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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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THE FLESH-POTS OF THE NAVY . Go , talk to Lord Mayors and Sobs , 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 lire without frjash meat ; but then , bless my eyes Street prorislons it won ' t do to lack ! There ' s a set of land-lubbers that ' s placod up aloft , To look arter the prog of poor Jack . You great folks that manage the vessel of State , Whom the care of the nation employs , Tour duty 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 the age or the sex of his beef ; How it came by its death he ' s not very precise , Hoping ' twasn ' t by Hature ' s relief . But offal and carrion is rather too strong , And will make even a tar ' g 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 .
But see bow they victual a brave English crew , To protect 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 ? Tour honours , who spare do expense for a meal , Who lay out such a mint on your keep ; J Ti 8 a fact that I wish you were able to feel You may cater for sailors too cheap . They ' re supplied with worse refuse , more filthy and foul , Than a vulture or hound would attack , Through that set of land-lubbers that ' s placed up aloft , To look arter the prog of poor Jack .
Lords , duke ? , 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 mould 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 Books , Places , and People . By Mary Bussell Mitford , Author of Our Village , ' ' Belford Regis , ' &c . Miss Mitford has enriched oar literature with descriptions of English Character and Scenery unsurpassed for geniality and truthfulness ; and we are delighted to find that her pen has not been idle daring the long period riiice she last favoured the public with an utterance . ' Age has in no respect diminished the charm of her writings . Her delineations of the ample orgcultivated beauties of our home scenery are asfirm and distinct as ever ; while the colours are mellowed by 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 Mitford does not make her work a regular autobiography . Books and authors are her real subjects , around which Bhe weaves a variety of personal reminisciences , sketches of characters , and pictures of landscapes , or in-door sceneB , interspersed here and there with family or biographical information . Here is a picture of a defunct political giant at home in his best days—William Cobbett ; between whom and the writer ' s father an acquaintance , ending in visiting relations , had grown up through their common love of field Bports .
He had at that time a large house 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 bad been originally staying , the great squire of the 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 was filed at that time almost to overflowing . Lord Cochrane was there ; then in the very height of his warlike fame , and as unlike the common notion of a warrior as could be . A gentle , quiet , mild youg man , 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 3 Ir . Gifford of the " Quarterly , " with his wife and daughter ; exceedingly clever persons . Two literary gentlemen from London and ourselves completed the actual party ; but there was a large fluctuating series of guests for the hour or guests for the day , of almost all ranks and descriptions , from the earl and bis countess to the farmer and his dame . The house had room for all , and the heartB of the owners would have had room for three times the number .
I nerer saw hospitality more genuine , more simple , or more thoroughly successful in the 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 the old time . Everything was excellent—every thing abundant—all served with the greatest nicety by trim waiting damsels ; and everything went on with such 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 . sndher devotion to her husband and her children .
At this time William Cobbett was at the height of his political reputation ; but of politics we heard little , and should , I think , have heard nothing but for an occasional red-hot 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 his liking for a foray . He was a tall , stout man , fair and sunburnt , with a bright smile , and an air compounded of the soldier and the fanner , to which his habit of wsatiog an eternal red waistcoat contributed not a little . He was , I think , the most athletic and vigorous person that I have ever known . Nothing could tire him . At home in the morning , he would begin bis active day by mowing bis own lawn ; beating his gardener Robinson , the best mower except himself in the parish , at that fatiguing work .
For early rising , indeed , be had an absolute passion ; and some of the poetry that we trace in his writings , whenever he speaks of gcenery or of rural objects , broke out in his method of training his children into his own matutinal habits . The boy who was first down stairs was called the Lark for the day , and bad , amongst other indulgences , the petty privilege of making his mother ' s nosegay , and that of any lady visitors . Sor was this the only trace of poetical feeling that he displayed : whenever he described a place , ¦ were it only to say where such a covey lay , or such a hare ¦ was found sitting , you could see it , so graphic , bo vivid , so true was the picture . He showed the same taste in the purchase of his beautiful farm at Botley , Fairthorn ; even in the pretty name . To be sure , he did not give the name ; but 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 might have been shown to a foreigner as a specimen of the richest and lovliest English scenery . In the cultivation of his graden , too , he displayed the same taste . Few persons excelled him in the roanagemeet of vegetables , fruits , and flowers . His green Indian corn , his Carolina beans , his water-melons , could hardly have been exceeded at 2 ? ew York . Hia wall-fruit was equally splendid ; and much as flowers have been studied since that day , I never saw a more glowing or a more fragrant autumn garden than that at Bot : ey , with its pyramids of hollyhocks , and its masses of China-asters , of cloves , of mignionette , and of variegated geranium . The 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 .
Tiie following is a pretty picture of rural scenery , with a touching but ennobling bit of domestic struggle , from the * short and simple annals of the poor : 'Well , we at last sat down on our old turf seats , not far from tue entrance of a field where an accident had evidently taken place ; a loaded waggon must have knocked against the gate , and spilt some of its topmast sheave ? . The sheaves were taken away , but the place was strewed with relics of the upset , and a little harvest of the long yellow Btraw 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 my poor stick had fonnd a watery grave , we became aware of two little girls , who stole timidly and quietly up to the place , and began gladly and thankfully to pick up the scattered corn .
i ; oor little things , we knew them well ! we had known their father , dead of consumption scarcely a month ago : and affecting it was to see these poor children , delicate girls of seven and five years old , already at work to help their widowed mother , and rejoicing over the discovery of these few ears of fallen wheat , as if it were the gold mines of California . A drove of pigs was looming in the distance ; and my little damsel flung down her work , and sprang up at once to help the poor children . She has a taste for helping people , has my little maid , and puts her whole heart and soul into cuchkindnesBes . ItwaB worth something to see how she pounced upon every straggling straw , clearing away all
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KK Sh out 8 ld t « . ° > viDg the space within for the little gins . She even hmted to me that my new stick tfould be an . effluent weapon against the pigg ; and I might have found myaelf engaged in another combat , but that the ground was cleared before the drove came near . Pleasant it wts 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 they found themselves loaded with more than they could earry . Their faded frocks—not mourning frocks , to wear waokovory day for a father is too great a luxury for the PJJ or—N } eir frooks were by her contrivance pinned up about tnem , tiled 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 and shopkeeper . Civil , honest , sober , and industrious , the world went well with them for awhile , and the shop prospered . But children came many ^* ££ 2 $ ^^
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 his door . The long illnesB , the death , the funeral , had still farther exhausted their small means ; and now little was left , except that which is beBt of all , strong famil y affection , an unstained name , an humble reliance upon Providence , and those habits of virtuous industry and courage to take the world as it is , which seldom fail to win an honeBt living . The mother and the elder 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 , they carried thither better things than wheat
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TaWs Edinburgh Magazine , January , 1852 . London : Simpkin and Marshall . The 'Law of Partnership , ' which is the topic treated of in the first article , is one of peculiar importance at the preBenttime , 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 doubtjwhether 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 management , 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 , but as to the actual benefit of the law there can be no doubt .
Several witnesses were examined as to the working of the 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 eommandite had worked successfully in France , and that it had been especially advantageous to the manufacturing interest , b y enabling the capitalist and the workman mutually to aid each other in carrying out fresh improvements . The 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 whioh 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 . " " It brings 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 the remarkable success of the exhibitors from tbat 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 Committee . A gentleman of great experience in the City of London , Mr . J . Howell , a partner in the 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 the
subject of partnership , also expressed his unqualified approbation of the commandile system . To this witness the following questions were addressed by Mr . Cobden : — "You think it ( the commandite system ) would he a very great benefit to able and intelligent young men who arc embarked in business , if they could enlist the aid of a monied partner , for a limited Bum , 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 ? " " Decidedly . I am told that at St . Etienne , where they manufacture ribbons infinitely superior to the 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 are 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 extent , 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 Hie artist is so far removed / romtfte capitalist , &ft 4 paYta&e 3 bo slightly of his prosperity . " The following remarks of this witness are also well worthy 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 have been sneaking ? " I do certainly . "
" How , 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 V " 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 he 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 , vou might be disposed to embark £ 1 , 000 or £ 2 , 000 of capital in that young man ' s business , in his own native town , wbere 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 tbat 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 the young man ; because a young man beginning entirely with borrowed capital , according to the ruleB of our trade , is entitled to no credit . He is a dangerous customer , if ho 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 for a specific period , he 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 tho 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 he 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 tlie 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 the 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 indiscriminating rigour . To the progress of the middle and lower class it creates an artificial barrier , not insurmountable indeed , as the annals of British iudustry can show , but still formidable , and in the
case of humble men of genius often fatal . The combined op eration of our partnership / and patent laws checks the spirit of invention among our workmen to their own individual disadvantage , and to the far greater loss of the public . These latter grounds alone furnish ample motives for legislative interference ; but there are besides political and social reasons why the law should undergo a change . The present law of partners tends materially to widen the broad line which in this country exists between the richer and the poorer classes ; and whatever has that effect diminishes at once the symmetry and the safety of the social structure . The wisest efforts of modern statesmanship have been made with the view of effacing , as far as possible , tbisunseemly blemish ; nor have these efforts been made in vain . So long , however , as the present law of
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S S ^ eatSa ^^ and noddle and working ^ I ^ ff ^* 5 £ j |* K of eomplunt against their more fortunate sudS if is one , moreover , which we have good rL «« 5 ' , ' ! both widely and keenlv felt-and althon ^ n to know monstratioV may haTe jKi ^ S ? gf ZK& ' A w not upon that account less worthy tbHtffiJ ubj fl ? economist , the politician and the law reformer . 'The Messenger is a capital story , ' ith a verv lame termination . The late attack upon Tennv 8 on's Poem « l Memoriam , ' by the 'Times , ' \ Sn up w very happy style by a writer , who aIclo 1 the animus of that attack as follows -. 1 EeS , uni . rn ^ ^ 7 ^ rr ~ T -
Unborn of Broraing in their favour have Ion . h . sn nE now ; » , 1 „ Med oil , look op to ' tefiw f ^ XFss' . ' ^ ssjrs ^ s ^ a ^ jra ^ -raa ^ s ^ sxrrt ° oSs «« T-
. meiouy , we , tue » Tunes , " are minded to put him down Cn iy " llK WeCa K ! I OtaUoffthe P ubli 0 t 0 b ° " ° ^ influenced 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 i 8 neu trahsed by innumerable drawbacks . We will proveby " rrefragable argument that he i 3 a resolute mannerist , a sentimentalist , habitually given to enormous Maceration unspeakably inarticulate and unfathomably obscure ' The public shall ultimately acknowledge that £ is a mere mS cian ; 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 ana Pomegranates ? or any other poetical works of a demoralising and fi » mn .
? SIt 5 wi * "Jl ™ " haB it 9 P « Mies , and , i'W ? wil know how to fulfil them . ' bnadow of Absolutism will stalk forth en some foggy morning , wrapped m the moat impenetrable cloak , and armed with the most awful bunch of keys . Before the world awakes a grand coup d ' etat will have been perpetrated . Cinna the poot is always Cinna the conspirator . All thecon-SE MS ? SUP " been 8 imultaneously a « est « i ^ A series of papers respecting 'the origin of the CapeDifficulties , are well timed . Secretary Grev and Governor Smith have been squandering our money pretty freely in the war which is uow raginff m 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 Hamiton promises to be an interesting story ; and the falsehood palmed on the world resnectine tl e I ***
struggle in Hungary , both by Austrian Ministers and British Ambassadors , are- well ' shown up' in the paper on < l he Blue Book of Hungary , and our Ministers Abroad . ' The other articles are of average merit . °
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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 dis tinct character , which even the enlistment of such contributors as ^ Frank Parleigh , 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 sympathy with [ unkuown
people-In those greener years of youth , when a journey outside a stage-coach made one of the delicious itoms in a country holiday , on a pleasant afternoon in June , our companion and self were bound on an expedition into woody Berkshire , there to spend 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 the door of the AVhite Horse Cellar , nearly ready to start , our complement of passengers was rendered complete , by three young people , who mounted to the back of the coaoh , —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 cousisted 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 wero very gay and talkative , and spoke with light-hearted unreserve of their own doings , their own prospects , their own projects , and their own thoughts and feelings . Wo 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 had each obtained leave of absence at the same time that they might all three enjoy theirhojiday 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 civcumstances respecting their own character and in .
dividuahty . We discovered that tho yoncr man was a goodnatured lad , a kind brother , and an affectionate , dutiful son ; from the pleasant incidental allusionB 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 . Wo 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 tho pleasures of her
holiday , rather than in actively relishing it . While her brother and sister were briskly interchanging questions and answers , comments and remarks , —now advortino 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 Vimelf with throwing in a word here and there , leaving to them tho trouble of noticing and conversing ^ while she leaned against her brother , who had his arm round her , to keep her from the hard edg e of the iron railing . Her 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 , over gleaming between them , in the volubility of chatter . One moment
, she was abruptly diving over , at the full stretch of her body , to see tbat the wheel was all right , and not in the least danger of coming off and upsetting tho coach ; then she turne' ! to her brother the sailor , resuming the thread of their colloquy ; then sho interrupted herself , to twist round , and look whether the back-seat of the coach were quite safely screwed on , or to ascertain that none of tho 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 . Tho 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 .
Nay , once or twice , she could not help giving a little glad peep into it ; lifting up one of tho wicker flaps , and then dabbing it to a ; ain , after assuring herself that the contents were all snug and safo . After one of these peeps , hev brother questioned her as to what she had there ; and soon she and tho 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 tho basket-treasures , with honest triumph sparkling in her beady eyes ; " Seo ! 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 ball 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 8 i 8 » tor in these gifts . The sailor exclaimed , — Won't they be pleased ! " And the laundry-maid aaid . . — " How niceW 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 ! But I don't know how it is ; I never eave it a thought ! " s
Although we had intensely enjoyed the happiness of the beady-eyed Jane , in her prettily-provided little packets , yet . there was something in the inflection of the 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 ns take scarcely less interest in her , than in the other . Liko beloved Ghwles Lanvb , —who , in one of his exquisite Elia papers , playfully confesses to " a kindliness , that almost amounted to a tendre , for those nve thoughtless virgins "we felt a compassionate tenderness towards the less provident Susan , who , in her sincere and unenvious svmpatby had proved herself a 9 kindly-natured , in her way , asthe considerate Jane .
Through many successive summers , we have retained a pleasant remembrance of those three young unknown peo . pie , in their simple , affectionate happiness , And still we see them , as wo last beheld them ; when the coach , —stopping on the borders of a common , at a wayside cottaeo where stood a joyful group clustered in the porch , awaited them , deposited our fellow travellers . There they were , standing amid their frionds , the whole family pressing round ! all talking at once , now shaking hands , now hugging each other , with glistening eyes , and smiling
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lips : and , ns the coach whirled on , could Rmi acern their figures , among the green turf « J '" if * furze , bathed in the sunny rays of a midsummer » goden while their faces , shining VhipplI ? , ™™ S W joyous voices , were the last things that remled'H ' .. . ,
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LITERARY EXTRACTS . THE TASK OF TIIE AOE . We have now to trim our lamp and gird on our armour for a final work , which oannot bo 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 nrevious forms of polity and modifications of humanity j-ha 8 arisen a complex order of society , of which the disorders and ano rnalies are as complex as its own structure . We are now saaiiMoned to the combat , not with material difficulties nor yet with oppressors nor 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 m their subtlety , perplexing in their complcations , and demanding far more clear insight and unerring judgment than even purity of purnose or nnmmavH ^ f
energy ot win . Thu conflict may be said to date from ho hrst French Revolution ; and it has been increasing in intensity ever since , till it has now reached to a vividness and solemnity of interest which Bupasses arid overshadows the attractions of all other topics . Socialism , Communism , St S . monism , Founensm Chartism , areamong the indications of its progress . Gradually it has drawn all classes and orders of men into its ranks . The student in hia librm tbe statesman m hia cabinet , the merohant at his desk the artisan at his loom , the peasant at his plough , are afl in their several departments , working at the Barae problem int « nt upon tho same thought . It has enlisted and conse ' crated science ; it has merged or superseded ordinary nolitics , 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 a stranger . —Westminster Review .
KPFKCI OF RAILWAYS ON FABM AND GARDEN PKODUCB . Another commercial effect of the railway system has been to equalise the value of land , and promote the cultivation ot those districts of a country which lie considerably removed from large towns . Every one knows that distanoe irom 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 . This is peculiarly the case with kitcaen-gardens , and paBtuve-land suited for the purpose of fattening cattle , or feeding such as are required for tho dairy , in all these cases , nnd others which might be men .
uoned , the performance of a long journey affects very injuriously the quality and value of the several artioles , and hence the demand for farms and fields not exposed to this drawback has naturally raised their value , flow railways , as they abridge space by means of speed , have had a tendency to increase the value of pasture and garden ground jying 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 the 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 they were sold .-CAam } m '« Journal .
REA 80 NING IN ANIMALS . Animals are prompt at using their 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 ce could never be induced to touoh one afterwards , notwitnTtandins its previous fondness for them . A tame fox has been cured from stealing eggs and poultry , by giving them to him hot from tho saucepan . Le Vaillant ' s monkey was extremely fond of brandy , but would never be prevailed on to touch u 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 , nnd refused to proceed in spue ot every punishment , were considered be / ond cure but it was suggested at last that several horses should be " attached to the back of the carriage , and bein » put into a trot , be made to pull the refractory horses baokwards lesuit
me was perfectly successful , for thenceforth they aced every hill at full speed , and were no t to be restrained till they reached the summit . A dog which had been beaten while some musk was held to his nose , always fled away whenever it accidentally smelled the drug , and was so susceptible of it tbat it was used in some psychological expenmeuts to discover whether any portion of musk had been received by the body through the organs of di gestion . Another dog , which had been accidentally burnt with a liicifor match , became angvy at the sight of one , and furious if tho act of lighting it was feigned . There are besides so many instances recorded of even higher degrees of intelligence , that it is impossible to deny that animals armeat a knowledge of cause and effect . Sfcrend , of 1 rague , 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 eefc the bow to conceal it . Tho well known story recorder ! hr
i'liitarch 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 afterwardB purposely ; and that to cure it ef the trick , its panniers were filled with sponge , under which when fully saturated it could barely stiiL'gei \
CHARITIES . To diffuse immediate bappii ^ s upon those near at hand , without reference to future and more permanent "ood is the short-sighted object of the 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 tho widespread charities of the present day furnish examples of this . They seek to remedy a present evil , to relieve a present Buffering , by means which multiply for the future these pains and sufferings many-fold . A late writer on the princip [ cs of charitable institutions remarks , that they are more numerous , that more exertions are mado for the relief of tho poor now than at any former period—yet poverty and crime are on tbe increase . What is the reason of this ? The writer alluded to goes on to prove that it is to be found in tho fact , tbat remedies aro often applied without discriminating between the different causes which produce
ttiese eviis , and tlieretore perpetuate and increase them or ah best only palliate them . But the real cause of this want of discrimination and consequent failure is the fact that it is not real benevolence at work , but a something between tho seeming of love of approbation and a bargain to get as cheaply as possibts to heuven . People wish to Btand well in tho opinion of their neighbours , nnd they have likewise heard that " he that giveth 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 ohanties , that is , give annual guineas , the p ress irenprallv
blowing a trumpet before them ; but they neither watch the spending of the money or care much what becomes of it , —consequently , the more remoto the sphere of operation —if to build a church at Jerusalem for converted Jew ? or to make Christians of Caribs-the more liberal the donation . Children should be oarly taught to distinguish hotvreen seeming and real benevolence—between generosity that costs nothing , that is , involves no self-sacriffee , or even self-denial , and tbat which proceeds from love and duty Wlien the higher classes are really in earnest about raising the condition of the lower—when they cease to consider them as more . ol . jocts to perform their charities upon as convenient stepping-stones to heaven , as so much raw material out of which they aro to work thoir own salvation as the poor , " whom we are always to have with us , " and therefore aro to be kept poor , or at least in their present posmon ,-and there will bo f , und little difficulty and certainly no natural barriers to their mems .-Education of th Feelings , by Charles Brav . J
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FREEHOLD LAND SOCIETY . A public meeting of this society took place on Monday evening at the London Tavern , Bishopsgate-street . B Sheridan , Esq ., was called to the chain—James Beale , Esq m moving the first resolution , called attention to the excel lent security afforded for investments in this society -A gentleman present ob ? erved that htf 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 vest somewhere , nnd he presumed it would rest with the committee . Mr . Miller said thatundertheactof parliament , the com . mitteG 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 . —Tbe Chairman said , that the societies were obliged to be enrolled by Mr . Tidd Pratt under the Friendly Societies ' Act , and consequent y they got rid of the obieotion thtt
tnese societies were for political purposes . Inthe House of Commons these societies were boldly attacked by Mr . ^ legate , but they showed the assertion of Chief Justice Tindal and Lord John Rusaell that these societies were commendable . These politioal advan-SSS . n ° i tnfl i"K' \ there . wei'e circumstances 1 u ? u * tb , e advanta S es important . Let them consult the rules , and they would be fully Z prised of the course they ought to pursue . Mr . Beale then moved "That as the freehold land movement promoted habits of forethought , prudence , andfruSvSd tended also to advance the political , moral , andsSS LTf 7 M ? ° rf ifc J deserved th 6 ir *™ Vsupport , « » r ? p ^^ n . and General Freehold Lund Society ™« £ » i ? d e r ° P rietor 8 . being established to promote and foster this spirit of improvement , was , therefore , entitled to their Bupport and confidence . "lThi resoEn to th 3 TSly M greedt 0 ' thailk 8 havi " S been givX to the chairman , the meeting adjourned to Monday next ,
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tbJ ^ f ?^ Lleut '" ColOTcl Fordyce , who fell a viotim in n L ? "Wement with the Kaffirs in Waterkloof , was a native of Ayton , Berwickshire .
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Motto for thb Submarine Telegraph . — " Vivt Ln Ltgnt . "—Punch . ** Human existence hinges upon trifles—what is beantv without soap ? 3 Prosperity is no just scale ; adversity is the only balance to weigh friends . kms .--. Exeept pain of body , and remorse of conscience » ii our evils Rre imaginary . —Roimeati . -. ^'""^ V is a person appr- ^ ching a candle like a man Ever horBe ? --Becftuse he is going to alight . reveal u """""" n ' omethinL' in his nature which , were he to GrAt ' ° makc us hate him .-OociAe . defects of i / 8 " - ? sleri " carriage of the body to cover the smooth " ™ J ftT ' " " raan ' P " whatsoever k > have one of these d f ° f COats and breeches tho tailorswiU fp bv www Huig »
mucrbBcO ] Ssick . r r He who stuilies his body t 0 ° comes mad !! S . who do (« the same by his mind betl ^ jeSsronor- tl ? ? 6810 ^ hatred act 3 like of perfection have one » M ° nolhinB and thecircle Richer . and the saffle symbol—Seem Paul ttakaratalnof bet l . ult . !" -. tai , _ .. ™'' ' J"K EL ? sr ' mi > ti ° " - " ™«"~"«" Humility is a virtue all preach , none practice , and vet everybody is contented to hear . The master thinks it goS doctrine ior his servants , the laity for the clergy , and the clergy for the laity . —Selden . BJ | iae .. An Aged Turn-out . — Mrs . Wicock , of Crogg , whose years number ninety-seven , turned out a few days ago at lodmorden for more wages . It appears that she was a oobbin-winder for two weavers ; and , eonsideriHg her aee , the men complied with her wishes . 5 ) A Cieveii Rbasoneb . —A fellow coming out of a tavern irost
une y morning , rather top-heavy , fell on the door step . » h ? fMi ! - eain J hisfooting ' remarked , "If it be true toa \ i ; ie w \ ck f 8 t 5 nd 0 V sliP P P ' ace 8 ' ' I must belong to a different class , for it ' s more than I can do . " Mr t , H J&f . ships . ~ A patent lias been taken out by hoa . c J ° [ bui ! dlng sl"P 3 uP ° n the 8 Bme Principle as life ' ?» , ilnv ?' cbcan . ne'ther becapaised nor swamped . This haKna fl T cacllie . vement will » wo h ° Pe > meet with that support it deserves in this sea-bound land . mini ? W ° r P Thoug ht .-I would recommend a free com-Zl i , . Of ma , tter , mind ' r wottW let men enter their own churches with the same freedom as their own houses : fevl ; r , ° - Wl'Il 0 Ut : a homily , or graciousness S , or HS&S ^ SSd ! t 0 me a word le 8 odious than
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Pleasant " SHOPrisc" in Ameiuca . —A flasu young man went into a clothing store the other day , and asked the _ prica of a pair of pants . On hearing the ' price , he exc \ aimed— " Why , no , you don ' t snyfo ! I could steal ' em cheaper than that . " — ' No doubt , " replied the merchaut , " I have lost three pair since your arrival . "— " Ah , indeed 1 You have lost something else , which some people would miss more than their breeches . "— " Is it possible ? Pray what else have Host ?"— "Yourbruins , " coolly responded the other . — " Oh , I knew that , " retaliated tho merchant , " but I would not accuse you for a moment of having stolen them . —American Paver .
Yankbe Speed . —An Englishman , boasting of tbe superiority of the horses in his country , mentioned that the . celebrated Eclipse had run a mile in a minute . " My good fellow ! " exnlaimed 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 c . in ' t keep up with me , but generally c , ) mes jnt 0 tiie counting-house to find me , from a minute to a minute ami a half after 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 , ho went so fast that the whole time 1 saw my back directly before me , and was twice in danger of riding over mYself . "
Soldiers . —A soldier is a man whose businoss it is 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 thejustifiableness 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 ofashowraa 'J ft at the very time he ia 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 his exhibitor . — Oodwn .
Employment of Raoged Children . — The success of the juvenile 'I Shoe-black Brigade , " and street sweepers , stimulates the authors of the movemeut to propound fresh inventions , and to widen still further the means of livelihood for poor boys rescued from misery . The public , certainly , is ready to assist . To every six broomcrs there will heraafter be attached a message boy , who will be known by his name of" Mercury , " legibly inWibeil upon a label . This lad wiil be at the call of any shopkeeper within his district
for the purpose of running errands , at the rate of 3 d . a mile , or Gd . an hour . The Society will aid this movement b-j rendering itself respi'iisilile for a ! j parcels entrusted to ' the Mercuries , under the vslue of £ 5 . By promoting to such office only those capitalists who have as much as b mi theii bank , it will , in fact , make the boy himself pay for tbe value of the property in case ot theft . Then there will arS among them "Brassers" ami their offer to thepuSc wil bs for a penny from each house , to keep door-pC shop p ! at « s , knockers and bell pulU in a state of t £ SI ino ed
brilliancy , ivj- Schools take thousands of bov yea ^ l rd % l S , ^ , ? P-tt-1 ^ 5 # S& S ! are polluted . Ihe public will co . dially n-joice to find-as the p an goes on , and prospers-that boys by hundred are returned upon the streets f ; useful members of soci .-ty .
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EXTJUCTS FROM PUNCH . apwf K CE TO v 7 ° GBJiTLEMKN .-Don't degrade y 0 Ur . £ wSf i gambhng ° " the Turf ! if y ° u d 0 > the veriest blacklegs will become your betters . . h ^ £ T CH 0 F OMNiBu sE 8 . ~ The bakers call the new batch of Id . and 2 d . omnibuses that run down Oxford-street and Holborn- " The Penny and Twopenny Bus-Advice Gratis . —We beg to suggest to the friends of the boa-constrictor , that if thepnor 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 m Dowmng-street that heard of the pending resignation of ralmerston , and the same bird that , at the same time , chirped the news in the Cabinet of Vienna . Obvious- "Election , " Dr . Johnson tells us , is asynonyme for "choice . " But , in Louis Napoleon ' s Political Dictionary , we find the significant addendum- // o&j < m ' j understood .
Good Offices at Christmas . —Somo surprise hag been expressed at the frequent holding of meetings of the Cabinet at this festive season . The reason is easily explained , when we remember tbat 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 theloreign 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 the very first
Something Like a Staff!—The "Reduced Staff" of the Commissioners of Sewers is £ 18 , 321 a-year . If this is the btaff 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 . 1 he 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 . ' Meas Jealousy .-AU the Leaders in the French newspapers aro suppressed . This is mean jealousy on the part of Louis Napoleon . Ho 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 in 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 ! Ihk 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 tliemBelvea'fortunate in surviving to go to Cayenne , instead of having been unmercifully peppered on the Boulevards . Astronomy . —Old Gent . "You sec , ray dear , that the Earth turns on its own Axis , and makes one Revolution
round the Sun each Tear . "— Young Revolver . " Then , Pa , does France turn on its own Axis when it makes its Revolutions ? ' -Old Oent . "No , my dear , it turns on its Bayonets . However , that ' s not a question in Astronomy . " Bomba in Raptures . —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 Boraba ' 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 Buar !
A Pump-iundlk for a JoKE . —In consequence of the ten . duncy of some of the Government steamers to leakage , it has been proposed that every vessel should be compelled to carry out an additional pump . Perhaps if each crafc should be ordered to take out a Lord of tho Admiralty it would amount to the same thing . We aro , however , fearful that the comparison doe 3 not quite hold , for evevy pump is supposed to have something to do with the water—a qualifica , tion which a Lord of tho Admiralty i 3 not alw ays required to possess . —Punch
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basis January 17 , 1852 . « , „„ * u ^ JTHE NORTHERN STAR . prtwijjp existswith Tinr------- ..- — _ . 3
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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/vm2-ncseproduct1661/page/3/
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