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Leader (1850-1860), 8th August 1857, Edition 1 of 2, Page 759

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      of London is marked with a black stain ,=--Btreet after street is added to the condemned districts , and by degrees a whole city withm Tcityis growing to colossal dimensions . l > ispersJit ! Dispfrse the waters of the deluge P this evil is to be got rid of by ignoring it—as if any disease can be cured by refusing to know the symp toms ! The people in the Bloomsbury Court are said to have been thrilled with horror while Mrs Kogebs explained her own relations to the mistress of the house , in the presence ot her mistress ' s sister , her own daughter , tne young and beautiful Thebesa . ; . but how is it that No . 1 Eccleston-place , supports such an

      , establishment , with its butler , housekeeper , and secretary ? Are we to consign the unhappy Sutler to everlasting alienation from corks and refreshment for his share in the wickedness of the mansion ? Is the secretary to be utterly condemned , or even the wretched mother ; and is redemption to wait upon those ' gentlemen' whom Lady Agnjes * sees , ' and without whom No . 1 , Ecclestonplace , would be not different from No . 901—if there is any difference now . For there is not always the difference that people assume in these cases ; and we are not at all sure that ' the gentlemen' are unrepresented or silent even in the ' representative councils

      of some parishes . No , this is a traffic which actually owes its origin , maintenance , and large development to that preux chevalier the English gentleman and his follower , the British geut . We meet both in society ; but how rude it is even to allude to Lady Agues at the dinner-table—unless it is her own tahle .

      Untitled Article

      CONVERSATIONS AT OSBORNE . ' Pbivate' cotifi ' dential—such are the special characteristics of the visit paid by Louis Napoleon to Osbome . We are assured that it will be only private , — ' such as oue family pays to another . ' Strange family visits those , in which the whole of the estate is dotted with police ; for the Isle of Wight at present is placed in custody . S trange visits which forbid all boats , on any pretext whatsoever , to near the place where the visitors are > recreating themselves ; strange

      visit in which foreign police are brought over especially to assist in guarding all the land and sea approaches . It is quite impossible that any visitor whoso safety it is thus necessary to protect , as if the very blades of grass were to rise up and stab him , could , he come , eat , drink , and be merry , and have nothing to say for himself , but the ordinary common-places of a country visit — and , Heavens ! what common-places those are !

      The Emperor will spend a very few daysindeed but a few hours—^ -in this wonderful privacy of which the ease is more than an a 3 striplex . Besides the long-headed Emperor of the lYench , there will be the lovely Empress , — -so amply protected by the two hundred yards of silk and crinoline that history describes her to be cased in . But other's also will come . Thei'e will be the much

      experienced Clahendout and his Countess ; the Countess Walkwsica , whose husband is aiming at Polish estates , aud tlio Count himself with his BoNArAitxw blood , his Russian predileotiona , his antipathy to the Belgian proas and Piodmonteso constitutionalism , and his visions of the future . Also , especially invited , Count » 13 . Pj 2 KsiUNy , formerly M . 1 iaxin , who has assisted in some of tho most difficult Schemes tlint ever were carried to

      success ; likewise his Countess , who will adoru the Royal saloon ! Item ; Lord Paj&-WEWSton ; nnd though last not least , a lady whose soirttes have long been regarded na a kind of third Chamber of . Parliament—on

      an Onele des Indes , ' but an * Oncle aux ' a French contingent ? Thus , Trance and England , by laying their heads together , may dispose of Russian interests in the East . At all events , even the independent JPresse volunteers assistance . ' France , in saving the British Empire in India , ' will acquire a right to certain territorial restitutions , for India is an inheritance of France as well as of England . ' We hope , after this , to hear of no joint-stock expeditions to Canton or

      Cal-Indes irresponsible Privy Council— . Lady Paj , M 3 DBston . A remarkable party ! . ¦ . . la this a party to waste precious time m common-places P Can we not to a dead certainty fasten upon some of the subjects that will occur after dinner , or over the coflee i Will considerations of state or appetite for a moment prevent the politest ; of guests from hinting at the difficulty that overwhelms England in India ? And may he not offer , not

      cutta . Naples !—well the least said about that the better . For even French po liteness will hardly restrain a horse laugh at the smoke of our demonstration against King Bomba . Onlv perhaps our gay Premier may be the first ~ to lead the laugh . Say no more about it . We will sink Naples , cries France , if you will sink Piedmont . And easy is the art of sinking for England now-a-days . That settles the fate of Italy . Then there are those troublesome

      Principalities— " How shall we settle it , your Majesty ? " " Toss up , " cries a silver voice . An imperial hand takes a gold napoleon out of the right-hand breast-pocket : — " Heads I win , tails you lose , " cries that silent man , with his sly sparkle of the eye ; and sure enough it is tlie eagle that turns up ! That disposes of Austrian interests .

      Besides , if France graciously allows us to make poncessions on the Danube , has she not allowed our vmcle in Belgium , to marry an Austrian princess—our own Princess Royal to marry a Prussian prince—our own Princess Alice to dream of a Dutch lover ? Surely all the great concessions are made by that generous and magnincent visitor , whose merely private conversations distribute fates to Russia , Prussia , Austria , Italy , Holland , and Turkey . land

      Is it possible that royal Eng , can consent to accept favours without the smallest return ? Is there no . acknowledgment—not the slightest compensation ? Is every fancy of England to be indulged , and can France think of nothing to satisfy English gratitude ? " Yes ! there is one little favour that might be granted . " " Hold ! " ci'ies England , " I cannot give up the Orleans family . Tlie sacred rights of hospitality—tho memory of that paternal salute-: "

      "Of course not . " What base , ungenerous mind would seek to stint the hospitalities of Windsor Castlo ? No ! It is nothing royal , nothing great . Yet , pei'haps , there is one little trifle , which would cost England nothing , and would be at least a moral satisfaction to France . What can England care about tho scourings of foreign countries ? France desires no inoro than an offering of base republican blood . Shecousents to take tho lead out of our hands , aud can we refnso her—tho refugees ?

      Torture 03? The Treadmill

      TORTURE 01 ? THE TREADMILL . Tina linst quarter of tho presonb century had scarcely closed when a now instrument of puniahment was introduced to English prisons . Tho old stocks in Portugal-street , tit . Clement Danes , were removed in 1820 , and tlio torture of the treadmill was generally applied . From the first it -was a detestable

      . Even women , however , were p ut upon the wheel , and justices of the peace adopted the machine as a very excellent contrivance for the discipline of vagabonds and poachers . There was a considerable outcry caused by the case of an old lady ,-who , having been convicted of shoplifting , was half-killed by the terrible muscular labour of ascending that endless flight of stairs . A powerful medical argument against the use of the treadmill has now been raised by Dr . Edwarb Smith , who has investigated its effects upon respiration and pulsation , and shows them to be of the most destructive character .

      This constitutes a part of an extensive series of inquiries which Dr . Smith has prosecuted upon himself , the general results of which have been recently read before the Royal Society . The inquiries were ma . de by and upon the author in October , 1856 , at the Coldbathfields Prison . He worked the wheel during periods of a quarter of an hour ' s duration , with intervening periods of rest of a quarter of an hour , in the manner prescribed for the prisoners , and made seven series of observa ^ tions .

      The average quantity of air breathed during the labour was 2500 cubic inches per minute , at a rate of respiration of 25 ^ per minute , and a depth of inspiration varying from 91 Jjto 107 ^ cub ic inches ; the rate of pulsation varied from 150 to 172 each minute . During the intervals of rest he sat quietly , and after 13 minutes' rest the rate- of respiration varied from 15 to 18 ^ per minute ; the quantity of air inspired from 725 to 980 cubic inches j

      the depth from 48 to 53 , and the rate of pulsation from 97 to 120 per minute ! Before he entered upon the inquiry he breathed in the standing posture about 600 cubic inches per minute , at a rate of 14 per minute , and a depth of 4-3 cubic inches , and the rate of pulsation , was 75 per minute . Thus , during the exertion the quantity of air inspired was increased more than fourfold , the rate of respiration was increased two-thirds , the depth of inspiration 2-g times , and the rate of pulsation 2 & times .

      The returns during the period of rest showed that the effects of the labour had not passed away in a quarter of an hour ; when compared with the results in the quiet sitting posture , Dr . Smith ascertained that the effects on respiration were 5 ^ - times , and on pulsation 2 ^ times as great ; and taking together the 3 f hours of hard labour , with a similar period of rest , he proved that the effect upon the system of the 8 hours' labour was equal to that of 24 i hours upon those not condemned to hard labour . He then

      contrasted these results with others which he had obtained for the purposes of comparison . Thus , fast walking , at upwards of 4 miles per hour , caused a rate of respiration of 30 per minute , a depth of 80 cubic inches , and a total quantity of 2400 per minute ; tho rate of pulsation was 130 per minute . Ascending steps ab the rate of speed of the tread-whoel —640 yards per hour—caused the rate of respiration to be 22 per minute , tho depth 90 cubic inches , and total quantity per minute 1986 cubic inches , and a rate of pulsation of

      114 per minute . Carrying 1181 bs . at the rate of 3 miles per hour induced a rate of 24- £ times per minute , a deptli of 90 cubic inches , and a total quantity of 2141 cubic inches per minute , with a mto of pulsation of 189 per minute . Thus tho labour of the tread-wheol produced greater uflfect upon the respiration than any of those modos of exortion , whilst tho effect upon , pulsation was groator m thto luafc severe labour only . Tho total quantity of air breathed per hour upon the t ^ -w ^ Gf tho labour wore continuous ) would bo 160 , 000

      Untitled Article

      invention ' ' o-icktt f HE DEADER . $ 59 ' * * To . 385 , AitertHKr 8 » 1 SS 7 . 1 . . ± a . * . r ..,.

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 8, 1857, page 759, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2204/page/15/