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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b308834 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #51784 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51784) diff --git a/old/51784-0.txt b/old/51784-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 50ecc05..0000000 --- a/old/51784-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2164 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, -Science, and Art, No. 727, December 1, 18, by Various - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 727, December 1, 1877 - -Author: Various - -Editor: William Chambers - Robert Chambers - -Release Date: April 18, 2016 [EBook #51784] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL, DEC 1, 1877 *** - - - - -Produced by Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL - -OF - -POPULAR - -LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART. - -Fourth Series - -CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM AND ROBERT CHAMBERS. - -NO. 727. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1877. PRICE 1½_d._] - - - - -COSTERS AND THEIR DONKEYS. - - -In walking through any part of the metropolis--be it in the City, -the West End, or any part of the suburbs north or south--you will, -especially if early in the day, see men with wheeled trucks drawn by -donkeys, and laden with fish, vegetables, or other articles for sale -to the inhabitants. Rough as they are in appearance, and poor as may -be their commercial outset, these are a useful class of persons; and -looking to the vastness of the population crowded within a wide but -yet limited space, one has a difficulty in knowing how the ordinary -life of many individuals could get on without them. A small town could -manage pretty well with a few shops. But in the metropolis, in which -there are now from three to four millions of people, the shop-system -does not fulfil the general wants; and supernumeraries with trucks to -hawk their wares among customers, have sprung up as a convenience and -necessity. The name given to these humble street-traders is Costers -or Costermongers. Their professional designation is of old date, and -is traced to Costard, a large variety of apple. Costermongers were -therefore originally street-sellers of apples. The apple might be -termed their cognisance. - -Henry Mayhew, in that laboriously constructed and vastly amusing work -of his, _London Labour and London Poor_, issued some six-and-twenty -years ago, describes the costermongers as numbering upwards of thirty -thousand. It might be inferred that in the progress of time, the number -would have increased; but such, we believe, is not the case. Social -arrangements have considerably altered. Owing to police regulations, -there is a greater difficulty in finding standing-room in the street -for barrows. By improved market arrangements and means of transport, -small shopkeepers in humble neighbourhoods have become rivals to the -costers. As regards means of transport for traders of all sorts, there -has been immense progress within the last few years, on account of the -abolition of taxes on spring-carts, and latterly the abolition of -taxes on horses. We might say that for these reasons alone there are in -all large towns ten times more spring-carts and vans for distribution -of goods from shops than there were a very few years ago. Of course, -all this has limited the traffic of itinerant vendors, and prevented -any great increase in their number. Under such drawbacks, however, -there are probably still as many as thirty thousand costermongers in -and about the metropolis. The young and more rudimental of the class do -not get the length of possessing donkeys. They begin with hand-trucks, -which they industriously tug away at, until by an improvement in -circumstances they can purchase, and start a donkey. Having attained -the distinction of driving instead of personally hauling, they have -enviedly reached the aristocracy of the profession. They are full-blown -costers, and can set up their face in all popular assemblages of the -fraternity. A costermonger driving his donkey and habitually taking -orders for carrots or turnips as he passes the doors of anticipated -customers, is in his way a great man. At all events he presents a -spectacle of honest labour, and is immensely more to be respected than -the pompous 'swell' who sponges on relations, who is somewhat of a -torturation, and who never from the day of his birth did a good hand's -turn. - -Mayhew, who deserves to be called the historian of London -street-dealers of all descriptions, gives a far from pleasing picture -of the social condition and habits of the costermongers. With all their -industry, they are spoken of as for the most part leading a dismally -reckless kind of life--spending their spare hours at 'penny gaffs,' a -low species of dancing saloons, and so on. What he mentions is just -what might be expected in a loose, uneducated, and generally neglected -population of a great city. If you allow people to grow up very much -like the lower animals, what are you to expect in the way of delicacy? -You may be thankful that with the innumerable disadvantages of their -condition, and the temptations that surround them, they have the rough -good sense to work for their livelihood, however vagabondising may be -their enterprise. - -The lapse of thirty years has made a considerable change for the better -in the social economics of the costermongers. They have participated -in, and been benefited by, those elevating influences which have -been assiduously cultivated by city missionaries, by the press, and -other agencies. Penny gaffs have almost disappeared. The licenses -compulsorily required for singing, music, dancing, and dramatic rooms -may be said to have killed them. The costers with advanced tastes and -intelligence seek for more rational recreations than were customary -in the past generation. Attached to home life, marriages amongst them -are more numerous; they pay greater attention to their children; they -read more and drink less; notably they are better dressed and kinder -to their donkeys. On this last particular we would specially dwell. A -consideration for the comforts of the animals dependent on our bounty -marks an advance in civilisation. The character of a man may indeed -be known from the manner in which he treats his horse, his dog, his -ass, or any other creature of which he is the owner. Rude treatment -to any of these dumb and defenceless beings who willingly minister to -our profit or pleasure, indicates a low type of humanity. The London -coster used to be careless about his donkey. As concerns its food, its -style of harness, its stabling, and its hours of work, there was no -particular attention. Such, generally speaking, is no longer the case. -We might say that the rights and feelings of the animal are respected. -So to speak, it is better dressed, and is more lively in its aspect. -In its face there seems to be a spirit of contentment. The coster, its -master, pats it, and addresses it in a far more encouraging and kindly -way than was customary in our early days, or even so lately as twenty -years ago. - -All this is as it should be. Has it ever occurred to any one to inquire -why the donkey should have so long been held in contempt and been -cruelly tyrannised over? In the East, and in the south of Europe, -the ass is esteemed as a useful beast of burden. Alpine regions -inaccessible to wheel-carriages, would not be habitable without the -services of this sure-footed and easily-kept animal. It is the only -carrier, and may be seen patiently toiling with laden panniers on -narrow pathways far up in the mountains. In our own country, as an aid -in various laborious occupations, the donkey has never been properly -appreciated, but on the contrary, it has met with such shameful -usage as to stunt it in its growth and sorely to try its naturally -gentle temper. Reasons could perhaps be assigned for this undeserved -contumely. The poor donkey has no great claim to elegance of form. Its -long ears are a reproach; no one being apparently aware that Nature -has bountifully granted these long trumpet-shaped ears to enable it to -hear at a great distance, and if necessary to escape from its enemies. -Another reason is, that the donkey is too patient and meek to resent -affronts. Its submissiveness is imputed to stupidity. If it could stand -up for its rights, it would be more thought of. The lion, which is of -no use whatever, and is nothing else than a ferocious wild beast, with -a proud overbearing look, is highly honoured as an emblem of power and -dignity. The ass is heraldically valueless. It could be adopted only -as an emblem of untiring and uncomplaining labour, which would suit no -coat armorial. In the improved treatment of the costermonger's donkey -we begin to see brighter days for this hitherto down-trodden creature. -The costers themselves being improved through different agencies, their -animals feel the benefit of the general advance. - -In the vast obscurities of London there is a neighbourhood known as -Golden Lane and Whitecross Street, intimately associated with the -progressive improvement of costers and their donkeys. A kind of oasis -in the desert, this neighbourhood, which is now considerably improved -in appearance, shines forth as an important central mission, to the -merits of which we can but feebly do justice. We have often had -occasion to remark how much good is unostentatiously done by one man, -through mere force of character and persevering vigilance. The one -man in this case has been Mr W. J. Orsman, who for a series of years -has earnestly devoted himself to the amelioration of the condition, -moral and social, of the poor street-dealers clustered in and around -Golden Lane and Whitecross Street. He acts as honorary secretary to -the Costermongers' Society; he edits a little periodical, known as the -_Golden Lane Mission Magazine_; and he fosters and helps to maintain -many small sub-societies, if we may so term them. Among these are a -'Share Barrow Club,' for lending barrows to men who possess neither -donkey-carts nor hand-barrows; a Sick and Burial Club, to which the -men pay fourpence a week each; a 'Coster's Friends' of Labour Club, -through the aid of which the men can put out small sums at interest, or -borrow small sums for limited periods; an 'Emily Loan Club' (named, we -believe, after a daughter of the Earl of Shaftesbury), for the benefit -of respectable female street-dealers; a Penny Savings-bank; a Maternity -Fund; a Soup Kitchen; a Coal Fund; a Clothing Club; a Donkey Club (for -purchasing donkeys by means of small instalments), besides others for -educational, moral, and religious improvement. - -The accounts given of the annual meetings of the costers and their -friends are among the curiosities of current literature. Coming -prominently forward at these assemblages we perceive the Earl of -Shaftesbury, a nobleman who, animated by the kindliest motives, deems -it no sacrifice to his high position to encourage by his presence and -by his speeches the humble efforts made by the costers in the progress -of well-doing. A few years since, at one of the annual meetings, which -are held in May, the Earl of Shaftesbury took the chair. First, there -was tea given to three hundred of the men; then was held a donkey-show, -in which the excellent condition of the animals was fully evinced; -and then came the event of the evening. The costermongers had bought -a donkey of unusual size, strength, and beauty; they decked him -profusely with ribbons, and brought him into the Hall. In the names of -all the men, Mr Carter, a vestryman of St Luke's parish, who kindly -interests himself in their welfare, presented the donkey to the Earl of -Shaftesbury. The Earl, as is said, had already become, in a whimsical -and pleasant sense, a costermonger, and now in virtue of his donkey -was an accepted full member of the corps. Whether the Earl's Neddy -appreciated the honour conferred on him, we do not know; but we may be -quite sure that no hard usage was in store for him. - -As may be generally known, attempts to encourage the improvement of -donkeys have taken place through public shows and the offering of -prizes. A Donkey and Mule show, held at the Crystal Palace in May -1874, was the means of giving to many persons their first idea of -the real value of an exhibition which some had beforehand laughed -at, as an absurdity. It was amply proved that the donkey can become -a really beautiful animal when well treated; and it was equally made -manifest that rough street-dealers can be as kind as their betters -when encouraged to be so. An archbishop carried off a prize; several -costermongers did the same; and a truly cosmopolitan feeling was -exhibited when the prizes were distributed. The Earl of Shaftesbury, -who presided on the occasion, humorously claimed to be a costermonger -himself; for (to encourage others in a good work) he had enrolled his -name in the Golden Lane branch of the Costermongers' Society. Many -of the donkeys exhibited at the Crystal Palace had been employed in -drawing carts and trucks laden with vegetables, fruit, fish, salt, -sand, firewood, crockery-ware, and other commodities; and the excellent -condition of some of them won prizes for their owners. Even a few of -the donkey-drivers of Blackheath and Hampstead Heath shewed that the -fraternity are not always so rough and unkind as they usually appear. -It was asserted that donkeys which do not work on Sunday are generally -more active and ready on Monday; so that the trader is but little a -loser by this course in the long-run. The Earl of Shaftesbury remarked -that: 'It would be seen from the show that these animals are designed -by Providence to be of the greatest service to mankind; and that -kindly treatment and respect--respect for the wants and feelings of -the animals--will bring their own reward in willing service.' Several -donkey-shows have since been held in and near the metropolis, conveying -the same useful lesson. - -In August of the present year, a Pony and Donkey show was held in -London, in connection with the Golden Lane Mission and Society. The -Earl of Shaftesbury and Lady Edith Ashley kindly and patiently examined -the hard-working dumb companions of the costermongers, and exchanged -pleasant words with the men. There was a tea for four hundred going on -nearly at the same time. After this came a general 'march past,' and -a distribution of money and books as prizes. The donkeys were all in -admirable condition; while many of the ponies were plump and sleek. His -lordship now called for Wilkins, a shrewd prosperous coster of Golden -Lane, and bedecked with the insignia of authority as an officer of the -Benefit Society. This coster and another made brief speeches; after -which Colonel Henderson, Chief Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, -declared that the costers are generally deserving of high praise, and -that the police have very little trouble with them--when once the laws -relating to the public streets are well understood. After a few more -speeches and addresses, the noble chairman said in pleasant humour that -he had received a poem entitled _The Earl and the Ass_; that the donkey -he had received a few years before at the hands of the costermongers -was under the doctor's care; and that this fact alone prevented the -animal from being present. Every donkey at the show was known by some -name or other; and hence there were many such designations as Tommy, -Old Tommy, Black Tommy, Jack, Prince, Paddy, Old Jack, Old Sam, Boko, -Charlie, Mike, Ugly Tom, Quick; while the other sex in the race was -represented by such feminine names as Jenny, Pretty Polly, Kitty, -Pretty Jane, Maggie, and Betsy. - -We do not know what was the poem to which the Earl of Shaftesbury -alluded, but conclude that it was a poem which appeared in _Punch_ -relative to the presentation of the donkey to his Lordship. To shew how -a facetious periodical can rise above mere jesting, we transcribe the -following verses: - - Could there be a better gift? The patient beast - Who bears the stick, and will on thistles feast, - Yet in hard duty struggles to the end, - Is always grateful to a human friend, - But seldom finds such friends; is roughly fostered - By costermongers, sellers of the costard, - Sellers of other things from door to door, - And very useful traders for the poor-- - - He bears a cross, we know; and legends say - Has borne, in memory of a wondrous day, - When love wrought miracles, in stress and strife, - And sick were healed, and dead men raised to life. - Since when, 'twixt hard knocks, hard words, and hard fare, - He and his owners both their cross must bear. - - The Earl, who loves his race, loves other races; - He has sought evil out in darksome places, - And bravely grappled with its many arms, - And tamed its strength, and paralysed its harms; - Brought aid to weakness, moved dead weights away, - That crushed the soul down, deep in mire and clay. - The greatest, by descending, may ascend: - The peer who is the costermongers' friend, - Dares on the platform stroke an ass's ears, - Rises above the level of his peers. - -As an evidence that the endeavours to improve the London costermongers -morally as well as physically, have not been thrown away, we may add -the following anecdotes. - -In 1872 a costermonger named Darby, plying his itinerant trade in the -densely packed and comfortless region immediately eastward of the -City of London, was one day driving his donkey-cart, laden with cheap -fish from Billingsgate. The poor donkey accidentally put his foot -into a plug-hole, fell, and broke his leg between the knee and the -fetlock--pitching his master out of the cart, and seriously bruising -him. His brother-costers advised Darby to kill the animal at once, as -no one had ever heard of a donkey's broken leg being healed. But Darby -would not listen to this. He took the donkey home, and made a temporary -bed for him in the only sitting-room. The man and his wife tended the -poor animal, which often groaned with pain. The wife was a washerwoman -at the East London Hospital, but she did not grudge to the poor donkey -a little of that time which was so valuable to her. A kind lady then -undertook to take charge of the donkey until cured, at a place twelve -or fourteen miles from London. With bandaging and careful treatment, -aided by the benefit of pure fresh air, the leg became sound in -eighteen months; and Darby had a good reply to make to those companions -who had said to him: 'Kill it, old fellow; it will never be able to get -up again. First loss is the best; nobody can set a donkey's leg. Kill -it, old fellow, at once!' The kind-hearted costermonger became known -as 'Darby, the donkey's friend.' A testimonial was presented to him by -the Ladies' Committee of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to -Animals; and he is justly proud of it. - -As we write, a paragraph appears in _The Times_, communicated by -an observer. 'Having occasion to pass through Whitecross Street on -Thursday evening, my attention was attracted to some fine turnips on -a coster's barrow. Retaining my boyish fondness for a raw turnip, I -at once selected one, and putting my hand into my pocket, paid, as I -thought, two halfpence, the price charged. I had scarcely advanced a -hundred yards, when a tap on my shoulder caused me to halt; and lo! the -woman from whom I had made my last purchase accosted me. "What did you -give me?" she said. I told her as above, when she opened her hand and -displayed two bright shillings, which I had given her by mistake, and -which she now returned. Thanking the woman for her honesty, I rectified -the matter, reflecting on my way home that the labours of Lord -Shaftesbury and his worthy coadjutors among the costermongers could not -have been spent in vain; for the cleanliness, civility, and "honour -bright" of these small traders are very evident to those who knew the -locality ten years ago.' - -Our task is ended. We have told all we know about the costermongers, -and no doubt much that we have said is not new to many of our readers; -but in the way we put it, good may be effected, as shewing the -degree of social progress in an industrious and useful class in the -metropolis. Donkeys can of course never attain to the beauty, the -strength, and the value of the horse. We may admit their inferiority to -ponies; but as docile, kept at little expense, and useful in various -departments of labour, they have their appointed place in creation. -They offer themselves as the poor man's friend and servant. In what -numberless cases, as is exemplified by the London costers, might they -be employed to meliorate a lot sometimes very hard to bear! We do not -bespeak for them more consideration than they deserve. All we expect -is that they shall not be treated as abject and worthless. Let us -appreciate their unobtrusive willingness to serve to the best of their -ability. They ask little, and let that little be conceded. We do not -look for elegant turn-outs of donkeys, though we believe the example of -a donkey-phaeton has been set by the Baroness Burdett-Coutts, who is -never wanting where the welfare of the lower animals is concerned. From -our own personal experience, we may tell of employing Donald, our pet -donkey, to draw a light four-wheeled phaeton, holding two persons. In -bright harness, enlivened with jingling bells, he proceeds on a drive -of eight to ten miles with the speed of a quick-trotting pony, and with -a cheerfulness which it does one good to look at. - - W. C. - - - - -A CAST OF THE NET. - -THE STORY OF A DETECTIVE OFFICER. - - -IN FOUR CHAPTERS.--CHAPTER I. - -Any one who feels the slightest curiosity as to the date of my story, -can tell pretty nearly when its events occurred, by various incidents -mentioned in it, and which the public know quite as much about as I do; -but I do not feel inclined, for certain reasons of my own, to identify -the precise date or to name the exact spot at which I was employed in -the business. - -It was a case for the police--for the detective police--and I was the -detective employed. Now you must understand that I was not at this time -regarded as a regular detective; I was a sergeant in what we will call -the 'A' division, and I did ordinary duty; but though I was not yet -on the regular detective staff, somehow or another I was very often -taken from my usual work and put on all sorts of jobs, sometimes fifty -or a hundred miles in the country; and I was once paid a very high -compliment by the chief magistrate--of course I mean at Bow Street. He -said: 'Nickham, you're not a regular detective, are you?' - -'No, your Worship,' I said; 'I am not.' - -'Well, Nickham, you're worth a dozen of them; and I have made a special -note of your conduct, and shall send it on to the Commissioner.' - -The Commissioner was old Sir Richard Mayne then. And that's how I got -to be a sergeant; but it was only because I was lucky in two or three -cases which the chief magistrate happened to notice. - -Well, I was one night at the section-house, for I wasn't on duty (I -don't mean the station-house; the section-house is a place where our -men lodge, perhaps fifteen or twenty together, or more); and I was -sitting in the large room by myself; for it was a fine evening, and -none of the men cared much about chess or draughts or things of that -kind. I was reading the paper by myself, when the door opened and one -of our people looked in. It was Inspector Maffery; and I was very much -surprised to see him there, as our place was quite out of his district. -Seeing I was by myself, he said: 'Oh!' in a tone which shewed he was -pleased at it, and turning to some one outside, he said: 'Come in, sir; -the party is here by himself.' With this, a tall, stout, gray-whiskered -gentleman came in. - -Inspector Maffery closed the door after him, and not only did that, but -shot the bolt, and then coming to me at the table, says: 'Nickham, this -is Mr Byrle, the celebrated engineer that you have heard of.' - -Of course I had heard of him; in fact I once had a cousin who worked in -his factory. So I bowed and made a civil remark. - -Then Inspector Maffery went on to say: 'This, Mr Byrle, is Sergeant -Nickham, one of our most active men, as I have told you, and who, I -think, is just the man for you. This place is very safe; and as I have -bolted the door, and the men below know I am here, there will be no -interruption; and you can say anything you wish to Nickham as well here -as anywhere.' - -So they sat down; and with a very polite speech, for he was really a -gentleman, Mr Byrle told me what he wanted. - -He made a long story of it; I shall not; but the public have really no -idea of putting facts well together, and presenting them without any -excrescences, if I may say so. However, I listened patiently, and found -out what was required. It seemed that his factory had been robbed on -several nights, in spite of an extra watchman being put on; and only -the completely finished and most expensive engine-fittings were taken; -shewing that the thief, whoever he was, knew what things to take, -where to find them, and where to dispose of them. The robberies were -mortifying, because they proved, as all such things do, that the firm -were employing a thief, and trusting some one who was deceiving them. -The loss of these fittings often delayed other work seriously; and -above all, it was considered that it demoralised all the factory (where -best part of a thousand hands were employed), by shewing that the firm -_could_ be robbed with impunity. So, although it was hardly the sort -of business which a first-rate man was required to work; and though I -say it myself, and though spite and envy in certain quarters kept me -off the regular staff, there was not a better man in London than I was, -and our people knew it; yet I listened very patiently, and asked such -questions as occurred to me. For a civilian, Mr Byrle seemed pretty -sharp at catching my drift; while as an old hand, and knowing what was -best with the public, Inspector Maffery sat without saying a word, or -one now and again at the most, leaving Mr Byrle to settle things for -himself. I then roughly sketched out a scheme, which in a few words I -laid before the gentleman. - -'I understand your plan entirely, Mr Nickham,' said the old gentleman; -'and the sooner you begin, the better, for I feel we shall be -successful. Mr Maffery assures me you can be relieved from your duty -here at any time; so I trust there will be no delay. I have said money -is not to stop you, and you will take this on account of expenses--when -exhausted, let me know.' With that he handed me a bank-note, and I -thanked him, and of course promised to do my best. - -Then Inspector Maffery said: 'I will see to all the essentials, -Nickham, so make your preparations as soon as you can.' - -Now I liked Maffery very well, and he was certainly one of our best -inspectors; but all this civility, taking trouble off my hands and so -forth, merely told me that Mr Byrle was a most liberal party, and that -Maffery believed he had got hold of a good thing. Mr Byrle shook hands -with me, and they went away together, leaving me to think over the -business. - -I must confess I was a little disappointed--although I could see I -was likely to be well paid for my work--in being set at such a very -commonplace job as this. After I had traced Lady Brightley's jewels -(the reader does not remember this, I daresay, as it was kept very -quiet, but I got praised for my management of the case), I thought -I should have been selected for the most important work; and when -Inspector Maffery brought Mr Byrle in, I really hoped it was about the -great Bank-paper robbery. - -The reader is quite aware, I have no doubt, that Bank of England notes -are printed on paper specially made for the purpose, and that no other -paper has three rough edges, the only clean-cut edge being where the -two notes have been separated--and this is one of the great tests of -a genuine note. It will be recollected too, how a great quantity of -this paper was stolen from the mills at Alverstoke, and the Bank was -in a terrible state about it, because as for engraving and all that -handicraft sort of work--why, bless me! there's men by the dozen in -England and on the continent too--_I_ know some of them--who could -print off a note with all the little touches on which the examiners -rely, as perfectly imitated as if they had worked for the Bank for -years. So when the gang got hold of the genuine _paper_, it was a -serious matter. They took the principal thief, however, and got the -paper back. A desperate service it was too, as B----, the chief man -in the affair, was one of the most resolute and desperate roughs in -London; and the officers that took him ran great risk, and deserved -great praise. - -Of course the public rejoicing was very great, because nobody had -known when the bad notes might come into circulation; but we knew, -some of us, that it was all a sham, that a lot of the paper was still -missing, and that if the right man got hold of it, there would soon be -thousands of forged notes--all fives probably--flying about. It was -pretended that all the paper was got back, or that the Bank people -thought so, on purpose to make the holders of the remainder think that -the hunt was given up; but it was no such thing. Two or three of the -best men in the force were to continue the search, and I had hoped I -should be selected; but I was told I would not do, because I could not -speak any foreign language, and it was thought the men might have to -go abroad after the paper. For all that, when I saw Inspector Maffery -come in with Mr Byrle, I thought, as I just said, that I was to be -chosen. However, I had found out my mistake; and I was thinking over my -instructions, when the door opened again. I did not look up at first, -supposing it was one of our men; but a cough attracting my attention, -I turned round. I saw a slight-built, rather under-sized young fellow, -with something of a foreign cut about him, very good-looking though, -and a most uncommonly piercing eye; and he at once said: 'I am Mr -Byrle's clerk, and have been waiting for him, and he wishes to know -where he is to see you?' - -'To see _me_?' I said. 'Why--does he want to see me?' - -'I think what Mr Byrle means is, that in case he wants to speak to you, -where shall he find you?' replied the young fellow. 'You see I don't -know much of the business myself; I only know he has engaged you as a -detective.' - -'And that's more than you ought to have known,' I said; 'however, Mr -Byrle knows his own business best. Tell him that of course he can -always hear of me under the name agreed upon, at the _Yarmouth Smack_, -where I shall lodge.' - -'Under what name, did you say?' asks the clerk. - -'I didn't say any name, and I don't mean to say any name,' was my -answer. 'If Mr Byrle wants any more information, he had better write.' - -'Oh, very well,' says he, quite short and sharp, for I supposed he did -not like my manner, and away he goes. - -I sat and thought, or tried to think, but I could not get on so well -as before; the visit of that young fellow had unaccountably upset -me, and I could not settle down again. Then in came first one, then -another, then two or three of our men, and so I got up and went out. I -had hardly turned the corner, when I met Inspector Maffery, and it was -pretty easy to see by his rosy cheeks and unsteady eye what _he_ had -been up to. - -'Off for a meditative stroll, I suppose, Mr Nickham?' he says. 'You are -the boy for my money.' - -'I'm glad to hear it, Inspector,' I said. 'But I don't think much of Mr -Byrle's clerk, nor of Mr Byrle himself for his judgment in sending him -to me.' - -'Mr Byrle's clerk!' he says; and then repeats it: 'Mr Byrle's clerk!' - -'Ah!' I said, 'Mr Byrle's clerk. He came with a message from Mr Byrle -to know where he should meet me if he wanted to see me. I had already -settled with him how I would call at his manager's private house with -my report, whenever I had anything to say; and he ought to have been -satisfied with that.' - -'You are making some mistake here, Sergeant Nickham,' says Inspector -Maffery. 'Mr Byrle had no clerk with him; and moreover than that, I've -been with him myself till the last five minutes; till he got into the -train in fact, and can swear he never spoke to anybody but myself from -the time I left you.' - -'Then there's a screw loose!' I said; 'there's a something wrong here, -Inspector, and we have got to deal with some uncommonly deep files. -They have scored the first notch in the game, that's clear; but perhaps -we can turn the tables on them all the better for it.' - -'If there's a man in the force as can do it, Sergeant Nickham, you are -that man,' says Inspector Maffery; 'I'll trust it to you; for my head -just now isn't up to the polishing off of such a business. But do what -you like.' - -'Can I have Peter Tilley for a week, Inspector?' I said. - -'Have half a dozen for a month, if you like,' he answered: 'Mr Byrle -is that much in earnest, Sergeant Nickham, and he is that rich and -liberal, that he would buy up half a division rather than be beaten. So -pick who you like, and keep them as long as you like. I will see you -all right.' - -'Very good, Inspector,' I said. 'Then I will have Peter to-morrow; and -don't make any report of this little adventure, not even to Mr Byrle. I -think I see the little game, and I will try to spoil it.' - -If I had had any doubt as to the Inspector having had quite enough -brandy-and-water with Mr Byrle (it was sure to be brandy-and-water, for -Inspector Maffery never touched anything else; he said it was ordered -for his liver)--I say if I had felt any doubt before, I should have -had none after the way he wrung my hand and said: 'If there's a man -in the force as can do credit to the force and bring 'em through in -triumph, that man is Sergeant Nickham.' And so, with another squeeze of -my hand, he walked away with a step so excessively solemn and stately, -that it was only a little better--a very little--than staggering across -the pavement, in the way of telling what was the matter with him; but -Inspector Maffery was not a bad fellow, and never curried favour with -those above him by worrying and spying on those below him, and so we -liked the old boy. - -Now this was a very awkward incident--I mean of course about the -clerk--and shewed me that my work had already begun, and was likely -to be a little more intricate than I had expected. How the stranger -came to know so much as he evidently did, I did not trouble myself just -then to consider: he _did_ know it; that was the fact I was concerned -with. Why it was worth his while to take so much trouble about a small -affair, I did not much care either, though this was more important, as -it was evident some one had employed him, for I would swear he was no -smith or fitter; and so it was clear there was a good many in the swim. -I don't mean to use any slang if I can help it, but 'swim' is a regular -word, you know, and we can't do without it. - -My mind was at once made up; I was always very quick in making up my -mind, and prided myself upon it. I am bound to admit I often got wrong -through it, but perhaps no oftener than people who were slower; and I -took care to make a good deal of the times when I _was_ right, and so -that covered everything. Now, Peter Tilley, the officer I had asked -for, was a man as much about my size and build and colour of hair and -eyes, as if he had been my twin-brother; and indeed he was not much -unlike me in his features. Any one who knew us would not mistake us -for each other, but a casual acquaintance might do so. I was wearing -then rather extensive moustaches and whiskers; they gave me quite a -military cut; and they were not common in the force then, though any -man wears them now that chooses. I at once determined to shave them -off--for I never allowed personal considerations to interfere with -business--and make Tilley wear a set of false articles as much like -my own as possible; and this I knew would immensely increase his -resemblance to me as I appeared that day, while I should of course -look very unlike myself. Then I would send Tilley to the _Yarmouth -Smack_--which was a public-house at which, under some disguise, I had -agreed to lodge while on my search--and he could keep his eyes open -for anything going on; but he was not to trouble himself much. It was -uncommonly likely, I thought, that the spies--for I didn't doubt there -was more than one--would make sure that Smith or Brown or Jones, or -whatever Tilley called himself, the lodger at the _Yarmouth Smack_, was -Sergeant Nickham, and so, as long as they kept him in sight, they had -the trump-card, if I may be bold enough to say so, in their hands. And -if I had not met Inspector Maffery when I did, when the clerk's visit -was fresh upon me, and I was rather out of temper about it, I should -probably never have thought of mentioning the matter, and the detective -work would have begun on the wrong side. - -Byrle & Co.'s factory was close to the Thames, and had a wharf in -connection with it, and one waterside public-house would do as well -for me as another. In fact, as the receiver was as likely to live on -the opposite bank as on their own, I might actually gain by living at -some place with the river between me and the factory, for a boat could -easier cross the river in the dark than a cart could drive through the -narrow streets and lanes without being noticed. - -I told Tilley as much of my plan as was necessary; he was delighted to -help me, for he fancied I was a rising man, and it was something of an -honour to work with me. He was willing enough to wear the moustache -too; indeed this was such a common and natural sort of disguise, that -it was adopted quite as a matter of course. I did _not_ tell him that I -wished him to be mistaken for me; I took care to choose the moustache -and whisker; but it never occurred to him why that particular style was -chosen; nor did I tell him, or Inspector Maffery or Mr Byrle, that I -was going to shave. There's nothing like keeping your own counsel in -these cases; and I resolved that if I had occasion to report anything -to the inspector (for he was supposed to have the case in hand), I -would actually wear a false moustache myself; but it was specially -arranged that I should not go near any of the authorities until I -thought it desirable, for Mr Byrle was of opinion that if the least -suspicion got afloat with regard to myself, the men who were robbing -him were quite fly to watching where I went. (I am afraid I have -dropped into slang again; to be 'fly' to a thing, means that you are up -to it, or down to it, as some prefer to say.) Well, this was Mr Byrle's -opinion, and I am bound to say, after the visit of the sham clerk, it -was mine too. - - - - -OUR IRON-CLADS. - - -In our ballad literature not a little is heard of 'the wooden walls -of Old England.' History is so full of exploits by three-deckers and -frigates, that one feels as if the general disuse of these engines -of naval warfare would lead to national disaster. England, however, -does not stand alone in exchanging wooden walls for iron-clads of -an entirely new type. All the navies of the world have been thus -transformed in the twenty years which have elapsed since our last -great war. There are ships of war now afloat which could single-handed -meet and defeat the whole fleet that followed Nelson and Collingwood -at Trafalgar. These great changes have been brought about by the use -of armour-plating, the growth of the guns, the improvement of marine -engines, and the adoption of machinery to aid in the working and the -fighting of the ship. We remember a few months ago hearing one of our -admirals, a man of the old school, talking of naval war. 'In past -times,' he said, 'war was all courage and chivalry. What is it now? -Cunning and machinery!' And to some extent he was right. Cunning and -machinery will play a great part in the naval battles of the future; -but of course there must be courage, and iron courage too, behind them, -or iron plates and monster guns will avail but little. In the new class -of war-vessels, the massive plates are bolted on to iron frames; the -only wood is the 'backing' of Indian teak behind and sometimes between -them. Oak, so far as beams and planks are concerned, has disappeared -from the navy. The 'hearts of oak' are left, however, it is to be -hoped, in the brave fellows who happily still man our new navy. - -Our Navy List tells us that we have something like eight hundred ships -of war, including in round numbers sixty iron-clads. These figures -given in this way of course require some explanation. In the list are -included gun-boats, tenders, store-ships, tug-boats, old wooden ships -which are really waiting to be broken up, training-ships, and wooden -guard-ships stationed at various ports. Our fighting navy really -consists of the iron-clads and the unarmoured cruisers built for high -speed; to these we may add gun-boats of a recent type built to carry -one very heavy gun. And with regard to the iron-clads it must be noted -that even they are not all fitted to take a place in line of battle. -Many of them are ships built from 1861 to 1864, having very thin -armour, comparatively light guns, and we fear in many cases worn-out -boilers. The _Warrior_, our first real iron-clad man-of-war (for we -can hardly count as such the floating batteries), was launched in -1861. She was built on the lines of a fast sailing-ship, and has none -of the heaviness of form which was unavoidably given to most of her -successors. When she was launched, armour was still in the region of -doubtful projects, and it was considered a remarkable success to give -her four-and-a-half-inch plates on her central portion only, for the -ends were wholly unprotected. The _Warrior_ too was an enormously long -ship--no less than three hundred and eighty feet from stem to stern; -but even this length was exceeded in the sister ships _Northumberland_ -and _Minotaur_. These ships are neither strong in armour nor handy in -manÅ“uvring; they have of course their uses, but they cannot be compared -with the later ships constructed when we had acquired some practical -knowledge of what an iron-clad should be. - -As soon as it was recognised that rapidity in manÅ“uvring--in other -words, power of turning easily and certainly--was a necessary quality -of a good iron-clad, ships were built much broader in proportion to -their length; and this facility of manÅ“uvring was further increased by -the general introduction of the twin-screw; that is, the placing of -two screw propellers one on each side of the stern-post, each being -independent of the other; so that one or both can be used to drive the -ship; or one can be reversed while the other continues driving ahead; -thus enabling the ship to turn as easily as a boat when the oarsman -backs water with one hand and continues pulling with the other. - -While the increase of armour kept pace with the growth of the guns, and -rose gradually from four inches on the _Warrior_ to two feet on the -_Inflexible_, a species of internal defence was gradually developed by -the division of the ship into numerous compartments; so that if she -were pierced below the water-line by the explosion of a torpedo or -the blow of an enemy's ram, the water would only partially fill her, -and she would still be able to keep afloat. All the later iron-clads -have a double bottom, the space between the inner and outer bottom -being divided into numerous cells. The body of the ship is divided by -the water-tight bulkheads extending from side to side, and from the -bottom to the upper deck. To these transverse bulkheads Mr Barnaby, -the present chief constructor, has added in all the iron-clads which -he has designed a longitudinal bulkhead extending from stem to stern, -and dividing the ship into two halves in the direction of her length. -Further, there are minor compartments formed by strong bulkheads, -designed for the protection of the engines and boilers. In a large ship -these compartments of various kinds are very numerous; the _Inflexible_ -contains upwards of one hundred and twenty; great care, therefore, has -to be taken in planning them, in order to insure that this isolation of -the various parts of the ship may not interfere with the working of -her guns, engines, and steering apparatus while she is in action. - -Side by side with this development of defensive power, there went on -an equally rapid development of machinery and mechanical appliances -for the working of the ship. The first necessity of an iron-clad is -powerful engines, to drive her at a speed of thirteen or fourteen knots -an hour on an emergency, though of course in ordinary times a much -lower rate of speed is considered sufficient, and the engines work at -half their power, or are stopped entirely, while the ship proceeds on -her way under sail. But the propulsion of the ship is only one of the -numerous duties to be discharged by this new adoption of steam, a power -which was only just really establishing itself in our navy when we went -to war with Russia in 1854. An iron-clad does not carry anything like -the crew that used to be put on board of an old three-decker. Eleven -hundred men used to be the complement of a ship of one hundred and -thirty-one guns; one-third of the number is more than the crew of some -of our most formidable vessels of to-day. In former days guns could -be handled and worked by men and even by boys, provided the number of -hands were sufficient; and nowadays it is very different work running -in and out guns weighing thirty-five, thirty-eight, and eighty-one -tons, and dragging along and ramming down shot and shell weighing from -six hundred pounds up to three-quarters of a ton, and cartridges each -of which contains perhaps more than two barrels of gunpowder. This -kind of fighting is work for giants, and so the giant Steam lends his -strong hand to do it. Steam turns the turrets of the monitor, steam -exerts its force through the medium of hydraulic machinery, checks the -recoil of the heavy gun as it runs in, forces the mechanical sponge -into its bore, works the shot-lift that brings up the ammunition, works -the rammer that drives it home into the gun; finally runs the gun out -and points it, the huge gun raising or lowering its muzzle, or turning -to right or left, as the captain of its crew touches a valve-handle or -presses down a little lever. - -But steam is not applied to the guns only; it works the windlasses, -winches, and capstans that raise the anchors, braces up the yards, and -lifts stores and heavy weights in and out of the ship, or moves them -from place to place. It furnishes power to the steering apparatus, -works the pumps, keeps the ventilating fans going; and in ships that -shew the electric light at night it drives the electrical apparatus. -Engines are made to start engines in some of the newer iron-clads. -Instead of moving heavy levers when he wishes to set the engines -going, the engineer just touches a miniature engine, which moves the -levers of the larger engines for him. And all these more important -engines are multiplied and made to act either together or separately, -so that in the event of one being disabled, others are left to do -its work. We hear of ships of war being fitted with twenty or thirty -engines, without counting sundry smaller ones. Those of the turret-ship -_Temeraire_ are thus divided--two main engines for propelling the ship, -with two starting engines; four feed engines, two circulating engines, -two bilge engines, four fan engines, one capstan engine, one steering -engine, two pumping engines connected with the hydraulic loading-gear, -two turning engines for rotating the turn-tables or turrets, two -engines to pump water in case of fire, four engines for hoisting -out ashes, one engine for condensing air in working the Whitehead -torpedo, and an engine for the electric light apparatus. Admiral -Fellowes had such ships as these in his mind when, speaking before a -committee of the Admiralty, he said: 'Men-of-war now are nothing more -nor less than floating machines; there are the steam capstans, the -steam steering-gear; every portion of your guns, slides, and carriages -worked by steam; there are the double bottom and the inner bottom, and -everything connected with the machinery; in fact the whole ship is now -a floating machine, and is more or less under the control of the chief -engineer.' - -In all our great naval wars, our ships had only a single weapon, -the gun, and this not a very heavy one, for the highest limit of -naval ordnance was the sixty-eight pounder, which indeed was looked -upon as a very terrible weapon. To the guns of nowadays, the old -thirty-two and sixty-eight pounders are mere pop-guns. There is the -huge eighty-one-ton gun, twenty-four feet long, and six feet thick at -the breech, its huge shot of fifteen hundred pounds being capable of -penetrating thirty inches of armour. There is the thirty-eight-ton -gun, whose shot of six or seven hundred pounds weight has smashed -a thirteen-inch plate at a thousand yards. Then there are guns of -six-and-a-half, nine, twelve, eighteen, and twenty-five tons, with -projectiles weighing from one to six hundred pounds, all of them -capable of piercing armour, against which the old naval guns would be -as useless as a schoolboy's squirt. But the gun does not stand alone. -There are two other weapons, either of which is more terrible, and -in certain cases more effective than the heaviest gun afloat. These -are the ram and the torpedo, the latter of which has recently been -described in these columns. Let us, however, have a look at the ram. -In the old days, the ship herself had no attacking power. She fought -with her guns; or else she was laid alongside of her enemy, and the -crew with axe, pike, and cutlass clambered over the bulwarks and on -to the hostile decks, which they cleared by hand-to-hand fighting. -Probably no iron-clad will ever be laid alongside of another to board -her. Were an iron-clad to go into action, all the openings in the deck -would be closed, and every one, even the steersman, under cover. Many -modern ships could continue a fight successfully with a hundred or a -hundred and fifty boarders in possession of the upper deck; and their -own turret guns, or the fire of friendly ships, would clear away the -intruders if necessary. Thus, in the recent war between Paraguay and -Brazil, during one of the river engagements, a Paraguayan ship ran -alongside of a Brazilian turret-ship and sent a crowd of boarders on to -her iron decks. They met with no opposition; the round turret in front -of them continued its fire against a Paraguayan monitor; while another -Brazilian monitor sent volley after volley of grape-shot sweeping -across the decks of her consort. In a few minutes they were clear. -The Paraguayan boarders had been killed, had jumped into the water, -or had escaped to one of their own ships. This, we believe, is the -only attempt on record at boarding an iron-clad; its failure shews how -hopeless such an enterprise is against a ship the possession of whose -deck does not give any control over her movements or those of her crew. -It is therefore probable that it will be only in the most exceptional -cases that iron-clads will approach each other with the object of -boarding. If they do come to close quarters, it will be only to use the -ram. - -This idea of fighting with the ram is a very old one. The _beak_ was -the weapon of the ancient navies of the Mediterranean, and the beak -was what we now call the ram. It is quite evident that to make the -ship herself, weighing from nine to twelve thousand tons, take the -place of the projectile, by driving her at a high speed against a -hostile vessel, is to use a weapon more powerful than the heaviest -gun. A ship like the _Inflexible_ or the _Sultan_, with a speed of ten -or twelve knots an hour, will strike a heavier blow than a shot from -even the eighty-one-ton gun would give at a range of a few hundred -yards; and while the injury done by the shot will probably be above -the water-line, the ram will cut the hostile vessel down from above -the water-line perhaps almost to the keel. Every one remembers how the -_Iron Duke_ sank the _Vanguard_ by an accidental collision at a low -rate of speed. But in this case the injury was such that the _Vanguard_ -did not sink for nearly an hour. Much more terrible was the sinking -of the iron-clad _Re d'Italia_ in the battle of Lissa in 1866. The -Austrian admiral found himself inferior in gun-power to the Italian -ships; he therefore decided on using the ram as much as possible. -'I rammed away at everything I saw painted gray,' he said himself -in describing the action. One of these gray ships was the splendid -iron-clad _Re d'Italia_, which struck fair amidships by Tegethoff's -bow, went to the bottom of the Adriatic with all her crew in less than -a minute. We believe that this use of the ram will play a great part in -any future English naval engagement. - -Such are the means of defence and attack possessed by our fleet. There -has never yet been anything like a grand engagement between two great -iron-clad navies; when that takes place, we shall see what the new -naval warfare really is; meanwhile one thing is quite certain--that -iron-clads are neither as handy nor as comfortable as the grand old -ships of say forty years ago. Sailors in the royal navy have had to -exchange the well-lighted, airy lower-decks of the line-of-battle ship -for the hot dark 'compartments' of the iron-clad; for oil-lamps, hot -rooms, and artificial ventilation, and perhaps the prospect of being -battered with monster guns or blown up with torpedoes. This change of -conditions may have serious consequences, not contemplated by designers -of iron-clads. At present the crews of these vessels have been nearly -all engaged as boys, put on board training-ships. They turn out a fine -set of young men, but they do not remain in the service. Before they -are thirty, most of them have gone, and are engaged in employment on -shore, or in yachts, or in ocean steam lines. We believe there will -be also a growing difficulty in procuring a good set of officers, -including surgeons, for the iron-clads. Young men of good education, -with numerous openings for them in civil life, do not like to be -immured in dark floating hulks, with the risk at any moment of being -helplessly sent to the bottom of the sea. We at anyrate know the fact -of two young men trained as surgeons for the royal navy who on these -grounds have shrunk from following their intended profession. In short, -science may invent ships of overpowering destructive grandeur, but it -cannot invent men who will agree to live under conditions of dismal -discomfort in these floating dungeons. Such, we imagine, will be -found to be weak points in a navy of iron-clads. Nor can we look with -indifference on the many instances of disaster in the mere working of -these new-fashioned vessels. Explosions and other fatalities follow in -pretty quick succession. Furnaces and steam-machinery are constantly -going wrong. Shafts and bearers are going wrong. There seems to be -such a complication in all departments, that one can have little -confidence in matters going quite right in case of that kind of active -service involved in absolute warfare. A contemplation of these several -contingencies, it must be owned, is far from pleasant. - -Since this article was written, news has come of a successful naval -engagement which shews that our sailors are as brave and as skilful -as ever they were. One day last May a rebel Peruvian iron-clad, the -_Huascar_, having committed piratical acts in the Pacific, was attacked -by two of our fine wooden cruisers, the _Shah_ and the _Amethyst_. -The two English wooden ships fairly beat the iron-clad turret-ship, -which was so damaged that the rebel crew were only too glad to go into -harbour and surrender to the Peruvian authorities. This is the first -English action with an iron-clad; and slight as it is in itself, the -fact that our ships were only wooden cruisers meant for no such severe -work, gives it some importance, and makes the victory a legitimate -cause for well-founded satisfaction. - - - - -THE 'SOFTIE'S' DREAM. - - -IN TWO CHAPTERS.--CHAPTER I. - -In the fertile valley of the river Suck, just where some years ago such -consternation was created by a portion of the Bog of Allen shewing -an inclination to settle for good, there stood many years since a -farm-house of rather a better class than any of those in the immediate -neighbourhood, or indeed in any of the adjacent villages. The house -stood a little off the high-road from Castlerea to Loughlinn, and -few people who passed failed to observe its well-to-do, comfortable -appearance and 'smug' haggard (steading). Its occupier, Owen Kearney, -was a very hard-working sober man, who not only minded his own -business, but let his neighbours' affairs alone. He was never in -arrears with his rent, had his turf cut a year in advance, and got -his crops down first and in earliest; so that it was not without some -reason that people said he was the most comfortable farmer in the -village of Glenmadda. Added to being the most industrious, Owen Kearney -was (what few tenant farmers in the west of Ireland were thirty years -ago) something of a speculator. He did not tie his savings up in an -old stocking and hide it in the thatch of the barn or cow-house, as -the majority of his neighbours who had any savings usually did; but -despite the repeated warnings of Shaun More Morris, the philosopher -and wiseacre of the village, invested in new and improved farming -implements and in horses, of which he was not unjustly considered the -best judge in the County Roscommon. As he did all his business when -he was perfectly sober, he seldom had any cause to complain of his -bargain; and the 'luck-penny,' instead of spending in the public-house, -he made a rule of giving to the priest for the poor of the parish. - -Not being in the habit of gossiping either about his own or his -neighbours' affairs, no one could form any correct idea of how rich -Owen Kearney really was; but it was generally known that he kept -his money at the bank, as on fair and market days he went into that -building with his pockets well filled and came out with them empty, and -mounting his cob, rode home quietly, long before the fun or the faction -fights commenced. - -Not so, however, the younger of his two sons, Larry, a wild restless -lad of seventeen, on whom neither the precept nor example of his -father and brother seemed to have the least influence. Martin, the -eldest, was steady and thoughtful like his father; but Larry, with his -boisterous laugh and ready joke, dancing blue eyes and flaxen hair, -never spent a minute in thinking during his life. While he worked, -which was not often, he was as good as two, his father used to say; and -'when he took his divarsion he was the divil at it,' Martin used to -add good-naturedly. Innumerable were the scrapes Larry got into, and -miraculous were the methods by which he managed to extricate himself. -There was not a wake, wedding, or christening for miles round that he -was not to be found at. No merry-gathering or fair was complete without -him; and it was almost a proverb that Larry Kearney was the last to sit -down wherever there was a dance, and the first to shake a shillelah -wherever there was a shindy. Of course he was his mother's favourite; -such boys invariably are. She shut her eyes to his faults, supplied him -with money without any questions, and being a very religious woman, or -what in that part of Ireland is termed a voteen, she atoned for all his -shortcomings. - -There was another member of Owen Kearney's family as full of fun and -mischief in her way as Larry; this was Dora Costello, the farmer's -orphan niece. Little Dora, everybody called her, because, when she lost -her own father and mother, and went to live with her uncle and aunt, -she was a little toddling thing of three years old. At the time this -story tells of she was a fine girl of seventeen, tall, finely formed, -and as graceful as a willow. A fine specimen of an Irish peasant girl -was Dora Costello, with her red-and-white complexion, merry changeable -hazel eyes, and rich, reddish auburn hair. There was not a farmer's -daughter within many a mile who could _scutch_ or spin as much flax -of an evening, nor one who could better milk a cow or make a roll of -butter. Bright, intelligent, and good-tempered, with a tongue as ready -as her fingers, and a sense of humour as rich as her brogue, Dora was a -general favourite, and as a natural consequence had numerous admirers. -Being by nature somewhat of a coquette, she managed to play them -off one against another with an ease and grace which a London belle -might have envied, keeping good friends with all, and giving none the -slightest preference. But when it came to a question of marriage, it -was a different thing altogether. Dora declared she was very happy with -her uncle and aunt, and unceremoniously refused all the eligible young -men in her own and the next village, declaring of each in turn that she -would 'as soon marry Barney Athleague.' - -Long ago, in almost every Irish village there was to be found hanging -about the farm-houses some poor half-witted creature, called in one -place an _onsha_, in others an _omadthaun_, and in the County Roscommon -a _softie_. They were boys without any knowledge of who their parents -had been, cast as children on the charity of some village, from which -they usually took their names, as Johnnie _Loughlinn_, and Barney -_Athleague_. How Barney came to make his way to Glenmadda no one knew, -but one day when about ten years old he was seen following a hunt. -Stumbling over a loose stone, he sprained his ankle, and so was thrown -on the protection of the villagers. A glance at the lad's motley -appearance and vacant face was sufficient to shew what he was; and -as in most parts of Ireland, as in Germany, there exists amongst the -peasantry a sort of superstitious regard for silly people, poor Barney -found food and shelter, now from one, now from another, as indeed -the softies invariably did; in return for which they ran on errands -and looked after the pigs and poultry, and were always at hand in an -emergency. - -As a rule, the softie looked a great deal bigger fool than he really -was. He contrived to live and be fed, clothed and lodged without -working. He made himself at home everywhere, was generally treated -very well, and never by any chance treated badly. He knew everybody's -business (for curiosity was one of his virtues or vices), and with the -special advantage that people thought he knew nothing at all. All sorts -of matters were discussed freely round the hearth in his presence, he -meantime staring into the fire, sucking his fingers, or rolling on -the floor with the dog, no more heeded than that animal; yet all the -while drinking in the conversation, and with a sort of crooked wisdom -treasuring it up. Animal tastes and instincts were generally the most -marked in the softie; as a rule, he was greedy, selfish, and uncleanly -in his habits, violent in his antipathies, yet with a capacity for -attaching himself with a strong dog-like fidelity and affection to a -friend. - -Such was Barney Athleague--perhaps a trifle better and more intelligent -than the generality of his class; and there was no place in the village -where he spent so much of his time, or was so well treated, as at -Owen Kearney's; first, because they were naturally kindly people; and -next, Mrs Kearney's religious feelings made her especially good to the -poor and friendless; and there was no person in the whole world whom -the softie cared so much about as Dora. Wherever she went, Barney was -not far behind. He was always ready to do anything in the world she -asked him, no matter how wearisome or hazardous. When she was a child, -he climbed the highest trees to get her birds' nests, tumbled like a -spaniel into the river to get her lilies, and walked miles and miles to -recover a pet kid of hers which had gone astray. As she grew older, he -carried her cans when she went milking, fed her poultry, and in short -waited on her and followed her about like a lapdog. It was great fun to -the 'boys' who used to assemble in the farmer's kitchen of a winter's -evening to tell stories and gossip, to see Barney fly into a furious -passion if any one he did not like touched Dora, or even put his hand -upon her dress. - -One of the persons the poor softie most cordially detested was Larry -Kearney; perhaps because the young man was too fond of teasing him, or -else too much given to sitting beside Dora. How or whatever the cause, -the poor fool hated him; but with a prudence which one would hardly -have expected in a softie, he kept his opinions to himself, and watched -his enemy like a lynx. Not once or twice he saw the young man descend -from the loft where he slept with Luke the 'help,' after the family -were sound asleep, and opening the door, steal noiselessly from the -house; and after much consideration, Barney at last made up his mind -to follow him and learn his destination, nothing doubting but it was -the village public-house or _shebeen_, or the forge, which was often -a haunt for the idlers to play cards and get tipsy in. But Larry took -the very opposite direction from what the softie imagined. Crossing -two or three fields, he skirted a plantation of ash, on the other side -of which was a _rath_ or _forth_, said to be haunted, and the resort -of 'the good people.' The place was very generally avoided after -nightfall; and Barney's courage was beginning to fail him, when Larry -was joined by three or four other young men, which revived his spirits, -and nerved him to follow silently and cautiously as a cat. - -On rounding the hill he saw there were between thirty and forty persons -assembled in a field, and after a few minutes one of them advanced to -meet Larry. The softie, on seeing the man approach, concealed himself -behind the ferns and brambles, all his curiosity aroused, and strained -his ears to catch the conversation; but the men spoke so indistinctly -that he could not distinguish a word till after a little while they -drew nearer to his cover. - -'Look here, Larry,' one said, drawing something which gleamed in the -moonlight from a cave or hollow in the hill-side, within arm's length -of Barney's crouching form. 'Look, me boy, there's twoscore pike-heads -lying snug enough in there.' - -'Good captain,' Larry replied, with his merry laugh, 'an' there's -two-score "boys" ready to handle them.' - -'Yes; but we want more,' the captain said, as he replaced the weapon -in the cave, and carefully drew the thick grass, ferns, and blackberry -bushes over it. 'Did you speak e'er a word to Martin?' - -Larry laughed again. 'Sorra a word, captain; an' if "Molly" herself was -to go an' ax _him_, he wouldn't join us,' he said; 'an' bedad, maybe he -might inform!' he added merrily--and the men moved away. - -'Ha, ha!' Barney said to himself as he crept from his hiding-place, -and made his way back to the farm-house; 'that's where Larry goes. An' -who's Molly, who's Molly? I'll ask Miss Dora to-morrow who's Molly;' -and with this reflection he crept into his bed and fell asleep. - - -CHAPTER II. - -'Father, I think I'd like to join the Volunteers,' said Martin Kearney -one day, about a month after the above event; 'the country is in a bad -way, an' it's time for them that love peace and quietness to spake up.' - -'True for you, Martin; an' if I was younger I'd do the same thing,' -Owen Kearney said, looking up from the newspaper, in which he was -reading an account of the arrest of several of the rebels known in 184- -as the _Molly Maguires_, from their having first met in the house of -a woman of that name. 'It's bad for the poor boys that went with the -"Mollies."' - -'Will you join with me, Larry?' Martin asked. - -But he shook his head, as he replied somewhat hastily: 'Not I, faith; -the "boys" never did anything to me.' - -'An' I'm not going to do anything to them,' answered Martin quietly. -'Only, I think it's right for us to shew that we're honest Roscommon -boys, an' have nothing to do with villains who go round the country -at night frightening women an' children, an' murdering poor innocent -cattle, not to mention shooting their next-door neighbour from behind -a hedge, without any reason. I know _I'd_ liever be a sheep-stealer -than a Molly Maguire; an' to shew I have no dealings with them, I'll go -to-morrow to Boyle an' list in the Volunteers.' - -Larry used every argument to prevent his brother going to Boyle as he -said, but without any avail; and early the next morning Martin started -to do what numbers of the better class of farmers' sons in the vicinity -of the small towns had already done. - -About twelve o'clock on the night that Martin left his home, Owen -Kearney and his wife were startled out of their sleep by the softie -rushing into their room screaming wildly that he had a dream. - -'An' what was it, Barney?' asked Mrs Kearney kindly. 'Don't be -frightened now; but tell me.' - -'Arrah, ma'am,' he sobbed, 'I dreamed I saw Martin; an' two men with -their faces blackened rode up to him on the plains of Boyle an' shot -him. Oh, _wirra, wirra_, one of them was Larry!' - -Poor Mrs Kearney fell to wringing her hands, and sobbing wildly at the -extraordinary dream of the poor fool; while her husband rushed to his -son's room in the hope of finding Larry; but his bed was empty, as was -that of Luke the servant. Full of terrible forebodings, the farmer -began to question Barney more particularly as to his dream; but he -could only repeat again and again that two men fired at Martin on the -plains of Boyle; one of them was Larry, the other was Luke: this he -maintained with a persistency which it was almost impossible to doubt. -No one thought of returning to bed; and while they were consulting as -to what was best to be done, the softie again uttered a wild shriek, -and rolled over on the floor, as a bullet entered the kitchen window -and lodged in the opposite wall, followed by another, which whizzed -past Owen Kearney's head. - -'The Lord have mercy upon us!' he exclaimed, crossing himself devoutly. -'Where will it end?' And he held his wife, who was almost insensible -from the fright, close in his arms. At that instant a bright light -illuminated the whole kitchen; and in a moment the truth flashed across -his brain--his steading was in flames. Not daring to open his door to -look out, he tried to think what was best to be done; for perhaps the -house over his head was blazing too, or would be in a few minutes. -Casting a hasty glance round, he lifted his wife in his arms, meaning -to carry her to the front of the house and out of sight of the flames; -when a violent knocking at the door startled him, and he recognised -his niece's voice demanding admittance. Hastily unbarring it, he saw -her accompanied by a party of soldiers, who, when they found no lives -had been taken, set to work bravely to protect the property which was -yet untouched by the fire. But there was little left for them to do. -The cattle had been hamstrung, the horses stolen, and a lighted brand -placed in every stack of oats and the thatch of every outhouse. The -work of devastation had been done only too well. - -'They're taken, uncle--them that set the haggard a-fire,' said Dora as -soon as she was able to speak. 'I brought the soldiers to the house; -and,' she added, 'one of the villains said he had finished off Owen -Kearney. Thank God, it is not true!' and she threw herself into his -arms. - -'Yes; I heard him,' said one of the soldiers; 'and we've sent him to -safer lodgings than we took him from. It seems, Mr Kearney, that your -niece was returning home from a visit to a neighbour's, when she -heard two men whispering in the lane at the end of the meadow. As -they were in front, and she didn't like their looks, she kept behind, -and heard them say that there were two gone to Boyle to look out for -_the Volunteer_, and that they were going to do for old Kearney and -his wife, "string" the cattle and fire the haggard. Like a sensible -girl, she turned round quietly and ran as quick as she could towards -Castlerea. By good luck she met us half-way; and though we were going -on another errand, we turned back at once with her, and netted the -rascals who did this pretty piece of business.--I sent six men on -towards Boyle, to see if they could learn anything of the villains that -followed your son,' added the sergeant. - -'Where's Larry, uncle?' asked Dora, after she had tried ineffectually -to console her aunt. 'Why isn't he here?' - -'You're all I have now, _alanna_,' Kearney said, pressing her to his -breast. 'Martin is gone, and Larry is gone. Well, well, God is good.' - -'Miss Dora, Miss Dora!' cried Barney Athleague faintly, 'come here a -minute.' - -In the general confusion, every one had forgotten the poor softie, who -lay on the floor quite insensible. - -'What is it, Barney? Are ye hurt?' inquired Dora, bending over him. - -'Not much; only my back is bad, and I can't lift my legs. Tell your -uncle Owen Kearney that Martin isn't dead. He's lyin' on the settle -in a shebeen with his hand on his side, calling "Dora, Dora!" I see -him--sure I see him; and Larry an' Luke is took; the sogers is bringing -them to Roscommon. Oh, wirra, wirra!' - -'Shure the poor creature is frightened to death's door,' said Owen -Kearney, trying to induce Barney to get up and drink a little water; -but the mug fell out of the farmer's hands in dismay and horror, for he -found the poor softie was bathed in blood. 'He's shot, he's shot!' he -exclaimed; and one of the soldiers drew near and examined the wound. - -'There's a bullet in his back,' the man said; 'and he'll never eat -another bit of this world's bread. And may God forget the man that -forgot he was an omadthaun.' - -Poor Barney never spoke again. Nothing could have saved his life. But -his dream was literally true. At the very moment he awoke screaming, -Martin Kearney was fired at by his brother Larry and his father's -servant; at the hour he mentioned were the murderers taken; and Martin -himself was taken into a shebeen, as he said, and laid upon a settle in -the kitchen, where he called untiringly for his cousin Dora. - -Such was the softie's dream; and such sad stories as that above related -are a part and parcel of every Irish rebellion. Martin Kearney did -not die; and Larry pleaded guilty, declaring that he was forced to -attempt his brother's life both by solemn oath of obedience and by lot; -at the same time confessing all he knew of the strength and doings of -the Mollies, assuring his judges that he joined them in ignorance, -and now thought of them only with horror and regret. Therefore, in -consideration of his youth, repentance, and valuable information he -gave with regard to the rebels, his life was spared, and he was instead -sentenced to twenty-one years' penal servitude; while his companion, -Luke Murphy, was hanged. It would have been almost a kindness to Larry -to have been permitted to share the same fate. Before two years he died -of a broken heart. - -Owen Kearney's house was not burned; but after his son's -transportation, nothing could induce him to live in it. He therefore -sold his furniture and such of his stock as the cruelty and violence -of the Mollies spared, and went to end his days amongst his wife's -relations in the County Galway. Dora and Martin were married, and after -some time emigrated, and spent the remainder of their days in comfort -and happiness, clouded only by the memory of how much pleasanter it -would have been if they could have settled down in the old farm-house -dear to them both, to be a comfort to their father and mother in their -old age, and at last to sleep beside them in Glenmadda churchyard. - -The stock of one of the wealthiest gentlemen in the County Roscommon -now graze where Owen Kearney's house once stood. Not a trace of his -family remains in the Green Isle. Their tragical history is almost -forgotten; but amongst the gossips and old women the softie's dream is -still remembered. - - - - -GLIMPSE OF THE INDIAN FAMINE. - - -On this dismal subject so much has lately appeared in the newspapers -that we almost shrink from troubling our readers with it. Everybody -knows the cause of the famine--a long and unhappy drought in Southern -India which parched up the land; nothing would grow; the people, -millions in number, had saved nothing; their means of livelihood were -gone; and with a weakness which we can scarcely understand, they sat -down to die--of starvation. In times when India was subject to Mongol -rulers, the population, on the occurrence of such a catastrophe, -would simply have been left to die outright. Famine, like war, was -deemed a legitimate means for reducing a redundancy in the number of -inhabitants, and was accepted as a thing quite natural and reasonable. -Matters are now considerably changed. India is part of the great -British empire, and British rule is no doubt a fine thing to be boasted -of. It gives the English an immense lift in the way of national -prestige. Along with prestige, however, come responsibilities that -are occasionally found to be rather serious. The bulk of the people -of India are living from hand to mouth. If their crops fail, it is -all over with them. Then is heard the distant wail of famine from -fellow-subjects, which it is impossible to neglect. Noble subscriptions -follow, although subscriptions of one sort or other come upon us -annually in regular succession from January to December. But when -was the Englishman's purse shut while the cry of distress was loudly -pealing around him? - -There is much satisfaction in knowing that more than half a million -sterling has been gathered for the assuagement of the Indian famine. -Although vast numbers perished of hunger, vast numbers were saved by a -well-conducted system of dispensing food suitable to the simple wants -of the people. The natives of Southern India live chiefly on rice, -and a little serves them. The distribution of rice was accordingly a -ready and easy method of succouring the poor famishing families. Along -with boiled rice there was usually given a cup of water, rendered -palatable by some sharp condiment, such as pepper or chillies. This -desire for hot-tasting condiments seems to be an inherent necessity in -warm climates, for which Nature has made the most beneficent provision. -With these few preliminary remarks, we proceed to offer some extracts -from the letters of a young medical gentleman connected with the army -at Madras, descriptive of the plans adopted to feed the assembled -crowds who flocked to large camps or barrack-yards in a state of -pitiable suffering. The letters were no way designed for publication, a -circumstance which gives them additional value. - -'_MADRAS, July 25, 1877._--There is not much news this week. One day I -drove out to one of the Relief Camps beyond Palaveram to see it. A most -curious and interesting sight it was. We went at half-past five, which -was feeding-time; and there we saw nine thousand five hundred starving -wretches all seated on their hunkers [crouched down in a sitting -attitude on their heels], awaiting their food. What a motley crew and -queer mixture of old men with more than a foot in the grave; strong -men and young women and unweaned babes all mixed indiscriminately, but -all seated in long rows of about a hundred each, in perfect order, and -kept so by not more than a dozen native police with two half-caste -inspectors. The majority of the people were Pariahs. Few caste -people care to come to the camps, and prefer to die rather than have -their food cooked for them by non-caste persons. However, there were -some--about two hundred in all--Hindus and Mohammedans, and they were -set apart from the Pariahs. - -'The food, rice, is cooked in enormous chatties, and then spread out -on matting to cool; after which it is put into gigantic tubs, which -are carried slung on bamboos by a couple of coolies to the people, and -a large tin measureful given to each. A measureful of pepper water -(a mixture of chillies and water) is also given to each, and as much -drinking-water as they like. - -'So much for the food; now for the camp itself. It is situated on a -large plain, and the inclosure is about a mile round. It is in the -form of a square, three sides consisting of chuppers [a kind of wood -and matting tents], roofed in, and protected from the wind on one -side, being open on the other. Each of the three chuppers or houses -of accommodation is built of the very simplest material: the floor -is hardened mud, perfectly smooth and comfortable, as you know the -people make it; while the roof consists of leaves matted together, -supported on bamboos, and the side of matting. Each chupper is about -a quarter of a mile long, and has accommodation for no end of people, -the evils of overcrowding being avoided by the almost free exposure -to the air. To windward is the Hospital, a good building, rain-proof, -and covered in on all sides. Still further away are cholera and -small-pox hospitals. The people at the camps receive two meals a day -of rice and pepper water; and once a week on Sundays they get mutton. -At this camp alone not less than fifty bags of rice were cooked and -consumed daily, sometimes much more. The camp is open to all comers, -and each is provided with a cloth and residence. The people appear -all to be contented and happy, and await their turn for food calmly -and patiently. The feeding is proceeded with rapidly now; but when -first the famine came, it was not so; and owing to the paucity of -servants, the feeding used to last from five P.M. till five the next -morning. Rather trying for starving people to wait that time; hard -too on the servants. Now, thanks to good administration, the feeding -is all finished in about three hours. I was struck on the whole with -the aspect of the people; they all with few exceptions looked well and -in good condition. However, the Inspector said, had I seen them when -they first came, it was different, and that if they were to return to -their own villages, they would be dead in a few days. In fact, all the -villages round are empty. Rice has now reached the appalling price -of three and a half measures for the rupee, and of course one has to -pay all one's servants extra. The poor cannot live, and they say the -famine is getting worse! Only one man did I see who was lying among the -others. Poor fellow! he had just managed to crawl into camp, and he was -dying. I ordered him to be removed to the Hospital, a living skeleton. - -'The Hospital was truly a sad sight, the saddest I ever saw. There in -one ward, lying on the floor, were a dozen beings, literally living -skeletons, with sunken eyes, and ghastly hollow cheeks, and livid lips, -with their bones almost protruding through the flesh; too ill to move, -and barely able to turn their glassy, stony stare upon you. Yes, dying -all from starvation, and being hourly brought nearer death by wasting -diarrhÅ“a or dysentery. - -'One woman I shall never forget. She had her back to me, and her -shoulder-blade stood out so fearfully that I gazed upon it in momentary -expectation of its coming through the skin. So awful was it, that I -felt almost tempted to take my nail and scrape it, in order to see the -white of the bone. Perhaps the saddest sight of all was the lying-in -ward, where a lean mother was to be seen unable from weakness to nurse -the bag of bones she had given birth to; barely a child surely, with -its huge head and sunken eyes and its projecting wee ribs. Poor infant, -it couldn't live long.' - -'_August 7._--This morning I was up at five, and after my breakfast of -porridge and goat's milk, was driving out to Jeramuchi Famine Relief -Camp, eleven and a half miles distant. The camp is much the same as the -Palaveram one I already described to you; but it is superior, and more -luxurious in some ways. It is not built in the form of a square, and is -all the better of that, I think. It is fenced in all round with a trim -palisading, as was the other camp, sufficient to prevent the people -straying at night. The chuppers are arranged on the pavilion system, -right down the centre of the camp. During the day they are entirely -open at both sides, therein differing from the Palaveram ones, where -one side is always closed. However, at night either side can be closed, -as the sides consist of pieces of matting on a wooden framework, which -is hinged to the side of the roof; and during the day the sides are all -put up, supported on two bamboos each. - -'The children at this camp are all collected together and fed first, -the grown-up people afterwards. This morning I saw five thousand -children, in age from twelve to infants, mustered for breakfast. An -old gentleman with great swagger played a tom-tom with a couple of -sticks; it was in the shape of a kettle-drum, and they all mustered, -standing up in a row. M---- and I walked down two streets of these -children. They were almost all bright and happy-looking; and on being -asked if they had enough to eat, they all replied in the affirmative, -save one boy about twelve, who shook his head and smote his belly. Poor -creature; his looks confirmed his words; there he was on two legs like -walking-sticks, mere bones without an atom of muscle, on which he could -hardly stand. On being asked when he came in, he said last night. Where -were his father and mother? Oh, father, mother, brother, sister, and -he all left village together; walked many, many miles; no food. First -sister, then mother, died on the road; then brother; yesterday father; -he alone being able to reach the Relief Camp. - -'This tale is only a repetition of dozens of the same. He was ordered -milk and port wine as extras; and I hope the poor orphan being will -recover. We went over the rest of the camp; saw the men and women -all sitting patiently in rows in their dreamy eastern way, silently -awaiting the summons of the tom-tom after the children's breakfast -was over, to call them to theirs. On coming to the Mohammedan women, -about thirty in number, they all promptly stood up. One could not but -be struck with their appearance, so fair-skinned, clean-looking, and -handsome, compared to the Pariahs and others. They all spoke Hindustani -of course, and were most polite and respectful. Despite the poorness of -their attire and the absence of their jewellery, they had a refined air -about them, and a superior look totally foreign to the ordinary Hindu. -One young girl I was particularly struck with; she could only have -been about fifteen, with most lovely eyes and perfect teeth, and such -a figure. Ah! I thought, if this young woman was dressed in European -clothes and was a lady, she would make a figure in London. Dressed in a -scarlet and golden saree, with bangles and other jewellery, she would -to my mind have been the realisation of my idea of an Indian princess. - -'The Hospital presented the same sad scene of cases of emaciation as -at Palaveram; there were more than one hundred cases of dysentery and -diarrhÅ“a. I also saw another case of a milkless mother trying to suckle -her newly born handful of bones in the lying-in ward. It is a mercy -with such a large community that no cholera prevails. They have about -twenty cases of small-pox. Leaving camp, we saw two stretchers coming -in with coolies. Every morning the highways and byways are searched -for three miles round; and those poor creatures who have died or are -found dying, unable to come to camp, are brought in. If dead, they are -at once buried about a mile away from camp; if alive, they are sent to -Hospital. The famine continues very bad; and there was a great meeting -in Madras at the Banqueting-hall, when it was acknowledged government -could not now cope with it without extraneous aid. Accordingly a -telegram was despatched to England, calling on the Lord Mayors of -London, Dublin, Manchester, Liverpool, and the Lord Provosts of -Edinburgh and Glasgow, to open subscription lists. I am sure it is a -worthy cause.... In Mysore alone there have been more deaths the last -three months than during the last five years. The Viceroy is said to be -coming down immediately from Simla to personally inspect the state of -matters.' - -In a subsequent letter, October 25th, the writer adds--'The accounts -are still dreadful. Many poor creatures die after reaching the camps, -from inability to swallow or receive the nourishment offered to them -in the hospitals. The day the Viceroy visited Bangalore, no fewer than -ninety dead bodies were found in the streets and the bazaar. The people -at home have certainly done much to help their poor brethren in India; -but I believe they would do still more were they to be thoroughly aware -of the terrible scenes which have come under my notice.' - -In conclusion, it is not out of place to say that the frequently -occurring famines in that country call for measures of prevention as -well as temporary aid. In making roads and railways, the English have -done vast service to India; but something equally imposing in the way -of irrigation from artificial tanks and from rivers has seemingly -become an absolute though costly necessity, for only by such means -can a repetition of these dire famines be averted. In this direction -evidently lies the duty of legislators, and we hope they will, with -considerate foresight, be not slack in its performance. There might -also, possibly, be something done by enabling masses of the redundant -population to emigrate, under safe conduct, as coolies to countries -where their labour is required. - - W. C. - - - - -A BURIED CITY. - - -The history of the destruction of Herculaneum and Pompeii under the -ashes of Vesuvius is well known; but long before that period, and -contemporary with the age of Stone, a city in the Grecian Archipelago -was buried in the same manner, with its inhabitants, their tools, and -their domestic utensils. Here they have lain for thousands of years, -until M. Christomanos, Professor of Chemistry at the University of -Athens, called the attention of the public to them. - -There is a small group of islands to the north of Candia where these -discoveries have been made, chiefly in Santorini and Therasia, which -with one or two others form a circle round a bay. The two already -mentioned are in the shape of a horse-shoe, with the concavity turned -inwards, rising from the bay in almost inaccessible cliffs. Horizontal -strata of deep black lava, layers of reddish scoria, and cinders of -violet gray, are unequally distributed over these steep rocks, the -whole being covered by pumice-stone of a brilliant whiteness. A few -banks of marble and schist crop out to shew the original formation over -which the volcanic ashes have poured; and long vertical streams of what -has been molten matter can be traced down the cliffs. On the opposite -side, facing the open sea, the islands are altogether different, -sloping gently down, and covered with pumice-stone, the light fragments -of which are soon displaced by the wind, and sometimes carried to great -distances by the equinoctial storms. A few villages are scattered -about, and the vine clothes the ground with its beautiful greenery. - -From time immemorial the pumice of Santorini and Therasia has been -dug out for building houses; and when mixed with lime, it affords an -excellent cement, acquiring such hardness that it resists shocks of -earthquakes and the action of air and water. It has been used for -building piers and moles along the Mediterranean; and recently the -works at the Isthmus of Suez and the ports of Egypt have given a great -impetus to the trade, and thus opened out the underlying soil and -remains of human habitations. There are immense quarries where the -stone has been worked; the material being transported to the edge of -the cliff, and thrown down a _glissade_ about a hundred and fifty feet -high, to the side of the ships awaiting it. Contenting themselves with -cutting up the highest layers only, the workmen avoided the lower part, -which seemed to be mixed with stony masses. These hindered their work, -and were not valuable; but upon examination they prove to be walls -of ancient houses. This had no interest for the owners of the land, -who had long been aware of the fact; but an accidental visit from M. -Christomanos awakened the interest of scientific folks at Athens. - -At first the idea arose that this was an ancient burial-ground, and -that the tombs had been hollowed out of the pumice-stone after the -volcanic eruption; but it is now fully ascertained that they were built -long before. The largest edifice, which has been cleared of the tufa -which fills it, consists of six rooms of unequal size, the largest -being about eighteen feet by fifteen; and one wall extends round a -court of twenty-four feet in length, with a single entrance. The walls -are built in quite a different manner from the fashion now used in -the islands; they are formed of a series of irregular blocks of lava, -uncut, laid together without any order; no mortar, but the interstices -filled with a kind of red ashes. Between the stones, long twisted -branches of the olive-tree are laid, still covered with bark, but in a -very advanced state of decomposition. The wood has become nearly black, -as if burnt, and falls to powder at the slightest touch. The inside of -the rooms has never been whitewashed; but probably a rough coating of -red earthy matter, similar to that which lies between the stones, has -been put on. - -At the north side there are two windows; a third and a door are found -on the other sides, and several openings into the different rooms. As -these were formed by pieces of wood, which have decayed, the situation -of the openings is chiefly ascertained by the mass of stones that have -fallen in. In every case the roof lies in the interior of the rooms, -and has been formed of wood laid upon the walls in such a manner as -to be sloping; whilst in the largest apartment a cylindrical block of -stone buried in the floor, has evidently supported a beam of wood, from -which radiated the other pieces of the roof. - -The things which have been discovered in this building are numerous -and varied. There are vases of pottery and lava, seeds, straw, the -bones of animals, tools of flint and lava, and a human skeleton. It -may be remarked that not one article of iron or bronze has been found, -not even the trace of a nail in the pieces of wood which have formed -the roof; the absence of metals is complete. The pottery is all well -proportioned, the commonest kind consisting of yellow jars, very thick, -and capable of holding many gallons. They are filled with barley, the -seeds of coriander and aniseed, gray peas, and other articles which -cannot be made out. The form, material, and size resemble the jars used -in Greece for keeping cereals in very early though historic times. -In many of the rooms, heaps of barley lie against the walls. There -are smaller jars of finer ware and a brighter colour, ornamented with -circular bands and vertical stripes. The colouring-matter, of a deep -red, has been put on in a moist state without variety of design, being -always in circles and straight lines. - -Besides a double necklace and ear-rings of a woman, many articles -made of obsidian, a volcanic product sometimes called volcanic glass, -have been found in Therasia. These are cut, but not polished; some -of a triangular form have probably been the points of arrows; others -are like small knives or scrapers for preparing skins. The use of -obsidian appears to have been common during the Stone age among those -nations who lived in volcanic regions, and even in later periods. It -is said that it is still used by the women of Peru for scissors. It -was more generally in vogue before the discovery of metals than since, -particularly in Greece, where arms and tools of stone disappeared after -copper was found. In the strata where they are at Therasia, there is -nothing of iron or bronze. - -Two small rings of gold are rather remarkable; they are so small that -they would not pass over a child's finger. It may be inferred that -they were links of a necklace. In each there is a hole about the size -of a needle's eye. Probably they had been threaded one after another -on the same string, and not interlaced like the rings of a chain. The -interior is hollow; and no indication of soldering can be perceived, -neither does the gold seem to have any alloy of other metal. The maker -had flattened the bit of native gold by hammering it to the state of a -thin circular leaf, and then folding it up with the edges to the inside -of the ring. As gold has never been found in Santorini or in any of -the neighbouring volcanic islands, it proves that the inhabitants held -communication with the continent; certain streams of Asia Minor having -been celebrated in antiquity for the great quantity of gold brought -down. - -Geologists have endeavoured to draw out the history of the terrible -event which overwhelmed these islands and their inhabitants. At the -beginning of the tertiary period, Greece, united to Africa, seems to -have formed part of a large marshy continent, where now flows the -Mediterranean. It was inhabited by those gigantic mammifers whose bones -have been largely found in Africa. Towards the close of this epoch a -lowering of the land separated Europe from Africa, and gave to the -Mediterranean its present configuration. An oscillation of the crust of -the earth afterwards produced openings, through which igneous matter -has flowed. Torrents of lava gave birth to the volcanic rocks which are -to be found in Greece and the neighbouring islands, and a volcano had -evidently opened in the present bay of Santorini. The hill Saint Elias, -the top of which forms the culminating point of the island, was then -an island composed of schist and marble. The igneous matter, cooled -by contact with the water and the atmosphere, attached itself to this -hill, and the whole united together, formed the space now occupied by -Santorini, Therasia, and Aspronisi. Repeated layers of lava, scoria, -and ashes collected during many ages when the crater which occupied the -central part was gradually becoming undermined. - -Volcanoes are the weak parts of the earth's crust; there is not one in -full activity which does not present alternative series of increase or -lessening. The cone rises gradually until by degrees it is obstructed -with lava, then a sudden fall destroys it and hollows a new crater, -sometimes larger and deeper than the first. Many such occurrences have -been described, but none can equal in importance the gigantic fall -which formed the Bay of Santorini. All the central part must have given -way, and been suddenly ingulfed, leaving but a narrow border of land, -through the northern part of which the sea has dashed to fill up the -hollow. Instead of a mountain three thousand feet high, there is a bay -of immense depth, surrounded by precipitous rocks, close to which ships -can anchor. - -This violent catastrophe must have taken place when man was on the -island; and the event must have been sudden, since the remains prove -that there was no time to move away or to displace anything in the -houses. The eruption of pumice-stone has preceded the sinking of the -cone, for the tufa which covers the downs is cut through by subjacent -streams of lava; nor does it seem to have been preceded by any violent -earthquakes, as in that case the houses found in Therasia would have -been demolished and the walls no longer standing. This is remarkable, -as the construction of the buildings proves that the island was subject -to them; the pieces of wood inserted in the walls seeming to be for no -other object than to prevent the disastrous effects of such a shaking. -This custom is still in use among all the islands of the Archipelago. - -From the abundance of wood used in the houses, the island must in those -days have been well supplied with timber. The olive-tree grew freely, -and barley was the commonest of the cereals. Probably too the climate -was different. The vine does not seem to have been there; still less -was it the only plant cultivated, as now, at Santorini. The population -were husbandmen, understanding how to grind barley in mills and make -it into bread; how to press oil from olives, to bring up cattle, -and to weave stuffs. Yet the great abundance of utensils of lava, -obsidian, and flint, without any metals, shews that theirs was the age -of stone, when the use of metals was unknown. The blocks of stones -at the angles of the house at Therasia and the column standing near, -indicate considerable skill in the workmen, when the kind of tools they -used is taken into consideration; whilst the vases of pottery-ware are -remarkable for their elegance of form. - -It only remains to consider how many years ago it is since this great -eruption took place. The data are vague, but geologists have tried -to make some approximation. It is well known that after any violent -catastrophe the subterranean forces seem to be exhausted; the periods -of repose in a volcano are proportional to the previous energy. About -one hundred and ninety-six years before Christ there is the record of -an eruption, which raised in the centre of the bay a small islet called -Palæa Kameni. After the Christian era, frequent slight emissions only -served to increase the size of the island, and during the middle ages -there was a period of calm. In the fifteenth century the excitement -again burst forth, raising reefs both inside and outside the bay. The -second duration of rest was about ten centuries; so that to the first, -according to its intensity, there may be calculated at least twice that -time; thus the formation of the bay was perhaps two thousand years B.C. - -Historical records furnish more positive teaching, as the bay certainly -existed fifteen hundred years B.C. It was at this epoch that the -islands of the Greek Archipelago were invaded by the PhÅ“nicians. This -nation occupied Therasia and Santorini, as the many ruins still to be -found testify, and they are built on the top of the pumice-stone. But -the great eruption must have been long before that, since thick beds -of pebbles and shells, from fifteen to twenty yards deep, lie on the -tufa; and geologists know well, from the habitual slowness of this -raising of the soil, that it corresponds to many centuries. There was -also a population on the islands differing from those who were buried -in the ashes, and from the PhÅ“nicians. The latter knew the use of -bronze, and introduced it on all the shores of the Mediterranean. Most -likely we may place the great event during the early days of Egyptian -civilisation, which some historians compute to be four or five thousand -years ago. The primitive population present no trace of the influence -which that nation exerted, and with which commerce would have placed -them in frequent relations. - - * * * * * - -The Conductors of CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL beg to direct the attention of -CONTRIBUTORS to the following notice: - - _1st._ All communications should be addressed to the 'Editor, - 339 High Street, Edinburgh.' - - _2d._ To insure the return of papers that may prove ineligible, - postage-stamps should in every case accompany them. - - _3d._ MANUSCRIPTS should bear the author's full _Christian_ name, - surname, and address, legibly written. - - _4th._ MS. should be written on one side of the leaf only. - - _5th._ Poetical offerings should be accompanied by an envelope, - stamped and directed. - -_Unless Contributors comply with the above rules, the Editor cannot -undertake to return ineligible papers._ - - * * * * * - -Printed and Published by W. & R. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 727, December 1, 1877 - -Author: Various - -Editor: William Chambers - Robert Chambers - -Release Date: April 18, 2016 [EBook #51784] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL, DEC 1, 1877 *** - - - - -Produced by Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_753" id="Page_753">{753}</a></span></p> - -<h1>CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL<br /> -OF<br /> -POPULAR<br /> -LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART.</h1> - -<div> -<h2>CONTENTS</h2> - -<p class='center'> - -<!-- Autogenerated TOC. Modify or delete as required. --> - -<a href="#COSTERS_AND_THEIR">COSTERS AND THEIR DONKEYS.</a><br /> -<a href="#A_CAST_OF_THE_NET">A CAST OF THE NET.</a><br /> -<a href="#OUR_IRON-CLADS">OUR IRON-CLADS.</a><br /> -<a href="#THE_SOFTIES_DREAM">THE 'SOFTIE'S' DREAM.</a><br /> -<a href="#GLIMPSE_OF_THE_INDIAN_FAMINE">GLIMPSE OF THE INDIAN FAMINE.</a><br /> -<a href="#A_BURIED_CITY">A BURIED CITY.</a><br /> - -<!-- End Autogenerated TOC. --> - -</p> - - - - -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/header.png" width="600" height="294" alt="Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art. Fourth Series. Conducted by William and Robert Chambers." /> -</div> - - -<hr class="full" /> -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="" width="85%"> -<tr><td align="left"><b><span class="smcap">No.</span> 727.</b></td><td align="center"><b>SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1877.</b></td><td align="right"><b><span class="smcap">Price</span> 1½<i>d.</i></b></td></tr> -</table></div></div> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<div> - - - -<h2><a name="COSTERS_AND_THEIR" id="COSTERS_AND_THEIR">COSTERS AND THEIR -DONKEYS.</a></h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">In</span> walking through any part of the metropolis—be -it in the City, the West End, or any part of the -suburbs north or south—you will, especially if -early in the day, see men with wheeled trucks -drawn by donkeys, and laden with fish, vegetables, -or other articles for sale to the inhabitants. Rough -as they are in appearance, and poor as may be -their commercial outset, these are a useful class of -persons; and looking to the vastness of the population -crowded within a wide but yet limited space, -one has a difficulty in knowing how the ordinary -life of many individuals could get on without them. -A small town could manage pretty well with a -few shops. But in the metropolis, in which there -are now from three to four millions of people, -the shop-system does not fulfil the general wants; -and supernumeraries with trucks to hawk their -wares among customers, have sprung up as a convenience -and necessity. The name given to these -humble street-traders is Costers or Costermongers. -Their professional designation is of old date, and -is traced to Costard, a large variety of apple. -Costermongers were therefore originally street-sellers -of apples. The apple might be termed -their cognisance.</p> - -<p>Henry Mayhew, in that laboriously constructed -and vastly amusing work of his, <i>London Labour -and London Poor</i>, issued some six-and-twenty -years ago, describes the costermongers as numbering -upwards of thirty thousand. It might be -inferred that in the progress of time, the number -would have increased; but such, we believe, is not -the case. Social arrangements have considerably -altered. Owing to police regulations, there is a -greater difficulty in finding standing-room in the -street for barrows. By improved market arrangements -and means of transport, small shopkeepers -in humble neighbourhoods have become rivals -to the costers. As regards means of transport -for traders of all sorts, there has been immense -progress within the last few years, on account of -the abolition of taxes on spring-carts, and latterly -the abolition of taxes on horses. We might say -that for these reasons alone there are in all large -towns ten times more spring-carts and vans for -distribution of goods from shops than there were -a very few years ago. Of course, all this has -limited the traffic of itinerant vendors, and -prevented any great increase in their number. -Under such drawbacks, however, there are probably -still as many as thirty thousand costermongers -in and about the metropolis. The -young and more rudimental of the class do -not get the length of possessing donkeys. They -begin with hand-trucks, which they industriously -tug away at, until by an improvement in -circumstances they can purchase, and start a -donkey. Having attained the distinction of driving -instead of personally hauling, they have -enviedly reached the aristocracy of the profession. -They are full-blown costers, and can set up their -face in all popular assemblages of the fraternity. -A costermonger driving his donkey and habitually -taking orders for carrots or turnips as he passes -the doors of anticipated customers, is in his way -a great man. At all events he presents a spectacle -of honest labour, and is immensely more to be -respected than the pompous 'swell' who sponges -on relations, who is somewhat of a torturation, and -who never from the day of his birth did a good -hand's turn.</p> - -<p>Mayhew, who deserves to be called the historian -of London street-dealers of all descriptions, gives -a far from pleasing picture of the social condition -and habits of the costermongers. With all their -industry, they are spoken of as for the most part -leading a dismally reckless kind of life—spending -their spare hours at 'penny gaffs,' a low species of -dancing saloons, and so on. What he mentions is -just what might be expected in a loose, uneducated, -and generally neglected population of a -great city. If you allow people to grow up very -much like the lower animals, what are you to -expect in the way of delicacy? You may be -thankful that with the innumerable disadvantages -of their condition, and the temptations that surround -them, they have the rough good sense to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_754" id="Page_754">{754}</a></span> -work for their livelihood, however vagabondising -may be their enterprise.</p> - -<p>The lapse of thirty years has made a considerable -change for the better in the social economics -of the costermongers. They have participated in, -and been benefited by, those elevating influences -which have been assiduously cultivated by city -missionaries, by the press, and other agencies. -Penny gaffs have almost disappeared. The licenses -compulsorily required for singing, music, dancing, -and dramatic rooms may be said to have killed -them. The costers with advanced tastes and intelligence -seek for more rational recreations than -were customary in the past generation. Attached -to home life, marriages amongst them are more -numerous; they pay greater attention to their -children; they read more and drink less; notably -they are better dressed and kinder to their -donkeys. On this last particular we would specially -dwell. A consideration for the comforts of -the animals dependent on our bounty marks -an advance in civilisation. The character of a -man may indeed be known from the manner in -which he treats his horse, his dog, his ass, or -any other creature of which he is the owner. -Rude treatment to any of these dumb and -defenceless beings who willingly minister to our -profit or pleasure, indicates a low type of humanity. -The London coster used to be careless about -his donkey. As concerns its food, its style of -harness, its stabling, and its hours of work, there -was no particular attention. Such, generally -speaking, is no longer the case. We might say -that the rights and feelings of the animal are -respected. So to speak, it is better dressed, and -is more lively in its aspect. In its face there -seems to be a spirit of contentment. The coster, -its master, pats it, and addresses it in a far more -encouraging and kindly way than was customary -in our early days, or even so lately as twenty -years ago.</p> - -<p>All this is as it should be. Has it ever occurred -to any one to inquire why the donkey should have -so long been held in contempt and been cruelly -tyrannised over? In the East, and in the south of -Europe, the ass is esteemed as a useful beast of -burden. Alpine regions inaccessible to wheel-carriages, -would not be habitable without the -services of this sure-footed and easily-kept animal. -It is the only carrier, and may be seen patiently -toiling with laden panniers on narrow pathways -far up in the mountains. In our own country, as -an aid in various laborious occupations, the donkey -has never been properly appreciated, but on the -contrary, it has met with such shameful usage as -to stunt it in its growth and sorely to try its -naturally gentle temper. Reasons could perhaps -be assigned for this undeserved contumely. The -poor donkey has no great claim to elegance of -form. Its long ears are a reproach; no one being -apparently aware that Nature has bountifully -granted these long trumpet-shaped ears to enable -it to hear at a great distance, and if necessary to -escape from its enemies. Another reason is, that -the donkey is too patient and meek to resent -affronts. Its submissiveness is imputed to stupidity. -If it could stand up for its rights, it would -be more thought of. The lion, which is of no -use whatever, and is nothing else than a ferocious -wild beast, with a proud overbearing look, is -highly honoured as an emblem of power and dignity. -The ass is heraldically valueless. It could -be adopted only as an emblem of untiring and -uncomplaining labour, which would suit no coat -armorial. In the improved treatment of the costermonger's -donkey we begin to see brighter days for -this hitherto down-trodden creature. The costers -themselves being improved through different -agencies, their animals feel the benefit of the -general advance.</p> - -<p>In the vast obscurities of London there is a -neighbourhood known as Golden Lane and Whitecross -Street, intimately associated with the progressive -improvement of costers and their donkeys. -A kind of oasis in the desert, this neighbourhood, -which is now considerably improved in appearance, -shines forth as an important central mission, -to the merits of which we can but feebly do justice. -We have often had occasion to remark how much -good is unostentatiously done by one man, through -mere force of character and persevering vigilance. -The one man in this case has been Mr W. J. -Orsman, who for a series of years has earnestly -devoted himself to the amelioration of the condition, -moral and social, of the poor street-dealers -clustered in and around Golden Lane and Whitecross -Street. He acts as honorary secretary to the -Costermongers' Society; he edits a little periodical, -known as the <i>Golden Lane Mission Magazine</i>; and -he fosters and helps to maintain many small sub-societies, -if we may so term them. Among these -are a 'Share Barrow Club,' for lending barrows to -men who possess neither donkey-carts nor hand-barrows; -a Sick and Burial Club, to which -the men pay fourpence a week each; a 'Coster's -Friends' of Labour Club, through the aid of which -the men can put out small sums at interest, -or borrow small sums for limited periods; an -'Emily Loan Club' (named, we believe, after -a daughter of the Earl of Shaftesbury), for the -benefit of respectable female street-dealers; a -Penny Savings-bank; a Maternity Fund; a Soup -Kitchen; a Coal Fund; a Clothing Club; a -Donkey Club (for purchasing donkeys by means -of small instalments), besides others for educational, -moral, and religious improvement.</p> - -<p>The accounts given of the annual meetings of the -costers and their friends are among the curiosities -of current literature. Coming prominently forward -at these assemblages we perceive the Earl of -Shaftesbury, a nobleman who, animated by the -kindliest motives, deems it no sacrifice to his high -position to encourage by his presence and by his -speeches the humble efforts made by the costers -in the progress of well-doing. A few years since, -at one of the annual meetings, which are held -in May, the Earl of Shaftesbury took the chair. -First, there was tea given to three hundred of -the men; then was held a donkey-show, in which -the excellent condition of the animals was -fully evinced; and then came the event of -the evening. The costermongers had bought -a donkey of unusual size, strength, and beauty; -they decked him profusely with ribbons, and -brought him into the Hall. In the names of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_755" id="Page_755">{755}</a></span> -all the men, Mr Carter, a vestryman of St Luke's -parish, who kindly interests himself in their -welfare, presented the donkey to the Earl of -Shaftesbury. The Earl, as is said, had already -become, in a whimsical and pleasant sense, a -costermonger, and now in virtue of his donkey -was an accepted full member of the corps. -Whether the Earl's Neddy appreciated the honour -conferred on him, we do not know; but we may -be quite sure that no hard usage was in store for -him.</p> - -<p>As may be generally known, attempts to -encourage the improvement of donkeys have -taken place through public shows and the offering -of prizes. A Donkey and Mule show, held at the -Crystal Palace in May 1874, was the means of -giving to many persons their first idea of the real -value of an exhibition which some had beforehand -laughed at, as an absurdity. It was amply proved -that the donkey can become a really beautiful -animal when well treated; and it was equally -made manifest that rough street-dealers can be as -kind as their betters when encouraged to be -so. An archbishop carried off a prize; several -costermongers did the same; and a truly cosmopolitan -feeling was exhibited when the prizes were -distributed. The Earl of Shaftesbury, who presided -on the occasion, humorously claimed to be a -costermonger himself; for (to encourage others in -a good work) he had enrolled his name in the -Golden Lane branch of the Costermongers' Society. -Many of the donkeys exhibited at the Crystal Palace -had been employed in drawing carts and trucks -laden with vegetables, fruit, fish, salt, sand, firewood, -crockery-ware, and other commodities; and -the excellent condition of some of them won prizes -for their owners. Even a few of the donkey-drivers -of Blackheath and Hampstead Heath shewed that -the fraternity are not always so rough and -unkind as they usually appear. It was asserted -that donkeys which do not work on Sunday -are generally more active and ready on Monday; -so that the trader is but little a loser by this -course in the long-run. The Earl of Shaftesbury remarked -that: 'It would be seen from the show that -these animals are designed by Providence to be of -the greatest service to mankind; and that kindly -treatment and respect—respect for the wants and -feelings of the animals—will bring their own -reward in willing service.' Several donkey-shows -have since been held in and near the metropolis, -conveying the same useful lesson.</p> - -<p>In August of the present year, a Pony and -Donkey show was held in London, in connection -with the Golden Lane Mission and Society. The -Earl of Shaftesbury and Lady Edith Ashley -kindly and patiently examined the hard-working -dumb companions of the costermongers, and exchanged -pleasant words with the men. There was -a tea for four hundred going on nearly at the same -time. After this came a general 'march past,' and -a distribution of money and books as prizes. The -donkeys were all in admirable condition; while -many of the ponies were plump and sleek. His -lordship now called for Wilkins, a shrewd prosperous -coster of Golden Lane, and bedecked with the -insignia of authority as an officer of the Benefit -Society. This coster and another made brief -speeches; after which Colonel Henderson, Chief -Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, declared -that the costers are generally deserving of high -praise, and that the police have very little trouble -with them—when once the laws relating to the -public streets are well understood. After a few -more speeches and addresses, the noble chairman -said in pleasant humour that he had received a -poem entitled <i>The Earl and the Ass</i>; that the -donkey he had received a few years before at the -hands of the costermongers was under the doctor's -care; and that this fact alone prevented the -animal from being present. Every donkey at the -show was known by some name or other; and -hence there were many such designations as -Tommy, Old Tommy, Black Tommy, Jack, Prince, -Paddy, Old Jack, Old Sam, Boko, Charlie, Mike, -Ugly Tom, Quick; while the other sex in the -race was represented by such feminine names -as Jenny, Pretty Polly, Kitty, Pretty Jane, Maggie, -and Betsy.</p> - -<p>We do not know what was the poem to which -the Earl of Shaftesbury alluded, but conclude -that it was a poem which appeared in <i>Punch</i> relative -to the presentation of the donkey to his Lordship. -To shew how a facetious periodical can rise -above mere jesting, we transcribe the following -verses:</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Could there be a better gift? The patient beast<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Who bears the stick, and will on thistles feast,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Yet in hard duty struggles to the end,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Is always grateful to a human friend,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">But seldom finds such friends; is roughly fostered<br /></span> -<span class="i0">By costermongers, sellers of the costard,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Sellers of other things from door to door,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And very useful traders for the poor—<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">He bears a cross, we know; and legends say<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Has borne, in memory of a wondrous day,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">When love wrought miracles, in stress and strife,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And sick were healed, and dead men raised to life.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Since when, 'twixt hard knocks, hard words, and hard fare,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">He and his owners both their cross must bear.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">The Earl, who loves his race, loves other races;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">He has sought evil out in darksome places,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And bravely grappled with its many arms,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And tamed its strength, and paralysed its harms;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Brought aid to weakness, moved dead weights away,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">That crushed the soul down, deep in mire and clay.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The greatest, by descending, may ascend:<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The peer who is the costermongers' friend,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Dares on the platform stroke an ass's ears,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Rises above the level of his peers.<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p>As an evidence that the endeavours to improve -the London costermongers morally as well as -physically, have not been thrown away, we may -add the following anecdotes.</p> - -<p>In 1872 a costermonger named Darby, plying -his itinerant trade in the densely packed and comfortless -region immediately eastward of the City -of London, was one day driving his donkey-cart, -laden with cheap fish from Billingsgate. The poor -donkey accidentally put his foot into a plug-hole, -fell, and broke his leg between the knee and the -fetlock—pitching his master out of the cart, and -seriously bruising him. His brother-costers advised -Darby to kill the animal at once, as no one had -ever heard of a donkey's broken leg being healed. -But Darby would not listen to this. He took the -donkey home, and made a temporary bed for him -in the only sitting-room. The man and his wife -tended the poor animal, which often groaned with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_756" id="Page_756">{756}</a></span> -pain. The wife was a washerwoman at the East -London Hospital, but she did not grudge to the -poor donkey a little of that time which was so -valuable to her. A kind lady then undertook to -take charge of the donkey until cured, at a place -twelve or fourteen miles from London. With -bandaging and careful treatment, aided by the -benefit of pure fresh air, the leg became sound in -eighteen months; and Darby had a good reply to -make to those companions who had said to him: -'Kill it, old fellow; it will never be able to get -up again. First loss is the best; nobody can set -a donkey's leg. Kill it, old fellow, at once!' The -kind-hearted costermonger became known as -'Darby, the donkey's friend.' A testimonial was -presented to him by the Ladies' Committee of the -Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; -and he is justly proud of it.</p> - -<p>As we write, a paragraph appears in <i>The Times</i>, -communicated by an observer. 'Having occasion -to pass through Whitecross Street on Thursday -evening, my attention was attracted to some fine -turnips on a coster's barrow. Retaining my boyish -fondness for a raw turnip, I at once selected one, -and putting my hand into my pocket, paid, as I -thought, two halfpence, the price charged. I had -scarcely advanced a hundred yards, when a tap on -my shoulder caused me to halt; and lo! the -woman from whom I had made my last purchase -accosted me. "What did you give me?" she said. -I told her as above, when she opened her hand -and displayed two bright shillings, which I had -given her by mistake, and which she now returned. -Thanking the woman for her honesty, I rectified -the matter, reflecting on my way home that the -labours of Lord Shaftesbury and his worthy coadjutors -among the costermongers could not have -been spent in vain; for the cleanliness, civility, -and "honour bright" of these small traders are -very evident to those who knew the locality ten -years ago.'</p> - -<p>Our task is ended. We have told all we know -about the costermongers, and no doubt much that -we have said is not new to many of our readers; -but in the way we put it, good may be effected, -as shewing the degree of social progress in an -industrious and useful class in the metropolis. -Donkeys can of course never attain to the beauty, -the strength, and the value of the horse. We may -admit their inferiority to ponies; but as docile, -kept at little expense, and useful in various departments -of labour, they have their appointed place -in creation. They offer themselves as the poor -man's friend and servant. In what numberless -cases, as is exemplified by the London costers, -might they be employed to meliorate a lot sometimes -very hard to bear! We do not bespeak -for them more consideration than they deserve. -All we expect is that they shall not be treated -as abject and worthless. Let us appreciate their -unobtrusive willingness to serve to the best -of their ability. They ask little, and let that -little be conceded. We do not look for elegant -turn-outs of donkeys, though we believe the example -of a donkey-phaeton has been set by the -Baroness Burdett-Coutts, who is never wanting -where the welfare of the lower animals is concerned. -From our own personal experience, we -may tell of employing Donald, our pet donkey, to -draw a light four-wheeled phaeton, holding two -persons. In bright harness, enlivened with jingling -bells, he proceeds on a drive of eight to ten -miles with the speed of a quick-trotting pony, -and with a cheerfulness which it does one good -to look at.</p> - -<p class='right'> -W. C. -</p> - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - - -<h2><a name="A_CAST_OF_THE_NET" id="A_CAST_OF_THE_NET">A CAST OF THE NET.</a></h2> - -<p class='ph3'>THE STORY OF A DETECTIVE OFFICER.</p> - - -<h3 title='CHAPTER I.'>IN FOUR CHAPTERS.—CHAPTER I.</h3> - -<p><span class="smcap">Any</span> one who feels the slightest curiosity as to the -date of my story, can tell pretty nearly when -its events occurred, by various incidents mentioned -in it, and which the public know quite as -much about as I do; but I do not feel inclined, -for certain reasons of my own, to identify the -precise date or to name the exact spot at which -I was employed in the business.</p> - -<p>It was a case for the police—for the detective -police—and I was the detective employed. Now -you must understand that I was not at this time -regarded as a regular detective; I was a sergeant -in what we will call the 'A' division, and I did -ordinary duty; but though I was not yet on the -regular detective staff, somehow or another I was -very often taken from my usual work and put on -all sorts of jobs, sometimes fifty or a hundred -miles in the country; and I was once paid a very -high compliment by the chief magistrate—of -course I mean at Bow Street. He said: 'Nickham, -you're not a regular detective, are you?'</p> - -<p>'No, your Worship,' I said; 'I am not.'</p> - -<p>'Well, Nickham, you're worth a dozen of them; -and I have made a special note of your conduct, -and shall send it on to the Commissioner.'</p> - -<p>The Commissioner was old Sir Richard Mayne -then. And that's how I got to be a sergeant; but -it was only because I was lucky in two or three -cases which the chief magistrate happened to notice.</p> - -<p>Well, I was one night at the section-house, for -I wasn't on duty (I don't mean the station-house; -the section-house is a place where our men lodge, -perhaps fifteen or twenty together, or more); and -I was sitting in the large room by myself; for it -was a fine evening, and none of the men cared -much about chess or draughts or things of that -kind. I was reading the paper by myself, when -the door opened and one of our people looked in. -It was Inspector Maffery; and I was very much -surprised to see him there, as our place was quite -out of his district. Seeing I was by myself, he -said: 'Oh!' in a tone which shewed he was -pleased at it, and turning to some one outside, he -said: 'Come in, sir; the party is here by himself.' -With this, a tall, stout, gray-whiskered gentleman -came in.</p> - -<p>Inspector Maffery closed the door after him, and -not only did that, but shot the bolt, and then coming -to me at the table, says: 'Nickham, this is Mr Byrle, -the celebrated engineer that you have heard of.'</p> - -<p>Of course I had heard of him; in fact I once -had a cousin who worked in his factory. So I -bowed and made a civil remark.</p> - -<p>Then Inspector Maffery went on to say: 'This, -Mr Byrle, is Sergeant Nickham, one of our most -active men, as I have told you, and who, I think, -is just the man for you. This place is very safe; -and as I have bolted the door, and the men below -know I am here, there will be no interruption; -and you can say anything you wish to Nickham -as well here as anywhere.'</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_757" id="Page_757">{757}</a></span></p> - -<p>So they sat down; and with a very polite speech, -for he was really a gentleman, Mr Byrle told me -what he wanted.</p> - -<p>He made a long story of it; I shall not; but the -public have really no idea of putting facts well -together, and presenting them without any excrescences, -if I may say so. However, I listened -patiently, and found out what was required. It -seemed that his factory had been robbed on several -nights, in spite of an extra watchman being put -on; and only the completely finished and most -expensive engine-fittings were taken; shewing that -the thief, whoever he was, knew what things to -take, where to find them, and where to dispose -of them. The robberies were mortifying, because -they proved, as all such things do, that the firm -were employing a thief, and trusting some one who -was deceiving them. The loss of these fittings -often delayed other work seriously; and above all, -it was considered that it demoralised all the factory -(where best part of a thousand hands were -employed), by shewing that the firm <i>could</i> be -robbed with impunity. So, although it was hardly -the sort of business which a first-rate man was -required to work; and though I say it myself, and -though spite and envy in certain quarters kept me -off the regular staff, there was not a better man -in London than I was, and our people knew it; -yet I listened very patiently, and asked such -questions as occurred to me. For a civilian, Mr -Byrle seemed pretty sharp at catching my drift; -while as an old hand, and knowing what was best -with the public, Inspector Maffery sat without -saying a word, or one now and again at the most, -leaving Mr Byrle to settle things for himself. I -then roughly sketched out a scheme, which in a -few words I laid before the gentleman.</p> - -<p>'I understand your plan entirely, Mr Nickham,' -said the old gentleman; 'and the sooner you -begin, the better, for I feel we shall be successful. -Mr Maffery assures me you can be relieved from -your duty here at any time; so I trust there will -be no delay. I have said money is not to stop -you, and you will take this on account of expenses—when -exhausted, let me know.' With that he -handed me a bank-note, and I thanked him, and of -course promised to do my best.</p> - -<p>Then Inspector Maffery said: 'I will see to all -the essentials, Nickham, so make your preparations -as soon as you can.'</p> - -<p>Now I liked Maffery very well, and he was -certainly one of our best inspectors; but all this -civility, taking trouble off my hands and so forth, -merely told me that Mr Byrle was a most liberal -party, and that Maffery believed he had got hold -of a good thing. Mr Byrle shook hands with me, -and they went away together, leaving me to think -over the business.</p> - -<p>I must confess I was a little disappointed—although -I could see I was likely to be well paid -for my work—in being set at such a very commonplace -job as this. After I had traced Lady Brightley's -jewels (the reader does not remember this, -I daresay, as it was kept very quiet, but I got -praised for my management of the case), I thought -I should have been selected for the most important -work; and when Inspector Maffery brought Mr -Byrle in, I really hoped it was about the great -Bank-paper robbery.</p> - -<p>The reader is quite aware, I have no doubt, that -Bank of England notes are printed on paper -specially made for the purpose, and that no other -paper has three rough edges, the only clean-cut edge -being where the two notes have been separated—and -this is one of the great tests of a genuine note. -It will be recollected too, how a great quantity of -this paper was stolen from the mills at Alverstoke, -and the Bank was in a terrible state about it, because -as for engraving and all that handicraft sort of -work—why, bless me! there's men by the dozen -in England and on the continent too—<i>I</i> know some -of them—who could print off a note with all the -little touches on which the examiners rely, as perfectly -imitated as if they had worked for the Bank -for years. So when the gang got hold of the genuine -<i>paper</i>, it was a serious matter. They took the principal -thief, however, and got the paper back. -A desperate service it was too, as B——, the chief -man in the affair, was one of the most resolute and -desperate roughs in London; and the officers that -took him ran great risk, and deserved great praise.</p> - -<p>Of course the public rejoicing was very great, -because nobody had known when the bad notes -might come into circulation; but we knew, some -of us, that it was all a sham, that a lot of the paper -was still missing, and that if the right man got -hold of it, there would soon be thousands of forged -notes—all fives probably—flying about. It was -pretended that all the paper was got back, or that -the Bank people thought so, on purpose to make -the holders of the remainder think that the hunt -was given up; but it was no such thing. Two or -three of the best men in the force were to continue -the search, and I had hoped I should be selected; -but I was told I would not do, because I could not -speak any foreign language, and it was thought the -men might have to go abroad after the paper. For -all that, when I saw Inspector Maffery come in -with Mr Byrle, I thought, as I just said, that I was -to be chosen. However, I had found out my mistake; -and I was thinking over my instructions, -when the door opened again. I did not look up at -first, supposing it was one of our men; but a cough -attracting my attention, I turned round. I saw a -slight-built, rather under-sized young fellow, with -something of a foreign cut about him, very good-looking -though, and a most uncommonly piercing -eye; and he at once said: 'I am Mr Byrle's clerk, -and have been waiting for him, and he wishes to -know where he is to see you?'</p> - -<p>'To see <i>me</i>?' I said. 'Why—does he want to -see me?'</p> - -<p>'I think what Mr Byrle means is, that in case he -wants to speak to you, where shall he find you?' -replied the young fellow. 'You see I don't know -much of the business myself; I only know he has -engaged you as a detective.'</p> - -<p>'And that's more than you ought to have known,' -I said; 'however, Mr Byrle knows his own business -best. Tell him that of course he can always hear -of me under the name agreed upon, at the <i>Yarmouth -Smack</i>, where I shall lodge.'</p> - -<p>'Under what name, did you say?' asks the clerk.</p> - -<p>'I didn't say any name, and I don't mean to say -any name,' was my answer. 'If Mr Byrle wants -any more information, he had better write.'</p> - -<p>'Oh, very well,' says he, quite short and sharp, -for I supposed he did not like my manner, and -away he goes.</p> - -<p>I sat and thought, or tried to think, but I could -not get on so well as before; the visit of that -young fellow had unaccountably upset me, and I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_758" id="Page_758">{758}</a></span> -could not settle down again. Then in came first -one, then another, then two or three of our men, -and so I got up and went out. I had hardly -turned the corner, when I met Inspector Maffery, -and it was pretty easy to see by his rosy cheeks -and unsteady eye what <i>he</i> had been up to.</p> - -<p>'Off for a meditative stroll, I suppose, Mr Nickham?' -he says. 'You are the boy for my money.'</p> - -<p>'I'm glad to hear it, Inspector,' I said. 'But I -don't think much of Mr Byrle's clerk, nor of Mr -Byrle himself for his judgment in sending him -to me.'</p> - -<p>'Mr Byrle's clerk!' he says; and then repeats -it: 'Mr Byrle's clerk!'</p> - -<p>'Ah!' I said, 'Mr Byrle's clerk. He came with -a message from Mr Byrle to know where he should -meet me if he wanted to see me. I had already -settled with him how I would call at his manager's -private house with my report, whenever I had -anything to say; and he ought to have been satisfied -with that.'</p> - -<p>'You are making some mistake here, Sergeant -Nickham,' says Inspector Maffery. 'Mr Byrle had -no clerk with him; and moreover than that, I've -been with him myself till the last five minutes; -till he got into the train in fact, and can swear he -never spoke to anybody but myself from the time -I left you.'</p> - -<p>'Then there's a screw loose!' I said; 'there's a -something wrong here, Inspector, and we have got -to deal with some uncommonly deep files. They -have scored the first notch in the game, that's -clear; but perhaps we can turn the tables on -them all the better for it.'</p> - -<p>'If there's a man in the force as can do it, -Sergeant Nickham, you are that man,' says Inspector -Maffery; 'I'll trust it to you; for my head -just now isn't up to the polishing off of such a -business. But do what you like.'</p> - -<p>'Can I have Peter Tilley for a week, Inspector?' -I said.</p> - -<p>'Have half a dozen for a month, if you like,' he -answered: 'Mr Byrle is that much in earnest, -Sergeant Nickham, and he is that rich and liberal, -that he would buy up half a division rather than -be beaten. So pick who you like, and keep them -as long as you like. I will see you all right.'</p> - -<p>'Very good, Inspector,' I said. 'Then I will have -Peter to-morrow; and don't make any report of -this little adventure, not even to Mr Byrle. I -think I see the little game, and I will try to spoil it.'</p> - -<p>If I had had any doubt as to the Inspector -having had quite enough brandy-and-water with -Mr Byrle (it was sure to be brandy-and-water, for -Inspector Maffery never touched anything else; -he said it was ordered for his liver)—I say if I had -felt any doubt before, I should have had none -after the way he wrung my hand and said: 'If -there's a man in the force as can do credit to the -force and bring 'em through in triumph, that man -is Sergeant Nickham.' And so, with another -squeeze of my hand, he walked away with a step -so excessively solemn and stately, that it was only -a little better—a very little—than staggering across -the pavement, in the way of telling what was the -matter with him; but Inspector Maffery was not -a bad fellow, and never curried favour with those -above him by worrying and spying on those below -him, and so we liked the old boy.</p> - -<p>Now this was a very awkward incident—I -mean of course about the clerk—and shewed me -that my work had already begun, and was likely -to be a little more intricate than I had expected. -How the stranger came to know so much as he -evidently did, I did not trouble myself just then -to consider: he <i>did</i> know it; that was the fact I -was concerned with. Why it was worth his while -to take so much trouble about a small affair, I did -not much care either, though this was more important, -as it was evident some one had employed -him, for I would swear he was no smith or fitter; -and so it was clear there was a good many in the -swim. I don't mean to use any slang if I can help -it, but 'swim' is a regular word, you know, and we -can't do without it.</p> - -<p>My mind was at once made up; I was always -very quick in making up my mind, and prided -myself upon it. I am bound to admit I often -got wrong through it, but perhaps no oftener -than people who were slower; and I took care -to make a good deal of the times when I <i>was</i> -right, and so that covered everything. Now, -Peter Tilley, the officer I had asked for, was a -man as much about my size and build and colour -of hair and eyes, as if he had been my twin-brother; -and indeed he was not much unlike me -in his features. Any one who knew us would not -mistake us for each other, but a casual acquaintance -might do so. I was wearing then rather -extensive moustaches and whiskers; they gave -me quite a military cut; and they were not -common in the force then, though any man -wears them now that chooses. I at once determined -to shave them off—for I never allowed -personal considerations to interfere with business—and -make Tilley wear a set of false articles -as much like my own as possible; and this I -knew would immensely increase his resemblance -to me as I appeared that day, while I should of -course look very unlike myself. Then I would -send Tilley to the <i>Yarmouth Smack</i>—which was a -public-house at which, under some disguise, I had -agreed to lodge while on my search—and he -could keep his eyes open for anything going -on; but he was not to trouble himself much. -It was uncommonly likely, I thought, that the -spies—for I didn't doubt there was more than one—would -make sure that Smith or Brown or Jones, or -whatever Tilley called himself, the lodger at the -<i>Yarmouth Smack</i>, was Sergeant Nickham, and so, -as long as they kept him in sight, they had the -trump-card, if I may be bold enough to say so, in -their hands. And if I had not met Inspector -Maffery when I did, when the clerk's visit was -fresh upon me, and I was rather out of temper -about it, I should probably never have thought of -mentioning the matter, and the detective work -would have begun on the wrong side.</p> - -<p>Byrle & Co.'s factory was close to the Thames, -and had a wharf in connection with it, and -one waterside public-house would do as well for -me as another. In fact, as the receiver was as -likely to live on the opposite bank as on their -own, I might actually gain by living at some place -with the river between me and the factory, for a -boat could easier cross the river in the dark than -a cart could drive through the narrow streets and -lanes without being noticed.</p> - -<p>I told Tilley as much of my plan as was -necessary; he was delighted to help me, for he -fancied I was a rising man, and it was something -of an honour to work with me. He was willing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_759" id="Page_759">{759}</a></span> -enough to wear the moustache too; indeed this -was such a common and natural sort of disguise, -that it was adopted quite as a matter of course. I -did <i>not</i> tell him that I wished him to be mistaken -for me; I took care to choose the moustache and -whisker; but it never occurred to him why that -particular style was chosen; nor did I tell him, or -Inspector Maffery or Mr Byrle, that I was going to -shave. There's nothing like keeping your own -counsel in these cases; and I resolved that if I had -occasion to report anything to the inspector (for -he was supposed to have the case in hand), I would -actually wear a false moustache myself; but it was -specially arranged that I should not go near any of -the authorities until I thought it desirable, for Mr -Byrle was of opinion that if the least suspicion -got afloat with regard to myself, the men who -were robbing him were quite fly to watching -where I went. (I am afraid I have dropped into -slang again; to be 'fly' to a thing, means that you -are up to it, or down to it, as some prefer to say.) -Well, this was Mr Byrle's opinion, and I am bound -to say, after the visit of the sham clerk, it was -mine too.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> -<h2><a name="OUR_IRON-CLADS" id="OUR_IRON-CLADS">OUR IRON-CLADS.</a></h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">In</span> our ballad literature not a little is heard of -'the wooden walls of Old England.' History is -so full of exploits by three-deckers and frigates, -that one feels as if the general disuse of these -engines of naval warfare would lead to national -disaster. England, however, does not stand alone -in exchanging wooden walls for iron-clads of an -entirely new type. All the navies of the world -have been thus transformed in the twenty years -which have elapsed since our last great war. -There are ships of war now afloat which could -single-handed meet and defeat the whole fleet that -followed Nelson and Collingwood at Trafalgar. -These great changes have been brought about by -the use of armour-plating, the growth of the guns, -the improvement of marine engines, and the adoption -of machinery to aid in the working and the -fighting of the ship. We remember a few months -ago hearing one of our admirals, a man of the -old school, talking of naval war. 'In past times,' -he said, 'war was all courage and chivalry. What -is it now? Cunning and machinery!' And to -some extent he was right. Cunning and machinery -will play a great part in the naval battles -of the future; but of course there must be courage, -and iron courage too, behind them, or iron plates -and monster guns will avail but little. In the -new class of war-vessels, the massive plates are -bolted on to iron frames; the only wood is the -'backing' of Indian teak behind and sometimes -between them. Oak, so far as beams and planks are -concerned, has disappeared from the navy. The -'hearts of oak' are left, however, it is to be hoped, -in the brave fellows who happily still man our -new navy.</p> - -<p>Our Navy List tells us that we have something -like eight hundred ships of war, including in -round numbers sixty iron-clads. These figures -given in this way of course require some explanation. -In the list are included gun-boats, tenders, -store-ships, tug-boats, old wooden ships which are -really waiting to be broken up, training-ships, and -wooden guard-ships stationed at various ports. -Our fighting navy really consists of the iron-clads -and the unarmoured cruisers built for high speed; -to these we may add gun-boats of a recent type -built to carry one very heavy gun. And with -regard to the iron-clads it must be noted that even -they are not all fitted to take a place in line of -battle. Many of them are ships built from 1861 to -1864, having very thin armour, comparatively light -guns, and we fear in many cases worn-out boilers. -The <i>Warrior</i>, our first real iron-clad man-of-war -(for we can hardly count as such the floating -batteries), was launched in 1861. She was built -on the lines of a fast sailing-ship, and has none -of the heaviness of form which was unavoidably -given to most of her successors. When she was -launched, armour was still in the region of doubtful -projects, and it was considered a remarkable -success to give her four-and-a-half-inch plates on -her central portion only, for the ends were wholly -unprotected. The <i>Warrior</i> too was an enormously -long ship—no less than three hundred and eighty -feet from stem to stern; but even this length -was exceeded in the sister ships <i>Northumberland</i> -and <i>Minotaur</i>. These ships are neither strong -in armour nor handy in manœuvring; they have -of course their uses, but they cannot be compared -with the later ships constructed when we had -acquired some practical knowledge of what an -iron-clad should be.</p> - -<p>As soon as it was recognised that rapidity in -manœuvring—in other words, power of turning -easily and certainly—was a necessary quality of -a good iron-clad, ships were built much broader -in proportion to their length; and this facility of -manœuvring was further increased by the general -introduction of the twin-screw; that is, the placing -of two screw propellers one on each side of the -stern-post, each being independent of the other; -so that one or both can be used to drive the -ship; or one can be reversed while the other continues -driving ahead; thus enabling the ship to -turn as easily as a boat when the oarsman backs -water with one hand and continues pulling with -the other.</p> - -<p>While the increase of armour kept pace with -the growth of the guns, and rose gradually from -four inches on the <i>Warrior</i> to two feet on the -<i>Inflexible</i>, a species of internal defence was gradually -developed by the division of the ship -into numerous compartments; so that if she -were pierced below the water-line by the explosion -of a torpedo or the blow of an enemy's -ram, the water would only partially fill her, and -she would still be able to keep afloat. All the -later iron-clads have a double bottom, the space -between the inner and outer bottom being divided -into numerous cells. The body of the ship is -divided by the water-tight bulkheads extending -from side to side, and from the bottom to the -upper deck. To these transverse bulkheads Mr -Barnaby, the present chief constructor, has added -in all the iron-clads which he has designed a longitudinal -bulkhead extending from stem to stern, -and dividing the ship into two halves in the direction -of her length. Further, there are minor compartments -formed by strong bulkheads, designed -for the protection of the engines and boilers. In a -large ship these compartments of various kinds -are very numerous; the <i>Inflexible</i> contains upwards -of one hundred and twenty; great care, therefore, -has to be taken in planning them, in order to -insure that this isolation of the various parts of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_760" id="Page_760">{760}</a></span> -the ship may not interfere with the working of -her guns, engines, and steering apparatus while she -is in action.</p> - -<p>Side by side with this development of defensive -power, there went on an equally rapid development -of machinery and mechanical appliances for -the working of the ship. The first necessity of an -iron-clad is powerful engines, to drive her at a speed -of thirteen or fourteen knots an hour on an emergency, -though of course in ordinary times a much -lower rate of speed is considered sufficient, and the -engines work at half their power, or are stopped -entirely, while the ship proceeds on her way under -sail. But the propulsion of the ship is only one of -the numerous duties to be discharged by this new -adoption of steam, a power which was only just -really establishing itself in our navy when we went -to war with Russia in 1854. An iron-clad does not -carry anything like the crew that used to be put -on board of an old three-decker. Eleven hundred -men used to be the complement of a ship of -one hundred and thirty-one guns; one-third of the -number is more than the crew of some of our most -formidable vessels of to-day. In former days guns -could be handled and worked by men and even -by boys, provided the number of hands were sufficient; -and nowadays it is very different work -running in and out guns weighing thirty-five, -thirty-eight, and eighty-one tons, and dragging -along and ramming down shot and shell weighing -from six hundred pounds up to three-quarters -of a ton, and cartridges each of which contains -perhaps more than two barrels of gunpowder. -This kind of fighting is work for giants, and -so the giant Steam lends his strong hand to do -it. Steam turns the turrets of the monitor, steam -exerts its force through the medium of hydraulic -machinery, checks the recoil of the heavy gun -as it runs in, forces the mechanical sponge into -its bore, works the shot-lift that brings up the -ammunition, works the rammer that drives it -home into the gun; finally runs the gun out -and points it, the huge gun raising or lowering -its muzzle, or turning to right or left, as the captain -of its crew touches a valve-handle or presses down -a little lever.</p> - -<p>But steam is not applied to the guns only; it -works the windlasses, winches, and capstans that -raise the anchors, braces up the yards, and lifts -stores and heavy weights in and out of the ship, -or moves them from place to place. It furnishes -power to the steering apparatus, works the pumps, -keeps the ventilating fans going; and in ships that -shew the electric light at night it drives the -electrical apparatus. Engines are made to start -engines in some of the newer iron-clads. Instead -of moving heavy levers when he wishes to -set the engines going, the engineer just touches -a miniature engine, which moves the levers of -the larger engines for him. And all these more -important engines are multiplied and made to act -either together or separately, so that in the event -of one being disabled, others are left to do its -work. We hear of ships of war being fitted with -twenty or thirty engines, without counting sundry -smaller ones. Those of the turret-ship <i>Temeraire</i> -are thus divided—two main engines for propelling -the ship, with two starting engines; four feed -engines, two circulating engines, two bilge engines, -four fan engines, one capstan engine, one steering -engine, two pumping engines connected with the -hydraulic loading-gear, two turning engines for -rotating the turn-tables or turrets, two engines to -pump water in case of fire, four engines for hoisting -out ashes, one engine for condensing air in -working the Whitehead torpedo, and an engine for -the electric light apparatus. Admiral Fellowes -had such ships as these in his mind when, speaking -before a committee of the Admiralty, he said: -'Men-of-war now are nothing more nor less than -floating machines; there are the steam capstans, -the steam steering-gear; every portion of your -guns, slides, and carriages worked by steam; there -are the double bottom and the inner bottom, and -everything connected with the machinery; in fact -the whole ship is now a floating machine, and is -more or less under the control of the chief engineer.'</p> - -<p>In all our great naval wars, our ships had only -a single weapon, the gun, and this not a very -heavy one, for the highest limit of naval ordnance -was the sixty-eight pounder, which indeed was -looked upon as a very terrible weapon. To the -guns of nowadays, the old thirty-two and sixty-eight -pounders are mere pop-guns. There is the -huge eighty-one-ton gun, twenty-four feet long, -and six feet thick at the breech, its huge shot of -fifteen hundred pounds being capable of penetrating -thirty inches of armour. There is the thirty-eight-ton -gun, whose shot of six or seven hundred -pounds weight has smashed a thirteen-inch plate at -a thousand yards. Then there are guns of six-and-a-half, -nine, twelve, eighteen, and twenty-five tons, -with projectiles weighing from one to six hundred -pounds, all of them capable of piercing armour, -against which the old naval guns would be as useless -as a schoolboy's squirt. But the gun does not -stand alone. There are two other weapons, either -of which is more terrible, and in certain cases -more effective than the heaviest gun afloat. These -are the ram and the torpedo, the latter of which -has recently been described in these columns. Let -us, however, have a look at the ram. In the -old days, the ship herself had no attacking -power. She fought with her guns; or else she -was laid alongside of her enemy, and the crew -with axe, pike, and cutlass clambered over the -bulwarks and on to the hostile decks, which -they cleared by hand-to-hand fighting. Probably -no iron-clad will ever be laid alongside of -another to board her. Were an iron-clad to go into -action, all the openings in the deck would be -closed, and every one, even the steersman, under -cover. Many modern ships could continue a fight -successfully with a hundred or a hundred and fifty -boarders in possession of the upper deck; and their -own turret guns, or the fire of friendly ships, -would clear away the intruders if necessary. Thus, -in the recent war between Paraguay and Brazil, -during one of the river engagements, a Paraguayan -ship ran alongside of a Brazilian turret-ship -and sent a crowd of boarders on to her -iron decks. They met with no opposition; the -round turret in front of them continued its -fire against a Paraguayan monitor; while another -Brazilian monitor sent volley after volley of -grape-shot sweeping across the decks of her consort. -In a few minutes they were clear. The -Paraguayan boarders had been killed, had jumped -into the water, or had escaped to one of their -own ships. This, we believe, is the only attempt -on record at boarding an iron-clad; its failure -shews how hopeless such an enterprise is against<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_761" id="Page_761">{761}</a></span> -a ship the possession of whose deck does not -give any control over her movements or those -of her crew. It is therefore probable that it will -be only in the most exceptional cases that iron-clads -will approach each other with the object of -boarding. If they do come to close quarters, it -will be only to use the ram.</p> - -<p>This idea of fighting with the ram is a very old -one. The <i>beak</i> was the weapon of the ancient -navies of the Mediterranean, and the beak was -what we now call the ram. It is quite evident -that to make the ship herself, weighing from nine -to twelve thousand tons, take the place of the projectile, -by driving her at a high speed against a -hostile vessel, is to use a weapon more powerful -than the heaviest gun. A ship like the <i>Inflexible</i> -or the <i>Sultan</i>, with a speed of ten or twelve knots -an hour, will strike a heavier blow than a shot from -even the eighty-one-ton gun would give at a range -of a few hundred yards; and while the injury done -by the shot will probably be above the water-line, -the ram will cut the hostile vessel down from above -the water-line perhaps almost to the keel. Every -one remembers how the <i>Iron Duke</i> sank the <i>Vanguard</i> -by an accidental collision at a low rate of -speed. But in this case the injury was such that -the <i>Vanguard</i> did not sink for nearly an hour. -Much more terrible was the sinking of the iron-clad -<i>Re d'Italia</i> in the battle of Lissa in 1866. The -Austrian admiral found himself inferior in gun-power -to the Italian ships; he therefore decided on -using the ram as much as possible. 'I rammed -away at everything I saw painted gray,' he said -himself in describing the action. One of these -gray ships was the splendid iron-clad <i>Re d'Italia</i>, -which struck fair amidships by Tegethoff's bow, -went to the bottom of the Adriatic with all her -crew in less than a minute. We believe that this -use of the ram will play a great part in any future -English naval engagement.</p> - -<p>Such are the means of defence and attack possessed -by our fleet. There has never yet been -anything like a grand engagement between two -great iron-clad navies; when that takes place, we -shall see what the new naval warfare really is; meanwhile -one thing is quite certain—that iron-clads -are neither as handy nor as comfortable as the -grand old ships of say forty years ago. Sailors -in the royal navy have had to exchange the well-lighted, -airy lower-decks of the line-of-battle ship -for the hot dark 'compartments' of the iron-clad; -for oil-lamps, hot rooms, and artificial ventilation, -and perhaps the prospect of being battered with -monster guns or blown up with torpedoes. This -change of conditions may have serious consequences, -not contemplated by designers of iron-clads. -At present the crews of these vessels have -been nearly all engaged as boys, put on board -training-ships. They turn out a fine set of young -men, but they do not remain in the service. -Before they are thirty, most of them have gone, -and are engaged in employment on shore, or in -yachts, or in ocean steam lines. We believe there -will be also a growing difficulty in procuring a -good set of officers, including surgeons, for the -iron-clads. Young men of good education, with -numerous openings for them in civil life, do not -like to be immured in dark floating hulks, with -the risk at any moment of being helplessly sent -to the bottom of the sea. We at anyrate know -the fact of two young men trained as surgeons for -the royal navy who on these grounds have shrunk -from following their intended profession. In -short, science may invent ships of overpowering -destructive grandeur, but it cannot invent men -who will agree to live under conditions of dismal -discomfort in these floating dungeons. Such, we -imagine, will be found to be weak points in a -navy of iron-clads. Nor can we look with indifference -on the many instances of disaster in the mere -working of these new-fashioned vessels. Explosions -and other fatalities follow in pretty quick succession. -Furnaces and steam-machinery are constantly -going wrong. Shafts and bearers are going wrong. -There seems to be such a complication in all -departments, that one can have little confidence in -matters going quite right in case of that kind of -active service involved in absolute warfare. A -contemplation of these several contingencies, it -must be owned, is far from pleasant.</p> - -<p>Since this article was written, news has come of a -successful naval engagement which shews that our -sailors are as brave and as skilful as ever they were. -One day last May a rebel Peruvian iron-clad, the -<i>Huascar</i>, having committed piratical acts in the -Pacific, was attacked by two of our fine wooden -cruisers, the <i>Shah</i> and the <i>Amethyst</i>. The two -English wooden ships fairly beat the iron-clad -turret-ship, which was so damaged that the rebel -crew were only too glad to go into harbour and -surrender to the Peruvian authorities. This is the -first English action with an iron-clad; and slight as -it is in itself, the fact that our ships were only -wooden cruisers meant for no such severe work, -gives it some importance, and makes the victory a -legitimate cause for well-founded satisfaction.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> -<h2><a name="THE_SOFTIES_DREAM" id="THE_SOFTIES_DREAM">THE 'SOFTIE'S' DREAM.</a></h2> - - -<h3 title='CHAPTER I.'>IN TWO CHAPTERS.—CHAPTER I.</h3> - -<p><span class="smcap">In</span> the fertile valley of the river Suck, just where -some years ago such consternation was created by -a portion of the Bog of Allen shewing an inclination -to settle for good, there stood many years -since a farm-house of rather a better class than -any of those in the immediate neighbourhood, or -indeed in any of the adjacent villages. The house -stood a little off the high-road from Castlerea to -Loughlinn, and few people who passed failed to -observe its well-to-do, comfortable appearance -and 'smug' haggard (steading). Its occupier, -Owen Kearney, was a very hard-working sober -man, who not only minded his own business, but -let his neighbours' affairs alone. He was never -in arrears with his rent, had his turf cut a year -in advance, and got his crops down first and in -earliest; so that it was not without some reason -that people said he was the most comfortable -farmer in the village of Glenmadda. Added to -being the most industrious, Owen Kearney was -(what few tenant farmers in the west of Ireland -were thirty years ago) something of a speculator. -He did not tie his savings up in an old stocking -and hide it in the thatch of the barn or cow-house, -as the majority of his neighbours who had any -savings usually did; but despite the repeated warnings -of Shaun More Morris, the philosopher and -wiseacre of the village, invested in new and -improved farming implements and in horses, of -which he was not unjustly considered the best -judge in the County Roscommon. As he did all -his business when he was perfectly sober, he seldom<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_762" id="Page_762">{762}</a></span> -had any cause to complain of his bargain; and the -'luck-penny,' instead of spending in the public-house, -he made a rule of giving to the priest for -the poor of the parish.</p> - -<p>Not being in the habit of gossiping either about -his own or his neighbours' affairs, no one could -form any correct idea of how rich Owen Kearney -really was; but it was generally known that he -kept his money at the bank, as on fair and market -days he went into that building with his pockets -well filled and came out with them empty, and -mounting his cob, rode home quietly, long before -the fun or the faction fights commenced.</p> - -<p>Not so, however, the younger of his two sons, -Larry, a wild restless lad of seventeen, on whom -neither the precept nor example of his father and -brother seemed to have the least influence. Martin, -the eldest, was steady and thoughtful like his -father; but Larry, with his boisterous laugh and -ready joke, dancing blue eyes and flaxen hair, -never spent a minute in thinking during his life. -While he worked, which was not often, he was as -good as two, his father used to say; and 'when he -took his divarsion he was the divil at it,' Martin -used to add good-naturedly. Innumerable were -the scrapes Larry got into, and miraculous were -the methods by which he managed to extricate -himself. There was not a wake, wedding, or christening -for miles round that he was not to be found -at. No merry-gathering or fair was complete -without him; and it was almost a proverb that -Larry Kearney was the last to sit down wherever -there was a dance, and the first to shake a shillelah -wherever there was a shindy. Of course he was -his mother's favourite; such boys invariably are. -She shut her eyes to his faults, supplied him with -money without any questions, and being a very -religious woman, or what in that part of Ireland is -termed a voteen, she atoned for all his shortcomings.</p> - -<p>There was another member of Owen Kearney's -family as full of fun and mischief in her way as -Larry; this was Dora Costello, the farmer's orphan -niece. Little Dora, everybody called her, because, -when she lost her own father and mother, and went -to live with her uncle and aunt, she was a little -toddling thing of three years old. At the time -this story tells of she was a fine girl of seventeen, -tall, finely formed, and as graceful as a willow. -A fine specimen of an Irish peasant girl was -Dora Costello, with her red-and-white complexion, -merry changeable hazel eyes, and rich, reddish -auburn hair. There was not a farmer's daughter -within many a mile who could <i>scutch</i> or spin -as much flax of an evening, nor one who could -better milk a cow or make a roll of butter. Bright, -intelligent, and good-tempered, with a tongue as -ready as her fingers, and a sense of humour as rich -as her brogue, Dora was a general favourite, and -as a natural consequence had numerous admirers. -Being by nature somewhat of a coquette, she managed -to play them off one against another with an -ease and grace which a London belle might have -envied, keeping good friends with all, and giving -none the slightest preference. But when it came -to a question of marriage, it was a different thing -altogether. Dora declared she was very happy -with her uncle and aunt, and unceremoniously -refused all the eligible young men in her own and -the next village, declaring of each in turn that she -would 'as soon marry Barney Athleague.'</p> - -<p>Long ago, in almost every Irish village there was -to be found hanging about the farm-houses some -poor half-witted creature, called in one place an -<i>onsha</i>, in others an <i>omadthaun</i>, and in the County -Roscommon a <i>softie</i>. They were boys without -any knowledge of who their parents had been, cast -as children on the charity of some village, from -which they usually took their names, as Johnnie -<i>Loughlinn</i>, and Barney <i>Athleague</i>. How Barney -came to make his way to Glenmadda no one knew, -but one day when about ten years old he was seen -following a hunt. Stumbling over a loose stone, -he sprained his ankle, and so was thrown on the -protection of the villagers. A glance at the lad's -motley appearance and vacant face was sufficient -to shew what he was; and as in most parts of -Ireland, as in Germany, there exists amongst the -peasantry a sort of superstitious regard for silly -people, poor Barney found food and shelter, now -from one, now from another, as indeed the softies -invariably did; in return for which they ran on -errands and looked after the pigs and poultry, and -were always at hand in an emergency.</p> - -<p>As a rule, the softie looked a great deal bigger -fool than he really was. He contrived to live and -be fed, clothed and lodged without working. He -made himself at home everywhere, was generally -treated very well, and never by any chance treated -badly. He knew everybody's business (for curiosity -was one of his virtues or vices), and with the -special advantage that people thought he knew -nothing at all. All sorts of matters were discussed -freely round the hearth in his presence, he meantime -staring into the fire, sucking his fingers, or -rolling on the floor with the dog, no more heeded -than that animal; yet all the while drinking in -the conversation, and with a sort of crooked wisdom -treasuring it up. Animal tastes and instincts -were generally the most marked in the softie; as a -rule, he was greedy, selfish, and uncleanly in his -habits, violent in his antipathies, yet with a capacity -for attaching himself with a strong dog-like -fidelity and affection to a friend.</p> - -<p>Such was Barney Athleague—perhaps a trifle -better and more intelligent than the generality of -his class; and there was no place in the village -where he spent so much of his time, or was so -well treated, as at Owen Kearney's; first, because -they were naturally kindly people; and next, Mrs -Kearney's religious feelings made her especially -good to the poor and friendless; and there was no -person in the whole world whom the softie cared -so much about as Dora. Wherever she went, -Barney was not far behind. He was always ready -to do anything in the world she asked him, no -matter how wearisome or hazardous. When she -was a child, he climbed the highest trees to get -her birds' nests, tumbled like a spaniel into the -river to get her lilies, and walked miles and miles -to recover a pet kid of hers which had gone astray. -As she grew older, he carried her cans when she -went milking, fed her poultry, and in short waited -on her and followed her about like a lapdog. It -was great fun to the 'boys' who used to assemble -in the farmer's kitchen of a winter's evening to -tell stories and gossip, to see Barney fly into a -furious passion if any one he did not like touched -Dora, or even put his hand upon her dress.</p> - -<p>One of the persons the poor softie most cordially -detested was Larry Kearney; perhaps because the -young man was too fond of teasing him, or else too<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_763" id="Page_763">{763}</a></span> -much given to sitting beside Dora. How or whatever -the cause, the poor fool hated him; but with -a prudence which one would hardly have expected -in a softie, he kept his opinions to himself, and -watched his enemy like a lynx. Not once or twice -he saw the young man descend from the loft where -he slept with Luke the 'help,' after the family -were sound asleep, and opening the door, steal -noiselessly from the house; and after much consideration, -Barney at last made up his mind to -follow him and learn his destination, nothing -doubting but it was the village public-house or -<i>shebeen</i>, or the forge, which was often a haunt for -the idlers to play cards and get tipsy in. But -Larry took the very opposite direction from what -the softie imagined. Crossing two or three fields, -he skirted a plantation of ash, on the other side of -which was a <i>rath</i> or <i>forth</i>, said to be haunted, and -the resort of 'the good people.' The place was -very generally avoided after nightfall; and Barney's -courage was beginning to fail him, when Larry -was joined by three or four other young men, -which revived his spirits, and nerved him to -follow silently and cautiously as a cat.</p> - -<p>On rounding the hill he saw there were between -thirty and forty persons assembled in a field, and -after a few minutes one of them advanced to meet -Larry. The softie, on seeing the man approach, -concealed himself behind the ferns and brambles, -all his curiosity aroused, and strained his ears to -catch the conversation; but the men spoke so indistinctly -that he could not distinguish a word till -after a little while they drew nearer to his cover.</p> - -<p>'Look here, Larry,' one said, drawing something -which gleamed in the moonlight from a cave or -hollow in the hill-side, within arm's length of -Barney's crouching form. 'Look, me boy, there's -twoscore pike-heads lying snug enough in there.'</p> - -<p>'Good captain,' Larry replied, with his merry -laugh, 'an' there's two-score "boys" ready to -handle them.'</p> - -<p>'Yes; but we want more,' the captain said, as he -replaced the weapon in the cave, and carefully -drew the thick grass, ferns, and blackberry bushes -over it. 'Did you speak e'er a word to Martin?'</p> - -<p>Larry laughed again. 'Sorra a word, captain; -an' if "Molly" herself was to go an' ax <i>him</i>, he -wouldn't join us,' he said; 'an' bedad, maybe he -might inform!' he added merrily—and the men -moved away.</p> - -<p>'Ha, ha!' Barney said to himself as he crept -from his hiding-place, and made his way back to -the farm-house; 'that's where Larry goes. An' -who's Molly, who's Molly? I'll ask Miss Dora -to-morrow who's Molly;' and with this reflection -he crept into his bed and fell asleep.</p> - - -<h3>CHAPTER II.</h3> - -<p>'Father, I think I'd like to join the Volunteers,' -said Martin Kearney one day, about a month after -the above event; 'the country is in a bad way, an' -it's time for them that love peace and quietness -to spake up.'</p> - -<p>'True for you, Martin; an' if I was younger I'd -do the same thing,' Owen Kearney said, looking -up from the newspaper, in which he was reading -an account of the arrest of several of the rebels -known in 184- as the <i>Molly Maguires</i>, from their -having first met in the house of a woman of that -name. 'It's bad for the poor boys that went with -the "Mollies."'</p> - -<p>'Will you join with me, Larry?' Martin asked.</p> - -<p>But he shook his head, as he replied somewhat -hastily: 'Not I, faith; the "boys" never did anything -to me.'</p> - -<p>'An' I'm not going to do anything to them,' -answered Martin quietly. 'Only, I think it's right -for us to shew that we're honest Roscommon -boys, an' have nothing to do with villains who go -round the country at night frightening women an' -children, an' murdering poor innocent cattle, not -to mention shooting their next-door neighbour -from behind a hedge, without any reason. I know -<i>I'd</i> liever be a sheep-stealer than a Molly Maguire; -an' to shew I have no dealings with them, I'll go -to-morrow to Boyle an' list in the Volunteers.'</p> - -<p>Larry used every argument to prevent his -brother going to Boyle as he said, but without any -avail; and early the next morning Martin started to -do what numbers of the better class of farmers' sons -in the vicinity of the small towns had already done.</p> - -<p>About twelve o'clock on the night that Martin -left his home, Owen Kearney and his wife were -startled out of their sleep by the softie rushing -into their room screaming wildly that he had a -dream.</p> - -<p>'An' what was it, Barney?' asked Mrs Kearney -kindly. 'Don't be frightened now; but tell me.'</p> - -<p>'Arrah, ma'am,' he sobbed, 'I dreamed I saw -Martin; an' two men with their faces blackened -rode up to him on the plains of Boyle an' shot -him. Oh, <i>wirra, wirra</i>, one of them was Larry!'</p> - -<p>Poor Mrs Kearney fell to wringing her hands, -and sobbing wildly at the extraordinary dream -of the poor fool; while her husband rushed to -his son's room in the hope of finding Larry; but -his bed was empty, as was that of Luke the servant. -Full of terrible forebodings, the farmer began to -question Barney more particularly as to his dream; -but he could only repeat again and again that two -men fired at Martin on the plains of Boyle; one -of them was Larry, the other was Luke: this he -maintained with a persistency which it was almost -impossible to doubt. No one thought of returning -to bed; and while they were consulting as to what -was best to be done, the softie again uttered a wild -shriek, and rolled over on the floor, as a bullet -entered the kitchen window and lodged in the -opposite wall, followed by another, which whizzed -past Owen Kearney's head.</p> - -<p>'The Lord have mercy upon us!' he exclaimed, -crossing himself devoutly. 'Where will it end?' -And he held his wife, who was almost insensible -from the fright, close in his arms. At that instant -a bright light illuminated the whole kitchen; and -in a moment the truth flashed across his brain—his -steading was in flames. Not daring to open -his door to look out, he tried to think what was -best to be done; for perhaps the house over his -head was blazing too, or would be in a few minutes. -Casting a hasty glance round, he lifted his wife in -his arms, meaning to carry her to the front of the -house and out of sight of the flames; when a -violent knocking at the door startled him, and he -recognised his niece's voice demanding admittance. -Hastily unbarring it, he saw her accompanied by -a party of soldiers, who, when they found no lives -had been taken, set to work bravely to protect the -property which was yet untouched by the fire. -But there was little left for them to do. The -cattle had been hamstrung, the horses stolen, and -a lighted brand placed in every stack of oats and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_764" id="Page_764">{764}</a></span> -the thatch of every outhouse. The work of devastation -had been done only too well.</p> - -<p>'They're taken, uncle—them that set the haggard -a-fire,' said Dora as soon as she was able to -speak. 'I brought the soldiers to the house; and,' -she added, 'one of the villains said he had finished -off Owen Kearney. Thank God, it is not true!' -and she threw herself into his arms.</p> - -<p>'Yes; I heard him,' said one of the soldiers; -'and we've sent him to safer lodgings than we took -him from. It seems, Mr Kearney, that your -niece was returning home from a visit to a neighbour's, -when she heard two men whispering in -the lane at the end of the meadow. As they -were in front, and she didn't like their looks, she -kept behind, and heard them say that there were -two gone to Boyle to look out for <i>the Volunteer</i>, -and that they were going to do for old Kearney -and his wife, "string" the cattle and fire the haggard. -Like a sensible girl, she turned round quietly -and ran as quick as she could towards Castlerea. -By good luck she met us half-way; and though -we were going on another errand, we turned back -at once with her, and netted the rascals who did -this pretty piece of business.—I sent six men on -towards Boyle, to see if they could learn anything -of the villains that followed your son,' added the -sergeant.</p> - -<p>'Where's Larry, uncle?' asked Dora, after she -had tried ineffectually to console her aunt. 'Why -isn't he here?'</p> - -<p>'You're all I have now, <i>alanna</i>,' Kearney said, -pressing her to his breast. 'Martin is gone, and -Larry is gone. Well, well, God is good.'</p> - -<p>'Miss Dora, Miss Dora!' cried Barney Athleague -faintly, 'come here a minute.'</p> - -<p>In the general confusion, every one had forgotten -the poor softie, who lay on the floor quite insensible.</p> - -<p>'What is it, Barney? Are ye hurt?' inquired -Dora, bending over him.</p> - -<p>'Not much; only my back is bad, and I can't -lift my legs. Tell your uncle Owen Kearney that -Martin isn't dead. He's lyin' on the settle in a -shebeen with his hand on his side, calling "Dora, -Dora!" I see him—sure I see him; and Larry -an' Luke is took; the sogers is bringing them to -Roscommon. Oh, wirra, wirra!'</p> - -<p>'Shure the poor creature is frightened to death's -door,' said Owen Kearney, trying to induce Barney -to get up and drink a little water; but the mug -fell out of the farmer's hands in dismay and horror, -for he found the poor softie was bathed in blood. -'He's shot, he's shot!' he exclaimed; and one of -the soldiers drew near and examined the wound.</p> - -<p>'There's a bullet in his back,' the man said; -'and he'll never eat another bit of this world's -bread. And may God forget the man that forgot -he was an omadthaun.'</p> - -<p>Poor Barney never spoke again. Nothing could -have saved his life. But his dream was literally -true. At the very moment he awoke screaming, -Martin Kearney was fired at by his brother Larry -and his father's servant; at the hour he mentioned -were the murderers taken; and Martin himself was -taken into a shebeen, as he said, and laid upon a -settle in the kitchen, where he called untiringly -for his cousin Dora.</p> - -<p>Such was the softie's dream; and such sad -stories as that above related are a part and parcel -of every Irish rebellion. Martin Kearney did not -die; and Larry pleaded guilty, declaring that he -was forced to attempt his brother's life both by -solemn oath of obedience and by lot; at the same -time confessing all he knew of the strength and -doings of the Mollies, assuring his judges that he -joined them in ignorance, and now thought of -them only with horror and regret. Therefore, in -consideration of his youth, repentance, and valuable -information he gave with regard to the rebels, -his life was spared, and he was instead sentenced -to twenty-one years' penal servitude; while his -companion, Luke Murphy, was hanged. It would -have been almost a kindness to Larry to have been -permitted to share the same fate. Before two -years he died of a broken heart.</p> - -<p>Owen Kearney's house was not burned; but -after his son's transportation, nothing could induce -him to live in it. He therefore sold his furniture -and such of his stock as the cruelty and violence -of the Mollies spared, and went to end his days -amongst his wife's relations in the County Galway. -Dora and Martin were married, and after -some time emigrated, and spent the remainder -of their days in comfort and happiness, clouded -only by the memory of how much pleasanter it -would have been if they could have settled down -in the old farm-house dear to them both, to be -a comfort to their father and mother in their -old age, and at last to sleep beside them in Glenmadda -churchyard.</p> - -<p>The stock of one of the wealthiest gentlemen -in the County Roscommon now graze where Owen -Kearney's house once stood. Not a trace of his -family remains in the Green Isle. Their tragical -history is almost forgotten; but amongst the -gossips and old women the softie's dream is still -remembered.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> -<h2><a name="GLIMPSE_OF_THE_INDIAN_FAMINE" id="GLIMPSE_OF_THE_INDIAN_FAMINE">GLIMPSE OF THE INDIAN FAMINE.</a></h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">On</span> this dismal subject so much has lately appeared -in the newspapers that we almost shrink from -troubling our readers with it. Everybody knows -the cause of the famine—a long and unhappy -drought in Southern India which parched up the -land; nothing would grow; the people, millions in -number, had saved nothing; their means of livelihood -were gone; and with a weakness which we -can scarcely understand, they sat down to die—of -starvation. In times when India was subject to -Mongol rulers, the population, on the occurrence of -such a catastrophe, would simply have been left to -die outright. Famine, like war, was deemed a -legitimate means for reducing a redundancy in -the number of inhabitants, and was accepted as a -thing quite natural and reasonable. Matters are -now considerably changed. India is part of the -great British empire, and British rule is no doubt a -fine thing to be boasted of. It gives the English -an immense lift in the way of national prestige. -Along with prestige, however, come responsibilities -that are occasionally found to be rather -serious. The bulk of the people of India are -living from hand to mouth. If their crops fail, -it is all over with them. Then is heard the distant -wail of famine from fellow-subjects, which -it is impossible to neglect. Noble subscriptions -follow, although subscriptions of one sort or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_765" id="Page_765">{765}</a></span> -other come upon us annually in regular succession -from January to December. But when was the -Englishman's purse shut while the cry of distress -was loudly pealing around him?</p> - -<p>There is much satisfaction in knowing that more -than half a million sterling has been gathered for -the assuagement of the Indian famine. Although -vast numbers perished of hunger, vast numbers -were saved by a well-conducted system of dispensing -food suitable to the simple wants of the -people. The natives of Southern India live -chiefly on rice, and a little serves them. The -distribution of rice was accordingly a ready and -easy method of succouring the poor famishing -families. Along with boiled rice there was usually -given a cup of water, rendered palatable by -some sharp condiment, such as pepper or chillies. -This desire for hot-tasting condiments seems to be -an inherent necessity in warm climates, for which -Nature has made the most beneficent provision. -With these few preliminary remarks, we proceed -to offer some extracts from the letters of a young -medical gentleman connected with the army at -Madras, descriptive of the plans adopted to feed the -assembled crowds who flocked to large camps or -barrack-yards in a state of pitiable suffering. The -letters were no way designed for publication, a -circumstance which gives them additional value.</p> - -<p>'<i><span class="smcap">Madras</span>, July 25, 1877.</i>—There is not much -news this week. One day I drove out to one of -the Relief Camps beyond Palaveram to see it. A -most curious and interesting sight it was. We -went at half-past five, which was feeding-time; -and there we saw nine thousand five hundred -starving wretches all seated on their hunkers -[crouched down in a sitting attitude on their -heels], awaiting their food. What a motley crew -and queer mixture of old men with more than a -foot in the grave; strong men and young women -and unweaned babes all mixed indiscriminately, -but all seated in long rows of about a hundred -each, in perfect order, and kept so by not more -than a dozen native police with two half-caste -inspectors. The majority of the people were -Pariahs. Few caste people care to come to the -camps, and prefer to die rather than have their -food cooked for them by non-caste persons. However, -there were some—about two hundred in all—Hindus -and Mohammedans, and they were set -apart from the Pariahs.</p> - -<p>'The food, rice, is cooked in enormous chatties, -and then spread out on matting to cool; after -which it is put into gigantic tubs, which are carried -slung on bamboos by a couple of coolies to the -people, and a large tin measureful given to each. -A measureful of pepper water (a mixture of -chillies and water) is also given to each, and as -much drinking-water as they like.</p> - -<p>'So much for the food; now for the camp itself. -It is situated on a large plain, and the inclosure is -about a mile round. It is in the form of a square, -three sides consisting of chuppers [a kind of wood -and matting tents], roofed in, and protected from the -wind on one side, being open on the other. Each -of the three chuppers or houses of accommodation -is built of the very simplest material: the -floor is hardened mud, perfectly smooth and comfortable, -as you know the people make it; while the -roof consists of leaves matted together, supported -on bamboos, and the side of matting. Each chupper -is about a quarter of a mile long, and has accommodation -for no end of people, the evils of overcrowding -being avoided by the almost free exposure -to the air. To windward is the Hospital, a good -building, rain-proof, and covered in on all sides. -Still further away are cholera and small-pox -hospitals. The people at the camps receive two -meals a day of rice and pepper water; and once a -week on Sundays they get mutton. At this camp -alone not less than fifty bags of rice were cooked -and consumed daily, sometimes much more. The -camp is open to all comers, and each is provided -with a cloth and residence. The people appear -all to be contented and happy, and await their -turn for food calmly and patiently. The feeding is -proceeded with rapidly now; but when first the -famine came, it was not so; and owing to the -paucity of servants, the feeding used to last from -five <span class="smcap lowercase">P.M.</span> till five the next morning. Rather trying -for starving people to wait that time; hard too on -the servants. Now, thanks to good administration, -the feeding is all finished in about three -hours. I was struck on the whole with the -aspect of the people; they all with few exceptions -looked well and in good condition. However, the -Inspector said, had I seen them when they first -came, it was different, and that if they were to -return to their own villages, they would be dead -in a few days. In fact, all the villages round are -empty. Rice has now reached the appalling price -of three and a half measures for the rupee, and of -course one has to pay all one's servants extra. -The poor cannot live, and they say the famine -is getting worse! Only one man did I see who -was lying among the others. Poor fellow! he had -just managed to crawl into camp, and he was -dying. I ordered him to be removed to the -Hospital, a living skeleton.</p> - -<p>'The Hospital was truly a sad sight, the saddest -I ever saw. There in one ward, lying on the floor, -were a dozen beings, literally living skeletons, -with sunken eyes, and ghastly hollow cheeks, and -livid lips, with their bones almost protruding -through the flesh; too ill to move, and barely -able to turn their glassy, stony stare upon you. -Yes, dying all from starvation, and being hourly -brought nearer death by wasting diarrhœa or -dysentery.</p> - -<p>'One woman I shall never forget. She had her -back to me, and her shoulder-blade stood out -so fearfully that I gazed upon it in momentary -expectation of its coming through the skin. So -awful was it, that I felt almost tempted to take -my nail and scrape it, in order to see the white -of the bone. Perhaps the saddest sight of all -was the lying-in ward, where a lean mother was -to be seen unable from weakness to nurse the -bag of bones she had given birth to; barely a -child surely, with its huge head and sunken eyes -and its projecting wee ribs. Poor infant, it couldn't -live long.'</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_766" id="Page_766">{766}</a></span></p> - -<p>'<i>August 7.</i>—This morning I was up at five, and -after my breakfast of porridge and goat's milk, was -driving out to Jeramuchi Famine Relief Camp, -eleven and a half miles distant. The camp is -much the same as the Palaveram one I already -described to you; but it is superior, and more -luxurious in some ways. It is not built in the -form of a square, and is all the better of that, I -think. It is fenced in all round with a trim palisading, -as was the other camp, sufficient to prevent -the people straying at night. The chuppers -are arranged on the pavilion system, right down -the centre of the camp. During the day they are -entirely open at both sides, therein differing from -the Palaveram ones, where one side is always -closed. However, at night either side can be -closed, as the sides consist of pieces of matting on -a wooden framework, which is hinged to the side -of the roof; and during the day the sides are all -put up, supported on two bamboos each.</p> - -<p>'The children at this camp are all collected -together and fed first, the grown-up people afterwards. -This morning I saw five thousand children, -in age from twelve to infants, mustered for -breakfast. An old gentleman with great swagger -played a tom-tom with a couple of sticks; it was -in the shape of a kettle-drum, and they all mustered, -standing up in a row. M—— and I walked -down two streets of these children. They were -almost all bright and happy-looking; and on being -asked if they had enough to eat, they all replied -in the affirmative, save one boy about twelve, who -shook his head and smote his belly. Poor creature; -his looks confirmed his words; there he was on two -legs like walking-sticks, mere bones without an -atom of muscle, on which he could hardly stand. -On being asked when he came in, he said last -night. Where were his father and mother? Oh, -father, mother, brother, sister, and he all left village -together; walked many, many miles; no food. -First sister, then mother, died on the road; then -brother; yesterday father; he alone being able to -reach the Relief Camp.</p> - -<p>'This tale is only a repetition of dozens of the -same. He was ordered milk and port wine as -extras; and I hope the poor orphan being will -recover. We went over the rest of the camp; saw -the men and women all sitting patiently in rows -in their dreamy eastern way, silently awaiting -the summons of the tom-tom after the children's -breakfast was over, to call them to theirs. On -coming to the Mohammedan women, about thirty in -number, they all promptly stood up. One could not -but be struck with their appearance, so fair-skinned, -clean-looking, and handsome, compared to the -Pariahs and others. They all spoke Hindustani of -course, and were most polite and respectful. Despite -the poorness of their attire and the absence of their -jewellery, they had a refined air about them, and -a superior look totally foreign to the ordinary -Hindu. One young girl I was particularly struck -with; she could only have been about fifteen, with -most lovely eyes and perfect teeth, and such a -figure. Ah! I thought, if this young woman was -dressed in European clothes and was a lady, she -would make a figure in London. Dressed in a -scarlet and golden saree, with bangles and other -jewellery, she would to my mind have been the -realisation of my idea of an Indian princess.</p> - -<p>'The Hospital presented the same sad scene of -cases of emaciation as at Palaveram; there were -more than one hundred cases of dysentery and -diarrhœa. I also saw another case of a milkless -mother trying to suckle her newly born handful -of bones in the lying-in ward. It is a mercy with -such a large community that no cholera prevails. -They have about twenty cases of small-pox. -Leaving camp, we saw two stretchers coming in -with coolies. Every morning the highways and -byways are searched for three miles round; and -those poor creatures who have died or are found -dying, unable to come to camp, are brought in. -If dead, they are at once buried about a mile -away from camp; if alive, they are sent to Hospital. -The famine continues very bad; and there was -a great meeting in Madras at the Banqueting-hall, -when it was acknowledged government could not -now cope with it without extraneous aid. Accordingly -a telegram was despatched to England, -calling on the Lord Mayors of London, Dublin, -Manchester, Liverpool, and the Lord Provosts -of Edinburgh and Glasgow, to open subscription -lists. I am sure it is a worthy cause.... In -Mysore alone there have been more deaths the -last three months than during the last five years. -The Viceroy is said to be coming down immediately -from Simla to personally inspect the state -of matters.'</p> - -<p>In a subsequent letter, October 25th, the writer -adds—'The accounts are still dreadful. Many -poor creatures die after reaching the camps, from -inability to swallow or receive the nourishment -offered to them in the hospitals. The day the -Viceroy visited Bangalore, no fewer than ninety -dead bodies were found in the streets and the -bazaar. The people at home have certainly done -much to help their poor brethren in India; but I -believe they would do still more were they to be -thoroughly aware of the terrible scenes which -have come under my notice.'</p> - -<p>In conclusion, it is not out of place to say that the -frequently occurring famines in that country call -for measures of prevention as well as temporary aid. -In making roads and railways, the English have -done vast service to India; but something equally -imposing in the way of irrigation from artificial -tanks and from rivers has seemingly become an -absolute though costly necessity, for only by such -means can a repetition of these dire famines be -averted. In this direction evidently lies the duty -of legislators, and we hope they will, with considerate -foresight, be not slack in its performance. -There might also, possibly, be something done by -enabling masses of the redundant population to -emigrate, under safe conduct, as coolies to countries -where their labour is required.</p> - -<p class='right'> -W. C. -</p> - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - - -<h2><a name="A_BURIED_CITY" id="A_BURIED_CITY">A BURIED CITY.</a></h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> history of the destruction of Herculaneum -and Pompeii under the ashes of Vesuvius is well -known; but long before that period, and contemporary -with the age of Stone, a city in the Grecian -Archipelago was buried in the same manner, with -its inhabitants, their tools, and their domestic -utensils. Here they have lain for thousands of -years, until M. Christomanos, Professor of Chemistry -at the University of Athens, called the attention of -the public to them.</p> - -<p>There is a small group of islands to the north of -Candia where these discoveries have been made, -chiefly in Santorini and Therasia, which with one<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_767" id="Page_767">{767}</a></span> -or two others form a circle round a bay. The two -already mentioned are in the shape of a horse-shoe, -with the concavity turned inwards, rising -from the bay in almost inaccessible cliffs. Horizontal -strata of deep black lava, layers of reddish -scoria, and cinders of violet gray, are unequally -distributed over these steep rocks, the whole being -covered by pumice-stone of a brilliant whiteness. -A few banks of marble and schist crop out to shew -the original formation over which the volcanic -ashes have poured; and long vertical streams of -what has been molten matter can be traced down -the cliffs. On the opposite side, facing the open -sea, the islands are altogether different, sloping -gently down, and covered with pumice-stone, the -light fragments of which are soon displaced by the -wind, and sometimes carried to great distances by -the equinoctial storms. A few villages are scattered -about, and the vine clothes the ground -with its beautiful greenery.</p> - -<p>From time immemorial the pumice of Santorini -and Therasia has been dug out for building houses; -and when mixed with lime, it affords an excellent -cement, acquiring such hardness that it resists -shocks of earthquakes and the action of air and -water. It has been used for building piers and -moles along the Mediterranean; and recently the -works at the Isthmus of Suez and the ports of -Egypt have given a great impetus to the trade, and -thus opened out the underlying soil and remains -of human habitations. There are immense quarries -where the stone has been worked; the material -being transported to the edge of the cliff, and -thrown down a <i>glissade</i> about a hundred and fifty -feet high, to the side of the ships awaiting it. -Contenting themselves with cutting up the highest -layers only, the workmen avoided the lower part, -which seemed to be mixed with stony masses. -These hindered their work, and were not valuable; -but upon examination they prove to be -walls of ancient houses. This had no interest for -the owners of the land, who had long been aware -of the fact; but an accidental visit from M. -Christomanos awakened the interest of scientific -folks at Athens.</p> - -<p>At first the idea arose that this was an ancient -burial-ground, and that the tombs had been -hollowed out of the pumice-stone after the volcanic -eruption; but it is now fully ascertained -that they were built long before. The largest -edifice, which has been cleared of the tufa which -fills it, consists of six rooms of unequal size, the -largest being about eighteen feet by fifteen; and -one wall extends round a court of twenty-four -feet in length, with a single entrance. The walls -are built in quite a different manner from the -fashion now used in the islands; they are formed -of a series of irregular blocks of lava, uncut, laid -together without any order; no mortar, but the -interstices filled with a kind of red ashes. Between -the stones, long twisted branches of the olive-tree -are laid, still covered with bark, but in a very -advanced state of decomposition. The wood has -become nearly black, as if burnt, and falls to -powder at the slightest touch. The inside of the -rooms has never been whitewashed; but probably -a rough coating of red earthy matter, similar to that -which lies between the stones, has been put on.</p> - -<p>At the north side there are two windows; a -third and a door are found on the other sides, and -several openings into the different rooms. As -these were formed by pieces of wood, which have -decayed, the situation of the openings is chiefly -ascertained by the mass of stones that have fallen -in. In every case the roof lies in the interior of -the rooms, and has been formed of wood laid upon -the walls in such a manner as to be sloping; -whilst in the largest apartment a cylindrical block -of stone buried in the floor, has evidently supported -a beam of wood, from which radiated the -other pieces of the roof.</p> - -<p>The things which have been discovered in this -building are numerous and varied. There are -vases of pottery and lava, seeds, straw, the bones -of animals, tools of flint and lava, and a human -skeleton. It may be remarked that not one article -of iron or bronze has been found, not even the -trace of a nail in the pieces of wood which have -formed the roof; the absence of metals is complete. -The pottery is all well proportioned, the -commonest kind consisting of yellow jars, very -thick, and capable of holding many gallons. They -are filled with barley, the seeds of coriander and -aniseed, gray peas, and other articles which cannot -be made out. The form, material, and size resemble -the jars used in Greece for keeping cereals -in very early though historic times. In many of -the rooms, heaps of barley lie against the walls. -There are smaller jars of finer ware and a -brighter colour, ornamented with circular bands -and vertical stripes. The colouring-matter, of a -deep red, has been put on in a moist state without -variety of design, being always in circles and -straight lines.</p> - -<p>Besides a double necklace and ear-rings of a -woman, many articles made of obsidian, a volcanic -product sometimes called volcanic glass, have been -found in Therasia. These are cut, but not polished; -some of a triangular form have probably been the -points of arrows; others are like small knives or -scrapers for preparing skins. The use of obsidian -appears to have been common during the Stone -age among those nations who lived in volcanic -regions, and even in later periods. It is said -that it is still used by the women of Peru for -scissors. It was more generally in vogue before -the discovery of metals than since, particularly in -Greece, where arms and tools of stone disappeared -after copper was found. In the strata where -they are at Therasia, there is nothing of iron or -bronze.</p> - -<p>Two small rings of gold are rather remarkable; -they are so small that they would not pass over a -child's finger. It may be inferred that they were -links of a necklace. In each there is a hole -about the size of a needle's eye. Probably they had -been threaded one after another on the same string, -and not interlaced like the rings of a chain. The -interior is hollow; and no indication of soldering -can be perceived, neither does the gold seem to -have any alloy of other metal. The maker had -flattened the bit of native gold by hammering it -to the state of a thin circular leaf, and then folding -it up with the edges to the inside of the ring. As -gold has never been found in Santorini or in any -of the neighbouring volcanic islands, it proves -that the inhabitants held communication with the -continent; certain streams of Asia Minor having -been celebrated in antiquity for the great quantity -of gold brought down.</p> - -<p>Geologists have endeavoured to draw out the -history of the terrible event which overwhelmed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_768" id="Page_768">{768}</a></span> -these islands and their inhabitants. At the beginning -of the tertiary period, Greece, united to -Africa, seems to have formed part of a large -marshy continent, where now flows the Mediterranean. -It was inhabited by those gigantic -mammifers whose bones have been largely found -in Africa. Towards the close of this epoch a -lowering of the land separated Europe from Africa, -and gave to the Mediterranean its present configuration. -An oscillation of the crust of the -earth afterwards produced openings, through which -igneous matter has flowed. Torrents of lava gave -birth to the volcanic rocks which are to be found -in Greece and the neighbouring islands, and a -volcano had evidently opened in the present bay -of Santorini. The hill Saint Elias, the top of -which forms the culminating point of the island, -was then an island composed of schist and marble. -The igneous matter, cooled by contact with the -water and the atmosphere, attached itself to this -hill, and the whole united together, formed the -space now occupied by Santorini, Therasia, and -Aspronisi. Repeated layers of lava, scoria, and -ashes collected during many ages when the crater -which occupied the central part was gradually -becoming undermined.</p> - -<p>Volcanoes are the weak parts of the earth's -crust; there is not one in full activity which does -not present alternative series of increase or lessening. -The cone rises gradually until by degrees it -is obstructed with lava, then a sudden fall destroys -it and hollows a new crater, sometimes larger and -deeper than the first. Many such occurrences have -been described, but none can equal in importance -the gigantic fall which formed the Bay of Santorini. -All the central part must have given way, -and been suddenly ingulfed, leaving but a narrow -border of land, through the northern part of which -the sea has dashed to fill up the hollow. Instead -of a mountain three thousand feet high, there is a -bay of immense depth, surrounded by precipitous -rocks, close to which ships can anchor.</p> - -<p>This violent catastrophe must have taken place -when man was on the island; and the event must -have been sudden, since the remains prove that -there was no time to move away or to displace anything -in the houses. The eruption of pumice-stone -has preceded the sinking of the cone, for the tufa -which covers the downs is cut through by subjacent -streams of lava; nor does it seem to have -been preceded by any violent earthquakes, as in -that case the houses found in Therasia would have -been demolished and the walls no longer standing. -This is remarkable, as the construction of the buildings -proves that the island was subject to them; -the pieces of wood inserted in the walls seeming -to be for no other object than to prevent the disastrous -effects of such a shaking. This custom -is still in use among all the islands of the Archipelago.</p> - -<p>From the abundance of wood used in the houses, -the island must in those days have been well -supplied with timber. The olive-tree grew freely, -and barley was the commonest of the cereals. -Probably too the climate was different. The -vine does not seem to have been there; still less -was it the only plant cultivated, as now, at Santorini. -The population were husbandmen, understanding -how to grind barley in mills and make -it into bread; how to press oil from olives, to -bring up cattle, and to weave stuffs. Yet the great -abundance of utensils of lava, obsidian, and flint, -without any metals, shews that theirs was the age -of stone, when the use of metals was unknown. -The blocks of stones at the angles of the house at -Therasia and the column standing near, indicate -considerable skill in the workmen, when the kind -of tools they used is taken into consideration; -whilst the vases of pottery-ware are remarkable -for their elegance of form.</p> - -<p>It only remains to consider how many years -ago it is since this great eruption took place. The -data are vague, but geologists have tried to make -some approximation. It is well known that after -any violent catastrophe the subterranean forces -seem to be exhausted; the periods of repose in a -volcano are proportional to the previous energy. -About one hundred and ninety-six years before -Christ there is the record of an eruption, which -raised in the centre of the bay a small islet called -Palæa Kameni. After the Christian era, frequent -slight emissions only served to increase the size of -the island, and during the middle ages there was -a period of calm. In the fifteenth century the -excitement again burst forth, raising reefs both -inside and outside the bay. The second duration -of rest was about ten centuries; so that to the first, -according to its intensity, there may be calculated -at least twice that time; thus the formation of the -bay was perhaps two thousand years <span class="smcap lowercase">B.C.</span></p> - -<p>Historical records furnish more positive teaching, -as the bay certainly existed fifteen hundred -years <span class="smcap lowercase">B.C.</span> It was at this epoch that the islands -of the Greek Archipelago were invaded by the -Phœnicians. This nation occupied Therasia and -Santorini, as the many ruins still to be found -testify, and they are built on the top of the pumice-stone. -But the great eruption must have been -long before that, since thick beds of pebbles and -shells, from fifteen to twenty yards deep, lie on -the tufa; and geologists know well, from the -habitual slowness of this raising of the soil, that -it corresponds to many centuries. There was also -a population on the islands differing from those -who were buried in the ashes, and from the Phœnicians. -The latter knew the use of bronze, and -introduced it on all the shores of the Mediterranean. -Most likely we may place the great -event during the early days of Egyptian civilisation, -which some historians compute to be four or five -thousand years ago. The primitive population -present no trace of the influence which that nation -exerted, and with which commerce would have -placed them in frequent relations.</p></div> - -<hr class="full" /> -<hr class="full" /> - -<p>The Conductors of <span class="smcap">Chambers's Journal</span> beg to direct -the attention of <span class="smcap">Contributors</span> to the following notice:</p> - -<div class="end_blockquot"> - -<p><i>1st.</i> All communications should be addressed to the -'Editor, 339 High Street, Edinburgh.'</p> - -<p><i>2d.</i> To insure the return of papers that may prove -ineligible, postage-stamps should in every case accompany -them.</p> - -<p><i>3d.</i> <span class="smcap">Manuscripts</span> should bear the author's full <i>Christian</i> -name, surname, and address, legibly written.</p> - -<p><i>4th.</i> MS. should be written on one side of the leaf only.</p> - -<p><i>5th.</i> Poetical offerings should be accompanied by an -envelope, stamped and directed.</p></div> - -<p><i>Unless Contributors comply with the above rules, the -Editor cannot undertake to return ineligible papers.</i></p> - -<hr class="full" /> -<hr class="full" /> - -<p class='center'>Printed and Published by <span class="smcap">W. & R. Chambers</span>, 47 Paternoster -Row, <span class="smcap">London</span>, and 339 High Street, <span class="smcap">Edinburgh</span>.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class='center'><i>All Rights Reserved.</i></p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular -Literature, Science, and Art, No. 727, December 1, 1877, by Various - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL, DEC 1, 1877 *** - -***** This file should be named 51784-h.htm or 51784-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/7/8/51784/ - -Produced by Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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