,illustration3 ,,chambers',s ,,journal  
,,of    ,,popular    ,,literature1      
,,science1 ,,and ,,art4    ,fourth      
,series    ,,conducted ,,by ,,william   
,,and ,,robert ,,chambers4    ,,no4     
#gbf4      ,,saturday1 ,,november #bd1  
#ahgg4      ,,price #a;d4          ,,war
 ,,and ,,telegraphy4      ,it is vexing1
 even saddening1 to think how large an  
amount of  discovery1 invention1 and    
skill is applied to the murderous       
purposes of  war4 ,as we advance in     
civilisation1 armies become larger and  
larger1  and more abundantly supplied   
with agencies we would willingly see    
devoted to more peaceful purposes4      
,whether wars of race1 wars of creed1   
wars of ambition1 or wars of national   
vanity1 the result is much about  the   
same in this respect4 ,some consolers   
tell us that wars by-and-by  will become
 so terrible as to check the desire to  
wage them3 let us  hope so1 despite     
present symptoms4    ,science has       
unquestionably rendered a vast amount of

 aid to attack  and defence in war      
within the last few years4 ,gunpowder1  
gun-cotton1  dynamite1 and other        
explosive substances for fire-arms1     
torpedoes1  and military mining have had
 their properties and relative powers   
investigated with remarkable            
completeness4 ,gun-carriages have  been 
so vastly improved1 that by ,captain    
,scott's contrivances a                 
six-hundred-pounder can be managed as   
easily and quickly as a                 
thirty-two-pounder could in the days of 
our fathers or grandfathers2  while by  
,major ,moncrieff's automatic apparatus 
a gun lowers itself  behind the screen  
of a parapet or earthen battery for     
loading1 and then  raises itself twelve 
or fifteen feet to fire over it4        
,photography1 again1 is applied in a    
great variety of ways to aid  warlike   
operations4 ,at the office of the       
,ordnance ,survey1 or under the         
supervision of the ,director1 an amazing
 number of such photographs are  taken1 

enlarged or reduced from the original   
dimensions according to  circumstances1 
and multiplied or prepared for printing 
by a very rapid  process of zincography 
or some other kind of electro-engraving4
 ,one of  the ,reports issued by the    
,director tells us that he supplies the 
,war  ,office with photographs of plans 
of battles1 important fortified posts   
and their surrounding districts1        
barracks and forts in all parts of  the 
,british dominions1 c4 ,all the         
equipments of troops for the field  are 
similarly photographed or zincographed1 
as unerring patterns for  reference4    
,for such wars as we have been engaged  
in during the past  five-and-twenty     
years 7happily few in number71 such as  
the ,crimean1  ,abyssinian1 and ,ashanti
 campaigns1 photographs and zincographs 
have  been supplied in large number to  
the officers1 illustrating all details  
which the home authorities have been    
able to ascertain1 and which are  likely
 to be useful in the intended           

operations4    ,what are we to say of   
the torpedo1 and its management by      
electricity8  ,this is really a         
wonderful subject1 the influence of     
which on future  naval warfare even the 
most skilled and experienced officers   
can only  dimly surmise4 ,we know that  
during the civil war in ,america1 the   
,federal torpedoes wrought more         
destruction on the ,confederate ships   
than all the guns in the ,federal fleet2
 that1 on the other hand1 the           
,confederate torpedoes so effectually   
guarded the approach to ,richmond  up   
,james ,river1 that a hostile flotilla  
was compelled to retire baffled  and    
disappointed4 ,one unlucky ,federal ship
 unwittingly passed over a  submerged   
torpedo at the moment of explosion4 ,and
 with what result8  ',the hull of the   
ship was visibly lifted out of the      
water1 the boiler  exploded1 the        
smoke-funnels were carried away1 and the
 crew projected  into the air with      
extreme velocity4 ,out of the crew of   

one hundred and  twenty-seven men1 only 
three remained alive--the vessel itself 
being  blown to atoms4' ,the            
arrangements have been so much improved 
since that  time1 that messages can be  
sent across a river or estuary from     
shore to  shore through the very wire   
which is to discharge the torpedo6 ,in  
every  naval war during the last few    
years1 torpedoes have been more or less 
employed4 ,in what way the weaker       
,russian fleet has been able to baffle  
the stronger fleet of the ,turks in the 
struggle of #ahgg1 the newspapers  have 
told us in full detail4 ,there is no    
necessity for pursuing this  part of the
 subject further1 seeing that it was    
lately treated with  some degree of     
fullness in our pages4    ,but the      
greatest marvel of all1 in regard to the
 application of  electricity to warlike 
purposes1 is the electric telegraph4    
,we know what service the               
lightning-messenger renders to society  
generally in the peaceful daily         

maintenance of commercial and social    
intercommunication2 and military men now
 know what a potent instrument  it is in
 the conduct of field-operations and    
siege-works4 ,an officer  well qualified
 to judge affirms that the memorable    
,franco-,german ,war1  so disastrous to 
,france1 could not have been carried on 
without the aid  of the electric        
telegraph by the ,german forces4 ,the   
warlike struggles  engaged in by various
 ,european powers in the ,crimea1 in    
,india during  the ,mutiny1 in ,china1  
in ,new ,zealand1 in the                
,austro-,italian provinces1  in ,morocco
 by the ,spaniards1 in ,america by the  
,federals and the  ,confederates1 in    
,holstein during the brief ,dano-,german
 ,war1 in ,bohemia  during the still    
briefer ,austro-,prussian ,war1 in      
,abyssinia1 in ,france  during the      
struggle against the ,germans1 in       
,ashanti--all these were  marked by the 
adoption of the electric telegraph to a 
greater or less  extent4    ,many of us 

remember1 from the vivid descriptions   
written by the  special correspondents  
of the daily newspapers1 how terrible   
were  the sufferings of the ,british    
troops in the ,crimea during the winter 
of #ahed-e1 engaged in trench-work and  
other siege-operations under  almost    
every kind of privation4 ,but we also   
know how impossible it  would have been 
to learn the news quickly in ,england   
and to send  instructions1 without the  
aid of telegraphy4 ,an electric cable   
was for  this very purpose submerged in 
the ,black ,sea from the ,turkish       
mainland  to the ,crimea2 while on land1
 wires were set up from ,balaklava to   
the  headquarters outside ,sebastopol4  
,thus it was that daily messages could  
be exchanged between ,lord ,raglan's    
headquarters and the ,war ,office in    
,london--also between the special       
correspondents of the daily papers  and 
their employers in ,fleet ,street or    
,printing ,house ,square4 ,so in  like  
manner1 during the struggle arising out 

of the ,indian ,mutiny1 the  advancing  
,british columns contrived1 wherever    
possible1 to maintain  unbroken         
telegraphic communication with          
,calcutta1 whereby the viceroy  was kept
 informed of what was going on4 ,of     
course the mutineers or  rebels         
destroyed or disrupted the wires        
wherever and whenever they  could2 and  
to repair the damage thus inflicted     
formed no small part of  the arduous    
duties of the ,british officers4    ,our
 little but expensive war in ,abyssinia 
in #ahfh1 marked by a less  shedding of 
blood than almost any other war in      
modern times1 was  an engineers' war    
from first to last4 ,a wild and unknown 
country  was surveyed and accurately    
mapped out1 four hundred miles of  road 
constructed1 tube-wells sunk1           
photographs of various useful  kinds    
taken1 and a telegraphic system         
established4 ,the telegraphic           
arrangements first made had to be       
abandoned1 owing to the scantiness  of  

the facilities for transporting the     
necessary materials4 ,the more          
restricted plan actually adopted was    
difficult enough1 so limited  were the  
means of obtaining wood for telegraph   
poles4 ,on approaching  ,magdala1       
however1 ,captain ,st ,john 7who had the
 management of this part  of the        
engineering7 succeeded in laying down   
from five to ten miles  a day4 ,short as
 was the war1 this telegraph conveyed   
more than seven  thousand eight hundred 
messages during the five months of its  
working1  and aided most materially in  
giving effect to ,general 7now ,lord7   
,napier's well-planned and successful   
scheme of operations4    ,our strange   
,ashanti ,war gave further evidence of  
the formation of a  telegraph line      
through a wild country inhabited by a   
barbarous people4  ,lieutenant ,jekyll1 
who had the management of this work1 has
 given a  lively account of the         
difficulties that beset him1 and his    
mode of  overcoming them4 ,it was at    

first intended to fight the war with    
native  levies and to lay down a        
railway2 but ,sir ,garnet ,wolseley1 on 
landing  to take the command1 soon found
 that the natives were not sufficiently 
reliable1 that the country was almost   
impracticable for a railway1 that  he   
must have ,english troops1 and that an  
electric telegraph would be a  highly   
useful aid4 ,lieutenant ,jekyll1 with a 
small staff1 went inland  and bought    
bamboo canes of the blacks1 set them up 
as posts1 and laid  his wires from ,cape
 ,coast ,castle to ,coomassie at the    
rate of about two  miles a day4 ,a gang 
of fifty natives helped him4 ,of these  
worthies  he says3 ',they were not      
promising in appearance1 and ,i was     
compelled  to dispense with the services
 of those who were less than four feet  
high6 7,we italicise these words to shew
 what pigmies many of the ,west         
,africans are47 ,but they had with them 
an intelligent headman2 and by  dint of 
supervision1 supplemented by a little   

flogging once now and  then1 turned out 
a tolerably useful body for light work1 
as niggers  go4' ,the line was extended 
by degrees as far as ,accrofumu1 about a
  hundred miles from the coast4 ,an     
amusing proof was afforded of the       
tendency of the natives to regard the   
telegraph as a kind of fetich1  charm1  
or spell4 ,the ,english one day saw bits
 of white cotton-thread  suspended from 
tree to tree for several miles1 as if to
 obtain thereby  some of the mysterious 
benefits which the white man evidently  
expected  from the wire4 ,when the      
native helpers received small electric  
shocks  occasionally1 consequent on the 
testing or using of the line1 they  made
 sure that a charm was at work2 and the 
lieutenant was half afraid  his men     
would run away in terror4 ,the climate  
was very trying to the  ,english1 who1  
lying ill with fever1 got the natives to
 rouse them when  any movements of the  
receiving apparatus were observed4      
,nevertheless1  this telegraphic line   

rendered services much more than        
compensatory for  the expense1          
difficulty1 and anxiety of laying1      
maintaining1 and using  it4    ,the     
truly wonderful and eventful            
,franco-,german ,war of #ahgj-a         
exhibited  the value of                 
electro-telegraphy with a completeness  
never equalled  before or since4 ,a     
foretaste had been given in the         
,austro-,prussian or  ',seven ,weeks'   
,war' of #ahff2 when four complete and  
distinct telegraphic  organisations were
 adopted--one with ,prince              
,frederick-,william's fine  army2 one   
with that of ,prince ,charles2 one at   
the king's headquarters2  and one in    
reserve4 ,each could lay down wires as  
fast as the  headquarters could advance4
 ,the speedy termination of the war     
averted  the necessity of constructing  
field-telegraphs1 such as those about to
  be described4    ,when the ,german    
forces advanced to ,paris in the closing
 months  of #ahgj1 the plan pursued with

 the telegraph was as follows3 ,the     
ordinary commercial and railway         
telegraphs were gradually extended  over
 the frontier into ,france1 as the      
,german armies advanced4 ,the  field or 
tappen telegraphs maintained            
communication between the  base of      
operations1 the ammunition dpts1 and the
 advanced columns  of the various army  
corps4 ,when the sappers and miners had 
pushed on  to the vicinity of ,paris1   
the ubiquitous wire travelled with them4
  ,the materials used were light and    
simple2 the operators employed  to      
transmit and receive messages had been  
trained in the state  establishments2   
and headquarters were kept instantly    
informed of  any observed movements on  
the part of the ,french4 ,the telegraph 
was  indeed in constant use by the      
,germans--for arranging the transport   
of ammunition2 for hourly communication 
with the commissariat2 for  directing   
the conveyance to ,germany of sick and  
wounded1 as well as  prisoners2 for     

regulating the traffic on the field     
railways2 for  maintaining unbroken     
connection between the troops1 which    
formed  a belt of ninety miles'         
circumference around ,paris2 for        
summoning  reinforcements to any point  
where suddenly needed2 and to send news 
of  any gap in the continuity of the    
immense ring of soldiers encircling  the
 beleaguered city4    ,if any evidence  
were needed of the invaluable services  
rendered by the  electric telegraph in  
the war just noticed1 it was furnished  
by ,m4 ,von  ,chauvin1 who attended     
before a ,committee of the ,house of    
,commons on  ,postal ,telegraphs in     
#ahgf4 ,he stated in distinct terms that
 the war  could not have been carried on
 without this potent aid4    ,our own   
,english system of war telegraphy1      
organised at ,chatham1 has  been        
improved from time to time4 ,light iron 
telegraph poles are  provided1 to       
support insulated wires4 ,there is a    
travelling office on  wheels for the    

operators2 while the materials are      
carried in specially  constructed       
wagons4 ,so strong is the wire that     
wheels may go over  it2 and therefore   
the line is laid above ground or on the 
ground  according to circumstances4     
,spikes of peculiar form enable the     
wires  to be hung on trees or walls to  
meet the contingencies of towns and     
villages4 ,the nucleus of the staff of  
operators is a small body of  ,royal    
,engineers1 under their own officers1   
comprising about fifty  military men1   
with occasional assistance from         
others--well organised  into            
superintendents1 inspectors1 clerks1    
linesmen1 storemen1 artisans1  and      
labourers4 ,the wagons for materials    
contain drums on which the wire  is     
coiled2 this is unrolled as the wagon   
moves on1 which is as fast as  the      
operators can lay the line4 ,at the     
present time1 ten thousand miles  of    
prepared wire are said to be kept in    
store1 ready for any exigences4    ,we  

might go on to notice the aid furnished 
to warlike operations by the  electric  
light2 as for instance1 at ,paris in the
 closing weeks of #ahgj1  when such a   
light on ,montmartre enabled the        
,parisians to gather some  knowledge of 
what the besiegers were about at night4 
,but enough3 the  brief summary above   
given will suffice to shew how          
electricity is used  in war4            
,,nearly ,,wrecked4      ,,chapter      
,,iii4--,,wilfred',s ,,letter4    ,time 
went by1 and nothing happened to justify
 ,mabel's fears4 ,wilfred  seemed to be 
working hard and getting on well4 ,his  
talent was  pronounced unmistakable by  
the master under whom he was placed1 and
  he himself was in good spirits about  
his future4 ,but before very long       
matters began to change4 ,his letters to
 ,mabel were less frequent and  shorter 
than they had been2 he spoke with less  
openness and frankness  of his doings2  
and it was evident to her that there was
 a something  which he was careful to   

keep from her4    ,she longed to see ,mr
 ,merton1 to hear from him what news he 
had of his  son1 and whether his ideas  
about ,wilfred corresponded with her    
own2 but  she dared not speak to him    
about it4 ,she knew how hard he had     
always  been to ,wilfred1 how intolerant
 of all his faults2 and she knew well   
there would be little mercy to be hoped 
for him at his father's hands  if1 as   
she suspected1 he had been taking more  
to pleasure and less to  work lately4   
,she dared not even speak to her father 
of what she feared1  for could she      
expect even him to think as leniently of
 her dear one as  she did8 ,so she had  
to go on from day to day keeping her    
trouble--which  was not less difficult  
to bear because it was only             
suspected--to  herself4    ,at last1    
when ,wilfred had been about nine months
 in ,paris1 but too  certain proof      
arrived of how true her suspicions had  
been4 ,mr ,colherne  was staying away   
from home--a very unusual proceeding1   

and ,mabel was  left alone4 ,he had gone
 to pass a few days with a friend in    
,scotland1  whither it had been         
impracticable for his daughter to       
accompany him4    ,the morning after his
 departure1 ,mabel came down to         
breakfast rather  later than usual1     
singing a snatch of one of her favourite
 ditties1 and  burst open the           
dining-room door in a way that was      
indicative of her  lively feelings4 ,her
 eye lighted upon a letter that was     
lying in her  plate2 the writing was    
that of ,wilfred ,merton4 ,the missive  
was almost  illegible and very brief1   
and acted upon her gay spirits like a   
sudden  freezing4 ,it ran as follows3   
,,my ,,darling ,,mabel--,i must write a 
few words1 the last you will      ever  
have from me1 to tell you that whatever 
may appear1      however any one may try
 to persuade you1 ,i still love you2    
love you1 as ,i have done all my life1  
with all the best part      of my       
nature4 ,believe that1 ,mabel1 my own1  

always4 ,i write to      say good-bye1  
for ,i shall never see you again2 and   
yet ,i never      longed to see you as  
,i do at this moment4 ,i feel half mad  
now1      and hardly know what ,i am    
writing4 ,how shall ,i say it2 ,i have  
nothing to live for1 except disgrace1   
and ,i will not live for      that1 ,i  
am resolved4 ,once more1 good-bye1      
dearest and best4 ,try      to forgive  
me1 and then forget me1 as every one    
else in the      world will soon do4    
,,wilfred ,,merton4    ,for an instant  
,mabel sat quite still1 gazing straight 
before her with  one expression1 that of
 blank despair1 upon her face4 ,this    
sudden  fearful shock had quite stunned 
her4 ,but she was not a girl to remain  
inactive1 simply grieving over          
misfortune1 when there was anything to  
be done4 ,her resolution was promptly   
taken4 ,she rang1 and a servant         
appeared4    ',tell ,hawkesley to bring 
the brougham round as soon as he        
possibly  can1' she said2 'tell him not 

to mind how it looks1 but to be at the  
door as soon as possible4'    ',is      
anything the matter1 miss8' said the    
man1 astonished at this order4    ',yes4
 ,i have no time to lose4'    ',is it   
master1 miss8' he asked1 with that      
dreadful habit of his class  of         
questioning instead of doing what is    
wanted4    ',no2 papa is quite well4    
,but don't stop now2 go yourself to the 
stable2  ,i haven't a minute to waste4' 
,in a few minutes more she was seated in
 the brougham which was fast  making its
 way to ,mr ,merton's bank in the ,city4
      ,,chapter ,,iv4--,,the ,,journey4 
,mr ,merton was sitting in the private  
office of his counting-house with  a    
large book open before him4 ,just as he 
was in the middle of some  calculation  
which1 to judge from the expression of  
his face1 was pretty  abstruse1 the door
 opened and a clerk entered4 ,the banker
 looked up  with no appearance of being 
pleased at the interruption4    ',what  
is it1 ,mr ,chester8' he said1 rather   

angrily4    ',there is a young lady1    
sir1 who says she must see you as soon  
as  possible1 and alone4'    ',o        
nonsense4 ,i can't possibly attend to   
her4 ,don't you know who she is8'       
',no1 sir2 she wouldn't give me her     
name1 nor tell me her business4  ,i said
 that ,i was sure you couldn't see her2 
but she said it was  absolutely         
necessary that you should do so1 and    
that you would know her  directly4'     
',you must tell her that it is out of   
the question for me to see her1 if  she 
will not send word who she is1 or what  
she wants4'    ',there's no good1 sir2  
,i have told her so4 ,but she is quite  
determined  to come2 and ,i thought ,i  
had better speak to you1 as it seemed so
  strange to have her waiting about     
there4'    ',well1 in that case ,i      
suppose you must shew her in4'    ,the  
clerk withdrew1 and in an instant       
returned with a young lady who  had a   
thick veil over her face4 ,having       
ushered her into the room1 he  withdrew 

and shut the door1 leaving ,mr ,merton  
and his visitor alone4    ,no sooner was
 the door closed than the lady put up   
her veil and  disclosed the features of 
,mabel ,colherne4    ',why1 ,mabel6'    
said ,mr ,merton1 appearing considerably
 more surprised  than pleased at finding
 who his visitor was2 'what in the world
 brings  you here8'    ,mabel for her   
only answer put ,wilfred's letter into  
his father's hands4  ,he read it through
 without shewing any signs of either    
surprise or  regret1 and when he had    
finished it1 handed it back to her      
without  speaking4    ',well1 ,mr       
,merton8' she said1 feeling impatient at
 his silence4    ',well1 ,mabel8' he    
returned4    ',have you read the        
letter8'    ',most certainly4'    ',and 
have you nothing to say8'    ',what am  
,i to say8'    ',mr ,merton1' exclaimed 
,mabel1 hardly able to control herself1 
'can you  read such a letter from your  
son1 and not care about it8'    ',i have
 given up thinking of ,wilfred as my son

 at all1 ,mabel4 ,i gave  him the chance
 of rising in his odious profession by  
sending him to  ,paris1 and what has    
been his conduct in return for my       
kindness8 ,he has  done nothing but     
amuse himself1 and get into all kinds of
 disreputable  mischief4 ,i should have 
told you all this before1 and tried to  
persuade  you to break off with him2 but
 ,i did not do so2 in the first place1  
because ,i was sure you would not listen
 to me2 and in the second1  because ,i  
did not want to be the means of cutting 
him off from your  affection1 and thus  
rendering his amendment impossible4'    
',i have been afraid that something has 
been going wrong with ,wilfred  lately4 
,i wish you had told me before2 ,i might
 have been able to  influence him for   
good4'    ',i don't believe that any    
influence in the world would be useful  
to  him2 he is a thoroughly worthless   
fellow4 ,i paid his debts once upon     
condition that he would contract no     
more1 but ,i might have saved myself    

the trouble2 within a month he wanted   
more money4 ,i was not going to be      
guilty a second time of the weakness of 
saving him from difficulties he  had    
brought upon himself1 in spite too of   
all my warnings2 so ,i wrote  back to   
say that ,i would have no more to do    
with him4'    ',mr ,merton1 you will not
 keep to such a cruel resolution now1   
with such  a letter as this before you8'
    ',are you so weak1 ,mabel1 as to be 
taken in by such nonsense as this8      
,don't you see that being unable to get 
at me1 he is simply trying what  he can 
do with you8'    ',no1 ,mr ,merton2 ,i  
don't believe that1 and won't for a     
moment4 ,i trust  my own instinct1 which
 is a woman's natural guide1 and        
generally a  very sure one1 and ,i am   
certain that ,wilfred intends doing     
something  desperate4'    ',i have told 
you before now that my son is a foolish 
weak fellow1 and  not worth anybody's   
love4'    ',what is that to me1 ,mr     
,merton8' exclaimed ,mabel1 exasperated 

beyond  endurance4 ',i love him1 and ,i 
can hardly be expected to stand quietly 
by and let him be ruined1 because the   
affection you ought to bear your  son is
 wanting in your nature4 ,who knows but 
that the treatment he thus  received    
under his own father's roof may         
have'----    ',what do you wish me to   
do8 ,what is there that can be done8'   
cried ,mr  ,merton1 interrupting the    
girl's impassioned burst4    ',i want   
you to go with me to ,paris to see      
,wilfred1 that we may take him  away    
from harm1 if it be not too late4 ,if   
papa had been at home now1  he would1 ,i
 am sure1 have gone with me2 but ,i     
could not wait till he  comes4'    ',you
 can hardly be serious in proposing for 
me to go on such a wild  expedition as  
that1 ,i think8'    ',mr ,merton1 ,i am 
quite sure that that letter means more  
than you think2  and ,i am determined   
that he shall not be left to be ruined  
without an  attempt to save him4 ,if you
 will not come ,i must and will go      

alone4'    ',you are mad1 ,mabel6 ,go to
 ,paris alone1 and to see this worthless
  fellow6 ,what do you suppose the world
 would say of such conduct8'    ',i     
can't think of that when the person ,i  
love best on earth is in such  danger1  
as ,i am sure ,wilfred is now1 and there
 is a chance1 however  faint it may be1 
of my saving him4 ,i can answer to      
heaven and my own  conscience for what  
,i am going to do1 and ,i must brave the
 world4 ,i  shall write and tell papa   
what ,i have done1 and ,i am sure that  
he will  follow me as soon as possible4 
,good-bye1 ,mr ,merton2 there is no use 
in  my stopping here longer4'    ',stay1
 ,mabel6' he began1 detaining her as she
 rose4 ',i cannot possibly  allow you to
 go alone1 and ,i have of course no     
power of interfering  with your actions4
 ,if you really are bent upon this      
scheme1 which  ,i still think an utterly
 mad one1 ,i must1 for the sake of my   
own  reputation as much as for yours1   
accompany you4'    ',believe me that my 

fears are not uncalled for4 ,i am sure  
something  dreadful is going to happen  
to ,wilfred1 and ,i only dread being too
 late  even now4 ,i am very thankful you
 are going with me2 and am certain that 
you will never repent it4'    ',no      
thanks3 it is only necessity that makes 
me do it4 ,when do you  start8'         
',to-night1 if possible4'    ,mr ,merton
 looked into a ,bradshaw that was lying 
upon the table4 ',the  train to meet the
 night-boat leaves ,london at half-past 
eight2 to catch  that you must start    
from your house at half-past seven4'    
',i will do that4 ,will you meet me at  
the station8'    ',yes2 ,i will be there
 at a quarter past eight4'    ',good-bye
 till then2 and thank you again a       
thousand times4'    ,mr ,merton attended
 her to the outer door of the office1   
and she drove  home well satisfied with 
her mission4 ,writing to her father1 to 
tell  him everything1 and what she was  
going to do1 she packed a small box  to 
take with her1 and then did little else 

but wish the day1 which  seemed         
interminable1 gone4 ,long before it was 
necessary1 she was at the  station2 and 
punctual to the appointed minute1 ,mr   
,merton appeared4    ,after a journey   
that to ,mabel seemed endless1 they at  
length reached  ,paris1 and drove       
straight to the hotel in which ,wilfred 
lived4    ,as they stopped1 ,mr ,merton 
said3 ',you may depend upon it we shall 
find our trouble wasted1 and that the   
object of your anxiety is out  somewhere
 amusing himself4'    ,mabel did not    
answer4 ,she could hear her heart beat  
as she sprang  out of the cab2 and      
without waiting for her companion1      
entered the  court-yard of the hotel1   
and went to the den appropriated to the 
concierge4 ,that gentleman was reading a
 newspaper1 in which he seemed  much    
interested1 and did not look up as she  
came near him4    ',monsieur ,merton1   
est-il chez-lui8' she asked             
breathlessly4    ,the concierge put his 
finger against the word he was reading1 

in mute  protest against being          
interrupted1 and looking slowly up1 said
 rather  dreamily3 ',plat-il1 ,madame8' 
',monsieur ,merton1 est-il chez-lui8'   
she repeated more eagerly than  before4 
,the man turned round1 and walking with 
the most provoking deliberation  to the 
other end of the room1 where numerous   
keys were hanging1 looked  at the place 
appropriated to the one belonging to    
,wilfred's room1 and  seeing that it was
 unoccupied1 came back to ,mabel and    
answered3 ',oui1  ,madame4'    ',quel   
est le numro de sa chambre8'            
',soixante-deux1 au cinquime1' said the 
concierge1 returning to his  paper as he
 finished speaking4    ,mr ,merton had  
paid the driver and joined ,mabel as    
this conversation  came to an end1 and  
they started to mount the stairs to the 
fifth floor  as directed4    ,even      
,mabel's youth and energy could not     
prevent her from getting out  of breath 
in that long climb2 and by the time she 
and ,mr ,merton had  arrived at the     

fourth floor1 they were obliged to stop 
and rest4    ,before they had stood an  
instant1 they were startled by a loud   
report  of a pistol coming from the     
floor above them4 ,with a loud scream1  
,mabel sped up the remaining stairs and 
entered the room named by the           
concierge4    ,mr ,merton came almost   
instantly after her1 and found ,wilfred 
lying  insensible on the floor1 and     
,mabel kneeling by his side1 trying to  
restore consciousness4      ,,chapter   
,v4--,,saved4    ,within an hour1 two of
 the most skilful physicians that ,paris
 could  boast were with ,wilfred        
,merton4 ,and when they left him1 their 
verdict  was not one to give much hope4 
,he had shot himself in the chest1  and 
it was very doubtful whether he would   
recover from that fearful               
self-inflicted wound4    ,mr ,merton's  
anguish during those long days and      
nights while ,wilfred  lay at death's   
door was terrible to behold4 ,alienated 
as had been his  affection for his son  

while absent1 the feelings of parental  
love  returned tenfold1 now that he     
might be on the point of losing that    
son for ever2 and as he nursed his boy  
with that womanly gentleness  which is  
so touching in a man1 it was evident    
that his whole hope of  happiness was   
bound up in his recovery4    ,mr        
,colherne had1 as ,mabel predicted1 lost
 no time in following her to  ,paris1   
and though he could hardly feel the     
intense and painful interest  in the    
invalid that his father felt1 still for 
,mabel's sake he became a  willing      
sharer in the nursing4    ,as for       
,mabel1 hope was very strong in her1 and
 made that time of  watching much easier
 to bear4 ,she could not help believing 
that that  strong determination to cross
 the ,channel had been put into her mind
 to  enable her to save the one who was 
so dear to her2 and in that belief  she 
put her trust4    ,at last1 after long1 
weary1 sometimes almost despairing      
watching1 the  patient took a favourable

 turn4 ,the burning fever ceased2 and   
one day  the doctor told the anxious    
watchers that there was great hope2 that
  indeed1 unless any unforeseen         
complications arose1 there was nothing  
further to fear4    ,then the pent-up   
feelings of ,mr ,merton--that grief     
which he had tried  so unsuccessfully to
 conceal from his companions1 could be  
kept in no  longer2 he threw his arms   
round ,mabel's neck1 buried his face on 
her  shoulder1 and burst into tears1    
those tears which1 when shed by a man1  
are so inexpressibly painful to see4    
',mabel1' he said1 ',i owe all this to  
you2 if it had not been for you1 ,i     
should have been my son's murderer4'    
,mabel pressed her lips upon his        
forehead in silence2 her heart was too  
full of thankfulness for speech4        
,wilfred was very patient1 and manfully 
bore all the trials of the time4  ,as   
soon as he was well enough to be able to
 think of what he had done1  a feeling  
of intense remorse had come over him1   

and had taken such  powerful hold that  
at first it threatened to throw him     
back4 ,but the  gentle hand of ,mabel   
was a wonderful restorer2 a word or two 
of loving  assurance changed this bitter
 remorse into a quiet sorrow4 ,it       
happened  one day1 about a week after   
this1 that while ,mabel was reading at  
the  window of the invalid's room1 she  
heard ,wilfred's voice gently calling   
to her4 ,it was as if the voice of her  
lover had been suddenly restored  to    
him4    ',can you forgive me1 my        
darling8' he asked4    ',am ,i not a    
woman1 ,wilfred8 ,and is it not a       
woman's privilege to  forgive8'    ',i  
don't think you are a woman1 ,mabel2 ,i 
think you are an angel4' ,few  words1   
but conveying volumes4    ,from that    
moment her lover began to mend steadily1
 though still slowly2  every day there  
was more and more to hope1 until at     
length ,wilfred was  pronounced wholly  
out of danger4 ,and then one evening in 
the dusk1  when the lamps were being    

lighted in the street below them1 and   
the  increased hum and buzz of the later
 day were coming on1 ,wilfred and       
,mabel found themselves again alone4    
',mabel1' he said in a low voice1 when  
they had been quite silent for  a long  
time1 ',i have been wanting an          
opportunity to tell you all the  wrong  
that ,i have done4 ,shall ,i tell you   
now8'    ',yes1 ,wilfred1 now--in this  
twilight light4' ,she slid her hand into
 his  as she spoke1 and they remained in
 that position while he told her his    
story4    ,there was nothing new about  
it2 it was the old story4 ,led by bad   
companions into temptations1 his        
naturally lively and weak nature was    
not able to resist2 ashamed of himself  
for his own conduct when he  found      
himself outrunning his allowance1 and   
obliged to apply to his  father for     
help4 ,thrown into despair by his       
father's harsh conduct  to him1 he had  
plunged still more wildly into the      
excesses and  dissipations of his       

leaders1 till at last1 horrified at what
 he was  doing1 and seeing no means of  
escape from the snares in which he had  
allowed himself to be caught1 he had    
written that letter to ,mabel2  had     
waited1 vaguely hoping for he knew not  
what1 for some days1 and  had ultimately
 sought to put an end to himself in a   
fit of intense  depression4 ,weakness1  
that shoal which is even more fatal1    
because  more hidden than wickedness1   
had wrecked him1 as it has wrecked so   
many4 ,in the deep remorse that he now  
felt1 he greatly exaggerated the        
wickedness of his conduct1 for though he
 had been guilty of grievous  folly1 he 
had done no positive or irremediable    
wrong either to himself  or others4 ,the
 only actual definite sin he had        
committed was the  suicidal one1 from   
the consequences of which ,mabel's      
resolution had  happily saved him4      
,when he had finished this history1 he  
paused an instant1 and then  added1     
without looking at her3 ',and now1      

,mabel1 that you have heard  all this1  
do you still say that you forgive me8   
,can you still love me8'    ',a love    
would be very useless1 ,wilfred1 that   
deserted its object just  when it was   
most wanted2 ,i hope my love is a truer 
one than that4'    ',mabel1 my beloved1'
 said he1 drawing her closer to him as  
he spoke1  'if it had not been for you1 
,i should have been beyond the power of 
repentance now4 ,your affection has     
saved me once1 and it shall keep me     
from harm now1 for ever6'    ,before    
very many years had gone by1 ,wilfred   
,merton's name was known as  that of a  
successful young painter4 ,he and his   
wife were settled in  ,london1 and were 
able to live in very comfortable style4 
,they had no  children1 which was their 
only serious drawback to happiness2 but 
if  ever ,wilfred1 seeing his wife look 
longingly at some merry group of  little
 ones1 and guessing her thoughts1 tried 
to console her1 she would  put her hand 
into his and say1 her truthful eyes     

looking full at him as  she spoke3 ',i  
have you1 ,wilfred1 beside me1 and ,i am
 content4'           99       99        
99       99       99    ,the foregoing  
narrative1 which is founded upon events 
which actually  took place1 may be      
turned to advantage by those parents who
 are prone  to thwart the natural       
inclinations of their children1 or cut  
them  adrift without a proper guide4    
,the career of many a man has been      
blighted by the mistaken1 though perhaps
 well-meant policy of a father  who1    
desirous to see his son follow up his   
own profession1 has tried to  compel    
that son to work contrary to his        
inclination1 with results more  or less 
disastrous4          ,,gems ,,at        
,,random ,,strung4      ,the history of 
precious stones1 those beautiful objects
 which have  strongly appealed to the   
imagination of men in all ages1 has been
  written many times2 and yet their     
latest chronicler is doubtless          
justified in assuming that the knowledge

 of them in its practical sense  is not 
widespread2 that even in the jeweller's 
trade there are many who  are not       
skilled in detecting the real measure of
 difference between  one stone and      
another1 either by the specific gravity1
 which supplies  the essential test1 or 
by the minor tests of rarity and        
quality4 ,in  treating of the history   
and distinguishing characteristics of   
,precious  ,stones and ,gems1 ,mr       
,streeter has certainly conferred a     
benefit on  'the trade2' to the general 
reader the book can hardly fail to be of
  interest1 for it puts a captivating   
subject before him under a variety  of  
aspects1 and appeals successfully to    
imagination as well as to taste  for    
exact knowledge4    ,from the           
magnificent specimens which the rescued 
,sindbad carried away  with him when he 
tied himself with his turban to the     
roc's leg1 on  through a long succession
 of fable and of history1 diamonds will 
never  cease to enchant mankind1 having 

always taken the lead in interest1 as   
they have been supreme in value among   
those treasures of the mineral  kingdom 
which are called gems or precious       
stones4 ,ages before men  discovered    
that their beauty could be enhanced by  
handiwork1 their  rarity and their price
 had endowed them with a surpassing     
charm2 and  now1 when handiwork has been
 brought almost to perfection1 and      
science  has dispelled the mystery with 
which the diamond was invested1 they    
maintain their immemorial supremacy4 ,in
 company with ,mr ,streeter we may      
trace the beautiful things from their   
habitat in ,india1 the ,brazils1  ,south
 ,africa1 the ,ural ,mountains1 and     
,australia1 through their history  in   
the ancient times and in medieval days1 
when they formed the theme  of many     
fables and the object of much           
superstition4    ,the diamond dwells in 
the same lands and in the same strata   
with many  other gems1 but it is the    
most precious as it is the most         

difficult to  find2 and though its      
nature resembles theirs in many         
respects1 in one  it is unique--it is   
the hardest of all known substances1 and
 belongs to  those bodies which refract 
light most strongly4 ,its magnifying    
power  is greater than that of glass2   
but it is seldom used for microscopic   
lenses1 owing to the great difficulty of
 making them perfectly  accurate4 ,it   
was believed to possess double          
refraction1 but that has  been          
disproved2 and the deviation which gave 
rise to the error is  traced to the     
existence of internal air-bubbles1 as in
 amber1 by which  the course of the     
light is altered4 ,it is the triumph of 
cutting to  exhibit these qualities to  
the highest degree1 and thus did        
,babinet1 a  great authority on         
diamonds1 test them4 ',in a sheet of    
white paper he  bored a hole somewhat   
larger than the diamond to be tested3 he
 let a  ray of sunlight pass through the
 hole1 and holding the diamond a little 

distance from it1 yet at such an angle  
as to allow the ray to alight  on a     
point of the flat facet1 he found this  
facet to be forthwith  represented on   
the paper as a white figure1 whilst all 
around little  rainbow circles were     
delineated4 ,if the observer found the  
primary  colours red1 yellow1 and blue  
definitely separated one from the other 
in these little circles1 and if their   
number were considerable1 and  they     
stood at equal distances from each      
other1 then he pronounced the  brilliant
 to be well cut4'    ,from ,mr ,streeter
 we learn that in commercial estimation1
 coloured  gems stand far behind the    
diamond2 insomuch1 he tells us1 that    
this  stone represents ninety per cent41
 and the others altogether only ten  per
 cent4 of the quantity on sale4 ,a      
hundred years ago1 ,brazil became  the  
rival of ,india in the production of    
diamonds1 and the finders  were the poor
 mulattos and negroes1 who explored for 
them the sterile  wilds of              

,minas-,novas1 and sold them to the     
merchants4 ,the story of  the discovery 
of these gems at ,bahia is as follows3  
,a slave who came  from ,minas-,geres   
was tending his master's flocks in      
,bahia1 and he  noticed that the soil   
resembled that of his native place4 ,he 
groped  in the sand and found seven     
hundred carats of diamonds4 ,he ran     
away1  and offered the gems for sale in 
a distant city4 ,of course such wealth  
in the hands of a slave aroused         
suspicion1 and the negro was arrested   
and sent back to his master1 who tried  
in vain to come at a knowledge  of his  
secret4 ,at last he bethought him of    
sending the slave again to  tend his    
flocks at ,bahia1 and he watched him4   
,again the slave-shepherd  groped in the
 gem-hiding sand1 and the truth was     
discovered4 ,then came  numbers of      
wealth-seekers from ,minas-,geres and   
other parts of ,brazil1  so that the    
next year twenty-five thousand men were 
diamond-hunting in  ,bahia1 and the     

amount daily obtained for some time rose
 to one thousand  four hundred and fifty
 carats4 ,the trade was a prerogative of
 the  ,portuguese crown1 and ,lisbon was
 the chief emporium of the gems4 ,the   
precious things are of fluctuating      
value4 ,in #ahcf they were very dear2   
but in #ahdh the price fell2 and a few  
years ago there was 'a glut in  the     
market1' in consequence of ,dom ,pedro's
 having paid the ,brazilian  state debt 
to ,england in diamonds instead of      
money1 when the price fell  fifty per   
cent4 in the ,leipsic market4    ,mr    
,streeter1 who has great faith in the   
future of ,queensland as a              
diamond-field1 gives a most interesting 
account of the discoveries in  ,new     
,south ,wales1 that wonderful colony1   
whose long-delayed luck has  come at    
last1 and from all sides at once2 but   
dwells at length and with  exultation   
upon the ,cape diamond-fields4 ',south  
,africa1' he says1 'is  richer1 and its 
produce is far more to the purpose of   

modern history1  and to the supply of   
the precious stones1 which form our     
wealth of  gems1 than the old           
diamond-fields of the ,east or ,west4'  
,the history of  the discovery of gems  
in the colonies partakes of the romance 
which  attended the discovery of gold2  
and is not free from the tradition  of  
crime and misfortune1 which rests upon  
similar revelations in the  ,old ,world4
 ,idle as are the superstitions which   
impute specific evil  influences to     
certain gems1 it is not to be denied    
that there have been  many instances of 
'fatal jewels2' and that cruelty1       
injustice1 and  terrible human suffering
 have attended the rifling of the       
earth's bosom  for those mysterious     
treasures formed by her wonderful       
chemistry from  an invisible component  
of the atmosphere4 ,many of the strange 
stories  of medieval alchemists deal    
with the attempt to make diamonds1 and  
,mr  ,streeter tells us of the          
experiments which have determined their 

nature  and combustibility4 ,there is a 
fascination to the imagination in the   
following description of the burning of 
diamonds3    ',in #agej the ,emperor    
,francis ,i41 at ,vienna1 subjected1 in 
the presence  of the chemist ,darzet1   
diamonds and rubies worth six thousand  
florins  to the heat of a               
smelting-furnace for twenty-four hours4 
,the diamonds  were found to have       
totally disappeared2 but the rubies     
remained1 and  appeared much more       
beautiful than before4 ,in #agga a      
magnificent diamond  was burned at      
,paris in the laboratory of the chemist 
,macquer4 ,hence  arose a great         
discussion4 ,the diamond had            
disappeared2 but whither8  ,had it      
volatilised8 ,had it burned8 ,had it    
exploded8 ,no one could  say4 ,then     
stepped forward a celebrated jeweller1  
by name ,le ,blanc1  who asserted the   
indestructibility of the diamond in the 
furnace1  stating that he had often     
placed diamonds in an intense fire to   

purify  them from certain blemishes1 and
 that they had never suffered the       
smallest injury4' 7,this has been done  
also by ,mr ,streeter with similar      
results47 ',the chemists ,d',arcet and  
,bonelle then demanded of him that  he  
should make the experiment on the spot  
in their presence4 ,he took  some       
diamonds1 inclosed them in a mass of    
coal and lime in a crucible1  and       
submitted them to the action of the     
fire4 ,he had no doubt that he  should  
find them safe4 ,at the end of three    
hours1 on looking into the  crucible1   
they had utterly disappeared4'    ,then 
appeared upon the scene the famous      
,lavoisier1 he to whom the  ,convention 
refused a fortnight's reprieve from the 
guillotine1 just as  he was on the      
threshold of a probably sublime         
discovery in the science  of light2     
,fouquier-,tinville returning him for   
answer that the ,republic  had no need  
of chemists and savants4 ,in the        
presence of ,lavoisier1  ,maillard1     

another jeweller1 took three diamonds   
and closely packed them  in powdered    
charcoal in an earthen pipe-bowl in a   
strong fire2 and when  the pot was taken
 out1 there lay the diamonds in the     
powdered charcoal  untouched4 ,it was1  
however1 gradually discovered that it   
was only by  entirely shutting out the  
air1 and therefore the oxygen with which
 the  carbon combines1 that the diamonds
 were preserved from burning2 whereas   
by the simple admission of air1 of which
 oxygen is a constituent  part1 diamonds
 burn just the same as common coal4     
,this was proved  by ,lavoisier in      
#aggf2 and ,davy subsequently shewed    
that the diamond  contains no hydrogen4 
,so1 when the most precious object which
 the earth  produces is burned1 the gas 
formed from its combustion is just that 
which our fires and our gas-burners     
yield1 and our own bodies too1  by the  
combustion which attends their living2  
and1 says ,mr ,streeter1  'the old fable
 of the maiden from whose lips fell     

diamonds1 may have  a really scientific 
basis after all4' ,it takes immense heat
 to burn a  diamond1 and if it were     
possible to collect the black material  
which  covers the surface during the    
process1 it would be found to be simply 
soot4    ,the origin of the diamond is  
still a matter of scientific            
investigation  and dispute2 and the     
various opinions concerning it may be   
collected  under two heads3 7#a7 ,the   
diamond is formed immediately from      
carbon or  carbonic acid by the action  
of heat4 7#b7 ,it is formed from the    
gradual  decomposition of vegetable     
matter4 ,the various methods by which   
the  supporters of the respective       
theories suppose the transformation to  
have been wrought1 are full of interest 
and suggestion4 ,in ,brazil it  was     
discovered that the matrix of the       
diamond is itacolumite1 and it  is said 
that the gems obtained from itacolumite 
sandstone have rounded  angles and      
corners1 whilst those from the sandy    

schist are perfect  crystals4 ',if1'    
says ,mr ,streeter1 'this be a fact1 we 
must believe that  the agency which     
changed the sandstone into itacolumite  
acted also on  the diamond4'    ,whether
 in the mines or by the rivers1 whose   
'golden sands' are flecked  with gems1  
in rich ,brazil1 the labour of procuring
 these beautiful  gems is great1 and    
large specimens are rarely found2 so    
rarely1 that  big diamonds have their   
histories--terrible histories too       
often--like  heroes and race-horses4    
,they are weighed by the carat1 a word  
which  ,mr ,streeter considers to have  
been derived from the name of a bean1 a 
species of ,erythrina1 which grows in   
,africa4 ',the tree which yields  this  
fruit is called by the natives kuara    
7sun71 and both blossom  and fruit are  
of a golden colour4 ,the bean when dried
 is nearly always  of the same weight1  
and thus in very remote times it was    
used in  ,schangallas1 the chief market 
of ,africa1 as a standard of weight for 

gold4 ,the beans were afterwards        
imported into ,india1 and were then     
used for weighing the diamond4' ,it is  
estimated that in ten thousand  diamonds
 rarely more than one weighing twenty   
carats is met with1  while possibly     
eight thousand of one carat or less may 
be encountered4  ,an elaborate system of
 rewards and punishments is adopted in  
the  ,brazilian mining and              
river-searching works2 but it is        
believed that in  spite of this1        
one-third of the produce is             
surreptitiously disposed of  by the     
labourers4    ,the histories of those   
world-famous diamonds the ,sancy1 the   
,regent1  the ,koh-i-noor1 the ,blue 7or
 ,hope7 diamond1 and others1 have been  
related before1 and history and romance 
have dealt with the misery  and crime1  
the evil passions and the mystic        
fancies1 involved in the  stories of    
some of these4 ,in a few lines ,mr      
,streeter gives a sketch  of the        
,brazilian contribution to this         

many-chaptered story1 which is  not     
generally known4 ',the discovery of     
these precious stones in #agdf1'  he    
says1 'proved a great curse to the poor 
inhabitants of the banks  of the diamond
 rivers4 ,scarcely had the news of the  
discovery reached  the government1 ere  
they tried to secure the riches of these
 rivers  for the crown4 ,to effect this1
 the inhabitants were driven away from  
their houses to wild far-away places1   
and deprived of their little            
possessions4 ,nature itself seemed to   
take part against them3 a dreadful      
drought1 succeeded by a violent         
earthquake1 increased their distress4   
,many of them perished2 but those who   
lived to return on the #ahth ,may       
#ahje1 were benevolently reinstated in  
their rightful possessions4  ,strange to
 say1 on their return the earth seemed  
strewn with diamonds4  ,often the little
 ones would bring in between three and  
four carats of  diamonds4'    ,next to  
the diamond comes the oriental ruby1 and

 in former days it was  more prized than
 the gem1 which has a genus all to      
itself4 ,the ancients  gave immense sums
 for fine specimens of the ruby variety 
of 'corundum1'  or aluminous stone4 ,in 
,benvenuto ,cellini's time a perfect    
ruby of  a carat weight cost eight      
hundred crowns1 whilst a diamond of like
  weight cost only one hundred4 ,the two
 most important rubies ever known  in   
,europe were brought to ,england in     
#ahge4 ,one was a dark-coloured  stone1 
cushion-shape1 weighing thirty-seven    
carats2 the other a blunt  drop-shape of
 #dg-a_/af carats4 ,mr ,streeter thinks 
that the ,london market  would never    
have seen these truly royal gems but for
 the poverty of the  ,burmese           
government2 and adds an interesting     
account of the estimation  in which     
rubies are held in the distant ,land of 
the ,white ,elephant4  ,the sale of the 
two rubies caused such excitement that a
 military  guard had to escort the      
persons who conveyed the precious packet

 to  the vessel4 ,no regalia in ,europe 
contains two such rubies4 ,the smaller  
was sold abroad for ten thousand pounds2
 the larger has also found a  purchaser1
 but ,mr ,streeter does not tell us at  
what price4 ,the great  ruby of the     
kings of ,burmah is said to be as large 
as a pigeon's egg1  and of wondrous     
quality2 but is a treasure which no     
,european eye  has ever seen4 ,very few 
rubies pass out of the country2 the king
 is  excessively fond of these gems1 and
 prohibits the export of them4 ,the     
,burmese have strange notions about     
rubies2 'they believe that they  ripen  
in the earth2 that they are at first    
colourless and crude1 and  gradually    
become yellow1 green1 blue1 and last of 
all red--this being  considered the     
highest point of beauty and ripeness4'  
,the sapphire1 the emerald1 and the opal
 7the last erroneously supposed  to     
exist in ,india1 whereas it is found    
almost entirely in ,hungary71  the      
turquoise1 and the cat's-eye 7a rare    

variety of the chrysoberyl1  and        
inferior in hardness to the diamond and 
sapphire only71 are1  each in its turn1 
the subjects of ,mr ,streeter's lucid   
and learned  exposition2 after which he 
passes to the less valuable classes1    
pearls1 onyx1 and the gems used for     
engraving and other purposes4 ,the      
increasing estimation in which the true 
,ceylonese cat's-eye is held  7it is one
 of the most fashionable gems at        
present1 and there are  specimens in the
 market worth upwards of one thousand   
pounds71 renders  the following         
particularly interesting3 ',in ,india   
the cat's-eye has  always been much     
prized1 and is held in peculiar         
veneration as a charm  against          
witchcraft4 ,it is the last jewel a     
,cingalese will part with4  ,the        
specimens most esteemed by the ,indians 
are those of a dark olive  colour1      
having the ray so bright on each edge as
 to appear double4  ,it is indeed       
wonderfully beautiful with its soft deep

 colour and  mysterious gleaming streak1
 ever shifting1 like a restless spirit1 
from side to side as the stone is moved2
 now glowing at one spot1 now  at       
another4 ,no wonder that an imaginative 
and superstitious people  regard it with
 awe and wonder1 and believing it to be 
the abode of some  genius or djinn1     
dedicate it to their gods as a sacred   
stone4'          ,,the ,,inn ,,at       
,,bolton4      ,when ,i was a little    
boy--,i am now an old man of            
sixty--',aunt ,oliver1'  as we used to  
call my father's widowed sister1 was in 
the habit of  paying long visits at my  
father's house4 ,she had not long been a
 widow2  and though past the meridian of
 life1 was still a beautiful woman4 ,but
  what made her so exceedingly popular  
with all my father's children was  her  
repeated kindnesses1 displayed to us in 
the shape of various useful  and        
ornamental gifts1 carefully chosen to   
suit our several ages and  characters2  
but above all1 her wonderful            

condescension in giving up  her own     
pursuits on many a winter's night1 that 
she might recount to  us1 as we sat     
grouped around the nursery fire1 some of
 the incidents  of her varied and       
eventful life4 ,she had been a great    
traveller in her  day1 having been to   
,rome1 and even visited the ,holy ,land2
 and what is  more1 she had written a   
book of travels6 a circumstance which   
caused  us to regard her with a strange 
curiosity almost amounting to awe2 a    
feeling on our part which1 but for her  
uniform kindness1 might have  detracted 
from that universal love we one and all 
bore towards her4 ,one  of my aunt's    
adventures made a strong impression on  
my youthful mind1  and is even now1     
after a lapse of half a century1 still  
fresh in my  recollection4 ,thinking it 
might serve to divert those who have a  
fancy  for the humorous1 ,i have        
gathered up the threads of the story    
from the  storehouse of my memory1 and  
now present it in narrative form1 under 

the foregoing title4           99       
99       99       99       99    ,my    
uncle1 ,mr ,oliver ,brown1 was in the   
iron trade2 and in connection  with his 
business1 which was a very large one1   
was in the habit of  paying periodical  
visits to the manufacturing town of     
,bolton1 near to  which his principal   
iron-works were situated4 ,he usually   
paid these  visits alone2 but on the    
occasion of which ,i am about to speak  
he was  accompanied by my aunt1 who     
deemed it her duty to be with her       
husband1  as it was winter-time and he  
had only just recovered from a severe   
illness4 ,it was late in the evening of 
a bleak ,november day that the  coach   
which conveyed ,mr and ,mrs ,oliver     
,brown from their comfortable           
country-seat1 distant some fifty miles  
from ,bolton1 entered the noisy         
ill-paved streets of that bustling town1
 and proceeded to what at that  period  
was the principal inn of the place4     
,both travellers were tired  by their   

journey1 and after a hasty dinner1 were 
glad to retire to rest4    ',did you say
 number twenty-seven1 second floor8'    
inquired ,mrs ,oliver1  addressing the  
lady at the bar1 as she took a chamber  
candlestick from  her hand and proceeded
 to mount the stairs4    ',twenty-seven1
 second floor1' responded the landlady  
with an  affirmative nod and a gracious 
smile4    ',twenty-seven1 second floor1'
 repeated my uncle as he followed in the
  wake of his more active and           
enterprising helpmate1 who1 threading   
her  way up the spiral staircase and    
along a labyrinth of corridors and      
passages1 had already arrived at the    
dormitory in question4 ,mr and ,mrs     
,oliver were soon in bed2 and there we  
will leave them1 whilst we look  in at  
number twenty-nine on the same floor1   
and make the acquaintance  of ,mr and   
,mrs ,wormwood ,scrubbs1 the occupants  
of that apartment4 ,they1  like their   
neighbours at number twenty-seven1 were 
in comfortable  circumstances1 and like 

the latter1 not much given to travelling
  for pleasure's sake on a cold raw day 
in ,november2 but an affair of  business
 which demanded their presence at       
,bolton had compelled them to  sacrifice
 their ease and comfort1 and come to    
that town on this bleak  ,november day4 
,mr ,scrubbs had long been subject to   
attacks of gout  in the foot2 and as he 
had heard of this disease having a      
tendency  sometimes to shift its seat to
 the brain or the stomach1 when it was  
apt to assume a more serious type1 he   
had made it a rule to carry about  his  
person in the daytime1 and to place     
under his pillow at night1  a certain   
medicine which an eminent physician had 
assured him would  speedily arrest any  
such erratic tendency on the part of the
 malady  from which he suffered4        
,now1 on this particular night1 whether 
from over-exertion1 exposure  to cold1  
or some other cause ,i know not1 ,mr    
,scrubbs happened to be  visited with   
certain premonitory symptoms of an      

approaching attack of  gout1 whereupon  
he instinctively felt under his pillow  
for the valuable  specific ,i have      
referred to4 ,he then remembered he had 
inadvertently  left it in the pocket of 
his greatcoat1 which he had thrown upon 
the  sofa in the private sitting-room   
into which ,mrs ,scrubbs and himself had
  been ushered on their arrival at the  
inn2 whereupon1 being unwilling to      
disturb his better-half1 who was in a   
profound sleep1 he let himself  quietly 
out of bed1 and throwing his            
dressing-gown over his shoulders1       
proceeded to light his candle4 ,having  
done this1 he gently opened the  door   
and sallied forth1 leaving the door     
slightly ajar1 in order that  he might  
the more easily find the room on his    
return4    ,it so chanced just about the
 time ,mr ,wormwood ,scrubbs was        
proceeding  on the above mission1 that  
,mrs ,oliver ,brown1 who was too        
fatigued  to sleep1 suddenly recollected
 that she had left her reticule with    

her purse inside it on the table in the 
room where she and ,mr ,brown  had had  
their dinner2 and wisely considering    
that it would not be  prudent to leave  
it there till morning1 she resolved to  
descend to the  sitting-room and recover
 the bag at once2 accordingly slipping  
out of  bed1 she struck a light1 and    
opening the bedroom door1 stepped into  
the  corridor into which it led4 ,she   
then proceeded to assure herself by a   
reference to certain figures that were  
painted over the door-frames  of the    
several dormitories that the room she   
had just quitted was  number            
twenty-seven and no other2 and having   
satisfied her mind on this  point1 she  
left the door ajar1 and gliding swiftly 
along the different  passages and down  
the cork-screw-shaped staircase1 soon   
reached the  sitting-room1 whence1      
having found the bag she was in search  
of1 she  retraced her steps in the same 
rapid way1 exercising her memory as  she
 went along by repeating the number of  

the room to which she was  returning4   
,now ,mrs ,oliver ,brown1 who1 by the   
way1 had an undoubted bump for          
localities1 had formed an idea--and a   
very correct idea it was--that  number  
twenty-seven was the second room on the 
left-hand side of the  corridor2 but on 
her return1 finding the door of this    
chamber closed1  whilst that of the one 
adjoining it was open1 she not          
unnaturally  supposed she might have    
made a mistake in regard to the position
 of  number twenty-seven2 but in order  
to set all doubt at rest upon this      
point1 she was about to refer to the    
number on the door-frame1 when  a sudden
 gust of wind sweeping along the whole  
length of the passage  extinguished the 
candle1 leaving her in utter darkness4  
,thus situated1  ,mrs ,oliver ,brown did
 what most ladies 7and gentlemen also1  
,i think7  would have done under the    
circumstances3 she groped her way along 
the  passage till she came to the open  
door of number twenty-nine1 went  softly

 in1 shut the door in the same quiet    
way1 and got into bed1  where1 being    
greatly fatigued with all she had       
undergone1 she soon fell  fast asleep4  
,in the meantime1 ,mr ,wormwood ,scrubbs
 having repossessed himself of  his gout
 mixture1 had also returned to the      
corridor1 where seeing  a door ajar     
precisely as he had left his own1 he at 
once went in1  closed the door1 blew out
 his candle1 and popped into bed1 where 
my  excellent uncle was still sleeping  
as peacefully as a baby1 and utterly    
unconscious of the recent migratory     
movements of ,mrs ,brown1 which were    
destined to produce such an unlooked-for
 disturbance in the domestic            
arrangements of the two families        
occupying respectively numbers          
twenty-seven and twenty-nine4    ,mr    
,wormwood ,scrubbs1 however1 though now 
quite easy both in body  and mind1 was  
unable to sleep1 and lay awake1 first   
thinking of one  thing and then of      
another1 till he was suddenly recalled  

to the stern  realities of life by      
hearing his wife's voice proceeding     
apparently  from the adjoining room4 ,in
 a state of immense perplexity1 he      
struck  out with his sound leg in the   
direction of the sleeping figure at his 
side1 when having come in contact with a
 plump warm body corresponding  to that 
of his amiable helpmate1 he paused1 and 
suspending all further  investigation   
for the present1 calmly awaited the     
issue of events4 ,nor  had he very long 
to wait4    ,mrs ,wormwood ,scrubbs was 
a lady of a highly nervous and excitable
  temperament1 with whom1 when once     
roused1 it would be about as useless    
and dangerous an experiment to attempt  
to argue as with a tigress  surrounded  
by a litter of famished cubs4 ,she had  
just waked up from  her first sleep1    
when happening to put her hand upon that
 part of the  connubial couch where her 
,wormwood's head was wont to rest1 she  
found  it brought in contact with a lace
 nightcap1 and a profusion of long      

curls that had escaped from beneath it4 
',why1 what's this1 ,scrubbs8 ,what     
tomfoolery's this you're after8 ,what's 
this1 ,i say8' tagging1 as she spoke1 at
 the head-dress of her supposed         
husband4 ',why1 goodness gracious1 it   
isn't ,scrubbs after all6'--as  starting
 up in bed1 my aunt in gentle but       
startled accents implored her  to be    
quiet4    ',but who are you8 and what   
are you doing in number twenty-nine8'   
',number twenty-nine6 ,surely this is   
not twenty-nine1 but twenty-seven1'     
doubtingly returned my aunt1 as the idea
 suddenly flashed upon her that  she    
might have mistaken the one room for the
 other4 ',i think ,i can  explain it    
all4'    ',explain it all6 ,of course   
you'll explain it all1 and something    
more  than that1 before ,i've done with 
you1 you good-for-nothing impudent      
hussy that you are6'    ',for heaven's  
sake1 be calm1 my good woman1 or you'll 
rouse the whole  house1' expostulated my
 aunt in the gentlest manner possible4  

',don't good-woman me6' shouted ,mrs    
,scrubbs at the top of her voice1  as   
springing from the bed1 she seized the  
bell-rope and pulled at it  with a      
violence that threatened to carry       
everything with it4 ,amid  this terrific
 uproar1 ,mr ,scrubbs and his bedfellow 
,mr ,brown1 who had  been vainly trying 
to make themselves heard from the       
adjoining room1  suddenly appeared      
candle in hand upon the scene4    ,as   
oil cast upon the troubled sea will     
instantly reduce that element  to a     
state of the profoundest calm1 so did   
the sudden appearance of  ,mr ,scrubbs  
act as if by a charm to allay in one    
moment all the angry  feelings of ,bella
 ,scrubbs1 and where only a few moments 
before all was  violence and discord1   
there now reigned perfect peace and     
good-will4    ,the mutual explanations  
that ensued1 it is needless to say1 were
  perfectly satisfactory to all the     
parties concerned2 and after a          
readjustment of partners1 the two       

families once more took possession of   
their respective chambers1 where ,i need
 hardly say they were not again         
molested during the remaining part of   
that memorable ,november night4         
,,rockbound4      ,of the thousands of  
tourists who flock every year from all  
parts of  the civilised world to gaze   
upon the picturesque beauties of the    
,highlands1 to muse among the ruined    
aisles of ,iona1 or to listen to the    
diapason of the sea1 as it sinks and    
swells through the pillared caves  of   
,staffa1 few1 comparatively speaking1   
care to go so far north as the          
,shetlands2 yet these islands1 though   
generally bare1 have a beauty of  their 
own--the breezy1 ever-changeful beauty  
of the sea4    ,the scientific tourist  
will not fail to find something to      
interest  him in ,shetland4 ,there are  
bold headlands1 wide reefs of black     
crags1  and a flora which1 although     
neither rich nor varied1 has charms  for
 the botanist4 ,there are broad         

stretches of sandy beach1 not so        
sterile as they look1 but affording1 in 
hidden nooks and crannies1  no bad      
hunting-ground for a naturalist out for 
a summer holiday4 ,if  you are a member 
of the ,alpine ,club1 there are here no 
mountains for  you to climb1 but there  
are cliffs such as might well appal the 
most  practised mountaineer2 and in     
summer there is the sun1 shining in a   
cloudless sky nearly all through the    
four-and-twenty hours4 ,there in        
summer1 midnight is not like the        
midnights of more southern climes1 but  
is permeated by the rays of a sun1 set  
indeed1 but so soon about to  rise1 that
 there is scarcely any absence of light4
    ,if you are a painter1 you may have 
sea-views in abundance4 ,you may  choose
 your own time and place and grouping2  
early morning if you  will1 with the    
white mists rolling in over the         
shimmering sea1 and the  clamorous gulls
 hovering above skerries that are       
crusted all over with  dense clinging   

masses of sea-weed4 ,or you may wait    
till the ascending  sun rolls back the  
curtain of mist1 and the sea gleams out 
before you  a wide sheet of burnished   
gold1 spangled with the rocky islets of 
a  storm-swept archipelago4 ,the waves  
roll in at your feet--long majestic     
ridges of water1 dappled with lines of  
foam2 the wide swell of the  ,atlantic  
sweeping in from the far shores of      
,labrador2 while from far  inland some  
tiny streamlet tumbles down to the sea  
through a natural  copsewood of dwarf   
ash and birch and hazel4    ,bold points
 and headlands stand like brave         
sentinels far out to sea1  sheltering   
little natural harbours where the       
fisherman's boat rides in  safety4 ,tiny
 fiords run inland into deep glens1 with
 here and there a  fisherman's hut or a 
crofter's cottage4 ,perhaps1 however1   
you may have  a fancy for foul weather1 
when the sky darkens like a pall over   
the  sea1 and the storm-fiend rouses    
himself from his ocean lair1 and the    

tempest-tossed waves scud along in      
wreaths of foam to break in hoarse      
thunder upon the shore1 or hurl         
themselves in impotent rage against the 
face of the steep headland4 ,in         
,shetland you have grand alternations of
  calm and storm4    ,it is perhaps1    
however1 for the student of human nature
 that ,shetland  has the greatest       
attractions4 ,here he will find a       
simple1 kindly1  primitive set of       
people1 of ,norwegian descent1 but now  
anglicised  in language and usages4     
,they are1 however1 fond of old legends 
and  stories4 ,mrs ,saxby1 the authoress
 of ,rockbound1 a ,story of the         
,shetland ,isles1 in a pleasantly told  
narrative introduces us to this         
primitive people4 ,we have for the scene
 of the story an island called          
,vaalafiel1 five miles long1 and a      
little over two in width1 with a  tiny  
harbour1 and gray old mansion-house set 
in a strip of scraggy  pine-wood4       
,vaalafiel1 ,mrs ,saxby tells us1 'is   

coiled upon the sea  much in the way a  
kitten rolls itself together on the     
hearth-rug--the  creature's paws being  
represented by the narrow belts of land 
overlapping each other and forming the  
arms of our voe 7fiord71 whose  crags   
are very suggestive of claws4 ,rising   
abruptly from the shores  of this       
harbour1 the island becomes a hill1     
whose eastern side is a  precipice      
dipping into the ,german ,ocean4 ,the   
north point terminates  in a bold       
headland1 from whence the hill slopes   
gradually southwards1  until it ends in 
a beautiful stretch of sand1 kissed     
white by the broad  waves of the        
,atlantic4 ,the neighbouring islands    
cluster north and  south1 leaving deep  
narrow channels1 where the two great    
seas keep up  a perpetual warfare2 and  
he is a daring sailor who ventures to   
cross  those tideways when their dark   
hour approaches4'    ,under the old     
house of ,vaalafiel and the cliffs      
adjacent to it were  wide underground   

caverns1 such as in the 'good old       
smuggling times'  were no uncommon      
adjuncts to country houses1 and even    
manses1 if they  happened to be         
conveniently near the shore4 ,this      
smugglers' cave was  the scene of a     
tragedy1 such as was of no unfrequent   
occurrence among  desperate men in these
 lawless days4 ,a hasty blow struck in  
sudden  passion hurried one rash soul to
 its last account1 and darkened as with 
the brand of ,cain the lives of many    
others4 ,there is an old nurse1  full of
 well-nigh forgotten ,norse             
superstitions1 and a little lonely      
child1 the heiress of the rockbound     
islet1 whose dearest pleasure was  to   
watch the sea on the serene summer      
evenings when the sky became  like a    
poet's dream1 and earth and sea put on  
the glory of the clouds4  ,mrs ,saxby   
describes 'the ,shetland summer night as
 not dark at all2  it is merely a       
twilight1 which is prolonged            
sufficiently to assume  a character of  

its own4 ,not dark1 not light1 not a    
brief uncertain  mingling of both1 but a
 quiet earnest period of rest1 when     
,nature  dreams but does not sleep1 and 
yet is not awake4 ,we call it the dim1  
and you can discern objects quite       
clearly while it broods over the        
earth4' ,the wild winter nights have a  
grand storm-driven beauty of  their own1
 when the ,aurora ,borealis shoots forth
 a fitful light1 and  the nursling of   
the gray ,north 'catches glimpses of the
 beauty dwelling  in colour4' ,the      
solitary child ,inga1 bearing in her    
brave little heart  the burden of her   
father's dimly realised crime1 yet      
cleaving to him1  because he loves her1 
with an affection far stronger than that
 which  binds her to her cold unloving  
mother1 develops into a healthy spirited
  girl4 ,lonely and prosaic as her life 
was1 it was not1 however1 without  a    
salutary admixture of holidays and      
holiday amusements4 ,the lady of        
,vaalafiel1 although a somewhat stern   

disciplinarian1 was wise enough  to     
recognise the truth of the axiom1 that  
'all work and no play make  ,jack a dull
 boy1' and so upon birthdays and such   
kindred anniversaries  she somewhat     
relaxed the rigidity of her rule4 ,a fat
 bullock was killed  in honour of the   
young heiress1 and ,miss ,inga's        
favourite ,newfoundland  dog 7evidently 
desirous of contributing his share to   
the feast7 went  off one night to the   
hills and ran down half-a-dozen sheep4  
,it was  found that he had performed the
 service of a butcher in a perfectly    
scientific manner2 so the animals were  
carried home and added to the  larder4' 
,with such a superabundance of pices de 
resistance1 even the  crustiest old     
bachelor in the world might have found a
 picnic tolerably  enjoyable2 and ,miss 
,inga and her young friends had a most  
delightful  day of it in their sweet    
northern ,arcadia1 clad as it then was  
in all  its witching garb of summer4    
',the sun1' she says1 'rose in cloudless

  glory1 and everything was dipped in   
sunshine of another kind as  well2 for  
,aytoun' 7a divinity student quite as   
fascinating as ,the  ,modern ,minister7 
'had returned for the midsummer         
vacation1 and that  would have been     
gladness enough for me4 ,there were with
 him some of  his college companions1   
who made sparkling speeches1 sang hearty
  songs1 assisted in distributing prizes
 to the winning boats1 and then         
challenged the islanders to a football  
match4 ,which played best is  an        
undecided question to this day1 for each
 side had a method of its  own1 and did 
not comprehend that of its opponent4    
,then the people were  gathered on a    
smooth meadow near our house1 and the   
plaintive ,foula  ,reel called upon old 
and young alike to join in the graceful 
and truly  poetic dance of ,shetland4   
,the natural good breeding of the       
islanders  allowed us to remove every   
restriction on their pleasure1 which was
  characterised by a hearty enjoyment   

without the slightest approach to       
excess4'    ,as unlike as possible to a 
heroine of romance1 the child reared in 
this homely fashion is yet sweet enough 
to carry blessing and love  wherever she
 goes2 to heal old wounds with her      
simple beauty and  goodness2 to carry   
peace into the unforgiving              
relentlessness of her  mother's heart2  
and to efface the blackness of her      
father's crime  7justifiable homicide1 a
 soft-hearted jury would resolve it     
into7  with tender penitential tears4   
,miss ,inga is in truth a very lovable  
character1 innocent1 simple1 and yet    
intelligent2 gentle and winning  in her 
ways1 although she can be spirited and  
resolute upon occasion2  full of        
affectionate respect for her stern      
mother1 and of deep romantic  devotion  
for her father1 for whose sake she      
marries without love1  which no properly
 constituted heroine of romance ever    
does or can do1  but which many a good  
woman has done1 to find1 as she did1    

peace and  household joy and contentment
 at a good man's hearth4    ,many of the
 descriptive passages in ,rockbound are 
written with  considerable vividness and
 effect1 as for instance the storm1     
through  whose agency a crisis in the   
plot of the tale is worked out4 ',a     
tempestuous morning was breaking1 and   
sea and wind were uttering  wrathful    
warnings of what might befall the unwary
 fishers who were out  on the deep1 and 
,i looked out with eyes which scarcely  
saw--with a mind  on which impressions  
seemed lost4 ,as if still in a dream1 ,i
 beheld the  furious waves come rolling 
majestically from the far deep and break
  with thundering sound upon the rocky  
arms of our voe4 ,as ,i gazed1 there    
suddenly appeared round a point of the  
high land a little vessel with  closely 
reefed sails struggling in the sea      
between ,vaalafiel and its  neighbouring
 island4 ,her hull was partially        
concealed from my view  by the arms of  
our voe1 but very soon ,i seemed to know

 that it must  be the ,seamew1 and that 
she was attempting to enter the harbour2
  and a thought occurred to me which was
 suggestive of peril at once3  ,why do  
they try to pass through so narrow and  
dangerous a strait when  the storm is at
 its worst8 ,as if in answer to my      
thought1 the vessel  hoisted a flag of  
distress1 probably with a forlorn hope  
that some  wakeful eye might see it1 and
 then she lay to1 as trying to advance  
in  the very teeth of the gale4 ,my     
father1 everything1 was forgotten in    
that breathless moment1 as ,i watched my
 tiny ship thus turn1 pause1 and  enter 
the rocky path beset by death4 ,she was 
evidently being driven by  cruel        
necessity to dare so hazardous a piece  
of navigation1 and ,i soon  discerned   
that she was no longer manageable4 ,just
 then a gust of wind  still more furious
 than before caught her at a critical   
moment1 and in  less time than ,i say   
the words in1 she was tossing among some
 detached  rocks at the entrance to the 

harbour1 a total wreck1 and likely to go
  down every instant4    ',i had stood  
terror-bound till then2 but the sight of
 figures clinging  to the spars stirred 
me to action1 and ,i flew to arouse our 
servants4  ,they were soon hurrying to  
the neighbouring cottages1 in hope of   
assistance from any men who chanced to  
be at home2 and ,i ran along the  shore 
until ,i reached the crags opposite     
where the disabled yacht lay4  ,i was   
soon joined there by numerous women and 
a few old feeble men1  who shook their  
heads and groaned when ,i frantically   
implored them to  launch a boat and go  
to the rescue4 ,there's no an           
able-bodied man in  the island wha kens 
hoo to handle an oar1 they cried2 oor   
men are a'  at the haaf 7deep-sea       
fishing74 ,the ,lord preserve them this 
awfu'  hoor4'    ,then for a touch of   
simple pathos1 take the neglected       
child's scanty  recollections of her    
unloved childhood3 ',one of the few     
things ,i  remember is that ,i always   

wore a black frock4 ,this circumstance  
is  impressed on my mind1 because ,i    
had1 and still have1 a perfect passion  
for rich gorgeous colours4 ,nature in   
the gray ,north seldom gave my eyes  a  
feast of radiant hues2 no brilliant     
butterflies and flowers clothing  the   
earth in the garments of heaven2 no     
winter clusters of red berries  and     
wreaths of evergreen4 ,there were some  
old pictures in the house in  which     
scarlet shawls and purple curtains      
played a prominent part1 and ,i  spent a
 large portion of the time usually      
devoted to sleep by sensible  children  
in admiring these1 and conjuring up     
fantastic histories of  each portrait4' 
,altogether1 the book is sweet1 fresh1  
tender-hearted1 like a whiff of  the    
foaming ocean spray1 quite out of the   
hackneyed round1 and yet  sufficiently  
realistic to impress the reader with a  
conviction that  it is the record of a  
life which has been lived1 which1 if not
 the  highest aim of the novelist's art1

 is yet an indispensable adjunct to  it4
 ,we have only to add that ,shetland is 
now easily reached by regular  steamers 
plying between ,granton 7,edinburgh7 and
 ,lerwick1 the capital of  the islands2 
while we believe a small steamer plies  
from ,lerwick for  local accommodation4 
,a summer cruise in a yacht would1      
however1 be the  perfection of voyaging 
for the purpose not only of seeing      
,shetland1 but  ,orkney and various     
intermediate islands1 such as ,fair     
,isle and ,foula1  which are out of the 
way of general traffic4 ,to visit these 
distant  fragments of land in the north1
 forming the scene of ,scott's vivid    
romance of ,the ,pirate1 would furnish a
 new sensation never to be  forgotten4  
,,the ,,month3    ,,science ,,and       
,,arts4      ,the ,report of the meeting
 of the ,british ,association held last 
year  at ,glasgow has just been         
published in a goodly volume of more    
than  three hundred pages4 ,among its   
contents are ,reports of ,committees1 of

  which it may be said that the more    
widely they are known the better2  and  
bearing in mind recent disasters at sea1
 the ,investigation of the  ,steering   
,qualities of ,ships by ,professor      
,osborne ,reynolds of ,owens  ,college1 
,manchester1 appears the more           
interesting4 ',the experiments of  the  
,committee on large ships1' he remarks1 
'have completely established  the fact1 
that the reversing of the screw of a    
vessel with full way  on1 very much     
diminishes her steering power1 and      
reverses what little  it leaves2 so that
 where a collision is imminent1 to      
reverse the screw  and use the rudder as
 if the ship would answer to it in the  
usual  manner1 is a certain way of      
bringing about the collision4' ,this is 
an important fact1 for it is well known 
that collisions have been  occasioned by
 the very means made use of to avoid    
them4 ,and ,professor  ,reynolds says   
further3 ',it appears that a ship will  
turn faster1 and  for an angle of thirty

 degrees1 in less room when driving full
 speed  ahead1 than with her engines    
reversed1 even if the rudder is rightly 
used4 ,thus when an obstacle is too near
 to admit of stopping the ship1  then   
the only chance is to keep the engines  
on full speed ahead1 and so  give the   
rudder an opportunity of doing its work4
 ,these general laws  are of the        
greatest importance1 but they apply in  
different degrees to  different ships2  
and each commander should determine for 
himself how  his ship will behave4444   
,it is also highly important that the   
effect of  the reversal of the screw    
should be generally recognised1         
particularly  in the law courts2 for in 
the present state of opinion on the     
subject1  there can be no doubt that    
judgment would go against any commander 
who  had steamed on ahead1 knowing that 
by so doing he had the best chance  of  
avoiding a collision4'    ,the          
statements thus set forth are           
illustrated by diagrams which shew  the 

position of the vessel after reversal of
 the screw1 and the  position after     
steaming ahead4 ,the latter shews that  
collision would be  entirely avoided4   
,we frequently read that in future      
sea-fights the ram will be relied  on   
for running down enemy's ships and      
sending them to the bottom4 ,but  where 
is the captain at the present day who   
has had experience of  ramming1 and of  
other evolutions which will be required 
in a fleet  of steam ironclads under    
quite new conditions8 ,soldiers can go  
into  temporary camps and get experience
 in 'autumn manuvres2' but sailors      
cannot have mock-actions and run down   
ships which cost half a million         
sterling1 nor venture to try the        
eighty-ton-gun on their consorts4       
,hence there will be very much to learn 
in the first great naval battle4        
,under these circumstances1 ,professor  
,reynolds recommends that small         
steam-launches should be built of wood1 
each representing the exact  form of one

 of our large ships1 and that with these
 all possible  manuvres should be       
carried out1 and officers make          
themselves  familiar with all the       
effects of the screw on the rudder1 with
 all  the conditions of steering1 with  
all the evolutions requisite to  bring  
about or to avoid a collision1 and with 
the effects of ramming4  ,if strongly   
built of wood1 these little vessels     
would withstand an  experimental blow   
from the ram4    ,the value of such     
experiments would be real1 for it is now
 known that  the behaviour of a small   
copy of a ship is exactly the same as   
that  of the great ship1 in proportion  
to the size4 ,the waves set up by the   
launch bear the same relation to her    
size as the waves of the ship do  to the
 ship4 ,the recognition of this law     
marks an epoch in the progress  of naval
 architecture4 ,given a model1 ,mr      
,froude 'can now predict with  certainty
 the comparative and actual resistance  
of ships before they  are constructed4' 

,the ,report of the ,committee for      
investigating the circulation of the    
underground waters in the ,new ,red     
,sandstone and ,permian formations  of  
,england1 and the quantity and character
 of the water supplied to  various towns
 and districts from these formations1   
conveys information  interesting to     
everybody--for everybody drinks4 ,at    
,liverpool there  are wells sunk in the 
,new ,red ,sandstone which yield more   
than seven  million gallons daily2 at   
,birkenhead the same2 at ,coventry1     
,birmingham1  and ,leamington four      
millions and a half2 at ,nottingham     
nearly four  millions2 and at           
,warrington and ,stockport more than a  
million and  a half gallons every day4  
,the total makes up a large quantity2   
but  it is nothing in comparison with   
the supply which the whole area of  the 
,new ,red may be expected to furnish4   
,this area1 says the ,report1  is       
certainly not less than ten thousand    
square miles in extent in  ,england and 

,wales1 with an average rainfall of     
thirty inches1 of which  certainly never
 less than ten inches per annum         
percolates the ground1  which would give
 an absorption of water amounting to no 
less than one  hundred and forty-three  
millions three hundred and thirty-six   
thousand  gallons per square mile per   
annum2 which1 on an available area of   
ten  thousand square miles1 gives an    
annual absorption of nearly a billion   
and a half of gallons in ,england and   
,wales4 ,as if to heighten the  effect  
of this good news1 we are told the ',new
 ,red ,sandstone ,rock  constitutes one 
of the most effective filtering media   
known4444 ,it  exerts a powerful        
oxidising influence on the dissolved    
organic matter1  which percolates it to 
such an extent1 that in the waters of   
certain  deep wells1 every trace of     
organic matters is converted into       
innocuous  mineral compounds4' ,and     
again3 ',waters drawn from deep wells in
 the ,new  ,red ,sandstone are almost   

invariably clear1 sparkling1 and        
palatable1  and are among the best and  
most wholesome waters for domestic      
supply  in ,great ,britain4' ,after     
reading this1 may we not say that       
,undermere1  about which no one will    
quarrel1 is the lake whence great towns 
in the  north should draw their water   
supply8    ,during the meeting of the   
,british ,association at ,plymouth last 
,august1  the ,mineralogical ,society   
held their second annual gathering under
 the  presidency of ,mr ,sorby1         
,f4,r4,s41 who in his address gave an   
account  of a new method for determining
 the index of refraction of minerals1   
which can be readily employed in their  
identification4 ,this seems a  dry      
subject2 but it is one likely to be     
valuable and interesting to             
mineralogists and chemists1 and to lead 
to an entirely new branch of            
mineralogical study1 and to the         
discovery of a new class of optical     
properties of crystals4 ,for a proper   

understanding of the method1 a          
knowledge of optics1 of mathematics1 and
 other branches of science  would be    
necessary2 but we may state generally   
that it is based on  the fact1 that if  
an object1 when placed in focus for     
examination on  the stage of a          
microscope1 is covered with a plate of  
some highly  refracting substance1 the  
focal length is increased2 in other     
words1  the microscope must be raised a 
little farther from the object in order 
to restore the focus4 ,the distance to  
which the microscope has been  moved    
thus becomes a measure1 which can be    
accurately determined on  a scale to    
thousandths of an inch4 ,by this        
measure1 therefore1 very  minute        
differences of refraction can be        
determined1 and the several  minerals   
identified2 and ,mr ,sorby1 in          
conjunction with ,professor  ,stokes1   
,sec4 ,r4,s41 has arrived at certain    
definite conclusions1  which1 embodied  
in numerical tables1 may ere long be    

consulted by all  interested in the     
subject4    ,on this point ,mr ,sorby   
explained in his address3 ',on applying 
this  method to the study of various    
minerals1 the difference is found to  be
 very great4 ,we can mostly at once see 
whether they give a single  unifocal    
image or one or two bifocal images1 and 
form a very good  opinion respecting the
 intensity of the double refraction1 and
 easily  determine whether it is        
positive or negative4444 ,these facts   
combined  furnish data so characteristic
 of the individual minerals1 that it    
would usually be difficult to find two  
approximately similar4444 ,it has  been 
said that in studying the microscopical 
structure of rocks it is  often         
difficult to distinguish nepheline from 
apatite4 ,but the index  of nepheline is
 about #a4ec1 whereas that of apatite is
 #a4fd1 and such  a considerable        
difference could easily be recognised in
 a section not  less than one-fiftieth  
of an inch in thickness4'    ,the       

observations hitherto made prove that   
minerals may be ranged  in classes      
according to their refracting power and 
their chemical  composition4 ,the       
fluorides are lowest in the scale1 while
 quartz1  corundum1 the sulphides and   
arsenides1 are among the highest4 ,from 
these particulars it will be understood 
that researches into mineralogy  have a 
prospect of becoming more and more      
interesting4    ,as we have a ,british  
,association for the ,advancement of    
,science1 so  our neighbours across the 
,channel have a ,french ,association4   
,it met  last ,august at ,havre1 and in 
a few of its fifteen sections manifested
  signs of activity4 ,among the         
meteorologists1 diagrams were exhibited 
shewing clearly that the 'changes of    
pressure in the upper regions of  the   
atmosphere are by no means similar to   
those at the surface of the  earth2 for 
when the pressure at the lower station  
decreases1 it rises  at the upper       
station1 and the reverse2 or when it is 

steady at the one1  it rises or falls at
 the other4' ,a line of telegraph for   
meteorological  purposes is now erected 
from ,bagnres to the ,pic du ,midi1     
seventeen  miles4 ,the ,pic is nine     
thousand feet high1 and will be an      
interesting  observing station1 in      
constant communication with the lower   
regions4  ,a proposition was made that  
the ,transatlantic steam-ship companies 
should be requested to institute regular
 meteorological observations on  board  
their vessels2 and that the captive     
balloon of next year's ,great           
,exhibition at ,paris should be an      
observing station4 ,paris is chosen as  
the meeting-place of the ,association   
for next year1 and at the same  time a  
free international meteorological       
congress will be held4    ,during recent
 years it has been said that the marshes
 and saltish  depressions in the        
territory of ,algiers and other parts of
 ,north ,africa  were once covered by   
the sea1 and schemes have been announced

 for  readmitting the sea by cutting    
channels from the ,mediterranean4 ,mr   
,le  ,chatelier1 a ,french chemist1     
says--the existence of the salts is not 
due to the drying up of a former sea1   
but to the masses of rock-salt  which   
exist in the mountains4 ,from these the 
salt is dissolved out by  rain or by    
subterranean waters1 and the saline     
solution percolates the  soil to feed   
the artesian reservoirs which underlie  
the desert4 ,these  observations will   
require attention from geographers4     
,if any apology were required for a     
somewhat late notice of ,dr ,sayre's    
method of rectifying curvature of the   
spine1 it would be found in the  fact   
that among the arts the healing art     
holds an eminent place1 and  has special
 claims on every one's attention4 ,dr   
,sayre1 an ,american1 has  this year    
visited ,england to make known his      
method of curing those  malformations of
 the backbone under which many persons  
remain cripples  for the whole of their 

life2 and now that it is known1 the     
wonder is  that it was not thought of   
before4 ,in carrying out the operation1 
the  patient is lifted from the ground1 
and suspended by a support under  the   
chin and back of the head3 sometimes a  
support is placed under the  armpits1   
and sometimes the arms are raised4 ,in  
this position the weight  of the pelvis 
acts on the crook in the spine1 and     
pulls it straight2 a  bandage dipped in 
plaster of ,paris is then bound round   
the body2 a few  iron splints are       
inserted in the bandage1 and as the     
plaster dries1  a mould is formed1 which
 keeps the straightened bones in place4 
,the  suspension is now at an end2 the  
patient is found to be an inch or two   
inches taller than before the operation1
 and can walk without limping4  ,after a
 few days1 the plaster-mould is cut up  
each side1 to allow of  removal for     
washing the body2 but the two halves are
 quickly replaced  and held in position 
by a bandage4 ,in some instances six    

months'  wearing of the plaster-mould   
effects a cure1 and the patient enjoys  
an  ease and activity never before      
experienced4    ,this method of cure    
contrasts favourably with the treatment 
which keeps  the patient supine many    
weary months4 ,as may be imagined1 it   
succeeds  better with children than with
 adults2 but even adults have been      
cured4  ,a case occurred at ,cork1 the  
patient being a woman aged twenty-two1  
and  requiring a little mechanical      
pulling to assist in the straightening2 
but it was accomplished1 and she walked 
out of the room two inches  taller than 
she entered it4    ,mr ,hoppe-,seyler1 a
 learned ,german1 has published a paper 
on ,differences  of ,chemical ,structure
 and of ,digestion among ,animals1      
supported by  numerous examples1 which  
shew that according to the organism so  
is the  power to form differences of    
tissue2 and he sums up thus3 ',looking  
at  the question broadly1 we find that  
the chemical composition of the  tissues

 and the chemical functions of the      
organs present undoubted  relations to  
the stages of development1 which shew   
themselves in the  zoological system1 as
 well as in the early stages of         
development of  each individual higher  
organism4 ,these relations deserve      
further notice  and investigation1 and  
are qualified in many respects to       
prevent and  correct errors in the      
classification of animals4 ,it is       
generally  supposed that the study of   
development is a purely morphological   
science1 but it also presents a large   
field for chemical research4'  ,this    
concluding sentence is significant1 and 
should have serious  consideration4     
,waste pyrites from the manufacture of  
sulphuric acid is1 as regards  hardness1
 a good material for roads when mixed   
with gravel2 but  chemically it is not  
good4 ,in the neighbourhood of          
,nienburg1 ,hanover1  where roads and   
paths were covered with waste pyrites1  
it was found  that grass and corn ceased

 to grow2 and a farmer on mixing        
well-water  with warm milk1 observed    
that the milk curdled4 ,the explanation 
is1  that the waste pyrites 'contained  
not only sulphide of iron and earthy    
constituents1 but also sulphide of zinc1
 and that by the influence of  the      
oxygen of the atmosphere and the        
presence of water1 these sulphides  were
 gradually converted into the           
corresponding sulphates2' and these1    
continually extracted by the rain-water1
 soaked into the soil1  contaminated the
 wells1 and produced other injurious    
effects4    ,the want of really         
efficient names to distinguish various  
kinds  of manufactured iron has long    
been felt in the iron trade4 ,the       
,philadelphia ,exhibition gave rise to a
 ,commission which1 after  discussion of
 the question1 have recommended that all
 malleable  compounds of iron similar to
 the substance called wrought-iron shall
  be called 'weld-iron2' that compounds 
similar to the product hitherto  known  

as puddled steel1 shall be called       
'weld-steel2' that compounds  which     
cannot be appreciably hardened when     
placed in water while red-hot  shall be 
called 'ingot-iron2' and that compounds 
of this latter  which from any cause are
 capable of being tempered1 shall be    
called  'ingot-steel4'    ,by further   
exercise of his inventive abilities1    
,major ,moncrieff has  produced a       
hydro-pneumatic spring gun-carriage     
perfectly adapted for  use in the field4
 ,a gun mounted on this carriage could  
be made ready  for action within ten    
minutes after its arrival in the        
trenches4    ,the ,science and ,art     
,department have commenced the          
publication of  a ',universal ,art      
,inventory1 consisting of brief ,notes  
of ,fine and  ,ornamental ,art executed 
before the year #ahjj chiefly to be     
found in  ,europe4' ,this is a          
praiseworthy undertaking1 for there are 
so many  rarities of art which can never
 be seen by the multitude1 which can    

never be moved from their place or      
purchased1 that an inventory thereof    
with descriptive notes cannot fail to be
 of great utility4 ,nearly all  the     
governments of ,europe and many royal   
personages are co-operating  in this    
work1 which includes reproductions in   
possible instances4  ,some of these     
reproductions are well known to the     
frequenters of the  ,south ,kensington  
,museum2 for example1 the great         
mantel-piece from the  ,palais de       
,justice at ,bruges2 ,trajan's ,column  
from ,rome2 a ,buddhist  gateway from   
,india1 of the first century2 a monument
 from ,nuremberg1  and other elaborate  
works4 ,as a means of reference1 this   
,inventory  will be welcome to many a   
student1 and as it necessarily will take
  many years to complete1 there will be 
the pleasure of watching for  fresh     
instalments of information4 ,but all    
students should remember  that 'the laws
 of design are as definite as those of  
language1 with  much the same questions 

as to order1 relationship1 construction 
or  elegance2 differing for dissimilar  
styles as for divers tongues4 ,the      
pupil in design has similar obstacles to
 encounter with those of the  schoolboy 
in his alphabet and grammar2 the ability
 to use the pencil or  the brush will no
 more produce an artist than the        
acquirement of the  writing-master's art
 with ,lindley ,murray's rules will make
 a poet4'    ,professor ,justin ,winsor1
 one of the ,american delegates to the  
conference of librarians held last      
month1 points out with much  earnestness
 that by the extension of libraries a   
great impetus may be  given to national 
education1 and an opening made at the   
same time for  the employment of women4 
,in ,america1 pains have been taken to  
engage  men and women in the work who   
are content to labour to attain the     
level  of a far higher standard than the
 public at large have been usually      
willing to allow as the test of         
efficiency4 ',we believe1' remarks the  

,professor1 'that libraries are in the  
highest sense public charities2  that   
they are missionary enterprises2 that it
 is to be supine if we  are simply      
willing to let them do their unassisted 
work2 that it is  their business to see 
two books read instead of one1 and good 
books  instead of bad4 ,to this end it  
has been urged that one of our principal
  universities shall have a course of   
bibliography and training in  library   
economy4'    ,in reply to various       
correspondents1 we beg to state that the
  information regarding the manufacture 
of vegetable isinglass in ,rouen1  which
 appeared under the head of ,a ,few     
,french ,notes in ,no4 #gag of  this    
,journal1 was taken from ,l',arme       
,scientifique1 a work compiled  by the  
well-known ,french savant1 ,m4 ,l4      
,figuier4 ,as there seems to be  some   
difficulty in reconciling ,m4 ,figuier's
 statements with the present  state of  
the process as carried on in ,france1 we
 are making further  inquiry1 and hope  

to be able to give early and definite   
information4          ,a ,,fearful      
,,swing4      ,the ',shaftmen' at our   
collieries are selected for their       
physical  strength and pluck1 in        
addition to the skill and practical     
knowledge  required for their particular
 work4 ,the incident we are about to    
relate  will shew how severely the      
former of these qualifications may at   
times  be tested4    ,the work of these 
men is confined to the shaft of the pit1
 and consists  mainly in repairing the  
'tubbing' or lining of the shaft1       
stopping  leaks1 or removing any        
obstructions interfering with the free  
passage  of the cages up and down the   
pit4 ,the coal-pit at ,n---- has a      
double  shaft1 divided by a 'bratticing'
 or wooden partition4 ,these divisions  
we will call ,a and ,b4 ,two cages 7the 
vehicles of transport up and down  the  
pit7 ascend and descend alternately in  
shaft ,a4 ,at a certain point  the shaft
 is widened1 to allow the cages to pass 

each other1 and their  simultaneous     
arrival at this point is insured by the 
arrangement of the  wire-ropes on the   
winding-wheels over the pit-mouth4 ,the 
oscillation of  the cages is guarded    
against by wooden guiders running down  
each side  of the shaft1 which fit into 
grooves in the sides of the cage4    ,on
 one occasion during a very severe frost
 these guiders had become  coated with  
ice1 and thus their free passage in the 
grooves of the  cages was interfered    
with4 ,before this obstruction was      
discovered1 the  engine having been set 
in motion1 the downward cage1 which     
fortunately  was empty at the time1     
stuck fast in the shaft before arriving 
at the  passing-point4 ,the ascending   
cage1 whose only occupant was a small   
boy  returning to 'bank1' proceeding on 
its upward course1 crashed into the     
downward cage in the narrow part of the 
shaft1 where of course there  was only a
 single passage4 ,though the shock was  
something terrific1 the  steel rope was 

not broken2 as the engineman1 whose     
responsible position  entails the       
greatest presence of mind and           
watchfulness1 had stopped the  engine on
 the first indication of an unusual     
tremor in the rope4 ,yet  such was the  
violence of the meeting1 that both      
cages1 though strongly  constructed of  
iron1 were bent and broken--in fact     
rendered useless--by  being thus jammed 
together in a narrow space4 ,the        
greatest anxiety was  felt as to the    
fate of the boy1 as it was seen that    
even if he had  escaped with his life   
after such a severe crash1 his rescue   
would be a  work of great danger and    
difficulty4    ,we may imagine the      
horror of the poor little fellow while  
suspended  in the shattered cage over a 
gulf some four hundred feet deep1 both  
cages firmly wedged in the shaft1 and   
the ropes rendered useless for  any     
means of descent to the scene of the    
catastrophe4 ,the readiest  way of      
approach seemed to be by shaft ,b1 the  

position of which we  have indicated    
above4 ,down this then1 a ,shaftman1    
whom we will call  ,johnson1 descended  
in a cage until he arrived at an opening
 in the  brattice-work by which he could
 enter shaft ,a4 ,he found himself 7as  
he  supposed7 at a point a little above 
where the accident had occurred2  and   
this conclusion he came to from seeing  
two ropes leading downwards1  which he  
naturally took to be those by which the 
cages were suspended4  ,under this      
impression he formed the design of      
sliding down one of the  ropes1 with a  
view to liberating1 if possible1 the    
entangled cages and  securing the safety
 of the unfortunate boy4 ,the hardy     
fellow was soon  gliding through the    
darkness on his brave and dangerous     
errand4 ,he had  descended about forty  
feet1 when1 to his horror and amazement1
 his  course was suddenly checked by a  
bend in the rope2 and the terrible      
discovery flashed upon him1 that he was 
suspended in the loop of the  slack     

rope1 which here took a return course to
 the top of the downward  cage6    ,it  
will be understood that when the        
descending cage stuck upon the  runners1
 as the rope continued to unwind from   
the pulley it hung down  in a loop1     
descending lower and lower1 until the   
engine was stopped by  the meeting of   
the cages4 ,this loop or 'bight' was    
naturally mistaken  by ,johnson for the 
two ropes1 and he did not discover until
 he found  himself in the fearful       
situation described1 that he had entered
 through  the brattice into shaft ,a    
below instead of above where the cages  
were fixed4 ,there he hung then1 over a 
yawning abyss many fathoms  deep--closed
 from above by the locked cages--all    
below looming dark and  horrible4       
,none of course knew his danger2 his    
hands were chilled by the freezing      
rope2 his arms1 already fully exercised1
 began to ache and stiffen with  the    
strain and intense cold1 added to the   
bewildering sense of hopeless  peril4   

,good need there was then that pluck and
 endurance be found in  the ,shaftman6  
,his square sturdy frame and unflinching
 spirit were now  on their trial4 ,had  
his presence of mind gone or his nerve  
failed1 he  must have been paralysed    
with fear1 lost his hold1 and been      
dashed into  an unrecognisable mass4    
,but self-preservation is a potent law1 
and working in such a spirit he  framed 
a desperate plan for a struggle for     
life4 ,the guiders running  down the    
inside of the shaft are fastened on to  
cross-beams about six  feet apart4      
,johnson hoped that if he could reach   
one of these1 he might  obtain a footing
 whereon to rest1 and by their means    
clamber up to the  opening in the       
brattice-work4 ,how to reach them was   
the next question  that flashed         
lightning-like through his brain4 ,this 
he essayed to do  by causing the rope to
 oscillate from side to side1 hoping    
thus to  bring himself within reach of  
one of the cross-beams4 ,and now        

commenced  a fearful swing4 ,gaining a  
lodgment with one knee in the loop1 he  
set the rope swinging by the motion of  
his body1 grasping out wildly  with one 
hand each time he approached the side of
 the shaft4 ,once1  twice1 thrice6 he   
felt the cold icy face of the 'tubbing1'
 but as yet  nothing except slimy boards
 met his grasp1 affording no more hold  
than  the glassy side of an iceberg4 ,at
 last he touched a cross-beam1 to  which
 his iron muscles1 now fully roused to  
their work1 held on like  a vice4 ,he   
soon found footing on the beam below1   
and then letting go  the treacherous    
rope1 rested in comparative security    
before beginning  the perilous ascent4  
,with incredible endurance of nerve and 
muscle he  clambered upward alongside   
the guider1 by the aid of the           
cross-beams1  and by thrusting his hands
 through the crevices of the timber4 ,in
 this  manner he reached the opening    
into shaft ,b1 where the cage in which  
he  had descended was waiting4 ,chilled1

 cramped1 and frozen1 and barely  able  
to give the signal1 he was drawn to the 
pit-mouth prostrate and  exhausted4 ,the
 boy was rescued unhurt by a man being  
lowered to the  top of the cages in     
shaft ,a4 ,johnson suffered no ill      
consequences1 and  though a hero above  
many known to fame1 he still pursues his
 hardy task  as a ,shaftman2 while      
beneath the homely exterior still lives 
the pluck  and sinew of iron that did   
not fail him even in his ,fearful       
,swing4          ,,to ,,my ,,robin      
,,redbreast4        ,the following lines
 are taken from ,the ,captive ,chief1 a 
,tale of      ,flodden ,field1 by ,james
 ,thomson 7,h4 ,h4 ,blair1 ,alnwick1    
#ahga74          ,now keenly blows the  
northern blast2      ,like winter hail  
the leaves fall fast1      ,and my pet  
,robin's come at last                   
,to our old thorn2      ,with warbling  
throat and eye upcast                   
,he greets the morn2        ,like some  
true friend you come to cheer1          

,when all around is dark and drear4     
,and oh6 what friend to me more dear    
,than your sweet sel'8      ,your mellow
 voice falls on my ear                  
,like some sweet spell4        ,oft at  
the gloaming's pensive hour1      ,when 
clouds above me darkly lower1      ,i've
 sought a seat in some lone bower1      
,with heart opprest2      ,you soothed  
me with your magic power1               
,and calmed my breast4        ,when     
,morning dons her sober gray      ,to   
usher in the coming day1      ,and      
,phbus shines with sickly ray           
,on all around1      ,no warblers greet 
him from the spray                      
,with joyous sound4        ,but you1    
sweet bird1 unlike the throng1          
,salute him with a joyous song4         
,when heavy rains and sleet prolong     
,the dreary day1      ,you chant to him 
your evening song                       
,upon the spray4        ,no blackbird   
whistles in the grove1      ,where late 
in chorus sweet they strove2      ,no   

warbler's tongue is heard to move1      
,but all is sad2      ,no cushat woos   
his amorous love                        
,in hazel glade4           99       99  
99       99       99    ,printed and    
,published by ,w4  ,r4 ,,chambers1 #dg  
,paternoster ,row1 ,,london1  and #cci  
,high ,street1 ,,edinburgh4           99
       99       99       99       99    
,all ,rights ,reserved4