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i January 17, 1852. _^ THE NORTHERN STA ...
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THE FLESH-POTS OF THE 2TAVF. Go. talk to...
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Recollections of a Literary Life; or Boo...
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Tait's Edinburgh Magazine, January, 1852...
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The British Journal No. I. London : Aylo...
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LITERARY EXTRACTS. THE TASK OF THE AOE. ...
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FREEHOLD LAND SOCIETY. A public meeting ...
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The late Lieut.-Colonel Fordyce . ' who ...
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Vntittm
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Motto for the Submarinb Telegraph. — " V...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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I January 17, 1852. _^ The Northern Sta ...
i January 17 , 1852 . _^ THE NORTHERN STA R . 1 - - . . . ' ' ' ¦ ' ¦ 3
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The Flesh-Pots Of The 2tavf. Go. Talk To...
THE FLESH-POTS OF THE 2 TAVF . Go . talk to Lord Mayors and Xobs , d ' ye see , About rich turtle-soup , and all that ; Good wholesome- salt junk and sea-biscuit give me , And I wont fret for want of green fat . I can live without fresh meat ; but then , bless my eyes , Sweet provisions it won ' t do to lack ! There ' * a set of land-lubbers that ' s placed up aloft , To look arter . the prog of poor Jack 2 Yon great folks that manage the vessel of State , "Whom tbe care of the nation employs , Tour duly can't do without dining off plate , On all sorts of French kickshaws and toys . We can weather the storm on the roughest of food , If it don't wholly take us aback ; But a set of land-lubbers there ' s placed up aloft , To look arter the prog of poor Jack !
The true British seaman is not over-nice 'Bout tbe age or the sex of bis beef ; How it came by its death he ' s not very precise , Hoping ' twasn ' t by Nature ' s relief . But offal and carrion is rather too strong , And will make even a tar ' s patience crack ; And a set of land-lubbers there ' s placed up aloft , To look arter the prog of poor Jack ! I can't understand , any more than a fool , Why they give a poor sailor such fare ; He fights like a lion , yet sure that's no rule For feeding him worse than a bear . Bat see how they victual a bravo English crew , To nrotect you on Ocean ' s wide track , And the set of land-lubbers that ' s placed up aloft , To look arter the prog of poor Jack ?
Yonr honours , who spare no expense for a meal , "Who lay out such a mint on your keep ; 'Tis a fact that 1 wish you were able to feel Tou may cater for sailors too cheap . They ' re suppUedyrith worse refuae . niore filthy and foul , Than a vulture or hound would attack . Through that set of land-lubbers that ' s placed up aloft , To look arter tbe prog of poor Jack . lords , dukes , and high nobles , prize-cattle that rear , Upon oil-cake , and turnips , and such ; 'Tis a fine breed of seamen you'll raise upon cheer That a hog would be sorry to touch ! Bone and sinew to would other feeders require Than a careless or niggardly pack , lake that set of land-lubbers that ' s placed up aloft , To look arter the prog of poor Jack!—Punch .
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Recollections Of A Literary Life; Or Boo...
Recollections of a Literary Life ; or Booh , Fhces , and People . By Maet Russell Mitfobd , Author of' Our Village , ' Belford Regis , ' & c Miss Mitfobd has enriched our literature with descriptions of English Character and Scenery unsurpassed for geniality and truthfulness j and we are delighted to find that her pen hasnotbeenidle during the long period since she last favoured the public with an utterance . * Age has in no respect diminished ihe charm of her writings . Her delineations of the ample or | cnHivated beauties of our home scenery are asfirm and dis & ict as ever ; while the colours are mellowed hy time , and the wide sympathy which she evinced with all classes , from the stately park of the peer to the cottager ' s homely garden , is as fresh as
ever . Miss Mitforddoes not make her work a regular autobiography . Books and authors are her real subjects , around which she weaves a variety of personal reminisciences , sketches of characters , and pictures of landscapes , or in-door scenes , interspersed iere and there with family or biographical information . Here is a picture of a defunct political giant at iome in his hest days—William Cobbett ; between whom and the writer s father an acquaintance , ending 5 n visiting relations , had grown up through their common love of field sports .
He had at that time a large bouse at Botley , with a lawn and gardens sweeping down to the Bursledon river , which divided his territories from the beautiful grounds of the old friend were we had been originally staying , the great squire of tbe place . His own house—large , high , massive , red , and square , and perched on a considerable eminencealways struck me as being not unlike its proprietor . It wasfilled at that time almost to overflowing . Lord Coch rane was there ; then in the very height of bis warlike feme , and as unlike tbe common notion of a warrior as could be . A gentle , quiet mild yougman , was this burner of French fleets and cutter-out of Spanish vessels ; as one should see in a summer-day . He lay about under the trees reading Selden on the Dominion of the Seas , and letting
the children ( and children always know with whom they may take liberties ) play all sorts of tricks with him at their pleasure . His ship ' s surgeon was also a visitor , and a young midshipman , and sometimes an elderly lieutenant , and a Newfoundland dog ; fine sailor-like creatures all . Then there was a very learned clergyman , a great friend of Hr . Gifford of tbe " Quarterly , " with his wife and daughter ; exceedingly clever persons . Two literary gentlemen from London and ourselves completed the actual partv ; but there was a large fluctuating series of guests for the hour or guests for the day , of almost all ranks and descriptions , from tbe earl and his countess to the farmer and his dame . The house had room for all , and the hearts of the owners would have had room for three tunes the
number . . , I never saw hospitality more genuine , more simple , or more thoroughly successful in tbe great end of hospitality -the putting everybody completely at ease . There was not the slightest attempt at finery , or display , or gentility . They called it a farm-house , and everything was in accordance with the largest idea of a great English yeoman of tbe old time . Everything was exceUent-ererything abundant-all served with the greatest nicety by trim waiting with such
damsels ; and everything went on quiet regularity that of the large circle of guests not one could find himself in the way . I need not say a word more in praise of the good wife , very lately dead , to whom this admirable order was mainly due . She was a sweet motherly woman , realizing our notion of one of Scott ' s most charming characters , Ailie Dinmont , in her simplicity , her kindnesF . nndher devotion to her husband and her children . At this time "William Cobbett was at the height of his nolitical reputation ; but of politics we heard little , and
should , I think , have heard nothing but for an occasional xed-bot prtriot , who would introduce the subject , which our host would fain put aside , and got rid of as speedily as possible . There was something of Dandie Dinmot about him , with his unfailing good-humour and good spirits , his heartiness , his love of field sports , and bis liking for a foray . He was a tall , stent man , fair and sunburnt , with a bright smile , andan air compounded of the soldier & ai the farmer , to which his habit of wearing an eternal red waistcoat
coniribnted not a little . He was , I think , the most athletic and vigorous person that I have ever known . Sothing could tire him . At home in the morning , he would begin his active day by mowing his own lawn ; beating Lis gardener Robinson , the best mower except himself in the parish , at that fatiguing work . For early rising , indeed , he had an absolute passion ; and some of the poetry that we trace in his writings , whenever bespeaks of scenery or of rural objects , broke out in his method of trainine his children into his own matutinal stairs
habits . Tbe boy who was first down was called the Lark for the day , and had , amongst other indulgences , tbe pVttv privilege of making his mother s nosegay , and that of any lady visitor * . 2 ? or was this the only trace of poetical feelin" that he displayed : whenever he described a place , bereft onlv to say where such a covey lay , or such a hare was found sitting , yon could see it , so graphic , so vivid , so true was the picture . He showed tbe same taste in the purchase of his beautiful farm at Botley , Fairthorn ; even m tbe pretty name . To be sure , he did not give the name ; bnt I always thought that it unconsciously influenced his choice in the purchase . The beauty of the situation certainly did . The fields lay along the Bursledon river , and mi"ht have been shown to a foreigner as a specimen of the richest and lovliest English scenery . In the cultivation of his < rraden . too . he displayed tbe same taste . Few persons
excelled him in the managemeet of vegetal- es , truits , ana flowers . His green Indian corn , bis Carolina beans big water-melons , could hardly have been exceeded at ^ ew York . His wall-fruit was equally splendid ; and much as flowers have been studied since that day , 1 never saw a more glowing or a more fragrant autumn garden than that at Botfey , with its pyramids of hollyhocks , and its masses of China-asters , of cloves , of mignionetre , and of variegated geranium . Tbe chances of life soon parted us , as , without grave faults on either side , people do lose sight of one another ; but I shall always look back with pleasure and regret to that visit The following is a pretty picture of rural scenery , with a touching hut ennobling hit of domestic struggle , from the ' short and simple annals of the poor : '—
"Well , w at last sat down on onr old turf seats , not far from tee entrance of a field where an accident had evidently token place ; a loaded waggon must have knocked against the gate , and spilt some of its topmast sheaves . The sheaves were taken away , but the place was strewed with relics of the upset , and a little harvest of the long yellow straw and the rich brown ears remained to tempt the gleaners ; . and as we were talking over this mischance , and our own , and I was detailing my reasons for believing that ffiy poor stick had found a watery grave , we became aware « f two little girls , who stole timidly and quietly up to the Place , and began gladly and thankfully to pick up the scattered corn .
foor little things , we knew them well ! we had known their father , dead of consumption scarcely a month ago * fcd afecting it was to see these poor children , delicate girls ° f seven and five years old , already at work to help their * wowed mother , aud rejoicing over the discovery of these « w ears of fallen wheat , as if it were the gold mines of ^ alifornia . A drove of pigs was looming in the distance ; ^ d my little damsel flung down her work , and sprang op * once to help the poor children . She has a taste for help"g people , has my little maid , and puts her whole heart and °° Wintosuehkindnessee . Itwaaworthsomethiugto see how ene pounced npoa every straggling straw , clearing away all
Recollections Of A Literary Life; Or Boo...
round the outside , and leaving the space within for the little girls . She even hinted to me that my new stick would be an efficient weapon against the ' pigg ; and I might have found ^ myself engaged in another combat , but that the ground was cleared before the drove came near . Pleasant it was to see her zealous activity , and the joy and surprise of the little creatures , who , weak , timid , and lonely , had till then only collected about a dozen ears , when tbey found themselves loaded with more than ' they could m ™?* ^ Ileir faded ' ^ 8—not mourning frocks ; to wear black every day for a father is too great a luxury for the poor—their frocks were by her contrivance pinned up about them , filled with the golden wheat-ears ; and the children went home happy . ' That home had " once been full of comfort and of plenty ; for John Kemp , a gentleman ' s servant , had married the daughter of a small farmer , and had set up a little trade as a baker aud shopkeeper . Civil , honest , sober , and industrious , the world went well with them for awhile , and the shop prospered . But children came many -.. ... .....
and fast , their largest debtor died insolvent , a showy competitor set up next door ; and long before John Kemp was attacked by the fatal malady of England which finally carried him off , poverty had knocked hard at bis door . The long illness , tbe death , the funeral , had still farther exhausted their small means ; and now little was left , except that which is best of all , strong family affection , an unstained name , an humble reliance upon Providence , and those habits of virtuous industry and courage to take the world as it ia , whwh seldom Ml to win an honest living . The mother and the eider brother undertook the baking and the shop , the eldest daughter carried round the bread , the two next brothers were working in the fields , and the youngest of all we have seen in their efforts to contribute to the general support . Well , it is a hard trial , but it is a good education , an education that can hardly fail to come to good . Many a rich mother might be proud of the two gleaners that we have seen this afternoon . They so pleased and so thankful to carry their poor store to that poor home , tbey carried thither better things than wheat .
Tait's Edinburgh Magazine, January, 1852...
Tait's Edinburgh Magazine , January , 1852 , London ; Simpkiu and Marshall . The 'Law of Partnership , ' which is the topic treated of in the first article , is one of peculiar importance at the present time , when co-operative efforts are beginning to be made , not only for the purpose of distribution , but production , by the working classes . The writer has freely availed himself of the information collected by Mr . Slaney ' s committee , ( and published in the parliamentary Blue Book , both as to the vicious nature and injurious operation of the
present law , and the beneficial operation of the law of limited liability in France . There is , we are aware , among the friends of co-operation in this country , some doubt ' whether partnership en commandite would meet all the requirements of the Cooperative Societies , seeing that it prohibits the shareholders from taking any active part in the manage , ment , which is entirely entrusted to the officials , who are in turn personally responsible to the public . Probably any adaptation of the law to this country would require an alteration in this respect , hut as to the actual benefit of the law there can be no doubt .
Several witnesses were examined as to the working of tbe law of commandite or limited liability , in that country ; and , among others , Mr . T . Townsend , who had been for twenty years connected with the manufacturing town of St . Etienne . ' He explained that , in his opinion , the law of commandite had worked successfully in France , and that it had been especially advantageous to the manufacturing interest , by enabling tbe capitalist and the workman mutually to aid each other in carrying out fresh improvements . Tbe result is thus explained : " I believe , " says the Chairman of the Committee , " that the factories and manufactories of which you speak , that are carried on by this law of limited liability , furnish some of the most beautiful ribbons in the world . " " Yes , they do . " " They are those for which France is particularly famous , are they not ? " "Yes . "
" Is not the superiority , or at least the celebrity , which these French ribbons have acquired , owing a good deal to the introduction of improved patterns and beautiful designs , and so forth , from time to time ? " " Yes , of course it is . " "And you think that that is encouraged and assisted by the law of which you speak ? " Of course it is , in a great measure . " . " Itbrings forward ingenious , clever , intelligent persons , who perhaps may not have capital , but who by these means have capital advanced to them ? " " There is not a doubt of it . " .
We should think not . And this circumstance goes far to explain the degree of excellence which has been attained in all those branches of manufacturing industry in France which require a high degree of skill . Does it not also explain the true secret of tbe remarkable success of the exhibitors from that country in the recent competition in Hyde Park ? The opinions of the last witness as to the superiority of the French law , were strongly corroborated by several foreign merchants who were examined by the Cemmittee . A gentleman of great experience in the City of London , Mr . J . Howell , a partner in tho extensive establishment of Everington and Co ., of Ludgate-hill , and who , as member of a Committee for the amendment of the law of debtor
and creditor , had devoted much of his attention to tbe subject of partnership , also expressed his unqualified approbation of the commandite system . Tothis witness the following questions were addressed by Mr . Cobden : — "You think it ( the commandite system ) would be a very great benefit to able and intelligent young men who are embarked in business , if they could enlist the aid of a monied partner , for a limited sum , which partner would not have his whole property involved in the prosperity or adversity of the business ? " " I do . I think it is the most natural course in -which money could flow from the capitalist to the working man , whatever he may be . " " Do you think that would apply to the case of skilled mechanics , who might make discoveries , or take out a patent for some new process in mechanism ? " " Decithat at StEtiennewhere
dedly . I am told . , thoy manufacture ribbons infinitely superior to tbe ribbons which we can manufacture in Coventry , the system prevails to a great extent ; and that a great many clever workmen , ar . tisans , draughtsmen , and managers of the loom , have accumulated property , and arc actually now conductors of business , who have risen from their talent , and the advantage that talent has had in forming connexions with men of property ; and in St . Etienne it prevails to a great exlent , and is doing a great deal of good . " " That argument would apply with still more force to this country , where the energy and ingenuity of our artisans is employed in a still larger field of industry ?" ** Yes ; and it is for want of that aid that the artist is so far removed from the capitalist , and partakes so slightly of his prosperity . "
The following remarks of this witness are also well wor thy of attention . Mr . Cobden continues the examination : " Do you consider that an alteration of the law might also be beneficial in the case of young men entering into business as shopkeepers , or in any other way of business , apart from those mechanical inventions of which you hare been speaking ? " "I do certainly . " " Now , take your own case . You employ a great number of young men as assistants in your extensive business ; many of those young men come from the country for experience to your house of business ? " " Yes . " " For the purpose of illustrating your view on this subject , suppose you had a young man of very superior talent and character , who came from a town in the country
where be was well known and his connexions lived ; as a capitalist , having an opportunity of seeing his morals , and having a high opinion of his future prospects , you might be disposed to embark £ 1 , 000 or £ 2 , 000 of capital in that young man ' s business , in his own native town , where you might share the advantages of his superior talent and character to a limited extent , with a limited risk . Do you think that such an undertaking as that would be more likely to be entered into if the law were altered , than it is now , for a capitalist to lend that young man a sum of money of £ 1 , 000 or £ 2 , 000 , at a certain rate of interest ? '' "Certainly ; and infinitely more beneficial to tbe young man ; because a young man beginning entirely with borrowed capital , according to tbe rules of our trade ,
is entitled to no credit . He is a dangerous customer , if he borrows money which can be called from him at any time when the lender begins to be fearful , or when for his own purposes he requires it ; whereas if the lender became a partner en commandite , he fixes it there lor a specific period , be cannot withdraw it , and that capital is absolutely liable to the creditors who trust him ; whereas the borrowed money would not be liable , and in the event of failure would be proved as a debt on the estate in diminution of the divident . " Mr . ilowell subsequently remarks , "I have heard my own senior partner , Mr . Wynn Ellis , who was member for Leicester , say be has seen many Opportunities when he would have been glad to asist young men of skill and character , but the present law has deterred him . ' '
On the existing law in this country , the writer remarks . There are but two classes in the community who seem to thrive under its operation , and these are the experienced capitalist and the unprincipled speculator . It lends undue influence to the money-power of tho one , and to the other it holds out a positive inducement to fraud . " To the imprudent it proves too often a deadly snare ; and we may venture to affirm that every one who reads these lines can readily call to mind some grievous case of individual hardship inflicted by its indisctiminatwg rigour . To the oratress of the middle and lower class it creates an artificial barrier , not insurmountable indeed , as tbe annals of British industry can show , but still formidable , and in the ?« aof humble men of genius often fatal . Tbe combined Oration of our partnership and patent laws checks the p , ; f / . f invention among our workmen to their own indivi-^ £ dSSa . and to the far greater loss of the public . ior &
These latter grounds alone furnish ample motives iegiineseiaii" e . fa besides political and laT atrplons whTtbe lavr should undergo a change . The S ° irkw of partners tends materially to widen the present Jaw oi p . between the richer broad hue which m WW con w effect d . _ aml the FjfiffiiSJud the safety of the social mmishes at once tbey ^ modern Btat eaman 8 Dlp ess —^ T ^ tj & ffirc
Tait's Edinburgh Magazine, January, 1852...
partnership exists , with unlimited liability for its basis and the Lord Chancellor for its administrator , the industrious middle and working classes have a just and serious cause of complaint against their more fortunate superiors . It is one , moreover , which we have good reason to know is both widely and keenly felt ; and although no popular demonstratioiiuay have yet taken place upon the subject , it is not . upon that account less worthy the attention of the economist , the politician and the law reformer . 'The , Messenger' is a capital story , with a very lame termination . The late attack upon Tennyson ' s foem ' -In Memoriam , ' b y the 'Times , ' is shown , up in very happy , style by a writer , who discloses the ammus of that attack as follows : —
What is the power of insidious eloquence over tbepopular mmd we know too well by oiir late experience of Kossuth ' s speeches . The Parisian police judiciously forbids Victor Hugo to sing , for poetry is as dangerous' a ' weapon as oratory . What if the author of "In Memoriau , " should take to sympathising with the Italian Liberals ? The predilections of Browning in their favour have long been notorious ; and we need only look up to . « ' Casa Gutdi Windows " to see how dreadfully he has inoculated with cosmopolite Liberalism tho previously immaculate ' poetry of Mrs . Browning . Vague rumours have crossed us that Mr ' Tennyson has lately voyaged in Italy . How do we know that heis not already in active correspondence with Mazsmi ? Alton Locke claims him for a democrat and Christian
Socialist . Decidement , e ' est un homme suspect . So , lest Mr . Tennyson should do himself and the world some irreparable harm by a rash outburst of Eepublican melody , we , the " Times , " are minded to put him down privily . "We cannot allow the public to be so deeply in . fluenced by anybody except ourselves . We will confess he has a talent for singing , because it is a patent fact ; but we will show the world how the defect of this talent is neu . tralised by innumerable drawbacks . We will prove by irrefragable argument that he is a resolute mannerist , a sentimentalist , habitually given to enormous exaggeration , unspeakably inarticulate and unfathomably obscure . The public shall ultimately acknowledge that he is a more
musician ; and the public knows that great talents in music are compatible with geaeral mental mediocrity . If , however , in spite of all depreciation , ' the public continues to read "In Memoriam , " " Bells and Pomegranates , " or any other poetical works of a demoralising and democratising tendency , the " Times" has its painful duties , and , like Louis Napoleon , will know how to fulfil them . The Shadow of Absolutism will stalk forth en some foggy morning , wrapped in . the most impenetrable cloak , and armed with the most awful bunch of keys . Before the world awakes a grand coup d ' etat will have been perpetrated . Cinnathe poet is always Cinna the conspirator . All the conspiring poets will have been simultaneously arrested by order of the" Times . "
A series of papers respecting'the origin of the Cape Difficulties , ' are well timed . Secretary Grey and Governor Smith have been squandering our money pretty freely in the war which is now raging in that colony ; and the more public opinion can be enlightened , the sooner it will be brought to bear in parliament , and arrest such a monstrous and unjustifiable waste of national treasure . ' Norman Hamilton * promises to be an interesting story ; and the falsehood palmed on the world respecting the late struggle in Hungary , both b y Austrian Ministers and British Ambassadors , are well ' shown up' in the paper on ' The Blue Book of Hungary , and our Ministers Abroad . ' The other articles are of average merit .
The British Journal No. I. London : Aylo...
The British Journal No . I . London : Aylott and Jones . This is a new and low-priced candidate for public support . Its contents are varied , and afford pleasant reading ; but it wants some definite object and distinct character , which even the enlistment of such contributors as ^ Frank Farleigh , Miss Costello , Mrs . Cowden Clarke , and Frances Brown , will not make up for . As a specimen of its contents , we give an extract from Mrs . Clarke ' s genial paper on sympath y withjunkuown peop le .
In those greener years o youth , when a journey outside a stage-coach made one of the delicious items in a country holiday , on a pleasant afternoon in June , our companion and self were bound on an expedition into woody Berkshire , there to snend a few midsummer daysof rambling and open air . As the four-horse coach stood in all its London glory of fine prancing cattle , bright harness , painted panels , and knowingly-dresssed coachman , opposite tbe door of the White Horse Cellar , nearly ready to start , our complement of passengers was rendered complete , by three young people , who mounted to the back of the coach , —in which humble rearward position we had taken our seats . The new comers were evidently holiday folks , bent upon making the very utmost of their rarely snatched joy . They consisted . of a young fellow , a sailor , with his two sisters ;
both of whom we soon discovered , were in service , the one as housemaid , the other as laundry-maid in a great family . Like truly happy people of their class , they were very gay and talkative , aud spoke with light-hearted unreserve of their own doings , their own prospects , their own projects , and their own thoughts and feelings . We learned quite a little history of themselves , during the first stage out of town . We found that the brother ' s ship had only just come into port , after a long sea-voyage ; and that the sisters bad each obtained leave of absence at the same time that they might all three enjoy their holiday together , going down to their native village to see their old father and mother , and younger brothers and sisters , still at home . During their discussion on these particulars , we gathered many circumstances respecting their own character and
individuality . We discovered that ( he yons man was a goodnatured lad , a kind brother , and an affectionate , dutiful son ; from the pleasant incidental allusions to his shipmates and adventures abroad , from tho tone of his voice and behaviour to his sisters , and from the genuine delight with which he looked forward with them to the meeting at home . We became aware that the laundry-maid in the great family piqued herself somewhat on her high situation ; that she was fully conscious of possessing a pretty face ; that she had a weakness for sky-blue ribbons and a smart bonnet-cap ; that she was the pink of neatness and cleanliness in her person ; although we could perceive a kind of languishing indolence about her , which in a fine lady would have been indifference . In her , it took the shape of quiet enjoyment : of yielding herself up to the pleasures of her
holiday , rather than in actively relishing it . While her brother and sister were briskly interchanging questions and answer ? , comments and remarks , —now adverting to their own affairs , now inquiring of each other ' s ; now observing some incident on the road , or pointing out some house , or person , that took their passing attention , —she contented herself with throwing in a word here and there , leaving to them the trouble of noticing and conversing , while she leaned against her brother , who had his arm round her , to keep her from the hard edge of the iron Vailing . Tier sister , the housemaid , on the contrary , sat bolt upright , at his other side ; her black , beady eyes , constantly on the alert ; her restless , red lips , in perpetual motion , showing the little , white , even teeth , ever gleaming between them , in the volubility of chatter . One moment ,
she was abruptly diving over , at the full stretch of her body , to see that tbe wheel was all right , and not in the leas ' t danger of coming off and upsetting the coach ; then she turned to her brother the sailor , resuming the thread of their colloquy ; then she interrupted herself , to twist round , and look whether the back-seat of tho coach were quite safely screwed on , or to ascertain that none of the hampers and bandboxes swinging behind , were coming untied and tumbling into the road ; then darted round to plunge into her talk again ; by all which tokens , we came to the conclusion that she was as energetic in character , as her sister was passive . The housemaid , —she of the jet eyes , —had an oval , two-flapped basket , on her knees , which she held firmly by its handle , and which she regarded every now and then with bright looks of gleeful consciousness .
Kay , once or twice , she could not help giving a little glad peep into it ; l'fting up ono of tho wicker flaps , and then dabbing it to a jain , after assuring herself that the contents were all fnug and safn . After one of these peeps , her brother questioned her as to what she had there ; and soon she and the sailor were busily engaged together pulling out the various articles , spreading them on her lap , and inspecting them one by one ; while the laundry . maid sister peered over , and took a quiet interest in their proceedings . " I ' ve got a present for every one of ' em ! " exclaimed the proprietor of the basket-treasures , with honest triumph sparkling in her beady eyes " See ! here ' s a worsted comforter for dear old Father against winter comes ; a pair of new mittens for mother ; a silk handkerchief for Bill ; a bonnet-ribbon for Meg ; a bail of string for Ned ; a top for Jem ; a set of doll ' s spoons for Nancy ; a wooden springine-frog for little Georgy ; and a tin rattle for Betsy's baby !" It was delightful to see the innocent pride of the donor
herself , and the genuine sympathy of her brother and sister in these gifts . The sailor exclaimed •— " Won't they be pleased I" And the laundry-maid said ;— " How nicely you've done the things up in separate papers , too ! . And wrote each of their names upon ' em , outside . What a nice idea of yours , Jane ! I wish I'd ha ' thought of some presents for ' em I Bat I don't know how it is ; I never gave it a thought !" Although we had intensely enjoyed the happiness of the heady-eyed Jane , in her prettily-provided little packets , yet , there was something in the inflection of tho laundrymaid ' s voice , and the artless truth of her manner , as she regretted her own want of thought , while generously and fully sympathising in her sister ' s thoughtfulness , that made us take scarcely less interest in her , than in the other . Like beloved Charles Lamb , —who , in one of his exquisite Elia papers , playfully confesses to " a kindliness , that almost , amounted to a tendre , for those five thoughtless virgins , "we felt a compassionate tenderness toward s the less provident Susan , who , in her sincere and unenvious sympathy , had proved herself as kindly-natured , in her way , as the
considerate Jane . Through many successive summers , we have retained a pleasant remembrance of those three young unknown people , in their simple , affectionate happiness . And still wo see them , as we last beheld them ; when the coach , —stopping on the borders of a common , at a wayside ' cottage , where stood a joyful group clustered in the porch ; awaited them , deposited our ^ fellow travellers . There they were , standing amid their friends , the whole family pressing round ! all talking at once , now shaking hands , now hugging each other , with glistening eyes , and smiling
The British Journal No. I. London : Aylo...
lips : and , as the coach , whirled . on , we could atiu ** cern their figures , among , the green trirf « nJ M" " furze , bathed in the n ^^ iZ & Sig ^ while their faces , shining with happiness , and thffS joyous voices , were the last things that remained to fm pteas . upon . our memory the unfading imago of thatn « sant June scene . . u \> w
Literary Extracts. The Task Of The Aoe. ...
LITERARY EXTRACTS . THE TASK OF THE AOE . We have now to trim our lamp and gird oh our armour for a final work , which cannot be put by , and which must not be negligently done . The last battle of civilisation is the severest—the last problem , the knottiest to solve . Out of all the multitudinous ingredients and influences of the past ; out of the conquest of nature and the victory of freedom ; out of the blending and intermixture of all previous forms of polity and modification ' s of humanity ;—has arisen a complex order of society , of which the disorders and anomalies are as complex as its own structure . We are now satnmoned . to . the combat , not with material difficulties nor yet with oppressors rior with priests , but with an imperfect and diseased condition of that social world of which we form a part—with pains and evils appalling in their magnitude , baffling in their subtlety , perplexing in their complications , and demanding far more clear insi ght and unerring judgment than even purity of purpose or commanding
energy of will . This conflict may be said to date from the first French Revolution ; and it has been increasing in intensity ever since * till it has now reached to a vividness and solemnity of interest which supasses and overshadows the attractions of all other topics . Socialism , Communism , St . Simonism , Fourierism , Charbism , are among the indications of its progress . Gradually it has drawn all classes and orders of men into its ranks . The student in his library , the statesman in his cabinet , the merchant at his desk , the artisan at his loom , the peasant at his plough , are all , in their several departments , working at the same problem , intent upon the same thought , It has enlisted and consecrated science , ; it has merged or superseded ordinary politics , or has given them a holier purpose and a deeper meaning ; it pierces through every organ of the periodic press ; it colours all the lighter literature of the day , provides fiction with its richest characters and its most dramatic scenes , and breathes into poetry an earnestness and a dignity to which the last age was & stranger . —Westminster Review .
EFFECT OF BAIiWAYB ON FAHU AKD GARDB 8 PRODUCE . Another commercial effect of the railway system has been to equalise the value of land , and promote the cultivation of those districts of a country which lie considerably removed from large towns . Every one knows that distance from market forms , as regards the cultivation of many vegetable and animal productions , a very serious drawback . Hence it arises that lands lying immediately around large cities bring a far larger price than portions of ground of equal extent and fertility would do situated at a greater distance . Tbis is peculiarly tho case with kitchen-gardens , and pasture-land suited for the purpose of fattening cattle , or feeding such as are required for tho dairy . In all theso cases , and others which might be
mentioned , the performance of a long journey affects very injuriously the quality and value of the several articles , and hence tbe demand for farms and fields not exposed to this drawback has naturally raised their value . Now railways , as they abridge apace by means of speed , have had a tendency to increase the value of pasture and garden ground lying at . comparatively speaking , a very great distance around cities . It is now no unusual thing for the inhabitants of cities , such as London , Liverpool , and Manchester , to use at breakfast milk or cream which has travelled thirty or forty miles tbe very morning it is consumed , and at dinner to partake of vegetables whose place of growth was more than a hundred miles removed from the stall at which thoy were sold . —Chambers ' s Journal .
REASONING IN ANIMA 18 . Animals are prompt at usingtheir experience in reference to things from which they have suffered pain or annoyance . Grant mentions an ourangoutang which , having had , when ill , some medicine administered to it in an egg , could never be induced to touch one afterwards , notwithstanding its previous fondness for them . A tame fox has been cured from stealing eggs and poultry , by giving them to him hot from the saucepan . La Vaillant ' s monkey was extremely fond of brandy , but would never be prevailed on to touch it again after a lighted match had been applied to some it was drinking . Two carriage horses which made a point of stopping at the foot of every hill , and refused to proceed in spite of every punishment , were considered beyond cure , but it was suggested at last that several horses should be
attacnea to the back of the carriage , and being put into a trot , be made to pull the refractory horses backwards . Tho result was perfectly successful , for thenceforth they faced every hill at full speed , and were not to be restrained till they reached the summit . A dog which had been beaten whilo some musk was held to his nose , always fled away whenever it accidentally smelled the drug , and was so susceptible of it that it was used in some psychological experiments to discover whether any portion of musk had been received by the body through tho organs of digestion . Another dog , which had been accidentally burnt with a lncifer match , became angry at the sight of one , and furious if the act of lighting it was feigned . There are , besides , so many instances recorded of even higher degrees of intelli that it is
gence , impossible to deny that animals arrive at a knowledge of cause and effect . Strend , of Prague , had a cat on which he wished to make some experiments with an air pump ; but as soon as the creature felt the exhaustion of the air , it rapidly placed its foot on the valve , and thus stopped the action . A dog having a great antipathy to the music of the violin , always sought to get the bow to conceal it . The well known story recorded by Plutarch proves the application of accidentally acquired experience : ho says that a mule laden with salt , fell accidentally into a stream , and having perceived that its load became thereby sensibly lightened , adopted the same contrivance afterwards purposely ; and that to cure it of the trick , its panniers were filled with sponge , under which when fully saturated it could barely stagger .
CHARITIES . To diffuse immediate happiness upon those near at hand , without reference to future and more permanent good , is tho short-sighted object of tho uncultivated feeling of benevolence . When cultivated , but with a wrong direction , its operation is still of the same kind , but more mischievous as it is exerted through a wider sphere . Many of the widespread charities ofttio present day furnish examples of this . They seek to remedy a present evil , to relieve a present suffering , by means which multiply for tho future these pains and sufferings many-fold . A late writer on the principles of charitable institutions remarks , that they are more numerous , that more exertions are made for the relief of the poor now than at any former period—yet poverty and crime are on the increase . What is the recson of this ?
Tho writer alluded to goes on to prove that it is to be found in the fact , that remedies are often applied without discriminating between the different causes which produce these evils , and therefore perpetuate and increase them , or at best only palliate them . But the real cause of this want of discrimination and consequent failure is tho fact that it is not real benevolence at work , but a something between the seeming of lovo of approbation and a bargain to get as cheaply as possibla to hosv \ on . Peop \ e wish to stand well in the opinion of their neighbours , and they have likewise heard , that " he that givcth to the poor lendeth to the Lord , " and they approve of the security and invest a small sum , but never more than they can conveniently spare ; to do that would be imprudence . They do their charities , that is , give annual guineas , tbe press generally blowing a trumpet before them ; but they neither watch the spending of the money or care much what becomes of
it , —consequently , the more remote the sphere of operation —if to build a church at Jerusalem for converted Jews , or to make Christians of Caribs—the more liberal tho donation . Children should be early taught to distinguish between seeming and real benevolence—between generosity that costs nothing , that is , involves no self-sacrifice , or even self-denial , and that which proceeds from love and duty . When the higher classes arc really in earnest about raising the condition ofthe lower—when they cease to consider them as mere objects to perform their charities upon , as convenient stepping-stones to heaven , as so much raw material out of which they are to work their own salvation , as the poor , " whom we are always to have with us , " and therefore are to be kept poor , or at least in their present position , —and there will be f . unci little difficulty and certainly no natural barriers to their success . —Education of the Feelings , by Charles Bray .
Freehold Land Society. A Public Meeting ...
FREEHOLD LAND SOCIETY . A public meeting of this society took place on Monday evening at the London Tavern , Bishopsgate-street . B . Sheridan , Esq ., wascalled to the chair . —James Beale , Esq ., in moving the first resolution , called attention to the excellent security afforded for investments in this society . —A gentleman present observed that he was a holder of ten shares . If unhappily they should have a committee appointed not so conversant with the value of property as to turn it to the beneficial use of those interested in it , on whom would devolve the responsibility ? That must rest somewhere , and he presumed it would rest with the committee .. Mr . Miller said thatundertheactof parliament , the committee were not empowered to buy land for themselves , and therefore it was for them to take care that the land was _ not purchased for them at a disadvantage . —The Chairman said , that the societies were obliged to be enrolled by Mr . Tidd Pratt under the Friendly Societies ' Act , and consequently they got rid of the obieotion that
these societies were for political purposes . In the House of Commons these societies were boldly attacked by Mr . Newdegate , but they showed the assertion oi Chief Justice Tindal and Lord John Itusseii that these societies were commendable . These political advantages were not trifling ; there were circumstances * which mado the advantages important . Let them consult the rules , and they would be fully apprised of the course they ought to pursue . Mr . Beale then moved , " That as the freehold land movement promoted habits of forethought , prudence , and frugality , and tended also to advance the political , moral , and social improvement of society , it deserved their warmest support , and the Metropolitan and General Freehold Land Society , as explained . by the proprietors , being established to promote and foster this spirit of improvement , was , therefore , entitled to their support and confidence . "—This resolution was unanimously agreed to , and thanks having been given to the chairman , the meeting adjourned to Monday next .
The Late Lieut.-Colonel Fordyce . ' Who ...
The late Lieut .-Colonel Fordyce . ' who fell a viotim in the late engagement with the Kaffirs in Waterkloof , was a native of Ay ton , Berwickshire .
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Motto For The Submarinb Telegraph. — " V...
Motto for the Submarinb Telegraph . — " Vive La Kgnt . "—Punch . . Human existence hinges upon trifles—what is beauty without soap ? Prosperity is no just scale ; adversity is the only balance to weightrjendg , ajl , as - ~ Except pain of body , and remorse of conscience Cun \ vi ' ' e ima B '" ' 'y '—Rousseau . „ , i „ ' Wh ? i * a peiii . il apprnaching a candle like a man Every lloi ' 8 e ? - & cause he is going to a-light . reveal ;* ~ i has 5 omething in his nature which , were he to GRiviTv 5 nld ffiake us ha'e him .-Goethe . ; defects of the m ! n 28 d 0 B 8 carriage of the body to cover the ^ i 8 " SaUhI "' -If « ™» » ap " whatsoever h « have one ofthese day ^ f ° coats and •»«*« " «««> tailors will mS ^ Mrickfrrf 8 wh 0 stU ( Ues Ms bQdy ^ comes matL-fi' he wh , ; llue « the same by his mind
bethe teSsniovT t 7 > ^ ^ tred acts like ofpeSS ^ J ^^ Sj ^ i r d ; he f * i Richer . B symbol . —Jean Paul u " w ^ w" ^ a reccnt in ( lucst on the bodvnf-i butler Mr . Wakley , the coroner , stated it as- a remarkable fa «? [ hat more butlers destroy themselves th ^ uTefiJif « to ? £ ul Lotbr .- «»««*» -. «•][ am about courting a girl I have but little acquaintance with ; how shall l come to a knowledge of her faults V' -Ansioer- " Commend her among her female acquaintance . —Franklin ouoted ,, » Lonn Mahon s History . Udmiutv is a virtue all preach , none practice , and y et everybody is contented to hear . The master thinks it good doctrine for his servants , the laity for the clergy , and the clergy for the laity . —Selden .
An aged Twin-out . — Mrs . Wicock , of Cragg , whose years number ninety-seven , turned out a few days ago at i °° morden for more wages . It appears that she was a bobbin-winder for two weavers ; and , considering her age , the men complied with her wishes . A Cxevbii Rbasoner . —A follow coming out of a tavern one frosty morning , rather top-heavy , fell on the door step , yyag to regain his footing , he remarked , "If it be true that the wicked stand on siipperv places / I must belong t 0 admerent . class , for it ' s more than I can do . " twGRANT Lise Ships . —A patent has been taken out by Mr . fate for building ships upon the same principle as lifeboats , which can neither be capsiscd nor swamped . This truly philanthropic achievement will , we hope , meet with that support it deserves in tbis sea-bound land . *
Freedom of Thought . —I would recommend a free commerce both of matter ana mind . I would let men enter their own churches with the same freedom as their own houses : and . l would do it without a homily , or graciousness , or favour , for tyranny itself is to me a word less odious than toleration . —W . S . Landor . EXTRACTS FROM PUKCH . Advice to Young Gentlemen . —Don't degrade yourselves by gambling on the Turf ; if you do , the veriest blacklegs will become yonr betters . The New Batch of Omnibuses . —The bakers call the new batch of Id . and 2 d . omnibuses that run down Oxford-street and Holborn- " The Penny and Twopenny Busters . Advice Gratis . —We beg to suggest to the friends of tho boa-constrictor , that if the poor creature , since swallowing the blanket , suffers much pain , a counter-pane might be tried as a remedy .
The Bird that was in two Places at Once , —The bird in Downing-street that heard of the pending resignation of Palmerston , and the same bird that , at the same time , chirped the news in the Cabinet of Vienna . Obvious . — "Election , " Dr . Johnson tells us , is a synonyms for "choice . " But , in Louis Napoleon ' s Political Dictionary , we find the significant addendum—llobton ' a understood . Gooo Offices at Christmas . —Some surprise has been expressed at the frequent holding of meetings of the Cabinet at this festive season . The reason is easily explained , when we remember that this is just the period of the year when families congregate . A Word for our Judicious Bottle-holder . —Whatever Lord Palmerston ' s foreign policy may have been , so long as it lasted we have avoided war . We wish his successor in the Foreign Office could be bound over for as long a period to keep the peace .
New Naval Order . —It is said that a new Naval Order is about to be instituted , —namely , the Order of Modesty . Of course Sir Charles Napier insists upon being tho very first decorated . Something Like a Staff . ' —The " Reduced Staff" of the Commissioners of Sewers is £ 18 , 321 a-year . If this is the Staff in its reduced State , what must it have been before it was cut down ? It must have been so tremendously long , that we wonder they ever got anyone to balance it . The Law of Might . —The retirement of Lord Palmerston will , it is expected , give rise to proceedings nominally of a legal character . A mandamus will be issued by the different Continental Courts , and in every one of them the rule will be made absolute . Meam Jealousy . —All the Leaders in the French newspapers aro suppressed . This is mean jealousy on the part of Louis Napoleon . He will only tolerate one Leader at a time , in France—and that Leader must be , of course , himself !
"Best Price given for Old Rags , "—Bank-notes are made , as we all know , of rags ; but we never could imagine they would fall lower ir . value than the materials they were made of . And yet this is positively the case with the Austrian bank-notes . The people will not have them at any price—not even at the price given for Old Rags ! The Heat of the Day . —Several of the "insurgents , " whose rising seems to have been confined to their getting up at the usual hour on the morning of the 2 nd of December , are to be sent to Cayenne . Many of them think themselvfs'fortunate in surviving to go to Cayenne , instead of having been unmercifully peppered on the Boulevards .
Astronomy . —Old Gent . "You see , my dear , that the Earth turns on its own Axis , and makes one Revolution reund the Sun each "Year . "— Young Revolver . " Then , Pa , does France turn on its own Axis when it makes its Revolutions ?"—^ Gent . "No , my dear , it turns on its Bayonets . However , that ' s not a question in Astronomy . " Bomba in Ravtuues . —When the news of Bonaparte ' s coup d ' etat was brought to Bomba , it is said that , in a paroxysm of delight at the tidings , his volcanic Majesty actually embraced the officer who bore them . We should not like to be embraced by Bomba . The embrace of Bomba is suggestive of the kiss of Judas . In Bomba ' s arms one would almost feel as if in those of the Popish image , which , in clasping you to its bosom , pierced your own with daggers . It is a pity that Bomba had a mere officer to fraternise with . How happy he might have been in the hug of the Russian Bear . '
A PuMr-iusDLK for a Joke . —In consequence of the tendency of some of tho Government steamers to leakage , it lifts been proposed that every vessel should be compelled to carry out an additional pump , Ferliap . 1 if Cacti craft should bo ordered to take out a Lord of the Admiralty it would amount to the same thing . We are , however , fearful that the comparison docs not quite hold , for every pump is supposed to have something to do with the water—a qualifica , tion which a Lord of tho Admiralty is not alw ays required to possess . —Punch . Pleasant " Shopping" in America . —A flash young
man went into a clothing store tho other , day , and asked the prica of a pair of pants . On hearing the price , lie exclaimed— " Why , no , you don ' t say ro ! I . could steal 'em cheaper than that . " — " No doubt , " replied the merchant , " I have lost three pair since yonr arrival . "— "Ah , indeed You have lost something else , which some people would miss more than their breeches . "— " Is it possible ? Pray what else have I lost ? " — " Your brains , " coolly responded the other . — " Ol ) , I knew that , " retaliated the merchant , " but I would not accuse you for a moment of having stolen them . —American Paper .
Yankee Speed . —An Englishman , boasting of tho superiority of the horses in his country , mentioned that the celebrated Eclipse had run a mile in a minute . " My good follow . '" exclaimed an American present , " that is rather less than the average rate of our common roadsters . I live at my country seat , near Philadelphia , and when I ride in a hurry to town of a morning , my own shadow enn ' tkecpup wiih me , but generally comes into the counting-house to find me , from a minute to a minute and a half si ' ter my arrival . One morning the beast was restless , and I rode him as hard as I possibly could several times round a large field—just to take the old Harry out of him . Well , sir , he went so fast that the whole time I saw my buck directly before me , and was twice in danger of riding over myself . "
Soldiers . —A soldier is a man whose business it ia to kill those who never offended him , and who are the innocent martyrs of other men ' s iniquities . Whatever may become of the abstract question of the justifiableness of war , it seems impossible that the soldier should not be a depraved and unnatural being . * * A soldier is , of all descriptions of men , the most completely a machine ; yet his profession inevitably teaches him something of dogmatism , swaggering , and self-consequence : he is like the puppet of a showman , who , at the very time he is made to strut and swell , and display the most farcical airs , we perfectly know cannot assume the most insignificant gesture , advance either to the right or the left , but as he is moved by hh exhibitor . — Godwin .
Employment of Ragged Children . — The success of the juvenile " Shoe-black Br ^ ad-, " « nd street sweepers , stimulates the authors of the movement ( o propound tresh inventions , and to widen still further ihe means ot ! iv > lihood for poor boys rescued from misery . The public , certainly , is ready to assist . To every six brooinersi there wil 1 hereafter be attached a message boy , "ho will be known by his name of "Mercury , " legibly inscribed upon a label . This lad will be at the call of any shop ket-per within Ins district , for the purpose of running errands , at the rate of 3 d . a mile , or Gd . an hour . The Society wiil aid tins movement , by rendering iuelf responsible for a < j _ parcels entrusted to the lue of £
Mercuries , under the v . ) o . By promoting to such office only those capitalists who liave _ as much as £ b in their bank , it will , in fact , make the boy lum-. clf pay for tno va ! ue of the property in case ot theft . I hen there will arise among tbem " Brassers , and their after to the public will bs for a penny from each house , to keep door- plates , shopp ' ates , knockers , and boll uulb in a state of tremendous brilliancy . The Ragged Schools take , thousands of boys yearly from the streets which they pollute , and where they ' are polluted . The public will co . diaii y r-ioice to find-as the plan goes on , and pro . vpers-tliat boys by hundreds are returned upon the streets us useful members of suci-ty . .. ^ fk ^ t ii ^ L ^^
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Jan. 17, 1852, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_17011852/page/3/
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