,,chambers' ,,edinburgh ,,journal       
,,conducted ,,by ,,william ,,and        
,,robert ,,chambers1 ,,editors ,,of     
',,chambers',s   ,,information ,,for    
,,the ,,people1' ',,chambers',s         
,,educational ,,course1' c4     ,no4    
#dfj4 ,,new ,,series4   ,,saturday1     
,,october #bc1 #aheb4   ,,price         
#a-a_/b;d4     ,,preserved ,,meats ,,and
 ,,meat-,,biscuits4   ,the many-headed  
public look out for 'nine days'         
wonders1' and speedily allow one wonder 
to obliterate the remembrance of that   
which preceded it4 ,so it is with all   
newspaper topics1 and so it has been in 
respect to the preserved-meat question4 
,we all know how great was the          
excitement at the commencement of the   
present year on this matter4 ,ships'    
accounts overhauled2 arctic stores      
re-examined2 canisters opened and       
rejected2 contracts inquired into2      
statements and counter-statements       
published2 questionings of ,admiralty   
officials in the two ,houses of         

,parliament2 reports published by       
committees2 recommendations offered for 
future guidance2 descriptions of the    
preserving processes at different       
establishments3 all went the round of   
the newspapers1 and then the topic was  
forgotten4 ,it deserves to be held in   
remembrance1 however1 for the           
subject-matter is really important and  
valuable1 in respect not only to the    
stores for shipping1 but to the         
provisioning of large or small bodies of
 men under various exceptional          
circumstances4  ,a few of the simple    
laws of organic chemistry suffice to    
account for the speedy decay of dead    
animal substances1 and for the methods  
whereby this decay is retarded or       
prevented4 ,in organised substances1 the
 chemical atoms combine in a very       
complex but unstable way2 several such  
atoms group together to form a proximate
 principle1 such as gluten1 albumen1    
fibrin1 c42 and several of these combine
 to form a complete organic substance4  

,the chemical rank-and-file1 so to      
speak1 form a battalion1 and two or more
 battalions form the chemical army4 ,but
 it is a law in chemistry1 that the more
 complex a substance becomes1 the less  
stable is its constitution1 or the      
sooner is it affected by disturbing     
influences4 ,hence organic substances   
are more readily decomposed than        
inorganic4 ,how striking1 for instance1 
are the changes easily wrought in a few 
grains of barley6 ,they contain a kind  
of starch or fecula2 this starch1 in the
 process of malting1 becomes converted  
into a kind of sugar2 and from this     
malt-sugar or transformed starch1 may be
 obtained ale or beer1 gin or whisky1   
and vinegar1 by various processes of    
fermenting and distilling4 ,the complex 
substance breaks up through very slight 
causes1 and the simple elements readjust
 themselves into new groupings4 ,the    
same occurs in animal as in vegetable   
substances1 but still more rapidly1 as  
the former are more intricate in        

composition than the latter1 and are    
held together by a weaker tie4  ,what   
the 'vital principle' may be1 neither   
chemists nor physiologists can tell us  
with any great degree of clearness2 but 
it is this vital principle1 whatever it 
may be1 which prevents decay in a living
 organic substance1 however complex4    
,when life departs1 the onslaught       
begins2 the defender has been removed1  
and a number of assailants make their   
appearance4 ,air1 heat1 and moisture are
 the principal of these2 they attack the
 dead organism1 and gradually convert it
 into wholly different and inorganic    
compounds1 such as water1 carbonic acid1
 ammonia1 phosphuretted hydrogen1 and   
many others4 ,what1 then1 would result  
if these disturbers could be warded off1
 one or all8 ,it is now pretty well     
ascertained1 that if any one of the     
three--air1 heat1 moisture--be absent1  
the decay is either greatly retarded or 
indefinitely postponed2 and we shall    
find that in all antiseptic or          

preserving processes1 the fundamental   
principle has simply such an object in  
view4  ,sometimes the operation of      
natural causes leads to the preservation
 of dead animal substances for a great  
length of time1 by excluding one out of 
the above three disturbing influences4  
,if heat be so deficient that the animal
 juices become wholly frozen up1 the    
substance is almost proof against decay4
 ,thus1 about seventy years ago1 a huge 
animal was found imbedded in the ice in 
,siberia3 from a comparison of its      
skeleton with those of existing species1
 ,cuvier inferred that this animal must 
have been antediluvian2 and yet1 so     
completely had the cold prevented       
putrefaction1 that dogs willingly ate of
 the still existing flesh4 ,at ,st      
,petersburg1 when winter is approaching1
 the fish in the markets become almost  
like blocks of ice1 so completely are   
they frozen2 and in this state they will
 remain sound for a lengthened period4  
,dead poultry1 and other articles of    

animal food1 are similarly kept fresh   
throughout the winter in many rigorous  
climates1 simply by the powerlessness of
 the attacking agents1 when heat is not 
one of the number4 ,and that which      
nature effects on a large scale1 may    
reasonably be imitated by man on a more 
limited one4 ,it is customary to pack   
many kinds of provisions in ice or snow1
 either for keeping them in storehouses1
 or for sending them to market4 ,thus it
 is with the tubs of poultry1 of veal1  
and of other kinds of meat1 which1      
killed in the country districts of      
,russia in autumn1 are packed in snow to
 keep cool till sold at market2 and thus
 it is with much of the salmon sent from
 ,scotland to ,london4 ,since the supply
 of excellent ice from ,wenham ,lake1   
commenced about nineteen years ago1 has 
become so abundant and so cheap1 it is  
worth a thought whether the preservative
 powers of cold might not advantageously
 be made more available in this country 
than they have yet been4 ,in the ,united

 ,states1 housewives use very convenient
 refrigerators or ice-boxes1 provided   
with perforated shelves1 under which ice
 is set1 and upon which various         
provisions are placed3 a large uncooked 
joint of meat is sometimes kept in one  
of these boxes for weeks4 ,among the    
celebrities of the ,crystal ,palace1    
many will recollect ,masters's elegant  
ice-making machine1 in which1 by        
combining chemical action with          
centrifugal motion1 ice can be made in a
 few minutes1 let the heat of the       
weather be what it may4 ,this machine1  
and the portable refrigerators          
manufactured by the ,wenham ,company1   
together with our familiar1             
old-fashioned ice-houses1 might supply  
us with much more preservative power1 in
 respect to articles of food1 than we   
have hitherto practically adopted4  ,if1
 instead of watching the effects        
produced by abstraction of heat1 we     
direct attention to the abstraction of  
moisture1 we shall find that antiseptic 

or preservative results are easily      
obtainable4 ,all kinds of bacon and     
smoked meats belong to the class here   
indicated4 ,the watery particles are    
nearly or quite driven out from the     
meat1 and thus one of the three         
decomposing agents is rendered of no    
effect4 ,in some cases1 the drying is   
not sufficient to produce the result1   
without the aid of the remarkable       
antiseptic properties of salt2 because  
decomposition may commence before the   
moisture is quite expelled4 ,in many    
parts of the country1 hams are hung     
within a wide-spreading chimney1 over or
 near a turf-fire1 and where a free     
current of air1 as well as a warm       
temperature1 may act upon them2 but the 
juices become dissipated by this rude   
process4 ,simple drying1 without the    
addition of salt or any condiment1 is   
perhaps more effectual with vegetable   
than with animal substances4  ,but it is
 under the third point of view that the 
preservative process is more important  

and interesting1 inasmuch as it admits  
of a far more extensive application4 ,we
 speak of the abstraction of air4       
,atmospheric air affects dead organic   
matter chiefly through the agency of the
 oxygen which forms one of its          
constituents2 and it is principally to  
insure the expulsion of oxygen that air 
is excluded4 ,the examples which        
illustrate the resulting effects are    
numerous and varied4 ,eggs have been    
varnished so as to exclude air1 and have
 retained the vital principle in the    
chick for years2 and it is a familiar   
domestic practice1 to butter the outside
 of eggs as a means of keeping them4    
,the canisters of preserved provisions1 
however1 are the most direct and        
valuable result of the antiseptic action
 by exclusion of air4 ,the ,exhibition  
,jury on ,class #c1 in their ,report on 
this subject1 speak thus warmly         
thereupon3--',it is impossible to       
overestimate the importance of these    
preparations4 ,the invention of the     

process by which animal and vegetable   
food is preserved in a fresh and sweet  
state for an indefinite period1 has only
 been applied practically during the    
last twenty-five years1 and is          
intimately connected with the annals of 
arctic discovery4 ,the active measures  
taken to discover a north-west passage1 
and to prosecute scientific research1 in
 all but inaccessible regions1 first    
created a demand for this sort of food2 
and the ,admiralty stimulated the       
manufacturers to great perfection in the
 art4 ,as soon as the value of these    
preparations in cold climates became    
generally admitted1 their use was       
extended to hot ones1 and for the sick  
on board ship under all circumstances4  
,hitherto they had been employed only as
 a substitute for salt beef or pork at  
sea1 and if eaten on shore1 it was at   
first as a curiosity merely4 ,their     
utility in hot climates1 however1       
speedily became evident2 especially in  
,india1 where ,european families are    

scattered1 and where1 consequently1 on  
the slaughter of a large animal1 more is
 wasted than can be consumed by a family
 of the ordinary number4'  ,whatever    
improvements may have been introduced by
 later manufacturers1 the principle     
involved in the meat-preserving         
processes is nearly as ,m4 ,appert      
established it forty years ago4 ,his    
plan consisted in removing the bones    
from the meat2 boiling it to nearly as  
great a degree as if intended for       
immediate consumption2 putting it into  
jars2 filling up the jars completely    
with a broth or jelly prepared from     
portions of the same meat2 corking the  
jars closely2 incasing the corks with a 
luting formed of quicksilver and cheese2
 placing the corked jars in a boiler of 
cold water2 boiling the water and its   
contents for an hour2 and then allowing 
the cooling process to supervene very   
gradually4  ,until the recent           
disclosures concerning the preserved    
meats in the government depts1 the      

extent of the manufacture1 or rather    
preparation1 was very little known to   
the general public4 ,in the last week of
 #ahea1 an examination1 consequent on   
certain suspicions which had been       
entertained1 was commenced at the       
victualling establishment at ,gosport4  
,the canisters--for since ,appert's time
 stone jars have been generally         
superseded by tin canisters--contain on 
an average about #aj pounds each2 and   
out of #fdc of these which were opened  
on the first day's examination1 no fewer
 than #egc were condemned as being      
utterly unfit for food4 ,on the next    
day1 #gcd were condemned out of #ggi2   
and by the fourth day1 the number       
examined had risen to #bgjg1 of which   
only #aig were deemed fit for food4     
,such wretched offal had been packed in 
the canisters1 instead of good meat1    
that the stench arising from the        
decomposing mass was most revolting2 the
 examiners were compelled to use ,sir   
,william ,burnett's disinfecting fluid  

abundantly1 and even to suspend their   
labours for two or three days under fear
 of infection4 ,the canisters formed    
part of a supply sent in by a contractor
 in ,november #ahej1 under a warrant    
that the contents would remain good for 
five years2 the filling of the canisters
 was understood to have been effected at
 ,galatz1 in ,moldavia1 but the         
contractor was in ,england4 ,the supply 
amounted to #fjjj canisters1 all of     
which had to be examined1 and out of    
which only a few hundred were found to  
contain substances fit for food4        
,instead of good meat1 or in addition to
 a small quantity of good meat1 the     
examiners found lung1 liver1 heart1     
tongue1 kidney1 tendon1 ligament1       
palate1 fat1 tallow1 coagulated blood1  
and even a piece of leather--all in a   
state of such loathsome putridity as to 
render the office of the examiners a    
terrible one4  ,of course nothing can be
 predicated from such atrocities as     
these against the wholesomeness of      

preserved food2 they prove only the     
necessity of caution in making the      
government contracts1 and in accepting  
the supplies4 ,the ,admiralty shewed1   
during subsequent discussions1 that     
large supplies had been received from   
various quarters for several years1 for 
use on shipboard in long voyages and on 
arctic expeditions2 that these had      
turned out well2 and that the contractor
 who was disgraced in the present       
instance1 was among those who had before
 fulfilled his contracts properly4      
,fortunately1 there is no evidence that 
serious evil had resulted from the      
supply of the canisters to ships2 the   
discovery was made in time to serve as a
 useful lesson in future to government  
officials and to unprincipled           
contractors4  ,the jury report before   
adverted to1 points out how cheap and   
economical these preserved meats really 
are1 from the circumstance1 that all    
that is eatable is so well brought into 
use4 ,it is affirmed by the             

manufacturers1 that meat in this form   
supplies troops and ships with a cheaper
 animal diet than salt provisions1 by   
avoiding the expense of casks1 leakage1 
brine1 bone1 shrinkage1 stowage1 c41    
which are all heavy items1 and entail   
great waste and expenditure2 and by a   
canister of the former being so much    
smaller than a cask of the latter1 in   
the event of one bad piece of meat      
tainting the whole contents4 ,the       
contents of all the cases1 when opened1 
are found to have lost much of the      
freshness in taste and flavour peculiar 
to newly-killed meat2 they are always   
soft1 and eat as if overdone4 ,as a     
matter of choice1 therefore1 few or no  
persons would prefer meat in this state 
to the ordinary unpacked and            
recently-cooked state4 ,but the         
important fact to bear in mind is1 that 
the nutritious principles are preserved2
 as nutriment1 they are unexceptionable1
 and they are often pleasantly seasoned 
and flavoured4  ,in the ordinary        

processes of preparation1 as carried on 
in ,london and other places1 the tin    
canisters have a minute hole1 through   
which the air may be expelled1 while the
 meat is simmering or boiling within2   
and in the case of poultry being        
preserved whole1 extra precautions are  
necessary1 to insure the expulsion of   
the air from the hollow bones of the    
birds4 ,soups are more easily prepared  
than solid meat1 on account of the      
greater facility for getting rid of the 
confined air4 ,the minute air-hole in   
the canister is soldered down when the  
process is completed4  ,m4 ,alexis      
,soyer1 who has a notoriety in ,london  
as the prince of cooks1 and a very      
ingenious man--a sort of ,paxton of the 
kitchen--wrote to the daily journals1   
about the time of the disclosure at     
,gosport1 to offer a few suggestions4   
,he said3 ',no canister ought to contain
 more than about six pounds of meat1 the
 same to be very slightly seasoned with 
bay-salt1 pepper1 and aromatic herbs in 

powder1 such as bay-thyme and bay-leaf1 
a small quantity of which would not be  
objectionable even for invalids4 ,no    
jelly should be added to the meat2 the  
meat1 and the meat alone1 should produce
 its own jelly4 ,with the bones and     
trimmings of the above1 a good stock    
should be made without vegetables1 well 
reduced and skimmed1 to form a very     
strong transparent demi-glaze2 six-pound
 canisters should be filled with the    
same1 bearing a special mark1 and one of
 these allowed to every dozen of the    
others4 ,this demi-glaze1 when diluted  
in water1 would make six gallons of very
 good broth1 with which any kind of soup
 could be made in a very short time4'   
,he also points out how the condition of
 the preserved meat may be guessed by   
the external appearance of the canister4
 ,if either the top or bottom of the    
canister be convex1 like the upper      
surface of a watch-glass1 the contents  
are in a state of decomposition2 the    
bulging being occasioned by the gases   

generated during the chemical changes4  
,if the contents of the canister be     
sound1 the top and bottom will be either
 quite flat1 or slightly concave4  ,the 
,jury on ,food1 at the ,great           
,exhibition1 had quite an embarras des  
richesses2 they were surrounded by      
hundreds of canisters of preserved      
provisions1 all of which they were      
invited to open and taste4 ,they say1 or
 their reporter says1 that the merits of
 the contributions 'were tested by a    
selection from each2 the cases were     
opened in the presence of the jury1 and 
tasted by themselves1 and1 where        
advisable1 by associates4 ,the majority 
are of ,english manufacture1 especially 
the more substantial viands2 ,france and
 ,germany exhibiting chiefly            
made-dishes1 game1 and delicacies--of   
meat1 fish1 soups1 and vegetables4' ,it 
is an important fact for our colonies1  
that viands of this description are as  
well prepared in ,australia1 ,van       
,diemen's ,land1 ,canada1 and the ,cape 

of ,good ,hope1 as in the               
mother-country4 ',animal food is most   
abundant and cheap in some of those     
colonies4 ,in ,australia1 especially1   
during seasons of drought1 it is wasted 
in extraordinary quantities2 flocks are 
slaughtered for the tallow alone1 and   
herds1 for their bones and hides4 ,were 
the meat on these occasions preserved1  
it cannot be doubted that it could be   
imported into ,england1 and sold at a   
cheaper rate than fresh meat in our     
metropolitan markets1 to the great      
benefit of the lower-classes4' ,this is 
a statement well worth being borne in   
mind by some of those who are at present
 dazzled with gold-digging wonders4  ,in
 respect to the preserved meats at the  
,great ,exhibition1 many were merely    
cured or dried meats4 ,from ,canada1 for
 instance1 they comprised hams1 bacon1  
tongues1 and barrels of beef and pork4  
,among the miscellaneous contributions  
were grated beef1 canisters of fresh    
salmon1 'admirable boiled mutton in tin 

cases1' dried mullets1 'mouton rti1'    
fish1 meats preserved in a fresh state  
by simple drying--on a plan practised in
 ,switzerland--and preserved larks4 ,not
 the least remarkable was a preserved   
pig1 which reclined in all its glory on 
the floor of the south-west gallery1 and
 was a successful example of curing on a
 large scale4 ,still more striking than 
this1 was the large partridge-pie1      
placed somewhat out of general notice in
 the ',netherlands' department2 a       
formidable pie it truly was1 for it     
contained #aej partridges1 with         
truffles1 and weighed #bej pounds3 it   
had been made a year before it was      
forwarded to ,london4 ,but among the    
contributions more immediately relating 
to our present subject1 may be mentioned
 those of ,mr ,gamble1 which comprised1 
among others1 a canister of preserved   
boiled mutton1 which had been prepared  
for the arctic expedition in #ahbd2 many
 such canisters were landed at ,fury    
,beach in ,prince ,regent's ,inlet2 they

 were found by ,sir ,john ,ross at that 
spot in #ahcc in a perfect state1 and   
again by ,sir ,james ,ross in #ahdi1 the
 meat being as sweet and wholesome as   
when prepared a quarter of a century    
before4  ,the range of these preserving 
processes is singularly wide and varied4
 ,if we take the trade-list of one of   
the manufacturers1 such as that of      
,messrs ,hogarth of ,aberdeen1 and      
glance through it1 we shall find ample  
evidence of this4 ,there are nearly     
twenty kinds of soups selling at about  
#bs4 per quart-canister4 ,there is the  
concentrated essence of beef1 much more 
expensive1 because containing the       
nutriment of so much more meat2 and     
there are1 for invalids1 concentrated   
broths of intermediate price4 ,there are
 about a dozen kinds of fish1 some fresh
 and some dried4 ,there are various     
kinds of poultry1 roast and boiled2     
hare1 roast and jugged2 and venison1    
hashed and minced4 ,there are beef1     
veal1 and mutton1 all dressed in various

 ways1 and some having the requisite    
vegetables canistered with them1 at     
prices varying from l#j;d4 to #ae;d4 per
 pound4 ,there are tongues1 hams1 bacon1
 kidneys1 tripe1 and marrow2 and there  
are cream1 milk1 and marmalade4 ,lastly1
 there are such vegetables as peas1     
beans1 carrots1 turnips1 cabbage1 and   
beet1 at #f;d4 to #as4 per              
pound-canister4 ,the canisters for all  
these various provisions contain from   
one pound to six pounds each4 ,it was   
,messrs ,hogarth1 we believe1 who       
supplied the preserved meats and        
vegetables to the arctic ships under    
,sir ,e4 ,belcher which sailed in the   
spring of #aheb4  ,m4 ,brocchire1 a     
,french manufacturer1 has lately        
extended these economical processes so  
far1 as to attempt to produce           
concentrated food from the blood of     
cattle4 ,he dries up the liquid or      
serous portions of the blood1 and forms 
into a cake1 with admixture of other    
substances1 the coagulable portion1     

which contains fibrin1 the source of    
flesh and muscle4 ,unless a more        
delicate name could be given to this    
preparation1 prejudice would have some  
influence in depriving it of the chance 
of fair play4 ,the dry blood is in some 
cases combined with a small portion of  
flour1 and made into light dry masses1  
like loaves or cakes1 to be used as the 
basis of soups2 while in other cases it 
is combined with sugar1 to make sweet   
biscuits and bon-bons4 ,another kind of 
preserved animal fluid is the ozmazome1 
prepared by ,messrs ,warriner and       
,soyer4 ,this consists of the nutritious
 matter or juice of meat1 set free      
during the operation of boiling down fat
 for tallow in ,australia2 it is        
afterwards concentrated1 and preserved  
in the form of sausages4 ,a great amount
 of nutriment is thus obtained in a     
portable form2 when boiled with         
gelatine1 it forms a palatable diet1 and
 it is also used to form a gravy for    
meat4  ,masson's method of preserving   

vegetables seems to be very effective1  
as applied to white and red cabbages1   
turnips1 ,brussels sprouts1 and such    
like4 ,the process1 as conducted in     
,france1 is very simple4 ,the vegetables
 are dried at a certain temperature     
7#ajd to #aah degrees ,fahrenheit71     
sufficient to expel the moisture without
 imparting a burnt taste2 and in this   
operation they lose nearly seven-eighths
 of their original weight4 ,the         
vegetables are then pressed forcibly    
into the form of cakes1 and are kept in 
tinfoil till required for use4 ,these   
vegetables require1 when about to be    
eaten1 rather more boiling than those in
 the ordinary state4 ,some of the       
,french ships of war are supplied with  
them1 much to the satisfaction of the   
crews4 ,dr ,lindley has stated1 on the  
authority of a distinguished officer in 
the antarctic expedition under ,sir     
,james ,ross1 that although all the     
preserved meats used on that occasion   
were excellent1 and there was not the   

slightest ground for any complaint of   
their quality1 the crew became tired of 
the meat1 but never of the vegetables4  
',this should shew us1' says ,dr        
,lindley1 'that it is not sufficient to 
supply ships' crews with preserved      
meats1 but that they should be supplied 
with vegetables also1 the means of doing
 which is now afforded4' ,generally     
speaking1 the flavour of preserved      
vegetables1 whether prepared on         
,masson's or on any other process1 is   
fresher than that of the                
meats--especially in the case of those  
which abound in the saccharine          
principle1 as beet1 carrot1 turnips1 c4 
,the more farinaceous vegetables1 such  
as green peas1 do not preserve so well4 
,one of the most remarkable1 and perhaps
 valuable recent introductions1 in      
respect to preserved food1 is the       
,american meat--biscuit1 prepared by ,mr
 ,borden4 ,a biscuit-beef is prepared by
 a ,frenchman1 ,m4 ,du ,liscoet1        
resembling an ordinary coarse           

ship-biscuit2 but this is said to have  
'an animal1 salt1 and not very agreeable
 taste4' ,the ,american meat-biscuit1   
however1 is prepared in a way which     
renders its qualities easily            
intelligible4 ,it contains in a         
concentrated form all the nutriment of  
meat1 combined with flour4 ,the best    
wheaten flour is employed1 with the     
nutriment of the best beef1 and the     
result is presented for use as food in  
the form of a dry1 inodorous1 flat1     
brittle cake1 which will keep when dry  
for an unlimited period4 ,when required 
for use1 it is dissolved in hot water1  
boiled1 and seasoned at pleasure1       
forming a soup about the consistence of 
sago4 ,one pound of the biscuit contains
 the nutritive matter--fat excepted--of 
five pounds of prime beef1 mixed with   
half a pound of wheaten flour4 ,one     
ounce of the biscuit1 grated and boiled 
in a pint of water1 suffices to form the
 soup4 ,it can also be used in puddings 
and sauces4 ,the manufacture of the     

meat-biscuit is located at ,galveston1  
in ,texas1 which abounds in excellent   
cattle at a very low price4 ,it is said 
that the meat-biscuit is not liable to  
heating or moulding1 like corn and      
flour1 nor subject to be attacked by    
insects4 ,the meat-biscuit was largely  
used by the ,united ,states' army during
 the ,mexican campaign2 the nutriment of
 #ejj pounds of beef1 with #gj pounds of
 flour1 was packed in a                 
twenty-two-gallon cask4  ,dr ,lindley1  
as one of the jurors for the ,great     
,exhibition1 and as a lecturer on the   
subject at the ,society of ,arts1       
commends the meat-biscuit in the very   
highest terms4 ',i think ,i am justified
 in looking upon it1' he says1 'as one  
of the most important substances which  
this ,exhibition has brought to our     
knowledge4 ,when we consider that by    
this method1 in such places as ,buenos  
,ayres1 animals which are there of      
little or no value1 instead of being    
destroyed1 as they often are1 for their 

bones1 may be boiled down and mixed with
 the flour which all such countries     
produce1 and so converted into a        
substance of such durability that it may
 be preserved with the greatest ease1   
and sent to distant countries2 it seems 
as if a new means of subsistence was    
actually offered to us4 ,take the       
,argentine ,republic1 take ,australia1  
and consider what they do with their    
meat there in times of drought1 when    
they cannot get rid of it while it is   
fresh2 they may boil it down1 and mix   
the essence with flour--and we know they
 have the finest in the world--and so   
prepare a substance that can be         
preserved for times when food is not so 
plentiful1 or sent to countries where it
 is always more difficult to procure    
food4 ,is not this a very great gain8'  
,a pertinent question1 which intelligent
 emigrants would do well to bear in     
mind4     ,,the ,,buyer ,,of ,,souls3   
,a ,russian ,story4   ,all over the     
world1 the essential elements of human  

nature are the same4 ,and it is very    
fortunate for me that they are so1 else 
,i should find myself in considerable   
difficulty in endeavouring to place     
before my readers a correct picture of  
the little1 out-of-the-way town of      
,nikolsk4 ,making due allowances for the
 differences in national manners and    
customs2 for ,nikolsk being under the   
dominion of his autocratic majesty the  
emperor of all the ,russias1 instead of 
the mild1 constitutional government of  
,queen ,victoria1 there is no great     
discrepancy between ,nikolsk and any    
equally out-of-the-way town in ,england4
 ,it has the same dearth of excitement1 
the same monotonous uniformity of life2 
it lives in the same profound ignorance 
of the great incidents that the drama of
 human existence is developing on the   
theatre of the world at large2 it has   
its priest1 its doctor1 its lawyer1 its 
post-office where a seal is not so      
sacred as it might be1 or rather where  
the problem of getting at the news1     

without breaking the wax1 has been      
successfully solved2 it has the same    
thirst for scandal1 the same intense    
interest for the most contemptible      
trivialities1 the same constantly       
impending danger of suicide from ennui1 
did not human nature adapt itself to its
 environments1 and sink into pettiness  
as naturally as though there were no    
such things as towns and cities1 and    
enlarged views of man and nature in the 
world3 all these it has the same as any 
,british ,little ,pedlington4 ,then it  
has its circles of social intercourse1  
as rigidly defined and as intensely     
venerated as the rules of court         
precedence4 ,the difference in the      
social scale between a landowner1 a     
tenant1 a member of the professions1 a  
tradesman1 a publican1 a sweep1 and a   
beggar1 is accurately prescribed and    
religiously observed--with this         
addition1 however1 that in ,nikolsk the 
owners of land are also owners of the   
serfs upon the land1 and that the       

numerous representatives of that most   
centralised of all governments cut an   
important figure in the snobberies of   
the place4 ,in fine1 there is one little
 ,english word that describes ,nikolsk  
completely1 and that is--dull4 ,it is   
dull--beyond comprehension dull4 ,no    
town in the universe can be duller2     
because1 from its quintessential        
dulness1 there is but one step to total 
inanition4  ,thus1 in ,nikolsk1 the     
ancient saying1 that there is nothing   
new under the sun1 was daily and hourly 
verified4 ,week after week1 and year    
after year1 the governor pillaged the   
people2 the inspector of charities      
pillaged the charities2 the inspector of
 nuisances sedulously avoided inspecting
 at all1 lest1 by removing them1 the    
need for his services should cease2 the 
landowner ground down the serfs2 the    
tax-assessor ground the landowners2 and 
everybody1 in return for the favours a  
paternal government showered upon them  
through its immaculate representatives1 

cheated and defrauded that government   
with a persistency and perseverance     
approaching the sublime4 ,mothers of    
daughters were in despair1 for in       
,nikolsk there were no 'nice young men1'
 no eligible matches2 fathers of sons   
despaired in their turn1 for as         
everybody robbed everybody1 and the     
government robbed the robbers1 there    
were no heiresses2 ladies wore the      
fashions of #ahbj in #ahdj1 under the   
impression that they were the newest    
from ,paris2 the reading portion of the 
community were just beginning to hear of
 ,voltaire as a promising writer2 and   
the general public laboured under the   
fixed idea1 that somewhere or other     
,napoleon was still prosecuting his     
leviathan campaigns1 happily not in     
,russia4 ,the only thing that ever broke
 the monotony of existence was the      
prevalence of cholera1 or the governor  
essaying some loftier flight of tyranny 
than usual by hanging up a score of     
defaulters to the revenue1 or knouting a

 bevy of ladies whose tongues outran    
their prudence4  ,such being the state  
of affairs in ,nikolsk1 it will be      
easily imagined1 that when mine host of 
the ,black ,eagle1 in a very important  
and mysterious manner1 announced to a   
select few that a singular and eccentric
 stranger1 rolling in money1 had arrived
 at his hostelry1 with the intention of 
staying some time in ,nikolsk1 the news 
flew like a telegraphic message1 or a   
piece of scandal among a community of   
old maids1 through the place2 and that  
in a few hours after his arrival1       
nobody1 from governor to serf1 thought  
or spoke of anything or anybody else    
than the mysterious stranger1 who1 under
 the name of ,tchitchikof1 occupied the 
best suite of apartments in the ,black  
,eagle1 and1 as the landlord affirmed on
 oath1 was eccentric to a degree1 and   
revelled in untold gold4  ,now1 whatever
 had been the station in society of ,m4 
,tchitchikof1 his means or his          
idiosyncrasy1 the mere fact of his being

 a stranger had been enough to make the 
good people of ,nikolsk pounce down upon
 him like a hawk on its quarry1 and     
morally tear him to pieces with         
rapacious analysis to satiate their     
ravenous curiosity4 ,but as to the fact 
of his being a stranger1 was added the  
piquancy of a reputation for            
eccentricity1 and the irresistible      
recommendation of wealth1 the           
,tchitchikof mania spread over all ranks
 of society1 and raged with the fury of 
a tornado by the evening of the very day
 upon which the host of the ,eagle first
 delighted them with the news4 ,in fact1
 so intense was the rage regarding him1 
that the landlord of that hostelry      
reaped a fortune from the constant drain
 upon his potables by inquisitive       
callers1 and would have assuredly ceased
 to dispense strong drinks for evermore1
 had not the governor1 in his vexation  
at the sequel of ,tchitchikof's visit1  
found some pretext to despoil him of his
 gains1 and a good round sum to boot4   

,various were the speculations as to the
 occupations and antecedents of         
,tchitchikof1 and the business that had 
called him to ,nikolsk4 ,enterprising   
mothers of families hoped that he was a 
,cossack ,coelebs in search of a wife1  
and began1 on the strength of the       
surmise1 to lay plots for ensnaring him1
 justly considering that a fool with    
money is preferable to a sage without2  
landowners trembled at the idea of his  
being a government assessor1 come to    
examine into the state of the           
properties1 and assess accordingly2     
while government employs1 knowing too   
well that a paternal government does not
 tolerate plundering in subordinates1   
shuddered1 conscience-stricken1 at the  
idea that he must be a ,st ,petersburg  
inspector1 come to ,nikolsk with powers 
of scrutiny1 and equally unlimited      
powers of knouting4 ,every class1       
therefore1 received with joy the        
assurance1 that1 he was simply a private
 gentleman of fortune1 travelling over  

,russia at his own sweet will4 ,this    
mine host positively stated that he had 
heard ,tchitchikof say with his own     
lips4 ,this announcement delighted the  
officials and landowners1 by removing   
their fears of the knout and taxes1 and 
equally delighted the enterprising      
mammas1 by increasing the probability of
 his visit being intimately connected   
with matrimonial intentions4 ,it being  
thus definitely settled that there was  
nothing to be feared from ,tchitchikof1 
the good folks of ,nikolsk naturally    
took up the next position--that1 being a
 stranger1 and rich and eccentric1 there
 was something to be gained from him4   
,the leading passions of the            
,nikolskians being curiosity and        
avarice1 their dealings with strangers  
were generally twofold--to scatter their
 ennui for a few days1 by discovering   
their histories and affairs1 and1 where 
facts failed1 calling in the aid of     
fancy2 and when there was nothing more  
to be discovered or invented1 to lighten

 their money-chests by all the tyranny  
that power dare venture on1 or the      
effrontery that cunning could devise and
 execute4 ,their curiosity regarding    
,tchitchikof was soon baffled1 by       
discovering1 like ,socrates1 that all   
they knew was1 that nothing could be    
known4 ,in vain did mine host essay to  
pump him3 with a show of the most       
voluble confidence1 ,tchitchikof        
contrived always virtually to tell      
nothing4 ,in vain the postmaster looked 
among the letters with a lynx eye2 not  
one word of writing ever came to        
,tchitchikof through the medium of the  
post4 ,their knowledge of him speedily  
resolved itself into this3 that he was a
 dashing1 handsome young man1 of most   
refined and polished manners1 eminently 
gifted with that self-possession which  
is the never-failing accompaniment of   
good-breeding and intercourse with what 
is termed good society1 elegant in      
dress1 and1 as the host of the ,eagle   
announced1 decidedly eccentric4 ,this   

eccentricity manifested itself in one   
way1 and one only1 and that altogether  
incomprehensible to the greedy          
,nikolskians--namely1 a morbid desire to
 part with his money4 ,if ,tchitchikof  
met a serf on the highway1 he would     
offer him a ruble for a stick1 a cap1 or
 any other article he wore1             
intrinsically not worth a handful of    
corn2 and when the bewildered serf      
hesitated1 would manifest the utmost    
anger and impatience until he had gained
 possession of the coveted article4     
,with possession1 his value for it      
ceased1 and the dear purchase was       
generally consigned to the fire a few   
minutes after it was bought4 ,however   
varied his freaks might be in detail1 in
 spirit they were ever essentially the  
same2 they ever consisted in making some
 worthless piece of lumber an excuse for
 lightening his purse of a ruble or two4
  ,the priest of the place was the first
 to find a solution of ,tchitchikof's   
conduct4 ,he asserted that ,tchitchikof1

 in his love for money1 had committed   
some fraud or some misdeed to obtain it1
 and that his conscience smiting him1 he
 had sought ghostly solace from some    
minister1 by whom he had been ordered1  
as adequate penance1 to get off a       
certain portion per annum in bad        
bargains--thus at once doing good to the
 sellers and torturing the avaricious   
spirit of the penitential purchaser4 ,to
 this the governor objected1 with much  
force1 that1 money being the end of     
human existence1 the gaining of it1 by  
any means short of murder1 must be      
laudable1 and could sit heavily on no   
sane man's conscience2 but being warned 
by the priest1 that such arguments      
bordered on heresy1 he shifted his      
ground1 and maintained that ,tchitchikof
 was much too young and too far from    
death to dream of penitence1 even if he 
had committed such a crime2 though he   
was evidently too reckless and          
devil-may-care to leave any dash of the 
miser in his composition4 ,but the      

inspector of highways effectually       
knocked the clerical argument on the    
head1 by saying1 that had any priest    
thought it necessary1 for the good of   
,tchitchikof's soul1 that he should part
 with his money1 he would have taken due
 care that1 instead of it being         
squandered in ,nikolsk1 it had all gone 
to swell the revenues of ,mother        
,church4 ,the inspector of the hospital 
finally settled it to the satisfaction  
of all parties1 by shewing1 from        
attentive observation of ,tchitchikof's 
conduct at the hospital1 that he must be
 a monomaniac1 whose particular insanity
 took the form of philanthropy2 but     
that1 believing that a gift debases the 
recipient1 he dexterously contrived to  
give his assistance under the cloak of a
 purchase4 ,although his companions     
could not see how any man could be so   
insane as to fancy a serf could be      
debased1 this opinion was unanimously   
adopted1 and the whole community set    
their wits to work to make themselves   

objects of charity for the nonce1 and so
 obtain a share in the plunder4  ,space 
will not permit1 neither would the end  
of our story be advanced by1 a detail of
 the numerous and adroit dodges the     
,nikolskians invented in order to work  
upon ,tchitchikof's supposed            
philanthropy4 ,suffice it to say1 that  
they were not in the least degree       
successful4 ,it seemed as though you had
 only to appeal directly to             
,tchitchikof's charity to close up his  
bowels of compassion1 and render him at 
once callous and niggardly4 ,perhaps1   
too1 as some thought1 he was as acute as
 he was eccentric1 and could distinguish
 between real and feigned distress4     
,however it might be1 it was soon       
remarkably clear that ,tchitchikof1     
madman though he was1 was not to be     
done2 and the baffled conspirators did  
not hesitate to say1 that1 after all1 he
 was no such remarkable friend of his   
species2 that he kept a keen eye on the 
main chance2 and if it were his         

gratification to do good1 he made a     
little go as far as it could1 and was   
singularly blind to meritorious poverty4
 ,accordingly1 ,tchitchikof having now  
been a fortnight in ,nikolsk1 was fast  
ceasing to be an object of interest1    
when his eccentricity broke out in a    
fresh place1 and there seemed some      
likelihood of the children of ,nikolsk1 
in the end1 spoiling that ,egyptian4    
,it so happened1 that at that time the  
landowners1 or rather serf-owners1      
constituted the most depressed          
'interest' in that portion of the       
,russian ,empire4 ,not that they were   
suffering from free-trade of any kind1  
or clamouring for open or disguised     
protection3 the cause of their          
depression was the prevalence of a      
deadly epidemic1 which reduced the      
number of their serfs with remorseless  
vigour--combined with the tax which a   
paternal government levied on them1 as a
 consideration for its maintaining them 
in their humane and ,christian property4

 ,one of the principles of ,russian     
taxation is this3 that as every         
individual in the empire1 ,european or  
,asiatic1 is the child of the czar1 owes
 him fealty and obedience1 and receives 
protection1 light1 and glory from him1  
as from a central sun1 so every         
individual owes in return a direct      
contribution to the fund by which the   
czar-father supports that light and     
glory4 ,this is the theory of ,russian  
taxation2 but against its actual        
carrying out in fact1 is opposed the old
 difficulty1 that from him who has      
nothing1 nothing can possibly be        
extracted2 and as the poor serfs have no
 more means of paying taxes than the    
hogs and cattle their fellow-slaves1 a  
considerate paternal government drops   
its theory1 and makes the landowner pay 
the poll-tax for the slaves he          
possesses1 much as an ,english gentleman
 pays taxes for his horses and dogs1    
horses and dogs being as little able to 
pay tax themselves as the ,russian serf4

 ,now1 in a kind of deep irony1 a serf  
is called a soul4 ,m4 ,k---- or ,m4     
,t---- owns so many souls1 ,miss        
,l----'s marriage-portion was so many   
souls1 ,madame ,b----'s dowry was a     
hundred souls2 and this word soul only  
applies to the male serfs--women and    
children being given in1 or there being 
only one soul per family among serfs4   
,well1 a landowner paying so much per   
soul to the government1 and it being a  
work of much time and trouble to take a 
census of souls every year1 an estimate 
is made at long intervals--say ten or   
twenty years--and the landowner is      
compelled to pay accordingly till the   
period expires1 whether the number of   
his serfs increase or diminish4 ,it is  
therefore self-evident1 that if the     
former occur--that if his serfs         
propagate their species with due        
rapidity--the serf-owner is a clear     
gainer during the interval between the  
soul-censuses1 as he will be paying tax 
for a given number1 while he is actually

 reaping the profit of the labour of    
treble or quadruple that number2 while1 
if cholera1 fever1 or any other of the  
ills that flesh1 and especially         
serf-flesh1 is heir to1 come and slay   
their thousands1 the exact converse     
obtains1 and he will be paying tax for a
 certain number1 while he only reaps the
 profit of a third4 ,in the latter case 
were the landowners of ,nikolsk4        
,cholera had more than decimated the    
serfs2 the impoverished owners regarded 
their unreaped fields and untilled lands
 and impoverished exchequers with a     
sigh--a sigh which deepened into a      
shudder1 when they reflected how soon   
the collector would arrive with his     
inexorable demand for soul-tax4 ,the    
landed interest is in no country1 we    
believe1 celebrated for bearing reverses
 with dignified composure2 and the      
depressed condition of the serf-owning  
interest was as much noised abroad in   
that district1 as a certain professedly 
depressed interest connected with the   

soil has been1 and is1 in another       
country we know of much nearer home4    
,about a dozen miles from ,nikolsk there
 dwelt a widow1 ,madame ,korobotchka by 
name1 who lived on her late husband's   
estate1 and had suffered more than her  
neighbours by the prevalent serf        
mortality4 ,late one evening1 when a    
violent storm was raging without1 a     
stranger1 who had been surprised in the 
storm1 demanded the shelter of ,madame  
,korobotchka's chteau till the morning2 
and as hospitality is a sacred duty in  
,russia1 his demand was not only        
granted1 but in a few minutes the       
stranger was seated as her vis--vis at  
the best repast her impoverished        
condition could afford4  ',you appear to
 have a nice property here1 matouchka1' 
said the stranger1 by way of opening a  
conversation4 ',how many peasants have  
you8'  ',peasants1 batiouchka6 ,at      
present1 about eighty2 but these are    
awful times4 ,this year1 we have had a  
frightful loss of them4 ,providence have

 pity on us6'  ',nevertheless1 your men 
look well enough1 and----,but1 pardon   
me--allow me to inquire to whom ,i am   
indebted for this hospitality8 ,i am    
quite confused--arrived so suddenly and 
so late--,i'----  ',my name is          
,korobotchka--my paternal name ,nastasie
 ,petrovna4'  ',nastasie ,petrovna6     
,beautiful name4'  ',and you1 sir8'     
inquired ,nastasie4 ,and then added1    
palpitating with terror3 ',are          
you--surely not--are you--an assessor8' 
',o no6' was the reply4 ',my name is    
,tchitchikof4 ,i am no assessor2 ,i     
travel on purely private business4'  ',i
 see3 you have come to buy4 ,how        
annoying6 ,i've just sold all my honey  
to those thieves of merchants4'  ',it is
 of no consequence4 ,i do not buy       
honey4'  ',indeed6 hemp1 then8 ,dear me1
 and ,i have next to none4'  ',never    
mind1 matouchka1' said ,tchitchikof4    
',my business in these parts is         
different4 ,you were mentioning that you
 have had many deaths here8'  ',alas1   

yes6 eighteen souls1' said ,nastasie1   
sighing2 'and such fine fellows3 and the
 worst is1 ,i shall have to pay for     
them4 ,the assessor arrives1 you must   
pay what he demands--pay to a soul4     
,eighteen die--it is all one--you pay   
the same4 ,they are frightful1 they are 
ruinous1 these deaths6'  ',ah1          
,nastasie1' said ,tchitchikof1 'it is   
the will of ,god3 we must not murmur    
against ,providence6 ,but tell me--will 
you let me have them8'  ',let you have  
what8'  ',your dead souls4'  ',how can  
,i let you have them8'  ',nothing       
easier4 ,sell them to me3 ,i will give  
you money for them4'  ',how6 what6 ,do  
you want to disinter them8'  ',disinter 
them6 what nonsense2 no6' cried         
,tchitchikof4 ',you hand them over to me
 by a regular conveyance1 and ,i pay you
 whatever we agree upon for them4'      
',and what will you do with them8' asked
 ,nastasie in great surprise4  ',that is
 my business1' said ,tchitchikof4  ',but
 you see they are dead4'  ',and who1 in 

the name of goodness1 said they were    
living8' cried he4 ',it's a misfortune  
for you that they are dead1 isn't it8   
,you pay the tax for them1 don't        
you8--and that'll half-ruin you1 you    
say4 ,well1 ,i clear you of the tax for 
these eighteen dead ones--do you        
understand8--not only clear you of the  
tax1 but give fifteen rubles into the   
bargain4 ,is that clear1 or is it not8' 
',no--yes--,i can't tell what to say4   
,you see1 ,i have never sold dead       
peasants before1 and'-----  ',it would  
be queer if you had1' cried             
,tchitchikof4 ',who'd buy them1 do you  
think8 ,it's my humour1 my whim1 to have
 them4 ,i gain nothing by them--how can 
,i8--and you gain everything4 ,cannot   
you see that8'  ',yes--but--really ,i   
don't know what to say4 ,what puzzles me
 is1 that they are dead4'  ',she hasn't 
the brains of a bullock1' exclaimed     
,tchitchikof indignantly4 ',listen1     
matouchka4 ,pay attention4 ,you pay for 
them as if they were living3 that will  

ruin you4'  ',ah1 that is true indeed1  
batiouchka4 ,in three months1 ,i must   
pay one hundred and fifty rubles1 and   
bribe the assessor to boot4'  ',well1   
then1 ,i save you all that trouble4 ,i  
pay for these eighteen--,i1 not you4    
,when you sign the contract1 ,i hand    
over the money4 ,do you understand now8'
  ,as ,nastasie's cupidity excelled her 
stupidity1 she did begin to understand2 
and after a little more hesitation and  
explanation1 ,tchitchikof drew up a     
formal conveyance of the eighteen souls1
 precisely as though they were bodies   
and souls1 inserting their names1       
however1 as a guarantee against his     
claiming any of ,nastasie's living      
stock4 ,nastasie signed it1 ,tchitchikof
 paid the money1 and1 after a good      
night's rest1 departed for ,nikolsk1    
with the title-deed of the dead souls   
safely in his possession4  ,of course   
this new freak of ,tchitchikof's was    
soon noised abroad1 and in the eyes of  
the ,nikolskians proved two             

things3--#ast1 ,that he was unmistakably
 mad1 or philanthropic to a high degree2
 #b;d1 ,that there was now a prospect of
 gaining something by said madness or   
philanthropy4 ,accordingly1 all the     
serf-owners made it their business to   
drop in upon ,tchitchikof in a purely   
casual manner2 and contrived1 after more
 or less higgling1 to depart with a     
larger quantity of the current coin of  
,russia in their possession than they   
possessed on first seeking the          
interview4 ,in a few days1 ,tchitchikof 
found himself possessed of #bjjj souls1 
at the moderate cost of #ai1ejj rubles4 
,dead souls were getting quite a scarce 
article2 and1 on the true principles of 
supply and demand1 some enterprising    
,nikolskians were about to import some  
defunct souls from a distance1 when     
suddenly1 one morning1 the host of the  
,eagle announced1 that at dead of the   
previous night1 ,tchitchikof had        
departed1 bag and baggage and souls4    
,this sudden departure created a great  

sensation4 ,all the old theories about  
,tchitchikof revived2 and the general   
opinion seemed to be1 that it was all a 
deep-laid scheme of some irresponsible  
man in authority1 the end whereof was to
 be suffering in some shape or other to 
the good people of ,nikolsk2 until the  
inspector of the hospital1 the ,nikolsk 
,socrates1 proved clearly1 by           
unassailable argumentation1 that        
,tchitchikof was mad2 that his exit was 
in exact keeping with his conduct during
 his sojourn2 and that they might repose
 in the peace of easy consciences1 proud
 that they had made the most of his     
insanity4  ,now for the dnouement4 ,at  
,st ,petersburg is or was a bank        
established by a paternal government for
 this most laudable purpose3 what with  
deaths1 taxes1 and the natural          
extravagance that seems to accompany the
 possession of land in all countries1   
the ,russian landowners are often       
embarrassed1 and were driven1 before    
this bank was established1 to seek      

assistance from usurious ,jews1 the end 
of which was frequently total ruin1 and 
a ,hebraicising of the race of          
landowners1 not pleasant to a ,russian  
and a ,christian czar4 ,therefore this  
bank was established to lend money to   
distressed members of the landed        
interest2 compelled by its charter to   
lend #bjj rubles per soul1 at a given   
interest and time1 to every landowner   
who should deposit his title-deeds with 
the bank4 ,on a certain day very soon   
after ,tchitchikof's abrupt exit from   
,nikolsk1 a solicitor applies at this   
bank for a loan of #djj1jjj rubles on   
the security of #bjjj souls4 ,the       
title-deeds are examined--found correct2
 the money is paid2 and in a few days   
afterwards ,m4 ,tchitchikof and the     
money are both out of the jurisdiction  
of the czar4  ,the time for repayment   
arrives4 ,the bank hears nothing of ,m4 
,tchitchikof4 ,a letter is sent to      
,nikolsk3 no reply4 ,another of a       
threatening nature3 still no reply4     

,finally1 a special agent is despatched1
 and finds neither ,tchitchikof nor     
security2 but gradually collects the    
particulars of his visit1 as narrated   
above1 and returns to report progress1  
or no progress1 to his superiors4 ,there
 is nothing for it1 one would think1 but
 to write off the #djj1jjj rubles as a  
clear loss1 and think no more of it4    
,but a paternal government knows better 
than that4 ,it adjudges that the        
,nikolskians are virtually accessaries  
to the fraud2 apportions the loan among 
the sellers of the souls1 and compels   
repayment4 ,so that the ,nikolskians    
have to conclude1 in reflecting on ,m4  
,tchitchikof1 not without acerbity and a
 certain uncharitableness of spirit1    
that if he were a friend of his species1
 he limited his species to himself2 and 
if he were mad1 there was a very clear  
and profitable method in his madness4   
,meantime the principal actor in this   
little ,russian episode1 as the ,baron  
von ,rabenstein1 captivates the hearts  

of our ,english ladies at the ball-room1
 and empties the pockets of our ,english
 gentlemen at the rouge et noir table in
 the fashionable ,german watering-place 
of ,lugundtrugbad4 ,and without         
disparaging his patriotism1 or natural  
love of country1 we believe we speak    
advisedly when we state1 that he has not
 the slightest idea of returning1 within
 anything like a limited period1 to the 
territories of his autocratic majesty4  
,,spelling-,,book ,,versus              
,,horn-,,book4   ,nothing is considered 
a more shocking mark of defective       
education than false spelling1 or bad   
spelling1 or misspelling--all which     
terms are used to express one's spelling
 a word in some way which the critic    
does not approve2 that is1 does not     
consider the right way4 ,but this is    
plainly assuming that there is but one  
right way4 ,begging his pardon1 is he   
quite certain that there must be true   
and false1 good and bad1 right and wrong
 ways of spelling every word in every   

language1 or even in our own8 ,it seems 
very doubtful4 ,at all events1 we must1 
,i think1 tether the critic to his own  
particular period1 and not let him range
 up and down at his pleasure1 condemning
 the past and legislating for the       
future4  ,no doubt there is at this time
 a common and usual way of spelling most
 words1 which may claim to be called the
 right way1 or orthography4 ,it is      
equally certain1 that for any individual
 writer to depart from that way1 is     
anything but a mark of wisdom4 ,at the  
same time1 it would not be difficult to 
specify a considerable number of words1 
of which the spelling has only recently 
been made what it is1 and about which1  
even now1 doubts may be raised4  ,but   
this is hardly worth mentioning1 for it 
is clear that there is1 generally       
speaking1 a mode of spelling the        
,english language which is followed by  
all well-educated persons2 and as1      
according to ,quintilian1 the consensus 
eruditorum forms the consuetudo         

sermonis1 so this usage of spelling1    
adopted by general consent of the       
learned1 becomes a law in the republic  
of literature4 ,my object is not to     
insist on what is so plain and          
notorious1 but rather to call attention 
to a fact which many readers do not     
know1 and many others do not duly       
consider4 ,i mean this fact--that three 
or four hundred years ago there was no  
such settled rule4 ,not that a different
 mode was recognised1 but that there was
 no recognised mode4 ,there was no idea 
in the minds of persons who had occasion
 to write1 that any such thing existed1 
for in fact it did not exist2 and the   
adoption of this or that mode was a     
matter of taste or accident1 rather than
 of duty or propriety4 ,thus it was that
 the writer who spelt 7or spelled1 for  
we have some varieties still7 a word    
variously in different parts of the same
 book or document1 and even the printer 
whose own name appeared one way on the  
title-page and another on the colophon1 

was not contradicting his contemporaries
 or himself3 he was not breaking the    
law1 for there was none to break--or1 at
 least1 none that could be broken in    
that way4 ,he would1 perhaps1 have said 
to the same effect1 though not so       
elegantly as ,quintilian3 ',for my part1
 except where there is any established  
custom to the contrary1 ,i think        
everything should be written as it is   
sounded2 for the use of letters is to   
preserve sounds1 and render them1 as    
things which they have been holding in  
trust1 to the reader4' ,in short1 the   
people of ,england1 in these old times1 
had a law of their own1 though it did   
not manifest itself in a fixed mode of  
spelling1 but differed from ours1 and1  
indeed1 was based on a very different   
principle4 ,perhaps ,i might say1 that  
they were brought up1 not to the        
,spelling-book1 but the ,horn-book4  ,by
 this1 ,i mean that the critic of modern
 times has been no doubt well drilled in
 the spelling-book1 soundly rated if he 

was guilty of a misspelling1 and made to
 understand that it was next to         
impossible for him to commit a more     
disgusting barbarism2 while his         
many-times-great-grandfather 7the       
scholar of ,lily1 perhaps we might      
almost say of ,busby7 went through no   
such discipline4 ,he was1 as ,i have    
said1 brought up on the horn-book4      
,now1 ,i grant that1 generally1 the     
major includes the minor2 and a man's   
being able to read is prima facie       
evidence that he knows his letters2 yet 
it is possible that the modern          
many-times-great-grandson may indulge in
 as much laxity respecting letters1 as  
his ancestor did with regard to words4  
,just try the experiment4 ,go round to  
half-a-dozen printers1 and ask them to  
print for you the first letter of the   
alphabet4 ,they will understand you1 and
 you will understand me1 without my     
puzzling the workman who is to print    
this--if it is printed--by naming the   
letter here4 ,apply to them1 ,i say1    

successively to print this letter for   
you4 ,it is not likely that any one of  
them will ask you3 ',what shape will you
 have it8' because that is not a        
technical mode of expression among      
printers2 but if any one should do so1  
you would perhaps answer with some      
surprise3 ',why1 the right shape to be  
sure4 ,do not you know your letters1 and
 are not your first1 second1 and third  
letters1 and all through the alphabet1  
of the right shape8 ,only take care that
 you do not make this first one in the  
shape of the second1 or third1 or any of
 those which follow1 for the whole set  
are distinguished from one another      
simply and purely by their shape4'  ,as 
,i have said1 however1 if you applied to
 a practical man1 he would not put the  
question in this form4 ,at the same     
time1 he certainly would put it in      
another4 ,he would perhaps say3 ',what  
type will you have8 ,shall it be ,roman1
 ,italic1 ,black-letter1 ,script1 or any
 of the grotesque inventions of modern  

fancy8' ,you immediately become aware   
that your order is too indefinite to be 
acted on without some further           
specification4 ,as1 however1 it is      
immaterial to you in a matter of mere   
experiment1 you say at once ',roman4'   
,does that settle it8--not at all3 the  
question of form and shape is as wide   
open as ever4 ,the ,upper ,case and     
,lower ,case in a printing-office differ
 as much as the ,upper ,house and ,lower
 ,house in parliament or convocation4   
,is it to be a great ',a1' or a little  
'a8' ,a great ',a1' ,i need not tell    
you1 though quite the same in sound and 
value1 is no more like a little 'a1'    
than a great ',b' is like a little 'b4' 
,as to writing also1 as well as         
printing--set half-a-dozen critics      
separately and apart to write a capital 
',a1' and see how far the letters which 
they will produce agree in form and     
shape--,i do not say with any in the    
printer's stock1 for not one will do    
that1 we may be certain1 but with each  

other4 ,one scribe will probably make   
something like an inverted cornucopia1  
or wiredrawn extinguisher2 and one will 
cross it with a dash1 and another with a
 loop2 while another will make a letter 
wholly different--something that shall  
look like a pudding leaning against a   
trencher set on edge--something that is 
only a great ',a' by courtesy1 being in 
fact nothing but an overgrown little    
'a2' bearing the same proportion to a   
common 'a' as an alderman does to a     
common man1 and looking as if it had    
been invented by some municipal scribe  
or official whose eye was familiar with 
the outline of recumbent obesity4  ,but 
notwithstanding these and many other    
variations1 you freely allow that each  
of your friends has made a capital ',a4'
 ,you do not dream of saying that one is
 right1 and all the rest are wrong4 ,the
 taste and the skill of their penmanship
 may be various1 and the judgment of    
good and bad goes so far1 but it knows  
better than to go further4 ,your        

toleration on this point is unbounded4  
,if you can but make it out1 you say1   
without the least emotion of resentment 
or contempt3 ',mr ,a4 always makes his  
,bs in this way2' and ',mrs ,c4 always  
makes her ,ds in that way4' ,their ,bs  
and ,ds forsooth6 ,yes3 'every man his  
own alphabet-maker4' ,why not1 if you do
 but understand him8 ,right or wrong1   
the fact is that1 come in what shape it 
may1 you take what stands for ',a' to be
 ',a1' with all the rights and qualities
 annexed to that letter4 ,except so far 
as taste is concerned1 you do not think 
of rebuking the self-complacent         
type-founder1 who prides himself on     
having produced a new form which all the
 world will admit to be a genuine ',a1' 
as soon as they make out that it was    
meant for one4  ,i have thought it worth
 while to say all this about letters1   
because ,i believe that it will         
illustrate what was once upon a time    
nearly true as to words4 ,the principle 
of those who had occasion to write in   

those early times was1 so far as        
circumstances allowed1 just opposite to 
that of the modern critics who find     
fault with their practice4 ,they made   
that which1 notwithstanding its         
fluctuations1 we may call 'the constant 
quantity' to be the sound1 exactly as we
 do with the multiform ,as and ,bs just 
noticed4 ,on the other hand1 modern     
purists consider1 not altogether        
incorrectly as to the fact1 that the    
notation has somehow been settled and   
fixed1 and they are disposed to force   
the sound into conformity4 ',b1 y1      
spells by1' said ,lord ,byron2 and what 
he settled for himself1 the             
spelling-book has settled for the rest  
of the world and all the words in it4   
,the circumstances of those who wrote   
,english some centuries ago1 may be     
considered as bearing some analogy to   
those of modern ,english authors who    
have occasion to write down ,oriental   
words in ,english letters1 and who are  
therefore obliged to make the characters

 which we use represent sounds which we 
do not utter4 ,of course there can only 
be an approximation4 ,writers feel that 
there is a discretion1 and use it       
freely4 ,it is easy for one after       
another to imagine that he has improved 
on the spelling of his predecessors4    
,how many variegations and              
transmogrifications has the name of one 
unhappy ,eastern tongue undergone since 
the days when ,athanasius ,kircher      
discoursed of the ,hanscreet tongue of  
the ,brahmins8 ,i am almost afraid to   
write the name of ,vishnoo1 for ,i do   
not remember to have seen it in any book
 published within these five years2 and 
what it may have come to by this time1  
,i cannot guess4 ,to a certain point1 ,i
 think1 this progressive purification of
 the mode of representing ,eastern      
sounds has been acceptable to the world 
of letters2 but the reading-public have 
shewn that there is a point at which    
they may lose patience4 ,they not long  
ago decided that ,haroun ,alraschid1 and

 ,giafar1 and ,mesrour1 and even the    
,princess ,badroulboudour1 and the fair 
slave ,nouzhatoul-aouadat1 had all      
'proper names1' and refused to part with
 the friends of their youth for a more  
correctly named set of persons never    
before heard of4  ,this by the way1     
however2 for the main object of these   
remarks is to convey and impress the    
idea1 that what naturally seems to us   
the strange and uncouth spelling of     
former times1 was not a proof of the    
gross1 untaught ignorance which it would
 now indicate4 ,the purpose of the      
writer in those days was1 not to spell  
accurately words which there was no     
strict rule for spelling1 but to note   
down words in such a way as to enable   
those who had not heard them to         
reproduce them1 and to impart their     
sense through the eye to those who      
should only see them4 ,one of the finest
 proofs and specimens of this which we  
possess1 is to be found in a sort of    
historical drama1 now about three       

hundred years old1 written by ,bishop   
,bale1 one of the most learned men of   
his time1 and still existing1 partly in 
his hand-writing1 and partly in another 
hand1 with his autograph corrections4#a 
,certainly the prelate and the scribe   
between them did1 as we should consider 
it1 most atrociously murder the king and
 queen's ,english--for ,i suppose it    
would be hard to say how much of it     
belonged to ,edward1 and how much to    
,elizabeth2 and there is something quite
 surprising in the prolific ingenuity   
with which they evade what we should    
consider the obvious and natural        
spelling4 ,for instance1 one of the     
dramatis person1 and a very important   
one1 is an allegorical person called    
',civil ,order2' but ,i believe that the
 word 'civil' thus spelled never occurs 
in the whole work1 though seven other   
modes of spelling it are to be found    
there4 ,what then8 ,you know what the   
writer means by cyvill1 cyvyll1 cyvyle1 
sivyll1 syvyll1 sivile1 and syvile4     

,only say it out1 and don't be afraid4  
,it is mere nervousness that hinders    
people from reading old spelling4 ,clear
 your throat1 and set off at full speed1
 and the top of your voice1 with the    
following paragraph4 ,do not stop to    
think2 take the raspers without looking 
at them1 and you will find that you get 
over the ground wonderfully3--  ',the   
suttle munkych rewlars in furdewhodes   
rewled the pepell with suttyll rewles4  
,but some of the pepyll were sedycyows  
scysmatyckes1 and did puplyshe them for 
dysgysyd ipocryts1 full of desseyvable  
gylle and covytous hydolatrie of luker4 
,and these sysmatykes could in no wysse 
indewer that lords1 nowther dewks1 nor  
yet the kings mageste1 nor even the     
empowr1 should ponnysh any vylayn4      
,because1 say they1 peples in general1  
as well as peplys in particular 7that   
is1 yehe man and his ayers71 hath an    
aunchant and ondowghted right to do his 
dessyer attonys4 ,yea sewer1 said a myry
 fellawe 7for such as be myrie will make

 myrye jests7--even as good right as a  
pertre to yield peres1 and praty pygys  
to eat them4'  ,it is1 of course1 only  
for the spelling1 or various spellings1 
of these words that the bishop is       
responsible1 they being here arbitrarily
 brought together from various parts of 
his work merely to form a specimen4     
,there can be no doubt that he would    
have pronounced the words 'people' and  
'merry' in one uniform manner wherever  
they occur2 but it is curious to        
consider how little we can judge        
respecting the pronunciation of our     
forefathers4 ,their litera scripta      
manet2 but how they vocalised it1 we    
cannot always decide4 ,if the reader    
takes up any edition of ,sternhold and  
,hopkins1 printed less than a hundred   
years ago1 he may1 ,i believe1 read in  
,psalm lxxix--    ,o ,god1 the ,gentiles
 do invade1     thine heritage to spoil3
   ,jerusalem an heap is made--     thy 
temple they defile4  ,any one who is    
aware how many of what are called       

'vulgarisms' in pronunciation are in    
fact 'archaisms1' will naturally think  
that the ancient pronunciation of       
'spoil1' like the modern vulgar one1 was
 'spile4' ,but if he goes to one old    
black letter--say that printed by ,john 
,windet for the assignees of ,richard   
,day in #aeic--;he will find in the     
fourth line 'defoile2' and if he goes to
 another edition he may find 'defoyle2' 
and he will learn that in speculating on
 such matters1 he must be on his guard  
against modernisers1 and go to          
originals4 ,even then the rhymes of our 
ancestors teach us much less of their   
pronunciation than we might expect2 and 
the curious glimpses which we sometimes 
get from them1 and from other sources1  
are only enough to make us wish for     
more4 ,take1 for instance1 ,master      
,holofernes's vituperation of ,don      
,adrian de ,armado in ,love's ,labour   
,lost1 and see what you can make of it3 
',i abhor such phantasms1 such          
insociable and point-devise companions1 

such rackers of orthography1 as to speak
 dout fine1 when he should say doubt2   
det1 when he should pronounce debt2 d1  
e1 b1 t2 not d1 e1 t2 he clepeth a calf1
 cauf2 half1 hauf2 neighbour vocatur    
nebour2 neigh abbreviated ne3 this is   
abominable1 which we would call         
abhominable4' ,such a passage is        
curious1 coming from one of whom it was 
asked3 ',monsieur1 are you not          
lettered8' and answered3 ',yes1 yes2 he 
teaches boys the ,horn-book4'           
,,footnotes3  #a ,kynge ,johan1 a ,play 
in ,two ,parts4 ,by ,john ,bale4 ,edited
 for the ,camden ,society by ,j4 ,payne 
,collier1 ,esq41 ,f4 ,s4 ,a41 from the  
,manuscript of the ,author in the       
,library of the ,duke of ,devonshire4   
#ahch4     ,a ,,few ,,words ,,about     
,,rooms ,,and ,,their ,,ornaments4      
,the sun shines brightly to-day1 and his
 beams glance lovingly from the flowers 
without to those within the room1 and   
rest upon the ',eve' that stands among  
them2 the light is toned into softness  

by this green drapery1 and reminds us of
 the leaves and tracery which peep in at
 the windows4 ,we find1 in the effect of
 the whole1 such a delicate reflex of   
the nature outside1 that we live with a 
half-conscious perception that but a    
tent-like division exists between us and
 the birds and blossoms in the garden4  
,we love this room as we do few others1 
not for the evidences of wealth in it1  
though these exist1 but because the idea
 regulating its arrangement is          
predominant through all its details4    
,affection and love of beauty were      
present at its creation for home-life1  
and worked it into harmony4 ,all rooms  
might have this kind of beauty1 subject 
only to slight modifications from       
position and wealth4  ,character1 in    
reality1 has everything to do with it4  
,rooms tell us much of their            
inhabitants4 ,no one will doubt who     
remembers the stiff1 formal arrangement 
of the drawing-room 'at school1' where  
the chairs stood in the primmest rows   

and couples1 and the whole place        
breathed such an air of strict          
propriety1 that we doubted whether a    
hearty laugh would not be unbecoming in 
it2 or the uncomfortable1 seldom used1  
conventional drawing-room1 which has    
such fine-looking1 unreadable books on  
its polished tables2 or the cheerful    
tiny room of the friend who has very    
little money1 but very much taste1 and  
who hangs an engraving there1 and puts  
flowers here1 and makes a shrine out of 
an ordinary garret4 ,in some rooms1 we  
see that life is respectably got through
 in a routine of eating1 sleeping1      
comfort-loving2 in others1 that it      
glances to the stars1 and lives with the
 flowers2 in others1 again1 that it     
finds out good in shady nooks or crowded
 cities1 and is filled with affection   
and intelligence4  ,there are very few  
rooms1 except among the poorest and most
 degraded1 that have not in them some   
indications of the love of beauty1 which
 is so universal in human nature4       

,influenced by the same feeling1 the    
cottager's wife scours her tins1        
arranges her little cupboard of cups and
 saucers1 buys barbarous delineations of
 ',noah in the ,ark1' or ',christ with  
the ,elders1' from the pedler2 and the  
nobleman collects around him all he     
thinks precious in bronze or painting4  
,cleanliness and order are certainly the
 simplest manifestations of the love of 
the beautiful in the household--the     
germ1 which the feeling in its highest  
development must include2 but too many  
among us remain satisfied with the lower
 form1 and from some reason or other1   
fail to see the further gratification   
that is possible to all4 ,nature1       
however1 stimulates and satisfies this  
love everywhere1 and society in many    
directions is following in her          
footsteps4 ,let us see what can be done 
in the matter4 ,after all1 rooms must   
still retain the impress of the         
character of their inhabitants4 ,yes2   
but there are certain general rules     

which all who do arrange them would do  
well to remember4 ,in the first place1  
they should be well lighted1 and as     
thoroughly ventilated as they can be    
made2 the eye should be pleased with    
their general effect2 no detail of      
colouring or furniture should mar it2   
they should be filled with gentle       
relief1 not uniformity of colour2 and   
there should be as many waving lines1   
instead of angles1 as possible4 ,they   
should contain all things necessary to  
their several characters1 but nothing   
very superfluous2 and their whole       
arrangement should indicate1 and be     
subservient to1 the idea that prompted  
it4 ,above all1 they should have in them
 some thing1 or things1 to soothe the   
thoughts1 stimulate the fancy1 and      
suggest something higher than the       
ordinary uses which they serve4 ,human  
beings1 even in the life of a day1      
experience many fluctuations of mood1 of
 joy or sadness2 and there should be    
some thing1 if not person1 in their     

homes1 that would suggest to them mute  
sympathy and comfort4  ,are we sad8 ,it 
is winter now1 and these hyacinth bulbs 
are unsightly1 but spring will bring    
flowers to them1 as time and patience   
will to us4 ,are we glad8 ,these roses  
and geraniums glow in the sunbeams1 and 
we rejoice together4 ,are we dull8 ,that
 beautiful ,greek form rouses us into   
activity again4 ,are we weary of        
climbing1 and dissatisfied with our want
 of success8 ,turn to that ,raphael1 and
 let us remember1 that all who faint not
 by the way1 and aspire worthily1 shall 
at length be transfigured in the light  
of truth and beauty4 ,there are few if  
any rooms that need be without some such
 suggestion and comfort4 ,nature offers 
them lavishly to all who care to seek   
them2 and first1 and most generously1   
her loveliest of treasures1 flowers1    
which are the brightest of drawing-room 
accessories1 as well as the sweetest of 
cottage adornments4 ,sea-weed1          
too--which is more difficult to get1 but

 when arranged with taste1 is so        
exquisite in colour--is a sweet         
remembrance of sea-side beaches and the 
odour of the spray4 ,bits of pine-bark  
and fir-cones are beautiful as to       
colour1 and bring back to us pictures of
 woods gleaming in the western light1   
and well-known landscapes seen through  
vistas of tall stems2 sprays of clematis
 and bryony1 a group of ivy-leaves1 or  
bunch of ripe corn1 require nothing but 
a little graceful arrangement to throw a
 light of beauty over many a dull       
corner4 ,but some of these ornaments are
 perishable1 and can but delight us for 
awhile4 ,we must have something more    
permanent4 ,ah1 then1 there are shells  
which still echo faintly the delicious  
murmur of the waves1 and reflect all the
 colours of sea and sky together2 one or
 two of them we must secure3 the        
graceful nautilus1 from whose mouth     
shall hang in summer some pendent       
blossoms2 and that ,venus's ear1 which  
glitters in the sunbeams as it lies upon

 the table1 and bears the impress of    
spirits' wings upon its inner surface4  
,bronzes1 marbles1 and paintings can be 
purchased only by the wealthy1 so we    
will not speak of them2 we will see them
 as often as we can in public galleries1
 and meanwhile rejoice that such fine   
substitutes in plaster and engraving may
 become ours4 ,these are yearly becoming
 more common among us2 and treasures of 
antique and modern art1 ,grecian gods1  
and ,italian ,madonnas1 may be our own  
household delights by the expenditure of
 a few shillings4 ,of course1 to the    
taste and requirements of each          
individual must be left the selection of
 the kind and character of the beauty he
 desires to have around him4  ,some     
subjects in art are best suited for     
enjoyment in rooms destined for solitary
 use1 others for those of general       
resort--some touch us peculiarly in one 
mood1 some are welcome to us in all4 ,of
 this last character ',st ,catherine    
borne by ,angels' is a specimen3 the    

earth sinks beneath them1 they fly so   
swiftly and yet so calmly6 we are in the
 air too with them1 and mark how small  
the world looks1 with its burdens of    
wrong and suffering1 as we cleave our   
way through the fields of ether up      
towards the stars2 and that lovely one  
the spirits hold so tenderly1 how still 
and calm is every line6--she is at peace
 after the storm and the agony1 and for 
a space we lie still as she in those    
angel arms4 ,of the same class is       
,raphael's ',transfiguration1' which is 
magnificent if we only contemplate the  
grouping of the figures1 but truly      
sublime in the ideas it suggests4       
,flaxman's ',mercury and ,pandora'      
likewise1 elegant and graceful in the   
highest degree1 is peculiarly suited for
 generally used rooms and constant      
delight4 ,but specimens crowd into our  
recollection for which we have not      
space4 ,general sitting-rooms can bear a
 variety of subject and suggestion--they
 will have a variety of inhabitants or  

visitors2 and while bearing the impress 
of a certain unity1 they should contain 
pleasure for all1 and stimuli for       
differing minds4 ,we would not          
habitually admit in them works of art   
which rouse too painful a class of      
emotions4 ,fuseli's picture of ',count  
,ugolino in ,prison1' in which the stony
 fixedness of despair deprives us1 as we
 gaze1 almost of the living hope within 
us1 we could not bear to have near us   
habitually4 ,that wonderfully beautiful 
marble of ,francesca di ,rimini and her 
lover1 which appeared in the ,great     
,exhibition last year1 would come under 
the same law of banishment4 ,it realised
 so perfectly the hopelessness of hell1 
that at sight of it we swooned in spirit
 as ,dante did in reality4 ,life has so 
many stern realities for most of us1    
that in art we need relief1 and         
generally desire to find renewed hope   
and faith through delight and gladness4 
,in rooms where we need care to please  
only ourselves1 we can follow our own   

tastes more entirely and freely4 ,in    
them1 shall we not have a ,madonna whose
 'eyes are homes of silent prayer8'--a  
copy of ,de la ,roche's ',christ1' so   
touching in its sad and noble serenity8 
or some bust or engraving of poet or    
hero1 which shall be to us as a         
biography1 never failing to stimulate us
 in the best direction8 ,or shall we    
have a copy of that fine ,mercury1 who  
stands resting lightly on the earth with
 one foot1 and raised1 outstretched     
arms1 in the act of ascending from      
it--the embodiment of aspiration8 ,all  
these things are symbols of noble       
thought1 and they may belong to us as   
easily now as a copy of ,bacon or       
,shakspeare4 ,here is great cause for   
rejoicing4 ,fantastic furniture1 old    
china1 and such-like things1 will one   
day be superseded in drawing-rooms1 just
 as the old1 barbarously-coloured       
',noahs' and ',abrahams' of the cottage 
may now easily be by pictures in better 
perspective and purer taste4 ,then there

 will be danger of crowding rooms with  
good things--a great mistake also3 an   
ornament should have a simple           
background1 should 'shew like metal on a
 sullen ground4' ,rooms1 from           
temptations of wealth or taste1 should  
never become mere pretty                
curiosity-shops4 ,forbearance and       
self-control are necessary in this as in
 all things4 ',to gild refined gold' is 
worse than useless4  ,let us not        
question the need of such thought and   
care for mere dwelling-places4 ,are not 
rooms the nurseries of the young spirits
 among us1 the resting-places of all    
others on their pilgrimage8 ,and because
 everything is important that influences
 and educates the soul1 love and thought
 shall work together in our homes1 and  
create in all details something akin to 
the universal harmony they should       
typify4     ,,investments6   ,what is to
 be done with the money which is        
realised in the ordinary course of      
affairs1 has latterly become a kind of  

puzzle4 ,there it goes on accumulating  
as a result of industry2 but what then8 
,a person can but eat one dinner in the 
day2 two or three coats are about all he
 needs for the outer man2 he can but    
live in one house at a time2 and1 in    
short1 after paying away all he needs to
 pay1 he finds that he has not a little 
over for--investment4 ,since our young  
days1 this word investment has come     
remarkably into use4 ,all are looking   
for investments2 and as supply          
ordinarily follows demand1 up there     
rise1 at periodical intervals1 an       
amazing number of plans for the said    
investments--in plain ,english1         
relieving people of their money4 ,a few 
years ago1 railways were the favourite  
absorbents4 ,railways1 on a somewhat    
more honest principle1 may possibly     
again have their day4 ,meanwhile1 the   
man of money has opened up to him a very
 comprehensive field for the investment 
of his cash3 he can send it upon any    
mission he chooses2 he may dig turf with

 it1 or he may dig gold2 he may catch   
whales1 or he may catch sprats1 or do   
fifty other things2 but if he see it    
again after having relinquished his hold
 upon it1 he must have exercised more   
discretion than falls to the lot of the 
majority of ,her ,majesty's lieges in   
their helter-skelter steeple-chasing    
after #bj per cent4 ,our present        
business1 however1 is not with          
legitimate speculation1 but with schemes
 in which no discretion is exercised1 or
 by which discretion is set to sleep--in
 a word1 with bubble investments2 and   
the history of many of the most         
promising of these speculations may be  
read in the following brief and not     
altogether mythical biography1 of an    
interesting specimen which suddenly fell
 into a declining way1 and is supposed  
to have lately departed this life4  ,the
 ,long ,range ,excavator ,rock-,crushing
 and ,gold-,winning ,company was born   
from the brain of ,aurophilus ,dobrown1 
,esq41 of ,smallchange ,dell1 in the    

county of ,middlesex1 between the hours 
of ten and eleven at night on the #adth 
of ,october #ahea4 ,it was at first a   
shapeless and unpromising bantling2 but 
being introduced to the patronage of a  
conclave of experienced drynurses1 it   
speedily became developed in form and   
proportion2 and before it was ten days  
old1 was formally introduced1 with      
official garniture1 to the expectant    
public1 by whom it was received with    
general approbation and favour4 ,the new
 company1 in a dashing prospectus1 held 
forth a certain prospect of enormous    
advantages to shareholders1 with an     
entire exemption from responsibility of 
every sort4 ,the shares were a million  
in number1 at one pound each1 without   
any further call--on the loose-cash     
principle1 and no signing of documents4 
,aurophilus ,dobrown was chairman of the
 committee of management4  ,the         
intentions of the company1 as detailed  
at length in their eloquent prospectus1 
were to invade the gold regions of the  

,australian continent with a monster    
engine1 contrived by the indefatigable  
,crushcliff1 and which1 it was          
confidently expected1 would devour the  
soil of the auriferous district at a    
rate averaging about three tons per     
minute4 ,it was furnished1 so the       
engineer averred1 with a stomach of #bej
 tons capacity1 supplied with           
peristaltic grinders of steel of the    
most obdurate temper1 enabling it with  
ease to digest the hardest granite      
rocks1 to crush the masses of quartz    
into powder1 and to deposit the virgin  
gold upon a sliding floor underneath4   
,the machine was to be set in motion by 
the irresistible force of 'the pressure 
from without1' and #ajjj pounds-weight  
of pure gold per diem was considered a  
very low estimate of its powers of      
production4 ,these reasonable           
expectations being modestly set forth in
 circulars and public advertisements1   
and backed by the august patronage of   
the respectable and responsible         

individuals above named1 the ,long      
,range ,excavator ,company speedily grew
 into vast repute4 ,the starving herd   
encamped in ,stagg's ,alley1 flew at    
once to pen1 ink1 and paper1 and        
applications for shares poured in by    
thousands4 ,referees were hunted up1 or 
they were not--that is no great matter4 
,half a million of the shares were duly 
allotted2 and that done1 to the supreme 
delectation of the stags1 ,mr ,stickemup
 the broker1 in conjunction with his old
 friend and colleague ,mr ,knockemoff1  
fixed the price of shares by an         
inaugural transaction of considerable   
amount1 at #be per cent4 above par1 at  
which they went off briskly4 ,now were  
the stags to be seen flying in every    
direction1 eager to turn a penny before 
the inevitable hour appointed for       
payment on the shares4 ,it was curious  
to observe the gradual wane of          
covetousness in the cerval mind2 how1 as
 the fateful hour approached1 their     
demand for profit grew small by degrees 

and beautifully less4 ,from #ds4 premium
 per share to #cs42 from #cs4 to #bs42  
from #bs4 to #as42 and thence to such a 
thing as #i;d41 #h;d41 #g;d41 and still 
downwards1 till1 as the hand of the dial
 verged upon the closing stroke of the  
bell1 they condescended to resign their 
,long ,range ,excavators to the charge  
of buyers who could pay for the shares  
they held4 ,the company was now fairly  
afloat4 ,by the aid of    ,a few clever 
riggers to put on the pot1   ,to stir it
 round gently1 and serve while 'twas    
hot1  the shares rose higher than had   
been expected4 ,aurophilus ,dobrown sold
 his #ej1jjj at a handsome premium1 and 
realised what he was pleased privately  
to term 'something substantial' by the  
speculation4 ,the public became         
enthusiastic on the subject of the ,long
 ,range ,excavators1 and for a few short
 weeks they were the favourite          
speculation of the market4 ,by and by1  
however1 a rumour began to be whispered 
about on the subject of the             

monster-machine1 the stomach of which1  
it was secretly hinted1 was alarmingly  
out of order1 and resisted all the      
tonics of the engineer4 ,it was         
currently reported among parties most   
interested1 that from late experiments  
made1 previous to embarkation1 it had   
been ascertained beyond a doubt1 that   
though the peristaltic apparatus        
digested pints with perfect ease1 it yet
 rejected quartz--a defect which it was 
but too plain would be fatal to the     
production of gold4 ,the effect of this 
rumour was most alarmingly depressing   
upon the value of the shares4 ,in a few 
days1 they fell #ej per cent4 below par1
 with few buyers even at that4 ,at this 
juncture1 it was discovered that one of 
the directors was actively bearing the  
market2 but the discovery was not made  
before that disinterested personage1 who
 had previously disposed of the whole of
 his original allotment at a handsome   
premium1 had secured above #aj1jjj new  
shares at a cost of about half their    

upset value4 ,a colleague openly accused
 him of this disgraceful traffic at a   
general meeting of the directors1 and   
declared that he had not words to       
express his disgust at one who1 for the 
sake of his own personal profit1 could  
condescend to depreciate the property of
 his constituents4 ,the accused         
retorted1 and the meeting growing stormy
 and abusive1 ended late at night with  
closed doors4  ,a few days after1       
affairs again began to take a turn      
upwards4 ,the failure of the engine was 
declared to be an erroneous and         
altogether unfounded report4 ,it was    
boldly asserted1 that the small         
model-engine of one inch to the foot1   
had actually crushed several masses of  
,scotch granite1 and eliminated seven or
 eight ounces of pure metal2 and these  
specimens were exhibited under a        
glass-case in the office of the company1
 in proof of their triumphant success4  
,now the shares rose again as rapidly as
 they had lately fallen1 and honourable 

gentlemen who had held on1 had an       
opportunity of turning themselves round4
 ,it is to be supposed that some of them
 at least did that to their             
satisfaction2 at anyrate1 the           
respectable and responsible concocters  
of the ,long ,range ,excavator          
,rock-,crushing and ,gold-,winning      
,company very soon began to turn their  
backs upon the public altogether4 ,by   
degrees1 the whole body of directors1   
trustees1 counsel and agents1 dwindled  
down to a solitary clerk paring his     
nails in a deserted office4 ,shares at a
 discount of #fj1 #gj1 #hj1 #ij per     
cent4 attested the decline of the       
speculation4 ,honourable gentlemen were 
reported to have gone upon their        
travels4 ,the office was at first       
'temporarily closed1' and then let to   
the new company for ,bridging the       
,dardanelles on the ,tubular ,principle4
 ,the engine of the ,long ,range        
,excavators1 according to the last      
report1 had foundered--but whether in   

the brain of ,crushcliff1 the engineer1 
or on the ,scilly ,rocks1 we could not  
clearly make out4 ,the only one of the  
original promoters who has latterly     
condescended to gratify the gaze of the 
public1 is the ,baron ,badlihoff1 who1 a
 few days ago1 made his appearance on   
the monkey-board of an omnibus1 whence  
he was suddenly escorted by policeman   
,b4 #ajja1 to the presence of a         
magistrate1 who unsympathisingly        
transferred him to ,clerkenwell ,jail1  
for certain paltry threepenny           
defalcations1 due to a lapse of memory  
which our shameful code persists in     
regarding as worthy of incarceration and
 hard labour4 ,he is now an active      
member of a company legally incorporated
 under government sanction1 for grinding
 the wind upon the revolving principle4 
,it is not precisely known when the     
first dividend on the ,long ,range      
,excavators will be declared4 ,sanguine 
speculators in the ,l4 ,r4 ,e41 and the 
,thames ,conflagration ,company1 expect 

to draw both dividends on the same day4 
,in the meantime1 the books are safe in 
the custody of ,messrs ,holdem ,tight   
and ,brass1 of ,thieves' ,inn2 and      
ill-natured people are not wanting1 who 
insinuate that they constitute the only 
property available for the benefit of   
the shareholders4  ,let us now take a   
glance at a snug little commercial      
bubble1 blown into being by 'highly     
respectable men1' a private affair      
altogether1 which never had a name upon 
',change1 and was managed--we cannot say
 to the satisfaction of all parties--by 
the originating contrivers1 without     
making any noise in the papers1 or      
exciting public attention in any way4   
,we will call it1 for the sake of a     
name1 ',the ,babel and ,lowriver ,steam 
,navigation ,company4' ,lowriver is a   
pleasant1 genteel little village1 which 
has of late years sprung suddenly into  
existence on the coast of ----shire1 and
 has been growing1 for the last seven   
years1 with each succeeding summer1 more

 and more a place of favourite resort   
with the inhabitants of ,babel4 ,mr     
,montague ,whalebone took an early      
liking to the place1 and built a row of 
goodly houses by the water-side1 and a  
grand hotel at the end of the few stumps
 of pitchy stakes dignified by the name 
of the pier4 ,but the hotel lacked      
customers1 and the houses wanted        
tenants2 and the whole affair threatened
 to fall a prey to river-fog and mildew1
 when the ,babel and ,lowriver ,steam   
,navigation ,company came to the rescue1
 and placed it upon a permanent and     
expansive footing4 ,of the original     
constitution of this snug company1 it is
 not easy to say anything with          
certainty4 ,all we know is1 that1 some  
seven years ago1 it was currently spoken
 of in private circles as a capital     
investment for money1 supposing only    
that shares could be got3 that was the  
difficult thing4 ,large dividends were  
to be realised by building four         
steamers1 and running them between      

,babel and ,lowriver4 ,upon the neat    
hot-pressed prospectus1 privately and   
sparingly circulated--it was whispered  
that it was too good a thing to go a    
begging--appeared the names of ,erebus  
,carbon1 ,esq41 of ,diamond ,wharf2 of  
,montague ,whalebone1 ,esq41 of         
,lowriver2 of ,larboard ,starboard1     
,esq41 ship-builder2 and ,piston ,rodd1 
,esq41 of the firm of ,boiler  ,rodd1   
engineers1 as directors4 ,the shares    
were ,l4#bj each1 liable to calls1      
though no calls were anticipated2 and it
 was reckoned an enormous favour to get 
them4 ,traffic in shares was            
discountenanced3 the company had no wish
 to be regarded as a cluster of         
speculators1 but rather as a band of    
brothers1 co-operating together for     
their common benefit4 ,of course1 the   
necessary legal formalities were gone   
through--that could not safely be       
dispensed with4  ,in spite of the       
difficulty of obtaining shares1 a pretty
 large number of them got into the hands

 of the respectable portion of the      
public1 and the whole were soon taken   
up4 ,the boats were built by ,larboard  
,starboard1 ,esq42 and the engines1 as a
 matter of course1 were put on board by 
,messrs ,boiler  ,rodd2 ,erebus ,carbon1
 ,esq41 supplied1 at the current rates1 
the necessary fuel2 and at all hours of 
the day the vessels ran backwards and   
forwards1 carrying customers to ,mr     
,montague ,whalebone's hotel1 and       
lodgers to the new tenements1 which soon
 began to rise around it in all         
directions4 ,lowriver took amazingly1   
and rose rapidly in public estimation2  
the boats filled well1 and the          
speculation promised great things4      
,when1 however1 after several mouths of 
undeviating prosperity1 the shareholders
 began to look for some return for their
 capital in the shape of a dividend1    
each one of them was individually       
surprised by a 'call3' ,l4#e a share was
 wanted to clear off urgent             
responsibilities4 ',the outfitting costs

 had been greater than was foreseen1'   
and the demands upon the shareholders   
were not likely to be limited to the    
first call4 ,the victims rushed1 as they
 were invited to do1 to the office1 to  
inspect the accounts4 ,the engineer was 
there to receive them1 and1 all suavity 
and politeness1 submitted every fact and
 figure to their investigation4 ,there  
was nothing to be found fault           
with--everything was fairly booked2 but 
there was a heavy balance dead against  
the company4 ,the engineer himself put a
 long face upon the affair1 and shrugged
 his shoulders1 and mumbled something   
about having burned his own fingers1 c4 
,after this1 reports soon got abroad    
very prejudicial to the value of the    
investments4 ,then came the winter1     
during which few passengers travelled to
 ,lowriver2 and with ,christmas came    
another ,l4#e call4 ,people grew tired  
of paying #bj per cent4 for nothing1 and
 many forfeited their shares by         
suffering them to be sold to pay the    

calls4 ,this game went on for nearly    
three years--all 'calls' and no         
dividends2 until at length it would have
 been difficult to find five persons out
 of the original #ejj who held shares in
 the ,babel and ,lowriver ,steam        
,navigation ,company1 and there was next
 to nobody left to call upon4  ,years   
have rolled on since then4 ,lowriver has
 grown into a popular and populous      
marine summer residence4 ,mr ,montague  
,whalebone1 who knew what he was about1 
having bought and leased the            
building-ground1 has become the owner of
 a vast property increasing in value    
every day4 ,larboard ,starboard1 ,esq41 
is on the way to become a millionaire1  
and has several new boats building for  
the company's service at the present    
moment4 ,messrs ,boiler  ,rodd have     
quintupled their establishment1 and are 
in a condition to execute government    
contracts4 ,erebus ,carbon1 ,esq41 has  
found a market in the company for       
hundreds of thousands of tons of coal1  

and1 from keeping a solitary wharf1 has 
come to be the owner of a fleet of      
colliers4 ,at this hour1 the company    
consists of six individuals--the four   
original projectors1 and a couple of old
 codgers--'knowing files1' who had the  
penetration1 in the beginning1 to see   
through the 'bearing dodge1' and would  
not be beaten or frightened off4 ,they  
paid up every call upon shares1 and     
bought others--and then1 by shewing a   
bold front1 asserted a voice in the     
management1 and crushed in to a full and
 fair share of the profits4 ,they have  
made solid fortunes by the speculation2 
while the original shareholders1 whose  
money brought the company into          
existence1 have reaped nothing but      
losses and vexation in return for their 
capital4  ,but enough1 and more than    
enough1 on the score of the delusive    
farces which1 with pretences almost as  
transparent as the above1 are from time 
to time played off for the purpose of   
easing the public of their superfluous  

cash4 ,let us glance briefly at a       
speculation of a different kind1 no less
 a bubble as it proved1 but one whose   
tragic issues have already wrought the  
wreck of many innocent families1 and    
which1 at the present moment1 under the 
operation of the ,winding-up ,act1 is   
darkening with ruin and the fear of ruin
 a hundred humble abodes4 ,we have good 
reason to know its history too well2 and
 we shall1 in as few words as possible1 
present the facts most important to be  
known to the reader's consideration1    
with the view of inculcating caution by 
the misfortunes of others1 and shewing  
at the same time how possible it is1    
under the present law regulating        
joint-stock partnerships1 for an honest 
man1 by the most inadvertent act1 to    
entail misery upon himself1 and         
destitution upon his offspring4  ,it is 
some fifteen or twenty years ago1 since 
a company of two or three speculative   
geniuses issued a plan for establishing1
 in a delightful glen situated but a few

 miles from a well-known ,welsh port in 
the ,bristol ,channel1 a brewery upon an
 extensive scale4 ,the prospectus1 as a 
matter of course1 promised to the       
shareholders the usual golden           
advantages4 ,the crystal current which  
meandered through the valley was to be  
converted into malt-liquor--so great    
were the natural and artificial         
advantages which combined to effect that
 result--at one-half the cost of such a 
transformation in any other locality2   
and the liquor produced was to be of    
such exquisite relish and potency1 that 
all ,britain was to compete for its     
possession4 ,so plausible was everything
 made to appear1 that men of            
commercially acquired fortune1 of the   
greatest experience1 and of long-tried  
judgment1 invested their capital in the 
fullest confidence of success4          
,following their example1 tradesmen and 
employers did the same2 and1 in         
imitation of their betters1 numbers of  
persons of the classes of small         

shopkeepers and labouring-men invested  
their small savings in shares in the    
',romantic ,valley ,brewery4' ,the      
number of joint-proprietors amounted in 
all to some hundreds1 holding ,l4#bj    
shares in numbers proportioned to their 
means or their speculative spirit4 ,not 
one in fifty of them knew anything of   
the art of brewing1 or had any knowledge
 of the locality where the scheme was to
 be carried out2 but no doubt was       
entertained of the speedy and great     
success which was promised4  ,the land  
was bought1 the necessary buildings were
 substantially erected1 and the three   
principal concocters of the scheme1 one 
of whom was a lawyer1 were appointed to 
manage the concern1 and empowered to    
borrow money in case it should be       
wanted1 to complete the plant1 and to   
work it until the profits came in4 ,they
 had every advantage for the production 
of a cheap and superior article3 labour1
 land-carriage1 and water-carriage1 were
 all at a low charge in the             

neighbourhood2 and materials1 upon the  
whole1 rated rather under than over the 
average4 ,year after year1 however1     
passed away1 and not a farthing of      
dividend came to the shareholders2      
promises only of large profits at some  
future period--that was all4 ,it        
happened that none of the shareholders  
had invested any very large sums1 and   
this was thought a fortunate            
circumstance1 as none of them felt very 
deeply involved4 ,the rich had          
speculated with their superfluity1 and  
they could bear to joke on the subject  
of the ,romantic ,valley1 though they   
shook their heads when the supposed     
value of the shares was hinted at4 ,the 
poor felt it more1 and some of the      
neediest sold their single shares or    
half-shares at a terrible discount1     
while they would yet realise something4 
,as time rolled on1 several of the older
 proprietors died off1 and willed away1 
with the rest of their property1 the    
,romantic ,valley ,brewery shares to    

their friends and relatives4 ,a         
considerable number of them thus passed 
from the first holders to the hands of  
others1 one and all of whom naturally   
accepted the legacies devised to them1  
and gave the necessary signatures to the
 documents which made the shares their  
own4  ,meanwhile1 the managers went on  
working an unprofitable business1       
borrowing money on the credit of the    
joint proprietors2 and in the face of   
all the advantages upon which they      
plumed themselves1 plunged deeper and   
deeper into debt1 until1 being forced to
 borrow at a high rate of interest to   
pay for the use of former loans1 they   
found their credit1 in the thirteenth   
year of their existence1 completely     
exhausted2 and then the bubble burst at 
once in ruin1 utter and complete1       
overwhelming all who were legally       
connected with it1 either by original   
purchase1 by transfer1 or by            
inheritance4 ,independent country       
gentlemen1 west-country manufacturers1  

and merchants of substantial capital1   
were summarily pounced upon by the fangs
 of the law1 and all simultaneously     
stripped of everything they possessed in
 the world4 ,professional men1 the      
fathers of families genteelly bred and  
educated1 were summarily bereft of every
 farthing1 and condemned in the decline 
of life to begin the world afresh4 ,not 
a few1 seized with mortal chagrin at the
 horrible consummation of an affair     
which had never been anything but a     
source of loss and annoyance1 sunk at   
once into the grave4 ,others--accustomed
 perhaps for half a century to the      
appliances of ease and luxury1 and who  
were the owners of hospitable mansions1 
the centres of genteel resort--at the   
present moment hide their heads in      
cottages1 and huts1 and eleemosynary    
chambers1 where they wither in silence  
and neglect under the cold breath of    
alien charity4 ,some1 at threescore1 are
 driven forth from a life of indulgence 
and inactivity1 to earn their daily     

bread4 ,young and rising tradesmen1 who 
had had the misfortune to inherit from a
 relative or a patron but a few shares1 
or even a single one1 saw themselves at 
once precipitated into bankruptcy4 ,one 
case1 for which we can personally vouch1
 is beyond measure distressing3 a       
gentleman of good fortune dying1 had    
bequeathed to each of a large family of 
daughters a handsome provision2 shortly 
before the bursting of the fearful      
bubble1 the mother also died1 dividing  
by will her own fortune among the young 
ladies1 and leaving to each one a few   
shares in the ,romantic ,valley         
,brewery4 ,the transference of these    
shares to the several children made the 
whole of them liable to the extent of   
their entire property2 and the whole six
 unfortunates were actually beggared to 
the last farthing1 and cast upon the    
world to shift as they might4 ,to detail
 the domestic desolation caused by this 
iniquitous affair1 would require the    
space of a large volume4 ,it has wrought

 nothing but wretchedness and ruin to   
those to whom it promised unexampled    
prosperity1 and it is yet working still 
more--nor is it likely to stop1 for     
aught that we can see1 so long as it    
presents a mark for legal cupidity4 ,all
 that could be got for the creditors has
 been extorted long ago from the        
wealthier portion of the victims2 but   
the loans are not yet all liquidated1   
and the claim yet remaining unsatisfied1
 is now the pretext under which the     
lawyers are sucking the life-blood from 
the hard-working and struggling class of
 shareholders1 who1 while industriously 
striving for a respectable position1 are
 considered worth crushing for the sake 
of the costs1 though they will never    
yield a penny towards the debt4         
,besides the persons who have the       
settlement of affairs in their hands1   
the original concocters of the company  
are the only persons who have profited  
from its operations4 ,they indeed ride  
gloriously aloft above the ruin they    

have wrought4 ,the process by which they
 have managed to extract a lordly       
independence for themselves1 from a     
scheme which has resulted in the        
destitution and misery of every other   
participator1 is a mystery we do not    
pretend to fathom in this case--though  
it is one of by no means unusual        
occurrence in connection with           
bubble-companies of all sorts4     ,,the
 ,,ostrich4   ,for the following        
particulars relative to the habits of   
the ostrich1 and the various modes of   
taking it1 we are indebted to a         
gentleman who spent many years in       
,northern ,africa1 and collected these  
details from native sportsmen1 his      
principal informant being               
,abd-el-,kader-,mohammed-ben-,kaddour1 a
 ,nimrod of renown throughout the ,arab 
tribes of this region4  ,the ostrich    
country1 says ,ben-,kaddour1 may be     
described as a rectangle1 of which the  
towns of ,insalah1 ,figig1 ,sidi-,okba1 
and ,warklah form the angles2 that is1  

it comprises the northern skirts of the 
,saharian desert1 where water and       
herbage are plentiful in comparison with
 the arid plains of the centre4         
,throughout this region1 ostriches may  
frequently be seen travelling in pairs1 
or in companies of four or five couples2
 but wherever there has been a recent   
fall of rain1 one is almost sure to find
 them grazing together in large numbers1
 appearing at a distance like a herd of 
camels4 ,this is a favourable           
opportunity for ostrich-hunting1        
especially if the weather is very warm2 
for the greater the heat1 the less      
vigour have the birds for prolonging the
 chase4 ,it is well known1 that though  
the ostrich cannot raise itself into the
 air1 it is nevertheless so swift of    
foot1 that it cannot be fairly run down 
even by the horses of this region1      
which1 on an emergency1 are known to run
 #ahj miles in a single day4 ,an        
ostrich-hunt is1 therefore1 undertaken  
by at least ten horsemen together1 who1 

being apprized of the spot where a large
 group are feeding1 approach with       
extreme caution1 and form a cordon round
 them4 ,to prevent the birds from       
escaping from the circle thus formed1 is
 all they attempt1 and it requires their
 utmost dexterity4 ,the terrified       
creatures run hither and thither2 and   
not managing their breath as they would 
do in an ordinary pursuit1 they at      
length become exhausted1 and betray it  
by flapping their wings4 ,the sportsmen 
now fall deliberately upon them1 and    
either lead them away alive1 or fell    
them with a blow on the head4 ,their    
first care is to remove the skin1 so as 
to preserve the feathers uninjured2 the 
next is to melt down the fat1 and pour  
it into bags formed of the skin of the  
thigh and leg1 strongly tied at the     
lower end4 ,the grease of an ostrich in 
good condition fills both its legs2 and 
as it brings three times the price of   
common butter1 it is considered no      
despicable part of the game4 ,it is not 

only eaten with bread1 and used in the  
preparation of kooskoos1 and other      
articles of food1 but the ,arabs reckon 
it a valuable remedy in various         
maladies4 ,in rheumatic attacks1 for    
instance1 they rub it on the part       
affected till it penetrates thoroughly2 
then lay the patient in the burning     
sand1 with his head carefully protected4
 ,a profuse perspiration comes on1 and  
the cure is complete4 ,in bilious       
disorders1 the grease is lightly warmed1
 mixed with salt1 and administered as a 
potion4 ,it acts thus as a powerful     
aperient1 and causes great emaciation   
for the time2 but the patient1 say the  
,arabs1 having been thus relieved from  
all the bad humours in his body1        
afterwards acquires robust health1 and  
his sight becomes singularly good4 ,the 
flesh of the ostriches1 dressed with    
pepper and meal1 forms the supper of the
 sportsmen4  ,ostrich-shooting is       
conducted in quite a different manner1  
and as it is practised only or chiefly  

during the period of incubation1 it is  
to it we are principally indebted for   
the acquaintance which the ,arabs have  
gained with the habits of these singular
 birds4  ,the pairing-season is the     
month of ,august4 ,the reumda 7female7  
is generally shy1 and the delim has     
often to pursue the object of his choice
 at full speed for four or five days1   
during which he neither eats nor drinks4
 ,when1 however1 she has consented to be
 his1 she never again quits him till the
 young ones are reared2 and the bond    
between them is equally respected by all
 their companions3 there is no fighting 
about mates1 as among some other        
gregarious species4  ,the period of     
incubation begins in the month of       
,november1 and presents the best        
opportunity for shooting the ostrich4   
,at this season1 also1 the feathers are 
in the finest condition1 though the fat 
is much less abundant4 ,five or six     
sportsmen set out together on horseback1
 taking with them two camels laden with 

provisions for a month1 besides an      
abundant supply of powder and ball4     
,they search for places where rain has  
lately fallen1 or where pools of water  
occur1 for in such localities there is  
likely to be that plentiful herbage     
which never fails to attract the        
ostrich4 ,having discovered its         
footprints1 the sportsmen examine them  
with care4 ,if they appear only here and
 there on the bare spots1 they indicate 
that the bird has been here to graze2   
but if they cross each other in various 
directions1 and the grass is rather     
trampled down than eaten1 the ostrich   
has certainly made her nest in the      
neighbourhood1 and an active but        
cautious search for it is commenced4 ,if
 she is only making her nest1 the       
operation may be detected at a great    
distance1 as it consists simply of      
pushing out the sand from the centre to 
the circumference of a circle1 so as to 
form a large hole4 ,the sand rises in   
dense clouds round the spot1 and the    

bird utters a pining cry all day long4  
,when the nest is finished1 she cries   
only towards three in the afternoon4    
,the female sits on the eggs from       
morning till noon1 while her mate is    
grazing2 at noon1 he takes her place1   
and she goes to the pasture in her turn4
 ,when she returns1 she places herself  
facing her mate1 and at the distance of 
five or six paces from the nest1 which  
he occupies all night1 in order to      
defend it from enemies1 especially from 
the jackals1 which often lie in ambush1 
ready to take advantage of an unguarded 
moment4 ,hunters often find the         
carcasses of these animals near         
ostriches' nests4  ,in the morning1     
while the reumda is sitting1 the        
sportsmen dig on each side of the nest1 
and at about twenty paces from it1 a    
hole deep enough to contain a man4 ,in  
each of these they lodge one of their   
best marksmen1 and cover him up with    
long grass1 allowing only the gun to    
protrude4 ,one of these is to shoot the 

male1 the other the female4 ,the reumda1
 seeing this operation going forward1   
becomes terrified1 and runs off to join 
her mate2 but he does not believe there 
is any ground for her terror1 and with  
somewhat ungallant chastisement1 forces 
her to return4 ,if these preparations   
were made while the delim was sitting1  
he would go after her1 and neither would
 return4 ,the reumda having resumed her 
place1 the sportsmen take care not to   
disturb her2 it is the rule to shoot the
 delim first1 and they patiently wait   
his return from the pasture4 ,at noon1  
he takes his place as usual1 sitting    
with his wings outspread1 so as to cover
 all the eggs4 ,in this position1 the   
thighs are extremely prominent1 and the 
appointed marksman takes aim at them1   
because1 if he succeeds in breaking     
them1 there is no chance of escape1     
which there would be if almost any other
 part were wounded4 ,as soon as he      
falls1 the other sportsmen1 attracted by
 the report1 run up and bleed him       

according to the laws of the ,koran4    
,they hide the carcass1 and cover with  
sand every trace of the blood that has  
been shed4 ,when the reumda comes home  
at night1 she appears not uneasy at the 
absence of her mate1 but probably       
concluding that he was hungry1 and has  
gone for some supper1 she takes his     
place on the eggs1 and is killed by the 
second marksman in the same way as the  
delim4 ,the ostrich is often waylaid in 
a similar manner at its usual           
drinking-place1 a good shot being       
concealed in a hole1 whence he fires on 
it4 ,the ostrich drinks nearly every    
five days when there is water2 otherwise
 it can do without it for a much longer 
time4 ,nothing but excessive thirst     
induces it ever to approach a human     
habitation1 and then it flies as soon as
 it is satisfied4 ,it has been observed1
 that whenever the flashing lightning   
announces an approaching storm1 it      
hastens towards the water4 ,though      
single birds may often be shot on these 

occasions1 it is a much less certain    
sport than killing them on the nest1 and
 less profitable1 as in the latter case 
the eggs form no contemptible part of   
the spoil4  ,the nest of an ordinary    
pair contains from twenty-five to thirty
 eggs4 ,but it often happens that       
several couples unite to hatch together3
 in this case1 they form a great        
circular cavity1 the eldest couple lay  
their eggs in the centre1 and the others
 make a regular disposition of theirs   
around them4 ,thus1 if there are four   
younger couples1 they occupy the four   
angles of a square4 ,when the laying is 
finished1 the eggs are pushed towards   
the centre1 but not mixed2 and when the 
eldest delim begins to sit1 all the rest
 take their places where their eggs have
 been laid1 the females observing       
similar order4 ,these associations are  
found only where the herbage is very    
plentiful1 and they are understood      
always to be family groups1 the centre  
couple being the parents of the rest4   

,the younger birds lay fewer and smaller
 eggs--those of one year old1 for       
instance1 have only four or five4 ,the  
period of incubation is ninety days4    
,in the case of several couples         
associated thus in the same nest1 the   
sportsmen do not attempt to destroy any 
but the old ones2 for if they were to   
set about making as many holes as there 
were ostriches1 the whole company would 
take fright and decamp4 ,but perhaps it 
is determined to leave them all in      
peaceable possession for the present1   
and rather make a prey of the brood when
 hatched4 ,the watching of the nests in 
such cases has led to further           
observations4 ,the eggs of each pair are
 disposed in a heap1 always surmounted  
by a conspicuous one1 which was the     
first laid1 and has a peculiar          
destination4 ,when the delim perceives  
that the moment of hatching has arrived1
 he breaks the egg which he judges most 
matured1 and at the same time he bores  
with great care a small hole in the     

surmounting egg4 ,this serves as the    
first food of the nestlings2 and for    
this purpose1 though open1 it continues 
long without spoiling1 which is the more
 necessary1 as the delim does not break 
all the eggs on the same day1 but only  
three or four1 and so on1 as he hears   
the young ones stirring within4 ,this   
egg is always liquid1 but whether by a  
provision of nature in its original     
composition1 or through the instinct of 
the parent-birds in avoiding to keep it 
covered like the rest1 is not           
ascertained4 ,the young ones1 having    
received this their first nourishment1  
are immediately dried in the sun1 and   
begin to run about2 in a few days they  
follow the parent-birds to the pastures1
 always returning to shelter under their
 wings in the nest4  ,the paternal      
affection of the delim is remarkable3 he
 never leaves his offspring2 he faces   
every danger1 and combats every foe in  
their defence4 ,the reumda1 on the      
contrary1 is easily terrified1 and      

leaves all to secure her own safety2 so 
that it is usual to compare a man who   
bravely defends his tent to a delim1 and
 a pusillanimous soul to a reumda4 ,the 
delim finds himself more than a match   
for the dog1 the jackal1 the hyna1 or   
the eagle3 man is his only invincible   
foe2 yet he dares to wage the unequal   
war when the young are in danger4 ,if   
the ,arabs desire to make a prey of the 
ral1 as the young ostriches are called1 
they follow their footmarks1 and having 
nearly overtaken them1 they begin to    
shout2 the terrified birds run to their 
parents1 who face about1 and stand still
 to fight for them2 so the ,arabs lead  
away the ral before their eyes1 in spite
 of the bravadoes of the delim1 who then
 manifests the liveliest grief4         
,sometimes the greyhound is employed in 
this sport3 the delim attacks him1 and  
while they are fighting1 the men carry  
off the young ones1 to bring them up in 
their tents4  ,the ral are easily tamed2
 they sleep under the tent1 are         

exceedingly lively1 and play with the   
children and dogs4 ,when the tents are  
struck for a flitting1 the pet ostriches
 follow the camels1 and are never known 
to make their escape during the         
migration4 ,if a hare passes1 and the   
men start in pursuit of it1 the ostrich 
darts off in the same direction1 and    
joins the chase4 ,if she meets in the   
douar 7village of tents7 a child holding
 any eatable thing in its hand1 she lays
 him gently on the ground1 and robs     
without hurting him4 ,but the tame      
ostrich is a great thief1 or rather is  
so voracious1 it devours everything it  
finds--even knives1 female trinkets1 and
 pieces of iron4 ,the ,arab on whose    
authority these details are given1      
relates that a woman had her            
coral-necklace carried off and swallowed
 by an ostrich2 and an officer in the   
,african army affirms1 that one of them 
tore off and ate the buttons of his     
surtout4 ,the ostrich is1 at the same   
time1 exceedingly dexterous2 so that she

 will tear a date from a man's mouth    
without hurting him4 ,the ,arabs are    
distrustful of her1 and know where to   
lay the blame if1 on counting their     
money1 they find two or three dollars   
missing4  ,it is no uncommon thing to   
see1 at some distance from a douar1 a   
wearied child riding on the back of an  
ostrich1 which carries its burden       
directly towards the tent1 the young    
,jehu holding on by the pinions4 ,but   
she would not carry too heavy a load--a 
man1 for instance--but would throw him  
on the ground with a flap of her wing4  
,when ostriches are taken to market in  
,africa1 their legs are tied almost     
close together with a cord1 another cord
 attached to this one being held in the 
hand4     ,,progress ,,of ,,the ,,united
 ,,states4   ,the official statement of 
the ,united ,states' census1 published  
at ,washington in ,december last1       
furnishes us with the means of knowing  
what our ,american brethren have been   
doing in the ten years from #ahdj to    

#ahej4 ,in that decennial period1 the   
whole territory had increased from      
#b1jee1afc to #c1bba1eie square miles1  
exclusive of the great lakes in the     
interior1 and deeply-indenting bays on  
the coast4 ,the gross population in     
,june #ahej1 numbered #bc1bdf1bja2 an   
increase from ,june #ahdj of #f1agf1hdh4
 ,of these1 #ai1fai1cff were whites2    
#c1aih1bih were slaves2 and free blacks1
 #dbh1fcg2 the increase having been     
respectively1                           
#e1dbc1cga--gaa1jhe--db1cib4 ,the whole 
increase was equivalent to #c-a_/b per  
cent42 while in ,europe1 it is not more 
than #a-a_/b per cent42 and if it       
continue as at present1 the population  
will1 forty years hence1 exceed that of 
,england1 ,france1 ,spain1 ,portugal1   
,sweden1 and ,switzerland put together4 
,the deaths in the last of the ten years
 were #cbj1aid1 being #a to each #gb4f1 
or #aj to each #gbf of the inhabitants2 
this return is1 however1 supposed to    
involve an error1 as the mortality is   

less in proportion than in the most     
favoured parts of ,europe2 whereas the  
reverse is generally considered to be   
the fact4 ,in the same year1 #adfg      
slaves were manumitted1 and #ajaa       
escaped4 ,the number of emigrants from  
foreign countries during the #aj years  
was #a1edb1hej4  ,among the individual  
states1 the most populous are ,new      
,york1 which numbers #c1jig1cid         
inhabitants2 ,pennsylvania1 #b1caa1ghf2 
,ohio1 #a1ihj1djh2 ,virginia1           
#a1dba1ffa2 ,massachusetts1 #iid1dii2   
,indiana1 #ihh1daf2 ,kentucky1 #ihb1dje2
 ,georgia1 #ije1iii4 ,taking the whole  
#ca states1 the proportion of           
inhabitants is #ae4dh to the square     
mile3 the free states comprise          
#ac1fje1fcj1 and the slave states1      
#i1dia1gei of population4  ,to supply   
this population1 there are #bhjj        
newspapers3 #dbd in the ,new ,england   
states2 #hgf in the middle states2 #gaf 
in the southern states2 and #ghd in the 
western states4 ,three hundred and fifty

 are dailies1 #aej three times a week1  
#abe twice a week1 #bjjj weekly1 #ej    
fortnightly1 #ajj monthly1 and #be      
quarterly3 the aggregate circulation    
being #dbb1fjj1jjj yearly4 ,there is #a 
periodical for every #gafa free         
inhabitants4  ,the capital invested in  
manufactures1 excluding the             
establishments under #ejj dollars of    
annual value1 amounted to #ecj1jjj1jjj  
dollars2 the value of raw material was  
#eej1jjj1jjj2 the amount paid for labour
 7in one year we presume71 #bdj1jjj1jjj2
 value of articles manufactured1        
#a1jbj1cjj1jjj2 persons employed1       
#a1jej1jjj4 ,there were #ajid cotton    
'establishments' in operation1 which    
produced #gfc1fgh1djg yards of sheeting2
 #aeei woollen establishments1 which    
produced #hb1bjf1feb yards of cloth2    
#baij iron establishments1 which        
produced #a1afe1edd tons of iron of     
various kinds4  ,of improved lands1     
there were #aab1jdb1jjj acres2 of wheat1
 #ajd1gii1bcj bushels were grown in the 

last year2 #eia1ehf1jec bushels of      
,indian corn2 #aii1ecb1did pounds of    
tobacco2 #ac1fje1chd tons of hay2       
#cb1gei1bfc pounds of maple-sugar were  
made2 #cad1fdd hogsheads of cane-sugar  
of #ajjj pounds each2 #cab1bjb1bhf      
pounds of butter2 and #ajc1ahd1ehe      
pounds of cheese4     ,,effect ,,of     
,,the ,,earth',s ,,rotation ,,on        
,,locomotion4   ,the following is from  
,herapath's ,journal on the effect of   
the earth's rotation on locomotion3 ',mr
 ,uriah ,clarke1 of ,leicester1 has     
called our attention to an article in   
the ,mechanic's ,magazine1 by himself1  
on the influence of the earth's rotation
 on locomotion4 ,it is well known1 that 
as the earth revolves on its axis once  
in twenty-four hours1 from west to east1
 the velocity of any point on its       
surface is greater nearer the equator1  
and less further from it1 in the ratio  
of the cosine of the latitude4 ,mr      
,clarke says3 ,some rather important    
conclusions in relation to railway      

travelling arise out of the view now    
taken4 ,the difference between the      
rotative velocity of the earth in       
surface-motion at ,london and at        
,liverpool is about twenty-eight miles  
per hour2 and this amount of lateral    
movement is to be gained or lost1 as    
respects the locomotion in each journey1
 according to the direction we are      
travelling in from the one place to the 
other2 and in proportion to the speed   
will be the pressure against the side of
 the rails1 which1 at a high velocity1  
will give the engine a tendency to climb
 the right-hand rail in each direction4 
,could the journey be performed in two  
hours between ,london and ,liverpool1   
this lateral movement1 or rotative      
velocity of the locomotive1 would have  
to be increased or diminished at the    
rate of nearly one-quarter of a mile per
 minute1 and that entirely by           
side-pressure on the rail1 which1 if not
 sufficient to cause the engine to leave
 the line1 would be quite sufficient to 

produce violent and dangerous           
oscillation4 ,it may be observed1 in    
conclusion1 that as the cause above     
alluded to will be inoperative while we 
travel along the parallels of latitude1 
it clearly follows1 that a higher degree
 of speed may be attained with safety on
 a railway running east and west than on
 one which runs north and south4 ,there 
is no doubt of the tendency ,mr ,clarke 
speaks of on the right-hand rail1 but we
 do not think it will be found to be so 
dangerous as he says4 ,it will be       
greatest on the ,great ,northern and    
,berwick lines1 and least on the ,great 
,western4'     ,,forest ,,scenery ,,of  
,,america4   ,the forests between ,lake 
,superior and the ,mississippi1 where   
the country is very flat and wet1 are   
composed almost entirely of black       
cypress2 they grow so thick that the    
tops get intermixed and interlaced1 and 
form almost a matting overhead1 through 
which the sun scarcely ever penetrates4 
,the trees are covered with             

unwholesome-looking mosses1 which exhale
 a damp earthy smell1 like a cellar4    
,the ground is so covered with a rank   
growth of elder and other shrubs1 many  
of them with thorns an inch long1 and   
with fallen and decayed trunks of trees1
 that it is impossible to take a step   
without breaking one's shins4 ,not a    
bird or animal of any kind is to be     
seen1 and a deathlike silence reigns    
through the forest1 which is only now   
and then interrupted by the rattle of   
the rattlesnake 7like a clock going     
down71 and the chirrup of the chitnunck1
 or squirrel4 ,the sombre colour of the 
foliage1 the absence of all sun even at 
mid-day1 and the vault-like chilliness  
one feels when entering a cypress swamp1
 is far from cheering2 and ,i don't know
 any position so likely to give one the 
horrors as being lost in one1 or where  
one could so well realise what a        
desolate loneliness is4 ,the wasps1     
whose nests like great gourds hang from 
the trees about the level of one's face2

 the mosquitoes in millions2 the little 
black flies1 and venomous snakes1 all   
add their 'little possible' to render a 
tramp through a cypress swamp           
agreeable4--,sullivan's ,rambles4       
,,the ,,better ,,thought4     ,the      
,better ,thought6 how oft in days       
,when youthful passion fired my breast1 
,and drove me into devious ways1        
,didst thou my wandering steps arrest1  
,and1 whispering gently in mine ear     
,thine angel-message1 fraught with love1
   ,check for the time my mad career1   
,and melt the heart naught else could   
move6    ,thine was no stern and harsh  
rebuke2   ,no 'friend's advice1' so     
true1 so cold2   ,no message wise1 such 
as in book1   ,or by the teacher oft is 
told1   ,which1 like the pointless      
arrow1 falls1   ,and rings perhaps with 
hollow sound1   ,but ne'er the wanderer 
recalls1   ,and ne'er inflicts the      
healing wound4    ,thy voice was gentle1
 winning1 mild2   ,thy words told thou  
wert from above1   ,like those with     

which the wayward child   ,is wooed by a
 fond mother's love2   ,or like a strain
 of music stealing   ,across the calm   
and moonlit seas1   ,which moves the    
heart of sternest feeling1   ,and wakes 
its deeper harmonies4    ,sweet was thy 
presence1 welcomed guest2   ,and ,i1    
responsive to thy call1   ,arose1 and   
felt within my breast   ,a power that   
made the fetters fall   ,from off my    
long enthralld soul1   ,and woke1 as    
with a magic spell1   ,griefs which yet 
owned the soft control   ,of hopes that 
all might still be well4    ,but ah1    
thou wast an injured guest6   ,how soon 
departed1 soon forgot1   ,were all the  
hopes of coming rest   ,that clustered  
round the ,better ,thought--   ,the     
tender griefs1 the firm resolves1   ,the
 yearnings after better days1   ,like   
transient sunlight which dissolves1     
,and leaves no traces of its rays6      
,yet ,i despair not--through the night  
,that long has reigned with tyrant sway1
   ,e'en now ,i see the opening light1  

,the harbinger of coming day2   ,to     
,heaven ,i now direct my prayer--   ,o  
,god of love1 forsake me not6   ,grant  
that my waywardness may ne'er   ,quench 
the returning ,better ,thought6         
,,garvald4                         ,j4  
,f4         99       99       99        
99       99  ,printed and ,published by 
,w4 and ,r4 ,,chambers1 ,high ,street1  
,edinburgh4 ,also sold by ,w4 ,s4 ,,orr1
 ,amen ,corner1 ,london2 ,d4 ,n4        
,,chambers1 #ee ,west ,nile ,street1    
,glasgow2 and ,j4 ,m',,glashan1 #ej     
,upper ,sackville ,street1              
,dublin4--,advertisements for ,monthly  
,parts are requested to be sent to      
,,maxwell  ,,co41 #ca ,nicholas ,lane1  
,lombard ,street1 ,london1 to whom all  
applications respecting their insertion 
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