,,blackwood',s ,,edinburgh ,,magazine4 ,,no4 ,,cccci4 ,,march1 #ahdi4 ,,vol4 ,,lxv4 ,,contents4 ,,scientific ,,and ,,practical ,,agriculture1 #bee ,,the ,,sycamine4 ,,by ,delta1 #bgd ,,after ,a ,,year',s ,,republicanism1 #bge ,,the ,,caxtons4 ,,part ,,xi41 #bhg ,m4 ,,prudhon4--,,contradictions ,,economiques1 #cjd ,,the ,,green ,,hand4--,a ,,short ,,yarn4 ,,part ,,ii41 #cad ,m,,rim,e',s ,,history ,,of ,,peter ,,the ,,cruel1 #ccg ,,the ,,opening ,,of ,,the ,,session1 #ceg ,,edinburgh3 ,,william ,,blackwood ,,and ,,sons1 #de1 ,,george ,,street2 ,,and #cg1 ,,paternoster ,,row1 ,,london4 ,to whom all ,communications 7post paid7 must be addressed4 ,,sold ,,by ,,all ,,the ,,booksellers ,,in ,,the ,,united ,,kingdom4 ,,printed ,,by ,,william ,,blackwood ,,and ,,sons1 ,,edinburgh4 ,,blackwood',s ,,edinburgh ,,magazine4 ,,no4 ,,cccci4 ,,march1 #ahdi4 ,,vol4 ,,lxv4 ,,scientific ,,and ,,practical ,,agriculture4#a ,there are three reasons why the second edition of a good book1 upon an advancing branch of knowledge1 should be better than the first4 ,the author1 however conversant he may have been with the subject when he wrote his book1 is always more thoroughly read in it--supposing him a worthy instructor of the public--his opinions more carefully digested1 and more fully matured1 when a second edition is called for4 ,then he has had time to reconsider1 and1 if necessary1 remodel his plan--adding here1 retrenching there--introducing new subject-matter in one place1 and leaving out1 in another1 topics which he had previously treated of with more or less detail4 ,and1 lastly1 the knowledge itself has advanced4 ,new ideas1 which in the interval have established themselves1 find a necessary place in the new issue2 facts and hypotheses which have been proved unsound drop naturally out of his pages2 and1 on the whole1 the later work exhibits a nearer approach to that truthful summit1 on which the eyes of all the advancers of knowledge are supposed evermore to rest4 ,for all these reasons1 the second edition of the ,book of the ,farm is better than the first4 ,the opinions of the author have been reconsidered and materially improved--especially in reference to scientific points2 the arrangement has been simplified1 and the whole book condensed1 by the exclusion of those descriptions of machinery which properly belong to the department of agricultural mechanics1 and which we believe are about to be published as a separate work2 and the strides which practical agriculture has taken during the last ten years1 and the topics which have chiefly arrested attention1 are considered with the aid of the better lights we now possess4 ,of all the arts of life1 there is none which draws its knowledge from so great a variety of fountains as practical agriculture4 ,every branch of human knowledge is mutually connected--we may say interwoven with--and throws light upon1 or is enlightened by1 every other4 ,but none of those which largely contribute to the maintenance of social life1 and conduce to the power and stability of states1 is so varied in its demands upon the results of intellectual inquiry1 as husbandry1--or rural economy in its largest sense4 ,look at that magnificent ship1 which cleaves the waters1 now trusting to her canvass and wafted by favouring breezes2 now1 despite the fiercest gales1 paddling her triumphant way over hill and valley1 precipice and ravine1 which the raging sea1 out of her fertile materials1 is every moment fashioning beneath her feet4 ,is there any product of human art in which more intellect is embodied than in this piece of living mechanism8 ,the timber can tell of the axe of the woodman on far-distant hills1 and of the toils of many craftsmen in fitting it for its present purpose4 ,the iron of the researches of the mineralogist1 the laborious skill of the miner1 the alchemy of the smelter1 the wonders of the tilt-hammer1 the ingenuity of the mechanist1 and the almost inconceivable and mathematical nicety by which its various portions are fitted to each other1 and1 like the muscles and sinews of the human body1 made to play together for a purpose previously contemplated--an uninstructed man might almost say1 previously agreed upon among themselves4 ,the steam1 of what hidden secrets of nature6--the mysteries of heat1 which could not hide themselves from the searching genius of ,black1--the chemistry of water1 which the ever-pondering mind of ,watt compelled from unwilling nature1--the endless contrivances by which its fierce power was tamed to most submissive obedience in the workshops of ,soho4 ,the compass may for a moment carry us back to the fabled mountains of our infancy1 in which the hidden loadstone attracted the fated vessel to its ruin2 but it brings us forward again to the truer marvels of modern magnetism1 and to the intellect which has been expended in keeping the needle true to the pole-star in the iron boat1 where1 surrounded by metallic influences1 countless attractions are incessantly soliciting it to deviate4 ,and when1 as the mid-day sun mounts to the zenith1 the sextant and the quicksilver appear1 how does it flash upon us that modern navigation is the child of astronomy2 and that the mind embodied in the latest ,rossian telescope is part and parcel of the inappreciable mass of thought to which1 walking the waters as a thing of life1 that huge steam-frigate owes its being6 ,what a concentration of varied knowledge is seen in this single work of art6 ,from how many sources has this knowledge come6--how many diverse pursuits or sciences have yielded their necessary quota to the common stock6--how many varied talents have been put under contribution to contrive its many parts1 and put them fittingly together6 ,but1 to the pursuits of the humble farmer1 more aids still contribute than to those of the dauntless navigator4 ,his patient and quiet life on land is as dependent upon varied knowledge1 draws its instruction from as many sources1 and is more bound up in visible union with all the branches of human science1 than even the active and stirring life of the dweller on the sea4 ,some of our journal writers are accustomed to ridicule the results of agricultural skill2 to undervalue our successful field improvements2 to laugh at ,smithfield ,christmas cattle1 and at the exhibitions of our great annual shows4 ,in thoughtlessness1 often in ignorance1 they write1 and always for a temporary effect1 which our progressing agriculture can well afford to pass by4 ,but we ask our rural reader to turn up the first volume of the ,book of the ,farm1 and to cast his eye for a moment on the triad of beautiful shorthorns represented in the sixth plate2 or on the magnificent stallion of the fourth plate1 or on the graceful sheep of the seventh4 ,we pass over the points in which1 to the educated eye1 their beauty consists2 we dismiss1 for the present1 all consideration of their perfection as well-bred animals1 and their fitness for the special purposes for which they have been reared4 ,we wish him to tell us1 if he can1 how much mind has gone to the breeding1 rearing1 and feeding of these animals--how many varied branches of knowledge have lent their aid to this apparently simple and un-imposing result4 ,the food on which they have been brought up has been gathered from the soil--the grass1 the hay1 the root crops1 the linseed1 the barley1 the oats4 ,and how much intellect1 from the earliest dawn of civilisation1 has been lavished upon the soil6--how many branches of knowledge are at this moment uniting their strength to develop its latent capabilities6 ,geology yields the raw materials upon which1 in after ages1 the toils of the husbandman are expended4 ,she explains what are the variations in the natural quality of these materials2 how such variations have arisen2 where they lead to increased1 and where to diminished fertility2 how and where the still living rocks may contribute to the improvement of the dead earth which has been formed from them2 and how1 in some apparently insecure regions1 the unsleeping volcano showers over the land1 at varying periods1 the elements of an endless fertility4 ,mineralogy lends her aid to unravel the origin1 and nature1 and wants1 and capabilities of the soil2 and1 as the handmaid and willing follower of geology1 dresses and classes the fragments which geology has let fall from her magnificent formations4 ,but chemistry1 especially1 exhausts herself in the cause of the husbandman4 ,no branch of rural art1 as we shall see1 is beyond her province and control4 ,all that the soil originally derives from geologic and mineral materials1 chemistry investigates2 all that these substances naturally become1 all that they ought to yield1 how they may be persuaded to yield it2 by what changes this is to be brought about2 by means of what agencies1 and how applied1 such changes are to be induced3--chemistry busies herself with all this1 and labours in some sense to complete1 for the purposes of rural art1 the information which geology and mineralogy had begun4 ,upon the soil the plant grows4 ,what a wonder and a mystery is the plant6 ,a living1 and growing1 and breathing existence1 that speaks silently to the eye1 and to the sense of touch1 and to the sense of smell--speaks kindly to man1 and soothingly1 and appeals to his reasoning powers--but is mute to the most open and wakeful of all his senses1 and by no verbal speech reveals the secrets with which its full vessels are bursting4 ,how many wise heads have watched1 and tended1 and studied it--the humble plant--interpreting its smallest movements1 the meaning of every change of hue upon its leaves and flowers1 and gathering profoundest wisdom from its fixed and voiceless life6 ,to what new sciences has this study led the way6 ,botany never wearies in gathering and classifying2 and of modern giants1 ,linnus1 and ,jussieu1 and ,decandolle1 and ,brown1 and ,lindley1 and ,hooker1 and ,schleiden1 have given their best years to unfold and perfect it4 ,alongside of descriptive and systematic botany has sprung up the allied branch of ,structural ,physiology1 and the use of the microscope has added to this the younger sister ,histology2 while these two together1 calling in the aid of chemistry1 have built up the further departments of ,chemical ,physiology and ,chemical ,histology--departments too numerous1 too profound in their research1 and too special in their several niceties of observation1 for one head clearly to comprehend and limit them4 ,and on the plant as it grows1 and as a perfect whole1 chemistry expends entire and most gifted intellectual lives4 ,of what the plant consists1 whence it draws its subsistence1 how it takes it in--in what form1 in what quantity1 at what period of the day--how the air feeds it1 how the soil sustains it1 why it grows well here and badly there--what are the nature1 composition1 action1 and special influences of manures--where and when1 and of what kind1 they should be applied to the plant--how this or that effect is to be produced by them1 and this or that defect remedied4 ,but the life of the plant is an unravelled thread4 ,the steam-frigate appears to live1 and thunders as she moves1 breathing fire and smoke4 ,but the still life of the plant awes and subdues more than all this4 ,man may forcibly obstruct the path of the growing twig1 but it turns quietly aside and moves patiently on4 ,the dead iron and wood1 and the forceful steam1 all obey man's will--his intellect overmasters their stubbornness1 and tames them into crouching slaves--but the life of the plant defies him4 ,that life he can extinguish2 but to use the living plant he must obey it1 and study its wants and tendencies4 ,how vastly easier to achieve a boastful triumph over the most stubborn mineral matter1 than to mould to man's will the humblest flower that grows6 ,and each new plant brings with it new conditions of life1 new wants1 new virtues1 new uses1 new whims1 if we may so speak1 to be humoured4 ,the iron1 and the timber1 and the brass are always one and the same to the mechanist2 but with the constitution of each new plant1 and its habits1 a new series of difficulties opens up to the cultivator1 which only time and experience1 and much study1 can overcome4 ,but mechanics also exert much influence upon the culture of the soil1 and the rearing of useful plants4 ,and though the greatest achievements of mechanical skill were not first made on her behalf1 yet even the steam-engine may be said to have become auxiliary to agriculture2 and the thousand ingenious implements which ,northampton and ,york exhibited at their recent anniversaries1 showed in how many quarters1 and to how large an extent1 the purely mechanical and constructive arts are expending their strength in promoting her cause4 ,on meteorology1 which studies the arial meteors--registers1 tabulates1 and gives even a local habitation and a form to winds1 hurricanes1 and typhoons--the progress of the navigator much depends4 ,they hinder or hasten his progress2 but he overcomes them at last4 ,but atmospheric changes are vital things to the plant and to the soil4 ,where no rain falls1 the plant withers and dies4 ,if too much falls1 it becomes sickly1 and fails to yield a profitable crop4 ,if it falls too frequently1 though not in too large quantity on the whole1 one plant luxuriates and rejoices in the genial season1 while another with difficulty produces a half return4 ,if it falls at unseasonable times1 the seed is denied admission into the ground in spring1 or the harvest refuses to ripen in the autumn4 ,so the warmth and the sunshine1 and the evening dews and the fogs1 and the electric condition of the air--its transparency and its varying weight--and prevailing winds and hoar-frosts1 and blights and hail-storms1 and the influence of the heavenly bodies on all these conditions--with all these things the interests of the plant and the soil demand that scientific agriculture should occupy herself4 ,on every single branch of knowledge to which we have alluded1 the power and skill profitably to influence the plant are dependent4 ,and for what purpose does the plant spring up1 the soil feed and nourish it1 and the blessed sun mature its seeds8 ,to adorn1 no doubt1 the surface of the beautiful earth1 and to keep alive and propagate its species2 but principally to nourish the animal races which supply food and yield their service to man4 ,and1 upon the study of this nurture and feeding of the animal races1 how much intellect has been expended6 ,has the stoker who heaps coals upon the engine fire1 and turns one tap occasionally to maintain the water-level in the boiler1 or another to give passage to the steam--and thus keeps the pile-driver1 or the coal-drawer1 or the tin mine1 or the locomotive1 or the steam-boat1 or the colossal pumps of the ,haarlem lake1 in easy and continuous operation--has he1 or has the man who curiously watches his operations--have either of them any idea of the long days of intellectual toil--of the sleepless nights1 during which invention was on the rack--of the mental dejection and throes of suffering1 under which new thoughts were born--of the lives of martyred devotion which have been sacrificed1 while1 or in order that the machine1 which is so obediently simple and easily managed1 was or might be brought to its present perfection8 ,yet all this has been1 and has been suffered by men now gone1 though the ignorance of the humble workman1 little more thoughtful than the iron he works with1 fails either to feel or to understand it4 ,and so too often it is with you who feed1 and with you who look at the simple process of feeding stock4 ,as the turnip and the barley1 and the oats and the linseed1 and the beans1 are placed before the almost perfect short-horn1 or the graceful ,ayrshire1 or the untamed ,west ,highlander1 or the stately stallion1 or the well-bred ,leicester or ,cheviot ram1 or the cushioned and padded ,berkshire porker--how little do you know or think of the science1 and long skill1 and intellectual labour1 which have been expended in preparing what is to you so simple6 ,it is not without and beyond the ranks of the agricultural community only that we need look for those who lessen the intellectual character of rural industry1 and of the rural life4 ,too many of our practical men1 even of high pretensions1 are themselves only the stokers of the agricultural machine2 and1 like ungrateful and degenerate children1 in their ignorance deny the head of the mother that bred and fed them4#b ,what are the functions of the animals you rear--what the composition of their several parts--what the nature of the food they require--what the purposes it serves--what the proportions in which this or that kind of food ought to be given--what the changes1 in the kind and proportion1 to adapt it to the special habits and constitution of the animal1 and the purposes for which it is fed8 ,are these questions deep8 ,yet they have all been thought over and long considered1 and discussed and disputed about1 and volumes have been written upon them2 and the chemist1 and the physiologist1 and the anatomist have1 unknown to you1 all laboured zealously and without wearying1 in your service4 ,and what you now find so simple only proves how much their sciences have done for you4 ,they have fitted the machinery together1 you but throw in the fuel and keep up the steam4 ,with the rearing of stock1 and the improving of breeds1 practical men are1 or fancy themselves1 all more or less conversant4 ,how much warm and persevering genius1 guided by purely scientific principles1 has been expended upon our improved shorthorns and ,leicesters6 ,are the whole lives of a ,collins1 or a ,bakewell1 or a ,bates1 nothing to have been devoted to pursuits like this8 ,that these were practical men1 and not scientific1 and that what they have done is not a debt due by agriculture to science1 is the saying of many4 ,men who have never read a book can do1 by imitation1 what the patient services and skill of other men discovered1 and perfected1 and simplified4 ,but in this they are only stokers4 ,the improvers were sound and cautious experimental physiologists1 guided by the most fixed and certain principles of animal physiology2 and it is the results at which these men arrived that have become the household words of the stokers of our day1 who call them practice in opposition to science4 ,if science could forget her high duties to the ,deity1 and to the human race1 she might leave you and your art to your own devices4 ,need we allude to the conditions of animal life--in a state of health1 and in a state of disease2 to the varied constitutions of different races and varieties2 to the several adaptations of food1 warmth1 and shelter which these demand2 and to the extensive course of study which is now required to furnish the necessary resources to the accomplished veterinary surgeon8 ,yet would any breeder be safe for a moment to invest his money in stock1 in a country and climate like ours1 had he not1 either in books1 or in his own head1 or in that of a neighbouring veterinarian1 the results at which the long study of these branches of knowledge1 in connexion with animal health1 had discovered and established8 ,we pursue this topic no further at present4 ,we fearlessly assert--we believe that we have shown--that as much intellect has been scientifically expended in elucidating and perfecting the various operations of rural life1 by which those magnificent cattle have been produced by art1 as has gone to the elaboration of that wonderful wave-subduing ship4 ,the vulgar mind1 awed by bulk and sound1 and visible emblems of thought1 may dissent--may say that we have not so much to show for it4 ,but the laws of life are sought for and studied--they are not made by science4 ,the ,deity has forbidden human skill to develop a sheep into an elephant4 ,living materials1 as we have said1 are not plastic like wood and iron2 and to change the constitution and character of a breed of animals may require as great and as long-continued an exercise of inventive thought as to perfect an imposing piece of machinery4 ,the real worth of a scientific result is the amount of mind expended in arriving at it1 as the real height of an animal in the scale of organisation is measured by the proportionate size of its brain4 ,but we have our more palpable and sense-satisfying triumphs too4 ,look at that wide valley1 with its snow-clad summits at a distance on either hand1 and its glassy river flowing1 cribbed and confined1 in the lowest bottom4 ,smiling fields1 and well-trimmed hedge-rows1 and sheltering plantations1 and comfortable dwellings1 and a busy population1 and abundant cattle1 cover its undulating slopes4 ,for miles industrious plenty spreads over a country which the river formerly usurped1 and the lake covered1 and the rush tufted over1 and bog and mossy heath and perennial fogs and drizzling rains rendered inhospitable and chill4 ,but mechanics has chained the river1 and drained the lakes1 and bogs1 and clayey bottoms2 and giving thus scope to the application of all the varied practical rules to which science has led1 the natural climate has been subdued1 disease extirpated1 and rich and fertile and happy homes scattered over the ancient waste4 ,turn to another country1 and a river flows deeply through an arid and desolate plain4 ,mechanics lifts its waters from their depths1 and from a thousand artificial channels directs them over the parched surface4 ,it is as if an enchanter's wand had been stretched over it--the green herbage and the waving corn1 companied by all the industries of rural life1 spring up as they advance4 ,another country1 and a green oasis presents itself1 busy with life1 in the midst of a desert and sandy plain4 ,do natural springs here gush up1 as in the ancient oasis of the ,libyan wilderness8 ,it is another of the triumphs of human industry1 guided by human thought4 ,geology1 and her sister sciences1 are here the pioneers of rural life and fixed habitations4 ,the seat of hidden waters at vast depths was discovered by her4 ,under her directions mechanics has bored to their sources1 and their gushing abundance now spreads fertility around4 ,such are more sensible and larger triumphs of progressing rural economy--such as man may well boast of1 not only in themselves1 but in their consequences2 and they may take their place with the gigantic vessel of war1 as magnificent results of intellectual effort4 ,but it is after these first ruder though more imposing conquests over nature have been made1 that the demand for mind1 for applied science1 becomes more frequent1 and the results of its application less perceptible4 ,and it is because1 in ordinary husbandry1 we have not always before us the striking illustrations which arrest the vulgar eye1 that prevailing ignorance persists in denying its obligations to scientific research4 ,the waters which descend from a chain of hills become a striking feature in the geography of a country1 when they happen to unite together into a large and magnificent river3 they escape unseen and unnoticed if1 keeping apart1 they flow in countless tiny streamlets to the sea4 ,yet1 thus disunited1 they may carry fertility over a whole region1 like the ,nile when it overflows its banks1 or as the river of ,damascus straying among its many gardens2 while the waters of the great river may only refresh and fertilise its own narrow margins1 as the ,murray and the ,darling do in ,south ,australia1 or the deep-bedded rivers of ,southern ,africa4 ,thus much we have devoted to the introductory portion of the ,book of the ,farm4 ,those of our readers who wish to follow up farther these scientific views may study ,johnston's ,lectures1 and ,elements1 of ,agricultural ,chemistry and ,geology3 and by the way we would commend1 for applied science1 these works of ,johnston's1 and for practical knowledge1 the book of ,stephens1 to the special attention of our emigrating fellow-countrymen1 of whom so many in their foreign homes are likely to regret the overflowing sources of information on every conceivable topic with which their home literature and home neighbours supplied them4 ,let us now take a look at the body of ,mr ,stephens' work4 ,these are the days of pictorial embellishment--of speaking directly1 and plainly1 and palpably to the eye4 ,we have accidentally opened the book at the #bagth page4 ,what letterpress description could--so briefly we do not say1 for that is out of the question--but so graphically and fully1 explain the practice of eating off turnips with sheep1 and all its appliances of hurdles and nets1 and turnip shears1 and feeding troughs1 and hay racks1 as the single woodcut which this page exhibits8 ,and so the practice of bratting and of stelling sheep is illustrated1 and all the forms and fashions of stells in high and low countries 7pp4 #bca to #bcf27 the pulling1 dressing1 and storing of turnips1 7#aij to #aie27 the various modes of ploughing1 with their ups and downs1 and turnings1 and crossings1 and gatherings1 and feerings1 and gore furrows1 and mould furrows1 and broad furrows1 and cross furrows1 and samcastings1 and gaws1 and ribs1 and rafters1 and slices1 and crowns1 and centres1 and a host of other operations and things familiar to the farmer1 but the very names and designations of which are ,greek to the common ,english reader4 ,all these the woodcuts explain beautifully and familiarly to the uninitiated readers1 and most usefully to the incipient farmer4 ,how is the rural economy of ,great ,britain and ,ireland1 in its best forms1 stored up1 not only for modern and immediate use1 but for the understanding of future ages1 by these illustrations6 ,we would specify1 in addition to those already referred to1 the steam-boiling apparatus in page #cbj2 and the taking down of a stack of corn in page #dja2 and the feeding of the threshing machine in page #djf2 and the hand-sowing of corn in page #eec2 and the pickling of wheat1 7chaulage of our ,gallic neighbours17 page #ecf2 and the measuring of the grain in the barn1 c41 page #dai2 and the full sacks1 as they should be1 in the barn1 in page #dbc4 ,to the foreigner1 how do these pictures speak of ,english customs1 costumes1 and usages2 to our ,trans-atlantic brethren1 of the source of those modes and manners which have at once placed them on an elevation in agricultural art1 to which #hjj years of intellectual struggle had barely sufficed to lift up their fathers and cousins at home2 and to the still ,british colonial emigrant the precise practices1 and latest rural improvements1 which it will be his interest1 at once1 and his pride1 to introduce into his adopted land6 ,how would the ,scriptores ,rei ,rustic have gained in usefulness in their own time1 how immensely in interest in ours1 had they been accompanied by such illustrations as these6 ,the clearness of ,columella would have been made more transparent1 the obscurity of ,palladius lessened2 and ,cato and ,varro would have preserved to us the actual living forms1 and costumes1 and instruments of the ancient ,etruscan times1 more clearly than the painted tombs are now revealing to the antiquarian the fashions of their feasts1 and games1 and funereal rites4 ,we have before us the singularly1 richly1 and extravagantly1 yet graphically and most instructively illustrated book of ,georgius ,agricola1 ,de ,re ,metallica 7,basil1 #afba47 ,the woodcuts of the ,book of the ,farm have induced us to turn it up1 and it is with ever new admiration that we turn over its old leaves4 ,it has to us the interest of a child's picture-book2 and though1 as a chef-d'oeuvre of illustrative art1 the three hundred woodcuts of ,stephens do not approach the book of ,agricola1 yet what a treasure would the work of ,ausonius ,popma on the rural implements of the ancients--their instrumenta in its widest sense--have been to us1 could it have been illustrated when he wrote 7#afij7 in the style of ,agricola1 and with the minuteness and fulness of ,stephens6 ,the same desire to render minutely intelligible the whole subject treated of1 which these woodcuts show1 is manifested in the more solid letterpress of the book4 ,it was said of ,columella1 by ,matthew ,gessner1 that he discoursed non ut argumentum simplex quod discere amat1 dicendo obscuret1 sed ut clarissim luce perfundat omnia4 ,such1 the reader feels1 must have been the aim of the author of this book4 ,in his descriptions1 nothing appears to be omitted2 nothing is too minute to be passed over4 ,his book exposes not merely the every-day life1 but the very inmost life--the habits1 and usages1 and instruments of the most humble as well as the most important of the operations of the domestic1 equally with the field economy of rural life4 ,we do not know if its effects upon our town population will ever be such as ,beza ascribes to that of ,columella-- ,tu vero1 ,juni1 silvestria rura canendo1 ,post te ipsas urbes in tua rura trahis2 but certainly1 with a few more woodcuts1 it would1 in minute and graphic illustration1 by prints and letterpress be a most worthy companion to the work of ,agricola4 ,the plan of the book is to give a history of the agricultural year1 after the manner of the ,roman ,palladius and our own old ,tucker2 and the present volume embraces the operations of the skilful farmer in every kind of husbandry during the winter and spring4 ,but1 before we come to the heart of the book1 hear what ,mr ,stephens says about the agricultural learning of our landed gentry3-- ,even though he devote himself to the profession of arms or the law1 and thereby confer distinction on himself1 if he prefer either to the neglect of agriculture he is rendering himself unfit to undertake the duties of a landlord4 ,to become a soldier or a lawyer1 he willingly undergoes initiatory drillings and examinations2 but to acquire the duties of a landlord before he becomes one1 he considers it quite unnecessary to undergo initiatory tuition4 ,these1 he conceives1 can be learned at any time1 and seems to forget that the conducting of a landed estate is a profession1 as difficult of thorough attainment as ordinary soldiership or legal lore4 ,the army is an excellent school for confirming1 in the young1 principles of honour and habits of discipline2 and the bar for giving a clear insight into the principles upon which the rights of property are based1 and of the relation betwixt landlord and tenant2 but a knowledge of practical agriculture is a weightier matter than either for a landlord1 and should not be neglected4 ,one evil arising from studying those exciting professions before agriculture is1 that1 however short may have been the time in acquiring them1 it is sufficiently long to create a distaste to learn agriculture afterwards practically--for such a task can only be undertaken1 after the turn of life1 by enthusiastic minds4 ,but as farming is necessarily the profession of the landowner1 it should be learned1 theoretically and practically1 before his education is finished4 ,if he so incline1 he can afterwards enter the army or go to the bar1 and the exercise of those professions will not efface the knowledge of agriculture previously acquired4 ,this is the proper course1 in my opinion1 for every young man destined to become a landowner to pursue1 and who is desirous of finding employment as long as he has not to exercise the functions of a landlord4 ,were this course invariably pursued1 the numerous engaging ties of a country life would tend in many to extinguish the kindling desire for any other profession4 ,such a result would be most advantageous for the country2 for only consider the effects of the course pursued at present by landowners4 ,it strikes every one as an incongruity for a country gentleman to be unacquainted with country affairs4 ,is it not strange that he should require inducements to learn his hereditary profession1--to become familiar with the only business which can enable him to enhance the value of his estate1 and increase his income8 ,does it not infer infatuation to neglect becoming well acquainted with the condition of his tenants1 by whose exertions his income is raised1 and by which knowledge he might confer happiness on many families1 and in ignorance of which he may entail lasting misery on many more8 ,it is in this way too many country gentlemen neglect their moral obligations4 ,it is a manifest inconvenience to country gentlemen1 when taking a prominent part in county matters without a competent knowledge of agriculture1 to be obliged to apologise for not having sufficiently attended to agricultural affairs4 ,such an avowal is certainly candid1 but is anything but creditable to those who have to make it4 ,when elected members of the legislature1 it is deplorable to find so many of them so little acquainted with the questions which bear directly or indirectly on agriculture4 ,on these accounts1 the tenantry are left to fight their own battles on public questions4 ,were landowners practically acquainted with agriculture1 such painful avowals would be unnecessary1 and a familiar acquaintance with agriculture would enable the man of cultivated mind at once to perceive its practical bearing on most public questions4 ,and what he says respectively of the ignorant and skilful factor or agent is quite as deserving of attention4 ,not merely whole estates1 but in some parts of the island1 whole counties lag in arrear through the defective education and knowledge of the agents as a class3-- ,a still greater evil1 because less personal1 arises on consigning the management of valuable estates to the care of men as little acquainted as the landowners themselves with practical agriculture4 ,a factor or agent1 in that condition1 always affects much zeal for the interest of his employer4 ,fired by it1 and possessing no knowledge to form a sound judgment1 he soon discovers something he considers wrong among the poorer tenants4 ,some rent perhaps is in arrear--the strict terms of the lease have been deviated from--the condition of the tenant seems declining4 ,these are favourable symptoms for a successful contention with him4 ,instead of interpreting the terms of the lease in a generous spirit1 the factor hints that the rent would be better secured through another tenant4 ,explanation of circumstances affecting the actual condition of the farm1 over which he has1 perhaps1 no control1--the inapplicability1 perhaps1 of peculiar covenants in the lease to the particular circumstances of the farm--the lease having perhaps been drawn up by a person ignorant of agriculture1--are excuses unavailingly offered to a factor confessedly unacquainted with country affairs1 and the result ensues in disputes betwixt him and the tenant4 ,to explanations1 the landlord is unwilling to listen1 in order to preserve intact the authority of the factor2 or1 what is still worse1 is unable to interfere1 because of his own inability to judge of the actual state of the case betwixt himself and the tenant1 and1 of course1 the disputes are left to be settled by the originator of them4 ,thus commence actions at law1--criminations and recriminations1--much alienation of feeling2 and at length a proposal for the settlement of matters1 at first perhaps unimportant1 by the arbitration of practical men4 ,the tenant is glad to submit to an arbitration to save his money2 and in all such disputes1 being the weaker party1 he suffers most in purse and character4 ,the landlord1 who ought to have been the protector1 is thus converted into the unconscious oppressor of his tenant4 ,a factor acquainted with practical agriculture would conduct himself very differently in the same circumstances4 ,he would endeavour to prevent legitimate differences of opinion on points of management from terminating in disputes1 by skilful investigation and well-timed compromise4 ,he would study to uphold the honour of both landlord and tenant4 ,he would at once see whether the terms of the lease were strictly applicable to the circumstances of the farm1 and1 judging accordingly1 would check improper deviations from proper covenants1 whilst he would make allowances for inappropriate ones4 ,he would soon discover whether the condition of the tenant was caused more by his own mismanagement than by the nature of the farm he occupies1 and he would conform his conduct towards him accordingly--encouraging industry and skill1 admonishing indolence1 and amending the objectionable circumstances of the farm4 ,such a factor is always highly respected1 and his opinion and judgment are entirely confided in by the tenantry4 ,mutual kindliness of intercourse1 therefore1 always subsists betwixt such factors and the tenants4 ,no landlord1 whether acquainted or unacquainted with farming1 especially in the latter case1 should confide the management of his estate to any person less qualified4 ,these extracts are long1 but we feel we are rendering the public a service by placing them where they are likely to be widely read4 ,we have mentioned above that the ,book of the ,farm is full of that kind of clear home knowledge of rural life which the emigrant in foreign climes at all resembling our own will delight to read and profit by2 but it will not supply the place of previous agricultural training4 ,there is much truth and sound practical advice in the following observations3-- ,let every intending settler1 therefore1 learn agriculture thoroughly before he emigrates2 and1 if it suits his taste1 time1 and arrangements1 let him study in the colony the necessarily imperfect system pursued by the settlers1 before he embarks in it himself2 and the fuller knowledge acquired here will enable him1 not only to understand the colonial scheme in a short time1 but to select the part of the country best suited to his purpose4 ,but1 in truth1 he has much higher motives for learning agriculture here2 for a thorough acquaintance will enable him to make the best use of inadequate means--to know to apply cheap animal instead of dear manual labour1--to suit the crop to the soil1 and the labour to the weather2--to construct appropriate dwellings for himself and family1 live stock1 and provisions2 to superintend every kind of work1 and to show a familiar acquaintance with them all4 ,these are qualifications which every emigrant may acquire here1 but not in the colonies without a large sacrifice of time--and time to a settler thus spent is equal to a sacrifice of capital1 whilst eminent qualifications are equivalent to capital itself4 ,this statement may be stigmatised by agricultural settlers who may have succeeded in amassing fortunes without more knowledge of agriculture than what was picked up by degrees on the spot2 but such persons are incompetent judges of a statement like this1 never having become properly acquainted with agriculture2 and however successful their exertions may have proved1 they might have realised larger incomes in the time1 or as large in a shorter time1 had they brought an intimate acquaintance of the most perfect system of husbandry known1 to bear upon the favourable circumstances they occupied4 ,the early winter is spent in ploughing1 which we pass over1 and mid-winter chiefly in feeding stock1 in threshing out the corn1 and in attending to composts and dunghills4 ,preparing and sowing the seed is the most important business of the spring months1 to which succeeds the tending of the lambs and ewes1 and the preparation of the land for the fallow or root crops4 ,these several operations are treated of in their most minute details1 and the latest methods adopted in reference to every point are fully explained4 ,in the husbandry of the most advanced portions of our island1 the turnip occupies a most important place in the estimation of the skilful farmer1 whether his dependence for the means of paying his rent be placed upon the profits of his corn crops or of his cattle4 ,of the turnip we have now many varieties--though it is only seventy or eighty years since it was first introduced into field culture--at least in those districts of the island in which its importance is most fully recognised4 ,the history of its introduction into ,scotland is thus given by ,mr ,stephens-- ,the history of the turnip1 like that of other cultivated plants1 is obscure4 ,according to the name given to the swede in this country1 it is a native of ,sweden2 the ,italian name ,navoni di ,laponia intimates an origin in ,lapland1 and the ,french names ,chou de ,lapone1 ,chou de ,sude1 indicate an uncertain origin4 ,sir ,john ,sinclair says1 ',i am informed that the swedes were first introduced into ,scotland anno #agha-b1 on the recommendation of ,mr ,knox1 a native of ,east ,lothian1 who had settled at ,gottenburg1 whence he sent some of the seeds to ,dr ,hamilton4' ,there is no doubt the plant was first introduced into ,scotland from ,sweden1 but ,i believe its introduction was prior to the date mentioned by ,sir ,john ,sinclair4 ,the late ,mr ,airth1 ,mains of ,dunn1 ,forfarshire1 informed me that his father was the first farmer who cultivated swedes in ,scotland1 from seeds sent him by his eldest son1 settled in ,gottenburg1 when my informant1 the youngest son of a large family1 was a boy of about ten years of age4 ,whatever may be the date of its introduction1 ,mr ,airth cultivated them in #aggg2 and the date is corroborated by the silence preserved by ,mr ,wight regarding its culture by ,mr ,airth's father when he undertook the survey of the state of husbandry in ,scotland1 in #aggc1 at the request of the ,commissioners of the ,annexed ,estates1 and he would not have failed to report so remarkable a circumstance as the culture of so useful a plant1 so that it was unknown prior to #aggc4 ,mr ,airth sowed the first portion of seed he received in beds in the garden1 and transplanted the plants in rows in the field1 and succeeded in raising good crops for some years1 before sowing the seed directly in the fields4 ,the weight of a good turnip crop--not of an extraordinary crop1 which some persons can succeed in raising1 and the accounts of which others only refuse to credit--is a point of much importance2 and it is so1 not merely to the farmer who possesses it1 but to the rural community at large4 ,the conviction that a certain given weight is a fair average crop in well-farmed land1 where it does not exceed his own1 will be satisfactory to the industrious farmer2 while it will serve as a stimulus to those whose soil1 or whose skill1 have hitherto been unable to raise so large a weight4 ,according to our author-- ,a good crop of swede turnips weighs from #cj to #ce tons per imperial acre4 ,a good crop of yellow turnips weighs from #cj to #cb tons per imperial acre4 ,a good crop of white globe turnips weighs from #cj to #dj tons per imperial acre4 ,of all kinds of turnips1 therefore1 from #cj to #dj tons per imperial acre are a good crop4 ,the readers of agricultural journals must have observed that1 of late years1 the results of numerous series of experiments have been published4 ,among those that have been made upon turnips1 he will have noticed also that the crop1 in about nine cases out of ten1 is under twenty tons2 that these crops vary1 for the most part1 between nine and sixteen tons2 and that some farmers are not ashamed to publish to the world1 that they are content with crops of from seven to ten tons of turnips an acre4 ,where is our skill in the management of turnip soils1 if1 in the average of years1 such culture and crops satisfy any considerable number of our more intelligent tenantry8 ,we know that soil1 and season1 and locality1 and numerous accidents1 affect the produce of this crop2 but the margin between the actual and the possible is far too wide to be accounted for in this way4 ,more skill1 more energy1 more expenditure in draining1 liming1 and manuring--a wider diffusion of our practical and scientific agricultural literature--these are the means by which the wide margin is to be narrowed2 by which what is in the land is to be brought out of the land1 and thereby the farmer made more comfortable1 and the landlord more rich4 ,the subject of sheep and cattle feeding is very important1 and very interesting1 and our book is rich in materials which would provoke us to discuss it at some length1 did our limits admit of it4 ,we must be content1 however1 with a few desultory extracts4 ,the following1 in regard to sheep feeding upon turnips1 is curious1 and1 in our opinion1 requires repetition3-- ,a curious and unexpected result was brought to light by ,mr ,pawlett1 and is thus related in his own words1--',being aware that it was the custom of some sheep-breeders to wash the food1--such as turnips1 carrots1 and other roots1--for their sheep1 ,i was induced also to try the system2 and as ,i usually act cautiously in adopting any new scheme1 generally bringing it down to the true standard of experience1 ,i selected for the trial two lots of lambs4 ,one lot was fed1 in the usual manner1 on carrots and swedes unwashed2 the other lot was fed exactly on the same kinds of food1 but the carrots and swedes were washed very clean every day3 they were weighed before trial1 on the #b;d ,december1 and again on the #cjth ,december1 #ahce4 ,the lambs fed with the unwashed food gained each #g-a_/b lb41 and those on the washed gained #d-c_/d lb4 each2 which shows that those lambs which were fed in the usual way1 without having their food washed1 gained the most weight in a month by #b-c_/d lb4 each lamb4 ,there appears to me no advantage in this method of management--indeed animals are fond of licking the earth1 particularly if fresh turned up2 and a little of it taken into the stomach with the food must be conducive to their health1 or nature would not lead them to take it4' ,another experiment on the fattening properties of different breeds of sheep1 under similar treatment1 quoted from the ,journal of the ,royal ,agricultural ,society of ,england1 is also deserving the attention of our readers3-- ,experiments were made in #ahdd-e on the ,earl of ,radnor's farm at ,coleshill1 on the comparative fattening properties of different breeds of sheep under the same treatment4 ,the sheep consisted of ,leicesters1 ,south-downs1 half-breds1--a cross between the ,cotswold and ,south-down--and ,cotswolds4 ,the sheep1 being then lambs1 were divided into lots of three each of each breed1 and were grazed four months1 from #bith ,august #ahdd to #dth ,january #ahde1 when they were put on hay and swedes for three months1 from #dth ,january to the #cast of ,march following4 ,while on grass1 the different breeds gained in weight as follows3-- lb4 lb4 ,the ,leicesters being #df each1 gained #aj-a_/b each4 ,south-downs #dg #aa ,half-breds #dd-a_/b #ab ,cotswolds #ef-a_/b #aj-a_/b ,it is one of the most delicate qualifications connected with the stock-feeder's art to be able to select that stock1 and that variety of it1 which1 under all the circumstances in which he is placed1 will give him the largest return in money--hence every experiment like the above1 if well conducted1 is deserving of his close attention4 ,at the same time1 in rural experiments1 more almost than in any other1 the number of elements which interfere with the result1 and may modify it1 is so great1 that too much confidence ought not to be placed upon single trials4 ,repeated results of one kind must be obtained1 before a farmer can be justified in spending much money on the faith of them4 ,in turning to the winter feeding of cattle upon turnips and other food--a subject important enough to justify ,mr ,stephens in devoting forty of his closely printed pages to it--we are reminded of a character of this book which we like very much1 which squares admirably with our own idea of neatness1 order1 and method1 and which we heartily commend to the attention of our farming friends3 this is the full and minute description he gives of the duties of every class of servants upon the farm1 of the necessity of having these duties regularly and methodically performed1 and of the way in which the master may bring this about4 ,the cattle-man is an important person in the winter feeding of cattle2 he therefore commences this section with an account of the duties and conduct of this man4 ,even his dress he describes2 and the following paragraph shows his reason for drawing the young farmer's attention to it3-- ,the dress of a cattle-man is worth attending to1 as regards its appropriateness for his business4 ,having so much straw to carry on his back1 a bonnet or round-crowned hat is the most convenient head-dress for him2 but what is of more importance when he has charge of a bull1 is to have his clothes of a sober hue1 free of gaudy or strongly-contrasted colours1 especially red1 as that colour is peculiarly offensive to bulls4 ,it is with red cloth and flags that the bulls in ,spain are irritated to action at their celebrated bull-fights4 ,instances are in my remembrance of bulls turning upon their keepers1 not because they were habited in red1 but from some strongly contrasted bright colours4 ,it was stated that the keeper of the celebrated bull ,sirius1 belonging to the late ,mr ,robertson of ,ladykirk1 wore a red nightcap on the day the bull attacked and killed him4 ,on walking with a lady across a field1 my own bull--the one represented in the plate of the ,short-horn ,bull1 than which a more gentle and generous creature of his kind never existed--made towards us in an excited state2 and for his excitement ,i could ascribe no other cause than the red shawl worn by the lady1 for as soon as we left the field he resumed his wonted quietness4 ,i observed him excited1 on another occasion1 in his hammel1 when the cattle-man--an aged man1 who had taken charge of him for years--attended him one ,sunday forenoon in a new red nightcap1 instead of his usual black hat4 ,be the cause of the disquietude in the animal what it may1 it is prudential in a cattle-man to be habited in a sober suit of clothes4 ,then1 after insisting upon regularity of time in everything he does1 following the man through a whole day's work1 describing all his operations1 and giving figures of all his tools1--his graip1 his shovel1 his different turnip choppers1 his turnip-slicer1 his wheel-barrow1 his chaff-cutters1 his linseed bruisers1 and his corn-crushers1--he gives us the following illustration of the necessity of regularity and method1 and of the way to secure them3-- ,in thus minutely detailing the duties of the cattle-man1 my object has been to show you rather how the turnips and fodder should be distributed relatively than absolutely2 but whatever hour and minute the cattle-man finds1 from experience1 he can devote to each portion of his work1 you should see that he performs the same operation at the same time every day4 ,by paying strict attention to time1 the cattle will be ready for and expect their wonted meals at the appointed times1 and will not complain until they arrive4 ,complaints from his stock should be distressing to every farmer's ears1 for he may be assured they will not complain until they feel hunger2 and if allowed to hunger they will not only lose condition1 but render themselves1 by discontent1 less capable of acquiring it when the food happens to be fully given4 ,wherever you hear lowings from cattle1 you may safely conclude that matters are conducted there in an irregular manner4 ,the cattle-man's rule is a simple one1 and easily remembered1--,give food and fodder to cattle at fixed times1 and dispense them in a fixed routine4 ,i had a striking instance of the bad effects of irregular attention to cattle4 ,an old staid labourer was appointed to take charge of cattle1 and was quite able and willing to undertake the task4 ,he got his own way at first1 as ,i had observed many labouring men display great ingenuity in arranging their work4 ,lowings were soon heard from the stock in all quarters1 both in and out of doors1 which intimated the want of regularity in the cattle-man2 whilst the poor creature himself was constantly in a state of bustle and uneasiness4 ,to put an end to this disorderly state of things1 ,i apportioned his entire day's work by his own watch2 and on implicitly following the plan1 he not only soon satisfied the wants of every animal committed to his charge1 but had abundant leisure to lend a hand to anything that required his temporary assistance4 ,his old heart overflowed with gratitude when he found the way of making all his creatures happy2 and his kindness to them was so undeviating1 they would have done whatever he liked4 ,and the money profit which this attention to regularity will give1 in addition to the satisfaction which attends it1 is thus plainly set down3-- ,let us reduce the results of bad management to figures4 ,suppose you have three sets of beasts1 of different ages1 each containing #bj beasts--that is1 #fj in all--and they get as many turnips as they can eat4 ,suppose that each of these beasts acquires only half a pound less live weight every day than they would under the most proper management1 and this would incur a loss of #cj lbs4 a-day of live weight1 which1 over #ahj days of the fattening season1 will make the loss amount to #edjj lbs4 of live weight2 or1 according to the common rules of computation1 #cbdj lbs41 or #bca stones1 of dead weight at #fs4 the stone1 #fi1 #fs4--a sum equal to more than five times the wages received by the cattle-man4 ,the question1 then1 resolves itself into this--whether it is not for your interest to save this sum annually1 by making your cattle-man attend your cattle according to a regular plan1 the form of which is in your own power to adopt and pursue8 ,we must pass over the entire doctrine of prepared food1 which has lately occupied so much attention1 and has been so ably advocated by ,mr ,warner1 ,mr ,marshall1 ,mr ,thompson1 and which1 among others1 has been so successfully practised by our friend ,mr ,hutton of ,sowber ,hill in ,yorkshire4 ,we only quote1 by the way1 a curious observation of ,mr ,robert ,stephenson of ,whitelaw in ,east-,lothian3 ',we shall conclude1' he says1 'by relating a singular fact'--and a remarkable one it is1 and worth remembering--'that sheep on turnips will consume nearly in proportion to cattle1 weight for weight2 that is1 #aj sheep of #ad lbs4 a-quarter1 or #dj stones in all1 will eat nearly the same quantity of turnips as an ox of #dj stones2 but turn the ox to grass1 and #f sheep will be found to consume an equal quantity4 ,this great difference may perhaps1' says ,mr ,stephenson1 and ,i think truly1 'be accounted for by the practice of sheep cropping the grass much closer and oftener than cattle1 and which1 of course1 prevents its growing so rapidly with them as with cattle4' ,the treatment of farm horses in winter is under the direction of the ploughman1 whose duties are first described1 after which the system of management and feeding of farm and saddle horses is discussed at a length of thirty pages4 ,among other pieces of curious information which our author gives us is the nomenclature of the animals he treats of1 at their various ages4 ,this forms a much larger vocabulary than most people imagine1 and comprises many words of which four-fifths of our population would be unable to tell the meaning4 ,thus1 of the sheep he informs us-- ,a new-born sheep is called a lamb1 and retains the name until weaned from its mother and able to support itself4 ,the generic name is altered according to the sex and state of the animal2 when a female it is a ewe-lamb1 when a male tup-lamb1 and this last is changed to hogg-lamb when it undergoes emasculation4 ,after a lamb has been weaned1 until the first fleece is shorn from its back1 it receives the name of hogg1 which is also modified according to the sex and state of the animal1 a female being a ewe-hogg1 a male a tup-hogg1 and a castrated male a wether-hogg4 ,after the first fleece has been shorn1 another change is made in the nomenclature2 the ewe-hogg then becomes a gimmer1 the tup-hogg a shearling-tup1 and the wether-hog a dinmont1 and these names are retained until the fleece is shorn a second time4 ,after the second shearing another change is effected in all these names2 the gimmer is then a ewe if she is in lamb1 but if not1 a barren gimmer and if never put to the ram a eild gimmer4 ,the shearling tup is then a #b-shear tup1 and the dinmont is a wether1 but more correctly a #b-shear wether4 ,a ewe three times shorn is a twinter ewe1 7two-winter ewe27 a tup is a #c-shear tup2 and a wether still a wether1 or more correctly a #c-shear wether--which is an uncommon name among ,leicester sheep1 as the castrated sheep of that breed are rarely kept to that age4 ,a ewe four times shorn is a three winter ewe1 or aged ewe2 a tup1 an aged tup1 a name he retains ever after1 whatever his age1 but they are seldom kept beyond this age2 and the wether is now a wether properly so called4 ,a tup and ram are synonymous terms4 ,a ewe that has borne a lamb1 when it fails to be with lamb again is a tup-eill or barren ewe4 ,after a ewe has ceased to give milk she is a yeld-ewe4 ,a ewe when removed from the breeding flock is a draft ewe1 whatever her age may be2 gimmers put aside as unfit for breeding are draft gimmers1 and the lambs1 dinmonts or wethers1 drafted out of the fat or young stock are sheddings1 tails1 or drafts4 ,in ,england a somewhat different nomenclature prevails4 ,sheep bear the name of lamb until eight months old1 after which they are ewe and wether teggs until once clipped4 ,gimmers are theares until they bear the first lamb1 when they are ewes of #d-teeth1 next year ewes of #f-teeth1 and the year after full-mouthed ewes4 ,dinmonts are called shear hoggs until shorn of the fleece1 when they are #b-shear wethers1 and ever after are wethers4 ,the names of cattle are a little less complicated4 ,the names given to cattle at their various ages are these3--,a new-born animal of the ox-tribe is called a calf1 a male being a bull-calf1 a female a quey-calf1 heifer-calf1 or cow-calf2 and a castrated male calf is a stot-calf1 or simply a calf4 ,calf is applied to all young cattle until they attain one year old1 when they are year-olds or yearlings--year-old bull1 year-old quey or heifer1 year-old stot4 ,stot1 in some places1 is a bull of any age4 ,in another year they are #b-year old bull1 #b-year-old quey or heifer1 #b-year-old-stot or steer4 ,in ,england females are stirks from calves to #b-year-old1 and males steers2 in ,scotland both young male and females are stirks4 ,the next year they are #c-year-old bull1 in ,england #c-year-old female a heifer1 in ,scotland a #c-year-old quey1 and a male is a #c-year-old stot or steer4 ,when a quey bears a calf1 it is a cow1 both in ,scotland and ,england4 ,next year the bulls are aged2 the cows retain the name ever after1 and the stots or steers are oxen1 which they continue to be to any age4 ,a cow or quey that has received the bull is served or bulled1 and is then in calf1 and in that state these are in ,england in-calvers4 ,a cow that suffers abortion slips its calf4 ,a cow that has either missed being in calf1 or has slipped calf1 is eill2 and one that has gone dry of milk is a yeld-cow4 ,a cow giving milk is a milk or milch-cow4 ,when two calves are born at one birth1 they are twins2 if three1 trins4 ,a quey calf of twins of bull and quey calves1 is a free martin1 and never produces young1 but exhibits no marks of a hybrid or mule4 ,cattle1 black cattle1 horned cattle1 and neat cattle1 are all generic names for the ox tribe1 and the term beast is a synonyme4 ,an ox without horns is dodded or humbled4 ,a castrated bull is a segg4 ,a quey-calf whose ovaries have been obliterated1 to prevent her breeding1 is a spayed heifer or quey4 ,those of the horse are fewer1 and more generally known-- ,the names commonly given to the different states of the horse are these3--,the new-born one is called a foal1 the male being a colt foal1 and the female a filly foal4 ,after being weaned1 the foals are called simply colt or filly1 according to the sex1 which the colt retains until broken in for work1 when he is a horse or gelding which he retains all his life2 and the filly is then changed into mare4 ,when the colt is not castrated he is an entire colt2 which name he retains until he serves mares1 when he is a stallion or entire horse2 when castrated he is a gelding2 and it is in this state that he is chiefly worked4 ,a mare1 when served1 is said to be covered by or stinted to a particular stallion2 and after she has borne a foal she is a brood mare1 until she ceases to bear1 when she is a barren mare or eill mare2 and when dry of milk1 she is yeld4 ,a mare1 while big with young1 is in foal4 ,old stallions are never castrated4 ,those of the pig are as follows-- ,when new-born1 they are called sucking pigs1 or simply pigs2 and the male is a boar pig1 the female sow pig4 ,a castrated male1 after it is weaned1 is a shot or hog4 ,hog is the name mostly used by naturalists1 and very frequently by writers on agriculture2 but1 as it sounds so like the name given to young sheep1 7hogg17 ,i shall always use the terms pig and swine for the sake of distinction4 ,the term hog is said to be derived from a ,hebrew noun1 signifying 'to have narrow eyes1' a feature quite characteristic of this species of animal4 ,a spayed female is a cut sow pig4 ,as long as both sorts of cut pigs are small and young1 they are porkers or porklings4 ,a female that has not been cut1 and before it bears young1 is an open sow2 and an entire male1 after being weaned1 is always a boar or brawn4 ,a cut boar is a brawner4 ,a female that has taken the boar is said to be lined2 when bearing young she is a brood sow2 and when she has brought forth pigs she has littered or farrowed1 and her family of pigs at one birth form a litter or farrow of pigs4 ,the diseases of cattle1 horses1 pigs1 and poultry1 are treated of--their management in disease1 that is1 as well as in health4 ,and it is one of the merits of ,mr ,stephens that he has taken such pains in getting up his different subjects--that he seems as much at home in one department of his art as in another2 and we follow him with equal confidence in his description of field operations1 of servant-choosing and managing1 of cattle-buying1 tending1 breeding1 feeding1 butchering1 and even cooking and eating--for he is cunning in these last points also4 ,his great predecessor ,tucker prided himself1 in his ,five hundred points1 in mixing up huswifry with husbandry3-- ,in husbandry matters1 where ,pilcrow#c ye find1 ,that verse appertaineth to ,huswif'ry kind2 ,so have ye more lessons1 if there ye look well1 ,than huswif'ry book doth utter or tell4 ,following ,tucker's example1 our author scatters here and there throughout his book much useful information for the farmer's wife2 and for her especial use1 no doubt1 he has drawn up his curious and interesting chapter on the treatment of fowls in winter4 ,to show how minute his knowledge is upon this point1 and how implicitly therefore he may be trusted in greater matters1 we quote the following3-- ,every yellow-legged chicken should be used1 whether male or female--their flesh never being so fine as the others4 ,young fowls may either be roasted or boiled1 the male making the best roasted1 and the female the neatest boiled dish4 ,the criterion of a fat hen1 when alive1 is a plump breast1 and the rump feeling thick1 fat1 and firm1 on being handled laterally between the finger and thumb4 ,of a fat goose the mark is1 plumpness of muscle over the breast1 and thickness of rump when alive2 and in addition1 when dead and plucked1 of a uniform covering of white fat under a fine skin on the breast4 ,geese are always roasted in ,britain1 though a boiled goose is not an uncommon dish in ,ireland2 and their flesh is certainly much heightened in flavour by a stuffing of onions1 and an accompaniment of apple sauce4 ,we suppose a boiled goose must be especially tasteless1 as we once knew an old schoolmaster on the ,north ,tyne1 whose very stupid pupils were always christened boiled geese4 ,the threshing and winnowing of grain1 which forms so important a part of the winter operations of a farm1 naturally lead our author to describe and figure the different species of corn plants and their varieties1 and to discuss their several nutritive values1 the geographical range and distribution of each1 and the special uses or qualities of the different varieties4 ,widely spread and known for so many ages1 the home or native country of our cereal plants is not only unknown1 but some suppose the several species1 like the varieties of the human race1 to have all sprung from a common stock4 ,it is a very remarkable circumstance1 as observed by ,dr ,lindley1 that the native country of wheat1 oats1 barley1 and rye should be entirely unknown2 for although oats and barley were found by ,colonel ,chesney1 apparently wild1 on the banks of the ,euphrates1 it is doubtful whether they were not the remains of cultivation4 ,this has led to an opinion1 on the part of some persons1 that all our cereal plants are artificial productions1 obtained accidentally1 but retaining their habits1 which have become fixed in the course of ages4 ,whatever may be the original source of our known species of grain1 and of their numerous varieties1 it cannot be doubted that their existence1 at the present time1 is a great blessing to man4 ,of wheat there are upwards of a hundred and fifty known varieties1 of barley upwards of thirty1 and of oats about sixty4 ,while the different species--wheat1 barley1 and oats--are each specially confined to large but limited regions of the earth's surface1 the different varieties adapt themselves to the varied conditions of soil and climate which exist within the natural geographical region of each1 and to the different uses for which each species is intended to be employed4 ,thus the influence of variety upon the adaptation of the oat to the soil1 climate1 and wants of a given locality1 is shown by the following observations3-- ,the ,siberian oat is cultivated in the poorer soils and higher districts1 resists the force of the wind1 and yields a grain well adapted for the support of farm-horses4 ,the straw is fine and pliable1 and makes an excellent dry fodder for cattle and horses1 the saccharine matter in the joints being very sensible to the taste4 ,it comes early to maturity1 and hence its name4 ,the ,tartarian oat1 from the peculiarity of its form1 and from its possessing a beard1 is of such a hardy nature as to thrive in soils and climates where the other grains cannot be raised4 ,it is much cultivated in ,england1 and not at all in ,scotland4 ,it is a coarse grain1 more fit for horse-food than to make into meal4 ,the grain is dark coloured and awny2 the straw coarse1 harsh1 brittle1 and rather short4 ,the reader will see from this extract that the ,english food for horses is1 in reality1 not the same thing as the chief o' ,scotia's food2 and that a little agricultural knowledge would have prevented ,dr ,johnson from exhibiting1 in the same sentence1 an example of both his ignorance and his venom4 ,variety affects appearance and quality2 and how these are to be consulted in reference to the market in which the grain is to be sold1 may be gathered from the following3-- ,when wheat is quite opaque1 indicating not the least translucency1 it is in the best state for yielding the finest flour--such flour as confectioners use for pastry2 and in this state it will be eagerly purchased by them at a large price4 ,wheat in this state contains the largest proportion of fecula or starch1 and is therefore best suited to the starch-maker1 as well as the confectioner4 ,on the other hand1 when wheat is translucent1 hard1 and flinty1 it is better suited to the common baker than the confectioner and starch manufacturer1 as affording what is called strong flour1 that rises boldly with yeast into a spongy dough4 ,bakers will1 therefore1 give more for good wheat in this state than in the opaque2 but for bread of finest quality the flour should be fine as well as strong1 and therefore a mixture of the two conditions of wheat is best suited for making the best quality of bread4 ,bakers1 when they purchase their own wheat1 are in the habit of mixing wheat which respectively possesses those qualities2 and millers who are in the habit of supplying bakers with flour1 mix different kinds of wheat1 and grind them together for their use4 ,some sorts of wheat naturally possess both these properties1 and on that account are great favourites with bakers1 though not so with confectioners2 and1 ,i presume1 to this mixed property is to be ascribed the great and lasting popularity which ,hunter's white wheat has so long enjoyed4 ,we hear also of 'high mixed' ,danzig wheat1 which has been so mixed for the purpose1 and is in high repute amongst bakers4 ,generally speaking1 the purest coloured white wheat indicates most opacity1 and1 of course1 yields the finest flour2 and red wheat is most flinty1 and therefore yields the strongest flour3 a translucent red wheat will yield stronger flour than a translucent white wheat1 and yet a red wheat never realises so high a price in the market as white--partly because it contains a larger proportion of refuse in the grinding1 but chiefly because it yields less fine flour1 that is1 starch4 ,in regard to wheat1 it has been supposed1 that the qualities referred to in the above extract1 as especially fitting certain varieties for the use of the confectioner1 c41 were owing to the existence of a larger quantity of gluten in these kinds of grain4 ,chemical inquiry has1 however1 nearly dissipated that idea1 and with it certain erroneous opinions1 previously entertained1 as to their superior nutritive value4 ,climate and physiological constitution induce differences in our vegetable productions1 which chemical research may detect and explain1 but may never be able to remove or entirely control4 ,the bran1 or external covering of the grain of wheat1 has recently also been the subject of scientific and economical investigation4 ,it has been proved1 by the researches of ,johnston1 confirmed by those of ,miller and others1 that the bran of wheat1 though less readily digestible1 contains more nutritive matter than the white interior of the grain4 ,brown1 or household bread1 therefore1 which contains a portion of the bran1 is to be preferred1 both for economy and for nutritive quality1 to that made of the finest flour4 ,upon the economy of mixing potato with wheaten flour1 and of home-made bread1 ,mr ,stephens has the following3-- ,it is assumed by some people1 that a mixture of potatoes amongst wheaten flour renders bread lighter and more wholesome4 ,that it will make bread whiter1 ,i have no doubt2 but ,i have as little doubt that it will render it more insipid1 and it is demonstrable that it makes it dearer than wheaten flour4 ,thus1 take a bushel of 'seconds' flour1 weighing #ef lbs4 at #es4 #f;d4 ,a batch of bread1 to consist of #ba lbs41 will absorb as much water1 and require as much yeast and salt1 as will yield #g loaves1 of #d lbs4 each1 for #bs4 #d;d41 or #d;d4 per loaf4 ',if1 instead of #g lbs4 of the flour1 the same weight of raw potatoes be substituted1 with the hope of saving by the comparatively low price of the latter article1 the quantity of bread that will be yielded will be but a trifle more than would have been produced from #ad lbs4 of flour only1 without the addition of the #g lbs4 of potatoes2 for the starch of this root is the only nutritive part1 and we have proved that but one-seventh or one-eighth of it is contained in every pound1 the remainder being water and innutritive matter4 ,only #bj lbs4 of bread1 therefore1 instead of #bh lbs41 will be obtained2 and this1 though white1 will be comparatively flavourless1 and liable to become dry and sour in a few days2 whereas1 without the latter addition1 bread made in private families will keep well for #c weeks1 though1 after a fortnight1 it begins to deteriorate1 especially in the autumn4' ,the calculation of comparative cost is thus shown3-- ,flour1 #ad lbs41 say at #a-a_/d;d4 per lb41 #as4 #e-a_/b;d4 ,potatoes1 #g lbs41 say at #es4 per sack1 #j #b ,yeast and fuel1 #j #d-a_/b ------ #bs4 #j;d4 ,the yield1 #bj lbs41 or #e loaves of #d lbs4 each1 will be nearly #e;d4 each1 which is dearer than the wheaten loaves at #d;d4 each1 and the bread1 besides1 of inferior quality4 ',there are persons who assert--for we have heard them--that there is no economy in baking at home4 ,an accurate and constant attention to the matter1 with a close calculation of every week's results for several years--a calculation induced by the sheer love of investigation and experiment--enables us to assure our readers1 that a gain is invariably made of from #a-a_/b;d4 to #b;d4 on the #d lb4 loaf4 ,if all be intrusted to servants1 we do not pretend to deny that the waste may neutralise the profit2 but1 with care and investigation1 we pledge our veracity that the saving will prove to be considerable4' ,these are the observations of a lady well known to me4 ,in the natural history of barley the most remarkable fact is1 the high northern latitudes in which it can be successfully cultivated4 ,not only does it ripen in the ,orkney and ,shetland and ,faroe ,islands1 but on the shores of the ,white ,sea2 and near the ,north ,cape1 in north latitude #gj1 it thrives and yields nourishment to the inhabitants4 ,in ,iceland1 in latitude #fc to #ff north1 it ceases to ripen1 not because the temperature is too low1 but because rains fall at an unseasonable time1 and thus prevent the filling ear from arriving at maturity4 ,the oat is distinguished by its remarkable nutritive quality1 compared with our other cultivated grains4 ,this has been long known in practice in the northern parts of the island1 where it has for ages formed the staple food of the mass of the population1 though it was doubted and disputed in the south so much1 as almost to render the ,scotch ashamed of their national food4 ,chemistry has recently1 however1 set the matter at rest1 and is gradually bringing oatmeal again into general favour4 ,we believe that the robust health of many fine families of children now fed upon it1 in preference to wheaten flour1 is a debt they owe1 and we trust will not hereafter forget1 to chemical science4 ,on oatmeal ,mr ,stephens gives us the following information3-- ,the portion of the oat crop consumed by man is manufactured into meal4 ,it is never called flour1 as the millstones are not set so close in grinding it as when wheat is ground1 nor are the stones for grinding oats made of the same material1 but most frequently only of sandstone--the old red sandstone or greywacke4 ,oats1 unlike wheat1 are always kiln-dried before being ground2 and they undergo this process for the purpose of causing the thick husk1 in which the substance of the grain is enveloped1 to be the more easily ground off1 which it is by the stones being set wide asunder2 and the husk is blown away1 on being winnowed by the fanner1 and the grain retained1 which is then called groats4 ,the groats are ground by the stones closer set1 and yield the meal4 ,the meal is then passed through sieves1 to separate the thin husk from the meal4 ,the meal is made in two states3 one fine1 which is the state best adapted for making into bread1 in the form called oat-cake or bannocks2 and the other is coarser or rounder ground1 and is in the best state for making the common food of the country people--porridge1 ,scottice1 parritch4 ,a difference of custom prevails in respect to the use of these two different states of oatmeal1 in different parts of the country1 the fine meal being best liked for all purposes in the northern1 and the round or coarse meal in the southern counties2 but as oat-cake is chiefly eaten in the north1 the meal is there made to suit the purpose of bread rather than of porridge2 whereas1 in the south1 bread is made from another grain1 and oatmeal is there used only as porridge4 ,there is no doubt that the round meal makes the best porridge1 when properly made--that is1 seasoned with salt1 and boiled as long as to allow the particles to swell and burst1 when the porridge becomes a pultaceous mass4 ,so made1 with rich milk or cream1 few more wholesome dishes can be partaken by any man1 or upon which a harder day's work can be wrought4 ,children of all ranks in ,scotland are brought up on this diet1 verifying the poet's assertion-- ,the halesome parritch1 chief o' ,scotia's food4 ,,burns4 ,forfarshire has long been famed for the quality of its brose and oat-cake1 while the porridge of the ,borders has as long been equally famous4 ,it is so everywhere1 the sharp soil producing the finest cake-meal1 and clay land the best meal for boiling4 ,of meal from the varieties of the oat cultivated1 that of the common ,angus oat is the most thrifty for a poor man1 though its yield in meal is less in proportion to the bulk of corn4 ,much valuable information is given on the management of manure-heaps1 and the forming of composts in winter4 ,we especially recommend to the reader's attention section #bjdc1 which is too long to extract4 ,railways have done much to benefit the farmer3 in speaking of composts1 our author gives us the following example of a local injury produced by them3-- ,in the vicinity of villages where fish are cured and smoked for market1 refuse of fish heads and guts make an excellent compost with earth4 ,near ,eyemouth and ,burnmouth1 on the ,berwickshire coast1 #cj barrels of fish refuse1 with as much earth from the head-ridges as will completely cover the heap1 are sufficient for an imperial acre4 ,the barrel contains #cj gallons1 and #d barrels make a cart-load1 and the barrel sells for #as4 #f;d4 ,from #djj to #fjj barrels may be obtained for each farm in the neighbourhood1 in the course of the season4 ,since the opening of the ,north ,british railway1 the curing of the fish is given up1 much to the loss of the farmers in that locality2 and the fishermen now send1 by the railway1 the fish in a fresh state to the larger towns at a distance4 ,thus1 railways produce advantage to some1 whilst they cause loss to others4 ,in the northern counties of ,scotland1 fish refuse is obtained in large quantities during the herring fishing season4 ,on the coast of ,cornwall1 the pilchard fishing affords a large supply of refuse for composts4 ,in regard to the calving of cows1 to milking1 and to the rearing of calves1 we have information as full1 as minute1 and as easily conveyed1 as on any of the other subjects which have hitherto engaged our attention4 ,when treating of the diseases to which cows1 on calving1 are subject1 we have been interested with the following case3-- ,i may here mention an unaccountable fatality which overtook a short-horn cow of mine1 in ,forfarshire1 immediately after calving4 ,she was an extraordinary milker1 giving not less than thirty quarts a-day in summer on grass2 but what was more extraordinary1 for two calvings the milk never dried up1 but continued to flow to the very day of calving1 and after that event returned in increased quantity4 ,in the third year she went naturally dry for about one month prior to the day of reckoning2 every precaution1 however1 was taken that the milk should dry up without giving her any uneasiness4 ,she calved in high health1 the milk returned as usual in a great flush after calving1 but it was impossible to draw it from the udder2 not a teat would pass milk1 all the four being entirely corded4 ,quills were first introduced into the teats2 and then tubes of larger size were pushed up into the body of the udder4 ,a little milk ran out of only one of them--hope revived2 but it soon stopped running1 and all the art that could be devised by a skilful shepherd proved unavailing to draw milk from the udder2 rubbing and softening the udder with goose-fat1 making it warmer with warm water--all to no purpose4 ,to render the case more distressing1 there was not a veterinary surgeon in the district4 ,at length the udder inflamed1 mortified1 and the cow died in the most excruciating agony on the third day1 from being in the highest state of health1 though not in high condition1 as her milking propensity usually kept her lean4 ,no loss of the kind ever affected my mind so much--that nothing could be done to relieve the distress of an animal which could not help itself4 ,i was told afterwards by a shepherd1 to whom ,i related the case1 that ,i should have cut off all the teats1 and although the horrid operation would1 of course1 have destroyed her for a milk cow1 she might have been saved for feeding4 ,he had never seen a cow so operated on2 but it suggested itself to him in consequence of having been obliged at times to cut off the teats of ewes to save their lives4 ,the suggestion ,i think is good4 ,the cow was bred by ,mr ,currie1 when at ,brandon in ,northumberland4 ,is there really no remedy for so distressing a case as this but that which his shepherd recommended8 ,he might1 for the benefit of his readers1 have consulted our friend ,professor ,dick1 whose opinions he so frequently and so deservedly quotes4 ,the following paragraph is very striking1 as showing the cruel absurdities which ignorance will sometimes not only perpetrate1 but actually establish1 as a kind of custom in a country4 ,tail-ill or ,tail-slip4--,a very prevalent notion exists in ,scotland amongst cattle-men1 that when the tail of an ox or of a cow feels soft and supple immediately above the tuft of hair1 there is disease in it2 and it is called the tail-ill1 or tail-slip4 ,the almost invariable remedy is to make large incision with the knife along the under side of the soft part1 stuff the wound full of salt and butter1 and sometimes tar1 and roll it up with a bandage for a few days1 and when the application is removed1 the animal is declared quite recovered4 ,now1 this notion is an absurdity4 ,there is no such disease as that imputed2 and as the poor animal subjected to its cure is thus tormented1 the sooner the absurd notion is exposed the better4 ,the notion will not soon be abandoned by the cattle-men2 but the farmer ought to forbid the performance of such an operation on any of his cattle without his special permission1 and the absurd practice will fall into desuetude4 ,we have not space for the remainder of this paragraph1 which contains ,professor ,dick's demonstration that no such disease exists as the so-called ,tail-ill4 ,mr ,stephens' narrations are more like a tale from the times of witchcraft1 when old women were supposed to have the power of bringing disease upon cattle1 than of those days of general enlightenment4 ,in sections #bbfh and #bbfi1 there is a recipe for making a cow which has once calved give a full supply of milk all the rest of her life1 and which recipe is said to be infallible4 ,this is a bon-bouche1 however1 which we shall leave our readers to turn up for themselves2 and we hope the desire to learn it will induce many of our dairy friends to buy the book4 ,the following is the mode adopted in fattening calves at ,strathaven1 in ,scotland1 where the famous veal has been so long grown1 chiefly for the ,glasgow market3-- ,strathaven in ,scotland has long been famed for rearing good veal for the ,glasgow and ,edinburgh markets4 ,the dairy farmers there retain the quey calves for maintaining the number of the cows1 while they feed the male calves for veal4 ,their plan is simple1 and may be followed anywhere4 ,milk only is given to the calves1 and very seldom with any admixture1 and they are not allowed to suck the cows4 ,some give milk1 but sparingly at first1 to whet the appetite1 and prevent surfeit4 ,the youngest calves get the first drawn milk1 or fore-broads1 as it is termed1 and the older the afterings1 even of two or three cows1 being the richest portion of the milk4 ,after being three or four weeks old1 they get abundance of milk twice a-day4 ,they get plenty of dry litter1 fresh air1 moderate warmth1 and are kept nearly in the dark to check sportiveness4 ,they are not bled during the time they are fed1 and a lump of chalk is placed within their reach4 ,they are fed from #d to #f weeks1 when they fetch from #c to #d a-piece2 and it is found more profitable to fatten the larger number of calves for that time1 to succeed each other1 of from #be lb4 to #cj lb4 per quarter1 than to force a fewer number beyond the state of marketable veal4 ,the ,caledonian ,railway now puts this choice veal within the reach of ,english mouths2 and we hope it will1 at the same time1 add to the prosperity and profits of the ,strathaven breeders4 ,the lambing of ewes1 the care of the mothers and offspring1 the diseases to which they are subject1 as well as the other operations which demand the farmer's care in the months of spring1 we must pass by4 ,we could go on commenting and quoting from this book1 as we have already done1 till an entire number of ,maga was filled up4 ,but as this would be preposterous1 we stop1 earnestly pressing upon our readers to place a copy of this storehouse of rural information in the hands of every practical husbandman1 in whose professional skill they are at all interested4 ,those who1 like ourselves1 take an interest in the diffusion of improved agriculture1 scientific1 and practical--and especially of our own agricultural literature in other countries--will be pleased to learn1 not only that the work of which the title is prefixed to the present article1 as well as the others upon agricultural chemistry to which we have referred1 have made their way into the common stock of the book-stores of the ,united ,states1 but that the editing of the ,american reprint of the second edition of the ,book of the ,farm has been undertaken by our friend ,professor ,norton1 of ,yale ,college1 7may his shadow never be less67 so well known and esteemed in ,scotland1 where he obtained the ,highland ,society's #ej prize for a chemical examination of our native oat1 which was published in their ,transactions4 ,he is a worthy representative of the country of steady habits to which he belongs2 and we hope his countrymen will be discriminating enough to appreciate his own character and scientific labours1 as well as the value of the books he undertakes to bring before them4 ,,footnotes3 #a ,stephens' ,book of the ,farm1 ,second ,edition1 vol4 ,i4 #b ,in a recent number of the ,north ,british ,agriculturist1 it is stated that an agricultural stoker1 who thought himself qualified to discourse on the uses of science to agriculture1 had astonished a late meeting of the ,newcastle ,farmers' ,club by telling them that the only thing science had yet done for agriculture was to show them how to dissolve bones in sulphuric acid2 and that chemistry might boast of having really effected something if it could teach him to raise long potatoes1 as he used to do1 or to grow potato instead of ,tartary oats1 as his next-door neighbour could do4 ,no wonder the shrewd ,tyne-siders were astonished4 #c ,where 7pilcrow17 or paragraph1 is placed at the side of the verse4 ,,the ,,sycamine4 ,i4 ,the frail yellow leaves they are falling ,as the wild winds sweep the grove2 ,plashy and dank is the sward beneath1 ,and the sky it is gray above4 ,,ii4 ,foaming adown the dark rocks1 ,dirge-like1 the waterfall ,mourns1 as if mourning for something gone1 ,for ever beyond its call4 ,,iii4 ,sing1 redbreast6 from the russet spray2 ,thy song with the season blends3 ,for the bees have left us with the blooms1 ,and the swallows were summer friends4 ,,iv4 ,the hawthorn bare1 with berries sere1 ,and the bramble by the stream1 ,matted1 with clay on its yellow trails1 ,decay's wan emblems seem4 ,v4 ,on this slope bank how oft we lay ,in shadow of the sycamine tree2 ,pause1 hoary ,eld1 and listen now-- ',twas but the roaring of the sea6 ,,vi4 ,oh1 the shouts and the laughter of yore-- ,how the tones wind round the heart6 ,oh1 the faces blent with youth's blue skies-- ,and could ye so depart6 ,,vii4 ,the crow screams back to the wood1 ,and the sea-mew to the sea1 ,and earth seems to the foot of man ,no resting-place to be4 ,,viii4 ,search ye the corners of the world1 ,and the isles beyond the main1 ,and the main itself1 for those who went ,to come not back again6 ,,ix4 ,the rest are a remnant scatter'd ,mid the living2 and1 for the dead1 ,tread lightly o'er the churchyard mounds2 ,ye know not where ye tread6 ,delta ,,after ,a ,,year',s ,,republicanism4 ,the revolutionary year has almost closed2 the anniversary of the days of ,february is at hand4 ,a ,year's ,republicanism has run the course of its unchecked experience in ,france3 to believe its own boast1 it has ridden boldly forward1 seated upon public and popular opinion1 in the form of the widest1 and1 upon republican principle1 the honest basis of universal suffrage2 it has been left to its own full career1 unimpeded by enemies either at home or abroad4 ,and what has been the result of the race8--what has been the harvest which the republican soil1 so carefully turned over1 tilled1 and manured1 has produced8 ,it would be a useless task to recapitulate all the different stages of the growth of the so-called fair green tree of liberty1 and enumerate all the fruits that it has let drop from time to time1 from the earliest days of last spring1 to the tempestuous summer month of ,june2 and then1 through the duller1 heavier1 and gloomy months of autumn1 to those of winter1 which brought a president as a ,christmas-box1 and which have shown a few scattered gleams of fancied sunshine1 cold at the best1 and quickly obscured again by thick-coming clouds of dis-accord1 misapprehension1 and startling opposition of parties4 ,all the world has had these fruits dished up to it--has handled them1 examined them1 tasted them2 and1 according to their opinions or prejudices1 men have judged their savour bitter or sweet4 ,all that can be said on the subject1 for those who have digested them with pleasure1 is1 that there's no accounting for tastes4 ,in calculating the value of the year's republicanism which ,france has treasured up in its history1 it is as well1 then1 to make no further examination into the items1 but to look to the sum-total as far as it can be added up and put together1 in the present aspect of affairs4 ,in spite of the openly expressed detestation of the provinces to the capital--in spite of the increasing spirit of decentralisation1 and the efforts made by the departments to insure a certain degree of importance to themselves--it is still ,paris that reigns paramount in its power1 and as the influential expression1 however false in many respects it may be1 of the general spirit of the country4 ,it is upon the aspect of affairs in ,paris1 then1 and all its numerous conflicting elements1 that observation must still be directed1 in order to make a rsum1 as far as it is practicable1 of this sum-total of a year's republican rule4 ,the account must necessarily be1 more or less1 a confused one1 for accounts are not strictly kept in ,republican ,paris--are continually varying in their results1 according as the political arithmeticians set about their casting up--and are constantly subject to dispute among the accountants3 the main figures1 composing the sum-total1 may1 however1 be enumerated without any great error1 and then they may be put together in their true amount1 and according to their real value1 by those before whom they are thus laid4 ,one of the most striking figures in the row1 inasmuch as the lateness of the events has made it one of the most prominent1 is to be derived from the position and designs of those who declare themselves to be the only true and pure republicans in the anomalous ,republic of ,france1 as exemplified by that revolutionary movement which1 although it led to no better result than a rvolution avorte1 takes its date in the history of the ,republic beside the more troublous one of ,may1 and the more bloody one of ,june1 as the affair of the #bith of ,january4 ,paris1 after the removal of the state of siege1 had done its best to put on its physiognomy of past years1 had smeared over its wrinkles as best it might1 and had made sundry attempts to smile through all this hasty plastering of its poor distorted face4 ,its shattered commerce still showed many rags and rents2 but it had pulled its disordered dress with decency about it1 and set it forth in the best lights2 it had called foreigners once more around it1 to admire it2 and they had come at the call1 although slowly and with mistrust4 ,it had some hopes of mending its rags1 then1 and even furbishing up a new fresh toilette1 almost as smart as of yore2 it danced and sang again1 although faintly and with effort4 ,the ,national ,assembly clamoured and fought1 it is true2 but ,paris was grown accustomed to such discordant music1 and at most only stopped its ears to it3 ministers held their portfolios with ticklish balance1 as if about to let them fall2 but ,paris was determined not to care who dropped portfolios1 or who caught them3 there were clouds again upon the political horizon1 and distant rumblings of a crisis-thunderstorm2 but ,paris seemed resolved to look out for fine weather4 ,all on a sudden1 one bright morning1 on the #bith of ,january1 the smile vanished3 the troubled physiognomy was again there2 the revolutionary air again pervaded it2 and foreigners once more1 not liking the looks of the convulsed face1 began to start back in alarm4 ,the rappel was again beaten1 for the turning out of the national guards at the earliest hour of the morning3 that drumming1 which for many months had filled the air incessantly1 again deafened sensitive ears and harassed sensitive nerves4 ,the streets were thronged with troops1 marching forwards in thick battalions2 while before them retreated some hundreds of those nameless beings1 who come no one knows whence1 and go no one knows whither--those mysterious beings1 peculiar to revolutionary cities1 who only appear like a cloud of stinging dust when the wind of the revolution-tempest begins to blow1 and who in ,paris are either brigands or heroes of barricades1 according as the language of the day may go--back1 back1 grumbling and threatening1 into the faubourgs1 where they vanished until the gale may blow stormier again1 and meet with less resistance4 ,the garden of the ,tuileries was closed to the public1 and exhibited an armed array once more among its leafless trees2 the ,champs ,elyses had again become a camp and a bivouac2 cannon was again posted around the ,national ,assembly4 ,formidable military posts surrounded every public building2 the streets were crowded with the curious2 thick knots of men again stood at every corner2 people asked once more1 ,what's on foot now8 but no one at first could answer3 they only repeated from mouth to mouth the mysterious words of ,general ,changarnier1 that he who should venture to displace a paving-stone would never again replace it2 and they knew what that meant4 ,paris was1 all at once1 its revolutionary self again2 and1 in some degree1 so it remained during the ensuing weeks--with cannon displayed on hazardous points1 and the great railway stations of the capital filled with battalions of soldiers1 bivouacking upon straw in courts and salles d' attente2 and huge military posts at every turn1 and thick patrols parading gloomily at night1 and palaces and public buildings closed and guarded1 just as if retrograde monarchy were about to suppress fervent liberalism1 and a glorious republic had not been established for a country's happiness wellnigh a year already2 just as if republicans1 who had conspired darkly a year before1 had not obtained all they then clamoured for--a republic based upon institutions resulting from universal suffrage--and were conspiring again4 ,and so it was4 ,a deep-laid conspiracy--a conspiracy of republicans against a republic1 which they chose to call deceptive and illusory--was again on foot4 ,they had possessed1 for nigh a year1 the blessing for which they had conspired1 intrigued1 and fought2 and they conspired1 intrigued1 and would have fought again4 ,one of the figures1 then1 to form the total which has to be summed up as the result of a year's republicanism1 is--conspiracy2 conspiracy more formidable than ever1 because more desperate1 more bloody-minded in its hopes1 more destructive in its designs to all society4 ,in spite of the denegations of the ,red-republican party1 and the counter-accusations of their allies the ,montagnards in the ,assembly1 the question of all ,paris1 ,what's on foot now8 was soon answered2 and the answer1 spite of these same denegations1 and counter-accusations1 was speedily understood and believed by all ,france4 ,a conspiracy of the ultra-democrats1 ,red republicans and ,socialists1 7all now so shaken up together in one common dark bag of underhand design1 that it is impossible to distinguish the shades of such parties17 was on the point of breaking out in the capital3 the #bith of ,january had been fixed upon by the conspirators for their general insurrection4 ,the ,red republicans 7to include all the factions of the anarchist parties under that title1 in which they themselves rejoice1 although the designation be derived from blood7 had felt how strong and overpowering had become the clamour raised throughout the land against that ,national ,assembly which had run its course1 and was now placed in constant opposition1 not only to the president of the republic1 as represented by his ministers1 but to the general spirit and feeling of the country at large2 they were aware1 but too feelingly1 that1 should the ,assembly give way before this clamour1 in spite of its evidences of resistance1 and decree its own dissolution1 the elections of a new ,legislative ,assembly by that universal suffrage which had once been their idol1 and was now to be scouted and despised1 would inevitably produce what they termed a reactionary1 and what they suspected might prove1 a counter-revolutionary and monarchic majority2 and they had determined1 in spite of their defeat in ,june1 to attempt another revolution1 in the hope of again surprising the capital by a coup-de-main1 and seizing the reins of power into their own hands at once4 ,this conspiracy was affiliated together1 in its various branches1 by those formidable socits secrtes1 which1 long organised1 had been again called into service by the persevering activity of the party1 not only in ,paris1 but in all the larger provincial towns1 and for which fresh recruits had been zealously drummed together4 ,a general outbreak all over the country was regulated to explode simultaneously on the #bith of ,january1 or during the following night3 that monomania1 which has never ceased to possess the minds of the frantic chiefs of the ,red-republican party1 and which still entertains the vain dream that1 if they rise1 all the lower classes1 or what they call the people1 must rise at their call1 to fight in their wild cause1 gave them support in their designs4 ,pretexts for discontent1 at the same time1 were not wanting4 ,the project of the government for a general suppression of the clubs--a measure which they declared unconstitutional1 gave a colour to disaffection and revolt2 and hopes that fresh allies would join the insurrection gave the party a bold confidence1 which it had not possessed since the days of ,june4 ,the garde mobile1 in fact1 had been tampered with4 ,the spirit of these young janissaries of the capital1 for the most part but a year ago the mere gamins de ,paris1 always vacillating and little to be relied upon1 spite of their deeds in ,june1 had already been adroitly worked upon by the fostering of that jealousy which subsisted between them and the regular army into a more decided hatred1 when a decree of the government for the reorganisation of the corps was interpreted by the designing conspirators into an insult offered to the whole institution1 and a preparatory measure to its total dissolution4 ,such insinuations1 carefully fomented among these young troops1 led to tumultuous demonstrations of disaffection and discontent4 ,this ferment1 so opportune for the designs of the ,red republicans1 induced them to believe that their hour of struggle and of approaching triumph was at hand3 they counted on their new allies2 all was ready for the outbreak4 ,but the government was alive to the tempest rising around it2 it was determined to do its duty to the country in preventing the storm1 rather than in suppressing it when once it should have broken forth4 ,hence the military preparations which1 on the morning of the #bith of ,january1 had once more rendered all ,paris a fortress and a camp2 hence the warning sound of the rappel1 which at an early hour had once more roused all the citizens from their beds1 and called alarmed faces forth at windows and upon balconies in the gloom of the dawn2 hence the stern commanding words of ,general ,changarnier1 and the orders to the troops and the national guards1 that any man attempting to raise a stone from the streets should be shot forthwith1 and without mercy2 hence the consternation with which the outpost allies of the ,red republicans hurried back growling to their mysterious dens1 wherever such may exist4 ,prevention was considered better than cure1 in spite of the misinterpretations and misapprehensions to which it might be exposed1 and by which it was subsequently assailed by the disappointed faction4 ,arrest then followed upon arrest2 upwards of two hundred of the suspected chiefs of the conspiracy were hurried off to prison4 ,among them were former delegates to the once famous committee of the ,luxembourg1 whose conduct gave evidence of the results produced by the dangerous utopian theories set forth under the lectureship of ,m4 ,louis ,blanc1 and his noble friend the soi-disant ouvrier ,albert4 ,chiefs of the clubs bore them company in their incarceration2 and the ex-,count ,d',alton ,shee1 the ex-lgant of the fashionable salons of ,paris1 but now the socialist-atheist and anarchist1 suffered the same penalty of his actions as leading member of the club ,de la ,solidarit ,rpublicaine4 ,turbulent officers of the ,garde ,mobile underwent a similar fate4 ,even the national guard was not spared in the person of one of its superior officers1 whose agitation and over-zealous movements excited suspicion2 and1 by the way1 in the general summing up1 arrest1 imprisonment1 restriction of liberty1 may also take their place in the row as another little figure in the total4 ,the conspiracy1 however1 was suppressed2 the insurrection failed entirely for the time2 and ,paris was told that it might be perfectly reassured1 and doze quietly again upon its pillow1 without any fear that ,red-republicanism should again murder sleep4 ,but ,paris1 which has not learned yet to recover its old quiet habit of sleeping calmly1 and has got too much fever in its system to close its eyes at will1 is not to be lulled by such mere sedatives of ministerial assurance4 ,once roused in startled hurry from its bed again1 and seeing the opiate of confidence which was beginning to work its effect in very small doses snatched from its grasp1 it cannot calm its nerves at once4 ,it will not be persuaded that the crisis is over1 and has passed away for ever2 like a child awakened by a nightmare1 it looks into all sorts of dark holes and corners1 thinking to see the spectre lurking there4 ,it knows what it had to expect from the tender mercies of its pitiless enemies1 had they succeeded in their will2 what was the programme of a new ,red-republican rule--a comit du salut public1 the rgime of the guillotine1 the puration of suspected aristocrats1 the confiscation of the property of emigrants1 a tax of three milliards upon the rich1 a spoliation of all who possess1 the dissolution of the national guard1 the exclusive possession of all arms by the soi-disant people1 and--but the list of such new-old measures of ultra-republican government would be too long2 it is an old tale often told1 and1 after all1 only a free translation from the measures of other times4 ,paris1 then1 knows all this2 it knows the fanatic and inexpressible rage of its antagonist1 to which the fever of madness lends strength2 it allows itself to be told all sorts of fearful tales--how ,socialists1 in imitation of their ,london brethren1 have hired some thousand apartments in different quarters of the capital1 in order to light a thousand fires at once upon a given signal4 ,it goes about repeating the old vague cry--,nous allons avoir quelque chose2 and1 however foolishly exaggerated its alarm1 the results it experiences are the same--again want of confidence arising from anxiety1 again suspension of trade1 again a renewal of misery4 ,the fresh want of confidence1 then1 with all the attendant evils in its train1 may again1 as the year of republicanism approaches to its close1 be taken as another figure in the sum-total that is sought4 ,in the midst of this sudden ferment1 which has appeared towards the end of the republican year like a tableau final at the conclusion of an act of a drama--hastily thrust forward when the interest of the piece began to languish1--how stands the state of parties in that ,assembly which1 although it is said--and very correctly1 it would appear--no longer to represent the spirit of the country at large1 must still be considered as the great axis of the republic1 around which all else moves8 ,always tumultuous1 disorderly1 and disdainful of those parliamentary forms which could alone insure it the aspect of a dignified deliberative body1 the ,national ,assembly1 as it sees its last days inevitably approaching--although it retards its dissolution by every quack-doctoring means within its grasp--seems to have plunged1 in its throes1 into a worse slough of triple confusion1 disorder1 and uncertainty than ever4 ,jealous of its dignity1 unwilling to quit its power1 unwilling--say malicious tongues--to quit its profit1 and yet pressed upon by that public opinion which it would vainly attempt to deny1 to misinterpret1 or to despise1 it has shown itself more vacillating1 capricious1 and childish than ever4 ,it wavers1 votes hither and thither1 backwards and forwards--now almost inclined to fall into the nets spread for it by the ultra-democratic party1 that supports its resistance against all attempts to dissolve it1 and upon the point of throwing itself into that party's arms2 and now1 again1 alarmed at the allies to whom it would unite itself1 starting back from their embrace1 turning round in its majority1 and declaring itself against the sense of its former decisions4 ,now1 it offers an active and seemingly spiteful opposition to the government2 and now1 again1 it accepts the first outlet to enable it to turn back upon its course4 ,now it is sulky1 now alarmed at its own sulkiness2 now angry1 now begging its own pardon for its hastiness4 ,it is like a child that does not know its own mind or temper1 and gives way to all the first vagaries that spring into its childish brain3 it neglects the more real interests of the country1 and loses the country's time in its service1 in its eternal interpellations1 accusations1 recriminations1 jealousies1 suspicions1 and offended susceptibilities2 it quarrels1 scratches1 fights1 and breaks its own toys--and all this in the midst of the most inextricable confusion4 ,to do it justice1 the ,assembly1 as represented by its wavering majority1 is placed between two stools of apprehension1 between which it is continually coming to the ground1 and making wofully wry faces3 and1 between the two1 it is not very easy to see how it should preserve a decent equilibrium4 ,on the one hand1 it suspects the reactionary1 and perhaps counter-revolutionary designs of the moderate party on the right1 whose chiefs and leaders have chosen to hold themselves back from any participation in the governmental posts1 which they have otherwise coveted and fatally intrigued for1 as if they had an arrire-pense of better and more congenial opportunities in store1 and whose reliance in this respect seems equivocal2 and it looks upon them as monarchists biding their time4 ,on the other hand1 it dreads the ,montagnards on the extreme left1 with their frantic excesses and violent measures1 however much it has looked for their support in the momentous question of the dissolution of the ,assembly4 ,it bears no good-will to the president1 whose immense majority in the elections has been mainly due to the hopes of the anti-republicans that his advent might lead to a total change of government3 it bears still less good-will to the ministers of that president's choice4 ,between its two fears1 then1 no wonder that it oscillates like a pendulum4 ,the approach of its final dissolution1 which it has at last indefinitely voted1 and yet endeavours to retard by fresh obligations for remaining1 gives it that character of bitterness which an old coquette may feel when she finds her last hope of conquest slipping indubitably away from her4 ,without accusing the majority of that desperate clinging to place from interested motives--which the country1 however1 is continually casting in its teeth--it may be owned that it is not willing to see power wrested from it1 when it fears1 upon its return to its constituents1 it may never find that power placed in its hands again1 and seeks every means of prolonging the fatal hour under the pretence of serving the best interests of that country to which it fears to appeal3 and to this state of temper1 its waspishness1 uncertainty1 and increasing disorder1 may be in some degree attributed4 ,of the hopes and designs of the extreme moderate and supposed reactionary party1 little can be said1 inasmuch as it has kept its thoughts to itself1 and not permitted itself to give any open evidences whatever upon the point4 ,but the ardent and impetuous ,montagnards are by no means so cautious3 their designs1 and hopes1 and fears1 have been clearly enough expressed2 and they flash forth continually1 as lightnings in the midst of the thunder of their incessant tumult4 ,the allies and representatives1 and1 if all tales be true1 the chiefs of the ,red-republican party out of the ,assembly--they still cherish the hope of establishing an ultra-democratic republican government1 by some means or other--by foul if fair should fail--a government of despotic rule by violence--of propagandism by constraint--of systematic anarchy4 ,they still form visions of some future ,convention of which they may be the heroes--of a parliamentary tyrannical oligarchy1 by which they may enforce their extravagant opinions4 ,driven to the most flagrant inconsistencies by their false position1 they declare themselves also the true and supreme organ--not only of those they call the people1 but of the nation at large2 while1 at the same time1 they affect to despise1 and they even denounce as criminal1 the general expression of public opinion1 as evidenced by universal suffrage4 ,they assume the attitudes of sauveurs de la patrie2 and in the next breath they declare that patrie traitre to itself4 ,they vaunt themselves to be the lus de la nation2 and they openly express their repugnance to meet again1 as candidates for the new legislative assembly1 that majority of the nation which they now would drag before the tribunal of republicanism as counter-revolutionary and reactionary4 ,in short1 the only universal suffrage to which they would appeal is that of the furious minority of their perverted or hired bands among the dregs of the people4 ,they have thus in vain used every effort to prolong to an indefinite period1 or even to render permanent1 if possible1 the existence of that ,assembly which their own party attacked in ,may1 and which they themselves have so often denounced as reactionary4 ,it is the rock of salvation upon which they fix their frail anchor of power1 in default of that more solid and elevated foundation for their sway1 which they are well aware can now only be laid for them by the hands of insurgents1 and cemented by the blood of civil strife in the already blood-flooded streets of ,paris4 ,with the same necessary inconsistency which marks their whole conduct1 they fix their hopes of advent to power upon the overthrow of the ,assembly of which they are not masters1 together with the whole present system of government2 while they support the principle of the inviolability and immovability of that same ,assembly1 under such circumstances called by them the holy ark of the country1 when a fresh appeal is to be made to the mass of the nation at large4 ,during the waverings and vacillations of the majority--itself clinging to place and power--they more than once expected a triumph for themselves in a declaration of the ,assembly's permanence1 with the secret hope1 en arrire pense1 of finding fair cause for that insurrection by which alone they would fully profit1 if a coup-de-main were to be attempted by the government1 in obedience to the loudly-expressed clamour of popular opinion1 to wreck that holy ark in which they had embarked their lesser hopes4 ,when1 however1 they found that the crew were disposed to desert it1 on feeling the storms of public manifestation blowing too hard against it--when they found that they themselves must in a few weeks1 or at latest months1 quit its tottering planks1 their rage has known no bounds4 ,every manoeuvre that can be used to prolong life1 by prolonging even the daily existence of the ,assembly1 is unscrupulously put into practice4 ,they clamour1 they interrupt discussion--they denounce--they produce those daily incidents of ,french parliamentary tradition which prevent the progress of parliamentary business--they invent fresh interpellations1 to create further delays by long-protracted angry quarrel and acrimony4 ,part of all this system of denunciation1 recrimination1 and acrimonious accusation1 belongs1 it is true1 to their assumed character as the dramatis person of an imaginary ,convention4 ,they have their cherished models of old1 to copy which is their task1 and their glory2 the dramatic traditions of the old ,convention are ever in their winds1 and are to be followed in manner1 and even costume1 as far as possible4 ,and thus ,ledru ,rollin1 another would-be ,danton1 tosses back his head1 and raises his nose aloft1 and pulls up his burly form1 to thunder forth his angry ,red-republican indignation2 and ,felix ,pyat1 the melodramatic dramatist1 of the boulevard du crime--fully in his place where living dramas1 almost as extravagant and ranting as those from his own pen1 are to be performed--rolls his large round dark eyes1 and swells his voice1 and shouts1 and throws about his arms1 after the fashion of those melodrama actors for whose noisy declamation he has afforded such good stuff1 and because of his picturesque appearance1 fancies himself1 it would seem1 a new ,st ,just4 ,and ,sarrans1 soi-disant the young1 acts after no less melodramatic a fashion1 as if in rivalry for the parts of jeune premier in the drama1 but cannot get beyond the airs of a provincial groundling2 and ,lagrange1 with his ferocious and haggard countenance1 and his grizzled long hair and beard1 yells from his seat1 although in the tribune he affects a milder language now1 as if to contradict and deny his past deeds4 ,and ,proudhon shouts too1 although he puts on a benevolent air patelin1 beneath the spectacles on his round face1 when he proposes his schemes for the destruction of the whole fabric of society4 ,and ,pierre ,leroux1 the frantic philosopher1 shakes his wild greasy mane of hair about his heavy greasy face1 and raves1 as ever1 discordantly2 and old ,lammenais1 the renegade ex-priest1 bends his gloomy head1 and snarls and growls1 and utters low imprecations1 instead of priestly blessings1 and looks like another ,marat1 even if he denies the moral resemblance to its full extent4 ,and ,greppo shouts and struggles with ,felix ,pyat for the much-desired part of ,st ,just4 ,and gray-bearded ,couthons1 who have not even the ardour of youth to excuse their extravagancies1 rise from their curule chairs to toss up their arms1 and howl in chorus4 ,and even ,jules ,favre1 although he belongs not to their party1 barks1 bites1 accuses1 and denounces too1 all things and all men1 and spits forth venom1 as if he was regardless where the venom fell1 or whom it blistered2 and1 with his pale1 bilious face1 and scrupulously-attired spare form1 seems to endeavour to preserve1 as far as he can1 in a new republic1 the agreeable tradition of another ,robespierre4 ,and let it not be supposed1 that malice or prejudice attaches to the ,montagnards these names4 ,the men of the last republican era1 whom history has execrated1 calumniously and unjustly they will say1 are their heroes and their demi-gods2 the sage legislators1 whose principles they vaunt as those of republican civilisation and humanity2 the models whom they avowedly1 and with a confessed air of ambition1 aspire to copy in word and deed4 ,part1 however1 of the systematic confusion1 which it is their evident aim to introduce into the deliberations of the ,assembly1 is1 in latter days1 to be attributable to their desire to create delays1 and lead to episodical discussions of angry quarrel and recrimination1 which may prolong the convulsive existence of the ,assembly to an indefinite period1 or by which they may profit to forward their own designs4 ,thus the day is rare1 as a ray of sunshine in a permanent equinoctial storm1 when the ,montagnards do not start from their seats1 upon the faintest pretext for discontent or accusation of reactionary tendencies2 and1 either en masse or individually1 fulminate1 gesticulate1 clamour1 shout1 denounce1 and threaten4 ,the thunder upon the ,mountain's brow is incessant3 if it does not burst forth in heavy peals1 it never ceases to growl4 ,each ,montagnard is a ,jupiter in his own conceit1 and hurls his thunderbolt with what force he may4 ,not a word can be spoken by a supposed reactionary orator without a murmur--not a phrase completed without a shout of denegation1 a torrent of interruptions1 or peeling bursts of ironical laughter4 ,the ,mountain is in perpetual labour2 but its produce bears more resemblance to a yelping pack of hungry blood-hounds1 than to an innocent mouse3 it is in perpetual movement2 and1 like crushing avalanches from its summit1 rush down its most energetic members to the tribune1 to attempt to crush the ,assembly by vehemence and violence of language4 ,these scenes of systematic tumult have necessarily increased in force1 since the boiling spite of disappointment has flowed over in hot reality1 in place of the affected and acted indignation3 the rage and agitation no longer know the least control4 ,the affair of the abolition of the clubs had scarcely lent an excellent pretext for this violence1 when the suppression of the insurrection1 and the arrests consequent upon the discomfiture of the conspiracy on the #bith of ,january1 gave a wide field for the exercise of the system of denunciation commonly pursued4 ,to be beforehand with accusation by counter-accusation1 has been always the tactics of the party3 when the party-chiefs find themselves involved in the suspicion of subversive attempts1 they begin the attack4 ,the ,montagnards have burst forth1 then1 to declare that the military precautions were a systematic provocation on the part of the ministry and ,general ,changarnier1 to incite the population of ,paris to civil discord2 that the only conspiracy existed in the government itself1 to suppress liberty and overthrow the republic--at least to cast a slur upon the only true republicans1 and have an excuse for tyrannical oppression towards them4 ,they closed their eyes to the fact that the insurrection1 of the proposed reality of which no doubt can remain1 spite of these angry denegations1 would have produced a crisis to which the real reactionary anti-republicans looked as one that must produce a change in the detested government of the country1 should the moderate party triumph in the struggle1 as was probable2 and that by the suppression of the insurrection the crisis was averted1 and the republic evidently consolidated for a time1 not weakened4 ,with their usual inconsistency1 and want of logical deduction1 at the same time that they accused the minister of a useless and provocative display of the military force1 they denounced the conspiracy as real1 but as proceeding from infamous royalists1 and not anarchist ,red republicans4 ,and then1 to follow up this pell-mell of self-contradictions--while1 on the one hand1 they denied any insurrectionary movement at all1 and1 on the other1 attributed it to royalists--they called1 in their language at the rostrum1 the commencement of the street demonstration on the morning of the #bith of ,january--which could not be denied1 and which had come down as usual from the faubourgs1 ever ripe for tumult--the sublime manifestation of the heroic people4 ,propositions couched in furious language1 for enqutes parlementaires1 and for the mise en accusation des ministres--every possible means of denunciation and intimidation were employed1 to increase the agitated hurly-burly of the ,assembly1 and subvert1 as far as was possible1 the few frail elements of order and of confidence that still subsisted in it4 ,in marking thus1 in hasty traits1 the position of parties in the ,assembly1 called together to establish and consolidate the republic upon a basis of peace and order1 what are the figures which are so noted down as forming part of the sum-total1 as the approaching conclusion of the revolutionary year is about to make up its accounts8 ,as regards the ,assembly1 increased confusion1 disunion1 bitter conflict of exasperated parties1 suspicion1 mistrust1 disaffection1 violence4 ,how stands the government of the country after the year's republicanism8 ,at its head is the ,republican ,president1 elected by the immense majority of the country1 but elected upon a deceptive basis--elected neither for his principles1 which were doubtful2 nor for his qualities1 which were unknown or supposed to be null2 nor even for his name1 7although much error has been founded upon the subject17 which1 after all1 dazzled only a comparatively small minority--but because he was supposed to represent the principle opposed to republicanism--opposed to the very rgime he was elected to support--opposed to that spirit of which the man who had once saved the country from anarchy1 and had once received the country's blessings1 was considered to be the type--because hopes were founded on his advent of a change in a system of government uncongenial1 and even hateful1 to the mass of the nation2 whether by the prestige of his name he attempted to re-establish an empire1 or whether1 as another ,monk1 he formed only a stepping-stone for a new monarch4 ,elected thus upon false principles1 the head of the government stands in an eminently false position4 ,he may have shown himself moderate2 inclined to support the republic upon that honest basis which the better-thinking republicans demand2 firm in the support of a cabinet1 the measures of which he approves2 and every way sincere and straightforward1 although not in all his actions wise3 but his position remains the same--placed between the ambitious hope of a party which might almost be said to exist no longer1 and which has become that only of a family and a few old adherents and connexions1 but which attempts to dazzle a country vain and proud of the word glory1 like ,france1 by the somewhat tarnished glitter of a name1 and the prospect of another which calls itself legitimate2--the point de mire of the army1 but1 at the same time1 the stalking-horse of a nation miserably wearied with the present hobby1 upon which it has been forced unwillingly to ride1 with about as much pleasure and aplomb as the famous tailor of ,brentford--and1 on the other hand1 suspected1 accused1 and denounced by those who claim to themselves the only true and pure essence of veritable republicanism4 ,it is a position placed upon a see-saw--placed in the centre1 it is true1 but liable1 in any convulsive crisis1 to be seriously compromised by the violent and abrupt elevation of either of the ends of the plank1 as it tosses up and down3 for the feet of the president1 instead of directing the movements of this perpetually agitated see-saw1 and giving the necessary steadiness1 without which the whole present republican balance must be overturned1 seem more destined to slip hither and thither in the struggle1 at the imminent risk of losing all equilibrium1 and slipping off the plank altogether4 ,as yet1 the president1 whenever he appears in public1 is followed by shouting and admiring crowds1 who run by his horse1 clap their hands1 call upon his name1 greet him with noisy cries of vive1 grasp his hands1 and of course present some hundreds of petitions2 but these demonstrations of respect must be attributed far less to personal consideration1 or popular affection1 or even to the prestige of the name of ,napoleon1 than to the eagerness of the ,parisian public1 even of the lowest classes--spite of all that may be said of their sentiments by their would-be leaders1 the ultra-democrats--to salute with acclamation the personage who represents a head1 a chief1 a point d'appui quelconque--a leading staff1 a guiding star1 a unity1 instead of a disorderly body--in one word1 a resemblance of royalty4 ,it is the president1 and not the man1 who is thus greeted4 ,the usual curiosity and love of show and parade of the ,parisian badauds1 at least as cockney as the famed ,londoner1 may be much mixed up again in all this1 but the sentiment remains the same2 nor do these demonstrations alter the position of the man who stands at the head of the government of ,france4 ,the ministry1 supported in principle by the country1 although not from any personal respect or liking1 stands in opposition to an ,assembly1 elected by that country1 but no longer representing it4 ,the army shows itself inclined to protect the government1 on the one hand1 and is said to be ready1 on the other1 to follow in the cry of vive l',empereur6 should that cry be raised4 ,the garde mobile1 although modified by its late reorganisation1 is suspected of versatility and unsoundness1 if not exactly of disaffection3 it stands in instant collision with the dislike and jealousy of the army1 and1 spite of its courageous part in ,june1 is looked upon askance by the lovers of order4 ,what aspect1 then1 have the figures which may be supposed to represent all this in the sum-total of the year's republicanism8 ,they bear the forms of instability1 suspicion1 doubt1 collision1 want of confidence in the future1 and all the evils attendant upon the uncertainty of a state of things which1 spite of assurances1 and spite of efforts1 the greater part of ,france seems inclined to look upon merely as provisionary4 ,under what form1 then1 does the public spirit exhibit itself in circumstances of so much doubt and instability8 ,the attitude of the working classes in general1 of the very great majority1 in fact--for those still swayed by the delusive arguments1 and still more delusive and destructive promises of the ,socialists and ,republicans are comparatively few1 although formidable in the ferocity of their doctrines and their plans1 and in the active restlessness of their feverish and excited energies1 which resemble the reckless1 sleepless1 activity of the madman--the attitude of the working classes in ,paris is calm1 and even expectant2 but calm from utter weariness--calm from the convictions1 founded on the saddest experience1 in the wretched results of further revolutions--calm from a sort of prostrate resignation1 and almost despair1 in the midst of the miseries and privations which the last fatal year has increased instead of diminishing1 and written with a twofold scourge upon their backs3 an attitude reassuring1 inasmuch as it implies hatred and opposition to the subversive doctrines of the anarchists1 but not without its dangers1 and1 to say the least1 heartrending and afflicting--and expectant in the hope and conviction of change in the cause of stability and order4 ,the feeling which1 after a few months of the rule of a reckless provisionary government1 was the prevailing one among the majority of the working classes--the feeling1 which has been already noted1 that king ,log1 or even king ,stork1 or any other concentrated power that would represent stability and order1 would be preferable to the uncertainties of a vacillating republican rule--has ever gained ground among them since those hopes of re-established confidence1 and a consequent amelioration of their wretched position1 which they first founded upon the meeting of the ,national ,assembly1 and then upon the election of a president1 have twice deceived them1 and left them almost as wretched as ever in the stagnation of trade and commercial affairs4 ,the feeling thus prevalent among the working classes in the capital1 is1 at the same time1 the feeling of the country at large1 but to an even far wider extent1 and more openly expressed4 ,the hatred of the departments to ,paris1 as the chief seat of revolution and disorder1 has also increased rather than diminished2 and everywhere the sentiments of utter weariness1 disaffection to the ,republic1 and impatience under a system of government of which they are no longer inclined to await the promised blessings1 are displayed upon all possible occasions1 and by every possible organ4 ,the upper classes among moneyed men1 and landed proprietors1 remain quiet and hold their tongue4 ,they may be expectant and desirous of change also1 but they show no open impatience1 for they can afford to wait4 ,it is they1 on the contrary1 who more generally express their opinions in the possibility of the establishment of a prosperous republic--a possibility which the working classes in their impatience deny4 ,in spite of all that ultra-democratic journals may say1 in their raving denunciations1 borrowed of the language of another ,republic1 some of the most eager and decided of those they term reactionary1 and denounce as aristocrats1 are thus to be found among the lower working classes4 ,to do justice to the truth of the accusations brought by the ,red republican party1 in another respect1 it is in the bourgeois spirit that is to be found the strongest and most openly avowed reactionary feeling4 ,it is impossible to enter any shop of the better order in ,paris1 and speak upon the position of affairs1 without hearing not only the hope1 but the expectation openly expressed1 of a monarchic restoration1 and that restoration in favour of the elder branch of the ,bourbons4 ,the feeling is universal in this class3 the name of ,henri ,v41 scarce mentioned at all1 and never under this title1 during the reign of ,louis ,philippe1 except in the exclusive circles of the ,faubourg ,st ,germain1 is now in every shopkeeper's mouth4 ,louis ,philippe1 the ,regency1 all the members of the ,orleans family1 the ,empire1 a ,bonapartist rule--all are set aside in the minds of these classes for the now-desired idol of their fickle choice1 the ,duke of ,bordeaux4 ,in these classes a restoration in favour of ,henri ,v4 is no longer a question of possibility2 it is a mere question of time3 it is not ,l'aurons-nous8 that they ask2 it is ,quand l'aurons-nous8 ,in this respect the real and true republicans1 in the honest designation of the term1 have certainly every reason to raise an angry clamour2 if sedition to the existing rgime of the country is not openly practised1 it is1 at all events1 openly and generally expressed4 ,nor are their accusations brought against the government entirely without justice2 for while1 on the one hand1 a measure of a nature altogether arbitrary1 under the freedom of a republican rule1 is exercised against a well-known artist1 by seizing in his atelier the portraits of the ,duke of ,bordeaux1 or1 as he is called1 the ,count of ,chambord1 and of the ,countess1 as seditiously exhibited1 lithographed likenesses of the ,bourbon heir are to be seen on all sides at print-shop windows1 and in popular temporary print-stalls2 in galleries1 arcades1 and upon street walls2 in vignettes1 upon ballads1 with such titles1 as ,dieu le veut1 or ,la ,france le veut1 or in busts of all dimensions4 ,again1 the ,henri-quinquiste feeling1 as it is called1 is universal among the fickle bourgeoisie of ,paris--the rock upon which ,louis ,philippe founded his throne1 and which sank under him in his hour of need3 and the bourgeois1 eager and confident in their hopes1 wilfully shut their eyes to the fact that1 were their detested republic overthrown1 there might arise future convulsions1 and future civil strife1 between a ,bonapartist faction--which necessarily grows1 and increases1 and flourishes more and more under the rule1 however temporary1 of a chief of the name--and the legitimist party3 for the ,orleanists1 whether fused by a compromise of their hopes with the ,legitimists1 as has been said1 or fallen into the obscurity of forgetfulness or indifference in the majority of the nation1 hold forth no decided banner at the present moment4 ,in regarding1 then1 the public spirit among the majority of all classes in ,paris1 without consulting the still more reactionary feeling of the departments1 the figures to be added to the sum-total of the year's republican account will be again found similar to those already enumerated1 in the shape of disaffection1 abhorrence of the republican government1 want of confidence in its stability1 expectation and hope of a change1 however it may come1 and although it may be brought about by a convulsion4 ,meanwhile the uncertainty and anxiety are increased by the continued expectation of some approaching crisis1 which the explosion of the insurrection1 destined for the #bith of ,january1 would have hastened1 and which the precautions taken for the suppression of the outbreak have evidently averted for the time4 ,but what confidence can be expressed in the stability of this temporary state of order in a country so full of excitement and love of change1 and in a state of continual revolution1 in which such conspiracy ceases not to work in darkness1 with the hope of attaining despotic power1 and in which disaffection to the state of things is openly expressed8 ,events have run their course with such fearful rapidity1 and the unexpected has been so greatly the order of the day1 in the last year's history of ,france1 that who can answer for the future of the next months1 or even weeks8 ,political prophets have long since thrown up the trade of oracle-giving in despair2 and the tripod of the oracle has been left to the occupation of the chances of the imprvu4 ,in spite1 then1 of the temporary reassurance of peace given by the last measures of the government1 which have been denounced by the ultra-democrats as arbitrary1 subversive1 and unconstitutional1 the underground agitation still continues4 ,paris dances once more1 repeating to itself1 however1 the often-repeated words1 ,nous dansons sur un volcan4 ,the carnival pursues its noisy pleasures1 under the protection of the forests of bayonets that are continually glittering along the gay sunlit streets1 and to the sound of the drum of the marching military1 who still give ,paris the aspect of a garrison in time of war4 ,gay salons are opened1 and carriages again rattle along the streets on moonlit nights2 but the spirit of ,parisian gaiety reposes not upon confidence1 and is but the practical application of the epicurean philosophy that takes for its maxim1 ,carpe diem4 ,whatever may be the reality of an approaching crisis1 which1 however feeble the symptoms at present1 the ,parisians insist upon regarding as near at hand1--whatever may be the hopes of some that the crisis1 however convulsive1 must produce a desired change1 and the fears of others of the civil strife1--whatever thus the desires of the sanguine1 the expectations of the hopeful1 the apprehensions of the peaceful1 and the terrors of the timorous1 the result is still the same--the uncertainty1 the want of confidence1 the evils attendant upon this feeling of instability1 so often already enumerated4 ,the violence and struggling rage of the ultra-democratic and socialist journals1 increasing in denunciation to the death1 and positively convulsive in their rage1 as the anti-republican reactionary spirit grows1 and spreads wider1 and every day takes firmer root1 and even dares to blossom openly in the expression of public opinion1 are looked upon as the throes of dying agony by the bold1 but are regarded with dread by the less courageous1 who know the force of the party's exaggerated violence1 and have already felt the miseries of their fanatic subversive attempts4 ,meanwhile1 the moderate or honest republic1 which vainly attempts a juste milieu of republicanism1 between extravagance and disaffection1 limps sadly forwards2 or1 as one of the late satirical pieces1 which openly attack the republic on the stage1 expresses it--amidst the applause and shouts of deriding laughter1 which hail it nightly in crowded houses1 not so much from the boxes as from the galleries thronged with types of the people--,elle bote6 elle bote6 ,republicans may thus clamour against the culpable laxity of a government1 which permits these much-applauded attacks upon the ,republic1 in accordance with the principle of freedom of opinion1 and in pursuance of the abolition of a theatrical censorship which they themselves condemned3 but so it is2 and therein may be sought and found one of the strongest popular evidences of popular disaffection4 ,and satires too1 and caricatures1 abound1 in which the unhappy ,republic is still more soundly scourged--demonstrations not less lively1 although they call not forth the evident approbation of a congregated multitude4 ,now1 then1 that the revolutionary year has almost closed there--now that the anniversary of the days of ,february is at hand--let people take the figures enumerated1 and justly enumerated1 as they will1 and place them as they fancy in the sum-total1 and cast them up as they please1 or deduce what value they may from the amount of the first year of new republicanism in ,france4 ,another question4 ,what ftes are to greet the anniversaries of the glorious days of the glorious revolution which established a glorious ,republic8 ,assuredly the fte will not be in the people's hearts3 no1 not even in the hearts of those whom their mis-named1 self-appointed friends choose to call1 par excellence1 the people4 ,,the ,,caxtons--,,part ,,xi4 ,,chapter ,,lii4 ,the next day1 on the outside of the ,cambridge ,telegraph1 there was one passenger who ought to have impressed his fellow-travellers with a very respectful idea of his lore in the dead languages2 for not a single syllable1 in a live one1 did he vouchsafe to utter from the moment he ascended that bad eminence1 to the moment in which he regained his mother earth4 ,sleep1 says honest ,sancho1 covers a man better than a cloak4 ,i am ashamed of thee1 honest ,sancho6 thou art a sad plagiarist2 for ,tibullus said pretty nearly the same thing before thee1-- ,te somnus fusco velavit amictu4#d ,but is not silence as good a cloak as sleep8--does it not wrap a man round with as offusc and impervious a fold8 ,silence--what a world it covers6--what busy schemes--what bright hopes and dark fears--what ambition1 or what despair6 ,do you ever see a man in any society sitting mute for hours1 and not feel an uneasy curiosity to penetrate the wall he thus builds up between others and himself8 ,does he not interest you far more than the brilliant talker at your left--the airy wit at your right1 whose shafts fall in vain on the sullen barrier of the silent man6 ,silence1 dark sister of ,nox and ,erebus1 how1 layer upon layer1 shadow upon shadow1 blackness upon blackness1 thou stretchest thyself from hell to heaven1 over thy two chosen haunts--man's heart and the grave6 ,so1 then1 wrapped in my greatcoat and my silence1 ,i performed my journey2 and on the evening of the second day ,i reached the old-fashioned brick house4 ,how shrill on my ears sounded the bell6 ,how strange and ominous to my impatience seemed the light gleaming across the windows of the hall6 ,how my heart beat as ,i watched the face of the servant who opened the gate to my summons6 ,all well8 cried ,i4 ,all well1 sir1 answered the servant1 cheerfully4 ,mr ,squills1 indeed1 is with master1 but ,i don't think there is anything the matter4 ,but now my mother appeared at the threshold1 and ,i was in her arms4 ,sisty1 ,sisty6--my dear1 dear son6--beggared1 perhaps--and my fault1--mine4 ,yours6--come into this room1 out of hearing--your fault8 ,yes1 yes6--for if ,i had had no brother1 or if ,i had not been led away1--if ,i had1 as ,i ought1 entreated poor ,austin not to-- ,my dear1 dearest mother1 you accuse yourself for what1 it seems1 was my uncle's misfortune--,i am sure not even his fault6 7,i made a gulp there47 ,no1 lay the fault on the right shoulders--the defunct shoulders of that horrible progenitor1 ,william ,caxton the printer2 for1 though ,i don't yet know the particulars of what has happened1 ,i will lay a wager it is connected with that fatal invention of printing4 ,come1 come1--my father is well1 is he not8 ,yes1 thank ,heaven4 ,and you too1 and ,i1 and ,roland1 and little ,blanche6 ,why then1 you are right to thank ,heaven1 for your true treasures are untouched4 ,but sit down and explain1 pray4 ,i cannot explain4 ,i do not understand anything more than that he1 my brother1--mine6--has involved ,austin in--in-- 7a fresh burst of tears47 ,i comforted1 scolded1 laughed1 preached1 and adjured in a breath2 and then1 drawing my mother gently on1 entered my father's study4 ,at the table was seated ,mr ,squills1 pen in hand1 and a glass of his favourite punch by his side4 ,my father was standing on the hearth1 a shade more pale2 but with a resolute expression on his countenance1 which was new to its indolent thoughtful mildness6 ,he lifted his eyes as the door opened1 and then1 putting his finger to his lips1 as he glanced towards my mother1 he said gaily1 ,no great harm done4 ,don't believe her6 ,women always exaggerate1 and make realities of their own bugbears3 it is the vice of their lively imaginations1 as ,wierus has clearly shown in accounting for the marks1 moles1 and hare-lips which they inflict upon their innocent infants before they are even born4 ,my dear boy1 added my father1 as ,i here kissed him and smiled in his face1 ,i thank you for that smile6 ,god bless you6 ,he wrung my hand1 and turned a little aside4 ,it is a great comfort1 renewed my father1 after a short pause1 to know1 when a misfortune happens1 that it could not be helped4 ,squills has just discovered that ,i have no bump of cautiveness2 so that1 craniologically speaking1 if ,i had escaped one imprudence1 ,i should certainly have run my head against another4 ,a man with your development is made to be taken in1 said ,mr ,squills1 consolingly4 ,do you hear that1 my own ,kitty6 and have you the heart to blame ,jack any longer--a poor creature cursed with a bump that would take in the ,stock ,exchange8 ,and can any one resist his bump1 ,squills8 ,impossible6 said the surgeon authoritatively4 ,sooner or later it must involve him in its airy meshes--eh1 ,squills8 entrap him into its fatal cerebral cell4 ,there his fate waits him1 like the ant-lion in its pit4 ,too true1 quoth ,squills4 ,what a phrenological lecturer you would have made6 ,go1 then1 my love1 said my father1 and lay no blame but on this melancholy cavity of mine1 where cautiveness--is not6 ,go1 and let ,sisty have some supper2 for ,squills says that he has a fine development of the mathematical organs1 and we want his help4 ,we are hard at work on figures1 ,pisistratus4 ,my mother looked broken-hearted1 and1 obeying submissively1 stole to the door without a word4 ,but as she reached the threshold she turned round1 and beckoned to me to follow her4 ,i whispered to my father1 and went out4 ,my mother was standing in the hall1 and ,i saw by the lamp that she had dried her tears2 and that her face1 though very sad1 was more composed4 ,sisty1 she said1 in a low voice which struggled to be firm1 promise me that you will tell me all1--the worst1 ,sisty4 ,they keep it from me1 and that is my hardest punishment2 for when ,i don't know all that he--that ,austin suffers1 it seems to me as if ,i had lost his heart4 ,oh1 ,sisty6 ,my child1 my child1 don't fear me6 ,i shall be happy whatever befalls us1 if ,i once get back my privilege--my privilege1 ,sisty1 to comfort1 to share6--do you understand me8 ,yes1 indeed1 my mother6 ,and with your good sense1 and clear woman's wit1 if you will but feel how much we want them1 you will be the best counsellor we could have4 ,so never fear1 you and ,i will have no secrets4 ,my mother kissed me1 and went away with a less heavy step4 ,as ,i re-entered1 my father came across the room and embraced me4 ,my son1 he said in a faltering voice1 if your modest prospects in life are ruined-- ,father1 father1 can you think of me at such a moment6 ,me6--,is it possible to ruin the young1 and strong1 and healthy6 ,ruin me1 with these thews and sinews6--ruin me1 with the education you have given me--thews and sinews of the mind6 ,oh no6 there1 ,fortune is harmless6 ,and you forget1 sir1--the saffron bag6 ,squills leapt up1 and1 wiping his eyes with one hand1 gave me a sounding slap on the shoulder with the other4 ,i am proud of the care ,i took of your infancy1 ,master ,caxton4 ,that comes of strengthening the digestive organs in early childhood4 ,such sentiments are a proof of magnificent ganglions in a perfect state of order4 ,when a man's tongue is as smooth as ,i am sure yours is1 he slips through misfortune like an eel4 ,i laughed outright1 my father smiled faintly2 and seating myself1 ,i drew towards me a paper filled with ,squills' memoranda1 and said1 ,now to find the unknown quantity4 ,what on earth is this8 ',supposed value of books1 #gej4' ,oh1 father6 this is impossible4 ,i was prepared for anything but that4 ,your books--they are your life6 ,nay1 said my father2 after all1 they are the offending party in this case1 and so ought to be the principal victims4 ,besides1 ,i believe ,i know most of them by heart4 ,but1 in truth1 we are only entering all our effects1 to be sure 7added my father proudly7 that1 come what may1 we are not dishonoured4 ,humour him1 whispered ,squills2 we will save the ,books4 ,then he added aloud1 as he laid finger and thumb on my pulse1 ,one1 two1 three1 about seventy--capital pulse--soft and full--he can bear the whole3 let us administer it4 ,my father nodded--,certainly4 ,but1 ,pisistratus1 we must manage your dear mother4 ,why she should think of blaming herself1 because poor ,jack took wrong ways to enrich us1 ,i cannot understand4 ,but1 as ,i have had occasion before to remark1 ,sphinx and ,enigma are nouns feminine4 ,my poor father6 that was a vain struggle for thy wonted innocent humour4 ,the lips quivered4 ,then the story came out4 ,it seems that1 when it was resolved to undertake the publication of the ,literary ,times1 a certain number of shareholders had been got together by the indefatigable energies of ,uncle ,jack2 and1 in the deed of association and partnership1 my father's name figured conspicuously as the holder of a fourth of this joint property4 ,if in this my father had committed some imprudence1 he had at least done nothing that1 according to the ordinary calculations of a secluded student1 could become ruinous4 ,but1 just at the time when we were in the hurry of leaving town1 ,jack had represented to my father that it might be necessary to alter a little the plan of the paper2 and1 in order to allure a larger circle of readers1 touch somewhat on the more vulgar news and interests of the day4 ,a change of plan might involve a change of title2 and he suggested to my father the expediency of leaving the smooth hands of ,mr ,tibbets altogether unfettered1 as to the technical name and precise form of the publication4 ,to this my father had unwittingly assented1 on hearing that the other shareholders would do the same4 ,mr ,peck1 a printer of considerable opulence1 and highly respectable name1 had been found to advance the sum necessary for the publication of the earlier numbers1 upon the guarantee of the said act of partnership1 and the additional security of my father's signature to a document1 authorising ,mr ,tibbets to make any change in the form or title of the periodical that might be judged advisable1 concurrent with the consent of the other shareholders4 ,now it seems that ,mr ,peck had1 in his previous conferences with ,mr ,tibbets1 thrown much cold water on the idea of the ,literary ,times1 and had suggested something that should catch the moneyed public1--the fact being1 as was afterwards discovered1 that the printer1 whose spirit of enterprise was congenial to ,uncle ,jack's1 had shares in three or four speculations1 to which he was naturally glad of an opportunity to invite the attention of the public4 ,in a word1 no sooner was my poor father's back turned than the ,literary ,times was dropped incontinently1 and ,mr ,peck and ,mr ,tibbets began to concentre their luminous notions into that brilliant and comet-like apparition which ultimately blazed forth under the title of ,the ,capitalist4 ,from this change of enterprise the more prudent and responsible of the original shareholders had altogether withdrawn4 ,a majority1 indeed1 were left2 but the greater part of those were shareholders of that kind most amenable to the influences of ,uncle ,jack1 and willing to be shareholders in anything1 since as yet they were possessors of nothing4 ,assured of my father's responsibility1 the adventurous ,peck put plenty of spirit into the first launch of ,the ,capitalist4 ,all the walls were placarded with its announcements2 circular advertisements ran from one end of of the kingdom to the other4 ,agents were engaged1 correspondents levied en masse4 ,the invasion of ,xerxes on the ,greeks was not more munificently provided for than that of ,the ,capitalist upon the credulity and avarice of mankind4 ,but as ,providence bestows upon fishes the instrument of fins1 whereby they balance and direct their movements1 however rapid and erratic1 through the pathless deeps1 so to the cold-blooded creatures of our own species--that may be classed under the genus ,,money-,,makers--the same protective power accords the fin-like properties of prudence and caution1 wherewith your true money-getter buoys and guides himself majestically through the great seas of speculation4 ,in short1 the fishes the net was cast for were all scared from the surface at the first splash4 ,they came round and smelt at the mesh with their shark bottle-noses1 and then1 plying those invaluable fins1 made off as fast as they could--plunging into the mud--hiding themselves under rocks and coral banks4 ,metaphor apart1 the capitalists buttoned up their pockets1 and would have nothing to say to their namesake4 ,not a word of this change1 so abhorrent to all the notions of poor ,augustine ,caxton1 had been breathed to him by ,peck or ,tibbets4 ,he ate1 and slept1 and worked at the great ,book1 occasionally wondering why he had not heard of the advent of the ,literary ,times1 unconscious of all the awful responsibilities which ,the ,capitalist was entailing on him2--knowing no more of ,the ,capitalist than he did of the last loan of the ,rothschilds4 ,difficult was it for all other human nature1 save my father's1 not to breathe an indignant anathema on the scheming head of the brother-in-law who had thus violated the most sacred obligations of trust and kindred1 and so entangled an unsuspecting recluse4 ,but1 to give even ,jack ,tibbets his due1 he had firmly convinced himself that ,the ,capitalist would make my father's fortune2 and if he did not announce to him the strange and anomalous development into which the original sleeping chrysalis of the ,literary ,times had taken portentous wing1 it was purely and wholly in the knowledge that my father's prejudices1 as he termed them1 would stand in the way of his becoming a ,croesus4 ,and1 in fact1 ,uncle ,jack had believed so heartily in his own project1 that he had put himself thoroughly into ,mr ,peck's power1 signed bills in his own name to some fabulous amount1 and was actually now in the ,fleet1 whence his penitential and despairing confession was dated1 arriving simultaneously with a short letter from ,mr ,peck1 wherein that respectable printer apprised my father that he had continued1 at his own risk1 the publication of ,the ,capitalist1 as far as a prudent care for his family would permit2 that he need not say that a new daily journal was a very vast experiment2 that the expense of such a paper as ,the ,capitalist was immeasurably greater than that of a mere literary periodical1 as originally suggested2 and that now1 being constrained to come upon the shareholders for the sums he had advanced1 amounting to several thousands1 he requested my father to settle with him immediately--delicately implying that he himself might settle as he could with the other shareholders1 most of whom1 he grieved to add1 he had been misled by ,mr ,tibbets into believing to be men of substance1 when in reality they were men of straw6 ,nor was this all the evil4 ,the ,great ,anti-,bookseller ,publishing ,society1--which had maintained a struggling existence--evinced by advertisements of sundry forthcoming works of solid interest and enduring nature1 wherein1 out of a long list1 amidst a pompous array of ,poems2 ,dramas not intended for the ,stage2 ,essays by ,phileutheros1 ,philanthropos1 ,philopolis1 ,philodemus1 and ,philalethes1 stood prominently forth ,the ,history of ,human ,error1 ,vols4 ,i4 and ,,ii41 quarto1 with illustrations1--the ,anti-,bookseller ,society1 ,i say1 that had hitherto evinced nascent and budding life by these exfoliations from its slender stem1 died of a sudden blight1 the moment its sun1 in the shape of ,uncle ,jack1 set in the ,cimmerian regions of the ,fleet2 and a polite letter from another printer 7,o ,william ,caxton1 ,william ,caxton6--fatal progenitor67 informing my father of this event1 stated complimentarily that it was to him1 as the most respectable member of the ,association1 that the said printer would be compelled to look for expenses incurred1 not only in the very costly edition of the ,history of ,human ,error1 but for those incurred in the print and paper devoted to ,poems1 ,dramas1 not intended for the stage1 ,essays by ,phileutheros1 ,philanthropos1 ,philopolis1 ,philodemus1 and ,philalethes1 with sundry other works1 no doubt of a very valuable nature1 but in which a considerable loss1 in a pecuniary point of view1 must be necessarily expected4 ,i own that1 as soon as ,i had mastered the above agreeable facts1 and ascertained from ,mr ,squills that my father really did seem to have rendered himself legally liable to these demands1 ,i leant back in my chair1 stunned and bewildered4 ,so you see1 said my father1 that as yet we are contending with monsters in the dark--in the dark all monsters look larger and uglier4 ,even ,augustus ,csar1 though certainly he had never scrupled to make as many ghosts as suited his convenience1 did not like the chance of a visit from them1 and never sate alone in tenebris4 ,what the amount of the sums claimed from me may be1 we know not2 what may be gained from the other shareholders is equally obscure and undefined4 ,but the first thing to do is to get poor ,jack out of prison4 ,uncle ,jack out of prison6 exclaimed ,i3 surely1 sir1 that is carrying forgiveness too far4 ,why1 he would not have been in prison if ,i had not been so blindly forgetful of his weakness1 poor man6 ,i ought to have known better4 ,but my vanity misled me2 ,i must needs publish a great book1 as if 7said ,mr ,caxton1 looking round the shelves17 there were not great books enough in the world6 ,i must needs1 too1 think of advancing and circulating knowledge in the form of a journal--,i1 who had not knowledge enough of the character of my own brother-in-law to keep myself from ruin6 ,come what will1 ,i should think myself the meanest of men to let that poor creature1 whom ,i ought to have considered as a monomaniac1 rot in prison1 because ,i1 ,austin ,caxton1 wanted common sense4 ,and 7concluded my father resolutely7 he is your mother's brother1 ,pisistratus4 ,i should have gone to town at once2 but1 hearing that my wife had written to you1 ,i waited till ,i could leave her to the companionship of hope and comfort--two blessings that smile upon every mother in the face of a son like you4 ,to-morrow ,i go4 ,not a bit of it1 said ,mr ,squills firmly2 as your medical adviser1 ,i forbid you to leave the house for the next six days4 ,,chapter ,,liii4 ,sir1 continued ,mr ,squills1 biting off the end of a cigar which he pulled from his pocket1 you concede to me that it is a very important business on which you propose to go to ,london4 ,of that there is no doubt1 replied my father4 ,and the doing of business well or ill entirely depends upon the habit of body6 cried ,mr ,squills triumphantly4 ,do you know1 ,mr ,caxton1 that while you are looking so calm1 and talking so quietly--just on purpose to sustain your son and delude your wife--do you know that your pulse1 which is naturally little more than sixty1 is nearly a hundred8 ,do you know1 sir1 that your mucous membranes are in a state of high irritation1 apparent by the papill at the tip of your tongue8 ,and if1 with a pulse like this1 and a tongue like that1 you think of settling money matters with a set of sharp-witted tradesmen1 all ,i can say is1 that you are a ruined man4 ,but-- began my father4 ,did not ,squire ,rollick1 pursued ,mr ,squills--,squire ,rollick1 the hardest head at a bargain ,i know of--did not ,squire ,rollick sell that pretty little farm of his1 ,scranny ,holt1 for thirty per cent below its value8 ,and what was the cause1 sir8--the whole county was in amaze6--what was the cause1 but an incipient simmering attack of the yellow jaundice1 which made him take a gloomy view of human life1 and the agricultural interest8 ,on the other hand1 did not ,lawyer ,cool1 the most prudent man in the three kingdoms--,lawyer ,cool1 who was so methodical1 that all the clocks in the county were set by his watch--plunge one morning head over heels into a frantic speculation for cultivating the bogs in ,ireland1 7his watch did not go right for the next three months1 which made our whole shire an hour in advance of the rest of ,england67 ,and what was the cause of that nobody knew1 till ,i was called in1 and fund the cerebral membranes in a state of acute irritation1 probably just in the region of his acquisitiveness and ideality4 ,no1 ,mr ,caxton1 you will stay at home1 and take a soothing preparation ,i shall send you1 of lettuce leaves and marshmallows4 ,but ,i1 continued ,squills1 lighting his cigar and taking two determined whiffs--but ,i will go up to town and settle the business for you1 and take with me this young gentleman1 whose digestive functions are just in a state to deal safely with those horrible elements of dyspepsia--the ,l4 ,s4 ,d4 ,as he spoke1 ,mr ,squills set his foot significantly upon mine4 ,but1 resumed my father mildly1 though ,i thank you very much1 ,squills1 for your kind offer1 ,i do not recognise the necessity of accepting it4 ,i am not so bad a philosopher as you seem to imagine2 and the blow ,i have received has not so deranged my physical organisation as to render me unfit to transact my affairs4 ,hum6 grunted ,squills1 starting up and seizing my father's pulse1 ninety-six--ninety-six if a beat6 ,and the tongue1 sir6 ,pshaw6 quoth my father1 you have not even seen my tongue6 ,no need of that1 ,i know what it is by the state of the eyelids--tip scarlet1 sides rough as a nutmeg grater6 ,pshaw6 again said my father1 this time impatiently4 ,well1 said ,squills solemnly1 it is my duty to say1 7here my mother entered1 to tell me that supper was ready17 and ,i say it to you1 ,mrs ,caxton1 and you1 ,mr ,pisistratus ,caxton1 as the parties most nearly interested1 that if you1 sir1 go to ,london upon this matter1 ,i'll not answer for the consequences4 ,oh6 ,austin1 ,austin6 cried my mother1 running up and throwing her arms round my father's neck2 while ,i1 little less alarmed by ,squills' serious tone and aspect1 represented strongly the inutility of ,mr ,caxton's personal interference at the first moment4 ,all he could do on arriving in town would be to put the matter into the hands of a good lawyer1 and that we could do for him2 it would be time enough to send for him when the extent of the mischief done was more clearly ascertained4 ,meanwhile ,squills griped my father's pulse1 and my mother hung on his neck4 ,ninety-six--ninety-seven6 groaned ,squills in a hollow voice4 ,i don't believe it6 cried my father1 almost in a passion--never better nor cooler in my life4 ,and the tongue--look at his tongue1 ,mrs ,caxton--a tongue1 ma'am1 so bright that you could see to read by it6 ,oh6 ,austin1 ,austin6 ,my dear1 it is not my tongue that is in fault1 ,i assure you1 said my father1 speaking through his teeth2 and the man knows no more of my tongue than he does of the mysteries of ,eleusis4 ,put it out then1 exclaimed ,squills1 and if it be not as ,i say1 you have my leave to go to ,london1 and throw your whole fortune into the two great pits you have dug for it4 ,put it out6 ,mr ,squills6 said my father1 colouring--,mr ,squills1 for shame6 ,dear1 dear ,austin6 your hand is so hot--you are feverish1 ,i am sure4 ,not a bit of it4 ,but1 sir1 only just gratify ,mr ,squills1 said ,i coaxingly4 ,there1 there6 said my father1 fairly baited into submission1 and shyly exhibiting for a moment the extremest end of the vanquished organ of eloquence4 ,squills darted forward his lynx-like eyes4 ,red as a lobster1 and rough as a gooseberry-bush6 cried ,squills1 in a tone of savage joy4 ,,chapter ,,liv4 ,how was it possible for one poor tongue1 so reviled and persecuted1 so humbled1 insulted1 and triumphed over--to resist three tongues in league against it8 ,finally1 my father yielded2 and ,squills1 in high spirits1 declared that he would go to supper with me1 to see that ,i eat nothing that could tend to discredit his reliance on my system4 ,leaving my mother still with her ,austin1 the good surgeon then took my arm1 and1 as soon as we were in the next room1 shut the door carefully1 wiped his forehead1 and said--,i think we have saved him6 ,would it really1 then1 have injured my father so much8 ,so much6--why1 you foolish young man1 don't you see that1 with his ignorance of business1 where he himself is concerned--though1 for any other one's business1 neither ,rollick nor ,cool has a better judgment--and with his d--d ,quixotic spirit of honour worked up into a state of excitement1 he would have rushed to ,mr ,tibbets1 and exclaimed ',how much do you owe8 there it is6'--settled in the same way with these printers1 and come back without a sixpence2 whereas you and ,i can look coolly about us1 and reduce the inflammation to the minimum6 ,i see1 and thank you heartily1 ,squills4 ,besides1 said the surgeon1 with more feeling1 your father has really been making a noble effort over himself4 ,he suffers more than you would think--not for himself1 7for ,i do believe that1 if he were alone in the world1 he would be quite contented if he could save fifty pounds a-year and his books17 but for your mother and yourself2 and a fresh access of emotional excitement1 all the nervous anxiety of a journey to ,london on such a business1 might have ended in a paralytic or epileptic affection4 ,now1 we have him here snug2 and the worst news we can give him will be better than what he will make up his mind for4 ,but you don't eat4 ,eat6 ,how can ,i8 ,my poor father6 ,the effect of grief upon the gastric juices1 through the nervous system1 is very remarkable1 said ,mr ,squills1 philosophically1 and helping himself to a broiled bone2 it increases the thirst1 while it takes away hunger4 ,no--don't touch ,port6--heating6 ,sherry and water4 ,,chapter ,,lv4 ,the house-door had closed upon ,mr ,squills--that gentleman having promised to breakfast with me the next morning1 so that we might take the coach from our gate--and ,i remained alone1 seated by the supper-table1 and revolving all ,i had heard1 when my father walked in4 ,pisistratus1 said he1 gravely1 and looking round him1 your mother6--suppose the worst--your first care1 then1 must be to try and secure something for her4 ,you and ,i are men--we can never want1 while we have health of mind and body2 but a woman--and if anything happens to me-- ,my father's lip writhed as it uttered these brief sentences4 ,my dear1 dear father6 said ,i1 suppressing my tears with difficulty1 all evils1 as you yourself said1 look worse by anticipation4 ,it is impossible that your whole fortune can be involved4 ,the newspaper did not run many weeks2 and only the first volume of your work is printed4 ,besides1 there must be other shareholders who will pay their quota4 ,believe me1 ,i feel sanguine as to the result of my embassy4 ,as for my poor mother1 it is not the loss of fortune that will wound her--depend on it1 she thinks very little of that2 it is the loss of your confidence4 ,my confidence6 ,ah yes6 tell her all your fears1 as your hopes4 ,do not let your affectionate pity exclude her from one corner of your heart4 ,it is that--it is that1 ,austin1--my husband--my joy--my pride--my soul--my all6 cried a soft1 broken voice4 ,my mother had crept in1 unobserved by us4 ,my father looked at us both1 and the tears which had before stood in his eyes forced their way4 ,then opening his arms--into which his ,kitty threw herself joyfully--he lifted those moist eyes upward1 and1 by the movement of his lips1 ,i saw that he thanked ,god4 ,i stole out of the room4 ,i felt that those two hearts should be left to beat and to blend alone4 ,and from that hour1 ,i am convinced that ,augustine ,caxton acquired a stouter philosophy than that of the stoics4 ,the fortitude that concealed pain was no longer needed1 for the pain was no longer felt4 ,,chapter ,,lvi4 ,mr ,squills and ,i performed our journey without adventure1 and1 as we were not alone on the coach1 with little conversation4 ,we put up at a small inn at the city1 and the next morning ,i sallied forth to see ,trevanion--for we agreed that he would be the best person to advise us4 ,but1 on arriving at ,st ,james's ,square1 ,i had the disappointment of hearing that the whole family had gone to ,paris three days before1 and were not expected to return till the meeting of ,parliament4 ,this was a sad discouragement1 for ,i had counted much on ,trevanion's clear head1 and that extraordinary range of accomplishment in all matters of business--all that related to practical life--which my old patron pre-eminently possessed4 ,the next thing would be to find ,trevanion's lawyer1 7for ,trevanion was one of those men whose solicitors are sure to be able and active47 ,but the fact was1 that he left so little to lawyers1 that he had never had occasion to communicate with one since ,i had known him2 and ,i was therefore in ignorance of the very name of his solicitor2 nor could the porter1 who was left in charge of the house1 enlighten me4 ,luckily1 ,i bethought myself of ,sir ,sedley ,beaudesert1 who could scarcely fail to give me the information required1 and who1 at all events1 might recommend me some other lawyer4 ,so to him ,i went4 ,i found ,sir ,sedley at breakfast with a young gentleman who seemed about twenty4 ,the good baronet was delighted to see me2 but ,i thought it was with a little confusion1 rare to his cordial ease1 that he presented me to his cousin1 ,lord ,castleton4 ,it was a name familiar to me1 though ,i had never before met its patrician owner4 ,the ,marquis of ,castleton was indeed a subject of envy to young idlers1 and afforded a theme of interest to gray-beard politicians4 ,often had ,i heard of that lucky fellow ,castleton1 who1 when of age1 would step into one of those colossal fortunes which would realise the dreams of ,aladdin--a fortune that had been out to nurse since his minority4 ,often had ,i heard graver gossips wonder whether ,castleton would take any active part in public life--whether he would keep up the family influence4 ,his mother 7still alive7 was a superior woman1 and had devoted herself1 from his childhood1 to supply a father's loss1 and fit him for his great position4 ,it was said that he was clever--had been educated by a tutor of great academic distinction1 and was reading for a double first class at ,oxford4 ,this young marquis was indeed the head of one of those few houses still left in ,england that retain feudal importance4 ,he was important1 not only from his rank and his vast fortune1 but from an immense circle of powerful connections2 from the ability of his two predecessors1 who had been keen politicians and cabinet-ministers2 from the prestige they had bequeathed to his name2 from the peculiar nature of his property1 which gave him the returning interest in no less than six parliamentary seats in ,great ,britain and ,ireland--besides that indirect ascendency which the head of the ,castletons had always exercised over many powerful and noble allies of that princely house4 ,i was not aware that he was related to ,sir ,sedley1 whose world of action was so remote from politics2 and it was with some surprise that ,i now heard that announcement1 and certainly with some interest that ,i1 perhaps from the verge of poverty1 gazed on this young heir of fabulous ,el-,dorados4 ,it was easy to see that ,lord ,castleton had been brought up with a careful knowledge of his future greatness1 and its serious responsibilities4 ,he stood immeasurably aloof from all the affectations common to the youth of minor patricians4 ,he had not been taught to value himself on the cut of a coat1 or the shape of a hat4 ,his world was far above ,st ,james's ,street and the clubs4 ,he was dressed plainly1 though in a style peculiar to himself--a white neckcloth1 7which was not at that day quite so uncommon for morning use as it is now17 trowsers without straps1 thin shoes and gaiters4 ,there was nothing in his manner of the supercilious apathy which characterises the dandy introduced to some one whom he doubts if he can nod to from the bow-window at ,white's--none of such vulgar coxcombries had ,lord ,castleton2 and yet a young gentleman more emphatically coxcomb it was impossible to see4 ,he had been told1 no doubt1 that1 as the head of a house which was almost in itself a party in the state1 he should be bland and civil to all men2 and this duty being grafted upon a nature singularly cold and unsocial1 gave to his politeness something so stiff1 yet so condescending1 that it brought the blood to one's cheek--though the momentary anger was counterbalanced by something almost ludicrous in the contrast between this gracious majesty of deportment1 and the insignificant figure1 with the boyish beardless face1 by which it was assumed4 ,lord ,castleton did not content himself with a mere bow at our introduction4 ,much to my wonder how he came by the information he displayed1 he made me a little speech after the manner of ,louis ,,xiv4 to a provincial noble--studiously modelled upon that royal maxim of urbane policy which instructs a king that he should know something of the birth1 parentage1 and family1 of his meanest gentleman4 ,it was a little speech1 in which my father's learning1 and my uncle's services1 and the amiable qualities of your humble servant1 were neatly interwoven--delivered in a falsetto tone1 as if learned by heart1 though it must have been necessarily impromptu2 and then1 reseating himself1 he made a gracious motion of the head and hand1 as if to authorise me to do the same4 ,conversation succeeded1 by galvanic jerks and spasmodic starts--a conversation that ,lord ,castleton contrived to tug so completely out of poor ,sir ,sedley's ordinary course of small and polished small-talk1 that that charming personage1 accustomed1 as he well deserved1 to be ,coryphus at his own table1 was completely silenced4 ,with his light reading1 his rich stores of anecdote1 his good-humoured knowledge of the drawing-room world1 he had scarce a word that would fit into the great1 rough1 serious matters which ,lord ,castleton threw upon the table1 as he nibbled his toast4 ,nothing but the most grave and practical subjects of human interest seemed to attract this future leader of mankind4 ,the fact is that ,lord ,castleton had been taught everything that relates to property--7a knowledge which embraces a very wide circumference47 ,it had been said to him ,you will be an immense proprietor--knowledge is essential to your self-preservation4 ,you will be puzzled1 bubbled1 ridiculed1 duped every day of your life1 if you do not make yourself acquainted with all by which property is assailed or defended1 impoverished or increased4 ,you have a vast stake in the country--you must learn all the interests of ,europe--nay1 of the civilised world--for those interests react on the country1 and the interests of the country are of the greatest possible consequence to the interests of the ,marquis of ,castleton4 ,thus the state of the ,continent--the policy of ,metternich--the condition of the ,papacy--the growth of ,dissent--the proper mode of dealing with the general spirit of ,democracy1 which was the epidemic of ,european monarchies--the relative proportions of the agricultural and manufacturing population--corn-laws1 currency1 and the laws that regulate wages--a criticism on the leading speakers of the ,house of ,commons1 with some discursive observations on the importance of fattening cattle--the introduction of flax into ,ireland--emigration--the condition of the poor--the doctrines of ,mr ,owen--the pathology of potatoes2 the connexion between potatoes1 pauperism1 and patriotism2 these1 and suchlike stupendous subjects for reflection--all branching1 more or less intricately1 from the single idea of the ,castleton property--the young lord discussed and disposed of in half-a-dozen prim1 poised sentences--evincing1 ,i must say in justice1 no inconsiderable information1 and a mighty solemn turn of mind4 ,the oddity was1 that the subjects so selected and treated should not come rather from some young barrister1 or mature political economist1 than from so gorgeous a lily of the field4 ,of a less man1 certainly1 one would have said--,cleverish1 but a prig2 but there really was something so respectable in a man born to such fortunes1 and having nothing to do but to bask in the sunshine1 voluntarily taking such pains with himself1 and condescending to identify his own interests--the interests of the ,castleton property--with the concerns of his lesser fellow-mortals1 that one felt the young marquis had in him the stuff to become a very considerable man4 ,poor ,sir ,sedley1 to whom all these matters were as unfamiliar as the theology of the ,talmud1 after some vain efforts to slip the conversation into easier grooves1 fairly gave in1 and1 with a compassionate smile on his handsome countenance1 took refuge in his easy-chair and the contemplation of his snuff-box4 ,at last1 to our great relief1 the servant announced ,lord ,castleton's carriage2 and with another speech of overpowering affability to me1 and a cold shake of the hand to ,sir ,sedley1 ,lord ,castleton went his way4 ,the breakfast parlour looked on the street1 and ,i turned mechanically to the window as ,sir ,sedley followed his guest out of the room4 ,a travelling carriage1 with four post-horses1 was at the door2 and a servant1 who looked like a foreigner1 was in waiting with his master's cloak4 ,as ,i saw ,lord ,castleton step into the street1 and wrap himself in his costly mantle lined with sables1 ,i observed1 more than ,i had while he was in the room1 the enervate slightness of his frail form1 and the more than paleness of his thin1 joyless face2 and then1 instead of envy1 ,i felt compassion for the owner of all this pomp and grandeur--felt that ,i would not have exchanged my hardy health1 and easy humour1 and vivid capacities of enjoyment in things the slightest and most within the reach of all men1 for the wealth and greatness which that poor youth perhaps deserved the more for putting them so little to the service of pleasure4 ,well1 said ,sir ,sedley1 and what do you think of him8 ,he is just the sort of man ,trevanion would like1 said ,i1 evasively4 ,that is true1 answered ,sir ,sedley1 in a serious tone of voice1 and looking at me somewhat earnestly4 ,have you heard8--but no1 you cannot have heard yet4 ,heard what8 ,my dear young friend1 said the kindest and most delicate of all fine gentlemen1 sauntering away that he might not observe the emotion he caused1 ,lord ,castleton is going to ,paris to join the ,trevanions4 ,the object ,lady ,ellinor has had at heart for many a long year is won1 and our pretty ,fanny will be ,marchioness of ,castleton when her betrothed is of age--that is1 in six months4 ,the two mothers have settled it all between them6 ,i made no answer1 but continued to look out of the window4 ,this alliance1 resumed ,sir ,sedley1 was all that was wanting to assure ,trevanion's position4 ,when parliament meets1 he will have some great office4 ,poor man6 how ,i shall pity him6 ,it is extraordinary to me1 continued ,sir ,sedley1 benevolently going on1 that ,i might have full time to recover myself1 how contagious that disease called business is in our foggy ,england6 ,not only ,trevanion1 you see1 has the complaint in its very worst and most complicated form1 but that poor dear cousin of mine1 who is so young1 7here ,sir ,sedley sighed7 and might enjoy himself so much1 is worse than you were when ,trevanion was fagging you to death4 ,but1 to be sure1 a great name and position1 like ,castleton's1 must be a very heavy affliction to a conscientious mind4 ,you see how the sense of its responsibilities has aged him already--positively1 two great wrinkles under his eyes4 ,well1 after all1 ,i admire him1 and respect his tutor3 a soil naturally very thin1 ,i suspect1 has been most carefully cultivated2 and ,castleton1 with ,trevanion's help1 will be the first man in the peerage--prime-minister some day1 ,i dare say4 ,and1 when ,i think of it1 how grateful ,i ought to feel to his father and mother1 who produced him quite in their old age2 for1 if he had not been born1 ,i should have been the most miserable of men--yes1 positively1 that horrible marquisate would have come to me6 ,i never think over ,horace ,walpole's regrets1 when he got the earldom of ,orford1 without the deepest sympathy1 and without a shudder at the thought of what my dear ,lady ,castleton was kind enough to save me from--all owing to the ,ems waters1 after twenty years' marriage6 ,well1 my young friend1 and how are all at home8 ,as when1 some notable performer not having yet arrived behind the scenes1 or having to change his dress1 or not having yet quite recovered an unlucky extra tumbler of exciting fluids--and the green curtain has therefore unduly delayed its ascent--you perceive that the thorough-bass in the orchestra charitably devotes himself to a prelude of astonishing prolixity1 calling in ,lodoiska or ,der ,freischutz to beguile the time1 and allow the procrastinating histrion leisure sufficient to draw on his flesh-coloured pantaloons1 and give himself the proper complexion for a ,coriolanus or ,macbeth--even so had ,sir ,sedley made that long speech1 requiring no rejoinder1 till he saw the time had arrived when he could artfully close with the flourish of a final interrogative1 in order to give poor ,pisistratus ,caxton all preparation to compose himself1 and step forward4 ,there is certainly something of exquisite kindness1 and thoughtful benevolence1 in that rarest of gifts1--fine breeding2 and when now1 remanned and resolute1 ,i turned round and saw ,sir ,sedley's soft blue eye shyly1 but benignantly1 turned to me--while1 with a grace no other snuff-taker ever had since the days of ,pope1 he gently proceeded to refresh himself by a pinch of the celebrated ,beaudesert mixture--,i felt my heart as gratefully moved towards him as if he had conferred on me some colossal obligation4 ,and this crowning question--,and how are all at home8 restored me entirely to my self-possession1 and for the moment distracted the bitter current of my thoughts4 ,i replied by a brief statement of my father's involvement1 disguising our apprehensions as to its extent1 speaking of it rather as an annoyance than a possible cause of ruin1 and ended by asking ,sir ,sedley to give me the address of ,trevanion's lawyer4 ,the good baronet listened with great attention2 and that quick penetration which belongs to a man of the world enabled him to detect1 that ,i had smoothed over matters more than became a faithful narrator4 ,he shook his head1 and1 seating himself on the sofa1 motioned me to come to his side2 then1 leaning his arm over my shoulder1 he said in his seductive1 winning way-- ,we two young fellows should understand each other1 when we talk of money matters4 ,i can say to you what ,i could not to my respectable senior--by three years2 your excellent father4 ,frankly1 then1 ,i suspect this is a bad business4 ,i know little about newspapers1 except that ,i have to subscribe to one in my county1 which costs me a small income2 but ,i know that a ,london daily paper might ruin a man in a few weeks4 ,and as for shareholders1 my dear ,caxton1 ,i was once teased into being a shareholder in a canal that ran through my property1 and ultimately ran off with #cj1jjj of it6 ,the other shareholders were all drowned in the canal1 like ,pharaoh and his hosts in the ,red ,sea4 ,but your father is a great scholar1 and must not be plagued with such matters4 ,i owe him a great deal4 ,he was very kind to me at ,cambridge1 and gave me the taste for reading1 to which ,i owe the pleasantest hours of my life4 ,so1 when you and the lawyers have found out what the extent of the mischief is1 you and ,i must see how we can best settle it4 ,what the deuce6 my young friend--,i have no 'encumbrances1' as the servants1 with great want of politeness1 call wives and children4 ,and ,i am not a miserable great landed millionnaire1 like that poor dear ,castleton1 who owes so many duties to society that he can't spend a shilling1 except in a grand way and purely to benefit the public4 ,so go1 my boy1 to ,trevanion's lawyer3 he is mine too4 ,clever fellow--sharp as a needle4 ,mr ,pike1 in ,great ,ormond ,street--name on a brass plate2 and when he has settled the amount1 we young scapegraces will help each other1 without a word to the old folks4 ,what good it does to a man1 throughout life1 to meet kindness and generosity like this in his youth6 ,i need not say that ,i was too faithful a representative of my father's scholarly pride1 and susceptible independence of spirit1 to accept this proposal2 and probably ,sir ,sedley1 rich and liberal as he was1 did not dream of the extent to which his proposal might involve him4 ,but ,i expressed my gratitude1 so as to please and move this last relic of the ,de ,coverleys1 and went from his house straight to ,mr ,pike's office1 with a little note of introduction from ,sir ,sedley4 ,i found ,mr ,pike exactly the man ,i had anticipated from ,trevanion's character--short1 quick1 intelligent1 in question and answer2 imposing1 and somewhat domineering1 in manner--not overcrowded with business1 but with enough for experience and respectability2 neither young nor old2 neither a pedantic machine of parchment1 nor a jaunty off-hand coxcomb of ,west ,end manners4 ,it is an ugly affair1 said he1 but one that requires management4 ,leave it all in my hands for three days4 ,don't go near ,mr ,tibbets1 nor ,mr ,peck2 and on ,saturday next1 at two o'clock1 if you will call here1 you shall know my opinion of the whole matter4 ,with that ,mr ,pike glanced at the clock1 and ,i took up my hat and went4 ,there is no place more delightful than a great capital1 if you are comfortably settled in it--have arranged the methodical disposal of your time1 and know how to take business and pleasure in due proportions4 ,but a flying visit to a great capital1 in an unsettled1 unsatisfactory way--at an inn--an inn in the city1 too--with a great worrying load of business on your mind1 of which you are to hear no more for three days2 and an aching1 jealous1 miserable sorrow at the heart1 such as ,i had--leaving you no labour to pursue1 and no pleasure that you have the heart to share in--oh1 a great capital then is indeed forlorn1 wearisome1 and oppressive6 ,it is the ,castle of ,indolence1 not as ,thomson built it1 but as ,beckford drew in his ,hall of ,eblis--a wandering up and down1 to and fro--a great awful space1 with your hand pressed to your heart2 and--oh for a rush on some half-tamed horse1 through the measureless green wastes of ,australia6 ,that is the place for a man who has no home in the ,babel1 and whose hand is ever pressing to his heart1 with its dull1 burning pain4 ,mr ,squills decoyed me the second evening into one of the small theatres2 and very heartily did ,mr ,squills enjoy all he saw1 and all he heard4 ,and while1 with a convulsive effort of the jaws1 ,i was trying to laugh too1 suddenly1 in one of the actors1 who was performing the worshipful part of a parish beadle1 ,i recognised a face that ,i had seen before4 ,five minutes afterwards1 ,i had disappeared from the side of ,squills1 and was amidst that strange world--,,behind ,,the ,,scenes4 ,my beadle was much too busy and important to allow me a good opportunity to accost him1 till the piece was over4 ,i then seized hold of him1 as he was amicably sharing a pot of porter with a gentleman in black shorts and a laced waistcoat1 who was to play the part of a broken-hearted father in the ,domestic ,drama in ,three ,acts1 that would conclude the amusements of the evening4 ,excuse me1 said ,i apologetically2 but1 as the ,swan pertinently observes1--',should auld acquaintance be forgot8' ,the ,swan1 sir6 cried the beadle aghast--the ,swan never demeaned himself by such d--d broad ,scotch as that6 ,the ,tweed has its swans as well as the ,avon1 ,mr ,peacock4 ,st--st--hush--hush--h--u--sh6 whispered the beadle in great alarm1 and eyeing me1 with savage observation1 under his corked eyebrows4 ,then1 taking me1 by the arm1 he jerked me away4 ,when he had got as far as the narrow limits of that little stage would allow us1 ,mr ,peacock said-- ,sir1 you have the advantage of me2 ,i don't remember you4 ,ah6 you need not look6--by gad1 sir1 ,i am not to be bullied1--it was all fair play4 ,if you will play with gentlemen1 sir1 you must run the consequences4 ,i hastened to appease the worthy man4 ,indeed1 ,mr ,peacock1 if you remember1 ,i refused to play with you2 and1 so far from wishing to offend you1 ,i now come on purpose to compliment you on your excellent acting1 and to inquire if you have heard anything lately of your young friend1 ,mr ,vivian4 ,vivian8--never heard the name1 sir4 ,vivian6 ,pooh1 you are trying to hoax me2 very good4 ,i assure you1 ,mr ,peac-- ,st--st--,how the deuce did you know that ,i was once called ,peac--that is1 people called me ,peac--,a friendly nickname1 no more--drop it1 sir1 or you 'touch me with noble anger6' ,well1 well2 'the rose1 by any name1 will smell as sweet1' as the ,swan1 this time at least1 judiciously observes4 ,but ,mr ,vivian1 too1 seems to have other names at his disposal4 ,i mean a young1 dark1 handsome man--or rather boy--with whom ,i met you in company by the roadside1 one morning4 ,o--h6 said ,mr ,peacock1 looking much relieved1 ,i know whom you mean1 though ,i don't remember to have had the pleasure of seeing you before4 ,no2 ,i have not heard anything of the young man lately4 ,i wish ,i did know something of him4 ,he was a 'gentleman in my own way4' ,sweet ,will has hit him off to a hair6-- ',the courtier's1 soldier's1 scholar's eye1 tongue1 sword4' ,such a hand with a cue6--you should have seen him seek 'the bubble reputation at the cannon's mouth6' ,i may say1 7continued ,mr ,peacock1 emphatically17 that he was a regular trump--trump6 he reiterated with a start1 as if the word had stung him--trump6 he was a ,,brick6 ,then fixing his eyes on me1 dropping his arms1 interlacing his fingers1 in the manner recorded of ,talma in the celebrated ,qu'en dis-tu8 he resumed in a hollow voice1 slow and distinct-- ,when--saw--you--him1--young m--m--a--n--nnn8 ,finding the tables thus turned on myself1 and not willing to give ,mr ,peac-- any clue to poor ,vivian--who thus appeared1 to my great satisfaction1 to have finally dropped an acquaintance more versatile than reputable--,i contrived1 by a few evasive sentences1 to keep ,mr ,peac--'s curiosity at a distance1 till he was summoned in haste to change his attire for the domestic drama4 ,and so we parted4 ,,chapter ,,lvii4 ,i hate law details as cordially as my readers can1 and therefore ,i shall content myself with stating that ,mr ,pike's management1 at the end1 not of three days1 but of two weeks1 was so admirable that ,uncle ,jack was drawn out of prison1 and my father extracted from all his liabilities1 by a sum two-thirds less than was first startlingly submitted to our indignant horror--and that1 too1 in a manner that would have satisfied the conscience of the most punctilious formalist1 whose contribution to the national fund1 for an omitted payment to the ,income ,tax4 the ,chancellor of the ,exchequer ever had the honour to acknowledge4 ,still the sum was very large in proportion to my poor father's income2 and what with ,jack's debts1 the claims of the ,anti-,publisher ,society's printer--including the very expensive plates that had been so lavishly bespoken1 and in great part completed1 for the ,history of ,human ,error--and1 above all1 the liabilities incurred on ,the ,capitalist2 what with the plant1 as ,mr ,peck technically phrased a great upas-tree of a total1 branching out into types1 cases1 printing-presses1 engines1 c41 all now to be resold at a third of their value2 what with advertisements and bills1 that had covered all the dead walls by which rubbish might be shot1 throughout the three kingdoms2 what with the dues of reporters1 and salaries of writers1 who had been engaged for a year at least to ,the ,capitalist1 and whose claims survived the wretch they had killed and buried2 what1 in short1 with all that the combined ingenuity of ,uncle ,jack and printer ,peck could supply for the utter ruin of the ,caxton family--even after all deductions1 curtailments1 and after all that one could extract in the way of just contribution from the least unsubstantial of those shadows called the shareholders--my father's fortune was reduced to little more than #hjjj1 which being placed at mortgage1 at #d per cent1 yielded just #cgb1 #ajs4 a-year--enough for my father to live upon1 but not enough to afford also his son ,pisistratus the advantages of education at ,trinity ,college1 ,cambridge4 ,the blow fell rather upon me than my father1 and my young shoulders bore it without much wincing4 ,this settled1 to our universal satisfaction1 ,i went to pay my farewell visit to ,sir ,sedley ,beaudesert4 ,he had made much of me1 during my stay in ,london4 ,i had breakfasted and dined with him pretty often2 ,i had presented ,squills to him1 who no sooner set eyes upon that splendid conformation1 than he described his character with the nicest accuracy as the necessary consequence of such a development for the rosy pleasures of life1 and whose philosophy delighted and consoled ,sir ,sedley4 ,we had never once retouched on the subject of ,fanny's marriage1 and both of us tacitly avoided even mentioning the ,trevanions4 ,but in this last visit1 though he maintained the same reserve as to ,fanny1 he referred without scruple to her father4 ,well1 my young ,athenian1 said he1 after congratulating me on the result of the negotiations1 and endeavouring again in vain to bear at least some share in my father's losses--well1 ,i see ,i cannot press this farther2 but at least ,i can press on you any little interest ,i may have1 in obtaining some appointment for yourself in one of the public offices4 ,trevanion could of course be more useful1 but ,i can understand that he is not the kind of man you would like to apply to4 ,shall ,i own to you1 my dear ,sir ,sedley1 that ,i have no taste for official employment8 ,i am too fond of my liberty4 ,since ,i have been at my uncle's old tower1 ,i account for half my character by the ,borderer's blood that is in me4 ,i doubt if ,i am meant for the life of cities1 and ,i have odd floating notions in my head1 that will serve to amuse me when ,i get home1 and may settle into schemes4 ,and now1 to change the subject1 may ,i ask what kind of person has succeeded me as ,mr ,trevanion's secretary8 ,why1 he has got a broad-shouldered1 stooping fellow1 in spectacles and cotton stockings1 who has written upon ',rent1' ,i believe--an imaginative treatise in his case1 ,i fear1 poor man1 for rent is a thing he could never have received1 and not often been trusted to pay4 ,however1 he is one of your political economists1 and wants ,trevanion to sell his pictures1 as 'unproductive capital4' ,less mild than ,pope's ,narcissa1 'to make a wash1' he would certainly 'stew a child4' ,besides this official secretary1 ,trevanion trusts1 however1 a good deal to a clever1 good-looking young gentleman1 who is a great favourite with him4 ,what is his name8 ,his name8--oh1 ,gower--a natural son1 ,i believe1 of one of the ,gower family4 ,here two of ,sir ,sedley's fellow fine gentlemen lounged in1 and my visit ended4 ,,chapter ,,lviii4 ,i swear1 cried my uncle1 that it shall be so2 and with a big frown1 and a truculent air1 he seized the fatal instrument4 ,indeed1 brother1 it must not1 said my father1 laying one pale1 scholar-like hand mildly on ,captain ,roland's brown1 bellicose1 and bony fist2 and with the other1 outstretched1 protecting the menaced1 palpitating victim4 ,not a word had my uncle heard of our losses1 until they had been adjusted1 and the sum paid2 for we all knew that the old tower would have been gone--sold to some neighbouring squire or jobbing attorney--at the first impetuous impulse of ,uncle ,roland's affectionate generosity4 ,austin endangered6 ,austin ruined6--he would never have rested till he came1 cash in hand1 to his deliverance4 ,therefore1 ,i say1 not till all was settled did ,i write to the ,captain1 and tell him gaily what had chanced4 ,and1 however light ,i made of our misfortunes1 the letter brought the ,captain to the red brick house the same evening on which ,i myself reached it1 and about an hour later4 ,my uncle had not sold the tower1 but he came prepared to carry us off to it vi et armis4 ,we must live with him1 and on him--let or sell the brick house1 and put out the remnant of my father's income to nurse and accumulate4 ,and it was on finding my father's resistance stubborn1 and that hitherto he had made no way1--that my uncle1 stepping back into the hall1 in which he had left his carpet-bag1 c41 returned with an old oak case1 and1 touching a spring roller1 out flew--the ,caxton pedigree4 ,out it flew--covering all the table1 and undulating1 ,nile-like1 till it had spread over books1 papers1 my mother's work-box1 and the tea-service1 7for the table was large and compendious1 emblematic of its owner's mind7--and then1 flowing on the carpet1 dragged its slow length along1 till it was stopped by the fender4 ,now1 said my uncle solemnly1 there never have been but two causes of difference between you and me1 ,austin4 ,one is over2 why should the other last8 ,aha6 ,i know why you hang back2 you think that we may quarrel about it6 ,about what1 ,roland8 ,about it1 ,i say--and ,i'll be d--d if we do6 cried my uncle1 reddening1 7,i never heard him swear before47 ,and ,i have been thinking a great deal upon the matter1 and ,i have no doubt you are right4 ,so ,i brought the old parchment with me1 and you shall see me fill up the blank1 just as you would have it4 ,now1 then1 you will come and live with me1 and we can never quarrel any more4 ,thus saying1 ,uncle ,roland looked round for pen and ink2 and1 having found them--not without difficulty1 for they had been submerged under the overflow of the pedigree--he was about to fill up the lacuna1 or hiatus1 which had given rise to such memorable controversy1 with the name of ,william ,caxton1 printer in the ,sanctuary1 when my father1 slowly recovering his breath1 and aware of his brother's purpose1 intervened4 ,it would have done your heart good to hear them--so completely1 in the inconsistency of human nature1 had they changed sides upon the question--my father now all for ,sir ,william de ,caxton1 the hero of ,bosworth2 my uncle all for the immortal printer4 ,and in this discussion they grew animated3 their eyes sparkled1 their voices rose--,roland's voice deep and thunderous1 ,austin's sharp and piercing4 ,mr ,squills stopped his ears4 ,thus it arrived at that point1 when my uncle doggedly came to the end of all argumentation--,i swear that it shall be so2 and my father1 trying the last resource of pathos1 looked pleadingly into ,roland's eyes1 and said1 with a tone soft as mercy1 ,indeed1 brother1 it must not4 ,meanwhile the dry parchment crisped1 creaked1 and trembled in every pore of its yellow skin4 ,but1 said ,i1 coming in1 opportunely1 like the ,horatian deity1 ,i don't see that either of you gentlemen has a right so to dispose of my ancestry4 ,it is quite clear that a man has no possession in posterity4 ,posterity may possess him2 but deuce a bit will he ever be the better for his great great-grandchildren6 ,,squills4--,hear1 hear6 ,,pisistratus--7warming47--,but a man's ancestry is a positive property to him4 ,how much1 not only of acres1 but of his constitution1 his temper1 his conduct1 character1 and nature1 he may inherit from some progenitor ten times removed6 ,nay1 without that progenitor would he ever have been born--would a ,squills ever have introduced him into the world1 or a nurse ever have carried him upo kolpo8 ,,squills4--,hear1 hear6 ,,pisistratus--7with dignified emotion7--,no man1 therefore1 has a right to rob another of a forefather1 with a stroke of his pen1 from any motives1 howsoever amiable4 ,in the present instance1 you will say1 perhaps1 that the ancestor in question is apocryphal--it may be the printer1 it may be the knight4 ,granted2 but here1 where history is in fault1 shall a mere sentiment decide8 ,while both are doubtful1 my imagination appropriates both4 ,at one time ,i can reverence industry and learning in the printer2 at another1 valour and devotion in the knight4 ,this kindly doubt gives me two great forefathers2 and1 through them1 two trains of idea that influence my conduct under different circumstances4 ,i will not permit you1 ,captain ,roland1 to rob me of either forefather--either train of idea4 ,leave1 then1 this sacred void unfilled1 unprofaned2 and accept this compromise of chivalrous courtesy--while my father lives with the ,captain1 we will believe in the printer2 when away from the ,captain1 we will stand firm to the knight4 ,good6 cried ,uncle ,roland1 as ,i paused1 a little out of breath4 ,and1 said my mother softly1 ,i do think1 ,austin1 there is a way of settling the matter which will please all parties4 ,it is quite sad to think that poor ,roland1 and dear little ,blanche1 should be all alone in the tower2 and ,i am sure that we should be much happier altogether4 ,there6 cried ,roland1 triumphantly4 ,if you are not the most obstinate1 hardhearted1 unfeeling brute in the world--which ,i don't take you to be--brother ,austin1 after that really beautiful speech of your wife's1 there is not a word to be said farther4 ,but we have not yet heard ,kitty to the end1 ,roland4 ,i beg your pardon1 a thousand times1 ma'am--sister1 said the ,captain1 bowing4 ,well1 ,i was going to add1 said my mother1 that we will go and live with you1 ,roland1 and club our little fortunes together4 ,blanche and ,i will take care of the house1 and we shall be just twice as rich together as we are separately4 ,pretty sort of hospitality that6 grunted the ,captain4 ,i did not expect you to throw me over in that way4 ,no1 no2 you must lay by for the boy there1--what's to become of him8 ,but we shall all lay by for him1 said my mother simply2 you as well as ,austin4 ,we shall have more to save1 if we have both more to spend4 ,ah1 save6--that is easily said3 there would be a pleasure in saving1 then6 said the ,captain mournfully4 ,and what's to become of me8 cried ,squills1 very petulantly4 ,am ,i to be left here1 in my old age--not a rational soul to speak to1 and no other place in the village where there's a drop of decent punch to be had6 ',a plague on both your houses'6 as the chap said at the theatre the other night4 ,there's room for a doctor in our neighbourhood1 ,mr ,squills1 said the ,captain4 ,the gentleman in your profession who does for us1 wants1 ,i know1 to sell the business4 ,humph6 said ,squills--a horrible healthy neighbourhood1 ,i suspect6 ,why1 it has that misfortune1 ,mr ,squills2 but with your help1 said my uncle slily1 a great alteration for the better may be effected in that respect4 ,mr ,squills was about to reply1 when ring--a-ting--ring--ting6 there came such a brisk1 impatient1 make-one's-self-at-home kind of tintanabular alarum at the great gate1 that we all started up and looked at each other in surprise4 ,who could it possibly be8 ,we were not kept long in suspense2 for1 in another moment1 ,uncle ,jack's voice1 which was always very clear and distinct1 pealed through the hall2 and we were still staring at each other when ,mr ,tibbets1 with a bran-new muffler round his neck1 and a peculiarly comfortable1 greatcoat--best double ,saxony1 equally new--dashed into the room1 bringing with him a very considerable quantity of cold air1 which he hastened to thaw1 first in my father's arms1 next in my mother's4 ,he then made a rush at the ,captain1 who ensconced himself behind the dumb waiter with a ,hem6 ,mr--sir--,jack--sir--hem1 hem6 ,failing there1 ,mr ,tibbets rubbed off the remaining frost upon his double ,saxony against your humble servant2 patted ,squills affectionately on the back1 and then proceeded to occupy his favourite position before the fire4 ,took you by surprise1 eh8 said ,uncle ,jack1 unpeeling himself by the hearth-rug4 ,but no--not by surprise2 you must have known ,jack's heart3 you at least1 ,austin ,caxton1 who know everything--you must have seen that it overflowed1 with the tenderest and most brotherly emotions2 that1 once delivered from that cursed ,fleet1 7you have no idea what a place it is1 sir17 ,i could not rest1 night or day1 till ,i had flown here--here1 to the dear family nest--poor wounded dove that ,i am6 added ,uncle ,jack pathetically1 and taking out his pocket-handkerchief from the double ,saxony1 which he had now flung over my father's arm-chair4 ,not a word replied to this eloquent address1 with its touching peroration4 ,my mother hung down her pretty head1 and looked ashamed4 ,my uncle retreated quite into the corner1 and drew the dumb waiter after him1 so as to establish a complete fortification4 ,mr ,squills seized the pen that ,roland had thrown down1 and began mending it furiously--that is1 cutting it into slivers--thereby denoting1 symbolically1 how he would like to do with ,uncle ,jack1 could he once get him safe and snug under his manipular operations4 ,i leant over the pedigree1 and my father rubbed his spectacles4 ,the silence would have been appalling to another man3 nothing appalled ,uncle ,jack4 ,uncle ,jack turned to the fire1 and warmed first one foot1 then the other4 ,this comfortable ceremony performed1 he again faced the company--and resumed musingly1 and as if answering some imaginary observations-- ,yes1 yes--you are right there--and a deuced unlucky speculation it proved too4 ,but ,i was overruled by that fellow ,peck4 ,says ,i to him--says ,i--',capitalist6 pshaw--no popular interest there--it don't address the great public6 ,very confined class the capitalists2 better throw ourselves boldly on the people4 ,yes1' said ,i1 'call it the anti-,capitalist4' ,by ,jove1 sir1 we should have carried all before us6 but ,i was overruled4 ,the ,anti-,capitalist6--what an idea6 ,address the whole reading world then1 sir3 everybody hates the capitalist--everybody would have his neighbour's money4 ,the ,anti-,capitalist6--sir1 we should have gone off1 in the manufacturing towns1 like wildfire4 ,but what could ,i do8-- ,john ,tibbets1 said my father solemnly1 capitalist or anti-capitalist1 thou hadst a right to follow thine own bent1 in either--but always provided it had been with thine own money4 ,thou see'st not the thing1 ,john ,tibbets1 in the right point of view2 and a little repentance1 in the face of those thou hast wronged1 would not have misbecome thy father's son1 and thy sister's brother6-- ,never had so severe a rebuke issued from the mild lips of ,austin ,caxton2 and ,i raised my eyes with a compassionate thrill1 expecting to see ,john ,tibbets gradually sink and disappear through the carpet4 ,repentance6 cried ,uncle ,jack1 bounding up1 as if he had been shot4 ,and do you think ,i have a heart of stone1 of pummy-stone6--do you think ,i don't repent8 ,i have done nothing but repent--,i shall repent to my dying day4 ,then there is no more to be said1 ,jack1 cried my father1 softening1 and holding out his hand4 ,yes6 cried ,mr ,tibbets1 seizing the hand1 and pressing it to the heart he had thus defended from the suspicion of being pummy--yes--that ,i should have trusted that dunder-headed1 rascally1 curmudgeon ,peck3 that ,i should have let him call it ,the ,capitalist1 despite all my convictions1 when the ,anti---- ,pshaw6 interrupted my father1 drawing away his hand4 ,john1 said my mother gravely1 and with tears in her voice1 you forget who delivered you from prison1--you forget whom you have nearly consigned to prison yourself1--you forg-- ,hush1 hush6 said my father1 this will never do2 and it is you who forget1 my dear1 the obligations ,i owe to ,jack4 ,he has reduced my fortune one half1 it is true2 but ,i verily think he has made the three hearts1 in which lie my real treasures1 twice as large as they were before4 ,pisistratus1 my boy1 ring the bell4 ,my dear ,kitty1 cried ,jack1 whimperingly1 and stealing up to my mother1 don't be so hard on me2 ,i thought to make all your fortunes--,i did1 indeed4 ,here the servant entered4 ,see that ,mr ,tibbets' things are taken up to his room1 and that there is a good fire1 said my father4 ,and1 continued ,jack1 loftily1 ,i will make all your fortunes yet4 ,i have it here6 and he struck his head4 ,stay a moment1 said my father to the servant1 who had got back to the door4 ,stay a moment1 said my father1 looking extremely frightened2 perhaps ,mr ,tibbets may prefer the inn8 ,austin1 said ,uncle ,jack with emotion1 if ,i were a dog1 with no home but a dog-kennel1 and you came to me for shelter1 ,i would turn out--to give you the best of the straw6 ,my father was thoroughly melted this time4 ,primmins will be sure to see everything is made comfortable for ,mr ,tibbets1 said he1 waving his hand to the servant4 ,something nice for supper1 ,kitty1 my dear--and the largest punch-bowl4 ,you like punch1 ,jack8 ,punch1 ,austin6 said ,uncle ,jack1 putting his handkerchief to his eyes4 ,the ,captain pushed aside the dumb waiter1 strode across the room1 and shook hands with ,uncle ,jack2 my mother buried her face in her apron1 and fairly ran off2 and ,squills said in my ear1 ,it all comes of the biliary secretions4 ,nobody could account for this1 who did not know the peculiarly fine organisation of your father's--liver6 ,,footnote3 #d ,tibullus1 iii4 #d1 #ee4 ,m4 ,,prudhon4--,,contradictions ,,economiques4#e ,if we wished to convert some inveterate democrat--some one of those eternal agitators of political and social revolutions--whose reasonings1 though perhaps unconsciously to themselves1 are all based on a far too sanguine view of the probable destinies of human society--there is no text-book we should more willingly select than this mad and apparently destructive work of ,m4 ,prudhon's4 ,the bold development of those fundamental truths which have hitherto determined the framework of society1 and1 still more1 the display it presents of the utter impotence of the wit of man1 and all his speculative ingenuity1 to reshape and reorganise the social world1 must have1 on every mind accustomed to reflection1 a most sobering and conservative influence4 ,what it was intended to teach is another matter2 but to a mind well constituted it would convey this grave lesson--to recognise and submit to the inevitable2 to be content to labour for partial remedies and limited results2 to be satisfied with doing good1 though it be something short of organic change2 to think it sufficient ambition to be of that salt of the earth which preserves whatever is pure and excellent1 without aspiring to be that consuming flame which is to fuse and recast the world4 ,such was the reflection with which we closed the perusal of the ,contradictions ,economiques2 and this reflection has led us to the present notice of a work which was not originally taken up with the intention of bringing it before our readers4 ,we were referred to it as the work in which a man who has obtained unenviable notoriety had most systematically developed his ideas4 ,whether it is so1 or not1 we do not pledge ourselves to decide3 we have had enough of ,prudhonerie4 ,but after a perusal1 induced by mere curiosity1 it occurred to us that some brief account of the book1 and of the train of thought which it had suggested to us1 and would probably suggest to most ,english readers1 would not be unacceptable4 ,it is worthy of remark1 that it is not uniformly from the most perfect works that we derive the greatest stimulant to thinking1 or the largest supply of food for reflection4 ,many an important step in intellectual progress has been due to an author1 not one of whose views have been finally adopted1 or would have borne perhaps a searching examination4 ,the startling effect of paradox--the conflict with it--the perplexing entanglement of known truth with manifest error1--all this has supplied a more bracing and vigorous exercise for the mind1 than lucid tenets lucidly set forth by writers of unimpeachable good sense4 ,god forbid that any one should accuse us of saying1 that it is better to read a bad book than a good one2 this would be the greatest of all absurdities2 but there are eras in our mental progress when much is gained by the contest with bold and subtle fallacies4 ,there is not a book in our own language more replete with paradox and sophistry1 with half truths and tortuous reasonings1 than ,godwin's ,political ,justice2 yet we doubt not there are those living who would acknowledge that the perusal of that once1 and for a short time1 celebrated treatise1 did more1 by the incessant combat it provoked1 to make evident to them the real constitution of human society1 than the smooth sagacity of a hundred ,paleys could have done4 ,indeed1 when we compare the ,political ,justice with the reveries of ,communism1 so rife amongst our neighbours1 we feel proud of our ,english dreamer4 ,godwin's scheme was somewhat as if one of the ancient stoics1 not content with imposing upon his wise man rules of conduct quite independent of all human passions and affections1 had resolved that the whole multitude of the species should demean themselves according to the same impracticable rules1 and should learn to live1 and labour1 and enjoy1 like reasoning automata4 ,under the light diffused upon them by the author of the ,political ,justice1 men were to set aside all selfishness--all their natural1 and even kindly affections--and to act in unceasing conformity to certain abstractions of the reasoning faculty2 were1 in short1 neither to love nor to hate2 but1 sitting in eternal judgment over themselves1 were simply to reason and to act4 ,like the iron figures that formerly stood elevated above the living crowd of ,fleet ,street1 on either side of the venerable clock of ,st ,dunstan's1 they were to keep their eye fixed on the dial-plate of a most well-regulated conscience2 and ever1 as the hour came round1 they were to rise and strike1 and then subside into their metallic repose4 ,still1 however1 the great sentiment of justice1 to which ,godwin made his appeal1 afforded him a far more noble and manly topic than the affected philanthropy on which so many ,frenchmen have been descanting4 ,justice1 though not understood after the manner of ,mr ,godwin1 is a sentiment which really lives and moves in the very heart of society4 ,men respond to an appeal to their sense of justice2 they become ungovernable if that sense of justice is long outraged2 they work upon this sentiment2 they can labour and endure according to its dictates3 but for this philanthropy1 or fraternity1 of which we hear so much--what has it ever done8 ,it never regulated the transactions of a single day2 never produced a grain of corn1 or a shred of apparel2 produces nothing but theories4 ,it is a vain1 importunate1 idle1 and clamorous sentiment3 it is justice all on one side2 it demands incessantly1 it gives never2 it has hands to petition with1 to clutch with1 to rob with1 to murder with1 but not to work with2 it has no hand that holds the plough1 or strikes upon the anvil4 ,the ,systme des ,contradictions ,economiques may lay claim to the same sort of praise we have accorded to the ,political ,justice3 it prompts reflection2 and a man of intellect sufficiently robust to profit by such rude gymnastics1 will not regret its perusal4 ,it also avoids1 like the work of ,godwin1 the pernicious cant of universal philanthropy--pernicious when brought forward as a general motive of human actions--and looks for a renovation of society in a more enlightened sentiment of justice--determining anew the value of each man's labour1 and securing to him that value--property being legitimate only 7so far as we can understand our author7 when it contains in it the labour of the proprietor4 ,how ,justice is to execute the task which ,m4 ,prudhon1 in very vague and mysterious terms1 imposes upon her1 we have not the least idea2 nor has an attentive perusal of his book given us the remotest conception of any practical scheme that he would even make experiment of4 ,but1 at all events1 it is better to descant on the energetic sentiment of justice1 which desires to earn and keep its own1 than on the idle sublimities of a universal fraternity--a sentiment which relaxes the springs of industry1 by teaching every man to expect everything from his neighbours1 or from an omnipotent abstraction he calls the state4 ,it is a difference of some importance1 because all these schemes for the renovation of society do1 in fact1 end in a sort of moral or immoral preachment4 ,when we have said thus much1 and added that ,m4 ,prudhon attacks the ,communists1 of all shades and descriptions1 in a quite overwhelming manner1 utterly crushing and annihilating them1--we have said the utmost that can be admitted1 or devised1 in praise of his work4 ,it would require a much longer paragraph to exhaust all that might be justly said in its condemnation4 ,it is strewed over1 knee-deep1 with metaphysical trash4 ,it is steeped in atheism1 or something worse1 and infinitely more foolish2 for there is a pretence of sustaining the hypothesis of a ,god1 for no other ostensible reason than to provide an object for the blasphemy that follows4 ,the rudest savages1 in their first conception of a ,god1 regard him as an enemy1 and offer sacrifices to propitiate an unprovoked and wanton anger--the reflected image of their own wild passions4 ,m4 ,prudhon's philosophy has actually brought him1 in one respect1 back to the creed of the savages4 ,he proves1 by some insane process not worth following1 that the ,creator of man is essentially opposed to the progress of human society1 and is to be utterly deserted1 desecrated1 defied4 ,he does not1 indeed1 sacrifice1 like the savage2 he rather talks rebellion1 like ,satan4 ,no one would believe1 who had not read the book1 with what a mixture of outrage and levity he speaks of the most sacred of all beings3 it is the doctrine of the rebel-fiend taught with the gesticulation of a satyr4 ,we shall not quote a single passage to justify this censure1 for the same reason that we should not extract the indecencies of a volume in order to prove the charge of obscenity4 ,why should the ear be wounded1 or the mind soiled and disgusted1 when no end is answered except the conviction of an offender who1 utterly dead to shame1 rejoices to see his impurities or impieties pitched abroad8 ,notwithstanding that formidable appearance of metaphysics to which we have alluded--his ,kant and his ,hegel1 his thesis1 antithesis1 and synthesis1 and all his pretensions to extraordinary profundity--it so happens that the very first elements of that science of political economy1 which he affects to look down upon as from a higher level1 are often miserably misapprehended2 or--what is certainly not more to his credit--they are thrown1 for a season1 into a wilful oblivion4 ,if he is discoursing upon the division of labour1 and its effect upon the remuneration of the workman1 he ignores1 for the time being1 the manifest relation between population and wages1 and represents the wages as decreasing only because the nature of the work required becomes more and more simple and mechanical4 ,if he is discoursing upon population1 and its pressure upon the means of subsistence1 he can venture to forget the very laws of nature4 ,you state1 he says1 that population increases in a geometrical ratio--#a1 #b1 #d1 #h1 #af2 well1 ,i will show that capital and wealth follow a law of progression more rapid still1 of which each term may be considered as the square of the corresponding number of the geometrical series1 as #a1 #d1 #af1 #fd1 #bef4f ,since all our wealth is derived originally from the soil1 man must1 therefore1 have it in his power to increase the fertility of the soil according to the above ratio4 ,it will be something new to our farmers to learn this4 ,in compensation1 we presume1 for this occasional oblivion of the truisms of political economy--truisms1 in fact1 of common sense--we have1 here and there1 strange and novel definitions and explanations1 ushered in with that pomp which an egotistical ,frenchman can alone display1 and turning out to be as idle verbiage as was ever penned4 ,take1 as the first specimen we can call to mind1 the following definition of labour4 ,we cannot attempt to translate it3 the ,english language does not easily mould itself to nonsense of this sort3--,qu'est-ce donc que le travail8 ,nul encore ne l'a dfini4 ,le travail est l'mission de l'esprit4 ,travailler1 c'est dpenser sa vie2 travailler1 en un mot1 c'est se dvouer1 c'est mourir4 ,que les utopistes ne nous parlent plus de dvoment3 c'est le travail1 exprim et mesur par ses oeuvres4--7,vol4 ii41 p4 #dfe47 ,labour needed to be defined1 it seemed2 and this is the definition1 ,l'mission de l'esprit6 ,and in play1 then1 as well as in work1 is there no emission of the spirits1 or mind1 or life of the man8 ,did ,m4 ,prudhon never run a race1 or handle a bat at cricket1 or ride with the hounds8 or can he not remember that such things are1 though not in his philosophy8 ,but dear1 inexpressibly dear to ,m4 ,prudhon1 is every idea of his own that savours of paradox2 and the more it violates common sense1 the more tenderly he clings to it1 cherishes1 and vaunts it4 ,this1 doubtless1 is one of his favourite children4 ,his celebrated aphorism1 ,la ,proprit c'est le vol1--he contradicts it himself in every page of his writings1 yet boasts and cherishes it as his greatest possession1 and the most remarkable discovery of the age4 ,la dfinition de la proprit1 he says1 in answer to a sarcasm of ,m4 ,michelet1 est mienne1 et toute mon ambition est de prouver que j'en ai compris le sens et l'tendue4 ,la proprit c'est le vol6 il ne se dit pas1 en mille ans1 deux mots comme celui-l4 ,je n'ai d'autre bien sur la terre que cette dfinition de la proprit3 mais je la tiens plus prcieuse que les millions des ,rothschild1 et j'ose dire qu'elle sera l'vnement le plus considrable du gouvernement de ,louis-,philippe4--7,vol4 ii41 p4 #cbh47 ,even in that tenebrous philosophy which he has imported from ,germany1 and which he teaches with such caustic condescension to the political economists1 he is very much at fault4 ,it is always1 we know1 an adventurous matter to accuse any one who deals in the idealistic metaphysics of modern ,germany of obscurity1 or of imperfect knowledge of the theories taught in his own school4 ,the man has but to dive into deeper mud to escape from you4 ,follow him you assuredly cannot2 he is out of sight1 and the thick sediment deters2 and thus1 in the eyes of all who are not aware what the capture would cost to any hapless pursuer1 the fugitive is sure of his triumph4 ,nevertheless1 we venture to assert that ,m4 ,prudhon is but a young1 and a not very promising scholar in the philosophy of ,kant and of ,hegel4 ,two very manifest blunders it will be enough to indicate3 he assimilates his ,contradictions ,economiques to the ,antinomies of the ,pure ,reason developed by ,kant2 and he confounds ,kant with ,hegel in a matter where they are widely opposed1 and speaks as if the same law of contradiction were common to both4 ,after alluding to some of his own contradictions1 he says1 ,tel est encore le problme de la divisibilit de la matire l'infini1 que ,kant a dmontr pouvoir tre ni et affirm1 tour--tour1 par des arguments galement plausibles et irrfutables4--7,vol4 i4 p4 #dc47 ,it is the object of ,kant1 in one of the most striking portions of the ,critique of ,pure ,reason1 to show that1 in certain problems1 the mind is capable of being led with equal force of conviction to directly opposite conclusions4 ,the pure reason1 it seems1 gets hold of the forms of the understanding1 and can extract nothing from them but a series of antinomies1 like that which ,m4 ,prudhon has alluded to1 where the infinite divisibility of matter is both proved and disproved with equal success4 ,now what analogy is there between the contradictions which ,m4 ,prudhon can develop1 in any one of our social laws1 and the antinomies of ,kant8 ,in these last1 two opposite conclusions of speculative reason are arrived at1 which destroy each other2 in the ,contradictions ,economiques1 the good and evil flowing from the same law may very easily co-exist4 ,they affect different persons1 or the same persons at different times4 ,free competition1 for instance1 in trade or manufacture1 may be viewed on its bright side as the promoter of industry and invention2 on its dark side as the fomenter of strife1 and the inflicter of injury on those who lose in the game of wealth4 ,but the benefit and injury arising from this source do not destroy each other1 like the yes and no of an abstract proposition2 they can be balanced against each other2 they co-exist1 and1 for aught we see1 will eternally co-exist4 ,let them be as strikingly opposed as you will1 they can have nothing in common with the antinomies of ,kant4 ,m4 ,prudhon proves that there is darkness and brightness scattered over the surface of society3 he does not prove that the same spot1 at the same moment1 is both black and white4 ,from ,kant he slides to ,hegel1 as if their tenets on this subject at all resembled each other4 ,kant saw in his contradictions an arrest of the reason1 ,hegel the very principle and condition of all thought4 ,thought involves contradictions4 ,in the simplest idea1 that of being1 is involved the idea of no-being2 neither can we think of no-being without having the idea of being4 ,now as thought and thing are identical in the absolute1 7this every one knows17 whatever may be said of the thought may be said of the thing1 and hence the celebrated formula1 ,being no being--sein nicht sein--something and nothing are identical4 ,as thought and thing are identical in the absolute1 logic is a creation and creation is a logic2 thus the metaphysics of ,hegel became a cosmogony in which all things proceed according to the laws of thought1 and are therefore developed in a series of contradictions4 ,now let ,m4 ,prudhon be as thorough master of the ,hegelian logic1 or the ,hegelian cosmogony1 as he desires to be esteemed1 how1 in the name of common sense1 can he hope to clear up the difficulties of political economy by mixing them with a philosophy like this8 ,how will his thesis and his antithesis help us to adjust the claims between labour and capital8 ,if he has any adjustment to propose--if he has found what he calls his synthesis--let us hear it4 ,if the synthesis is only to be developed in those future evolutions of time1 which neither he nor we can divine1 of what use all this angry exposition of the inevitable ,contradictions that mark and constitute the progress of humanity8 ,enough of these metaphysics4 ,it was necessary to say this much of the peculiar form into which ,m4 ,prudhon has chosen to cast his thoughts2 but there will be no occasion to allude to it again4 ,whatever there is of truth or significance in his work1 may easily be transferred into a language familiar and intelligible to all4 ,we have eaten1 says one1 of the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil1 and the taste of them has been thenceforth invariably blended together4 ,there is a law of compensation--thus another expresses it--throughout the world1 both moral and physical1 by which every evil is balanced by its good1 and every good by its besetting evil4 ,humanity1 says a third1 progresses without doubt1 and obtains at each stage a fuller and a higher life2 but there is an original proportion of misery in its lot1 from which there is no escape3 this also swells and darkens as we rise4 ,to use the language of chemistry1 you may increase the volume of this ambient life we breathe1 but still1 to every one-hundred part of vital air there shall be added twenty-five of mephitic vapour4 ,all these are different modes of expressing the homely truth1 that a shadow of evil falls even from the best of things2 and it is this truth which is really developed in the ,contradictions ,economiques4 ,it is a truth which1 at times1 it may be very needful fully to recognise4 ,when men of sincere convictions are found agitating society for some organic change1 their errors may be always traced to an over-sanguine and one-sided view of the capabilities of man for happiness4 ,the conservative and the movement parties1 philosophically considered1 may be described as branching out of different opinions on the probable or possible progress of society4 ,the philosophical conservative has accepted humanity as it is--as1 in its great features1 it is exhibited throughout all regions of the earth1 and in the page of history3 he hails with welcome every addition to human happiness2 he believes in progress1 he derides the notion of perfectibility1--it is a word he cannot use2 he recognises much happiness coming in to mankind from many and various sources1 but still believes that man will never find himself so content on earth as to cease looking forward for the complement and perfection of his felicity to another world4 ,the philosopher of the movement party has made a sort of religion of his hopes of humanity3 he conceives some ideal state1 and anticipates its development here2 he dismantles heaven and immortality to furnish out his masquerade on earth2 or1 with still vaguer notions1 he rushes forward upon reforms that imply1 for their justification1 the existence of what never yet was seen--a temperate and enlightened multitude4 ,it follows that the conservative has allotted to him the ungracious and invidious task of discouraging the hopes of a too eager philanthropy2 he is compelled to show1 of certain evils1 that they are constantly to be contended against1 but never can be eradicated4 ,society has been often compared to a pyramid2 its broad basis on the earth1 and towering high or not1 according as circumstances were propitious to its formation2 but always the broad basis lying on the earth4 ,he accepts the ancient simile2 he recognises the unalterable pyramid4 ,without aid of priest or legislator1 society assumes this form2 it crystallises thus2 higher and higher1 broader and broader1 it rises1 and extends1 but still the lowest stratum is lying close upon the earth4 ,will you disguise the fact8 ,it is fruitless1 and the falsehood only recoils upon yourself1 rendering what truth you utter weak and suspicious4 ,will you strive to make the pyramid stand upon its apex8 ,it will not stand2 and what god or giant have you to hold it there8 ,or will you join the madman1 who1 because the lowest stratum cannot be made the highest1 nor any other but the lowest1 would level the whole pyramid to the ground1 and make every part touch the earth8 ,no2 you will do all in your power for that lowest stratum1 but you will not consent that1 because all cannot be cultivated and refined1 no one shall have a chance of becoming so4 ,you accept the pyramid4 ,when ,m4 ,prudhon criticises the laws which preside over the production and distribution of wealth1 and shows their twofold and antagonistic influence1 he is but illustrating the inevitable formation of our pyramid4 ,let us follow him in a few instances4 ,the ,division of ,labour4--,this is the first topic on which our author descants--the first of our economic laws in which he finds his contradictions--his two poles of good and evil4 ,on the advantages of the division of labour1 we have but to call to mind the earlier chapters of ,adam ,smith1 wherein these are so truthfully and vividly described4 ,indeed1 the least reflection is sufficient to show that1 if each man undertook by his own labour to provide for all his wants1 it would be impossible for society to advance beyond the very rudest form of existence4 ,one man must be tailor1 another shoemaker1 another agriculturist1 another artist2 and these trades or occupations1 to be brought to perfection1 must again be subdivided into different departments of industry--and one man makes the coat1 and another weaves the cloth1 one man makes the shoe1 and another dresses the leather4 ,it is needless to say that these departments are again divided into an almost infinite number of separate occupations2 till1 at length1 we find that a man employs his whole day in turning one thread over another1 or in manufacturing the eighteenth part of a pin4 ,but now1 no sooner does this division of employments obtain in society1 than our pyramid begins to form4 ,the man of manual labour rests still at the basis2 he of superior skill1 the artist1 or the intellectual workman1 rises permanently above him4 ,the more minute this division of labour1 the more simple and mechanical becomes the labour of the artisan2 the education he receives from his employment becomes more and more limited2 he is wanted for so little2 he is esteemed1 and1 if other circumstances permit1 remunerated accordingly4 ,although1 says the celebrated economist1 ,j4 ,b4 ,say1 a man who performs one operation all his life comes to execute it better and more rapidly than any other man1 yet at the same time he grows less capable of every other occupation1 physical and moral2 his other faculties are extinguished1 and there results a degradation to the human being considered individually4 ,it is a sad account to give of one's-self to have accomplished nothing but the eighteenth part of a pin4444 ,in conclusion1 it may be said that the separation of labours is a skilful employment of the force of man--that it increases prodigiously the products of society--but it destroys something of the capacity of the individual man4 ,that this inevitable division and subdivision of labour gives rise to1 and renders permanent1 the distinction of classes in a community1 is clear enough4 ,but we do not agree with ,m4 ,say1 and other economists1 in representing that minute subdivision of labour which accompanies a very advanced state of civilisation1 as peculiarly injurious to the workman4 ,that degradation of the artisan1 which might ensue from the monotony and triviality of his employment1 is counteracted by that variety of interests which spring up in a civilised community4 ,this eighteenth part of a pin is not all that educates or engages his mind4 ,he is not a solitary workman4 ,his file and his wire are not his sole companions4 ,he has the gossip of his neighbourhood1 the politics of his parish1 of his town1 of his country--whatever fills the columns of a newspaper1 or gives topic of conversation to a populous city--he has1 at least1 all this for intellectual food4 ,the man of handicraft is educated by the city he lives in1 not by his handicraft2 and the humblest artisan feels the influence of that higher civilisation from which he seems at first to be entirely shut out4 ,hodge the countryman1 who can sow1 and plough1 and reap2 who understands hedging and ditching1 and the management of sheep2 who is accomplished in all agricultural labours1 ought to be1 if his daily avocations alone decided the matter1 infinitely superior to the village cobbler1 who travels only from the sole to the upper leather1 and who squats stitching all day long4 ,but the cobbler is generally the more knowing1 and certainly the more talkative man4 ,hodge himself is the first to recognise it2 for he listens to him at the ale-house1 which sometimes brings them together1 as to an oracle of wisdom4 ,machinery4--,the benefit derived from machinery needs no explanation4 ,the more simple order of machines1 or instruments--as the plough1 the axe1 and the spindle--have never been otherwise considered than as precious gifts to human industry2 and the more complicated machines1 which have been invented in modern times1 have no sooner established themselves1 so to speak1 in society--have no sooner1 at the expense of some temporary evils1 secured themselves a quiet recognised position--than they1 too1 have been welcomed in the same character as signal aids to human industry4 ,but while the machine has added immensely to the products of labour1 it has done nothing to diminish the class of manual labours4 ,it has done nothing1 nor does it seem probable that it will ever effect anything1 towards rendering that class less requisite or less numerous4 ,on the contrary1 it has always1 hitherto1 multiplied that class4 ,the machine will not go of itself1 will not manufacture itself1 nor keep itself in repair4 ,the human labourer becomes the slave of the machine4 ,he created it for his service1 and it serves him1 but on condition only that he binds himself to a reciprocal bondage4 ,you spin by a steam-engine1 and some complicated system of reels and pulleys1 but the human finger is not spared--the human volition is still wanted4 ,to manufacture this machine1 to tend it1 to govern it--in short1 to use it--far more manual labour is called into requisition than ever turned the simple spinning-wheel1 or teased the flax from the distaff4 ,you have more garments woven1 but the better clad are not exactly those who weave them4 ,the machine has called into existence1 for its own service1 an immense population1 ill fed and ill clothed4 ,our pyramid is extending at the basis3 as it rises higher it is growing broader4 ,money--,capital4--,we class these together because they are intimately connected4 ,capital is not money1 but there would have been little accumulation of capital but for the use of money4 ,the youthful student of political economy meets with no chapter in his books of science so amusing1 and so thoroughly convincing1 as that which shows him the utility of money1 and the reasons which have led almost all nations to prefer the precious metals for their instruments of exchange4 ,without some such instrument1 what is to be done8 ,a man has made a hat1 and wants a pound of butter4 ,he cannot divide his hat3 what would be half a hat8 ,besides1 the man who has the butter does not want the hat4 ,but the precious metals come in marvellously to his aid4 ,they are divisible into the smallest portions2 they are durable1 will not spoil by keeping2 they are of steady value1 and will not much depreciate3 if the man of butter does not want them1 he can always find somebody that does2 no fear but that they will easily pass from hand to hand1 as each one wishes to barter them for whatever he may want4 ,it is generally said1 that it is the steadiness of their value that constituted one chief reason for the selection of gold and silver for the purposes of money4 ,this is undoubtedly true2 but it is also true 7and we do not remember to have heard this previously remarked7 that the use of the precious metals for money has tended to preserve and perpetuate that steadiness of value4 ,had gold and silver remained as simple articles of merchandise1 they would probably have suffered considerable fluctuations in their value from the caprice of fashion and the altered taste of society4 ,in themselves1 they were chiefly articles of luxury2 the employment of them for money made them objects of indispensable utility4 ,money there must be4 ,yet mark how its introduction tends to destroy equality1 to favour accumulation1 to raise the hill and sink the valley4 ,if men bartered article against article1 they would generally barter in order to consume4 ,but when one of them barters for gold1 he can lay it by2 he can postpone at his pleasure the period of consumption2 he can postpone it for the benefit of his issue4 ,the piece of gold was bought originally with the sweat of his brow2 who shall say that a year1 ten years1 fifty years hence1 he may not traffic it again for the sweat of the brow8 ,the pieces of gold accumulate1 his children possess them1 and now a generation appears on the face of the earth who have not toiled1 who do not toil all their lives1 who are sustained in virtue of the labours of their ancestor4 ,their fathers saved1 and they enjoy2 or they employ a part of the accumulation in the purchase of the labour of others1 by which means their riches still further increase4 ,the pyramid rises4 ,but the descendants of those fathers who had consumed the product of their labour1 they bring no postponed claim into the market4 ,these are they who must sell their labour4 ,they must work for the children of those who had saved4 ,our pyramid broadens at the base4 ,this perpetual value given to money has enabled the man of one generation to tax all ensuing generations with the support of his offspring4 ,hence much good2 for hence the leisure that permits the cultivation of the mind1 that fosters art1 and refinement1 and reflection3 we have to notice here only how inevitably it builds the pyramid4 ,and now two classes are formed1 distinct and far asunder--the capitalist1 and he who works for wages4 ,comes the social reformer1 and he would restore the equality between them4 ,but how8 ,we will fuse1 says one1 the two classes together3 they shall carry on their manufacture in a joint partnership3 all shall be partners--all shall be workmen4 ,but even ,m4 ,prudhon will tell us that1 if the profits of the great capitalist were divided equally amongst all the artisans he employs1 each one would find his gains increased by a very little2 and it is morally certain that profits equal to those he had obtained would never accrue from a partnership of many hundreds of workmen4 ,the wealth of the country would1 therefore1 be put in jeopardy1 and all the course of its industry and property deranged1 for no end whatever4 ,at all events1 exclaims another1 we will reduce the inequality which we cannot expunge1 and put down the enormous and tyrannical capitalist3 we will have a law limiting the fortune of each individual to so many hundreds or thousands2 or1 if we allow a man to earn and appropriate unlimited wealth1 we will take care that it shall be dispersed at his death1--not even to his son shall he be permitted to bequeath more than a certain sum4 ,but all schemes of this kind can tend only to equalise the fortunes of the first class--those who employ labour2 they do not affect1 in the least1 the condition of the second class--the employed4 ,these will not obtain better wages from smaller capitalists than from larger4 ,a third--it is ,m4 ,prudhon himself--will have a new law of value established1 and a new law of property4 ,it is labour only that shall give title to property1 and the exchangeable value of every article shall be regulated according to the labour it may be said to contain3 propositions1 however1 which do not help us in the least degree1 for capital is itself the produce of labour2 its claims1 therefore1 are legitimate2 and the very problem given is to arbitrate between the claims of capital and labour4 ,rent and ,property in ,land4--,this is the last topic we shall mention4 ,the absolute necessity of property in land1 in order that the soil should be cultivated1 7that is1 under any condition in which humanity has hitherto presented itself17 is a palpable truism4 ,yet property in land leads to the exaction of rent--leads to the same division which we have seen marked out by so many laws between two classes of society--those who may enjoy leisure1 and those who must submit to labour2 classes which are generally distinguished as the rich and poor1 never1 we may observe in passing1 as the happy and unhappy1 for leisure may be as great a curse as labour4 ,it is true that large estates in land exist before corresponding accumulations of capital have been made in commerce1 for land is often seized by the mere right of conquest2 but still these large possessions would certainly arise as a nation increased its wealth4 ,the man who has cultivated land successfully will add field to field2 and he who has gained a large sum of money by commerce1 or manufacture1 will purchase land with it4 ,the fact therefore1 that1 in the early period of a nation's history1 the soil has been usurped by conquest1 or by the sheer right of the strongest1 interferes not at all with the real nature of that property2 as1 independently of this accident of conquest1 land would have become portioned in the same unequal manner by the operation of purely economical causes4 ,just in the same way1 the fact that warlike nations have subjected their captives to slavery--imposed the labours of life on slaves--cannot be said to have had any influence in originating the existence1 at the present time1 of a class of working people4 ,thus every law of political economy1 having1 as it were1 its two poles1 upwards and downwards1 helps to erect our pyramid4 ,religion1 education1 charity1 permeate the whole mass1 and labour to rectify the apparent injustice of fortune4 ,admirable is their influence3 but yet we cannot build on any other model than this4 ,nay1 but we can6 exclaim the ,communists2 and forthwith they project a complete demolition of the old pyramid1 and the erection of a series of parallelogram palaces1 all level with the earth1 and palace every inch of them4 ,we have said that ,m4 ,prudhon is a formidable adversary of these ,communists--the more formidable from the having himself no great attachment to things as they are4 ,his exposition of the manifold absurdities and self-contradictions into which they fall1 may possibly render good service to his countrymen4 ,especially we were glad to see1 that on the subject of marriage he is quite sound4 ,no one could more distinctly perceive1 or more forcibly state1 the intimate connexion that lies between property and marriage4 ,mais1 c'est surtout dans la famille que se decouvre le sens profond de la proprit4 ,la famille et la proprit marchent de front1 appuyes l'une sur l'autre1 n'ayant l'une et l'autre de signification1 et de valeur1 que par le rapport qui les unit4 ,avec la proprit commence le rle de la femme4 ,le mnage--cette chose toute idale1 et que l'on s'efforce en vain de rendre ridicule--le mnage est le royaume de la femme1 le monument de la famille4 ,otez le mnage1 otez cette pierre du foyer1 centre d'attraction des poux1 il reste des couples1 il n'y a plus de familles4--7,vol4 ii4 #bec47 ,in this country1 happily1 it would be superfluous--a mere slaying of the slain--to expose the folly of these ,utopias4 ,utopias indeed6--that would deprive men of personal liberty1 of domestic affection1 of everything that is most valued in life1 to shut them up in a strange building which is to be palace1 prison1 and workhouse1 all in one2 which must have a good deal of the workhouse1 if it has anything of the palace1 and will probably have more of the prison in it than either4 ,briefly1 the case may be stated thus3--,the cost of such a community would be liberty1 marriage1 enterprise1 hope1 and generosity--for1 under such an institution1 what could any man have to give or receive8 ,the gain would be task-work for all1 board and lodging for all1 and a shameless sensuality2 the working-bell1 the dinner-bell1 and the curfew4 ,it would be a sacrifice of all that is high1 ennobling1 and spiritual1 to all that is material1 animal1 and vile4 ,but if men think otherwise of the fraternal community--if they think that1 because philanthropy presides1 or seems to preside1 over its formation1 that therefore philanthropy will continue to animate all its daily functions--why do they not voluntarily unite and form this community8 ,they are fond of quoting the example of the early ,christians2 these were really under the influence of a fraternal sentiment1 and acted on it3 let them do likewise1 there is nothing to prevent them4 ,but no3 the ,french ,socialist sees in imagination a whole state working for him2 he has no idea of commencing by practising the stern virtues of industry1 and abstinence1 and fortitude4 ,his mode of thinking is this--a certain being called ,society is to do everything for him--at the cost1 perhaps1 of some slight service rendered upon his part4 ,if he is poor1 it is society that keeps him so2 if he is vicious1 it is society that makes him so--upon society rest all our crimes1 and devolve all our duties4 ,there lies the great mischief of promulgating these impracticable theories of ,communism4 ,all is taught as being done for the individual4 ,the egregious error is committed of trusting all to a certain organisation of society1 which is to be a substitute for the moral efforts of individual man4 ,patience1 fortitude1 self-sacrifice1 a high sense of imperative duty1 are supposed to be rendered unnecessary in a scheme of things which1 if it were possible1 would require these virtues in a pre-eminent degree4 ,the virtuous enthusiast would find himself1 indeed1 utterly mistaken--the stage which he thought prepared for the exhibition of the serenest virtues1 would be a scene given up to mere animal life3 but still1 if he limited himself to the teaching of these virtues--of a godlike temperance1 and a perpetual self-negation--it is not probable1 indeed1 that he would find many disciples2 neither is it easy to see that any great mischief could ensue4 ,every community1 where possessions have been in common1 which has at all succeeded1 has been sustained by religious zeal--the most potent of all sentiments1 and one extraneous to the framework of society4 ,french ,communism is the product of idleness and sensuality1 provoked into ferocity by commercial distress2 clamouring for means of self-indulgence from the state1 and prepared to extort its claim by any amount of massacre4 ,thus we have shown that the work of ,m4 ,prudhon1 with its contradictions1 or laws of good and of evil1 tends but to illustrate the inevitable rise and unalterable nature of our social pyramid4 ,this was our object1 and here must end our present labours on ,m4 ,prudhon4 ,if our readers are disappointed that they have not heard more of his own schemes for the better construction of society--that they have not learned more of the mystery concealed under the famous paradox that has been blown about by all the winds of heaven--la proprit c'est le vol6--we can only say that we have not learned more ourselves4 ,moreover1 we are fully persuaded he has nothing to teach4 ,all his strength lies in exposing evils he cannot remedy1 and destroying the schemes of greater quacks than himself4 ,that property itself is not the subject of his attack1 but the mode in which that property is determined1 is all that we can gather4 ,the value of every object of exchange is to be determined by the labour bestowed upon it2 and the property in it1 we presume1 is to be decreed to him whose labour has been bestowed4 ,but capital has been justly defined as accumulated labour2 he who supplies capital supplies labour4 ,we are brought back1 therefore1 to the old difficulty of adjusting 7by any other standard than the relative proportion which capital and labour bear at any time in the market7 the claims of capital and labour4 ,any such equitable adjustment1 by a legislative interference1 we may safely pronounce to be impossible4 ,,footnotes3 #e ,systme des ,contradictions ,economiques2 ou ,philosophie de la ,misre4 ,par ,j4 ,p4 ,,prudhon4 #f ,vol4 ii41 p4 #dfa4 ,,the ,,green ,,hand4 ,a ,,short ,,yarn4--,,part ,,ii4 ,we left the forecastle group of the ,gloucester disappointed by the abrupt departure of their story-teller1 ,old ,jack1 at so critical a thread of his yarn4 ,as old ,jacobs went aft on the quarter-deck1 where the binnacle-lamp before her wheel was newly lighted1 he looked in with a seaman's instinct upon the compass-boxes1 to see how the ship headed2 ere ascending to the poop1 he bestowed an approving nod upon his friend the steersman1 hitched up his trousers1 wiped his mouth with the back of his hand in a proper deference to female society1 and then proceeded to answer the captain's summons4 ,the passengers1 in a body1 had left the grand cabin to the bustling steward and his boys1 previously to assembling there again for tea--not even excepting the little coterie of inveterate whist-players1 and the pairs of inseparable chess-men1 to whom an ,indian voyage is so appropriately the school for future nice practice in etiquette1 war1 and commerce4 ,everybody had at last got rid of sea-sickness1 and mustered for a promenade2 so that the lofty poop of the ,indiaman1 dusky as it was1 and exposed to the breeze1 fluttered with gay dresses like the midway battlement of a castle by the waves1 upon which its inmates have stolen out from some hot festivity4 ,but the long heave from below1 raising her stern-end slowly against the western space of clear-obscure1 in the manner characteristic of a sea abaft the beam1 and rolling her to either hand1 exhibited to the eyes on the forecastle a sort of alto-relievo of figures1 amongst whom the male1 in their blank attempts to appear nautical before the ladies1 were distinguished from every other object by their variety of ridiculous postures4 ,under care of one or two bluff1 good-humoured young mates--officers polished by previous opportunities of a kind unknown either to navy-men or mere cargo-fenders1 along with several roguish little quasi-midshipmen--the ladies were supported against the poop-rail1 or seated on the after-gratings1 where their contented dependence not only saved them from the ludicrous failures of their fellow-passengers1 but gained them1 especially the young ones1 the credit of being better sailors4 ,an accompaniment was contributed to this lively exercise on the part of the gentlemen promenaders1 which otherwise1 in the glimmering sea-twilight1 would have been striking in a different sense2 by the efforts1 namely1 of a little band of amateur musicians under the break of the poop1 who1 with flute1 clarionet1 bugles1 trombone1 and violin1 after sundry practisings by stealth1 had for the first time assembled to play ,rule ,britannia4 ,what1 indeed1 with the occasional abrupt checks1 wild flourishes1 and fantastic variations caused by the ship's roll2 and what with the attitudes overhead1 of holding on refractory hats and caps1 of intensely resisting and staggering legs1 or of sudden pausing above the slope which one moment before was an ascent1 there was additional force in the designation quaintly given to such an aspect of things by the fore-mast ,jacks--that of a cuddy jig4 ,as the still-increasing motion1 however1 shook into side-places this central group of cadets1 civilians1 and planters adrift1 the grander features of the scene predominated3 the broad mass of the ship's hull--looming now across and now athwart the streak of sinking light behind--drawn out by the weltering outline of the waters2 the entire length of her white decks1 ever and anon exposed to view1 with their parallel lines1 their nautical appurtenances1 the cluster of hardy men about the windlass1 the two or three old salts rolling to and fro along the gangway1 and the variety of forms blending into both railings of the poop4 ,high out of1 and over all1 rose the lofty upper outline of the noble ship1 statelier and statelier as the dusk closed in about her--the expanse of canvass whitening with sharper edge upon the gloom2 the hauled-up clues of the main-course1 with their huge blocks1 swelling and lifting to the fair wind--and the breasts of the topsails divided by their tightened bunt-lines1 like the shape of some full-bosomed maiden1 on which the reef-points heaved like silken fringes1 as if three sisters1 shadowy and goddess-like1 trod in each other's steps towards the deeper solitude of the ocean2 while the tall spars1 the interlacing complicated tracery1 and the dark top-hamper showing between1 gave graceful unity to her figure2 and her three white trucks1 far overhead1 kept describing a small clear arc upon the deep blue zenith as she rolled3 the man at the wheel midway before the doors of the poop-cabin1 with the light of the binnacle upon his broad throat and bearded chin1 was looking aloft at a single star that had come out beyond the clue of the main-topsail4 ,the last stroke of six bells or seven o'clock1 which had begun to be struck on the ship's bell when ,old ,jack broke off his story1 still lingered on the ear as he brought up close to the starboard quarter-gallery1 where a little green shed or pent-house afforded support and shelter to the ladies with the captain4 ,the erect figure of the latter1 as he lightly held one of his fair guests by the arm1 while pointing out to her some object astern1 still retained the attitude which had last caught the eyes of the forecastle group4 ,the musical cadets had just begun to pass from ,rule ,britannia to ,shades of ,evening2 and the old sailor1 with his glazed hat in his hand1 stood waiting respectfully for the captain's notice4 ,the ladies1 however1 were gazing intently down upon the vessel's wake1 where the vast shapes of the waves now sank down into a hollow1 now rose seething up into the rudder-trunk1 but all marked throughout with one broad winding track1 where the huge body of the ship had swiftly passed4 ,from foaming whiteness it melted into yesty green1 that became in the hollow a path of soft light1 where the sparks mingled like golden seed2 the wave-tops glimmered beyond3 star-like figures floated up or sank in their long undulations2 and the broad swell that heaped itself on a sudden under the mounting stern bore its bells1 and bubbles1 and flashes1 upwards to the eye4 ,when the ship rose high and steady upon it1 and one saw down her massy taffrail1 it looked to a terrestrial eye rather like some mystic current issuing from the archway under a tall tower1 whose foundations rocked and heaved3 and so said the romantic girl beside the captain1 shuddering at the vividness of an image which so incongruously brought together the fathomless deep and the distant shores of solid old ,england4 ,the eye of the seaman1 however1 suggested to him an image more akin to the profession1 as he directed his fair companion's attention to the trough of the ship's furrow1 where1 against the last low gleam of twilight1 and by the luminous wake1 could be seen a little flock of black petrels1 apparently running along it to catch what the mighty ploughshare had turned up2 while a gray gull or two hovered aslant over them in the blue haze4 ,as he looked round1 too1 to aloft1 he exchanged glances with the old sailor who had listened--an expression which even the ladies understood4 ,ah6 ,jacobs1--said the captain1 get the lamp lighted in my cabin1 and the tea-kettle aft4 ,with the roll she has on her1 'twill be more ship-shape there than in the cuddy4 ,ay1 ay1 sir1 said the old seaman4 ,how does she head just now1 ,jacobs8 ,sou'-west and by south1 sir4 ,she'd lie easier for the ladies though1 said the captain1 knowing his steward was a favourite with them1 were the wind a point or two less fair4 ,our old acquaintance ,captain ,williamson1 of the ,seringapatam now1 ,jacobs1 old-fashioned as he was1 would have braced in his lee-yards only to steady a lady's tea-cup4 ,ay1 your honour1 replied ,jacobs1 and his weather eye twinkled1 and washed the fok'sle under1 too6 ,but ye know1 sir1 he'd got a reg'lar-built ,nabob aboard1 and a beauty besides6 ,ah1 ,mr ,jacobs6 exclaimed the romantic young lady1 what was that8 ,is it one of your stories8 ,well1 your ladyship1 'tis a bit of a yarn1 no doubt1 and some'at of a cur'ous one4 ,oh6 said another of the captain's fair protges1 ,i do love these 'yarns1' as you call them2 they are so expressive1 so--and all that sort of thing6 ,nonsense1 my love1 said her mother2 you don't understand them1 and 'tis better you should not1--they are low1 and contain a great many bad words1 ,i fear4 ,but think of the imagination1 aunt1 rejoined the other girl1 and the adventures6 ,oh1 the ocean of all places for that6 ,were it not for sea-sickness1 ,i should dote upon it6 ,as for the storm just now1 look how safe we are1--and see how the dear old ship rises up from the billows1 with all her sails so delightfully mysterious one over another6 ,bless your heart1 ma'rm1 yes1 responded ,old ,jack1 chuckling2 you talks just like a seaman1 beggin' your pardon4 ,as consarns the tea1 sir1 ,i make bould to expect the'll be a shift o' wind directly1 and a slant deck1 as soon as we get fair into the stream1 rid o' this bit of a bubble the tail of it kicks up hereabouts4 ,bear a hand1 then1 ,jacobs1 said the captain1 and see all right below for the party in the cabin1--we shall be down in a few minutes4 ,the captain stood up on the quarter-gallery1 to peer round into the dusk and watch the lifting of the main-royal2 but the next minute he called to the ladies1 and their next neighbours1 to look towards the larboard bow1 and see the moon rise4 ,a long edge of gray haze lay around the eastern horizon1 on which the dark rim of the sea was defined beyond the roll of the waves1 as with the sweep of a soft brush dipped in indigo2 while to westward it heaved up1 weltering in its own watery light against the gloom4 ,from behind this low fringe of vapour was silently diffusing1 as it were1 a pool of faint radiance1 like a brook babbling from under ice2 a thread of silver ran along the line of haze1 growing keener at one point1 until the arch of the moon shot slowly up1 broad and fair2 the wave-heads rising between were crested here and there with light2 the bow of the ship1 the bellies of her fore-canvass1 her bowsprit with the jibs hanging idly over it1 and the figure-head beneath1 were tinged by a gentle lustre1 while the hollow shadows stole out behind4 ,the distant horizon1 meanwhile1 still lay in an obscure streak1 which blended into the dark side of the low fog-bank1 so as to give sea and cloud united the momentary appearance of one of those long rollers that turn over on a beach1 with their glittering crest3 you would expect to see next instant what actually seemed to take place--the whole outline plashing over in foam1 and spreading itself clearly forward1 as soon as the moon was free4 ,with the airy space that flowed from her came out the whole eastern sea-board1 liquid and distinct1 as if beyond either bow of the lifting ,indiaman one sharp finger of a pair of compasses had flashed round1 drawing a semicircle upon the dull background1 still cloudy1 glimmering1 and obscure4 ,from the waves that undulated towards her stern1 the ship was apparently entering upon a smoother zone1 where the small surges leapt up and danced in moonshine1 resembling more the current of some estuary in a full tide4 ,to north-westward1 just on the skirts of the dark1 one wing of a large1 soft-gray vapour was newly smitten by the moon-gleam2 and over against it on the south-east1 where the long fog-bank sank away1 there stretched an expanse of ocean which1 on its farthest verge1 gave out a tint of the most delicate opal blue4 ,the ship1 to the south-westward of the ,azores1 and going large before the trade-wind1 was now passing into the great ,gulf ,stream which there runs to the south-east2 even the passengers on deck were sensible of the rapid transition with which the lately cold breeze became warmer and fitful1 and the motion of the vessel easier4 ,they were surprised1 on looking into the waves alongside1 to perceive them struggling1 as it were1 under a trailing net-work of sea-weed2 which1 as far as one could distinctly see1 appeared to keep down the masses of water like so much oil--flattening their crests1 neutralising the force of the wind1 and communicating a strangely sombre green to the heaving element4 ,in the winding track of the ship's wake the eddies now absolutely blazed3 the weeds she had crushed down rose to the surface again in gurgling circles of flame1 and the showers of sparks came up seething on either side amongst the stalks and leaves3 but as the moonlight grew more equally diffused it was evident she was only piercing an arm of that local weed-bed here formed1 like an island1 in the bight of the stream4 ,farther ahead were scattered patches and bunches of the true ,florida ,gulf-weed1 white and moss-like2 which1 shining crisp in the level moonlight1 and tipping the surges as it floated past1 gave them the aspect of hoary-bearded waves1 or the garlanded horses of ,neptune4 ,the sight still detained the captain's party on deck1 and some of the ladies innocently thought these phenomena indicative of the proximity of land4 ,i have seldom seen the ,stream so distinct hereabouts1 said ,captain ,collins to his first officer1 who stood near1 having charge of the watch4 ,nor ,i1 sir1 replied the chief mate2 but it no doubt narrows with different seasons4 ,there goes a flap of the fore-topsail1 though6 ,the wind fails1 sir4 ',tis only drawing ahead1 ,i think1 said the captain2 the stream sucks the wind with its heat1 and we shall have it pretty near from due nor'-west immediately4 ,shall we round in on the starboard hand1 then1 sir1 and keep both wind and current aft8 ,i think not1 ,mr ,wood1 said the captain4 ',twould give us a good three knots more every hour of the next twenty-four1 sir1 persisted the first officer eagerly--and chief mates generally confine their theories to mere immediate progress4 ,yes1 rejoined the captain1 but we should lose hold of the 'trade' on getting out of the stream again4 ,i intend driving her across1 with the nor'wester on her starboard beam1 so as to lie well up afterwards4 ,get the yards braced to larboard as you catch the breeze1 ,mr ,wood1 and make her course south-west by west4 ,very well1 sir4 ,ladies1 said the captain1 will you allow me to hand you below1 where ,i fear ,jacobs will be impatient with the tea8 ,what a pity1 ,captain ,collins1 remarked the romantic ,miss ,alicia1 looking up as they descended the companion--what a pity that you cannot have that delicious moonlight to shine in at your cabin windows just now2 the sailors yonder have it all to themselves4 ,there is no favour in these things at sea1 ,miss ,alicia1 said the captain1 smiling4 ,jack shares the chance there1 at least1 with his betters2 but ,i can promise those who honour my poor suite this evening both fine moonshine and a steadier floor4 ,on reaching the snug little after-cabin1 with its swinging lamp and barometer1 its side state-room1 seven feet long1 and its two stern-windows showing a dark glimpse of the rolling waters1 they found the tea-things set1 nautical style1 on the hard-a-weather1 boxed-up table--the surgeon and one or two elderly gentlemen waiting1 and old ,jacobs still trimming up the sperm-oil light4 ,mrs ,st ,clair1 presiding in virtue of relationship to their host1 was still cautiously pouring out the requisite half-cups1 when1 above all the bustle and clatter in the cuddy1 could be heard the sounds of ropes thrown down on deck1 of the trampling watch1 and the stentorian voice of the first officer4 ,jacobs6 said the captain1 a minute or two afterwards2 and that worthy factotum instantly appeared from his pantry alongside of the door--from whence1 by the way1 the old seaman might be privy to the whole conversation--stand by to dowse the lamp when she heels1 an order purposely mysterious to all else but the doctor4 ,every one soon felt a change in the movement of their wave-borne habitation2 the rolling lift of her stern ceased2 those who were looking into their cups saw the tea apparently take a decided inclination to larboard--as the facetious doctor observed1 a tendency to port4 ,the floor gradually sloped down to the same hand1 and a long1 wild1 gurgling wash was suddenly heard to run careering past the timbers of the starboard side4 ,dear me6 fervently exclaimed every lady at once2 when the very next moment the lamp went out1 and all was darkness4 ,captain ,collins felt a little hand clutch his arm in nervous terror1 but the fair owner of it said nothing2 until1 with still more startling effect than before1 in a few seconds there shot through both stern-windows the full rays of the moon1 pouring their radiance into the cabin1 shining on the backs of the books in the hanging shelves by the bulkhead1 on the faces of the party1 and the bald forehead of old ,jacobs standing by the lamp1--lastly1 too1 revealing the pretty little ,alicia with her hand on the captain's arm1 and her pale terrified face4 ,don't be alarmed1 ladies6 said the surgeon1 she's only hauled on the starboard tack6 ,and her counter to the east1 said the captain4 ,but who the dev--old gentleman1 ,i mean--put out the lamp8 rejoined the doctor4 ,ah1--,i see sir6--',but when the moon1 refulgent lamp of night4' ,such a surprise6 exclaimed the ladies1 laughing1 although as much frightened for a moment by the magical illumination as by the previous circumstances4 ,you see1 said the captain1 we are not like a house1--we can bring round our scenery to any window we choose4 ,very prettily imagined it was1 too1 ,i declare6 observed a stout old ,bombay officer1 and a fine compliment to the ladies1 by ,jove1 sir6 ,if we had any of your pompous ,bengal ',quy hies' here though1 colonel1 said the doctor1 they wouldn't stand being choused so unceremoniously out of the weather-side1 ,i suspect4 ,as to the agreeable little surprise ,i meant for the ladies1 said ,captain ,collins1 ,i fear it was done awkwardly1 never having commanded an ,indiaman before1 and laid up ashore this half-a-dozen years4 ,but one's old feelings get freshened up1 and without knowing the old ,gloucester's points1 ,i can't help reckoning her as a lady too1--a very particular old ',begum1' that won't let any one else be humoured before herself1--especially as ,i took charge of her to oblige a friend4 ,how easily she goes now6 said the doctor1 and a gallant sight at this moment1 ,i assure you1 to any one who chooses to put his head up the companion4 ,ah1 mamma6 said one of the girls1 couldn't you almost think this was our own little parlour at home1 with the moonlight coming through the window on both sides of the old elm1 where we were sitting a month ago hearing about ,india and papa8 ,ah6 responded her cousin1 standing up1 but there was no track of moonshine dancing beyond the track of the ship yonder6 ,how blue the water is1 and how much warmer it has grown of a sudden6 ,we are crossing the great ,gulf ,stream6 said the captain1--,jacobs6 open one of the stern-ports4 ',tis the very place and time1 this is1 remarked a good-humoured cotton-grower from the ,deckan1 for one of the colonel's tiger-hunts1 now6 ,sir6 answered the old officer1 rather testily1 ,i am not accustomed to thrust my tiger-hunts1 as you choose to call my humble experiences1 under people's noses6 ,certainly not1 my dear sir1 said the planter1--but what do you say1 ladies1 to one of the captain's sea-yarns1 then8 ,nothing better1 ,i'm sure1 here and now1 sir--eh8 ,captain ,collins smiled1 and said he had never spun a yarn in his life1 except when a boy1 out of matter-of-fact old junk and tar4 ,here is my steward1 however1 continued he1 who is the best hand at it ,i know1--and ,i daresay he'll give you one4 ,charming6 exclaimed the young ladies2 and ,what was that adventure1 ,mr ,jacobs1 said ,miss ,alicia1 with a beauty and a ,nabob in it1 that you alluded to a short time ago8 ,i didn't to say disactly include upon it1 your ladyship1 replied old ,jacobs1 with a tug of his hair1 and a bow not just la matre2 but the captain can give you it better nor ,i can1 seeing as his honur were the ,nero on it1 as one may say4 ,oh6 said the surgeon1 rubbing his hands a lady and a rupee-eater in the case6 ,curious stories1 there are1 too1 remarked the colonel1 of those serpents of nautch-girls1 and rich fools they've managed to entangle4 ,as for beauty1 sir1 they have the devil's1 and they'd melt the ',honourable ,john's' own revenue6 ,i know a very sensible man1--shan't mention his name1--but made of rupees1 and a regular beebee-hater1--saw one of these-- ,hush1 hush1 my dear sir6 interrupted the planter1 winking and gesticulating2 very good for the weather poop1--but presence of ladies6--,for which ,i'm not fit1 you'd say1 sir8 inquired the colonel1 firing up again4 ,oh6 oh6 you know1 colonel6 said the unlucky planter1 deprecatingly4 ,but a godown#g of best ',banda' to a cowrie now1 the sailor makes his beauty a complete ,nourmahal1 with rose-lips and moon-eyes1--and his ,nabob a jehan punneh1#h with a crore1 besides diamonds4 ',twould be worth hearing1 especially from a lascar4 ,for1 'twixt you and ,i1 colonel1 we know how rare it is to hear of a man who saves his lac1 now-a-days1 with ,yankees in the market1 no ,nawaubs to fight1 and reform in cutcheries#i6 ,there seems something curious about this said adventure of yours1 my dear captain1 said ,mrs ,st ,clair1 archly1--and a ,beauty too6 ,it makes me positively inquisitive1 but ,i hope your fair lady has heard the story8 ,why1 not exactly1 ma'am1 replied ,captain ,collins1 laughing as he caught the doctor looking preternaturally solemn1 after a sly lee-wink to the colonel2 who1 having his back to the moonlight1 stretched out his legs and indulged in a grim1 silent chuckle1 until his royal-tiger countenance was unhappily brought so far flush#aj in the rays as to betray a singular daguerreotype1 resembling one of those cut-paper phantasmagoria thrown on a drawing-room wall1 unmistakably black and white1 and in the character of ,malicious ,watchfulness4 ,the rubicund1 fidgety little cotton-grower twiddled his thumbs1 and looked modestly down on the deck1 with half-shut eyes1 as if expecting some bold revelation of nautical depravity2 while the romantic ,miss ,alicia coloured and was silent4 ,however1 said the captain1 coolly1 it is no matrimonial secret1 at any rate6 ,we both think of it when we read the ,church ,service of a ,sunday night at home1 with ,jacobs for the clerk4 ,do1 ,mr ,jacobs1 oblige us6 requested the younger of the girls4 ,well1 ,miss1 said he1 smoothing down his hair in the doorway1 and hemming1 ',tan't neither for the likes o' me to refuse a lady1 nor accordin' to rules for to give such a yarn in presence of a supperior officer1 much less the captain1--with a midship helm1 ye know marm1 ye carn't haul upon one tack nor the other4 ,not to say but next forenoon watch---- ,i see1 ,jacobs1 my man1 interrupted ,captain ,collins1 there's nothing for it but to fore-reach upon you1 or else you'll be ',green-,handing' me aft as well as forward2 so ,i must just make the best of it1 and take the winch in my own fashion at once6 ,ay1 ay1 sir--ay1 ay1 your honour6 said ,old ,jack demurely1 and concealing his gratification as he turned off into the pantry1 with the idea of for the first time hearing the captain relate the incidents in question4 ,my old shipmate1 said the latter1 is so fond of having trained his future captain1 that it is his utmost delight to spin out everything we ever met with together into one endless yarn1 which would go on from our first acquaintance to the present day1 although no ship's company ever heard the last of it4 ,without falling knowingly to leeward of the truth1 he makes out every lucky coincidence1 almost1 to have been a feat of mine1 and puts in little fancies of his own1 so as to give the whole thing more and more of a marvellous air1 the farther it goes4 ,the most amusing thing is1 that he almost always begins each time1 ,i believe1 at the very beginning1 like a capstan without a paul--sticking in one thing he had forgot before1 and forgetting another2 sometimes dwelling longer on one part--a good deal like a ship making the same voyages over again4 ,i knew1 now1 this evening1 when ,i heard the men laughing1 and saw ,old ,jack on the forecastle1 what must be in the wind4 ,however1 we have shared so many chances1 and ,i respect the old man so much1 not to speak of his having dandled my little girls on his knee1 and being butler1 steward1 and flower-gardener at home1 that ,i can't really be angry at him1 in spite of the sort of every man's rope he makes of me6 ,how very amusing a character he is6 said one young lady4 ,a thought too tarry1 perhaps8 suggested the surgeon4 ,so very original and like a--seaman6 remarked ,miss ,alicia1 quietly1 but as if some other word that crossed her mind had been rejected1 as descriptive of a different variety1 probably higher4 ,original1 by ,jove6 exclaimed the colonel2 if my ,khansa-man1 or my ,abdar1#aa were to make such a dancing dervish and tumasha#ab of me behind back1 by the holy ,vishnu1 sir1 ,i'd rattan him myself within an inch of his life6 ,not an unlikely thing1 colonel1 put in the planter2 ,i've caught the scoundrels at that trick before now4 ,what did you do8 inquired the colonel1 speculatively4 ,couldn't help laughing1 for my soul1 sir2 the puckree bund#ac rascals did it so well1 and so funnily6 ,the irascible ,east-,indian almost started up in his imaginative fury1 to call for his palkee1 and chastise his whole verandah1 when the doctor reminded him it was a long way there4 ,glorious ,east6 exclaimed the medico1 looking out astern1 where we may cane our footmen1 and whence1 meanwhile1 we can derive such ,sanscrit-sounding adjurations1 with such fine moonlight6 ,the presence of the first officer was now added to the party1 who came down for a cup of tea1 fresh from duty1 and flavouring strongly of a pilot cheroot4 ,how does she head1 ,mr ,wood8 asked the captain4 ,sou'-west by west1 sir1--a splendid night1 under everything that will draw1--spray up to the starboard cat-head6 ,but as to this story1 again1 ,captain ,collins8 said ,mrs ,st ,clair1 as soon as she had poured out the chief mate's cup4 ,well1 said the captain1 if you choose to listen till bedtime to a plain draught of the affair1 why ,i suppose ,i must tell it you2 and what remains then may stand over till next fine night4 ,it may look a little romantic1 being in the days when most people are such themselves2 but at any rate1 we sailors--or else we should never have been at sea1 you know3 and so you'll allow for that1 and a spice to boot of what we used to call at sea 'love-making2' happily there were no soft speeches in it1 like those in books1 for then ,i shouldn't tell it at all4 ,by the time ,i was twenty-four1 ,i had been nine years at sea1 and1 at the end of the war1 was third lieutenant of a crack twenty-eight1 the saucy ,iris--as perfect a sloop-model1 though over-sparred certainly1 as ever was cased off the ways at ,chatham1 or careened to a north-easter4 ,the ,admiralty had learnt to build by that day1 and a glorious ship she was1 made for going after the small fry of privateers1 pirates1 and slavers1 that swarmed about the time4 ,though ,i had roughed it in all sorts of craft1 from a first-rate to a dirty ,french lugger prize1 and had been eastward1 so as to see the sea in its pride at the ,pacific1 yet the feeling you have depends on the kind of ship you are in4 ,i never knew so well what it was to be fond of a ship and the sea2 and when ,i heard of the poor ,iris1 that had never been used to anything but blue water on three parts of the horizon at least1 laying her bones not long after near ,wicklow ,head1 ,i couldn't help a gulp in the throat4 ,i once dreamt ,i had gone down in her1 and risen again to the surface with the loss of something in my brain2 while1 at the same moment1 there ,i was1 still sitting below on a locker in the wardroom1 with the arms of her beautiful figure-head round me1 and her mermaid's tail like the best-bower cable1 with an anchor at the end of it far away out of soundings1 over which ,i bobbed and dipped for years and years1 in all weathers1 like a buoy4 ,we had no ,mediterranean time of it1 though1 in the ,iris1 off the ,guinea coast1 from ,cape ,palmas to ,cape ,negro3 looking out to windward for white squalls1 and to leeward for black ones1 and inshore for ,spanish cattle-dealers1 as we called them1 had made us all as sharp as so many marlin-spikes2 and our captain was a man that taught us seamanship1 with a trick or two beyond4 ,the slavers had not got to be so clever then1 either1 with their schooners and clippers2 they built for stowage1 and took the chance1 so that we sent in bale after bale to the ,west ,india ,admiral1 made money1 and enjoyed ourselves now and then at the ,cape de ,verds4 ,however1 this kind of thing was so popular at home1 as pickings after the great haul was over1 that the ,iris had to give up her station to a post-frigate1 and be paid off4 ,the war was over1 and nobody could expect to be promoted without a friend near the blue table-cloth1 although a quiet hint to a secretary's palm would work wonders1 if strong enough4 ,but most of such lucky fellows as ourselves dissipated their funds in blazing away at balls and parties1 where the gold band was everything1 and the ladies wore blue ribbons and anchor brooches in honour of the navy4 ,the men spent everything in a fortnight1 even to their clothes1 and had little more chance of eating the king's biscuit with hopes of prize-money2 ,i used to see knots of them1 in red shirts and dirty slops1 amongst the fore-mast ,jacks in outwardbound ships1 dropping past ,greenwich1 and waving their hats to the ,hospital4 ,you knew them at once by one of them giving the song for the topsail halliards1 instead of the merchantmen's bull's chorus3 indeed1 ,i could always pick off the dashing man-o'-war's men1 by face and eye alone1 out from among the others1 who looked as sober and solitary1 with their serious faces and way of going about a thing1 as if every one of them was the whole crew4 ,i once read a bit of poetry called the ,ancient ,mariner1 to old ,jacobs1 who by the bye is something of a breed betwixt the two kinds1 and his remark was--,that old chap warn't used to hoisting all together with a run1 your honour6 ,by his looks1 ,i'd say he was bred where there was few in a watch1 and the watch-tackle laid out pretty often for an eke to drag down the fore-tack4 ,as ,i was riding down to ,croydon in ,surrey1 where my mother and sister had gone to live1 ,i fell in with a sample of the hard shifts the men-o-war's-men were put to in getting across from harbour to some merchant port1 when all their earnings were chucked away4 ,it was at a little town called ,bromley1 where ,i brought to by the door of a tavern and had a drink for the horse1 with a bottle of cider for myself at the open window1 the afternoon being hot4 ,there was a crowd of townspeople at the other end of the street1 country bumpkins and boys--women looking out at the windows1 dogs barking1 and children shouting--the whole concern bearing down upon us4 ,what's all this8 said ,i to the ostler4 ,don't know1 sir1 said he1 scratching his head2 'tis very hodd1 sir6 ,that corner is rather a sharp turn for the coach1 sir1 and she do sometimes run over a child there1 or somethink4 ,but 'taint her time yet6 ,nothink else hever 'appens 'ere1 sir4 ,as soon as ,i could hear or see distinctly for the confusion1 ,i observed the magnet of it to be a party of five or six regular blue-jackets1 a good deal battered in their rig1 who were roaring out sea-songs in grand style as they came along1 leading what ,i thought at first was a bear4 ,the chief words ,i heard were what ,i knew well4 ,we'll disregard their tommy-hawks1 likewise their scalping-knifes--and fight alongside of our mates to save our precious lives--like ,british tars and souldiers in the ,north ,americay6 ,on getting abreast of the inn-door1 and finding an offing with good holding-ground1 ,i suppose1 they hove to and struck up the ,buffalo1 that finest of chaunts for the weather forecastle with a spanking breeze1 outward bound1 and the pilot lately dropped-- ,come all you young men and maidens1 that wishes for to sail1 ,and ,i will let you hear of where you must a-roam6 ,we'll embark into a ship which her taups'ls is let fall1 ,and all unto an ileyand where we never will go home6 ,especiallye you ladies that's inclined for to rove-- ,there's fishes in the sea1 my love--likewise the buck an' doe1 ,we'll lie down--on the banks--of yon pleasant shadye gro-ove1 ,through the wild woods we'll wander and we'll chase the ,buffalo--ho--ho--we'll ,chase the ,buffal,o6 ,i really couldn't help laughing to see the slapping big-bearded fellows1 like so many foretopmen1 showing off in this manner--one mahogany-faced thorough-bred leading1 the rest thundering in at the chorus1 with tremendous stress on the ',lo-ho-ho1' that made the good ,bromley folks gape4 ,as to singing for money1 however1 ,i knew no true tar with his members whole would do it2 and ,i supposed it to be merely some 'spree ashore1' until the curious-looking object from behind was lugged forward by a couple of ropes1 proving to be a human figure about six feet high1 with a rough canvass cover as far as the knees4 ,what with three holes at the face1 and the strange colour of the legs1 which were bare--with the pair of turned-up ,india shoes1 and the whole shape like a walking smoke-funnel over a ship's caboose--,i was puzzled what they would be at4 ,the leading tar immediately took off his hat1 waved it round for a clear space1 and gave a hem while he pointed to the mysterious creature4 ,now1 my lads6 said he1 this here wonderful bein' is a savitch we brought aboard of us from the ,andyman ,isles1 where he was caught one mornin' paddling round the ship in a canoe made out of the bark of a sartain tree4 ,bein' the ownly spice of the sort brought to this country as yet is1 and we havin' run short of the needful to take us to the next port1 we expects every lady and gemman as has the wherewithal1 will give us a lift1 by consideration of this same cur'ous sight1 and doesn't---- ,heave ahead1 ,tom1 lad6 said another encouragingly1 as the sailor brought up fairly out of breath--,doesn't want no man's money for nou't d'ye see1 but all fair an' above board4 ,we're not agoin' to show this here sight excep' you makes up half-a-guinea amongst ye--arter that1 all hands may see shot-free--them's the articles6 ,ay1 ay1 ,tom1 well said1 old ship6 observed the rest2 and1 after a considerable clinking of coin amongst the crowd1 the required sum was poured1 in pence and sixpences1 into ,tom's hat4 ,all right6 said he1 as soon as he had counted it1--hoist away the tarpaulin1 mates6 ,for my part1 ,i was rather surprised at the rare appearance of this said savage1 when his cover was off--his legs and arms naked1 his face streaked with yellow1 and both parts the colour of red boom-varnish2 his red hair done up in a tuft1 with feathers all round it1 and a bright feather-tippet over his shoulders1 as he stood1 six feet in his yellow slippers1 and looking sulkily enough at the people4 ,bobbery puckalow6 said the nautical head-showman1 and all at once up jumped the ,andaman islander1 dancing furiously1 holding a little ,indian punkah over his head1 and flourishing with the other hand what reminded me strongly of a ship's top-maul--shouting ,goor--goor--gooree6 while two of the sailors held on by the ropes4 ,the crowd made plenty of room1 and ,tom proceeded to explain to them very civilly1 that in them parts 'twas so hot the natives wouldn't fight1 save under a portable awning4 ,having exhibited the points of their extraordinary savage1 he was calmed again by another uncouth word of command1 when the man-o'-war's-man attempted a further traverse on the good ,bromley folks1 for which ,i gave him great credit4 ,now1 my lads and lasses1 said he1 taking off his hat again1 ,i s'pose you're all ,british subjects and ,englishmen6 at which there was a murmur of applause4 ,very good1 mates all6 continued the foretopman approvingly4--,then1 in course1 ye knows as how whatsomever touches ,british ground is free6 ,britons never1 never shall be slaves6 sung out a boy1 and the screaming and hurrahing was universal4 ,tom stuck his tongue in his cheek to his messmates1 and went on1--,though we was all pressed ourselves1 and has knocked about in sarvice of our king and country1 an' bein' poor men1 we honours the flag1 my lads6 ,hoorah6 hoorah6 hoorr-ray6 ,so you see1 gemmen1 my shipmates an' me has come to the resolve of lettin' this here wild savidge go free into the woods1--though1 bein' poor men1 d'ye see1 we hopes ye'll make it up to us a bit first6 ,what d'ye say1 all hands8--slump together for the other guinea1 will ye1 and off he goes this minute1--and d---- the odds6 ,eh8 what d'ye say1 shipmates8 ,ay1 ay1 ,tom1 sink the damage too6 said his comrades2 we'll always get a berth at ,blackwall1 again6 ,stand by to ease off his tow-lines1 then1 said ,tom1--now look sharp with the shiners there1 my lads--ownly a guinea6 ,no6 no6 murmured the townspeople1--send for the constable6--we'll all be scalped and murdered in our beds6--no1 no1 for ,god's sake1 mister sailors6 ,a grocer ran out of his door to beg the tars wouldn't think of such a thing1 and the village constable came shoving himself in1 with the beadle4 ,come1 come1 said the constable in a soothing style1 while the beadle tried to look big and blustering1 you musn't do it1 my good men1--not on no desideration1 here1--in his majesty's name6 ,take un on to the next parish6--,i horder all good subjects to resist me6 ,what6 growled the foretopman1 with an air of supreme disgust1 han't ye no feelin's for liberty hereaway8 ,parish be blowed6 ,bill1 my lad1 let go his moorings1 and give the poor devil his nat'ral freedom6 ,i'm right down ashamed on my country1 said ,bill4 ,hullo1 shipmates1 cast off at once1 an' never mind the loss1--,i hasn't slept easy myself sin' he wor cotched6 ,nor me either1 said another1 but ,i'm feared he'll play the devil when he's loose1 mate4 ,i had been watching the affair all this time from inside1 a good deal amused1 in those days1 at the trick--especially so well carried out as it was by the sailors4 ,here1 my fine fellows1 said ,i at last1 bring him in1 if you please1 and let me have a look at him4 ,next minute in came the whole party1 and1 supposing from my dress that ,i was merely a long-shore traveller1 they put their savage through his dance with great vigour4 ,wonderful tame he's got1 your honour6 said the top-man2 it's nothing to what he does if you freshens his nip4 ,what does he eat8 ,i asked1 pretending not to understand the hint4 ,why1 nought to speak on1 sir1 said he2 but we wonst lost a boy doorin' the cruise1 nobody know'd how--though 'twas thought he went o'board1 some on us had our doubts4 ,curiously tatooed1 too1 ,i said2 ,i should like to examine his arm4 ,a bit obstropolous he is1 your honour1 if you handles him6 ,never mind1 said ,i1 getting up and seizing the wrist of the ,andaman islander1 in spite of his grins2 and my suspicions were immediately fulfilled by seeing a whole range of familiar devices marked in blue on the fellow's arm--amongst them an anchor with a heart transfixed by a harpoon1 on one side the word ,sal1 and on the other ,r4,o4 #ahaa4 ,where did you steal this top-maul1 you rascal8 said ,i1 coolly looking in his face2 while ,i noticed one of the men overhauling me suspiciously out of his weather-eye1 and sidling to the door4 ,i didn't stale it at all6 exclaimed the savage1 giving his red head a scratch1 'twas ,bill ,green there--by japers6 whack1 pillalew1 mates1 ,i'm done6 ,lord6 oh ,lord6 said ,bill himself1 quite crestfallen1 if ,i didn't think 'twas him6 ,we're all pressed again1 mates6 ,it's the leftenant6 ,pressed1 bo'8 said ,tom2 more luck1 ,i wish we was--but they wouldn't take ye now for a bounty1 ye know4 ,here ,i was fain to slack down and give a hearty laugh1 particularly at recognising ,bill1 who had been a shipmate of ,jacobs and myself in the old ,pandora1 and was nicknamed ,green--,i believe from a little adventure of ours--so ,i gave the men a guinea a-piece to carry them on4 ,long life to your honour6 said they2 and said ,tom1 ,if ,i might make so bould1 sir1 if your honour has got a ship yet1 we all knows ye1 sir1 and we'd enter1 if 'twas for the ,north ,pole itself6 ,no1 my lad1 said ,i1 ,i'm sorry to say ,i have not got so far yet4 ,dykes1 my man1 can you tell me where your old messmate ,jacobs has got to8 ,why1 sir1 replied ,bill1 ,i did hear he was livin' at ,wapping with his wife1 where we means to give him a call1 too1 sir4 ,good day1 your honour6 said all of them1 as they put on their hats to go1 and covered their curiosity again with his tarpaulin4 ,i'm blessed1 ,bill1 said ,tom1 but we'll knock off this here carrivanning now1 and put before the wind for ,blackwall4 ,won't you give your savage his freedom1 then1 ,i asked4 ,sartinly1 your honour1 replied the roguish foretopman1 his eye twinkling as he saw that ,i enjoyed the joke4 ,now1 ,mick1 my lad1 ye must run like the devil so soon as we casts ye off6 ,oh1 by the powers1 thry me6 said the ,irishman2 ,i'm tired o' this cannible minnatchery6 ,by the holy mouse1 though1 ,i must have a dhrop o' dew in me1 or ,i'll fall6 ,mick accordingly swigged off a noggin of gin1 and declared himself ready to start4 ,head due nor'-east from the sun1 ,mick1 and we'll pick you up in the woods1 and rig you out all square again1 said the captain of the gang1 before presenting himself to the mob outside4 ,now1 gemmen and ladies all1 said the sailor coolly1 ye see we're bent on givin' this here poor unfort'nate his liberty--an' bein' tould we've got the law on our side1 why1 we means to do it4 ,more by token1 there's a leftenant in the ,roy'l ,navy aboard there1 as has made up the little salvage-money1 bein' poor men1 orderin' us for to do it--so look out6 ,if ye only gives him a clear offing1 he'll not do no harm4 ,steady1 ,bill--slack off the starboard sheet1 ,jack--let go--all6 ,oh6 oh6--no6 no6--for ,god's sake6 screamed the bystanders1 as they scuttled off to both hands--shame6 shame6--knock un down6 catch un6--tipstaff6 beadle6 ,hurrah6 roared the boys1 and off went ,mick ,o',hooney in fine style1 flourishing his top-maul1 with a wild hullaloo1 right away over a fence1 into a garden1 and across a field towards the nearest wood4 ,everybody fell out of his way as he dashed on2 then some running after him1 dogs barking1 and the whole of the seamen giving chase with their tarpaulins in their hands1 as if to drive him far enough into the country4 ,the whole scene was extremely rich1 seen through the open air from the tavern window1 where ,i sat laughing1 till the tears came into my eyes1 at ,jack-tars' roguishness and the stupefied ,kent rustics1 as they looked to each other2 then at the sailors rolling away full speed along the edge of the plantation where the outlandish creature had disappeared2 and1 lastly1 at the canvass cover which lay on the spot where he had stood4 ,they were actually consulting how to guard against possible inroads from the savage at night1 since he might be lurking near1 when ,i mounted and rode off2 ,i daresay even their hearing that ,i was a live and real lieutenant would cap the whole story4 ,croydon is a pretty1 retired little town1 so quiet and old-fashioned that ,i enjoyed the unusual rest in it1 and the very look of the canal1 the marketplace1 the old ,english trees and people--by comparison with even the ,iris's white decks1 and her circumference of a prospect1 different as it was every morning or hour of the day4 ,my mother and my sister ,jane were so kind--they petted me so1 and were so happy to have me down to breakfast and out walking1 even to feel the smell of my cigar1--that ,i hardly knew where ,i was4 ,i gave them an account of the places ,i had seen1 with a few tremendous storms and a frigate-fight or two1 instead of the horse-marine stories about mermaids and flying ,dutchmen ,i used to pass upon them when a conceited youngster4 ,little ,jane would listen with her ear to a large shell1 when we were upon sea matters1 and shut her eyes1 saying she could fancy the thing so perfectly in that way4 ,or was it about ,india1 there was a painted sandal-wood fan carved in open-work like the finest lace1 which she would spread over her face1 because the seeing through it1 and its scent1 made her feel as if she were in the tropics4 ,as for my mother1 good simple woman1 she was always between astonishment and horror1 never having believed that lieutenants would be so heartless as to masthead a midshipman for the drunkenness of a boat's crew1 nor being able to understand why1 with a gale brewing to seaward1 a captain tried to get his ship as far as he could from land4 ,the idea of my going to sea again never entered her head1 the terrible war being over1 and the rank ,i had gained being invariably explained to visiters as at least equal to that of a captain amongst soldiers4 ,to the present day1 this is the point with respect to seafaring matters on which my venerated and worthy parent is clearest3 she will take off her gold spectacles1 smoothing down her silver hair with the other hand1 and lay down the law as to reform in naval titles1 showing that my captain's commission puts me on a level with a military colonel4 ,however1 as usual1 ,i got tired by little and little of this sort of thing2 ,i fancy there's some peculiar disease gets into a sailor's brain that makes him uneasy with a firm floor and no offing beyond2 certainly the country about ,croydon was to my mind1 at that time1 the worst possible1--all shut in1 narrow lanes1 high hedges and orchards1 no sky except overhead1 and no horizon4 ,if ,i could only have got a hill1 there would have been some relief in having a look-out from it4 ,money ,i didn't need2 and as for fame or rank1 ,i neither had the ambition1 nor did ,i ever fancy myself intended for an admiral or a ,nelson3 all my wish was to be up and driving about1 on account of something that was within me4 ,i enjoyed a good breeze as some do champagne2 and the very perfection of glory1 to my thinking1 was to be the soul of a gallant ship in a regular ,atlantic howler2 or to play at long bowls with one's match to leeward1 off the ridges of a sea1 with both weather and the enemy to think of4 ,accordingly1 ,i wasn't at all inclined to go jogging along in one of your easy merchantmen1 where you have nothing new to find out2 and ,i only waited to hear from some friends who were bestirring themselves with the ,board1 of a ship where there might be something to do4 ,these were my notions in those days1 before getting sobered down1 which ,i tell you for the sake of not seeming such a fool in this said adventure4 ,well1 one evening my sister ,jane and ,i went to a race-ball at ,epsom1 where1 of course1 we saw all the beauty and fashion1 as they say1 of the country round1 with plenty of the army men1 who were in all their glory1 with ,waterloo and all that2 we two or three poor nauticals being quite looked down upon in comparison1 since ,nelson was dead1 and we had left nothing at the end to fight with4 ,i even heard one belle ask a dragoon what uniform that was--was it the horse-artillery corps8 ,haw6 said the dragoon1 squinting at me through an eyeglass1 and then looking with one eye at his spurs and with the other at his partner1 ,not at all sure6 ,i do think1 after all1 ,miss ----1 'tis the--the marine body1--a sort of amphibious animals6 ,they weren't with us1 though1 you know1--couldn't be1 indeed1 though it was ,water-loo6 ,haw6 haw6 you'll excuse the joke1 ,miss ----8 ,ha6 ha6 how extremely witty1 ,captain ----6 said the young lady1 and they whirled away towards the other end of the hall4 ,but1 had there been an opportunity1 by the honour of the flag1 and nothing personal1 ,i declare ,i should have done--what the fool deserved1--had it been before all his brethren and the ,duke himself6 ,it was not ten minutes after1 that ,i saw what ,i thought the loveliest young creature ever crossed my eyes1 coming out of the refreshment-room with two ladies1 an old and an elderly one4 ,the first was richly dressed1 and ,i set her down for an aunt1 she was so unlike2 the other for a governess4 ,the young lady was near sixteen to appearance1 dressed in white4 ,there were many beauties in the ball-room you would have called handsomer2 but there was something about her altogether ,i could compare to nothing else but the white figure-head of the ,iris1 sliding gently along in the first curl of a breeze1 with the morning-sky far out on the bow1--curious as you may think it1 ladies6 ,her hair was brown1 and her complexion remarkably pale notwithstanding2 while her eyes were as dark-blue1 too1 as--as the ocean near the line1 that sometimes1 in a clear calm1 gets to melt till you scarcely know it from the sky4 ,look1 ,edward6 whispered my sister1 what a pretty creature6 ,she can't be ,english1 she looks so different from everybody in the room6 ,and such diamonds in her hair6 such a beautifully large pearl in her brooch6 ,who can she be1 ,i wonder8 ,i was so taken up1 however1 that ,i never recollected at all what ,jane said till at night1 in thinking the matter over2 and then a whole breeze of whisperings seemingly came from every corner of the bedroom1 of ,who is she6 ,who can she be8 ,who's her father8 and so on1 which ,i remembered to have heard4 ,i only noticed at the time that somebody said she was the daughter of some rich ,east ,india ,nabob or other1 just come home4 ,i had actually forgot about the young dragoon ,i meant to find out again1 until a post-captain who was present--one of ,collingwood's flag-lieutenants--went up to the old chaperone1 whom he seemed to know1 and got into talk with her2 ,i found afterwards she was an admiral's widow4 ,in a little ,i saw him introduced to the young lady1 and ask her to dance2 ,i fancied she hung back for a moment1 but the next she bowed1 gave a slight smile to the captain's gallant sea-fashion of deep respect to the sex1 and they were soon gliding away in the first set4 ,her dancing was more like walking with spread wings upon air1 than upon planks with one's arms out1 as the captain did4 ,i'd have given my eyes1 not to speak of my commission and chances to come1 to have gone through that figure with her4 ,when the captain had handed her to her seat again1 two or three of the dragoons sauntered up to ,lady ,somers's sofa3 it was plain they were taken2 and after conversing with the old lady1 one of them1 ,lord somebody ,i understood1 got introduced1 in his turn1 to the young beauty4 ,as may be supposed1 ,i kept a look-out for his asking her to dance1 seeing that1 if she had done so with one of the embroidered crew1 and their clattering gear1 ,i'd have gone out that instant1 found out the ,waterloo fellow next day1 and1 if not shot myself1 shot him with an anchor button for a bullet1 and run off in the first craft ,i could get4 ,the cool1 easy1 cursed impertinent way this second man made his request1 though--just as if he couldn't be refused1 and didn't care about it--it was as different from the captain of the ,diomede's as red from blue6 ,my heart went like the main-tack blocks1 thrashing when you luff too much2 so you may guess what ,i felt to see the young lady1 who was leaning back on the sofa1 give her head a pettish sort of turn to the old one1 without a word1--as much as to say she didn't want to4 ,my love6 ,i heard the old lady say1 ,i fear you are tired6 ,my lord1 your lordship must excuse ,miss ,hyde on this occasion1 as she is delicate6 ,the dragoon was a polite nobleman1 according to his cloth2 so he kept on talking and smiling1 till he could walk off without seeming as if he'd got his sabre betwixt his feet2 but ,i fancied him a little down by the head when he did go4 ,all the time1 the young beauty was sitting with her face as quiet and indifferent as may be1 only there was a sparkle in her blue eyes1 and in nothing else but the diamonds in her hair1 as she looked on at the dancing2 and1 to my eye1 there was a touch of the rose came out on her cheek1 clear pale though it was before the dragoon spoke to her4 ,not long after1 an oldish gentleman came out with a gray-haired old general from the refreshment-room3 a thin1 yellow-complexioned man he was1 with no whiskers and a bald forehead1 and a bilious eye1 but handsome1 and his face as grand and solemn looking as if he'd been ,first ,lord1 or had got a whole court-martial on his shoulders for next day4 ,i should have known him from a thousand for a man that had lived in the ,east1 were it nothing but the quick way he looked over his shoulder for a servant or two1 when he wanted his carriage called--no doubt just as one feels when he forgets he's ashore1 like ,i did every now and then1 looking up out to windward1 and getting a garden-wall or a wood slap into one's eyesight1 as 'twere4 ,i laid down the old gentleman at once for this said ,nabob2 in fact1 as soon as a footman told him his carriage was waiting1 he walked up to the young lady and her companions1 and went off with them1 a steward and a lady patroness convoying them to the break of the steps4 ,the only notion that ran in my head1 on the way home that night with my sister1 was1 ,by heavens6 ,i might just as well be in love with the bit of sky at the end of the flying-jib-boom6 and all the while1 the confounded wheels kept droning it into me1 till ,i was as dizzy as the first time ,i looked over the fore-royal-yard4 ,the whole night long ,i dreamt ,i was mad after the figure-head of the ,iris1 and asked her to dance with me1 on which she turned round with a look as cold as water1 or plain ,no4 ,at last ,i caught firm hold of her and jumped overboard2 and next moment we were heaving on the blue swell in sight of the black old ,guinea coast--when round turned the figure1 and changed into ,miss ,hyde2 and the old ,nabob hauled us ashore upon a beautiful island1 where ,i woke and thought ,i was wanted on deck1 although it was only my mother calling me4 ,all ,i had found out about them was1 that ,sir ,charles ,hyde was the name of the ,east ,indian1 and how he was a ,bengal judge newly come home2 where they lived1 nobody at the ball seemed to know4 ,at home1 of course1 it was so absurd to think of getting acquaintance with a rich ,indian judge and his daughter1 that ,i said no more of the matter2 although ,i looked so foolish and care-about-nothing1 ,i suppose1 that my mother said to ,jane she was sure ,i wanted to go to sea again1 and even urged me to take a trip to the ,downs1 perhaps4 ,as for going to sea1 however1 ,i felt ,i could no more stir then1 from where ,i was1 than with a best-bower down1 and all hands drunk but the captain4 ,there was a favourite lazy spot of mine near the house1 where ,i used to lie after dinner1 and smoke amongst the grass1 at the back of a high garden-wall with two doors in it1 and a plank across a little brook running close under them4 ,all round was a green paddock for cows2 there was a tall tree at hand1 which ,i climbed now and then half-mast high1 to get a look down a long lane that ran level to the sky1 and gave you a sharp gush of blue from the far end4 ,being a luxurious dog in those days1 like the cloth in general when hung up ashore1 ,i used to call it ,the ,idler's ,walk1 and ,the ,lazy ,watch1 where ,i did duty somewhat like the famous bo'sun that told his boy to call him every night and say the captain wanted him1 when he turned over with a polite message1 and no good to the old tyrant's eyes4 ,well1 one afternoon ,i was stretched on the softest bit of this retreat1 feeling unhappy all over1 and trying to think of nothing particular1 as ,i looked at the wall and smoked my cheroot4 ,excuse me if ,i think that1 so far as ,i remember1 there is nothing so consolatory1 though it can't of course cure one1 as a fine ,manilla for the green sickness1 as our fore-mast fellows would say4 ,my main idea was1 that nothing on earth could turn up to get me out of this scrape1 but ,i should stick eternally1 with my head-sails shivering aback1 or flapping in a sickening dead calm4 ,it was a beautiful hot summer afternoon1 as quiet as possible1 and ,i was weary to death of seeing that shadow of the branch lying against the white wall1 down to the keyhole of the nearest door4 ,all of a sudden ,i heard the sweetest voice imaginable1 coming down the garden as it were1 singing a verse of a ,hindostanee song ,i had heard the ,bengal girls chant with their pitchers on their heads at the well1 of an evening1-- ',la li ta la1 ta perisi1 ,la na comalay ah sahm-r1 ,madna1 ca--rahm ,ram li ta1 co-ca-la lir jhi6 ,la li ta la1 vanga-la ta perisi4' ,coc-coka-cokatoo6 screamed a harsh voice1 which ,i certainly could distinguish from the first4 ,pretty cockatoo6 said the other coaxingly2 and next minute the large pink-flushed bird itself popped his head over the top-stones above the door1 floundering about with his throat foul of the silver chain fast to his leg1 till he hung by his beak on my side of the wall1 half choked1 and trying to croak out ,pretty--pretty cocky6 ,before ,i had time to think1 the door opened1 and1 by heavens6 there was my very charmer herself1 with the shade of the green leaves showered over her alarmed face4 ,she had scarcely seen me before ,i sprang up and caught the cockatoo1 which bit me like an imp incarnate1 till the blood ran down my fingers as ,i handed it to its mistress1 my heart in my mouth1 and more than a quarter-deck bow in my cap4 ,the young lady looked at me first in surprise1 as may be supposed1 and then1 with a smile of thanks that set my brain all afloat1 ,oh1 dear me6 exclaimed she1 you are hurt6 ,hurt6 ,i said1 looking so bewildered1 ,i suppose1 that she couldn't help laughing4 ,tippoo is very stupid1 continued she1 smiling1 because he is out of his own country1 ,i think4 ,you shall have no sugar to-night1 cockatoo1 for biting your friends4 ,were you--ever in ,india--madam8 ,i stammered out4 ,not since ,i was a child1 she answered2 but just then ,i saw the figure of the ,nabob sauntering down the garden1 and said ,i had particular business1 and must be off4 ,you are very busy here1 sir8 said the charming young creature archly4 ,you are longing till you go to sea1 ,i daresay--like ,tippoo and me4 ,you6 said ,i1 staring at the keyhole1 whilst she caught my eye1 and blushed a little1 as ,i thought4 ,yes1 we are going--,i long to see ,india again1 and ,i remember the sea too1 like a dream4 ,oh heavens6 thought ,i1 when ,i heard the old gentleman call out1 ,lota6 ,lota beebee-lee6 ,kabultah1 meetoowah8#ad and away she vanished behind the door1 with a smile to myself4 ,the tone of the ,judge's voice1 and his speaking ,hindoo1 showed he was fond of his daughter at any rate4 ,off ,i went1 too1 as much confused as before1 only for the new thought in my head4 ,the sea1 the sea6 ,i shouted1 as soon as out of hearing1 and felt the wind1 as 'twere1 coming from aft at last1 like the first ripple4 ,yes1 by ,george6 said ,i1 outward bound for a thousand4 ,i'll go1 if it was before the mast4 ,all at once ,i remembered ,i didn't know the ship's name1 or when4 ,next day1 and the next again1 ,i was skulking about my old place1 but nobody appeared--not so much as a shadow inside the keyhole4 ,at last one evening1 just as ,i was going away1 the door opened2 ,i sauntered slowly along1 when1 instead of the charming ,lota1 out came the flat brown turban of an ugly kitmagar1 with a mustache1 looking round to see who was there4 ,salaam1 sah 'b1 said the brown fellow1 holding the door behind him with one paw4 ,burra judge sahib bhote bhote salaam send uppiser#ae sah 'b--'ope not dekhe#af after sahib cook-maid4 ,joot baht1 hurkut-jee1#ag said ,i1 laughing4 ,sah 'b been my coontree8 inquired the ,bengalee more politely4 ,jee1 yes1 ,i said1 wishing to draw him out4 ,i ,inglitch can is-peek1 continued the dark footman1 conceitedly2 ver well sah 'b1 but one damned misfortune us for come i-here4 ,baud carry make--plenty too much poork--too much graug drink4 ,turmeric--chili--banana not got--not coco-tree got--pah6 ,baud coontree1 too much i-cold1 sah 'b8 ,curse the rascal's impudence1 ,i thought1 but ,i asked him if he wasn't going back4 ,yis1 sah 'b1 such baht#ah ,a-il-alh6 ,mohummud burra ,meer-kea4 ,bote too much i-smell my coontree4 ,when are you going8 ,i asked carelessly4 ,two day this time1 sah 'b4 ,can you tell me the name of the ship8 ,i went on4 ,the ,kitmagar looked at me slyly1 stroked his mustache1 and meditated2 after which he squinted at me again1 and his lips opened so as to form the magic word1 ,buckshish8 ,jee1 said ,i1 holding out a crown-piece1 the ship's name and the harbour8 ,se1 began he2 the coin touched his palm1--ring2 his fingers closed on it1 and ,patahm1 dropped from his leathery lips4 ,the ,seringapatam8 ,i said4 ,ahn1 sah 'b4 ,london1 eh8 ,i added2 to which he returned another reluctant assent1 as if it wasn't paid for1 and ,i walked off4 ,however1 ,i had not got round the corner before ,i noticed the figure of the old gentleman himself looking after me from the doorway2 his worthy ,kitmagar salaaming to the ground1 and no doubt giving information how the cheep uppiser had tried to pump him to no purpose4 ,the ,nabob looked plainly as suspicious as if ,i had wanted to break into his house1 since he held his hand over his eyes to watch me out of sight4 ,at night1 ,i told my mother and sister ,i should be off to ,london next day1 for sea4 ,what betwixt their vexation at losing me1 and their satisfaction to see me more cheerful1 with talking over matters1 we sat up half the night4 ,i was so ashamed1 though1 to tell them what ,i intended1 considering what a fool's chase it would seem to any one but myself1 that ,i kept all close2 and1 ,i am sorry to say1 ,i was so full of my love-affair1 with the wild adventure of it1 the sea1 and everything besides1 as not to feel their anxiety enough4 ,how it was to turn out ,i didn't know2 but somehow or other ,i was resolved ,i'd contrive to make a rope if ,i couldn't find one3 at the worst1 ,i might carry the ship1 gain over the men1 or turn pirate and discover an island4 ,early in the morning ,i packed my traps1 drew a cheque for my prize-money1 got the coach1 and bowled off for ,london1 to knock up ,bob ,jacobs1 my sea godfather2 this being the very first step1 as it seemed to me1 in making the plan feasible4 ,rough sort of confidant as he may look1 there was no man living ,i would have trusted before him for keeping a secret4 ,bob was true as the topsail sheets2 and if you only gave him the course to steer1 without any of the puzzlements1 as he called the calculating part1 he would stick to it1 blow high1 blow low4 ,he was just the fellow ,i wanted1 for the lee brace as it were1 to give my weather one a purchase1 even if ,i had altogether liked the notion of setting off all alone on what ,i couldn't help suspecting was a sufficiently hare-brained scheme as it stood2 and1 to tell the truth1 it was only to a straightforward1 simple-hearted tar like ,jacobs that ,i could have plucked up courage to make it known4 ,i knew he would enter into it like a reefer volunteering for a cutting out1 and make nothing of the difficulties--especially when a love matter was at the bottom of it3 the chief question was how to discover his whereabouts1 as ,wapping is rather a wide word4 ,i adopted the expedient of going into all the tobacco-shops to inquire after ,jacobs1 knowing him to be a more than commonly hard smoker1 and no great drinker ashore4 ,i was beginning to be tired out1 however1 and give up the quest1 when1 at the corner of a lane near the docks1 ,i caught sight of a little door adorned with what had apparently been part of a ship's figure-head--the face of a nymph or nereid1 four times as large as life1 with tarnished gilding1 and a long wooden pipe in her mouth that had all the effect of a bowsprit1 being stayed up by a piece of marline to a hook in the wall1 probably in order to keep clear of people's heads4 ,the words painted on its two head-boards1 as under a ship's bow1 were ,betsy ,jacobs1 and licensed on the top of the door2 the window was stowed full of cakes of cavendish1 twists of negrohead1 and coils of pigtail2 so that1 having heard my old shipmate speak of a certain ,betsey1 both as sweetheart and partner1 ,i made at once pretty sure of having lighted1 by chance1 on his very dry-dock1 and went in without more ado4 ,i found nobody in the little shop1 but a rough voice1 as like as possible to ,jacobs' own1 was chanting the sea-song of ,come1 cheer up1 my lads1 'tis to glory we steer1 in the back-room1 in a curious sleepy kind of drone1 interrupted every now and then by the suck of his pipe1 and a mysterious thumping sound1 which ,i could only account for by the supposition that the poor fellow was mangling clothes1 or gone mad4 ,i was obliged to kick on the counter with all my might1 in competition1 before an eye was applied from inside to the little window2 after which1 as ,i expected1 the head of ,jacobs was thrust out of the door1 his hair rough1 three days' beard on his chin1 and he in his shirt and trousers4 ,hisht6 said he1 in a low voice1 not seeing me distinctly for the light1 you're not callin' the watch1 my lad6 ,hold on a bit1 and ,i'll sarve your orders directly4 ,after another stave of ,hearts of oak are our ships1 c4 in the same drawl1 and a still more vigorous thumping than before1 next minute out came ,bob again2 with a wonderful air of importance1 though1 and drawing in one hand1 to my great surprise1 the slack of a line of half-inch1 on which he gave now and then a tug and an ease off1 as he came forward1 like a fellow humouring a newly-hooked fish4 ,now1 then1 my hearty6 said he1 shading his eyes with the other hand1 bear a-- ,why1 ,jacobs1 old ship1 ,i said1 what's this you're after8 ,don't you know your old apprentice1 eh8 ,jacobs looked at my cap and epaulette1 and gave out his breath in a whistle1 the only other sign of astonishment being1 that he let go his unaccountable-looking piece of cord4 ,lord bless me1 ,master ,ned6 said he--,i axes pardon1 ,lieutenant ,collins1 your honour6 ,glad you know me this time1 ,bob1 my lad1 said ,i1 looking round1--and a comfortable berth you've got of it1 ,i daresay4 ,but what the deuce are you about in there8 ,you haven't a savage too1 like some friends of yours ,i fell in with a short time ago6 ,or perhaps a lion or a tiger1 eh1 ,jacobs8 ,no1 no1 your honour--lions be blowed6 replied he1 laughing1 but fiddling with his hands all the while1 and standing between me and the room1 as if half ashamed4 ',tis ownly the tiller-ropes of a small craft ,i am left in charge of1 sir4 ,but won't ye sit down1 your honour1 till such time as my old 'ooman comes aboard to relieve me1 sir8 ,here's a cheer1 and maybe you'd make so free for to take a pipe of prime cavendish1 your honour8 ,let's have a look into your cabin1 though1 ,bob my man1 said ,i1 curious to know what was the secret2 when all at once a tremendous squall from within let me sufficiently into it4 ,the sailor had been rocking the cradle1 with a fine little fellow of a baby in it1 and a line made fast to keep it in play when he served the shop4 ,all the pitch 's in the fire now1 your honour1 said he1 looking terribly non-plussed2 ,i've broached him to1 and he's all aback till his mammy gets a hold of him4 ,a good pipe the little rogue's got though1 said ,i1 and a fine child he is1 ,jacobs--do for a bo'sun yet4 ,why1 yes1 sir1 said he1 rubbing his chin with a gratified smile1 as the urchin kicked1 threw out his arms1 and roared like to break his heart2 ,i'm thinking he's a sailor all over1 by natur'1 as one may say4 ,he don't like a calm no more nor myself2 but that's the odds of bein' ashore1 where you needs to keep swinging the hammocks by hand1 instead of havin' it done for you1 sir4 ,in the midst of the noise1 however1 we were caught by the sudden appearance of ,mistress ,jacobs herself--a good-looking young woman1 with a market-basket full of bacon and greens1 and a chubby little boy holding by her apron1 who came through the shop4 ,the first thing she did was to catch up the baby out of the cradle1 and begin hushing it1 after one or two side-glances of reproach at her husband1 who attempted to cover his disgrace by saying1 ,betsy1 my girl1 where's your manners8 why don't you off hats to the leftenant8--it's my wife1 your honour4 ,mrs ,jacobs curtseyed twice very respectfully1 though not particularly fond of the profession1 as ,i found afterwards2 and ,i soon quite gained her smiles and good graces by praising her child1 with the remark that he was too pretty ever to turn out a sailor2 for1 sharp as mothers are to detect this sort of flattery to anybody else's bantling1 you always find it take wonderfully with respect to their own4 ,whenever ,jacobs and ,i were left to ourselves1 ,i struck at once into my scheme--the more readily for feeling ,i had the weather-hand of him in regard of his late appearance4 ,it was too ridiculous1 the notion of one of the best foretopmen that ever passed a weather-earing staying at home to rock his wife's cradle and attend the shop2 and he was evidently aware of it as ,i went on4 ,it was a little selfish1 ,i daresay1 and ,mrs ,jacobs would perhaps have liked me none the better for it2 but ,i proposed to him to get a berth in the ,indiaman1 sail with me for ,bombay1 and stand by for a foul hitch in something or other4 ,why1 sir1 said he1 it shan't be said of ,bob ,jacobs he were ever the man to hang back where a matter was to be done that must be done4 ,i doesn't see the whole bearings of it as yet1 but ounly you give the orders1 sir1 and ,i'll stick to 'em4 ',tis a long stretch between this and ,bombay1 ,jacobs1 said ,i1 and plenty of room for chances4 ,ay1 ay1 sir1 no doubt1 said he1 ye can talk the length of the best bower cable4 ,more than that1 ,bob my lad1 said ,i1 ,i know these ,company men2 if they once get out of their regular jog1 they're as helpless as a pig adrift on a grating2 and before they grow used to sailing out of convoy1 with no frigates to whip them in1 depend upon it ,mother ,carey#ai will have to teach them a new trick or two4 ,mayhap1 sir1 put in ,jacobs1 doubtfully1 the best thing 'ud be if they cast the ship away altogether1 as ,i've seen done myself for the matter of an insurance4 ,ye know1 sir1 they lets it pass at ,lloyd's now the war's over1 seein' it brings custom to the underwriters1 if so be ounly it don't come over often for the profits4 ,hows'ever it needs a good seaman to choose his lee-shore well1 no doubt4 ,oh6 answered ,i1 laughing1 but the chances are1 all hands would want to be ,robinson ,crusoe at once6 ,no1 no1--only let's get aboard1 and take things as they come4 ,what's the ship's name1 sir8 inquired ,jacobs1 sinking his voice1 and looking cautiously over his shoulder toward the door4 ,the ,seringapatam1--do you know her8 ,i said4 ,ay1 ay1 sir1 well enough1 said he1 readily1--a lump of a ship she is1 down off ,blackwall in the stream with two more--country-built1 and tumbles home rather much from below the plank-sheer for a sightly craft1 besides being flat in the eyes of her1 and round in the counter1 just where she shouldn't1 sir4 ,them ,parchee ,bombay ship-wrights does clap on a lot of onchristien flummeries and gilt mouldings1 let alone quarter-galleries fit for the king's castle6 ,in short1 she's tea-waggon all over1 said ,i1 and just as slow and as leewardly1 to boot1 as teak can make her8 ,her lines is not that bad1 though1 your honour1 continued ,jacobs1 if you just knocked off her poop1--and she'd bear a deal o' beating for a sea-boat4 ,they've got a smart young mate1 too2 for ,i seed him t'other day a-sending up the yards1 and now she's as square as a frigate1 all ready to drop down river4 ,the short and long of it was1 that ,i arranged with my old shipmate1 who was fully bent on the cruise1 whether ,mrs ,jacobs should approve or not1 that1 somehow or other1 we should both ship our hammocks on board of the ,seringapatam--he before the mast1 and ,i wherever ,i could get4 ,on going to the agent's1 however--which ,i did as soon as ,i could change my uniform for plain clothes--,i found1 to my great disappointment1 from a plan of the accommodations1 that not only were the whole of the poop-cabins taken1 but those on the lower-deck also4 ,most of the passengers1 ,i ascertained1 were ladies1 with their children and nurses1 going back to ,india1 and raw young cadets1 with a few commercial and civilian nondescripts2 there were no troops or officers1 and room enough1 except for one gentleman having engaged the entire poop1 at an immense expense1 for his own use4 ,this ,i1 of course1 supposed was the ,nabob1 but the clerk was too close to inform me4 ,you must try another ship1 sir1 said he1 coolly1 as he shut the book4 ,sorry for it1 but we have another to sail in a fortnight4 ,a4#a1 sir2 far finer vessel--couple of hundred tons larger--and sails faster4 ,you be hanged6 muttered ,i1 walking out2 and a short time after ,i was on board4 ,the stewards told me as much again2 but on my slipping a guinea into the fingers of one1 he suddenly recollected there was a gentleman in state-room ,no4 #ad1 starboard side of the main skylight1 who1 being alone1 might perhaps be inclined to take a chum1 if ,i dealt with him privately4 ,yankee1 sir1 he is1 said the steward1 by way of a useful hint4 ,however1 ,i didn't need the warning3 at sight of the individual's long nose1 thin lips1 and sallow jaw-bones1 without a whisker on his face1 and his shirt-collar turned down1 as he sat overhauling his traps beside the carronade1 which was tethered in the state-room1 with its muzzle through the port4 ,he looked a good deal like a jockey beside his horse2 or1 as a wit of a schoolboy cadet said afterwards1 the ,boston gentleman calling himself ,daniel ,snout1 ,esquire--like ,daniel praying in the lion's den1 and afraid it might turn round or roar4 ,i must say the idea didn't quite delight me1 nor the sight of a fearful quantity of luggage which was stowed up against the bulkhead2 but after introducing myself1 and objecting to the first few offers1 ,i at last concluded a bargain with the ,american for a hundred and twenty guineas1 which1 he remarked1 was considerable low1 ,i prognosticate1 mister6 ,however1 said he1 ,i expect you're a conversationable individual a little3 ,i allowed for that1 you know1 mister4 ,one can't do much of a trade at sea--that's a fact2 and ,i calculate we'll swap information by the way4 ,i'm water-pruff1 ,i tell you1 as all our nation is4 ,you'll not settle at ,bumbay1 ,i reckon1 mister8 ,but though ,i meant to pay my new messmate in my own coin at leisure afterwards1 and be as frank and open as day with him--the only way to meet a ,yankee--,i made off at present as fast as possible to bring my things aboard1 resolving to sleep at ,blackwall1 and then to stow myself out of sight for sick1 until there was somebody to take off the edge of his confounded talk4 ,next afternoon1 accordingly1 ,i found myself once more afloat1 the ,indiaman dropping down with the first breeze4 ,the day after1 she was running through the ,downs with it pretty strong from north-east1 a fair wind--the pilot-boat snoring off close-hauled to windward1 with a white spray over her nose2 and the three dungaree topsails of the ,seringapatam lifting and swelling1 as yellow as gold1 over her white courses in the blue ,channel haze4 ,the breeze freshened1 till she rolled before it1 and everything being topsy-turvy on deck1 the lumber in the way1 the men as busy as bees setting her ship-shape--it would have been as much as a passenger's toes were worth to show them from below2 so that ,i was able to keep by myself1 just troubling my seamanship so much as to stand clear of the work4 ,enjoy it ,i did1 too2 by ,jove1 the first sniff of the weather was enough to make me forget what ,i was there for4 ,i was every now and then on the point of fisting a rope1 and singing out with the men2 till at length ,i thought it more comfortable1 even for me1 to run up the mizen shrouds when everybody was forward1 where ,i stowed myself out of sight in the cross-trees4 ,about dusk1 while ,i was waiting to slip down1 a stronger puff than ordinary made them clue up the mizen-royal from deck1 which ,i took upon myself to furl off-hand--quick enough to puzzle a couple of boys that came aloft for the purpose1 especially as1 in the mean time1 ,i had got down upon the topsail-yardarm out of their notice4 ,when they got on deck again1 ,i heard the little fellows telling some of the men1 in a terrified sort of way1 how the mizen-royal had either stowed itself1 or else it was ,dick ,wilson's ghost1 that fell off the same yard last voyage1--more by token1 he used always to make fast the gaskets just that fashion4 ,at night1 however1 the wind having got lighter1 with half moonlight1 there was a muster of some passengers on deck1 all sick and miserable1 as they tried to keep their feet1 and have the benefit of air1--the ,yankee being as bad as the worst4 ,i thought it wouldn't do for me to be altogether free1 and accordingly stuck fast by ,mr ,snout1 with my head over the quarter-deck bulwarks1 looking into his face1 and talking away to him1 asking all sorts of questions about what was good for sea-sickness1 then giving a groan to prevent myself laughing1 when the spray splashed up upon his water-pruff face1 he responding to it as ,sancho ,panza did to ,don ,quixote1 when the one examined the other's mouth after a potion4 ,all he could falter out was1 how he wondered ,i could speak at all when sick4 ,oh6 oh dear6 said ,i1 with another howl4 ,yes1--'tis merely because ,i can't think6 ,and ,i daresay you are thinking so much you can't talk--the sea is so full of meditation1 as ,lord ,byron--,oh--oh--this water will be the death of me6 ,i feel as if--the whole--tarnation ,atlantic was--inside of my bowls6 gasped he through his nostrils4 ,oh6 ,i could not help putting in1 as the ship and ,mr ,snout both gave a heave up1 and coming out of you6 ,during all this time ,i had felt so sure of my ground as scarcely to trouble myself about the ,bengal judge and his fairy treasure of a daughter2 only in the midst of the high spirits brought up by the breeze1 ,i hugged myself now and then at the thought of their turning out by degrees as things got settled1 and my having such openings the whole voyage through as one couldn't miss in four or five months4 ,nobody would suspect the raw chap ,i looked1 with smooth hair and a high collar1 of any particular cue3 ,i must say there was a little vanity at the bottom of it1 but ,i kept thinking more and more how snug and quietly ,i'd enjoy all that went on1 sailing on one tack with the passengers and the old ,nabob himself1 and slipping off upon the other when ,i could come near the charming young ,lota4 ,the notion looks more like what some scamp of a reefer1 cruising ashore1 would have hit upon1 than suits my taste now-a-days2 but the cockpit had put a spice of the imp in me1 which ,i never got clear of till this very voyage1 as you shall see1 if we get through with the log of it4 ',twas no use1 as ,i found1 saying what one should have to do1 except put heart into it1--with wind1 sea1 and a love affair to manage all at once1 after making a tangled coil instead of one all clear and above-board4 ,the first time ,i went down into the cuddy was that evening to tea1 where all was at sixes and sevens like the decks2 the lamps ill trimmed1 stewards out of the way1 and a few lads trying to bear up against their stomachs by the help of brandy and biscuits4 ,the main figure was a jolly-looking ,east ,indian1 an indigo-planter as he turned out1 with a bald forehead1 a hook nose1 and his gills covered with white whiskers that gave him all the cut of a cockatoo4 ,he had his brown servant running about on every hand1 and1 being an old stager1 did his best to cheer up the rest2 but nothing ,i saw showed the least sign of the party ,i looked after4 ,i was sure ,i ought to have made out something of them by this time1 considering the stir such a grandee as ,sir ,charles ,hyde would cause aboard3 in fact1 there didn't seem to be many passengers in her1 and ,i began to curse the lying scoundrel of a ,kitmagar for working ,tom ,cox's traverse on me1 and myself for being a greater ass than ,i'd fancied4 ,indeed ,i heard the planter mention by chance that ,sir ,charles ,hyde1 the district judge1 had come home last voyage from ,india in this very ,seringapatam1 which no doubt1 ,i thought1 put the ,mahommedan rascal up to his trick4 ,i was making up my mind to an ,indian trip1 and the pure pleasure of ,daniel ,catoson ,snout1 ,esquire's company for two blessed months1 when all of a sudden ,i felt the ship bring her wind a-quarter1 with a furious plunge of the ,channel water along her bends1 that made every landsman's bowels yearn as if he felt it gurgle through him4 ,one young fellow1 more drunk than sick1 gave a wild bolt right over the cuddy table1 striking out with both arms and legs as if afloat1 so as to sweep half of the glasses down on the floor4 ,the planter1 who was three cloths in the wind himself1 looked down upon him with a comical air of pity as soon as he had got cushioned upon the wreck4 ,my dear fellow1 said he1 what do you feel--eh8 ,feel1 you--old blackguard6 stammered the griffin1 de--dam--dammit1 ,i feel everything6 ,goes through--through my vitals as if--,i was a con--founded whale6 ,c--can't stand it6 ,you've drunk yourself aground1 my boy6 sung out the indigo man2 stuck fast on the coral--eh8 ,never mind1 we'll float you off1 only don't flounder that way with your tail6--by ,jove1 you scamp1 you've ruined my toe--oh dear6 ,i left the planter hopping round on one pin1 and holding the gouty one in his hand1 betwixt laughing and crying3 on deck ,i found the floating ,nab ,light bearing broad on our lee-bow1 with ,cumberland ,fort glimmering to windward1 and the half moon setting over the ,isle of ,wight1 while we stood up for ,portsmouth harbour4 ,the old captain1 and most of the officers1 were on the poop for the first time1 though as stiff and uncomfortable from the sort of land-sickness and lumber-qualms that sailors feel till things are in their places1 as the landsmen did until things were out of them4 ,the skipper walked the weather side by himself and said nothing3 the smart chief officer sent two men1 one after another1 from the wheel for cows that didn't know where their tails were2 and as for the middies1 they seemed to know when to keep out of the way4 ,in a little1 the spars of the men-of-war at ,spithead were to be seen as we rose2 before the end of the first watch1 we were running outside the ,spit ,buoy1 which was nodding and plashing with the tide in the last slant of moonshine1 till at last we rounded to1 and down went the anchor in five fathoms1 off the ,motherbank4 ,what the ,indiaman wanted at ,portsmouth ,i didn't know2 but1 meantime1 ,i had given up all hopes of the ,nabob being in her1 and the only question with me was1 whether ,i should take the opportunity of giving all hands the slip here1 even though ,i left my ,yankee friend disconsolate1 and a clear gainer by dollars beyond count4 ,early next morning there were plenty of wherries looking out for fares2 so1 as the ,indiaman was not to sail before the night-ebb1 when the breeze would probably spring up fair again1 ,i hailed one of them to go ashore at the ,point1 for a quiet stroll over ,southsea ,common1 where ,i meant to overhaul the whole bearings of the case1 and think if it weren't better to go home1 and wait the ,admiralty's pleasure for a ship4 ,i hadn't even seen anything of ,jacobs1 and the whole hotel-keeping ways of the ,indiaman began to disgust me1 or else ,i should have at once decided to take the chance of seeing ,lota ,hyde somehow or other in ,india2 but1 again1 one could scarcely endure the notion of droning on in a frigate without so much as a ,brest lugger to let drive at4 ,it was about six o'clock2 the morning gun from the guard-ship off the ,dockyard came booming down through the harbour1 the blue offing shone like silver1 and the green tideway sparkled on every surge1 up to where they were flashing and poppling on the copper of the frigates at ,spithead4 ,i noticed them crossing yards and squaring2 the farthest out hove up anchor1 loosed fore-topsail1 cast her head to starboard1 and fired a gun as she stood slowly out to sea under all sail1 with a light air freshening abeam4 ,the noble look of her almost reconciled me of itself to the service1 were it for the mere sake of having a share in driving such a craft between wind and water4 ,just then1 however1 an incident turned up in spite of me1 which ,i certainly didn't expect1 and which had more1 even than ,i reckoned at the time1 to do with my other adventure2 seeing that it made me1 both then and afterwards1 do the direct opposite of what ,i meant to do1 and both times put a new spoke in my wheel1 as we say at sea here4 ,i had observed a seventy-four1 the ,stratton1 lying opposite the ,spit ,buoy2 on board of which1 as the waterman told me1 a court-martial had been held the day before1 where they broke a first lieutenant for insulting his captain4 ,both belonged to one of the frigates3 the captain ,i had seen1 and heard of as the worst tyrant in the navy2 his ship was called a perfect hell afloat2 that same week one of the boys had tried to drown himself alongside1 and a corporal of marines1 after coming ashore and drinking a glass with his sweetheart1 had coolly walked down to the ,point1 jumped in between two boats at the jetty1 and kept himself under water till he was dead4 ,the lieutenant had been dismissed the service1 and as ,i recognised the name1 ,i wondered whether it could actually be my schoolfellow1 ,tom ,westwood1 as gallant a fellow and as merry as ever broke biscuit4 ,two sail-boats1 one from around the ,stratton's quarter1 and the other from over by ,gosport1 steering on the same tack for ,southsea1 diverted my attention as ,i sauntered down to the beach4 ,the bow of the nearest wherry grounded on the stones as ,i began to walk quicker towards the town-gates1 chiefly because ,i was pretty ready for an early breakfast at the old ,blue ,posts1 and also because ,i had a slight notion of what these gentlemen wanted on ,southsea ,beach at odd hours4 ,out they jumped1 however--one man in naval undress1 another1 a captain1 in full fig1 the third1 a surgeon--coming right athwart my course to bring me to4 ,the first ,i almost at once remembered for the notorious captain of the ,orestes1 or ,n',oreste1 as the midshipmen called her1 from her ,french build and her character together4 ,hallo1 you sir6 said the other captain decidedly1 you must stand still4 ,indeed6 said ,i2 and why so1 if you please8 ,since you are here1 we don't intend allowing you to pass for some few minutes4 ,and what if ,i should do as ,i choose1 sir8 ,i asked4 ,if you stir two steps1 sir1 ,i shall shoot you6 replied the captain1 who was one of the bullying school4 ,oh1 very well1 ,i said1 rather confounded by his impertinence1 then ,i shall stay2 and ,i accordingly stood stock-still1 with my arms folded1 until the other boat landed its party of two4 ,they were in plain clothes2 nor did ,i give them any particular attention till the seconds had stationed their men1 when the captain of the ,orestes had his back to me1 and his antagonist stood directly facing4 ,as his pale resolved features came out before me with the morning sun on them1 his lips together1 and his nostrils large1 ,i recognised my old friend ,westwood4 ,the captain had broke him the day before1 and now he had accepted his challenge1 being a known dead shot1 while the lieutenant had never fired a bullet in cold blood3 there was1 no doubt1 a settled purpose in the tyrant to crush the first man that had dared to thwart his will4 ,westwood's second came forward and mentioned to the other that his friend was still willing to withdraw the words spoken in first heat1 and would accordingly fire in the air4 ,coward6 shouted the captain of the ,orestes immediately2 ,i shall shoot you through the heart6 ,sir6 said ,i to his second1 ,i will not look on2 and if that gentleman is shot1 ,i will be witness against you both as murderers6 ,i dropped down behind a stone out of the line of fire1 and to keep my eyes off the devilish piece of work1 though my blood boiled to knock the fellow down that ,i was speaking to4 ,another minute1 and the suspense was too great for me to help looking up3 just at that moment ,i saw how set ,westwood's face was3 he was watching his enemy with an eye that showed to me what the other's must be--seeking for his life4 ,the seconds gave the word to each other in the middle1 and dropped two white handkerchiefs at once with their hands together2 ,i caught the flash of ,westwood's pistol1 when1 to my astonishment1 ,i saw the captain of the ,orestes next moment jerk up his arm betwixt me and the sky1 fire in the air1 and slowly fall back--he was dead6--shot through the heart4 ,one glance at his face gave you a notion of the devilish meaning he had had2 but what was my surprise when his second walked up to ,westwood1 and said to him1 ,sir1 you are the murderer of ,captain ,duncombe2--my friend fired in the air as you proposed4 ,you are mistaken1 sir1 answered ,westwood1 coldly2 ,captain ,duncombe sought my life1 and ,i have used the privilege of self-defence4 ,the surgeon is of my opinion1 said the other2 and ,i am sorry to say that we cannot allow you to depart4 ,i shall give myself up to the authorities at once1 said ,westwood4 ,we have only your word for that1 which ,i must be permitted1 in such a case1 to doubt1 replied the captain1 whose evident wish was to detain ,westwood by force or threats while he sent off his surgeon4 ,the worst of it was1 as ,i now found1 that since the court-martial and the challenge1 an admiralty order had arrived1 in consideration of several gallant acts during the war1 as well as private representation1 restoring him to the service3 so that he had in fact called out and shot his superior officer4 ,as for the charge now brought forward1 it was too absurd for any to believe it1 unless from rage or prejudice2 the case was bad enough1 at any rate1 without it4 ,in the mean time ,i had exchanged a word or two with ,westwood's friend2 after which1 lifting up a second pistol which lay on the sand1 ,i went up to the captain4 ,sir1 said ,i1 you used the freedom1 a little ago1 of forcing me into your concerns1 and ,i have seen the end of it4 ,i have now got to tell you1 having watched your conduct1 that either you must submit to be made fast here for a bit1 else1 by the ,god that made me1 ,i'll shoot you through the head6 ,the captain looked at me1 his surgeon sidled up to him1 and1 being a man near my own size1 he suddenly tried to wrench the pistol out of my hands3 however1 ,i had him the next moment under my knee1 while ,westwood's second secured the little surgeon1 and took a few round sea-turns about his wrists and ancles with a neckerchief4 ,my companion then gave me a hand to do the same with his superior officer--the medico all the time singing out like a bull1 and the captain threatening--while the dead body lay stark and stiff behind us1 the eyes wide1 the head down1 and the breast up1 the hand clenching a pistol1 just as he had fallen4 ,westwood stood quite unconscious of everything we did1 only he seemed to be watching the knees drawn up as they stiffened1 and the sand-flies hovering about the mouth4 ,shall we clap a stopper between their teeth8 said the second to me--he had been at sea1 but who he was ,i never knew--the surgeon will be heard on the walls1 he bellows so6 ,never mind1 said ,i1 we'll just drop them beyond tide-mark--the lee of the stones yonder4 ,in fact1 from the noise the tide was making1 ,i question if the shots could have been heard even by the watermen1 who had prudently sheered out of sight round a point4 ,i couldn't help looking1 when we had done this1 from the captain's body to his own frigate1 as she was sluing round head on to us1 at single anchor1 to the turn of tide1 with her buoy dancing on the brisk blue sweep of water1 and her figure-head shining in the sunlight4 ,as soon as we covered over the corpse with dulse-weed1 ,westwood started as if we had taken something away from him1 or freed him of a spell4 ,westwood6 said ,i1 laying my hand on his shoulder1 you must come along with me4 ,he said nothing1 but followed us quietly round to the wherries1 where ,i told the watermen that the other party had gone a different way to keep clear1 and we wanted them to pull for ,gosport4 ,at ,gosport we had ,westwood rigged out in black clothes1 his hair cropped1 and whiskers shaved off--as ,i thought it the fittest thing for his case1 and what he could best carry out1 to go aboard of the ,indiaman with me as if he were a missionary4 ,poor fellow6 he didn't know what he was4 ,so1 having waited till dusk1 to let the watermen lose our track1 and his friend having posted off for ,dover1 he and ,i both got safe over to the ,seringapatam1 where ,i had him stowed in the first empty state-room ,i found4 ,i had actually forgot1 through the excitement1 all about my missing my first chase3 from one hour to another ,i kept watching the tide-marks ashore1 and the dog-vane on the ship's quarter1 all impatience to hear the word given for all hands up anchor1 and hoping our worthy friends on ,southsea ,beach were still within hearing of the ,channel flood4 ,at last the order did come2 round went the capstan merrily enough1 till she had hove short and up2 the anchor was catted1 and off went the lumbering old craft through the ,solent about midnight1 before a fine rattling breeze1 in company with six or seven others1 all running for the ,needles4 ,they were loosing the ,indiaman's royals when ,i heard a gun from the guard-ship in harbour2 and a little after up went a rocket1 signalling to some frigate or other at ,spithead2 and away they kept at it1 with lights from the telegraph to her masthead1 for several minutes4 ,all's up6 thought ,i1 and both ,westwood and myself are in for it6 ,next morning at daybreak1 accordingly1 no sooner did the dawn serve to show us the ,portland ,light going out on the weather quarter1 with a whole fleet of ,channel craft and ,mediterranean brigs about us1 we surging through it as fast as the ,indiaman could go1--than there was a fine forty-four standing off and on right in our course1 in fact the very identical ,orestes herself6 ,she picked us out in a moment--bore up1 stood across our weather-bow1 and hailed4 ,what ship's that8 said the first ,luff in her mizen rigging4 ,the ,seringapatam1 ,honourable ,company's ship1 ,captain ,williamson6 sung out our first officer1 with his cap off4 ,heave to1 till ,i send a boat aboard of you6 hailed the naval man1 and there we bobbed to each other with mainyards backed4 ,in a few minutes a master's mate with gig's crew was under our lee-quarter1 and the mate came on deck4 ,sir1 said he1 the ,port ,admiral will thank you to deliver these despatches for ,sir ,charles ,hyde1 who ,i believe is aboard4 ,certainly1 sir1 said the first officer1 they shall be given to him in an hour's time4 ,good morning1 and a fine voyage1 said the master's mate politely2 and ,i took the occasion of asking if ,captain ,duncombe were on board the ,orestes4 ,no1 sir1 answered the midshipman1 he happens to be ashore at present4 ,i have seldom felt so relieved as when ,i saw the frigate haul round her mainyard1 and go sweeping off to leeward1 while we resumed our course4 ,by noon we had sunk the land about ,start ,point1 with a breeze which it was no use wasting at that season to take departures2 and as the afternoon set in hazy1 we were soon out of sight of ,old ,england for good4 ,for my part1 ,i was bound ,eastward at last with a witness1 and1 like a young bear1 again all my troubles before me4--,there is two bells though1 interrupted the narrator1 starting4 ,let us see what sort of night it is before the ladies retire4 ,,footnotes3 #g ,cellar for goods4 #h ,asylum of the world4 #i ,district judicial courts4 #aj ,flush--i4e41 level4 #aa ,steward and ,butler4 #ab ,sport4 #ac ,turban-wearing4 #ad ,little ,girl6 ,do you hear1 sweet one8 #ae ,officer4 #af ,look4 #ag ',tis a lie1 you scoundrel4 #ah ,that is true4 #ai ,mother ,carey1--an obscure sea-divinity chiefly celebrated for her chickens1 as ,juno ashore for her peacocks4 ,quere1--a personification of the providential ,care of ,nature for her weaker children1 amongst whom the little stormy petrels are conspicuous2 while1 at the same time1 touchingly associating the ,pagan to the ,christian sea mythology by their double name--the latter1 a diminutive of ,peter walking by faith upon the waters4 ,in the nautical creed1 ,davy ,jones represents the abstract power1 and ,mother ,carey the practically developed experience1 which together make up the life ,oceanic4 ,m,,rim,e',s ,,history ,,of ,,peter ,,the ,,cruel4#bj ,the memoirs of a sovereign who had ,alburquerque for a minister1 ,maria ,padilla for a mistress1 ,henry of ,trastamare for a rival1 and ,edward the ,black ,prince for an ally and companion in arms1 must be worthy the researches even of so elegant a scholar and learned an antiquarian as ,prosper ,mrime4 ,when the nations are engrossed by their difficulties and disasters1 and the jarring discord of revolution and thundering crash of monarchies on every side resound1 the history of a semi-barbarous period1 and of a king now five hundred years in his grave1 should be set forth with surpassing talent to attract and sustain attention4 ,but ,m4 ,mrime is the literary ,midas of his day and country3 the subject he handles becomes bright and precious by the magic of his touch4 ,though its interest be remote1 he can invest it with all the charm of freshness4 ,upon a former occasion#ba we noticed his imaginative productions with well-merited praise2 to-day1 in the historian's graver garb1 he equally commands admiration and applause4 ,he has been happy in his selection of a period rich in dramatic incident and fascinating details2 and of these he has made the utmost profit4 ,in a previous paper1 we quoted ,m4 ,mrime's profession of faith in matters of ancient and medival history4 ,in his preface to the ,chronique de ,charles ,,ix41 he avowed his predilection for anecdotes and personal traits1 and the weight he is disposed to attach to them as painting the manners and character of an epoch1 and as throwing upon the motives and qualities of its prominent personages a light more vivid and true1 than that obtained from the tedious and often partial narratives of grave contemporary chroniclers4 ,in the present instance1 he has liberally supplied his readers with the fare he himself prefers4 ,his ,history of ,pedro the ,first of ,castile abounds in illustrations1 in anecdotes and legends of remarkable novelty and interest2 historical flowerets1 most agreeably lightening and relieving the solid structure of a work for which the archives and libraries of ,madrid and ,barcelona1 the manuscripts of the old ,spanish and ,portuguese chroniclers1 and the writings of more modern historians of various nations1 have been with conscientious diligence ransacked and compared4 ,the result has been a book equal in all respects to ,mr ,prescott's delightful ,history of ,ferdinand and ,isabella1 to which it forms a suitable companion4 ,as a master of classic and antiquarian lore1 the ,frenchman is superior to the ,american1 to whom he yields nothing in the vigour of his diction and the grace of his style4 ,when ,alphonso the ,eleventh1 king of ,castile1 died of the plague1 in his camp before ,gibraltar1 upon ,good ,friday of the year #acej1 the ,iberian peninsula consisted of five distinct and independent monarchies--,castile1 ,arragon1 ,navarre1 ,portugal1 and ,granada4 ,the first of the five1 which extended from ,biscay and ,galicia to ,tarifa1 the southernmost town in ,europe1 was by far the most extensive and powerful2 the second comprised ,arragon1 ,catalonia1 and ,valencia2 ,navarre1 poor and scantily peopled1 was important as commanding the principal passes of the ,pyrenees1 which its monarch could throw open to a ,french or ,english army2 ,portugal had nearly the same limits as at the present day2 the ,moors1 the boundary of whose ,european empire had long been narrowing1 still maintained a precarious footing in the kingdom of ,granada4 ,alphonso1 upon his accession in #acjh1 had found ,castile a prey to anarchy1 and groaning under feudal oppression4 ,the audacity of the ricos hombres1 or nobles1#bb had greatly increased during long minorities1 and under the reign of feeble princes4 ,whilst they fought amongst themselves for privilege of pillage1 the peasantry and inhabitants of towns1 exasperated by the evils inflicted on them1 frequently rose in arms1 and exercised bloody reprisals4 ,a contemporary author1 quoted at length by ,m4 ,mrime1 represents the nobility as living by plunder1 and abetted by the king's guardians4 ,certain towns refused to acknowledge these guardians1 detained the king's revenue1 and kept men-at-arms to oppress and rob the poor4 ,justice was nowhere in the kingdom2 and the roads were impassable by travellers1 except in strong bodies1 and well-armed4 ,none dwelt in unwalled places2 and so great was the evil throughout the land1 that no one was surprised at meeting with murdered men upon the highways4 ,the king's guardians daily imposed new and excessive taxes2 towns were deserted1 and the peasantry suffered exceedingly4 ,alphonso1 a courageous and intelligent prince1 saw the evil1 and resolved to remedy it4 ,without a party of his own1 he was compelled to throw himself into the arms of one of the great factions desolating the country4 ,by its aid he destroyed the others1 and then found himself strong enough to rule in his own realm4 ,having proved his power1 he made an example of the most unruly1 and pardoned the others4 ,then1 to give occupation to his warlike and turbulent nobility1 he led them against the ,moors of ,granada2 thus turning to his glory1 and to the aggrandisement of his dominions1 the arms which previously had been brandished but in civil contest4 ,the commons of ,castile1 grateful for their deliverance from internal war1 and from the exactions of the rich men1 sent him soldiers1 and generously supplied him with money4 ,he compelled the clergy to make sacrifices which1 at another period1 would have compromised the tranquillity of the kingdom4#bc ,but he was valiant and generous1 and had the love of the people2 not a voice was raised to oppose him4 ,on the #bith ,october #acdj1 the army of ,castile encountered1 near ,tarifa1 that of ,granada1 whose ranks were swelled by prodigious reinforcements from the opposite shores of ,barbary4 ,the battle of ,rio ,salado was fought2 victory loudly declared herself for the ,christians3 two hundred thousand ,moors 7it is said7 remained upon the field1 and the power of the ,mussulman in ,spain was broken for ever4 ,following up his success1 ,alphonso took ,algesiras after a long siege1 and was besieging ,gibraltar when he was carried off by the famous black plague1 which for several years had ravaged ,europe4 ,his death was mourned by all ,spain2 and the mere terror of his name would seem to have dictated the advantageous treaty of peace concluded soon afterwards with the ,saracen4 ,alphonso1 a better king than husband1 left behind him one legitimate son1 ,don ,pedro--who at his father's death was fifteen years old1 and whose mother1 ,doa ,maria1 was a ,portuguese princess--and ten bastards1 a daughter and nine sons1 children of his mistress ,leonora de ,guzman4 ,in #acej1 the first-born of this illegitimate progeny1 ,don ,henry1 was eighteen years of age2 he had the establishment of a prince of the blood1 the magnificent domain of ,trastamare1 and the title of count4 ,his twin-brother1 ,don ,fadrique1 was grand-master of the ,knights of ,santiago4 ,the two young men had won their spurs at ,gibraltar1 whilst the ,infante ,pedro1 rightful heir to the crown1 had been kept in retirement at ,seville1 a witness of his mother's daily humiliations1 and himself neglected by the courtiers1 always prompt to follow a king's example4 ,idle in a deserted court1 he passed his time in weeping over his mother's injuries and his own4 ,youthful impressions are ineffaceable4 ,jealousy and hatred were the first sentiments experienced by ,don ,pedro4 ,brought up by a feeble and offended woman1 the first lessons he imbibed were those of dissimulation and revenge4 ,the premature and unexpected death of ,don ,alphonso was the alarum of a host of ambitions4 ,amongst the great patricians of ,spain1 two in particular were designated1 by public opinion1 to take the chief direction of affairs3 these were--,juan ,alonzo de ,alburquerque1 and ,juan ,nuez de ,lara4 ,the former1 a ,portuguese by birth1 but holding vast estates in ,spain1 had stood beside ,don ,alphonso during his struggle with his nobles2 had rendered him great1 and1 to all appearance1 disinterested services2 and had been rewarded by the king's entire confidence4 ,grand chancellor and prime minister1 he had also had charge of ,don ,pedro's education4 ,he had great influence with the queen-mother1 and had always skilfully avoided collision with ,leonora de ,guzman1 who nevertheless feared and disliked him as a secret and dangerous foe4 ,all circumstances considered1 ,juan de ,lara1 although connected by blood with the royal family1 and possessing1 as ,lord of ,biscay1 great power in the north of ,spain1 thought it unadvisable to enter the lists with ,alburquerque1 who1 on the other hand1 openly sought his alliance1 and even offered to divide with him the authority devolved upon him by the king's death4 ,with all this apparent frankness there was little real friendship2 and it was well understood that henceforward the leading characters on the political stage divided themselves into two opponent parties4 ,on the one hand were the dowager-queen ,maria1 ,pedro the ,first1 and the astute and prudent ,alburquerque4 ,opposed to these1 but with little union1 and with various views and pretensions1 were ,juan de ,lara1 his nephew1 7the lord of ,villena7--whose sister was soon afterwards secretly married to ,henry of ,trastamare--,leonora de ,guzman1 and her three eldest sons4 ,the third of these1 ,don ,tello1 was younger than ,don ,pedro1 but he was crafty and selfish beyond his years4 ,alphonso had hardly given up the ghost1 when the reaction commenced4 ,leonora fled before the angry countenance of the injured queen-mother4 ,refused protection by ,lara1 from whom she first sought it1 she repaired to her strong fortress of ,medina-,sidonia1 a gift from her royal lover4 ,its governor1 her relative1 ,don ,alonzo ,coronel1 although reputed a valiant and loyal knight1 and1 moreover1 personally attached to the faction of the ,laras1 resigned his command1 and would not be prevailed with to resume it4 ,and amongst all the nobles and chevaliers1 who during ,alphonso's life professed themselves devoted to her1 she now could not find one to defend her castle4 ,she saw that her cause was desperate4 ,vague accusations were brought against her1 of conspiracy against the new king2 and from all sides alarming rumours reached her of her sons' arrest and probable execution4 ,she lost courage1 and gave up her castle to ,alburquerque1 in exchange for a safe-conduct to ,seville1 which was not respected2 for1 on her arrival there1 she was shut up in the ,alcazar1 and treated as a prisoner of state4 ,meanwhile her two eldest sons endeavoured to stir up civil war4 ,they were totally unsuccessful1 and finally esteemed themselves fortunate in being allowed to make their submission1 and do homage to the king4 ,alburquerque affected to treat them as refractory boys1 and reserved his wrath for their mother1 who1 even in captivity1 proved herself formidable4 ,by her contrivance1 the marriage of ,don ,henry and of the niece of ,juan de ,lara was secretly celebrated and consummated1 in the palace that served her as a prison4 ,when informed1 a few hours subsequently1 of the trick that had been played them1 the queen-mother and ,alburquerque were furious4 ,doa ,leonora was sent into strict confinement1 in the castle of ,carmona4 ,as to the ,count ,don ,henry1 he was on his guard1 and did not wait his enemies' vengeance3 he left ,seville by stealth1 taking with him a quantity of jewels received from his mother1 and accompanied by two faithful knights--all three having their faces covered with leathern masks1 according to a custom of the times4 ,by forced marches1 and with great fatigue1 they traversed the whole of ,spain unrecognised1 and reached the ,asturias1 where they trusted to find safety amongst devoted vassals4 ,the sudden and severe illness of ,don ,pedro gave rise to fresh intrigues1 and ,juan de ,lara and ,don ,fernando of ,arragon stood forth as pretenders to the crown in the event of the king's death4 ,his recovery crushed their ambitious hopes1 but might not have prevented a civil war between the factions of the two aspirants1 had not ,don ,juan de ,lara and his nephew been suddenly carried off by the prevailing epidemic4 ,at any other moment1 ,m4 ,mrime remarks1 the premature death of these two men would doubtless have thrown odious suspicions on their adversaries4 ,but in no contemporary author do ,i find the least insinuation against ,alburquerque1 thus rid in one day of the chief obstacles to his ambition4 ,this general respect for a man who was the object of so many jealousies and hatreds1 is an honourable testimony1 worthy of note1 as a rare exception to the usage of the times1 and which it would be supremely unjust now to attempt to invalidate4 ,alburquerque was now the virtual ruler of ,castile3 the young king passed his time in hunting1 and left all cares of state to his sagacious minister1 who worked hard to consolidate his master's power4 ,the ,cortes were convoked at ,valladolid1 whither ,pedro proceeded to open them in person4 ,he was accompanied by the queen-mother1 dragging in her train the unfortunate ,leonora de ,guzman4 ,at ,llerena1 in ,estremadura1 one of the principal commanderys of the ,knights of ,santiago1 ,don ,fadrique1 grand-master of that powerful order1 received his half-brother ,pedro with great respect1 and offered him the magnificent hospitality of his house4 ,he then asked and obtained permission to see his mother4 ,in presence of the jailers1 mother and son1 both so fallen from their high fortune1 threw themselves into each other's arms1 and during the hour to which their interview was limited1 they wept1 without exchanging a word4 ,then a page informed ,don ,fadrique that the king required his presence4 ,after a last embrace he left his mother1 never again to behold her4 ,the unfortunate woman's doom was sealed4 ,from ,llerena1 by ,alburquerque's order1 she was conducted to the castle of ,talavera1 belonging to the queen-mother1 and governed by ,gutier ,fernandez of ,toledo1 one of her liege men4 ,there ,leonora did not long languish4 ,a few days after her arrival1 a secretary of the queen brought the governor an order for her death4 ,the execution was secret and mysterious1 and it is certain ,don ,pedro had no cognisance of it4 ,doubtless the queen had exacted from ,alburquerque the sacrifice of her rival1 who was no longer protected by the pity of ,juan ,nuez de ,lara4 ',many persons1' says ,pero ,lopez de ,ayala1 a ,spanish chronicler whom ,m4 ,mrime has taken as one of his principal authorities1 and whose trustworthiness1 impugned by modern authors1 he ably vindicates in his preface1 'were grieved at this deed1 foreseeing that from it wars and scandal would spring1 inasmuch as ,leonora had sons already grown up and well-connected4' ,but the hour of vengeance was not yet come1 and the sons of ,leonora bowed their heads before her assassins4 ,one of them1 whose youth might have been deemed incapable of such dissimulation1 went beyond mere submission4 ,a few days after ,leonora's death1 ,don ,pedro1 during a progress through various provinces of his kingdom1 reached the town of ,palencia1 in whose neighbourhood ,tello1 then hardly fifteen years old1 and who1 following the example of his elder brothers1 kept aloof from the court1 had shut himself up in the castle of ,palenzuela4 ,as there was some fear he might prove refractory1 ,juan ,manrique1 a ,castilian noble1 was sent to assure him of the king's good will towards him1 and at the same time to gain over the knights1 his counsellors4 ,manrique succeeded in his mission1 and brought ,don ,tello to ,palencia4 ,instructed by his guide1 the youth hastened to kiss his brother's hand4 ',don ,tello1' said the king1 'do you know that your mother1 ,doa ,leonora1 is dead8' ',sire1' replied the boy-courtier1 ',i have no other mother or father than your good favour4' ,the royal bastards humbled and subdued for a time1 ,alburquerque turned his attention to more powerful adversaries4 ,the death of its two chiefs had not entirely dissipated the ,lara faction1 now headed by ,don ,garci ,laso de la ,vega--a puissant ,castilian noble1 and an inveterate enemy of the minister4 ,garci ,laso was in the rich and disaffected city of ,burgos2 and on the king's approach he issued some leagues forth to meet him1 escorted by a little army of vassals and retainers4 ,his enemies took care to call ,pedro's attention to this martial retinue1 as indicative of defiance rather than respect4 ,and the ,manrique above mentioned1 a creature of ,alburquerque's1 and a private enemy of ,garci ,laso's1 took opportunity to quarrel with the latter1 and would have charged him with his troop but for the king's interference4 ,the commons of ,burgos1 hearing of these quarrels1 and standing in mortal fear of ,alburquerque1 sent a deputation to represent to ,don ,pedro the danger the city would be in from the presence of rival factions within its walls1 and begged of him to enter with only a small escort4 ,they added an expression of regret at the arrival of ,alburquerque1 whom they knew to be ill-disposed towards them4 ,although the formula was respectful and humble1 the freedom of these remonstrances incensed the king1 who at once entered the city with his whole force1 spears raised and banners displayed4 ,the citizens made no resistance2 a few of those most compromised fled4 ,manrique1 who commanded the advanced guard1 established himself in the ,jews' quarter1 which1 separated by a strong wall1 according to the custom of the time1 from the rest of the town1 formed a sort of internal citadel4 ,garci ,laso1 confiding in his great popularity1 and in the fidelity of his vassals1 remained in ,burgos1 taking up his lodging in one of the archbishop's palaces1 of which another was occupied by the king and his mother4 ,alburquerque had quarters in another part of the town4 ,thus ,burgos contained four camps2 and it seemed1 says ,m4 ,mrime1 as if all the factions in the kingdom had taken rendezvous there1 to settle their differences4 ,that night an esquire of the queen-mother secretly sought ,garci ,laso1 bearing him a strange warning from that princess4 ,whatever invitation he received1 he was to beware of appearing before the king4 ,the proud noble despised caution1 repaired next morning to the palace1 was arrested by the king's command1 and in his presence1 and suffered death the same day4#bd ,this execution 7murder were perhaps a fitter word7 was followed by others1 and terror reigned in ,burgos4 ,whosoever had lifted up his voice to defend the privileges of the commons1 or the rights of ,don ,juan de ,lara1 knew no retreat safe enough to hide his head4 ,don ,henry himself feared to remain in the ,asturias1 and took refuge on ,portuguese territory4 ,the implacable ,alburquerque was determined utterly to crush and exterminate the faction of the ,laras4 ,the possessions of that princely house were confiscated to the crown1 the orphan son of ,don ,juan de ,lara died in ,biscay1 and his two daughters fell into the hands of the minister1 who detained them as hostages4 ,but the party1 although vanquished1 was not yet annihilated4 ,alonso ,coronel1 the same who had abandoned ,leonora de ,guzman in her misfortunes1 and who had been rewarded with the banner and cauldron of a rico hombre1 with the vast lordship and strong castle of ,aguilar1 aspired to become its leader4 ,he opened a correspondence with ,count ,trastamare and ,don ,fadrique1 who1 as enemies of ,alburquerque1 seemed to him his natural allies4 ,he attempted to treat with the ,king of ,granada1 and even with the ,moors of ,africa4 ,alburquerque decreed his ruin1 assembled a small army round the royal standard1 and marched with ,don ,pedro to besiege ,aguilar4 ,summoned to surrender1 ,coronel replied by a volley of arrows1 and was forthwith declared a rebel and traitor4 ,leaving a body of troops in observation before ,aguilar1 which was capable of a long defence1 ,alburquerque and his royal pupil set out for the ,asturias1 seizing1 as they passed1 various castles and fortified places belonging to ,coronel1 which surrendered without serious resistance--excepting that of ,burguillos1 whose commander1 ,juan de ,caedo1 a liege man of ,coronel1 made an obstinate defence4 ,taken alive1 his hands were cut off by the cruel victors4 ,some months afterwards1 when the king and his vindictive minister1 with a powerful army and battering train1 had effected1 after a long siege1 a breach in the ramparts of ,aguilar1 the mutilated knight1 his wounds hardly healed1 suddenly appeared in the camp1 and with incredible hardihood demanded of ,pedro permission to enter the fortress and die by the side of his lord4 ,his heroic fidelity excited the admiration of his enemies1 and the favour was accorded him4 ,many envied ,coronel the glory of inspiring such devoted attachment1 and every one awaited with thrilling interest the last moments of a man whom all ,castile was accustomed to consider as the model of an accomplished and valiant knight4 ,the assault was given1 the castle taken1 and ,coronel was led before ,alburquerque4 ,what6 exclaimed the minister1 on beholding his foe1 ,coronel traitor in a kingdom where so much honour has been done him6 ,don ,juan1 replied ,coronel1 we are sons of this ,castile1 which elevates men and casts them down4 ,it is in vain to strive against destiny4 ,the mercy ,i ask of you is to put me to a speedy death1 even as ,i1 fourteen years ago to-day1 put to death the ,master of ,alcantara4#be ,the king1 present at the interview1 his visor lowered1 listened incognito to this dialogue1 doubtless admiring ,coronel's coolness1 but giving no orders1 for he was unaccustomed to interfere with his minister4 ,coronel and several distinguished knights and gentlemen were led a few paces off1 and there beheaded4 ,the ,lara faction scattered and weakened1 circumstances seemed to promise ,alburquerque a long lease of power1 when a fatal mistake prepared his downfall4 ,pedro grew restless--his high spirit gave forth flashes2 his minister saw that1 to check the desire of governing for himself1 it was necessary to provide him with pursuits of more engrossing interest than the chase4 ,the reign of ,don ,alphonso had shown what power a mistress might acquire1 and the prudent minister would not leave to chance the choice of the woman destined to play so important a part4 ,fearing a rival1 he wished an ally1 or rather a slave4 ,he chose for the king1 and blundered egregiously4 ,he thought to have found the person best suited to his designs1 in ,doa ,maria de ,padilla1 a young girl of noble birth1 brought up in the house of his wife1 ,doa ,isabel de ,meneses4 ,she was an orphan1 issue of a noble family1 formerly attached to the ,lara faction1 and ruined by the last civil wars4 ,her brother and uncle1 poor and ambitious1 lent themselves1 it was said1 to the degrading bargain4 ,persuaded that ,doa ,maria1 brought up in his family1 would always consider him as a master1 ,alburquerque directed ,don ,pedro's attention to her1 and himself facilitated their first interview1 which took place during the expedition to the ,asturias4 ,dona ,maria de ,padilla1 was small in stature1 like the majority of ,spanish women1 pretty1 lively1 full of that voluptuous grace peculiar to the women of ,southern ,spain1 and which our language has no word exactly to express4#bf ,as yet the only indication of talent she had given was her great sprightliness1 which amused the noble lady with whom she lived in an almost servile capacity4 ,older than the king1 she had over him the advantage of having already mingled with the crowd1 studied men and observed the court4 ,she soon proved herself worthy to reign4 ,maria ,padilla made little opposition to ,alburquerque's project4 ,her uncle1 ,juan de ,hinestrosa1 himself conducted her to ,don ,pedro1 and placed her1 it may almost be said1 in his arms4 ,the complaisance was royally rewarded4 ,hinestrosa and the other relations of the favourite emerged from their obscurity1 appeared at court1 and soon stood high in their sovereign's favour1 although the pliant uncle was the only one who retained it till the end of his career4 ,subsequently1 before the ,cortes of #acfb1 ,don ,pedro declared that he had been1 from the first1 privately married to ,maria ,padilla--thus invalidating his public union with ,blanche of ,bourbon1 with whom he had never lived1 and after whose death the declaration was made4 ,he produced three witnesses of the marriage--the fourth1 ,juan de ,hinestrosa1 was then dead--who positively swore it had taken place in their presence4 ,m4 ,mrime1 examines the question minutely1 quoting various writers on the subject1 and discussing it pro and con2 one of his strongest arguments in favour of the marriage1 being the improbability that so faithful1 loyal1 and valiant a knight as ,hinestrosa proved himself1 would have consented1 under any temptation1 to play the base part of a pander4 ,it would not be difficult1 however1 to trace contradictions nearly as great in the code of honour and morality of the chevaliers of the fourteenth century2 and1 very much nearer to our own times1 it has frequently been seen how large an amount of infamy of that kind the royal purple has been held to cloak4 ,in a very few months after the equivocal union he had brought about1 ,alburquerque began to experience its bad effects4 ,maria ,padilla secretly incited the young king to shake off his leading-strings1 and grasp the reins of government4 ,afraid to do this boldly and abruptly1 ,pedro conspired with the ,padillas1 and planned a reconciliation with his brothers ,henry and ,tello1 believing1 in his inexperience1 that he could nowhere find better friends1 or more disinterested advisers4 ,the secret of the plot was well kept3 ,alburquerque unsuspiciously accepted a frivolous mission to the ,king of ,portugal2 during his absence1 a treaty of amity was concluded between the king and the two bastards4 ,whilst these intrigues went on1 ,blanche of ,bourbon1 niece of the ,king of ,france1 waited at ,valladolid1 in company with the dowager queens of ,castile and ,arragon1 until it should please ,pedro to go thither and marry her4 ,pedro had established himself at ,torrijos near ,toledo1 holding tournaments and festivals in honour of his mistress1 with whom he was more in love than ever2 and the ,french princess waited several months1 to the great indignation of her suite of knights and nobles4 ,suddenly a severe countenance troubled the joy of ,maria ,padilla's lover4 ,it was that of ,alburquerque1 who1 in grave and regretful words1 represented to the king the affront he put upon the house of ,france1 and the anxiety of his subjects1 who awaited1 in his marriage1 a guarantee of future tranquillity4 ,it was of the utmost importance to give a legitimate heir to the crown of ,castile4 ,subjugated by the voice of reason1 and by the old ascendency of his austere counsellor1 ,pedro set out for ,valladolid1 and was joined on his way by ,count ,henry and ,don ,tello1 who came to meet him on foot and unarmed2 kissed his foot and his right hand1 as he sat on horseback2 and were received by him with all honour and favour1 to the mortification of ,alburquerque1 who saw in this reconciliation a proof of the credit of the ,padillas1 and a humiliating blow to his authority4 ,the mortification was all the greater that he1 a veteran politician1 had been outwitted by mere children4 ,on the third day of ,june the king's marriage took place1 the royal pair being conducted in great pomp to the church1 mounted upon white palfreys1 and attired in robes of gold brocade trimmed with ermine--a costume then reserved for sovereigns4 ,in their retinue1 ,henry of ,trastamare had the precedence of the princes of ,arragon--an honour held excessive by some1 and attributed by others to the sincerity of the reconciliation between the sons of ,don ,alphonso4 ,a tournament and bull-fight succeeded the ceremony1 and were renewed the next day4 ,but in the midst of these festivities1 all eyes were fixed upon the newly-married pair4 ,coldness1 and even aversion for his young bride1 were visible upon the king's countenance2 and as it was difficult to understand how a man of his age1 ardent and voluptuous1 could be insensible to the attractions of the ,french princess1 many whispered that he was fascinated by ,maria ,padilla1 and that his eyes1 charmed by magic art1 beheld a repulsive object in place of the young beauty he led to the altar4 ,aversion1 like sympathy1 has its inexplicable mysteries4#bg ,upon the second day after his marriage1 ,don ,pedro being alone at dinner in his palace1 7the dinner hour in those days was at nine or ten in the morning17 his mother and aunt appeared before him1 all in tears1 and1 having obtained a private audience1 taxed him with being about to desert his wife1 and return to ,maria ,padilla4 ,the king expressed his astonishment that they should credit idle rumours1 and dismissed them1 repeating that he thought not of quitting ,valladolid4 ,an hour afterwards he called for mules1 saying he would go visit his mother2 but1 instead of doing so1 he left the city1 accompanied only by the brother of his mistress1 ,don ,diego ,padilla1 and by two of his most confidential gentlemen4 ,regular relays were in waiting1 and he slept that night at sixteen long leagues from ,valladolid4 ,the next day ,doa ,maria met him at ,puebla de ,montalvan4 ,this strange and indecent escapade was simultaneous with a complete transfer of the king's confidence from ,alburquerque to his brothers and the ,padillas4 ,the minister preserved his dignity to the last1 and sent a haughty but respectful message to his sovereign1 by the mouth of his majordomo4 ,you know1 sire1 concluded this knight1 ,rui ,diaz ,cabeza de ,vaca1 all that ,don ,juan ,alonzo has done for your service1 and for that of the queen your mother4 ,he has been your chancellor from your birth4 ,he has always loyally served you1 as he served the late king your father4 ,for you he exposed himself to great perils1 when ,doa ,leonora de ,guzman1 and her faction1 had all power in the kingdom4 ,my master is still ignorant of the crimes imputed to him3 make them known to him1 and he will refute them4 ,nevertheless1 if any knight do doubt his honour and his loyalty1 ,i1 his vassal1 am here ready to defend him with my body1 and with arms in hand4 ,thus did the arrogant ricos hombres of the fourteenth century dare address their sovereign1 by the mouth of their knightly retainers4 ,what a contrast between these bold-spoken1 strong-armed magnates1 and the puny degenerate grandees of the present day1 sunk in vice1 effeminacy1 and sloth1 and to whom valour1 chivalry1 and patriotism are but empty sounds6 ,alburquerque is a fine type of the feudal lord--noble as a crowned king1 and almost as powerful4 ,receiving a cold and discouraging reply to ,cabeza de ,vaca's lofty harangue1 he retired1 followed by an army of adherents and vassals1 to his vast domains and strong castle in ,portugal4 ,on their passage1 his men-at-arms pillaged and devastated the country1 that being then the most approved manner for a feudal lord to testify his discontent4 ,don ,pedro ill concealed his joy at being thus easily rid of an importunate mentor1 whose faithful services to himself and his father rendered a positive dismissal a most ungraceful act1 the shame of which was saved the king by ,alburquerque's voluntary retreat4 ,the reaction was complete3 all the ex-minister's friends were dismissed1 and their places filled by partisans of the ,padillas4 ,many of his acts were annulled1 and several sentences he had given were reversed4 ,pedro had no rest till he had effaced every vestige of his wise and prudent administration4 ,ingratitude has too often been the vice of kings2 in this instance it brought its own punishment4 ,a few months later we find ,henry of ,trastamare1 and his brother ,tello1 leagued with ,alburquerque against the sovereign who had disgraced him in great measure on their account4 ,this perfidy of the bastards was perfectly in keeping with the character of the age4 ,to characterise the fourteenth century in ,spain by its most prevalent vice1 says ,m4 ,mrime1 one should cite1 in my opinion1 neither brutality of manners1 nor rapacity1 nor violence4 ,the most prominent feature of that sad period is its falseness and deceit3 never did history register so many acts of treason and perfidy4 ,the century1 rude in all other things1 shows itself ingenious in the art of deception4 ,it revels in subtleties4 ,in all agreements1 and even in the code of chivalrous honour1 it conceals ambiguities1 by which interest knows well how to profit4 ,the oaths lavished in all transactions1 accompanied by the most solemn ceremonies1 are but vain formalities and matters of habit4 ,he who plights his word1 his hand upon the holy ,scriptures1 is believed by none unless he deliver up his wife and children1 or1 better still1 his fortresses1 as hostages for his truth4 ,the latter pledge is held to be the only safe guarantee4 ,distrust is general1 and every man sees an enemy in his neighbour4 ,the fidelity of this gloomy picture is fully confirmed by the events of ,don ,pedro's reign4 ,alburquerque set the example to his royal pupil1 who was not slow to follow it1 and who soon1 in his turn1 suffered from the dominant vice of the time4 ,the necessity of pressing forward through a book whose every page offers temptations to linger1 prevents our tracing1 in detail1 the subsequent events of ,alburquerque's life4 ,he died in the autumn of #aced1 almost suddenly1 at ,medina del ,campo1 which he and his confederates had taken by assault1 and given up to pillage4 ,his physician1 ,master ,paul1 an ,italian attached to the house of ,prince ,ferdinand of ,arragon1 was suspected of having mixed a subtle poison in the draught he administered to him for an apparently trifling indisposition4 ,don ,pedro1 the person most interested in the death of his quondam counsellor1 and now bitter enemy1 was accused of instigating the deed1 and magnificent presents subsequently made by him to the leech1 gave an air of probability to the suspicion4 ,in his last moments1 ,alburquerque belied not the firmness of his character4 ,near to death1 he assembled his vassals1 and made them swear to accept neither peace nor truce with the king1 till they had obtained satisfaction for his wrongs4 ,he ordered his body to be carried at the head of their battalion so long as the war lasted1 as if resolved to abdicate his hatred and authority only after triumph4 ,enclosed in his coffin1 he still seemed to preside over the councils of the league2 and1 when deliberations were held1 his corpse was interrogated1 and his majordomo1 ,cabeza de ,vaca1 replied in the name of his departed master4 ,there is something solemn and affecting in this post-humous deference1 this homage paid by the living to the dead4 ,alburquerque was unquestionably the man of his day in the ,peninsula3 his grand and haughty figure stands out upon the historical canvass1 in imposing contrast with the boy-brawlers and intriguing women by whom he was surrounded4 ,deserted by all--betrayed even by his own mother1 who gave up his last stronghold whilst he was absent on a visit to his mistress--the king had no resource but to throw himself into the hands of the rebels1 trusting to their magnanimity and loyalty to preserve him his crown4 ,with ,hinestrosa1 ,simuel ,levi his ,jew treasurer1 and ,fernand ,sanchez his private chancellor1 for sole companions--and followed by a few lackeys and inferior officers1 mounted on mules and unarmed--he set out for ,toro1 then the headquarters of the insurgent league4 ,informed of the approach of this melancholy procession1 the chiefs of the confederates rode out to meet him1 well mounted and in magnificent dresses1 beneath which their armour was visible1 as if to contrast their warlike equipage with the humble retinue of the vanquished king4 ,after kissing his hand1 they escorted him to the town with great cries of joy1 caracoling about him1 performing fantasias1 pursuing each other1 and throwing reeds in the ,arab manner4 ,it is said that when ,don ,henry approached his brother to salute him1 the unfortunate monarch could not restrain his tears4 ',may ,god be merciful to you6' he said2 'for my part1 ,i pardon you4' ,there was no sincerity in this forgiveness2 already1 in the hour of his humiliation1 ,pedro had vowed hatred and vengeance against its authors4 ,at present1 however1 artifice and intrigue were the only weapons at his disposal4 ,by the assistance of ,simuel the ,jew1 who was sincerely attached to him1 and who rendered him many and great services1 he gained over a portion of the revolted nobility1 concluded an alliance with the royal family of ,arragon1 and finally effected his escape from the sort of semi-captivity in which he was held4 ,profiting by dense fog1 ,don ,pedro rode out of ,toro very early in the morning1 a falcon on his wrist1 as though he went a-hawking1 accompanied by ,levi1 and by his usual escort of some two hundred cavaliers4 ,either these were bribed1 or the king devised means of detaching them from him1 for he soon found himself alone with the ,jew4 ,then1 following the rout to ,segovia at full speed1 in a few hours they were beyond pursuit4 ,during the short period of ,pedro's captivity1 a great change had taken place in public feeling4 ,the king's misfortunes1 his youth and firmness1 interested many in his behalf4 ,the ,cortes1 which he summoned at ,burgos1 a few days after his escape1 granted all his demands of men and money4 ,m4 ,mrime thinks it probable the commons obtained from him1 in return1 an extension of their privileges and franchises2 but this is mere conjecture1 no records existing of the proceedings of this ,cortes1 which was1 in fact1 rendered irregular by the absence of the clerical deputies1 the ,pope having just excommunicated ,don ,pedro for his adulteries4 ,the excommunication1 fulminated by a papal legate at ,toledo1 the #aith ,january #acee1 does not appear to have altered1 in any degree1 the disposition of the people towards the king4 ,on the contrary1 it excited indignation1 now that he was reconciled with his subjects2 for ,spaniards have always disliked foreign interference in their affairs4 ,the thunders of ,avignon lost not ,pedro a single partisan4 ,he replied to them by seizing the possessions of ,cardinal ,gilles ,albornoz1 and of some other prelates2 and1 returning threat for threat1 he announced his intention of confiscating the domains of all the bishops who should waver between him and the ,pope4 ,the rebellion of his nobles1 the treason of his mother and friends1 the humiliation he had suffered1 had wrought a marked change in the still plastic character of the young sovereign4 ,hitherto we have seen him violent and impetuous2 henceforward we shall find dissimulation and cruelty his most prominent qualities4 ,he had prided himself on chivalrous loyalty and honour2 now all means were good that led to a triumph over his enemies4 ,full of hatred and contempt for the great vassals who1 after having insolently vanquished him1 basely sold the fruits of their victory for fair promises and for ,simuel ,levi's gold1 he vowed to destroy their power1 and to build up his authority upon the ruins of feudal tyranny4 ,the angry king lost no time in commencing the work of vengeance4 ,after a fierce contest in and around ,toledo1 he routed the army of ,count ,henry and ,don ,fadrique1 slew all the wounded1 put to death one of the twenty leaguers1 whom he caught in the town1 7two had already been massacred by his order at ,medina del ,campo17 imprisoned many nobles1 as well as the ,bishop of ,siguenza1 whose palace was given up to pillage4 ,twenty burgesses of ,toledo were publicly decapitated as abettors of the rebellion4 ,amongst the unfortunate persons condemned to death was a jeweller1 upwards of eighty years old4 ,his son threw himself at the feet of ,don ,pedro1 petitioning to die in place of his father4 ,if we may credit ,ayala1 this horrible exchange was accepted both by the king and by the father himself4 ,from ,toledo1 ,pedro marched on ,toro1 where the bastards1 the queen-mother1 and most of the ricos hombres and knights who adhered to the league1 had concentrated their forces1 and prepared an obstinate resistance4 ,he established himself in a village near the town1 but lacked the engines1 instruments1 and stores necessary to invest the place regularly4 ,money was scarce4 ,fortunately1 ,simuel ,levi was at hand1 the pearl of finance ministers1 compared to whom the ,mons and ,mendizabals of the nineteenth century are bunglers of the most feeble description4 ,don ,pedro1 in his quarters at ,morales1 was amusing himself one day by playing at dice4 ,before him stood open his military chest1 which was also his play-purse4 ,it contained #bj1jjj doubloons4 ',gold and silver1' said the king1 in a melancholy tone1--'here is all ,i possess4' ,the game over1 ,simuel took his master aside3 ',sire1' he said1 'you have affronted me before all the court4 ,since ,i am your treasurer1 is it not disgraceful for me that my master be not richer8 ,hitherto1 your collectors have relied too much upon your easiness and indulgence4 ,now that you are of an age to reign for yourself1 that all ,castile loves and fears you1 it is time to put an end to disorder4 ,only be pleased to authorise me to treat with your officers of the finances1 and confide to me two of your castles1 and ,i pledge myself that1 in a very short time1 you shall have in each of them a treasure of greater value than the contents of this casket4' ,the king gladly gave what was required of him1 and the ,jew kept his word4 ,his manner of doing so paints the strange immorality of the times4 ,it was customary to pay all court-salaries and pensions by orders on the royal receivers of imposts4 ,these usually paid only a part of the amount of such orders1 and unless the demand for the balance were backed by force1 it was never honoured4 ,simuel ,levi1 having men-at-arms1 jailers1 and executioners at his orders1 compelled these reluctant paymasters to disgorge all arrears2 then sending for the king's creditors1 he offered them fifty per cent of their due against receipts for the whole4 ,most of them1 never expecting to recover a real of the sums kept back by the dishonest stewards1 caught eagerly at the offer4 ,this clumsy fraud1 against which none found anything to say1 brought considerable wealth into the king's coffers1 and gave him the highest opinion of his treasurer1 by whose careful administration he soon found himself the richest monarch in ,spain4 ,money removed the obstacles to the siege of ,toro4 ,before the place was invested1 however1 ,henry of ,trastamare1 with his usual precocious selfishness and prudence1 found a pretext to leave it4 ,a breach made1 and part of the exterior fortifications in the possession of the royal troops1 the ,master of ,santiago passed over to the king1 who1 from the opposite bank of the ,douro1 had given him verbal promise of pardon4 ,the same night an officer of the civic guard opened the gates of the town to ,pedro and his army4 ,at daybreak the garrison of the castle saw themselves surrounded by overpowering forces1 about to mount to the assault4 ,none spoke of resistance1 or even of capitulation2 safety of life was almost more than they dared hope4 ,fearing the king's fury1 all refused to go out and implore his clemency4 ,at last a ,navarrese knight1 named ,martin ,abarca1 who in the last troubles had taken part with the bastards1 risked himself at a postern1 holding in his arms a child of twelve or thirteen years1 natural son of ,king ,alphonso and of ,doa ,leonora4 ,recognising the king by his armour1 he called to him and said--',sire6 grant me pardon1 and ,i hasten to throw myself at your feet1 and to restore to you your brother ,don ,juan6'--',martin ,abarca1' said the king1 ',i pardon my brother ,don ,juan2 but for you1 no mercy6'--',well6' said the ,navarrese1 crossing the ditch1 'do with me as you list4' ,and1 still carrying the child1 he prostrated himself before the king4 ,don ,pedro1 touched by this hardihood of despair1 gave him his life in presence of all his knights4 ,this clemency was soon obscured by the terrible scenes that followed the surrender of the castle1 when the robe of ,pedro's own mother was stained with the blood of the nobles struck down by her side4 ,she fainted with horror--perhaps with grief2 for ,martin ,telho1 a ,portuguese1 and her reputed lover1 was amongst the murdered2 and1 on recovering her senses1 she saw herself sustained in the arms of rude soldiers1 her feet in a pool of blood1 whilst four mangled bodies lay before her1 already stripped of their armour and clothes4 ,then1 despair and fury restoring her strength1 she cursed her son1 in a voice broken by sobs1 and accused him of having for ever dishonoured her4 ,she was led away to her palace1 and there treated with the mockery of respect which the leaguers had shown1 the year before1 to their royal captive4 ,it were quite incompatible with the necessary limits of this paper1 to give even the most meagre outline of the numerous vicissitudes of ,don ,pedro's reign1 and to glance at a tithe of the remarkable events and striking incidents his biographer has so industriously and tastefully assembled4 ,m4 ,mrime's work does not bear condensing in a review2 indeed1 it is itself a condensation3 an ordinary writer would have spread the same matter over twice the space1 and still have deemed himself concise4 ,the impression left on the reader's mind by this spirited and admirably written volume is1 that not one page could be omitted without being missed4 ,sparing as we have been of detail1 and although confining ourselves to a glance at prominent circumstances1 we are still at the very commencement of ,don ,pedro's reign--the busiest and most stirring1 perhaps1 that ever was comprised within the space of twenty years4 ,not a few of this warlike1 cruel1 and amorous monarch's adventures have been handed down in the form of ballads and heroic legends1 still current in southern ,spain1 where many of them have the weight of history--although the license of poetry1 and the transmission through many generations1 have frequently greatly distorted facts4 ,amongst the numerous objects of his fickle passion was ,doa ,aldonza ,coronel1 who1 after some show of resistance1 and taking refuge for a while in a convent where her sister was nun1 showed herself sensible to the solicitations of royalty4 ,popular tradition has substituted for ,aldonza her sister ,maria1 widow of ,juan de la ,cerda1 whom ,pedro had put to death4 ,the people of ,seville the ,beautiful still believe and tell how ,doa ,maria1 chaste as lovely1 indignantly repulsed the king's addresses4 ,but in vain did she oppose the gratings of the convent of ,st ,clara as a bulwark against the impetuous passion of the tyrant4 ,warned that his satellites were about to drag her from the sanctuary1 she ordered a large hole to be dug in the convent garden1 in which she lay down1 and had herself covered with branches and earth4 ,the fresh-turned soil would infallibly have betrayed her1 had not a miracle supervened4 ,scarcely had she entered this manner of tomb1 when flowers and herbage sprang up over it1 so that nothing distinguished it from the surrounding grass4 ,the king1 discrediting the report of his emissaries1 went in person to the convent to carry off the beautiful widow2 this time it was not a miracle1 but an heroic stratagem1 that saved the noble matron4 ,abhorring the fatal beauty that thus exposed her to outrage1 she seized1 with a steady hand1 a vase of boiling oil1 and poured it over her face and bosom2 then1 covered with horrible burns1 she presented herself to the king1 and made him fly in terror1 by declaring herself afflicted with leprosy4 ',on her body1 which has been miraculously preserved1' says ,zuiga1 'are still visible the traces of the burning liquid1 and assuredly it may with good reason be deemed the body of a saint4'#bh ,i have dwelt upon this legend1 unknown to the contemporary authors1 adds ,m4 ,mrime1 to give an idea of the transformation ,don ,pedro's history has undergone at the hands of tradition1 and of the poetical colours imparted to it by the lively imagination of the people of ,spain4 ,after the marvellous narrative1 comes the simple truth of history4 ,ballads and traditions are echoes of the popular voice2 and1 in many of those relating to ,don ,pedro1 we may trace a disposition to extenuate his faults1 extol his justice1 and bring into relief his occasional acts of generosity4 ,the truth is1 that1 although harsh and relentless with his arrogant nobles1 he was affable with the people1 who beheld in him their deliverer from oppression1 and the unflinching opponent of the iniquities of the feudal system4 ,facility of access is a great source of popularity in ,spain1 where the independent tone and bearing of the lower orders often surprise foreigners4 ,in no country in the world is the character of the people more free from servility4 ,in the poorest peasant there is an air of native dignity and self-respect1 which he loves to see responded to by consideration and affability on the part of his superiors4 ,don ,pedro was very accessible to his subjects4 ,when he met his first ,cortes at ,valladolid1 in #acea1 he promised the deputies of the commons that every ,castilian should have liberty to appeal from the decisions of the magistrates to the king in person4 ,this promise he kept better than was his wont4 ,in the court of the ,alcazar at ,seville1 near the gate known as that of the ,banners1 are shown the remains of a tribunal1 in the open air1 where he sat to give his judgments4 ,he had another habit likely to conciliate and please the people4 ,in imitation of the ,eastern caliphs1 whose adventures had doubtless amused his childhood1 he loved to disguise himself1 and to ramble at night in the streets of ,seville--to listen to the conversation of the populace1 to seek adventures1 and overlook the police4 ,here was a suggestive text for balladists and romance writers1 who have largely availed themselves of it4 ,the story of ,don ,pedro's duel with a stranger1 with whom he quarrelled on one of these expeditions1 is well known4 ,an old woman1 sole witness of the encounter1 deposed that the combatants had their faces muffled in their cloaks1 but that the knees of one of them made a cracking noise in walking4 ,this was known to be a peculiarity of ,don ,pedro's4 ,justice was puzzled4 ,the king had killed his adversary1 and had thereby incurred the punishment of decapitation4 ,pedro had his head carved in stone1 and placed in a niche in the street where the duel had taken place4 ,the bust1 which was unfortunately renewed in the seventeenth century1 is still to be seen at ,seville1 in the street of the ,candilejo1 which takes its name1 according to ,zuiga1 from the lamp by whose light the duel was fought4 ,condemned at his own tribunal1 we need not wonder at the lenity of his sentence1 more creditable to the royal culprit's invention than to his justice4 ,he appears to have been frequently ingenious in his judgments4 ,a rich priest had seriously injured a poor shoemaker1 and1 for sole punishment1 was condemned by the ecclesiastical tribunal to a few months' suspension from his sacerdotal functions4 ,the shoemaker1 deeming the chastisement inadequate1 waylaid his enemy1 and soundly drubbed him4 ,arrested immediately1 he was condemned to death4 ,he appealed to the king4 ,the partiality of the ecclesiastical judges had excited some scandal2 ,don ,pedro parodied their sentence by condemning the shoemaker to make no shoes for one year4 ,whether this anecdote be true1 or a mere invention1 it is certain that a remarkable law was added1 about that time1 to the code of the city of ,seville1 to the effect that a layman1 injuring an ecclesiastic1 should thenceforward be liable only to the same punishment that the priest would have incurred by a like offence against the layman4 ,the murder of the ,grand-master of ,santiago1 slain by his brother's order1 and the death of the unfortunate ,french princess1 who found a tyrant where she expected a husband1 are recorded in the ,romances of the ,master ,don ,fadrique1 and of ,blanche de ,bourbon4 ,the fate of ,blanche1 attributed by contemporary chroniclers and modern historians to ,don ,pedro's orders1 is one of the blackest of the stains upon his character4 ,the poor queen died in the castle of ,jerez--some say by poison1 others by the mace of an arbalister of the guard4 ,she had lived but twenty-five years1 ten of which she had passed in prison4 ,there is no appearance or probability that ,maria ,padilla instigated her assassination4 ,that favourite was kind-hearted and merciful1 and on more than one occasion we find her interceding with the king for the lives of his enemies and prisoners1 and weeping when her supplications proved fruitless4 ,the ballad makes free with fact1 and sacrifices truth to poetry4 ,it was dramatically correct that the mistress should instigate the wife's death4 ,be not so sad1 ,doa ,maria de ,padilla1 says the king2 if ,i married twice1 it was for your advantage1 and to show my contempt for this ,blanche of ,bourbon4 ,i send her to ,medina ,sidonia1 to work me a banner--the ground1 colour of her blood1 the embroidery1 of her tears4 ,this banner1 ,doa ,maria1 ,i will have it made for you3 and forthwith the ruthless arbalister departs1 after a knight had refused to do the felon deed4 ,oh ,france1 my noble country6 oh my ,bourbon blood6 cries poor ,blanche2 to-day ,i complete my seventeen years1 and enter my eighteenth4 ,what have ,i done to you1 ,castile8 ,the crowns you gave me were crowns of blood and sighs6 ,and thus she laments till the mace falls1 and the brains of her head are strewed about the hall4 ,the song-writer1 amongst other liberties1 has struck eight years off the victim's age1 perhaps with the idea of rendering her more interesting4 ,the exact manner of her death seems uncertain1 although ,ayala agrees with the ballad1 and most subsequent historians have followed his version4 ,m4 ,mrime is disposed to exculpate ,pedro1 alleging the complete inutility of the murder1 and that ten years of captivity and ill treatment were sufficient to account for the queen's death4 ,admitting the latter plea1 we cannot see in it a diminution of the crime4 ,in either case ,pedro was the murderer of his hapless wife1 who was innocent of all offence against him2 and his extraordinary aversion for whom might well give rise1 in that superstitious age1 to the tales of sorcery and magic charms already quoted4 ,the details of ,don ,fadrique's death are more precise and authentic1 as it was also more merited4 ,but1 although the ,master of ,santiago had been guilty of many acts of treason1 and at the time of his death was conspiring against the king1 his execution by a brother's order1 and before a brother's eyes1 is shocking and repugnant4 ,it was ,don ,fadrique's policy1 at that moment1 to parade the utmost devotion to ,pedro1 the better to mask his secret plans4 ,arriving one day at ,seville1 on a visit to the king1 he found the latter playing at draughts with a courtier4 ,true to his habits of dissimulation1 ,pedro1 who only a few hours previously had decided on the ,master's death1 received him with a frank air and pleasant smile1 and gave him his hand to kiss2 and then1 seeing that he was well attended1 bade him take up his quarters1 and then return4 ,after visiting ,maria ,padilla1 who gazed at him with tears in her eyes1--knowing his doom1 but not daring to warn him1--,fadrique went down into the court1 found his escort gone1 and the gates shut4 ,surprised and uneasy1 he hesitated what to do1 when two knights summoned him to the king's apartments1 in a detached building within the walls of the ,alcazar4 ,at the door stood ,pero ,lopez ,padilla1 chief of the mace-bearers of the guard1 with four of his people4 ,don ,fadrique1 still accompanied by the ,master of ,calatrava 7,diego ,padilla7 knocked at the door4 ,only one of its folds opened1 and within appeared the king1 who forthwith exclaimed1 ',pero ,lopez1 arrest the ,master6'--',which of the two1 sire8' inquired the officer1 hesitating between ,don ,fadrique and ,don ,diego de ,padilla4 ',the ,master of ,santiago6' replied the king in a voice of thunder4 ,immediately ,pero ,lopez1 seizing ,don ,fadrique's arm1 said1 ',you are my prisoner4' ,don ,fadrique1 astounded1 made no resistance2 when the king cried out1 ',arbalisters1 kill the ,master of ,santiago6' ,surprise1 and respect for the red cross of ,st ,james1 for an instant fettered the men to the spot4 ,then one of the knights of the palace1 advancing to the door1 said3 ',traitors6 what do you8 ,heard you not the king's command to kill the ,master8' ,the arbalisters lifted the mace1 when ,don ,fadrique1 vigorously shaking off the grasp of ,pero ,lopez1 sprang back into the court with the intention of defending himself4 ,but the hilt of his sword1 which he wore under the large mantle of his order1 was entangled with the belt1 and he could not draw4 ,pursued by the arbalisters1 he ran to and fro in the court1 avoiding their blows1 but unable to get his sword out4 ,at last one of the king's guards1 named ,nuo ,fernandez1 struck him on the head with his mace1 and knocked him down2 and the three others immediately showered their blows upon the fallen man1 who lay bathed in his blood when ,don ,pedro came down into the court1 seeking the knights of ,santiago1 to slay them with their chief4 ,in the very chamber of ,maria ,padilla1 the assassin-king gave with his own hand the first stab to his brother's esquire1 who had taken refuge there4 ,leaving the ensanguined boudoir1 7,maria ,padilla's apartments in the ,alcazar were a sort of harem1 where much oriental pomp was observed17 he returned to the ,master1 and finding he still breathed1 he gave his dagger to an ,african slave to despatch him4 ,then he sat down to dinner in an apartment two paces distant from his brother's corpse4 ,it is a relief to turn from acts of such unnatural barbarity to the traits of chivalrous generosity that sparkle1 at long intervals1 it is true1 upon the dark background of ,pedro's character4 ,one of these1 connected with a singularly romantic incident1 is attested by ,alonzo ,martinez de ,talavera1 chaplain of ,john ,,ii4 of ,castile1 a chronicler ,m4 ,mrime is disposed to hold in high esteem4 ,in one of his campaigns against his rebellious brethren and their ,arragonese allies1 the king laid siege to the castle of ,cabezon1 belonging to ,count ,trastamare2 and whose governor1 summoned to yield1 refused even to parley4 ,yet the whole garrison of the castle consisted but of ten esquires1 ,castilian exiles2 but behind thick and lofty walls1 in a tower built on perpendicular rocks1 and against which battering engines could not be brought1 ten resolute men might defend themselves against an army1 and need only yield to famine4 ,the place being well provisioned1 the siege was likely to be long4 ,but the ten esquires1 all young men1 were better able bravely to repulse an assault than patiently to endure the tedium of a blockade4 ,time hung heavy upon their hands1 they wanted amusement1 and at last they insolently insisted that the governor should give them women to keep them company in their eyrie4 ,now1 the only women in ,cabezon were the governor's wife and daughter4 ',if you do not deliver them to us1 to be dealt with as we list1' said the garrison to the governor1 'we abandon your castle1 or1 better still1 we open its gate to the ,king of ,castile6' ,in such an emergency1 the code of chivalrous honour was stringent4 ,at the siege of ,tarifa1 ,alonzo ,perez de ,guzman1 summoned to surrender the town1 under penalty of seeing his son massacred before his eyes1 answered the ,moors by throwing them his sword1 wherewith to slay the child4 ,this action1 which procured the governor of ,tarifa the surname of ,guzman the ,good1 was a fazaa 7an exploit7--one of those heroic precedents which everyman of honour was bound to imitate4 ,permittitur homicidium filii potius quam deditio castelli1 is the axiom of a doctor in chivalry of that epoch4 ,the governor of ,cabezon1 as magnanimous in his way as ,guzman the ,good1 so arranged matters that his garrison no longer thought of abandoning him4 ,but two of the esquires1 less corrupt than their comrades1 conceived a horror of their treason1 and escaped from the castle4 ,led before the king1 they informed him of the mutiny they had witnessed1 and of its consequences4 ,don ,pedro1 indignant1 forthwith entreated the governor to let him do justice on the offenders4 ,in exchange for those felons1 he offered ten gentlemen of his army1 who1 before entering ,cabezon1 should take a solemn oath to defend the castle against all assailants1 even against the king himself1 and to die at their posts with the governor4 ,this proposal having been accepted1 the king had the traitors quartered1 and their remains were afterwards burned4 ,through the colours with which a romantic imagination has adorned this incident1 it is difficult to separate truth from fiction2 but we at least distinguish the popular opinion of the character of ,don ,pedro--a strange amalgamation of chivalrous sentiments1 and of love of justice1 carried to ferocity4 ,there was very little justice1 or gratitude either1 in the king's treatment of his ,jew treasurer4 ,don ,simuel el ,levi1#bi ,israelite though he was1 had proved himself a stancher friend and more loyal subject than any ,christian of ,pedro's court4 ,he had borne him company in his captivity--had aided his escape--had renovated his finances--had been his minister1 treasurer1 and confidant4 ,suddenly ,simuel was thrown into prison4 ,on the same day1 and throughout the kingdom1 his kinsmen and agents were all arrested4 ,his crime was his prodigious wealth4 ,pedro1 ignorant of the resources of trade1 could not believe that his treasurer had grown rich otherwise than at his expense4 ,simuel's property was seized2 then1 as he was suspected of having concealed the greater part of his treasures1 he was taken to ,seville and put to the torture1 under which he expired4 ,the king is said to have found in his coffers large sums of gold and silver1 besides a quantity of jewels and rich stuffs1 all of which he confiscated4 ,a sum of #cjj1jjj doubloons was also found in the hands of ,simuel's relatives1 receivers under his orders3 this proceeded from the taxes1 whose collection was intrusted to him1 and was about to be paid into the king's exchequer4 ,there is reason to believe1 adds ,m4 ,mrime1 that ,levi1 like ,jacques ,coeur a century later1 was the victim of the ignorance and cupidity of a master he had faithfully served4#cj ,we have dwelt so long upon the early pages of this history1 and have so often been led astray by the interest of the notes and anecdotes with which they are thickly strewn1 that we have left ourselves without space for a notice of those portions of the bulky volume most likely to rivet the attention of the ,english reader4 ,when the ,grandes ,compagnies--those formidable condottieri1 who1 for a time1 may be said to have ruled in ,france--crossed the ,pyrenees to fight for ,henry of ,trastamare1 whilst the troops of ,england and ,guyenne came to the help of ,pedro2 when the great champions of their respective countries1 ,edward the ,black ,prince and ,bertrand du ,guesclin1 bared steel in the civil strife of ,spain1--then came the tug of war and fierce encounter--then did the tide of battle roll its broad impetuous stream4 ,for even at that remote period1 although ,spain boasted a valiant chivalry and stubborn men-at-arms1 her wars were often a series of skirmishes1 surprises1 treacheries1 and camp-intrigues1 rather than of pitched battles in the field4 ,the same sluggishness and indolence on the part of ,spanish generals1 so conspicuous at the present day1 was then frequently observable4 ,we read of divisions--whose timely arrival would have changed the fate of a battle--coming up so slowly that their friends were beaten before they appeared2 of generals marching out1 and marching back again1 without striking a single blow2 or remaining1 for days together1 gazing at their opponents without risking an attack4 ,even then1 the ,spaniards were a nation of guerillas4 ,accustomed to a war of rapid skirmishes against the ,moors1 they had adopted their mode of fighting4 ,covered with light coats of mail1 or with doublets of quilted cloth1 mounted on light and active horses1 their genetaires 7light horsemen7 hurled their javelins at a gallop1 then turned bridle1 without caring to keep their ranks4 ,with the exception of the military orders1 better armed and disciplined than the genetaires1 the ,spanish cavalry were unable to offer resistance in line to the ,english or ,french men-at-arms4 ,the infantry of ,spain1 afterwards esteemed the best in ,europe1 was at that time so lightly considered as to be rarely enumerated in the strength of an army4 ,the ,english footsoldiers1 on the other hand1 had already achieved a brilliant reputation4 ,armed with tall bows of yew1 says ,m4 ,mrime1 they sheltered themselves behind pointed stakes planted in the ground1 and1 thus protected against cavalry1 let fly arrows an ell long1 which few cuirasses could resist4 ,the equipment of the ,english cavalry was far superior to that of the ,spanish horsemen4 ,ayala recapitulates1 with astonishment1 the various pieces of armour in use amongst those northern warriors4 ,plates of steel and forged iron were worn over jerkins of thick leather1 and even over shirts of mail4 ,the bull-dog courage of the men was not less remarkable than the strength of their defensive arms4 ,it is interesting to read of the exploits of a handful of ,english soldiers on the very ground where1 four hundred and forty-six years later1 an army of that nation crushed the hosts of ,france4 ,sir ,thomas ,felton1 seneschal of ,guyenne1 was attacked1 when at a considerable distance from the ,english army1 near ,ariiz1 two leagues from ,vitoria1 by more than three thousand ,french gendarmes and ,spanish light horse4 ,felton had but two hundred men-at arms1 and as many archers4 ,he lost not courage1 but dismounted his cavalry1 and drew them up on a steep hillock4 ,his brother1 ,william ,felton1 alone refused to quit his horse4 ,with lance in rest1 he charged into the midst of the ,castilians1 and at the first blow drove his weapon completely through the body and iron armour of a foe2 he was immediately cut to pieces4 ,his comrades1 closing round their banner1 defended themselves1 for several hours1 with the courage of despair4 ,at last the adventurers1 headed by the ,marshal d',audeneham and the ,bgue de ,vilaines1 dismounted1 and1 forming column1 broke the ,english phalanx1 whilst the ,spanish cavalry charged it in rear4 ,all were slain in the first fury of victory1 but the heroic resistance of this scanty band of ,englishmen struck even their enemies with admiration4 ,the memory of ,felton's glorious defeat is preserved in the province1 where is still shown1 near ,ariiz1 the hillock upon which1 after fighting an entire day1 he fell1 covered with wounds4 ,it is called1 in the language of the country1 ,ingles-mendi1 the ,english ,hill4 ,this gallant but unimportant skirmish comprised 7with the exception of a dash made by ,don ,tello at the ,english foragers1 of whom he killed a good number7 all the fighting that took place at that time upon the plain of ,vitoria2 although some historians have made that plain the scene of the decisive battle fought soon afterwards1 between ,edward of ,england and ,don ,pedro on the one hand1 and du ,guesclin and ,henry of ,trastamare on the other4 ,toreno correctly indicates the ground of this action1 which occurred on the right bank of the ,ebro1 between ,najera and ,navarrete4 ,it is true that the ,prince of ,wales offered battle near ,vitoria1 drawing up his army on the heights of ,santo ,romano1 close to the village of ,alegria1 just in the line of the flight of the ,french when beaten in #ahac4 ,the ,prince did this boldly and confidently1 although anxious for the coming up of his rear-guard1 which was still seven leagues off4 ,that day1 says ,froissart1 the prince had many a pang in his heart1 because his rear-guard delayed so long to come4 ,but the enemy were in no haste to attack4 ,only a day or two previously1 ,don ,henry had assembled his captains in council of war1 to communicate to them1 says ,m4 ,mrime1 a letter the ,king of ,france had written him1 urging him not to tempt fortune by risking a battle against so able a general as the ,prince of ,wales1 and such formidable soldiers as the veteran bands he commanded4 ,bertrand du ,guesclin1 ,marshal d',audeneham1 and most of the ,french adventurers1 were of the same opinion--frankly declaring that1 in regular battle1 the ,english were invincible4 ,du ,guesclin's advice was to harass them by continual skirmishes1 c41 c42 and the result of the council was1 that ,don ,henry resolved to keep as much as possible on the defensive1 and in the mountains1 where his light troops had a great advantage over their enemies1 who were heavily armed1 and unaccustomed to a guerilla warfare4 ,it had been well for him had he adhered to this resolution1 instead of allowing himself to be carried away by his ardour1 and by the confidence with which a successful skirmish had inspired him4 ,in vain du ,guesclin1 and the other captains1 tried to detain him in rear of the little river ,najerilla3 declaring his intention of finishing the war by one decisive combat1 he led his army into the plain4 ,when the ,black ,prince1 who little expected such temerity1 was informed of the movement--,by ,st ,george6 he exclaimed1 in yonder bastard there lives a valiant knight6 ,then he proceeded to take up his position for the fight that now was certain to take place4 ,at sunrise1 ,count ,henry beheld the ,english army drawn up in line1 in admirable order2 their gay banners and pennons floating above a forest of lances4 ,already all the men-at-arms had dismounted4#ca444 ,the ,prince of ,wales devoutly offered up a prayer1 and1 having called heaven to witness the justice of his cause1 held out his hand to ,don ,pedro3 ',sir ,king1' he said1 'in an hour you will know if you are ,king of ,castile4' ,then he cried out1 ',banners forward1 in the name of ,god and ,st ,george6 ,we will not diminish1 by extract or abridgment1 the pleasure of those of our readers who may peruse ,m4 ,mrime's masterly and picturesque account of the battle1 whose triumphant termination was tarnished by an act of ferocious cruelty on the part of the ,castilian king4 ,don ,pedro had proved himself1 as usual1 a gallant soldier in the fight2 and long after the ,english trumpets had sounded the recall1 he spurred his black charger on the track of the fugitive foe4 ,at last1 exhausted by fatigue1 he was returning to the camp1 when he met a ,gascon knight bringing back as prisoner ,iigo ,lopez ,orozco1 once an intimate of the king's1 but who had abandoned him after his flight from ,burgos4 ,in spite of the efforts of the ,gascon to protect him1 ,pedro slew his renegade adherent in cold blood1 and with his own hand4 ,the ,english were indignant at this barbarous revenge1 and sharp words were exchanged between ,pedro and the ,black ,prince4 ,indeed1 it was hardly possible that sympathy should exist between the generous and chivalrous ,edward and his blood-thirsty and crafty ally1 and this dispute was the first symptom of the mutual aversion they afterwards exhibited4 ,from the very commencement1 the ,prince of ,wales appears to have espoused the cause of legitimacy in opposition to his personal predilections4 ,his admiration of ,count ,henry1 and good opinion of his abilities1 frequently breaks out4 ,after the signal victory of ,najera1 which seemed to have fixed the crown of ,castile more firmly than ever upon ,pedro's brow1 ,edward was the only man who judged differently of the future4 ,the day after the battle1 when the knights charged by him to examine the dead and the prisoners came to make their report1 he asked in the ,gascon dialect1 which he habitually spoke3 ',e lo bort1 es mort pres8 ,and the ,bastard1 is he killed or taken8' ,the answer was1 that he had disappeared from the field of battle1 and that all trace of him was lost4 ',non ay res fat6' exclaimed the prince2 ',nothing is done4' ,the ,black ,prince spoke in a prophetic spirit3 the sequel proved the wisdom of his words4 ,the battle of ,najera was fought on the #c;d ,april #acfg4 ,two years later1 less eleven days1 on the #bc;d ,march #acfi--;,edward and his gallant followers having in the interim returned to ,guyenne1 disgusted with the ingratitude and bad faith of the king they had replaced upon his throne--the ,bastard was master of ,spain1 where ,don ,pedro's sole remaining possession was the castle of ,montiel1 within whose walls the fallen monarch was closely blockaded4 ,negotiations ensued1 in which ,bertrand du ,guesclin shared1 and in which there can be little doubt he played a treacherous part4 ,it is to the credit of ,m4 ,mrime's impartiality1 that he does not seek to shield the ,french hero1 but merely urges1 in extenuation of his conduct1 the perverted morality and strange code of knightly honour accepted in those days4 ,by whomsoever lured1 in the night-time ,pedro left his stronghold1 expecting to meet1 outside its walls1 abettors and companions of a meditated flight4 ,instead of such aid1 he found himself a captive1 and presently he stood face to face with ,henry of ,trastamare4 ,the brothers bandied insults1 a blow was dealt1 and they closed in mortal strife4 ,around them a circle of chevaliers gazed with deep interest at this combat of kings4 ,pedro1 the taller and stronger man1 at first had the advantage4 ,then a bystander--some say du ,guesclin1 others1 an ,arragonese1 ,rocaberti--pulled the king by the leg as he held his brother under him1 and changed the fortune of the duel4 ,what ensued is best told in the words of ,lockhart's close and admirable version of a popular ,spanish ballad3-- ,now ,don ,henry has the upmost1 ,now ,king ,pedro lies beneath2 ,in his heart his brother's poniard ,instant finds its bloody sheath4 ,thus with mortal gasp and quiver1 ,while the blood in bubbles well'd1 ,fled the fiercest soul that ever ,in a ,christian bosom dwell'd4 ,,footnotes3 #bj ,histoire de ,don ,pdre ,ier1 ,roi de ,castille4 ,par ,,prosper ,m,,rim,e1 de l',acadmie ,franaise4 ,pp4 #ehf4 ,paris1 #ahdh4 #ba ,blackwood's ,magazine1 ,no4 ,,ccclxxx4 #bb ,the ricos hombres1 literally rich men1 did not yet bear titles1 which were reserved for members of the royal family4 ,thus1 ,henry de ,trastamare was commonly designated as the ,count1 he being the only one in ,castile4 ,when crowned at ,burgos1 in #acff1 he lavished the titles of count and marquis1 previously so charily bestowed1 not only upon the magnates of the land1 but upon ,bertrand ,duguesclin1 ,sir ,hugh ,calverley1 ,denia the ,arragonese1 and other foreign adventurers and allies4 ,such was the generosity1 or rather the profusion of the new king1 that it gave rise to a proverbial expression long current in ,spain3 ,henry's favours 7,mercedes ,enriquenas7 was thenceforward the term applied to recompenses obtained before they were deserved4--,m,,rim,e1 p4 #dea-b4 ,a rico hombre was created by receiving at the king's hand a banner and a cauldron 7,pendon y ,caldera7--the one to guide his soldiers1 the other to feed them4 ,the fidalgos or hidalgos 7from hijodalgo1 the son of somebody7 were dependants of the ricos hombres1 as these were of the king4 ,every nobleman had a certain number of gentlemen who did him homage1 and held their lands in fee of him4 ,in their turn1 these gentlemen had vassals1 so that the labourer had many masters1 whose orders were often contradictory4 ,these medival institutions gave rise to strange complications1 only to be unravelled by violence4 ,nevertheless1 the laws and national usages directed the vassal1 whatever his condition1 to obey his immediate superior4 ,thus1 a mere knight did not incur penalty of treason by taking arms against the king by order of the rich-man to whom he paid homage4--,m,,rim,e1 p4 #bi4 ,some curious illustrations are subjoined4 ,in #accd1 ,alphonso took the field against an insubordinate vassal1 and besieged him in his town of ,lerma4 ,garcia de ,padilla1 a knight attached to the rebel1 seeing an amicable arrangement impossible1 boldly demanded of ,don ,alphonso a horse and armour1 to go and fight under the banner of his liege lord4 ,the king instantly complied with his request1 warning him1 however1 that if taken1 he should pay with his head for his fidelity to the lord of ,lerma4 ,i distinguish1 says ,m4 ,m,,rim,e1 in the action and words of ,don ,alphonso1 the contrast of the knight and the king united in the same man4 ,the one yields to his prejudices of chivalrous honour1 the other will have the rights of his crown respected4 ,the customs of the age and the dictates of policy contend in the generous monarch's breast4--,p4 #cj4 #bc ,it were a great error to attribute to ,spain1 in the #adth century1 the religious passions and intolerant spirit that animated it in the #afth4 ,in the wars between ,moors and ,christians1 politics had long had a far larger share than fanaticism4444 ,although the ,inquisition had been established more than a century1 its power was far from being what it afterwards became4 ,as to ,jews and ,moors1 they were subject to the jurisdiction of the ,holy ,office only when they sought1 by word or writing1 to turn ,christians from the faith of their fathers2 and even then1 royal authorisation was necessary before they could be prosecuted4 ,and the kings showed themselves1 in general1 little disposed to let the clergy increase their influence4 ,in #acej1 ,peter ,,iv4 of ,arragon rigorously forbade ecclesiastics to infringe on secular jurisdiction4444 ,there was much lukewarmness in matters of religion2 and to this1 perhaps1 is to be attributed the very secondary part played by the clergy in all the political debates of the #adth century4 ,the inferior clergy1 living and recruiting its ranks amongst the people1 shared the ignorance and rudeness of the latter4 ,such was the prevalent immorality1 that a great number of priests maintained concubines1 who were vain of the holy profession of their lovers1 and claimed particular distinctions4 ,the conduct of these ecclesiastics occasioned no scandal1 but the luxury affected by their mistresses often excited the envy of rich citizens1 and even of noble ladies4 ,repeatedly1 and always in vain1 the ,cortes launched decrees intended to repress the insolence of the damoiselles de prtres1 7barraganas de clrigos17 who formed a distinct class or caste1 enjoying special privileges1 and sufficiently numerous to require the invention of laws for them alone4--,m,,rim,e1 p4 #cd to #ch4 ,these passages tend to explain what might otherwise seem incomprehensible--the passive submission of the ,spanish priesthood to encroachments upon their temporal goods4 ,since then they have rarely shown themselves so enduring2 and the mere hint of an attack upon their power or opulence has usually been the signal for mischievous intrigue1 and often for bloody strife4 ,it is a question1 7setting aside the barraganas1 although these1 up to no remote date1 may be said to have been rather veiled than suppressed17 whether the ,spanish priests of the #adth century were not nearly as enlightened as their successors of the #aith4 ,they certainly were far more tolerant4 ,arab language and literature1 ,m4 ,mrime tells us1 were cultivated in schools founded under ecclesiastical patronage4 ,in the ,cortes held at ,valladolid1 in #acea1 we find ,don ,pedro rejecting the petitions of the clergy1 who craved restitution of the revenues appropriated by the crown1 to their prejudice1 under his father's reign4 #bd ,in various details of ,don ,pedro's life and character we trace resemblance to the eastern despot1 although there seems no foundation for the charges of infidelity brought against him towards the close of his reign1 and which may partly have originated1 perhaps1 in his close alliance with the ,granadine ,moors1 a body of whose light cavalry for some time formed his escort4 ,contiguity of territory1 commercial intercourse1 and political necessities1 had assimilated to a certain extent the manners and usages of ,spaniards and ,saracens1 and given the former an oriental tinge1 of which1 even at the present day1 faint vestiges are here and there perceptible4 ,don ,pedro's orientalism was particularly perceptible in the mode of many of the executions that ensanguined his reign4 ,he had constantly about him a band of cross-bowmen who waited on his nod1 and recoiled from no cruelty4 ,occasionally we find him sending one of them to some distant place to communicate and execute the doom of an offending subject4 ,this recalls the ,turkish mute and bowstring4 ,these death-dealing archers seem to have employed mace and dagger more frequently than axe or cord4 ,they were assassins rather than executioners4 ,they officiated in the case of ,garci ,laso4 ,alburquerque1 impatient of delay1 warned the king that it was time to give final orders4 ,don ,pedro1 accustomed to repeat those of his minister1 bade two of ,alburquerque's gentlemen go tell the prisoner's guards to despatch him4 ,the arbalisters1 blind instruments of the king's will1 mistrusted an order transmitted to them by ,alburquerque's people1 and desired to receive it from their master's mouth4 ,one of them went to ask him what was to be done with ,garci ,laso4 ',let him be killed6' replied the king4 ,this time duly authorised1 the arbalister ran to the prisoner1 and struck him down with a blow of a mace upon his head4 ,his comrades finished him with their daggers4 ,the body of ,garci ,laso was thrown upon the public square1 where the king's entrance was celebrated1 according to ,castilian custom1 by a bull-fight4 ,the bulls trampled the corpse1 and tossed it upon their horns4 ,it was taken from them for exhibition upon a scaffold1 where it remained a whole day4 ,at last it was placed upon a bier1 which was fixed upon the rampart of ,camparanda4 ,it was the treatment reserved for the bodies of great malefactors4--,m,,rim,e1 p4 #gc4 #be ,in #acci1 ,don ,gonzalo ,martinez1 ,master of ,alcantara1 having rebelled against the king ,don ,alphonso1 was besieged and taken in his castle of ,valencia1 and ,coronel presided at his execution4--,chronica de ,don ,alphonso ,,xi41 p4 #che4 #bf ,the ,castilian tongue is rich in words descriptive of grace in women4 ,spain is1 certainly1 the country where that quality is most common4 ,i will cite only a few of those expressions1 indicative of shades easier to appreciate than to translate4 ,garbo is grace combined with nobility2 donayre1 elegance of bearing1 vivacity of wit2 salero1 voluptuous and provocative grace2 zandunga1 the kind of grace peculiar to the ,andalusians--a happy mixture of readiness and nonchalance4 ,people applaud the garbo or donayre of a duchess1 the salero of an actress1 the zandunga of a gipsy of ,jerez4--,m,,rim,e1 p4 #aaj4 #bg ,the enchantment of ,don ,pedro by ,maria ,padilla is a popular tradition in ,andalusia1 where the memory of both is vividly preserved4 ,it is further added1 that ,maria ,padilla was a queen of the gipsies--their bari crallisa--consequently consummate mistress of the art of concocting philters4 ,unfortunately1 the gipsies were scarcely seen in ,europe till a century later4 ,the author of the ,premire ,vie du ,pape ,innocent ,,vi4 gravely relates that ,blanche1 having made her husband a present of a golden girdle1 ,maria ,padilla1 assisted by a ,jew1 a notorious sorcerer1 changed it into a serpent1 one day that the king had it on4 ,the surprise of the king and his court may be imagined1 when the girdle began to writhe and hiss2 whereupon the ,padilla easily succeeded in persuading her lover that ,blanche was a magician bent upon destroying him by her arts4--,m,,rim,e1 p4 #abj4 #bh ,,zu,,iga1 ,anales de ,sevilla4--,the people say1 that ,maria ,coronel1 pursued by ,don ,pedro1 in the suburb of ,triana1 plunged her head into a pan in which a gipsy was cooking fritters4 ,i was shown the house in front of which the incident occurred1 and ,i was desired to remark1 as an incontrovertible proof1 that it is still inhabited by gipsies1 whose kitchen is in the open street4--,m,,rim,e1 p4 #bdg4 #bi ,we have already adverted to the religious tolerance of the time1 and to the intermixture of ,mussulmans and ,christians3 ,m4 ,mrime gives some curious details on this subject4 ,the nobility of ,castile made no difficulty to grant the ,don to the ,moorish cavaliers1 and the rich ,jew bankers obtained the same distinction1 then very rare amongst the ,christians themselves4 ,thus ,ayala1 the chronicler1 speaks of ,don ,farax1 ,don ,simuel1 ,don ,reduan1 c42 although of ,spaniards he gives the ,don only to the princes of the blood1 to a few very powerful ricos hombres1 to certain great officers of the crown1 and to the masters of the military orders of knights4 ,the ,andalusian ,moors were frequently treated as equals by the chevaliers of ,castile2 but this is far less astonishing than that the ,jews should have attained to high honours and office4 ,pedro1 however1 seems always to have had a leaning towards them1 and the ,israelites1 on their part1 invariably supported him4 ,he was more than once1 in the latter part of his reign1 heard to say that the ,moors and ,hebrews were his only loyal subjects4 ,at ,miranda1 on the ,ebro1 in #acfj1 the populace1 stirred up by ,henry of ,trastamare1 massacred the ,jews1 and pillaged their dwellings4 ,the object of the ,count was to compromise the townspeople1 and thus to attach them indissolubly to his cause4 ,when ,pedro arrived1 he had the ringleaders of the riot arrested2 and1 in his presence1 the unhappy wretches were burned alive1 or boiled in immense cauldrons4 ,obsolete laws were revived1 to justify these terrible executions2 but the crime of the offenders was forgotten in the horror excited by such barbarous punishments4 ,it was just after these scenes of cruelty that a priest1 coming from ,santo-,domingo de la ,calzada1 craved private audience of the king1 ',sire1' said he1 'my ,lord ,saint ,dominick has appeared to me in a dream1 bidding me warn you that1 if you do not amend your life1 ,don ,henry1 your brother1 will slay you with his own hand4' ,this prophecy1 on the eve of a battle between the brothers1 was probably the result of fanatical hatred1 on the part of the priests towards a king now generally accused of irreligion4 ,whatever dictated it1 ,pedro was at first startled by the prophet's confident and inspired air1 but soon he thought it was a stratagem of his enemies to discourage him and his troops4 ,the priest1 who persisted that his mission was from ,st ,dominick1 was burned alive in front of the army4--,m,,rim,e1 pp4 #ce1 #bij1 #bii1 c4 #cj ,according to the interpolator of the chronicle of the ,despensero ,mayor1 ,simuel ,levi1 whose death he erroneously fixes in the year #acff1 was denounced to the king by several ,jews1 envious of his immense riches4 ,simuel1 on being put to the torture1 died of indignation1 'de puro corage1' says the anonymous author1 whom ,i copy1 since ,i cannot understand him4 ,there were found1 in a vault beneath his house1 three piles of gold and silver lingots1 so lofty 'that a man standing behind them was not seen4' ,the king1 on beholding this treasure1 exclaimed--',if ,don ,simuel had given me the third part of the smallest of these heaps1 ,i would not have had him tortured4 ,how could he consent to die rather than speak8' ,sumario de los ,reyes de ,espaa1 p4 #gc4 ,credat ,judus ,apella4--,m,,rim,e1 p4 #cag4 ,don ,pedro was often accused of avarice1 although it appears probable that his fondness of money sprang from his experience of the power it gave1 and of its absolute necessity in the wars in which he was continually engaged1 rather than from any abstract love of gold4 ,when1 after his flight from ,spain in #acff1 his treasures were traitorously given up to his rival by ,admiral ,boccanegra1 who had been charged to convey them to ,portugal1 they amounted to thirty-six quintals of gold1 7something like fourteen hundred thousand pounds sterling--a monstrous sum in those days17 besides a quantity of jewels4 #ca ,the custom of the time1 according to ,froissart and others4 ,on the march1 most of the soldiers1 sometimes even the archers1 were on horseback2 but when the hour of battle arrived1 spurs were removed1 horses sent away1 and lances shortened4 ,when the time came for flight and pursuit1 the combatants again sprang into their saddles4 ,,the ,,opening ,,of ,,the ,,session4 ,the ,british ,parliament has again been summoned to resume its labours4 ,the period which intervened between the close of the last1 and the opening of the present session1 was fraught with great anxiety to those who believed that the cause of order and peace depended upon the check that might be given to the democratic spirit1 then raging so fearfully throughout ,europe4 ,france1 under the dictatorship of ,cavaignac1 had emerged a little from the chaotic slough into which she had been plunged by the wickedness1 imbecility1 and treason of a junta of self-constituted ministers--men who held their commissions from the sovereign mob of ,paris1 and who were ready1 for that sovereign's sake1 to ruin and prostrate their country4 ,foremost among these ministers was ,lamartine1 a theorist whose intentions might be good1 but whose exorbitant vanity made him a tool in the hands of others who had embraced revolution as a trade4 ,of this stamp were ,ledru-,rollin1 ,louis ,blanc1 and1 we may add1 ,marrast1--men who had nothing to lose1 but everything to gain1 from the continuance of popular disorder4 ,fortunately1 the daring attempt of ,june--which1 if it had succeeded1 would have surrendered ,paris to be sacked--was suppressed with sufficient bloodshed4 ,military domination took the place of helpless democratic fraternity2 the barricades went down amidst the thunder of the cannon1 and the rascaldom of the ,faubourg ,st ,antoine found1 to their cost1 that they were not yet altogether triumphant4 ,of the subsequent election of ,louis ,napoleon to the presidentship we need not speak4 ,it would be in vain1 under present circumstances1 to speculate upon the probable destinies of ,france4 ,all that we have to remark now is her attitude1 which1 we think1 is symptomatic of improvement4 ,the socialist theories are wellnigh exploded4 ,equality may exist in name1 but it is not recognised as a reality4 ,the provinces have suffered enough from revolution to abhor the thought of anarchy2 and they long for any government strong and resolute enough to enforce the laws1 and to stamp with its heel on the head of the ,jacobin hydra4 ,austria1 on the other side1 has done her duty nobly4 ,astounded as we certainly were at the outbreak of revolution in ,vienna1 we had yet that confidence1 in the spirit and loyalty of the old ,teutonic chivalry1 that we never for a moment believed that the mighty fabric of ages would be allowed to crumble down1 or the imperial crown to fall from the head of the descendant of the ,csars4 ,and so it has proved4 ,the revolt occasioned in the southern provinces by the co-operation of ,jacobinism1 under the specious mask of nationality1 with the mean and selfish ambition of an intriguing ,italian potentate1 has been triumphantly suppressed4 ,vienna1 after experiencing the horrors of ruffian occupation--after having seen assassination rife in her streets1 and the homes of her burghers delivered over to the lust and pillage of the anarchists--has again returned to her fealty4 ,the insurrections in ,bohemia and ,hungary have been met by the strong arm of power2 the schemes of treason and of faction have been discomfited2 nor can modern history afford us nobler examples of heroism and devotion than have been exhibited by ,windischgrtz and ,jellachich4 ,whilst the democratic press1 even in this country1 was sympathising with the insurgents--whilst treason1 murder1 and rapine were palliated and excused1 and fulsome and bombastic panegyrics pronounced upon the leading demagogues of the movement--we have watched the efforts of ,austria towards the recovery of her equilibrium1 with an anxiety which we scarcely can express2 because we felt convinced that1 upon her success or her defeat1 upon the maintenance of her position as a colossal united power1 or her division into petty states1 depended1 in a large measure1 the future tranquillity of ,europe4 ,most happily she has succeeded1 and has thereby given the death-blow to the hopes of the besotted visionaries at ,frankfort4 ,the ,central ,power of ,germany1 as that singular assemblage of mountebanks1 with a weak old imbecile at their head1 has been somewhat facetiously denominated--that pseudo-parliament1 which1 without power to enforce its decrees1 or any comprehensible scheme of action1 has arrogated to itself the right of over-riding monarchies--is gradually dwindling into contempt4 ,even ,frederick-,william of ,prussia1 its chief supporter and stay1 has found out his vast mistake in yielding to the democratic principle as the means of ultimately securing for himself the rule of a united ,germany4 ,the attempt has already wellnigh cost him the crown which he wears4 ,he now sees1 as he might have seen earlier1 but for the mists of interest and ambition1 that the present movement was essentially a democratic one1 and that its leaders merely held out the phantom of resuscitated imperialism in order to make converts1 and to strike more effectually at every hereditary constitution4 ,the farce cannot1 in the ordinary nature of things1 last much longer4 ,without ,austria1 ,bavaria1 and ,prussia1 there is no central power at all4 ,the ,frankfort parliament1 as it at present exists1 can be compared to nothing except a great ,masonic assemblage4 ,in humble imitation of the brethren of the mystic tie1 it is solemnly creating grand chancellors1 grand seneschals1 and1 for aught we know1 grand tylers also for an empire which is not in existence2 and1 without a farthing in its treasury1 is decreeing civil lists and bounties to its imperial grand master6 ,unfortunately1 the state of ,europe has been such that we cannot afford to laugh even at such palpable fooleries4 ,they tend to prolong excitement and disorder throughout a considerable portion of the ,continent2 and already1 through such antics1 we have been on the eve of a general war1 occasioned by the unjust attempts to deprive ,denmark of her ,schleswig provinces4 ,the sooner1 therefore1 that the parliament of ,frankfort ceases to have an existence the better4 ,it hardly can exist if the larger states do their duty1 without jealousy of each other1 but with reference to the common weal4 ,but though the democratic progress1 under whatsoever form it appeared1 has thus received a check in northern ,europe1 it is still raging with undiminished violence in the south4 ,british diplomatic relations with the ,see of ,rome have received the coup-de-grace1 in the forcible expulsion of the ,sovereign ,pontiff from his territories6 ,the leading reformer of the age--the propagandist successor of ,st ,peter--has surrendered his pastoral charge1 and fled from the howling of his flock1 now suddenly metamorphosed into wolves4 ,there1 as elsewhere1 liberalism has signalised itself by assassination4 ,the star of freedom1 of which ,lord ,minto was the delegated prophet1 has appeared in the form of a bloody and terrific meteor4 ,even revolutionised ,france felt her bowels moved by some latent ,christian compunction1 and prepared an armament to rescue1 if needful1 the unfortunate patriarch from his children4 ,more recently1 the ,grand-duke of ,tuscany--a prince whose mild rule and kindly government were such that democracy itself could frame no articulate charge against him1 beyond the fact of his being a sovereign--has been compelled to abandon his territory1 and to take refuge elsewhere4 ,such is the state of the continent of ,europe at the opening of the new session of ,parliament--a state which1 while it undeniably leaves great room for hope1 and in some measure indicates a return to more settled principles of government1 is very far from conveying an assurance of lasting tranquillity4 ,it is now just a year since the sagacious ,mr ,cobden issued the second part of his prophecies to atone for the failure of the first4 ,the repeal of the corn laws1 and the other free-trade measures1 having not only failed to enrich this country at the ratio of a hundred millions sterling annually--the premium which was confidently offered by the ,manchester ,association1 as the price of their experiment--but1 having somehow or other been followed by a calamitous deficit in the ordinary revenue1 the member for the ,west ,riding bethought himself of a new agitation for the disbandment of the ,british army1 and the suppression of the navy1 founded upon the experiences which he had gathered in the course of his ,continental ovations4 ,he told his faithful myrmidons that all ,europe was in a state of profound peace1 and that war was utterly impossible4 ,they echoed the cry1 and at once1 as if by magic1 the torch of revolution was lighted up in every country save our own4 ,nor are we entitled to claim absolute exemption4 ,chartism exhibited itself at home in a more daring manner than ever before3 nor do we wonder at this1 since the depreciation of labour in the home market1 the direct result of ,peel's injudicious tariffs1 drove many a man1 from sheer desperation1 into the ranks of the disloyal4 ,ireland was pacified only by a strong demonstration of military force2 and1 had that been withdrawn1 rebellion was the inevitable consequence4 ,still1 though his promises are thus shown to be utterly false1 the undaunted ,free-trader1 in the teeth of facts and logic1 persists in maintaining his conclusions4 ,again he shouts1 raves1 and agitates for an extensive military reduction2 and1 lo6 the next ,indian mail brings tidings of the war in the ,punjaub6 ,public attention1 during the recess1 has been very generally directed to the state of the finances of the country4 ,no wonder4 ,last year1 in proposing the first of his abortive budgets1 ,lord ,john ,russell distinctly calculated the probable excess of the expenditure over the income at the sum of three millions and a quarter2 to balance which he asked for an augmentation of the income tax--a proposal which the nation very properly scouted4 ,but1 whilst we state now1 as we stated then1 our determined opposition to the increase of the direct taxation of the country1 we must remark that the free-trade party were hardly justified in withholding their support from a minister who had played their game with such unimpeachable docility1 in an emergency directly resulting from the operation of their cherished system4 ,the statement of ,sir ,charles ,wood1 to the effect that1 during the last six years1 the nation had remitted seven and a half millions of annual taxation1 ought surely to have had the effect of an argument upon these impenetrable men4 ,seven millions and a half had been sacrificed before the ,moloch of free trade4 ,good1 benevolent1 plain-dealing ,sir ,robert1 and profound1 calculating ,lord ,john1 had each1 in preparing their annual estimates1 lopped off some productive branch of the customs1 and smilingly displayed it to the country1 as a proof of their desire to lessen the weight of the national burdens4 ,that our revenue should fall was1 of course1 a necessary consequence4 ,fall it did1 and that with such rapidity that ,sir ,robert ,peel dared not take off the income tax1 which he had imposed upon the country with a distinct and solemn pledge that it was merely to be temporary in its duration1 but handed it over as a permanent legacy to his successor1 who coolly proposed to augment it6 ,now it really required no reflection at all to see that1 if our statesmen chose1 for the sake of popularity or otherwise1 thus to tamper with the revenue1 and to lessen the amount of the customs1 a deficit must1 sooner or later1 occur4 ,not the least baneful effect of the policy pursued by ,sir ,robert ,peel has been the system of calculating the estimates so low1 and adapting the income so closely to the national expenditure1 that a surplus1 to be handed over to the commissioners for the reduction of the national debt1 is now a tradition4 ,we have abandoned the idea of a surplus1 nor can it ever again be realised under the operation of the present system4 ,instead of a surplus we have a permanent income tax1 and1 more than that1 a fresh debt incurred by us1 under ,whig management1 of no less than ten millions4 ,such being the state of our finances1 the question naturally suggests itself to the mind of every thinking man1 how are we to find a remedy8 ,the ,financial ,reform ,associations--which are nothing else than the bastard spawn of the ,anti-,corn-law ,league--are perfectly ready with their answer4 ,they see no difficulty about it at all4 ,act1 they say1 upon the same principle which every man adopts in private life4 ,since your income has fallen off1 reduce your expenditure4 ,cut your coat according to your cloth4 ,find out what are the most expensive items of your estimates1 and demolish these4 ,if you can't afford to have an army1 don't keep one4 ,your navy is anything but a source of income2 put it down4 ,in this way you will presently find that you can make out a satisfactory balance-sheet4 ,this is the pounds1 shillings1 and pence view of the case1 and its supporters are determined to enforce it4 ,dull statistical pamphlets1 inveighing against the enormous expense of our establishments1 are compiled by pompous pseudo-economists1 and circulated by the million4 ,looking to the past1 it requires no familiarity to predict1 that1 as sure as winter follows autumn1 so certainly will the ,whigs yield to the pressure from without4 ,nay1 it is not a prediction2 for already1 in the ,queen's speech1 an intimation to that effect has been given4 ,now this is a matter of vital moment to every one of us4 ,we are now verging towards the point which we have long foreseen1 when the effects of unprincipled legislation will be wrested into an argument against the maintenance of the national greatness4 ,we have a battle to fight involving a more important stake than ever4 ,we must fight that battle under circumstances of great disadvantage2 for not only has treachery thinned our ranks1 but the abandonment of public principle by a statesman whose hairs have grown gray in office1 has given an example of laxity most pernicious to the morals of the age4 ,but not the less readily do we go forward at the call of honour and duty1 knowing that our cause is truth1 and confident1 even now1 that truth must ultimately prevail4 ,in the first place1 let us set ourselves right with these same ,financial ,reform ,associations1 so that no charge may be brought against us of factious opposition to salutary improvement4 ,we have perused several of their tracts with great care2 but1 being tolerably familiar with their statistics already1 we have not acquired any large stock of additional information4 ,they point1 however1 to many things which are most undoubted abuses4 ,that a reform is necessary in many civil departments of the state1 has long been our expressed opinion4 ,money is not only misapplied1 but the revenues which ought to be drawn from some portions of the public property1 find their way into private pockets1 and are not accounted for4 ,we do not doubt that the dockyards are largely jobbed1 and that the nation suffers considerable loss by a partial and nefarious system of private instead of public contracts4 ,we are no admirers of sinecures1 of unnecessary commissionerships1 or the multiplication of useless offices4 ,the department of ,woods and ,forests is an ,augean stable1 which requires a thorough cleansing4 ,it is notoriously the most inefficient and the worst served of the public boards1 and it has permitted and winked at peculation to an extent which is almost incredible4 ,we desire to have the public accounts better kept1 and some security given that the officials will do their duty4 ,we wish to see patronage fairly and honourably exercised4 ,we wish to see abuse corrected1 curbed1 and abolished4 ,and why is this not done8 ,simply for this reason--that we are cursed with a government in every way unfit for their charge4 ,the present ruling family party have not among them a vestige of a public virtue4 ,jobbing with the ,whigs is not an exceptional case--it is a living principle4 ,it is more to them than the liberty of the press3 it is like the air they breathe2 if they have it not1 they die4 ,they keep their adherents together solely by the force of jobbing4 ,look at their ,irish ,trevellyan jobs1 their commissions1 their unblushing and unparalleled favouritism6 ,never1 in any one instance1 have they attempted to save a shilling of the public revenue1 when1 by doing so1 they would interfere with the perquisites of some veteran servitor of their order4 ,we know this pretty well in ,scotland1 where jobbing flourishes all the better because we are denied the superintendence of a separate ,secretary of ,state--an office which is imperatively called for4 ,the present is undeniably a time for the exertion of strict economy in every department1 and yet ministers will not vouchsafe to commence it in their own4 ,during the last two years1 various offices which are not hereditary1 which are notorious sinecures1 and which are nevertheless endowed with large salaries1 have become vacant2 and1 in every case1 these have been filled up by ,lord ,john ,russell1 on the broad ground that the government could not afford to dispense with such valuable patronage4 ,so far we are at one with the finance reformers4 ,so long as their object is to reform evident abuses1 we are ready not only to applaud1 but to co-operate with them3 but the correction of abuses is a very different thing from that suicidal policy which has been over and over again attempted in this country--that policy which1 by saving thousands1 insures the loss of millions4 ,because our revenue has fallen off1 is that any reason why we should part with our army and navy8 ,let us assume that the army and navy are necessary for three purposes--first1 for the defence of the country2 secondly1 for the maintenance of internal order2 and thirdly1 for the retention of our colonies4 ,let us further assume1 that1 keeping these three necessary points in view1 it is impossible to effect a numerical reduction of the force3 and we then ask the economists whether1 these premises being allowed1 they would push their doctrine of cloth-cutting so far as still to insist upon a reduction8 ,not one political tailor of them all will dare to say so6 ,they know the overwhelming storm of contempt that would arise in every corner of ,great ,britain1 if they dared to give vent to such a traitorous sentiment2 they leave it unuttered1 but they aver the non-necessity4#cb ,here we meet at once upon fair and open ground2 and we ask1 whether they mean to aver that the present force is greater than is required for the three purposes above mentioned1 or whether they mean to aver that any one of these purposes is unnecessary8 ,this1 as we shall presently have occasion to see1 is a very important distinction4 ,to the first question1 as yet1 we have only indefinite answers4 ,we hear a good deal about clothing allowances and abuses1 with which we have nothing whatever to do4 ,it may be1 that there exist some faults in the army and navy department1 and that these could be amended with a saving of expense to the country3 if so1 let it be done4 ,we cordially echo the language of ,lord ,stanley1 on moving his amendment to the address3 ,i believe it is possible to effect some reductions in the civil departments of the army1 ordnance1 and navy4 ,i also think that large reductions may be made by checking the abuses which exist in the administration and management of the dockyards4 ,but the greatest security we could obtain for having the work well done in the dockyards1 would be the passing of an enactment to deprive all persons in those yards from voting for members of parliament4 ,i have heard at least twenty naval officers express an opinion that1 until persons employed in the dockyards shall be prevented from voting for members of parliament1 it will be impossible to exercise efficient control over the work performed in those establishments4 ,if reductions can be effected1 in ,god's name let them be made2 and1 although one may wonder how such a course has been so long delayed1 ,i will applaud the government which shall economise without prejudice to the permanent interests of the empire4 ,but when the country is in a position which requires that she should have all her resources and powers at hand1 ,i cannot concur with those who1 for the sake of economy1 would largely diminish the naval and military forces of the country4 ,mr ,cobden1 so far as we can gather from his orations1 advocates the propriety of disbanding the army on the score of peace4 ,he thinks that1 if we were to dismiss our forces1 all the other nations of the earth would follow the example4 ,there is something positively marvellous in the calm audacity of the man who can rise up1 as ,cobden did at ,manchester1 on the last day of ,january1 and enunciate to his enraptured audience1 that1 notwithstanding all that had been said on that subject1 he reiterated there never was a time when ,europe was so predisposed to listen to advances made by the people of ,england1 on that subject1 as now6 ,where1 in the name of the ,seven ,sleepers of ,ephesus1 has the man been during the last twelvemonths8 ,what does ,mr ,cobden understand by ,europe8 ,we should like to know this1 for it is very easy to use a general term1 as in the present instance1 without conveying any definite meaning4 ,does he refer to the governments or the mobs of ,europe--to the well-affected1 who wish for order1 or to the ,jacobins whose cause he adores8 ,if he meant the latter class to signify ,europe1 we can understand him readily enough4 ,he is right3 great indeed would be the joy of the clubs in ,paris1 ,berlin1 and ,vienna1 if there were not a soldier left4 ,what jubilee and triumph there would be in every ,continental capital6 ,not the suppression of the police would excite deeper exultation in the hearts of the denizens of ,st ,giles'1 than would the abolition of standing armies in those of the bearded patriots of the ,continent4 ,no need then of barricades--no fighting for the partition of property--no bloodshed1 preparatory to the coveted rape and pillage6 ,the man who can talk in this way is beneath the average of idiots2 or1 otherwise1 he is somewhat worse4 ,not only during the last year1 but within the last five months1 we have seen that the whole standing armies of ,europe have been employed in the task of suppressing insurrection1 and have not been able to do it4 ,under these circumstances1 what state would be predisposed to surrender its citizens to the tender mercies of democracy8 ,ignorant indeed must be the audience that could listen to such pitiable drivelling as this6 ,until it can be shown or proved that our armaments1 even in ordinary times1 are larger than are required for the purposes of defence1 of internal tranquillity1 and of colonial occupation1 there is no cause for reduction at all4 ,the troops at home are maintained for the first two objects1 since it would be as wise1 in the time of peace1 to dismantle the fortifications of a town and to spike the cannon1 as to dispense with an army4 ,is there no necessity for the troops at home8 ,the experience of last year alone has shown us what we might expect if ,cobden's views were realised4 ,glasgow1 the second largest city of the empire1 was for a time in the hands of the mob4 ,we doubt whether the stiffest free-trader in the ,west would now be disposed to renounce military protection4 ,have the people of ,liverpool already forgotten that their shipping and warehouses were threatened with incendiarism1 and that such apprehensions of a rising were entertained1 that1 at the earnest entreaty of the magistracy1 a camp was established in their vicinity8 ,what would be the state of ,ireland1 at this moment1 if the troops were withdrawn1 or their number so materially lessened as to give a chance of success1 however momentary1 to insurrection8 ,but it is useless to ask such questions1 for1 in reality1 there is hardly a sane man in the ,british islands who does not know what the immediate result would be1 and the horrible penalty we should ultimately pay for such weak and culpable parsimony4 ,it is a very favourite topic1 with finance reformers1 to refer to the state of the army and navy as it existed previous to the ,french ,revolution4 ,in #agib1 they say1 the whole cost of these departments1 including the ordnance1 amounted only to five millions and a half--why should we not now reduce our expenditure to the same amount8 ,it is wearisome to enter into the task of explanation with these gentlemen1 who1 after all1 are but slenderly acquainted with statistics1 else they would at once divine the answer3 nevertheless we shall undertake it4 ,according to the nearest approximation which can be made1 the ,british islands1 in the year #agib1 contained a population of about fifteen and a half millions4 ,the census in #ahda showed a population of twenty-seven millions1 and at the present moment the number is probably not short of thirty4 ,so that1 on the reasonable principle that military establishments should bear a certain ratio to the population1 and excluding every other consideration1 the annual estimates ought1 according to the standard of the financial reformers1 to be at least eleven millions4 ,but then1 be it observed1 our colonial possessions were comparatively small compared with their present extent4 ,since #agib1 we have received accession of the following colonies and settlements3--,ceylon1 ,trinidad1 ,st ,lucia1 ,malta1 ,heligoland1 ,british ,guiana1 the ,falkland ,islands1 ,hong-,kong1 ,labuan1 ,cape of ,good ,hope1 ,mauritius1 ,van ,diemen's ,land1 ,western and ,southern ,australia1 ,new ,zealand1 and the ,ionian ,islands4 ,the area of these new possessions is considerably more than six times that of the whole extent of the ,british islands2 the surface of the new colonies being1 in square miles1 no less than #hbh1djh1 whilst that of ,britain proper is merely #abb1hbc4 ,we purposely abstain from alluding to the extent and increment of our older colonies1 as our object is simply to show the difference of our position now1 from what it was in the year immediately preceding the outbreak of the first ,french ,revolution4 ,in the mean time1 however1 let us keep strictly to our present point1 which is the necessity of maintaining a standing army at home4 ,within the last fifty-seven years1 the population at home has doubled--a fact which1 of itself1 will account for many social evils utterly beyond the reach of legislation4 ,the enormous increase of the manufacturing towns has not been attended with any improvement in the morals of the people4 ,the statistical returns of criminal commitments show that vice has spread in a ratio far greater than the increase of population2 and along with vice has appeared its invariable concomitant1 disaffection4 ,every period of stagnation of trade is marked by a display of ,chartism3 the example set by such associations as the ,league has not been lost upon the greater masses of the people4 ,ireland is a volcano in which the fires of rebellion are never wholly extinguished1 and every internal movement there is sensibly felt upon this side of the ,channel4 ,but it is needless1 perhaps1 to enlarge upon the point1 because there are very few persons who maintain that our home force is greater than the occasion requires4 ,that admitted1 the question is very considerably narrowed4 ,the reductions demanded would then fall to be made in that portion of our armaments which is used for colonial occupation and defence4 ,first1 let us see what we have to occupy and defend4 ,in #agib1 the area of the ,british colonies which we still retain was about #efe1gjj square miles4 ,subsequent additions have extended this surface to #a1djj1jjj4 ,this calculation1 be it remarked1 is altogether exclusive of ,india4 ,the free-traders themselves do not aver that we maintain a larger force than is compatible with their magnitude for the occupation of the colonies4 ,i am quite aware1 says ,cobden1 that any great reduction in our military establishments must depend upon a complete change in our colonial system2 and ,i consider such a change to be the necessary consequence of our recent commercial policy4 ,we are glad at last to arrive at the truth4 ,that one sentence contains the key to the present crusade against armaments1 and it is very well that we should understand and consider it in time4 ,our readers must not1 however1 understand the word change in the literal sense2 the following extract from the ,edinburgh tract will put the matter in a clearer light4 ,the possession of the colonies is supposed to add lustre to the crown2 but it may be doubted whether the honour is not purchased at a price considerably beyond its value4 ,the colonies pay no taxes into the exchequer3 we keep them1 they do not keep us4 ,an ,englishman may be told that he belongs to an empire on which the sun never sets2 but1 as he pays dearly for this in taxation1 and gets nothing but sentiment in return1 he may be inclined to question the value of that vast dominion on his connexion with which he is congratulated4 ,but if the ,englishman makes nothing by the colonial possessions1 neither does the colonist4 ,as things are managed1 the union is mutually embarrassing1 while the expenses we incur for maintaining the colonies are ruinous4 ,were we right or wrong when we said1 two years ago1 that the tendency of free trade was a deliberate movement towards the dismemberment of the ,british empire1 and the separation of the colonies from the mother country8 ,here you have the principle almost openly avowed4 ,the colonies are said to cost us about four millions a-year1 and this opens too rich a field for the penny-wise economist to be resisted4 ,nor are we in the slightest degree surprised at these men availing themselves of the argument4 ,if they are right in their premises1 they are also right in their conclusion4 ,if the people of this country are deliberately of opinion that our commercial policy is1 henceforward and for ever1 to be regulated upon the principles of free trade1 the colonies should be left to themselves1 and ,earl ,grey immediately cashiered4 ,this is what ,cobden and his followers are aiming at2 this is the ultimate result of the measures planned1 and proposed1 and carried by ,sir ,robert ,peel4 ,it is no figment or false alarm of ours4 ,the free-traders do not take the pains to disguise it3 their main argument for the reduction of our forces is the uselessness and expense of the colonies1 and they seem prepared to lower the ,british flag in every quarter of the globe4 ,our fellow-citizen who has compiled the last ,financial tract speaks to the point with a calm philosophy which shows the thoroughness of his conviction3 he says1 ,as foreigners now trade with our colonies on the same terms with ourselves1 it is evident that the colonists prefer our goods1 only because they are better and cheaper than those of foreigners2 it therefore seems reasonable to suppose that the colonies would continue to buy from us were the connexion dissolved1 or greatly changed in character4 ,the ,united ,states of ,america once were our colonies1 and the trade with them has vastly increased since they became independent4 ,according to this view1 it would appear that ,papineau was not only a disinterested patriot1 but also1 an enlightened economist6 ,see1 then1 what great matters spring from petty sources6--how personal ambition1 and competition for power between two statesmen of no high or exalted principle1 can in a few years lead to a deliberate project1 and a large confederacy1 for the dismemberment of the ,british empire6 ,to gain additional swiftness in the race for ascendency1 ,sir ,robert ,peel and ,lord ,john ,russell alternately threw away1 most uselessly and recklessly1 many of the surest items of the national income4 ,they sacrificed1 until further sacrifice was no longer possible1 without conceding a broad principle4 ,the principle was conceded2 and the bastard system of free trade1 without reciprocity and without equivalent1 was substituted for the wiser system which had been the foundation of our greatness4 ,by this time1 indirect taxation had been reduced so low that the revenue fell below the mark of the expenditure2 the duties levied upon imports exhibited a marked decline4 ,both ,peel and ,russell were committed to free trade1 and neither of them could1 with any consistency1 retrace their steps4 ,russell1 then in power1 had no alternative except to propose additional direct burdens1 by augmenting the income-tax4 ,this proposition was rejected1 and there was a dead-lock4 ,lord ,john was at his wits' end4 ,the free-traders now propose to relieve him from his embarrassment1 by cutting down the expenditure so as to meet the diminished income4 ,this can only be done by reducing the army and navy1 and the army and navy cannot be reduced except by sacrificing the colonies2 therefore1 say the free-traders1 get rid of the colonies at once1 and1 the work is ready-done to your hands4 ,we defy any man1 be he ,whig1 ,peelite1 ,free-trader1 or ,chartist1 to controvert the truth of what we have stated above4 ,we anticipated the result from the first hour that ,sir ,robert ,peel yielded1 not to the expressed will of the nation1 but to the clamour of a selfish and organised faction2 and every move since has been in exact concordance with our anticipations4 ,last year1 ,lord ,john ,russell showed some spirit of resistance to the power which was dragging him downward3 he refused to tamper with the army4 ,in an article which appeared in this ,magazine just twelve months ago1 we said--,it is to the credit of the ,whigs that1 far as they have been led astray by adopting the new-fangled political doctrines--rather1 as we believe1 for the sake of maintaining power than from any belief in their efficacy--they have declined all participation with the ,manchester crew1 in their recent attempts to lower the position and diminish the influence of ,great ,britain4 ,the country knows1 by this time1 that we cannot repeat the encomium4 ,last year1 before there was a single disturbance abroad1 before insurrection had arisen in ,ireland1 ,lord ,john ,russell brought forward his budget1 and1 with the support of the great majority of the ,house1 not only peremptorily refused to accede to a diminution of our forces1 but actually proposed an augmentation4 ,this year1 we find in the royal speech the following paragraph--,the present aspect of affairs has enabled me to make large reductions on the estimates of last year4 ,the present aspect of affairs6--,go to1 then--let us see what the phrase is worth--how far the context of the whole speech will justify the choice of the expression8 ,this is no time for shuffling or weakness--no time for party-tricks4 ,the atmosphere is dark around us4 ,by the help of ,heaven we have stood the pelting of the storm1 and yet stand unscathed2 but the clouds are still black and threatening4 ,we cannot take a vague assertion1 even though it proceeded from a minister a thousand times more able and trustworthy than the present premier4 ,we must have proofs before we loosen our cloak1 and lessen the security of our position4 ,how stand we with regard to the ,continental powers8 ,for the first time1 for many years1 the ,british ,sovereign has been unable to state that she continues to receive from all foreign powers assurances of their friendly relations4 ,instead of that we are simply told1 what no one doubts1 that her ,majesty is desirous to maintain the most friendly relations with the other members of the ,european family4 ,unfortunately1 however1 desire does not always imply possession4 ,are we to attribute this omission of the usual paragraph to mere inadvertence8 or are we indeed to conclude that1 abroad1 there has arisen a feeling so unfriendly that to hazard the assertion of former relationship would really be equivalent to a falsehood8 ,it is painful to allow that we must arrive at the latter conclusion4 ,the moral weight and influence which ,britain once exercised on the ,continent has utterly decayed in the hands of ,whig administrations4 ,instead of maintaining that attitude of high dignified reserve which becomes the first maritime power of ,europe1 we have been exhibited in the light of a nation of interfering intriguers1 whose proffered mediation is almost equivalent to an insult4 ,mediators of this kind never are1 nor can be1 popular4 ,the answer invariably is1 in the language of holy writ--,who made thee a prince and a judge over us8 intendest thou to kill me1 as thou killedst the ,egyptian8 and1 in consequence1 wherever we have interfered we have made matters worse1 or else have been compelled to submit to an ignominious rebuff4 ,every one knows what were the consequences of ,lord ,palmerston's impertinent and gratuitous suggestions to the crown of ,spain4 ,what1 said ,lord ,stanley1 is the state of our relations with that court8 ,you have most unwisely1 through your minister1 interfered in the internal administration of the affairs of that country4 ,that offence has been visited by the ,government of that country upon our ministers in a manner so offensive that1 great as was the provocation given by the ,british minister1 no man in your ,lordship's ,house1 with the information we possess1 could stand up and say that the ,government of ,spain was justified in the course they had pursued1 however much the magnitude of the offence might have palliated it4 ,but the state of affairs in ,spain is this3 ,your minister has been ignominiously driven from ,madrid1 and you have quietly and tacitly acquiesced in the insult which the ,spanish ,government have put upon you4 ,the immediate consequences of ,minto negotiation in ,italy have been assassination and rebellion1 the flight of the ,pope from his dominions1 and the surrender of the sacred city to the anarchy of the ,club propagandists4 ,but perhaps the worst instance of our interference is that with the ,neapolitan and ,sicilian affairs4 ,we have thus chosen openly to countenance rebellion3 we have gone the length of negotiating with insurgents1 for securing them an independent government4 ,we held out a threat1 which we did not dare to fulfil4 ,after menacing the ,king of ,naples with a squadron off his own shores1 apparently to prevent the expedition then prepared from setting sail for ,sicily--and thereby encouraging the insurgents by the prospect of ,british aid--we allowed the fleet to sail1 the war to begin1 the city of ,messina to be bombarded1 and then1 with a tardy humanity1 we interfered to check the carnage4 ,in consequence1 we are blamed and detested by both parties4 ,the ,neapolitan ,government feel that we have acted towards them in a manner wholly inconsistent with the character of an ally2 that in negotiating with rebels1 as we have done1 we have absolutely broken faith1 and violated honour2 and that even our last interference was as unprincipled as our first4 ,if the plea of humanity were to be allowed in such cases1 where would be the end of interference8 ,durst we have said to ,austria1 after the reoccupation of ,vienna1 ,you have taken your city1 and may keep it1 but you shall not punish the rebels4 ,if you do1 we shall interfere1 to prevent the horrors of military execution8 ,we think that even ,lord ,palmerston1 notwithstanding his itch for interposition1 would have hesitated in doing this4 ,lord ,lansdowne1 in touching upon the subject of the ,austrian and ,hungarian relations1 is positively conservative in his tone4 ,according to him1 the ,british cabinet views rebellion in a very different light1 according as it appears in the centre or the south of ,europe--on the banks of the ,danube1 or on the shores of the ,mediterranean4 ,as regarded the administration of the internal affairs of ,austria and ,hungary1 the ,british ,government had not been asked to interfere1 and had not desired to interfere4 ,they contemplated1 as all ,europe did1 with that feeling which was experienced when men were seen successfully struggling with difficulties1 a contest which had led to the display of so much lofty character on the part of individuals4 ,had this been the place1 he 7the ,marquis of ,lansdowne7 should have been as ready as the noble lord to pay his tribute of respect to individuals who had appeared in that part of the world1 and had been most successful in their efforts to restore the glories of the ,austrian army in her own dominions4 ,in the negotiations between the ,emperor and his subjects they had no right to interfere1 neither had they been invited by either party4 ,this is sound doctrine1 we admit1 but why treat ,naples otherwise than ,austria8 ,had we any right to interfere in the negotiations between the ,king of the ,two ,sicilies and his subjects8 ,not one tittle more than in the other case2 and we beg to suggest to ,lord ,palmerston1 whether it is creditable that this country should be considered in the light of a bully who hesitates not1 in the case of a lesser power1 to take liberties1 which he prudently abstains from doing where one more likely to resent such unwarrantable conduct is concerned4 ,as for the ,sicilians1 they feel that they have been betrayed4 ,but for the prospect of ,british support1 certainly warranted by our attitude1 they might not have gone so far1 nor drawn upon their heads the terrible retribution which overtook them4 ,such are the results of ,palmerstonian interference1 at once dangerous1 despicable1 and humiliating4 ,we have read with much attention the speech of ,lord ,john ,russell1 on the first night of the ,session1 explanatory of the ,italian transactions2 and we must say that his vindication of his father-in-law is such as to inspire us with a devout hope that the noble bungler may1 in future1 be forced to confine his talents for intrigue to some sphere which does not involve the general tranquillity of ,europe4 ,considering the manner in which we are mulcted for the support of the ,elliots1 we are fairly entitled to ask the hoary chief of that marauding clan to draw his salary in peace1 without undertaking the task of fomenting civil discord between our allied powers and their subjects4 ,but even more important is the sort of admission pervading the address of the ,premier1 that our interference in the ,sicilian business was regulated by the views entertained by the ,french admiral4 ,sir ,w4 ,parker1 it seems1 did not take the initiative2 it was not his finer sense of humanity which was offended2 for1 according to ,lord ,john1 when that expedition reached ,messina1 there took place1 at the close of the siege of ,messina1 events which appeared so horrible and so inhuman in the eyes of the ,french admiral that he determined to interfere4 ,it appeared to the ,french admiral1 that it was impossible such a warfare could continue without an utter desolation of ,sicily1 and such alienation from the ,neapolitan ,government1 on the part of the ,sicilians1 that no final terms of agreement could arise2 he therefore determined to take upon himself to put a stop to the further progress of such a horrible warfare4 ,after he had so determined1 he communicated with ,sir ,w4 ,parker4 ,sir ,w4 ,parker had a most difficult duty to perform2 but1 taking all the circumstances into consideration1 our former friendly relations with the ,sicilians--the accounts he had received from the captain of one of her ,majesty's ships then at ,messina--the atrocities he heard of1 and that the ,french admiral was about to act--and that it was important at that juncture that the two nations should act in concert1 his determination was to give orders similar to those which had been given by the ,french admiral4 ,now1 although we are fully alive to the advantage of maintaining the best possible understanding with the fluctuating ,french governments1 and exceedingly anxious that no untoward cause for jealousy should arise1 we do not think that ,lord ,john's explanation will be felt as satisfactory by the country4 ,it appears by this statement1 that1 had there been no ,french fleet there1 ,sir ,w4 ,parker would not have thought himself entitled to interfere4 ,it is because the ,french admiral was about to move that he thought fit to move likewise4 ,if there was any honour in the transaction1 we have forfeited all claim to it by this avowal4 ,if1 on the contrary1 there was any wrong done1 we excuse it only by the undignified plea1 that we were following the example of ,france4 ,this is a new position for ,britain to assume--not1 in our eyes1 one which is likely to raise us in ,continental estimation1 or to support the prestige of our maritime supremacy4 ,to quarrel with our allies is at all times folly2 to vindicate interference on the ground of maintaining a good understanding with another power1 is scarce consonant with principle1 and betrays a conscious weakness on the part of those who have no better argument to advance4 ,see1 then1 how we are situated with the foreign powers4 ,spain is alienated from us--,austria not fervid in her love1 for there too1 it would seem1 we have most unnecessarily interfered4 ,we are detested in ,naples and ,sicily1 unpopular elsewhere in ,italy1 mixed up with the ,schleswig dispute1 and on no diplomatic terms with ,central ,germany4 ,our understanding with ,france has fortunately remained amicable1 but we neither know the policy of ,france1 nor can we foresee under what circumstances she may be placed in a month from the present time4 ,is this a peaceful prospect8 ,let us hear ,lord ,john ,russell1 whose interest it is to make things appear in as favourable a light as possible3--,i do not contend that there is not cause for anxiety in the present state of ,europe4 ,i am far from thinking that the revolutions which took place last year have run their course1 and that every nation in which they occurred can now be said to be in a state of solid security4 ,i rejoice as much as any man that the ancient empire of ,austria1 our old ally1 is recovering her splendour1 and is showing her strength in such a conspicuous manner4 ,still ,i cannot forget that there are many questions not yet settled with regard to the internal institutions of ,austria--that the question of the formation of what the honourable gentleman 7,mr ,d',israeli7 has called an empire without an emperor1 is still in debate1 and that we cannot be sure what the ultimate result of these events may be4 ,it is also true that there may have been1 during last year1 an excess of apprehension1 caused by the great events that were taking place1 and by the rising up of some wild theories1 pretending to found the happiness of the state and of mankind on visionary and unsound speculations1 on which the happiness of no people or country can ever be founded4 ,we have seen these opinions prevail in many countries to a considerable extent2 and no one can say that events may not1 at some unforeseen moment1 take an unfortunate turn for the peace and tranquillity of ,europe4 ,these are sensible views1 moderately but fairly stated2 and we ask nothing more than that his lordship's measures should be framed in accordance with a belief which is not only his1 but is entertained by every man of ordinary capacity throughout the country4 ,experience has shown us that war is almost invariably preceded by revolution4 ,these are not days in which potentates can assemble their armies1 march across their frontiers without palpable cause of offence1 and seize upon the territory of their neighbours4 ,but for the spirit of innovation1 restlessness1 and lust of change1 never more generally exhibited than now amongst the people1 the world would remain at peace4 ,it is only when1 as in the case of ,germany and ,italy1 the sceptre is wrenched from the hands of the constitutional authorities1 and when the rule of demagogues and experimentalists commences1 that the danger of war begins4 ,at such a time1 there are no settled principles of polity or of action4 ,crude theories are produced1 and1 for a time1 perhaps1 acted upon as though they were sound realities4 ,men adopt vague and general terms as their watchwords1 and strive to shape out constitutions to be reared upon these utterly unsubstantial foundations4 ,laws are changed1 and the executive loses its power4 ,all is anarchy and confusion1 until1 by common consent of those who still retain some portion of their senses1 military despotism is called in to strangle the new-born license4 ,this is a state of matters which usually results in war4 ,the dominant authorities feel that their hold of public opinion is most precarious1 unless they can contrive to give that opinion an impulse in another direction1 and1 at the same time1 to employ1 in some way or other1 those multitudes whom revolution has driven from the arts and occupations of peace1 and who1 unless so provided for1 immediately degenerate into conspirators at home4 ,war is sometimes resorted to as the means of avoiding revolution4 ,the disturbed state of the north of ,italy furnished ,charles ,albert with a pretext for marching his army on ,milan1 as much1 we believe1 on account of the revolutionary spirit rife within his own dominions1 as from any decided hope of territorial aggrandisement4 ,this was the policy of ,napoleon1 who perfectly understood the character of the people he had to deal with1 and who acted on the thorough conviction that war was the necessary consequence of revolution4 ,we do not say that1 in the present instances1 such calamitous results are inevitable--we have hope that ,france may this time achieve a permanent constitution without having recourse to aggression4 ,at the same time1 it would be folly to shut our eyes to the fact that1 throughout a great part of ,europe1 the old boundaries have been grievously disturbed2 and that the modern system of intervention has a decided tendency to provoke war1 at periods when the popular mind is raised to a pitch of extraordinary violence1 and when the passions are so keenly excited as to disregard the appeals of reason4 ,these considerations are not only directed towards the course of our foreign policy2 they are of vast moment in judging of the expediency of reducing our forces at this particular time4 ,last year1 with ,,no revolutions abroad1 the ,whigs not only refused to lessen the amount of our standing army1 but increased it4 ,this year1 when the ,continent is still in a state of insurrection1 and when war is pending in different parts of ,europe--when1 moreover1 an ,indian contest1 more serious in its aspect than any other which we have recently seen1 has commenced--they propose to begin the work of reduction4 ,her ,majesty is made to say1--,the present aspect of affairs has enabled me to make large reductions on the estimates of last year6 ,we never have suspected ,lord ,john ,russell of possessing much accomplishment in the art of logic2 but1 really1 in the present instance1 he has the merit of inventing a new system4 ,according to his own showing1 according to his recorded admissions1 his doctrine is this3 ,in time of peace1 when there is no occasion for armaments1 increase them2 in time of threatened war and actual disturbance1 when there may be every occasion for them1 let them be reduced4 ,yet perhaps we are wrong3 ,sir ,robert ,peel may possibly be admitted as the author of this vast discovery--in which case1 ,lord ,john can merely rank as a distinguished pupil4 ,the astute baronet1 in his zeal for commercial convulsions1 has taught us to expand our currency when there is no money-famine1 and to contract it in the case of exigency4 ,whether ,californian facts may not hereafter get the better of ,tamworth theories1 we shall not at the present moment stop to inquire4 ,in the mean time let us confine our attention to the proposed reductions4 ,we are therefore compelled--reluctantly1 for we had hoped better things from men styling themselves ,british statesmen--to adopt the view of ,lord ,stanley1 in his powerful and masterly estimate of the policy of the present ,government4 ,in the face of all this1 said the noble lord1 after recapitulating the posture of affairs at home and abroad1 ministers have had the confidence to place in the mouth of their sovereign the astounding declaration1 that the aspect of affairs is such as to enable them to effect large reductions in the estimates4 ,i venture to state1 openly and fearlessly1 that it is not the aspect of affairs abroad or in ,ireland1 but the aspect of affairs in another place1 which has induced the government to make reductions4 ,i believe that they have no alternative but to do as they are ordered4 ,here1 then1 is the first yielding to the new movement--the first step taken1 at the bidding of the ,leaguers1 towards a policy which has for its avowed end the abandonment of the colonies6 ,the question naturally arises--where is to be the end of these concessions8 ,are we in reality ruled by a ,manchester faction1 or by a body of men of free and independent opinions1 who hold their commissions from the ,queen1 and who are sworn to uphold the interests and dignity of their mistress and of the realm8 ,let us see who compose that faction1 what are their principles1 what are their interests1 and what means they employ to work out the ends which they propose4 ,the splendid speech of ,mr ,d',israeli1 in moving his amendment to the address--a speech which we hesitate not to say is superior to any of his former efforts1 and which displays an ability at the present time unequalled in the ,house of ,commons--a speech not more eloquent than true1 not more glowing in its rhetoric than clear and conclusive in its logical deductions--has told with withering effect upon the new democratic faction1 and has exposed the ministry which bows before it to the contumely of the nation at large4 ,i am told1 said the honourable member1 that ,england must be contented with a lesser demonstration of brute force4 ,i am not prepared to contradict that doctrine2 but ,i should like to have a clear definition of what brute force is4 ,in my opinion1 a highly disciplined army1 employed in a great performance--that of the defence of the country1 the maintenance of order1 the vindication of a nation's honour1 or the consolidation of national wealth and greatness--that a body of men thus disciplined1 influenced and led by some of the most eminent generals--by an ,alexander1 a ,csar1 or a ,wellesley--is one in which moral force is as much entered into as physical4 ,but if1 for instance1 ,i find a man possessing a certain facility of speech1 happily adapted to his cause1 addressing a great body of his fellow-men in inflammatory appeals to their passions1 and stirring them up against the institutions of the country1 that is what ,i call brute force--which ,i think the country would be very well content to do without1 and which1 if there be any sense or spirit left in men1 or any men of right feeling in the country1 they will resolve to put down as an intolerable and ignominious tyranny6 ,i have often observed that the hangers-on of the new system are highly fond of questioning the apothegm of a great ,swedish minister1 who said1 ',with how little wisdom a nation may be governed6' ,my observations for the last few years have led me to the conclusion1 not exactly similar1 but analogous to that remark2 and if ever ,i should be blessed with offspring1 instead of using the words of the ,swedish statesman1 ,i would rather address my son in this way1 ',my son1 see with how much ignorance you can agitate a nation6' ,yes6 but the ,queen's ,ministers are truckling to these men6 ,that is the position of affairs4 ,her ,majesty's ,ministers have yielded to public opinion4 ,public opinion on the ,continent has turned out to be the voice of secret societies2 and public opinion in ,england is the voice and clamour of organised clubs4 ,her ,majesty's ,ministers have yielded to public opinion as a tradesman does who is detected in an act of overcharge--he yields to public opinion when he takes a less sum4 ,so the financial affairs of this country are to be arranged1 not upon principles of high policy1 or from any imperial considerations1 but because there is an unholy pressure from a minority which demands it1 and who have a confidence of success because they know that they have already beaten two ,prime ,ministers4 ,no one who has perused the report of the proceedings at the late free-trade dinner at ,manchester can have failed to remark that the ,league is still alive and active4 ,it was not for mere purposes of jubilation1 for the sake of congratulating each other on the accomplishment of their old object1 that these men assembled4 ,exultation there was indeed1 and some not over-prudent disclosures as to the nature and extent of the machinery which they had employed1 and the agencies they had used to excite one class of the community against the other2 their inveterate hatred towards the aristocracy and landed gentry of ,great ,britain was shown in the diatribes of almost every one of the commercial orators4 ,we cannot1 says ,the ,times1 but regret that in those portions of the ,manchester speeches which refer to their corn-law achievements1 the minds of the speakers appear still imbittered with class hatred1 and feelings of misplaced animosity towards their fellow-countrymen4 ,as a people1 quoth ,friend ,john ,bright1 we have found out we have some power4 ,we have discovered we were not born with saddles on our backs1 and country gentlemen with spurs4 ,ulterior objects are not only hinted at1 but clearly and broadly propounded4 ,the population of the towns is again to be pitted against that of the counties1 and the counties1 if possible1 to be swamped by an inundation of urban voters4 ,the banquet of ,wednesday was followed by the financial meeting of ,thursday4 ,george ,wilson1 the ancient president of the ,anti-,corn-,law ,league1 occupied the chair4 ,bright and ,cobden1 the ,bitias and ,pandarus of the cotton-spinners1 moved the first of a series of resolutions3 and an association was formed1 for maintaining an efficient care over the registration of electors in boroughs and counties1 and to promote the increase of the county electors by the extension of the forty-shilling freehold franchise4 ,it was further agreed that the association should co-operate with similar associations throughout the country1 and that parties subscribing #aj annually shall be members of the council1 together with such persons1 being members of the association1 as shall be elected by any vote of the council4 ,we hope that these announcements will open the eyes of those who thought that by yielding to the former agitation they were adopting the best means of bringing it to a close4 ,agitation never is so quieted4 ,the experiment has been made in ,ireland until further yielding was impossible2 and so will it be in ,britain1 if a higher1 a bolder1 and a more steadfast line of policy should not be adopted by future governments4 ,from the present ,cabinet we expect nothing4 ,their invariable course is to yield2 for they neither have the ability to devise measures for themselves1 nor the public virtue to resist unconstitutional encroachments4 ,for where is the constitution of this country1 if we are to be practically governed by ,leagues1 by huge clubs with their ramifications extending1 as in ,france1 throughout every town of the empire1 and secretly worked according to the will of an inscrutable and unscrupulous council8 ,public opinion1 as we understood the phrase in ,britain1 manifested itself in ,parliament2 now1 we are told1 that it is something else--that it is the voice of clubs and assemblies without4 ,very well1 and very powerfully did ,mr ,d',israeli allude to this system of organisation in the close of his animated speech3-- ,i have noticed the crude and hostile speculations that are afloat1 especially respecting financial reform1 not only because ,i consider them to be very dangerous to the country2 not only because1 according to rumour1 they have converted the ,government2 but because1 avowedly on the part of their promulgators1 they are only tending to ultimate efforts4 ,this ,i must say of the new revolutionary movement1 that its proceedings are characterised by frank audacity4 ,they have already menaced the church1 and they have scarcely spared the throne4 ,they have denounced the constitutional estates of the realm as antiquated and cumbrous machinery1 not adapted to the present day4 ,no doubt1 for the expedition of business1 the ,financial ,reform ,association presents greater facilities than the ,house of ,commons4 ,it is true that it may be long before there are any of those collisions of argument and intellect among them which we have here2 they have no discussions and no doubts2 but still ,i see no part of the go-a-head system which is likely to supersede the sagacity and matured wisdom of ,english institutions2 and so long as the ,english legislature is the chosen temple of free discussion1 ,i have no fear1 whatever party may be in power1 that the people of ,england will be in favour of the new societies4 ,i know very well the difficulties which we have to encounter--the dangers which illumine the distance4 ,the honourable gentleman1 who is the chief originator of this movement1 made a true observation when he frankly and freely said1 that the best chance for the new revolution lay in the dislocation of parties in this ,house4 ,i told you that1 when ,i ventured to address some observations to the house almost in the last hour of the last session4 ,i saw the difficulty which such a state of things would inevitably produce4 ,but let us not despair2 we have a duty to perform1 and1 notwithstanding all that has occurred1 we have still the inspiration of a great cause4 ,we stand here to uphold not only the throne1 but the empire2 to vindicate the industrial privileges of the working classes2 to reconstruct the colonial system2 to uphold the church1 no longer assailed by appropriation clauses1 but by vizored foes2 and to maintain the majesty of parliament against the ,jacobin manoeuvres of ,lancashire4 ,this is a stake not lightly to be lost4 ,at any rate1 ,i would sooner my tongue were palsied before ,i counselled the people of ,england to lower their tone4 ,yes1 ,i would sooner quit this ,house for ever than ,i would say to the people of ,england that they overrated their position4 ,i leave that delicate intimation to the fervid patriotism of the gentlemen of the new school4 ,for my part1 ,i denounce their politics1 and ,i defy their predictions2 but ,i do so because ,i have faith in the people of ,england1 their genius1 and their destiny6 ,our views therefore are simply these--that while it is the duty of government to enforce and practise economy in every department of the public service1 they are not entitled1 upon any consideration whatever1 to palter with the public safety4 ,we cannot1 until the estimates are brought forward1 pronounce any judgment upon the merits of the proposed reductions--we cannot tell whether these are to be numerical1 or effected on another principle4 ,needless expenditure we deprecate as strongly as the most sturdy adherent of the ,league1 and we expect and hope that in several departments there will be a saving1 not because that has been clamoured for1 but because the works which occasioned the outlay have been completed4 ,for example1 the introduction of steam vessels into our navy has cost a large sum1 which may not be required in future4 ,but to assign1 as ministers have done1 the position of affairs abroad as a reason for reducing our armaments1 is utterly preposterous4 ,it is a miserable pretext to cover their contemptible truckling1 and we are perfectly sure that it will be appreciated throughout the country at its proper value4 ,it remains to be seen whether these estimates can be reduced so low as to meet the expenditure of the country4 ,our own opinion is1 that they cannot1 without impairing the efficiency of either branch of the service2 and we hardly think that ministers will venture to go so far4 ,let us1 at all events1 hope that ,lord ,john ,russell and his colleagues are not so lost to the sense of their duty1 as to make the sweeping reduction which the ,manchester politicians demand--that they will not consent to renounce the colonies1 or to leave them destitute of defence4 ,still the question remains--how are we to raise our revenue8 ,to this point we perpetually recur1 for it is in this that the real difficulty lies4 ,what says her ,majesty's ,government to this8 ,the answer is quite short--,nothing4 ,they have no scheme1 so far as we are given to understand4 ,they cannot go back upon indirect taxation2 the country will not stand any increase of the direct burdens4 ,the old rule was1 out of two evils choose the least3 the new rule seems to be1 choose neither the one nor the other1 but let matters go on as they best can4 ,we have that confidence in the good sense of the country1 that we cannot believe that this laissez faire system will be much longer tolerated4 ,the family party1 as the interwoven clique of ,russells1 ,mintos1 ,greys1 and ,woods1 has not unaptly been designated1 was not placed in power merely to enjoy the sweets of office1 or to provide for their numerous kindred2 they must either grapple with the pressing difficulties of the state1 or surrender their places to others who are more confident and capable4 ,confidence is not wanting in certain quarters1 though capability may be a matter of more dubiety4 ,mr ,m',gregor1 ,m4,p4 for ,glasgow1 and concocter of the famous free-trade tables1 is ready at a moment's notice to produce a new financial scheme1 founded upon unerring data1 and promising a large increase of the revenue4 ,cobden has another scheme on the irons with the same view1 benevolently proposing to lay the land of ,great ,britain under further contribution4 ,we believe that1 after the experience of the past1 few people will be likely to accept either budget without considerable hesitation4 ,both gentlemen have committed a slight mistake in imitating ,joseph's interpretation of the dream of ,pharaoh2 they should have inversed the order1 and given the years of famine the precedence of the years of plenty4 ,the truth is1 that it is a very simple matter to take off existing taxes1 but marvellously difficult to impose new ones4 ,granting that a certain sum is required for the annual engagements and expenditure of the country1 no wise statesman would abolish any source of revenue1 without1 at the same time1 introducing another equivalent4 ,our error has been abolition without any equivalent at all4 ,it is all very well to say1 that by reducing import duties upon particular articles you stimulate the power of production3 that stimulus may be given--individuals may in consequence be enriched--and yet still there is a defalcation of revenue4 ,this1 however1 is the best case which can be pointed out for the reduction of duties1 and can only apply1 in any degree1 to imports of raw material4 ,the greater part of ,sir ,robert ,peel's tariff is founded upon a principle directly opposite to this4 ,he removed import duties from articles which1 so far from stimulating the power of production at home1 absolutely crushed that power1 by bringing in foreign to supersede ,british labour4 ,thus1 in both cases1 there was a sacrifice4 ,in the one there was1 at all events1 a direct sacrifice of revenue2 in the other1 a sacrifice of revenue1 and a sacrifice of labour also4 ,the imposition 7and the word is appropriate either in its plain or its metaphorical meaning7 of the property and income tax1 which gave ,sir ,robert ,peel the power of making his commercial experiments1 proved inadequate to replace the deficit4 ,the promised gain was as visionary as the dividends on certain railway lines projected about the same period1 and no new source of national income has been opened to supply the loss4 ,lord ,brougham1 no bad judge of human nature1 observed the other night1 that such was the extent of the self-conceit of mankind1 such the nature and amount of human frailty1 that it became no easy matter to induce a nation to retrace its steps4 ,people are ever loath to accept as facts the most pregnant evidences of their own deliberate folly4 ,perfectly aware of this metaphysical tendency1 we are not surprised that1 for the last two or three years1 every remonstrance against the dangers of precipitate commercial legislation should have been treated with scorn1 both by the older advocates of the abolition system1 and by the younger disciples who were converted in a body along with their master4 ,they have been kind enough1 over and over again1 to entreat us to relinquish our defence of what they called an antiquated and worn-out theory4 ,their supplications on this score have been so continuous as to become absolutely painful2 nor could we well understand why and wherefore they should be so very solicitous for our silence4 ,our worst enemies cannot accuse us of advocating any dangerous innovations3 our preachment may be tedious1 but1 at all events1 we do not take the field at the head of an organised association4 ,neither can we be blamed for solitary restiveness1 for we do not stand alone in the utterance of such opinions4 ,the public press of this country has nobly fought the battle4 ,we have had to cope with dexterous and skilled opponents2 but never1 upon any public question1 has a great cause been maintained more unflinchingly1 more disinterestedly1 and more ably1 than that of the true ,conservative party by the free ,conservative press4 ,we are now glad to see that our denunciations of the new system have not been altogether without their effect4 ,the temporary failure of free trade has been conceded even by its advocates2 but we are referred to accidental causes for that failure1 and the entreaty now is1 to give the system a longer trial4 ,we have no manner of objection to this1 provided we are not asked to submit to any further experiments4 ,we desire nothing better than that the people of ,great ,britain1 be they agriculturists1 or be they tradesmen1 should have the opportunity of testing by experience the blessings of the free-trade system4 ,the first class1 indeed1 do not require any probationary period of low prices to strengthen their conviction of the fallacy of the anti-reciprocity system1 or of the iniquity of the arrangement which compels them to support the enormous amount of pauperism engendered by the over amount of population1 systematically encouraged by the manufacturers4 ,the manufacturers1 said ,lord ,brougham1 do not1 perhaps1 tell the world that they manufacture other things besides cotton twist2 but every one who knew anything of them1 knew that they manufactured paupers4 ,where the land produced one pauper1 manufacturers created half-a-dozen4 ,still we can hardly expect to be thoroughly emancipated from the effects of the great delusion1 until men of every sort and quality are practically convinced that their interests have been sacrificed to the selfish objects of a base and sordid confederation4 ,we have no wish to hark back without occasion1 or prematurely1 to the corn laws3 but1 at the same time1 we are not of the number of those who think that subsequent events have justified the wisdom of the measure4 ,if the loyalty of the people of ,great ,britain did really rest upon so very narrow a point1 that1 even amidst the rocking and crashing of thrones and constitutions upon the ,continent1 ours would have been endangered by the maintenance of the former law1 we should still have reason to despair of the ultimate destinies of the country4 ,are we to understand that1 in such a case1 the ,jacobin faction would have had recourse to arms--that the ,manchester ,league would have preached rebellion1 or excited its adherents to insurrection8 ,if not this1 where would have been the danger8 ,never was any question agitated in which the mass of the operatives took less interest than in the repeal of the corn laws4 ,they knew well that no benefit was thereby intended to be conferred upon them--that no philanthropic motives contributed to the erection of the bazaars--that the millions of popular tracts were poured forth from no cornucopia of popular plenty4 ,the very fact1 that the hard and griping men of calico were so liberal with their subscriptions to promote an agrarian change1 was sufficient of itself to create a strong suspicion in their minds2 for when was the purse of the taskmaster ever produced1 save from a motive of selfish interest8 ,we will not do the masses of the ,british population the foul injustice to believe that1 under any circumstances1 they would have emulated the frantic example of the ,french4 ,cobden has not yet the power of his friend and correspondent ,cremieux3 he is a wordy patriot1 but nothing more2 and1 even had he been inclined for mischief1 we do not believe that1 beyond the immediate pale of his confederates1 any considerable portion of the nation would readily have rallied round the standard of such a ,gracchus1 even though the tricolor stripes had been displayed on a field of the choicest calico4 ,the corn law is a settled question6 so shout the free-traders daily1 in high wrath and dudgeon if any one even ventures to allude to agricultural distress4 ,we grant the fact4 ,it is a settled question1 like every other which has been decided by the legislature1 and it must remain a settled question until the legislature chooses to reopen it4 ,we do not expect any such consummation for a long time4 ,we agree perfectly with the other party1 that it is folly to continue skirmishing after the battle is over1 and we do not propose to adopt any such tactics4 ,we are content to wait until the experiment is developed1 to see how the system works1 and to accept it if it works well2 but not on that account shall we less oppose the free-traders when they advance to further innovations4 ,the repeal of the corn laws was not the whole1 but a mere branch of the free-trade policy4 ,it was undoubtedly the branch more calculated than any other to depress the agricultural interest1 but the trial of it has been postponed longer than the free-traders expected4 ,they shall have the benefit of that circumstance2 nor shall we say one word out of season upon the subject4 ,but perhaps1 referring again to the ,queen's speech1 and selecting this time for our text those paragraphs which stated that commerce is reviving1 and that the condition of the manufacturing districts is likewise more encouraging than it has been for a considerable period1 we may be allowed to offer a few observations4 ,we do not exactly understand what her ,majesty's ministers mean by the revival of commerce4 ,this is a general statement which it is very easy to make1 and proportionally difficult to deny4 ,if they mean that our exports during the last half year have increased1 we can understand them1 and very glad indeed we are to learn that such is the case4 ,for although we have seen of late some elaborate arguments1 tending1 if they have any meaning at all1 to show that our imports and not our exports should be taken as the true measure of the national prosperity1 we have that faith in the simple rules of arithmetic which forbids us from adopting such reasoning4 ,but our gladness at receiving such a cheering sentiment from the highest possible authority is a good deal damped by the result of the investigations which we have thought it our duty to make4 ,we have gone over the tables minutely1 and we find that the exports of the great staples of our industry--cotton1 woollen1 silk1 linen1 hardware1 and earthenware--were of less value than those of #ahdg by ,,four ,,millions ,,and ,a ,,half1 and less than those of #ahdf by a sum exceeding ,,five ,,millions ,,and ,a ,,half4 ,with such a fact before us1 can it be wondered at if we are cautious of receiving such unqualified statements1 and exceedingly doubtful of the good faith of the men who make them8 ,but1 perhaps1 this is not the sense in which ministers understand commerce4 ,they are entitled to congratulate the country upon one sort of improvement1 which certainly was not owing to any efforts upon their part4 ,we have at last emerged from the monetary crisis1 induced by the unhappy operation of the ,banking ,restriction ,act1 and1 in this way1 commerce certainly has improved4 ,the fact that such a change in the distribution of the precious metals should have taken place whilst our exports were steadily declining1 is very instructive1 because it clearly demonstrates the false and artificial nature of our present monetary system4 ,the consequences1 however1 may be serious1 as the price of the ,british funds cannot now be taken as an index of the prosperity of the country1 either in its agricultural or its manufacturing capacity1 but has merely relation to the possession of a certain quantity of bullion4 ,the rise of the funds1 therefore1 does not impress us with any confidence that there has been a healthy revival in the commerce of the country4 ,we cannot consider the question of commerce apart from the condition of the manufacturing districts2 and it is to that quarter we must look1 in order to test the value of the free-trade experiments4 ,we have already noticed the enormous decrease1 during the last three years1 in the annual amount of our exports4 ,this1 coupled with the immense increase of imported articles of foreign manufacture1 proves very clearly that the ,british manufacturer has as yet derived no benefit from the free-trade measures4 ,we do not1 of course1 mean to say that free trade has had any tendency to lessen our exports1 though to cripple the colonies is certainly not the way to augment their capabilities of consumption4 ,we merely point to the fact of the continued decrease1 even in the staples of ,british industry1 as a proof of the utter fruitlessness of the attempt to take the markets of the world by storm4 ,we are told1 indeed1 of exceptional causes which have interfered with the experiment2 but these causes1 even allowing them their fullest possible operation1 are in no way commensurate with the results4 ,for be it remarked1 that the free-trade measures contemplated this result1--that increased imports were to be compensated by an enormous augmentation of exports3 in other words1 that we were to meet with perfect reciprocity from every foreign nation4 ,now1 admitting that exceptional causes existed to check and restrain this augmentation1 can we magnify these to such an extent as to explain the phenomenon of a steady and determined fall in our staple exports1 and that long before the occurrence of civil war or insurrection on the continent of ,europe8 ,the explanation is just this1--the exports fell because the markets abroad were glutted1 and because no state is disposed to imitate the suicidal example of ,britain1 or to sacrifice its own rising industry for the sake of encouraging foreigners4 ,what inducement1 it may be asked1 has any state in the world to follow in our wake8 ,let us take for example ,germany1 to whose markets we send annually about six millions and a half of manufactures4 ,germany has considerable manufactures of her own1 which give employment to a large portion of the population4 ,would it be wise in the ,germans1 for the sake of reducing the price either of linen1 cotton1 or woollen goods by an infinitesimal degree1 to throw all these people idle1 and to paralyse labour in every department1 whenever they could be undersold by a foreign artisan8 ,undoubtedly not4 ,germany has nothing whatever to gain by pursuing such a course4 ,the ,british market is open to her1 but she does not on that account relax her right of laying duties upon imports from ,britain4 ,she shelters herself against our competition in her home market1 augments her revenue thereby1 and avails herself to the very utmost of our reduced tariffs1 to compete in our country with the artisans of ,sheffield and ,birmingham4 ,every new return convinces us more and more that commercial interchange is the proper subject of international treaty2 but that no nation whatever1 and certainly not one so heavily burdened as ours1 can hope for prosperity if it opens its ports without the distinct assurance of reciprocity4 ,let us try distinctly to ascertain the real amount of improvement visible in the manufacturing districts4 ,in order to do this1 we must turn to the last official tables1 which bring down the trade accounts from #eth ,january to #eth ,december #ahdh1 being a period of eleven months4 ,we find the following ominous result in the comparison with the same period in former years3-- ,exports of ,british ,produce and ,manufactures from the ,united ,kingdom4 #ahdf4 #ahdg4 #ahdh4 ,total1 #dg1egi1dac #dg1cde1ced #db1aeh1aid ,,five ,,millions1 ,,two ,,hundred ,,thousand ,,pounds of decreased exports in eleven months6--and the manufacturing districts are improving6 ,let us see the ratio of decline on some of the principal articles which are the product of these districts4 ,we shall therefore omit such entries as those of butter1 candles1 cheese1 fish1 soap1 salt1 c41 and look to the staples only4 ,the following results we hardly think will bear out the somewhat over-confident declaration of the ministry3-- ,export of ,principal ,manufactures from the ,united ,kingdom4 #ahdf4 #ahdg4 #ahdh4 ,cotton manufactures1 #af1bgf1dfe #af1jhb1cac #ae1jej1egi ,do4 yarn1 #g1ebj1egh #e1edg1idc #e1ddc1hjj ,linen manufactures1 #b1eec1feh #b1fij1ecf #b1dge1bbd ,do4 yarn1 #gig1fdj #fae1eej #ddj1aah ,silk manufactures1 #gfh1hhh #iab1hdb #ebj1dbg ,woollen yarn1 #heh1iec #ida1aeh #gab1jce ,do4 manufactures1 #e1heb1jef #f1dbd1ejc #e1aih1jei ,earthenware1 #gdb1bie #ggc1ghf #fea1ahd ,hardwares and cutlery1 #b1jjd1abg #b1ach1jia #a1ffi1adf ,glass1 #bda1gei #bgb1daa #baf1dfd ,leather1 #cjg1ccf #cbg1gae #bdd1ffc ,machinery1 #a1jej1bje #a1ahf1iba #ggi1gei ----------- ----------- ----------- #ch1igc1ibj #cg1iac1gfi #cc1dja1geh ,looking at these tables1 we fairly confess that we can see no ground for exultation whatever2 on the contrary1 there is in every article a marked and steady decline4 ,some of the free-trade journals assert that1 although in the earlier part of the last year there certainly was a marked falling off in our exports1 yet that the later months have almost redeemed the deficiency4 ,that statement is utterly false and unfounded4 ,in ,september last1 we showed that the exports of the first seven commodities in the above table1 exhibited a decline of #c1agg1cgj1 for the six earlier months of the year1 as compared with the exports in #ahdg4 ,we continue the account of the same commodities for eleven months1 and we find the deficiency rated at #c1cgj1fjc2 so that we still have been going down hill1 only not quite at so precipitate a rate as before4 ,free-trade1 therefore--for which we sacrificed our revenue1 submitted to an income-tax1 and ruined our ,west ,india colonies--has utterly failed to stimulate our exports1 the end which it deliberately proposed4 ,the diminution of exports implies of course a corresponding diminution of labour4 ,this is a great evil1 but one which is beyond the remedy of the statesman4 ,you cannot force exports--you cannot compel the foreign nations to take your goods4 ,we beg attention to the following extract from the speech of ,mr ,d',israeli1 which puts the matter of export upon its true and substantial basis3-- ,look at your condition with reference to the ,brazils4 ,every one recollects the glowing accounts of the late ,vice-president of the ,board of ,trade with respect to the ,brazilian trade--that trade for which you sacrificed your own colonies4 ,there is an increase in the trade with the ,brazils of #bf1ejj1jjj of yards in #ahdf over #ahde2 and #ah1ejj1jjj yards in #ahdg over #ahde2 and this increase has so completely glutted that market1 that goods are selling at ,rio and ,bahia at cost price4 ,it is stated in the ,mercantile ,journal1 that ',it is truly alarming to think what may be the result of a continuance of imports1 not only in the face of a very limited inquiry1 but at a period of the year when trade is almost always at a stand4 ,why cargo after cargo of goods should be sent hither1 is an enigma we cannot solve4 ,some few vessels have yet to arrive2 and although trade may probably revive in the beginning of #ahdi1 what will become of the goods received and to be received8 ,this market cannot consume them4 ,stores1 warehouses1 and the customhouse are full to repletion2 and if imports continue upon the same scale as heretofore1 and sales have to be forced1 we may yet have to witness the phenomenon of all descriptions of piece goods being purchased here below the prime cost in the country of production6' ,such is the state of matters in these markets2 and ,i do not see that your position in ,europe is better4 ,russia is still hermetically sealed1 and ,prussia is not yet stricken4 ,i know that there are some who1 at this moment1 think that it is a matter of no consequence how much we may export2 who say that foreigners will not give their productions for nothing1 and that1 therefore1 we must just manage things in the most favourable way we can for ourselves4 ,there is no doubt that foreigners will not give us their goods without some exchange for them2 but the question which the people of this country are looking at is1 to know exactly what are the terms of exchange which it is beneficial for us to adopt4 ,that is the whole question4 ,you may glut markets1 as ,i have shown you have succeeded in doing2 but the only effect of your system1 of your attempting to struggle against those hostile tariffs1 by opening your ports1 is that you exchange more of your labour every year and every month for a less quantity of foreign labour2 that you render ,british labour or native industry less efficient2 that you degrade ,british labour--necessarily diminish profits1 and1 therefore1 must lower wages2 while the first philosophers have shown that you will finally effect a change in the distribution of the precious metals that must be pernicious to this country4 ,it is for these reasons that all practical men are impressed with the conviction that you should adopt reciprocity as a principle of your commercial tariff--not merely from its practical importance1 but as an abstract truth4 ,this was the principle of the negotiations at ,utrecht1 which was copied by ,mr ,pitt in his commercial negotiations at ,paris1 which formed the groundwork of the instructions to ,mr ,eden1 and which was wisely adopted and upheld by the cabinet of ,lord ,liverpool2 but which was deserted1 flagrantly1 and openly1 and unwisely1 in #ahdf4 ,there is another reason why you can no longer defend your commercial system--you can no longer delay considering the state of your colonies4 ,this is called an age of principles1 and no longer of political expedients--you yourselves are the disciples of economy2 and you have1 on every occasion1 enunciated it as a principle that the colonies of ,england were an integral part of this country4 ,you ought1 then1 to act towards your colonies on the principle you have adopted1 but which you have never practised4 ,the principle of reciprocity is1 in fact1 the only principle on which you can reconstruct your commercial system in a manner beneficial to the mother country and advantageous to the colonies4 ,it is1 indeed1 a great principle1 the only principle on which a large and expansive system of commerce can be founded1 so as to be beneficial4 ,the system you are pursuing is one quite contrary--you go fighting hostile tariffs with fixed imports2 and the consequence is that you are following a course most injurious to the commerce of the country4 ,and every year1 at the commencement of the session1 you come1 not to congratulate the ,house or the country on the state of our commerce1 but to explain why it suffered1 why it was prostrate2 and you are happy on this occasion to be able to say that it is recovering--from what8 ,from unparalleled distress4 ,the labour market in this country1 so far from improving1 is1 we have every reason to believe1 in a pitiable state4 ,let us take the one instance of silk manufactures4 ,of these we exported1 during eleven months of last year1 an amount to the value of #iab1hdb2 this year we have only sent out #ebj1dbg1 or nearly #djj1jjj less4 ,but this decline does not by any means express the amount of the curtailment of labour in this important branch of industry4 ,the home market has been inundated with foreign silks1 introduced under the tariffs of #ahdf1 and that to a degree which is wholly without precedent4 ,let us see the comparative amount of importations4 #ahdf4 #ahdg4 #ahdh4 ,silk or satin broad stuffs1 #aae1bib lbs4 #adg1fef lbs4 #bfi1fcg lbs4 ,silk ribbons1 #ahj1cge #ahb1igh #bag1bdc ,gauze or crape broad stuffs1 #f1ecf #e1ehh #h1bdc ,gauze ribbons1 #ca1cjg #da1hbe #di1dfj ,gauze mixed1 #ah #h #ci ,mixed ribbons1 #a1hdb #c1jid #b1dff ,velvet broad stuffs1 #bf1gih #bg1did #bi1ffi ,velvet embossed ribbons1 #ac1eej #ad1aib #da1dfa ------------ ------------ ------------ #cge1gah lbs4 #dbb1hce lbs4 #fah1bah lbs4 ,is there any commentary required on these figures8 ,we should hope that no one can be dull enough to misapprehend their import4 ,in one year our exportation of silk goods has fallen to little more than a half3 in two years our importations from the ,continent have nearly doubled4 ,where ninety ,british labourers worked for the exporting trade1 only fifty are now employed2 and if we suppose that the consumpt of silk manufactures in this country is the same in #ahdh as in #ahdf1 the further amount of labour which has been sacrificed1 by the increased importations1 must be something positively enormous4 ,it is in this way that free trade beggars the people and fills the workhouses2 whilst1 at the same time1 it brings down the national revenue to such an ebb1 that it is utterly insufficient to balance the necessary expenditure4 ,it would be well if politicians would constantly keep in view this one great truth--,that of all the burdens which can be laid upon a people1 the heaviest is the want of employment4 ,no general cheapness1 no class accumulations of wealth1 can make up for this terrible want2 and the statesman who deliberately refuses to recognise this principle1 and who1 from any motive1 deprives the working man of his privilege1 is an enemy to the interests of his country4 ,we cannot1 and we do not1 expect that men who have committed themselves so deeply as ,mr ,cobden has done to the principles of free trade in all its branches1 should1 under any development of circumstances1 be brought to acknowledge their error4 ,no evidence however overwhelming1 no ruin however widely spread1 could shake their faith1 or at any rate diminish the obstinacy of their professions4 ,they would rather sacrifice1 as indeed they seem bent on doing1 the best interests of the ,british empire1 than acknowledge the extent of their error4 ,their motto avowedly is1 vestigia nulla retrorsum4 ,no sooner is one interest pulled down than they make a rapid and determined assault upon another1 utterly reckless of the misery which they have occasioned1 and hopelessly deaf even to the warnings of experience4 ,they are true destructives2 because they feel that they dare not pause in their career of violence1 lest men should have leisure1 to contemplate the ruin already effected1 and should ask themselves what tangible benefit has been obtained at so terrible a cost4 ,mr ,cobden knows better than to resume consideration of free-trade principles1 now that we have seen them in actual operation4 ,he is advancing on with his myrmidons towards the ,moscow of free trade2 but1 unless we are greatly mistaken1 he may have occasion1 some day or other1 to revisit his ancient battlefields1 but not in the capacity of a conqueror4 ,there are1 however1 others1 less deeply pledged1 who begin to perceive that in attempting to carry out free trade without reciprocity1 and in the face of hostile tariffs1 we are ruining the trade of ,britain for the sole advantage of the foreigner4 ,mr ,muntz1 the member for ,birmingham1 is not at one with ministers as to the cheerful prospect of the revival among the manufacturers4 ,when ,i came here1 said he characteristically1 ,i heard a great deal about the improvement of trade in the country4 ,but ,i went home on ,saturday1 and there was not a man ,i met who had experienced any of this improvement in trade4 ,on the contrary1 every one said that trade was flat and unprofitable1 and that there was no prospect of improvement because they were so much competed with by foreign manufacturers4 ,this very morning ,i met with one of my travellers1 who had just returned from the north of ,germany2 and ,i asked him what was the state of trade4 ',oh1' said he1 'there is plenty of trade in ,germany1 but not trade with ,england4 ,they manufacture goods so cheaply themselves1 that1 at the prices you sell1 low as they are1 you cannot compete with the ,germans4' ,i will tell the ,house another curious thing4 ,about three or four years ago1 the glassmakers of ,birmingham were very anxious for free trade1 and1 though ,i warned them that ,i did not think they could compete with foreigners1 yet they were quite certain they could4 ,well1 ,i introduced them to the minister of the day--the right honourable baronet the member of ,tamworth--when1 to my horror and astonishment1 they asked1 not for free trade1 but for three years of protection4 ,why1 ,i said to them1 ,i thought you were for free trade8 ',yes1' they replied1 'so we are2 but we want the three years of protection to prepare us for free trade4' ,now1 on ,saturday last1 ,i received a letter from one of the leading manufacturers1 stating that the import duties on flint-glass would expire very soon1 and with those duties the trade in this country1 he feared1 was also in great danger of expiring1 owing to the produce of manufactures being admitted duty-free into this country1 while they had protective duties in their own1 thus keeping up the price at home by sending over the surplus stock here4 ,the letter concluded by requesting that the protective duties1 which were about to expire1 might be renewed4 ,the improvement in trade1 which was so much talked of1 is not an improvement in quality1 but an improvement in quantity3 there are half a dozen other trades which have vanished from ,birmingham1 because of the over-competition of the ,continent4 ,and1 strangely enough1 the manufactures that have been the most injured are those which last week were held up by the public press as in a most flourishing condition6 ,this statement furnishes ample ground for reflection4 ,the truth is1 that the whole scheme of free trade was erected and framed1 not for the purpose of benefiting the manufacturers at the expense of the landed interest1 but rather to get a monopoly of export for one or two of the leading manufactures of the empire4 ,those who were engaged in the cotton and woollen trade1 along with some of the iron-masters1 were at the head of the movement4 ,no influx of foreign manufactured produce could by possibility swamp them in the home market1 for they are not exposed to that competition with which the smaller trades must struggle4 ,the ,germans will take shirtings1 but they will not now take cutlery from us4 ,the articles which they produce are certainly not so good as ours1 but they are cheaper1 and protected1 and it is even worth their while to compete with us in the home markets of ,britain4 ,the same may be said of the trade in brass1 gloves1 shoes1 hats1 earthenware1 porcelain1 and fifty others4 ,they are not now exporting trades1 and at home1 under the new tariffs1 we are completely undersold by the foreigners4 ,as for the glass trade1 no one who is acquainted with the present state of that manufacture on the ,continent1 can expect that it will ever again recover4 ,this1 in reality1 is the cause of the present depression2 and until this is thoroughly understood by the tradesmen who are suffering1 there can be no improvement for the better4 ,what advantage1 we ask1 can it be to a man who finds his profits disappearing1 his trade reduced to stagnation1 and his capability of giving employment absolutely annihilated1 to know that1 in consequence of some sudden impulse1 twenty million additional yards of calico have been exported from ,great ,britain8 ,the glass-blower1 the brazier1 and the cutler1 have not the remotest interest in calico4 ,they may think1 indeed1 that part of the profit so secured may be indirectly advantageous in the purchase of their wares1 but they find themselves lamentably mistaken4 ,the astute calico-master sells his wares to the foreigner abroad1 and he purchases with equal disinterestedness from the manufacturing foreigner at home4 ,this is the whole tendency of free trade1 and it is amazing to us that the juggle should find any supporters amongst the class who are its actual victims4 ,if they look soberly and deliberately into the matter1 they cannot fail to see that the adoption by the state of the maxim1 to sell in the dearest and buy in the cheapest market1 more especially when that market is the home one1 and when cheapness has been superinduced by the introduction of foreign labour1 must end in the consummation of their ruin4 ,can we really believe in the assertion of ministers1 that manufactures are improving1 when we find1 on all hands1 such pregnant assurances to the contrary8 ,for example1 there was a meeting held in ,st ,james's1 so late as the #aath of ,january1 to consider the unprecedented number of unemployed mechanics and workmen now in the metropolis1 and to devise the best means for diminishing their privations and sufferings1 by providing them with employment4 ,mr ,lushington1 ,m4,p4 for ,westminster1 a thorough-paced liberal1 moved the first resolution1 the tendency of which was towards the institution of soup kitchens1 upon this preamble1 that the number of operatives1 mechanics1 and labourers now thrown out of employment is unusually great1 and the consequent destitution and distress which exist on all sides are painfully excessive1 and deeply alarming4 ,and yet1 ,mr ,lushington1 like many of his class and stamp1 can penetrate no deeper into the causes of distress1 than is exhibited in the following paragraph of his speech3--,the great majority of those whose cases they were now met to consider1 were the victims of misfortune1 and not of crime1 and1 on that account1 they had a legitimate claim upon their sympathy and commiseration4 ,but private sympathy was impotent to grapple with the gigantic evil with which they had to contend2 isolated efforts and voluntary alms-giving were but a mere drop in the ocean1 compared with the remedy that the case demanded4 ,they must go further and deeper for their remedy2 and the only efficacious one that could effectually be brought to bear upon the miseries of the people1 was the reduction of the national expenditure--the cutting down of the army1 navy1 and ordnance estimates1 and the removal of those taxes that pressed so heavily upon the poorer portions of the community4 ,this is about as fine a specimen of unadulterated senatorial drivel as we ever had the good fortune to meet with2 and it may serve as an apt illustration of the absurd style of argument so commonly employed by the members of the free-trade party4 ,suppose that the army were disbanded to-morrow1 and all the sailors in the navy paid off1 how would that give employment to the unfortunate poor8 ,nay1 would it not materially contribute to increase the tide of pauperism1 since no economist has as yet condescended to explain what sort of employment is to be given to the disbanded8 ,as to the taxes spoken of by ,mr ,lushington1 what are they8 ,we really cannot comprehend the meaning of this illustrious representative of an enlightened constituency4 ,supposing there was not a single tax levied in ,britain to-morrow1 how would that arrangement better the condition of the people1 who are simply starving because they can get no manner of work whatever8 ,it is this silly but mischievous babbling1 these false and illogical conclusions enunciated by men who either do not understand what they are saying1 or who1 understanding it1 are unfit for the station which they occupy1 which tend more than anything else to spread disaffection among the lower orders1 to impress them with the idea that they are unjustly dealt with1 and to stimulate them in their periodical outcry for organic changes4 ,the remedy lies in restoring to the labouring man those privileges of which he has been insidiously robbed by the operation of the free-trade measures4 ,it lies in returning to the system which secured a full revenue to the nation1 whilst1 at the same time1 it prevented the minor trades from being swamped by foreign competition4 ,it lies in refusing to allow one class of the community to extinguish others1 and to throw the burden of the pauperism which it creates upon the landed interest1 already contending with enormous difficulties4 ,until this be done1 it is in vain to expect any real improvement in the condition of the working-classes4 ,each successive branch of industry that is pulled down1 under the operation of the new system1 adds largely to the mass of accumulating misery2 and the longer the experiment is continued1 the greater will be the permanent injury to the country4 ,not the least evil resulting from the free-trade agitation is the selfishness and division of classes which it has studiously endeavoured to promote4 ,so long as the agriculturists alone were menaced1 the whole body of the manufacturers were against them4 ,the tariffs of #ahdf struck at the small traders and artisans1 and the merchants looked on with indifference4 ,now the question relates to the ,navigation ,laws1 and the shipmasters of ,britain complain that they cannot rouse the nation to a sense of the meditated wrong4 ,every one has been ready to advocate free trade in every branch save that with which he was personally connected2 and it is this shortsighted policy which has given such power to the assailing party4 ,deeply do we deplore the folly as well as the wickedness of such divisions4 ,no nation can ever hope to prosper through the prosperity of one class alone4 ,it is not the wealth of individuals which gives stability to a state1 but the fair distribution of profitable labour throughout the whole of the community4 ,in contending for the support of the ,navigation ,laws1 we are not advocating the cause of the shipmasters1 but that of the nation2 and yet we feel that if the principle of free trade be once fully admitted1 no exception can be made1 even in this vital point4 ,if we intend to retain our colonies1 we must do justice to them one way or another4 ,we cannot deprive them of the advantages which they formerly enjoyed from their connexion with the parent country1 and yet subject them to a burden of this kind1 even although we hold that burden necessary for the effectual maintenance of our marine4 ,we await the decision of this matter in parliament with very great anxiety indeed1 because we look upon the adoption or the rejection of ,mr ,labouchere's bill as the index to our future policy4 ,if it receives the royal assent1 we must perforce prepare for organic changes far greater than this country has ever yet experienced4 ,the colonies may still1 indeed1 be considered as portions of the ,british empire1 but hardly worth the cost of retention4 ,free trade will have done its work4 ,the excise duties cannot be suffered to continue1 for they too1 according to the modern idea1 are oppressive and unjust2 and the period1 thus foreshadowed by ,mr ,cobden at the late ,manchester banquet1 will rapidly arrive3 ,it is not merely protective duties that are getting out of favour in this country2 but1 however strong or weak it may be at present1 still there is firmly and rapidly growing an opinion decidedly opposed1 not merely to duties for protection1 but to duties for revenue at all4 ,i venture to say you will not live to see another statesman in ,england propose any customs-duty on a raw material or article of first necessity like corn4 ,i question whether any statesman who has any regard for his future fame will ever propose another excise or customs-duty at all4 ,the whole revenue will then fall to be collected directly3 and how long the national creditor will be able to maintain his claim against direct taxation is a problem which we decline to solve4 ,the land of ,great ,britain1 like that of ,ireland1 will be worthless to its owner1 and left to satisfy the claims of pauperism2 and ,america1 wiser than the old country1 will become to the middle classes the harbour of refuge and of peace4 ,we do not believe that these things will happen1 because we have faith in the sound sterling sense of ,englishmen1 and in the destinies of this noble country4 ,we are satisfied that the time is rapidly approaching when a thorough reconstruction of our whole commercial and financial policy will be imperatively demanded from the government--a task which the present occupants of office are notoriously incapable of undertaking1 but which must be carried through by some efficient cabinet4 ,such a measure cannot be introduced piecemeal after the destructive fashion1 but must be based upon clear and comprehensive principles1 doing justice to all classes of the community1 and showing undue favour to none4 ,our observations have already extended to such a length1 that we have little room to speak of that everlasting topic1 ,ireland4 ,ireland1 says ,lord ,john ,russell1 is undergoing a great transition4 ,this is indeed news1 and we shall be glad to learn the particulars so soon as convenient4 ,perhaps the transition may be explained before the committee1 to which1 as usual1 ,whig helplessness and imbecility has referred the whole question of ,irish distress4 ,the confidence of the ,whigs in the patience of the people of this country must be boundless1 else they would hardly have ventured again to resort to so stale an expedient4 ,it is easy to devolve the whole duties of government upon committees1 but we are very much mistaken if such trifling will be longer endured4 ,as to the distress in ,ireland1 it is fully admitted4 ,whenever the bulk of a nation is so demoralised as to prefer living on alms to honest labour1 distress is the inevitable consequence2 and the only way to cure the habit is carefully to withhold the alms4 ,ministers think otherwise1 and they have carried a present grant of fifty thousand pounds from the imperial exchequer1 which may serve for a week or so1 when doubtless another application will be tabled4 ,this is neither more nor less than downright robbery of the ,british people under the name of charity4 ,ireland must in future be left to depend entirely upon her own resources2 situated as we are1 it would be madness to support her further2 and we hope that every constituency throughout the ,united ,kingdom will keep a watchful eye on the conduct pursued by their representatives in the event of any attempt at further spoliation4 ,from all the evidence before us1 it appears that our former liberality has been thrown away4 ,not only was no gratitude shown for the enormous advances of last year1 but the money was recklessly squandered and misapplied1 no doubt in the full and confident expectation of continued remittances4 ,and here we beg to suggest to honourable members from the other side of the ,channel1 whether it might not be well to consider what effect free trade has had in ameliorating the condition of ,ireland4 ,if on inquiry at ,liverpool they should chance to find that pork is now imported direct from ,america1 not only salted1 but fresh and preserved in ice1 and that in such quantities and at so low a rate as seriously to affect the sale of the ,irish produce1 perhaps patriotism may operate in their minds that conviction which reasoning would not effect4 ,if also they should chance to learn that butter and dairy produce can no longer command a remunerative price1 owing to the increased imports both from ,america and the ,continent1 they will have made one further step towards the science of political economy1 and may form some useful calculations as to the prospect of future rentals4 ,should they1 however1 still be of opinion that the interests of the ,irish people are inseparably bound up with the continuance of free trade--that neither prices nor useful labour are matters of any consequence--they must also bear in mind that they can no longer be allowed to intromit with the public purse of ,britain4 ,the ,whigs may indeed1 and probably will1 make one other vigorous effort to secure their votes2 but no party in this nation is now disposed to sanction such iniquitous proceedings1 and all of us will so far respond to the call for economy1 as sternly to refuse alms to an indolent and ungrateful object4 ,in conclusion1 we shall merely remark that we look forward with much interest to the financial exposition of the year1 in the hope that it may be more intelligible and satisfactory than the last4 ,we shall then understand the nature and the amount of the reductions which have been announced under such extraordinary circumstances1 and the state of the revenue will inform those who feel themselves oppressed by excise duties1 of the chances of reduction in that quarter4 ,meanwhile we cannot refrain from expressing our gratitude to both ,lord ,stanley and ,mr ,d',israeli for their masterly expositions of the weak and vacillating policy pursued by the ,whig government abroad1 and of the false colour which was attempted to be thrown upon the state and prospect of industry at home4 ,deeply as we lamented the premature decease of ,lord ,george ,bentinck at the very time when the value of his public service1 keen understanding1 and high and exalted principle1 was daily becoming more and more appreciated by the country1 we are rejoiced to know that his example has not been in vain2 that his noble and philanthropic spirit still lives in the councils of those who have the welfare of the ,british people at heart1 and who are resolute not to yield to the pressure of a base democracy1 actuated by the meanest of personal motives1 unscrupulous as to the means which it employs1 impervious to reason1 and utterly reckless of consequences1 provided it may attain its end4 ,against that democracy which has elsewhere not only shattered constitutions but prostrated society1 a determined stand will be made2 and our heartfelt prayer is1 that the cause of truth may prevail4 ,,footnote3 #cb ,we find that we have given the leaguers rather too much credit in the above paragraph4 ,some of them appear to think that1 whether necessary or not1 our forces should be dispensed with2 at least so we gather from the following expressions contained in a dull ill-written tract1 purporting to emanate from the ,edinburgh ,financial ,reform ,association1 which has just come into our hands4 ,let us hear the patriotic economists4 ,if there be any other cause for maintaining a huge and expensive force1 it must be found in the desire to provide for the scions of the nobility and landed gentry1 with a view to secure votes in both houses of parliament4 ,as is well known1 commissions in the army and navy are held almost entirely by these classes4 ,no doubt1 officers in active service may be said to give work for their pay1 while their gallantry as soldiers is beyond dispute2 but this1 unfortunately1 does not mend the matter4 ,their services we hold to be for the greater part unnecessary2 at all events1 they are services for which the nation cannot afford to pay any longer1 and they ,,therefore ought to be relinquished4 ,this is intelligible enough2 but we hardly think there are many reasoners of this calibre4 ,printed by ,william ,blackwood and ,sons1 ,edinburgh4 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,obvious typographical errors have been repaired4 ,accepted older spellings were retained 7for example1 wofully1 bran-new1 lingot1 etc474 ,text file only3 ,delta refers to the ,greek letter1 which was the only signature for ,the ,sycamine4 ,text file only3 ,footnote #bj1 er refers to superscript er4 ,p4 #bhg1 as offusc and impervious a fold--unable to verify an alternate spelling for offusc4 ,p4 #bii1 the ,income ,tax4 the ,chancellor--period after ,tax present in original2 possibly an abbreviation for ,taxation4 ,p4 #cba1 last line of poem3 ,chase the ,buffal,o6--capitalization of final ,o is true to original4