeta1 the wife of the hero4 ,the wind still continuing favourable1 the ship quickly passed the equator1 and the pole-star was no longer visible--a proof of the earth's sphericity which ,i was glad to have had an opportunity of seeing2 and they left1 at a short distance to the right1 the islands of ,mauritius and ,bourbon1 which are not far from the great island of ,madagascar1 where the faithful turn their faces to the north when they pray1 as they turn them to the west in ,india1 the kiblah1 or point of direction1 being in both cases the kaaba1 or temple of ,mekka4 ,they were now approaching the latitude of the ,cape2 and our voyager was astonished by the countless multitudes of sea-birds which surrounded the ship1 and particularly by the giant bulk of the albatrosses1 which ,i was told remained day and night on the ocean1 repairing to the coast of ,africa only at the period of incubation4 ,the ,cape of ,storms1 however1 as it was originally named by ,vasco de ,gama1 did not fail on this occasion to keep up its established character for bad weather4 ,a severe gale set in from the east1 which speedily increased to a storm4 ,a sailor fell from the third stage of the mainmast1 7the main topgallant yard17 and was killed on the deck2 and as the inhospitable shores of ,africa were close under their lee1 the ship appears for some time to have been in considerable danger4 ,but in this 7to him7 novel scene of peril1 the khan manifests a degree of self-possession1 strongly contrasting with the timidity of the royal grandsons of ,futteh ,ali ,shah1 the expression of whose fears during a gale is absolutely ludicrous4 ,we were so miserable that we gave up all hope2 we gave up our souls1 and began to beseech ,god for forgiveness2 while the wind continued increasing1 and all the waves of the western sea rose up in mountains1 with never-ceasing noise1 till they reached the planets4 ,even after the violence of the hurricane had in some measure abated1 the sea continued to run so high that the ports were kept closed for several days4 ,at last1 however1 they were opened for the purpose of ventilating the interior2 and the band1 which had been silent for some days1 began to play again4 ,the appearance of a water-spout on the same afternoon is thus described3--,an object became visible in the distance1 in the form of a minaret1 and every one on board crowded on deck to look at it4 ,on asking what it was1 ,i was told that what appeared to be a minaret was only water1 which was drawn up towards the heavens by the force of the wind1 and when this ceased would fall again into the sea1 and was what we should call a whirlwind4 ,this is sometimes extremely dangerous to vessels1 since1 if it reaches them1 it is so powerful as to draw them out of the sea in the same manner as it draws up the water2 in consequence of which many ships have been lost when they have been overtaken by this wonderful phenomenon4 ,the storm was succeeded by a calm1 which detained the ship for two days within sight of the lofty mountains near the ,cape4 ,it was bitterly cold1 for the seasons are here reversed1 and instead of summer1 as we should have expected1 it was now the depth of winter4 ,at length1 however1 7on the #fith day after our leaving ,calcutta17 a strong breeze sprung up1 which enabled us to set all sail1 and carried us away from this table-land4 ,the run from the ,cape to ,st ,helena seems to have been barren of incident1 except an accidental encounter with a vessel in distress1 which proved to be a slaver which had been captured by an ,english cruiser1 and had sustained serious damage in the late storm while proceeding to the ,cape with a prize crew4 ,on approaching ,st ,helena1 the captain gave orders for the ship to be painted1 both inside and out1 that the people of the island might not say we came in a dirty ship2 and as we neared the land1 a white flag was hoisted to apprise those on shore that there was no one ill on board4 ,in cases of sickness a yellow flag is displayed1 and then no one is permitted to land from the ship for fear of contagion4 ,the island is about twenty-six miles in circuit1 and is constantly enveloped in fog and mist4 ,it is said to have been formerly a volcano1 but has now ceased to smoke4 ,the vegetation is luxuriant1 but few of the flowers are fragrant4 ,i recognised some1 however1 both flowers and fruits1 which seemed similar to those of ,india4 ,i took the opportunity of landing with the captain to see the town1 which is small1 but extremely well fortified1 the cannon being so numerous that one might suppose the whole island one immense iron-foundery4 ,it is populous1 the inhabitants being chiefly ,jews and ,english2 but as it was ,sunday1 and all the shops were shut1 it had a dull appearance4 ,after surveying the town1 ,i ascended a hill in the country1 leading to the tomb of ,napoleon ,bonaparte1 which is on an elevated spot1 four miles from the town4 ,this celebrated personage was a native of ,corsica2 and enjoying a fortunate horoscope1 he entered the ,french army1 and speedily rose to the rank of general2 and afterwards1 with the consent of the people and the soldiery1 made himself emperor4 ,after this he conquered several kingdoms1 and the fame of his prowess and his victories filled all the ,european world4 ,when he invaded ,russia1 he defeated the ,muscovites in several great battles1 and took their capital2 but1 in consequence of the intensity of the cold1 several thousands of his army both men and horses1 perished miserably4 ,this catastrophe obliged him to return to ,france1 where he undertook the conquest of another country4 ,at this time ,george ,,iii4 reigned in ,england2 and having collected all the disposable forces of his kingdom1 appointed ,lord ,wellington 7the same general who was employed in the war against ,tippoo ,sultan in ,mysore7 to command them1 and sent him to combat the ,french ,emperor4 ,he entered ,spain1 and forced the ,emperor's brother1 ,yusuf1 7,joseph17 who was king of that country1 to fly--till after a variety of battles and incidents1 too numerous to particularize1 the two hostile armies met at a place called by the ,english ,waterloo1 where a bloody battle was fought1 as famous as that of ,pashan1 between ,sohrab and the hero ,rustan3 and ,napoleon was overthrown and made prisoner4 ,he was then sent1 though in a manner suitable to his rank1 to this island of ,st ,helena1 where1 after a few years1 he finished his earthly career4 ,his tomb is much visited by all who touch at the island1 and has become a durgah 7shrine7 for innumerable visitors from ,europe4 ,there are persons appointed to take care of it1 who give to strangers1 in consideration of a small present1 the leaves and flowers of the trees which grow round the tomb4 ,no other ,emperor of the ,europeans was ever so honoured as to have had his tomb made a shrine and place of pilgrimage3 nor was ever one so great a conqueror1 or so renowned for his valour and victories4 ,the remainder of the voyage from ,st ,helena to ,england was apparently marked by no incident worthy of mention1 as the khan notices only the reappearance of the pole-star on their crossing the line1 and re-entering the northern hemisphere1 and their reaching once more the latitude of ,delhi1 which we now passed many thousand miles to our right2 after which nothing of importance occurred till we reached the ,british ,channel1 when we saw the ,scilly ,isles in the distance1 and about noon caught a glimpse of the ,lizard ,point1 and the south coast of ,england1 together with the lighthouse3 the country of the ,french lay on our right at the distance of about eighty miles4 ,i was given to understand that the whole distance from ,st ,helena to ,london1 by the ship's reckoning1 was #fcbh miles1 and #af1ebh from ,calcutta4 ,in the ,downs the pilot came on board1 from whom they received the news of the attempt recently made by ,oxford on the life of the ,queen2 and here the captain1 anxious to lose no time in reaching ,london1 quitted the vessel as it entered the ,thames1 the sources of which famous river1 ,i was informed1 were near a place called ,cirencester1 eighty-eight miles from ,london1 in the zillah 7county7 of ,gloucester4 ,the ship was now taken in tow by a couple of steam-tugs1 and passing ,woolwich1 where are the war-ships and top-khana 7arsenal7 of the ,english ,padishah1 at length reached ,blackwall1 where we anchored4 ,i now 7continues the khan7 returned thanks to ,god for having brought me safe through the wide ocean to this extraordinary country--bethinking myself of the answer once made by a man who had undertaken a voyage1 on being asked by his friends what he had seen most wonderful--',the greatest wonder ,i have seen is seeing myself alive on land6' ,the troubles of the khan1 however1 were far from being ended by his arrival on terra firma3 for apparently from some mistake or inadvertence1 7the cause of which does not very clearly appear17 on the part of the friends whom he had expected to meet him1 he found himself1 on landing at ,blackwall and proceeding by the railway to ,london1 left alone by the person who had thus far been his guide1 in apartments near ,cornhill1 almost wholly unacquainted with the ,english language1 separated from his baggage and servants1 who were still on board the ,edinburgh1 and with no one in his company but another ,hindustani1 as little versed as himself in the ways and speech of ,franguestan4 ,in this considerable unhandsome fix1 as it would be called on the other side of the ,atlantic1 the perplexities of the khan are related with such inimitable naivete and good-humour1 that we cannot do better than give the account of them in his own words4 ,as ,i could neither ask for any thing1 nor answer any question put to me1 ,i passed the whole night without a morsel of food or a drop of water3 till in the morning1 feeling hungry1 ,i requested my companion to go to some bazar and buy some fruit4 ,he replied that it would be impossible for him either to find his way to a bazar through the crowds of people1 or to find his way back again--as all the houses were so much alike4 ,i then told him to go straight on in the street we were in1 turning neither to the right nor the left till he met with some shop where we might get what we wanted3 and1 in order to direct him to the place on his return1 ,i agreed to lean half out of the window1 so that he could not fail to see me4 ,no sooner1 however1 did he sally forth1 than the people1 men1 women1 and children1 began to stare at him on all sides1 as if he had dropped from the moon2 some stopped and gazed1 and numbers followed him as if he had been a criminal about being led to execution4 ,nor was ,i in a more enviable position3 the people soon caught sight of me with my head and shoulders out of the window2 and in a few minutes a mob had collected opposite the door4 ,what was ,i to do8 ,if ,i withdrew myself1 my friend on returning would have no mark to find the house1 while1 if ,i remained where ,i was1 the curiosity of the crowd would certainly increase4 ,i kept my post1 however1 while every one that passed stopped and gazed like the rest1 till there was actually no room for vehicles to pass2 and in this unpleasant situation ,i remained fully an hour1 when seeing my friend returning1 ,i went down and opened the door for him4 ,he told me he had gone straight on1 till he came to a fruit-shop1 at the corner of another street1 when he went in1 and laying two shillings on the counter1 said in ,oordu1 7the polished dialect of ,hindustani17 ',give me some fruit4' ,the shopman1 not understanding him1 spoke to him in ,english2 to which he replied again in ,oordu1 ',i want some fruit6' pointing at the same time to the money1 to signify that he wanted two shillings' worth of fruit4 ,the man1 however1 continued confounded2 and my friend at last1 not knowing of what sort the fruits were1 whether sour or sweet1 bitter or otherwise1 ventured1 after much hesitation and fruitless attempts to communicate with the shopman by signs and gestures1 to take up four apples1 and then made his retreat in the best manner he could1 followed1 as here1 by the rabble4 ,i at last caught a glimpse of him1 as ,i have mentioned1 and let him in2 and we sat down together1 and breakfasted on these four apples1 my friend taking two of them1 and ,i the others4 ,it must be admitted that our khan's first meal in ,england1 and the concomitant circumstances1 were not calculated to impress him with a very high idea1 either of the comforts of the country or the politeness of the inhabitants2 but the unruffled philosophy with which he submitted to these untoward privations was1 ere-long1 rewarded by the arrival of the ,east ,india agent to whose care he had been recommended1 and who1 after putting him in the way of getting his servants and luggage on shore from the vessel1 took him out in a carriage to show him the metropolis4 ,it was1 indeed1 wonderful in every point of view1 whether ,i regarded the immense population1 the dresses and faces of the men and women1 the multitudes of houses1 churches1 c41 and the innumerable carriages running in streets paved with stone and wood1 7the width and openness of which seem to expand the heart17 and confining themselves to the middle of the road1 without overturning any of the foot-passengers4 ,the cathedral of ,st ,paul's is described with great minuteness of detail1 and the expense of its erection stated at seventy-three lakhs of rupees1 7about ,l4#gej1jjj27 but ,i have heard that if a similar edifice were erected in the present day1 it would cost four times as much1 as the cost of every thing has increased in at least that proportion4 ,the difficulties of the khan1 from his ignorance of the language1 and ,moslem scruples at partaking of food not dressed by his own people1 were not yet1 however1 at an end4 ,for though1 on returning to his lodging in the evening1 he found that his friend had succeeded in procuring from the ship a dish of kichiri1 7an ,indian mess1 composed of rice and ghee1 or clarified butter17 his inability to communicate with his landlady still occasioned him considerable perplexity4 ,having ventured to take some pickles1 which ,i saw on the sideboard1 and finding them palatable1 ,i sent for the landlady1 and tried to explain to her by signs1 pointing to the bottles1 that ,i wanted something like what they contained4 ,alas1 for my ignorance6 ,she thought ,i wished them taken out of the room1 and so walked off with them1 leaving me in the utmost astonishment4 ,how was ,i to get it back again8 it was the only thing ,i had to relish my kichiri4 ,i had1 therefore1 recourse to this expedient--,i got an apple and pared it1 putting the parings in a bottle with water2 and showing this to the landlady1 intimated1 by signs1 that ,i wanted something like it to eat with my rice4 ,she asked many questions in ,english1 and talked a great deal1 from which ,i inferred that she had at last discovered my meaning1 but five minutes had hardly elapsed when she re-appeared1 bearing in her hand a bottle of water1 filled with apple-parings cut in the nicest manner imaginable6 ,this she placed on the table in the most respectful manner1 and then retired6 ,the good lady1 however1 conceiving that her guest was in danger of perishing with hunger1 was benevolently importunate with him to partake of some nourishment1 or at least of some tea and toast1 since it is the custom in this country for every one to eat five times a-day1 and some among the wealthy are not satisfied even with this6 ,the arrival of an ,english acquaintance1 who explained to the landlady the religious prejudices of her lodger1 in some measure relieved him from his embarrassment2 but he was again totally disconcerted1 by finding it impossible1 after a long search1 to procure any ghee--an ingredient indispensable in the composition of every national dish of ,india1 whether ,moslem or ,hindu4 ,how shall ,i express my astonishment at this extraordinary ignorance8 ,what6 do they not know what ghee is8 ,wonderful6 ,this was a piece of news ,i never expected--that what abounds in every little wretched village in ,india1 could not be purchased in this great city6 ,how this unforeseen deficiency was supplied does not appear2 but probably the khan's never-failing philosophy enabled him to bear even this unparalleled privation with equanimity1 as we hear no further complaints on the subject4 ,he did not remain1 however1 many days in those quarters1 finding that the incessant noise of the vehicles passing day and night deprived him of sleep2 and1 by the advice of his friends1 he took a small house in ,st ,john's ,wood1 where he was at once at a distance from the intolerable clamour of the streets1 and at liberty to live after the fashion of his own country4 ,the first place of public resort to which he directed his steps1 appears to have been the ,pantheon bazar in ,oxford ,street1 whither the familiar name perhaps attracted him--for the term bazar is in use also among the people of this country2 but he does not appear to have been particularly struck by any thing he saw there1 except the richness and variety of the wares4 ,on the contrary1 he complains of the want of fragrance in the flowers in the conservatory1 particularly the roses1 as compared with those of his native land--there was one plantain-tree which seemed to be regarded as a sort of wonder1 though thousands grow in our gardens without any sort of culture4 ,the presence of the female attendants at the stalls1 a sight completely at variance with ,asiatic ideas1 is also noticed with marked disapprobation--,most of them were young and handsome1 and seemed perfect adepts in the art of selling their various wares2 but ,i could not help reflecting1 on seeing so many fine young women engaged in this degrading occupation1 on the ease and comfort enjoyed by our females1 compared to the drudgery and servile employment to which the sex are subjected in this country4 ,notwithstanding all the ,english say of the superior condition of their women1 it is quite evident1 from all ,i have seen since my arrival1 that their social state is far below that of our females4 ,this sentiment is often repeated in the course of the narrative1 and any one who has read1 in the curious work of ,mrs ,meer ,hassan ,ali1 quoted above1 an account of the strict domestic seclusion in which ,moslem females having any pretensions to rank1 or even respectability1 are constantly retained in ,india1 will not be surprised at the frequent expression of repugnance1 whenever the writer sees women engaged in any public or out-of-doors occupation--a custom so abhorrent to ,oriental1 and1 above all1 to ,indian ideas4 ,we next find the khan in the ,zoological ,gardens1 his matter-of-fact description of which affords an amusing contrast with that of those veracious scions of ,persian royalty1 who luxuriate in elephant birds just like an elephant1 but without the proboscis1 and with wings fifteen yards long--an elephant twenty-four feet high1 with a trunk forty feet long2 and who assure us that the monkeys act like human beings1 and play at chess with those who visit the gardens4 ,on this day a ,jew happened to be at this place1 and went to play a game with the monkey4 ,the monkey beat1 and began to laugh loudly1 all the people standing round him2 and the ,jew1 exceedingly abashed1 was obliged to leave the place4 ,the khan1 in common with ourselves1 and the generality of visitors to the ,regent's ,park1 was not fortunate enough to witness any of the wondrous feats which gladdened the royal eyes of the ,shahzadehs--though he saw some of the apes1 meaning the orang-outan1 drink tea and coffee1 sit on chairs1 and eat their food like human beings4 99 99 99 ,there is no island or kingdom1 7he continues17 which has not contributed its specimens of the animal kingdom to these gardens3 from the elephant and rhinoceros1 to the fly and the mosquito1 all are to be seen here--but not even the giraffes1 strange as their appearance must have been to him1 attract any particular notice2 though the sight of the exotics in the garden draws from him a repetition of his old complaint1 relative to the want of fragrance in the flowers as compared with those produced under the genial sun of ,india4 ,the ceremony of the prorogation of ,parliament by the ,queen in person was now at hand1 and the khan determined to be present at this imposing scene4 ,but as he takes this opportunity to introduce his observations and opinions on the laws and customs of this country1 we shall postpone to our next ,number the discussion of these weighty subjects4 ,,the ,,thirteenth4 ,a ,,tale ,,of ,,doom4 ,it was on a sultry ,july evening that a joyous party of young men were assembled in the principal room of a wine house1 outside the ,potsdam gate of ,berlin4 ,one of their number1 a ,saxon painter1 by name ,carl ,solling1 was about to take his departure for ,italy4 ,his place was taken in the ,halle mail1 his luggage sent to the office1 and the coach was to call for him at midnight at the tavern1 whither a number of his most intimate friends had accompanied him1 to drink a parting glass of ,rhenish wine to his prosperous journey4 ,supper was over1 and some magnificent melons1 and peaches1 and plates of caviare1 and other incentives to drinking1 placed upon the table2 a row of empty bottles already graced the sideboard1 while full ones of that venerable cobweb-mantle appearance1 so dear to the toper1 were forthcoming as rapidly as the thirstiest throats could desire4 ,the conviviality was at its height1 and numerous toasts had been given1 among which the health of the traveller1 the prosperity of the art which he cultivated1 and of the land of poetry and song to which he was proceeding1 had not been forgotten4 ,indeed1 it was becoming difficult to find any thing to toast1 but the thirst of the party was still unquenched1 and apparently unquenchable4 ,suddenly a young man started up1 in dress and appearance the very model of a ,german student--in short frock coat and loose sacklike trousers1 long curling hair hanging over his shoulders1 pointed beard and mustache1 and the scars of one or two sabre cuts on his handsome animated countenance4 ,you want a toast1 my friends6 cried he4 ,an excuse to drink1 as though drinking needed an excuse when the wine is good4 ,i will give you one1 and a right worthy one too4 ,our noble selves here assembled2 all1 so many as we are6 ,and he glanced round the table1 counting the number of the guests4 ,one1 two1 three1 four--thirteen4 ,we are ,thirteen4 ,es lebe die ,dreizehn6 ,he raised his glass1 in which the golden liquor flashed and sparkled1 and set it down1 drained to the last drop4 ,thirteen6 exclaimed a pale-faced1 dark-eyed youth named ,raphael1 starting from his seat1 and in his turn counting the company4 ',tis true4 ,my friends1 ill luck will attend us4 ,we are ,thirteen1 seated at a round table4 ,there was evidently an unpleasant impression made upon the guests by this announcement4 ,the toast-giver threw a scornful glance around him-- ,what6 cried he1 are we believers in such nursery tales and old wives' superstitions8 ,pshaw6 ,the charm shall soon be broken4 ,halls6 ,franz6 ,winebutt6 ,thieving innkeeper6 ,rascally corkdrawer6 where are you hidden8 ,come forth6 ,appear6 ,thus invoked1 there toddled into the room the master of the tavern--a round-bellied1 short-legged individual1 whose rosy gills and ,bacchus-like appearance proved his devotion to the jolly god whose high-priest he was4 ,sit down here6 cried the mad student1 forcing him into a chair2 and now1 ,raphael and gentlemen all1 be pleased to shorten your faces again1 and drink your wine as if one with a three after it were an unknown combination of numerals4 ,the conversation now took a direction naturally given to it by what had just occurred1 and the origin and causes of the popular prejudice against the number ,thirteen were discussed4 ,it cannot be denied that there is something mysterious in the connection and combination of numbers1 observed a student in philosophy2 and ,pythagoras was right enough when he sought the foundation of all human knowledge in the even and uneven4 ,all over the world the idea of something complete and perfect is associated with even numbers1 and of something imperfect and defective with uneven ones4 ,the ancients1 too1 considered even numbers of good omen1 and uneven ones as unpropitious4 ,it is really a pity1 cried the mad student1 that you philosophers should not be allowed to invert and re-arrange history in the manner you deem fitting4 ,you would soon torture the crooked stream of time into a straight line4 ,i should like to know from what authors you derive your very original ideas in favour of even numbers4 ,as far as my reading goes1 ,i find that number three was considered a sacred and a fortunate number by nearly all the sects of antiquity1 not excepting the ,pythagoreans4 ,and the early ,romans had such a respect for the uneven numbers1 that they never allowed a flock of sheep to be of any number divisible by two4 ,the philosopher did not seem immediately prepared with a reply to this attack4 ,you are all of you looking too far back for the origin of the curse that attends the number ,thirteen1 interposed ,raphael4 ,think only of the ,lord's ,supper1 which is rather nearer to our time than ,pythagoras and the ,roman shepherds4 ,it is since then that ,thirteen has been a stigmatized and fatal number4 ,judas ,iscariot was the ,thirteenth at that sacred table and believe me it is no childish superstition that makes men shun so unblest a number4 ,here is ,solling1 who has not given his opinion yet1 cried another of the party1 and yet ,i am sure he has something to say on the subject4 ,how now1 ,carl1 what ails thee1 man8 ,why so sad and silent8 ,the painter who1 at the commencement of the evening1 had entered frankly and willingly into the joyous humour of his friends1 had become totally changed since the commencement of this discussion on the number ,thirteen4 ,he sat silent and thoughtful in his chair1 and left his glass untasted before him1 while his thoughts were evidently occupied by some unpleasant subject4 ,his companions pressed him for the cause of this change1 and after for some time evading their questions1 he at last confessed that the turn the conversation had taken had brought painful recollections to his mind4 ,it is a matter ,i love not to speak about1 said he2 but it is no secret1 and least of all could ,i have any wish to conceal it from you1 my good and kind friends4 ,we have yet an hour before the arrival of the mail1 and if you are disposed to listen1 ,i will relate to you the strange incidents1 the recollection of which has saddened me4 ,the painter's offer was eagerly accepted2 the young men drew their chairs round the table1 and ,solling commenced as follows3-- ,i am a native of the small town of ,geyer1 in ,saxony1 of the tin mines of which place my father was inspector4 ,i was the twelfth child of my parents and half an hour after ,i saw the light my mother give birth to a ,thirteenth1 also a boy4 ,death1 however1 was busy in this numerous family4 ,several had died while yet infants1 and there now survive only three besides myself1 and perhaps my twin brother4 ,the latter1 who was christened ,bernard1 gave indications at a very early age of an eccentric and violent disposition4 ,precocious in growth and strength1 wild as a young foal1 headstrong and passionate1 full of spiteful tricks and breakneck pranks1 he was the terror of the family and the neighbours4 ,in spite of his unamiable qualities1 he was the pet of his father1 who pardoned or laughed at all his mischief1 and the consequence was1 that he became an object of fear and hatred to his brothers and sisters4 ,our hatred1 however1 was unjust2 for ,bernard's heart was good1 and he would have gone through fire and water for any of us4 ,but he was rough and violent in whatever he did1 and we dreaded the fits of affection he sometimes took for us1 almost as much as his less amiable humours4 ,as far back as ,i can remember1 ,bernard received not only from his brothers1 but also from all our playfellows1 the nickname of the ,thirteenth1 in allusion1 of course1 to his being my mother's thirteenth child4 ,at first this offended him grievously1 and many were the sound thrashings he inflicted in his endeavours to get rid of the obnoxious title4 ,finally he succeeded1 but scarcely had he done so when1 from some strange perversity of character1 he adopted as an honourable distinction the very name he had taken such pains to suppress4 ,we were playing one ,sunday afternoon in the large court of our house2 several of the neighbours' children were there1 and it chanced that we were exactly twelve in number4 ,we had wooden swords1 and were having a sort of tournament1 from which1 however1 we had managed to exclude ,bernard1 who1 in such games1 was accustomed to hit rather too hard4 ,suddenly he bounded over a wall1 and fell amongst us like a thunderbolt4 ,he had painted his face in red and black stripes1 and made himself a pair of wings out of an old leathern apron2 and thus equipped and armed with the largest broomstick he had been able to find1 he showered his blows around him1 driving us right and left1 and shouting out1 ',room1 room for the mad ,thirteenth6' ,soon after this incident my father died4 ,bernard1 who had been his favourite1 was as violent in his grief as he had already shown himself to be in every thing else4 ,he wept and screamed like a mad creature1 tore his hair1 bit his hands till they bled1 and struck his head against the wall2 raved and flew at every body who came near him1 and was obliged to be shut up when his father's coffin was carried out of the house1 or he would inevitably have done himself or somebody else a mischief4 ,my mother had an unmarried brother in the town of ,marienberg1 a wealthy man1 and who was ,bernard's godfather4 ,on learning my father's death he came to ,geyer1 and invited his sister and her children to go and take up their abode with him4 ,but the worthy man little knew the plague he was receiving into his house in the person of his godson4 ,himself of a mild1 quiet disposition1 he was greatly scandalized by the wild pranks of his nephew1 and made vain attempts to restrain him within some bounds2 but by so doing he became the aversion of my brother1 who showed his dislike in every possible way4 ,he gave him nicknames1 broke his china cups and saucers1 by which the old gentleman set great store1 splashed his white silk stockings with mud as he went to church1 put the house clock an hour forward or back1 and tormented his kind godfather in every way he could devise4 ,bernard had not forgotten his title of the ,thirteenth2 but it was probable he would soon have got tired of it1 for it was not his custom to adhere long to any thing1 had not my uncle1 who was a little superstitious1 strictly forbidden him to adopt it4 ,this opposition was all that was wanting to make my brother bring forward the unlucky number upon every possible occasion4 ,when any body mentioned the number twelve before him1 or called any thing the twelfth1 ,bernard would immediately cry out1 ',and ,i am the ,thirteenth6' ,no matter when it was1 or before whom2 time1 place1 and persons were to him alike indifferent4 ,for instance1 one ,sunday in church1 when the clergyman in the course of the service said1 ',let us sing a portion of such a psalm1 beginning at the twelfth verse1' ,bernard immediately screamed out1 ',and ,i am the ,thirteenth6' ,this was a grievous scandal to my uncle1 and ,bernard was called that evening before a tribunal1 composed of his godfather1 my mother1 and the old clergyman whom he had so gracelessly interrupted1 and who was also teacher of ,latin and theology at the school to which ,bernard and ,i went4 ,but all their reproaches and remonstrances were lost upon my brother1 who had evidently much difficulty to keep himself from laughing in their faces4 ,my mother wept1 my uncle paced the room in great perplexity1 and the worthy old dominie clasped his hands together1 and exclaimed1 ',my child6 ,i fear me1 ,god's chastisement will be needed to amend you4' ,the event proved that he was right4 ,it was on the ,friday before ,christmas-day1 and we were assembled in school4 ,the near approach of the holidays had made the boys somewhat turbulent1 and the poor old dominie had had much to suffer during the whole day from their tricks and unruliness4 ,my brother1 of course1 had contributed largely to the disorder1 much to the delight of his bosom friend and companion1 the only son of the master4 ,this boy1 whose name was ,albert1 was a blue-eyed1 fair haired lad1 gentle as a girl4 ,bernard had conceived a violent friendship for him1 and had taken him under his protection4 ,albert's father1 as may be supposed1 was little pleased at this intimacy1 but yet1 out of consideration for my uncle1 he did not entirely forbid it2 and the more so as he perceived that his son in no respect imitated his wild playmate1 but contented himself with admiring him beyond all created beings1 and repaying with the warmest affection ,bernard's watchful and jealous guardianship4 ,on the afternoon in question1 my brother surpassed himself in wayward conceits and mischievous tricks1 to the infinite delight of ,albert1 who rocked with laughter at each new prank4 ,the good dominie1 who was indulgence itself1 was instructing us in ,bible history1 and had to interrupt himself every moment to repress the unruliness of his pupils1 and especially of ,bernard4 ,it seemed pre-ordained that the lesson should be an unlucky one4 ,every thing concurred to make it so4 ,our instructor had occasion to speak of the twelve tribes of ,israel1 of the twelve patriarchs1 of the twelve gates of the holy city4 ,each of these served as a cue to my brother1 who immediately shouted out1 ',and ,i am the ,thirteenth6' and each time ,albert threw himself back shrieking with laughter1 thus encouraging ,bernard to give full scope to his mad humour4 ,the poor dominie remonstrated1 menaced1 supplicated1 but all in vain4 ,i saw the blood rising into his pale face1 and at last his bald head1 in spite of the powder which sprinkled it1 became red all over4 ,he contained himself1 however1 and proceeded to the account of the ,lord's ,supper4 ,he began1 ',and when the hour was come1 he sat down1 and the twelve apostles with him4' ',and ,i am the ,thirteenth6' yelled ,bernard4 ,scarcely were the words uttered1 when a ,bible flew across the school1 the noise of a blow1 and a cry of anguish followed1 and the old man fell senseless to the ground4 ,the heavy ,bible1 the corners of which were bound with silver1 and that he had hurled in a moment of uncontrollable passion at my brother1 had missed its mark1 and struck his own son on the head4 ,albert lay bleeding on the floor1 while ,bernard hung over him like one beside himself1 weeping1 and kissing his wounds4 ,the boys ran1 one and all1 out of the school-room1 shrieking for assistance4 ,our cries soon brought the servants to the spot1 who1 on learning what had happened1 hastened with us back to the school1 and lifted up the old master1 who was still lying on the ground near his desk4 ,he had been struck with apoplexy1 and survived but a few hours4 ,albert was wounded in two places1 one of the sharp corners of the ,bible having cut open his forehead1 while another had injured his left eye4 ,after much suffering he recovered1 but the sight of the eye was gone4 ,bernard1 however1 had disappeared4 ,when we re-entered the school-room1 a window which looked into the playground was open1 and there were marks of footsteps on the snow without4 ,a short distance further were traces of blood1 where the fugitive had apparently washed his face and hands in the snow4 ,we have never seen him since that day4 ,the painter paused1 and his friends remained some moments silent1 musing on the tragical history they had heard4 ,and do you know nothing whatever of your brother's fate8 enquired ,raphael at last4 ,next to nothing4 ,my uncle caused enquiries to be made in every direction1 but without success4 ,once only a neighbour at ,marienberg1 who had been travelling on the ,bohemian frontier1 told us that he had met at a village inn a wandering clarinet-player1 who bore so strong a resemblance to my brother that he accosted him by his name4 ,the musician seemed confused1 and muttering some unintelligible reply1 left the house in haste4 ,what renders it probable that this was ,bernard is1 that he had a great natural talent for music1 and at the time he left home1 had already attained considerable proficiency on the clarinet4 ,how old was your brother when he so strangely disappeared8 asked one of the party4 ,fifteen1 but he looked at least two years older1 for he was stout and manly in person beyond his age4 ,at this moment the rattling of wheels1 and sound of a postilion's horn1 was heard4 ,the ,halle mail drove up to the door1 the guard bawling out for his passenger4 ,the young painter took a hasty leave of his friends1 and sprang into the vehicle1 which the next instant disappeared in the darkness4 ,there was an overplus of travellers by the mail that night1 and the carriage in which ,solling had got1 was not the mail itself1 but a caleche1 holding four persons1 which was used as a sort of supplement1 and followed close to the other carriage4 ,two of the places were occupied by a ,jew horse-dealer and a sergeant of hussars1 who were engaged in an animated1 and to them most interesting conversation1 on the subject of horse-flesh1 to which the painter paid little attention2 but leaning back in his corner1 remained absorbed in the painful reflections which the incidents he had been narrating had called up in his mind4 ,in spite of his brother's eccentricities1 he was truly attached to him2 and although eight years had elapsed since his disappearance1 he had not yet given up hopes of finding him1 if still alive4 ,the enquiries that he and his uncle had unceasingly made after their lost relative1 had put them1 about three years previous to this time1 upon the trace of a clarinet-player who had been seen at ,venice and ,trieste1 and went by the name of ,voltojo4 ,this might have been a name adopted by ,bernard1 as being nearly the ,italian equivalent of ,geyer1 or hawk1 the name of his native town2 and ,solling was not without a faint hope1 that in the course of his journey to ,rome he might obtain some tidings of his brother4 ,he was roused from his reverie by the postilion shouting out to the guard of the mail1 which was just before them on the road1 to know when they were to take up the passenger who was to occupy the remaining seat in the caleche4 ,where will the ,thirteenth meet us8 asked the man4 ,at the inn at ,schoneber1 replied the guard4 ,the ,thirteenth6 ,the word made the painter's blood run cold4 ,the horse-dealer and the sergeant1 who had begun to doze in their respective corners1 were also disturbed by the ill-omened sound4 ,the ,thirteenth6 ,the ,thirteenth6 muttered the ,jew in his beard1 still half asleep4 ,god forbid6 ,let's have no thirteenth6 ,a company of travelling comedians1 who occupied the mail1 took up the word4 ,the ,thirteenth is coming1 said one4 ,somebody will die1 cried another4 ,or we shall be upset and break our necks1 exclaimed a third4 ,no ,thirteenth6 cried they all in chorus4 ,drive on6 drive on6 he sha'n't get in6 ,this was addressed to the postilion1 who just then pulled up at the door of a village inn1 and giving a blast with his horn1 shouted loudly for his remaining passenger to appear4 ,the door of the public-house opened1 and a tall figure1 with a small knap-sack on his shoulder and a knotty stick in his hand1 stepped out and approached the mail4 ,but when he heard the cries of the comedians1 who were still protesting against the admission of a ,thirteenth traveller1 he started suddenly back1 swinging his cudgel in the air4 ,to the devil with you all1 vagabonds that ye are6 vociferated he4 ,drive on1 postilion1 with your cage of monkeys4 ,i shall walk4 ,at the sound of the stranger's voice1 ,solling sprang up in the carriage and seized the handle of the door4 ,but as he did so1 a strong arm grasped him by the collar1 and pulled him back into his seat4 ,at the same moment the carriage drove on4 ,the man is drunk1 said the sergeant1 who had misinterpreted his fellow-passenger's intentions4 ,it is not worth while dirtying your hands1 and perhaps getting an ugly blow1 in a scuffle with such a fellow4 ,stop1 postilion1 stop6 shouted ,solling4 ,but the postilion either did not or would not hear1 and some time elapsed before the painter could persuade his well-meaning companion of his peaceable intentions4 ,at length he did so1 and the carriage1 which had meanwhile been going at full speed1 was stopped4 ,you will leave my luggage at the first post-house1 said ,solling1 jumping out and beginning to retrace his steps to the village1 which they had now left some distance behind them4 ,the night was pitch-dark1 so dark that the painter was compelled to feel his way1 and guide himself by the line of trees that bordered the road4 ,he reached the village without meeting a living creature1 and strode down the narrow street amid the baying of the dogs1 disturbed by his footfall at that silent hour of the night4 ,the inn door was shut1 but there was a light glimmering in one of the casements4 ,he knocked several times without any body answering4 ,at length a woman's head was put out of an upper window4 ,go your ways1 cried a shrill voice1 and don't come disturbing honest folk at this time o' night4 ,do you think we have nought to do but to open the door for such raff as you8 ,be off with you1 you vagabond1 and blow your clarinet elsewhere4 ,you are mistaken1 madam1 said ,solling2 ,i am no vagabond1 but a passenger by the ,halle mail1 and-- ,what brings you here1 then8 interrupted the virago2 the ,halle mail is far enough off by this4 ,my good madam1 replied the painter in his softest tone1 for ,god's sake tell me who and where is the person who was waiting for the mail at your hotel4 ,ha6 ha6 laughed the hostess1 considerably mollified by the madam and the hotel4 ,the mad ,italian musician1 the clarinet fellow8 ,why1 ,i took you for him at first1 and wondered what brought him back1 for he started as soon as the mail left the door4 ,he'd have done better to have got into it1 with a dark night and a long road before him4 ,ha6 ha6 ,he's mad1 to be sure4 ,his name6 ,his name6 cried ,solling1 impatiently4 ,his name8 ,how can ,i recollect his outlandish name8 ,fol--,vol---- ,voltojo6 cried the painter4 ,voltojo6 yes1 that's it4 ,ha6 ha6 ,what a name6 ,it is he6 cried ,solling1 and without another word dashed off full speed along the road he had just come4 ,he kept in the middle of the causeway1 straining his eyes to see into the darkness on either side of him1 and wondering how it was he had not met the object of his search as he came to the village4 ,he ran on1 occasionally taking trees and fingerposts for men1 and cursing his ill luck when he saw his mistake4 ,the sweat poured down his face in streams1 and his knees began to knock together with fatigue4 ,suddenly he struck his foot against a stone lying in the road1 and fell1 cutting his forehead severely upon some pebbles4 ,the sharp pain drew a cry from him1 and a man who had been lying on the grass at the roadside1 sprang up and hastened to his assistance4 ,at that moment a flash of summer lightning lit up the road4 ,bernard6 ,bernard6 cried the painter1 throwing his arms round the stranger's neck4 ,it was his brother4 ,bernard started back with a cry of horror4 ,albert6 he exclaimed in a hollow voice1 ,cannot your spirit rest8 ,do you rise from the grave to persecute me8 ,in ,god's name1 my dear brother1 what mean you8 ,i am ,carl--,carl1 your twin brother4 ,carl8 ,no6 ,albert6 ,i see that horrid wound on your brow4 ,it still bleeds6 ,the painter grasped his brother's hand4 ,i am flesh and blood1 said he1 and no spirit4 ,albert still lives4 ,he lives6 exclaimed ,bernard1 and clasped his brother in his arms4 ,explanations followed1 and the brothers took the road to ,berlin4 ,when the painter had replied to ,bernard's questions concerning their family1 he in his turn begged his brother to relate his adventures since they parted1 and above all to give his reasons for remaining so long severed from his friends and home4 ,although ,i fully believed ,albert killed by the blow he received1 replied ,bernard1 it was no fear of punishment for my indirect share in his death1 that induced me to fly4 ,but when ,i saw the father senseless on the ground1 and the son expiring before my eyes1 ,i felt as if ,i was accursed1 as if the brand of ,cain were on my brow1 and that it was my fate to roam through the world an isolated and wretched being4 ,when you all ran out of the school to fetch assistance1 it seemed to me as though each chair and bench and table in the room received the power of speech1 and yelled and bellowed in my ears the fatal number which has been the cause of all my misfortunes--',thirteen6 ,thirteen6 ,thou art the ,thirteenth1 the ,accursed ,one6' ,i fled1 and since that day no rest or peace has been mine4 ,like my shadow has this unholy number clung to me4 ,wherever ,i went1 in all the many lands ,i have wandered through1 ,i carried with me the curse of my birth4 ,at every turn it met me1 aggravating my numerous hardships1 embittering my rare moments of joy4 ,if ,i entered a room where a cheerful party was assembled1 all rose and shrunk from me as from one plague-tainted4 ,they were twelve--,i was the ,thirteenth4 ,if ,i sat down at a dinner-table1 my neighbour left his chair1 and the others would say1 ',he fears to sit by you4 ,you are the ,thirteenth4' ,if ,i slept at an inn--there were sure to be twelve persons sleeping there2 my bed was the ,thirteenth1 or my room would be number ,thirteen1 and ,i was told that the former landlord had shot or hung himself in it4 ,at length ,i left ,germany1 in the vain hope that the spell would not extend beyond the land of my birth4 ,i took ship at ,trieste for ,venice4 ,scarcely were we out of port when a violent storm arose1 and we were driven rapidly towards a rocky and dangerous coast4 ,the steersman counted the seamen and passengers1 and crossed himself4 ,we were thirteen4 ,lots were drawn who should be sacrificed for the salvation of the others4 ,i drew number thirteen1 and they put me ashore on a barren rock1 where ,i passed a day and night half dead with cold and drenched with sea water4 ,at length an ,illyrian fisherman espied me1 and took me off in his boat4 ,it is unnecessary to relate to you in detail my wanderings during the last eight years1 or if ,i do1 it shall be at some future time4 ,my clarinet enables me to live in the humble manner ,i have always done4 ,you remember1 probably1 that ,i had some skill in it1 which ,i have since much improved4 ,when travelling1 my music was generally taken as payment for my bed and supper at the petty hostelries at which ,i put up2 and when ,i came to a large town1 ,i remained a few days1 and usually gained more than my expenses4 ,about a year since1 ,i made some stay at ,copenhagen1 and at last1 getting wearied of that city1 ,i put myself on board a ship1 without enquiring whither it was bound4 ,it took me to ,stralsund4 ,the day of my arrival1 there was a shooting-match in the suburb beyond the ,knieper1 and ,i hastened thither with my clarinet4 ,it was a sort of fair1 and ,i wandered from one booth to the other1 playing the joyous mountain melodies which ,i had not once played since my departure from ,marienberg4 ,god knows what brought them into my head again2 but it did my heart good to play them1 and a feeling came over me1 that ,i should like once more to have a home1 and to leave the weary rambling life ,i had so long led4 ,i had great success that day1 and the people thronged to hear the wandering ,italian musician4 ,many were the jugs of beer and glasses of wine offered to me1 and my plate was soon full of shillings4 ,as ,i left off playing1 an old greyheaded man pressed through the crowd1 and gazed earnestly at me4 ,his eyes filled with tears1 and he was evidently much moved4 ',what a likeness6' he exclaimed4 ',he is the very picture of my ,amadeus4 ,i could fancy he had risen out of the sea4 ,the same features1 the sane voice and manner4' ,he came up to me and took my hand4 ',if you do not fear a high staircase1' said he with a kindly smile1 'come and visit me4 ,i live on the tower of ,st ,nicholas's ,church4 ,your clarinet will sound well in the free fresh air1 and you will find those there who will gladly listen4' ,so saying1 he left me4 ,the old man's name was ,elias ,kranhelm1 better known in ,stralsund as the old ,swede2 he was the town musician1 and had the care of the bells of ,st ,nicholas4 ,the next day was ,sunday1 and ,i hastened to visit him4 ,his kind manner had touched me1 unaccustomed as ,i was to kindness or sympathy from the strangers amongst whom ,i always lived4 ,when ,i was halfway up the stairs leading to the tower1 the organ began to play below me1 and ,i recognised a psalm tune which we used often to sing for our old schoolmaster at ,marienberg4 ,i stopped a moment to listen1 and thoughts of rest and home again came over me4 ,i was met at the tower door by old ,kranhelm1 in his ,sunday suit of black2 large silver buckles at his knees and shoes1 and a round black velvet cap over his long white hair4 ,his clear grey eyes smiled so kindly upon me1 his voice was so mild1 and his greeting so cordial1 that ,i thought ,i had never seen a more pleasing old man4 ,he welcomed me as though ,i had been an old friend1 and without further preface1 asked me if ,i should like to become his substitute1 and perform the duties for which his great age had begun to unfit him4 ,his only son1 on whom he had reckoned to take his place1 had left him some time previously1 to become a sailor on board a ,norwegian ship1 and had been drowned in his very first voyage4 ,it was my extraordinary likeness to this son that had made him notice me2 and the good1 simple-hearted old man seemed to think that resemblance a sufficient guarantee against any risk in admitting a perfect stranger into his house and intimacy4 ',my post is a profitable one1' said he2 'and1 in consideration of my long services1 the worshipful burgomaster has given me leave to seek an assistant1 now that ,i am getting too old for my office4 ,consider then1 my son1 if the offer suits you4 ,you please me1 and ,i mean you well4 ,but here comes my ,elizabeth1 who will soon learn to like you if you are a good lad4' ,as he spoke1 a young girl entered the room1 with a psalm-book in her hand1 and attired in an old-fashioned dress1 which was not able1 however1 to conceal the elegance of her figure1 and the charms of her blooming countenance4 ',how think you1 ,elizabeth8' said her father4 ',is he not as like our poor ,amadeus as one egg is to another8' ',i do not see the likeness1 my dear father1' replied ,elizabeth1 looking timidly at me1 and then casting down her eyes1 and blushing4 ,i accepted the old man's offer with joy1 and took up my dwelling in the other turret of the church tower4 ,my occupation was to keep the clock wound up1 to play the evening hymn on the balcony of the tower1 and to strike the hours upon the great bell with a heavy hammer4 ,i soon felt the good effect of repose1 and of the happy1 tranquil life ,i now led2 my spirits improved1 and ,i began to forget the curse which hung over me--to forget1 in short1 that ,i was the unlucky ,thirteenth4 ,old ,kranhelm's liking for me increased rapidly1 and1 in less than three months1 ,i was ,elizabeth's accepted lover4 ,time flew on2 the wedding-day was fixed1 and the bridal-chamber prepared4 ,it was on ,friday evening1 exactly eight days ago1 that ,i went out with ,elizabeth1 and walked down to the port to look at a large ,swedish ship that had just arrived4 ,the passengers were landing1 and one amongst them immediately attracted our attention4 ,this was a tall1 lean1 raw-boned woman1 apparently about forty years of age1 who held in her hand a long1 smooth staff1 which she waved about her1 nodding her head1 and muttering1 as she went1 in some strange1 unintelligible dialect4 ,her dress consisted of a huge black fur cloak1 and a cape of the same colour fringed with red4 ,her whole manner and appearance were so strange1 that a crowd assembled round her as soon as she set foot on shore4 ',hallo6 comrade1' cried one of the sailors of the vessel that had brought her1 to a boatman who was passing4 ',hallo6 comrade1 do you want a job8 ,here's a witch to take to ,hiddensee4' ,we asked the sailor what he meant2 and he told us that this strange woman was a ,lapland witch1 who every year1 in the dog-days1 made a journey to the island of ,hiddensee1 to gather an herb which only grew there1 and was essential in her incantations4 ,meantime1 the witch was calling for a boat1 but no one understood her language1 or else they did not choose to come4 ,my unfortunate propensity to all that is supernatural or fantastic impelled me1 with irresistible force1 towards her4 ,in vain ,elizabeth held me back4 ,i pushed my way through the crowd1 until we found ourselves close to the ,lapland woman1 who measured us from head to foot with her bright and glittering eyes4 ,slipping a florin into her hand1 ,i gave her to understand1 as well as ,i could1 that we wished to have our fortunes told4 ,she took my hand1 and1 after examining it1 made a sign that she either could or would tell me nothing4 ,she then took the hand of ,elizabeth1 who hung upon my arm1 trembling like an aspen leaf1 and gazing intently upon it1 muttered a few words in broken ,swedish4 ,i did not understand them1 but ,elizabeth did1 and1 starting back1 drew me hastily out of the crowd4 ',what did she say8' enquired ,i1 as soon as we were clear of the throng4 ,elizabeth seemed much agitated1 and had evidently to make a strong effort before she could reply4 ',nothing1' answered she1 at last2 'nothing1 at least1 worth repeating4 ,and yet 'tis strange2 it tallies exactly with a prediction made to my mother when ,i was an infant1 that ,i should one day be in peril from the number ,thirteen4 ,this strange woman cautioned me against the same number1 and bade me beware of you1 for that you were the ,thirteenth6' ,had the earth opened under my feet1 or the lightning from heaven fallen on my head1 ,i could not have felt a greater shock than was communicated to me by these words4 ,i know not what ,i said in reply1 or how ,i got home4 ,elizabeth1 doubtless1 observed my agitation1 but she made no remark on it4 ,i felt her arm tremble upon mine as we walked along1 and by a furtive glance at her face saw that she was pale as death4 ,not a word passed between us during our walk back to the tower1 on reaching which she shut herself up in her room4 ,i pleaded a severe headach and wish to lie down2 and1 begging the old man to strike the hours for me1 retired to my chamber4 ,it would be impossible to give an idea of the agony of mind ,i suffered during that evening4 ,i thought at times ,i was going mad1 and there were moments when ,i felt disposed to put an end to my existence by a leap from the tower window4 ,again1 then1 this curse that hung over me was in full force4 ,again had that fatal number raised itself before me like an iron wall1 interposed between me and all earthly happiness4 ,wearied out at length by the storm within me1 ,i fell asleep4 ,as may be supposed1 ,i was followed in my troubled slumbers by the recollection of my misery4 ,each hour that struck awoke me out of the most hideous dreams to a scarce less hideous reality4 ,when midnight came1 and the hammer clanged upon the great bell1 a strange fancy took possession of my mind that it would this night strike ,thirteen1 and that at the thirteenth stroke the clock1 the tower1 the city1 and the whole world1 would crumble into atoms4 ,again ,i fell asleep and dreamt4 ,i thought that my head was changed into a mighty bronze bell1 and that ,i hung in the tower and heard the clock beside me strike ,thirteen4 ,then came the old schoolmaster1 who yet1 at the same time1 had the features of ,elizabeth's father2 and1 as he drew near me1 ,i saw that the hammer he held in his hand was no hammer1 but a large silver-bound ,bible4 ,in my despair ,i made frightful efforts to cry out and to tell him that ,i was no bell1 but a man1 and that he should not strike me2 but my voice refused its service and my tongue clove to my palate4 ,the greyhaired old man came up to me1 and struck thirteen times on my forehead1 till my brains gushed out at my eyes4 ,by daybreak the next morning ,i was two leagues from ,stralsund1 having left a few hurried ill-written lines in my room1 pleading ,i know not what urgent family affairs1 and a dislike to leave-taking1 as excuses for my sudden departure4 ,over field and meadow1 through rivers and forests1 on ,i went1 as though hell were at my heels1 flying from my destiny4 ,but the further ,i got from ,stralsund the more did ,i regret all ,i left there--my beautiful and affectionate mistress1 her kind-hearted father1 the peaceful happy life ,i led on the top of the old tower4 ,the vow ,i had made to fly from the haunts of men1 and seek in some desert the repose which my evil fate denied me among my fellows1 that vow became daily more difficult to keep4 ,and yet ,i went on1 dreading to depart from my determination1 lest ,i should encounter some of those bitter deceptions and cruel disappointments that had hitherto been my lot in life4 ,shame1 too1 at the manner in which ,i had left the tower1 withheld me1 or else ,i think ,i should already be on my road back to ,stralsund4 ,but now ,i have met you1 brother1 and that my mind is relieved by the knowledge that ,i have not1 even indirectly1 ,albert's death to reproach myself with1 ,i must hasten to my ,elizabeth to relieve her anxiety1 and dry the tears which ,i am well assured each moment of my absence causes her to shed4 ,come with me1 dearest ,carl1 and you shall see her1 my beautiful ,elizabeth1 and her good old father1 and the tower and the bell4 ,ho6 the bell1 the jolly old bell6 ,the painter looked kindly but anxiously in his brother's face4 ,there was a mildness in his manner that startled him1 accustomed as he had been to his eccentricities when a boy4 ,you are tired1 brother1 said he4 ,you need repose after the emotions and fatigues of the last week4 ,i1 too1 shall not be sorry to sleep4 ,let us to bed for a few hours1 and then we will have post-horses and be off to ,stralsund4 ,i have no need of rest1 replied ,bernard1 and each moment seems to me an eternity till ,i can again clasp my ,elizabeth to my heart4 ,let us delay1 then1 as little as may be4 ,as he spoke they entered the gates of ,berlin4 ,the sun was risen1 and the hotels and taverns were beginning to open their doors4 ,seeing ,bernard's anxiety to depart1 the painter abandoned his intention of taking some repose1 and after hasty breakfast1 a post-chaise was brought to the door1 and the brothers stepping in1 were whirled off on their road northwards4 ,the sun was about to set when the travellers came in sight of the spires of ,stralsund1 among which the church of ,st ,nicholas reared its double-headed tower4 ,bernard had enlivened the journey by his wild sallies1 and merry but extravagant humour4 ,now1 however1 that the goal was almost reached1 he became silent and anxious4 ,the hours appeared to go too slowly for him1 and his restlessness was extreme4 ,faster6 postilion1 cried ,carl1 observing his brother's impatience4 ,faster6 ,you shall be paid double4 ,the man flogged his horses till they flew rather than galloped over the broad level road4 ,suddenly1 however1 a strap broke1 and the postilion got off his seat to tie it up4 ,through the stillness of the evening1 no longer broken by the rattle of the wheels and clatter of the horses' feet1 a clock was heard striking the hour4 ,another repeated it1 and a third1 of deeper tone than the two preceding ones1 took up the chime4 ,bernard started to his feet1 and leaned so far out of the carriage that his brother seized hold of him1 expecting him to lose his balance and fall out4 ,it is she6 exclaimed ,bernard4 ',tis the bell of ,st ,nicholas4 ,listen1 ,carl--my ,elizabeth calls me4 ,she strikes the bell4 ,i come1 dearest1 ,i come6 ,and with these words he sprang out of the carriage1 and set off at full speed towards the town1 leaving his brother thunderstruck at his mad impatience and vehemence4 ,running at the top of his speed1 ,bernard soon reached the city gate1 and proceeded rapidly through the streets in the direction of ,st ,nicholas's church4 ,it seemed to him as though he had been absent for years instead of a few days1 and he felt quite surprised at finding no change in the city since his departure4 ,all was as he had left it2 all conspired to lull him into security4 ,an old fruitwoman1 of whom he had bought cherries the very day of his last walk with ,elizabeth1 was in her usual place1 and1 as he passed1 extolled the beauty of her fruit1 and asked him to buy4 ,a large rose-tree1 at the door of a silversmith's shop1 which ,elizabeth had often admired1 was still in full bloom2 through the window of a house in the market-place1 he saw a young girl1 ,elizabeth's dearest friend1 dressing her hair at a looking-glass1 and as he passed the churchyard1 the old dumb sexton1 who appeared to be hunting about for a place for a grave1 nodded his head in mute recognition4 ,bernard opened the tower door1 and darted up the staircase4 ,he was not far from the top when he heard the voices of two men above him4 ,they were resting on one of the landing-places of the ladderlike stairs4 ,it is a singular case1 doctor1 said one2 a strange and incomprehensible case4 ,it is evidently a disease more of the mind than the body4 ,yes1 replied the other1 by his voice apparently an old man4 ,if we could only get a clue to the cause1 any thing to go upon1 something might be done1 but at present it is a perfect riddle4 ,bernard heard no more1 for the men continued their ascent4 ,the old father must be ill1 said he to himself2 but as he said it a feeling of dread and anxiety1 a presentiment of evil1 came over him1 and he stood for a few moments unable to proceed4 ,the door at the top of the stairs was now opened1 and shut with evident care to avoid noise4 ,the old man must be very ill1 said ,bernard1 as if trying to persuade himself of it4 ,he reached the door1 and his hand shook as he laid it upon the latch4 ,at length he lifted it1 and entered the room4 ,it was empty2 but1 just then1 the door of ,elizabeth's chamber opened1 and old ,kranhelm stepped out4 ,on beholding ,bernard1 he started back as though he had seen a ghost4 ,he said a word or two in a low voice to somebody in the inner room1 and then shutting the door1 bolted it1 and placed his back against it1 as if to prevent ,bernard from going in4 ,begone6 cried he in a tremulous voice2 in the name of ,god1 begone6 thou evil spirit of my house2 and he stretched out his arms towards ,bernard as though to prohibit his approach4 ,no longer master of himself1 the young man sprang towards him1 and1 grasping his arm1 thundered in his ear the question-- ,where is my ,elizabeth8 ,the words rang through the old tower1 and the confused murmuring of voices in the inner room was heard4 ,bernard listened1 and thought he distinguished the voice of ,elizabeth repeating1 in tones of agony1 the fatal number4 ,one of the physicians knocked1 and begged to be let out4 ,the old tower-keeper opened the door cautiously1 and1 when the doctor had passed through1 carefully shut and barred it4 ,but during the moment that it had remained open1 ,bernard heard too plainly what his ears had at first been unwilling to believe4 ,is that the man8 demanded the physician hastily4 ,in ,god's name1 be silent4 ,you will kill the patient4 ,she recognized your voice1 and fell immediately into the most fearful paroxysm4 ,she has got back again to the infernal number with which her delirium began1 and she shrieks it out perpetually4 ,it is a frightful relapse4 ,begone6 young man2 yet stay--,i will go with you4 ,you can1 doubtless1 give us a key to this mystery4 ,the old physician took ,bernard's arm to lead him away2 but at that very moment there was a shrill scream from the next room1 and ,elizabeth's voice was heard calling upon ,bernard by name4 ,the unfortunate young man could not restrain himself4 ,shaking off the grasp of the physician1 he pushed old ,kranhelm aside1 tore back the bolts1 and flung open the door4 ,there lay ,elizabeth on her deathbed1 her arms stretched out towards him1 her mild countenance ashy pale and frightfully distorted1 her soft blue eyes straining from their orbits4 ,she made a violent effort to speak1 but death was too near at hand2 the sound died away upon her lips1 and her uplifted arms dropped powerless upon the bed2 her head fell back--a convulsive shudder came over her3 she was dead4 ,her unhappy lover fell senseless to the ground4 ,when ,bernard awoke out of a long and deathlike swoon1 it was night1 and all around him was still and dark4 ,he was lying on the stone floor outside ,kranhelm's dwelling4 ,the physicians had removed him thither2 and1 being occupied with the old tower-keeper and his daughter1 they had thought no more about him4 ,on first recovering sensation1 he had but an indistinct idea of where he was1 or what had happened4 ,by degrees his senses returned to a certain extent--he knew that something horrible had occurred1 but without remembering exactly what it was4 ,he felt about him1 and touched a railing4 ,it was the balustrade round the open turret where hung the great bell4 ,he was lying under the bell itself1 and1 as he gazed up into its brazen throat1 the recollection of the frightful dream which had persecuted him the night before his flight from ,stralsund came vividly to his mind2 he appeared to himself to be still dreaming1 and yet his visions were mixed up with the realities of his everyday occupations4 ,he had just stepped out1 he thought1 to strike the hour on the bell1 and rising with some difficulty from the hard couch which had stiffened his limbs1 he sought about for the hammer4 ,he made no effort to shake off the sort of dreaming semi-consciousness which seemed to prevent him from feeling the horror and anguish of reality4 ,thirteen strokes1 thought he2 thirteen strokes1 and at the ,thirteenth the tower will fall1 the city crumble to dust1 the world be at an end4 ,such had been his dream1 and the moment of its accomplishment was come4 ,he found the hammer1 and struck with all his force upon the bell4 ,he repeated the blow2 twelve times he struck1 and each stroke rang with deafening violence through his brain2 but at the ,thirteenth1 as he raised his arms high above his head1 and leaning back against the railing1 threw his whole strength and energy into the blow1 the frail balustrade gave way under his weight1 and he fell headlong from the tower4 ,the last stroke tolled out1 sad and hollow as a funereal knell1 and the sound mingled with the death-cry of the luckless ,thirteenth6 ,,reminiscences ,,of ,,syria4#ae #ae ,reminiscences of ,syria4 ,by ,colonel ,e4 ,napier4 ,galloping1 gossiping1 flirting and fighting1 feasting and starving1 but always in high spirits and the best possible humour1 ,colonel ,napier might answer an advertisement for ,a ,pleasant ,companion in a ,post-chaise1 without the slightest chance of rejection4 ,but it is difficult to imagine so dashing a traveller1 boxed up in a civilized conveyance1 rolling quietly along a macadamized road1 with a diversity of milestones and an occasional turnpike gate1 the only incidents by the way--no wild ,maronite glimpsing at him over the hedge2 no black-eyed houri peeping over the balustrades of the caravanserai1 7called by vulgar men the ,bricklayers' ,arms7--no ,saices to help ,john ,hostler to change horses2 but dulness1 uniformity1 and most tiresome and unromantic safety4 ,england1 we are sorry to confess it1 is not the land of stirring adventures or hair-breadth 'scapes--a railway coach occasionally blows up2 a blind leader occasionally bolts into a ditch2 a wheel comes occasionally into dangerous collision with one of ,pickford's vans2 but these are the utmost that can be hoped for in the way of peril1 and other excitement there is positively none4 ,we have treated life as the mathematician did ,paradise ,lost--we have struck out all its similes--obliterated its flights--expunged its glorious visions--we have made it prose4 ,but fortunately for us--for ,colonel ,napier--for the reading public--there is a land where mathematicians are unknown1 and where poetry continues to flourish in the full vigour of cimeters and turbans--the region of the sun-- ,the first of ,eastern lands he shines upon4 ,it was in this very beautiful1 but rather overdone portion of earth's surface1 that the adventures occurred of which we are now to give some account2 and as probably most of our readers have heard the name of ,syria pretty often of late1 we need not display much geographical erudition in pointing out where it lies4 ,it would be pleasant to us if we could atone for brevity in this respect1 by illuminating the reader on the causes that have brought ,syria so prominently forward2 but on this point we confess1 with shame and confusion of face1 that we know no more than ,lord ,ponsonby or ,m4 ,thiers4 ,the truth seems to be1 that some time1 about two or three years ago1 five or six people in influential stations went mad1 and our ,secretary for ,foreign ,affairs took the infection4 ,he showed his teeth and raised his birse1 and barked in a most audacious manner1 till the ,french kennel answered the challenge2 an old dog in ,egypt cocked his tail at the same time1 and the world began to be afraid that hydrophobia would be universal4 ,all parties were delighted to let the rival yelpers fight it out on so distant a field as ,syria2 and in that country of heat and dryness1 of poverty1 anarchy1 cruelty1 and superstition1 there was a skrimmage that kept all ,christendom on the tenter-hooks for half-a-year2 and this we believe to be the policy of the ,syrian campaign4 ,better for all parties concerned1 that a few thousand turbaned and malignant ,turks or ,egyptians should bite the dust1 than that there should be another ,austerlitz or ,waterloo4 ,so the signal was accordingly given1 and the work began4 ,wherever there is any fighting it is not to be doubted that the ,english hurra will be heard--and an apparition had been seen in the smoke of battle1 which had sorely puzzled the wisest of the soothsayers of ,egypt to explain4 ,it was of a being apparently human1 but dressed as if to represent ,mars and ,neptune at the same time1 charging along the tops of houses1 with the jolly cocked-hat of a captain of a ,british man-of-war on the point of his sword1 and a variety of exclamations in his mouth1 more complimentary to the enemy's speed than his courage4 ,the muftis1 we have said1 were sorely puzzled1 and at last set it down as an infallible truth that he must be none other than ,old ,harry1 whereas there was not a sailor in the fleet that did not know that it was none other than ,old ,charley4 ,and this identical ,old ,charley1 in a style of communication almost as rapid as his military evolutions1 had indited the following epistle to the author of the volumes before us3-- ,headquarters of the ,army of ,lebanon4--,djouni1 ,sept4 #ahdj4 ,my dear ,edward--,i have hoisted my broad pendant on ,mount ,lebanon1 and mean to advance against the ,egyptians with a considerable force under my command2 you may be of use here2 therefore go to ,sir ,john ,m',donald1 and ask him to get leave for you to join me without delay4 ,your affectionate father1 ,,charles ,,napier4 ,and the dutiful son1 who seems to have no inconsiderable portion of the paternal penchant for broken heads and other similar divertisements1 in three weeks from the receipt of the letter found himself on board the ,hydra1 and rapidly approaching the classic shores of ,sidon1 ,tyre1 ,ptolemais2 the scenes of scriptural records and deeds of chivalry--,palestine--the ,holy ,land4 ,but the broad pendant in the mean time had been pulled down on ,mount ,lebanon1 and once more fluttered to the sea breezes on board the ,powerful4 ,sir ,charles ,smith had assumed the command of the land forces1 and whether from ill-humour at finding half the work done during his absence by the amphibious commodore1 or from some other cause1 his reception of the author was1 at first1 far from cordial4 ,instead of being useful1 as he had hoped1 he found the sturdy old general blind to the value of his accession2 and when the ,powerful sailed he found himself without quarters appointed him1 or even an invitation to join the officers' mess4 ,but with the usual good-luck of people who bear disappointments well1 all turned out for the best1 as will be seen by the following extract3 ,i had1 on board the ,powerful1 a few days before1 formed the acquaintance of a young ,syrian of the name of ,assaade el ,khyat1 who1 brought up at one of our universities1 was at heart a true ,englishman1 spoke fluently our own and several other ,european and ,eastern languages1 and whom ,i found1 on the whole1 a sensible1 well-informed young man1 and a most agreeable companion4 ,as ,i was sitting alone1 after a solitary dinner1 7in the miserable hotel at ,beyrout17 musing in a brown study over a bottle of red ,cyprus wine1 my new acquaintance was ushered into the apartment2 ,i made no secret to him of my extremely uncomfortable position1 when he1 with great kindness and liberality1 overcoming the usual prejudices of his country1 offered me an asylum in his own family1 which offer ,i most gladly accepted1 and was accordingly the next morning comfortably installed in my new quarters1 whereof ,i will endeavour to give the reader a slight description4 ,the house of which ,i had just so unexpectedly become an inmate1 was situated in one of the most retired and out of the way parts of the town1 7and it was not before considerable time had elapsed1 and then with difficulty1 that ,i became acquainted with the labyrinth of narrow lanes1 alleys1 and dark passages which it was requisite to thread in order to arrive at this desired haven17 the property of a young man of the name of ,giorgio ,habbit ,jummal--brother-in-law of my friend ,assaade1 to whom one of his sisters was married1 and whom1 as he spoke ,italian with fluency and ease1 ,i at once engaged as my dragoman or interpreter4 ,by a strange coincidence1 ,i1 under the roof of ,giorgio1 for the first time became acquainted with ,mr ,hunter1 the author of the ,expedition to ,syria1 who1 placed in similar circumstances with myself1 was likewise an inmate of the same house1 and of whom1 as we were subsequently much known together during our residence in this country1 ,i shall after have occasion to mention3 at present ,i will take the liberty of borrowing from his amusing narrative the following account of the inmates of our new domicile4 ',we lived in the house of a respectable ,syrian family1 that of ,habbit ,jummal1 or interpreted1 the esteemed camel-driver4 ,our landlord1 ,giorgius1 the head of this family1 was a young man hardly out of his teens2 and having some competency1 and being moreover un beau garcon1 did not follow either his ancestral1 or any other avocation4 ,the harem1 or woman's portion of the house1 was composed of his mother1 a fair widow of forty1 and her two daughters1 both ,eastern beauties of their kind1 ,sarah and ,nasarah 7meaning ,victory or ,victoria27 the first1 a laughing black eyed houri1 with mischief in every dimple in her pretty face2 the other1 a more portly damsel1 of a melancholy but not less pleasing expression4 ,there were besides these1 three younger children with equally poetic names1 7,nassif1 ,iskunder1 and ,furkha17 and included in the coterie was a good-humoured negress1 the general handmaid1 whose original cognomen of ,saade1 was lost in the apposite soubriquet of ,snowball4'--,although the greater part of the inhabitants of ,beyrout are ,christians1 generally speaking1 of the ,greek ,church1 to which persuasion likewise belonged the family of our host ,giorgio2 still in this land of bigotry and oppression--to such an extent is carried suspicion and jealousy1 and so far have ,mahommedan prejudices in this respect been adopted1 that all the women 7those of the peasantry alone excepted7 lead nearly as secluded a life as the ,osmanli ladies of ,constantinople or ,smyrna4 ,on venturing abroad1 which they seldom do1 unless when the knessi or humaum 7church or bath7 are the limits of their excursions1 they are so closely shrouded in the izar1 or long white garment1 which1 coming over the head and hiding the face1 falls in numerous folds to the ground1 as to be scarcely recognizable by their nearest friends or relations4 ,to allow1 therefore1 two unknown and friendless strangers to become familiar inmates of an ,eastern family1 exposing wives1 daughters1 and sisters1 to their unhallowed gaze1 was a favour and mark of confidence on the part of ,assaade which we duly appreciated1 nor ever abused2 it was1 however1 a privilege to which no other stranger in the place was admitted1 and affording1 as it did1 such opportunities of acquiring the ,arabic language1 ,i eagerly embraced it without any feeling of regret at the inhospitality to which ,i was originally indebted for my admission behind the scenes of ,oriental life4 ,the bare1 gloomy1 and massive stone walls of the exterior of our habitation had not prepared us for the comforts we found inside2 and as for the first time we followed ,giorgio and his brother-in-law up the rude and narrow stone staircase1 which appeared to be scarped out of the very thickness of the wall--an open sesame from the former causing a strong iron studded door to fly back on its hinges1 disclosed a handsome patis or court paved with black and white marble1 along the sides of which were luxuriantly growing1 and imparting a cooling freshness to the scene1 the perfumed orange-tree1 bearing at the same time both fruit and blossoms1 and flanked by green myrtles and flowering geraniums2 whilst an apartment opening on this garden terrace1 and which appeared from the carpets and cushions scattered around the still smoking narghilis1 7or water-pipe1 in which is smoked the tumbic or ,persian tobacco17 and other sundry traces of female industry1 to be appropriated as the common sitting-room of the family1 was on our entrance precipitately deserted by all its occupants1 save one fine-looking matronly lady1 whom ,giorgio introduced as his mother2 and while she was welcoming us with many ',faddalls1' and politely repeating1 ,anna mugsond shoufuk1 7be seated1 ,i am delighted to see you17 with innumerable other euphonious phrases1 as we afterwards found high-flown ,eastern compliments1 but which at the time were sadly wasted on our ,frankish ignorance1 he1 following the fair fugitives1 soon brought back in each hand the blushing deserters1 who have already been introduced to the reader as ,mesdemoiselles ,sarah and ,nasarah4 ,pipes1 narghilis1 sherbet1 and coffee followed in quick succession2 the young negress1 ,saade1 acting as ,hebe on the occasion2 and the ladies1 at first timid as gazelles of the desert1 soon1 like those pretty creatures when reclaimed from the wilderness1 became quite domesticated1 acquired confidence1 and freely joined in the conversation1 which was with volubility carried on through the medium of ,giorgio and ,assaade2 and ere an hour had elapsed1 we were all on the friendly and easy footing of old acquaintances2 when1 taking leave for the time1 we hastened to make the necessary arrangements for the conveyance of our goods and chattels to the capital billets we had had the good fortune to stumble on4 ,the colonel made good use of his opportunity1 and1 by a diligent perusal of ,miss ,sarah's eyes1 and an attentive study of ,miss ,nasarah's dimple1 managed to acquire a smattering of ,arabic in a far shorter time than would have been required in the most assiduous turning over of dictionaries and grammars4 ,but our school-boy days can't last for ever--and1 ere a fortnight elapsed1 an order arrived from ,england for the hopeful scholar to be placed on the returns of the ,syrian army1 and to draw his field allowance1 rations1 and forage1 as assistant adjutant-general of the ,british force4 ,dictionaries and eyes1 grammars and dimples1 were now exchanged for less pleasing pursuits4 ,fifteen thousand troops were by this time assembled at ,beyrout1 and rumour kept perpetually blowing the charge against ,ibrahim ,pasha1 who was still encamped at ,zachli1 with an army much superior to that of the allies4 ,booted and spurred--with a long sword1 saddle1 bridle1 and all the other paraphernalia so captivating to an ancient fair1 as recorded in one of the lays of ,old ,england by some forgotten ,macaulay of former times--the colonel is intent on some doughty deed1 and already in imagination sees captive ,egyptians following his triumphal car4 ,when all of a sudden1 the sad news gets spread abroad that the old commodore has concluded a convention with ,mehemet ,ali1 and that all the pomp and circumstance of glorious war is at an end4 ,one only chance remained1 and that was1 that as all the big-wigs protested with all their might against the convention2 and the fleet1 in the midst of protestation and repudiations of all sorts and kinds1 was forced by a severe gale to up anchor and run for ,marmorice ,bay1 ,ibrahim ,pasha might perhaps be tempted to protest also in a still more unpleasant manner1 and pay a visit to ,beyrout in the absence of the navy4 ,the very thoughts of it1 however the ,english auxiliaries may have felt on the subject1 gave an attack of fever to the unfortunate inhabitants1 who devoutly prayed for a speedy fall of tubbish1 7or snow17 by which his dreaded approach might be impeded4 ,had such a movement on his part taken place at this critical moment1 it is not improbable that it might have proved successful2 as amid the variety of religious and conflicting interests1 by which the people of ,beyrout were influenced1 ,ibrahim had no doubt many friends in the town2 and it is certain that he was moreover regularly made acquainted with every occurrence which took place1 through the medium1 as was supposed1 of ,french agency and espionage4 ,ibrahim1 however1 had had enough of red coats and blue jackets1 and left the people of ,beyrout to themselves--an example which was followed by the author1 who1 being foiled in his expectations of riding down the ,egyptians on the noble ,arab left to him by the commodore1 determined to put that fiery animal 7the ,arab7 to its paces in scouring the country in all directions4 ,it is not often that an assistant adjutant-general sets out on a tour in search of the picturesque2 but in this instance the search was completely successful4 ,rock1 ravine1 precipice1 and dell--running waters and waving woods1 come as naturally to his pen as returns of effective force and other professional details2 and1 whatever the writing of them may be1 we are prepared to contend that the reading of them is infinitely pleasanter4 ,but as travellers and poets have of late left few mountains or molehills unsung in ,palestine1 we prefer extracting a picturesque account of a venerable abbess1 who threw the light of ,christian goodness over that benighted land about a century ago1 and must have impressed the heathens in the neighbourhood with an exalted notion of the virtues of a nunnery3-- ,hendia was a ,maronite girl1 possessing extraordinary personal charms1 who1 in #agee1 first brought herself into notice by her pretended piety and attention to her religious duties1 till at last she was by this simple and credulous people considered almost in the light of a saint or prophetess4 ,when she had thus established a reputation for sanctity1 she next thought of becoming the head and chief of an extensive establishment of monks and nuns1 to receive whom1 with the aid of large contributions raised among her credulous admirers and followers1 she erected two spacious stone buildings1 which soon became filled with proselytes of both sexes4 ,the patriarch of ,lebanon was named the director of this establishment1 and for twenty years ,hendia reigned with unbounded sway over the little community--performing miracles1 uttering prophecies1 and giving other tokens of being in the performance of a divine mission2 and though it was remarked that many deaths yearly occurred among the nuns1 the circumstance was generally attributed to disease incident to the insalubrity of the situation4 ,at last1 chance brought to light the cause of this very great mortality1 and disclosed all the secret horrors which had so long remained covered by the veil of mystery in this abode of monastic abominations4 ,a traveller1 on his way from ,damascus to the coast1 happened to arrive one fine summer night at a late hour before the convent gates1 which he found closed1 and not wishing to disturb its inmates1 who had apparently retired to rest1 he spread his travelling rug under some neighbouring trees1 and laid himself down to sleep4 ,his slumbers were1 however1 shortly disturbed by a number of persons1 who1 issuing from the convent1 appeared to be clandestinely bearing away what seemed to be a heavy bundle4 ,prompted by curiosity1 he cautiously followed the party1 who1 after going a short distance1 deposited their burden1 and commenced digging a deep hole1 into which having placed and covered with earth what was evidently a dead body1 they immediately took their departure4 ,astonished1 and rather dismayed1 at an occurrence of so mysterious a nature1 the traveller lost no time in mounting his mule1 and on arriving at ,beyrout made known the extraordinary occurrence to which he had been witness the night before4 ,this account reached the ears of a merchant who happened to have two daughters undergoing their noviciate at ,el ,kourket1 and reports had lately reached him of the illness of one of his children2 this1 together with the numerous deaths which had lately taken place at the convent1 coupled with the traveller's narrative1 excited in his mind the most serious apprehensions4 ,he gave information on the subject1 and laid a complaint before the ,grand ,prince at ,dahr-el-,kamar1 and1 accompanied by his informant and a troop of horsemen furnished by the ,emir1 hastened to the spot of the alleged mysterious burial1 when to his horror1 on opening the newly made grave1 he discovered it to contain the corpse of his youngest daughter6 ,frantic at this sight1 he desired instant admission1 in order to ascertain the safety of her sister4 ,on this being refused1 the gates were forced open1 and the unfortunate girl was found closely confined in a dungeon1 on the point of death1 but retaining still strength enough to disclose horrors which led to an investigation1 implicating the patriarch1 the abbess1 and several priests4 ,this transaction1 which happened in #aggf1 was submitted for the decision of the ,papal ,see2 when it appeared that the pretended prophetess had1 by means of many ingenious mechanical devices1 thus long imposed on public credulity1 whilst in the retirement of the cloister the most licentious and profligate occurrences nightly took place2 and that when any unfortunate nun gave offence1 either by refusing to be sacrificed at the shrine of infamy1 or that it became desirable to get rid of her1 in order to appropriate for the convent the amount of her property1 she was immured in a dungeon1 left to perish by a lingering and miserable death1 and then privately buried in the night4 ,in consequence of these shocking discoveries1 the patriarch was deposed--the priests1 his accomplices1 were severely punished1 and the high priestess of this temple of cruelty and debauchery was immured in confinement1 and survived for many years to repent of all the atrocities she had previously committed4 ,we should like to know the colonel's authority for this circumstantial account4 ,it bears at present a startling resemblance to the confession of ,maria ,monk1 and the villanies recorded of the nunnery at ,montreal2 and we will hope in the mean time1 that the devil1 even in the shape of a lady abbess1 is not quite so black as he is painted4 ,the present abbess of ,el ,kourket is already as black as need be1 for we are told she is an ,ethiopian negress4 ,the war carried on in ,syria after the decisive battle of ,boharsef1 seems to have been on the model of those recorded by ,major ,sturgeon1 and to have consisted of marching and counter-marching1 without any definite object1 except1 perhaps1 the somewhat ,universal-,peace-,society one of getting out of the enemy's way4 ,general ,jochmus1 we guess from his name1 was a ,scotch schoolmaster1 with a ,latin termination--there being no mistaking the ,jock--and in his religious tenets we feel sure he was a ,quaker4 ,the ,english officers attached to the staff had immense difficulty in bringing the troops 7if they deserve to be called so7 to the scratch2 and we trust that1 in all future commentaries on the ,art of ,war1 the method adopted by ,commodore ,napier1 of throwing stones at his gallant army to force them forward1 will not be forgotten4 ,the author before us had no sinecure1 and after the news of ,ibrahim's retreat1 galloped hither and thither1 like the wild huntsman of a ,german story1 to discover by what route the vanquished lion was growling his way to his den4 ,with a hundred irregular horse1 furnished him by ,osman ,aga1 he set out on a foray beyond ,jordan2 and we do not wonder his two friends1 ,captain ,lane1 a ,prussian edition of ,don ,quixote1 and ,mr ,hunter1 who has written an excellent account of his expedition to ,syria1 besides his old ,beyrout friend ,giorgio1 volunteered to accompany him4 ,my motley troop1 apparently composed of every tribe from the ,caspian to the ,red ,sea1 displayed no less variety in arms and accoutrements than in their personal appearance1 varying from the sturdy-looking ,kourd1 mounted on his strong powerful steed1 to the swarthy1 spare1 and sinewy ,arab1 with his long reed-like spear1 his head encircled with the ,kefiah1 or thick rope of twisted camels' hair2 whilst the flowing 'abbage' waved gracefully down the shining flanks of the high-mettled steed of the desert4 ,in short1 such an assemblage of cut-throat looking ruffians was probably never before seen2 and whilst the ,prussian military eye of old ,lane glanced down our wide-spread and irregular line1 ,i could see a curl of contempt on his grey mustaches1 though his weather-beaten countenance maintained all the gravity of ,frederick the ,great4 ,the troop appeared to be divided into two distinct parties--one ,arab1 the other ,turkish2 and1 on directing the two chiefs to call the 'roll' of their respective forces1 ,i found that many were absent without leave1 and the party which should have amounted to a hundred cavaliers only mustered between seventy and eighty4 ,however1 on the assurance that the rest would speedily follow--as there was no time to spare1 after making them a short harangue1 in which ,i promised abundance of nehub 7plunder7 whenever we came across the enemy1 to which they responded by a wild yell of approbation--,i gave the signal to move off1 which was instantly obeyed1 amidst joyous shouts1 the brandishing of spears1 and promiscuous discharge of fire-arms4 ,having thus got them under weigh1 the next difficulty ,i experienced was to keep them together4 ,i tried to form a rearguard to bring up the stragglers1 but the guard would not remain behind1 nor the stragglers keep up with the main body2 and ,i soon1 finding that something more persuasive than mere words was requisite to maintain them in order1 took the first opportunity of getting a stout cudgel1 with which ,i soundly belaboured all those whom ,i found guilty of thus disobeying my commands4 ,the ,eastern does not understand the suaviter in modo2--behave to him like a human being1 he fancies you fear him1 and he sets you at defiance--kick him and cuff him1 treat him like a dog1 and he crouches at your feet1 the humble slave of your slightest wishes4 ,discipline of so perfect a nature must have inspired the gallant colonel with the strongest hopes of success in case of an onslaught on the forces of ,ibrahim ,pasha1 and in all probability his efforts1 with those of ,captain ,lane1 ,hunter1 and ,giorgio1 might have produced something like a skrimmage when they came near the tents of the ,egyptians2 but it would seem that the cudgels wielded by the ,musree commanders were either not so strong or not so well applied1 for on the first appearance of the hostile squadron1 the heroes of ,nezib evaporated as if by magic1 but not before a similar feat of legerdemain had been performed by the rabble rout of ,turks and ,arabs2 and on looking round1 to inspire his followers with a speech after the manner of ,thucydides1 the colonel discovered the last of his escort disappearing at full speed on the other side of the plain1 and the ,europeans were left alone in their glory4 ,as they had nobody to attack1 7the enemy continuing still in a state of evaporation17 every thing ended well2 and1 if the trumpeter had not been among the fugitives1 there might have been a triumphal blow performed although no blow had been struck4 ,we do not believe in the courage of the ,arabs4 ,no amount of kicking and cuffing could cow a nation's spirit that had once been brave2 and we therefore consider it the greatest marvel in history how the ,arabians managed at one time to conquer half the world4 ,they must have been very different fellows from the chicken-hearted children of the desert recorded in these volumes4 ,one thing only is certain1 that they have left their anti-fighting propensities to their mongrel descendants in ,spain2 for a series of actions--that is1 jinking and skulking1 and running up and down1 hiding themselves as if they were the personages of a writ--more distinctly ,arabian than the late campaign which ended in the overthrow of ,espartero1 could not have been performed under the shadows of ,mount ,ebal4 ,all the nobility that we are so fond of picturing to ourselves in the deeds and thoughts of ,saladin1 has gone over to the horse4 ,the wild steed retains its fire1 though the miserable horseman would do for a ,madrileno aide-de-camp4 ,and yet this is the way they are treated3-- ,it was a matter of surprise to us1 how our horses stood without injury all the exposure1 severe work1 and often short commons1 to which they were constantly subjected4 ,when we came to a place where barley was to be procured1 the grooms carried away as much as they could2 when none was to be had1 we gave our nags peas and tibbin1 7chopped straw1 the only forage used in the ,east17 or any thing we could lay hands on2 they had little or no grooming1 and frequently the saddles were not even removed from their backs4 ,but ,i believe that nothing save the high mettle of the desert blood would carry an animal through all this toil and privation2 and as to the much-extolled kindness of the ,arab towards his horse1 although it may be the case in the far deserts of the ,hedged and ,hedjar1 ,i can avow that ,i never saw these noble animals treated with more inhuman neglect than ,i witnessed in the whole of my wanderings through ,syria4 ,the dreariness of a ride through the desolate plains and rugged rocks of ,palestine1 was diversified with startling adventures2 and the fact of several of the powers of ,europe and many of the tribes of ,asia having chosen that sterile region for their battle-place1 gave rise to some very odd coincidences4 ,people from all the ends of the earth1 who were lounging away their existence some three or four months before1 without any anticipation of treading in the footsteps of the crusaders--some smoking strong tobacco in the coffeehouses of ,berlin1 or leaning gracefully 7like the ,chinese ,admiral ,kwang7 against the pillars of the ,junior ,united ,service ,club in ,london--or driving a heavy curricle in the ,prado at ,vienna--or reading powerfully for honours at the ,great ,go at ,oxford--or climbing ,albanian hills--or reclining in the silken recesses of a harem at ,constantinople--all were thrown together in such unexpected groups1 and found themselves so curiously banded together1 that the tame realities of an ordinary campaign were thrown completely into the shade4 ,the following introduces us to another member of the foray1 whose character seems to have been such a combination of the gallant soldier and light-hearted troubadour1 that we read of his after fate1 in dying of the plague at ,damascus1 with great regret3-- ,my troop had not yet cleared a difficult pass close to the khan1 running between an abrupt face of the hill and the river1 when the advanced guard came back at full speed with the announcement that a body of the enemy's infantry was near at hand4 ,closely jammed in a narrow defile1 between inaccessible cliffs and the precipitous banks of the ,jordan1 with nothing but cavalry at my disposal1 ,i was placed in rather a disagreeable position4 ,there remained1 however1 no alternative but to put spurs to our horses1 push forward through the pass1 deploy on the level ground beyond it1 and then trust to the chances of war4 ,having explained these intentions to the ,sheikh and ,aga1 we lost no time in carrying them into effect2 and on taking extended order after clearing the pass1 saw immediately in front of us what we took to be an advanced guard of the enemy1 consisting of some twenty or thirty soldiers1 whom their white foustanellis 7the foustanellis is that part of the ,albanian costume corresponding with the highland kilt7 and tall active forms immediately marked as ,arnouts1 or ,albanians4 ,seeing1 probably1 that we had now the advantage of the ground1 they hastily retired1 recrossing a ravine which intersected the path1 and extending in capital light infantry style1 were soon sheltered behind the stones and rocks on the opposite bank1 over the brow of which nought was to be seen but the protruding muzzles and long shining barrels of their firelocks4 ,all this was the work of a few seconds1 and passed in a much briefer space of time than it has taken to relate4 ,i had now the greatest difficulty in keeping ,mahommed ,aga and his men from charging up to enemies who1 from their present position1 could have picked them easily off with perfect safety to themselves2 and riding rapidly forward with ,captain ,lane1 to see if we could by some means turn their flank1 a few horsemen at this moment suddenly appeared over the swell on the opposite side of the ravine1 the foremost of whom1 whilst making many friendly signals1 galloped across the intervening space1 hailing us a friend1 and at the same time waving his hand1 to prevent his own people from opening their fire4 ,lane and myself were not backward in returning this greeting2 and on approaching we beheld a handsome young man1 dressed in the showy ,austrian uniform1 with a black ,tartar sheepskin cap on his head1 who1 coming up1 accosted us in ,french1 and with all the frankness of a soldier1 introduced himself as ,count ,szechinge1 a captain of ,austrian dragoons1 then on his way from ,tiberias with a party composed of one or two ,turkish lancers1 about twenty-five ,albanian deserters1 his ,german servant1 dragoman1 and suite1 to raise troops in the ,adjelloun hills--a mission very similar to the one ,i was myself employed on at ,naplouse4 ,an acquaintance begun under such circumstances grows into friendship with amazing rapidity2 and many are the joyous hours the foragers spend together1 in spite of intolerable weather and storms of sleet and snow1 which bear a far greater resemblance to the climate of ,lochaber than to that of ,syria1 land of roses4 ,reinforced with the count and his companions1 ,colonel ,napier pushes on--gets into the vicinity of ,ibrahim--his rabble rout turn tail1 in case of being swallowed alive by the ferocious pasha1 whose reputation for cruelty and all manner of iniquities seems well deserved1 and having ascertained the movements of that formidable ruffian1 he returned to ,naplouse to take the command of #aejj half-tamed1 undisciplined savages1 with whom to oppose his retreat4 ,luckily1 the ratification of the convention come in the nick of time2 for it is very evident that the best cudgels that were ever cut in the classic woods of ,hawthornden1 could not have awakened a spark of military ardour in the wretched riff-raff assemblage appointed for this service--and of all the abortive efforts at generalship we have ever read of1 the attempt of the ,turkish commanders was infinitely the worse--no foresight in providing for difficulties--no valour in fighting their way out of them2 but1 to compensate for these trifling deficiencies1 a plentiful supply of pride and cruelty1 with a due admixture of dishonesty4 ,we heartily join1 with ,colonel ,napier1 in wondering where the deuce the integrity of the ,ottoman empire is to be found1 as1 beyond all doubt1 not a particle of it exists in any of its subjects4 ,the pashas of ,egypt1 bad as they undoubtedly are1 have redeeming points about them1 which the ,hassans1 and ,izzets1 and ,reschids of the ,turks have no conception of2 and1 lively and sparkling as the gallant colonel's narrative is1 we confess it leaves a sadder impression on our minds of the hopelessness and the degeneracy of the ,moslems1 than any book we have met with4 ,turk and ,egyptian should equally be whipped back into the desert1 and the fairest portions of the world be won over to civilization1 wealth1 and happiness4 ,the present volumes close at the end of ,january #ahda1 and perhaps they are among the best results of the campaign4 ,we shall be glad to see the proceedings at ,alexandria sketched off in the same pleasant style4 ,,the ,,fate ,,of ,,polycrates4--,herod4 iii4 #abd-abf4 ,oh6 go not forth1 my father dear--oh6 ,i go not forth to-day1 ,and trust not thou that ,satrap dark1 for he fawns but to betray2 ,his courteous smiles are treacherous wiles1 his foul designs to hide2 ,then go not forth1 my father dear--in thy own fair towers abide4 ,now1 say not so1 dear daughter mine--,i pray thee1 say not so6 ,where glory calls1 a monarch's feet should never fear to go2 ,and safe to-day will be my way through proud ,magnesia's halls1 ,as if ,i stood 'mid my bowmen good beneath my ,samian walls4 ,the ,satrap is my friend1 sweet child--my trusty friend is he-- ,the ruddy gold his coffers hold he shares it all with me2 ,no more amid these clustering isles alone shall be my sway1 ,but ,hellas wide1 from side to side1 thy empire shall obey6 ,and of all the maids of ,hellas1 though they be rich and fair1 ,with the daughter of ,polycrates1 oh6 who shall then compare8 ,then dry thy tears--no idle fears should damp our joy to-day-- ,and let me see thee smile once more before ,i haste away6 ,oh6 false would be the smile1 my sire1 that ,i should wear this morn1 ,for of all my country's daughters ,i shall soon be most forlorn2 ,i know1 ,i know1--ah1 thought of woe6--,i ne'er shall see again ,my father's ship come sailing home across the ,icarian main4 ,each gifted seer1 with words of fear1 forbids thee to depart1 ,and their warning strains an echo find in every faithful heart2 ,a maiden weak1 e'en ,i must speak--ye gods1 assist me now6 ,the characters of doom and death are graven on thy brow6 ,last night1 my sire1 a vision dire thy daughter's eyes did see1 ,suspended in mid air there hung a form resembling thee2 ,nay1 frown not thus1 my father dear2 my tale will soon be done-- ,methought that form was bathed by ,jove1 and anointed by the sun6 ,my child1 my child1 thy fancies wild ,i may not stay to hear4 ,a friend goes forth to meet a friend--then wherefore should'st thou fear8 ,though moonstruck seers with idle fears beguile a maiden weak1 ,they cannot stay thy father's hand1 or blanch thy father's cheek4 ,let cowards keep within their holds1 and on peril fear to run6 ,such shame1 quoth he1 is not for me1 fair ,fortune's favourite son6 ,yet still the maiden did repeat her melancholy strain-- ,i ne'er shall see my father's fleet come sailing home again6 ,the monarch call'd his seamen good1 they muster'd on the shore1 ,waved in the gale the snow-white sail1 and dash'd the sparkling oar2 ,but by the flood that maiden stood--loud rose her piteous cry-- ,oh6 go not forth1 my dear1 dear sire--oh1 go not forth to die6 ,a frown was on that monarch's brow1 and he said as he turn'd away1 ,full soon shall ,samos' lord return to ,samos' lovely bay2 ,but thou shalt aye a maiden lone within my courts abide-- ,no chief of fame shall ever claim my daughter for his bride6 ,a long1 long maidenhood to thee thy prophet tongue hath given-- ,oh would1 my sire1 that maid replied1 such were the will of ,heaven6 ,though ,i a loveless maiden lone must evermore remain1 ,still let me hear that voice so dear in my native isle again6 ',twas all in vain that warning strain--the king has crost the tide-- ,but never more off ,samos shore his bark was seen to ride6 ,the ,satrap false his life has ta'en1 that monarch bold and free1 ,and his limbs are black'ning in the blast1 nail'd to the gallows-tree6 ,that night the rain came down apace1 and wash'd each gory stain1 ,but the sun's bright ray1 the next noonday1 glared fiercely on the slain2 ,and the oozing gore began once more from his wounded sides to run2 ,good-sooth1 that form was bathed by ,jove1 and anointed by the ,sun6 ,,modern ,,painters4#af #af ,modern ,painters--their ,superiority in the ,art of ,landscape ,painting to all the ,ancient ,masters1 c4 c4 ,by a ,graduate of ,oxford4 ,we read this title with some pain1 not doubting but that our modern landscape painters were severely handled in an ironical satire2 and we determined to defend them4 ,their superiority to all the ancient masters--that was too hard a hit to come from any but an enemy6 ,we must measure our man--a graduate of ,oxford6 ,the scholar armed1 without doubt4 ,he comes1 too1 vauntingly up to us1 with his contempt for us and all critics that ever were1 or will be2 we are all little ,davids in the eye of this ,goliath4 ,nevertheless1 we will put a pebble in our sling4 ,we saw this contempt of us1 in dipping at hap-hazard into the volume4 ,but what was our astonishment to find1 upon looking further1 that we had altogether mistaken the intent of the author1 and that we should probably have not one ,goliath1 but many1 to encounter2 while our own particular friends1 to whom we might look for help1 were1 alas6 all dead men4 ,we found that there were not giants in those days1 but in these days--that the author1 in his most superlative praise1 is not ironical at all1 but a most serious panegyrist1 who never laughs1 but does sometimes make his readers laugh1 when they see his very unbecoming1 mocking grimaces against the old masters--not that it can be fairly asserted that it is a laughable book4 ,it has much conceit1 and but little merriment2 there is nothing really funny after you have got over1 7vide page #f17 that he looks with contempt on ,claude1 ,salvator1 and ,gaspar ,poussin4 ,this contempt1 however1 being too limited for the graduate of ,oxford1 in the next page he enlarges the scope of his enmity2 speaking generally of the old masters1 ,i refer only to ,claude1 ,gaspar ,poussin1 ,salvator ,rosa1 ,cuyp1 ,berghem1 ,both1 ,ruysdael1 ,hobbima1 ,teniers 7in his landscapes17 ,p4 ,potter1 ,canaletti1 and the various ,van ,somethings and ,back ,somethings1 more especially and malignantly those who have libelled the sea4 ,self-convicted of malice1 he has not the slightest suspicion of his ignorance2 whereas he knows nothing of these masters whom he maligns4 ,still is he ready to be their general accuser--has not the slightest respect for the accumulated opinions of the best judges for these two or three hundred years--he puts them by with the wave of his hand1 very like the unfortunate gentleman in an establishment of unsound opinions1 who gravely said--,the world and ,i differed in opinion--,i was right1 the world wrong2 but they were too many for me1 and put me here4 ,we daresay that1 in such establishments may be found many similar opinions to those our author promulgates1 though1 as yet1 none of our respectable publishers have been convicted of a congenial folly4 ,we said1 that he suspects not his ignorance of the masters he maligns4 ,let it not hence be inferred that it is the work of an ignorant man4 ,he is only ignorant with a prejudice4 ,we will not say that it is not the work of a man who thinks1 who has been habituated to a sort of scholastic reasoning1 which he brings to bear1 with no little parade and display1 upon technicalities and distinctions4 ,he can tutor secundum artem1 lacking only1 in the first point1 that he has not tutored himself4 ,with all his arrangements and distinctions laid down1 as the very grammar of art1 he confuses himself with his truths1 forgetting that1 in matters of art1 truths of fact must be referable to truths of mind4 ,it is not what things in all respects really are1 but what they appear1 and how they are convertible by the mind into what they are not in many ways1 respects1 and degrees1 that we have to consider1 before we can venture to draw rules from any truths whatever4 ,for art is something besides nature2 and taste and feeling are first--precede practical art2 and though greatly enhanced by that practical cultivation1 might exist without it--nay1 often do2 and true taste always walks a step in advance of what has been done1 and ever desires to do1 and from itself1 more than it sees4 ,we discover1 therefore1 a fallacy in the very proposal of his undertaking1 when he says that he is prepared to advance nothing which does not1 at least in his own conviction1 rest on surer ground than mere feeling or taste4 ,notwithstanding1 however1 that our graduate of ,oxford puts his demonstrations upon an equality with the demonstrations of ,euclid1 and thinks it proper for the public to know1 that the writer is no mere theorist1 but has been devoted from his youth to the laborious study of practical art1 and that he is a graduate of ,oxford2 we do not look upon him as a bit the better judge for all that1 seeing that many have practised it too fondly and too ignorantly all their lives1 and that ,claude1 and ,salvator1 and ,gaspar ,poussin must1 according to him1 have been in this predicament1 and more especially do we decline from bowing down at his dictation1 when we find him advocating any surer ground than feeling or taste4 ,now1 considering that thus1 in initio1 he sets aside feeling and taste1 the reader will not be astonished to find a very substantial reason given for his contempt of the afore-mentioned old masters2 it is1 he says1 because ,i look with the most devoted veneration upon ,michael ,angelo1 ,raffaelle1 and ,da ,vinci1 that ,i do not distrust the principles which induce me to look with contempt1 c4 ,we do not exactly see how these great men1 who were not landscape painters1 can very well be compared with those who were1 but from some general principles of art1 in which the world have not as yet found any very extraordinary difference4 ,but we do humbly suggest1 that ,michael ,angelo1 ,raffaelle1 and ,da ,vinci1 are in their practice1 and principles1 if you please1 quite as unlike ,messrs ,david ,cox1 ,copley ,fielding1 ,j4 ,d4 ,harding1 ,clarkson ,stanfield1 and ,turner--the very men whom our author brings forward as the excellent of the earth1 in opposition to all old masters whatever1 excepting only ,michael ,angelo1 ,raffaelle1 and ,da ,vinci1 to whom nevertheless1 by a perverse pertinacity of their respective geniuses1 they bear no resemblance whatever--as they are to ,claude1 ,salvator1 and ,gaspar ,poussin4 ,we do not by any means intend to speak disrespectfully of these our ,english artists1 but we must either mistrust those principles which cause them to stand in opposition to the great ,italians1 or to conceive that our author has really discovered no such differing principles1 and which possibly may not exist at all4 ,nor will we think so meanly of the taste1 the good feeling1 and the good sense of these men1 as to believe that they think themselves at all flattered by any admiration founded on such an irrational contempt4 ,they well know that ,michael ,angelo1 ,raffaelle1 and ,da ,vinci1 have been admired1 together with ,claude1 ,salvator1 and ,gaspar ,poussin1 and they do not themselves desire to be put upon a separate list4 ,the author concludes his introduction with a very bad reason for his partiality to modern masters1 and it is put in most ambitious language1 very readily learned in the ,fudge ,school1--a style of language with which our author is very apt to indulge himself2 but the argument it so ostentatiously clothes1 and which we hesitate not to call a bad one1 is nothing more than this1 7if we understand it17--that the dead are dead1 and cannot hear our praise2 that the living are living1 and therefore our love is not lost2 in short1 as a non-sequitur1 that if honour be for the dead1 gratitude can only be for the living4 ,this might have been simply said2 but we are taken to the grave--with ,he who has once stood beside the grave1 c4 c42 we have wild love--keen sorrow--pleasure to pulseless hearts--debt to the heart--to be discharged to the dust--the garland--the tombstone--the crowned brow--the ashes and the spirit--heaven-toned voices and heaven-lighted lamps--the learning--sweetness by silence--and light by decay2 all which1 we conceive1 might have been very excusable in a young curate's sermon during his first year of probation1 and might have won for him more nosegays and favours than golden opinions1 but which we here feel inclined to put our pen across1 as so we remember many similarly ambitious passages to have been served1 before we were graduate of ,oxford1 with the insignificant signification from the pen of our informator of nihil ad rem4 ,as the author threatens the public with another1 or more volumes1 we venture to throw out a recommendation1 that at least one volume may serve the purpose and do the real work of two1 if he will check this propensity to unnecessary redundancy4 ,his numerous passages of this kind are for the most part extremely unintelligible2 and when we have unraveled the several coatings1 we too often find the ribs of the mummy are not human4 ,we think it right to object1 in this place1 to an affectation in phraseology offensive to those who think seriously of breaking the third commandment--he scarcely speaks of mountains without taking the sacred name in vain2 there is likewise a constant repetition of expressions of very doubtful meaning in the first use1 for the most part quite devoid of meaning in their application4 ,one of these is palpitating4 ,light is palpitating1 darkness is palpitating--every conceivable thing is palpitating4 ,we must1 however1 in justice say1 that by far the best part of the book1 the laying down rules and the elucidating principles1 is clearly and expressively written4 ,in this part of the work there is greater expansion than the student will generally find in books on art4 ,not that we are aware of the advancement of any thing new2 but the admitted maxims of art are1 as it were1 grammatically analysed1 and in a manner to assist the beginner in thinking upon art4 ,to those who have already thought1 this very studied analysis and arrangement will be tedious enough4 ,in the ,definition of ,greatness in ,art1 we find--,if ,i say that the greatest picture is that which conveys to the mind of the spectator the greatest number of the greatest ideas1 ,i have a definition which will include as subjects of comparison every pleasure which art is capable of conveying4 ,now1 there are great ideas which are so conflicting as to annul the force of each other4 ,this is not enough2 there must be a congruity of great ideas--nay1 in some instances1 we can conceive one idea to be so great1 as in a work of art not to admit of the juxtaposition of others4 ,this is the principle upon which the sonnet is built1 and the sonnet illustrates the picture not unaptly4 ,ideas of ,power are great ideas--not always are ideas of beauty great2 yet is there a tempering the one with the other1 which it is the special province of art to attain1 and that for its highest and most moral purposes4 ,in his ,ideas of ,power1 he distinguishes the term excellent from the terms beautiful1 useful1 good1 c42 thus--,and we shall always1 in future1 use the word excellent1 as signifying that the thing to which it is applied required a great power for its production4 ,is not this doubtful8 ,does it not limit the perception of excellence to artists who can alone from their practice1 and1 as it were1 measurement of powers with their difficulties1 learn and feel its existence in the sense to which it is limited4 ,the inference would be1 that none but artists can be critics1 as none but artists can perceive excellence1 and we think in more than one place some such assertion is made4 ,this is startling--,power is never wasted2 whatever power has been employed1 produces excellence in proportion to its own dignity and exertion2 and the faculty of perceiving this exertion1 and approaching this dignity1 is the faculty of perceiving excellence4 ,it is this faculty in which men1 even of the most cultivated taste1 must always be wanting1 unless they have added practice to reflection2 because none can estimate the power manifested in victory1 unless they have personally measured the strength to be overcome4 ,for the word strength use difficulty1 and we should say that1 to the unpractised1 the difficulties must always appear greatest4 ,he gives1 as illustration1 ,titian's flesh tint2 it may be possible that1 by some felicitous invention1 some new technicality of his art1 ,titian might have produced this excellence1 and to him there would have been no such great measurement of the difficulty or strength to be overcome2 while the admirer of the work1 ignorant of the happy means1 fancies the exertion of powers which were not exerted4 ,in his chapter on ,ideas of ,imitation1 he imagines that ,fuseli and ,coleridge falsely apply the term imitation1 making a distinction between imitation and copying1 representing the first as the legitimate function of art--the latter as its corruption4 ,yet we think he comes pretty much to the same conclusion4 ,in like manner1 he seems to disagree with ,burke in a passage which he quotes1 but in reality he agrees with him2 for surely the power of the imitation is but a power of the jugglery1 to be sensible of which1 if we understand him1 is necessary to our sense of imitation4 ,when the object1 says ,burke1 represented in poetry or painting is such as we could have no desire of seeing in the reality1 then we may be sure that its power in poetry or painting is owing to the power of imitation4 ,we may1 says our author1 be sure of the contrary2 for if the object be undesirable in itself1 the closer the imitation the less will be the pleasure4 ,certainly not2 for ,burke of course implied1 and included in his sense of imitation1 that it should be consistent with a knowledge in the spectator1 that a certain trick of art was put upon him4 ,and our author says the same--,whenever the work is seen to resemble something which we know it is not1 we receive what ,i call an idea of imitation4 ,again--,now1 two things are requisite to our complete and most pleasurable perception of this3 first1 that the resemblance be so perfect as to amount to deception2 secondly1 that there be some means of proving at the same moment that it is a deception4 ,he justly considers the pleasures resulting from imitation the most contemptible that can be received from art4 ,he thus happily illustrates his meaning--,we may consider tears as a result of agony or of art1 whichever we please1 but not of both at the same moment4 ,if we are surprised by them as an attainment of the one1 it is impossible we can be moved by them as a sign of the other4 ,this will explain why we are pleased with the exact imitation of the dewdrop on the peach1 and why we are disgusted with the ,magdalen's tears by ,vanderwerf2 and we further draw this inevitable conclusion1 of very important consequence to artists1 who have very erroneous notions upon the subject1 that this sort of imitation1 which1 by the deception of its name1 should be most like1 is actually less like nature1 because it takes from nature its impression by substituting a sense of the jugglery4 ,this chapter on ideas of imitation is good and useful4 ,we think1 in the after part of his work1 wherein is much criticism on pictures by the old masters and by moderns1 our author must have lost the remembrance of what he has so well said on his ideas of imitation2 and in the following chapter on ,ideas of ,truth4 ,the word truth1 as applied to art1 signifies the faithful statement1 either to the mind or senses1 of any fact of nature4 ,the reader will readily see how ideas of truth differ from ideas of imitation4 ,the latter relating only to material objects1 the former taking in the conceptions of the mind--may be conveyed by signs or symbols1 themselves no image nor likeness of any thing4 ,an idea of truth exists in the statement of one attribute of any thing2 but an idea of imitation only in the resemblance of as many attributes as we are usually cognizant of in its real presence4 ,hence it follows that ideas of truth are inconsistent with ideas of imitation2 for1 as we before said1 ideas of imitation remove the impression by an ever-present sense of the deception or falsehood4 ,this is put very conclusively--so that the moment ideas of truth are grouped together1 so as to give rise to an idea of imitation1 they change their very nature--lose their essence as ideas of truth--and are corrupted and degraded1 so as to share in the treachery of what they have produced4 ,hence1 finally1 ideas of truth are the foundation1 and ideas of imitation the distinction1 of all art4 ,we shall be better able to appreciate their relative dignity after the investigation which we propose of functions of the former2 but we may as well now express the conclusion to which we shall then be led--that no picture can be good which deceives by its imitation2 for the very reason that nothing can be beautiful which is not true4 ,this is perhaps rather too indiscriminate4 ,it has been shown that ideas of imitation do give pleasure2 by them1 too1 objects of beauty may be represented4 ,we should not say that a picture by ,gerard ,dow or ,van ,eyck2 even with the down on the peach and the dew on the leaf1 were not good pictures4 ,they are good if they please4 ,it is true1 they ought to do more1 and even that in a higher degree2 they cannot be works of greatness--and greatness was probably meant in the word good4 ,in his chapter on ,ideas of ,beauty1 he considers that we derive1 naturally and instinctively1 pleasure from the contemplation of certain material objects2 for which no other reason can be given than that it is our instinct--the will of our ,maker--we enjoy them instinctively and necessarily1 as we derive sensual pleasure from the scent of a rose4 ,but we have instinctively aversion as well as desire2 though he admits this1 he seems to lose sight of it in the following--,and it would appear that we are intended by the ,deity to be constantly under their influence1 7ideas of beauty27 because there is not one single object in nature which is not capable of conveying them1 c4 ,we are not satisfied2 if the instinctive desire be the index to what is beautiful1 so must the instinctive aversion be the index to its opposite4 ,we have an instinctive dislike to many reptiles1 to many beasts--as apes4 ,these may have in them some beauty2 we only object to the author's want of clearness4 ,if there be no ugliness there is no beauty1 for every thing has its opposite2 so that we think he has not yet discovered and clearly put before us what beauty consists in4 ,he shows how it happens that we do admire it instinctively2 but that does not tell us what it is1 and possibly1 after all that has been said about it1 it yet remains to be told4 ,nor are we satisfied with his definition of taste--,perfect taste is the faculty of receiving the greatest possible pleasure from those material sources which are attractive to our moral nature in its purity and perfection4 ,this will not do2 for taste will take material sources1 unattractive in themselves1 and by combination1 or for their contrast1 receive pleasure from them4 ,all literature and all art show this4 ,that taste1 like life itself1 is instinctive in its origin and first motion1 we doubt not2 but what it is by and in its cultivation1 and in its application to art1 is a thing not to be altogether so cursorily discussed and dismissed4 ,the distinction is laid down between taste and judgment--judgment being the action of the intellect2 taste the instinctive and instant preferring of one material object to another without any obvious reason1 except that it is proper to human nature in its perfection so to do4 ,but leaving this discussion of this original taste1 taste in art is surely1 as it is a thing cultivated1 that for which a reason can be given1 and in some measure1 therefore1 the result of judgment4 ,for by the cultivation of taste we are actually led to love1 admire1 and desire many things of which we have no instinctive love at all2 so that the taste for them arises from the intellect and the moral sense--our judgment4 ,he proceeds to ,ideas of ,relation1 by which he means to express all those sources of pleasure1 which involve and require at the instant of their perception1 active exertion of the intellectual powers4 ,as this is to be more easily comprehended by an illustration1 we have one in an incident of one of ,turner's pictures1 and1 considering the object1 it is surprising the author did not find one more important2 but he herein shows that1 in his eyes1 every stroke of the brush by ,mr ,turner is important--indeed1 is a considerable addition to our national wealth4 ,in the picture of the ,building of ,carthage1 the foreground is occupied by a group of children sailing toy-boats1 which he thinks to be an exquisite choice of incident expressive of the ruling passion4 ,he1 with a whimsical extravagance in praise of ,turner1 which1 commencing here1 runs throughout all the rest of the volume1 says--,such a thought as this is something far above all art2 it is epic poetry of the highest order4 ,epic poetry of the highest order6 ,ungrateful will be our future epic poets if they do not learn from this--if such is done by boys sailing toy-boats1 surely boys flying a kite will illustrate far better the great astronomical knowledge of our days4 ,but he is rather unfortunate in this bit of criticism2 for he compares this incident with one of ,claude's1 which we1 however1 think a far better and more poetical incident4 ,claude1 in subjects of the same kind1 7not1 by the by1 a very fair statement17 commonly introduces people carrying red trunks with iron locks about1 and dwells1 with infantine delight1 on the lustre of the leather and the ornaments of the iron4 ,the intellect can have no occupation here1 we must look to the imitation or to nothing4 ,as to the infantine delight1 we presume it is rather with the boys and their toy-boats2 but let us look a little into these trunks--no1 we may not--there is something more in them than our graduate imagines--the very iron locks and precious leather mean to tell you there is something still more precious within1 worth all the cost of freightage2 and you see1 a little off1 the great argosie that has brought the riches2 and we humbly think that the ruling passion of a people whose princes were merchants1 and whose merchants princes1 as happily expressed by the said red trunks as the rise of ,carthage by the boys and boats2 and in the fervour of this bit of exquisite epic choice1 probably ,claude did look with delight on the locks and the leather2 and1 whenever we look upon that picture again1 we shall be ready to join in the delight1 and say1 in spite of our graduate's contempt1 there is nothing like leather4 ,if the boys and boats express the beginning1 the red trunks express the thing done--merchandise brought home to every man's door2 so that the one serves for an idea of relation1 quite as well as the other4 ,and here ends section the first4 ,the study of ideas of imitation are thrown out of the consideration of ideas of power1 as unworthy the pursuit of an artist1 whose purpose is not to deceive1 and because they are only the result of a particular association of ideas of truth4 ,there are two modes in which we receive the conception of power2 one1 the most just1 when by a perfect knowledge of the difficulty to be overcome1 and the means employed1 we form a right estimate of the faculties exerted2 the other1 when without possessing such intimate and accurate knowledge1 we are impressed by a sensation of power in visible action4 ,if these two modes of receiving the impression agree in the result1 and if the sensation be equal to the estimate1 we receive the utmost possible idea of power4 ,but this is the case perhaps with the works of only one man out of the whole circle of the fathers of art1 of him to whom we have just referred--,michael ,angelo4 ,in others the estimate and the sensation are constantly unequal1 and often contradictory4 ,there is a distinction between the sensation of power and the intellectual perception of it4 ,a slight sketch will give the sensation2 the greater power is in the completion1 not so manifest1 but of which there is a more intellectual cognizance4 ,he instances the drawings of ,frederick ,tayler for sensations of power1 considering the apparent means2 and those of ,john ,lewis for more complete ideas of power1 in reference to the greater difficulties overcome1 and the more complicated means employed4 ,we think him unfortunate in his selection1 as the subjects of these artists are not such as1 of themselves1 justly to receive ideas of power1 therefore not the best to illustrate them4 ,he proceeds to ideas of power1 as they are dependent on execution4 ,there are six legitimate sources of pleasure in execution--truth1 simplicity1 mystery1 inadequacy1 decision1 velocity4 ,decision we should think involved in truth2 as so involved1 not necessarily different from velocity4 ,mystery and inadequacy require explanation4 ,nature is always mysterious and secret in her use of means2 and art is always likest her when it is most inexplicable4 ,execution1 therefore1 should be incomprehensible4 ,inadequacy can hardly1 we think1 be said to be a quality of execution1 as it has only reference to means employed4 ,insufficient means1 according to him1 give ideas of power4 ,we otherwise conclude--namely1 that if the inadequacy of the means is shown1 we receive ideas of weakness4 ,ars est celare artem--so is it to conceal the means4 ,strangeness in execution1 not a legitimate source of pleasure1 is illustrated by the execution of a bull's head by ,rubens1 and of the same by ,berghem4 ,of the six qualities of execution1 the three first are the greatest1 the three last the most attractive4 ,he considers ,berghem and ,salvator to have carried their fondness for these lowest qualities to a vice4 ,we can scarcely agree with him1 as their execution seems most appropriate to the character of their subjects--to arise1 in fact1 out of their ideas of truth4 ,there is appended a good note on the execution of the drawing-master1 that1 under the title of boldness1 will admit of no touch less than the tenth of an inch broad1 and on the tricks of engravers' handling4 ,our graduate dismisses the sublime in about two pages2 in fact1 he considers sublimity not to be a specific term1 nor descriptive of the effect of a particular class of ideas2 but as he immediately asserts that it is greatness of any kind1 and the effect of greatness upon the feelings1 we should have expected to have heard a little more about what constitutes this greatness1 this sublime1 which elevates the mind1 something more than that ,burke's theory of the nature of the sublime is incorrect4 ,the sublime not being distinct from what is beautiful1 he confines his subject to ideas of truth1 beauty1 and relation1 and by these he proposes to test all artists4 ,truth of facts and truth of thoughts are here considered2 the first necessary1 but the latter the highest3 we should say that it is the latter which alone constitutes art1 and that here art begins where nature ends4 ,facts are the foundation necessary to the superstructure2 the foundation of which must be there1 though unseen1 unnoticed in contemplation of the noble edifice4 ,very great stress is laid upon the exceeding importance of truth2 which none will question1 reminding us of the commencement of ,bacon's essay1 ,what is truth8 said laughing ,pilate1 and would not wait for an answer4 ,nothing1 says our author1 can atone for the want of truth1 not the most brilliant imagination1 the most playful fancy1 the most pure feeling 7supposing that feeling could be pure and false at the same time17 not the most exalted conception1 nor the most comprehensive grasp of intellect1 can make amends for the want of truth4 ,now1 there is much parade in all this1 surely truth1 as such in reference to art1 is in the brilliancy of imagination1 in the playfulness1 without which is no fancy1 in the feeling1 and in the very exaltation of a conception2 and intellect has no grasp that does not grasp a truth4 ,when he speaks of nature as immeasurably superior to all that the human mind can conceive1 and professes to pay no regard whatsoever to what may be thought beautiful1 or sublime1 or imaginative1 and to look only for truth1 bare1 clear downright statement of facts1 he seems to forget what nature is1 as adopted by1 as taken into art2 it is not only external nature1 but external nature in conjunction with the human mind4 ,nor does he1 in fact1 adhere in the subsequent part of his work to this his declaration2 for he loses it in his fervour of imagination1 when he actually examines the works of the great living painter1 who is1 ,i believe1 imagined by the majority of the public to paint more falsehood and less fact than any other known master4 ,here our author jumps at once into his monomania--his adoration of the works of ,turner1 which he examines largely and microscopically1 as it suits his whim1 and imagines all the while he is describing and examining nature2 and not unfrequently he tells you1 that nature and ,turner are the same1 and that he invites the same ceaseless study as the works of nature herself4 ,this is coming it pretty strong4 ,we confess we are with the majority--not that we wish to depreciate ,turner4 ,he is1 or has been1 unquestionably1 a man of genius1 and that is a great admission4 ,he has1 perhaps1 done in art what never has been done before4 ,he has illuminated ,views1 if not with local1 with a splendid truth4 ,his views of towns are the finest2 he led the way to this walk of art1 and is far superior to all in it4 ,we speak of his works collectively4 ,some of his earlier1 more imaginative1 were unquestionably poetical1 though not1 perhaps1 of a very high character4 ,we believe he has been better acquainted with many of the truths of nature1 particularly those which came within the compass of his line of views1 than any other artist1 ancient or modern2 but we believe he has neglected others1 and some important ones too1 and to which the old masters paid the greatest attention1 and devoted the utmost study4 ,we have spoken frequently1 unhesitatingly1 of the late extraordinary productions of his pencil1 as altogether unworthy his real genius2 it is in these we see1 with the majority of the public1 more falsehood and less fact than in any other known master--a defiance of the known truths in drawing1 colour1 and composition1 for which we can only account upon the supposition1 that his eye misrepresents to him the work of his hands4 ,we see1 in the almost adoration of his few admirers1 that if it be difficult1 and not always dependent1 on merit to attain to eminence in the world's estimation1 it is nearly as difficult altogether to fall from it2 and that nothing the artist can do1 though they be the veriest aegri somnia1 will separate from him habitual followers1 who1 with a zeal in proportion to the extravagances he may perpetrate1 will lose their relish for1 and depreciate the great masters1 whose very principles he seems capriciously in his age to set aside1 and they will from followers become his worshippers1 and in pertinacity exact entire compliance1 and assent to every1 the silliest1 dictation of their monomania4 ,we subjoin a specimen of this kind of worship1 which will be found fully to justify our observations1 and which1 considering it speaks of mortal man1 is somewhat blaspheming ,divine attributes2 we know not really whether we should pity the condition of the author1 or reprehend the passage4 ,after speaking of other modern painters1 who are so superior to the old1 he says3 and ,turner--glorious in conception--unfathomable in knowledge--solitary in power--with the elements waiting upon his will1 and the night and the morning obedient to his call1 sent as a prophet of ,god to reveal to men the mysteries of his universe1 standing1 like the great angel of the ,apocalypse1 clothed with a cloud1 and with a rainbow upon his head1 and with the sun and stars given into his hand4 ,little as we are disposed to laugh at any such aberrations1 we must1 to remove from our minds the greater1 the more serious offence1 indulge in a small degree of justifiable ridicule2 and ask what will sculptor or painter make of this description1 should the reluctant public be convinced by the graduate1 and in their penitential reverence order statue or painting of ,mr ,turner for the ,temple of ,fame1 which it is presumed ,parliament1 in their artistic zeal1 mean to erect8 ,how will they venture to represent ,mr ,turner looking like an angel--in that dress which would make any man look like a fool--his cloud nightcap tied with rainbow riband round his head1 calling to night and morning1 and little caring which comes1 making ducks and drakes of the sun and the stars1 put into his hand for that purpose8 ,we will only suggest one addition1 as it completes the grand idea1 and is in some degree characteristic of ,mr ,turner's peculiar execution1 that1 with the sun and stars1 there should be delivered into his hand a comet1 whose tail should serve him for a brush1 and supply itself with colour4 ,we do not see1 however1 why the moon should have been omitted2 sun1 moon1 and stars1 generally go together4 ,is the author as jealous as the majority of the public may be suspicious of her influence8 ,and let not the reader believe that ,mr ,turner is thus called a prophet in mere joke1 or a fashion of words--his prophetic power is advanced in another passage1 wherein it is asserted that ,mr ,turner not only tells us in his works what nature has done in hers1 but what she will do4 ,in fact1 says our author1 the great quality about ,mr ,turner's drawings1 which more especially proves their transcendant truth1 is the capability they afford us of reasoning on past and future phenomena4 ,the book teems with extravagant bombastic praise like this4 ,mr ,turner is more than the ,magnus ,apollo4 ,yet other ,english artists are brought forward1 immediately preceding the above panegyric2 we know not if we do them justice1 by noticing what is said of them4 ,there is a curious description of ,david ,cos lying on the ground to possess his spirit in humility and peace1 of ,copley ,fielding1 as an aeronaut1 casting his whole soul into space4 ,we really cannot follow him1 exulting like the wild deer in the motion of the swift mists1 and flying with the wild wind and sifted spray along the white driving desolate sea1 with the passion for nature's freedom burning in his heart2 for such a chase and such a heart-burn must have a frightful termination1 unless it be mere nightmare4 ,we see ,j4 ,d4 ,harding1 brilliant and vigorous1 c41 following with his quick1 keen dash the sunlight into the crannies of the rocks1 and the wind into the tangling of the grass1 and the bright colour into the fall of the sea-foam--various1 universal in his aim2 after which very fatiguing pursuit1 we are happy to find him under the shade of some spreading elm2 yet his heart is oak--and he is ,english1 all ,english at his heart4 ,but ,mr ,clarkson ,stanfield is a man of men--firm1 and fearless1 and unerring in his knowledge--stern and decisive in his truth--perfect and certain in composition--shunning nothing1 concealing nothing1 and falsifying nothing--never affected1 never morbid1 never failing--conscious of his strength1 but never ostentatious of it--acquainted with every line and hue of the deep sea--chiseling his waves with unhesitating knowledge of every curve of their anatomy1 and every moment of their motion--building his mountains rock by rock1 with wind in every fissure1 and weight in every stone--and modeling the masses of his sky with the strength of tempest in their every fold4 ,it is curious--yet a searcher after nature's truths ought to know1 as he is here told1 that waves may be anatomized1 and must be chiseled1 and that mountains are and ought to be built up rock by rock1 as a wall brick by brick2 no easy task considering that there is a disagreeable wind in every fissure1 and weight in every stone--and that the aerial sky1 incapable to touch1 must be modeled in masses4 ,all this is given after an equally extravagant abuse of ,claude1 of ,salvator ,rosa1 and ,poussin4 ,he finds fault with ,claude1 because his sea does not upset the flower-pots on the wall1 forgetting that they are put there because the sea could not--with ,salvator1 for his contemptible fragment of splintery crag1 which an ,alpine snow-wreath 7which would have no business there7 would smother in its first swell1 with a stunted bush or two growing out of it1 and a ,dudley or ,halifax-like volume of smoke for a sky--with ,poussin1 for that he treats foliage 7whereof every bough is a revelation67 as a black round mass of impenetrable paint1 diverging into feathers instead of leaves1 and supported on a stick instead of a trunk4 ,a page or two from this1 our author sadly abuses poor ,canaletti1 as far as we can see1 for not painting a tumbled-down wall1 which perhaps1 in his day1 was not in a ruinous state at all2 it is a curious passage--and shows how much may be made out of a wall4 ,pyramus's chink was nothing to this--behold a specimen of fine writing6 ,well3 take the next house4 ,we remember that too2 it was mouldering inch by inch into the canal1 and the bricks had fallen away from its shattered marble shafts1 and left them white and skeleton-like1 yet with their fretwork of cold flowers wreathed about them still1 untouched by time2 and through the rents of the wall behind them there used to come long sunbeams gleamed by the weeds through which they pierced1 which flitted1 and fell one by one round those grey and quiet shafts1 catching here a leaf and there a leaf1 and gliding over the illumined edges and delicate fissures until they sank into the deep dark hollow between the marble blocks of the sunk foundation1 lighting every other moment one isolated emerald lamp on the crest of the intermittent waves1 when the wild sea-weeds and crimson lichens drifted and crawled with their thousand colours and fine branches over its decay1 and the black1 clogging1 accumulated limpets hung in ropy clusters from the dripping and tinkling stone4 ,what has ,canaletti given us for this8 ,alas1 neither a crawling lichen1 nor clogging limpets1 nor a tinkling stone1 but one square1 red mass1 composed of--let me count--five-and-fifty--no1 six-and-fifty--no1 ,i was right at first1 five-and-fifty bricks1 c4 ,the picture1 if it be painted by the graduate1 must be a curiosity--we can make neither head nor tail of his words4 ,but let us find another strange specimen--where he compares his own observations of nature with ,poussin and ,turner4 ,every one must remember a very pretty little picture of no great consequence by ,gaspar ,poussin--a view of some buildings of a town said to be ,aricia1 the modern ,la ,riccia--just take it for what it is intended to be1 a quiet1 modest1 agreeable scene--very true and sweetly painted4 ,how unfit to be compared with an ambitious description of a combination of views from ,rome to the ,alban ,mount1 for that is the range of the description1 though1 perhaps1 the description is taken from a poetical view of one of ,turner's incomprehensibles1 which may account for the conclusion1 ,tell me who is likest this1 ,poussin or ,turner8 ,now1 though ,poussin never intended to be like this1 let us see the graduate's description of it4 ,we know the little town2 it received us as well as our author1 having left ,rome to visit it4 ,egressum magna me accepit ,aricia ,roma4 ,our author1 however1 doubts if it be the place1 though he unhesitatingly abuses ,poussin1 as if he had fully intended to have painted nothing else than what was seen by the travelling graduate4 ,at any rate1 it is a town on a hill1 wooded with two-and-thirty bushes1 of very uniform size1 and possessing about the same number of leaves each4 ,these bushes are all painted in with one dull opaque brown1 becoming very slightly greenish towards the lights1 and discover in one place a bit of rock1 which of course would in nature have been cool and grey beside the lustrous hues of foliage1 and which1 therefore1 being moreover completely in shade1 is consistently and scientifically painted of a very clear1 pretty1 and positive brick red1 the only thing like colour in the picture4 ,the foreground is a piece of road1 which1 in order to make allowance for its greater nearness1 for its being completely in light1 and1 it may be presumed1 for the quantity of vegetation usually present on carriage roads1 is given in a very cool green-grey1 and the truthful colouring of the picture is completed by a number of dots in the sky on the right1 with a stalk to them1 of a sober and similar brown4 ,we need not say how unlike is this description of the picture4 ,we pass on to--,not long ago1 ,i was slowly descending this very bit of carriage road1 the first turn after you leave ,albano2--it had been wild weather when ,i left ,rome1 and all across the ,campagna the clouds were sweeping in sulphurous blue1 with a clap of thunder or two1 and breaking gleams of sun along the ,claudian aqueduct1 lighting up the infinity of its arches like the bridge of ,chaos4 ,but as ,i climbed the long slope of the ,alban mount1 the storm swept finally to the north1 and the noble outline of the domes of ,albano1 and graceful darkness of its ilex grove rose against pure streaks of alternate blue and amber1 the upper sky gradually flushing through the last fragments of rain-cloud in deep1 palpitating azure1 half aether half dew4 ,the noonday sun came slanting down the rocky slopes of ,la ,riccia1 and its masses of entangled and tall foliage1 whose autumnal tints were mixed with the wet verdure of a thousand evergreens1 were penetrated with it as with rain4 ,i cannot call it colour1 it was conflagration4 ,purple1 and crimson1 and scarlet1 like the curtains of ,god's tabernacle1 the rejoicing trees sank into the valley in showers of light1 every separate leaf quivering with buoyant and burning life2 each1 as it turned to reflect or to transmit the sunbeam1 first a torch and then an emerald4 ,far up into the recesses of the valley1 the green vistas arched like the hollows of mighty waves of some crystalline sea1 with the arbutus flowers dashed along their flanks for foam1 and silver flakes of orange spray tossed into the air around them1 breaking over the grey walls of rock into a thousand separate stars1 fading and kindling alternately as the weak wind lifted and let them fall4 ,every glade of grass burned like the golden floor of heaven1 opening in sudden gleams as the foliage broke and closed above it1 as sheet lightning opens in a cloud at sunset2 the motionless masses of dark rock--dark though flushed with scarlet lichen--casting their quiet shadows across its restless radiance1 the fountain underneath them filling its marble hollow with blue mist and fitful sound1 and over all--the multitudinous bars of amber and rose1 the sacred clouds that have no darkness1 and only exist to illumine1 were seen in fathomless intervals between the solemn and orbed repose of the stone pines1 passing to lose themselves in the last1 white1 blinding lustre of the measureless line where the ,campagna melted into the blaze of the sea4 ,in verity1 this is no ,campana ,supellex4 ,it is a riddle6 ,is he going up or down hill--or both at once8 ,no human being can tell4 ,he did not like the sulphur and treacle of our ,scotch connoisseurs2 but what colours has he not added here to his sulphur--colours1 too1 that we fear for the idea of truth cannot coexist6 ,and how1 in the name of optics1 could it be possible for any painter to take in all this1 with the fathomless intervals1 into an angle of vision of forty-five degrees8 ,it is quite superfluous to ask who is likest this1 ,turner or ,poussin8 ,there immediately follows a remark upon another picture in the ,national ,gallery1 the ,mercury and ,woodman1 by ,salvator ,rosa1 than which nothing can be more untrue to the original4 ,he asserts that ,salvator painted the distant mountains1 throughout1 without one instant of variation4 ,but what is its colour8 ,pure sky-blue1 without one grain of grey1 or any modifying hue whatsoever2--the same brush which had just given the bluest parts of the sky1 has been more loaded at the same part of the pallette1 and the whole mountain throw in with unmitigated ultramarine4 ,now the fact is1 that the picture has1 in this part1 been so injured1 that it is hard to say what colour is under the dirty brown-asphaltum hue and texture that covers it4 ,it is certainly not blue now1 not pure blue--unless pictures change like the cameleon4 ,we know the picture well1 and have seen another of the same subject1 where the mountains have variety1 and yet are blue4 ,we believe a great sum was given for this picture--far more than its condition justifies4 ,we must return--we left the graduate discussing ideas of truth4 ,there is a chapter to show that the truth of nature is not to be discerned by the uneducated senses4 ,as we do not perceive all sounds that enter the ear1 so do we not perceive all that is cognizable by the eye--we have1 that is1 a power of nullifying an impression2 that this habit is so common1 that from the abstraction of their minds to other subjects1 there are probably persons who never saw any thing beautiful4 ,sensibility to the power of beauty is required--and to see rightly1 there should be a perfect state of moral feeling4 ,even when we think we see with our eyes1 our perception is often the result of memory1 of previous knowledge2 and it is in this way he accounts for the mistake painters and others make with respect to ,italian skies4 ,what will ,mr ,uwin and his followers in blue say to this1 alas--,italian skies are not blue8 ,how many people are misled by what has been said and sung of the serenity of ,italian skies1 to suppose they must be more blue than the skies of the north1 and think that they see them so2 whereas the sky of ,italy is far more dull and grey in colour than the skies of the north1 and is distinguished only by its intense repose of light4 ,benevenuto ,cellini speaks of the mist of ,italy4 ,repose of light is rather a novelty--he is fond of it4 ,but then ,turner paints with pure white--for ourselves we are with the generality of mankind who prefer the repose of shade4 ,ask a connoisseur1 who has scampered over all ,europe1 the shape of the leaf of an elm1 and the chances are ninety to one that he cannot tell you2 and yet he will be voluble of criticism on every painted landscape from ,dresden to ,madrid--and why not8 ,the chances are ninety to one that the merits of not a single picture shall depend upon this knowledge1 and yet the pictures shall be good and the connoisseur right4 ,one man sees what another does not see in portraits4 ,undoubtedly2 but how any one is to find in a portrait the following1 we are at a loss to conceive4 ,the third has caught the trace of all that was most hidden and most mighty1 when all hypocrisy and all habit1 and all petty and passing emotion--the ice1 and the bank1 and the foam of the immortal river--were shivered and broken1 and swallowed up in the awakening of its inward strength1 c4 ,how can a man with a pen in his hand let such stuff as this drop from his fingers' ends8 ,in the chapter on the relative importance of truths1 there is a little needless display of logic--needless1 for we find1 after all1 he does not dispute the kind of truths proper to be represented by the painter or sculptor1 though he combats the maxim that general truths are preferable to particular4 ,his examples are quite out of art1 whether one be spoken of as a man or as ,sir ,isaac ,newton4 ,even logically speaking1 ,sir ,isaac ,newton may be the whole of the subject1 and as such a whole might require a generality4 ,there may be many particulars that are best sunk4 ,so1 in a picture made up of many parts1 it should have a generality totally independent of the particularities of the parts1 which must be so represented as not to interfere with that general idea1 and which may be altogether in the mind of the artist4 ,this little discussion seems to arise from a sort of quibble on the word important4 ,sir ,joshua and others1 who abet the generality maxim1 mean no more than that it is of importance to a picture that it contain1 fully expressed1 one general idea1 with which no parts are to interfere1 but that the parts will interfere if each part be represented with its most particular truth--and that1 therefore1 drapery should be drapery merely1 not silk or satin1 where high truths of the subject are to be impressed4 ,colour is a secondary truth1 therefore less important than form4 ,he1 therefore1 who has neglected a truth of form for a truth of colour1 has neglected a greater truth for a less one4 ,it is true with regard to any individual object--but we doubt if it be always so in picture4 ,the character of the picture may not at all depend upon form--nay1 it is possible that the painter may wish to draw away the mind altogether from the beauty1 and even correctness of form1 his subject being effect and colour1 that shall be predominant1 and to which form shall be quite subservient1 and little more of it than such as chiaro-scuro shall give2 and in such a case colour is the more important truth1 because in it lies the sentiment of the picture4 ,the mystery of ,rembrandt would vanish were beauty of form introduced in many of his pictures4 ,we remember a picture1 the most impressive picture perhaps ever painted1 and that by a modern too1 ,danby's ,opening of the ,sixth ,seal4 ,now1 though there are fine parts in this picture1 the real power of the picture is in its colour--it is awful4 ,we are no enemy to modern painters2 we think this a work of the highest genius--and as such1 should be most proud to see it deposited in our ,national ,gallery4 ,we further say1 that in some respects it carries the art beyond the old practice4 ,but1 then1 we may say it is a new subject4 ,it is not certain whether any two people see the same colours in things4 ,though that does not affect the question of the importance of colour1 for it must imply a defect in the individuals1 for undoubtedly there is such a thing as nature's harmony of colour2 yet it may be admitted1 that things are not always known by their colour2 nay1 that the actual local colour of objects is mainly altered by effects of light1 and we are accustomed to see the same things1 quoad colour1 variously presented to us--and the inference that we think artists may draw from this fact is1 that there will be allowed them a great licence in all cases of colour1 and that naturalness may be preserved without exactness--and here will lie the value of a true theory of the harmony of colours1 and the application of colouring to pictures1 most suitable to the intended impression1 not the most appropriate to the objects4 ,we have often laid some stress upon this in the pages of ,maga--and we think it has been too much omitted in the consideration of artists4 ,every one knows what is called a ,claude glass4 ,we see nature through a coloured medium--yet we do not doubt that we are looking at nature--at trees1 at water1 at skies--nay1 we admire the colour--see its harmony and many beauties--yet we know them to be1 if we may use the term1 misrepresented4 ,while speaking of the ,claude glass1 it will not be amiss to notice a peculiarity4 ,it shows a picture--when the unaided eye will not2 it heightens illumination--brings out the most delicate lights1 scarcely perceptible to the naked eye1 and gives greater power to the shades1 yet preserves their delicacy4 ,it seems to annihilate all those rays of light1 which1 as it were1 intercept the picture--that come between the eye and the object4 ,but to return to colour--we say that it must1 in the midst of its license1 preserve its naturalness--which it will do if it have a meaning in itself4 ,but when we are called upon to question what is the meaning of this or that colour1 how does its effect agree with the subject8 why is it outrageously yellow or white1 or blue or red1 or a jumble of all these8--which are questions1 we confess1 that we and the public have often asked1 with regard to ,turner's late pictures--we do not acknowledge a naturalness--the license has been abused--not sumpta pudenter4 ,it is not because the vividness of a blade of grass or a scarlet flower shall be beyond the power of pigment1 that a general glare and obtrusion of such colours throughout a picture can be justified4 ,we are astonished that any man with eyes should see the unnaturalness in colour of ,salvator and ,titian1 and not see it in ,turner's recent pictures1 where it is offensive because more glaring4 ,those masters sacrificed1 if it be a sacrifice1 something to repose--repose is the thing to be sacrificed according to the notions of too many of our modern schools4 ,it is likewise singular1 after all the falsehoods which he asserts the old masters to have painted1 that he should speak of imitation--as their whole aim1 their sole intention to deceive2 and yet he describes their pictures as unlike nature in the detail and in the general as can be1 strangely missing their object--deception4 ,we fear the truths1 particulars of which occupy the remainder of the volume--of earth1 water1 skies1 c4--are very minute truths1 which1 whether true or false1 are of very little importance to art1 unless it be to those branches of art which may treat the whole of each particular truth as the whole of a subject1 a line of art that may produce a multitude of works1 like certain scenes of dramatic effect1 surprising to see once1 but are soon powerless--can we hope to say of such1 decies repetita placebunt8 ,they will be the fascinations of the view schools1 nay1 may even delight the geologist and the herbalist1 but utterly disgust the imaginative4 ,this kind of knowledge is not power in art4 ,we want not to see water anatomized2 the ,alps may be tomahawked and scalped by geologists1 yet may they be sorry painters4 ,and we can point to the general admiration of the world1 learned and unlearned1 that a contemptible fragment of a splintery crag has been found to answer all the purposes of an impression of the greatness of nature1 her free1 great1 and awful forms1 and that depth1 shades1 power of chiaro-scuro1 are found in nature to be strongest in objects of no very great magnitude2 for our vision requires nearness1 and we want not the knowledge that a mountain is #bj1jjj feet high1 to be convinced that it is quite large enough to crush man and all his works2 and that they1 who1 in their terror of a greater pressure1 would call upon the mountains to cover them1 and the holes of rocks to hide them1 would think very little of the measurement of the mountains1 or how the caverns of the earth are made4 ,greatness and sublimity are quite other things4 ,we shall not very systematically carry our views1 therefore1 into the detail of these truths1 but shall just pick here and there a passage or so1 that may strike us either for its utility or its absurdity4 ,with regard to truth of tone1 he observes--that the finely-toned pictures of the old masters are some of the notes of nature played two or three octaves below her key1 the dark objects in the middle distance having precisely the same relation to the light of the sky which they have in nature1 but the light being necessarily infinitely lowered1 and the mass of the shadow deepened in the same degree4 ,i have often been struck1 when looking at a camera-obscura on a dark day1 with the exact resemblance the image bore to one of the finest pictures of the old masters4 ,we only ask if1 when looking at the picture in the camera1 he did not still recognize nature--and then1 if it was beautiful1 we might ask him if it was not true2 and then when he asserts our highest light being white paper1 and that not white enough for the light of nature--we would ask if1 in the camera1 he did not see the picture on white paper--and if the whiteness of paper be not the exact whiteness of nature1 or white as ordinary nature8 ,but there is a quality in the light of nature that mere whiteness will not give1 and which1 in fact1 is scarcely ever seen in nature merely in what is quite white2 we mean brilliancy--that glaze1 as it were1 between the object and the eye which makes it not so much light as bright4 ,now this quality of light was thought by the old masters to be the most important one of light1 extending to the half tones and even in the shadows1 where there is still light2 and this by art and lowering the tone they were able to give1 so that we see not the value of the praise when he says-- ,turner starts from the beginning with a totally different principle4 ,he boldly takes pure white--and justly1 for it is the sign of the most intense sunbeams--for his highest light1 and lamp-black for his deepest shade1 c4 ,now1 if white be the sign of the most intense sunbeams1 it is as we never wish to see them2 what under a tropical sun may be white is not quite white with us2 and we always find it disagreeable in proportion as it approaches to pure white4 ,we never saw yet in nature a sky or a cloud pure white2 so that here certainly is one of the fallacies1 we will not call them falsehoods4 ,but as far as we can judge of nature's ideas of light and colour1 it is her object to tone them down1 and to give us very little1 if any1 of this raw white1 and we would not say that the old masters did not follow her method of doing it4 ,but we will say1 that the object of art1 at any rate1 is to make all things look agreeable2 and that human eyes cannot bear without pain those raw whites and too searching lights2 and that nature has given to them an ever present power of glazing down and reducing them1 when she added to the eye the sieve1 our eyelashes1 through which we look1 which we employ for this purpose1 and desire not to be dragged at any time--,sub curru nimium propinqui solis4 ,after this praise of white1 one does not expect--,i think nature mixes yellow with almost every one of her hues2 but this is said merely in aversion to purple4 ,i think the first approach to viciousness of colour in any master1 is commonly indicated chiefly by a prevalence of purple and an absence of yellow4 ,i am equally certain that ,turner is distinguished from all the vicious colourists of the present day1 by the foundation of all his tones being black1 yellow1 and intermediate greys1 while the tendency of our common glare-seekers is invariably to pure1 cold1 impossible purples4 ,silent nymph1 with curious eye1 ,who the purple evening lie1 saith ,dyer1 in his landscape of ,grongar ,hill4 ,the glare-seekers is curious enough1 when we remember the graduate's description of landscapes1 7of course ,turner's17 and his excursions2 but we think we have seen many purples in ,turner1 and that opposed to his flaming red in sunsets4 ,he prefers warmth where most people feel cold--this is not surprising2 but as to picture is it true8 ,my own feelings would guide me rather to the warm greys of such pictures as the ',snow-,storm1' or the glowing scarlet and gold of the ',napoleon' and the ',slave ,ship4' ,the two latter must be well remembered by all ,exhibition visitors2 they were the strangest things imaginable in colour as in every particle that should be art or nature4 ,there is a whimsical quotation from ,wordsworth1 the keenest-eyed1 page #ade4 ,his object is to show the strength of shadow--how the shadows on the trunk of the tree become darker and more conspicuous than any part of the boughs or limbs2 so1 for this strength and blackness1 we have-- ,at the root ,of that tall pine1 the shadow of whose bare ,and slender stem1 while here ,i sit at eve1 ,oft stretches tow'rds me1 like a long straight path1 ,traced faintly in the greensward4 ,of the truth of space1 he says that in a real landscape1 we can see the whole of what would be called the middle distance and distance together1 with facility and clearness2 but while we do so1 we can see nothing in the foreground beyond a vague and indistinct arrangement of lines and colours2 and that if1 on the contrary1 we look at any foreground object1 so as to receive a distinct impression of it1 the distance and middle distance become all disorder and mystery4 ,and therefore1 if in a painting our foreground is any thing1 our distance must be nothing1 and vice versa4 ,now1 to this fact and principle1 no landscape painter of the old school1 as far as ,i remember1 ever paid the slightest attention4 ,finishing their foregrounds clearly and sharply1 and with vigorous impression on the eye1 giving even the leaves of their bushes and grass with perfect edge and shape1 they proceeded into the distance with equal attention to what they could see of its details1 c4 ,but he had blamed ,claude for not having given the exactness and distinct shape and colour of leaves in foreground4 ,the fact is1 the picture should be as a piece of nature framed in4 ,within that frame1 we should not see distinctly the foreground and distance at the same instant3 but1 as we have stated1 the eye and mind are rapid1 the one to see1 the other to combine2 and as a horse let loose into a field1 runs to the extremity of it and around it1 the first thing he does--so do we range over every part of the picture1 but with wondrous rapidity1 before our impression of the whole is perfect4 ,we must not1 therefore1 slur over any thing2 the difficulty in art is to give the necessary1 and so made necessary1 detail of foreground unostentatiously--to paint nothing1 that which is to tell as nothing1 but so as it shall satisfy upon examination2 and we think so the old masters did paint the foregrounds1 particularly ,gaspar ,poussin--so ,titian1 so ,domenichino1 and all of any merit4 ,but this is merely an introduction1 not to a palliation of1 but the approbation and praise of a glaring defect in ,turner4 ,turner introduced a new era in landscape art1 by showing that the foreground might be sunk for the distance1 and that it was possible to express immediate proximity to the spectator1 without giving any thing like completeness to the forms of the near objects4 ,we are now1 therefore1 prepared for an absurd justification of the want of drawing in ,turner's figures1 thus contemptuously1 with regard to all but himself1 accounted for4 ,and now we see the reason for the singular1 and1 to the ignorant in art1 the offensive execution of ,turner's figures4 ,i do not mean to assert that there is any reason whatsoever for bad drawing1 7though in landscape it matters exceedingly little27 but there is both reason and necessity for that want of drawing which gives even the nearest figures round balls with four pink spots in them instead of faces1 and four dashes of the brush instead of hands and feet2 for it is totally impossible that if the eye be adapted to receive the rays proceeding from the utmost distance1 and some partial impression from all the distances1 it should be capable of perceiving more of the forms and features of near figures than ,turner gives4 ,yet what wonderful detail has he required from ,canaletti and others8--,but is there any reason why we should have pink spots8--is there any reason why ,turner's foreground figures should resemble penny ,german dolls8--and for the reason we have above given1 there ought to be reason why the figures should be made out1 at least as they are in a camera-obscura4 ,we here speak of nature1 of truth1 and with him ask1 it may be all very well--but is it true8 ,but we have another fault to find with ,turner's figures2 they are often bad in intention4 ,what can be more absurd and incongruous1 for instance1 than in a picture of elemental war--a sea-coast--than to put a child and its nurse in foreground1 the child crying because it has lost its hoop1 or some such thing8 ,it is according to his truth of space1 that distances should have every hair's-breadth filled up1 all its infinity1 with infinities of objects1 but that whatever is near1 if figures1 may be pink spots1 and four dashes of the brush4 ,while with ,poussin--masses which result from the eclipse of details are contemptible and painful2 and he thinks ,poussin has but meaningless tricks of clever execution--forgetting that all art is but a trick--yet one of those tricks worth knowing1 and yet which how few have acquired6 ,surely our author is not well acquainted with ,hobbima's works2 that painter had not a niggling execution4 ,a single dusty roll of ,turner's brush is more truly expressive of the infinity of foliage1 than the niggling of ,hobbima could have rendered his canvass1 if he had worked on it till doomsday4 ,our author seems to have studied skies1 such as they are in ,turner or in nature4 ,he talks of them with no inconsiderable swagger of observation1 while the old masters had no observation at all2--their blunt and feelingless eyes never perceived it in nature2 and their untaught imaginations were not likely to originate it in study4 ,what is the it1 will be asked--we believe it to be a cirrus1 and that a cirrus is the subject of a chapter to itself4 ,this beard of the sky1 however1 instead of growing below1 is quite above1 never formed below an elevation of at least #ae1jjj feet1 are motionless1 multitudinous lines of delicate vapour1 with which the blue of the open sky is commonly streaked or speckled after several days of fine weather4 ,they are more commonly known as 'mare's tails4' ,having found this mare's nest1 he delights in it4 ,it is the glory of modern masters4 ,he becomes inflated1 and lifts himself #ae1jjj feet above the level of the understanding of all old masters1 and1 as we think1 of most modern readers1 as thus3--,one alone has taken notice of the neglected upper sky2 it is his peculiar and favourite field2 he has watched its every modification1 and given its every phase and feature2 at all hours1 in all seasons1 he has followed its passions and its changes1 and has brought down and laid open to the world another apocalypse of heaven4 ,very well1 considering that the cirrus never touches even the highest mountains of ,europe1 to follow its phase 7query faces7 and feature #ae1jjj feet high1 and given pink dots1 four pink dots for the faces and features of human beings within fifteen feet of his brush4 ,we will not say whether the old masters painted this cirrus or not4 ,we believe they painted what they and we see1 at least so much as suited their pictures--but as they were not1 generally speaking1 exclusively sky-painters1 but painters of subjects to which the skies were subordinate1 they may be fairly held excused for this their lack of ballooning after the cirrus2 and we thank them that they were not glare-seekers1 threading their way1 with it before them1 among the then transparent clouds1 while all around the sun is unshadowed fire4 ,we lose him altogether in the central cloud region1 where he helps nature pretty considerably as she melts even the unoccupied azure into palpitating shades1 and hopelessly turns the corner of common observation1 and escapes among the fifty aisles penetrating through angelic chapels to the shechinah of the blue4 ,we must expect him to descend a little vain of his exploit1 and so he does--and wonders not that the form and colour of ,turner should be misunderstood1 for they require for the full perception of their meaning and truth1 such knowledge and such time as not one in a thousand possesses1 or can bestow4 ,the inference is1 that the graduate has graduated a successful phaeton1 driving ,mr ,turner's chariot through all the signs of the zodiac4 ,so he sends all artists1 ancient and modern1 to ,mr ,turner's country1 as a magnificent statement1 all truth--that is1 impetuous clouds1 twisted rain1 flickering sunshine1 fleeting shadow1 gushing water1 and oppressed cattle--yes1 more1 it wants repose1 and there it is--,high and far above the dark volumes of the swift rain-cloud1 are seen on the left1 through their opening1 the quiet1 horizontal1 silent flakes of the highest cirrus1 resting in the repose of the deep sky2 and there they are1 delicate1 soft1 passing vapours1 and there is the exquisite depth and palpitating tenderness of the blue with which they are islanded4 ,thus islanded in tenderness1 what wonder is it if ,ixion embraced a cloud8 ,let not the modern lover of nature entertain such a thought2 ,bright ,phoebus is no minor canon to smile complacently on the matter2 he has a jealousy in him1 and won't let any be in a melting mood with the clouds but himself2 he tears aside your curtains1 and steam-like rags of capricious vapour--the mouldering sun1 seeming not far away1 but burning like a red-hot ball beside you1 and as if you could reach it1 plunges through the rushing wind and rolling cloud with headlong fall1 as if it meant to rise no more1 dyeing all the air about it with blood4 ,this is no fanciful description1 but among the comparative views of nature's and of ,turner's skies1 as seen1 and verified upon his affidavit1 by a graduate of ,oxford2 who may have an indisposition to boast of his exclusive privilege4 ,aerobato kai periphrono ton helion4 ,accordingly1 in the effects of light rendered by modern art1 our author is very particular indeed4 ,his extraordinary knowledge of the sun's position1 to a hair's-breadth in ,mr ,turner's pictures1 and minute of the day1 is quite surprising4 ,he gives a table of two pages and a-half1 of position and moment1 morning1 noon1 and afternoon1 evening and night4 ,in more than one instance1 he is so close1 as five minutes before sunset4 ,having settled the matter of the sky1 our author takes the earth in hand1 and tosses it about like a ,titan4 ,the spirit of the hills is action1 that of the lowlands1 repose2 and between these there is to be found every variety of motion and of rest1 from the inactive plain1 sleeping like the firmament1 with cities for stars1 to the fiery peaks which1 with heaving bosoms and exulting limbs1 with clouds drifting like hair from their bright foreheads1 lift up their ,titan hands to heaven saying1 ',i live for ever4' ,we learn1 too1 a wonderful power in the excited earth1 far beyond that which other naturalists describe of the lobster1 who only1 ad libitum1 casts off a claw or so4 ,but there is this difference between the action of the earth and that of a living creature1 that while the exerted limb marks its bones and tendons through the flesh1 the excited earth casts off the flesh altogether1 and its bones come out from beneath4 ,mountains are the bones of the earth1 their highest peaks are invariably those parts of its anatomy1 which in the plains lie buried under five-and-twenty thousand feet of solid thickness of superincumbent soil1 and which spring up in the mountain ranges in vast pyramids or wedges1 flinging their garment of earth away from them on each side4 ,if the gentle sketcher should happily escape a cuff from these cast-off clothes flung by excited earth from her extremities1 he may be satisfied with repose in the lap of mother earth1 who must be considerably fat and cushioned1 though some may entertain a fear of being overlaid4 ,what is the artist to do with an earth like this1 body and bones8 ,when he sits down to sketch some placid landscape1 is he to think of poor nature with her bones sticking out from twenty-five thousand feet of her solid flesh6 ,mother of ,gargantia--thou wert but a dwarf6 ,salvator ,rosa could not paint rock2 ,gaspar ,poussin could not paint rock4 ,a rock1 in short1 is such a thing as nobody ought to paint1 or can paint but ,turner2 and all that1 after his description of rock1 we believe2 but were not prepared to learn that the foreground of the ',napoleon' in last year's ,academy1 is one of the most exquisite pieces of rock truth ever put on canvass4 ,in fact1 we really1 in ignorance to be ashamed of1 did not know there was any rock there at all4 ,we only remember ,napoleon and his cocked-hat--now1 this is extraordinary2 for as we only or chiefly remember the cocked-hat1 so he sees the said cocked-hat in ,salvator's rocks1 where we never saw such a thing1 though he has succeeded in covering his foregrounds with forms which approximate to those of drapery1 of ribands1 of crushed cocked-hats1 of locks of hair1 of waves1 of leaves1 or any thing1 in short1 flexible or tough1 but which1 of course1 are not only unlike1 but directly contrary to the forms which nature has impressed on rocks4 ,and the nature of rocks he must know1 having the ,napoleon before him4 ,in the ',napoleon' ,i can illustrate by no better example1 for ,i can reason as well from this as ,i could with my foot on the native rock4 ,what rocks of ,salvator's1 besides the ,no4 #bbj of the ,dulwich gallery1 he has seen1 we cannot pretend to say2 we have1 within these few days1 seen one1 and could not discover the commas1 the ,chinese for rocks1 nor ,sanscrit for rocks1 but did read the language of nature1 without the necessity of any writing under--,this is a rock4 ,poor ,claude1 he knew nothing of perspective1 and his efforts invariably ended in reducing his pond to the form of a round ,o1 and making it look perpendicular2 but in one instance ,claude luckily hits upon a little bit of accidental truth2 he is circumstantial in its locality--the little piece of ground above the cattle1 between the head of the brown cow and the tail of the white one1 is well articulated1 just where it turns into shade4 ,after the entire failure of all artists that ever lived before ,turner in land and skies1 we are prepared to find that they had not the least idea of water4 ,when they thought they painted water1 in fact1 they were like those happier children1 sliding on dry ground1 and had not the chance of wetting a foot4 ,water1 too1 is a thing to be anatomized1 a sort of rib-fluidity4 ,the moving1 transparent water1 in shallow and in depth1 of ,vandervelde and ,backhuysen1 is not the least like water2 they are men who libelled the sea4 ,many of our moderns--,stanfield in particular--seem naturally web-footed2 but the real ,triton of the sea1 as he was ,titan of the earth1 is ,turner4 ,to our own eyes1 in this respect1 he stands indebted to the engraver2 for we do not remember a single sea-piece by ,turner1 in water-colour or oil1 in which the water is liquid4 ,what it is like1 in the picture of the ,slave-ship1 which is considered one of his very finest productions1 we defy any one to tell4 ,we are led to guess it is meant for water1 by the strange fish that take their pastime4 ,a year or two ago were exhibited two sea-pieces1 of nearly equal size1 at the ,british ,institution1 by ,vandervelde and ,turner4 ,it was certainly one of ,turner's best2 but how inferior was the water and the sky to the water and sky in ,vandervelde6 ,in ,turner they were both rocky4 ,we say not this to the disparagement of ,turner's genius4 ,he had not studied these elements as did ,vandervelde4 ,the two painters ought not to be compared together2 and we humbly think that any man who should pronounce of ,vandervelde and ,backhuysen1 that they libelled the sea1 convicts himself of a wondrous lack of taste and feeling4 ,of their works he thus speaks--,as it is1 ,i believe there is scarcely such another instance to be found in the history of man1 of the epidemic aberration of mind into which multitudes fall by infection1 as is furnished by the value set upon the works of these men4 ,of water1 he says--,nothing can hinder water from being a reflecting medium but dry dust or filth of some kind on its surface4 ,dirty water1 if the foul matter be dissolved or suspended in the liquid1 reflects just as clearly and sharply as pure water1 only the image is coloured by the hue of the mixed matter1 and becomes comparatively brown or dark4 ,we entirely deny this1 from constant observation4 ,within this week we have been studying a stream1 which has alternated in its clearness and muddiness4 ,we found the reflection not only less clear in the latter case1 but instead of brown and dark1 to have lost its brownness1 and to have become lighter4 ,to understand the curves of water being beyond the reach of most who are not graduates of ,oxford2 and painters and admirers of old masters being people without sense1 at least in comparison with the graduate1 he thus disposes of his learned difficulty3--,this is a point1 however1 on which it is impossible to argue without going into high mathematics1 and even then the nature of particular curves1 as given by the brush1 would be scarcely demonstrable2 and ,i am the less disposed to take much trouble about it1 because ,i think that the persons who are really fond of these works are almost beyond the reach of argument4 ,the celebrated ,mrs ,partington once endeavoured1 at ,sidmouth1 to dispose of these curves1 and failed2 and we suspect a stronger reason than the incapacity of his readers for our author's thus disposing of the subject4 ,we believe the world would not give a pin's head for all the seas that ever might be painted upon these mathematical curves2 and that1 in painting1 even a graduate's high mathematics are but a very low affair4 ,but let us enliven the reader with something really high--and here is1 in very high-flown prose1 part of a description of a waterfall2 and it will tell him a secret1 that in the midst of these fine falls1 nature keeps a furnace and steam-engine continually at work1 and having the fire at hand1 sends up rockets--if you doubt--read3--,and how all the hollows of that foam burn with green fire1 like so much shattering chrysoprase2 and how1 ever and anon1 startling you with its white flash1 a jet of spray leaps hissing out of the fall1 like a rocket1 bursting in the wind1 and driven away in dust1 filling the air with light2 and how1 through the curdling wreaths of the restless1 crashing abyss below1 the blue of the water1 paled by the foam in its body1 shows purer than the sky through white rain-cloud1 while the shuddering iris stoops in tremulous stillness over all1 fading and flashing alternately through the choking spray and shattered sunshine1 hiding itself at last among the thick golden leaves1 which toss to and fro in sympathy with the wild water1 their dripping masses lifted at intervals1 like sheaves of loaded corn1 by some stronger gush from the cataract1 and bowed again upon the mossy rocks as its roar dies away4 ,satque superque satis--we cannot go on4 ,there is nothing like calling things by their contraries--it is truly startling4 ,whenever you speak of water1 treat it as fire--of fire1 vice versa1 as water2 and be sure to send them all shattering out of reach and discrimination of all sense2 and look into a dictionary for some such word as chrysoprase1 which we find to come from chrysos gold1 and prason a leek1 and means a precious stone2 it is capable of being shattered1 together with sunshine--the reader will think the whole passage a flash of moonshine4 ,but there is a discovery--,i believe1 when you have stood by this for half an hour1 you will have discovered that there is something more in nature than has been given by ,ruysdael4 ,you will indeed--if this be nature6 ,but1 alas1 what have we not to undergo--to discover what water is1 and to become capable of judging of ,turner6 ,it is a comfort1 however1 that he is likely to have but few judges4 ,graduate has courage to undergo any thing4 ,ariel was nothing in his ubiquity to him1 though he put a span about the world in forty minutes2 but there was some apology for the public's not understanding this1 for few people have had the opportunity of seeing the sea at such a time1 and when they have1 cannot face it4 ,to hold by a mast or rock1 and watch it1 is a prolonged endurance of drowning1 which few people have courage to go through4 ,to those who have1 it is one of the noblest lessons in nature4 ,very few people1 indeed1 and those few involuntary experimentalists4 ,we are glad to get on dry land again1 brown furze or any thing--and here we must question one of his truths of vegetation3 he asserts1 that the stems of all trees1 the ordinary trees of ,europe1 do not taper1 but grow up or out1 in undiminished thickness1 till they throw out branch and bud1 and then go off again to the next of equal thickness4 ,we have carefully examined many trees this last week1 and find it is not the case2 in almost all1 the bulging at the bottom1 nearest the root1 is manifest4 ,there is an early association in our minds1 that the birch for instance is remarkably tapering in its twigs4 ,we would rather refer our sworn measurer to the factor than the painter1 and we very much question whether his top and top will meet the market4 ,we are satisfied the fact is not as he states it1 and surely nature works not by such measure rule4 ,we suspect1 for nature we should here read ,turner1 for his trees1 certainly1 are strange things2 it is true1 he generally shirks them4 ,we do not remember one picture that has a good1 true1 bona fide1 conspicuous tree in it4 ,the reader will not be surprised to learn that the worst painter of trees was ,gaspar ,poussin6 and that the perfection of trees is to be found in ,turner's ,marley1 where most people will think the trees look more like brooms than trees4 ,the chapter on the ,truth of ,turner concludes with a quotation--we presume the extract from a letter from ,mr ,turner to the author4 ,if so1 ,mr ,turner has somewhat caught the author's style1 and tells very simple truths in a very fine manner1 thus3--,i cannot gather the sunbeams out of the east1 or ,i would make them tell you what ,i have seen2 but read this1 and interpret this1 and let us remember together4 ,i cannot gather the gloom out of the night-sky1 or ,i would make that teach you what ,i have seen2 but read this1 and interpret this1 and let us feel together4 ,we must pause4 ,really we do not see the slightest necessity of an interpretation here4 ,it is a simple fact4 ,he cannot extract sunbeams from cucumbers--from the east1 we should say4 ,the only riddle seems to be1 that they should1 in one instance1 remember together1 and in the other1 feel together2 only we guess that1 being night-gloom1 people naturally feel about them in the dark4 ,but he proceeds--,and if you have not that within you which ,i can summon to my aid1 if you have not the sun in your spirit1 and the passion in your heart1 which my words may awaken1 though they be indistinct and swift1 leave me4 ,we must pause again2 here is a riddle3 what can be the meaning of having the sun in one's spirit8--is it any thing like having the moon in one's head8 ,we give it up4 ,the passion in the heart we suppose to be dead asleep1 and the words and voice harsh and grating1 and so it is awakened4 ,but what that if1 or if not1 has to do with leave me1 we cannot conjecture2 but this we do venture to conjecture1 that to expect our graduate ever to leave ,mr ,turner is one of the most hopeless of all ,mr ,turner's ,fallacies of ,hope4 ,but the writer proceeds with a for--that appears1 nevertheless1 a pretty considerable non-sequitur4 ,for ,i will give you no patient mockery1 no laborious insult of that glorious nature1 whose ,i am and whom ,i serve4 ,here the graduate is treated as a servant1 and the writer of the letter assumes the ,pythian1 the truly oracular vein4 ,let other servants imitate the voice and the gesture of their master while they forget his message4 ,hear that message from me1 but remember that the teaching of ,divine ,truth must still be a mystery4 ,like master like man4 ,both are in the ,cambyses' vein4 ,we do not think that landscape painters will either gain or lose much by the publication of this volume1 unless it be some mortification to be so sillily lauded as some of our very respectable painters are4 ,we do not think that the pictorial world1 either in taste or practice1 will be ,turnerized by this palpably fulsome1 nonsensical praise4 ,in this our graduate is semper idem1 and to keep up his idolatry to the sticking-point1 terminates the volume with a prayer1 and begs all the people of ,england to join in it--a prayer to ,mr ,turner6 ,a ,,royal ,,salute4 ,should you like to be a queen1 ,christina8 ,this question was addressed by an old man1 whose head was bent carefully over a chess-board1 to a young lady who was apparently rather tired of the lesson she had taken in that interesting game4 ,queen of hearts1 do you mean8 answered the girl1 patting with the greatest appearance of fondness a dreadfully ugly little dog that lay in her lap4 ,queen of hearts1 replied the minister1 with a smile2 you are that already1 my dear4 ,but have you no other ambition8 he added1 tapping sagaciously the lid of a magnificently ornamented snuff-box1 on which was depicted one of the ugliest monarchs that ever puzzled a court-painter to make him human4 ,why should my ambition go further8 said ,christina4 ,i have more subjects already than ,i know how to govern4 ,no doubt--no doubt--,i knew very well that you could not avoid having subjects2 but ,i hope and trust you have had too much sense to receive their allegiance4 ,the old man was proud of carrying on the metaphor so well1 and of asking the question so delicately4 ,it was quite evident he had been in the diplomatic line4 ,how can ,i help it8 enquired the young beauty1 passing her hand over the back of the disgusting little pet1 which showed its teeth in a very uncouth fashion whenever the paternal voice was raised a little too high4 ,but1 ,i assure you1 ,i pay no attention to allegiance1 which ,i consider my right4 ,there is but one person's homage ,i care for---- ,the brow of the ,prime ,minister of ,sweden grew very black1 and his face had something of the benign expression of the growling pug on his daughter's knee4 ,who is that person1 ,christina8 ,but ,christina looked at her father with an alarmed glance1 which she shortly after converted into a smile1 and went on in her pleasing occupation of smoothing the raven down of her favourite1 but did not say a word4 ,the father1 who seemed to be no great judge of pantomime1 repeated his question4 ,who is that person1 ,christina8 ,christina disdained hypocrisy1 and1 moreover1 was immensely spoiled4 ,who should it be1 but your gallant nephew1 ,adolphus ,hesse1 dear father8 ,you haven't had the impudence1 ,i hope1 to engage yourself to that boy8 ,boy--why he is twenty-one6 ,he is my oldest friend--we learned all our lessons together4 ,i can't recollect the time we were not engaged1 it is so long since we loved each other6 ,nonsense6 ,you were brought up together by his mother2 it is nothing but sisterly affection4 ,not at all--not at all6 cried ,christina2 it would make me quite miserable if ,adolphus were my brother4 ,it is all you must think him1 nevertheless4 ,he has no fortune2 he has nothing but his commission2 and my generosity is---- ,immense1 my dear father2 inexhaustible6 ,and then ,adolphus is so brave--so magnanimous2 and1 upon my word1 when ,i saw how much he liked me1 and heard him speak so much more delightfully than any body else1 ,i never thought of asking if he was rich2 and you know you love him yourself1 dear father4 ,christina neglected the pug in her lap for a moment1 and laid her hand coaxingly on the old man's shoulder4 ,but not enough to make him my heir1 said the ,count1 gruffly4 ,christina renewed her attentions to the dog4 ,he would be your heir notwithstanding1 she said1 if ,i were to die4 ,there was something in the tone of her voice1 or the idea suggested of her death1 that softened the old man4 ,he looked for a long time at the young and beautiful face of his child2 and the shade of uneasiness her words had raised1 disappeared from his brow4 ,there is nothing but life there1 he said1 gently tapping her on the forehead2 and therefore ,i must marry you1 my girl6 ,and you will make us the happiest couple in the world4 ,adolphus will be so grateful1 said ,christina1 her bright eyes sparkling through tears4 ,who the devil said a word about ,adolphus8 said the father1 looking angrily at ,christina2 but he added immediately in a softer tone1 when he saw the real emotion of his daughter--,poor girl1 you have been sadly spoiled6 ,you have had too much of your own way1 and now you ask me to do what is impossible4 ,be a reasonable girl1 there's a darling6 and your aunt will present you at court4 ,you will see such grand things--you will know our gallant young ,king--only be reasonable6 ,the rude monster6 cried ,christina1 starting up as if tired of the conversation4 ,i have no wish to know him4 ,they say he hates women4 ,a calumny1 my dear girl2 he is very fond of one at all events4 ,is she pretty8 ,and mischievous as yourself4 ,as ,i8 enquired ,christina1 and fell into a long reverie1 while the ,count smiled as if he had made an excellent hit4 ,but ,i have never seen him1 papa1 she said1 awakening all of a sudden4 ,he may have seen you though2 and he says---- ,oh1 what does he say8 ,do tell me what the ,king says8 ,poh6 ,what do you want to know about what a rude monster says--that hates women8 answered the father with another smile of satisfaction4 ,but he is a king1 papa6 ,what does he say8 ,i am quite anxious to know4 ,but the minister of state had gained his object2 he had excited curiosity1 and determined not to gratify it4 ,at last he said1 as he rose to quit the apartment--,let us turn the conversation1 ,christina2 we have nothing to do with kings1 and must content ourselves with humbler subjects4 ,an officer will sup with us to-night1 whom ,i wish you very much to please4 ,he has influence with the ,king2 and if you have any regard for my interest you will receive him well4 ,i intend him for your husband4 ,i won't have him6 cried ,christina1 running after her father as he left the room4 ,i won't have him6 ,if ,i don't marry ,adolphus1 ,i won't marry at all6 ,heaven grant it1 sweet cousin6 said ,adolphus ,hesse in propria persona1 emerging from behind the window-curtains1 where1 by some miraculous concatenation of events1 he had found himself ensconced for the last hour4 ',tis delightful to act the spy1 and hear an advocate so persuasive as you have been1 ,christina--but the cause is desperate4 ,who told you1 sir1 the cause was desperate8 said ,christina1 pretending to look offended4 ,the battle is half gained--my father's anger disappears in a moment4 ,now1 dear ,adolphus1 don't sigh--don't cross your arms--don't look up to the sky with that heroic frown--,i can't bear to groan and be dismal--,i want to be gay--to have a ball--to----,we shall have such a ball the day of our wedding1 ,adolphus6 ,your hopes deceive you1 dearest ,christina4 ,i know your father better than you do4 ,ah6 he added1 gazing sadly on the beautiful features of the young girl who looked on him so brightly1 you will never be able to resist the brilliant offer that will be made you in exchange for one faithful1 loving heart4 ,indeed6 replied ,christina1 feeling her eyes filling with tears1 but endeavouring at the same time to conceal her emotion under an affectation of anger1 your opinion of me is not very flattering2 and it is not in very good taste1 methinks1 to play the despairing lover1 especially after the conversation you so honourably overheard4 ,dry that tear1 dear girl6 said ,adolphus1 ,i will believe any thing you like4 ,why do you make me cry then8 ,is it only to have the pleasure of telling me to dry my tears8 ,or did you think you had some rival2 some splendid cavalier that it was impossible to resist--,count ,ericson1 for instance8 ,oh6 as to ,ericson ,i am not at all uneasy4 ,i know you hate him2 and besides he is not much richer than myself2 but1 dear ,christina---- ,well--go on1 said the girl1 mocking the lugubrious tone of her cousin--what are you sighing again for8 ,your father is going to bring you a new lover this evening1 and poor ,adolphus will be forgotten4 ,you deserve it for all your ridiculous suspicions3 but you are my cousin1 and ,i forgive you this once4 ,she looked at him with so sunny a smile1 and so clear and open-hearted a countenance1 that it was impossible to entertain a doubt4 ,you love me really1 then8 he said--truly--faithfully8 ,i have told you so a hundred times1 replied his cousin4 ,i am astonished you are not tired of hearing the same thing over and over again4 ',tis so sweet1 so new a thing for me1 said ,adolphus1 and ,i could listen to it for ever4 ,well1 then1 we love each other--that's very clear1 said ,christina1 with the solemnity of the foreman of a jury delivering a verdict on the clearest evidence2 but since my father won't let us marry1 we must wait--that is almost as clear as the other4 ,and if he never consents8 enquired ,adolphus4 ,never6 exclaimed ,christina1 to whom such an idea seemed never to have occurred1 can it be possible he will never consent8 ,i fear it is too possible1 replied ,adolphus1 and the shadow fell on his face again4 ,well1 said ,christina1 after a minute's pause1 as if she had come to a resolution1 we must always stay as we are4 ,happiness is never increased by an act of disobedience4 ,i think as you do1 said the young soldier1 admiring her all the more for the death-blow to his hopes2 and are you happy1 quite happy1 ,christina8 ,what a question6 ,don't ,i see you every day8 ,isn't every body kind to me8 ,is there any thing ,i want8 ,a different answer would have pleased the lover more4 ,he looked at her for some time in silence--at last1 in an altered tone1 he said-- ,i congratulate you on your prudence1 ,christina4 ,i cannot break my father's heart4 ,no1 but mine1 ,christina6 ,adolphus1 said the young beauty solemnly1 if ,i cannot be your wife with the consent of my father1 ,i never will marry another4 ,this is all you can ask2 all ,i can promise4 ,filial affection was not quite so strong in ,adolphus as in his cousin1 and his face was by no means brightened on hearing this declaration4 ,it was so uncommonly proper that it seemed nearly bordering on the cold and heartless4 ,he tried to hate her2 he walked up and down the room at a tremendous pace1 stopping every now and then to take another glance at the tyrant who had pronounced his doom1 and looked as beautiful as ever4 ,he found it impossible to hate her1 though we shall not enquire what were his sentiments towards her worthy progenitor1 ,count ,ericson1 the unknown lover1 and even the young heroic ,king2 for the sagacious reader must now be informed that this wonderful lovers' quarrel took place in the reign of ,charles ,,xii4 ,our fear is that he disliked all four4 ,christina found it very difficult to preserve the gravity essential to a heroine's appearance when she saw the long strides and bent brows of her lover4 ,a smile was ready1 on the slightest provocation1 to make a dimple in her beautiful cheek1 and all the biting she bestowed on her lips only made them redder and rosier4 ,adolphus had no inclination to smile1 and could not believe that any body could see the least temptation to indulge in such a ridiculous occupation on such a momentous occasion4 ,he was a regular lover1 as ,mr ,weller would say1 and no mistake4 ,he saw in his fair cousin only a treasure of inestimable price1 guarded by two monsters that made his approaches hopeless--avarice and ambition4 ,how differently those two young people viewed the same event6 ,christina1 knowing her power over her father1 and unluckily not knowing that fathers 7even though they are prime ministers1 and are as courtier-like as ,polonius7 have flinty hearts when their interests are concerned1 saw nothing in the present state of affairs to despair about2 and in fact1 as we have said already1 was nearly committing the unpardonable crime of laughing at the grimaces of her cousin4 ,he1 poor fellow1 knew the world a little better1 and perceived in a moment that the new lover whom the ambitious father was going to present to his daughter1 was some favourite of the king2 and he was well aware1 that any one backed by that impetuous monarch1 was in a fair way to success4 ,the king had seen ,christina too--and though despising love himself1 was in the habit of rewarding his favourite officers with the hand of the beauties or heiresses of his court2 and when1 as in this instance1 the lady chosen was both--how could he doubt that the king had already resolved that she should be the bride of some lucky rival1 against whose claims it would be impossible to contend8 ,and ,christina standing all the while before him1 scarcely able to restrain a laugh6 ,he was only twenty-one--and not half so steady as his grandfather would probably have shown himself in the same circumstances1 and being unable to vent his rage on any body else1 he poured it all forth upon himself4 ,what a fool ,i have been6--an ass--a dolt--to have been so blinded6 ,but ,i see now--,i deserve all ,i have got6 ,to have been so deceived by an absurd fit of love--that has lasted all my life1 too6 ,but no6--,i shall not repay my uncle's kindness to me by robbing him of his only child4 ,i shall go at once to my regiment--,i may be lucky enough to get into the way of a cannon--you will think kindly of me when ,i am gone1 though you are so unk---- ,the word died away upon his lips4 ,large tears filled ,christina's eyes1 and all her inclination to smile had disappeared4 ,there was something either in his looks or the tone of his voice1 or the thought of his being killed1 that banished all her gaiety2 and in a few minutes the quarrel was made up--the tears dried in the usual manner--vows made--hands joined--and resolutions passed and carried with the utmost unanimity1 that no power on earth should keep them from being married4 ,and a very good resolution it was4 ,the only pity was1 that it was not very likely to be carried into effect4 ,a father1 an unknown lover1 and a king1 all joined against a poor boy and girl4 ,the odds are very much against ,adolphus and ,christina4 ,now let us examine the real state of affairs as dispassionately as we can4 ,the ,count ,gyllenborg was ambitious1 as became a courtier with an only daughter who was acknowledged on all sides to be the most beautiful girl in ,sweden2 and as he was aware of the full value of red lips and sparkling eyes in the commerce of life1 he was determined to make the most of these perishable commodities while they were at their best1 and the particular make and colour of them were in fashion4 ,the ,count was rich--and with amply sufficient brains1 according to the dictum of one of his predecessors1 to govern a kingdom2 but he was not warlike2 and ,charles1 who had lately taken the power into his own hands1 knew nothing of mankind further than that they were made to be drawn up in opposite lines1 and make holes in each other as scientifically as they could4 ,count ,gyllenborg had a decided objection to being made a receptacle for lead bullets or steel swords2 and was by no means anxious to murder a single ,russian or ,german1 for the sake of the honour of the thing1 or for the good of his country4 ,his power resting only on his adroitness in civil affairs1 was therefore not on the surest foundation2 and a prop to it was accordingly wanted4 ,such a prop had never been seen before1 with such sunny looks1 and such a happy musical laugh4 ,the looks and the laugh between them1 converted the atmosphere of ,stockholm into the climate of ,italy2 and the politician1 almost without knowing it1 began to be thawed into a father4 ,but the fear of a rival in the ,king's favour--some gallant soldier--and dozens of them were reported every week--made him resolve once more to bring his daughter's beauties into play4 ,the king had seen her1 and1 in his boorish way1 had expressed his admiration2 and ,gyllenborg felt assured1 that if he should marry his daughter according to the ,king's wishes1 his influence would be greater than ever2 and1 in fact1 that the premiership would be his for life4 ,great preparations accordingly were made for the reception of the powerful stranger1 the announcement of whose appearance at supper had spread such dismay in the hearts of the two lovers4 ,christina knew almost instinctively her father's plan1 and determined to counteract it4 ,she felt sure that the officer for whom she was destined1 and whom she had been ordered to receive so particularly1 was one of the new favourites of the warlike king2 some leader of a forlorn-hope1 created colonel on the field of battle2 some young general fresh from some heroic achievement1 that had endeared him to his chief2 but whoever it was1 she was resolved to show him that the crown of ,sweden was a very limited monarchy in regard to its female subjects1 and that she would have nobody for her husband--neither count1 nor colonel1 nor general--but only her cousin ,adolphus1 lieutenant in the ,dalecarlian hussars4 ,notwithstanding this resolution1 it is astonishing what a time she stayed before the glass--how often she tried different coloured roses in her hair--how carefully she fitted on her new ,parisian robes1 and1 in short1 did every thing in her power to look her very best4 ,what did all this arise from8 ,she wished to show this young favourite1 whoever he might be1 that she was really as beautiful as people had told him2 she wished to convince him that her smile was as sweet1 her teeth as white1 her eyes as captivating1 her figure as superb1 as he had heard them described--and then she wished to show him that all these--smiles--eyes--teeth--figure1 were given1 along with the heart that made them truly valuable1 to another6 and that other no favourite of a king--nor even of a minister1 but only of a young girl of eighteen4 ,radiant with beauty1 and conscious of the sensation she was certain to create1 she entered the magnificent apartment where supper was prepared--a supper splendid and costly enough to have satisfied a whole army of epicures1 though only intended for her father1 the stranger1 and herself2 and if you1 oh reader6 had been there1 you would have thought ,christina lovely enough to have excited the admiration of a whole court instead of an old man--and that1 too1 her father--and a young one1 and that none other1 to ,christina's infinite disgust1 than the very ,count ,ericson whose acquaintance she had already made1 and whom she infinitely and unappeasably disliked4 ,he was the most awkward1 stupid-looking young man she ever saw1 and had furnished her with a butt for her malicious pleasantries ever since she had known him4 ,he rose to lead her to her seat4 ,how different from ,adolphus6 ,if he is no better performer in the battle-field than at the supper-table1 the ,king must be very ill off for soldiers4 ,what can papa mean by asking such a horrid being to his house8 ,i am certain ,i shall laugh outright if ,i look again at his silly grey eyes and long yellow hair1 as ragged as a pony's mane4 ,such were ,christina's thoughts1 while she bit her lips to hide if possible her inclination to be angry1 and to laugh at the same time4 ,and in truth her dislike of the ,count did not exaggerate the ridiculousness of the appearance of the tall ungainly figure--large-boned and stiff-backed--that now stood before her--with a nose so absurdly aquiline that it would have done for a caricature--coarse-skinned cheeks1 and a stare of military impudence that shocked and nearly frightened the high-bred1 elegant-looking beauty on whom it was fixed4 ,and yet this individual1 such as we have described1 had been fixed on by the higher powers for her husband--was this night to be treated as her accepted lover1 and1 in short1 had been closeted for hours every day with her father--settling all the preliminaries of course--for the last six weeks4 ,christina looked once more at the insolent stare of the triumphant soldier1 and made a vow to die rather than speak to him--that is1 in the affirmative4 ,but thoughts of affirmatives and negatives did not seem to enter ,count ,ericson's head--his grammatical education having probably been neglected4 ,he stood gaping at his prey as a tiger may be supposed to cast insinuating looks upon a lamb1 and made every now and then an attempt to conceal either his awkwardness1 or satisfaction1 or both1 in immense fits of laughter1 which formed the accompaniment of all the remarks--and they were nearly as heavy as himself--with which he favoured the company4 ,christina1 on her part1 if she had given way to the dictates of her indignation1 would have also favoured the company with a few remarks1 that in all probability would have put a stop to the laughter of the lover1 and choked her old father by making a fish-bone stick in his throat4 ,she was angry for twenty reasons1 one of them was having wasted a moment over her toilette to receive such a visitor as ,count ,ericson2 another was her father having dared to offer her hand to such an uncouth wooer and intolerable bore2 and the principal one of all1 was his having rejected his own nephew--undoubtedly the handsomest of ,dalecarlian hussars--in favour of such a vulgar1 ugly individual4 ,the subject of these flattering considerations seemed to feel at last that he ought to say something to the young beauty1 on whose pouting lip had gathered something which was very different indeed from a smile1 and yet nearly as captivating4 ,he accordingly turned his large light eyes from his plate for a moment1 and with a mouth still filled with a leg and wing of a capercailzie1 enquired-- ,what do you think of ,alexander the ,great1 madam8 ,this was too much4 ,even her rage disappeared1 and she burst into a loud laugh at the serious face of the querist4 ,i never think of ,alexander the ,great at all1 she said4 ,i only recollect1 that when ,i was reading his history1 ,i could hardly make out whether he was most of a fool or a madman4 ,ericson swallowed the leg and the wing of the capercailzie without any further mastication1 and launched out in a torrent of admiration of the most prodigious courage the world had ever seen4 ,if he had been as prodigiously wise1 replied ,christina1 as he was prodigiously courageous1 he would have learned to govern himself before he attempted to govern the world4 ,ericson blushed from chin to forehead with vexation1 and answered in an offended tone-- ,how can a woman enter into the fever of noble thoughts that impels a brave man to rush into the midst of dangers1 and leads him to despise life and all its petty enjoyments to gain undying fame8 ,no1 indeed1 she replied1 ,i have no fever1 and have no sympathy with destroyers4 ,oh1 if ,i wished for fame1 ,i should try to gain it by gathering round me the blessings of all who saw me6 ,yes1 father1 she went on1 paying no regard to the signs and winks of the agonized ,count ,gyllenborg1 ,i would rather that countless thousands should live to bless me1 than that they should die in heaping curses on my name6 ,men-killers--though you dignify them with the name of heroes--are atrocious4 ,let us speak of them1 my lord1 no more1 unless to pray heaven to rid the earth of such monsters4 ,a feather of the smallest of birds would have knocked down the ,prime ,minister of ,sweden2 and ,count ,ericson appeared1 from his stupefied look1 to have gone through the process already--the difficulty was to lift him up again4 ,come1 ,count1 cried the ,minister1 filling up ,ericson's glass with champagne1 to ,alexander's glory6 ,with all my heart1 cried ,ericson1 moistening his rage with the delicious sparkler4 ,come1 fair savage1 he added1 addressing ,christina1 and touching her glass with such force that it fell in a thousand pieces on the table--to ,alexander's glory6 ,i have no wish to drink to such a toast1 replied ,christina1 more offended than ever2 ,i can't endure those scourges of human kind who hide the skin of the tiger beneath the royal robe4 ,the girl is mad6 exclaimed the astonished father1 who seemed to begin to be slightly alarmed at the flashes of indignation that burst from ,count ,ericson's wild-looking eyes4 ,don't mind what such a silly thing says2 she does it only to show her cleverness4 ,what does she know of war or warriors8 ,she cares for nothing yet but her puppy-dog4 ,she pats it all day1 and lets it bite her pretty little hand4 ,such a hand it is to refuse a pledge to ,alexander6 ,the politician was on the right track2 for such a pretty hand was not in ,sweden--nor probably in ,denmark either--and the cunning old minister took it between his finger and thumb1 and placed it almost on the lip of the irate young worshipper of glory2 if it did not actually touch the lip it went very near it1 and distinctly moved one or two of the most prominent tufts of the stout yellow mustache4 ,the little goose1 pursued the respectable sire1 to pretend to have an opinion on any subject except the colour of a riband4 ,upon my honour1 ,i believe she presumes to be a critic of warriors1 because she plays a good game of chess4 ,it is one of her accomplishments1 ,count2 and if you will take a little of the conceit out of her1 you will confer an infinite obligation on both of us4 ,saying this1 he lifted with his own ministerial fingers a small table from a corner of the room1 and placed it in front of the youthful couple1 with the men all ready laid out4 ,ericson's eyes sparkled at the sight of his favourite game2 and he determined to display his utmost skill1 and teach his antagonist a few secrets of the art of 7mimic7 war4 ,but determinations1 as has been remarked by several sages1 past and present1 are sometimes vain4 ,nothing1 one would think1 could be so likely to restore a man's self-possession as a quiet game of chess--an occupation as efficacious in soothing the savage breast as music itself4 ,but ,ericson seemed still agitated from the contradictions he had encountered from the free-spoken ,christina1 and threw a little more politeness into his manner than he had hitherto vouchsafed to show1 when he invited her to be his adversary in a game4 ,but1 if ,i beat you8 she said ominously1 holding up one of the fair fingers to which his attention had been so particularly called1 and implying by the question1 if you get angry when ,i only refuse your toast1 won't you eat me if ,i am the winner at chess8 ,but1 if ,i beat you8 she said4 ,that will not be the only occasion on which you will have triumphed over me1 you--you----,he seemed greatly at a loss for a word1 and concluded his speech with--beauty6 ,this expression1 which was1 no doubt1 intended for the most complimentary he could find1 was accompanied with a look of admiration so long1 so broad1 and so impudent1 that she blushed1 and a squeeze of her hand so hard1 so rough1 and so continued1 that she screamed4 ,she threw a glance of inexpressible disdain on the insolent wooer1 and looked for protection to her father2 but that venerable individual was at that moment so sound asleep on one of the sofas at the other end of the room1 that no noise whatever could have awakened him4 ,ericson seemed totally unmoved by all the contempt she could express in her looks1 and probably thought he was in a thriving condition1 from the fact 7somewhat unusual7 of his being looked at at all4 ,she lost her temper altogether4 ,she covered her cheek1 which was flushed with anger1 with the little hand that was reddened with pain1 and resolved to play her worst to spite her ill-mannered antagonist4 ,but all her attempts at bad play were useless4 ,the board shook beneath the immense hands of ,ericson1 who was in a tremendous state of agitation1 and hardly knew the pieces4 ,he pushed then hither and thither--made his knights slide along with the episcopal propriety of bishops1 and made his bishops caracole across the squares with the unseemly elasticity of knights4 ,his game got into such confusion1 that ,christina could not avoid winning1 and at last--enjoying the victory she had determined not to win--she cried out1 with a voice of triumph1 ,check to the king by the queen4 ,cruel girl6 exclaimed the ,count1 dashing his hand among the pieces with an energy that scattered them all upon the floor4 ,haven't you been anxious to make the king your prisoner8 ,but there is nothing to hinder him from saving himself1 answered ,christina1 looking round once more to her father1 who1 however1 pursued his slumber with the utmost assiduity and had apparently a very agreeable dream1 for a smile was evident at the corners of his mouth4 ,it is impossible to place the board as it was1 she continued1 trying to gather up the pieces1 and place castles1 knights1 and pawns in their proper position again4 ,don't try it--don't try it1 cried ,ericson1 losing all command of himself1 and pushing the board away from him1 till it spun over with all its men on the carpet4 ,the game is over--you have given me check1 and mated me6 ,and in a moment1 as if ashamed of the influence exercised over him by so very unwarlike an individual as a little girl of eighteen1 he hurried from the room1 stumbling over his enormous sword1 which got1 somehow or other1 between his legs1 and cursing his awkwardness and the absurd excess of admiration which caused it4 ,that man will surely never come here again1 said ,christina to her father1 as he entered the room an hour after the incidents of the chess-board2 for the obsequious minister had followed ,ericson in his rapid retreat1 and now returned radiant with joy1 as if his guest had been the most fascinating of men4 ,not come here again6 chuckled the father4 ,that's all you know about it4 ,he is dying with impatience to return1 and is angry with himself for having wasted the two precious hours of your society in the way he did4 ,he never had two such happy hours in his life4 ,happy6 is that what he calls happiness8 answered ,christina1 opening her eyes in amazement4 ,i don't know what his notions may be--but mine----oh1 father6 she cried1 emboldened by the smile she saw on the old man's countenance1 you are only trying me2 say you are only proving my constancy1 by persuading me that such a being as that has any wish to please me4 ,he is more in love with ,alexander the ,great than with me2 and he is quite right1 for he has a far better chance of a return4 ,an enthusiasm excusable1 my dear1 in a young warrior of twenty years of age1 whose savage ambition it will be your delightful task to tame4 ,he is in a terrible state of agitation--a most flattering thing1 let me tell you1 to a young gipsy like you--and you must humour him a little1 and not break out quite so fiercely1 you minx2 and yet you managed very well1 too4 ,a fine fellow1 ,ericson1 though a little wild2 rich1 powerful1 nobly born--what can you wish for better8 ,my cousin1 answered ,christina1 with a bluntness that astonished the advocate of ,ericson's claims2 my cousin ,adolphus1 and no other4 ,he is braver than this savage2 and as to nobility1 he is as nobly born as my own right honourable papa1 and that is high enough for me4 ,go1 go1 said the courtier1 a little puzzled by the openness of his daughter's confession1 and kissing her forehead at the same time2 go to bed1 my girl1 and pray for your father's advancement4 ,christina1 like a dutiful child1 prayed as she was told for her father's success and happiness1 and then added a petition of her own1 shorter1 perhaps1 but quite as sincere1 for her cousin ,adolphus4 ,if she added one for herself1 it was a work of supererogation1 for she felt that in praying for the happiness of her lover1 she was not unmindful of her own4 ,for some days after the supper recorded above1 she was too happy tormenting the very object of all these aspirations1 to trouble her head about the awkward and ill-mannered protege of her father1 whom she hated with as much cordiality as the most jealous of rivals could desire4 ,but of course she was extremely careful to let no glimpse of this unchristian feeling towards ,count ,ericson be perceptible to the person who would have rejoiced in it so much4 ,in fact1 she carried her philanthropy to such a pitch1 that she never mentioned any of the bad qualities of her new admirer1 and ,adolphus very naturally concluded that she felt as she spoke on the interesting subject4 ,so1 all of a sudden1 ,adolphus1 who was prouder than ,christina1 perhaps because he was poorer1 would not condescend to be made a fool of1 as he magnanimously thought it1 any longer4 ,he had the immense satisfaction of staying away from the house for nearly half a week1 and then1 when he did pay a visit1 he was almost as cold as the formal piece of diplomacy in the bag-wig and ruffles whom he called his uncle2 and a great deal stiffer than the beautiful piece of pique1 in silk gown and white satin corset1 whom he called his cousin4 ,christina was dismayed at the sudden change--,adolphus never spoke to her1 seldom looked at her1 and evidently left the coast clear--so she thought--for the rich and powerful rival her father had so strongly supported4 ,after much thinking1 some sulkiness1 and a good many fits of crying1 ,christina resolved1 as the best way of recovering her own peace of mind1 and the love of her cousin ,adolphus1 to put an end in a very decided manner to the pretensions of the ,count4 ,one day1 accordingly1 she watched her opportunity1 and followed with anxious eyes her father's retreat from the room1 under pretence of some important despatches to be sent off4 ,she found herself alone with the object of her dislike--and only waited for a beginning to the conversation1 that she might astonish his weak mind with the severity of her invectives4 ,in fact1 she had determined1 according to the vulgar phrase1 to tell him a bit of her mind--and a very small bit of it1 she was well aware1 would be sufficient to satisfy ,count ,ericson of the condition of all the rest4 ,but the lover was in a contemplative mood1 and stood as silent as a milestone1 and looking almost as animated and profound4 ,she sighed1 she coughed1 she drops her handkerchief4 ,all wouldn't do--the milestone took no notice--,christina at last grew angry1 and could contain herself no longer4 ,i dreamt of you last night1 she said by way of a beginning4 ,i hope in future you will leave my sleep undisturbed by your presumptuous presence4 ,it is bad enough to be forced to see you when one is awake4 ,and ,i1 also1 had a dream1 replied ,ericson1 starting from his reverie1 confused and only having heard the first part of the somewhat fierce attack4 ,i dreamt that you looked at me with a smile1 a long1 long look1 so sweet1 so winning4 ,it was a happy dream6 ,it was a false one1 she said1 with tremendous bitterness4 ,i know better where to direct my smiles1 whether ,i am awake or asleep4 ,and how did ,i appear to you8 asked the ,count1 presenting a splendid specimen in his astonished look of the state of mind called the dumfoundered by some learned philosophers1 and by others the flabbergasted4 ,you appeared to me like the nightmare6 frightful and unsupportable as you do to me now1 was the answer1 accompanied with the look and manner that showed she was a judge of nightmares1 and thought him a very unfavourable specimen of the animal4 ,ill-natured little tyrant6 cried ,ericson1 rushing to her1 teach me how you would have me love you1 and ,i will do everything you ask6 ,in a moment he had seized her in his arms1 and imprinted a kiss of prodigious violence on her cheek1 which was redder than fire with rage and surprise6 ,but the assault did not go unpunished4 ,the might of ,samson woke in that insulted bosom1 and lent such incredible weight to the blow that fell on the aggressor's ear1 that it took him a long time to believe that the thump proceeded from the beautiful little hand he had so often admired2 or1 in short1 from any thing but a twenty-four pounder4 ,he rubbed the wounded organ with astonishing assiduity for some time4 ,at last he said1 in a very calm and measured voice1 ,your father has deceived me1 young lady4 ,he led me to believe you did not receive my visits with indifference4 ,my father knows nothing about things of that kind1 replied ,christina1 still flaming with indignation1 or he never would have let such an ill-mannered monster into his house4 ,but he was right in saying ,i did not receive your visits with indifference2 your visits1 ,count ,ericson1 can never be indifferent to me1 and---- ,what more she would have said1 it is impossible to discover1 for she was interrupted by the sudden entrance of her cousin1 who only heard her last words1 and started back at what he considered so open a declaration of her attachment4 ,who are you1 sir8 asked ,ericson in an angry tone1 and with such an assumption of superiority1 that ,christina's hand tingled to give him a mark of regard on his other ear4 ,a soldier1 answered ,adolphus1 drawing his sword from its sheath and instead of directing it against his rival1 laying it haughtily on the table4 ,a soldier who has bled for his country1 and would be happy1 he added1 to die for it4 ,say you so8 said ,ericson1 then we are friends4 ,he held out his hand4 ,we are rivals1 replied ,adolphus1 drawing back4 ,christina loves you1 then8 enquired the ,count4 ,she has told me so2 and ,i was foolish enough to believe her4 ,it is now your turn to trust to the truth of a heartless woman4--,she has told you you are not an object of indifference to her1 and ,i resign my pretensions in your favour4 ,in whose favour8 cried ,christina1 trembling2 while tears sprang to her eyes4 ,the ,king's6 replied ,adolphus1 retiring sorrowfully4 ,christina sank on a seat1 and covered her face with her hands4 ,stay1 cried ,charles the ,twelfth in a voice of thunder2 stay1 ,i command you4 ,the young man obeyed2 biting his lip to conceal his emotion1 till the blood came4 ,i have seen you1 said the ,king1 but not in this house4 ,it was shut against me by my uncle when you were expected1 said ,adolphus4 ,and yet ,i have seen you somewhere4 ,what is your name8 ,adolphus ,hesse2 the son of a brave officer who died fighting for you1 and leaving me his misfortunes and the tears of his widow4 ,who told you ,i was not ,count ,ericson8 ,my eyes4 ,i know you well4 ,and ,i recollect you also1 said ,charles1 advancing to the young man with a manner very different from that which characterized him in his intercourse with the softer sex4 ,where did you get that scar on the left temple8 ,at ,nerva1 sire1 where we tamed the pride of the ,russians4 ,true1 true6 cried ,charles1 his nostrils dilated as if he snuffed up the carnage of the battle4 ,you need but this as your passport1 he continued1 placing his finger on the wound1 to ask me any favour1 ay1 even to measure swords with you1 as ,i daresay you would be delighted to do in so noble a quarrel as the present2 for on the day of that glorious fight1 ,i learned1 like you1 the duty of a soldier1 and the true dignity of a brave man4 ,by the balls that rattled about our heads so playfully1 give me your hand1 brother1 for we were baptized together in fire6 ,charles appeared to ,christina1 at this time1 quite a different man addressing his fellow soldier1 from what he had done upsetting the chess-board4 ,curiosity had dried her eyes1 and she lost not a word of the conversation4 ,the ,king turned to her with a smile4 ,by my sword1 ,christina6 ,i am but a poor wooer2 one movement of your hand1 and he touched his ear playfully as he spoke1 has banished all the silly thoughts that in a most traitorous manner had taken my heart prisoner4 ,speak1 then1 as forcibly as you act4 ,do you love this brave soldier8 ,yes1 sire4 ,who hinders the marriage8 ,the courtship of ,count ,ericson1 with which my father perpetually threatens me4 ,o ho6 thought ,charles1 ,i see how it is4 ,the ,king must console himself with the kiss1 and pass the blow on the ear to the minister4 ,christina1 he added aloud1 your father refuses to give you to the man you love2 but he'll do it now1 for it is my will4 ,you'll confess1 ,i am sure that if ,i was your nightmare as a lover1 ,i am not your enemy as king4 ,i confess it on my knees2 replied the humble beauty1 taking her place beside her cousin1 who knelt to his sovereign4 ,while ,charles joined the hands of the youthful pair1 he imprinted a kiss on the fair brow of ,christina2 the last he ever bestowed on woman4 ,your ,majesty pardons me then8 enquired the trembling girl4 ,if ,i had known it was the ,king1 ,i would not have hit so hard4 ,that same evening ,count ,gyllenborg signed a contract of marriage1 to which the name of ,count ,ericson was not appended1 though it was witnessed by ,charles the ,twelfth2 and in a few days afterwards1 the old politician presided at the wedding dinner1 and1 by royal command1 did the honours so nobly1 and appeared so well pleased on the occasion1 that nobody suspected that he had ever had higher dreams of ambition than to see his daughter happy2 and if such had been his object1 all ,sweden knew that in bestowing her on her cousin he was eminently successful4 ,,physical ,,science ,,in ,,england4 ,if ,alexander and ,archimedes1 evoked from their long sleep1 were to contemplate1 with minds calmed by removal from contemporaneous interests1 the state of mankind in the present year1 with what different feelings would they regard the influence of their respective lives upon the existing human world of #ahdc6 ,the ,macedonian would find the empire which it was the labour of his life to aggrandize1 frittered into parcels1 modeled1 remodeled1 subjected to various dynasties2 ,turks1 ,greeks1 ,russians1 still contending for portions of the territory which he had conjoined only to be dismembered2 he would find in these little or no trace of his ever having existed2 he would find that the unity of his vast political power had been severed before his body was yet entombed1 and his prediction1 that his funeral obsequies would be performed with bloody hands1 verily fulfilled4 ,in parts of the world which his living grasp had not seized1 he would also see little to remind him of his past existence4 ,would not mortification darken the brow of the resuscitated conqueror on discovering1 that when his name was mentioned in historic annals1 it was less as a polar star to guide1 than as a beacon to be avoided8 ,what would the ,syracusan see in this present epoch to remind him of himself8 ,would he see the man of #bab ,b4,c41 at all connected with the men of #ahdc ,a4,d48 ,yes4 ,in ,prussia1 ,austria1 ,france1 ,england1 ,america1 in every city of every civilized nation1 he would find the lever1 the pulley1 the mirror1 the specific gravimeter1 the geometric demonstration2 he would trace the influence of his mind in the power-loom1 the steam-engine1 in the building of the ,royal ,exchange1 in the ,great ,britain steam-ship2 he would find an application of his well-known invention1 the subject of a patent1 an important auxiliary to navigation4 ,alexander was a hero2 ,archimedes is one4 ,are we guilty of exaggeration in this contrast of the hero of ,war with him of ,science8 ,we think not4 ,it may undoubtedly be argued that ,alexander's life was productive of ultimate good1 that he did much to open ,asia to ,european civilization2 but would that consideration serve to soothe the gloomy ,shade8 ,to what does it amount but to the assertion that out of evil cometh good8 ,it was through no aim of his mind that this resulted1 nor are mankind indebted to him personally for a collateral effect of his existence4 ,as an instance of men of a more modern era1 let us take ,napoleon ,buonaparte1 ,emperor of ,france1 and ,james ,watt of ,greenock1 civil engineer4 ,the former applied the energies of a sagacious and comprehensive intellect to his own political aggrandizement2 the latter devoted his more modest talents to the improvement of a mechanical engine4 ,the former was and is1 par excellence1 a hero of history--we should scarcely find in the works of the most voluminous annalists the name of the latter4 ,what has ,napoleon done to entitle his name to occupy so prominent a position8 ,he has been the cause1 mediate or immediate1 of sacrificing the lives of two millions of men4#ag #ag ,from a rough calculation taken from the returns of those left dead on the fields of battle in which ,napoleon commanded1 from ,montenotte to ,waterloo1 we make the amount #a1haa1ejj2 and if we add those who died subsequently of their wounds in the petty skirmishes1 the losses in which are not reported1 and in the naval fights1 of which1 though ,napoleon was not present1 he was the cause1 the number given in the text will be far under the mark4 ,a picture of the fathers1 mothers1 wives1 children1 and relatives of these victims1 receiving the news of their death1 would give a lively idea of the benefits conferred upon the world by ,napoleon4 ,has the obscure ,watt done nothing to merit a page in the records of mankind8 ,walk ten miles in any manufacturing district1 enter any coal-mine1 examine the bank of ,england1 travel by the ,great ,western railway1 or navigate the ,danube1 the ,mediterranean1 the ,indian or the ,atlantic ,ocean--in each and all of these1 that giant slave1 the steam-engine1 will be seen1 an ever-living testimony to the services rendered to mankind by its subjugator4 ,attachment to a favourite pursuit is undoubtedly calculated to bias the judgment2 but1 however liable may be the obscure votary of science to override his hobby1 ,francis ,bacon1 ,lord ,high ,chancellor of ,england1 in ascribing to scientific discoverers a higher merit than to legislators1 emperors1 or patriots1 cannot be open to the charge of egoistic partiality4 ,what1 then1 says this illustrious witness8--,the introduction of noble inventions seems to hold by far the most excellent place among all human actions4 ,and this was the judgment of antiquity1 which attributed divine honours to inventors1 but conferred only heroical honours upon those who deserve well in civil affairs1 such as the founders of empires1 legislators1 and deliverers of their country4 ,and whoever rightly considers it1 will find this a judicious custom in former ages1 since the benefits of inventors may extend to all mankind1 but civil benefits only to particular countries or seats of men2 and these civil benefits seldom descend to more than a few ages1 whereas inventions are perpetuated through the course of time4 ,besides1 a state is seldom amended in its civil affairs without force and perturbation2 whilst inventions spread their advantage without doing injury or causing disturbance4#ah #ah ,nov4 ,org4 ,aph4 #bi4 ,the opinion of a man who had reached the highest point to which a civilian could aspire1 cannot1 when he estimates the honours of the ,chancellor as inferior to those of the natural philosopher1 be ascribed to misjudging enthusiasm or personal disappointment4 ,without1 however1 seeking1 for the sake of antithetic contrast1 to underrate the importance of political services1 civil or military1 or to exaggerate those of the man of science1 few1 we think1 will be disposed to deny that1 although the one may be temporarily more urgent and necessary to the well-being of an existing race1 yet that the benefits of the other are more lasting and universal4 ,if1 then1 the influence on mankind of the secluded inventor be more extensive and durable than that of the active politician--if there be any truth in the opinion of ,bacon1 that the greatest political changes are wrought by the peaceful under-current of science2 why is it that those who occupy the highest place as permanent benefactors of mankind1 are1 during their lifetime1 neglected and comparatively unknown2--that they obtain neither the tangible advantages of pecuniary emolument1 nor the more suitable1 but less lucrative1 honours of grateful homage8 ,it is the common cry to exclaim against the neglect of science in the present day4 ,alas6 history does not show us that our predecessors were more just to their scientific contemporaries4 ,the evil is to a great extent remediless1 the complaint to some extent irrational1 and unworthy the dignity of the cause4 ,the labourer in the field of science works not for the present1 but for succeeding generations2 he plants oaks for posterity1 and must not look for the gratitude of contemporaries4 ,men will remunerate less1 and be less grateful for1 prospective than for present good--for benefits secured to their posterity than to themselves2 the realization of the advantages is so distant1 that the amount of discount is coextensive with the debt3 it is only as the applications of science become more immediate1 that the cultivators of science can reasonably expect an adequate reward or appreciation4 ,even when practically applied1 we too frequently see that the original discoveries of the physical philosopher are but little valued by those who make a daily1 a most extensive1 and a most lucrative use of their results4 ,men talk of a million2 how few have ever counted one6 ,men walk along the ,strand1 ,fleet ,street1 ,ludgate ,hill2 how few think of the multiplied passions and powers which flit by them on their way--of the separate world which surrounds each passer-by--of the separate history1 external and internal1 of each--each possessing feelings1 motives of action1 characters1 differing from the others1 as the stamp of nature on his brow differs from his fellows6 ,thus1 also1 men's ears ring with the advancement of science1 men's beards wag with repetition of the novel powers which have been educed from material nature2 and if1 in our daily traffic1 we traverse without attention countless sands of thought1 how much more1 in our hackneyed talk of science1 do we neglect the debt we owe to thought--thought1 not the mere normal impulse of humanity1 but the carefully elaborated lucubration of minds1 of which the term thinking is emphatically predicable6 ,names which are met with but once in the annals of science1 and there1 dimly seen as a star of the least magnitude1 have perhaps earned that remote and obscure corner by painful self-denial1 by unwearied toil6 ,and yet not only these1 but others who have added to diligence high mental acumen or profundity1 whose wells of thought are1 compared with those of the general mass1 unfathomable1 earn but a careless1 occasional notice--are known but to few of those who daily reap the harvest which they have sown1 and who even boast of seeing further than they did1 as the dwarf on the shoulders of a giant can see further than the giant4 ,the first step of the unthinking is to deny the possibility of a given discovery1 the next is to assert that any one could have foreseen such discovery4 ,there are1 however1 points of higher import than gain or glory to which the philosopher must ever look1 and the absence of which must be a source of bitter disappointment and ground of just complaint4 ,the most important of these is1 that1 by national neglect1 the cause of science is injured1 her progress retarded4 ,not only is she not honoured1 she is dishonoured2 and in no civilized nation is this contempt of physical science carried to a greater extent than in ,england1 the country of commerce and of manufactures4 ,in this country1 should a father observe in his gifted son a tendency to physical philosophy1 he anxiously endeavours to dissuade him from this career1 knowing that not only will it tend to no worldly aggrandizement1 but that it will have the inevitable effect of lowering his position in what is called1 and justly called1 good society--the society of the most highly educated classes4 ,at one of our universities1 physical science is utterly neglected2 at the other1 only certain branches of it are cultivated4 ,there are1 it is true1 university professors of each branch of physics1 some of whom are able to collect a moderate number of pupils2 others are obliged to carry with them an assistant1 to whom alone they lecture1 as ,dean ,swift preached to his clerk4 ,but what part of the regular academic education does the study of ,natural ,philosophy occupy8 ,it forms no necessary part of the examinations for degrees2 no credit is attached to those who excel in its pursuit2 no prizes1 no fellowships1 no university distinction1 conferred upon its most successful votaries4 ,on the contrary1 physical1 or at all events experimental1 science is tabooed2 it is written down snobbish1 and its being so considered has much influence in making it so3 the necessity of manipulation is a sad drawback to the gentlemanliness of a pursuit4 ,bacon rebuked this fastidiousness1 but in vain4 ,we will1 moreover1 show those who1 in love with contemplation1 regard our frequent mention of experiments as something harsh1 unworthy1 and mechanical1 how they oppose the attainment of their own wishes1 since abstract contemplation1 and the construction and invention of experiments1 rest upon the same principles1 and are brought to perfection in a similar manner4#ai #ai ,impetus ,philosophici1 p4 #fha4 ,unfortunately1 the fact of experimental science being rejected by the educated classes and thrown in a great measure upon the artizans of a country1 has conducted1 among other evils1 to one of a most detrimental character2 viz4 the want of accuracy in scientific language1 and consequently the want of accuracy in ideas4 ,perfection in language1 as in every thing else1 is not to be attained1 and doubtless there are few of the most highly educated who would not1 in many cases1 assign different meanings to the same word2 but if some confusion on this subject is unavoidable1 how much is that confusion increased1 as regards scientific subjects1 by the mass of memoirs written by parties1 who1 however acute their mental perceptions may be1 yet1 from want of early education1 do not assign to words that accuracy of signification1 and do not possess that perspicuity of style1 which is absolutely necessary for the communication of ideas6 ,those1 therefore1 who1 with different notions of language1 read the writings of such as we are alluding to1 either fail to attach to them any definite meaning1 or attach one different from that which the authors intended to convey2 whence arises a want of reciprocal intelligence1 a want of unity of thought and purpose4 ,another defect arising from the circumstance that persons of a high order of education have not been generally the cultivators of experimental science in this country1 is1 that the path is thereby rendered more accessible to empiricism4 ,science1 beautiful in herself1 has thence a class of deformed disciples1 who succeed in entangling their false pretensions with the claims of true merit4 ,so much dust is puffed into the eyes of the public1 that it can hardly distinguish between works of durable importance and the ephemeral productions of empirics2 and those who would otherwise disdain the notoriety acquired by advertisement1 end in adopting the system as the only means to avoid the mortification of seeing their own ideas appropriated and uttered in another form and in another's name4#bj #bj ,in any thing we have above said1 we trust it is unnecessary to disclaim the slightest intention of discouraging those whose want of conventional advantages only renders their merit more conspicuous2 we find fault not with the uneducated for cultivating science1 but with the educated for neglecting it4 ,while the evils to which science is exposed by the necessarily unfashionable character of experimental manipulation are neither few nor trivial1 there are still evils which arise from the directly opposite cause--from excess of intellectual cultivation2 as is shown in the exclusive love of mathematics by a great number of philosophers4 ,minds which1 left to themselves1 might have eliminated the most valuable results1 have1 dazzled by the lustre cast by fashion upon abstract mathematical speculations1 lost themselves in a mazy labyrinth of transcendentals4 ,the fashion of mathematics has ruined many who might be most useful experimentalists2 but who1 wishing to take a higher flight1 seek to attain distinction in mathematical analysis1 and having acquired a certain celebrity for experimental research1 dissipate1 in simple equations1 the fame they had acquired in a field equally productive1 but not so select4 ,like ,claude1 who in his later years said1 ,buy my figures1 and ,i will give you my landscapes for nothing2 they fall in love with their own weakness1 and estimate their merit by the labour they have undergone1 not by the results they have deduced4 ,m4 ,comte expresses himself well on this subject4 ,mathematicians1 too frequently taking the means for the end1 have embarrassed ,natural ,philosophy with a crowd of analytical labours1 founded upon hypotheses extremely hazardous1 or even upon conceptions purely visionary2 and consequently sober-minded people can see in them really nothing more than simple mathematical exercises1 of which the abstract value is sometimes very striking1 without their influence1 in the slightest degree1 accelerating the natural progress of ,physics4#ba #ba ,cours de ,philosophie ,positive1 vol4 ii4 p4 #dji4 ,the cultivators of science1 despite the want of encouragement1 have1 like every other branch of the population1 increased rapidly in number1 and1 being thrown upon their own resources1 have organized ,,societies1 the number of which is daily increasing1 which do much good1 which do much harm4 ,they do good1 in so far as they carry out their professed objects of facilitating intercourse between votaries of similar branches of study--they do good by the more attainable communication of the researches of those who cannot afford1 or will not dare1 the ordinary channels of publication2 but who1 sanctioned by the judgment of a select tribunal1 are glad to work and to impart to the public the fruits of their labour--they give an esprit de corps1 which forms a bond of union to each section1 and induces a moral discipline in its ranks4 ,the investment of their funds in the collection of libraries or of apparatus1 the use of which becomes thus accessible to individuals1 to whom otherwise such acquisitions would have been hopeless1 is another meritorious object of their institution2 an object in many cases successfully carried out4 ,on the other hand1 they do harm1 by becoming the channels of selfish speculation1 their honorary offices being used as stepping-stones to lucrative ones1 thereby causing their influential members to please the givers of situations1 and to publish the trash of the impertinently ambitious1 the ,titmice of the ,credulous ,societies6 ,the ultra-ridiculous parade with which they have decked fair science1 giving her a vest of unmeaning hieroglyphics1 and thereby exposing her to the finger of scorn1 is another prominent and unsightly feature of such societies2 they do harm by the cliquerie which they generate1 collecting little knots of little men1 no individual of whom can stand his own ground1 but a group of whom1 by leaning hard together1 can1 and do1 exercise a most pernicious influence2 seeking petty gain and class celebrity1 they exert their joint-stock brains to convert science into pounds1 shillings1 and pence2 and1 when they have managed to poke one foot upon the ladder of notoriety1 use the other to kick furiously at the poor aspirants who attempt to follow them4 ,it has been frequently and strenuously urged1 that these societies1 or some of them1 should be supported by government1 and not dependent upon the subscriptions of their members4 ,the arguments in favour of such a measure are1 that by thus being accessible only to merit1 and not depending upon money1 their position would be more honourable and advantageous to the progress of science4 ,with regard to such societies generally1 this proposition is incapable of realization2 every year sees a new society of this description2 to annex many of these to government1 would involve difficulties which1 in the present state of politics1 would be insurmountable4 ,who1 for instance1 would pay taxes for them8 ,another1 and more reasonable1 proposition is1 that the government should establish and support one academy as a head and front of the others1 accessible only to men of high distinction1 who would be thus constituted the oligarchs of science4 ,of the advantage of this we have some doubts4 ,politics are already too much mixed up with all government appointments in ,england3 their influence is at present scarcely felt in science1 and we would not willingly risk an introduction so fraught with danger4 ,the want of such an academy certainly lessens the ,english in the eyes of the continental savans2 but could not such a one be organized1 and perhaps endowed1 by government1 without any permanent connexion with it8 ,if we compare the proceedings1 undoubtedly dignified and decorous1 of our ,royal ,society with those of the ,french ,academy1 we fear the balance will be found to be in favour of the latter4 ,at ,somerset ,house1 after the list of donations and abstract of former proceedings1 a paper1 or a portion of a paper1 is read upon some abstruse scientific subject1 and the meeting is adjourned in solemn silence1 no observation can be made upon it1 no question asked1 or explanation given4 ,the public is excluded1#bb and the greater part of the members generally exclude themselves1 very few having resolution enough to leave a comfortable dinner-table to bear the solemn formalities of such an evening4 ,the paper is next committed1 it is not known to whom1 reported on in private1 and either published1 or deposited in the archives of the ,society1 according to the judgment of the unknown irresponsible parties to whom it is committed4 ,let us now look at the proceedings of the ,french ,academy2 it is open to the public1 and the public take so great an interest in it1 that to secure a seat an early attendance is always requisite4 ,every scientific point of daily and passing interest is brought before it--comments1 such as occur at the time1 are made upon various points by the secretary1 or any other member who likes to make an observation--the more elaborate memoirs are read by the authors themselves1 and if any quaere or suggestion occurs to a member present1 he has an opportunity of being answered4 ,the memoir is then committed to parties whose names are publicly mentioned1 who bring out their report in public1 which report is read in public1 and may be answered by the author if he object to it4 ,lastly1 the whole proceedings are printed and published verbatim1 and circulated at the next weekly meeting1 while1 in the mean time1 the public press notices them freely4 ,that1 with all these advantages1 the ,french ,academy is not free from faults1 we are far from asserting2 that there is as much unseen manoeuvring and petty tyranny in this as in most other institutions1 is far from improbable2#bc but the effect upon the public1 and the zest and vitality which its proceedings give to science1 are undeniable1 and it is also undeniable that we have no scientific institution approaching to it in interest or value4 #bb ,each ,fellow can1 indeed1 by express permission of the ,society1 take with him two friends4 #bc ,an anonymous author1 who has attracted some attention in ,france1 in commenting on the rejection of ,victor ,hugo1 and the election of a physician1 says--that nothing could be more natural or proper1 as the senility and feebleness of the ,academie made it more in want of a physician than a poet4 ,the present perpetual secretary of the ,academy1 ,arago1 with much of prejudice1 much of egotism1 has talents most plastic1 an energy of character1 an indomitable will1 a force and perspicuity of expression1 which alone give to the sittings of the ,french ,academy a peculiar and surpassing interest1 but which1 in the ,english ,society1 would be entirely lost4 ,in quitting1 for the present1 the subject of scientific societies1 we must advert to a consequence of the increased number of candidates for scientific distinction of late years2 of which increase the number of these societies may be regarded as an exponent4 ,this increase1 although on the whole both a cause and a consequence of the advancement of science1 yet has in some respects lowered the high character of her cultivators by the competition it has necessarily engendered4 ,books tell us that the cultivation of science must elevate and expand the mind1 by keeping it apart from the jangling of worldly interests4 ,this dogma has its false as well as its true side1 more especially when in this1 as in every other field of human activity1 the number of competitors is rapidly increasing2 great watchfulness is requisite to resist temptations which beset the aspirant to success on this arena1 more perhaps than in any other4 ,the difficulty which the most honest find to avoid treading in the footsteps of others--the different aspect in which the same phenomena present themselves to different minds--the unwillingness which the mind experiences in renouncing published but erroneous opinions--are points of human weakness which1 not to mislead1 must be watched with assiduous care4 ,again1 the ease with which plagiarism is committed from the number of roads by which the same point may be reached1 is a great temptation to the waverer1 and a great trial of temper to the victim4 ,the disputants on the arenae of law1 politics1 or other pursuits1 the ostensible aim of which is worldly aggrandizement1 however animated in debate1 unsparing in satire1 reckless in their invective and recrimination1 seldom fail in their private intercourse to throw off the armour of professional antagonism1 and to extend to each other the ungloved hand of social cordiality4 ,on the other hand1 it is too frequent a spectacle in scientific circles to behold a careful wording of public controversy1 a gentle1 apologetic phraseology1 a correspondence never going beyond the retort courteous1 or quip modest1 while there exists an under-current of the bitterest personal jealousy1 the outward philosopher being strangely at variance with the inward man4 ,among the various circumstances which influence the progress of physical science in this country1 one of the most prominent is the ,patent law--a law in its intention beneficent2 but whether the practical working of it be useful1 either to science or its cultivators1 is a matter of grave doubt4 ,of the greater number of patents enrolled in that depot of practical science1 ,chancery ,lane1 by far the majority are beneficial only to the revenue2 and on the question of public economy1 whether or not the price paid by miscalculating ingenuity is a fair and politic source of revenue1 we shall not enter2 but on the reasons which lead so many to be dupes of their own self-esteem1 a few words may not be misspent4 ,the chief reason why a vast number of patents are unsuccessful1 is1 that it takes a long time 7longer generally than fourteen years1 the statutable limit of patent grants7 to make the workmen of a country familiar with a new manufacture4 ,a party1 therefore1 who proposes patenting an invention1 and who sits down and calculates the value of the material1 the time necessary for its manufacture1 and other essential data2 comparing these with the price at which it can be sold to obtain a remunerative profit1 seldom takes into consideration the time necessary1 first1 to accustom the journeymen workers to its construction1 and secondly1 to make known to the public its real value4 ,in the present universal competition1 puffing is carried on to such an extent1 that1 to give a fair chance of success1 not only must the first expense of a patent be incurred--no inconsiderable one either1 even supposing the patentee fortunate enough to escape litigation--but a large sum of money must be invested in advertisements1 with little immediate return2 hence it is that the most valuable patents1 viewed in relation to their scientific importance1 their ultimate public benefit1 and the merits of their inventors1 are seldom the most lucrative1 while a patent inkstand1 a boot-heel1 a shaving case1 or a button1 become rapidly a source of no inconsiderable profit4 ,is this beneficial to inventors8 ,is it an encouragement of science1 or a proper object of legislative provision1 that the improver of the most trivial mechanical application should be carefully protected1 while those who open the hidden sources of myriads of patents1 are unrewarded1 and incapable of remunerating themselves8 ,we seriously incline to think that1 as the matter at present stands1 an entire erasure from the statute-books of patent provision would be of service to science1 and perhaps to the community2 each tradesman would depend for success upon his own activity1 and the perfection he could give his manufacture1 and the scientific searcher after experimental truths would not find his path barred by prohibitions from speculative empirics4 ,according to the present patent laws1 it is more than questionable whether the discoverer of a great scientific principle could pursue his own discovery1 or whether he would not be arrested on the threshold by a subsequent patentee2 if ,jacobi lived in constitutional ,england instead of despotic ,russia1 it is doubtful if he could work out his discovery of the electrotype--we say doubtful2 for1 as far as we can learn1 it seems hitherto judicially undecided whether the mere use of a patent1 not for sale or a lucrative object1 is such a use within the statute of ,james as would be an infringement of a patentee's rights4 ,it appears to be settled1 that a previous experimental and unpublished use by one party1 does not prevent another subsequent inventor of the same process from patenting it2 and1 by parity of reasoning1 we should say1 that if a party have the advantage of patenting an invention which can be found to have been previously used1 but not for sale1 he should not have the additional privilege of prohibiting the same party1 or others1 from proceeding with their experiments4 ,there are1 however1 not wanting arguments for the other view4 ,the practice of a patented invention1 for one's own benefit or pleasure1 deprives the patentee of a possible source of profit2 for it cannot be said that the party experimenting1 if prohibited1 might not apply for a license to the patentee4 ,take1 for instance1 the notorious and justly censured patent of ,daguerre4 ,supposing1 for argument's sake1 this patent to be valid1 can a private individual1 under the existing patent laws1 take photographic views or portraits for his own amusement1 or in pursuance of scientific investigations8 ,if he cannot1 then is an exquisitely beautiful path of physics to be shut up for fourteen years2 or if he can1 then is the licensee1 a purchaser for value1 to be excluded from very many sources of pecuniary emolument8 ,to us1 the injury to the public1 in this and similar cases1 appears of incomparably greater consequence than that to the individual2 but what the authorities at ,westminster ,hall may say is another question4 ,even could the patent laws be so modified1 that the benefits derived from them could fall upon those scientific discoverers most justly entitled1 we are still doubtful as to their utility1 or whether they would contribute to the advancement of science1 which is the point of view in which we here principally regard them4 ,it would scarcely add to the dignity of philosophy1 or to the reverence due to its votaries1 to see them running with their various inventions to the patent office1 and afterwards spending their time in the courts of law1 defending their several claims4 ,they would thus entirely lose the respect due to them from their contemporaries and posterity1 and waste1 in pecuniary speculation1 time which might be more advantageously1 and without doubt more agreeably1 employed4 ,if parties look to money as their reward1 they have no right to look for fame2 to those who sell the produce of their brains1 the public owes no debt4 ,we have observed recently a strong tendency in men of no mean scientific pretensions to patent the results of their labours4 ,we blame them not3 it is a matter of free election on their part1 but we cannot praise them4 ,a writer in a recent number of the ,edinburgh ,review1 has the following remarks on the subject of ,mr ,talbot's patented invention of the ,calotype4 ,nor does the fate of the ,calotype redeem the treatment of her sister art1 7the ,daguerreotype47 ,the ,royal ,society1 the philosophical organ of the nation1 has refused to publish its processes in her transactions4 99 99 99 ,no representatives of the people unanimously recommended a national reward4 99 99 99 ,it gives us great pleasure to learn1 that though none of his 7,mr ,talbot's7 photographical discoveries adorn the transactions of the ,royal ,society1 yet the president and the council have adjudged him the ,rumford medals for the last biennial period4#bd #bd ,edin4 ,rev4 ,no4 #aei4 ,the notion of a national reward for the ,calotype scarcely requires a remark4 ,if1 after a discovery is once made and published1 every subsequent new process in the same art is to be nationally rewarded1 the income-tax must be at least quadrupled4 ,the complaint1 however1 against the ,royal ,society1 is not altogether groundless4 ,true it is that the first paper of ,mr ,talbot did not contain an account of the processes employed by him1 and therefore should not have been even read to the ,society2 but the paper on the ,calotype did contain such description1 and we see no reason why a society for the advancement of knowledge should not give publicity to a valuable process1 though made the subject of a patent--but it certainly should not bestow an honorary reward upon an inventor who has withheld from the ,royal ,society and the public the practice of the invention whose processes he communicates4 ,mr ,talbot had a perfect right to patent his invention1 but has on that account no claim in respect of the same invention to an honorary reward4 ,the ,royal ,society did not publish his paper1 but awarded him a medal4 ,in our opinion1 they should have published his paper and not awarded him a medal4 ,regarded as to her national encouragement of science1 there are some features in which ,england differs not from other countries2 there are others in which she may be strikingly contrasted with them2 and1 with all our love for her1 we fear she will suffer by the contrast4 ,a learned writer of the present day1 has the following passage in reference to the state of science in ,england as contrasted with other countries3--,when the proud science of ,england pines in obscurity1 blighted by the absence of the royal favour and the nation's sympathy2 when her chivalry fall unwept and unhonoured1 how can it sustain the conflict against the honoured and marshalled genius of foreign lands8#be #be ,brewster's ,life of ,newton1 p4 #ce4 ,this1 to be sure1 is somewhat tumultuous4 ,we do not1 however1 cite it as a specimen of composition1 but as an expression of a very prevalent feeling2 the opinion involved in the concluding quaere is open to doubt--,england does sustain the conflict1 if any conflict there be to sustain2 but we are bound to admit1 that in no country are the soldiers of science militant less honoured or rewarded4 ,it is no uncommon remark1 that despotic governments are the most favourable to the cultivation of the arts and sciences4 ,there is1 perhaps1 a general truth in this1 and the causes are not difficult of recognition4 ,in a republican or constitutional government1 politics are the all-engrossing topics of a people's thought1 the never-ending theme of conversation2--in purely despotic states1 such discussions are prohibited1 and the contemplation of such subjects confined to a few restless or patriotic spirits4 ,it must also be ever the policy of absolute monarchs to open channels for the public mind1 which may divert it from political considerations4 ,take ,america and ,austria as existing instances of this contrast3 in the former1 the universality of political conversation is an object of remark to all travellers2 in the latter1 even books which touch at all on political matters are rigidly excluded4 ,these are among the causes which strike us as most prominent1 but whose effects obtain only when despotism is not so gross as to be an incubus upon the whole moral and intellectual energies of a people4 ,we should lose sight of the objects proposed in these pages1 and also transgress our assigned limits1 were we to enter into detail upon the present state of science in ,europe1 or trace the causes which have influenced her progress in each state4 ,this would form a sufficient thesis for a separate essay2 but we will not pass over this branch of our subject1 without venturing to express an opinion on the delicate and embarrassing question as to what rank each nation holds as a promoter of physical science4 ,in experimental and theoretical ,physics1 we should be inclined to place the ,german nations in the first rank2 in pure and applied mathematics1 ,france4 ,the former nations far excel all others in the independence and impartiality with which they view scientific results2 researches of any value1 from whatever part of the world they emanate1 instantly find a place in their periodicals2 and they generally estimate more justly the relative value of different discoveries than any other ,european nation2 the aesthetical power which enables them to seize and appreciate what is beautiful in art1 gives them perception and discrimination in science2 but they are not great as originators4 ,the ,french1 notwithstanding the high pitch at which they have undoubtedly arrived in mathematical investigation1 not withstanding the general accuracy of their experimental researches1 have more of the pedantry of science2 their papers are too professional--too much selon les regles2 there are too many minutiae2 the reader is tempted to exclaim with ,jacques--,i think of as many matters as he2 but ,i give ,heaven thanks1 and make no boast of them4 ,their accuracy frequently degenerates into affectation and parade4 ,we have now before us a paper in the ,annales de ,chimie1 containing some chemical researches1 in which1 though the difference of each experiment in a small number1 put together for average1 amounts to several units1 the weights are given to the fifth place of decimals4 ,england1 which we should place next1 is by no means exempt from these trappings of science4 ,many ,english scientific papers seem written as if with the resolute purpose of filling a certain number of pages1 and many of their writers seem to think a paper per annum1 good or bad1 necessary to indicate their philosophical existence4 ,they write1 not because they have made a discovery1 but because their period of hybernation has expired4 ,still1 in ,england1 there is a strong vein of original thought4 ,competition1 if it lead to puffing and quackery1 yet stimulates the perceptions2 and1 in ,england1 competition has done its worst and its best2 in original chemical discovery1 ,england has latterly been unrivalled4 ,next to ,england we should place ,sweden and ,denmark--for their population they have done much1 and done it well2 then ,italy--in ,italy science is well organized1 and the rulers of her petty states seem to feel a proper emulation in promoting scientific merit--in which laudable rivalry the ,archduke of ,tuscany deserves honourable mention2 ,america and ,russia come next--the former state is zealous1 ready at practical application1 and promises much for the future1 but as yet has not done enough in original research to entitle her to be placed in the van4 ,russia at present possesses few1 if any1 native philosophers--her discoverers and discoveries are all imported2 but the emperor's zeal and patronage 7a word which we scarcely like to apply to science7 is doing much to organize her forces1 and the mercenary troops may impart vigour1 and induce discipline into the national body4 ,in this short enumeration1 we have considered each country1 not according to the number of its very eminent men2 for though far from denying the right which each undoubtedly possesses to shine by the reflected lustre of her stars1 yet in looking1 as it were1 from an external point1 it is more just to regard the general character of each people than to classify them according as they may happen to be the birthplace of those ,to whom all scenes of ,europe homage owe4 ,a misunderstanding of the proper use of theory is among the prevalent scientific errors of the present day4 ,among one set of men of considerable intelligence1 but who are not habitually conversant with physical science1 there is a general tendency to despise theory4 ,this contempt appears to rest on somewhat plausible grounds2 as an instance of it1 we may take the following passage from the fitful writings of ,mr ,carlyle3--,hardened round us1 encasing wholly every notion we form1 is a wrappage of traditions1 hearsays1 mere words3 we call that fire of the black thunder-cloud electricity1 and lecture learnedly about it1 and grind the like of it out of glass and silk1 but what is it8 ,whence comes it8 ,where goes it8#bf #bf ,carlyle on ,hero ,worship4 ,however the experienced philosopher may be convinced that in themselves theories are nothing--that they are but collations of phenomena under a generic formula1 which is useful only inasmuch as it groups these phenomena2 yet it is difficult to see how1 without these imperfect generalizations1 any mind can retain the endless variety of facts and relations which every branch of science presents2 still less1 how these can be taught1 learned1 reasoned upon1 or used4 ,how could the facts of geology be recollected1 or how1 indeed1 could they constitute a science without reference to some real or supposed bond of union1 some aqueous or igneous theory8 ,how could two chemists converse on chemistry without the use of the term affinity1 and the theoretical conception it involves8 ,how could a name be applied1 or a nomenclature adopted1 without that imperfect1 or more or less perfect grouping of facts1 which involves theory8 ,as far as we can recollect1 all the alterations of nomenclature which have been introduced1 or attempted1 proceed upon some alteration of theory4 ,if not theory but hypothesis be objected to--not the imperfect generalization of phenomena1 but a gratuitous assumption for the sake of collating them1 this1 although ground which should be trodden more cautiously1 appears in certain cases unavoidable2 in fact1 is scarcely separable from theory4 ,had men not lectured learnedly about the two fluids of electricity1 we should not now possess many of the discoveries with which this science is enriched1 although we do not1 and probably never shall1 know what electricity is4 ,on the other hand1 among professed physical philosophers1 the great abuse of theories and hypotheses is1 that their promulgators soon regard them1 not as aids to science1 to be changed if occasion should require1 but as absolute natural truths2 they look to that as an end1 which is in fact but a means2 their theories become part of their mental constitution1 idiosyncrasies2 and they themselves become partizans of a faction1 and cease to be inductive philosophers4 ,another injury to science1 in a great measure peculiar to the present day1 arises from the number of speculations which are ushered into the world to account for the same phenomena2 every one1 like ,sir ,andrew ,aguecheek1 when he wished to cudgel a ,puritan1 has for his opinion no exquisite reasons1 but reasons good enough4 ,in the periods of science immediately subsequent to the time of ,bacon1 men commenced their career by successful experiment2 and having convinced the world of their aptitude for perceiving the relations of natural phenomena1 enounced theories which they believed the most efficient to give a comprehensive generality to the whole4 ,men now1 however1 commence with theories1 though1 alas6 the converse does not hold good--they do not always end with experiment4 ,as1 in the promulgation of theories1 every aspirant is anxious to propound different news1 so1 in nomenclature1 there is a strong tendency to promiscuous coining4 ,the great commentator on the laws of ,england1 ,sir ,william ,blackstone1 observes1 ,as to the impression1 the stamping of coin is the unquestionable prerogative of the crown1 99 99 99 the king may also1 by his proclamation1 legitimate foreign coin1 and make it current here4#bg #bg ,commentaries1 vol4 i4 p4 #bgg4 ,as coinage of money is the undoubted prerogative of the crown2 so generally coinage of words has been the undoubted prerogative of the kings of science--those to whom mankind have bent as to unquestionable authority4 ,but even these royal dignitaries have generally been sparing in the exercise of this prerogative1 and used it only on rare occasions and when absolutely necessary1 either from the discovery of new things requiring new names1 or upon entire revolutions of theory4 ,si forte necesse est ,indiciis monstrare recentibus abdita rerum1 ,fingere cinctutis non exaudita cethegis ,continget1 labiturque licentia sumpta pudenter4 ,but now there is no pudor in the matter4 ,every man has his own mint2 and although their several coins do not pass current very generally1 yet they are taken here and there by a few disciples1 and throw some standard money out of the market4 ,the want of consideration evinced in these novel vocabularies is remarkable4 ,whewell1 whose scientific position and dialectic turn of mind may fairly qualify him to be a word-maker1 seems peculiarly deficient in ear4 ,take1 as an instance1 idiopts1 an uncomfortable word1 barely necessary1 as the persons to whom it applies are comparatively rare1 and will scarcely thank the ,master of ,trinity ,college for approximating them in name to a more numerous and more unfortunate class--the word physicists1 where four sibilant consonants fizz like a squib4 ,in these1 and we might add many from other sources1 euphony is wantonly disregarded2 by other authors of smaller calibre1 classical associations are curiously violated4 ,we may take1 as an instance1 platinode1 ,spanish-,american joined to ancient ,greek4 ,in chemistry there is a profusion of new coin4 ,sulphate of ammonia--oxi-sulphion of ammonium--sulphat-oxide of ammonium--three names for one substance4 ,this mania is by no means common to ,england4 ,in ,liebig's ,chemistry1 ,vol4 ii4 p4 #cac1 we have the following passage3--,it should be remarked that some chemists designate artificial camphor by the name of hydrochlorate of camphor4 ,deville calls it bihydrochlorate of terebene1 and ,souberaine and ,capelaine call it hydrochlorate of pencylene4 ,so generally does this prevail1 that in chemical treatises the names of substances are frequently given with a tail of synonymes4 ,numerous words might be cited which are names for non-existences--mere hypothetic groupings2 and yet so rapidly are these increasing1 that it seems not impossible1 in process of time1 there will be more names for things that are not than for things that are4 ,if this work go on1 the scientific public must elect a censor whose fiat shall be final2 otherwise1 as every small philosopher is encouraged or tolerated in framing ad libitum a nomenclature of his own1 the inevitable effect will be1 that no man will be able to understand his brother1 and a confusion of tongues will ensue1 to be likened only to that which occasioned the memorable dispersion at ,babel4 ,many of the defects to which we have alluded in the course of this paper1 time alone can remedy4 ,in spite of all drawbacks1 the progress of science has been vast and rapidly increasing2 the very rapidity of its progress brings with it difficulties4 ,so many points1 once considered impossible1 have been proved possible1 that to some minds the suggestion of impossibility seems an argument in favour of possibility4 ,because steam-travelling was once laughed at as visionary1 aerial navigation is to be regarded as practicable--perhaps1 indeed1 it will be so1 give but the time proportionably requisite to master its difficulties1 as there was given to steam4 ,what proportion this should be we will not venture to predict4 ,there can be little doubt that the most effectual way to induce a more accurate public discrimination of scientific efforts is to turn somewhat more in that direction the current of national education4 ,prizes at the universities for efficiency in the physics of light1 heat1 electricity1 magnetism1 or chemistry1 could1 we conceive1 do no harm4 ,why should not similar honours be conferred on those students who advance the progress of an infant science1 as on those who work out with facility the formulae of an exact one2 and why should not acquirements in either1 rank equally high with the critical knowledge of the digamma or the a priori philosophy of ,aristotle8 ,is not ,bacon's ,novum ,organon as much entitled to be made a standard book for the schools as ,aldrich's logic8 ,venerating ,english universities1 we approve not the inconsiderate outcries against systematic and time-honoured educational discipline2 but it would increase our love for these seminaries of sound learning1 could we more frequently see such men as ,davy emanate from ,oxford1 instead of from the pneumatic institution of ,bristol4 ,provided science be kept separate from political excitement1 we should like to see an ,english ,academy1 constituted of men having fair claims to scientific distinction1 and not deserving of that honour because they are attached to science4 ,it is unnecessary here to touch upon the details of such an ,academy4 ,the proposition is by no means new4 ,on the contrary1 we believe a wish for some such change pretty generally exists4 ,iteration is sometimes more useful than originality4 ,the more frequently the point is brought before the public1 the more probable is it that steps will be taken by those who are qualified to move in such a matter4 ,the more the present defective state of our scientific organization is commented on1 the more likely is it to be remedied2 for the patency of error is ever a sure prelude to its extirpation4 ,,chronicles ,,of ,,paris4 ,,the ,,rue ,,st ,,denis4 ,one of the longest1 the narrowest1 the highest1 the darkest1 and the dirtiest streets of ,paris1 was1 and is1 and probably will long be1 the ,rue ,st ,denis4 ,beginning at the bank of the ,seine1 and running due north1 it spins out its length like a tape-worm1 with every now and then a gentle wriggle1 right across the capital1 till it reaches the furthest barrier1 and thence has a kind of suburban tail prolonged into the wide1 straight road1 a league in length1 that stretches to the town of ,sainct-,denys-en-,france4 ,this was1 from time immemorial1 the state-road for the monarchs of ,france to make their formal entries into1 and exits from1 their capital--whether they came from their coronation at ,rheims1 or went to their last resting-place beneath the tall spire of ,st ,denis4 ,this has always been the line by which travellers from the northern provinces have entered the good city of ,paris2 and for many a long year its echoes have never had rest from the cracking of the postilion's whip1 the roll of the heavy diligence1 and the perpetual jumbling of carts and waggons4 ,it is1 as it has ever been1 one of the main arteries of the capital2 and nowhere does the restless tide of ,parisian life run more rapidly or more constantly than over its well-worn stones4 ,in the pages of the venerable historians of the ,french capital1 and in ancient maps1 it is always called ,la ,grande ,rue de ,sainct ,denys1 being1 no doubt1 at one time the ne plus ultra of all that was considered wide and commodious4 ,now its appellation is curtailed into the ,rue ,st ,d'nis1 and it is avoided by the polite inhabitants of ,paris as containing nothing but the bourgeoisie and the canaille4 ,once it was the ,regent ,street of ,paris--a sort of ,rue de la ,paix--lounged along by the gallants of the days of ,henri ,,iv41 and not unvisited by the red-heeled marquises of the ,regent d',orleans's time2 now it sees nothing more recherche than the cap of the grisette or the poissarde1 as the case may be1 nor any thing more august than the casquette of the commis-voyageur1 or the indescribable shako and equipments of the ,national ,guard4 ,as its frequenters have been changed in character1 so have its houses and public buildings2 they have lost much of the picturesque appearance they possessed a hundred years ago--they are forced every year more and more into line1 like a regiment of stone and mortar4 ,instead of showing their projecting1 high-peaked gables to the street1 they have now turned their fronts1 as more polite2 the roofs are accommodated with the luxury of pipes1 and the midnight sound of ,gare l'eau6 which used to make the late-returning passenger start with all agility from beneath the opened window to avoid the odoriferous shower1 is now but seldom heard4 ,a ,liliputian footway1 some two feet wide1 is laid down in flags at either side2 the oscillating lamp1 that used to hang on a rotten cord thrown across the roadway from house to house1 and made darkness visible1 has given place to the genius of gas--enfin1 la ,revolution a passe par la2 and the ,rue de ,st ,denis is now a ghost only of what it was4 ,still it retains sufficient peculiarities of dimensions and outline to show that it is a child of the middle ages2 and1 like so many other children of the same kind1 it contributes to make its mother ,paris1 as compared with the modern-built capitals of ,europe1 a town of former days4 ,long may it retain these oddities of appearance--long may it remain narrow1 dark1 and dirty2 we rejoice that such streets still exist--they do one's eye good1 if not one's nose4 ,there is more of colour1 of light and shade1 of picturesque1 fantastic outline1 in a hundred yards of the ,rue ,st ,denis1 than in all the line from ,piccadilly to ,whitechapel2 a painter can pick up more food for his easel in this queer1 old street--an antiquarian can find there more tales and crusts for his noddle1 than in all ,regent ,street and ,portland ,place4 ,we love a ramshackle place like this2 it does one good to get out of the associations of the present century1 and to retrograde a bit2 it is pleasant to see how people used to pig together in ancient days1 without any of the mathematical formalities of the present day2 it keeps one's eye in tone to look back at works of the middle ages2 and we may learn the more justly to criticize what we see arising about us1 by refreshing our recollections of the mouldering past4 ,paris is a glorious place for things of this kind4 ,thank the stars1 it never got burned out of its old clothes1 as ,london did4 ,newfangled streets and quarters of every age have been added to it1 but there still remains a mediaeval nucleus--there is still an old ,paris--a gloomy1 filthy1 old town1 irregular and inconvenient as any town ever was yet2 and a walk of twenty minutes will take you from the elegant uniformity of the ,rue de ,rivoli into the original chaos of buildings--into the ,quartier des ,halles and into the ,rue ,st ,denis4 ,how often have we hurried down them on a cold winter's day--say the #cast of ,december--to buy bons-bons in the ,rue des ,lombards1 once the abode of bankers1 now the paradise of confiseurs1 against the coming morrow--the grand day of visits and cadeaux--braving the snow some three feet deep in the midst of the street--or1 if there happened to be no snow1 the mud a foot and a half1 splashing through it with our last new pair of boots from ,legrand's1 and the last pantalon from ,blondel's--for cabriolet or omnibus1 none might pass that way2 and there1 amid onion-smelling crowds1 in a long1 low shop1 with lamps lighted at two o'clock1 have consummated our purchase1 and floundered back triumphant6 ,away1 ye gay1 seducing vanities of the ,palais ,royal or the ,boulevards2 your light is too garish for our sober eyes--the sugar of your comfitures is too chalky for our discriminating tooth6 ,our appropriate latitude is that of the ,quartier ,st ,denis6 ,one thing1 however1 we must confess1 we never did in the ,rue ,st ,denis--we never dined there6 ,oh non6 il ne faut pas faire ca6 ',tis the headquarters of all the sausage-dealers1 the charcutiers1 and the rotisseurs of ,paris4 ,genuine meat and drink there is none2 cats hold the murderous neighbourhood in traditional abhorrence1 and the ruddiest wine of ,burgundy would turn pale were the aqueous reputation of the street whispered near its cellar-door4 ,thank ,heaven1 we have a gastronomic instinct that saved us from acts of suicidal rashness6 ,when in ,paris1 gentle reader1 we always dine at the ,trois ,freres ,provencaux2 the little room in blue1 remember--time1 six ,p4,m42 potage a la ,julienne--bifteck au vin de ,champagne--poulet a la ,marengo--,chambertin1 and ,st ,peray rose4 ,the next time you visit the ,palais-,royal1 turn in there1 and dine with us--we shall be delighted to see you6 ,there are few gaping ,englishmen who have been on the other side of the ,channel but have found their way along the ,boulevards to the ,porte ,st ,denis1 and have stared first of all at that dingy monument of ,ludovican pride1 and then have stared down the ,rue ,st ,denis1 and then have stared up the ,rue du ,faubourg ,st ,denis2 but very few are ever tempted to turn either to the right hand or to the left1 and so they generally poke on to the ,porte ,st ,martin1 or stroll back to the ,madeleine1 and rarely make acquaintance with the ,dionysian mysteries of ,paris4 ,for the benefit1 therefore1 of such travellers as go to the ,french capital with their eyes in their pockets1 and of such as stay at home and travel by their fireside1 but still can relish the recollections and associations of olden times1 we are going to rake together some of the many odd notes that pertain to the history of this street and its immediate vicinity4 ,the readiest way into the ,rue ,st ,denis from the ,isle de la ,cite1 the centre of ,paris1 has always been over the ,pont-au-,change4 ,this bridge1 now the widest over the ,seine1 was once a narrow1 ill-contrived structure of wood1 covered with a row of houses on either side1 that formed a dark and dirty street1 so that you might pass through it a hundred times without once suspecting that you were crossing a river4 ,these houses1 built of stone and wood1 overhung the edges of the bridge1 and afforded their inhabitants an unsafe abode between the sky and the water4 ,at times the river would rise in one of its periodical furies1 and sweep away a pier or two with the superincumbent houses2 at others the wooden supporters of the structure would catch fire by some untoward event1 and the inhabitants had the choice of being fried or drowned1 along with their penates and their supellectile property4 ,such a catastrophe happened in the reign of ,louis ,,xiii41 when this and another wooden bridge1 situated1 oddly enough1 close by its side1 were set on fire by a squib1 which some gamins de ,paris were letting off on his ,majesty's highway2 and in less than three hours #adj houses had disappeared4 ,it was ,louis ,,vii41 in the twelfth century1 who gave it the name it has since borne2 for he ordered all the money-changers of ,paris to come and live on this bridge--no very secure place for keeping the precious metals2 and about two hundred years ago the money-changers1 fifty-four in number1 occupied the houses on one side1 while fifty goldsmiths lived in those on the other4 ,in the open roadway between1 was held a kind of market or fair for bird-sellers1 who were allowed to keep their standings on the curious tenure of letting off two hundred dozens of small birds whenever a new king should pass over this bridge1 on his solemn entry into the capital4 ,the birds fluttered and whistled on these occasions1 the gamins clapped their hands and shouted1 the good citizens cried ,noel6 and ,vive le ,roy6 and the courtiers were delighted at the joyous spectacle4 ,whether the birds flew away ready roasted to the royal table1 history is silent2 but it would have been a sensible improvement of this part of the triumphal ceremony1 and we recommend it to the serious notice of all occupiers of the ,french throne4 ,on arriving at the northern end of the bridge1 the passenger had on his right a covered gallery of shops1 stretching up the river side to the ,pont ,notre ,dame1 and called the ,quai de ,gesvres2 here was a fashionable promenade for the beaux of ,paris1 for it was filled with the stalls of pretty milliners1 like one of our bazars1 and boasted of an occasional bookseller's shop or two1 where the tender ballads of ,ronsard1 or the broad jokes of ,rabelais1 might be purchased and read for a few livres4 ,to the left was a narrow street1 known by the curious appellation of ,trop-va-qui-dure1 the etymology of which has puzzled the brains of all ,parisian antiquaries2 while just beyond it1 and still by the river side1 was the ,vieille ,vallee de ,misere--words indicative of the opinion entertained of so ineligible a residence4 ,in front frowned1 in all the grim stiffness of a feudal fortress1 the ,grand ,chastelet1 once the northern defence of ,paris against the ,normans and the ,english1 but at last changed into the headquarters of the police--the ,bow ,street of the ,french capital4 ,two large towers1 with conical tops over a portcullised gateway1 admitted the prisoners into a small square court1 round which were ranged the offices of the lieutenant of police1 and the chambers of the law-officers of the crown4 ,part of the building served as a prison for the vulgar crew of offenders--a kind of ,newgate1 or ,tolbooth2 another was used as1 and was called1 the ,morgue1 where the dead bodies found in the ,seine were often carried2 there was a room in it called ,caesar's chamber1 where the good citizens of ,paris firmly believed that the great ,julius once sat as provost of ,paris1 in a red robe and flowing wig2 and there was many an out-of-the-way nook and corner full of dust and parchments1 and rats and spiders4 ,the lawyers of the ,chastelet thought no small beer of themselves1 it seems2 for they claimed the right of walking in processions before the members of the ,parliament1 and immediately after the corporation of the capital4 ,the unlucky wight who might chance to be put in durance vile within these walls1 was commonly well trounced and fined ere he was allowed to depart2 and next to the dreaded ,bastile1 the ,grand ,chastelet used to be looked on with peculiar horror4 ,at the ,revolution it was one of the first feudal buildings demolished--not a stone of the old pile remains2 the ,pont-au-,change had long before had its wooden piers changed for noble stone ones1 and on the site where this fortress stood is now the ,place de ,chatelet1 with a ,napoleonic monument in the midst--a column inscribed with names of bloody battle-fields1 on its summit a golden wing-expanding ,victory1 and at its base four little impudent dolphins1 snorting out water into the buckets of the ,porteurs d',eau4 ,behind the ,chastelet stood the ,grande ,boucherie--the ,leadenhall market of ,paris an hundred years ago2 and near it1 up a dirty street or two1 was one of the finest churches of the capital1 dedicated to ,st ,jacques4 ,the lofty tower of this latter edifice 7its body perished when the ,boucherie and the ,chastelet disappeared7 still rises in gloomy majesty above all the surrounding buildings4 ,it is as high as those of ,notre ,dame2 and from its upper corners1 enormous gargouilles--those fantastic water-spouts of the middle ages--gape with wide-stretched jaws1 but no longer send down the washings of the roof on the innocent passengers4 ,hereabouts lived ,nicholas ,flamel1 the old usurer1 who made money so fast that it was said he used to sup nightly with his ,satanic majesty1 and who thereupon built part of the church to save his bacon4 ,he was of opinion that it was well to have the mens sana in corpore sano--that it was no joke to be burnt2 and so he stuck close to the church1 taking care that himself and his wife1 ,pernelle1 should have a comfortable resting-place for their bones within the walls of ,st ,jacques4 ,when this was a fashionable quarter of ,paris1 the court doctor and accoucheur did not disdain to reside in it2 for ,jean ,fernel1 the medical attendant of ,catharine de ,medicis1 lived and died within the shade of this old tower4 ,he was a fortunate fellow1 a sort of ,astley ,cooper or ,clarke in his way1 and ,catharine used to give him #aj1jjj crowns1 or something like ,l4#fjjj1 every time she favoured ,france with an addition to the royal family4 ,he and numerous other worthies mouldered into dust within the precincts of ,st ,jacques2 but their remains have long since been scattered to the winds2 and where the church once stood is now an ignoble market for old clothes2 the abode of ,jews and thieves4 ,after passing round the ,grand ,chastelet1 and crossing the market-place1 you might enter the ,rue ,st ,denis1 the great street of ,paris in the time of the good ,king ,henry1 and you might walk along under shelter of its houses1 projecting story above story1 till they nearly met at top1 for more than a mile4 ,before it was paved1 the roadway was an intolerable quagmire1 winter and summer2 and1 after stones had been put down1 there murmured along the middle a black gurgling stream1 charged with all the outpourings and filth of unnumbered houses4 ,over1 or through this1 according as the fluid was low or high1 you had to make your way1 if you wanted to cross the street and greet a friend2 if you lived in the street and wished to converse with your opposite neighbour1 you had only to mount to the garret story1 open the lattice window1 and literally shake hands with him1 so near did the gables approach4 ,the fronts of the houses were ornamented with every device which the skilful carpenters of former times could invent3 the beam-ends were sculptured into queer little crouching figures of monkeys or angels1 and all sorts of diableries decorated the cornices that ran beneath the windows2 there were no panes of glass1 such as we boast of in these degenerate times1 but narrow latticed lights to let in the day1 and the wind1 and the cold2 while the roofs were covered commonly with shingles1 or1 in the houses of the wealthy1 with sheets of lead4 ,between each gable came forth a long water-spout1 and poured down a deluge into the gutter beneath2 each gable-top was peaked into a fantastic spiry point or flower1 and the chimneys congregated into goodly companies amidst the roofs1 removed from the vulgar gaze or fastidious jests of the people below4 ,so large were the fireplaces in those rooms that could own them1 and so ample were the chimney flues1 that smoky houses were unheard of3 the staircases1 it is true1 enjoyed only a dubious ray1 that served to prevent you from breaking your neck in a rapid descent2 but the apartments were generally of commodious dimensions1 and the tenements possessed many substantial comforts4 ,once out of doors1 you might proceed in all weather fearless of rain2 the projecting upper stories sheltered completely the sides of the street1 and a stout cloth cloak was all that was needed to save either sex from the inclemency of the seasons4 ,at frequent intervals there opened into the main street1 side streets1 and ruelles or alleys1 which showed in comparison like ,gulliver in ,brobdignag3 up some of these ways a single horseman might be able to go2 but along others--and some of them remain to the present day--two stout citizens could never have walked arm-in-arm4 ,they looked like enormous cracks between a couple of buildings1 rather than as ways made for the convenience of locomotion3 they were pervious1 perhaps1 to donkeys1 but not to the loaded packhorse--the great street was intended for that animal--coaches did not exist1 and the long narrow carts of the ,french peasantry1 whenever they came into the city1 did not occupy much more space than the bags or packs of the universal carrier4 ,to many of these streets the most eccentric appellations were given2 there was the ,rue des ,mauvaises ,paroles--people of ears polite had no business to go near it2 the ,rue ,tire ,chappe--a spot where those who objected to be plucked by the vests1 or to have their clothes pulled off their backs by importunate accosters1 need not present themselves2 another in this quarter was called the ,rue ,tire-boudin4 ,marie ,stuart1 when ,queen of ,france1 was riding1 it is said1 through it one day1 and struck1 perhaps1 by the looks of its inhabitants1 asked what the street was called4 ,the original appellation was so indecent that an officer of her guards1 with courtly presence of mind1 veiled it under its present title4 ,one was known as the ,rue ,brise-miche1 and the cleanliness of its inhabitants might instantly be judged of3 a fifth was the ,rue ,trousse-vache1 and one of the shops in it was adorned with an enormous sign of a red cow1 with her tail sticking up in the air and her head reared in rampant sauciness4 ,a notorious gambler1 ,thibault-au-de1 well known for his skill in loading dice1 gave his name to one of these narrow veins of the town3 ,aubry1 a wealthy butcher1 is still immortalized in another3 and the ,rue du ,petit ,hurleur probably commemorated some wicked youngster1 whose shouts were a greater nuisance to the neighbours than those of any of his companions4 ,a wider kind of street was the ,rue de la ,ferronerie1 opening into the ,rue ,st ,denis1 below the ,church of the ,innocents3 it was the abode of all the tinkers and smiths of ,paris1 and had not ,henri ,,iv4 been in a particular hurry that day1 when he was posting off to old ,sully in the ,rue ,st ,antoine1 he had never gone this way1 and ,ravaillac1 probably1 had never been able to lean into the carriage and stab the king4 ,just over the spot where the murder was committed1 the placid bust of the king still gazes on the busy scene beneath4 ,the ,rue de la ,grande ,truanderie1 which was above the ,innocents1 must have been the rendez-vous of all the thieves and beggars of ,paris1 if there be any thing in a name3 the old chronicles of the city relate1 indeed1 that it took a long time to respectabilize its neighbourhood2 and they add that the herds of rogues and impostors who once lived in it took refuge1 after their ejection1 in the famous ,cour des ,miracles1 a little higher up the ,rue ,st ,denis4 ,we must not venture into this1 the choicest preserve of ,victor ,hugo1 whose graphic description of its wonders in his ,notre ,dame needs hardly to be alluded to2 but we may add1 that there were several abodes of the same kind1 all communicating with the ,rue ,st ,denis1 and all equally infamous in their day1 though now tenanted only by quiet button-makers and furniture-dealers4 ,the real ,puits d',amour stood at the corner of the ,rue de la ,grande ,truanderie1 and took its name in sad truth from a crossing of true love4 ,in the days of ,philip ,augustus1 more than six hundred years ago1 a beautiful young lady of the court1 ,agnes ,hellebik1 whose father held an important post under the king1 was inveigled into the toils of love4 ,the object of her affections1 whether of noble birth or not1 made her but a sorry return for her confidence3 he loved her a while1 and her dreams of happiness were realized2 but by degrees his passion cooled1 and at length he abandoned her4 ,stung with indignation1 and broken-hearted at this thwarting of her soul's desire1 the unfortunate young creature fled from her father's house1 and betaking herself on a dark and stormy night to the brink of the well1 commended her spirit to her ,maker1 and ended her troubles beneath its waters4 ,the name of the ,puits d',amour was then given to the well2 and no young maiden ever dared to draw water from it after sunset1 for fear of the spirit that dwelt unquietly within4 ,the tradition was always current in people's mouths2 and three centuries after1 a young man of the neighbourhood1 who had been jilted and mocked by an inconstant mistress1 determined to bear his ills no longer1 so he rushed to the ,puits1 and took the fatal leap4 ,the result was not what he anticipated3 he did not1 it is true1 jump into a courtly assembly of knights and gallants1 but he could not find water enough in it to drown him2 while his mistress1 on hearing of the mishap1 hastened to the well with a cord1 and promising to compensate him for his former woes1 drew him with her fair hands safely into the upper regions4 ,an inscription1 in ,gothic letters1 was then placed over the well3-- ,l'amour m'a refaict ,en #aebe tout-a-faict4 ,the fate of ,agnes ,hellebik was far preferable to that of another young girl who lived in this quarter1 indeed in the ,rue ,thibault-au-de4 ,agnes du ,rochier was the only daughter of one of the wealthiest merchants of ,paris1 and was admired by all the neighbourhood for her beauty and virtue4 ,in #adjc her father died1 leaving her the sole possessor of his wealth1 and rumour immediately disposed of her hand to all the young gallants of the quarter2 but whether it was that grief for the loss of her parent had turned her head1 or that the gloomy fanaticism of that time had worked with too fatal effect on her pure and inexperienced imagination1 she took not only marriage and the male sex into utter abomination1 but resolved to quit the world for ever1 and to make herself a perpetual prisoner for religion's sake4 ,she determined1 in short1 to become what was then called a recluse1 and as such to pass the remainder of her days in a narrow cell built within the wall of a church4 ,on the #eth of ,october1 accordingly1 when the cell1 only a few feet square1 was finished in the wall of the church of ,st ,opportune1 ,agnes entered her final abode1 and the ceremony of her reclusion began4 ,the walls and pillars of the sacred edifice had been hung with tapestry and costly cloths1 tapers burned on every altar1 the clergy of the capital and the several religious communities thronged the church4 ,the ,bishop of ,paris1 attended by his chaplains and the canons of ,notre ,dame1 entered the choir1 and celebrated a pontifical mass3 he then approached the opening of the cell1 sprinkled it with holy water1 and after the poor young thing had bidden adieu to her friends and relations1 ordered the masons to fill up the aperture4 ,this was done as strongly as stone and mortar could make it2 nor was any opening left1 save only a small loophole through which ,agnes might hear the offices of the church1 and receive the aliments given her by the charitable4 ,she was eighteen years old when she entered this living tomb1 and she continued within it eighty years1 till death terminated her sufferings6 ,alas1 for mistaken piety6 ,her wealth1 which she gave to the church1 and her own personal exertions during so long a life1 might have made her a blessing to all that quarter of the city1 instead of remaining an useless object of compassion to the few1 and of idle wonder to the many4 ,another entombment1 almost as bad1 occurred in the ,rue ,st ,denis1 only five or six years ago4 ,the cess-pools of modern ,parisian houses are generally deep chambers1 and sometimes wells1 cut in the limestone rock on which the city stands3 and in the absence of a good method of drainage1 are cleaned out only once in every two or three years1 according to their size4 ,meanwhile1 they continue to receive all the filth of the building4 ,one night1 a large cess-pool had been emptied1 and the aperture1 which was in the common passage of the house on the ground floor1 had been left open till the inspector appointed by the police should come round and see that the work had been properly executed4 ,he came early in the morning1 enquired carelessly of the porter if all was right1 and ordered the stone covering to be fastened down4 ,this was done amid the usual noise and talking of the workmen2 and they went their way4 ,that same afternoon1 one of the lodgers in the house1 a young man1 was missed3 days after days elapsed1 and nothing was heard of him3 his friends conjectured that he had drowned himself1 but the tables of the ,morgue never bore his body3 and their despair was only equalled by their astonishment at the absence of every clue to his fate4 ,on a particular evening1 however1 about three weeks after his disappearance1 the porter was sitting at the door of his lodge1 and the house as well as the street was unusually quiet1 when he heard a faint groan somewhere beneath his feet4 ,after a short interval he heard another2 and being superstitious1 got up1 put his chair within the lodge1 shut the door1 and set about his work4 ,at night he mentioned the circumstance to his wife1 and going out with her into the passage1 they had not stood there long before again a groan was heard4 ,the good woman crossed herself and fell on her knees2 but her husband1 suspecting now that all was not right1 and thinking that an attempt at infanticide had been made1 by throwing a child's body down one of the passages leading to the cess-pool1 7no uncommon occurrence in ,paris17 resolved to call in the police4 ,he did so without loss of time1 the heavy stone covering was removed1 and one of the attendants stooping down and lowering a lantern1 as long as the stench would permit him1 saw at the bottom1 and at a considerable depth1 something like a human form leaning against the side of the receptacle4 ,ropes and ladders were now immediately procured2 two men went down1 and in a few minutes brought up a body--it was that of the unfortunate young man who had been so long missing6 ,life was not quite extinct1 for some motion of the limbs was perceptible1 there was even one last low groan1 but then all animation ceased for ever4 ,the appearance of the body was most dreadful2 the face was a livid green colour1 the trunk looked like that of a man drowned1 and kept long beneath the water1 all brown and green--one of the feet had completely disappeared--the other was nearly half decomposed and gone2 the hands were dreadfully lacerated1 and told of a desperate struggle to escape3 worms were crawling about2 all was putrid and loathsome4 ,how did this unfortunate young man come into so dreadful a position8 was the question that immediately occurred2 and the only answer that could be given was1 that on the night of the cess-pool being emptied1 the porter remembered this young man coming home very late1 or rather early in the morning4 ,he himself had forgotten to warn him of the aperture being uncovered1 indeed he supposed that it would have been sufficiently seen by the lights left burning at its edge2--these had probably been blown out by the wind1 and the young man had thus fallen in4 ,that life should have been supported so long under such circumstances1 seems almost incredible3 but it is no less curious than true2 for the porter was tried before the ,correctional ,tribunal for inadvertent homicide1 the facts were adduced in evidence1 and carelessness having been proved1 he was sentenced to imprisonment for several weeks1 and to a heavy fine4 ,of churches and religious establishments1 there were plenty in and about the ,rue ,st ,denis4 ,besides the great church of ,st ,jacques1 mentioned before1 there were in the street itself the churches of the ,holy ,sepulchre1 of ,st ,leu1 and ,st ,gilles2 of the ,innocents2 of the ,saviour2 and of ,st ,jacques de l',hopital3 while of conventual institutions1 there were the ,hospitals of ,st ,catharine2 of the ,holy ,trinity2 of the ,filles de ,st ,magloire2 of the ,filles ,dieu2 of the ,community of ,st ,chaumont2 of the ,soeurs de ,charite2 and of the great monastery of ,st ,lazare4 ,the fronts1 or other considerable portions of those buildings1 were all visible in the street1 and added greatly to its antiquated appearance4 ,the long irregular lines of gable roofs on either side1 converging from points high above the spectator's head1 until they met or crossed in a dim perspective1 near the horizon1 were broken here and there by the pointed front1 or the tapering spire of a church or convent4 ,a solemn gateway protruded itself at intervals into the street1 and1 with its flanking turrets and buttresses1 gave broad masses of shade in perpendicular lines1 strongly contrasted with the horizontal or diagonal patches of dark colour caused by the houses4 ,at early morn and eve1 a shrill tinkling of bells warned the neighbours of the sacred duties of many a secluded penitent1 or admonished them that it was time to send up their own orisons to ,god4 ,before mid-day had arrived1 and soon after it had passed1 the deeper tones of a bourdon1 from some of the parochial churches1 invited the citizens to the sacrifice of the mass or the canticles of vespers4 ,not seldom the throngs of busy wordlings were forced to separate and give room to some holy procession1 which1 with glittering cross at the head1 with often tossed and sweetly smelling censers at the side1 with white-robed chanting acolyths1 and reverend priests1 in long line behind1 came forth to take its way to some holy edifice4 ,the zealous citizens would suspend their avocations for a while1 would repeat a reverential prayer as the holy men went by1 and then return to the absorbing calls of business1 not unbenefited by the recollections just awakened in their minds4 ,on the eves and on the mornings of holy festivals1 business was totally suspended2 the bells1 great and small1 rang forth their silvery sounds2 the churches were crowded1 the chapels glittered with blazing lights2 the prayers of the priests and people rose with the incense before the high altar2 the solemn organ swelled its full tones responsive to the loud-voiced choir2 the curates thundered from the pulpits1 to the edification of charitable congregations2 and after all had been prostrated in solemn adoration of the ,divine presence1 the citizens would pour out into the street1 and repair1 some to their homes1 some to the ,palace of the ,tournelles1 with its towers and gardens guarded by the ,bastille2 others to the ,louvre or to the ,pre-aux-clercs1 and the fields by the river side2 others would stroll up the hill of ,montmartre2 and some in boats would brave the dangers of the ,seine6 ,on other and sadder occasions1 the inhabitants of the ,rue ,st ,denis would quit their houses in earnestly talking groups1 and would adjourn to the open space in front of the ,halles4 ,here1 on the top of an octagonal tower1 some twenty feet high1 and covered with a conical spire1 between the openings of pointed arches1 might be seen criminals with their heads and hands protruding through the wooden collar of the pillory4 ,the guard of the provost1 or the lieutenant of police1 would keep off the noisy throng below1 and the goodwives would discuss among themselves the enormities of the coin-clipper1 the cut-purse1 the incendiary1 or the unjust dealer1 who were exposed on those occasions for their delinquencies2 while the offenders themselves1 would--a few of them--hang down their heads1 and close their eyes in the unsufferable agony of shame2 but by far the greater number would shout forth words of bold defiance or indecent ribaldry1 would protrude the mocking tongue1 or spit forth curses with dire volubility4 ,then would rise the shouts of gamins1 then would come the thick volley of eggs1 fish-heads1 butcher's-offal1 and all the garbage of the market1 aimed unerringly by many a strenuous arm at the heads of the culprits2 and then the soldiers with their pertuisanes would make quick work among the legs of the retreating crowd1 and the jailers would apply the ready lash to the backs of the hardened criminals aloft2 and thus1 the hour's exhibition ended1 and the king's justice satisfied1 away would the criminals be led1 some on a hurdle to ,montfaucon1 and there hung on its ample gibbet1 amid the rattling bones of other wretches2 some would be hurried back to the ,chastelet1 or other prisons2 and others would be sent off to work1 chained to the oars of the royal galleys4 ,this was a common amusement of the idlers of this quarter3 but the passions of the mob1 if they needed stronger excitement1 had to find a scene of horrid gratification on the ,place de ,greve1 opposite the ,hotel de ,ville1 where at rare intervals a heretic would be burnt1 a murderer hung1 or a traitor quartered2 but this spot of bloody memory lies far from the ,rue ,st ,denis1 and we are not now called upon to reveal its terrible recollections3 let us turn back to our good old street4 ,one of the most curious objects in it was the ,church of the ,innocents1 with its adjoining cemetery1 once the main place of interment for all the capital4 ,the church lay at the north-eastern end of what is now the ,marche des ,innocents1 and against it was erected the fountain which now adorns the middle of the market1 and which was the work of the celebrated sculptor1 ,jean ,goujon1 and his colleague1 the architect1 ,pierre ,lescot4 ,the former is said to have been seated at it1 giving some last touches to one of the tall and graceful nymphs that adorn its high arched sides1 on the day of the ,massacre of ,st ,bartholomew1 when he was killed by a random shot from a ,catholic zealot4 ,the simple inscription which it still bears1 ,,fontium ,,nymphis1 is in better taste than that of any other among the numerous fountains of the ,french capital4 ,the church itself 7of which not the slightest vestige now remains7 was not a good specimen of mediaeval architecture1 although it was large and richly endowed4 ,it was founded by ,philip ,augustus1 when he ordered the ,jews to be expelled from his dominions1 and seized on their estates--one of the most nefarious actions committed by a monarch of ,france4 ,the absurd accusation1 that the ,jews used periodically to crucify and torture ,christian children1 was one of the most plausible pretexts employed by the rapacious king on this occasion2 and1 as a kind of testimonial that such had been his excuse1 he founded this church2 dedicated it to the ,holy ,innocents2 and transferred hither the remains of a boy1 named ,richard1 said to have been sacrificed at ,pontoise by some unfortunate ,jews1 who expiated the pretended crime by the most horrible torments4 ,st ,richard's remains1 7for he was canonized17 worked numerous miracles in the ,church of the ,innocents1 or rather in the churchyard1 where a tomb was erected over them2 and so great was their reputation1 that tradition says1 the ,english1 on evacuating ,paris in the #aeth century1 carried off with them all but the little saint's head4 ,certain it is1 that nothing but the head remained amongst the relics of this parish2 and equally certain is it1 that no ,christian innocents have been sacrificed by those circumcised dogs either before or since1 whether in ,france or ,england1 or any other part of the world4 ,it remained for the dishonest credulity of the present century1 to witness the disgraceful spectacle of a ,french consul at ,damascus1 assisting at the torturing of some ,jewish merchants under a similar accusation1 and assuring his government of his belief in the confessions extorted by these inhuman means2 and of many a party journal in ,paris accrediting and re-echoing the tale4 ,had not ,british humanity intervened in aid of ,british policy1 ,france had made this visionary accusation the ground of an armed intervention in ,syria4 ,the false accusers of the ,jews of ,damascus have indeed been punished2 but the ,french consul1 the ,count de ,ratti-,menton1 has since been rewarded by his government with a high promotion in the diplomatic department6 ,once more1 a truce to digression1 let us see what the ancient cemetery of the ,innocents was like4 ,round an irregular four-sided space1 about five hundred feet by two1 ran a low cloister-like building1 called ,les ,charniers1 or the ,charnel ,houses4 ,it had originally been a cloister surrounding the churchyard2 but1 so convenient had this place of sepulture been found1 from its situation in the heart of ,paris1 that the remains of mortality increased in most rapid proportion within its precincts1 and it was continually found necessary to transfer the bones of long-interred1 and long-forgotten bodies1 to the shelter of the cloisters4 ,here1 then1 they were piled up in close order--the bones below and the skulls above2 they reached in later times to the very rafters of these spacious cloisters all round1 and heaps of skulls and bones lay in unseemly groups on the grass in the midst of the graveyard4 ,at one corner of the church was a small grated window1 where a recluse1 like her of ,st ,opportune1 had worn away forty-six years of her life1 after one year's confinement as a preparatory experiment2 and within the church was a splendid brass tomb1 commemorating this refinement of the monastic virtues4 ,at various spots about the cemetery1 were erected obelisks and crosses of different dates1 while against the walls of the church and cloister were affixed1 in motley and untidy confusion1 unnumbered tablets and other memorials of the dead4 ,the suppression of this cemetery1 just at the commencement of the ,revolution1 was a real benefit to the capital2 and when the contents of the yard and its charnel-houses were removed to the catacombs south of the city1 it was calculated that the remains of two millions of human beings rattled down the deep shafts of the stone pits to their second interment4 ,in place of the cemetery1 we now find the wooden stalls of the ,covent ,garden of ,paris2 low1 dirty1 unpainted1 ill-built1 badly-drained1 stinking1 and noisy2 and their tenants are not better than themselves4 ,like their neighbours1 the famous ,poissardes1 the ,dames de la ,halle as they are styled1 are the quintessence of all that is disgusting in ,paris4 ,covent ,garden is worth a thousand of such markets1 and ,pere la ,chaise is an admirable substitute for the ,cemetery of the ,innocents4 ,high up in the ,rue de ,faubourg ,st ,denis1 which is only a continuation of the main street1 just as ,knightsbridge is of ,piccadilly1 stand the remains of the great convent and maladrerie of ,st ,lazarus4 ,in this religious house1 all persons attacked with leprosy were received in former days1 and either kept for life1 if incurable1 or else maintained until they were freed from that loathsome disease4 ,from what cause we know not1 7except that the ,house of ,st ,lazarus was the nearest of any religious establishment to the walls of the capital17 the kings of ,france always made a stay of three days within its walls on their solemn inauguratory entrance into ,paris1 and their bodies always lay in state here before they were conveyed to the ,abbey ,church of ,st ,denis4 ,there was no lack of stiff ceremonial on these occasions2 and1 doubtless1 the good fathers of the convent did not receive all the court within their walls without rubbing a little gold off the rich habits of the nobles4 ,the king1 on arriving at the ,convent of ,st ,lazare1 proceeded to a part of the house allotted for this purpose1 and called ,le ,logis du ,roy1 where1 in a chamber of state1 he took his seat beneath a canopy1 surrounded by the princes of the blood-royal4 ,the chancellor of ,france stood behind his majesty1 to furnish him with replies to the different deputations that used to come with congratulatory addresses1 and the receptions then commenced4 ,they used to last from seven in the morning1 without intermission1 till four or five in the afternoon2 there were the lawyers of the ,chastelet1 the ,court of ,aids1 the ,court of ,accounts1 and the ,parliament1 to say nothing of the city authorities and other constituted bodies4 ,the addresses were no short unmeaning things1 like those uttered in our poor cold times1 but good long-winded harangues1 some in ,french1 some in ,latin1 and they went on1 one after the other1 for three days consecutively4 ,on the third day1 when the royal patience must have been wellnigh exhausted1 and the chancellor's talents at reply worn tolerably threadbare1 the king would rise1 and mounting on horseback1 would proceed to the cathedral church of ,notre ,dame1 down the ,rue ,st ,denis4 ,one of the best recorded of these royal entries is that of ,louis ,,xi4 ,on this occasion1 the king1 setting out from a suburban residence in the ,faubourg ,st ,honore1 got along the northern side of ,paris to the ,convent of ,st ,lazare2 and thence1 after the delay and the harangues of the three days--the real original glorious three days of the ,french monarchy--proceeded to the ,porte ,st ,denis4 ,here a herald met the monarch1 and after the keys of the city had been presented by the provost1 with long speeches and replies1 the former officer introduced to his majesty five young ladies1 all richly clad1 and mounted on horses richly caparisoned1 their housings bearing the arms of the city of ,paris4 ,each young damsel represented an allegorical personage1 and the initials of the names of their characters made up the word ,paris4 ,they each harangued the king1 and their speeches1 says an old chronicle1 seemed very agreeable to the royal ears4 ,around the king1 as he rode through the gateway1 were the princes and highest nobles of the land--the ,dukes of ,orleans1 ,burgundy1 ,bourbon1 and ,cleves3 the ,count of ,charolois1 eldest son of the ,duke of ,burgundy2 the ,counts of ,angoulesme1 ,st ,paul1 ,dunois1 and others2 with1 as a chronicle of the time relates1 autres comtes1 barons1 chevaliers1 capitaines1 et force noblesse1 en tres bel ordre et posture4 ,all of these were mounted on horses of price1 richly caparisoned1 and covered with the finest housings2 some were of cloth of gold furred with sable1 others were of velvet or damask furred with ermine2 all were enriched with precious stones1 and to many were attached bells of silver gilt1 with other enjolivements4 ,over the gateway was a large ship1 the armorial bearing of the city1 and within it were a number of allegorical personages1 with one who represented ,louis ,,xi4 himself2 in the street immediately within the gate was a party of savages and satyrs1 who executed a mock-fight in honour of the approach of royalty4 ,a little lower down came forth a troop of young women representing syrens2 an old chronicle calls them1 ,plusieurs belles filles accoustrees en syrenes1 nues1 lesquelles1 en faisant voir leur beau sein1 chantoient de petits motets de bergeres fort doux et charmans4 ,near where these damsels stood was a fountain which had pipes running with milk1 wine1 and hypocras2 at the side of the ,church of the ,holy ,trinity was a tableau-vivant of the ,passion of our ,saviour1 including a crucified ,christ and two thieves1 represented1 as the chronicle states1 par personnages sans parler4 ,a little further on was a hunting party1 with dogs and a hind1 making a tremendous noise with hautboys and cors-de-chasse4 ,the butchers on the open place near the ,chastelet1 had raised some lofty scaffolds1 and on them had erected a representation of the ,bastille or ,chateau of ,dieppe4 ,just as the king passed by1 a desperate combat was going on between the ,french besieging this chateau and the ,english holding garrison within2 the latter1 adds the chronicle1 having been taken prisoners1 had all their throats cut4 ,before the gate of the ,chastelet1 there were the personifications of several illustrious heroes2 and on the ,pont-au-,change1 which was carpeted below1 hung with arms at the sides1 and canopied above for the occasion1 stood the fowlers with their two hundred dozens of birds1 ready to fly them as soon as the royal charger should stamp on the first stone4 ,such was a royal entry in those days of iron rule4 ,before ,louis ,,xi4's father1 ,charles ,,vii41 had any reasonable prospect of reigning in ,paris as king1 the ,english troops had to be driven out of the capital2 and when the ,french forces had scaled the walls1 and entered the city1 ,a4,d4 #adcf1 the #aejj ,englishmen who defended the place1 had but little mercy shown them4 ,seeing that the game was lost1 ,sir ,h4 ,willoughby1 captain of ,paris1 shut himself up with a part of the troops in the ,bastille1 accompanied by the ,bishop of ,therouenne1 and ,morhier1 the provost of the city4 ,the people rose to the cry of ,sainct ,denys1 ,vive le noble ,roy de ,france6 ,the constable of ,france1 the ,duke de ,richemont1 and the ,bastard of ,orleans1 led them on2 those troops that had been shut out of the ,bastille1 tried to make their way up the ,rue ,st ,denis1 to the northern gateway1 and so to escape on the road to ,beauvais and ,england but the inhabitants stretched chains across the street1 and men1 women1 and children1 showered down upon them from the windows1 chairs1 tables1 logs of wood1 stones1 and even boiling water2 while others rushed in from behind and from the side streets1 with arms in their hands1 and the massacre of all the ,english fugitives ensued4 ,a short time after1 ,sir ,h4 ,willoughby1 and the garrison of the ,bastille1 not receiving succours from the commanders of the ,english forces1 surrendered the fortress1 and were allowed to retire to ,rouen4 ,as they marched out of ,paris1 the ,bishop of ,therouenne accompanied them1 and the populace followed the troops1 shouting out at the ,bishop--,the fox6 the fox6--and at the ,english1 ,the tail6 the tail6 ,another departure of a foreign garrison from ,paris1 took place in #aeid1 and this time in peaceable array1 by the ,rue ,st ,denis4 ,when ,henry ,,iv4 had obtained possession of his capital1 there remained in it a considerable body of ,spanish troops1 who had been sent into ,france to aid the chiefs of the ,league1 and they were under the command of the ,duke de ,feria4 ,the reaction in the minds of the ,parisians1 after the misery of their siege1 had been too sudden and too complete1 to give the ,spaniards any hope of holding out against the king2 a capitulation was therefore agreed upon1 the foreign forces were allowed to march out with the honours of war1 and they were escorted with their baggage as far as the frontier4 ,the king and his principal officers took post within the rooms over the ,porte ,st ,denis--then a square turreted building1 with a pointed and portcullised gate and drawbridge beneath--to see the troops march out1 and he stationed himself at the window looking down the street4 ,first came some companies of ,neapolitan infantry1 with drums beating1 standards flying1 arms on their shoulders1 but without having their matches lighted4 ,then came the ,spanish ,guards1 in the midst of whom were the ,duke de ,feria1 ,don ,diego d',ibara1 and ,don ,juan ,baptista ,taxis1 all mounted on spirited ,spanish chargers2 while behind them marched the battalions of the ,lansquenets1 and the ,walloons4 ,as each company came up to the gateway1 the soldiers1 marching by fours1 raised their eyes to the king1 took off their headpieces1 and bowed2 the officers did the same1 and ,henry returned the salutation with the greatest courtesy4 ,he was particular in showing this politeness1 in the most marked manner1 to the ,duke de ,feria and his noble companions1 and when they were within hearing1 cried out aloud1 ,recommend me to your master1 but never show your faces here again6 ,some of the more obnoxious members of the ,league were allowed to retire with the ,spaniards2 and in the evening1 bonfires were lighted in all the streets1 and the ,te ,deum was sung on all the public places4 ,the mediaeval glory of the ,porte ,st ,denis vanished in the time of ,louis ,,xiv41 where he unfortified the city1 which one of his successors has taken such pains again to imprison within stone walls1 and the present triumphal arch was erected upon its site4 ,this modern edifice1 it is well known1 served for the entrance of ,charles ,x4 from ,rheims1 and1 shortly after1 for a post whence the trumpery patriots of #ahcj contrived to annoy some of the cavalry who were fighting in the cause of the legitimacy and the true liberties of ,france4 ,many a barricade and many a skirmish has the ,rue ,st ,denis since witnessed6 ,all the churches have disappeared from the ,rue ,st ,denis except that of ,st ,leu and ,st ,gilles1 a small building of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries3 all the convents have been rased to the ground except that of ,st ,lazare4 ,to this a far different destination has been given from what it formerly enjoyed3 it is now the great female prison of the capital2 and within its walls all the bread required for the prisons of ,paris is baked1 all the linen is made and mended4 ,the prison consists of three distinct portions3 one allotted for carrying on the bread and linen departments3 a second for the detention of female criminals before conviction1 or for short terms of imprisonment2 and in this various light manufactures1 such as the making of baskets1 straw-plait1 and the red phosphorus-match boxes1 are carried on3 the third is an hospital and house of detention for the prostitutes of the capital4 ,we were once taken all through this immense establishment by the governor1 who had the kindness to accompany us1 and to explain every thing in person--a favour not often granted to foreigners--and a strong impression did the scenes we then saw leave4 ,in the first two departments every thing was gloomy1 orderly1 and quiet3 the prisoners were much fewer than we had expected--not above two hundred--many of them1 however1 were mere children2 but the matrons were good kind of women and the work of reformation was going on rapidly to counteract the effects of early crime4 ,in the third1 though equal strictness of conduct on the part of the superiors prevailed1 the behaviour of the inmates subjected to control was far different4 ,the great majority had been confined there as hospital patients1 not as offenders against the law1 and they were divided into wards1 according to their sanatory condition4 ,here they were very numerous2 and a melancholy thing it was to see hundreds of wretched creatures wandering about their spacious rooms1 or sitting up in their beds1 with haggard looks1 dishevelled hair1 hardly any clothing1 and a sort of reckless gaiety in their manner that spoke volumes as to their real condition4 ,the regime of this prison-hospital is found1 however1 to be on the whole most salutary3 the seeds of good are sown with a few2 the public health1 as well as the public morals1 has been notably improved2 and from the time when a young painter employed in the prison was decoyed into this portion of it and killed within a few hours1 the occurrence of deeds of violence within its walls has been very rare4 ,from the top of the ,faubourg ,st ,denis1 all through the suburb of ,la ,chapelle1 the long line of modern habitations extends1 without offering any points of historical interest4 ,it is1 indeed1 a very commonplace1 everyday kind of road1 which hardly any ,englishman that has jumbled along in the ,messageries ,royales can fail of recollecting4 ,nothing poetical1 nothing romantic1 was ever known to take place between the ,barriere de ,st ,denis and the town where the abbey stands4 ,we know1 however1 of an odd occurrence upon this ground1 towards the end of the thirteenth century1 7we were not alive then1 gentle reader17 strikingly illustrative of the superstition of the times4 ,in #abgd1 the church of ,st ,gervais1 in ,paris1 was broken into one night by some sacrilegious dog1 who ran off with the golden pix1 containing the consecrated wafer or host4 ,not thinking himself safe within the city1 away he went for ,st ,denis--got without the city walls in safety1 and made off as fast as he could for the abbatial town4 ,before arriving there1 he thought he would have a look at the contents of the precious vessel1 when1 on his opening the lid1 out jumped the holy wafer1 up it flew into the air over his head1 and there it kept dodging about1 and bobbing up and down1 behind the affrightened thief1 and following him wherever he went4 ,he rushed into the town of ,st ,denis1 but there was the wafer coming after him1 and just above his head2 whichever way he turned1 there was the flying wafer4 ,it was now broad daylight1 and some of the inhabitants perceived the miracle4 ,this was immediately reported by them to the abbot of the monastery4 ,the holy father and his monks sallied forth2 all saw the wafer as plain as they saw each others' shaven crowns4 ,the man was immediately arrested2 the pix was found on him1 and the abbot1 as a feudal seigneur1 having the right of life and death within his own fief1 had him hung up to the nearest tree within five minutes4 ,the abbot then sent word to the ,bishop of ,paris of what had occurred2 and the prelate1 attended by the curates and clergy of the capital1 went to ,st ,denis to witness the miracle4 ,but wonders were not to cease2 there they found the abbot and monks looking up into the air2 there was the wafer sticking up somewhere under the sun1 and none of them could devise how they were to get it down again4 ,the monks began singing canticles and litanies2 the ,parisian clergy did the same2 still the wafer would not move a hair's breadth4 ,at last they resolved to adjourn to the ,abbey ,church2 and so they formed themselves into procession1 and stepped forwards4 ,the monks had reached the abbey door1 the bishop and his clergy were following behind1 and the clergy of ,st ,gervais were just under the spot where the wafer was suspended1 when1 presto1 down it popped into the hands of the little red-nosed curate4 ,its mine6 cried the curate3 ,i'll have it6 shouted the bishop3 ,i wish you may get it1 roared the abbot--and a regular scramble took place4 ,but the little curate held his prize fast2 his vicars stuck to him like good men and true2 and they carried off their prize triumphant4 ,the bishop and the abbot drew up a solemn memorial and covenant on the spot1 whereby the wafer was legally consigned to its original consecrator and owner1 the curate of ,st ,gervais2 and it was agreed that every #ast of ,september1 the day of the miracle1 a solemn office and procession of the ,holy ,sacrament should be celebrated within his church4 ,the reverend father ,du ,breul1 the grave historian of ,paris1 adds3 ,l'histoire du dit miracle est naifvement depeinte en une vitre de la chapelle ,sainct ,pierre d'icelle eglise1 ou sont aussi quelques vers ,francois1 contenans partie d'icelle histoire4 ,,the ,,last ,,session ,,of ,,parliament4 ,in days of old it was the remark of more than one philosopher1 that1 if it were possible to exhibit virtue in a personal form1 and clothed with attributes of sense1 all men would unite in homage to her supremacy4 ,the same thing is true of other abstractions1 and especially of the powers which work by social change4 ,could these powers be revealed to us in any symbolic incarnation--were it possible that1 but for one hour1 the steadfast march of their tendencies1 their promises1 and their shadowy menaces1 could be made apprehensible to the bodily eye--we should be startled1 and oftentimes appalled1 at the grandeur of the apparition4 ,in particular1 we may say that the advance of civilization1 as it is carried forward for ever on the movement continually accelerated of ,england and ,france1 were it less stealthy and inaudible than it is1 would fix1 in every stage1 the attention of the inattentive and the anxieties of the careless4 ,like the fabulous music of the spheres1 once allowed to break sonorously upon the human ear1 it would render us deaf to all other sounds4 ,heard or not heard1 however1 marked or not marked1 the rate of our advance is more and more portentous4 ,old things are passing away4 ,every year carries us round some obstructing angle1 laying open suddenly before us vast reaches of fresh prospect1 and bringing within our horizon new agencies by which civilization is henceforth to work1 and new difficulties against which it is to work2 other forces for co-operation1 other resistances for trial4 ,meantime the velocity of these silent changes is incredibly aided by the revolutions1 both moral and scientific1 in the machinery of nations2 revolutions by which knowledge is interchanged1 power propagated1 and the methods of communication multiplied4 ,and the vast aerial arches by which these revolutions mount continually to the common zenith of ,christendom1 so as to force themselves equally upon the greatest of nations and the humblest1 express the aspiring destiny by which1 already and irresistibly1 they are coming round upon all other tribes and families of men1 however distant in position1 or alien by system and organization4 ,the nations of the planet1 like ships of war manoeuvring prelusively to some great engagement1 are silently taking up their positions1 as it were1 for future action and reaction1 reciprocally for doing and suffering4 ,and1 in this ceaseless work of preparation or of noiseless combination1 ,france and ,england are seen for ever in the van4 ,whether for evil or for good1 they must be in advance4 ,and if it were possible to see the relative positions of all ,christendom1 its several divisions1 expressed as if on the monuments of ,persepolis by endless evolutions of cities in procession or of armies advancing1 we should be awakened to the full solemnity of our duties by seeing two symbols flying aloft for ever in the head of nations--two recognizances for hope or for fear--the roses of ,england and the lilies of ,france4 ,reflections such as these furnish matter for triumphal gratulation1 but also for great depression3 and in the enormity of our joint responsibilities1 we ,french and ,english have reason to forget the grandeur of our separate stations4 ,it is fit that we should keep alive these feelings1 and continually refresh them1 by watching the everlasting motions of society1 by sweeping the moral heavens for ever with our glasses in vigilant detection of new phenomena1 and by calling to a solemn audit1 from time to time1 the national acts which are undertaken1 or the counsels which in high places are avowed4 ,amongst these acts and these counsels none justify a more anxious attention than such as come forward in the senate4 ,it is true that great revolutions may brood over us for a long period without awakening any murmur or echo in ,parliament2 of which we have an instance in ,puseyism1 which is a power of more ominous capacities than the gentleness of its motions would lead men to suspect1 and is well fitted 7as hereafter we may show7 to effect a volcanic explosion--such as may rend the ,church of ,england by schisms more extensive and shattering than those which have recently afflicted the ,church of ,scotland4 ,generally1 however1 ,parliament becomes1 sooner or later1 a mirror to the leading phenomena of the times4 ,these phenomena1 to be valued thoroughly1 must be viewed1 indeed1 from different stations and angles4 ,but one of these aspects is that which they assume under the legislative revision of the people4 ,it is more than ever requisite that each session of ,parliament should be searched and reviewed in the capital features of its legislation4 ,hereafter we may attempt this duty more elaborately4 ,for the present we shall confine ourselves to a hasty survey of some few principal measures in the late session which seem important to our social progress4 ,we shall commence our review by the fewest possible words on the paramount nuisance of the day--viz4 the corn-law agitation4 ,this is that question which all men have ceased to think sufferable4 ,this is that mammoth nuisance of our times by which the gaiety of nations is eclipsed4 ,we are thankful that its damnable iterations have now placed it beyond the limits of public toleration4 ,no man hearkens to such debates any longer--no man reads the reports of such debates3 it is become criminal to quote them2 and recent examples of torpor beyond all torpor1 on occasion of ,cobden meetings amongst the inflammable sections of our population1 have shown--that not the poorest of the poor are any longer to be duped1 or to be roused out of apathy1 by this intolerable fraud4 ,full of gifts and lies is the false fleeting ,association of these ,lancashire ,cottoneers4 ,but its gifts are too windy1 and its lies are too ponderous4 ,to the ,association is given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies2 and out of this mouth issues fire1 it is true1 against all that is excellent in the land1 but also smoke--as the consummation of its overtures4 ,during many reigns of the ,caesars1 a race of swindlers infested the ,roman court1 technically known as sellers of smoke1 and often punished under that name4 ,they sold1 for weighty considerations of gold1 castles in the air1 imaginary benefices1 ideal reversions2 and1 in short1 contracted wholesale or retail for the punctual delivery of unadulterated moonshine4 ,such a dealer1 such a contractor1 is the ,anti-,corn-,law ,association2 and for such it has always been known amongst intelligent men4 ,but its character has now diffused itself among the illiterate3 and we believe it to be the simple truth at this moment1 that every working man1 whose attention has at any time been drawn to the question1 is now ready to take his stand upon the following answer3--,we1 that is our order1 ,mr ,cobden1 are not very strong in faith4 ,our faith in the ,association is limited4 ,so much1 however1 by all that reaches us1 we are disposed to believe--viz4 that ultimately you might succeed in reducing the price of a loaf1 by three parts in forty-eight1 which is one sixteenth2 with what loss to our own landed order1 and with what risk to the national security in times of war or famine1 is no separate concern of ours4 ,on the other hand1 ,mr ,cobden1 in your order there are said to be knaves in ambush2 and we take it1 that the upshot of the change will be this3 ,we shall save three farthings in a shilling's worth of flour2 and the honest men of your order--whom candour forbid that we should reckon at only twenty-five per cent on the whole--will diminish our wages simply by that same three farthings in a shilling2 but the knaves 7we are given to understand7 will take an excuse out of that trivial change to deduct four1 five1 or six farthings2 they will improve the occasion in evangelical proportions--some sixty-fold1 some seventy1 and some a hundred4 ,this is the settled practical faith of those hard-working men1 who care not to waste their little leisure upon the theory of the corn-laws4 ,it is this practical result only which concerns us2 for as to the speculative logic of the case1 as a question for economists1 we1 who have so often discussed it in this journal1 7which journal1 we take it upon us to say1 has1 from time to time1 put forward or reviewed every conceivable argument on the corn question17 must really decline to re-enter the arena1 and actum agere1 upon any occasion ministered by ,mr ,cobden4 ,very frankly1 we disdain to do so2 and now1 upon quitting the subject1 we will briefly state why4 ,mr ,cobden1 as we hear and believe1 is a decent man--that is to say1 upon any ground not connected with politics2 equal to six out of any ten manufacturers you will meet in the ,queen's high road--whilst of the other four not more than three will be found conspicuously his superiors4 ,he is certainly1 in the senate1 not what ,lancashire rustics mean by a hammil sconce2#bh or1 according to a saying often in the mouth of our ,french emigrant friends in former times1 he could not have invented the gun-powder1 though perhaps he might have invented the hair-powder4 ,still1 upon the whole1 we repeat1 that ,mr ,cobden is a decent man1 wherever he is not very indecent4 ,is he therefore a decent man on this question of the corn-laws8 ,so far from it1 that we now challenge attention to one remarkable fact4 ,all the world knows how much he has talked upon this particular topic2 how he has itinerated on its behalf2 how he has perspired under its business4 ,is there a fortunate county in ,england which has yet escaped his harangues8 ,does that happy province exist which has not reverberated his yells8 ,doubtless1 not--and yet mark this3 ,not yet1 not up to the present hour1 7,september #bj1 #ahdc17 has ,mr ,cobden delivered one argument properly and specially applicable to the corn question4 ,he has uttered many things offensively upon the aristocracy2 he has libelled the lawgivers2 he has insulted the farmers2 he has exhausted the artillery of political abuse3 but where is the economic artillery which he promised us1 and which1 7strange to say67 from the very dulness of his theme making it a natural impossibility to read him1 most people are willing to suppose that he has1 after one fashion or other1 actually discharged4 ,the ,corn-,league benefits by its own stupidity4 ,not being read1 every leaguer has credit for having uttered the objections which1 as yet1 he never did utter4 ,hence comes the popular impression1 that from ,mr ,cobden have emanated arguments1 of some quality or other1 against the existing system4 ,true1 there are arguments in plenty on the other side1 and pretty notorious arguments2 but1 pendente lite1 and until these opposite pleas are brought forward1 it is supposed that the ,cobden pleas have a brief provisional existence--they are good for the moment4 ,not at all4 ,we repeat that1 as to economic pleas1 none of any kind1 good or bad1 have been placed on the record by any orator of that faction2 whilst all other pleas1 keen and personal as they may appear1 are wholly irrelevant to any real point at issue4 ,in illustration of what we say1 one 7and very much the most searching7 of ,mr ,cobden's questions to the farmers1 was this--,was not the object1 he demanded1 was not the very purpose of all corn-laws alike--simply to keep up the price of grain8 ,well2 had the ,english corn-laws accomplished that object8 ,had they succeeded in that purpose8 ,notoriously they had not2 confessedly they had failed2 and every farmer in the corn districts would avouch that often he had been brought to the brink of ruin by prices ruinously low4 ,now1 we pause not to ask1 why1 if the law already makes the prices of corn ruinously low1 any association can be needed to make it lower8 ,what we wish to fix attention upon1 is this assumption of ,mr ,cobden's1 many times repeated1 that the known object and office of our corn-law1 under all its modifications1 has been to elevate the price of our corn2 to sustain it at a price to which naturally it could not have ascended4 ,many sound speculators on this question we know to have been seriously perplexed by this assertion of ,mr ,cobden's2 and others1 we have heard1 not generally disposed to view that gentleman's doctrines with favour1 who insist upon it1 that1 in mere candour1 we must grant this particular postulate4 ,really1 say they1 that cannot be refused him2 the law was for the purpose he assigns2 its final cause was1 as he tells us1 to keep up artificially the price of our domestic corn-markets4 ,so far he is right4 ,but his error commences in treating this design as an unfair one1 and1 secondly1 in denying that it has been successful4 ,it has succeeded2 and it ought to have succeeded4 ,the protection sought for our agriculture was no more than it merited2 and that protection has been faithfully realized4 #bh ,a hammil sconce1 or light of the hamlet1 is the picturesque expression in secluded parts of ,lancashire for the local wise man1 or village counsellor4 ,we1 however1 vehemently deny ,mr ,cobden's postulate in toto4 ,he is wrong1 not merely as others are wrong in the principle of refusing this protection1 not merely on the question of fact as to the reality of this protection1 7to enter upon which points would be to adopt that hateful discussion which we have abjured27 but1 above all1 he is wrong in assigning to corn-laws1 as their end and purpose1 an absolute design of sustaining prices4 ,to raise prices is an occasional means of the corn-laws1 and no end at all4 ,in one word1 what is the end of the corn-laws8 ,it is1 and ever has been1 to equalize the prospects of the farmer from year to year1 with the view1 and generally with the effect1 of drawing into the agricultural service of the nation1 as nearly as possible1 the same amount of land at one time as at another4 ,this is the end2 and this end is paramount4 ,but the means to that end must lie1 according to the accidents of the case1 alternately through moderate increase of price1 or moderate diminution of price4 ,the besetting oversight1 in this instance1 is the neglect of the one great peculiarity affecting the manufacture of corn--viz4 its inevitable oscillation as to quantity1 consequently as to price1 under the variations of the seasons4 ,people talk1 and encourage mobs to think1 that ,parliaments cause1 and that ,parliaments could heal if they pleased1 the evil of fluctuation in grain4 ,alas6 the evil is as ancient as the weather1 and1 like the disease of poverty1 will cleave to society for ever4 ,and the way in which a corn-law--that is1 a restraint upon the free importation of corn--affects the case1 is this3--,relieving the domestic farmer from that part of his anxiety which points to the competition of foreigners1 it confines it to the one natural and indefeasible uncertainty lying in the contingencies of the weather4 ,releasing him from all jealousy of man1 it throws him1 in singleness of purpose1 upon an effort which cannot be disappointed1 except by a power to which1 habitually1 he bows and resigns himself4 ,secure1 therefore1 from all superfluous anxieties1 the farmer enjoys1 from year to year1 a pretty equal encouragement in distributing the employments of his land4 ,if1 through the dispensations of ,providence1 the quantity of his return falls short1 he knows that some rude indemnification will arise in the higher price4 ,if1 in the opposite direction1 he fears a low price1 it comforts him to know that this cannot arise for any length of time but through some commensurate excess in quantity4 ,this1 like other severities of a natural or general system1 will not1 and cannot1 go beyond a bearable limit4 ,the high price compensates grossly the defect of quantity2 the overflowing quantity in turn compensates grossly the low price4 ,and thus it happens that1 upon any cycle of ten years1 taken when you will1 the manufacture of grain will turn out to have been moderately profitable4 ,now1 on the other hand1 under a system of free importation1 whenever a redundant crop in ,england coincides 7as often it does7 with a similar redundancy in ,poland1 the discouragement cannot but become immoderate4 ,an excess of one-seventh will cause a fall of price by three-sevenths4 ,but the simultaneous excess on the ,continent may raise the one-seventh to two-sevenths1 and in a much greater proportion will these depress the price4 ,the evil will then be enormous2 the discouragement will be ruinous2 much capital1 much land1 will be withdrawn from the culture of grain2 and1 supposing a two years' succession of such excessive crops1 7which effect is more common than a single year's excess17 the result1 for the third year1 will be seen in a preternatural deficiency2 for1 by the supposition1 the number of acres applied to corn is now very much less than usual1 under the unusual discouragement2 and according to the common oscillations of the season according to those irregularities that1 in effect1 are often found to be regular--this third year succeeding to redundant years may be expected to turn out a year of scarcity4 ,here1 then1 in the absence of a corn-law1 comes a double deficiency--a deficiency of acres applied1 from jealousy of foreign competition1 and upon each separate acre a deficiency of crop1 from the nature of the weather4 ,what will be the consequence8 ,a price ruinously high2 higher beyond comparison than could ever have arisen under a temperate restriction of competition2 that is1 in other words1 under a ,british corn-law4 ,many other cases might be presented to the reader1 and especially under the action of a doctrine repeatedly pressed in this journal1 but steadily neglected elsewhere--viz4 the devolution of foreign agriculture upon lower qualities of land1 7and consequently its permanent exaltation in price17 in case of any certain demand on account of ,england4 ,but this one illustration is sufficient4 ,here we see that1 under a free trade in corn1 and in consequence of a free trade1 ruinous enhancements of price would arise--such in magnitude as never could have arisen under a wise limitation of foreign competition4 ,and further1 we see that under our present system no enhancement is1 or could be1 absolutely injurious2 it might be so relatively--it might be so in relation to the poor consumer2 but in the mean time1 that guinea which might be lost to the consumer would be gained to the farmer4 ,now1 in the case supposed1 under a free corn trade the rise is commensurate to the previous injury sustained by the farmer2 and much of the extra bonus reaped goes to a foreign interest4 ,what we insist upon1 however1 is this one fact1 that alternately the ,british corn-laws have raised the price of grain and have sunk it2 they have raised the price in the case where else there would have been a ruinous depreciation--ruinous to the prospects of succeeding years2 they have sunk it under the natural and usual oscillations of weather to be looked for in these succeeding years4 ,and each way their action has been most moderate4 ,for let not the reader forget1 that on the system of a sliding-scale1 this action cannot be otherwise than moderate4 ,does the price rise8 ,does it threaten to rise higher8 ,instantly the very evil redresses itself4 ,as the evil1 i4e4 the price1 increases1 in that exact proportion does it open the gate to relief2 for exactly so does the duty fall4 ,does the price fall ruinously8--7in which case it is true that the instant sufferer is the farmer2 but through him1 as all but the short-sighted must see1 the consumer will become the reversionary sufferer7--immediately the duty rises1 and forbids an accessary evil from abroad to aggravate the evil at home4 ,so gentle and so equable is the play of those weights which regulate our whole machinery1 whilst the late correction applied even here by ,sir ,robert ,peel1 has made this gentle action still gentler2 so that neither of the two parties--consumers who to live must buy1 growers who to live must sell--can1 by possibility1 feel an incipient pressure before it is already tending to relieve itself4 ,it is the very perfection of art to make a malady produce its own medicine--an evil its own relief4 ,but that which here we insist on1 is1 that it never was the object of our own corn-laws to increase the price of corn2 secondly1 that the real object was a condition of equipoise which abstractedly is quite unconnected with either rise of price or fall of price2 and thirdly1 that1 as a matter of fact1 our corn-laws have as often reacted to lower the price1 as directly they have operated to raise it2 whilst eventually1 and traced through succeeding years1 equally the raising and the lowering have co-operated to that steady temperature 7or nearest approximation to it allowed by nature7 which is best suited to a comprehensive system of interests4 ,accursed is that man who1 in speaking upon so great a question1 will seek1 or will consent1 to detach the economic considerations of that question from the higher political considerations at issue4 ,accursed is that man who will forget the noble yeomanry we have formed through an agriculture chiefly domestic1 were it even true that so mighty a benefit had been purchased by some pecuniary loss4 ,but this it is which we are now denying4 ,we affirm peremptorily1 and as a fact kept out of sight only by the neglect of pursuing the case through a succession of years under the natural fluctuation of seasons1 that1 upon the series of the last seventy years1 viewed as a whole1 we have paid less for our corn by means of the corn-laws1 than we should have done in the absence of such laws4 ,it was1 says ,mr ,cobden1 the purpose of such laws to make corn dear2 it is1 says he1 the effect1 to make it cheap4 ,yes1 in the last clause his very malice drove him into the truth4 ,speaking to farmers1 he found it requisite to assert that they had been injured2 and as he knew of no injury to them other than a low price1 that he postulated at the cost of his own logic1 and quite forgetting that if the farmer had lost1 the consumer must have gained in that very ratio4 ,rather than not assert a failure quoad the intention of the corn-laws1 he actually asserts a national benefit quoad the result4 ,and1 in a rapture of malice to the lawgivers1 he throws away for ever1 at one victorious sling1 the total principles of an opposition to the law4#bi #bi ,those who fancy a possible evasion of the case supposed above1 by saying1 that if a failure1 extensive as to ,england1 should coincide with a failure extensive as to ,poland1 remedies might be found in importing from many other countries combined1 forget one objection1 which is decisive--these supplementary countries must be many1 and they must be distant4 ,for no country could singly supply a defect of great extent1 unless it were a defect annually and regularly anticipated4 ,a surplus never designed as a fixed surplus for ,england1 but called for only now and then1 could never be more than small4 ,therefore the surplus1 which could not be yielded by one country1 must be yielded by many4 ,in that proportion increase the probabilities that a number will have no surplus4 ,and1 secondly1 from the widening distances1 in that proportion increases the extent of shipping required4 ,but now1 even from ,mr ,porter1 a most prejudiced writer on this question1 and not capable of impartiality in speaking upon any measure which he supposes hostile to the principle of free trade1 the reader may learn how certainly any great hiatus in our domestic growth of corn is placed beyond all hope of relief4 ,for how is this grain1 this relief1 to be brought8 ,in ships1 you reply4 ,ay1 but in what ships8 ,do you imagine that an extra navy can lie rotting in docks1 and an extra fifty thousand of sailors can be held in reserve1 and borne upon the books of some colossal establishment1 waiting for the casual seventh1 ninth1 or twelfth year in which they may be wanted--kept and paid against an in case1 like the extra supper1 so called by ,louis ,,xiv41 which waited all night on the chance that it might be wanted8 ,that1 you say1 is impossible4 ,it is so2 and yet without such a reserve1 all the navies of ,europe would not suffice to make up such a failure of our home crops as is likely enough to follow redundant years under the system of unlimited competition4--,see ,,porter4 ,but enough1 and more than enough1 of ,,the nuisance4 ,it will be expected1 however1 that we should notice two collateral points1 both wearing an air of the marvellous1 which have grown out of the nuisance during the recent session4 ,one is the relaxation of our laws with respect to ,canadian corn2 a matter of no great importance in itself1 but furnishing some reasons for astonishment in regard to the disproportioned opposition which it has excited4 ,undoubtedly the astonishment is well justified1 if we view the measure for what it was really designed by the minister--viz4 as a momentary measure1 suited merely to the current circumstances of our relation to ,canada4 ,long before any evil can arise from it1 through changes in these circumstances1 the law will have been modified4 ,else1 and having1 regard to the remote contingencies of the case 7possible or probable7 rather than to its instant certainties1 we are disposed to think1 that the irritation which this little anomalous law has roused amongst some of the landholders1 is not quite so unaccountable1 or so disproportionate1 as the public have been taught to imagine4 ,true it is1 that for the present1 lis est de paupere regno4 ,any surplus of grain which1 at this moment1 ,canada could furnish1 must be quite as powerless upon our home markets1 as the cattle1 living or salted which have been imported under the tariff in #ahdb and #ahdc4 ,but the fears of ,canada potentially1 were not therefore unreasonable1 because the actual ,canada is not in a condition for instantly using her new privileges4 ,corn1 that hitherto had not been grown1 both may be grown1 and certainly will be grown1 as soon as the new motive for growing it1 the new encouragement1 becomes operatively known4 ,corn1 again1 that from local difficulties did not find its way to eastern markets1 will do so by continual accessions1 swelling gradually into a powerful stream1 as the many improvements of the land and water communication1 now contemplated1 or already undertaken1 come into play4 ,another fear connects itself with possible evasions of the law by the ,united ,states4 ,cross an imaginary frontier line1 and that will become ,canadian which was not ,canadian by its origin4 ,we are told1 indeed1 that merely by its bulk1 grain will always present an obstacle to any extensive system of smuggling4 ,but obstacles are not impossibilities4 ,and these obstacles1 it must be remembered1 are not founded in the vigilance of revenue officers1 but simply in the cost2 an element of difficulty which is continually liable to change4 ,so that upon the whole1 and as applying to the reversions of the case1 rather than to its present phenomena1 undoubtedly there are dangers a-head to our own landed interest from that quarter of the horizon4 ,for the present1 it should be enough to say1 that these dangers are yet remote4 ,and perhaps it would have been enough under other circumstances4 ,but it is the tendency of the bill which suggests alarm4 ,all changes in our day tend to the consummation of free trade3 and this measure1 travelling in that direction1 reasonably becomes suspicious by its principle1 though innocent enough by its immediate operation4 ,the other point connected with the corn question is personal4 ,among the many motions and notices growing out of the dispute1 which we hold it a matter of duty to neglect1 was one brought forward by ,lord ,john ,russell4 ,upon what principle1 or with what object8 ,strange to say1 he refused to explain4 ,that it must be some modification applied to a fixed duty1 every body knew2 but of what nature ,lord ,john declined to tell us1 until he should reach a committee which he had no chance of obtaining4 ,this affair1 which surprised every body1 is of little importance as regards the particular subject of the motion4 ,but in a more general relation1 it is worthy of attention4 ,no man interested in the character and efficiency of ,parliament1 can fail to wish that there may always exist a strong opposition1 vigilant1 bold1 unflinching1 full of partizanship1 if you will1 but uniformly suspending the partizanship at the summons of paramount national interests1 and acting harmoniously upon some systematic plan4 ,how little the present unorganized opposition answers to this description1 it is unnecessary to say4 ,the nation is ashamed of a body so determinately below its functions4 ,but ,lord ,john ,russell is individually superior to his party4 ,he is a man of sense1 of information1 and of known official experience4 ,now1 if he1 so notoriously the wise man of her ,majesty's ,opposition1 is capable of descending to harlequin caprices of this extreme order1 the nation sees with pain1 that a constitutional function of control is extinct in our present senate1 and that her ,majesty's ,ministers must now be looked to as their own controllers4 ,with the levity of a child1 ,lord ,john makes a motion1 which1 if adopted1 would have landed him in defeat2 but through utter want of judgment and concert with his party1 he does not get far enough to be defeated3 he does not succeed in obtaining the prostration for which he manoeuvres2 but is saved from a final exposure of his little statesmanship by universal mockery of his miserable partizanship4 ,alas for the times in which ,burke and ,fox wielded the forces of ,parliamentary opposition1 and redoubled the energies of ,government by the energies of their enlightened resistance6 ,in quitting the subject of the corn agitation1 7obstinately pursued through the session17 we may remark--and we do so with pain--that all laws whatsoever1 strong or lax1 upon this question are to be regarded as provisional4 ,the temper of society being what it is1 some small gang of cotton-dealers1 moved by the rankest self-interest1 finding themselves suffered to agitate almost without opposition1 and the ancient landed interest of the country1 if not silenced1 being silent1 it is felt by all parties that no law1 in whatever direction1 upon this great problem1 can have a chance of permanence4 ,the natural revenge which we may promise ourselves is--that the lunacies of the free-trader1 when acted upon1 as too surely they will be1 may prove equally fugitive4 ,meantime1 it is not by provisional acts1 or acts of sudden emergency1 that we estimate the service of a senate4 ,it is the solemn and deliberate laws1 those which are calculated for the wear and tear of centuries1 which hold up a mirror to the legislative spirit of the times4 ,of laws bearing this character1 if we except the inaugural essays at improving the law of libel1 and at founding a system of national education1 of which the latter has failed for the present in a way fitted to cause some despondency1 the last session offers us no conspicuous example1 beyond the one act of ,lord ,aberdeen for healing and tranquillizing the wounds of the ,scottish church4 ,self-inflicted these wounds undeniably were2 but they were not the less severe on that account1 nor was the contagion of spontaneous martyrdom on that account the less likely to spread4 ,in reality1 the late astonishing schism in the ,scottish church 7astonishing because abrupt7 is1 in one respect1 without precedent4 ,every body has heard of persecutions that were courted2 but in such a case1 at least1 the spirit of persecution must have had a local existence1 and to some extent must have uttered menaces--or how should those menaces have been defied8 ,now1 the persecutions1 before which a large section of the ,scottish church has fallen by an act of spontaneous martyrdom1 were not merely needlessly defied1 but were originally self-created2 they were evoked1 like phantoms and shadows1 by the martyrs themselves1 out of blank negations4 ,without provocation ab extra1 without warning on their own part1 suddenly they place themselves in an attitude of desperate defiance to the known law of the land4 ,the law firmly and tranquilly vindicates itself2 the whole series of appeals is threaded2 the original judgment1 as a matter of course1 is finally re-affirmed--and this is the persecution insinuated2 whilst the necessity of complying with that decision1 which does not express any novelty even to the extent of a new law1 but simply the ordinary enforcement of an old one1 is the kind of martyrdom resulting4 ,the least evil of this fantastic martyrdom1 is the exit from the pastoral office of so many persons trained1 by education and habit1 to the effectual performance of the pastoral duties4 ,that loss--though not without signal difficulty1 from the abruptness of the summons--will be supplied4 ,but there is a greater evil which cannot be healed--the breach of unity in the church4 ,the scandal1 the offence1 the occasion of unhappy constructions upon the doctrinal soundness of the church1 which have been thus ministered to the fickle amongst her own children--to the malicious amongst her enemies1 are such as centuries do not easily furnish1 and centuries do not remove4 ,in all ,christian churches alike1 the conscientiousness which is the earliest product of heartfelt religion1 has suggested this principle1 that schism1 for any cause1 is a perilous approach to sin2 and that1 unless in behalf of the weightiest interests or of capital truths1 it is inevitably criminal4 ,and in connexion with this consideration1 there arise two scruples to all intelligent men upon this crisis in the ,scottish church1 and they are scruples which at this moment1 we are satisfied1 must harass the minds of the best men amongst the seceders--viz4 ,first1 whether the new points contended for1 waiving all controversy upon their abstract doctrinal truth1 are really such1 in practical virtue1 that it could be worth purchasing them at the cost of schism8 ,secondly1 supposing a good man to have decided this question in the affirmative for a young society of ,christians1 for a church in its infancy1 which1 as yet1 might not have much to lose in credit or authentic influence--whether the same free license of rupture and final secession could belong to an ancient church1 which had received eminent proofs of ,divine favour through a long course of spiritual prosperity almost unexampled8 ,indeed1 this last question might suggest another paramount to the other two--viz4 not whether the points at issue were weighty enough to justify schism and hostile separation1 but whether those points could even be safe as mere speculative credenda1 which1 through so long a period of trial1 and by so memorable a harvest of national services1 had been shown to be unnecessary8 ,very sure we are1 that no eminent servant of the ,scottish church could abandon1 without anguish of mind1 the multitude of means and channels1 that great machinery for dispensing living truths1 which the power and piety of the ,scottish nation have matured through three centuries of pure ,christianity militant4 ,solemn must have been the appeal1 and searching1 which would force its way to the conscience on occasion of taking the last step in so sad an exodus from the ,jerusalem of his fathers4 ,anger and irritation can do much to harden the obduracy of any party conviction1 especially whilst in the centre of fiery partisans4 ,but sorrow1 in such a case1 is a sentiment of deeper vitality than anger2 and this sorrow for the result will co-operate with the original scruples on the casuistry of the questions1 to reproduce the demur and the struggle many times over1 in consciences of tender sensibility4 ,exactly for men in this state of painful collision with their own higher nature1 is ,lord ,aberdeen's bill likely to furnish the bias which can give rest to their agitations1 and firmness to their resolutions4 ,the bill1 according to some1 is too early1 and1 according to others1 too late4 ,why too early8 ,because1 say they1 it makes concessions to the church1 which as yet are not proved to be called for4 ,these concessions travel on the very line pursued by the seceders1 and must give encouragement to that spirit of religious movement which it has been found absolutely requisite to rebuke by acts of the legislature4 ,why1 on the other hand1 is ,lord ,aberdeen's bill too late8 ,because1 three years ago1 it would1 or it might1 have prevented the secession4 ,but is this true8 ,could this bill have prevented the secession8 ,we believe not4 ,lord ,aberdeen1 undoubtedly1 himself supposes that it might4 ,but1 granting that this were true1 whose fault is it that a three years' delay has intercepted so happy a result8 ,lord ,aberdeen assures us that the earlier success of the bill was defeated entirely by the resistance of the ,government at that period1 and chiefly by the personal resistance of ,lord ,melbourne4 ,let that minister be held responsible1 if any ground has been lost that could have been peacefully pre-occupied against the schism4 ,this1 however1 seems to us a chimera4 ,for what is it that the bill concedes8 ,undoubtedly it restrains and modifies the right of patronage4 ,it grants a larger discretion to the ecclesiastical courts than had formerly been exercised by the usage4 ,some contend1 that in doing so the bill absolutely alters the law as it stood heretofore1 and ought1 therefore1 to be viewed as enactory2 whilst others maintain that is simply a declaratory bill1 not altering the law at all1 but merely expressing1 in fuller or in clearer terms1 what had always been law1 though silently departed from by the usage1 which1 from the time of ,queen ,anne1 had allowed a determinate preponderance to the rights of property in the person of the patron4 ,those1 indeed1 who take the former view1 contending that it enacts a new principle of law1 very much circumscribing the old right of patronage1 insist upon it that the bill virtually revokes the decision of the ,lords in the ,auchterarder case4 ,technically and formally speaking1 this is not true2 for the presbytery1 or other church court1 is now tied up to a course of proceeding which at ,auchterarder was violently evaded4 ,the court cannot now peremptorily challenge the nominee in the arbitrary mode adopted in that instance4 ,an examination must be instituted within certain prescribed limits4 ,but undoubtedly the contingent power of the church court1 in the case of the nominee not meeting the examination satisfactorily1 is much larger now1 under the new bill1 than it was under the old practice2 so that either this practice must formerly have swerved from the letter of the law1 or else the new law1 differing from the old1 is really more than declaratory4 ,yet1 however this may be1 it is clear that the jurisdiction of the church in the matter of patronage1 however ample it may seem as finally ascertained or created by the new bill1 falls far within the extravagant outline marked out by the seceders4 ,we argue1 therefore1 that it could not have prevented their secession even as regards that part of their pretensions2 whilst1 as regards the monstrous claim to decide in the last resort what shall be civil and what spiritual--that is1 in a question of clashing jurisdiction1 to settle on their own behalf where shall fall the boundary line--it may be supposed that ,lord ,aberdeen would no more countenance their claim in any point of practice1 than all rational legislators would countenance it as a theory4 ,how1 therefore1 could this bill have prevented the rent in the church1 so far as it has yet extended8 ,on the other hand1 though apparently powerless for that effect1 it is well calculated to prevent a second secession4 ,those who are at all disposed to follow the first seceders1 stand in this situation4 ,by the very act of adhering to the ,establishment when the ultra party went out1 they made it abundantly manifest that they do not go to the same extreme in their requisitions4 ,but1 upon any principle which falls short of that extreme being at all applicable to this church question1 it is certain that ,lord ,aberdeen's measure will be found to satisfy their wishes2 for that measure1 if it errs at all1 errs by conceding too much rather than too little4 ,it sustains all objections to a candidate on their own merit1 without reference to the quarter from which they arise1 so long as they are relevant to the proper qualifications of a parish clergyman4 ,it gives effect to every argument that can reasonably be urged against a nominee--either generally1 on the ground of his moral conduct1 his orthodoxy1 and his intellectual attainments2 or specially1 in relation to his fitness for any local varieties of the situation4 ,a ,presbyterian church has always been regarded as1 in some degree1 leaning to a republican character1 but a republic may be either aristocratic or democratic3 now1 ,lord ,aberdeen has favoured the democratic tendency of the age by making the probationary examination of the candidate as much of a popular examination1 and as open to the impression of objections arising with the body of the people1 as could be done with any decent regard either to the rights yet recognised in the patron1 or1 still more1 to the professional dignity of the clerical order4 ,upon the whole1 therefore1 we look upon ,lord ,aberdeen as a national benefactor1 who has not only turned aside a current running headlong into a revolution1 but in doing this exemplary service1 has contrived to adjust the temperament very equitably between1 #ast1 the individual nominee1 having often his livelihood at stake2 #b;dly1 the patron1 exercising a right of property interwoven with our social system1 and not liable to any usurpation which would not speedily extend itself to other modes of property2 #c;dly1 the church1 considered as the trustee or responsible guardian of orthodoxy and sound learning2 #dthly1 the same church considered as a professional body1 and1 therefore1 as interested in upholding the dignity of each individual clergyman1 and his immunity from frivolous cavils1 however much against him they are interested in detecting his insufficiency2 and1 #ethly1 the body of the congregation1 as undoubtedly entitled to have the qualifications of their future pastor rigorously investigated4 ,all these separate claims1 embodied in five distinct parties1 ,lord ,aberdeen has delicately balanced and fixed in a temperate equipoise by the machinery of his bill4 ,whilst1 if we enquire for the probable effects of this bill upon the interests of pure and spiritual religion1 the promise seems every way satisfactory4 ,the ,jacobinical and precipitous assaults of the ,non-intrusionists upon the rights of property are summarily put down4 ,a great danger is surmounted4 ,for if the rights of patrons were to be arbitrarily trampled under foot on a pretence of consulting for the service of religion2 on the next day1 with the same unprincipled levity1 another party might have trampled on the patrimonial rights of hereditary descent1 on primogeniture1 or any institution whatever1 opposed to the democratic fanaticism of our age4 ,no patron can now thrust an incompetent or a vicious person upon the religious ministrations of the land4 ,it must be through their own defect of energy1 if any parish is henceforth burdened with an incumbent reasonably obnoxious4 ,it must be the fault of the presbytery or other church court1 if the orthodox standards of the church are not maintained in their purity4 ,it must be through his own fault1 or his own grievous defects1 if any qualified candidate for the church ministry is henceforth vexatiously rejected4 ,it must be through some scandalous oversight in the selection of presentees1 if any patron is defeated of his right to present4 ,contrast with these great services the menaces and the tendencies of the ,non-,intrusionists1 on the assumption that they had kept their footing in the church4 ,it may be that1 during this generation1 from the soundness of the individual partisans1 the orthodox standards of the church would have been maintained as to doctrine4 ,but all the other parties interested in the church1 except the church herself1 as a depositary of truth1 would have been crushed at one blow4 ,this is apparent1 except only with regard to the congregation of each parish4 ,that body1 it may be thought1 could not but have benefited by the change2 for the very motive and the pretence of the movement arose on their behalf4 ,but mark how names disguise facts1 and to what extent a virtual hostility may lurk under an apparent protection4 ,lord ,aberdeen1 because he limits the right of the congregation1 is supposed to destroy it2 but in the mean time he secures to every parish in ,scotland a true and effectual influence1 so far as that body ought to have it1 7that is1 negatively17 upon the choice of its pastor4 ,on the other hand1 the whole storm of the ,non-intrusionists was pointed at those who refused to make the choice of a pastor altogether popular4 ,it was the people1 considered as a congregation1 who ought to appoint the teacher by whom they were to be edified4 ,so far1 the party of seceders come forward as martyrs to their democratic principles4 ,and they drew a colourable sanction to their democracy from the great names of ,calvin1 ,zuinglius1 and ,john ,knox4 ,unhappily for them1 ,sir ,william ,hamilton has shown1 by quotations the most express and absolute from these great authorities1 that no such democratic appeal as the ,non-intrusionists have presumed1 was ever contemplated for an instant by any one amongst the founders of the ,reformed churches4 ,that ,calvin1 whose jealousy was so inexorable towards princes and the sons of princes--that ,john ,knox1 who never feared the face of man that was born of woman--were these great ,christian champions likely to have flinched from installing a popular tribunal1 had they believed it eligible for modern times1 or warranted by ancient times8 ,in the learning of the question1 therefore1 ,non-intrusionists showed themselves grossly wrong4 ,meantime it is fancied that at least they were generously democratic1 and that they manifested their disinterested love of justice by creating a popular control that must have operated chiefly against their own clerical order4 ,what6 is that indeed so8 ,now1 finally1 take another instance how names belie facts4 ,the people were to choose their ministers2 the council for election of the pastor was to be a popular council abstracted from the congregation3 but how8 but under what conditions8 but by whom abstracted8 ,behold the subtle design3--,this pretended congregation was a small faction2 this counterfeit people was the petty gathering of ,,communicants2 and the communicants were in effect within the appointment of the clergyman4 ,they formed indirectly a secret committee of the clergy4 ,so that briefly1 ,lord ,aberdeen1 whilst restraining the popular courts1 gives to them a true popular authority2 and the ,non-intrusionists1 whilst seeming to set up a democratic idol1 do in fact1 by dexterous ventriloquism1 throw their own all-potential voice into its passive organs4 ,we may seem to owe some apology to our readers for the space which we have allowed to this great moral emeute in ,scotland4 ,but we hardly think so ourselves4 ,for in our own island1 and in our own times1 nothing has been witnessed so nearly bordering on a revolution4 ,indeed1 it is painful to hear ,dr ,chalmers1 since the secession1 speaking of the ,scottish aristocracy in a tone of scornful hatred1 not surpassed by the most ,jacobinical language of the ,french ,revolution in the year #agib4 ,and1 if this movement had not been checked by ,parliament1 and subsequently by the executive ,government1 in its comprehensive provision for the future1 by the measure we have been reviewing1 we cannot doubt that the contagion of the shock would have spread immediately to ,england1 which part of the island has been long prepared and manured1 as we might say1 for corresponding struggles1 by the continued conspiracy against church-rates4 ,in both cases1 an attack on church property1 once allowed to prosper or to gain any stationary footing1 would have led to a final breach in the life and serviceable integrity of the church4 ,of the ,factory bill1 we are sorry that we are hardly entitled to speak4 ,in the loss of the educational clauses1 that bill lost all which could entitle it to a separate notice2 and1 where the ,government itself desponds as to any future hope of succeeding1 private parties may have leave to despair4 ,one gleam of comfort1 however1 has shone out since the adjournment of ,parliament4 ,the only party to the bitter resistance under which this measure failed1 whom we can sincerely compliment with full honesty of purpose--viz4 the ,wesleyan ,methodists--have since expressed 7about the middle of ,september7 sentiments very like compunction and deep sorrow for the course they felt it right to pursue4 ,they are fully aware of the malignity towards the ,church of ,england1 which governed all other parties to the opposition excepting themselves2 and in the sorrowful result of that opposition1 which has terminated in denying all extension of education to the labouring youth of the nation1 they have learned 7like the conscientious men that they are7 to suspect the wisdom and the ultimate principle of the opposition itself4 ,fortunately1 they are a most powerful body2 to express regret for what they have done1 and hesitation at the casuistry of those motives which reconciled them to their act at the moment is possibly but the next step to some change in their counsels2 in which case this single body1 in alliance with the ,church of ,england1 would be able to carry the great measure which has been crushed for the present by so unexampled a resistance4 ,much remains to be said1 both upon the introductory statements of ,lord ,ashley1 with which 7in spite of our respect for that nobleman7 we do not coincide1 and still more upon the extensive changes1 and the principles of change1 which must be brought to bear upon a national system of education1 before it can operate with that large effect of benefit which so many anticipate from its adoption4 ,but this is ample matter for a separate discussion4 ,lastly1 let us notice the ,irish ,arms' bill2 which1 amongst the measures framed to meet the momentary exigence of the times1 stands foremost in importance4 ,this is one of those fugitive and casual precautions1 which1 by intense seasonableness1 takes its rank amongst the permanent means of pacification4 ,bridling the instant spirit of uproar1 carrying the ,irish nation over that transitional state of temptation1 which1 being once gone by1 cannot1 we believe1 be renewed for generations1 this1 with other acts in the same temper1 will face whatever peril still lingers in the sullen rear of ,mr ,o',connell's dying efforts4 ,for that gentleman1 personally1 we believe him to be nearly extinct4 ,two months ago we expressed our conviction1 so much the stronger in itself for having been adopted after some hesitation1 that ,sir ,robert ,peel had taken the true course for eventually and finally disarming him4 ,we are thankful that we have now nothing to recant4 ,progress has been made in that interval towards that consummation1 quite equal to any thing we could have expected in so short a lapse of weeks4 ,mr ,o',connell is now showing the strongest symptoms of distress1 and of conscious approach to the condition of check to the king4 ,of these symptoms we will indicate one or two4 ,in ,january #ahdc1 he declared solemnly that an ,irish ,parliament should instal itself at ,dublin before the year closed4 ,early in ,may1 he promised that on the anniversary of that day the great change should be solemnized4 ,on a later day in ,may1 he proclaimed that the event would come off 7according to a known nautical mode of advertising the time of sailing7 not upon a settled day of that month but in all ,may of #ahdd4 ,here the matter rested until ,august #ab1 when again he shifted his day to the corresponding day of #ahdd4 ,but ,september arrived1 and then before those shoes were old in which he had made his promise1 he declares by letter1 to some correspondent1 that he must have forty-three months for working out his plan4 ,anther symptom1 yet more significant1 is this3 and strange to say it has been overlooked by the daily press4 ,originally he had advertised some pretended ,parliament of #cjj ,irishmen1 to which admission was to be had for each member by a fee of ,l4#ajj4 ,and several journals are now telling him that1 under the ,convention ,act1 he and his ,parliament will be arrested on the day of assembling4 ,not at all4 ,they do not attend to his harlequin motions4 ,already he has declared that this assembly1 which was to have been a ,parliament1 is only to be a conciliatory committee1 an old association under some new name1 for deliberating on means tending to a ,parliament in some future year1 as yet not even suggested4 ,may we not say1 after such facts1 that the game is up8 ,the agitation may continue1 and it may propagate itself4 ,but for any interest of ,mr ,o',connell's1 it is now passing out of his hands4 ,in the joy with which we survey that winding up of the affair1 we can afford to forget the infamous display of faction during the discussion of the ,arms' bill4 ,any thing like it1 in pettiness of malignity1 has not been witnessed during this century3 any thing like it1 in impotence of effect1 probably will not be witnessed again during our times4 ,thirteen divisions in one night--all without hope1 and without even a verbal gain6 ,this conduct the nation will not forget at the next election4 ,but in the mean time the peaceful friends of this yet peaceful empire rejoice to know1 that without war1 without rigour1 without an effort that could disturb or agitate--by mere silent precautions1 and the sublime magnanimity of simply fixing upon the guilty conspirator one steadfast eye of vigilant preparation1 the conspiracy itself is melting into air1 and the relics of it which remain will soon become fearful only to him who has evoked it4 ,the game1 therefore1 is up1 if we speak of the purposes originally contemplated4 ,this appears equally from the circumstances of the case without needing the commentary of ,mr ,o',connell1 and from the acts no less than the words of that conspirator4 ,true it is--and this is the one thing to be feared--that the agitation1 though extinct for the ends of its author1 may propagate itself through the maddening passions of the people1 now perhaps uncontrollably excited4 ,tumults may arise1 at the moment when further excitement is impossible1 simply through that which is already in operation4 ,but that stage of rebellion is open at every turn to the coercion of the law3 and it is not such a phasis of conspiracy that ,mr ,o',connell wishes to face1 or can face4 ,speaking1 therefore1 of the real objects pursued in this memorable agitation1 we cannot but think that as the roll of possible meetings is drawing nearer to exhaustion1 as all other arts fail1 and mere written addresses are renewed1 7wanting the inflammatory contagion of personal meetings1 and not accessible to a scattered peasantry27 but above all1 as the day of instant action is once again adjourned to a period both remote and indefinite1 the agitation must be drooping1 and virtually we may repeat that the game is up4 ,but the last moves have been unusually interesting4 ,not unlike the fascination exercised over birds by the eye of the rattlesnake1 has been the impression upon ,mr ,o',connell from the fixed attention turned upon him by ,government4 ,what they did was silent and unostentatious2 more1 however1 than perhaps the public is aware of in the way of preparation for an outbreak4 ,but the capital resource of their policy was1 to make ,mr ,o',connell deeply sensible that they were watching him4 ,the eye that watched over ,waterloo was upon him3 for six months that eagle glance has searched him and nailed him3 and the result1 as it is now revealing itself1 may at length be expressed in the two lines of ,wordsworth otherwise applied-- ,the vacillating bondsman of the ,pope ,shrinks from the verdict of that steadfast eye4 ,edinburgh3 ,printed by ,ballantyne and ,hughes1 ,paul's ,work4 ,transcriber's ,note ,minor typographic errors have been corrected4 ,please note there is some archaic spelling1 which has been retained as printed4 ,there are a few snippets of ,greek2 this has been transliterated and is surrounded by signs4 ,there are also a few instances of the letter a with macron 7straight line7 over it4 ,these are indicated by a4 ,the few oe ligatures have not been retained in this version4