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diff --git a/old/64994-0.txt b/old/64994-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 7dcbaf5..0000000 --- a/old/64994-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2213 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, -Science, and Art, Fifth Series, No. 4, Vol. I, January 26, 1884, 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 -will 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, - Fifth Series, No. 4, Vol. I, January 26, 1884 - -Author: Various - -Release Date: April 05, 2021 [eBook #64994] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Susan Skinner, Eric Hutton and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The Internet - Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL OF POPULAR -LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART, FIFTH SERIES, NO. 4, VOL. I, JANUARY 26, -1884 *** - - - - -[Illustration: CHAMBERS’S JOURNAL - -OF - -POPULAR - -LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART - -Fifth Series - -ESTABLISHED BY WILLIAM AND ROBERT CHAMBERS, 1832 - -CONDUCTED BY R. CHAMBERS (SECUNDUS) - -NO. 4.—VOL. I. SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 1884. PRICE 1½_d._] - - - - -ANOTHER WORD TO LITERARY BEGINNERS. - - -Within these few years past we have from time to time given a word of -warning and of encouragement to Literary Aspirants. We do not use the -latter word in any disparaging sense; but simply as the only one which -fully embraces the great and constantly increasing class of persons, -who, as writers of matter good, bad, and indifferent, are now weekly -and daily knocking for admission at the doors of Literature. We have -always been favourable to giving encouragement to young writers of -ability, and never a year passes but we are able to introduce a few -fresh contributors to the world of periodical literature. But this -encouragement must necessarily be within certain lines, otherwise evil -and not good would accrue to many. We are from time to time reminded by -correspondents of what a popular novelist, possibly in a half-jocular -mood, advised in this matter. His advice to parents amounted to this, -that if they had an educated son or daughter with no particular calling -in life, but in need of one, they had only to supply him or her with -pens, ink, and paper, and a literary calling might at once be entered -upon. We fear too many have laid, and daily lay, this flattering -unction to their souls. In the majority of cases, disappointment and -heart-sickness can alone be derived from the experiment. - -In order to give those outside the circle of editorial cognisance some -idea of the amount of literary matter sent in by outsiders, and which -falls to be adjudicated upon on its merits, we subjoin an abstract of -the number of manuscripts received by us during the twelve months from -August 1882 to August 1883. During that period we have had offered to -us in all 3225 manuscripts, of which 2065 were contributions in prose, -and 1160 in verse. These offerings varied from each other to the utmost -extent both as to size and subject, from a few stanzas of verse to the -bulk of a three-volume novel, and came to us from all quarters of the -English-speaking world, England, Scotland, Ireland, the Continent, -America, India, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere. Of the -2065 prose manuscripts, 300 were accepted by us for publication, or -fourteen per cent. of the whole. Of the 1160 pieces of verse, only -30 were accepted, or less than three per cent. of the total. Taking -the two classes of contributions together, of the 3225 manuscripts -received, 330 were accepted—that is, of every hundred manuscripts -received, ten were retained by us and ninety returned to their authors. -If we estimate this pile of contributions according to its bulk, and -allowing a very moderate average length to each manuscript, the whole, -if printed, would have filled 9125 pages of this _Journal_, or as much -as would have sufficed for eleven of our yearly volumes. - -The lesson to be derived from this by literary beginners is, not to be -over-sanguine as to the acceptance of any article offered to magazines, -knowing the great competition that is constantly going on for a place -in their pages. It is true that those who possess the literary faculty -in a sufficient degree will, though not perhaps without suffering many -rejections and disappointments, ultimately assert their claims and -obtain the coveted place; but even in such cases, the early struggle -may sometimes be severe and long-continued. Nor must contributors go -away under the impression that all rejected offerings are necessarily -of an inferior quality. This is far from being the case. Great -numbers of the prose articles in the above enumeration of rejected -contributions, were articles with which no fault might be found in a -literary sense. But it must be borne in mind that a magazine is limited -in its space; and that when a definite part of that space has been -allotted to articles or tales which have been supplied under previous -arrangements made between author and editor, the remaining space may -afford but small room for the number of claimants thereto. An article, -therefore, which is perfectly equal to the literary standard of a -magazine, may have to be returned by the editor on various grounds, -such as that the subject of the paper does not come within the scope of -his present requirements, or that an article has already appeared or -been accepted on the same subject, or that some one has been already -engaged to write upon it; or, in short, a dozen reasons might be found, -any one of which would be sufficient to cause the rejection of a given -article. But what one magazine rejects another may be in need of; so -that a really good article is almost certain of finding its billet -somewhere. - -In these circumstances, while there is nothing that need eventually -discourage a capable or promising writer, there is much to make parents -and guardians take warning before they set a young man or woman adrift -on the sea of life with only his or her pen as a rudder. Literature, -like painting, affords to persons of inferior or only mediocre powers a -very precarious means of livelihood. Besides, places are not to be got -in the literary any more than in the artistic world without evidence of -genuine capacity being given by the claimant. The number of aspirants -is no doubt from year to year being winnowed, until the grain shall -be finally selected from the chaff; but the process, we admit, is not -pleasant to those who do not come within the metaphorical category of -grain. Scarcely a week passes but we receive letters requesting us, -from the specimens of work inclosed, to say whether the contributor -might hope to become a successful writer for magazines, as he or she -is presently a clerk or a governess, and would wish to attain a better -position, which position, ‘kind friends’—often in this same matter, if -they knew it, very unkind—think, might be reached through the channel -of literature. It is not difficult, as a rule, to advise in such cases. -It is, stick to your present occupation, if it is only respectable, and -on no account throw it up in the hope of having your name engrossed in -the higher rolls of literary achievement. Even in the case of what may -be called successful minor contributors to periodical literature, it -can hardly be possible, we should think, for them to rely _wholly_ upon -the results for a livelihood. Nor is it necessary to do so. The kind of -literary work to which we allude can, in general, be carried on side by -side with the work of an ordinary occupation or profession, as it is -rarely that the articles of a writer of this class are in such constant -demand as to make it necessary to give his or her whole time to their -production. When this combination can be maintained, a useful source of -income is added, without in all cases necessarily detracting from one’s -professional industry otherwise. - -What we have said is not with the object of repressing literary -ambition, but of preventing literary aspirants from setting out under -false ideas, or quitting the successful pursuit of their ordinary -occupations in the too frequently unrealised hope of rising to literary -distinction. It must not be forgot that the desire to write does not -necessarily comprehend the power to write well; or that, even with -those who succeed in demonstrating their literary capabilities, such -success is obtained without hard work and long practice. As we have -said on former occasions, writers must not start, as is too often done, -on the assumption that their possession of _genius_ is to be taken -for granted; genius only comes once in a while—once or twice in a -generation perhaps. It is always safer to begin upon the supposition -that your faculties are of the kind which, like granite, will only -shine by polishing; and if genius should be evoked in the process, the -polishing will not harm it. We would not wish to dim the roseate hues -which the future has for those who are young; but neither would we wish -to be responsible for encouraging within them hopes that are not likely -to be realised, or only realised under special powers of application, -or by the operation of special natural faculties. - - - - -BY MEAD AND STREAM. - - -CHAPTER VI.—ALONE. - -It was a strange life that of Mr Lloyd Hadleigh. A solitary life, -notwithstanding the consciousness of success, the possession of a -considerable fortune, and the knowledge that it had been earned by -his own ability. He was still young enough to have the capacity for -enjoyment, if age were numbered by years; still young enough to have -been the companion of his children and to have made new friendships. -But there was something so cold and reserved in his bearing, that -although he had many acquaintances, he had no friends or companions; -and the good fortune he possessed made many people resent his -ungracious manner. - -With everything apparently that man could desire to secure happiness, -he lived absolutely alone. His nearest approach to companionship was -with his eldest son Coutts Hadleigh. But even with him there was -constraint, and their companionship appeared to be due more to their -close association in business than to affection. - -This Coutts Hadleigh was a tall, wiry man, who entered into the -pleasures of the world with discretion, and a cynical smile always on -his face, as if he were laughing at the pleasures rather than in them. -He was a captain of Volunteers, and as punctual in his attendance -upon drill as in attendance at his office. For he was a strict man of -business, and was now the practical manager as well as leading partner -in the house of Hadleigh and Co., shipbrokers and bankers. He neither -laughed at his brother Philip’s indifference to the affairs of the -office, nor attempted to advise him. Sometimes, however, he would say, -with one of his dry, cynical smiles: ‘You are doing everything you can, -Phil, to keep yourself out of a partnership, and you will be sorry for -it some day—especially if you mean to marry that young lady over the -way in a hurry. Playing the gentleman at ease is not the way to make -sure of the ease. However’—— Then he would shrug his shoulders, as if -washing his hands of the whole matter with the mental exclamation: ‘But -just as you like; there will be the more for me.’ Only he never uttered -that exclamation aloud. - -‘All right,’ Philip would say with a laugh; ‘my time is coming; and I -prefer happiness to a banking account.’ - -There the subject would drop, and Coutts would turn away with a pitying -smile. - -As for the three daughters, they accepted their position with as much -content as is permitted to young ladies who have nothing whatever -to do but go through the routine of paying formal visits in their -carriage, attending garden parties in summer and dining out in winter. -Miss Hadleigh (Beatrice) had been lately engaged to a thriving young -merchant, and in consequence assumed a dignified primness. The other -two, Caroline and Bertha, were looking forward to that happy state; -and, meanwhile, having just been released from boarding-school, -found their chief delights in fiction and lawn-tennis. They had -every opportunity to enjoy themselves in their own ways, for their -father interfered little with them, whilst he never stinted them in -pocket-money. - -Ringsford Manor was a large old-fashioned building of red brick, with -a wing added by Mr Hadleigh, when he came into possession, for a new -dining-room and a billiard-room. The house stood in about twenty acres -of ground, on the borders of the Forest. The gardens were under the -care of a Scotchman, named Sam Culver, whose pride it was to produce -the finest pansies, roses, and geraniums in the neighbourhood or at -the local flower-shows. He had also obtained a prize at the Crystal -Palace rose-show, which made him more eager than ever to maintain his -reputation. The result of this honourable ambition was that the grounds -of Ringsford were the admiration of the whole county; and as the -proprietor on certain days of the year threw them open to the public -and invited bands of school-children to an annual fête, his character -as a benefactor spread far and wide. - -Much, however, as Sam Culver’s skill as a gardener was admired, there -were many gallants, old as well as young, who declared that the finest -flower he had ever reared was his daughter, Pansy. - -As Mr Hadleigh was returning from his visit to Willowmere, he got -out of the carriage about half a mile from his own gate and bade the -coachman drive home. Then he proceeded to walk slowly into the Forest -in the direction of the King’s Oak. - -The rich foliage, the dense clumps of bracken and furze, with their -changing colours and varying lights and shades looking their best in -the bright sunshine, did not attract his eyes. His head was bowed and -his hands tightly clasped behind him, as if his thoughts were bitter -ones and far away from the lovely scene around him. At times he would -lift his head with a sudden jerk and look into space, seeing nothing. - -But as he approached the broad spreading King’s Oak—so called from some -legendary association with King Charles—the loud laughter of children -roused him from his reverie. - -Pansy Culver was seated on the ground, threading necklets and -bracelets of buttercups and daisies for a group of little children -who were capering and laughing round her. She was herself a child -still in thought, but verging on womanhood in years; and the soft, -bright features, brown with the sun, and lit by two dark, merry eyes, -suggested that her father in his fancy for his favourite flowers had -given her an appropriate name. - -She rose respectfully as Mr Hadleigh approached; and he halted, looking -for an instant as if he ought to know her and did not. Then his eyes -took in the whole scene—the bright face, the happy children, and the -buttercups and daisies. Something in the appearance of the group -brought a curiously sad expression to his face. He was contrasting -their condition with his own: the little that made them so joyful, and -the much that gave him no content. - -‘Ah, Pansy,’ he said, ‘what a fortunate girl you are. I wish I could -change places with you—and yet no; that is an evil wish. Do you not -think so?’ - -‘I don’t know, sir; and I don’t know how you should wish to change -places with me. I do not think many people like you would want to do -it.’ - -A slow nodding movement of his head expressed his pity for her -ignorance of how little is required for real happiness, and how -the contented ploughman is richer than he who possesses the mines -of Golconda without content. It was that sort of movement which -accompanies the low sibilating sound of tst-tst-tst. - -‘I hope you will never know, child, why a person like me can wish to -change places with one like you.’ - -He passed on slowly, leaving the girl looking after him in wonderment. -When she told her father of this singular encounter, he only said: -‘I’m doubtin’ the poor man has something on his mind. But it’s none of -our business; and you ken there is only one kind o’ riches that brings -happiness.’ - -Mr Hadleigh spent the rest of that day in his library. He was writing, -but not letters. At intervals he would rise and pace the floor, as if -agitated by what he wrote. Then he seemed to force himself to sit down -again at the desk and continue writing, and would presently repeat the -former movement. - -By the time that Philip returned, several sheets of closely written -manuscript had been carefully locked away in a deed-box, and the box -was locked away in a safe which stood in the darkest corner of the room. - -After dinner he desired Philip to come into the library as soon as he -had finished his cigar. Although he did not smoke himself, he did not -object to the habit in others. - -‘Something queer about the governor to-night,’ said Coutts, sipping his -wine and smoking leisurely. ‘I have noticed him several times lately -looking as if he had got a fit of the blues or dyspepsia at least, -yet I don’t know how that can be with a man who is so careful of his -digestion. He ought to come into town oftener.’ - -‘Anything wrong in town?’ inquired Philip, and in his tone there was a -note of consideration for his father: in that of Coutts there was none. - -‘Things never were better since I have known the business. That is not -the cause of his queer humour, whatever it may be. Might be first touch -of gout.’ - -Philip rose and threw away his cigar. He did not like his brother’s -manner when he spoke in this manner of their parent. - -On entering the library, he found it almost in darkness; for the -curtains were partly drawn and the lamps were not lit. For a moment -he could not see his father; but presently discovered him standing on -the hearth, his arms crossed on the broad mantel-shelf, and his brow -resting on them. He turned slowly, and his face was in deep shadow, so -that its expression could not be distinguished. - -‘I told them I did not want lights yet,’ he said, and there was a -huskiness in his voice which was very unusual, as it was rather -metallic in its clearness. ‘Will you excuse it, and sit down?’ - -‘Certainly, sir; but I hope there is nothing seriously wrong. I trust -you are not unwell?’ - -There was no answer for a moment, and the dark outline of the figure -was like a mysterious silhouette. Then: ‘I am not particularly well at -present. The matter which I wish to speak to you about is serious; but -I believe there is nothing wrong in it, and that we can easily come to -an agreement about it. Will you sit down?’ - -Philip obeyed, marvelling greatly as to what this mysterious business -could be which seemed to disturb his father so much, making him speak -and act so unlike himself. - -(_To be continued._) - - - - -THE FIRE OF FRENDRAUGHT. - - -About six miles from the thriving market-town of Huntly, in -Aberdeenshire, stands the mansion-house of Frendraught, built on the -site and incorporating the ruins of the old castle of that name. In -the seventeenth century it was the scene of a strange and inexplicable -event—an event which, on the supposition that it was not accidental, -might well be regarded as tragic. - -The lands of Frendraught, towards the beginning of the seventeenth -century, were in the possession of James Crichton, a laird or minor -baron of the period, sufficiently proud of that designation to slight -and reject the title of viscount which his son accepted in his father’s -lifetime. His wife was Lady Elizabeth Gordon, a woman of a proud -and resolute character, daughter of the Earl of Sutherland, and a -‘near cousin,’ as Spalding expresses it, of the Marquis of Huntly, a -connection which should be remembered in the course of the narrative. -On the crest of a knoll that overlooks the river Deveron, stood and -still stands the Tower of Kinnairdy, another baronial residence of -Crichton, at the distance of a few miles from Frendraught. Four miles -above Kinnairdy, on the same river, stood Rothiemay, the home of the -Gordons of Rothiemay, a sept of that numerous and powerful clan of -which the Marquis of Huntly was chief. The lairds of Frendraught and -of Rothiemay were thus neighbours, at a period when neighbourhood as -surely engendered strife as friction develops heat. It chanced that -Gordon of Rothiemay sold a portion of his lands adjoining the Deveron -to the laird of Frendraught. - -At the present day, there is perhaps no river in Scotland which at -certain seasons of the year furnishes better sport to the angler for -salmon than the Deveron, and its excellence in this respect must -equally have characterised it two centuries ago; for the right to the -valuable salmon-fishing appertaining to the land which had been sold -became the subject of bitter strife between the two lairds. Frendraught -appealed to the law; but while the cause was winding its way slowly -through the courts, he managed, by persecution and provocation, to -hurry Rothiemay into acts of exasperation and illegality, which made -it easy to procure a decree of outlawry against him. After this, -as a contemporary historian has it, ‘Rothiemay would hearken to no -conditions of peace, neither would he follow the advice of his wisest -friends.’ He made a raid upon the lands of Crichton, who thereupon -obtained from the Privy-council a commission to apprehend him. - -On the 1st of January 1630, the laird of Frendraught, accompanied -by Sir George Ogilvie of Banff, and, among others of less note, by -young Leslie of Pitcaple and John Meldrum of Reidhill, set out to -seize Rothiemay in his own domain. Rothiemay, having learned their -intention, mustered what forces he could, and marched to meet them. A -desperate encounter took place. Rothiemay’s horse was killed under him. -He continued to fight on foot till his followers were driven from the -field, leaving his son and himself still maintaining a struggle against -outnumbering foes. At length he fell, whereupon young Rothiemay sought -safety in flight. His father, covered with wounds, was left for dead on -the ground; but having been carried home by his friends, survived for -three days. On Frendraught’s side, one gentleman was slain, and John -Meldrum—of whom more will be heard—was wounded. - -The feud between the two houses, rancorous enough before, was -prosecuted with the deadliest animosity now that blood had been shed on -both sides. Deeds of savage reprisal ensued; and as each party sought -to strengthen itself by enlisting new adherents, the area of strife -grew wider, and assumed proportions so menacing to the public peace, -that the Privy-council made earnest but fruitless endeavours to effect -a reconciliation between the hostile houses. - -Young Gordon of Rothiemay feeling himself the weaker in the struggle, -called to his aid the notorious Highland cateran, James Grant, and -his band. It is singular that we have neither ballad nor legend -commemorating the career of this person—a career which, in its -extraordinary feats of daring insolence, its marvellous escapes, -and dark deeds of blood, outrivals all that is recorded of Rob Roy. -At this juncture, while Grant and his followers were mustering at -Rothiemay House for a raid against Frendraught, and when the Earl of -Moray, Lieutenant of the North, had confessed himself utterly unable -to suppress the commotion, a commission, sent by the Privy-council, -associating itself with the Marquis of Huntly, succeeded in effecting -an arrangement between the hostile parties. Grant was dismissed to his -mountain fortresses; Crichton and Rothiemay were persuaded to meet at -Strathbogie, the residence of the Marquis, where, after much earnest -intercession, the commissioners succeeded in settling terms of peace -and reconciliation. The deeds of blood were mutually forgiven, and, as -a concession to the greatest sufferer, Crichton agreed to pay fifty -thousand merks to the widow of the slain laird of Rothiemay. Over this -arrangement all parties shook hands in the orchard of Strathbogie. - -Little did they suspect, while congratulating themselves on the -termination of the quarrel, that one spark had been left smouldering, -which was soon to blaze into a more destructive conflagration than -that which had just been extinguished. Among those who had fought on -Crichton’s side against the laird of Rothiemay we have mentioned one -John Meldrum as having been wounded. This Meldrum was one of those -ruffianly retainers, half-gentleman half-groom, who hung on the skirts -of the more powerful barons, ready for any task assigned them without a -question or a scruple. At this time he was an outlaw. Conceiving that -Frendraught had too lightly estimated his service and his sufferings, -he persecuted the laird with appeals for ampler remuneration, and -finding them disregarded, took satisfaction in his own way by stealing -two of the laird’s best horses from a meadow adjoining the castle. - -Crichton at first appealed to the law; but Meldrum failed to appear in -answer to the charge, and was outlawed. Crichton therefore received -a commission to arrest him; and learning that he had taken refuge -with the Leslies of Pitcaple, relatives by marriage, set out with a -small party in quest of him; but the encounter only resulted in one of -Crichton’s friends wounding a son of Pitcaple. - -Afraid of the consequences of this new feud, and remembering the -good offices of the Marquis of Huntly on a former occasion, Crichton -solicited his intercession with the laird of Pitcaple. The Marquis -invited both lairds to the Bog of Gicht, now Gordon Castle; but old -Leslie remained obdurate, declaring that he would entertain no terms -of reconciliation until he saw the issue of his son’s wound; and -departed with unabated resentment. The Marquis detained Crichton two -days longer, having also as his guest young Gordon of Rothiemay; and on -Crichton’s departure, fearing that he might be attacked by the Leslies, -he sent as an escort his second son, Viscount Melgum (who was also -frequently called Aboyne), and young Rothiemay, with their attendants. -The party reached Frendraught Castle in the evening (October 8, 1630); -and the Viscount, with his friend Rothiemay, was induced by the -entreaties of Crichton and his lady, to remain for the night. - -Thus far the course of events is clear and intelligible; what followed -is involved in doubt and obscurity. Spalding, in his _Memorials_, -says: ‘They [the guests] were well entertained, supped merrily, and -to bed went joyfully. The Viscount was laid in a bed in the old tower -(going off of the hall), and standing upon a vault, wherein there was -a round hole, devised of old just under Aboyne’s bed. Robert Gordon, -born in Sutherland, his servitor, and English Will, his page, were -both laid beside him in the same chamber. The laird of Rothiemay, with -some servants beside him, was laid in an upper chamber just above -Aboyne’s chamber; and in another room above that chamber were laid -George Chalmer of Noth, and George Gordon, another of the Viscount’s -servants, with whom also was laid Captain Rollok, then in Frendraught’s -own company. Thus all being at rest, about midnight that dolorous -tower took fire in so sudden and furious a manner, yea, and in a clap, -that this noble Viscount, the laird of Rothiemay, English Will, Colin -Eviot, another of Aboyne’s servitors, and other two, being six in -number, were cruelly burnt and tormented to the death but [without] -help or relief; the laird of Frendraught, his lady [both of whom had -slept in a separate wing of the building], and his whole household -looking on without moving or stirring to deliver them from the fury of -this fearful fire, as was reported. Robert Gordon, called Sutherland -Gordon, being in the Viscount’s chamber, escaped this fire with his -life. George Chalmer and Captain Rollok, being in the third room, -escaped also this fire; and, as was said, Aboyne might have saved -himself also, if he had gone out of doors, which he would not do, -but suddenly ran up-stairs to Rothiemay’s chamber and wakened him to -rise; and as he is wakening him, the timber passage and lofting of -the chamber hastily takes fire, so that none of them could win down -stairs again; so they turned to a window looking to the close, where -they piteously cried Help, help, many times, for God’s cause. The laird -and the lady, with their servants, all seeing and hearing this woful -crying, but made no help nor manner of helping; which they perceiving, -they cried oftentimes mercy at God’s hand for their sins, then clasped -in other’s arms, and cheerfully suffered this cruel martyrdom.... -It is reported that upon the morn after this woful fire, the lady -Frendraught, daughter to the Earl of Sutherland, and near cousin to the -Marquis, busked in a white plaid, and riding on a small nag, having a -boy leading her horse, without any more in her company, in this pitiful -manner came weeping and mourning to the Bog [Gordon Castle], desiring -entry to speak with my lord; but this was refused; so she returned back -to her own house the same gate [way] she came, comfortless.’ - -It is clear from this extract that Spalding’s opinion was that which -the Marquis of Huntly adopted after consultation with his friends, -namely, that the fire was not accidental, but the result of a plot, -in which Frendraught and his lady were accomplices. This belief takes -forcible expression in the ballad which was composed on the occasion, -and is still popular in the neighbourhood of Frendraught. It is -sufficient to cite a few verses: - - When steeds were saddled and well bridled, - And ready for to ride, - Then out came her and false Frendraught - Inviting them to bide. - . . . . . - When they were dressëd in their cloaths, - And ready for to boun, - The doors and windows was all secured, - The roof-tree burning down. - . . . . . - ‘O mercy, mercy, Lady Frendraught! - Will ye not sink with sin? - For first your husband killed my father, - And now you burn his son.’ - . . . . . - Oh, then outspoke her Lady Frendraught, - And loudly did she cry— - ‘It were great pity for good Lord John, - But none for Rothiemay; - But the keys are casten in the deep draw-well; - Ye cannot get away.’ - -That the laird of Frendraught and his lady either contrived the deed or -acquiesced in it, is difficult of belief. The presumptions generally -are against such a conclusion. There is no reason for supposing that -the laird of Frendraught was not honest in reconciling himself to -Rothiemay; but even allowing him to be wicked enough to plan the -destruction by fire of the son of the man whom he had slain, while a -guest under his roof, how is it possible to believe that he chose a -plan which must involve the death of Viscount Melgum, a son of the -Marquis of Huntly, and hitherto his friend? - -Crichton was perfectly aware of the popular suspicion; and the -fruitless visit of his wife to Gordon Castle sufficiently disclosed -the sentiments of the Marquis. Shortly after the fire, therefore, he -placed himself under the protection of the Lord Chancellor, offering -to undergo any trial, and to assist in every way in discovering the -perpetrators of the crime. - -The Privy-council made the most strenuous efforts to pierce the -mystery. Before the end of the year, John Meldrum and three of his -servants, and about thirty of the servants or dependents of Crichton, -had been apprehended, and about as many more summoned to Edinburgh to -give evidence; but not the slightest clue was obtained as to the origin -of the fire. - -In the following April, a commission, consisting of the Earl Marischal, -the bishops of Aberdeen and Moray, with three others, was sent to -investigate the occurrence on the spot. They cautiously reported thus: -‘We find by all likelihood that the fire whereby the house was burned -was first raised in a vault, wherein we find evidences of fire in -three sundry parts; one at the furthest end thereof, another towards -the middle, and the third on that gable which is hard by the hole that -is under the bed which was in the chamber above. Your good lordships -will excuse us if we determine not concerning the fire whether it was -accidental or of set purpose by the hand of man; only this much it -seemeth probable unto us, after consideration of the frame of the house -and other circumstances, that no hand from without could have raised -the fire without aid from within.’ - -For a year the Council did nothing, being utterly at a loss as to -what they should do; but public indignation, and the desire to bring -home the guilt to the criminals—if guilt there were—had not abated, -and, stimulated by a message on the subject from the king, the -Council actually resolved to devote one day every week to further -investigation. At the same time, John Meldrum was ordered to be tried -by torture. - -In August 1632, John Tosh, master of the household at Frendraught, was -brought to the bar of the Court of Justiciary on the charge of setting -fire to the vault from within. It was pleaded for him that, having -endured the torture of the ‘boots,’ and thereafter of the ‘pilniewinks’ -or thumbikins, and having on oath declared his innocence, he could not -be put to further trial; and this plea was sustained. - -In August 1633—nearly three years after the fire—John Meldrum of -Reidhill was put upon his trial, charged with having set fire to -the vault from the outside. It was urged against him, that he had -associated himself with James Grant, the notorious robber, in order -to wreak his vengeance on Frendraught; that he had threatened to do -Frendraught an evil turn some day; and being asked how, had said that -the laird would be burned; and that he had been seen riding towards -Frendraught Castle on the evening before the fire. It was suggested -that he had set fire to the vault by throwing combustibles, such as -powder, brimstone, and pitch, through the narrow slits that served as -windows. On such evidence as was offered against him, no jury at the -present day would convict. The assumption that fire had been introduced -from the outside was directly against the conclusion of the Council’s -commission; and Meldrum’s counsel insisted on the impossibility of -kindling a fire in a vault to which the only access from the outside -was by narrow slits piercing a wall ten feet thick. Nevertheless, -Meldrum was convicted, and hanged. - -The jury seem to have thought some victim should be offered for the -public satisfaction, and that no injustice would be done to John -Meldrum in assigning him as a sacrifice, seeing that he had done quite -enough to deserve hanging, even if he had no hand in the burning -of Frendraught Castle. With the execution of Meldrum, all further -proceedings in the case ceased; but suspicion and animosity rankled -long in the House of Huntly against Frendraught. The origin of the fire -still remains a mystery. - - - - -TWO DAYS IN A LIFETIME. - -A STORY IN EIGHT CHAPTERS. - - -CHAPTER IV. - -Captain Bowood had spoken truly. Lady Dimsdale and Mr Boyd were -sauntering slowly in the direction of the house, deep in conversation, -and quite unaware that they were being watched from a little distance -by the woman in black whom Mrs Bowood had taken to be an applicant for -the post of French governess. - -Oscar Boyd was a tall, well-built man, verging towards his fortieth -year. His complexion was deeply imbrowned by years of tropical -sunshine. He had a silky chestnut beard and moustache, and hair of the -same colour, which, however, was no longer so plentiful as it once had -been. He had clear, frank-looking eyes, a firm-set mouth, and a face -which gave you the impression of a man who was at once both thoughtful -and shrewd. It was one of those kindly yet resolute faces which seem to -invite confidence, but would never betray it. - -Lady Dimsdale brought quite a heap of flowers into the room. There was -a large shallow vase on the centre table, which it was her intention to -fill with her floral spoils. ‘You look as cool as if this were December -instead of June,’ she said. - -‘I have been used to much hotter suns than that of England.’ - -‘I hardly knew you again at first—not till I heard you speak.’ - -‘Fifteen years are a long time.’ - -‘Yet already it seems to me as if I should have known you anywhere. You -are different, and yet the same.’ - -‘When I arrived last evening, I did not know that you were here. I -heard your voice before I saw you, and the fifteen years seemed to -vanish like a dream.’ - -‘It seems to me like a dream when I go back in memory to those old days -at the vicarage, and call to mind all that happened there.’ - -‘Do you ever think of that evening when you and I parted?’ - -‘I have not forgotten it,’ answered Lady Dimsdale in a low voice. - -‘How little we thought that we should not meet again for so long a -time!’ - -‘How little we foresaw all that would happen to us in the interval!’ - -‘If that telegram had arrived ten minutes later, how different our lots -in life might have been!’ - -‘Life seems made up of Ifs and Buts,’ she answered with a little sigh. - -‘That evening! The scent of new-mown hay was in the air.’ - -‘The clock in the old church tower had just struck seven.’ - -‘Under the hill, a nightingale was singing.’ - -‘Far off, we heard the murmur of the tide.’ - -‘Fido lay basking among fallen rose-leaves on the terrace.’ - -‘Wagging his tail lazily, as if beating time to some tune that was -running in his head.’ - -‘We stood by the wicket, watching the last load of hay winding slowly -through the lanes. I seized the moment’—— - -‘You seized something else.’ - -‘Your hand. If you had only known how nervous I was! I pressed your -fingers to my lips. “Laura, I love you,” I stammered out.’ - -‘“Darling Laura,” was what he said,’ murmured Lady Dimsdale to herself. - -‘Before I had time for another word, Hannah came hurrying down the -steps.’ - -‘Dear old Hannah, with her mob-cap and prim white apron. I seem to see -her now.’ - -‘She had an open paper in her hand. Your aunt had been taken ill, and -you were instructed to go to her by the first train. You gave me one -look—a look that haunted me for years—and went into the house without a -word. An hour later, I saw you at the train; but your father was there, -and he kept you by his side till the last moment.’ - -‘That miserable journey! For the first twenty miles I was alone; then -an old lady got in. “Dear me, how damp this carriage feels,” she said. -I rather fancy I had been crying.’ - -‘And we never met after that, till last evening.’ - -‘Never!’ murmured Lady Dimsdale almost inaudibly. - -‘Two days after our parting, I was ordered abroad; but I wrote to you, -not once or twice only, but many times.’ - -‘Not one line from you did I ever receive.’ - -‘Then my letters must have been intercepted. I addressed them to your -aunt’s house in Scotland, where you were staying at the time.’ - -‘Aunt Judith had set her heart on my marrying Sir Thomas Dimsdale.’ - -‘And would not let my letters reach you. Week after week and month -after month, I waited for an answer, hoping against hope; but none ever -came.’ - -‘Week after week and month after month, I waited for a letter from you; -but none ever came.’ - -‘And your Aunt Judith—she who intercepted my letters—was accounted a -good woman.’ - -‘An excellent woman. Even on wet Sundays, she always went to church -twice.’ - -‘So excellent, that at length she persuaded you to marry Sir Thomas.’ - -‘It was not her persuasion that induced me to marry. It was to save my -father from ruin.’ - -‘What a sacrifice!’ - -‘You must not say that. How could anything I might do for my father’s -sake be accounted a sacrifice?’ - -Oscar Boyd did not answer. Lady Dimsdale’s white slender fingers were -busy with the arrangement of her flowers, and he seemed absorbed in -watching them. - -‘And you too married?’ she said at length in a low voice. - -‘I did—but not till more than a year after I read the notice of your -marriage in the newspapers. Life seemed no longer worth living. I cared -not what became of me. I fell into the toils of an adventuress, who -after a time inveigled me into marrying her.’ - -‘Your marriage was an unhappy one?’ - -‘Most unhappy. After a few months, we separated, and I never saw my -wife again. Her fate was a sad one. A year or two later, a steamer she -was on board of was lost at sea; and so far as is known, not a soul -survived to tell the tale.’ - -‘A sad fate indeed.’ - -The subject was a painful one to Oscar Boyd. He crossed to the window, -and stood gazing out for a few moments in silence. - -Lady Dimsdale’s thoughts were busy. ‘What is there to hinder him from -saying again to-day the words he said to me fifteen years ago?’ she -asked herself. ‘If he only knew!’ - -‘How strange it seems, Laura, to be alone with you again after all -these years!’ He spoke from the window. - -A beautiful flush spread swiftly over Lady Dimsdale’s face. Her heart -beat quickly. In a moment she had grown fifteen years younger. ‘He -calls me Laura!’ she murmured softly to herself. ‘Surely he will say -the words now.’ - -‘I could fancy this was the dear never-to-be-forgotten room in the old -vicarage—that that was the garden outside. In another moment, Fido will -come bounding in. Hannah will open the door and tell us tea is waiting. -We shall hear your father whistling softly to himself, while he counts -the ripening peaches on the wall.’ - -‘Oscar, don’t!’ cried Lady Dimsdale in a voice that was broken with -emotion. - -Oscar Boyd came slowly back from the window, and stood for a few -moments watching her in silence. Then he laid a hand gently on one -of hers, took possession of it, looked at it for a moment, and then -pressed it to his lips. Then with a lingering pressure, he let it drop, -and walked away again to the window. - -Lady Dimsdale’s eyes followed him; she could have laughed or she could -have cried; she was on the verge of both. ‘Oh, my dear one, if you only -knew what stupid creatures you men are!’ she said to herself. ‘Why -isn’t this leap-year?’ - -Presently Mr Boyd paced back again to the table; he seemed possessed -by some demon of restlessness. ‘With your permission, I will relate a -little apologue to you,’ he said; and then he drew up a chair near to -the table and sat down. ‘I once had a friend who was a poor man, and -was in love with a woman who was very rich. He had made up his mind -to ask her to be his wife, when one day he chanced to hear himself -stigmatised as a fortune-hunter, as an adventurer who sought to marry -a rich wife in order that he might live on her money. Then, although -he loved this woman very dearly, he went away without saying a word of -that which was in his heart.’ - -‘Must not your friend have been a weak-minded man, to let the idle talk -of an empty busybody come between himself and happiness? He deserved -to lose his prize. But I too have a little apologue to tell to you. -Once on a time there was a woman whom circumstances compelled against -her wishes to marry a rich old man. When he died, he left her all his -wealth, but on one condition—that she should never marry again. Any one -taking her for his wife must take her—for herself alone.’ - -Oscar rose and pushed back his chair. His face flushed; a great flame -of love leaped suddenly into his eyes. Lady Dimsdale was bending over -her flowers. Neither of them saw the black-robed figure that was -standing motionless by the open window. - -‘Laura!’ said Oscar in a voice that was scarcely raised above a whisper. - -She turned her head and looked at him. Their eyes met. For a moment -each seemed to be gazing into the other’s heart. Then Oscar went a step -nearer and held out both his hands. An instant later he had his arms -round her and his lips were pressed to hers. ‘My own at last, after all -these weary years!’ he murmured. - -The figure in black had come a step or two nearer. She flung back her -veil with a sudden passionate gesture. - -‘Oscar Boyd!’ The words were spoken with a sort of slow, deliberate -emphasis. - -The lovers fell apart as though a thunderbolt had dropped between them. -Oscar’s face changed on the instant to a ghastly pallor. With one hand, -he clutched the back of a chair; the other went up to his throat, as -though there were something there which stopped his breathing. For the -space of a few seconds the ticking of the clock on the chimney-piece -was the only sound that broke the silence. - -Then came the question: ‘Who are you?’ breathed rather than spoken. - -In clear incisive tones came the answer: ‘Your wife!’ - - * * * * * - -The day was three hours older. - -The news that Mr Boyd’s wife, who was supposed to have been drowned -several years before, had unexpectedly proved that she was still in -existence, was not long before it reached the ears of everybody at -Rosemount, from Captain Bowood himself to the boy in the stables. -As soon as he had recovered in some degree from the first shock of -surprise, Oscar had gone in search of Mrs Bowood; and having explained -to her in as few words as possible what had happened, had asked her to -grant him the use of one of her parlours for a few hours. Mrs Bowood, -who was the soul of hospitality, would fain have gone on the instant -and welcomed Mrs Boyd, as she welcomed all her guests at Rosemount, -and it may be with even more _empressement_ than usual, considering -the remarkable circumstances of the case. Mr Boyd, however, vetoed -her proposition in a way which caused her to suspect that there must -be something more under the surface than she was aware of; so, with -ready tact, she forbore to question him further, and at once placed a -sitting-room at his disposal. - -In this room the husband and his newly found wife were shut up -together. Mr Boyd looked five years older than he had looked a few -hours previously. He was very pale. A certain hardness in the lines of -his mouth, unnoticed before, now made itself plainly observable. His -brows were contracted; all the gladness, all the softness had died out -of his dark eyes as completely as if they had never had an existence -there. He was sitting at a table, poring over some railway maps and -time-tables. On a sofa, separated from him by half the length of the -room, sat his wife. She was a tall, dark, shapely woman, who had left -her thirtieth birthday behind her some years ago. She had a profusion -of black hair, and very bright black eyes, with a certain cold, clear -directness of gaze in them, which for some men seemed to have a sort of -special charm. Certainly, they looked like eyes that could never melt -with sympathy or be softened by tears. She had a long Grecian nose, and -full red lips; but her chin was too heavy and rounded for the rest of -her face. Her clear youthful complexion owed probably as much to art -as it did to nature; but it was art so skilfully applied as sometimes -to excite the envy of those of her own sex to whom such secrets were -secrets no longer. In any case, most men conceded that she was still a -very handsome woman, and it was not likely that she was unaware of the -fact. - -She sat for a little while tapping impatiently with one foot on the -carpet, and glancing furtively at the impassive face bent over its -books and maps, which seemed for the time to have forgotten that there -was any such person as she in existence. At length she could keep -silent no longer. ‘You do not seem particularly delighted by the return -of your long-lost wife, who was saved from shipwreck by a miracle. Many -men would be beside themselves with joy; but you are a philosopher, and -know how to hide your feelings. _Eh bien!_ if you are not overjoyed to -see me, I am overjoyed to see you; and I love you so very dearly, that -I will never leave you again.’ Only a slight foreign accent betrayed -the fact that she was not an Englishwoman. - -Oscar Boyd took no more notice of her than if she had been addressing -herself to the empty air. - -She rose and crossed the room to the fireplace, and glanced at herself -in the glass. There was a dangerous light in her eyes. ‘If he does not -speak to me, I shall strike him!’ she said to herself. Then aloud: ‘I -have travelled six thousand miles in search of you, and now that I have -found you, you have not even one kiss to greet me with! What a heart of -marble yours must be!’ - -Still the impassive figure at the table made no more sign than if it -had been carved in stone. - -There was a pretty Venetian glass ornament on the chimney-piece. -Mrs Boyd took it up and dashed it savagely on the hearth, where it -was shattered to a hundred fragments. Then with white face and -passion-charged eyes, she turned and faced her husband. ‘Oscar Boyd, -why don’t you speak to your wife?’ - -‘Because I have nothing to say to her.’ He spoke as coldly and quietly -as he might have spoken to the veriest stranger. - -She controlled her passion with an effort. ‘Nothing to say to me! You -can at least tell me something of your plans. Are we going to remain -here, or are we going away, or what are we going to do?’ - -He began deliberately to fold the map he had been studying. ‘We shall -start for London by the five o’clock train,’ he said. ‘At the terminus, -we shall separate, to meet again to-morrow at my lawyer’s office. It -will not take long to draw up a deed of settlement, by which a certain -portion of my income will for the future be paid over to you. After -that, we shall say farewell, and I shall never see you again.’ - -She stared at him with bewildered eyes. ‘Never see me again!’ she -gasped out. ‘Me—your wife!’ - -‘Estelle—you know the reasons which induced me to vow that I would -never regard you as my wife again. Those reasons have the same force -now that they had a dozen years ago. We meet, only to part again a few -hours hence.’ - -She had regained some portion of her _sang-froid_ by this time. A -shrill mocking laugh burst from her lips. It was not a pleasant laugh -to hear. ‘During my husband’s absence, I must try to console myself -with my husband’s money. You are a rich man, _caro mio_; you have made -a large fortune abroad; and I shall demand to be treated as a rich -man’s wife.’ - -‘You are mistaken,’ he answered, without the least trace of emotion -in his manner or voice. ‘I am a very poor man. Nearly the whole of my -fortune was lost by a bank failure a little while ago.’ - -His words seemed to strike her dumb. - -‘In three days I start for Chili,’ continued Oscar. ‘My old appointment -has not been filled up; I shall apply to be reinstated.’ - -‘And I have come six thousand miles for this!’ muttered Estelle under -her breath. She needed a minute or two to recover her equanimity—to -decide what her next move should be. - -Her husband was jotting down a few notes with a pencil. She turned -and faced him suddenly. ‘Oscar Boyd, I have a proposition to make to -you,’ she said. ‘If you are as poor a man as you say you are—and I do -not choose to doubt your word—I have no desire to be a drag on you for -ever. I have come a long way in search of you, and it will be equally -far to go back. Listen, then. Give me two thousand pounds—you can -easily raise that amount among your fine friends—and I will solemnly -promise to put six thousand miles of ocean between us, and never to -seek you out or trouble you in any way again.’ - -For a moment he looked up and gazed steadily into her face. -‘Impossible!’ he said drily, and with that he resumed his notations. - -‘Why do you say that? The sum is not a large one. And think! You will -get rid of me for ever. What happiness! There will be nothing then -to hinder you from marrying that woman whom I saw in your arms. Oh! -I am not in the least jealous, although I love you so dearly, and -although’—here she glanced at herself in the chimney-glass—‘that woman -is not half so good-looking as I am. No one in this house but she -knows that I am your wife. You have only to swear to her that I am an -impostor, and she will believe you—we women are such easy fools where -we love!—and will marry you. Que dites vous, cher Oscar?’ - -‘Impossible.’ - -‘_Peste!_ I have no patience with you. You will never have such an -offer again. Mais je comprends. Although your words are so cruel, -you love me too well to let me go. As for that woman whom I saw you -kissing, I will think no more of her. You did not know I was so near, -and I forgive you.’ Here she turned to the glass again, gave the -strings of her bonnet a little twist, and smoothed her left eyebrow. -‘Make haste, then, my darling husband, and introduce your wife to your -fine friends, as a gentleman ought to do. I will ring the bell.’ - -Mr Boyd rose and pushed back his chair. ‘Pardon me—you will do nothing -of the kind,’ he said, more sternly than he had yet spoken. ‘It is not -my intention to introduce you to any one in this house. It would be -useless. We start for London in a couple of hours. I have some final -preparations to make, and will leave you for a few minutes. Meanwhile, -I must request that you will not quit this room.’ - -She clapped her gloved hands together and laughed a shrill discordant -laugh. ‘And do you really think, Oscar Boyd, that I am the kind of -woman to submit to all this? You ought to know me better—far better.’ -Then with one of those sudden changes of mood which were characteristic -of her, she went on: ‘And yet, perhaps—as I have heard some people -say—a wife’s first duty is submission. Perhaps her second is, never to -leave her husband. _Eh bien!_ You shall have my submission, but—I will -never leave you. If you go to Chili, I will follow you there, as I have -followed you here. I will follow you to the ends of the earth! Do you -hear? I will haunt you wherever you go! I will dog your footsteps day -and night! Everywhere I will proclaim myself as your wife!’ She nodded -her head at him meaningly three times, when she had finished her tirade. - -Standing with one hand resting on the back of his chair, while the -other toyed with his watch-guard, he listened to her attentively, but -without any visible emotion. ‘You will be good enough not to leave this -room till my return,’ he said; and without another word, he went out -and shut the door behind him. - -Her straight black eyebrows came together, and a volcanic gleam shot -from her eyes as she gazed after him. ‘Why did he not lock me in?’ she -said to herself with a sneer. She began to pace the room as a man might -have paced it, with her hands behind her back and her fingers tightly -interlocked. ‘Will nothing move him? Is it for this I have crossed the -ocean? Is it for this I have tracked him? His fortune gone! I never -dreamt of that—and they told me he was so rich. What an unlucky wretch -I am! I should like to stab him—or myself—or some one. If I could but -set fire to the house at midnight, and’—— She was interrupted by the -opening of the door and the entrance of Sir Frederick Pinkerton. At the -sight of a man who was also a gentleman, her face changed in a moment. - -(_To be concluded next month._) - - - - -LONDON BONDED WAREHOUSES. - - -The thought occurred to the writer the other day, when seated at his -desk, as an examining officer of Customs, in one of the extensive -bonded vaults which are within sight of that famous historic pile the -Tower, that a brief description of these warehouses—which possess in -some respects features that are unique—might prove interesting to -general readers. We do not know if any previous attempt has been made -in this direction; if so, it has not come within the scope of the -writer’s observation during an experience in London as a Civil servant -of twenty years. - -In this brief sketch there are certain reflections that occur which may -perhaps be worthy of some consideration. One of these is, that even in -the most busy parts of the City there are extremely few persons—though -they may have daily passed along the leading thoroughfares for -years—who know anything about the interiors of the vast warehouses -and immense repositories for merchandise of all sorts, which abound -in the business area of London, east of Temple Bar, extending far -down both banks of the Thames. We do not refer especially to the -great docks, such as the London, St Katharine, East and West India, -Royal Albert, Surrey Commercial, and other similar emporiums of -commerce, which form so remarkable a feature of the Thames, and are -only rivalled by the huge docks on the Mersey. Those establishments, -it must be allowed, attract a large number of visitors, although -these are chiefly strangers from the country; the strictly commercial -classes of the City, unless intimately connected with the shipping -interest, but rarely extending their explorations thitherward. Some -favoured citizens and ‘country cousins,’ by the privilege of what is -called technically a ‘tasting order,’ may, however, traverse miles of -cellars, filled with the choicest vintages, and in the wine-vaults may -behold the most curious fungoid forms, white as snow, pendent from the -vaulted roofs. They may survey, as at the London Docks, thirty thousand -casks of brandy in a single vault; or traverse the famous ‘Spice’ -warehouse, redolent with the aromatic odours of the East; or if they -have a penchant for Jamaica rum, by extending their visit to the West -India Dock, they can see the largest collection of rum-casks to be -found in any bonded warehouse on the habitable globe. But it is not to -these colossal establishments that we wish now to refer, interesting -and important as they may be, but rather to the less pretentious -and smaller warehouses, forming a group styled officially ‘Uptown -Warehouses.’ - -No one passing along Crutched Friars—the very name suggests that -strange blending of the past with modern commercial activity, which is -observable in London as in other large centres of population—would from -external signs surmise for a moment, that under his feet and around -him there were acres of vaults containing tens of thousands of casks -of port, sherry, and various descriptions of spirit. Yet such is the -fact; and as a matter of detail, it may be stated that the stock of -_port_ wine in one of these vaults comprises the finest brands imported -into the metropolis. The firm of B—— is well known throughout the -commercial world of London, and is believed to be upwards of a century -old. The original founder, who sprang from a very humble stock, died -worth, it is said, two million pounds sterling, amassed by the skilful -and honourable conduct of a bonding business, which had grown from -very modest conditions indeed, to rival the huge proportions of the -docks themselves. In fact, the tendency of the last few years has been -decidedly to withdraw the bonding trade from these formerly gigantic -establishments, and to concentrate it in the Uptown Warehouses. The -result of this has been to lower the shares of the Dock Companies to -the minimum level compatible with commercial solvency; while, owing -to the keen rivalry with the smaller and more progressive bonding -warehouses elsewhere, the charges have been reduced to a point that -would have surprised merchants of past days. One great reason for the -modern change which we have noted, is unquestionably the superior -accessibility of the Uptown Warehouses to the City proper, and their -comparative nearness to the various railway termini. Time and distance, -in these days of excessive speed, are prime factors, and must in the -end assert themselves. Besides, it is evident to all thinking men that -we have reached a crisis in the transport of merchandise, and that the -railway is becoming daily more omnipotent. - -Though we have hitherto referred only to the casks of vinous liquors, -technically known as ‘wet goods,’ stored in the vaults, it must not -be inferred that they constitute the sole description of merchandise -contained within the walls of these warehouses. Tea, inclosed in -chests, piled tier upon tier, fills a large space, and yields a very -considerable amount of revenue to the Crown. Perhaps of all goods -now comprised in the tariff as ‘dutiable,’ the collection of the tea -duty, which is at present assessed at sixpence per pound, is the -simplest and least expensive. In B——’s premises, where the stock is -comparatively small, the annual yield of duty to the revenue is nearly -two hundred thousand pounds. It is, however, far otherwise with the -duty paid on ‘wet goods,’ wine, perhaps, excepted, the rates of which, -governed by strength, are, for wines containing less than twenty-six -degrees of alcoholic strength—being mainly of French production—at one -shilling per gallon; and for those of a greater degree of strength, but -below the limit of forty-two degrees—which is the usual standard of -Portuguese and Spanish wines—at two shillings and sixpence per gallon. -This difference in the assessment of duty on the basis of strength -between the vintages of France and Portugal, has been for some years -a sore point with the latter government. Various protests have been -made against its retention, which it must be admitted seems to press -somewhat hardly upon the trade of the Iberian peninsula with this -country; but as yet, while we write, no satisfactory solution has been -arrived at of what is a real _quæstio vexata_. The collection of the -spirit duties involves very considerable nicety and calculation—whisky -perhaps excepted, which is officially known as British Plain Spirits, -and the duty on which is assessed at ten shillings per gallon of proof -strength. In the case of all other descriptions of spirits, however, -the method is rendered more intricate, owing to a recent regulation -which requires the determination of the degree of what is styled -‘obscuration’ by distillation, the duty being charged at a uniform rate -of ten shillings and fourpence per proof gallon. - -The laboratory tests are in the Customs establishment of a highly -scientific character, demanding on the part of the operators -considerable skill and knowledge of chemistry. The instruments used -in the various processes—of which Sikes’s hydrometer and Mr Keen’s -are best known—are of very ingenious construction, and require nice -handling and steadiness of eye. - -The gauging of casks, which is performed by a large staff of, generally -speaking, skilful and highly meritorious officers, is quite a science -in itself, and requires years of constant practice to make the operator -thoroughly proficient. But in this, as in other arts, there are of -course various degrees of excellence. In the Customs service—and the -same thing will doubtless apply to the Excise—there are gaugers who -stand head and shoulders above their fellows, and who appear to have -the power by merely glancing at a cask, as if by intuition, to tell -its ‘content,’ as its holding capacity is officially styled. Although -it has been the usage in certain quarters to speak in contemptuous -terms of the functions of this deserving class of public servants, and -to apply to them the opprobrious epithet of ‘dip-sticks,’ we have no -sympathy with such detraction, which is quite unmerited. - -It would be impossible within the brief limits of this paper to -describe minutely the various operations in bond which are daily going -on at these stations. Such comprise Vatting, Blending, Mixing, Racking, -Reducing, Fortifying, Bottling, Filtering, &c., and would in themselves -suffice for a separate article. - -Having given a very meagre outline of the multifarious duties and -processes carried on at the various bonding vaults in London and -elsewhere, we may perhaps fitly conclude with a brief description of -certain antiquarian features of special interest, to be met with in -Messrs B——’s premises. As previously remarked, the monastic character -of one of the leading approaches is conveyed in the title of Crutched -Friars. But it is evident from other and various remains that its -site includes a most important portion of ancient _Londinum_. A -considerable extent of the old Roman wall, upwards of a hundred feet, -in an excellent state of preservation, ‘the squared stones and bonding -tiles’ being marvellously well defined, forms the boundary of what is -known as the ‘South’ Vault. On a higher level, styled the Vat Floor, in -the medieval portion of the City wall, is to be seen a fine specimen -of the Roman casement, which is said to be the only one now remaining -in the City. According to the best antiquarian authorities, these -remains form a part of the circumvallation of London begun in the reign -of Constantine and completed by Theodosius. As is only natural, these -relics are highly prized by the Antiquarian Society, which has in no -ordinary terms expressed its appreciation of the zealous care bestowed -by the proprietors in preserving these unique and priceless treasures -of the past. - - - - -THE MONTH: - -SCIENCE AND ARTS. - - -Professor Janssen, the well-known astronomer of Meudon Observatory, -who has done more than any man living, perhaps, towards wedding the -photographic camera with the telescope, has lately published some -account of a marvellous picture which he obtained of ‘the old moon -in the new moon’s arms.’ At the time that the picture was taken, the -moon was only three days old, and an uncovering of the lens for one -minute only was sufficient to secure the image. This image is feeble, -but is full of detail, plainly showing the general configuration of -the lunar surface. Professor Janssen believes that this application of -photography points to a means of obtaining more precise measurements -of the light, and of studying the phenomena which are produced by -the double reflection of the solar light between our earth and -its satellite. To the uninitiated, in these days of marvellous -instantaneous pictures, an exposure of one minute may seem rather -a long period. But let us consider for a moment what a very small -proportion of the sun’s glory is reflected to us from the moon, even -on the finest nights. Professor Sir W. Thomson gives some interesting -information on this point. Comparing the full moon to a standard -candle, he tells us that the light it affords is equal to that given -by such a candle at a distance of seven feet and a half. As in the -above-mentioned photograph the light dealt with came from a moon not -full, but only three days old, it will be seen that Professor Janssen -had a very small amount of illumination for his picture, and the only -wonder is that he was able to obtain any result at all. - -It will be remembered that in the autumn of 1882, a series of -observations were commenced in the polar regions, which had been -organised by an International Polar Committee. Fourteen expeditions -from various countries took up positions in that inhospitable area, -with the intention of carrying out observations for twelve months, -from which it was hoped that valuable knowledge would be gained. This -programme has been successfully carried out, ten of the expeditions -having returned home, many of them laden with rich stores of -observations. Three remain to continue their work for another year. -As to the return of the remaining band of observers—belonging to the -United States—there is as yet no definite information. - -On Ailsa Craig, Firth of Clyde, there is being erected, by order of the -Commissioners of Northern Lights, a mineral-oil gas-work, to supply -gas for the lighthouse in course of construction there, as well as to -feed the gas-engines which will be used to drive the fog-signalling -apparatus. The works are being erected by the patentee of this -gas-system, Mr James Keith, and will cost three thousand pounds. They -will be capable of manufacturing two thousand cubic feet of oil-gas -per hour, of fifty-candle illuminating standard. It has long been the -opinion of many that the electric light is not the best illuminant for -lighthouse purposes, and this installation at Ailsa Craig, following -one on the same principle at the Isle of Man not long ago, would seem -to indicate that the authorities think so too. - -North-east of Afghanistan there lies a piece of country called -Kafiristan, which, until April last, had never been traversed by the -foot of a European. In that month, however, Mr W. W. M‘Nair, of the -Indian medical service, crossed the British frontier, and travelled -through the little-known region for two months. An interesting account -of his wanderings formed the subject of a paper read by him at a recent -meeting of the Royal Geographical Society. The country is inhabited -by three main tribes—Ramgals, Vaigals, and Bashgals, answering to the -three chief valleys, and each having a distinctive dialect. The men -are warlike and brave, but, like many other semi-barbarous peoples, -leave the heavy work of agriculture to the women. The Mohammedans hem -them in on all sides; but as the tribes are at peace among themselves, -they are able to hold their own. Slavery exists to some extent. The -people acknowledge one supreme being, Imbra, and worship at temples -presided over by priests; but to neither priests nor idols is excessive -reverence paid. Bows and arrows form their chief arms; and although a -few matchlocks have found their way into the country from Cabul, no -attempt has been made to imitate them. Wealth is reckoned by heads -of cattle; the staple food is wheat; and the favourite drink pure -grape-juice, not rendered intoxicating by fermentation or distillation. - -Although there is every reason to believe that cruelty to animals is -far less common than it was, still there are many men who are not so -merciful to their beasts as they might be. Many of these offend from -ignorance, and will leave poor creatures exposed to inclement weather -under the belief that they will not suffer. Professor Shelton, of -the Kansas State Agricultural College, has lately shown, by careful -experiment, that it _pays_ to be merciful in the matter of providing -shelter for pigs; and we have no doubt that if his researches had been -extended to other animals, a similar result would have been obtained. -For this experiment, ten pigs, as nearly as possible alike with regard -to breed, age, &c., were chosen, five being kept in a barn, and five in -the open, but provided with straw to lie upon. These two families were -fed twice a day with carefully weighed messes of Indian corn. In the -sequel, it was found that each bushel of corn produced in the barn-fed -pigs ten and three-tenths pounds of pork, whilst each bushel given to -the outsiders formed only nine and seven-tenths. This result of course -clearly shows that a large proportion of the food given went to keep -the outdoor pigs warm, instead of adding to their flesh. If the bucolic -mind will only grasp this fact, we feel sure that more attention will -be given to the question of shelter for animals. - -Professor Cohn, writing from Breslau to _Nature_, calls attention to -the circumstance that just two hundred years ago there was made in the -Netherlands a scientific discovery of the greatest importance. In the -year 1683, Leeuwenhoek gave notice to our Royal Society that by the -aid of his microscope he had detected in the white substance adhering -to his teeth ‘very little animals moving in a very lively fashion.’ -‘These,’ says Professor Cohn, ‘_were the first bacteria which the human -eye ever saw_.’ The descriptions and drawings given by this first -observer are so correct, that even in these days, when the Germ theory -of disease has brought forward so many workers in the same field, armed -with much improved appliances, the organisms drawn by the hand of -Leeuwenhoek can be easily recognised and compared with their fellows -of to-day. These drawings have indeed never been surpassed till within -the last ten years, a fact which speaks volumes for their accuracy and -value. - -The buildings occupied by the International Fisheries Exhibition at -South Kensington are, in 1884, to be devoted to a no less important -object, albeit it is not likely to be so popular with the masses. This -Exhibition will deal with matters relating to Health and Education. -It will include the food-resources of the world; the best means of -cooking that food; the costumes of the world, and their bearing upon -health; the sanitary construction of dwellings; and many other things -that every one ought to know about, but which very few study. With the -Prince of Wales as President, assisted by a Council including the names -of Sir Cunliffe Owen and Mr Birkbeck, the success of the scheme ought -to be assured. - -In Cannon Street, London, an experimental section of roadway of a -novel kind has lately been laid down. It is the invention of Mr H. -F. Williams, an engineer of San Francisco, where the system has been -most successfully employed for the past seven years. Indeed, the roads -so prepared are said to be as good as when first laid down, allowing -for a reasonable amount of wear and tear. The process is as follows. -First of all is provided a good dry concrete foundation; upon this -are laid blocks of wood, grain-end uppermost, measuring eight inches -by four, with a thickness of an inch and a half. Each block, before -being placed in position, is dipped halfway into a boiling mixture of -asphalt and Trinidad bitumen; this glues the blocks to the foundation -and to one another, at the same time leaving a narrow space all round -the upper half of each piece of wood. This space is afterwards filled -in with boiling asphalt. Above all is spread a half-inch coating of -asphalt mixed with coarse grit, the object of which is to prevent that -dangerous slipperiness that is common to asphalt roadways in moist -states of the atmosphere. - -At Brooklyn, the sanitary authorities seem to have a very sensible -method of dealing with milk-dealers in the matter of adulteration. They -invited the dealers to meet in the Common Council Chamber, when it was -explained to them by an expert how they could determine by various -tests whether the milk purchased from the farms is of the required -standard. At the conclusion of this conference, it was hinted that the -licenses of such dealers as were thenceforward detected in selling -adulterated milk would be peremptorily revoked. - -At the end of December last, the first of four large silos on Lord -Tollemache’s estate in Cheshire was opened in the presence of a large -number of farmers and scientific agriculturists. It had been filled -with dry grass, chopped into inch-lengths by a chaff-cutter, and -pressed down with a weight equal to fifty-six pounds on the square -foot. The appearance of the ensilage was that of dark-brown moss, -having a pleasant aroma; but, as in other experiments of the kind, -the top layer was mouldy and spoiled. Lord Tollemache stated that he -found that animals did not seem to care for the fodder when first -offered them, but that they afterwards ate it with evident relish. -Several samples of ensilage were exhibited at the late Cattle-show -in London, and it is noteworthy that almost without exception the -pampered show-animals, when a handful was offered them by way of -experiment, took the food greedily. On Mr C. Mackenzie’s farm of -Portmore, in Peeblesshire, a silo was opened in December, the contents -of which—pressed down while in a moist condition—were found to be -excellently suited for feeding purposes. - -It is worthy of notice that the past year brought with it the fiftieth -anniversary of the lucifer-match, which was first made in this kingdom -by John Walker of Stockton-on-Tees in 1833. The same year, a factory -was started at Vienna; and very soon works of a similar character -sprang up all over the world. In 1847, a most important improvement -was made in substituting the red amorphous phosphorus for the more -common variety. This modification put an end to that terrible disease, -phosphorus necrosis, which attacked the unfortunate matchmakers. The -strong agitation which this disease gave rise to against the employment -of phosphorus, naturally directed the attention of experimenters -to other means of striking a light; and although phosphorus in its -harmless amorphous form still holds its own, it is probable that its -presence in lucifer-matches will some day be dispensed with. We need -hardly remind our readers that the universal adoption of the electric -light would greatly curtail the use of matches, for that form of -illumination does not require an initial spark to set it aglow. - -Some artillery officers in Switzerland have been putting their -snow-clad mountain flanks to a curious experimental use, for they have -been employing one of them as a gigantic target for their missiles. -A space on this snow-covered ground measuring two hundred and thirty -feet by ninety-eight feet—which would represent the area occupied by -a battalion of infantry in double column—was carefully marked out, -its centre being occupied by flags. At a distance of about a mile, -the artillery opened fire upon this mapped-out space until they had -expended three hundred shots. The ground was then examined; and the -pits in the snow when counted showed that seventy-eight per cent. of -the shots had entered the inclosure. Had a veritable battalion occupied -the ground, there would have been few, if any survivors. - -In another experiment, snow was employed as a means of defence against -artillery. A wall sixteen and a half feet long, and five feet high, -was built of snow having various thicknesses, but backed by half-inch -wooden planking. This wall was divided into three sections, having -a thickness respectively of four and a half feet, three feet, and -twenty inches. Against the thickest section, twelve shots were fired -from various distances; but in no case was penetration effected. -In the three-foot section, shots pierced the snow as far as the -woodwork, where they were stopped. In the twenty-inch section, all -the shots fired went completely through the wall. It would seem from -these experiments that snow, when available, can be made a valuable -means of defence. But, unfortunately, in the published account of the -experiments, the calibre of the guns employed is not given; we should, -however, assume them to be field-artillery of a very light type. - -A new use for the ubiquitous dynamo-electric machine is reported from -Saxony, and one which seems to fulfil a most useful purpose—namely, the -ventilation of mines. At the Carola pits, Messrs Siemens and Halske, -the German electricians, have inaugurated this new system. At the pit -bank, a dynamo is stationed, which is coupled up by shafting with the -engine. By means of copper conductors, this machine is connected with -another dynamo, two thousand five hundred feet away in the depths of -the mine. This latter is connected with a powerful centrifugal fan. The -cost of working these combined machines is six shillings and threepence -per day, which means threepence for every million cubic feet of air -delivered. - -A new employment for the electric light has been found in Bavaria, -where a Committee has reported upon its use as a head-light for -locomotive engines. The colour and form of signals can be distinguished -by the engine-driver on a cloudy night at a distance of eight hundred -feet. The light burns steadily, and is not affected by the motion of -the engine; but a special form of arc-lamp is employed, the invention -of H. Sedlaczek of Vienna. The lamp is so constructed that it moves -automatically when the engine traverses a curve, so as to light the -track far in advance. The dynamo is placed just behind the funnel, and -is easily connected with the moving parts of the machinery by suitable -gearing. - -The new patent law which came into operation on the first of January -will without doubt give a great impetus to invention in this country, -for many a man too poor to think of employing a patent agent, and -paying down nearly ten pounds for a few months’ protection, as he had -to do under the old conditions, can easily afford the one pound which -is now the sum fixed for the initial fee. Moreover, a would-be patentee -can obtain all necessary forms at the nearest post-office, and can send -in his specification through the same medium, without the intervention -of the ‘middle-man.’ Of course the law cannot be perfect enough to -please every one, and a few months’ practice will probably discover -many points in which it can be improved. One curious provision has put -certain manufacturers in a quandary, for it rules that no article must -bear the word ‘patent’ unless it is really the subject of a patent -specification. - -A powerful antiseptic and deodoriser can be made by mixing together -carbolic acid and chloride of lime, which, when combined, contains -sufficiently active properties to correct fermentation. A weak solution -is used as a dressing in some gangrenous affections, as it does not -cause irritation. The smell, if objected to, can be disguised by oil of -lavender. - -Fruit may be preserved in a fresh condition for many months by placing -it in very fine sand sufficiently thick to cover it, after it has been -well washed and dried and then moistened with brandy. A wooden box is -the best receptacle to use, and it should be kept well covered and in a -warm place. - -According to some French gardeners, vines and other fruit-trees -infested with ‘mealy-bug’ should have their bark brushed over with oil -in November when the leaves are all off, and again in the spring when -vegetation commences. This mode of treatment is usually very successful -when it is applied to young and vigorous trees. - -At a recent meeting of the Edinburgh Field Naturalists’ Club, a paper -was communicated by Mr John Turnbull, Galashiels, locally known as a -clever microscopist, in which he explained a new and simple method of -obtaining beautiful impressions of the leaves of plants on paper. The -materials necessary to take these impressions cost almost nothing. A -piece of carbonised paper plays the principal part in the process; but -it is of importance to have the carbonised paper fresh, and it should -be kept in a damp place, for when the paper dries, the pictures that -may be printed from it are not so effective. The leaf or plant to be -copied is first of all carefully spread out over the carbonised paper -on a table, or, better still, a blotting-pad. Next take a piece of thin -tough paper and lay it on the leaf. Then, with the tips of the fingers, -rub over the thin paper so as to get the plant thoroughly inked. -This done, place the leaf on the paper on which the impression is to -be taken. A smooth printing-paper gives the clearest copy. The thin -paper is now laid on the plant as before, and the rubbing continued. -Of course, care must be taken to keep the plant in position, for if -it moves, the impression will be faulty. However, the matter is so -very simple that anybody should succeed. Impressions taken in this -way have all the delicacy of steel engravings and the faithfulness of -photographs. His discovery is likely to come into favour for decorative -purposes. The headings of letters on the margins of books might be very -tastefully adorned with truly artistic representations of plants. The -wood-engraver also will find it will serve his purpose as well as, if -not better than, photography. Specimens that have been copied by Mr -Turnbull’s system, when examined with the microscope, are found to be -perfect, even to the delicate hairs that are scarcely visible on the -plant to the naked eye. - - - - -BOOK GOSSIP. - - -History is perhaps one of the most popular of modern studies. It -is more definite in its results than Philosophy, and it widens the -intellectual horizon more than does the pursuit of particular branches -of Science, while it has less tendency than either of these to congeal -into dogma. The methods of historians, also, have undergone a signal -change within the last fifty years. The historical writers of last -century, such as Robertson and Hume, were content to collate the -productions of previous authors, to give a new reading here and a fresh -deduction there, looking more to literary form than to the production -of new facts. Such writers troubled themselves little about the People, -but were intensely interested in the movements of kings, and in the -sinuosities of statecraft generally. Anything else was beneath ‘the -dignity of history.’ But this ‘dignity of history’ has long since been -pushed from its perch, and nobody now regards it. Carlyle, Freeman, -Froude, Macaulay, Green, and Gardiner, have each and all followed the -movements of events as they affected the people, and not alone as -they affected kings and statesmen. The result has been that history -is fuller of teaching than before, is infused with a truer and deeper -interest, appeals in stronger terms to our sense of justice, and lays a -firmer hold upon our sympathy. It has, in short, become more human. - -Mr J. R. Seeley, Professor of Modern History in the University of -Cambridge, has just published a series of lectures under the title of -_The Expansion of England_ (London: Macmillan & Co.), which shows in -a striking manner the progress which has been made in our methods of -studying history and estimating its events. It has long, he says, been -a favourite maxim of his, that history, while it should be scientific -in its method, should pursue a practical object. ‘That is, it should -not merely gratify the reader’s curiosity about the past, but modify -his view of the present and his forecast of the future.’ The first -lecture is devoted to an able exposition of this theorem, into which, -however, we cannot here follow the author. He then proceeds to a study -of England in the eighteenth century, discusses its old colonial -system, points out in detail the effect of the New World on the Old, -reviews the history of our conquest of India, and the mutual influence -of India and England, and ends by an estimate of the internal and -external dangers which beset England as the mother of her colonies and -the mistress of her numerous conquests. The lecturer now and again -drives his theory to a false issue, and in general gives too great -weight to logical sequence in historic transactions. History is not -dominated by logic, but by events; and although we may see in these -events, from our distant and external standpoint, a distinct chain of -development and progress, the actors saw no more of the future of them -than we do to-day of the events presently transpiring. Apart, however, -from this tendency on the part of Professor Seeley, the lectures -are full of wise maxims and suggestive thoughts, and cannot fail to -interest and instruct the historical student. - -⁂ - -The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge has added to its series -called ‘The People’s Library’ a most instructive little volume entitled -_A Chapter of Science; or, What is the Law of Nature?_ It consists -of six lectures which were delivered to working-men by Mr J. Stuart, -Professor of Mechanics, Cambridge. The object of the lecturer was to -present an example of inductive reasoning, and to familiarise his -hearers to some extent with the principles of scientific inquiry; -and he has succeeded in his object in a remarkable degree. We do -not know any book of the same extent which so fully places before -the unscientific reader, or before the reader who has gathered many -facts of science without apprehending their bearing upon each other, -the principles which should guide him in the endeavour to estimate -and arrange these facts correctly. He reminds his hearers that what -science itself has to teach us consists not so much in facts, as in -those lessons and deductions which can be drawn from facts, and which -can be justly apprehended only by a knowledge of such facts. ‘Those,’ -he aptly says, ‘whose knowledge of science has furnished them with -only an encyclopædia of facts, are like men who try to warm themselves -before coals which have not yet been lighted. Those who are furnished -only with the deductions of science are like men who may have a lighted -match, but have not the material to construct a fire. That match soon -burns away uselessly.’ We cannot conceive of any one reading this book, -even with only an average degree of attention and only a trifling -modicum of scientific knowledge, and not gleaning from it a clearer -apprehension of the facts of science and the inductions to be made from -these facts. - -⁂ - -A beautiful volume comes to us from the pen of an occasional -contributor to this _Journal_, Dr Gordon Stables. It is entitled -_Aileen Aroon_ (London: S. W. Partridge & Co.), and consists of tales -of faithful friends and favourites among the lower animals. The chief -story of the book, and that which gives it its title, is concerning -a noble Newfoundland dog called ‘Aileen Aroon;’ but interwoven with -it are numerous stories of all kinds of domestic pets—dogs, monkeys, -sheep, squirrels, birds of various kinds, and even that much-abused -creature the donkey. Dr Stables, as our readers cannot fail to -have observed, possesses a very happy style of narration; and his -never-failing sympathy with animal-life gives to his several pictures a -depth and truth of colouring such as one but rarely meets with in this -department of anecdotal literature. A better present could not be put -into the hands of a boy or girl who loves animals, than this handsome -volume about _Aileen Aroon_ and her many friends. - -⁂ - -_London Cries_ is the title of one of those unique volumes, with -beautiful and characteristic illustrations, which from time to time -emanate from the publishing-house of Messrs Field and Tuer, London. -The text of this volume is written by Mr Andrew W. Tuer, and gives an -amusing account of the cries, many and various, which have been heard, -or may still be heard, in the streets of London.—Another volume by the -same publishers is _Chap-book Chaplets_, containing a number of ballads -printed in a comically antique fashion, and illustrated by numerous -grotesque imitations of old ballad-woodcuts. These are cleverly drawn -by Mr Joseph Crawhall, and are all coloured by hand.—A third volume -comes from the same source. It is a large folio, entitled _Bygone -Beauties_, being a republication of ten portraits of ladies of rank and -fashion, from paintings by John Hoppner, R.A., and engraved by Charles -Wilkin. - -⁂ - -_Whitaker’s Almanac_ for 1884 exhibits all its former features of -excellence as an annual, and any changes which have been made are in -the direction of further improvement. Besides the usual information -expected in almanacs, _Whitaker’s_ gives very full astronomical notes, -from month to month, as to the position of the planets in the heavens, -and other details which must be of interest to many. Its Supplement of -scientific and other general information contains much that is curious -and worth knowing. - - - - -OCCASIONAL NOTES. - - -AMBULANCE SOCIETIES. - -We have this month, in the article ‘An Order of Mercy’ (p. 15 -[Transcriber’s note: See https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/64345.]), -described the operations of the St John Ambulance Association, London, -and are pleased to be able to notice that a similar organisation is -being set on foot in the Scottish metropolis. The subject was recently -brought before the public by Professor Chiene, of the Edinburgh -University, in a lecture delivered under the auspices of the Edinburgh -Health Society. The lecturer spoke of the importance of speedy aid to -those who are hurt, and to those who are taken suddenly ill in our -streets. At present, in such cases, he said, such persons came under -the care of kindly bystanders or the police, none of whom have received -any instruction whatever in what is now commonly known as ‘first aid -to the sick or wounded.’ The person was placed either in a cab or -on a police-stretcher, and the lecturer could imagine nothing worse -adapted for the conveyance of a patient with a fractured limb than a -cab. In the case of the police-stretcher, the only advantage it had -was the recumbent posture of the patient; in every other particular it -was a most inefficient means of conveyance. He asked if the time had -not come when they should try and find some remedy. In London, the St -John Ambulance Association had been in existence for seven years; in -Glasgow, the St Andrew’s Ambulance Association was now in full working -order; and surely Edinburgh, with all its charitable organisations, -with its important hospitals, with the largest medical school in Great -Britain, should not be behind in this important matter. During the last -three years an average of seven hundred and twenty cases of accident -each year had been treated as in-patients in the Royal Infirmary; many -other cases had been taken there, their wounds and injuries dressed, -and afterwards sent to their own homes. Many cases of accident were -conveyed directly to their own homes; many cases of sudden illness were -conveyed either to the hospital or their own homes, and he did not -think he was over-estimating it when he said that fifteen hundred cases -occurred every year in Edinburgh which would benefit from a speedy and -comfortable means of conveyance from the place of accident to the place -of treatment. In the formation and working of such a society, he would -give all the help he could. Mr Cunningham, the secretary of the Glasgow -Association, had the cause at heart; and he was sure Mr Miller, one of -the surgeons in the Edinburgh Infirmary, and Dr P. A. Young, both of -whom had already given ambulance lectures to Volunteers, would give -their hearty help. Many of the junior practitioners and senior students -would, he was sure, assist as lecturers; and they would soon have in -Edinburgh a ready band of certificated assistants, who would give -efficient first aid to any one who was injured, and would assist the -police in removing them to the hospital or their own homes. - -We are glad to observe that as one result of Professor Chiene’s appeal, -a Committee of Employers in Edinburgh and Leith is being formed for -the purpose of having employees instructed in the manner proposed, so -that many of the latter may be able to give practical assistance in the -event of accidents happening where they are employed. - - -THE LAST OF THE OLD WESTMINSTER HOUSES. - -All who take any interest in the topographical antiquities of the -ancient city of Westminster will learn—not perhaps without some feeling -akin to regret—that the last of the old original houses of that old -medieval city was taken down during the past summer to make room for -more convenient and spacious premises. The house has been thought -to be over five hundred years old, having been erected in or about -the reign of Edward III. It belonged to the Messrs Dent, well-known -provision-dealers, by whose predecessors the business was founded in -the year 1750. The shop floor was three steps _below_ the level of the -pavement outside, and the ceiling of the shop was so low that a small -man could touch it easily with his hand. The building contained several -large and commodious rooms up-stairs, the first floor projecting, as -usual in such houses, beyond the wall about a foot. The beams used -throughout were heavy, massive, and very hard old English oak; and the -roof was covered with old-fashioned red tiles. The house stood at the -western corner of Tothill Street, where that street joins the Broadway. -A few years ago, several such houses were to be seen on the north side -of Tothill Street, but as nearly the whole of that side was taken by -the new Aquarium, the quaint old houses were of course removed. Now -that the old one above referred to is down, they are all gone, and -nothing is left of old Westminster city but its grand and matchless -Abbey; and long may its majestic beauty continue to adorn a spot -celebrated for so many deeply historical memories. - - -THE RECENT MARVELLOUS SUNSETS. - -The marvellous sunsets which have lately been common all over the world -have led to a mass of correspondence and conjectures upon the part of -scientific men. Perhaps the fullest and most interesting contribution -to the literature of the subject is the long article contributed to -the _Times_ by Mr Norman Lockyer, who, with many others, is disposed -to attribute the phenomena to the presence in the upper regions of the -atmosphere of a vast quantity of volcanic dust, the outcome of the -terrible eruption—one of the most terrible ever recorded—which took -place at Krakatoa in August last. In corroboration of this hypothesis, -another correspondent calls attention to the circumstance that similar -phenomena were observed in 1783, and are recorded in White’s _Selborne_ -as follows: ‘The sun at noon looked as blank as a clouded moon, and -shed a rose-coloured ferruginous light on the ground and floors of -rooms, but was particularly lurid and blood-coloured at rising and -setting. The country-people began to look with superstitious awe at -the red lowering aspect of the sun; and indeed there was reason for -the most enlightened person to be apprehensive; for all the while -Calabria and part of the isle of Sicily were torn and convulsed with -earthquakes, and about that juncture a volcano sprang out of the sea on -the coast of Norway.’ - - - - -NIGHT. - - - O gentle Night! O thought-inspiring Night! - Humbly I bow before thy sovereign power; - Sadly I own thy all-unequalled might - To calm weak mortal in his darkest hour: - Spreading thy robe o’er all the mass of care, - Thou bidd’st the sorrowful no more despair. - - When high in heaven thou bidd’st thy torches shine, - Casting on earth a holy, peaceful light, - My heart adores thee in thy calm divine, - Is soothed by thee, O hope-inspiring Night! - All anxious thoughts, all evil bodings fly; - My soul doth rest, since thou, O Night! art nigh. - - When thou hast cast o’er all the sleeping land - Thy darkened robe, the symbol of thy state, - Alone beneath heaven’s mightiness I stand, - Musing on life, eternity, and fate; - Mayhap with concentrated thought I try - To pierce the cloud of heaven’s great mystery. - - ’Tis then sweet music in the air I hear, - Like rippling waters falling soft and low; - With soul enraptured do I list, yet fear— - ’Tis not such music as we mortals know; - It wafts the soul from earthly things away, - Leaving behind the senseless frame of clay. - - Friends, kindly faces crowd around me there, - Friends loved the better since they passed away, - Leaving a legacy of wild despair— - And now I see them as in full orb’d day, - The long-lamented once again descry, - Bask in each smile, gaze in each speaking eye. - - O blest reunion, Night’s almighty gift, - Lent for a time unto the thoughtful mind; - When memory can o’er the clouds uplift - The startled soul away from all mankind, - Throw wide eternity’s majestic gate, - And grant a view of the immortal state. - - And thou, O Night! who can’st these spirits raise, - Giv’st immortality to mortal eyes, - To thee I tune mine unadornèd praise, - And chant thy glories to the list’ning skies: - Waft, O ye winds! the floating notes along; - Ye woods and mountains, echo back the song. - - ROBERT A. 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