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diff --git a/old/54563-0.txt b/old/54563-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index fc9d0d6..0000000 --- a/old/54563-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1589 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Irish Penny Journal, Vol. 1 No. 26, -December 26, 1840, 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: The Irish Penny Journal, Vol. 1 No. 26, December 26, 1840 - -Author: Various - -Release Date: April 18, 2017 [EBook #54563] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IRISH PENNY JOURNAL, DEC 26, 1840 *** - - - - -Produced by Brownfox and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from -images generously made available by JSTOR www.jstor.org) - - - - - - - - - - - THE IRISH PENNY JOURNAL. - - NUMBER 26. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1840. VOLUME I. - -[Illustration: THE CASTLE OF TERMON MAGRATH, COUNTY OF DONEGAL.] - -In a recent number of our journal we called the attention of our readers -to the little-appreciated beauties of Lough Erne; and we now present -them with another vista of that delightful locality in connection with -the Castle of Termon Magrath, or Termon, as it is more usually called, -which is situated at its northern extremity, in the county of Donegal. -Considered as a sheet of water, the lower lake appears from this side to -the greatest advantage; but its distant shores are but little improved by -plantations, and consequently look comparatively bleak and barren. In the -immediate vicinity of our subject, however, the scenery is of the rich -character for which Lough Erne is so remarkable, the shores of the lake -being fringed with the plantations of the glebe of Templecarn and those -of Waterfoot, the beautiful seat of Colonel Barton. - -The Castle of Termon is situated in the parish of Templecarn, about half -a mile to the west of the pleasant and improving little town of Pettigoe, -which, if it had a comfortable inn, would be a good station for pleasure -tourists wishing to enjoy the scenery of the lower Lough Erne and that of -Lough Derg, with its celebrated purgatory of St Patrick. - -The foundation of this castle, according to popular tradition, is -ascribed to the celebrated Malmurry, or, as he was usually called, Myler -Magrath, the first Protestant Bishop of Clogher; and there is every -reason to believe this tradition correct. The lands on which the castle -is situated anciently constituted the Termon of St Daveog of Lough Derg, -of which the Magraths were hereditarily the termoners or churchwardens; -and of this family Myler Magrath was the head; so that these lands -properly belonged to him anteriorly to any grant of them derived through -his bishopric. He was originally a Franciscan friar, and being a man of -distinguished abilities, was advanced by Pope Pius V. to the see of Down; -but having afterwards embraced Protestantism, he was placed in the see of -Clogher by letter of Queen Elizabeth, dated 18th May 1570, and by grant -dated the 18th September, in the same year. He remained, however, but a -short time in this see, in which he received but little or nothing of the -revenues, and in which he was probably surrounded by enemies even among -his own kindred, and was translated to the archbishopric of Cashel on -the 3d of February, in the year following. He died at Cashel at the age -of one hundred, in the year 1622, and was interred in the choir of that -ancient cathedral, where a splendid monument to his memory still exists, -with a Latin inscription penned by himself, of which the following quaint -translation is given in Harris’s Ware:-- - - Patrick, the glory of our isle and gown, - First sat a bishop in the see of Down. - I wish that I, succeeding him in place - As bishop, had an equal share of grace. - I served thee, England, fifty years in jars, - And pleased thy princes in the midst of wars; - Here where I’m placed I’m not; and thus the case is, - I’m not in both, yet am in both the places. 1621. - He that judgeth me is the Lord.--1 Cor. iv. - Let him who stands take care lest he fall. - -Harris remarks, that the Roman Catholics of his diocese have a tradition -that he returned to his original faith previously to his death, and that -though it was pretended that he was buried in his own cathedral, yet -he had given private orders for burying his body elsewhere, to which -circumstance, as they say, the two last lines of his epitaph allude. -“But,” says Harris, “although he was no good man, and had impoverished -his see by stripping it of much of its ancient estate, yet I do not -find any room to call his sincerity as to his religious profession -in question, living or dying. These lines rather seem to hint at the -separate existence of the soul and body.” But however this may be, there -is another tradition relative to him less doubtful, inasmuch as it is -common to the peasantry of different creeds, namely, that he was the -handsomest man in Ireland in his day! - -The Castle of Termon, like most edifices of the kind erected in the -sixteenth century, consisted of a strong keep with circular towers at two -of its angles, and encompassed by outworks. It was battered by Ireton -from the neighbouring hill in the parliamentary wars; but its ruins are -considerable, and by their picturesqueness add interest to the northern -shore of the lower Lough Erne. - - P. - - - - -THE IRISH MIDWIFE. - -BY WILLIAM CARLETON. - - -Introductory. - -Of the many remarkable characters that have been formed by the spirit and -habits of Irish feeling among the peasantry, there is not one so clear, -distinct, and well traced, as that of the Midwife. We could mention -several that are certainly marked with great precision, and that stand -out in fine relief to the eye of the spectator, but none at all, who -in richness of colouring, in boldness of outline, or in firmness and -force, can for a moment be compared with the Midwife. The Fiddler for -instance lives a life sufficiently graphic and distinct; so does the -Dancing-master, and so also does the Matchmaker, but with some abatement -of colouring. As for the Cosherer, the Shanahie, the Keener, and the -Foster-nurse, although all mellow toned, and well individualized by the -strong power of hereditary usage, yet do they stand dim and shadowy, when -placed face to face with this great exponent of national temperament. - -It is almost impossible to conceive a character of greater -self-importance than an Irish Midwife, or who exhibits in her whole -bearing a more complacent consciousness of her own privileges. The -Fiddler might be dispensed with, and the Dancing-master might follow him -off the stage; the Cosherer, Shanahie, Keener, might all disappear, and -the general business of life still go on as before. But not so with her -whom we are describing; and this conviction is the very basis of her -power, the secret source from which she draws the confidence that bears -down every rival claim upon the affections of the people. - -Before we introduce Rose Moan to our kind readers, we shall briefly -relate a few points of character peculiar to the Irish Midwife, because -they are probably not in general known to a very numerous class of our -readers. This is a matter which we are the more anxious to do, because -it is undeniable that an acquaintance with many of the old legendary -powers with which she was supposed to be invested, is fast fading out of -the public memory; and unless put into timely record, it is to be feared -that in the course of one or two generations more, they may altogether -disappear and be forgotten. - -One of the least known of the secrets which old traditionary lore -affirmed to have been in possession of the Midwife, was the knowledge of -how beer might be brewed from heather. The Irish people believe that the -Danes understood and practised this valuable process, and will assure -you that the liquor prepared from materials so cheap and abundant was -superior in strength and flavour to any ever produced from malt. Nay, -they will tell you how it conferred such bodily strength and courage upon -those who drank it, that it was to the influence and virtue of this alone -that the Danes held such a protracted sway, and won so many victories -in Ireland. It was a secret, however, too valuable to be disclosed, -especially to enemies, who would lose no time in turning the important -consequences of it against the Danes themselves. The consequence was, -that from the day the first Dane set foot upon the soil of Ireland, until -that upon which they bade it adieu for ever, no Irishman was ever able to -get possession of it. It came to be known, however, and the knowledge of -it is said to be still in the country, but must remain unavailable until -the fulfilment of a certain prophecy connected with the liberation of -Ireland shall take away the obligation of a most solemn oath, which bound -the original recipient of the secret to this conditional silence. The -circumstances are said to have been these:-- - -On the evening previous to the final embarkation of the Danes for their -own country, the wife of their prince was seized with the pains of -childbirth, and there being no midwife among themselves, an Irish one -was brought, who, as the enmity between the nations was both strong and -bitter, resolutely withheld her services, unless upon the condition of -being made acquainted with this invaluable process. The crisis it seems -being a very trying one, the condition was complied with; but the midwife -was solemnly sworn never to communicate it to any but a woman, and never -to put it in practice until Ireland should be free, and any two of its -provinces at peace with each other. The midwife, thinking very naturally -that there remained no obstacle to the accomplishment of these conditions -but the presence of the Danes themselves, and seeing that they were on -the eve of leaving the country for ever, imagined herself perfectly safe -in entering into the obligation; but it so happened, says the tradition, -that although the knowledge of the secret is among the Irish midwives -still, yet it never could be applied, and never will, until Ireland shall -be in the state required by the terms of her oath. So runs the tradition. - -There is, however, one species of power with which some of the old -midwives were said to be gifted, so exquisitely ludicrous, and yet at the -same time so firmly fixed in the belief of many among the people, that -we cannot do justice to the character without mentioning so strange an -acquisition. It is this, that where a husband happens to be cruel to his -wife, or suspects her unjustly, the Midwife is able, by some mysterious -charm, to inflict upon him and remove from the wife the sufferings -annexed to her confinement, as the penalty mentioned by holy writ which -is to follow the sex in consequence of the transgression of our mother -Eve. Some of our readers may perhaps imagine this to be incredible, but -we assure them that it is strictly true. Such a superstition did prevail -in Ireland among the humbler classes, and still does, to an extent which -would surprise any one not as well acquainted with old Irish usages and -superstitions as we happen to be. The manner in which the Midwife got -possession of this power is as follows:--It sometimes happened that -the “good people,” or _Dhoine Shee_--that is, the fairies--were put -to the necessity of having recourse to the aid of the Midwife. On one -of those occasions it seems, the good woman discharged her duties so -successfully, that the fairy matron, in requital for her services and -promptitude of attendance, communicated to her this secret, so formidable -to all bad husbands. From the period alluded to, say the people, it -has of course been gladly transmitted from hand to hand, and on many -occasions resorted to with fearful but salutary effect. Within our own -memory several instances of its application were pointed out to us, and -the very individuals themselves, when closely interrogated, were forced -to an assertion that was at least equivalent to an admission, “it was -nothing but an attack of the cholic,” which by the way was little else -than a libel upon that departed malady. Many are the tales told of cases -in which midwives were professionally serviceable to the good people; -but unless their assistance was repaid by the communication of some -secret piece of knowledge, it was better to receive no payment, any other -description of remuneration being considered unfortunate. Some of those -stories have been well told, and with others of them we may probably -amuse our readers upon some future occasion. - -From this source also was derived another most valuable quality said to -be possessed by the Irish Midwife, but one which we should suppose the -virtue of our fair countrywomen rendered of very infrequent application. -This was the power of destroying jealousy between man and wife. We forget -whether it was said to be efficacious in cases of guilt, but we should -imagine that the contrary would rather hold good, as an Irishman is -not exactly that description of husband who would suffer himself to be -charmed back into the arms of a polluted wife. This was effected by the -knowledge of a certain herb, a decoction of which the parties were to -drink nine successive times, each time before sunrise and after sunset. -Of course the name of the herb was kept a profound secret; but even if it -had been known, it could have proved of little value, for the full force -of its influence depended on a charm which the Midwife had learned among -the fairies. Whether it was the _Anacampserotes_ of the middle ages or -not, is difficult to say; but one thing is certain, that not only have -midwives, but other persons of both sexes, gone about through the country -professing to cure jealousy by the juice or decoction of a mysterious -herb, which was known only to themselves. It is not unlikely to suppose -that this great secret after all was nothing more than a perverted -application of the Waters of Jealousy mentioned by Moses, and that it -only resembled many other charms practised in this and other countries, -which are generally founded upon certain passages of Scripture. Indeed, -there is little doubt that the practice of attempting to cure jealousy by -herbs existed elsewhere as well as in Ireland; and one would certainly -imagine that Shakspeare, who left nothing connected with the human heart -untouched, must have alluded to the very custom we are treating of, when -he makes Iago, speaking of Othello’s jealousy, say, - - “Look where he comes! not poppy nor mandragora, - Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world, - Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep - Which thou hadst yesterday.” - -Here it is quite evident that the efficacy of the “syrups” spoken of -was to be tried upon the mind only in which the Moor’s horrible malady -existed. That Shakspeare, in the passage quoted, alluded to this singular -custom, is, we think, at least extremely probable. - -We have said that the Midwife stood high as a matchmaker, and so -unquestionably she did. No woman was better acquainted with charms of -all kinds, especially with those that were calculated to aid or throw -light upon the progress of love. If for instance young persons of -either sex felt doubt as to whether their passion was returned, they -generally consulted the Midwife, who, on hearing a statement of their -apprehensions, appointed a day on which she promised to satisfy them. -Accordingly, at the time agreed upon, she and the party interested -repaired as secretly as might be, and with much mystery, to some lonely -place, where she produced a Bible and key, both of which she held in -a particular position--that is, the Bible suspended by a string which -passed through the key. She then uttered with a grave and solemn face -the following verses from the Book of Ruth, which the young person -accompanying her was made to repeat slowly and deliberately after her:-- - -“And Ruth said, entreat me not to leave thee or to return from following -after thee: for whither thou goest I will go; and where thou lodgest I -will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: - -“Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so -to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.” - -If at the conclusion of these words the Bible turned, she affirmed, with -the air of a prophetess, not only that the affection of the parties was -mutual, but that their courtship would terminate in marriage. If, on the -contrary, it remained stationary, the passion existed only on one side, -and the parties were not destined for each other. Oh, credulous love! not -to see that the venerable sybil could allow the Bible to turn or not, -just as she may have previously ascertained from either party whether -their attachment was reciprocal or otherwise! We dare say the above charm -is seldom resorted to now, and of course this harmless imposition on the -lovers will soon cease to be practised at all. - -The Midwife’s aid to lovers, however, did not stop here. If they wished -to create a passion in some heart where it had not previously existed, -she told them to get a dormouse and reduce it to powder, a pinch of -which, if put into the drink of the person beloved, would immediately -rivet his or her affections upon the individual by whose hands it was -administered. Many anecdotes are told of humorous miscarriages that -resulted from a neglect of this condition. One is especially well -known, of a young woman who gave the potion through the hands of her -grandmother; and the consequence was, that the bachelor immediately -made love to the old lady instead of the young one, and eventually -became grandfather to the latter instead of her husband. Indeed, the -administering of philtres and the use of charms in Ireland were formerly -very frequent, and occasionally attended by results which had not been -anticipated. The use especially of _cantharides_, or French flies, in the -hands of the ignorant, has often been said to induce madness, and not -unfrequently to occasion death. It is not very long since a melancholy -case of the latter from this very cause appeared in an Irish newspaper. - -The Midwife was also a great interpreter of dreams, omens, auguries, and -signs of all possible sorts, and no youngsters who ever consulted her -need be long at a loss for a personal view of the object of their love. -They had only to seek in some remote glen or dell for a briar whose top -had taken root in the ground; this they were to put under their pillow -and sleep upon, and the certain consequence was, that the image of the -future wife or husband would appear to them in a dream. She was also -famous at cup-tossing; and nothing could surpass the shrewd and sapient -expression of her face as she sat solemnly peering into the grounds -of the tea for the imaginary forms of rings, and love-letters, and -carriages, which were necessary to the happy purport of her divination, -for she felt great reluctance to foretell calamity. She seldom, however, -had recourse to card-cutting, which she looked upon as an unholy -practice; the cards, as everyone knows, being the only book on which -the devil says his prayers night and morning. Who has not heard of his -_prayer-book_? - -We are now to consider the Midwife in the capacity of a woman not only -brimful of medicinal knowledge, but possessed of many secrets, which the -mere physician or apothecary could never penetrate. As a doctress, she -possessed a very high reputation for all complaints incident to children -and females; and where herbal skill failed, unlike the mere scientific -man of diplomas, she could set physical causes and effects aside, and -have recourse at once to the supernatural and miraculous. - -For instance, there are two complaints which she is, beyond any other -individual, celebrated for managing--that is to say, headache, and -another malady which is anonymous, or only known to country folk by -what is termed “the spool or bone of the breast being down.” The first -she cures by a very formal and serious process called “measuring the -head.” This is done by a ribbon, which she puts round the cranium, -repeating during the admeasurement a certain prayer or charm from -which the operation is to derive its whole efficacy. The measuring is -performed twice--in the first instance, to show that its sutures are -separated by disease, or, to speak more plainly, that the bones of the -head are absolutely opened, and that as a natural consequence the head -must be much larger than when the patient is in a state of health. The -circumference of the first admeasurement is marked upon a ribbon, after -which she repeats the charm that is to remove the headache, and measures -the cranium again, in order to show, by a comparison of the two ribbons, -that the sutures have been closed, the charm successful, and the headache -consequently removed. It is impossible to say how the discrepancy in the -measurement is brought about; but be that as it may, the writer of this -has frequently seen the operation performed in such a way as to defy -the most scrutinising eye to detect any appearance of imposture, and he -is convinced that in the majority of cases there is not the slightest -imposture intended. The operator is in truth a dupe to a strong and -delusive enthusiasm. - -When the Midwife raises the spool of the breast, the operation is -conducted without any assistance from the supernatural. If a boy or -girl diminishes in flesh, is troubled with want of rest or of appetite, -without being afflicted with any particular disease, either acute or -local, the Midwife puts her finger under the bone which projects over the -pit of the stomach, and immediately feels that “the spool of the breast -is down”--in other words, she informs the parents that the bone is bent -inwards, and presses upon _the heart_! The raising of this precisely -resembles the operation of cupping. She gets a penny piece, which she -places upon the spot affected, the patient having been first laid in -a supine posture; after this she burns a little spirits in a tumbler -in order to exhaust the air in it; she then presses it quickly against -the part which is under the penny piece; and in a few moments, to the -amazement of the lookers-on, it is drawn strongly up, and remains so -until the heart-bone is supposed to be raised in such a manner as that it -will not return. - -The next charm for which she is remarkable among the people, is that -by which a mote is taken out of the eye. The manner of doing this is -as follows:--A white basin is got, and a jug of the purest water; the -midwife repeatedly rinses her mouth with the water, until it returns -as pure and clear as when she took it in. She then walks to and fro, -repeating the words of the charm, her mouth all the time filled with the -water. When the charm is finished, she pours the water out of her mouth -into the clean basin, and will point out the mote, or whatever it may -have been, floating in the water, or lying in the bottom of the vessel. -In fact, you could scarcely mention a malady with which the Midwife of -the old school was not prepared to grapple by the aid of a charm. The -toothache, the cholic, measles, childbirth, all had their respective -charms. The latter especially required one of a very pithy cast. Every -one knows that the power of fairies in Ireland is never so strong, nor so -earnestly put forth, as in the moment of parturition, when they strive by -all possible means to secure the new-born infant before it is christened, -and leave a changeling in its stead. Invaluable indeed is the midwife who -is possessed of a charm to prevent this, and knows how to arrange all -the ceremonies that are to be observed upon the occasion without making -any mistake, for that would vitiate all. Many a time on such occasions -have the ribs of the roof been made to crack, the windows rattled out, -the door pushed with violence, and the whole house shaken as if it would -tumble about their heads--and all by the fairies--but to no purpose: the -charm of the midwife was a rock of defence; the necessary precautions had -been taken, and they were ultimately forced to depart in a strong blast -of wind, screaming and howling with rage and disappointment as they went. - -There were also charms for the diseases of cattle, to cure which there -exist in Ireland some processes of very distant antiquity. We ourselves -have seen elemental fire produced by the friction of two green boughs -together, applied as a remedy for the black-leg and murrain. This is -evidently of Pagan origin, and must have some remote affinity with the -old doctrines of Baal, the ancient god of fire, whose worship was once so -general in Ireland. - -Of these charms it may be said that they are all of a religious -character, some of them evidently the production of imposture, and others -apparently of those who seriously believed in their efficacy. There is -one thing peculiar about them, which is, that they must be taught to -persons of the opposite sex: a man, for instance, cannot teach a charm to -a man, nor a woman to a woman, but he may to a woman, as a woman may to a -man. If taught or learned in violation of this principle, they possess no -virtue. - -In treating of the Irish Midwife, we cannot permit ourselves to overlook -the superstition of the “lucky caul,” which comes so clearly within her -province. The caul is a thin membrane, about the consistence of very fine -silk, which covers the head of a new-born infant like a cap. It is always -the omen of great good fortune to the infant and parents; and in Ireland, -when any one has unexpectedly fallen into the receipt of property, or any -other temporal good, it is customary to say “such a person was born with -a ‘lucky caul’ on his head.” - -Why these are considered lucky, it would be a very difficult matter -to ascertain. Several instances of good fortune, happening to such as -were born with them, might by their coincidences form a basis for the -superstition; just as the fact of three men during one severe winter -having been found drowned, each with two shirts on, generated an opinion -which has now become fixed and general in that parish, that it is unlucky -to wear two shirts at once. We are not certain whether the caul is in -general the perquisite of the Midwife--sometimes we believe it is; at all -events, her integrity occasionally yields to the desire of possessing it. -In many cases she conceals its existence, in order that she may secretly -dispose of it to good advantage, which she frequently does; for it is -considered to be the herald of good fortune to those who can get it into -their possession. Now, let not our English neighbours smile at us for -those things until they wash their own hands clear of such practices. At -this day a caul will bring a good price in the most civilized city in the -world--to wit, the good city of London--the British metropolis. Nay, to -such lengths has the mania for cauls been carried there, that they have -been actually advertised for in the Times newspaper. - -Of a winter evening, at the fireside, there can be few more amusing -companions than a Midwife of the old school. She has the smack of old -times and old usages about her, and tastes of that agreeable simplicity -of manners which always betokens a harmless and inoffensive heart. -Her language is at once easy, copious, and minute, and if a good deal -pedantic, the pedantry is rather the traditionary phraseology and antique -humour which descends with her profession, than the peculiar property or -bias of her individual mind. She affects much mystery, and intimates -that she could tell many strange stories of high life; but she is always -too honourable to betray the confidence that has been reposed in her good -faith and secrecy. In her dress she always consults warmth and comfort, -and seldom or never looks to appearance. Flannel and cotton she heaps on -herself in abundant folds, and the consequence is, that although subject -to all the inclemency of the seasons both by night and day, she is hardly -ever known to be sick. The cottage of the Midwife may in general be -known by the mounting-stone which is beside her door, and which enables -her without difficulty or loss of time to get on horseback behind the -impatient messenger. The window of her bedroom is also remarkable for its -opening on hinges like a door, a thing not usual in the country. This -is to enable her to thrust forth her well-flannelled head without any -possible delay, in order to inquire the name of the party requiring her -aid, the length of journey before her, and such other particulars as she -usually deems necessary. The sleep of the Midwife is almost peculiar in -its character to herself. No person sleeps more soundly and deeply than -she does, unless to a knock at the door or a tap at the window, to both -of which it may be said she is ever instinctively awake. We question if a -peal of cannon discharged at her house-side would disturb her; but give -on the other hand the slightest possible knock or tap at either her door -or window, and ere you could imagine she had time to awaken, the roll of -flannel that contains her head is thrust out of the window. - -Having thus recited everything, so far as we could remember it, connected -with the social antiquities of her calling, and detailed some matters not -generally known, that may, we trust, be interesting to those who are fond -of looking at the springs which often move rustic society, we now close -this “Essay on Midwifery,” hoping to be able to bring the Midwife herself -personally on the stage in our next, or at least in an early number. - - - - -GLIMPSES IN THE MOUNTAINS. - -BY COUL GOPPAGH. - - -What can have become of the old world I remember long long ago--almost -twenty years ago? It is a weary look backward, and the distance hides -it. This is not the world I was born in. I remember when the old men -used to show me the ways they walked in, scores of years before, and the -very corners and the footpaths through the fields. Here they met an old -friend--there they took shelter from a storm. On this lake they skated -all day--from that hill they saw the ships returning with victory from -foreign war. Men walked quietly together then in silence or friendly -talk, and did not jostle each other from the way; they went to bed and -rose as the sun did; they followed in their fathers’ ways--read the same -books, laughed at the same fine old jokes, and believed their posterity -would do the same. Old men then wore grey hairs, and saw their children’s -children, and were venerable. But they are all gone; and could they look -out of their graves (if indeed their very graves be spared), they would -not know the old world they used to live in. - -It is all changed now with us old fellows of five-and-twenty. We are -left doting among the ruins of our youth. There is nothing left to us of -our early days. The old crooked grassy byeways where we went to gather -blackberries and idle away a summer day, have been gone over by the -surveyor’s chain, and some straight cut, with prim, bare fences, has run -it down. The little stream has been piped over, and, where it “babbled o’ -green fields,” is a noisy, muddy thoroughfare. Over the green glen where -the hazels nourished their brown clusters, strides a cursed viaduct; the -execrable railway has frighted the linnets from the boughs, and a bird’s -nest shall never more be found. In the lonely bay where we used to gather -shells, thinking ourselves in fairy land, and wondering what lay beyond -the dim horizon, the steamboat roars and splashes. Riot and swearing and -slang and vice of cities have usurped the quiet haunts of country calm -and charity. - -It is for a coming age all these things are preparing: to us is allotted -only the vexation and bewilderment. I have no associations to link me -to these horrors, and I prefer the old repose to all the luxuries they -bring. What is it to me that I can go to East or West in so many days -sooner, or even if the sun that sets on me to-night should rise for me -to-morrow by the Ganges? Here is my “fortunate isle;” this is my home -where my heart is. I have no business with Egypt or the Nile. I wish to -sit undisturbed by my own fireside, to walk under the old trees, to look -on my own fields, to be warmed by my own sun. But they will dig a canal -through my silent walks, and the infernal city will pour through these -banks its restless impurity, and make them echo with the laughter of -brutal debauchery. - -It is something for a man to look on the same scenes he looked on in -his childhood, among the same fields and trees and household ways his -forefathers tilled and planted, and knew before him. There is a sanctity -grows round them year by year, enriching the heart, that cannot be broken -through nor profaned without a loss never to be repaired. The exile can -still listen to the whispering of the woods and the sound of the streams, -but he remembers the woods and waters of his native land with tears. In -twenty years I have grown old and an exile where I was born. Huge piles -have covered the green where I played. The roar of busy streets insults -the memory of the green lanes where I strolled at evening. - -There is no country now. The city has invaded the solitude, and vice and -impudent folly march in its rear. The bumpkin imitates the swagger of the -citizen--the ploughman talks politics--the haymaker shakes the swathe and -discourses of political economy--the reaper questions the revenue. - -The mountains yet remain! I can see them, still, from my door; I can see -them from the city streets. I can climb up their rugged sides still, and -bless God that no discoverer as yet has uprooted the hills. - -My heart is with them, for they have not changed. With them I have still -a sovereign sympathy, for I can look on them and renew the fancies of my -infancy. There is not a torrent pouring down their sides, not a crag nor -a bramble, that is not reverend in my eye. - -The world is drunk, and raves. Come away from these reeling bacchanals, -and let us fare among the hills! Long ago, before the time of history, -some naked savage here has worshipped the sunrise; some Druid sacrificed -his victims; some barbarian Spartacus, lurking among the wild deer and -the wolves, has defied his nation; some young warrior, with tears on his -hardy cheek, has pointed up thither, whispering to one beside him dearer -than his name, his clan, or his life, and sped away on the wings of love -to the peace and safety of the mountains. - -These noble fronts have never varied. The clouds float here over the same -ridges on which the eyes of our childhood rested, and of the men of old -time. The clank of monstrous engines has never yet dismayed the primeval -stillness. - -The skeleton of creation is visible here, and we see the beginnings of -the world. This solid granite sparkled in the sun when “the evening and -the morning were the first day,” and was as firm and solid to the centre -when the world was “without form and void.” This whinstone rock has been -hardened in some earthquake furnace long since then, and these flints are -new, though they held fire before Prometheus suffered. This soft soil is -the relics of the life and death of a thousand green years, and the fresh -bloom that feeds on its decay will nourish succeeding blossoms. - -The Western nations look here for the dawn, and the people of the East -for sunset. Young children look up here from cottage doors at evening, -and see the portals of Paradise opened, gazing through vistas brighter -than imagination, unfolding far into the heart of heaven, and hold their -breath, waiting for the passage of the archangels. This is a glorified -soil. On these peaks hang the morning and the evening stars. The sun and -the moon come here to do them honour; and they clothe themselves with -gold and azure, and purple, deeper than the Tyrian, to receive their -celestial guests. - -High up here in this blessed solitude there is life, and liberty of -heart, and sacred peace. No fenced-in space confines me here. I breathe -in a domain as wide as the horizon, as high as the planets and the sun. -The clouds are my fellow-wanderers here, and enjoy with me the liberal -bosom of the air. Their ethereal hills and dales invite my fancy to a -real heaven, where I gather all I love around me. Their shadows cover me -as they pass over, and I bid them “God speed” as they carry cool showers -down to the thirsting land. No miserable moan of want or sickness, no sob -of long-breaking hearts, no choked sigh of cheated hope, nor any human -woe, alarms me here. I see no loathsome household, plague-stricken with -poverty, and festering in filth, despised of men, and famishing into -horrors and crime: no form of woman (black shame before God!) wading in -fœtid rags through mire and snow, with those awful human (!) children of -hers, debased as the swine with whom they sleep (for charity!) and on -whom the rich man looks--poor unreckoning fool!--and never pauses to -think and tremble. - -Here the wild bee sings among the rich fragrance of the heather-bells -and thyme, gathering pure honey, fresh from the breath of the immediate -sunrise. The larks have their nests among the heath by thousands, and -make the whole mountain musical. Many strange insects, born and dying -in the hour, that live on dew-drops, buzz by, and a thousand unknown -creatures, gifted with voice, inhabiting small twigs in labyrinths of -greenest moss, join in the hymn. The invisible wind, like a ruler of the -strings, pours in a sovereign master-note that blends in all one solemn -harmony, filling the air till the valleys sing for joy. - -Here is Solitude, unforced, and free as the wandering wind. Here is peace -like the summer life of untrodden blossoms. Here is a lofty quiet as of -the dreams of the heart over its holy memories. Here are everlasting -rocks, steadfast as honour, and true. Here is wealth for Fancy, and a -dwelling for Imagination. Wide and far as the peaks can seek the heavens, -there is no place for Envy or Hate, where the glens are vocal, and the -holy silence compels the heart to adoration, making a haven for religion -among the mighty hills. - -What throes of central agony heaved up these huge mountains, twisting and -folding each into each away as far as the eye can follow! What pangs and -convulsions at the heart! What startling from chaotic trance, long before -man or his mammoth ancestors, at the creative song of some wandering -star-messenger, millions of years upon its way! - -My heart enlarges here, and recognises an aërial amity with the sky. I -am filled with celestial promptings. I shake off all incumbrance of the -earth. I stretch out my arms to the blue heaven, and its breath comes -into my bosom as a friend. The stir of humanity is dumb beneath me. I -leap among the heathy knolls. I sing beside the infant rivers. I shout, -and hear answers from the lurking echoes, like the mysterious voices of -infinite years. I drink in unused air with - - “Fair creatures of the element, - That in the colours of the rainbow live, - And play i’ the plighted clouds.” - -I stand wrapt in mute visions, growing into the majesty of the mountains. -I spurn Decay and Time. I share the enduring strength, and carry lightly -the burden of centuries. - -The mountains swell up around me like a sea with billows. My footfall is -inaudible, and I fleet to and fro like the unbodied soul of a great poet -that makes the worlds it sees. There are no furrows on this soil: the -curse has not fallen here. The sweat of the brow has not dropped here, -nor aught save the rain and the dew of heaven. I am still nearer to the -angels, and my spirit begins to put forth unaccustomed wings. - -The ancient gods still linger here, and Antiquity has not yet grown old. -The world has not yet heard “the voice of one crying in the wilderness,” -nor has Paul yet preached. Here I am a devout Pagan. I am the friend of -Plato; I remember the voice of Socrates. I worship the Gods reverently, -and have come up hither with sacrifice according to the voice of the -oracle. - -I have drunk with the muses at this fountain. Here, under the hanging ivy -from the rock, I behold the real Castaly; and wherever the stream may -wander, it will carry music on its way from divinest voices. From this -clump I have listened to Apollo teaching the shepherds. Yea, I feel my -veins tingling with a more celestial liquor; I own invulnerable limbs, -and am myself a God! - -It was not Mercury, but I, who passed swiftly down yon green declivity -with feathered feet, and away over the hill-tops like the shadow of a -cloud. Those cattle brousing in the thicket, far down the ravine, I stole -from Pieria. I bear the imperial mandates, and the breeze carries the -sound of my eloquence through all the forests. - -But I aspire to loftier seats. This is the high Olympus; Saturn is -baffled, and immortal Jove laughs at the terrible prophecies of the -enduring Titan. Let him rend his rivets. Let him melt the heart of -Caucasus, or appease the Vulture! Would that I could as easily escape the -reproaches of Juno, or overcome Danäe! But it shall rain gold to-morrow -in her lap, and Leda shall fondle in her snowier bosom a snowy swan. -Meanwhile let the nectar be poured! The laughing gods surround me, and I -know immortal vigour. How Mercury jeered at the grinning Vulcan erewhile -as he writhed his iron sinews, when I held him over the edge of heaven! -Here I compel the clouds around me; I sit throned, and thunder. - -Lo! to my ears comes up a solemn strain, and the Eagle shrieks and flies. -The thunderbolt withers from my hand:-- - - “The Oracles are dumb; - No voice or hideous hum - Runs through the archéd roof with words deceiving; - Apollo from his shrine - Can no more divine, - With hollow shriek the steep of Delphos leaving; - No nightly trance, or breathéd spell, - Inspires the pale-eyed priest in his prophetic cell.” - -A louder thunder has been heard than Jove’s. There is a mountain more -venerable than Olympus. Moses went up there to talk with God, and came -down with the brightness of the sun in his countenance that could not -be looked upon, bearing in his hand an eternal law. That thunder still -echoes which shook Babylon, and quelled the Assyrian. The Persian rolled -away before it like a cloud. The Egyptian, Greek, and Roman, have fled -from it for ever. - -But a greater than Moses has made the mountains holy. A greater -hierophant opened up there the law and the prophets. On a mountain -Satan confessed his conqueror. Who shall conceive of that tremendous -hour, pregnant with the fate of man, when “Jesus went up alone into the -mountain to pray!” And we know what deed was done on Calvary. - - - - -APOLOGUES AND FABLES - -FROM FOREIGN LANGUAGES. - -(_Translated for the Irish Penny Journal._) - -No. V.--THE OLD MAN AND THE YOUTHS. - -(FROM THE FRENCH OF LAFONTAINE.) - - - A man of eighty years was planting trees:-- - “Ha! ha!” laughed out three striplings from the village, - “Planting at eighty!--Had his task been tillage, - Or building houses, or aught else you please, - The folly might have passed as less worth noting. - But--planting trees! He must indeed be doting! - Why, in the name of all that’s odd, old neighbour, - What fruit can such as you expect to gather - From this ridiculous and driftless labour? - You, who already are a great-grandfather! - What! do you think to rival in his years - Methuselah? For shame! Do penance rather - For your past errors! Mourn your sins with tears! - Abandon hopes and plans that so ill suit your - Age and grey hairs! Give over looking wildly - Out through the vista of a boundless future! - All these are but for us, and such as we.” - “They are not even for you,” replied the Old Man mildly. - “Youth may be just as nigh Eternity - As Age. What though the pitfalls of Existence - Be covered o’er with flowers in lieu of snows, - Who shall foremeasure the brief distance - Between this dim dream’s birth and close? - The wingéd bolts of Death are swift to strike - Life in its dawning as decline; - The pallid Parcæ play their game alike - With your days and with mine. - Who knows which of us four shall be the one - To gaze last on the glory of the sun? - Molest me not, then. Leave me to employ - The hours that yet remain to me. I love - To think my great-grandchildren will enjoy - The shade and shelter of this embryo grove. - Meantime I live, I breathe, and I may even - Share for some years to come the gifts of Heaven. - Alas! even I may see the morning-light - Shine more than once, young men! upon your graves!” - The Old Man spake a truth which Time revealed:-- - Boating soon after, on a stormy night, - One of these youths was buried in the waves-- - A second was cut off upon the battle-field-- - The third fell ill, and in four fleeting weeks - His bier was dressed with Death’s pale plumes;-- - So died the Three--thus early fated! - And while the tears rolled down his cheeks, - The Old Man sculptured on their tombs - The story I have here narrated. - - M. - - * * * * * - -Learning, it has been said, may be an instrument of fraud: so may -bread, if discharged from the mouth of a cannon, be an instrument of -death.--_Bentham._ - - - - -THE SNUFF SHOP. - - -Few, we dare say, ever entered a shop of the description named in the -title of this paper with any other idea than that they were entering -merely a repository of Lundy Foot, cigars, and small twist. Few, we -suppose, ever looked on such a place in any other light, or ever -considered its keeper in any other point of view than that simply of -a tobacconist. Yet is there another light, and a dismal one it is, in -which both the snuff shop and the snuff dealer himself may be looked -upon; and it is in such a light that we ourselves always do look upon -them. This is, viewing the one as a charnel-house of defunct authors; -the other as a goul, battening on their mortal remains. We sometimes -vary this horrifying, but, alas! too correct view of the snuff shop and -the snuff dealer, by supposing the one a sort of literary shambles or -slaughter-house, and the other a cold-blooded, merciless literary butcher. - -Taking either of these views of the snuff shop, what a change takes place -in its aspect, and in that of every thing and person pertaining to it! -What a dismal and hideous den it then becomes, and what a truculent, -savage-looking fiend becomes that smiling and simpering tobacconist! -No bowels of compassion has he for the mangled and mutilated authors -that are lying thick around him, cruelly Burked by his own merciless -hands. No; there he sits in the midst of the dire carnage as calm and -unconcerned as if he had nothing whatever to do with it--the callous -monster! - -Pursuing the idea just broached, let us enter this horrid den, and for a -moment contemplate its interior in a spirit in accordance with that idea; -for, not being authors, we have nothing to fear for ourselves, it being -that class only that need stand in awe of the snuff shop--to all others -it is a harmless place enough. - -Lo! then, behold (giving us the advantage here of a little stretch -of imagination), the walls bespattered with the blood and brains of -murdered authors; and see that blood-stained bench which the demon of -the place calls a counter; and in various other depositories around lie -their dismembered limbs and mangled carcases. Oh, it is a shocking and -heart-rending sight! - -Some of those unfortunates have evidently died hard: they have the -appearance of having struggled desperately for life. But, alas, in vain! -An irresistible destiny thrust them into the fatal snuff shop, where they -perished quickly and miserably by the hand of the ruthless savage within. -Others, again, seem to have quietly resigned themselves to their fate, -and, indeed, to have been more than half dead before they were brought -in; while others, again, appear to have been wholly defunct, having died -a natural death. These, then, have been conveyed thither merely to be cut -up, and converted to the degrading uses of the tobacconist. - -Although some of the unhappy authors whose mangled remains strew this -den of horrors seem to have attained a kind of maturity before they were -cruelly torn to pieces as we now see them, by far the greater number are -a sort of murdered innocents, having been strangled in their birth, or -shortly after. A good many there are, too, who seem to have been dead -born, or to have perished while yet in embryo. - -Piteous as it is to look on the heavy, sturdy corpses of the murdered -prose writers that lie thickly up and down this chamber of death, yet -infinitely more piteous is it to contemplate the delicate, fragile forms -of the poets thus cruelly mangled and mutilated that lie no less thickly -around us. Poor dear, unfledged things! What a fate has been thine!--what -a destiny, to be consigned, ere ye had yet opportunity to open your -little musical throats, to the tender mercies of _that_ literary -Burke--that ruthless monster whom the world, thinking of him only in -connection with cigars and pigtail, calls a tobacconist. Where now, -sweet little humming birds, be those soft and tender notes with which -ye sought, alas, how vainly! to charm the huge, rude ear of an uncouth -and barbarous world that would not listen to ye? Alas, they have ceased -for ever! How little does that savage, the demon of the place, mind your -sweet, small voices, that give forth a piteous wail, like the last notes -of the dying swan, every time he lays his merciless hands on you. Little, -indeed! Let but a customer come in for half an ounce of “Blackguard,” -and he will, without the smallest hesitation or compunction, seize one -of you, dear unfortunates, and tear you limb from limb for his own and -that customer’s conveniency: ay, for a paltry three half-pence, mayhap -less--a pennyworth of “Scotch”--will he perpetrate this atrocious deed. -That sanguinary bench, that horrid counter, is strewn over with your -slim carcases and fragile limbs; and your murderer is hanging over your -mutilated remains, laughing and chatting and joking with his customers as -pleasantly and unconcernedly as if you were so much waste paper. Oh, it -is atrocious! - -Such, then, dear reader, is the light--a terrible one, indeed, but as -thou wilt acknowledge, we have no doubt, a correct one--in which we look -upon snuff shops, which, as thou well knowest, have long lain, and not -unjustly, under the stigma of being fatal to authors. If thou art one, -pray, then, eschew it; for if thou dost once enter its dismal portals, -thou wilt never, never more be heard of in this world! - - C. - - - - -ANIMAL TAMING. - -SECOND AND CONCLUDING ARTICLE. - - -In my last paper on the taming of animals, I treated the subject -generally rather than in detail. It is probable that the curious reader -may not be displeased to learn a little more of the mode of keeping and -domesticating wild and savage animals, as well as the methods to be -adopted in order to bring together fierce animals of different species, -and induce them to occupy the same cage in peace and harmony, and without -danger of contention. It is, as will be at once recognised, this latter -circumstance which renders the exhibitions of Van Amburgh and his rivals -as wonderful as they are; it being a far easier matter to reconcile a -lion or a tiger to yourself, and even familiarize it to the furthest -possible degree, than it is to induce the tiger and the lion to consort -together, and refrain from engaging in deadly conflict. - -Let us suppose, for the sake of illustration of the mode which should be -adopted to tame two or more animals, that you are made a present of a -lion and a tiger. If the animals be very young, you will have very little -trouble with them for a long time--none, indeed, beyond the necessity of -attending to their health, for the larger felines are difficult to be -reared; but as they grow older, they will be very apt to quarrel between -themselves; wounds will be given and received, and the death or maiming -of either, or perhaps of both, will pretty speedily result. To guard -against any unpleasantness of this nature, it should be your business -the instant you receive the animals to commence operations. Let them be -kept at first far apart; for it is not advisable, as their dispositions -may be very different, that one should be witness of the severity you may -be compelled to exercise towards the other. This done, take, according -to the animals’ ages, a stout cane, a supplejack, or an iron rod. If the -creatures be very young, that is, under three months, or perhaps four, -the cane will be sufficient. If greater, or from that to half grown, you -will require the supplejack, and let it be thicker at one end than at the -other. For a half-grown animal the iron rod will be absolutely necessary, -and it must be of sufficient weight that a blow of it on the skull may be -sufficient to produce a temporary insensibility--the only chance you will -have of escape, should the fierce brutes at any time take it into their -heads to rebel. - -Having thus provided yourself with arms offensive, you must be equally -cautious as to your costume. That must be of strong material, hard, and -fitting close. You must have no loose flapping skirts, no open jackets. -All must be tight, and buttoned closely to the body. An under-waistcoat -(sleeved) of strong buff, with a stout pea-jacket over it, leather -or corduroy breeches, and top boots, is about the best dress for the -experimentalist in animal taming that I can suggest at this moment. The -reason--for I like to give a reason for everything I recommend--of this -necessity for a firm, tight-fitting dress, is, that if a wild animal, -although to all appearance perfectly domesticated, chances even in play -to get his claws fastened in your clothes, the sensation of seizing upon -prey involuntarily presents itself to his imagination. The accidental -entanglement is succeeded by a plunge of the claws, the jaws are brought -into requisition, and your life is by no means in a safe position. Hence -the necessity for tight dress. - -Thus accoutred, with your rod in your hand, and, if the animal be more -than half grown, a brace of pistols in your breast--the one loaded with -ball, the other with powder, upon which a quantity of tow has been -crammed down--approach the cage of the young animal which you design to -tame. I commence with this stage of the process, because I presume that -you have already rendered your protegé sufficiently familiar by feeding -and caressing it through the bars, and by spending some time each day in -its company. I presume therefore that it has already begun to recognise -your appearance, and to come over to your hand when called, as well as to -permit you to stroke and pat it, without attempting to bite you. Approach -the cage, hold in your left hand a heavy cloak or blanket wrapped round -your hand and arm; let there be two assistants near at hand, and a small -stove in which half a dozen iron rods are heating; let the door of the -cage be a real door, opening upon hinges, and shutting with a good and -deeply-notched latch--not a sliding door, as such a mode of entering -the cage might be as much as your life was worth. Speak kindly to the -animal, and caress it through the bars of its cage ere you enter, or the -suddenness of your entrance may irritate or alarm it, and thus induce it -to attack you. Your costume should likewise by no means have been put on -for the first time. You should have dressed in a similar manner during -all your former visits, so that your intended pet might be acquainted -with your appearance. Let a platform be erected outside the cage, to its -level, and ascend this, where stand a few minutes, boldly caressing and -speaking to the animal. Then throw open the door, enter with a firm and -resolute step, push the door behind you, but see that you do not for an -instant remove your eyes from those of the animal you are visiting. Do -not advance from the door; stand near the bars of the cage, that you may -have a better chance of escape, and may be more readily assisted by your -attendants in the event of an attack. Speak kindly towards the animal, -and if it, as it most likely will, comes over to you, fear nothing, but -stretch forth your hand and caress it. The creature will then probably -purr, and rub against you. Permit it to do so, and encourage it in its -familiarity; but if it offer to play with you, repress such disposition -with firmness; and if you perceive that the animal is bent on frolic, -leave the cage at once, for it is unsafe longer to remain, the play of -these savage creatures always leading to mischief, just as the cat sports -with the captured mouse ere she gives it the finishing blow, and buries -it in her maw. Repress, therefore, every attempt to play. Use your rod -freely and severely. Do so not merely for a grievous fault, but for -the most distant appearance of insubordination. Let your corrections -be terrible when you do inflict them, and you will have to repeat them -so much the less frequently. Some, and Van Amburgh I believe among the -rest, are in favour of beating the animals every morning, whether they -deserve such chastisement or not, just by way of keeping up a salutary -awe of their masters. I object to this, as I conceive it to be both cruel -and unnecessary. If animals are of an unruly disposition, and require -frequent correction, I should rather recommend that they should be -visited every morning, and an opportunity of misbehaving themselves thus -afforded, when indeed a good thrashing might be administered with much -greater justice. Never display either timidity or ill-humour. The former -will make the animals despise your menaces, and perhaps give you a bite -or a claw--the latter will cause them to hate you, to regard you as a -tyrant, and probably seize on the first favourable opportunity for your -destruction. Be just, therefore, in your punishments, and do not be too -familiar. Never for an instant permit any animal to make too free with -you. Recollect the old copybook adage, “Familiarity breeds contempt;” -and recollect that if a young lion or a tiger so far forgets himself as -to despise your authority, you will stand a fair chance of being torn to -pieces some fine morning, and devoured for their breakfast. - -I conceive that the preceding rapidly sketched hints will serve as a -sufficient ground-work for the animal-tamer to act upon. He must not be -discouraged if he do not succeed at first, and he must be satisfied to -take time, and persevere. Without this he need not hope for success. - -The animal-tamer must be fearless--such a thing as terror must be a -feeling wholly foreign to his soul. He must be as brave as a lion: for -how can he otherwise hope to subdue the bravest of the animal creation? -I have said “bravest,” and so let the word stand; but I was perhaps led -to employ the expression rather from popular prejudice, than from a -conviction of its truth. The feline tribes are very powerful and very -fierce animals, but they are by no means brave. A bulldog has more -courage in his pigmy body, than exists in the prodigious carcasses or -a dozen lions or tigers. Let the animal-tamer recollect this, and the -knowledge of this fact will probably encourage him. To give a case in -point:--I was once endeavouring to make friends with the tigress in -the Zoological Gardens, Phœnix Park--a beautiful animal, subsequently -purchased from the Zoological Society by the proprietors of the -Portobello Gardens, and since unfortunately dead. I had got so far as -to be able to stroke the creature on the head and back, and even to open -her mouth with my hand, and leave it within her terrible jaws. This I did -on my third visit to her, in presence of the animal’s keeper. One day I -was alone with the tigress, and my hand was upon her neck: she with equal -good nature had placed her enormous paw upon my shoulder, and was purring -in a most affectionate manner, when a sudden noise from one of the other -animals caused me to start; instantly the paw was brought down upon my -arm with some violence, and before I could extricate my hand, Kate, as -the tigress was called, had closed her teeth upon the limb, which she -held firmly, though as yet uninjured. I strove to withdraw my hand, but -to no purpose. I felt in a most uncomfortable position, reader, for I -feared that I should lose a very useful member of my frame: it was my -_right_ hand. Had I lost it, I should have been unable to have written -this or any of the other papers I have given you. The teeth of the -tigress became more and more firmly closed, and my efforts to disengage -my hand were unavailing; I called for assistance, but no one was within -hearing; when, calling courage and resolution to my aid, I bethought me -of my own principles, and, raising my other hand, dealt Kate as severe a -blow as I was able with my clenched fist upon her nose. The experiment -was successful. The animal, at once releasing my hand, sprang with an -angry howl to the opposite side of her cage, from which in a few moments -she returned cowering and submissive, apparently eager to regain that -portion of my good opinion that she seemed conscious of having forfeited. - -If, then, you are attacked, act with promptness and decision. Use your -rod freely; but if you find yourself in danger, employ your pistol, -not, however, that loaded with ball (reserve it as a last resource, -when there is nought else between you and death), but that loaded only -with powder and tow; fire it into the animal’s face, and I think there -is no doubt but it will afford you ample time for escape; nay, it may -in all likelihood render you conqueror; and if you perceive that the -shock has terrified your assailant, hand the pistol to be re-loaded -by an assistant, while you advance and finish with your rod what the -pistol began. If you be seized and overpowered, let your attendants use -the heated irons; they should be of a sufficient length to reach to any -part of the cage, and should be applied to the nose and mouth. They will -generally be found successful in turning the current of affairs. - -Ere taking leave of my readers, I must say a few words as to introducing -animals of different species to each other. A very brief notice, -comprised under one or two heads, will suffice. First, let _each_ -animal be perfectly and individually under your control. Secondly, do -not put the strangers into the same cage all at once, but put them into -a cage partitioned by an iron railing, in which leave them for a few -weeks, until you begin to perceive that they have made each other’s -acquaintance, and may be trusted together; and do you enter the cage -with them when first brought together, and visit the least symptom of -hostility with instant and effective chastisement. They should not at -first be left together entirely, but only for an hour or two each day -while it is convenient to you to attend. By and bye, when they become -sufficiently familiarized, you need be under no apprehension. When -two animals have been brought together, it will be comparatively easy -and safe to introduce a third, then a fourth, and so on; the safety -increasing in proportion to their numbers. Make it also your business to -select your animals with judgment. To an old leopard introduce a young -lion, for instance, because the leopard will, in consequence of the -youth of his new acquaintance, crow over him, and aid you in subduing -him. This advantage, to be gained by observing dissimilarity of ages, is -by no means to be overlooked, as it is a powerful agent in the work of -domestication and association of the different species of animals. When -one animal is of a timid kind--the natural prey probably of the other, -which latter is fierce and powerful--you have nothing to do but to make -the more powerful animal _afraid_ of its timid and defenceless companion. -This may be done in various modes, just as the time or opportunities -may suggest. A simple illustration may serve. Take a young cat and put -her into a cage. Take a rat’s or a mouse’s skin, and fill it with hot -scalding bran; throw it to the cat, and when she runs at it, take hold of -her and thrust the hot skin into her mouth; keep it there for a minute -till she is well burned, and you have rendered that cat ever afterwards -harmless towards mice, at least towards such as you may introduce to -her; a wild one which she met with at large might fare differently, -though I hardly think she would even attempt to injure it. Treat a -bird-skin in this manner, and, after the scalding, tie it for a while -around puss’s neck, and you have secured your aviary from molestation. -Sometimes the first experiment of this kind is not successful. When such -is the case, however, be not disheartened, but repeat it; and one or two -such inflictions cannot fail being effective. You may thus have cats, -rats, mice, birds, &c., &c., all in one cage; a curiosity I have often -beheld, and which I have myself succeeded in forming in the manner I have -described. - -Let not the reader who may endeavour to put the above rules in practice -be disheartened by a little difficulty at starting. The power of nature -is strong, and it is not until after a long and severe course of training -that art can expect to overcome it. Let, therefore, the experimenter -ever bear in mind the extraordinary force of nature, and the vast labour -necessary to keep it in abeyance; and in order that he should do so, I -shall tell him the following anecdote:-- - -“Cecco maintained that nature was more potent than art, while Dante -asserted the contrary. To prove his principle the great Italian bard -referred to his cat, which by repeated practice he had taught to hold a -candle in its paw while he supped or read. Cecco desired to witness the -experiment, and came not unprepared for his purpose. When Dante’s cat -was performing its part, Cecco lifted up the lid of a pot which he had -filled with mice; the creature of art instantly showed the weakness of -a talent merely acquired, and, dropping the candle, sprang on the mice -with all its instinctive propensity. Dante was himself disconcerted; and -it was adjudged that the advocate for the occult principle of natural -faculties had gained his cause.” Bear this anecdote therefore in mind. -Do not forget the power of natural instinct, even over the most careful -artificial training; and let it be your anxious care to keep far distant -every circumstance that might provoke the awakening of the one, or tend -to shake or to subvert the influence of the other. - -This short sketch has, I trust, given my readers an insight into the mode -by which Van Amburgh and his rivals perform their wonders; and I can -assure them, that by following the principles I have here laid down, they -may themselves, if they choose, equal in their own private menageries the -performances of those public exhibitors. - - H. D. R. - - * * * * * - -PHILOSOPHY.--Philosophy can add to our happiness in no other manner but -by diminishing our misery: it should not pretend to increase our present -stock, but make us economists of what we are possessed of. The great -source of calamity lies in regret or anticipation; he therefore is most -wise who thinks of the present alone, regardless of the past or future. -This is impossible to a man of pleasure; it is difficult to the man of -business, and is in some degree attainable by the philosopher. Happy were -we all born philosophers--all born with a talent of thus dissipating our -own cares by spreading them upon all mankind.--_Goldsmith._ - - * * * * * - -There are but two means in the world of gaining by other men--by being -either agreeable or useful. - - * * * * * - -Artificial modesty disparages a woman’s real virtue as much as the use of -paint does the natural complexion. - - * * * * * - -It is a common fault never to be satisfied with our fortune, nor -dissatisfied with our understanding.--_Rochefoucault._ - - * * * * * - -A prison is a grave to bury men alive.--_Mynshul._ - - * * * * * - -A titled nobility is the most undisputed progeny of feudal -barbarism.--_Sir James Mackintosh._ - - * * * * * - -The worthiest people are the most injured by slander; as we usually find -that to be the best fruit which the birds have been pecking at.--_Swift._ - - * * * * * - -A miser grows rich by seeming poor, an extravagant man grows poor by -seeming rich.--_Shenstone._ - - * * * * * - -There is not greater difference between the living and the dead, than -between a wise man and a blockhead.--_Aristotle._ - - * * * * * - -A man who has good judgment has the same advantage over men of any other -qualifications whatsoever, as one that can see would have over a blind -man of ten times the strength.--_Steele._ - - * * * * * - - Printed and published every Saturday by GUNN and CAMERON, at - the Office of the General Advertiser, No. 6, Church Lane, - College Green, Dublin--Agents:--R. GROOMBRIDGE, Panyer Alley, - Paternoster Row, London; SIMMS and DINHAM, Exchange Street, - Manchester; C. DAVIES, North John Street, Liverpool; J. DRAKE, - Birmingham; SLOCOMBE and SIMMS, Leeds; FRASER and CRAWFORD, - George Street, Edinburgh; and DAVID ROBERTSON, Trongate, - Glasgow. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Irish Penny Journal, Vol. 1 No. -26, December 26, 1840, by Various - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IRISH PENNY JOURNAL, DEC 26, 1840 *** - -***** This file should be named 54563-0.txt or 54563-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/5/6/54563/ - -Produced by Brownfox and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from -images generously made available by JSTOR www.jstor.org) - -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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