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diff --git a/old/65543-0.txt b/old/65543-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index e33e663..0000000 --- a/old/65543-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2154 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, -Science, and Art, Fifth Series, No. 16, Vol. I, April 19, 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. 16, Vol. I, April 19, 1884 - -Editor: Various - -Release Date: June 7, 2021 [eBook #65543] - -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. 16, VOL. I, APRIL 19, -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. 16.—VOL. I. SATURDAY, APRIL 19, 1884. PRICE 1½_d._] - - - - -SUDDEN FORTUNES. - - -Few things are so fascinating to read as stories of fortunes suddenly -made. They lend to the adventures of miners in gold or diamond fields -an interest possessed by enterprises of no other kind; they also -impart a most seductive glamour to accounts published in continental -newspapers of prize-winners in big lotteries. When the French annual -state lotteries were abolished in 1837, a writer of some distinction, -M. Alphonse Karr, protested energetically against what he called a -hardship for the poor. His defence was curious. ‘For five sous,’ he -said, ‘the most miserable of beings may purchase the chance of becoming -a millionaire; by suppressing this chance, you take away the ray of -hope from the poor man’s life.’ - -Almost any man can relate from his own experience tales of suddenly -acquired wealth; and by this we do not mean the riches that may be -inherited through the death of a relative, or those which are won by -speculation. The professed money-hunter who succeeds on ‘Change is like -the sportsman who brings home a good bag—his spoils, though they may be -large, are not unexpected. But there is the man who goes out without -any thought of sport, and returns with a plump bird that has dropped -into his hands; or the man who, wandering on the seashore, picks up a -pearl. It is with persons of this description that we may compare those -lucky individuals who, awaiting nothing from fortune, are suddenly -overwhelmed by her favours. A few examples of such luck may induce -the reader who sees no signs of wealth on his path just yet, never to -despair. - -At the beginning of 1870, the Hôtel des Réservoirs at Versailles was -for sale. It was the largest hotel in the city; but as Versailles had -become a sleepy place, almost deserted in winter, and only frequented -in summer by casual tourists and Sunday excursionists, the landlord had -scarcely been able to pay his way. The hotel was disposed of in January -for a very low figure, and the new proprietor entered upon his tenancy -on the first of April. He soon repented of his bargain. The season of -1870 brought fewer excursionists than usual; and when, in the middle -of July, war was declared against Germany, all the landlord’s chances -of recouping himself during the months when foreign tourists abound, -seemed gone, so that he had serious thoughts of reselling the house. -Within eight weeks, the whole of his prospects were altered. The French -were defeated, Paris was invested, Versailles became the headquarters -of the invading armies, and suddenly the Hôtel des Réservoirs entered -upon a period of such prosperity as doubtless could not be matched -by the records of any other hostelry. From the middle of September -till the following February it was the lodging-place of Grand Dukes -and Princes, as many as it would hold; whilst its dining-rooms were -resorted to by all the wealthiest officers in the German forces. As -the siege operations kept troops in movement at all hours, meals were -served at every time of the day and night. Three relays of cooks and -as many of waiters had to be hired; and the consumption of wines, -spirits, and liqueurs beggars all reckoning. Princes and rich officers -going into action or returning from victory are naturally free with -their money; every triumph of German arms was a pretext for banquets -and toasts. In fact, from the 1st of October to the date when the -occupation of the city ceased—a period of about one hundred and thirty -days—the average number of champagne bottles uncorked every day -exceeded five hundred! As the Prussians held Rheims, the landlord was -enabled to renew his stock of champagne as often as was necessary; but -he could not renew his stock of Bordeaux—the Bordelais being in French -hands, so that towards the end of the war he was selling his clarets at -fancy prices. - -The Germans marched away in February; but still the Hôtel des -Réservoirs’ marvellous run of luck continued. In March the Communist -insurrection broke out; the National Assembly transferred its -sittings to Versailles, which was proclaimed the political capital -of France; and during the second siege of Paris the hotel was crowded -with ministers, foreign ambassadors, deputies, and other persons of -note. The result of all this and of the steady custom which the hotel -received so long as Versailles remained the seat of government, was -that the landlord, who was at the point of ruin in 1870, retired in -1875 worth one hundred and twenty thousand pounds, after selling the -hotel for three times what he had paid for it. We may add that in 1870 -other very fine hauls of money were made by hotel-keepers in cities -which the German armies occupied, and at Tours and Bordeaux, which were -successively the seats of the French Government of National Defence. - -But it will be objected that such fortunes as war, revolutions, and -other great commotions bring to the few, in compensation for the -ruin which they scatter among the many, are not to be met with in -lands enjoying profound peace like England. Well, there are local -convulsions too in England. An obscure village becomes the scene of a -murder or a railway accident; an inquest is held; reporters are sent -down from London; idlers by the trainful come to view the spot where -the mishap occurred; and the village public-house, which had been -doing a poor business, all at once finds itself taking gold and silver -like a first-class London _buffet_. Such things happen pretty often; -indeed, Fortune now and then knocks at houses whose inmates, from sheer -bewilderment or stupidity, do not know how to take advantage of her -unexpected visit. We have the recollection of a publican in a village -on the Great Western line who positively spurned a chance of handsome -gains thrown into his way by a snowstorm. An express train had got -snowed up in the night; with infinite difficulty, by reason of the -darkness, the passengers crawled out, and made across the fields for a -public-house about a mile distant; but on arriving there, they met with -anything but a hospitable reception. The landlord had been roused from -sleep; he could not serve drink, he said, because it was past hours; he -had no spare-room for travellers; there was only one ounce of tea in -his house; and so forth. In the end, most of the benighted party found -a refuge at the vicarage. Had the landlord been a more astute fellow, -he might have secured some valuable patrons that night, for there were -wealthy people among the passengers; and two of them had to linger for -more than a week in the village, having fallen ill. - -Let us now leave publicans, and come to stories of sudden professional -advancement. All young doctors know what uphill work it sometimes -is to establish a practice. Years will often elapse before a doctor -gets any return for the money which his friends invested in obtaining -his diploma. On the other hand, a single fortunate case may bring -patients by the score. About twenty years ago, a young doctor who -had been established three years in London without making an income, -lost heart, and determined to emigrate to Australia. He sold his -small house and furniture, paid his passage-money, and a week before -his ship was to sail, went into the country to say good-bye to his -parents. Having to change trains at a junction, he was waiting on the -platform, when a groom in a smart livery galloped up to the station, -and calling excitedly to a porter, handed him a telegraphic message -for transmission. From some remarks exchanged between the two men, the -young doctor understood that the Duke of ——, a member of the Cabinet, -had fallen dangerously ill, and that an eminent physician in London was -being telegraphed for. The groom added that he had ridden to the houses -of three local doctors, who had all been absent, and that ‘Her Grace -was in a terrible way.’ - -The young doctor saw his opportunity, and at once seized it. ‘I am a -medical man,’ he said to the groom; ‘and I will go to the Hall to offer -my assistance till another doctor arrives.’ - -The groom was evidently attached to his master, for he said: ‘Jump on -my horse, sir, and ride straight down the road for about four miles; -you can’t miss the Hall; any one will tell you where it is.’ - -The doctor went, was gratefully received by the Duchess, and happened -to be just in time to stop a mistake in treatment of the patient, -which might have proved fatal if continued for a few hours longer. The -Duke was suffering from typhoid fever; and when the eminent physician -arrived from town, he declared that the young doctor’s management of -the case had been perfect. The result of this was, that the latter was -requested to remain at the Hall to take charge of the patient; and -his name figured on the bulletins which were issued during the next -fortnight, and were printed in all the daily newspapers of the kingdom. -Such an advertisement is always the making of a medical man, especially -when his patient recovers, as the Duke did. Our penniless friend -received a fee of five hundred guineas; took a house at the West End, -and from that time to this has been at the head of one of the largest -practices in London. - -Curiously enough, his sudden rise was indirectly the means of bringing -another needy young doctor to great fortune. Having abandoned his -emigration scheme, our friend had made a present of his ticket to -a former fellow-student of his, a shiftless sort of young man, who -was loafing about town, with no regular work or prospects. This -ne’er-do-weel had never thought of leaving the mother-country, and he -accepted the ticket rather with the idea of making a pleasant voyage -gratis than of settling at the antipodes. But on the way out, an -epidemic of smallpox occurred among the passengers; the ship’s surgeon -died; and the emigrant doctor, stepping into his place, displayed such -skill and devotion that he won golden opinions from all on board. As -often happens with men of good grit, the sudden call to noble work and -great responsibilities completely altered his character, and he became -thenceforth a steady fellow. On landing at Sydney, he was presented -with a handsome cheque by the agents of the Steamship Company for his -services, and soon afterwards was, on their recommendation, appointed -physician to the quarantine depôt. This position put him in the way of -forming a first-rate private practice and of winning municipal honours. -He is now one of the most prosperous men in the colony, and a member of -the colonial legislature. - -Talking of sea-voyages reminds us of a barrister who has owed -professional success to the mere lucky, or let us say providential, -hazard which sent him out on a trip to China. Having lived three -or four years in chambers without getting a brief, he was almost -destitute, when a friend of his who was in the tea-trade offered him -a free passage to Shanghai and back on condition of his transacting -some piece of business there. On the passage out, the barrister had -many conversations with the captain, who chanced to have lately given -evidence at Westminster in a lawsuit which was of great importance to -the shipping interest. But he had been disgusted with the ‘stupidity,’ -as he called it, of the judge and counsel in the case, when talking of -maritime and commercial customs; and he exclaimed: ‘Why don’t some of -those lawyers who mean to speak in shipping cases, study our ways a -little?’ These words struck the young barrister, who, after thinking -the matter over for a few days, resolved to live at sea for a while. - -On his return to England, he sought for a situation as purser or -secretary on board one of the great ocean steamers, and in this -capacity made several trips. Then he successively tried expeditions -on board whalers, vessels engaged in the cod and herring fisheries, -&c.; in fact, he led a sailor’s life for rather more than three years, -picking up a full acquaintance with the manners, customs, grievances, -and wants of those who had their business in the great waters. On going -back to the bar, he almost at once got briefs in the Admiralty Court; -and becoming known to solicitors as an expert on shipping questions, -his professional fortune was made. - -We might quote several cases similar to this one where special -knowledge, sometimes acquired by accident, has put men in the way of -getting highly honourable and well-paid positions on the newspaper -press. A gentleman who is now a distinguished leader-writer on one of -the London dailies, got his situation in consequence of having broken -his leg while travelling in Germany. He was laid up for months in -lodgings, and there became intimate with a Russian refugee, who taught -him the Russian language and instructed him thoroughly in Muscovite -politics. This occurred at the beginning of the Eastern imbroglio in -1876; and when the patient was getting better, he sent to a London -paper a series of letters which exhibited such a familiarity with -Russian affairs, that they attracted general notice. He was soon asked -to go to St Petersburg as special correspondent; and from that date all -things prospered with him. At the time when he broke his leg, he was -about to accept a clerkship in a merchant’s office, where he would have -had small chance of making any figure in the world. - -But we fancy we can hear people exclaim that talent well directed is -pretty sure to make a man’s fortune, so that it is never surprising -to hear of clever men growing rich. True; but nevertheless there are -chances for those who are _not_ clever. We have heard of a man who had -two thousand pounds a year left him because he was civil to an infirm -old lady in church, finding the hymns for her, setting her hassock, -&c. He did not know her name; but she took care to ascertain his, and -when she died, he found that she had bequeathed to him the bulk of -her property ‘as a reward for his patient kindness.’ A clergyman of -our acquaintance obtained a living of good value from a baronet in -Norfolk for no other reason than that he was the only curate within -ten miles round who had not applied for it when it fell vacant. And -another clergyman whom we know got a still better living for having -refused preferment offered to him under circumstances derogatory to -his dignity. He was a fair singer; and a vulgar plutocrat who had -invited him to dinner promised to give him a living if he would sing -a comic song at dessert. The quiet rebuke which the young clergyman -administered made the plutocrat ashamed of himself, so that the next -day he proffered the living with a letter of apology; but the living -was refused, the clergyman stating that it would be impossible for him -to forget the circumstances under which it was first tendered. This -was the more honourable, as the clergyman was very badly off. Another -patron, hearing of what he had done, appointed him to a benefice, as a -testimony of his admiration. - -We may conclude with a story of a man who was suddenly made rich -because of his great stupidity. He was the only dull man in a -bright-witted family, and going to dine with a wealthy relative who -had a horror of fools, he made so many silly remarks, that the old man -cried in exasperation: ‘I must do something for you, for you’ll never -do anything for yourself. If I don’t make a rich man of you, you’ll -become a laughing-stock to the world and a disgrace to your family.’ - - - - -BY MEAD AND STREAM. - - -CHAPTER XXIV.—THE WORK. - -Philip spoke lightly to Madge about the ‘chambers in town;’ but he was -not quite satisfied with the arrangement, when she told him frankly -that she did not like it. He confessed that the idea pleased him -chiefly because it would give him a sense of independence, which he -could never experience so long as he remained at Ringsford and the -family continued to be in the same mood as at present. Very little -had been said to him there, beyond a few expressions of curiosity -on the part of the girls, and a cunning question from Coutts as to -what guarantee Uncle Shield could give for the wealth he professed to -possess. - -‘The amount he promised to place at my disposal is in the bank,’ Philip -answered; ‘and that, I fancy, would be sufficient, Coutts, to satisfy -even you.’ - -Coutts nodded, was silent, and began privately to speculate on the -possibility of ingratiating himself with this mysterious relative, who -seemed to have discovered the mines of Golconda. - -Nothing more was said. Mr Hadleigh enjoined silence on the subject -until he should please to speak; and he had done so with a sternness -which effectually checked the tongue even of Miss Hadleigh, who, -being ‘engaged,’ felt herself in some measure released from parental -authority. - -The consequence was that there had grown up a feeling of constraint, -which was exceedingly irksome to the frank, loving nature of Philip; -and yet he could not divine how he was to overcome it. He could not -tell whether this feeling was due to his own anxiety to reconcile two -opposing elements, or to the unspoken irritation of the family with him -for having leagued himself with their enemy. It never occurred to him -that any one of them could be jealous of his good fortune. - -However, this new arrangement seemed to offer an opportunity for making -the position clear. Standing apart from the influence of his family, he -would be able to consider all the circumstances of his position with -more calmness and impartiality than would be otherwise possible. - -At the same time, he was a good deal perplexed by the conduct of Mr -Shield, and was gradually beginning to feel something like vexation at -it. There was the difficulty of seeing him, and then the impossibility -of getting him to discuss anything when he did see him. Mr Shield was -still at the _Langham_; and if Philip called without having made an -appointment, he was either sent away with some excuse, which he knew to -be nothing more than an excuse, or there was a great fuss of attendants -entering and leaving the room before he was admitted. On these -occasions Philip was conscious of an atmosphere of brandy-and-soda; -and several times his uncle had been served with a glass of this -potent mixture during their interviews, brief as they were. It was to -this weakness Philip had been about to refer, when speaking to Dame -Crawshay, and to it he was disposed to attribute much of his uncle’s -eccentricity of conduct. - -But he was always the same roughly good-natured man, although short of -speech and decided in manner. - -‘Once for all,’ he said gruffly, when Philip made a more strenuous -effort than usual to induce him to discuss the scheme he was -elaborating; ‘I am not a good talker—see things clearer when they -are put down on paper for me. You do that; and if there is anything -that does not please me, I’ll tell you fast enough in writing. Then -there can be no mistakes between us. Had enough of mistakes in my time -already.’ - -And notwithstanding his peculiarly jerky mode of expressing himself -in talking, his letters were invariably clear and to the point. They -formed, indeed, a bewildering contrast to the man as he appeared -personally, for they were the letters of one who had clear vision and -cool judgment. But as yet Philip had not found any opportunity to -approach the subject of a reconciliation with his father. He kept that -object steadily in view, however, and waited patiently for the right -moment in which to speak. - -Wrentham was well pleased that Mr Shield should keep entirely in -the background; it left him the more freedom in action; and he was -delighted with his appointment as general manager for Philip. His first -transaction in that capacity was to sublet his offices in Golden Alley -to his principal. This saved so much expense, and there were the clerks -and all the machinery ready for conducting any business which might be -entered upon. Wrentham had agreeable visions of big prizes to be won on -the Stock Exchange. He was confident that the whole theory of exchange -business was as simple as A B C to him; and only the want of a little -capital had prevented him from making a large fortune long ago. His -chance had come at last. - -Here was this young man, who knew almost nothing of business, but -possessed capital which he desired to employ. He, Martin Wrentham, knew -how to employ it to the best advantage. What more simple, then? He -should employ the capital; instead of dabbling in hundreds, he would be -able to deal in thousands, and in no time he would double the capital -and make his own fortune too! - -But when the time came for Philip to unfold the project which he had -been quietly maturing, the sanguine and volatile Wrentham was for an -instant dumb with amazement, then peered inquiringly into the face of -the young capitalist, as if seeking some symptoms of insanity, and next -laughed outright. - -‘That’s the best joke I have heard for a long time,’ he exclaimed. - -‘Where is the joke?’ asked Philip, a little surprised. - -‘You don’t mean to say that you are serious in thinking of investing -your capital in this way?’ Wrentham’s hilarity disappeared as he spoke. - -‘Perfectly serious; and Mr Shield approves of the idea.’ - -‘But you will never make money out of it.’ - -‘I do not know what you may mean by making money; but unless the -calculations which have been supplied to me by practical men are -utterly wrong, I shall obtain a fair percentage on the capital -invested. I do not mean to do anything foolish, for I consider the -money as held in trust, and will do what is in my power to make a good -use of it.’ - -‘You want to drive Philanthropy and Business in one team; but I never -heard of them going well in harness together.’ - -‘I think they have done so, and may do so again,’ said Philip -cheerfully. - -‘You will be an exception to all the rules I know anything about, if -you manage to make them go together. If you had five times the capital -you are starting with, you could make nothing out of it.’ - -‘I hope to make a great deal out of it, although not exactly in the -sense you mean.’ - -Wrentham passed his hand through his hair, as if he despaired of -bringing his principal to reason. - -‘What do you expect to make out of it?’ - -‘First of all, beginning on our small scale, we shall provide work for -so many men. By the system of paying for the work done, rather than by -wages whether the work is done or not, each man will be able to earn -the value of what he can produce or cares to produce.’ - -‘You will not find half-a-dozen men willing to accept that arrangement.’ - -‘We must make the most of those we do find. When the advantages are -made plain in practice, others will come in fast enough.’ - -‘The Unions will prevent them.’ - -‘It is a kind of Union I am proposing to form—a Union of capital and -labour. Then, I propose to divide amongst the men all profits above, -say, six or eight per cent. on the capital, in proportion to the work -each has done. I believe we shall find plenty of workmen, who will -understand and appreciate the scheme.’ - -Wrentham was resting his elbows on the table and twisting a piece of -paper between his fingers. He had got over his first surprise. The one -thing he understood was, that Philip would hold obstinately to this -ridiculous ideal of a social revolution until experience showed him how -impracticable it was. The one thing he did not understand was, how Mr -Shield had agreed to let him try it. - -‘I admire the generous spirit which prompts you to try this experiment; -it is excellent, benevolent, and all that sort of thing,’ he said -coolly; ‘but it is not business, and it will be a failure. Every scheme -of the same sort that has been tried has failed. However, I shall do my -best to help you. How do you propose to begin?’ - -Philip was prepared for this lukewarm support; he had not expected -Wrentham to enter upon the plan with enthusiasm, and was aware that men -of business would regard it as a mere fancy, in which a good deal of -money would be thrown away. But he was confident that the result would -justify his sanguine calculations. - -‘I am sorry you cannot take a more cheerful view of my project, -Wrentham; but I hope some day to hear you own that you were mistaken. -We shall begin by buying this land—here is the plan. Then if we get it -at a fair price, we shall proceed to erect two blocks of good healthy -tenements for working-people. We shall be our own contractors, and so -begin our experiment with the men at once. Take the plans home with -you, and look them over; and to-morrow you can open negotiations for -the purchase of the land.’ - -Wrentham’s eyes brightened. - -‘Ah, that’s better—that’s something I can do.’ - -‘You will find that there are many things you can do in carrying out -the work,’ said Philip, smiling. - -The general manager was restored to equanimity by the prospect of a -speculation in land. The young enthusiast went his way, contented with -the thought that he had taken the first step towards a social reform of -vast importance. - -The same afternoon the agents for the land in question received a -communication from a solicitor inquiring the terms on which it was to -be sold. - - - - -THE HOMING PIGEON. - -BY GORDON STABLES, M.D., R.N. - - -‘Let it off at Leicester, sir.’ - -My train had already started, when the speaker—an earnest-faced, -enthusiastic-looking working-man—breathless with running, leapt on to -the step, and after a hurried glance round the compartment, popped a -paper bag into my arms and disappeared. - -‘Let it off at Leicester?’ What did the man mean? Did he take me for -one of the Fenian brotherhood? Had he handed me an ‘infernal machine’ -with which to destroy Leicester railway station? I was taken aback for -a moment, but only for a moment, for something rustled inside the bag, -and I ‘keeked’ in at a corner. - -‘You’re there, are you?’ I said _sotto voce_, as the bright, inquiring -eye of a blue homing pigeon met my gaze. - -The man’s meaning was plain enough now. Leicester was our first -stopping-place. I was to throw the bird up there—which I duly did—and -knowing the hour the train was due there, its owner could thus judge of -its flying powers from the time it took to regain the loft in London. - -By many people, it is believed that the homing pigeon is guided in -its wonderful flights by some _special instinct_; others think that -sight alone is the bird’s guide. In the far-distant past, long before -railways, telegraphs, or telephones were dreamt of, pigeons were used -to convey intelligence of all kinds from distant quarters; and even in -our own day and in times of peace, homing or carrier pigeons are found -exceedingly useful as message-bearers in a hundred ways needless to -name. - -In time of war, their utility can hardly be overrated. The ‘Paris -pigeon-post’ of the Franco-German War of 1870-71 is well known. During -the siege, when the gayest city in the world was closely beleaguered -by the Prussians, and all communication with the outside world was -totally cut off, homing pigeons brought to Paris by balloons, found -their way back to Tours and other places, bearing with them news of -the beleaguered city. How welcome they must have been to the thousands -of people who had friends and relatives in Paris at that time! -The messages carried by the pigeons were written or printed, then -photographed on thin paper, the words being so reduced in size that it -required the aid of a powerful magnifier to decipher them. These tiny -documents were carried in small sealed quills, carefully fastened to -the centre tail-feathers. From the very moment of the arrival of the -first homing pigeon, the Paris pigeon-post was firmly established as -an institution; and in times of war among all civilised nations, the -aërial _voyageur_ will in future doubtless play a most important part. - -We have already in England a large number of clubs devoted to -pigeon-flying or pigeon-racing; but it is in Brussels that the sport is -carried out to the fullest extent. In Belgium alone, there are at this -moment nearly twenty-five hundred clubs, and every town, village, or -district in the whole country goes in for its weekly race. The birds -are sent off on the Friday or Saturday by special trains, and are -liberated in clouds of thousands on the Sunday mornings, two, three, -four, or even five hundred miles from home. - -I know many people in this country who have as their special hobby the -breeding and flying of pigeons in a private way, quite independent of -clubs—people who never go very far away from home without taking a -pigeon or two along with them, to send back with news of their safe -arrival, or their success or non-success in matters of business. I -had the following told me by a friend, and have no reason to doubt -the truth of it. A gentleman of rather shy disposition came down from -London to a town not a hundred miles from Warwick, bent on proposing to -a young lady, with whom he was greatly in love. She was the daughter -of a well-to-do landowner, and a fancier of Antwerp carriers. The -Londoner, however, lacked the courage or opportunity of popping the -question. He was bold enough, though, before taking leave, to beg the -loan of one of his lady-love’s pets, just ‘to tell her of his safe -arrival in town.’ The bird returned from London the same day; and in -the little quill, it bore to its mistress a message—that, after all, -might more simply and naturally have been conveyed by lip—to wit, -a declaration and a proposal. A more artful though innocent way of -getting out of a difficulty could hardly have been devised. It was -successful too. - -The homing pigeon of the present day is not only remarkably fond of -the cot and scenes around it wherein it has been bred and reared, but -fond of its owner as well, and exceedingly sagacious and docile. The -power of wing of this bird is very great, and emulates the speed of the -swiftest train, over five hundred miles being done sometimes in less -than twelve hours. - -Now, although, in our foggy and uncertain climate, we can never hope -to attain such results in pigeon-flying as they do in Belgium or sunny -France, still, the breeding and utilising of these useful birds deserve -far more attention than we in this country give them. It is in the hope -that some of the readers of this _Journal_ may be induced to adopt the -breeding and flying of these pigeons as a fancy or hobby, that I now -devote the rest of this article to a few practical hints about their -general management. - -I should say, then, to a beginner, join a club, by all means, if there -be one anywhere near you. If there is not, and you are energetic -enough, why, then, start one; or, independent of all clubs, make your -hobby an entirely private one. Now, before doing anything else in the -matter, you must have a proper loft or pigeonry for your coming pets. -This should be placed as high as possible, so that the birds, from -their area or flight, may catch glimpses of the country all round, and -thus familiarise themselves with it. - -The loft should be divided into two by means of a partition with a -door in it, each apartment having an outlet to the area in front. The -one room is devoted to the young birds, the other to the old. Without -illustrations, it is somewhat difficult to describe the area or trap -and its uses, but I will try. In its simplest form, then, it is a -large wooden cage—with a little platform in front of it—that is fixed -against the pigeons’ own private door to their loft. At the back of the -cage is a sliding-door, communicating with the loft, and in command of -the owner of the pigeons; and another in the front of the cage. It is -evident, then, that if you open the back-door, the bird can get into -the area from the loft; and if you open the front one as well, he can -get out altogether, to fly about at his own sweet will. Returning from -his exercise when tired, if both trap or sliding-doors are open, he -can pass right through the cage into the loft; if only the front-door -is open, he can get no farther than the interior of the cage or area. -But independent of these trap-doors, there are two little swing-doors, -called bolting-wires—one in front of the cage, and one behind, that is, -betwixt the area and the loft. The peculiarity of these swing-doors is -this: they are hinged at the top, and open _inwardly_, being prevented -from opening outwardly by a beading placed in front of them at the -foot. Well, suppose a bird to have just arrived from off a journey, and -alighting on the little platform, found the sliding-door shut, it would -immediately shove against the door, which would swing open, permitting -the bird’s entrance, and at once shut again against the beading, and -prevent its exit. In the same way, through the back bolting-wires, -a pigeon could enter the area, but could not return to the loft in -that way, nor get out through the bolting-wires in front. When a bird -returns home from a journey, the exact time of its arrival may even, by -a very simple contrivance attached to the external bolting-wires, be -signalled to the owner. - -The breeding compartment should have around the walls nesting-boxes, -I might call them, or divisions, four feet long, two and a half feet -high, and about two feet wide; these ought to be barred in front, with -a doorway, to put the pigeons through for breeding purposes, and two -earthenware nest-pans in each, hidden from view behind an L-shaped -screen of wood. In the loft are pigeon-hoppers and drinking-fountains, -as well as a box containing a mixture of gravel, clay, and old mortar, -with about one-third of coarse salt; the whole wetted and made into a -mass with brine. - -About twice a week, a bath is greatly relished by the birds; but care -should be taken not to leave the floor of the loft damp. Old lime and -gravel should be sprinkled about. The food of the homing pigeon is not -different from that of any other pigeon, and consists chiefly of beans, -small gray peas, with now and then, by way of change, a little wheat, -tares, rice or Indian corn. Soft food may sometimes be given also, such -as boiled rice or potato, mixed with oatmeal. - -The drinking-water should be changed every day, and the fountain -frequently well rinsed out. The greatest cleanliness should prevail -in the loft. Everything should be clean and sweet and dry, and there -should never be either dust or a bad smell. Green food may be given -when the birds cannot get out to supply themselves. It should be given -fresh, and on no account left about the loft to decay. Never let the -hoppers be empty, and see that the grains are not only good, but free -from dust as well. - -Next as to getting into stock. There are two or three ways of doing -this. It is sometimes possible to get the eggs, which may be placed -under an ordinary pigeon. Good old birds may be got—a few pairs; -but they must, of course, be kept strict prisoners, else they will -fly away. The best plan, however, of getting into stock is that of -purchasing young birds as soon as they are fit to leave the mother. -These must be put in the loft, but not let out for a week or two, -although they should be permitted to go into the area and look around -them, to get familiar with the place. After some time, they may be -permitted to go out and fly around. If good, they will return; if of -a bad strain, they are as well lost. But training should not begin -until the bird is fully three months old, and strong. The young birds -are first ‘tossed’ two or three hundred yards from their loft. If they -have already become familiar with their home surroundings, they will -speedily get back to the cot. Toss them unfed, flinging them well up -in an open space; and repeat this day after day for some time; then -gradually increase the distance, to a quarter of a mile, half a mile, -and a mile, and so on to five, ten, up to fifty or a hundred miles of -railway. The tossing should be done on a fine day, at all events never -on a foggy one. - -Birds may be sent to station-masters at different distances along the -line to be tossed, the basket in which they have been carried being -sent back as a returned empty, with the exact time at which the birds -were let out marked on the label by the station-master or porter. -When this plan is adopted, it is of course necessary to write to the -station-master first, and get his permission to send birds to him for -the purpose of being tossed. - -I have purposely avoided saying anything about the points and -properties of homing pigeons; it is good wing you want, more than shape -of head or face, although there ought always to be a skull indicative -of room for brains. It is wing you want, I repeat, strength, health, -and _strain_. Why I put the last word in italics is this: I consider -that it is essential to success, and cheapest in the long-run, to breed -from a good working strain. The rule holds good in the breeding of -all kinds of live-stock. So the reader, if he intends to take up the -homing-pigeon hobby, will do well to see that he gets birds of a _good -working stock_ to begin with. - -A pigeon is not at its best till it is two years of age; care should be -taken, therefore, not to attempt too much with them the first year of -training. When a bird returns, treat it to a handful of nice grain, or -even hemp; but during training, give nothing that is too fattening in -large quantities. Great care and attention are required all the year -round; exercise should never be neglected; they should be permitted to -get out frequently during the day, or indeed, to have their liberty -all day, taking precautions against the tender attentions of vagrant -cats. The moulting season is a somewhat critical time, and so is the -breeding-time; but this class of pigeons is, on the whole, hardy. Treat -your birds with universal kindness, and they will certainly reward -you.[1] - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] [An excellent article on the subject, with drawings of loft, &c., -will be found in _The Field_ for 23d Feb. last.—ED.] - - - - -A WITNESS FOR THE DEFENCE. - - -IN THREE CHAPTERS.—CONCLUSION. - -To say that there was a ‘sensation’ would feebly describe what -followed. Every one in court sprang to his feet. The prisoner looked as -if he had seen a ghost. There was a perfect hubbub of voices, as bar -and jury talked among themselves, and my brethren at the solicitors’ -table poured questions upon me—to none of which I replied. Silence -being restored, the voice of the judge—grave and dignified, but with a -perceptible tremor—descended like vocal oil on the troubled waves of -sound. ‘Who instructs you, Mr Clincher?’ - -‘Mr Bentley, my lord.’ - -The judge looked more astonished than ever. My name was familiar enough -to him as a judge, and he had known it even better when, as a leading -barrister, he had held many a brief from me. - -‘I am persuaded,’ said he, ‘that a gentleman of Mr Bentley’s repute and -experience has good reason for what he does. But so extraordinary and -unheard-of—— I will ask Mr Bentley himself if he really considers that -duty requires him to offer himself as a witness, and when and why he -came to that conclusion?’ - -‘My lord,’ I replied, ‘I am certain that, believing what I have had -cause to believe within the last five minutes, I should be greatly to -blame if I did not testify on oath to certain facts which are within -my own knowledge. But if the prisoner chooses to call me as a witness, -your lordship will presently understand why it is that, with all -submission, I cannot at this moment, or until I am in the box, give my -reasons. And I must add that the value of my evidence to the prisoner -will greatly depend on his answers to certain questions which I wish, -with your lordship’s sanction, to put to him in writing. And if he -answers me as I expect, I believe my evidence will put an end to the -case against him.’ - -‘Really, gentlemen of the jury,’ said his lordship, ‘this matter is -assuming a more and more remarkable aspect. I hardly know what to say. -That a prisoner on trial for his life should answer questions put to -him in private by the prosecuting solicitor is the most extraordinary -proposal, I am bound to say, which ever came under my notice. It is -the more difficult for me to decide because the prisoner has not the -advantage of counsel’s assistance.—Prisoner, is it your wish that this -gentleman should be called as a witness on your behalf? You have heard -what he has said about certain questions which he wishes to put to you -beforehand. Of course you are not bound to answer any such questions, -and may nevertheless call him. What do you say?’ - -‘I am in God’s hands, my lord,’ answered the prisoner, who was quite -calm again. ‘It may be that He has raised up a deliverer for me—I -cannot tell. But I know that if He wills that I should die, no man can -save me; if He wills to save me, nought can do me harm. So I am ready -to answer any questions the gentleman wishes.’ - -‘I propose,’ said the judge, ‘before deciding this extraordinary point, -to consult with the learned Recorder in the next court.’ - -All rose as the judge retired; and during his absence I escaped the -questions which assailed me from every side by burying myself in a -consultation with my counsel. When he heard what the reader knows, he -fully upheld me in what I proposed to do; and then threw himself back -in his seat with the air of a man whom nothing could ever astonish -again. - -‘Si-lence!’ cried the usher. The judge was returning. - -‘I have decided,’ said he, ‘to allow the questions to be put as Mr -Bentley proposes. Let them be written out and submitted to me for my -approval.’ - -I sat down and wrote my questions, and they were passed up to the -judge. As he read them, he looked more surprised than ever. But all he -said, as he handed them down, was, ‘Put the questions.’ - -I walked up to the dock and gave them into the prisoner’s hands, -together with my pencil. He read them carefully through, and wrote his -answers slowly and with consideration. With the paper in my hand, I got -into the witness-box and was sworn. - -My evidence was to the effect already stated. As I described the man -I had seen under the lamp, with my face averted from the prisoner and -turned to the jury, I saw that they were making a careful comparison, -and that, allowing for the change wrought by twelve years, they found -that the description tallied closely with the man’s appearance. - -‘I produce this paper, on which I just now wrote certain questions, -to which the prisoner wrote the answers under my eyes. These are the -questions and answers: - -‘_Question._ Were you smoking when you came up to the corner of Hauraki -Street?—_Answer._ No. - -‘_Question._ Did you afterwards smoke?—_Answer._ I had no lights. - -‘_Question._ Did you try to get a light?—_Answer._ Yes, by climbing a -lamp at the corner; but I was not steady enough, and I remember I broke -my hat against the crossbar. - -‘_Question._ Where did you carry your pipe and tobacco?—_Answer._ In my -hat. - -‘Those answers,’ I concluded, ‘are absolutely correct in every -particular. The man whom I saw under the lamp, at eight o’clock on the -night of the murder, behaved as the answers indicate. That concludes -the evidence I have felt bound to tender.’ And I handed the slip of -paper to the usher for inspection by the jury. - -‘Prisoner,’ inquired the judge, ‘do you call any other witness?’ - -‘I do not, my lord.’ - -‘Then, gentlemen,’ said the judge, turning to the jury, ‘the one remark -that I shall make to you is this—that if you believe the story of the -prisoner’s witness, there can be little doubt but that the prisoner was -the man whom the witness saw at the corner of Hauraki Street at eight -o’clock on the night in question; and if that was so, it is clear, -on the case of the prosecution, that he cannot have committed this -murder. I should not be doing my duty if I did not point out to you -that the witness in question is likely, to say the least, to be without -bias in the prisoner’s favour, and that his evidence is very strongly -corroborated indeed by the prisoner’s answers to the written questions -put to him. Gentlemen, you will now consider your verdict.’ - -‘We are agreed, my lord,’ said the foreman. - -‘Gentlemen of the jury,’ sung out the clerk of arraigns, ‘are you all -agreed upon your verdict?’ - -‘We are.’ - -‘And that verdict is?’ - -‘Not guilty.’ - -‘And that is the verdict of you all?’ - -‘It is.’ - -There followed a burst of cheering which the usher could not silence, -but which silenced itself as the judge was seen to be speaking. ‘John -Harden—I am thankful, every man in this court is thankful, that your -trust in the mercy and power of the All-merciful and All-powerful -has not been in vain. You stand acquitted of a foul crime by the -unhesitating verdict of the jury, and most wonderful has been your -deliverance. You go forth a free man; and I am glad to think that the -goodness of God has been bestowed on one who has repented of his past -sins, and who is not likely, I hope and believe, to be unmindful of -that goodness hereafter.—You are discharged.’ - -Had he been left to himself, I think the prisoner’s old master would -have climbed into the dock, with the view of personally delivering -his servant out of the house of bondage. But he was restrained by a -sympathetic constable, while John Harden was re-conveyed for a short -time to the jail, to undergo certain necessary formalities connected -with his release from custody. I volunteered to take charge of Mr -Slocum, and took him to the vestibule of the prison, overwhelmed during -the short walk by thanks and praises. We were soon joined by Harden, -whose meeting with his master brought a lump into the throat even of -a tough criminal lawyer like myself. I saw them into a cab, and they -drove off to Mr Slocum’s hotel, after promising to call on me next day, -and enlighten me on certain points as to which I was still in the dark. - -As strange a part of my story as any, has yet to be told. I had hardly -got back to my office and settled down to read over the various letters -which were awaiting my signature, when my late client (Harden’s -prosecutor) was announced. I had lost sight of him in the excitement -which followed the acquittal. He did not wait to learn whether I was -engaged or not, but rushed after the clerk into my room. He was ashen -white, or rather gray, and his knees shook so that he could scarcely -stand; but his eyes positively blazed with wrath. Leaning over my -table, he proceeded, in the presence of the astonished clerk, to pour -upon me a flood of abuse and invective of the foulest kind. I had sold -him; I was in league with the prisoner. I was a swindling thief of a -lawyer, whom he would have struck off the rolls, &c.; until I really -thought he had gone out of his mind. - -As soon as I could get in a word, I curtly explained that it was no -part of a lawyer’s duty to try and hang a man whom he knew to be -innocent. As he only replied with abusive language, I ordered him -out of the office. The office quieted itself once more—being far too -busy, and also too well accustomed to eccentric people to have time -for long wonderment at anything—and in an hour I had finished my -work, and was preparing to leave for home, when another visitor was -announced—Inspector Forrester. - -‘Well, Mr Forrester, what’s the matter now? I’m just going off.’ - -‘Sorry if I put you out of the way, sir; but I thought you’d like to -hear what’s happened. The prosecutor in Harden’s case has given himself -up for the murder!’ - -‘What?’ I shouted. - -‘He just has, sir. It’s a queer day, this is. When I heard you get -up and give evidence for the man you were prosecuting, I thought -curiosities was over for ever; but seems they ain’t, and never will be.’ - -‘How was it?’ - -‘Well, he came into the station quite quiet, and seemed a bit cast -down, but that was all. Said fate was against him, and had saved the -man he thought to hang in his stead, and he knew how it must end, and -couldn’t wait any longer. I cautioned him, of course—told him to sleep -on it before he said anything; but make a statement he would. The short -of it all is, that the idea of murdering the old lady for her money -had come into his mind in a flash when he saw that poor drunken fool -exhibiting his knife in the tavern. He followed him, and picked his -pocket of the knife, and then hung about the house, meaning to get -in after dark. Then he saw the girl come out and go off, leaving the -door closed but not latched, the careless hussy! Then in slips the -gentleman, and does what he’d made up his mind to—for you see the old -woman knew him well, so he couldn’t afford to leave her alive—gets the -cash, and slips out. All in gold it was, two hundred and fifty pounds. -When he heard that Harden couldn’t be found, he got uneasy in his mind, -and has been getting worse ever since, though he did well enough in -trade with the money. Seems he considered he wasn’t safe until some one -had been hanged. So, when he recognised Harden, he was naturally down -on him at once, and was intensely eager to get him convicted—which I -noticed myself, sir, as of course you did, and thought it queer too, -I don’t doubt. He took too much pains, you see—he must employ you to -make certain, instead of leaving it to us; whereas if he hadn’t come to -you, your evidence would never have been given, and I think you’ll say -nothing could have saved the prisoner.’ - -It was true enough. The wretched man had insured the failure of his own -fiendish design by employing me, of all the solicitors to whom he might -have gone! - -I learned next morning, how Harden, after trying in vain to light his -pipe on that memorable evening, had wandered for hours through the -hard-hearted streets, until at daybreak he had found himself in the -docks, looking at a large ship preparing to drop down the river with -the tide. How he had managed to slip aboard unseen and stow himself -away in the hold, with some idea of bettering his not over-bright -fortunes in foreign parts. How he had supported his life in the hold -with stray fragments of biscuit, which he happened to have in his -pockets, until, after a day or two of weary beating about against -baffling winds, when they were out in mid-channel, the usual search for -stowaways had unearthed him. How the captain, after giving him plenty -of strong language and rope’s-end, had at length agreed to allow him -to work as a sailor on board the vessel. How on landing at Sydney he -had gone into the interior, taken service with his present master—under -another name than his own, wishing to disconnect himself entirely with -his former life—and by honestly doing his duty had attained his present -position. - -By the light of this narrative, that which had puzzled me became -perfectly clear—namely, how it was that he had contrived not only to -get so entirely lost in spite of the hue and cry after him, but also to -remain in ignorance of his aunt’s fate. - -My client was tried, convicted, and executed in due course; his plea of -guilty and voluntary surrender having no weight against the cruel and -cowardly attempt to put an innocent man in his place. - -When I last saw John Harden, he was married to a serious lady, who had -been his late master’s housekeeper, and was possessor of a prosperous -general shop in a country village, stocked by means of the money which -Mr Slocum had generously left him. - - - - -COIN TREASURES. - - -Man is a collecting animal. It would be absurd to ask what he collects; -more to the point would it be to ask what he does _not_ collect. -Books, pictures, marbles, china, precious stones, hats, gloves, pipes, -walking-sticks, prints, book-plates, monograms, postage-stamps, -hangmen’s ropes; the list might be increased indefinitely. - -What is it that impels us to heap up such treasures? We say ‘us,’ -because we are convinced that few escape untouched by the disease. It -may be dormant; it may possibly never show itself; but it is there, and -only wants a favourable conjunction of circumstances to bring it to -life. - -Of all the forms of the collecting mania, few have been so long in -existence as that of coins, and few seize us so soon. The articles are -portable, nice to look at, and of some intrinsic value. Every one knows -what a coin is, and when a lad happens to get hold of one struck, say, -two hundred years ago, he naturally is impressed by the fact. Every one -knows how easily the very young and the ignorant are taken by the mere -age of an article. The writer dates his acquaintance with numismatics -(the history of coins) from his receiving in some change a half-crown -of Charles II. when he was eleven years old. It was worn very much, but -it was two hundred years old, and that was enough. After that, a good -deal of pocket-money went in exchange for sundry copper, brass, and -silver coins, with the usual result. The collection was discovered to -be rubbish; but experience had been gained, and that, as is well known, -must be bought. - -The numismatist can head his list of devotees by the illustrious name -of Petrarch, who made a collection of Roman coins to illustrate the -history of the Empire. He was followed by Alfonso of Aragon; Pope -Eugenius IV.; Cosmo de’ Medici; Matthias Corvinus, king of Hungary; -the Emperor Maximilian I. The man dear to all book-lovers, Grolier, -had his cabinet of medals; Politian was the first to study them with -reference to their historical value. Gorlaeus succeeded him. Early in -the sixteenth century, Goltzius the engraver travelled over Europe -in search of coins, and reported the existence of about one thousand -cabinets. Our own collections appear to have begun with Camden; he was -followed by Sir Robert Cotton, Laud, the Earl of Arundel, both the -Charleses, the Duke of Buckingham, and Dr Mead in the early part of -last century. Later on, we come to the celebrated William Hunter—not -to be confounded with his still greater brother, John—who left to -the university of Glasgow his magnificent collection of Greek coins. -Archbishop Wake, Dr Barton, Dr Brown, and Dr Rawlinson formed cabinets -of considerable extent and value, all of which found a resting-place in -the colleges of Oxford. All these, however, were surpassed by Richard -Payne-Knight, who was born in the middle of the last century, and -formed the finest collection of Greek coins and bronzes that had ever -been brought together. It was valued at fifty thousand pounds, and he -left it to the nation. The catalogue drawn up by himself was published -in 1830 by the Trustees of the British Museum. - -At the date of this magnificent legacy, our national collection of -coins was of no importance; but since then, by purchase and bequest, -it has so greatly increased its stores, that it undoubtedly stands on -an equality with the French national collection, long above rivalry. -Donations during the lifetime of the owner, too, are not unknown. In -1861, Mr De Salis made the nation a present of his extensive cabinet of -Roman coins. In 1864, Mr E. Wigan called one morning on Mr Vaux, the -keeper of the coins and medals, and producing a case, told him that was -his cabinet of Roman gold medals. Would he be good enough to examine it -carefully, and choose for the Museum what he thought best? Needless to -say, no scruples were made by the head of the department; consultations -were held with the staff, with the result that two hundred and -ninety-one were chosen, representing a value, at a modest computation, -of nearly four thousand pounds. In 1866, Mr James Woodhouse of Corfu -left to the nation five thousand six hundred and seventy-four specimens -of Greek coins, mostly in the finest preservation; of these, one -hundred and one were gold, two thousand three hundred and eighty-seven -silver, three thousand one hundred and twenty-eight copper, and -fifty-eight lead. That year was particularly fruitful in acquisitions, -for no fewer than eleven thousand five hundred and thirty-two coins -were placed in the national cabinets. - -But it is impossible that mere donations could be depended on. In -every sale, the British Museum is a formidable competitor, and if, as -not unfrequently happens, it is outbidden by a private collector, it -has the advantage of an institution over a person, in that it lives -longer, and often has the opportunity of acquiring what it wants at -the dispersal of the cabinet of its rival. One of the most important -purchases ever made was that of the collection of the Duc de Blacas -in 1867, for which government got a vote of forty-five thousand seven -hundred and twenty-one pounds. Amongst its treasures were some two -thousand Greek and Roman coins, chiefly gold. - -All good and rare specimens gravitate naturally to the chief museums -of Europe, which would thus stand in the way of a private individual -forming a cabinet, were it not for the fact, that finds are continually -taking place, either unexpectedly or in consequence of excavations in -ancient countries. Only the other day, we noticed the sale of a large -lot of medieval coins at Paris, which had been discovered when pulling -down some ancient buildings. During the German excavations at Olympia, -extending over six years, some six thousand pieces of all ages from -500 B.C. to 600 A.D. were brought to light. These, however, became the -property of the Greek government, and are not likely to come into the -market. Some of the finds are most extraordinary. In 1818 were fished -up out of the river Tigris two large silver coins of Geta, king of -the Edoni; a Thracian people of whom we know only the name, and whose -king’s name is all that we have to tell us of his existence. These are -now in the British Museum, and are especially interesting as being -the earliest pieces we have stamped with a monarch’s name. Their date -is placed prior to 480 B.C. We have seen a coin of Philip Aridæus, -successor of Alexander the Great, struck at Mitylene, which was found -in the roots of a tree which was being grubbed up in a park in Suffolk. -The incident was inquired into at the time, and no doubt seems to have -arisen as to the fact of its having been found as alleged. Nearly -twenty years ago, General Philips discovered at Peshawur twenty milled -sixpences of Elizabeth. There was a tradition in the place that an -Englishman had been murdered there a very long time before, and the -tomb was shown. It is naturally inferred, therefore, that the coins had -belonged to him, or how else explain the find? When the railway was -being made from Smyrna to Aidin, a few dozen very ancient coins were -turned up, which were all sold at once at a few shillings each; but the -dealers hearing of this, soon appeared on the spot, and the original -buyers had the satisfaction of reselling the coins at four or five -pounds apiece. - -Smyrna is, as the most important city of Asia Minor, naturally the -headquarters of the dealers in Greek antiquities. Mr Whittall, a -well-known merchant there, had formed a very fine collection of coins -which was dispersed in London in 1867, and fetched two thousand seven -hundred and twenty-nine pounds. When excavating at the base of the -colossal statue of Athena, in her temple at Priene, Mr Clarke found -five tetradrachms of Orophernes, supposed to be the one who was made -king of Cappadocia by Demetrius in 158 B.C. These were absolutely -unique. In Cyprus, some years ago, the British consul at Larnaca -obtained a large hoard, which had been discovered during some building -operations. This was a particularly rich find, as amongst them happened -to be no fewer than thirty-four undescribed pieces of Philip, Alexander -the Great, and Philip Aridæus. Mr Wood, when excavating on the site -of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, came upon a lot of more than two -thousand coins of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. In 1876, -some workmen, when digging, came upon a vase containing, amongst -other relics of antiquity, some fifty electrum staters of Cyzicus and -Lampsacus, all of the end of the fifth century B.C. Only a few years -ago, in that most out-of-the-way part of Central Asia, more than a -hundred miles beyond the Oxus, was discovered a hoard of coins chiefly -of the Seleucidæ, dating from the third century B.C.—showing how far, -even in those early days, trade had been carried. A few of them, too, -were unknown pieces of Alexander the Great. Without being prepared to -go into exact particulars, we should imagine that a find in 1877 of -twenty-nine thousand eight hundred and two Roman coins in two vases in -Blackmoor Park, Hampshire, was one of the most extensive ever known. - -That coins are interesting, as giving us portraits of those who have -made some show in the world, is undoubted. It is equally true that by -their means we are made acquainted with the existence of kings and -kingdoms of whom history has left no records. The fact of a Greek -kingdom of Bactria occupying that even yet comparatively unexplored -region, half-way between the Caspian and the Himalaya, was revealed to -the world only some fifty years ago by the finding of coins bearing -portraits and legends of the Greek-speaking rulers. An extremely large -silver piece in the British Museum, supposed to belong to a period -anterior to 480 B.C. and struck by the Odomanti of Thrace, a tribe of -whom we know nothing, was found at Ishtib. In the same collection is -a large silver coin of the Orrescii, an unknown Macedonian people, -which was found in Egypt, along with a very early drachma of Terone, -and a large decadrachm of Derronikos, a king unknown to history. These -are supposed to have been carried to Egypt by some of the soldiers of -Xerxes, during their retreat from Greece after the battle of Platæa. - -The greatest sale of coins by public auction, we should imagine, -was that of Lord Northwick, in December 1859, and April 1860. The -former consisted of Greek coins only, and produced eight thousand -five hundred and sixty-eight pounds; the latter, of Roman and later -pieces, fetched three thousand three hundred and twenty pounds. The -Greek coins were especially fine and rare, and some of them unique. -One, a large piece of Camarina, bearing as reverse a nymph carried by -a swan, a specimen of highest Greek art, went for fifty-two pounds to -the British Museum. A splendid piece of Agrigentum, with reverse of the -monster Scylla, fetched one hundred and fifty-nine pounds. A coin of -Cleopatra, queen of Syria, daughter of Ptolemy VI. of Egypt, and wife -successively of Alexander I., Demetrius II., and Antiochus VII., and -mother of Seleucus V., and the sixth and seventh Antiochi—all kings -of Syria—was bought by the British Museum for two hundred and forty -pounds. It is said to be the only one known. Altogether our national -collection obtained one hundred specimens at a cost of nine hundred -pounds. Lord Northwick had lived to a great age; but up to the last -he preserved his faculties, and indulged his passion for ancient art -by buying and exchanging objects. His pictures, statuary, everything, -in fact, came to the hammer after his death. The years between -1790 and 1800 were spent by him in Italy, and he gained his early -initiation into antiquities under the eye of Sir William Hamilton, -the well-known ambassador at Naples. His first purchase is said to -have been an after-dinner frolic in the shape of eight pounds for a -bag of Roman brass coins. He and Payne-Knight bought and divided the -fine collections of Prince Torremuzza and Sir Robert Ainslie—for the -latter of which they gave eight thousand pounds. Since his lordship’s -sale, there has been nothing to approach it. Fine though small cabinets -have not been wanting, however, and the enthusiast can always find -something with which to feed his passion. At Huxtable’s sale, in 1859, -the collection fetched an unusually large sum. Hobler’s Roman cabinet -of brass coins was sold for one thousand seven hundred and fifty-nine -pounds; Merlin’s, containing one hundred and forty-one lots of Greek -and Roman, produced eight hundred and seventy-eight pounds; Sheppard’s -Greek, nineteen hundred pounds; Huber’s, containing some hundreds of -unpublished Greek, three thousand; Ivanoff’s, three thousand and eight -pounds; Bowen, one thousand five hundred and fifty-three pounds; Brown, -three thousand and twelve pounds; Sambon, three thousand one hundred -and forty-eight pounds; Exereunetes, containing several supposed to be -unique, one thousand four hundred and twenty-one. The Sambon sale is -memorable for the fact that a brass medallion of Geta, of the intrinsic -value of twopence, was knocked down at five hundred and five pounds! - -Every one who has read the _Antiquary_, whether bibliomaniac or not, -can enjoy the glowing description by Monkbarns: ‘Snuffy Davie bought -the _Game of Chess_, 1474, the first book ever printed in England, from -a stall in Holland, for about two groschen, or twopence of our money. -He sold it to Osborne for twenty pounds and as many books as came to -twenty pounds more. Osborne resold this inimitable windfall to Dr Askew -for sixty guineas. At Dr Askew’s sale, this inestimable treasure blazed -forth in its full value, and was purchased by royalty itself for one -hundred and seventy pounds.—Could a copy now occur,’ he ejaculated with -a deep sigh and lifted-up hands—‘what would be its ransom!’ - -The progress of intelligence has affected coins in these days no less -than books. It is only in the very out-of-the-way places that coins -are to be picked up for a song. The chief hunting-ground, Asia Minor, -is well looked after by the dealers, and the private collector has, of -course, to pay them their profit. The increase in value may be gauged -by the following instance: A gold coin of Mithridates, the size of our -half-sovereign, fetched twenty-five guineas in 1777. In 1817 it came -to the hammer, and was knocked down at eighty pounds to a well-known -collector. Unfortunately for him, a duplicate soon afterwards appeared -in a sale, and he had to pay ninety pounds for that. Later on still, -a third turned up, and that fell to his bid at a hundred pounds. Yet -a fourth came to light in 1840. The owner of the three bid up to a -hundred and ten pounds, but had to give in to a bid of a hundred and -thirteen pounds from a rival. Fancy his feelings! The rare brass -medallions of Commodus, intrinsic value twopence or threepence, fetch -up to thirty pounds, and the large pieces of Syracuse, the finest coins -perhaps that we know of, regularly run up to fifty and sixty pounds. -It is evident, therefore, that it is not every one who can indulge the -passion for coin-collecting. At a little expense, however, electrotypes -which are absolute facsimiles can be obtained from the British Museum, -and this fact, which is not generally known, should result in the -spread of a knowledge of Greek art; for it must not be forgotten that -in the early coinage of the Greek race the progress of art can be -traced as completely as in any now existing remains. - - - - -MY FELLOW-PASSENGER. - - -IN TWO CHAPTERS.—CHAPTER I. - -To say that the real zest of an Englishman’s delight in England and -English home-life is only attained after residence or travel in other -countries, is to quote something like a truism. To this influence at -least was owing in great measure the feeling of quite indescribable -pleasure with which, after a not altogether successful six months of -big-game hunting in the interior of Africa—a very far-away country -indeed in those days, when no cable communication existed with -England—I found myself on board the good ship _Balbriggan Castle_ -(Captain Trossach), as she steamed slowly out of the Cape Town Docks -on a lovely June evening in 187-, homeward bound. I had come from one -of the eastern ports of the colony in sole occupation of a cabin; -and though I knew we had taken on board a large number of passengers -that afternoon, I was not a little put out to find, on going below, -that the berth above mine had been filled, and that the inestimable -blessing of solitude was to be denied me for the next twenty days -or so. However, there was no help for it; and with the best grace I -could command, I answered my fellow-traveller’s courteous expressions -of regret with a hope that the voyage would be a pleasant one. The -new-comer was a tall, slightly-built, and strikingly handsome man, of -about thirty, remarkable for a slow deliberative manner of speech, with -which an occasional nervous movement of the features seemed oddly at -variance. On a travelling-bag, as to the exact disposition of which he -was especially solicitous, I caught sight of the letters P. R. in big -white capitals. These being my own initials, the coincidence, though -commonplace enough, furnished a topic of small-talk which sufficed to -fill up the short time intervening before dinner, and ended, naturally -enough, in the discovery of my new friend’s name—Paul Raynor—given, as -I afterwards remembered, with some little hesitation, but producing a -much finer effect of sound than my own unmelodious Peter Rodd. - -At dinner, I found my place laid opposite to Raynor; and thus, -notwithstanding the claims of an excellent appetite and the desire -to take stock of other passengers, I had again occasion to observe -the painful twitching of the fine features, recurring with increased -frequency as he, too, looked round at those about him, and seemed -to scan each in turn with more than ordinary deliberation. The man -interested me greatly; and as I listened to his conversation with some -Englishmen near, and noted the dry humour with which he hit off the -peculiarities of the worthy colonists we were leaving behind, I saw at -once that here at least was promise of relief to the monotony of the -voyage, of which I should be constantly able to avail myself. - -A sea like glass, and a temperature of unusual mildness for a June -evening in those latitudes, drew every one on deck, and ensconcing -myself in a pleasant corner just behind the too often violated -legend, ‘No smoking abaft the companion,’ I proceeded to illuminate -a mild Havana cigar, when I was joined by Raynor, with whom, after -a good-humoured joke anent my unsuccessful attempt to obtain that -solitude which the cabin could no longer afford, I renewed our -conversation of the afternoon, passing from generalities to more -personal matters, and sowing in a few hours the seeds of a friendship -destined to grow and ripen with that marvellous rapidity only to be -attained by the forcing process of life on board a passenger-ship. - -Nothing could exceed the frankness of Raynor’s own story, as he told -it me in brief before we turned in that night. One of a large family -of sons, he had conceived an unconquerable dislike to the profession -of teaching, to which, in lieu of one of a more lucrative nature, -he had found himself compelled to turn. The suggestion of a friend, -that he should try his luck in the colonies, was hardly made before -it was acted upon; and a few weeks found him in an up-country town -at the Cape, where his letters of introduction speedily brought him -employment in a well-known and respected house of business. Here he -rose rapidly; and having, by care and occasional discreet speculation, -saved a few hundreds, was now on his way home, with four months’ leave -of absence, professedly as a holiday trip, but really, as he admitted -to me, to see what chances presented themselves of investing his small -capital and procuring permanent employment in England. In answer to my -question, whether his absence after so short a time of service might -not conceivably affect his prospects in the firm, he replied, that his -intention of remaining at home had not been communicated to any one; -and that, should no suitable opening offer in England, he would, upon -returning to the colony, resume his former position with Messrs ——, -whose word to that effect had been given. - -‘Do you know any one on board?’ said I carelessly, when his short -narration was over, and after I had in turn imparted to him a few dry -and unrefreshing facts as to my own humble personality. - -‘Why do you ask?’ - -I was taken aback at the sharp, almost angry voice in which the words -were uttered; but, strong in the harmless nature of my question, I -replied: ‘Because I thought I saw a man at the next table to ours at -dinner trying to catch your eye, as if he knew you.’ - -‘Daresay he did. One gets to know such an unnecessary lot of skunks in -the colonies!’ Uttering these remarkable words hurriedly and in a tone -of intense irritation, Paul Raynor strode away, and I saw him no more -that night. - - * * * * * - -Our cabin was on the starboard side of the ship, and the morning sun -streamed in and laid his glorious mandate upon me and all sluggards -to be up and stirring. Raynor, who had the berth above me, seemed -to have obeyed the call still earlier, for he was gone. Mounting, a -little later, to the poop-deck, I arrived just in time to find him -in conversation with the odd-looking little Dutchman I had noticed -watching Raynor at dinner, and to hear the former say, in that -queer-sounding Cape English, which, at a few paces distant, is hardly -to be distinguished from Cape Dutch: ‘My name is Jan van Poontjes; and -I remember better as anything ’ow I met you six or five months ago by -Pieteraasvogelfontein with young Alister of the Kaapstadt Bank, eh?’ -To which Raynor replied: ‘I can only assure you again, sir, that you -are mistaken. My name is Paul Raynor, and I have never had the honour -of seeing you in my life before.’ Turning on his heel, Mynheer van -Poontjes shuffled away, expressing _sotto voce_ his readiness to be -immediately converted into ‘biltong,’ if he wasn’t right about the -‘_verdomd Englischmann_.’ - -Directly he caught sight of me, Raynor left his seat, and coming -hastily forward, said: ‘Mr Rodd, I owe you many apologies for my -unpardonable rudeness of last night. I am blessed with the vilest of -tempers, which, after years of effort, is not yet under my control. -Will you forget the episode? Believe me, I shall not offend again.’ - -My answer need not be recorded. But it struck me as odd at the time, -that when our reconciliation was complete, and we were pacing the -deck for the short half-hour before breakfast, my companion made no -reference whatever to the Dutchman’s mistake, not even evincing the -slightest curiosity to know whether Poontjes was the same man whose -regards I had observed so intently fixed upon him. Possibly he was -not aware that I had been a witness of the interview, or, as seemed -more probable, he avoided alluding to a subject so directly tending to -recall his extraordinary outburst of the previous night. - -The voyage was a quiet one enough, in spite of the very large -number of passengers. Three really charming sisters were undergoing -a well-sustained siege at the hands of a dozen or so of the most -presentable young men, and at least one engagement was shortly -expected. Theatricals were projected; but fortunately the ‘company’ -would _not_ attend rehearsals, and we were spared. One or two -concerts were got up, at which feeble young men complacently rubbed -fiddle-strings with rosined bows, and evoked flat and melancholy -sounds, expressing no surprise when subsequently complimented on their -‘violin-playing.’ An opulent but unlovely Jew from the Diamond Fields -created a diversion by singing, without notice given, a song of the -music-hall type—refrain, ‘Oh, you ridic’lous man, why dew yer look so -shy!’ &c.; and was genuinely hurt when the captain suggested his ‘going -for’ard next time he wanted an audience for _that_ song.’ Several -ladies, of several ages, displayed their varied musical acquirements; -and Raynor surprised everybody one day by giving us the _Village -Blacksmith_ in a round clear baritone, of which no one imagined him to -be the possessor. - -During these first ten days at sea, Raynor had, apparently without -any striving after popularity, established himself as a universal -favourite. The children adored him from the first, thereby securing him -a straight road to the mothers’ hearts, who in their turn spoke warmly -in his praise to the younger ladies on board. These last felt strongly -his superiority to the other very ordinary young men, enjoyed his -conversation greatly, and were perhaps the least bit afraid of him. - -Raynor’s fondness for and influence with children were altogether -remarkable. Early in the voyage, a tiny trot of four had tripped -and fallen sharply on the deck at his feet. As he lifted her ever -so tenderly in his arms and stroked the poor little hurt knee, the -child looked up at him through her tears and asked: ‘Is you _weally_ -sorry?’ ‘Yes, indeed—I am, Nellie.’ ‘Then me’s better,’ came the -little sobbing answer; and forthwith she nestled closer to him, and -was comforted. This incident evidently produced a profound effect upon -the other children playing near, who thereafter lost no opportunity of -showing ‘the tall man’ that he might consider himself entirely one of -themselves. - -My own intimacy with him grew daily stronger, and our mutual friendship -became so firm that we began to project various plans of business and -pleasure for months to come in England. How often, in after-days, did -I stop to think wonderingly of the man’s earnestness, the intense -absorption with which he would ponder upon the relative merits of -different undertakings, each more certain than the last to make our -fortunes! Was he for the moment actually deceiving himself? or did -the habit of concentrated thought forbid him to discuss otherwise -than gravely, projects of whose very initiation he alone knew the -impossibility? - -Raynor spent his money freely, though without ostentation; and I hardly -knew whether to be surprised or not when he applied to me one day for a -loan of twenty-five pounds, explaining that he had lost rather heavily -at cards during the past few days, and having only brought a limited -supply of ready cash for the voyage, he found himself for the moment -rather inconveniently short. Fortunately, I was in a position to supply -his needs; and when we went ashore at Madeira the next afternoon, he -invested a small fortune in sweets, toys, and native gimcracks for his -army of little friends on board, including an exquisite model of one -of the quaint little Funchal carts, destined for a poor crippled lad -amongst the passengers in the fore-part of the ship. - - * * * * * - -Four or five days later, and signs of the approaching end began to be -visible in the shape of Railway Guides on the saloon tables, great ease -in the procuring of hitherto impossible luxuries from the stewards, and -the appearance on the scene of certain towzled officials not previously -observed, but with ‘backsheesh’ writ plain on each grimy feature. -Raynor and I had during the last few days matured our plans for the -immediate future. These were to include a week in town, another on the -river, some visits to friends, and, if possible, a few days with the -grouse towards the end of August. After this, a tentative negotiation -with a City House with a view to the fruition of a certain scheme upon -which my friend built great hopes. - -Musing pleasurably upon these and other prospective delights, I turned -in at ten o’clock, determined to get a few hours’ good sleep before -reaching Plymouth—where we expected to put in at four or five o’clock -in the morning, to land mails and some few passengers—the rest going on -with the ship to Southampton. I had not slept more than an hour or two -at most, when I was awakened by a sensation, known to even the soundest -of sleepers, as if something were going on near me of which I ought to -know. Looking out half-dreamily from my berth, I saw that Raynor was -standing in the cabin, a lighted taper placed on a small shelf near -him. I was about to close my eyes, when I became aware that there was -something unusual in his appearance and actions. Instead of undressing -himself for the night, he stood half bent over a locker opposite, upon -which was lying open the travelling-bag I have referred to as being -the object of his special care at the outset of the voyage. From this -he drew one after another a number of small brown packets, in size -and look not unlike gun-cartridges—which, indeed, in the dim light of -the taper, I took them to be—hurriedly passing them into the various -pockets of a light overcoat I now noticed him to be wearing. Still -drowsily watching his movements, I was surprised to see him unroll from -a bundle of wraps a thick heavy ulster, and putting it on, proceed to -transfer more of the queer little brown-paper parcels to the pockets -of this second garment. I was now fairly awake, and with a perhaps -rather tardy recognition of the unfairness of my espionage, I coughed -an artfully prepared cough, so toned as to convey the impression that I -had that moment come from the land of dreams. - -‘Hullo!’ I said, with the uneasy drawl of somnolence, ‘is that you?’ - -He started, and made a movement as if trying to stand full between me -and the valise, as he answered: ‘Yes; I am just putting away one or -two things.’ Then, after a moment’s pause, during which I heard him -lock and fasten the bag, ‘I’m afraid,’ he said, ‘you will think me a -terribly shifty fellow, Peter, but the fact is, I know those old people -in Cornwall will never forgive me if I don’t go and see them whilst I’m -at home; and I’m equally positive that if I put it off now, I shall -never get anywhere near them’—— - -‘And so you’ve suddenly made up your mind to get out at Plymouth, and -leave me to go on to town alone,’ said I, interrupting, with a feeling -of keener disappointment than I cared to show. ‘I see it all. Never -mind. I can bear it. I was born to suffer.’ - -‘So you will say when I have finished,’ was the laughing reply. ‘After -all, though, it is only putting off our little jaunt for a few days. -Meanwhile, will you do me a favour? I cannot descend upon the old folks -with a heap of luggage; and besides, this concern’—pointing to the -valise—‘holds everything I am likely to need. Therefore, I want you, -like a good boy as you are, to pass through the Customs with your own -things, my two portmanteaus which are in the hold, and take them up to -town with you. Go to the rooms you spoke of, and I will join you in a -week from to-day.’ - -‘All right, you unblushing deserter. Have it as you will. But remember, -if you are not at No. 91 Savile Street by Thursday evening next, I -shall “cause your goods to be sold to defray expenses, and reserve to -myself the right of deciding what to do with the proceeds,” as the -Tipperary lawyers have it.’ - -‘Do; only keep something to remind you of the biggest scoundrel you are -ever likely to know,’ he replied, laughing again, but with a curious -ring in his voice, of which, I think, I shall never quite lose the -memory. Its effect at the moment was to set me thinking whether this -new move of Paul’s might not portend the upsetting of all our schemes. - -‘Here, Peter,’ he went on—‘here is what I owe you, with many thanks. -You don’t mind having it all in gold, do you? Those fellows have been -giving me a very decent revenge at loo the last night or two, and this -is the result!’ holding up a handful of sovereigns, and proceeding to -pour twenty-five of them with a horrible clatter into my washing-basin. - -‘Haven’t you got any English notes?’ I asked, wondering sleepily what -I should do with all these sovereigns in addition to an existing small -supply of my own. - -‘Not one,’ answered Raynor. ‘Now, go to sleep; and I’ll come down -and awake you when we’re within anything like reasonable distance of -Plymouth. It’s no use turning in for the short time that’s left, so I -shall go up and smoke a pipe and watch for the first sight of the land -of my birth.’ He then went out into the soft air of the July night, -looking strangely uncouth in a superfluity of wraps such as no man -would throw about him only to meet the light breeze that just precedes -a summer dawn. - -A few hours afterwards, I was leaning over the taffrail waving good-bye -to my friend as he stood near the wheel of the little tender that bore -him and some half-dozen others to the shore. There had been a deep -sadness in his eyes at parting; and the foreboding of the night before -changed now to a chill conviction that Paul Raynor and I should meet no -more. - - * * * * * - -‘So your friend has just now landed already, eh?’ said the voice of -Mr van Poontjes, a gentleman with whom I had not exchanged a dozen -words during the voyage, but who now, planting himself heavily on the -deck-chair next mine, gave evidence of his intention to put a full stop -to my enjoyment of the book which I was struggling to finish before -delivering it to its owner that evening. - -‘Yes,’ I replied wearily, wondering a little whether this worthy but -slightly repulsive individual was going to stay long, and mentally -laying plans of escape to meet the contingency. - -‘Well, now,’ he continued, ‘I dessay you consider your Mister Raynor a -jolly fine feller, eh?’ - -Suppressing the instantaneous impulse to take the little boer by the -collar and shake him, I answered: ‘Mr Raynor is a friend of mine, as -you are aware; and as I am not in the habit of discussing my friends -with strangers, perhaps you will leave me to my book!’ - -‘Strangers, eh! Stranger to you, per’aps, yes! but not stranger to -Mister—what do you call ’im?—Raynor! Eh, I could tell you something’—— - -‘Now, look you here, Mr van Poontjes,’ I burst out; ‘you have -courageously waited to speak like this until Mr Raynor is no longer -here to answer you. But I happen to have heard that gentleman inform -you with his own lips that he had never set eyes on you until the day -you met on board this ship; and therefore to say that you are not a -stranger to Mr Raynor is equivalent to the assertion that Mr Raynor has -told a lie. You had better not dare to repeat that statement either to -me or to any other passenger on board.—Now, good-morning; and take care -that mischievous tongue of yours doesn’t get you into trouble yet!’ - -As the little crowd that these angry words had brought about us moved -away, a few clustering inquisitively round the little Dutchman, my -reading was once more postponed by Jack Abinger, the second officer, -a man with whom Raynor and I had struck up something of a friendship. -‘Hullo, Rodd,’ he said, strolling up to where I sat, ‘what’s all the -row about? I saw you from my cabin standing in the recognised attitude -of the avenger, apparently slating Mynheer van Poontjes as if he were a -pickpocket.’ After listening to my story of what had occurred, he said: -‘Ah, a clear case of mistaken identity! But, I say, talking of Paul -Raynor, it was a pity, as far as he was concerned, that we couldn’t -have got to Plymouth a day or two earlier.’ - -‘What do you mean?’ I asked surprisedly. - -‘Only, that he would have gone ashore a richer man by a good bit. -Surely he told you what a bad time he’s been having of it lately? -Anybody else would have been stone-broke long ago. And last night, by -way of a finish, that unspeakable little reptile, Barnett Moss, took a -lot of money out of him at écarté. Never saw a man hold such cards in -my life!’ - -‘It’s a good thing Paul was able to pay the little beast,’ I said, -trying to speak easily, and miserably failing, as I recalled what had -passed between us the night before. - -‘Pay!’ replied Abinger; ‘I believe you! Why, Paul must have brought a -perfect bank on board with him! I only hope he hasn’t lost enough to -spoil his holiday.’ - -‘Never mind, Jack; he’ll be all right. He has gone to stay with friends -in Cornwall for a week—to economise, I expect.’ - -‘A week!’ shouted Jack. ‘Why, I know I shouldn’t be able to go ashore -for the next year or two, if I had had his bad luck!’ And he ran off on -some duty or other, leaving me in perplexed and restless cogitation. -If, as Abinger said, Paul had ‘brought a perfect bank on board with -him’—the words ran in my head—what could have been his object in -seeking to produce exactly the opposite impression upon myself—even -going so far as to borrow money during the voyage ostensibly to -replace his losses—repaying the amount, too, at the very moment when -his ill-luck had reached a climax, with a few light words about the -‘revenge’ which, as it now appeared, he had been so very far from -obtaining? The whole affair was inexplicable and disquieting; and I -was glad when the necessity for making my final preparations left me -little further time for thoughts which, do what I would, kept crossing -the border-line into the hateful regions of doubt. - - - - -A SKATING REGIMENT. - -BY A NORWEGIAN. - - -The following account of a Norwegian corps of soldiers, called in -their language _skielober-corpset_, as they existed some years since, -will no doubt be interesting to readers of your _Journal_. Whether any -changes have been made of late years, the writer is unable to say. The -denomination _skielober_ (skater) comes from _skie_, which signifies a -long plank, narrow and thin, fastened upon the feet for sliding on the -snow. - -It is well known that during four or five months of the year Norway is -covered with snow, which at a few leagues’ distance from the borders -of the sea is driven into such heaps as to render it impossible for -the traveller to go out of the beaten track, either on foot or on -horseback. It is even found necessary to clear this road after every -fall of snow, which is done by means of a machine in the form of a -plough, pointed at the front, and of a triangular shape. It is drawn by -horses. It pierces and levels the snow at one and the same time, and -thus opens a passable road. Notwithstanding these difficulties, hunting -has at all times been the great sport and exercise of that country, -formerly abounding in fierce animals, and still in deer and most kinds -of smaller game. Hunting is indeed an occupation which appears to be in -a peculiar manner prescribed to the inhabitants by the shortness of the -days and the length of the winters. It is therefore natural that the -Norwegian should have occupied himself from the earliest period about -the means of quitting his hut and penetrating into the forest in every -direction and with all possible speed. The _skier_ or skates presented -these means. - -Let us figure in our minds two planks of wood as broad as the hand, and -nearly of the thickness of the little finger, the middle underneath -being hollowed, to prevent vacillation, and to facilitate the advancing -in a direct line. The plank fastened under the left foot is ten feet -in length; that intended for the right is only six, or thereabouts; -both of them are bent upwards at the extremities, but higher before -than behind. They are fastened to the feet by leather straps, attached -to the middle, and for this purpose are formed a little higher and -stronger in that part. The plank of the right foot is generally lined -below with the skin of the reindeer or the sea-wolf, so that in drawing -the feet successively in right and parallel lines with skates thus -lined with skins, and very slippery in the direction of the hair, the -skater finds them nevertheless capable of resistance, by affording -a kind of spring when he would support himself with one foot in a -contrary direction, as by such movements he raises up the hair or -bristly part of the skin. It is affirmed that an expert skater, however -loose and uncompact the snow may be, will go over more ground in an -open place, and will continue his course for a longer time together, -than the best horse can do upon the trot over the finest and best -paved road. If a mountain is to be descended, he does it with such -precipitation, that he is obliged to moderate his flight, to avoid -losing his breath. He ascends more slowly, and with some trouble, -because he is compelled to make a zigzag course; but he arrives at the -summit as soon as the best walker or foot-soldier, with this advantage, -that however little consistence the snow may have acquired, he can -never sink into it. - -Experience has proved that in spite of the multiplied obstacles -produced by the rigour of the winter, the Norwegians have often been -attacked by their enemies in precisely such seasons; and from the above -manner of going out to hunt, and undertaking long journeys, it was -not at all surprising that the forming of a military corps of skaters -should be thought of. The whole body consisted of two battalions, -one stationed in the north, the other in the south. Its strength was -nine hundred and sixty men. The uniform consisted of a short jacket -or waistcoat, a gray surtout with a yellow collar, gray pantaloons, -and a black leather cap. The skater’s arms were—a carabine, hung in a -leather belt passing over the shoulder; a large _couteau de chasse_; -and a staff three yards and a half long, to the end of which is affixed -a pointed piece of iron. At a little distance from the extremity it -is surrounded by a circular projecting piece of iron, which serves -principally to moderate his speed in going down-hill. The skater then -puts it between his legs, and contrives to draw it in that manner; or -he drags it by his side; or uses it to help himself forward, when he -has occasion to ascend a hill; in short, he makes use of it according -to the occasion and the circumstances in which he may be placed. -Besides this, it affords a support to the firelock, when the skater -wishes to discharge its contents. With such a rest, the Norwegian -peasant fires a gun dexterously, and very seldom misses his aim. - -The corps of skaters, to this service adds that of the ordinary -chasseurs, of which they might be considered as making a part; they -fulfil all the functions of those troops, and only differ from them -by marching on skates. This gives them a considerable advantage over -others. The skaters, moving with great agility, and, from the depth -of the snow, being out of the reach of the pursuit of cavalry as well -as infantry, are enabled with impunity to harass the columns of the -enemy in their march, on both sides of the road, running little or no -danger themselves. Even cannon-shot could produce little effect upon -men spread here and there at the distance of two or three hundred -paces. Their motions are besides so quick, that at the moment when it -is believed they are still to be aimed at, they have disappeared, to -come in sight again when least expected. Should the enemy be inclined -to take his repose, this is the precise time for the skater to show -his superiority, whatever may have been the precautions taken against -him. There is no moment free from the attack of troops which have -no need of either roads or bypaths; crossing indifferently marshes, -lakes, and rivers, provided there be but ice and snow. No corps could -be more proper in winter for reconnoitring and giving accounts of the -enemy, and, in short, for performing the functions of couriers. It -may be conceived, however, that they find great difficulty in turning, -on account of the length of their skates. This, however, is not the -case; they make a retrograde motion with the right foot, to which the -shortest plank is attached, and put it vertically against the left. -They then raise the left foot, and place it parallel to the right, by -which movement they have made a _half_-face; if they would face about, -they repeat the manœuvre. - -In the ordinary winter exercise, the skaters draw up in three ranks, at -the distance of three paces between each file, and eight paces between -each rank, a distance which they keep in all their movements—whenever -they do not disperse—in order that they may not be incommoded in the -use of their skates. When there is occasion to fire, the second and -third ranks advance towards the first. Their baggage—kettles, bottles, -axes, &c.—is conveyed upon sledges, or carriages fixed on skates, and -easily drawn by men, by the help of a leather strap passing from the -right shoulder to the left side, like that of a carabineer. - - - - -ECHOES. - - - Ofttimes when Even’s scarlet flag - Floats from the crest of distant woods, - And over moorland waste and crag - A weary, voiceless sorrow broods; - Around me hover to and fro - The ghosts of songs heard long ago. - - And often midst the rush of wheels, - Of passing and repassing feet, - When half a headlong city reels - Triumphant down the noontide street, - Above the tumult of the throngs - I hear again the same old songs. - - Rest and Unrest—’tis strange that ye, - Who lie apart as pole from pole, - Should sway with one strong sovereignty - The secret issues of the soul; - Strange that ye both should hold the keys - Of prisoned tender memories. - - It maybe when the landscape’s rim - Is red and slumberous round the west, - The spirit too grows still and dim, - And turns in half-unconscious quest - To those forgotten lullabies - That whilom closed the infant’s eyes. - - And maybe, when the city mart - Roars with its fullest, loudest tide, - The spirit loses helm and chart, - And on an instant, terrified, - Has fled across the space of years - To notes that banished childhood’s fears. - - We know not—but ’tis sweet to know - Dead hours still haunt the living day, - And sweet to hope that, when the slow - Sure message beckons us away, - The Past may send some tuneful breath - To echo round the bed of death. - - L. J. G. - - * * * * * - -Printed and Published by W. & R. CHAMBERS, 47 Paternoster Row, LONDON, -and 339 High Street, EDINBURGH. - - * * * * * - -_All Rights Reserved._ - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL OF POPULAR -LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART, FIFTH SERIES, NO. 16, VOL. I, APRIL 19, -1884 *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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