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 Spanish Proverb. 
 
 " Wb have boon upon a visit to an old Friend, through whose penerous liospilality 
 wo enjoyed the 'Best of everything.'" " She has married well, and is surrounded 
 by the ' Best of cverythinR." " 
 
 These are Household Words, familiar wherever the English language is spolten. 
 The Author attempts, in a Domestic and Social sense, to supply the Reader with the 
 " Best of Everything." He endeavours to give, upon each subject of Enquiry, a 
 practical Reply, and that, presumably, tub Best. Upon the question, "Which ia 
 Best ? " of many things for similar use, difference of opinion will prevail. The 
 Author, however, takes hia seat in the Court of Domestic Judgment, having " gone 
 the Circuit" during many years, and been consulted as an Authority by half a uil- 
 Liou OF SUITORS. He therefore fears not to assume the character of a Family 
 Lawgiver, and will do his " Best" to guard the reputatioa already earned. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA : 
 J. B. LIPPINCOTT AND CO. 
 
 MDCCCLXX. 
 
 Ts. 
 
■^ 
 :?-* 
 
 
 THE B EASON WHY SEEIES. 
 
 Mbsbes. J. B. LippiNcoTT & Co. are now issuing this valuable series of works, 
 which has attained such popularity in England that the sale has already reached 
 considerably more than ONE MILLION VOLUMES. Each work is, in fact, a 
 practical Enct/clopadia of the subjects indicated by the titles. A vast Fund of 
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 able, and at a merely nominal cost. The majority of the volumes are Illustrated, 
 and to each is appended a complete Index to its contents. 
 
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 THE REASON WHY, PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY, 
 
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 THE REASON WHY, HISTORICAL, designed to simpliiy the Study of English 
 
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 THE REASON WHY, NATURAL HISTORY, giving Reasons for very uume- 
 
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 THE REASON WHY, GARDENING AND FARMING, giving some Thou- 
 
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 Tillage of the Soil. $1.25. 
 
 THE REASON WHY, HOUSEWIFE'S DOMESTIC SCIENCE, affording to 
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 JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY ALL ROUND OUR HOUSE; on, THE 
 INTERVIEW, coritaiiiing additional Infonnntion upon Domestic Mutters. .*1 i5. 
 
 THE PRACTICAL HOUSEWIFE AND FAMILY MEDICAL GUIDE, a 
 
 Series of Instruclive Papers on Cookery, Food, Treatment of the Sick, &c., 4tc. $1.25. 
 THE FAMILY SAVE-ALL, a System of Secondary Cookery, with Invaluable Hint* for 
 
 Economy in the use of every Article of Household Consumption. $1,25. 
 NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS, a Work full of Curious Matters of Fact, a 
 
 collection of important Information on all Subjects, from real Answers to Correspondents 
 
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 THE CORNER CUPBOARD, containing Domestic Information, numerous Needlework 
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 DAILY WANTS, THE DICTIONARY OF : a Cyclopadia embracing nearly 1,200 
 
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 USEFUL KNOV/LEDGE, THE DICTIONARY OF: a Book of Reference upon 
 
 History, Geography, Science, Statistics, &c. A Companion Work to the " Dictionary ol 
 
 Daily Wants." Two thick volumes. $6.00. 
 MEDICAL AND SURGICAL KNOWLEDGE, 'THE DICTIONARY OF: a 
 
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TO OUR READERS. 
 
 Fifteen years ago, the Author of the " Best of Everything " 
 •onceiveil tlie idea of submitting to the Public a Work, embracing 
 ^'reat variety and utility, — teaching, in simple language, the methods 
 of performing Domesti<- Duties, iu the sunshine of Health, and under 
 the dark cloud of Sickness. To those matters of practical import- 
 mce, were added numerous Hints and Instructions upon the fonns 
 if Eti«iuette and Social Laws, and the rules of Homo Amusements, 
 in a spirit of humour, also, the foibles and errors that impercep- 
 tibly but surely corrude Domestic peace were reproved. 
 
 How acceptable to the Public the Author's labour proved, may 
 1)6 gathered from the fact, that in Great Britain " Enquire Within 
 UPON Everything " (the work above referred to) has reached a 
 circulation of nearly Half a Million copies, and in the United State* 
 of America a sale considerably more extensive. 
 
 Not to the Author, but to the Public, belongs the honour of this 
 result. To it, in chief, must be accorded the credit of having 
 selected from among a mass of sensational and morbid literature, 
 one mo<lest Volume, of unpretending appearance, quiet, practical, 
 and quaint in every page, and of having given it pre-eminence over 
 every Work of its time. 
 
 . Within fifteen years many new matters uf interest have 
 arisen. There are discoveries made, not by the adventures of 
 geographical explorers, nor watchers of the starry skies, — there 
 are domestic Livingstones, and homely Herscuels, who contribute 
 to the more immediate necessities of life, — and hence there has 
 accumulated a new Store of practical Suggestions to aid the bu.«iy 
 
IV TO OUR READERS. 
 
 hand of the Housewife, and guide the ministering care of the 
 ^urse. There are new Amusements, new Laws affecting Domestic 
 Life and responsibility, new Gifts from the hand of Providence 
 for the daily re [uirements of Mankind, new Methods of prevent- 
 ing Disease, or soothing Pain ; and the Aiithor of " The Best 
 OP Everything " has earnestly endeavoured, in the compilation 
 of the present volume, to work up to the Domestic Improvements 
 of the Age, and to those who have already shown their apprecia- 
 tion of "Enquire Within," to furnish the "Best op Everything " 
 in relation to Domestic Life, the result of fifteen years' Invention, 
 Improvement, and Discovery, in all that relates to Home Necessities 
 and Enjoyments. 
 
 Among the subjects thus introduced will be found Hints upon 
 Choosing and Furnishing Houses, with reference to numerous 
 domestic improvements ; Food and Cookery, embracing receipts for 
 the preparation of many new articles of Diet, new receipts for 
 Secondary Cookery, and of prepared and preserved Meats ; Domestic 
 Remedies for those minor ailments that fall under the care of 
 the Mother and the Nurse, including Diet and Drinks for Inva- 
 lids; Cooling Drinks and Cups for Summer, and Drinks for 
 Winter ; Needlework of various kinds ; Sewing and Knitting 
 Machines; useful Methods of making and mending Textile and 
 other Materials ; Washing, Wringing, and Mangling Machines, 
 and valuable hints upon cleaning, removing stains, purifying 
 and disinfecting ; Simple Dyes for Home use ; New Laws of 
 Married Women's Property, Stamp Laws, Life Insurance, Mar- 
 riage, Bankruptcy, Property, Trades, and Employment ; New 
 Methods of Gardening, and the cultivation of favourite Plants 
 for the conservatory or window ; the Management and Economy 
 
TO OUR READERS. V 
 
 of Poultry, Bees, &c. ; Batliing, Domestic Ablution, and Valuable 
 Hints as to Turkish, Medicated, and other Baths; Sea Bathing, 
 Swimming, Boating, and Angling, with interesting notes upon 
 the Natural History of the Sea-shore ; Seaside and Inland 
 Watering-places ; New Parlour and Lawn Games, including 
 Croquet, iV-zique, Drdlo, La Crosse, <fec. ; Hints upon Home 
 Decorations ; Singing and Musical Instruments ; Amateur Acting • 
 Hints on Shorthand Writing, Memory, &c. 
 
 It has been deemed advisable to arrange this AVork in Months 
 commencing with March, the opening of Spring; and in pursuance 
 of this plan, the contents, wherever practicable, have been made 
 aj^propriate to the particular month under which they appear. 
 Thus, Hints on Bees, Boating, Chickens, &c., will be found under 
 May ; Croquet, Golf, Angling, &c., under June ; Light Drinks for 
 Summer, Swimming, Seaside Watering-places, &c., in July. l-Iach 
 month has also a Calendar expressly for the Cook and Gardener. 
 
 In the collection of the varied and useful matter contained in 
 this Work, the Editor has been assisted by various writers, pro- 
 fessional and amateur ; and the receipts for Medical remedies have 
 been entirely written by a regularly qualified practitioner. Thus 
 every care has been taken to carry out in fact the promise indicated 
 in the title of the Volume. As far, therefore, as such an end can 
 be accomplished between Author and licader, there will herein be 
 found, upon matters within the aim and scope of the Work, the 
 "Best of Everything." 
 
 In addition to an Outline of the general Contents given at 
 page vii, a copious and carefully prepared Analytical Index will 
 be found at page 389. 
 
 London, October, 1870. 
 
vi YE WHOLE ENGLISH-SPEAKING GLOBE 
 
 Mciketh Enquiries as to if Best mode of Cooliery, 
 
 f Best desci-ij^tion of NeedleicorA; f latest and Best Medicine, 
 
 and if Best and viost favourite Pastimes of if Period. 
 
 The Globe dines, and demands of Soyer, fils, 
 
 " Whence liave you gained your wondrous skill in rations ? 
 Where hare you learned the cunning that delights 
 
 And soothes the palates of my various nations ? " 
 Soyer, who then, chronometer in hand. 
 
 Was bending o'er a saucepan simmering, 
 Turned and politely to the enquu'ing World 
 
 Said, " I have read the ' Bkst op Everythixg.' " 
 
 Young Miss Penelope her lock-stitch plies 
 
 With fairy needle, time and labour scorning ; 
 " The work you do at even," says the Globe, 
 
 " Won't, like your ancient grandma's, in the morning 
 Be all unravelled? Tell me, my sweet P., 
 
 How thus your needle flies like bird on wing ? " 
 The maiden to the anxious Globe replies, 
 
 " You just consult the ' Best of Everything.' " 
 
 " Bob Sawyer, you're a flourishing M.D. !" 
 
 Exclaims the World, discerning, intellectual, 
 Like the potations of the olden time. 
 
 Your potions now, and ' drops,' are most effectual ; 
 What," asks the Globe, "is your pharmacopoeia? 
 
 What is't you give to soothe disease's sting ?" 
 " For all my patients," answers candid Bob, 
 
 " I now prescribe the ' Best of Everything.'" 
 
 At archery meeting or on croquet lawn. 
 
 Who but the fair Amelia wins the prizes ? 
 And at Bezique her " tricks " score all the " pohits," 
 
 Your deepest play she quickly analyzes. 
 " How shall we emulate your grace and skill 
 
 With bow and mallet ?" asks the Globe. And she. 
 Bows archly to each Hemisphere and says, 
 
 " Do as I did,— Bead up the 'B. of E./'" 
 
I OUTLINE OF THE CONTENTS. 
 
 'march pp. 1—32 
 
 The Month of March — Cook and Gardener's Calendar — Artificial Fuel — 
 Artificial Light — Australian Meat — Bankruptcy, New Law of — Building 
 Societies — Cookery Receipts — Miscellaneous Receipts — Medical Receipts — 
 Hints on Clothing — Exercise, notes on— Gymnastics— Choice of a House — 
 Fires, a few words on — Sleep, notes on — Water, its properties, &c. 
 
 APRIL pp. 33—64 
 
 The Month of April — Cook and Gardener's Calendar — Food for Invalids 
 — Boiling, remarks on — Cookery Receipts— Miscellaneous Receipts — Medical 
 Receipts— The Drowned, to restore — Gas, remarks on — House Furnishing, 
 hints on— Husband and Wife, law of — Kitchen Fittings — Marketing, hints 
 on— Matches, advice on — Xecdlework, hints on — Roasting, remarks on — 
 Baths, Cold, Hot, Turkish, &c.— La Crosse and Whist, games of, &c. 
 
 *MAY pp. 65—96 
 
 The Month of May — Cook and Gardener's Calendar— Boating, notes on 
 — Bee-keeping- Bezique and Dr61c, games of — Cookerj- Receipts — Miscel- 
 laneous Receipts — Medical Receipts — Food and Drinks for Invalids — Musical 
 Instruments, hints on— Broiling, remarks on — Chickens, hints on — Sewing 
 Machines, advice on — Nursing, hints on — Cricket, game of — Master and 
 Servant, law of — Libel, law of, &c. 
 
 JUNE pp. 97—128 
 
 The Month of June — Cook and Gardener's Calendar — Angling, hints on 
 — Law of Banker's Cheques and Bills of Exchange — Cookery Receipts — 
 Miscellaneous Receipts — Medical Receipts — Food and Drinks for Invalids — 
 Croquet and Golf, games of — Ice, a few words on — Marriage, law of — Sing- 
 ing, hints on — Seaside Studies — Stewing, general remarks — Washing, hints 
 on, &c. 
 
 JULY pp. 129—160 
 
 The Month of July — Cook and Gardener's Calendar — Archerj-, notes on 
 — American Drinks — The Aquarium — The Acrostic— Candles, a few words 
 on — Fruit, to Preserve— Light Drinks for Slimmer — Cookery Receipts — 
 Miscellaneous Receipts — Medical Receipts — Embroidery — Fire and Life In- 
 surance, law of— Seaside Watering-places, notices of— Harmonium, hints 
 on — Poultry, to Fatten — Swimming, art of, &c. 
 
 AUGUST pp. 161—192 
 
 The Mcnth of August — Cook and Gardener's Calendar — Advertising, hints 
 on — Butter and Cheese, to make — Dairy, the — Cows, hints on — Drinks, 
 remarks on — Cookery Receipts — Miscellaneous Receipts —Medical Receipts — 
 Lawns and Lawn Mowers — Mortgage, law of— Music, a few words on — 
 MUking, hints on — Partnership, law of— Bowls and Quoits, games of— Sea- 
 weeds, to Preserve — Seaside Watering-places, notices of — Shorthand, hints on 
 — Window Gardening, hints on, &c. 
 
 NoTB.— A complete A>-Ai.TiiCiL Index will be found at page 389. 
 
VIU OUTLINE OF THE CONTENTS. 
 
 SEPTEMBER pp. 193-224 
 
 The Month of September — Cook and Gardener's Calendar — Savings Bankg, 
 law of — Mineral Spas, notes on — Canaries, to breed and teach — Cider and 
 Perry, to make — Cookery Receipts — Miscellaneous Receipts — Medical Re- 
 ceipts — Home Decorations, hints on — Decalcomanie — Home-brewed Wines, 
 to make — Knitting, a few words on — Lamps and Oils — Pickling and Pre- 
 serving, receipts for — Racquet, game of— Silkworms — Herbs for Winter, &c. 
 
 OCTOBER pp. 225—256 
 
 The Month of October — Cook and Gardener's Calendar — Assignment, law 
 of — Billiards, game of — Brewing, notes on^Domestic Concerts — Cookery 
 Receipts — Miscellaneous Receipts — Medical Receipts — Filtration of Water, 
 and Filters — Calisthenics for Women — The Hyacinth, culture of — Knitting 
 Machines — Pigeons, to keep— Poisons, hints on — Rabbits, to keep — Soups 
 and Soup Making, &c. 
 
 NOVEMBER pp. 257—288 
 
 The Month of November- Cook and Gardener's Calendar — Bengal and 
 Cingalese Curry — Eyesight, a few words on — Laws respecting Rent — New 
 kind of Spectacles — Cookery Receipts — Miscellaneous Receipts — Medical 
 Receipts — Hashes and Minces, remarks on — Games of Bagatelle, Cribbage, 
 and Ecartc — Scotch Haggis, to make — Gold-fish, to keep — The Kaffee Kanne 
 — Netting, hints on — Home Decorations, hints on — Modelling in Clay — 
 Wood-Carving — Diaphanie, hints on— Dogs, to keep and manage, &c. 
 
 DECEMBER pp. 289—320 
 
 The Month of December — Cook and Gardener's Calendar — Deafness, 
 remarks on — Home Decoration, hints on — Cookery Receipts — Miscellaneous 
 Receipts — Medical Receipts — How to Decorate a Church for Christmas — 
 The Games of Chess and Backgammon — Soaps, a few Words on — Amateur 
 Acting, hints on — Christmas Parties, to give — Parrots, to keep — Maxims for 
 a Young Housekeeper — for a Housemaid — Hints on Crochet — Hints on 
 Punctuation, &c. 
 
 JANUARY pp. 321—352 
 
 The Month of January — Cook and Gardener's Calendar — Hints on Skating 
 — On Curling — Adulterations of Food — Cats, hints on — Law of Nuisances — 
 Parish Laws — Cookery Receipts— Miscellaneous Receipts — Medical Receipts 
 — Home Decoration, bints on — Feather Screens— Game of Piquet, of 
 Draughts — New Law of Property of Married Women — Oysters, a few words 
 on — Guinea Fowl, to keep and cook — Winter Salads — Family Pictures, &c. 
 
 FEBRUARY pp. 353-388 
 
 The Month of February — Cook and Gardener's Calendar — Cookeiy Receipts 
 — Miscellaneous Receipts — Medical Receipts — Fencing, hints on — New 
 Stamp Act — Safety during Thunderstorms — Wax Flowers, to make — Vingt 
 et Un, Game of — Food for Infants — Hints on Pigs — Abecedarian Council — 
 Ozokerit Candles — Dinner Table Decorations — Conservatory Boilers, &c. — 
 Pickling, hints on. 
 
BEST OF EVERYTHING. 
 
 Counsel is ^iven by the JFise, the Remedy by the Rich. 
 
 March Violets. 
 
 CULLED roi: ofii readej:s. 
 
 AfJAiN ! ogain ! my faory dell, 
 
 I5y ihc broad river softly flowing I 
 My binhes drooping pencilled sprays, 
 My cushat crooning amorous lays, 
 My lark loretelling summer days, 
 And my March Violets blowing ! 
 
 This is my palace, this my shrine! 
 
 To me and nature almost holy ; 
 Here sits the hare at lirenk of day, 
 At noon the flashing tinches play. 
 At eve the merles their vespers sny 
 
 In chants like choristers lowly. 
 
 And here as pilgrim steps I turn 
 
 To scenes so loved — so long forsaken, 
 The spirit of returning Spring 
 Flits near me, and with winnowing v ing 
 The world of Jlemories doth bring. 
 
 That Violets wild aweiken. 
 These for remembrance ! You that read 
 
 This chanson from the Past I bring, 
 Be yours the sweets that memory 
 
 showers. 
 The Present bliss of happy hours, 
 The Future of a year of flowers. 
 
 The— ^csi of Everything ! 
 
 D. MuiiKAY Smith. 
 
 The Month of March. 
 
 " J'druart/ makes a biidqe, and March 
 breaks it." 
 
 This month consists of thirty-one days. 
 It was the first month in the Roman 
 year, and untill7o2 was regarded as the 
 first month of the year in Great Britain, 
 ^efoie that date the legal English year 
 
 was reckoned from the 2.3fli of March. 
 March is now the third month in the 
 calendar. 
 
 The Cook's Calendar for 
 March. 
 
 " March birds are best." 
 
 Fish in Season. — Salmon, turbot, 
 brill, soles, sturgeon, smelts, oysters, 
 lobsters, crabs, mullet, mackerel, cod, 
 dory, salmon-trout, skate, perch, eels, 
 prawns, whiting, shrimps, pike, cockles, 
 dabs, and carp. 
 
 Meat in Season. — Beef, house 
 lamb, veal, mutton, pork. 
 
 PoiLTKY and Game in Season. — 
 Capons, chickens, fowls, green geese, 
 ducklings, hares, rabbits, pigeons, wild 
 ducks, snipe, teal, and widgeon. 
 
 Vegetahles in Season. — Turnips, 
 carrots, parsnips, brocoli, cabbages, 
 celery, asparagus, seakale, cucimibers, 
 lettuces, mustard and cress, mushrooms, 
 spinach, Brussels sprouts, endive, mint. 
 
 The Gardener's Calendar 
 for March. 
 
 "yi bushel of March dust is icorth a 
 king's ransom." 
 
 March is the most important and busy 
 month for the gardt ner. All the heavy 
 work of digging, trenching, and prepar- 
 ing the ground ought to be completed 
 during January and February, as 5larcb 
 is pre-eminently the month for sowing, 
 planting out, and thinning out tha 
 crops for the coming summer, as well 
 as grafting, training, and nailing fnut» 
 trees, planting out rosesj &c. Fork up 
 ^ ' '' 
 
// is good to Begin we//, better to End well. 
 
 asparagus and strawberry beds, plant 
 out cauliflower and cabbage plants, 
 also Jerusalem artichokes and holly- 
 hocks ; sow leeks, onions, carrots, pars- 
 nips, parsley, spinach, peas, beans, let- 
 tuce, mustard and cress in the open 
 ground. Sow in a gentle heat melons, 
 cucumbers, capsicums, tomatoes, celery. 
 Vegetable marrow, — all except the first 
 two to be planted out in the end of 
 April or early in May. Protect bulbs 
 from frost and wind ; top-dress pansies, 
 and sow tender annuals in a warm 
 border, or in pans in a cool hotbed. 
 
 Best Hints on Choosing, 
 Purchasing, and Building 
 a House. — Choosing a House. — 
 The choice of a house is in importance 
 second only to the selection of a friend. 
 The best residence is one which is not 
 inconveniently distant from your place 
 of business — is in a cheerful and healthy 
 locality, and of which the rent, includ- 
 ing rates and taxes, does not exceed 
 on§-sixtli of your income. Do not 
 choose a neighbourhood merely because 
 it is fashionable, and carefully avoid 
 occupying a dwelling in a locality of 
 doubtful reputation. Be particular as 
 to whether it is drj', wdth convenient 
 sewage and plenty of water. A south- 
 em or western aspect is to be pre- 
 ferred. Should the house be infested 
 with vermin, avoid it. See that the 
 windows and doors are well secured, 
 that there are proper means of ventila- 
 tion, and that the cliimneys do not smoke. 
 
 Let all needful repairs be made by 
 the landlord before the completion of 
 your agreement, otherwise you will 
 probably be required to execute them 
 at your own expense. Do not deal with 
 a landlord who is commonly reputed as 
 being disobliging, greedy, or litigious. In 
 every case have a lease properly drawn 
 out and stamped. 
 
 Avoid the neighbourhood of a slug- 
 gish stream, a mill-dam, or fresh- water 
 lake. The penalties are rheumatism, 
 ague, impaired eyesight, loss of appe- 
 tite, asthma, and other distressing ail- 
 ments. Choose a house away from the 
 vicinity of tan-yards, and tallow, soap, 
 and chemical works. The neighboiir- 
 
 hood of old and croWed burial-grounda 
 and of slaughterhouses is to be shunned. 
 A low situation is perilous, especially 
 during the prevalence of epidemics. 
 
 Never lease a house in a narrow 
 street, xmless the back premises are 
 open and extensive. Houses built M'ith 
 sea sand will in the winter months dis- 
 charge moisture ; a residence so con- 
 structed is unsuitable for childi-en. A 
 house with two entrance doors is more 
 healthy than with one onlj^ Before 
 closing your bargain try to obtain some 
 account of the house from a former 
 occupant. 
 
 Purchasing a House. — In pur- 
 chasing a house, whether old or new, 
 do not trust to appearances, or rely 
 on your own judgment. AVhcn you 
 ha^'c selected a house likely to suit 
 yoTir family and your purse, employ a 
 surveyor to inspect every portion of it. 
 He Avill examine the foundations, the 
 state of the sewage, and the character of 
 the materials which form the walls. He 
 will be able to detect if soft bricks have 
 been used, by finding traces of damp at 
 the bottom of the walls. In examining 
 the joists, flooring, and other woodwork, 
 he will be enabled to report whether 
 cheap American fir has been used in- 
 stead of well-seasoned timber. By your 
 solicitor you must look into the nature 
 of the tenure and the duration of the 
 building lease. If you can obtain a 
 freehold property, so much the better ; 
 if not, be particular in considering 
 whether the ground-rent is such as to 
 justify the purchase ; and obtain evi- 
 dence as to the extent of the parochial 
 and other rates. You will do well to 
 secure a portion of ground beside your 
 house, on which you might erect an 
 addition should your family increase, 
 or your business demand further accom- 
 modation. Beware of rashly purchasing 
 fixtures, — such as window-blinds, hall 
 carpets, and kitchen furnishings ; new 
 articles may be found in the end more 
 economical. Make an efi'ort to pay the 
 whole of the purchase-money. A bond 
 on your house will endanger your credit, 
 and aft'ect your comfort. 
 
 Building a House. — Select j'our 
 
Good Counsel has no Price. 
 
 locality, but before completing your 
 arrangements for the site, ascertain 
 the precise nature of the soil. In a 
 gravelly subsoil you will readily obtain 
 a good foundation ; but if clay or 
 moist earth is presented, be cautious. 
 You may indeed procure an artificial 
 foundation by laying a bed of concrete, 
 but this is attended with considerable 
 expense. Consult an architect when 
 you are about to build; he will sub- 
 mit a drawing for your approval, and 
 afterwards prepare working plans and a 
 specification. You should then get the 
 work contracted for by some respectable 
 builder, employingthe architect or asur- 
 veyor to superintend it. If the dweDing 
 is to be reared of brick, ascertain that 
 the bricks are not spongy, but of the 
 weU-burnt kind known as stocks. The 
 quality of the mortar must also be 
 ascertained. You should personally 
 inspect the plumber's work, which, if 
 inferior, will afterwards expose you to 
 endless expense. See that the timber 
 employed is Memel or Kaltic fir. The 
 form of the roof is important ; it ought 
 to be constructed so as at once to per- 
 mit the rain to escape easilj', and to 
 bind the structure. Tiles should not be 
 used in i-oofing ; slates are more durable, 
 and ornamental. Do not allow zinc to be 
 used either as gutters or water-pipes ; 
 it wastes under exposure. Provide for 
 the reception-rooms marble chimney- 
 pieces, which much improve the appear- 
 ance of the rooms. Let cornices and 
 ceiling-centres be of handsome patterns. 
 Building Societies. — Build- 
 ing Societies are regulated by an Act 
 of Parliament passed in 1836 (6 <fe 7 
 Will. IV. ). They are established on the 
 principle of enabling the members to be- 
 come owners of houses by a system of 
 monthly payments, such payments being 
 about one-third more than the ordinary 
 rent. A member of a building society 
 fixes on a house which he is desirous of 
 purchasing. He applies to his society, 
 which employs a sui'veyor to inspect 
 the tenement; if he approves it, its 
 purchase is effected. The member 
 enters on immediate possession, the 
 society retaining the title-deeds until 
 
 the purchase-money is paid up. This 
 is done by monthly instalments — a sura 
 equal to 5 per cent, of the principal 
 and 5 per cent, interest being paid by 
 the occupant yearly. The entire debt 
 is usually extinguished in thirteen years, 
 when the house becomes the absolute 
 property of the occupant. Building 
 societies have tended to elevate the con- 
 dition of the industrial classes, and are 
 to be regarded with countenance and 
 favour. 
 
 Hints to House Tenants. 
 — Any one entering on possession of a 
 house is bound to rent it for twelve 
 months. A house occupied without a 
 lease may be quitted by the tenant on 
 his giving six months' notice to the 
 landlord or his agent, but not till the 
 expiry of that period. In like manner 
 the tenant who has no lease must re- 
 ceive six mouths' notice from his land- 
 lord before being required to quit his 
 occupancy. The period of notice docs 
 not expire till the first quarter day ful- 
 lowiug the last day of the six months. 
 The English quarter days are Lady Day 
 (25th March), Midsummer (24th June), 
 Michaelmas (29th September), and 
 Christmas (25th December). Rent is 
 payable at noon of the quarter day, 
 but no proceedings for its recovery 
 can be taken till the day following, 
 unless the tenant is removing his goods. 
 Eent may only be legally tendered in 
 the current coin of the realm, or in 
 notes of the Bank of England. When 
 a house is taken by written agreemeut 
 for a term of three years, the tenancy 
 ceases at the expiration of the term, 
 notice to quit being imnecessary. 
 Queen's taxes are payable on the pre- 
 mises, as are the land tax and sewer 
 rates ; it is therefore desirable, on en- 
 tering a house, to ascertain that these 
 burdens have been discharged. Groun d 
 rent, the land tax, the property tax, 
 and sewer i-ates, are by law imposed 
 on the landlord, and, unless it is other- 
 wise specified in his lease, the tenant 
 can recover these claims from the 
 landlord. Buildings constructed by 
 the tenant, resting on stones or brick 
 may bo removed bj' him before the 
 
All is soon Ready in an Orderly House. 
 
 expiry of his lease ; but erections at- 
 tached to the soil by posts cannot. A 
 lessee must leave the premises in tenant- 
 able repair, though he may have re- 
 ceived them in dilapidated condition — 
 the law holding that he should have 
 attended to his interests at his entry. 
 
 Best Advice on Papering 
 and. Painting. — When a new 
 house has passed out of the hands of 
 the builder and carpenter, the painter 
 and paperhanger take their place. In 
 general it will be found advantageous 
 to restrict the tradesmen to a fixed sum. 
 If you prefer to select your own paper- 
 hangings, keep in view these considera- 
 tions : — When the ceiling is low, oak 
 paper, or any paper of a dark shade, will 
 make it apparently lower still. If a 
 room be defectively lighted, a dark 
 paper will aggravate the evil. Papers 
 with large designs are unsuited to a 
 small room, making it look smaller ; 
 and generally papers with a variety of 
 colours and showy patterns are incon- 
 sistent with elegance. Striped papers 
 are better adapted for rooms with low 
 ceilings. When pictures are to be 
 hung, paper with floral devices is espe- 
 cially unsuitable. Paper of a uniform 
 colour, such as light or dark green, is 
 admirably adapted for pictures. Brass 
 picture-rods ought to be provided in 
 the principal rooms. Bloom paper, 
 lately introduced, is excellently adapted 
 both for reception-rooms and private 
 apartments. The paint of doors and 
 ^^•indows ought to exhibit a tint suitable 
 to the paperhangings, even though other 
 portions of the ^^'ood^^-ork may not ma- 
 terially vary from the painter's ordinary 
 white or cream colour. The ceiling is 
 generally white. 
 
 The best paperhangings which have 
 yet been produced are Lee's " Oleo 
 Charta paperhangings." Not only are 
 the designs chaste and suitable alike 
 to medifEval and modem furniture, 
 with a close texture and a velvet 
 softness, but, without the aid of 
 varr'sh, they are impervious to wet, 
 and when soiled may be washed with 
 soap and water without injuiy to the 
 fabric, With respect to its peculiar 
 
 qualities we have subjected the Olco 
 Charta paper of Messrs. Lee to the most 
 severe tests, and we are of opinion that 
 these entirely justify the claims of the 
 inventors. 
 
 Ho>A^ to Hang Pictures. 
 — The worst position in which a 
 painting can be placed is directly 
 opposite a window, as its surface so 
 reflects the light that the object cannot 
 be seen except from a side view. 
 The picture ought to be himg so as to 
 allow the light from the window to fall 
 upon it from the same side in Avhich 
 the artist saw or imagined the picture 
 to appear in nature ; that is to say, the 
 shadows in the picture ought to be on 
 that side of the objects which is opposite 
 to the direction from which the light 
 comes : for example, in the case of a 
 tree or house, if the window is on the 
 right hand the shadows on the picture 
 must be towards the left hand of the 
 obsen'er, as if projected from the right 
 side to the left, as would be the case in 
 nature if the light fell upon the right of 
 the objects perceived. 
 
 Best Advice on Fire- 
 grates. — The immense variety in 
 the patterns of grates for drawing and 
 dining rooms and private apartments 
 renders it impossible to do more than 
 state some principles by which our 
 choice may be determined. The best 
 modern grates are combinations of the 
 old legister stove and the Eumford im- 
 provements. The fireplace should have 
 back and sides of firebrick. The bars 
 should be small. A grate with a curved 
 front is to be preferred ; it presents a 
 large surface for radiation. Do not 
 choose grates of wide and open con- 
 struction. The neck of the chimney 
 ought to be closed by a registered 
 plate, to prevent the escape of hot air. 
 The best grates have the bars low, about 
 eight inches from the hearth. A central 
 position in the room is best for the 
 fireplace. Grates with burnished steel 
 fronts are liable to rust, but many grates 
 have two sets of bars, -which fit into a 
 socket, one of polished steel for summer, 
 and the other with cast ii'on bais for 
 winter use. 
 
All is Fine that is Fitting. 
 
 Best Advice on the Kit- 
 chen Range and Boiler. 
 — The Kitchen Range. — The size, 
 the conipletenes-s, the finish, and conse- 
 quently the expense of this importaiit 
 article must depend an circumstances, of 
 which the purchaser is the only proper 
 judge. The best kitchen range for ordi- 
 nary use consists of a boiler which runs 
 along the back and one side of the fire. 
 This is filled by means of an oval aper- 
 ture in its cover. The aperture is 
 covered with a lid, consisting of a heavy 
 plate of cast metal having a projection 
 on its under surface, fitting into a groove 
 running along the margin, and the 
 groove being tilled with water by means 
 of the condensed steam, prevents the 
 steam from escaping, and acts also as 
 a safety-valve. 
 
 The boiler is usually filled by hand, 
 but when it is of large size it is some- 
 times supplied by pipes from the 
 tistern. On the opposite side of the 
 grate is an oven, Avhich may be partly 
 heated from the ordinary fire, but is 
 likewise furnished with a small grate 
 under it, which makes it available for 
 "baking meat and pastry. The grate 
 itself is fitted up with a partition of 
 iron, capable of being moved by con- 
 cealed rackwork and a key, so as 
 to enlarge or diminish the fire in the 
 grate, as may be requisite. This par- 
 tition carries on it a revolving trivet, 
 by means of which a kettle or saucepan 
 may be placed over the fire. The upper 
 horizontal bar of the grate is made to 
 fold down, for the double purpose of 
 holding a pot or saucepan and of dimin- 
 ishing the height of the fire (as the par- 
 tition already adverted to diminishes 
 the breadth of the fire) ; beneath the fire- 
 place is an iron shelf or drawer, which, 
 being pulled out, can support the drip- 
 ping-pan, or afford room for plates and 
 dishes which require to be kept hot. 
 
 The dimensions of this kitchen range 
 must depend on the size of the fire- 
 place ; but from its completeness 
 it wall be found well adapted to its 
 purpose, and it can, by the lessening or 
 increasing of the fire, be made suitable 
 either to a small or a large household. 
 
 Kitchen Boilers. — These are very 
 apt, in a longer or shorter time — accord- 
 ing to the character of the water used — 
 to become incnisted with a stony de- 
 posit. This substance is a non-con- 
 ductor of heat, and at length becomes 
 so thick as materially to interfere with 
 the process of heating the water in the 
 boiler, and even to cause the iron side 
 next the fire to burn through. The 
 effectual cure for this inconvenience is 
 to remove the lid of the boiler, and have 
 the incrustation cut off with a chisel. 
 In some cases it is requisite to do this 
 every si.x months. 
 
 Best Kind of Fenders and Fire- 
 ikons. — The best fenders are low, 
 pennitting the free radiation of heat. 
 Bronze fenders are to be prefern d 
 for the dining-room, parlour, and bed- 
 rooms ; a fender of polished steel, 
 with brass and gilt ornaments, is the 
 most mutable for the drawing-room. 
 In purchasing fire-ii'ons, it is better to 
 select those of a small size ; the twisted 
 pattern is the most ornamental. Fire- 
 irons ought always to be kept bright. 
 To prevent rust during the summer 
 months, fire-irons should be rubbed with 
 Florence oil, and wrapped up in brown 
 paper when laid aside in the summer. 
 
 How to Choose Carpets. 
 — The carpet ought to assimilate with 
 the style of the paperhangings, but 
 the quality of the material must 
 depend on the capability of the pur- 
 chaser's pocket. In carpets, as in 
 many other things, the dearest arti- 
 cles are generally the cheapest in the 
 end. In illustration of this we may 
 state that the carpet in our dining-room 
 cost 5s. Cd. a yard, and although it has 
 been in daily use for foiu- 3'ears it looks 
 as well as ever. For dining and drawing 
 rooms Brussels cai-pets are the best. If 
 the rooms are small choose small pat- 
 terns wath few colours, or of a pattern 
 formed of shades of the same colour as 
 the ground, such as a green cai-pet M'ith 
 mosses or small ferns in various shades 
 of green, or a carpet with an indistinct 
 pattern of ribbons or arabesques of a 
 small size. When there is nothing very 
 decided to attract the eye, the defects 
 
W/io looks not Before, finds himself Behind. 
 
 of wear are not so obvious. Stair car- 
 pets are also best of Brussels make ; 
 crimson wears longest; they must be of a 
 1 attern that will admit of being turned 
 upside down, as it is a good plan fre- 
 quently to change the position of the 
 carpet, that the edge of each step may 
 not always come in the same spot, 
 which would soon wear the fabric. 
 For bedi'ooms, if Brussels carpet is too 
 expensive, Kidderminster comes next. 
 A small gay pattern of crimsons or 
 oak colours wears best ; avoid blues 
 or lilacs or shades of stone colour : the 
 two former fade quickly, and the latter 
 always looks dirty. 
 
 Best Way to Lay Carpets. 
 • — Cover the floor with thick brown paper, 
 which is sold in large rolls for the pui-pose ; 
 have the carpet properly fitted, and, on 
 the binding of the edges, sew at regular 
 distances small brass rings in such a 
 manner that when the carpet is laid 
 they will not appear beyond the edges, 
 lioiind the sides of the room drive 
 medium-sized brass-headed nails, at the 
 game distances from each other as the 
 rings are sewed on the carpet ; ■when 
 ready, begin at the top of the room and 
 hook the rings over the brass-headed 
 nails, which must be driven into the 
 floor far enough to admit of the rings 
 catcliing a firm hold. When the top is 
 hooked on, stretch the cai-pet to the 
 opposite side and hook it on, then 
 fasten the sides in like manner. This 
 is much less troublesome and is more 
 economical than nailing do-mi carpets. 
 
 Best Crumb-cloths. — Every 
 dining-room should have a good-sized 
 crumb-cloth under the dining-table. 
 Some people prefer these of gay colom-ed 
 woollen material, or of green or dun 
 coloured baize, bound with scarlet or 
 crimson braid. They look very well at 
 first and keep clean a long time, but 
 our experience has been that in a very 
 few weeks they act as filters, through 
 which the dust penetrates to the surface 
 of the carpet, and remains there totally 
 unaffected by the sweeping-brush ; 
 being each day ground deeper into the 
 carpet, which becomes more worn out 
 when the crumb-cloth is removed than 
 
 if there had been none at all. Linen 
 crumb-cloths have not this defect ; they 
 are so thick that the dust cannot pene- 
 trate them, and it is easUy removed 
 from their smooth surface. But they 
 also have their faults ; they soon soil, 
 and when washed, the colour fades 
 each time until they are nearly bleached 
 white ; but even then they still resist the 
 passage of dust through their, siib- 
 stance. They should be fastened down 
 with flat brass-headed tacks made for 
 the purpose, which are sold at any iron- 
 monger's. These linen cloths are also 
 made in narrow widths for covering 
 stair carpets. 
 
 To Choose a Sideboard 
 aiid Chiffonier. — The sideboard 
 must be adapted to the size of the apart- 
 ment, and is usually constructed of ma .- 
 hogany or oak. Pedestal sideboar-'cfs, ' 
 with shelves and drawers on each ^'side, 
 enclosed by doors, are the mos' !• con- ■ 
 venient and elegant. The chiftfonier 
 is the best substitute for the sideb'foard 
 in a smaU room. The best chiflbn'^ers 
 are adorned with mirrors and carvjcd 
 ornaments, and ought to contain a sht/^lf 
 for the reception of books. "^ 
 
 Windo^w Blinds. — For ^^^_ 
 ception-rooms use Venetian bliri' -ig 
 which are extremely elegant and ve>- ry 
 durable ; the favoiirite colours are 
 green and a light buff. White calico 
 blinds impart a cold aspect, and soon 
 become dingy. Blinds of buff union 
 cloth are ajipropriate for bedrooms, but 
 are -not imsuitable for reception-rooms, 
 where this species of blind is preferred. 
 
 Window Curtains. — AVin- 
 dow curtains are alike useful and orna- 
 mental. They ought to be chosen of a 
 colour harmonizing with the carpet, 
 paperhangings, and other drapery of the 
 apartment. As a rule, red or green cur- 
 tains will blend pleasantly with ordinary 
 draper5\ Window curtains are composed 
 of satin, silk, rej), damask, moreen, calico, 
 and other fabrics. Eep is very durable, 
 but damask, which may be periodically 
 refreshed by the dyer, is the most eco- 
 nomical and useful. Net and miisUn 
 curtains should be substituted or added 
 during the smnmer months. Top 
 
Observe the Face of the Wife to know the Husband'' s Character. 7 
 
 valances have been dispensed with as 
 collecting dnst and obscuring the light ; 
 and the curtains are now suspended by 
 large rings on brass or mahogany rods, 
 having ornamental terminals. Window 
 curtains are seldom drawn, their prin- 
 cipal use being to conceal the window- 
 shutters, intercept draughts from the 
 window-sashes, and impart a comfort- 
 able aspect to the apartment. 
 
 Choice of a Husband. — 
 As few ladies are privileged to initiate 
 proposals in reference to spouses, direc- 
 tions may only be given with respect 
 to the acceptance of offers. Do not en- 
 courage the advances of a gentleman 
 Aiho is believed to have jilted a lady ; 
 you owe this to your sex and to society. 
 Never believe any one whose protesta- 
 tions of love are intense at first sight ; 
 you may better judge the sentiments of 
 the man who loves you by his manner 
 than by his words. Should a gentle- 
 man select you for attentions in pre- 
 ference to others, you are justified in 
 recognising his kindlj' disposition ; with 
 a little encouragement he is lilcely to 
 become your lover. Do not coldly re- 
 ject the advances of any respectable 
 person ^^•ho honours j-ou with his pro- 
 posals ; the timid suitor may prove a 
 most worthy one, and anyhow you owe 
 an acknowledgment of courtesy to all 
 who indicate towards you respect, or 
 friendship, or aflection. Tour good 
 sense -will teach you to prevent any one 
 whom yoii do not intend to marry pro- 
 secuting his advances so far as to neces- 
 sitate your giving him a repulse. If a 
 handsome present is sent you by a gen- 
 tleman whom you cannot accept as a 
 lover, return it at once, with a frank 
 expression of your appreciation, accom- 
 panied by a regret that you cannot re- 
 tain so valuable a gift. In general you 
 may look with favour on those gentle- 
 men whom your papa invites frequently 
 to his table, and mamma rejoices to 
 introduce to her evening parties. If 
 a siiitor remains long at his wine, and 
 joins the ladies with a flushed cheek, or 
 IS understood to be fast in his habits, ■ 
 reject bis offers, and on no account be ! 
 entrapped by his professions of refor- ~ 
 
 mation. He is not a hopeful lover 
 whose tastes even verge on tlissipation. 
 His habits may improve, but do not 
 .stake j-our happiness upon the clmnce. 
 Do notdespise a lover because he is poor, 
 — but if he is poor and lacks applica- 
 tion, he will not suit you as a husband. 
 " I propose to marry your daughter," 
 said a yoiuig medical practitioner to a 
 citizen who had amassed a fortune by 
 industry. " Marry my daughter, sir 'i 
 what have you got to keep her with P " 
 " My lancet only," said the young 
 physician, " but I mean to use it." 
 " You shall have her," said the fiither, 
 struck by the young man's expression 
 of decision. 
 
 Let our young lady readers attend to 
 these parting hints. 1 . Let your accepted 
 lover be some years your senior ; yon 
 ■\vill respect him aU the more hereafter. 
 2. Do not maiTy a vulgar rich man ; he 
 will not elevate you much in the social 
 world, and any little advantage in this 
 way will be more than negatived by 
 yo\ir having to endure manners which 
 are impleasant to you. 3. Brealc off an 
 engagement with a suitor who proves 
 of fitful hiunours — cheerful to-day, and 
 moody or morose to-morrow. How 
 could you spend a lifetime with one of 
 moods so variable ? These are too often 
 premonitory of chronic ailment, some 
 disease of the brain. 
 
 Choice of a Wife. — Mamage 
 is the most important step in life. An 
 impnident union is the cause of life-long 
 misery, M'hile a judicious alliance is the 
 greatest of temporal blessings. He ■who 
 marries rashly is a fool. Early marriages 
 are to be recommended where the parents 
 of both parties are satisfied, where there 
 are proper means of support, and where 
 the young lady is of prudent and econo- 
 mical habits. As a rule, a man rmder 
 twentj'-one should not venture upon 
 matrimonjr, and no time has been lost 
 should he not marry till thirty. In 
 choosing a wife, every man should be 
 guided by such counsels as these : — 
 1. Eemark the lady's temper. No 
 extent of accomplishments will compen- 
 sate for the lack of amiability. A lady 
 who answers her mother petulantly 
 
8 
 
 // is a Sweet Sorrow to bury a Termagant Wife. 
 
 will prove a thorn in her husband's 
 pillow. If she quarrels with her com- 
 panions at school she will certainly 
 scold her servants and vex her children. 
 If she is susceptible of slights before 
 marriage, she wiU after it be liable to 
 jealous humours and other unpleasant 
 freaks. 2. BeM^are of flirts. A girl 
 who bids for admiration, and has smiles 
 for every one, should be met upon her 
 own terms. Marriage with the heartless 
 is not to be thought of. 3. Never dream 
 of mari-iage with one of extravagant 
 habits. A clergyman bent on mar- 
 riage dined with a friend who pos- 
 sessed three mamageable daughters. 
 Before dinner he had been at a loss 
 as to Avhich of the yoimg ladies he 
 should propose to. Towards the close 
 of the meal cheese was produced, and 
 each of the three sisters took a portion. 
 Before eating, the first pared her mor- 
 sel, the second scraped hers, and the 
 thii-d took the cheese just as it was. 
 The visitor was no longer at a loss ; he 
 proposed to the lady who, cleanly with- 
 out being extravagant, scraped her 
 cheese. Let every suitor carefully re- 
 mark as to his admired one's views con- 
 cerning domestic expenses and personal 
 attire ; if in the parental home she is 
 heedless of outlay, he may be satisfied 
 that her profusion will be boundless 
 when she is admitted into her own. 
 4. The gentlewoman who exhibits 
 soi'did inclinations is misuitable as a 
 wife ; she would introduce meanness 
 at your family hearth ; your friends 
 would not invite her to their homes ; 
 and in a miserable parsimony you would 
 be compelled to drag out the span of 
 life. 5. If the object of yoiu- affec- 
 tions has a wise father and a discreet 
 mother, you may make your proposals 
 with full confidence that, should your 
 suit prevail, your future partner will 
 be " a crown to her husband." 
 
 To Clean Marble Chim- 
 ney-pieces. — A gill of soap lees, 
 half a pint of bullock's gall, thickened 
 with pipeclay or Ume to the consistence 
 of cream, laid on thickly with a brush, 
 and left for some hours or days. It 
 will easily wash off". 
 
 Best Condiments: an Eco. 
 NOMicAL Council. — Hundreds of thou- 
 sands of people have read the " Dia- 
 logue between the Dutch Oven, Sauce- 
 pan, Spit, Gridiron, and Frying-pan," 
 in which those worthy members of 
 domestic service fell to abusing one 
 another, recriminating such defects as 
 each coidd allege against his fellow- 
 servant. And many housewives must 
 have gathered useful hints from the 
 perusal of that dialogue, and turned to 
 practical account various suggestions 
 disclosed by an imaginary but amusing 
 vituperation. We have it on the autho- 
 rity of " Our Special Kitchen Commis- 
 sioner," that a similar contention took 
 place between the members of the Con- 
 dimental Family, in which each claimed 
 superiority over his neighboxn*. 
 
 Cayenne Peppeu led off' with a red- 
 hot attack upon his humbler brethren, 
 Black and White, denouncing the first 
 as dirty and imsightly ; and ridiculing 
 the other as insipid, and " very like a 
 dustman." 
 
 Black PErPERretortedupon Cayenne 
 that he was too violent and hot-headed 
 to be admitted into good society ; and 
 
 White Peppeu made gi-ave insinua- 
 tions against the purity of Cayenne, 
 charging him with being an adulterated 
 compound of red-lead, mahogany saw- 
 dust, and cochineal. 
 
 MusTAiiD displayed a friendly feeling 
 towards the hinnbler Peppers, but de- 
 clared that they, like Cayenne, were 
 foreigners ; said that if they confined 
 themselves to the tropical countries. of 
 their biith, their absence from temperate 
 regions M'ould never be regretted ; and 
 remarked thathe considered himself quite 
 capable of M'atching over the stomachic 
 ■welfare of the inhabitants of temperate 
 zones. 
 
 This attack upon foreigners roused 
 Cinnamon, whose tall and withered 
 form rose conspicuously among the 
 group ; and he possibly might have 
 obtained a respectful hearing, had not 
 Ginger, Mace, and Cloves demanded 
 to speak at the same moment ; while 
 Nutmeg made such a grating noise 
 upon the table, that the debate became 
 
Hunger is the Best Sauce. 
 
 quite iinintelligililc — in fact, a sort of 
 li.-iliyloiiian ull-spicc. 
 
 The lioiiscwife's attention (the same 
 matronly lady who took notes of the 
 " Dialogue hetwccn the Cooking Uten- 
 sils") was called to the disturbance by 
 a viuiont fit of sneezing that overcame 
 her, caused l>y coi"motion among the 
 irritated and irritating disputants. Ilc- 
 coveiiiig fVouithis, she resolved to listen 
 attentively and report the proceedings. 
 
 GiXGEii contrived to force a hearing 
 against a strong resistance ; in fact, he 
 w as s^o tough in the grain, that lie would 
 not give way, but managed to get 
 through a very tlorid pcioration, in 
 which he boasted of being the father of 
 ginger beer (derisive cries of " pop I "), 
 gingerbread, and wine and cakes in a 
 variety of forms. He concluded his 
 onition by quoting in his favour a pas- 
 sage from the highest poetical authority, 
 Shakppeare, who had wnittcn, " An I 
 had but one penny in the world, thou 
 shouldst have it to buy (jiiujerliread ! " 
 
 But the excitement which this address 
 occasioned was nothing to the outburst 
 of derision when modest Salt rose to 
 icprescut his claims. The tropical rc- 
 jireseiitatives were so contemptuously 
 inclined, that they filled the room with 
 aromatic odours, with the same feeling, 
 ])erhaps, that induces a conceited fop to 
 waft his perfumed handkerchief when 
 coiiii)ellcd to sit by the side of a poorer 
 brother. 
 
 Salt, looking pale as snow, but with 
 eyes glistening like crystals, ventured to 
 say that he was not only the most Eng- 
 lish, but the most universal, necessary, 
 and therefore more widely diffused than 
 any other of the Condimental Family. 
 
 Here Nitmf.g inteirupted, with the 
 ironical remarks that while himself, 
 Cloves, Cinnamon, and the Peppers 
 were born upon tropical trees, and 
 rijiencd by unclouded suns, miserable 
 Salt had been forced into mines and 
 caves, and that the Sea had been ever 
 since tlie creation trying to wash him 
 out of existence. 
 
 Salt replied, with modest dignity, 
 that if the mighty Sea had been for 
 countless ages endeavouring to effect 
 
 his extermination, the attempt had ut- 
 terly failed. lie was as powerful, as 
 universal to-day, as when the Holy 
 Voice said, "Let there be light." (Sen- 
 sation.) The Sea M'as, in fact, his carrier 
 to every shore ; he did not allude to 
 ships — the Sea bore liim in her bosom 
 — and the Sun welcomed him, and gave 
 him a warm reception upon every 
 strand. He could go back antecedent 
 to Shak.speare,' and quote from Holy 
 "Writ these memorable words: " If the 
 s'llt has lost its savo>ir, v,here\\ ith shall 
 it be salted ?" But he could quote 
 Shakspeare also, and say, " Is not dis- 
 course, manhood, learning, gentleness, 
 virtue, and liberality tho spice and sail 
 that season a man ? " 
 
 Hereupon arose a teirible outcry, the 
 Spices reminding the speaker that l/ui/ 
 were embodied in the same commenda- 
 tion, and that they stood first in the 
 poet's enumeration. 
 
 At this point the housewife inter- 
 fered, believing that she liad learned 
 enough of the virtues or failings of the 
 disputants to estimate their utilities, 
 and to bring about an amicable settle- 
 ment. She had arrived at the conclu- 
 sion that all Condiments have tlieir re- 
 spective worth, and that nature in 
 many ways indicates the value of their 
 qualities. Tlic propeilies which are tho 
 essence of Condiments are largely dif- 
 fused throughoit tho vegetable world ; 
 some plants store it in the seed, as 
 Pepper and Nutmeg; some in the 
 leaves and stems, as Balm, Mint, 
 llosemary, and Lavender ; some in tho 
 bark, as Cinnamon ; others tliroughout 
 the whole structure, as Parsley and 
 Celery ; some equally in the root and 
 seeds, as Ginger; and some in tho 
 leaves and seeds, as Mustard. Man's 
 life is for tho most part artificial, and 
 he seeks by stimulants to aid the ovci'- 
 taxed functions of his body. Perhaps 
 the most oppressed of these is that ot 
 digestion, •which, when weakened, may 
 be aroused by stimulating aids that 
 either make the food more grateful or 
 exercise beneficial inf.r.enfe upon the 
 stomach. But the too indulgent use of 
 Condiments, especially of Spices and 
 11 2 
 
The First Dish plaisdh All. 
 
 hot Peppers, frequently leads the gour- 
 mand to excess, — 
 
 "Till, Lis relish grown callous almost to 
 disease. 
 Who peppers the highest is surest to 
 please." 
 
 The result of the debate convinced 
 the attentive housewife that the most 
 useful, healthful, and therefore the best 
 Condiment is Salt. That it is the only- 
 indispensable one — it exists in the milk 
 foi-med by nature for the young, and is 
 needed at all subsequent periods of life. 
 It is also essential to most if not all 
 inferior animals. 
 
 For reasons herein pronounced our 
 good and observant housewife invented 
 the Cruet Stand, a sort of Lilliputian 
 palace, in which she apportioned a se- 
 parate compartment to each of the more 
 ambitious condimental aspirants. To 
 Cayenne Pepper she assigned a place 
 with a diminutive silver spoonette, that 
 he might not too freely diffuse his fiery 
 natuie ; to Black and White Peppers 
 she allotted two coronets, from which, 
 when shaken, their milder benefactions 
 might be freely or sparingly sprinkled, 
 according to desire; to Mustard she 
 allotted a moveable silver lid and an at- 
 tendant ladle, that he might be dealt 
 out at discretion ; while (as in the world 
 Ihere are more humble places than pa- 
 laces) she decreed that upon each table 
 " Salt" should be provided with four 
 separate " cells," that his services 
 might be always ready for the good of 
 maiddnd. For the Aromatic Condiments 
 she designed a " Spice Box," divided 
 into compartments, all under lock and 
 kej', herself taking charge of the latter, 
 and determining to use it only upon 
 rare and festive occasions. 
 
 Best and niost Econo- 
 mical Sauce. — The following 
 receipt is communicated by a lady who 
 has had a long and varied experience in 
 compounding sauces. If the instructions 
 are literally followed, the sauce will be 
 found not only more piquant and agree- 
 able than most sauces in use, but it 
 can be produced at one-fourth of their 
 cost. Tliis veiy excellent sauce is made 
 Without one drop of water. To one pint 
 
 of the strained juice of baked tomatoes 
 add three large baked apples and four 
 large baked onions well bruised, a pint 
 and a half of good vinegar, half a pint of 
 walnut vinegar, three quarters of a pint 
 of mushroom catsup, half a pint of 
 onion vinegar, two nutmegs grated, 
 half a teaspoonful of cayenne, two tea- 
 spoonfids of salt, two tablespoonfuls of 
 ground mustard, two tablespoonfuls of 
 curry powder, three tablespoonfuls of 
 moist sugar, two tablespoonfuls of an- 
 chovy sauce, one green capsicum, 
 chopped fine, or a tablespoonful of cap- 
 sicum powder, one tablespoonful of best 
 white starch to thicken the mixture, two 
 large pieces of whole ginger bruised, 
 and twelve cloves. Put all the liquids 
 with the baked apples, onions, cloves, 
 and ginger into a saucepan, and when 
 the mixture boils add to it the other 
 ingredients, which should have been 
 previously well mixed up Avith a part 
 of the vinegar. Let the whole boil 
 gently for half an hour, stirring it care- 
 fully all the time, then beat it through 
 a hair sieve ; bottle when cold and cork 
 securely ; if no Avater be used it will 
 keep for many years. 
 
 The Best Winter Hotch- 
 potch. — This receipt has been 
 kindly sent to us by the landlady of 
 one of the first hotels in Scotland, where 
 this most savoury dish is an immense 
 favourite. In Scotland, winter hotch- 
 potch is usually made Avith a singed 
 sheep's head and feet, which make an 
 excellent stock. Boil the head for 
 three hours and the feet for four hours. 
 In England a sheep's head and neck 
 are the best to use. Boil these together 
 for half an hour, t;ike out the neck, cut 
 off a few of the best chops from it and 
 lay them aside ; put the remainder back 
 into the stock-pot with the head, and 
 boil till all the meat is off the bones, 
 then strain the whole throaigh a colan- 
 der. Take one pound of old green 
 peas wliich have been steeped in Avater 
 the night before, boU them in a small 
 part of the broth for two hours and a 
 half, cutintr small pieces a large turnip, 
 two carrotn, four leeks, a little parsley, 
 grate one carrot, and add some pepper 
 
Better wait on the Cook than the Doctor. 
 
 II 
 
 and salt and a small bunch of sweet 
 herbs; put these vegetables, \vith the 
 peas, into the broth, boil all together for 
 two hours, warm the chops in the broth, 
 and serve. 
 
 Oyster Soup. — Take fifty 
 oysters and the liquor from them; make 
 a stock as follows : — A small knuckle 
 of veal, a small piece of lean ham or a 
 ham bone, four onions, two teaspoon- 
 fuls of white pepper, a quarter-ounce of 
 mace, three anchovies chopped fine, 
 three tablespoonsful of catsup with half 
 the oysters, all their beards and liquor, 
 and four quarts of water. Boil all to- 
 gether for five hours very gently till 
 they make a strong gravy, then strain, 
 and clear it of all fat, thicken it with 
 two ounces of butter rolled in flour, and 
 a pint of good cream, put in the re- 
 mainder of the oysters freed from the 
 beards, but do not let the soup boil after 
 the cream is added. 
 
 New Mode of Cooking 
 Soles with White Sauce. 
 — Take two moderate-sized soles, which 
 have been filleted by the fishmonger, 
 cross over each other the small ends of 
 the fillets and fasten them with a wooden 
 or wire skewer, put them into boUing 
 water and boil for ten minutes. Drain 
 the liquor from a dozen of oysters, and 
 with it make a good white sauce ; when 
 ready add to it the oysters, one dozen 
 pickled mushrooms, a pickled capsicum, 
 cut into pieces, and give the whole one 
 boil ; make a small mound of mashed 
 potatoes in the centre of a side dish, lay 
 the pieces of fish (having taken out the 
 skewers) roimd it and pour the sauce 
 over ; serve with sippets of toast. 
 
 Beefsteak. Rolls. — Cut nice 
 email thin steaks, fry them slightly, 
 make a stuffing as if for roast veal or 
 turkey, roll up the steaks, putting the 
 stuffing inside each roll, skewer or tie 
 them neatly, stew them in a rich 
 b/o\vTi gravy for twenty minutes, and 
 serve. 
 
 Ham Toast: a Nice Dish 
 FOR Supper. — Toast small slices of 
 bread half an inch thick, grate or mince 
 some lean ham, mis it with the yolk of 
 an egg and some cream, season with 
 
 nutmeg, warm and spread the meat 
 over the toast, brush yolk of egg over 
 the top, and brown in a Duten oven 
 before serving. 
 
 Best Way to use up 
 Cold Veal. — Take some of the 
 imilerdone part of roast veal, cut or 
 mince it into small pieces, with about 
 one-third as muchcoldham or tongue, cut 
 four hard-boiled eggs into rings, mode- 
 rately thick, lay them on the bottom 
 and round the sides of a pudding-shape, 
 fiU the shape three parts full of tlio 
 veal and ham lightly laid in, make a 
 jelly of the bones and outside pieces of 
 the veal, season it with pepper, mace, 
 lemon peel, and a little mushroom cat- 
 sup, strain it into the shape, but do not 
 fill it higher than the meat ; put the 
 shape into an oven for half an hour, let 
 it stand till quite cold, when it will turn 
 out. 
 
 A Delicious Omelette. — 
 Beat separately the yolks and \vhites of 
 four fresh eggs, to the yolks add as much 
 powdered white sugar as will sweeten 
 it, and a small dessertspoonful of com 
 flour, very smoothly blended in a spoon- 
 ful of cream or good milk. Beat the 
 whites to a stiff froth, add the flour to 
 the yolks and gently stir in the whites, 
 taking care to break the froth as little 
 as possible ; pour the whole into a clean 
 frying-pan from which the butter has 
 been drained ; two or three minutes over 
 a clear fire is enough to cook the under 
 side ; hold the pan to the fire till the 
 upper side looks firm; spread raspberry 
 or strawberrj' jam over one half, turn 
 the other side over it, and serve 
 immediately. 
 
 Beef Tea. — One pound of lean 
 beef, scraped or cut very fine, put to it 
 a pi^it and a half of water; then toast 
 a good-sized piece of bread, and put it 
 with the meat and liquid into an earthen 
 jar. Stew it in a hot oven for forty 
 minutes. The beef should be a fine 
 steak, and all the fat and skin carefully 
 taken off before scraping it. 
 
 Chicken Jelly. — Take one 
 large chicken, put it into a saucepan with 
 two quarts of water, one large onion, 
 one blade of mace, one teaspoonful of 
 
Diet cures more than the Lancet. 
 
 salt ; loil all till reduced to thi'ee pints, 
 then strain it, and let it stand till the 
 next day; then take off the fat very 
 clean, tiie the whites of six eggs, half 
 an oimce of isinglass, the juice of one or 
 two lemons, beat them well altogether, 
 and boil it till the scum rises to the 
 top. Let it stand a few minutes, then 
 strain it through a jelly-bag. The 
 above is a very strengthening prepara- 
 tion, and may be taken cold or hot, as 
 best suits the patient's taste. 
 
 A Great Restorative. — 
 Bake two calves' feet in two pints of 
 water and two pints of new milk in a 
 
 i'ar closely covered for three hours and a 
 lalf ; when cold remove all the fat and 
 add a little sugar, if liked. Take a 
 large teacupful the first thing in the 
 morning and the last at night. 
 
 Another Excellent Restorative 
 for invalids is Barley Cream. Two 
 pounds of lean veal, a quarter of a pound 
 of pearl barley boiled in one quart of 
 ■water till it wUl go through a sieve. It 
 should be about the consistence of 
 cream ; add a little salt, and take it as 
 a broth. 
 
 Egg Mixture for an In- 
 valid. — The following recipe is 
 highly approved of by the medical fa- 
 culty, as being extremely suitable for 
 persons of irritable stomach. It is at once 
 Btimiilating and nutritious, and will be 
 retained when ordinary articles of food 
 are rejected. Break into a tumbler a raw 
 egg, add a small teaspoonful of soft sugar 
 or finely powdered white sugar, then add 
 about half a wineglassful of brandy, 
 whisky, rum, or sherry — according to 
 taste — mixed ■with an equal quantity of 
 water or milk ; place over the top of the 
 tumbler half a sheet of note-paper and 
 press it with your hand round the out- 
 side of the tumbler so as to form a cap ; 
 then cover the paper ■with a single fold 
 of a towel or napkin, drawing it tightly 
 under the bottom of the tumbler, and 
 t^wisting it so as to press the paper closely 
 to the rim of the glass and prevent the 
 contents being spilt; shake ■violently 
 for two to three minutes ; remove the 
 towel and paper ; grate a little nutmeg 
 on the tup, .Hid unnk. 
 
 Australian Preserved 
 Meat. — Within the last twelve 
 months an extraordinary progress has 
 been made in the importation of Aus- 
 tralian meat. The Australian bullock 
 or sheep is slaughtered, skinned, and 
 freed from offal in the usual manner; 
 it is then boned, salted, spiced, and 
 rolled into a compact mass, absurdly 
 like a bolster, and varying from ten toJ 
 fifty pounds in weight. The " bolster "I 
 is enveloped in a sheet of white linen, 
 coated ■wath tallow, which covering ex- 
 cludes the atmospheric air. A sufficient 
 number of the fat-encased meat " bol- 
 sters " are then arranged in a cask, into 
 which is run as much tallow as will fill it 
 up ; it is then shipped for London. On 
 arrival the head of the cask is taken 
 off, and the solid crust of tallow pro- 
 tecting the "bolsters" broken up; the 
 meat roUs are then taken out. The mut- 
 ton is sold at S^d. per pound, and the beef 
 at 6d., both without bone. Tins of 
 Australian beef and mutton are sold at 
 the rate of six pounds for 3s. 3d., or 6id. 
 per pound ; which will compare with 
 English beef or mutton at lOd. or lid. 
 TheAustrahan hams, containing no bone, 
 ha^ving only two or three inches of bone 
 at the shank, sell at b\A. Sheep's 
 tongues. Is. 6d. per dozen. Sausages, 
 of mutton or beef, 6d. per pound. Solid 
 essence of beef, Ss. per pound, or 4d. 
 per cake, equal to thirty times its weight 
 of fresh meat. About 90,000 poimds of 
 Australian meat are consumed weekly 
 in Great Britain, and the demand is on 
 the increase. 
 
 How to Dine for a 
 Penny. — At the Australian Meat 
 Agency's Central Depot, 31, Norton 
 Folgate, E., upwards of a thousand 
 persons partake daily of a good sound 
 meat dinner at a tariff varying from 
 one penny up to threepence each. For 
 a penny can be had a basin of excellent 
 soup ; for twopence a savoury and sub- 
 stantial stew, on a deep plate heaped 
 up. The twopenny stew is more than 
 some men can well dispose of at a 
 sitting. Persons of great appetite only 
 may go as high as threepence, but any- 
 thing beyond that seems impracticable. 
 
Bacchus has drcnvncd more Men than Neptune. 
 
 '3 
 
 The diet is most nutritious and agree- 
 able, and the meat has not in the least 
 lost its flavour during its transit of 
 15,000 miles, or live months' voyage. 
 Within the last six months another 
 Australian dinina; establishment has 
 been opened in the Goswell Road. 
 There, about three hundred mechanics 
 and others dine daily, but a greater 
 number carry their supplies home, that 
 their wives may enjoy these nutritious 
 meals. At the Goswell Road depdt 
 dinners of meat and potatoes may bo had 
 for a penny, and sturdy mechanics have 
 certilicd that the twopenny dinner 
 abundantly satisfies them. 
 
 As our readers cannot all \\%\\. these 
 cookihg places, we give the result of 
 our own experience in cooking the 
 Australian mutton procured from the 
 Goswell Road dcpAt. Take one pound 
 of mutton, cut it into small pieces, and 
 steep it for half an hour in very hot 
 water ; take off the outer skin of the 
 meat and put it into a saucepan, with a 
 good sized carrot and onion cut in 
 slices, and a quarter of a pint of water ; 
 let them stew gently till the carrot is 
 nearly done; have ready two turnips 
 and six largo potatoes, cut into pieces, 
 half a teaspoonful of pepper and a little 
 salt; stew till the potatoes are done 
 enough. Those quantities will make a 
 large dish of stow, and the cost is as 
 follows: One pound of mutton, .5 Jd., pota- 
 toes, 2d., carrot, onion, and turnips, 2d., 
 salt and pepper, |d. ; total, lOd. The 
 dish will be ample for four persons. 
 
 Her Majesty the Queen has honoured 
 this cheap dining system with her royal 
 patronage. 
 
 Hints to Tea-drinkers. — 
 Avoid high-priced and highly flavoured 
 teas, especially green, as these gene- 
 rally derive their flavour from per- 
 nicious ingredients. All green tea is 
 more or less injurious ; it acts power- 
 fully on the nervous system, and in- 
 jures the stomach. Good black tea is 
 not only safe, but wholesome ; but it 
 should always be taken with a suitable 
 proportion of milk and sugar added to 
 it as correctives. 
 
 Best Mode of infusing Te.\. — The 
 
 best teapot is a metal ono; it retains 
 heat longer than earthenware. A sil- 
 ver teapot is especially to be recom- 
 mended, since iiiferior metals may eon- 
 tain materials of a pernicious charac- 
 ter. In proceeding to infuse your tea, 
 scald the teapot first, then insert the 
 tea ; half a teaspoonful for each person 
 who is to partake, with an additional 
 spoonful should two persons only be 
 present. Pour in a breakfast cupful of 
 boiling water, and if the water be hard, 
 add a pinch or two of carbonate of soda. 
 Lot the teapot rest on the hob or under 
 a thick woollen cover for ten minutes. 
 Add boiling water in proportion to the 
 number of the company. If, owing to 
 the small size of the teapot, you require 
 to add more water, do so after you have 
 half filled the first range of cups. By 
 this method you will contrive to m.ake 
 each cup supplied to the company of 
 equal strength and flavour. If more 
 dry tea is required, moisten it first in a 
 cup before introducing it into the tea- 
 pot. In order to secure a cup of well- 
 flavoured tea, every housewife should 
 procure black tea from different dealers, 
 and mix it. Tea will best retain ita 
 flavour if kept in a tin vessel or wrapped 
 in wool. 
 
 Hints to Coffee-drinkers. 
 — Coffee is used at breakfast, after 
 dinner, and also as an evening bever- 
 age. To most persons it proves at all 
 times refreshing. When its use is suc- 
 ceeded by heartburn, or other unplea- 
 sant s)'mptoms, it should be discon- 
 tinued. It is of great .service to those 
 at sea, and is invaluable in removing 
 a feeling of exhaustion. Those who 
 "waste the midnight oil" may by its 
 use resist a tendency to fall asleep. 
 Those who are desirous of obtaining 
 early and sound sleep should not drink 
 coffee immediately before bedtime. 
 Persons troubled with indigestion 
 should avoid it altogether. In attacks 
 of spasmodic asthma it is useful. 
 
 Best Way to make Cho- 
 colate. — Chocolate is more nourish- 
 ing than coffee. It may be prepared 
 thus : — Into a pint of boilmg water place 
 a small cake of chocolate, cut into thin 
 
14 
 
 He who lives after Nature shall never be Poor. 
 
 slices ; mill it off tke iire till it has 
 melted, and then put it on a gentle fire 
 till it nearly boils. It will keep seve- 
 ral days. In using, warm with sugar, 
 and add a large tablespoonful of milk 
 when it is poured out. Chocolate 
 should be made very thick, and eaten 
 with dry toast. It is adapted to ner- 
 vous and delicate persons, but corpulent 
 persons and those liable to inflamma- 
 tory diseases or apoplexy should not 
 use it. Chocolate made in Florence 
 has long been celebrated. Menier's 
 manufactory, near Paris, also enjoys 
 a high reputation. 
 
 Best Way to make 
 Coffee. — Mix the beans of Mocha, 
 Java, and Jamaica coffee in equal quan- 
 tities. Lay up a sirpply, which will be 
 improved by keeping. The roasting 
 process should be conducted at home. 
 Orpwood's Roasting Machine is the 
 best ; attached to the bars of the grate 
 it roasts half a poimd in twelve minutes. 
 The roasted beans should be kept in a 
 flaimel bag, and the quantity to be used 
 passed through the grinding machine 
 immediately before infusion. The aroma 
 is thus best preserved. The grecque, 
 a French coffee machine, is one of the 
 best. K quantity of the powder should 
 be placed in it, in the proportion of one 
 to every three cups of the liquid to be 
 made. I'latow's Automaton Coffee Um 
 is an elegant table ornament, and is re- 
 commended. In making coffee fhe 
 powder ought to be used copiously. 
 Weak coffee is very impalatable. Cream 
 much improves the flavour ; when it 
 cannot be had hot milk should be added. 
 Essence of coffee is generally good, and 
 is most convenient when the beverage 
 is required on a short notice. 
 
 Cocoa Nibs. — These are the 
 coverings of tlie cocoa kernel ; they 
 may be procured at a low price, and are 
 very suitable for invalids. The nibs or 
 shells should be soaked in water for a 
 night, and then boiled till reduced to 
 half the quantity. They should be 
 mixed with milk. There are various 
 kinds of prepared cocoa, the directions 
 for making which are usually given 
 with the packages. Most persons prefer 
 
 these to the trouble of preparing it for 
 themselves. 
 
 Best Mode of preparing 
 Cocoa. — Cocoa is a light, whole- 
 some, and nutritious beverage. The 
 nuts should be crushed to a powder, 
 and boiled in the same manner as 
 chocolate, in "water or milk. The 
 best cocoa is that which is small and 
 dark-coloured. Cocoa is more adapted 
 than is tea for the morning meal, be- 
 cause of its greater power of maintain- 
 ing the body and supplying the waste 
 occurring during the fast of the pre- 
 ceding night. Like chocolate, it is un- 
 suitable to those who make blood ra- 
 pidly, or to such as are liable to apo- 
 plexy or inflammatory diseases. 
 
 Spruce Beer. — Spruce beer is 
 an excellent antiscorbutic, and a whole- 
 some drink in hot weather. The best 
 mode of preparing it is as follows : — 
 Take of the essence of spruce half a 
 pint; bruised pimento and ginger, of 
 each four ounces ; water, three gallons. 
 Boil five or ten minutes, then strain 
 and add eleven gallons of warm water, 
 a pint of yeast, and six pints of mo- 
 lasses. Allow the mixture to ferment 
 for twenty-four hours. 
 
 Water — itsInherentPro- 
 perties. — "Water is an important 
 ordinary agent, not only for the purposes 
 of life, but for the prevention, relief, and 
 cure of disease. It retains its fluidity at 
 a temperature ranging between 32 and 
 212 degrees of Fahrenheit's thermo- 
 meter. Under 32 degrees it assumes 
 a crystallized form, and becomes ice ; 
 above 212 degrees it assumes, at the 
 ordinary pressure of the atmosphere, 
 the aeriform character, and is converted 
 into vapour or steam. It possesses great 
 powers as a solvent, and for this reason 
 neve^r occurs in a state of absolute purity, 
 but is generally foimd containing earthy 
 matters in mechanical suspension, or 
 saline and other substances in chemical 
 solution ; but, in general, not in quan- 
 tities sufficient to impart to it any 
 sensible odoTir, or to unfit it for the 
 purposes of life. Its natural varieties 
 are comprehended imder Rain xcater, 
 Spring water, and Tlii'cr iratcr. 
 
If thou art Jiich, be not elated; if Poor, be not dejected. 15 
 
 How to Test and Purify 
 Water. — Mechanical impurities in 
 water are removed only by filtration ; 
 chemical impurities cannot be removed 
 in this manner. If lime is supposed to 
 be present in water, the best test is to mix 
 with it a small quantity of oxalic acid 
 in a small vessel ; lime, if present, will 
 be revealed in a white precipitate. Car- 
 bonate of iron is best detected by the 
 tincture of galls, which produces a black 
 precipitate. If the penknife, dipped in 
 water, assumes a yellowish coatinj:^, 
 copper is present. The best method of 
 detecting the presence of vegetable and 
 animal matter is by dropping into it a 
 small quantity of sulphuric acid; the 
 water becomes black. 
 
 To Plkiiy "Watek. — Add twenty 
 drops of sulphuric acid to a gallon of 
 water. An ounce of powdered alum in 
 a hogshead of putrid water will, in the 
 course of a few hours, precipitate the 
 deleterious matter, and make it fit for 
 use. 
 
 Rain, Spring, and River 
 Water. — Rain water, collected as 
 it falls, is the purest natural water, 
 and of the least specific gravity ; but 
 when collected in towns, or from tb.o 
 roofs of houses, it is found to contain 
 sulphate of lime, soot, and other im- 
 purities ; it ought, therefore, to be boiled 
 and strained previous to internal use. 
 
 Si'KiNO "Water. — Spring water is 
 also distinguished by the term " hard 
 water," a quality arising from its con- 
 taining various earthy salts, and es- 
 pecially carbonate of lime. These 
 ingredients render it incapable of com- 
 pletely dissolving soap, which, after 
 being used in washing, is seen to float 
 on the surface of the water in minute 
 particles. The best method of freeing 
 hard water from its earthy salts is, first 
 to boil it, and after it has cooled to di'op 
 into it a little carbonate of soda, or 
 carbonate of lime, and then to filter it. 
 The purest spring water in Great Britain 
 is found at ilalvem and Matlock, and 
 at St. Winifred's Well in Flintshire. 
 These waters possess great celebrity in 
 curing cutaneous ailments and affec- 
 tions of the kidneys, consequent on the 
 
 diluting effects resulting from their re- 
 markable purity. 
 
 RivEK Watek. — River water, when 
 the stream is rapid and runs over a 
 pebbly or sQicious channel, is as pure 
 as the softest spring water; but when 
 the current is slow and the bed clayey, 
 it approaches nearer to the character of 
 well water, and frequently contains 
 putrefied animal and vegetable matter, 
 as is known to be the case with the 
 water of lakes and marshes. 
 
 Best Corkscre\A/^s. — The 
 ordinar}- screw with which the cork is 
 extracted by a direct pull is the most 
 common because the simplest, but it is 
 not the best. It is sometimes difficult 
 even for a strong arm to pull the cork 
 from a bottle by the exertion of direct 
 force, and cases have occurred in which 
 severe and even fatal wounds have 
 been inflicted by the sudden fracture of 
 the neck of the bottle. An accident of 
 this kind occurred lately, when a piece 
 of the neck of the bottle cut a deep 
 wound in the thigh of the operator, 
 severing the femoral artery and pro- 
 ducing death. One of the best screws 
 is that patented by Lund. In this in- 
 genious implemeut the screw, after 
 being fixed in the cork, is pulled up 
 by means of a lever, the end of which 
 is inserted into an orifice in the handle 
 of the screw. Twigg's New Patent 
 Champion Screw is also a favourite. 
 When the screw has penetrated the 
 cork a elutch-bo.x is brought into action, 
 and draws the cork with two turns of 
 the handle. 
 
 Best Substitute for Wax 
 on Corks. — Instead of bottle wax, 
 wliich criunbles on the insertion of the 
 corkscrew, and the particles of which 
 may fall into the liquor, cover the cork 
 with a solution of gelatine, dissolved in 
 glycerine by the application of heat. 
 
 Best Way to Loosen a 
 Tight Stopper. — Apply hot 
 water to the neck of the bottle, which 
 will expand, while the stopper re- 
 tains its former temperature and be- 
 comes loose. In the case of a phial 
 containing smelling salts, dip the neck 
 and stopper in vinegar or a solution of 
 
i6 
 
 Oh, Sleep, oh, Gentle Sleep ! Natures Soft Nurse. 
 
 citric acid. Next place the pliial in a 
 vessel of hot water, when the stopper 
 will readily be removed. 
 
 Best Coolers for "Water 
 or "Wine. — Liquids in the act of 
 assuming an aeriform character abstract 
 heat from all bodies in contact with 
 them, for the same reason that all solids 
 do so when changing into liquids. 
 If you poui- a little spirits into the 
 palm of the hand, and blow upon it, 
 a great degree of cold will imme- 
 diately be felt, owing to the spirits 
 turning into vapour, which extracts 
 heat from the skin. On this principle 
 of evaporation an excellent and simple 
 mode of cooling water or wine may be 
 adopted. Take a bottle of wine or 
 water, surround it with a piece of linen 
 dipped in water, and place it in a 
 draught. It will be found that the 
 liquid in the bottle will be reduced to a 
 temperature much below that of the 
 surrounding air, having parted Avith its 
 caloric to the vapour formed by the 
 evaporation of the water in the cloth. 
 
 Best W^ay of making 
 Scotch or Irish Whisky 
 Punch. — Half fill a tumbler with 
 boiling water, but pour cautiously, to 
 prevent the too sudden expansion of the 
 glass. Let the water remain a few 
 moments, to heat the tumbler tho- 
 roughly, and then empty it. Put loaf 
 sugar, according to taste, in the heated 
 tumbler, with three or four spoonfuls of 
 boiling water. When the sugar is 
 melted pour in half a wineglass of 
 whisky, and stir with a spoon or ladle. 
 Add as much water as you desire, and 
 then put in the other half-glass of 
 whisky. Mix thoroughly and take in 
 small quantities, as it is a beverage and 
 not a drink. Whisky having now 
 become a general favourite in England, 
 and being, when taken moderately, the 
 safest of stimulants, we may state for 
 the information of our readers, that it 
 can be had at 18s. per gallon in Ireland 
 and 17s. in Scotland, carriage free, if a 
 few gallons are taken at a time. The 
 price in London is £1 2s. Scotch, and 
 £1 3s. Irish. It is a mistake to fancy 
 that the whisky of any single distillery 
 
 used alone is good. The best are those 
 called " blended whiskies," namely, the 
 mixture of whiskies manufactured by 
 foTir or five different makers. 
 
 A Fe-w Words on Sleep. — 
 The importance of sleep is attested by 
 the periodical demand which nature 
 makes for it, the physical impossibility 
 of long resisting it, and the universality 
 as well as the imperious character of 
 those natural laws in which the de- 
 mand originates. But there are not 
 Avanting several considerations on this 
 subject highly worthy our careful at- 
 tention. There can be no doxibt, from 
 oiir own experience, as well as from 
 the discoveries of physiology, that sleep 
 when sound is accompanied by an 
 entire remission of the functions of 
 the brain and nervous system ; that 
 during this period of repose those ener- 
 gies exhausted by the activity of the 
 preceding ho\irs are restored and 
 strengthened and recover their tone ; 
 that the constitution itself is repaired ; 
 that the process of nourishment goes on 
 more perfectly than during the time of 
 wakefulness, that the insensible perspi- 
 ration is greater and more salutary, and 
 that all the mental faculties share in the 
 restorative influences of which the body 
 itself is the subject. Lord Mansfield's 
 advice to "cultivate sleep" is there- 
 fore of great importance, and merits the 
 utmost attention, especially from those 
 who must undergo excessive mental or 
 cori^oreal exertion. 
 
 Proper Duration of Sleep. — In- 
 fants and children require most sleep, 
 aged people the least. In the former 
 case nature is busily occupied in deve- 
 loping the framework and faculties of 
 the future man or woman ; in the latter 
 the processes of nourishment and deve- 
 lopment are much less required, and as 
 the powers and energies of mental and 
 corporeal vitality are diminished there 
 is less to recruit. As a general rule 
 applicable to persons in maturity, the 
 number of hours necessary for sleep 
 varies from six to eight hours. Many 
 people in vigorous health find six hours 
 sufficient, while those who are weak or 
 invalids generally require eight hours. 
 
/ V/io spends more than he should, hath not to spend when he would. 1 7 
 
 Even those who are weak very rarely 
 require more than nine hours of sleep ; 
 a longer indulgence is invariably inju- 
 rious. Half-past ten is the best time 
 for retiiing to rest at night, and six or 
 half-past six the most suitable time for 
 rising in the morning. 
 
 To Procuue Comfortable Sleep. 
 — For this purpose let sufficient exer- 
 cise of body and mind be taken during 
 the day, and as far as possible let every- 
 thing be avoided which is likely to dis- 
 turb the functions of the body or un- 
 duly stimulate the moral and intellec- 
 tual powers at the period dedicated to 
 rest. The food taken in the evening 
 ought to be moderate in quantity and 
 easily digested, the bedchamber tho- 
 roughly ventilated, and either the door 
 of the apartment or part of the window 
 left open during the night. Let anxiety 
 be laid aside, intellectual labour aban- 
 doned, and the conscience be void of 
 offence. 
 
 The New Bankruptcy 
 Law. — The new Bankruptcy Act 
 (32 & 33 Vict., c. 71) came into opera- 
 tion on the 1st of January, 1870. The 
 Bankruptcy Court, consisting of com- 
 missioners and others, is abolished, and 
 jurisdiction assigned to a London Court 
 with one chief judge, and to county 
 courts. Persons capable of making con- 
 tracts may become bankinipts, including 
 peers, members of the House of Com- 
 mons, and married women. Members 
 of Parliament adjudged bankrupts are 
 for one year incapable of sitting or 
 voting in the House. Partnerships re- 
 gistered under "The Companies Act, 
 1862," or the individual members, or a 
 farmer, grazier, or labourer, cannot be 
 made bankrupt. No person can present 
 a petition to make himself a bankrupt, 
 but any single creditor may whose debt 
 (unsecured) amounts to £50, or several 
 creditors whose aggregate unsecured 
 debts amount to £50. Acts of bank- 
 ruptcy are constituted when a debtor 
 assigns property to his creditors, has 
 made a fraudulent transfer of property, 
 has left England to defeat his creditors, 
 has been outlawed, or has filed a declara- 
 tion of insolvency ; or, further, if, being 
 
 a trader, an execution for not less than 
 £50 has been levied on his goods, or if 
 the petitioning creditor has served the 
 debtor with "a debtor's summons" for 
 not less than £50 without obtaining 
 payment. Bankruptcy is to be adver- 
 tised in the London Gazette and locally. 
 At a general meeting of creditors, held 
 soon after the debtor is adjudicated 
 bankrupt, the creditors must elect a 
 tnistee and other fit persons, not ex- 
 ceeding five, as a committee of inspec- 
 tion. At this general meeting votes 
 of properly qualified creditors may be 
 given personally or by proxy. The 
 bankrupt must be publicly examined on 
 a day fixed by the court. The trustee 
 in the bankrupt's estate must declare a 
 dividend within six months, or justify 
 a longer delay at a public meeting of 
 creditors. The bankinxpt will be en- 
 titled to his discharge if a dividend of 
 10s. in the pound has been paid from 
 his estate, or if the creditors pass "a 
 special resolution" that his misfortune 
 was involuntarily incurred. Where a 
 discharge is not granted, the bankrupt 
 is to be unmolested for three years, but 
 at the expiry of that period, if he has 
 not during the interval paid lOs. in the 
 pound, his property, on the application 
 of the eredfitors, may be sequestrated. 
 The settlement of property by a trader 
 on his wife or children is void if he 
 should become bankrupt within two 
 years after the date of said settlement ; 
 and it is void within two years after 
 date of settlement unless claimants can 
 prove that at the time of settlement the 
 debtor was able to meet his obligations. 
 A debtor may summon a meeting of his 
 creditors, and thej^ may declare that his 
 affairs are to be hquidated by arrange- 
 ment, or the creditors of a debtor may 
 resolve, by a majority in number and 
 three-fourths in value, that a composi- 
 tion shall be accepted. By the Debtors 
 Act (32 & 33 Vict., c. 62) imprisonment 
 for debt is abolished ; but imprisonment 
 is inflicted as a punishment when there 
 have been fraudulent practices in con- 
 tracting debts. Debtors who have the 
 means and refuse to pay their creditors 
 are liable to imprisonment, and any ad- 
 
The Remembrance of a Well-spent Life is Sivcct. 
 
 judged bankrupt who fails in delivering 
 up to his trustee all the property in his 
 custody may be imprisoned for two 
 years with hard labour. Any creditor 
 maldng a false claim on a bankrupt's 
 estate with intent to defraud, may be 
 punished with a year's imprisonment 
 with hard labour. Dividends in bank- 
 ruptcy remaining unclaimed for five 
 years are the property of the Crown, 
 ■ and will bo disposed of by the Commis- 
 sioners of the Treasury. 
 
 A Few Words on Rats.— 
 "Where Rats are Useful. — The rat 
 is not to be regarded under all circum- 
 stances as a nuisance and an enemy. 
 His natural home is in sewers and 
 drains, in which he is the best of sca- 
 vengers. He selects as food putrescent 
 animal and vegetable matter, which, if 
 aUoM'ed to accumulate, would cause 
 pestilence and disease. 
 
 How TO Destroy them when 
 Noxious. — The use of arsenic has been 
 abandoned in the destruction of vermin, 
 as it was attended with serious risks. 
 The common rat-trap is occasionally 
 serviceable. Phosphoretted dough in- 
 serted in the holes has proved alike 
 attractive and destructive to the in- 
 truders. Charcoal and brimstone fumes 
 have been adopted successfully in bams 
 and outhouses. A recipe Avhich obtains 
 in popular household books is as fol- 
 lows : — Take oil of amber and ox gall 
 in equal parts ; add to them oatmeal or 
 flour suflicient to form a paste, which 
 divide into small balls and place in the 
 middle of the infested chamber. Siu*- 
 round the balls with vessels of water. 
 The smell of the oil will attract the 
 rats ; they A^'ill devour the balls, and 
 becoming intensely thirsty will drink 
 the water till they die on the spot. A 
 writer in the Builder remarks that 
 squills [Scylla maritima), the root of 
 which is much used in medicine, is a 
 powerful poison for rats. The way of 
 preparing it is the following : — " One 
 of the bulbs is cut into slices and 
 bruised, then done in a pan with fat, 
 which is afterwards strained and poured 
 into plates, to be placed in cellars and 
 other places. To prevent dogs and 
 
 poultry from eating of this poisonous 
 compoimd, it may be put into a wooden 
 box, about eighteen inches long, and 
 having a hole at each end. The rat 
 gets in at one end and goes out at the 
 other, after partaking of the noxious 
 food, Avhich soon kills it." According 
 to Boreaux, the dog's-tongue {Cyno- 
 fflossuiii officinale), if bruised and placed 
 in the rooms of a house infested with 
 rats, will cause the animals to quit. A 
 toad in the house cellar is said to have 
 the same effect. A rat seized in a trap 
 and singed, and then let loose, will pro- 
 duce alarm among the others, and may 
 lead to their departure. Perhaps the 
 best means of repressing an invasion of 
 rats is to keep a terrier dog on the pre- 
 mises, and to use chloride of lime. 
 Place a vessel filled with it in each in- 
 fested room, and the uninvited occu- 
 pants M'ill flee from an odour which is [ 
 most obnoxious to them. 
 
 How to Preserve the 
 Teeth and Gums. — The teeth 
 shoTiId be washed night and morning, a 
 moderately smaU and soft brush being 
 used ; after the morning ablution pour 
 on a secondtooth-brush, slightly damped, 
 a little of the following lotion, which 
 can be obtained at a chemist's : — 
 
 Carbolic acid, 20 drops. 
 
 Spirit of wine, 2 drachms. 
 
 Distilled water, 6 ounces. 
 After using this lotion for a short 
 lime the gums become firmer and less 
 tender, and impurity of the breath 
 (which is most commonly caused by bad 
 teeth) will be removed. It is a great 
 mistake to use hard tooth-brushes, or to 
 brush the teeth until the gums bleed. 
 
 Best Cure for Burns or 
 Scalds. — The best application in 
 cases of burns or scalds is a mixture of 
 one part of carbolic acid to eight of 
 olive oil. Lint or linen rags are to be 
 saturated in the lotion, and spread 
 smoothly over the burned part, -which 
 should then be covered with oiled sillc 
 or gutta-percha tissue to exclude the air. 
 The dressing may be left on from two 
 to three days, and should then l)e re- 
 applied, exposing the bum as short a 
 time as possible to the air. 
 
He who wants Health 7vants Everything. 
 
 19 
 
 Rheuinatism, Nature 
 and Cause of. — Rheumatism is a 
 diseased condition of the fibrous and 
 muscular tissues, chiefly affecting the 
 larger joints ; the heart and diaphragm 
 are also liable to be affected by it. It 
 is a promoting cause of heart disease. 
 The causes of rheumatism are various. 
 Vicissitudes of temperature are the 
 most common ; occupying a damp bed 
 for a single night is sufficient to en- 
 gender the disease. Such persons as 
 blacksmiths, who are exposed to severe 
 changes of temperature, are generally 
 victims to the complaint. Miners and 
 persons employed in smelting-furnaces 
 are often severe sufferers. There is 
 likewise an hereditary tendency to the 
 malady, which a slight cold will de- 
 velop. 
 
 The principal forms of rheumatism 
 are these : — when the joints about the 
 back and loins are affected the complaint 
 is known as lumbago. Pains in the hip 
 joints are designated sciatics. 
 
 An attack of rheumatism is imminent 
 when a stiffness is felt in the joints, 
 combined with a dryness of the skin 
 and a burning thirst. The variety of 
 the complaint of M-hich these signs are 
 the precursors is termed acute. The 
 other variety is chronic rheumatism. 
 The latter may be described as an 
 aggravated condition of the former, 
 though some persons not only describe 
 them as quite distinct, but introduce a 
 variety between them. 
 
 Rheumatism proceeds from a vitiated 
 condition of the blood. An hereditary 
 taint in the circulating fluid may be 
 excited into morbific action by a slight 
 cold, but more commonly the blood 
 becomes vitiated through mal-assimila- 
 tion and a faulty metamorphosic action. 
 The precise principle of the poison en- 
 gendered has not yet been fully ascer- 
 tained. It is generally believed to be 
 lactic acid. 
 
 Modes of Treatment. — To elimi- 
 nate the morbific element from the 
 system, physicians have adopted various 
 remedies. Venesection and the use 
 of calomel are now altogether aban- 
 doned. The use of saline aperients. 
 
 always safe, has occasionally proved 
 siiccessful. The excitement of the 
 nervous system has been allayed by the 
 administration of opium and digitalis. 
 Quinine has been administered with 
 advantage. One of the best of the old 
 remedies is Dover's powder, which, as 
 causing perspiration, may be advan- 
 tageously used in every case of rheu- 
 matism. A writer in the Jounml of 
 Horticulture prescribes the following: — 
 " Five drops of cajeput oil on a lump 
 of sugar, dissolved in a tumbler of hot 
 water, taken at bedtime and once be- 
 sides in the day, and persevered in for 
 some days." 
 
 In his standard work on rheumatism, 
 Dr. H. W. Fuller states that in many 
 parts of England the sulphur ointment 
 of the F/iarmacopaia is a favourite 
 remedy among the poor for the cure of 
 rheumatism, whether affecting tke joints 
 or other parts of the body, and that he 
 had ascertained by experiment that, 
 applied externally, sulphur often sub- 
 dued pain which had persisted in spite 
 of all other remedies. To eliminate the 
 noxious acid from the circulating fluid, 
 an eminent physician has recommended 
 that as much bicarbonate of soda as 
 would rest on a sixpence should be taken 
 immediately after meals, dissolved in a 
 wineglassful of cold water. Dr. Fuller 
 prescribes an effervescing citrate of 
 potash draught, with an excess of 40 
 to 60 grains of bicarbonate of soda or 
 bicarbonate of potash, at two, three, 
 and four hours' interval. An ex- 
 ternal mode of cure, practised among 
 the humbler classes, is that of passing 
 a moderately heated flat iron, such as 
 those used by laundresses, over the parts 
 affected. 
 
 The Best Mustard Plas- 
 ter. — Take a piece of waste linen, 
 and if crumpled, iron it smooth ; or 
 paper will do. Procure a smaU quan- 
 tity of black mustard seed, and bruise 
 it to a coarse powder, in a pestle 
 and mortar or otherwise. Spread over 
 the linen a thin solution of gum, and 
 sprinkle the powder equally over it. 
 Dry in a warm place. When wanted, 
 plasters may be cut of any size or 
 
Wisdom provides Things Necessary, not Superfluous. 
 
 shape ; and when applied should be 
 momentarily dipped in tepid water, and 
 tied over the affected part with a band- 
 age. These plasters are more simple, 
 cleanly, and eff'ective than the ordinary 
 mustard poultices. 
 
 This recipe is very similar to Eigol- 
 lot's mustard leaves, which are very 
 convenient to use, and quick in their 
 operation. 
 
 The Law of Vaccination. 
 — The Act of Parliament which came 
 into force on the 1st of January, 1868, 
 enacts that parents or giiardians are 
 to procure the vaccination of every 
 child within three months after birth, 
 unless the child is not in a fit or proper 
 state for the operation; that parents 
 neglecting to procure vaccination, or 
 failing after vaccination to have the 
 child inspected, may be fined twenty 
 shillings, and that any person practising 
 inoculation with variolous matter, or in 
 any way wiifiiUy producing small-pox 
 in another individual, shaU be liable to 
 a month's imprisonment. 
 
 Vaccination is usually performed when 
 the child is four to six weeks old. It 
 may be done a few hours after birth if 
 there are cases of smaU-pox near. 
 
 Exercise — its Import- 
 ance and Uses. — The health of 
 aU the parts of the body and the sound- 
 ness of their structure are inseparably 
 associated with the processes of con- 
 tinual absorption and renovation ; and 
 exercise, by sustaining and promoting 
 these, invigorates life and strengthens all 
 our organs, fitting them for the various 
 offices which nature requires. The 
 same remarks are equally applicable 
 to the moral and intellectual powers. 
 By means of exercise, diseases are fre- 
 quently prevented, and even removed ; 
 and it has been justly remarked that if 
 only some of the advantages res^ilting 
 from it could be obtained by any one 
 medicine, nothing would be held in 
 greater esteem. An immense number 
 and A'ariety of the most distressing 
 maladies have their origin in a seden- 
 tary mode of life. To prevent these, or 
 to cure some of them, one of the most 
 effectual means is exercise. It strength- 
 
 ens all the functions of the body, exhi- 
 larates the spirits, and imparts tone and 
 vigour to the whole system. Pedes- 
 trian EXERCISE is most conducive to 
 health. It promotes the circulation of 
 the blood through the minutest veins 
 and arteries of the system, sti-engthens 
 the muscles, and promotes the healthful 
 activity of all the functions. Eques- 
 trian EXERCISE is admirably adapted 
 for invalids. Medical men have laid it 
 do^vn that riding is the best means for 
 regaining health, and walking the best 
 for retaining it. Gymnastics, such as 
 leaping and fencing, and the various 
 games which belong to this class of 
 exercises — such as bowls, cricket, and 
 those known in Scotland as curling and 
 goK — are all most valuable for imparting 
 strength and buoyancy to the system. 
 Friction is of great value. It augments 
 the good effects of more active exertion, 
 and forms an excellent substitute for it. 
 It frequently proves of great value to 
 weak and nervous persons, as well as 
 to those suffering from gouty and rheu- 
 matic ailments. It is an admirable 
 promoter of sleep, especially in those 
 who are enfeebled by confinement or 
 literary labour. 
 
 Advice on Tobacco and 
 Snuff. — Tobacco contains a large 
 quantity of volatile oil, which is a 
 powerful sedative. It is probably for 
 this reason that the use of tobacco, 
 whether by smoking or otherwise, pro- 
 duces indolence, blunts the appetite, 
 and not unfrequently results in an obsti- 
 nate form of indigestion. The dele- 
 terious qualities of the drug may be per- 
 ceived from the first attempts to smoke 
 being followed by giddiness, sickness, 
 and depression ; and there can be little 
 doubt that, although these effects may 
 not always be perceived when the habit 
 is once acquired, yet gradual injury 
 must be done to the constitution by the 
 continuous effects of the poison, how- 
 ever small the quantity which may be 
 absorbed at one time. At a recent 
 meeting of the Harveian Medical 
 Society, Dr. Drysdale made some re- 
 marks on the subject, founded on the 
 observation of about 200 cases of ex- 
 
A Good Cause makes a Stout Heart and a Strong Ann. 21 
 
 cessive smoking among the out-patients 
 of the Metropolitan Free Hospital. He 
 stated that all these cases proved that 
 tobacco-smoking was much opposed to 
 nutrition, and that it was consequently 
 one of the most injurious habits which 
 the human race had in recent times 
 contracted. From his own experience, 
 he would say that there were no per- 
 fectly healthy persons who smoked. 
 Mr. Cui-\'engen cited the case of a gen- 
 tleman to M'hom he Avas obliged to ad- 
 minister strong coffee and other stimu- 
 lants in order to arouse him from a state 
 of neiTOus depression into which he 
 had sunk after prolonged tobacco- 
 smoking. 
 
 Hints about Clothing. — 
 All our garments should be soft and 
 pliable, and of such a shape as to be 
 comfortable to the wearer. They should 
 not be warmer than is requisite to pre- 
 serve the body in a proper temperature. 
 The clothing worn next the skiii should 
 be made of substances easily cleaned. 
 Our dress should be adapted to the ago 
 and constitution of the individual. 
 Young and robust persons require a 
 smaller quantity than those who are 
 delicate or advanced in years. A va- 
 riety is requisite to suit the difference 
 of temperature in summer and winter. 
 The temperature varies so often and 
 so suddeidy during the first five months 
 of the year, that no great change 
 in the character of our clothing should 
 be made till May or June. Light- 
 coLOUEED CLOTHES are cooler in sum- 
 mer, because they reflect a portion of 
 the sun's rays ; and they are warmer 
 in winter, because they do not radiate 
 the heat of the body so rapidly as dark- 
 coloured clothing. Dark-colouked 
 CLOTHES are warmest in summer, be- 
 cause the darker the cloth, the more per- 
 fectly it absorbs the dii'ect heat of the 
 sun. They are, however, colder in 
 winter than light- coloiured clothing, 
 proving the rapidity with which they 
 absorb the heat from the body. 
 
 A Few Hints on Fern 
 Cases. — The simplest and most 
 easily managed fern cases are those 
 made of earthenware or terra-cotta, 
 
 either in the shape of an open vase or 
 like a piece cut from the root of a tree, 
 and covered by a bell-glass. These can 
 be obtained of any fern dealer, or at a 
 glass shade warehoiise. Fern dealers 
 supply them ready planted with suit- 
 able ferns ; but as the pleasure of 
 planting the case one's self is only second 
 to the pleasure of watching their almost 
 daily growth, we shall give a few hints 
 of the simplest natm-e, referring those 
 who M'ish for further information to 
 "The Fern Garden" of Mr. Shirley 
 Hibbcrd, whose directions are most ex- 
 plicit as well as comprehensive. 
 
 Having procured the case and bell- 
 glass, which should fit rather loosely, 
 and which is best if of common English 
 glass, with a knob at the top, next get 
 from anj' nursery garden some fern 
 mould, which the gardener will prepare 
 and mix for the pui-pose. Strew the 
 bottom of the case with potsherds 
 broken to about the size of walnuts; 
 lay over these a thin coat of di-ied moss 
 and fill in the mould, piling it up in the 
 centre. Take a kettle of boiling water 
 and pour the water steadily into the 
 middle of the mould first, but taking 
 care that all parts of the case are 
 thoroughly wetted by the hot water, 
 which completely destroys all insects 
 and their eggs, as well as fungi, which 
 would afterwards prove troublesome. 
 The mould must be cold before the ferns 
 are planted. If the fern case is intended 
 to remain in a room where there seldom 
 is a fire during the winter, British ferns 
 are the best to fiU it with ; but if kept 
 in a warm place some hardy foreign 
 species may be added. A window facing 
 the north or north-west is best in sum- 
 mer ; ferns do not like the full glare of 
 sunlight. The great error of most ama- 
 teurs who keep ferns is the idea that 
 they require a quantity of water ; the 
 soil must always be damp, but not wet, 
 or the fronds will decay close to the 
 root. Water should be very sparingly 
 given in winter, and very gently poured 
 round the edge of the case ; in summer 
 water every day, taking care to sprinkle 
 it so gently as not to wash the earth 
 from the roots or to press down the 
 
Take Time while Time is, for Time will cuvay. 
 
 delicate fronds. Air sufficient for ven- 
 tilation can safely be given by taking 
 off the glass each morning and wiping 
 it dry, and then putting it on again, 
 care being taken that no draught gets 
 to the ferns while uncovered. 
 
 Of British ferns the foUoM'ing do 
 well in a fern case: — The beech fern 
 {rolypodiumphegopteris),Ofik fern {Poly- 
 podium dryopteris), the green spleen- 
 wort {Aspleniiim viride), the maiden- 
 hair spleenwort {Asplenium adiantum- 
 nigrum) , the wall spleenwort {Asplenium 
 tfichomanes), the parsley fem {Allosorus 
 crispus), the maidenhair {Adiantum ca- 
 pillus- Veneris), the Alpine woodsia 
 {TFoodsia hyperhored). Most of these 
 can be bought very cheaply at a fern 
 dealer's, or even of those men who col- 
 lect ferns which they sell about the 
 streets of London. For a moderate- 
 sized case six or eight will be stifficient. 
 For those who wish to mix foreign 
 fierns with our native species, lists are 
 given in " The Fem Garden " ali-eady 
 referred to. 
 
 Best Method of Curing 
 Chilblains. — The medical press 
 recommends the following mixture : — 
 *' Aconite liniment, two drachms ; 
 carbolic acid, four drops ; coUodium 
 flexile, four drops. Mix, and apply with 
 a camel-hair pencil every three days." 
 
 To cxire chilblains, M. Cazenove, of 
 Paris, has lately recommended the fol- 
 lowing prescriptions : — " Two yolks of 
 fresh eggs, two spoonfuls of oil of 
 alnjonds, one ounce of rose water, and 
 half a drachm of tincture of benzoin. 
 For chaps of the fingers, M. Cazenove 
 paints them every evening with tinc- 
 ture of aloes from two to four parts, 
 and glycerine thirty parts. In chaps 
 of the lips he employs oxide of zinc one 
 part, cold cream, cacao butter, and oil 
 of almonds, of each fifteen parts." 
 
 Oxide of zinc ointment, or a few 
 drops of glycerine, rubbed on the parts 
 affected in the morning and at bedtime 
 wUl afford relief. In cold weather, 
 persons subject to chilblains or chapped 
 lips should perform their ablutions in 
 tepid water. 
 
 Scalds on Children.— The 
 
 little sufferers should be painted with 
 carron oil with a camel-hair pencil, and 
 immediately put to bed. As children 
 seldom recover from the effects of 
 severe scaldings, nurses ought to be 
 most careful in preventing them from 
 approaching the fireplace. A high 
 wire guard should be placed in front of 
 the nursery grate. 
 
 Best Cure for the Ear- 
 ache. — Drop some warm glycerine 
 into the ear by means of a quill, and after- 
 wards introduce a piece of wool. Wool 
 plucked from a blanket is the most 
 suitable ; the fibres ai-e elastic, and do 
 not coalesce into a hard pellet as cotton 
 is apt to do. 
 
 To Cure Boils.— Every part 
 of the body is liable to these small 
 tumours ; they are hard, circumscribed, 
 painful when touched, and suppurating 
 with a core in the centre. Persons of 
 full habit and great vigour are chiefly 
 liable to them, but they frequently 
 occur in those whose constitution is 
 impaired. Some cooling aperient should 
 be given, and a common poultice ap- 
 plied to the boil till it suppurates and 
 breaks, when it should be dressed twice 
 a day with saturnine ointment. The 
 patient's health will be benefited by the 
 use of quinine. 
 
 New Mode of Removing 
 Rust. — Some time ago Mr. Le Keux 
 communicated to the Archaeological 
 Institute the following recipe : — 
 
 ' ' Plunge the article in a bath of diluted 
 hydrochloric (muriatic) acid ; say one 
 pint of the acid to one quart of water. 
 Leave it there for twenty-four hours ; 
 then take it out and rub well with a 
 scrubbing-brush. The oxide will como 
 off like dirt under the action of soap. 
 Should any still remain, as is likely, in 
 the corroded parts, return the metal to 
 the bath for a few hours more, and 
 repeat the scrubbing. The metal will 
 then present the appearance of dull 
 lead. It must then be well washed in 
 plain water several times, and tho- 
 roughly dried before a fire. Lastly, a 
 little rubbing with oil and fine emery 
 powder wiU restore the polish. Should 
 oil or grease have mingled with the rust, 
 
lie toJio rides behind Another does not travel when he chooses. 23 
 
 it will be necessaiy to remove it by a hot 
 solution of soda before submitting the 
 metal to the acitl. This last attacks 
 the rust alone, without injuring the 
 steel ; but the ^^■ashing in plain water 
 is all-important, as, after the process, 
 the metal will absorb oxygen from the 
 atmosphere freely if any trace of the 
 acid be allowed to remain." 
 
 The Earth Closet. — Instead 
 of water, dry earth containing alumina 
 is used. The earth acts as an absorbent. 
 This new system, which is likely to be 
 generally adopted, was originated a few 
 years ago by the Rev. Hemy Moule. 
 
 Dustbins. — It is essential to 
 health that the dustbin be properly 
 attended to. The admixture of vege- 
 table and animal matter with the cin- 
 der-ash is asourceof feveranddiarrhoea. 
 An iron grating should be placed on the 
 dustbin, to prevent the introduction of 
 substances other than ashes. If this is 
 impracticable the dustbin should be 
 frequently emptied of its contents and 
 thoroughly cleansed. 
 
 Panic in a Theatre or 
 Church. — Hundreds of Hves have 
 been lost in consequence of the crushing 
 which has attended the frantic efforts 
 to escape from real or fancied peril 
 when a cry of " fire " has been raised in 
 crowded buildings. The best method 
 of proceeding on such occasions is to sit 
 still, and to induce others around you 
 to remain calm and retain their seats. 
 Even should tire be raging in the pre- 
 mises, you M'ill run less risk by remain- 
 ing quiet ; and the danger is increased 
 tenfold if you become involved in a pent- 
 up mass of human beings crushing and 
 trampling upon each other. By re- 
 taining your scat and remaining calm 
 you will almost to a certainty escape 
 the danger. By following the crowd 
 you are sure to sustain injury, and 
 may materially diminish your chance of 
 being rescued. 
 
 Rail way Accidents. —"When 
 you have reason to apprehend a col- 
 lision, or that the train has left the 
 rails, throw yourself doM'n in the bottom 
 of the carnage, that you may avoid the 
 violence of the shock. It is most dan- 
 
 gerous to leap from the carriage, except 
 in the direction in which the train is 
 pi'ocecding, and then only when you 
 are sure of falling upon soft ground. 
 Every traveller should provide himself 
 with a railway key, by the use of which 
 he may speedily extricate himself from 
 the carriage, and be enabled to prove 
 useful to the injured. It is unadvisable 
 to occupy the carriage, especially the 
 compartment, next to the tender and 
 engine ; a centre compartment of any 
 carriage is the most secure. Any claim 
 for compensation against a railway 
 company should be made at once, since 
 the least delay seriously compromises 
 the UkeUhood of success. Your pos- 
 sessing an insurance ticket will not, in 
 the event of an accident, in the least 
 affect your claim for damages against 
 the railway company. 
 
 Coach Accidents. — If you 
 happen to be on a coach when the 
 horses defy restraint and run away, let 
 the driver keep them as much as possi- 
 ble in the middle of the road. If going 
 uphill, breast them firmly at it, and the 
 increased labour will speedily exhaust 
 them ; but if do^^^lhill, there is danger 
 of an overturn, and the driver should 
 try to run them against a hedge or soft 
 fence. If you -wish to get off the coach, 
 in the event of the horses running 
 away, slip down at the back, with your 
 face in the direction in which the coach 
 is ffoinr/, and when you reach the ground 
 you will probably escape unhurt. 
 
 New Safety Lamp. — It is 
 well known that Sir Humphry Davy's 
 safety lamp is not always a perfect 
 security against those disasters which 
 occur in our mining districts. This, 
 however, is owing to the ignorance or 
 recklessness of the miners ; for it has 
 been fully demonstrated that, however 
 explosive the air in the mine may be, 
 it carmot be set on fire by the wii-e 
 gauze, even although it be red-hot, but 
 only by contact with the flame itself. A 
 safety lamp, it appears, has been in- 
 vented by Mr. Samuel Higgs, of Pen- 
 zance, the object of which is to prevent 
 accidents in mines, by rendering it im- 
 possible for the miners to tamper wita 
 
24 
 
 Common Sense is the Grotvth of all Countries. 
 
 the lamp. The lamp is enclosed in 
 a case partly of gauze and partly of 
 glass. There is no diminution of light, 
 and no danger of explosion. The inner 
 lamp is fastened with one kind of 
 fastener, and the outer case with another. 
 A new wick is substituted for the for- 
 mer, and aifords a better Hght. A similar 
 discovery has been made by Captain 
 GUmore, E.N. ; he has contrived an 
 apparatus by which a sort of extin- 
 guisher is forced down on the lighted 
 wick of the lamp in the act of unscrew- 
 ing it. 
 
 Portland Cement. — This 
 cement, so named fi-om its resemblance 
 to Portland stone, is made from clay 
 found in the vale of the Medway, which 
 is mixed with chalk, and then burned. 
 A writer in the Gardeners^ Monthly 
 describes the various uses of Portland 
 cement in these words : — " Made into a 
 thin solution like whitewash, this ce- 
 ment gives woodwork all the appear- 
 ance of having been painted and sanded. 
 Piles of stone may be set together 
 with common mortar, and then the 
 whole washed over with this cement, 
 making it look like one immense rock 
 of grey sandstone. For temporary use 
 a flour-barrel may have the hoops 
 nailed, and the inside washed with six- 
 penceworth of Portland cement, and it 
 will do for a year or more to hold water. 
 Boards nailed together, and washed with 
 it, make good hot-water tanks ; and in 
 so many ways is it of use that we have 
 come to look on it as one of those pecu- 
 liar things in a garden which it is '" al- 
 ways good to have about.' " 
 
 Plaster of Paris. — Plaster of 
 Paris is composed of anhydrous (with- 
 out water) sulphate of Ume ; it is chiefly 
 used for taking models and casts, uniting 
 slabs of marble and alabaster. It should 
 be mixed with water to the consistence 
 of thick cream, and then applied; it 
 hardens rapidly. Plaster of Paris may 
 be considerably strengthened by being 
 mixed with thin glue, or a solution of 
 size and gum instead of water. When 
 mixed with iron filings to the proportion 
 of one-fifth the whole weight, plaster 
 of Paris may bt used in xmiting iron. 
 
 Roman Cement. — This it 
 composed of a porous lava found at 
 Puzzuoli, near Naples ; its chief consti- 
 tuents are silicates of alumina, lime, 
 and soda. Eoman cement hardens 
 under water ; hence it is called an hy- 
 draulic cement. 
 
 To Clean Gilt Orna- 
 ments. — The best way to prevent 
 gold and gilt ornaments from tarnish- 
 ing, and to make them bright, is to 
 keep them inbox-wood sawdust, which 
 may be obtained at any ivory turner's. 
 To clean them, wash in a lather with 
 a soft brush, rinse, and let them drain 
 on a cloth. When nearly dry, put them 
 into the box-wood sawdust. 
 
 Best "Way to Scour 
 Floors. — Take some clean, weU- 
 sifted sand, scatter it on the floor, have 
 ready one ounce of American potash 
 dissolved in a pint of water, sprinkle it 
 over the sand, and with a scrubbing- 
 brush and good mottled soap rub the 
 boards along their length. Changing the 
 water frequently, and using it very hot, 
 makes the boards white ; the potash, if 
 properly applied, wiU remove all stains. 
 
 To Clean "Windows.— 
 Remove stains and dust with soap and 
 water, then apply with a moistened 
 rag powdered incligo, rotten-stone, or 
 fuller' s-earth. Dry with a soft cotton 
 cloth. 
 
 To Clean Paint.— With a 
 light brush and pair of bellows remove 
 the dust, and remove soil spots with a 
 sponge dipped in soap and water. In 
 scouring wainscot begin at the top and 
 proceed dowiiM'ard; use soft soap and 
 fullers-earth. In the process two 
 persons should be employed, one in 
 scouring oS' the dust, and the other in 
 drying the surface with a Unen cloth. 
 
 To Clean Mirrors.— Wet 
 the surface of the glass with gin, to 
 remove the stains. Then rub with a 
 cloth dipped in powdered blue. Polish 
 with a silk handkerchief. Ee careful 
 not to touch the frames. 
 
 To Clean Lacquei^ed Ar- 
 ticles. — Brush with hot water and 
 soap, wipe and dry before the fire ; 
 finish with a soft cloth. Avoid the use 
 
IVisiiom adorns Riches and shadows Poverty, 
 
 25 
 
 of pearlash or soda, which may remove 
 the lacquer. 
 
 To Clean Britannia 
 Metal. — Moisten the articles to be 
 cleaned with sweet oil ; then apply a 
 little pounded rotten-stone, and polish 
 with chamois leather and fine chalk. 
 
 To Preserve Gilding. — In 
 ordering your furniture, desire the gild- 
 ing of your dining-room mirrors and 
 pictures to be executed in oil ; it is 
 more durable than watei--gilding. Such 
 frames may be washed ; water-gilt 
 frames will be tarnished by washing. 
 To protect gilt frames from the flies 
 during summer, brush off the dust with 
 a feather or soft brush, then cover the 
 frames with stripes of paper or gauze. 
 An oiled tarlatan, suitable for covering 
 picture-frames, may be proeiu-ed at the 
 furnitiu-e dealers. 
 
 To Clean Pewter.— Apply 
 to the surface of the vessels a fine sand 
 mixed with oil of tartar ; then polish. 
 
 To Reniove Stains from 
 Paper. — The process must depend 
 on what the stains are. If they are 
 those of writing ink, a solution of citric, 
 tartaric, or oxalic acid will be successful. 
 If grease, take a heated iron and press 
 it Tipon blotting-paper placed on the 
 stains. After this process has been fre- 
 quently repeated, take a soft brush and 
 apply oil of turpentine to the stains on 
 both sides of the paper ; lastly, with a 
 clean brush, applj^ to the spots already 
 almost gone rectified spirit of wine. 
 
 To Reniove Stains from 
 the Hands. — Cut a slice of lemon, 
 and rub it on the stains. Or wash the 
 hands in water containing a small quan- 
 tity of sulphuric acid. 
 
 Best Mode of Renioving 
 Grease from Silks, Hats, 
 Coats, &c. — Saturate a piece of 
 clean flannel with benzine collas, and 
 rub gently ; then expose to a good cur- 
 rent of air. 
 
 Danger froin Tinned 
 Vessels. — A case is mentioned in 
 the Chemical Nnvs of January, 1869, in 
 which a whole family were seriously 
 injured bj' the circumstance that not 
 less than 18 per cent, of lead was al- 
 
 loyed with the tinning of some iron 
 saucepans used in cooking. It ought 
 to be remembered that tin is liable t(. 
 be dissolved in some liquids ; and that 
 as copper and lead are frequently pre^ 
 sent in the solution, which thus acta 
 when taken into the stomach as a vio- 
 lent poison, a tinned copper vessel in 
 which any part of the interior surface 
 becomes exposed by the removal of 
 the tin, is a source of poison from 
 the rapid solution of copper from the 
 uncoated surface. 
 
 Sizing for Gold on Glass. 
 — Rub up copal varnish either with 
 white bole, imiber, or ochre, all of 
 which must be perfectly dry, and then 
 strain through a cloth. The glass must 
 then be cleansed with fine chalk, painted 
 over with the varnish, placed in a warm 
 room, and protected from dust. When 
 it is sufficiently drj', the leaf is to be 
 applied and pressed down with cotton. 
 
 Silvering Tubes or 
 Spheres of Glass. — Hitherto 
 the process of silvering glass has been 
 practicable only on flat surfaces ; by 
 the following method, however, the in- 
 ternal surface of a glass globe, bottle, or 
 tube may be readily silvered. Dissolve 
 ten grains of pure nitrate of silver in an 
 ounce of distilled water, and add to this, 
 drop by drop, liquor ammonia;, till all 
 precipitate is exactly redissolved. The 
 solution must be kept in a dark place 
 in a stoppered bottle. A second solu- 
 tion must thus be made : — Dissolve ten 
 grains of pure Eochelle salts in an 
 ounce of distilled water, and filter the 
 solution through white blotting-paper. 
 In order to silver the globe or bottle, 
 &c., fill it with equal quantities of the 
 two solutions, and let the sun's rays 
 play upon it, so as gently to heat the 
 outside. In about half an hour the 
 silver will be completely reduced, af- 
 fording a reflecting surface applicable 
 to a variety of pui-poses, ornamental 
 and philosophical. 
 
 Pictures on Porcelain. — 
 The production of photographic pic- 
 tures on porcelain requires the follow- 
 ing process, which will interest our 
 photographic readers : — Cleanse the 
 
26 
 
 Arrogmice is the Obstruction of Wisdom. 
 
 porcelain thoroughly ; heat to froth 
 the white of one egg in an ounce 
 of water, let it siihside, and pour oif 
 carefully without filtering; flow the 
 plate carefully with the albumen, and 
 place at an angle to dry on blotting- 
 paper. When the plate is perfectly dry, 
 flow with sensitive collodion, prepared 
 in the following manner : — Plain collo- 
 dion, two ounces ; chloride of stron- 
 tiiim, three grains ; nitrate of silvei-, 
 twenty grains ; citric acid, four grains : 
 the last three ingredients ought to be 
 all dissolved in the quantity of water 
 only required for the purpose in view. 
 The silver should be added only a few 
 di'ops at a time, and the whole well 
 shaken after each addition. The sensi- 
 tive collodion must be kept in a dark 
 place, and the flowing of the plates 
 must be performed in the dark. When 
 the plates are quite dry they are ready 
 for use. The printing is done in frames 
 the same as paper printing. Print to a 
 reddish brown colour. For toning use 
 water, three ounces ; chloride of gold 
 Bolution, three or four drops; neutralize 
 the gold with chloride of calcium, and 
 tone to the colour desired. After toning 
 wash the picture well under the tap, 
 and fix in hyposulphite of soda bath, 
 two ounces to a quart of water. The 
 pictures should not be left in the fixing 
 solution over five minutes. "\Vhen re- 
 moved wash the same as a negative, 
 di'ain dry, and varnish. If the pictures 
 are to be coloui-ed, the siu"face of the 
 glass on which they are done should be 
 groxmd, and the albumen only half as 
 strong as in the receipt first given. If 
 the light is good, the whole process 
 need not occupy more than thirty 
 minutes. 
 
 To Remove Marking- 
 Ink from Linen. — Dip the 
 garment in a solution of one ounce of 
 cyanide of potassium and four ounces 
 of water. After a few hours the stain 
 will be obliterated. The mixtui-e is 
 highly poisonous, and shoxild be care- 
 fully removed. 
 
 To Remove Stains from 
 Black Cloth. — Boil a large quan- 
 tity of fig leaves in water tiU the liquid 
 
 is reduced to one-half of its original 
 bulk. Bottle for use. With a sponge 
 apply the liquor to the stained gar- 
 ments. 
 
 To Remove Claret or 
 Port Wine Stains.^ — -A-Pply a 
 little table salt to the spot stained, and 
 also moisten it with sherry. After 
 washing no trace of the stain will be 
 left. The acid contained in claret de- 
 composes the salt, and sets free chlorine 
 (bleaching gas), which removes the 
 vegetable colouring matter of the wine. 
 If the stain is from port, sherry should 
 be added, as it also contains acid. 
 
 Liquid to Remove 
 Grease Spots, &c. — Dissolve 
 an ounce of pure pearlash in a pint of 
 spring water, and to the solution add a 
 lemon cut in small slices. Mix the in- 
 gredients well, keep the mixture in a 
 warm state for a couple of days, then 
 strain it and bottle the clear liquid for 
 use. A little of this poured on stains 
 of grease, pitch, or oil, v^'ill remove 
 them. As soon as they disappear the 
 cloth should be washed in clear water. 
 
 To Clean Kid Gloves.— 
 Stretch the gloves on a clean piece 
 of paper, or a wooden hand, and apply 
 benzine collas with a piece of cotton 
 or flannel. Apply the benzine in a 
 circiilar direction. Dry with blotting- 
 paper. By exposiu-e to the air all 
 traces of smell wiU disappear. 
 
 Poisonous Dyes. — Some 
 time ago it was publicly stated Ihat 
 several jjersons had received injury 
 from wearing stockings of a yellow 
 coloiu-, the substance employed as a 
 dye being picric acid. Inquiries have 
 demonstrated that articles dyed with 
 aniline coloiu's are injurious if worn 
 next the skin. In many instances 
 arsenic is essential to the production of 
 the colouj, and both the arsenical dyes 
 and those from aniline are injurious. 
 
 Hints on Punctuality. — 
 " Punctuality is the soul of business," 
 is an old and true sajang. The un- 
 punctual man is never a successful one. 
 His friends may tolerate him, society 
 may become accustomed to his ways, 
 his dependants may forbear to com- 
 
Time and Tide stay for 7io Man. 
 
 «7 
 
 plain, but all have the same opinion of 
 him, and look with a sort of pitying 
 contempt on his weakness. Depression 
 in trade, and other circumstances which 
 a man cannot control, may cause him 
 to be unable to meet his pecuniary 
 engacreraents, hut it is almost impossi- 
 ble tiiat he cannot arrange to keep his 
 appointments. Careless indifference to 
 the fulfilment of a promise, or to the 
 convenience and wishes of others, unfits 
 a man for active public employment, 
 no matter how learned and accom- 
 plished he may be. 
 
 Fi reproofing. — "Wood,brushed 
 three or four times with a strong solu- 
 tion of silicate of soda, Avill become in- 
 combustible. Textile fabiics should be 
 dipped in saline solutions ; alum and 
 common salt weaken the fabrics, and 
 should not be iised. The best applica- 
 tions are phosphate and sulphate of 
 ammonia and borax. 
 
 "V\''aterproofing. — The best 
 mode of waterproofing woollen cloth is 
 to dip it in a solution of isinglass or 
 gelatine, and then in a solution of galls. 
 To watei-proof packing papers dissolve 
 one poimd of white soap in a quart of 
 water. In another quart of water dis- 
 solve one ounce of gun-nitric and six 
 ounces of glue. Mix the two solutions, 
 heat them, and soak the paper in the 
 liquid. Then hang it up to dry. The 
 various applications of caoutchouc in 
 waterproofing will be treated of sepa- 
 rately. 
 
 Cure for Stammering. — 
 Keep the teeth together and inspu-e 
 deeply; then articulate very delibe- 
 rately. The cruel operation of ex- 
 cising the tonsils is entirely futile, and 
 should never be resorted to. Eespect- 
 ing impediments of speech valuable 
 observations are to be found in the 
 works of Dr. Hunt and Mr. Melville 
 Bell. 
 
 Best Mode of Beautify- 
 ing the Hands.— Rub together 
 in a mortar foxir parts by weight of yolk 
 of egg with five parts of glycerine. No 
 better ointment for the hands can be 
 procured. The compound may be pre- 
 served for years. 
 
 A 'Few "Words on the 
 Feet. — Tender Feet. — Wear wool- 
 len socks or stockings, and change them 
 frequently. Bathe both your feet and 
 lower limba in a solution of common 
 salt, a poimd of salt to a gallon of 
 water. "When spring water is used, 
 add a tahlespoonful of carbonate of soda 
 to every pint of water. Use boots or 
 shoes with soft leather uppers, and 
 soles not too thin. 
 
 Cold Feet. — The best method of 
 averting coldness in the feet and lower 
 limbs is to wear two pairs of stockings 
 of different fabrics, one of silk or cotton, 
 and the other of wool ; the two fabric* 
 serving to keep in the natural heat of 
 the feet. 
 
 To Cure Corns. — Corns are 
 entii-ely owing to continued pressure, 
 such as wearing small boots or shoes. 
 At first they are the production of the 
 outer skin only, but by gradually thick- 
 ening they at length come to be con- 
 nected with the true skin beneath, 
 and even with the subjacent muscles. 
 Prevention is better than cure. "Wear 
 woollen stockings, and see that there is 
 no local and permanent pressure on any 
 part of the foot. If a cure be requisite, 
 soak the com for half an hour in a 
 solution of soda, and pare as close as 
 possible ; then apply a plaster of the 
 following ingredients, which in Cooper's 
 invaluable Dictionary is pronounced 
 infallible : — " Take of purified ammonia 
 and yellow wax, of each two ounces ; and 
 acetate of copper, six drachms. Melt the 
 first two ingredients together, and, after 
 removing them from the fire, add the 
 acetate of copper just before they grow 
 cold. Spread this ointment on a piece 
 of soft leather or on linen, and apply it 
 to the corn, I'cmoving it in a fortnight 
 if the com is not gone by that time. 
 Grounds's Emollient Com Plaster has 
 been recommended as a valuable remedy 
 also. 
 
 Ne"w Cement for Maho- 
 gany. — Melt four parts of beeswax 
 or shellac with one of Indian red, add- 
 ing as much yellow ochre as is requi- 
 site to give colour. This cement will 
 be found most suitable for stopping 
 
28 
 
 Every Man knows where the Shoe pinches. 
 
 holes and rents in mahogany furni- 
 ture. 
 
 To Extract Ink from 
 Mahogany. — Dilute half a tea- 
 spoonful of oil of vitriol with a large 
 spoonful of water, and apply the mix- 
 ture with a feather to the stained wood. 
 The ink mark will disappear. 
 
 To make Deal appear 
 like Oak. — Rub the deal boards 
 with globe artichokes cut in half. 
 Then polish with a preparation of bees- 
 wax, oil, and tui-pentine, melted to- 
 gether, and applied cold with a clean, 
 dry scrubbing-brush. 
 
 Best Mode of Clean- 
 ing Oilcloth. — Fu-st remove the 
 dirt with a soft woollen cloth and tepid 
 water, then polish with milk, or a 
 weak solution of beeswax in spirits of 
 turpentine. 
 
 Athole Brose. — This is a be- 
 verage peculiar to the Highlands of 
 Scotland. Honey is dissolved in 
 whisky to the consistence of cream ; the 
 drink is then taken with a teaspoon. 
 A quantity sufficient to fill a wineglass 
 taken at night will be found of benefit 
 in colds and catarrhs. In preparing 
 Athole Brose oatmeal is occasionally 
 added. 
 
 Scotch Brose. — Put a few 
 handfuls of oatmeal into a wooden dish ; 
 then pour in a Uttle boiling water, and 
 mix thoroughly. Add a Uttle salt. This 
 dish is frequently usetl as a substitute 
 for porridge, when it is inconvenient 
 to cook the latter. Fresh milk added 
 is a great improvement. 
 
 A Few Words on Fires. 
 — 1. How Fires break out. — Many of 
 the conflagrations that occur are attri- 
 buted to accident ; but if the causes 
 could always be known it would be dis- 
 covered that nine-tenths of the number 
 originate in carelessness and inattention, 
 which, considering the fearful conse- 
 quences of those calamities, are in the 
 highest degree culpable. In workshops, 
 such as those of the joiner and cabinet- 
 maker, where combustible materials 
 are strewed about in every direction, 
 most disastrous results have frequently 
 arisen from neglect of the most ordi- 
 
 nary precautions. In such places, col- 
 lections of wood shavings left near a 
 stove may, in the absence of the work- 
 men, be set on fire by cinders falling 
 on them ; or a half-extingtiished match 
 thro^ra upon the floor may cause the 
 shavings to smoulder, a sufficient 
 draught of air being aU that is reqiiired 
 to kindle the fire into activity. House- 
 holders cannot be too careful that 
 matches be cautiously used, that all 
 fires should be safe and all lights extin- 
 guished at night, and no combustible 
 substances permitted so near the stoves 
 or grates as to be in danger. 
 
 2. Chimneys ox Fike. — The most 
 ready method of checking or extinguish- 
 ing the fire is to stop the draught of 
 air ascending from the fireplace. Throw 
 some water on the fire, and fix tightly 
 before the fireplace a piece of thick old 
 carpeting soaked in water. The carpet 
 thus thoroughly wet wiU be for the 
 time almost impervious to air. If there 
 be a damper in the chimney, let it first 
 be closed. These methods will go far 
 towards either putting out the fire, or 
 reducing it to a minimum. A little 
 flower of brimstone ought to be thrown 
 on the fire in the grate before the wet 
 carpet is applied ; the brimstone fumes 
 ascending the vent will help to extin- 
 guish the combustion. 
 
 3. Escape from Dwellings on Fire. 
 — In these cases the unavoidable con- 
 fusion and excitement tend to deprive 
 people of the necessary presence of 
 mind, and render them incapable of 
 availing themselves of the means of 
 safety. 
 
 We shall best consult the convenience 
 of our readers by presenting them on 
 this subject with the counsels of those 
 who are the most qualified to impart 
 them. In a letter published in the 
 Times newspaper in January, 1870, 
 Mr. Eyre M. Shaw, Captain of the 
 Metropolitan Fire Brigade, writes : — 
 
 " In case of fire, give the alarm at 
 once, and make every effort to escape 
 and to save others by whatever mode of 
 egress may be available ; but in doing 
 so remember to shut and keep shut aU 
 doors, windows, and apertures of every 
 
Fire and Water are Good Sen ants , but Bad Af asters. 29 
 
 kind through which air can be admitted, 
 thus checking the combustion and giving 
 all concenicd more time to get out, or, 
 failing this, to come and show them- 
 selves ut a front window or other pro- 
 minent point accessible to our ladders. 
 In short, all persons endangered should 
 rely on their own resources during the 
 first moments of an alarm, and after a 
 period which they can calculate for 
 themselves, according to the locality in 
 which they live, they may expect an 
 attendance of firemen with proper ap- 
 pliances, and the skill and energy to 
 use them to the best advantage, regard- 
 less of all personal risks so long as 
 there is a liope of saving life or property. 
 In one word, the public may rely on us 
 to a very great extent, but must not do so 
 altogether, as, in many cases, our suc- 
 cess or failure depends absolutely on 
 what they themselves do, or omit to do, 
 previouslj' to our arrival." 
 
 Dr. Andrew Wynter has published 
 the following admirable " Directions 
 for aiding persons to escape from 
 l)remiscs on tire : — 
 
 "1. Be careful to acquaint yourself 
 with the best means of exit from the 
 house, both at the top and bottom. 
 
 " 2. On the first alarm, reflect before 
 you act. If in bed at the time, wrap 
 yourself in a blanket or bedside carpet ; 
 open no more doors or windows than 
 are absolutely necessary, and shut every 
 door after j'ou. 
 
 " 3. There is always from eight to 
 twelve inches of pure air close to the 
 ground ; if you cannot therefore walk 
 upright through the smoke, drop on 
 your hands and knees and thus pro- 
 gress. A wetted silk handkerchief, a 
 piece of flannel, or a worsted stocking, 
 drawn over the face, permits breath- 
 ing, and, to a great extent, excludes the 
 smoke. 
 
 " 4. If you can neither make your 
 way upwards nor do\vnwards, get into a 
 front room ; if there is a family, see that 
 they are all collected here, and keep the 
 door closed as much as possible, for re- 
 member that smoke always follows a 
 draught, and fire always rushes after 
 gmoke. 
 
 " 5. On no account throw yourself, 
 or allow others to throw themselves 
 from the window. If no assistance is 
 at ha!id, and you are in extremity, tie 
 the sheets together, and, having fastened 
 one end to some heavy piece of furni- 
 ture, let down the women and children, 
 one by one, by tying the end of the 
 line of sheets round the waist, and 
 lowering them through the window 
 that is over the door, rather than 
 through one that is over the area. You 
 can easily let yourself down when the 
 helpless are saved. 
 
 " 6. If a woman's clothes should 
 catch fire, let her instantly roll herself 
 over and over on the ground ; if a man 
 be present, let him throw her down and 
 do the like, and then wrap her in a rug, 
 coat, or the first woollen thing that is at 
 hand. 
 
 " 7. Bystanders, the instant they see 
 a fire, should run for the fire-escape, or 
 to the police station if that is nearer, 
 where a 'jumping-sheet' is always to 
 be found." 
 
 Wo entreat the attention of our 
 readers to these important counsels, as 
 they will be most useful in the event 
 of tire breaking out. Every family 
 should be supplied with one of the patent 
 Fire Annihilators — an ingenious con- 
 trivance, which, by copiously discharg- 
 ing carbonic acid gas, will, if timely ap- 
 plied, extinguish combustion over a large 
 surface in the course of a few seconds. 
 
 White Gutta-percha. — 
 "White gutta-percha is much used by 
 dentists in stuffing a decayed or carious 
 tooth. The mode of preparing the 
 substance is as follows : — Cut four 
 ounces of crude gutta-percha into 
 shreds, and put it into six pints of 
 methylated chloroform. Let it digest 
 for a week, agitating it occasionally ; 
 then filter through blotting-paper; then 
 to the clear liquid add an equal bulk 
 of spirits of wine: this precipitates 
 the gutta-percha in pure white flakes. 
 These are now to be collected by strain- 
 ing throiigh muslin, and then well 
 rinsed with spirit. The gutta-percha is 
 now to bo transferred to a porcelain 
 dish, and boiled in ptire water. The 
 
3° 
 
 A Foolish Man lis:hts his Candle at Both Ends. 
 
 flakes will now unite together, and 
 it can be rolled into sticks on a slab, 
 when it is ready for use. The chloro- 
 form, however, is not to be lost. It is 
 to be recovered by mixing water with 
 the liquid, which passes away when the 
 gutta-percha is precipitated, and the 
 spirit is to be separated fi'om the water 
 by ordinary distillation. 
 
 Artificial Light. — The im- 
 mense advantages derivablefrom chemi- 
 cal and physical science are proved 
 in nothing more remarkably than in the 
 various modes which in these times have 
 been adoptedforprocuring artificial light. 
 Our ancestors used for all public and pri- 
 vate occasions animal oils, and candles 
 very indiiferently manufactiu-ed, the 
 substitute for which — wax candles — ■ 
 were too expensive a liixury for any but 
 the wealthy. We have now substances 
 in common use which our forefathers 
 could no more have thought of than 
 they could have imagined the art of 
 photography or the use of the telegraph. 
 "We have candles of stearine and pa- 
 raffine of extraordinary excellence as 
 compared with wax. "We have gas 
 illuminating our streets and houses; 
 we have light derivable from the com- 
 bustion of hydrogen and oxygen, from 
 electro-magnetic action, from lime, 
 from carbon, from magnesium — all of 
 them infinitely superior to anything 
 known to our ancestors, the light pro- 
 cured by such means Ijeing, in most 
 cases, too brilliant for the eye to rest 
 upon. The magnesium light alone afi'ords 
 a striking example of this superiority. 
 A piece of magnesium wire having a 
 diameter of the one-thousandth of 
 an inch is capable of producing a light 
 equal to that aff'orded by seventy-four 
 candles of stearine of five to the pound ; 
 the intensity of the magnesium light, 
 indeed, is nearly equal to the l-130th 
 of that which is afibrded by the sun on 
 a bright day in November. 
 
 An interesting exhibition was re- 
 cently made at the Royal Institution 
 of a new mode of employing the 
 great illuminating powers of mag- 
 nesium, for the purpose of lighting 
 public buildings. The magnesium, 
 
 reduced to the state of a fine powder, was 
 showered on small flames of gas. By 
 this means the metal produced a most 
 brilliant hght, and although the flame 
 was not sufficiently steady it was greatly 
 superior in power to the usual gas flames 
 of the burners in the lecture-room. Tha 
 causes which render the light uncertain 
 may probably be overcome. 
 
 Home-made Gas. — A number of pri- 
 vate residences in the country remote 
 from towns have apparatiia fitted up 
 for the production of gas for supply- 
 ing the dwelling-house and offices. It 
 appears, however, that a process has 
 been recently patented by which, with 
 the greatest facility, gas can be manu- 
 factured in the kitchen of every house 
 for household use. The patent referred 
 to claims to produce from a refuse vege- 
 table substance gas of double the illiuni- 
 nating power of that furnished by the 
 public companies, and at half the price. 
 The kitchen range is to contain the 
 apparatus for the manufacture, and the 
 residuum left after the process is to be 
 saleable at a good price. 
 
 Ne^AT Application of 
 Paraffine. — This substance seema 
 to be capable of being applied to many 
 uses in addition to that of afi'ording 
 light. It has recently been discovered 
 by Dr. Stenhouse that it renders leather 
 waterproof. The leather, being coated 
 several times with paraffine and oil, is 
 exposed to heat, by which it rapidly 
 absorbs the mixture. The leather thus 
 heated gives out, when struck, a wooden 
 sound like gutta-percha, and lasts much 
 longer than the ordinary leather made 
 into boots and shoes. Paraffine is of 
 excellent use in preserving the polished 
 surface of iron and steel ; when warmed 
 and rubbed on the surface of the metal, 
 and then wiped ofi" with a vioolu^n rag, 
 it acts like varnish, and preserves the 
 polish, whether it be light or blue. 
 
 Glycerine, — The discovery of 
 this remarkable substance aflbrds a new 
 instance of the value of chemical science. 
 It is derived from a residuum left after 
 the making of soap and stearine cantUcs, 
 and which for ages was considered of 
 no value. The discovery is of immense 
 
Bread at F/casun; Dri/ik by Measure. 
 
 31 
 
 importance. The medicinal properties of 
 glycerine are of the most striking kind, 
 but it is not valuable in pharmacy only ; 
 its antiseptic properties are marvellous. 
 It is tapable of preserving animal sub- 
 stances from decay ; leather is preserved 
 by it in a soft and pliable condition ; 
 wooden vessels saturated \rith it neither 
 shrink nor dry up ; it is used for ex- 
 tracting the odour of flowers, and is of 
 great value in the processes of dyeing, 
 brewing, liqueur making, and wine keep- 
 ing ; its power in healing sores and 
 removing pains, such as earache, is 
 wonderful. "With nitric acid it forms 
 nitroglj-cerine, a substance whose ex- 
 plosive force is many degrees greater 
 than that of gunpowder. 
 
 Best Advice on Liquids. 
 — Liquids arc intlispensable to digestion, 
 and to repair tlie waste we constantly 
 suffer from perspiration, breathing, &c. 
 We require more drink at one time 
 than at another. This variable demand 
 depends on the season, the state of the 
 weather, the character of our food, the 
 amount of exercise we take, and the 
 degree of heat or cold we are exposed to. 
 
 Phlegmatic tempeuaments require 
 less drink than the choleric and the 
 sanguine. Sedentary persons require 
 less than the laborious, and in all cases 
 less drink is required in winter than in 
 summer. 
 
 To DKINK IMMEDIATELY BEFORE A 
 
 MEAL is objectionable, because thereby 
 the gastric juice is diluted, and the 
 digestion does not proceed in so favour- 
 able and perfect a manner as when tliis 
 practice is avoided. 
 
 Those whose stomachs are weak 
 invariably find that soups do not agree 
 with them. The water in the soup 
 dilutes the gastric juice, already too 
 weak, and renders it tmequal to the 
 work of digesting the small amount of 
 solid substance contained in the soup. 
 The best rule for persons of weak diges- 
 tion is to avoid slops of all kinds, and 
 prefer solid food. 
 
 Artificial Gems. — Mere imi- 
 tations of precious stones have long 
 been successfully made, but a Fi-ench 
 chemist has succeeded in forming g^ms 
 
 by fusing alumina with fluor-spar at a 
 white heat. Rubies and other gems 
 have thus been made. So great are 
 the powers of chemistry, that it is not 
 improbable that the most precious stones 
 may be produced, equal in beauty and 
 value to those formed in the laboratory 
 of nature. 
 Fuel of Different Kinds. 
 1 . Coal. — Coal is unquestionably the 
 best species of fuel. It is of vegetable 
 origin. Its formation has depended on 
 the change which aU vegetable matter 
 undergoes ^\hen exposed to heat and 
 moisture under circumstances that ex- 
 clude the air, and prevent the escape of 
 the more volatile principles. The che- 
 mical changes which vegetable sub- 
 stances imdergo when placed imder 
 great pressure, so as to confine the 
 gaseous principles they contain, pro- 
 duce bitumen, lignite, or coal, according 
 to the various modifications of the 
 process. The Newcastle coal-fields are 
 believed to be the best in England for 
 domestic purposes ; and in Scotland, 
 the coal from the Elgin mines at Dun- 
 fermline maintains a high reputation. 
 Cannel, or Parrot coal, is chiefly used in 
 the manufacture of gas and paraffino 
 oil. Anthracite coal contains ninety 
 jier cent, of carbon, but it bums with 
 difficulty except in furnaces. Slate 
 coal yields bitimiinous matter very 
 largely ; it is therefore highly suitable 
 for preparing coke. The spKiit coal of 
 the Ijanarkshire coal-fields is not easily 
 kindled, but evolves much heat. Welsh 
 coal, owing to its chemical character, 
 is of the highest value for steam pur- 
 poses. The Welsh coal-field extends 
 from the Forest of Dean to Milford 
 Haven, and the demand, chiefly for 
 supplying marine steam-boilers, has 
 been such that it has raised the rent- 
 roll of the owner, the Marquis of Bute, 
 to £300,000 psr annum. For ordinary 
 domestic pui-poses, a mixture of coal 
 from diiierent coal-fields is the most 
 suitable store for the coal-ceUar. A 
 supply of coal ought to be stored at the 
 end of summer, or early in autumn, 
 when the article is cheaper, and has 
 not been so long exposed to the aiTv 
 
32 
 
 Better a Little Fire that warms than a Larire one that burns. 
 
 2. Coke is the most valuable of the 
 secondary products resulting from the 
 manufacture of gas. The best coke, 
 however, is obtained from coal when 
 carbonized in large masses in ovens 
 constructed for the pui-pose. In a gas 
 manufactory, the production of coke 
 being of less importance than the forma- 
 tion of good gas, it is often of a quality 
 inferior to that made in coke-ovens, 
 where it is the primary object for which 
 the coal is carbonized. Eut gas coke 
 is excellent for many purposes in the 
 arts and maniifactures, producing as 
 clear a fire as that of the first quality ; 
 and for domestic use it is imobjection- 
 able, and may be burnt both in the 
 drawing-room and the kitchen with 
 comfort and economy. The distin- 
 guishing characters of good coke are 
 (1), a clean granular fracture in any 
 direction, with a pearly lustre soine- 
 M'hat similar to that exhibited by cast 
 iron ; (2), density or the close proximity 
 of its component particles, which adhere 
 together in masses ; (3), when exposed 
 to a white heat, it consumes entirely 
 away, -without leaving either ashes or 
 slag. 
 
 3. "Wood and Pe.vt Fuel. — Log 
 fires emit a powerful heat, and blaze 
 cheerfully, but are attended with dan- 
 ger, owing to the splinters which are 
 apt to fly about the room. The 
 best time to place wood on the fire is 
 in the afternoon, when the grate is tho- 
 roughly heated. Fir cones, when pro- 
 perly dried, form a cheerful and econo- 
 mical fuel. Peat fires are generally 
 dull, and emit an unpleasant smell. 
 Peat is much used as fuel in the Scot- 
 tish Highlands, and in different parts of 
 Ireland. 
 
 4. Artificial Fuel. — Messrs. Stick- 
 ney and Chase, of Lockfort, New York, 
 have patented a composition for fuel. 
 This compound consists of coal, three 
 parts ; tan bark, two parts ; sawdust, 
 two parts ; peat or other vegetable 
 matter, one part ; coal tai or pitch, one 
 part. The whole mass may be easily 
 ignited with paper or shavings. Coal- 
 dust has by various processes been 
 \?tilized for the purposes of fuel, ]\|ado 
 
 up into bricks with asphalte and other 
 substances, it is known as " Patent 
 Fuel." The refuse of coal, mixed with 
 clay, and fonned into balls, is used as 
 fuel by the humbler classes. A pro- 
 fessor in Switzerland has lately dis- 
 covered a method of improving fossil 
 coal by impregnating it with bitumen 
 and naphtha. For several years Dr. 
 Ilichaidson and other eminent chemists 
 have been engaged in making experi- 
 ments to adapt dead oil, a refuse of tar 
 distillation, to the pui-poses of fuel. 
 
 Best Coal-scuttle. — Thebest 
 coal-scuttle for a reception-room is that 
 in the pillar form, elegantly japanned, 
 and adorned with gilding. Some scuttles 
 are constructed so as to resemble a 
 ladies' work-table. A small scoop ought 
 to accompany the scuttle, by means of 
 which any lady or gentleman may add 
 fuel to the fire without discomfort or 
 loss of digiuty. 
 
 Best Way to Fasten 
 Handles of Knives and 
 Forks. — Fill the aperture of the 
 handle with the powder of common 
 resin. Then heat the stock of the knife 
 or fork blade, and force it into the 
 handle. When cold the handle will bo 
 perfectly tight. The common cement 
 used by cutlers is made of equal weights 
 of resin and brick-dust, or for a superior 
 quality, four parts of resin, one of bees- 
 wax, and one of brick-dust. 
 
 Best Knife Sharpeners. 
 — A blunt carving-knife is not merely a 
 source of discomfort to the carver, but 
 the guests suffer by delay. The best 
 method of keeping sharp table and 
 other knives is to purchase the revolv- 
 ing knife shai7)cner, a little instrument 
 provided with two steel cylinders with 
 grooved edges. Any ordinary steel 
 blade may be thoroughly sharpened by 
 being drawn twice lengthwaj-s be- 
 tween the cylinders. The instrument 
 is to be procured at a moderate price. 
 By moving the cylinders occasionally 
 it may be made to last for a lifetime. 
 It should always be placed beside the 
 carver at table. The steel used by 
 butchers is not adapted for family use, 
 and it ought not to be produced at table. 
 
A Cold April the Barn unll fill. 
 
 33 
 
 Spring. 
 
 Lorn chimip of birds in the garden, 
 
 Gay tossing of bouplis in the breeze, 
 Bright duzzlo of moniing sunlight 
 
 That comes slanting along through 
 tho trees ; 
 You lill mc with ycanung impatient ! 
 
 And ns wide my window 1 tiing, 
 Out there, in the sun, laughs tho year's 
 dearest maid. 
 
 The dew- bespangled Spring ! 
 
 She was coming, I knew, when tho 
 frnilost 
 Of blossoms the snowdrop showed ; 
 1 said, " She is near," when tho crocus 
 chimps 
 In yellow and purple glowed ; 
 •■ She is here," 1 cried, with tho love 
 that stirred 
 The hearts of the poets of old, 
 When I saw flaih along the banks of 
 the lane 
 A border of primrose gold I 
 
 I walked with her down to the brook- 
 let- 
 It ran with a full-voiced song — 
 Wiilc overhead tho loud torrent tor© 
 
 'J'he dill' as it rushed along. 
 I strayed with her on to tho brimming 
 lako 
 That tho streams of tho spring had 
 swelled. 
 And pearl was tho hazy distance. 
 And sapphire tho waves I beheld. 
 
 I passed with her into tho wood on the 
 hill. 
 And my heart was strangely stined 
 With the tender green of the early year. 
 
 And the MOoing song of the bird. 
 Above and around— fresh life, fresh 
 hope ! 
 I drank them in with tho air, 
 Till I gazed agiiin with tho eyes of 
 youth. 
 When all tho world was fair. 
 
 As I breathed this sweet air of tho 
 springtide, 
 I thrilled with a fuller life, 
 
 Till my heart song again tho songs 
 of yore, 
 And old thoughts in my brain were 
 rife. 
 And tho strength and the daring of long 
 ago 
 Came back to nerve and brain, — 
 'Twas Spring called tho leaf and the 
 tloM cr and tho stream 
 And 7?ic to new lifo again. 
 
 D. MllUUY SMITJf. 
 
 The Moiith of April. 
 
 " Ifail, April, true Medea of tho year, 
 That mukest all tbin|;t young and fresh 
 
 appear ! 
 Sweot, I hare penned tbj prai««, and heta 
 
 1 brint; it ; 
 In conltdence tho birds theiDselvca will 
 
 siiig it."— rA« TvtUt itouetKt, 1C61. 
 
 April, the fourth month of our year, 
 is pre-eminently the month of smiles 
 and tears, of showers and sunshine, and 
 is worthy of Venus, tlie goddess of 
 beautv, to whom tho Komans dedicated 
 it. 
 
 Xaturo soems to awake fron her 
 long winter sleep, and put forth tho 
 fresh buds of spring ; the grass, watered 
 by the frequent showers, becomes green 
 as an emerald; veijetation advances with 
 rapid strides ; bees hum all day among 
 the apple blossoms ; tho peach, plum, 
 and cherry trees are a blaze of beauty; 
 while tho graceful labunium with its 
 golden clusters, and the lilac with its 
 abundant tloMei-?, till the air with per- 
 fume. 
 
 IS'or are the birds wanting in tho 
 general rejoicing at tho departure of 
 winter. Those of them that had sought 
 a milder climate now return to our 
 shores. Tho swallow bci^ins to build 
 his little mud cabin, and tho cuckoo 
 <loes not fail to announce his arrival 
 with his imceasing call; while every 
 bush is vocal with the monung and 
 evening song of the goldiinch, tht 
 thrush, and tho linnet. 
 
 April is tho first in order of tho 
 four months in tho year that consist of 
 thirty days each. 
 
34 
 
 Make the Vine Poor and it will make you Rich. 
 
 The Cook's Calendar for 
 April. 
 
 Fish in Season. — Turbot, salmon, 
 trout, sturgeon, soles, smelts, whitings, 
 mackerel, mullet, oj^sters, shrimps, 
 skate, plaice, prawns, perch, lobsters, 
 herring, brill, crabs, dory, eels, halibut, 
 carp, cockles, tench. 
 
 Meat in Season. — Beef, mutton, 
 veal, pork, house lamb, and grass lamb. 
 
 Poultry and Game in Season. — 
 Fowls, chickens, ducklings, green geese, 
 pigeons, pullets, turkey poults, leverets 
 and ral)bits, wild duck, snipe, teal, 
 widgeon. 
 
 Vegetables in Season. — Seakale, 
 asparagus, lettuce, endive, spinach, rad- 
 ishes, brocoli, onions, small salad, 
 cucumbers, parsley, turnip-tops, rhu- 
 barb, strawbenies, apricots. Cherries 
 can now be had forced in a hothouse. 
 
 The Gardener's Calendar 
 for April. 
 
 " &oft April sliowers 
 Bring forth May flowers. " 
 
 All seeds intended for early crops 
 should now be sown — cabbages, brocoli, 
 Brussels sprouts, cauliflowers, in warm 
 borders for future transplantings. Peas 
 and beans may be somti every fortnight 
 until July, for a succession of crops. 
 Scarlet runners sown in an open spot 
 will flower early. Cucumbers, melons, 
 pumpkins, vegetable marrow's, may be 
 sown as in March in a cool hotbed. 
 Sow lettuce of various kinds, cress, 
 spinach, radish, and Savoy seed ; prick 
 out celery plants, and attend to the 
 raking and forking up of beds, destroy- 
 ing of weeds, and to the gravel walks, 
 which are now likely to be infested by 
 worms ; salt is an excellent preventive 
 of worms ; soot is also useful for the 
 tame purpose. Many of the best fruit 
 trees are now in bloom, and are likely 
 to be attacked by insects ; to destroy 
 these the trees should be examined every 
 two or three days, the caterpillars pulled 
 off, and a syringing with tobacco water 
 will prevent others from taking their 
 place. Vines and peach trees ought to 
 
 be carefully examined, and aU super- 
 fluous buds rubbed off. In the flower- 
 garden tulips and other bulbs which 
 are about to blossom must be sheltered 
 from the frost at night and from the sun 
 by day. If the season is an early one, 
 pot out pinks, calceolarias, cinerarias, 
 and fuchsias ; sow mignonette, convol- 
 vulus, sweet-pea, and other hardy 
 annuals ; finish pruning roses ; replant 
 hoUj'hocks, and put out the first and 
 strongest lot of dahlia roots ; attend to 
 the forking and raking of beds, and to 
 the gravel waUvs. 
 
 Hints on Marketing. — The 
 purchaser will do well to keep in view 
 one or two simi^le rules. Whatever 
 kind of provisions may be required, it 
 is invariably the wisest course to deal 
 with those tradespeople who have a 
 large business, and •who are known and 
 respectable. It is the interest of such 
 persons to supply their customers with 
 the best articles, and for this purpose 
 they themselves must go to the best 
 markets. As a general rule they are 
 under no temptation to overcharge their 
 customers. Theii' success in business 
 and their profits depend on the number 
 of their retail transactions, and if the 
 number be great, they are all the more 
 able to supply the best articles, and to 
 be content with the smallest profits on 
 each individual sale. As an illustration 
 of this it may be stated that, with very 
 few exceptions, all commodities are 
 dearer, as weU as of inferior quality, in 
 shops in the suburbs than in those 
 situated in places of the greatest con- 
 course : the reason is that small dealers, 
 who have comparatively few trans- 
 actions, must necessarily make up for 
 the defects of their business by obtain- 
 ing large profits on individual sales, 
 while, at the same time, they have 
 little or no encouragement to obtain the 
 best goods, and in many cases want of 
 sufhcient capital renders this imprac^ 
 ticable. It will be usually found, how- 
 ever, that there is no economy in purchas- 
 ing inferior articles. In butcher's meat, 
 for example, the best meat, and the best 
 parts of the meat, although at first a little 
 dearer, are in reality cheaper in the end. 
 
Better is a Good Difiner ihaii a F^ie Coat. 
 
 35 
 
 Hints on Choosing Fish. 
 
 — To Choose Fish. — All fish, of -what- 
 ever species, may be known to be per- 
 fectly fresh by their being rigid and 
 ' having bright eyes. 
 
 Some fish caxnot be too fresh ; 
 as, for example, the mackerel and the 
 herring. This rule is universal as 
 regards those kinds of fish that inhabit 
 chiefly or altogether the surface of the 
 water. They not only die instantly on 
 being taken out of it, but a rapid change 
 takes place, so that in a very few hours, 
 although they appear to be fresh, they 
 lose their flavour. 
 
 Fish that inhabit the deep 
 WATERS, and He near the bottom, are 
 not only more tenacious of life, but their 
 flesh keeps longer. The skate and the 
 cod are examples of this, and many 
 persons prefer these fish when kept a 
 day or two before being cooked. 
 
 Crabs, Lobsters, &c. — When they 
 are light they are poor and watery. 
 They should be solid and heavy when 
 good. This can be easily ascertained 
 by comparison. 
 
 Oysters. — Fresh oysters have the 
 shells firmly closed. If they are in the 
 slightest degree open they are unfit for 
 use. 
 
 Hints on Choosing Meat. 
 • — Beef. — In ox beef, when good, the 
 grain is loose, the fat yellowish, and 
 the flesh red. If the animal has been 
 in its prime, the meat ought to be 
 sufficiently elastic to rise up quickly 
 when pressed dowTi by the fingers. 
 
 Veal ought to be white in colour. 
 Cow veal is to be preferred to the veal 
 of a bull calf. 
 
 Muttox. — Good mutton is firm and 
 close in the grain, the colour is red, and 
 the fat white and firm. AVether mutton 
 is better than that of the ewe. 
 
 Lamb. — Neither lamb nor veal keeps 
 long. In lamb, if fresh killed, the vein 
 in the neck is bluish ; if the meat is 
 becoming stale the vein is greenish. 
 
 Pork when good has a thin and 
 smooth skin; when too long kept the 
 flesh becomes flabby and flaccid. 
 
 Bacon, like pork, should iave a 
 thin rind; the fat should be firm and 
 
 tinged red by the ciu-ing, and the flesh 
 of a clear red colour. 
 
 Hints on Choosing Poul- 
 try and Game. — To Choose 
 Poultry. — The chief object in choosing 
 poultry of any kind is to ascertain the 
 age of the fowl. 
 
 Common fowls ought to be plump on 
 the breast and fat on the back. When 
 j'oung the legs and combs are smooth. 
 
 Turkeys. — In old birds the legs are 
 rough and reddish ; in young birds they 
 are smooth and black. When fresh 
 killed the eyes are clear and full, and 
 the feet moist. 
 
 Geese. — When old the bills and feet 
 arc red ; when young they are yellow. 
 When fresh killed the feet are pHable ; 
 when too long kept they are stitf. 
 
 Ducks. — Those with pliable feet and 
 plump breasts are the best. 
 
 Pigeons. — They have supple feet 
 when young. 
 
 Partridges. — If young bii'ds, the 
 bills are dark coloured, and the legs 
 yellow. 
 
 Snife and Woodcock. — The feet are 
 thick and hard when the birds are old ; 
 if soft and tender they are young and 
 recently killed. 
 
 Hares and Rabbits. — When old the 
 haunches are thick, and the ears dry 
 and tough. The ears of a young hare 
 tear very easily. 
 
 Fish as an Article of Diet. 
 — Considerable dift'erence of opinion 
 prevails as to the nourishing properties 
 of fish as an article of food. The flesh 
 of fish is considered inferior in quality 
 to that of birds and quadrupeds, and 
 it is doubtful whether it ought to be 
 allowed to delicate persons, although 
 many physicians of great eminence 
 consider fish to be both Hght and nutri- 
 tious. The fat of fish quickly becomes 
 rancid, and is certainly more insoluble 
 and less digestible than that of other 
 animals. 
 
 Salt-water fish are in general 
 superior in quality, as regards food, 
 than those inhabiting the fresh waters. 
 Their flesh is more soUd and agreeable. 
 The hen-ing, the whiting, the cod, and 
 the sole, as well as the turbot and 
 
36 
 
 Experience is the Mother of Science. 
 
 flounder, are justly regarded as excel- 
 lent ; among the finny tribes inhabiting 
 the fresh waters the only fish that can 
 be compared with these are such as the 
 perch and the gudgeon; even the 
 salmon is inferior to salt-water fish 
 in wholesomeness, although esteemed 
 more palatable. 
 
 Animal Food. — It may be 
 affirmed with certainty that the flesh of 
 full-grown animals is much more digest- 
 ible and nutritious than that of their 
 young, and, as respects the larger ani- 
 mals, this rule is without exception. 
 Beef and mutton, for example, are more 
 easily digested and more wholesome than 
 veal or lamb ; and it is woiihy of remark 
 that the flesh of tame animals is more 
 wholesome than that of wild animals, 
 the flesh of quadrupeds than birds, and 
 that of birds than fishes. 
 
 Animal Food as kegaeds Invalids. 
 — Although the meat of young animals, 
 such as veal or lamb, is less nutritious 
 and less wholesome than that of the 
 full-gro^vn animals, it is sometimes 
 proper to give the preference to the 
 former kind of meat in the case of 
 persons who are convalescent from 
 acute diseases, because it is less likely 
 to excite heat or feverishness. And yet 
 it is not unfrequently found that, when 
 the stomach of a patient is delicate and 
 irritable, a little tender beef or mutton 
 will produce less general uneasiness 
 than either veal or lamb. It may be 
 observed as a general rule, both in 
 chronic ailments and in health, that a 
 solid diet is more digestible than one of 
 a fluid nature. 
 
 Ox BEEF is highly nourishing and 
 wholesome food, and readily digested 
 when fresh by healthy persons. It is 
 the most strengthening of all kinds of 
 animal food, and it is almost the only 
 species of such food that is in season all 
 the year. It forms the common diet of 
 the inhabitants of this and of many other 
 countries. Cow beef is less noiurishing, 
 less tender, and less digestible. Bull 
 beef is rarely eaten; it is dry, tough, 
 and difficult of digestion, and has a 
 strong, disagreeable smell. 
 
 Mutton is a highly nutritious and 
 
 wholesome meat. It is the most digest- 
 ible of all animal food, and perhaps 
 more universally used than any other 
 kind. "Wether mutton is the most 
 esteemed and the most digestible. Ewe 
 mutton, if moi'e than three or four years 
 old, is tough and coarse. The flesh of 
 the ram has a strong, disagreeable taste, 
 and is exceedingly tough and indigest- 
 ible, and is never used but by those who 
 are unable to procure mutton of better 
 quality. 
 
 Veal is sufficiently wholesome for 
 those who are strong and healthy. As 
 it is not of a heating quality it is fre- 
 quently allowed by the medical profes- 
 sion to patients convalescent from an 
 attack of fever, and to those who have 
 any tendency to bleeding from the lungs 
 or elsewhere, especially Avhen used with 
 some acid. But it is well to bear ia 
 mind that many eminent physicians 
 refuse to permit their patients to partake 
 of it, from its being indigestible and apt 
 to irritate the stomach and intestines. 
 
 Lamb is considered by the most com- 
 petent authorities as less heating than 
 mutton ; but those who suffer from 
 indigestion frequently find it unsuitable 
 to them. Lamb is more light and 
 wholesome when not killed too young. 
 "When six months old it is fatter and 
 more muscular, and in all respects 
 better than the animal killed at two 
 months old. As to house lamb, it is 
 esteemed because unseasonable, and like 
 all animals raised in an unnatural 
 manner, its flesh is unwholesome. 
 
 The Stag and Fallow Deeh. — The 
 flesh of these animals, well kno's^Ti as 
 venison, is very digestible, wholesome, 
 and nutritious. The common stag ought 
 not to be killed till he is more than foul 
 years old, and the flesh is fattest and 
 best flavoiu'cd in the month of August. 
 
 The hake and kabbit afford "whole- 
 some and nutritious food; the flesh of 
 the latter is more digestible, however, 
 and less heating than that of the former, 
 although less nourishing, and it is re- 
 markable that the flesh of the wild 
 rabbit is more palatable, as well as more 
 digestible, than that of such as are 
 domesticated. 
 
Overdoing is doing Nothing to the Purpose. 
 
 37 
 
 Cookery. — General Remarks. 
 — Before presenting to oiir readers any 
 paiticnlar directions as to the best 
 methods of preparing food, a few brief 
 lemarks on the subject generally may 
 not be unworthy their attention. It is 
 unnecessary to demonstrate the utility 
 and importance of the art, since it is the 
 means by which our food is rendered 
 Hot only palatable, but digestible and 
 conducive to health; it is, however, 
 desii-able that our readers, before con- 
 sidering any sjiecial receipts or pre- 
 scriptions for preparing dishes for the 
 table, shonld have some definite ideas 
 as to the relative advantages of the 
 various methods of dressing moat, ■n'hich 
 may be comprehended under the follow- 
 ing subdivisions: viz., roasting, broil- 
 ing, boiling, stewing, frying, and baking. 
 It will be found, from what is said 
 rnder each of these heads, that all the 
 methods emunerated have not equal 
 claims to our approbation. 
 
 Roasting. — General Remarks. 
 — If the antiquity of an art gives it a 
 preference, there can be no doubt that 
 the process of roasting ought to occupy 
 the highest place in our estimation. It 
 was undoubtedly the first method in- 
 vented for preparing animal food ; for 
 although it is certain that a piece of 
 beef can be boiled in the skin of the 
 animal, yet the process of boiling infers 
 some advaiTce in civilization, and some 
 progress in the art of manufacturing 
 vessels suited to such a purpose. 
 Roasting, then, may be considered the 
 most ancient method of cooking meat ; 
 it has, however, much better claims to 
 our approval than its primitive charac- 
 ter. It is an excellent method of ren- 
 dering food both wholesome and nou- 
 rishing. "Without greatly changing the 
 chemical properties of the meat, it ren- 
 ders it more tender and highly flavoured, 
 and its nutritive juices are not mo much 
 dissipated as in some other processes of 
 the ciilinary art. The process, however, 
 requires very considerable skill and ex- 
 perience. To roast meat too slowly 
 dries it up and withers it ; if the opera- 
 tion be too rapid, the outside of the 
 meat will be burnt, while the interior 
 
 may be nearly raw. In both cases the 
 meat is partly lost, and possibly the 
 temper of the master or mistress of 
 the family along with it. As a rule, 
 our meat is generally over-roasted, and 
 thereby greatly deteriorated. The pro- 
 cess is carried far enough when the 
 steam from the meat puifs out in jets 
 toward the fire, for this steam conies 
 from the interior of the joint, and forces 
 its way through the brown crust. 
 
 Time required for Roasting. — 
 Meat in general requires about the 
 same length of time to roast as to boil, 
 viz., a quarter of an hour to each pound 
 in the piece to be cooked ; but it must 
 bo obvious that allowance must be 
 made for the strength of the fire and 
 the heat or coldness of the weather. 
 
 Fire I^ecessary in Cooking. — The 
 kitchen fire ought to bear a certain pro- 
 portion to the size of the meat to be 
 roasted. A large joint requires of 
 course a proportionate fire. The meat 
 should in general be placed at a good 
 distance from the fire, and brought gra- 
 dually nearer to it. Large joints, whe- 
 ther beef, mutton, or veal, ought to 
 have paper placed over them, to pre- 
 vent the burning or scorching of the 
 surface ; but when the meat is nearly 
 donr- the paper ought to be removed. 
 
 Well done or Underdone. — Beef 
 and mutton when roasted ought as a 
 general rule to be somewhat under- 
 done ; but pork, veal, and lamb ought 
 always to be well done ; they are, in 
 fact, otherwise unAvholesome as well as 
 disagreeable. 
 
 Beep. — Presuming that the general 
 dii-ections akeady given have been at- 
 tended to, and the beef properly roasted, 
 it only remains to be stated that the 
 meat when served is to be garnished 
 with horseradish scraped fine. 
 
 Loin of Veal. — Follow the general 
 directions, papering the back of the 
 meat to prevent scorching ; when done 
 pour melted butter over it, garnish with 
 lemon, cut in slices, and serve it up, 
 accompanied with any of the following 
 vegetables, viz., brocoli, French beans, 
 peas, cauliflowers, and potatoes. 
 
 Fillet of Veal. — In preparing a 
 
38 
 
 Pay as you go, and keep fro)n Small Scores. 
 
 fillet of veal for roasting, stuff it well 
 with the following, viz., a quarter of a 
 pound of suet chopped fine, parsley 
 and sweet herbs chopped, grated bread 
 and lemon peel, pepper, salt, nutmeg, 
 and the yolk of an egg, all worked up 
 together. It is to be served with the 
 same sauce as the loin. 
 
 To EoAST A Saddle of Mutton, 
 &c. — Take lean ham, truffles, green 
 onions, parsley, thyme, and sweet 
 herbs, all chopped small, with some 
 spice, pepper, and salt. Strew them 
 over the mutton when the skin is taken 
 off, put the skin over it neatly, and be- 
 fore roasting it tie over it white paper 
 well buttered. When the meat is 
 nearly done take off the paper, in order 
 that the sui-face of the meat may be 
 nicely browned. Good plain gravy is 
 the best, and serve A^-ith the meat, pota- 
 toes, brocoU, French beans, and cauli- 
 flowers. 
 
 Shoulder, Loin, and Leg of Mut- 
 ton. — These and other pieces of mutton 
 require no stuffing, and the general di- 
 rections for roasting them will be amply 
 sufficient if properly attended to. 
 
 Lamb. — Whatever joint is put down, 
 it should be well roasted ; lamb is not 
 eatable when imderdone. Mint sauce 
 is the best ; the leaves of the mint must 
 be chopped very fine and mixed with 
 vinegar and sugar. Peas, cauliflowers, 
 French beans, ought to be served with 
 it. If it is the fore quarter that is 
 roasted, cut off the shoulder, and 
 sprinkle with salt the ribs where it is 
 cut from. 
 
 Leg of Porac. — This meat must be 
 well done ; it cannot be eaten if under- 
 done. Sprinlde it with a little salt the 
 night before cooking it, and hang it up. 
 Stuff with sage and onions at the 
 knuckle, sprinkle with sage and onions. 
 Serve with potatoes and apple sauce, 
 and observe the general directions as to 
 roasting. 
 
 Chine of Pokk Eoasted. — Make a 
 stuffing of parsley, thyme, sage, eggs, 
 and crumbs of bread, seasoned A^dth 
 pepper, salt, shallot, and nutmeg. Let 
 it be stuffed thick and roasted gently. 
 When about one-fourth roasted cut the 
 
 skin into long strips. Serve with pota- 
 toes and apple sauce. 
 
 The roasting of poultry always 
 requires a clear brisk fire ; when they 
 become a little frothy and of a light 
 brown colour they are done enough. 
 Care ought to be taken not to overdo 
 them ; it greatly impairs the flavour to 
 roast fowls too much. Tame fowls re- 
 quire more roasting than wild fowls. 
 Large poultry ought to be papered 
 when roasted, and for the same reason 
 that large joints of meat require to 
 be so. 
 
 To Eoast Turkey. — Prepare a 
 stuffing of sausage meat, or a bread 
 stuffing if sausages are to be served in 
 the dish. Let the heat of the fire be 
 chiefly applied to the breast, otherwise 
 the breast may not be done through. 
 Put a slip of paper along the breast- 
 bone to prevent its being burnt while 
 the other parts are roasting. Baste 
 well. Serve with gravy in the dish, 
 and bread sauce in a sauce tureen. 
 
 Turkey and Chestnuts. — To roast 
 the turkey with chestnuts take a quarter 
 of a hundred of the chestnuts, peel them 
 (save eight or ten), bruise them in a 
 mortar with the liver, a quarter of a 
 pound of bam well pounded, and sweet 
 herbs and parsley chopped fine ; season 
 Avith mace, nutmeg, pepper, and salt ; 
 mix aU together, and put them into the 
 bird as stuffing, and roast according to 
 the general directions. For sauce, take 
 the rest of the chestnuts, cut them in 
 pieces, put them into a strong gravy 
 with a glass of white Avine, thicken 
 with butter rolled in flour. 
 
 Roast Goose. — Presuming that the 
 bird is carefully plucked, singed, 
 washed, and dried, put into it a season- 
 ing of onions, sage, pepper, and salt, 
 fastening tightly the nock and rump. 
 Put it at first at a distance from the 
 fire ; paper the breast-bone ; baste Avell, 
 and when the breast is rising take the 
 paper off. Let good gravj^ be sent in 
 the dish. Serve with potatoes, gravy, 
 and apple sauce. 
 
 A green goose when roasted ought 
 to be served with goosebeiTy sauce. 
 
 Ducks. — Prepare them in the same 
 
One Ounce of Discretion is zuorth a Pound of Wit. 
 
 39 
 
 waj' as geese, seasoning with sage and 
 onions, pepper and salt. A duck can 
 be roasted at a good fire in about twenty 
 minutes. 
 
 Roast Fowls and Chickens. — Put 
 tbem do^vTi to a good fire, baste them 
 well with butter. A fowl will require 
 nearly an hour to roast, and a chicken 
 about a quarter of an hour or twenty 
 minutes. For the fowl let a gravy be 
 made of the neck and gizzard, and 
 when strained put in a spoonful of 
 browning. Serve the chicken with 
 parsley and butter. 
 
 Roast Hare. — After skinning let 
 it be very carefully washed, and soaked 
 in water an hour or two ; if old, let it 
 lie in vinegar and water, which M'ill 
 make it tender, after wliich let it be 
 well washed in water. A hare will 
 take about an hour and a half to roast. 
 To make the stuffing, take three hand- 
 fuls of bread crumbs, a handful of beef 
 suet chopped very fine, a little lemon 
 thyme and parsley, and two eggs ; roll 
 it up, and put it into the inside of the 
 Iiare, cover the back with fat bacon to 
 keep it moist, and baste frequently. 
 Serve with gravy, butter, and cuiTant 
 jelly. 
 
 Roast Rabbits. — Rabbits may be 
 roasted in the manner prescribed for 
 hares, and with similar stuffing. But 
 if the stuffing be omitted, take the 
 livers, with a little bunch of parsley, 
 boil them, and chop them very fine to- 
 gether ; melt some good butter, put 
 half the liver and parsley into it, pour 
 it into the dish, and garnish with the 
 other half. The rabbit should be done 
 of a fine light brown. Half an hour's 
 roasting at a good clear fire will be 
 sufficient. 
 
 Wild Fowl. — They are iu general 
 better liked when somewhat under- 
 done ; for as soon as they are well 
 heated thi-ough they begin to lose their 
 gravj', and if not taken off they will eat 
 hard. A duck or widgeon will be done 
 in a quarter of an hour. A teal will 
 not requii-e more than ten minutes ; in 
 both cases the fire ought to be brisk. 
 
 Woodcock, Snipes, and Quails. — 
 Kone of these bii-ds ought to be drawn. 
 
 Spit them on a small bird spit ; flour 
 them and baste them with butter ; have 
 ready a slice of bread toasted brown, 
 which lay in a dish, and set it imder 
 the birds for the trail to drop on. When 
 done enough take them up and lay them 
 on the toast ; put some good gravy iu 
 the dish ; serve with butter, and gar- 
 nish with lemon or orange. 
 
 GuEEN PLOVEiis are to be roasted 
 in the same way as M-oodcock, without 
 being drawn, and served on toast. 
 
 GiiEY PLOVERS may be either roasted 
 or stewed, with gravy, herbs, and spice. 
 
 Boiling. — General Remarks. — 
 This is a useful method of preparing 
 some kinds of animal food, and if the 
 process is properly carried through, the 
 meat is rendered more soluble Anthout 
 being deprived of its nutritive quali- 
 ties. Some medical men, who have 
 considered the subject of diet, seem to 
 hold that boiling is a method of pre- 
 paring meat particularly suited to per- 
 sons of delicate digestion. This, how- 
 ever, must be an erroneous opinion ; 
 for it is certain that boiled meat is less 
 easy of digestion and less nutritious 
 than that which is either broiled or 
 roasted. It is deprived, by the action 
 of the hot water, of some of its most 
 important constituents, which become 
 largely diluted with water, and cannot 
 in that condition be suited to a stomach 
 whose powers are feeble. Boiled beef 
 is certainly inferior to roast beef in 
 every point of view, and the same re- 
 mark is equally applicable to mutton. 
 Boiling is entiiely unsuited for game, 
 and not well adapted for young and 
 tender meat. 
 
 Observations on Boiling 
 Meat, &C. — Attention to the fol- 
 lowing directions on this subject will 
 render it unnecessary to prescribe the 
 mode of boiling requisite lor each parti- 
 cular joint of meat. 
 
 All meat should be boiled as 
 SLOWLY as possible, and in plenty of 
 water, ■which will make it rise and look 
 plump. 
 
 The time to be allowed in general 
 is a quarter of an hour for every pound 
 the meat weighs ; but a leg of pork, or 
 
4° 
 
 /// Habits gather by Unseen Degrees. 
 
 of lamb, will requia-e about twenty 
 minutes above that allowance. 
 
 All fresh meat ougbt to be put 
 into the pot when the water boils ; but 
 salt meat when the water is warm. If, 
 however, the latter has been long in 
 salt, it should be put on the fire in water 
 quite cold. 
 
 In boiling meat the water should 
 be kept at the boiling point. Unless 
 this is done the meat will not be pro- 
 perly done, although it may have been 
 long enough on the fire, in accordance 
 with the rule akeady laid down. 
 
 To SKIM THE roT carefully is im- 
 portant, for the scum which arises, if 
 boiled doM'n again, tends to darken the 
 colour of the meat. 
 
 Boiling in a avell-floueed cloth 
 tends to make the meat white. 
 
 Vegetables ought never to be 
 dressed with the meat, with the excep- 
 tion of carrots and parsnips, which may 
 be boiled with beef. 
 
 Fowls ought to be boiled by 
 themselves, and in a good supply of 
 water. 
 
 Boiled Round or Brisket of Beef. 
 — Follow the general directions in boil- 
 ing either of these pieces. Serve with 
 greens and carrots. 
 
 Boiled Veal. — Veal must be well 
 boiled, or it will be unwholesome. 
 Serve with parsley and butter, or accom- 
 pany it with a dish of bacon and 
 greens. 
 
 To Boil a Calf's Head. — Let it 
 be carefully washed, cleaned, and dried. 
 Parboil one half, beat up the yolk of an 
 egg, rub it over it, and strew over it a 
 seasoning of pepper, salt, thyme, par- 
 sley chopped small, shred lemon peel, 
 grated bread and nutmeg ; put small 
 pieces of butter over it and bake it. 
 Boil the other half while in a cloth, and 
 put both into the dish. Boil the brains 
 in a cloth with a little parsley ; when 
 boiled chop them small, warm them in 
 a saucepan M'ith a little butter, pepper, 
 and salt. Boil and skin the tongue, 
 place it in the middle of a small dish, 
 with the brains round it, and accom- 
 pany it with a dish of bacon or pickled 
 pork, with greens and carrots. 
 
 Boiled Leg of Mutton. — In boiUng 
 a leg of mutton all that is necessary is 
 to attend to the general directions, and 
 serve with turnips and caper sauce. 
 
 Boiled Leg of Lamb. — Boilinacloth 
 very white. Cut the loin in steaks, 
 beat them and fry them bro^mi, after 
 which stew them in strong gravy. Put 
 the leg in the dish, Avith the steaks 
 round it, place some spinach and par- 
 sley on each steak. Garnish with lemon, 
 and serve with gooseberry sauce or 
 with stewed spinach and melted butter. 
 
 Boiled Ham. — If the ham be large 
 and old it must be soaked in water for 
 sixteen hours before being cooked ; a 
 youngham,however,need not be soaked. 
 When boiled for the length of time 
 indicated by its weight, take it up, pull 
 off the skin, rub the ham over with egg, 
 strew it with crumbs of bread, baste 
 with butter, and brown it lightly at the 
 fire. 
 
 Boiled Rabbits. — Put them for ten 
 minutes into a saucepan of warm water ; 
 boil them for three quarters of an hour, 
 or an hour if they are very large ; 
 serve with onion sauce or parsley and 
 butter. 
 
 Boiling Fish. — The proper sign 
 that fish is done by boiling is that the 
 flesh separates readily from the bone, and 
 has lost all appearance of redness and 
 transparency. It is important that this 
 should be kept in view, as fish underdone 
 is unwholesome. The opposite extreme, 
 however, must also be carefully guarded 
 against. 
 
 Boiled Haddocks. — Put them into 
 cold water, with a little salt in it. 
 When the water begins to boil take 
 them off the fire and let them simmer 
 for ten minutes. Strain the -fl'ater off 
 and serve with anchovy sauce. 
 
 Boiled Cod' s Head and Shoulder.^. 
 — Tie it up closely and put it into cold 
 salt and water sufficient to cover it. 
 Boil for twenty minutes. Garnish with 
 horseradish and walnut pickle, and 
 with the milt, roe, and liver ; serve with 
 oyster, shrimp, or anchovy sauce. 
 
 Boiled Soles. — Choose the largest 
 for boiling. Clean them -well ; rub 
 them over with lemon-juice, and put 
 
Fire that is Closest kept burm Best of all. 
 
 41 
 
 them on tho fire Avith cold salt and 
 water. When the water boils take off 
 the scum, and let them simmer from ten 
 to fifteen minutes. 
 
 Boiled Turbot. — An hour before it 
 is dressed soak it in water with a little 
 salt in it. Score the skin across the 
 thickest part of the back ; this will 
 pre\ent the breaking of the fish on the 
 white side. Put a handful of salt into 
 tho fish-kettle. "When coming to a boil 
 skim it, and set the kettle on the tire so 
 as to simmer gently for fifteen or 
 twenty minutes. The fish breaks to 
 pieces when fast boiled. When dished 
 sprinkle over the fish a little of the red 
 inside coral spawn of the lobster, 
 rubbed through a sieve. Garnish with 
 slices of lemon and finely scraped horse- 
 radish. Serve with lobster sauce. 
 
 Boiling Fowl. — In boiling 
 fowls put no more water to them than 
 will barely cover them, for the boiling 
 water extracts from them a large quan- 
 tity of nutritious matter. It is better to 
 boil them in veal stock, which will not 
 extract so much nutriment, and wLU 
 itself improve in the process. Ac- 
 company the boiled fowl with ham, 
 bacon, or tongue, and sauce of parsley 
 and butter. 
 
 Boiled Turkey. — A large turkey 
 stufi'ed with forcemeat will take about 
 two hours to boil; one without the 
 stuffing an hour and a half, and a hen 
 turkey three quarters of an hour. The 
 following stuffing will be found excel- 
 lent : — Take bread, herbs, salt, pepper, 
 nutmeg, lemon peel, a few oysters, or 
 an anchovy, a piece of butter, some 
 suet, and an egg ; incorporate them well 
 together, and introduce the stuffing 
 under the skin of the breast, confining 
 it from coming out. Accompany the 
 turkey with ham or tongue, and with 
 oyster, celery, or liver sauce. 
 
 Boiled Goose. — Having singed the 
 goose, pour over it a quart of boiling 
 milk, let it lie all night in the milk, 
 after which take it out and dry it well ; 
 stuft' it with sage and onion, cut small, 
 sew up the openings, and hang it up for 
 a day. Boil for one hour, and serve 
 with onion sauce. 
 
 The Kitchen— itsFittings 
 and Furniture. — As the kitchen 
 is perhaps the most important and 
 necessarj' apartment in a house, it will 
 not be out of place to say a few words 
 about its fittings aad furniture. In a 
 former page (4) of Best of Everything tho 
 ordinary kitchen or range stove waa 
 described, but as many of our readers 
 may wish to learn something of other 
 kinds of cooking apparatus, we shall 
 begin with a short account of the — 
 
 Leamington Kitchener. — The Lea- 
 mington kitchener is one of the best 
 and most convenient of modem cooking 
 stoves. There is an open front fire for 
 roasting, which can be arranged for 
 heating steam kettles and steam closets, 
 and is an efTectual cure for a smoky 
 chimney. The ovens are thoroughly 
 ventilated with hot air, and can be con- 
 verted into roasters at pleasure. Strong- 
 pressure boilers can be fitted to the 
 kitchener for the purpose of supplying 
 hot water in any part of the house for 
 baths and dressing-rooms, and the whole 
 of the hot plate is available for boiling 
 or stewing, without soiling or injuring 
 the cooking vessels. By the application 
 of the patent regulator the fire can bo 
 increased or diminished by turning a 
 handle, which raises the bottom of the 
 grate, and brings a small fire close to the 
 top plate. The Leamington kitchener 
 can be procured, according to the size, 
 at prices varying from five guineas to 
 £58. 
 
 Patent American Kitchener. — 
 This is unquestionably one of the most 
 useful and economical of recent inven- 
 tions for large kitchens ; it is especially 
 adapted for hotels and boarding-houses. 
 An American kitchener which we lately 
 inspected had accommodation on the 
 top for twelve large and four small 
 boilers, pots, kettles, or saucepans ; four 
 separate large ovens, and two fire cham- 
 bers, so disconnected in their operation 
 that but one fire and only one-half the 
 range may be used at a time if desired. 
 The flues pass all round each of the 
 ovens, imparting to them uniformity 
 and regularity of heat. The fire cham- 
 bers are lined with fire-bricks, and the 
 c 2 
 
42 We must speak by the Card ; Equivocation will undo us. 
 
 whole top of tlie liot plate is so divided 
 into sections as to render it perfectly 
 secure against cracking. The consump- 
 tion of fuel is very small, and the range 
 is constructed in two parts (easily con- 
 nected together), so as to be conveniently 
 removed or shipped to a distance. An 
 American kitchener of this size costs 
 about £30. 
 
 Slow Combustion Boiler, por 
 HEATING "Water tor Baths, Wash- 
 ing, &c. — This useful and ingenious 
 contrivance is so constructed as to 
 generate a large amount of heat with a 
 limited expenditure of fuel. It also 
 presents the largest possible absorbing 
 surface to the action of the heated pro- 
 ducts of combustion on their passage 
 from the fire-box to the chimney, and 
 causes them to cu'culate between the 
 outer sm-face of the boiler and the case. 
 The perfect manner in •nhich the heat 
 from the buming fuel is taken up by 
 the water in the boiler appears from 
 the temperature of the smoke-nozzle, 
 through which the heated gases escape 
 to the chimney. This temperature, in 
 boilers doing a duty equal to 800 to 
 1,000 feet of 4-inch pipe, is frequently 
 so low as to allow the attendant to place 
 his hand upon the nozzle without in- 
 convenience. The slow combustion 
 boiler is supplied from the manufactory 
 at prices from £2 10s. to £18 10s. 
 
 Captain Warren's Patent Cook- 
 ing Apparatus. — This cooking appa- 
 ratus, which claims perfect novelty of 
 invention, occupies a space of 2 feet 
 
 2 inches by 1 foot 10 inches, and is 
 
 3 feet 7 inches high, exclusive of the 
 six tin cooking-boxes. The slide-doors 
 belong to the fire-box ; the upper for 
 feeding, the lower for ashes. There 
 are two boilers and an oven. The for- 
 mer are placed one above the other, so 
 that the lower is exposed to the direct 
 action of the fire ; and the upper, which 
 takes a Uttle longer to rise to the boil- 
 ing-point, forms the back to the oven. 
 These boilers are so constructed that 
 the heat passes through flues in them, 
 and they are provided with feed-pipes 
 at the back, and whistles to announce a 
 deficiency of water. They hold eight 
 
 gallons each. The tin cookers are of 
 two kinds, — one into which the steam 
 is directly admitted, the other having 
 an interior lining, so that the steam 
 enters the outer space only. There are 
 three of each. The latter kind are so 
 arranged that the outer casing exists in 
 the top as well as the sides. The steam 
 commiinications are all simple and well 
 fitted. Thus meat, soup, &c., can be 
 cooked in dry air, with a great diminu- 
 tion in the loss. The oven is large 
 enough to roast a joint of about twenty- 
 thiee pounds, or bake sixteen pounds of 
 bread. Its metos of ventilation are 
 very complete. There are " draw-off" 
 taps to both boilers, and the most effi- 
 cient means for cleansing the flues. 
 
 Captain Warren claims for this in- 
 vention, that any viands can be cooked 
 without coming into contact either with 
 water, steam, or fire, resulting in no 
 loss of the nutritious portions. Besides 
 this, that no water is absorbed by the 
 meat, which is cooked at a temperature 
 most favourable for the pui-pose ; that 
 one set of vessels can be used for either 
 baking or boUing; and that dressed 
 meat can be kept hot for some time 
 without being spoilt. 
 
 A small adaptation of Captain War- 
 ren's patent can be procured of the 
 manufacturer; it is but little larger 
 than an ordinary fish-kettle, and will 
 fit on the grate of a common stove or 
 kitchen range. 
 
 The Best Covering for 
 Kitchen Floors. — Oilcloth is by 
 no means the best, although it is the 
 most common covering for kitchen 
 floors ; it is impervious to air, so that if 
 water gets underneath it does not dry 
 up, but remains, to act in two ways ; 
 first it rots the floor, and next it causes 
 the paint to come off the oilcloth, which 
 is thus rendered valueless. Kamptulicon 
 is much more useful and durable ; it is 
 made of cork and india-rubber; it is 
 elastic to the tread, noiseless, and not 
 liable to be affected by damp ; it is 
 rather more expensive than oilcloth, but 
 it lasts twice as long. Another covering 
 for kitchen floors is Parkesine, made 
 from the bark of a shrub cultivated 
 
/// every Ratik, or Great or Small, ^tis Industry supports us all. 43 
 
 largely in India, and whicli was at one 
 time supposed to be suitable for paper- 
 making. In its raw state it resembles 
 vulcanized india-rubber, and is used for 
 the covering of submarine cables. It 
 can be rolled into sheets like gutta- 
 percha, and is found to be admirably 
 adapted for making floorcloth, which 
 can readily be painted in colours, like 
 oilcloth. 
 
 The Linoleum Floorcloth. — 
 This is an admirable covering for the 
 floors of churches, public offices, house 
 passages, and kitchens. Linoleum is 
 manufactured from oxidized linseed oil, 
 mixed with finely ground cork, and 
 rolled on to a strong canvas, which 
 being waterproofed, will resist the 
 action of all damp. It is made two 
 yards wide, and can be fitted and 
 joined together to any dimensions. In 
 laying the linoleum floorcloth it may 
 either be cemented at the edges, nailed, 
 or laid do^vn loose, and it may be rolled 
 up and taken away at any time as easily 
 as a carpet ; but care must be taken not 
 to roll it up too lightly, as it is very apt 
 to crack if carelessly rolled together. 
 The linoleum should when dirty be 
 washed with soft soap and water, and 
 scrubbed with a hard brush, care being 
 taken to wipe it quite dry. 
 
 Every kitchen should have a large 
 dresser, Avith two or more drawers, and 
 at least two steady, solidly made deal 
 tables, with drawers : a large cup- 
 board, or two small ones, will also be 
 found a great convenience. For roast- 
 ing, a semicircular tin screen, fitted with 
 a dripping-pan and a roasting-jack, will 
 be found the best. A small kind of 
 
 i'ack, called Britten's Patent Tubular 
 loasting-jack, has lately come into use ; 
 it is very simple in its arrangements, 
 being merely a skein of strong silk en- 
 closed in a brass tube, and moved by a 
 peculiarly shaped weight ; it requires no 
 key, and cannot be put out of order by 
 being overwound. A slight push is 
 sufficient to set it going, and it will not 
 stop for more than half an hour. 
 
 The Dutch oven is also very conve- 
 vient for roasting a small fowl, game, 
 or browning mashed potatoes, and heat- 
 
 ing meat. A well-aiTanged kitchen has 
 a sufficient supply of utensils for cooking 
 fish (such as a fish-kettle with drainer, 
 a frying-pan and slice, for lifting up 
 fish), and for meat, large and small 
 boiling pots, saucepans and stew-pans ; 
 a digester for making soup, a steamer 
 for potatoes, large and small frying-pans, 
 large and small gridirons. Enamelled 
 saucepans and stew-pans are the most 
 expensive, but they are decidedly the 
 best kind to buy. A large and small 
 kettle, a preserving pan, scales and 
 weights, plenty of spoons, knives, and 
 forks, and, above all, a sufficiency of 
 kitchen cloths and towels, brushes and 
 brooms, pails and tubs. These are the 
 principal necessaries for a kitchen, but 
 there are very many other useful and 
 convenient articles, that can be gradually 
 added as the want of them appears. 
 
 Hints on Furnishing a 
 House. — No prudent man mil oc- 
 cupy a house, the rent of which exceeds 
 a fair proportion of his income ; neither 
 will he neglect to study taste as well as 
 economy in furnishing it. The best 
 waj' to proceed is to obtain from re- 
 spectable tradesmen those articles of 
 furniture that are absolutely necessary, 
 and pay ready money for them. Some 
 house agents are also cabinet-makers 
 and upholsterers, and will furnish a 
 house on the plan of payment by 
 quarterly or yearly instalments, re- 
 quiiing, however, either some security, 
 or a bill of sale over the furniture. 
 Thisisabad way ofencumberingayoung 
 couple ; the furniture is sure to be of 
 inferior quality and of high price. If 
 absolute necessaries are first purchased, 
 articles of taste and luxury can be added 
 by degrees. A good bed and bedstead 
 are necessaries. Iron or brass bed- 
 steads are now much approved of, and 
 are to be had of every price, some ex- 
 tremely handsome and ornamental, 
 others plain enough to suit the humblest 
 household. The old-fashioned feather 
 bed has given way to the spring mat- 
 tress, ^vith a hair mattress over it ; but 
 if the feather bed be preferred, it is 
 more healthful to have a hair mattress on 
 the top. Witney blankets are the best, 
 
44 
 
 A Lost Good JS/ame is ne'er retrieved. 
 
 and the finer and softer they are, the 
 greater degree of warmth they yield ; 
 but these as well as other things must 
 be procured according to the means of 
 the purchaser. 
 
 Tables. — The best dining-room 
 tables are of mahogany or oak; the 
 best di-awing-room tables of rosewood 
 or walnut. Dining-room tables ought 
 to be constructed of solid wood. Deal 
 tops may be adopted when a cover is to 
 be constantly used, and cheapness is a 
 paramount object. The most conve- 
 nient dining-tables are the telescope 
 kind, which may be drawn out on joints 
 60 as to admit leaves or slides. The 
 leaves are kept in a case, which, when 
 not used, may be laid aside in the 
 dining-room or the hall. Dining-tables 
 should be selected with special regard 
 to the size of the apartment. A round 
 table is the best adapted for a small or 
 naiTow room, but a large table im- 
 proves the appearance of a commodious 
 apartment. The best and most orna- 
 mental drawing-room table is of an oval 
 shape, resting on a carved pedestal. 
 Large dining-rooms may contain two 
 or more tables ; these may be made 
 of different kinds of wood. The break- 
 fast parlour table should rest on four 
 legs, otherwise it will become rickety. 
 Breakfast parlours ought not to be con- 
 structed on the sunk or basement floor, 
 as damp and the absence of light are 
 unfavoiurable to digestion. 
 
 The Sofa and Couch.— 
 The sofa, with its high ornamental 
 back and two uniform ends, has of late 
 years been superseded by the more 
 comfortable couch. The best sofa or couch 
 is stuffed with hair over spiral springs 
 of strong wire. The couch should be 
 covered to match the curtains and 
 chairs, if for a drawing-room, and 
 ought to be of either walnut or rose- 
 wood. Mahogany is used for a dining- 
 room sofa, which is always covered 
 with morocco leather or haircloth. 
 
 Chairs. — Dining-room chairs 
 must be of mahogany or oak, but the 
 latter are more adapted for the hall. 
 Rosewood chairs are most appropriate 
 for the cba\\ino-room. Veneered chairs 
 
 ought to be rejected. The stuffing of 
 the seats of chairs is important ; the 
 best material is curled hair. Chairs 
 sold in cheap warerooms are stuffed 
 with poh, a composition of tow and 
 other worthless materials. Chairs 
 covered with American leather-cloth 
 look well at first, but become shabby 
 in a few months. Utrecht plush has 
 been commended, but the best cover- 
 ing for chairs is haiixloth or morocco 
 leather. 
 
 Easy Chairs. — The American 
 rocking-chair is the best adapted for 
 invalids and persons of nervous tem- 
 perament. The Derby chair has long 
 been a favourite, and it can be procured 
 with or without anns. Easy chairs 
 can be had of almost every shape and 
 at every price. They, as well as the 
 sofa or couch, should correspond in 
 style and covering with the style of the 
 room they are intended to be put in. 
 
 The best reading-chair is one 
 with a moveable seat, so that the person 
 occupying it can readily turn round to 
 speak to any one without moving the 
 chair from its place. A reading-chair 
 is sometimes fm-nished with a desk for 
 a book, fixed to one of the arms, and a 
 stand for a candle or lamp attached to 
 the other. The chair with cane back 
 and seat is the best adapted for use in 
 warm weather. 
 
 Reading-desk. — The pur- 
 pose of the reading-desk is that it may 
 be placed on a table, and raised to any 
 required height or angle by the frame 
 and rack. The most convenient read- 
 ing-desk is furnished with two leaf- 
 holders of brass, made to turn on the 
 edge of the stop-lath for the purpose of 
 keeping the book open. 
 
 More about the Cruet- 
 stand and Spice-box. — 
 The same lady who overheard the de- 
 bate between the various condiments 
 (see page 8), and who prevented a 
 recurrence of their disputes by assign- 
 ing to each his proper place in either 
 the spice-box or the cruet-stand, has, 
 for the especial benefit of " our kitchen 
 commissioner," written a little sketch 
 of the history of each of the disputants, 
 
In every Age and Clime, we see, Two of a Trade can never agree. 45 
 
 whicli we now beg to present to the 
 notice of our readers. 
 
 Cloves are the imexpanded flowers 
 of the tree to Avhich they belong. The 
 name is derived from the French word 
 signifying a nail, to which the spice 
 bears a resemblance. The clove tree is 
 a native of the East, but is now cul- 
 tivated in the West Indies and other 
 parts of the world. The best variety 
 are the Amhoyna cloves. This spice is 
 largely employed in the culinary art, 
 and is more used because of its flavour 
 than on account of its medicinal pro- 
 perties, though it is an excellent stimu- 
 lant. 
 
 Cinnamon is the inner bark of a tree 
 which gro^As both in the East and West 
 Indies. The best quality of this spice 
 is scarcely thicker than paper, and is in 
 long pieces of a light yellow colour ; the 
 dark coloured cinnamon is inferior. It 
 readil)' communicates its fragrant and 
 aromatic odour to other substances, and 
 is thus much used by cooks and con- 
 fectioners. 
 
 Cassia was believed to be the produce 
 of a different tree from the cinnamon, 
 notwithstanding the similitude of the 
 odour it possesses, but it is now proved 
 to be merely the bark from the trunk 
 and larger branches of the cinnamon 
 tree. 
 
 Nutmeg. — The nutmeg is a native of 
 the Moluccas. It is largely cultivated in 
 Sumatra, and, like some other aromatic 
 plants of Oriental origin, it has been 
 introduced into the West Indies. The 
 nutmeg is the kernel found within the 
 stone or nut of the fruit. This nut has 
 a shining black shell which is itself 
 siuTounded by layers of the substance 
 well kno^\'n as mace. There are two 
 kinds of nutmeg, — the one is oval- 
 shaped, and is the produce of a wild 
 plant; the other is nearly round, it is 
 the produce of the plant under cultiva- 
 tion, and much superior to the former. 
 The best nutmegs are hard and firm, 
 and have a strong aromatic and agree- 
 able odour, and a hot, acrid taste. The 
 nutmeg is much employed as a condi- 
 ment ; but it is said, on good authority, 
 to be possessed of great powers as a 
 
 narcotic if taken in large quantities, on 
 which account it ought to be used with 
 caution. 
 
 Mace is the reddish membrane which 
 suiTounds the shell of the nutmeg. 
 
 Ginger is the tuber of a plant origi- 
 nally a native of the mountain of Gingi 
 in India, whence its name is derived. 
 It is, however, cultivated to a large 
 extent in the West Indies. There are 
 two kinds, known as white and black 
 ginger, which, however, differ only in 
 the mode of their preparation, and the 
 latter is inferior to the former. This 
 spice is stimulating to the digestive 
 organs, and is not only agreeable but 
 wholesome ; nevertheless it ought to be 
 used with moderation — an observation 
 equally applicable to the use of any 
 sort of spice. 
 
 Black Pepper. — This is the fruit of 
 the black pepper vine of the East Indies. 
 In a ground state it is understood to bo 
 almost universally adulterated. The 
 substances employed for this purpose 
 are faded leaves powdered, the hulls of 
 black mustard ground, and rice reduced 
 to a powder. The ordinary pepper of the 
 shops does not contain more than an 
 eighth or a sixth of genuine pepper, 
 and the very best that is sold only one- 
 half, the rest being ground rice or the 
 husks of mustard. Black pepper is a 
 powerful stimulant, carminative, and 
 rubefacient. As a condiment it is 
 peculiarly useful to those who are of a 
 cold iTabit, or who suffer from weak 
 digestion. Prepared Black Pepper is 
 made by steeping the berries in vinegar 
 for three days, and then drying and 
 grinding them. 
 
 AVhite Pepper. — This is merely the 
 black pepper soaked in water till the 
 outside skins are so soft as easily to rub 
 off' ; it is greatly inferior to the ordinary 
 black pepper, having only about one- 
 fourth its strength, and only a mere 
 trace of its more valuable constituents. 
 
 Allspice, Pimento, or Jamaica 
 Pepper. — This is the berry of a tree 
 which grows in South America and in 
 the island of Jamaica. It is an agree- 
 able aromatic, and has the merit of being 
 the mildest and most innocent of the 
 
46 
 
 Afi Obedient Wife conmiaiids her Husband. 
 
 common spices. It is mucli used for 
 domestic piu-poses. 
 
 Cayenne Pepper is prepared from 
 the pods of the capsicum, dried and 
 powdered, and mixed mth the powder 
 of dried biscuits or bread in about the 
 proportions of one ounce of capsicum 
 powder to fifteen ounces of wheaten 
 flour. The Cayenne pepper of the shops 
 often contains sawdust, common salt, 
 brick-dust, red-lead, and vermilion. 
 The use of Cayenne pepper is suffi- 
 ciently well known, and, notwithstand- 
 ing its adulteration, it is employed as a 
 condiment and as a powerful stimu- 
 lant. 
 
 Kitchen Spice is made with the fol- 
 lowing ingredients well mixed together 
 and ground : — Black pepper, 2 lbs. ; 
 ginger, 1 lb. ; cinnamon, allspice, and 
 nutmegs, each 8 oz. ; cloves, 1 oz. ; 
 and dry salt, 6 lbs. It is of excellent 
 use in flavouring soups, gravies, &c. 
 
 Salt. — Almost all the salt used in 
 England is produced in Cheshire. At 
 Northwich, in that county, salt is found 
 both in hard masses called rock salt, 
 which is mixed with earth and other 
 impmities, and in the form of strong 
 brine, which is pumped up and evapo- 
 rated by heat in large shallow iron pans. 
 The excellence of the salt depends on 
 the rate of evaporation, the greater the 
 heat and quicker the evaporation, the 
 finer the crystals which the brine 
 deposits. Salt is indispensable in cook- 
 ery, and is the most widely used in 
 manufactm-es of all condiments. 
 
 The rinds of lemon and orange 
 may be reckoned among the aromatic 
 condiments. They owe their high flavour 
 to the essential oil contained in the 
 cuticle. This flavour is communicated 
 by putting into the ingredients to be 
 flavoured very thin slices of the outer 
 skin of the fruit. The oil, however, is 
 extracted and sold under the name of 
 the essence of lemon or orange. This 
 preparation has the advantage of being 
 osasily kept for a long period, whereas 
 the oil, which is a volatile, escapes from 
 the skin as it dries. 
 
 Cement for Stoves.— ^Mix 
 with water wood ashes and common 
 
 salt until formed into a paste. Plaster 
 this over the rent in the stove, and it 
 will be efiectuaUy closed. 
 
 The Bill of Sale.— This is an 
 instrument by virtue of which one 
 party is enabled in a formal manner to 
 convey to another party all the right and 
 interest which he may have in the goods 
 or chattels mentioned therein; such 
 as stock in trade, the goodwill of a 
 business, or the like. No stamp duty 
 is payable on these documents, but in 
 order to prevent frauds being practised 
 on creditors by secret bills of sale, it is 
 imperative that the bill of sale given be 
 registered within twenty-one days after 
 execution, otherwise it is void. The 
 bill of sale must be attested, and the 
 residences of the witnesses appended. 
 The granting of bills of sale should 
 only be resorted to in cases of extreme 
 necessity, as the grantor's credit is most 
 seriously endangered. If, however, it 
 be imperative, application should bo 
 made to any respecta,"^ .yiicitor, and 
 he will give advice on the subject. 
 
 Accommodation Bills,— 
 The regular bill of exchange must con- 
 tain on the face of it that it is given 
 for " value received," that is, in con- 
 sideration of certain goods or chattels 
 having been delivered to the acceptor, 
 iiccommodation, or " wind bills" as 
 they are frequently called, are resorted 
 to for the purpose of raising money 
 where no value is given, but one party 
 lends merely his name for the use of 
 another. For example, A owes B 
 nothing, but he accepts B's bill. In 
 order to get the money for the bill re- 
 course is had to C, a banker or money- 
 lender. If A dishonours the bill C 
 can enforce payment from B, but if 
 this be the case B cannot recover from 
 A if he can prove that the bill was 
 graated without value received. 
 
 Law of Husband arid 
 Wife. — Husband and wife are held 
 as one person in the eye of the law. In 
 her own name the wife cannot enter 
 into contracts ; her property before 
 marriage becomes her husband's abso- 
 lutely. She may order goods and ne- 
 cessaries for household use ; she does 
 
No Friend is a Friend till he shall prove a Friend. 
 
 47 
 
 so as agent for her husband, and he is 
 bound to pay for them, while she is 
 personally free. If she orders extrava- 
 gant articles of dress, the husband is 
 not bound for them, provided he caiises 
 them to be promptly returned. The 
 husband may select lus o\vn residence, 
 and his wife is bound to accompany 
 him ; otherwise he is not bound to sup- 
 port her even with necessaries. The 
 wife cannot directly prosecute her hus- 
 band for a maintenance, but she may 
 order necessaries in his name, and 
 tradesmen on suing him for commodi- 
 ties needful to her, will obtain jtidg- 
 ment for payment. The wife is entitled 
 to a judicial sepTiration if her husband 
 assaults or starves her, or keeps a mis- 
 tress in the house. 
 
 Should a husband desert his wife, 
 he may be treated imder the Vagrant 
 Act as a rogue and vagabond, and 
 imprisoned in the House of Con'ection. 
 A wife's earnings belong to her hus- 
 band, even when he has deserted her, 
 and her property may be seized by 
 himself or his creditors ; but by apply- 
 ing to a magistrate she can obtain an 
 order of protection. A wife cannot be 
 convicted of stealing her husband's 
 goods. A husband and wife may be 
 witnesses for or against other parties in 
 civil causes. A wife cannot sue or be 
 sued except when she has separate pro- 
 perty settled upon her. Debts con- 
 tracted by her before marriage her hus- 
 band is bound to discharge. A husband 
 may by will dispose of his entire pro- 
 perty to strangers. 
 
 AVhen a wife dies before a hus- 
 band, he becomes entitled to nearly 
 all her personal estate ; her lands and 
 houses held in freehold he does not 
 acquire absolutely, but he is entitled 
 to a life interest in them. The powers 
 of the husband may be modified 
 by a settlement before maniage. If 
 mari'ied persons have been separated 
 and have not heard of each other for 
 seven years, they may contract mar- 
 riage with other parties, without being 
 liable to prosecution for bigamy ; but 
 the second marriage only remains valid 
 if the lost party does not reappear. 
 
 Choice of Friends. — 
 
 ' ' I would not enter on my list of frienda 
 (Though graced with polished manners and 
 
 fine sense, 
 Yet wanting sensibility) the man 
 Who needlessly sets foot upon a worm." 
 CoKpir. 
 
 Friendships rapidly made are lilce the 
 mountain torrent — dangerous while they 
 last, and soon over. Beware of the 
 man who claims yoTU- fiiendsliip on 
 some incidental meeting long past, or 
 who is introduced by some one of 
 doubtful reputation. In the metro- 
 polis money-lenders get acquainted 
 with young men of monetary prospects 
 through the instriunentality of certain 
 frequenters of disreputable clubs, who 
 contrive to ingratiate themselves with 
 those whom they are found to victimize. 
 InLondonitisimpoliticto associate with 
 neighbours with whose antecedents j'ou 
 are unacquainted. Those m'c have 
 known in early life generally prove 
 our best friends. He is a dangerous 
 friend who in public exposes our foibles, 
 or allows the tongue of the detractor 
 to fall upon us without remonstrance. 
 When one above you in rank suddenly 
 offers you his friendship, be on your 
 guard, and treat his advances with cau- 
 tion. With persons socially beneath you, 
 you can have no comfort in friendship ; 
 they will certainly ascribe your con- 
 descension to weakness. Be on friendly 
 terms only with yoiir equals. Choosr> 
 no others as companions in your sports, 
 associates at your club, and sharers at 
 your board. When those yoxi know 
 have passed a probation as your ac- 
 quaintances, enlist them as friends, but 
 not sooner. The man who is deserving 
 of your esteem visits you when sick; 
 when adversity oppresses you is more 
 companionable than before ; and when 
 calumny would crush you, defends 
 you. 
 
 Choice of Servants.— This 
 is no light concern, for our domestics 
 make or unmake our social happiness. 
 In receiving candidates for your service 
 observe the personal appearance of the 
 applicants. If their dress is tsTrdry, 
 their hands soiled, and their toilet indif- 
 
48 She spins a Good Web who brings up her Son Well. 
 
 ferently performed, they will not suit 
 you. Those servants who profess to do 
 everything will seldom do much. A 
 modest and retiring demeanour is a 
 hopeful sign. Applicants who frankly 
 answer questions without any apparent 
 disguise are likely to do well. Servants 
 who have long held theu- former situa- 
 tion may safely be engaged. 
 
 Green Pigments. — It is well 
 known that the most briUiant greens in 
 common use for dyeing ladies' dresses 
 and ornaments, colouring wall papers, 
 &c., are produced by chemical combina- 
 tions into which arsenic largely enters. 
 The danger of such substances has been 
 freqiiently demonstrated. Children have 
 been fatally injured by putting to their 
 mouths toys painted with this poisonous 
 coloiu'. Wall papers coloured with 
 arsenical pigments are by no means 
 perfectly safe, injuriously affecting, as 
 they are presumed to do, the quality 
 of the air breathed in the apartment ; 
 and a lady may be said to carry about 
 with her in her green dress arsenic 
 enough to poison a dozen people. Che- 
 mistry, however, is likely to supply us 
 Avith the means of superseding sub- 
 stances so deleterious as the arsenical 
 pigments are known to be. The salts 
 of chromium, treated in a peculiar way 
 with certain metallic oxides, are capable, 
 it is said, of producing a green colour of 
 extraordinary beauty and in a state of 
 very minute subdivision — a very im- 
 portant particular in the condition of all 
 pigments. 
 
 Italian Cream. — To a pint of 
 rich milk add as much fine white sugar 
 as will sweeten it, the rind of a large 
 lemon pared thin, a small piece of cin- 
 namon, and three quarters of an ounce 
 of isinglass ; put aU these ingredients 
 into a lined saucepan and boil till the 
 isinglass is perfectly dissolved ; beat the 
 yolks of six eggs very well in a large 
 basin, and strain the milk while boiling 
 hot to the eggs, stirring them rapidly 
 all the time ; continue to stir till the 
 mixture is nearly cold ; before putting 
 it into the shape add a dessert-spoonful 
 of strained lemon-juice ; it will turn 
 out in a few houis. 
 
 Needlework. — As the Best 
 of Everything, though not unsuited 
 for the gentlemen, wiU most probably 
 be the especial favourite of the ladies 
 of the family, it would be incomplete 
 without a few words on what is, per- 
 haps, the most ancient of all feminine 
 employments — Needlework. 
 
 No art is so Mddely diflFused, or so 
 variously applied, as needlework. From 
 the South Sea Islander, who sews to- 
 gether the skins of wild animals with 
 needles of fish-bone, to the refined lady, 
 whose delicate embroidery is a marvel 
 of skill and taste, there is scarcely a 
 woman in the world who cannot more 
 or less make use of a needle. In 
 feudal times needlework was con- 
 sidered the occupation of the highest 
 classes. The chatelaine of the castle 
 sat in the inner hall, or in the ladies' 
 M'ithdrawing-room, surrounded by her 
 maidens, many of whom were of rank 
 little inferior to her own, but whose 
 parents sent them to be instructed in 
 the culinary and medicinal arts, and in 
 needlework, under the lady of their 
 chief, as their brothers were sent to 
 learn the use of arms under her lord ; 
 each maiden had her appointed task of 
 spinning, or weaving, or embroidery, 
 and the lady kept strict watch that the 
 tasks were completed in a suitable 
 manner. 
 
 Many English queens were noted for 
 their proficiency in this art. Matilda, 
 queen of WiUiam the Conqueror, as- 
 sisted by her maidens, worked the 
 famous Bayeux tapestry, which is still 
 to be seen in the Town HaU of that 
 city. The work executed by many of 
 our queens is still preserved, as M'ell as 
 some done by the unfortunate Mary of 
 Scotland and by Marie Antoinette of 
 France. In the turbulent times of the 
 Middle Ages the knowledge of embroi- 
 dery and lacemaking was preserved in 
 the religious houses, where the nuns 
 employed themselves in making the gold 
 and silver embroidery of the priests' 
 vestments, and the rich lace of the 
 altar-cloths, which formed so valuable 
 a part of the spoils when these houses 
 were destroyed in England and France. 
 
Do as you ought, come what may. 
 
 49 
 
 The Oriental nations are particularly 
 skilled in various kinds of embroidery, 
 and have been so from a very remote 
 period. We read of the hangings of 
 the door of the tabernacle being made 
 of" blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine 
 twined linen of needlework." The 
 Chinese and Japanese are famous for 
 their embroidery in gold and silks on 
 various matci-ials ; satin, crape, and 
 iindyed silk are the principal ; the full 
 dress of the Emperors and their courts 
 are masses of gold embroidery. The East 
 Indians execute very beautiful em- 
 broidery in the style called satin-stitch, 
 with cotton on muslin of cobweb te.xture, 
 finer and softer than any machinery can 
 produce in thi,s countrJ^ They also 
 embroider in gold and silver the beau- 
 tiful Delhi shawls and Decca muslins. 
 The Persians, Circassians, and Turks 
 all excel in embroidery ; even the squaw 
 of the North American Indian orna- 
 ments \\dth beads and stained porcupine 
 quills, belts, pouches, and moccasins of 
 soft deerskin, and she works in the 
 same manner pretty boxes and baskets 
 of birch bark. 
 
 Needlework in the present day may 
 be divided into plain and fancy needle- 
 work. Plain work, which used to occupy 
 so much of the time and attention of the 
 females of every family, and the labour 
 of which was so very ill-paid when done 
 by a seamstress as to call forth Hood's 
 pathetic " Song of the Shirt," is now 
 from a toil converted into a pleasure by 
 the invention of the Sewing Machine, 
 which, with very little exertion, will 
 complete a garment in one-fourth of 
 the time, and with thrice the neat- 
 ness that the human fingers could 
 accomplish the task. 
 
 In a future page we propose to g'lve 
 a short account of the sewing machine, 
 and to follow it up with simple direc- 
 tions for the several kinds of fancy 
 w ork — tatting, netting, crochet, &c. 
 
 New Style of Charade. — 
 As charades are a most amusing and 
 innocent pastime, and a great favourite 
 among the juvenile branches of a 
 family, Ave pi'csent our young readers 
 with the four following examples, as 
 
 being at once novel and very easily per- 
 formed. 
 
 No. 1. Get a common rocking-horse, 
 which you can buy at any toy-shop for 
 Is., and put it in front of the stage, 
 facing the audience. "When the curtain 
 rises, invite the company to find out 
 which of the islands in the Greek Archi- 
 pelago the horse represents. The answer 
 is Delos — dcdl 'oss — deal horse. 
 
 No. 2. Reverse the position of the 
 horse, and when the curtain again rises, 
 ask the company to find out any other 
 island in the Greek Archipelago the 
 horse represents. The answer is Samos 
 — ftame 'oss — same horse. 
 
 No. 3. When the curtain rises, a 
 young lady is discovered standing 
 alone. Presently an eldci-ly gentleman 
 enters, to whom she says, " Good morn- 
 ing, doctor," and they retire. Ask the 
 audience to say what single word re- 
 presents the scene. The word is 
 METArHYSiciAX — 7nct a physician. 
 
 No. 4. Once more the curtain rises, 
 and the old gentleman and young lady 
 enter, and looking at each other for 
 an instant, they bow and retire. The 
 company are again to be invited to 
 find out a simple word representing 
 this scene. The word is Metaphor — 
 met afore. 
 
 By a little exercise of the inventive 
 powers this description of charade may 
 be multiplied to any extent, and it pos- 
 sesses this advantage over the ordinary 
 acting charade, that it neither requires 
 a company of performers, scenery, nor 
 rehearsal. 
 
 Cement for Rooms. — M. 
 Sarel, of Paris, has made an invention 
 which is pronounced better than plaster 
 of Paris for coating the walls of rooms. 
 It is used thus : — A coat of oxide of 
 zinc, mixed with size, made up Uke a 
 wash, is first laid on the wall, ceiling, 
 or wainscot, and over that a coat of 
 chloride of zinc appUed, prepared in the 
 same way as the first wash. The oxide 
 and chloride effect an immedia'o com- 
 bination, and form a kind of cement, 
 smooth and polished as glass, and pos- 
 sessing the advantages of oil paint with- 
 out its disadvantages of smeU. 
 
5° 
 
 Those that Think must s;overji those that Toil. 
 
 Hints on Sea-bathing.— 
 
 It is a question of very considerable 
 importance at what time of day bathing 
 in the sea can be had recourse to with 
 the most favourable results. Undoubt- 
 edly it ought to be done at the period 
 when the sj^stem is least liable to be 
 depressed — early in the morning, and 
 before breakfast. Those who are in 
 robust health may generally bathe in 
 the open sea early in the morning, but 
 even they, especially if unaccustomed 
 to bathing, are liable to be depressed 
 by a cold bath taken at that time. As 
 a general rule, however, all invalids and 
 delicate persons should avoid bathing 
 before breakfast. Due time also should 
 be allowed for the digestion of a meal, 
 as any strong impression on the mind 
 or body is liable to arrest or destroy 
 digestion. Two hours should be allowed 
 to elapse after breakfast, and thi-ee after 
 dinnei-, before bathing. It is better to 
 bathe in the sea after breakfast than 
 later in the day. As to children, they 
 should never bathe before ten or eleven 
 o'clock. The patient should plunge at 
 once into the water, and not stand 
 shivering till the body is chilled. lie 
 should dip do^^^^ and allow each wave 
 to pass over him. 
 
 As to the period of the year most 
 suitable for sea - bathing. May and 
 September are good months if the 
 patient is not debilitated, and a shore 
 should be preferred where the billows 
 are rough. On the other hand, if the 
 patient be weak or depressed the sum- 
 mer months are preferable, and a calm 
 sea. The hair freqiiently falls off at the 
 commencement of bathing, and causes 
 some alarm to the patient ; this alarm, 
 however, maybe set at rest by the assur- 
 ance that the hair will grow more luxu- 
 riantly than before. If the patient be 
 weak he must not indulge in much phy- 
 sical or mental exertion after his bath, 
 as such exercise is apt to produce over- 
 fatigue. Horse exercise is good, as this 
 does not call for much exertion, but if 
 the patient is weak, carriage exercise is 
 to be preferred. The foregoing hints, 
 being derived from the authority of the 
 Medical Times, merit special notice. 
 
 To Restore the appa- 
 rently Drcwned. — The leading 
 principles of the following directions 
 for restoring the apparently dead from 
 dro'wning, are the results of extensive 
 inquiries made by the Eoyal National 
 Lifeboat Institution throughout the 
 United Kingdom : — 
 
 1. Send at once for medical as- 
 sistance, blankets, &c. ; but meanwhile 
 treat the patient instantly, placing the 
 face downwards, exposing the face, 
 neck, and breast to the air, and re- 
 moving all tight clothmg. The efforts 
 to restore breathing must be persevered 
 in for hours, or until a medical man has 
 pronounced life to be extinct. Efforts 
 to promote warmth and circulation must 
 not be made until after the first return 
 of natural breathing. 
 
 2. To Eestohe Breathing. — While 
 the patient is lying with the face down- 
 wards, place one of the aims under the 
 forehead, as in this position fluids will 
 more readily escape by the mouth, and 
 the tongxie itself will fall forward, leav- 
 ing the entrance to the windpipe free. 
 Assist this operation by wiping and 
 cleansing the mouth. If there be only 
 slight breathing or no breathing, turn 
 the patient on the side, and excite the 
 nostrils with snuff, hartshorn, or smell- 
 ing salts, or tickle the thi-oat with a 
 feather, &c. Rub the chest and face 
 well, and dash warm and cold water 
 alternately on them. If there is still no 
 success, try to imitate breathing by re- 
 placing the patient with face downwards, 
 raising and supporting the chest on a 
 folded coat or other article. Then turn 
 the body very gently on one side and a 
 little beyond, and briskly back again, 
 repeating these measiires cautiously and 
 perseveringly about fifteen times a 
 minute, occasionally varying the side. 
 By placing the patient on his chest, the 
 weight of the bodi/ forces the air out. 
 When turned on one side the pressure is 
 removed, and air enters the chest. When 
 the body is replaced on the face, use 
 uniform pressure between the shoulder- 
 blades or bones on each side, and let 
 one person attend solely to the move- 
 ment of the head and of the arm placed 
 
Time wasted is Existence; used is Life. 
 
 51 
 
 under it. Dry the hands and feet, and 
 as soon as dry clothing or blankets 
 can bo prociued, strip the body and re- 
 dotho it, taking care not to interfere 
 with the efibrts to restore breathing. 
 
 3. Should these efforts not prove suc- 
 cessful in five minutes, grasp the arras 
 above the elbow, and draw them gently 
 upwards above the head, keeping them 
 sti'etched upwards for two seconds. By 
 this means air is drawn into the lunffs. 
 Then turn down the aims, and press 
 them gently for two seconds against the 
 sides of the chest. Bij this means air is 
 pressed out of the lunr/s. Repeat these 
 motions perseveringly, about fifteen 
 times in a minute, until a spontaneous 
 effort to respire is perceived. 
 
 4. After the natural breathing is 
 restored, promote warmth and circula- 
 tion by rubbing the limbs upwards by 
 means of flannels, &c. By this process 
 the blood is propelled toivards the heart. 
 Apply hot flannels, or bottles of hot 
 water, to the pit of the stomach, the 
 armpits, thighs, and soles of the feet. 
 If the power of swallowing be re- 
 stored, small quantities of wine, warm 
 brandy and water, or coffee, should be 
 administered. Keep the patient in bed, 
 and let sleep be encouraged. This 
 treatment should be persevered in for 
 hours, as it is a mistake to fancy that 
 persons are irrecoverable because life 
 does not soon make its appearance. Do 
 not allow any crowding round the body, 
 and \inder no circiunstances hold it up 
 by the feet, or put it in a warm bath, 
 imless under medical directions. 
 
 5. The appearances which generally 
 accompanj' death by drowning are sus- 
 pension of the motion of the heart, the 
 eyelids half closed and the pupils di- 
 lated, the jaws clenched, the fingers 
 half contracted, the tongxie approaches 
 to the under edges of the lips, and these 
 as well as the nostrils are covered with 
 a frothy mucus, and coldness and pallor 
 increase. 
 
 The Cold Bath. — Temperature 35 
 to 65 degrees. The application of cold 
 water to the surface of the body is at- 
 tended witli an immediate tonic effect. 
 This is evident from the glow which 
 
 takes place and the sense of renewed 
 strength indicating an increased action 
 in all the vessels of the system. The 
 application of the cold water possesses 
 the power of contracting the solid parts 
 of the body, and this contraction is fol- 
 lowed by a reaction in which the nerves, 
 bloodvessels, and all the organs of the 
 system are excited to a more healthy 
 and energetic performance of their 
 functions. The best method of taking 
 a cold bath is in the sea or in a river, 
 and it is well not to protract the process, 
 since the benefit derived depends on the 
 first impression the cold water makes on 
 the sldn and nerves. 
 
 The Shower Bath. — The shower 
 bath !s most useful when there is any 
 determination of the fluids to the head. 
 Several other reasons may hero be 
 stated for the superiority of the shower 
 bath. The siuldcn contact of the water 
 which in the ordinary cold bath is but mo- 
 mentary, may in the shower bath be 
 prolonged, repeated, and modified at 
 pleasure. The first shock is received 
 on the head, and the blood is therefore 
 impelled dowuAvards ; the shower bath 
 descends in single streams and drops, 
 and for this reason is more stimulating 
 and pleasant than immersion in cold 
 water. It is indeed an indefinite repe- 
 tition of the one single effect produced 
 by a plunge into cold water, and it is 
 easilj' procured and readily adapted to 
 the circumstances of the patient. 
 
 The TsriD Bath. — The water for 
 this bath ought to be from 85 to 95 de- 
 grees of the thennometor. The tepid 
 bath has much efficacy in reducing the 
 general excitement, lessening the pul- 
 sation in fevers, and is of great service 
 in pregnancy and infancy. It is also 
 very important in complaints of the 
 stomach and Hver, in the debility pro- 
 duced by long residence in hot climates, 
 in the languor and weakness accom- 
 panying delicate habits, and in gout, 
 rheumatic affections, and cutaneous 
 diseases. It is admirably adapted for 
 persons in advanced life. The best 
 period for the bath is the morning, be- 
 tween ten and twelve o'clock. 
 
 The Waum Bath. — For this bath the 
 
52 
 
 Virtue alone is Happiness below. 
 
 water should be from 93 to 98 degrees 
 of heat. It is of gi-eat utility in a 
 variety of ailments, such as inflamma- 
 tory and rheumatic affections, diseases of 
 the skin, intestinal obstructions, ner- 
 vous irritation, and debility, whether 
 constitutional or arising from previous 
 illness, intemperance, late hours and 
 hard study, or irregularity in diet or 
 exercise. Women, who are delicate, 
 weak, and nei-vous, may, with much con- 
 fidence, expect relief from the use of 
 the warm bath. If the warm bath is 
 not intended to produce perspiration, it 
 can properly be used at any time from 
 an hour after breakfast till dinner, but 
 if increased perspiration be the object 
 the evening is the best tinfe for 
 this bath, and the patient should be 
 conveyed from the bath to a warm 
 bed. 
 
 The Hot Bath. — Temperature 98 
 to 104 degrees. Bathing in tepid and 
 ■warm water has a sedative effect. It 
 excites the sensation of heat, lowers the 
 pulse, relaxes the skin, diminishes ex- 
 citement, and proves eminently re- 
 freshing. On the contrary, hot baths 
 are stimulating ; they quicken the 
 action of the heart, redden the skin, 
 make the respiration more frequent, and 
 produce copious perspiration. 
 
 The Vapouk Bath.— 100 to 115 de- 
 grees. This species of bath is recom- 
 mended for the same classes of ailments 
 for which the wami bath is applicable, 
 and it has not unfrequently succeeded 
 in producing the desired effects when 
 warm bathing has failed to do so. 
 
 The Turkish Bath. — The 
 merits of the Turkish bath as a reme- 
 dial agent have been a subject of dis- 
 cussion for some years, and the number 
 of its advocates who believe it to be a 
 perfect panacea for all human ills is 
 very considerable. Public Turkish 
 baths have been established in most of 
 our principal cities, replete with every 
 convenience for carrying out their pecu- 
 liar system in a luxurioiis manner ; but 
 as it is often inconvenient and disagree- 
 able for an invalid, particularly a lady, 
 to attend these piiblic baths, a portable 
 Turkish bath has lately been invented. 
 
 which can be carried about in a port- 
 manteau, being no more than five inches 
 in height, and it can give a vapour bath 
 of half an hour's duration. It consists 
 of a circular tin chamber fitted into an 
 upright stand, under which is a small 
 spii-it lamp. In the chamber or boiler 
 lid are three small tubes ; the boiler 
 being filled with water and the lamp 
 lighted, as soon as the steam gets up it 
 rushes through these tubes. The pa- 
 tient is seated on a cane chair, with the 
 feet in a pan of warm water, and having 
 a kind of cloak (Avhich can be purchased 
 with the boiler) tightly fastened round 
 him ; in a very short time both the pa- 
 tient and chair are enveloped in a cloud 
 of steam. Ten minvites is the time re- 
 commended for the duration of the first 
 few baths ; it may be afterwards in- 
 creased, but not beyond half an hour. 
 On getting out of the cloak, plunge into 
 a cold bath for a few minutes, then rub 
 the skin till it is quite diy and glowing 
 with a coarse towel and a pair of goat- 
 hair gloves. This bath is very inexpen- 
 sive ; the whole apparatus, with cloak 
 complete, can be procured for a guinea, 
 and the boiler and lamp can be had 
 separately if desired. 
 
 Cement for Cisterns. — 
 Take equal parts of red and white lead, 
 and wash them into a paste with boiled 
 linseed oU. It hardens slowly, but 
 afterwards acquires a flinty hardness. 
 When apphed it should be made thin, 
 and the metal thoroughly smeared with 
 it. 
 
 To Remove Fruit Stains 
 from Linen. — With yellow soap 
 rub the stained spot on both sides, then 
 lay on a thick mixtui'e of starch and 
 cold water ; rub this mixture of starch 
 well in, and expose the linen to the sun 
 and air till the stain disappears. If not 
 removed in three or four days, let the 
 process be repeated. 
 
 To Remove Mildew. — Mix 
 soft soap with powdered starch, half as 
 much salt, and the juice of a lemon ; 
 lay the mixture on both sides of the 
 stain with a painter's brush ; let it Ho 
 on the grass day and night till the mil- 
 dew mark disappears. 
 
They always Talk who never Think. 
 
 New Mode of treating 
 "Whooping-cough. —The attack 
 generally begins as a common cold, with 
 slight feverish symptoms. In eight or 
 ten days the fever partially subsides, 
 and the child gets attacks of convulsive 
 coughing, accompanied by the peculiar 
 "whoop" M'hich gives the disease its 
 name. The number of attacks varies 
 from one or two to ten, or even fifteen, 
 in the twenty-four hours, according to 
 the severity of the disease. The child 
 should be kept in a warm room. He 
 ought to be clothed in flannel ; his diet 
 should be light and nourishing, such as 
 fish, milk, light puddings, and new-laid 
 eggs. 
 
 The following prescription is strongly 
 recommended by Dr. V. Mott, of New 
 York:— 
 
 Hydrocyanic acid . . 6 drops. 
 
 Extract of belladonna . 2 grains. 
 
 Paregoric elixir ... 3 drachms. 
 
 Syrup of balsam of Tolu 1 ounce. 
 
 Water 3 ounces. 
 
 Mix. One teaspoonful three or four 
 times daily. 
 
 When the severity of the disease has 
 passed off, change of air will be found 
 most useful ; and if the chUd has be- 
 come debilitated, tonics with nutritious 
 diet should be given. 
 
 This disease being very infectious, 
 great care should be taken to prevent 
 communication of any kind with houses 
 where there are children who have not 
 already had whooping-cough. 
 
 Sprains of the Wrist, 
 Ankle, &c. — As soon as possible 
 after the accident get a calico bandage 
 one to two j^ards long, and two to two 
 and a half inches wide ; wet it in cold 
 water, and roll it smoothly and firmly 
 round the injured part. Keep the limb 
 at rest, exposed to the air, and conti- 
 nually damp with cold water. The 
 Booner after the accident the bandage is 
 applied, the less pain and sweUing there 
 will be ; but if pain becomes excessive, 
 care must be taken to slightly loosen 
 the bandage. 
 
 Fainting Fits.—Young females 
 of a nervous and delicate constitution 
 are often subject to these attacks. De- 
 
 bility from any cause, strong emotion, 
 severe pain, loss of blood, and diseases 
 of the heart, are all causes of fainting. 
 Place the patient on her back, with the 
 head low, loosen all clothes about the 
 neck and chest, sprinkle cold water on 
 the face, and apply smelling salts to the 
 nostrils. When the patient can swallow, 
 give some cold water, with 20 or 30 
 drops of sal volatile, or a little brandy, i 
 
 The Poultice, or Cata- 
 plasm, is an external appKcation of 
 great value. It acts as a local stimu- 
 lant ; it allays irritation, exercises a 
 soothing influence, and in several ail- 
 ments is highly beneficial. The object 
 of it is to apply to the skin continued 
 heat and moisture, and it may be made 
 of bread-crumb scalded in water, lin- 
 seed boiled to the consistence of por- 
 ridge, or such other substances as 
 retain the heat. A poultice properly 
 applied, and frequently renewed as it 
 loses its heat or moistui-e, is often of 
 great use by itself; but its value is 
 frequently enhanced by its being made 
 the means of applying to the skin on 
 which it is placed some substances 
 known to have a specific action. 
 
 Charcoal Poultice. — Linseed meal, 
 half a pound ; charcoal powder, 2 ounces ; 
 hot water suflicient to give it the neces- 
 sary consistence. This poultice is highly 
 antiseptic ; that is to say, it has great 
 power in cleansing ulcers, and correcting 
 a tendency to mortification. The power 
 is derived from the charcoal, which is 
 remarkable for its purifying energy. 
 
 Teast Poultice. — Flour, one pound; 
 yeast of beer, half a pint. IMii, and 
 expose the mixture to a gentle heat 
 till it begins to swell, when it is ready 
 for use. This poultice is well adapted 
 as an application to painful, foul, or 
 gangrenous ulcers. It is a gentle 
 stimulant to such ulcerations, corrects 
 any tendency to mortification, cleanses 
 the sore, and removes the fcetid odour. 
 
 Hemlock Poultice. — Pour two pints 
 of water on two ounces of hernlock 
 leaves, boil it down to a pint, and add 
 as much linseed meal as may be neces- 
 sary for the due consistency of the 
 poultice. This is an excellent applica- 
 
54 Peace hath her Victories^ no less Retioitnied than War. 
 
 tion to cancerous and other malignant 
 sores. It greatly diminislies the exist- 
 ing pain. The fresh herb forms the 
 best poultice. 
 
 Goulard's Poultice. — It is thus 
 made : — Take a drachm and a half of 
 extract of lead (in the language of the 
 apothecary, liquor plumbi acetatis) ; 
 rectified spirit of wine, 2 ounces ; water, 
 12 ounces; bread-crumb, sufficient to 
 make the whole into a proper consist- 
 ence. This poultice is an excellent 
 application to reduce swelling and in- 
 flammation, and to allay irritation. 
 
 The Spongio-pilinb. — This is the 
 name of a very ingenious contrivance, 
 which may be used either as a poultice 
 or as the means of fomentation. It con- 
 sists of wool and small particles of 
 sponge apparently felted together, and 
 attached to a skin of india-rubber. It 
 is about half an inch iu thickness. It 
 will be found of great value and con- 
 venience for either of the purposes re- 
 ferred to. It retains heat for a con- 
 siderable tim€ ; and vinegar, laudanum, 
 camphor, hartshorn, &c., can be by its 
 means placed on the skin, accompanied 
 by heat and moisture, much more readily 
 and with greater cleanliness than by 
 means of ordinary poidtices. It can 
 be procured at the dniggists. 
 
 Fomentations. — In domestic 
 practice hot fomentations are, although 
 a simple, yet a very useful remedy for 
 allaying paia, relieving irritation, relax- 
 ing and removing spasms, and inducing 
 not only local, but even general perspi- 
 ration. Cloths dipped in very hot water 
 wrung out and instantly applied on the 
 seat of the pain wUl be frequently of 
 very great service. But in some cases 
 it adds to the efficacy of the application 
 to employ substances possessing medical 
 proper-ties in addition to the mere appli- 
 cation of heat. 
 
 Anodyne Fomentation. — "White 
 poppy heads, 3 ounces ; elder flowers, 
 half an ounce ; water, 3 pints. Boil 
 untU the liquor is reduced to two-thirds 
 of its original quantity, and strain it. 
 Two or three teaspoonfuls of tincture 
 of opium or laudamun may in some 
 yftses be added to it. This fomenta- 
 
 tion relaxes spasm, and relieves acute 
 pain. 
 
 Fomentation fob, Ordinary Occa- 
 sions. — Dried mallows, 1 ounce ; cha- 
 momile flowers dried, half an ounce; 
 water, 1 pint. Boil for a quarter of an 
 houi', and strain the liquor. 
 
 Strengthening Fomentation. — 
 Decoction of oak bark, 2 pints ; alum, 
 3 drachms. Mix. This is a powerful 
 astringent, and often of great use when 
 applied to weak parts. It is not requi- 
 site to heat the liquor. 
 
 To Cure a Smoky Chim- 
 ney. — Prevention is better than cure. 
 If you build a house, contract the space 
 above the fireplace, which will promote 
 a di'aught and prevent the return of 
 the smoke downward. A house in the 
 neighbourhood of a lofty building or a 
 church will most probably have smoky 
 chimneys. Straight funnels do not 
 draw well, and it is essential that the 
 funnel should be of considerable length. 
 The modes of curing smoky chimneys 
 are various, and depend on the circum- 
 stances of each particular case. 
 
 Some years ago the writer was on a 
 visit at the house of a wealthy friend in 
 one of the midland counties. For a 
 length of time the drawing-room of the 
 mansion had acquired a habit of smok- 
 ing — perhaps in imitation of the master 
 of the house, who was a smoker, — but no 
 efforts could cure the chimney. The 
 di-awing-room, a magnificent apartment, 
 had two fii-eplaces, but by no stretch of 
 ingenuity could two fires be kept up at 
 the same time. If a good fire blazed in 
 one grate the other was sm-e to smoke. 
 Chimney-sweepers, masons, and black- 
 smiths were employed to no purpose. 
 New chimney cans, long pipes of iron, 
 revolving ventilators, &c., were all tried 
 in vain, until at last the family, giving 
 up all hope of cure, resolved that only 
 one fire should be maintained at a time. 
 As it was winter during our visit, and 
 there was to be a large party at the 
 house, it became desu-able to have two 
 fires in the drawing-room, and the 
 author, who was presumed to know 
 something of pneumatics, was requested 
 to suggest a remedy. He perceived 
 
Flattery is like Friendship in Show, but not in Fruit. 55 
 
 that either oue chimney or the other 
 served as a pipe to convey the outer air 
 into the room to supply the fire best 
 lighted. He therefore suggested that a 
 few holes should be bored from beneath 
 each grate to the external air. This 
 being done, the cure was completed at a 
 cost of less than a hundredth part of the 
 expense already incurred. 
 
 The chimney cans used in the metro- 
 polis are diiferent forms of tin cowls 
 fastened on the chimney-pots, and made 
 to revolve, so that the mouths always 
 presents themselves in the direction of 
 the wind. A correspondent of the 
 Builder asserts that every smoky chim- 
 ney may be cured, and that chimney- 
 pots may be dispensed with by applj'- 
 ing fine wire gauze of about forty wii-es 
 per inch in front of the fireplace, as 
 the atmospheric pressure prevents the 
 smoke from penetrating the gauze. The 
 gauze should be kept two inches distant 
 from the fire-grate. 
 
 Cecils : an Excellent "Way to 
 USE UP Cold Meat.— Mince 1 lb. of 
 eold beef or mutton with \ lb. of beef 
 suet, i lb. bread crumbs ; season with 
 pepper, salt, mace, Cayenne, a table- 
 spoonful of Worcester sauce, and the 
 same quantity of mushroom catsup ; 
 mix all well together with three eggs 
 well beaten, form into small cakes or 
 balls, fry of a nice brown, and sei-ve 
 with a rich brown gravy. These cakes 
 are very nice if made with weU-boiled 
 rice instead of bread crumbs, particu- 
 larly if the meat is veal or lamb ; they 
 are then called " Dormers." Cold fish 
 or kippered salmon cooked in a similar 
 manner, with potatoes in place of the 
 rice or bread crumbs, and with anchovy 
 sauce and hard-boiled eggs chopped 
 small, is extremely good and savoury. 
 
 To Repair Broken 
 China or Glass. — The method 
 of di'Uling holes and introducing rivets 
 can only be properly executed by those 
 whose business it is. Broken glass or 
 china can be united with the juice of 
 garlic. A useful cement is produced by 
 powdered chalk and white of egg. A 
 mixture of equal parts of white of egg, 
 white-lead, and glue, forms a strong 
 
 cement. The diamond cement of th© che- 
 mists is prepared thus: — An ounce cf 
 isinglass is dissolved in two wineglass - 
 fids of spirits of wine, to which is added a 
 small quantity of dissolved gum-ammo - 
 niac. It is applied with a hair pencil. 
 
 Best Advice upon 
 Matches. — There wasa house — and 
 attached to the house a coal-ceUar. "What 
 a stupid and commonplace way by whicli 
 to commence an essay ! " the reader 
 will possibly exclaim. But herein lies 
 the very art and cunning of our device. 
 It is true there have been, and are, 
 millions of houses with coal-cellars at- 
 tached. We have no intention of 
 naming the particular city, town, or 
 street in which the house we refer to 
 stood or stands ; we shall not hint at 
 the number on the door, nor give the 
 slightest clueto the style of architecture. 
 All we shall do is to exercise oiu- inge- 
 nuity in constructing a story " founded 
 upon fact ; " and we must leave the 
 reader to discover whether it was in his 
 or her house, or in a neighbour's dwell- 
 ing, that the circumstances narrated 
 took place. One possible misconception 
 we must guard against ; we are not 
 going to speak of "love matches," but 
 of matches in some sense resembling 
 them in theii- warmth, and the direful 
 consequences which result when hastily 
 and thoughtlessly managed. 
 
 We repeat : there was a house, and 
 attached to the house a coal-cellar. 
 One day the coals had become so low 
 that the servant, having in vain groped 
 about in the dark, and struck out in 
 various directions without being able to 
 find enough to replenish a rapidly failing 
 fire, stepped back and fetched a box of 
 lucifer matches. Igniting one of these 
 she held it in one hand, di'opped the 
 match-box, scraped up a small supply of 
 coals, and ran to the room where the fire 
 was fading, slamming the door of the 
 cellar after her. 
 
 Now there had lain within that cellar, 
 for a quarter of a century or more, a 
 small round tin box, with a circular 
 handle and a moveable Hd. But the 
 handle had been broken off, the Ud had 
 vanished, no one cared how, and tjie 
 
56 
 
 He is a Worthless Be'mg ivho lives only for Himself. 
 
 sides of the box had become beaten and 
 bent out of all s jinmetrical shape. For 
 whenever the coals were pitched into the 
 cellar, the poor old box came in for a 
 series of knocks and thumps, and some- 
 times lay for a month or more under 
 a most oppressive weight, until the fall- 
 ing short of coals again brought him to 
 such dim light as the cellar afforded. 
 A piece of steel, formerly companion of 
 the box, endeavoured to make his escape, 
 and in doing so had become jammed in a 
 crevice between the bricks, and there 
 remained browned by rust. A piece of 
 flint, also a former companion, had by 
 misadventure been taken to the parlour 
 with the coals, where, being cast into a 
 brisk fire, he made such a furious crack- 
 ling and jumping of hot cinders, that he 
 frightened a whole family, piit Pater- 
 familias out of temper, made his spouse 
 resolve to change their coal merchant 
 for " sending in such rubbish," and 
 drove a group of children into the 
 furthest comer. This may be under- 
 stood as a piece of revenge upon the 
 part of fUnt, on accoimt of the long 
 neglect himself and companions had en- 
 diu'ed. And we fancy there may be 
 found certain historical precedents in 
 which disappointed corn-tiers and politi- 
 cians have resorted to similar acts of 
 rebellious disturbance. 
 
 The box alluded to was a " tinder- 
 box," that had been a great domestic 
 favourite in his time — had been in 
 service, in fact, for scores of years, and 
 himself and famUy had always borne 
 reproachless characters. The flint and 
 steelhad been his companions in service, 
 and they had felt the grievous annoy- 
 ance of being suddenly cast out of favour 
 by the introduction of new-fangled 
 Matches, under various names. They 
 had never, however, found an oppor- 
 tunity of expressing their wrongs until 
 the present. "When the door of the coal- 
 cellar slammed, the sheK upon which 
 the maid had placed the matches shook, 
 and down fell the Match-box, half fuUof 
 lucifers, right into the grasp of the old 
 Tinder-box ! 
 
 Now, reader, if you had been suddenly 
 dismissed from long-established love 
 
 and favour, driven from honourable and 
 useful emplo5rment, separated from j^our 
 companions, and you and they cast into 
 dark and endless confinement, and all of a 
 sudden you foimd your hated rival thrown 
 by accident into your power, wouldn't 
 you teU him a bit of your mind ? Then 
 you may fancy that the old Tinder-box 
 said pretty nearly the " best of every- 
 thing " he could say, under the circum- 
 stances ; and we now have to report 
 the following dialogue : — 
 
 " Ah ! " said the old Tinder-box, " so 
 you have come here at last, mischievous 
 coxcomb, supplanted no doubt, in the 
 fickle regard of the public, by some new 
 hobby, perchance more fiery and trea- 
 cherous than yourself ! " 
 
 "What!" replied Lucifer, "is that 
 you, my venerable old strike-a-light ? 
 I have often heard of j^ou, but never 
 espied your quaint visage before. Don't 
 be angry, old friend, though you were 
 voted too slow for the increasing re- 
 quirements of a busy world. It was 
 not I that supplanted you, but your own 
 dulness and stupidity that extinguished 
 yourself, and caused you to be exiled." 
 
 " Dulness and stupidity ! If you 
 mean that I did not lurk in secret 
 comers, and take the earhest opportunity 
 of becoming an incendiary, then I admit 
 I must have been too slow. Why, your 
 breath now is now charged with fumes 
 of phosphorus, that fiery distilment of 
 calcined bones which, despatched as an 
 emissary of death, is ever seeking fresh 
 victims." 
 
 " Fresh victims ! Do we not lend 
 our aid to the illumination of night? 
 Do we not kindle fires that are a source 
 of domestic comfort ? Is it not our 
 spark that lights the furnaces of science, 
 and invokes the grand element by which 
 the engines of commerce are set in 
 motion ? In your day the world was 
 half asleep, and yourself a fitting emblem 
 of its drowsiness. Click, click, went 
 flint and steel ; then sparks darted into 
 the air, anyn-here but where they were 
 needed ; when at last one fell upon the 
 sootj' bed of tinder, then the mouth had 
 to be applied to puff it into sufficient 
 strength to ignite a match, while the 
 
By others' Vices Wise Men amend their own. 
 
 57 
 
 face of the operator became lurid with 
 the flame, and his throat imtated by 
 the fimies of sulphur, his nose becoming 
 speckled with blacks, as if a squib had 
 biirst before his face ! " 
 
 " All that you do which is useful," 
 said the Tinder-box, "I in my time 
 did. But go on and say what else you 
 do. Say that you spontaneously ignite 
 and kindle the flames of death beneath 
 the bed of the innocent sleeper; say 
 that in the warehouse of the merchant 
 you creep in among the wealth accumu- 
 lated by his enterprise, and reduce his 
 heaped-up stores to ashes ; say that j-ou 
 lie about the thoroughfares of the house- 
 hold, and flash fire under the footfall of 
 parent or child ; say that in streets and 
 railway carriages j'ou recklessly fling 
 your fizzing atoms, setting in flames the 
 robes of women, and scorching holes in 
 the clothes of men ; and say that, like 
 snakes, with venom in their heads, you 
 poison little children who, attracted by 
 yom- looks, make you their playthings." 
 
 This was pretty forcible language, 
 coming from the old Tinder-box ; and if 
 the "scrape" which the Lucife*- had 
 got into had been a literal instead of a 
 flgnrative one, he would have ignited. 
 But ho remained quiescent for a time, 
 and then somewhat respectfully ad- 
 dressed tlie old Tinder-box : — " Father, 
 we are not so bad as we seem. We are 
 but servants, subject to control. If 
 misdirected and mismanaged by our 
 employers, we, like other servants, take 
 liberties and engage in mischief, instead 
 of perfonning our lawful duties. Per- 
 haps the spiiit of improvement which 
 caused you to be superseded may yet in- 
 troduce something to modify the dangers 
 of which you speak. Already something 
 has been accomplished in this way by 
 the introduction of matches which do 
 not unite all the elements of ignition in 
 one substance, a part of them being 
 embodied in the match, and another in 
 the paper upon the box to which the 
 match is applied. Thus neither can 
 well ignite without the other, and a 
 greater degree of safety is therefore 
 attained." 
 
 "Ah! ha!" exclaimed Tinder-box, 
 
 "that's reverting back to my old form. 
 "Without flint and steel there could be 
 no spark ; without tinder the spark 
 would be of non-eflect, and without an 
 act of will on the part of the operator a 
 light could not be struck ; therefore 
 dangers were diminished. But now, to 
 show you that I bear no prejudice 
 against matters of progressive improve- 
 ment, I will sing you a song as appli- 
 cable to yourself as to me : — 
 
 If you are given to proud aspiration, 
 Pursue your own way, leave your neigh- 
 bours alone ; 
 Some of your brethren may seek admira- 
 tion; 
 Hinder not their course, but 'strike on 
 your own!' 
 
 Envy and malice the world's peace con- 
 suming ; 
 Brighter the day when good-will shall be 
 known ; 
 Instead of to cure others' failingsprcsuming, 
 Alore certain your aim if j'ou ' strike on 
 your own ! ' 
 
 Every one's mind some life-sparks should 
 render ; 
 Every one's breast should to love's warmth 
 be prone ; 
 The greater the honour, and richer the 
 splendour, 
 If, delving heart-treasures, you ' strike ou 
 your own ! ' 
 
 Here a bell rung; it was answered 
 by the servant going to the drawing- 
 room. "Mary," said the housewife, 
 " where are the lucifers ? it is getting 
 dark, and time that the gas should be 
 Ut." Mary ran up and do'mi stairs, 
 but nowhere could she find the matches. 
 The bell rang again, and Maiy vc^% at 
 last compelled to admit that not long 
 ago she had used the matches, but had 
 no recollection where she had placed 
 them. " Think, Mary," said the house- 
 wife, "of aU. the apartments in the 
 house where you have lately been, and 
 search them carefully." Following this 
 instruction, Mary, in course of time, 
 found her way to the coal-cellar, and by 
 a faint gleam which just eualuod her 
 to discern a small light-coloured object 
 lying upon a dark body, she discovered 
 the box of matches Ij^ig half open, in 
 the midst of the old tinder-box. The 
 gas was at length lit, but not before the 
 
58 Proud Looks lose Hcaiis, but Courteous IVords 7vin them. 
 
 master of tlie house had returned from 
 the City and complained of the want of 
 light. It was a singular coincidence 
 that, having frequently noticed the care- 
 lessness of servants in the use of matches, 
 he had on this very day brought home 
 half a dozen tin boxes, to be nailed to 
 the wall in those parts of the hoiise 
 where matches were most commonly 
 needed, so that they might not be carried 
 loosely about and left in situations that 
 might lead to danger. Among other 
 admonitions addressed to the servant, 
 the master said that several large fii-ms 
 in England produce 10,000,000 of 
 matches daily ; that every single match 
 possessed within itself a latent power 
 for good or evU— a terrible power of 
 evil, an important element of good ; but 
 the good or evil depended upon careful 
 and proper use. That the matches 
 piirchased of venders in the streets, and 
 miscalled "charity matches," are the 
 most dangerous, since they consist of 
 the refuse produce of manufacturers, 
 the ingredients being badly mixed and 
 highly inflammable ; they are, therefore, 
 sold to street hawkers at a cheap rate, 
 either withoTit the maker's names being 
 attached, or with a false label used as a 
 disguise. That phosphorus is liable to 
 spontaneous ignition at a very low tem- 
 perature, and that it is also a powerful 
 poison, many childi-en having lost their 
 lives by putting the phosphoric ends 
 of matches into their mouths. 
 
 The precautions thus indicated should 
 be carefully and constantly observed in 
 every household, — and it will be foimd 
 that our article, commenced with sim- 
 plicity, has led to the suggestion of the 
 " Best Life Preserver," the " Best Fire 
 Escape," the "Best Humane Society," 
 
 through THE PREVENTION OF CALAMITY 
 J i' THE EXEIICISE OF PRUDENCE. 
 
 To take out Iron-mould 
 or Ink Stains froni Linen. 
 
 — Place the linen over a basin contain- 
 ing boiling Avater, strain it tight, and 
 wet the stain with water ; then carefully 
 drop on it a few drops of diluted spirit of 
 salt from a feather or hair pencil ; Avash 
 carefully in clean water when the stain 
 has disappeared ; or use the common 
 
 salt of lemon, to be had at any che- 
 mist's. A more convenient mode of 
 removing the stain is to use an ink ex- 
 tractor, which costs but sixpence, and 
 takes out the mark perfectly, without 
 any detriment to the Unen. 
 
 A simple method of removing stains 
 from linen is this : — Dip the linen in 
 sour buttermilk and dry it in a hot sun ; 
 then wash it in cold water and dry it 
 two or three times a day. 
 
 Coaguline is the best prepara- 
 tion for cementing every description of 
 article. It is applied in the simplest 
 manner, and is possessed of an extraor- 
 dinary tenacity. Coaguline may be used 
 most effectually in repairing plates, 
 mugs, lamp-glasses, cabinet ware,papier- 
 mache, statuary, and plaster models. 
 It can be procured at 6d. per bottle, and 
 should be used in every household. 
 
 The Game of La Crosse. 
 — This game, which has been known 
 in Canada from time immemorial, Avas 
 introduced into this country by the 
 American Indians, who appeared at the 
 Crystal Palace in 1867. As a form of 
 athletic exercise, as well as a most in- 
 teresting game, it is not only equal but 
 superior to many of our most popular 
 gymnastic sports. It is easily described. 
 Goals are fixed upon, as in the game of 
 football, at distances from 150 to 200 
 yards apart. The "field" consists of 
 twelve players on each side, and these 
 are spread over the space to be played 
 upon as goal keepers. The ball, which 
 is about the size of a billiard ball, is 
 thrown from the centre of the field, and 
 the player must scoop it from the 
 ground with his "crosse," and carry it 
 at full speed to the goal ; the adversary, 
 however, makes it his business to strike 
 the ball from his opponent's crosse with 
 his own ; the player, too, has the power 
 to throAV the ball from his crosse to- 
 M'ards his goal. 
 
 Such of our readers as have not 
 seen the game played may readily 
 imagine how much activity and address 
 it demands. The surface of the crosse 
 is quite flat, nevertheless the ball 
 must be kept on it while the player is 
 running at full speed, or discharged 
 
IV/iat arihiitly ice JVis/i, 7oe soon Believe. 
 
 59 
 
 from its sm-face towards the goal. The 
 admirable exercise which this game af- 
 fords, the maimer in which it tends to 
 strengthen and develop the muscles, the 
 dexterity to which it leads, and the sin- 
 gular graces of figure and attitude it 
 frequently calls forth, all combine to 
 render it likely that La Crosse will ere 
 long become one of the best and most 
 popular of our outdoor games. 
 
 "Whist. — In the following account 
 of this celebrated game, which, by spe- 
 cial permission of Messrs. De la llue 
 and Co., is partly abridged from the ad- 
 mirable Treatise on Whist by " Caven- 
 dish," we think it desii-able to take it 
 for granted that the reader is not unac- 
 quainted with the elementary principles 
 of whist. We shall, therefore, set forth 
 as succinctly as possible the laws of the 
 game, adding some hints and maxims 
 likely to be useful. 
 
 The Laws of Whist.— The follow- 
 ing particulars must be observed : — 
 
 1. The liuBiiEii is the best of three 
 games, and if the same plaj-ers win the 
 tirst two games, the thiid is unneces- 
 sary. 
 
 2. Scoring. A game consists of five 
 points, and each trick above six counts 
 one point. Honours are the ace, king, 
 queen, and knave of trumps. Holding 
 the four hono\n-s entitles a player to 
 score four points ; three honours give 
 him a right to score two points ; if, 
 however, he and his partner hold only 
 two honours they do not score. 
 
 3. Cutting. The ace is the lowest 
 card. Each must cut from the same 
 pack, and if a player exposes more than 
 one card he must cut again. 
 
 4. The Table. In forming the table 
 the players are selected by cutting, if 
 there be more than four candidates. 
 The four who cut the lowest cards play 
 first, and they cut to decide on part- 
 ners ; the lowest two play against the 
 highest two. The lowest is dealer ; he 
 has the right to choose cards and seats, 
 and must abide by any choice he 
 makes. 
 
 5. Cauds of equal value. If two 
 plaj'crs cut cards of equal value, thej^ 
 must cut again to decide who deals. 
 
 unless the two cards are the highest 
 two. 
 
 6. Shuffling. The pack must 
 neither be shuffled so as to show any 
 card, nor must it be shuffled below the 
 table, nor during the play of the hand, 
 nor by dealing it into packets, nor across 
 the table. 
 
 7. The Deal. Each player takes 
 his turn in dealing. In certain cir- 
 cumstances, such as the discovery of an 
 error or mistake, a new deal becomes 
 requisite. 
 
 8. Cutting out. If at the end of a 
 rubber admission be claimed, the person 
 or persons who have played the greater 
 number of consecutive rubbers are out ; 
 if aU are equal in that respect the de- 
 cision must be made by cutting, and 
 the highest ai-e out. 
 
 9. The Thump Card. When it is 
 the dealer's tirni to play to the first 
 trick, he should take the tnmip card 
 into his hand ; it is liable to be called 
 if left on the table after the first trick 
 is turned and quitted. It cannot be 
 asked for after the dealer has taken it 
 into his hand. If he takes it into his 
 hand before it is his tui-n to play he 
 may be desired to lay it on the table ; 
 if he show a wrong card this card may 
 be called, and then a second and third, 
 &c., till the trump card is produced. 
 
 10. C.\RDS liable to be called are 
 such as ai'e exposed, and cards are so 
 named under various circumstances, 
 viz., if exhibited accidentally to other 
 players ; if two or more played at once ; 
 if a card be di'opped on the table face 
 upwards, &c. 
 
 11. EiiuoH IN I'LAY. If the third hand 
 play before the second, the fourth may 
 play before his partner ; and if the third 
 hand have not played and the fourth 
 play before his partner, the latter may 
 be called on to win or not to win 
 the trick. 
 
 12. The Eevoke. This is that a 
 player holding one or more cards of 
 the suit led, plays a card of a dif- 
 ferent suit ; the penalty for this is that 
 the adversaries shall at the end of the 
 hand either take thi-ee tricks from the 
 revoking player, or deduct three points 
 
6o 
 
 Learning by Study must be won. 
 
 from Lis score, or add three to their 
 own score. 
 
 Technical Terms in Whist. — 
 
 1. To COMMAND A SUIT IS to hold in 
 it winning cards sufficient to make every 
 trick. 
 
 2. A LONG SUIT is one wliicli is 
 numerically strong. 
 
 3. To UENOUNCE is not to follow 
 suit, and the card played in renouncing 
 is called the discard. 
 
 4. A SEQUENCE is a succession of 
 cards in their playing order. 
 
 5. Tenace. a player is said to have 
 a tenace Avhen he holds the best and the 
 third Ijfst cards. 
 
 6. A riNESSE is an endeavour by the 
 second or third player, by heading a 
 trick with an inferior card, to obtain or 
 keep the command of a suit. 
 
 7. A CROss-RUFF is the alternate 
 trumping by partners of different suits. 
 
 8. A FORCING CARD is that which 
 compels one of the players to trump in 
 order to win the trick. 
 
 9. Plain suits are not trumps. 
 General Rules and Maxims in 
 
 Whist. — 1. Strong suits are those in 
 which the plaj^er holds more than the 
 average of high cards, and those in 
 which he holds more than an average 
 number of cards. 2. The player ought 
 to lead from his strongest suit, and that 
 which is the most eligible is the suit 
 which combines both the sources of 
 strength referred to. 3. A Aveak suit 
 is to be led from only when the pre- 
 vious fall of the cards indicates that 
 perseverance in your own or your part- 
 ner's strong suit is not judicious. 4. 
 When obliged to open a suit containing 
 at most three cards, lead the highest. 
 5. In leading from a weak suit, do not 
 lead a suit from M-hich your partner 
 has throA^Ti away, nor one from which 
 your left-hand adversary has thrown 
 away, nor a suit which your right-hand 
 adversary has abstained fi'om throwing 
 away. 6. Lead the highest of a se- 
 quence if the sequence heads 3^our suit, 
 and the lowest if it does not. 7. Avoid 
 changing your lead from one suit to 
 another. If yon lose the lead and after- 
 wards regain it, pursue your first lead. 
 
 8. Lead the winning card, if you have 
 it, after the first round of a suit. If 
 you remain with the second and 
 third best, lead the second best; in 
 other cases continue with your lowest. 
 
 9. Return your partner's lead imless 
 your own suit combines the two kinds 
 of strength already referred to. 10. In 
 returning j'our adversary's lead choose 
 a suit in which the fourth hand is weak 
 rather than one in which the second 
 hand is strong ; if you have but two of 
 the suit left in your hand return the 
 highest, if more than two the lowest. 
 
 Practical Hints ON Whist. — 1. In 
 dealing, j^oint the cards downwards. 
 2. In sorting the cards, give no clue to 
 the contents of your hand. 3. Do not 
 let your hand be overlooked. 4. In 
 playing, have no hesitation, otherwise 
 you may direct your opponent's, or 
 expose your hand. 5. If your partner 
 does not follow suit, ask him the usual 
 question. 6. Play your game on recog- 
 nised principles. 7. Show as mucYi 
 care in playing low as in playing high 
 cards. 8. Draw your inferences from 
 the cards as they fall. If 3^011 are a 
 beginner, do not attempt too much. 
 Play for your partner's hand as well as 
 for your own, and attentively observe 
 the peculiarities of your partner and 
 the systems of those with whom j'ou 
 play. 9. In scoring, when j^ou mark 
 honours claim them in an audible man- 
 ner. Score to the right hand, and keep 
 the counters not in use on your left 
 hand. 10. Finally, although much may 
 be learnt from those who are proficients, 
 yet it is desirable to look over only one 
 hand at a time ; and bear in mind that 
 no bystander ought to make any sign 
 or remark which might declare the 
 state of the game ; that he ought not 
 to go round the table to examine the 
 various hands. In a word, whether 
 you are a player or an onlooker, act in 
 the manner most agreeable to the dic- 
 tates of good breeding, good sense, and 
 good taste. 
 
 The Game of Football.— 
 This game, wliich affords much amuse- 
 ment and abundant exercise in cold 
 weather, is sufficiently simple to be 
 
I 
 
 A Little Spark may make Much Work. 
 
 6i 
 
 easily described. An area of ground 
 about 200 yards in length by about half 
 that breadth, is marked off with flags, 
 and posts called goals are set up eight 
 yards apart. The players are divided 
 into two opposite parties, and the game 
 consists of the efforts made by the 
 members of each party to impel, by 
 kicking it, a ball suited to the pui-pose 
 towards tho goals appropriated to them- 
 selves. The baU is of india-rubber 
 inflated with aii', co^■ered with leather, 
 and about nine inches in diameter ; and 
 the goals have a tape reaching from 
 one to the other at a height of eight 
 feet fi-oni the ground. The party who 
 wins a toss obtains the choice of goals. 
 The game is commenced by a "place 
 kick " of the ball fi-om the centre of the 
 ground by the side losing the toss ; the 
 other side not liping allowed to come 
 within ten yard . ux' the ball till it is 
 kicked off. A goal is said to be won 
 when the ball is driven under the tape 
 at that particular goal. "WTien this 
 occurs the goals are changed, and the 
 losing side next kicks off the ball. No 
 player is permitted to carry the ball or 
 knock it on, or throw or pass it to 
 another player, or lift it from the groimd 
 during the game. Tlie opponents are 
 not allowed to trip, push, or hold each 
 other, or otherwise raise any obstacles 
 to the fair progress of the contest. The 
 game of football is highly popidar at 
 Eton, Harrow, Eugby, and otier great 
 public schools; and has become much 
 more general since the formation of the 
 Football Association in the metropolis. 
 
 Reniarks on Gas and its 
 Uses. — Under the term gas are com- 
 prehended various aerifoim substances 
 M-ith which the investigations of che- 
 mistry have made us acquainted ; but 
 we usually understand by the word 
 gas that species of it used for the pur- 
 pose of producing artificial light for 
 domestic and other purposes. 
 
 From a very early period mankind 
 have observed that many of the va- 
 poui's which issued fi-om the earth in 
 Tarious parts of the world were of a 
 highly inflammable natiu'e. The Chi- 
 nese, however, Avere the fii-st who at- 
 
 tempted to make any practical use of a 
 vapoiir, supposed to be naphtha, which 
 thoy conveyed into theii- houses in 
 bamboo pipes, and biu-ned by means of 
 rude clay burners. The frequent ex- 
 plosions and ignition of the gas in the 
 coal mines in Great Britain gave rise 
 to the idea that it was possible to distil 
 gas from coal which could be used for 
 illuminating pui-poscs. To a Mr. Mur- 
 dock, of Eedruth, in Cornwall, belongs 
 the honour of the first practical appli- 
 cation of this opinion. In 1790 he 
 lighted his owti house and ofiices by gas 
 distilled from coal, and conveyed through 
 pipes. In 1813 the manufactui-e of gas 
 was begun in London, and soon ex- 
 tended to all parts of the kingdom. 
 
 All substances, whether animal, vege- 
 table, or mineral, consisting of carbon, 
 hydrogen, or oxygen, produce, Avhen 
 exposed to a red heat, various elastic 
 inflammable fluids, capable of fm-nish- 
 ing artificial light. The escape of tha 
 elastic fluid called gas may be fre- 
 qiiently perceived during the bmning 
 of coal in a common fiie, by the re- 
 markably brilliant jets of flame which 
 sometimes issue from the coal when 
 heated to a certain point. These jets or 
 streams of flame proceed from the pro- 
 duction of carburetted hydi'Ogen gas 
 produced fi-om the combustible body in 
 an ignited condition. This gas, properly 
 purified from the foreign substances 
 mingled with it, forms, when propelled 
 through nrinute apei'tures, the jct3 of 
 flame called gas-lights. The piu'cr the 
 gas is, the higher is the degree of its 
 illuminating power, and the less are its 
 deleterious effects on all forms of Hfe, 
 both animal and vegetable. The heat 
 emitted by gas during its combustion is 
 very great. An invention has lately 
 been patented for generating steam for 
 manufactiuing piu-poses by gas. The 
 gas is mixed with air, and passes through 
 a disc of ■svire gauze, where the mixture 
 is ignited; the intensely hot air thus 
 generated is made to pass tlirough a 
 multitude of tubes surrounded by water. 
 In a l-horse power boiler, occupying a 
 diameter of 3 feet, a pressure of steam 
 equal to 50 pounds per square inch can 
 
62 
 
 Is Lizht not Grander than Fire ? 
 
 be generated from cold water in less than 
 half an hoiir after the gas jets have heen 
 ignited. Until the engine is started, one 
 or two of the gas jets is sufficient to keep 
 up the pressiire ; after that, the whole 
 of the jets are called into play, and the 
 pressure is maintained by simply regu- 
 lating the supply of air and gas by 
 means of an ordinary stop •cock — a 
 wonderful reduction of labour compared 
 with stocking with coal as fuel. 
 
 Gas has also been very successfully 
 used for cooking purposes. Gas stoves 
 have been so constructed that by the 
 arrangement of gratings above rows of 
 small gas jets, meat can be roasted as 
 effectually as by the aid of coal, and 
 without the meat imbibing the slightest 
 taste of gas ; baking, boiling, stewing, 
 and frying can also be performed on 
 these stoves ; and for keeping meat, 
 plates, &c., hot, in hotels and pubUe 
 dining-rooms, where a large number 
 dine at various hours, they are invalu- 
 able. 
 
 Gas Burners. — Carburetted 
 hydrogen gas requires two volumes of 
 pure oxygen for its complete combus- 
 tion, and atmospheric air contains about 
 20 per cent, of oxygen. One cubic foot 
 of gas requires ten cubic feet of atmo- 
 spheric air ; if less than this proportion 
 be admitted to the flame its brilliancy 
 will be diminished, and a quantity of 
 free carbon will escape, and be deposited 
 in the form of dense black smoke. The 
 best burners, therefore, are those which 
 present the flame to the action of the 
 atmosphere in such a manner as that 
 the carbon contained in the gas shall be 
 completely consumed. One of the best 
 forms of the single burner is that which 
 produces a thin and flat jet of gas to 
 every part of which the oxygen has 
 ready access, thus securing the greatest 
 brilliancy, and allowing the least deposit 
 of smoke. The Argand burner will af- 
 ford an illustration of the principle now 
 referred to. This form of burner con- 
 sists of a number of minute orifices 
 placed in a ring, so that a current of at- 
 mospheric air ascends both on the outer 
 and inner cu'cumference of the ring, and 
 comes in contact with the flames issu- 
 
 ing from the orifices already referred to. 
 If, however, the flame be turned on too 
 high, the aii- coming up through the 
 inner ring becomes decomposed before 
 it reaches the top of the flame, which 
 consequently burns in one undivided 
 mass; part of the gas is unconsumed, 
 its products are not converted, carbon 
 is abundantly precipitated, and the 
 amount of light greatly reduced. The 
 best burners, therefore, whether single 
 or compound, are, for the reasons stated, 
 those which admit of the gas being most 
 completely consumed, and which con- 
 sequently produce the least smoke and 
 the greatest amount of light. 
 
 There are several forms of single 
 burners. The cockspur, with three 
 jets from separate holes in it ; the fish- 
 tail, with a narrow slit through which 
 the gas escapes, and the union burner, 
 with two or more small holes ; some of 
 these are lined with a new invention 
 called "patent adamas," a siliceous 
 substance, which is not liable to corro- 
 sion or oxidation ; and the result of thia 
 quality is that the flame is always steady, 
 and the gas thoroughly consiimed. The 
 adamas is unaff'ected by any degree of 
 heat to ■which it may be subjected, and 
 is so durable that burners tipped with 
 it win last for years. 
 
 Another new invention that appears 
 to be a success is Da Costa's patent 
 burner, which has a small brass cham- 
 ber containing a wire-gauze grating 
 underneath the burner. The gas, in 
 passing through the chamber, deposits 
 the impurities on the -wire gauze, and 
 thus produces a much clearer and purer 
 light, with a less amount of gas con- 
 sumed. 
 
 Nevv^ Patent Funnel. — 
 This is a novel, ingenious, and useful 
 invention, and is a combination of 
 funnel and graduated measure. There 
 are few housekeepers who do not from 
 time to time experience some difficulty 
 in estimating the quantity by measure 
 of the Hqmds they have under treat- 
 ment. Made wines, vinegar for pick- 
 ling, and fluids not only require to be 
 correctly estimated as to quantity, but 
 when measured to be safely, and with- 
 
JP'/jie makes Love Jc ri^et its Care. 
 
 63 
 
 out -waste, poured iuto the vessel in 
 Avhich they are to be phiced. The new 
 funnel has a set of Hncs which indicate 
 by figures pints, quarts, gallons, or 
 their divisional parts. If a quart of 
 ■water has to be put into a jar or bottle, 
 the funnel is introduced in the usual 
 way and the water poured in. Instead 
 of its running through it is stopped by 
 a valve until the "quart mark" is 
 reached, M"hen the pressure of the thumb 
 on a lever fixed on the side causes a 
 cord fixed to the valve to be cba\\Ti up. 
 This allows the measured liquid to run 
 through. This very clever contrivance 
 is knoM'nas Smithurst's Patent Funnel. 
 
 How to manage Wines 
 and Beer. — All wines, particularly 
 the Hght-bodied and sparkling, require 
 to be kept on their side, and at a uni- 
 form temperature of about 55 deg. 
 
 Claret, Burgundies, and also ^^■llite 
 wines, sparkling excepted, should be 
 decanted very carefully in removing 
 them from the bin when about to be 
 used, otherwise the deposit is liable to 
 become mixed with the liquid, and the 
 flavour destroyed. Old bottled wines 
 will lose many of their properties unless 
 carefully decanted. 
 
 AVines old in bottle sho^ild be dinink 
 immediately on being decanted. If 
 allowed to remain open for any length 
 of time, the delicate aroma, so much 
 e.steemed, will bo lost, and the wine 
 becomes vapid. 
 
 All aerated waters should ha'i'e their 
 corlcs kept dam2>, and be placed cork 
 do\\•n^^■ards. 
 
 Bottled stout and ale should be placed 
 cork upwiirds; when required for use 
 they should be moved carefully, and the 
 whole poru'ed o\it without putting do\^'n 
 the bottle, otherwise the sediment will 
 be shaken into the liquor. 
 
 Draught stout or beer, when tapped, 
 if wanted for quick use, should have a 
 ]iorous vent peg put in the bung and 
 left a short time to clear ; if the draught 
 is slow, give it time to fine without 
 venting. 
 
 The liecr cellar should be lofty, drj', 
 and well ventilated ; the temperature 
 not too high, and equable. A heated 
 
 atmosphere is to be avoided, or sudden 
 draughts of air through the cellar. 
 Pale ale may be completely spoiled by 
 standing in a draught. The best tem- 
 perature for a beer cellar is about 55 to 
 60 degrees, and the nearer it can be 
 kept to this the better for its contents. 
 Keep a thermometer in the cellar, so 
 that you may always know the tem- 
 perature. 
 
 Iron Wine Bins. — The cel- 
 lular iron bins now manufactured will 
 be found most useful and economical, 
 particularly where the wine cellar is 
 smaii. Each bottle having a separate 
 place, there is less breakage, and ven- 
 tilation — which is believed to be essen- 
 tial to the ripening of wines — is im- 
 proved. The price is from three 
 shillings per dozen, but with lattice 
 door a ad locks the cost will be more. 
 
 Wine, Beer, and Spirit 
 Taps. — One of the leading difficulties 
 in the way of the attempt to tap a caslc 
 is the proper folding of the slip of 
 paper usually made use of in adapting 
 the tapered and perforated metal point 
 of the tap to the orifice in the wood 
 into whi h it has to be driven. With 
 a view to facilitate the operation of 
 barrel broaching, an india-rubber cap, 
 which fits over the point or tail of the 
 tap, has lately been invented. This cap 
 entirely supersedes the necessitj'' for 
 papering, and helps to protect the end 
 of the tube from injury. A supply of 
 these caps should be kept in the cellar. 
 
 Excelsior Tap. — This lately 
 invented contrivance is used for procur- 
 ing the contents of champagne, lemonade, 
 and other eff"ervescent liquids, without 
 drawing the cork. It is pailicularly 
 useful in the sick chamber. 
 
 The Best Vent Peg.— 
 Cockles' s self-boring vent peg may be 
 confidently recommended. Bore a hole 
 in the bung of the cask vn\h. the instru- 
 ment, pull it out to remo^'e the borings, 
 then screw the vent peg tightly in ; a 
 half-turn backwards will admit the air 
 required. When suflicient ale is drawn, 
 screw in again and tighten the peg, 
 when the cask will be perfectly air- 
 tight. The vent peg will effectually 
 
64 
 
 To be Proud of Learning is the Greatest Ignorance. 
 
 prevent the liquor from becoming flat 
 or sour. 
 
 Charcoal as an Anti- 
 septic. — It is well known that char- 
 coal possesses extraordinary powers in 
 checking decomposition, as well as in 
 rendering perfectly sweet animal sub- 
 stances which have already begun to 
 inidergo the chemical change so called. 
 Meat, either before or after it is cooked, 
 may be preserved for a considerable 
 time even in warm weather by being 
 placed in the centre of a clean earthen- 
 ware vessel, and closely surrounded 
 A'ith pieces of common charcoal. To 
 prevent the flies from " bloM'ing" the 
 meat, the vessel ought to be covered 
 with wire-gauze. Our fair readers 
 looking after this important part of 
 their housewifery, may say with the 
 humorous poet, — 
 
 " My sweetbreads thus I guard full woU, 
 And keep them from the blue ' bottell' " 
 
 Tliermo-plastic Putty. — 
 
 The glazing putty known by the above 
 name, and manufactured by SirWilKam 
 Eose & Co., is peculiarly adapted for 
 fixing the glass in roofs of greenhouses, 
 and other buildings where glass and 
 iron sash bars are used. This putty 
 hardens in a few hours, but when exposed 
 to heat sufiicient to cause expansion of 
 the glass and metal it becomes plastic. 
 On cooling again it returns to its original 
 firmness, thus preventing the loss by 
 fractures and leakage which occurs 
 where ordinary putty is used. 
 
 Condy's Patent Fluid. — 
 Every family possessing dogs, singing 
 birds, and other domestic favourites, 
 should keep a supply of this valuable 
 substance. For distempers in dogs, mix 
 a tablespoonful of the fluid in a pint of 
 water, and apply by means of a syringe 
 to the animal's nose, also administer in 
 small doses in its diink, and sprinkle 
 about its haimches. A few drops of 
 the fluid in water, to the extent of 
 commiuiicating a shght tinge of pink, 
 will aid in preserving the health of cage 
 birds, which are apt to sufl'er from im- 
 pure drink. Condy's fluid is generally 
 valuable for the treatment of animals 
 Buffering from disease, for coiniteract- 
 
 ing the imwholesomeness of places in 
 which they are kept, and for overcoming 
 blight in vegetation, and foulness or 
 mustiness in food and provender. 
 
 Ground Rice Milk. — Eub a 
 spoonful of grormd rice very smooth in 
 a little cold milk ; add to it three half- 
 pints of milk, some nutmeg, cinnamon, 
 and lemon peel ; boil all together for a 
 quarter of an hour, and sweeten to taste. 
 
 Chicken Panada.— Boil the 
 fowl in a quart of water tiU about 
 three parts done ; take off the skin, cut 
 the white meat off Avhen cold ; pound 
 it in a mortar to a paste with a little of 
 the water it ■n^as boiled in, season with 
 a little salt, a httle nutmeg, and a very 
 small bit of lemon peel. Boil for a few 
 minutes to such a consistency as you 
 approve. This contains much nourish- 
 ment in small bulk. 
 
 Liebig's Extract of Meat 
 affords great facility and indeed great 
 economy in making beef tea. The ex- 
 tract is sold in small jars in a highly 
 concentrated state. A small half-tea- 
 spoonful dissolved in half a pint of boil- 
 ing hot water, flavoured with a little 
 salt, wiU produce excellent beef tea 
 at about one quarter of the expense and 
 a tenth of the trouble attendant on pre- 
 paring the beef tea with beef bought at 
 the butcher's ; but many invalids dislike 
 the pecuhar bm-nt taste of the extract. 
 To obviate this, mix the extract with 
 weak beef tea made in the ordinary 
 manner, and put into it a small quantity 
 of essence of celery, or tie up in a small 
 bit of muslin some celery seed, and 
 boil it with the beef tea. This will 
 give the mixture a most agreeable 
 flavoiu". 
 
 To Reniove Grease from 
 Stone Steps or Passages. 
 — Pour strong soda and water boiling 
 hot over the spot, lay on it a little > 
 fuller' s-earth made into a thin paste 
 with boiling water, let it remain aU 
 night, and if the grease be not removed, 
 repeat the process. Grease is sometimes 
 taken out by rubbing the spot with a 
 hard stone (not hearthstone), using 
 sand and very hot water with soap and 
 soda. 
 
A Wet and Windy May Jills the Barn uitJi Corn and Hay. 6 = 
 
 May-day. 
 
 No more on Englisli village green, 
 The gaudy, nower-dccked May-polo 
 stands ; 
 No more, to greet the May-day dawn, 
 Trooji lads and maidens in merry 
 bauds. 
 There were fairy charms in the meshes 
 of dew 
 That lay on the heath like a silver net, 
 And if fair was the maiden's blush, the 
 bath 
 Of that magic dew made it fairer 5-et. 
 
 The lover gave, of the hawthorn blooms, 
 To his sweetheart, a spray — and she 
 saw with a start. 
 That liis faith was the white of the 
 fragrant flower, 
 And his warm, true love was the red 
 of its heart. 
 But "the worldisoldand is evernew" — 
 And what to me are those fancies of 
 yore ? 
 This May sun shines brighter than 
 e'er sun shone, 
 And /love as lover ne'er loved before! 
 
 "When last I came by Ilarrowbie Ilill 
 The woods were black, the hedges 
 were bare, 
 And only the pale anemone gleamed 
 
 Above the red leaves that fell last year. 
 Loud sang the lark o'er the fallow Held, 
 
 The herald of sunnier days to be, 
 And the love in my heart was but 
 trembling hope 
 For the fuller joy that might come to 
 me. 
 
 But green are the Ilarrowbie glades 
 to-daj% 
 And the star of the woodruff scents 
 the air, 
 And the love that timidly lurked in my 
 heart 
 Now reigns in happiest empire there ! 
 Then hushed be thy song of Hope, 
 lark ! 
 For simset's broad banner is wide 
 unfurled, 
 And the nightingale sings with his 
 breast on the thorn 
 The sad-sweet Love-Music of all the 
 world! D. MuRKAY Smith. 
 
 The Month of May, 
 
 "Then came fair May, the faj-rest mayde on 
 ground, 
 Dcckt all with dainties of her seasou'a 
 prydc, 
 And throwing Dowers out of her lap around." 
 Spenser. 
 
 The Komans initiated the opening of 
 the month of May with their floral 
 games, which began in the end of 
 April and continued until after May- 
 day; it is probable that our English 
 custom of celebrating the first of May 
 dates back to the time when the 
 Eomans held the sway in this island. 
 The raising of the May-pole is still 
 observed in many of our villages, and 
 has been a fertile theme both for pen 
 and pencil. Who can forget the thrilling 
 poem in which our Poet Laureate has 
 immortalized the " Queen of the Jlay" ? 
 Tennyson, however, has but followed 
 in the steps of his elder brethren, from 
 Chaucer, the father of English poetry, 
 down to the present time, as almost 
 every poet who has written on pastoral 
 subjects mentions the May-day customs 
 and revels, in which formerly it was con- 
 sidered proper for the king and queen, 
 as well as the coi-poration of London, to 
 join, and go "a-Maying." 
 
 The hawthorn, the " May" of poetry, 
 is now in full beauty, and with its white 
 and pink blossoms perfumes the hedge- 
 rows. The early wild flowers are in great 
 profusion ; the buttercup and daisy, with 
 their white and golden flowers, relieve the 
 deep green of the meadows. The woods 
 ore full of various kinds of wild gera- 
 niums, wood-sorrel, wood-anemones, red 
 and white campions, and in marshy spots 
 may be foimd those most curious-look- 
 ing plants, the bee and butterfly orchis. 
 The nightingale begins his song in May, 
 and the other song-birds are busy in 
 hatching and feeding their yoimg ones, 
 who begin to peep out of their nests 
 about this time. On sunny days bril- 
 liant butterflies dart about in all direc- 
 tions, dazzling the eye with their gor- 
 geous colours ; the red admiral, peacock, 
 tortoiseshell, and others equally beau- 
 tiful, seek theii- food, perched like gems 
 on the opening blossoms. 
 
66 
 
 A^o Weather is III if the Wind be Still. 
 
 The Saxons called May Tri-milclii, 
 or the month when coavs are milked 
 thrice a day. The weather during this 
 month is usually variable, and east 
 ■winds prevail, particularly in the early 
 part of it. The superstition common all 
 over Europe that May is an unlucky 
 month to be married in dates back to 
 the time of the Romans. 
 Cook's Calendar for May. 
 
 Fish in Season. — Turbot, halibut, 
 brill, salmon, trout, sturgeon, haddock, 
 herring, plaice, soles, whiting, carp, 
 eels, perch, mullet, flounders, mackerel, 
 gurnards, skate, smelts, tench, dabs, 
 dory, crabs, lobsters, praAvns, crayfish, 
 shrimps. 
 
 Meat in Season. — Beef, veal, mut- 
 ton, grass lamb, house lamb, pork. 
 
 Poultry and Game in Season. — 
 Chickens, ducklings, fowls, green geese, 
 pigeons, wild ducks, leverets, rabbits. 
 
 Vegetaeles in Season. — Asparagus, 
 rhubarb, Iddney beans, peas, radishes, 
 artichokes, cabbage, cauliflowers, cu- 
 cumbers, salads of various sorts, new 
 potatoes, seakale, spinach, onions, tur- 
 nips, parsley, and herbs of all kinds. 
 Strawberries, early apricots, early 
 peaches, can be had forced in hothouses. 
 
 Gardener's Calendar for 
 May. 
 
 " Be it weal or be it woe, 
 Ueaiis blow before May dotli go." 
 
 The weeds nourished by the genial 
 April weather will now almost rival the 
 vegetables in the rapidity of their 
 growth ; they must be carefully pulled 
 up, and the beds kept clear for the 
 young crops. Keep asparagus beds 
 well open. Hoe up beans, peas, endive, 
 lettuces, and cabbages. Thin leeks, 
 onions, carrots, parsnips, turnips, and 
 beet. Plant out celery, brocoli, cab- 
 bages, 'cauliflowers, cucumbers, capsi- 
 cums, vegetable marrows, and all plants 
 of the gourd kind. Sow peas, beans, 
 salad, red and white radishes, spinach, 
 &c., for a succession of crops. Sow 
 herbs for winter use. Attend to the 
 removal of superfluous buds, and insects 
 from fruit-trees. Remove useless 
 branches and shoots. Water straw- 
 
 berries. In the flower-garden the bed- 
 ding out of plants should be proceeded 
 with as quickly as may be. All bulbs 
 that have done flowering should be 
 taken up, dried, and laid by. Fuchsias, 
 calceolarias, and hard geraniums may 
 he planted out along with verbenas of 
 various colours to form pretty contrasts 
 in the beds. Stir the earth about pinks 
 and carnations, and tie up the stems to 
 sticks to support the blossoms. Plant 
 out dahlias, pansies, and chiysanthe- 
 mums. Sow sweet-peas and other 
 annuals for a succession ; sow mignon- 
 ette in every spare comer ; nothing 
 yields such a delightful perfume, or for 
 so long a time. Sow biennials and 
 perennials generally during this month. 
 Watch the rose trees carefully, they are 
 sure to be attacked by aphides, and 
 must be smoked with tobacco to destroy 
 them. The grass must be mown weekly 
 and rolled ; gravel walks should be kept 
 neatly swept and rolled, and the flower- 
 beds raked frequently. 
 
 To Prevent the Ravages 
 of Insects upon Trees and 
 Flowers. — The following plan has 
 been recommended as most efficient for 
 this purpose : — Mix nine parts of water 
 with one part of French vinegar, and 
 sprinkle the mixture over the flower- 
 beds by means of a watering-pot or 
 syringe with a fine rose. 
 
 Broiling.— General Remarks. 
 — This is an excellent method of pre- 
 paring animal food. It appears to be 
 merely a variation of the process of 
 roasting, and yet the effect is by no 
 means exactly similar. In roasting and 
 baking some considerable time is re- 
 quired to form an incrustation on the 
 surface of the meat ; but in broiling a 
 brisk heat applied to it quickly frees 
 the external fibres from their juices, 
 and a crisp coating of fibre and fat is 
 soon produced. This coating or crust 
 prevents the escape of the juices from 
 the interior of the meat, and as they 
 are more rapidly expanded than in the 
 slower process of roasting, they neces- 
 sarily produce a much more rapid sepa- 
 ration of the fibres from the brmdles 
 of which they are composed. The 
 
The Useful and the Beautiful are never apart. 
 
 67 
 
 eflfect thus produced is, stiictly speak- 
 ing, mechanical ; and it ■would appear 
 that the chemical combination which 
 occurs in roasting does not take place, 
 at least to the same extent ; for broiled 
 meat is found to contain more uncoagu- 
 lated albumen, gelatine, and other 
 chemical substances than if it had been 
 either roasted or boiled. For this reason 
 broiled meat is more juicy and palatable 
 than when roasted. It ought, there- 
 fore, to be more wholesome and nutri- 
 tious. For restoring the strength of 
 invalids it is the best mode in which 
 animal food can be dressed, not only 
 because it is thereby rendered easy of 
 digestion, but because the juices of the 
 meat undergo so slight an alteration 
 that comparatively little effort remains 
 to be made in the laboratory of nature 
 to convert them into chyle. 
 
 Broiled Eump Steaks. — These 
 steaks ought always to be taken from 
 the best part of the rump of beef, M'hich 
 should be kept long enough to be per- 
 fectly tender. As the meat may not 
 yield sufficient gravy, this can be sup- 
 plied by broiling a thick piece of gravy 
 -beef, which, sprinlcled with salt and 
 scored with a knife, will j)roJuce a suf- 
 ficient quantity of gravy. Add to this 
 gravy two tablespoonfuls of mushroom 
 catsup made warm in it, small bits of 
 butter laid over the steak, and if Kked 
 a finely minced shalot. 
 
 Broiled Veal Cutlets. — Cut the 
 pieces of veal of an equal thiclmess ; 
 dip them into beaten egg, and sprinkle 
 them with chopped herbs, parsley, mush- 
 rooms, grated lemon peel, and crumbs 
 of bread ; broil them to a fine brown 
 colour. Make a sauce of butter and 
 flour melted brown, moistened A^dth 
 veal gravy; put into it some button 
 mushrooms, and pour the sauce hot over 
 the cutlets. Slices of bacon should be 
 placed round the dish, and lemon juice 
 can be added if required at table. 
 
 Broiled Mutton Chops. — The 
 chops should be cut from the loin. 
 Pepper slightly, and put them on 
 the gridiron over a clear fire. Use a 
 pair of tongs in turning over, and 
 when sufficiently done put them in a 
 
 hot water dish, sprinlde with salt, and 
 lay on them small bits of butter. Care 
 should be taken to serve hot. Avoid 
 sticking a fork into them, or the gravy 
 will escape. 
 
 Broiled Fowl. — Slit the fowl down 
 the back, and score to the bone all the 
 thicker parts, as the thighs and breast, 
 in order to its being all equally done. 
 Brush over the inside and the places 
 scored with catsup and pepper, and 
 broil over a clear fire. A sauce should 
 be made of butter and flour melted 
 brown, into which, when taken from 
 the fire, should be put. capers or button 
 mushrooms. This is usually called a 
 " spatch-cock," or "despatch cock," 
 from the short time it takes to cook. 
 
 Broiled Partridges. — Cut them in 
 half, dip them in butter previously 
 melted, and cover them thickly with 
 crumbs of bread. A quarter of an hour 
 ought to be sufficient to cook them over 
 a clear fire. 
 
 Broiled Rabbits. — They must be 
 split down the middle and laid flat on 
 the gridiron. The inside ought to bo 
 previously seasoned with pepper and 
 salt. The sauce served with them may 
 be made M'ith the liver chopped fine 
 M'ith parsley and melted butter. 
 
 Broiled Salmon. — The slices of 
 salmon to be broiled ought to be half 
 an inch in thickness. Rub the grid- 
 iron with lard, and let the fire be 
 cleai'. To make the salmon steaks very 
 savoury and nice, lay the slices the day 
 before using in a deep dish, and put 
 over them the following composition : — 
 Mix in a cup two tablespoonfuls of good 
 vinegar, one of Worcester sauce, two 
 of mushroom catsup, on© of moist 
 sugar, one small teaspoonful of salt, 
 and half a teaspoonful of ground pepper. 
 When about to cook, wrap each slice in 
 well oiled or buttered paper, and HJroil. 
 
 Baking Meat. — General Re- 
 marks. — This method of cooking, al- 
 though inferior to broiling or ron =trng, 
 is nevertheless superior to the process 
 of frying. Baked meat, when carefully 
 done, is sufficiently wholesome for occa- 
 sional use. It must be kept in view, 
 however, that in the process of baking 
 
68 
 
 Speech is the Gift of All, but Thought of Feic. 
 
 . — d- 
 
 strain it, and put it again intO(,(j j 
 saucepan. Add butter rolled in flour, 
 the brains and sage chopped fine, a 
 spoonful of catsup, and two spoonfuls of 
 red wine. Boil the whole for a minute, 
 and pour it over the head in the dish. 
 
 Calf's Heart Baked. — A calf's 
 heart, cleaned and stuffed like a bul- 
 lock's heart, is extremely good baked 
 in a good gravy. Sheep's hearts may 
 also be cooked in the same way. 
 
 Frying. — General Remarks. — 
 This is one of the worst methods of 
 cookery that can be adopted. It cannot 
 be accomplished without the aid of oil 
 or fat, which beyond question tends to 
 render the meat very indigestible. It 
 is no less injurious to vegetables. As 
 an example of this it may be stated 
 that the potato when fried becomes 
 waxy in its texture, and often produces 
 derangement of the stomach in healthy 
 and vigorous persons. As it is requisite, 
 however, to give instructions for this 
 mode of cooking, we submit the follow- 
 ing as most suitable : — 
 
 To Fry Beefsteaks. — Fry them 
 over a brisk fire in butter, and when 
 done and of a good light brown, put 
 them in a dish before the fire. Then 
 take half a pint of hot gravy, and put 
 it into the pan with pepper and salt, 
 and two or three shalots chopped fine. 
 Boil it for two or three minutes, and 
 pour it over the steaks. Garnish with 
 horseradish. 
 
 To Fry Veal Cutlets. — Cut them 
 from the fillet in neat small pieces about 
 half an inch in thickness. Dip them 
 into the well-beaten yolk of an egg; 
 spriiilde them over with bread crumbs, 
 sweet herbs chopped small, and grated 
 lemon peel, and fry them in butter to 
 a light brown. When done, pour out 
 the butter, and make gravy in the pan 
 with warm water or broth, adding a 
 little lemon juice and mushroom catsup, 
 and thicken with flour and butter ; lay 
 mashed potatoes in the centre of the 
 dish, and the cutlets round it. 
 
 To Fry Mutton Ciiors. — Turn the 
 chops in the pan frequently, and when 
 done remove them to a hot dish, and 
 pour away the fat in the pan. Boil 
 
 the vapour exhaled from the meat does 
 not escape as in roasting ; there is like- 
 ^^'ise a much greater retention of the 
 oleaginous juices of the meat in a state 
 Avhich renders the food less nutritious, 
 as well as less digestible. 
 
 Baked Rump of Beef. — Cut out the 
 bone and break it, beat the flesh with 
 a rolling pin ; season with pepper, salt, 
 and cloves, and lard the meat across. 
 Put the meat into an earthen pan, with 
 the broken bones, somebutter, bay leaves, 
 whole pepper, one or two shalots, and 
 sM'cct herlis ; cover it close, and place 
 it in the o^cn ; it will require six hours 
 to bake. Skim off the fat, dish the 
 meat, and serve with di'ied sippets and 
 its own liquor. 
 
 Baked I-eg of Beef. — Cut the meat 
 off and break the bones. Put them all 
 into an earthen pan with two onions, 
 and a bvrndlo of sweet herbs, and season 
 with -whole pepper, cloves, and blades 
 of mace. Cover it with water, tie the 
 top close with brown paper, and put it 
 in the oven. When done, take out the 
 pieces of meat, lay them in a dish, and 
 retium them to the oven to keep hot. 
 Skim off the fat, and strain the liquor, 
 pick out the bones and sinews, and put 
 them in a saucepan Math a little of the 
 gravy, and butter rolled in flour. When 
 hot pour it into the dish with the meat. 
 
 To Bake Ox Cheek. — This is to be 
 done in the same way as recommended 
 for leg of beef; and if the liquor be too 
 rich it may be reduced with boiling 
 water. 
 
 To Bake Calf's Head. — Clean it 
 carefully, and put it into a large earthen 
 dish, laying it on iron skewers placed 
 across the top of the dish. Grate some 
 nutmeg over the head, mth sweet herbs 
 chopped small, pepper and salt, crumbs 
 of bread, and a little lemon peel. Flour 
 it, placing some pieces of butter over 
 it, and put it into the oven. Put into 
 the dish a bunch of sweet herbs, an 
 onion, a blade of mace, some whole 
 pepper, two cloves, and a pint of water. 
 Boil the brains with sage. When done, 
 lay the head on a dish before the fire ; 
 then put into a saucepan the gravy which 
 has drained into the dish. When boiled, 
 
Advise not whal is Pleasant, but what is Useful. 
 
 69 
 
 ^ ^.^ ill it a few tablespoonfuls of brotli or 
 warm water, with a tablespoonful of 
 mushroom catsup, or any other sauce 
 with a good flavour, and when hot pour 
 it into the dish with the chops. 
 
 Mutton cutlets may be dressed in 
 the same way as veal cutlets, and served 
 with tomato sauce. 
 
 To Fry Lamb Chops. — Trim neatly 
 some chops from the loin, and season 
 them with a little pepper; wet them 
 with yolk of egg, and cover them with 
 grated bread, marjoram, thyme, parsley, 
 and lemon peel finely chopped and 
 mixed together. Fry the chops of a light 
 brown. Garnish with crisp parsley. 
 
 To Fry Sausages. — In addition to 
 the usual method of frying sausages, 
 take six apples, and slice four of them ; 
 cut the remaining two into quarters, 
 taking out the cores. Fry the slices 
 with the sausages till of a nice light 
 brown. When done, put the sausages 
 in the middle of the dish and the sliced 
 apples round them. Garnish with the 
 quartered apples. 
 
 To Fry Chickens. — Cut them into 
 quarters, rub them with yolk of egg, 
 and cover them with crumbs of bread, 
 pepper, salt, grated nutmeg, lemon peel, 
 and chopped parsley. Fry them in but- 
 ter, and when done put them on a dish 
 before the fire. Thicken some gravy 
 with flour, adding a little cayenne pep- 
 per, some mushroom catsup, and lemon 
 juice, and pour it over the chickens. 
 
 To Fry Haddock. — Skin the fish, 
 cover it with bread crumb and egg, 
 seasoned with salt and pepper, and fry 
 with boiling lard or butter. 
 
 To Fry Soles. — Beat up two eggs 
 and a little salt, rub it over the fish, 
 and sift on it some bread crumbs. Fry 
 to a light brown. If the soles are large 
 and thick, divide them into two or three 
 pieces, or score them to the bone. 
 
 To Fry Skate. — Divide the pieces 
 of skate, and dry them on a cloth ; beat 
 the white and yolk of an egg thoroughly, 
 and dip the pieces of fish into it, and 
 then into bread crumbs. Fry in hot 
 lard or oil tUl of a fine brown ; garnish 
 with crisp parsley, and serve with caper 
 sauce with an anchovy in it. 
 
 To Fry Mackerel. — Divide the 
 fish into pieces ; remove tlie skin ; dip 
 them in beaten egg ; sticw on them 
 chopped parsley and bread crumbs, and 
 fry them. For sauce melt some butter 
 •with a little flour, put into it the roes 
 of the fish, pounded ; season with salt 
 and cayenne, and a little catsup, and 
 pour it hot over the fish. 
 
 If mackerel are quite fresh when 
 bought, they are very delicious cooked 
 in the following manner: — Split the 
 fish down the back, clean it, and wash 
 in salt and water ; lay it in a dish with 
 the skin downwards, sprinkle it thickly 
 over with pepper and salt, and lay in a 
 cool place. Fry with a quantity of 
 butter or oil, and serve with fried 
 parsley. 
 
 Vegetable Food. — General 
 Remarks. — This subject is intimately 
 associated with that of cookery, and 
 merits the attention not only of those 
 immediately interested in culinary opera- 
 tions, but of all intelligent persons. 
 "Without referring to any particular 
 modes of cooking vegetables, it is very 
 desirable to be able to form some ideas 
 as to the qualities of such substances, 
 and their value, when compared with 
 each other, as regards their powers of 
 nutrition, their wholesomeness, and, in 
 general, their relative suitableness as 
 articles of food. AH the articles of food 
 yielded by the vegetable kingdom may 
 be comprehended under the following 
 classes : — The various kinds of grain, 
 such as wheat and barley ; the ditlerent 
 sorts of leguminous seeds, such as peas 
 and beans ; the various herbs, such as 
 salad; the roots, such as the potato, 
 carrot, and tutmip ; and the various 
 fruits, such as apples and pears. Under 
 each of these subdivisions a few general 
 observations wiU not be out of place. 
 
 Roots of Vegetables as Food. — 
 Nature is for the most part accurate in 
 her instincts, an d it may be safely affirmed 
 that any species of aliment for which 
 we have a permanent and therefore a 
 natural appetite is on that account salu- 
 tary, and adapted to our wants. This 
 is pre-eminently the case as to the potato. 
 Even with the simplest preparation, 
 
70 
 
 Where Boasting ends, there Dignity begins. 
 
 and the addition of a little salt, it affords 
 a wholesome and agreeable food. It some- 
 times constitutes for months together, 
 either with or without milk, the staple, 
 and almost the sole food of thousands of 
 the most industrious people in Ireland, 
 an evidence not to be doubted of its 
 highly nutritive and salutary qualities. 
 The mealy sort of potato is, in aU re- 
 spects, the best, and the simplest method 
 of preparing this valuable esculent for 
 the table is also the best. The potato 
 yields a large quantity of arrowroot, or 
 starch, of excellent quality. Turnips, 
 parsnips, celery, are all wholesome roots. 
 The onion is said to assist digestion ; 
 but carrots and radishes are less digest- 
 ible than several others. 
 
 Leguminous Vegetables. — In this 
 class are included peas, beans, and all 
 the variety of plants which produce 
 their seeds in pods. AU these are more 
 or less Liable to objection as articles of 
 diet. They are all indigestible, heating, 
 productive of flatulency, and afford 
 comparatively little nourishment. Peas 
 and beans, especially the latter, are 
 oppressive to the stomach, and are best 
 adapted to the strong and vigorous. It 
 is proper to observe, however, that 
 French beans are among the best vege- 
 tables our gardens produce when eaten 
 in the usual way, that is, while the pod 
 is young and tender. 
 
 Raw vEiSETABLEs, as articles of food, 
 are not much to be recommended, even 
 to those who are happy enough to be 
 free fi-om the evils of indigestion. 
 Lettuce, i however, contains a juice 
 which is narcotic and soporific in its 
 effects ; this was well knoAvn in the 
 earliest ages. It is said that the cele- 
 brated Galen used to eat the lettuce in 
 the evening as a remedy for wakeful- 
 ness, and those troubled by restless 
 nights frequently use it with advantage 
 at supper. 
 
 The effect op boii.i ng on vegetables 
 is veiy remarkable. J L deprives them 
 of a large quantity of (be air they con- 
 tain, and renders them altogether more 
 soluble. The process of boiling is known 
 to produce on vegetables the most un- 
 expected results, converting some plants 
 
 which, in a raw p.tafe, are extremely 
 acrid and even iiiii-;'»nous, into bland, 
 agreeable, and niitritious substances. 
 A familiar instance of this is the potato ; 
 in its raw state it is nauseous and un- 
 palatable, and as it is one of the night- 
 shades, it may be even slightly poisonous ; 
 but when it is boiled it becomes farina- 
 ceous, digestible, and nutritious. The 
 cassava of America affords a still more 
 striking instance of the beneficial effects 
 of boiling. The plant is poisonous before 
 being boiled, but afterwards becomes 
 wholesome and excellent. The prepared 
 cassava is well known to us under the 
 name of tapioca, which, as our fair 
 readers well know, forms the basis of 
 an excellent and wholesome pudding. 
 
 On Cooking Vegetables. 
 — General Remarks. — All vegetables 
 ought to be carefully washed and picked, 
 and laid in cold water before being 
 cooked. When boUed they should have 
 plenty of water. Care should be taken 
 not to overdo them, as it spoils their 
 colour, and deprives them of their crisp- 
 ness. They ought to be put iuto boiling 
 water with a handful of salt in it, and 
 when they begin to sink it i s a sign that 
 they are sufficiently done ; if the water 
 has not been allowed to slacken in the 
 boiling, they should, when taken up, be 
 di'ained immediately, or they will lose 
 their colour. Hard water destroys 
 the colour of those vegetables that 
 sboiild look green. A piece of soda, 
 about the size of a bean, put into a pot 
 holding two gallons of water, in which 
 the vegetables are to be boiled, will keep 
 them of a beautiful green colour. The 
 lid of the pot should be left off while 
 boiling. 
 
 Spinach, to Boil. — Pick and wash it 
 with great care. Put it into a saucepan 
 that will just hold it, sprinkle it with 
 salt, and cover close. The saucepan 
 must be set on the fire and M'ell shaken. 
 When done, beat the spinach up with 
 a little butter ; it must come to table 
 pretty dry, and it looks well if pressed 
 into a tin mould in the form of a leaf ; 
 serve with poached eggs. 
 
 To MAKE A Neat Dish of Vege- 
 tables. — Wash a dish with white of 
 
Brevity is the Soul of Wit. 
 
 71 
 
 egg, and make four divisions in it with 
 fined bread. Put in each division the 
 following vegetables. Stewed spinach 
 in one ; in the next mashed turnips ; in 
 the third mashed potatoes, and in the 
 fourth blanched onions and sliced 
 carrots, or pieces of cauliflower, or heads 
 of brocoH. 
 
 Artichoke Bottoms, to Fry. — 
 Blanch, flour, and fry them in fresh 
 butter. Dish and pour melted butter 
 on them, or put a little red wine into 
 the butter, and season with nutmeg, 
 pepper, and salt. 
 
 Artichoke Bottoms, to Ragout. — 
 Soak them in warm water for two or 
 three hours, changing the water ; then 
 put them in the stew-pan with some 
 gravy, mushroom catsup, cayenne 
 pepper, and salt. When boiling thicken 
 them with flour, put them in a dish, 
 pour the sauce over them, and serve them 
 hot. 
 
 Beetroot, to Cook. — If the beet- 
 root is broken before it is di-essed it 
 bleeds, loses its fine colour, and looks ill. 
 Boil the root tender with the skin on, 
 slice it into the stew-pan with a little 
 stock and a spoonful of vinegar ; simmer 
 till the gravy is tinged with the colour ; 
 then put it into a small dish, and make 
 a round of the button onions, first boiled 
 tender ; take off the skin before serving, 
 and serve hot. Or roast three large 
 onions, peel off the outer skins till they 
 look clear, and serve the beetroot 
 stewed round them. 
 
 Boiled Artichokes. — Twist ofi' the 
 stalks and wash them in cold water. 
 When the water boils put them in with 
 the tops downwards. They will be 
 done in an hour and a half. Serve with 
 melted butter. 
 
 Boiled Asparagus. — Carefully 
 scrape the stalks till white ; cut them 
 even; throw them into a stew-pan of 
 clean water, and have ready a stew-pan 
 with boiling water, and a little salt in it. 
 Tie the asparagus in small bunches, put 
 them in, and when they begin to be 
 tender take them up. If too much 
 boiled they lose both colour and taste. 
 Toast a round of bread about half an 
 inch thi-ck; dip it into the liquor the 
 
 asparagus was boiled in, and lay it in 
 the dish. Pour melted butter on the 
 toast, lay the asparagus round the dish, 
 the tops inwards, and serve with melted 
 butter. 
 
 Brocoli, to Boil. — Strip off the 
 leaves till you come to the top ones; 
 peel off aU the outside skin from the 
 stalks and small branches, and throw 
 them into water. Boil in accordance 
 with the general directions. When the 
 stalks are tender it is done. Serve in 
 the same manner as asparagus. 
 
 Kidney Beaks boiled. — String 
 them ; slit them down the middle and 
 cut them across ; let them stand some 
 time in salt and water ; boU them, and 
 when tender they arc done. Serve 
 with melted butter. 
 
 Cauliflower, to Boil. — Having 
 cut off the green part, divide it into 
 four ; put it into boiling milk and water, 
 and skim the saucepan well. When 
 the stalks arc tender take them up 
 carefully, and put them to di-arn. Then 
 put a spoonful of water into a stewpan, 
 with a little flour, a quarter of a pound 
 of butter, and pepper and salt mixed 
 weU together. Take half the cauHflower 
 and cut it as for pickling, put it into 
 the stew-pan for ten minutes. Place 
 the stewed cauliflower in the middle, 
 and the boiled round it, and pour over 
 it the butter in which the one half was 
 stewed. 
 
 To Boil Cabbage, Savoys, &c. — 
 FoUow the general directions. '\Vhen 
 the vegetables are tender, drain them 
 with a sieve, but do not press them. 
 
 To Boil Parsnips and Carrots. — 
 BoU them with plenty of water, and 
 when soft, which may be known by 
 running a fork into them, take them 
 up. Scrape them well. Serve them 
 with melted butter in a sauce tureen. 
 If they are old, peel before boiling. 
 
 To Boil Peas.— Peas must not be 
 done in much water. Chop s^^alded 
 mint, and stir in cold butter, pepper, 
 and salt. 
 
 To Boil New Potatoes. — Potatoes 
 ought to have only sufficient water to 
 keep the saucepan from burning. Put 
 them in cold water, with salt. Keep 
 
72 
 
 Scandal will rub out like Dirt when it is Dry. 
 
 them close covered, boil slowly, and 
 M'hen the skins crack they are done. 
 Drain out all the water, and place them 
 again on the fire to throw off the steam 
 and moisture, then peal them, lay them 
 in a dish, and pour melted butter over 
 them. Or when peeled, lay them on a 
 gridiron till of a fine brown, and send 
 them to table. AVhen the potatoe 5 are 
 fully ripe, and taken up for winter, they 
 are best steamed ; peel and wash them 
 carefully first ; when done take the 
 steamer off', and lay it before the fire 
 to dry the potatoes. Shake them once 
 or twice, and do not leave them at the 
 fire for more than five minutes before 
 serving. 
 
 Law of Master and 
 Servant. — "When no time is li- 
 mited, either expressly or by impli- 
 cation, the hiring is considered a hiring 
 for a year. By the death of a master 
 a servant is discharged. The contract 
 of domestic servants is determined by 
 giving a month's notice, or paying a 
 month's \vages. The discharge of a 
 servant may be justified for incom- 
 petence, negligence, disobedience, dis- 
 honesty, drunkenness, or pennanent 
 disability. Should a master wrongfully 
 dismiss his servant, the latter is entitled 
 to bring an action concluding for wages 
 during the whole period of the engage- 
 ment. A master may bring an action 
 for the seduction of his female servant 
 in respect of the loss of her services. A 
 master is bound to indemnify his ser- 
 vant from the consequences of doing 
 anything in obedience to his orders ; 
 but he is not bound to indemnify a 
 servant against the consequences of 
 injuries sustained in the ordinary dis- 
 charge of the duties for which he was 
 hired. A master is not obliged to give 
 a servant a character on dismissal. No 
 action can be maintained against a 
 master for giving an unfavourable cha- 
 racter to a servant in answer to inquiries. 
 If a master knowingly gives a false 
 character of a servant to a person about 
 to hire such servant, and the servant 
 afterwards robs or inj urcs his new master, 
 the latter may institute an action for 
 damage. Pajnnent in goods to any 
 
 person engaged as an artificer is illegal. 
 When an employer or employed shall 
 neglect or refuse to fulfil any contract 
 of service, the party aggrieved may lay 
 an information before a justice or 
 sheriff, upon which a summons will be 
 issued against the party complained 
 against, and if he fail to appear, a war- 
 rant will be issiied. 
 
 The Law of Libel.— In the 
 e3'e of the law, written libel is a greater 
 injury than slander or oral defamation. 
 General terms of abuse are not action- 
 able imless they are committed to 
 writing and circulated with the intent 
 of injuring an individual in his profes- 
 sion or trade, or in his holding any 
 office, whether honorary or productive 
 of emolument. The humiUty of the 
 occupation is no objection to the action. 
 Words imputing drunkenness to a 
 master mariner, or insolvency or fraud 
 to a tradesman, or incapacity to a pro- 
 fessional man, are actionable, without 
 proof of special damage. A publication 
 calculated to injure the reputation of 
 another by exposing him to contempt 
 o« ridicule is a libel. The reviewer of 
 a book, if he follow the author into 
 domestic life for the purpose of slander, 
 is ^menahle for libel. The imputation 
 of wicked or corrupt motives against a 
 public man is libellous. The existence 
 of a slanderous rumour does not justify 
 the repetition of it ; but a defendant is 
 justified if he can substantiate that 
 which he has published as true. 
 
 Statements made by members of Par- 
 liament in the course of their duty are 
 privileged ; also statements made by a 
 judge, coimsel, juror, witness, &c., in 
 the course of a judicial proceeding. A 
 master or mistress is privileged in 
 making a defamatory communication 
 to an inquiry respecting the character 
 of a servant. A person who falsely 
 publishes a defamatory libel of another 
 may be apprehended by warrant and 
 committed for trial. When a libel tends 
 to produce great public mischief, a 
 criminal information may be instituted 
 by the Attorney-General. 
 
 In case of any indictment for the 
 publication of a libel, if judgment be 
 
They may Laugh ivho \Vi)i. 
 
 73 
 
 given for the defendant he is entitled 
 to recover costs from the plaintiff; or 
 if judgment is for the plaintiif, the de- 
 fendant must pay the costs. 
 
 The Game of Bezique. — 
 The follo\ving account of this interesting 
 and popular game is abridged from the 
 treatise by " Cavendish," by special 
 permission of Messrs. De la Eue. The 
 game is usually played by two persons. 
 The packs being shuffled, the players 
 cut for deal. The dealer gives eight 
 cards to each player. The seventeenth 
 card is turned up for trumps. 
 
 Playing.— The non-dealer plays any 
 card out of his hand, and the dealer 
 plays a card to it. If he ■wins or trumps 
 it he has to lead. "Whoever Avins the 
 trick has the next lead; but before 
 playing each player draws a card from 
 the pack spread before them, the Avinner 
 of the trick drawing the top card, and 
 the other player taking the card next it ; 
 by this means the number of cards in 
 each hand is restored to what it origi- 
 nally was, viz., eight. By this process 
 of alternate playing and drawing a card 
 the stock is at length exhausted. In 
 playing, the highest card of the same 
 suit wins the trick ; the ace is highest, 
 then the ten, the king, queen, knave, 
 nine, eight, and seven. On the case of 
 ties the leader wins. Trumps win other 
 suits. The tricks are left face iipward 
 on the table till the end of the lead ; 
 they are of no value but for the aces 
 and tens they contain. The objects of 
 the play are to win aces and tens, and 
 promote in the hand various combina- 
 tions of cards which, when "declared," 
 score a certain number of points. 
 
 Declaring.— A declaration can be 
 made only immediately after winning 
 a trick, and before drawing a card froDi 
 the pack. It is done by placing the 
 declai'ed cards face upward on the table. 
 Players are not boimd to declai-e imless 
 they like. A card cannot be played to 
 a trick and declared at the same time. 
 Only one combination can bo declared 
 to one trick. In declai'ing fresh com- 
 binations, one or more cards of the fresh 
 combination must proceed from the pai-t 
 of the hand held up. The same card 
 
 can be declared more than once, provided 
 the combination in which it afterwards 
 appears is of a different class. The 
 player scoring the last trick can, at the 
 same time, declare anything in his 
 hand, after which all declarations cease. 
 
 Variations in the Game. — It may 
 be played by three or by four persons. If 
 by three they all play against each other, 
 and three packs of cards are used. 
 
 Number op Packs. — If four plaj^, 
 four packs ai-e used, shuffled together ; 
 but this is considered as being very 
 complicated. 
 
 Diminished Scores. — Some players 
 consider the double bezique and sequence 
 scores as too high, and therefore make 
 the score for the former 300, and for the 
 latter 200. 
 
 The Last Trick. — This is sometimes 
 understood to mean the thirty-second 
 trick, or last of all. This, however, is 
 supposed to be an error arising from 
 incorrect nomenclature. 
 
 Aces and Tens. — These ai-e some- 
 times not scored till the end of the hand. 
 
 Scoring. — The score may be kept 
 with a bezique board and pegs, or by a 
 numbered dial and hand, or by means 
 of counters, which last method is the 
 best. 
 
 Hints to Learners. — The foUoA^Tng 
 hints may be of use in solving one of 
 the chief difficulties, that of deciding 
 what cards to retain and what to throw 
 away. (1) It is no advantage to get 
 the lead unless you have something to 
 declare. (2) The cards that can, without 
 loss, be parted with, are sevens, eights, 
 and nines. (3) After these the least 
 injurious cards to part with arc knaves. 
 (4) In difficulties it is better to lead a 
 ten or an ace as a rule, than a king or 
 queen ; but to the rule there are several 
 exceptions. (5) It is seldom advisable 
 to go for four aces unless you happen 
 to hold thi'ee, and are in no difficidty. 
 (6) If diiven to lead an ace or a ten, 
 and yoiu" adversary does not take the 
 trick, it is often good play to lead another 
 next time. (7) Do not part with small 
 trumps if it can be helped. (8) Do not 
 part with trump sequence cards. (9) 
 Until near the end do not part with 
 
74 
 
 He is ti'dl Paid that is tvell Satisfied, 
 
 Lezique cards even after declaring 
 bezique. (10) Having a choice bet-\veen 
 playing a possible scoring card or a 
 small trump, or a card you bave de- 
 clared, play the declared card so as not 
 to expose your band. (11) Avoid show- 
 ing your adversary by what you declare, 
 so that he shall not be able to make the 
 trump sequence or double bezique. (12) 
 Whenever your adversary leads a card 
 of a suit of which you hold the ten, 
 take the trick with the ten. (13) Win 
 the last trick if possible. (14) In play- 
 ing the last eight tricks your object 
 should be to save your aces or tens and 
 M'in those of your adversary. Our 
 readers will find the game of bezique 
 minutely described in " The Pocket 
 Guide to Bezique," and " The Game of 
 Bezique," both by Cavendish. 
 
 The Game of Drole.— We 
 shall endeavour to give an account of 
 this new and interesting game, taken, 
 by the kind permission of Messrs. 
 De la Rue, from their work on Drole, 
 by " Cavendish." To play a di-ole board 
 one or two packs of cards are required, 
 and two or more persons may engage in 
 the game. The players having cut for 
 deal, the dealer gives five cards to each 
 pla)^er, and the remainder of the pack 
 is put aside. The cards have a certain 
 rank: — -The king highest, then queen, 
 knave, ace, ten, niue, eight, seven, and 
 three are no trumps. If two play, all 
 cards below a seven ai-e thrown out. 
 For every additional player four cards 
 are added to the pack, then if three play 
 the sixes are added ; if four play the 
 fives also are added, and so on till the 
 pack is exhausted. The leader plays any 
 card out of his band he pleases, placing 
 it on the board face iipward, and in any 
 division of the board. A card played in 
 its own suit can be won only by a 
 superior card of that suit ; if played on 
 a suit not its ovm. it can be won by a 
 siiperior card of either of these suits ; 
 but a card placed on the line dividing 
 two suits, neither being its own, can be 
 won by a superior card of its own suit, 
 or of either of the two played on ; and 
 a card played over the i)lace where four 
 suits join, i. c, on all the four suits, can 
 
 be won by a superior card of any of 
 them. The tricks count according to 
 the number of suits played on. Each 
 player plays to the card led. Each 
 must follow suit to the card led, or win 
 the trick. For example, a club is played 
 on the diamond suit. If any player can 
 win the trick with a diamond, be may 
 do so, notwithstandiag that he has a 
 club in band. Again, suppose a player 
 has a club and a diamond, both higher 
 than the club led, he may head the trick 
 with either. If he has a higher and a 
 lower club, he may head the trick or 
 not, so long as he follows suit to the 
 card led. The player need not follow 
 suit to the suit played on, only to the 
 card led. Whoever wins the trick 
 leads to the next. All the five cards 
 are thus played from each hand one by 
 one, the players scoring after each trick. 
 When two play, twenty-three is the 
 game ; and when more than two play, 
 seventeen is the game. 
 
 Savage Dkole. — There are only two 
 deals in this game ; but in all other 
 respects it is similar to the ordinary 
 game of drole. The player who is 
 highest at the end of the second band 
 wins the game. In case of ties there is 
 another deal, and the game continues 
 until one player stands highest at the 
 conclusion of a hand. 
 
 PiuviLEGED Cards. — These are the 
 Emperor, the Empress, Beautiful Nell, 
 Jack Drole, and the aces (the four 
 beggars) . These cards have the powers 
 now to be described, viz. : — 
 
 The Emperor (King of Hearts), 
 whether led or played, wins every other 
 card in any suit, except the privileged 
 cards, and counts double what the trick 
 was played for. 
 
 The Empress (Queen of Hearts), 
 whether led or played, wins the king if 
 in the same trick with him, counting 
 what the king would have scored had 
 be won. If the King of Hearts is not 
 in the trick the Queen ranks only as an 
 ordinary card. 
 
 Beautiful Nell (Queen of Spades) 
 has the power of interceding, i. e., of 
 preventing a trick from counting. 
 ^yheuevcr the Queen is played to a 
 
The Labour toe delight in, physics Pain. 
 
 75 
 
 trick, the trick goes for nothing. The 
 player of the Queen of Spades has the 
 next lead. 
 
 Jack Drole (Knave of Diamonds) 
 has the power of robbing in any suit, 
 that is, sending back the player who 
 wins the trick as many points as he 
 would have scored. The player of 
 drole cannot win the trick ; he merely 
 sends hack the winner, but he takes the 
 next lead. If Jack Drole is led to a 
 trick he has only the same power as an 
 ordinary knave, and may win or be 
 won. 
 
 The Four Beggars (the aces). — 
 When a trick containing an ace scores 
 more than two, the player of the ace 
 begs, namely, gets part of the score 
 from the wimier. In a trick scoring 
 three or four, the ace gets one and the 
 ■winner the remainder. In a six or 
 eight trick the ace gets two, the winner 
 the remainder. If a trick is robbed the 
 ace goes back in the same proportion, 
 and the winner goes back the remainder. 
 When there are two aces in a trick the 
 second ace gets nothing. There is no 
 begging in a trick which is won by an 
 ace, in a trick which wins the game, 
 nor in a trick to which Nell is played. 
 An ace may be played to any suit. 
 
 Laws of Drole. — (1) The lowest 
 card deals. (2) The player to the 
 dealer's right cuts. (3) If the dealer 
 gives any player more or less than five 
 cards, and the player declares it, there 
 must be a fresh deal, and the dealer 
 goes back four points. (4) If the dealer 
 deals himself less than five cards, he 
 may complete his hand from the stock 
 before playing to the first trick, and is 
 then not liable in any penalty. (5) If 
 a player has more or less than five cards 
 dealt him, and fails to declare it before 
 the first trick, he goes back four points, 
 and can score nothing that hand. (6) 
 If a card is exposed in dealing there 
 must be a fresh deal. (7) If there is a 
 card faced in the pack, there must be a 
 new deal. (8) If a player deals out of 
 turn the error may be rectified before 
 the deal is complete. 
 
 Playing. — If a player exposes a card 
 after the deal is complete, he can score 
 
 nothing that hand. If a player leads 
 out of turn it is the same as thougli he 
 had exposed a card. When more than 
 two play, the player to the dealer's left 
 has the first lead. A card once led in 
 turn cannot be taken up again. If a 
 player revokes to the card led, and does 
 not head the trick, he must go back 
 four. The cards must not be searched 
 during the play of the hand. If a plaj-er 
 who is robbed, or incurs a penaltj^ has 
 not already scored as many as he has to 
 go back, he owes the difi"erence, and 
 must pay it off before he begins to 
 score. 
 
 Best Mode of Treating 
 Bleeding from the Nose. — 
 This may be caused by violence, or may 
 arise from an impoverished state of the 
 blood. Wlien it occurs in persons of 
 middle age it is more serious, as it is 
 then often a symptom of some other 
 disease. 
 
 The bleeding can generally be stopped 
 by making the patient raise both his 
 arms above his head, and hold them 
 there for some time. Sponging with 
 cold or iced water to the forehead and 
 face, or applying a towel wet with cold 
 water between the shoulders, will, in 
 most cases, succeed. The application 
 of a strong solution of alum or fron-alum 
 to the inside of the nostrils, or plugging 
 the nostrils with lint or cotton wool 
 soaked in the solution, may be necessary 
 if the bleeding is profuse. 
 
 The health of persons subject to these 
 attacks should be improved by nutri- 
 tious diet, — animal food, with potatoes, 
 watercresses, and fruit. The following 
 prescription may be relied on : — 
 
 Tincture of steel . . 2 drachms. 
 
 Dilute muriatic acid . 1 drachm. 
 
 Syrup of orange peel 1 ounce. 
 
 Infusion of calumba 7 ounces. 
 Mix. For a boy, one tablespoonful m 
 a wineglass of water before meals ; for 
 an adult the dose may be increased. 
 
 Weak Eyes. — Bathe the eyes 
 
 night and morning with tepid water, 
 
 and then use the following lotion : — 
 
 Oxide of zinc 1 drachm. 
 
 Hose water . 8 ounces. 
 
 Mix. If the eyelids stick together in 
 
76 
 
 Of Two Evils, choose the Least. 
 
 the mornings a little weak citrine oint- 
 ment (golden ointment) slightly warmed 
 should he applied at bedtime to the 
 edges of the Hds with a feather or the 
 tip of the finger. 
 
 Astringent Eye-water.— Ten drops 
 of extract of lead, viz., the liquor 
 plumbi acetatis of the druggist; dis- 
 tilled vinegar two drachms, distUled 
 water four ounces. This is an excellent 
 wash for inflamed eyes. 
 
 Anodyne Eye-avater. — Solution of 
 acetate of ammonia two ounces, distilled 
 water, hot, six ounces, soft extract of 
 opium ten grains. Dissolve the opium 
 in the hot water, strain through fine 
 muslin, and add the solution of the 
 acetate of ammonia. This application 
 frequently afibrds great relief from the 
 pain and irritation accompanying in- 
 llammation. 
 
 Eye-waterfor Specks on the Eye. 
 — Oxymuriate of merciiry half a grain, 
 best rose water four ounces. This so- 
 lution is of much use in removing the 
 indolent inflammation and the white 
 specks which an acute inflammation of 
 the eyes frequently leaves after it. 
 
 Embrocations and 
 Liniments. — These preparations 
 have the consistence of oils, so as to 
 allow of their being easily rubbed on 
 the skin. They act as local stimulants, 
 relieving deep-seated pains and inflam- 
 mations. 
 
 Liniment for Sprains and Bruises. 
 — Compound liniment of camphor an 
 ounce and a half, tincture of opiiun half 
 an ounce. Mix. This is an admirable 
 application for sprains and bruises after 
 the inflammation has disappeared, and 
 for rheumatism and colic when unat- 
 tended by inflammation. 
 
 Liniment for Bruises a>:d Sprains 
 AVHEN Inflamed. — Acetate of ammonia 
 and soap liniment of each an oimce, 
 mixed together. 
 
 Liniment for Eheumatism. — Olive 
 oil and oil of turpentine of each an oimce 
 and a half, spirit of vitriol three drachms. 
 Mix. This will be found excellent for 
 rheumatism, sprains, chilblains, and 
 other cases in which active application 
 id needful* 
 
 Chilblain Liniment. — One ounce 
 of camphorated spirit of wine, half an 
 oimce of the liquor of subacetate of lead. 
 Mix and apply three or four times a day. 
 This is Sir Astley Cooper's prescription, 
 and very efficacious. 
 
 Chlorodyne. — An excellent 
 remedy for various internal pains. Its 
 power of soothing the patient is very 
 great, and it is not accompanied by the 
 injurious efiects consequent on the ad- 
 ministration of laudanum, morphia, or 
 opium. The bottles in which this patent 
 medicine is sold are accompanied by 
 directions for its proper use. 
 
 Food for Invalids.— Meat 
 Panada. — Take the inside of a loin 
 of mutton or of part of a sirloin of beef, 
 poimd it tUl it wiU pass through a sieve 
 when mixed Math hot water or with 
 broth, as it is required to be more or 
 less rich. The most proper seasoning 
 is a little salt. It ought to be kept in 
 an earthen vessel in a cool place. When 
 a little of it is required it should be 
 warmed up and served with thin slices 
 of bread. 
 
 Bread Panada. — Grate a teacupful 
 of bread, and mix well with it some beef 
 or mutton gravy, boil tUl it thickens, 
 stiiTing it when boiling. 
 
 Sago Milk. — "Wash a tablespoon- 
 ful of sago in cold milk, pour oft' the 
 milk and add to the sago a quart of 
 new milk. Boil both together down to 
 one pint, add a little cinnamon if neces- 
 sary. 
 
 Drinks for Invalids. — 
 Milk Whey. — Place a small piece of 
 rennet in a cup of hot water for four or 
 five hours. Pom* the water into two 
 quarts of new milk, and when the curd 
 appears, strain the whole through a hair 
 sieve into a jug. The whey may be 
 given to a patient either cool or luke- 
 warm. 
 
 White Wine Whey. — Boil half a 
 pint of new milk, and while boiling 
 pour into the saucepan two glasses of 
 white wine. The cui-d, which will 
 soon form, will fall to the bottom of the 
 saucepan, and the whey can be strained 
 carefully oft'. This whey promotes 
 perspiration ; it is of much use, there- 
 
^Tis not for Mortals always to be Blest. 
 
 77 
 
 fore, at the commencement of an illness. 
 It forms also an excellent draught in 
 the earlier stages of a patient's recovery. 
 
 Nitre "Whey. — Pour a dessertspoon- 
 ful of the sweet spirit of nitre into boil- 
 ing milk. Sweeten it with a little white 
 sugar. This preparation is an excellent 
 sudorific. It ought to be taken as hot 
 as possible. 
 
 Lemon or Vinegar "Whey. — Pour 
 a tablespoonful of lemon juice and 
 vinegar into boiling milk. The whey 
 thus produced is said to be less stimu- 
 lating than that made from wine. 
 
 Lemon "Water. — Put two or three 
 sUces of lemon with a lump of sugar 
 and a spoonful of capillaire into a 
 covered jug, and pour into it a pint of 
 boiling water. Cover it closely for two 
 or three hours. It will thus form a 
 very agreeable drink for a feverish 
 patient. 
 
 Raspberry Vinegar. — A dessert- 
 spoonfid in a tumbler of cold water 
 forms a very useful drink for some 
 invalids. 
 
 ArrLE "Water. — Slice some apples 
 and cover them with boiling water, 
 putting in a little sugar and lemon peel. 
 This makes a very pleasant beverage 
 for invalids. 
 
 Tamarind "Water. — Hot water 
 poured on tamarinds makes a very 
 agreeable drink, but as the infusion is 
 somewhat acid, the advice of the medical 
 man should be had recourse to before 
 using it. 
 
 Two-MiLK "Whey. — One of the most 
 agreeable as well as the most wholesome 
 drinks a patient can take is two-milk 
 whey, which may thus be easily pre- 
 pared : — Boil a pint of new milk. "When 
 quite boiHng add a small cupful of sour 
 milk, and set it on the fire until it boils 
 up briskly ; take off the saucepan and 
 stand it beside the fire for a few mo- 
 ments. The acid in the sour milk will 
 convert the whole into curds and whey, 
 when the whey shoiild be poured off 
 for use. If the milk is not all turned 
 into curds and whey, add a little more 
 sour or butter-milk until the whey looks 
 clear, but it must not taste acid. This 
 whey is an excellent diaphoretic and 
 
 febrifuge, and in several respects supe- 
 rior to the whey made with wine or 
 vinegar. 
 
 To Destroy Moths.— Motha 
 are extremely destructive to books, 
 clothes, and the leaves of plants ; every 
 moth should be killed when seen. The 
 best prevention against these insects is 
 to close the windows after nightfall. 
 The odour of camphor and Russia leather 
 is obnoxious to them. To protect furs 
 and M'ooUens from their ravages, the 
 articles should be frequently brushed 
 and exposed to the air. Furs seldom 
 used ought to be carefully wrapped up 
 in linen. Insect powder is useful in 
 destroying moths, also the fibres of a 
 plant called Vetivert, which is much 
 used in France to destroy them. 
 
 How to Destroy Cock- 
 roaches. — The house-beetle and the 
 black-beetle or cockroach leave their 
 places of concealment at night; they 
 frequent kitchens, bakehouses, and the 
 cabins of ships. The cockroach de- 
 vours animal and vegetable substances, 
 and emits from its mouth a dark fluid 
 imparting a fetid odour. The best 
 method of destroying these household 
 pests is to place on the floor a glazed 
 washing basin with a little treacle at 
 the bottom. Rest a slip of wood in 
 a slanting direction between the edge 
 of the basin and the floor. During the 
 night the beetles, attracted by the 
 treacle, will enter the basin to enjoy it. 
 Having attained their object by mount- 
 ing the wooden trap, they descend to 
 their prey, but are unable, from the 
 slippery nature of the sides of the basin, 
 to retrace their steps, and perish in the 
 scene of their festivities. A tame hedge- 
 hog in a kitchen is useful in catching 
 and eating cockroaches. Phosphor paste 
 answers the same purpose, particularly 
 that form of it sold under the name of 
 " Brown's Magic Paste," which we have 
 found most effectual for desti'oying these 
 insects, and which no cat or dog will 
 touch. 
 
 Infectious Diseases. — It 
 has been conjectured that typhus and 
 other malignant diseases have their 
 origin in a concurrence of causes rarely 
 
78 
 
 Truth is always Strange, Stranger than Fiction. 
 
 taking place, but that afterwards they 
 are propagated by a peculiar contagion. 
 The combination of a very few circum- 
 stances is sufficient to generate typhus 
 fever. The most powerful of these cir- 
 cumstances are confinement in crowded 
 and ill-ventilated places ; uncleanliness 
 of all kinds ; the putrid efitiuvia of 
 animal and vegetable substances, and 
 insufficient and unwholesome food. It 
 is desirable to observe that the confine- 
 ment of the malignant efiluvium within 
 the walls of a building is not always 
 necessary for the production of typhus 
 fever. It has been occasioned by the 
 oifal of a city accimiulated without the 
 walls, and in hot and foggy weather 
 has been known to spread from the 
 infected city over the country adjacent. 
 It may be carried from place to place 
 by the wind when the cause of infec- 
 tion is sufficiently abundant. A striking 
 instance of this took place at the Old 
 Bailey on the 12th May, 1750. Certain 
 prisoners before their trial were de- 
 tained for nearly a whole day in a small 
 ill-ventilated and crowded apartment, 
 some of them at the time labouring 
 under jail fever. "When the prisoners 
 were broiight into court the -windows 
 at the end of the hall opposite to the 
 place occupied by the judges were 
 thrown open. The people on the left 
 side of the court, on whom the tainted 
 atmosphere blow, were infected with 
 the fever, while those on the opposite 
 side escaped. The Lord Chief Justice 
 and the llecorder, who sat on the Lord 
 Mayor's right hand, escaped; while the 
 Lord Mayor, and those of the bench 
 who sat on the left side of the bench 
 were seized with the fever. Many of 
 the Middlesex jury, who were on the 
 left side of the court, died, but the 
 London jury who were opposite to them 
 received no injury. These facts prove 
 the necessity of cleanliness, free venti- 
 lation, and the importance of removing 
 all decaying animal and vegetable sub- 
 stances from the vicinity of human 
 habitations. 
 
 Immediate Causes of Infection. 
 —Contagious diseases are propagated 
 by actual contact, by the medium of 
 
 the air, and by substances which have 
 been near the sick or in contact with 
 them. 
 
 To Prevent Infection. — From 
 what has been already said, some im- 
 portant suggestions will doubtless occur 
 to the reader as to the means of check- 
 ing or even of preventing the spread of 
 fever. But a few particulars may be 
 properly added. Let communication 
 with the sick by actual contact be as 
 far as possible avoided. Let the patient 
 be lightly covered with the bedclothes, 
 his chamber freed from all unnecessary 
 articles of furniture, and kept perfectly 
 clean ; the sheets and body linens fre- 
 quently changed and removed from the 
 sick room, as well as all substances 
 producing, or likely to produce, any 
 smell ; and above all things let the 
 chamber and the adjoining apartments 
 and passages be completely and freely 
 ventilated by opening opposite doors 
 and windows ; for although contagion 
 may be carried by the air, it becomes 
 inert when, instead of being coiicen- 
 trated, it is sufficiently diffused. 
 
 Special Preservative against 
 Infection. — In a lecture delivered in 
 the Koyal Institution, on the 21st Jan- 
 uary, 1870, Professor TyndaU proved, 
 by a series of interesting experiments, 
 that the surest filter in a contagious 
 atmosphere is cotton wool. " If a phy- 
 sician," said the Professor, "wishes to 
 hold back from the lungs of his patient, 
 or from his own, the germs by which 
 contagious disease is said to be propa- 
 gated, he will employ a cotton wool 
 respirator. In the crowded dwellings 
 of the London poor, where the isolation 
 of the sick is difficult if not impossible, 
 the noxious air aroimd the patient may 
 by this simple means be restored to 
 practical purity. Thus filtered, attend- 
 ants may breathe the air unharmed, for 
 it is exceedingly probable that the 
 germs which lodge in the air-passages, 
 and which at their leisure can work 
 their way across the mucous mem- 
 brane, are those which sow in the body 
 epidemic disease. If this be so, such 
 disease may be warded off by filters of 
 cotton wool." 
 
Knoiuledee is no Burden. 
 
 79 
 
 Disinfectants are substances which, 
 used either in fumigation or otherwise, 
 have often a most vahiable effect in 
 checking and even destroying the con- 
 tagion of malignant diseases. They 
 should always be employed in connec- 
 tion -with free and thorough ventilation, 
 without which they may be entirely 
 useless. 
 
 Fumigation with the mineral acids 
 is freqvfently a most effectxial method 
 of checking the progress of contagious 
 diseases. For this purpose the nitric 
 and muriatic acids seem to have equal 
 power; but the former is to be pre- 
 ferred, because its fumes can be 
 breathed with less inconvenience than 
 the latter, by those who are obliged 
 to bo present during the process of 
 fumigation. The nitrous acid vapour, 
 as a fumigation, has been employed 
 with the utmost success in tj-phus fever. 
 As an evidence of the value of this 
 method of disinfection it may be men- 
 tioned that Dr. Carmichael Smyth, of 
 London, by whom it was originally 
 practised, received from Parliament a 
 premium of £.5,000 for his discovery. 
 
 The nitrous acid vapouii, so in- 
 valuable as a disinfectant in contagious 
 fevers, is obtained by decomposing nitre 
 by means of heated sulphuric acid, and 
 this process may be performed in the 
 following manner : — Put half an ounce 
 of vitriol (that is to say, sulphuric acid) 
 into a crucible glass or china cup, and 
 warm it over a lamp or in heated sand, 
 adding to it from time to time a little 
 nitro. Several of these vessels must 
 be placed in the sick chamber and in 
 the neighbouring apartments and pas- 
 sages, at the distance of twenty feet or 
 more from each other, according to the 
 height of the ceiling and the virulence 
 of the contagion. 
 
 Muriatic acid gas likewise affords 
 an excellent means of fumigation in 
 cases of contagious fevers. It can be 
 produced with great facility. Put a 
 pound of common salt into an earthen 
 vessel, and pour over it from time to 
 time a small quantity of sulphuric acid 
 till the whole salt is moistened. The 
 muriatic a"id gas will thus be thrown 
 
 off: but if the apartment be very large 
 and the air very foul aud offensive, a 
 larger quantity of the gas will be pro- 
 duced by the application of a gentle 
 heat imder the vessel in which the salt 
 and sulphuric acid are contained. 
 
 Sulphur as a Disinfectant, — Dr. 
 James Dewar, of Kirkcaldy, was led, 
 during the recent prevalence of the 
 cattle plague, to study the subject of 
 disinfectants. He found that sulphur- 
 ous fumigation was entirely operative 
 in preventing the spread of disease. 
 His process is simple : — Into a chafing 
 dish of red-hot cinders is placed a small 
 crucible, into which is dropped a piece 
 of sulphur stick of the size of a man's 
 thumb. This will fumigate a large 
 cowhouse in twenty minutes. Dr. 
 Dewar also found that out of twenty 
 homesteads, when fumigation with sul- 
 phur was used, there was no case of 
 fatal illness of any kind. Besides being 
 useful as a preventive, sulphur, in 
 virtue of the persistency with which it 
 hangs about, proves serviceable in limit- 
 ing the spread of contagion, in evidence 
 of which a man's clothes, or even his 
 hair, saturated with the fumes, will 
 destroy the germinating power of any 
 vital cells with which they are brought 
 into contact. 
 
 Carbolic Acid as a Disinfectant. 
 — It is well known to chemists that 
 the oxygen of the atmosphere — which, 
 acting on metal exposed to it, produces 
 metallic oxides (such, for example, as 
 the rust upon iron) — is the same agent 
 which effects the decomposition of 
 animal substances, known as puti-efac- 
 tion. Various methods have been 
 adopted to interrupt or to prevent this 
 process. One of these methods consists 
 of producing a vacuum, and thus ex- 
 cluding the active element in decom- 
 position from the animal and vegetable 
 substances to be preserved. Carbolic 
 acid, however, combined with from ten 
 to twenty-five parts of water, is pos- 
 sessed of antiseptic power apparently 
 as efficient as the exclusion of oxygen. 
 It forms, therefore, an admirable dis- 
 infectant, and will probably be found 
 equal in this respert, if not superior, to 
 
^Tis Impious in a Good Alan to be Sad. 
 
 the cHorides so successfully used for 
 that purpose. 
 
 Charcoal as a Disinfectant. — 
 Peat and other forms of charcoal, in- 
 cluding that which is made from 
 seaweed, possess great antiseptic pro- 
 perties. Vessels that have contracted 
 impure smells may be at once rendered 
 sweet by rinsing them with water mixed 
 with charcoal powder. Fish and meat 
 too long kept maybe rendered perfectly 
 sound and free from any offensive odour 
 by piitting a few pieces of charcoal 
 into the vessel in which they are boiled. 
 At a recent pharmaceutical conference 
 it was stated by Mr. E. Stanford that 
 the stems of the tangle, which are often 
 thro'svn up after a storm on the shores 
 of the Hebrides, and are frequently 
 many feet in length and as thick as 
 the wrist, can be converted, by being 
 properly burnt, into excellent porous 
 charcoal, resembling what is produced 
 from animal matter, and having admi- 
 rable properties for filtering water. 
 
 Sir William Burnett's Disin- 
 PECTiNG Fluid. — A solution of chloride 
 of zinc, known as Sir William Burnett's 
 Disinfecting Fluid, has been found 
 most useful as a purifying agent, and 
 in removing and destrojring contagion. 
 In purifying sick rooms or crowded 
 places the solution should he moistened 
 by means of apiece of flannel cloth, about 
 three or four feet square, attached to a 
 long rod and waved through the air for ten 
 minutes at a time ; in addition to which 
 the floor should be mopped or sprinkled 
 over with the same dilute solution, if 
 necessary, several times a day, and a 
 small quantity put into the close stools 
 and bed pans. The waterclosets should 
 also be cleansed with it, and two gallons 
 occasionally thrown down each. When 
 floors and woodwork are washed with 
 the solution, the use of soap or soda 
 should be avoided immediately before or 
 after its application; and whitewash- 
 ing should not be applied to any part 
 recently washed or sprinkled with it. 
 
 Chlorides of Soda and Lime. — 
 Nothing can be more decisive than the 
 evidence by which the importance of 
 these substances has been demonstrated 
 
 from time to time since their first dis- 
 covery and application ; and the use of 
 them cannot too strongly be recom- 
 mended in all cases where danger of 
 disease arises from putrid or offensive 
 effluvia from vegetable or animal matter, 
 or where the danger of infection exists, 
 owing to contagious fevers or other 
 diseases of a malignant character. In 
 aU cases of typhus, putrid sore throat, 
 measles, small-pox, and other diseases 
 of an infectious kind, the sick apart- 
 ment should he freely sprinkled with 
 diluted chloride of lime twice a day or 
 oftener ; and it is advisable to leave a 
 small quantity exposed in a dish or 
 basin, not only in the sick room, but 
 in the adjoining passages and apart- 
 ments, especially if there are other 
 persons resident in the same dwelling 
 with the patient. The chloride of Ume 
 can be easily obtained from a chemist. 
 Macdougall's disinfecting powder is ex- 
 cellent for every purpose for which 
 chloride of lime is used. 
 
 Soft Water. — Soft water is 
 a much more powerful solvent of vege- 
 table matter than hard water. It is for 
 this reason that in making tea or boil- 
 ing vegetables with hard water a little 
 carbonate of soda is of great service. 
 Soft water is also of great importance 
 in brewing, from the facility with 
 which it dissolves the extractive matter 
 of the malt. The instincts of the lower 
 animals prove the superior wholesome- 
 ness of soft water compared with hard. 
 Horses prefer the former; and if from 
 inattention they are confined to the 
 latter, their coats become rough, and 
 they suffer from gripes. Pigeons re- 
 fuse hard when they have been accus- 
 tomed to soft water. That soft water 
 is more wholesome for man is an opi- 
 nion of several eminent physicians, who 
 have held that the tendency to goitre 
 or swelling of the throat occurring in 
 certain districts, is to be attributed to 
 the practice of using hard water for 
 domestic purposes. Hard water exposed 
 for a few days to the action of the 
 atmosphere will become quite soft, and 
 will be found suitable for several house- 
 hold operations. 
 
Music hath Charms to soothe a Savage Breast. 
 
 Hints on Musical Instru- 
 nnents. — The following paper on 
 Musical Instniments is one of a series to 
 be contributed specially for Best of Every- 
 thing, by an eminent professor of music. 
 
 The Choice and Purchase of 
 Pianofortes, &c. — The pianoforte 
 having become the most popular of 
 aU mxisical instruments, and a neces- 
 sary feature in the contents of every 
 well-furnished hoxise, large num- 
 bers are annually manufactured. The 
 unthinking demand by the public for 
 cheap pianos, and the readiness ■svith 
 which those advertised at low prices 
 are purchased, have led, however, to a 
 system of making up, under a gaudy 
 exterior, pianofortes which are utterly 
 worthless as musical instruments. At- 
 tempts have also been made by makers 
 of reputation to supply good instru- 
 ments, under the name of "pianettes," 
 "schoolroom pianos," fee, at low prices, 
 but at the sacrifice of several important 
 points, such as size, tone, and mechan- 
 ism ; so that they count little against 
 the genera > axiom that cheap new 
 pianos should be avoided. No piano 
 offered at £20, new, should be looked 
 at, nor any advertisedby"widow ladies ' ' 
 at half their stated cost. For thirty 
 guineas a faix instrument may be se- 
 cured, but the befi makers charge from 
 45 to 100 guineas for upright pianos, 
 and from 80 to 250 guineas for their 
 " grands." If you cannot afibrd a good 
 new piano, be content with one at 
 second-hand, which, if good, will be 
 worth infinitely more than a cheap and 
 gaudy new one. At sales by auction 
 good second-hand instruments are often 
 to be met with, biit caution must be 
 observed. See that the "compass" of 
 the piano is complete ; that is, that it 
 contains at least eighty-two keys, or 6|- 
 octaves. Take a C tuning-fork of con- 
 cert pitch, and, striking the note C on 
 the piano, test whether it stands to its 
 proper pitch. But the safest mode is 
 to secure professional advice in making 
 the choice, for which a guinea at the 
 utmost will be charged. Do not, how- 
 ever, purchase an instrument whose 
 tone strikes your own ear as unpleasant. 
 
 The Preservation, Tuning, &c., op 
 THE Pianoforte. — As sun and damp 
 are mortal enemies of the piano, do not 
 place it against an outer wall, in a 
 draught, or opposite to a window, ex- 
 cept one of northern aspect. A side 
 light is convenient to the player. En- 
 gage a tuner by the year, and let him 
 tune it monthly, or at least quarterly. 
 A professor oi music should not be 
 asked to tune a piano, it being con- 
 sidered infra dig., and, in fact, an 
 entirely different vocation. Keep the 
 piano locked if children are about. 
 Wipe the keyboard with a soft duster 
 before and after use. Avoid frequent 
 use of the soft pedal, as it puts the 
 instrument out of tune. 
 
 Advice on the Three Tears Sys- 
 tem. — By this plan a piano becomes the 
 property of the hirer after paying a 
 certain sum quarterly for three years. 
 It is, however, open to important ob- 
 jections. Should a single default of 
 payment occtit, aU that has been pre- 
 viously paid is lost. Common pianos 
 at extravagant prices are too often 
 palmed off by this method, and in every 
 case the buyer pays dearly for the 
 accommodation. 
 
 Practising the Pianoforte. — The 
 pianoforte, like every other piece of 
 mechanism, requires regular use to keep 
 it in proper working order. For the 
 player's own improvement also, daily 
 practice is imperatively necessary, to 
 the extent of two hours at least. The 
 early morning is the best time for prac- 
 tice. According to the age, ability, and 
 time at disposal of the pupil, the music- 
 master will arrange what music is to be 
 practised ; but in no case can the daily 
 playing "at sight" of new music, the 
 vigorous practice of scales and exercises, 
 and the repetition of pieces already 
 learned, with a view to the acquirement 
 of additional finish and taste, be safely 
 ignored. The choice of music is of 
 great importance. The works of Beet- 
 hoven, Mendelssohn, and HeUer, wiU 
 afford rich delight to the earnest stu- 
 dent. These belong to what is termed 
 " classical " music, which should be pre- 
 ferred by all who wish to acquire per- 
 
82 
 
 So works the Honey-bee. 
 
 feet execution and correct taste. Some 
 of the popular music of the day possesses 
 many pleasing qualities, but, as a nile, 
 it is not worthy of the serious attention 
 of those who wish to study the art in 
 its highest form. 
 
 Other musical instruments should 
 be purchased and studied with a similar 
 care ; remembering to engage a professor 
 of the particular instrument required: 
 not a trumpet player to teach the organ, 
 nor a violinist to select a pianoforte. 
 
 Hints on Bees and Bee- 
 keeping. — Philosophers and poets, 
 from a very remote period down to the 
 presenttime,have devoted themselves to 
 the study of the organization, the habits, 
 and the instincts of the bee, — a creature 
 whose natural history presents us with 
 an array of facts in the highest degree 
 instructive and entertaining. A few 
 hints on the subject, condensed as much 
 as possible, will not be unacceptable to 
 our readers. 
 
 Natural History of the Bee. — A 
 community or family of bees is gene- 
 rally understood to contain from twelve 
 to thirty thousand individuals. About 
 nine-tenths of the whole number are 
 common or working bees, and the re- 
 maining tenth male or drone bees, and 
 at the head of the commonwealth there 
 is a personage who is entitled " the 
 queen" or mother bee. 
 
 The Queen or Mother Bee. — This 
 important individual differs in her ap- 
 pearance and her functions from all the 
 other members of the family. She is 
 darker, longer, and more taper in figure 
 than the common bee ; her legs are 
 longer, although her wings are shorter, 
 and underneath her colour is tawny or 
 yello^^'ish brown. She is furnished 
 Avith a sting like the working bees, 
 which, however, she uses, it is said, 
 only on very important occasions. She 
 is the mother of the whole community ; 
 nil the working bees, the cb-ones, and 
 those intended to be future queens, pro- 
 ceed alike from her eggs, of which, 
 according to some writers, she has some- 
 times been known to produce a hundred 
 thousand in one year; a number not 
 too large when new swarms are con- 
 
 sidered, as well as the deaths and 
 casualties continually occurring among 
 the members of the hive. The mother 
 bee not only occupies the maternal 
 relation to her immense family, but 
 exercises over them an influence ana- 
 logous to that of a sovereign, a circum- 
 stance from which her appellation of 
 queen is justly derived. On her pre- 
 sence depends not only the prosperity 
 but the very existence of the bee nation ; 
 and with this influence exercised by 
 the queen herself, a corresponding in- 
 stinct is in operation in all the then 
 members of the community, which may 
 justly be compared with what we 
 understand by the term " loyalty." 
 The absence of the insect monarch, 
 whether from death or any other cause, 
 speedily entails disorder, confusion, 
 and anarchy ; all labour is terminated, 
 and the bees disperse. 
 
 The "Working Bees. — These are 
 distinct, both from the queen and the 
 drones, being smaller, and having the 
 charge of making incessant provision 
 for the well-being and sustenance of the 
 whole family. Their daily toils are an 
 illustration of what is called the " divi- 
 sion of labour,"— the value of which 
 was unknown to man for centuries after 
 the bee had been taught to avail her- 
 self of the system. Some of the workers 
 occupy themselves in making the combs 
 from the wax, which is a natural secre- 
 tion ; others keep the eggs warm which 
 are to produce future members of the 
 hive ; others engage in feeding the 
 queen and the larvae or young brood ; 
 others take charge of the ventilation 
 and cleansing of the hive ; some take 
 on them the duty of guarding the com- 
 mon habitation from attack, and warn- 
 ing its inhabitants of impending danger; 
 others wing their way to the fields and 
 gardens, and collect with indefatigable 
 industry the farina and honey that are 
 so imperatively required. 
 
 The Drone Bees. — These are larger, 
 darker,andmorehairy than the workers; 
 they have no stings, their motions on 
 the wing are heavier, and the sound of 
 their humming so much deeper as to 
 give rise to their characteristic ap- 
 
A Swarm of Bees in May is worth a Load of Hay. 83 
 
 pellation. The drones take no part in 
 the process of collecting or storing 
 honey, nor, indeed, in any of the various 
 industrial occupations in which the 
 workers engage. Neither their instincts 
 nor organization adapt them to these 
 offices ; but Infinite "Wisdom has called 
 them to the performance of functions 
 no less important. Some highly inte- 
 resting and marvellous instincts are 
 illustrated in the history of the drones. 
 They are, as already stated, unproduc- 
 tive ; that is to say, they do nothing to 
 add to the wealth of the community. 
 As mere consumers, the drones seem at 
 certain periods to bo regarded by the 
 working bees as an expensive aa well 
 as a useless class, only worthy of being 
 destroyed or expelled. Accordingly, if 
 the necessity of swarming ceases, and 
 no royal cells are constructed, or the 
 royal brood have been prematurely de- 
 stroyed, the instinct of the workers 
 prompts them to the expulsion of the 
 drones, against whom a fierce war is 
 declared, ending in their extermination. 
 On the other hand, if the queen bee is 
 forcibly taken from the Mve, the in- 
 stinct of the workers leads them to 
 spare the lives of the drones, who con- 
 tinue to be boarded and lodged at the 
 public expense, in consequence, appa- 
 rently, of the presumption, thatalthough 
 the cost of their support may be con- 
 siderable, circumstances may arise to 
 render the very existence of the com- 
 munity dependent upon them. 
 
 The Swarming of Bees. — The 
 instinct which prompts these wonderful 
 insects to issue from the hive and 
 establish new colonies, is called into 
 exercise when the hive contains too 
 great a number of inhabitants, and there 
 is not a sufficient space either for breed- 
 ing young bees or storing honey. The 
 crowded state of the hive renders emi- 
 gration indispensable, and arrangements 
 are made for the important event. 
 Royal cells are formed, and young 
 queens are anxiously and tenderly 
 fostered in them, since without them 
 emigration is impracticable. In these 
 circumstances the bees cease to gather 
 honey, and a period of idleness occurs 
 
 which terminates with swarming. Tho 
 o\\Tier of the bees, therefore, must either 
 multiply the number of his hives, by 
 allowing them to swarm, or he may 
 prevent the swarming by furnishing 
 additional accommodation for breeding 
 and collecting honey. This process is 
 known as the Depriving System. It 
 consists in removing a considerable part 
 of the store of honey already gathered, 
 and placing in immediate connection 
 with the store-hive an additional recep- 
 tacle, such as a box, glass, or a second 
 hive, in which the bees can find ample 
 space to carry on their industrious 
 operations without having recourse to 
 emigration to a different locality. Tho 
 temporary or additional receptacle, if 
 placed above the original hive, is called 
 a super or duplet ; if placed beneath the 
 hive it is termed a nadir, and if a second 
 tuper is required it is denominated a 
 triplet. The various methods for re- 
 moving honey on this system in- 
 volve a number of practical details, 
 which would be incompatible with the 
 limits of this brief sketch. Bee-keepers 
 will find ample, as well as minute in- 
 formation, in various treatises on the 
 subject, but we shall give our readers, 
 in our next part, some details of an 
 interesting and instructive nature on 
 the hive and its best position, food for 
 bees, &c. 
 
 Howto Destroy Crickets. 
 — A single cricket in the kitchen grate 
 will disturb a household. There is a 
 superstition which prevents uneducated 
 persons from attempting the destruction 
 of the insect. It flaps its wings, pro- 
 ducing its well-known sound, chiefly at 
 night. A little ginger cordial being 
 placed in a dish before the fire will 
 attract it, and on partaking of the 
 liquor it will die. The best mode of 
 destroying the insect in its nest is to 
 put snuff into the chinks of the grate. 
 
 Hints on Nursing. — This 
 subject has been so frequently br- ight 
 before the public of late years, that a 
 few hints on the best method of nursing 
 the sick will not be out of place in 
 Best of Everything. 
 
 Three things are essential in a sick 
 
84 
 
 Health is better fhmi Wealth. 
 
 room — good ventilation, perfect cleanli- 
 ness, and quiet. The nnrse must have 
 a Ught step, and move gently with 
 noiseless garments ; the rustling of silk, 
 folding or imfolding of paper, turning 
 over leaves of books, whispei-ing or loud 
 talking, are most instating to the ex- 
 citable nerves of a sick person. Avoid 
 all noise in touching the fire. A small 
 pair of tongs, almost like a sugar-tongs, 
 can be procured at the ironmongers, and 
 will be found peculiarly useful in a sick 
 room. The nurse ought to have every- 
 thing she is Ukely to require ready to 
 her hand ; a supply of coal, sticks, or 
 fire-lights, and a small kettle to stand 
 by the side of the fire. Warm water is 
 always necessary, plenty of fresh cold 
 water, and the means of heating any 
 small thing (such as barley water, rice, 
 milk, &c.) that the patient may wish 
 for without delay, is most desirable. 
 
 Some cups, glasses, and spoons should 
 stand on a. small table, and a tray on 
 which to lay down those things that 
 have been used. Never give food or 
 medicine in a cup or glass that has 
 already been used, without washing it, 
 and this should be done in another 
 room. Whatever the patient requires, 
 either merUcine or refreshment, ought 
 to be brought to the bedside ready for 
 him to take ; the medicine poured out, 
 and the food exactly the right heat and 
 seasoned in the proper manner. Never 
 allow particles of food or medicine to 
 be dropped on the sheets or coimterpane, 
 but have a napkin ready to lay over the 
 bed when administering any liquid. 
 There are several kinds of tables for the 
 use of invalids confined to bed ; some of 
 these have a sliding top, which can be 
 drawn out as far as required, and which 
 holds the tray with refreshment steady, 
 without pressing on the bedclothes, a 
 great advantage in the case of a broken 
 limb, gout, &c. 
 
 WTien a patient is too ill to leave the 
 bed, or in case of fracture, the bed linen 
 may be changed with very little incon- 
 venience to the patient in the following 
 manner: — EoU the under sheet from 
 the edge of the bed towards the middle, 
 roll half the clean sheet (which must be 
 
 well aired) in the same manner; lay 
 the two roUs side by side, and gently 
 lift the patient over them both, on to the 
 clean sheet, remove the soiled one, and 
 unroll the half of the clean sheet and 
 lay it smooth. To change the upper 
 sheet insert the edge imder the blankets 
 at the foot of the bed, above the soiled 
 one, and draw it gently up to the top, 
 then draw down the soiled sheet. All 
 the linen reqiiired for a sick person 
 should be frequently changed and 
 well aired before changing, and it 
 should generally be put on warm. 
 When putting on a fresh night-gown, 
 do not take it from the fire till the 
 patient is quite ready, then roU it up, 
 and it will be hot when brought 
 to the bedside. Toilet vinegar is ex- 
 tremely refreshing when sprinMed about 
 a sick bed, and a few drops in the warm 
 water in which the face and hands of 
 the patient are sponged will be found 
 very pleasant. An air pillow is often a 
 great comfort to an invalid, as well as 
 an india-rubber bag to hold boiling 
 water, to be applied to the feet when 
 very cold ; the bag retains the heat for 
 many hours, and being soft and yield- 
 ing, it can also be applied as a sort of 
 dry poultice when heat only is needed. 
 
 It is almost always possible to venti- 
 late a sick room once a day. The 
 patient must be carefully protected from 
 draught, either by a curtain, a screen, 
 or a shawl thi-own over the bed, and if 
 necessary over the face. Close the door 
 and open the window, both at top and 
 bottom, about six inches, and let it 
 remain open from five to fifteen minutes, 
 according to the state of the patient ; 
 but if this be considered too dangerous, 
 the door may be set open for a short 
 time, and the nearest wandow on the 
 staircase opened, which will admit fresh 
 air with less risk. 
 
 All preparations for the night in a 
 sick room should be made early. A 
 small table should stand at the bedside, 
 with the medicine, drink, &c., requisite 
 for the night. If the patient be so ill 
 as to require the nurse to watch all 
 night, let her be near enough to the 
 bed to see the slightest stir, to hear the 
 
If it be thus to Dream, still let me Sleep 
 
 85 
 
 faintest wliisper. The best light is one 
 of Field's night lights in a tin shade ; 
 this will give sufficient light for any- 
 thing the nurse may want, and can 
 easily be so placed that no ray of light 
 may faU on the bed or the patient. 
 The fire must be kept up during cold 
 weather, and miist be stiiTed and re- 
 plenished without the least noise ; and 
 this can only be done by putting coals 
 on with the fingers and stirring with a 
 bit of firewood. The medicine to be 
 given during the night, and the glass 
 or spoon in which it is to be adminis- 
 tered, should be laid ready, as well as 
 any drink that is likely to be needed. 
 Give these to the patient without asking 
 questions or disturbing him more than 
 is absolutely necessary. A few minutes' 
 conversation, shaking up the pillows or 
 bedclothes, without being requested to 
 do so, will often break the rest of sick 
 persons, and by awakening them com- 
 pletely makes them restless and feverish. 
 
 Perfume for a Sick Eoom. — It is 
 said that an agreeable balsamic odour 
 may be diffused thi-ough a sick room 
 by means of a few drops of oil of 
 sandal-wood dropped on a hot shovel. 
 
 Preparation for the 
 Hair. — Add two ounces of almond 
 on, and one of glycerine jelly, to the 
 juice of six limes or lemons strained 
 through muslin, and shake all together, 
 when it will be ready for use. 
 
 Novel Egg Boiler. — An in- 
 genious apparatus has been proposed for 
 this piupose by "W. Smith, of Colchester, 
 to which the name of " The Whistler" 
 is given. It consists of a cylinder of 
 sheet copper, in which the eggs are 
 placed. Attached to this cylinder is a 
 whistle, which, acted on by the steam, 
 gives notice that the cooking of the 
 eggs is completed, and renders it im- 
 necessary to watch the process. 
 
 Dreams. — We all dream, old or 
 young, either frequently or at rare in- 
 tervals. We are influenced by our 
 dreams ; some as by superstition, others 
 by a specidative philosophy, and aU by 
 the ordinary impressions of curiosity or 
 wonder. Dreams partake of the pecu- 
 liarities of the minds of those to whom 
 
 they occur — that is to say, they are 
 reflections from within more commonly 
 than impressions from without. And 
 herein may be recognised the distinction 
 between our waking and our sleeping 
 sensations. 
 
 But di-eams may be suggested by 
 external influences. Dr. Gregory re- 
 lated of himself that, sleeping with a 
 hot- water vessel at his feet, he di-eamt 
 that he was ascending Mount Etna, 
 and treading upon burning lava ; a 
 blister applied to the head has caused 
 the sleeper to dream of being scalped 
 by wild Indians ; sleeping in a smoky 
 room has given rise to dreams of fixe ; 
 a fragrant flower applied to the nostrils 
 suggested a pleasurable dream-walk in 
 a garden. 
 
 A few months ago a friend of ours 
 had been discussing the peculiar in- 
 stincts of animals, and their sense of 
 the coming on of storms. After this he 
 dreamed he was a Worcestershire short- 
 horn, and had a number of companions. 
 Signs of a storm appeared in the sky ; 
 and he remembered distinctly, although 
 he was a cow, watching, with a sense of 
 great delight, the beauty of the preli- 
 minary tokens of the storm. With the 
 other cows he strolled towards the shel- 
 ter of an adjacent tree, and waited imtil 
 the storm should break. He was chew- 
 ing the cud, and distinctly remembered 
 wagging his taU. Yet all the time he 
 had full reasoning faciJties, and a lively 
 sense of the beauties of the scenery. 
 
 Unusual impressions which have been 
 recently experienced will often leave a 
 tendency to dream of similar occurrences 
 in an irrational foi'm, imtU the memory 
 of the exciting cause has passed away. 
 A stormy passage by sea, to an unaccus- 
 tomed person, wiH impart a tendency 
 to di-eam, for several successive nights, 
 of storms and shipwreck. Walking or 
 riding in a tempestuous wind may 
 leave, for some time thei'eafter, 'dis- 
 ordered night thoiights of upheaving 
 earth, crumbling edifices, and uprooted 
 trees. 
 
 Thus the character of dreams may be 
 said to spring from three causes : 1st. 
 The peculiarities of the mind, as de- 
 
86 
 
 At Break of Day, when Dreams they say are True. 
 
 veloped by a special course of life. 
 2nd. Present impressions from external 
 influences, setting our thoughts in action 
 without the controlling power of reason. 
 3rd. The memory of recent occurrences, 
 ty which the waking faculties have 
 been strongly excited, leaving, as it 
 were, an echo of those highly wrought 
 sensations. These causes may operate 
 singly or unitedly. A single cause 
 gives the most simple form of dream ; 
 mixed causes produce those confused 
 impressions which we can scarcely re- 
 member when we awake, and that seem 
 full of strange and rapid changes. 
 
 Of soldiers, in a state of etiife, it may 
 be said, — 
 
 " Wb eat our meat in fear, and sleep 
 In the aflliction of those terrible dreams 
 That shake us nightly." Shakipeare. 
 
 To the ambitious man and the en- 
 thusiast — 
 
 " Glorious dreams stand ready to restore 
 The pleasing shapes of all yoa saw before." 
 Drt/den. 
 
 The thief coveting his neighbour's 
 goods, or the miser dreading the thief, — 
 •• Sleeps but once, and dreams of burglarie." 
 Bithop Hall. 
 
 The lover, wakeful to the beating of 
 a longing heart, — 
 
 " He came— O hope ! he hastened to my 
 seat; 
 I saw, and almost dreamed him at my 
 feet." Dr. Brown. 
 
 The dreamer, fevered by some mental 
 or bodily disturbance, — 
 
 " When choler overflows, then dreams are 
 
 bred 
 Of flames, and all the family of red ; 
 Red dragons, and red beasts in sleep we 
 
 view, 
 For humours are distinguished by their 
 
 hue." Dryden. 
 
 The dreamer of nervous and melan- 
 choly constitution, — 
 
 "\\'liile Reason sleeps, bending the vigour 
 Of manly actions down, through mournful 
 
 shades 
 Of listless pleasing woe, she [Melancholy] 
 
 impious leads 
 The dreamful fancy." MtikU. 
 
 Dr. Watts wrote thus forcibly of 
 dreams: — "Even the remembrance of 
 our dreamiiigs wiU teach us some 
 
 truths, and lay a foundation for a better 
 acquaintance with human nature, both 
 in the powers and the frailties of it." 
 
 The ancients believed in the prophetic 
 inspiration of di^eams, and founded their 
 arguments upon scriptural authority, 
 supported by numerous testimonies of 
 asserted marvellous fulfilments. A rare 
 old book, "The Divine Dreamer," 
 1641, upholds the prophetic theory upon 
 these grounds. The author says : — " I 
 am of opinion with Volaterans, that 
 many times a person going to his rest, 
 not dosed with bad affections, nor super- 
 fluity of food, but being virtuously 
 minded, and healthfully disposed, his 
 soul in sleeping may foresee things to 
 come : for the soul, which of itself is 
 divine and celestial, not being offended 
 with any evil cogitations, or over-bad 
 meats, is at free liberty, and best per- 
 formeth her actions when the body 
 sleepeth, not being busied with other 
 matters." 
 
 The same author remarks that " Dios- 
 corides, PKny, and Galen say that 
 there are " divers meates which doe in- 
 gender and cause sorrowfuU di'eams, as 
 beanes, pease, coleworts, garlicke, onioiis, 
 leekes, and chesnuts, and aU opening 
 roots ; the flesh of a boare, or old hare, 
 and beefe; aU water-fowles, as duck, 
 goose, and the like." The author then 
 gives a list of articles that cause pleasant 
 dreams, such as " anniseeds, saffran, bur- 
 rage, balme," &c. Then he proceeds to 
 make mention of the wonderful power 
 of "a ccrtaine imguent prepared by 
 apothecaries, which is called Fopuleon, 
 in regard of the juice of poplar 
 leaves ; if the temples be rubbed there- 
 with and chafed, with the liver, veins, 
 the branches of the great arteries, and 
 the soles of the feet, it causeththe most 
 delightful and facetious di-eams." The 
 most wonderful and magic excitant of 
 dreams, almost at command of the 
 will, was a celebrated " ojiitment," for 
 which the receipt is given ; but as the 
 chief ingredient consisted of " the fat of 
 young infants taken out of their 
 graves," we must dismiss " The Divine 
 Dreamer," or parental readers will be 
 likely to dismiss ourselves. We have 
 
lyuth is Umvelcome, however Divine, 
 
 87 
 
 mentioned these strange notions (a copy 
 of the old book having fallen into our 
 hands) as evidences of the extraordinary 
 opinions that prevailed in times far 
 removed from the Best of Everything. 
 
 "Men dreamed by day, and not alone by 
 
 night— 
 Wailinp for Beasou'g sun to sbcd a truer 
 
 light." 
 
 The most concise and clear theory of 
 dreaming that we have been able to 
 discover, after an industiious research, 
 is the following, which we find in 
 Macnish's "Philosophy of Sleep:" — 
 " In perfect sleep there is a quiescence 
 of all the organs that compose the 
 brain; but when, in consequence of 
 some inward excitement, one organ or 
 luore continues awake whilo the re- 
 mainder are in repose, a state of incom- 
 plete sleep is the residt, and m-o have 
 the phenomena of dreaming. If, for 
 instance, any irritation, such as pain, 
 fever, drunkenness, or a heavy meal, 
 should throw the perceptive organs into 
 a state of action, while the reflecting 
 ones continue asleep, we have a con- 
 sciousness of objects, colours, or sounds 
 being presented to us ; while, in conse- 
 quence of the repose of the reflecting 
 organs, we are unable to rectify the 
 illusions, and conceive that the scenes 
 passing before us, or the sounds that 
 we hear, have a real existence. This 
 want of mutual co-operation between 
 the different organs of the brain accounts 
 for the disjointed nature, the absurdi- 
 ties, and incoherencies of dreams." 
 
 The dreams of childhood should be a 
 matter of parental solicitude. Children 
 dream earlier and more frequently than 
 may be supposed. And as dreams are, 
 for the most part, the reflections or 
 echoes of waking experiences and im- 
 pressions, it is seriously wrong to im- 
 part to children stories of ghosts, " old 
 bogies," and black men " coming to 
 carry them away." Dreams of child- 
 hood leave an indelible impression upon 
 the mind, and without strength to bear 
 the exhaustive effects of fright, our 
 little ones suffer more acutely from 
 night terrors than those of maturer 
 growth. 
 
 Hints on Choosing and 
 Cleaning Plate. — Few young 
 couples in the middle rank of Ufe, if 
 left to their own resources, are able to 
 act upon the old and very judicious 
 coxmsel, " Buy your plate of soUd 
 silver, it will always look well and 
 retain its value." It has become the 
 custom of late years to present a bride 
 with articles of silver plate as wedding 
 presents, but generally these arc ele- 
 gances more than necessities, and the 
 spoons, forks, ladles, &c., have to be 
 provided with the rest of the furniture. 
 For those who can afford it, nothing is 
 to be compared for durability and ap- 
 pearance to silver, whether new or 
 second-hand; but the best substitutes 
 tbat can bo found are articles electro- 
 plated on white metal. These ought 
 to be purchased of the best quality; 
 inferior electro-plate becomes quicldy 
 tarnished, and requires to be cleaned so 
 frequently, that veiy soon the silver 
 coating wears off, leaving the baser 
 metal underneath exposed. Choose 
 also the plainest patterns ; they are the 
 easiest to clean, and presenting few 
 obstructions to the soft brush in clean- 
 ing, the silver is not so soon worn off. 
 Gas tarnishes all silver, and the more 
 impure the gas is the quicker does it 
 cause silver to assume a yellowish 
 black appearance ; therefore electro- 
 plate, where the silver coating is thin 
 and easily worn through, should not 
 be left exposed to the action of the gas 
 longer than is absolutely necessary, 
 but when cleaned after use should be 
 covered with baize and laid aside until 
 again required. Spoons, forks, &c., 
 should be carefully washed in warm 
 water after being used, and thoroughly 
 di-ied; a rubbing wath a dry wash-leather 
 will generally be sufficient to preserve 
 the polish, but once a week at least 
 they should be cleaned, along with the 
 other articles of plate in constant use. 
 Many plate powders are sold for this 
 purpose ; some of them very deleterioiis 
 from the mercury they contain, others 
 comparatively harmless; but our ex- 
 perience has been that nothing excels 
 good washed whiting moistened witU 
 
88 
 
 Things ill got have ever Bad Success. 
 
 spiiit of wine or wHsky. This should 
 be ruhbed over the plate with a soft 
 rag, then allowed to dry, and brushed 
 off with a soft plate brush ; the spii'it 
 removes aU spots, and a dry wash- 
 leather will give the plate a good polish. 
 
 To Choose Cutlery. — Under 
 this title we can only speak of table 
 knives and cai-vers, steel forks, except 
 for the purpose of carving, being en- 
 tirely out of date. Carvers are of two 
 kinds, the ordinary large size for cutting 
 joints, and a smaller size with long 
 handles for carving fowl. They ought 
 to be of the best quality, with ivory 
 balance handles, and the fork ought to 
 have in each case a spring guard to 
 prevent accident iu the case of the 
 knife slipping. Table knives, both 
 large and small, should be of the best, 
 ■with ivory balance handles. Some 
 knives are made with the shaft or tang 
 of the blade riveted at the end of the 
 ivory handle, but this generally makes 
 a dark shade all down the handle, which 
 is unsightly, although they are intended 
 to obviate the loosening of the handles 
 by the carelessness of servants in put- 
 ting them into very hot water. Knives, 
 unless very greasy, should only be wiped 
 with a wet cloth previously to being 
 cleaned. To take stains out of the 
 handles, common salt, wet, and rubbed 
 on with a bit of flannel, will generally 
 be found effectual. AVhen table knives 
 are laid by they should be rubbed all 
 over the blades with lard or oil, folded 
 in coarse brown paper, and kept in a 
 dry place. 
 
 To Preserve Harness. — 
 Harness requii-es the application of neats- 
 foot oil every year, and it should be 
 washed every thi-ee or four weeks in 
 strong suds of Castile soap, and kept in 
 a dry place. It wnll thus be prevented 
 from becoming hard, dry, or rotten. 
 
 To Destroy Ants in a 
 Greenhouse. — Place some ar- 
 senic, mixed with sugar and water, in 
 ft saucer, which cover with a slate, 
 leaving room for the insects to pass 
 between the slate and the saucer. A 
 stone ought to be placed on the slate to 
 prevent any other creature but the ants 
 
 from getting access to the poison. Lime 
 water, poured into the nests, will also 
 desti-oy them. 
 
 Best Way to Water 
 Plants in Pots. — It is very 
 important that all collections of plants 
 be looked over every day, and such as 
 are dry watered. The space between the 
 sui-face of the mould and the margin of 
 the pot should be filled with water, and 
 if that space is very shallow, it should 
 be fiUed two or thi-ee times, and if 
 the soil be very dry, so as to be shrunk 
 away from the sides of the pot, after 
 the first dose of water is given, draw 
 the finger all round the opening of the 
 soil; this detaches as much mould as 
 will fill up the gap, and the water after- 
 wards poured on will find its way 
 through aU the mould. In summer 
 plants reqiiire supplies of water every 
 day ; in winter once a week. Saucers, 
 made of the same material as the flower- 
 pot, are of great use. The saucer re- 
 tains the moisture that has found its 
 way thi-ough the mould, and affords a 
 cool bottom, which is grateful to plants 
 of all kinds. 
 
 The Sewing Machine. — 
 About the year 1840 a poor American 
 mechanic, named EUas Howe, conceived 
 the idea of making a machine, somewhat 
 Hke the stocking frame, which should 
 execute a kind of needlev»'ork suitable 
 for most of those articles of di-ess and 
 household use that had hitherto been 
 solely accomplished by hand sewing. 
 After many months of incessant labour, 
 he succeeded in making a machine that 
 would work satisfactorily, and obtained 
 a patent for it in 1841. But though 
 our American cousins are distinguished 
 for their quick inventive genius, and 
 their many contrivances for lessening 
 laboui-, they failed to appreciate the 
 invention of their countryman as it 
 deserved. Howe, therefore, determined 
 to try his fortune in England, where 
 he dad not meet with more success 
 than at home, and he eventually 
 sold his patent for £250, and a royalty 
 of £3 per machine, to Mr. Thomas of 
 London, who used it successfidly in his 
 own business of a stay-maker. Howe, 
 
Lidustiy is J'orlune's Right Hand. 
 
 89 
 
 on his return to America, found himself 
 involved in a lawsuit witli a firm who 
 had pirated his patent, but he succeeded 
 in establishing his right, and has lately 
 died a wealthy man. Howe's machine 
 worked what is called the Lock-stitch ; 
 hut since liis invention became known, 
 many changes have been introduced by 
 other manufacturers, so numerous that 
 it would be quite impossible to speak of 
 each in a book of this nature. 
 
 Sewing machines are manufactured for 
 all purposes for which hand sewing was 
 formerly employed, and they are made 
 expressly suited for the work they are 
 required to perform, which is as various 
 as their sizes ; for they are made so large 
 that they can only be driven by steam 
 power, and so small that one designated 
 the " Fairy " looks like a child's toy, yet 
 it executes its appointed task deftly and 
 well. Sail-making, harness-making, 
 boot and shoe making, are among the 
 lieaviest kinds of labour they are applied 
 to, wliile the same or similar mechanism 
 performs the most delicate embroidery, 
 braiding, and a machine has even bcxin 
 invented to ^\■ork button-holes. 
 
 The diversity of appearance and mode 
 of operation in seM'ing machines is as 
 great as the variety of theLr application, 
 and the opinions as to their respective 
 merits are as uiunerous as either ; we 
 will, therefore, endeavour to point out 
 the most prominent points of difference 
 in the several machines, and leave our 
 readers to form their own conclusions. 
 
 Hand M.\chixes. — These are much 
 cheaper than the foot or treadle machines. 
 The majority of them form what is 
 called the chain-stitch, and which makes 
 a ridge on the wrong side, similar in 
 appearance to the old-fashioned tambour 
 stitch ; this is supposed to be less 
 durable than a lock-stitch, and to give 
 May readily if the thread be improperly 
 fastened ; our own experience is, that if 
 carefully done with a good machine, 
 strong fine thread, and a small, neat 
 stitch, the work will be found sufficiently 
 strong for the ordinary pui-poses of 
 making ladies' and children's cotton 
 and muslin under- clothing. There are 
 a great many of the hand machines, dif- 
 
 feiing from each other but in minor 
 particulars : of these, "Weir's £2 los. 
 machine seems to be a general fa- 
 vourite ; it is a very simple and efficient 
 as well as cheap little machine. Some 
 hand machines make the lock-stitch, and 
 many manufacturers of treadle macliines 
 havea hand machine of similar construc- 
 tion. 
 
 The Treadli! Machines. — The 
 Wheeler and Wilson machine has 
 long been a favourite with the public. 
 It diflers from most others, not only 
 in the mode of performing the stitch, 
 but in the position of the work, 
 which passes from left to right along 
 the stand, instead of passing from the 
 worker across the left side of the stand. 
 This machine forms a lock-stitch with 
 two threads, the upper one taken from 
 an ordinary reel, and the lower Mound 
 on a small metal bobbin inside a revolv- 
 ing hook, which locks one thread into 
 the other, forming a stitch the same on 
 both sides of the cloth. This machine 
 is said to be well suited for dress and 
 mantle, as well as shirt makers, by 
 whom it is much used. Wheeler and 
 Wilson also manufacture a hand machine, 
 and one for making button-holes. 
 
 The Wilcox and Gibbs machine 
 makes a stitch peculiar to itself, 
 which is called after the name of the 
 inventor; these machines, both hand 
 and treadle, work with one thread 
 only ; they are easy to move, and very 
 expeditious, as well as neat in the work 
 they turn out; they seem simple in 
 their mechanism, and peculiarly noise- 
 less. 
 
 Howe's original machine formed a 
 lock-stitch with two thieads, the upper 
 one taken from the common reel, and the 
 under one from a small steel reel fastened 
 inside a steel shutt'.e ; this mode of 
 forming the stitch is still used in the 
 Thomas, Singer, Simpson, Florence, 
 Wanzer, and some others. The shuttle 
 stitch is similar in appearance on both 
 sides of the work. The machines using 
 it are heavier and more noisy than the 
 Wheeler and Wilson, but they are ad- 
 mirably suited for heavy werk, and lor 
 manufactming purposes. 
 
9° 
 
 Children and Chicketis a7-e always pecking. 
 
 The Groveb and Baker machines 
 work with two needles and two threads, 
 which form a ridge on the underside of the 
 cloth ; the stitch is particularly elastic. 
 
 Hints on Choosing a Machine. — 
 If expense is no object, and the intend- 
 ing purchaser is able to work a treadle 
 machine, it is certainly the best, whether 
 a double or single thread machine, and 
 will be found the cheapest in the end. To 
 ascertain the kind of machine most suited 
 to the work which it is intended to per- 
 form, it is well to visit the sale-rooms of 
 the principal manufacturers, where the 
 attendants are always willing to afford 
 every information, and to permit pur- 
 chasers to see if they can make a suc- 
 cessful attempt at using the machine. 
 Choose one that seems easy to learn and 
 easy to work, as well as simple in the 
 mode of changing the needle, cotton, &c. 
 Endeavour to take out and reset the 
 needle. Change the cotton. Alter the 
 length of stitch and the tension. In- 
 structions are generally given in the way 
 of using the machine free of charge, 
 and it is well to try several machines 
 before deciding on the final purchase. 
 
 Some makers hire out theii- machines, 
 allowing the user the option of purchas- 
 ing afterwards ; others arrange for 
 monthly payments. "Wilcox and Gibbs 
 send their machines on trial for a month, 
 without any charge, to any intending 
 purchaser, and make arrangements 
 for monthly payments with the poor. 
 A mahogany or walnut stand with a 
 cover is veiy convenient, as dust is 
 most injurious to sewing machines, and 
 the " Davenports" ai-e extremely orna- 
 mental as well as useful. 
 
 Hints on the Manage- 
 ment of Chickens.— 
 
 " In May, chickens thrive all day." 
 May is the month for chickens, although 
 it is true that many thousands have 
 been hatched in the earlier months. 
 
 The weather begins to be warm, and 
 the young chickens which have been 
 hatched during March and April are 
 usually the strongest and best, particu- 
 larly if of choice kinds and intended for 
 exhibition. Opinions vary with respect 
 to the treatment of young chickens, but 
 
 we shall give a few directions suggested 
 by a lady who has had a long and 
 profitable experience in rearing all kinds 
 of poultry, both for exhibition and the 
 table. 
 
 After emerging from the shells, 
 the chickens should not be removed 
 from under the hen ; they are at first 
 weakly and wet, but in a few hours 
 they become thoroughly dry, and it is 
 not until their little quaint heads peep 
 from imder the feathers of the hen that 
 she should be removed from the nest. 
 Many persons imagine that the chickens 
 require feeding as soon as hatched ; 
 this is an eiTor. At the time of hatch- 
 ing, the remains of the yolk are drawn 
 into the digestive canal of the chick, 
 and constitute its first food; this will 
 last it from twenty to thirty hours, and 
 then the chickens are strong and active 
 on the legs, and ready to eat with 
 avidity. 
 
 As REGARDS THE FIRST FOOD FOR 
 
 THE YOUNG BIRDS, there is nothing ap- 
 proaching in value to a mixture of equal 
 parts of grated bread, yolk of hard- 
 boiled eggs, and oatmeal, slightly moist- 
 ened with water. This is the best 
 food for the first fortnight ; then add 
 gradually to it groats, hemp seed, and 
 green food, such as cress, lettuce, cab- 
 bage, and leeks, chopped fine. If the 
 weather is cold and wet, add a little 
 powdered pimento to the food occasion- 
 ally, also a little finely minced meat as a 
 substitute for worms and insects, fresh 
 curd, and hard-boiled eggs, mashed up 
 with the shells. Feed the chickens 
 early in the morning, and often during 
 the day, giving but little at a time ; the 
 water vessels should be shallow and 
 fi-equently refilled, and so aiTanged that 
 the chickens cannot get into them. 
 Throw the food on the ground to the 
 chickens ; they will then pick up gravel 
 along with it, which is necessary for the 
 digestion of their food. Of coiu'se there 
 is not so much necessity for a substitute 
 for the natural animal food when the 
 hens have a free range, and can scratch 
 for_ worms and insects for the brood. 
 Chickens sometimes will not get their 
 feathers properly ; this may arise either 
 
By Strength of Heart the Sailor fights ivith Jioaring Seas. 9 1 
 
 from the cold of the weather or from 
 delicacy. In either case they should be 
 highly fed ; bread soaked in ale, or even 
 in wine, may be necessary, and a plen- 
 tiful supply of burned and crushed 
 oyster shells to provide them with lime. 
 
 It is important that a hen vtith 
 CHICKENS should be very well fed. As 
 Cobbett used to remark, " If she does 
 not give milk, she gives heat ; " and 
 practical experience, as well as theory, 
 proves that animal heat requires food 
 for its maintenance. A hen with 
 chickens, if poorly fed, drags her pro- 
 geny about in search of food, taking 
 them through the wet grass, and weaiy- 
 ing them with over-exertion ; but if 
 well fed, she broods them carefully, 
 and only scratches to supply them with 
 grubs and dainty animal food. Both 
 hen and chickens must be carefully 
 and warmly housed at night, and never 
 allowed out imtil the dew is quite 
 off the grass. 
 
 How TO Fatten Young Poultry. 
 — Boil Patna rice in skimmed milk and 
 water till it is swelled out, and add a 
 teaspoonful of sugar. Feed the fowls 
 three times a day, giving them as much 
 as M'ill fiU them at once, throwing the 
 food, which must not be too moist, on 
 the ground. Let them have clean water 
 to drink. By this method the flesh 
 will have a clear whiteness, and as the 
 rice goes far, and is very inexpensive, 
 the process will be foimd cheap and a 
 saving of time. A portion of animal, 
 mixed with vegetable food, causes poul- 
 try to thrive rapidly, but they should 
 be confined to a vegetable diet some 
 time before they are killed. 
 
 Boati ng. — There can be no doubt 
 that the skill and hardihood of our 
 sailors, by which we have gained our 
 pre-eminence as a naval power, may 
 be said, in a great measure, to be due 
 to the ample opportimities for obtaining 
 proficiency in nautical pursuits which 
 are afforded by our numerous lakes, 
 rivers, and estuaries. Almost all our 
 sailors who have rendered themselves 
 illustrious by maritime adventures or 
 naval prowess have begim their career 
 by becoming familiar in early life with 
 
 the management of the boat, and by 
 enjoying the healthfid, invigorating, 
 and manly amusement which it yields. 
 And it may be safely affirmed that, 
 while the management of the boat is 
 eminently conducive to individual 
 health and vigoiir, it tends in no ordi- 
 nary degree to foster those habits on 
 which our naval and maritime supe- 
 riority depends. As our readers, there- 
 fore, may be presumed to take an 
 interest in the subject, we shall present 
 them with a few practical reraarlvs on 
 boats and their management. 
 
 Rowing hoats may be divided into 
 two classes, those intended for the sea, 
 and not made expressly for speed, and 
 those adapted to rivers and smooth 
 water, and built for the special purpose 
 of swiftness. The foi-mer class contains 
 a large number of boats, differing from 
 each other in figure and in name ; and 
 of these our maritime villages all round 
 the coast exhibit numerous examples, 
 which we need not describe. The latter 
 class comprises such boats as are built 
 for fleetness, and of which the most 
 remarkable specimens are the racing 
 boats so celebrated on the Thames. 
 
 The outrigger boat is pulled by 
 one person with a single pair of sculls, 
 or by two, four, or eight oarsmen. The 
 structm'e of all these boats is very much 
 alike, the chief difference consisting 
 in the position of the rowlocks ; the 
 boat intended for one rower having 
 these exactly opposite each other, and 
 those suited to two or more oarsmen 
 having them placed alternately. A de- 
 scription of one of these boats as regards 
 its build will be sufficient to indicate 
 any of them. 
 
 The outrigger sculling boat, in- 
 tended for one person, is about thirty 
 feet in length by only sixteen inches in 
 breadth. The bows and stern are made 
 very fine and sharp, the former being 
 furnished wth a fine edge of copp-T. 
 It has no keel, and is frequently con- 
 structed of a single sheet of mahogany 
 from stem to stem. The mahogany, 
 which is called the skin of the boat, 
 is, when sand-papered and varnished, 
 about the thickness of a half-crown 
 
92 
 
 2^070 Weel, my Boatie, row Weel. 
 
 piece, and is strengtliened by ribs of 
 oak placed in tbe inside at certain dis- 
 tances from eacb other. With the ex- 
 ception of three or four feet in the 
 centre, the boat is decked either with 
 thin mahogany or varnished canvas, 
 supported on a slight frame. The parts 
 of the boat thus covered in at each end 
 are rendered watertight by a bulkhead 
 towards the middle. The sculler occu- 
 pies the centre of the boat, sitting either 
 on the deck or a little below its level. 
 Behind and in front of the sculler are 
 the washboards, which on both sides 
 meet the water streaks of the boat, and 
 prevent any water that may be shipped 
 from running into the central compart- 
 ment. As already observed, the other 
 outriggers intended for several rowers 
 are built in a similar manner ; those 
 for eight oars being about twenty-five 
 feet longer than the boat just described, 
 and having the rowlocks placed alter- 
 nately, instead of being opposite each 
 other. The boats of which we have thus 
 given an example being extremely Ught 
 and narrow, and having no keel, are 
 easily upset, for if they in the least 
 swerve to either one side or the other, 
 the rower is turned into the water. In 
 rough water they are likewise easily 
 upset, and even to step into them re- 
 quires much care ; indeed, the boat 
 should be held by some one on the 
 bank while the rower steps in and seats 
 himself. 
 
 In learning to row or scull the 
 yoxmg oarsman ought to avoid the out- 
 rigger, and commence his lessons in an 
 ordinary skiff, a boat sufficiently light, 
 and safe at the same time. He should, 
 moreover, be able to puU a single oar 
 well before he attempts to scull with two. 
 After practising the art of rowing in an 
 ordinary skiff, the learner may change 
 from the skiff into a small gig, and 
 afterwards, as he gains skill and con- 
 fidence, try his hand on a still narrower 
 boat. 
 
 In so PRACTICAL a matter as that of 
 rowing, written instructions are greatly 
 inferior in value to a few judicious 
 lessons from a practical hand, and some 
 experience on the learner's part, not 
 
 only as to what he should do, but what 
 he ought to avoid, — experience often 
 the more valuable because enforced by 
 the mishaps which awkwardness and 
 blundering commonly entail. Never- 
 theless, a few hints may not be alto- 
 gether thrown away. 
 
 EoWmO BEING SIMPLER THAN SCULL- 
 ING, we shall refer to it in the first 
 instance, only observing at the outset 
 that either rowing or sculling affords a 
 good illustration of the use of what 
 are called, in mechanical philosophy, 
 lever* of the second class, in which the 
 weight to be moved is between the 
 fulcrum and the power. In order to 
 his first lessons the tyro oarsman 
 ought to begin with a good steady 
 boat; by no means an outrigger — he 
 ought to keep a companion with him 
 who knows how to pull. His teacher, 
 who can either puU an oar or steer the 
 boat, should encourage him to exert all 
 his power and pull as wildly as he 
 likes, catching crabs occasionally, by 
 way of a lesson of caution. The learner 
 must have his hands properly placed; 
 the outside hand grasping the oar with 
 the thumb above the handle, the inside 
 hand holding the "loom" of the oar 
 just where the rounded part joins the 
 square, and keeping the thumb beneath. 
 The elbows must be kept close to the 
 sides, and well straightened immediately 
 after the conclusion of the stroke. The 
 stroke is finished by feathering the oar, 
 and this is done by a turn of the wrist, 
 which places the blade of the oar 
 parallel to the surface of the water, 
 instead of vertical to the surface as 
 during the pull. A little imitation will 
 show the learner how to feather his oar, 
 but it may be remarked that feathering 
 is not requisite at first. It will be time 
 enough to exhibit this evidence of 
 advancing skill as an oarsman when the 
 oar can in other respects be properly 
 used. In rowing, the body should swing 
 to and fro in a straight line with the 
 stem and stem of the boat, the rower 
 should throw himself well forward in 
 taking hold of the water with the oar, 
 and he ought to lean well back in lift- 
 ing it out of the water ; he ought not 
 
Praise t)u Sea, but keep on Land. 
 
 93 
 
 to dip his oar in the water beyond the 
 blade ; the stroke oar ought always to 
 keep to that depth in which the learner 
 can imitate him. 
 
 Sculling DirrERs from howing in 
 this, that as both oars or sculls are 
 pulled by one man, he has one hand 
 only for each. The rower must occupy 
 precisely the centre of the boat ; he 
 must pull with equal force ■wdth each 
 oar or scull, and if he can feather them 
 he must do so ■nath both at the same 
 instant. 
 
 Manoeuvres. — In rowing-boats these 
 are all alike in principle, and all appli- 
 cations of the mechanical theory of oars 
 and rowing. We may mention as an 
 example such as the following: — 
 
 Holding water is the method 
 adopted for checking more or less sud- 
 denly the progress of the boat by dip- 
 ping the oars and sculls simultaneously 
 into the water on both sides. If there 
 are several oars, the boat may be in- 
 stantly stopped in this manner, and if 
 one side continues to pull while the 
 other side holds water, the boat will 
 turn quickly round towards the side 
 not rowing. 
 
 Backing is effected by pushing the 
 blade of the oar through the water in 
 the direction opposite to that of rowing, 
 and feathering the oar as it leaves the 
 water, by which means the boat is made 
 to move backwards. 
 
 Paddling consists of rowing with 
 half power and quickness, that is to say, 
 with a rate of about twenty-five strokes 
 in a minute, whereas for "rowing 
 hard" the number of strokes is about 
 forty-two, and for a "spurt" fifty or 
 fifty-five per minute. 
 
 The best length of stroke is that 
 which all the rowers can conveniently 
 maintain without reaching so far for- 
 wards as to be unsteady in the drop, or 
 swinging so far back as to bear too hard 
 upon the oar, and occasion a downward 
 pull upon the boat. 
 
 The best style of stroke is that 
 which does not cause the boat to jerk ; 
 the stroke ought to begin with a neat 
 and delicate drop of the oar in the 
 water without any splash; the rower 
 
 catching hold of the water at once, and 
 gradually increasing his power as the 
 resistance is removed. 
 
 Keeping time consists of the feather- 
 ing of the oars, and of their recovery, 
 executed by the M'hole crew exactly at 
 the same moment. 
 
 Keeping stroke consists of the exact 
 imitation of the stroke oar by those 
 behind him, both as to the depth and 
 the length of water taken. This limul- 
 taneous action is of great importance to 
 the velocity of the boat ; a crew pulling 
 well and accurately together being 
 alwaj' s able to beat a crew even of better 
 men whose action, owing to various 
 styles of rowing, is not simultaneous. 
 
 To Clean Jet. — Use the softest 
 brush that can be procured, to remove 
 the dust in the most gentle manner from 
 the carving, and then touch the jet with 
 a little good oil on a bit of cotton wool, 
 and polish with wash-leather. The 
 process requires the greatest care, as the 
 carving makes the jet so brittle. 
 
 Home-made Bread and 
 Baker's Bread. — It is a well- 
 known fact that baker's bread is very 
 frequently inferior, both in agreeable- 
 ness and taste, to home-made bread. 
 This difference, however, does not ori- 
 ginate so much in the adulteration of 
 the flour or the bread, as in the different 
 method of fermentation had recourse to 
 in each case. The nutritive properties 
 of each kind of bread are nearly equal, 
 but although the baker's bread may 
 often be whiter than that which is 
 home-made, it ought to be borne in 
 mind that the whitest bread and the 
 best cooking flour are by no means the 
 most nutritious. 
 
 The Best "Way to make 
 Home-made Bread.^Itmay 
 seem almost superfluous in these days 
 to offer a receipt for making bread, but 
 some of our readers may reside in the 
 country, at a distance from a good 
 baker, and they may not be xmwilung 
 to try a method of making bread, which 
 we can confidently recommend from 
 many years' personal experience of its 
 excellence. It would appear, also, that 
 the idea of the superiority of home-made 
 
94 
 
 Be not a Baker if your Head be of Butter. 
 
 bread over that of ordinary bakers, as 
 to its purity and wholesomeness, is not 
 altogether exploded. The first process 
 in bread-making being the preparation 
 of the yeast, we shall begin our descrip- 
 tion with 
 
 How TO MAKE Yeast. — Put two 
 ounces of hops into nine pints of cold 
 water, and boil half an hour ; strain it 
 hot, and dissolve in the liquor two 
 ounces of table salt and half a pound of 
 moist sugar; when lukewarm put a 
 pound of tiour into a basin and pour on 
 it the liquor by degrees, stirring it 
 round till the liquor and the flour are 
 evenly mixed ; add half a pint of old 
 yeast, — if there is not any left from a 
 former brewing, brewer's yeast, well 
 blanched, Avill do. If the weather be 
 cold, set the pan with its contents near 
 the stove for forty-eight hours. On the 
 third day boil and mash three pounds 
 of good potatoes, with their skins, and 
 mix them with the liquor. On the 
 fourth day stir the yeast thoroiighly 
 and strain it through a sieve into a two 
 gallon bottle, cork and tie it down 
 firmly, and keep it in a cool cellar. It 
 should be shaken before being used. 
 Half a pint of this should always be 
 kept to add to a new brew. 
 
 A Quicker Wat to make Yeast. — 
 Boil an ounce of hops in two quarts of 
 water for half an hoirr ; when milk- 
 warm, stir in a teacupful of flour and 
 half a teacupful of sugar ; then put in a 
 little of tlie last yeast (brewer's yeast 
 will do if tliis is not to be had) . Two 
 hours after put in thi-ee potatoes mashed 
 small, and let it stand in a warm place 
 by the fire about ten hours ; then add a 
 teacupful of salt. Stir well, and then 
 put it away in a cool place. This is a 
 very good receipt, and takes only one 
 day to make. 
 
 To SET Sponge for Bread. — Take a 
 quai-t of yeast as ali-eady prepared, put 
 it into a deep earthenware pan, add six 
 large floury potatoes boiled, break them 
 with their peels while hot into the pan 
 with three pints of warm water and half 
 a pint of flour ; cover up closely, and set 
 the pan near a fire for four hours to rise ; 
 measure into a bread trough seventeen 
 
 poxmds of best flour, make a hole in the 
 centre of the flour with the hand, and 
 when the yeast has risen and appears 
 frothy, poiir it gently through a colander 
 into this hole, stirring at the same time 
 enough of the flour to it to make it of 
 the consistence of very thick batter ; lay 
 the trough before the fire and cover it 
 closely, particularly in cold weather ; 
 let it remain imdisturbed till early 
 morning, work the whole of the fioiir 
 into it in the usual way, wetting it if 
 necessary with warm milk or with alittle 
 butter melted in warm water, and set 
 the dough to rise in a warm place for 
 four hours ; the oven should then be 
 ready for its reception, but not too hot ; 
 make the dough into loaves and bake it 
 well ; this will be ascertained by run- 
 ning into each loaf a dinner knife ; if the 
 knife comes out clean the bread is done 
 enough. 
 
 If German yeast is preferred to the 
 home-made, excellent bread may be 
 made from it in the following manner : — • 
 Dissolve two ounces of good German 
 I yeast in two and a half pints of warm 
 ! water, mix this well into three poxmds 
 j of floui', and stand the pan, in which it 
 j is, in a very warm place ; when it has 
 j risen add to it a pint and a half of warm 
 water in which an oimce and a half of 
 salt has been mixed, and six pounds of 
 flour ; knead the whole well together 
 into dough, set it near the fire till it has 
 risen, then make into loaves and bake. 
 Soda Brea d. — To every 
 pound of flour put half a teaspoonfiil 
 each of finely powdered bicarbonate of 
 soda, tartaric acid, white sugar, and salt ; 
 mix these very well in milk in the pro- 
 portion of a breakfast cupfid of milk to 
 each pound of flour. Make the dough 
 rather soft and work it as little as possi- 
 ble ; each pound makes a loaf, which 
 must be baked immediately on being 
 moulded. 
 
 Soda Scones. — Four pounds of flour, 
 two ounces of butter, one ounce of bi- 
 carbonate of soda, half an ounce of 
 tartaric acid, and a quart of buttermilk. 
 This is the best receipt for making soda 
 scones. 
 
 Soda Cakes. — Mis a teaspoonfiil of 
 
Many Children and Little Bread is a Painful Pleasure. 95 
 
 soft, but not browD ; mince up a lettuce, 
 three bandfuls of sorrel, and a little 
 chervil ; add these to the onion, with a 
 little pepper, salt, and nutmeg ; stir till 
 the vegetables are nearly cooked ; then 
 pour in a quart of good white stock and 
 a tablespoonful of powdered white sugar; 
 when it has boUed up, lay it aside to 
 cool ; carefully skim off all fat, and when 
 about to serve pour it boiling on thi-ee 
 yolks of eggs well beaten with a quarter 
 of a piat of good milk; serve with 
 sippets of lightly toasted bread. 
 
 Horseradish Sauce.— 
 Grate as much horseradish as will fill a 
 breakfast cup, mix with it tioo teaspoon- 
 fuls of powdered white sugar, and one 
 each of salt and pepper, a dessert-spoon- 
 ful of made mustard, and enough vinegar 
 to make the whole as thick as rich 
 cream ; a small cupful of cream is also 
 a great improvement. To use with 
 roast beef the sauce is heated by being 
 placed in a jar in the oven till warm, 
 but it must not hoil — and it is very good 
 cold, to eat with any cold meat. Double 
 this qTiantity may be made at a time ; 
 it will keep for some weeks if bottled. 
 
 The Game of Cricket.— 
 This is one of our most popular games. 
 It is in itself highly interesting ; it 
 requires such personal activity as most 
 conduces to physical development ; the 
 exertions it demands are made under 
 circumstances most favourable to health 
 and cheerfulness ; and it calls into ener- 
 getic action perseverance, self-control, 
 rapidity and accuracy of observation, 
 and other qiiaUties of mind of great 
 value in the most important and serious 
 affairs of human life. 
 
 It is unnecessary to occupy our too 
 Umited space by an enumeration of the 
 implements or materials requisite to 
 the game. These are weU known, and 
 can be readily obtained. We shall, 
 therefore, furnish a brief description 
 of the game itself, which is played 
 either as the "single wicket" or 
 " double wicket" game. 
 
 In DOUBLE "WICKET there are two 
 sides of eleven players each. Having 
 tossed for sides, one of the two parties 
 has the first innings, and two of th?i 
 
 soda and one of tartaric acid with half a 
 teaspoonful of salt, melt five ounces of 
 butter in a large cupful of milk, add 
 these ingredients to one pound of flour, 
 haK a poimd of moist sugar, and two 
 ounces of caraway seeds, work into a 
 soft dough, if not wet enough add more 
 milk, put into mince-pie pans to bake. 
 
 Soda Currant Cakes.— Rub into 
 one poimd of dry flour one drachm of 
 bicarbonate of soda, one drachm of tar- 
 taric acid, and a little salt ; add half a 
 pound of butter, three quarters of a 
 pound of moist sugar, half a pound of 
 washed currants, tlmtj' sweet and a few 
 bitter almonds pounded, and make into 
 a soft dough with milk ; divide into little 
 cakes, and bake in a quick oven. 
 
 To KEEP Bread Moist. — Place in 
 the bread pan a boardpierced with holes, 
 and so supported as to be a couple of 
 inches from the bottom of the pan ; let 
 there be an inch depth of water in the 
 pan ; put the bread on the board and 
 cover the pan ^vith the lid. The en- 
 closed air will then prevent the bread 
 from becoming too dry. 
 
 White Soup. — Take a good 
 knuckle of veal, \ lb. of lean ham, two 
 large onions peeled but not sliced, four 
 blades of mace, a dessert-spoonful of 
 whole white pepper, half a teaspoonful 
 of Cayenne, and five quarts of water ; 
 let all simmer till the meat is off the 
 bones and the quantity reduced nearly 
 one-half. Beat 3 oz. of sweet almonds 
 and the hard-boiled yolks of five eggs 
 in a mortar to a paste ; strain the soup 
 and add the eggs and almonds ; just 
 before going to table stir in a pint of 
 good cream, and laj^ a nice piece of roU 
 stuck with abuonds in the tiireen. 
 
 White Soup Maigre. (A 
 French Eecipe.)— Boil a cupful of ver- 
 micelli, with a little mace and some salt, 
 in a quart of water, till the vermicelli is 
 very soft ; whisk up the yolks of three 
 eggs in the soup tureen ; pour the ver- 
 micelli and water on the eggs, and mix 
 them all well together. 
 
 Sorrel Soup, or Soup ^laBonne 
 Femme. — SKce an onion ia thin sHces, 
 put it into a stew-pan with a quarter of 
 a pound of butter ; let it stew tiU nearly 
 
96 The Worth of a Thing is best Jznown by the Want of it. 
 
 number defend the wickets with a bat 
 each, the others remaining disengaged. 
 The opposite party, or side, are now 
 occupied in "fielding;" by them the 
 attack is carried on, their design being 
 to "take the wickets" of the strikers 
 by bowling at either of them four balls 
 in succession from the "bowling-crease" 
 of the opposite wickets. The striker is 
 " out " if the ball bowls off either of the 
 "trails," or bowls a stump out of the 
 ground, and in certain other circum- 
 stances, laid down in the laws of the 
 game. He is then replaced by another 
 of his own side, till the whole party, or 
 side, are in like manner " put out." It 
 is the business of the striker to strike 
 with his bat the ball as it bowls up to 
 him, and if, in doing this, he drives the 
 ball to a considerable distance, he runs 
 to the opposite "popping crease," and 
 back again, making the run to and fro 
 once or twice, or as often as possible 
 before the ball, which he struck away, is 
 returned. For each of such runs a score 
 of one is made, and the side which has 
 the greatest score wins the game. 
 
 The laws op double wicket, as 
 revised by the Marylebone Club, the 
 best authority on the subject, are those 
 universally adopted in Great Britain. 
 They refer to a number of particulars 
 more or less important, such as the 
 weight and size of the ball, the dimen- 
 sions of the bat, the number and position 
 of the stumps, &c. They likewise 
 determine the manner in which the 
 bowler shall perform his duty ; they fix 
 the circumstances in which the striker 
 is out ; and they regulate the mode in 
 which the fieldsmen, wicket-keepers, 
 umpires, and plaj'ers, shall perform 
 their part in the contest. 
 
 In single wicket, the stumps being 
 driven into the ground and the popping 
 crease marked of, a bowling-stump is 
 fixed at twenty-two yards from the 
 wicket, and a bowling-crease marked at 
 the proper distance, at which the bowler 
 must deliver his ball. The game is 
 defended by the batsman or striker, 
 who stands at the popping-crease, and 
 who is understood to be bound by the 
 laws of single wicket if they differ 
 
 from the usual regulations. The attack 
 is carried on by the other side placed 
 in the field according to their numbers. 
 If there are less than five players on a 
 side certain bounds are marked off, no 
 wicket-keeper is required, and all the 
 fielders may be in front of the line. 
 
 The laws of single wicket are 
 in many instances the same as those 
 fiixed for double wicket, with the 
 addition of such as are rendered neces- 
 sary by the nature and peculiarities of 
 this game as compared with the other. 
 
 Mucilage, or Liquid 
 Gum. — This may be procured from 
 the stationers in bottles, price Id. each. 
 When required in large quantities it 
 should be prepared at home. Put three 
 ounces of gum-arabic (which is cheaper 
 at the oil-shops) in an earthenware 
 vessel containing half a pint of cold 
 water. If the liquid is occasionally 
 stirred, the gum in twenty-four hours 
 win be dissolved and the mixture ready 
 for use. Cork the bottle securely, or 
 the mucilage will become mouldy. 
 
 To Waterproof Tweed 
 Cloaks. — Dissolve half a pound 
 of alum in two quarts of boiling water, 
 and pour the solution into a vessel con- 
 taining two gallons of cold spring water. 
 Immerse the garment in this vessel, 
 and let it remain twenty-four hours. 
 Dissolve a quarter of a pound of sugar 
 of lead in tM'o quarts of boiling water, 
 and pour the solution into another vessel 
 containing two gallons of cold spring 
 water. Take the garment from the first 
 vessel, gently wring or press it, and 
 immerse it in the second vessel. Let it 
 remain six hours, gently wring it, and 
 hang it in the shade to dry. This receipt 
 has been tried, and found to answer 
 admirablj-. 
 
 To Clean Wash-leather 
 Gloves. — Remove the grease spots 
 by i-ubbing with magnena or cream of 
 tartar, prepare a lather of lukewarm 
 water and white soap ; wash the gloves 
 in it, wring them, and squeeze them 
 through a fresh lather. Rinse first 
 in lukewarm water, then in cold, and 
 stretch them (on wooden hands, if pos- 
 sible) to dry in the sun or before a fire. 
 
Mist in May, Heat in yiine, makes the Harvest right soon. 97 
 
 Svimmep. 
 
 "What is't the cuckoo cries all day 
 
 Through the wide woods of Blondel 
 Chase ? 
 Is it some word of antique charm 
 
 Now meaningless to all onr race 
 Save to some Brahmin, silent, sage. 
 
 Who glides with wide-oped eyes, and 
 dreams 
 Dread stories of earth's earliest age, 
 
 Among the ghauts by Indian streams ? 
 
 Or does the cuckoo but repeat 
 The name of some grief-wildered 
 maid 
 Lost in the woods, and searcli for 
 her 
 And call her name in every glade ? 
 No! But when earth Avas young, and 
 ore 
 Babel distractions severed men, 
 In our sweet primal tongue " cuckoo" 
 Meant " Summer has come back 
 again." 
 
 So round the world this herald flics, 
 
 His happy tale proclaiming yet ; 
 Ho wakes the floM'ers, then know the 
 word 
 Which he remembers, — xpe forget. 
 And now imperial Summer reigns. 
 To her its gi-acc the lil)' shows, 
 Tlie mignonnette sighs its sweetest 
 breath, 
 And all the world's beauty sinks into 
 the rose. 
 
 In this sunny noon I stand by the 
 stile 
 That leads to the misty meadows, 
 and hear 
 From out of the hazy sunshine come 
 The mm-muring gossip of haymakers 
 near. 
 The fragrant hay lies in heavy swathes. 
 The loaded waggon rocks in the 
 lane, 
 And the low love-song of the blackbird 
 tells 
 That high summer-tide is here again. 
 D. Murray Smith. 
 
 The Month of June. 
 
 " After her came jolly June, arrayed 
 
 All in ereen leaves as he a player were. 
 Yet in his time he wrought as well as 
 played. 
 That by his plough irons mote well 
 appear." — Spenser. 
 
 In our variable English climate June 
 is perhaps the pleasantest month in the 
 year; the days are at theii- greatest 
 length, and the temperature is warm, 
 without being too hot for comfort. The 
 trees are in their fuU beauty of foliage 
 in " the leafy month of June." What 
 can be more beautif\il than an English 
 landscape on a sunny day at this time ? 
 The cattle standing in the stream 
 whisking away the flies with their tails, 
 or lying in the shade of the trees chew- 
 ing the cud, are the very picture of 
 lazy cnjojTuent. The air is fuU of the 
 EOimds of life ; the merry laughter of 
 the haymakers, as they turn over the 
 fragrant new-mown grass, or toss the 
 sweet hay into the waggons to be car- 
 ried to the stackyard; the bleating of 
 the lambs separated from their mothers, 
 who are being washed or shorn, and 
 their joj'ous cries of recognition as their 
 much-altered parent is restored to them ; 
 all testify that June is a busy month 
 with the farmer. 
 
 The rose, the queen of flowers, (the 
 favoui-ite theme of poets, from Anacreon 
 down to the Ayrshii-e ploughman, who 
 sings, — 
 
 " My love is like the red, red rose. 
 That's newly sprung in June,") 
 
 is the pride of the garden. The perfec- 
 tion to which cultivation has brought 
 this lovely flower, the infinite variety 
 of its coloiu's, size, and perfume, are truly 
 wonderful ; especially when we look at 
 the wild dog-rose, the original stock of 
 all the species which have now so frjr 
 outstripped their parent. 
 
 June is the month of roses, and thi? 
 flower being the emblem of love ami 
 beauty, was perhaps the reason why 
 the Romans considered June the most 
 auspicious month in which to be mar- 
 ried. There are many old superstitions 
 connected with this subject common all 
 over Europe. 
 
98 He that wotdd pull a Rose, must expect to be scratched by the Thorns, 
 
 the compounds recommended for the 
 purpose. Cover fruit-trees with nets to 
 defend them from birds. Clear goose- 
 berry and currant bushes of insects 
 by watering with lime water, or spread- 
 ing lime powdered, or soot, on the 
 ground around each bush. Thin out 
 vines, removing aU superfluous wood ; 
 attend to the strawberry beds, and 
 lay straw under the fruit, that it may 
 not be injured by rain ; prepare rasp- 
 berry beds for next season, and straAV- 
 berry plants for forcing. The watering 
 of both vegetables and flowers must be 
 carefully attended to. The roses are in 
 their greatest beauty, and must be con- 
 stantly watched, and the insects re- 
 moved, by M'atering or fumigation; 
 pick ofl'all decayed leaves and deformed 
 buds. When the flowers have opened 
 and bloomed one day, the decaying 
 blossom ought to be cut away, cutting 
 back to a strong good bud, from which 
 a new stem and new flowers will come. 
 Ey this process the plants will be kept 
 blooming almost perpetually. Dry and 
 lay aside bulbs, anemone and ranun- 
 culus roots ; plant out pinks, carnations, 
 dahHas, chrysanthemums, and large 
 annuals ; put stakes to hollyhocks and 
 other plants requiring support ; trim 
 biennials and perennials, and see to the 
 general neatness of lawns, beds, and 
 gravel walks. 
 
 Farinaceous Substances 
 as Food. — The most wholesome 
 and nutritive of all vegetable substances 
 are those called farinaceous, and among 
 these, wheat occupies the highest place. 
 Home-made bread made with leaven in 
 the usual way, and a day or two old, is 
 extremely digestible and nutritious ; 
 the baker's bread ought to be equally 
 so, and no doubt it often is, but 
 there is reason to suspect, that the flour 
 or the bread, may contain substances 
 which Nature never intended to be 
 mingled with them. All new bread, 
 which may be called unripe, is very 
 difficult of digestion, and very unwhole- 
 some. Bread made with new flour is 
 less digestible than that made of old 
 flour, although it must be admitted it is 
 more palatable. Puddings made of 
 
 June is the second month in the year 
 having only thirty days. It was called 
 Mow-month by the Saxons. 
 Cook's Calendar for June, 
 
 Fish in Seasox. — Turbot, salmon, 
 sturgeon, haddock, herrings, gurnards, 
 eolcs, plaice, flounders, smelts, carp, 
 eels, dabs, dorj', mackerel, mullet, perch, 
 pike, skate, trout, whiting, whitebait, 
 lobsters, crabs, praAvns, crayfish, and 
 shrimps. 
 
 Meat in Season. — Beef, veal, mut- 
 ton, lamb, pork, buck venison. 
 
 Poultry and Game in Season. — 
 Chickens, diu'klings, green geese, tur- 
 key poults, fowls, rabbits, leverets, 
 pigeons, plover, wheatears, wild- duck, 
 rooks. 
 
 Vecetadlesin Season. — Asparagus, 
 artichokes, beans, cabbage, cauliflowers, 
 spinach, turnips, peas, radishes, new 
 potatoes, lettuce, and salads of all sorts, 
 cucumbers, endive, French beans, 
 onions, vegetable marrow, and herbs of 
 all kinds. 
 
 Fkuit in Season. — Chen-ies, cur- 
 rants, gooseberries, strawberries, me- 
 lons, early apples, and summer pears. 
 Grapes, apricots, and peaches forced in 
 a hothouse. 
 
 Gardener's Calendar for 
 June. 
 
 " Calm weather in June sets corn in tune." 
 In June, the careful gardener will be 
 rewarded for all his previous toil and 
 forethought, by plentiful crops of vege- 
 tables. Peas, beans, cauliflowers, spi- 
 nach, early potatoes, come rapidly to 
 jierfcction, and as they are used up, the 
 ground which they occupied, must 
 be utilized and got ready to receive 
 crops for autumn and winter use. For 
 this purpose begin to sow beans, bro- 
 coh, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, &c. ; 
 plant out vegetable marrows, pumpkins, 
 capsicums, and tomatoes in good rich 
 warm spots ; also cabbages, savoy, 
 cauliflowers, and endive in any spare 
 place. Trench up celery and potatoes ; 
 sow salad, early turnips, spinach, and 
 radish seed. The fruit-trees will be in- 
 fested with green fly, and must be 
 watered with tobacco-water, or some of 
 
Better to Do a Thins than Wish it done. 
 
 99 
 
 flour are wholesome, when taken in 
 moderation, hut are less easy of diges- 
 tion than hread. The same remark may 
 be made as to hatter puddings, York- 
 shire pudding, macaroni, and vermi- 
 celli, and in general all dishes made of 
 flour mixed up into paste, and either 
 boiled in water or stewed in butter. 
 I'eople who are in great vigour may 
 not experience any great inconvenience 
 from them, but they are imsuited to 
 those whose stomachs arc weak, or those 
 who are recovering from illiaess. 
 
 Bauley is perfectly wholesome, and 
 pearl barley, M-ell boiled in water, forms 
 a nutriti^■e drink, and extremely well 
 adapted to the use of the sick. 
 
 Oats, made into meal or groats, form 
 a common article of diet, especially 
 among the labouring classes in various 
 countries. "When well boiled, the oat- 
 meal produces a thick mucilage, in a 
 high degree nourishing, wholesome, and 
 digestible. When poured into a plate, 
 and of a good consistency, it is eaten 
 with millc, and is well known in the 
 northern part of Great Britain as por- 
 ridge. This porridge is admirably 
 adapted as food for young persons, and 
 it can hardly fail to be an evidence of 
 this, that by the advice of Sir James 
 Clarke it was made no inconsiderable 
 part of the daily food of her Majesty's 
 children during theii- early years. 
 
 lliCE. — It is unnecessary to affirm, 
 that rice is extremely nutritive and 
 wholesome, when we remember that it 
 is the only food of many millions of the 
 native inhabitants of India. It is, how- 
 ever, most digestible when eaten with 
 some condiment, such as cinnamon or 
 nutmeg. 
 
 Hiiits about Groceries. — 
 "Wliat has been already stated as to 
 marketing is in a great measure appli- 
 cable to the purchase of groceries. It 
 is safest to deal M'ith well-kiio\\'n and 
 respectable tradesmen. The best articles 
 are not only the most wholesome, but 
 also the most economical. It is not 
 always economical to purchase large 
 quantities of groceries. Some things 
 lose some of their best qualities by being 
 too long kept. Tea, for instance, loses 
 
 I its flavour by being much and long 
 exposed to the air, and this can hardly 
 be avoided if a large qiiantity be laid in, 
 and the consumption be at the same 
 time small. 
 
 Loaf Sugae. — "When loaf sugar is 
 of good quality it has a fine white gloss, 
 a close texture, and the taste is sweet 
 without any peculiar flavour. 
 
 Moist Sugar, when good, is bright, 
 and composed of crystallized particles. 
 If the sugar be moist and dull-looking, 
 it is of inferior quality. 
 
 Rice, as a general rule, ought not to 
 be laid in in large quantities. The East 
 India rice is small in the grain, and 
 yello^'ish in colour, and some kinds of 
 it are excellent. The Carolina rice, on 
 the other hand, is large in the grain, 
 and M'hite in colour. 
 
 Dried fruits ought to be clean 
 and dry, and yet fresh in appearance. 
 When adhering together in lumps they 
 are generally inferior in quality. 
 
 Candles, whether wax or composite, 
 improve by keeping, when stored in a 
 dry, cool place, and kept from the Hght. 
 
 Soap improves by keeping, becoming 
 harder, and not rubbing do\^Ti so fast as 
 when soft and moist. It is an advan- 
 tage to buy it wholesale rather than by 
 retail. 
 
 Hints on Fruit as an Ar- 
 ticle of Food. — There are times 
 when a pound of ripe strawberries or 
 grapes, are worth more as food, than 
 double the amount of beef or mutton, 
 or even of bread. In summer we do 
 not require food that will create or in- 
 crease animal heat ; therefore fruit and 
 vegetables, being lighter and less nutri- 
 tious, will supply all our reqiiirements ; 
 and it is during that season that the 
 more acid fruits, such as currants, 
 goosebeiTies, raspberries, strawberries, 
 and grapes, are in their greatest perfec- 
 tion, and are thei-efore likely to exer- 
 cise the most beneficial efiects on the 
 human system. The use of ripe liuit 
 keeps the blood cool, and prevents 
 feverishness. AE fruit is not equally 
 wholesome ; stone fruit, such as cherries, 
 plums, peaches, apricots, are, as a gene- 
 ral rule, consid«red as more apt to pro- 
 
Better is a Small Fish than an Empty Dish. 
 
 duce derangement of the stomach, when 
 eaten in large quantities, than the 
 smaller fruits, or than ripe apples, 
 pears, &c. 
 
 In hot climates fruit is invariahly 
 eaten at breakfast, and this, though con- 
 trary to our usual practice, is undoubt- 
 edly the best and safest time to eat it. 
 An old French proverb, and one that 
 experience has proved true, says of an 
 apple that it is gold in the morning, 
 silver at noon, but lead at night. 
 Strawberries and gooseberries are con- 
 sidered to be the most wholesome of all 
 our native fruits. 
 
 Arrowroot. — Arrowi-oot is ob- 
 tained from the roots of Maranta 
 arundinacea, a plant chiefly cultivated 
 in the West India islands. The roots 
 are about a foot long, %yhite and jointed, 
 and covered with paper-like scales. 
 When a year old, they are dug up, 
 peeled, and reduced to a milky pulp. 
 The pulp is mixed with water, cleaned 
 of fibres, and the starch allowed to 
 settle at the bottom. Successive wash- 
 ings are employed for further purifica- 
 tion. The substance is then placed in 
 tin cases or ban-els for exportation. 
 About 400,000 lbs. of arrowroot are 
 annually imported into the United 
 Kingdom. It is an excellent article of 
 diet for invalids and childien, and is of 
 easy digestion, but is only moderately 
 nutritious. It is very frequently adul- 
 tered with sago meal and potato flour. 
 Genuine arrowroot, Avhen rubbed be- 
 tween the fingers, makes a slight crack- 
 ling noise. The arrowroot produced on 
 the farms and at the mission stations of 
 Natal, and imported by Messrs. Eobert- 
 son Cook and Co., is equal to the finest 
 Bermuda, and is supplied at a mode- 
 rate price. The few following receipts 
 for preparing arrowroot may be safely 
 recommended : — 
 
 Arrowroot Pudding. — Take one 
 pint of new milk ; in one-fourth of it 
 while cold mix two large tablespoon- 
 fuls of arrowroot. Boil the remainder 
 of the milk, and stir whilst boiling into 
 the arrowroot. Beat up three eggs, 
 sweeten to taste, mix well together, and 
 bake in a slow oven. 
 
 Arrowroot Custard. — Take one 
 pint of new milk, mix a large tea- 
 spoonful of arrowroot with a portion of 
 the milk, cold. Beat two eggs, sweeten 
 and flavour to taste, and pour the 
 whole into the remainder of the milk 
 while stirring it. Boil about three 
 minutes, in the same way as boiled 
 custard. 
 
 Blancmange. — One pint of new 
 milk, four tablespoonfuls of arrowroot, 
 one egg ; mix like pudding. Boil three 
 minutes, stirring it all the time, sweeten 
 and flavour it with brandy or almond 
 essence, and pour into shapes. 
 
 Snow Cakes. — One pound of arrow- 
 root, half a pound of sifted white sugar, 
 half a pound of butter melted, two eggs, 
 essence of lemon or flavoirring to taste ; 
 mix the ingredients gradually; beat 
 well, and bake in a slow oven. 
 
 In biscuits, and as an addition to 
 many articles of confectionery, as a sub- 
 stitute for butter and eggs, aiTowroot is 
 at once cheap, nutritious, and digestible. 
 It is also used to great advantage in 
 thickening infants' food, beef tea, soups, 
 and gravies. 
 
 Ste"wing. — General Remarks. 
 — The eff'ect of stewing is similar to 
 that of boiHng. It deprives the meat 
 of much of its best juices and most 
 nourishing properties, leaving it less 
 easy of digestion than meat which is 
 boiled. 
 
 Stewed Rump of Beef. — Boil a 
 rump of beef for eight or nine hours on 
 a very slow fire, and A\'ith very little 
 water, only as much as will cover the 
 saucepan. Put in some parsley, a laurel 
 leaf, a clove of garlic, two eschalots, a 
 small bunch of thyme, four cloves, half 
 a nutmeg, pepper and salt. When done, 
 take off the gravy, let it cool, and take 
 away the fat ; then boil it up again, and 
 pour over the beef when served. 
 
 Stewed Beefsteaks. — Season the 
 steaks and lay them in a stew-pan. Put 
 half a pint of water, a blade of mace, 
 an anchovy, a small bunch of herbs, a 
 piece of butter rolled in flour, a glass of 
 white wine, and an onion. Cover close, 
 and let it stew tiU the steaks are tender ; 
 then take them out, strew some flour 
 
Eat iti Measure, and defy the Doctor. 
 
 over them, fry them in fresh butter till 
 they are of a nice brown, and pour off 
 the fat. Strain the sauce they were 
 stewed in, and pour it over them on 
 the dish, serving with horseradish and 
 pickles. 
 
 Stewed Veal. — Divide into portions 
 part of a breast of veal and fry it of a 
 nice brown in butter. Put into a stew- 
 pan a quart of green peas, together with 
 onions and parsley. AVhen they are 
 tender, add some veal gravy and put in 
 the pieces of veal already fried, and 
 stew the whole gently. Season with 
 salt, pepper, cayenne, and a teaspoonful 
 of powdered sugar. 
 
 Stewed Leg of Mutton. — Put it 
 into the stew-pan with either broth or 
 water, two or thi-ee caiTots, a turnip, 
 an onion, and a few black peppercorns. 
 After coming to a boil, simmer for two 
 hours and a half, take out the broth and 
 vegetables, dredge the meat with flour, 
 and put it again on the fire to brown, 
 leaving off the cover. Pulp the vege- 
 tables thi'ough a sieve, and boil them 
 up with the gravy, adding a table- 
 spoonful of vinegar. Pour part of the 
 sauce on the meat and send the rest 
 to table in a tureen. 
 
 Stewed Shoulder of Mutton. — 
 Hang it up for three or four days, salt 
 if for two days, bone it, sprinlde it with 
 pepper and bruised mace, lay some 
 oysters on it, roll it up, and tie it. 
 Stew gently, with very little water, for 
 two hours, closely covered. Serve with 
 gravy having oysters stewed in it, thick- 
 ened with flour and butter. Remove 
 the string from the mutton and pour 
 some of the sauce over it. 
 
 Stewed Leg of Lamb. — Cover it in 
 the stew-pan with muttongravy, putting 
 in a bimch of sweet herbs with some 
 pepper, salt, and bruised mace ; stew 
 gently for three quarters of an hour. 
 Pour out the liquor and cover the meat 
 to keep it hot. Strain the gravy, and 
 thicken it with flour and butter, flavour 
 it with mushroom catsup and some 
 lemon juice, and pour it over the lamb 
 when dished. 
 
 Stewed Pigeons. — Make a seasoning 
 of pepper, salt, cloves, mace, sweet 
 
 herbs, and a piece of butter rolled in 
 flour, and put it into them, closing the 
 opening. Half roast them ; then stew 
 them in good gravy, a little white wine, 
 whole pepper, mace, lemon, sweet herbs, 
 and a small onion. Take them out 
 when done, strain the liquor, skim it, 
 thicken it with a piece of butter rolled 
 in floiu-; then put in the pigeons with 
 some pickled mushrooms, and stew them 
 for five minutes. Pour the sauce over 
 them in the dish. 
 
 Stewed Hare. — Cut a pound of 
 lean bacon into cubic inches, blanch it 
 for five minutes in boiling water, and 
 di'ain and fry it in a stew-pan with an 
 ounce of butter, till fried yellow ; then 
 cut the fore part of the hare into pieces 
 an inch or more in size, and stew them 
 for ten minutes; then sprinkle them 
 with flour and stew for two minutes ; 
 add of red Frensh wine and broth a 
 pint each, boil five minutes, and strain 
 through the colander ; then put into the 
 stew-pan, with some herbs, the bacon, a 
 little salt and pepper, and simmer for 
 twenty minutes. Afterwards add two 
 dozen of button onions, fried in butter, 
 and simmer again. A little before 
 serving add a pottle of prepared mush- 
 rooms, cut up the pieces of hare, and 
 serve. 
 
 Cucumbers, to Stew. — Slice an equal 
 quantity of cucumbers and onions and 
 fry them together in butter ; strain 
 them in a sieve, and put them into the 
 saucepan with a giU of gravy, two 
 spoonfuls of white wine, and a blade ol 
 mace. Stew five or sis minutes, put in 
 a piece of butter rolled in flour, salt, 
 and cayenne pepper. Shako them well 
 together tiU of a good thickness ; dish 
 and serve them up. 
 
 Mushrooms, to Steav. — Wipe large 
 button mushrooms with a wet flannel, 
 put them in a stew-pan with a little 
 water, stew for a quarter of an hour ; 
 then put in salt, flour, and butter to 
 make it as thick as cream ; do not let 
 them boil longer than five minutes, 
 as they must look white. Serve with 
 sippets round the dish. This makes a 
 good side dish for supper or a corner 
 dish for dinner. 
 
There never eame III from Good Advice. 
 
 Mushrooms, to Ragout. — Peel and 
 cut the inside of some large mushrooms, 
 then broil them on a gridiron. When 
 the outside is hrown, put them into the 
 stew-pan with water to cover them. 
 AVhen stewed ten minutes, put in a 
 spoonful of white wine, the same of 
 browning, and a little vinegar. Thicken 
 Avith butter and flour, give it a gentle 
 boil, and serve with sippets round the 
 dish. 
 
 Green Peas, to Stew. — Put into the 
 stew-pan a quart of peas, a lettuce, and 
 an onion sliced, butter, pepper, salt, 
 but no more water than remains about 
 the lettuce after washing. Stew two 
 hours very gently. When to be serveil, 
 boat up an ettg and stir it into them, or 
 a little flour and butter. 
 
 Celery, to Fry. — Cut off the 
 roots and green tops of six or eight 
 lieads of celery; take off the outside 
 stalks, pare the ends clean. Have ready 
 half a pint of white wine, the yolks of 
 three eggs beaten fine, salt, and nutmeg. 
 Mix all together with flour into a bat- 
 ter, into wliich dip every head, and fry 
 them in butter. When done, lay them 
 in the dish and pour melted butter 
 over them. 
 
 Onions, to Ragout. — Peel 
 a pint of young onions ; take four large 
 ones, peel and cut them very small ; put 
 butter into a stew-pan. When melted, 
 throw in the onions and fry them till 
 brown ; then dust in flour and shake 
 them roimd till thick. Throw in salt, 
 pepper, a quarter of a pint of good 
 gravy, and a teaspoonful of mustard. 
 Stir all together, pour it into the dish, 
 and garnish with fried crumbs of 
 bread. 
 
 An Excellent Salaci. — Wash 
 very carefully two good heads of lettuce, 
 one of endive, a handful of small salad, 
 and half a dozen of the very young 
 onions, or one shalot, drain the w^ater 
 from them and slice them small, toss 
 them about on a clean cloth to take off 
 as much of the water as possible, b^it 
 do not press them, as that Avould take 
 off the crispness ; lay them all in a 
 salad-bowl oi glass. Boil four eggs 
 hard, take out the yolks, and cut the 
 
 white in rings to garnish the salad ; 
 rub the yolks down with two teaspoon- 
 fuls of dry mustard, one of salt, and 
 one of white and Cayenne pepper well 
 mixed; add by degrees to this four 
 tablespoonfuls of the best Lucca oil, 
 and two of vinegar ; a dessert-spoonful 
 of Worcester sauce is an improvement. 
 Mix these ingredients very well to- 
 gether, and pour the whole over the 
 salad; stir it up tiU the dressing has 
 saturated the salad, put radishes round 
 the edge, and garnish with the white 
 of eggs. 
 
 Lobster Salad.— Prepare a 
 salad as above, take the meat out of the 
 tail of one large or two small lobsters, 
 cut it in two lengthways, and take out 
 the sandbag. Then cut each piece in 
 two, pick the meat out of the claws, 
 and lay it in handsome pieces on the 
 salad ; also all the coral and spawn. 
 Many prefer mixing the salad di'essing 
 with the lobster cut in small pieces, 
 but the way given here makes a pret- 
 tier-looking dish, and is qidte as good. 
 
 Light Drinks for Sum- 
 mer. — Claret Cur. — A bottle of 
 light claret, one of soda water, a wine- 
 glassful of powdered sugar, alarge glass 
 of sherry, or small one of cura("oa, the 
 rind of a lemon cut very thin, a few slices 
 of cucumber with the rind on, a sprig 
 of borage or mint, mix all well together, 
 and ice it by putting in six or eight 
 lumps of clear ice the size of an egg. 
 
 King Cup. — Squeeze the juice of a 
 lemon into a china bowl, add the rind 
 cut very thin, an ouuco of white sugar, 
 a good-sized piece of bruised ginger, 
 pour over them a pint and a half of 
 boiling water, let it stand till cold, 
 then strain, add two glasses of sherry, 
 and ice it with lumps of clear ice. 
 
 Cider Cup. — One quart of good 
 cider, two bottles of soda water, two 
 glasses of sherry, a glass of brandy, and 
 one of cura^oa, the rind of half a lemon 
 pared thin, a wineglassful of powdered 
 sugar, a little nutmeg, and a sprig of 
 borage or mint ; ice it well. 
 
 Limonade au Lait. — The juice of 
 seven lemons, half a pint of sherry, 
 three quarters of a pound of white 
 
/// bhmis the Wind t]iat profits Nobody. 
 
 103 
 
 sugar, and a quart of boiling water ; 
 mix, and when cold add a pint of boil- 
 ing milk ; let it stand for some hours, 
 then strain clear through a jelly-bag, 
 and ice. This is always better if made 
 the day before it is required. 
 
 Orangeade. — Squeeze the juice of 
 seven good oranges, peel three of them, 
 and poiir boiling water over the peel, 
 cover it close till cold, boil water and 
 sugar together to a thin syrup, skim 
 carefully ; when all are cold, mix the 
 j uice, the infusion, and the syrup well 
 together, with as much more water as 
 will make a rich drink, strain thi-ough 
 a jelly-bag, add a large glass of pale 
 brandy, and ice it well with lumps of 
 clear ice. 
 
 Ginger Beek. — To two pounds of 
 white sugar, two ounces of best Jamaica 
 ginger, well bruised, two ounces of 
 cream of tartar, and the rind of two 
 lemons, add two gallons of boiling water; 
 stir all together till they become luke - 
 warm, toast a slice of bread, pour on 
 it two tablespoonfuls of good fresh 
 yeast, and place it to float on the top 
 of the mixture ; cover the whole up for 
 twenty-four hours, then strain and bottle 
 it, taking care not to fill the bottles ; 
 cork and wire it securely. This quantity 
 will make thi-ee dozen bottles, and will 
 be ready for use in three or four days. 
 
 Rasvberry Vinegar. — Break up 
 two quarts of ripe raspberries in a basin, 
 pour over them one quart of French 
 vinegar, then let them stand for ten 
 days, occasionally stirring them up ; 
 clarify two pounds of white sugar with 
 a little water, and the whites of four 
 eggs, strain the juice of the raspberries, 
 add it to the sugar, and boil until it 
 looks clear, but not too long, as that 
 would spoil the colour ; when cold, bottle 
 and keep it in a cool place. 
 
 To Bottle Fruit for ^A/■in- 
 ter Use. — Perhaps the best fruit to 
 bottle for winter tarts, &c., are green 
 gooseberries. The process is easily 
 managed, and they keep remarkably 
 well. 
 
 Fill to the top as many wide-mouthed 
 bottles as you wish to lay by, with 
 guod gieeu gooseberries, haviug the 
 
 tops and tails removed ; place them 
 upright and uncorked in a large pot of 
 cold water, placing hay round the 
 bottles, to prevent them from being 
 upset, or knocked against each other by 
 the motion of the water in boiling ; let 
 them boil for ten minutes, then fill up 
 the bottles to the top aud cork tightly : 
 the object is to exclude the air as much 
 as_ possible, and the heat will cause 
 them to shrink, so that one bottle will 
 have to be used to fill up the defi- 
 ciencies of the others ; seal down the 
 bottles, and k«ep in a cool dry place. 
 Currants, raspberries, cherries, and 
 plums can be bottled in this way ; and 
 for cooking piu-poses, answer as weU as 
 fresh fi-uit. It is best to do them be- 
 fore they are thoroughly ripe. 
 
 Gooseberry Fool. — Put two 
 pounds of unripe gooseberries into a 
 stone jar, with half a pint of water and 
 half a pound of sugar ; place the jar in 
 a pan of boiling water over the fire, 
 and stew till the fruit is reduced to 
 pulp. Then strain it through a sieve, 
 and stir into the pulp while it is warm 
 another half-pound of sugar, and a pint 
 of cream and a pint of milk ; or uso 
 milk only and a little grated nutmeg. 
 It must be served cold. It is an excel- 
 lent dish for children. Rhubarb cooked 
 in the same manner, is likewise very 
 nice as well as wholesome. 
 
 Rhubarb Preserve. — Peel 
 and cut into pieces about two inches 
 long, six pounds of rhubarb. Put it 
 into a stone jar, with eight pounds of 
 preserving sugar, the rind of a lemon 
 cut thin, and shred into little bits, a 
 quarter of a pound of ginger, and a few 
 cloves ; set the jar in a pan of boiling 
 water, or stand it in the oven. "When 
 the rhubarb is quite tender, strain oflf 
 the juice ; put the juice into a preserving 
 pan, and boil quickly for half an hour ; 
 pour it over the rhubarb, and put the 
 whole into pots or shapes ; if well made 
 it will be clear, and stiff enough to turn 
 out, and covered in pots, it will keep as 
 well as any other preserves. 
 
 To make British Cham- 
 pagne. — To every five pounds of 
 rhubarb, when sliced and bruised, put 
 
I04 
 
 He must rise Early, that would please Everybody. 
 
 one gallon of cold spring water ; let it 
 stand tliree days, stirring two or three 
 times every day; then press and strain it 
 through a sieve, and to every gallon of 
 liquor, put three pounds and a half of 
 loaf sugar ; stir it well, and when melted 
 barrel it. "When it has done working 
 hung it up close, first suspending a 
 muslin hag with isinglass from the hung 
 into the barrel. To fifteen gallons of 
 liquor put two ounces of isinglass. 
 In six months bottle it and wire the 
 bottles : let them stand up for the first 
 month, then lay four or five down 
 lengthways for a week, and if none 
 burst, all may be laid down. Should a 
 large quantity be made, it must remain 
 longer in cask. It may be coloured 
 pink by putting ia a quart of rasp- 
 berry juice. It will keep for many 
 years. 
 
 Gooseberry Wine. — Pick 
 and bruise the goosebenies, and to every 
 pound, put a quart of cold spring water, 
 and let it stand three days, stirring it 
 twice or thrice a day. Add to every 
 gallon of j uice three pounds of loaf sugar ; 
 fill the barrel, and when it is done 
 working, add to every twenty quarts of 
 liquor, one quart of brandy and a little 
 isinglass. The gooseberries must be 
 picked when they are just changing 
 colour. The liquor ought to stand in 
 the barrel six months. Taste it occa- 
 sionally, and bottle when the sweet- 
 ness has gone off. 
 
 A Few Words on Ice. — 
 The doctrines of latent heat unfold to 
 us various processes in the economy of 
 natiu'e, which are in the highest degree 
 interesting. All solids in the act of 
 
 Sassing into a liquid condition, and all 
 uids passing into a state of vapour, 
 absorb heat from the objects around 
 them. Hence the great chiUness felt in 
 a thaw, owing to the ice and snow, in 
 becoming liquid, absorbing the latent 
 heat of aU bodies, as M'ell as of the air 
 itself. Refrigerating or ice-producing 
 mixtures are illustrations of this prin- 
 ciple of nature. Salts of various kinds 
 suddenly liquefied, abstract the heat 
 from the substances in contact with 
 them, and in some cases reduce them 
 
 to a state of intense cold. Herr Eu- 
 dorfF has discovered that the sulphocya- 
 nide of ammonium, added to water, will 
 reduce its temperature to 18 degrees 
 below zero. 
 
 Ice Machines. — Every family should 
 possess either a refrigerator, or ice-pro- 
 ducing machine, which can be procured 
 at a moderate price. The two best are 
 M. Carre and Co.'s of France, and Mr. 
 Siebe's of Lambeth. M. Carry's machine 
 is thus described : — A bottle half filled 
 with cold water is subjected to an air- 
 pump in the machine. As the vacuum is 
 produced the water is vaporized. The 
 air and steam drawn ofi' pass through a 
 cylinder containing sul phuric acid, which 
 absorbs the watery particles. The out- 
 side of the bottle becomes covered with 
 dew, the temperature of the water falls, 
 and immediately after it loses its trans- 
 parency, and ice is obtained. The 
 machine constructed by Mr. Siebe is 
 said to be so powerful that it is capable 
 of producing ice even under the heat of 
 a tropical sun. The peculiarity of this 
 machine consists in the evaporation of 
 ether, or any similar volatile fluid, and 
 again recovering and condensing the 
 ether to a fluid, so that it may be used 
 afresh. A naval ofiicer of our acquaint- 
 ance informs us that at a dinner re- 
 cently given by the Eesident at the 
 Seychelle Islands, iced water was pro- 
 duced by one of these machines, which 
 served to cool the wines at table as 
 efi"ectually as natural ice would have 
 done. 
 
 To Preserve Ice. — When ice is to 
 be removed from one place to another, 
 it should be packed in sawdust. A 
 simple mode of preserving ice is to 
 place it in a bag of thick woollen cloth, 
 enclosed in a larger bag. Pack tho 
 enclosed bag with feathers all round 
 to the depth of two or three inches, 
 and the ice will not melt. 
 
 Ice in Medicine. — In hysterical 
 affections, ice applied to the head will 
 be found an excellent remedy, and if 
 applied to the back of the neck or on 
 the wrist, it will arrest bleeding at the 
 nose. Care ought to be taken in hot 
 weather not to diink iced water too 
 
Oil their own Alerits Modest Men are Dumb. 
 
 freely, for if taken to excess, it may 
 cause inflammation of the stomach, and 
 other functional disorders. Only a 
 single tumblerful should be taken at a 
 time, and at least an hour suffered to 
 elapse before repeating the draught. 
 
 Atmospheric Air. — Man 
 may live without food for several days, 
 but he cannot exist even for a few 
 moments without breathing atmospheric 
 air. This sufficiently proves its supreme 
 importance, not merely to health, but 
 to life itself. 
 
 Ereathing supplies the blood with 
 that vital power, by which it maintains 
 the energies of the body, and repairs the 
 waste to which it is continually subject. 
 This effect is produced by the oxygen, 
 which forms one of the constituents of 
 the atmosphere ; and as this vital ele- 
 ment is found in the greatest quantity 
 in fresh air, it is plain that the fresher 
 the air the greater is its salutary power. 
 
 Atmo.spheric Air, by beimo fre- 
 quently BREATHED, is deprived of its 
 oxygen, and in an apartment to which 
 the external air has no access, neither 
 life nor flame can be maintained. This 
 may be illustrated on a small scale by 
 placing a lighted taper or a small ani- 
 mal, which breathes with lungs, under a 
 bell glass. The taper goes out as soon aa 
 the oxygen under the glass is consumed, 
 or the animal dies. Those whose work 
 confines them for many successive hours 
 to close and iU-ventilated apartments, 
 frequently exhibit a pale and delicate 
 appearance, as compared with the florid 
 and healthful aspect of those whose 
 labours are canned on in the open air. 
 It is certain that the former have poorer 
 blood than the latter, and, as a general 
 rule, are weaker and more liable to 
 chronic and acute diseases, as well as 
 less able to struggle against them. The 
 pallor and weakness of the one class, 
 are caused by their habitually breathing 
 in an atmosphere deprived in a great 
 measure of its oxygen ; while the 
 healthful and vigorous aspect of the 
 other class, is produced by their enjoying 
 at all times an ample supply of air, from 
 which its vital constituents have not 
 been absorbed. 
 
 Ventilation is of pre-eminent im- 
 portance. Houses, factories, school- 
 rooms, workshops, should be so con- 
 sti-ucted as to admit a continually re. 
 newed supply of fresh air. All apart 
 ments where large numbers of person - 
 are assembled, ought to be spacious ami 
 lofty. Abundance of pure air will not 
 only contribute to the health of those 
 occupying such apartments, but will con- 
 duce in no small degree to their cheer- 
 fulness, and their ability to perform their 
 allotted work. The importance of ven- 
 tilation is attested by the fact, that infants 
 and young children are much injured by 
 being confined within doors, and that 
 the mortality among them in large 
 towns and cities, where the atmosphere 
 is deteriorated, is much greater than in 
 the country. 
 
 A constant supply of fresh air 
 is extremely valuable in sickness, what- 
 ever the nature of the malady maj^ be, 
 whether of an acute or a chronic charac- 
 ter. In all fevers, it is of the very first 
 importance, and in protracted maladies, 
 it will be found a powerful auxiliary to 
 the other means used for the patient's 
 restoration ; indeed, without fresh air, 
 the greatest skill and the most tender 
 care will have but a partial eflect. 
 According to a writer in the Field, the 
 following contrivance will effectively 
 introduce fresh air into apartments, 
 without causing an objectionable draught 
 or lateral current : — Take a narrovr^ 
 board, three or four inches in width, 
 and as long as the breadth of the 
 window, place it on edge under the 
 lower sash. A space is thus provided 
 between the window-sashes, through 
 which a current of air passes into the 
 room upward. 
 
 How best to keep your 
 House Cool in Sunnmer. — 
 We wear light-coloured clothes in sum- 
 mer weather to keep out the heat of 
 the air, and we ought to wear clothes 
 of the same colour in winter to keep in 
 the heat of our bodies ; for clothes of a 
 white colour, quite as effectually keep 
 the heat of our bodies from passing out 
 and being lost in the colder atmosphere 
 of a winter day, as they do the heat 
 E 2 
 
io6 
 
 A Wise Lawyer never goes to Law himself. 
 
 of the SHn from scorching us in sum- 
 mer. The walls of oiir houses serve 
 the same use as the clothes M'e wear, — 
 they keep the heat with which we tem- 
 per the severity of winter weather from 
 passing out, and they also serve to de- 
 bar the entrance of the great heats of 
 siunmer. The best way to preserve a 
 cool temperature in your house in sum- 
 mer, is to throw open the windows as 
 soon as you get up, and thus let your 
 house be filled with the cold morning 
 air. Keep the windows open till the 
 heat of the day begins to be felt, then 
 close them up tightly, and shut out the 
 warm air. A house in which this plan 
 is adopted will keep cool for many hours, 
 during which the heat outside may be 
 unbearable. Let it be understood, that 
 the closing of the windows must not 
 be allowed to interfere with the ordi- 
 nary arrangements for the ventilation 
 of the dwelling. 
 
 The Law of Marriage. 
 — In England marriage is held as a 
 civil contract, but it cannot be set aside 
 like other contracts, though either party 
 has procured it by fraudulent represen- 
 tations. Nor can it be rescinded by 
 either party or both at pleasure. Mar- 
 riage in England may be contracted 
 with or without a religious ceremony. 
 Without a religious ceremony it may 
 take place in the office of the superin- 
 tendent registrar, and in presence of 
 witnesses, the parties exchanging de- 
 clarations that they take each other for 
 man and wife. Marriage Avith a reli- 
 gious ceremony may be solemnized in 
 the Established Church or a Dissenting 
 chapel duly licensed. There must pre- 
 viously be publication of banns three 
 succeeding Sundays, or a licence ob- 
 tained from the registrar, and the cere- 
 mony must take place dui'ing canonical 
 hours, i. «., between eight a.m. and twelve 
 noon, when the mamage is solemnized 
 in a Dissenting chapel, the superintend- 
 ent registrar of the district must be 
 present as one of the witnesses. There 
 is no fixed age at which parties are not 
 allowed to marry, provided the male is 
 above fourteen years and the female 
 above twelve. 
 
 In Scotland maniages are divided 
 into regular and in-egular. Begular 
 marriages are those celebrated by a 
 clergyman after due proclamation of 
 banns in the parish churches of the 
 parties. The marriage may be solem- 
 nized privately and at any hour. 
 
 The irregular marriages are of three 
 kinds : — 1. Marriage by mutual consent, 
 expressed in words in presence of wit- 
 nesses. 2. A promise of marriage copula 
 subsequente is a groimd for I'aising an 
 action of declaration. 3. Cohabitation 
 of the parties as man and -wife. 
 
 The marriage law of Ireland agrees 
 with that of England, except in so far 
 as it is provided that a Eoman Ca- 
 tholic priest cannot legally celebrate 
 a marriage between parties who are 
 both Protestants, or one of whom is a 
 Protestant. 
 
 The Law of making a 
 Will. — No seal is necessary to the 
 validity of a will ; it must be in writing, 
 signed at the end by the testator or on 
 his behalf, and in the presence of two 
 or more witnesses, who need not be of 
 full age. The testator must have at- 
 tained majority. An estate can only be 
 tied up twenty-one years after the death 
 of a testator. A person may dispose by 
 will of landed or real property as " he 
 may hereafter possess." A will may be 
 set aside if procui-ed through fraud, or 
 by imposing on the testator's weakness 
 of mind. Wills made in England will 
 not be invalidated by reason of the tes- 
 tator dying abroad. Any part of a will 
 may be revoked by a codicil. It is not 
 requisite to the validity of a wiU that it 
 should assume any particular form ; it 
 is sufficient that it conveys the intention 
 of the testator. All interUneations or 
 alterations in a will or codicil must be 
 initialled by the testator. Soldiers in 
 military service may dispose of their 
 goods by wills declared verbally. The 
 executor appointed by a will must bury 
 the deceased in a manner suitable to his 
 estate ; pei-sonal charges are allowed 
 previously to other debts. He must then 
 prove the wiH, and employ a valuer to 
 make an inventory of the deceased's 
 goods. An executor must have attained 
 
Bees on Flowers alighting cease their Hjwi. 
 
 107 
 
 the age of twenty-one; a maiTied 
 woman cannot act as an executrix 
 without her husband's consent. Lega- 
 cies bequeathed to widows in satisfac- 
 tion of dower are entitled to priority 
 over others. Legacies under £50 may 
 be recovered in the county courts, un- 
 less the validity of the bequest is dis- 
 puted. Illegitimate children may be 
 objects of a bequest by any description 
 which will identify them. Probates of 
 wills and letters of administration to 
 the effects of deceased persons are 
 granted in the Court of Probate at 
 Westminster, in connection with which 
 there is a principal registry of wills at 
 Doctors' Commons, and at forty dis- 
 trict registries throughout England and 
 Wales. 
 
 Hints on Bees and Bee- 
 keeping. — Following up our pre- 
 vious observations (see page 82) regard- 
 ing the management of these wonderful 
 insects, we now lay before our readers 
 a few additional and useful hints. 
 
 The Position of the Hives. — For 
 an apiary, or even a single hive of bees, 
 the best position is a sheltered place on 
 a low level, instead of an elevated and 
 exposed situation, and as free as possible 
 from damp, noxious smells, and dis- 
 turbing sounds. A plot of well-kept 
 grass, or a space covered with dry gra- 
 vel, closed in with laurel and laurus- 
 tinus, is frequently very desirable. 
 There seems to be no definite rule as to 
 the best position for the hive as regards 
 the points of the compass ; the bees have 
 been found to thrive whether their 
 abode fronts the south, the north, or 
 any intermediate point. On this sub- 
 ject so much depends on the locality, 
 the climate, and various other considera- 
 tions, that it is difficult, or rather im- 
 possible, to prescribe any rule of uni- 
 versal application. 
 
 Pasturage for Bees. — Districts of 
 country where com is extensively cul- 
 tivated, are less favourable to bees than 
 those in which commons abounding 
 with wild flowers, and moors covered 
 with heath prevail, and where clover 
 and tares, peas and beans, and similar 
 plants, are largely grown. The blos- 
 
 soms of fruit-ti'ees of all kinds, and the 
 flowers of the broom, the furze, and the 
 bramble, all afford the bee great advan- 
 tages for the collection of honey and 
 farina. The planting, too, in the neigh- 
 bourhood of the hives of the crocus, the 
 blue hepatica, the black hellebore, and 
 mignonette, is also found to be highly 
 favourable. 
 
 Supply of Water. — When the sea- 
 son is dry, and during the period of 
 breeding, water is necessary to the bees, 
 in order not only to the secretion of 
 wax, but the due preparation of honey 
 and farina. If there be no natural 
 supply of the needful element within 
 easy reach of the little architects, a 
 shallow vessel must be placed near 
 them, which may be frequently filled 
 to the brim. As a precaution against 
 the danger of drowning some of the 
 bees, a thin piece of wood, perforated 
 ■with holes, may be placed so as to float 
 on the surface, covering every part of it. 
 The holes will be so many wells from 
 which the bees can draw their supplies 
 without the danger of their falling into 
 the water. 
 
 Sunshine and Shadow. — Too much 
 heat is always injurious to bees ; they 
 ought not to be left exposed to the sun 
 in sultry weather. It renders the in- 
 sects extremely irritable, and exposes 
 the combs to the danger of being more 
 or less softened, and even melted. It 
 is very important, therefore, to protect 
 the hive by sheltering it from the direct 
 rays of the sun. A screen adapted to 
 the purpose is very suitable, or a mat, 
 which may be thrown over the hive. 
 In our opinion the screen is to be pre- 
 ferred, as causing a grateful shade, and 
 at the same time permitting a better 
 ventilation. On this subject an excel- 
 lent writer remarks, that bees " delight 
 best in thick forests, because there they 
 find a uniform temperature and a pro- 
 pitious shade;" and he adds, "It is a 
 mistake to suppose that bees exposed 
 to the sun produce the earliest and 
 strongest swarms; I have often expe- 
 rienced the reverse. Bees like the 
 shade when working, and the sun only 
 when in the fields." 
 
io8 A Bee has Honey in its Mouth, but a Sting in its Tail. 
 
 Enemies of the Bees. — Domestic 
 fowls are destroyers of bees, and also 
 some birds, from whose attacks as they 
 range the fields at a distance from the 
 hive they cannot be protected. Among 
 these is the titmouse, or blue tomtit, 
 ' which devoui's the bees, and feeds his 
 young with them ; and in winter is said 
 to endeavour to force his way into the 
 hive itself. Mice are often very trou- 
 blesome, and even rats sometimes make 
 tlieir way into the hive. Slugs and 
 snails often occasion much trouble ; and, 
 especially in warm summer evenings, 
 the attacks of wasps and hornets are a 
 great annoj'ance to the bees. In all 
 these cases care and vigilance can do 
 much. Wasps' nests ought to be de- 
 stroyed wherever met with ; insects of 
 all kinds, such as earwigs, woodlice, 
 ants, ifec, should be cleared away. . In 
 a word, the hives and stands for them 
 ought to be kept as clean and neat as 
 possible. 
 
 Bee-Robeeks. — In spring and au- 
 tumn the hive is sometimes exposed to 
 an assault from strange bees for the 
 nefarious purpose of robbery. These 
 predatory attacks are often much more 
 serious than the assaults of wasps. If 
 two or three strange bees gain admis- 
 sion to the hive, they continue to return 
 from time to time, bringing with them 
 some auxiliary force ; and sometimes 
 they assemble in vast numbers at the 
 entrance of the beleaguered citadel. In 
 these "raids" the robbers often exhibit 
 considerable foresight and cunning, 
 making their attacks late at night or 
 early in the morning. Various expe- 
 dients may be adopted to counteract or 
 defeat the object of these marauders. 
 Smoke puffed into the hives when a 
 conflict is going on is often eSectual ; 
 some honey placed on the top of the 
 hive diverts the attention of the belli- 
 gerents from their warfare ; the removal 
 of the plundered hive to a distance, or 
 even a change of place in the same 
 apiary, may be an effectual cure. An 
 expedient of much importance ought 
 by all means to be adopted and without 
 delay, that of nan-owing the entrance 
 to the assaulted hive, a plan which at 
 
 the outset enables the besieged garrison 
 with comparative ease to repel the in- 
 vader. 
 
 Food for Bees. — It must be suffi- 
 ciently obvious that no artificial food 
 can be so acceptable or suitable to the 
 bee as pure honey, — the kind of nutri- 
 ment which the instinct of the creature 
 itself induces it to provide ; refuse honey 
 may therefore, in preference to any 
 other kind of food, be given to the bees 
 whenever it is really rcquii-ed ; but ii. 
 many instances artificial food must be 
 supplied. In spring it is recommended 
 by competent judges that even strong 
 hives be fed, inasmuch as they are sti- 
 mulated by the increased temperature 
 which the feeding occasions ; but that 
 there ought to be no feeding — unless 
 there exists an unavoidable necessity 
 for it — till the hive exhibits some de- 
 gree of animation; for the bees often 
 are tempted to go forth prematurely in 
 quest of flowers, and numbers in this 
 way peiish, being unable to return 
 home. As already observed, honey fur- 
 nishes the best because the most natural 
 aliment, and it may very properly be 
 rendered more liquid by a slight admix- 
 ture of water ; but vaiious substitutes 
 for honey have been resorted to, and by 
 no means unsuccessfully. One excel- 
 lent writer on the subject recommends 
 " good sound ale sweetened with sugar 
 and honey, and boiled for a minute or 
 two;" the usual proportion being "a 
 pint to a pound of refined sugar, adding 
 a fourth part of pure honey, which im- 
 parts a flavoxir most agreeable to the 
 bees. A tablespoonful of rum," it is 
 added, "greatly improves the com- 
 pound." In the feeding-troughs or 
 other vessels employed for the purpose, 
 lumps of refined sugar saturated with 
 water suit very weU ; hut according to 
 the authority ah-eady quoted no saccha- 
 rine preparation is so well adapted as 
 that in M'hich the sugar has been boiled at 
 the temperature at which the tendency 
 to crystallize is obviated. Two pounds 
 of loaf sugar may be boiled up to ii60 de- 
 grees of heat. Twenty minutes' boiling 
 will be sufficient, when the syrup will 
 be quite brittle on cooling, and of a pale 
 
speak Wdl of vour Friend, of your Enemy say Nothing. 
 
 yellow. A little vinegar mixed with 
 the syrup seems to render it more agree- 
 able to the bees. The syrup, when 
 boiled, can bo poured out on a dish or 
 slab previously rubbed with oil or b^itter, 
 and when cold and sufficiently stilfened 
 it ought to be cut into pieces, which can 
 be readily introduced into the hive. 
 The preparation made by confectioners, 
 and kno^^^l as barley sugar, which is 
 similar to the preparation just described, 
 is likewise very acceptable to the bees, 
 and aft'ords an excellent means of sup- 
 plying the wants of an impoverished 
 hive. 
 
 In the hints on the subject of the 
 honey-bee we have now given we have 
 necessarily refrained from very minute 
 details. The shape, the structure, the 
 size, and other consideratiojis relating 
 to the hives, and the treatn^ent of bees 
 at the various seasons of the year, in- 
 volve a vaiiety and number of topics, 
 and demand much elaborate and minute 
 description, which neither our plan nor 
 our space will admit of. The observa- 
 tions we have made wiU be sufficient to 
 point out the great interest attached to 
 the natural history, the habits, and the 
 instincts of the honej^-bec. Numerous 
 excellent works have been M-rittcn on 
 the subject, to which we refer our intel- 
 ligent readers ; such as " The Bee- 
 keeper's Guide," by Mr. Payne; "The 
 Honey-bee," by Dr. Bevan; "The 
 Beekeeper's Manual," by Mr. Taylor; 
 and " The Shilling Bee-Book," by Mr. 
 Golding; all of which fni-nish an ample 
 store of sound theory and practice, 
 founded on careful observation and 
 lengthened experience. 
 
 Embroidery. — Underthename 
 of embroideiy may be classed three kinds 
 of needlework decoration, viz. — 
 
 English embroidery, with cotton 
 on a muslin or cambric ground. 
 
 Tapestry work, or embroidery 
 with coloured wools on canvas. 
 
 Silk emjiroidery, with coloured 
 silks on a silk, satin, or velvet ground. 
 
 For the present we shall deal only 
 with the first of these. 
 
 English embroidery, or Broderie 
 Anglaise, is the name given by the 
 
 109 
 
 French to that kind of muslin work 
 which is chiefly doneby the cottage girls 
 in Scotland and Ireland. The persons 
 who employ these girls are called 
 " Sewed Muslin Manufacturers," and 
 they are to be found in Glasgow and 
 its neighbourhood. Two or three times 
 a year they send agents into those 
 districts where sewing schools have 
 been established, with bales of un- 
 bleached or green musUn (as it is called), 
 Mith suitable patterns for babies' robes, 
 ladies' collars, cuffs, handlcerchiefs, trim- 
 mings, insertions, edgings, &c., stamped 
 on each piece; they also supply the 
 cotton for working the hoops on which 
 the work is stretched, and the bone 
 piercers or stilettos necessary. 
 
 The schoolmistress has as much of 
 these materials as she considers her 
 pupils will bo able to use up, and she 
 oversees the proper execution of tho 
 work, which is very inadequately paid, 
 when we consider the time it takes to 
 accompUsh. These agents also collect 
 the finished work, carefully examining 
 each piece for defects, and a considerable 
 deduction is often made from the stipu- 
 lated price. 
 
 This embroidery is very much used 
 for trimmings of various sorts, and is so 
 simple that any person can teach her- 
 self how to begin it. Muslin patterns, 
 ready stamped, can be had at any trim- 
 ming-shop, and the only other things 
 necessary are some of the common em- 
 broidery cotton, of a fineness suited to 
 the texture of the muslin pattern, a 
 piece of tho oilcloth called " toile 
 ciree," a bone stiletto, and a pair of 
 scissors. 
 
 The most convenient way of working 
 is with the pattern stretched over the 
 lesser of two small ash hoops, which 
 are covered with calico or silk to make 
 them fit tight one over the other ; the 
 muslin is stretched between them, but 
 this requires some practice to he able to 
 use them with comjfort. 
 
 To begin a piece of edging, first tack 
 tlie pattern smoothly and evenly across 
 the toile ciree, then with a needle 
 threaded with embroidery cotton, trace 
 carefully the pattern ; when the portion 
 
Rtmning Hares need no Spurs. 
 
 tacked is traced out, cut the leaves if 
 large, pierce them if small, turn in all 
 raw edges with the needle, and sew 
 over both edge and tracing with close 
 firm stitches. For the outer edge trace 
 the edge two or three times according 
 to the thickness required, and then 
 overcast it with close stitches, untwist- 
 ing the cotton after every second stitch 
 to give the edge a soft shining loop. 
 Satin stitch is very frequently employed 
 in English embroidery. To form it, 
 instead of cutting out the leaf fiU it in, 
 by tracing it two or three times, then 
 sew over the whole of the tracing 
 closely, untwisting the cotton and taking 
 care to draw the thread evenly, so as to 
 give the work a soft glossy look, which 
 is its greatest beauty ; butthe art of doing 
 this can only be attained by practice. 
 The work of this kind done in India is 
 particularly good, the Indians having a 
 peculiar delicacy of touch, and a great 
 deal of very fine work is imported from 
 Madeira. 
 
 The best embroidery cotton is un- 
 doubtedly the Scotch, but there seems 
 to be great difficulty in procuring 
 it. That usually sold, particularly in 
 London, is French cotton, which is 
 more closely twisted than the Scotch, 
 and does not work so soft. It must 
 always be untwisted to look well. 
 Walker's " Queen's Needles " are pecu- 
 liarly suited for this embroidery, having 
 a ridge before the eye which prevents 
 the imtwisted cotton from wearing. 
 
 The Velocipede and Bi- 
 cycle. — Some fifty years ago a piece 
 of mechanism appeared in this coim- 
 try to which the name of " Dandy 
 Charger " was given, ftom the circum- 
 stance, we may presume, of its being 
 patronized by the fops of that period. 
 The machine had two wheels, each 
 about twenty-nine inches diameter, 
 placed in a line with each other, their 
 axles turning on an iron frame attached 
 to a shaft above them. This shaft was 
 depressed in the middle, where it Avas 
 furnished with a saddle, and in front it 
 curved upwards, and was fitted there 
 with a cushion or pad, on which the 
 rider might rest his arms a^ he regu- 
 
 lated the movements of the front whe 1. 
 which he could turn to the right or th e 
 left. The machine was driven onward 
 by an impulse of the rider's feet, which 
 he pressed alternately on the ground as 
 he occupied his saddle. This machine 
 was the prototype of the bicycle of the 
 present time, which is so called from its 
 having two wheels only. The two- 
 wheeled locomotive of our early days 
 was for a time extremely popular, but 
 after some years it feR into disuse, 
 owing, as is not improbable, to its being 
 prejudicial to health, and giving origin 
 not unfrequently to many severe cases 
 of hernia, strangury, and other painful 
 ailments. 
 
 The original two-wheeled vehicle 
 was followed by one with three wheels. 
 The wheel in front was driven by means 
 of treadles, like those of the turning 
 lathe ; instead of the saddle of its prede- 
 cessor it possessed a seat placed between 
 the two hind wheels. This piece of 
 mechanism obtained, like the other, 
 some popularity, but at length it fell into 
 oblivion. The advantages were not 
 found sufficient to compensate for the 
 labour of using it, and very probably it 
 was suspected that, like the former one, 
 it might be found injurious. 
 
 The contrivances now termed veloci- 
 pedes, includingthe two-wheeled vehicle 
 called the bicycle, are reproductions of 
 those to which we have referred, more 
 or less improved by the mechanical 
 skUl of the present day. The bicycle 
 is similar to its ancient predecessor 
 with two wheels, with the exception of 
 an important difi"erence in the mode of 
 its propulsion. Instead of being im- 
 pelled by the rider's feet pushed alter- 
 nately against the ground, it is driven 
 by the feet of the rider, pressed against a 
 crank formed outside the front wheel 
 by a part of the axle. The impulse is 
 apphod at the centre of the wheel, and 
 for one revolution ofthe crank requiring 
 a movement of the foot through only a 
 few inches, one complete revolution of 
 the driving wheel is obtained, carrying 
 the locomotive over a space of about 
 three times the diameter of the wheel 
 itself. It is clear that a considerable 
 
Honey in the Mouth saves the Purse. 
 
 advantage is thus gained, and with 
 comparatively little labour the rider is 
 able to pass over a great distance, and at 
 a velocity much beyond what it would 
 be possible for him to keep up on foot 
 unless for a very short period. Much 
 skill has been exhibited in the use of 
 the bicycle. Riders have learnt not 
 only to balance themselves while driv- 
 ing the vehicle, but on going do-vvn 
 hilly roads, to rest with perfect safety 
 at full length above the wheels, as the 
 machine pursued its downward career 
 by its own gravity. A journey was 
 lately made with a bicycle from beyond 
 Bristol to London, a distance of 135 
 miles. The traveller left home at 
 4 p.m., arrived at Reading the same 
 night, left for London next morning, 
 and finished the journey by ten o'clock 
 in the forenoon. The making of these 
 vehicles has become an important branch 
 of trade in Paris. One manufactory 
 employs some two hundred and fifty 
 workmen, and finishes twelve veloci- 
 pedes per day, to supply a part of the 
 demand of a coachbuilder in Lj^ons. 
 
 A velocipede called the " Edinburgh," 
 patented by Mr. Henry Gibson, and 
 built at the Velocipede Works, St. 
 Leonard's, in that city, seems specially 
 worthy of attention. It has three 
 wheels. " It is constructed on correct 
 mechanical principles, and made of the 
 most suitable materials to combine 
 lightness with strength. The inventor 
 has succeeded in overcoming the obvious 
 defects of the most popular machines in 
 use. Weight and friction are reduced 
 to a minimum." This vehicle is pro- 
 pelled by a driving wheel behind the 
 seat of the driver, moved by treadles in 
 front, and furnished with a tire of rubber. 
 This machine " has run fourteen miles 
 an hour on an ordinary road, and will 
 do eleven miles an hour without fatigue 
 to the rider. In speed it has beaten 
 any bicycle hitherto opposed to it. It 
 will go up hiUs and over roads unsuit- 
 able for any other velocipede, and has 
 the distinction of being the first ma- 
 chine introduced into Scotland for postal 
 purposes by the Postmaster-General, as 
 recently suggested by a recommenda- 
 
 tion in the House of Commons." The 
 quotations we have made are from the 
 inventor's prospectus, and it is added 
 as a recommendation that the " Edin- 
 burgh " is capable of being turned to 
 the right or left, or made to run back- 
 wards with great facility. 
 
 The Game of Golf.— This 
 ancient and interesting game is played 
 on a common such as is frequently found 
 in the vicinity of the sea-shore, consist- 
 ing of a wide extent of sandy soil 
 covered with bent, and having the sur- 
 face not level, but broken into hillocks 
 and inequalities. In carrying on tho 
 game, the players proceed over a certain 
 track which is called the " course,' ' which 
 is either rectilinear or a figure of any 
 number of sides. At a distance of about 
 a quarter of a mile apart, holes of about 
 four inches in diameter are made in the 
 ground, and the object of the game is 
 to strike a ball from one of these holes 
 into the next with as few strokes as 
 possible, using for this purpose an in- 
 strument of a peculiar structure called 
 a club. 
 
 The golf ball used formerly to be 
 made of leather stiifFed very hard with 
 feathers, and was extremely elastic; 
 but since the introduction of gutta- 
 percha, the ball has been made of 
 that substance, which is found better 
 adapted to the purpose. The ball is about 
 an inch and three quarters in diameter, 
 and in weight from twenty-six to thirty 
 drachms avoii'dupois, and it is painted 
 white, so as to be the more easily seen. 
 The club is about four feet in length, 
 about an inch in diameter at the handle, 
 tapering downwards with an elastic 
 shaft, and terminating with a foot 
 placed at about an angle of 45° with 
 the shaft itself, loaded with lead, and 
 protected by a piece of horn at the point 
 at which it strikes the ball. This im- 
 plement is swung round the player, 
 towards his right hand, and brought 
 against the ball, which is thus shot for- 
 wards towards the hole, a distance 
 sometimes of 200 yards, with one stroke. 
 Several clubs, however, are necessary 
 for the proper playing of the game, — 
 the ordinary club already described, the 
 
112 TJieri^s Skill in all Things, even in making Porridge. 
 
 spoon, the putter, and the irons. The 
 first is employed when the ball lies fair 
 on the ground, and has to be driven to a 
 distance ; the spoon is used when the 
 ball lies in a hollow ; the iron when it 
 is among sand or gravel, and the putter 
 when it is near the hole. 
 
 A MATCH consists of two or more 
 players, usually four. Each side has a 
 ball. The player, at the outset of the 
 game, is entitled to place his ball on a 
 little sand or earth for the greater faci- 
 lity of striking it, but after the first 
 stroke the ball must be played from the 
 f-pot on which it happens to lie, and the 
 ball which happens to lie at the greatest 
 distance from the hole towards which 
 the plaj^ers are proceeding, must always 
 be played till it gets before the others. 
 In order to greater facility in counting, 
 those strokes only are counted by which 
 one party in playing has exceeded the 
 other. This rule may bo easily ex- 
 plained. Suppose the first two strokes 
 to be given, the player whose hall then 
 lies furthest from the hole or mark 
 must again play. This is called play- 
 ing one more, or the odds. If, however, 
 he still does not succeed in placing his 
 ball so near the mark as his opponents' 
 ball is, he must play a third time, which 
 is said to be playing ttoo more ; and if 
 on this occasion he docs not place his 
 ball nearer the mark than the other, he 
 must play three more. When the other 
 player then plays he is said to play one 
 off three ; and if he plays a second time 
 in order to place his ball nearer the hole 
 and before the other, he is said to play 
 one off' two ; if he plays for the same 
 pui-pose a third time, he is said to play 
 one off one, or the like. He who plays 
 first again plays the odds. The same 
 rule is observed if the match consists of 
 four; the two partners, however, on 
 each side play alternately. If a ball be 
 struck into the hole by what is called 
 the like, that is to say, by an equal 
 number of strokes on both sides, the 
 hole is then said to be halved, and goes 
 for nothing. 
 
 Croquet. — Croquet and archery 
 are perhaps the only two outdoor games 
 of skill in M'hich ladies as well as gen- 
 
 tlemen may join. "We therefore pro- 
 pose to give a few hints on each of 
 these pastimes, and as croquet is de- 
 cidedly the most umversally known, we 
 shall begin with it first. The exertions 
 of the AH England Croqiiet Club and 
 the National Croquet Club have con- 
 tributed to make this almost a national 
 game, and in order to assimilate the 
 rules and practice of croquet all over 
 the kingdom, a conference was lately 
 held in London, at ^^'hich nearly every 
 club was represented, when a code of 
 laws was drawn up and agreed to, an 
 abridgment of which is subjoined. 
 
 EuLES or Croquet. 
 
 The players shall toss for choice of 
 lead and of balls ; and in a succession 
 of games shall take the lead alternately, 
 and keep the same balls. 
 
 In commencing, each ball shall be 
 placed at one foot from the first hoop in 
 a direct line between the pegs, and a 
 ball having been struck is at once in 
 play, and croquetable whether it shall 
 ha^'e made the first hoop or not. 
 
 If a player makes a foul stroke he 
 loses his turn and all points made there- 
 in, and the balls remain where they lie, 
 at the option of the adversary. The 
 following are considered foiil strokes : — 
 
 (a) To .strike with the mallet another 
 ball instead of or besides one's own in 
 making the stroke. 
 
 (A) To spoon, that is, to push a ball 
 without an audible knock. 
 
 (c) To strike a ball twice in the sama 
 stroke. 
 
 {d) To stop a ball with the foot in 
 taking a loose croquet. 
 
 (e) To allow a ball to touch the 
 mallet in rebounding from the turning 
 peg- 
 
 (/) To fail to stir the passive ball in 
 taking croquet. 
 
 A player continues to play so long as 
 ho makes a point or hits a ball. A 
 point consists in making a hoop or hit- 
 ting the turning peg in order. 
 
 A ball has made its hoop when, hav- 
 ing passed through from the playing 
 side and ceased to roll, it cannot be 
 touched by a straight-edge played across 
 
lie that cannot Make Sport should not Afar it. 
 
 1^3 
 
 the wires on Ihc side from -which it was 
 played. 
 
 A player who hits a hall must take 
 croquet; that is, must strike his o^vn 
 hall while in contact with the other, so 
 as perceptibly to stir both. A player, 
 when his turn comes round, may hit 
 and croquet each ball in succession, and 
 can do this again after each point made, 
 hut between the points can only take 
 croquet once off each ball. 
 
 A playing ball which hits another 
 after making a point, is in hand, and the 
 striker can score no point till he has 
 taken croquet. After hitting another a 
 ball may be stopped by any player ; but 
 should it, in rolling, displace Any of the 
 other balls, such balls must remain 
 where thej' are driven. 
 
 When a player, in his stroke, hits one 
 or more balls, he must take croquet off 
 the ball that is struck first ; but if he 
 has hit two simultaneously, he may 
 choose from which of them he will take 
 it, and in both cases a second hit is re- 
 quired before he can take it from the 
 other ball. 
 
 A rover v.-hich strikes or is driven by 
 another ball against the winning peg is 
 out of the game, and must be removed 
 from the ground. 
 
 A pLaycr who pegs out a rover by a 
 first hit cannot take croquet from it, as 
 the ball is out of the game, but he is 
 not entitled to another stroke. 
 
 Should a player play out of his turn, 
 or with the Avrong ball, and this be dis- 
 covered by his antagonist before a second 
 stroke in error has been made, the turn 
 is lost, and all points made after the 
 mistake, and the balls shall remain as 
 they lay at the time the mistake was 
 discovered, or be replaced to the satis- 
 faction of the antagonist. But if he 
 has made a second stroke before the 
 error is discovered, he continues his 
 break, and the next player follows with 
 the ball that is next in rotation to the 
 one with which he has played, and is 
 liable to lose his turn, and all points 
 made therein, if he plays with that 
 which would have been the right ball if 
 no mistake had been made. 
 
 Should a player make the wrong hoop 
 
 by mistake, or croquet a ball that he is 
 not entitled to croquet, and the mistake 
 be discovered before he had made a 
 second stroke, he loses his turn, and 
 any point so made in error ; but if he 
 has made a second sti-oke before the 
 discovery, he shall bo allowed to con- 
 tinue his break. 
 
 In order to prevent the occurrence of 
 the errors noticed in the above rules a 
 player is bound, upon being appealed 
 to, to declare truly what is his next 
 hoop or point in order, and is entitled to 
 demand of his antagonist what he has 
 played last, and to insist upon his clips 
 being properly placed. 
 
 If a ball lies within a mallet's length 
 of the boundary, and is not the playing 
 ball, it must at once be put out three 
 feet at right angles from the boundary ; 
 but if it is the playing ball, it may, at 
 the discretion of the player, either bo 
 put out or played from where it lies. 
 
 If it is found that the height of the 
 boundary interferes with the stroke, 
 the player may, at the umpire's discre- 
 tion, bring out the balls so far as to 
 allow of the free swing of the mallet, 
 and in taking croquet both the balls. 
 
 ShouJd a player, in trying to make 
 his hoop, knock a wire out of the ground 
 with his ball or mallet, the stroke shall 
 he taken again. 
 
 The mallet shall not be held within 
 twelve inches of the head. 
 
 If a ball be driven partly through its 
 hoop from the non-playing side, and re- 
 main so that a straight-edge placed in 
 contact with the hoop on the non-play- 
 ing side touches the ball, the haU cannot 
 run its hoop at its next stroke. 
 
 The Croquet Ground. — A good 
 croquet ground must be a perfectly 
 level piece of turf, from thirty to sixty 
 yards long by from twenty to fifty 
 yards wide ; it should be carefully kept, 
 watered early in the morning, and 
 mown and rolled frequently during the 
 summer months ; for this purpose lawn 
 mowers aro especially useful, being so 
 light tbat a lady can use them, and cut- 
 ting and sweeping up the grass at the 
 same movement. 
 
 The iMPLEMENTa for playing croquet 
 
114 
 
 The Ttineftd Voice, the Eye that spoke the Mind. 
 
 are usually sold in a box containing 
 either four or eight balls, the same num- 
 ber of mallets, ten iron hoops, and either 
 two or three pegs, coloured in stripes to 
 match the colours of the balls and 
 mallets. These pegs are driven into 
 the turf at the end of whatever dis- 
 tance of the ground is decided on to be 
 the limit of the game, and one or two 
 mallets' length from the extreme boun- 
 dary. The best balls are of box wood, 
 3 1 in. diameter, and the mallets should 
 be three feet in length. A book show- 
 ing the form in which the hoops are to 
 be placed is usually sold with each 
 box of implements. 
 
 The game consists in driving the 
 balls with the mallets, in a certain order 
 through the hoops to the upper peg, 
 which must be struck, and then back 
 again on the opposite side to tbe win- 
 ning-post. The first party in wins the 
 game. 
 
 Eyes, Nose, Ears, and 
 Mouth. — The Eye. — It has often 
 formed a matter of speculative discus- 
 sion as to which of the five senses is 
 most important toman's being. A more 
 pleasant subject for reflection, leaving 
 little to debate upon, but teaching a 
 great and impressive lesson that all 
 should learn, is the thousand privileges 
 and joys that arise from the healthy ac- 
 tion of the organs of sense, working in 
 unison for the good and safety of our 
 lives. The eyes are the windows of 
 the body, through which the indwelling 
 soul looks outward upon the world. 
 And wonderful windows these are, with 
 self-acting apparatus to open, close, 
 cleanse, and adjust their positions to 
 1 he requirements of sight. Surmounted 
 by eyebrows that serve to keep the 
 perspiration of the brow, or accidental 
 moisture, from running into them ; with 
 eyelashes that help to exclude insects, 
 dust, and excessive light; with Uds 
 which by frequent motion are con- 
 stantly cleansing the crystal surface; 
 with little springs (glands) that supply 
 moisture for the purposes of cooling 
 and cleansing; with muscular pulleys 
 that shift their positions even without 
 !in effort of the will, or in immediate 
 
 response to our desu-es ; what wonderful 
 organs these are ! Observe, too, that 
 they are placed in deep bony sockets, in 
 which they freely move, while they 
 derive protection from the surrounding 
 bones that project above, below, and at 
 the sides ; that in man they are placed 
 in the front of the head, with the power 
 of turning in various directions, and by 
 an instantaneous action embracing an 
 extensive range of sight, while in most 
 inferior animals they are lodged in the 
 side of the head, with less capacity for 
 motion. 
 
 One of the most remarkable features 
 in connection with the eyes is their 
 wonderful power of expression — the 
 manner in which they indicate tender 
 or thrilling emotions. And this arises 
 not from mere change of position. It is 
 not that the upward look exclusively 
 indicates joy, and the downward sorrow. 
 The same position may express most 
 opposite feelings, arising from that in- 
 scrutable influence v/hich, for want of a 
 better word, we denominate "expres- 
 sion." 
 
 "Joy, love, or hate, dart from their varied 
 beama, 
 As rich rpflections spread from placid 
 streams." 
 
 There is an eloquence belonging to 
 the eye which is culpably oveiiooked. 
 The speaker who impresses us most in 
 conversation is he who looks towards 
 the person or persons addressed: a 
 direct look betokens confidence, can- 
 dour, honesty ; the averted look, care- 
 lessness, timidity, insincerity. The 
 bright, clear eye denotes health, tem- 
 perance, moraUty ; the dull, bleared eye, 
 illness, satiety, and physical oppression. 
 Thus we are warned by an early inti- 
 mation from the very windows of our 
 bodies that something is wrong; as, 
 when we see the windows of a house 
 disordered and unclean, we may infer 
 that there is something amiss within. 
 
 The nose is a very prominent and 
 characteristic member of the human 
 body ; and not half so well cared for as 
 it should be, considering the share he 
 takes in giving character to the counte- 
 nance. Thus we have one-sided noses, 
 
Make not my Ear a Stranger to thy Thoughts. 
 
 115 
 
 "iepressed or broken noses, snub noses, 
 and — who knows how many other 
 forms of noses ? The framework of the 
 nose is almost wholly cartilaginous (a 
 formation intennediate between bone 
 and flesh), and in infancy is so pliable 
 that, with very little care, and with no 
 pain to the little creatures to whom 
 they belong, the noses of infants might 
 be considerably improved, and receive 
 shape and direction that would greatly 
 improve the features in after life. This 
 may be accomplished by frequent and 
 gentle touches of the hand, by avoiding 
 rough action in washing, and by care- 
 fully watching the position which 
 infants take in their sleeping hours. 
 To be "led by the nose" is a phrase 
 generally contemptuously employed ; 
 but mankind can scarcely follow a 
 better leader. He is the chief officer of 
 health to the body corporate. Placed 
 in the middle of the face, right under 
 the eyes, and immediately over the 
 mouth, he is the guardian, the custom- 
 house officer, to inspect and report upon 
 the importations to the lungs and the 
 stomach. The eyes may discover signs 
 of putridity, decay, or other impurity 
 in animal and vegetable food. But 
 they cannot do so in all cases ; nor in 
 any case of effluvium, escape of gas, or 
 other pollution of a transparent kind 
 affecting the atmosphere, whose purity 
 is so vital to our well-being. And it 
 should be observed that the nose is 
 placed exactly where and in the pre- 
 cise direction wanted. Its funnels are 
 turned downwards towards the earth, 
 to meet alike the perfume that rises 
 from the flower, and the obnoxious 
 escape from the sewer. And so watch- 
 ful is the nose, that we can detect an 
 indescribably small amount of odorous 
 or inodorous admixture with vital air. 
 Attend, therefore, to the admonitions of 
 the nose ; and when he gives you warn- 
 ing, be sure that health and safety 
 demand that you should attend to his 
 premonitions. If he is pleased, you 
 need not be ofl'onded ; for it may be ac- 
 cepted as a rule that pleasant, and 
 especially natural odours, are not un- 
 healthy; but when the nose complains 
 
 and takes offence, there is an enemy 
 about that should be looked after. 
 
 The ears, having little to do with 
 the immediate functions of the lungs 
 and stomach, are placed, very wisely, 
 one on either side of the head. They 
 are incapable of motion themselves, but 
 partake of the motion of the neck, by 
 which they can be turned in any direc- 
 tion. The ears are sentinels that guard 
 us from all points, — by warning us fmm 
 dangers behind, from hidden places that 
 the eye cannot see, from things that 
 menace us in the dark. They are the 
 chief sentinels that guard us in the long 
 hours of night. Aroused from slumber, 
 the eyes require a few seconds to get 
 into order; they require a little moisten- 
 ing and cleansing from accumulated 
 humours ; and adjustment to the degree 
 of natural or artificial light. There are, 
 consequently, numerous winkings and 
 blinkings. But the ear does not wink 
 nor blink. He is awake in a moment ; 
 open, and ready, as a good watchman, at 
 all hours. Prize the ear, therefore, as 
 a worthy servant ; but let him serve 
 you as a guardian in more than the 
 mere conduct of sound. Let him be a 
 moral agent. As the nose takes offence 
 at foul air, so let your ears be offended 
 at foul words, at unclean expressions, at 
 frivolous gossip and vicious scandal. 
 
 The Mouth. — A volume might be 
 written about the mouth. But a few 
 points of interest may be suggested. 
 Ho is neither constantly open, lilce the 
 ears, nor moveable in the same degree 
 as the eyes. He is in close communica- 
 tion with the nose, and if the latter 
 neglects any duty, or the mouth sus- 
 pects anything wrong, he can instantly 
 communicate with the nose through 
 internal tubes, and rouse him to duty. 
 Like the eyes, the external mouth has 
 a wonderful power of expi-ession, and 
 even the lips may speak without utter- 
 ing a word. As far as the mouth is 
 connected with the process of diges- 
 tion, we propose to defer any remarks 
 thereon for a future page, in which 
 will be found a strong appeal on behalf 
 of the greatest of all slaves, the op- 
 pressed stomach. But as an organ of 
 
1 1 6 BosoiJi up my Coimsel, you 7villfind it Wholesome. 
 
 speech the month claims present men- 
 tion. Speaking (^vc mean conversa- 
 tionally) is a qualification sadly ne- 
 glected. Oiir iitteranccs are generally 
 slovenly — what a pity it is to slight 
 one of the greatest and most distinguish- 
 ing hlessings, the gift of speech I — to 
 drawl and grunt our words instead of 
 giving them clear and appropriate 
 enunciation ! But this is an accom- 
 plishment that can scarcely be ac- 
 quired in after life. As little boys' 
 noses can be best improved in their 
 infancy, so with little boys' tongues. 
 They may then be taught to acquire 
 the full and true faculty of speech. 
 Griffin, who has drawled his words 
 throiigh life, is hardly likely to go in for 
 improvement of speech after he has 
 opened a ham and beef shop ; or should 
 Griffin occupy another walk in life, and 
 become a hairdresser, or a chemist, or 
 a linendraper, he will only make a 
 miscarriage and overstep propriety if 
 lie seeks to improve by mere imitation, 
 because he will probably select ex- 
 treme examples, and copy the aflected 
 fop rather than the educated speaker. 
 Correct speaking should be the lesson 
 of youth and the discipline of schools. 
 The acquirement of language is one 
 tiling, the proper use of it another. 
 This is the more desirable because 
 provincialisms which once offered an 
 apology for some barbarities of speech 
 are rapidly becoming extinct, and lan- 
 guage is acquiring a more uniform and 
 harmonious expression. Few things 
 grieve us more than to hear tlie strange 
 contention frequently carried on be- 
 tween the mouth and the nose. The 
 fault lies entirely with the owner of 
 these useful and usually obedient 
 organs. Some people, instead of send- 
 ing their words thjough the open door 
 of the mouth, persist in forcing them 
 through the narrow channels of the 
 nostrils. The nose appears to object 
 to this as a trespass, and the mouth 
 raises a cry of dissatisfaction ; the con- 
 sequence is, the worst of all defects 
 in speaking, the nasal twang, or what 
 is popularly known as " speaking 
 through the nose." 
 
 Sunstroke. — Attacks of sun- 
 stroke are not often met with outside 
 the tropical regions, but lately in Eng- 
 land, owing to the great heat which 
 has recently prevailed, tbere have been 
 some fatal cases. 
 
 Sunstroke generally follows from 
 direct exposure to the vertical rays of 
 the sun, and persons are more liable to 
 attacks when in a weak and exhausted 
 state. 
 
 The attack begins M'ith a feeling of 
 faintness, great heat and drjmcss of the 
 skin, with intense thirst ; vomiting fre- 
 quently occiu-s, there is loss of speech, 
 and the patient becomes insensible. 
 
 Treatment. — Get the patient into a 
 cool shady place as soon as possible, 
 loosen all clothes about his neck and 
 chest, dash cold water over his head 
 and neck. If he can swallow, give 
 twenty drops of sal-volatile in a glass 
 of brandy, and let him drink iced water 
 or cold tea. Sinapisms and turpentine 
 stupes to the extremities are useful. 
 Bleeding or even leeching has been 
 found to be so fatal that it should never 
 be practised. 
 
 Best Method of treating 
 Wornns. — The three principal vari- 
 eties of intestinal worms are, — 
 
 1. The round threadworm, found 
 generally in the lower end of the 
 bowel in quantities. These are the 
 most common worms in children. 
 
 2. The large roundworm, found 
 chiefly in ill-fed children. 
 
 3. Tapeworm, most generally found 
 in adults. 
 
 The common symptoms of worms 
 are colicky pain and swelling of the 
 abdon)en, foulness of the breath, grind- 
 ing of the teeth at night, irregularity 
 of the bowels, with constant itching at 
 the lower part, frequent feeling of ill- 
 health and a variable appetite, — some- 
 times excessive. 
 
 Treatment. — For the small thread- 
 wonns give the folio n-ing powders: — 
 Compoimd powder of scammony eight 
 grains, calomel six grains, aromatic 
 powder ten grains. Mix. Divide into 
 six powders. Dose for a child two years 
 old, one powder early in the morning. 
 
In MaiCs most Dark Extremity, oft Succour dawns from Heaven. 117 
 
 Enemas of cold water or infusion of 
 quassia are useful. 
 
 For the round and tape wonii, tur- 
 pentine and castor oil are recommended ; 
 also sautoniac in doses of one to six 
 grains, according to age. Kousso, 
 icamela, and the liquid extract of male 
 fern are also useful in killing and caus- 
 ing the expulsion of these worms. 
 
 Squiziting. — It is well known 
 that in infancy there is not unfre- 
 qucully a tendency to squint ; this often 
 passes away as the child increases in 
 age ; hut it sometimes becomes quite a 
 fixed habit, demanding the knife of the 
 oculist for its permanent ciirc. A means 
 of rendering this operation unnecessary 
 by curing the tendency in early life has 
 been suggested, which is worthy of 
 trial. A pair of spectacles is procured 
 without any glasses in them. One of tho 
 orifices opposite the eye that squints is to 
 be filled with thin horn or with ground 
 glass, and in the centre of the horn or 
 glass is to be made a small hole. It is 
 obvious that to see with the squinting 
 eye it is necessary for the child to look 
 du'ectly through the orifice in the centre. 
 He will thus acquire the habit of look- 
 ing forward towards an object, instead 
 of looking to the right or left hand of 
 it. It is not at all improbable that tho 
 slight squint, which in infancy is appa- 
 rently only a habit, may be remedied 
 by this means. 
 
 Liniments. — Fou "Wiiooping- 
 CouGH. — Olive oil eight ounces, oil of 
 amber four ounces, oil of cloves a sufti- 
 cient quantity to give it a strong scent. 
 Mix. Rubbed on the chest it stimu- 
 lates the skin ; it is useful in general 
 for the coughs of children ; in whoop- 
 ing-cough, however, it ought not to be 
 used for the first ten days of the disease. 
 This liniment is understood to be the 
 same as the celebrated embrocation of 
 lloche. 
 
 Liniment of Ammonia or Harts- 
 horn. — Spirit of hai-tshom one ounce, 
 olive oil two ounces ; mix, and shake 
 the phial till they unite. This is ex- 
 cellent in inflammatory sore throat. It 
 should be rubbed on, the operator 
 standing behind the patient, placing 
 
 his hands, covered with the liniment, 
 beneath the chin, and drawing them up 
 towards the ears. The rubbing itself 
 is beneficial ; the liniment may, how- 
 ever, be applied round the throat by 
 spreading it on a piece of flannel. 
 
 Stimulating Liniment. — Strong 
 liniment of ammonia an ounce and a 
 half, oil of turpentine one ounce, spirit 
 of camphor one ounce, hard soap four 
 drachms. Mix them well. TLis is a 
 strong and active application, well 
 adapted for severe chronic rheumatism 
 where there is no inflammation, and 
 also for sprains and palsy of the limbs. 
 
 Plasters are made of substances 
 which become soft at the ordinary heat 
 of the body, and by adhering to the 
 skin, produce their intended cfl'ects, 
 according to the substances with which 
 they are prepared. Of these we give 
 several examples. In all cases the 
 preparation is intended to be spread 
 upon leather and applied to the skin. 
 
 The "Warm Plastek. — For tbis 
 plaster, take one part of blisteiing 
 plaster, and of Burgundy pitch four- 
 teen parts ; mix them by means of a 
 moderate heat. This plaster is stimu- 
 lant, slightly irritating the skin, and is 
 of use in ordinary coughs and whooping- 
 cough, sciatica, and other local pains. 
 
 Anodyne Plaster. — Powdered 
 opium half an ounce, resin of the spruce 
 fir powdered three ounces, lead plaster 
 one pound. Melt the plaster and resin 
 together, then add the opium and mix 
 tho whole. Useful for rheumatic 
 pains. 
 
 Resolvent Plaster. — Purified am- 
 moniac one pound, purified mercury 
 three ounces, sulphuretted oil a fluid 
 drachm. The mercury must be rubbed 
 with the sulphuretted oil till the globules 
 disappear, and the ammoniac previously 
 melted added gradually, and the whole 
 mixed together. This plaster has great 
 cfiicacy in promoting the absorption of 
 glandular swellings and indolent tu- 
 mours. It is of much use also as an 
 application to corns and bunions. It 
 can be obtained from the apothecary, 
 and is usually known as the plaster of 
 ammoniac and mercmy. 
 
n8 
 
 Self-defence is Naturis Eldest Law. 
 
 Cough Plaster. — Castile soap one 
 oxmce, lead plaster two drachms, sal- 
 ammoniac one drachm. Melt the soap 
 and lead plaster together, and add the 
 ammoniac when the mixture is nearly- 
 cold. This plaster must be applied to 
 the chest immediately after it is spread, 
 and must he renewed every twenty-four 
 hours. It is often of great service in 
 whooping-cough and coughs of an asth- 
 matic character. 
 
 Stkengthenlno Plaster. — Litharge 
 plaster twenty-four parts, white resin 
 six parts, yellow wax and olive oil of 
 each three parts, red oxide of iron eight 
 parts. Let the oxide be rubbed with 
 oil and the other ingredients added 
 melted, and mix the whole well toge- 
 ther. This is an excellent plaster for 
 relaxation of the muscles and weakness 
 of the joints arising from sprains and 
 bruises. The plaster spread over 
 leather should be cut into strips two 
 inches wide, and strapped fii-mly round 
 the joint. 
 
 Bed Sores. — Eemove the ex- 
 cessive discharge by gently pressing 
 the part with a bit of cotton wadding ; 
 then paint the sore over with Dr. 
 Eichardson's colloid styptic (which can 
 be obtained at a chemist's), using a soft 
 camel-hair pencil. The application 
 may be repeated daily, and when it has 
 well di-ied place a bit of soft lint or 
 cotton wadding over the part for pro- 
 tection. 
 
 Cookery for Invalids.— 
 Chicken Broth. — Cut a chicken into 
 small pieces, remove the skin and any 
 fat that is visible ; boil it for twenty 
 minutes in about a quart of water with 
 a blade of mace, a slice of onion, and 
 ten corns of white pepper. Simmer 
 slowly tiU the flavour be good. Beat 
 a quarter of an ounce of sweet almonds 
 with a little water, add it to the broth, 
 strain it, and when cold take off the 
 fat. 
 
 Mutton Broth. — Two pounds of a 
 neck of mutton, a large handful of 
 chervil; put these into two quarts of 
 water and boil down to one quart. AU 
 of the fat should be removed. A pint 
 may be taken two or three times a day. 
 
 It affords excellent nutriment to the 
 weak. 
 
 Veal Broth. — Put a knuckle of a 
 leg or shoulder of veal, an old fowl, and 
 four shank bones of mutton, three blades 
 of mace, ten peppercorns, an onion, 
 a piece of bread, and three quarts of 
 water into a soup pot ; cover it close, 
 and after it has boiled up and been 
 skimmed, strain, take off the fat, and 
 add salt. 
 
 Broth of Beef, Mutton, and Veal. 
 — Put two pounds of lean beef, one 
 pound of scrag of veal, one pound of 
 scrag of mutton, sweet herbs, and ten 
 peppercorns into the saucepan, with 
 five quarts of water. Simmer down to 
 three quarts, and when cold skim off 
 the fat. 
 
 Calf's-Foot Broth. — Boil two feet 
 in three quarts of water to one-half; 
 strain, and set it by for use. When 
 required take off the fat, put a large 
 teacup ful of the jelly into the saucepan 
 with half a glass of white wine, a little 
 sugar and nutmeg, heat it up till nearly 
 boiLuig ; then with a little of it beat up 
 the yolk of an egg, add a bit of butter, 
 and stir all together without allowing it 
 to boil. A little fresh lemon peel may 
 be grated into it. 
 
 Drinks for Invalids. — 
 Cream of Tartar Drink, or " Im- 
 perial." — Cream of tartar one ounce, 
 essential oil of lemons fifteen drops, 
 white sugar two ounces, boUing water 
 two pints. Mix. To be used cold. 
 
 Saline Lemonade. — Common salt 
 one drachm, chlorate of potash one and 
 a quarter drachms, Rochelle salts one 
 drachm, phosphate of soda one scruple, 
 fresh lemon juice one and a half ounces, 
 syrup of lemon four ounces, water two 
 pints. Mix. This drink, iced, may be 
 taken freely, and will be found most 
 agreeable, and useful in cases of English 
 cholera and choleraic diarrhoea, common 
 dming the summer months. 
 
 Constitution Water. — Bicarbonate 
 of potash half an ounce, freshly made 
 syrup of lemons an ounce, water two 
 pints. Mix. This quantity may be 
 taken during the day. It will be found 
 very efficacious in cases of rheumatism 
 
Observation is the Best Teacher. 
 
 119 
 
 where there is great acidity of the per- 
 epii-ation and other secretions. 
 
 Artificial Asses' and Goats' Milk. 
 — To a pint of good new cow's milk add 
 one ounce of refined sugar, half an 
 ounce of gelatine, dissolved in half a 
 pint of hot barley water. 
 
 Anotheu "Way. — Boil slowly in a 
 quart of new milk an ounce of veal 
 suet, chopped very fine, and tied tightly 
 in a muslin bag ; sweeten with refined 
 sugar or a glass of liqueur, according to 
 taste. 
 
 These preparations will be found suit- 
 able for invalids with delicate stomachs, 
 where the unpleasant odour of the na- 
 tural goat's Tnilk prevents its being 
 taken. 
 
 To Prevent the Attacks 
 of Gnats. — The best preventive 
 against gnats, as well as the best cure 
 for their stings, is camphor. 
 
 Camphor ice is very easily made, and 
 is most eifectual, not only against in- 
 sects, but against the effects of harsh 
 winds. Put one ounce of spermaceti, 
 a quarter of an oimce of white wax, 
 and half an ounce of camphor, into one 
 ounce of olive oil ; put these ingredients 
 into an earthenware jar, set it in a cool 
 oven, and while melting stir fi-equently ; 
 pour into little pots for use. 
 
 To Cure Stings of Bees 
 and Wasps. — These stings, 
 though very painful, are not danger- 
 ous to a healthy person, unless in the 
 mouth, throat, or eyelid. The bee 
 leaves its sting in the wound; carefully 
 extract this, and gently rub the spot 
 with equal parts of olive oil and harts- 
 horn ; Goulard's lotion is also recom- 
 mended for the same piu-pose. 
 
 To Remove Freckles. — 
 Many cosmetics have been recommended 
 for this purpose, but these are always 
 more or less dangerous or injurious to 
 ihe skin; a very simple and harmless 
 remedy is equal parts of pure glycerine 
 and rose water, applied every night, 
 and allowed to dry. The following lotion 
 is harmless : — one drachm of sal-ammo- 
 niac, dissolved in a pint of spring water, 
 add a quarter of an ounce of eau de 
 Cologne ; apply it night and moniing. 
 
 Seaside Studies. — Zoo- 
 phytes. — Natui'al history brings into 
 notice some creatures whose organiza- 
 tion is so simple as greatly to resemble 
 that of certain plants, but which never- 
 theless belong to the animal kingdom, 
 being evidently endued with vitality. 
 The general term Zoophytes has been 
 applied to this order of beings to express 
 the idea of the relation they possess to 
 members of the two great departments 
 of nature — the animal and the vege- 
 table kingdoms. The variety and num- 
 bers of such creatures are marvellous ; 
 all we profess to do therefore is to 
 direct the reader's attention to a very 
 few of them, and those only which are 
 likely to be seen on any of our rocky 
 sea-shores. 
 
 The Actinle — better known by their 
 popular name as Sea-anemones, from 
 the general resemblance some of them 
 bear to the flowers so called — are nume- 
 rous and various, — a circumstance not 
 without its use ; for this reason, that our 
 readers, once able to recognise a speci- 
 men of this zoophyte, may expect to bo 
 able to discover many others of a diifer- 
 ent character without depending on 
 any written direction on the subject. 
 The Actinia dianthus, so called from 
 the resemblance it bears to the feathery 
 petals of the carnation, may be easily 
 discovered in the rock pools left by the 
 recess of the tide. Its colours are vari- 
 ous: sometimes it is perfecl'-y white, 
 sometimes orange, pale scarlet, blood- 
 red, brown, green, and of a dusky and 
 neutral hue. The Actinia gemmacea 
 has obtained its appellation from the 
 gem-like appearance it assumes, and 
 which is derived from the touches of 
 colour about the mouth and tentacles, 
 and the rows of brightly tinted tubercles 
 on its body. The Actinia anguiconia de- 
 rives its name from the form of its ten- 
 tacles, which issue from the body of the 
 animal in long, slender, snake-Uke hairs. 
 The Actinia meseinhryanthenmm has 
 tentacles of a beautiful rose-pink hue ; 
 and the Actinia crassicornis, one of the 
 prettiest of the commoner species, has 
 the orifice of the mouth or stomach of 
 a delicate straw colour, the tentacles 
 
I20 
 
 Truth is a Rock Large enough for All to sta?id en. 
 
 white, variegated with bands of delicate 
 pink, and the body a rich orange brown 
 with tubercles of bright yellow. These 
 and all the other creatures of the class, 
 when in a state of inactivity, have their 
 tentacles drawn within their bodies and 
 the bodies themselves reduced in bulk, 
 and in form altered to that of a convex 
 mass, in some instances resembling in an 
 exact manner a small inverted cup of 
 reddish coloured jelly, a figure they 
 assume when the ebbing waters leave 
 them dry, or when they are touched 
 with the finger or with a stick. More 
 than twenty species of Actiniae have been 
 discovered by British naturaUsta ; but 
 probably a great many more await dis- 
 covery. 
 
 Among the zoophytes is the common 
 Madrepore, which is distinct from the 
 Actinias although allied to them. This 
 zoophyte is a member of that family of 
 creatures which are distinguished for 
 the production of coral. It may be 
 found adhering to the rocks. Its shell 
 or habitation consists of a series of thin 
 calcareous plates, standing on edge and 
 radiating as if from a centre ; the ten- 
 tacles are tinted with the most delicate 
 hues, and when carefully and minutely 
 examined the madrepore is a most inte- 
 resting and beautiful object. The sea- 
 shore presents to view a number of 
 those wonderful structures, bodies, or 
 dwellings — for it is not easy to select 
 any correct title for them — in which an 
 immense number of zoophytes live to- 
 gether, each individual independent of 
 the other, and yet all of them having 
 something to do in the consti-uction of 
 the common habitation. One of the 
 most remarkable of these communities 
 is what is known in popular language 
 as ^'' dead men' s fingers," and in scientific 
 nomenclature " Alcyoniian digitatum." 
 It is occasionally found on the sea-shore, 
 left as some of the Jelly-fishes are by the 
 receding waves. "When found so cast 
 ashore the alcyonium is anything but 
 attractive in its appearance : its aspect, 
 indeed, is rather repulsive ; but a close 
 examination of it, under suitable cir- 
 cumstances, amply repays the requisite 
 trouble. It is found to be an immense 
 
 community of minute polyps, each, 
 although individually independent, in- 
 terested in the weU-being of the whole 
 society. When placed in the salt water, 
 the individual polyps appear standing 
 out from their abodes, and each having 
 a mouth or head, composed of eight 
 radiating slender petals, fiunged with 
 delicate hairs. 
 
 The Sertulakia is another of those 
 marvellous creatures, or, rather, assem- 
 blage of creatures frequently found on 
 our shores, left by the tide dead or 
 dying, or found attached to the larger 
 sea-plants at low-water mark. It has a 
 stem and numerous branches, in which 
 innumerable joints appear ; and at first 
 sight it appears to be some kind of sea- 
 weed. It is, however, a congeries of 
 polypi living together in an edifice with 
 the erection of which each of them has 
 had something to do ; and each, there- 
 fore, possessing a common instinct for 
 that end, no less wonderful than the in- 
 stinct by which the honey-bees build 
 their ceUs. An examination of the 
 sertularia with a microscope will show 
 that on the branches of this apparent 
 plant is a double row of minute cells, 
 each of which is the abode of a polyp 
 with a star-like head, which is pro- 
 truded in search of nourishment when- 
 ever the habitation is covered with the 
 sea water. The I'lumtdaria is another 
 of these wonderful communities, and it 
 differs from the preceding in the position 
 of the cells in which the inhabitants 
 reside. 
 
 Zoophytes are, in their structure, 
 calculated to afford matter of the utmost 
 astonishment and admiration when exa- 
 mined with the help of a suitable 
 magnifying glass. The structure is 
 found to be beautiful in the extreme ; 
 the mechanism of their parts, the ex- 
 quisite arrangements by which those 
 functions are carried on by which their 
 stony dwellings are made out of the 
 materials furnished by the water itself; 
 their strange although minute forms ; 
 the manner in which they collect their 
 food, are all matters replete with 
 interest, both to the student of natural 
 history, and the ordinary obseiver. 
 
Your Bait of Falsehood takes the Carp of Truth. 
 
 The Art of Angling. — 
 
 Treatises on " the gentle art " usually 
 commence vd\h an elaborate and minute 
 description of various kinds of fishing- 
 rods, and the mode of making them, as 
 well as the tackle necessary to the angler. 
 Very few, however, of the disciples of 
 good old Izaak "Walton ever tMnk of 
 constructing either their rods, lines, or 
 tackle. All the apparatus they require 
 can be obtained from o\\x fishing tackle 
 shops quite as cheaply and certainly 
 much better and more neatly manufac- 
 tured than those which anglers in gene- 
 ral can construct. 
 
 Presuming, then, that the great ma- 
 jority of our readers are likely to fur- 
 nish themselves with all they require 
 at the fishing tackle makers, we shall 
 make a few remarks on the subject of 
 their proper equipment for the pursuit 
 of tliis delightful recreation. 
 
 We shall begin with a few words on 
 angling by bait or bottom fishing, as 
 applied to the less known river fish, 
 such as roach, dace, bream, &c. ; and in 
 a future page we shall treat of fishing 
 for trout and salmon by bait, and also 
 on fly-fishing, which is by far the most 
 favourite mode, although it requires 
 considerably more skill and dexterity. 
 
 Bait, Fishing-Rods,and Tackle. — 
 For all sorts of bait or bottom fishing 
 one good general rod, furnished M'ith a 
 reel containing thirty or forty yards of 
 well-made hair line, will be found per- 
 fectly suitable, together with a line 
 consisting of a couple of j-ards of gut, 
 on which, attached to the end of the 
 eel line, the hook or hooks must be tied 
 on, and weighted with one or two 
 pellets of split shot, eight or ten inches 
 apart. The hooks must, of course, be 
 adapted in size to the fish which the 
 angler expects to capture, and the float, 
 if he uses one, must likewise be of 
 appropriate dimensions. All these 
 pieces of tackle the angler ought to 
 cany ^vith him, and also an additional 
 supply to replace those that may be lost 
 by becoming entangled. As a general 
 i-ule, the midtiplying reel, the landing 
 net, the gaff-hook, the clearing ring, 
 the baiting needle, and the disgorger 
 
 are quite superfuous ; the gaff and the 
 landmg net need hardly ever form a 
 part of the angler's equipment, unless 
 he has reason to expect very large and 
 heavy fish. 
 
 Many of our streams and rivers are 
 frequented by small fish, which not only 
 afibrd excellent amusement to the young 
 angler, but are used as bait in angling 
 for larger fish. Among these are the 
 minnow, the bullhead, the loach, and 
 the bleak. 
 
 These little fish are to be found in 
 most of our clear gravelly brooks. They 
 are gregarious, aud may be seen in im- 
 mense shoals about the tails of streams 
 where the water is a foot or two in 
 depth. 
 
 The GrDGEON is well adapted to 
 amuse the tyro angler. It keeps near 
 the ground, delighting in gravelly 
 streams where the water flows gently. 
 The bait used should be a small red 
 worm, and by baiting several hooks at 
 a time a fish may be taken with each of 
 them. 
 
 The Roach. — These fish are grega- 
 rious. They prefer swift gi-avelly 
 streams, and are to be found in many of 
 the rivers of England. The roach, 
 when small, is easily taken, but the 
 larger ones possess gi-eater cunning and 
 wariness, and require more skill for 
 their capture. Eoach tackle ought to 
 be fine and delicate. Many fishers use 
 a single hair bolow the float, which 
 ought to be made of a quiU, and so 
 easily moved as to sink under the sur- 
 face with the smallest bite. The float 
 ought to swim perpendicularly, and the 
 angler ought to have only a couple of 
 feet of his line between the float and 
 the end of his rod, so as to be able to 
 strike the moment the fish touches the 
 bait. The best bait for roach is the 
 maggot or gentle, one of which is sufii- 
 cient upon a small hook ; but paste is 
 employed with effect, and some roach 
 fishers prefer it to any other. The 
 paste is made with fine Avhite flour, 
 kneaded into dough and coloured with 
 vei-milion, so as to have the light red 
 hue of the salmon. This paste may 
 have kneaded up in it a very small 
 
Let Silence close our Polding-Doors of Speech. 
 
 quantity of fine cotton, wMcli will give 
 it tenacity on the hook. 
 
 The Dace and the Beeam. — These 
 fish are taken with the same baits as 
 the roach, and with equally fine tackle, 
 but a small maggot will prove very en- 
 ticing. By this mode dozens of dace or 
 bream may be taken on a fine summer 
 evening. In angling for bream the 
 angler ought to let his hook touch the 
 bottom, but he should fish as far from 
 the bank as possible, and try to keep 
 out of sight. 
 
 The Barbel. — This fish prefers the 
 deep places of rapid rivers, mill-pools, 
 and eddies, and the best time for taking 
 them is early in the morning and late in 
 the evening. A lobworm is the best 
 bait, especially when the water is dis- 
 coloured ; but when the water is clear 
 they are readily taken with a bait of 
 paste made of mutton suet and cheese 
 worked up together. Salmon roe is 
 also an excellent bait. The tackle for 
 barbel ought to be strong, as the fish are 
 often large and heavy, and make a very 
 obstinate resistance when hooked, run- 
 ning under roots and banks of weeds. 
 
 The Caup and the Tench. — The 
 carp is an extremely cunning fish, and 
 so capricious as to be sometimes quite 
 resolute in refusing every temptation 
 the angler can present him with. The 
 best baits, however, are a couple of red 
 worms or gentles, but the carp, when 
 inclined to feed, will take a paste made 
 of white flour, like that for roach, and 
 it is said that this is more efl'ective when 
 mixed with a little honey. A large green 
 pea boiled in sugar, or part of a ripe 
 cherry, is said to be excellent. The 
 tackle ought to be fine and delicate, and 
 the angler must keep out of sight as 
 much as ho possibly can. The tench is 
 to be angled for in the same manner as 
 carp, and with similar baits. It is found 
 of service to put ground bait into the 
 water the night before you fish, and, 
 ■while angling, to throw into the water 
 from time to time pieces of the bait you 
 are using. 
 
 The chub frequents deep rivers. It 
 is an extremely timid fish ; when lying 
 near the top of the water, which it fre- 
 
 quently does in warm weather, the sha- 
 dow even of a bird passing causes it to 
 dart out of sight in a moment; the angler 
 requires therefore to take great care 
 not to show himself. The best baits 
 for chub are gentles and paste. The 
 chub may be taken also with moths, 
 flies, and beetles dropped with a delicate 
 hand on the top of the water from be- 
 hind a bush, which will prevent the 
 angler from being seen. 
 
 The Perch. — ThisisanexceUentfish, 
 and better adapted for the table than any 
 ofthosealready referred to. Its fiivourite 
 resorts are the deep parts of ponds and 
 rivers, and it delights to frequent the 
 still waters and gentle eddies so often 
 found near bridges, floodgates, piers, 
 and similar places. A moderate sized 
 worm is a good bait, but we ourselves 
 have captured as many as seven and 
 eight dozen of perch in three hours by 
 using the large grey maggot found 
 imder the turf, where drains are near. 
 For large perch nothing is so efl'ective 
 as a minnow. The tackle for perch 
 ought to be strong, for the perch bites 
 boldly, and exhibits none of the caution 
 so characteristic of the carp and some 
 other fish. The best time for angling 
 for perch is the morning and evening, 
 but in a dark cloudy day with a soft 
 south wind they may be taken at any 
 hour. 
 
 The Grayling. — The baits for tliis 
 fish are worms and gentles, and the 
 caddis bait is also excellent. The tackle 
 ought to be light and fine. The gray- 
 ling is in season in winter instead of 
 summer, and in this respect diff"ers from 
 the trout. It is found chiefly in the 
 rivers in the southern and western 
 counties, but within the last few years 
 it has been introduced into the Clyde, 
 above Lanark, where it seems to thrive. 
 
 The Pike. — This fish is an inhabit- 
 ant of all oiu- great lakes, in which it 
 often attains to a great size. It is 
 found likewise in most large livers in 
 which the current is gentle, and it pre- 
 fers those places, both in lakes and 
 rivers, where there are weeds, among 
 which the pike is fond of lying in sunny 
 weather near the surface, and from 
 
If you ivould make a)i Emmy, laid Momy, and ask for it again. 123 
 
 among which, when he is hungry, he 
 darts upon his prey. The pike, when 
 in the humour, will take any kind of 
 bait, but some are more tempting to 
 him than others. The minnow, the 
 loach, the bleak, the gudgeon, and the 
 roach are all excellent baits, but equal 
 to any of them, and in some respects 
 superior is a piece of a silver eel, 
 about as thick as one's forefinger, and 
 four inches or so in length. The tackle 
 adapted to these can bo readily pro- 
 cured at a fishing tackle shop, or con- 
 structed by the angler himself. It 
 consists of about twelve inches of gimp, 
 at one end of which there is a swivel, 
 and at the other four or six hooks tied 
 back to back, at intervals of about an 
 inch and a half from each other. The 
 hooks should be of moderate size, the 
 great hooks sold for pike-fishing at the 
 shops being only adapted to places 
 where the pike are large and the waters 
 are \\ell stocked. Lead ought to be 
 placed on the gimp between the hooks, 
 so as to cause the bait to keep below 
 the surface and sink readily. Pike 
 being a fish of prey, he prefers the bait 
 which has the appearance of life ; and 
 although he will take a motionless bait 
 if it is fresh, yet a little fish, pulled 
 through the water with short jerks, pre- 
 sents to him an irresistible temptation. 
 This mode of pike-fishing is the most 
 desirable. The angler may occxipy a 
 boat, and as it is pulled leisurely along 
 near the weeds, his bait, as it darts from 
 side to side behind the boat, wiU so 
 exactly represent a living fish that in 
 most cases success will be certain. But 
 instead of being seated in a boat the 
 angler may fish from the river side, 
 which is certainly the most agreeable 
 method, casting the bait far into the 
 ^^•ater, and drawing it towards him 
 afterwards, or walking slowly along 
 with the bait in the water at a dis- 
 tance behind him. For pike-fishing 
 tlio tackle ought to be good and strong. 
 When inclined to take, the pike has 
 too urgent an appetite to permit him 
 to exercise any great degree of caution, 
 and he darts at his prey with the 
 most perfect determination to secure it. 
 
 Bankers' Cheques. — The 
 
 drawer of a cheque remains liable for 
 the amoimt named on it for any period 
 within six years. AVhcn a cheque is 
 not paid, the banker with whom it has 
 been deposited must give prompt notice 
 of the fact to his customers ; if he fail 
 to do so, he is personally liable for the 
 loss. When a cheque is crossed with 
 the name of a banker, the banker with 
 whom it is di'awn must not pass the 
 cheque to any other than the banker 
 with whose name it is crossed; or if 
 crossed without a banker's name, to 
 any other than a banker. A banker 
 who pays a forged cheque must bear 
 the loss. A cheque payable to hearer 
 on demand is void if post-dated ; but a 
 cheque payable to order is not rendered 
 void by being post-dated. 
 
 Bills of Exchange.— A bill 
 of exchange is a writing on stamped 
 paper, in which one party, termed tlio 
 drawer, requires another party, called 
 the acceptor, to pay to his order a sum 
 of money named in the bill. A bill or 
 promissory note is not invalid though 
 dated on a Sunday ; if it falls due on a 
 Sunday or other holidaj-, it is payable 
 on the preceding day. A bill must bo 
 paid in cash, and not by cheque, but if 
 the holder of the bill agrees to take pay- 
 ment by a cheque he is entitled to hold 
 the bill until the cheque is paid. If it is 
 payable at a ceitain time after sight, it 
 must be presented, so that the time may 
 thereupon begin to run. Bills or notes 
 payable in England for less than twenty 
 shiUings are void ; bills for more than 
 20s. and under £5 are void unless they 
 specify the precise address of the payer, 
 or are attested by a subscribing witness, 
 and are made payable within 21 days 
 after date. AVhen a bill is dra\\Ti or 
 accepted payable in a particular place, 
 the drawer or endorser can only be 
 rendered liable upon presentment and 
 dishonour at that place. Notice of dis- 
 honour must be given. A bill of ex- 
 change continues negotiable until paid 
 at or after maturity by the acceptor or 
 party pecuniarily liable. There are 
 three days of grace granted to an 
 acceptor of a bill of exchange, unless 
 
124 Keep aloof from Quarrels; he neither a Witness nor a Party. 
 
 in the case of a till payable on de- 
 mand. 
 
 To Clean Knives. — For a 
 large family, an hotel, or dining-rooms, 
 a rotatory knife cleaner is absolutely 
 necessary. These most useful machines 
 can be had of aU si^es and various prices, 
 they can clean from three to ten knives 
 at once. Kent's Patent Rotary Knife 
 Cleaner is, perhaps, the best of these 
 machines ; Mr. Kent is the oldest and 
 most known maker, and he has lately 
 patented several important improve- 
 ments by which aU the objections that 
 formerly used to be made to these 
 machines in consequence of their being 
 put out of ordei', by the carelessness of 
 servants, are now obviated ; it being al- 
 most impossible to disarrange these new 
 machines, or to wear out the knife by 
 cleaning, as the pressui-e of the brushes 
 on the blade of the knife is so imi- 
 formly regulated that the friction is 
 equal on every part, and the aperture 
 in which the knife is placed is so con- 
 structed that the back cannot become 
 bent or strained. There is also a most 
 ingenious contrivance by which, in 
 taking out the knife after cleaning, the 
 edge is preserved from injury by strik- 
 ing against an ivory roller instead of a 
 brass sheath, as formerly used to be the 
 case. A carefully prepared emery 
 powder is used with these machines, 
 and this is also excellent for cleaning 
 all fine steel grates, fenders, ornaments, 
 &c. 
 
 The next best mode of cleaning 
 knives for those whose family consists 
 of only two or three persons, or who 
 cannot afford a knife-cleaner, is to have 
 an india-rubber or linoleum knife- 
 board. This can be procui-ed of any ii-on- 
 monger, as well as the "Welling-ton paste 
 for using with it. 
 
 At Kent's may also be seen the — 
 Apple and. Potato Parer. 
 — This very ingenious contrivance is 
 another of the many inventions of 
 modem days to save manual labour ; it 
 will pare, take out the core, and slice an 
 apple, all at the same moment. By re- 
 moving a blade it can be used for paring 
 only, and will serve for paring potatoes 
 
 and turnips as well as apples. It is 
 very inexpensive, varying in price from 
 8s. 6d. to 12s. 6d. 
 
 The Pea Sheller.— This new 
 invention may take rank beside the 
 mincing machine and the apple parer. 
 The pea pods are thrown into a hop- 
 per, and after a handle has been moved 
 backwards and forwards a few times, 
 the empty pods pass out in front, while 
 the peas di-op into a drawer imder- 
 neath. One of these machines wUl 
 shell a peck of peas in ten minutes. 
 
 Mincing and Sausage 
 Machines. — These small but use- 
 ful machines have become very well 
 known and approved of late years ; they 
 are extremely convenient, owing to the 
 simplicity of their construction, and 
 the readiness with which they can be 
 fijced to a table, and applied to almost 
 any kind of mincing or chopping 
 work. They are somewhat like a 
 coffee miU in form, having a little 
 hopper in which the meat (ciit into 
 pieces about an inch square) is placed ; 
 underneath this hopper is a small 
 chamber, having a row of steel blades 
 fixed in the imder side of it. The meat 
 is pressed against these knives by a 
 revolving cylinder with steel projections 
 going round it in a spiral form, and as 
 the meat is cut it is forced out of an 
 aperture for the pui"pose in the end of 
 the chamber. If sausages are to be filled, 
 a tin nozzle fits into this aperture ; the 
 sausage skin is stretched over the nozzle, 
 and the meat and seasoning, properly 
 mixed, pass into the skin. These 
 machines can mince suet, apples, vege- 
 tables, as well as meat. Some flour 
 must be used with the suet to prevent 
 it from clogging the machine. They 
 are very easily cleaned, but they must 
 be kept particularly free from morsels 
 of meat when not in use ; the cylinder 
 lifts out, and the projections on it, as 
 well as the inside of the machine, should 
 be cleaned after each time of using with 
 very hot water and a brush. They 
 may be prociu-ed at various prices from 
 10s. 6d. upwards, according to their 
 sizes. Directions for use are sent with 
 each machine. 
 
IVe are never so Happy, or so Unfortunate, as 7!ie think ourselves. 125 
 
 Washing and Wringing 
 Machines. — These machines, 
 which are now becoming very generally 
 used, are of varioiis forms and modes 
 of construction, but the object in all is 
 to remove grease and dirt from clothing 
 with the least possible labour and the 
 smallest amount of injury to the fabric, 
 at the same time that the cleansing 
 must be perfect. An equal amount of 
 friction can be produced by the machine, 
 and much hotter water used than any 
 hand will bear. A considerably smaller 
 quantity of soap is reqmred, but boiling 
 water is necessary to extract grease, as 
 well as some soda or washing powder 
 if the clothes be very much soiled. 
 
 Some washing machines are con- 
 structed on a principle similar to that 
 of the old-fashioned dolly, which rubbed 
 the clothes about in a common washing- 
 tub. These machines have rollers or 
 balls of wood, which are dashed about 
 among the clothes by a wheel worked 
 by a handle and fixed in a box, in which 
 the linen, with soap and boiling water, 
 is placed. In others, the clothes are 
 lifted by ribs on a wheel, and allowed 
 to faU back again into a box with ridges 
 at equal distances, which rub the arti- 
 cles against each other, as M-ell as 
 against the wheel. Another machine 
 has a cylinder formed of bars of wood, 
 on which are placed brushes, which 
 can be removed at pleasure. The linen 
 is placed in this cylinder, and by a 
 handle it is turned backwards and for- 
 wards alternately through the soap and 
 water contained in the outer box, thus 
 producing a certain amount of fric- 
 tion. 
 
 Perhaps the most complete machine 
 is one which can both wash, wring, 
 and mangle. The clothes are placed 
 in a box, and rubbed against ribs 
 on the inside of it at each turn of a 
 wheel, which also changes the position 
 of the clothes. The wringer forms a 
 mangle, by having a hard board intro- 
 duced below the rollers to make a 
 table, on which to lay the linen. There 
 is also a wringing machine with india- 
 rubber rollers that can be fixed to any 
 ordinary washing-tub ; and a rinsing, 
 
 bluing, and wringing trough, a most 
 useful article, having two compart- 
 ments, one each for clean, and blue 
 water, with a wringing machine fixed 
 to it, and a cover, which forms a tray 
 to lay the linen on when wrung. 
 
 By the help of these two machines 
 one woman can perfoiin nearly as much 
 as four could by the old sj'stem ; it is 
 obvious, therefore, that there is a great 
 saving both of time and trouble in using 
 them, and we have the tcstimonj' of 
 many heads of families where they 
 have long been used, as to their effi- 
 ciency in these points, as well as to 
 the small amount of injury done to the 
 clothing, particularly in the operation 
 of wringing. The best and most favour- 
 ite washing machines are the Eclipse 
 of Robertson Cooke and Co., and the 
 Home AVasher of Bell Brothers. 
 
 Hints on Washing.— The 
 linen for Monday's wash should be col- 
 lected on Saturday, sorted and put to 
 soak in cold water according to the 
 various lands. The body linen should 
 be put into one tub, the bed and table 
 linen in another, and the fine things 
 separately. Plain collars, cuffs, wrist- 
 bands, should be strung through tho 
 button-holes on a piece of bobbin long 
 enough to enalile the articles to be 
 easily divided for rubbing, starching, 
 &c. Coloured muslins, prints, and 
 flannels must be laid aside to bo 
 washed in a difierent manner from 
 white calico or linen. Properly boiled 
 siids are far better than soap for wash- 
 ing, particularly if a washing macliine 
 be employed. The suds should be pre- 
 pared in the following manner : — Shred 
 into an earthenware jar the best yellow 
 soap cut into very fine shavings, and 
 pour boiling water to the quantity re- 
 quired. One pound of soap is plenty 
 for one gallon of water. Add to this 
 quantity half a pound of the best 
 Scotch soda, and set the jar (covc:'xl) 
 on a stove or at the back of the kit< hen 
 range till the soap is quite dissolved. 
 If this be done on Saturday evening, 
 the soap wiU be a smooth jelly fit to 
 use on Monday morning. 
 
 The body linen is the first that 
 
l26 // costs more to Revenge Injuries than to Bear tJwn. 
 
 should go into the machine, after being 
 well washed and rinsed in clean suds ; if 
 it requires boiling it should be put into 
 the copper. Unless linen is very much 
 soiled, it will not require boiling more 
 than every second time it is washed. 
 In a moderate sized copper put about 
 two pints of the soap jelly already men- 
 tioned ; fiU it with cold water and put 
 in the clothes ; stir frequently to prevent 
 them from burning, and only leave them 
 in the copper ten minutes after the water 
 begins to boil. Take them out, rinse 
 them very well, and blue them. To 
 blue them well use the best stone blue 
 tied in a bag of thick flannel, do one 
 article at a time, and avoid letting it 
 fall to the bottom of the tub, as the 
 blue falls to the bottom, and the linen 
 is apt to be streaked and spotted with 
 blue, which is very hard to get out. 
 
 Bed and table linen should be 
 treated in a similar way. The Dutch 
 and Belgian washerwomen, who get up 
 linen beautifully, do not use soda, but 
 borax, in the proportion of a handful of 
 refined borax to about ten gallons of 
 boiling water. They save nearly half 
 the quantity of soap, and the borax does 
 not injure in the least even fine lace 
 or cambric. 
 
 Chlouide of lime is the English 
 laundress's favourite chemical. She sees 
 no reason whj' it should not clean all 
 things equally well. And so it does — 
 removing the colour as well as the dirt. 
 As a rule Manbj-'s Washiag Crystal 
 Powder is very good for common 
 coloured things. They must not be 
 soaked like white clothes, but washed 
 and dried as quickly as possible. 
 
 The French Method of Washing 
 Coloured Muslins, Piques, &c. — Pre- 
 pare some rather warm (not hot) lather, 
 made with soft water and the best white 
 !oap ; wash the dresses one at a time, 
 but do not soak them. As soon as the 
 first lather looks soiled squeeze the 
 dress from it, and at once wash it again 
 in a fresh lather. When thoroughly 
 clean, rinse in pure cold water, lastly 
 in water slightly blued ; squeeze (not 
 wring) the water completely fi-om the 
 di-ess, and hang it in a shaded place to 
 
 dry ; if wet weather, dry it by the 
 fire. The best prints M'ill fade if hung 
 in the sunshine. 
 
 In getting up muslins and piques 
 the failure is not generally in the wash- 
 ing, but in the starching. A good-sized 
 panful of starch should be used, in 
 which three or four inches of composite 
 or other candle has been melted whilst 
 hot. The articles should be thoroughly 
 squeezed from the starch, and folded 
 whilst wet between folds of old sheet- 
 ing or table Hnen. They should then 
 be passed beneath the rollers of a 
 mangle, or through a wringing ma- 
 chine. All lumps of starch are thus 
 removed. 
 
 Tiques should be ironed as lightly as 
 possible, and the iron ought never to 
 come into contact with the outside 
 surface of the pique. An old cambric 
 handkerchief is the best thing to use 
 under the iron vrhere absolutely neces- 
 sary to iron on the right side. 
 
 To Wash a Lama Dress that has 
 Bright or Delicate Colours. — BoU 
 one pound of the best rice in one gallon 
 of water for three hours. When boiled 
 pour oif what will be sufficient to starch 
 the dress ; wash the dress well in the 
 remainder, rinse it in clean cold water, 
 Muring it well, then starch it with the 
 rice water that was kept for that pur- 
 pose, and hang it before the fire to dry. 
 When dry enough iron with a cool iron, 
 as it is liable to scorch. If some parts 
 of the dress get too dry, they must be 
 damped with a wet cloth whilst iron- 
 ing. No soap must be used. The 
 best way is to boil the rice on the 
 previous daj', and merely warm it up 
 the next morning, for then you have 
 the day before you to complete the 
 whole, as the dress must on no ac- 
 count lie damp, even for an hour, or 
 the colours will be sure to run. This 
 receipt will be found equally well 
 suited to delicate painted muslins and 
 piques as to lama and alpaca dresses. 
 
 To Wash Lace. — Cover an ordinary 
 wine-bottle with fine flannel and stitch 
 it firmly round the bottle, tack the 
 outer edge of the lace to the flannel, 
 rolling it smoothly round the bottle, 
 
The Offender never Pardons. 
 
 127 
 
 then tack the inner edge smoothly- 
 down, cover over the lace with a piece 
 of very fine flannel or muslin, rub the 
 ■whole gently with clean suds made of the 
 soap jelly already described (page 125). 
 If the lace is very much discoloiu-ed, fill 
 the bottle with hot water, and set it 
 upright in a saucepan of suds, and let 
 it boil for a few minutes, then place the 
 bottle under a running tap to rinse the 
 lace thoroxighly ; make some Glenfield 
 starch about as thick as arrowroot for 
 an invalid, melt in it a small quantity of 
 best white wax and a little loaf sugar. 
 Plunge the bottle two or three times 
 into this starch, pressing out the su- 
 perfluous starch with the hand ; then 
 dip the bottle into cold water, remove 
 the outer covering from the lace, fill 
 the bottle with very hot water, and set 
 it in the sun to dry the lace. "WTien 
 nearly dry, take it off the bottle care- 
 fully, pick it out with the fingers, and 
 lay it in a cool place to dry. 
 
 To Wash Flannels ou other 
 Woollen Articles. — Have the suds 
 ready prepared by boiling up some 
 good soap in soft water with Manby's 
 ■\\-ashing crystal, but do not use the 
 suds when boiling ; let them be as hot 
 as the hand will bear when the articles 
 are put in. The flannels should not be 
 rubbed with soap, nor should the material 
 itself be rubbed, as in washing linen, 
 &c. ; the filjres of the wool contain num- 
 berless little hooks, which the rubbing 
 knots together ; hence the thickening 
 of the fabric and consequent shrinking 
 in it3 dimensions. Sluice the articles 
 up and down in plenty of suds, which 
 afterwards aqueeze (not wring) out. 
 The clothes-wringers, already spoken 
 of at some length (see page 125), are a 
 great improvement upon hand laboiir, 
 as, without injuiy to the fabric, they 
 squeeze out the water so thoroughly 
 that the article dries in considerably 
 less time than it otherwise woiild do. 
 After rinsing, squeeze out the water, 
 and dry in the open air, if the M^eather 
 is such as to admit of the articles dry- 
 ing quickly; if not, dry in a warm 
 room, but avoid too close proximity to 
 a fire. Let any dust or mud be beaten 
 
 out or brushed off prior to washing. 
 All flannels for shirts should be shrunk 
 previously to making up, or they will 
 speedily become too small. 
 
 Scotch Method of Washing Wool- 
 len Shawls. — Scrape one pound of 
 soap, boQ it down in sufficient water. 
 When cooling, beat it with the hand; 
 it will be a sort of jelly. Add three 
 tablespoonfuls of spirit of turpentine, 
 and one of spirit of hartshorn. Wash 
 the articles thoroughly in it, then 
 rinse in cold water until all the soap 
 is taken off, then in salt and water. 
 Fold between two sheets, taldng care 
 not to allow two folds of the article 
 washed to lie together. Mangle, and 
 iron with a very cool iron. Shawls 
 done in this way look like new. Only 
 use the salt where there are delicate 
 colours that may strike. 
 
 To Wash Wine Decan- 
 ters. — Soak the decanters for some 
 hours in warm soda and water ; if there 
 is much cutting on the outside, a brush 
 will be necessary to remove the dirt 
 and stains from the crevices. Cut a 
 potato into small dice, put a good 
 handful of these into the decanter with 
 some warm water, shake the decanter 
 briskly until the stains disappear, rinse 
 in clean cold water, and let them drain 
 until dry. Vinegar and sauce cruets 
 can be cleaned in the same way. 
 
 To Clean Glass Globes. 
 — If the globes are much stained on the 
 outside by smoke, soak them in tolerably 
 hot water with a little washing soda 
 dissolved in it, then put a teaspoonful 
 of powdered ammonia into a pan of 
 lukewann Avater, and with a tolerably 
 hard bnish wash the globes till the 
 smoke stain disappears ; rinse in clean 
 cold water, and let them ch-ain till dry; 
 they will be quite as white and clear as 
 new globes. 
 
 How to Clean Burnished 
 Steel Grates. — Use only the finest 
 emery powder (see page 124) and 
 sweet oil on a piece of fine old flannel ; 
 rub the grate in always the same direc- 
 tion, not backwards and forwards ; and 
 then carefully polish it off with a soft 
 clean wash leather. 
 
I2S 
 
 Oh / she will sing the Savagettess out of a Bear. 
 
 Hints on Singing. — Before 
 learning to sing, it will be necessary to 
 decide, first, whetlier sufficient natural 
 capacity exists; and second, whether 
 the constitution is likely to sufifer from 
 the exercises necessary on the part of 
 the aspirant to vocal proficiency. "With 
 regard to the first point, the existence 
 or want of a " musical ear" (for all de- 
 pends on that) may easily he discovered 
 — in the case of an adult by any pro- 
 fessional musician, and in the case of 
 childhood even by the ordinary ob- 
 server. A child who is accustomed to 
 hiun snatches of tunes he has heard, or 
 who joins in the hymns of a place of 
 worship, may generally be considered a 
 promising subject for musical training, 
 whether vocal or instrumental; for 
 these involuntary attempts imply the 
 possession, in more or less degree, of 
 the following gifts ; a musical ear, na- 
 tiu-al perception of melody and of 
 rhythm (or time). When to these is 
 added that of a good voice, nothing but 
 proper training is requisite to form a 
 good singer. 
 
 Is Singing Injurious ? — This is an 
 important question, but it may be 
 answered emphatically in the negative, 
 except in cases where disease of the 
 lungs exists, for then it is rmdoubtedly 
 unsafe, although not to the extent 
 generally supposed. Medical opinion 
 shoidd be sought in case of doubt on 
 this point. Singing should be encou- 
 raged from childhood, but any severe 
 vocal practice is better deferred until 
 after about the age of sixteen in both 
 sexes, when the voice has thoroughly 
 settled. This rule is, however, open to 
 exceptions, and it applies more to males 
 than females ; indeed, during the time 
 when the change takes place in the 
 voices of boys they must entirely cease 
 singing. A severe cold is in all cases a 
 valid reason for avoiding any vocal 
 exertion ; biit an occasional thickness of 
 voice and phlegm in the throat should 
 not be made an excuse for disobKging 
 the friendly circle, or for shu'king 
 duties belonging to members of choirs 
 or musical societies. In our variable 
 climate these slight aftections are so 
 
 prevalent that it may be said that the 
 English always have colds. Singing 
 too soon after a meal should be avoided. 
 An hour should elapse after breakfast 
 and luncheon, and two hours after 
 dinner, before the voice is subjected to 
 exertion. Singers should endeavour to 
 preserve their general health, for on 
 this their success greatly depends. 
 
 Choice of a Teacher. — It is of 
 vital importance that the teacher be 
 competent to train the student in the 
 development of good tone in the pro- 
 duction of the voice. The best teacher 
 of singing in your neighbourhood 
 should, if possible, be secured. Should 
 the teacher possess the same register of 
 voice as the pupil it wiU be an addi- 
 tional advantage, but this is not indis- 
 pensable. 
 
 Practice of Singing. — Our greatest 
 professional singers have attained their 
 superiority by the industrious practice 
 of two sorts of exercises, viz., " vocali- 
 zation" and "solfeggi," the develop- 
 ment of tone being the object of the 
 former, and of flexibility that of the 
 latter. Their value is not therefore 
 open to question. The pupil should 
 work daily at these exercises, and not 
 waste time on trumpery songs of the 
 popular sort. It must be admitted, 
 however, that teachers are not always 
 sufficiently firm in insisting on the use 
 of such exercises against the opposition 
 of the pupil or the ignorance of the 
 parent on the siibject. Hence thou- 
 sands of pupils learn songs without 
 di'caming that they do not learn sing- 
 ing. Cultivate therefore the voice by 
 the methods we name, and bear in mind 
 that a good voice well trained is a trea- 
 sure M'hich may be turned into gold. 
 Practise standing before a looking-glass, 
 so as to avoid an unpleasing expression 
 of countenance. Keep the mouth in a 
 natural and rather smiling position. 
 Study to pronounce your words dis- 
 tinctly. Do not carry vocal practice 
 to fatigue. Eest now and then, and 
 take recreation or some other employ- 
 ment. Avoid the use of tobacco, snuff, 
 strong acids, or any of the advertised 
 nostrums for improving (P) the voice. 
 
O'er the Glad Wafers of the Dark Blue Sea. 
 
 129 
 
 At the Sea-side. 
 
 TELL nic not of workers, pray, 
 In city - square, or street, or 
 
 lane, 
 Who, with industrious hand and 
 brain, 
 Win life from Fate from day to day .' 
 
 Though work is noble, I prefer 
 This holiday at least to pass 
 Idle as winds that bend the jcrass, 
 
 As clouds that float in sunny air. 
 
 Far shines the breast of ocean old, 
 Dark blue where ruffling breezes 
 
 run ; 
 And in the pathway of the sun 
 
 The silver flickers into gold. 
 
 On level wings the prey gull wheels ; 
 The white- sailed yacht veers in the 
 
 wind ; 
 And, with the soft touch of the 
 blind, 
 The wave along the shingle feels. 
 
 well remembpred ! All I see 
 Is mine, if what we love is ours ; 
 Wide ocean, ne'er shall hostile 
 powers 
 Estrangement bring 'tween thee and 
 me. 
 
 Mine is the fuchsia's crimson bell 
 That hangs above the shoreward 
 
 ledge ; 
 Mine the blue bugloss in the hedge 
 That bounds the shore — that skirts 
 the fell. 
 
 Up from the west the fishers' boats 
 Come slijwly from the dying daj' ; 
 While from the throstle on the 
 spray 
 
 Ilis evea-song in sv,-ectness floats. 
 
 Between the hills the rising mist 
 
 Is flushed with sunset's loveliest 
 
 rose; 
 From purple glens the gloaming 
 grows, 
 And dyes the sea with amethyst. 
 
 p. MVKIWIY SMITH. 
 
 The Month of July. 
 
 "Then came hot July, boiling like to fire. 
 That all his Rartnents he had cast away. 
 Behind his back .-v scythe, and by his side, 
 Under his belt, he boro a sickle circling 
 wide." 
 
 Spensbh. 
 
 All over the northern hemisphere 
 Julj- is considered to be the warmest 
 month in the year. 
 
 Although the sun has apparently 
 begun to return on his southward 
 comse, yet the accumulated heat of the 
 preceding month, and the length of 
 time he still appears above the horizon, 
 not only kccjis up a high tempera- 
 ture, but increases it, until the gradual 
 shortening of the days becomes quite 
 perceptible, which is seldom before the 
 middle of August. The Eomans con- 
 nected the extreme heat of July, and 
 the consequent malaria fevers produced 
 by the noxious exhalations from the 
 numerous marshes round their city, 
 with the rising and setting of Canicula, 
 the little dog-star, in coincidence with 
 the sun ; they therefore gave the 
 name of "dog days" to the days be- 
 tween the 3rd of July and the 11th of 
 August. This name is still commonly 
 applied to these days ; and some rem- 
 nant of the old superstition seems even 
 yet to cUng round them, if we may 
 judge by the sapient orders given by 
 local magistrates as to the muzzling of 
 dogs diu'ing July and August. In the 
 month of July Summer is in her most 
 perfect beauty. No sign of fading 
 has yet touched the luxuriant foliage 
 of the woods, which are all fragrant 
 with flowers, and carpeted with moss, 
 adorned by graceful ferns. The corn 
 is in full ear, and in sunny spots it 13 
 beginning to assume a golden tinge, 
 telling of the rapid approach of har- 
 vest. Nothing is more delightful than 
 the smell of the trees and flowers after 
 a heavy shower of rain on the evening 
 of a sultry July day. The birds, but 
 few of whom cease to sing before the 
 end of this month, are hunting about 
 for their evening repast among the 
 myriads of insects wl come out when 
 the r.ain is over ; and having fed their 
 V 
 
130 The First Men in the World were a Gardener and a Ploughman. 
 
 nearly fledged yoimg ones, sing them 
 to sleep with a charming concert. 
 July is a very favourite month with 
 the angler, particularly in the cool of 
 the evening and early moi-ning. 
 
 This month is said to have heen 
 named after Julius Ccesar, who was 
 bom in July. It has thirty-one days, 
 and was called by the Saxons " Hey 
 Monath," being the time of their hay 
 harvest. 
 
 Cook's Calendar for 
 July. — Fish in Season. — Salmon, 
 trout, brill, cai-p, dace, dory, flounders, 
 haddocks, plaice, gurnards, mackerel, 
 hemngs, perch, soles, skate, mullet, 
 eels, lobsters, crabs, crayfish, prawns. 
 
 Meat in Season. — ^Beef, mutton, 
 veal, lamb, venison. 
 
 Poultry and Game in Season. — 
 Chickens, ducks, fowls, green geese, 
 turkey poults, leverets, pigeons, plo- 
 ver, wheatears, rabbits. 
 
 Vegetables in Season. — Peas, 
 beans, asparagus, French beans, let- 
 tuces, chervil, salads of all kinds, cauli- 
 flowers,cabbages, spinach, sorrel, carrots, 
 cucumbers, mushrooms, turnips, arti- 
 chokes, endive, radishes. 
 
 Vegetables in Season fok Pick- 
 iTNG. — Cucumbers, gherkins, onions, 
 French beans, early capsicums, red cab- 
 bage, cauliflowers, nastuiiium ben-ies, 
 garlic. 
 
 Fruit in Season. — Strawberries, 
 rasjjberrics, cm-rants (red, black, and 
 white), cherries, apricots, peaches, nec- 
 tarines, melons, summer apples, Catha- 
 rine pears, green chisel, jargonelle, and 
 musk pears, early plums, damsons, 
 gooseberries, earlv pineapples. 
 
 Gardeners Calendar for 
 July. — Plant out celery for the 
 autumn and winter crops in trenches a 
 foot deep, and four feet apart from 
 each other ; earth up potatoes, and 
 plant kidney potatoes for winter and 
 spring. See that cuciimbers and 
 melons are net OA'ercrowded, give air 
 and water ; sow peas, lettuce, and 
 various kinds of radishes every three 
 weeks. Also sow turnips after rain, 
 and plant out at the same time brocoli, 
 Bavoys, Brussels sprouts, and winter cab- 
 
 bages. Prune and tie up dahlias, exa- 
 mine the plants, and only take off 
 the branches that will interfere with 
 those which are showing abundance of 
 flowers. Cut down geraniums, and 
 strike the cuttings in any open border 
 under a hand-glass ; treat chrysanthe- 
 mums in the same way ; lay pinks and 
 carnations, and tie up the buds that 
 are advancing to flower ; plant out 
 perennials and seedling pansies, pinks, 
 carnations, &c. Make new strawberry 
 beds of the strongest runners. Stone- 
 fruit trees can bo budded now, like 
 roses ; remove all useless shoots from 
 espaliers and vines, thin the bunches of 
 grapes, and destroy insects ; loosen the 
 earth about the roots of fruit-trees. 
 The weather is usually very warm and 
 dry, therefore plentiful waterings are 
 absolutely necessary, even for grass 
 lawns, which may also have a little salt 
 sprinkled over them to destroy worms, 
 moss, &c. 
 
 Preserving. — General Ee- 
 MARKS. — Fruit is preserved for futui-e 
 use in one of four different modes. 
 The fruit may be preserved whole, in a 
 thick sjTup of clarified sugar, or as mar- 
 malade, which consists of the outer rind 
 of the fruit cut in slices, and part of the 
 pulp boiled with sugar to a consistence 
 rather thicker than honey. Jam is 
 made by boiling the smaller fruits with 
 an equal weight of sugar; and jelly 
 is made of the juice of the small rich 
 fruits boiled with sugar till the com- 
 pound is stiff, and ready to turn out 
 of the jar when cold. A preserving- 
 pan is most commonly made of brass, 
 which necessitates the utmost care in 
 using. All acids produce a poisonous 
 effect on brass, therefore the pan must 
 be most carefully scoured with sand 
 and vinegar, then well washed with 
 boiling water, and wiped perfectly dry 
 before it is used. Iron pans lined with 
 white earthenware enamel have lately 
 come into use, and are much safer than 
 brass, but they are heavy to lift. The 
 pan should be set on a stove or on a 
 trivet over a good fire ; fruit is always 
 of a better colour Avhen quickly boiled, 
 at the same time that too hot a fire is 
 
Where Good Cheer is lacking our Friends will bepackijig. 131 
 
 likely to bum the preserve. Stir fre- 
 quently with a ■wooden spoon, and 
 carefully skim off any scum that may 
 nrise. Fruit for preserving should be 
 fully but not over ripe, and freshly 
 gathered; the best fruit and the best 
 sugar will make the best and most 
 economical preserves. Jam should be 
 sufficiently as well as quickly boiled; 
 the time varies for each kind of jam, 
 b\it a good way of testing if it is cooked 
 enough is to put a little to cool on a 
 plate ; when quite cool, if it is stiff 
 enough to remain in a mass on the 
 plate without stirring, it is done enough, 
 and unless the fmiit has been very 
 watery the jam will not ferment, but 
 keep well for a couple of years. In a 
 wet season the fruit is more watery 
 than it ought to be, and it is a good 
 plan to put the fruit at first into the 
 preserving-pan without sugar, having 
 first weighed it ; let it boil rapidly for 
 ten minutes, to get rid of some of the 
 supei'abundant moisture by evapora- 
 tion; then add an equal weight of 
 sugar, and boil in the usual manner. 
 Some jellies should be strained through 
 a flannel jelly-bag, and lightly pressed, 
 but not squeezed through it. For 
 others, the juice miist be squeezed from 
 the fruit before putting it on the fire. 
 As jams and jellies are mostly made 
 from the sm;;ller fruit, such as rasp- 
 berries, strawben'ies, gooseberries, and 
 currants, aU of which are early in 
 coming to perfection, and the mode of 
 treatment of each of these being nearly 
 the same, wo shall give our readers a 
 few receipts which maj' serve as exam- 
 ples for all. 
 
 Raspberry Jam. — To every pound 
 of good ripe raspberries picked free 
 from stalks or leaves, weigh one poimd 
 of good loaf sugar, broken into pieces 
 as large as an egg ; to each poimd of 
 sugar add a quarter of a pint of red 
 currant juice ; pour the juice over the 
 sugar in a pan and let it stand. Put 
 the raspberries into the preserving-pan 
 and boil them briskly, stirring well for 
 a quarter of an hour; then add the 
 sugar and currant juice. Let all boil 
 for forty miinitcs, skimming carefully 
 
 as long as any scum rises ; it will 
 be of a brilliant colour, and keep for 
 years. 
 
 STRAwnERRY Ja^i. — Put an equal 
 weight of good ripe scarlet strawberries 
 and broken loaf sugar into a preserving- 
 pan ; let them boil very slowly till the 
 sugar is all dissolved. The fruit should 
 bo kept as much unbroken as possible, 
 therefore stir very carefully ; remove 
 the scum as it rises ; the addition of 
 half a pint of white currant juice to 
 ever}'' four pounds of fruit is a great 
 improvement, strawberry jam being 
 rather a luscious preserve. Boil from 
 forty minutes to an hour, until the fruit 
 looks clear. 
 
 Currant Jam, Bed, "White, or 
 Black. — Strip the currants from the 
 stalks, and put them into the preserv- 
 ing-pan, with three quarters of a pound 
 of sugar to each pound of fruit ; add 
 the sugar after the fniit has boiled a 
 few minutes ; boil together, mashing 
 the fruit with a wooden spoon, and 
 taking off all the scum ; boil all 
 gently for half an hour, then fill the 
 jars. 
 
 Red Gooseberry Jam. — Choose the 
 red hairy gooseberry when quite ripe ; 
 cut off the tops and tails, weigh them 
 and put them into a preserving-pan 
 with a quarter of a pint of red currant 
 juice to every three pounds of goose- 
 berries ; let them boil quickly together 
 for nearly an hour, stirring carefully 
 all the time. Then add the sugar in 
 the proportion of three quarters of a 
 pound to each pound of fruit, and boil 
 for forty minutes. Gooseberry jam 
 takes a long time to boil ; if not well 
 done it will neither look nor keep 
 well. 
 
 Greex or White Gooseberry 
 Jam. — "Weigh equal parts of fruit and 
 sugar, top and tail the fruit, dip each 
 lump of sugar into cold water for a 
 minute, and put it with as much water 
 as it takes up into the preserving-pan ; 
 boil it for fifteen minutes, skimming 
 off the scum ; then put in the fruit, and 
 boil gently till clear. "When a little 
 of the jam will jelly on a plate it is 
 done enough. 
 
132 Haite always a Ready Month for a Ripe Cherry. 
 
 Cherry Jam. — Weigh the fruit he- 
 fore it is stoned, and to each pound of 
 fruit allow three quai-ters of a pound 
 of sugar; stone the cherries and set 
 them with the sugar and a few spoon- 
 fuls of water in the preserving-pan, to 
 simmer gently heside the fire for half 
 an hour. Then boil quickly, skimming 
 all the time, for another half-ho"ur. It 
 is recommended to crack the cherry 
 stones and put the kernels into the 
 jam, hut as this is both tedious and 
 troublesome, a few drops of ratafia or 
 almond essence will he found quite as 
 good. 
 
 Damsons, Orleans, and Magnum 
 Bonum plums are very nice done in 
 the same way as giren above for 
 cherries. 
 
 Eed Currant Jelly. — Pick fine 
 red, very ripe currants from the stems, 
 bruise them and strain the juice from 
 a quart at a time through a thin 
 muslin ; wring it gently to get all the 
 liquid ; put a pound of white sugar to 
 each pound of juice; stir it over a 
 gentle fire until it is all dissolved. 
 Let it boil for fifteen minutes, and then 
 try it by taking a spoonful into a 
 saucer. When cold, if this is not firm 
 enough, boil it for a few minutes longer. 
 Black currant jelly is made in the same 
 way. 
 
 Grape Jelly. — Take some of the 
 best black grapes, strip them from the 
 stalks, stir them with a wooden spoon 
 over a gentle fire till they burst ; strain 
 off the juice (without pressing) through 
 a jelly-bag or thick musHn ; weigh the 
 juice and boU it rapidly for twenty 
 minutes ; then take it from the fire, and 
 to each pound of juice add fourteen 
 ounces of good sugar roughly powdered, 
 and boil quickly for a quarter of an 
 hour, stirring it constantly, and skim- 
 ming it carefiilly. It will he quite 
 clear, and of a pale rose colour. 
 
 Cherry Jelly.— Pulp fine cherries 
 through a sieve, first taking out the 
 stones and stalks. Add to eveiy three 
 pounds of pulp half a pint of currant 
 juice, and to every pound or pint three 
 quarters of a pound of sugar ; mix and 
 boil theai together till they form a 
 
 jelly. Pour it into glasses or jars for 
 keeping. 
 
 Apple Jelly. (An American Re- 
 ceipt.) — Take any quantity of sound 
 common apples, those with red skins 
 make the brightest-coloured jelly; wash 
 carefully, but do not peel them ; fill a 
 preserving-pan with the apples, and 
 just cover them with water; boil till 
 they are all in a pulp, then strain it 
 through a hair sieve. To every pint 
 of juice add one pound of white sugar, 
 and a little essence of lemon ; boil the 
 whole till it is perfectly clear, and 
 jellies when cold ; it ought to turn out 
 of a shape quite stiff and clear. The 
 Americans make it of wild crab apples, 
 and the bright red of their skins makes 
 the jelly a most beautiful colour. 
 
 To Preserve Fruit in Clarified 
 Syrup. — This is a particularly nice 
 mode of preserving the larger fruits, — 
 peaches, nectarines, apricots, all kinds 
 of plums, apples, and pears, as well as 
 melons, cucumbers, oranges, and lemons. 
 The fruit is preserved whole, and more 
 care is necessary in the operation than 
 is requisite for the making of jams and 
 jellies. The first thing to be done is 
 to prepare — 
 
 The Syrup. — To every pint of water 
 add two pounds of loaf sugar, and the 
 white of an egg well beaten ; put them 
 into a preserving-pan, but let it stand 
 till aU the sugar is dissolved before it 
 is set on the fire. When it boils up, 
 throw in a t«acupful of cold water, and 
 do not stir the sugar again. Let it 
 come to a boil a second time, then 
 stand it near the fire to settle, and 
 afterwards skim carefully and set aside 
 for use. 
 
 To Preserve Peaches. — Take mo- 
 derate-sized peaches before they are 
 quite ripe, cut a small slit in the end 
 and take out the stone, set them to boil 
 in cold water, and let them remain till 
 about half done, then throw them into 
 an earthen pan containing cold water. 
 The next day put them into a preserving- 
 pan, with as much of the syrup (pre- 
 pared as above) as will cover them, let 
 them boil for five minutes, then lay 
 them aside til' next day in an earthen- 
 
One Hour in the Moni'wg is worth Two in the Evening. 133 
 
 ware pan ; toil them three days succes- 
 sively in the same syrup, which at the 
 end of that time ought to he rather 
 thicker than honey ; if it does not appear 
 to be so, boil it until it is thick enough. 
 Apricots and nectarines are done in the 
 same way. 
 
 To Pkeserve the Golden Drop 
 Plum. — Choose the largest of these 
 plums when just ripe, prick the skin 
 uU over with a large needle, and put 
 them to boil in as much %vater as M'ill 
 cover them, till the skin appears ready 
 to break ; put the plums then into a 
 preserving-pan, and cover them with 
 the syrup already spoken of, and boil 
 imtil they look quite clear ; they must 
 be kept from breaking as much as pos- 
 sible, and a little ratafia gives them a 
 very pleasant flavour, as indeed it does 
 to every kind of preserve made from 
 stone-fruit. 
 
 To Pkeserve Lemoxs. — Take four 
 or six fine lemons, cut a hole round the 
 stalk, and with a marrow spoon scoop 
 out the pips and press out the juice, 
 leaving the pulp in the peels. Put 
 them into a bowl with two quarts of 
 spring water, and leave them for three 
 days, changing the water each day. 
 Strain the juice as soon as squeezed out, 
 and put it into a jar, add one pound of 
 loaf sugar, and set the jar in a pan of 
 boiling Avater for a quarter of an hour 
 or twenty minutes ; tie it up, quite hot, 
 with a bladder, and lay by till wanted. 
 Taste the water the lemons are lying 
 in at the end of the third day ; if not 
 bitter, lift the lemons out into a china- 
 lined saucepan, pour the water through 
 a strainer upon them, boil gently for 
 * one or two hours, and set them by in 
 the pan. Boil them again the next day, 
 until sufficiently tender for the head of 
 a large needle to pierce the rind easily; 
 put in one pound of loaf sugar, make it 
 just boil, and leave it to cool. Next 
 day boil this syrup, and pour it on the 
 lemons ; add a pint of the clarified 
 syrup. Lift out the lemons, boil the 
 syrup, and pour it on them again every 
 day for a fortnight, then boil it every 
 thi-ee or four days, adding gradually 
 three pounds of sugar, or two pints of 
 
 clarified syrup. When the lemons look 
 clear and bright, boil the sjTup up 
 quickly, add the lemon juice that was 
 prepared and put by in the first iu- 
 stance ; let it just boil, skim it, and put 
 the lemons into jars, pour the syrup 
 upon them, and tie up the jars imme- 
 diately with bladders. 
 
 Oranges may be done in the same 
 way, but they do not require to be 
 quite so sweet as lemons. 
 
 To Preserve Melons. — Cut a small 
 piece from the stalk end, and take out 
 all the inside ; boil the rind iu water 
 tiU it is soft, — it generally takes from 
 half to three quarters of an hour, ac- 
 cording to the size ; when soft set it 
 on a hair sieve to drain thoroughly from 
 the water, strain as much juice as pos- 
 sible from the inside and seeds, add an 
 equal portion of water, and to every 
 pint of this mixtui'e add one pound of 
 sugar, and also put in the same weight 
 of sugar as the melon itself weighs. 
 This must boil quickly half an hour; 
 then pour it over the melon, and let it 
 stand for twenty-four hours. Repeat 
 this boiling six times, allowing the 
 syrup to lie upon the melon for t\\'cnty- 
 four hours between each time ; a little 
 essence of Jamaica ginger makes it very 
 pleasant for those who like hot pre- 
 serves. 
 
 To Preserve Green Figs. — Slit 
 them on the top, lay them in pickle (a 
 pint of water to one pound of salt) for 
 ten days; put them into fresh water, and 
 simmer till a little tender ; drain, and 
 place them in fi esh cold water for four 
 days, changing the water every day; 
 drain them, and put into clarified syrup ; 
 simmer for ten minutes, and let them 
 remain in the S5'nip till the next day ; 
 simmer for ten minutes on the two fol- 
 lowing days, leave them in the syrup, 
 then simmer till they are very tender; 
 leave them another day in the syrup, 
 then boil it up, and pour over tho 
 fruit. 
 
 All fruits preserved in syrup 
 can easily be converted into candied 
 fruit by simply draining off the syrup, 
 covering the fruit with powdered sugar, 
 and gradually drying in a cool oven, 
 
134 
 
 Lawyers^ Gowns are lined by their Clients. 
 
 turning them frequently, and sifting 
 fresli sugar over them every time. 
 They must be kept in a very dry place. 
 They are extremely good, and make a 
 handsome dessert dish. 
 
 Fruit Cordials. — Ginger 
 Cordial. — Pick one pound of large 
 white currants from their stalks, lay 
 them in a hasin, and strew over them 
 the rind of an orange and a lemon 
 cut very thin, or half a teaspoon- 
 ful of essence of lemon, and one ounce 
 and a half of the best groimd ginger 
 and a quart of good whisky. Let 
 all lie for twenty-foui- hours. If it 
 tastes strong of the ginger, then strain 
 it; if not, let it He for twelve hours 
 longer. To every quart of strained 
 juice add one pound of loaf sugar 
 pounded ; when the sugar is quite dis- 
 solved and the liqueur appears clear, 
 bottle it. This cordial is also extremely 
 good made with raspberries instead of 
 currants. 
 
 NoYEAu. — Blanch and pound very 
 fine two pounds of the best bitter and 
 half a pound of sweet almonds. Add 
 the thinly pared rinds of two lemons, 
 and three tablespooufuls of boiled milk 
 which has become cold, put all together 
 into a jar, and add two quarts of old 
 whisky, cork up the jar, and let it 
 stand for six weeks, shaking the jar 
 every day. At the end of that time 
 strain the liquor, aud to every quart 
 add three pints of clarified syrup, and 
 filter through blotting-paper. The 
 almonds that are strained from the 
 liquor make a nice flavouring for pud- 
 dings, by putting them into a wide- 
 mouthed bottle aud pouring whisky 
 over them. 
 
 Creme d' Orange. — Slice a dozen 
 oranges and pick out the seeds, pour 
 over them three quarts of spirit and a 
 pint of orange flower water ; cover them 
 carefully and set aside for ten days, 
 then add five poimds of clarified syrup, 
 a quart of water, and half an ounce of 
 tincture of safixon ; cover up again for a 
 fortnight, then strain it through a jeUy- 
 bag and let it settle before bottling. 
 
 Cherry Brandy. — To every pound 
 of MoreUo cherries add half a pound of 
 
 the black cherries bruised and the 
 stones broken, ttree bruised bitter 
 almonds, one pound of loaf sugar, and 
 a pint and a half of brandy ; put all into 
 a jar, let it stand two months, then 
 filter and bottle for use. 
 
 The Law- of Life and 
 Fire Insurance. — Speculative 
 policies of insm-ance are illegal. A wife 
 may insiu'e the life of her husband ; a 
 husband may insure the life of his wife ; 
 a creditor may insure the life of his 
 debtor. The consent of the assured 
 must in each case be obtained. A per- 
 son about to efi'ect an insurance upon 
 his life must answer the questions pro- 
 posed to him with accuracy ; any false 
 representation makes the policy void. 
 Some insurance companies declare their 
 policies "indisputable," but no contract 
 can be made which is indisputable in 
 law. In the absence of any condition 
 to the contrary, a policy is not vacated 
 by the suicide of the assiu-ed in a state 
 of insanity. When a person lends 
 money on the security of a poHcy of 
 insurance, the lender should have 
 the custody of the policy, and give 
 notice to the insurance office that 
 the loan has been made and the policy 
 assigned. 
 
 An insurer against fire must not 
 alter his premises so that they no 
 longer agree with the description of 
 them in the policy; when material 
 alterations are contemplated, notice 
 should be given to the insurers. A fire 
 insurance policy only protects goods so 
 long as they remain in the same house 
 as when the policy was effected. On 
 a change of residence notice should 
 be given to the insurance agent, 
 and the policy ^vill be altered accord- 
 ingly. 
 
 La^w of Master and Ap- 
 prentice. — An indenture may be 
 cancelled by the mutual consent of all 
 the jjarties to it ; it is dissolved by the 
 death of the master or apprentice. 
 When an apprentice is bound to two 
 masters, he becomes servant of the 
 survivor. In the city of London, where 
 apprentices are bound to individual 
 freemen of the city before the Lord 
 
Afiglitig is like Poetry, a Man viust be born to it. 135 
 
 Mayor, the apprentice cannot be handed 
 over to the remaining members of the 
 firm in the event of his master retiring. 
 If the master die his executors are 
 bound to see that the apprentice is 
 taught his business. If an apprentice 
 has absented himself from his master's 
 service, a justice of the peace may 
 order him to serve out the absent time, 
 and, in default, may commit him to 
 prison. The bankruptcy of the master 
 dissolves the apprenticeship. A justice 
 may cancel an indenture on proof of 
 cruelty on the paii of the master, or the 
 misbehaviour of the apprentice. A 
 master may be ordered by a justice to 
 refund the premium, or may be im- 
 prisoned for neglect of order. Ap- 
 prentices absenting themselves are 
 liable to imprisonment for the period of 
 three months. 
 
 Notes on Angling. — In a 
 former page we offered a few remarks 
 on bait-fishing. We now follow those 
 up with some observations on bait-fish- 
 ing for trout or salmon, and on fishing 
 with the artificial fly. 
 
 The Tkout. — Tlus fish is an inhabit- 
 ant chiefly of rapid streams, although 
 very large and fine trout are to be found 
 even in the more gently flowing rivers, 
 as well as in all our great lakes into 
 which streams and brooks empty them- 
 selves. The quality of this fish as an 
 article of food depends not only on the 
 season when it is caught, but on the 
 character of the stream from which it is 
 taken. When out of season the trout is 
 almost unfit for food, and in streams 
 among the hills where the fish are fre- 
 quently large, but where they have not 
 an adequate siipply of food, they are 
 often thin and tasteless. On the other 
 hand, when in season, from June through 
 the summer and autumn months and 
 pai't of the winter, and when the lake 
 or river affords a proper supply of ali- 
 ment, the trout is an excellent fish. In 
 some of the Scottish lakes the trout at- 
 tains to a great si^e, some being occa- 
 sionally taken weighing twenty-five 
 pounds, but such large fish are gene- 
 rally coarse and inferior. The finest 
 trout in Great Britain are undoubtedly 
 
 those of Loch Leven in Scotland. They 
 are perfect in symmetry and beauty of 
 colour. Their flesh is pink Uke that of 
 the salmon, and possesses a flavour very 
 similar and even more delicate. The 
 best baits for the trout are the worm 
 and the minnow ; but although the 
 trout may, under favoui-able circum- 
 stances, be taken with great f\icility, 
 there are certain conditions of water 
 and weather when the greatest skill and 
 experience are requii'ed, and even these 
 may be exercised to very little pm-pose. 
 Although trout may be taken at any 
 time, there are two conditions of the 
 water exactly opposite to each other in 
 which worm fishing is often successful, 
 viz., in flood, after rain, when the water 
 is discoloured, and in the midst of 
 summer when the water is small and 
 clear. 
 
 In trout fishing with bait the tackle 
 ought invariably to be fine ; no float is 
 necessary ; a small shot or two should 
 be placed six or eight inches above the 
 hook, and the worm should be of mid- 
 dling size. Wliere the stream runs 
 fast, and in eddies by the sides of the 
 rapid currents, such bait and tackle 
 deftly used are often very successful ; 
 and when the river is well stocked and 
 in good angUng condition, the day 
 somewhat cloudy, and the south or 
 west wind blowing, it wiU bo very 
 much the angler's o'mi fault if ho re- 
 tiuns from the river side with an empty 
 basket. 
 
 The Salmon. — Salmon fishing may 
 be placed at the head of the "gentle 
 craft," and it is in many respects dis- 
 tinct from other modes of angling, not 
 because the salmon is difficult to take, 
 but because the tackle requii-ed differs so 
 considerably from what is requisite for 
 other kinds of angling. The rivers in 
 which this noble fish is chiefly found 
 are distant, and altogether salmon fish- 
 ing cannot be pursued without much 
 trouble, and, in most instances, at con- 
 siderable expense. The rod necessary 
 for salmon fishingmust be from eighteen 
 to twenty feet in length, and fio-nished 
 with a reel containing at least eighty 
 yards of strong hair line. With such a 
 
136 A Salmon fro7n the Pool and a Deer from the Hills. 
 
 line the angler ought to he able to bring 
 a salmon to the bank, hut such is its 
 strength and activity that with too 
 small and light a rod the angler, on 
 hooking a large fish in a deep and rapid 
 stream, M'ould lose much valuable time 
 before he could overcome his captive. 
 The best bait for salmon is the worm ; in 
 some cases two or three large lobworms 
 are placed on the large hook suited for 
 salmon, and in the deep pools, when the 
 river is in proper order, this kind of 
 bait is readily taken. Sahnon roe is 
 the most taking of all baits, but its 
 use has been prohibited for this very 
 reason. The best salmon caught in 
 this country are those of the Severn, 
 Wye, and Dee, in England, the Black- 
 water and the Bann in Ireland, 
 and the Forth, Tweed, and Tay, in 
 Scotland. 
 
 Fly-fishing. — This may be denomi- 
 nated with propriety the true mode of 
 angling, the angling by bait being tame 
 in comparison. Salmon and trout are 
 the great objects of the lly angler's am- 
 bition, and our remarks Avill have re- 
 icrence chiefly to these. Draw out a 
 few yards of line from the reel, dij) the 
 top of your end in the water, and give 
 a smart jerk, and you will then be able 
 to unwind at once the length you re- 
 quire. Beware of letting the fish see 
 you ; if he does he is off in an instant. 
 In angling for trout, two, three, or even 
 four files may be used in your casts, 
 but for salmon two only ought to be 
 employed, and these should be M-ell 
 separated. In throwing your cast let 
 the lowest or trail fly alight on the 
 water first, and as lightly as the natural 
 fly would himself do. A fish is far 
 more likely to rise at the instant the fly 
 strikes the water than in trailing it 
 along. As a general rule, fish up the 
 M'ater, especially if the stream is clear, 
 and the wind not directly blowing 
 down. By this mode you are unseen 
 by the fish, as he generally lies M'ith 
 his head looking up stream and he can 
 be landed where you are standing, thus 
 saving you distui'bing the river above. 
 Fishing up stream is more difiicult than 
 down, but the extra labour required to 
 
 overcome this wiU soon be repaid by 
 the larger measure of success attendant 
 on it. Be sure that the gut at the end 
 of your line is round, strong, and, above 
 all, fine in quality. If care is taken 
 that the latter condition is complied 
 with, it greatly enhances your chances 
 of success. As regards the artificial 
 flies to be used, very much depends upon 
 the particular river which you are about 
 to fish in. As a general rule, the wood- 
 cock wing with hare's ear, the black 
 hackle, or red hackle, are the best. 
 Whei-e the water is dark and opaque, 
 owing to the nature of the suiTOunding 
 soil, a small piece of tinsel may bo 
 added. Learn to thi-ow your cast not 
 only dexterously over the spot you 
 choose, but as lightly as a feather, and 
 repeat this frequently. It has been 
 often alleged that fish are deaf, but it is 
 certain that they are eagle-sighted; take 
 care, therefore, to keep right out of their 
 sight. Let your end tackle be always 
 in thorough repair, and, above all, show 
 yourself a thorough disciple of good old 
 Izaak Walton, by showing courtesy to 
 your brother anglers, and by ungrudg- 
 ingly giving them a taking fly if they 
 are in want of one. Such of our readers 
 as desire more minute and detailed in- 
 formation on this delightful art, are re- 
 ferred to Stewart's *' Practical Angler," 
 which is one of the best and most prac- 
 tical treatises on this subject we are 
 acquainted with. 
 
 Best French Polish. — To 
 one pint of spirits of wine add half an 
 ounce of gum shellac, the same quantity 
 of gum lac, and a quarter of an ounce 
 of gum sandarac ; put these ingredients 
 into a stone bottle near a fire, frequently 
 shaking it : when the various gums are 
 dissolved it is fit for use. Make a roller 
 of list, put a little of the polish upon it, 
 and cover the roUer with a piece of soft 
 linen rag, lightly touched with cold 
 drawn linseed oil. Bub the wood in 
 a circular direction, a small space at a 
 time, till the pores of the wood are filled 
 up. Then rub in the same manner 
 spirits oi wine, with a little of the polish 
 added to it, and a most brilliant suriace 
 will be produced. 
 
In a Calm Sea every Alan is a Pilot. 
 
 137 
 
 The Art of Swimming.— 
 
 The power of plunging into deep water 
 with safety, of diving beneath the sur- 
 face, or resting motionless upon it, or 
 making progress through the water, 
 and so imitating for a time its finny- 
 denizens, who lead a " cold sweet silver 
 life wi'apped in round waves," is un- 
 doubtedly an accomplishment which has 
 great claims on our attention. As a 
 means of amusement and recreation the 
 art of swimming is of much value ; but 
 it is of great importance also as con- 
 ducing to physical health and vigour, as 
 well as to cheerfidness and exhilaration 
 of mind, and as affording means of safety 
 in many of those contingencies to which 
 even the most cautious are liable. The 
 art, therefore, ought to be cultivated as 
 a part of the physical education of both 
 sexes. 
 
 The specific ghavity of a sub- 
 stance is its weight compared with an 
 equal bulk of water, and the amount of 
 the specific gravity determines the 
 question whether a substance immersed 
 in water wiU sink to the bottom or float 
 on the surface, or maiatain indifterently 
 some intermediate position between the 
 top and bottom of the water. 
 
 The human body has in all cases 
 a specific gravity less than that of 
 water, and the difference which exists 
 is greater in the case of coi-pulent people 
 than in those who are thin. This dif- 
 ference also is greater or less according 
 to the quantity of salt held in solution 
 by the water. The human body, there- 
 fore, floats higher in sea than in fresh 
 water, and in the strong brine of the 
 Dead Sea it is kno-mi to float so readily 
 that drowning is rendered a matter of 
 considerably greater difficulty than can 
 be readily supposed. Notwithstanding 
 these principles, the accuracy of which 
 is undeniable, a person falling into deep 
 water and unable to float or swim is in 
 imminent danger. In his struggles he 
 raises his arms out of the M'ater ; their 
 unsupported weight instantly presses 
 the rest of his body below the surface, 
 and the natural law by which he would 
 otherwise float is rendered unavailable. 
 Ability, therefore, to float or swim with 
 
 safety, is the art of turning to account 
 the natural advantage arising from the 
 difference between the specific gravity 
 of the body and that of the water in 
 which it is immersed. 
 
 In learning the akt the pupil may 
 have recourse to the swimming bath 
 and the instructions of a teacher, and 
 by this all danger is avoided, and many 
 useful hints obtained without the more 
 laborious and more tedious efforts of 
 ujidirected experiment. In taking 
 lessons, the swimmer has a belt placed 
 round his chest with a cord attached to 
 it, which either passes through a pulley 
 in the end of a projecting lever capable 
 of moving laterally with the swimmer 
 and supporting him on the surface, or 
 is held by the teacher as he gives direc- 
 tions to his pupil. Half a dozen lessons 
 in the course of a week are generally 
 sufficient to enable the learner to keep 
 his head above water, and make a few 
 strokes without being supported by the 
 cord ; and aU that he then requires is, 
 by frequent practice, to gain confidence 
 in himself and in the operation of the 
 natui-al law akeady adverted to. With- 
 out instiniction, however, frequent 
 attempts made in water sufficiently 
 shallow to remove all danger, ^vill, in 
 a wonderfully brief period, enable the 
 learner to attain considerable profi- 
 ciency. In these eftbrts the learner may 
 substitute for the belt and cord of the 
 s\\'imniing bath a set of corks or a swim- 
 ming belt until he attains to sufficient 
 confidence in his own unassisted powers. 
 
 The usual method of swimming 
 adopted in this coimtry is almost pre- 
 cisely the same as that of the frog, with 
 this exception, that in swimming, the 
 amphibious animal uses for the most 
 part his legs only, placing his arms at 
 full length along his sides, and pro- 
 pelling himself onward by rapid strokes 
 with his %^'ebbed feet. In turning in 
 his course, however, the frog uses his 
 hands and arms, as well as his legs, 
 as exactly as possible as his human 
 imitator is imder the necessity of doing. 
 In the ordinary mode of swimming, 
 both the hands and arms are reached out 
 to theu- fuU length iu front of the 
 f2 
 
138 Blotv the Wind ever so fast, it wi/l tower at tasi. 
 
 swimmer, who, at the instant of stretch- 
 ing them out, strikes the water with 
 hoth his feet, and as he di-aws up his 
 feet for another stroke, he gives himself 
 another onAvard impulse by sweeping 
 his hands round against the water, so 
 as to bring them in the direction of his 
 hips. During this process the body 
 assumes a nearly horizontal position, 
 and although great rapidity is not 
 attainable, the rate of motion is suf- 
 ficient for all purposes, especially 
 when we keep in view the short space 
 of time during M'hich, in temperate 
 climates, it is possible to endure im- 
 mersion in cold water with safety and 
 advantage. 
 
 Various modes of swimming may 
 be adopted for amusement. The swim- 
 mer may turn upon his back, floating 
 just below the surface, striking out with 
 hands, arms, and legs, almost simul- 
 taneously sweeping his hands and arms 
 in a semicircle from above his head 
 towards his sides in the manner already 
 described. This mode, as adopted by 
 an expert performer, is frequently more 
 rapid than the ordinary method. The 
 SM'immer may also imitate the mode of 
 swimming which the instinct of nature 
 leads the horse, the dog, and other 
 quadrupeds to practise, and which is 
 precisely similar to their mode of walk- 
 ing on land. This method can readily 
 be learnt almost without any instruc- 
 tion, but it has nothing to recommend 
 it except a little novelty. It involves 
 greater exertions than the ordinary 
 method, and is probably a slower means 
 of locomotion. Another method of 
 swimming is the hand over hand style, 
 which is more rapid than the ordinary 
 method, but has the disadvantage of re- 
 quiring much greater muscular exer- 
 tion. It is, however, well adapted for 
 short distances, in which swiftness is 
 desirable. In this way of swimming, 
 one arm and shoulder are swung through 
 the air forwards as far as possible, the 
 body is turned partially on the side, 
 and the hand and arm being dropped 
 into the water are swung round towards 
 the side, and at the same time the oppo- 
 site leg makes a stroke. The same is 
 
 then repeated with the other arm and 
 leg, the body being at the same time 
 partly turned on the other side as the 
 arm and shoulder are reached forwards, 
 preparatory to the stroke. Floating, 
 diving, and treading the water, are all 
 arts which those who have some prac- 
 tical knowledge of the ordinary method 
 of swimming and supporting themselves 
 on the water can, with a little perse- 
 verance, easily acquire. 
 
 The Aquarium. — The sub- 
 ject of the aquarium naturally claims 
 our attention after the discussion upon 
 zoophytes with which we have been 
 occupied (see page 119). It is desirable, 
 however, before giving any description 
 of what ought to be the contents of the 
 aquarium, to state to our readers some 
 general principles which it illustrates, 
 and on which, indeed, its successful 
 management entirely depends. The 
 remarks we are about to make refer to 
 the aquarium, whether it contains fresh 
 or salt water. 
 
 Before the aquarium came to be 
 understood, those who had acqiiired a 
 taste for the study of natural history 
 often experienced great regret and dis- 
 appointment at being unable to keep 
 alive some of the minor aquatic animals 
 with which their studies made them 
 acquainted. To preserve in health and 
 activity a small salt or fresh-water fish 
 or mollusc was found to be impossible 
 without a perpetual renewal of the 
 water ; and, as this involved so great an 
 amount of trouble and inconvenience, 
 the attempt was no sooner made than 
 abandoned. 
 
 The difficulty, or rather the impos- 
 sibility thus arising was occasioned by 
 the circumstance that certain chemical 
 processes necessary to the existence of 
 creatures inhabiting the water were not 
 distinctly understood, and had not been 
 developed by the progress of experi- 
 mental philosophy. It was known, 
 indeed, that fresh air and pure water 
 (whether sea or fresh water) were 
 equally requisite to the health and life 
 of an animal breathing in it, but it was 
 not understood that both water and air 
 are capable of being continually purified 
 
Seek nil you find, and you' II Jioi lose your Labour. 139 
 
 and adapted to the support of life by 
 arrangements efficient and beautiful in 
 the extreme, as all the physical laws 
 obviously are. A living creature, 
 whether inhabiting the fresh or the 
 salt Avater, requires for its respiration 
 a fit supply of the vital fluid known 
 as oxygen quite as much as an ani- 
 mal living in the air or earth ; and 
 if a small creature be placed under a 
 glass, it will speedily drain oiit all the 
 oxygen. It must inevitably perish 
 unless the air be renewed, or means 
 adopted to restore the oxj'gen which 
 the act of breathing has drained away. 
 A beautiful pro'vision has been made for 
 this purpose in the laws of nature ; 
 terrestrial and aquatic plants are the 
 great means by which the oxygen re- 
 moved by respiration is restored. In 
 an aquarium properly constructed and 
 tenanted, the adjustment is kept up be- 
 tween the animals and the plants it 
 contains, the latter becoming the source 
 of oxygen as it is absorbed by the 
 former. Without duo attention to this 
 great principle neither the fresh-water 
 nor the salt-water aquarium can be 
 maintained. 
 
 "Wo shall now briefly point out some 
 practical details as to the construction 
 of the aquarium, and the number, the 
 size, and the character of the animal 
 and vegetable tenants to be contained 
 in it; avoiding minute or elaborate 
 description, leaving our readers to gain 
 additional knowledge on the subject 
 from the most valuable source of all 
 practical knowledge, their own observa- 
 tion and experience. 
 
 The Marine Aqttarium. — The 
 marine or sea- water aquarium may be 
 said to be an imitation of one of those 
 picturesque rock pools, so many of 
 which along oiir rocky shore are left by 
 the recess of the tide. These often 
 contain various specimens of seaweeds 
 growing on the sides or the bottom of 
 the pool, and are frequently inhabited 
 by numerous specimens of living crea- 
 tures, such as periwinkles, whelks, 
 small crabs, shrimps, anemones, and 
 even small fish which, as the tide ebbs, 
 conceal themselves among the shelter- 
 
 ing fringes of seaweed which hang 
 from the rocks, and aflbrd them a secure 
 and shady retreat ; into which, on the 
 approach of danger, they betake them- 
 selves. 
 
 The rock pool contains various 
 marine plants, and derives from them a 
 continual supply of the vital oxygen ; 
 and, if the water did not evaporate or 
 otherwise drain away, would continue 
 fora very long period to support itsliving 
 inhabitants in health and activity. 
 
 We shall suppose that a suitable 
 vessel is provided, such as a glass tank 
 two feet in length by one in breadth 
 and in height. We state these dimen- 
 sions merely in illustration, for a much 
 smaller size will be suitable. The 
 tank should be prepared so as to give it 
 some likeness to the bottom of the little 
 rock pond of which we suppose it to be 
 an imitation. To this end let a layer 
 of shingle be first put into the tank, 
 and over this a layer of fine gravel and 
 sand, and here and there a few larger 
 stones of irregular shape to ser\'e as 
 rockwork, some of which ought to rise 
 above the surface of the water. The 
 larger stones should, if possible, be 
 those that have seaweeds of various 
 kinds and in a healthy state attached 
 to them, such as the sea-lettuce, the 
 laver, the carrageen moss, and any 
 small specimens of the olive-bro^^-n 
 algae, or those of a red colour. When 
 the tank is filled with sea water, it 
 should be allowed to settle and become 
 clear for a few days before any of its 
 living inhabitants are introduced into 
 it. The algaj will then be found 
 covered with globules of air, and the 
 water will then be suited to the recep- 
 tion of moUuscs, Crustacea, and fish. 
 By searching among the rocks and sea- 
 weed at low water, specimens of 
 Actiniae will readily be discovered, which 
 can be placed in the tank along with 
 the stone or shell to which they are 
 attached. Among these some of the 
 most desirable are the vaiious kinds of 
 the Mesemhryanthemum, of which the 
 red, green, and brown varieties can 
 readily be found on almost any shore. 
 The Angidcoma, or serpent-haired ane- 
 
14© Each Flower of the Rock and each Gem of the Billow. 
 
 mone, the Bellis, or sea-daisy, and the 
 Gemmacea will he found well adapted 
 to the purpose, as they are all hardy, 
 and thrive well with ordinary care. A 
 small oyster or two, a few shrimps, and 
 one or two of the smallest of the hermit 
 crabs, together with two or three peri- 
 winkles, wiU be sufficient representa- 
 tives of the great families of the molluscs 
 and crustaceans. As to the finny tribes, 
 the goby, the blenny, and the rockling 
 are most suitable ; and specimens of 
 these can readily be caught with a 
 small net. 
 
 Sea-water Aquariums 
 for those living in Lon- 
 don. — Do not use the artificial sea 
 water for an aquarium, as its success is 
 always uncertain. AVater from the 
 German Ocean can be obtained from 
 Mr. King, 190, Portland road, and 
 other aquarium dealers, at the rate of 
 fid. a gallon. It is desirable to have 
 the water placed in the aquarium, and 
 also a few stones upon which algae are 
 growing, for a fortnight before the 
 animals are put in, as when the growth 
 of the vegetable matter is well estab- 
 lished, the water will thereby have 
 become prepared for the reception of 
 the molluscs. The stones with the 
 algae can be sent with the sea-water 
 from Mr. King's, where also aU in- 
 formation with regard to the manage- 
 ment of the aquarium may be ob- 
 tained. 
 
 Get a small cask of sea-water, and 
 having filled the aquariujn suffi- 
 ciently, mark the height at which the 
 water stands by a small permanent 
 scratch. As the salt does not eva- 
 porate, nothing more will be required 
 than to fill up with fresh water occa- 
 sionally, to keep the water in the 
 tank to the marked level. The cask 
 should be clean. No live stock should 
 be put into the aquarium for a fort- 
 night. A few stones and tenantless 
 sheUs, on which seaweed is growing, 
 must be placed in the tank. This is of 
 great importance, as the growing sea- 
 weed, \mder the influence of light, 
 supplies oxygen to the water, without 
 ■which it will speedily become offenaive. 
 
 Carefully remove every portion of sea- 
 weed which does not look healthy. It 
 wiU soon be seen which kinds thrive 
 best under the circumstances in which 
 the aquarium may be placed. The 
 most successful way of standing the 
 aquarium is with its back towards a 
 window; and if it possesses a glass 
 back, which however it does not need, 
 paper should be pasted over it to lessen 
 the lateral or oblique light. There 
 should be plenty of perpendicular light 
 at first to start the seaweed into growth ; 
 afterwards it will do better with dimin- 
 ished light. Avoid using any large 
 kinds of seaweed; the smaller the 
 better, as they are less Ukely to sufller 
 by the change. The rockwork may 
 be made of chips of granite or other 
 stone, and shells, cemented with Port- 
 land cement. It is better to avoid 
 chalk for this purpose, even when 
 taken from the sea, as it does not make 
 a permanent structm-e, and is liable to 
 give the water a milky appearance. 
 A little clean sea sand and some small 
 washed pebbles or clean shells may 
 fonn the bottom. 
 
 The Feesh- water Aquarium. — 
 "We have akeady explained the prin- 
 ciple on which the success of the aqua- 
 rium depends, — a principle applicable 
 alike to fresh and salt water. In both 
 cases, in order to preserve the water in a 
 condition adapted to maintain the lives 
 and the health of the creatures inhabit- 
 ing it, it must be rendered capable of sus- 
 taining life, supplied with oxygen from 
 plants grown in it. This principle 
 alone, if carefully and skilfully attended 
 to, will be sufficient, whatever the size 
 or form of the aquarium, to rendei 
 it perfectly successful. "We assuma 
 that our readers have obtained a vessel 
 suited to the purpose, and that it is 
 about eighteen inches in length, about 
 nine inches in depth, and the same in 
 breadth. Let as much sand be procured 
 as will cover the bottom of the vessel 
 to the depth of a couple of inches ; let 
 this sand be well washed; place it in 
 the aquarium, plant a few aquatio 
 weeds in the sand, and fill up the aqxia- 
 riiun with river water. 
 
If Music be the Food of Love, play on. 
 
 141 
 
 As to the plants intended to form the 
 source of the oxygen required, they 
 may be of any kind if they are tho- 
 roughly healthy. A ditch where there 
 is a permanent rill of water Avill yield 
 various aquatic plants; such, for in- 
 stance, as the "Water-crowfoot," and 
 the " Long-leaved "Water-crowfoot," 
 both belonging to the Ranunculus 
 family. The "Water-milfoil," the 
 " Spiked Milfoil," or the " Frogbit," all 
 of which are well adapted to the pur- 
 pose, and all the more so that the white 
 blossoms which some of these plants 
 bear are themselves an additional orna- 
 ment in the mimic pond. Added to these 
 may be some of the Floating Meadow- 
 grass, the Water-starwort, and the 
 Duckweed; all of which give efficient 
 help in freshening the water, by jdelding 
 a continuous supply of oxygen, and so 
 rendering it habitable by its living 
 tenants. We mention but a few out of 
 the many water-plants Ukely to attract 
 the attention of our readers during a 
 ramble by the margin of lake or rivulet. 
 If the plants are growing vigorously, 
 and the water of the aquarium perfectly 
 clear, the next step is the introduction 
 of some molluscs, whose principal occu- 
 pation is that of removing decayed 
 vegetable matter by devouring it. These 
 water-snails may be found in every 
 pond or slowly running water, crawl- 
 ing in the mud, clinging to aquatic 
 plants, or floating on the surface. The 
 Limnceus auricuJarius, a turbinated shell 
 with a large opening not unlike the ex- 
 ternal ear, as its name implies, and the 
 Limnceus palustris, are the names given 
 by naturalists to these molluscs. These 
 and the Flanovbis corneics, a small mol- 
 lusc with a shell Hke a ram's horn, or 
 the volute which architects place at the 
 top of an Ionic column, will suitably 
 represent the great class to which they 
 belong. A yoimg frog and a newt 
 will represent the Amphibia. The 
 Water-boatman, the Water-scorpion, 
 and the great black Water-beetle, called 
 Hydfophilus piceus, will represent the 
 innumerable tribes of water and land 
 insects ; and two or three sticklebacks, 
 a small golden carp, a juvenile tench, 
 
 a bullhead, and a loach, will be more 
 than siifficient to represent the finny 
 tribes. 
 
 In an aquarium thus constituted and 
 occupied, the water, by the due action 
 of the vegetables growing in it, wiU 
 remain for a long time fresh and whole- 
 some for its numerous tenants. The 
 molluscs, the insects, the fishes, and 
 other objects, will afford much inte- 
 resting information, and the proprietor 
 of the aquariimi will find that his labour 
 is not thrown away. 
 
 Hints on the Harmoni- 
 um. — This instrument has become a 
 rival to the pianoforte ; although it is 
 improbable that any musical instru- 
 ment wiU ever supplant the latter in 
 the domain of the household, for which 
 its comprehensive powers render it 
 especially appropriate. While, how- 
 ever, the pianoforte can represent, more 
 or less powerfully, music of every de- 
 scription, and is thus entitled to be 
 called " The Universal Compendium 
 of Music," it cannot reproduce the pecu- 
 liar timbre of each orchestral instru- 
 ment, nor can it emulate in any ade- 
 quate degree the sostenuto effects of the 
 organ and other wind instruments. The 
 invention of the harmonium has brought 
 these effects into the domain of house- 
 hold music, and by its aid we may 
 enjoy the fine movements of the best 
 composers for the organ, and the effects 
 of such orchestral instruments as the 
 horn, flute, piccolo, bassoon, oboe, 
 clarionet, &c., hitherto seldom avail- 
 able. 
 
 The harmonium, or orgue expressify 
 is a modification of the old and unplea- 
 sant instrument called the seraphine ; 
 the coarse tones of which are avoided 
 to a great extent in the modern instru- 
 ment by certain improvements in its 
 construction. The best makers of har- 
 moniums are Alexandre and Debain, 
 both of Paris ; yet we occasionally 
 meet with English instruments quite 
 worthy of comparison with those of 
 French manufacture, and it is but fair 
 to mention that several important im- 
 provements to the harmonium are the 
 result of English ingenuity. 
 
142 
 
 Hunger is the Mother of Ivipaiience and Anger, 
 
 Purchasing an Harmonium. — In 
 the choice of this instrument, the un- 
 initiated are quite as likely to be de- 
 ceived by exterior appearances as in 
 that of the pianoforte. In the first 
 place, the "case" of the harmonium 
 maybe of fine wood, brilliantly polished, 
 ^^'hlle its musical properties may be of 
 the poorest description. A large and 
 apparently comprehensive instrument, 
 Avith many "stops," may in reality be 
 deficient in the contents indicated by 
 these externals ; or it may even contain 
 aU that is expected, and be worthless 
 from the general inferiority of its me- 
 chanism. The value and power of an 
 harmonium depend on the quality of 
 the workmanship, and on the number 
 of sets of" vibrators " which it contains. 
 The latter is always stated by respect- 
 able vendors, and can easily be verified 
 by an examination of the interior of the 
 instrument. The stop-knobs which 
 cause these vibrators or reeds to be 
 acted upon may be many or few ; they 
 are generally multiplied for commercial 
 reasons, and sometimes to an extent 
 out of all proportion to the number of 
 vibrators. Purchase no instrument 
 whose tone and finish are not of the 
 best; endeavour to get one possessing 
 at least five rows of vibrators (including 
 the voix celeste) if possible, but should 
 funds not allow it, be content with a 
 good one of smaller size. Do not look 
 at professedly cheap instruments, for 
 no musical pleasure can be expected 
 from them, however well furnished 
 they may appear to be. They would 
 be dear at any price. 
 
 What should an Harmonium cost? 
 — This depends niainlj' on one thing, 
 viz., the number of vibrators it con- 
 tains ; providing, of course, that the in- 
 strument be by a good maker, and of 
 the best workmanship in all cases, for 
 inferior instruments need not be dis- 
 cussed. An harmonium of good finish 
 and well-balanced scale, with one row 
 of vibrators and full compass of five 
 octaves, should cost not less than ten or 
 twelve guineas, those having the " per- 
 cussion action " being more expensive. 
 The next advance we can make is (dis- 
 
 regarding the number of stops) to one 
 having one and a half or two rows of 
 vibrators. Such an instrument may 
 cost from about 18 to 32 guineas. One 
 of full size, with four or five rows of 
 vibrators, is recommended, and it would 
 cost from about 35 to 60 guineas, if by 
 one of the best makers, and even 
 cheaper if not one of their best, — for 
 they unfortunately make best and second 
 best, in response to the public demand. 
 "Six guinea harmoniums" should be 
 avoided. They are unworthy of notice ; 
 their discordance being unbearable, and 
 they often cause a prejudice against all 
 instruments of the harmonium class. 
 "Portable harmoniums" are often of 
 superior tone and finish, but their con- 
 tracted size and compass render them 
 useless, except perhaps for amusement 
 on such occasions as boating excursions 
 and country picnics. Harmoniums of 
 a large size, possessing many charac- 
 teristics of the church organ, with 
 pedals, are constructed, but their high 
 price renders them unadvisable, for it 
 would purchase an organ of considerable 
 size, and, of course, vastly superior 
 powers to the harmonium. Their porta- 
 bility is, however, a great point in 
 their favour. No harmonium or other 
 musical instrument should be selected 
 without the advice of a professor, which 
 can always be secured for a fee, say of 
 a guinea. 
 
 Music for the Harmonium, either 
 as a solo instrument or as an accom- 
 paniment to the piano and other instru- 
 ments, is sold by dealers in such instru- 
 ments. The player of the instrument 
 should endeavour to master, as soon as 
 possible, the use of the " expression 
 stop," which is a great feature in the 
 instrument, and may be acquired by a 
 little perseverance. It wiU be advisable 
 to have the pianoforte kept invariably 
 in tune with the harmonium, so that 
 duets may be played with these two 
 instruments if desu-ed. 
 
 The "Wrongs of the 
 Stoniach. — High Life below- 
 STAiRS. — I had been hopelessly given 
 over for many years to respectability, 
 I had been completely lost va, upright- 
 
The Best Physicians are Dr. Diet, Dr. Quiet, and Dr. Merry in a n. 143 
 
 ness ; the pleasant sherry cobbler was 
 a thing of the past, I knew the lobster 
 only as a blue-black, unboiled, sprawly 
 monster, the only spirits I indulged 
 in were "rapped" up in mahogany 
 tables ; when one evening it befel 
 that I heard a strange dialogue be- 
 tween two individuals not wholly \m- 
 known to myself, and named respec- 
 tively Man and the Stomach. Man 
 accused the Stomach of having done 
 its duty so badly that he was tor- 
 mented with a burning fire in his 
 extremities, which would neither let 
 him eat, drink, walk, nor rest. The 
 Stomach pleaded justification, and 
 said that she had lighted the said 
 fire as the only means of getting a 
 moment's rest from an intolerable 
 taskmaster. In return the Man com- 
 plained that he had lost all enjoy- 
 ment of life, that his spirits were de- 
 pressed, his mind gloomy, his appetite 
 gone, his once fine, muscular system 
 reduced to flabby indolence ; that his 
 food did him more harm than good, so 
 that it had become a misery to eat, and 
 that every meal was followed by a 
 leaden oppression which rendered life an 
 insupportable burden. The Stomach, 
 having listened to all this, delivered 
 in a tone of angry accusation, replied, 
 " My case is just as bad as your own. 
 Before I had well digested your break- 
 fast, you gave me a meat luncheon to 
 see to, and before I had got that out of 
 the way, you thrust a dinner upon me 
 large enough for three stomachs. Not 
 satisfied with that, you wound up the 
 day with a supper, drenching me all 
 the time with ale, wine, spirits, tea, 
 coffee, rum, more wine, and more spirits, 
 till I thought you had taken leave of 
 your senses ; and when I heard you 
 groaning in your sleep, starting up 
 every now and then as if apoplexy 
 had broken into the house, and M'as 
 going to carry you off, I said to myself, 
 ' Serve him right if it did.' And in 
 this way you went on year after year, 
 treating all my remonstrances with 
 contempt. I gave you headache after 
 headache ; I tried to recall you to reason 
 with half a dozen attacks of influenza ; 
 
 gave you a bilious fever; made you 
 smart with rheumatism ; twinged you 
 with gout till you roared. But all to 
 no purpose. You went on making me 
 digest till the work broke my back, 
 and now I can digest no longer." This 
 reproach was rendered more pathetic 
 b)' a description of the Stomach M-atch- 
 ing its hard tasks come down to it from 
 the regions above between dinner and 
 bedtime. First comes a plate of souj) 
 and bread, and a glass of sheiTy. " I 
 can manage that," says the Stomach. 
 Then a plate of fish, with more bread 
 and more sherry ; " and that," adds the 
 Stomach, " though these sauces don't 
 quite agree with me." Then comes 
 beef, or mutton, or both, and stout ; 
 then game and sherry ; then a dish of 
 tart. " Confound this pastry," says the 
 Stomach ; " it gives me more trouble 
 than anything else ; but if the master 
 will only stop here, I think, if I put 
 out all my powers, I can get even this 
 rubbish out of the way." But she has 
 hardly taken this hopeful view of the 
 case, when down come cheese, celery, 
 apples, oranges, nuts, figs, almonds 
 and raisins, port, sherry, claret, and a 
 tumbler of hot Hollands and water. 
 *' Good gracious ! was there ever such 
 a mess ?" eyclaims the Stomach; " what 
 can the man mean? Does he think 
 one pair of hands can manage all this ?" 
 StiU. the willing slave goes to work, 
 when presently there is a rush of hot 
 tea from above, with a thin slice of 
 bread and butter. And when the 
 Stomach with infinite labour has got 
 the hodge-podge into some sort of 
 homogeneous shape, and is preparing 
 to take a nap after her exhaustion, lo ! 
 a devilled drumstick rushes into its 
 laboratory, two devilled kidneys, a 
 bottle of stout, and three tumblers of 
 hot brandy and water. "Eevenge!" 
 cried the Stomach to the Man. " I 
 win torment you with wild dreams 
 during the long hours of the night ; 
 make you timible down precipices, 
 and hurtle along endless roads, and 
 with the dawning I will light a 
 fire in your throat that water cannot 
 quench," 
 
144 -Day and Night, Air and Light, every one must have. 
 
 A Fe\v Words on 
 Candles. — There is hardly any ob- 
 ject of a purely domestic nature in 
 which the enormous improvements 
 which science has enabled mankind to 
 effect are more strikingly manifested 
 than in the various modes of obtaining 
 artificial light. Gas perhaps stands first 
 on the list of improvements, not only 
 from the brilliancy and cheapness of 
 the light it affords, but from the many 
 uses to which it is capable of being ap- 
 plied. It is not, however, always pos- 
 sible to have gas, particularly in the 
 country, unless in very large and 
 wealthy establishments, where it is 
 manufactured especially for the use of 
 the household ; those therefore of more 
 moderate means must fall back on one 
 of two things, — lamps, in which may be 
 burned either oil or paraffine,or candles. 
 
 The burning of oil as a means of pro- 
 curing Ught dates back to the earliest 
 ages, as may bo seen in the sculptui-es 
 brought from Nineveh, and the Egyp- 
 tian hieroglyphics, where figures hold- 
 ing oil lamps are common. Ancient 
 Etruscan lamps for burning oil can be 
 seen in almost any museum. The Ught 
 given by these must have been faint 
 indeed, for even now, with all the im- 
 provements that modem ingenuity has 
 suggested, oil lamps are troublesome 
 and du-ty, perpetually getting out of 
 order, and generally having a most un- 
 pleasant smeU. The mineral oils, under 
 whatever name they may be known, as 
 paraffine, kerosine, naphtha, &c., are aU 
 more or less dangerous, and have also a 
 very disagreeable odour. 
 
 Some of them are highly explosive, 
 and all are liable to take fire unless 
 most carefully xised, and burned with- 
 out moving the lamp while it is 
 lighted. These oils are distUled from 
 various substances ; coal yields them 
 most abundantly, as well as the natural 
 product called in the East Kangoon tar, 
 and in America petroleum. Some ex- 
 periments on the distillation of these 
 oUs revealed the fact that after the oils 
 had been removed there remained a 
 solid transparent substance like cam- 
 phor, possessing a hiah power of illu- 
 
 mination and without perfume. To this 
 substance the name of paraffine has 
 been given. 
 
 One of the earliest and perhaps most 
 curious materials from which paraffine 
 has been produced is peat. About the 
 year 1856 the idea was started of trying 
 to utilize the many thousand acres of 
 peat bogs in Ireland, and some most in- 
 teresting experiments were carried oh 
 by Sir E. Kane and Mr. Eeece, who 
 soon discovered that paraffine could be 
 extracted by distillation from peat. Mr. 
 Eeece enlisted the Messrs. Field, the 
 wax candle makers of Lambeth, in his 
 undertaking, and they were the first 
 who manufactured candles of paraffine 
 produced from peat. The manufac- 
 ture soon grew in public favour, 
 Messrs. Field being unremitting in 
 their endeavours to bring it to the 
 utmost perfection, in which they have 
 been eminently successful. Nothing can 
 exceed the elegance and beauty of their 
 white cable pattern paraffine candles, 
 equal in transparency to the finest cam- 
 phor, and, possessing an illuminating 
 power greater than wax, these candles 
 seem to be everything that can be de- 
 sired for domestic use. Paraffine or 
 "solidified coal gas" can be tinted of 
 various colours without in the slightest 
 degree losing its transparency. Two or 
 more colours can even be combined in 
 one candle with good effect, and they 
 are qmte as beautiful and far less costly 
 than wax candles, which they have 
 indeed almost superseded. 
 
 Messrs. Field have patented one im- 
 portant improvement in the mamifac- 
 ture of candles that is equally applicable 
 to all kinds, the cheapest as well as the 
 most expensive — a mode of fitting them 
 into the socket of the candlestick with- 
 out paring or wrapping the ends in 
 paper. The " Self-fitting Candles" suit 
 any size of candlestick, and are so firm 
 when properly placed, that the many 
 accidents which have occurred from 
 carelessness in fixing the candles 
 steadily in the sockets are now ren- 
 dered impossible. The candle can also 
 bum to the end without either danger 
 or waste. 
 
Painters and Poets our Indulgence claim. 
 
 145 
 
 The Acrostic. — The acrostic is 
 a species of versification of great anti- 
 quity. The term, which is of Greek 
 origin, indicates this peculiarity in the 
 composition, that the first letter of each 
 line taken in the order in which they 
 follow each other, shall constitute some 
 particular word or phrase. In some in- 
 stances the final and even the middle 
 letters of each line, as weU as the initial 
 letters, have been made to spell the de- 
 sired word or words. In the Hebrew 
 poetry examples of this mode of writing 
 occur ; twelve of the psalms of the Old 
 Testament are composed on this plan, 
 and the 119th Psalm is perhaps the 
 most remarkable. It contains a division 
 for each of the twenty-two letters of 
 the Hebrew alphabet, each stanza con- 
 sists of eight couplets, and the first line 
 of each couplet in the first stanza begins 
 in the original with the first letter of 
 the Hebrew alphabet, "aleph," in the 
 second stanza with the second letter of 
 the Hebrew alphabet, " beth," and so 
 on. The divisions of the psalm are also 
 named after the letters with which the 
 couplets begin. In miscellaneous poetry 
 numerous examples might be given of 
 this mode of composition. Sir John 
 Davies wrote twenty-foirr hymns to 
 Astrea, by whom he meant Queen 
 Elizabeth, in each of which the initial 
 letters formed the name and title of her 
 Majesty, " Elizabetha Regina." One of 
 these poetical pieces is the following': — 
 
 " E very night from e'en to morn 
 L oTe's chorister amid the thorn 
 I s now so sweet a singer; 
 S o sweet as for her song I scorn 
 Apollo's voice and finger. 
 B ut nightingales with you delight 
 E Yer to watch the starry night. 
 T ell all the stars of heaven, 
 H eaven never had a star so bright 
 A s now to earth is given. 
 
 E oyal Astrea makes our day 
 E ternal with her beams, nor may 
 G ross darkness overcome her. 
 I now perceive why some do write 
 No country hath so short a night 
 A s England hath in summer." 
 
 The composition of the acrostic is 
 attended with considerable inconveni- 
 ence, the writer being fettered not only 
 by the production of rhymes, but by 
 
 the necessity of commencing each line 
 with a particular letter ; and the diffi- 
 culty is vastly increased when the 
 middle and terminating letters of the 
 lines are likewise employed to spell out 
 the required expression. Skill and ex- 
 perience in the mechanism of versifica- 
 tion, united with the enviable possession 
 of taste and genius, will nevertheless do 
 much to overcome these and other im- 
 pediments to success. For composing 
 an acrostic no elaborate instruction is 
 necessary. It will facilitate the work if, 
 in the first instance, the word or words 
 fixed upon be so written on a sheet of 
 paper, that each successive letter shall 
 be below the letter preceding it, so as to 
 constitute the initial of each successive 
 line. The form of the stanza will de- 
 pend in a great measure on the author's 
 own choice ; but in this respect he must 
 necessarily be governed by the number 
 of lines to be composed, which cannot 
 be more or less than the word or words 
 fixed upon. 
 
 Thus, taking as an illustration the 
 title of the present "Work, it will be 
 found that the words " Best of Every- 
 thing" contain sixteen letters. These, 
 written below each other, will be found 
 to originate sixteen lines, which may be 
 written without being separated into 
 stanzas, or at the option of the com- 
 poser may be divided into two stanzas 
 of eight fines each, or into four verses 
 of four lines each, or they may form 
 eight couplets. The following is an 
 example of one of these methods : — 
 
 B y thy hope of growing vriser 
 
 E ach Art and Industry to know, 
 
 S eek, I pray, a sage adviser 
 
 The "BEST OF EVERYTHING" to 
 
 show ; 
 O n well-tried precepts by depending, 
 F rom error thus thy course defending, 
 E ach work of thine success attending, 
 V exation shall not reach thee— no ! 
 E ach unwise toiler who refuseth 
 R ules for due guidance to perpend, 
 Yields but to vain conceit, and chooseth 
 T hose doubtful fruits which pride attend. 
 H e who is wise no counsel slighting, 
 In "BEST OF EVERYTHING" de 
 
 lighting, 
 N ever shall lack — his footsteps lighting- 
 " G uide and Philosopher and Friend." 
 
146 True Ease in Writing comes from Art, not Chance. 
 
 How to Construct a 
 Rockery. — This is one of the most 
 common as well as the most pleasing 
 of garden decorations when properly 
 constructed, and when not introduced 
 in utter defiance of the natural pecu- 
 liarities of the surrounding landscape. 
 The idea which rock-work as well as 
 water should suggest is that it is natural 
 to the spot, that it has either cropped 
 up from the soil, or that it has been 
 laid bare by some process of excavation 
 which was necessary in the formation 
 of the groimds. Nor ought the mate- 
 rials of which rock- works are formed to 
 be foreign to the geological character 
 of the district. These are general ideas 
 which ought to be present in the mind 
 of every one who attempts to construct 
 a rockery, but in the greater number 
 of works of this kind which we see in 
 the gardens of suburban villas, and in 
 not a few gardens of greater extent and 
 pretensions, these ideas are conspicuous 
 by their absence. The first thing done 
 by the average rock- work maker is to 
 collect a lot of curious rugged weather- 
 beaten or water-worn stones from the 
 sea-shore, or the bed of a river, or from 
 some old ruin that happens to be within 
 easy distance, with a quantity of the 
 slag of glasshouses, or the scoriae from 
 blast-furnaces. Having selected the 
 bite for his work of art, which, generally 
 speaking, is the exact centre of his 
 small garden, he proceeds to build up 
 his materials in some more or less 
 grotesque form which has not the re- 
 motest resemblance to rock in its natural 
 condition. As a general rule, rock-work 
 is out of place in a garden of such 
 limited dimensions as the great majority 
 of those attached to suburban villas 
 are. In gardens, as in everything else 
 relating to household decoration, all 
 that savours of pretension and ostenta- 
 tion ought to be avoided as violations 
 of correct taste ; and the erection of 
 rock- work in a garden the whole extent 
 of which is commanded at one glance 
 savours of pretension. Still there is no 
 reason why rock-work should be en- 
 tirely excluded from such gardens, if it 
 is constructed with taste, and used as 
 
 the basis of a display of plants indi- 
 genous to rocky habitats. The material 
 of which it is formed should be stone 
 in its natural state, and in building up 
 the materials their natural stratification 
 should be imitated as closely as possible. 
 No precise rule can be laid down with 
 regard to the form of the rock-work. 
 That must be left to the fancy of the 
 person who makes it, and so long as 
 the laws of nature and good taste are 
 not violated the form selected is im- 
 material. The work, however, should 
 be varied in outline, and those cave-like 
 erections which are so common in small 
 gardens ought to be avoided. The 
 smaller the rockery the greater is the 
 taste and judgment required to con- 
 struct it, so that it shall be an effective, 
 but still not an obtrusive garden orna- 
 ment. For the construction of a rock- 
 work even of considerable size a great 
 quantity of stone is not necessary. The 
 interior may be composed of earth or 
 rubbish of any kind, the surface only 
 being covered with stone, sufficient 
 interstices being left for planting the 
 various plants by which the rockery 
 should be adorned. 'When the grounds 
 are large and expense no object, a 
 rockery may be made interesting in a 
 geological as well as an ornamental 
 point of view. Various geological fea- 
 tures may be represented in it, so that 
 it would be a sort of outdoor geological 
 museum. We regard it here, however, 
 chiefly as a place for the growth of 
 Alpine plants, and we give a list of these 
 which are best adapted for rock- works 
 of small or moderate dimensions. First 
 of all, taking the plants in their alpha- 
 betical order, there is the Aubretia 
 grandijlora, one of a rather extensive 
 family which is well worth growing, 
 and remarkably well suited for the em- 
 bellishment of every kind of rock- work. 
 Of the same plant there are several 
 variegated varieties which are weU worth 
 cultivation. JEthionema cordifolium is 
 a charmingdwarf-spreading Alpine, neat 
 in habit, silvery in foliage, with pretty 
 pink flowers, which it freely produces. 
 Accena Novee ZealandicB is a pretty little 
 plant, forming a dense carpet of ibUage 
 
Some are Wise, some are Otherwise. 
 
 147 
 
 with curious crimson spikelets, very sin- 
 gular and very charming. Antennaria 
 tomentos and Adioica rosea are capital 
 rock plants, the first-named being well 
 adapted for edgings. The Andiosace 
 class, of which there are several varie- 
 ties, are excellent rock-work plants, and 
 the same thing may be said of the 
 Acantholimon, the Ali/ssum, and the 
 Anthyllis. The Campanula ^j«//« is 
 exceedingly pretty, and although the 
 Calandrinia umbetlata may not be re- 
 garded as an Alpine plant in the strict 
 sense of the term, it is a first-rate 
 denizen of the rock- work. The young 
 plants of this variety bloom most freely, 
 and a number of fresh plants should be 
 raised annually from seed. DiantJius 
 Alpinus is one of the loveliest Alpines 
 in cultivation, and that and its charming 
 sister, Dianthtis petrceus, ought to have 
 a place in every rock- work. The Erinus 
 Alpinus is a capital plant for decorating 
 an old wall. It is an exceedingly free 
 grower, with pretty rose-purple flowers, 
 and sows itself freely. Gentiana verna, 
 Gaultheria procumbens, Lithospermum 
 fruticosum, Linaria Alpina, Mazua pu- 
 nulus, Myosotis rupicola. Phlox Nelsonii, 
 Primula farinosa, and the Nivalis, Mar- 
 ginata, and Ciliata varieties of the same 
 plant, are also finely adapted for the 
 rock-work. The Saponaria ocymoides 
 is useful in rock-work decoration for 
 hanging over edges. There are at least 
 nine varieties of the Saxtfraga, five of 
 the Sedum, eight of the Sempervivum, 
 which are splendid rock- work plants ; 
 and when we have mentioned Silene 
 acaulis and Soldanella Alpina,v,-hi<ih. has 
 several worthy sisters, the readers of the 
 Best of Everything who intend starting 
 a rock-work will have a very good list 
 from which to select their Alpine plants. 
 But no rockery can be considered com- 
 plete without a small admixture of ferns, 
 whose graceful waving fronds vary the 
 stiff appearance of most rock plants. 
 Many species of ferns grow better in 
 the clefts of rocks and interstices of old 
 walls than in any other place. "What- 
 ever is natural is always beautiful, 
 therefore fems are eminently smtable 
 for rock-work. They thrive well in 
 
 the same soil and imder very much the 
 same treatment as Alpine plants. A 
 few of those that look well on a 
 rockery are Asplcnium trichomanes (the 
 maiden-hair spleenwort), Asplcnium 
 virides (green spleenwort), Asplenium 
 adiantum-nigriun, A. rtita-murar ia , 
 Allosorus crispus, Ceterach officinariim, 
 Cystopteris montana, Polypodium t'til- 
 gare, and P. Eobertianum. Varieties of 
 the Scolopendrium, Lastrea dilatain, 
 Polystichum aculeatum ; these are al- 
 most sure to do well, and require very 
 little care. 
 
 It should be borne in mind in the 
 formation of rock- works that Alpine 
 plants require abundance of soil for 
 their roots to wander in, and that the 
 soil should be a sandy loam, with, for 
 some of the varieties, an admixture of 
 peat. Experience has also shown that 
 very rapid and perfect drainage, com- 
 bined with an equally copious supply of 
 water in dry weather, are essentials to 
 success in the cultivation of rock-work 
 plants. 
 
 To Propagate Plants by 
 Budding. — This operation is most 
 frequently performed by gardeners 
 upon the rose, and it is somewhat diffi- 
 cult to describe intelligibly without the 
 aid of diagrams. It is performed gene- 
 rally in July, the stocks — that is, the 
 plants to be budded upon — being usually 
 the common briar which has been 
 planted in the previous autumn. Strong 
 and well-developed shoots of the variety 
 to be budded from are selected, and the 
 buds, with a portion of the wood at- 
 tached, removed by means of a budding 
 knife with a sharp blade and flat handle 
 with which to raise the bark of the 
 stock. The portion of the wood cut 
 away with the bark, to Avhich the bud 
 is attached, should be removed before 
 insertion in the stock, but this must be 
 done so as not to injure the root of the 
 bud. Having got the bud, a sUt is 
 made longitudinally in the bark of a 
 branch of the stock which is to be 
 budded. The bark is then gently 
 raised by means of the thin flat end of 
 the handle of the budding knife, asd 
 the bud inserted in the sUt, a portion 
 
148 Many talk of Robin Hood that never shot his Bow. 
 
 of the attached leaf being removed. A 
 little cotton is tied round the bud, and 
 the operation is completed. If it has 
 been performed properly the bud and 
 stock -wUl have become one in about 
 three -weeks. It is by this method of 
 budding that the standard roses now so 
 common are produced, the stock being 
 a strong straight briar. Roses require 
 a free use of the knife to keep them 
 in health and order, and the shoots 
 produced from buds should be kept 
 carefidly trimmed from the time they 
 first begin to start into growth, or 
 they will- become weakly and strag- 
 gling. The orange and the cactus 
 are propagated by buds as well as 
 the rose, also many kinds of stone- 
 fruit trees. 
 
 Arcliery. — The time has long 
 passed since Eobin Hood and his 
 "merry men" pursued their vocation 
 in the forests of Sherwood. The rifle 
 and the buUet, whether in battle or in 
 sylvan sport, have long superseded the 
 more picturesque but far less deadly 
 weapon so skilfully wielded in olden 
 times by the stout yeomen of " merrie 
 England;" and the only bow and ar- 
 row which stiO. continue in active and 
 efficient service are those metaphorical 
 weapons carried by the little archer 
 whose exploits form the favourite theme 
 of ancient and modem poetry. The 
 practice of archery, however, has hap- 
 pily not been abandoned. There is a 
 celebrated corps of archers composed of 
 many noble and gallant members who, 
 armed with bow and aiTOw, form the 
 body-guard of the Sovereign when 
 visiting the ancient palace of Holy- 
 rood. There are various archery clubs 
 throughout the country; and archery 
 has assumed a distinguished place 
 among the more peaceful and pictu- 
 resque of oui- rirral pastimes. 
 
 The vauious akticles necessary to 
 the equipment of an archer can be 
 readily obtained from the principal 
 makers in London, Edinburgh, or any 
 other large town, and these it is 
 not requisite for us to describe. In 
 addition to the bow and arrow, a 
 quiver, pouch, and belt are required, 
 
 as well as an arm guard, shooting 
 gloves, and other things more or less 
 useful or ornamental. 
 
 In the practice of archery the 
 following remarks may be foimd of 
 use: — On stringing the bow the 
 archer should with the right hand take 
 it by the " handle ' ' in the centre, and 
 place that end of the bow to which the 
 string is fixed by the "noose" against 
 the hollow of the inside of the right 
 foot, keeping the "back" or flat side 
 of the bow towards his person. He 
 should then place the heel of his left 
 hand on the upper end of the bow below 
 the eye of the string, and while he 
 pulls the bow towards him with the 
 right hand, he should push it out with 
 the left hand, and as he thus bends it 
 he should slip the string into the 
 "nock" or notch in the upper end. 
 To UNSTRING THE BOW vcry much the 
 same process is required as in stringing 
 it ; it is to be bent in the same manner ; 
 this loosens the string, when the " eye " 
 of the string can be lifted out of the 
 nock with the finger. To preserve 
 
 THE BOW FROM INJURY it OUght tO be 
 
 unstrung after being used ; for if laid 
 aside without being freed from a state 
 of tension it is likely to get a cast out 
 of its true shape. After being used it 
 ought also to be dried with care if it has 
 been exposed to damp, put into its case 
 and kept dry, but not near a fire, and 
 it ought to be occasionally well var- 
 nished. In DRAWING THE BOW the 
 archer should take it by the handle 
 with his left hand, keeping the elbow 
 straight, and having placed the arrow 
 on the string raise both arms, and keep- 
 ing the left at full length, draw with 
 his right the string of the bow towards 
 his right ear, bringing at the same 
 moment the arrow to a direct line with 
 the object at which he is about to dis- 
 charge it. In SHOOTING AT A TARGET 
 OR ANY OTHER MARK, the CyO OUght tO 
 
 be fixed steadily on the object aimed 
 at, and at the instant when the mark is 
 fairly covered the arrow should be 
 liberated. In taking aim the distance 
 must be, of course, attended to, as well 
 as the force and direction of the wind. 
 
Pleasant Company makes this Life Tolerable. 
 
 149 
 
 The arrow, in being aimed, must have 
 an elevation above the object at which 
 it is to be discharged, as it will describe 
 a curve in its flight, and this curve will 
 be greater or less according to the dis- 
 tance the missile has to traverse. The 
 wind, even when not strong, exercises 
 some influence, more or less, on the 
 flight of the arrow, and unless the air 
 be perfectly still some allowance must 
 be made for the efi"ect it produces. On 
 this subject theory is of little moment, 
 the archer must gain proficiency at the 
 price which in all practical arts it 
 usually costs, that of observation and 
 experience. 
 
 The target is usually a thick mat 
 of straw, circular in shape, and covered 
 with canvas painted in rings of colours, 
 gold being the centre ; the next circle 
 is red, then white, then black, next the 
 outer white. These targets are fixed 
 on iron stands, and at distances varying 
 from 60 to 100 yards, according to 
 the rules of the club to which they 
 belong. 
 
 The score, which is marked on a 
 card, counts as follows : — 
 
 The outer white 
 The black 
 The inner white 
 The red 
 The gold 
 
 Each club has its o\vn rules, which, 
 however, difi'er but little from each 
 other, and only in such points as 
 relate to days of meeting, prizes, ex- 
 penses, &c. 
 
 To Manage a Croquet 
 or Archery Party. — 
 Nothing is more easy to arrange than a 
 croquet party, when the circumstances 
 of the hostess are such that she has 
 no more to do than to issue her invita- 
 tions, and then send for a first-class 
 London purveyor, who makes all the 
 necessary arrangements in the best 
 style. To off'er any remarks to such 
 persons would be worse than super- 
 fluous, but for the assistance of a .liidy 
 residing at a long distance from town, 
 having a large family of young people, 
 whom she is anxious to please and 
 amuse without going to any great ex- 
 
 pense, we may venture to give a few 
 hints how to accomplish this object in a 
 tasteful and eS'ective as well as an in- 
 expensive manner. 
 
 "We will suppose a croquet party to 
 be given at a country house of moderate 
 pretensions, where there is a ground 
 large enough to admit of two games 
 being played at the same time. Such a 
 residence wlU probably have a lawn 
 sufliciently large to allow of a marquee 
 or large tent being pitched near enough 
 to the croquet ground to be accessible 
 to the guests, and near the house for 
 the convenience of the servants. In 
 this tent two long narrow tables should 
 be placed, tastefully decorated with 
 flowers, both cut and in pots : on one 
 table may be placed tea, cofiee, cakes, 
 biscuits, and plates of thin bread and 
 butter ; on the other sandwiches, fruit, 
 ices, sherry, claret, or other light Avincs, 
 together with abundance of claret and 
 champagne cup, well iced. Small tum- 
 blers are the most convenient for taking 
 these Clips, and they should be provided 
 in abundance, along with wine-glasses 
 and small plates, and spoons for ices, &c. 
 If there is a verandah to the house re- 
 freshments may be served in it as well 
 as in a tent, but they should always be 
 imder cover. Nothing is more repul- 
 sive when you are lifting your tea or 
 claret cup to 5'our Hps than to see an 
 unfortunate fly or gnat in the agouies 
 of death, struggling in the cup or glass, 
 and this is sm-e to be the case when re- 
 freshments are served out of doors and 
 near trees. It is important to have a 
 good supply of seats, not only where 
 the refreshments arc served, but near the 
 croquet-ground, that the lookers on, as 
 well as the players who wait their tui'n, 
 may be able to rest. 
 
 The invitations for a croquet pai-ty 
 should be similar to those for a dance, 
 substituting the words " croquet and 
 tea " for " dancing," unless it is intended 
 that a dance shall follow, when the fall 
 of evening renders it too late to remain 
 out of doors. The words "dancing at 
 eight," or something similar, are then 
 added. The supper can be prepared 
 whilst the croquet is going on, and the 
 
150 Make Ttihperance thy Companion, so shall Health sit ofi thy £ row. 
 
 young people of the party are sure to 
 find it a most agreeable conclusion to 
 the day's amusement. 
 
 An archery party requires rather 
 more room than a croquet party ; the 
 targets require a considerable space be- 
 tween each, and there cannot be less 
 than four of these at least sixty yards 
 from each other, but usually at a greater 
 distance ; in other respects the arrange- 
 ments may be the same. 
 
 The short dresses now so much the 
 fashion are very convenient for croquet 
 playing. For a croquet party clear 
 muslins, looped over coloured silk petti- 
 coats, with rosettes of the same colour, 
 are in good taste, as are also the white 
 striped silks over coloured silk ; hats of 
 the fashionable shape, to match in coloiir 
 with the petticoats, are very suitable. 
 For archery a short dress and loose 
 jacket, over which the archery belt is 
 worn, are indispensable ; it is essential 
 that the arms be at perfect freedom, to 
 enable the archer to raise and draw the 
 bow. The Tyrolese hats will be found 
 convenient, as the brim being turned up 
 at the sides does not interfere with the 
 drawing of the bow to the right ear. 
 Most archery clubs have a uniform 
 which all the members adopt. Tyrolese 
 or rifle green, with gold or white, is 
 a favourite style ; dark green gloves, 
 with stiff gauntlets, are generally worn 
 by lady archers. 
 
 Light Drinks for Sum- 
 mer. — Champagne Cup. — To two 
 ounces of powdered loaf sugar put the 
 juice and rind of one lemon pared thin ; 
 pour over these a large glass of dry 
 sherry, and let it stand for an hour, 
 then add one bottle of sparkling cham- 
 pagne and one of soda water, a thin 
 slice of fresh cucumber with the rind 
 on, a sprig of borage or balm, and ice 
 with blocks of clear ice. 
 
 Champagne Cup, No. 2. — To two 
 "unces of powdered loaf sugar put half 
 a glass of Curatjoa or Maraschino, a 
 slice of cucumber, and a sprig of 
 borage, one bottle of champagne, one 
 of ChabUs, and two bottles of Selt- 
 zer water ; ice with blocks of clear 
 ice. 
 
 Moselle Cup. — To two ounces of 
 powered sugar, put the thinly pared 
 rind of a lemon, half a pint of dry 
 sherry, one bottle of MoseUe, and one 
 bottle of soda water, and ice. 
 
 Sauterne Cup. — To one bottle of 
 German Seltzer water, add two ounces 
 of powdered siigar, a slice of fresh 
 cucumber, and one bottle of Sauterne, 
 and ice. 
 
 Beer Cup. — Put a quarter of; an 
 ounce of cinnamon, two cloves, one -all- 
 spice, a little grated nutmeg, and one 
 gill of sherry into a jug; let it stand 
 for two houi-s, then add two pints of 
 best Burton ale and four bottles of good 
 ginger beer ; ice with blocks of clear ioe. 
 
 American Drinks. — These 
 drinks have become such general fa- 
 vourites in this country since the time 
 they were first introduced, thatwe make 
 no apology for presenting receipts for a 
 few of the best of them to the readers 
 of " Best of Everything." 
 
 Gin Cocktail. — One glass of gin, 
 one teaspoonful of Angostura or 
 Boker's bitters, one teaspoonful of 
 powdered sugar; mix thoroughly by 
 pouring from one tumbler into another; 
 in hot weather a little ice may be 
 added. Brandj'' or whisky may be used 
 instead of gin if preferred. 
 
 Mint Julep. — Put a dozen of the 
 tender tops of mint into a tumbler, 
 pour over them a dessert-spoonful of 
 pounded white sugar, six drops of 
 ratafia, a teaspoonful of raspberry 
 syrup, and a glass of brandy ; fill up 
 the tumbler with crushed ice, and 
 drink through a straw. 
 
 Gin Sling. — Put six sprigs of fresh 
 mint, half a glass of Cura9oa or Ma- 
 raschino, and one glass of gin into a 
 tumbler, fill it up with crushed ice, and 
 drink through a straw. 
 
 Sherry Cobbler. — Put into a tum- 
 bler a glass and a half of sherry, half a 
 glass of Cura^oa, a teaspoonful of 
 raspberry syrup, a few thin slices of 
 orange peel, a teaspoonful of sugar, 
 and fiU the tumbler up with planed or 
 crushed ice ; a fresh ripe strawberry or 
 raspberry or two, or a slice of fresh 
 pineapple, is a real improvement. 
 
Count noi your Chickens before they are hatched. 
 
 151 
 
 To Fatten Poultry for 
 "Table. — The fowls designed for being 
 fattened should be -well and liberally 
 fed from the time they are hatched. It 
 is a mistake to imagine that they can 
 be kept low when young, and got up to 
 a great size by liberal feeding when 
 put up to fatten. The fowls so treated 
 are stunted in their gro-wth, the bony 
 framework becomes set, and they never 
 afterwards attain a large size ; whereas 
 with liberal feeding they become fit for 
 the fatting-coop at the age of about 
 four months in summer, and from five 
 to six in winter. It cannot be too 
 strongly impressed upon those who are 
 desirous of obtaining poultry of first- 
 rate quality, that fowls are only in per- 
 fection for the table before they have 
 attained their complete development. 
 The cockerels should be put up when 
 "their tails begin to turn," namely, 
 just when the two long sickle-feathers 
 or streamers begin to top the straight 
 feathers of the tail ; and the pullets be- 
 fore they have laid. They may be either 
 confined within a small space or placed 
 inacoop,in a warmandratherdark situa- 
 tion, and,ofcourse,under cover. The fowls 
 should be separated from each other by 
 partitions in the coop, and no more space 
 ought to be allowed them than is neces- 
 sary to make them comfortable, without 
 allowing room for exercise. 
 
 The fatting-coops should stand on 
 legs to raise them a convenient height 
 from the ground, so that the dung may 
 be removed daily ; or each may have 
 a shallow drawer underneath, being 
 daily filled with fresh earth — an admi- 
 rable plan — the fowls being very fond 
 of nestling in dry earth, and earth 
 being a deodorizer and disinfectant, it is 
 most conducive to their health. The 
 most scrupulous cleanliness must be 
 observed in the case of fattening fowls. 
 The troughs in front of the coop must 
 be removed when the fowls have ceased 
 eating ; the remains of food taken out 
 and the troughs scalded and laid in the 
 sun to dry daily. Not a particle of 
 food that has become sour should be 
 given to them ; indeed, they will eat 
 better if fresh food, and of a different 
 
 kind, be given to them at each meal. 
 When first put into the coop they 
 should not have anything placed before 
 them for some hours, till they have re- 
 covered from their fright at being 
 caught, and have become accustomed to 
 their new residence. Afterwards they 
 should be fed with much regularity 
 three times each day, giving them at 
 each meal as much as they can eat, but 
 not leaving anything for them to pick 
 up in the intervals. 
 
 "When first placed in the coop they 
 may be fed twice a day on boiled pota- 
 toes, mashed up with coarse oatmeal, 
 and moistened with a Kttle milk. The 
 third meal may be Patna rice, well 
 boiled, with a little milk added. "When 
 tlie fowls are nearly fat the rice may be 
 given twice a day and the potatoes only 
 once ; the rice makes the flesh white 
 and clear. A little vegetable, chopped 
 fine, may occasionally be given to vary 
 the character of their food ; the earth 
 in the coop will supply the small stones 
 necessary for their digestion. The first 
 meal should be given early in the morn- 
 ing, the second about mid-day, and the 
 last at dusk, when the other fowls are 
 going to roost. 
 
 On this system of feeding, a fowl will 
 become perfectly fatted in from a fort- 
 night to three weeks at the outside. 
 When fat it should be immediately 
 killed; for not only is it unprofitable 
 to keep it any longer, but it deteiiorates 
 very rapidly, losing weight and becom- 
 ing hard and coarse in the flesh. Before 
 being killed, the fowls should be kept 
 for fifteen or sixteen hours without 
 food or water. If this precaution is not 
 taken (and it is unfortunately often 
 neglected), the food in the crop and in- 
 testines ferments. When tlus is the 
 case in summer, the fowl in a few 
 hours turns green, and is unfit for table. 
 
 The Poultry Plague or 
 Roup. — Few keepers of poultry are 
 unacquainted with this pest of the fowl- 
 house, and many are the recipes pre- 
 scribed for its cure, but in aU cases 
 " prevention is better than ciire," and 
 by care and attention to the lodging 
 and feeding of fowls, disease may bo 
 
152 
 
 We live to Die, and Dye to live. 
 
 warded off. Keep the fowls fi-ee from 
 damp, but let them have any amount 
 of ventilation — that is to say, let the 
 lower part of the fowl-house be free 
 from draught and damp, but let it be 
 open at top for ventilation. And now 
 for the grand desideratum — to keep 
 them healthy and free from vermin. 
 Let the inside of the fowl-house be often 
 lime-washed, and give them any quan- 
 tity of old mortar or lime rubbish in 
 their houses and in their runs, as they 
 very much like to make a bath of it. Let 
 the food be varied, barley, oats, Indian 
 corn, middlings, and barley meal, mixed 
 thick, and, above all, give them plenty 
 of green food — viz., cabbages, lettuces, 
 clover, grass, &c. The next important 
 thing is, not to keep too many birds in 
 one house or run; far better to keep 
 sixteen birds in two houses or runs — 
 that is, a cock and seven hens in each 
 rim — than to have the sixteen in one 
 house and one run. By having two 
 runs yoii will keep the birds in health, 
 and have many more eggs. 
 
 Sometimes, however, the utmost care 
 will not prevent roup from invading 
 the fowl-house. The premonitory 
 symptoms are a sort of hoarseness and 
 catch in the breath ; the moment this 
 is apparent separate the victim from its 
 companions ; the disease is extremely 
 contagious, and if not at once attended 
 to will depopulate the fowl-house. If 
 the fowl attacked be one intended for 
 fattening kill it at once— it is not worth 
 the trouble and risk to the others of 
 keeping it to ciu-e. Should the fowl be 
 a valuable one, at once give it a table- 
 spoonful of castor oil ; keep it in a warm 
 place where no other fowl has access, 
 and a few hours after give one of 
 Bailey's " Roup and Condition Pills," 
 and take the scale off the bii-d's tongue 
 with the thumb-nail; repeat the pill 
 every morning for a week, giving soft 
 food and chopped vegetables. 
 
 A recipe for this disease has lately 
 been published by a surgeon in one of 
 the daily papers, and as this may be 
 new to some of our readers it is here 
 subjoined : — 
 
 " Eoup — or, more properly speaking, 
 
 catarrh — destroys thousands of poultry 
 yearly, as breeders and fanciers too 
 frequently and mournfully testify. The 
 disease is terribly contagious, akin to 
 glanders in horses, and generally proves 
 fatal — indeed, has hitherto been con- 
 sidered hopelessly incurable. This, 
 however, by my discovery, is an error, 
 as it can easily be removed if it is 
 treated at the first moment of its out- 
 break, directly the nostrils discharge or 
 the face exhibits signs of swelling. A 
 grain of ammonise sesquicarb. should 
 be inserted in each nostril, and four 
 grains administered as a pill when the 
 fowl is going to roost. By the morning 
 the disease will have vanished. Eepeat 
 the dose to prevent a relapse. This 
 remedy is inefficient after the complaint 
 has progressed five or six days, espe- 
 cially if the constitution of the bird has 
 become seriously debilitated. 
 
 " "When the treatment by ammonia has 
 failed the following may be tried : — 
 
 " Keep the fowl-house free from 
 smell, at a moderate temperature ; feed 
 withboiled foods ; give a piU of guaiacum 
 or cayenne pepper occasionally to aid 
 digestion and restore a little strength ; 
 then commence special treatment to re- 
 lieve congestion and s^-elling of the 
 head. This is effected by spreading 
 one grain of unguentuiu antim. pot.- 
 tart. (poison) on a little bread, and 
 giving it on alternate nights as an altera- 
 tive thi-ee or four times ; paint the 
 pharyngopalati or guUet cleft with io- 
 dine tinctui-e (diluted), force the brush 
 into the slit in the roof of the mouth lead- 
 ing to the nostrils, as also insert a grain 
 of metallic iodine in the external nostrils, 
 and sometimes in the cleft. Eepeat the 
 treatment three or four times weekly ; 
 but it is judicious to substitute ammonia 
 occasionally, as iodine, if swallowed in 
 excessive doses, produces emaciation 
 and heart disease. This treatment, pur- 
 sued at the proper stage, acts like a 
 charm." 
 
 Simple but Effectual 
 Dyes for Home Use. — Most 
 people look with a sort of horror upon 
 the idea of dyeing any article at home ; 
 they anticipate a week, perhaps a fort- 
 
Argiunent seldom convinces contrary to InciinotiGJi. 
 
 153 
 
 night, of worry, dirt, discomfoit, and 
 disappointment ; and it must bo con- 
 fessed, that iinder the old system of 
 dyeing, boiling the article first in one 
 compound, then in another, never 
 making it exactly the colour intended, 
 and seldom making all parts alike, 
 these anticipations were generally real- 
 ized. Modem science has obviated all 
 these disagreeables. By the means of 
 " Judson's Simple Dj'es," a lady candye 
 small articles in a wash-hand basin al- 
 most instantaneously, and without soil- 
 ing her fingers. Nothing is necessary 
 for this purpose but a sixpenny bottle 
 of the dye, a sufficient quantity of boil- 
 ing water, and a stick or ivory knitting 
 pin, with which to stir the article to bo 
 dyed. Large things can be dyed with 
 equal facility, but it is requisite that 
 the pan in which the dye is mixed 
 Bhould be large enough to admit of the 
 whole fabric being immersed at the 
 same time, in order that every part may 
 be exactly of the same tint. The goods 
 intended for dyeing must be perfectly 
 clean and wet. To every teaspoonfiil 
 of the dye put not less than two quarts 
 of boiling water, uTiless the shade is to 
 be a dark one. ilix the dye through 
 the M'ater in an earthenware pan, large 
 enough to contain the goods and to 
 allow of their being moved rapidly 
 about in it ; put plenty of water ; the 
 goods if left long enough in it will 
 absorb all the dye, and leave the water 
 almost colourless. A little starch is an 
 improvement to the goods, and is bene- 
 ficial in fixing the dye. "Woollen things 
 look particularly well after dyeing — the 
 colours are so "bright, and they do not 
 come oft' on the hands as so many other 
 dyes do. Feathers also are most suc- 
 cessful, and silk, whether in the piece 
 or ribbons ; and the latter have this ad- 
 vantage, that they look like new ribbons, 
 and are not watered in appearance, as 
 ribbons sent to a dyer always are. 
 
 Articles dyed should not be squeezed, 
 but let drain till they are dry ; small 
 things, such as ribbons, are best dried 
 by rolling them roimd a bottle filled 
 with hot water, which dries and makes 
 them smooth without ii'oning. 
 
 These remarks are the result of per- 
 sonal experience, as we have both se;n 
 and tried these " Simple Dyes," and 
 found them most successful. 
 
 Messrs. Judson and Son recommend 
 the use of the various shades of brown 
 and orange for staining wood, and as 
 the carving of wood fretwork is now be- 
 coming a favourite occupation amongst 
 ladies, no doubt these dyes will be found 
 exceedingly well suited for staining the 
 white soft woods in imitation of walnut, 
 mahogany, satin-wood, iS:c. ; also for 
 staining croquet balls, which will after- 
 wards bear to be polished. In fact, the 
 uses to which a clever housewife can 
 apply these dyes can only be leamed 
 by experience ; their cheapness and the 
 simplicity of the mode of using thcni 
 should encourage every ono to experi- 
 ment with them. 
 
 Einbroidery, No. 2.— Ta- 
 pestry, or Berlin wool embroidery, is 
 worked in various stitches on canvas, 
 in imitation of the Gobelin. Beauvais, 
 and Dutch tapestry used by our an- 
 cestors for hanging the walls of their 
 castles. Many siiecimcns of this work 
 are stUl preserved, the best known of 
 which are perhaps those pieces belong- 
 ing to the English crown, worked fiom 
 Raphael's cartoons. The canvas used 
 is either plain, and undivided in the 
 threads, or Penelope canvas, in which 
 every two threads are close to each 
 other. For Cross Stitch, Plaited Stitch, 
 Leviathan Stitch, the latter is suitable ; 
 for Gobelin and Tent Stitch the plaiu 
 canvas is necessary. If the article to 
 be worked is a small one, such as r. 
 slipper, or mat, or if it is to be worked 
 on coarse canvas, it may be worked 
 without any preparation on the hand ; 
 but if a handsome artistic pattern, such 
 as groups of flowers, or a copy of somo 
 painting, be the model to be followed, 
 the canvas, which must be fine and 
 even in the texture, requires to be 
 stretched in afiame, care being takea 
 to stretch it as evenly as possible. If the 
 pattern is worked upon a crookedly 
 strained canvas it Mill never lose a 
 crooked appearance ; no amount of 
 pulling after it is finished will mate it 
 
154 
 
 A Wise Physician, skilled our Wounds to heal. 
 
 straight. The wool for such a piece of 
 work ought to be the best single Berlin 
 wool, used along with floss silk and 
 beads, if suitable to the character of 
 the pattern. Eegin in the centre of the 
 piece, with the proper shade ; and it is 
 a good plan to work in the darkest 
 colours first, letting the pale, delicate 
 colours and the silk remain tiU the last, 
 to save them from being exposed to the 
 air and dust longer than is absolutely 
 necessary. Have a sheet of tissue 
 paper ready to be tacked over your 
 work as soon as a portion is completed, 
 and keep' the canvas always carefully 
 covered from the dust. Both good 
 taste and some experience are necessary 
 in choosing a Berlin wool pattern, and 
 the materials for working ; it is generally 
 the best plan to go to some respectable 
 Berlin wool shop, and leave the at- 
 tendant to select and match the wools 
 for the pattern chosen ; in such estab- 
 lishments they know so well whether 
 the wool will look lighter or darker 
 when worked than it does in the hand 
 (which is very often the case), that the 
 results win be more satisfactory than 
 when the wool is chosen by an inex- 
 perienced person. In working, be 
 careful not to draw the wool too tight, 
 thus exposing the threads of the canvas, 
 and work all the stitches the same way 
 from the top downwards, or the work 
 will have an irregular patchy appear- 
 ance. The commonest stitch in wool- 
 work is CROSS STITCH, which is worked 
 backwards and forwards in rows, taking 
 a stitch over two threads in height, 
 and leaving two threads between the 
 spot where the needle went in for the 
 first stitch and the spot where it goes 
 in for the second. Work first from left 
 to right, and cross it from right to left. 
 Leviathan stitch is worked first 
 over four threads in height and four 
 in width, fonning a diagonal cross ; 
 second, a straight cross is formed over 
 the diagonal one. This stitch is finished 
 at once, each one being worked sepa- 
 rately; it is usually worked in fleecy 
 wool, or in double BerUn (but this is 
 expensive), on coarse canvas, and is 
 suitable for footstools, cushions, &c. 
 
 Tent stitch is worked from left to 
 right, over one thread in height and 
 one in width, making the wool to form 
 a stitch just at the spot where one 
 thread of the canvas crosses the other ; 
 it is worked on plain canvas, and is 
 suitable for very fine work. 
 
 Gobelin stitch is very similar in 
 appearance to the tapestry of the same 
 name. It is worked over three threads 
 in height and two threads in width, 
 leaving only one thread between each 
 stitch after the first one. It is worked 
 on plain canvas. 
 
 The plaited stitch is worked over 
 four threads in height and four in 
 width, in a similar manner to a herring- 
 bone stitch. These are the principal 
 stitches used in Berlin M'ork, but there 
 are many modifications of each, as well 
 as combinations of different stitches in 
 one pattern, which are frequently very 
 effective, but they require both con- 
 siderable taste and experience to pro- 
 duce a satisfactory result. 
 
 Ulceration of the Mouth. 
 — This frequently takes place in childi-en 
 whose state of health is below par. It 
 is caused chiefly by a disordered state 
 of the stomach, but occasionally the 
 cause is local, viz., the stump or sharp 
 edge of a decayed tooth. The ulcers 
 sometimes appear as little white specks 
 on the tongue and lining membrane 
 of the mouth, constitutiug the disease 
 called thrush or aphthae. This form 
 is frequently seen in infants when 
 nursing, and may be transferred from 
 the infant's mouth to the mother's 
 nipple. 
 
 When the ulcers are caused by a 
 disordered state of the stomach, two or 
 three tablespooufuls of the following 
 mixture should be taken every second 
 or third morning : — powdered rhubarb 
 and bicarbonate of soda, of each two 
 drachms ; infusion of rhubarb and in- 
 fusion of gentian, of each four ounces. 
 Mix. When caused by the sharp edge 
 or stump of a tooth, the tooth must be 
 removed or the sharp edge filed away. 
 Children suffering from thrush should 
 be given a nutritious diet with tonics ; 
 the tongue and inside of the mouth 
 
 1 
 
Noiv Good Digestion waif on Appetite. 
 
 155 
 
 should be freely painted over with a 
 gargle, composed of borax, two drachms ; 
 and glycerine, one ounce, a camel' s- 
 hair pencil being used. 
 
 Mumps. — This is a specific con- 
 tagious inllammatoiy affection of the 
 salivary glands, especially the largest, 
 situated below the ear. It begins -with 
 sUght feverish symptoms, with pain and 
 swelling, extending from beneath the car 
 along the neck to the chin. The attack 
 generally reaches its height in four 
 days and then declines. The treatment 
 is very simple, — a mild diet, gentle laxa- 
 tives, occasional hot fomentations, and 
 M'earing a piece of flannel round the 
 throat. 
 
 Quinsy, inflammation of the 
 tonsils, or common inflammatory sore 
 throat commences with a slight fever- 
 ish attack, with considerable pain and 
 swelKug of the tonsils, causing some 
 difficulty in swallowing ; as the attack 
 advances these symptoms become more 
 intense, there is headache, thirst, a 
 painful sense of tension, and acute 
 darting pains in the ears. The attack 
 is generally brought on by expo- 
 sure to cold, and lasts from five to 
 seven days, when it subsides naturally, 
 or an abscess may form in the tonsil 
 and burst, or the tonsil may re- 
 main enlarged, the iaflammation sub- 
 siding. 
 
 Treatment. — The patient should re- 
 main in a warm room, the diet chiefly 
 milk and good broths, some cooKng 
 laxative and diaphoretic medicine may 
 be given ; but the greatest relief M'iU 
 be found in the frequent inhalation of 
 the steam of hot water through an in- 
 haler, or in the old-fashioned way 
 through the spout of a teapot. 
 
 Gargles are simple remedies well 
 suited to domestic practice in sore 
 tliroats of various kinds. According 
 to the natui-e of the ingredients of 
 N\'hich they are made, they allay irrita- 
 tion and inflammation, invigorate the 
 membrane lining the mouth and throat, 
 and promote suppui-ation. The par- 
 ticular purpose for which they are re- 
 quired ought to be kept ia view in their 
 preparation. 
 
 Gargle for Inflammation ok 
 THE Throat. — Pui-ified nitre, two 
 drachms ; barley water, seven ounces ; 
 acetate of honey, seven drachms. 
 Mix the ingredients, to be used fre- 
 quently. 
 
 Gargle FOR General Domestic Use 
 IN Sore Throat. — Three teaspoonfuls 
 of vinegar, two teaspoonfuls of tincture 
 of myrrh, two of honey, a glass of port 
 wine, and three or four wineglasses of 
 warm water ; mLx all these ingredients, 
 and the gargle is ready for use. A 
 decoction of the leaves of the black 
 currant may, with good effect, be added 
 instead of the warm water. This 
 makes both a pleasant and most useful 
 gargle. 
 
 Mucilaginous Gargle for In- 
 flamed Throat. — Tincture of myrrh, 
 three drachms; mucilage of gum-arabic, 
 seven ounces. Mix. This gargle is 
 of use in defending the parts when the 
 saliva is of an acrid character. 
 
 Gargle for Threatened Morti- 
 fication OF THE Throat. — Tincture of 
 capsicum, six drachms ; honey of roses, 
 three drachms ; infusion of roses, half 
 a pint. Mix. 
 
 Another for the Same. — Tincture 
 of capsicum, six drachms ; infusion of 
 Peruvian bark, five ounces ; port wine, 
 three ounces. Mix. 
 
 Gargle to promote Suppuration. 
 — Barley water and infusion of linseed. 
 This gargle is to be used warm. It 
 must be kept in view that this mild 
 gargle acts by softening the parts of 
 the throat, and hastening the suppura- 
 tion by its heat, and it is requisite, 
 therefore, that the temperature of the 
 gargle be kept up. 
 
 Cookery for Invalids. — 
 Gloucester Jelly. — Dissolve in half 
 a pint of water one ounce of isinglass, 
 adding nutmeg and cinnamon bruised, 
 of each half an ounce ; simmer tiU the 
 isinglass is perfectly dissolved, strain 
 it off, let it jelly, cut the jelly in pieces, 
 add a bottle of old port, and the spice 
 previously boiled in it, sweeten to the 
 taste, simmer till the jelly is again dis- 
 solved, when it may be bottled and 
 kept for use. Half a wineglassful may 
 
156 
 
 Things Sweet to Taste are in Digestion Sour. 
 
 be taken at bedtime. It is requisite 
 to observe that the wine must not 
 be simmered in a saucepan, but in 
 an earthen jar placed in a saucepan of 
 fold water, and warmed gradually over 
 the fire. 
 
 Caruageex, or Irish Moss. — This 
 moss, as it is called, is a species of sea- 
 M-eed. Wash and carefully pick an 
 ounce of it, boil it in a pint of water for 
 twenty minutes, strain it and put it into 
 a basin to cool and jelly. Mixed with 
 warm milk, it fonus an excellent food 
 for childi-en and invalids. 
 
 Arrowroot Jelly. — Put half a pint 
 of water, a glass of sherry, a little 
 grated nutmeg and fine sugar, into a 
 saucepan ; and when boiling, mix 
 gradually with them a dessertspoonful 
 of arrowroot already rubbed smooth in 
 a tablespoonful of cold water. Boil all 
 together for three minutes, and pour into 
 glasses or small cups. This jelly may 
 be flavoured with the juice of any fruit 
 that is in season, or with orange or 
 lemon juice. 
 
 I'oRK Jelly. — Take a leg of well-fed 
 pork, beat it and break the bone. Set 
 it over a gentle fire in three gallons of 
 Avater, and simmer down to one gallon, 
 let an ounce of mace and an ounce of 
 nutmeg stew along with it. Strain 
 through a fine sieve, and when cold 
 take off the fat. A cup of it flavoured 
 with salt ought to be taken at morning, 
 noon, and night. It is very good as a 
 restorative for the weak. 
 
 Shank Jelly. — Scour and brush 
 very clean twelve shanks of mutton, 
 after soaldng them in water for four 
 hours. Simmer them gently for five 
 hours in three quarts of water, putting 
 along with them three blades of mace, 
 an onion, twenty Jamaica and thirty 
 black peppercorns, some sweet herbs, 
 and a crust of bread toasted brown ; 
 then strain off the liquor and keep it in 
 a cool place. This is M'ell adapted to 
 delicate and debilitated persons. 
 
 Mulled Egg. — Beat the yolk of a 
 fresh egg in a tea or coffee cup, put in 
 a little milk or cream and sugar, and 
 then pour into it as much tea or coffee 
 as will fill the cup, taking care to stir 
 
 it weU at the same time to prevent the 
 egg from curdling. This makes a 
 good breakfast for an invalid. It is 
 light and nourishing without being 
 heating. 
 
 Egg Draught. — Beat up the yolk of 
 a fresh-laid egg, and mix it up in a 
 quarter of a pint of warm new milk, 
 grate a little nutmeg into the mixtui-e, 
 and add one spoonful of capillaire and 
 one of rose water. 
 
 Drinks for Invalids. — 
 Balm and Mint Tea. — The young 
 shoots ought to be used when pos- 
 sible. Pour boiling water on the leaves 
 and shoots, and cover the infusion 
 and place it for an hour near the 
 fire. The aromatic properties of the 
 plants make this tea a good diluent in 
 cases of fever ; and the mint tea will 
 frequently be found of use in allaying 
 nausea and vomiting. 
 
 IIyson Tea. — It will be found that 
 a weak infusion of green tea, without 
 either milk or sugar, is a very useful 
 beverage in rheumatism, fevers, and 
 colds. 
 
 Toast Water. — Cut a slice off a 
 stale loaf, about twice as thick as toast 
 is usually cut. Toast it carefully until 
 it is deep brown all over, but not 
 blackened or burnt, lay it in the bottom 
 of a jug with a thin slice of lemon-peel, 
 fill the jug with boiling water, and let 
 it stand till cold. 
 
 Seidlitz Powders. — Two drachms 
 of Rochelle salts, two scruples of bicar- 
 bonate of soda in the blue paper. 
 Thirty grains of tartaric acid in the 
 white paper. 
 
 Granulated Effervescent Citrate 
 OF Magnesia. — This makes a very 
 simple and agreeable effervescing di'ink. 
 A teaspoonful of the powder is to be 
 added to a tumbler of spring water, and 
 stirred briskly for two seconds. The 
 citrate can be obtained in bottles at any 
 chemists. 
 
 Ginger Beer Powders. — Thirty 
 grains of bicarbonate of soda, three 
 grains of powdered ginger, a quarter of 
 an ounce of powdered white sugar in 
 the blue paper. Twenty-five grains of 
 tartaric acid in the white paper. 
 
 ti 
 
Hail^ you Soft Seats ^ you Limpid Streams and Floods ! 157 
 
 Where shall we spend 
 our Holidays ? — This is a ques- 
 tion that often arises in the family 
 circle, when the increasing heat of 
 summer makes us long for the rustling 
 of green leaves, or the dashing of the 
 cooling -waves upon the shore. "We 
 ■will now consider the various merits of 
 a few of the principal English hathing- 
 places, leaving those of Scotland, "Wales, 
 and Ireland, for a future occasion. 
 
 Beginning at the northern part of 
 the east coast, undouhtedly at the head 
 of the list stands — 
 
 Scarborough, the Queen of water- 
 ing-places, in the East Hiding of 
 Yorkshire, on the shore of the Ger- 
 man Ocean. The town rises from 
 the shore in the form of an amphi- 
 theatre, sheltered on the north and 
 north-east by the Castlo rock; it is 
 rather too bleak in spring for delicate 
 visitors, but during the summer and 
 autumn months it is very delightful, 
 the air being extremely pure. The 
 bay is admirably suited for bathing, 
 which, from the sloping nature of the 
 beach, may be obtained at every period 
 of the tide. There is a chalybeate and 
 a saline spring near the town, and pa- 
 tients suffering from nervous affections 
 have been much benefited by using the 
 former, while the saline spring is found 
 efficacious in dyspeptic ailments. Scar- 
 borough Castle was erected about 1136. 
 From the Castle esplanade and the 
 South cliff fine sea views are ob- 
 tained, and the means of recreation are 
 abundant. Considerably to the north- 
 east of Scarborough lies — 
 
 Tynemouth. — The climate is the 
 mildest on the east coast, and there is 
 excellent bathing. "Within the ruins 
 of the priory, St. Oswald, the first 
 Christian king of Northumberland, 
 Malcolm III. of Scotland, and his son 
 Edward, are interred. 
 
 "Whitby grandly reposes between 
 two cliffs on the steep sides of the river 
 Esk, a little to the south of Scar- 
 borough, and is a most attractive - 
 looking watering-place. The beach is 
 three miles long, is excellently adapted 
 for bathing, and the climate is brae- 
 
 ing. There is a geological museum, 
 capital fishing in the Esk, and excellent 
 boating. Jet is found upon the shore. 
 "Whitby Abbi'y, founded by Oswy, 
 king of Northimiberland, in 638, is 
 still an interesting object to visitors. 
 
 Filey and Bridlington are both 
 small watering-places on the Yorkshire 
 coast. The cUmate resembles that of 
 "Whitby; there is good sea bathing, 
 and both places are interesting to geo- 
 logists, from the quantitj' of fossils to 
 be found. At Bridlington there are the 
 ruins of an Augustinian priory. Pro- 
 ceeding southward along the coast we 
 pass Cromer, with its extensive sands, 
 Lowestoft, and Southwold, all little 
 spots where the quietly disposed visitor 
 may find suitable accommodation, and 
 come to— 
 
 ALDiioRoroH, a pleasant place on 
 the coast of Suffolk ; it is nearly a mile 
 in length. All the villas and lodging- 
 houses, including the principal hotel, 
 face the sea. The esplanade which 
 crowns the beach is a very pleasant 
 walk, and the climate is dry and mild 
 during summer and autumn, but tho 
 weather is stormy in winter. In the 
 neighbourhood are several objects 
 worthy of a visit, including Framling- 
 ham and Orford Castles, and Leiston 
 Abbey. There is also an excellent 
 library and reading-room. 
 
 Southend is situate on the coast 
 of Essex, and is distant about forty 
 miles from London. The pier is 
 1 \ miles in length, being the longest in 
 England. There is excellent lodging 
 accommodation. 
 
 Passing the mouth of the Thames 
 we next come to — 
 
 Margate, on the coast of Kent, a 
 favourite resort of the London citizens. 
 The town is built in handsome parades, 
 squares, and esplanades, and has an 
 excellent pier. The Clifton baths, 
 formed in a cliff, are of especial inte- 
 rest ; the sands are smooth and firm, 
 and bathing machines, originally in- 
 vented here, are abimdant. The air 
 is keen and bracing. Margate is 
 chiefly resorted to in August and 
 September. 
 
158 A7id see the Country far diffused around one Boundless Blush. 
 
 Ramsgate occupies a pleasant posi- 
 tion nnder the slicltcr of chalk cliftV, on 
 the coast of Kent. It is very pleasant 
 during the summer months, andthe bath- 
 ing accommodation is excellent. Hams- 
 gate is considered warmer than Margate. 
 The village of Broadstairs is distant 
 from Eamsgate \\ miles, and is much 
 frequented during the bathing season. 
 
 Dover. — The town of Dover is situ- 
 ated on the south-east coast of Kent. 
 On each side of the town are fortified 
 heights. The north cliff is occiipied 
 by the castle, the walls of which en- 
 close an area of fifty-five acres. In the 
 castle are preserved the lances of the 
 " six hundred" who made the celebrated 
 charge at Balalclava. In this ncigh- 
 boiu'hood Julius Csesar efFectedhis land- 
 ing on British soil. Dover is consider- 
 ably frequented during the bathing sea- 
 son, and Avarm baths may bo had on 
 the esplanade. The climate is bracing. 
 There are many pleasant walks, various 
 amusements, and a good concert-room. 
 
 Hastings and St. Leonards are on 
 the south coast of Sussex. Hastings is 
 an ancient borough, forming one of the 
 Cinque Ports, wliile St. Leonards is of 
 modem creation. Both these water- 
 ing places are sheltei'ed by a series 
 of cliffs. On the west cliff, in the 
 centre of Hastings, stand the ruins of 
 the Castle of Hastings, built by William 
 the Conqueror, wlio landed at Pevensey 
 Bay, a few miles distant, in September, 
 106(5. Battle Abbey, built by the Con- 
 queror in memory of his conquest, is 
 seven miles from Hastings. The 
 Marine and Grand Parade fronting 
 the sea forms one of ihe finest pro- 
 menades in the kingdom. There are 
 well-sheltei'ed spots for bathing, and a 
 mineral spa near the archery grounds. 
 Among the amusements are archery, 
 boating, and cricket. There is consi- 
 derable variety of climate, the air being 
 somev/hat relaxing imder the clift's, 
 and bracing on their summit. Con- 
 sumptive invalids resort to Hastings 
 and St. Leonards during the winter and 
 spring months, and both places have 
 always a large niimber of visitors during 
 the summer. 
 
 Eastbourne is situated on the coast 
 of Sussex, in a chasm between two 
 cliff's, one of which forms Beachy Head. 
 The lodging accommodation is good, 
 and the sands are dry and extensive. 
 There are chalybeate springs at Holy- 
 well, a short distance from the toMTi. 
 Beachy Head commands a most exten- 
 sive view, and contains a curious cavern 
 known as " Parson Darby's Hole." 
 
 Brighton. — This celebrated to'mi, 
 on the coast of Sussex, presents a facade 
 to the sea of about three miles in length. 
 The place in Anglo-Saxon times was 
 called Brighthelmstone. A centmy ago 
 it contained only 300persons,thesebeing 
 mostly fishermen ; the present popiila- 
 tion is 90,000. It was from Brighton 
 that Charles II. effected his escape 
 after the Battle of Worcester. In 1782, 
 George, then Prince of Wales, after- 
 wards George IV., commenced to build 
 a marine residence, which was recon- 
 structed in 1817; the Pavilion in its 
 present fantastic form being commenced. 
 Under royal patronage Brighton rapidly 
 increased in extent, and in the number 
 and quality of its visitors. The climate 
 varies in its several localities, but it is 
 well adapted for persons of scrofulous 
 habits and for convnlesccnts. Froni 
 August to September iirighton is much 
 freqiiented, but winter is the most 
 fashionable time. There is good bath- 
 ing, and a number of convenient bathing 
 establishments, and at the pump-room 
 of the German Spa mineral waters, arti- 
 ficially prepared baths can be ob- 
 tained every morning. There is a 
 genuine mineral spa at Wick, to the 
 west of the toAvn, useful in cases of 
 dyspepsia. The Pavilion, now the pro- 
 pertj^ of the Corporation, is open on the 
 pfiyment of sixpence, the flower shows 
 and other exhibitions beinsr held in the 
 Pavilion Gardens. The piers are fa- 
 vourite promenades, and regattas and 
 concerts are frequent. The hotels are 
 very numerous, many of them being 
 elegantly furnished. 
 
 Worthing may be called a suburb 
 of Brighton. It is enclosed and shel- 
 tered bj'an amphitheatre of hills. The 
 climate is mild, and during the hot 
 
Blest Silent Groves ! O may you be for ever Mirth's Best Nursery. 159 
 
 months of summer somewhat relaxing. 
 In -svinter, fogs occasionally prevail. 
 The sands are hard and smooth, and the 
 hathing excellent. The neighbourhood 
 of "Worthing is celebrated for producing 
 excellent figs. 
 
 SouTHSEA is on the coast of Hamp- 
 shire, close to Portsmouth, and is much 
 resorted to during the latter months of 
 summer. The clunate is mild and tem- 
 perate, and the beach is one of the most 
 inviting on the coast. Visitors should 
 inspect Her Majesty's Dockyard, the 
 Victualling Yard, Haslar Naval Hos- 
 pital, and H.M.S. Victory, in which 
 Lord Nelson fell. There are assembly 
 and reading rooms, and the common is a 
 gay and animated scene during the 
 summer reviews, and cricket matches 
 frequently take place on it. The Isle 
 of "Wight is within a few minutes' sail. 
 
 Isle of "Wight. — The Isle of "'J^Hght 
 is separated from the Hampshire coast 
 by the Solent, a channel varying from 
 one to six miles in breadth. The climate 
 is diy and bracing. At Cowes, the 
 chief port of the island, there is an 
 excellent, well-sheltered beach. There 
 are botanical gardens at East Cowes. 
 Osbonie House, the marine residence of 
 her Majesty, is situated about two 
 miles distant from East Cowes. The 
 squadi'on of the Eoyal Yacht Club is a 
 great attraction at Cowes during the 
 season, which extends from May till 
 November. Rj^de is remarkable for its 
 pier, which projects 2,280 feet into the 
 sea. There are many elegant villas and 
 excellent bathing establishments, and 
 the locality is most favourable for in- 
 valids. 
 
 Sandown and Shanklin, both pos- 
 sessing beautiful sands, are favourite 
 resorts of sea-bathers ; and Ventnor, 
 embosomed among clusters cf trees, is 
 most picturesquely situated, and excel- 
 lentlj'' adapted as a place of winter resi- 
 dence. In the Isle of "Wight are situated 
 the ruins of Carisbrook Castle, where 
 Charles I. was confined in 1647, about 
 a 3'ear before his executiou. 
 
 Bournemouth, "Weymouth (the 
 favourite resort of Charlotte, queen 
 of George III.), Sidmoiith, Exmouth, 
 
 Dawlish, and Teignmouth, may all 
 be classed together, being remark- 
 able principally for the mildness of the 
 climate, in which they only difier from 
 each other in degree. The neighbour- 
 hood of each of them is very pleasant 
 and well wooded ; and evergreens grow 
 (as indeed they do all over the south- 
 west of England) to a great size, and 
 are most luxuriant in their foliage. 
 
 Torquay. — This far-famed resort is 
 situated on the south coast of Devon. 
 Built in a series of valleys and hill- 
 sides, there are few regular streets, 
 but the villas are elegant and spacious. 
 The climate of Torqiiay is admirably 
 adapted for persons afilicted with pul- 
 monary complaints, having cool sum- 
 mers and mild winters, while the place 
 possesses the highest average tempera- 
 ture in England. Fogs are unknown. 
 The bathing accommodation is some- 
 what limited, biit the public baths are 
 excellent. Those who sirflFer from weak 
 limgs should select " Torquay within 
 the hills," which is the lower portion 
 of the place. " Torquay upon the 
 hills" is more siutable for ordinary 
 visitors. There are libraries and 
 assembly-rooms, public gardens and 
 beautiful walks and drives within a 
 short distance. The celebrated ossi- 
 ferous cavern, called Kent's Hole, is 
 in the vicinity, and there is good fish- 
 ing in the bay. 
 
 Pexzaxce, on the coast of Cornwall, 
 has a mild, moist, and equable climate. 
 There are excellent baths of salt and 
 fresh water. The geological miiseum 
 contains a valuable collection of Cornish 
 and other minerals. St. Michael's 
 Mount, a picturesque rock 250 feet 
 hiyh, is the most conspicuous object in 
 the scenery. 
 
 Ilfracombe is situated on the north 
 coast of Devon, near the mouth of the 
 Bristol Channel. Built on a series of 
 irregular hiUs, the town presents a 
 quaint and singular aspect. The beach 
 is reached by a species of ladder, or by 
 a tunnel under the cliffs, entering from 
 the back of the town. In the neigh- 
 bourhood of Ilfracombe there are beau- 
 tiful walks and drives. 
 
i6o 
 
 A Man, like a Watch, is judged by his Goings. 
 
 "Westox-super-Mare, situated at 
 the mouth of the Severn in Somerset- 
 shire, is a most delightful marine resort. 
 The air is particularly salubrious ; but 
 on account of the mud thrown up by 
 the sea, bathing, except in a few places, 
 is unsatisfactorj'. There are many in- 
 teresting drives. Uphill cavern, in the 
 vicinity, has a special interest for geo- 
 logists. 
 
 Clevedox. — A pleasant watering- 
 place in Somersetshire, facing the 
 Severn. The locality is associated with 
 Coleiidge, the poet ; and Arthur Henry 
 Hallam, the historian. There are 
 beautiful villas embowered in trees, and 
 good bathing accommodation. 
 
 Blackpool. — A pleasant sea-bathing 
 place in Lancashire, facing the Irish 
 sea. It is called the Brighton of the 
 north. There is an excellent beach and 
 two handsome piers. September is the 
 fashionable season for Blackpool. The 
 climate is abundantly invigorating. 
 About 8,000 visitors arrive annually. 
 In a house at the west end of Black- 
 pool the Chevalier de St. George re- 
 mained in concealment while his fol- 
 lowers were concerting measures for 
 the insurrection of 1715. Lytiiam and 
 SouTHPORT, in the immediate neigh- 
 bourhood, are also much frequented 
 during the summer by visitors. 
 
 Fleetwood is of recent growth, and 
 is sitiuated on a promontory at the 
 mouth of the "Wyre. It is a military 
 station. Between Fleetwood and Bel- 
 fast a steamer plies daih'. The town lies 
 low, but it is well built, and accommo- 
 dation for visitors is ample and conve- 
 nient, and the climate is mild. 
 
 UninflamiTiatale Mus- 
 lins. — Tungstate of soda, prepared 
 expressly for rendering fabrics non- 
 inflammable, can be obtained by order 
 of any chemist for about one shilling 
 per pound. Directions for use : — To 
 three parts of dry starch add one part of 
 tungstate of soda, and use the starch in 
 the ordinary way. If the material does 
 not require starching, mix in the pro- 
 portions of one pound of tungstate of 
 soda to two gallons of water, saturate 
 the fabric well with this solution, and 
 
 dry it. The heat of the iron in no way 
 affects the non-inflammability. 
 
 To Wash White IDogs.— 
 Make a good lather of white soap with 
 a little spirit of tur[)entine ; wash the 
 dog as quickly as possible in this while 
 it IS warm, but not hot, taking care not 
 to let the soap lather get into its eyes. 
 Have a tub with clean tepid water in 
 which a little blue has been dissolved 
 ready ; when the coat is clean dip the 
 dog tuto the blue M-ater and rinse out 
 the soap. Then rub it well in a clean 
 sheet before a fire ; if the hair is long 
 comb it out and brush it as it diies. 
 The turpentine will kill fleas imless 
 the dog is much infested with them, 
 in which case use Naldire's soap tablet 
 for dogs. 
 
 To Clean White Jean or 
 K.id. Boots. — If you have not boot- 
 trees, stuff the boot as full as possible 
 with common cotton wadding or old 
 rags, to prevent any creases ; then mix 
 some pipeclay with water to rather a 
 stiff paste, wash the jean boots with 
 soap and water and a nail-brush, using 
 as little water as possible to get the 
 dirt ofl'. "When they look tolerably 
 clean rub the pipeclay with a flannel 
 well over them and hang them to dry. 
 "When dry beat out the superfluous 
 clay M'ith the hand and rub them till 
 they look smooth. Flake white may 
 also be used. If the kid boots are not 
 very soiled they may bo cleaned in 
 the following manner:— Put half an 
 ounce of hartshorn into a saucer, dip a 
 bit of clean flannel in it and rub it on 
 a piece of white curd soap ; rub the 
 boots with this, and as each piece of 
 flannel becomes soiled, take a fresh 
 piece ; the boots will look like new. 
 
 To Clean Papier-mache. 
 — "Wash the article well with cold 
 M'ater and a sponge, dust flour over it 
 while still damp, and rub dry with 
 flannel. 
 
 How to Cure a Black 
 Eye. — Moisten with tepid water, and 
 then with a piece of lint apply the pure 
 extract of lead ; continue to keep the 
 lint wet with the extract for a couple of 
 hours. Leeches ought not to be used. 
 
After La?nmas, Com ripens as tmich by Night as by Day. 1 6 1 
 The First Harvest Moon. 
 
 ^ oiRL stands at the rustic garden gate, 
 Behind her rise the ivied vicarage 
 walls, 
 
 Before her yellow fields for reapers wait, 
 Around the evening falls. 
 
 She sawtheharvest-gold upon theplains. 
 She felt the sunset tinge her cheek 
 and hair, 
 She heard the nightingale's impas- 
 sioned strains. 
 She breathed rose-scented air. 
 
 In all the ample beauty and wealth that 
 filled 
 The earth and skj^, she felt she had 
 no part ; 
 She clasped her breast as if she would 
 have stilled 
 The hunger of her heart . 
 
 Slie said, "I've watched the fields since 
 the first spear 
 Of wheat burst through the dank 
 earth of the Spring, 
 And pined till o'er the young grain I 
 could hear 
 The lark to his mate sing. 
 
 " I vratched until among the bursting 
 ears 
 The breeze-blown poppy made a 
 crimson stain ; 
 i\Iy hopes died with the frail flower, 
 and my fears 
 Eose with the rising grain. 
 
 "'"When the first har^'est moon,' he 
 said, * shall shine 
 Above our fields, I'll meet j'ou at this 
 gate, 
 And hear you tell me then you will be 
 mine. 
 Or learn at least va.j fate.' 
 
 '• And now, my sick heart ! he is not 
 here! 
 The corn has shaken out its tasselled 
 plume ; 
 The wheat is red — the reapers pain 
 mine ear 
 "With songsborne through the gloom ! " 
 
 But o'er the Avoods the year's first 
 harvest moon 
 Now shows her deptlis of heaven 
 unseen till now ; 
 A shadow crosses, and her lover soon 
 "Wins the soft spoken vow. 
 
 D. MuREAY Smith. 
 The Month of August. 
 
 "Crowued with the sickle aud the wheaten 
 sheaf, 
 "R'hile Autumn, nodding o'er the yellow 
 
 plain, 
 Comes jovial on." — THOilsoif. 
 
 The name of August was given to 
 the sixth month of the Eoman year by 
 the Emperor Augustus, not because he 
 Vi'as born in that month, as Julius, his 
 uncle, was in July, but many fortunate 
 circumstances had happened to him in 
 Sextilis, as August had before been 
 called ; and he therefore changed that 
 name for an abbreviation of his own, 
 and styled it August. The first day of 
 August was one of the four great pagan 
 festivals, supposed to bo a sort of 
 thanksgiving to the gods for the in- 
 coming of the harvest. After the intro- 
 duction of Christianity into Britain, 
 the custom of holding a festival Avas 
 continued, although the object of adoi'a- 
 tion was changed, and tin ofi'ering at 
 church on this day consisted of a loaf. 
 The service at which this loaf was 
 offered was called, in the Saxon, Hlaf- 
 mass ; i.e., bread-mass; and it is not 
 very diftieult to trace in that term th(? 
 word Lammas, now commonly applied 
 to the first of August. The Jews, from 
 the earliest period of their history, were 
 enjoined to keep a feast at the begin- 
 ning of the harvest, and to ofier up the 
 " firstfruits " of their land ; and the 
 same custom seems to have prevailed 
 universally. 
 
 The days are perceptibly shorter in 
 August, and in the woods we miss the 
 constant song of the birds. Those of 
 them that leave us for sunnier climes 
 are preparing to migrate, and the green 
 yoimg beauty of spring is lost in the 
 golden ripeness of autumn. The apple 
 and pear trees are weighed down with 
 
 G 
 
i62 A Cherry Year a Merry Year, a Plum Year a Dull Year. 
 
 fruit of the richest hue, and over the 
 thatched roof and whitewashed Myalls 
 of many an English cottage may be 
 seen the clusters of grapes, just begin- 
 ning to change colour, delighting the 
 eyes of the cottage children ; while on 
 many a sluggish stream and pond in 
 the north and south of our island, where 
 the din of the factory is not heard and 
 the streams are yet impolluted by dye- 
 stuffs, floats the white water-lily during 
 the daytime, but at night she folds her 
 white petals and sinks to sleep be- 
 neath the water, till the rising sun 
 wakes her into life and beauty once 
 more. 
 
 The temperature during the month 
 of August is but little less than that of 
 July, and it is perhaps the pleasantest 
 month in the year to spend by the sea- 
 shore, where the breeze from the water 
 tempers the great heat of the atmo- 
 sphere. 
 
 Cook's Calendar for 
 August. 
 
 Fish in Season. — Turbot, brill, 
 dory, skate, soles, flounders, eels, her- 
 rings, salmon, trout, mullet, sturgeon, 
 lobsters, crabs, crayfish, prawns, and 
 shrimps. 
 
 Meat in Season. — Beef, veal, mut- 
 ton, lamb, venison. 
 
 PouLTKY IN Season. — Chickens, 
 ducks, green geese, tui-key poults, pul- 
 lets. 
 
 Game in; Season. — Grouse, black- 
 cock, leverets, rabbits, plover, pigeons, 
 wild ducks. \ 
 
 VegetahleIs in Season. — Peas, 
 beans, artichiakes, cabbages, carrots, 
 cauliflowers, salads of various kinds, 
 cresses, mushrooms, celery, turnips, 
 vegetable marrows, kidney beans, 
 onions, radishes. 
 
 Fruit in Season. — Peaches, nec- 
 tarines, grapes, pineapples, melons, 
 currants, gooseberries, raspberries, 
 plums, apples, pears, mulberries, fil- 
 berts. 
 
 Gardener's Calendar for 
 August. — The gardening operations 
 for this month are almost similar to 
 '-hose of July. Contimue to plant out 
 brocoli and winter greens, also lettuces 
 
 to stand through the winter ; sow after 
 rain turnips, spinach, and cabbage 
 seeds ; earth up celery and beans, and 
 begin to gather in seeds as they ripen, 
 and to dry sweet herbs for winter use. 
 Early onions will be ready for pulling, 
 and should be dried in the sun before 
 being stored for winter. Cut off all 
 runners from the strawberry plants, 
 and plant out the strongest of them to 
 form new beds. Prune vines and thin 
 out the bunches of grapes, and watch 
 all wall-fniit trees to destroy the in- 
 sects, snails, &c. 
 
 Carefully examine the roses that were 
 budded in July ; take off the ties and 
 cut off all shoots from the stock to 
 strengthen the new buds ; propagate 
 fuchsias, petunias, and verbenas, by 
 cuttings, and all kinds of perennials 
 by dividing the roots ; trim and tie up 
 dahlias and chrysanthemums; carna- 
 tions and picotees should be layered as 
 soon as possible, or they will be too 
 late; plant out the pipings of pinks that 
 have struck ; repot pelargoniums and 
 auriculas ; transplant seedling biennials 
 and perennials, and generally prepare 
 plants for spring blossoming next year. 
 Water freely and mow the lawns fre- 
 quently, rolling them well after rain or 
 copious waterings. 
 
 Hints on Preserving, 
 No. 2. — Orange Marmalade.^ — Cut 
 some sound Seville oranges in four, 
 take out the pulp and put it in a basin, 
 put the peels to soak in cold salt and 
 water for twenty-four hours ; pick out 
 all the seeds and thin skin from the 
 pulp ; next day boil the peels in a 
 quantity of spring water till they are 
 so tender that the head of a pin will 
 pierce them, then draw off the water, 
 and cut the peels into the thinnest pos- 
 sible slices ; add them to the pulp, and 
 to every pound weight put a pound and 
 a half of loaf sugar broken small ; boil 
 all together gently for an hour till the 
 peels look quite clear; stir it quietly all 
 the time. Some receipts recommend 
 that the juice of two lemons should be 
 added to every dozen of oranges, but if 
 the oranges are good they will be 
 quite sufficiently juicy themselves, 
 
A Good Garden may have sovie Weeds. 
 
 163 
 
 and have a finer flavour than Jemon- 
 juice. 
 
 GoosEiiERRY Marmalade. — Take 
 the gooseberries when fully grown, but 
 not ripe, boil them in Avater five 
 minutes, then drain them through a 
 colander, bruise the fruit, add an equal 
 quantity of loaf sugar, and to every 
 three pounds of sugar put the rind of a 
 lemon grated and half the juice ; it 
 shotild be boiled until stiff. 
 
 Red Currant Marmalade. — 
 Squeeze some ripe red currants through 
 a coarse muslin ; to every pint of juice 
 put a pound of loaf sugar ; boil it very 
 well ; when nearly boiled to a jelly, 
 have some bunches of large white cur- 
 rants nicely picked, throw them in, and 
 boil five minutes ; it should turn out 
 stiff and ti'ansparent. 
 
 Apricot Marmalade. — Take off the 
 peel of some large ripe apricots, cut 
 them in two, and remove the stones ; 
 weigh the fruit and lay it en dishes ; to 
 every pound of apricots put one pound 
 of finely powdered loaf sugar, strew it 
 over the fruit, and let it lie for one 
 night : next day put the fruit and 
 sugar into a preserving-pan with a tea- 
 spoonful of ratafia to every pound of 
 sugar; let the whole boil very gently, 
 and as each piece of apricot appears 
 clear take it out and lay it in a jar; 
 skim off any scum that may arise on 
 the syrup, and when all the fruit is 
 done pour the sjTup over it in the jars. 
 
 Quince Marmalade.— Half fill a 
 preserving-pan with water, slice j'our 
 quinces into it, and stew, stirring occa- 
 sionally till they are a pulp ; strain it 
 throuf,iii a hair sieve, and to every pint 
 of pulp add three quarters of a pound 
 of loaf sugar pounded ; boil together 
 till it jellies ; put it into jars while hot. 
 If weU made it will keep many years 
 in a dry jilare. 
 
 Apple Cheese. — Boil some large 
 green baking apples in a quantity of 
 water until the skin begins to crack, 
 then drain oft' the water, and let the 
 apples cool; when cold take off the 
 Bkrn and rub the pulp from the core ; 
 blend it smooth, and to every pound of 
 pulp add a pound of white sugar, the 
 
 rind of a lemon grated, and half the 
 juice ; boil all together till the fruit 
 looks clear ; put it into china shapes ; 
 it win turn out quite stiff, and makes a 
 nice supper dish ; if intended to be 
 kept for some time cover close like 
 jam. 
 
 Plum or Damsov Cheese. — Put a 
 quantity of plums into ajar, and stand 
 the jar in a saucepan of water on the 
 fire; when quite soft pulp them through 
 a sieve, and to every pound of pulp, 
 add one pound of loaf sugar, and one 
 ounce of sweet almonds, blanched and 
 pounded, with four bitter almonds ; 
 boil all together till the fruit will form 
 a stiff jelly. If the plums are very 
 juicy, some of the juice may be taken 
 off the fruit. 
 
 To raise Plants by Cut- 
 tings. — The propagation of plants 
 by cuttings is a simple and easy opera- 
 tion, when the operator has to deal with 
 free growing hardy shrubs, or with the 
 rank and file of herbaceous plants used 
 in the decoration of the flower-garden. 
 The preparation of cuttings is guided by 
 the fact that what may be called the 
 root-producing property of a portion of 
 a plant shoot resides chiefly, and in 
 most cases entirely, at the joints where 
 leaves or buds already exist. Accord- 
 ingly, cuttings are always cut across 
 ■nith the soundest and smoothest sec- 
 tion possible, just below the base of 
 a joint of a shoot which is partially 
 ripened in the case of shrubs, and well 
 formed in the case of herbaceous plants. 
 In the case of hard-wooded plants the 
 cuttings usually must be inserted in 
 pots or boxes filled with fine sand, 
 without any taint of iron, or sand and 
 soil, the bottom of the pots or boxes 
 being covered to the depth of from two 
 to three inches, according to their size, 
 with broken pot shreds, over which 
 there should be placed a layer of moss. 
 The cuttings should be dibbled into the 
 sand with a piece of wood shaped at 
 one end to a round and bluntish point, 
 and after insertion they should be 
 watered overhead with a fine rose, so 
 as to fairly settle them in the sand or 
 soil. Light should be partially excluded 
 
164 
 
 A Good Servant should have Good Wages. 
 
 from them for a few days, and when 
 they have begun to strike, great atten- 
 tion must be paid in supplying thcni 
 judiciously with air and moisture. 
 Scarlet geraniums are readily propa- 
 gated in the open border in summer; 
 and the best method for the propaga- 
 tion of the bedding-out varieties of the 
 calceolarias is to dibble the cuttings 
 after preparation as above, about the 
 middle of October, into a compost of 
 nearly equal parts of sand, leaf mould, 
 and son, in a cool frame, keeping the 
 lights on and shading from the sun 
 until the cuttings have taken root 
 fii-mly. After this air and light may be 
 freely admitted, but care must be taken to 
 keep out frost and damp. Verbenas may 
 be propagated in the same manner in the 
 autumn, but when the propagation is 
 deferred till spring, the pots or pans in 
 which the cuttings are placed must 
 be plunged in bottom heat till they 
 take root. The same rule applies in 
 reference to the spring propagation 
 of most of the denizens of the flower- 
 garden. 
 
 To raise Plants by 
 Layers. — This is a mode of propa- 
 gation indicated by Natm-e herself. The 
 roots in natural layers are produced by 
 the stimulus of the moist earth on 
 which, from the nature of the tree or 
 plant, the shoots recline. In laying 
 trees and shrubs the operation is either 
 performed before the ascent of the sap 
 or when the sap is fuUy up ; hence the 
 seasons for the operation are in winter, 
 early spring, or at midsummer. The 
 following is the mode of performing the 
 operation : — The shoot or extremity of 
 the shoot intended to be converted into a 
 new and independent plant is half sepa- 
 rated from the parent, the half-severed 
 portion of the shoot being placed in the 
 soil, and kept in its position by a peg ; 
 provision is thus made for the ascent of 
 the sap at its recurring period, while the 
 portion of the stem which is cut 
 through and separated forms a dam or 
 Bluice to the descending sap, which, 
 being interrupted in its progress, exudes 
 at the wovmd in the form of a granulous 
 protuberance, which ultimately thi-ows 
 
 out roots. This is the simplest and 
 most eifective method of propagating 
 plants by layer, and it may be success- 
 fully performed by any one with care. 
 
 Window Gardening. — 
 There is an art in window gardening as 
 in everything else, but it is not very 
 difficult to acquire, the basis of it, as in 
 the case of most arts of an industrial 
 character, being common sense. Tlie 
 first thing, of course, is to construct the 
 garden, which should be a box made to 
 fit the window in which the plants are 
 to be grown. As this is the substitute 
 for the garden bed, it ought to be deep 
 enough to hold a fair quantity of mould, 
 and wide enough to contain at least two 
 rows of plants. The box may be a 
 little wider than the window-siU if care 
 is taken to fasten it properly to the 
 window with brackets ; and the box 
 may either be painted, or the front of it 
 covered with Min ton's tiles, which are 
 comparatively inexpensive, and have a 
 neat appearance. The advantage of a 
 box for window gardening over pots ia 
 obvious. In the latter the roots of the 
 plants are apt to get scorched by the 
 hot summer's sun, to the great and fre- 
 quently fatal detriment of the plants ; 
 but by the use of the box this danger 
 to plant existence is obviated, and, by 
 proper attention to watering, the foliage 
 of the plants cultivated may be kept as 
 fresh and green as that of plants grown 
 in the most carefully tended flower- 
 garden. The soil should be a fibrey 
 loam, with a small quantity of tho- 
 roughly decayed manure and bone dust. 
 The bottom of the box should be pierced 
 with holes, and before the soil is 
 placed in it, an inch and a half of broken 
 pot shreds should be spread over the 
 bottom to facilitate the drainage of the 
 superincumbent soil. By means of a 
 properly constructed box a window may 
 be kept gay from an early period of 
 spring till late in the autumn. For 
 spring decoration the best plants ara 
 dwarf German wallflower, which may be 
 used so as to form a background ; while 
 the candytuft (white), the alyssum 
 (yellow), and a few anemones would do 
 for a second row, the third and outer 
 
Play is Good, znhile it is Play. 
 
 165 
 
 low being composed of the Auhrietia 
 Camphelli, with a few scillas, snow- 
 di'ops, and crocuses of various coloiu's. 
 A few hj'aciuths might also be intro- 
 duced in the centre of the box with 
 very good effect. When the spring 
 plants have done flowering, they should 
 be removed and planted in a shady part 
 of the garden for use next year. The 
 eoU in the box has to be renewed for 
 its summer tenants. These may be yel- 
 low calceolarias, blue lobelias, verbenas, 
 scarlet geraniums, while at the ends of 
 the box climbing plants may be planted 
 and trained up the sides of the windows 
 on wires fixed for the purpose. A box 
 properly planted and carefully attended 
 to with water may be made a thing of 
 beauty, and a joy, if not for ever, at 
 least during the summer months, while 
 it will give an air of elegance and re- 
 finement to the humblest cottage, which 
 will more than repay the labour and 
 cost incurred in procuring and keeping 
 it in proper order. 
 
 The Lawn. — A fine sward of 
 grass is always a pleasing object, how- 
 ever small it may be; and since the 
 introduction of croquet, a lawn of some 
 dimensions is indispensable to every 
 ordinarily well-api)ointed household. 
 In the formation of the lawn the first 
 requisite is a good surface soil ; stiff clay 
 or hilly and heathy ground will never 
 produce good and verdant turf. From 
 eight to sixteen inches of good loam or 
 fine light mould, according to the nature 
 of the subsoil, will, generally speaking, 
 be sufficient basis for the production of 
 a substantial and satisfactory turf. The 
 selection of grass seeds for sowing is a 
 point of at least equal importance to 
 the selection of soil, and the following 
 will be found to be the best : — Cynosurus 
 cristatus, Festuca tenuifolia, Poa irivi- 
 alis, Poa, nemoralis, Poa sempcrvirens, 
 Lolium percnne tenue. This mixtiue 
 will give satisfaction, and with proper 
 care a fine lawn may be produced in 
 two years. 
 
 In lawn management all that is 
 required is careful and frequent water- 
 ing in dry weather, together with 
 constant mowing and rolling. Many 
 
 excellent lawn mowers have been 
 invented, all of which are wonderful 
 improvements on the old scythe. Some 
 of these cut, roll, and sweep up the 
 grass at the same time ; and for croquet 
 grounds and bowling-greens these are 
 unrivalled. Where the object is to pro- 
 duce and keep a rich, green, soft sward, 
 
 The "Archimedean-," an American 
 lawn mower, is most highly recom- 
 mended by the Field, Gardener s Chro- 
 nicle, and other authorities on these 
 subjects. It will cut the grass whether 
 short or long, wet or diy; and after 
 cutting it up into little pieces, it scatters 
 it all over the ground, thus jaotecting 
 the roots of the grass and acting as a 
 fertilizer. Tliis machine has been tried 
 on the lawns of the Horticultural Gar- 
 dens at Chiswick, and is favourably 
 mentioned in the society's reports. 
 
 The Game of Quoits.— The 
 implements necessary for this game do 
 not require any elaborate description ; 
 they are quoits, and pins called hobs. 
 The quoit is a flat ring of iron, thin 
 at the circumference, and increasing in 
 thickness towards the centre. The 
 diameter of the ring is about six inches; 
 it is about an inch and a half in breadth 
 all round from its outer circumference 
 to\\ards the centre, and about three 
 more inches of the diameter are occu- 
 pied by the central part of the quoit. 
 The pin or "hob" is merely an ii-on 
 pin which can be readily driven into 
 the ground. In order to play the game 
 two hobs are driven into the ground 
 opposite to each other, and at a distance 
 of from fifteen to thirty yards asunder ; 
 the players are two or more in number ; 
 if they are more than three they are 
 arranged in sides as in other games. 
 Each player has two quoits and throws 
 one of them in his turn, his object 
 being to cause his quoit to fall over the 
 hob, or as near to it as possible. The 
 quoit to be thrown is held with the 
 forefinger along its outer edge, and the 
 upper and the lower surface between 
 the thumb and the other fingers; in 
 thi'owing it towards the pin or hob a 
 slight rotary motion is imparted to it, 
 which increases the facility of thro'^'ing 
 
i66 
 
 The Cow ihafs first up gets the first of the Deiv. 
 
 it to the mark. The score depends in 
 the quoit falling on the pin, or on its 
 distance from it ; those nearest to the 
 pin counting one for each side. After 
 all the quoits are played from one side 
 of the ground the players cross to the 
 hob towards which they at first played, 
 and continue the game by throwing 
 the quoits towards the second hob 
 placed in the ground, at the point at 
 which they originally began. 
 
 The Game of Bowls. — 
 This game, which is sufficiently simple, 
 and well adapted to those to whom vio- 
 lent exercise is unsuitable, is played 
 with bowls on a perfectly level and 
 Avell-kept plot of greensward called a 
 bowling-green, thirty, forty, or fifty 
 yards square. To play the game a 
 white ball is rolled towards the oppo- 
 site end of the green, and towards this 
 ball the players throw their bowls in 
 turn, and when all have played, each of 
 the bowls nearest to the white ball 
 scores one. The game requires con- 
 siderable skill, and possesses no small 
 degree of interest. The bowls, which 
 are several inches in diameter, are made 
 of lirinum vitce, a very hard and heavy 
 species of wood. Each ball is turned 
 on the lathe in such a manner that the 
 " centre of gravity " shall not be in the 
 centre of the sphere, but towards one 
 side of it. This peculiarity giving to 
 the bowl a " bias," prevents it from roll- 
 ing in a straight line after leaving the 
 player's hand, and causes it to describe 
 more or less of a curve as it proceeds 
 towards the mark. This "bias" ren- 
 dei-3 experience requisite, and consti- 
 tutes the chief difficulty in the game, 
 as the player must be able to calculate 
 the course his bowl will take and the 
 point at -which it will amve on com- 
 pleting it. The game is well suited for 
 a summer evening. 
 
 Cows — their Feeding 
 and Treatnient. — We com- 
 mence our observations by stating, as a 
 general rule, that cows of the short-horn 
 breed and the hornless cows afford 
 milk of the liest quality, and are less 
 troublesome to the milker ; that those 
 \\hich yield the greatest quantity of 
 
 milk are the large breeds of Lancashire, 
 Yorkshii-e, and Staffordshire ; but that 
 these animals require much food, and 
 would, in fact, starve on land where 
 the smaller breeds, such as the Scotch 
 or AVelsh cows, would find an abundant 
 supply. The Suffolk duns and the 
 Ayrshire cows, which are both small 
 breeds, unite in a very useful degree 
 both quantity and quality of milk. The 
 Devonshire and the Welsh cows thrive 
 well under ordinary keep, and are suffi- 
 ciently hardy to stand the winter season 
 without damage. 
 
 The cow may be allowed to graze 
 upon the grass in the open fields, or 
 fed with green food cut and carried to 
 her in the cowhouse, or stall-fed ; that 
 is to say, fed with hay and succulent 
 roots, either raw or steamed. There 
 can be no doubt that by far the best of 
 these methods is that of grazing. It 
 is obvious that it contributes in no 
 small degree to the health of the 
 animals ; they obtain exercise, which is 
 highly important ; they breathe fresh 
 air ; they drink water perfectly pure 
 and soft; and they obtain grass per- 
 fectly fresh, and altogether more accept- 
 able to them than that which is broTight 
 from the fields. It is likewise certain 
 that the milk of cows which graze in 
 the open air having abundant pasturage, 
 is larger in quantity and better in 
 quality, and that the flavour of the 
 butter produced from such milk is 
 superior to that derived from the milk 
 of cows confined to the house, deprived 
 of the advantages of fresh air, fresh 
 pasturage, and suitable exercise, and 
 rendered thereby perhaps feverish and 
 ii-ritable. 
 
 Grazing land, however, cannot always 
 be had ; and if a cow must be kept 
 it can only be within doors, although 
 it cannot be expected to thrive as well 
 as if permitted to range the fields and 
 collect its own provender. In a very 
 great many instances no other method can 
 be adopted in keeping a cow than that 
 of confining her to the cowhouse. The 
 plan has been largely practised in the 
 neighbourhood of great cities, and in 
 many parts of the Continent it is uni- 
 
Enough is a Feast, too much a Vanity. 
 
 167 
 
 versally adopted. It is necessary, more- 
 over, in a number of instances, on the 
 score of economj', much grass being 
 injured by the animals being allowed 
 to range over it unrestrained, and much 
 valuable manure wasted which would 
 bo more productive if collected in the 
 stablea and applied to the land. A 
 much less extent of land is required to 
 keep a cow when she is confined to the 
 house than is requisite if she is allowed 
 to pasture on it. Perhaps little more 
 than half an acre will produce sufficient 
 grass when it is cut and carried into 
 tlio house to keep a cow almost the 
 whole year, whereas so small an extent 
 of land would be quite inadequate if the 
 glass were trodden down and otherwise 
 damaged. 
 
 The sort of food given to the cow 
 confined to the house consists of cut 
 grasses, natural or artiticial, such as 
 lucerne, clover, and vetches, hay and 
 straw, which all ought to be of the best 
 quality. Fresh grains from breweries 
 are much used in some places where 
 they can be easily procured ; but al- 
 though they occasion a large flow of 
 milk, it is generally of a poor kind. 
 Garden stuffs are likewise applicable to 
 the purpose, such as spare vegetables ; 
 roots of all sorts, such as caiTots, pars- 
 nips, mangel-wurzel, and potatoes. 
 Turnips are likewise useful, but when 
 too liberally supplied they impart a dis- 
 agreeable flavour both to the milk and 
 butter. Oatmeal, peasemeal, linseed, 
 and bran, are all said to improve the 
 quality of the milk. Vegetable sub- 
 stances arc understood to be better 
 adapted to the feeding of cattle by being 
 subjected to the process of boiling, 
 which renders their nutritive properties 
 more available ; and this plan of pre- 
 paring food for cows is largely fol- 
 lowed in some places, and with advan- 
 tage. 
 
 The best times fou feeding the cow 
 are early in the morning, at noon, and a 
 little before sunset. Abundance of the 
 purest water must always be supplied, 
 and it ought in all cases, where prac- 
 ticable, to be what is understood as 
 soft water. In winter the water given 
 
 should be warmed to the temperature 
 of the air on a summer daj\ 
 
 Cows should be carefully treated. If 
 their teats are tender or sore they 
 should be gently washed with warm 
 water twice a day, and either dressed 
 with soft ointment or with spirits and 
 water. An ointment made with gly- 
 cerine would, beyond doubt, be of great 
 use on account of its healing properties. 
 
 The Dairy. — Genekal Obser- 
 vations. — The management of the 
 dairy ought to be given to one person, 
 whose special business it should be to 
 exercise the utmost care and attention 
 to all its various details. 
 
 The utensils should bo made of 
 wood, wherever practicable ; the cream- 
 dishes not more than about three inches 
 in depth, and capable of holding from 
 four to six quarts of milk. They ought 
 to be well washed every day in warm 
 water, and then carefully rinsed in cold 
 water, and be quite cool before they 
 are used. If metallic vessels of any 
 description be employed they must be 
 scalded every day, and well scrubbed 
 and scoured ; and the process of scalding 
 the vessels should be carried on not in 
 the dairy where the milk is kept, but 
 in some other place ; as the heat arising 
 from the water employed for the pur- 
 pose is apt to produce a tendency to 
 sourness in the milk itself. In a word, 
 the art of keeping the dairy cool as 
 well as clean is one of the utmost im- 
 portance, and should receive the greatest 
 attention from the dairymaid. 
 
 The freshness of the air in the 
 dairy, and its equability in tempera- 
 ture are of essential importance at all 
 seasons of the year. Glazed windows 
 are inferior to those made with sliding 
 lattices, these being better adapted than 
 the others to aflbrd a free ventilation. 
 In cold weather and in winter they 
 may be furnished with oiled paper 
 instead of glass panes, and the lattices 
 may be so constructed as to be closed 
 or opened as may be required. 
 
 Cleanliness is in the highest degree 
 indispensable ; the success of all dairy 
 processes depends upon it. All the 
 utensils, the di^essers, shelves, walls, and 
 
i68 Business Jiiay be Troublesome, but Idleness is Pernicious. 
 
 floor, should be kept most scrupulously 
 neat and clean, and when the weather 
 is warm ought to be frequently washed 
 and sluiced with cold water. Every- 
 thing likely to produce acidity must be 
 carefully excluded. No meat should 
 be hung up in the same place with the 
 iailk, and neither cheese nor rennet 
 nor the remains of som* milk should be 
 isft in it. 
 
 Milking. — Cows are usually 
 milked at stated intervals twice in 
 twenty-four hours, and in some districts 
 thrice. Whatever the practice may be, 
 it is important that the time of milking 
 should be as regular as possible. The 
 operation of milking is usually pir- 
 formed by women, but in some parts of 
 the country men are employed for the 
 purpose. The milker ought to be of a 
 mild disposition and good temper, so as 
 not to exercise any petulance or harsh- 
 ness towaids the animals, which, besides 
 being cruel, sometimes causes the cow 
 to exercise her faculty of withholding 
 her milk. Care should be taken by the 
 millicr to draw off the whole of the milk 
 contained in the udder, for if this be 
 not done the quantity of milk pro- 
 duced will be gradually diminished till 
 none whatever is given. 
 
 Quantity of Milk. — This is deter- 
 mined by various causes, such as the 
 breed of the cow, the time of year, the 
 character of the pastures, &c. In some 
 districts large cows yield from eight to 
 twelve quarts a day, and some for short 
 periods give even twice that quantity. 
 
 TUEATMENT OF THE MiLK. When 
 
 it is taken from the cow it should be 
 carried to the dauy gently and with as 
 little shaking as possible, strained 
 through the sieve, and put into the 
 coolers to allow the cream to rise, -which 
 it will do in six or eight hours. The 
 milk pans ought to be as nearly as 
 possible of the temperature of the milk, 
 and in winter, therefore, they ought to 
 be scalded with hot water, or placed 
 in front of the fire before the milk is 
 poured into thorn. 
 
 Cream. — When milk is suffered to 
 remain at rest it separates into two 
 parts, one of which rises to the surface, 
 
 where it forms a layer of a yellowish 
 white fluid, of a peculiarly rich taste. 
 It consists of a peculiar oil, curds, and 
 serum, or whey. The oil it contains is 
 the well-known substance named butter, 
 which can be separated fi-om the cream 
 in a more solid form by agitation or 
 churning. 
 
 Skimmed milk is the milk which is 
 left after the removal of the cream. It 
 forms an excellent article of food. 
 
 Butter. — This substance is the 
 oil of the milk, separated from it by 
 churning; but it differs from animal 
 fats, strictly so called, as containing, 
 in addition to the substances known to 
 chemists as oleine and stearine, another 
 substance, to which has been gi^; en the 
 name of butyrine or butyric acid, and 
 to which the peculiar flavour of butter 
 is due. 
 
 The Manufacture of Butter. — 
 Two methods are adopted in making 
 butter. In the one the cream is sepa- 
 rated from the milk and converted into 
 butter by churning ; in the otber method 
 the whole of the milk, including the 
 cream it contains, is subjected to the 
 process of being churned. The first 
 method, it is said, produces the richest 
 butter ; the second, the greatest quan- 
 tity. Butter is made from the cream 
 and milk when allowed to become a 
 little sour, an acid appearing to be 
 essential to the due prepai-ation. Very 
 rich butter is made by using only the 
 latter half of the milking, as it is ascer- 
 tained that the first portion of the milk 
 taken froui the cow is considerably less 
 rich than the latter. The yellowish 
 hue of the butter is often partly artificial, 
 for in winter the colour of the butter 
 is often whitish, and in order to assimi- 
 late it to the rich hue it acquires in 
 summer when the cows are fed on 
 grass, some colouring matter is em- 
 ployed, such as a little arnatto, or the 
 j uice of carrots or marigold flowers. 
 
 Taste of Butter. — This is unlike 
 that of any other fatty substance, and is 
 extremely agreeable when of the best 
 quality, but its flavour depends much 
 on the food given to the cows. If the 
 butter is likely to taste of turnips, the 
 
Cheese, it is a Peevish Elf, it digests all Things but itself. 1 69 
 
 following plnn will prevent it: — "When 
 tho milk is brought into the dairy, to 
 every two gallons of it add a quait of 
 boiling water ; then put up the milk 
 thus well mixed into clean and fresh 
 scalded bowls or pans to stand for 
 cream. IJy adhering strictly to this 
 method sweet and well-tasted butter 
 maybe made during winter free from tho 
 milk of cows fed on turnips. 
 
 Management of Butter when 
 MADE. — On this the quality of the 
 butter very much depends. It must be 
 pressed and worked, so as to get out of 
 it the whole of the buttermilk, which, 
 if it bo not all removed, will cause the 
 butter to spoil in a very short time ; 
 and on the other hand, if it be too much 
 worked, it will become tough and gluoy. 
 Butter is apt to become rancid ; it can- 
 not be exposed to the air for many days 
 and be preserved free from rancidity 
 without the addition of salt, but it is 
 ascertained that the more the butter- 
 milk has been extracted the longer the 
 butter will keep. The tendency to 
 rancidity, however, is checked if a 
 small quantity of salt bo put into the 
 butter as soon as it is made. This is dono 
 in many parts of England, and the pro- 
 cess causes what is known as fresh 
 butter to resemble very nearly the 
 finer qualities of what is called salt 
 butter ; in many parts of Scotland, on 
 the other hand, what is called fresh 
 butter contains no salt whatever, but 
 is brought to table as it is made. 
 
 Varieties of Butter. — What is 
 called Epping butter was once much 
 esteemed in i>ondon, from the circum- 
 stance that very fine butter was formerly 
 m.ide from the milk ofcows fed during the 
 Fummer in Epping Forest. The name, 
 liowevcr, is applied to butter made else- 
 where, and has come to indicate quality 
 instead of the locality where it is manu- 
 factured. Large quantities of very 
 excellent butter are furnished by tho 
 various counties in England to tho 
 great market of London, that of Cam- 
 bridgeshire, Oxfordshire, and Devon- 
 shire being highly esteemed. "Wales 
 and Scotland produce excellent butter, 
 the quality being often superior to that 
 
 produced in the richest pastures. Irish 
 butter is necesfarily all salted ; some of 
 it is excellent, and is often sold in Lon- 
 don as Cambridgeshire or Dorsetshire 
 butter, but some of it is inferior in 
 quality. The Du'ch butter owes its 
 acknowledged superiority both to tho 
 fine pastures of Holland, and to the 
 scrupulous neatness and cleanliness of 
 its manufacturers, qualities which can- 
 not be too highly extolled. 
 
 Cheese. — The curd formed from 
 milk, and pressed and dried for use, is 
 cheese, but certain processes are requi- 
 site to the due preparation of it. It is 
 necessary for this purpose that the curd, 
 wliich is the basis of cheese, and exists 
 not in tho cream, but in the milk, be 
 separated from it. This is done by 
 artificial coagulation, and when tho 
 curd is entirely freed from the whey 
 by means of pressing and otherwise, it 
 becomes cheese, and will keep for a 
 great length of time free from all dan- 
 ger of decomposition. 
 
 In making cheese of whatever kind 
 several circumstances require to be con- 
 sidered ; for example, the time of year, 
 the animals fumijhing the milk, their 
 milking and feeding, the preparation 
 of the substance for artificially coagu- 
 lating the milk, the requisite colouring 
 matter, tho management of the cheese- 
 press, and the trea'mcnt of the cheese 
 when made. The quality of the cheese 
 depends on due attention being given 
 to all these particulars. 
 
 It being hardly necessary to describe 
 the simple utensils required, we shall 
 proceed to some other matters, simply 
 observing that the season of the year 
 for cheese-making is from the begin- 
 ning of May to the end of September. 
 
 Hennet is the substance used in 
 coagulating the milk. It is made from 
 the stomach of a calf presen'ed by salt. 
 The mode of preparing it is the fol- 
 lowing : — Take a calf's stomach, wash 
 it thoroughly clean, and salt it well 
 inside and out. Put it into an earthen 
 vessel and let it stand three or four 
 days, then hang it up for two or three 
 days that the pickle may drain from it. 
 Salt it again, p'ace it in ajar, cover it 
 o2 
 
170 By Ignorattce we mistake, and by Mistakes we learn. 
 
 tight -nith a paper, pierced with holes 
 by a pin, and let it remain for twelve 
 months. When requii-ed for use the 
 rennet is to be soaked in water, to 
 which may be added an infusion of 
 sweet-briar, or a little lemon and cloves. 
 The liquor thus made will be strong 
 in proportion to the length of time the 
 bag is allowed to remain in it, but ex- 
 perience will best deteiToine this matter. 
 The quantity required to coagulate any 
 certain quantity of milk is, in ordi- 
 nary circumstances, a pint of the Hquid 
 to fifty gallons of milk. 
 
 The Colouring of Cheese. — When 
 cheese is made from good milk and at 
 the proper season of the year, it always 
 has a yellow colour, and as the idea of 
 excellence is attached to the colour, 
 artificial means are had recourse to, in 
 order to effect it, and produce a deeper 
 tint. To accomplish this an infusion 
 of Spanish arnatto is employed, sufli- 
 cient to communicate to the milk the 
 reqmred colour. 
 
 The milk intended for cheese as 
 well as for butter ought to be carefully 
 passed through a fine canvas sieve, 
 to deprive it of any impurities, such 
 as hairs, &c. That which is pro- 
 duced at a single milking is the best, 
 and when brought warm from the cow 
 it is the more readily aflfected by the 
 rennet. The natural heat it possesses 
 when taken from the udder is from 
 85 to 90 degrees. If it is below 85 de- 
 grees it must be raised to that tempera- 
 ture either by mixing hot water with 
 the milk, or placing a vessel contain- 
 ing some of the milk in a copper of 
 boiling water, and mixing the milk so 
 heated with the rest. Much of the 
 success of cheese-making depends upon 
 the millc being of a proper degree of 
 heat when the rennet is put into it. 
 
 To "set the cuiid" the milk has 
 the proper quantity of rennet and colour- 
 ing added to it, and the proportions 
 of these are best learnt by experience. 
 A little salt will promote the process 
 when mixed with the milk before the 
 rennet is put into it. When all tlie 
 materials are in the tub they must be 
 well stirred together, the wooden cover 
 
 is then placed on the tub, and over that 
 a woollen cloth is throM-n. The usual 
 time for curdling is from one to two 
 hours, and the completion of the process 
 will be ascertained only by experience ; 
 it is knoM'n by gently pressing on the 
 surface with the back of the hand, and 
 the degree of consistency it exhibits. 
 
 When the proper amount of firmness 
 is attained, cut across the curd with 
 a knife from the surface to the bottom 
 with incisions an inch apart, and then 
 crosswise ; this will allow the whey to 
 rise upwards thi-ough the curd, and the 
 latter to sink downwards and become 
 more solid. The whey is then to be 
 removed, and great care is requisite in 
 the process of doing so. Part of the 
 whey is taken off with a skimmer, and 
 a board with a weight on it is placed 
 on the curd, by the pressiu-e of which 
 the whey is more perfectly separated ; 
 the curd is, after this process, cut again 
 into small pieces, and pressed both by 
 the weight and the hand as long as any 
 whey is supposed to remain. And it 
 may here be proper to state that if 
 the whey is greenish in hue the curd 
 may be xmderstood to be properly 
 formed, but if it be white the coagula- 
 tion may be held to have been imper- 
 fectly caiTied out, and that much of the 
 constituents of the cheese have been lost, 
 and that the cheese will, as a necessary 
 consequence, be of poor quality. 
 
 The transference of the curd to the 
 cheese-vat, the process of preparing it 
 for and subjecting it to the operation of 
 the press, the modes of salting the 
 cheese and treating it as the process 
 is gradually completed, and lastly, the 
 method of best storing the cheese, are 
 all details of more or less import- 
 ance, which can be much better learnt 
 by a few practical lessons, or a little 
 careful observation, than by a very 
 lengthened and elaborate description. 
 
 Varieties of Chees-e. — Having al- 
 ready described the general method of 
 manufacturing cheese, we shall now 
 refer to the Tarious kinds most worthy 
 of particular notice. 
 
 Parmesan Cheese. — This celebrated 
 kind of cheese is made in the duchy of 
 
Conduct and Courage lead to Honour. 
 
 iTi 
 
 Pai-ma, and in various parts of Lom- 
 bardy. It is made, not from goats' 
 milk, as was formerly supposed, but 
 from skimmed cows' milk. The liigh 
 flavour it possesses is said by some to be 
 derived from the method by which it is 
 manufactured, by others from the rich 
 pastures on which the cows are fed. 
 The reader may find a particular ac- 
 count of the process of its manufactiire 
 in Cadell's "Journey in Italy." 
 
 Gruyeue Cheese. — This is a Swiss 
 cheese, which derives its specific name 
 from a place in the canton of Fribourg, 
 where it is made. It is remarkable for 
 its fine flavour, which is said to be 
 partly owing to the mountain pastiires 
 on which the cows are fed, but it is 
 understood to be flavoured with the 
 powder of the herb Melilottts officinalis. 
 
 Dutch Cheese. — Muriatic acid is 
 used in Holland to coagulate the milk 
 instead of rennet; and this is said to 
 impart the pungent taste peculiar to 
 the Dutch cheese, and also to preserve 
 it from mites. The Gouda cheese, 
 the most celebrated and most excellent 
 cheese, is made near Leyden, as well as 
 in Friesland. Much of the Dutch 
 cheese maniLfactured expressly for Eng- 
 land is made of skimmed milk, and is 
 intended for sea stores, as it keeps well, 
 from being much less rich than the 
 higher class cheese. 
 
 Cheshire Cheese is made of entire 
 new milk, the cream not being taken ofi". 
 It is frequently made of a very large 
 size, often from 60 lbs. to 2 cwt. It is 
 usual in Cheshire, as well as elsewhere, 
 to make the cheese from one day's milk- 
 ing, and this is said to be beneficial. 
 The great excellence of this species of 
 cheese must be attributed, doubtless, in 
 some considerable degree, to the skill of 
 its manufacture ; but the rich quality 
 and fine flavour must chiefly be due to 
 the excellency of the milk and the rich 
 pastures on which the cows feed. 
 
 Gloucester Cheese is made of two 
 kinds, which are called single and 
 double ; the former is made of milk 
 skimmed, or deprived of half its cream, 
 the latter of the whole milk and cream. 
 The single ia not very rich, but the 
 
 flavour is good ; the double, however, is 
 of great richness as well as mildness of 
 flavour. 
 
 Stilton Cheese. — The cheese so 
 called is made generally throughout 
 the counties of Northampton, Rutland, 
 Huntingdon, and Cambridge ; but it 
 was originally manufactured at Stilton, 
 whence its name is derived. It is pe- 
 culiarly rich, and has been called on 
 that account the Parmesan of England. 
 
 Sage Cheese, or Green Cheese, is 
 chiefly made in the valleys of Gloucester 
 and Wilts, by colouring the curd with 
 bruised sage and parsley, or spinach, 
 which wiU impart to it the green tinge 
 required. With this exception the or- 
 dinary process is observed. 
 
 Marigold Cheese is the cheese 
 coloured -with the juice of the freshest 
 and best coloured marigolds, pounded 
 in a mortar. 
 
 Cheddar Cheese. — This cheese, al- 
 though deriving its name from the vil- 
 lage of Cheddar, where it is manufac- 
 tured, is also made about Glastonbmy 
 and Bridgewater. It has an agreeable 
 flavour, and much resembles Parmesan. 
 
 Dunlop Cheese is so called from the 
 parish of Dunlop, in Ayrshire, where it 
 was originally made, and in which the 
 pasturage is extremely rich. It is made 
 entirely from new milk. 
 
 Cream Cheese. — To make cream 
 cheese take twelve quarts of new milk 
 and one quart of cream ; put them toge- 
 ther with ten spoonfuls of rennet just 
 warm ; when it has stood till the curd 
 is produced, lay a cloth in the vat (which 
 must be of the proper size for the 
 cheese), cut out the curd with a sldm- 
 ming-dish, and put it into the vat till it 
 is full, turning the cheese-cloth over it; 
 and as the curd settles lay on more, till 
 you have put on as much as will make 
 one cheese. When the whey is drained 
 out turn the cheese into a diy cloth, 
 and lay a pound weight upon it; at 
 night turn it out into another cloth, 
 and the next morning salt it a little; 
 then, having made a bed of nettles or 
 ash leaves to lay it on, cover it with 
 the same, shifting it twice a day for ten 
 days, in which time it will be fit for ufl®. 
 
172 
 
 DiiincTs cannot h£ loJiz where Dainties 7iiaut. 
 
 Cream Cheese, without Rennet. — 
 Take a quart of thick rich cream, care- 
 fully skimmed from the milk, which 
 ought to be quite thick underneath the 
 cream ; lay a strong linen cloth or table 
 napkin over a basin, and sprinkle it with 
 a little salt; pour the cream into the 
 napkin, and tie it up as if for a pudding ; 
 hang up the napkin in the dairy, and 
 put a basin under to receive the whey 
 which will drop out. The next daj-, 
 change the oi-eam to a fresh napkin, 
 without adding any more salt ; this 
 must be daily repeated till the cream 
 becomes quite solid, which it ought to 
 bo on the fourth day ; then fold it in a 
 clean napkin, of whatever shape it is to 
 be, and put a weight over it for twelve 
 hours ; take it out, have some freshly 
 pulled nettle leaves cleanly washed, 
 lay the cheese on a dish, cover it with 
 the nettle leaves, and lay another dish 
 over ; in twelve hours it is fit for use. 
 
 Breakfast, Luncheon, 
 Dinner, Tea, Supper. — 
 Sensations of hunger and thirst are 
 usually referred to the stomach and the 
 throat, but they may be more properly 
 regarded as emanating from the brain, 
 lilce other sensations and emotions. 
 
 If this theory should seem perplexing 
 to those who have not hithei'to considered 
 it, some aid to understanding may be 
 afforded by mention of an experiment 
 by a French physiologist, who kept a 
 dog without food until he became ra- 
 venously hungry ; then divided certain 
 nerves which communicate between the 
 stomach and the brain, and placed food 
 before the animal that had been so long 
 deprived. Instead of noticing the food, 
 the poor dog lay down quite indifferent 
 to the proffered meal. AVhen, however, 
 encouraged to do so, it began to eat in 
 an apparently unconscious manner, and 
 continued until stomach and throat 
 were inordinately distended. From 
 this and many similar experiments, it 
 is inferred that the brain is, in matters 
 of hunger and thirst, the tnie seat and 
 centre of sensation, though it refers to 
 the organs affecting the peculiar intima- 
 tions by which we recognise our bodily 
 wants. 
 
 Dr. Andrew Combe illustrates the 
 theory very forcibly: — " The relation 
 shown to subsist between the stomach 
 and the brain enables us, in some 
 measure, to understand the influence 
 which strong mental emotions and ear- 
 nest intellectual occupation exert over 
 the appetite. A man in perfect health 
 sitting down to table with an excellent 
 appetite, receives a letter announcing 
 an imexpected calamity, and instantly 
 turns away wdth loathing from the food 
 which, a moment before, ho was pre- 
 pared to eat with relish. While an- 
 other, who, under the fear of some 
 misfortune, comes to the table indif- 
 ferent about food, M'ill eat with great 
 zest on his ' mind being relieved,' as 
 the phrase goes, by the receipt of pleas- 
 ing intelligence." 
 
 The heading of our present article 
 suggests rather a heavy " bill of fare ;" 
 but we have no intention of recom- 
 mending five meals a day, even to 
 those whose resources may afford them. 
 The number of meals that may with 
 propriety be taken must naturally be 
 influenced by the constitution and 
 habits of the individuals, the nature of 
 the food consumed, the season of the 
 year, and the climate. Yet a few 
 general hints may be given, with a view 
 to modify the too common error of over- 
 feeding. 
 
 " Well obserTe 
 The rule of not too much, by temperance 
 
 taught. 
 In what thou eat'st and drink'st ; seeking from 
 
 thence 
 Due nourishment, not gluttonous delight." 
 Milton, 
 
 The leading principle to be borne in 
 mind (and one which is too commonly 
 overlooked) is that the use of food is 
 not merely to impart pleasure to the 
 palate, but to keep the bodily mechanism 
 and substance in a state of thorough 
 repair. The atoms that compose our 
 bodies are sTibject to unceasing change ; 
 food is to the body as fuel to a fire, or 
 as oil to a lamp ; you may overcharge 
 a fire by the renewal of coal, and extin- 
 guish a lamp by excess of oil. In the 
 case of the body there are numerous 
 vital conditions that may be seriously 
 
Eat a Peck of Salt with a Man before you trust him. 173 
 
 disturbed by excess, and the experience 
 of physical existence be rendered pain- 
 ful instead of pleasurable. 
 
 The consideration of the proper kinds 
 and quantity of food, the frequency with 
 •which they may be taken, and other 
 considerations of the like natiu-e, are 
 full of interest, but surrounded by dif- 
 ficulties, — because the constitutions, 
 occupations, and means of mankind 
 vary so considerably. But there is one 
 lesson certain to arise from an investi- 
 gation of the subject, and many bene- 
 fits are sure to spring fi-ora that lesson ; 
 temperance and simplicity constitute 
 the lesson, and health, vigour of in- 
 tellect, cheerfulness of spirits, and real 
 enjoyment of life, the result. Dr. 
 Combe observes, " Food ought always 
 to bear a relation to the age, mode of 
 life, and circumstances of the individual, 
 and not to be determined by a reference 
 to time alone." Yet he admits that " the 
 animal economy is constituted with so 
 strong a tendency to periodical activity, 
 that, after growth is completed, and the 
 waste of the system becomes, from uni- 
 formity in the mode of life, in some 
 measure definite and regular, as great 
 an approximation as possible ought to 
 be made to fixed times of eating. In 
 general, little difficulty and much ad- 
 vantage attend the arrangement ; be- 
 cause, whei'e the business and habits of 
 society are nearly the same throughout 
 a whole class, equal waste will go on, 
 and consequently, the demand for a 
 supply of nourishment in all the in- 
 dividuals composing it will be felt at 
 nearly the same intervals, subject only 
 to such variations as are induced by 
 diflercnces of age and constitution." 
 Keeping these leading principles in 
 view, the following are our suggestions 
 respecting 
 
 Breakiwst. — An hour after rising is 
 ordinarily the best breakfast time, — 
 
 " As soon as Phcebus' rays inspect us. 
 First, sir, I read — and then I breakfast." 
 Prior. 
 
 A glass of spring water, which has 
 been kept indoors through the night, 
 and raised a degree or two fronj tho 
 
 temperature of the cold spring, will bo 
 found productive of morning appetite 
 and general health. The body having 
 remained inactive during the long hours 
 of night, and even respiration consider- 
 ably subdued, it is fit to give, as far as 
 possible, a clearance from all oppressive 
 matters. Morning air, as well as being 
 more dense, is generally purer and more 
 invigorating than the rarefied atmo- 
 sphere of noon or evening. A short 
 walk wiU be found beneficial. Air and 
 water shoidd properly be the prelude 
 of breakfast. Dr. Franklin used to re- 
 commend an " air bath,"— exposui-e for 
 a few moments of the whole surface 
 of the skin to the influence of air-, 
 assisting at the time the action of the 
 former by friction. Viands for the 
 breakfast-table should be light and 
 digestible, so as not to disturb, in the 
 early stage of the day, digestive powers 
 that have a day's work in store for 
 them. " Breakfast relishes," as they 
 are called, are mostly required by per- 
 sons of corrupted appetite. I'otted 
 meats, smoked and salted fish, bacon, 
 ham, kidneys, sausages, chops, steaks, 
 and lastly, "devils," are bad as a com- 
 mencement of the day's regime. Many 
 ■who read these suggestions will dissent 
 from them, because they have formed 
 irrational habits, and deem the " Best of 
 Everything" to be what they like most. 
 There can be nothiug more suitable 
 for breakfast than eggs, poached or 
 boiled, and fresh fish, broiled or boiled. 
 "Watercresses are a desirable addition to 
 the breakfast course, becaiise they are 
 stimulative and slightly aperient. 
 Young lettuces have similar properties. 
 But these properties are lessened if 
 the vegetables have not been newly 
 gathered. Breakfast should be a fluid 
 meal, obviously because by perspiration 
 and breathing the chief abstraction 
 from the body during the night is fluid. 
 Tea, coffee, cocoa, and chocolate, are 
 suitable as breakfast beverages, because 
 they contain agreeably stimidative ele- 
 ments. "We do not like indulging in 
 chemical terms, but the active principle 
 of tea is called theinc, of cofi'ee caffeine, 
 of cocoa theoTjromine. These terms are 
 
174 
 
 Never fall out with your Bread and Butter. 
 
 very simple, and show that chemists 
 are able to explain the economy of 
 these drinks, and account for the very 
 general favour in which they are held. 
 The stimulative principle is similar in 
 all of them ; they are rich in nitrogen, 
 an important element in food. "We 
 have little more to say about brealifast 
 than this— that it wiU generally be 
 found an acceptable arrangement to 
 vaiy the morning beverage : Monday, 
 coffee ; Tuesday, tea ; "Wednesday, 
 cocoa, &c.; and on Sunday, as a "home 
 day," with time for pleasant conversa- 
 tion, two beverages, and a free choice 
 thereof by the partakers. 
 
 Luncheon. — "We scarcely know how 
 to deal with this member of the family 
 of meals. Dr. Pereira says that 
 " luncheon is admissible only when the 
 interval between breakfast and dinner 
 is very prolonged, or when the quantity 
 of food taken at breakfast is veiy small. 
 The lower classes, as well as the chil- 
 dren of the higher classes, dine early; 
 and thus with them luncheon is un- 
 necessary. "With adults of the middle 
 and higher classes luncheon becomes a 
 necessary meal." "We look upon 
 luncheon as a sort of " picnicldan " 
 commissary, whose aid is to be sought 
 under unusual circumstances. Gay, in 
 his " Ploughboy," says, — 
 
 " When hungry thou stood'st starving like an 
 oaf, 
 I sliced the luncheon from the barley loaf." 
 
 And a very good luncheon, too ; for 
 every meal of the day except dinner 
 should bear a marked simplicity. 
 
 Dinner. — Now we may speak 
 more generously of dinner. If you 
 have laboured industriously, added 
 something to the wealth of the world, 
 and can sit down with a clear con- 
 science, you may eat heartily, and "may 
 good digestion wait on appetite." 
 Dinner will be enjoyed all the more 
 ■when breakfast has been light. It has 
 been quaintly said that the best hour 
 to dine is, " for the rich man when he 
 can find an appetite, and for a poor 
 man when he can find a dinner." The 
 preparation of dinner is, in large fami- 
 lies, the chief labour of the day. And 
 
 it is a meal that, whilst it consumes a 
 great amount of time and attention, is 
 most easily destroyed by delay and 
 negligence when the Avork has been 
 done. Other pages of our work aflbrd 
 ample instructions upon plain cookery, 
 and the preparation of useful and tempt- 
 ing compound dishes ; we are not, 
 therefore, about to give cooking direc- 
 tions here. But if there be any well- 
 meaning cook or housemaid who has 
 not yet learnt the " art of spoiling a 
 dinner," we are ready to impart a know- 
 ledge thereof in one short lesson: — 
 
 Arrange the times at which you set 
 down the various meats and compounds 
 so that they shall be waiting for the table 
 all sixes and sevens. Be sure that the fish 
 is ready before the soup, -which AviU give 
 the former all the more time to fall to 
 pieces ; and have the various vegetables 
 ready before the meat, that they may 
 have time to become cold, lumpy, and 
 soddened. As gravies are accessory to 
 meats, so may water be to potatoes and 
 green vegetables ; give yourself no 
 trouble, therefore, in draining off super- 
 fluous moisture. Serve up all on cold 
 dishes, with cold covers and plates, 
 and thus, though you may have " done 
 everything to a turn," you wiU com- 
 pletely "turn everything to a do!" 
 Candidly, dinners are too commonly 
 spoilt by the most culpable acts of ne- 
 glect in the simple matters of service. 
 
 Nothing is worse than for a dinner 
 guest to keep the table waiting, and 
 allow the crowning repast of the day 
 to be spoiled. Shakspeare, who was as 
 well acquainted with the philosophy of 
 man's stomach as of his heart and 
 brain, thus suggests the course to be 
 pursued : — 
 
 " Perhaps some merchant hath invited him, 
 And from the mart he's somewhere gone to 
 
 dinner. 
 Good sister, let us dine, and never fret." 
 
 Capital advice this, and as sensible as 
 it is candid : " don't wait for him — let 
 us dine, and never fret." For of the 
 several aids to digestion, relish and 
 heat both are rapidly dissipated by 
 waiting. Meats lose flavour, and vege- 
 
He who depends on Another dines III and sups Worse. 175 
 
 tables aroma, by every moment's delay 
 after being served up. 
 
 The temperate use of healthy food 
 properly served is a great enjoyment. 
 And now the extreme of excess has to 
 be guarded against. " There is no sub- 
 ject of dietetic economy," says Dr. 
 Beaumont, " about which people err so 
 much as that which relates to quantity. 
 . . Eat not to satiety, for this is 
 beyond the point of healthful indul- 
 gence, and is Nature's earliest indication 
 of an abuse and averhurden of her 
 powers to replenish the system. When 
 to cease eating may be known by the 
 pleasurable sensation of perfect satis- 
 faction, ease, and quiescence of body 
 and mind. It is when the stomach 
 Bays enouyh, and is distinguished by 
 the difference of the sensations — the 
 former feeling enough, the latter (00 
 •much." 
 
 Tea is regarded as a social, and essen- 
 tially a ladies' repast ; and, if at the 
 dinner-table the indulgence in fer- 
 mented or vinous drinlcs has been 
 moderate, may he taken early with 
 satisfactory effect. It matters little 
 whether coffee or tea becomes the chosen 
 beverage. The quantity should, how- 
 ever, be moderate, and the quality good ; 
 — the proper measure, as between 
 breakfast fluid and tea fluid, is singu- 
 larly indicated by the large breakfast 
 and the small tea cup. Moderation in 
 the iise of fluid at the tea-table is 
 forcibly suggested by the fact that the 
 dinner meal requires a longer period 
 for digestion than any other ; and look- 
 ing at the time which usiially elapses 
 between dinner and tea, the digestion 
 of the former has been only half 
 completed. The fluid taken at the 
 latter meal should therefore be of 
 kind and quantity just sufficient to 
 stimulate to completion the digestion of 
 the more solid meal. The French 
 diink a single cup of strong coffee with- 
 out cream immediately after dinner ; 
 and their testimony is that it acts as a 
 strong stimulant, and imparts a feeling 
 of comfort. But French and English 
 diet diff"ers considerably ; our Conti- 
 nental neighboui-s take a great variety 
 
 of dishes, sit a long while over their 
 dinner-table, and the stimulant cup of 
 cofi'ee may be regarded as a bribe to 
 keep the stomach from rebellion. The 
 moral influence of tea is probably 
 greater than the dietetic. A cheerful, 
 chatty half-hour over " the cup that 
 cheers " may probably assist the diges- 
 tive process, or at least dispel the 
 languor that sometimes ensues after a 
 hearty repast. Pope's description of a 
 teapot is somewhat sj'mbolical of the 
 lively efl'ect of tea itself : — 
 
 " A living teapot stands; one arm held out, 
 One bent; the handle thia, and that the 
 Bpout ! " 
 
 There shotild be, over the tea-table, 
 more vivacity and conversation than at 
 dinner. There is less to do in the way 
 of carving, cutting, serving, and ex- 
 changing, aff'ording those pleasing in- 
 tervals in which the ladies, with their 
 cheeks warmed to rosy complexion, may 
 "minister sweet words and shrewd ad- 
 vice." It seems to be more the part 
 of man than of woman to preside at the 
 dinner-table, to wield the sword-Uke 
 carving knife, and cHnk the attendant 
 steel. Such interrogations as " Well or 
 imder done?" "Leg or wing?" have 
 a mascuUne intonation about ttem. 
 But "Tea or coffee?" "Cream and 
 sugar ?" — Are not these becoming tothe 
 gentler sex ? 
 
 Supper. — "I never take supper," " I 
 cannot sleep upon an empty stomach," 
 are the opposite testimonies frequently 
 borne, and one or the other wUl pro- 
 bably be responded to by the reader. 
 We cannot prevent the bias in favour 
 of habits of long standing. As a theorj-, 
 we individually believe suppers to bo 
 bad ; as a practice, we indulge in them. 
 To us, bed without supper is night 
 without sleep ; but our habits may 
 diifer from those of others. After tea 
 we devote some hours to literary labour. 
 We say, with Shakspeare, — 
 
 "I'll to my book; 
 For yet, ere supper-time, must I perform 
 Much business." 
 
 We therefore ask that, in return for our 
 
176 
 
 Light Suppers 7nake Long-life Days. 
 
 evening's labours, we may be indulged 
 with a slight repast, and that which has 
 been humorously termed a "nightcap" ! 
 l]ut then our bead has seen some lifty 
 3 ears of life, and more than thirty years 
 of mental labour. Our patriarchal 
 friends will probably sympathize with 
 us — yet join in an admonition to 
 yoimger people, — saying that suppers 
 are bad because they make demands 
 upon the vascular and nervous struc- 
 tures at a time when they should be 
 allowed to - rest. This is especially 
 so in the case of young people who 
 usually eat heartily at three meals of 
 the day, rendering a fourth an excessive 
 indulgence. A cupful of arrowroot an 
 hour before bedtime, or a small quantity 
 of the newly introduced corn flour, 
 boiled with millc, will form an agree- 
 able termination to "our daily bread." 
 It is scarcely necessarj' to add that 
 meats, pickles, salads, cucumbers, &c., 
 at supper-time, are offerings upon the 
 shrine of hideous "nightmares," and 
 the almost certain forerunners of dis- 
 ordered health. 
 
 Twenty Precautions 
 against Fire. — 1. Be careful to 
 keep lucifer matches in metal boxes, 
 out of the reach of children. 2. Wax 
 matches are particularly dangerous, 
 and should be kept out of the way of 
 rats and mice ; be careful in making 
 fires with shavings and other light 
 kindling. 3. Do not deposit coal or 
 wood ashes in a wooden vessel, and be 
 sure biuiiing cinders are extinguished 
 before they are deposited. 4. Never put 
 firewood upon the stove to dry. 5. Do 
 not put ashes or a light under a stair- 
 case. 6. Fill paraffine lamps only in the 
 daytime, and never near a fire or light. 
 7. Be cautious in extinguishing matches, 
 and never throw them on the floor. 8. 
 Do not throw a cigar stump upon the 
 floor, or into a box containing sawdust, 
 without being certain that it is not on 
 fire. 9. Do not blow out a candle, or 
 put it away on a shelf or anywhere else 
 until sui-e that the snuff' has gone en- 
 tirely out. 10. A lighted candle ought 
 not to be stuck up against a frame wall, 
 or placed near any portion of the wood- 
 
 work in a stable, manufactory, shop, 
 or any other place. 11. Never enter a 
 bai-n or stable at night with an un- 
 covered light. 12. Ostlers should not 
 be allowed to smoke about stables. 13. 
 Never take an open light to examine a 
 gas meter, or to search for an escape of 
 gas. 14. Do not put gas or other lights 
 near curtains. 15. Do not read in bed, 
 either by candle or lamp light ; place 
 glass shades over gaslights in shop 
 windows, and do not crowd goods too 
 close to them. 16. No smoking should 
 ever be permitted in warehouses, es- 
 pecially where goods are packed or cotton 
 stored. 17. Stove pipes should be at 
 least four inches from woodwork, and 
 well guarded by tin or zinc. 18. Bags 
 ought never to be stuffed into stove 
 pipe holes ; openings in chimney flues 
 for stove pipes which are not used 
 ought always to be securely protected 
 by metallic coverings. 19. Never close 
 up a place of business in the evening 
 without looking well to the extinguish- 
 ing of lights and the proper security 
 of the fires. 20. When retiring to bed 
 at night, always take every precaution 
 to see that there is no danger from your 
 fires ; that the gas, if you use it, is 
 properly extinguished ; and take care 
 that your lights are safe. 
 
 Where shall we spend 
 our Holidays ? — In a previous 
 page (157) we noticed some of the best 
 English seaside watering-places ; we 
 now follow on with those of Wales, 
 Ireland, and Scotland. 
 
 Welsh Watering-places. — Aber- 
 gele. — This pleasant marine retreat 
 lies in the county of Denbigh, on the 
 great road from Chester to Holyhead, 
 and about 213 miles from London. 
 The climate is noted for its salubrity, 
 and the sands are admirably adapted 
 for bathing. Mrs. Ilemans, the cele- 
 brated poetess, passed several years 
 during her youth at Abergele. The 
 " Cave Hill," a species of limestone 
 rock, containing a remarkable cavern, 
 divided in two, and the pictui'esque 
 glen of Cefn Ogo, where Harold, the 
 last of the Saxon kings, was attacked 
 and overpoAvered by one of the Welsh 
 
A Good Tale is none the Worse for being Twice told. 177 
 
 priaces, are wvW. worthy of a visit, as 
 also the remains of an early British 
 fort. Near the station is the scene of 
 the terrible railway accident in August, 
 1868, by which thirty- four persons 
 were burned to death. 
 
 A n E 11 Y s T w I T H . — This favourite 
 watering-place lies on the centre shore 
 of Cardigan liaj^, in Cardiganshire, and 
 is romantically situated between lofty 
 mountains in the neighbourhood of the 
 famous Plinlinimon. The town is well 
 built, and on one of the heights will be 
 found the remains of the ancient castle 
 of the celebrated Cadwaladr. The air 
 is pure and bracing, and owing to 
 the beach having a gentle incline, it is 
 admirably adapted f>r bathing, and 
 there is a mineral spring in the neigh- 
 bourhood. 
 
 Llandudno. — This is a favourite 
 watering-place in the county of Den- 
 bigh, lying immediately under the well- 
 known pmmontoiy of the Great Ormes 
 Head. The sand being quite free from 
 stones, and the water perfectly clear, the 
 bathing is excellent. The air of Llan- 
 diitbro is very pure and bracing. 
 
 lliiYL. — This fashionable resort is 
 situated on the shore of the Irish Sea 
 in Flintshire, about thirty miles from 
 Ckester. The castle, the ruins of which 
 still exist, was built by Llewellyn in 
 1015. The air is very pure, the sands 
 excellent, and there are numerous bath- 
 ing machines, and hot and salt water 
 baths. 
 
 Swansea, or in "Welsh Abertawe, 
 rests in the centre of the beautiful Bay 
 of Swansea, wliich has been called the 
 "Bay of Naples in miniature." Hot 
 and salt water baths can be obtained 
 here, but to enjoy regular sea bathing, 
 the tourist must go to " the Mumbles," 
 about six miles off. There is excellent 
 trout-fishing in the neighbourhood. 
 
 Irish "Watering-places. — Bray. — 
 This pretty and fashionable resort lies 
 about twelve miles from Dublin, partly 
 in that county and partly in "Wieklow. 
 The air here is particularly pure and 
 bracing, and there is ample accommoda- 
 tion for bathing, and hot and saltwater 
 Laths can be had. The tourist to Bray 
 
 should not fail to visit the far-famed 
 glen of the " Dargle " and Powerscourt 
 in the neighbourhood. 
 
 HoLY'wooD. — This pretty little place 
 is the delight of the citizens of Belfast, 
 from which town it is distant only five 
 miles, on the shore of Belfast Lough. 
 There is excellent sea bathing, batbs, 
 and several chalj'beate springs. Largo 
 quantities of mussels are found on a 
 mussel bank at Holywood. 
 
 IIowTH. — Every one must be fami- 
 liar with the majestic " Hill of Howth," 
 forming as it does so prominent an 
 object as seen from Dublin Bay. The 
 village, which is most agreeably placed, 
 is approached through a very charming 
 country. Excellent sea bathing can be 
 had in the romantically situated Bay of 
 Balruddery close by. Howth is rich in 
 historic reminiscences, and there uie 
 the remains of a Druidical temple. 
 
 Kingstown. — To those of our readers 
 Avho occasionally visit Ireland by way 
 of Holyhead, Kingstown must be well 
 known as the place of debarkation of 
 the mails. KingstoAvn is famous for 
 its harbour, its piers, which form a 
 splendid promenade, and its revolving 
 lighthouse. During the summer, races 
 and regattas take place, and a military 
 band plays nearly every evening. Ex- 
 cellent sea bathing can be had at 
 Monkstown and Blackrock, lying close 
 to Kingstown, the bathing places being 
 quite sheltered from observation by 
 high walls. 
 
 Tr^^more. — Tramore is in the county 
 "Waterford, and is five miles from the 
 city of that name, from which it can be 
 reached by rail. The sands, which are 
 hard and firm, arc three miles in length, 
 and excellently adapted for bathing. 
 The town, which is particularly clean, 
 abounds with accommodation for visi- 
 tors of every class, and the air is pure 
 and bracing. 
 
 KiLKEE. — This place lies at the upper 
 end of ICilkee Bay, and is much fre- 
 quented by visitors who like a hracing 
 atmosphere and the fresh breezes of the 
 Atlantic. The sands are hard and firm, 
 pleasant to walk or ride on, and the 
 cliffs in the neighbourhood are very 
 
178 
 
 Hark to the Roar on the Rocky Shore ! 
 
 high and picturesque. The accom- 
 modation is excellent. Kilkee is about 
 fifty miles from Limerick. 
 
 BuNDOKAN, near Sligo, is the favour- 
 ite bathing place of the inhabitants of 
 the north-west of Ireland. It some- 
 what resembles Ilfracombe, but being 
 on the open Atlantic the air is much 
 more cool and bracing, the beach is 
 rough, but the bathing is considered 
 good, and also the accommodation for 
 visitors. 
 
 QuEEXSTOAVN IS perhaps the most 
 beautifully situated M'atering-place in 
 this kingdom. The town rises in rows of 
 cicscent-shaped terraces from the edge 
 of a large and spacious harbour, and the 
 sniids are most excellent for bathing. 
 The climate is extremely mild and 
 equable, particularly suited for con- 
 sumptive patients, who pass the winter 
 here in great numbers. It is near the 
 City of Cork, and can casilj^ be reached 
 by rail. 
 
 EossTREvou AND Warrenpoint are 
 situated close to each other, on the north 
 side of Carlingford Lough, about seven 
 miles from Newry. Lying in a wooded 
 glen at the base of the Moiu-no moun- 
 tains, both towns are sheltered from the 
 north and west winds, and consequently 
 have a mild and pleasant climate. 
 
 Scottish Watering - places. — 
 North Beravick. — This is a favour- 
 ite sea-bathing retreat of the inhabit- 
 ants of the Scottish capital, from which 
 it is distant an easy journey of an hour 
 by rail. The little town Lies on the 
 shore of the German Ocean, at the mouth 
 of the Frith of Forth. The beach is 
 firm and sloping, and well suited for 
 bathing, and there is good lodging ac- 
 commodation. Close to the town are 
 the ruins of Tantallon Castle, made 
 famous in the poem of " Marmion," 
 and a few hundred yards from shore, 
 the Bass Eock, with its melancholy 
 associations of the Scottish Covenanters. 
 
 0)iAN.- — Oban is most romantically 
 situated on the margin of a magnificent 
 bay, on the coast of Argylleshire, but 
 from some cause or another which has 
 not yet been ascertained, the number 
 of visitors who take up their quariers 
 
 is small. The railway, however, now 
 forming from Callender to Oban, ia 
 expected very much to increase the 
 popularity of this highland watering- 
 place. As the bather has the sea fresh 
 from the Atlantic, he has the fullest 
 advantage of pure water, but the want 
 of bathing machines is much felt. Ex- 
 cursions can be made from Oban to the 
 world-renowned Stafi'a and lona. 
 
 Eothesay. — The aspect of the town 
 of Eothesay, particularly on a summer 
 evening, is so charming, that we shall 
 best convey an idea of it to our readers 
 by quoting the words of a recent poet : — 
 
 " Between the hills, the rising mist 
 Is flusht with sunset's loveliest rose; 
 From purple glens the gloaming grows, 
 And dyes the sea with amethyst." 
 
 Eothesay lies at the top of the bay of 
 that name, on the northern shore of the 
 Frith of Clyde, and is the capital of the 
 island of Bute. The Scottish title of 
 the Prince of "Wales is derived from 
 Eothesay. There is no good sea bath- 
 ing accommodation to be had here, 
 but it can be found at Port Banna- 
 tync, a village immediately contiguous. 
 Tlie climate of Eothesay is remarkably 
 equable and mild, and admirably 
 adapted for persons labouring under 
 pulmonary complaints. Numerous ex- 
 cursions can be made from the town, 
 as all the passenger steamers call both 
 going and returning. Lodgings are 
 comfortable and very moderate. 
 
 Dunoon and Innellan. — These are 
 two of the most charming and popular 
 watering places on the west coast, lying 
 on the northern bank of the Clyde, 
 about forty miles from Glasgow. 
 Dunoon is a place of considerable an- 
 tiquity; but Innellan, which may be 
 called a suburb to Dvmoon, is quite of 
 modem creation. From here excur- 
 sions may be made to dozens of places 
 of romantic interest by steamers, which 
 call at the pier nearly every half-hour 
 daily. There is capital bathing, and 
 hot or cold baths can be had at the 
 principal hotels. 
 
 Helensburgh. — This delightful 
 place lies on the northern bank of the 
 river Clyde, opposite Greenock, and 
 
A^vay, away to the Deep Blue Sea. 
 
 179 
 
 about twenty-four niiles from Glasgow, 
 and is a great favourite witli the citi- 
 zens of St. Mimgo, as the patron saint 
 of Glasgow is designated. Hot, cold, 
 and shower baths can readily be ob- 
 tained, and there is a good place for 
 sea bathing, but there ai-e no machines. 
 The " Tail of tbe Bank," so well known 
 in connection with vessels leaving Gla.i- 
 gow for abroad, is close to Helens- 
 burgh, and here ships have tbeir com- 
 passes adjusted. 
 
 Largs and Millpokt. — Largs is one 
 of the most fashionable marine retreats 
 in Scotland, and is prettily situated on 
 the southern bank of the Frith of 
 Clyde, on the coast of Ayrshire, -while 
 MUlpoi't nestles under one of the Cum- 
 braes, two large islands which lie 
 nearly at the mouth of the estuary of 
 the Clyde. It is related of a farmer 
 minister of the Scottish Church on the 
 Cumbraes, that in the course of praj^ers 
 (which in the Scotch Church are alwaj-s 
 extempore), he craved a blessing on the 
 islands of the Cumbraes, and the ad- 
 jacent islands of Great Britain and Ire- 
 land ! Sea bathing, both at Largs and 
 Millport, is excellent. 
 
 AiiDKossAx. — This pleasant water- 
 ing-place lies on the Ayrshire coast, 
 opposite the Island of Arran, and about 
 thirty miles from Glasgow. The houses 
 and streets are elegant, and it possesses 
 a pier 900 feet in length. In the ruins 
 of the castle on the hill above the town 
 is a dungeon known as " Wallace's 
 Larder," having been the scene of an 
 act of signal vengeance on tbe part of 
 the Scottish hero against Edward I. 
 There is excellent bathing and mineral 
 waters. 
 
 St. Andrews. — As the ancient ar- 
 chiepiscopal metropolis of Scotland, and 
 the scene of many historical associa- 
 tions, St. Andrews claims peculiar 
 interest. Here is to be seen what is 
 supposed to be the oldest place of 
 Christian worship in Great Britain, the 
 Church of St. Eegulus. Here in 1516 
 Cardinal Beaton, one of the dignitaries 
 of the Komish Church, was assassinated, 
 and at Magus Moor, close by, a little 
 more than a hundred years later. Arch- 
 
 bishop Sharpe, of the Episcopalian 
 Church, suffered the same fate. St. 
 Andrews is romantically placed on tho 
 shore of the German Ocean, on the 
 coast of Fife, and about thirty miles 
 fr-om Edinburgh. Excellent bathing 
 can at all times be had ; hot and cold 
 baths, and good lodgings. 
 
 Nairx. — This very ancient royal 
 burgh is situated on the shore of the 
 IMoray Frith, and at the mouth of the 
 river Nairn. The air is remarlcably pure 
 and bracing, and the sea batliing excel- 
 lent, while hot, cold, or shower baths 
 can easily be had. In the neighbour- 
 hood of Nairn is Cawdor Castle, the 
 supposed scene of the murder of King 
 Duncan in Shakspeare's play of Mac- 
 beth, and bet^'een Nairn and Forres 
 lies "the Blasted Heath," immortalized 
 in the same tragedy. 
 
 TuE Isle of Man. — The Isle of Man 
 is in the Irish Sea, nearly equidistant 
 from England, Scotland, and Ireland. 
 Tlio climate is remarkably salubrious, 
 and there is sea-bathing in abun- 
 dance both at Douglas and Eamsey. 
 About eleven miles from Douglas and 
 sixteen from Ramsey, is situated Peel 
 Castle, made famous by Sir Walter 
 Scott in the largest of all his novels, 
 " Peveril of the Peak." The Isle of 
 Man formerly belonged to the Dukes 
 of AthoU as "Kings of Man," but the 
 island was ceded to the British Crown 
 in 1829. 
 
 Law of Mortgage. — Amort- 
 gage deed resembles a conveyance, but 
 contains a provision that on the bor- 
 rowed money being paid, the mortgagor 
 shall re-convey the land to the mort- 
 gagee. Or the borrower may in secu- 
 rity deposit his title-deeds with the 
 lender. Except in Middlesex and York- 
 shire, mortgage deeds in England do 
 not require to be registered. A mort- 
 gagee may assign his mortgage security 
 to another. The mortgagee, if his 
 claim is not satisfied at the time speci- 
 fied, may dispose of the estate and pay 
 himself from the proceeds. Or he may 
 enter into possession and draw the rents 
 until his claim is discharged. Or he 
 may foreclose the mortgage by a suit in 
 
I So 
 
 Be you never so High, the Law is above yon. 
 
 Chancery. "When there are several 
 mortgages over the same estate a third 
 mortgagee may purchase the first mort- 
 gage and gain priority for his whole 
 advances over the second mortgagee. 
 Until the estate is sold, the mortgagor 
 can, on the payment of the debt, com- 
 pel the mortgagee to restore his pro- 
 perty to him. Trustees who, in Eng- 
 land, invest fimds in mortgages, do so at 
 theii' own risk, since mortgages are not 
 held as first-class securities. 
 
 In Scotland there is a regular system 
 of registration of deeds concerning 
 land, and therefore bonds and disposi- 
 tions in scciuity are of much higher 
 value than in England. Trustees in 
 Scotland are entitled to invest funds 
 in mortgage secmity ; but in Scotland 
 lands cannot be mortgaged simply by 
 depositing the title-deeds with banks. 
 
 Law of Partnership. — A 
 community of profit legally establishes 
 a partnership, but a person receiving 
 by way of anmiity a portion of the pro- 
 fits of a business is not thereby con- 
 stituted a partner. A dormant partner 
 has equal rights and must share lia- 
 bilities with those Avho are the ostensible 
 partners. Partnership is formed by 
 word or writing. When no specified 
 time is settled, the partnership may be 
 dissolved at the pleasure of either of the 
 parties. Should it not be otherwise 
 stipulated in the contract, the death of 
 one of the partners dissolves the partner- 
 ship ; and so does his bankruptcy. One 
 partner can bind the firm in all matters 
 Avithin the scope of the partnership. 
 Dissolution of partnership must be in- 
 timated in the London Gazette, and 
 should likewise be announced by cir- 
 culars to all persons having transactions 
 with the firm. 
 
 The law of partnership in Scotland 
 is similar, with the following distinc- 
 tion:— While in England partners can- 
 not in a court of law sue each other in 
 respect of partnership transactions, the 
 member of a finu in Scotland may sue 
 the firm as if it were a distinct person. 
 A firm in Scotland may be made bank- 
 rupt without a sequestration of the 
 in,dividual partners. 
 
 La-w of Receipt Stamps. 
 
 — When a receipt is in writing, and the 
 sum paid is £2 or upward*, it must be 
 stamped with a penny receipt stamp ; it 
 is otherwise inadmissible as evidence 
 of paj-ment. Payments to accoimt on 
 sums of £2 and upwards, if acknow- 
 ledged by a Avritten receipt, must ho 
 severally denoted by adhesive penny 
 stamps. A written receipt for Crown 
 taxes of any amount requires no stamp, 
 and in like manner soldiers and sailors 
 are exempted from stamp duty in ac- 
 knowledging receipt of their pay. Ee- 
 ceipts for deposits with bankers are 
 exempted. Bankers' cheques must 
 each be impressed with a penny stamp. 
 
 Catarrh. — There is perhaps no 
 complaint so common as catarrh, or 
 cold in the head ; it occurs both in 
 winter and summer ; and it is generally 
 said that a summer cold is more difii- 
 cult to get rid of than a winter one. 
 
 The attack sets in with pains in the 
 limbs and back, lassitude, and a sense 
 of tightness across the forehead, re- 
 peated sneezing, watery and inflamed 
 eyes, and inci-eased discharge from the 
 nose ; sometimes there is inflammation 
 of the throat and tonsils, and an erup- 
 tion of vesicles about the lips. 
 
 llemedies without number have been 
 recommended for catarrh, but few are 
 better than the old-fashioned plan, — 
 putting the feet into hot water, giving 
 ten grains of Dover's powder, a hot 
 di-ink, and plenty of blankets. Dr. Wil- 
 liams has said that any cold can be 
 cured in forty-eight hours or less by a 
 total abstinence from liquids, but most 
 people would think the remedy worse 
 than the disease. Persons susceptible 
 to catarrh should wear warm imder- 
 clothing, and use a cold bath every 
 morning. 
 
 Hay Fever or Asthma. 
 — This very peculiar disease appears 
 generally as a severe attack of catarrh, 
 with asthmatic symptoms superadded. 
 The lining membrane of the eyes, nose, 
 throat, and lungs is all more or less 
 aftected. The patient suffers from head- 
 ache, sometimes severe, sneezing, irri- 
 tation of tLe rose and throat, witli a 
 
Apothecaries would vot giv: Pills in Sugar unless they 7oere B liter. 1 8 1 
 
 dry harassing cough. Tho asthmatic 
 attacks come on generally towards 
 evening, and last from one to three 
 hours, causing great distress. 
 
 Hay fever is not a very common 
 complaint, and only attacks those per- 
 sons who from some peculiarity of con- 
 stitution are susceptible to tho causes 
 producing it. It is supposed to be 
 caused by tho inhalation of the pungent 
 aroma of spring grass and hay, but the 
 inhalation of the powder of ipecacuanha 
 M'ill also produce it in certain indivi- 
 duals. In the United States, where the 
 rose is largely cultivated, similar at- 
 tacks sometimes occur ; it is then called 
 rose fever or rose catarrh. 
 
 The best treatment is change of air, 
 to the sea-side if possible. During the 
 attacks antispasmodics, such as sal vo- 
 latile, ether, or an emetic, if the patient 
 is able to bear it, inhalations of hot 
 steam medicated witli creosote, carbolic 
 acid, or turpentine will be found useful. 
 "When the attack passes off the general 
 health should be improved by tonics, 
 diet, &c. 
 
 Syrups. — In medical practice 
 these preparations are principally em- 
 ployed to render active medicines less 
 unpalatable. They are of various kinds. 
 It will be sufficient to describe a few of 
 those most useful in a household. "What 
 is known as simple syrup is prepared 
 by boiling two and a half pounds of re- 
 fined sugar in a pint of water till the 
 sugar is dissolved, after which it ought 
 to be allowed to cool. The scum should 
 then he taken away, and tho syrup 
 poured ofl' and kept for use. It is used 
 in this case merely to sweeten such 
 medicines as can be given when mixed 
 with it. 
 
 Syrup of Senna. — This medicine 
 differs from what is called " simple 
 syrup" in possessing medical proper- 
 ties. It is prepared by digesting to- 
 gether for twelve hours two ounces of 
 senna leaves, one ounce of bruised 
 fennel seeds, then straining the liquor, 
 mixing it with three ounces of manna 
 and a pound of refined sugar, and boil- 
 ing the whole to a proper consistence. 
 This syrup is well adapted as a con- 
 
 venient laxative for children. The dose 
 may be three or four teaspoonfuls. 
 
 SvHUP OF Oi'iVM. — This is prepared 
 by mixing with an ounce of the simple 
 syrup twenty drops of Battley's solu- 
 tion of opium. It is often of great use 
 in allaying the irritation which fre- 
 quently follows recent colds and keeps 
 up a cough ; it also allays pain and in- 
 duces sleep in delicate ])atients and 
 children. It is of considerable value 
 in clironic coughs and asthmatic affec- 
 tions. In grown-up persons the dose is 
 one or two teaspoonfuls taken occa- 
 sionally, and when sleep is to bo pro- 
 cured or pains allayed double that dose 
 may be taken. A third or oven a fourth 
 of the quantities mentioned is sufficient 
 for children. 
 
 Decoctions are solutions of tho 
 properties of vegetables obtained by 
 boiling, which is presumed to be a more 
 effective method of extracting their 
 properties than mere infusion. In 
 making decoctions it is necessary to 
 subdivide tho substances to be boiled 
 as much as possible, in order that tho 
 soluble parts of the vegetables be nioie 
 rapidly obtained. All decoctions ought 
 to be quickly made, and not long kept, 
 because the chemical constituents of 
 many vegetable substances are liable to 
 form compounds, by reacting on one 
 another, entirely dilFercnt from those 
 they originally possessed. No more, 
 indeed, ought to be made than is suffi- 
 cient for immediate use. 
 
 Simple Decoction of B.\tiley. — 
 Take of pearl barley two ounces ; water 
 five pints. Wash the barley to remove 
 any foreign substances that may adhere 
 to it, then pour upon it half a pint of 
 water and boil it for a few minutes, 
 tluow away the water in wliich it has 
 thus heen boiled, then add the re- 
 mainder of the water boiling ; hoil 
 down to two pints and strain. This is 
 the common barley water. In all dis- 
 eases producing thirst and accompanied 
 by irritation it is well kno^vn to be of 
 great service. 
 
 Compound Decoction of Barley. 
 — Take of the simple decoction of barley 
 immediately above described two pints; 
 
l82 
 
 Diseases are the Tax on Pleasures. 
 
 sliced figs, two ounces ; liquorice-root 
 bruised, half an ounce ; raisins stoned, 
 two o\mces ; water, a pint. Boil the 
 •whole down to two pints and strain it. 
 This preparation has a laxative effect, 
 but this may he checked by the addi- 
 tion to the quantity now stated of two 
 or three teaspoonfuls of the syrup of 
 poppies. 
 
 Compound Decoction of Aloes. — 
 Subcarbonate of potash, two scruples ; 
 extract of liquorice, half an ounce ; ex- 
 tract of spiked aloes, powdered myrrh, 
 powdered saffron, of each a drachm ; 
 water, one pint. Boil down (he whole 
 to twelve fluid ounces, strain the decoc- 
 tion, and then add compoxind tinctiire 
 of cardamoms, four ounces. This is a 
 mild laxative of much service in bilious 
 and nervous ailments, low spirits, con- 
 stipation, and irregularities of tbe in- 
 testinal canal and uterine functions. 
 The dose is from half an OTince to four 
 ounces taken in the morning. It is 
 most iiseful if taken every second 
 morning for two or three months, and 
 only in such doses as shall be found by 
 experience to act gently on the bowels, 
 and not to produce a violent effect. 
 
 Decoction of Peruvian Bark. — 
 Lance-leaved Peruvian bark bniiscd, 
 one ounce ; water, one pint. Boil for 
 ten minutes, and strain while the liquor 
 is hot. The dose is from one to three 
 ounces. It is an excellent tonic, and 
 of great use in agues and low nervous 
 fevers. 
 
 Astringent Decoction. — Oak bark, 
 one ounce ; water, two pints. Boil 
 down to a pint, and strain the liquor. 
 This decoction is of great use in all 
 eases in which its astringent properties 
 are required, as, for example, in piles, 
 and in the ailment known as whites. 
 In such cases as the latter it is injected 
 by a syringe, in the former it is used as 
 a lotion. It is useful also in sore throat 
 and a relaxed condition of the uvula, in 
 which last cases three drachms of the 
 tincture of capsicum will be found an 
 excellent addition to each half-pint of 
 the decoction. 
 
 Compound Decoction of Sarsa- 
 PARiLLA. — Sai'saparilla root sliced, two 
 
 ounces ; boiling water, two pints. 
 Macerate for four hours in a vessel 
 lightly covered and placed near the 
 fire. Having done this take out the 
 sarsapariUa and bruise it ; then place it 
 again in the liquor ; macerate as before 
 for four hours along with the raspings 
 of guaiacum wood, bark of sassafras 
 root, liquorice root bruised, of each half 
 an ounce ; and bark of mezereon root, 
 one drachm and a half, and strain the 
 decoction. This is an excellent altera- 
 tive and diaphoretic, or promoter of 
 perspiration. It is of very signal effi- 
 cacy in chronic rheumatism, cutaneous 
 eruptions, indigestion, and various dis- 
 eases arising from disorder of the con- 
 stitution. 
 
 Emulsions consist of mucila- 
 ginous substances and water, which, 
 being bland and soft in character, tend 
 to allay initation in the lungs and 
 bowels, and serve, if necessary, as 
 vehicles by which such medicines can 
 be administered as cannot conveniently 
 be given in a liquid state. 
 
 Emulsion of Gum-arabic. — Gum- 
 arabic in powder, two drachms ; sweet 
 almonds blauched and white sugar, of 
 each half an ounce ; warm barley water, 
 a pint. Dissolve the gum in the barley 
 water, and when almost cold pour the 
 liquor gently on the almonds and sugar, 
 previously mixed and pounded into a 
 powder, rubbing then." so as to form a 
 miUcy mixture, after Mhich strain the 
 M'hole. This emulsion is very useful 
 in ordinary colds and coughs, as well as 
 in strangury and irritation in the uri- 
 nary organs ; it is also well adapted as 
 a means of administering medicine in 
 these and other ailments. 
 
 Emulsion for Becent Coughs. — 
 Oil of sweet almonds, one ounce ; the 
 yolk of one egg ; orange-flower water, 
 five ounces ; mucilage of gum-arabic, 
 half an ounce. Mix all together. A 
 tablespoonful is the dose when the 
 cough is troublesome. Half the quan- 
 tity is adapted to young children. 
 
 Emulsion for Coughs of Long 
 Standing. — Gum - ammoniac, two 
 di-achms ; spring water, half an im- 
 perial pint. The ammoniac ought to 
 
One is not so soon Healed as Hurt. 
 
 be nibbed ^^•cll, and tho water at the 
 same time pradually added till both 
 are thoroughly mixed. Strain the 
 whole for use. In asthmas and old 
 coughs, where there is no accompany- 
 ing inflammation, the emulsion acts as 
 an expectorant. The dose is one or 
 two tablespoonfuls mixed with an equal 
 quantity of almond emulsion made in 
 the manner following. 
 
 Almond Emulsion. — Almond con- 
 fection, two ounces ; spring water, 
 one pint. Let the water bo gradually 
 added to (ho confection, which ought to 
 be rubbed at the same time, and then 
 strained, when it will be ready for 
 use. 
 
 Eoo Emulsion. — This can be pre- 
 pared as follows : — Rub the yolks of two 
 or three eggs and a little white sugar 
 with a ]>int of cold water, a glass of 
 white wine, and a little lemon juice. 
 This emulsion is useful as a remedy 
 for coughs, hoarseness, costiveness, and 
 spitting of blood ; in addition to this it 
 is • restorative drink, and from its 
 nutritive qualities of much benefit in 
 all cases of weakness. 
 
 Cookery for Invalids. — 
 TAnocA Jelly. — "Wash in two or 
 three waters a tablespoonful of large 
 tapioca ; let it soak in fresh water for 
 five or six hours ; and then in the same 
 water simmer it to a clear jelly. Fla- 
 vour it to taste. 
 
 Light Flour Puddlno. — Boil a tea- 
 cupful of milk, putting into it smoothly 
 a spoonful of tine flour. As it grows 
 cold stir it to prevent the flour from 
 settling at the bottom. When cold add 
 the yolk of an egg well beaten, and a 
 small quantity of salt ; tie it up in a 
 buttered teacup or small pudding-basin, 
 plunge it into a saucepan of boiling 
 water, and boil it fast for half an hour. 
 "When turned out it should be firm 
 enough to stand. 
 
 Bread Pudding. — Pour on two 
 tablespoonfuls of bread cnmibs o cup of 
 boiling milk ; Avhen cold add the beaten 
 yolk of an egg, and a tablespoonful of 
 powdered white sugar, and boil in a 
 basin for a quarter of an hour or twenty 
 minutes. A bitter almond bruised, 
 
 183 
 
 cinnamon, or lemon peel, may bo boiled 
 in the milk to give a flavour. 
 
 AuRowRooT Pudding. — Mix a table- 
 spoonful in cold milk, and pour it into 
 boiling milk. When cool add the yolk 
 of an egg well beaten, and a little 
 sugar; put it into a basin, and boil 
 ten minutes. 
 
 Tai'ioca Pudding. — Tapioca is to be 
 prepared like arrowTOot, whether as a 
 jelly or a pudding. It is requisite, 
 however, to soak the tapioca very long 
 in water, and afterwards to steep it in 
 milk. 
 
 llicE Blancmange. — Wash a table- 
 spoonful of best rice in two waters, 
 then set it to boil, with a small bit of 
 lemon peel or cinnamon, and two table- 
 spoonfuls of white sugar in half a pint 
 of milk. If the rice absorbs all tho 
 milk, add as much more as will keep it 
 soft and moist ; when boiled to a pulp, 
 put it into a mould till cold, when it 
 will tiini out. 
 
 Seaside Studies.— To Pre- 
 serve Specimens of Seaweed. — 
 Those who visit the sea-side may 
 find an interesting occupation in pre- 
 seiring specimens of the Algic, for 
 which a largo number of the smaller 
 kinds are well adapted, many of them 
 retaining their delicate hues when pro- 
 perly dried, although fading \\4th more 
 or less rapidity when exposed to the sun. 
 
 In making a collection of seaweeds 
 for preservation, it is of importance 
 to gather those which flourish in 
 tho rocky pools left by the recess of 
 the tide, or such as have been recently 
 cast on the shore. The colours of such 
 specimens are stronger and more de- 
 cided than when they have been left 
 exposed to the air and sunlight. Many 
 beautiful and rare specimens are fre- 
 quently cast ashore by a storm, and 
 some may bo discovered in their natural 
 habitations on the occasion of low 
 spring tides. After collecting the weeds, 
 proceed to their preservation as soon as 
 possible. 
 
 Take possession of a large table for 
 your operations, have a white table- 
 cloth laid on it, and then place on it 
 the basin containing the specimens (in 
 
1 84 
 
 The Society of Ladies is the School of Politeness. 
 
 fresh water), another basin, also full 
 of fresh water, a jug of M'ater, and the 
 largest dish of your dinner service. 
 Place beside you plenty of common 
 white writing and white cartridge paper. 
 Fill the dish with water, select a piece 
 of " weed" from the basin, wash it in 
 the second basin, and, according to its 
 size, select a piece of paper, which lay 
 on the dish, letting the water cover it ; 
 then float the piece of weed in the water 
 over the paper, spreading it carefully 
 out, cutting away part of the branches 
 if too dense to be well displayed, and 
 taking care to unravel all twists in the 
 larger stems. A very convenient im- 
 plement for this is a middle-sized 
 camel' s-hair pencil, or paint brush, with 
 the top end of the stick made shai-p. 
 A pin or needle is too thin, and tears 
 the soaked paper. The brush serves to 
 sweep off fragments which float about 
 the specimen. AYhen nicely arranged, 
 the paper with the seaweed on it is 
 gently drawn from the water, watching 
 that the sprays keep their proper places ; 
 it is drained for a few seconds, and 
 laid on the tablecloth. Continue thus 
 tiU the table is full, or till the specimens 
 first done begin to dry, which they 
 must not be permitted to do at this 
 stage. Then lay over each a piece of 
 smooth fine rag, and proceed to put all 
 under pressure. The press may be very 
 simple. On a broad flat board lay two 
 or three old newspapers flatly folded, 
 then one of the specimens on its wet 
 paper with the rag over, then two or 
 three more newspapers, then another 
 specimen, and so on to the end. When 
 all are thus laid smoothly, place a board 
 on the top with one or two heavy books, 
 and on top of all a bag of shot, or any 
 other heavy weight. A ream or two of 
 blotting-paper would be better than old 
 newspapers, but is not always so easily 
 procured. In two or three days, at 
 most, remove all the damp newspapers, 
 and substitute others which are per- 
 fectly dr)', but do not disturb the rags 
 until the papers on which the weeds 
 are spread have become dry ; then the 
 rag will peel off the most delicate fronds 
 without injury, leaving the specimen 
 
 (in most cases) closely adheiing to tlio 
 white paper. Only a very few of the 
 algce become loose when dry, but they 
 have a propensity to contract afterwards, 
 and require to be kept closely between 
 the leaves of a large book, or to be 
 attached by means of gum to the blank 
 pages of a book prepared for the pur- 
 pose, with a memorandum stating the 
 name of the specimen, the time when 
 it was gathered, the place in which 
 it was found, and any other particulars. 
 
 Many of these plants are delicate and 
 beautiful in the extreme ; and when 
 fixed to the paper, they may with great 
 advantage be subjected to examination 
 with a microscope. The weeds thus 
 prepared preserve their colours exqui- 
 sitely, — at least, if care be taken to Avash 
 out the salt water before drying them 
 and they can be rendered available for 
 the formation of ornaments, which are 
 very pretty for baskets, &c. 
 
 HoAA'^ to "Warm a Large 
 RooiTl. — The system of heating large 
 rooms, public halls, and churches, by 
 means of a hot water apparatus is un- 
 questionably the best, alike on the score 
 of comfort and of economy. A writer 
 in the Builder has described a method 
 adopted by Dr. Hayward, of Liverpool, 
 to warm and ventilate liis own residence. 
 
 " The air is received at the basement, 
 through gratings from the streets, into 
 a chamber, where it is heated by hot 
 water pipes. The warm air flows iip- 
 wards through other gratings into a 
 lobby on the next floor, from which it 
 is diffused into the rooms on that floor, 
 which are connected by gratings with 
 the central lobby. A further draught 
 of air is carried to a lobby on the next 
 floor, and diff'used in like manner. In 
 each room there is a grating over the 
 chandelier, into which the foul air flows, 
 and it is carried up from each room 
 through a pipe xmtil the entire foul air 
 is concentrated in a small chamber at 
 the top of the building. This chamber 
 is connected by a shaft with the kitchen 
 cliimney, and the foul air is drawn 
 down through this shaft, and escapes 
 from the chimney shaft through flues 
 which run parallel with the smoke flue 
 
Pen and Ink are Wifs Plough. 
 
 185 
 
 of the kitchen. Dr. Hayward insures 
 an equable temperature either in sum- 
 mer or winter, and obviates all the 
 ordinary di-aughts of houses, which are 
 productive of cold and disease." 
 
 A Few Hints on Short- 
 hand Writing.— In these days 
 of the electric telegraph, the universally 
 applied steam-engine, and the other 
 endless contrivances for the saving of 
 time and labour, shorthand \n-iting has 
 become so useful that we need offer no 
 apology for giving the subject a place 
 in the present work. This very cvii ious 
 and instructive art is no longer the 
 special accomplishment of newspaper 
 reporters. It may be learned as easily 
 and practised as successfully by ladies 
 as by persons of the other sex. 
 
 As an evening employment, espe- 
 cially in families that include several 
 young people among whom there is 
 not much difference of age, its study 
 will be found interesting, and, like all 
 other employments in which the thoughts 
 and endeavours of all the members of a 
 household are constrained to rim in the 
 same channel, it will tend to preserve 
 the sympathies of the family group in 
 healthy activity, and as a variety of 
 home education, the attention it awakens, 
 the perseverance it demands, and the 
 information which those who practise 
 it cannot fail to acquire, constitute it a 
 very valuable kind of training. No one 
 who has attained any ordinary degree 
 of facility in writing shorthand, can 
 have any difficulty in expressing him- 
 self accurately on paper, whether what 
 he is asked to write be a letter, a de- 
 scription, a report, or a naiTative. But, 
 of course, the chief benefits of a know- 
 ledge of shorthand are not seen so much 
 ia the home as in the place of business, 
 the warehouse, and the office. No per- 
 son can possibly be the worse for know- 
 ing shorthand, and wo cannot conceive 
 of a situation in life in M'hich it would 
 not in a greater or less degree be an ad- 
 vantage. Clerks in mercantile houses, 
 government clerks — all, indeed, whose 
 business it may at any time be to write 
 letters, know the value of this accom- 
 plishment, in taking down letters dic- 
 
 tated to them prior to writing them out 
 in long hand, in drawing up the first 
 drafts of statements afterwards to be 
 elaborated, &c. In the journals of the 
 day advertisements for shorthand clerks 
 to assist in the coixespondence of mer- 
 cantile estabUshmeuts are continually 
 appearing. It is perhaps only to him 
 who wishes to become a newspaper re- 
 porter, however, that the ability to take 
 a verbatim note is a sine qua non, but as 
 it is the object of this work to treat on 
 subjects from a social point of view, to 
 consider them as they affect society 
 generally, and not as they affect the 
 professions merely, we shall employ the 
 limited space at our disposal chiefiy in 
 pointing out what, after some years of 
 practical acquaintance with it, we con- 
 sider the best system of shorthand, in 
 briefly explaining that system, and in 
 giving hints to learners, leaving the 
 young reporter to what he already knows 
 are his only efficient teachers — study of 
 the more contracted forms and practice. 
 The only competent authorities on 
 the different systems of shorthand are, 
 doubtless,professional shorthand \\Titers. 
 Many of these gentlemen write systems 
 of their own, or sj'stems based upon 
 the invention of some one else, but upon 
 which they have grafted a series of 
 original contracted forms. Some write 
 stenography, others write phonography 
 in one form or another, and there is 
 some difference of opinion respecting 
 the merits of the systems. But the 
 general opinion among reporters is that 
 the system of phonography invented by 
 Isaac Pitman, of Bath, in 1837, is th» 
 best, as it is also the most generally 
 practised system of shorthand ; and 
 though many reporters commend the 
 systems of Taylor, Gurney, and others, 
 yet most of them, if asked the question, 
 would certainly answer that if they had 
 to begin the study of shorthand anew, 
 they would study Pitman's phono- 
 graphy in preference to any other 
 method. If asked to give his reasons 
 for this preference, a practical shorthand 
 writer would state that Pitman's method 
 is unusually systematic, its structure is 
 as thoroughly logical as any system of 
 
i86 
 
 Sliort Reckonings are soon cleared. 
 
 Mriting in other symbols than letters 
 can ■well he, it is built \ip like a lan- 
 guage, and by it the most rapid speakers 
 can be fully reported. There being no 
 occasion for using any other than the 
 recognised forms and combinations in 
 order to keep up with speakers, one 
 reporter's notes can be read by all other 
 reporters who write this system. All 
 the exigencies of the sounds of the Eng- 
 lish language are so completely pro- 
 vided for by the consonant and vowel 
 symbols, that phonography can be writ- 
 ten to ordinary dictation as legibly as 
 long hand, and instances are mentioned 
 of speeches taken verbatim having been 
 set up by printers who knew the system, 
 direct from the shorthand notes. 
 
 Phonography, or " sound-writing," 
 is simply the writing of our language 
 by symbols representing sounds. The 
 symbols that represent simple consonant 
 sounds can all be made with only one 
 motion of the pen or pencil. This is 
 really the key to shorthand writing. 
 In writing the letter <, tliree motions of 
 the pen are reqiiii-ed, but in striking 
 the 23honctic symbol for that letter only 
 one motion is lequired. The following 
 are the phonetic symbols for the simple 
 consonant sounds : — 
 
 CONSOISANTS. 
 
 \\ W // 
 
 p b t d ch j J' g 
 
 V^ ( ( ) ) J J 
 
 i V tli(iu) th(en) s z sh zli 
 
 y 
 
 1 r 
 
 All these forms are written in the 
 way that is found to make the most 
 elegant, and therefore the most swiftly 
 M'ritten outline, when combined with 
 other forms : that is to say, the upright 
 and sloping forms are written from top 
 to bottom, and the horizontal forms 
 
 from left to right. One exception to 
 this rule is the form for the letter I, 
 which may be written either from the 
 bottom or the top to suit convenience ; 
 and the duplicate form for the letter r, 
 which is written from the bottom. The 
 reason for these exceptions is the all- 
 important one that when the writer of 
 phonography has finished one word his 
 hand must be in the position most con- 
 venient for writing the succeeding 
 word. It will have been seen that in 
 the above table the only difference be- 
 tween the pairs of symbols for the 
 letters p and b, t and d, &c., is that the 
 first symbol in each pair is written thin, 
 and the second thick; a plan which 
 represents the relation of the one sound 
 to the other, the first sound in each pair 
 being less intense than the second. 
 
 From the above table, then, we are 
 to suppose, for the present, that the 
 consonant skeletons of all English words 
 can be written. In phonography the 
 VQwel sounds are expressed by dots, 
 dashes, curves, and arrowheads, arranged 
 as follows : — 
 
 VOWELS. 
 Short. 
 
 im, ell, ill, olive, j(p, fowl. 
 
 L072r/. 
 
 all eh ee aw 6 65 
 
 dims, ale, eel, all, ope, food. 
 DIPHTHONGS. 
 
 I ow u ai oi 
 
 Vl AI I ^1 -/I 
 
 isle, ckI, t«ne, ay, oil. 
 
 From what has been explained of this 
 system of shorthand, the student may 
 now be able to write phonetically the 
 line, — 
 " Be fit to live, that you may be fit to die." 
 
 In writing this line the first word 
 will be phonetically expressed by writ- 
 
A IVoman^s Work is nrcer at an End. 
 
 187 
 
 ing the symbol for the letter h, and 
 marking the dot for the vowel e after 
 it; the second word by writing the 
 symbols for / and t without lifting the 
 pen, and inserting the dot for the short 
 i behind the t, and so on. 
 
 There are three styles of phonogra- 
 phic writing, — the full alphabetical 
 style, in which the symbol for each in- 
 dividual consonant sound is written out 
 in full, and all the vowel points in- 
 serted; the corresponding style in which 
 a number of words of frequent occur- 
 rence, such as "and," "the," and "that," 
 calicd " grammalogues," are expressed 
 by single letters ; and the reporting 
 style, which, according to Mr. I'itman, 
 can be written at the rate of 200 words 
 per minute, and might be written still 
 more rapidly if the organs of speech 
 did not forbid man to pronoimce a 
 greater number of words distinctly 
 within that time. In the reporting 
 style of phonography every expedient 
 is made use of to insure swiftness with- 
 out endangering legibility. 
 
 A good style of shorthand writing is 
 seldom learned by persons advanced in 
 years ; for with age the hand loses its 
 tiexibility, there is a disinclination to 
 master preliminary details, and the 
 occupations of life become too exacting 
 to allow of a sufficient amount of time 
 being devoted to an employment that 
 is not immediately productive. Tliat 
 phonography may be mastered in boy- 
 hood is attested by the fact that in 
 many newspaper oHices the minor re- 
 porting duties are discharged by young 
 men still in their teens. The student 
 should therefore commence young, and 
 practise daily. If a week is allowed to 
 pass without practice it will be neces- 
 sary to go back over old ground, and 
 the time will be spent in revision w hich 
 might have been devoted to the acqui- 
 sition of fresh knowledge. 
 
 A few lessons will enable a student 
 to master the preliminaries, and get 
 into the coiTesponding st5de of phono- 
 graphy; but, having advanced so far, 
 he must be content to labour patiently, 
 and practise regularly, until he can 
 write to dictation neatly and freely. 
 
 His work when practising this style 
 must be in every sense thorough. JEIe 
 must make himself complete master of 
 the exercises given ; must commit to 
 memory, and practise daily, the lists of 
 " grammalogues" and "phjaseograms," 
 and must never weary in writing to 
 dictation; and in this exercise he must 
 endeavour to be neat and exact in form- 
 ing his words, rather than to be quick 
 in getting over the paper. Swift, care- 
 less practice does no actual good. In 
 his initiatory practice he must trans- 
 cribe in long hand the exercises which 
 he writes in the phonographic charac- 
 ter, for without doing so he will not 
 improve. It will be better for him if, 
 after studying for a month or two, he 
 shall be able to write 50 words a 
 minute, neatly, firmly, and without 
 becoming flun-ied, than to write 100 
 words in a loose haphazard way. 
 
 Such are the directions which, from 
 our own experience in the study and 
 practice of shorthand, we have thought 
 it best to give ; but full instruc- 
 tions on all necessary matters will be 
 found in the " Phonographic Teacher," 
 " Manual of Phonography," and the 
 " Reporters Companion," published by 
 Mr. Pitman, of Bath, and which are all 
 the books required in order to anive at 
 a good working knowledge of shorthand 
 writing. 
 
 The labour of writing out the notes 
 will be lightened if the student works 
 with two or more fiiends. In a family 
 or in a class there is seldom any diffi- 
 culty in finding some one to read to the 
 learners. 
 
 Embroidery, No. 3.— Silk 
 EMBROIDERY is the most difficult kind of 
 ornamental work to explain by writing , 
 the modes of executing it are so various, 
 and so much of the effect depends on 
 minutiae, that it must be seen in the act 
 of being worked, for any one who has 
 not been taught the art, to have an in- 
 telligent idea of the manner in which 
 the very beautiful result is attained. 
 The snk embroidery now so much used 
 on silk dresses, ladies' mantles, &c., and 
 the designs of which are generally 
 sprays of leaves and flowers of the 
 
There's Music in all Things, if iVTcii had Ears. 
 
 natural colours, is all worked in the 
 same %yay as the crape shawls so largely 
 imported from China, that is to say, in 
 satin stitch, hut without any stuffing 
 under the leaves ; and the proper min- 
 gling and shading of the colours, so as 
 to produce at least an approximation to 
 the natural shading of a flower, is a 
 matter so entirely dependent on the 
 taste and observation of the worker, 
 that it is quite impossible to give any 
 specific directions for the work. 
 
 The mati^hial to be embroidered 
 must be stretched on a frame, and the pat- 
 tern should be stamped on it beforehand. 
 Purse silk is the most brilliant in colour, 
 but it is rather closely twisted for work- 
 ing ; this, however, may be remedied 
 by drawing out one of the strands, 
 which renders it softer. Floss silk is 
 also used, but it is not nearly so durable 
 as the purse silk; Filoselle is only used 
 in Berlin work. The stitches used are the 
 common raised satin stitch without the 
 stuffing, and the slanting satin stitch, or 
 Point de Plume. In shading, the lighter 
 shades are sometimes worked in stitches 
 between the darker ones, to make the 
 shading more gradual, but this must be 
 seen to be understood. Point Eusse is 
 a stitch used in embroidery on leather, 
 such as slippers, cigar cases, &c. ; the 
 pattern is stamped on the leather, and 
 the tracing perforated with small holes 
 through which the needle passes, and 
 the pattern a2)pears like a rather long 
 plain stitch ; this stitch is also used 
 with ingrain silk on muslin. 
 
 BllAIDING WITH SILK OR WORSTED 
 
 BRAID on silk, merino, &c., may be 
 classed as a kind of embroidery, and the 
 drawing of patterns for it to ornament 
 babies' cloaks, dresses for little children, 
 cushions, and other fancy articles, was 
 formerly a very nice as well as a very 
 tedious art ; they can now be stamped 
 by machinery in a few minutes, and 
 instead of carefully sewing on every row 
 of braid, and watching the turning of 
 all corners to keep them flat and pre- 
 vent the work from ripping, the worker 
 can now, by the application of a very 
 simple piece of mechanism to the sew- 
 ing machine, execute the most compli- 
 
 cated and elaborate pattern of braiding, 
 with the utmost ease, and in one-half the 
 time that such a piece of work would 
 take to be done by hand. 
 
 Hints on the Practice of 
 Music. — A thorough efficiency in 
 music can neither be attained nor main- 
 tained without industrious practice. 
 The great mechanical po^^'ers of some 
 professional performers are the result 
 of j'ears of laborious application, and 
 many artists even continiie this applica- 
 tion throughout their lives. Knowing 
 that music, unlike other arts, cannot be 
 mastered by any less exacting course, 
 they forego alike the profits of teaching, 
 and the recreation ofi'ered by other 
 studies, in order to devote the whole 
 day to practice, with the view to main- 
 tain the highest possible efficiency of 
 execution. As fevv^ amateurs are, how- 
 ever, able to devote so many hours of 
 each day to the practice of music, it is 
 important to know the most economical 
 system of using what time can be set 
 apart for that study. Three hours 
 daily should at least be taken (four 
 hours would be better) if an adequate 
 proficiency in good music be aimed at. 
 A portion of the time may be taken 
 early in the morning, and the other 
 portion at a later period, — not too late in 
 the evening, for the writer has observed 
 that late practice is with some a cause 
 of sleeplessness. Children should never 
 practise except imder the guidance of a 
 parent or governess. 
 
 What should be practised. — As 
 three important qualifications are aimed 
 at by the pianoforte student, viz., 
 muscular agility, facility in playing 
 music at sight, and a tasteful style, 
 the practice should be arranged with a 
 view to their acquirement. Muscular 
 2Miver practically comes first, and it 
 should be sought for in a vigorous 
 practice of scales and other exercises, 
 and of certain gymnastic methods, with 
 (ft- without the use of such inventions 
 as the " Digitorium." Exercises which 
 are found to make the hardest 'work 
 should be principally chosen. The 
 "Daily exercise" and Etudes de la 
 velocite of Czerny, the scales of Kdk- 
 
A Man loves the Meat in his Youth that he cannot endure in his Age. 189 
 
 brenner, and the finger exercises of 
 Ilerz and Schmidt may be named 
 among the best for the purpose ; while 
 those of Cramer, Bertini, and Heller 
 will be found improving studies in 
 style, taste, and expression, — qualities, 
 however, which may be acquired by 
 the ctudy of the compositions to which 
 they are intended to lead. An hour 
 daily should be given to vigorous exer- 
 cises of the former sort, and the student 
 should work away without mercy. 
 The next point to be attended to is 
 sight-reading, and it may soon be ac- 
 quired by daily playing through half a 
 dozen new pieces of a rather easy 
 description, choosing fresh pieces every 
 day. For the attainment of the third 
 requirement, taste (or stylo), the pupil 
 should set apart the remainder of his or 
 her time in practising lessons given by 
 the music-master, r^d according to his 
 directions and i..c,.iiple. It will bo 
 found most useful to take a few lessons 
 in the theory of music — harmony or 
 composition, — a quarter of an hour 
 being sufficient for any exercises on 
 this subject. 
 
 The student should remember the old 
 adage, " Practice makes perfect," and 
 by his industry justify his teacher in 
 leading him on to the highest class of 
 music, instead of the poor rubbish 
 which is advertised in the public jour- 
 nals; and when he experiences the 
 enjoyment of the elevated works of 
 Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and Men- 
 delssohn, or the delightful thoughts of 
 such composers as Weber, Dussek, 
 Chopin, Schumann, Bennett, and 
 Heller, he will be thankful for the 
 training he has received, and rejoice 
 at the industiy which has placed him 
 beyond the temptation of the flimsy 
 style which gratifies the dilatory 
 amateur. 
 
 The Metronome with bell will be 
 found of great service in the acquire- 
 ment of con-ect time in performance. 
 It may be used at first only in the 
 easiest pieces, but eventually with more 
 elaborate compositions. It should be 
 remembered that the bell strikes on the 
 first beat of each bar, and it should be 
 
 set according to the time of each move- 
 ment, whether of t\\'o, three, four, or 
 more beats in a bar. 
 
 A "gkaxd piano" of horizontal 
 form is the best for all pui-poses. 
 Avoid a common instrument if you do 
 not wish to ruin your touch and spoil 
 your ear. And, as practice on an ill- 
 toned instrument is nothing short of 
 torture, be careful not only to work on 
 a good piano, but to have it kept in 
 good tune. Once a month will not bo 
 too often for the tuner to attend. 
 
 Music-coPYixG, except in the study 
 of hannony, is not to be recommended, 
 as music is now so cheap, and the time 
 may be better spent at the piano, or 
 even in healthful recreation, which is 
 important to the pianist, for he has to 
 develop muscular as Mell as mental 
 powers, and health is therefore to him 
 a primary consideration. 
 
 Loss of Appetite. — There 
 are two causes for loss of appetite — the 
 excessive use of stimulants and violent 
 mental emotions. Those who are con- 
 stitutionally delicate are very liable to 
 this complaint, and such persons should 
 observe strict regulaiity in their meals. 
 
 " Pray Leaven we be not scant of meat or 
 mirth." iHcott. 
 
 "Walking exercise is essential to the 
 maintenance of a proper appetite. 
 Taking wine or other stimulants in 
 the forenoon or before dinner is hurtful, 
 and ought to be avoided, and four 
 hours at least should elapse between 
 the period of each meal. The apix'tito 
 may be improved by taking half a 
 spoonful of bitters in a glass of sherry 
 a short time before meals. Quinine 
 in any form or pepsine wine will be 
 found very efl'ective in cases of dis- 
 ordered digestion, and fresh air, regular 
 exercise, and strict temperance, are the 
 best means of alleviating or checking 
 loss of appetite. 
 
 Hints on Poultry. 
 
 The Domestic Duck. — Ducks are 
 of no small importance in rural eco- 
 nomy, and no poultry-yard, however 
 wcU appointed, can be considered 
 complete without them. They are 
 very prolific. The eggs are much 
 
I po A Goose Quill is more Dangerous than a Lioiis Claw. 
 
 relished by many people on account of 
 their flavour and richness, in which they 
 are superior to the eggs of the common 
 fowl, and these qualities make them in 
 great request with the pastrycook, one 
 duck egg, according to culinary esti- 
 mate, being equal to two hen eggs. 
 The flesh of the duck has a peculiar 
 flavour, biit by no means unwholesome ; 
 it is, however, apt to be affected by the 
 description of food the birds live upon, 
 and as the duck is a foul feeder, de- 
 vouring everything in the way of food 
 that it finds edible, care must be taken 
 some time before it is brought to the 
 table, to confine it 1o more select food 
 than ducks can usually discover for 
 themselves, even with all their usual 
 industry. 
 
 The common duck does not make 
 a good hatcher. She is apt to allow 
 her eggs to become cold ; and this arises 
 from the deHght she takes in the water ; 
 and from the same cause, how cold soever 
 the weather may be, she will take the 
 young brood to make their first essay in 
 the art of swimming as soon as they 
 are out of the shell, — a practice always 
 injurious. For these and other reasons 
 the plan of setting duck eggs under a 
 hen is frequently adopted, and with 
 much success, owing to the superior 
 degree of maternal solicitude for her 
 web-footed charge which the instinct of 
 the hen prompts her to cherish. The 
 eggs of the duck are hatched in thirty- 
 one days. The j'oung birds ought to 
 be kept a day or two from the water, 
 even in fine weather, and certainly 
 when the weather is cold. Their first 
 food ought to be boiled barley mixed 
 up with boiled nettles and hard-boiled 
 eggs. They will soon be able to take 
 care of themselves, exhibiting, notwith- 
 standing the astonishment and terror of 
 the hen, intense delight in taking to 
 the water, and marvellous activity in 
 seeking food on the new element. There 
 are several varieties of the domestic 
 duck ; many of them are crosses pro- 
 duced by different breeds, and exhibit- 
 ing great diversity in plumage and con- 
 siderable diff'erence in size. 
 
 Perhaps the two most esteemed 
 
 varieties are the Aylesbury Duck, 
 a large and handsome bird, — the flesh 
 is excellent, and so delicate in flavour 
 that it has been compared to that of 
 a chicken ; and the Eouen Duck, an 
 excellent variety, superior in flavour 
 to the Aylesbury, which is certainly 
 no small praise. 
 
 A large number of ducks are known 
 to the naturalist, many of them beauti- 
 ful birds. Some of the foreign varieties 
 which are readily tamed are remarkably 
 well adapted for ponds and other orna- 
 mental waters, although their small 
 size and the inferior quality of their 
 flesh render them much less useful than 
 the common ducks. For a special de- 
 scription of these beautiful aquatic fowls 
 we must refer our readers to works on 
 natural history. 
 
 We shall now give our attention to 
 the subject of geese, of which there are 
 several varieties. Our object, how- 
 ever, is to confine our remarks to such 
 as are most useful in domestic economy, 
 as it does not strictly come within the 
 scope of this work to assume the pro- 
 vince of the naturalist, unless in so far 
 as our so doing is directly adapted to 
 matters of immediate household inte- 
 rest. 
 
 The Domestic Goose. — There are 
 two kinds of domestic geese, which, 
 however, are not distinguished from 
 each other by peculiarities which render 
 them different in species, but merely by 
 size and colour ; they are either large or 
 small, white or grey. Of these the 
 grey is in several respects the best kind, 
 for this reason, according to some 
 judges, that it approaches nearer than 
 others to the common wild goose, which 
 is considered the origin of all the do- 
 mestic species of Europe. 
 
 The best judges say that care should 
 be taken to avoid having geese of mixed 
 colours, that is to say, they ought to be 
 entirely grey or altogether white ; and 
 there can be no doubt that this opinion 
 is the result of sound experience and 
 deserves the greatest attention. For all 
 domestic purposes the grey colour, as 
 already stated, is the best. 
 
 The goose lays from ten to twenty 
 
A Fox should not be on the Jury at a Gooses Trial. T9 r 
 
 eggs before sitting, and when well fed 
 and attended to she will lay and hatch 
 three times in a year. She begins to 
 lay early in March, and even towards 
 the end of February. The period of 
 laying may be perceived in the circum- 
 stance that the goose at that time carries 
 about straws in its bill, prompted by 
 the development of the mattimal in- 
 stinct to prepare a nest. When this 
 practice is observed it will bo found 
 prudent to confine the bird, providing 
 her with a nest for laying and hatching 
 in, which should be made of straw lined 
 with hay, and so formed that the eggs 
 will not readily fall out, especially when 
 the bird turns them. Fifteen eggs will 
 be sufficient to place under even a large 
 bird. The period of incubation is a 
 month, but some of the goslings may 
 be hatched a day or two sooner ; it is, 
 however, desirable that all the young 
 birds be hatched about the same time, 
 and to this end as much care as is prac- 
 ticable should be taken to have all the 
 eggs equally fresh. When the brood 
 are hatched they ought to be turned 
 out into a sunny place, sheltered alike 
 from cold winds or bad weather ; but it 
 is not only unnecessary but prejudicial 
 to feed them for twelve hours or so. 
 Their earliest food ought to be bread 
 soaked in milk, curds, porridge, boiled 
 greens, boiled potatoes mixed with bran ; 
 and such food ought to be given them 
 at a moderate temperature, so as to avoid 
 the entrance of heat or cold, and for a 
 couple of days at least after being 
 hatched the go.slings ought not to be 
 allowed access to cold water, which 
 often gives them cramp. 
 
 As a general rule, geese ought to bo 
 confined as little as possible. If they 
 are allowed to stroll about the fields, 
 ditches, and runs of water, they will 
 forage for themselves very successfully. 
 Grass and water are essential to their 
 comfort and well-being, such grass espe- 
 cially as may be found on damp and 
 swampy soil, and which, however rank 
 or coarse it may be, is well adapted to 
 them. In harvest-time the stubble- 
 fields are an excellent pasturage for 
 them ; tliey can there pick up no small 
 
 supply of com M-hich would otherwise 
 be lost, and they obtain abundance of 
 young grass and other herbage. The 
 advantages of a stubble-field, however, 
 are not always to be had, but where this 
 occurs the kitchen-garden may be made 
 available. In autumn the geese may 
 bo turned into it without the danger 
 of their doing any serious damage ; 
 but they ought to be fed occasionally 
 on boiled potatoes, bruised up with 
 bran, or the result of their foraging 
 for themselves in the kitchen-garden 
 will not bo productive of any ad- 
 vantage. 
 
 Goslings in June and July will 
 fatten without any food beyond what 
 they can gather for themselves in the 
 stubble-fields; but if it be necessary to 
 hasten the process they must be sup- 
 plied with additional nutriment for that 
 purpose, such as potatoes and turnips 
 bruised with meal, and they should 
 thus be fed once a day. There are 
 various methods of fattening geese, but 
 the simplest and best is nutritive food, 
 and in abundance. 
 
 The modes of cramming adopted 
 in France, Poland, and other countries, 
 are all more or less cruel, besides 
 being injurious, for the fat of the 
 goose under such forcing mea-^ures be- 
 comes rank, and the llesh xmwhole- 
 some. The goose will become suffi- 
 ciently fat if kept in a coop in a 
 dark place, and supplied with as much 
 good and nutritious food as it will eat. 
 The foreign geese which have been in- 
 troduced to this country are the 
 Chinese Goose, the white Chinese 
 Goose, the ulack-legged Chinese 
 Goose, the Hong Kong Goose. All 
 these breeds are good, and well worthy 
 to have a place in the poultry-yard. 
 But there is one which vastly excels 
 them, and to which we shall now refer, 
 without any attempt to describe the 
 numerous varieties of the goose %\'hich 
 are wild, and which it is the province 
 of the naturalist to attend to. 
 
 The Toulouse Goose. — This fine 
 bird is by some understood to be the 
 unmixed and immediate descendant of 
 the wild goose, properly so called, while 
 
192 An Apple may happen to be better Given than Eaten. 
 
 others regard it merely as a ■well-grown 
 specimen of the common domestic 
 goose. It is known as the Mediter- 
 rani'an or Pyreiiean goose, as well as by 
 the name given above. It is remark- 
 able for its immense size, and is a most 
 valuable addition to our poultry-yards. 
 The colour of this goose is a slaty blue, 
 marked with bars of brown and black. The 
 flesh is said to be tender and excellent. 
 The Apple. — There arc nearly 
 1,600 various species of this favourite 
 fruit. The tree, which is seldom more 
 than forty feet high, attains its greatest 
 perfection when planted in a strong loam ; 
 wet soil being prejudicial. An apple 
 tree Avhich is old and has left off bear- 
 ing may be revived by the copious 
 apjilication of manure to the roots. 
 Painting the tree with lime water is 
 highly beneficial ; it removes both moss 
 and insects, and the tree experiences 
 a complete revival. The ap])le is pro- 
 pagated by seed and grafting. In 
 propagating by the former method the 
 seed should in autumn be placed in 
 beds or pots on and below the surface. 
 An apple tree raised from seed will in 
 five or six years bear fruit. Grnfting 
 is carried out in spring, generallj' in 
 the beginning of March. The trees 
 are trained as standards or c!<paUers, 
 the latter being more suitable for garden 
 culture. Apples should be pulled be- 
 fore they are quite ripe, spread out on 
 a dry floor, and when fully ripe tliej^ 
 may be stored up, care being taken to 
 remove every one showing any sign of 
 decay. The fruit is used for dessert, 
 baking, making jelly, and cider. Vine- 
 gar and malic acid, used for medicinal 
 purposes, are extracted from the apple. 
 The best species are those imported 
 from France, Canada, and the northern 
 parts of the United States. 
 
 Advertising. — If you decide 
 upon advertising, do so thoroughly, 
 and be careful to select the best chan- 
 nels. As a rule, book advertisements 
 should bo confined to the literary jour- 
 nals ; a book advertisement in a strictly 
 commercial journal being useless. The 
 outside wrapper of a periodical is of 
 great value to advertisers, and a general 
 
 notification, short and precise, is suffi- 
 cient. " Grifiiths is the safe man " was 
 an announcement which, two years ago, 
 covered the hoardings and even the 
 pavement of the London streets. Next 
 foUoAved the inquiry in large bold let- 
 ters, "Who's Griffiths?" At length 
 the advertiser revealed himself as a 
 dealer in fire-proof safes, and a rush 
 was made to his establishment. 
 
 Advertising should be persistent ; as 
 the sale for any commodity will continue 
 so long as its qualities are set forth. A 
 shirt-maker, who had been in the habit 
 of advertising largely, and much to his 
 advantage, suddenly withdrew his ad- 
 vertisements, in the hope that he was 
 sufficiently well known. During the 
 first 3'ear he pursued this plan, he 
 saved an expenditure of £1,200, but his 
 profits during the following year a\ ere 
 £1,500 less! "I can close my premises 
 at anytime," said a friend of ours, a large 
 advertiser, " and by advertising that I 
 have reopened with a fresh stock I have 
 more customers than ever." 
 
 The I O U.— An I U can be 
 tendered in evidence unstamped, but 
 the document must be stamped if the 
 acknowledgment of the debt is accom- 
 panied witli a promise to pay on a cer- 
 tain day. Except for a gambling debt, 
 the amount due upon an I U can be 
 recovered by a legal action. 
 
 Hotch-Potch, Summer. — A 
 Favourite Scotch Soup. — Boil a 
 good-sized neck or breast of lamb for 
 half an hour ; take out of the soup pot 
 half a dozen of the best chops, and lay 
 them aside : then boil the rest to a good 
 stock. Wash and cut into small pieces 
 four freshly puUed young turnips, 
 four young carrots, a dozen young 
 onions, a good-sized lettuce, and a 
 smaU bunch of parsley ; boil all these 
 in the stock one hour. Twenty minutes 
 before the soup is required cut up a 
 fresh cauliflower and put it in, together 
 with a quart of green peas, a pint of 
 young beans, and a little pepper and 
 salt ; heat the chops that have been 
 laid aside, and pour the soup over them 
 in the tureen. A sprig of mint is an 
 improvement. 
 
AtMic/iaelmas if the Wind be low, look out for Frost, ifnotforSnotv. 1 93 
 
 Autumn. 
 
 Two Travellers. 
 
 Along the highland road a traveller 
 free 
 Came where Bjom's Gate unlinks the 
 mountain-chain, 
 And .shoreward shows a glittering 
 breadth of sea, 
 Landward a vale that waves with 
 yellow grain. 
 
 As he came to the Gate, a full bent sail 
 Crept slowly from the hill across the 
 bay; 
 The traveller turned him to the autumn 
 vale, 
 The barque with luffed yards paused 
 upon her way. 
 
 Lightly across the road the traveller 
 stept, 
 And leaninjT on tho grey moss- 
 covered wall, 
 Gazed at tho lonely hills where silence 
 slept, 
 And heard alone the waves resound- 
 ing fall. 
 
 And glad of heart was he, for through a 
 land 
 Of fairest, freshest beauty ho had 
 passed ; 
 Had seen the white wave curling on the 
 strand, 
 The sunbeam striking far through 
 valleys vast. 
 
 Had heard tho seconu brood of finches 
 try 
 Their skilless pipes in twitterings 
 faint and clear 
 In leafless briars, where the hips' scar- 
 let dye 
 Seemed like a second blossoming of 
 the year. 
 
 And now he cheers the reapers at their 
 work ; 
 The ingathering he prays may plen- 
 teous be, 
 Blesses the children 'neath the sheaves 
 that lurk, 
 The Euth-like girl that gleans so 
 maidenly. 
 
 happy heart ! Then why the bitter 
 •tears 
 That brim his eyes and bum upon 
 his face ? 
 " Let plenty reign," ho cries, " for years 
 and years. 
 And peace and love inhabit this dear 
 place ! 
 
 " My gamer's bare ! Jly sickle idly 
 borne. 
 My life a formless wreck upon the 
 shore ! 
 My heart dead to all others' — I but 
 mourn 
 Lost love — lost love— lost love for 
 evermore! " 
 
 Along the mountain road a man thai 
 weeps 
 Unknowing and unknown pursues 
 his way ; 
 To unnamed shores a white-sailed vessel 
 sweeps, 
 Nor e'er again is seen upon that bay. 
 
 D. MUKU.W 6.MITU. 
 
 The Month of September. 
 
 " A quiet autumn eve. The eun was flinginu 
 
 Lone deepening shadows oq the purple 
 hill; 
 And, save the vespers happy birds were 
 sinKing, 
 
 Or the faint sheep-bell, all was hushed and 
 still." 
 
 iJer. R. U. Baynet, M.A. 
 
 The name September, which signifies 
 the seventh month, has become in- 
 appropriate since we altered oui calen- 
 dar, and made the year to begin in 
 January instead of in March ; and this 
 has also rendered the names of the 
 three following months equally unsuit- 
 able, October, the eighth month, being 
 in reality the tenth ; November, the 
 ninth, is the eleventh ; and December, 
 the tenth month, is now the twelfth 
 and last month of the year. 
 
 September is usually a fine and 
 pleasant month, particularly in the 
 earlier part of it ; but after the autumnal 
 equinox, which takes place on the 
 23rd, the weather is often wet and 
 stormy for a few days. This is one ol 
 H 
 
194 In a Garden four things are need/id. Flowers, Fruit, Shade, JFater. 
 
 the busiest montlis for the sportsman, 
 being the height of the shooting season, 
 and the corn-fields, which so lately- 
 echoed back only the songs and shouts 
 of the reapers, resound with the fre- 
 quent crack of the fowling-piece, and 
 the call of the hunter to his dogs. 
 Grouse and blackcock abound on the 
 moors, while the quail and the part- 
 ridge seek refuge in the lately cut 
 stubbles. The wild fruits are in their 
 greatest profusion as well as perfection ; 
 the hedgerows abound M'ith haw berries 
 iust turning red, and with the brilliant 
 scarlet rose hips ; the blackberry and 
 sloe are found in profusion on the 
 heaths and commons, while the ripe 
 hazel nuts drop from their green husks 
 on to ihe solt wood grass, maldng a 
 plentiful harvest for the timid wood- 
 mouse and the graceful squirrel, who 
 store up the nuts in their nests for their 
 winter provision. 
 
 The Saxons called September Barley 
 month, because they then reaped their 
 harvest of barley. In September, 
 1665, the Great Plague was at its 
 gieatest height in London. In the 
 week ending September 19th upwards 
 of ten thousand persons died in the 
 metropohs alone ; and on the 2nd Sep- 
 tember in the following year the Great 
 Fire broke out and destroyed a hundred 
 parish churches, the Eoyal Exchange, 
 old St. Paul's, and at least tM'o-thirds 
 of the city of London. 
 
 Cook's Calendar for Sep- 
 tember. — Fish in season : turbot, 
 brill, tlounders, plaice, soles, haddock, 
 herrings, mullet, eels, cod, carp, tench, 
 perch, pike, gurnards, whitings, lob- 
 etery, crabs. 
 
 Me.vt in season : beef, mutton, lamb, 
 veal, venison. 
 
 Poultry and Game in season : chick- 
 ens, ducks, geese, pigeons, turkey 
 poults, larks, wheatears, grouse, black- 
 cock, partridge, hare, wild duck, plover, 
 snipe, quails, rabbits. 
 
 Vegetables in season : artichokes, 
 peas, beans, cabbages, lettuce, endive, 
 cauliflowers, leeks, cucumbers, radishes, 
 ehalots, tomatoes, vegetable marrow, 
 mushrooms. 
 
 Fruit in season : grapes, peaches, 
 apricots, plums, nectarines, apples, pears, 
 melons, figs, quinces, filberts, hazel 
 nuts. 
 
 Gardener's Calendar for 
 September.— The early crop of 
 potatoes will show that they are ripe 
 about this time, by the decaying of the 
 haulm. They should be taken up in 
 dry weather and carefully stored in a 
 dry cellar, covered with straw, or put 
 in small pits with siraw and earth. 
 Onions will also be ripe ; they must be 
 pulled up and dried on the ground for 
 a few days, then stored in a cool dry 
 place where they have plenty of air. 
 Plant out cauliflowers in a sheltered 
 spot, also cabbages in every spare place. 
 Take up carrots and parsnips as soon as 
 their leaves begin to look yellow. 
 Earth up celery and winter spinach, 
 and gather all the seeds that are 
 ripe. Gather carefully the apples and 
 pears intended for winter use ; lay 
 them gently on the apple racks, and 
 see that they have neither damp spots 
 nor bruises on the peel, or they will 
 not keep. Nuts must also be stored in 
 a dry airy place. Those trees whose 
 fruits have been gathered may now be 
 pruned, particularly the smaller fruit 
 trees. This is also a good time to form 
 mushroom beds. In the flower-garden 
 begin the planting of the early spring 
 bulbs, such as lilies, crown imperials^, 
 snowdrops, daffodils, and even the earli- 
 est tulips and hyacinths. Look over 
 and shelter auriculas, pot all layers and 
 offsets, cut in the smooth-barked roses, 
 house all plants intended to be saved 
 through the winter, part the roots of 
 perennials and plant out the hardy 
 seedlings, watch and trap all insects, 
 particularly earwigs and slugs. Should 
 frost set in early, protect the dahlia 
 roots, or they wiU not keep after they 
 are taken up. 
 
 Hints on Pickles. — Some 
 time since it appeared to be the fashion 
 that all pickles should have a bright 
 green colour, almost brighter than the 
 pickled vegetable itself possessed when 
 quite fresh, or even when growing un- 
 der the most favourable circumstances. 
 
Learning is a Sceptre to some, a Bauble to others. 
 
 195 
 
 All vegetables, when subjected to the 
 influence of heat, lose a considerable 
 portion of their natural colouring mat- 
 ter, or it undergoes some chemical 
 change, which renders the colour faded 
 and sometimes withered in appearance; 
 if therefore pickles must be bright 
 green, they must be coloured, and the 
 most common way in which that was 
 done was by letting them lie in a cop- 
 per vessel. The vinegar with which 
 they were covered absorbed some por- 
 tion of the copper, and gave a green 
 tinge (which, however, was highly poi- 
 sonous) to the pickle. So many acci- 
 dents occurred from the use of these 
 green pickles that the fashion declined, 
 and makers who advertise pickles have 
 ceased to mention their green colour as 
 one of their recommendations. 
 
 The vegetables intended for pickling 
 arc in most cases put either into salt or 
 strong brine for a few days, to extract 
 some of the fluid which all vegetables 
 contain, and which would so much 
 weakea the vinegar that it would have 
 to bo renewed in a very short time. 
 Vinegar for pieldes must be the best 
 French white wine vinegar, and the 
 spices, (which should bo the best and 
 freshest that can be procured) may be 
 tied up in a muslin bag and bciled in 
 the vinegar until all the flavour has 
 been extracted by it. An enamelled pan 
 is the best and safest thing to boil any 
 strong acid in. Mixed pickles under 
 various names, such as piccalilli, Capt. 
 White's pickles, mixed pickles, &c., 
 can be procured at a very small cost, 
 and those made by Crosse Sc Blackwcll, 
 Lazcnby, and others, ai-e so good that 
 it is not worth while to buy vegetables 
 for the purpose of home pickling ; but 
 in the country, where there is a large 
 garden aud a good supply of vegetables, 
 some of thera may be made with very 
 little trouble into exceedingly good and 
 wholesome pickles. We shall give a 
 few tried receipts, which may serve as 
 examples for all. 
 
 Mixed Pickles. — Take half a pint 
 of half-grown French beans, as nearly 
 of the same size as possible, a dozen 
 gherkins, each from two to three inches 
 
 long, a small green cucumber cut into 
 slices about half an inch thick ; pnt 
 these into a pan of brine, strong enough 
 to float an egg. Let them lie for three 
 days, stirring them each day, then 
 place them in an enamelbd preserving 
 pan, with vine leaves under and over 
 them, pour in the brine in which they 
 have been steeped, and cover them 
 closely to prevent the steam escaping ; 
 set them over a slow fire, but do not 
 allow them to boil ; when they become 
 a green colour, drain them through a 
 sieve and let them remain till the other 
 ingredients are ready. Pull a small 
 white cauliflower into branches, and lay 
 it in strong brine, together M'ith half a 
 pint of onions, the size of marbles, 
 peeled, a dozen fresh chilis (scarlet), 
 or a few scarlet capsicums; let them 
 remain three or four days, then arrange 
 them in pickle bottles with tbe green 
 pickle already done interspersed in a 
 tasteful manner through them. Boil 
 as much good vinegar as will be suffi- 
 cient to fill up the bottles, with some 
 whole allspice, white pepper, bruised 
 ginger, mace, mustard seed, and slices 
 of horseradish. When the vinegar 
 tastes very strong of these spices strain 
 it carefully (unless they have been tied 
 in a bag as already recommended). 
 Let the vinegar stand till cold, then fill 
 the bottles and cork securely. 
 
 To MAKE I.XDIAN PiCKI.E (com- 
 
 municated by a native of India). — 
 Pull a white cauliflower into branches, 
 peel the stalk and slice it ; slice a small 
 white cabbage, a cucumber, a dozen 
 onions, and six tomatoes ; add six cloves 
 of garlic, one dozen shalots, a dozen 
 capsicums, half a pint of French beans, 
 some radish pods, and a large handful 
 of scraped horseradish. Lay aU these 
 vegetables in a pan, and pour over 
 them strong boiling brine. Let them 
 lie half an hour, then drain off the 
 brine, and dry them in the sun, or in a 
 cool oven. Boil one gallon of vinegar 
 with four ounces of pounded black 
 pepper, four oimces of pounded white 
 pepper, two ounces of pounded chilis, 
 two ounces of pounded ginger, one ounce 
 of pounded cloves, four ounces of mus- 
 
196 
 
 JVin/^ neither keeps Secrets nor fulfils Proviises. 
 
 tard flour, two ounces of turmeric, and 
 one ounce of mustard seed. Lay the 
 vegetables in a stone jar, pour the 
 vinegar and spices while boiling hot 
 over them, and when cold, cover the 
 jar with a bladder. In a month it will 
 be fit i'or use. 
 
 IJengal Chutney. — One pound of 
 tamaiind pulp, one pound of sultana 
 raisins, the grated rind and half the 
 juice of twelve lemons, one pound of 
 tomato pulp, one pound of minced 
 apples, a quarter of a pound of peeled 
 garlic, six chopped onions, half a pound 
 of red chilis, one pound of ginger in 
 powder, one pound of moist sugar, and 
 four quarts of strong vinegar. Mix 
 the whole thoroughly together, and keep 
 it for a month in a warm place to 
 feiment ; stir it occasionally, and then 
 put it into small jars. 
 
 To Pickle Onions. — Peel some 
 small onions the size of marbles, and 
 throw Ihem into strong brine ; let them 
 remain eight days, changing the brine 
 three times ; drain them, and dry in a 
 soft cloth; pack them into pickle bottles, 
 and fill up the bottles with cold vinegar, 
 in which spice has been boiled, as 
 directed in the receipt for Mixed Pickles. 
 A teaspoonful of salad oil poured on the 
 top of the vinegar is said to prevent the 
 onions from turning yellow. 
 
 To Pickle Mushkooms. — Take a 
 quart of sxadXl field button mushrooms, 
 cut the stems close, and rub off the skin 
 ■with a bit of flannel and a little salt ; 
 throw them as they arc done into salt 
 and spring water. Drain and dry them 
 in a cloth. Put a quart of strong vine- 
 gar into an enamelled pan, with an 
 ounce of bruised ginger, half an ounce 
 of whole white pepper, half an ounce of 
 mustard seed. Tie up in a bit of muslin 
 a small nutmeg sliced, and half a salt- 
 spoonful of cayenne ; put this along 
 with a tablespoonful of salt into the 
 vinegar, and let it and the spices come 
 to a boil. "When boiling briskly throw 
 2n the mushrooms, and let them boil 
 ten minutes. Take out the muslin bag, 
 and put the other spices into the pickle 
 bottles, along with the mushrooms 
 and vinegar. When quite cold, cork 
 
 the bottles, and cover them with ■ 
 bladder. 
 
 Home-madeWines.— Very 
 great care and attention are requisite in 
 wine-making ; we shall therelore give 
 our readers a few general directions 
 applicable alike to the preparation of 
 any sort of home-made wine, and then 
 follow up with such special receipts 
 necessary for such kinds of wine as may 
 be found most worthy of the notice of 
 our readers. 
 
 The Fkuit. — Whatever be the fruit 
 from which it is intended to mako 
 wine, it ought to be gathered before it 
 is perfectly ripe, and when the weather 
 is dry and sunny. In wet weather 
 the taste and flavour of the fruit are 
 apt to be injured and weakened by the 
 quantity of superfluous moisture it 
 imbibes, and the quality of the wine 
 will necessarily be inferior. When the 
 fruit is gathered, great care must be 
 exercised to pick out every particle of 
 it that is in any way spoiled or tainted, 
 for one ill-flavoured berry will damage 
 the juice of several dozens of good ones. 
 
 The first part of the process is the 
 bruising of the fruit. This must be 
 carefully done ; all the husks or skin 
 of the fruit, together with the seeds, 
 must be excluded, as an important 
 means of improving the flavour and 
 quality of the wine. The juice mixed 
 with water and the proper quantity of 
 sugar is then to be put to ferment in the 
 vat, for which purpose a cask with the 
 end off will be found perfectly suitable. 
 The less water that is mixed with the 
 juice of the fruit and the less sugar the 
 better. White wines will ferment in 
 the vat sufiiciently in two or three 
 days, but red wines require two or 
 three days more. When the juice has 
 undergone the requisite fermentation, 
 the next part of the process is the clear- 
 ing of the liquor. This is to be done 
 by straining it in a winepress, or pass- 
 ing it through a hair or canvas bag 01 
 a hair sieve. This being carefully ac- 
 complished, the liquor is to be pul 
 into the cask, and filled till withir 
 an inch of the bung-hole, which must 
 be slightly covered. The cask must 
 
IVi'/ie is the Master's, but the Goodness is the Drawer s. 197 
 
 then be placed in a cool situation, and 
 the piocesa known as the spirituous 
 fermentation will take place, by which 
 the liquor will be greatly puiilied. 
 When this fermentation has subsided, 
 the spirits prescribed must be added, 
 and the cask filled up and bunged. The 
 last part of the process is the racking. 
 For this purpose the cask ought to be 
 pegged in about six weeks or two 
 months, in order that the clearness of 
 its contents may be ascertained ; and if 
 it appear that the wine is bright and 
 clear, it must be carefully racked off 
 from the lees into another cask ; and if 
 it do not appear sufficiently transparent 
 on the first racking, the wine ought to 
 be racked a second or third time, after 
 resting sufficiently long after the pro- 
 cess has been gone through. The wine 
 ought to be bottled in clear, settled 
 weather, and as soon as possible after it 
 lias been fined, and the bottles ought 
 to be perfectly clean and dry. The 
 best kind of corks should be used, as 
 there is r.ot only no economy in pur- 
 chasing cheap corks, but no incon- 
 siderable danger of spoiling the wine. 
 
 Various methods are employed for 
 improving home-made wines whi( h 
 seem to require it. 'J'he leaves of the 
 sweet bay and the peach, kernels of 
 fruit, almonds, cloves, ginger, &c., are 
 used to impart to it both flavour and 
 perfume ; brand}' is mixed with it to 
 give strength; and bruisedraisins soaked 
 in spirits are employed to improve the 
 liquor when it is flat. 
 
 Having made these general observa- 
 tions, we shall now present our readers 
 wiih some simple directions for making 
 a few of the best home-made wines. 
 
 IIed Cuuuant "NVine. — Take thirty- 
 six pints of the fruit, and one pint of 
 raspberries. Mix with them twenty 
 pints of water. When these have fer- 
 mented, add twenty pounds of good 
 sugar ; and after the wine is casked, 
 two pints of brandy or whisky without 
 any special flavour. 
 
 Eed Gooseberry Wine. — Take 
 equal quantities of water and bruised 
 fruit, and to every twenty pints of 
 the mixture add fifteen pounds of loaf 
 
 8up;ar and one pound of sliced beetroot. 
 When fermented, put into the cask a 
 quart or more of brandy or flavoiirleas 
 whisky. 
 
 A Good Wine of Mixed Fruits. — 
 Take equal measures of water and fruit, 
 such as white, black, or red currants, 
 raspberries, chenues, strawberries, and 
 gooseberries ; bruise, strain, and fer- 
 ment the juice, adding fifteen pounds 
 of sugar for every twenty gallons of the 
 liquor. A handful of sweet marjoram 
 and a quarter of a pound of ginger will 
 give flavour and peifume. Add two 
 quarts of brandy or whisky, but do not 
 put any flavouring. 
 
 Damson Wine. — Gather the fruit 
 dry, weigh and bruise it, and to 
 every eight pounds of fruit add one 
 gallon of water ; boil the water, pour 
 it on the fruit scalding hot ; let it 
 stand two days ; then draw it off, put 
 it into a clean cask, and to every gallon 
 of liquor add two and a half pounds of 
 good sugar ; fill the cask. It may bo 
 bottled off after standing in the cask a 
 year. On bottling the wine, put a small 
 lump of loaf sugar into every bottle. 
 
 CiiEURY Wine. — Gather the cherries 
 when quite ripe. Pull them from their 
 stalks, and press them through a hair 
 sieve. To every gallon of the liquor 
 add two pounds of lump sugar finely 
 beaten, stir all together, and put it 
 into a vessel that will just hold it. 
 When it has done fermenting, stop it 
 very close f )r three mouths, and then 
 bottle it oft" for use. 
 
 Black Cherry Wine. — Boil for an 
 hour six gallons of spring water, and 
 on twenty-four pounds of bruised black 
 cherries pour the boiling water, and 
 stir them well together ; after they 
 have stood twenty-four hours, straia 
 the liquor through a cloth, and to every 
 gallon add two pounds of sugar ; then 
 mix it well and let it stand a day longer. 
 Pour off the clear liquor into a cask, 
 k-^p it close bunged, and when fine, 
 bottle it off for use. 
 
 Raspberry Wine. — Bruise the fruit 
 and put the juice into a cask, bung it 
 close for forty-eight hours, after which 
 open the bung, and close it up again in 
 
iqS 
 
 JVius is like Anger, for it makes lis Sirong. 
 
 two days. It may be bottled off ia 
 three months. 
 
 Blackberuy "Wine. — Put the ripe 
 fruit into a vessel of wood or stone, 
 with a cock in it. Pour on the fruit as 
 much boiling water as will cover it, 
 and as soon as the heat M'ill allow, 
 bruise the fruit with the hand uU the 
 berries are broken. Let them remain 
 covered till they begin to rise towards 
 the top, which will be in three or four 
 days; then draw oif the clear part of 
 the liqiior into another vessel, and to 
 every ten quarts add one pound of siigar, 
 stirring it well in, and let it stand a 
 week or ten days to work, then draw it 
 off through a jelly-bag into a large 
 vessel. Steep four oimces of isinglass 
 for twelve hours in a pint of white 
 wine, and then boil it till dissolved 
 over a slow fii-e. Boil together a gallon 
 of the blackberry juice with the dis- 
 solved isinglass ; pour all into the 
 vessel, let it stand a few days to settle, 
 and draw it off and keep it in a cool 
 plane. 
 
 Mulberry Wine. — The mulberries 
 ought to be gathered when they are 
 just turning from red to black, and 
 when they are quite free from dew or 
 moisture. When gathered, let them 
 be spread loose on a cloth or a clean 
 floor, and let them lie for twenty-four 
 hours, Then, having put them into a 
 proper vessel, squeeze out the juice, 
 and drain it off from the seeds. Then 
 boil a gallon of water for each gallon 
 of juice ; skim the water, and add some 
 cinnamon slightly bruised. To each 
 gallon add six ounces of white sugar- 
 candy finely powdered. Skim and 
 strain when the liquor is settled, and 
 add to it more of the juice. To every 
 gallon of the liquor add a pint of white 
 or Pihenis'-. wine. Let it stand to settle 
 in the cask five or six days, then draw 
 it off and keep it in a cool place. 
 
 Apricot Wine. — Wipe clean and 
 cut twelve poimds of apricots ; boil 
 them in two gallons of water till the 
 water has imbibed the flavour of the 
 fruit ; then strain the liquor through a 
 hair sieve, and to each quart of it put 
 six ounces of loaf sugar ; then boil it 
 
 again, skim, and pour it into an earthen 
 vessel. Next day bottle it off, and 
 into each bottle put a lump of sugar. 
 
 Grape Wine. — Let a gallon of 
 bruised grapes and a gallon of water, 
 mixed together, stand for a week with- 
 out being stirred ; then draw it off, and 
 to one gallon of the wine add three 
 pounds of sugar, put it into a suitable 
 vessel, and do not bung it till the fer- 
 mentation ceases. 
 
 Hints on Cider and 
 Perry. — Cider. — Ecd-streaked 
 pippins, gennetmgs, golden pippins, 
 &c., are all well adapted for the making 
 of cider. They ought to be so ripe 
 as to be easily shaken from the tree. 
 The apples must in the first place 
 be bruised or ground very small, and, 
 when reduced to pulp, put into a 
 hair bag and squeezed in a cider-press 
 to extract all the juice; the liquor 
 is then to be strained through a fine 
 hair sieve into a cask carefully puri- 
 fied ; the pulp is to be mashed with 
 a little warm water. In order to make 
 the liquor " work kindly " beat a little 
 honey, three whites of eggs, and a 
 little flour together ; put these ingre- 
 dients into a fine rag, and let them 
 hang down by a siring into the middle 
 of the cider cask ; then put in a pint of 
 new ale yeast warmed, and let the 
 liquor clear itself from dross five or six 
 days ; after this draw it off from the 
 lees into a smaller cask, or bottle it 
 if more convenient or desirable. It is 
 proper to observe that apples of supe- 
 rior quality and flavour produce the 
 strongest cider, and that in making this 
 liquor, summer and winter fruit must 
 never be mixed together. 
 
 To Fine Cider. — For this purpose 
 isinglass must be used, and a little 
 mustard in it will prcA'cnt the cider 
 from becoming sour. In order to im- 
 prove both the appearance and the 
 flavour of cider, take for a hogshead 
 a gallon of good brandy, half an ounce 
 of cochineal, a pound of alum, and 
 three pounds of sugar-candy ; bruise 
 them all together in a mortar, and 
 infuse them in the brandy for a day or 
 two ; then mi.x the whole with the 
 
Good Ware makes a Quick Market. 
 
 199 
 
 cider, stop it up close and let it stand 
 for five or six months. 
 
 Perry. — This liquor is made from 
 pears in tho same way as cider, and it 
 is also fined in the same way. The 
 pears must be quite dry. The best fruit 
 is that which is least fitted to be eaten, 
 and the redder the pears are the better. 
 
 To uoTTLE Cider and Perry. — 
 Both of these liquors wheQ bottled in 
 warm weather should be allowed to 
 become flat by being left a day or two 
 uncorked. If the Liquor has become 
 too flat in the cask, and may soon be 
 required for use, let a small lump or 
 two of sugar-candy be put into each 
 bottle, four or five raisins, or a small 
 piece of raw beef; any of these articles 
 will much improve the liquor, and make 
 it brisk. It should be well corked and 
 wired, and kept upright in a cool place. 
 Poultry. — The Turkey. — Tho 
 value of this bird renders it unnecessary 
 for us to offer any apology for present- 
 ing to our readers some detailed account 
 of it. 
 
 The origin of the turkey was long a 
 matter of doubt, but it has now been 
 ascertained that it is to America we owe 
 this valuable addition to our domestic 
 fowls. It is supposed to have been 
 first domesticated by the Spaniards, 
 after their discovery of Mexico, and 
 
 Erobably before tho year 1526, and to 
 ave been introduced into this country 
 in 1530. It therefore has been known 
 to us for the long period of 340 years. 
 
 The wild turkey was formerly an in- 
 habitant of Canada and of various parts 
 of the United States. It is now to be 
 found chiefly in the wilder regions of 
 Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana. 
 In their wild state they are migratory 
 birds, and about the end of autumn they 
 assemble in great flocks for this purpose. 
 According to the best authenticated 
 accounts, these flocks all move forward 
 in the same direction, seldom taking 
 wing unless to escape an enemy or 
 make their way over a river. 
 
 After arriving where they are to set- 
 tle, they divide into small flocks made 
 ■up of cocks, hens, and the younger 
 birds. Their food consists of beech- 
 
 mast, seeds, beetles, flies, as well as 
 young frogs and lizards. 
 
 Domestication appears to have pro- 
 duced much diversity of colour in the 
 turkey ; we have black, grey, white, 
 copper-colour, bronze, and brown. Of 
 all these, the black turkey is decidedly 
 the best. It is more hardy than any 
 other, more easily reared, and with 
 proper feeding, quickly acquii'cs flesh 
 and grows larger than any other variety. 
 
 The Norfolk breed are greatly es- 
 teemed. This celebrated kind is said 
 to have been produced by a cross with 
 the original wild breed ; but many of 
 those produced in Ireland are quite 
 equal in bulk to those of Norfolk, and 
 probably for similar reasons. 
 
 No birds are more profitable to the 
 cottager than turkeys. They can do a 
 great deal in providing themselves with 
 food, and forage for themselves about 
 the laues, and in dry ditches and hedge- 
 rows obtain a supply of slugs, snails, 
 and worms, although it must be admit- 
 ted that their love of grain renders them 
 very troublesome to the farmer. 
 
 The approach of the lajdng season, 
 which is usually in the month of March, 
 is indicated by the liveliness of the hen 
 and the peculiar cry which she fre- 
 quently utters. The bird ought to be 
 provided with a nest, having a piece of 
 chalk in it of the form of an egg to in- 
 duce her to commence laying in it. 
 Sometimes, however, this proves to be 
 difficult. The instinctive habit of seek- 
 ing a secret and concealed place for 
 this purpose leads the hen to escape and 
 select her nest at a distance, to which 
 she retires to deposit her eggs, exercis- 
 ing no small degree of cunning in her 
 cftbrts to escape notice. The spot is 
 frequently so secluded that the bird 
 must be watched as she mnkes her way 
 to it. If she is not discovered and 
 brought back, together with her eggs, 
 to a more secure retreat, she may fall 
 a victim to the fox during her incuba- 
 tion, and her eggs or young ones may 
 be destroyed by vermin. 
 
 The turkey lays generally every day, 
 or every second day, and the number 
 of eggs is from fifteen to twenty. The 
 
zoo Bh'ds are entangled by their Feet, aiid Men by their Tongues. 
 
 eggs ought to be removed from the nest 
 as soon as laid, for if they are left to 
 accumulate, the bird is apt to break 
 some of them ; but they can afterwards 
 be replaced. The time of sitting is 
 from t^venty-seven to thirty-one days, 
 during which time the hen exhibits the 
 utmost perseverance in her maternal 
 duties. Some of the young birds make 
 their appeararice sooner than others, 
 and these ought to be removed and 
 kept in a warm place, and returned to 
 the hen when they have all escaped 
 from the shell. According to the best 
 judges, the young chicks ought not to 
 be led for some hours after hatching, 
 and when food is to be given, it ougbt 
 to be hard-boiled eggs, chopped up with 
 boiled nettles and a little bre.'id crumb. 
 This should be made into a paste and 
 given in small particles to the little 
 birds in the palm of one's hand, or placed 
 before them on a stone. The turkey- 
 hen does not teach her young brood to 
 seek their food, and it is usual to place 
 a few hen eggs under her when she is 
 sitting, that the chickens, who are won- 
 derfully expert, may afford the little 
 turkeys an excellent example in pro- 
 viding for themselves. The young 
 birds are very susceptible of injury from 
 cold and -wet, and care must be taken 
 not to allow them to be exposed to 
 either. If the weather at the time of 
 hatching be inclement, they ought to 
 be confined within their house. Unless 
 in very warm weather indeed, they 
 ought not to be allowed to run about 
 for two or three weeks, and then only 
 when it is very dry. When they are 
 about two monthsold, and have acquired 
 the reddish-coloured feathers on the 
 bead and neck which indicate the ap- 
 proach of maturity, the danger arising 
 from exposure and wet is greatly di- 
 minished ; but while the change in the 
 hue of the feathers is coming on, the 
 birds require to be supplied with good 
 and nourishing food, in which should be 
 put a little cayenne pepper. 
 
 The Pea-powl. — Thisbirdisanative 
 oflndia.insome provinces of which vast 
 region it occurs in immense numbers. 
 It is supposed to have been introduced 
 
 into Europe so far back as the time of 
 Alexander the Great, and it has long 
 been domesticated in this country, where 
 in many a country-seat it forms an 
 appropriate ornament. It is truly a 
 magnificent bird when in full feather, 
 and seems by no means unaware of its 
 own splendour ; for when pleased or in 
 the sight of his hen, the peacock seems 
 as if inflated with pride, struts about 
 with his tail sprt^ad oat, and turning 
 frequently round, as if to display his 
 plumes to the greatest advantage. Pea- 
 fowl, like other birds of the poultry 
 kind, feed chiefly on com, preferring 
 barley. They are, however, great de- 
 vourers of fruit, and very mischievous 
 in a garden, scratching up the groimd, 
 for they regard insects and worms 
 among their dainties. The hen lays 
 five or six eggs, choosing for the place 
 of her nest some retired spot out of the 
 M^ay of the peacock, who is often cruel 
 to his offspring. She sits from twenty- 
 seven to thirty days. The peacock in 
 farmer times was frequently served up 
 at great festivals, but its flesh was 
 never much esteemed. It is said, how- 
 ever, that when young, well fed, and 
 fat, it is excellent. Pea-fowl are quar- 
 relsome birds, and will hardly live in 
 peace with other inhabitants of the 
 poultry-yard unless reared along with 
 them. 
 
 To take Grease Stains 
 out of Wall Papers.— Oil 
 marks can be taken from the paper on 
 drawing-room walls, and marks where 
 people have rested theirheadsjbymixing 
 pipeclay with water to the consistency 
 of cream, laying it on the spot, and 
 letting it remain till the following day, 
 when it may be easily removed with a 
 penknife or brush. 
 
 Remedy for the Bite of 
 the Harvest Bug. — The most 
 effectual remedy is benzine, which im- 
 mediately kills the insect. A minute 
 drop of tincture of iodine has the same 
 effect. Tincture of pyrethrum or Per- 
 sian insect powder might have the same 
 effect. Many sufferers prevent the at- 
 tacks by sprinkling a little benzine 
 over the stockings before walking. 
 
Oil and Truth will get uppermost at last. 
 
 20I 
 
 The Best Lamps aiid 
 Oils. — "Betty, bring the candles," 
 exclaimed Charles Lamb, after an- 
 nouncing his intention of inditing a 
 treatise on the " Solar System," in one 
 of the mttiest of his essays. The 
 great essayist's grotesque notion of de- 
 scribing the sxin and stars — "those 
 never-dying lights" — by the assistance 
 of the primitive "dips" commonly in 
 use in his day, was a thoi'oughly cha- 
 racteristic one. But, had ho lived in 
 these days, instead of calling for the 
 candles, Elia ■would probably have 
 asked his housekeeper to trim the 
 lamp ; for there is very little literary 
 work, or indeed work of any kind 
 demanding care, now done by candle- 
 light. And although astonishing im- 
 provements have recently been made 
 in the manufacture of candles (see " A 
 Few Words on Candles," page 144), 
 the advances attained in the lamp 
 raamifacture are no less remarkable. 
 "We do not moan to say that in the 
 matter of design our lamps surpass the 
 
 fraceful lucemcc of Greece and Kome ; 
 ut when it is recollected that the 
 greater number of " autique " lamps 
 purchased by English tourists at Iler- 
 culaneum and Pompeii are made in 
 Birmingham, and done into antiquity 
 by a cheap chemical process, it will be 
 granted that at least imitative art is not 
 yet dead among us. But if our lamps 
 are generally pUlar-like and uninterest- 
 ing in form, to suit the requirements 
 of the oils now used for lighting pur- 
 poses, yet in one most important respect 
 they much excel those of early times. 
 The beautiful lamps of Etruria may, 
 perhaps, have given a lisht equal in 
 brightness to that of one of our candles, 
 but our single-wick lamps give a light 
 OS bright as that cast by seven, and in 
 some cases by ten candles. And, after 
 all, the power of throwing a bright 
 light, and not the quality of pleasiiig 
 the artistic eye by grace of outline, is 
 what we chiefly require in a lamp. 
 
 Though lamps have been in use from 
 the earliest times, it has only been 
 ■within the last century that improve- 
 ments were introduced in their manu- 
 
 facture. In 1784, Argand invented the 
 circular wick, and thereby put an end 
 practically to the reign of King Smoke 
 as far as lamps were concerned, and, 
 shortly after, his brother supplemented 
 his invention by accidentally discover- 
 ing the efficacy of a glass cylinder or 
 chimney in steadying the lamp-flame, 
 creating a draught, and dilFusing the 
 gi'catest amount of light. In the be- 
 ginning of the present century M. 
 Carcel made use of clockwork in con- 
 nection with lamps for the purpose of 
 raising the oil ; but this complicated 
 appliance was discarded on the subse- 
 quent invention of the "moderator." la 
 this lamp, as is well known, the ascent 
 of the oil is caused by the downward 
 pressure of a spring and piston, and 
 regulated or moderated — whence the 
 name of the lamp — by the action of a 
 wiro placed witbin the tube through 
 which the oil ascends. This wire acta 
 in such a way that the supply of oil to 
 the burner is always equable, and a 
 steady, unvarying light maintained. 
 
 The lamp trade has received a vigo- 
 rous impulse within the last twenty 
 years, during wliich time petroleum 
 and paraffine oils have been discovered. 
 Paraffine oil affords a cheaper and much 
 brighter light than candles, and al- 
 though its use is attended with danger, 
 it is almost universally used by that 
 very large class who, for the sake of 
 economy, are .obliged to forego some 
 degree of comfort and security. Lamps 
 for this oil are made in almost endless 
 variety, and the cheapest of them can 
 be obtained at a trifling cost. 
 
 Of the variety of lamps now in use 
 our limits permit us to mention only 
 those most generally in demand in 
 society, and therefore we shall confine 
 oui selves to a notice of the best lamps 
 for sitling-rooms, for the study or ofHcc, 
 and for outdoor illumination ; and 
 these we take to be respectively the 
 moderator, the Queen's readiag lamp, 
 and the passage or fixed light. 
 
 T/te Moderator. — The moderator is 
 not liable to be put out of order readily, 
 as the three movements or operations 
 required in preparing it for use— 
 
202 
 
 Money is the Sineiv of Love as well as of War. 
 
 filling with oil, winding xip the spring, 
 and putting on the cotton — can be 
 easily performed. The best of these 
 lamps are de luxe in design and orna- 
 mentation, and all the resources of 
 painting, moulding, and carving, on 
 porcelain, glass, and metal, are drawn 
 upon to enrich them. 
 
 The Queen's Beading Lamp is a sine 
 qua non in the study, the office, or the 
 laboratory. It is peculiarly the lamp 
 for students and clergymen. It con- 
 sists of a metal stand with a cylinder for 
 holding oil on one side, and a burner, 
 with shade, &c., on the other. The 
 strong pipe which conveys the oil from 
 the cylinder through the stand to the 
 wick-tube serves to bind together the 
 different parts of the lamp. The por- 
 celain shade around and above the 
 burner, and which is open below, pro- 
 tects the eyes against any glare, and at 
 the same time throws down upon the 
 book or the writing-desk a light that 
 is at once brilliant and soft. The struc- 
 ture of this lamp has been modified by 
 the manufacturers, so as to render it — 
 by closing it against access by insects, 
 and otherwise adapting it to the climate 
 — a suitable reading-lamp for India. 
 It is made in German silver, brass, 
 bronze, and electro-plate ; is light, 
 elegant, and strong ; is easily trimmed, 
 and burns less than the ordinaiy quan- 
 tity of oil. 
 
 T/ie Passage Lamp is tised for a va- 
 riety of purposes. The back of its oil- 
 cylinder is flat, so as to allow of its 
 being suspended on walls. Enclosed 
 in a glass lantern, to protect the flame 
 from the wind, it is admirably adapted 
 for lighting avenues, grounds, the banks 
 of ornamental lakes, &c. If the glass 
 of the lanterns is coloured the pictu- 
 resque efl"ect is of course increased. It 
 is this lamp that has been used for 
 illuminating Wimbledon Camp with so 
 much success since its foundation. The 
 Passage Lamp, which is provided with 
 a reflector, throws a light as strong as 
 that cast by seven candles. 
 
 Oils. — In the lamps we have noticed 
 Colza oil is burned. This oil is cheap, 
 though not the cheapest ; bui-na without 
 
 producing smell or smoke, throws a soft 
 though bright and clear light, and, being 
 non-explosive, may be used without 
 fear of accident. All these advantages 
 are possessed by no other oil in equal 
 degree. In the Moderator and Eeading 
 Lamp sperm oil was formerly used; but 
 Colza oil is siiperior to sperm oil, and is 
 only one-third of the cost. Paraffine, 
 and especially petroleum oils, can never 
 be obtained entirely free from smell. 
 They are dangerous, from their readi- 
 ness to take fire, and terrible accidents 
 have happened by the inflammable 
 vapours that rise from them exploding 
 in the reservoirs of lamps. This fact 
 alone is sufficient to exclude all explo- 
 sive oils and inflammable spirits used 
 for burning in lamps from the house- 
 hold of the educated and the judicious. 
 We by no means deny that the naphtha, 
 petroleums, and paraffine oils are useful 
 for many purposes in trade and manu- 
 facture ; but until science has given 
 man a perfect control over these dan- 
 gerous liquids by rendering them inox- 
 plosive, they ought to be regarded as 
 agents of a nature too treacherous aad 
 of a character less than sufficiently estab- 
 lished to be admitted within the domes- 
 tic circle. Within the last few years an 
 oil has been patented called Carceloil,the 
 recommendation of which is, that while 
 it possesses all the good qualities of the 
 best oil, it may be burned for years 
 before the lamp in which it is used 
 requires to be cleaned.* 
 
 Savings Banks.— The first 
 savings bank opened in this country 
 was in the year 1810, at RuthweU, in 
 Dumfriesshire, and between that year 
 and 1817, seventy-eight were in exist- 
 ence in different parts of the country. 
 In the latter year a Savings Bank Act 
 was passed, when an account was 
 opened with the Commissioners for the 
 Reduction of the National Debt, who 
 allowed £4 3s. lid. per cent, interest. 
 In 1828 another Act was passed, in 
 which the interest was reduced to 
 £3 8s. 3id. per cent. ; and in 1833 and 
 
 • The oils -and lamps mentioned in this 
 article may be obtained of all lamp manufac- 
 turers or oilmen. 
 
Knowledge in Youth is Wisdom in Age. 
 
 203 
 
 1835 Acts were passed to enable sav- 
 ings banks to grant deferred annuities, 
 payable by periodical instalments. In 
 1844 the interest to depositors -was 
 altered to £3 10s. per cent., and tbo 
 annual amount to bo invested ■was 
 restricted to £30. 
 
 Post OrricE Savings B.^nks. — 
 ThojC were establislied by Act of Par- 
 liament in 1861. Deposits of not less 
 tlian one shilling may at any time bo 
 made to a Post Oifice Savings iiank, and 
 may be increased or withdrawn at any 
 other Post Office Bank. No one can 
 deposit more than £30 in one year, or 
 £laO in all, exclusive of interest. Two 
 pounds ten shillings per cent, per an- 
 num, or sixpence per pound interest is 
 allowed, but no interest is given to in- 
 dividual depositors when the balance 
 amounts to £200. 
 
 Post Office Insurance. — Through 
 the medium of the Post Office, persons 
 of either sex may insure. The limited 
 ages are from 16 to 60, and the limited 
 sums from £20 to £100. The smallest 
 instalment received is 2s. No single 
 life can be insured for less than £20 on 
 the whole, but when a life has been 
 insured for £20, further insurance on 
 the same life may be effected till the 
 sum amounts in all to £100. 
 
 The more important features con- 
 nected with post-office insuraace are 
 these : — 1 . If the purchaser of a deferred 
 Hfe annuity dies before the annuity 
 becomes due, the entire amount of 
 his payments, but without interest, is 
 paid to his executors. 2. When the 
 purchaser of an annmty is unable to 
 continue his payments, he may either 
 have his money back without interest, 
 or have a deferred annuity equivalent 
 in amount to the money he has paid. 
 3. On the death of an annuitant, a sum 
 equal to one-fourth of his annuity M'ill 
 be paid to his representatives, if claimed 
 within two years. 
 
 The following table represents nine 
 different modes of pajdng the premium 
 on one particular insurance. A man 
 or woman at the age of thirty may 
 insure £100 to his or her survivors at 
 the death of either of them, — 
 
 £ s. d. 
 
 1. By a single payment of . 43 3 7 
 
 2. By an annual payment for 
 
 Ufeof . . . .267 
 
 3. By a quarterly „ . 13 
 
 4. By a monthlv „ .044 
 
 5. By a fortnightly „ .022 
 0. By an annual payment, 
 
 until the insurer reaches 
 
 60 j-cars, of . . . 2 13 10 
 
 7. By a quarterly payment, 
 
 until the insurer reaches 
 
 60 years, of . . .0150 
 
 8. By a monthly payment, 
 
 until the insurer reaches 
 
 60 years, of . . .050 
 
 9. By a foi-tnightly payment, 
 
 until the insirrer leachcs 
 
 60 years, of . .026 
 
 Persons of either sex may purchase 
 annuities of not more than £30, and for 
 lives from ten years old and upward. 
 Two persons may purchase an annuity 
 on their joint lives. Deferred annuities 
 form part of the scheme. A man aged 
 30 may purchase a deferred annuity of 
 £10, to commence on his reaching the 
 age of 60, for one immediate payment 
 of £24 3s. 4d., or an annual payment 
 of £1 8s. 4d. Or a man aged 30 may 
 purchase a deferred allowance of 
 £2 7s. 3d. per month, to commence when 
 he reaches the age of 60 by a payment 
 of 8s. per month until he reaches that 
 age. A husband and wife may each 
 be insured to the full amount of £100, 
 and may each purchase an annuity of 
 £.30, or a monthlj' allowance of £4 3s. 4d. 
 Persons whose lives are insured thorough 
 the Post Office have Government secu- 
 rity for the payment of the premiums. 
 
 To Collect and Preserve 
 Specimens of Plants.— To 
 form what is called the h rtus siccus or 
 herbarium various methods are em- 
 ployed, but the following is recom- 
 mended as the most simple. 
 
 The articles requisite fur the purpose 
 consist of a dozen quires of smooth soft 
 paper of a large size, six boards of about 
 an inch in thickness, and four iron or 
 lead weights, two of them about thirty 
 pounds, and the two others about half 
 
204 
 
 Care and Diliisence hrinzeth Luck. 
 
 that weight, and a botanical box of tin, 
 and of snch dimensions as shall be most 
 convenient for the collector. 
 
 The plants to be preserved ought, if 
 possible, to be gathered in dry weather ; 
 but if the weather be wet they ought 
 to be laid out for some time on a table 
 till partially diied, and when the roots 
 are taken up along with the stems, they 
 ought to be washed and tben exposed 
 to the air for the same purpose. 
 
 To Preserve Plants. — Lay over 
 one of the boards two or three sheets 
 of the paper. On the uppermost sheet 
 spread out the specimen to be pre- 
 served, unfolding its parts so as to 
 give it as natural an appearance as 
 possible, laying out the leaves and 
 flowers with particular care. Over the 
 specimen thus disposed of place several 
 sheets of paper ; on the uppermost sheet 
 then spread out another specimen, and 
 60 proceed till all the plants jow intend 
 to preserve are laid down ; and having 
 put over the whole some more sheets 
 of paper, place a board over them with 
 the weights upon it, which may be a 
 number of clean bricks, if the iron or 
 lead weights cannot convenientlj' bo 
 procured. 
 
 As some plants are delicate and flexi- 
 ble, and others comparatively thick 
 and hard, the former class will require 
 less weight to be placed over them, and 
 the latter considerably more. To pre- 
 serve the colour of flowers when dry- 
 ing, the greatest care is required in 
 changing the papers every second day, 
 which papers first ought to be well 
 dried at the fire. With regard to keeping 
 the shape of flowers, the utmost care 
 and attention is necessary when arrang- 
 ing them on the paper, and which can 
 be done by having another piece of 
 paper, and gently laying on part of the 
 flower. The part of the flower so covered 
 with the paper ought to have a small 
 book placed on it. Then begin and lay 
 out the other leaves of the flower, and 
 also press it, and so on, until each part 
 has had the gentle pressure necessary to 
 keep it in position. Let them remain 
 go for a short time, and then put some 
 heavy weight on them: look at them 
 
 next day, and change the damp paper. 
 "We have kept ferns for years quite fiesh 
 in colour by this simple mode of di-ying. 
 
 In three or four days the plants thus 
 treated should be taken out, together 
 with the paper in which they have 
 been deposited, and laid in fresh paper 
 with three or four sheets between every 
 two plants, and the board and weights 
 laid upon them as before. This process 
 must be continued till the plants are 
 perfectlj' dried. Each specimen ia then 
 to be placed on a sheet of diy paper, 
 along with a memorandum of the name 
 of the plant, the place and time at 
 which it was gathered, the character of 
 the soil from which it was taken, and 
 any other particulars tending to illus- 
 trate its character and history. 
 
 Presuming the process of drjdng to 
 be satisfactorily carried out, the next 
 business of the collector is the 
 
 Arrangement of his Specimens. — 
 To this end he must procure a quan- 
 tity of writing or printing paper, of stout 
 quality and large size, five or six sheets 
 of which ought to be stitched into 
 coloured covers. Let a sufiicient quan- 
 tity of large post writing-paper, cut into 
 half-sheets of folio size, be in readi- 
 ness. Each plant is then to be placed on 
 one of these half-sheets, and fastened to 
 it by means of slips of paper gummed 
 across it in various places. On the top 
 of the page the particulars contained in 
 the memorandum already referred to 
 should be written. The plants thus 
 secured to the half-sheets must then be 
 placed in the order required (either by 
 the Natural or Artificial systems) within 
 the leaves contained in the coloured 
 covers; the size of each bundle of 
 specimens rendering it convenient at 
 any time for purposes of reference. 
 Twelve of such parcels so contained in 
 the same number of coloured covers can 
 then be tied up in covers of stout 
 pasteboard, and laid up in a cabinet or 
 box suited to the purpose. 
 
 Another Method of drying plants 
 before laying them aside and arranging 
 them in a systematic manner, may here 
 be mentioned as worthy of attention. 
 Get a shallow pan or tray about the 
 
Industry pays Debts, hut Despair inci'easeth them. 
 
 !OS 
 
 size of the blotting-paper used for 
 drying plants. Lay the plants in the 
 usual way between the sheets of the 
 blotting-paper, and when the tray or 
 
 fian is nearly full, cover it over with a 
 ayer of dry sand half an inch thick or 
 60, and place it on the fender before the 
 fire or on the hob, and in three hours 
 (he plants will bo perfectly dried. 
 
 The Silkworni. — Ages before 
 silk was seen or known in Europe it 
 was in common use among the Chinese. 
 When the Emperor Aurelian refused to 
 give his empress a robo of silk on 
 account of its high price, the lean, 
 unwashed artificer of China went about 
 his ordinary occupation clad in silken 
 garments. Pliny mentions that Pam- 
 phila, a woman of the island of Coos, 
 was the first who unwound the cocoon 
 of the silkworm, and wove the threads 
 into cloth. This must have been about 
 the time of Solomon, many centuries 
 before the reign of the Emperor Helio- 
 gabalus, who died a.u. 222, and who is 
 said to have been the first who wore a 
 robe of this costly material. 
 
 The Eggs of the Fapilio bomhyx tnori, 
 or silkwomi moth, are said to have been 
 first brought into Europe about the 
 year a.d. 550 by two monks, who, 
 having carried them in hollow canes, 
 introduced them into Constantinople, 
 from whence they reached Italy, which 
 country became the emporium for silk, 
 both raw and mannfactui-ed. Queen 
 Elizabeth had a pair of silk stockings 
 presented to her in the third year of her 
 reign, and was much pleased with them. 
 Her Majesty said they were " a mar- 
 vellous delicate wear," and resolved she 
 would never use any other fabric. 
 James the Sixth of Scotland is said to 
 have begged a loan of a pair of silk 
 stockings he saw the Earl of Mar 
 wearing, in order to make a suitable 
 appearance before the English ambas- 
 sador. This monarch, after adding the 
 kingdom of England to his ancient 
 sovereignty of Scotland, lu-ged the cul- 
 ture of silk with all his authority. In 
 the course of a few years the manufac- 
 ture of silk in England became very 
 considerable, and the art was greatly 
 
 improved by many skilful workmen 
 who took refuge in this country on the 
 revocation of the Edict of Nantes. 
 
 The Bombijx mori is a pale-coloured 
 moth, with two or thi-ee obscure trans- 
 verse streaks, and a lunate spot on the 
 supf rior wings. The caterpillar of thi? 
 moth feeds on the leaves of the mul- 
 berry, a tree which is a native of China. 
 Before assuming the chrysalis state, it 
 spins for itself a coveiing in the shape 
 of an oval cocoon of tlie finest silks, 
 usually of a yellow hue, but occa- 
 sionally white. From these cocoons 
 the silk is carefully wound off to fur- 
 nish the fabric we so much almire. 
 
 The Rearing of Silkworms is in this 
 country rather an occupation adapted to 
 amuse than to profit those engaged in it. 
 The female moth is induced to lay her 
 eggs, wliich are about 300 in number, 
 on sheets of paper, to which, by their 
 natural viscosity, they readily adhere. 
 These eggs are of a pale hue, but those 
 destined to be productive become of a 
 bluish grey colour. A stove-room, with 
 a temperature of 64 degrees, will be 
 sufficient for the hatching of the eggs, 
 but the heat may Avith advantage be 
 raised a few degrees every day for ten 
 days, so as not to exceed ultimately 
 80 degrees. The worms, however, are 
 known to thri\e in summer in any 
 comfortably kept apartment, but it is 
 certain that a continuous warmth, day 
 and night, is a great advantage to 
 them. \Vhatever portions of a brood 
 are hatched at the same time, those 
 which are of the same age ought, for 
 the sake of due care and safety, to be 
 kex^t and fed together. The worms 
 should be fed regularly four times a 
 day, and when their exti aordinary 
 appetite manifests itself, intermediate 
 meals should be given. 
 
 Warm and comfoitable quarters, as 
 well as abundance of food, are of im- 
 portance to the animals, and tend to 
 hasten the process of spinning. These 
 matters must be carefully attended to 
 by those who rear the silkworm for 
 profit rather than mere amusement. 
 
 When the silkworm first appears it is 
 of a dark colour, and is only a line or 
 
2o6 She is a Woman of a Stirring Life luhose Heart is in her House. 
 
 two in lengtli. In about eiglit days it 
 is seized with sickness and lethargy. 
 It refuses food, remains motionless, 
 and at the end of three days casts 
 its sliin. Prior to this transformation 
 the worm is said to exercise a marvel- 
 lous and admirable instinct. It fixes 
 down its old coat so that it may not be 
 dragged after it M'hcn it is no longer fit 
 for wear. The old habiliments then 
 open at their anterior extremity, and 
 the worm, newly and delicately robed, 
 creeps forth and resumes its lost appe- 
 tite ; leaving, in its cast-off garments, 
 an exact picture of its former self, in- 
 clading the skin of the eyes and the 
 teeth. Three additional changes sub- 
 sequently take place, each after a period 
 of live days, spent by the worm in feast- 
 ing, during which it rapidly increases 
 in size. At the end of the fourth period 
 it is from two and a half to three inches 
 in length ; its desire for food abates, 
 and the worm manifests an unequivocal 
 desire to begin its spinning. 
 
 The silkworm will live on the leaves 
 of lettuce, but this food is not their 
 natural sustenance, and they become 
 languid and feeble. The leaves of the 
 wliite and black mulberry afford the 
 only sTiitable aliment. 
 
 Hints on Knitting. — The 
 art of knitting, although very generally 
 known, is not of any great antiquity. 
 It is supposed to have been invented in 
 Scotland early in the sixteenth cenury, 
 and the invention was applied at first 
 to the manufacture of stockings only. 
 Knitted stockings were imported from 
 Scotland into France about 1530, and 
 a guild of stocking knitters was formed 
 in that country, who placed themselves 
 under the patronage of " St. Fiacre of 
 Scotland." Knitted silk stockings M-ere 
 both rare and costly, and considered as 
 suitable presents for crowned heads. 
 The gift of silk stockings to Henry the 
 Eighth, Edward the Sixth, and Queen 
 Elizabeth is recorded as amongst the 
 remarkable events in each of these 
 reigns. William Lee, of Nottingham, 
 conceived the idea of making a machine 
 that should so closely imitate the action 
 of the fini^ers in knitting that a similar 
 
 fabric would be produced; and about 
 1589 he completed the first rude attempt 
 at a stocking frame, which has since 
 been very much modified and improved. 
 It can now knit silk and thread stock- 
 ings so fine, that a pair can be enclosed 
 in a walnut-shell. 
 
 Though the invention of the knitting 
 fi'anie has superseded knitting as a 
 manufacture, yet among the poorer 
 classes, especially in the country, the 
 knitting of woollen socks and stockings 
 is still very general ; and in Scotland, 
 fancy knitting in fine wool called Shet- 
 land shawls, veils, &c., is a consider- 
 able branch of industry. Knitting has 
 one advantage over most kinds of fancy 
 work, as it is so mechanical that persons 
 of weak sight, and even the blind, can 
 knit almost as ^\•ell as those with th'3 
 keenest eye-sight. A good knitter can 
 read or talk whilst knitting ; it is, 
 therefore, an exception to the rule which 
 states that "no person can do two things 
 well at the same time." 
 
 The implements used in knitting 
 are pins of bone or ivory, and steel pins 
 tapered at both ends. These latter are 
 used in knitting work of a round nature, 
 such as a stocking ; four pins or knitting 
 needles are necessary for this purpose, 
 three of them for the stitches to be cast 
 on, the fourth to knit them off with. 
 The bono pins have a button at one end 
 to prevent the loops coming off; they 
 are used for flat pieces of work, such 
 as shawls, antimacassars, &c. 
 
 The tehms used in knitting are few 
 and simple. 
 
 Plaix knitting is smooth on the 
 right side, and looped on the M'rong 
 side, like a stocking. 
 
 ruuLiNG is bringing the loops on the 
 right side of the article. This is done 
 by putting the thread before the right 
 hand pin, which is slipped in the loop 
 at the/ro«< of the left hand pin, instead 
 of at the hack of it. 
 
 To MAKE A STITCH, pas3 the thread 
 round the pin before putting it into the 
 loop. 
 
 To DECREASE, slip off a stitch without 
 knitting it ; knit the next one, and put 
 the slipped stitch over it. 
 
Old Houses mended cost Utile less than Netv when ended. 207 
 
 To JOIN KNITTING divide the stitches 
 on to two pins ; lay them side by side, 
 and knit the two together, by taking 
 a loop off each at the same time with a 
 third pin, and as they are knit per- 
 form the last opcrnlion in knitting ; i.e. 
 
 To CAST OFF. — When two stitches arc 
 knitted, draw the first one over the 
 second, knit a third, and draw the second 
 over it, and so on to the end of the 
 seam. 
 
 Capes, jacket?, and habit shirts, which 
 are so comfortahle for ladies to wear 
 under their mantles in winter, are mnch 
 more elastic if done in knitting than 
 those done in crochet work ; for these 
 the brioche stitch is the best, being ex- 
 tremely elastic and very simple. Any 
 number of stitches that will divide by 
 three is suitable for this pattern. Knit 
 the work backwards and forwards in 
 the same stitch, beginning with a plain 
 stitch to form the edge ; then put the 
 thread forward, slip one stitch, knit two 
 together, and repeat this to the end of 
 the M'ork. Woollen inside vests for 
 ladies and children are very nice done 
 in fine white or scarlet wool with fine 
 bono pins in this stitch, but it requires 
 some little experience in knitting to be 
 nblo to shape the vest to the figure 
 and size of the person for whom it is 
 intended. 
 
 To Clean White or very 
 Light Silks. — Take one quart of 
 lukewarm water, and mix with it four 
 ounces of soft soap, four ounces of 
 honey, and a good-sized wineglass of 
 gin. The silk must be unpicked and 
 laid in widths on a kitchen table ; then 
 take a common scrubbing brush quite 
 ^!ew, dip it in the mixture, and rub 
 the silk firmly up and down on both 
 sides, so as to saturate it. llinse it in 
 cold water twice until free from soap, 
 hang it on a clothes horse to drain 
 until half dry ; then iron it with a piece 
 of thin muslin between it and the 
 iron, or it will be marked on the ironed 
 side. The silk when laid on the table 
 must be kept quite smooth, so that 
 every part may come under the brush. 
 "WTiite silk requires a little blue in the 
 water, 
 
 To Wash White Silk 
 Stockings. — Heat some rain or 
 soft water, and while on the fire cut 
 into it slices of good yellow soap, to 
 make a lather; put the stockings in 
 while the lather is warm, but not scald- 
 ing, and wash them in two such waters 
 (a wincglassful of gin in the first water 
 is an improvement) ; rinse them well 
 in lukewarm water, having ready a 
 second rinsing water, in which is 
 mixed a little blue (not the common 
 kind, bub such as is used for muslins 
 and laces), or rose pink, which can bo 
 procured at the chemist's, and is used 
 in the same way as the blue, by tying 
 it up in a piece of flannel and squeez- 
 ing it into the water. Judson's pink 
 dye gives a very pretty tint, and can 
 be made brighter or fainter according 
 to taste. After rinsing, put the stock- 
 ings between towels and let them get 
 almost dry ; place them on a small 
 sheet, lay them out quite fiat, as they 
 are when first pui-chasud, tack them to 
 the sheet with a needle and thread, 
 turn the sheet over them, and have them 
 mangled. If it is not convenient to 
 have them mangled, the next best plan 
 is to put four or six stockings one upon 
 the other between a piece of calico, lay 
 them on a stone doorstep, and beat 
 them with the rolling pin. They must 
 not bo mangled or beaten in towels, 
 as the pattern of the towels would 
 be impressed on them. If the stock- 
 ings have lace fronts they will more 
 particularly require the tacking men- 
 tioned above to make them look nice. 
 No sorla or washing powder of any 
 kind must be put to them, and they 
 must be done qu;ckly, and not left lying 
 about. 
 
 English Mineral Spas. 
 — Referring to our previous notices of 
 watering-places at pages 157 and 17G, 
 we now complete our list by pre- 
 senting our readers with notices of the 
 principal mineral spas. 
 
 Bath. — This picturesque and fashion- 
 able city lies on the banks of the Avon 
 in Somersetshire, and has long been 
 celebrated for its thermal or hot 
 springs, both saline and chalybeate. 
 
208 
 
 When shall I see my Sweet Retreat ? 
 
 Bath is of great antiquity, having 
 been founded by the Romans under 
 the name of Aquae Salis; and rather 
 more than a century ago some elegant 
 baths of their construction were dis- 
 covered. The climate is most salu- 
 brious, there are numerous wallcs and 
 drives, and ample accomiHodation for 
 visitors. 
 
 Malvern. — This delightful place is 
 in Worcestershire, eight miles irom the 
 county town on the side of the Malvern 
 hills. The Abbey is of great antiquity, 
 having been founded by Edward the 
 Confessor. The air is pure and invigo- 
 rating; there are two mineral springs, 
 whose waters are used externally and 
 internally, and there is abundant lodg- 
 ing accommodation. 
 
 Cheltenham. — This is said to be 
 the queen of English inland watering- 
 places, and is delightfully situated on 
 the bauks of the river Chelt in Glouces- 
 tershire. The climate is very mild 
 and agreeable, as the town is sheltered 
 from the north and east winds by the 
 Malvern, Rockhampton, and Cotswold 
 Hills. There are four springs, of a 
 saline, acidulous, and chalybeate nature, 
 of great service in bilious complaints, 
 and lodgings are very numerous and 
 moderate. 
 
 Clifton. — This romantically situ- 
 ated place is the delight not only of the 
 good people of Bristol, to which city it 
 forms a sort of suburb, but is resorted 
 to by numerous visitors from all parts 
 of the world. There is a magnificent 
 chain bridge here, said to be the finest 
 in the world except the one across the 
 Niagara river in Canada. The climate 
 is at once elastic and genial, and parti- 
 cularly beneficial in cases of consump- 
 tion. Clifton is rich in lovely scenery, 
 and its hot baths have been celebrated 
 for upwards of two centuries. Lodgings 
 are abundant and cheap. 
 
 Hakuowgate. — This favoiuite spa 
 is situated in Yorkshire, about eighteen 
 miles from Leeds. The town is divided 
 into two districts, one(HighHaiTowgate) 
 in which is the town proper, and in the 
 other (Low Harrowgate) the mineral 
 springs are situated. No less than 12,000 
 
 persons visit Harrowgate each season, 
 which lasts from May to September, 
 and there is ample accommodation for 
 all, and at moderate rates. The air is 
 pure and bracing, and the medicinal 
 spi-ings, which are saline, sulphurous, 
 and chalybeate, and which are nearly 
 100 in number, are beneficial in de- 
 rangement of the digestive organs, 
 gout, and disorders of the skin. 
 
 Buxton. — This popular place lies 
 among the Derbyshire hilb, about 
 thirty miles from Derby, and is about 
 1,000 feet above the level of the sea. 
 There are nearly 15,000 visitors during 
 the season, which extends from June 
 to October. The springs are saline, 
 sulphurous, and chalybeate, and are 
 said to be very serviceable in rheu- 
 matic complaints. There is plenty of 
 lodging and hotel accommodation at 
 moderate rates; charming scenery in 
 the neighbourhood ; and within a few 
 miles lies H addon Hall, where the 
 unfortunate Mary Stuart was confined 
 previously to her removal to Fotherin- 
 gay. The Duke of Devonshire's mag- 
 nificent mansion of Chatsworth, with 
 its superb garden and grounds, designed 
 by Sir Joseph Paxton, can easily be 
 visited from Buxton. 
 
 Matlock. — This pretty village is 
 charmingly situated at the bottom of 
 the vale of the Derwent, in Derbyshire, 
 and about sixteen miles from Derby. 
 The air is deliciously pure and cool, 
 and the neighbouihood abounds in ob- 
 jects of interest, the most noteworthy 
 being the caverns, one of which is largo 
 enough to contain 10,000 men. The 
 waters are beneficial in dyspeptic, 
 rheumatic, and even in pulmonary 
 complaints. Lodgings arc good and 
 moderate. 
 
 TuNBRiDGE Wells. — Evelyn, " the 
 well-known author of " Silva," the 
 earliest work on the culture of forest 
 trees, and who flourished in the seven- 
 teenth century, describes Tunbridge 
 Wells much as the visitor will find it at 
 the present day, " a very sweet place, 
 private and refreshing." Tunbridge 
 Wells lies in Kent, about forty-six miles 
 from London. The climate is healthy 
 
O Caledonia ! stern and wild. 
 
 209 
 
 and invigorating. Tunbridge Castle, 
 biiilt in the eleventh century, is -worthy 
 of a visit. There are several delightful 
 ■walks ; and in the neighbourhood is 
 Bridge Castle, the seat of the Eai-1 of 
 Abergavenny. The springs are chaly- 
 beate, powerfully tonic, and beneficial 
 in cases of physical debility. The 
 accommodation for visitors is plentiful, 
 and moderate in price. 
 
 Ben RnYDniNO. — This romantically 
 situated spa is close to the village of 
 Ukley, about an hour's journey by rail 
 from Leeds. The air is keen and 
 bracing, and baths of every description, 
 air, vapour, Turkish, &c., can bo had. 
 There are numerous pleasant walks, 
 and any number of excursions can be 
 made ; one of the most interesting 
 being to the far-famed Bolton Abbey, 
 situated five miles from Ben Rhydding. 
 Hotel and lodging accommodation are 
 moderate. 
 
 Leamington. — This pretty and 
 fashionable M'atering-place is situated 
 in "Warwickshire, and in the immediate 
 neighbourhood of Warwick Castle, 
 Kenil worth, and the battle-field of 
 Edgehill ; and Stratford-on-Avon, the 
 birthplace of the immortal Shakspeare, 
 is at an easy distance. There are 
 twelve mineral springs, saline, sul- 
 phurous, and chalybeate, and they are 
 used both externally and internally. 
 The climate is fine during the summer 
 months, but cold in winter. There 
 are numorous baths, and good lodgings 
 in abundance. 
 
 Scottish Mineral Spas.— 
 
 The Bridge op Allan. — In point 
 of position, the Bridge of Allan may 
 be placed at the head of the Scottish 
 spas. It is situated nearly equidistant 
 from Edinburgh and Glasgow, occupy- 
 ing a very picturesque position near to 
 the Ochil Hills, with the ancient to^vn 
 of Stirling and its majestically situated 
 castle close in front, the classic field of 
 Bannockburn within half an hour's 
 drive, the episcopal city of Dumblane, 
 with its cathedral, about the same dis- 
 tance in the opposite direction ; the ruins 
 of the ancient abbey of Cambuskenneth, 
 and walks and drives in infinite variety. 
 
 Excursions from the Bridge of Allan 
 to the world-renowned Trossachs can 
 be made daily. The climate is mild 
 and equable, and the mineral waters 
 at Airthrey, in the neighbourhood, aro 
 beneficial in pulmonary complaints and 
 afiections of the skin. There are plenty 
 of lodgings, and abundance of angli;.;^ 
 in the river Allan, the Forth, and thj 
 Teith. 
 
 Innerleithen. — This prettily pla:sd 
 village lies in the county of Peebles, 
 about six miles from that town, and 
 twenty-seven from Edinburgh. Inner- 
 leithen is the original of Scott's " cA. 
 Eonan's Well ;" and here the famous 
 " Meg Dods" had her supposed abo'Io at 
 the " Cleikum Inn." Near Innerleithen 
 is situated the estate of Glenormiston, 
 the property of Mr. William Chambers, 
 the well-known publisher. The mineral 
 springs have the same medicinal pro- 
 perties as those of Airthrey above de- 
 scribed, and lodgin£;s are moderate. 
 Close to Peebles are the ruins of Neid- 
 path Castle, romantically situated on 
 the banks of the Twoed, and in the 
 vicinity is the scenery described in 
 Scott's novel of the "Black Dwarf." 
 
 Moffat. — This pretty village lies in 
 the county of Dumfries, about sixty 
 miles from Edinburgh and sixty-five 
 from Glasgow. The air is pure and 
 bracing, and there is a great variety of 
 walks and drives. Lake, burn, and 
 river fishing can be had in abundance 
 and without requiring any permission. 
 Fresh and mineral water baths can be 
 had in the villaee, and there is a sul- 
 phurous spring at Mofi'at Well, about 
 one mile and a half distant. Hotel and 
 lodging accommodation is excellent. 
 
 PiTKEATHLY WeLLS OU BrIDGE OF 
 
 Earn, is situated a few miles from 
 Perth, on the banks of the Earn, and is 
 celebrated for its mineral waters, which 
 are saline, mixed with carbonic acid 
 gas, and remedial in cases of plethora, 
 disorders of the liver, &c. In the 
 neighbourhood is Moncrieff Hill, up- 
 wards of 750 feet in height, and com- 
 manding an extensive idew from its 
 summit. There is a tulip tree at Pit- 
 keathly, said to be upwards of 100 years 
 
210 
 
 As goad Play Jor Nothitig as Work Jo r Nothing. 
 
 old. There is capital fishing in the Earn, 
 and lodgings are moderate. 
 
 Stkathpeffer. — This fashionable 
 spa is in the county of Eoss, about 
 five miles from Dingwall, and twenty- 
 Ihree from Inverness. It is chiefly 
 i-'^aortrd to for its mineral waters, 
 V Iiich are strongly charged with siil- 
 phiireted hydrogen, owing to the 
 bituminous rock from which they 
 spring. Lodgings are rather scarce, 
 but they are comfortable, and the air 
 is bracing. 
 
 Ball.\ter. — This charmingly situated 
 v:liage lies in the coimty of Aberdeen, 
 nnd is distant about nine miles from 
 J. a! moral Castle, the Highland resi- 
 dence of her Majesty. 'J'here are a 
 great number of romantic places near 
 Ballater well worthy of a visit, amongst 
 others the Pass of Ballater ; the famous 
 Lochnagar, celebrated by Byron ; the 
 Burn of the Vat, a vast chasm ; and 
 Loch Cannor, on the margin of which 
 are the ruins of a hunting seat of 
 Malcolm Canmore. There are chaly- 
 beate springs two miles from Ballater, 
 the waters being efficacious in ailments 
 of the blood ; and plenty of lodging 
 accommodation. 
 
 The Game of Racquet. — 
 This game is played in a regular court, 
 either open or close. The area of the 
 court ought to be about 80 by 40 feet, 
 the front wall should be 30 feet in 
 height, the back about 12 feet ; and if 
 the court is closed in, the roof must be 
 well supplied with skylights. The 
 best material for the walls is brick, 
 plastered evenly i.i order to be true, 
 and covered with a good coat of black 
 paint. The entrance door is in the 
 back wall, in which any position will 
 be suitable, but the door ought to be 
 flush with the wall. A gallery for 
 spectators is sometimes placed over the 
 back wall, but it must not project into 
 the court. The back wall, to the 
 height of twenty-six inches from the 
 ground, should be covered with wood 
 painted black like the walls. The pur- 
 pose for which the wood is required is 
 to indicate by the sound where the 
 ball strikes upon it. On the front 
 
 wall there is also a white line at the 
 height of seven feet nine inches above 
 the floor, which is called the cut line, 
 and this is intended to indicate the 
 point above which the ball must be 
 made to strike the wall when the 
 player first goes in. The back part of 
 the floor of the court is subdivided into 
 two equal oblong spaces, into one of 
 which the ball must be served, accord- 
 ing to the court from which the man 
 "in" is serving from, and at each of the 
 side walls about the middle are two 
 spaces, 8 by 6 feet in dimensions, which 
 are the service spaces. 
 
 The implements roii the game are 
 the racquet bat and the ball. The 
 racqTiet bat consists of an oval frame, 
 of a certain regulation size, to which 
 there is a long handle, the oval portion 
 of it — by which the ball is to be struck 
 — is crossed by catgut very tightly 
 drawn, so as to render it highly elastic. 
 The ball is made very hard and covered 
 with leather. 
 
 The Rules. — 1. The game is 15 up. 
 At 13 all the game may be si't to 5, 
 and at 14 all to 3, provided this be done 
 before another ball is struck. 2. The 
 going in first is to be decided by lot. 
 
 3, The ball is to be served alternately 
 right or left at the option of the player. 
 
 4. In serving, the server must have one 
 foot in the space marked for that pur- 
 pose. 5. The ball must be made to 
 strike the front wall above the line, and 
 it must strike the floor within the lines 
 enclosing the court on the side opposite 
 to that in which the server stands. 6. 
 A ball served below the line on the 
 front wall is a fault, but it may be 
 taken, in which oase the ace must ba 
 played out. 7. In serving, the ball 
 must not strike anywhere before it 
 strikes the front wall ; if it does so it is 
 a hand out. 8. In serving, if a bail 
 touch the server or his partner before 
 it has bounded twice, it is a hand out. 
 9. It is considered to be a hand out 
 if any of the following things occur, 
 viz. : — If the server be not in his 
 right place ; if the ball be not served 
 over the lino; if the ball do not fall 
 in the proper court ; if the ball touch 
 
Swed Meat must have Sour Sauce. 
 
 the roof; if the ball touch the gal- 
 lery netting, posts, or cushions. 10. 
 Two faults in succession put a hand 
 out. 11. An out-plaj-er may not take 
 a ball served to his partner. 12. The 
 out-players may change their courts 
 only once in each game. 13. If a ball 
 hit the striker's adversary above or upon 
 the knee it is a let; if below the knee 
 — or if it hit the striker himself or his 
 partner — it counts against the striker. 
 14. If a player purposely stop a ball 
 before the second bound it counts 
 against him. 15. Till a ball has been 
 touched, or has bounded twice, the 
 player and his partner may strike it as 
 often as they please. 16. Every player 
 should get out of the way as much as 
 possible. 17. After the service, if a 
 ball goes out of the court or hits the 
 roof, it is an ace ; if it hits the gallery 
 netting, post, or cushions in returning 
 from the front wall, it is a let ; if it hit 
 the roof before striking the front wall 
 it counts against the striker. 18. The 
 marker's decision is to be final, but if 
 he cannot decide, the ace is to be plaj'ed 
 over again. 
 
 The Tomato, or love-apple, the 
 Solanum li/copersicuin of the botanist, 
 is a tender annual, a native of South 
 America, and was introduced to this 
 country about 1596. The fruit is 
 smooth, compressed at both ends, with 
 strongly marked and pulpy ribs. It is 
 acid in flavour when ripe, and is used 
 in soups and sauces, the juice being 
 preserved for winter use like ketchup 
 OS a general sauce for meat and fish. 
 In confectionery it is used as a preserve, 
 and when green as a pickle. The large 
 and small cherry and pear-shaped red, 
 and the large and small or cherry-shaped 
 yellow, are the most commonly used 
 sorts ; the first for ordinary culinary 
 purposes, and the second for variety of 
 the fruit. One ounce of seed will pro- 
 duce about sixty plants, and it should 
 be sown on a hotbed about the end of 
 March or the beginning of April. 
 "When about two inches in height the 
 young plants should be pricked out 
 either on another hotbed about three 
 inches apart each way, or into single 
 
 small pots and placed in heat, either in 
 a frame or forcing- house, tare being 
 taken to keep them near the glass, as 
 such a position encourages a robust 
 habit of growth. About the middle or 
 end of May they may bo planted out, 
 with a good ball of earth in a bordir 
 with a full south aspect. The tomato 
 is a voracious feeder, and the soil in 
 which they are planted should be well 
 manured with decayed manure. When 
 planted give water, and should the 
 nights be cold, cover the plants with 
 inverted flower-pots or hand-glasses. 
 The plants may be trained to stakes or 
 nailed to a wall, or allowed to ramble 
 over the surface of the soil like cucum- 
 bers. To facilitate the ripening pro- 
 cess in autumn, the leaves which 
 shade the fruit from the direct in- 
 fluence of the sun ought to be removed. 
 Tomatoes do not seem to be so generally 
 appreciated in England as they are 
 abroad, particularly in America, where 
 they are grown in every garden and 
 seen on every table. A favourite dish 
 for breakfast is a — 
 
 Tomato S.\lad. — Peel half a dozen 
 ripe tomatoes, slice them into a glass 
 bowl, add two pickled onions minced 
 up, or a dessertspoonful of the vinegar 
 from pickled onions, a dessertspoonful 
 of Chili vinegar, a tablespo(mful of 
 common vinegar, and three tablespoon- 
 fuls of salad oil, with a dessertspoon- 
 ful of powdered sugar ; pour over the 
 tomatoes, and let them lie for ten 
 minutes. 
 
 Pkeserved Tomatoes. — Peel ripe 
 and fresh tomatoes, season with salt 
 and pepper as for immedi.ite eating; 
 put them in bottles or tin cans ; cork 
 them up, make a small hole in the 
 centre of the corks ; put them in a 
 pot of cold water, and set it over the 
 tire and boil for twenty minutes ; take 
 them up and cork and seal them, and 
 keep in a cool place. They should 
 not be opened while the weather is hot. 
 
 Sweet Green Tomato Pickle. — 
 Peel and slice two gallons of green 
 tomatoes, five tablespoonfuls of ground 
 mustard, half a pint of mustard seed, 
 two tablespoonfuls of ground cinna- 
 
212 
 
 Memory is the Treasurer of the Mind. 
 
 mon, one tatlespoonful of cloves, one 
 pound of brown sugar, three quarts 
 of vinegar. Boil all together until 
 quite done. Celery tops or celery- 
 seeds improve the flavour. They are 
 excellent prepared in this way. 
 
 Tomato Sauce, to Keep. — Take six 
 pounds of ripe tomatoes, crush them, 
 and sprinkle with salt ; let them remain 
 a day or two, then boil and pass through 
 a coarse sieve or colander. Put into the 
 liquor half a teaspoonful of Cayenne 
 and a dessertspoonful each of cloves, 
 pepper, ginger, and cinnamon ; boil it 
 one-third away, and bottle tight. It 
 should be shaken before being used. 
 
 Baked Tomatoes. — The most simple, 
 easy, and certainly one of the most 
 delicious modes of cooking tomatoes is 
 to slice them when ripe, put them with 
 a little butter, pepper, and salt, in a 
 dish or^plate, and cook them before the 
 fire or in the oven. When done, put a 
 poached egg or two on the top, and you 
 have a dish fit for an emperor. 
 
 Aids to Memory. — Thecotn- 
 mon colloquial term for mnemonics is 
 " artificial memory ; " but a less exact 
 term could not be xised. There are 
 such things as artificial teeth, eyes, and 
 limbs, but we can no more nave an 
 artificial memory than an artificial 
 imagination or conscience. At best we 
 can only construct a system of aids to 
 memory, by the use of which we may 
 be enabled to recollect facts that, with- 
 out such aids, we might readily forget. 
 In all countries certain expedients are 
 made use of to help memory, and 
 among those most commonly resorted 
 to are tying a knot on one's handker- 
 chief, tying a string or thread round the 
 finger, &c. It often happens that the 
 best way to arrange a number of facts 
 to which we require to make daily 
 reference is to throw them into a me- 
 ti'ical form, as has been done with the 
 days of the months in the famous rhyme 
 beginning, " Thirty days hath Septem- 
 ber." This rhyme, which, estimated 
 with respect to its poetical merits, is 
 mere doggerel, may be considered more 
 valuable than the finest verse Tennyson 
 ever penned. By means of it millions 
 
 of people have been saved the trouble 
 of consulting an almanack or other work 
 giving the number of days in each 
 month. What has been done once may 
 be done again, and we do not see any 
 reason why any similar series of facts 
 of universal importance should not be 
 arranged in the same way and recalled 
 quite as promptly. The man who 
 keeps a daily record of his actions, 
 aims, &c., in the shape of a diary or a 
 commonplace-book, runs less chance of 
 forgetting anything he may wish to re- 
 member than one who keeps no such 
 record. But notes are such well-known 
 aids to memory that we need do no 
 more than merely mention them here. 
 
 Many different systems of mnemonics 
 have been framed, but it is very doubt- 
 ful whether they have ever proved of 
 much practical use to any but their 
 framers. All of them are complicated 
 and difficult to master ; indeed, beyond 
 a few general principles, which it is 
 Avell to know, we cannot understand 
 how they can give much aid to memory. 
 In most instances it would appear that 
 the inventors of these systems are 
 simply to be considered as the victims 
 of mere crotchets and chimeras. Grey, 
 Beneowski, and Finaigle, invented 
 systems, but the world has not bene- 
 fited from their ingenuity, and the 
 labour of committing to memory is as 
 great at the present day as it would 
 have been had these savans never 
 lived. To explain what these systems 
 were woiild carry us beyond our limits, 
 and we shall onlv mention that Grey's 
 method of learning and remembering 
 historical and other dates consisted in 
 having letter-symbols for the numerals. 
 Out of these letter-symbols words were 
 made, and the student had only to re- 
 collect the numerals that were repre- 
 sented by the letter- symbols in order 
 to recall the date of the event to which 
 the word referred. 
 
 But it is to a writer and thinker of 
 later date than the philosophers we 
 have named, that we are indebted for 
 the most valuable aids to memory yet 
 known. It was left for Dr. Pick to 
 observe that we remember some thinss 
 
Medicines are not meant to Live on. 
 
 213 
 
 more easily than others, and that the 
 things most readily remembered ■v\-ere 
 those to which •we •were guided by 
 some association of ideas. 
 
 This association of ideas is the basis 
 of Pick's system of aids to memorj'. If 
 in a list of words the mind is led on from 
 one word to another by some idea that 
 forms an association or connecting link 
 between the two, the whole list will be 
 committed to memory by the mere 
 readincr of it over once or twice. In the 
 following list the reader Mill at once 
 perceive the association that links one 
 word to another, and will understand 
 the readiness with which it can be com- 
 mitted to memory : — England, naviga- 
 tion, steam, railway, telegraph, elec- 
 tricity, thunder, storm, wind, pipe, 
 music, harmony, alliance, peace, tran- 
 quillity, meditation. A list of say forty 
 •words, between which there are asso- 
 ciating ideas as in the case of the list 
 just given, could be committed to 
 memory in a minute or tw^o. 
 
 Carrying out this principle. Dr. Pick 
 has invented a method of teaching Ger- 
 man and French which seems to be ex- 
 ceedingly easj% Lists of foreign words 
 can be remembered almost as easily as 
 the list given above if they are so 
 arranged as to exhibit a chain of asso- 
 ciated ideas, and Dr. Pick arranges his 
 vocabularies, groups of regular and 
 irregiilar verbs, &c., with this view. 
 By attending to this principle any 
 person of average powers of mind can 
 be trained to perform what may be 
 called sui-prising feats of memory ; but 
 it must, however, be borne in mind 
 that diligent study and constant prac- 
 tice are indispensable. 
 
 For a full exposition of Dr. Pick's 
 system we refer the reader to his treatise 
 on " Memory," and to his other works. 
 
 Dyspepsia, or Indiges- 
 tion. — There is perhaps no complaint 
 that more universally afflicts the civi- 
 lized portion of mankind than this. It 
 is foimd attacking the poor needle- 
 woman, living in a garret, whose diet 
 chiefly consists of large quantities of 
 ■weak tea, and bread and butter. It 
 attacks the rich man, foiid of the 
 
 pleasures of the table, who gives bis 
 stomach more work than it can do, and 
 who eventually pays a heavy price for 
 his enjoyments ; and it attacks the 
 literary and scientific man, whose habits 
 are sedentary, whose brain is over- 
 woi'ked, and M'ho frequently neglects 
 to supply to his stomach a sufficiency 
 of food with the regularity necessary 
 for the due maintenance of health. 
 
 The more immediate caiises of dys- 
 pepsia arc the iise of food in too large 
 quantities, and of an indigestible nature ; 
 irregularity in the meal hours ; imper- 
 fect mastication from being in a hun-}'', 
 from carelessness, or from bad teeth ; 
 want of regular exercise ; mental anx- 
 iety, and the excessive use of spirituous 
 liquors and tobacco. "With regard to 
 the quantity of food, the caution of 
 Socrates should be remembered: — 
 " Beware of such food as persuades 
 a man, though he be not hungry, to 
 eat, and those liquors that will prevail 
 with a man to diink them when he is 
 not thirsty." 
 
 The symptoms of an attack of dys- 
 pepsia vary much both in their nature 
 and intensity. The first thing generally 
 complained of is want of appetite, •with 
 nausea, flatxilence, heartburn, and occa- 
 sional pain in the stomach, a sense of 
 fulness and oppression after eating, with 
 languor and depression of spirits. In 
 the more severe eases the pain in the 
 stomach is considerable, and is increased 
 by pressure and by food, the latter even 
 in small quantities sometimes producing 
 acute pain followed by vomiting. There 
 is foulness of the tongue and breath, 
 palpitation of the heart, costiveness or 
 diarrhoea, and vomiting of a thin, sour 
 fluid that sets the teeth on edge. 
 
 The mental elfects produced by dys- 
 pe])sia vary from the slight impleasant 
 feeling known as " being out of sorts," 
 to the graver and more serious state 
 called hypochondriasis, in which the 
 patient may show the most extreme 
 melancholy, even amounting to a dis- 
 position to commit suicide. It is often 
 seen that a morbidly particular atten- 
 tion is paid by the patient to the state 
 of his own health j he exaggerates his 
 
214 
 
 What Art is so Noble as the Healing Art 1 
 
 symptoms, and takes a very desponding 
 view of his case, and of the state of his 
 affairs generally. Indeed, shrewd men 
 of husiness have been known to have 
 made such ridiculous bargains that 
 they could only be accounted for by 
 their being attacked by dyspepsia. 
 
 Treatment. — The first thing is to 
 ascertain the cause of the complaint, 
 and above all to obtain the patient's 
 confidence. It must be remembered 
 that this is a malady that in the first 
 place affects the stomach, and afier- 
 wards, through that organ, the con- 
 stitution generally ; the treatment must 
 therefore be directed in the first place 
 to improve the state of the stomach, 
 and in the second, that of the general 
 health. As a man has it in his power 
 to keep his stomach in a healthy con- 
 dition, if he will only be careful of 
 what he puts into it, our first considera- 
 tion is " diet." Simplicity in diet is 
 to be commended ; at the Fame time 
 it must be borne in mind that man, 
 being omnivorous, requires a mixed 
 diet. 
 
 The following is a scale of diet for 
 dyspeptic people, taken from the work 
 of an eminent physician : * — 
 
 7 a.m. A tumblerful of equal parts 
 of spring water and soda or lime water. 
 
 7.30 a.m. To rise from bed. Use a 
 tepid or cold sponge bath, rub the skin 
 with a coarse towel. Dress leisurely. 
 
 8.30 a.m. Breakfast.— A large cup 
 of weak tea with half milk, or milk 
 and water, sole or whiting, or the lean 
 of an underdone chop, or a new-laid 
 egg lightly boiled, stale bread, and a 
 little butter. 
 
 1 p.m. Luncheon. — Oysters, if they 
 agree, or an imderdone mutton chop, 
 or a slice of roast mutton, a biscuit or 
 stale bread, one glass of dry sherry. 
 
 6 p.m. Dinner. — Codfish, sole, turbot, 
 whiting, or brill ; mutton, venison, 
 chicken, grouse, partridge, hare, yjhea- 
 sant, tripe boiled in milk, sweetbread, 
 boiled leg of lamb or roast beef, stale 
 bread, cauliflower, asparagus, vegetable 
 marrow, French beans, potato or sea- 
 
 • " Practice of Medicine," by T. H. Tanner. 
 M.D. 
 
 kale. Half a wineglassful of cognac 
 in a bottle of soda water, or two glasses 
 of good dry sherry or claret after 
 dinner. 
 
 9 p.m. A small glass of cold brandy 
 and water with a biscuit, or a cup of 
 weak tea with half milk, and a slice 
 of bread and butter, or a teacupful 
 of arrowroot. 
 
 1 1 p.m. Bed. — To sleep on a mattress 
 without too much covering ; the room 
 to be properly ventilated; a fire will 
 be beneficial in cold weatlier. It is 
 presumed that a good night's rest has 
 been earned by a fair amount of exer- 
 cise in the open air. 
 
 To improve the general health, rest 
 and mental relaxation should, if pos- 
 sible, be obtained. Change of air and 
 sea bathing (when it agrees) will be 
 found useful. Cheerful society and a 
 moderate amount of exercise will often 
 do more than medicine. Amongst the 
 latter all the different varieties of tonics 
 have been recommended according to 
 the state of the case ; but pepsine, the 
 digestive principle of the gastric juice, 
 will be found most useful in a weak 
 condition of the stomach. Great atten- 
 tion should be paid to the regularity of 
 the bowels, and methodical habits ought 
 to be encouraged. 
 
 Tinctures. — These are valuable 
 medicinal preparations, and all the more 
 so that they are capable of being long 
 kept without undergoing deterioration. 
 They consist of solutions chiefly of 
 vegetable substances in rectified spirits, 
 and can be suppUed for the domestic 
 medicine chest by the apothecary, to 
 the saving of considerable trouble. "We 
 shall, however, lay before our readers 
 some prescriptions for such tinctures as 
 are most useful, and state the purposes 
 to which they are applicable. 
 
 Bitter Tinctuke for Indigestion 
 AND Biliousness, &c. — Gentian root 
 cut, two ounces ; orange peel dried, one 
 ounce ; cardamom seeds bruised, half 
 an ounce ; proof spirit, two pints. 
 Macerate a fortnight, and filter the 
 liquor. This will be found a valuable 
 tincture in general debility and the 
 particular ailments above mentioned. 
 
Cooks are not to he tm/srht in their ozun Kitchen. 
 
 215 
 
 It is known to the druj^gist as the com- 
 pound tincture of gentian. 
 
 Aromatic Tincture for Gout, 
 Flatulency, and Languor. — This 
 preparation is compounded with car- 
 damom seods, cinnamon bark, long 
 pepper, ginger root, macerated in proof 
 spirit. It is of much benefit in the 
 ailments above referred to. The do3e 
 is from one to two teaspoonfuls. This 
 medicine is known as the compound 
 tincture of cinnamon. 
 
 Purgative Tincture for Flatu- 
 LF.NCE, Pains, Gout, &c. — Senna 
 leaves, three ounces ; carraway seeds 
 bruised, three drachms ; cardamom seeds 
 bruised, one drachm ; raisins stoned, 
 four ounces ; brand}-, two pints. Ma- 
 cerate fourteen days, and filter. Dose, 
 one, two, or three tablespoonfuls. This 
 preparation is equal in efficacy to the 
 tincture long known and celebrated as 
 Daffy's Elixir. 
 
 Tincture of Rhubarb for Indi- 
 gestion, &c. — Rhubarb root sliced, 
 two ounces ; cardamoms bruised, an 
 ounce and a half; saffron, two drachms ; 
 projf spirit, two pints. Macerate a 
 fortnight in a gentle heat, and filter. 
 This tincture, combined with equal 
 quantities of the tincture of senna or 
 tincture of aloes, is a medicine of great 
 value in indigestion, depression, and 
 constipation, occurring iu conjimction 
 with debility. 
 
 Purgative Pills. — Compound 
 extract of colocynth, compound rhubarb 
 pill, of each half a drachm ; calomel, 
 twelve grains ; oil of carraway, five 
 drops ; syrup to make the whole into 
 a mass. To be divided into fifteen 
 pills. These are excellent in fevers, 
 inflammation, and all cases where such 
 purgatives are required. 
 
 Mild Laxative Pills. — Compound 
 extract of colocynth, half a drachm ; 
 compound rhubarb pill, one scruple ; 
 Castile soap, ten grains; oil of juniper, 
 five drops ; formed into a mass, and 
 divided into twelve pills. One to be 
 taken at bedtime. These pills are mild 
 aperients, and well suited for occasional 
 use in constipation and bilious afiec- 
 tions. 
 
 Pills for the Stomach. — Rhubarb 
 in powder, two scruples ; ipecacuanha 
 in powder, twenty-four grains ; Castile 
 soap, two scruples ; syrup of orange 
 peel to form the whole into a suitable 
 mass. To be divided into two dozen 
 of pills ; one to be taken thrice a day. 
 These pills give tone to the stomach in 
 indigestion and bilious affections, and 
 are highly beneficial in sick headache, 
 nausea, defective appetite, and stomach 
 cough. 
 
 Pills to Aid Digestion. — Soco- 
 torine aloes, forty grains, and gum 
 mastic, eighteen grains, rubbed well 
 together ; compound extract of gentian 
 and compound galbanum pill, of each 
 twenty-four grains ; oil of aniseed suffi- 
 cient to form the mass. Divide into 
 twenty pills. These are excellent pills. 
 Two may be taken an hour before dinner, 
 or at night. They act mildly. 
 
 Cookery for Invalids. — 
 Porter Jelly. — Boil a cow-heel to a 
 jelly ; to one quart of this jelly add a 
 bottle of the best porter, with the rind 
 and juice of four lemons, one pound of 
 white sugar, and the yolks, whites, and 
 shells of five eggs beaten together ; let 
 them just come to a boil, and then 
 strain through a flannel jelly bag. It 
 should look clear, and is very nice and 
 strengthening for an invalid. 
 
 Veal Sherbet. — Wash a good 
 knuckle of veal, put it to boil in nine 
 pints of water. Let it boil until reduced 
 to two pints. Run it through a fine 
 sieve, and when nearly cold, add to it 
 two pints of clarified syrup, and a pint 
 and a half of clear lemon juice. Mix 
 well, and serve as refreshment. It 
 will be found very nutritious as well 
 as pleasant. 
 
 Tafioca and Cod Liver Jelly. — 
 Boil a quarter of a pound of tapioca 
 till tender in two quarts of water ; drain 
 it into a colander, and then replace it 
 in the stewpan. Add half a pint of 
 milk, and about one pound of fresh cod 
 liver, cut into a dozen pieces. Simmer 
 slowly for fully half an hour, until the 
 liver is quite cooked. Press out the 
 liver as much as possible into the tapioca ; 
 take away the liver, and mix the tapioca. 
 
2l6 
 
 Clean Hands want no Wash Ball. 
 
 If too thick, add a few spoonsful of 
 milk, and boil for a few minutes ; stir 
 well, add a little pepper and salt, and 
 serve. Tapioca cooked in this manner 
 is nourishing, and peculiarly suited for 
 invalids. 
 
 Iceland Moss Jelly. — Put one 
 oimce of Iceland moss, and one ounce 
 of Carrageen or Irish moss into a stew- 
 pan ; add a pint and a half of milk, 
 boil slowly for three quarters of an 
 hour ; strain through muslin ; add 
 three ounces of white sugar, dissolved 
 in one oimce of the compound tincture 
 of quinia, which can be had at any 
 chemist's. Take a dessert spoonful 
 several times a day. This is much 
 esteemed as a remedy in certain stages 
 of consumption, &c. 
 
 Isinglass Blancmange. — In a pint 
 of boiling milk dissolve an oimce of 
 isinglass; the mixture can be flavoured 
 Avith lemon peel, bitter almonds, &c. 
 It will make an excellent blancmange 
 for an invalid or convalescent. 
 
 To Clean Sheepskin 
 Rugs or Mats. — Make a very 
 strong lather, by boiling soap in a little 
 lather, mix this with a sufficient quan- 
 tity of water (rather more than luke- 
 warm), to wash the mat or rug in, and 
 rub boiled soap on those portions of it 
 which require additional cleansing. 
 When the mat has been well washed in 
 this water, prepare another lather in the 
 same way, in which a second washing 
 must take place, followed by a third, 
 which ought to bo sufficient to cleanse 
 it thoioughly. Rinse it well in cold 
 water until all the soap is removed, and 
 then put it in water in which a little 
 blue has been mixed, sufficient to keep 
 the wool of a good white, and prevent 
 its inclining to yellow. After this it 
 should be thoroughly wrung, shaken, 
 and hung otit in the open air with the 
 skin part towards the sun, but not 
 while it is scorching, otherwise the skin 
 will become hard. It must also be 
 shaken often while drying, for if not it 
 v/iU be quite stiff and crackly. It 
 should be frequently turned, being hung 
 up first by one end and then by the 
 other, until it has dried entirely. 
 
 How to Clean Ostrich 
 Feathers. — Cut some white curd 
 soap in small pieces, pour boiling water 
 on them, and add a little pcarlash. 
 When the soap is quite dissolved, and 
 the mixture cool enough for the hand 
 to bear, plunge the feathers into it, draw 
 the feathers throxigh the hand till the 
 dirt appears squeezed out of them, pass 
 them through a clean lather with some 
 blue in it, then rinse in cold water with 
 blue to give them a good colour. Beat 
 them against the hand to shake off the 
 water, and dry by shaking them near a 
 fire. When perfectly dry, curl each 
 fibre separately with a blunt knife or 
 ivory paper-folder. 
 
 To Clean Grebe.— Carefully 
 take out the lining, and wash it in the 
 same way as directed for the ostrich 
 feathers. They must not be shaken 
 imtil quite dry, and any rent in the 
 skin must be repaired before making 
 up again. 
 
 To Wash Hair Brushes. 
 — Fill a pan Avith warm water, and 
 dissolve in it a quarter of an ounce of 
 soda to half a gallon of water. Comb 
 out the loose hairs ; take one brush at 
 a time by the handle and dip it several 
 times in the water without v/etting the 
 back; then rinse in cold water, and 
 put near the fire or in tho open air 
 to dry. Never use soap in washing 
 hair brushes, or allow the water to be 
 more than lukewarm, as hot water will 
 soften the bristles and melt the glue in 
 the back, and also turn ivory backs 
 yellow. 
 
 The Conundrum, or 
 Enigma. — This is a form of ex- 
 pression intended to denote in an ob- 
 scure and ambiguous manner something 
 that is well known and familiar. An 
 enigma may be delivered in words, in 
 
 {)aintings, or in sculpture ; and of the 
 ast two (if these modes the hierofilyphs 
 of ancient Egypt, the forms attributed 
 to the deities of the classic mythology, 
 and many of the figures of modern 
 idolatry in India and China, may be 
 cited as examples ; in all which, more 
 or less, some principle or truth is de- 
 noted by a combination of real ot 
 
A Little iVit will serve a Fortunate Man. 
 
 17 
 
 fabulous form?. The verbal enigma has 
 in all ages and countries, from very re- 
 mote times, been popular in proportion 
 to the degree of wit and art it exhibits. 
 In the Middle Ages the art of composing 
 riddles was much cultivated, as affording 
 amusement ; and in modem times the 
 genius of the Germans has contributed 
 much to confer on the conundrum a 
 high degree of literary merit. There 
 are numerous collections of conundrums 
 in various languages, to which our 
 readers can have recourse, and atten- 
 tion to which will go far to facilitate the 
 making of others, should their time or 
 inclination enable any of them to seek 
 amusement in that species of composi- 
 tion. The celebrated periodicals known 
 as Punch and Fun contain many ex- 
 tremely clever instances of this mode of 
 writing, which doubtless are familiar 
 to our readers. We give the following 
 as illustrations of the conundrum : — 
 
 Q. What did the Duke of Wellington 
 do with his boots when he wore them 
 out? 
 
 A. Wore them home again. 
 
 Q. Why arc little birds depressed early 
 on a summer morning ? 
 
 A. Because their little bills arc all over 
 dew (due). 
 
 Q. What creature left the ark in the 
 most respectable manner h 
 
 A. The spider, for as he stepped out 
 he walked into a fly. 
 
 Q. Why should birds in their nests 
 agree ? 
 
 A. Because if they did not they would 
 fall out. 
 
 Q. What train should a dull bov travel 
 by? 
 
 A . The Brighton up train. 
 
 We shall now mention only one con- 
 imdrum more, which possesses the dis- 
 tinction of not being found in either of 
 the two witty periodicals above referred 
 to, but which perhaps our readers will 
 not find any great difficulty in in- 
 terpreting, and it will serve at the 
 same time as an illustration of the 
 nature of composition now under dis- 
 cussion : — 
 
 Q. What English coimty is it whose 
 name is permanently associated with 
 
 every production of superlative excel- 
 lence ? 
 
 A. Kent; because Kent undoubtedly 
 produces the " Best of Everything." 
 
 The Guinea-pig.— This little 
 animal, although called by the name of 
 " pig," is in no way whatever related to 
 the family to which the wild boar and 
 the domestic hog belong. It is, on the 
 contrary, comprehended in the order 
 Rodentia, along with mice, rats, squir- 
 rels, and the various kinds of animals 
 remarkable, as the name of the order 
 implies, for their habits of gnawing. 
 The guinea-pig is a native of Brazil 
 and Paraguay, where it is found wild ; 
 and there are various species of the 
 same animal. When domesticated in 
 this country, it very much resembles 
 the rabbit, although it is smaller in 
 size. It is frequently marked with 
 irregular patches of black, Avhite, and 
 orange. The ears are round and almost 
 naked, the feet are short, and there is 
 no tail. It is a very cleanly animal^ 
 and the male and female spend much of 
 their time in licking and smoothing each 
 other's fur. It breeds at two months 
 old, and brings forth from four to twelve 
 young ones at a time. It is a pretty 
 little animal, but can hardly be said to 
 make a desirable pet, as it seems entirely 
 devoid of attachment. In order to keep 
 the little creature in comfort, the chief 
 object, besides that of furnishing it with 
 appropriate food, is to keep it scrupu- 
 lously clean, — an object which its own 
 instinctive habits ought to suggest to 
 its owner. 
 
 The Aviary. — Strictly speaking, 
 an aviary is a considerable space fitted 
 up and adapted to accommodate a large 
 number and variety of birds remark- 
 able for their singing qualities, the 
 beauty of their plumage, or other pecu- 
 liarities. An aviary, as a matter of 
 course, is a large cage in which an 
 attempt is made to give a natural ap- 
 pearance to the interior of the place 
 where the feathered prisoners are con- 
 fined. Perches resembUng the branches 
 of trees, grass, moss, various plants, 
 patches of gravel or sand, a rill of clear 
 water, sor-luded places for nests — in a 
 
2l8 
 
 Birds pay Equal Honours to all Men. 
 
 ;vord, everj-thing is provided that the 
 birds can require short of liberty ; 
 which, indeed, iu a climate lilce ours, 
 and in the absence of those natural 
 supplies so easily obtained in their 
 native places, would be a more than 
 doubtfid blessing to many of them, in- 
 asmuch as no foreign species would 
 long survive emancipation. 
 
 In a large aviary possessed of all such 
 appliances as we have adverted to, fa- 
 vourabl J" situatedand carefully attended, 
 most of the little captives will thrive 
 and be cheerful, and many of them M'ill 
 build and bring up theii- young. Such 
 establishments, however, are rare ; and 
 it may be doubted whether the expense, 
 trouble, and anxiety inseparable from 
 the keeping of them, are not too great 
 for any satisfaction which they produce. 
 This, however, is a matter of opinion. 
 
 It win be more suitable if we under- 
 stand by the term "aviary" any col- 
 lection of birds occupying one or more 
 cages. The birds usually domesticated 
 with us are canaries, goldfinches, 
 linnets, larks, bullfinches, thrushes, 
 blackbirds, and starlings. AU these are 
 more or less esteemed for their qualities 
 as singers ; but in addition to them 
 there are numerous foreign birds whose 
 beauty of plumage and rarity gives 
 them value, such as the various species 
 of parrots, parroquets, love-birds, the 
 cockatoo, the macaw, and many others. 
 All such bu-ds require certain kinds of 
 food, without M'hich they cannot thrive ; 
 and care must be taken that such food 
 is supplied to them ; that their cages 
 are kept scrupulously clean, and that 
 they have plenty of pure water and 
 pure air. 
 
 C.iNARiEs were originally brought 
 from the islands by whose name they 
 are known, and have long been domes- 
 ticated in every country in Europe. 
 Tn its native groves the plumage of 
 this bii-d is of a dusky grey, but domes- 
 tication has caused much alteration in 
 this respect. Some canaries are white, 
 or nearly so ; some mottled ; some pos- 
 sessed of greenish plumage, and others 
 bright yellow. The canary has a shrill 
 and high-pitched voice, capable of much 
 
 modulation, and it apparently has great 
 enjoyment in pouring forth its melody. 
 Comparing this pretty bird with the 
 nightingale, Buifon makes the following 
 remarks, which are not unworthy of the 
 eloquent naturalist: — " If the night- 
 ingale be the chantress of the woods, 
 the canary is the musician of the 
 chamber : the first owes all to nature ; 
 the second something to art. With less 
 strength of organ, less compass of note, 
 the canary has a better ear, greater 
 facility of imitation, and a more reten- 
 tive memory ; and as the difference of 
 genius, especially among the lower 
 animals, depends in a great measure on 
 the perfection of their senses, the canary, 
 whose organ of hearing is more sus- 
 ceptible of receiving and retaining 
 foreign impressions, becomes more 
 social, tame, and familiar ; is capable 
 of gratitude, and even attachment ; its 
 caresses are endearing, its little humours 
 innocent, and its anger neither hurts 
 nor offends. Its education is easy ; we 
 rear it with pleasure, because we are 
 able to instruct it. It leaves the melody 
 of its o'wn natural note to listen to that 
 of our voices and instruments. It 
 applauds, it accompanies us, and repays 
 the pleasure it receives with interest ; 
 A\-hile the nightingale, proud of its 
 talent, seems desirous of preserving it 
 in all its purity, — at least seems to 
 attach very little value to ours, and 
 with great difficulty can be taught any 
 of our airs. The canary can speak and 
 whistle ; the nightingale despises our 
 words as wall as our airs, and never 
 fails to return to its o^vn wild wood- 
 notes. Its pipe is a masterpiece of 
 nature, which human art can neither 
 alter nor improve ; while that of the 
 canary is made of more pliant materials, 
 which we can model at pleasure, and 
 therefore it contributes in a much 
 greater degree to the comforts of society. 
 It sings at all seasons, cheei-s us in the 
 dullest weather, and adds to our happi- 
 ness by amusing the young and de- 
 lighting the recluse." 
 
 The canary, being a native of a warm 
 climate, could not exist if exposed to 
 the rigour of our winter weather, even 
 
Birds an the ]Vin;^ed Missionaries of the Air. 
 
 2 19 
 
 ii' it could obtain suitable food, which 
 would be impracticable. It requires, 
 therefore, in winter, the warm tempera- 
 ture of a room artificially heateil, as 
 well as a suitable supply of the required 
 nutriment. If the apartment the canary 
 is kept in be too warm, the bird will 
 moult at an improper season ; and in 
 rooms in which gas is burnt and where 
 the ceilings are low, and the cages hung 
 up near them, there is often a great 
 mortality among the birds, which fall 
 suddenly dead from their perches with- 
 out having exhibited any symptoms of 
 previous illness. The immediate cause 
 of this is not perhaps clearly under- 
 stood ; but beyond doubt it is the iin- 
 wholesome state of the air, for near 
 the ceiling, in apartments where gas is 
 consumed, the air is not only very 
 warm, but is to a great extent rendered 
 incapable of sustaining life by being 
 almost wholly deprived of its oxygen. 
 
 Much attention ought to be given by 
 those who keep canaries to the cleanli- 
 ness of the cage. A supply of fine sand 
 ought alwaj^s to be given, and fresh 
 water ought to be given at least 
 once a day. Besides the seed M-hich 
 the bird chiefly feeds on, he ought to 
 get some green food, such as groundsel, 
 duckweed, &c., all of which arc whole- 
 some. 
 
 Breeding of C.\nauies. — This 
 affords much interest and amusement. 
 The cage ought to be large, and at the 
 upper part of it, at one end, open boxes 
 should be placed for the nests ; or they 
 may be made close, and furnished with 
 holes, by which the birds may enter 
 and leave the nests at their pleasure. 
 A small net ought to be hung in the 
 cage near one of the perches, containing 
 materials for nest-maldng, such as moes, 
 wool, cotton, hair, and a few small 
 feathers. The hen canary builds the 
 little abode for the expected progeny, 
 and lays her first egg ten days after 
 pairing. Six is the usual number laid. 
 Each egg ought to be removed as it is 
 laid, and one of bone or ivory substi- 
 tuted for it ; and when the lajang is 
 completed they can be all replaced. The 
 canary sits thirteen days. When the 
 
 young birds appear, hard-boiled egg 
 and bread finely minced and mixed 
 together, ouuht to be placed in the 
 feeding trough, in order that the parent 
 ^birds may supply the wants of their 
 offspring. 
 
 i^IuLEs are cross-breeds between the 
 canary and some of the finches M'ith 
 which the canary mates, and some of 
 these mules are very desirable inmates 
 of the aviary. 
 
 GoLDFixcHEs, SISKINS, and other 
 birds nearly allied to tho canary, will 
 thrive in the aviary with much of tho 
 same attention as is bestowed on their 
 more delicate relative. In addition, 
 however, to the common canary seed, 
 hemp seed and rape seed may be given ; 
 goldfinches and siskins, indeed, prefer 
 poppy seed, and linnets and bullfinches 
 like the rape seed alone. As already 
 mentioned in the case of canaries, green 
 food is desirable for these and all other 
 birds, and not only groundsel and 
 chickweed may be given them, hut 
 lettuce, watercresses, and cabbage 
 leaves. Plenty of fresh water should 
 be supplied, both for washing themselves 
 and for drinking, and abimdance of fine 
 sand, as this is requisite to their diges- 
 tion, and of great use as a sand bath for 
 cleansing their skins and removing in- 
 sects, which are often troublesome and 
 injurious. 
 
 German Pastes for 
 
 Birds. — Cheap and simple food in 
 tho form of paste may be made in the 
 following manner: — Take a Avhito loaf 
 which is well baked and stale, put it 
 into fresh water till it is quite soaked 
 through ; then squeeze out the water, 
 and pour boiled milk over the loaf, 
 adding about two-thirds the quantity 
 of barley meal, from which the bran 
 has been carefully sifted, or, what is 
 still better, wheatmeal. Anothermethod, 
 however, may be adopted. Grate a 
 carrot very nicely, soak a small white 
 loaf in fresh water, press the water out 
 of it, put it along with the carrot into 
 an earthen pan, add handfuls of barley 
 or wheaten meal, and mLx the whole 
 together with a pestle. These pastes 
 ought to be made fresh every moraina 
 
2 20 Better lose a Supper than have a Hundred Physicians. 
 
 for they quickly become sour, and are 
 consequently injurious to the birds. A 
 feeding trough ought to be used, in 
 M'hich the paste can be put ; and this 
 vessel will be more suitable if made of 
 tin, earthenware, china, or glass, rather 
 than of wood, as it can be more readily 
 kept perfectly sweet and clean, and 
 will thei-efore be less liable to cause 
 the food placed in it to become sour 
 or stale. 
 
 The Bavarian Mode of 
 Preserving Rennet. — This 
 mode of curing consists in turning out 
 the contents of the skin of the stomach, 
 wiping off all specks or dirt with a cloth, 
 and then blowing up the skin or filling 
 it; with air like a bladder. The ends 
 are tied with a string, and a little salt 
 applied to this |part only. 1 he skin 
 treated in this way soon dries per- 
 fectly, and is as sweet and clean as 
 can be desired. Salt neutralizes in 
 some degree the action of rennet, there- 
 fore rennets treated on the Bavarian 
 plan are much more effective than those 
 cured in the old way. When the rennets 
 cured on this plan are dry, the air may 
 b;; expelled and the skins can be packed 
 away in a small space, and are easily kept 
 char of insects. The delect in salted 
 rennets is that the salt in wet weather 
 accumulates dampness, and if care is 
 not taken to keep them in a dry place, 
 they drip, and thus lose their strength, 
 llennets preserved on the Bavarian 
 plan are stronger as well as sweeter 
 than any others. 
 
 To Make Queen Cakes. — 
 Wash and dry carefullj' half a pound of 
 good currants, whisk three eggs to a 
 froth, beat half a pound of fresh butter 
 to a cream; add the cuiTants, the egg.^, 
 one pound of best flour, and half a pound 
 of powdered sugar to the beaten butter, 
 with one teaspoonful of carbonate of 
 soda, and the grated rind of a lemon. 
 Beat all these ingredients well together, 
 and just before putting them into the 
 tins, add a teaspoonful of lemon juice, 
 butter the tins, which are usually heait- 
 shaped, put a few currants on the top, 
 and bake the cakes for twenty minutes 
 ill a q\iick oven. 
 
 Scotch Oat Cakes,— Put 
 
 tliree handfuls of best Scotch oatmeal 
 into a basin, with a bit of butter the 
 size of a nutmeg; add as much cold 
 water as will form it into a cake. Press 
 the cake out with the hands until it is 
 thin, then roll with the rolling pin, till 
 it is almost as thin as a crown piece. 
 Have the girdle ready heated, sift a 
 little meal over it, and lay on the cake. 
 When the under side is brown, toast 
 the upper side in a toaster before the 
 fire to make it crisp. These cakes 
 should be kept in the meal chest among 
 the dry meal to preserve their crispness, 
 which is their peculiarity. They are 
 extremely nice to eat with cheese. 
 
 To Remove Wax Stains 
 from Silk. — Mix powdered French 
 chalk with lavender water to the thick- 
 ness of mustaid. Put it on the stain, 
 and rub it gently with the finger or 
 palm of the hand. Put a sheet of 
 clean blotting paper and brown paper 
 over it, and smooth it with a warm- 
 iron. When dry the chalk must be 
 removed, and the silk gently dusted 
 with a white handkerchief. If a faint 
 mark still remains, a second application 
 of French chalk and lavender water 
 vn\\ generally remove it. If the wax 
 stain has fallen thickly on the silk, it 
 should be removed first carefully with 
 a penknife. 
 
 Annuities. — These are sums of 
 money which one party is under an 
 obligation to pay to another, and which 
 may under express agreement be paid 
 for the lifetime of the receiver, or for 
 a certain niimber of years, or may be 
 deferred so as to commence at a cer- 
 tain futiu-e period ; or the payment of 
 which maj^ be a>-soeiated with any con- 
 ditions on which the parties concerned 
 may agree, or the obligant himself 
 shall consider suitable. It must be 
 obvious therefore that the nature of 
 annuities admits of very great variety, 
 and that they are based on several 
 elements requiring careful and elaborate 
 calculation. 
 
 Independently of any special con- 
 siderations which the particular nature 
 of an annuity may render necessary — 
 
Old Age, though despised, is coveted by All. 
 
 and ■which considerations are variable, 
 — there are two elements which must 
 under all circumstances be taken into 
 view, viz., first, the statistics relating 
 to the duration of human life ; and 
 second, the interest of money. The 
 computations connected with these two 
 most important elements demand great 
 skill and much labour, and are ia 
 several respects so elaborate that the 
 processes are quite be3-ond the reach of 
 ordinary persons, and the results must 
 be received on the authority of others 
 by probably ninety-nine out a hundred 
 of those interested in the subject. 
 
 Tables of a complicated character 
 have been prepared to facilitate the • 
 calculation of annuities. These tables 
 are perl'ectly trustworthy, and arc 
 adopted by Government and the savings 
 banks as the basis on which annuities 
 can be purchased. Full information 
 can be obtained on this important sub- 
 ject at the Government savings banks, 
 or the assurance office. 
 
 It will be sufficient to satisfy the 
 reader who inquires into the subject to 
 present him with the following table, 
 which exhibits the value of an annuity 
 of one pound, payable at the end of the 
 first year, and afterwards annually for 
 Hfe:— 
 
 Value of an annuity of £1. 
 
 Age 
 
 
 
 Age 
 
 
 5.. 
 
 £16 11 
 
 9i 
 
 45.. 
 
 £12 12 \\\ 
 
 10.. 
 
 16 13 
 
 4^ 
 
 50.. 
 
 11 14 2^ 
 
 15.. 
 
 16 4 
 
 Oi 
 
 bb.. 
 
 10 7 lU 
 
 20.. 
 
 15 16 
 
 4i 
 
 60.. 
 
 8 18 9^ 
 
 2J.. 
 
 15 6 
 
 1 
 
 65.. 
 
 7 17 3:^ 
 
 30.. 
 
 14 14 
 
 5 
 
 70.. 
 
 6 6 8^ 
 
 35.. 
 
 14 2 
 
 6i 
 
 75.. 
 
 4 19 9i 
 
 40.. 
 
 13 7 
 
 H 
 
 80.. 
 
 4 2 102 
 
 Addresses of Letters. — 
 Be careful in placing your letter in the 
 proper envelope. Most of our readers 
 have doubtless heard of the well-known 
 story of the manager of a company of 
 players, who, in addressing a letter to 
 the chief magistrate of a royal borough 
 soliciting his patronage, placed by ac- 
 cident in the envelope a letter which 
 bad been used the night previously 
 ia the performance of the play. It 
 
 began, " Sir, — There is a plot formed to 
 rob your house and to cut your throat 
 this night. The gang whereof I am 
 one," &c. The leiter, though bearing 
 another signature, was traced to the 
 manager, who was apprehended, and 
 he was put to much trouble and incon- 
 venience before he could satisfy the 
 m;igistra^te and obtain his liberation. 
 Campbell, the poet, intending to com- 
 municate to a friend that he would 
 bring his nephew along with him to 
 dinner at his house, sent the letter in 
 mistake to his nephew, who found himself 
 described as "a red-headed Scotchman." 
 
 All gentlemen possessed of landed 
 estate, officers of the army and navy, 
 members of the learned professions, 
 members of Parliament, and graduati 3 
 of the Universities, are entitled to be 
 addressed Esquire or Esq. Every cler- 
 gyman should be designated llevcrend 
 or Rev. An Archdeaccm is The Vene- 
 rable ; a Dean, Very liercrend ; a Bishop, 
 liight Mevcreiid the Lord Bishop of ; 
 and an Archbishop, Most Reverend the 
 Lord Archbishop of. A member of the 
 Privy Council is addressed as the Right 
 Honourable. 
 
 If in a^ldressing your letter you for- 
 get the Christian name of the person 
 you are writing to, substitute a random 
 J ; it is more respectful than a blank, 
 thus — , which should never be used. 
 Be particular in spelling your corre- 
 spondent's name in the same manner as 
 he himself does. Keep an address book 
 with the names of your correspondents 
 alphabetically arranged. Never address 
 two or more unmarried ladies as the 
 Miss Beaumonts, but as the Misses 
 Beaumont. In concluding a letter to a 
 lady, be more ceremonious than if you 
 were writing to a gentleman. Thus, 
 instead of abruptly closing with "Yours 
 faithfully," write thus, — " I am, Madam, 
 or Dear Mrs. or Miss , yours faith- 
 fully." If your correspondent ia re- 
 siding at the house of another person 
 address thus, — " A. B., Esq., C. D., 
 Esq., 40, Albion Terrace, Eamsgate," 
 or whatever C. D.'s addi-ess may be 
 Do not describe your friend as living 
 " at," or address him " to the care of " 
 
!22 Dry bread at hois-e is better than roast meat abroad. 
 
 Hints on Home Decora- 
 tion. — Decalcomanie. — Under tlie 
 heading of Home Decoration we pro- 
 pose to treat of several very easily per- 
 formed processes, such as Decalcomanie 
 — our present subject — Diaphanie, 
 Wood Carving, &c., by the exercise of 
 which "Home" may be beautified. 
 The degree of affection with which 
 "Home" is regarded depends upon the 
 number of the pleasing associations 
 which cling around the sacred name, 
 and the wisest thing a parent or guar- 
 dian can do, if he wishes to preserve in 
 the beart of his child or ward that love 
 of ' ' Home " which is a safeguard against 
 so many snares and temptations, is to 
 increase the nimiber and strengthen the 
 attractive influence of such associations 
 to the iitmost possible extent. Of the 
 many methods of accomplishing this, 
 the process of Decalcomanie is suggested 
 on account of its value in training all 
 yoimg persons to have a pride in, and 
 a liking f^r, the House. 
 
 By the aid of decalcomanie we are 
 enabled to decorate a vast variety of ar- 
 ticles most successfully, and it involves 
 only the exercise of taste and attention ; 
 while its demands upon the purse are 
 very moderate. The design printed 
 on the paper used for decalcomanie, is 
 first coated over with a specially pre- 
 pared cement. "When the design has 
 become sticky, which it will do in five 
 or ten minutes, it is placed against the 
 vase, or plate, or strip of leather inten- 
 ded to be decorated, and is well pressed 
 down ; the design will then adhere. 
 Press the back of the paper with a 
 damp sponge or cloth, and let the work 
 remain for a minute or two. Wet the 
 back of the paper thoroughly, and raise 
 the plain paper with a pair of pincers, 
 or with the hand, and it Avill come 
 away, leaving only the coloured design 
 adhering to the vase or plate. Having 
 transferred the picture from the paper 
 to the vase or plate, the next step is to 
 M'ash the pictm-e as carefully as possi- 
 ble with water and a camel-hair pencil, 
 and to dry it with a piece of fine linen 
 slightly wetted. The work is then left 
 to dry and harden for at least one day, 
 
 after which a coat of varnish is applied, 
 and the process is finished. The deco- 
 rative designs thus obtained are durable, 
 eiFective, and easy to be transferred, 
 if the directions given are strictly ad- 
 hered to. Among the objects most 
 suitable for decoration by decalcomanie 
 are tea and coff'ee services in china or 
 earthenware, dessert services, flower- 
 pots, trinket stands and boxes, candle- 
 sticks, lamps, urns and inkstands, white 
 wood articles, slippers, hand-screens, 
 ribbons, articles in ivory, and indeed 
 most ornamental articles, either with 
 flat or convex surfaces, from the panel 
 of a drawing-room down to the tiniest 
 article on a lady's toilet-table. 
 
 To make Ratafia. — Add two 
 quai'ts of proof spirits to the following 
 ingredients: — one ounce of bruised nut- 
 megs ; half a pound of bitter almonds, 
 blanched and chopped ; one grain of 
 ambergris well rubbed ^^•ith sugar in a 
 mortar. Let these infuse for fourteen 
 days, and then filter through blotting- 
 paper. 
 
 Eed Eatafia. — Take six pounds of 
 the black-heart cherry ; one pound of 
 small black cherries ; and two poimds 
 of raspberries and strawberries. Bruise 
 the fruit, and when it has stood for 
 some time, ckain ofl" the juice, and to 
 every pint add four ounces of the best 
 refined sugar, and a quart of the best 
 brand J^ Strain through a jelly-bag, 
 and flavour to taste with half an ounce 
 of cinnamon and a di-achm of cloves, 
 bruised and infused in brandy for a 
 fortnight previously ; or flavour with 
 cloves only. 
 
 How to preserve Gera- 
 niums during Winter. — 
 Take the plants out of the pots ; trim 
 off the leaves and outer branches, take 
 all the son from the roots, tie the plants 
 in bunches, and hang them, roots up- 
 ward, in a dry, dark cupboard, loft, or 
 cellar, where no frost can touch them. 
 In spring re-pot them in a good com- 
 post, first carefully cleansing the pots 
 within and without. 
 
 To Preserve Apples and 
 Pears. — Apples and pears, when 
 kept in the ordinary manner, are found 
 
He who Lives well. Sees afar off. 
 
 223 
 
 to give off carbonic acid gas ; while in 
 the interior of the fruit, alcohol and 
 acetic acid are formed. From this 
 fact it has been ascertained that the 
 kind of fruit referred to is best kept by 
 admitting to it a free circulation of air, 
 as far as possible. Fruit kept in closed 
 vessels goes to decay much more rapidly 
 than wlien exposed to a current of air. 
 
 How to keep Grapes. — 
 They must not be too ripe. Take off any 
 imperfect grapes from the bunches. On 
 the bottom of a keg put a layer of bran 
 that has been M'ell dried in an oven, or 
 in the sim. On the bran put a layer of 
 grapes, with bran between the bunches 
 so that they may not be in contact. 
 Proceed in the same way with alternate 
 layers of grapes and bran, till the keg 
 is full ; then close the keg so that no 
 air can cuter. 
 
 To Dry Herbs forWinter 
 Use. — The peculiar aromatic flavour 
 of most herbs is owing to a volatile 
 essential oil which is found in various 
 parts of the plants in minute cells. 
 These cells arc perceptible in the peel 
 of the orange, lemon, citron, &c. ; and 
 they exist in all plants having perfume, 
 though they are not so easily detected 
 as in the fruits named. This oil is 
 produced in the greatest quantity iu 
 dry, warm seasons, and it is best in 
 qruiHty when the plant is in its highest 
 perfection ; herbs for winter use ought 
 therefore to bo gathered as soon after 
 they reach maturity as possible, always 
 taking care to choose a bright sunuj'' 
 day for the pmpose. 
 
 To Dry Parsley, — Cut a large 
 basketful of the best looking curled 
 parsley, pick out all faded or dirty 
 leaves, and di-y the remainder carefully 
 before a clear fire. At first the leaves 
 will become quite limp, and they must 
 be turned before the fire to expose all 
 parts equally to the heat, until the 
 leaves are dry and brittle, without 
 losing their green colour, for if they 
 are allowed to get brown they are 
 spoiled. "When dry, rub them to pow- 
 der between the hands ; sift the powder 
 through a coarse sieve, and bottle it for 
 use ; it will retain both the colour and 
 
 flavour of green parsley, A large 
 basket of fresh leaves will hardly yield 
 a pint of powder. Never dry it in the 
 sun, or it will lose much of its flavour. 
 
 To Dry Mint. — This herb does not 
 dry nearly so well as parsley ; it lose.s 
 the bright colour, becomes brown, and 
 also alters in flavour. Dry in the same 
 way as parsley, or the leaves, after 
 being dried, may be bottled whole for 
 flavouring pea-soup, &c. 
 
 Thyme, Marjoram, Sage, and 
 Savory, may be also dried in the same 
 way as parsley ; but celery, which is 
 so essential a seasoning for all soups, 
 cannot be dried, as the flavouring oil is 
 principally contained in the seeds. A 
 little of the seed tied in a muslin bag, 
 and boiled in soup, gives it a delicious 
 flavour, and a nice essence may be ob- 
 tained by bruising celery seeds, and 
 steeping them in spirit. The flavour 
 of shallots, chillis, and tarragon is ex- 
 tracted by steeping them in vinegar or 
 white wine. Any of the cheaper French 
 white wines answer for this purpose. 
 
 To Preserve Green Peas. 
 — When full grown, but not old, pick 
 and shell the peas. Lay them on dishes 
 or tins in a cool oven, or before a bright 
 fire ; do not heap the peas on the dishes, 
 but merely cover them with peas, stir 
 them frequentlv, and let them dry very 
 gradually. When hard, let them cool, 
 then pack them in stone jars, cover 
 close, and keep them in a very dry 
 place. When reqiiired for use, soak 
 them for some hours in cold water, till 
 they look plump before boiling; they 
 are excellent for soup. 
 
 A Few Words on Mush- 
 rooms. — There is scarcely any vege- 
 table used both as such, and as a means 
 of imparting piquancy to gravies and 
 made dishes, the flavom- of which is so 
 universal a favourite as the mushroom 
 and its kindred. It is astonishing that 
 the English have not followed the 
 example of the French, and have not 
 cultivated the mushroom with the same 
 care that they have bestowed on many 
 other vegetables, making them articles 
 of daily use, while the mushroom is 
 both a rare and expensive luxury with 
 
224 
 
 JV/im Fortune smiles, take the advantage. 
 
 us. Yet few vegetables require less 
 (•are in the ciiltivation. They can be 
 raised in quantities on any old hotbed, 
 if it be only sheltered a little from the 
 rain. In Paris they are raised in caves 
 under the city ; but they seem to con- 
 sider them more as a necessity there 
 than we do in England. As the month 
 of September is the season when the 
 field mushrooms are plenty, we shall 
 give our readers a few simple receipts 
 for choosing and cooking them. 
 
 To Choose Mushrooms. — Be careful 
 in selecting mushrooms for cooking, as 
 son-e of the poisonous fungi very closely 
 resemble the true mushroom ; but they 
 are easily detected by the smell, which, 
 in the poisonous kind is sickly and un- 
 pleasant ; the gills also are faint and 
 yellow in colour. The mushroom has 
 a pleasant fragrant smell, and when 
 young the gills are pink and bright ; 
 when old, they are brown, or blackish. 
 
 To Make Mushroom Ketchut. — 
 Gather the mushrooms in dry weather, 
 take the large, full-grown flaps, and 
 see that they are free from insects and 
 earth. Add to each peck of mushrooms 
 half a pound of salt, break them up 
 into a large earthenware pan, strew the 
 Kalt over, and let them stand for three 
 daj's, stirring and mashing them up each 
 day, then strain and squeeze out all the 
 juice. To every quart of juice put half 
 an ounce of whole black pepper, half 
 an ounce of bruised ginger, a quarter 
 of an ounce of allspice, a quarter of an 
 ounce of Cayenne, and th " same quan- 
 tity of pounded mace. I'ut all the 
 Bpices with the juice into a large earth- 
 enware jar (standing in a pot of water), 
 and boil for three hours ; or the ketchup 
 may be boiled in a preserving pan. 
 Let the spices remain in it when bottled. 
 
 To Bake Mushrooms. — Take large- 
 sized, rather open mushrooms, peel off 
 the skin and cut off the end of the stalk, 
 set them in a tin dish, the stalks upper- 
 most, lay in each a little salt, pepper, and 
 a small bit of butter ; set the dish in the 
 oven, and bake twenty minutes ; serve 
 on a very hot dish, ■with the liquor 
 that ran out of them poured over. 
 
 T(/ Stew Mushrooms. — Trim and 
 
 rub clean with a bit of flannel dipped in 
 salt, half a pint of large button mush- 
 rooms ; put into a stewpan two ounces 
 of butter, shake it over the fire till 
 thoroughly melted , put in the mush- 
 rooms, a teaspoonful of salt, half as 
 much pepper, and a blade of mace 
 pounded ; stew till the mushrooms are 
 tender, then serve them on a hot dish. 
 
 To Broil Mushrooms. — Peel some 
 fresh mushrooms, cut them small, 
 make a case with a sheet of writing, 
 paper, rub the inside with fresh butter, 
 and fill it with mushrooms. Season 
 with pepper and salt, and put them on 
 a baking plate over a slow fire. Cover 
 with a saucepan-lid with some fire on 
 it ; and when the mushrooms are nearly 
 dry, serve them up hot. 
 
 To Preserve Mushrooms for 
 Future Use. — The small open mush- 
 rooms suit best. Trim and rub them 
 clean, and put into a stew-pan a quart 
 of the mushrooms, three ounces of but- 
 ter, two teaspoonfuls of salt, and half a 
 teaspoonful of Cayenne pepper and mace 
 mixed; stew imtil the mushrooms are 
 tender ; take them carefully out and 
 di-ain them on a sloping dish. "When 
 cold, press into small pots, and pour 
 clarified biitter over them. Put writ- 
 ing paper over the butter, and on that 
 pour melted suet, which will exclude 
 the air and preserve them for many 
 ■weeks, if kept in a dry, cool place. 
 
 To Preserve Eggs for 
 W i nter U se.— Pour four gallonsof 
 boiling water over threepounds of quick- 
 lime ; stir it by degrees till well mixed ; 
 let it stand thirty-six or forty-eight 
 hours, then take oft' the lime water care- 
 fully, so as to remove as little lime as 
 possible. Mixateacupfulofsaltwiththe 
 lime water, and pour it over the eggs, 
 previously placed in earthenware pots 
 glazed inside, and let it rise an inch or 
 two above the eggs. This quantity is 
 sufficient for about twelve dozen of eggs. 
 Place the jars where they will not be 
 moved, ag there will be a crust on the top, 
 which shoidd not be broken till the jar 
 is about to be used. The eggs must be 
 fresh when put in, and kept closely 
 covered. 
 
T love that Moaning Music I hear in the Gusts of Autumn. 225 
 
 The First of October. 
 XiMROD loquitur. 
 
 Dawn ! \rith a faint rosy flusli in the 
 
 east — 
 A morning most modest and sober ! 
 Nothing heard in the wood — nothing 
 seen on the wing, 
 Coquettish First of October ! 
 The welkin is draped, like a quakcross 
 young, 
 In silver-grey, the demurest ; 
 But to smile in the sunshine all sad- 
 browed maids, 
 And grey skies are the surest. 
 
 Though opal the hue of the clouds and 
 the mist 
 That ever creeps higher and higher, 
 There's Sport lurking under this sober 
 array — 
 There's the Opal's heart of fire ! 
 Though silence is here, on the far heath 
 sounds 
 The boom of the moor-fowl's ballad. 
 The hare on the hill, like a spinster sits 
 up. 
 And nibbles her morning salad. 
 
 Soon the linnet will scream, and the 
 cushat will hush 
 His cr-rooings sentimental ; 
 For the hawk, the feudal lord of the 
 woods, 
 Is collecting his death-paid rental. 
 Draw away, fleece of mist, that lies on 
 the mere, 
 And uuveil the sentinel heron. 
 That stands, like a dismal ghost by the 
 Styx, 
 Awaiting the coming of Charon. 
 
 Shine out, morning sun, and draw up 
 from the moors 
 The haze of this Autumn weather ; 
 And show us the scarlet eye of the 
 grouse 
 'Mong the purple blooms of the 
 heather ! 
 Gild the leafless, moss-covered boughs 
 of the woods, 
 To the sportsman always so pleasant, 
 And bum, in the ferny imdergrowth, 
 On the plumes of the lordly pheasant! 
 D. Murray Smith. 
 
 The Month of October. 
 
 "The dead leaves strew the forest walk, 
 And wither'd are the pale wild flowers ; 
 The frost hangs blackening on the stalk. 
 The dewdropa fall in frozen showers.'" 
 
 Sarnard, 
 
 The month of October is marked in 
 some of the old Saxon calendars by the 
 figure of a husbandman, caiTying a 
 sack of com on his shoulders, and sow- 
 ing it as he walks, in allusion to this 
 month being the first in which the 
 grain for the next autumn's harrest is 
 sown. In others the almost obsolete 
 sport of hawking is represented, this 
 being the last month of the year in 
 which our ancestors indulged in that 
 pastime. The month was called by the 
 Saxons Weinmonat, or the vino month; 
 but perhaps we ought to call it beer 
 month. S^'^lo has not heard of the 
 charms of " mighty October " ? 
 
 October is always associated with 
 the fall of the leaf; and, although there 
 is no time of the year when the woods 
 look more beautiful, with the rich 
 autumnal tints ranging from green to 
 dark brown, red and orange, yet there 
 is always a feeling of sadness at tho 
 visililo decay in the vegetable world. 
 The garden beds begin to look bare, 
 the winds whistle through the boughs, 
 and at each gust bring down a many- 
 tinted shower of leaves, or perhaps a 
 hailstorm of nuts, golden acorns, or 
 glossy beech mast, to tell of tho close of 
 both summer and autumn. " Harvest " 
 is over, and " Seed-time " has returned 
 once more. 
 
 Hop Gathering. — Before the com 
 sowing, the hop gathering in the simny 
 south of England makes the fields gay 
 a little longer than in the north. No 
 one who has not seen a hop gathering in 
 Kent or Sussex can have any idea of the 
 picturesque gaiety of tbe scene. Whole 
 families migrate annually to the hop 
 gardens, the baby in the cradle being 
 sometimes swung between two hop 
 poles, while the tents and little huts of 
 the hop pickers dot the waste spots by 
 t he roadside. The hops sometimes reach 
 the height of sixteen feet, and the tall 
 poles covered with the graceful bines, 
 I 
 
226 
 
 Too many CooJcs spoil the Bj'ot/i. 
 
 with their tassels of fruit, are extremely 
 pretty as well as fragrant. 
 
 Hops are supposed to have been 
 brought into England from the Nether- 
 lands, and to have been used for brew- 
 ing as early as the year 1428. 
 
 Cook's Calendar for 
 October. 
 
 Fish in Season. — Turbot, halibut, 
 brill, soles, herrings, dory, eels, perch, 
 pike, cod, carp, haddock, barbel, smelts, 
 crabs, lobsters, prawns, shrimps, and 
 oysters. 
 
 Meat in Season. — Beef, veal, mut- 
 ton, pork, and doe venison. 
 
 Poultry in Season. — Fowls, tur- 
 keys, geese, ducks, chickens, pigeons, 
 larks. 
 
 Game in Season.— Grouse, phea- 
 sant, paiiridge, woodcock, teal, snipe, 
 plover, wild duck, blackcock, hare, and 
 rabbit. 
 
 Vegetables in Season. — Peas, kid- 
 ney beans, cabbages, cauliflower, celery, 
 radishes, salad, shalots, spinach, toma- 
 toes, truffles, turnips, artichokes, brocoli, 
 potatoes. 
 
 Fruit in Season. — Apples, pears, 
 figs, grapes, filberts, damsons, medlars, 
 peaches, quinces, walnuts. 
 
 Gardener's Calendar for 
 October. 
 
 The gardener ought to commence his 
 preparations for next spring's crops in 
 October ; all necessary draining and 
 manuring should be done ; every avail- 
 able spot should be dug deeply and left 
 rough. Prepare ground intended to re- 
 ceive trees and shrubs that are to be 
 transplanted, cut down the haidm of 
 asparagus and dress the beds with litter, 
 manure strawberry beds and cut ofl" the 
 runners, earth up celery, plant out cab- 
 bages, cover seakale with the forcing- 
 pots for an early crop, finish taking up 
 roots for storing, prune and transplant 
 gooseberry and currant bushes, foim 
 new plantations of raspberry canes, 
 prime and tie up the old ones. "Watch 
 carefully all fruit and roots stored away, 
 remove any decayed fruit, and see that 
 the roots are quite free from damp. 
 
 Plant tulips for early blooming in well- 
 manured soil, and take up those dahUas 
 that have done blowing. Bulbs for 
 forcing may be potted ; house choico 
 chrysanthemums, shelter auriculas, 
 fuchsias, pinks, &c., intended to remain 
 out of doors, and move those intended 
 for the house into their winter quarters. 
 This is the best time to form composts 
 for flowers, and for this purpose sweep 
 up the decaying leaves and put them in 
 heaps or into pits with some mould to 
 form leaf mould, which is the best 
 manui e for all kinds of floM'crs ; shelter 
 delicate shrubs, and prepare for the 
 winter frosts. 
 
 Hints on making Soup. 
 
 — Having already given receipts for 
 several kinds of soup in Best of Every- 
 thing, a few remarks on soup-making 
 in general may be acceptable to our 
 readers, and to these we add a few addi- 
 tional receipts. 
 
 Two things are essential in making 
 stock for soup. First, it must be made 
 in a closely covered vessel, — a digester, 
 wiih a lid that is almost air-tight, is 
 the best : next, the meat must be put 
 into cold water, and allowed to come to 
 a boil very slowly, in order to extract 
 all the flavour and gelatine out of it. 
 
 The Stock. — Brown and clear soups 
 are usually made with beef stock, the 
 shin, or that part of the neck of beef 
 called the " sticking piece," is the best. 
 The meat must be fresh, lean, and juicy. 
 Cut it from the bone in small pieces, 
 break the bones up with any bones of 
 roast or boiled meat that may be in the 
 larder. Bones contain a large amount 
 of gelatine, and therefore add consider- 
 ably to the strength of the stock. To 
 every pound of meat put one pint of 
 water, then set the digester over a slow 
 fire, to heat as gradually as possible. 
 When the scum rises, take it off care- 
 fully, or the stock will not be clear. 
 Let it boil a few minutes before the 
 vegetables are added, then put in three 
 good-sized carrots, two large turnips, a 
 bunch of leeks and sweet herbs, some 
 celery seed tied in a muslin bag, a large 
 onion stuck with cloves, and a tomato 
 Boil all gently for six hours, and while 
 
Too much of One Thing is good for Nothing. 
 
 227 
 
 still liot strain it through a fine hair 
 sieve into an earthenware pan. Let it 
 remain till next day, then skim off the 
 fat and take the stock, which should he 
 a ridi jelly, from the sediment that is in 
 the bottom of the pan. All soup is bet- 
 ter if made the day before it is wanted. 
 Clear soup should be perfectly transpa- 
 rent, and the thickened soup only about 
 the consistence of cream. Arrowroot 
 and orn or rice flour are the nicest 
 things with which to thicken it. Stock 
 for white soups is made in the same way 
 as beef stock, using, however, veal or 
 fowl instead of beef; and onions, mace, 
 and white pepper for seasoning; turnips, 
 being white, can be used if the flavour 
 is preferred. 
 
 Should the stock not be of a suffi- 
 ciently dark brown colour, add a spoon- 
 ful or two of browning, which is made 
 in the following manner : — 
 
 Browning fou Sours and ItlAnE 
 Dishes. — Take four ounces of moist 
 sugar, and put it into an iron frj-ing- 
 pan or earthen pipkin ; set it over a 
 clear fire, and when the sugar is melted it 
 will be frothj- ; raise it higher from the 
 fire until it is a fine brown, keep stir- 
 ring all the time, then fill the pan up 
 with red wine (claret is best), taking 
 care that it does not boil over ; add a little 
 salt and lemon peel, put in a few cloves 
 and a little mace, a shalot or two, and 
 boil gently for ten minutes ; pour it into 
 a ba<in till cold, and then bottle it very 
 carefully for use. 
 
 Soup a la Julienne. — Cut three 
 large carrots and two turnips into shreds 
 about an inch long and the eighth of an 
 inch M'ide, put these into warm water, 
 and let them boil for a few minutes. Add 
 a stick of celery cut up in the same 
 manner, and lay all into a stew-pan ; 
 when tender, put over them two quarts 
 of the brown clear stock prepared as 
 above, and simmer for tM'enty minutes, 
 then add a tablespoonful of mushroom 
 ketchup, and a dessert-spoonful of 
 "Worcester sauce. Serve hot. 
 
 Veumicelli and Sago Soup are 
 made in a similar way, omitting the 
 vegetables and putting instead well- 
 boiled vermicelli or sago. 
 
 Game Soup, a Scotch Receipt. — 
 Cut a hare in pieces, and save the blood ; 
 reserve some bits of the meat and the 
 liver to make force-meat balls, and put 
 the rest into a saucepan with six quarts 
 of water ; season -with onions, sweet 
 herbs, pepper, and salt ; stew it gently 
 for two hours. In another saucepan 
 put the blood into a quartof water, and 
 stir in two tablcspoonfuls of rice flour 
 to make it the consistence of gruel; and 
 when the whole boils up mix it with the 
 stock. Take two partridges, skin and 
 cut them into four pieces, bro-wn them 
 in butter in a frying-pan, and add them 
 to the soup, with about three pints of 
 carrots and turnips neatly cut and par- 
 boiled. Make the force-meat balls as 
 follows: — ]\Iince the liver and meat 
 very finely with rather more than half 
 its quantity of fat bacon, or butter, ore 
 anchovy, a little lemon peel, and lemon 
 thyme, pepper and salt, grated nutmeg, 
 and crumbs of bread ; make up the balls 
 the size of a nutmeg, with a well-beaten 
 egg; fry of a light brown in clarified 
 beef dripping, fresh lard, or butter ; 
 drain them before the fire, and add them 
 to the soup; half an hour before serving; 
 pick out all the loose bones of the hare. 
 Even without the partridges this receipt 
 makes an excellent hare soup. 
 
 Carrot Soup. — Weigh two pounds 
 of carrots, wash them carefully, taking 
 out all black specks, sUce them into a 
 stew-pan, with three oimccs of butter, a 
 little salt and cayenne; stew them gently 
 until soft, then add to them two quarts 
 of stock, and simmer till the carrots are 
 soft enough to pulp through a sieve, 
 skim off any scum and serve very hot. 
 
 Palestine Soup, a White Sour. 
 — Put two ounces of butter into a stew- 
 pan, add fifteen Jerusalem artichokes 
 washed and peeled, four onions, two 
 sticks of celery, half a pound of 
 lean ham, and a little salt. Slice all 
 these ingredients, and stew them until 
 soft in the butter, then add a quart of 
 good white stock, with a small bit of 
 mace, and boil gently for half an hour 
 Pulp it through a sieve, and let it stand 
 till next day ; when ready to serve, put 
 in half a pint of thick cream. 
 
y^s I brezv, so I must drink. 
 
 Mulligatawny Soup, an Indian 
 Receipt. — Take four fowls, cut them 
 in pieces, and take off the skin, put them 
 to stew in five pints of water, let them 
 stew till very tender, then add three 
 ounces of onions that have heen sliced 
 and boiled, two oimces of dried chilis, 
 three oimces of cuitj seed, three ounces 
 of butter, a quarter of an ounce of ■v\'hite 
 pepper, a small bit of cinnamon, and a 
 pinch of saffron. When nearly ready 
 to serve, put in a pint of good cream, 
 and let it just come to a boil ; stir a 
 tablcspoonful of Hme juice into the 
 tureen when going to table. Two 
 quartB of strong white stock makes 
 this soup quite as well as fowls. 
 
 Notes on Home Brew- 
 ing. — The art of brewing is of so much 
 importance in domestic economy, that 
 we make no apology in presenting our 
 readers with a few carefully matured 
 hints on the subject. The process of 
 brewing has been fully described in 
 many excellent treatises, from which 
 the intelligent reader can obtain all the 
 knowledge he requires ; but we think 
 it will be of service to furnish a con- 
 densed view, of what is essential to 
 brewing successfully, on the scale suit- 
 able for a single household, and care- 
 fully avoiding all such details as are not 
 absolutely requisite. 
 
 The Boiler. — The material of 
 which this is made requires attention. 
 An ii-on boiler will be found suitable, 
 but it is much less desirable than one 
 of copper. A copper boiler, although 
 at first more expensive, is to be pre- 
 ferred, as it can be kept cleaner, is more 
 readily heated, will last for a greater 
 length of time, and as old metal will be 
 worth about half its original cost. A 
 boiler which can contain about forty- 
 five gallons, will be found most conve- 
 nient for domestic use. It is large 
 enough to produce half a hogshead of 
 strong ale, and the same quantity of 
 table beer, which for many families 
 will be found a sufiicient quantity. A 
 pipe of about an inch and three quar- 
 ters in diameter should project from the 
 bottom of the boiler, and beyond the 
 brickwork witt which it is built up. 
 
 and this pipe ought to be situated so as 
 completely to drain off all the liquor from 
 the boiler ; but this it cannot do imless 
 the internal orifice of the pipe be on a 
 level with the lowest part of the boiler. 
 Into this pipe a tap is to be fixed with- 
 out any bend or curve in it, so as the 
 more readily to allow the hops to pass 
 through. During the process of brewing 
 a piece of canvas may be rolled round 
 the end of the tap so as to hang down 
 into the sieve through which the con- 
 tents of the boUer are to be strained. 
 
 The Mash-Tub. — A sherry-cask, 
 with one-fourth of its length cut off, 
 wUl make an excellent and cheap mash- 
 tub, capable of containing about eighty 
 gallons. At the distance of about a 
 couple of inches from the bottom of the 
 mash-tub, a wooden hoop must be fixed 
 to support a false bottom of wood, per- 
 forated with numerous small holes, 
 close to each other. Both the false 
 bottom, and the hoop on which it rests, 
 must be moveable, and the latter must 
 be attached to the sides of the tub with 
 small nails. The mash-tub must be 
 furnished with a straight tap, on a level 
 Avith the bottom of the vessel, for the 
 purpose of drawing off the worts. The 
 mash-tub must be placed on the stand 
 or ga\^Titree, at a height sufficient to 
 allow the underback to be placed ■ndth 
 facility below the tap in the mash-tub. 
 
 The Oak. — This is a mashing-stick, 
 consisting of an ash-pole about two 
 yards in length, having at its extremity 
 a frame about twelve inches long, and 
 narrower at the lower than at the upper 
 end. Across this frame there are seve- 
 ral spars, by which it is rendered a 
 convenient implement for thoroughly 
 mixing the malt, and bringing it all 
 in contact with the water. The per- 
 son whose business it is to use the 
 mashing-stick, and to stir the worts in 
 the boiler, must be enabled to stand 
 sufficiently high to perfoimi the opera- 
 tion efficiently, and for this purpose he 
 ought to be furnished with a set of steps 
 of a suitable height. 
 
 Gauge-sticks are of importance to 
 enable the brewer accurately to ascer- 
 tain the quantity of worts in the boiler ; 
 
As I brew, so I must bake. 
 
 229 
 
 to measure tlie number of gallons of 
 •water in the mash-tub, or the quantity 
 of liquor in the fermenting tuns or 
 other vessels. These useful imple- 
 ments may be easily made by putting 
 into the different vessels they are in- 
 tended for, a certain number of gallons 
 of water, and marking the stick at the 
 various points at which the water rises 
 when any specified number of gallons 
 are successively introduced. 
 
 The IjNDEKItACK AND COOLEKS. 
 
 The mash-tub may be made by using 
 the fourth part of the sherry cask al- 
 ready spoken of It will suit well as 
 an undcrback, and along with three or 
 four large tubs to serve as coolers, will 
 be sufficient for the brewing of half a 
 hogshead of ale, and the same quantity 
 of table beer. 
 
 Feumentino Tuns, &c. — For half a 
 hogshead of ale, and the same quantity 
 of table beer, two fermenting tuns will 
 bo necessarv, each containing forty- 
 two gallons. Besides these, a wooden 
 vessel, or "piggin," holding about a 
 gallon, and having a long upright 
 handle, wDl be necessary for the pur- 
 pose of lifting the worts from the under- 
 back into the coolers, and a couple of 
 pails will be requisite, each of them 
 being marked so as to indicate two 
 gallons and a half. 
 
 The Tiiermometek and Sacchako- 
 METER. — The art of brewing requires 
 that the degree of heat, and the quan- 
 tity of saccharine or sweet matter in 
 the liquid be coirectly ascertained. 
 For these purposes the instruments are 
 requisite. Their mode of action will 
 be explained to those who purchase 
 them by the manufacturer, and their 
 uses will be illustrated in the instruc- 
 tions we are about to give. 
 
 The Brewhouse and Vessels. — In 
 making the comparatively small quan- 
 tity of liquor required in a single house- 
 hold, it is not only difficult, but often 
 quite impossible, to have an outhoiise 
 set apart for brewing, and for no other 
 purpose. Yet it is a very desirable 
 thing if this can be done. "Washing, 
 for example, ought never to be carried 
 on in a brcMhouse ; as nothing is more 
 
 injurious than to leave the remnant of 
 dirty soapsuds in the tubs used in 
 brewing. In fact, the greatest cleanli- 
 ness is indispensable. All the vessels 
 should be perfectly sweet, and free from 
 mustiness or any other smell ; they 
 ought to be strictly examined the day 
 before the brewing commences, and 
 shoiild never be used for any other 
 purpose; and they ought to be carefully 
 cleansed and kept quite free from dirt. 
 
 To Cle.\n Casks. — These should be 
 well cleansed with boiling water, and if 
 the bung-hole be large enough, they 
 should be scrubbed inside with a hand- 
 brush, sand, and fuller's earth, and 
 afterwards scalded. As to the coolers, 
 and indeed all the vessels, care should 
 be taken not to let the water stand in 
 them any length of time, as in all 
 water left stagnant a prodigious mul- 
 titude of animalcules are generated, 
 which, although too minute to be visi- 
 ble to the naked eye, are easily dis- 
 cerned by the microscope. Water in 
 which these creatures are generated 
 emits an intolerable stench; and if the 
 vessels containing them are of wood, 
 they retain the smell, and hardly any 
 amount of scrubbing will eradicate it. 
 
 ZiNC-LiNED Coolers. — So important 
 is it that the coolers (should be free from 
 any bad odour, that we recommend that 
 the interior of the vessels be lined with 
 zinc ; this secures greater purity, and 
 expedites the cooling of the worts. The 
 mash-tub should be kept scrupulously 
 clean, no grains being allowed to remain 
 in it longer than the day after the brew- 
 ing. We shall now make a few remarks 
 on the ingredients used in brewing, and 
 then give a description of the process. 
 
 Water. — Different opinions are en- 
 tertained as to the relative merits of 
 the water for brewing ; but we may 
 with confidence state that rain water 
 is certainly superior to any other for 
 the purpose. It is, however, difficult 
 to obtain this in a condition of sufficient 
 purity, as the rain water collected from 
 the roofs of houses carries particles 
 of vegetable substances, imparting to 
 the water a nauseous flavour. The 
 purest water is that produced from 
 
230 
 
 Good Ale is Meat, Drink, and Cloth. 
 
 melted snow, collected in the open 
 fields after a heavy fall. This -water 
 possesses the highest degree of purity, 
 and is all hut identical with distilled 
 water; it heing, in fact, the result of 
 distillation. If it is desirahle that rain 
 water should he used, let it he obtained 
 in as pure a condition, and as free from 
 any peculiar taste and odour as possible. 
 River water is well suited to the pur- 
 pose so far as its softness is concerned, 
 hut it contains, especially in the warmer 
 and autumnal months, a large quantity 
 of both animal and vegetable sub- 
 stances. Hard water, in consequence 
 of its chemical constitution, has less 
 power than the two other lands to ex- 
 tract the vii'tucs of the malt and the 
 hops ; but this inconvenience may be 
 obviated by rnising the heat of the water. 
 Skilful brewing, no doubt, can do much 
 towards rendering the liquor made from 
 hard water as good as any other ; but 
 undoubtedly pure rain water is the best. 
 
 Malt. — The best malt has a sweet 
 smell, a mellow taste, a round body, 
 and a thin skin ; pale malt is adapted 
 for domestic brewing, and brown malt 
 for public breweries. 
 
 Hoi'S. — The best hops arc of a bright 
 preen colour, sweet smell, and a feeling 
 of clamminess when rubbed between 
 the hands. 
 
 liuEwiNG. — We shall now describe 
 the process of brewing, for, say, half a 
 hogshead of strong ale, the same quan- 
 tity of middle ale, and a quarter hogs- 
 head of table beer. This will rccjuiio 
 six bushels of malt, and care must be 
 taken that it has not been dried at too 
 high a temperature, nor ground more 
 than three daj's, and th;it it is pale 
 malt, and of the best quality. 
 
 Heat kequiked. — Itisofthe iitmost 
 consequence to obtain such a degree of 
 heat as shall be best adapted to extract 
 the esseutial properties of the malt. 
 Put forty-four gallons of boiling water, 
 heated to 212 degrees of the thermo- 
 meter, into the mash-tub, and add five 
 or six gallons of cold water, so as to 
 reduce the heat from the boiling point 
 to 182 degrees. Put the malt into the 
 mash-tub, and with the oar or masliing- 
 
 stick stir it so completely that the water 
 shall have access to every part. When 
 this is done, let about a half-peck of the 
 malt be strewed on the top of the mash 
 in the mash-tub ; this will serve as a 
 non-conductor, and tend to keep in the 
 heat. The cover is now to be put on 
 the mash-tub, a blanket placed on the 
 cover, and sacks on the blanket. Every 
 means must be employed to keep in 
 the heat, to prevent the steam from 
 escaping. Let it be observed that there 
 are now fifty gallons of water in the 
 mash-tub, and six bushels of malt, or 
 about eight and a quarter gallons of 
 water to each bushel of malt. The 
 mash must be left covered from two to 
 three hours, after which some of the 
 worts is to be run oif into a pail and 
 returned again, till at last the liquor 
 running from the tap appears perfectly 
 clear, and then let it run into the 
 underback. When the worts have run 
 off for some time, and the bed of the 
 mash begins to appear, water at 190 
 degrees of heat must be added. This 
 must be done in such a manner that 
 thcM'ater shall fall in a shower all over 
 the surface of the mash at the same 
 momeat, so as to carry with it the vir- 
 tues of the malt left behind by the 
 liquor already run off. While this 
 new supply of water is being showered 
 on the surface of the mash, the tap is 
 still running, and the first forty-four 
 gallons must be set aside for the half- 
 hogshead of strong ale ; the next forty 
 gallons for the hall-hogshead of the ale 
 of middle strength, when the tap 
 should be shut, and the worts intended 
 for the table beer allowed to remain in 
 the mashing, but twenty-four gallons 
 of water at 19;5 degrees of temperature 
 must be added to the mash for the table 
 beer, in the m inner already described. 
 Boiling the Worts. — In boiling 
 the worts for the strong ale, the forty- 
 four gallons already set aside for the 
 purpose are now to be put into the 
 boiler, and raised to the temperature of 
 200 degrees. Put two pounds of the 
 best hops, well rubbed and separated 
 by the hand, into thu liquor, and boil 
 briskly for throe quarteis of an hour; 
 
AU-sdUrs should not be Tale-tellers. 
 
 231 
 
 Btir well during the boiling. Add two 
 pounds more of tho hops, rubbed and 
 separated U3 before, and let tho boiling 
 bo continued fur twenty-five or thirty 
 minutes longer. The quantity of forty- 
 four j^allons, thus boiled, will be re- 
 duced by evaporation, and by the liquor 
 absorbed by the hops, to about thirty 
 gallons ; and before drawing it oif its 
 Bpi-cilic gravity should be tested by tho 
 Baccharomctcr. This ought to be from 
 102 to 108, but if greater strength be 
 required, a quarter of a pound of raw 
 sugar for each gallon should be added, 
 ■which ought to produce a specific gra- 
 vity of from 112 to 118, equal to the 
 brst ale. Tlie liijuor is now to be run 
 otf into the tubs, the piece of canvas 
 already spoken of being li.xed on tho 
 tnp so as to direct the liquor through 
 tho hair sieve into tho vessel to contain 
 it. It is then put into the coolers to 
 the depth in summer of not more 
 than two, and in winter about tlirco or 
 four inches. 
 
 TiiK Second Wouts. — When tho 
 liquor for the strong ale is out of the 
 copper, the second worts must be put 
 into it along with two pounds of fresh 
 hops, and boiled briskly for an hour and 
 a half. If, when tested by the saccha- 
 rometer, tlie spetitic gravity is only ol, 
 and if the quantity of thirty gallons bo 
 in the boiler, 20 pounds of sugar must 
 be added, which will increase it to 73 
 or 74. After boiling a few minutes, 
 draw otr the liquor and place it in the 
 coolers. The worts for the table beer 
 must now be put into the boiler, with 
 tho four pounds of hops boiled in tho 
 processes before referred to. It must 
 be boiled for two liours, and when the 
 boiling is nearly completed, half a pound 
 of sugar per gallon will give the beer 
 a suitable degree of specific gravity. 
 
 Ferment.\tiox. — Here it must bo 
 stated, that for each kind of ale or beer 
 it is requisite that there should be a 
 8uq)lus quantity of a couple of gallons 
 to supply the loss occasioned by tho 
 fermentation. It is desirable to have 
 three fermenting tuns. When the 
 liquor for tho strong ale has cooled 
 down to 85 degrees, take out about one 
 
 gallon of it, and pour into it three 
 English pints of brewer's strong ale 
 yeast of the best quality. I'our this 
 mixture into the tun, into which put 
 tho worts, and let it then be well 
 incori)orated with the yeast, and cover 
 up the tun for the fermentation. The 
 same process is to be earned out with 
 the ale of tlie second strength, but the 
 table beer is to be fermented at 80 
 degrees, and one English pint of yeast 
 will he sutHcient. 
 
 Tho moniing after the liquor has 
 l)ocn put into the tuns with the yeast, 
 the surface of the worts ought to bo 
 covered with a white cream ; this is to 
 be stirred up with tho contents of tho 
 tun, and some of tho liquor subjected 
 to examination. Some decrease of spe- 
 cific gravity, and a slight addition to 
 tho heat of the liquor ought to bo 
 detecied. The state of the liquor must 
 again be examined into in the evening, 
 and if tho fermentation bo weak some 
 yeast must he added, and mixed up with 
 tho mass of the liquor. If by the 
 second morning the work is going on 
 well, the surface of tlie liquor will bo 
 covered with thick froth ; but on testing 
 the condition of the liquor, if there 
 appears no indication of an increase of 
 heat, and no apparent diminution of 
 specific gravity in it, let tho head of 
 froth be broken up, and the whole be 
 well stirred. The head of froth which 
 afterwards appears, of a dark brown 
 colour, on its surface, must be carefully 
 removetl, as it will tall to the bottom 
 and spoil the flavour of the ale. The 
 same remark may be made as to the 
 yeast which appears at the bunghole 
 during the fermentation, which con- 
 tinues for some time after the ale is put 
 int ) the cask*. 
 
 After the ale and beer are made, the 
 next process we come to is that of 
 
 Fining. — There are several methods 
 of doing this. Perhaps as good a way 
 as any is to dissolve an ounce of isinglass 
 in a quart of stale beer, allowing it to 
 remain for several days ; add another 
 quart of the stale beer, strain through 
 a sieve, ami put an English i)int to ouch 
 half-hogshead. 
 
232 
 
 The Cork shall start Obsequious to my Thumb . 
 
 Hints on Bottling Malt 
 Liquors, &C. — There can be no 
 doubt that all fcnncnted malt liquors, as 
 well as wine, are improved by bnttlinf», 
 when the work is performed with suffi- 
 cient skill and care ; but there are several 
 considerations requisite to success which 
 we shall now bring under the notice 
 of our readers. 
 
 The state of the liqior at the 
 time of bottling. The fermentation of 
 the liquor should be nearly completed ; 
 if not, there will be the risk of bursting 
 the bottles in consequence of the genera- 
 tion of too large n quantity of air. On 
 the other hand, if the fermentation be 
 over and the liquor be flat, the beer will 
 become more or less sour. The mode 
 of judging as to the fitness of the liquor 
 for bottling is to ascertain its condition 
 in the cask. If, on drawing the vent- 
 peg, the liquor spurts out with violence, 
 it is certain that the process of fci-nicnta- 
 tion is still going on; on the other 
 hand, if it appears to be still, and on 
 being tasted is in good condition and 
 brisk, it may be held to bo in a fit state 
 for bottling. If, however, it be too 
 brisk and frothy while bottling, the 
 bottles ought to be Icit uncorked for a 
 few hours, and filled out. They should 
 only be filled up as the froth works 
 within an inch of the cork. 
 
 To Ripen Ale or Porter. 
 — If tint when bottled, there arc several 
 ways, among Mhich the following may 
 be recommended : — "When about to fill 
 the bottles, put into each a teaspoonful 
 of raw brown .sugar, or two teaspoonfuls 
 of rice or wheat, or six raisin.s. 
 
 Corks for Bottling.— There 
 is indeed no economy in bad corks. If 
 they are not sufficiently sound, and allow 
 the air to escape, the liquor becomes flat, 
 and consequently sour, and the bottles 
 might nearly as well be left open. The 
 corks should be soaked in the liquor 
 before being put into the bottles, and if 
 the bottles be then laid on their sides, 
 the corks will swell so as to be perfectly 
 tight. It need hardly bo added that 
 great care should be taken that the 
 bottles have been thoroughly washed 
 and are perfectly clean. 
 
 To make Bottle "Wax.— 
 Take one pound of resin, one pound of 
 beeswax, and half a pound of tallow. 
 Mix these with red or yellow ochre, 
 soot, or Spanish whiting, according to 
 the colour you require. Melt the whole 
 carefully, stirring it all the time. If it 
 be likely to boil over, stir it with a 
 candle end, which will allay the vio- 
 lence of the ebullition. 
 
 Stands for Casks.— All casks 
 containing beer, ale, wine, or any other 
 liquors, ought to be placed on strong 
 elevated stands or tressels. They 
 should be so situated as not to touch 
 any part of the walls of the cellar or 
 store-room in which they are placed. 
 When they are near the walls they aie 
 liable to be attacked by dry-rot, which 
 leads to the bursting of the casks and 
 the loss of their contents. The tressels 
 ought to be at such a distance from the 
 wall that one may be able to go round 
 them and examine their condition; 
 when this, from the position of the 
 ban-ol, is impossible, it will be found a 
 great inconvenience should any leakage 
 take place. 
 
 Howtomake Mead. — Tho 
 following is a good receipt for mead: — 
 On twenty pounds of honey pour five gal- 
 lons of boiling water ; Ijoil, and remove 
 tho scum as it rises ; add one ounce of 
 best hops, and boil for ten minutes; 
 then put the liquor into a tub to cool ; 
 when all but cold add a little yeast 
 spread upon a slice of toasted bread; let 
 it stand in a warm room. When fer- 
 mentation is set up, put the mixture 
 into a cask, and fill up from time to 
 time as tho yeast runs out of the bung- 
 hole; when the fermentation is finished, 
 bung it doM'n, leaving a peg-hole Avhich 
 can afterwards be clo.scd, and in less 
 than a year it will be fit to bottle. 
 
 Notes on Pigeons. — These 
 birds are classed together luider tho 
 general term Columbidce, and, although 
 they possess many characteristics in 
 common, tlie species which are compre- 
 hended under the general description 
 are many and various. Pigeons are 
 found in eveiy quarter of the globe 
 within the frigid zones; but in tropical 
 
Birds of a Feather floch togcliur. 
 
 rogions the varieties that prevail are 
 most iiumorou?, and tlieir plumage much 
 more varied and brilliant than in tlie 
 more temperate f limates. As an exam- 
 ple of this may he mentioned the beau- 
 tiful preen pigeon of India, which makes 
 its habitation in the forests of that coun- 
 trj', or amidst the branches of the 
 banyan, which indeed is itself a forest. 
 The general colour of tho head and 
 lower parta of this bird is green ; tho 
 buck is dark brown tinged with purple, 
 the wing coveils and secondary quills 
 are of tho brightest yellow. Although 
 in our tcmpcnite climate pigeons are not 
 found to possess the brilliant hues of 
 their Oiiental congeners, yet we possess 
 an ample variety, known to pigeon-fan- 
 ciers by different names, some of which it 
 must be admitted are sufficiently whim- 
 i«iciil. We have not only the English 
 I'outer but the Dutch cropper; we 
 have the Horseman and the Dnigoon ; 
 ' the Trumpeter and the Tumbler ; tho 
 Nun and the Capuchin ; tho Bunt, the 
 Unloper, and the Fantail. 
 
 It is difficult to determine, amidst 
 such variety, what is the be-^t breed of 
 pigeons. If the birds are to be kept 
 merely for their ornamental appearance, 
 the choice must be left to the fancy of 
 the possessor ; if they are to bo main- 
 tained for utility, a common breed of a 
 largo size will bo preferable to any 
 other. 
 
 Health of the Binn.". — To keep the 
 birds in health and comfort, a dovecot 
 (■hould be properly constructed, and 
 jilacedin some situation, if possible, sepa- 
 r:itc from any building. It should con- 
 sist of a wooden box of greater or less 
 dimensions, according to circumstanecs, 
 w ith a sloping roof, and having the in- 
 terior subdivided by partitions into sepa- 
 rate cells, corresponding with the number 
 of pairs to be kept. Each of these com- 
 partments ought to bo about twelve 
 inches in depth from front to back, sLx- 
 tccn inches in breadth, and an entrance 
 hole in front ought to be placed at one 
 side, by means of which the biids will 
 have more space and comfort in the in- 
 terior. In front of each cell ought to be 
 placed a slip of wood on which the birds 
 
 may perch, and it has been suggested, in 
 consequence of the quarrels tnat arise 
 for the possession of such perches, that 
 they should be separated by partitions. 
 The dovecot, if raised ui)on a wall, 
 ought, where practicable, to be so placed 
 as to face the south-east, and shouM bo 
 at such an elevation as to bo secure fioni 
 the attacks of vermin or cats. It ought 
 to be painted white, as the pigeon seems 
 to be pleased with that colour. Gravel 
 should be strewed on tho ground in 
 front of it, as it is requisite for the proper 
 digestion of the birds, and the utmost 
 attention must be given to keep tho 
 interior perfectly clean. Cleanliness, 
 indeed, Ls quite indispensable to tho 
 health of its feathered inmates ; tho cot 
 should be scoured out with regularity, 
 and the floor of it strewed with sand 
 once a month at least. 
 
 It is remarkable that all, or nearly 
 all the Columhidac, whether inhabiting 
 temperate or tropical countries, lay only 
 two eggs. This circumstance, however, 
 does not limit their increase any more 
 than the single egg of certain kinds of 
 sea-fowl tends to keep down their num- 
 bers ; for if the pigeon hatches only two 
 eggs at a time, she makes ample amends 
 for tho smallness of the number by the 
 frequency with which she brings forth 
 young ones. The common pigeon begins 
 to breed at the age of nine months, and 
 breeds every month. The young birds 
 produced arc generally a male and a 
 female. Tho parents during tho time 
 of incubation relieve each other alter- 
 nately in the duty of hatching, which 
 occupies a period of lifteen days. 
 
 Best Food. — The food best suited to 
 pigeons consists of tares and white peas ; 
 but wheat, barley, oats, rape, hemp, and 
 canary seed, will all be found accept- 
 able, but ought not to be given to them 
 constantly. They are very fond of 
 salt, which contributes to their health ; 
 for this purpose a heap of clay may bo 
 left near their abode, on which the brine, 
 which is no longer required for household 
 uses, may be poured. This will form u 
 convenient place to which the birds may 
 resort for their favourite condiraenl. 
 
 Diseases. — These may bo remedied 
 1 2 
 
234 
 
 Pigeons are taken 7i'hen Croiusfly at Pleasure. 
 
 by a medicine ■^•liich seems applicable 
 to almost all their ailments. This 
 is bay salt and cummin seeds mixed 
 together. Their barks and breasts some- 
 times become scabby, and for this the 
 following preparation -N^ill be found 
 effectual : — Take a quarter of a pound 
 of bay salt, and as much common salt, 
 a poimd of fennel seeds, a poimd of ilill 
 seeds, a pound of cummin seed, and an 
 ounce of assafoc'tida; mix all with a little 
 ■wheaten flour and some fine clay, and 
 M'hen they are ^vcll beaten and mixed 
 together put these ingredients into an 
 oven in two earthen pots ; bake them ; 
 •when cold put tlie mixture on the table 
 in the dovecot, and the birds will eat it 
 and be soon cured. 
 
 The Tvutle-dove is a migratory 
 bird. It an-ives in England about the 
 middle of May, and leaves early in Sep- 
 tember ; when the young birds accom- 
 pany their parents to the more genial 
 climate of the South. The plumage of 
 this pigeon is brown on the upper part 
 of the bod)', the crown of the head and 
 back of tlie neck are ash grey, the sides 
 of the neck are marked by a patch of 
 small black feathers with white points, 
 the throat and breast are of a beautiful 
 chocolate hue, and the remainder of the 
 under surface of the body is pure white, 
 together with the legs ; the feet arc red, 
 and the claws black. These pretty 
 birds are remarkable for the constancy 
 of their attachment to each other. 
 Cowper thus refers to this peculiarity; — 
 
 "One silent eve I wandered lato, 
 Aiid heard the voice of love , 
 The turtle thus addressed herniate, 
 And s -othed the listeviing dove : — 
 " Our 2vntual bond of faith and truth 
 No ti :■ e shall disengage ; 
 These blessings of our early j'outh 
 Shall cheer our latest age." 
 
 The Carrier Pigeon. — This mem- 
 ber of the dove family is of a blue or 
 blackish colour, and has a circle of red 
 skin round the eyes. It is remarkable 
 alike for its attachment to its place of 
 birth and its great powers of flight, and 
 those qualities have rendered it of great 
 value and interest as a messenger, both 
 in ancient and in modem times ; it being 
 capable of conveying important intelli- 
 
 gence to places accessible only to crea- 
 tures endowed with wings, and in a 
 very brief period of time. The male 
 and female birds arc usually kept toge- 
 ther and well treated ; and if one of 
 them be taken to a distance, it will 
 return with gi-eat velocity to its usual 
 abode, passing through the air at the 
 rate of forty miles an hour, carrying 
 with it a small biUct of thin paper placed 
 under its wing. Some ill-informed 
 wiiters attribute the marvellous power 
 the carrier pigeon thus possesses, to its 
 knowledge of the intermediate localities 
 lying between its home and the place 
 to which it is removed, which is a mere 
 gratuitous assumption. I'erhaps in the 
 immediate vicinity of its usual abode its 
 knowledge of the localitj' may direct it 
 homewards, but when the distance is so 
 great as a hundred miles, there can bo 
 no doubt that the power which directs 
 the flight of the bird with such uner- 
 ring accuracy is pure instinct, operating 
 independently of acquired knowledge or 
 previous cxi)erience, — a power as won- 
 derful as it is mysterious, and implying 
 the action of an intelligence greater far 
 than reason itself. 
 
 Ho>A/^to prepare Feathers 
 for Pillows, &c. — Keep the 
 feathers for some montlis after they have 
 been pluckeii, in clean grey linen bags, 
 in a perfectly dry place ; then strip the 
 large feathers off tlie quill, the small 
 ones remaining as they arc. Put them 
 into the bags again, having well aired 
 and tossed the feathers about. Put 
 them opposite a fire, but not too near, 
 frequently turning the bags for about a 
 week, and repeating the airing and toss- 
 ing about two or three times during 
 the drying process ; then put them into 
 your pillows, airing them well again 
 before using. If these directions are 
 properly attended to, the feathers wiU 
 be quite dry, and have no smell what 
 ever. 
 
 To take Grease Spots out 
 of Carpets. — Mix a little soap 
 into agallon of warm soft water, then 
 add half an ounce of borax ; wash the 
 part well with a clean cloth, and the 
 grease or dirty spot will soon disappear. 
 
By Work you ^d Money, by Talk ym get Knmcledge. 235 
 
 Hints on Knitting, No. 2. 
 
 How TO Knit a "CLorn." — The 
 Anicriran nnd Canadian ladies nro in 
 the habit of wcarinq; light scan-cs of 
 fine knitting over the head nnd round 
 the neck, instead of an opera hood 
 when going out at night. 
 
 These scarves are called "clouds," 
 nnd are so extremely light that they do 
 not dienrrange the flowers or niftle the 
 hair in the least degree, while they are 
 quite sufficiently warm to prevent nny 
 danger from cold. 
 
 A *' cloud " is made of very fine 
 Lady Betty wool, or of Shetland wool, 
 if white bo the colour pri'ferred. They 
 are very prettv in pink, light blue, or 
 in scarlet, if the wearer is a brunette. 
 The pins for knitting a "cloud" must 
 be very smooth wooden pins ; we have 
 seen them in America, of vulcanized 
 india-rubber, but wo are not aware 
 whether such pins have ever been 
 introduced info I^ondon. They are 
 j)articularly smooth and slightly elas- 
 tic, and aboiit the third of an inch 
 in diameter. Cast on three hundred 
 stit( lies in common garter stkch ; this 
 is the length of the "cloud." Knit 
 very loosely until a square of three 
 hundred rows is formed ; thin knit the 
 first and last rows loosely together, to 
 join the "cloud;" gather the ends to- 
 gether, and finish them with a hand- 
 some silk or woollen ta.ssel to each. 
 Tho "cloud " ought to be long enough 
 to go over the head and twice round the 
 throat ; it is very comfortable as well as 
 becoming. 
 
 SlMPLK PaTTERV for AN AnTI- 
 
 MACASSAK. — A ver)- pretty and easy 
 pattern is worked with cotton of two 
 degrees of fineness. Tho coarse cotton 
 should be as thick as the ordinary 
 piping cord; the fine al)o\it No. 10 or 
 12 of tho common knitting cotton. 
 Take a pair of medium-sized bone pins, 
 nnd cast on G4 stitches in the coarse 
 cotton : this will fonn the length. 
 
 \st Roxc, Purl all the stitches. 
 
 2Mrf Tloxc. Plain knitting. 
 
 3rd Foir. Purl. 
 
 it/t How. Knit two plain stitche.', 
 
 two together three times; ♦ thread 
 forward and knit one six times, put- 
 ting the thread forward ea( h time, 
 two together six times ; repeat from 
 the star till there are only eight 
 stitches on the pin : then knit two 
 together three time?, and two plain 
 for the edge. 
 6th Jioir. Purl. 
 6th Jioir. Plain. 
 7th How. Purl. 
 
 V>lh Mow. Same as -Ith; and so on 
 till there are eight or twelve 
 pattern rows done; then join cm 
 the fine cotton, and knit in tho 
 same way as the coarse, making 
 alternate stripes of coarse and fine 
 cotton, ending with coarse tho 
 same as tho beginning; finish with 
 a fringe. 
 It is impossible in such a work as 
 " Best of Kvp.uythino," to give more 
 than one or two receipts for each 
 kind of needlework, as illustrations of 
 our remarks ratlur than new patterns, 
 as tho magazines nnd newspapers de- 
 voted almost entinly to ladies' re- 
 quii-emenfs, in dress and needlework, 
 render this unnecessary. Tho Qiittn 
 newspaper, nnd the Eti^lifhwomau'a 
 Lonu.stir Mnrfiizhir, leave nothing to be 
 desired in the way ofguides to all kinds 
 of new and fashionable work, and the 
 editors of both are must < ourteotis in an- 
 swering all inquiries addressed to them. 
 
 The Knitting Machine. 
 
 — Several domestic knitting machines 
 have been invented ; of these Lamb's 
 Family Knitting Machine, and the 
 Bridgeport Family Knitting JIa<hine, 
 appear to bo favourites. 'J ho former 
 of these is screwed on to a table, and is 
 moved by a crank handle ; the latter is 
 like a small treadle scAving machine, 
 but both work on the same principle 
 as the stocking frame. They are ca- 
 pable of forming all kinds of knitting, 
 whether round or flat, and of making 
 knitted trimmings as well. The Ilink- 
 Icy knitting machine, the most recently 
 invented, needs scarcely any manual 
 help, and works either by the foot or 
 hand, any fabric from a glove to a 
 Guernsey frock. 
 
236 Quaich your Thirst, and mark an Emblem of True Charity. 
 
 Filtration of Water.— From 
 the experiments of Dr. Frankland on 
 this subject, it appears that the process 
 of filtering water does not consist 
 merely in separating from the fluid dele- 
 terious substances held by mechanical 
 suspension in it, but in a chemical 
 change of the materials dissolved in the 
 water. According to the experiments 
 referred to, when properly conducted, 
 organic matters in a putrescent condi- 
 tion arc efficiently converted into harm- 
 less products; carbon and nitrogen in 
 organic combination imdergo the pro- 
 cess of oxidation, and the latter assumes 
 the character of nitric acid, forming a 
 nitrate with whatever bases are present. 
 The water on which Dr. Frankland's 
 experiments M'ere made was ordinary 
 Ji(mdon sewage ; and the filtering me- 
 dium was common soil, or a mixture of 
 sand and chalk. By the process adopted, 
 the water was so deprived of its 
 noxious qualities, as to be rendered not 
 only equal, but superior in purity to 
 the water supplied in Ivondon for do- 
 mestic purposes. It appears, however, 
 that there exists a great ditt'crence in 
 the purifying powers of diflerent sub- 
 stances employed for filtration, as well 
 as in their capability of retaining their 
 efficacy. From the great importance 
 of the results at which the experiments 
 have thus enabled us to arrive, it is ob- 
 vious that a convenient and thoroughly 
 efficient filter may be regarded as one 
 of the most valuable requisites, not 
 only in London, but in every city. 
 During the prevalence of cholera, it 
 was found in many parts of the country 
 that the mortality Mas greatest where 
 the water commonly used for domestic 
 purposes was supplied by wells into 
 which deleterious substances found 
 their way through the soil, and there 
 can be no doubt that, in all such cases, 
 the use of filters, properly consti-ucted, 
 would have gone far to prevent the 
 ipread of the epidemic. 
 
 Filters. — LtpscoMisE's and Dan- 
 chell's. — The former is patented by 
 Mr. Lipscombe, the latter by the Lon- 
 don and General Water Purifying 
 Company. They are understood to 
 
 possess very remarkable efficienty, 
 and are well deserving of our readers' 
 attention. They have received the 
 approval of many eminent medical 
 men, and arc used in the London 
 hospitals and other similar institu- 
 tions, and her Majesty the Queen, the 
 Prince of "Wales, the Emperor of the 
 French, and other royal personages, 
 have availed themselves of the inven- 
 tion. Without entering into details, wo 
 refer our readers for full information to 
 the printed descriptions issued by the 
 inventors themselves, and which appear 
 to us to be accurate in every particular. 
 
 A C»EAi> Filter. — A cheap and 
 effectual filter may be easily made by 
 those who are unwilling to incur the 
 expense of the larger and more perfect 
 apparatus, by means of a common 
 flower-pot. All that is requisite ia to 
 fill the hole with a piece of sponge, 
 and the rest of the pot with alternate 
 layers of sand, charcoal, and small 
 pebbles. The flower-pot thus fitted up 
 may then be placed on a jar or other 
 convenient vessel, into which the water 
 as it filters through can be received. 
 
 Poisons. — Poisons are divided 
 into three classes, — mineral, animal, and 
 vegetable. Those of the first of these 
 classes are such as sulphuric, muriatic, 
 and nitric acids; the concentrated alka- 
 lies, as potash, soda, and ammonia ; and 
 the preparations of arsenic, copper, 
 antimony, &c. 
 
 Symi'toms of Mineral Poisoning. 
 — The efiecfs produced by sulphuric 
 acid (oil of vitriol), or any of the strong 
 acids, are frightful in tlie extreme : 
 burning, and an excessively disagree- 
 able taste, acute pain in the throat, 
 stomach, and bowels, insupportable 
 fetor of the breath, vomiting of various 
 coloured matters often mixed with 
 blood, which effervesce with chalk, 
 evacuations mixed with blood, acute 
 colic, difficulty of breathing, frequent 
 and irregular pulse, excessive thirst, in 
 which drink only increases the sufier- 
 ing and is quickly vomited, the skin 
 cold as if frozen, especially the skin of 
 the lower extremities, convulsions of 
 the lace and limbs, but, strange to 
 
llie Mortal Venom in tJu Social Cup. 
 
 237 
 
 Bay, amidst all this ajtony, the mental 
 P'jwers (ire rarely disordered. All these 
 dreadful syniptoius, it is true, are not 
 olways found in the same person, as 
 tli(ir severity depends on tho natui-e 
 and strength of tho poison. 
 
 Treatment of I'oi.sonino by Aciii.<«. 
 — One of the most efficient antidotes in 
 all tliesc rases is ( alcined mapncsia ; 
 next to this soap, and then chalk and 
 water. An fiunce ol the magnesia should 
 lie mixed with a pint of water, and a 
 glassful taken every two minutes, so as 
 to prevent tho acid from acting and 
 to check vomitinp. If tho magnesia is 
 not at hand, a solution should be made 
 of half an ounce of soap in a pint of 
 watir, and a glassful taken every few 
 minutes ; chalk and water will likewise 
 bo useful. Injections should abo ho 
 given of magnesia, soap, or chalk. 
 'Iho stomach-pump ought to bo had 
 iinniediato recourse to, in order as 
 eperdily as possible to empty tho 
 contents of the stomach. After every 
 effort is thus made to remove the poison 
 OS well as to neutralize it, the next ob- 
 ject is to stibdue the intlammation it 
 occasions. For this purpose the patient 
 shonlil be placed in a bath at 9o <legree8, 
 and iho stomach and bowels fomented 
 with cloths wrung out of warm water. 
 If these measures do not give relief, a 
 dozen leeches should be appli(d to 
 tho abdomen, and these efforts will be 
 greatly assisted by drinks given to tho 
 patient, prepared with linseed, mallows, 
 or gum arable. The aid of a medical 
 man ought instnntly to bo pro<-ured, but 
 as everything depends on the prompti- 
 tude and activity with which assistance 
 is given, and as most of tho remedial 
 mea-sures already described may be 
 adopted prior to his arrival, they should, 
 without a moment's delay, bo had re- 
 course to. 
 
 In I'oisoMxo WITH Strong Al- 
 kalies, the symptoms are in a great 
 degree similar to those produced by tho 
 acids. In these cases, however, tho 
 means of neutralizing the action of the 
 alkalies are not magnesia, soap, or 
 chalk, but vegetable acids. A glassful 
 of wat^r mixed with a tablespoonful of 
 
 vinegar or lemon juice should fre- 
 quently bo administered, and even 
 simple water in su( h quantities as to 
 cause vomiting. These renu'dios, if 
 inadequate, ought to be followed by 
 the use of the warm bath and leeches ; 
 but the aid of a medical man is of tho 
 highest importance, and ought to bo 
 procured without loss of time. 
 
 The rREPARATioxs OK Mercury, 
 such as corrosive sublimate, calomel, 
 red precipitate, prussiatc and sulphurate 
 of mercurj", and the various prepara- 
 ti'jns of other metals, as of tin, copper, 
 arsenic, antimony, silver, &c., when a 
 large quantity is taken, produ« e sjTnp- 
 toms ilroarlful in the extreme, and de- 
 manding tho utmost promptitude in 
 administering suitable remedies. In 
 all such cases, indeed, the great object is 
 to afford immediat>^ aid to tliu unhappy 
 sufferer before tho arrival of tho 
 doctor; for the energy with which 
 most of these poisons act admits of no 
 delay in any measure calculated to 
 arrest or to mitigate the violence of their 
 action. The poisons now in question 
 produce constriction in tho throat, pain 
 in the back part of tho mouth, stomach, 
 and intestines; vomiting with more or 
 less violence, fetid enu tations, hiccup, 
 and difficulty in breathing; tho pulse 
 is small, hard, and rapid ; an unextin- 
 gui.shablo thirst comes on, accomi)anitd 
 by cramps, coldness of the extremitiep, 
 and horrible convulsions ; tho features 
 undergo a most painful change, tho 
 strength rapidly gives way, and de- 
 lirium and death close the scene. 
 
 The great object, therefore, is to 
 arrest the action of the poison, by re- 
 moving and neutralizing it as promptly 
 as possible. 
 
 The Best Antidote to corrosive 
 sublimate and all other mercurial pre- 
 parations, is the white of egg beaten up 
 with cold water. The whites of a dozen 
 or fifteen fresh eggs should bo beaten 
 up and mixed with two pints of cold 
 water, and a glassful taken every two 
 or three minutes so as to favour 
 vomiting. If a sufficient number of 
 eggs is not immediately attainable, let 
 as many as can be had be used while 
 
238 
 
 Poison being tasted slays all Senses. 
 
 others are sought for. If eggs Ccannot 
 he obtdned, milk, gum-M-ater, decoc- 
 tions of linseed, mallows, barley, or 
 sugared water, should be taken in 
 abundance. This treatment, carried 
 out with energy and promptitude, will 
 make an e.xcellent preparation for those 
 measures which a medical attendant is 
 likely to adopt in order to check in- 
 flammation. 
 
 Poisoning with Arsenic. — All 
 medical men agree that in cases of this 
 kind the first object is to empty the 
 stomach as promptly as possible. The 
 stomach-pump is most etfective for this 
 pui-pose ; but if it cannot be applied, or 
 if there is no doctor there to do so, some 
 method of removing the poison from the 
 fitomaeh must be resorted to without 
 delay. The patient ought to drink large 
 quantities of sugar and water, warm or 
 cold water, linseed tea, or any mucilagi- 
 nous fluid. By this means the stomach 
 is filled and vomiting more readily ef- 
 fected. Drink, composed of equal parts 
 of lime water and sugar and water, 
 may be given with much benefit. If 
 emetics are had recourse to, a dose of 
 ten grains of blue vitriol or twenty- 
 five grains of sulphate of zinc is the 
 most suitable. When the poison is 
 evacuated from the stomach, it ought to 
 be carefully remembered, that the iilti- 
 mato restoration of the patient must in 
 a very great measure depend on his 
 treatment during the period of conva- 
 lescence, which must necessarily be 
 tedious. Ilis nourishment should con- 
 sist of milk, rice, gruel, and such sub- 
 stances as are of a softening mucilagi- 
 nous character. 
 
 Poisoning with VEnnioRis, Blue 
 Vitriol, or any of the Phepauations 
 of Cori'ER. — The best antidote to such 
 poisons is the white of eggs. The 
 general treatment should correspond 
 with that recommended in poisoning by 
 corrosive sublimate. 
 
 Poisoning with Tartar Emetic 
 AND other Preparations of Anti- 
 mony is accompanied by severe vomit- 
 ing and cramp in the stomach. The 
 vomiting itself tends to throw off the 
 poison : but abundant supplies of sugar 
 
 and water, or water alone, should he 
 administered, and if, after the poison 
 may be supposed to be ejected, the 
 vomiting and pain still continue, a 
 grain of opium should be given, or 
 thirty drops of laudanum or acetate of 
 moq^hia, and a dozen leeches should 
 bo applied to the throat, especially if 
 there be any difficulty in swallowing. 
 
 In Cases of Poisoning ijy the 
 Preparations of Tin the best anti- 
 dote is milk, of which several glassfuls 
 should be given. "Waim water also 
 should be freely given to excite vomit- 
 ing, and fomentations, emollient injec- 
 tions, and such other means employed, 
 as are calculated to arrest or subdue 
 inflammation. 
 
 Poisoning ijy Bismuth ani) Zinc 
 requires the same treatment as adopted 
 in cases of arsenical poisoning. 
 
 Poisoning with Lead and its Pre- 
 parations. — Sugar of lead, extract of 
 lead, and other preparations of this 
 metal, produce, when taken in a large 
 dose, many alarming symptoms, such as 
 vomiting, hiccup, and difficulty of res- 
 piration, accompanied by a sweet 
 astringent metallic taste, constriction 
 of the throat, and pain in the stomach. 
 In such cases Glauber's salt, Epsom 
 salts, and hard water, arc the best anti- 
 dotes. Half an ounce of either of 
 these salts to a quart of water, will form 
 a suitable solution, of which several 
 glasses should be given ; and when by 
 these means the poison is expelled by 
 vomiting, or is decomposed, sugar and 
 water, gum water, and other mucilagi- 
 nous drinlis CDu be administered. 
 
 In Poisoning with Nitre the 
 treatment ought to be similar to that 
 recommended in cases of arsenical 
 poisoning, with the exception of limo 
 water, which ought not to be used. 
 
 In cases of Poisoning by Lunar 
 Caustic or Nitrate of Silver the 
 most effectual antidote is common 
 kitchen salt. A large spoonful in a 
 quart of water will make a suitable so- 
 lution, and of this several glasses should 
 be promptly taken to induce vomiting. 
 If the symptoms continue, treatment 
 to allay any tendency to iuflammation 
 
Iauus catch Flics, but ailoio Hornets to go Free. 
 
 239 
 
 should bo adopted as already recom> 
 mended. 
 
 In all such cases as wo have now 
 referred to, the remedies prescribed arc 
 such as a practitioner would, in the 
 first instance, apply, and which, there- 
 fore, may with safety be had recourse 
 to before medical assistance can be pro- 
 cured; but no such aid as the best 
 private treatment can afford, ought for 
 a moment to supersede that of a medi- 
 cal man, who, if within reach, should 
 be instantly summoned. 
 
 Law of Assignment. — An 
 assignment of stock in trade includes 
 only tliose articles which were 1)03- 
 BCiscd by the assignor at the time when 
 his assignment was executed, and docs 
 not include articles which ho may after- 
 wards acquire, even although it is so 
 expressed in the assignment. An order 
 by a creditor on his de^or, to pay the 
 amount of his debt to a third person, is 
 an etfectual assignment of the debt, 
 should the debtor express liis willing- 
 ness to pay it, and the creditor cannot 
 make the order. An order of this kind 
 requires a stamp ; without one it is in- 
 admissible in evidence. When a person 
 lends money on the security of a policy 
 of insurance on the life of the borrower, 
 the lender should take care that notic e, 
 under the hand of the borrower, be 
 given to the insurance office. Without 
 such notice, should the borrower be- 
 come bankrupt, the lender will have no 
 security for his money ; and should the 
 borrower die, the insurance office cannot 
 be compelled to pay any portion of the 
 sum assured to the lender. The manager 
 or secretary of the insurance office is 
 boimd to deliver to the person giving 
 the notice an acknowledgment that it 
 has been received, for a fine not ex- 
 ceeding five shillings. 
 
 Cash and Credit.— Credit is 
 a convenience very dearly paid for, 
 more especially in the large towns, 
 where traders, being unacquainted with 
 the private circumstances of their cus- 
 tomers, are constantly liable to loss. 
 A West End tailor will give a customer, 
 properly introduced, a year's credit, but 
 will take care to compensate himself by 
 
 adding one-fourth to the price of the 
 articles furnished. A grocer in a Lon- 
 don suburb, when he conceives ho has 
 a reasonable chance of being paid, will 
 supply goods on long credit, but will 
 add from a sixth to a third on the cash 
 price. Liquor dealers and butchers 
 charge in like manner. It has been 
 calculated, and we believe correctly, 
 that an income of £'2oO will, on the 
 ready money system, go quite as far in 
 London and its suburbs, as £300 when 
 credit is taken. By H lese extra charges 
 the retailer is only a moderate gainer. 
 By giving credit he is constantly a 
 loser, owing to the unprincipled con- 
 duct of a certain class of customers, 
 and he regulates matters according to 
 a scale, so that his honest debtors com- 
 pensate him for tho shor'comings 01 
 those who act dishonestly. In com- 
 mencing housekeeping, continue to 
 meet promptly all your engagements ; 
 and show your grocer, baker, and 
 butcher, that you are ready on tho 
 shortest notice to settle your accounts. 
 Wo ourselves have for many years 
 adopted the plan of weekly payments, 
 and these arc to be recommended, both 
 as suiting tho convenience of j'our 
 tradespeople, and enabling you to esti- 
 mate your cost of living for the year. 
 
 Attachments by the 
 Lord Mayor. — A proceeding for 
 securing debts due to the plaintiff 
 has been immemorially exercised in 
 London and Bristol. Thus, by what 
 is termed a process of "foreign attach- 
 ment" in the Lord JIayor's Court, debts 
 are attached in order to compel the 
 defendant to appear and put in bail to 
 the action. TiJJ after judgment such a 
 proceeding is not competent in the 
 common law courts. There is a pro- 
 ceeding in Scotland known as " arrest- 
 ment." similar to the "foreign attach- 
 ment" in the Lord Mayor's Court. 
 
 Breach of Trust, Frauds 
 by Trustees and Others. — 
 Money, or property of any kind, com- 
 mitted to the trust of any person, is a 
 sacred charge ; and if tbo person to 
 whom such trust is committed violates 
 his charge, he not only outrages tho 
 
140 
 
 Woman is at best a Contradiction still. 
 
 customs of society, but renders himself 
 criminally liable. If any trustee, 
 merchant, broker, or agent, uses any 
 money or property entrusted to his 
 l<eeping, for his own purposes, he com- 
 iiiits a misdemeanour, and is liable to 
 be punished ■with penal servitude or 
 imprisonment. 
 
 Calisthenics forWomen. 
 — "We all know wliatthe end of " all work 
 and no play" results in. The "dulness" 
 •which too often arises from the exclu- 
 sive cultivation of the intellect or the 
 taste may, perhaps, be in some measure 
 accounted for by the sameness and 
 monotony of the employment ; but it is 
 certain that, although the mind may to 
 a considerable extent be cultivated at 
 the expense of the body, yet there can- 
 not be permanent intellectual vigour in 
 a condition of physical weakness. The 
 biliary apparatus and the temper, the 
 mind and the muscles, are intimately 
 allied ; and that which favourably affects 
 our phj'sical health and development, 
 best conduces to our ability to discharge 
 the moral duties and perform the intel- 
 lectual toils which human life demands. 
 These remarks are equally applicable to 
 both sexes. Woman requires, quite as 
 much as man, physical education and 
 training, as the means of attaining bodily 
 health and mental vigour. The prin- 
 ciple, it is true, has not yet been uni- 
 versally recognised, but in several 
 instances its importance has already 
 been admitted and acted upon. In the 
 Livcqiool gymnasium there arc classes 
 for the physical edvication and training 
 of ladies, and the example of the third 
 city of the empire has been happily fol- 
 lowed by other large towns ; and in the 
 metropolis more than one gpnnasium 
 having a class for ladies has been estab- 
 lished. The German Gymnastic Society 
 have permitted a class for ladies, to be 
 held twice a week in their large hall in 
 the St. Pancras Iload, near King's Cross, 
 where every appliance for the calisthenic 
 exercises of a very numerous company 
 is to be seen. Ladies only are ad- 
 mitted to these classes as spectators. 
 A committee of ladies have the entire 
 management, and one of their number 
 
 is always present. The calisthenic 
 training given is conducted by a pro- 
 perly qualified master, who thoroughly 
 understands how to regulate it, so that 
 the pupils shall not be unnecessarily 
 fatigued, nor allowed to mnke exertions 
 greater than their strength wiU bear; 
 while, at the same time, enough is done 
 to make the exqjcise really valuable as 
 part of a systEm, which will enable 
 more to be accomplished at a future 
 time. It is particularly made a point 
 of importance that no pupil shall over- 
 tax herself. The object of these exer- 
 cises being to develop grace of bearing, 
 and to conduce to health, rather than to 
 acquire extreme strength or agility, 
 they have therefore been chosen with 
 great care ; and all exercises requiring 
 violent effort, or which would in any 
 way be disagreeable to ladies, are 
 strictly prohibited. Of course wrestling, 
 violent jumping, &c., are not used in 
 the ladies' class. 
 
 The nuEss for calisthenics is care- 
 fully suited to the exercises they have to 
 perform, as it would bo rather difficult 
 to ac(-omplish them in the present style 
 of ladies' dress. A sort of unifonn has 
 been adopted, consisting of a scarlet 
 Garibaldi, with a short full prey skirt 
 of some soft stuff trimmed with scarlet, 
 and full trousers of the same material, 
 with soft black house boots. This 
 costume allows of sufficient freedom of 
 action, particularly about the limbs and 
 chest. 
 
 In addition to the gymnasium now 
 noticed, there is another in Bruton 
 Street, Berkeley Square, conducted by 
 Madame Brenner, who desen'cs great 
 credit for her laudable exertions in 
 reference to this important matter. In 
 her establishment is an apartment fitted 
 up with all the needful appliances and 
 means for the physical training of her 
 pupils. Dumb-bells, bar-bells, rings, 
 ladders, the trapeze, and the Indian 
 club are all brought into requisition, to 
 the manifest strengthening as well as 
 the development of the muscles of the 
 back, the chest, and the limbs ; and, 
 what is of high importance, the attain- 
 ment of an erect and graceful carriage. 
 
To be Happy at Home is the ultimate Result of all Ambition. 2^ \ 
 
 Let us hope timt the etibrts of siioh 
 institutions, which are clearly in the 
 right direction, may tend to dissipate 
 the ignorant prejudice with which, in 
 too many instances, they arc regarded, 
 and that wo may come to the universal 
 application of the doctrine, that the 
 ■wcll-hfing of our daughters, as well 
 as that of our sons, doc* not depend 
 only on the exercise and training of 
 thiir intellictual powers, but on their 
 physical health and vigour also ; and 
 that j)hysical training must keep pace 
 with mental and intellectual culture, if 
 wo M-ould confer on them the greatest 
 blessing of life, the possession of a 
 " sound mind in a sound body." 
 
 Hints on Home Decora- 
 tion. — To IMITATE Japanese Lac- 
 QiEK WoKK. — A very pretty and inex- 
 pensive imitation of the beautiful cabi- 
 nets, boxes, and trays brought from the 
 Kast, may bo made in the following 
 manner: — 
 
 To Uatheii the Leaves.— Gather 
 early in the autumn the brightest and 
 most perfectly shaped leaves that have 
 assumed their autumnal tints. The 
 eycamore, the various kinds of maples. 
 Virginian creeper, copper beech, wild 
 rose, or any leaves having bright red, 
 orange, or green tints, are stiitablo for 
 the purpose. Ferns also, particularly 
 the adiantums, preserve their green 
 colour .so well when dried, and arc so 
 graceful in shape, that they are most 
 useful in this work. 
 
 To 1'kei'are them. — Having col- 
 lected the leaves, of various tints and 
 sizes, proceed to prepare them by laying 
 on a smooth table a sheet of blotting- 
 paper. On this place one of the leaves, 
 MTong side uppermost; M-ith a sharp pen- 
 knife pare otf the projecting part of the 
 centre stalk, M-ithout injuring the upper 
 sidcofthe leaf, then pare or scrape gently 
 all the other veins, till the under side is 
 *o smooth and Hat, that when the leaf 
 is laid on the table, with its right side 
 up, it can hardly bo perceived by the 
 touch. Prepare all the leaves in the 
 same manner, and as each one is fin- 
 ished, lay it between blotting-paper, and 
 dry them as if for putting into an her- 
 
 barium ; they will take two or thiee 
 weeks to dry perfectly. 
 
 The Autki.e to he AnonNEn. — The 
 next process is to prepare the article 
 to be adorned ; the top of a small 
 round table is, perhnps, the easiest 
 thing to begin upon. Let the top be of 
 deal, with a turned pillar and claws of 
 any hard wood, and have it painted black 
 with_/7«/ paint. When the paint is per- 
 fectly dry and hard, give it a coat of 
 the be-t transparent varnish, and before 
 this is quite hard, group the leaves on 
 the table according to fmcy ; a border of 
 small leaves round the edge, and a 
 pretty group of leaves and ferns in the 
 centre, is very elfective. Wh( n you 
 have planned the pattern according to 
 your taste, apply some of the varnish 
 with a camel-hair pencil to the under 
 side of the leaves, and gently press 
 them on the spot where they are to re- 
 main. Do not put on too many at a 
 time, and bo careful that they are not 
 disturbed till quite dry. 
 
 The Vaumsh. — When all are put 
 on, and dried thoroughly, apply one or 
 two coats of the purest transparent var- 
 nish over the table. This will effec- 
 tually preserve the leaves as bright as 
 possible for many years ; and the table 
 will have much of the appearance of 
 lacquer work ; a resemblance which 
 is much increased by the use of gold 
 paint, a little bottle of which, along 
 with the varnish for using it, may 
 be had for eighteenpence. The pillar 
 may be painted with circles of gold 
 round the turned parts of if, and its 
 claws, or a small gold edging may be 
 put outside the border of haves. A 
 little practice and some patiinco will 
 enable a lady of ta^te to ornament in 
 this way cabinets, folding screens, and 
 many other articles for her drawing- 
 room. 
 
 It is not absolutely necessary that the 
 ground for laying on the leaves should 
 be black ; they are sometimes put on a 
 scarlet or drab ground, but then they 
 are more like papier-mache goods than 
 like the foreign lacquer, the ground of 
 which is very generally of a black or 
 dark brown colour. 
 
242 
 
 Ld us to Billiards. 
 
 Spray "Work. — This is suitable for 
 many sorts of ornamentation, boxes, 
 screens, tables, lamp-shades, pillows, 
 toilet sets, even albums and fancy 
 blotting-books, can be decorated M-ith 
 it, and its beauty and dm-abUity render 
 it worthy of our attention. 
 
 Boxes, hand-screens, or fans for 
 spray work are made of white wood, 
 and can be purchased at most fancy 
 shops. They require no preparation for 
 the work, but must a/,crwards be var- 
 nished with transpaicnt varnish • this 
 had better be done at the shop whci e the 
 article bas been purchased, as it needs 
 some experience to do it well. 
 
 Lay the article, which we will suppose 
 to be a hand-screen, on a larf^e sheet of 
 blotting-paper on a table, arrange on 
 it a group of ferns, either green or 
 dried; fasten them firmly with small 
 pins (those used to mount insects with 
 are best), stuck through the stems, and 
 at the end of each frond into the wood. 
 Make a liquid preparation of sepia or 
 Indian ink, or if colour is preferred, pro- 
 cure a bottle of the aniline dye, of the 
 shade required. Dip into it a soft tooth 
 brush, hold it within two or three 
 inches of the surface, and pass a 
 fine comb over the brush so as to make 
 the colouring matter in the brush spat- 
 ter all over the screen and ferns. Con- 
 tinue to do this until the spaces round 
 and between the ferns are M'ell dark- 
 ened, the edges of the screen being 
 comparatively free from spots, and 
 growing darker in shading towards the 
 centre. When the sprinkling is dry, 
 remove the fenis, and a perfect impres- 
 tion of them will be seen in the original 
 colour of the wood on a spotted ground. 
 Next take a pencil dipped in Indian 
 ink, and carefully trace the outline of 
 each fern, and also the central veins 
 down each spray and leaflet. Spray 
 work on fine white satin jean is done in 
 exactly the same way, to make toilet 
 tidies, pincushions, &c , but the ink must 
 either be the best indelible or marking 
 ink, or a bottle of Judson's dyes. For 
 sofa pillows use white or light velvet, 
 the effect of which is excellent ; ivj^ or 
 other leaves have an exceedingly good 
 
 effect, cither grouped with the ferns or 
 placed in bunches by themselves. D'oy- 
 leys, done on fine jean or dimitj', look 
 very pretty, and wash extremely 
 well. 
 
 Billiards,Pool, Pyramids. 
 — This celebrated game possesses high 
 claims on our attention, as combining, 
 in an eminent degree, the advantages 
 of intellectual entertainment and phy- 
 sical exercise. The game is played 
 on a table perfectly level and steady, 
 six feet in breadth by twelve in length ; 
 that is to say, containing two equal 
 squares of six feet each. The table, 
 which is covered with fine green cloth, 
 is surrounded on all sides by an elastic 
 cushion, and provided with certain 
 " spots" — viz., the winning and losing 
 spot, at the upper end, thirteen inches 
 from the top cushion, and equally distant 
 from each side ; the winning spot, a little 
 lower down ; the centre spot, exat'tly in 
 the middle of the table ; the baulk spot, 
 and two other minor spots. At each of 
 the four comers of the table, and at the 
 centre of each side, is a hole furnished 
 with a netted pocket into which the 
 balls are made to fall. 
 
 OiuECT OF THE Game. — The aim 
 is to force one or more of the balls 
 into one or other of the six pockets by 
 means of a third ball, which is called 
 the Striker's Ball ; or to make what 
 is called a Cannon, by causing the 
 striker's ball to strike the two others. 
 The balls are of the finest ivory, and 
 turned with the utmost care, so that each 
 shall be a perfect sphere, having the 
 centre of gravity exactly in the centre of 
 the sphere, without which precaution the 
 ball would have a " bias," or tendency 
 to roll more to one side than another. 
 The balls are struck with an instrument 
 called a Cte, which is a stick made to 
 taper to a fine point, and covered at the 
 tip with leather. Besides the cue, there 
 is another instrument for a like pur- 
 pose, called the Butt, which differs 
 from the cue in being made broad at 
 the base ; and there is a Jigger, or 
 Rest, which is a stick with an ivory or 
 brass top, to assist the player in reach- 
 ing the ball if he is too distant from it ; 
 
Ld your own Discretion be your Tutor. 
 
 243 
 
 but this is seldom used, indeed, only 
 M'hen it is unavoidable. 
 
 Such are the instruments with which 
 the game is played. We shall now 
 mention the chief technical terms cm- 
 ployed in it. 
 
 Technical Terms in Billiards. — 
 Anijks. — If a ball be stnick in the 
 centre, against any part of the cushion, 
 it will rebound at an angle correspond- 
 ing with that at which it struck the 
 cushion. If the ball and the cushion 
 were perfectly clastic, the angle made 
 by the ball with a perpendicular lino 
 supposed to touch the cushion, at the 
 point at which the ball comes in con- 
 tact with it, would be equal to the 
 angle made by the ball at its departure 
 from the same point and with the same 
 perpendicular. The theory is that " the 
 angle of reflection is equal to the angle 
 of incidence." The same rule is ex- 
 emplified in the most perfect manner 
 in the science of optics, in which a ray 
 of light falling on a polished surface, is 
 reflected at an angle with the perpen- 
 dicular, equal to that which is made in 
 falling on it. 
 
 Baulk-line. — This is a line drawn 
 across the table at about 24 feet 
 from its lower end. A ball is said to 
 be "in baulk" when inside that line. 
 The Bavlk-ciucle is a semicircle of 
 11 inches radius, drawn from the centre 
 of the baulk-line, from which the 
 play crstarts. A Line-ball is a ball half 
 in and half out of the baulk, resting ex- 
 actly on the baulk-line. A Miss, either 
 accidental or intentional, is made when 
 the plaj'er fails to strike the object- 
 ball with his own. The Cannon is the 
 striking of two balls successively with 
 your own ball, either before or after 
 contact with the cushion. A Dou- 
 ulet, or Double, is a stroke made 
 by striking a ball, either your o^m 
 or the object-ball, across the table 
 and making a cannon or a pocket. A 
 Double-double is made when a ball 
 rebounds twice across the table. A 
 BmcoLE IIazaiih is made when a 
 doublet is made by striking the cushion 
 first, with the view of making a cannon 
 or hazard at the return of your ball. 
 
 A HAZARD is a stroke by which a ball 
 is forced into a pocket after striking 
 another ball. A winning hazard is 
 when the object-ball is played into a 
 pocket ; a losing hazard when your 
 own ball falls into a pocket after strik- 
 ing another. Uigh stroke, low 
 
 BTROKE, FOLLOWING STROKE, AND SIDE 
 
 STROKE, are terras derived from the part 
 of the player's ball struck with the 
 point of the cue. Foul stroke is a 
 stroke not in accordance with the rules 
 of tho game. The jenny. This is 
 made by making a losing hazard on a 
 middle pocket otf a ball lying near the 
 cushion and pocket. Miss. The inten- 
 tional or accidental missing of the 
 object-ball, either with tho cue or tho 
 butt. In hand. The player's ball is 
 said to be in hand when it has been 
 forced into a pocket or off the table, 
 and has to bo played from baulks. 
 Screw or twist. This is a stroke 
 made by striking the ball below its 
 centre ; which has the effect of retarding 
 the progress of the ball, by causing it 
 to stop dead at the point of concussion 
 with the object-ball, or the turn in tho 
 direction from which it was struck. 
 The Object-ball is the ball which the 
 the player aims at with his own ball ; 
 the striker's ball is the ball which ho 
 strikes with his cue. Coup. This 
 occurs when a ball runs into a pocket 
 or falls oft" the table without touching 
 either of the other balls. Pair of 
 Breeches. This is a double hazard in 
 tho end pockets, one ball in each. 
 Cramp games arc those in which one 
 player gives to another some apparently 
 great advantage. 
 
 General Principles of the Game. 
 — There are certain axioms which aro 
 easily understood, and by means of 
 which a knowledge of the general prin- 
 ciples of the game of billiards may bo 
 gained. The practice, however, is much 
 less easily acquired than the knowledge 
 of rules, and without practice mere 
 rules cannot make a player. In playing, 
 the eye and the hand must act in strict 
 unison ; " in making your stroke," says 
 an excellent authority, " an instan- 
 taneous glance will be euflacient — a 
 
244 
 
 Flay at Small Games, rather than stand out. 
 
 glance that rises from the striker's ball 
 to the object-ball, and rests there while 
 the stroke is being made. As the rifle- 
 man looks at the target rather than the 
 muzzle of his piece when taking aim ; 
 as the cricketer has his ej'e on the 
 wicket at which he is about to bowl 
 rather than the ball in his hand ; as the 
 boy lixes his attention upon the sparrow 
 he wishes to hit rather than the stone 
 between his fingers, so the billiard- 
 player must give his mind to the object- 
 ball rather than to his OM^n. With 
 amateurs this is at first a little trouble- 
 some ; but as ' knowing ' is the half- 
 way house to ' doing,' he has half 
 conquered his difficulties who knows 
 precisely what his difficulties are." 
 The position in which to stand ; the 
 best modes of making the "bridge;" 
 the most efficient method of using the 
 cue and of sti'iking the ball ; the mecban- 
 ical problems which the game illus- 
 trates ; the relation — always uniform — 
 between the causes put in operation 
 and the effects they produce, — these all 
 require, in order to the attainment of 
 skill, frequent and persevering practice. 
 On all these subjects the more elaborate 
 treatises will be found of service, espe- 
 cially when the study of them is asso- 
 ciated with the requisite amount of 
 skill and practice. 
 
 Rules of the Game. — The follow- 
 ing are the rules to be observed in 
 playing :— 
 
 I. The game is to begin by " stringing " for 
 the lead and the choice of balls. 
 
 II. The red ball must be placed on the 
 spot, and replaced there when it id holed, or 
 forced olT the table. 
 
 III. A player who makes one stroke in a 
 game must finish the game or agree to lose 
 it. 
 
 IV. The striker who makes any points con- 
 tinues to play till he ceases to score. 
 
 V. If, when a cue is pointed, the ball should 
 be moved, it may be replaced, if not replaced, 
 it may be regarded as a foul stroke. 
 
 VI. If a ball spring from the table it ia 
 considered as being off the table. 
 
 VII. If a ball stands near the brink of a 
 pocket, and falls into it, it must be replaced 
 and played at or with again. 
 
 VIII. A ball lodged on the top of the 
 cushion is considered off the table. 
 
 IX. When the player's ball is off the table, 
 and the other two balls are in baulk, ho can- 
 not play at the balls in baulk. 
 
 X. A line-ball cannot be played at by the 
 player whose ball is ia hand, except by first 
 striking a cushion. 
 
 XI. All misses mustbe given with the point 
 of the cue and the ball struck only once. 
 
 XII. No score can be made by a foul 
 stroke. 
 
 XIII. If the adversary do not enforce the 
 penalty for a foul stroke the striker may play 
 on and score. 
 
 XIV. Two points are scored for with white 
 hazard, two for each cannon, and three for 
 every red hazard. 
 
 XV. When the red ball is pocketed, or off 
 the table, and the spot it stood on is occupied 
 by the white ball, the red must be placed in a 
 corresponding situation at the other end of 
 the table. 
 
 XVI. If a ball be moved by the striker in 
 taking aim, such moving of the ball is to be 
 considered a stroke. 
 
 XVII. If the player miss striking either 
 ball he loses one point, and if by the same 
 stroke his ball runs into a pocket he loses 
 three points. 
 
 XVIII. If the striker force his own or 
 either of the other balls over the table after 
 having struck the object ball, or alter making 
 a hazard or cannon, he neither gains nor 
 loses by the stroke, and his adversary plays 
 on. 
 
 XIX. If he wilfully force his ball off the 
 table without striking another ball he loses 
 three points. 
 
 XX. Ifhepiay with the wrong ball, and a 
 cannon or hazard be made thereby, the ad- 
 versary may have the balls " broken ; " no 
 penalty, however, is attached to the mistake 
 unless it be discovered before the next stroke 
 is played. No person has a right to inform 
 the player that he has played or intends to 
 play with the wrong ball ; if the adversary do 
 not see that the striker plays with the wrong 
 ball, or does not enforce the penalty for so 
 doing, the marker must score all the points 
 made by the stroke. 
 
 XXI. If the striker's ball be in hand and 
 the other two balls within the baulk, and if 
 he strike one of them, whether by accident or 
 design, without first playing out of the baulk, 
 the adversary may let the balls remain as 
 they are and score a miss; or he may have 
 the ball so struck replaced and score a miss ; 
 or he may make the striker play the stroke 
 over again ; or he may consider it as a foul 
 stroke and break the balls. 
 
 XXII. If the striker's ball be in hand he 
 has no right to play at a cushion within the 
 baulk in order to strike a ball that is out 
 of it. 
 
 XXIII. If the striker's ball be in hand, and 
 he, playing from the baulk, move his ball in the 
 act of striking, it is a stroke although the ball 
 should not move out of the baulk. 
 
 XXIV. If the striker's ball be near the 
 ball he plays at, and if he make the stroke 
 with the point of his cue, it is fair, but if the 
 stroke be made with the butt, the marker 
 must deci(ie whether the stroke ia fair or foul. 
 
Play not with a Man till y on hurt him. 
 
 245 
 
 XXV. If the striker's ball be on the edge 
 of a pocket, and if, after missing the hit and 
 in drawing back, his cue causes the ball to 
 fall into the pocket, he loses three points. 
 
 XXVI. If the striker in giving a miss from 
 the baulk let his ball remain in the baulk, the 
 adversary may let the ball remain, or compel 
 him to play the stroke over again. 
 
 XXVII. If the striker in giving a miss 
 make a foul stroke, and the adversary claim 
 it as such and enforce the penalty, the miss 
 ia not scored. 
 
 XXVIII. No person is permitted to take 
 up a ball without leave from the adversary. 
 
 XXIX. If any one move a ball by design or 
 by accident, or take it up on the supposition 
 that the game in ended, it must be replaced 
 to tliB satisfaction of the adversary. 
 
 XXX. If either player obstruct the course 
 of the ball, it is considered foul, and the ball 
 must be replaced, the balls broken, or the 
 game forfeited. 
 
 XXXI. During a game no one is permitted 
 to give advice to the players. 
 
 XXXII. No one is permitted to walk about 
 the room, make noise, or otherwise annoy 
 the players. 
 
 XXXIII. Cases of uncertainty, or difBcul- 
 tiea for which the rules do not provide, must be 
 referred for decision to the marker; or, if the 
 marker be personally interested in the game, 
 to the majority of the company present. 
 
 Pool. — This game, wliicli is a spe- 
 cies of billiards, is played in various 
 ways ; sometimes with two balls. Each 
 striker plays in turn. The game may 
 be played by two or more players : 
 good authorities consider seven or eight 
 to be the best number. When arrange- 
 ments are made as to the amount of the 
 stake, &c., each player has a ball given 
 to him, either coloured or numbered ; 
 and at starting he has three chances, 
 which are called "lives." The white 
 is then placed on the "spot" at the 
 end opposite the baulk, and the red 
 plays at it from the baulk semicircle. 
 If the player pocket the white, he re- 
 ceives the price of a "life" from the 
 owner of the white ; if, however, he fail 
 to make the winning hazard, the next 
 player — the yellow — plays upon him, 
 and so on till only two players are left, 
 the rest having lost their " lives." The 
 two who remain may, if they have each 
 an equal number of lives, divide the 
 stakes or play out the pool till one wins 
 the whole sum. When a player takes 
 a life, i. c, when he pockets the ball he 
 plays upon, he then plays at the ball 
 
 next his own; and if he also pocket 
 that, he plays again upon the nearest 
 ball, and so on, as long as he can con- 
 tinue to score. The player loses a life 
 to the owner of the ball he aims at if he 
 runs into a pocket and makes a losing 
 hazard after contact, or if he makes a 
 coup, or forces his own ball otf the 
 table, or misses the ball he plays at ; 
 and he wins a life for every ball he 
 legally pockets. The price of each life 
 is immediately paid by the player who 
 loses it. If a player has lost all his 
 lives he may star, i. e., he may purchase 
 as many lives as the player lowest in 
 number possesses. Thus, if the lowest 
 number on the marking board be one, 
 the purchaser of the star has one life 
 given him, for which he pays an amount 
 equal to his original stake ; if the lowest 
 number be two, the star has two lives. 
 The following is a more particular 
 statement of the rules. 
 
 Rules of the Game. — I. Each 
 player has three lives at starting. No. 
 1 places his ball on the winning and 
 losing spot. No. 2 plays from the 
 semiciixle at No. 1, No. 3 plays at 
 No. 2, and so forth, each player playing 
 at the last ball unless it be in hand, in 
 which case he plays at the nearest ball. 
 II. If the striker lose a life, the next 
 player plays at the ball nearest to his 
 own ; but if his ball be " in hand," he 
 plays at the ball nearest to the centre of 
 the baulk line. III. In case of any 
 doubt as to the distance of the balls, it 
 must be measured from the centre spot 
 in the baulk ; but if the striker's ball be 
 not in hand, the measurement must be 
 taken from his ball to the others, and in 
 both cases the decision must lie with 
 the marker or the majority of the com- 
 pany ; and if the distance be equal, the 
 decision must be decided by drawing 
 lots. IV. The baulk is to be con- 
 sidered as no protection in any circum- 
 stances. V. The player loses a life in 
 any of the following cases, viz. : 1. By 
 pocketing his own ball ; 2. By running 
 a coup ; 3. By missing a ball ; 4. By 
 forcing his ball off the table ; 5. By 
 playing at or with the wrong ball ; 6, 
 By playing out of his turn. VI. If 
 
246 
 
 Play not for Gain, hit Sport. 
 
 the striker pocket tlie ball he plays at, 
 and by the same stroke pocket his o-v^n 
 ball or force it off the table, he, and not 
 the player whose hall he pocketed, 
 loses a life. VII. If the player strike 
 the wrong hall he pays a life to the 
 player whose ball he should have played 
 at. VIII. If the striker miss the ball 
 he ought to play at, and strike and 
 pocket another, he loses a life ; in which 
 case his ball must be taken off the 
 table. IX. If while taking aim the 
 striker be misinfonned by the marker 
 or by any of the players as to the ball 
 he ought to play at, he does not lose a 
 life ; but the ball must be replaced and 
 played again. S. If the player re- 
 quire information as to which is his 
 hall, or when it is his turn to play, he 
 has a right to an answer from the 
 marker or the players. XI. When a 
 ball or balls touch the striker's ball, or 
 are in line between it and the ball at 
 which he has to play, so as to prevent 
 his hitting any part of the object-ball, 
 they must be taken up till the stroke 
 has been played, and afterwards re- 
 placed when the balls have ceased run- 
 ning. XII. If a ball or balls be in the 
 way of a striker's cue, be can have 
 them taken up. XIII. When a striker 
 takes a life, he continues to play on as 
 long as he can make a hazard or till 
 the balls are all off the table ; in which 
 case he spots his ball as at first. XIV. 
 The first player who loses his three 
 lives is entitled to "star" on the terms 
 already stated. XV. If he refuse to 
 star, the second may do so ; and if he 
 refuse, then the third may do so ; and 
 so on till only two are left in the pool, 
 when the privilege of starring ceases. 
 XVI. One star only is usually allowed 
 in a pool. XVII. If a striker move 
 his own or another ball in the act of 
 striking, the stroke is foul ; if he 
 pocket a ball by the same stroke or 
 force it off the table, the owner of it 
 does not lose a life ; but if he pocket 
 his own ball by the stroke, or force 
 it off the table, he loses a life. 
 XVIII. If the striker's ball touch the 
 ball he has to play at, he may either 
 play at it or at any other on the table. 
 
 XIX. If, after making a hazard, the 
 striker take up his ball or stop it before 
 it has done running, he cannot claim 
 the life. XX. If before a star two or 
 more balls are pocketed by the same 
 stroke, including the ball played at, 
 each having one life, the owner of 
 the ball first struck has the option of 
 starring. XXI. If the striker's ball 
 stop on the spot of a ball removed, the 
 latter must remain in hand, and be re- 
 placed when the spot is unoccupied. 
 
 XXII. If the striker miss the ball 
 played at, no person is allowed to stop 
 the ball while it is running, or until it 
 has struck another, except the striker. 
 
 XXIII. If the striker should have his 
 next player's ball removed and stop on 
 the place it occupied, the next player 
 must give a miss from the baulk, for 
 which he does not lose a life. XXIV. 
 If the striker has a ball removed, and 
 any other than the next player's ball 
 stop on the spot it occupied, the former 
 must remain in hand till the latter be 
 played, unless it be the turn of the 
 latter to play ; in which case it must be 
 replaced after the stroke. XXV. If 
 the corner of the cushion prevent the 
 striker from playing in a direct line, he 
 can have anj^ ball removed in order to 
 his playing at a cushion first. XXVI. 
 The last two players cannot star or 
 purchase, but may divide if each has an 
 equal number of lives ; but the striker 
 is entitled to his stroke before the 
 division. XXVII. All disputes must 
 be decided by the marker ; but if he be 
 interested, by a majority of the players. 
 XXVIII. The charge for the table 
 must be taken out of the pool before it 
 is delivered to the winner. 
 
 Single Pool. — As to this game, all 
 that is necessary to say is that it is 
 played by two players for a stake iu the 
 lives — generally three in number — and 
 a pool. The player who takes the ma- 
 jority of lives is the winner. As to the 
 rules, they are the same as in pool. 
 
 Pyramids. — This game is played 
 with any agreed number of balls, which 
 are usually less in size than those 
 played with in billiai-ds; the number 
 most commonly chosen is sixteen balls, 
 
Play finds a Man a Fool, and leaves him a Knave. 247 
 
 loss of a life. IV. If the striker losing 
 a ball have not taken one, the first he 
 pockets must be placed on the table ; 
 and if he do not take one during the 
 game he must pay the usual stake for 
 each ball forfeited. V. If the player 
 move any ball in taking aim or in 
 striking, he loses what he might other- 
 wise have gained by the stroke. VI. 
 If the white ball touch a coloured one, 
 the player may score all the coloured 
 ones he pockets. VII. If the game be 
 played with an even number of balls, 
 the last hazard counts one ; if it be 
 played with an odd number, the last 
 hazard counts two. VIII. If the 
 striker force one or more balls over the 
 table, he scores one for each as if he 
 had pocketed them. IX. "When all 
 the balls are pocketed with the excep- 
 tion of one, the player who made the 
 last hazard continues to play with the 
 white ball, and his opponent with the 
 red alternately. X. if only two balls 
 are on the table, and the striker pocket 
 the ball he is playing with, or if he 
 make a miss, the game terminates. If, 
 however, there be more than two 
 players, and they not partners, the 
 striker places a ball on the spot. 
 
 The American Game. — In this game 
 four balls are used ; two coloured and 
 two white, and smaller than those used 
 in billiards, properly so called. At the 
 commencement of the game one coloured 
 ball is placed on the winning spot, and 
 the other on the baulk line on the centre 
 spot. The second player places his ball 
 on the spot, and the striker at starting 
 either hits it or gives a miss. 
 
 The Baulk. — The baulk is the 
 whole space within the line, and not 
 merely the semicircle. It is by winning 
 hazards and carmons that the scores are 
 made : the cannon from a white to a 
 colom-ed ball counts two ; from one 
 coloured ball to another three points; 
 three points are taken for each coloured 
 ball that is pocketed, and two points foi- 
 the white ball. The rules as to other 
 matters are the same as in the usual 
 English game. It may be played for 
 any number of points ; but sixty-three 
 is the common number adopted. 
 
 of which one is white, and fifteen red. 
 Two persons ordinarily play the game, 
 and the object of it is to pocket all the 
 balls but one ; and he who is left Math 
 that one at the end of the game is the 
 winner. If more than two persons 
 play, the strokes are taken alternately, 
 and those who are partners are per- 
 mitted to advise each other. It is 
 usual to play for a stake on the game, 
 and a smaller sum for each ball or 
 life ; the players string for choice. The 
 balls are placed towards the end of the 
 table close together in the form of a 
 pyramid, with the apex toward the 
 player, who in commencing plays 
 at the pyramid from the baulk semi- 
 circle, after which the baulk is no pro- 
 tection. The player who makes a win- 
 ning hazard continues to play till he 
 fails to make another hazard, makes a 
 miss, or pockets his own ball, which is 
 the white ball, it being common pro- 
 perty. In either of these cases the 
 player loses a life ; and if by the same 
 stroke he pocket one or more balls as 
 well as his own, they are replaced on 
 the table, and his adversary continues 
 the game as before. As to foul strokes, 
 the rules are the same as in billiards ; 
 but the following rules may also be 
 mentioned. 
 
 Rules of the Game. — I. The player 
 who pockets the greatest number of 
 balls wins the game. II. If the player 
 pocket the white ball ; if he give a 
 miss ; if he force the white ball off the 
 table, he loses a point, and one of the 
 coloured balls he has pocketed must bo 
 placed on the winning spot if it be un- 
 occupied ; if not, it must be put upon 
 the centre spot ; and if that be occupied, 
 it must be placed ort the centre baulk 
 spot. If, however, all these spots are 
 occupied, the ball must be placed a foot 
 below the apex or point of the pyramid. 
 III. If the striker pocket his own ball ; 
 if he force it oif the table, and at the 
 same time pocket one or more of the 
 coloured balls or force them off the 
 table, the stroke does not gain any- 
 thing ; the balls are to be replaced on the 
 table along with one of the striker's 
 coloured balls, and the penalty is the 
 
248 Music can Noble Hints impart, engender Fnry, kindle Love. 
 
 "We have tlius presented our readers 
 ■wkh a brief account of the game of bil- 
 liards. In some of the volumes pub- 
 lished on the subject, ■will be found 
 highly interesting illustrations and 
 sound advice, which, being the result 
 of much experience, merit the careful 
 attention of those who desire to attain 
 proficiency. 
 
 Hints on Home Music. 
 — Domestic Concekts. — These charm- 
 ing recreations are more easily within 
 reach of musical families than appears 
 to be generally supposed. The piano- 
 forte is a host in itself if a good per- 
 former be available, and some piano- 
 forte pieces interspersed with songs or 
 other vocal music would serve to make 
 up a very enjoyable domestic concert. 
 On such occasions, as the object is to 
 give pleasure to the domestic or friendly 
 circle, the tastes of the listeners must 
 be to a great degree considered. 
 
 Classical Music. — This, if of too 
 dry a nature (as for example, Bach's 
 fugues), should not be brought forward 
 when the friends present happen to have 
 a dislilce to that style ; while, on the 
 other hand, a brilliant fantasia of the 
 modem di-awing-room style would be 
 insipid, if not distasteful, to a lover of 
 nothing but the music of the great 
 masters. In a mixed company the 
 selection might be made from different 
 sources, so as, in a measure, to suit all 
 tastes ; but on no account need music 
 of the most inferior nature be chosen. 
 There are, for instance, some, indeed 
 many, of Mendelssohn's *' Songs with- 
 out Words " which, if fairly well played, 
 would please any listener ; the same 
 may be said of the works of Heller, 
 and among the older masters, those 
 of Beethoven, Weber, and Mozart ; 
 nay, even Handel and Bach may be 
 selected from, without wearying any 
 auditor, provided tact be observed in 
 the selection. Besides classical music, 
 however, there is a large variety of 
 modem brilliant music which, in its 
 way, may fairly take rank as good. 
 The fantasias of Thalberg and Liszt, 
 Dohler, Schulhofl', Eavina, Ascher, 
 Goria, Herz, Ketterer, Eosellen, and 
 
 others, although not classical, possess 
 undoubted merit and charming features. 
 Besides these, the operatic overtures of 
 Eossini and other composers would 
 supply pleasing selections for the piano- 
 forte, without descending to a style of 
 music which, however persistently ad- 
 vertised, is inferior and tawdry. The 
 same may be said of songs. 
 
 Supply of Songs. — There is an ex- 
 cellent supply of German songs, and 
 these can always be procured with 
 English words ; and besides, there are 
 many meritorious compositions by our 
 own countrymen, without contamin ating 
 the domestic taste with the utter rubbish 
 of the music hall or pantomime. 
 Other Instruments than the Piano- 
 forte FOR the Domestic Concert. 
 
 Instruments of the Violin tribe stand 
 highest among musical instruments, 
 their poM'ers of expression and just in- 
 tonation bsing possessed by no others, 
 not even the majestic organ, whose 
 grandeur is qualified by the imperfect 
 temperament which is a necessary con- 
 comitant of ordinary keyed instruments. 
 It will be therefore an advantage if 
 difierent members of a family leain to 
 play on such instruments as the violin, 
 viola, and violoncello. 
 
 For these instruments, and for the 
 pianoforte in combination with them, 
 some of the greatest works known 
 in music have been composed. So- 
 natas for the violin and piano, trios 
 for two instruments and the piano, 
 quartets for two violins, viola, and 
 violoncello, and quintets for four such 
 instruments and the piano, are among 
 the most highly prized things which 
 the genius of the great masters has 
 contributed to the art of music. We 
 need only name the sonatas of Mozart, 
 the trios of Beethoven, and the cele- 
 brated quartets of Haydn, to recall 
 memories of supreme delight among 
 the lovers of good music ; while the 
 name is legion of composers of lower 
 grade M'ho have added to the rich 
 store of concerted music by their 
 charming contributions. 
 
 The Orchestrina. — When instruments 
 of the violin tribe are not available, the 
 
The Rabbit starts when a Man least expects tt. 
 
 249 
 
 music written for them may be per- 
 formed by a pianoforte player on this 
 newly invented instrument, manufac- 
 tured by the inventor, Mr. Evans. 
 The orchestrina is consti-ucted of dif- 
 ferent pitches, con-esponding to the 
 violin, violoncello, clarionet, horn, and 
 other orchestral instruments. Thus, a 
 quartet for violins, &c., may be played 
 by four orchestrinas, or a single instru- 
 mental part by one such instrument. 
 The orchestrina somewhat resembles a 
 small harmonium. 
 
 The Harmonium. — This charming 
 instrument is well suited to solo per- 
 formance, and it is often used in duets 
 with the piano. The haimonium may 
 also play the part of the violin, flute, or 
 violoncello in music originally intended 
 for either of those instruments and tbe 
 pianoforte. It should be kept in tune 
 with the pianoforte. 
 
 The Clarionet, Hautboy, and Bassoon. 
 — These instruments are not, with the 
 exception of the second, so suitable for 
 home use as stringed instruments. 
 Much fine music has, however, been 
 composed for them. 
 
 The Cornet-a-Pistons. — This modem 
 instrument has become a very great 
 favourite. Much popular music has 
 been arranged for it, and it is com- 
 paratively easy to acquire proficiency 
 upon it. 
 
 The Flute, Harp, Guitar, and Fortr/- 
 eight keyed Concertina are well worthy 
 of a place in the domestic concert, but 
 the two first-named only can claim to 
 be considered legitimate orchestral in- 
 struments. Of such instruments as the 
 German Concertina, Zither, Flageolet, 
 Accordion, Dulcimer, and Metal Har- 
 monicon nothing need be said, except in 
 deprecation of any waste of time in 
 their regard, or of bringing forward at 
 domestic concerts instruments which are 
 little beyond musical toys. 
 
 Advice to Families. — Let us advise 
 that musical families set apart a parti- 
 cular evening of the week as an " open 
 night" for the practice of concerted 
 music with their friends. This need 
 involve no expense or trouble, a stand- 
 ing invitation to friends whose musical 
 
 capabilities are sufficient being all that 
 is required. 
 
 Hints on Rabbits. — The 
 rabbit belongs to the hare family, and 
 we are so familiar with the animal that 
 any very particular description of its 
 appearance is unnecessary. It closelv 
 resembles the hare in all its principar* 
 characters ; but in its habits it is en- 
 tirely different, and its flesh, instead of 
 being, like that of the hare, dark and 
 highly flavoured, is white, delicate, and 
 somewhat insipid, especially when do- 
 mesticated. The rabbit is declared by 
 naturalists to be not an aboriginal in- 
 habitant of Britain, but when it was 
 introduced is unknown ; it is, however, 
 believed to have been brought into 
 Spain from Africa by the Romans. As 
 an evidence of their not being indi- 
 genous, it may be mentioned that in the 
 year 1309, at the feast given on the 
 installation of the Abbot of St. Austin's, 
 six hundred rabbits were provided, at 
 a cost of £15, the price of each, which 
 was sixpence, being equal at the timo 
 to that of a pig. 
 
 Habits of the Rabbit. — The rabbit 
 litters four or five times a year, bringing 
 forth from five to eight young ones at 
 a time, and beginning to breed at the 
 age of six months. The animal delights 
 in a sandy soil, with a superficial layer 
 of fine vegetable mould, clothed with 
 thyme, fine grass, and other herbage. 
 In such situations it can easily make 
 its burrows, and enjoy abundant food. 
 It is remarkable that while the young 
 of the hare are born covered with fur, 
 and possessed of sight so as to be 
 able to shift for themselves, young 
 rabbits are born blind, naked, and help- 
 less ; they cannot see for about twelve 
 days after birth, nor leave the burrow 
 for more than a month. 
 
 Naturalists are of opinion that the 
 wild rabbit is the original of our various 
 domestic breeds ; that domestication, as 
 in the case of other animals, has had 
 the efiiect of producing all the diifer- 
 ences in colour which tame rabbits 
 have, and that the tame rabbit readily 
 resumes its natural state of freedom, 
 and returns to its instinctive habits. 
 
250 He ii.<ho revealeth his Secret, viaketh himself a Slave. 
 
 Best Kixds of Eabbits. — Stout, 
 shoi t-leggcd rabbits are better breeders 
 than others, as -well as more healthy. 
 The hirge hare-coloured variety is 
 much esteemed, but the white, or white 
 mottled with yellow or black, is said to 
 be the most delicate for the table. The 
 gi'ey is said to approach nearest to the 
 flavour of the wild rabbit. Eabbit 
 fanciers have different oiuiiions as to 
 the colours of the animals. Grey, as 
 being the commonest, is held in least 
 estimation ; the black occupies the next 
 place ; the fawn, the white, and grej' 
 hold the third place ; the pure albino 
 with pink eyes is considered better than 
 any of these ; various admixtures of 
 brown, grey, or black mixed with 
 white, take the highest rank, and a 
 uniform mouse colour is greatly admired 
 by a few as superior to any other. 
 
 Rabbits, to Rear. — It is of great 
 importance that the rabbitry be properly 
 adapted to the purpose intended. The 
 rabbit in its natural state prefers a dry 
 and airy situation, and the rabbit-house 
 or hutch ought, on that account, to be 
 kept always dry, clean, and well aired. 
 The hutcli may be most suitably placed 
 against the south wall of a house, so as 
 to obtain the advantage of the sunlight. 
 It should be surrounded by a wii'e 
 fence, and, in the interior of the cnclo- 
 sine, boxes ought to be tixcd as breed- 
 ing places, separated by partitions from 
 other boxes adapted for the young rab- 
 bits, which partitions are furnished 
 ■with doois capable of being closed so 
 ns to separate the young ones from the 
 parents when required. 
 
 Rabbits, to Feeii. — It ought to be 
 kept in mind that all the various vege- 
 tables and roots used at table may be 
 given to them, and that perhaps celery, 
 parsley, and the tops as well as the roots 
 of carrots are preferred by the animals ; 
 lettuces, stumps of cabbage and cauli- 
 flowers, timiips, and parsnips, are all 
 useful. Tn spring, tares arc excellent, 
 and the dandelion, the milk thistle, 
 and sow thistle, are all much relished 
 by them. 
 
 Rabbits, to keep Cle.a.x. — If kept 
 (loan and warm as veil as properly and 
 
 abundantly fed, they will breed all the 
 year; but rabbit fanciers are generally 
 content with five litters in a season. 
 
 If the tame rabbit is intended to bo 
 used as food it ought to be fed for a 
 short time on hay, oats, and shcUinas, 
 and this will much improve the quality 
 of the flesh. 
 
 The Anagram. — The ana- 
 gram originally signified the writing a 
 word or short sentence backwards, by 
 which another and a different word or 
 sentence ^^•as formed ; but the term 
 now signifies not the mere' writing 
 back^vards, but the transposition of tho 
 letters in any way the vriter shall him- 
 self devise. Great value Mas in ancient 
 times attached to the anagram, on the 
 supposition that it indicated something 
 of importance in the character of, or 
 history or fate of, the person from 
 whose name it was formed. Such no- 
 tions have long been exploded, and the 
 anagram is properly regarded as af- 
 fording the means of amusement, or 
 of laborious trifling, without yielding 
 any result to compensate for the trouble 
 it demands. 
 
 Great diificnlty, as may he presumed, 
 frequently arose in the composition of 
 the anagram ; from there being a letter 
 more or less than was necessary in the 
 transposed word or words to form some 
 ne\y expression whicli had attracted the 
 fancy of the composer. This circum- 
 stance, however, was not always con- 
 sidered fatal to the anagram if the 
 results were sufficiently promising. 
 
 Thus Lady Eleanor Davies, who was 
 the wife of Sir John Davies, a poet 
 of much genius, and himself extremely 
 expert in composing what are called 
 acrostics, conceived herself possessed of 
 a prophetic spirit, and, as a ground of 
 this belief, she produced an anagram 
 of her own name — '' Reveal Daniel." 
 In this anagram the lady's name had in 
 it an 1 too little, and a superfluous s, 
 but this was not considered as being 
 fatal to the important announcement 
 which it was presumed to make. 
 
 The best anagrams are those which, 
 ia the new order of letters, indicate 
 something appropriate to the significa- 
 
 1 
 
Joy, Temperance, Repose, slam the Door in the Doctor s Nose. 251 
 
 affected by exposure to cold. Upon the 
 same principle is founded the means of 
 effectually preventing a cold or chiU. 
 On coming out of a very cold atmo- 
 sphere, take care not to go at first into 
 a room with a fire in it ; but if this is 
 impossible, keep at a distance from the 
 fire till the sensation of cold is some- 
 what abated ; above all, refrain from 
 drinking warm or strong Uquors when 
 you are cold. 
 
 In a word, strictly obser\'e the 
 following rule: — When the •whole body 
 or any part of it is chilled, bring it to 
 its natural feeling and icarmth by 
 degrees. By carefully attending to 
 this advice, which is founded on the 
 two great sources of all sound know- 
 ledge — observation and experience, — 
 the severe colds we often experience in 
 winter may be prevented. 
 
 On the subject of preventing chills 
 or obviating the danger of catching 
 colds, we shall only further add that 
 the daily use of the flesh-brush to the 
 throat, neck, and breast, and sponging 
 the whole body with cold or tepid 
 water, every morning on first getting 
 out of bed, will in a very great measure 
 diminish susceptibility to catch cold. 
 The celebrated Sir Astley Cooper, than 
 Avhoni no higher authority can be 
 cited on the subject, makes the follow- 
 ing remark: — "The methods by which 
 I preserve my own health are temper- 
 ance, early rising, and sponging the 
 body every morning with cold water 
 immediately after getting out of bed, a 
 practice which I have adopted for thirty 
 years : and although I go from the hot 
 theatre into the squares of the hospital 
 on the severest winter nights with 
 merely silk stockings on my legs, I 
 scarcely ever have a cold." 
 
 Care of the Skin.— Thanks 
 to enlightened medical men and others 
 interested in sanitary measures, people 
 are much more aware than they were 
 wont to be a generation or two since, of 
 the vast importance of the functions 
 which the human skin performs, and 
 the intimate relations which those func- 
 tions bear to our comfort, our health, 
 and even our lives. It may be, how- 
 
 lion of the word or words from whi.th 
 they are formed. Of this an example 
 may be cited from an anagrammatist of 
 the Middle Ages, who, by transposing 
 Pilate's celebrated question, Qidd est 
 Veritas ? (What is truth r) brings out 
 the appropriate answer, Est vir qui 
 adest (It is the man who is here). 
 
 To prevent Chills. — In our 
 variable climate, a cold often becomes 
 the parent of many formidable maladies. 
 Prevention, therefore, is not only of 
 great moment, but as the prevention is 
 frequently much easier than the cure of 
 an ailment, we shall make a few re- 
 marks as to the best modes of prevent- 
 ing chills, or, in other words, of avoid- 
 ing catching cold. 
 
 IIow TO ACT IN Cold Weather. — 
 When a person goes into the open air, 
 every time he draws in his breatli the 
 cold air passes through his nostrils and 
 ■windpipe into the lungs, and thus re- 
 duces the heat of these parts. As long as 
 he continues in the open air he feels no 
 bad effects from it ; but on returning 
 home and approaching the fire to warm 
 himself, and taking, probably, some 
 comfortable drink by way of "keeping 
 out the cold," as the expression goes, 
 he M'ill at first feel a glow within his 
 nostrils and breast, as well as over the 
 whole surface of the bodj^ ; but soon 
 after a disagreeable dryness and huski- 
 ness will be felt in the nostrils and 
 breast, afterwards a short, di-y, tickling 
 cough comes on ; shivering follows ; 
 he draws closer to the fire, but to no 
 puipose ; he feels more chilly the more 
 he attempts to warm himself. In this 
 case all the mischief is occasioned by 
 the violent action of the heat. 
 
 Preventive Measi'res. — Our re- 
 marks as to these shall be brief. Most 
 people know that when any part 
 of the body is " frostbitten," if the 
 part affected be exposed to the heat of 
 a fire, mortification is the almost cer- 
 tain consequence, whereas if the part 
 be rubbed with snow, no bad conse- 
 quences will follow. This seems very 
 remarkable, but it is strictly true ; and 
 it arises from avoiding the sudden and 
 violent action of heat upon the part 
 
252 
 
 Flowers are like the Pleasures of the World. 
 
 ever, that only a very general and 
 vague idea exists of what these func- 
 tions really are, and on this subject we 
 shall therefore say a word or two tend- 
 ing to show how in:^)ortant the due care 
 of the skin really is. 
 
 Offices of the Skin. — One of the 
 offices of the skin is to throw off", not 
 only superfluous moisture, hut even 
 saline and gaseous matters. Its peculiar 
 structure and its relations to the internal 
 parts of the body prove the very great 
 value and importance of the functions 
 thus performed. In ordinary circum- 
 stances the secretions are thrown off" so 
 gradually as to he quite imperceptible, 
 and are called the insensible perspira- 
 tions ; but under violent exercise, the 
 application of heat, or by the action of 
 those medicines called sudorifics, the 
 quantity is much increased, and becomes 
 visible in the form of drops ; in this case 
 it is what is called the sensible perspira- 
 tion. It is said upon the best authority 
 that the insensible perspiration alone 
 amounts to a pint and a half of liquid in 
 the twenty- four hours. How important, 
 therefore, that the organ which per- 
 forms so remarkable an office in the 
 animal economy be kept in order! If 
 cleanliness be neglected the skin be- 
 comes dry and harsh, and is rendered 
 incapable of performing the ^vork which 
 nature demands ; some other organ, 
 therefore, must Ijecome its substitute, 
 and thus have too much to do. 
 
 Neglect of Cleanliness. — Neglect 
 of this, which alone enables the skin to 
 throw off the insensible perspiration, 
 becomes a " most fertile source of dis- 
 ease." The best prevention of the 
 evils thus arising is the frequent use 
 of the bath, and the daily sponging of 
 the whole person with soap and tepid 
 watei'. This practice, if persevered in, 
 will be found to conduce in a very re- 
 markable manner to personal comfort 
 and to the exhilaration of the spirits, 
 and thus indirectly minister to the pos- 
 session of that physical health, which its 
 specific action on the healthful condition 
 of the skin will go far directly to secure. 
 "\Ve recommend, therefore, to all our 
 I'eaders who know the value of the sana 
 
 mens in corpore sano to keep in sound 
 working order, by rigid attention to 
 personal purity, an organ which we 
 know from undoubted evidence, exer- 
 cises so powerful an influence in the 
 preservation and continuance of health. 
 
 The Hyacinth and its 
 Culture. — The hyacinth requires 
 a light but rich soil, sandy loam, well 
 dressed, and mixed with thoroughly 
 rotted manure, but if the soil is not 
 sandy, add a third of silver sand. The 
 soil for a hyacinth bed must be deeply 
 dug, well mixed and turned over. Plant 
 the bulbs eight inches apart, and four 
 inches under the soil. The middle of 
 October is the earliest time to plant in 
 the open air ; if the plants are too for- 
 ward, they will be injured by the spring 
 frosts. 
 
 To GROW Hyacinths in Pots. — 
 Early in October select the bulbs, and 
 plant each one separately in a four-inch 
 pot, well drained with potsherds, and 
 filled within an inch of the top, with 
 the same soil recommended for the beds. 
 If the plants are to remain outdoors 
 imtU rooted, place them in a dry level 
 place, and cover them six inches deep 
 with straw, decayed leaves, or cocoa- 
 nut fibre, putting a piece of bass mat 
 over to keep oft' rain ; they will not 
 require watering. In ten weeks they 
 will have made sufficient roots, and may 
 be brought into the house and watched 
 carefully. If brought into the house 
 directly they are potted, keep them in 
 a moist dark atmosphere for ten weeks, 
 then gradually expose them to the light, 
 and give them water frequently. 
 
 To GROW Hyacinths in Glasses. — 
 Single flowering hj^acinths are the best 
 for this pm-pose. Fill the glasses with 
 soft water (rain water is best), so as 
 nearly to touch the bulb. Exclude the 
 light totally from them for five weeks, 
 by which time the glass ought to be full 
 of roots ; they may then be placed where 
 they have plenty of light and an equa- 
 ble temperature. Do not change the 
 water whilst they are in the dark, but 
 when exposed to the Ught, pour out half 
 the water in each glass once a week, 
 and fill it up with fresh water, which 
 
Garlands are not for ei>ery Brow. 
 
 253 
 
 should have been kept for some time in 
 the same room, that the temperature 
 may be the same. A very little guano, 
 mixed with the water, strengthens the 
 plant. 
 
 To keep Heaths and 
 Cinerarias. — Heaths. — After 
 they have done flowering, repot them 
 carefully in one size larger than the pot 
 they were in ; peat and sand answer 
 best. Strew the bottom with broken 
 shreds of pots to insure drainage, and 
 place them in a window facing the north 
 or east (a staircase window is the best) 
 during the summer. Water plentifully 
 every day until the 1st of September, 
 and every other day afterwards. If a 
 heath is once suffered to get too dry it 
 will die, and this is the reason why they 
 are so diihcult to manage. In summer 
 they are too often left to the care of 
 servants, who forget to water them 
 regularly. Never put the plants out of 
 doors unless they can be sheltered from 
 wind and rain. They flourish best when 
 kept in the house with a window open 
 at the top. All plants are injured by 
 di-aughts of cold aii", which they often 
 get in rooms where the doors are left 
 open. 
 
 CiNERAKiAS. — Some people are apt 
 to throw cinerarias aside in some corner 
 as soon as they get exhausted with 
 flowering, but this is a bad practice. 
 They should bo piit in a close fiameand 
 fumigated thoroughly. Then take them 
 out, remove all decayed foliage, and 
 turn them out of the pots into a rich 
 bed of soil, in some half-shady border. 
 Here they will soon be free from insects; 
 and in a month or so they will have fresh 
 seedhngs ; these may then be potted, 
 with a view to the next year's stock. 
 This is a method which will suit the 
 majority of gardeners, particiilarly ama- 
 teurs. 
 
 Hov/ to Tame Young 
 Canaries. — There is seldom much 
 difiiculty in taming young canaries, 
 and making them so familiar that they 
 ■wall eat out of the hand of their mis- 
 tress, come at her call, and remain 
 perched on her head or shoulder while 
 she walks about the house ; and some 
 
 of them will even plume and arrange 
 their feathers, and warble as sweetly 
 as while in their cage, although 
 they are being cairied from one room 
 to another, and in the presence of 
 strangers. This is very pleasant, and 
 the little creatures seem to enjoy their 
 liberty ; but it is worthy of considera- 
 tion whether the risk does not over- 
 balance the pleasure. A window care- 
 lessly left open, a strange cat, a door 
 suddenly slammed, all these may cause 
 the loss of the pet so familiar and so 
 trusting. A lady of our acquaintance 
 had a canary M'hich was a good song- 
 ster, and a most attached pet ; he was 
 never happy unless when perched on 
 his mistress's shoulder, would eat from 
 her lips, and fly to her in a room full of 
 visitors. The little creature was one 
 day perched on the top of the dining- 
 room door, when the sudden opening of 
 the outer door caused a gust of wind 
 which suddenly slammed the door on 
 the top of which he was seated, and the 
 poor little bii-d was crushed to death 
 before his mistress's eyes. 
 
 The best waj^ to tame a young 
 bird is to keep it constantly beside 
 you when working or writing; ac- 
 custom the bird to having the hand 
 put close to it, taking care never to 
 startle it. Endeavour to get it to take 
 hemp seed (of which they are very 
 fond) from the fingers. When the cage 
 is standing near the person Avho desires 
 to tame the canary, it is a good plan, 
 when the bird is quiet and no longer 
 afraid, to open the cage door and lay a 
 few cracked hemp seeds near it on the 
 table ; the bird will come out and hop 
 about, but care must be taken that all 
 is secure in the room, no open windows, 
 no cat or dog present. It is also a good 
 plan at night, when the bird is asleep, 
 to put the hand into the cage, awaking 
 it by bringing a light close to it, and 
 then withdraw the hand with a gentle 
 exclamation of fright when the bird 
 pecks at it. He will thus consider 
 himself the conqueror, and will cease 
 to fear the invader. When this has 
 been repeated two or three nights, the 
 bu'd will be ready to fight the hand by 
 
254 
 
 Birds are Great Natures Happy Covunoiiers. 
 
 daylight when out of the cage, and will 
 tal-e a hemp-seed from the fingers. He 
 will also learn to shake hands, if the 
 claw be suddenly touched at night very 
 gently, and the words "shake hands" 
 repeated in soothing tones. The great- 
 est gentleness is required, and a cracked 
 hemp seed should be invariably given 
 by the hand only of the person who is 
 training the bird; it shoidd not be 
 mixed with the ordinary food, but used 
 merely as a reward, and he wiR soon 
 learn to take it from between the lips 
 of his trainer. 
 
 A bird may be easily taught to simu- 
 late death by placing it on its back in 
 the hand, where it will remain perfectly 
 quiet rmtil summoned to rise at its in- 
 structor s voice, when its reward must 
 be ready for it. It is also recommended 
 by bird keepers to remove all food from 
 the canary's cage after it has gone to 
 roost, and to offer it to the bird in the 
 morning in the hand. It will soon 
 lose its fear, and will fly to meet its 
 owner. 
 
 Temper of Caxaries. — It must be 
 remembered that in these pretty crea- 
 tures there is a great difference of temper 
 and disposition, and the aptitude for 
 learning is not equally great in all; 
 indeed, in some cases it is extremely 
 difficult, and much patience is required 
 to make them accomplished. With 
 young birds there is always a much 
 greater chance of success, pai-ticularly 
 if they have been reared by the person 
 who tries to tame them. 
 
 To Pickle Capsicuras.— 
 Place the capsicums in a jar, boil a 
 dessertspoonful of salt in a quart of 
 vinegar, and pour it while hot upon 
 the peppers ; when cold, tie the jar 
 over with a bladder or leather. The 
 pickle will be quite fit for use in a few 
 weeks. 
 
 To make Cayenne 
 Pepper. — Cayenne pepper is better 
 made from chilis than from capsicums, as 
 their flavoiu' is superior. Strip off the 
 stalks from a hundred large chilis, put 
 the pods into a colander, and set them 
 before the fire to dry for twelve hours ; 
 then put them into a mortar with one- 
 
 fourth their weight of salt, pound and 
 rub them till they are as fine as pos- 
 sible, and put the powder into a well- 
 stopped bottle. About two ounces of 
 cayenne will be produced. Chilis are 
 in good condition during the months of 
 September and October. The plants 
 may be bought in Covent Garden in 
 the summer : they grow and ripen well 
 in a room, and are quite ornamental, 
 from the brilliant colour of the fruit. 
 
 To Clean Ivory Orna- 
 ments. — When ivory ornaments 
 get yellow or dusky-looking, wash 
 them well in soap and water, with a 
 small brush to clean the carvings, and 
 place them while wet in full sunshine ; 
 wet them for two or three days, several 
 times a day, with soapy water, still 
 keeping them in the sun ; then wash 
 them again, and they will be beauti- 
 fully white. Ivory may be bleached 
 by immersing it for a short time in 
 water containing a little sulphurous 
 acid, chloride of lime, or chlorine. The 
 fumes of burning sulphur mixed with 
 air are also effectual. 
 
 To Stain Ivory. — Ivory can 
 be stained yellow by first steeping it in 
 a solution of sugar of lead, and then in 
 a solution of chromate of potass. It 
 can be stained blue by using a weak 
 solution of sulphate of indigo, or so- 
 luble Prussian blue. The red colour 
 is produced by first steeping it in a so- 
 lution of sulphate of iron, and then in 
 one of tannic acid. Ivory staining is 
 not generally M^ell done by amateurs, 
 and it is better to send the articles to a 
 regular ivory turner. Judson & Son's 
 sixpenny bottles of dyes answer well 
 for many colours, and are so simple in 
 the mode of using them, that any per- 
 son may at least try what effect they 
 produce on ivory. 
 
 Milk Punch. — Pare the rind off 
 twelve lemons and two Seville oranges 
 thinly; steep them in six pints of 
 rum, brandy, or whisky for twenty-four 
 hours, then add two poimds of loaf 
 sugar, three pints of water, two nut- 
 megs grated, and one pint of lemon 
 juice. Stir it till the sugar is dissolved, 
 then take three pints of new milk, boil- 
 
Sloth makes all Things Difficult, but Industry all Easy. 255 
 
 ing hot, and poiir over the ingi-edients ; 
 let it stand twelve hours closely 
 covered; strain through a jellj'-bag 
 till quite clear, and bottle it. 
 
 A Richer ]\[ilk Punch. — Pare eigh- 
 teen lemons very thin, infuse the peel 
 in one quart of rum, and keep it closely 
 covered. The next day squeeze the 
 juice of the eighteen lemons over four 
 pounds of white sugar: keep this also 
 closely covered. The third day mix 
 the ingredients together, and add three 
 quarts more of rum (or one quart of 
 rum and two quarts of brandy), five 
 quai'ts of water that has been boiled, 
 hut is cold when added, and two quarts 
 of boiling milk ; stir for ten miuTitcs, 
 cover close, and let it stand for three 
 hours, imtil quite cold ; strain through 
 a flannel bag two or three times till 
 quite clear. In bottling, care should 
 be taken that the corks tit tight, for if 
 so it will keep three or four years. 
 
 A Few Hints on Pack- 
 ing. — In packing up a parcel of 
 books, be careful, in order to preserve 
 them from rubbing, to place a sheet of 
 white paper over the cover of each, and 
 pack the books together in such a 
 way that one will biud the other, and 
 thus form a secure parcel. Use abun- 
 dance of wrapping-paper and strong 
 cord. If the parcel exceeds twelve 
 inches in breadth, draw a cord tightly, 
 but not too much so, round the sides, 
 ■which will materially aid in keeping it 
 secure and compact. As a rule furni- 
 ture and earthenware should be packed 
 by those who are accustomed to it. 
 The packing of flowers and fruit may 
 be left in the hands of the gardener. 
 Every packer should be very careful in 
 driving nails into packed boxes ; screws 
 are much to be preferred. In packing 
 articles which are liable to break, place 
 the heaviest articles at the bottom, and 
 see that plenty of straw, soft paper, and 
 paper shavings are provided, wherewith 
 to wrap up and separate each parti- 
 cular article. Packages of glass and 
 other fragile materials ought to be 
 marked "Brittle (or fragile), with care," 
 in plain and conspicuous letters on the 
 parcel, or packing cas?. 
 
 Furniture Polish.— The fol- 
 lowing is an excellent receipt for fur- 
 niture paste polish : — Three ounces of 
 white wax, half an ounce of Castile 
 soap, one gill of turpentine. Shave 
 the wax and soap very fine, and put 
 the wax to the tui-pentine ; let it stand 
 twenty-four hours ; then boil the soap 
 in a gill of water, and add the M-ax and 
 turpentine. 
 
 Furniture Oil, for taking out the 
 marks left by hot dishes, stains of Avet 
 glasses, &e. — This may be made in the 
 following manner : — Shellac varnish, 
 four ounces ; alkanet root, one ounce ; 
 linseed oil, one pound ; spirits of tur- 
 pentine, two ounces ; wax, two ounces. 
 Mix these all well together, and let 
 them stand for a week. Apply the oil 
 with a piece of flannel, and then rub 
 briskly with a soft cloth. If the de- 
 sired efl"ect is not produced by the first 
 application, it must be repeated day 
 after day until a satisfactory result is 
 obtained. 
 
 To Clean Silver Orna- 
 ments. — Bon them in soap and 
 water for five minutes ; then put them 
 in a basin with the same hot soap and 
 water, and scrub them gently with a 
 very soft brush while hot ; then rinse 
 and dry with a linen rag. Heat a piece 
 of common unglazed earthenware, or a 
 piece of brick or tUe in the fire ; take it 
 off', and place the ornaments upon it for 
 the purpose of drying them, and causing 
 every particle of moisture to evaporate ; 
 as the moisture, which otherwise would 
 remain on the silver, will cause it to 
 tarnish, or assume a greenish hue. All 
 ornaments, whether gold or silver, 
 can be kept from tarnishing if they are 
 carefully covered from the air in box- 
 wood sawdust, which will also dry 
 them after being washed. 
 
 To Dress Whitebait.— The 
 favourite way in the London din in g- 
 houses is to fry whitebait. Throw 
 them into salt and water for a few 
 minutes, take them out with a fish- 
 slice (they must not be touched with 
 the hand), throw them on to a cloth 
 well covered with dry flour, toss them 
 about in it for a few minutes, then 
 
256 Industry is the Cradle of Content and the Grave of Care. 
 
 shake off the superfluous flour by put- 
 ting them into a piece of coarse muslin 
 and shaking them in it ; have a pan of 
 boiling lard ready, put them in a few at 
 a time, and fry for about two minutes ; 
 they must not be brown ; take them 
 out and dry them on blotting-paper 
 before the fire. Serve with lemon and 
 caj^enne, and thin slices of brown 
 bread and butter. 
 
 Ho"W" to Dress Old 
 Fowls. — If old fowls are obliged to 
 be killed for the table, tiy the follow- 
 ing receipt for braizing them, and you 
 will find that they are even better than 
 roast chicken. It does not matter how 
 old the fowl is. Let it hang for a few 
 days ; then lard it with bacon in th e same 
 way guinea-fowl is done ; put it in a 
 stew-pan with a close-fitting lid, or into 
 a digester, with pepper, salt, some shreds 
 of bacon, and a little seasoning ; but 
 no water is to be used. Stew gently for 
 a couple of hours ; make a rich broAvn 
 gravy with bones, seasoned with onions, 
 and put it to the braize before serving. 
 Guinea-fowls done in this way are 
 capital, and there is an old saying, "A 
 turkey boiled is a turkey spoiled, but a 
 turkey braized is a turkey praised!" 
 
 To Preserve the Binding 
 of School Books. — The best 
 way to preserve the binding of school 
 books is to take the book and open it 
 out flat, and mark the size exactly on 
 the inner side of a piece of American 
 cloth ; then cut it out ; and then cut 
 two pieces for the inner sides of the 
 book a little less than the width ; bind 
 all three pieces separately all round 
 with ribbon. Then sew the pieces to- 
 gether on three sides at each end of the 
 long piece, leaving a space in the 
 centre ; turn the co'. ers of the book 
 back, and slip them into the American 
 cloth cover; and, if cut out •n'ell, it 
 will fit as well as the original binding. 
 Books so covered can be used for some 
 years, and the binding wUl be found to 
 be nearly i^erfect. It answers espe- 
 cially for children's school books, and 
 the American cloth is very easy to 
 work, and looks well for a considerable 
 length of time. 
 
 To Cure Redness and 
 Burning of the Hands. — 
 
 Eedness and burning of the bands is 
 caused by defective circulation. The 
 best remedy is to protect them as much 
 as possible from the cold when out of 
 doors, by using a muif or by wearing 
 two pairs of gloves, which are much 
 warmer than one pair Hned. To pre- 
 vent the burning sensation, hold the 
 hands for a few minutes in very warm 
 water after coming in, as that generally 
 produces a feeling of coolness after- 
 wards, whereas cold water causes a 
 glow after it has been used. 
 
 New Mixture for the Hands. — 
 A mixture of glycerine and rose-water 
 is very beneficial for red hands. The 
 quantities are about two-thirds of rose- 
 water to one-third of glycerine, to be 
 rubbed on the hands after washing. 
 
 To Destroy Fleas in 
 Dogs. — An excellent remedy is to 
 rub olive oil into the dog's coat, so as 
 to satiiratethe hair to the surface of the 
 skin ; then to let it remain on for half an 
 hour, and wash it well out with the best 
 yellow soap and warm water. A small 
 portion of any sweet oil brushed into the 
 coat of a woolly dog will efi'ectuaUy 
 prevent its being infected -ndth vermin. 
 
 Nev»/ Method of Destroy- 
 ing Bugs and other In- 
 sects. — An excellent remedy against 
 bugs and similar insects, such as infest 
 houses, is petroleum or parafline. A 
 simple wash of the oil in the resorts of 
 the vermin will be found quite suf- 
 ficient to destroy them. 
 
 New and Simple Cure 
 for the Sting of a Wasp. — 
 A correspondent of the London tStan- 
 darcl, referring to a case of death from 
 a wasp's sting, states that a slice of 
 common onion rubbed on the sting, or, if 
 in the throat, chewed slowly and the 
 piece swallowed, is a certain cure. He 
 adds that a case occurred in his expe- 
 perience a few years ago, when a poor 
 woman was stung in the throat by 
 swallowing a wasp in some beer. She 
 at once partook of some onion, and the 
 swelling was checked directly, and the 
 paiu soon after became abated. 
 
In November take Flail, Id Ships no more Sail. 
 
 257 
 
 Winter. 
 
 Blow, winter wind ! your surly 
 roar 
 Is hearty, if your pinch he keen ; 
 Sound yoiir storm tocsin in the pines, 
 And chum to foam the billows 
 green. 
 
 Far out at sea I've heard you pipe ; 
 
 I've battled with you on the hill, 
 And in the strife my spirit rose 
 
 O'er every common, viJgar ill. 
 
 But never do I hear you howl 
 
 With pleasure truer, fuller, higher, 
 
 Than when, with friend, or book, or 
 work, 
 I sit beside my parlour fire. 
 
 Soft falling snow ! The air is dim 
 With flakes that sail, that whirl, that 
 fall; 
 They've gemmed the bushes, roofed the 
 church, 
 Half hid the many-gabled Hall. 
 
 How often have we mused, when 
 we 
 Were wise philosophers of seven, 
 From what wide storehouse in the 
 skies 
 Came those white visitors from, 
 heaven ? 
 
 How often have we rushed elate 
 
 Across the frozen lake, and thrilled 
 With a wild pleasui-e as we've 
 skimmed 
 The waves by Winter fixed and 
 stilled ! 
 
 But prosier or more selfish grown, 
 From fret of care or worldly 
 vices, 
 
 We shun the snows, and in champagne 
 We take, in little bits, our ices, 
 
 P. Murray Smith. 
 
 The Month of November, 
 
 " No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful 
 ease, 
 Ko comfortable feel in any member : 
 No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees, 
 No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds, 
 November ! " 
 
 Tom Hood. 
 
 This is undoubtedly the gloomiest 
 month in the year. Black fogs, 
 leaden skies, torrents of rain, and 
 storms that shake the last remnants of 
 leaves off the trees, are the character- 
 istics of this month. Summer and 
 autumn have indeed departed, and 
 gloomy winter draws near with rapid 
 strides. November had two Saxon 
 names, Wint monath, or wind month, 
 from the constant storms, in which the 
 frail barks of our ancestors had little 
 chance of life; and Blot monath, i.e., 
 blood month, from the custom of killing 
 about this time all the cattle they re- 
 quired to salt and lay by for their 
 winter sustenance. 
 
 The aspect of the fields and gardens 
 is dreary in the extreme; the flowers 
 are all gone, and most of the leaves 
 have followed, lying in every hollow, 
 dank and desolate. The song of the 
 bird is hushed, the lively squirrel and 
 pretty dormouse are curled up for their 
 long winter sleep, and the only sound 
 of life in the air is the screaming of the 
 wild geese, as they follow their leader 
 to the low-lying marshy fens, or the 
 M'ild cry of the heron, who roams in 
 search of food far from his accustomed 
 haunts, and may be sometimes seen 
 perched on a stone at the edge of a 
 lake or stream, motionless as a statue, 
 but ready at the slightest alarm to flap 
 his heavy wings, and, uttering a dis- 
 cordant scream, sail quickly out of 
 sight. 
 
 The moorland is covered with the 
 gold and scarlet hues of the decaying 
 ferns and wild plants, many of which 
 are very brilliant in their dying colours • 
 and the bare hedges have stUl a little 
 beauty left in the bright berries of th« 
 holly, ivy, privet, guelder rose, bird 
 cherry, and mountain ash ; and, above 
 all others, the dogwood, with its purpla 
 
258 
 
 Are these the Fine Dishes the Doctor has sent us i 
 
 berries, and gold, green, and crimson 
 leaves, helps to enliven tie desolate 
 landscape. 
 
 Towards tbe end of the montli the 
 skylark, on the very rare sunny days, 
 breaks out into bis sweet song, as if to 
 prevent us from forgetting that summer 
 will come again. 
 
 Cook's Calendar for 
 Novennber.— Fish in Season. — 
 Brill, turbot, plaice, soles, dory, halibut, 
 gurnards, haddock, cod, ling, pOie, 
 skate, wbiting, herrings, sprat?, crabs, 
 lobsters, prawns, shrimps, oysters. 
 
 Meat in Season. — Beef, mutton, 
 veal, pork, and doe venison. 
 
 Poultry in Season. — Fowls, ducks, 
 chickens, geese, turkeys, pigeons. 
 
 Game in Season. — Moor fowl or 
 blackcock, grouse, hares, partridges, 
 wild ducks, teal, widgeon, pheasants, 
 woodcock, snipe, plover, rabbits, wild 
 geese. 
 
 Fkuit in Season. — Apples, pears, 
 chestnuts, hazel nuts, walnuts, buUaces, 
 grapes, medlars, almonds. 
 
 Vegetables in Season. — "Winter 
 spinach, carrots, cabbages, Jerusalem 
 artichokes, celery, endive, winter salad, 
 leeks, savoys, turnips, parsnips, beet- 
 root, onions. 
 
 Gardener's Calendar for 
 November. — In November all the 
 alterations in gardens, lawns, and plea- 
 sure-grounds should be carried out ; 
 the making of gravel walks, planting of 
 box edgings, and general improvements 
 of every kind, ought now to be made. 
 Roses, shrubs, and fniit-trees should 
 be planted, and wall-frnit trees and 
 climbing plants pruned and trained ; the 
 digging and trenching for spring crops 
 ought to be done ; earth up celery, 
 plant the first crop of potatoes six inches 
 deep in a dry spot; these may be 
 covered with straw if the winter be 
 severe. A few early peas and beans 
 may be sown in a sunny spot; plant 
 out cabbages, and see to the constant 
 sweeping up of fallen leaves, which 
 should be put with the refuse of the 
 garden to form compost ; plant cuttings 
 of gooseberry and currant bushes, and 
 select the briars to form stocks for 
 
 standard roses, that they may be planted 
 for spring grafting. Continue to plant 
 out brdbs as directed last month ; lay 
 up dahlia roots in a dry cellar, and 
 guard them equally from frost and 
 heat ; pot layers of carnations and 
 pinks ; cut down hollyhocks, and take 
 off young plants. In gardens and or- 
 chards where rabbits have access, they 
 frequently nibble off the bark of fruit- 
 trees as high from the ground as they 
 can reach ; to prevent this, it is a good 
 plan to wash the stems of the trees 
 about two feet up with hot lime and 
 water. Tbis destroys many insects as 
 well as keeps off the rabbits. 
 
 Remarks on Hashes and 
 Minces. — "What is to be done 
 with the cold mutton?" Tbis is a 
 sentence frequently heard from the 
 lips of the housekeeper who wishes to 
 economize the funds at her disposal, 
 and at the same time to set before her 
 family a dish that is nice and appetising 
 in appearance, as well as nourishing 
 and palatable. 
 
 Few things require greater care and 
 nicety than what is called " secondary 
 cookery." The gravy in which the 
 meat is to be heated (not boiled) is the 
 first important point ; and as the mode 
 of preparing this is the same, whether the 
 meat be cooked or fresh, we shall begin 
 by giving a few receipts, all of. which 
 have the merit of being inexpensive. 
 . A Rich Brown Gravy. — V\xt into a 
 stew-pan two pounds of shin of beef, 
 with a slice of lean bacon, or a ham 
 bone, and the bones and trimmings of 
 the meat to be hashed ; add to it three 
 shalots, two blades of mace, a little 
 whole allspice and pepper, with a large 
 onion which has been sliced and fried 
 a good brown; cut the meat into small 
 pieces and let it stew for two hours in 
 two pints of water ; then strain it 
 through a hair sieve that has been well 
 soaked in cold water. This will re- 
 move the fat ; but gravies, like soups, 
 are better for being made the day be- 
 fore they are required, and carefully 
 skimmed from the fat before being heated 
 again. This gi-avy is suitable for all 
 brown meats. 
 
A Good Dinner Sharpens Wit, while it Softens the Heart. 259 
 
 Beep Collops. — Cut a tender rump- 
 steak into thin pieces, about three or 
 four inches square, beat them with a 
 rolling-pin, dredge them -well with 
 flour, and fry them in butter to a light 
 brown, lay them in a stew-pan, and put 
 to them a pint of brown gravy pre- 
 pared as above; half a pint of nice 
 fresh button mushrooms, and a little 
 salt and pepper. Thicken with a small 
 bit of butter roUed in flour, and if not 
 sufficiently brown, add a small spoonful 
 of the browning recommended for soup. 
 Serve very hot. 
 
 Beef Hasu. — Take nice slices of 
 cold sirloin or ribs of beef, cut off aU 
 the outside bro^Ti and gristle, make 
 with these and the bones a brown gravy 
 as directed ; cut a good-sized carrot 
 and turnip in small pieces ; stew till 
 tender ; lay the slices of meat in a 
 Btew-pan with the carrot and turnip ; 
 pour over a pint of the gravy, thick- 
 ened Avith a bit of butter rolled in flour, 
 half a dozen pickled mushrooms, and 
 three pickled walnuts cut in half. Set 
 the stew-pan by the fire untQ the meat 
 is thoroughly heated, but do not let it 
 boil. 
 
 Beef Rissoles. — Mince some cold 
 roast beef fine, add rather more than 
 half as much bread-crumbs as meat, a 
 little minced lemon peel and chopped 
 parsley, with salt, pepper, and sweet 
 herbs minced, to taste. Make into a 
 paste with two or more eggs, according 
 to the quantity of meat ; roll up into 
 balls, and fry a rich brown ; thicken a 
 little good brown gravy, add to it a 
 dessert-spoonful of Worcester sauce, 
 and pour it round the rissoles in a very 
 hot dish. 
 
 Minced Collops. — A favourite 
 Scotch dish. Take two pounds of good 
 beefsteak, mince it quite fine, and free 
 from fat or skin ; put it into a deep 
 frying-pan with a good-sized piece of 
 butter. As the butter melts, stir the 
 mince about with a silver fork, so as 
 to separate the particles and give the 
 mince a granulated appearance ; as 
 soon as the meat looks white, put in 
 a teacupful of clear gravy, a little 
 pepper and salt, and either mushroom 
 
 ketchup or "Worcester sauce enough to 
 flavour it; a minced onion may be 
 used if there is no objection to its 
 taste. Stir the mince about till the 
 gravy begins to boil, then serve with 
 toasted sippets. 
 
 "White GR.'i.'VTr for Minced Veal, 
 Fowl, etc. — Cut into small pieces 
 about three pounds of lean veal and a 
 slice of lean ham or bacon (a ham bone 
 is excellent for giving a flavour) ; put 
 these into a stew-pan with any trim- 
 mings or remains of cold fowl, a bunch 
 of sweet herbs, a large onion bruised, 
 a blade of mace, a little salt, and three 
 pints of water. Let this stew for four 
 hours gently, then strain Hke the brown 
 sauce. This is the foundation of all 
 white sauces — such as Bechamel, and 
 other choice sauces for fricassees, &c. 
 
 Flavourings. — Lemon juice and 
 peel are used in flavouring minced veal ; 
 also mace and nutmeg, which are the 
 proper spices for whi^e meat; in other 
 respects it is dressed like minced mutton. 
 
 'V''eal Crouuets. — Minced veal 
 makes very nice croquets, and a little 
 lean ham minced with the veal is a 
 great improvement. Season with grated 
 lemon peel and mace. Make some plain 
 paste with egg, flour, water, a little salt> 
 and a little butter melted in the water ; 
 roll it out flat, the thickness of half a 
 crown ; cut it in small squares ; place 
 a little heap of meat on each so as to 
 be able to fold up the paste over it ; 
 make the edges stick well together with 
 a little white of egg ; trim them a regular 
 shape, fry in lard, and serve on a napkin 
 with fried parsley. The chief element 
 of success in this form of serving mince- 
 meat is the thinness of the paste. 
 
 'Veal Patties. — Mince some under- 
 done veal with a third as much ham as 
 veal ; season with salt, mace, cayenne, 
 and grated lemon peel ; moisten with 
 equal parts of white sauce and cream. 
 Make a paste as if for mince pies ; cover 
 mince pie pans with it, and put into 
 each sufficient of the mince meat to fill 
 them ; cover with the paste, and serve 
 hot. These are very nice for supper. 
 An oyster in each pie is a great im- 
 provement. 
 
26o 
 
 Ofteti and little Eating makes a Man Fat. 
 
 Mayonnaise, for Cold Chicken 
 OR Fish. — A French receipt. Break 
 the yolk of an egg, free from the 
 white, into a basin ; blend it with a 
 silver fork, and add a single drop of 
 olive oil at a time, stirring it contin- 
 ually until there are about three table- 
 spoonfuls of oil mixed with the egg ; 
 add pepper and salt, pounded anchovies, 
 or sardines, if preferred. Lay the 
 chicken or fish in slices in a deep dish, 
 and pour the mayonnaise over it. 
 
 Haricot Mutton. — Cut the best end 
 of the neck of mutton into nice chops, 
 take off the fat, and beat the chops with 
 a rolling-pin to make them tender. 
 Fry them to a nice brown ; when they 
 are done, remove them from the pan 
 and slice into it two large onions ; fry 
 these brown ; wash and cut into small 
 pieces two large carrots, two turnips, 
 and one head of celery. Boil them till 
 tender ; take some of the meat of the 
 scrag end of the neck of mutton, and 
 with it make some savoury forcemeat ; 
 or have a pound of nice sausages, take 
 them out of the skins, and make them 
 into balls with flour ; fry them nicely, 
 then put into a stew-pan a pint of brown 
 gravy with a dessert-spoonful of flour 
 blended in it, a little pepper and salt, 
 a tablespoonful of mushroom ketchup, 
 some fresh button mushrooms, and the 
 sliced vegetables with the fried onions. 
 Let these just come to a boil, then put 
 in the chops and forcemeat balls, A\ith 
 half a large glass of port M'ine. Serve 
 very hot. 
 
 Minced Mutton or Beef. — 
 Having picked out the meat free from 
 fat, &c., mince it as fine as possible 
 with a double-handled mincing knife 
 or a mincing machine ; sprinkle it with 
 flour, pepper, salt, and a little pow- 
 dered spice, according to taste ; then 
 put the mince into a saucepan with a 
 lump of butter, and moisten it with 
 stock or broth till it is of the desired 
 consistency. Some tomato sauce, wal- 
 nut or mushroom ketchup, Worcester 
 or other sauce, may be added with ad- 
 vantage if in due proportions. A squeeze 
 of lemon or a little tarragon vinegar 
 may be used instead of tomato sauce, 
 
 but no acid imparts so pleasant a flavour 
 to a dish of tbis kind, and in fact to all 
 kinds of hashes, as that of tomatoes. 
 The only thing to know is how much 
 of it to put in. This must be learned 
 by practice. The mince should be kept 
 in the saucepan at a gentle heat for 
 half an hour before serving ; it should 
 not be allowed to boil. 
 
 To SERVE Mince. — A wall of mashed 
 potatoes, or of rice, is very nice to 
 enclose a mince upon its dish. The 
 mashed potatoes should be made rather 
 hard, so as to stand up well ; they may 
 be browned or not, according to fancy. 
 Smear the outside of the wall with a 
 beaten-up egg to help the browning. 
 
 EiCE FOR this purpose should be 
 cooked in the following way : — Put into 
 a saucepan as much rice, picked clean 
 and washed, as is required, with enough 
 cold water to cover it. Let it remain 
 on the fire until all the water is ab- 
 sorbed, then add pepper and salt, a 
 piece of butter, and a handful of grated 
 Parmesan cheese ; moisten with more 
 hot water if the rice seems to require 
 it; stir it thoroughly to mix aU the 
 ingredients ; then build the M'aU. Stock 
 or broth may be used instead of hot 
 water. In addition to the above, soma 
 tomato sauce may be put in, or, instead 
 of it, a pinch of saffron may be steeped 
 some hours in hot water, which, after 
 being strained, is put into the rice. The 
 Parmesan cheese, besides adding to the 
 taste, has the effect of binding the 
 grains together. In lieu of cheese one 
 or two eggs may be worked into the 
 rice a few minutes before serving. 
 
 Stewed Hare. — Cut up pieces 
 of hare that have been left as under- 
 done, or take part of the hind-quarters 
 of a hare that is to be made into 
 soup. Cut the pieces about two inches 
 square. Take also half a pound of 
 lean ham cut into pieces about the 
 same size ; fry the ham to a light brown 
 in an ounce of butter ; then remove it 
 from the frying-pan and put in the pieces 
 of hare and fiy them ten minutes; 
 dredge in two ounces of flour ; add a 
 large glass of common claret and a pint 
 of good gravy. Put these, with the 
 
Better are Meats tnany, than One too many. 
 
 261 
 
 hare, into a stew-pan and stew for five 
 minutes, then put in a bunch of sweet 
 herbs tied' together; the bacon, a pinch 
 of salt, and three pinches of pepper. 
 Cover the stew-pan close, and simmer 
 for a quarter of an hour. Fry twenty 
 very small onions in butter, add them 
 to the stew, and simmer it till they are 
 soft. AYhen nearly ready to serve, take 
 out the herbs and skim off any fat. Put 
 in half a pint of nice mushrooms, and, 
 as soon as they are cooked enough, 
 serve. 
 
 Macaroni and Veal Pie. — Boil 
 some macaroni in milk and water 
 until quite tender. Turn it out on 
 a sieve and let it drain ; then cut 
 it into pieces of half an inch long. 
 Line a raised pork pie mould with 
 paste, fill it with flour, and put it into 
 the oven to bake till the paste is of a 
 pale browu ; M'ben done, scrape out all 
 the flour. Cut up some fowl or veal, 
 which has been cooked before, into 
 small pieces, with some bacon or ham ; 
 take a pint of white gravy, or some 
 milk thickened with butter and flour, 
 and seasoned with pepper and salt, will 
 do as well. Put the meat into this 
 gravy, and set it on the fire till it just 
 boils ; put a layer of this meat into the 
 mould, then a layer of macaroni and 
 one of grated Parmesan cheese, and 
 repeat these layers till the mould is 
 quite full, taking care that the top 
 layer be of cheese. Put the mould aud 
 its contents into the oven till quite 
 heated through, and when taken out, 
 hold a salamander over the top to brown 
 it, or put it in a Dutch oven before the 
 fire. Open the mould and take the shape 
 out. 
 
 A very nice way to arrange this dish 
 is, instead of the raised paste, to take 
 a large vegetable maiTOW. Cut it in 
 half, lengthways ; peel and parboil it 
 without removing the seeds; when 
 almost soft, take it up ; take out the 
 seeds, and fiU the boat-like shells ^vith 
 meat, cheese, and macaroni, as above, 
 and bake in the same way. It is very 
 good without the macaroni, in which 
 case, it will require to have one-third 
 of bread crumbs mixed with the meat. 
 
 Timbale of Macaroni. — Boil 
 the macaroni in milk and water for 
 three or four minutes ; butter a plain 
 mould, aud put the macaroni in rows 
 all round. As you put in the maca- 
 roni fill the mould up with forcemeat 
 made aa follows : — Chicken, veal, or 
 any dressed meat, and a little ham or 
 bacon, pounded very fine, and seasoned 
 with lemon peel, two or three small 
 leaves of sage, cut very fine, two or 
 three cloves, a little mace and nutmeg, 
 and a small onion chopped very tine, 
 with salt and pepper to taste. Mix up 
 these ingredients with two eggs, steam 
 the shape about an hour and a quarter, 
 turn it out of the moidd, and serve 
 M'ith white saiice round it. 
 
 Bengal Curry. — The following 
 admirable directions for making a Ben- 
 gal appeared in the Field. They are 
 so good that we make no excuse for 
 inserting them in the " Best of 
 Everything." It will be observed that 
 the price of each ingredient is given. 
 
 The Curry Powder. — Twelve 
 ounces best turmeric. Is. ; eight ounces 
 coriander seed, 9d. ; six ounces very 
 best ginger, 9d. ; five ounces mustard, 
 7d. ; five ounces black pepper, 5d. ; one 
 and a half ounces cayenne, Gd. ; half an 
 ounce cardamums, 6d. ; half an ounce 
 cummin, 2d. ; half an ounce cinnamon, 
 3d. ; quarter of an ounce pimento, Id. ; 
 in aU, thirty-nine and a quarter 
 ounces, costing 5s. ; all finely powdered 
 and put in separate parcels. Put these 
 ingredients into a large bowl and 
 thoroughly mix them together. Get 
 a number of small bottles ready, into 
 I which place the powder, and press it 
 down ; and if corks are used, let them 
 be carefully sealed, so as to exclude 
 the air entii-ely ; one bottle at a time 
 only is to be opened for use. Having 
 secured the curry powder at a cost of 
 about three halfpence per omice, let us 
 now proceed to cook the meat and boil 
 the rice. 
 
 To Cook the Meat. — As a rule 
 a knife is never employed when eat- 
 ing a curry, as it is always so thoroughly 
 cooked that a fork and spoon only are 
 required. The time for cooking varies 
 
262 
 
 If you wish a Thing done^ Go; if not, Send. 
 
 according to the kind of meat used. 
 For example, let us take four pounds 
 of the lean part of the breast of 
 veal. Cut this into small pieces, and 
 put them into a saucepan with an ounce 
 of sweet butter, two large tablespoon- 
 fuls of curry powder, two large onions 
 cut very fine, four or five small cloves of 
 garlic chopped up finely, and some nice 
 streaky bacon cut up into smaU thin 
 slices. Stir all up together and piit it 
 on a gentle fixe, covering the saucepan, 
 and only uncovering it to stir it, which 
 should be done very frequently. The 
 teat speedily draws out the juices of 
 the meat, forming suflScient gravy to 
 prevent burning. After a wbile let the 
 saucepan be drawn almost oif the fire, 
 so as to keep the contents at a gentle 
 simmer only, and continue at this 
 imtO the gravy is pretty well dried iip, 
 when a large-sized breakfast cupful of 
 fresh milk is to be added (gradually, so as 
 not to cool it down too much), and salt 
 to taste. The saucepan is agaia placed 
 on the fire for a few moments, to bring 
 it rapidly to the boil, then drawn back 
 and kept once more gently simmering 
 until quite done, stin-ing very fre- 
 quently. It should occupy three to 
 four hours in cooking, and never be 
 "galloped." When served Tip to table 
 it ought to be as hot as possible, but all 
 the fat must be previously skimmed off. 
 It is well to remember that this " cui-ry 
 fat " is far better than butter for frying 
 fish with. 
 
 The Eice for Curry. — Half an 
 hour before the curry is to be used, 
 begin to cook the rice. Fine Patna 
 or Carolina is the best, of which take 
 one measure, adding three measures 
 of water ; boil rapidly ; never stir 
 or shake it up. When it is per- 
 ceived that water no longer shows 
 on the rice, di'aw the saucepan on to 
 the hob, and give a little time for the 
 rice to dry, which it soon does, when 
 it will all turn out beautifully cooked, 
 and each grain will separate. This is 
 the only proper mode of cooking rice. 
 In serving up, the curry should be in 
 one (covered) side dish, the rice in 
 another, and both quite hot. Whoever 
 
 follows these instructions will always 
 have curry and rice fit to eat. 
 
 The above receipt is by a gentleman 
 who was many years resident in the 
 East Indies. 
 
 Cingalese Curry. — Take two 
 ounces of coriander-seed, one ounce of 
 dried chilis, one ounce of turmeric, a 
 quarter of an oimce of cinnamon ; pound 
 all these well up in a mortar, with a 
 little salt. Fiy a chicken cut in pieces, 
 or a rabbit, in two ounces of fresh 
 butter, along with two large onions cut 
 in slices. When browned slightly, take 
 out the meat, lay it in a stew-pan, mix 
 the powder with haK a pint of white 
 gravy, pour it into the frying-pan for a 
 few minutes, then pour it all over the 
 meat in the stew-pan. Add a pint of 
 milk, with a little butter rolled in flour, 
 to thicken it slightly. When ready to 
 serve, add a tablespoonful of lime-juice, 
 pile the meat in the centre of the 
 dish, pour the gravy round it, and let 
 the rice be in a separate dish. Fish 
 makes an excellent curry done in this 
 way. 
 
 To Prepare Sheepskins 
 for Mats. — Make a strong lather 
 with hot water, and let it stand till 
 cold ; wash the fresh skin in it, cai-efully 
 squeezing out all the dirt from the 
 wool ; wash it in cold water till all the 
 soap is taken out. Dissolve a poimd 
 each of salt and alum in two gallons of 
 hot water, and put the skin into a tub 
 sufiicient to cover it; let it soak for 
 twelve hours, and hang it over a pole 
 to drain. When \i'ell drained, stretch 
 it carefully on a board to dry, and 
 stretch several times while drying. 
 Before it is quite dry, sprinkle on the 
 flesh side one ounce each of finely 
 pulverized alum and saltpetre, rubbing 
 it in well. Try if the wool be firm on 
 the skin ; if not, let it remain a day or 
 two, then rub again with alum ; fold 
 the flesh sides together and hang in the 
 shade for two or three days, turning 
 them over each day till quite dry. 
 Scrape the flesh side with a blunt 
 knife, and rub it with pumice or rotten 
 stone. Very beautiful mittens can be 
 ' made of lambskins prepared in this way. 
 
A Kind Eye makes Contradiction an Assent. 
 
 263 
 
 A Fe^A^ Words on the 
 Eyesight. — There are several forms 
 in which defective sight occurs, and in 
 which it may be said that all people 
 are more or less interested : some of 
 these defects are capable of being in a 
 considerable degree remedied; others, 
 however — the causes of which are little 
 understood, — do not, so far as our 
 present knowledge extends, seem to 
 admit of cure. Among these defects of 
 vision are long and short sightedness, 
 colour-blindness, &c., to which a brief 
 reference is desii-able. 
 
 Long-sightedness. — This arises 
 from a diminution of the refracting 
 power of the eye, arising either fi-om 
 the too great flatness of the eye, or 
 some other sufficient cause. It fre- 
 quently comes on as age advances. 
 This defect is caused by the cii'cum- 
 stance that the focus of the eye is be- 
 hind the retina, and the picture of the 
 outward object is, therefore, imperfectly 
 fonned on the retina. This defect, 
 however, and the defect refeiTed to in 
 the following paragraph, are capable of 
 being remedied by artificial means. 
 
 Short-sightedness. — This defect is 
 the converse of that just referred to. 
 The condition of the eye which produces 
 it is most frequent in young people. It 
 consists either of too great convexity in 
 the eye, or too much refractive power, 
 arising from that convexity or from 
 some other cause. By reason of the 
 superior refractive power existing in 
 these cases, the rays of light forming 
 the pictures of external objects cross 
 each other and begin to diverge before 
 they fall on the retina, and, as a con- 
 sequence, the objects are indistinctly 
 visible. 
 
 Colour-blindness is a defect in the 
 organs of vision, and is much more 
 prevalent than is commonly supposed. 
 It consists of inability to perceive a 
 single colour, such as red, or to dis- 
 criminate between two colom-s, such as 
 red and green ; so that a person labour- 
 ing under this defect may be said to be 
 blind as regards the one or other of the 
 colours not perceived. 
 
 Dr. Nicholl describes the case of a 
 
 boy who always confounded green with 
 red, and called light red and pink blue. 
 His maternal grandfather and an uncle 
 had the same imperfection. The uncle 
 was in the navy, and on one occasion 
 purchased a pair of red breeches to 
 match his blue coat ! Dr. Nicholl also 
 mentions the case of a gentleman to 
 whom the grass in full verdure appeared 
 what others call red, and who could 
 not see any diflference in colour between 
 ripe fruit on the trees and the leaves 
 which were around it ; a green 
 cucumber was to him of the same hue 
 as that of a boiled lobster, and a leek 
 resembled a stick of seaUng-wax ! 
 
 Colour-blindness, in shoi't, may be 
 said to be an inability correctly to dis- 
 cern any colour strictly so called ; so 
 that black and white are the only 
 varieties of tint that are perceived. 
 Under the influence of this deficiency 
 of vision, external objects present very 
 much the same efl^ect as that of a draw- 
 ing executed in Indian ink, or black- 
 lead pencil, in which shade, form, and 
 distance are accurately represented, 
 without the various coloui-s which 
 ordinary vision enables us to perceive. 
 
 Night-blindness is a condition in 
 which, towards evening, some persons 
 find themselves either unable to see 
 external objects with distinctness, or 
 become entirely blind. This occurs 
 without any previous warning, but 
 frequently passes off the following day; 
 but as the attack continues to be re- 
 peated every evening, the eyes gene- 
 rally become weak, and the power of 
 sight becomes much diminished. 
 
 Day-blindness is inability to see 
 distinctly in a bright light, and those 
 subject to this defect are frequently 
 under the necessity of being led about 
 during the day, although during the 
 evening, and at night, their power of 
 sight is not only not defective, but un- 
 usually acute. 
 
 Blindness. — By this expression we 
 understand those who have either been 
 born bUnd, or, which is very much, the 
 same thing, who have entirely lost their 
 sight either in infancy or maturer 
 years. Of these it would appear, from 
 
264 
 
 An Enraged Eye makes Beauty Deformed. 
 
 the last census, that there were about 
 30,000 in the United Kingdom, and, 
 what is very remarkable, that the num- 
 ber of the blind, as compared with those 
 who see, is about one to every thou- 
 sand of the latter. There are certain 
 districts in which the ratio referred to 
 is extremely different, from causes of 
 the operation of which we are very in- 
 adequately informed. Thus, in certain 
 insular situations, the ratio of the blind 
 to the seeing is greatly higher than in 
 some inland localities ; for example, in 
 the Isle of Man, and in the Channel 
 Islands, the number of the blind is one 
 to every eight hundred and thirty- 
 seven of the population; whereas in 
 Yorkshire the ratio is much lower, 
 being only one in every twelve hun- 
 dred and thirty-one. Moreover, it ap- 
 pears that of the whole number of the 
 blind in this country, a large majority 
 belong to the humbler classes, and 
 especially those exposed to the incle- 
 mency of the weather, and those whose 
 station in life exposes them to the ne- 
 cessity of unremitting toil, and particu- 
 larly such toil as involves a strain on 
 the organs of vision — domestic servants, 
 miners, masons, sempstresses, soldiers, 
 and laboui-ers. It appears, likewise, 
 that among the upper and middle 
 classes not exposed to the causes re- 
 ferred to, blindness is comparatively 
 rare. 
 
 Blindness is a gheat calamity; 
 but if we venture to compare it with 
 the affliction of being deaf and dumb, it 
 appears much less grievous. A blind 
 man can be talked to and read to ; he 
 can be placed in immediate communi- 
 cation with the world around him ; he 
 cannot, it is true, behold forms and 
 colours, but a vast nmnber of enjoy- 
 ments other than those supplied by 
 sight are open to him : he may occupy 
 himself in intellectual research, and he 
 may enjoy literary pleasures, domestic 
 and social converse, vocal and instru- 
 mental music, from some of which 
 sources of enjoyment the deaf and 
 dumb are, by the nature of their in- 
 firmity, wholly debarred, and some of 
 which are accessible to them only in a 
 
 very imperfect manner. Those who 
 have possessed their eyesight for some 
 years, and have afterwards lost it, ara 
 m a very different position from those 
 who have never enjoyed the power of 
 vision at aU. Although the sense of 
 sight be lost, memory remains, and per- 
 petuates for them the appearance, the 
 colour, the form, the movements of 
 outward objects; whereas those bom 
 blind are utterly imable to form any 
 distinct idea of colour, — in a word, of the 
 visible appearance of external objects. 
 
 Notwithstanding aU the various dis- 
 advantages under which the blind 
 labour, much has been successfully 
 done to alleviate their condition, and 
 supply, as far as is possible, the sense 
 they have lost. 
 
 Various Systems of Printing have 
 been devised for them, in which the 
 words and letters are raised above the 
 level of the paper, and may be felt ; 
 and so acute has become in many in- 
 stances the sense of touch, that the 
 words thus printed are read by the 
 bHnd with marvellous facility. It is 
 true that people differ from one another 
 as to the relative value of the various 
 systems of printing for the blind ; but 
 it is satisfactory to remember that 
 however zealously the partisans of each 
 system support their own views, their 
 very zeal itself affords an evidence of 
 their common anxiety to promote the 
 best interests of those who are deprived 
 of the invaluable blessing of sight. In 
 the various institutions for the blind 
 their education is carefully attended to. 
 They are instructed in the art of read- 
 ing, writing, and ciphering. Eeligious 
 knowledge is communicated to them. 
 They are taught history, geography, 
 and vocal as well as instrumental 
 music. In addition to all the care thus 
 devoted to theii- intellectual and moral 
 well-being, suitable employments are 
 provided, by means of which many of 
 them become extremely expert and 
 skilful in various departments of useful 
 industry. Much has been already done 
 intellectually, morally, and physically, 
 for the blind; and although, doubt- 
 less, more may yet be effected, yet it 
 
A Lawyer's Dealings should be Just and Fair. 
 
 265 
 
 may be truly affirmed, that the benevo- 
 lent and philanthropic efforts that have 
 been made, have been no less an honour 
 to those by whom they have been 
 carried out, than to the age itself in 
 which we live. 
 
 New Description of 
 Spectacles. — The immense ad- 
 vantages arising from the application 
 of the principles of optics to practical 
 pui-poses are nowhere more obvious 
 than in the construction of artificial 
 means of obviating some -of the most 
 common defects of the human eye, such 
 as inability to perceive distant objects, 
 although those near at hand may be 
 seen with perfect distinctness ; or the 
 opposite defect, in which near objects, 
 such as the letters of a book, can be 
 seen only very indistinctly, while re- 
 mote objects can be distinguished with 
 great clearness and accuracy. The 
 remedy for these defects is, of course, 
 spectacles, of which the lenses possess 
 the degree of concavity or of convexity 
 required in each particular case, and 
 which degree of defect can be accu- 
 rately ascertained only by trial and 
 experiment. We desire, however, to 
 recommend to such of our readers as 
 may require these invaluable aids to 
 correct lasion, those lenses known as 
 " periscopic. " 
 
 The Periscopic Lenses. — These will 
 be found a very great improvement, 
 especially in the case of concave spec- 
 tacles. The technical term periscopic 
 means the seeing round about, and the 
 person using these glasses does not re- 
 quire to tui-n his head directly towards 
 the object he would look at ; for they 
 are so ground that the object is as dis- 
 tinctly seen when the eye looks at it 
 through the glass to either side, as 
 when it looks at it tkrough the centre 
 of the glass ; and thus the awkward- 
 ness observable in the use of the 
 ordinary glasses is obviated, in which 
 the wearer must turn his head towards 
 the object in order that the image of it 
 shall be received through the middle 
 or centre of the lens. These periscopic 
 spectacles, accurately adjusted, can be 
 readily obtained of any optician. 
 
 La-ws respecting Rent. 
 
 — A summary of the rules recognised 
 by law on this subject can hardly fail 
 to be useful to some of our readers. 
 The relation of landlord and tenant is 
 constituted by an arrangement between 
 the parties which may be either in 
 words or in writing, but a wiitten 
 agreement is always more desirable than 
 one which is merely verbal, as it pre- 
 vents mistakes on both sides. A 
 written agreement ought always to be 
 made if there be anything special or 
 peculiar in the terms entered into ; but 
 as regards house property the contract 
 need not be in writing unless the pro- 
 perty is let for more than three years, 
 and by the law of Scotland a verbal 
 lease is good only for one year. If no 
 special details are entered into beyond 
 the amount of rent and the diu-ation of 
 the contract, certain rights nevertheless 
 subsist between the lessor and the 
 lessee, of which the following may be 
 mentioned: — In England, if no agree- 
 ment be made as to the time of paying 
 the rent, it is due only at the end of 
 each year ;.but the payment is usually 
 made at the end of each quarter by an 
 express arrangement to that effect, the 
 times of payment being Lady day, or 
 March the 25tb, Midsummer day, or 
 June the 24th, Michaelmas day, or 
 September the 291h, and Christmas 
 day, or December the 2oth. By ex- 
 press agreement the rent is sometimes 
 made payable in advance. The law of 
 England gives a landlord very important 
 privileges. To secure his rent he need 
 not incur the delay or the expense in- 
 cident to ordinary proceedings, but 
 may at once seize the goods or furni- 
 ture on the premises for which the rent 
 is due, whether the goods or furniture 
 belong to his tenant or to a stranger. 
 Hence it is not unimportant for a per- 
 son taking possession of any premises 
 to see that no rent is due ; for whatever 
 property he puts into the premises 
 becomes immediately liable for the rent 
 previously due. There are, however, 
 some important rules by which the 
 privileges of the landlord in recovering 
 his rent suffer qualification; for ex- 
 K 2 
 
266 Di7-e is he who in Poison steeps the Weapon made to slay. 
 
 ample, a landlord cannot put a dis- 
 tress into a bouse till after the rent is 
 due ; in consequence of this, the tenant 
 is not hound to pay his rent tUl the end 
 of the year, and consequently he may 
 avail himself of the last day of the year 
 before his rent becomes due to remove 
 his furniture or goods off the premises, 
 in which case, according to law, the 
 landlord's security is gone, unless he 
 follow and seize the goods within thirty 
 days after their removal. No articles 
 used in trade, no articles such as the 
 plough, a watch carried in the pocket, 
 the books of a student, deeds, writings, 
 loose money, or pawnbrokers' dupli- 
 cates, can be distrained for rent due. 
 In the event of a tenant's furniture or 
 moveables being seized under an execu- 
 tion by other creditors, the landlord is 
 entitled to be first paid out of the pro- 
 ceeds to the extent of one year's rent, 
 if it be due. But the landlord has no 
 title to break open the door of the 
 tenant's house to seize the furniture for 
 the rent due. 
 
 Eent in Scotland. — In Scotland 
 rent is payable twice a year, viz., at 
 the term of Whitsunday, or the 15th 
 of May, and at Martinmas, or the 11th 
 of November, unless a special agree- 
 ment be entered into to the contrary. 
 The landlord possesses the power of 
 seizing on or sequestrating the tenant's 
 goods for the current rent, although 
 it may not have become due ; but he 
 cannot seize the goods of a sub-tenant 
 if the sub-tenant has paid the rent he 
 owed to the tenant ; and the landlord's 
 security over the goods removed from 
 his property, must be put in force 
 within three months after the rent is 
 due, and he can follow and seize the 
 goods at whatever place they may have 
 been removed to. 
 
 Animal Poisons.— In this 
 class of poisons are those conveyed by 
 the bite or sting of various animals ; or 
 by using as food such as are either 
 permanently or at certain times of a 
 poisonous character. Asa general rule, 
 all animal poisons are more virulent 
 and active in warm climates than in 
 those that are temperate or cold. 
 
 The Bite of the Eattlesnake, 
 
 THE COBKA, AND OTHEB SCrpeutS of 
 
 the more venomous kinds is frequently 
 foUowed by consequences which the 
 utmost skill and promptitude can do 
 little to counteract. In many instances 
 the venom injected by the bite or sting 
 is so extremely virulent as quickly to 
 place the sufferer in a condition in 
 which no reKef whatever can be ad- 
 ministered. The effects are such as 
 these : — a sharp pain in the wound, 
 which rapidly spreads to all the mem- 
 bers, and even to the interior of the 
 body ; great SM^elling, at first hard and 
 pale, then red, livid, gangrenous, and 
 gradually increasing; fainting and 
 vomiting ; convulsions ; a smaU, irre- 
 gular, and rapid pulse; difficulty in 
 breathing ; cold sweats ; disturbed sight ; 
 derangement of the intellectual facul- 
 ties, and death. In hot climates, a 
 wound from a venomous snake is often 
 received in circumstances in which 
 little or no help can be rendered, and 
 the consequences are unavoidably fatal. 
 But in all cases where it is possible 
 to render prompt assistance the folio win a; 
 measures ought to be instantly adopted. 
 A ligature should be placed immediately 
 above the wound, and a cupping-glass 
 applied to the wound, and kept ex- 
 hausted, so as to extract the poison, and 
 prevent it being carried into the circula- 
 tion. The application of the cupping- 
 glass has been repeatedly proved capable 
 of counteracting the injury ; but if this 
 cannot be had recourse to, a mixture of 
 equal parts of oil and spirits of harts- 
 horn, promptly applied to the wound 
 and the swollen parts around it, will be 
 found very efficacious ; at the same time 
 the spirite of hartshorn ought to be 
 given internally in a dose of ten or 
 twelve drops in a glassful of water 
 every half-hour at first, and afterwards 
 every two hours. An emetic of twenty 
 grains of ipecacuanha powder, or of 
 sulphate of zinc, has also been found of 
 great use ; and if there be vomiting, or 
 a tendency to jaundice, a glassful of the 
 decoction of bark ought to be adminis- 
 tered every three hours, together with 
 twelve drops of the hartshorn essence. 
 
Dire is he who fills the Veins with Death instead of Life. 267 
 
 The Sting of the Scorpion and 
 Centipede occasions no inconsiderable 
 danger in hot climates. A red spot 
 marks the place of the sting. This 
 gradually enlarges and becomes hlack 
 in the centre. Inflammation takes 
 place, the part wounded swells, and 
 becomes painful, and those symptoms 
 are succeeded by alternate chills and 
 (ever, numbness, vomiting, hiccup, and 
 great trembling. The treatment in 
 these cases ought to be similar to that 
 which is suggested in the cases already 
 referred to. The spirits of hartshorn and 
 oil ought to be applied to the wound, and 
 the hartshorn taken internally as already 
 prescribed ; and a poultice of linseed 
 meal, or of bread and milk, moistened 
 with twenty drops of the hartshorn, 
 ought to be laid over the wound, and 
 renewed twice or thrice a day. 
 
 The Sting of the "Wasp and Bee, 
 which occasions comparatively little 
 pain or swelling in temperate climates, 
 may be safely and effectively treated 
 by rubbing the part affected with a 
 mixture of one part of spirits of harts- 
 horn and two parts of olive oil. 
 
 Poisonous Fish. — Some kinds of 
 fish are undoubtedly poisonous, but not 
 at all times, nor to all persons. Indeed, 
 there are fish which may be used as 
 food with perfect impunity in cold and 
 temperate climates, but which are by 
 no means safe in tropical countries. 
 
 The Mussel, the Conger, and the 
 Tellow-Billed Sprat, and some 
 others, have been known to produce 
 acute pains in the head, nausea, diffi- 
 culty of breathing, a crimson eruption 
 on the skin, itching all over the body, 
 and fainting fits and convulsions. The 
 last of the fishes above referred to has 
 been known to prove fatal to those who 
 have eaten it. The treatment in these 
 and all such cases ought, in the first 
 instance, to consist of the necessary 
 efforts to remove from the stomach the 
 deleterious substance, by means of an 
 emetic of twenty grains of sulphate of 
 zinc, or ten grains of sulphate of copper, 
 dissolved in a little water. After these 
 remedies have produced their efi'ect, a 
 tablespoonful should be given every 
 
 quarter of an hour, of a mixture of two 
 drachms of ether, a drachm of lauda- 
 num, and four ounces of mint water, or 
 any other fluid at hand. A drink for 
 the patient will also be found very use- 
 ful, made of two tablespoonfuls of 
 lemon juice, or vinegar, in half a pint 
 of water. 
 
 Vegetable Poisons are of 
 various kinds, and differ greatly in their 
 energy and mode of action. The chief 
 vegetable poisons which may here bo 
 mentioned are opiiim, hemlock, fox- 
 glove, strychnine, thorn-apple, henbane, 
 deadly nightshade, poisonous mush- 
 rooms, and prussic acid; the last of 
 these is the most energetic of all 
 known poisons, a very small dose of 
 it in a highly concentrated state being 
 capable of destroying life so suddenly 
 as to preclude all possibility of medical 
 aid. 
 
 Opium, Hemlock, Henbane, and 
 Deadly Nightshade are all narcotic 
 poisons, and the first three are invalu- 
 able when used as medicines by a 
 skilful physician, producing not only 
 narcotic but sedative and anodyne 
 effects of the greatest importance in 
 the treatment of various ailments. In 
 treating cases of poisoning by these 
 or any other similar agents, the rule, 
 already more tban once mentioned, 
 ought to be at once attended to, that of 
 removing the poison from the stomach 
 so far as that is practicable. For that 
 end one of the most effective means is 
 that of the stomach-pump ; but in the 
 absence of that instrument, an emetic 
 ought to be instantly administered, 
 consisting of a scruple of sulphate of 
 zinc, or ten grains of sulphate of copper, 
 dissolved in water, and repeated, if 
 necessary, after an interval of fifteen 
 minutes. The emetic ought not to bo 
 given a third time, but the throat maj^ 
 be tickled with the finger or a feather 
 to produce vomiting, and cold water 
 should be freely dashed over the face, 
 neck, and breast of the patient ; and if 
 there be reason to apprehend that the 
 poison has reached the bowels, a purga- 
 tive injection ought to be given. The 
 best antidotes to the vegetable poisons 
 
268 
 
 Medicine is but a Temporary Expedient. 
 
 above referred to are vinegar and lemon 
 juice. These, however, ought not to 
 be given till the stomach is emptied. 
 After there is reason to believe that the 
 poison is altogether ejected, or almost 
 entirely so, a cup of water, strongly 
 acidulated either with vinegar or lemon 
 juice, should be given every five 
 minutes, alternated with a cup of strong 
 coffee ; the limbs should he rubbed 
 with rough flannel, or with a flesh- 
 brush, and the narcotic influences pro- 
 duced by the poisons counteracted with 
 ammonia, brandy, and such cordials as 
 are likely to support and stimulate 
 the system. All these remedies are 
 within the reach of skilful and energetic 
 friends ; but a medical man of suffi- 
 cient experience ought to be sum- 
 moned without delay. 
 
 Poisoning by Foxglove, and by 
 Diluted Pkussic Acid, &c. — These 
 require, as already stated, immediate 
 measures to evacuate the stomach, and 
 so to render the poisons swallowed 
 comparatively inoperative. In the case 
 of poisoning by foxglove, vinegar and 
 warm water may be administered; 
 twenty or thirty drops of laudanum 
 may also be given frequently in a glass 
 of brandy and water. 
 
 In Poisoning with Prussic Acid, 
 if the poison be sufficient in quantity, 
 although of the diluted acid, no assist- 
 ance will be of avail ; but if the imme- 
 diate result be not fatal, an emetic, 
 consisting of a scruple of sulphate of 
 2inc, or of ten grains of sulphate of 
 copper, should be promptly given ; and, 
 after the evacuation of the stomach, 
 frequent draughts ought to be adminis- 
 tered of strong coffee, and, at intervals 
 of half an hour, three or four table- 
 spoonfuls of oil of turpentine mixed 
 with the coffee. Brandy, water of am- 
 monia, and other cordials suited to 
 stimulate and sustain the vital powers, 
 will likewise be suitable. On aU these 
 points, however, the advice and assist- 
 ance of a medical man are of the utmost 
 value. 
 
 Pi 1 Is. — For Acute Inflammation. 
 — Calomel, ten grains; James's powder, 
 ten grains ; Turkey opium in powder, 
 
 ten grains ; conserve of hips, sufficient 
 to make the whole into a mass to be 
 divided into ten piUs. These pUls are 
 of great service in inflammation of the 
 lungs, bowels, or any other internal 
 part. One can be given every second, 
 third, or fourth hour. 
 Pills, Alterative. — Bluepill,twenty 
 or thirty grains; tartar emetic, two 
 grains ; extract of hemlock, one drachm. 
 Mix well, and divide into twenty pills, 
 one to be taken every night or every 
 second night. These pills are recom- 
 mended by many of the most distin- 
 guished members of the medical faculty 
 in this country, as being of very great 
 efficacy in all bilious disorders, tumours 
 of a scrofulous character, and all chronic 
 maladies, by altering the morbid con- 
 dition of the circulating system and 
 correcting functional derangement, so 
 as to check the progress of organic in- 
 jury. One pill should be given every 
 night or every second night for several 
 weeks in succession. 
 
 Pills to relieve Pain and Local 
 Irritation. — Compound ipecacuanha 
 powder, two scruples ; extract of hem- 
 lock, one drachm, mixed together and 
 divided into twenty pills. One or two 
 to be taken twice or thrice a day. The 
 anodyne properties of these pills are 
 very salutary in all maladies of a painful 
 character. 
 
 Po"wders. — Purgative. — Calo- 
 mel, two grains ; jalap in powder and 
 rhubarb in powder, of each five grains. 
 Mix. It may be taken in any agreeable 
 vehicle, such as a little black currant 
 jelly. 
 
 Powders, Aperient. — Rhubarb pow- 
 dered, six or eight grains ; supersul- 
 phate of potass, eight grains. Mix. 
 This is a mild laxative for children. 
 
 Powders, Emetic. — Ipecacuanha in 
 powder, fifteen grains ; tartar emetic, 
 one grain. Mix. 
 
 Powders, for Fevers. — James's 
 powder, four grains ; calomel, one- 
 fourth of a grain; compound powder 
 of tragacanth, six grains. Mix. This 
 is an excellent powder in all febrile ail- 
 ments, as it possesses much power in 
 promoting perspiration and cooling the 
 
Keep your Mouth and your Purse close. 
 
 269 
 
 skin. It is of great value in the 
 commencement of inflammatory fever, 
 typhus, measles, and small-pox. 
 
 Drinks for Feverish Pa- 
 tients. — Lemonade Syrup. — Peel 
 the rind from six lemons very thinly ; 
 squeeze out the juice and strain it ; put 
 into a preserving-pan one pound each of 
 sugar and clarified honey, three ounces 
 of tartaric acid, three gills of water, 
 and the rind and juice of the lemons ; 
 boil all gently together till the sugar is 
 quite dissolved, then sti-ain it through 
 line muslin and bottle it. 
 
 A wineglassful in a tumbler of water 
 makes a pleasant acid drink, and half 
 a saltspoonful of carbonate of soda 
 will make it effervesce. 
 
 Judson's Lime-juice. — This lime- 
 juice makes a most refreshing drink for 
 a feverish person. A dessert-spoonful, 
 with a tablespoonful of sugar, mixed 
 in half a tumbler of water, makes an 
 excellent, agreeable, and wholesome 
 lemonade. 
 
 Lamplough's Pyeetic Saline is 
 another effervescing draught, useful in 
 fevers and sea-sickness. It is highly 
 spoken of by several medical practi- 
 tioners, and is agreeable to the palate, 
 particularly when mixed with lime-juice 
 and sugar, in the proportion of one 
 teaspoonful of the pyretic saline to a 
 dessert-spoonful of lime-juice, and the 
 same quantity of sugar, in a tumbler of 
 cold water. 
 
 The Game of Bagatelle. 
 — This is an excellent game for a small 
 room, and it may be said that a good- 
 sized bagatelle board is better than a 
 small billiard table. There are several 
 games which can be played on the 
 bagatelle board. The most common, 
 and perhaps the best, is known as " baga- 
 telle." It is played with nine balls, 
 which are struck with the cue into 
 holes near the farther end of the board, 
 and are numbered. The player who 
 makes the greatest score in three "goes 
 up" is the winner. "When a ball hap- 
 pens to lie very near a hole, but does 
 not immediately drop into it, the adver- 
 sary is at Liberty to "challenge" the 
 ball; and if by shaking the board, or 
 
 from any other cause, it drop into the 
 hole, it must be replaced. The French 
 game is usually played a hundred up. 
 The players take their turn in striking, 
 and count all they make till the striker 
 fails to make a hole. To miss the red 
 ball loses a point to the adversary. la 
 some instances two coloured balls are 
 used, each when lodged in a hole 
 counting double. 
 
 In playing any of the games, it is 
 necessary to strike the ball with a 
 gentle, but at the same time a firm 
 stroke. The cue ought to be held 
 lightly between the finger and thumb, 
 and the ball ought to be struck in the 
 centre ; but a modification of the side 
 stroke may be introduced, although the 
 division of the object-ball is usually 
 employed to make the requisite angles. 
 The player ought to remember that by 
 playing too hard a ball he will probably 
 fail to make the hole he aims at, al- 
 though it is desirable that the stroke 
 should be sufficiently strong to carry 
 the ball beyond the hole in the event of 
 missing the stroke. 
 
 The Game of Ecarte. — In 
 presenting our readers with an account 
 of this famous game, it is proper to 
 remark that, in common with several 
 other games of the same class, ecarte 
 contains elements which to explain and 
 illustrate thoroughly would require a 
 treatise of very considerable length. 
 "We shall, however, avoid any elaborate 
 discussion of those doctrines on which 
 success in this game depends, and omit 
 as unnecessary any examples of games, 
 confining ourselves to as brief and 
 simple a statement as shall be consis- 
 tent with perspicuity. 
 
 The Game is played by two persons, 
 with a pack of cards, from which the 
 deuce, three, four, five, and six of each 
 suit are discarded. 1. The winner of 
 three tricks scores one point, the winner 
 of all the tricks scores two points. 2. 
 Only two points can be scored in a 
 single deal, 3. Five points scored are 
 game. 4. The score is always marked 
 on the side of the stakes. 5. Either a 
 game or a rubber may be played ; the 
 latter consists of two games out of 
 
ajro 
 
 Ifs a Silly Game where Nobody wins. 
 
 three. 6. The money is always placed 
 on the table. 7. The winner is obliged 
 to give "a revenge ; " but the loser may 
 decline it, 8. Two packs of cards are 
 usually played with. 9. The ting is 
 the highest card; the ace ranks next 
 after the knave. 
 
 Cutting. — 1. The eldest hand deals ; 
 the turning up of the king scores a 
 point to the dealer. There is some 
 advantage in being dealer. 2. The 
 eldest hand has the choice of cards, and 
 this choice must continue throughout 
 the game when once made. 3. The 
 deal is decided by cutting and by the 
 highest card so discovered. 4. If seve- 
 ral cards are shown in cutting for deal, 
 the lowest card is accounted the cut. 
 
 5. If any one shall neglect to show his 
 cut he is supposed to have the lowest. 
 
 6. The cut is to be held as good, al- 
 though the pack be incomplete. 7. A 
 cut must consist of more than one card. 
 8. If a pack be found to have been in- 
 correct, the deals preceding the dis- 
 covery hold good. 
 
 Dealing. — 1. Five cards are dealt 
 to each player, and the eleventh is turned 
 up ; they are dealt by two and three, 
 or three and two. 2. The card turned 
 up indicates the suit of the trumps. 
 3. A trump is superior to every other 
 card of another suit. 4. The mode of 
 dealing at the outset cannot without 
 notice be altered. 5. If it be altered, 
 the adversary has a right to call a fresh 
 deal if he has not seen bis hand. 6. 
 The remainder of the pack is to be 
 placed on the right, and the rejected 
 cards on the left of the dealer. 7. The 
 dealer ought always to shuffle, and the 
 adversary to cut the cards, and the 
 cards may be shuffled each time they 
 are presented for cutting. 8. The party 
 receiving cards plays first. 9. The 
 holder of the king ought to announce 
 in a distinct manner that he has the 
 king. 10. If a player deals out of his 
 turn, and the mistake is noticed before 
 the trump is turned up, there must be 
 a fresh deal by the proper dealer, but 
 in certain cases the deal holds good. 
 11. A player is obliged to take back 
 his card if he plays before his turn. 
 
 12. "When a player is dissatisfied with 
 his hand, he proposes to take other 
 cards, saying, " Je propose," and the 
 dealer may accept or refuse the proposal. 
 There are various other rules, which for 
 brevity's sake ■we omit. 
 
 Misdealing. — On this subject there 
 are various rules, of which we shall now 
 mention the most important. l.When, 
 instead of one card, two or more are 
 turned up by the dealer, the player is 
 entitled to select the card which ought 
 to be the trump, or put the cards aside, 
 and take the next remaining on the 
 pack for trump, or recommence the 
 hand, taking the deal, provided he has 
 not seen his hand. 2. If the dealer 
 turn up one or more cards of his adver- 
 sary's hand, he is required to complete 
 the dealing ; but his adversary has the 
 option of recommencing the hand, 
 taking the dealing, or holding the deal to 
 be good. 3. If it be the dealer's cards 
 that are exposed, neither party has the 
 choice of recommencing the deal. 4. 
 If this occur after the change, the party 
 who has exposed the cards cannot re- 
 commence the deal, he can only require 
 another card or more as the case may 
 be. 5. If after changing, the dealer 
 turn up a card as if it were a trump at 
 the beginning of the hand, he can neither 
 refuse a fresh change to his adversary, 
 nor give him the card so turned up. 
 6. In misdealing the entire hand 
 (which is the first hand dealt by each 
 dealer), if too few or too many cards be 
 dealt, the adversary has a right to re- 
 commence the hand, &c. 7. And in 
 the case of misdealing after changing 
 cards, a variety of rules are laid down 
 to meet each particular case, and cer- 
 tain penalties are incurred. Of these 
 rules the following are examples. 
 
 1. Before receiving fresh cards, each 
 player puts those he rejects on one side, 
 and is not permitted to look at them. 
 
 2. The colour announced mu3t be played; 
 if any other suit be played the adversary 
 may require the player to retake his 
 card, and play the suit annoimced. 3. 
 But if the adversary shall consider the 
 card played more favourable to him 
 than the suit announced, he may refuse 
 
/ would Cheat my own Father at Play. 
 
 271 
 
 to permit it to be taken back. 4. If 
 any player announces the king without 
 having it he loses a point. 6. The ad- 
 versary's tricks are not to be looked at. 
 6. If a player throw his cards on the 
 table, either by mistake or intentionally, 
 he loses one point ; and if he has not 
 made a trick two points ; and the cards 
 are regarded as thrown on the table if 
 a player lowers them in order that his 
 advei'sary may see them. 7. If a player 
 quits his game he is held to lose it. 
 8. If a faced card is found in the pack, 
 and it is perceived in dealing, the deal 
 is null, except in the case in which the 
 card is the eleventh. 9. If the card be 
 perceived after the e'cart, and the party 
 receiving cards obtains the faced card, 
 he may keep it, or begin the deal anew 
 and take the dealing. 10. And if the 
 faced card fall to the dealer, or if it 
 shoiild remain unperceived, the deal 
 holds good. 11. Revoking is not al- 
 lowed, and the player who revokes must 
 retake his card, and the hand must be 
 played over again. 
 
 Terms used in the Game. — A num- 
 ber of French terms are used in the 
 game, of which the following are most 
 frequently employed. Atout, trump ; 
 couper, to cut ; donner, to deal ; ecart, 
 the cards rejected ; forcer, to play a 
 superior card on an inferior ; la rCle, to 
 make aU the tricks ; le point, one score 
 of the five that make game ; proposer, 
 to ask fresh hands; renoncer, not to 
 answer the suit led ; retourner, when 
 the cards are dealt to turn up the first 
 of the talon, i. e. , the remains of the 
 pack after distribution to each player. 
 
 The Game of Cribbage. — 
 This game is played with a complete 
 pack of cards, and is generally played 
 by two persons, but there are modes of 
 playing the game in which three and four 
 persons may be engaged in the contest. 
 In order to play, a " cribbage-board " is 
 required, on which there are sixty 
 holes, in two rows of thirty on each 
 side. Two pegs fitting these holes are 
 appropriated to each player, and with 
 <hese he marks his score, beginning at 
 'ie outside row of holes, and passing 
 ilong to the upper part of 't and down 
 
 the inner row to the hole near the end 
 of that row, and which is called the 
 game-hole, making in all sixty-one 
 points, for game. Each row of holes 
 is subdivided into six compartments of 
 five holes each. The pegs of the one 
 party generally differ in colour froTi 
 those of the other. 
 
 Value of the Cakds, &c. — Kings, 
 queens, knaves, and tens, coxint as ten 
 each ; the rest of the cards at their 
 ordinary value. The points which 
 count for the game are made by fifteens, 
 sequences, flushes, &c. The players 
 cut for the deal, the lowest card win- 
 ning it. If games are played, the card? 
 must be cut after each game, but not 
 so when rubbers are played. 
 
 Arrangements for Playing. — 
 The player who loses the deal marks 
 three holes on his own account, as a 
 makeweight for the advantage gained 
 by his opponent in having the deal. 
 Five cards are dealt alternately with 
 their faces downwards, and the rest of 
 the pack are then placed on the table 
 face downwards. The players then 
 gather up their cards ; each takes out 
 two, which are placed by themselves 
 with the faces down ; these four cards 
 are called "the crib," and under certain 
 conditions become the property of the 
 dealer. The remainder of the pack is 
 then cut by the non-dealer, and the 
 dealer turns up the top card. The value 
 of the cards and arrangements form 
 the preliminaries of the game. 
 
 Playing the Game. — In beginning 
 the game the non-dealer leads, and the 
 dealer plays to him, announcing the 
 nature of his card. For example : 
 suppose that ten is announced, and that 
 the opponent replies with eight, he 
 calls eighteen as the amount of the ten 
 and eight. And thus each alternately 
 
 El ays, and he who makes up the num- 
 er of thirty-one, or the number nearest 
 to it, scores two, and the remaining 
 cards are thrown up. Another deal 
 then takes place, and the process of 
 scoring is carried on as before, till one 
 of the parties has completed the re- 
 quired number of sixty-one, by which 
 he gains the game. 
 
272 
 
 / will not play my Ace of Trumps yet. 
 
 Points in Play. — There are only 
 seven ways by -wliicli points in play 
 can be made ; viz., by fifteens, by se- 
 quences, by pairs, by pairs-royal, by 
 the turning up of the knave, and by 
 making thirty-one, or the number 
 nearest thirty-one. 
 
 Points in Reckoning the hand and 
 crib can be made likewise only in seven 
 ways ; viz., by fifteens, by sequences, 
 by flushes, by pairs, by pairs-royal, by 
 double pairs-royal, and by the knave 
 being of the same suit as the card 
 turned up. 
 
 Explanation of Foregoing Terms. 
 — Fifteens : as often as a player 
 makes fifteen he scores two. 
 
 Seuuences : these are three or more 
 cards follo^ving in successive numbers : 
 and he who holds them scores a point 
 for every card in the combination. 
 
 Pair or Pairs. — Every pair made in 
 the play or hand reckons for two points. 
 Paih-royal. — This is three cards of 
 a similar sort held either in hand or 
 crib, and it scores six. Double Pair- 
 royal. — Four cards of a similar sort 
 make this combination, and it scores 
 twelve. The EInave. — If a player 
 hold a knave of the same suit as the 
 card turned up, he is, on reckoning his 
 hand, entitled to one point. Thirty- 
 one. — Every time a player makes this 
 amount he scores two. This, however, 
 applies only to the game when in pro- 
 gress, not to the summing up afterwards. 
 En/' Hole. — If neither of the players 
 make up thirty-one, he who plays the 
 card which makes up the niunber near- 
 est it scores one. A Flush. — This 
 means that all the cards in hand or crib 
 are of the same suit, in which case the 
 player is allowed to mark one point for 
 every card of which the flush is com- 
 posed. A flush cannot happen in play ; 
 it occurs only in computing the hand or 
 crib. 
 
 Laws of the Game. — The principal 
 laws of cribbage, briefly stated, are 
 these : — There must be a fresh cut for 
 single games, but not in rubbers, and 
 the lowest card wins the cut. In cut- 
 ting for deal, not less than four cards, 
 and not more than half the pack, should 
 
 be removed ; the cards are to be dealt 
 one by one. If the dealer in dealing 
 shows one of his adversary's cards, the 
 latter scores two points, &c. If there 
 be a misdeal, and the dealer be not 
 aware of it tiU one of the hands has 
 been taken up, the adversary may score 
 two, and the cards must be dealt over 
 again ; the dealer has the right to shuffle 
 the cards last, previous to the cards 
 being dealt. If the dealer give his ad- 
 versary more than five cards, the non- 
 dealer may mark two points, and there 
 must be a fresh deal. If either party 
 find that the other has more than five 
 cards in his hand, he can claim two 
 points and a new deal. If the pack 
 being dealt from be touched before 
 being cut for the start, the party touch- 
 ing it shall forfeit two points ; three 
 cards at least must be removed in cut- 
 ting for the start, and not less than four 
 be left behind. If a dealer neglect 
 scoring two points for a knave turned 
 up till he has played his first card, he 
 cannot take the two points : the non- 
 dealer must first turn out for the crib ; 
 he alone is entitled to touch the crib, 
 and any player confusing his cards with 
 the crib forfeits two points. Taking 
 more points than one is entitled to, 
 touching the pegs and replacing them, 
 &c. ; scoring a game as won which is 
 not won ; detectiag an adversary with 
 a greater or less number of cards than 
 he ought to have ; are all matters pro- 
 vided for by the rules, which prescribe 
 the manner in which some acts shall 
 be performed, and attach a penalty to 
 the performance of some acts and to 
 the neglect of others. All these regu- 
 lations and others will be found stated 
 in minute detail in those works that 
 profess to treat specially of the game. 
 
 In addition to the ordinary game 
 there are a few other games, differing 
 from it in certain details, to which it is 
 requisite briefly to refer ; these are 
 six-card cribbage, three-handed crib- 
 bage, and fom'-handed cribbage. 
 
 The Six-card Game. — This game 
 is said to be greatly inferior to the 
 ordinary game, which, as already 
 stated, is played with five cards, la 
 
The First Sup <?' a Fat Haggis is the Bauldest. 
 
 273 
 
 this game the dealer gives to himself 
 and his opponent six cards each. Each 
 player lays out two of these cards for 
 crib, retaining four in hand. The deal, 
 the start card, fifteens, sequences, and 
 the game point of sixty- one, are the 
 same as in the five-card game. The rules 
 are also for the most part similar. One 
 of the principal difierences between the 
 games is that it is the object in the 
 five-card game to get thiity-one, and 
 then abandon the remaining cards, 
 whereas in the six-card game all must 
 be played out. 
 
 The Three-handed Game. — The 
 name of this species of cribbage indi- 
 cates that it is played by three persons 
 instead of two, as in the ordinary game. 
 The board is made in a triangular shape, 
 with three sets of holes in it, of sixty 
 each set, and having a game-hole in 
 addition. The rules already mentioned 
 are applicable to this game ; the playing 
 is very similar to that in the game 
 already described, and each player acts 
 for himself. Five cards are dealt sepa- 
 rately, and after the fifteenth, the next, 
 or sixteenth card, is dealt for the crib, 
 to which each player adds one card, so 
 that the crib consists of four cards, and 
 each person has four cards in hand. 
 
 The Fouk-handed Game. — This 
 game is played by four persons, in part- 
 nerships of two, as in whist, and rubbers, 
 or single games, may be played. Sixty- 
 one is game ; but the players frequently 
 agree to go twice round the board, 
 which, with the game-hole, makes the 
 number a hundred and twenty-one. 
 Two of the four players manage the 
 scoring, and the other two are not per- 
 mitted to touch the board or pegs, and 
 the laws already stated are applicable 
 to this as well as to the other games. 
 Five cards are dealt to each player, 
 each of whom lays out one card for the 
 crib, which belongs to the dealer. This 
 being done, the pack is cut for the start. 
 The player on the left hand of the dealer 
 leads otf, and the player on his left 
 follows, and so on, till all the sixteen 
 cards are played out ; the fifteens, the 
 sequence, and pairs, &c., are reckoned 
 in the usual manner. "When either 
 
 player is unable to come in under 
 thirty-one, he declares it to be " a go," 
 and the right of play devolves upon the 
 player on his left hand. The game is 
 lively and amusing, and moderate at- 
 tention is all that is required in order 
 to play it well, notwithstanding the 
 various details ; for which, however, 
 our readers must consult the more 
 elaborate and complete treatises on the 
 game. 
 
 The Scotch. Haggis. — Our 
 English readers are not unaware that 
 their ingenious neighbours beyond the 
 borders occasionally distinguish them- 
 selves, if not for cookery, yet for many 
 qualities compared with which the culi- 
 nary art, important although it be, occu- 
 pies but a secondary place. Some of 
 our readers, doubtless, believe that no 
 dinner occurs in bonny Scotland at 
 which the national dish, the haggis, 
 does not figure ; and, moreover, that 
 the well-known ability, sagacity, and 
 caution which distinguish our Scottish 
 fellow-subjects, must be traceable to 
 their living on this remarkable dish, 
 with neither stint nor interruption 
 from youth to age. Nevertheless, we 
 who have often visited " Caledonia, 
 stem and wild," or rather, the native 
 land of the haggis, can vouch that the 
 dish has unhappily become very rare, 
 and that the " great chieftain of the 
 pudding race" hardly ever exhibits his 
 "sonsy face" at the social gatherings 
 in the " Land o' Cakes ;" and that, 
 alas ! the roast beef of old England is 
 superseding the venerable haggis of 
 Scotland, as the language of the Sas- 
 senach does that of the Gael. "We feel 
 called upon, therefore, to make a record 
 of this celebrated preparation, lest, like 
 the dodo, it become extinct, and with 
 the loss of the haggis, our fellow-coun- 
 trymen lose the ability which that 
 talent-inspiring food has had so much 
 to do in conferring. 
 
 To Cook the Haggis. — Our readers 
 will find the following directions ser- 
 viceable : — Take a sheep's pluck, clean 
 it thoroughly, making incisions into 
 the heart and liver, that the cleans- 
 ing process may be the better carried 
 
2 74 Dost thou think there shall be no more Cakes and Ale ? 
 
 out. Parboil it, letting the wind- 
 pipe hang out over the edge of the 
 pot, and after the water has boiled a 
 short time, changing it for fresh 
 water. Boil for half an hour: but 
 let the half of the liver be so boiled 
 that it will become dry and capable of 
 being grated ; take the heart, the other 
 half of the liver, and part of the lights, 
 trim away the skin and all black-look- 
 ing parts, and mince them well, along 
 with a pound of good beef suet and fom- 
 or five onions. Grate the other half of 
 the Uver, and have a dozen small onions 
 peeled and scalded ready to mix with 
 this mince. Have ready likewise some 
 finely ground oatmeal, which has been 
 toasted slowly before the fire for hours 
 till of a light brown colour, and per- 
 fectly dry. About two teacupfuls of 
 the meal will be sufficient for the quan- 
 tity of meat. Spread the mince on a 
 boai'd, strew the oatmeal lightly over 
 it along with a high seasoning of pep- 
 per, salt, and a little cayenne well mixed 
 together. Have the haggis bag (which 
 is a sheep's stomach) ready and per- 
 fectly cleaned, taking care that no part 
 of it is thin enough to endanger its 
 bursting. Put in the meat prepared as 
 described, and along with it half a pint 
 of good beef gravy. Do not fiU the 
 bag too full; but allow room for the 
 contents of it to swell ; add the juice of 
 a lemon ; press out the air and sew up 
 the bag, and put it into the saucepan, 
 pricking it with a needle when it first 
 swells in the pot to prevent bursting, 
 and let it boil slowly for about three 
 hours. 
 
 Luncheon Cake for 
 Children. — Procure half a quartern 
 of dough from the baker's, roll it out, 
 and break into it six ounces of butter, 
 add half a pound of moist sugar, two 
 eggs, two ounces of candied peel shred 
 fine ; beat all these ingredients up, let 
 it stand half an hour to rise, and bake 
 in a tin or in small loaves at pleasure. 
 The dough may be made at home by 
 thoroughly mixing with each pound of 
 dry flour, a heaped-up teaspoonful of 
 Yeatman's yeast powder and a little 
 salt, pouring on gradually half a pint 
 
 of cold water or milk, and making the 
 dough into the usual consistence very 
 quickly. 
 
 A Nice Plain Cake. — This is made 
 with baking powder, one pound of sul- 
 tanas, a quarter of a poimd of moist 
 sugar, one pound of flour, a quarter of a 
 pound of butter rubbed into the flour, 
 the same weight of candied peel, and 
 two dessert-spoonfuls of bakingpowder; 
 then add half a pint of new milk, luke- 
 warm, and one egg. This cake must 
 be put into the oven immediately. 
 
 Another Receipt. — Take a quartern 
 loaf of dough, and mix with it half a 
 pound of sugar, one pound each of butter, 
 raisins, currants, four eggs, two ounces 
 of orange peel, two nutmegs, half an 
 ounce mixed spices, a few blanched 
 almonds, and a few caraway seeds. 
 
 Dough Nuts. — Take two 
 dishes and sift three quarters of a 
 pound of flour into each. Make a hole 
 in the centre of the flour in one of them, 
 and pour in a wineglass of the best 
 yeast. Mix the flour gradually into 
 it, wettiug it with a little milk ; cover 
 and set it by the fire to rise for two 
 hours. This is setting the sponge. 
 Cut up five oimces of butter in pieces, 
 and rub it well into the flour in the 
 other dish ; add half a pound of pow- 
 dered sugar, a little nutmeg, a table- 
 spoonful of rose water, and a tumbler 
 of milk ; beat three eggs, and stir them 
 well into the mixture. Add all these 
 ingredients to the sponge as soon as it 
 is light ; cover it all up again, and set 
 it by the fire for another hour to rise, 
 then flour the board, place the dough 
 on it, and cut it in shapes, or roll it 
 into balls the size of small pippins. If 
 it seems too soft, add a little flour. Put 
 the dough nuts into boiling lard, fry 
 them brown and sprinkle sugar over 
 them. 
 
 Dinner Rolls. — One pound of 
 flour, a quarter of a pound of butter, 
 one tablespoonful of good yeast, one 
 egg, a little warm milk. Rub the butter 
 into the flour, then add the yeast, 
 breaking in the egg. Mix it with a 
 little warm milk poured into the middle 
 of the flour ; stir all well together, and 
 
Fish are not to be Caught with a Bird-call. 
 
 275 
 
 set it by the fire to rise ; then make it 
 into light (lough, and again set it by 
 the fire. Make up the rolls, lay them 
 on a tin, and set them in front of the 
 fire for ten minutes before you put them 
 into the oven ; brush them over with 
 egg- 
 
 Abernethy Biscuits. — Dis- 
 solve a quarter of a pound of butter in 
 half a pint of warm milk, and with four 
 pounds of fine flour, a few caraways, 
 and half a pound of sugar, make a stiff 
 but smooth paste ; to render the bis- 
 cuits short and light, add half a drachm 
 of carbonate of ammonia in powder. 
 Eoll out very thin ; stamp the biscuits, 
 pricking them with a fork, and bake in 
 tins, in a quick oven. 
 
 Best Gingerbread. — Mix 
 two pounds and a half of flour with half 
 a pound of butter, the rind of a lemon 
 grated, four ounces of moist sugar, and 
 half an ounce of pounded ginger ; make 
 this into a paste with one pound and a 
 half of warm treacle ; lay it in cakes on 
 a tin plate, and bake. 
 
 Finger Gingerbread. — Mix two 
 pounds of flour with half a pound of 
 treacle, three quarters of an ounce of 
 caraways, one ounce of ginger finely 
 sifted, and eight ounces of butter. Roll 
 this paste into the form of fingers, and, 
 after a great deal of working and allow- 
 ing it to rise, bake on a tin in a rather 
 quick oven. 
 
 To keep French Beans 
 Fresh for Winter (an Origi- 
 nal Receipt). — Procure a wide-mouthed 
 stone jar, lay on the bottom of it some 
 freshly pulled French beans, and over 
 them put a layer of salt; fill the jar up 
 in this manner with alternate layers of 
 beans and salt. The beans need not 
 ell be put in at the same time, but 
 they are better if the salt be put on 
 while they are quite fresh. They will 
 keep good all through the winter. 
 When going to use them, steep for some 
 hours in fresh cold water. 
 
 Ho"w to manage and 
 breed Gold-fish. — On the prin- 
 ciple that one fact is worth a shipload 
 of arguments, we feel that the best 
 information we can gi-\'e on this sub- 
 
 ject is to detail the experience of a 
 well-known naturalist, Mr. Carey, the 
 honorary curator of the museum at 
 Ryde, Isle of Wight. He says: — "In 
 the spring of 1866 I put into one of 
 my tanks, two feet long, one foot wide, 
 and six inches deep, with a rustic bas- 
 ket in the centre filled with gravel, and 
 planted with watercresses and other 
 water plants, three gold-fish, two fe- 
 males and one male. Going into the 
 room one day I observed the water, 
 which had always been clear, very 
 muddy. Seeing the water in such a 
 disturbed state, I at once knew that 
 spawning was going on. I looked with 
 a microscope and saw a number of 
 little golden balls sticking on the roots 
 of the cresses. The thought struck me 
 that, if I removed the ova, I could 
 breed them, as the fish are known to 
 devour their young. I put a handful 
 of gravel and some weeds into a glass 
 sugar-basin. I then, with a pair of 
 tweezers, picked ofi' the roots, with the 
 ova sticking on them, and put them 
 into the basin. In eight days I had a 
 shoal of little fishes. To watch the 
 development of the ova, I put three or 
 four into a zoophyte trough, which I 
 placed underthe microscope and watched 
 daily. On the third day a dark spot 
 made its appearance ; on the fifth, I 
 could trace the form of a fish, curled up, 
 with its tail to its head, exactly as are 
 seen the whitings trussed for cooking. 
 This increased in size until the eighth 
 day, when the egg split open, and the 
 little fish wriggled out tail first. A 
 short time after I removed the fish from 
 the basin into a garden seed-pan, about 
 one foot diameter and six inches deep. 
 In 1867 1 repeated this process, and then 
 I distinctly saw the year-old fish swal- 
 lowing their brothers and sisters of a 
 few days old ; I therefore removed the 
 former to a separate pan. The first, 
 eighteen months old, are now about an 
 inch and a quarter long; the S'' ond, 
 six months old, about half an iac'.i. A 
 large number of these fish die at about 
 six months old. 
 
 "In 1868 I again removed the ova, 
 and when the little creatures appeared, 
 
276 
 
 Pin not your Faith on another's Sleeve. 
 
 I placed them beside their brothers and 
 sisters of the year before ; but I speed- 
 ily proved that these creatures destroy 
 their young." 
 
 To Make Good Coffee.— 
 Every one who has been in France 
 returns full of praise of the superior 
 excellence of the French coffee. This 
 depends entirely on the greater care 
 with which the extract is prepared. 
 In some French houses the morning 
 cafe au lait is made in this manner : — 
 About a tablespoonful of a strong black 
 liquid is poured into each breakfast-cup, 
 the cup is then filled up with hot boiled 
 milk. Each person sweetens for him- 
 self. This very rich essence of coffee 
 is made by putting a large quantity of 
 coffee into a common French cafetiere 
 (which is previously thoroughly heated 
 with boiling water), and slowly pouring 
 over it a smallquantity of boiling water ; 
 the cafetiere is kept close to the fire, 
 where its contents can be as hot as 
 possible without boUing. "When the 
 water has drained through, the essence 
 of coffee thus procured is poured off 
 into a jug and put away for use. It 
 is always used cold. This plan makes 
 excellent cafe au lait, without any 
 of the oily, unnatural flavour that 
 pervades all the "essence of coffee" 
 usually sold in England. But nothing 
 can be better than coffee made in the 
 ordinary manner with the common 
 French cafetiere. It is only necessary 
 to have good coffee freshly ground (we 
 prefer a mixture of two-thi -ds planta- 
 tion to one-third Mocha), n xed with 
 about an eighth of its weight c ^hicory. 
 When made strong with perfci y boil- 
 ing water, it will give as good a I verage 
 as can be procured. The cafetiere must 
 be heated before it is used, and kept 
 hot during the process of percolation. 
 Of course it is indispensable to the 
 proper making of coffee in this way to 
 have plenty of boiling milk and loaf 
 sugar. 
 
 The Kaffee Kanne. — This 
 is the name given to a new and excellent 
 kind ot coffee-pot, combining the best 
 qualities of the percolator with the 
 ordinary cofi'ee-pot. It can either be 
 
 placed on the fire, or heated by means 
 of a spirit-lamp. It consists of two 
 pots in one, on a moveable tin stand, 
 underneath which the spirit lamp ia 
 placed. The outer casing or "jacket" 
 of tin has a lip, into which suffi- 
 cient hot water is poured to fill the 
 cavity between the outer and inner pot. 
 The Avater in this outside jacket is kept 
 boiling by means of the tire or lamp ; 
 and the coflfee is put on a tightly fitting 
 flannel strainer in the inner pot ; boiling 
 water is gently poured over it, and iu 
 less than five minutes clear, bright, 
 strong coffee may be drawn off through 
 the tap in the bottom of the kaffee 
 kanne. 
 
 The coffee made in this way is much 
 more aromatic, as well as economical, 
 than when boiled. We speak from 
 some experience, having used the kaffee 
 kanne daily for some time, and found it 
 in every way satisfactory. It is patented 
 by Mr. Ash, and is manufactured by 
 the Piston Freezing Machiae and Ice 
 Company. 
 
 Pins. — The useful implements so 
 called, and which are employed for 
 holding together parts of the dress, 
 were originally made of bone, ivory, 
 silver, and wood, and were frequently of 
 a large size. It appears to have been 
 about the middle of the fifteenth cen- 
 tury when pins such as are now used 
 came to be known in this country. 
 The number of pins consumed in the 
 whole kingdom is estimated at sixteen 
 millions per day. There are several 
 varieties of pins. One of the best are 
 those in which the wire is very stiff, 
 and the head and body of the pin are of 
 one piece ; and these are likewise greatly 
 superior to the common sort. The pro- 
 cesses necessary for the manufacture of 
 pins are extremely ingenious and in- 
 teresting. 
 
 All the various modes of operation re- 
 quisite to the art of pin-making em- 
 ployed for one pin, would occupy more 
 than 71 hours; yet the division of labour 
 by means of which such immense num- 
 bers are manufactured at one time, 
 places them within the reach of every 
 one, and at a very moderate price. 
 
Gardeimig has been the Choice of Kings and Philosophers. 277 
 
 Garden Edgings.—Much of 
 the order and beauty of a gardeu de- 
 pends upon the edgings that are adopted, 
 for if these are uneven and irregular, 
 the garden, whether for useful or orna- 
 mental purposes, will appear ill-kept, 
 hoM'ever beautiful the flowers or valu- 
 able the plants may be which it con- 
 tains. 
 
 Box Edgixgs. — Edgings are used for 
 the separation of the walks from the 
 flower borders, and the indication of 
 the figures of the beds or subdivisions 
 of the garden. Probably the best edg- 
 ing formed of a plant is that of dwarf 
 box, neatly clipped and frequently 
 transplanted ; it possesses several ad- 
 vantages, it harmonizes with the plants 
 it smrounds, it may be clipped with 
 impimity, and it can be arranged in 
 any lines that are required. 
 
 The only objection to box edgings is 
 that, being a close-growing plant, it 
 forms a secure asylum for slugs and 
 various other insects, all of which are 
 destructive in a garden. 
 
 Thin pavement, such as the Welsh 
 slate or Caithness pavement, set on 
 edge, is well adapted for the purpose. 
 Hard burnt fireclay, bricks, and tiles 
 are also employed as edgings, and are 
 well suited to the purpose from the 
 circumstance that they are capable of 
 being fonned into curved lines. Cast 
 iron edgings are found remarkably 
 useful, from their durability when 
 kept painted, and the facility with 
 which they can be formed into any 
 lines or curves required. Various 
 cements and asphalts have been used 
 as edgings ; but, as a general rule, they 
 have the disadvantage of being afiected 
 by the weather. 
 
 Tiles. — The best and most useful 
 edgings in a small garden are certainly 
 tiles, which are not expensive to 
 provide in the first place ; they take 
 up very little room, and last good for 
 many years. They always look neat ; 
 and, if it be desirable to hide them, 
 there are many plants used for borders, 
 Buch as several species of Sedum, the 
 Cineraria maritima, and the sweet 
 Alysmm variegata. Any of these, if 
 
 planted close inside the tiles, will quickly 
 grow, so as quite to overshadow them, 
 and will appear as if they only formed 
 the edging. 
 
 Rustic Stands for 
 Flowers. — These may be made of 
 various forms, and are both useful and 
 ornamental when placed on lawns or 
 flower-gardens to which hares or rab- 
 bits have access ; they afford the means 
 of cultivating flowers by placing tlicm 
 beyond the reach of these depredators, 
 thus proving of no inconsiderable 
 utility in addition to their merely 
 ornamental character. The figures and 
 characters in which these stands may 
 be made are infinite in number and 
 variety, and without the aid of the en- 
 graver we should find it both difficult 
 and laborious to furnish descriptions of 
 them sufficiently clear. Basket-work 
 and wirework are well adapted for this 
 purpose, and our readers will find a 
 visit of a few minutes to the manufac- 
 turer of wicker-work or iron wire orna- 
 ments will furnish them with much 
 more definite ideas of the forms and 
 character of the rustic stands in ques- 
 tion, than a mere description, ho%^'ever 
 elaborate. Much elegant taste is like- 
 wise displayed in the stands ; they 
 can frequently be purchased at the 
 flower and seed shops in London and 
 elsewhere. 
 
 Propagation of Shrubs 
 by Suckers. — The various 
 methods of propagation are among the 
 most diflictilt and curious in the art of 
 gardening. One of these modes is that 
 of propagating by suckers, which, how- 
 ever, is simpler and less difiicult than 
 some of the other means of accomplish- 
 ing the object in view. Suckers are 
 merely the underground shoots or run- 
 ners of the plant. Some of these run 
 to a considerable distance, such as the 
 narrow-leaved ehn, the robinia, the 
 physalis, &c. Others are much more 
 limited in the length to which they 
 travel, as, for instance, the lilac, the arti- 
 choke, and the saponaria. In the pro- 
 cess of propagating by suckers, all that 
 is requisite is to dig up the plant and 
 ctit off the small plants or suckers, 
 
27^ There is no Art that is too Difficult for I/idustry to attain to. 
 
 taking care that a portion of root is 
 attached to each ; after which the top 
 ought to be reduced by cutting off from 
 the fourth to the half of the shoot, in 
 order to adapt it to the reduced condi- 
 tion of the root ; it must then be placed 
 either in that part of the garden set 
 aside as the nursery, or, if it be a hardy 
 plant, it may be planted in the place 
 where it is intended finally to remain. 
 
 Hints on Netting. — Net- 
 ting, or knotting, as it was sometimes 
 called, was a favourite employment for 
 ladies about the end of the last century. 
 It seems then to have fallen into dis- 
 favour for some time, and latterly it 
 has been re^dved, and appears to be 
 more fashionable than ever, being the 
 foundation on which the beautiful work 
 called " Guipiire d'Art " is made. 
 
 The Stitches used in Netting 
 are simple and easily learned, and it 
 possesses this advantage over either 
 knitting or crochet, that each stitch is 
 complete in itself, and is so firmly fas- 
 tened that it cannot be undone without 
 considerable difficulty ; there is, there- 
 fore, none of that misery to unskilful 
 knitters known as "di'opped stitches." 
 The work is pretty and ladylike in its 
 execution. 
 
 The Implements are two only, a 
 needle and a mesh ; the needles for fine 
 netting are of steel, with a split in each 
 end, through which the thread is wound. 
 The size depends on the kind of work 
 to be done ; for wool the needle is of 
 bone, or wood if very coarse wool is to 
 be used. The mesh, if large, is of 
 Avood or bone, flat like a paper folder ; 
 if for very fine netting, it is round 
 like a knitting needle, but rather shoi-ter, 
 and made of steel. 
 
 Diamond Netting is the name given 
 to the commonest stitch in netting. To 
 commence this, fill the netting needle 
 with rather coarse knitting cotton. 
 Take a piece of strong cord, form a 
 quarter of a yard of it into a round : 
 fasten this round either to a screw pin- 
 cushion, or to a bridle of tape long 
 enough to i)ass under the foot of the 
 worker, and to bring the roiind to a 
 convenient height ; tie the end of the 
 
 thread in the needle to this ; then take 
 a mesh half an inch wide in the left 
 hand, hold it close to the cord, put the 
 thread over it, and hold it firmly with 
 the thumb of that hand. Take the 
 needle in the right hand, let the thread 
 fall over the mesh and the third finger, 
 bring it round under the mesh, and 
 hold it between the thumb and first 
 finger; then slip the needle through the 
 loop, under the mesh and the foimda- 
 tion cord. By doing this a loop will be 
 formed, which must fall over and be re- 
 tained by the fourth finger ; then with- 
 draw the third finger, and draw the 
 loop off the fourth finger gradually 
 imtil it is close up to the mesh ; hold 
 the left thumb close over the mesh 
 while this stitch is being made. "When 
 a proper number of stitches are put on 
 the foundation cord, net backwards 
 and forwards in the same way till a 
 sufiicient-sized piece is formed. A 
 little practice soon renders any person 
 expert in netting. 
 
 Square Netting is formed by be- 
 ginning at the comer on one stitch, 
 and netting two stitches in one in the 
 last stitch of every row until the size 
 required is attained ; then decrease by 
 netting two together at the end of 
 every row until there is only one stitch 
 left. This is the stitch used in Guipure 
 d'Art. 
 
 Honeycomb Netting. — This stitch 
 is pretty for curtains. It consists 
 merely of netting one plain row, then 
 net in the ordinary way the second 
 stitch before the first all through the 
 next row, net the third row plain, and 
 begin the fourth with one plain stitch ; 
 then net alternately the second and 
 first through the whole row. 
 
 Herring-bone Netting is done by 
 taking the second stitch first always, 
 without a plain row between. 
 
 These two stitches along with Grecian 
 netting, which is much more compli- 
 cated, are used for netting curtains, 
 antimacassars, &c. By far the pret- 
 tiest, however, of these patterns, are 
 the square and diamond netting Avhen 
 they are ornamented by patterns darned 
 on them in soft embroidery cotton. 
 
The Road to Home Happiness lies over Sihall Stepping-stones. 279 
 
 For this purpose the piece of netting 
 is required to be stretched to a square 
 shape, and then darned. A printed 
 pattern for crochet, or even an easy 
 Berlin wool pattern, may be followed 
 with excellent effect. The Guipure 
 d'Art is more troublesome ; the stitches 
 being those used in Guipure lace, wbich 
 would require more space to explain 
 than could well be devoted to it in a 
 work like the present. 
 
 Hints on Home Deco- 
 ration. — DiAPHANiE. — This is a 
 process by means of which coloured de- 
 signs may be transferred from the paper 
 on which they are originally printed, for 
 the decoration in colours of glass which 
 is intended to admit light. It is, in fact, 
 a method of glass-staining which costs 
 only a fraction of the expense of the 
 ancient process, produces quite as bold 
 and brilliant effects, is sufficiently 
 durable for all ordinary purposes, and 
 can be practised by amateurs of either 
 sex at their own homes. That dia- 
 phanie fully answers the pui-pose for 
 which it is mainly intended — the stain- 
 ing of glass — is abundantly proved by 
 the fact that many church windows are 
 coloured by means of it, and that they 
 are esteemed quite as telling and beau- 
 tiful specimens of decoration as those 
 that owe their origin to the old and 
 expensive art. For ordinary purposes 
 the process may be described in a few 
 words. In the first place, designs must 
 be obtained, and these can be got in 
 every variety, and suitable for any size 
 of window or pane. First wet the 
 hack, or the uncoloured side, with a 
 sponge and cold water, and apply a 
 coating of prepared transferring varnish 
 to the coloured surface with a wide 
 camel-hair brush. Then at once apply 
 the cemented side to the glass in the 
 proper position, and press down with a 
 roller. To insure success, two or three 
 sheets of paper should be laid upon the 
 back of the design before the using 
 of the roller is commenced; then begin 
 rolling from the centre outward to the cir- 
 cumference. The work is now to be left 
 until the varnish has become perfectly 
 dry, which it will do in two days. The 
 
 design has by this time become printed 
 upon the glass, and the next step is to 
 remove the paper from w^hich the design 
 has been transferred. This is done by 
 wetting and gently rubbing with a cloth 
 or sponge. "When the paper has been 
 wholly removed, a thin coating of 
 " clearing liquid " is applied to the de- 
 sign, and when this has become per- 
 fectly dry, one or two coatings of the 
 "washable varnish" are laid on, and 
 the work is finished. 
 
 No special knowledge of art is re- 
 quired for the practice of diaphanie. 
 The work is especially suitable for hall 
 and lobby doors and windows, for 
 school and chiirch windows, staircase, 
 study, and other windows in houses 
 where it may be desirable to shut out 
 the prospect of a smoke-dried back yard, 
 or a range of mews. The special ad- 
 vantage of diaphanie is that while im- 
 parting a graceful and artistic character 
 wherever used, it does not exclude the 
 light, and it renders blinds unnecessarJ^ 
 
 It should be specially kept in view 
 that the designs must be transfen-ed 
 before the glass is fitted to the window, 
 and that the coloured side is kept 
 in-wards. The glass may be cleaned 
 in the usual manner, if ordinary care be 
 taken, as the coatings of " washable 
 varnish ' ' are quite a sufficient protec- 
 tion to the picture. . 
 
 Modelling in Clay. — As an in- 
 teresting, intellectual occupation for 
 leisure hours, modelling in clay has 
 recently been looked upon, especially 
 by ladies, with growing favour ; partly 
 from the circumstance that the Piincess 
 Louise has for years practised it with 
 the ardour of an amateur, and at the 
 same time with the success of a pro- 
 fessional. That modelling is a perfectly 
 suitable and becoming, as it certainly is 
 a fascinating employment for ladies, is 
 established beyond question by the mere 
 fact that our gifted princess practises it. 
 The occupation is really a cleanly one, 
 though at first it might not be thought 
 80. The clay employed is fine white 
 clay — the clay of which pipes are made, 
 — and is readily removed by washing. 
 And though no sensible amateur would 
 
28o 
 
 Difficulties give way to Diligence. 
 
 willingly set up his modelling apparatus 
 in a dxawing-room if he could obtain 
 the use of a room less expensively fur- 
 nished, yet even here the work may be 
 carried on by an ordinarily careful 
 person -without endangering carpet or 
 furniture. 
 
 Of the noble art of sculpture, model- 
 ling is by far the most important part — 
 is the only part, in fact, which exclu- 
 sively employs the genius of the sculp- 
 tor himself; for the subsequent pro- 
 cesses of casting and carving in marble 
 are carried out in great part, if not 
 entirely, by workmen and assistants. 
 The tools employed are chiefly those 
 with which nature has furnished us — 
 the fingers and thumbs ; and, as clay 
 can be purchased for a mere trifle, the 
 materiel required in modelling will 
 cost the amateur no more than a very 
 few shillings. 
 
 Under the article designated Wood- 
 carving (page 281), it is stated that 
 that art will be prosecuted all the more 
 successfullj'' if the student have ac- 
 quired some little skUl in modelling; 
 for this accomplishment will enable 
 him to produce a model of the object 
 he designs to carve ; and this pattern 
 wiU be a guide whereby he may work 
 with certainty, and thus he will have 
 provided against failure — the waste of 
 material and the -loss of time. But 
 modelling should be pursued for its 
 own sake — it is its own reward. And 
 the reward is not long deferred if the 
 student work with care ; for it is a well- 
 known fact that satisfactory results are 
 produced by a less amount of labour in 
 modelling than in drawing or painting. 
 
 In carving we cut down our material 
 to the desired form ; in modelling we 
 build up our clay to the required form. 
 The process consists of laying on the 
 clay and smoothing down until gra- 
 dually the model assumes the full pro- 
 portions of the object we desire to re- 
 produce. Siippose, then, we have to 
 copy a vase in low relief, from a plaster 
 cast. We place the cast before us ; 
 and, having provided a slate slab, we 
 draw upon the slab the outline of the 
 cast with a slate pencil. Preserving 
 
 this drawing as the outline, we com- 
 mence to lay on the clay, modelling it 
 as we proceed with the fingers. This 
 process is continued until the model 
 projects from the slab precisely as the 
 vase does in the casts ; and is, in fact, 
 a fac-simile of it. If the vase have no 
 ornamentation upon it — and the sim- 
 plest possible copy should be selected 
 for a first attempt in modelling — this 
 work may all be done with the fingers. 
 When there is ornamentation, the clay 
 must be laid on cautiously and worked 
 into form by means of the tools, which 
 are usually made of boxwood, with 
 points resembling the extremities of 
 the fingers in shape. When the 
 student has had some little prac- 
 tice in manipulating the clay and re- 
 producing simple forms, he should 
 attempt to copy a simple mask — like 
 that of Dante — in which the surfaces 
 are broad, the features large and sharply 
 defined, so that the whole of the work 
 may be done with the thumbs and 
 fingers. These masks or faces may be 
 obtained at a trifling cost from any 
 figure-moulder. 
 
 To Copy Masks, we requii-e a 
 board over two feet in length and 
 more than a foot broad. We fix 
 the plaster cast toM'ards one end of the 
 board ; and having wetted the other 
 extremity to make our clay adhere, we 
 proceed to build up the clay until the 
 mass has assiuued the proportions of the 
 cast. The process wiil consist of lay- 
 ing on the clay and smoothing it down 
 with the thumbs. We must have re- 
 course to tools in fioisbing the lines of 
 the eye, the nostril, and the mouth. A 
 finished surface can be given by means 
 of pressing the clay all over firraly with 
 the tbiimb. While copying a mask or 
 bust, the amateur will take care to keep 
 the work damp by covering it with a wet 
 cloth. After some practice in cojjying 
 masks the student may attempt fruit 
 and foliage, decorative work, and studies 
 in still life. He may afterwards at- 
 tempt a medallion portrait or a bust ; 
 but, by the time he has so far advanced 
 as to be able to grapple successfully 
 with these tasks, he will have acquired 
 
Dexterity comes by Experience. 
 
 281 
 
 more knowledge of his subject than we 
 in the limits of this article can give. 
 
 Wood-Carving. — One of the most 
 interesting varieties of home decorative 
 art is carving in -wood. Hundreds 
 of articles that are in use in every 
 drawing-room, boudoir, library, and 
 dressing-room, may be made orna- 
 mental, and even artistic as well as 
 useful, by being carved ; while the 
 amount of technical skill required to 
 produce very pleasing effects may 
 easily be obtained by amateurs of either 
 sex without the aid of a master. We 
 do not say that wood-carving can be 
 practised, like de'calcomanie and dia- 
 phanie, with the same success by all ; 
 but a moderate degree of proficiency 
 may readily be attained by every atten- 
 tive amateur, while the higher regions 
 of the art lie open to all those who arc 
 at once neat-handed, tasteful, and able 
 to draw or model. That wood-carving 
 for the puqioses of the decoration of 
 home may be mastered without extra- 
 ordinary effort seems to be proved by 
 the fact that tliis domestic art — if we 
 may so name it — has established itself 
 as a fashionable amusement, and a 
 usefid evening employment, for both 
 ladies and gentlemen. 
 
 The Gouge, Chisel, and Mallet, 
 are the chief implements used in wood- 
 carving ; but a properly furnished tool- 
 box ought to include a rasp, file, 
 and grounding-punch, as well as the 
 necessary stock of gouges and chisels, 
 amounting in number to from one to 
 two dozen. The use of the various 
 tools must be learned by practice ; but 
 of course, even at the beginning, the 
 amateur will understand that the large 
 gouge with the rounded corners is to 
 be used for "blocking out;" the V 
 chisel, so named from the shape 
 of its sbarp-pointed blade, is used for 
 cutting deep, narrow lines ; the file for 
 finishing, and the grounding punch for 
 stamping the roughened background 
 when the carving is finished. 
 
 The Practice of Wood-Carving. — 
 The drawing and cutting out go together 
 through every stage of the process ; 
 indeed, the carver may be said to draw 
 
 ^vith his chisel just as a painter is said 
 to draw with his brush, or the engraver 
 with his burin. Every cut of the 
 chisel, then, should be made with the 
 aim of striking the outline of the object 
 on which the carver is engaged. 
 
 Carving in Low Relief. — Carving 
 in low relief is a design in which the 
 objects project only slightly from the 
 background. The design is either drawn 
 upon the block, as in the case of wood 
 engraving, or the drawing, on paper, 
 is pasted upon it. The carver has then 
 before him the objects and the ground, 
 and he sets to work "sinking" the 
 ground to the requisite depth with a 
 medium-sized gouge, and afterwards 
 levelling it with a chisel. The objects 
 are left standing out in relief, and the 
 upper surface of these has then to be 
 formed. Suppose the design of which 
 we have been speaking is intended fur 
 a picture-frame, and consists of leaves 
 and flowers growing from a twisted 
 stem. We draw or paste this design 
 upon the wood of the fiame, and we 
 then " sink" the ground. The flowers, 
 leaves, and stem Avill then be lefl in 
 outline, but ^vith flat surfaces. Our 
 next business is to round the stem, to 
 hollow out the undulations of the leaves 
 with a large gouge, so as to give them 
 the exact form they appear to have on 
 a shaded design, and to carve the petals 
 of the flowers. To give distinctness 
 and strength we then cut out the wood 
 round the edges of the pattern with the 
 sharp V chisel. Sand paper may now 
 be applied to the pattern « discretion, 
 and the ground made uniform in tone 
 and texture by stamping with the 
 grounding punch. 
 
 Bold Carving, or carving in high 
 relief— that is, when the object projects 
 boldly from the block, — is more diffi- 
 cult. Suppose, merely for example, 
 that we had to carve in wood a copy of 
 one of Landseer's lions couchant on its 
 pedestal in Trafalgar Square. This is 
 a simple subject, but on that account 
 it will seiwe all the better as an 
 illustration of the different processes of 
 "bold" carving. Our first necessity 
 will be to procure a prepared block of 
 
282 
 
 Dogs Bark as they are Bred. 
 
 walnut or other suitable wood, of (say) 
 eight inches in length, six inches in 
 breadth, and four and a half inches in 
 depth. We shall require two designs ; 
 one of which gives a "plan" of the 
 subject, or the appearance it would 
 present when looked at from above ; the 
 other presents a side view. On the top 
 of the block we draw or paste on the 
 " plan," and on the sides of the block 
 we draw hoj'izontal lines to mark the 
 line of the top of the pedestal, and the 
 line of its base. We then, beginning 
 at the top, block out the design, using 
 the mallet in the right hand, and ap- 
 plying the suitable gouge with our 
 left. The "plan" on the top will 
 keep us from catling in on the figure, 
 and the lines round the sides will keep 
 us from cutting down into the pedestal 
 and groimd. On the side of the block 
 we then draw the outline of the figure, 
 the pedestal, t&c, and proceed to clear 
 away the useless wood. The work is 
 now blocked out, and, laying down our 
 mallet and taking the handle of the 
 gouge or chisel in our right, and 
 guiding and steadying its blade with 
 the fingers of our left, we proceed to 
 the details, cutting out the various fea- 
 tures, and completing the work. Work 
 of this kind is perhaps best done from 
 a model. (See Modelling, page 279.) 
 
 Care should be taken never to cut 
 exactly with the grain, else the carver 
 will be liable to split the wood. The 
 necessary tools for wood-carving may be 
 obtained from the regular tool-makers, 
 and at fancy shops. At the latter also 
 designs may be obtained. 
 
 The Domestic Dog. — 
 " More docile than man," says the 
 eloquent Butfon, " more obedient than 
 any other animal, he is not only in- 
 structed in a short time, but he also 
 conforms to the dispositions and man- 
 ners of those who command him. He 
 takes his tone from the house he in- 
 habits ; like other domestics, he is dis- 
 dainful among the great, and churlish 
 among clowns. He knows a beggar 
 by his clothing, by his voice, or his 
 gestiu'es, and forbids his approach. At 
 night, when the protection of the house 
 
 is committed to him, he seems proud 
 of his charge ; he continues a watchful 
 sentinel; he goes his rounds, scents 
 strangers at a distance, and gives them 
 warning of his being on duty. If they 
 attempt to break in upon his territories, 
 he becomes more fierce, flies at them, 
 threatens, fights, or either conquers 
 alone, or alarms those who have an 
 interest in coming to his assistance ; 
 and when he has conquered he quietly 
 reposes upon his spoil, and abstains 
 from abusing his victory, giving thus 
 a lesson at once of coirrage, moderation, 
 and fidelity." 
 
 These are eloquent M^ords, but not 
 more eloquent than the subject most 
 justly merits. We shall now present 
 our readers with a few notices of those 
 dogs which principally come under the 
 description of domestic dogs, omitting 
 those which are sporting dogs, strictly 
 so called. 
 
 The Newfoundland Dog. — This 
 dog is remarkable for the symmetry of 
 his form, as well as for his acuteness. 
 There are two distinct breeds of this 
 species — one large and the other small. 
 The larger variety measures fiom the 
 tip of the nose to the point of the tail 
 about six feet and a half. His feet are 
 webbed, and as a water-dog he has no 
 equal, being capable of swimming and 
 floating for hours without suffering 
 from the long immersion. He possesses 
 extraordinary sagacity, which has been 
 repeatedly displa5'ed in saving persons 
 in danger of drowning. Of his extra- 
 ordinary skill in this respect very many 
 striking evidences are on record, all 
 attesting the great value of the animal. 
 He makes an excellent watch-dog. 
 
 The Old English Mastiff. — This 
 dog is a native of England, but is by 
 no means so generally met with as the 
 dog above referred to. He is remark- 
 able for his great courage and power. 
 His height is generally about twenty- 
 nine to thiiiy-one inches, and when 
 M^ell broke and of fine temper — an 
 indispensable quality in an animal of 
 such great physical strength— he is an 
 invaluable dog for a keeper, and more 
 to be trusted than the Newfoundland. 
 
DflS's that Bark at a Distance never Bite. 
 
 '83 
 
 His sense of smell is very acute, and 
 ho is capable of discharging the duties 
 of a watch-dog with admirable fidelity 
 and vigilance. 
 
 The Watch-Dog. — A great many 
 varieties of the dog possess the instinct 
 by which they are led to watch and 
 protect the propei-ty of their masters, 
 but in those properly called watch-dogs 
 this faculty is most highly developed. 
 The dog now referred to has not the 
 long flowing hair of the collie or shep- 
 herd's dog, but is nearly smooth. He 
 is a trusty and faithful servant, and 
 has great sagacity, and watches with 
 great assiduity his master's cattle, and 
 is invaluable as a guard to the house- 
 hold during the night. 
 
 The E.\glish Terrier is one of the 
 oldest breeds of dogs in this country. 
 He is elegant and graceful in figure, 
 and possesses a merry and active tem- 
 perament, and his companionable qiui- 
 lities make him a favourite both in the 
 house and out of doors. Kept in the 
 house at night, his acuteness and vigi- 
 lance are such that he never fails to 
 discover the approach of an inti-udcr 
 upon the premises, and gives timely 
 and certain notice. 
 
 The Skye Terrier is so well known 
 as to require little description, but the 
 varieties of this dog are innumerable. 
 These dogs are all remarkable for rough 
 and shaggy coats ; according, however, 
 to some of the best authorities in Skye, 
 the purest breeds have wiry hair and 
 a verj' short tail, which latter appendage 
 is understood to be elongated by cross- 
 ing with less puie members of the tribe. 
 Some of these terriers are remarkable 
 for the great length of the body as 
 compared with its height ; sometimes 
 the animal is three and a half times 
 longer than it is high. The profusion 
 of hair with which these dogs are some- 
 times invested is one of their most 
 remarkable features, the coat being so 
 developed in some instances that the 
 ears, legs, and tail all form one thick 
 mass, and the animal has the appearance 
 of an animated door-mat, nothing being 
 visible but the point of a black nose 
 and a pair of bright dark eyes. All 
 
 these rough terriers are, like their 
 English cousins, excellent dogs for 
 vermin, although some of them possess 
 greater virtues in that respect than 
 others. They are frequently excellent 
 household dogs, and extremely vigilant, 
 and are generally possessed of a gentle 
 and loving temperament. 
 
 The King Ch.\rles. — This is a very 
 pretty dog. The best description ought 
 to have a silky coat of straight and 
 abundant hair, and of a rich colour — 
 black and tan, — and entirely free from 
 white ; the cheeks and inner margin of 
 the car and the lips ought to be tan, 
 and over each eye should be a spot of 
 the same colour, these patches being 
 always an important feature in the 
 animal. In the time of Charles II., 
 from whom the dog has his name, the 
 most popular colour was liver and 
 white ; but the black and tan has now 
 superseded it, and is considered the 
 speciality of the breed. 
 
 The Blenheim Spaniel derives his 
 name from the seat of the Diikcs of 
 Marlborough, where he Mas originally 
 carefully bred. The real origin of this 
 dog seems to be doubtful ; but it is 
 stated to have been a favourite so far 
 back as the time of Henry VIII. , and 
 that the little "dogge" which Queen 
 Mary of Scotland had with her on the 
 scaffold was of this breed. The colour 
 of the pure-bred Blenheims is red and 
 white, and the red should be of a rich 
 yellow or golden hue, and well defined. 
 When well-bred, it is of a lively tem- 
 perament; and although more capricious 
 than the King Charles, it is said to be 
 capable of great attachment. It is a 
 favourite drawing-room dog. 
 
 The Maltese Dog resembles a Skye 
 ten-ier of diminutive size, biit its coat 
 is silky and pure white. It is a very 
 animated little animal, and well adapted 
 to the drawing-room. 
 
 Toy Dogs. — The principal of these 
 are the toy terrier, the Italian grey- 
 hound, the lion dog, the small poodle, 
 and tlie pug, all of which are mere 
 pets, having merely a fictitious value, 
 and only suitable as companions for the 
 fair occupants of the drav."ing-room. 
 
284 Dogs never go into Mourning when a Horse dies. 
 
 Management of Dogs. — All dogs 
 are capable of education, althougli it 
 is certain that great difference in intel- 
 ligence is known to subsist between 
 individuals even of the same species. 
 There are stupid dogs and clever dogs, 
 »8 there are clever and stupid members 
 cf the human family. Clever or stupid, 
 however, dogs kept in a dwelling-house 
 ought to be taught good manners ; to 
 be silent, and to lie down when so 
 ordered ; to refrain from leaping on 
 the knees of strangers ; and not to sit 
 watching and staring at meals, as if 
 coveting the food partaken of by their 
 master and mistress. To make them 
 behave well, they must be taught when 
 young ; and one of the best modes of 
 doing this is to let them he certain of 
 being punished if disobedient, and re- 
 warded when dutiful. A clever dog 
 will soon be able to comprehend and 
 act upon a look, a sign, or a word. 
 
 The Feeding of Dogs. — ^The dog 
 is naturally carnivorous, but when 
 domesticated he does not refuse fari- 
 naceous food, especially if early accus- 
 tomed to it. Those who keep dogs 
 ought not to leave their feeding to the 
 scraps they may chance to obtain at 
 the breakfast or dinner table ; more- 
 over, irregular supplies are injurious 
 to the animal's health. The dog ought 
 to have his regular meals, and his food 
 should be chiefly flesh of some kind, 
 boiled and cold ; when given raw, it is 
 apt to produce some ferocity of temper, 
 and to cause him to have an offensive 
 smell. If possible, the dog should be 
 induced to eat a little farinaceous food 
 along with his meat. Liver is not 
 proper food for a dog, unless occa- 
 sionally, as it acts as an aperient ; but 
 any ordinary pieces of meat or tripe 
 will suit very well. Few things are 
 more wholesome for a dog kept in the 
 house than the meat biscuits lately in- 
 troduced. The dog ought to be fed only 
 once a day if he gets as much as he re- 
 quires, and this allowance should be 
 given in the morning or forenoon ; but as 
 he requires to drink frequently through- 
 out the day, care must be taken to give 
 him plentj of pare water. 
 
 Health of the Dog. — To maintain 
 a dog in vigorous health he must have 
 abundant exercise in the open air, and 
 be kept clean. Washing him keeps him 
 in health, frees him from irritation of 
 the skin, and destroys fleas. Every 
 house-dog or lap-dog ought to be 
 ■washed once a week with soap and 
 water, and delicate dogs ought after- 
 wards to be combed and brushed, and 
 dried with a hard cloth. "Washing is 
 absolutely indispensable — independ- 
 ently of the consideration of health— 
 where the dog has a thick coat of hair, 
 as the Scotch terriers have ; he is apt 
 to contract an offensive smell, the causes 
 of which, for the animal's own sake, as 
 well as his owner's, ought to be at once 
 removed. 
 
 Diseases of Dogs. — The dog is sub- 
 ject to many diseases. Fever of a simple 
 character, influenza, the distemper— 
 which is tjrphus fever, — rheumatic 
 fever, bronchitis, asthma, dropsy, are 
 only a few of the ailments to which 
 he is liable. In all such cases the 
 advice and aid of a person of skill in 
 the treatment of canine maladies should 
 be at once obtained. These maladies 
 and their treatment constitute a subject 
 of great intricacy, as there is a very 
 great difference between man and the 
 dog in the mode in which medicines 
 act. Aloes and rhubarb, which we 
 know to be purgatives, are not so to 
 the dog. Common salt in apparently 
 small doses acts so powerfully as an 
 emetic as to be dangerous, and in large 
 doses it is a poison ; minute doses of 
 mercury are quickly followed by saliva- 
 tion, which in the human patient it 
 often takes considerable time to pro- 
 duce; the secale cornutmn, so powerful 
 in its specific action in the human sub- 
 ject, produces in the dog no effect but 
 that of vomiting. These show how 
 necessary it is that skill and know- 
 ledge should be possessed by those 
 who attempt the treatment of canine 
 disordeis. Humanity and benevolence 
 alone suggest that these faithful crea- 
 tures, so dependent upon us, and who 
 doubtless owe many of their maladies 
 to domestication, ought never to be 
 
Dogs thai put up many Hares kill none. 
 
 285 
 
 subjected to the harsh and cruel treat- 
 ment of the ignorant. 
 
 Management of Pet Dogs. — "We 
 abridge the following from " Stone- 
 henge," one of the highest authorities 
 on dogs: — ""We will suppose that a 
 puppy six weeks old, and of a breed 
 not exceeding 15 lb. weight, is pre- 
 sented to one of our readers ; what 
 is to be done ? First, let it be provided 
 with a warm basket lined with some 
 woollen material, which must be kept 
 scfupulously clean. It must not be 
 permitted to lie upon a stone floor, 
 which is a fertile source of disease ; 
 bare wood is better than carpet, and 
 oilcloth superior to either. In the 
 ■winter season the apartment should 
 have a fire, but it is not desirable that 
 the puppy should lie basking close to it. 
 Even in cold a gleam of sunshine does 
 young creatures good, and the puppy 
 should be allowed to obtain it through 
 a window in the winter, or without 
 that protection in the summer. It will 
 take exercise enough in playing with a 
 ball of worsted until it is ten weeks 
 old ; after that time a daily run in the 
 garden or paddock will be of service, 
 extending to an hour or an hour and a 
 half. After this age, two or three hours 
 a day, in periods of an hour each, will 
 be of service. 
 
 Food for a Puppy. — Until after the 
 tenth week, cow's milk is almost essen- 
 tial to the health of the puppy. It should 
 be boiled and thickened at first with fine 
 wheat flour, and after the eighth week 
 with a mixture of coarse wheat flour 
 and oatmeal. The flour should be 
 gradually increased in quantity, at first 
 the thickness of cream, adding meal 
 in quantity sufficient to make a spoon 
 stand up in it. If the bowels are re- 
 laxed, the oatmeal should be diminished, 
 or if confined, increased. This food, 
 varied with broth made from the scraps 
 of the table, and thickened in the same 
 way, will suffice up to the tenth or 
 twelfth week, after which a little meat, 
 with bread, potatoes, and some green 
 vegetables, may be mixed together and 
 gradually introduced as the regular 
 food. The quantity per day wiU of 
 
 course vary according to the size of the 
 puppy; but it may be laid down that, 
 for each pound the puppy weighs, an 
 ounce of solid food will be sufiicicnt. 
 From the time of weaning up to the 
 tenth week it should be fed four times 
 a day ; then up to four months, three 
 times ; and afterwards twice until full 
 grown, when a single feed will, in our 
 opinion, conduce to its health, though 
 many prefer going on with the morning 
 and evening supply. 
 
 When the puppy is full grown, meat, 
 bread, and vegetables (either potatoes, 
 carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, or parsnips) 
 in equal proportions will form the proper 
 diet, care being taken to avoid bread made 
 with much alum in it. Dog biscuits, if 
 sound, answer well for pet dogs ; but the 
 quantity required is so small that in most 
 houses the scraps of the bread-basket are 
 quite sufficient. Bones should be sup- 
 plied daily, for without them not only are 
 the teeth liable to become covered with 
 tartar, but the digestion is impaired 
 for want of a sufficient secretion of 
 saliva. If the above quality and quan- 
 tity of food and exercise are given, in 
 combination with the protection from 
 eold recommended, the pet puppy will 
 seldom require any medical treatment. 
 
 Distemper in Puppies. — Some- 
 times, in spite of the most careful 
 management, it will be attacked by 
 distemper; but with this exception 
 the properly treated pet dog will pass 
 through life without submitting to the 
 attacks of this disease, w^hich is dire in 
 its effects upon the canine race. If care 
 is taken to keep the bowels open, no 
 medicine will ever be required ; but 
 sometimes this is neglected, and then 
 recourse must be had either to castor 
 oil or the compound rhubarb pill — the 
 dose being one drop of the former or 
 half a grain of the latter to each pound 
 the puppy weighs. If the oil is stirred 
 up wath some milk the puppy will take 
 it readily enough, but care should be 
 taken that the quality is good. The 
 compound rhubarb pill may be given 
 by opening the mouth with the left 
 hand, dropping in the pill, and pushing 
 it down the throat as far as the finger 
 
286 
 
 A Dry Cough is the Trumpeter of Death. 
 
 will reach. If the liver is not acting, 
 half a grain to a grain of blue pill may- 
 be added to either dose, and repeated if 
 necessary every day or every other day 
 till the desired eifect is produced. 
 
 Respirators. — The apparatus 
 so called is intended for the use of per- 
 sons subject to delicacy of the bron- 
 chial tubes, and the consequent irrita- 
 tion too frequently caused either by the 
 sudden vicissitudes of temperature to 
 which this climate is liable, or by sud- 
 denly passing out of a chamber arti- 
 ficially heated into the open air. The 
 mode in which the apparatus works is 
 sufficiently scientific to render it ex- 
 tremely probable that it may be a highly 
 beneficial invention. The principle is 
 easily understood. The person using 
 the respirator places it over his mouth, 
 or over both nose and mouth, and 
 breathes through it in the ordinary 
 manner. In the act of exhaling, the 
 warm air from the lungs parts with its 
 caloric to the metal tissues through 
 which it passes, and the cold air which 
 is immediately afterwards inhaled, has 
 imparted to it a considerable portion of 
 the caloric which the metallic part of 
 the apparatus had just received. By 
 this means any sudden access of very 
 cold air is prevented, and the conse- 
 quent irritation of which the cough is 
 the symptom and indication. All medi- 
 cal men agree in the impoi-tance of 
 checking a cough when it is possible to 
 do so without danger, for it is well 
 known that a cough which originates 
 merely in irritation of the delicate mem- 
 branes of the bronchioe, freqxiently ag- 
 gravates and increases the irritation, 
 and the cause and effect become reci- 
 procal. 
 
 Cold Air, a Tonic. — It is proper to 
 remember that cold air is itself a tonic, 
 and that to breathe continually through 
 a respirator would deprive the person so 
 breathing of the invigorating efi^ects of 
 breathing a cool atmosphere. We ap- 
 prehend no wise and experienced medi- 
 cal adviser would therefore coursel his 
 patient permanently to use the respira- 
 tor, but only in such instances as shall 
 prevent the irritating efi:'ect of sudden 
 
 changes, one of the most frequent causes 
 of pulmonary diseases in this country, 
 and which are of comparatively rare 
 occurrence in those climates where 
 sudden changes of atmospheric tempe- 
 rature rarely take place. 
 
 The Walnut.— This is one of 
 the most ornamental of park trees, and 
 not only so, but it is variously useful. 
 It is a native of Persia and the south 
 side of the Caucasus, and was intro- 
 duced to this country from France in 
 the sixteenth century, and at that time 
 called Gmil nut. In its unripe state 
 the fruit of the walnut is much used for 
 pickling. When ripe it forms a plea- 
 sant constituent of the after dinner 
 dessert. In France and Savoy the oil 
 is expressed from the kernel, and ia 
 much used by painters, supplying the 
 place of almond oil. In Spain the cooks 
 strew the gratings of old and hard nuts, 
 these being first peeled, over their tarts 
 and other meats. Walnut leaves, 
 strewed on the ground, annoy worms, 
 those pests of the lawn and croquet- 
 ground, and if macerated in warm 
 water, they yield a liquor which, if 
 poured on the ground, destroys worms. 
 
 Walnuts as Medicine. — In medi- 
 cine the unripe fruit is used for the 
 same purpose. *' The more walnuts 
 one eats," says Pliny, "with more 
 ease will he drive worms out of his 
 stomach." Its wood, in consequence of 
 its beautiful granulation, is of much 
 commercial value for cabinet woi'k. 
 The varieties of the walnut most com- 
 monly cultivated for the fruit are the 
 "early round oval," "double large 
 French," the "tender shelled," and 
 the "thick sheUed." The "highflier 
 of Thetford," however, is said to be the 
 best variety known. 
 
 Propagation of the Walnut. — 
 The most common mode is to propagate 
 from the nut or seed. It is also pro- 
 pagated by a species of grafting called 
 " marching," by budding, and by graft- 
 ing by the "approach" method. In 
 any common fertile soil the walnut will 
 succeed, but it thrives best in a good 
 depth of loam, mixed with sand or 
 gravel. Those who intend planting 
 
JVrife with the Learned, but Speak with the Vulgar. 
 
 587 
 
 ■walnuts sbould procure plants from the 
 nursery, either inarched or budded, and 
 in OS advanced a stage of growth as 
 i? compatible with their safe removal. 
 Plants from eight to twelve years old 
 may be safely removed, if properly 
 prepared by previous transplantation. 
 Plants for fniiting should be planted 
 twenty feet distant from each other. 
 The usual period at which they com- 
 mence bearing is eighteen or twenty 
 years. The fruit is produced on the 
 extremities of the previous year's shoots ; 
 it ripens in September and October, 
 and should be gathered so aa not to 
 injure the tree. 
 
 Best Inks. — Black Ink. — A 
 method of making this has boon recom- 
 mended which is worthy of notice. 
 Put into u stoneware jar, containing 
 a gallon of water, three-fourths of a 
 pound of bruised nutgalls, and then, 
 twenty-four hours after, add six ounces 
 of copperas, six ounces of gum arable, 
 and four or five drops of creosote. The 
 vessel is to be closed and left for two 
 or three weeks, but shaken every two 
 days. The contents are then allowed 
 to settle, and the clear liquor will be 
 fit for use, of a deep black. 
 
 Indi.v Ink for Ordinary "Writino. 
 — India ink is composed of carbon, and 
 will keep for any length of time with- 
 out undergoing change, although dis- 
 solved in water. Neither great heat 
 nor extreme cold affects it. All that 
 is requisite is to keep the liquid from 
 evaporating — so far as that is possible, 
 —and to i)rotect it from dust. The 
 solution makes an excellent ink, and 
 is of a fine black. Sbcpennyworth of 
 Chinese ink Avill furnish half a pint 
 of ink, being soluble in that r|Uantity 
 of water. This ink, in colour and 
 durability, is said to exceed all others. 
 
 Scarlet Ink. — Digest with one 
 ounce of liquor ammonias one ounce 
 of garanciin, add a pint of cold distilled 
 water, and triturate in a mortar ; filter, 
 and dissolve in the solution half an 
 ounce of gum arable ; or dissolve in 
 three ounces of liquor ammoniae twenty 
 grains of pure carmine, adding eighteen 
 grains of powdered gimi. 
 
 Sympathetic Inks. — Take an ounce 
 and a half of zaflfre, which is the resi- 
 duum left after the sulphur, arsenic, 
 and other volatile stibstances are ex- 
 pelled from cobalt by calcination, — put 
 it into a glass vessel with a long and 
 narrow neck, and pour over it an ounce 
 measure of strong nitrous acid diluted 
 with five times its bulk of water. Keep 
 it in a warm place for ten or twelve 
 hours, and then decant the c^arest 
 portion of the liqiiid. Ilaving done 
 this, pour about as much more of the 
 diluted acid on what remains, which 
 must be kept for as long as before, and 
 then decantod and mixed with what 
 was obtained by the first operation. 
 All this being done, dissolve in the 
 liquid two ounces of common salt, and 
 the ink is ready for use. "Write with a 
 clean quill pen on white paper, and as 
 long as the writing is exposed to the 
 ordinaiy temperature of the air it is 
 invisible. When the paper is heated 
 at the fire or in a hot sun the characters 
 will appear, but they will become in- 
 visible again when the paper cools. 
 
 Diluted Sulphuric Acid mixed 
 with a good many times its bulk of 
 water, will likewise form a species 
 of sympathetic ink. "Write with a 
 clean quill pen on white paper with 
 this solution, and the letters are en- 
 tirely invisible, and will remain so for 
 any length of time ; but if the paper be 
 held to the fire the words and letters 
 become of a fine black. In this case, 
 however, they do not disappear, but 
 remain as if wTitten with the ordinary 
 black ink. 
 
 Balsam for the Hair.— 
 The following recipe is said to bo 
 highly worthy of attention : — Sulphate 
 of quinine, half a drachm ; acetic acid, 
 one drachm ; white wax, one ounce ; 
 almond oil, three ounces ; otto of rose- 
 mary, half a drachm. Put the quinine 
 into a cup and add the acid, stirring 
 them together with a silver spoon; 
 then add the wax and the rosemary ; 
 put the cup into boiling water till the 
 wax is melted, and then add the oil. 
 "NVhile the mixture cools keep stirring 
 it occasionally. 
 
288 
 
 Feasiing tnakes no Friendship). 
 
 Toilet Vinegar. — Half a pint 
 of Bordeaux, or of the best white wine 
 vinegar ; half a pint of pale rum ; 
 essence of bergamot, rosemary, and 
 marjoram, a drachm each; and one 
 pint of rose or elder-flower water. Mix 
 the perfumes with the spirit, then add 
 the vinegar, and lastly, the rose water. 
 If not perfectly bright it may be 
 strained through blotting-paper. 
 
 Needles . — It appears that needles 
 such as we at present use, and which 
 were originally called Spanish needles, 
 were introduced into this country in the 
 reign of Queen Elizabeth. Every 
 sewing needle passes through the hands 
 of 120 different operatives before it is 
 complete ; and M^ere it not for this di- 
 vision of laboiir, the price of these use- 
 ful articles would not only be immensely 
 greater than it is, but they would be 
 beyond the reach of ordinary people, 
 and their manufacture would neces- 
 sarily be extremely limited. 
 
 Ne>Ar Needle Threader. — 
 This is a new and most ingenious in- 
 strument, enabling those whose sight is 
 defective easily to thread a needle. It 
 is an excellent contrivance for the pur- 
 pose, and can easily be obtained at a 
 very moderate cost. 
 
 The Chameleon Top.— A 
 very amusing toy so called has lately 
 been produced, and has become very 
 popular, both from its simplicity and the 
 optical effects it produces while spin- 
 ning. It is an amusing plaything for 
 the nursery, as well as a scientific toy, 
 and can be had at any toy-shop. 
 
 To remove Smoke Stains 
 from Marble. — Take a large 
 lump of Spanish whiting, soak it in 
 water, not more than enough to moisten 
 it, and put into the water a piece of 
 washing soda ; put some of this whiting 
 on a flannel, and rub the marble re- 
 peatedly, leaving the whiting on for 
 some hours. Wash it all ofi^ with soap 
 and water, dry well, and polish with a 
 soft duster. 
 
 Potatoes. — A ia Maitre 
 d' Hotel. — Boil the potatoes and let 
 them become cold. Then cut them 
 mto rather thick slices. Put a lump of 
 
 fresh butter into a stew-pan, and add a 
 teaspoonful of flour. When the flour 
 has boiled a little in the butter, add by 
 degrees a cupful of broth. Boil up, 
 and put in the potatoes, with chopped 
 parsley, pepper, and salt. Let the 
 potatoes stew a few minutes, then take 
 them from the fire, and when quite off 
 the boil add the yolk of an egg beaten 
 up with a little lemon juice and a table- 
 spoonful of cold water. 
 
 Fried Potatoes. — The best way is 
 to half boil the potatoes, then cut them 
 up into slices, and fry them in butter. 
 When the potatoes are brown, drain off 
 the fat, strew a little salt over them, 
 and let them be eaten while they are 
 hot and crisp. Potatoes may be fried 
 without being parboiled, and even when 
 boiled and become cold. 
 
 Mashed Potatoes. — Potatoes for 
 mashing should be as nicely boiled as 
 if they were intended to be eaten with- 
 out further preparation; only they 
 should be dressed a little more, though 
 care should be taken not to let the 
 water get into them. The farinaceous 
 part should be pounded up, with a 
 small quantity of the freshest butter, 
 the yolk of an e.gg well beaten, and a 
 little pepper and salt ; add, if possible, 
 a little cream, and put the mashed 
 potatoes into the .oven to brown them. 
 Mashed potatoes ai-e also very nice if 
 made up into round balls, covered with 
 yolk of egg, and fried a light brown. 
 They might with great advantage be 
 mixed with some cold fish finely shred, 
 and a little chopped parsley. In many 
 families the cold remains of fish are 
 often thrown away, which would answer 
 this purpose extremely well, and form 
 a very savoury dish. Garnish with 
 fried parsley. 
 
 Sweet Potato Balls. — Boil the 
 potatoes, then carefully mash them. 
 Boil a pint of milk ■with some lemon 
 peel, a little sugar, and salt. When 
 the milk boils add the potatoes, so as to 
 form a tolerably thick mash. When 
 cold make it into balls ; cover them 
 with bread crumbs and yolk of egg. 
 Fry of a nice brown colour, and serve 
 with sugar strewed over them. 
 
Hail, Day revered f for ever Glorious Morn ! 
 
 289 
 
 Christmas. 
 The "Waits. 
 Dreams, ma%y dreams! yet through 
 my wayward dreaming 
 The old sweet images half veiled 
 appear ; 
 Love, Life, and Death, in some mys- 
 terious seeming, 
 Ghost-like, yet lifelike, now are 
 hovering near. 
 But in my world of visions floating, 
 dying, 
 Weird minstrels witch the nights 
 with elfin strain ; 
 And with JEolian breath o'er my heart 
 flying. 
 Their music heralds " Christmas come 
 again." 
 
 CnuisTMAs ISIonx. 
 Morn, happy mom ; the touch of in- 
 fant kisses, 
 The grasp of friendly hands the day 
 records ; 
 The glance that speaks a whole round 
 world of blisses — 
 A tenderer greeting than tho tender- 
 cst words. 
 And chastening all o\ir simple home 
 rejoicings 
 Comes a sweet influence from this 
 hallowed mom. 
 As when on Judah's dusky plains the 
 Voicings 
 Of angels sang, " To us a Child is 
 born! " 
 
 The Chilies, 
 Slow grows the day— tho Grange its 
 snowy cover 
 Raises against tho ever-brightening 
 sky; 
 Scarce "seen, the roots around the 
 belfry hover, 
 "WTiile loud and cheerily, and blitho 
 and high, 
 The conscious bells ring out in joyous 
 chiming 
 A message of Good-will to all Man- 
 kind, 
 Clanging like some old Titan poet's 
 rhyming, 
 And flinging resonant music on the 
 wind. 
 
 Christmas Night. 
 Yet sweeter, softer music when tho 
 even 
 Shuts out the dark, and bevies of 
 bright girls 
 Show us again the hues of summer's 
 heaven — 
 Eose in their cheeks, and sunlight in 
 their curls. 
 The Druid mistletoe his rites im- 
 poses ; 
 The dance goes weaving through tho 
 glittering hall, 
 The jolly host his frequent toast pro- 
 poses, 
 " A Merry Christmas to you one 
 and all." D. Murray Smith. 
 
 The Month of December. 
 
 "When icicles hang by the wall, 
 
 And Dick, the shepherd, blows his nail. 
 And Tom bears lops into the hall, 
 
 And milk comes frozen home in p:<il ; 
 When blood is nipped, and ways bo foul, 
 Then nightly sings the staring owl, 
 T o-who, 
 Tu-whit, To-who, a merry note. 
 While greasy Joan doth keel tho pot." 
 Love's Labour Lost. 
 
 "Gloomy winter" reigns supreme 
 over the outer world in the month of 
 December. The days are short, dark, 
 and cold, the earth looks bare and deso- 
 late ; the woods are silent, and the sky 
 is usually of a dull leaden hue ; but 
 towards the end of the month often 
 come heavy falls of snow, and bright 
 frosty days, as if to cheer us up for the 
 joyful Christmas-tide. The holly ber- 
 ries grow scarlet with tho clear frost, 
 and the few Christmas flowers are more 
 precious than the bright rosps of sum- 
 mer. The Chiistmas rose, or black helle- 
 bore, though an old-fashioned flower, 
 has considerable beauty ; and the 
 almost fabulous Glastonbury thorn still 
 hangs out its saowy clusters about this 
 time. 
 
 December is the month for indoor 
 pleasures. Families, the members of 
 which are scattered over the busy world, 
 endf avour to meet togctherand celebrate 
 Christmas in the paternal home. The 
 frozen ponds are the delight of the 
 schoolboy, now home for the holidays, 
 L 
 
290 
 
 Here's Christmas / let us boldly greet him. 
 
 while the girls find equal enjoyment in 
 preparing for and arranging the Christ- 
 mas-tree, that pretty German custom 
 having now become almost universal in 
 Englaad. The eLler brothers and sisters 
 of the family find abundant exercise for 
 their taste and industry, in decorating 
 the parish chinch with wreaths and 
 iDottoe?, made with evergreens, tiowers, 
 and berries. The old English custom of 
 the ""Mummers" going about at Christ- 
 mas has almost disappeared ; only in 
 rural districts are Christmas carols to 
 be heard, while in the metropolis the 
 "Waits" are usually represented by a 
 wretched imitation of a German band, 
 playing the latest polkas and nigger 
 melodies. 
 
 The ancient Christmas ceremony of 
 the burning of the yule log on the 24th 
 of December, although now nearly 
 fallen into disuse, still lingers in many 
 parts of the country. The placing of 
 the large block on the hearth was ob- 
 served with great ceremony; and so 
 hallowed was the log held, that the 
 imconsumed portion was carefully laid 
 by, to be used at the next anniversarj'. 
 
 December Avas styled *' Winter nio- 
 nath," or winter month, by the Saxons, 
 whilst they were pagans. After their 
 conversion to Christianity, they changed 
 it to " Heligh monath," or holy month, 
 from the anniversary of the birth of the 
 Saviour, which occurs in it. The Ger- 
 mans still designate it as Christmonat. 
 The shortest day in the year is the 22nd 
 of December. This is called the winter 
 solstice, in contradistinction to the 
 summer solstice, which happens on the 
 21st of June, the longest day of the 
 year. 
 
 Cook's Calendar for 
 December. — Fisu in Season. — 
 Cod, turbot, brill, dory, eels, gurnard, 
 haddock, halibut, hake, skate, smelts, 
 sole, whiting, plaice, ling, herrings, 
 sprats, sturgeon, crabs, lobsters, shrimps, 
 tench, carp, perch, pike. 
 
 Meat in Season. — Beef, veal, mut- 
 ton, house lamb, pork, doe venison. 
 
 Poultry in Season. — Capons, 
 chickens, fowls, geese, tmkeys, ducks, 
 guinea-fowl, pigeons. 
 
 Game in Season. — Grouse, black 
 game, partridge, pheasant, plover, snipe, 
 woodcock, wild duck, teal, widgeon, 
 rabbits, hares. 
 
 Vegetables in Season. — Beet, Jeru- 
 salem artichokes, brocoli, cabbages, 
 celery, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, tur- 
 nips, winter spinach, lettuces, leeks, 
 onions, endive, forced seakale. 
 
 Fruit in Season. — Apples, pears, 
 chestnuts, oranges, nuts, walnuts, 
 grapes, dried figs. 
 
 Gardener's Calendar for 
 December. — All outdoor work 
 must greatly depend on the state of the 
 weather in this month. The altera- 
 tions begun in November may be 
 carried on; the weather is generally 
 too unsettled to admit of much plant- 
 ing, but the removal of trees and 
 shrubs may be proceeded with, if the 
 early part of the month be moderately 
 dry, and free from frost. Sow beans, 
 peas, and early potatoes in sheltered 
 spots, where they can be protected if a 
 sharp frost sets in. Cover seakale and 
 rhubarb for forcing ; earth up celery; 
 lop trees that require trimming, dig up 
 and top-dress beds, leaving the earth 
 rough, to expose it to the influence of 
 frost, which is most useful, not only in 
 pulverizing the earth, hut in destroying 
 grubs and insects. Cover the roots of 
 wall-fruit trees with litter, also the 
 roots and stems of vines, as well as all 
 half-hardy shrubs, fuchsias, &c. As a 
 general rule, all plants in pits, frames, 
 or houses should have very little water, 
 perfect protection from frost and harsh 
 winds, and as much air as possible. 
 Manures and composts should be col- 
 lected and well stirred up during this 
 month, to promote decomposition and 
 pi'ovent heating. The best things to 
 form a compost are road scrapings, 
 loam, silver sand, cow-dung, leaves of 
 trees, decayed turf, and the sweepings 
 of the poultry-yard. These should be 
 all well mixed together, and frequently 
 turned, to expose all parts to the action 
 of the atmosphere, and should not be 
 used in the garden until thoroughly 
 well rotted. The roots in the store- 
 house should be frequently examinedj 
 
Fat Housekeepers make Lean Executors. 
 
 !9I 
 
 and any decayed parts removed ; the 
 lawns also and gravel walks should bo 
 kept trim and in good order. 
 
 A Few Words on Pud- 
 dings. — Many people suppose thiit 
 " there is no art " in making a pud- 
 ding, — " any one can do it." Thi.s is 
 true, any one can make a pudding, but 
 every one cannot make a i/ood pud- 
 ding. To help those who are desirous 
 of accomplishing this domestic feat, 
 shall be our aim in the few observa- 
 tions we now make to our readers. 
 
 The iNrjKEuiKXTs. — Few puddings 
 are made without flour ; this ought al- 
 ways to be the best in quality, care- 
 fully dried and sifted 
 
 The Suet. — lieef suet from the inner 
 Bide of the loin or that round the kidney 
 is the best ; it must be perfectly fresh, 
 chopped small, and quite free from skin 
 or sinew. In chopping or mincing it 
 in a machine, dredge it with dry Hour 
 to prevent it from sticking. Suet is 
 better chopped than minced, as the 
 ma< hino usually makes it too fine for 
 ordinary pudilings. 
 
 The Bitter. — If it is salt or Dorset 
 butter, w ash it well with a butter slice 
 or wooden spoon, in two or three waters, 
 60 as to extract the salt, then squeeze it 
 in a perfectly clean cloth. 
 
 The Eggs. — These must be good, as 
 the slightest taint will spoil the pud- 
 ding ; it is a good plan to break each egg 
 separately into a cup and examine it, 
 before mixing with the others. A good 
 egg will have a plump round yolk, 
 which docs not break on being poured 
 from the shell into the cup. Eggs 
 should be thoroughly well whisked for 
 a pudding. Sometimes it is necessary 
 to beat the yolks and whites sepa- 
 rately, but in all cases they must be 
 well beaten, or the pudding will be 
 heavy. 
 
 The Fruit. — Eaisins should be 
 picked from the stalks and stoned 
 carefully. Currants should be well 
 washed ; this is done by putting them 
 into a colander ; pour warm water over 
 them, and stir them about that the earth 
 and sand may be washed away. Pick 
 out all stones and grit, and throw 
 
 them into a dry cloth ; rub them 
 about gently in this till they aro 
 tolerably dry, then lay them on a large 
 dish before the fire, and sprinkle a little 
 flour over to help to dry them. 
 
 Candieu peel is a great addition to 
 most puddings ; this should be nicely 
 sliced in rather short slices, and well 
 mixed with the other ingredients. 
 
 The spices used for puddings arc 
 ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and 
 sometimes allspice or pimento. These 
 should be of the best quality, freshly 
 ground, and so used that the flavour of 
 one shall not greatly prevail over the 
 others. 
 
 To Mix a Pudding. — The great ele- 
 ment of success in mixing a pudding 
 is to carefully follow the receipt. Weigh 
 each article exactly as recommended, 
 and beware of the too common idea of 
 cooks that they can judge of a quantity 
 by its weight in the hand ; nothing is 
 more deceptive than this plan, and 
 many a receipt has been condemned as 
 a bad one, while in reality the fault 
 lay with the cook, and not in the receipt. 
 Exactitude in measuring the quantities 
 of the ingredients, in mixing them to- 
 gether, and in the time requisite to 
 cook them, will insure success ; and 
 should the pudding not please the 
 palate of those for whom it is intended, 
 the maker has the satisfaction of know- 
 ing that the directions given have been 
 fully followed out, and she cannot be 
 blamed for want of success. "We shall 
 now give a few receipts for puddings. 
 
 Christmas Plum Pudding. — Put 
 two pounds of muscatel raisins, stoned, 
 but not chopped, into a large earthen- 
 ware pan, add to them one pound of 
 sultanas, two pounds of currants, 
 washed and picked, two pounds of 
 bread crumbs, one pound of candied 
 peel, sliced, two pounds of good moist 
 sugar, two poundsof beef suet, chopped 
 fine, two ounces of mixed spices, and a 
 teaspoonful of salt. Mix all these in- 
 gredients thoroughly together, and 
 moisten the mixture with sixteen eggs 
 well beaten. Just before boiling the 
 pudding, put in a gill of good brandy, 
 ^vith a teaspoonful of essence of lemon 
 
292 It is a Great Pleasure to eat, and have Nothing to pay. 
 
 peel, and one of ratafia mixed in it. 
 If the pudding is not sufficiently moist, 
 add fresh milk enough to make it so, 
 and put in a large heaped tablespoonful 
 of dried flour. These quantities will 
 make a very large pudding. It may 
 be boiled in a large new linen pudding- 
 cloth, prepared thus : — dip the centre 
 of the cloth into boiling water, wring 
 it out dry, spread it on the kitchen 
 table, and with a knife rub butter all 
 over the wet part ; then dredge it 
 thickly with flour to prevent the water 
 getting in, pour the pudding into it, 
 tie the cloth so tight that there is no 
 possibility of the water entering, boil 
 from six to eight hours, or the mix- 
 ture may be divided and boiled in 
 moulds. 
 
 A plum pudding is better if it is 
 made before it is required for use. In 
 such a case boil it in a cloth, for five or 
 six hours, then take it out and hang it 
 up in the cloth, and when needed for 
 table, put it down in boiling water, and 
 boil from two to three hours, according 
 to the size ; when boiled enough, stick 
 it all over with sweet almonds, blanched 
 and sliced, put a sprig of holly in the 
 top, i^our a spoonful of brandy roimd 
 the pudding in the dish, set it on fire, 
 and send to table blazing ; serve brandy 
 sauce with it. 
 
 A Plain Pltbi Pudding. — Take of 
 ordinary pudding raisins, stoned, washed 
 currants, choi')ped suet, and moist sugar, 
 each one pound ; put these into a basin 
 with half a pound of bread crumbs, 
 half a pound of flour, two ounces of 
 sliced candied peel, one dessertspoonful 
 of mixed spices, and six eggs well 
 beaten ; mix well together, and add a 
 wineglassful of brandy with a tea- 
 spoonful of essence of lemon peel ; boil 
 for four hours. 
 
 A Chancellor's Pudding. — Butter 
 a pudding mould half an inch thick, 
 stick large raisins, stoned, as thickly as 
 possible in the butter, put in a layer of 
 fine bread crumbs half an inch deep, 
 strew a tablespoonful of moist sugar 
 over, then put a layer of currants, 
 washed and dried, strew over them 
 candied peel, silted thin, and a little 
 
 gi-ated nutmeg ; then another layer of 
 crumbs and sugar, then one of currants, 
 and so on until the mould is three- 
 fourths full ; whisk ten eggs, yolks and 
 whites together, add to them a glass of 
 brandy and a teaspoonful of essence of 
 lemon peel, fill the mould with this, and 
 steam the pudding for two hours and a 
 half; serve with arrowroot and brandy 
 sauce. 
 
 Sponge Pudding. — Break some stale 
 sponge cakes into a buttered mould, 
 strew amongst them chips of candied 
 peel, fill the mould rather more than 
 half full, make a good custard, with a 
 glass of brandy in it, pour it into the 
 mould, and let it stand for an hour ; 
 steam the pudding for an hour and a 
 half, dissolve some red currant jelly in 
 a very little warm water ; when the 
 pudding is dished pour the jelly over it, 
 and serve with arrowroot and brandy 
 sauce. 
 
 Lemon Suet Pudding. — Peel the 
 rind of a large lemon rather thickly, 
 put the rind to boil in water till it is 
 perfectly soft, pound it in a mortar 
 with an ounce of white sugar, till re- 
 duced to a pulp ; put this into an 
 earthen pan, with eight ounces of bread 
 crumbs, eight ounces of fresh beef suet 
 minced fine, three ounces of powdered 
 loaf sugar. Mix all well together, 
 with five eggs well whisked, and the 
 juice of the lemon ; stir in a table- 
 spoonful of flour, and boil for an hour 
 in a well-buttered mould. Or this 
 pudding may be baked, in which case 
 eight ounces of washed currants and a 
 little sliced peel are an improvement. 
 Serve with wine sauce. 
 
 Palmyra or Date Pudding. — Take 
 a pound of dates, chopped fine and free 
 from the stones, a pound of flour, half 
 a pound of suet, and a quarter of a 
 pound of moist sugar. Mix all well 
 together, and make them into a dough 
 with milk, and boil in a basin or cloth 
 for three hours, or bake slowly for two 
 hours. 
 
 An Excellent Bread and Butter 
 Pudding. — Cut thin slices of bread 
 and butter wdthout crust, spread apricot 
 or orange marmalade on each slice, lay 
 
 
The Full Stomach loatheth the Honeycomb. 
 
 293 
 
 them in a buttered mould or basin, and 
 pour over a well-seasoned custard ; let 
 it stand half an hour, then steam it for 
 an hour. Serve with wine sauce. 
 
 College Puddings. — Take equal 
 quantities of bread crumbs, beef suet 
 chopped, and washed cuirants; add 
 mi.xed spice and moist sugar to taste. 
 Moisten the mass with a beaten egg or 
 two according to the quantity, add a 
 little brandy and lemon chips ; form 
 the whole into balls about as large as 
 a pippin, rub them over with egg, and 
 roll them in flour, then frj' a nice brown 
 in butter. Serve with wine sauce. 
 
 GuouNiJ Rice Pluuing. — Wash four 
 ounces of ground rice, pick out any 
 black things that may be in it, and set 
 it to boil in a pint of rich milk, until 
 the milk is thickened with the rice ; 
 then add four ounces of fresh butter, 
 the yolks of eight eggs well beaten, six 
 ounces of white sugar powdered, fixty 
 sweet and twenty bitter almonds, 
 blanched and pounded, and a glass of 
 brandy. Mix well together, put it in 
 a mould, and bake it for three quarters 
 of an hour. 
 
 Pekmanent Lemon Pudding. — Rub 
 the rind of a large lemon on four ounces 
 of lump sugar ; beat the yolks of four 
 eggs, and put them with the sugar and 
 four ounces of fresh butter into a clean 
 stew-pan ; simmer for a quarter of on 
 hour. A few minutes before it is done, 
 add the juice of the lemon, strained, 
 and a small glass of brandy ; put it into 
 jars, it will keep for a long time. When 
 about to use it, steep a small sponge 
 cake in sherry, beat it up, and add it to 
 the mixture ; it may be either baked 
 or boiled. 
 
 Fig Plddino. — Chop half a pound 
 of fresh beef suet very fine, put it into 
 a basin, add to it half a pound of fine 
 bread crumbs, the same quantity of 
 diicd flour, six ounces of moist sugar, 
 and half a small teaspoonful of grated 
 nutmeg. Mix all these well together, 
 and then put in two pounds of figs cut 
 in small pieces, moisten it with three 
 eggs well beaten. It should make 
 rather a stiflf dough. Add a little milk 
 if the eggs do not make it sufficiently 
 
 moist, press it into a well-buttered 
 mould, and boil for four hours at 
 least. This pudding requires to be 
 well boiled. 
 
 Sauces for Puddings.— 
 Wine Sauce. — Make about a cupful of 
 thin, smooth melted butter (melted 
 with water and flour), add a table- 
 spoonful of moist sugar, half a tea- 
 spoonful of essence of lemon peel, and 
 a little grated nutmeg. Mix these well 
 together with two glasses of sherry, 
 and heat, but do not let it boil. Servo 
 hot. 
 
 Arrowroot Sauce. — Blend a des- 
 sertspoonful of arrowroot with cold 
 water, pour boiling water over it (stir- 
 ring all the time) till it looks quite 
 clear, put it into a saucepan with a 
 little essence of lemon ; brown 6U!:;ar to 
 taste, half a glass of sherry, and half a 
 glass of brandy; stir till it is thick 
 enough. 
 
 American Butter Sauce. — "Wash a 
 quarter of a pound of fresh butter with 
 a wooden spoon in two or three waters, 
 to remove every particle of salt ; beat it 
 with the spoon always the same way 
 till it is like cream, then take a whisk 
 and whisk it till quite white, adding to 
 it, rery gradiialbj, two tablespoonfuls 
 of powdered sugar and a glass of sherry, 
 with a little essence of lemon or orange 
 flower water in it. This sauce is ex- 
 tremely nice with plum pudding or fig 
 pudding. 
 
 Mince Pies. — The following 
 receipt for mince pics appeared some 
 time since in the Qiuen newspaper ; we 
 have tried it, and found it so excellent, 
 that we make no apology for intro- 
 ducing it to the notice of the readers of 
 Best of Everything : — " Take two 
 pounds of beef suet, chopped fine, add 
 two pounds of apples, pared and minced 
 fine, two pounds of currants, washed 
 and picked, two pounds of raisins, 
 stoned and chopped fine, half a pound 
 of moist sugar, a quarter of a pound 
 each of citron, candied lemon, and 
 orange peel, two nutmegs grated, half 
 an ounce each of salt, ginger, allspice, 
 and cloves, all ground fine, the juice of 
 one lemon, with the riud grated ; mix 
 
294 
 
 The CTwleric drinks, the Melancholic eats. 
 
 all well together with brandy and sherry, 
 (a quarter of a pint of each), put all 
 into a jar, and keep it in a cool place. 
 For the pies, roll out puff paste to the 
 thickness of a quarter of an inch, line 
 some good-sized patty pans with it, fill 
 them with the mincemeat, cover with 
 the paste, and cut it close round the 
 edge of the pan. Put them into a 
 brisk oven, beat the white of an egg to 
 a stiflf froth, brush it over them when 
 they are baked, sift a little powdered 
 sugar over them ; replace in the oven 
 for a minute or two to dry the egg. 
 Serve on a table napkin very hot. 
 
 Christmas Goose Pie. — 
 Bone a large goose and a good fowl. 
 Make a forcemeat of minced tongue, 
 ham, veal, and suet; season it with 
 sweet herbs, parsley, lemon, pepper, 
 mace, and salt. Mix it with two eggs, 
 and fill the inside of the fowl with it ; 
 put the fowl inside the goose, make a 
 gravy with the trimmings of the fowl, 
 the tongue, any pieces that may be left 
 of the veal, and a calf's foot or cow's 
 heel ; stew the goose, with the fowl 
 inside, in this gravy for twenty minutes 
 or half an hour, then lay the goose in a 
 game pie-dish, or a large raised piecrust, 
 such as is made for game pie or venison 
 pasty ; fill up the vacant spaces with 
 partridges, snipe, or any other small 
 birds, and the remains of the forcemeat, 
 slices of boiled ham, &c. Strain the 
 gravy through a jelly-bag till it looks 
 clear, pour it over the pie, lay some 
 bits of butter on the top, and bake the 
 whole for three hours. It is eaten cold, 
 and if well made, is extremely good and 
 savoury ; it will keep a long time. The 
 gravy should make plenty of clear jelly. 
 If an ornamented game pie-dish be 
 used, bake the bii-ds and forcemeat 
 beforehand in a separate dish, lay them 
 as directed in the pie-dish while hot, 
 and pour the clear gravy over. 
 
 Secondary Cookery. — At 
 page 258 we gave a few receipts for 
 cooking several kinds of meat a second 
 time in a savoury and economical way. 
 "VVe shall now proceed to give a few 
 receipts for re-cooking fish, which we 
 hope may be found equally palatable. 
 
 A Plain Fish Pudding. — Take the 
 remains of cod or haddock left from the 
 previous day, cut it from the bone and 
 skin, put the bones to boil in a little 
 milk, with mace and a few white pep- 
 percorns ; line a pie-dish with nice 
 mashed potatoes, lay the pieces of fish 
 in it, and pour over it the milk in 
 which the bones have been boiled, 
 through a gravy strainer ; add any re- 
 mains of oyster sauce that may have 
 been left, or a i&vr oysters. If oysters 
 cannot be had, anchovy sauce, or three 
 pounded anchovies give a nice flavour. 
 Cover the dish with mashed potatoes, 
 brush the top with egg, and bake it. 
 
 Another Receipt. — Put into a stew- 
 pan nice pieces of cod that have been 
 already cooked. Add a dozen and a half 
 of oysters with their liquor strained, a 
 large piece of butter rolled in flour. 
 Let it just come to a boil, then set it 
 aside ; warm a shallow pie-dish, line it 
 with mashed potatoes, leaving a hollow 
 to be filled by the fish and its sauce, 
 then sprinkle bread crumbs thickly 
 over the fish, and brown it in the 
 oven. 
 
 Fricandeau of Cod or Sole. — Take 
 the skin and bone from about a pound 
 and a half of cooked cod or sole, mince it 
 up with two dozen of oysters and two 
 anchovies ; season with mace, nutmeg, 
 and cayenne ; soak the cnmib of two 
 French rolls in a glass and a half of 
 white wine, beat them up with the 
 yolks of three eggs, add the fish and 
 half a teacupful of good cream; warm 
 it all over a slow fire, then put it into 
 a buttered mould, strew bread crumbs 
 thickly over it, and brown before a 
 brisk fire in a Dutch oven. Turn out 
 of the mould, and serve. 
 
 Fish, a la Bechamel. — Take a pint 
 and a half of the white stock mentioned 
 at page 259, put it into a stew-pan with 
 a bunch of sweet herbs, a little parsley, 
 two bay leaves, two blades of mace, 
 two cloves, three or four mushrooms, 
 and a pint of cream or rich milk ; boil 
 it until the essence of the herbs is ex- 
 tracted, then strain it, and blend with 
 it a tablespoonful of arrowroot ; let it 
 come to a boil, and if too thick, add a 
 
MciUcinc, to the Human Frame, is like regulating a Watch. 295 
 
 Hltlo more milk. Cut any cold fish — 
 tiirbot, cod, sole, or any large while 
 fish — in pieces, free from bone or skin, 
 put it into the sauce, and let it be 
 heated. Put a wall of boiled rice, 
 fried bread, or mashed potaloes, round 
 a dish, and put the fish and sauce in 
 the middle of it. 
 
 Scallop of Fish. — Butter a dish, 
 lay pieces of cold fish all over the 
 bottom of if, squeeze a liltle leuMn 
 juice over it, and sprinklu it with 
 grated lemon peel, powdered sweet 
 tierb.'', pepper and salt ; then cover 
 the whole with bread crumbs thick 
 enotigh to completely hide the tish, 
 stick little bits of butter over the top, 
 and bake it twenty minutes in a quick 
 oven. 
 
 CoLi) s.\LMoy can be made into very 
 nice fish cakes done in the same way as 
 recommended at page 5.5 for meat cecils. 
 
 Diarrhoea. — The most common 
 causes of this complaint are overfeed- 
 ing and the use of improper food, puch 
 as unripe or partially decayed fruit, raw 
 vegetables, saiisages made from bad 
 meat, &c. ; rich food, such as pork, 
 goose, duck, and salmon ; an un- 
 healthy state of the atmosphere, from 
 overcrowding, from open drains or 
 cesspools, or the fumes of decayed 
 animal or vegetable matter, as well as 
 extremes of heater cold, and especially 
 the use of impure water. Indeed, as a 
 general rule, when diarrhoea prevails in 
 a community or household, it can always 
 be traced to one of three causes, — bad 
 atmosphere, bad water, or bad fooJ. 
 
 Symptoms. — The symptoms of an 
 attack of dianlicra are purging, with 
 griping pains in the abdon-.cn, nausea, 
 a dirty or furred tongue, foulness of 
 breath, and a general feeling of distress 
 and uneasiness. In treating cases of this 
 complaint the first thing is to ascertain 
 the cause, and, if possible, remove it. 
 
 TuEATMEXT. — wlicn thc attack is 
 brought on by the use of improper food, 
 a mild purgative should bo given, such 
 as one or two teaspoon fuls of castor oil, 
 ■with from five to fifteen drops of tinc- 
 ture of opium, according to ago and the 
 severity of the attack, followed by the 
 
 use of an astringent mixture, electuary, 
 or ponder. It must, however, be borne 
 in mind, that attacks of diarrhcca are 
 sometimes liable to assume a chronic 
 form, becoming very troublesome, and 
 eventually injurious to the health; the 
 aid of a medical man should therefore 
 be at once sought, if the attack appears 
 likely to continue any length of lime. 
 
 Treatment of Cuts. — Ge.ne- 
 HAL Remarks. — All that is requisite 
 in treating incised wounds, or cuts of 
 an ordinary kind, may be stated very 
 briefly. Let the surrounding blood bo 
 cleared away, as well as any extraneous 
 matter ; and let the lips of the wound 
 be brought neatly and closely together, 
 and retained in that position by slips of 
 adhesivi! plaster ; and if the wound be 
 deep and extensive, the wound itself, 
 and the adjacent part.«, must be sup- 
 ported by proper bandages. 
 
 Slight Cuts. — In slight cuts, such 
 as are indicted with a small knife, 
 Kiga balsam is an excellent application, 
 as it usually stops thc bleeding imme- 
 diately. The application of cobweb is 
 often extremely useful in obstinate 
 cases of bleetling. 
 
 Gueat Wounds. — In great wounds 
 where some severe injury has been re- 
 ceived, a skilful surgeon ought to be 
 summoned without delay. The only 
 domestic treatment that can be pre- 
 scribed, is that of attempting to stop the 
 blood, by a tight ligature above the 
 wounded part, until efficient assistance 
 can be obtained. 
 
 Excoriations are aflfections of 
 the cuticle, sometimes accompanied by 
 slight inflammation, and oucasionally 
 depending on constitutional causes. In 
 the case of infants they are effectually 
 treated with Goulard water, or by dust- 
 ing a little flour or calamine powder 
 over the part affected, twice a day, 
 Washing with cold water is also a good 
 mode of treatment. In grown-up per- 
 sons, dressing the place with saturnine 
 ointment, or with Turner's cerate, will 
 be found beneficial. These prepara- 
 tions can readily be obtained at the 
 druggists. AVhen the cause of the ail- 
 ment appears to be constitutional, some 
 
296 
 
 Medicine is but a Temporary Expedient. 
 
 internal medicine will be necessary, 
 such as the decoction of sarsaparilla, or 
 quinine pills ; to be taken twice a day, 
 together with an ordinary alterative 
 pill every night. 
 
 Depilatories. — These are che- 
 mical preparations for the purpose of 
 removing superfluous hairs from the 
 human skin. They are, it must be 
 acknowledged, frequently injurious, and 
 when absorbed by the skin may be even 
 productive of danger. The Oriental 
 Busnia, which is a celebrated prepara- 
 tion, may be briefly described, and our 
 readers will readily perceive of how 
 caustic a nature it is, and how liable to 
 do injury to the skin. It is composed 
 of the following ingredients, viz., two 
 ounces of quicklime ; half an ounce of 
 orpiment — which is a preparation of 
 arsenic, — and strong alkaline ley. A 
 little starch or soft soap is added to 
 temper these ingredients and form 
 them into a sort of pomatum. This 
 substance removes the hair in a few 
 minutes ; but in the opinion of many 
 practical chemists, it would 'be wiser to 
 pull out the hair by the roots than have 
 recourse to a recipe which, if less pain- 
 ful, may be much more injurious. 
 
 Nightniare. — This affection is 
 of a nervous character. The sensation 
 is preceded by some fearful dream, in 
 which most commonly some implacable 
 enemy, known or unknown, is repre- 
 sented as in close pursuit of the dreamer, 
 and from whose grasp he finds it impos- 
 sible to escape. The dreamer likewise 
 is terrified by some impending danger 
 from some obscure source, but which 
 he feels himself unable to evade. These 
 painful visions are accompanied by 
 violent struggles and tremors, and a 
 sense of oppression in the region of the 
 chest, and the sleeper awakes in the 
 effort to escape the threatened evil. 
 
 Nightmare occurs most frequently 
 in persons of an irritable or nervous 
 temperament, and of a weakly consti- 
 tution, and especially among those who 
 are subject to depression of spirits. 
 Others are, it is true, affected by it 
 occasionally, but probably much more 
 rarely and in a less degree. There are 
 
 several exciting causes, such as great 
 fatigue of mind or body, indigestible 
 food, or chronic disorder of the stomach 
 and bowels. Medical men frequently 
 regard nightmare as a certain indica- 
 tion of derangement of health. 
 
 Treatment. — The treatment of this 
 affection is similar to that usually pre- 
 scribed for indigestion. Body and mind 
 ought to be kept as free as possible from 
 fatigue and commotion ; the diet should 
 be light, especially at supper, a meal 
 which ought to be very simple and small 
 in quantity, and in which animal food 
 ought to be entirely avoided. A con- 
 siderable amount of exercise on foot or 
 horseback is likewise extremely desir- 
 able ; an occasional piU, moreover, made 
 according to the following prescription, 
 will be found very useful. Compound 
 extract of colocynth, half a drachm ; 
 compound rhubarb pill, one scruple ; 
 Castile soap ten grains ; oil of j uniper, 
 five drops, divided into twelve pills. One 
 of these pills may be taken at bedtime 
 occasionally. If the stomach and gene- 
 ral habit be weak, a pill taken every 
 night, made of sulphate of quinine and 
 extract of gentian, and which can be 
 usually had ready made at the apothe- 
 cary's, will be found a valuable tonic. 
 
 Tonics. — Mixture for Indiges- 
 tion. — Infusion of calumba, five ounces 
 and a half; compouml tincture of cin- 
 namon, two drachms ; syrup of orange 
 peel, two di-achms. Mix. This mix- 
 ture possesses excellent tonic pi-operties. 
 It is of great use in biliousness and 
 indigestion. The dose is two table- 
 spoonfuls every four hours. 
 
 Mixture por the Stomach. — Sul- 
 phate of quinine, four, six, or eight 
 grains; cinnamon and common water, 
 each two and a half ounces ; syrup of 
 orange peel, six drachms ; tincture of 
 orange peel, two drachms. Mix. Two 
 tablespoonf Ills to be taken twice or thrice 
 a day. 
 
 Diuretic Mixture. — Infusion of 
 foxglove, four ounces ; tincture of fox- 
 glove, half a drachm ; acetate of potash, 
 one drachm; tincture of opium, ten 
 drops. Mix. The dose is a tablespoon, 
 ful twice or thrice a day. 
 
 1 
 
Doctors^ Faults are covered with Earth, Rich Men's with Money. 297 
 
 Infusions. — These are solutions 
 of vegetable substances, and are ob- 
 tained by maceration in hot or cold 
 water. Their strength and quality de- 
 pend in many cases on the heat of the 
 water with which they are made. This 
 is the case with bitters. 
 
 Infusion of Peruvian Bauk. — 
 Peruvian bark bruised, half an ounce ; 
 boiling water, half a pint. Macerate in 
 a covered vessel for a couple of hours, 
 and strain the infusion. This is of great 
 use in convalescence from acute diseases. 
 It contains a considerable amount of the 
 febrifuge and strengthening qualities of 
 the quinine. 
 
 Tonic Infusion. — Gentian root 
 sliced, half an ounce ; dried orange 
 peel hruised, coriander seeds bruised, 
 of each a drachm ; boiling water, twelve 
 ounces. Macerate for an hour in a 
 lightly covered vessel, and strain the 
 liquor. This infusion is often most 
 beneficially employed in general de- 
 bility, chronic gout, indigestion, and 
 other ailments. The dose is from one 
 to two ounces three or four times 
 a day. 
 
 Infusion of Senna. — Senna leaves, 
 an ounce and a half; ginger root sliced, 
 one drachm ; boiling water, a pint. 
 Macerate for an hour, and strain. This 
 is a purgative frequently employed by 
 medical men, and often given mixed 
 with a little Epsom or Glauber's salts. 
 It is of great service in all acute dis- 
 eases. 
 
 Infusion of Calumba. — Calumba 
 root, one drachm ; boiling water, half 
 a pint. Macerate for four hours and 
 strain, adding afterwards half an ounce 
 of spirit of cinnamon. The dose is an 
 ounce and a half or two ounces. It is 
 an excellent tonic, and is held in high 
 esteem by many eminent physicians, 
 who employ it in the latter stage of 
 diarrhoea, bilious intermittent fever, and 
 puerperal fever. It allays the nausea 
 and vomiting which often accompany 
 pregnancy. 
 
 Demulcent Infusion. — Bruised 
 linseed, one ounce ; liquorice root sliced, 
 half an ounce; boiling water, two pints. 
 Macerate for four hours in a covered 
 
 vessel, and strain the infusion. This is a 
 most useful preparation for allaying in- 
 flammation and irritation in the urinary 
 organs, and in coughs and other ail- 
 ments. It is of great use as the means 
 of administering other medicines. 
 
 Tinctures. — Foii Chronic 
 Looseness, <S:c. — Extract of catechu, 
 three ounces; cinnamon bark bruised, 
 two ounces ; proof spirit, two pints. 
 Macerate these ingredients together 
 fourteen days, and filter. Dose — from 
 one to tM'o teaspoonfuls. This prepa- 
 ration M'ill be found of excellent service 
 not only in the ailment above referred 
 to, but in others in -which warm astrin- 
 gents are required. 
 
 Tincture of Aloes for Indiges- 
 tion, <fcc. — Socotorine aloes, myrrh, of 
 each one ounce and a half in powder ; 
 English saffron cut, one ounce ; sul- 
 phuric ether, M-ith alcohol, one pint. 
 Digest the ether and myrrh together 
 for four days in a closed bottle ; then 
 add the aloes and saffron. Digest the 
 whole again for four days, and wheu 
 the dregs have subsided, pour off the 
 liquor. This tincture has a purgative 
 effect ; but it is warm and grateful to 
 the stomach, and is of much use in 
 bilious affections, jaundice, green-sick- 
 ness, and gout. The dose is a drachm 
 twice or thrice a daj'. 
 
 Tincture of Bark for Fever and 
 Ague. — Lance-leaved Peruvian bark 
 powdered, two ounces ; dried orange 
 peel, an ounce and a half; hruised Virgi- 
 nian snakeroot, three drachms ; saffron, 
 one drachm ; cochineal powdered, two 
 scruples ; proof spirit, twenty ounces 
 fluid. Macerate together for a fortnight, 
 filter. This is an excellent tincture ; 
 and it is grateful to the stomach, and has 
 much power in subduing low nervous 
 fever or ague. Dose — from one to three 
 drachms every two, three, or four hours. 
 The preparation is understood to be 
 identical with what is known as Hux- 
 ham's tincture. 
 
 Astringent Electuary.— 
 Extract of catechu, one ounce ; kino, 
 six drachms ; nutmeg and cinnamon, 
 each two diachms ; opium dissolved in 
 white wine, twenty grains ; syrup of 
 l2 
 
298 
 
 Deaf Men are Quick-eyed and Distrustful . 
 
 roses boiled to the consistence of honey, 
 nine ounces, Eeduce the solid ingre- 
 dients to powder, and mix them with 
 the opium and syrup so as to form 
 an ekctuary. In this preparation 
 there is a combination of astringents 
 and aromatics which render it of 
 great service in chronic looseness, dy- 
 sentery, and discharges of blood from the 
 bowels. The dose is from a scruple to 
 two di'achms twice or thrice a day. 
 
 Astringent Po"wder. — 
 Compound powder of ipecacuanha, 
 three grains ; compound powder of 
 cinnamon, eight grains. Mix. The 
 powder tends to relax the skin, allay 
 pain, and check looseness of the bowels. 
 It may be repeated every three or four 
 hours. 
 
 Lotions. — Nitric Acid. — Two 
 drachms of diluted nitric acid and a pint 
 of water mixed together. This lotion 
 is stimulating and cleansing. It is 
 very useful when applied to foul and 
 foetid ulcers ; it is likewise of consider- 
 able value in caries of the bone and 
 threatened inflammation. It was the 
 favourite lotion of Sir Astley Cooper 
 in cases of unhealthy ulcerations re- 
 quiring the application of a stimulant. 
 
 Anodyne Lotion.- — Crude opium, 
 two drachms ; warm water, one pint. 
 Eub the opium for a few minutes in a 
 mortar with a little of the warm water, 
 then pour in the remainder of the water 
 and mix them well. This is an excel- 
 lent wash for painful and irritable ulcers 
 and swellings. 
 
 Astringent Lotion. — Sulphate of 
 zinc,twodrachms; water, one pint; cam- 
 phorated spirit of wine, two drachms, 
 mixed together. This is an excellent 
 lotion for piles. Let it be used night 
 and morniug. 
 
 Alum Water Lotion. — Alum and 
 Bulphate of zinc, of each half an ounce ; 
 boiling water, two pints. Mix, and 
 filter the solution. This is an astrin- 
 gent and cleansing solution, beneficially 
 employed in ulcerations. 
 
 Superior Goulard 
 ^V a t e r. — Extract of lead, one 
 drachm ; distilled vinegar, two ounces ; 
 proof spirit tj wine, half an ounce; 
 
 water, one pint. Mix these ingredients 
 together. 
 
 Deafness. — General Remarks. 
 — Deafness, strictly speaking, is a total 
 inability to hear articulate sounds, but 
 the word is usually employed to indi- 
 cate any defect in the organ of hearing, 
 or any degree of diihculty in the per- 
 ception of articulated sounds. There 
 are various causes to which deafness, 
 or the degrees in which it prevails, 
 may be attributed ; these are local de- 
 fects or impediments in the outer or 
 inner entrance, or in the cavity of the 
 ear, or there may be local debility or 
 relaxation induced by a variety of causes. 
 Many a child has been made deaf for 
 life by boxing his ears, because the 
 "drum" of the ear is a membrane as 
 thin as paper, which stretches like a 
 curtain just inside the e.'iternal en- 
 trance of the ear; there is nothing but 
 air just behind it, and any violent con- 
 cussion is liable to rend it in two, and 
 the hearing is destroyed for ever, be- 
 cause the sense of hearing is caused by 
 the vibrations of this drum, or "tym- 
 panum." Picking the ears is a most 
 mischievous practice. In attempting 
 to do this with hard substances, an un- 
 lucky motion has many a time pierced 
 the drum, and made it as useless as a 
 pierced india-rubber ball. Nothing 
 shai-per or harder than the end of the 
 little finger, with the nail pared, ought 
 ever to be introduced into the eai-, un- 
 less by a physician. The subject of 
 deafness is so important as to call for 
 some detail, which, however, shall be 
 as concise as possible. 
 
 Organic Defects. — These may 
 exist in the outer or inner entrance, or 
 in the cavity of the ear. Sometimes 
 the outer entrance is found to be closed 
 more or less by a preternatural mem- 
 brane, which may be situated either 
 superficially, or may have its locality 
 deep in the external cavity of the ear; 
 and sometimes an obstruction may 
 exist caused by indurated wax or some 
 extraneous substance. Deafness may 
 likewise be caused by obstruction of 
 what is called the " eustachian tube," or 
 may be occasioned by ulceration or 
 
Deaf Men go mvay with the Injury. 
 
 299 
 
 some other affection of the tpnpanum, 
 or drum of the ear, or by an insensible 
 state of the auditory nerve, or the surface 
 over which it is spread. It may be 
 caused also by a cold, bj' long exposure 
 to loud and deafening noises, by fevers, 
 inflammations, headache, rheumatisms, 
 and by cutaneous eruptions which have 
 been repelled. 
 
 Mode of Tkeatment. — This must 
 necessarily depend upon the nature of 
 the cause of the malady, and therefore 
 must vary with the circumstances of 
 the case. Great care, therefore, ought, 
 in the first instance, to be taken to 
 ascertain the true nature of the cause 
 by which the deafness is produced. 
 The advice of a medical man should 
 at once be obtained, especially in the 
 case of children, who are sometimes 
 bom with a preternatural membrane, 
 which closes the external opening of 
 the ear, and for the removal of which 
 the surgeon's skill will be indispensable. 
 
 DuLNESs OF Heaiuno. — If this is 
 caused by a deposit of hardened wax 
 in the ear, the patient frequently com- 
 plains of noises and confused sounds. 
 One of the most effectual modes of 
 removing the obstruction is that of 
 sjTinging the ear with warm water 
 three or four times a day, until the wax 
 is removed. A syringe capable of con- 
 taining six or eight ounces of water 
 ought to be used, and some hours before 
 it is employed a little warm sweet oil 
 should be dropped into the ear. 
 
 ExTRAKEOus BoDiEs. — In cases in 
 which these have got a lodgment in the 
 cavity, it is extremely important to have 
 recourse to the aid of an aurist, who has 
 given his special attention to the struc- 
 ture and diseases of the organ of hear- 
 ing, as a want of professional skill may 
 aggravate the evil, and occasion irre- 
 mediable injury to the delicate organism 
 on which the accurate sense of hearing 
 depends. Deafness arising from ulcera- 
 tion in any part of the ear, or from 
 disease of the tympanum, requires the 
 special attention of a medical adviser, 
 who, in addition to local treatment, may 
 find it requisite to prescribe remedies 
 applicable to the constitutional causes 
 
 of the maladj', and which cannot with 
 sufficient safety be applied without 
 professional advice. The celebrated 
 Abemethy believed that in a great 
 many instances deafness might be re- 
 moved or greatly alleviated by a sooth- 
 ing treatment, and by improving the 
 condition of the digestive organs, by 
 the judicious use of alterative medi- 
 cines, and careful attention to diet 
 and regimen ; and the authority of that 
 eminent physician affords ample evi- 
 dence of the importance and value of 
 proper medical treatment, in all cases 
 of deafness, and fi-om what causes 
 soever thej- originate. 
 
 Teaching the Deaf and Dlmb. — 
 The power of forming articulate sounds 
 by which to communicate our ideas to 
 others— in short, the capacity of speech 
 — depends almost wholly on our pos- 
 sessing the power of hearing. Language 
 is acquired by imitation ; if we cannot 
 hear the sounds which indicate ideas, 
 we cannot form them. Even if after 
 a period of maturity the hearing is lost, 
 the loss brings with it, not the inability 
 to speak, but inability to regulate tho 
 quantity of sound, or the tones of the 
 voice, except in a very imperfect 
 manner. Those who are born deaf or 
 lose their hearing in infancy, are neces- 
 sarily dumb, not from any peculiar 
 defect in the organs of speech, but 
 from the impossibility of learning the 
 art of speaking by articulate sounds, 
 inasmuch as such sounds never being 
 heard cannot be imitated. As a general 
 rule, therefore, it may be said that 
 dumbness is the consequence of deaf- 
 ness. 
 
 Inability to perceive sotJNrs, and 
 its necessary consequence, inability to 
 speak, constitute a very great calamity. 
 It is quite possible, however, that the 
 afflictive eliaracter of this peculiar de- 
 privation may be much more apparent 
 to those who can hear and speak, than 
 to the deaf and dumb themselves. If 
 we had no organs of hearing, and con- 
 sequently no power of speaking, — that 
 is to say, if deafness and dumbness were 
 the universal rule instead of the excep- 
 tion, — we should have no more idea of 
 
306 
 
 Music is a Prophecy of what Life is to he. 
 
 the nature and value of the sense and 
 the power withheld from us than we 
 at present have of the nature and im- 
 portance of some other senses which 
 might have been conferred on us, hut 
 of which we cannot so miich as form 
 any conception. The probability, there- 
 fore, is that the deaf and dumb feel their 
 incapacity much less acutely than those 
 who can hear and speak can readily 
 comprehend. And it may be difficult 
 to convince people of the acciu-acy of 
 this supposition. That a large number 
 of persons are both deaf and dumb is 
 proved by authentic statements, the pro- 
 portion being about one in every 1,590 
 of the population of Great Britain and 
 Ireland. According to the last census 
 but one, there were in the whole 
 population of the British Isles, which 
 amounted then to about 28 millions, 
 17,300 persons deaf and dumb. 
 
 Whether this special defect can be 
 so effectually remedied, that deafness 
 and dumbness shall cease to be found 
 in the catalogue of human afflictions, 
 it would perhaps be both rash and un- 
 philosophical to deny. Holding, as we 
 do, that the vast majority of the diseases 
 imder wliich mankind siiffur are due 
 to hiunan error and ignorance, we are 
 inclined to believe that advancement in 
 intelligence, knowledge, and virtue, in 
 conjunction with suffering itself, may 
 go far to remedy evils which at present 
 we look upon as all but incurable, and 
 unfold to us physiological, as well as 
 moral laws, capable of explaining many 
 things now inscrutable, and suggesting 
 for many of these, remedial and pre- 
 ventive measures, of which we cannot 
 at present form an adequate idea. 
 Whatever the tmth may be on this 
 subject, the condition of the deaf and 
 dumb demands our utmost sympathy, 
 and it is our duly to alleviate their 
 affliction by every means in our power. 
 
 Musical Hints to Mam- 
 mas. — When should the Girls 
 BEGIN Music ? — This question may be 
 answered, as regards the pianoforte, by 
 advising that they commence as early 
 as possible; three or four years old will 
 not be too soon to begin to teach them 
 
 their notes, and some of the simplest 
 lessons in the instruction books. At 
 this tender age, however, it would be 
 a mistake and a cruelty to make the 
 study of music a piece of taskwork, or 
 to prolong the daily instruction beyond 
 half an hour. A quarter of an hour re- 
 gularly observed will accomplish much, 
 without robbing the child of that out- 
 of-door recreation which is of such 
 material importance in the foundation 
 of a healthy constitution. 
 
 The chief reason for an early com- 
 mencement is that it prevents the ne- 
 cessity for the lengthened application 
 which must be undergone when music 
 is commenced later in life. 'J'he child 
 who has learned the rudiments of music, 
 and commenced its practice from early 
 childhood, is found to have accomplished 
 more by this pleasant and gradual course, 
 than they who, having commenced to 
 learn at ten or twelve, devote them- 
 selves to laborious practice at the ex- 
 pense of their health, as well as of their 
 other studies. 
 
 Any mother may teach her childi-en 
 their notes, and many may even take 
 the place of the music instructor for a 
 long period of these early lessons, 
 provided she have herself been well 
 taught. The chief fault of which 
 an incompetent teacher may be the 
 cause, is an incorrect position of the 
 hands of the little pupil on the piano. 
 The rudiments of music, and daily 
 practice, in finding out notes on the 
 piano, (exercises for which may be 
 either written by the parent, or foimd in 
 many easy pieces of published music,) 
 would afford plenty of scope for the 
 maternal teacher, and no risk of stray- 
 ing in a wrong road need be feared as 
 far as these departments are concerned. 
 When the little lady thoroughly knows 
 her notes, she will be ready for a pro- 
 fessional master, who should be the 
 best that can be procured. The mother's 
 daily lessons need not then be given 
 up ; indeed, they will be of material 
 assistance in promoting the studies set 
 out by the master. With regard to the 
 pianoforte, therefore, begin early — the 
 earlier the better. 
 
Home! Hmv Deep a Spell that Little Word contains ! 301 
 
 SiNOixo. — This may be encouraged 
 from early childliood ; but for physical 
 reasons, the trying vocal exercises 
 ncce.»sary for a complete training of 
 tho singing voice, should be deferred 
 until after about the age of sixteen. 
 Tho simple exercises used in school 
 classes for sight singing, the hyranody 
 at a place of worship, and the joyoiis 
 snatches of song which the musical 
 child loves to carol through the house, 
 do not, however, come under the 
 slightest objection. Their use and en- 
 joyment should be encouraged in every 
 waj'. 0\ir exception applies only to 
 any severe vocal exertion, with a view 
 to what is called voice development, at 
 the tender age of which wo speak. At 
 the right time its results are beneficial 
 — indeed, in some cases magnificent. 
 It is simply against its too early en- 
 forcement that wo caution mothers, 
 who, having an idea that because early 
 singing is everywhere recommended, 
 excessive vocal exertion is thereby im- 
 plied. 
 
 Mamma anp her Boyr. — The male 
 portion of tho community, in this 
 country, do not give that practical 
 attention to music ^^•hich is observed 
 among those of other countries. Tho 
 author of these short notices has been 
 gratified to find, that in some Conti- 
 nental circles, a gentleman who does 
 not play the piano, is as rare as tho 
 gentleman who could not sing " at 
 sight" in tho Tudor period, and who 
 was on that account ashamed of the 
 incompleteness of his education. Would 
 that something of this feeling existed 
 among us now ! 
 
 A mother once exclaimed to the 
 author, that she could not keep her 
 dear boys at home. Ho at once ad- 
 vised that they should be taught 
 music, and tho result proved most 
 successful ; a love of home having 
 grown with an increase in its attrac- 
 tions, and the acquirement of a human- 
 izing art, as well as fascinating accom- 
 plishment, having been added to the 
 many deep obligations which they 
 owed to the maternal care. 
 
 What Ixstruments should Bots 
 
 PLAY ? — What are called orchestral in- 
 struments, especially those of the violin 
 tribe, are generally preferred for boys, 
 and they certainly add to the attractions 
 of the musical evening in the drawing- 
 room. There is no reason, howerer, 
 why a boy should not learn the piano- 
 forte, or a girl the violin, — tho latter 
 being, in fact, an instrument specially 
 suited to a lady, and, indcetl, gradually 
 coming into fashion as sucb. Wind 
 instruments, such as the corxet-db-piston 
 and fii4fe, should not be chosen, except 
 under medical sanction. 
 
 Finally, mothers should uphold tho 
 authority of the music-master, and seo 
 that his directions are faithfully earned 
 out. The practice of the exercises so 
 necessary in instnunental music, should 
 be encouraged and rewarded, and on 
 no account should their uninteresting 
 or even disagreeable effect bementioned, 
 as it would at once provide an excusn 
 for the curtailment of labours which 
 appear to " annoy mamma." The same 
 remark appbes to classical (that is tho 
 best) music, which mamma should ever 
 uphold in tho eyes of her children, and 
 second the teacher's efforts to pro- 
 mote. 
 
 Let us advise reference to the articles 
 on the I'iutioforte, Harmonium, Singing, 
 Practice, and Domestic Concerts, in other 
 pages of tho present volume. 
 
 Hints on Home Deco- 
 ration. — Fketwohk.— This branch 
 of art, which is found so useful, and 
 may bo so generally applied in the deco- 
 rati(m of the house, is extensively prac- 
 tised by ladies, and is of such a nature 
 that it appears to be speciallj' suited 
 as an artistic employment for them. 
 The process is by no means a purely 
 mechanical one, yet it is so simple that 
 it may be more or less successfully 
 practised by all ; while the skilful and 
 tasteful worker, who makes use of wood 
 carving (see p. 281) to enrich the fret- 
 work, will be able to produce striking, 
 artistic, and even sumptuous effects, by 
 the employment of materials, very few 
 in nimiber, and not costly in price. 
 
 Fretwork is the name given to a 
 method of forming ornamental designs 
 
302 
 
 Christmas comes hut once a Year. 
 
 in panels, &c., by sawing out the wood 
 round the different objects of the design. 
 The ornamental screen of perforated 
 v/ood that runs along the front of a 
 piano, and is usually backed by a cur- 
 tain of crimson or green silk, may be 
 taken as a specimen of fretwork. The 
 ends of bookslides, photograph frames, 
 table easels for holding drawings and 
 engravings, reading stands, picture 
 frames, ornamental brackets, the bor- 
 ders of the sides of what-nots and book- 
 shelves,— hundreds of the articles, in 
 short, that are found in every middle- 
 class household, may be made bigbly 
 ornamental by being subjected to the 
 process of fret-cutting. 
 
 Tools for Fretwork. — The tool 
 chiefly employed in this kind of work is 
 the buhl or frame saw, by means of which 
 the wood to be removed is sawn out. 
 The frame of tbis saw forms three sides 
 of a quadrangle ; the saw, wben fixed 
 in its place by screws, forms the foru-th 
 side of the square ; or to describe, per- 
 haps, more accurately, the frame resem- 
 bles a bow much bent, while the saw 
 occupies the place of the bow-string. 
 
 The moment this implement is seen 
 in action its merits and capacities will 
 be appreciated. Let us suppose that an 
 ornamental photograph frame has to be 
 cut in fret. We first obtain our design, 
 either by drawing it ourselves or by 
 purchasing it at the toolmaker's, or 
 fancy-shop. Wc next procure a suit- 
 able wooden panel, wbich shall be a 
 little larger than the design, and will 
 be a little over the eighth of an inch 
 in thickness. This panel, the design 
 having been pasted upon it, is firmly 
 secured upon its " horse " to the bench 
 by means of " cramps." To prevent 
 possible mistakes, we now slightly 
 shade the parts that are to be sawn out 
 with a black-lead pencil. In one of 
 these shaded spaces we cut out a round 
 hole with a gouge. Up through this 
 hole we pass the saw of the frame-saw, 
 and secure it, the frame standing out 
 towards the operator quite clear of 
 the panel. "VVe now commence sawing, 
 and we cut in towards the outline at the 
 nearest point, and follow that outline 
 
 all round till the object is left, and the 
 superfluous wood cut away. 
 
 It will be often necessary, for various 
 reasons, to stop to unfix the frame-saw, 
 and begin from a fresh point, and pro- 
 ceed as before till the work is completed. 
 Having cut out our photograph frame, 
 the design of which, let us suppose, is 
 the vine-leaf and grape, we will vastly 
 improve it by carving. The fruit must 
 be rounded and smoothed with chisel 
 and gouge, the stems must also be 
 rounded, the veins of the leaves must 
 be cut Avith the V-chisel, and the 
 curl of the leaf suggested by hollowing 
 with the broad chisel. Finally, the 
 background must be levelled with gouge 
 and chisel, and afterwards made uni- 
 form in tone by applying the grounding- 
 punch. (See Wood Carving, p. 281.) 
 
 The appearance of fretwork is dhicq 
 enhanced by staining and pohshing, or 
 varnishing. When the work is intended 
 for the ornamentation of an album or a 
 folio, a coloured border in velvet or 
 some other suitable fabric may be used. 
 These matters, however, the limited 
 space at our command compel us to 
 leave to the ingenuity and taste of our 
 readers. 
 
 It may only be added, that among 
 the great variety of woods that can be 
 used for fretwork, the amateur should 
 always select the kind most suitable for 
 his purpose. If his work is to be 
 minute and fine, he must have wood of 
 close grain, such as ebony or box- wood. 
 For bold fret-cutting, or open scroll- 
 work, the cheaper and commoner kinds 
 of wood will suit. Panels may be ob- 
 tained from the toolmaker, or at a 
 fancy-shop. 
 
 How to Decorate a 
 Church. — Christmas. — This very 
 specially English custom becomes 
 every year more prevalent, and unfor- 
 tunately more costly. The persons 
 who devote their energies to Christmas 
 decorations, are mostly of the thought- 
 ful and earnest class, whose time and 
 money would be spent in works of 
 solid charity, were the pious object 
 they seek, that of welcoming the infant 
 Saviour, attainable at a less cost. We 
 
Lovely Flowers are the Smiles of Goifs Goodness. 303 
 
 nre anxious on this account rather to 
 suggest the cheaper style of decoration, 
 than to follow the directions given in 
 the elahoratc works on this subject. 
 
 The custom of decorating our 
 churches at Christmas, although now 
 so much advocated by the highest 
 churchmen, has a heathen origin. The 
 mistletoe, the special badge of Christ- 
 mas, was accounted dear to Odin, and 
 possessed wondrous charms in my- 
 thology to our own ancient Druids. It 
 was the dearest treasure of the woods, 
 reaped by a consecrated priest with a 
 golden sickle, and carried in solemn 
 processhn upon a white ox. The 
 holly alsp, received its nobility from 
 the Druids- and the laurel and its 
 congeners clwm their descent from the 
 old Greeks. 
 
 Before the nvival of ecclesiastical 
 art, which so foon followed on the 
 Tractarian moven/^nt, our Church de- 
 coration was of the roughest kind. 
 The day or two jusi before Christmas 
 was occupied by th« parish clerk in 
 turning the pulpit into\ bower of ever- 
 greens ; if the church boasted of 
 one or more chandeliers, Sranches were 
 tird to them in such diundanco as 
 effectually to nullify the fu'nt light of 
 the candles; twigs were in^rted into 
 holes drilled for the purpse along 
 the edges of the pews, to tb; incon- 
 venience of the worshippers, -ho, in 
 bending forward, constantly cune in 
 contact with the holly spines. 
 
 Now-a-days it is different, the u-aw- 
 ing-master, as well as the general scLiqI. 
 master, is abroad, and great taste is t-n. 
 ployi'd in the Christmas decoratiois. 
 Scrolls formed of thin deal, stron- 
 pasteboard, or, bestof all for illuminatinj^ 
 purposes, of zinc plates, form a fashion- 
 able and suitable element in the scheme 
 of decoration. The colour and style of 
 the church must be the guide both 
 as to the form and tint of these. 
 
 Materials. — Against old oak pan- 
 elling a light tint goes best; not white, 
 that is too violent, but a pale stone- 
 colour, with red edge, and letters boldly 
 relieved with black. For the stonework 
 a red scroll is the most telling. Where 
 
 there is space suffici-^nt, such as round an 
 archway, a beautiful effect may be pro- 
 duced by a red .«croll with white letters 
 made on the following plan : — Cut a 
 border the shape of the arch, one and 
 a half feet wide, in tbc strongest brown 
 paper ; several sheets will lie requii-od. 
 These can be stitched togt'ther with the 
 needle. Paste Turkey twill over the 
 paper. Draw on white cartridge paper 
 the letters required ; taking care that 
 they are solid in form, cut them out, 
 paste them on the right side, and lay 
 them on sheets of best white wadding. 
 The flat side of the wadding adheres 
 to the pasted side of the letter, so that 
 you can cut the wadding out the clear 
 shape of the paper: paste these on the 
 red twill, and then make a compact 
 wreath of variegated holly leaves, sewed 
 on ribbon-wiie ; attach this to both 
 sides of the scroll, and nail it round 
 the arch. The effect is as if the letters 
 were formed of snow. 
 
 Wre.vthino.— For wreathing round 
 pillars, and for the decoration of carved 
 oak, we would suggest a kind of gar- 
 land, which we learned from the Ita- 
 lians. Take ivy leaves, selecting them 
 of one size — large for pillars, small 
 for woodwork. Procure red worsted 
 braid, half an inch, one inch, or two 
 inches broad ; lay one leaf upon the 
 braid, and fasten it with a stitch, then 
 lay a leaf under the braid, the point 
 readiing under the leaf already at- 
 tJiched, and fasten that with a stitch. 
 Then lay another leaf above, its point 
 about as far from the base of the first 
 leaf as the breadth of the braid, then 
 another underneath ; thus you have a 
 solid wreath, sightly on both surfaces, 
 with a little piece of scarlet appearing 
 between each two leaves. Where time 
 is no object, the wreath is greatly im- 
 proved by a little bunch of holly 
 lerries being sewed in the centre of 
 <ich of the upper leaves. Where 
 tt5 red braid is an objection, a very 
 prtty wreathing can be made of 
 ivj leaves simply sewed together, ono 
 ovel.apping the other, but this plan 
 necesitates an immense supply of 
 leave. In either case the wreathing 
 
304 Life is a Kind of Chess, in which we have Points to gain. 
 
 looks very well suspended in festoons ; 
 the under side, though of lighter colour, 
 is equally neat and pretty. 
 
 A similar kind of wreath is charm- 
 ingly adapted for Harvest Homes. In 
 this instance the braid can be green, 
 chestnut leaves should be used instead 
 of ivj^, or those of the sycamore, and a 
 small biinch of corn, wheat, or barley, 
 should be fastened in the centre of each 
 leaf. 
 
 Where flowers are used, the Christ- 
 mas rose is certainly the most suitable, 
 as well as the most attainable, and forms 
 a charming decoration for the font. For 
 the finer kinds of wreathing, yew and 
 box are the most suitable, but although 
 they have no great claim to pious rela- 
 tionship in themselves, they have been so 
 widely adopted hj the Church of Rome 
 in the northern coimtries as a substitute 
 for the palm and olive on Palm Sunday, 
 that in Ireland they are respectively 
 called "palm or box palm," and thus 
 gain a kind of afhliation as ecclesias- 
 tical emblems. 
 
 Easter and Whitsuntide Decora- 
 tions. — Flowers are the most fitting, 
 but their evanescence presents one 
 great difficulty, and the immense quan- 
 tity required, a still greater one, espe- 
 cially as regards town churches. The 
 use of moss, which can be brought in 
 great quantities from the country some 
 time before it is wanted, is a grand 
 method of ecoaomizing flowers. Take 
 a broad, thin lath, lay a truss of straw 
 along it, and bind it firmly, so as to 
 form a cushion as many inches broad as 
 you desire, then bind the moss upon 
 this, and j'ou have a firm velvet band 
 of moss ; it can be made in a plain 
 border, a triangle, or a circle, as desired. 
 Two triangles thus foi-med make, M'hen 
 united, a star of six points. Then take 
 large flowers, roses, dahlias, or holly- 
 hocks, and fasten them five or six inches 
 apart; twenty-four such flowers will 
 make a splendid star or wreath, but 
 they would make no show at all if boun- 
 in with evergreens. Yew or box ^ 
 also very serviceable treated in a simiJr 
 way; made into stars and crosses it 
 lasts long, and fresh flowers caivbe 
 
 added from time to time. la this way 
 very suitable decorations can be made 
 for graves. 
 
 On all occasions the decorations for 
 the font should be white : Christmas 
 roses and snowdrops at Christmas, 
 white primroses, narcissuses, or early- 
 flowering species of hawthorn for 
 Easter, and white roses for Whitsun- 
 tide ; indeed, at Whitsuntide white 
 flowers should be used as widely as for 
 a universal wedding. 
 
 Harvest Homes. — For Harvest 
 Homes fruit should take the place of 
 flowers, but always on the parent 
 branch, to avoid turning the church 
 into a transplanted Covent G-irden, — 
 branches of hazel and of apples, and of 
 hawthorn and of mountair ash, freely 
 mingled with wheat, and barley, and 
 oats, and the graceful hq) bine. 
 
 The Game cf Chess. — 
 This celebrated game is played with 
 thirty-two pieces or men, divided into 
 two sets of sixteen each, one set being 
 white and the othe-' red or black. The 
 game is played fi a square "board," 
 marked out iito sixty-four equal 
 squares, which d.re alternately coloured 
 black and whte or red and white, in 
 order to deiote and determine the 
 moves of th' various pieces. There are 
 t-tt'O player*, who are opposed to each 
 other ; ea<h has one of the sets of six- 
 teen mer under his control, consisting 
 of a kinj and a queen, two bishops, two 
 knight* two castles or rooks, and eight 
 pawn? 
 
 Abiaxgement of the Men. — The 
 ches-board is placed on a table, be- 
 twfSQ the two players, in such a 
 mi'iner that each player shall have a 
 ■spiite square at the corner of the board 
 Ci his right hand. The sixteen men to 
 ;e played are arranged on the two lines 
 of squares nest to the players, the posi- 
 tion of the men relatively to each other 
 being the same on each side. The two 
 castles occupy the corner squares on 
 the right and left of the players. Next 
 each castle is a knight, next the knight 
 on each side is a bishop, and in the 
 centre are the king and queen; the 
 queen always occupying at the be^ift- 
 
By playing at Chess we learn Foresight and Caution. 305 
 
 ning of the game a square of her own 
 colour, according to the invariable rule 
 to that Q'Se.cX—gaudct recjina colore. 
 By this means it will be found that the 
 black king occupies the white square 
 on the left of his queen, and the white 
 king the black square on the right of 
 his queen. The men on the king's side 
 of the line are called the king's rook, 
 the king's knight, and the king's 
 bishop ; those on the queen's side are 
 called the queen's rook, queen's 
 knight, and queen's bishop ; and the 
 pawns are distinguished in a similar 
 manner, as the king's rook's pawn, 
 king's knight's pawn, &c. The squares 
 too are distinguished from each other 
 according to their position in front of 
 the piece or man before which they are. 
 Thus the squares on which the king and 
 queen are placed are called the Icing's 
 and the queen's square respectively ; the 
 square immediately in front of the 
 king or the queen is called "the king's 
 second square" or the queen's second 
 square, and so forth to the adversary's 
 side. The same rule obtains as to the 
 other squares. Thus the squares on 
 which the bishops and other men are 
 arranged at the outset of the game are 
 called the king's or queen's bishop's 
 square, and the squares in front of that 
 square the king's or queen's bishop's 
 second, third, or fourth square, as the 
 case may be. 
 
 The Moves. — The queen, who is 
 the most powerful of all the pieces, can 
 move over any number of squares and 
 in every direction, either backwards, 
 forwards, or to either side, and either 
 in diagonal or straight lines. The 
 KING can move in every direction, but 
 can take only one step at a time except 
 when he castles, -when he moves two 
 steps, and this he can do only once 
 diiring a game. The bishop moves 
 diagonally over any number of squares, 
 the bishop therefore must always re- 
 main on the colour which he is placed 
 on at the beginning of the game. The 
 KNIGHT moves two squares, one of them 
 straight and the other diagonal, either 
 "backwards, forwai-ds, or sidewise : his 
 jjiQve therefore always takes him to a 
 
 colour different from that M-hich he 
 .occupies before moving. He can leap 
 over any piece to the square he intends 
 to occupy. The castle can move to 
 any distance, either forwards, back- 
 wards, or to either side, but only in 
 straight lines. The paavn moves only 
 one step at a time, and only straight 
 before him ; in taking any piece, how- 
 ever, he moves one step on the diagonal 
 line, and on making his first move he 
 has the privilege of advancing two 
 squares if he choose to do so. 
 
 Object of the Game. — The objecl 
 of each of the players is to give what 
 is called checkmate to his opponent's 
 king. To this purpose all the moves 
 that are made on both sides are in- 
 tended to conduce, and M'hen either of 
 the kings is checkmated the game ter- 
 minates, although the game may be 
 brought to a conclusion by what is 
 called stalemate, or by the circumstance 
 that neither of the two players is able 
 to give checkmate to the other. In 
 these cases the game is said to be a 
 drawn game, and neither of the players 
 is victorious. It must be understood 
 that all the various pieces are liable to 
 be taken by the opponent's men; that 
 is to say, any piece which bears upon 
 an}' square on which there is one of the 
 opponent's men may be moved to that 
 square, when the piece upon it is said 
 to be taken. There is, however, one 
 exception to this rule ; the king cannot 
 be taken. The king ma.\ be placed in 
 check, or he may be so situated that he 
 cannot move without moving into 
 check, which is contrary to the rules of 
 the game ; or he may be placed in 
 check without being able to move from 
 the square on which he stands without 
 moving into check, and this latter con- 
 dition constitutes checkmate, and closes 
 the game. A short explanation of these 
 and some other technical matters will 
 enable the reader the bettor to compre- 
 hend this beautiful and interesting 
 game. 
 
 Technical Terms.— 7w check. The 
 king is said to be " in check " when one 
 or more of the opponent's men bears 
 upon the square on vhich he stands, 
 
5o6 
 
 We learn by Chess not to be discouraged. 
 
 and could take him on the next move 
 if he were any other man but the king. 
 In this condition of check the king can- 
 not continue, he must he freed from it, 
 and for this purpose the king must in- 
 stantly move so as to he " out of 
 check," for he must take the man by 
 whom the check is given, if he he on 
 the next square, and if the king in 
 taking him does not thereby move into 
 check, as already said ; or the piece 
 giving check may be taken by some of 
 the men belonging to the king who is 
 in check, or some piece must be inter- 
 posed, if that be practicable, between 
 the king and the piece who attacks 
 him. But if the attacking piece be on 
 the next square to the king, or if he be 
 a knight, there can be no interposition. 
 
 Checkmate, it is obvious, therefore, 
 occurs when the king is placed by any 
 one of the opponent's pieces in check, 
 and when by none of the expedients 
 now mentioned he can be relieved from 
 that state; whenever this takes place 
 the game is over, for the king is check- 
 mated. 
 
 Stalemate consists of this, viz., the 
 king may be so surrounded either by 
 his own men or by the pieces of the 
 enemy, that although not at the mo- 
 ment actually in check, he nevertheless 
 cannot move at all without moving into 
 check, which, as already stated, is inad- 
 missible. This, however, is a condition 
 of things that rarely occurs in a game 
 between players of ability and skill, 
 and it is hardly possible that it can 
 occur at aU unless most of the men are 
 already off the board, as it is unneces- 
 sary here more fully to explain. 
 
 Smothered Mate. — This term is 
 intended to express the checkmate 
 given to a king by the move of one of 
 his adversary's men, which is inevi- 
 table in consequence of the king's being 
 too closely surrounded on all sides by 
 his own men. The term is not much 
 used, as the occasion does not often 
 occur. No player of sufficient ability, 
 indeed, will permit his king to be in a 
 position of so much peril. 
 
 Odds. — This expresses some par- 
 ticular advantage which a stronger 
 
 player gives to a weaker, so as to render 
 the contest less unequal. 
 
 Gambit. — This word denotes the 
 sacrifice of a pawn in an early stage of 
 the game. 
 
 En piiisE is a term applied to a piece 
 when it is in danger of being taken by 
 another unless removed to a place of 
 safety or otherwise secured. 
 
 Winning the Exchange. — It not 
 iinfrequently happens in the game that 
 one of the players is under the neces- 
 sity of making an exchange of men ; 
 that is to say, he may be able with a 
 pawn to take his adversary's bishop, 
 knight, or other more important piece, 
 the adversary of course taking the pawn 
 immediately afterwards. In this case, 
 a bishop, or knight, or queen, as the 
 case may be, is gained at the loss of a 
 piece of inferior importance, and the 
 player who takes the superior piece is 
 said to " win the exchange.^' 
 
 A Forced Move. — This is a move 
 which the king or any other piece mu&t 
 make when attacked. 
 
 Counter Attack. — This is amove 
 made to repel or counteract the attack 
 of an opponent by causing him to de- 
 fend himself. 
 
 Castling. — This is a peculiar move, 
 which can be made by either or both of 
 the kings only once in the same game. 
 In order to make this move the king 
 must still be on the square on which he 
 was originally placed at the outset of 
 the game. If he have moved even one 
 step the privilege cannot be conceded 
 to him. The move is this : — Let it be 
 supposed that on either side of the king 
 all the pieces which occupy the squares 
 between him and the castle have moved, 
 and that their squares are unoccupied ; 
 in order to "castle" the rook, a castle 
 moves towards the king and occupies 
 the square next to him, and he moves 
 to the square beyond the castle, i. e., to 
 the second square from that on which 
 he originally is placed. This move is 
 frequently of great importance, as it 
 enables the king to escape imminent 
 danger, and has often the effect of ren- 
 dering the machinations of an opponent 
 entirely nugatory for a time. 
 
Gaming finds a Man a Coward, and leaves hint a Knave. 307 
 
 Sacrifice. — This term signifies the 
 allowing a piece to be taken without 
 immediate compensation, but for the 
 sake of some ulterior advantage. 
 
 False Move. — This means a move 
 made by mistake, and which cannot 
 legally be played. 
 
 Doubled Pawn. — When two pawns 
 stand on the same file, that is to say, one 
 immediately in front of the other, the 
 front one is called the " doubled pa-svn." 
 
 There are a few other technical 
 phrases which might be mentioned, but 
 they ai'e seldom necessary in the course 
 of a game ; indeed, several of those now 
 enumerated are rarely used. 
 
 Laws of Chess. — : Several of the 
 rules of the game have already been 
 referred to in what has been said ; Ave 
 shall therefore avoid repeating them, 
 and give only those most important in 
 addition. 
 
 1. The players draw for first move, 
 after which they play alternately. 2. 
 When one of the players gives odds he 
 is entitled to first move. 3. If an error 
 be committed in placing the board or 
 the men, and four moves have been 
 made on each side, either player is en- 
 titled to require that the ganie shall be 
 completed without any correction of the 
 error. 4. A move once made cannot 
 be retracted. 6. If you touch a piece 
 you are bound to play it. 6. If you 
 make a false move your opponent may 
 cause you to retract it, and move your 
 king as a penalty. 7. If you touch one 
 of your opponent's men he may compel 
 you to take it, and if that is impossible, 
 to move your king. 8. If in checking 
 your opponent's king you do not utter 
 the word " check," your opponent is 
 not bound to notice the check. 9. 
 Drawn games are not considered games 
 but by agreement. 10. All matters of 
 dispute are to be referred to a third 
 party, whose decision shall be final. 
 The rules relating to the moves of a 
 pawn have been already stated, and 
 those relating to castling, &c., &c. ; but 
 it ought to be added that when at its 
 first step a pawn is moved two squares, 
 passing another pawn in so doing, it 
 may be taken by that pawn. There 
 
 are a few additional rules, but they are 
 not of much importance unless among 
 very skilful and experienced antagonists, 
 to whom extreme strictness may be es- 
 sential. 
 
 In concluding this brief notice of this 
 admirable game, we think it requisite to 
 say that we have purposely retrained 
 from presenting ouj: readers with any 
 of the usual diagrams of games, or any 
 special directions as to the moves to bo 
 made in plapng them, for this reason, 
 that to a beginner it is generally both 
 diflieult and irksome to learn the game 
 by such means. A few practical les- 
 sons will be sufficient to gain familiarity 
 with the moves, and the general conduct 
 of the game ; after which recourse may 
 be had to some of the more elaborate 
 works, in which are recorded celebrated 
 openings and games, skilfully carried 
 out, one or two of which the reader 
 may find it useful as well as interesting 
 carefully to study. 
 
 The Game of Backgam- 
 mon. — This game has long been 
 deservedly popular. It is in no small 
 degree amusing and interesting, and it 
 affords a pleasant method of employing 
 an evening hour, without rendering 
 necessary the intellectual effort which 
 is required in playing chess with an 
 able and skilful advcrsarj'. 
 
 The Implements foii Playing. — 
 The game requires a board, dice and 
 dice-boxes, and men or pieces thirty in 
 number. The board consists of two 
 parts, united by hinges in the centre, 
 and thus capable of being closed or 
 opened like a foHo volume, which in 
 its proportions it resembles. The in- 
 terior of the board thus divided has 
 twelve "points" at each end, six at 
 the opposite end of each of the two 
 divisions. These points are coloured 
 alternately white and black, or white 
 and red, in order to afford the players 
 the greater facility in perceiving and 
 coimting the proper moves. The back- 
 gammon board is so well known that a 
 minute description is unnecessary, even 
 if it CQuld be satisfactorily furnished 
 without the use of a diagram or the aid 
 of the engraver. The dice are cubes 
 
3o8 Cards or Dice interest more than the Loss of an Empire. 
 
 of ivory, and on each of their six faces 
 are dots, in number from one to six in- 
 chisive. Two of these dice are nsed 
 by means of a cylindrical box, in which 
 tbey are shaken by each player alter- 
 nately before being thro-«Ti upon the 
 backgammon board. 
 
 The Moves or Mobe of Playing. — 
 In order to comprehend the method of 
 playing we shall suppose that the 
 board is placed between the two players, 
 with the narrower ends of the two divi- 
 sions towards them. In that position 
 each filayer has twelve points ranged 
 along the side of the board next himself, 
 six of these points white, and six of them 
 black or red. Now there are two ace- 
 points in the arrangement of the board, 
 one of them in the comer at the right 
 hand of the one player, and the other at 
 the opposite corner at the left hand of 
 the other player. Counting from this 
 point, the following is the arrangement 
 of the men at the outset of the game. 
 On each of the ace-points exactly oppo- 
 site each other are two men, two black 
 and two white. Supposing, for brevity's 
 sake, B to represent the player of the 
 black men, and W the player of the 
 *>'hite, the arrangement would be this, 
 Tiz. : — 2 B on point 1 ; 5 W on point 
 6 ; 3 W on point 8 ; and 5 B on point 
 12. On the opposite side 2 "W on point 
 1, 5 B on point 6, 3 B on point 8, and 
 6 "W on point 12. Now the first object 
 of each player is to bring his men roimd 
 from the opposite side into the inner 
 table, home, or exchequer on his own 
 side. Suppose, then, for sake of illus- 
 tration, B, the player of the black men, 
 throws the dice and has the first move ; 
 if, for example, he happen to throw two 
 sixes, he can then play the two men 
 who are on the first point six points on- 
 wards, and he can play two of his men 
 from the 12th point six points also. 
 On the other hand, if W make a similar 
 throw before his opponent he can make 
 the same moves; but if either player 
 has first played, the other cannot make 
 the same move, because the points 
 ■which he might have moved his men 
 are already occupied. Suppose B again 
 throw his djcp, and the number of dots 
 
 on the one dice is one, and on the other 
 three, in that case B plays one of his 
 men from his sixth to his fifth point, 
 and then covers the man so played by 
 another played from the eighth to the 
 fifth point. In short, whatever the 
 throws are which B makes, he can play 
 any of his men from the position they 
 are in to any other point in the direc- 
 tion of his own inner table or exchequer. 
 If, however, on the point to which he 
 might otherwise play, there are two 
 men of his adversary's, he cannot place 
 his own man or men on the same point. 
 He can do so, however, if the point be 
 occupied by only one man belonging to 
 his opponent, in which case he takes 
 the man up and puts his own in its 
 place. These remarks are equally ap- 
 plicable to either of the two players. 
 The numbers thrown by the two dice 
 may be reckoned either singly or to- 
 gether. Thus, for instance, if the num- 
 bers three and six be thrown, one man 
 may be played over nine points ; or two 
 men may be played, one of them three 
 points and the other six, and so in other 
 cases. If, as already implied, there be 
 only one man on any point to which a 
 man of the opposite colourcan bemoved, 
 that man can be taken by the man moved 
 to that point : the man on that point is 
 called a blot, and on being taken he is 
 to be placed on the bar dividingthe two 
 segments of the table, and when his 
 owner throws his dice, the man so taken 
 must be put back into the home ex- 
 chequer of the opponent, on the point 
 indicated by the throw, if that point be 
 unoccupied. The man so put back 
 must again commence his journey to- 
 wards the inner table on the opposite 
 side, in accordance with the number 
 of the dice that are thrown. 
 
 As soon as B (or W) has succeeded 
 in bringing all his men into his own 
 inner table, he must then proceed to 
 take them finally out of it, and this is 
 done by his removing the men which 
 may happen to be on the points indi- 
 cated by the dice when throwing, and 
 the player who first succeeds in getting 
 all his men out has the game, or wins 
 the "hit," 
 
tf the Actor is not Graceful he is Ridiculous. 
 
 309 
 
 If either player succeeds in getting 
 all his men off before his opponent has 
 taken off any, he is said to win the 
 " gammon." 
 
 Tm'o hits are considered equal to one 
 gammon, and to win two games out of 
 three is called winning the rub. 
 
 Such are the chief particulars in 
 backgammon. A few games, however, 
 with a correct player, will do more in 
 the way of clearly explaining and illus- 
 trating the nature of the game than a 
 very large amount of mere written in- 
 struction. 
 
 A Word or T-wo on 
 Soaps. — Concentrated Soap. — 
 Among the various kinds of soaps for 
 domestic purposes one of the most use- 
 ful is that which is known as the St. 
 Mungo concentrated soap. This soap, 
 which is manufactured by Messrs. 
 Smith and Son, of Glasgow, is said to 
 combine the best properties, both of 
 soft and hard soap, without the dis- 
 agreeable odour of the former of 
 these substances. For washing pur- 
 poses it is found to have most ef- 
 fective cleansing properties, and it 
 acts without damaging the fabric in 
 the slightest degree. This soap is ex- 
 tremely well adapted for kitchen work, 
 for cleansing woodwork, paint, and 
 encaustic tiles, and it has very effective 
 powers as a disinfectant for washing 
 bedsteads, infected clothing, and in- 
 fected apartments. In order to use it, 
 it is dissolved in boiling water, and 
 when the clothes are steeped in the 
 solution a great amount of labour in 
 rubbing them is found to be saved. 
 
 Watt's Patent Sanitary Soap. 
 • — This is an excellent preparation, re- 
 moving offensive smells from linens, 
 unwholesome rooms, &c. It cleanses 
 with singular rapidity, and requires 
 less labour than when ordinary soap is 
 used. The suds produced by it also 
 deodorize the sinks and drains through 
 which they pass. 
 
 Knight's Primrose is a well-known 
 and favourite soap, and there are pure 
 mineral oil soaps, used by scourers and 
 dyers, but these are not well suited 
 for domestic purposes. 
 
 Toilet Soaps. — These are legion. 
 Many people prefer French soaps for 
 toilet purposes. That which bears the 
 name of Gelle Fr^res makes a most 
 agreeable creamy lather, soft and plea- 
 sant to the skin ; Rimmel also makes 
 very excellent soaps ; one called 
 Dugong soap is said to be made with 
 the oil of a species of whale, and is 
 highly spoken of as rendering the skin 
 white and soft. Cleaver's soaps have 
 long been esteemed, particularly his 
 honey and glycerine soaps. Where 
 80 many are good it is hard to say 
 which soap is best, and we must leavo 
 our readers to judge for themselves. 
 
 Field's Soaps. — We, for our own 
 part, prefer Field's united service tablet 
 for general use ; it makes a verj' soil 
 creamy lather, having a most agreeable 
 perfume, and is but Little affected by 
 being used with hard water ; while for 
 winter use, to soothe chapped skin, no- 
 thing can be more delightful than tho 
 transparent honey soap of the same 
 makers. Messrs. Field also manufacture 
 toilet soaps from paraffine, spermaceti, &c. 
 
 Hints on Amateur Act- 
 ing. — In giving a few hints on ama- 
 teur or private theatricals, we begin by 
 supposing the case, that a number pf 
 young people are staying at a country 
 house, at a time of the year when the 
 early falling night narrows the range 
 of outdoor amusements, and that the 
 host, anxious to provide entertaining 
 employment for his guests during the 
 brief dark days and the long nights, 
 has yielded to the suggestion of insti- 
 tuting private theatricals. In such a case 
 the first question that arises is — How 
 to get the splendid costume in which 
 the actors desire to shine. People of 
 more advanced years will probably 
 consider the matter of costume a second- 
 ary affair, and will be more concenaed 
 to find out how the mechanical difficul- 
 ties of the situation are to be sui-- 
 mounted, — how, in fact, to get up private 
 theatricals with all the necessary para- 
 phernalia of stage, footlights, scenery, 
 curtain, &c. It is the purpose of this 
 article to give a few practical hints to 
 such of our readers as may be inte- 
 
3IO 
 
 Ad your Part Comnwidably , not Contemptibly. 
 
 rested in amateur acting, -with the view 
 of lessening the difficnlties which will 
 have to be encountered. 
 
 Let us say at once that if the host in 
 our country mansion is a man of sub- 
 stance, the whole of the difficulties 
 vanish. He has simply to despatch a 
 letter, requesting a visit from one of 
 the theatrical costumiers in Covent 
 Garden. The man of costumes Avaits 
 on the man of money, surveys and 
 measures the hall in which the perform- 
 ances are proposed to be given, re- 
 turns to town and brings down the 
 private theatricals with him in the 
 shape of a portable bijou theatre, which 
 he erects within the hall akeady al- 
 luded to. In this portable theatre 
 everything is provided — stage, gas- 
 fittings, scenery, &c. All trouble is 
 taken off the hands both of host and 
 guest. A carpenter and gas-fitter set 
 to work, and in a day everything is 
 ready. When the week or fortnight 
 of performances is over the man from 
 Coveut Garden disappears as rapidly as 
 he came. 
 
 In hiring a portable theatre and 
 availing himself of the services of a 
 "fitter" and his attendant mechani- 
 cyins, our host will not only have 
 avoided a woi'ld of confusion and noise, 
 but he will have taken the best pre- 
 cautions against having the principal 
 hall of his mansion damaged. 
 
 But it is not alone for the upper ten 
 thousand of Great Britain that the 
 " Eest of Everything " is written ; and 
 there are many estimable people among 
 our readers, who might think the amuse- 
 ment of private theatricals for their 
 young friends was perhaps a little too 
 dear a luxury, if it involved a portable 
 theatre from London, with scientific 
 gentlemen to superintend it. We shall 
 therefore give a few hints to such 
 of our readers as may be desirous, 
 in "mounting" private theatricals, 
 to take the burden of the labour on 
 themselves, and shall dii-ect attention 
 successively to the auditorium, the 
 stage, the cuilain, the lights, the side 
 scenes, the costumes, and the plays. 
 Our limits allow us to devote only a 
 
 very few lines to each of these heads, 
 and we shall make use as sparingly of 
 stage technicalities as possible, the aim 
 and purpose of our suggestions being 
 simply to instruct our readers how to 
 achieve the highest amount of stage 
 illusion at the smallest expense. 
 
 The Auditorium. — On this part of 
 the subject only a very few words are 
 necessary. The largest available room 
 in the house should be selected for 
 " the theatre." If the room be oblong, 
 two-thirds of the space should be laid 
 ofi' for the accommodation of the audi- 
 ence, the remaining third for the stage. 
 If there are two rooms of different sizes 
 communicating by folding- doors the 
 difficulty is solved at once ; let the 
 larger room be devoted to the audience, 
 the smaller to the actors. Where there 
 are no folding-doors, it is not necessary 
 that a division separating the audi- 
 torium from the stage should run 
 across the whole room. In such a case, 
 let the smaU stage be erected in the 
 middle of the room, at the lower end, 
 and let side screens run from the sides 
 of the proscenium to the walls, in a 
 direction sloping from the stage out- 
 wards. By this arrangement a view 
 of the stage will be commanded " from 
 all parts of the house." 
 
 The Stage. — It is always an ad- 
 vantage that the floor of the stage 
 should be a sloping platform, but this 
 advantage is not worth the trouble, 
 except when the room is very large. 
 The proscenium of the stage must con- 
 sist of an arched or square framework, 
 for the construction of which the local 
 carpenter had better be called into re- 
 quisition. Busts or statuettes, and 
 evergreens, and above all flowers, form 
 a fitting decoration for the proscenium, 
 and are available anywhere and at any 
 time of the year. Along the front of the 
 stage, when no platform is made use of, 
 a strip of boarding a few inches high 
 should be placed, and behind this the 
 " foetlights " should be ranged. 
 
 The Cuetain. — The most conveni- 
 ent "curtain" will be found to con- 
 sist of two pieces of cloth of any rich 
 , colour, and of sufficient length and 
 
Three Acts S'.ctild be iAe Measure of a Play. 
 
 3" 
 
 width to cover tho whole front of the 
 stage when let down. The curtain is 
 raised by two cords running from where 
 the two pieces of cloth meet in the 
 centre, up to the top corners on the 
 right and left, and worlcing over hooks. 
 The cords are tacked to the pieces of 
 cloth at intervals of a foot. When 
 elaborate scenery cannot be commanded, 
 the curtain should be lowered at the 
 conclusion of each scene. 
 
 The Lights. — The lights form the 
 chief difficulty in " mounting " private 
 theatricals. The professional costumier 
 from Covent Garden solves the diffi- 
 culty easily, by leading off a pipe from 
 the main— gas alone being suitable for 
 lighting purposes in private theatricals, 
 — and by laying this pipe, furnished 
 with burners, along tho front of the 
 stage for the footlights, and up tho 
 two sides and along the top of the 
 stage for tho "gas-wings" and "gas- 
 battens" of the regular theatre. This 
 arrangement is really a very simple 
 one, the pipe being led along from the 
 meter under the flooring — and the local 
 gas-fitter might safely be entrusted with 
 the construction. The contrivance for 
 raising and loweiing tho gas, both on 
 the stage and in the auditoriimi, is 
 easily arranged by soldering a common 
 stopcock in the pipes that lead to the 
 audience department and to the stage 
 respectively. "WTien the perfoi-mauce 
 is over, the pipe that led to the stage is 
 cut off at the main, and the opening is 
 closed. 
 
 The Side Scenes. — Upon the 
 scenery of the stage nothing definite 
 can be said. In the performance of 
 most modern comedies very little 
 scenery is required. If, however, the 
 company resolve to perform pieces in 
 which scenery to represent the walls 
 of rooms is required, they must 
 extemporize lofty screens, with can- 
 vas-covered frames for the doors or 
 entrances. But on this subject it is 
 impossible to give directions, as the 
 completeness of this part of the ar- 
 rangements will depend entirely upon 
 the taste of the operator, and on the 
 amount expended upon it. 
 
 The Costumes. — Costumes of all 
 kinds may be borrowed from costu- 
 miers in to'wn. For the performance 
 of modem comedies the ordinary daess 
 of society will suffice. If plays of the 
 olden time are performed, and if the 
 dresses required are not hired or 
 bought from costumiers, the per- 
 formers must fall back in great part, 
 at least, upon their own ingenuity. 
 The authori has seen a Scotch professor 
 represent with great picturesqueness 
 the " Dey of Algiers," although the 
 "Dey's" drapery was nothing more 
 than napcry or table linen, his turban 
 being a work of art built up of a couple 
 of towels, and his long flowing robe 
 consisted of a lai-gc tablecloth. 
 
 The Plays. — With respect to the 
 plays most suitable for performance at 
 " I'zivate Theatricals," a great deal 
 depends on the "strength" and the 
 numbers of the company. If an his- 
 torical play is represented, care must 
 be taken that " the army " shall con- 
 sist of not less than at least two foot 
 soldiers. The author once witnessed 
 the play of "Leah" performed, ou 
 which occasion "the villagers" were 
 imdertaken by one man. When the 
 verdict of " the \-illagers " respecting 
 Leah was demanded, tho single voice 
 responding " "We all condemn her," 
 excited no little mirth among the audi- 
 ence. 
 
 Of all plays modem comedies may 
 be most successfully given at pri- 
 vate theatricals, as they call for little 
 variety of sceneiy, and the costume 
 required is that of our own every-day 
 life. Such pieces as " Still Waters 
 iiin Deep," " London Assurance," "A 
 Regular Fix," " Bouts at the Swan," 
 and many others, may be suggested as 
 suitable. 
 
 Those of om- readers who may be 
 desirous of acquiiing more detailed in- 
 formation on the suliject of amateur 
 acting, are referred to " Lacey's Ama- 
 teui-'s Guide," a capital publication, 
 in which many particulars are given 
 respecting this subject, which the 
 limited space at our disposal will not 
 admit of. 
 
312 Then shout for the Pleasut'e of Christmas, shout I 
 
 Christmas Parties. — At the 
 joyous season of Christmas, when fami- 
 lies generally assemble round the pa- 
 ternal hearth, and when the yery young 
 as well as the very old are supposed to 
 feel the genial influence of that happy 
 time, family parties are very common, 
 and the amusements are of a more 
 mixed nature — more suited to various 
 ages, as well as more homelike and un- 
 conventional in their character, than the 
 crowded assemblies at which many of 
 the elder guests are wont to be found 
 in the spring. Of late years we have 
 borrowed the pretty German custom 
 of having a Christmas-tree, decorated 
 with fairies, lighted up with coloured 
 tapers, and hung with toys and pretty 
 presents for all members of the family. 
 There is much pleasure in preparing 
 these things, great excitement among 
 the young folks at the drawing of the 
 tickets, and still greater delight when 
 the numbers drawn are attached to 
 articles quite inappropriate to the 
 drawers; when, for example, a fine young 
 dandy draws a baby doll, or a pretty 
 young lady a smoking cap or cigar- 
 case ; when grandpapa draws a lady's 
 apron, or grandmamma a pair of skates. 
 But these things generally come right 
 in the end, and an exchange of gifts is 
 sure to satisfy every one. 
 
 Ribbon Jewellery. — We lately saw 
 some very pretty things, suitable for a 
 Christmas-tree, manufactured by Mr. 
 Stevens, a ribbon weaver of Coventry. 
 Some are book-markers, woven to 
 represent a photograph, on a rich 
 white ribbon about three inches wide, 
 and a verse or two illustrative of the 
 subject is woven in gold letters under- 
 neath. Others are in imitation of a 
 leaf from an illuminated missal, very 
 beautifully worked in rich colours. 
 The same manufacturer has also in- 
 vented a sort of ribbon jewellery, which 
 has the appearance of the Florentine 
 mosaics, and which are pretty and 
 inexpensive ornaments for a Christmas- 
 tree, and have certainly their novelty 
 to recommend them. The various 
 puzzles and scientific toys now so fre- 
 quently invented, are amusing pre- 
 
 sents, and the German wood-carving 
 in imitation of leather is extremely 
 tastefuL The match-boxes, card and 
 cigar cases, purses, &c., made of this 
 apparent leather are useful and lasting 
 as well as pretty. 
 
 Charades for a Christmas party 
 are very easily managed where there is 
 a large party of young people in a coun- 
 try house, and the rehearsals are often 
 productive of more amusement than the 
 actual performance. The same remai-ks 
 will apply to getting them up, that we 
 gave about private theatricals (see 
 page 309). 
 
 Tableaux Vivants are also amusing, 
 and not difficult to arrange where there 
 are rooms having a door of communica- 
 tion between them, or with folding- 
 doors. The open space must have a 
 curtain, or pair of ciu-tains, that can 
 be drawn at the sides like window- 
 curtains; the drapery adds to the effect 
 of the tableaux. Behind these ciutains 
 stretch common coarse green tarlatan, 
 doubled, to temper the light, which 
 ought to come from the side ; and be- 
 hind the figures put a large folding- 
 screen, covered with something dark, 
 to give the effect of the background of 
 a picture. The scene chosen ought to 
 be one tolerably easy to be guessed by 
 the spectators. The balcony scene in 
 "Romeo and Juliet," the witches in 
 " Macbeth," the trial scene in the 
 " Merchant of Venice," &c., are effec- 
 tive as tableaux. If the party are 
 rather juvenile, a scene from " Sandford 
 and Merton," " Eobinson Crusoe," or 
 the scene, " King Alfred and the Cow- 
 herd's Wife," from the History of 
 England, might be chosen, bearing in 
 mind that it is easier to manage a scene 
 with few figures. Having selected the 
 persons who are to form the living pic- 
 ture, they should be grouped (in cos- 
 tumes suitable to the persons they 
 represent) exactly as the scene would 
 appear if it were a picture ; the only 
 difficulty is to keep perfectly still, and 
 to command the countenance. A little 
 practice will make this tolerably easy, 
 and should any little contretemps 
 happen, it will provoke a laugh, more 
 
JV/ieu Pleasure exceeds its Li/nits, it becomes a Torture. 313 
 
 amusing to the spectators, perhaps, 
 than to the unlucky performer. 
 
 A Christmas party generally ends 
 with a dance. Few dances are prettier 
 than the cotillon, ■with which our 
 Parisian neighhours generally end 
 their entertainments, and which is 
 very popular with young people. 
 
 The Cotillon. — The young lady of 
 the house should select a gentleman 
 who is a good dancer, and who has had 
 some experience in the figures, and 
 arrange with him the order in which 
 they arc to be danced ; and it is well to 
 have all the things necessary in the room 
 before the dance begins. These are — 
 a hand looking-glass, a basket contain- 
 ing as many different rosettes of ribbon 
 as there are ladies, and one with ex- 
 actly the same number of counterparts 
 for the gentlemen, a basket of flowers, 
 a nightcap, some coloured crackers, 
 Bomo scent pistols for a duel, and eau de 
 Cologne to replenish them, ribbon reins 
 and whip, and a large screen. These 
 articles may of course be varied, and a 
 little invention often leads to a great 
 success. It is usual to begin with the — 
 
 Looking-glass. — A lady is seated 
 on a chair in the middle of the room, 
 holding a hand-glass ; all the gentle- 
 men come dancing up behind her, one 
 aftor another, and look into the glass, 
 which is held so as to enable the lady 
 to see the reflection of each face as it 
 presents itself; from these she makes a 
 selection of one as her partner, and, 
 rising, places the glass on the chair, 
 takes a turn round the room with him 
 in waltz step, and then resumes her 
 seat in the circle, leaving that in the 
 centre of the room for the next lady. 
 
 The Rosette. — The leading lady 
 hands round a basket containing the 
 rosettes for the gentlemen, and the 
 gentleman her partner hands theirs to 
 the ladies ; each gentleman seeks out 
 the lady who has drawn the counterpart 
 of his rosette and dances round the 
 room with her. 
 
 The Fouii in Hand. — This figure is 
 a pretty one ; the gentleman leading 
 takes t'oui- ladies, and the lady four 
 gentlemen, and harnesses them with 
 
 the ribbon reins. At a given signal all 
 stop, and the ladies and gentlemen who 
 have been acting the part of horses 
 dance together. This is repeated se- 
 veral times, till all or most of the com- 
 pany have taken part in it. 
 
 The Duel. — In the "duel" the 
 lady is placed in the middle of the 
 circle, armed with one of the scent 
 pistols (procurable at any perfumer's 
 for a shilling); her "second" holds 
 eau de Cologne to recharge it ; as her 
 victims are brought up she takes aim 
 at their hearts till the favoured one 
 comes, when she fires in the air, ac- 
 cepting him as her partner, while the 
 " second " takes one of the previous 
 victims. 
 
 The Bonbons. — Each lady takes one 
 of the crackers, and going up to a gen- 
 tleman, asks him to guess the colour of 
 the bonbon it contains; he pulls the 
 cracker with her, and if his guess be 
 correct, they dance together. 
 
 " La Fleur." — A flower is given to 
 every dancer, and the ladies first go 
 round, and each pins hers to the coat 
 of the gentleman she wishes to dance 
 with ; then they all rise, and waltz 
 round the room once, after which the 
 cavaliers make selection of their pait- 
 ners by presenting the flower. 
 
 The Nightcap. — The leading lady 
 takes the nightcap, and seating herself 
 in the centre of the room, the gentle- 
 men come one by one and kneel before 
 her ; she decorates the object of her pre- 
 ference with the nightcap, M'hich creates 
 much amusement, and they dance to- 
 gether. 
 
 The Cushion Figure. — This is pro- 
 bably the best known of all the figures. 
 A lady sits in the middle of the room, 
 with a sofa cushion laid on the ground 
 before her ; the gentlemen all come up 
 each in his turn, and endeavour to 
 kneel on it, but she di-aws away the 
 cushion with her feet as each one is 
 kneeling down, causing him to come 
 down on his knees on the floor, until 
 she chooses one as her partner, when 
 she does not remove the cushion, but 
 allows him to kneel on it, then getting 
 up herself, she dances off with him, 
 
314 
 
 Hoiv Droll, that Poll close imitates Ourselves ! 
 
 leaving the chair and cushion for her 
 successor. 
 
 " The Screen." — In the middle of 
 the room is placed a large screen, be- 
 hind which the ladies hide, each put- 
 ting out one hand ; the gentlemen come 
 up, and each having taken a hand, and 
 correctly guessing to whom it belongs, 
 dances with its owner. After ths first 
 figure, the order in which the subsequent 
 figures are danced is quite immaterial ; 
 and when as many have been gone 
 through as the company desire, the 
 good old English dance of " Sir Roger 
 de Coverley " will be found an ex- 
 cellent " wind-up " for a family Christ- 
 mas party. 
 
 Parrots, and ho\A/" to 
 Keep them. — Under the general 
 title of parrots, are usually compre- 
 hended a great number of foreign 
 climbing birds, most of them of very 
 gorgeous plumage, and having the 
 peculiarity of being, if not the only 
 imitators of the human voice among 
 the lower animals, at least the most 
 perfect mimics of all that passes around 
 them. 
 
 The largest and most magnificent in 
 colour of these birds are — 
 
 The Macaavs. — Of these there are 
 two varieties, the red and blue, end 
 the yellow and blue macaws. They 
 are both natives of South America, and 
 if taken very young they can be taught 
 to talk well ; but they are rather 
 intractable birds, although they will 
 become very tame and attached, like all 
 the parrot tribe, to one person — gene- 
 rally the one who feeds them. 
 
 Cockatoos are the next in size to 
 macaws. They are white, with a tuft 
 or crest of lemon-coloiu'ed feathers on 
 their heads, which they can raise at 
 pleasure. The largest variety has a 
 rose-coloured tinge and a reddish crest. 
 These birds are very easily tamed, but 
 do not talk well ; they are hardy and 
 mild, both in appearance and disposi- 
 tion. 
 
 The Afkican or Grey Parrot. — 
 The most sober in colour, the most 
 docile and clever in learning, and by 
 many degrees the best talker, is this, the 
 
 most common of parrots. The food and 
 treatment of this bird may therefore be 
 taken as an example for aU others. 
 
 The Cage. — The first requisite for 
 all parrots is a strong roomy cage. The 
 "Indestructible Cage," made of corru- 
 gated wire, with perches of lignum vitae, 
 is the best, as they are most destructive 
 birds, and delight in mischief. If it be 
 possible to find a loose wire or a weak 
 spot in the cage, it is worked upon with 
 beak and claws till it is quite destroyed. 
 Macaws and cockatoos are chained to a 
 perch by the leg, and two little tins, 
 one containing food, the other water, 
 are fastened to the perch, and a large 
 flat tin underneath contains gravel, 
 which is indispensable to their health. 
 All parrots must be kept in a warm 
 room during the winter ; they are 
 natives of the tropics, and in this 
 climate are extremely susceptible of 
 cold, and should be carefully guarded 
 from draughts, Avhich often produce 
 asthma, of which disease a large 
 proportion of parrots in confinement, 
 die ; at the same time they require 
 a good deal of fresh air and water, 
 both to drink and bathe in. A parrot 
 ought to have a bath, at least once a 
 week in summer, and if the bird will 
 not bathe himself, he should have tepid 
 water poured over him from a watering- 
 pot ; he should then be set in the sun 
 or before a fire to dry, and great care 
 must be taken that the cage is perfectly 
 dry. Parrots ai'e subject to gout, and 
 sometimes lose their toes from this 
 disease, which is brought on by damp. 
 
 The Food of Parrots. — Wild 
 parrots live on grain, fruit, and nuts 
 of various kinds ; the food of the tame 
 bird is much the same, — Indian corn, 
 boiled and allowed to become cold, 
 and canary seed. They are very fond of 
 hemi) seed; this last is, however, too 
 heating for general use. Eipe fruit, 
 and nuts of any kind, they may havo 
 in moderation ; a bit of dry mealy 
 potato, a crust of bread or toast, is also 
 a great favourite Avith some; and a 
 little white bread, soaked in fresh milk 
 with some sugar, should be given once 
 a day, just as much as the bird will 
 
The Chief Promoter of Man^s Happiness is Woman. 315 
 
 eat at one time. If the food is allowed 
 to remain in the cage it will get sour, 
 and it is then most prejudicial ; in fact, 
 parrots are like children, some prefer 
 one thing and some another. But one 
 rule must be scrupulously observed — 
 never give them meat, no matter how 
 small the quantity, it is always hurt- 
 ful ; and, indeed, butter or grease of 
 any kind is very objectionable. With 
 ordinary care these birds live to a great 
 age, and they are so amusing, and 
 ofteu 80 affectionate, that it is a sad 
 affair to lose one by carelessness. 
 
 To TEACH A 1'AUKOT TO SPEAK. 
 
 The quickest way is to send the bird, 
 if possible, where there is another 
 parrot who can speak. They should be 
 placed near enough to hear, but not see 
 each other, and the one will soon imi- 
 tate the other. A good way is to ipeak 
 to the bird at night ; just when his cage 
 has been covered over (which must 
 always be done with a woollen rug in 
 winter) repeat over several times in the 
 same tone the sentence you wish him to 
 learn. lie may not appear to notice at 
 first, but some day, quite unexpectedly, 
 he will repeat the sentence exactly in 
 tlie same tone that he has heard it. 
 He should at once be rewarded with a 
 bit of sugar, or fruit, or any little dainty 
 that he is fond of. They are very quick 
 at understanding that rewards are given 
 for obedience. We have had a grey 
 parrot for many years ; he is now fully 
 sixteen years old ; his plumage is beau- 
 tiful and his health most excellent, and 
 he is a most amusing and clever bird ; 
 he speaks exceedinjilj^ plainly, and it is 
 quite easy to teach him a new sentence, 
 or even to make him repeat words 
 and whistles when desired. He knows 
 that he will be rewarded if he does 
 what he is told, and be scolded if he is 
 disobedient. Never allow a parrot to 
 be startled or teased, or permit it to be 
 fed indiscriminately by visitors. Keep 
 the cage extremely clean ; let it be 
 wiped out and fresh sand given every 
 day. Some birds drink very little, but 
 they should always be able to get 
 a drink of fresh water if they wish. 
 It is also a good plan to let a small 
 
 quantity of canary seed be in the seed 
 can. If a bird is left to the care of a 
 servant during absence, it is possible 
 that the morning bread and milk may 
 be forgotten, and the seed will thus 
 prevent the bird being starved. 
 
 Diseases of Parrots. — Most of the 
 diseases of these birds arise from want 
 of care ; they either get improper food 
 or they catch cold. For the former a 
 change of food and a few chilis will be 
 found beneficial, and for the latter, a 
 great degree of heat as well as stimu- 
 lating food is the best cure. If a parrot 
 pulls out his feathers, give him a green 
 capsicum, and syringe the bird with 
 warm salt and water for a few days. 
 A rusty nail in the water-pan is often 
 very efficacious in cases of weak diges- 
 tion. 
 
 Parrot Guide. — The best guide we 
 know for a parrot-fancier is a small 
 pamphlet called " The Parrot-keeper's 
 Guide," published by Dean & Son, 
 London, in which will be found de- 
 scriptions of the various kinds of parrots, 
 the food and habits of each, and general 
 directions for feeding and keeping them 
 in health. 
 
 Maxims for Young 
 Housekeepers. — 1. Always 
 endeavour to get a personal character 
 of a servant, when hiring, from her 
 former mistress ; you are thus more 
 likely to ascertain the exact truth thaa 
 from a written character. Four ques- 
 tions are necessary to be put on these 
 occasions — as to honesty, sobriety, 
 cleanliness, and temper. Should the 
 answers not be fully satisfactorj', you 
 had better not engage the servant. 
 
 2. Always treat your servants with 
 kindness, recollecting that they have 
 feelings to be hurt as well as every 
 one else. Never allow familiarity; 
 endeavour to let them have every 
 reasonable indulgence ; and contrive 
 that they shall have the opportunity 
 of attending a place of worship on 
 Sunday if they choose to do so. 
 
 3. It is frequently inconvenient to 
 have a stated day as a holiday, but 
 when a servant wishes to go out shop- 
 ping, or to visit her friends, if it Li 
 
3 1 6 Servants should put on Patience when they put on Livery. 
 
 possible, let lier go; but make it a 
 rule that no servant shall leave the 
 house, even for a quarter of an hour, 
 without permission. 
 
 4. No visitor should be allowed in 
 the kitchen without leave being first 
 obtained. The mistress should be satis- 
 fied of the respectability of all persons 
 admitted into her house. Many rob- 
 beries take place by means of giddy 
 servant girls admitting people of whom 
 they know little or nothing into their 
 masters' houses. 
 
 5. Servants' wages should be paid 
 regularly every quarter. It is a good 
 plan to keep a book in which the 
 amount to be paid to each yearly is 
 entered below her name, and payments 
 made should be noted and signed by the 
 servant. 
 
 6. "When hiring a servant be most 
 particular in explaining her duties, and 
 the allowances (if any) you make to her ; 
 also cause her fully to understand the 
 rules of the house with respect to hours, 
 the meals, and the duties of the other 
 servants, &c. 
 
 7. Orders should be given to the 
 cook directly after breakfast for the 
 daily meals, and all servants should at 
 this time ask for what they require from 
 the store-room,— as, for instance, soap, 
 candles, &c. If there are many in 
 family the cook has much to do and to 
 think of. In this case it is a good plan 
 to ^^'rite out a bill of fare for every day's 
 dinner, just the same as for a special 
 dinner party. 
 
 8. An inventory book should be kept 
 containing a Hst of all household fur- 
 niture, linen, and plate. At certain 
 fixed times it should be gone over, and 
 all additions or subtractions noted in it. 
 
 9. Servants ought never to be allowed 
 to conceal breakages. It should be made 
 an imperative rule to mention them, 
 however trifling, at once to the mistress. 
 
 10. If your establishment is a large 
 one, the upper housemaid should have 
 charge of the bed and table linen. In 
 small households the mistress herself 
 undertakes this duty. The tablecloths 
 and napkins should be examined care- 
 fully before being sent to the laimdress, 
 
 for stains of wine or fruit, which are 
 more easily extracted before being 
 washed. All small holes and worn 
 places ought then to be darned. 
 
 11. Sheets should not be -worn till 
 they are in holes, but should be turned, 
 sides to the middle, when they are be- 
 coming thin, by which means they will 
 last much longer than if not turned. 
 
 12. Kitchen cloths should be looked 
 to occasionally and mended. A certain 
 number should be given out to each 
 servant every week, according to the 
 work they have to do. 
 
 13. Every housekeeper should have 
 in her store-room, a box containing a 
 few common carpenter's tools, such as 
 a hammer, awl, screwdi'iver, two pairs 
 of pincers, a pair of pliers, ditto of gas 
 pliers, a glue-pot, small saw, file, and 
 chisel, or one of those recently invented 
 hammers, that are a perfect multum in 
 parvo, being hammer and claw, pincers, 
 awl, and screwdriver in one ; she shoiild 
 also keep a store of large and small nails, 
 screws, hooks, cxirtain rings and hooks, 
 tacks, &c. ; these things are always 
 being needed, and many little jobs can 
 be done without the aid of a carpenter 
 if you have the materials at hand. 
 
 14. Some member of the family 
 should be deputed to see, the last thing 
 at night, that the house is projierly 
 fastened up, the gas turned off, the fires 
 secure, and all lights put out. 
 
 Maxims for a House- 
 maid.. — 1. Always adopt a regular 
 system in your work, and endeavour to 
 arrange it so that the particular portion 
 for each day shall be completed before 
 one o'clock if possible. The following 
 table may serve as a guide : — 
 
 Motiday. — Wash your own fine things, 
 and those belonging to your mistress. 
 
 Tuesday. — Clean the attics and 
 landing. 
 
 Wednesday. — Clean bedrooms and 
 landing on second floor. 
 
 Thursday. — Clean drawing-room and 
 landing on first floor. 
 
 Friday. — Clean breakfast-room, wash 
 sides of stairs, and polish furniture on 
 alternate weeks. 
 
 Saturday. — Clean plate. 
 
Servants tvill not oc ^Jtligent where the Master is Negligent. 317 
 
 2. It is the duty of the housemaid to 
 collect the dirty clothes for the wash 
 (generally on Monday mornings), and 
 sort each article in heaps ready to count 
 over, when the mistress comes to put 
 them do\m in the washing book. "When 
 they come from the wash, they should 
 be counted again to see that they are 
 right. They should then be aired, and 
 each person's things taken to his 
 room. 
 
 3. Never neglect to keep all pails, 
 &c., used for emptying elops, perfectly 
 sweet and clean ; they should be scalded 
 every day, and have some disinfecting 
 fluid put into them once a week, and 
 this should also be poured down all traps 
 connected with a bath-room. 
 
 4. The housemaid should knock at 
 all bedroom doors before attempting to 
 enter. She ought to be punctual in 
 the morning in bringing hot water, 
 gentlemen's boots, and letting the hours 
 be known when she brings the water ; 
 also telling visitors the usual time 
 for breakfast. 
 
 6. "When breakfast is ready, the 
 housemaid should go to the bedrooms, 
 open wide the windows, and strip the 
 clothes from the beds ; they should not 
 be made until an hour alter they have 
 been exposed to the air. 
 
 G. Beds should be made with clean 
 hands; a clean apron should also be 
 put on. 
 
 7. Brooms and dusters should not be 
 used when dirty. A supply should bo 
 provided for all purposes, and each 
 should be kept for its special use. 
 
 8. Care should be taken not to drop 
 lucifers about. The same with coals 
 and cinders. Lucifers thould never bo 
 struck on the wall. 
 
 9. Gas or lamps should be lighted, 
 the house shut up, and beds turned 
 down as soon as it becomes dusk. 
 
 10. Hot water should be taken into 
 the bedrooms before the cloth is laid 
 /or dinner, and again at bedtime. 
 
 11. Xever clean a drawing-room 
 without folding up the table-covers, an- 
 timacassars, &c. ; and cover over the 
 fuiTdture with sheets, fold the curtains, 
 hat'ing shaken them well Erst, then 
 
 strew tea-leaves over the carpet and 
 brush it well. 
 
 12. Grates should never be cleaned 
 without turning up the rug and laying 
 down a hearth-cloth. 
 
 13. Where there are polished steel 
 grates, the register should always be 
 kept down when the lire is not lighted. 
 Remember to open the register before 
 lighting the fire. 
 
 14. Always use gloves when clean- 
 ing grates or doing any other dirty 
 work. 
 
 15. When visitors come to stay in 
 the house, their boxes should be at once 
 taken to their room, the cords taken off, 
 and their straps unfastened. The 
 housemaid should see that there are 
 soap, night-lights, and lucifers in the 
 room. 
 
 16. Visitors Bhould not be kept stand- 
 ing in the hall, but should be 8ho\\'n 
 into a room at once. 
 
 This rule is to be observed when the 
 master or mistress is at home ; when 
 they are out, if strangers call, it is not 
 advisable to leave them in a room by 
 themselves. 
 
 17. If strangers call for parcels, 
 nothing should be given to them with- 
 out previous instruction. The same if 
 parcels or messages are brought for 
 which payment is demanded. 
 
 18. Letters, newspapers, and small 
 parcels should be handed on a waiter. 
 
 19. Doors should be shut by the 
 handle. Nothing is more untidy than 
 finger-marks on the paint of a door. 
 
 20. The housemaid should count the 
 plate, to see that it is all right before 
 putting it in the plate-basket at night. 
 
 21. Workmen should not be allowed 
 to go up-stairs in thick, dirty shoes. 
 Cloths should be laid down over car- 
 pets where they are at work. Many 
 tradespeople supply their men with 
 slippers to put on when engaged at in- 
 door work. The housemaid should sefc 
 that the workmen use them. 
 
 Crochet, No. 1,— This kind of 
 fancy work is so well known and so 
 popular, that it scarcely requires any 
 description; it is also so simple, that 
 those who understand the stitches cau 
 
3i8 Nothing is so Lovely in Woman as her Study of the Household. 
 
 work a pattern from looking at a piece 
 of it. It is now a common practice to 
 give, in those magazines and newspapers 
 especially devoted to feminine occupa- 
 tions, written directions for patterns, 
 without diagrams ; butmany persons who 
 can work crochet from sight very nicely, 
 cannot work at all from these receipts, 
 from the difficulty tliey find in the 
 diversitj' of names given to the stitches. 
 To assist those of our readers, therefore, 
 who may not have easy access to some of 
 the elaborate and expensive works that 
 have been written on this subject, we 
 propose to give a short and simple 
 explanation of the most common terms 
 used in crochet, which will enable them 
 to work any pattern from a written 
 receipt. 
 
 The Implements. — These are bone 
 and steel hooks of various sizes; the 
 bone hooks are used for ^^'ool work, 
 one which has a button on the end is 
 used for ci'ochet k Iricoter, the steel 
 hooks are suitable for cotton and silk ; 
 they are fitted into a wooden or bone 
 handle, and one, called the Penelope 
 hook, is said to have peculiar advan- 
 tages in being more securely fastened 
 in the handle, and firmer in use than 
 any other. The hook must in all cases 
 be very smooth and highly polished. 
 
 The Cotton must always be of the 
 best. Evans' Boar's head is very ex- 
 cellent cotton. Arderne's is also a 
 favourite, but most of the patterns 
 where a number is given, refer to 
 Evans' cotton; therefore the sizes are 
 more likely to be correct if taken ac- 
 cording to this cotton ; for couA^rettesand 
 counterpanes, use knitting-cotton. The 
 beauty of crochet consists in its even- 
 ness and elasticity ; the hook and cotton 
 must therefore be of a size to suit each 
 other, or the work cannot be even. 
 
 To Begin a Piece of Crochet. — The 
 first thing to be done is to make a 
 foundation: make a loop in the cotton, 
 put the hook through this, catch the 
 cotton between the loop and the reel 
 with the hook, and draw it through the 
 loop which you first made, leave the 
 second loop on the hook ; repeat this tiU 
 the chain is longenough for your pattern. 
 
 Slip Stitch. — Having form ed a fouQ- 
 dation, fasten the threadat the beginning 
 of the row, put the hook into the back 
 of the first stitch and draw the thread 
 through ; put the hook into the back of 
 the second stitch and draw the thread 
 at once through it and the loop already 
 on the hook ; repeat to end of row. 
 
 Single Crochet. — Put the hook as 
 above into the back of the first foun- 
 dation stitch, form a loop by drawing 
 the thread through the stitch, leave 
 this loop on the hook and make a second 
 in the next foundation stitch, then draw 
 the thread through both loops ; repeat 
 to end of row. 
 
 Double Crochet. — Put the hook 
 into the first stitch of the foundation 
 chain : draw the thread through in a 
 loose loop ; then put the thread round 
 the hook before putting it into the 
 second stitch through which 5'ou draw 
 a loop. There will then be three loops 
 on the hook ; draw the thread through 
 two of these, then through the one just 
 made and the first one. 
 
 Treble Crochet is worked in the 
 same way, only putting the thread 
 round the hook twice instead of once. 
 In Long Treble put the thread three 
 times round the hook before pulling it 
 into the stitch. 
 
 Ribbed Crochet is worked back- 
 wards and forwards on both right and 
 wrong sides ; work always the back 
 part of the stitch, and make a single 
 chain stitch at the end of each row, to 
 prevent the edge having a puckered 
 appearance. 
 
 SauARE Crochet is the way in 
 which patterns of antimacassars, &c. , 
 are worked from printed patterns, re- 
 sembling Berlin wool patterns. The 
 squares are either open or close ; open 
 is used for the grorind work, close for 
 the pattern upon it. An open square 
 consists of one double crochet and two 
 chain stitches, leaving two on the line 
 below before taking the next stitch. A 
 close square has three double stitches 
 close together, leaving no stitch under- 
 neath. A pattern to be -worked in this 
 style must be carefully counted before 
 commencing. It may contain any 
 
To Read without Punctuating is like Eatirig without D Resting. 319 
 
 number of stitches that can be divided 
 bj' three and leave one stitch over. 
 
 I'uuLiNO consists in making an odd 
 number of chain stitches, and then put- 
 ting the hook back into the second stitch 
 of this chain, forming an imitation of 
 that edge of lace wliich is called pearl 
 or purl edging. These are the princi- 
 pal stitches, with their names, used in 
 crochet. There are, however, modifi- 
 cations of each, which can only be 
 learnod from a work entirely devoted to 
 the subject. We hope in a future page 
 to give a few more remarks on this 
 favourite work, and to add one or two 
 receipts for patterns in illustration of 
 our meaning. 
 
 Punctuation. — This word, 
 which is derived from the Latin noun 
 signifying a point, denotes the art of 
 subdividing discourses cither written 
 or spoken, into clauses, sentences, and 
 parts, according to certain rules. 
 
 I. The Histouy of Punctuation. 
 — The art of punctuation is said to 
 have been entirely unknown to the 
 ancients. This, however, is an eiTor. 
 It is true that some of the most ancient 
 manuscripts — such as, for example, the 
 Ale.vandrianMS. in the British Museum, 
 — are written without any distinction 
 of words or of sentences ; but it is 
 stated by Suidas that some points were 
 iu use so far back as 380 b.c, and from 
 Aristotle, as well as from Cicero and 
 Seneca, we learn that the art of punc- 
 tuation was known and practised by the 
 Greeks and the Koman?. It is ex- 
 tremely probable, indeed, from the very 
 nature of thought and language, that 
 some species of pauses, and methods 
 of subdividing sentences, whether in 
 speaking or in writing, must have been 
 coeval with the practice of communi- 
 cating ideas by sounds or by symbols. 
 Whatever may be said of the ancient 
 practice, however, it is certain that 
 several of the points with which we are 
 now familar, were not devised so long 
 as manuscript alone was the mode of 
 commuiiicating knowledge, and that it 
 was long subsequent to the discovery of 
 th J art of printing that an accurate mode 
 of punctuation began to be adopted. 
 
 The earliest printed books had no stops 
 of any kind, with the exception of a 
 perpendicular line or dash, wliich served 
 to divide the parts of a sentence. This 
 afterwards gave place to the comma ; 
 the colon appears to have been intro- 
 duced in 1580, and the semicolou ap- 
 peared some twenty years afterwards, 
 although it was at a much earlier time 
 used as a mark of abbreviation. 
 
 II. Names OF TUE Phincipal Points. 
 — The points or marks by which tliis 
 subdivision is effected are the follow- 
 ing : — the comma (,), the semicolon (;), 
 thecolon(:),and the period orfullstop(.). 
 
 III. Uses of these Points. — Tho 
 comma serves to distinguish one noun 
 or one verb from another, or to separate 
 such parts of a sentence as are not 
 necessarily united together ; the semi- 
 colon is employed to suspend or sustain 
 the sentence for the addition of some 
 new clause related to it ; the colon in- 
 dicates that the sentence is not com- 
 pleted, and notifies the addition of some 
 supemumeraryideaor statement having 
 a more or less remote connection with 
 tho sentence ; the period or full stop 
 terminates the sentence by completing 
 the statements it contains. 
 
 IV. The Length of Time given to 
 EACH Point. — Of the four points above 
 mentioned the first may be presumed 
 to have a pause of one second assigned 
 to it ; and the three points following 
 the comma to have two, three, and four 
 times the period of its duration. The 
 rule, however, points out strictly only 
 the relative time attributed to each of 
 the four points : the actual duration of 
 each pause must necessarily depend on 
 the degree of rapidity with which the 
 composition is read or spoken. 
 
 V. Points of Secondary Import- 
 ance. — These are the notes of interroga- 
 tion (r) and admiration (!),each of which 
 is eqTiivalent in duration to the full stop, 
 and generally occupies the same place in 
 a sentence ; the first indicates aquestion 
 on the part of the writer or speaker, 
 and the second an emotion of admira- 
 tion, surprise, delight, and so forth ; 
 the apostroi>he (') indicates the omission 
 of one or more letters from a word 
 
320 
 
 Pundiicttion is the Ally of Literature. 
 
 ■written or spoken; the hyphen (-) is 
 employed to unite two words into 
 one ; and the parenthesis ( ) serves to 
 introduce into a sentence a clause not 
 strictly belonging to it. 
 
 VI. Other points, however, are 
 used, such as the asterisk (*), &c., the 
 object of which is to direct the atten- 
 tion of the reader from the text to such 
 notes on the margin or at the foot of 
 the page as the author deems requisite 
 to the explanation of his principal 
 topic. 
 
 VII. Illustrations of Punctuation. 
 — By accuracy in punctuation the mean- 
 ing of a writer is clearly defined, and 
 even if the composition is inaccurate, 
 the proper use of points will much con- 
 tribute to remedy the defect. On the 
 other hand, if the composition be clear 
 and distinct, in consequence of the 
 clauses or parts of the sentences occupy- 
 ing their proper places, the punctuation 
 is much less requisite to the bringing 
 out of the author's meaning; but when 
 the composition itself be faulty, and 
 there is either no punctuation, or the 
 points are placed erroneously, the results 
 are frequently absurd and ludicrous in 
 the extreme. An example or two may 
 here be furnished : — 
 
 The editor of a newspaper, in intro- 
 ducing to public notice a poem com- 
 posed by a friend of his own, makes the 
 following amazing statement: — "The 
 poem published this week was com- 
 posed by an esteemed friend who has 
 lain in his grave many years for his 
 own amusement." This advertisement 
 does not furnish any very striking 
 evidence of the editor's skill in the art 
 Of composition ; but if the last few 
 Words of it were followed immediately 
 by a comma, and printed alter the word 
 ' ' composed, ' ' a great im provem ent would 
 result, and the absurdity of the state- 
 ment would be at once removed. 
 
 The "leading journal" sometimes 
 contains astonishing advertisements ; 
 here is one : — " Wanted a man to look 
 after a horse with a religious turn of 
 mind." Possibly the person who in- 
 serted this advertisement may have 
 been a wag, and knowing that some 
 
 animals occasionally assume a religious 
 attitude, as, for instance, the mantis 
 religiosa, he really meant to state that 
 the horse required to be looked after 
 because he had a habit of " coming 
 do-\^Ti " on his knees. If, however, the 
 advertiser did not intend any profane 
 jest, then it is certain that the last six 
 words ought to have followed the word 
 "man," and should themselves be fol- 
 lowed by a comma, to place the mean- 
 ing beyond all doubt. The wife of a 
 sailor about to make a long voyage, sent 
 to the minister of the congregation to 
 which she belonged, the following 
 memorandum, of which the punctuation 
 and the spelling were equally apt to 
 mislead the hearers: — "A husband, 
 going to see his wife, desires the 
 prayers of his congregation." It ap- 
 pears that the clergyman, not having 
 perused this intimation before reading 
 it in public, read it as it is given above, 
 to the astonishment of the people. 
 Now a slight alteration in the spelling 
 of the word " see," and in the position 
 of a comma, would have removed all 
 question as to the poor woman's mean- 
 ing, and made the sentence read thus, 
 " A husband going to sea, his wife de- 
 sires the prayers of the congregation." 
 
 One more illustration may be added. 
 When King "William landed at Torbay, 
 on November 5, 1688, among those 
 who welcomed him was a man named 
 John Duke, who possessed the property 
 of Otterton. On being presented to 
 the king, his Majesty asked him to state 
 his name, on which, with some timiditj' 
 and hesitation, he replied, "John, 
 Duke of Otterton." The king, imme- 
 diately taking up a list of the English 
 nobility and examining it, declared that 
 he did not see in it the name of any such 
 nobleman. The mistake, however, was' 
 speedily rectified by placing a comma 
 or pause not after the word " John," 
 but immediately after the word "Duke." 
 
 These and numerous instances that 
 might be cited, serve to illustrate the 
 subject to which we have briefly re- 
 ferred, by showing how much influence 
 punctuation may exercise in modifying 
 the meaning of a sentence. 
 
JJVio in Jixnivccr SOU'S Oats, gets Gold and Groats. 
 
 The 
 Old Year and the New. 
 
 The simple annual feast is spread- 
 Sober the guests and few — 
 That here with grave but cordial cbocr 
 Have met to "see out" the Old Year, 
 And welcome in the New. 
 
 The Old Year dies— dies in our hearts— 
 
 Dies on the stomiful sea — 
 Dies OE the wintry moors that gleam — 
 Dies 'moug the flying clouds that seem 
 
 His passing skirta to be. 
 
 And here, in presence of the dead, 
 
 Let all our quarrels die ; 
 We're parting with the Past, we reach 
 Unnds to the Future, and on each 
 
 Fate's shadows deeper lie. 
 
 Then fill the " Cup o' kindness" high. 
 And hark ! from the church tower. 
 Time, with his iron hammer, slow, 
 And with a sigh 'twixt every blow. 
 Beats out the midnight hour. 
 
 " A Good New Year, and happiness 
 To you, and you, and you I " 
 
 "We kiss the girls — strong hands wo 
 grasp — 
 
 The eyes grow tender with the clasp. 
 Because the hearts are true. 
 
 Now, ere the " First- foot's" * at thcdoor. 
 
 And while the 'wiidered bells 
 Ring in the year with lawless chimes. 
 Mingled of sad and merry rhjTiies, 
 Of greetings and farewells, 
 
 A health to the absent let us diink, 
 
 With hearty three-timcs-thri.c ; 
 E'en now we know, with waving 
 
 hands. 
 They waft us kisses from far lands. 
 And sighs from o'er the seas. 
 
 D. Murray Smith. 
 
 • In Scotland, the first person who enters 
 a house, alter the new year has come in, is 
 called the " First-foot." 
 
 The Month of January. 
 
 " Love and joy come to you 
 And to your wassail too, 
 And God send you a huppy new ycnr, 
 A new year. 
 " And God send you a happy now rear. 
 Our wassail-cup is mado orroeomiiry tree 
 So is your beer of the liest barley." 
 
 Old aiouceslenhire HuUaJ. 
 
 The month of January is said to owo 
 its name to Numii I'ompilius, tho 
 second king of Rome, who decreed that 
 two months should be added to the ten 
 of which the year then consisted, and 
 that the year should couimenco with 
 the first of these months, which ho 
 named Januarius, after Janus, tho 
 double-faced deity, who presided over 
 gates ; thus Januarius became, as it 
 were, the opening or "gate " of the year. 
 The Saxons called January " ^\^olf-mo- 
 nath," because, alxjut this time, tho 
 wolves, which were formerly numerous 
 in our island, being rendered ravenous 
 by the great scarcity of food, (the cattlo 
 being housed for winter), roamed about 
 in herds, as they still do in parts of Russia, 
 in search of the unwarj- traveller, who, 
 in such cases, instantly met with a sad 
 fate. It later times the Christian 
 Saxons called January " Aefler Yule," 
 i.e., after Christmas. It is curious that 
 we still use the Saxon names of tho 
 days of the week, and follow tho cus- 
 tom of the Romans as to tho name of 
 the months of the year. 
 
 January' is undoubtedly tho coldest 
 month in the year in the northern 
 hemisphere. The frosts are severe and 
 lasting, and there are usually heavy 
 falls of snow. These are, however, 
 very beneficial, as the snow, to a cer- 
 tain degree, protects the ground, and 
 renders it ready for tillage earlier in 
 spring ; a hard black frost freezes tho 
 earth several inches deep, and although 
 the continuance of such a frost is pro- 
 ductive of much inconvenience to the 
 farmer, it affords the means of several 
 healthful amusements, such as skating, 
 curling, sliding, and in northern 
 Europe as well as in Canada, the still 
 frosty air echoes with the music of the 
 sleigh bells. The snowy roads are in. 
 
32 2 If Grass grows in Janiveer, it groivs the worse all the Year. 
 
 good order at this tiuie, and nothing is 
 more delightful than a sleigh ride, par- 
 ticularly by moonlight. 
 
 The "Canadians, and the Americans 
 generally, foUow the French custom of 
 visiting all their friends on the first of 
 January, and the gay-coloured sleighs 
 keep rushing about the street?, bearing 
 the gentlemen to wish their fair friends 
 a happy new year. 
 
 The English custom was formerly 
 that the head of the house assembled 
 his whole household on New Year's 
 Eve, round a large bowl of spiced ale, 
 which was called "lamb's wool," and he 
 drank their united healths, using the old 
 Saxon term, "Wasshael," from which 
 this came to be called the wassail bowl. 
 The whole family followed the example 
 of its head, and sometimes even carried 
 thf^ \vassail-bowl to their poorer neigh- 
 bours. The only modern adaptation 
 of this old custom is the drinking from 
 the "loving cup" of the City of Lon- 
 don corporation. 
 
 The Scottish custom called "first 
 footing" has been kept up in that 
 country till of late years, and it still 
 lingers in seme districts. After they 
 had watched the old year out, each 
 family had ready a sort of wassail-bowl, 
 called "hot jjint," and the gentlemen 
 at once set off for tha houses of their 
 friends to wish tlicm a happy new year 
 and taste the " hot pint." The young 
 lover fondlj' hoped to greet liis fair lady 
 with a kiss, and great was the merri- 
 ment, wlien an old aunt or grandmother 
 opened the door, in place of his " bonnie 
 lassie." 
 
 The almost obsolete custom of pre- 
 senting new j'car's gifts is of great 
 antiquity. It is mentioned by several 
 of the Roman writers. The Saxons 
 also kept up the same custom, and the 
 early French kings extorted money 
 from their subjects as a new year's gift. 
 
 In the present day the Parisians give 
 bon-bons, in beautifully ornamented 
 boxes, to those ladies whom they wish 
 to compliment. 
 
 Cook's Calendar for 
 January. — Fish in season: turbot, 
 plaice, skate, sturgeon, flounders, perch, 
 
 tench, carp, whitings, smelts, lobsters, 
 crabs, prawns, crayfish, oysters. 
 
 Meat in season : beef, veal, mutton, 
 house lamb, pork. 
 
 Poultry in season : turk'eys, fowls, 
 capons, pullets, pigeons. , 
 
 Game in season : pheasants, part- 
 ridges, hares, woodcocks, snipes, rab- 
 bits. 
 
 Vegetables in season : cabbage, 
 spinach, beetroot, celery, turnips, car- 
 rots, parsnips, shalots, lettuce, seakale, 
 forced asparagus, and mushrooms. 
 
 FiiuiT in season : pears, apples, 
 grapes, oranges, medlars, walnuts. 
 
 Gardener's Calendar for 
 January. — Outdoor Avork can only 
 be prosecuted in the absence of frost. 
 This is a good time for draining, as the 
 effect of it can more easily be seen 
 during wet weather, in the rapid dis- 
 appearance of the water from the sur- 
 face of the ground ; if the frost be not 
 severe, hedges may be cut and mended, 
 box edgings made, and shrubs planted 
 out ; cover tulip, hyacinth, ranunculus, 
 and anemone beds with litter, and if the 
 frost is severe, put hoops over the beds, 
 and lay matting on the hoops ; it is 
 essential that the frost should be kept 
 from the roots. All plants rmder glass 
 should be sparingly watered, and have 
 all the air that possibly can be givea 
 on mild days ; examine the roots in the 
 storehouse, either of flowers or vege- 
 tables, and instantly remove any that 
 seem decaying. Cover celery and cauli- 
 flower plants in severe weather, con- 
 tinue to force rhubarb and seakale ; this 
 is easily done by covering the plant 
 with a large llower-pot inverted, and 
 then surround it with fresh stable litter. 
 Make a hotbed for starting the early 
 melons and cucumbers, for raising small 
 salads, radishes, celery plants, early 
 cabbages, brocoli, and cauliflower 
 plants ; as well as for forcing asparagus, 
 which is done by putting in the roots 
 very close together, and then covering 
 them with about three inches of earth. 
 A few hardy annuals may be sown in 
 pans in the greenhouse, to be trans- 
 planted early. Carnations, calceolarias, 
 and cinerarias should be looked to, and 
 
No one kuoios 7vhat's in a Pic till the Lid is off. 
 
 323 
 
 not allowed to become too dry ; prepare 
 bods for the second crop of ranunculus 
 roots; these may be planted early in 
 February, if the weather be favourable; 
 fumigate the conservatory, and attend 
 generally to the indoor plants. In mild 
 weather, early peas and bean: may bo 
 sown, also radishts and carrcris in a 
 sheltered spot ; but all gardening in 
 this month depends so very much on 
 the weather, that the gardener must 
 exercise his own judgment as to the 
 expediency of planting during January. 
 Hints on Pastry. — To make 
 good pa-try is perhaps one of the 
 nicest operations in tlie culinary art. It 
 recjuires much lightncis and dexterity 
 of hand, as well as practice, and also 
 considerable expedition, as it must bo 
 made and put into the oven in the 
 shortest possible time, or the paste will 
 be heavy. 
 
 The fASTE-MOAUI) AND HOLLIXG-nV 
 
 ought never to be used for any other 
 pui-piisc than making pastrj', and should 
 be jicrfectly dean and free from dust ; 
 if possible, a marble slab is better to 
 use than a paste-board, jiaiticularly in 
 warm wcatlicr. I'astry should be made 
 in a cool place, and touched with the 
 hands as little as possible. 
 
 Taut tins, i-atty-paxs, and tie 
 DISHES that arc to be lined with pastry, 
 must be well buttired before the paste 
 is put on, or it will stick to them. 
 
 A UiLii Light P.\STF.. — Toonepoimd 
 of tlour, dried and sifted, take half a 
 potmd of good fresh butter and half a 
 pound of lard ; divide the flour into two 
 equal portions, put one half on the 
 p iste-board, cut the butter (from which 
 the M-ater should be squeezed) into 
 slices about half an inch thick ; do the 
 same with the lard; cover the slices 
 with flour, roll them out thin with the 
 rolling-pin and lay them aside ; put 
 the other half of the flour into a basin, 
 work into it with a spoon a quarter of 
 a pint of water, or enough to make the 
 flour into a stift' dough — too wet a dough 
 will make tough paste, — lay this upon 
 the paste-board, and roll it out till it is 
 half an inch thick, then lay the fourth 
 part of the butter and lard all over it, 
 
 fold it up, and roll it again ; put on 
 another fourth of the butter, and repeat 
 the buttering and rolling till all the 
 rolled butter is mixed in. Then cover 
 the tart, and bake it in a brisk oven. 
 Always handle pastry as lightly as 
 possible, particularly after the butter 
 has been put in. 
 
 PiFF Paste. — A French receipt. — 
 Take one pound of dry, sifted flour, 
 and the same quantity of butt<r, divide 
 the flour in two, and put one half on the 
 paste-board. Make a hollow in the 
 centre of it, and pour in three eggs, 
 well beaten, with a glass of brandy. 
 Make it up into a lump, and lay it 
 aside; take the butter, and roll it out in 
 the other half of the flour, then take 
 the lump, roll it out thin, and lay in 
 the butter in five portions; always roll 
 the paste one way, and from you ; let 
 the paste lie all night in a cool place, 
 and It will be fit to use in the morning. 
 
 A Good Paste fok Fuvit Tauts. — 
 Put half a pound of dried and sifted 
 flour into a dish, add to it the yolk of 
 one egg, well beaten, a tablcspoonful 
 of lemon juice, with the same quantity 
 of powdered sugar; mix it into a stiti" 
 paste, adding a little water if it is 
 not sufficiently moitt. lloll out the 
 paste, and sprinkle flour over it ; then 
 with a knife spread over the paste 
 three ounces of good butter, and three 
 ounces of lanl. Butter, and roll out 
 alternately, till all the butter and lard 
 are mixed in ; then line the dishes, 
 and bake in a hot oven. 
 
 Potato Paste. — A quarter of a 
 pouud of cold boiled potatoes, to half a 
 pound of flour, rubbed well together, 
 wet with very little water, and add 
 six oumes of good lard or butter. For 
 a sweet paste, add a tablcspoonful of 
 powdered sugar ; for a meat paste, the 
 same quantity of salt. 
 
 Lemon Piuding. — Beat well to- 
 gether four ounces of butter creamed, 
 and eight ounces of sifted sugar; to 
 these add gradually the yolks of six, 
 and the whites of two eggs well beaten, 
 the grated rind and the strained juice 
 of one large or two small lemons ; this 
 I last must be added by degrees, and 
 
324 
 
 Better some of a Pudding, than none of a Pie. 
 
 stirred briskly to the other ingredients. 
 J^ake the pudding in a dish lined with 
 thin puff paste for three quarters of an 
 hour, in a slow oven. 
 
 DuNNiKiER Orange Pudding. — 
 Melt five ounces of butter, add to it 
 while warm, five ounces of sugar, and 
 the yolks of ten eggs beaten ; mix, and 
 beat the mixture till it is white. On 
 the bottom of a baking tin covered with 
 puff paste, spread orange marmalade, 
 and pour the rest of the ingredients 
 over. Bake in a moderate oven half an 
 hour, turn it out, and serve. Pine- 
 apple and apricot pudding may be made 
 in the same way. 
 
 Vermicelli Pudding. — Boil a quar- 
 ter of a pound of vermicelli in a pint 
 of milk, with a small piece of cinnamon ; 
 when it is quite tender, add half a pint 
 of cream, a quarter of a pound of good 
 fresh butter melted, a quarter of a 
 pound of powdered sugar, and the yolks 
 of six eggs, well beaten ; lay puff paste 
 round the edge of a shallow baking 
 dish, and just when putting in the 
 vermicelli, add to it two ounces of 
 lemon chips, and half a tcaspoonful of 
 ratafia ; bake for three quarters of an 
 hnur. 
 
 A Super-excellent Pudding. — 
 Cut three ounces of candied orange- 
 peel and citron mixed, inio very thin 
 slices, melt six ounces of good fresh 
 butter, add to it five ounces of powdered 
 sugar, and the yolks of six eggs well 
 beaten ; make these ingredients hot, 
 and then pour them over the peels ; 
 stir all together till nearly cold, that 
 the peels may not all lie at the bottom. 
 Line a baking dish with rich paste, 
 and bake half an hour. 
 
 Chocolate Pudding. — Dissolve a 
 quarter of an ounce of gelatine in 
 a large breakfast cup of milk, and add 
 to it the peel of a small lemon and nine 
 or ten squares of chocolate grated ; 
 whisk the whites of six eggs and the 
 yolk of one to a stiff froth, and stir it 
 gradually into the other ingredients, 
 pour it into a dish, put a rich puff paste 
 round the edge, and bake it in a slow 
 oven. Cream may be used instead of 
 'he milk, but with <'^ latter it ifi yery 
 
 good. Time to bake, from three quar- 
 ters of an hour to one hour. 
 
 Amber Pudding. — Beat well the 
 yolks of four egg?, add half a pound of 
 butter melted, half a pound of powdered 
 sugar, and a little essence of lemon or 
 ratafia to flavour it; put pufi" paste 
 round the dish, and bake for half an 
 hour. 
 
 Cheese Cakes, Almond. — Take 
 half a pound of sweet and half an ounce 
 of bitter almonds, blanch and pound 
 them, but not too fine ; melt one ounce 
 of butter, add to it half a pound of 
 sifted sugar, and the yolks of four eggs 
 not beaten; mix all these well with 
 the almonds, adding half a teaspoonful 
 of essence of lemon, and the same 
 quantity of ratafia ; line cheese-cake 
 pans with rich paste, put a dessert- 
 spoonful of this mixture in, and bake 
 half an hour. This quantity should 
 make two dozen. 
 
 Cocoa-nut Cheese-Cakes. — Grate 
 the cocoa-nut on a fine grater, weigh it, 
 and add an equal quantity o f butter, with 
 two ounces of loaf sugar sifted, and the 
 well-beaten yolk of an egg to every 
 ounce of the cocoa-nut ; a wineglassful 
 of brandj', the same quantity of rose- 
 water, and half a nutmeg. Line the 
 pans with a rich puff paste, fill them, 
 grate a little sugar on the top of them, 
 and bake in a quick oven. 
 
 Lemon Cheese Cakes. — Soak a 
 stale sponge cake in sherry, three of 
 the ordinary twopenny sponge cakes 
 will be enough ; add to these two ounces 
 of butter melted, four ounces of sifted 
 sugar, and four eggs well beaten ; mix 
 and beat these ingredients well to- 
 gether, then add a teaspoonful of 
 essence of lemon, and a wineglassful of 
 lemon juice, line the pans with puff 
 paste, and bake half an hour. 
 
 Marrow Patties. — Blanch and 
 pound four ounces of sweet almonds, 
 moisten them with orange-flower water ; 
 when reduced to a paste, mix in a 
 handful of flour, a very little warm 
 water, and the yolks of three eggs ; 
 with this paste line a number of shallow 
 moulds, wash the pastry over with yolk 
 of egg well beaten, and bake in a slow 
 
Lazes grind the Poor, and Rich Afen rule the Laze. 325 
 
 oven. When done, tal^e them out, and 
 put into each a mixture of beef marrow, 
 Icnion-peel, and cream, laying it on 
 about as thick as a crown piece ; cover 
 witli a spoonful of wliite of egg whipped 
 to a snow ; strew sifted sugar over, and 
 sf.rve very hot. 
 
 Maids of IIonoik. — Make some new 
 milk lukewarm, then put in a spoonful 
 of rennet, and when it has turned to 
 turd, slir it through a cheese cloth to 
 get rid of the whey ; to half a pound 
 of curd put six ounces of butter, four 
 yolks of eggs, and sugar and nutmeg to 
 taste. Mix all the ingredients well, line 
 patty pans with puff pa.ste, fill them 
 with the mixture, and hake in a quick 
 oven. The cheese-cakes may be flavoured 
 with lemon if desired. 
 
 Parish Law. — A vestry is an 
 assimbly of thu parishioners for de- 
 spatching the business of the parish. 
 It is not essential that it should be 
 held in the church or vestry. The 
 clergyman has a right to preside at all 
 vestry meetings. PubKc notice of every 
 vpstry meeting and the purpose thereof 
 must bo given three days before the 
 d.iy appointed for holding it, and printed 
 <r written copies of the notice must 
 ce uftixcd to the principal doors of the 
 churches or chapels. The notice must 
 be signed by the rector, vicar, or curate, 
 or by a churchwarden of the parish or 
 overseer. A private parishioner has no 
 right to publish a notice of a vestry 
 meeting. At a vestry meeting every 
 parishioner paying rates is entitled to a 
 vote. If assessed for the annual rent 
 of £oO, he is entitled to give one vote 
 for every £25 in respect of which he 
 has been assessed, but no individual 
 can have more than six votes. At a 
 vestry meeting no person can vote by 
 jiro.xy. In cases of equality of votes, 
 the chairman has a casting vote. Church- 
 wardens are chosen in the first week 
 after Easter. They are chosen by the 
 joint consent of the minister and pa- 
 rishioners. If they cannot agree, one 
 is chosen by the minister and another 
 by the parishioners. Peers, members 
 of Parliament, clergymen, dissenting 
 minister?, physicians, and attorneys, 
 
 and others, are exempted from serving 
 the oflicc of churchwarden. Church- 
 Mardens are the guardians of tl.o 
 church ; they are trustees of money 
 given for the benefit of the church, and 
 must attend to repairs on the church 
 and fences of the churchyard. Xo 
 proceedings can be instituted to enforce 
 payment of church-rates made in any 
 parish in England or Wales. The pews 
 in a pari.sh church arc the property of 
 the parish ; the dislributiou rests with 
 the bishop of the diocese or the church- 
 wardens as his officers. A person guilty 
 of indecent conduct in church during 
 divine service is liable, on conviction, 
 to the penalty of £.5 or two months' 
 imprisonment. The churchwardens of 
 any parish in which a dead body is cast 
 ashore from the sea, must cau-o it to 
 be interred in the parish burial ground. 
 Law respecting Nui- 
 sances. — Tallow - furnaces, tan- 
 pits, pig -styes, dye-houses, &c., if 
 erected so near dwelling-houses as to 
 render them unfit for occupation, are 
 held to b nuisances. A cesspool of 
 which the filth percolates into a neigh- 
 bour's well is a nuisance, as is letting 
 impure dr.iinage into a neighbour's 
 pond, so as to destroy the fish. The 
 law will not permit a long-established 
 decoy to be disturbed by firing off guns 
 near it : and it is held illegal to divert 
 waters used for turning a neighbour's 
 mill. Any person throwing rubbish 
 into a Btreniu, so as to block up the 
 channel or defile the water, is liable to 
 prosecution. Playing games on high- 
 ways and letting off fireworks within 
 fifty feet of the highway, constituta 
 nuisances — those doing so being liable 
 in penalties. Persons laying rubbish 
 on the highway are subject to penalties. 
 If a person falls over a heap of earth or 
 stones placed on the highway, street, 
 or public footpath, and is thereby in- 
 jured, the person who placed the ob- 
 struction is liable to the injiu-ed person 
 in damages. A person who keeps a 
 howling dog, or allows loud noises in 
 his house at unusual hours, to the an- 
 noyance of a neighbour, is liable in 
 damages. Collecting crowds of rough 
 
326 O'er crackling Ice, with nimble Glide, the Skaters play. 
 
 and dissolute persons is punishable as 
 a nuisance. Placing traps scented with 
 strong-smelling baits, so as to influ- 
 ence the instinct of a neighboiu''s dog 
 or cat, is punishable as a nuisance. 
 Persons selling bad liquor or provi- 
 sions of any kind are liable to heavy 
 penalties. Persons suffering from nui- 
 sances may recover damages by in- 
 stituting suits against the trespassers. 
 A magistrate will at once prohibit any 
 common nuisance. The sanitary in- 
 spector of the Local Board of Health 
 should be consulted, and his advico 
 adopted, in the case of neighbours re- 
 fusing to apply a remedy to any nui- 
 sance which has been complained of. 
 
 Hints on Skating.— This 
 delightful art affords the most appro- 
 priate outdoor exercise and amusement 
 that can well be conceived for a winter 
 day ; like some other practical arts, 
 however — swimming, for example — no 
 amount of mere theoretical instruction 
 will enable a person who knows nothing 
 about it, so much as to stand with skates 
 on upon the ice, much less to glide along 
 its surface with the ease and grace of a 
 skilful performer. "What is required is 
 really very simple, and is entirely of a 
 practical kind. See that 3'our skates 
 are neither too large nor too small, that 
 they fit your boot so tightly as t'i be 
 immovable, and that the blades are 
 sharp. Put them on and endeavour to 
 stand on them on the ice. It is won- 
 derful how speedily, and, as it Avcre, 
 instinctively, you will acquire the power 
 of balancing yourself, and moving on 
 the slippery surface. A fall or two may 
 be unavoidable, but, like some of the 
 evils of human life, they will be but a 
 temporary inconvenience, bringing with 
 them greater security as expericnca 
 increases. 
 
 "We have no intention of presenting 
 our readers M'ith an elaborate essay on 
 the art of skating, but shall confine 
 ourselves to a few useful hints. 
 
 I. The Skate. — Without any minute 
 descriptions of the instrument, a remark 
 or two as to the "iron" or blade on 
 which the skater stands may be made. 
 Sometimes it is made plane at the 
 
 bottom, and sometimes it is fluted. In 
 our opinion the plane surface is th& 
 better form. The height of this " iron ' ' 
 ought to be about an inch at the back 
 and three-fourths of an inch in front, 
 and the curve in the front shoiild not 
 jjroject too far, but merely so as to 
 clear the toe well. As already hinted, 
 the skate ought to fit tightly and accu- 
 rately, and to this end it ought to 
 be furnished with a screw, to bo 
 screwed into the heel of the boot, and a 
 couple of pins in the sole of the boot ; 
 these will go far to render the skate 
 perfectly steady when properly strapped 
 to the boot. 
 
 II. The First Attempts. — Presum- 
 ing the skate securely fixed, and the 
 boot also tightly laced, the learner's 
 first attempt must be to place himself 
 in a peqiendicular attitude on the ice. 
 It may bo said that his first step is to 
 stand. The back of a chair placed be- 
 fore him, a stick shod with an iron 
 spike, or the friendly hand of an ex- 
 perienced acquaintance, will be found 
 in this primary effort of great use. 
 "When some tolerable degree of steadi- 
 ness is acquired, some attempt at loco- 
 motion may be made, and in so ad- 
 venturous an eS'iirt, especially if made 
 by any of our fair readers, a vigorous 
 arm to lean upon on each side, will be 
 found a great comfort, till some degree 
 of confidence is acquired, and will act 
 the part which cork floats or bladders 
 do toward the timid swimmer who sud- 
 denly finds himself "out of his depth." 
 
 General Directions. — I. If the 
 learner intends to begin with his right 
 foot, he ought to keep the left knee 
 straight and firm, bending it only a 
 little at the instant of striking out, and 
 vice versa so acting with the left foot 
 and right knee. II. The body ought 
 to be slightly inclined forwards, of 
 course, so as — in scientific langiiage — 
 to " keep the centre of gravity over the 
 base," the learner taking advantage of 
 the friendly support on each side as 
 he strikes out, and if such support is 
 unattainable, making the best use he 
 can of his stick, and submitting with 
 his best grace to the inevitable neces- 
 
W/ien Ice on Lake, like Crystal shines, the merry Curlers play. 
 
 sity of a sudden obedience to the law 
 of gravitation in the shape of a fall. 
 III. The skater oujjht never to look at 
 his feet, nor at the ice near him, as by 
 (li)ing so, he is very apt to increase 
 the number of his exploits in the 
 way of tumbling, for it is unquestion- 
 able tliat he can keep his balance better 
 by looking straight forwards than by 
 fixing his attention on the movements 
 of his feet ; this, however, he will soon 
 lind by experience. It is remarkable 
 that this rule is exemplified in intellec- 
 tual and moral affairs; wo are more 
 likely to attain a successful result by 
 giving our attention rather to the ulti- 
 mate object in view, although it be re- 
 mote, thau by confining our prospect to 
 each minute and, perhaps, difficult step 
 which leads to it. IV. The learner, 
 while keeping his head up, ought to 
 advance his body a little forwards. Ly 
 this moans he will avoid a backward 
 l';ill, which is ofien a serious mischance. 
 Y. The learner's face ought always to bo 
 turned in the direction to be followed. 
 
 VI. All movements in skating ought to 
 .be smooth and graceful, and quite free 
 
 from jerking and awkward gestures. 
 
 VII. The act of stopping is performed 
 by slightly bending the knees, bring- 
 ing the hods together ami bearing upon 
 them ; it may also bo accomplished 
 by turning short to the right or left. 
 
 It is only requisite further to add 
 that the method of skating in certain 
 figures is not difficult to acquire when 
 proficiency in the art is attained ; to 
 furnish learners with precepts for those 
 performances on the ice, which imply a 
 large ammnt of experience, is hardly 
 requisite, for the art of moving over the 
 ice in figures is itself learnt in the act 
 of learning to skate. 
 
 The Game of Curling.— 
 This celebrated game, which is pecu- 
 liar to Scotland, but has been introduced 
 into Canada and other places, is analo- 
 gous to that of bowls It is, however, 
 only played upon the ice, and from the 
 peculiarities of the game itself, the ex- 
 hilarating character of the weather 
 adapted to it, the invigorating exercise 
 it requii'es, and the cheerful and health- 
 
 ful amusement it yields, it may be 
 safely declared to be one of the best 
 and most interesting out-door games 
 with which we are acquainted. It pos- 
 sesses the merit, too, of being the most 
 social, friendly, and least exclusive of 
 pastimes. In the country in which it 
 may bo said to be indigenous, and 
 where it is played with great enthu- 
 siasm, persons of the highest sucial 
 position cordially unite in the game 
 with those of the humblest rank, pro- 
 vided they are keen and skilful players. 
 As an illustration of this— and many 
 such might be given — it may be men- 
 tioned that at the gnat match played 
 between the late Duke of Hamilton 
 and MacdougaU of Castlcsemplc, the 
 Duke, in selecting the seven players 
 on his side, chose as one of them, fain 
 Pate, whose business was what is known 
 in Scotland as that of a "cadger," or 
 hawker of fish, and who possissed what 
 neither wealth nor rank could give 
 him, marvellous skill in the game. The 
 Duke appointed his humblo acquaint- 
 ance leader or " skipper " of his party, 
 and so keenly was the contest carried 
 on, that before the last stone was played 
 both sides were equal. The last had to 
 be played by Tam, and the shot required 
 so much skill and dexterity that it was 
 thought that even the redoubtable 
 cadger would find it impracticable; 
 but Tam with the greatest coolness 
 and with unerring precision, took the 
 shot and gained the victory for the 
 Duke. The game of curling is of great 
 antiquity ; it is spoken of in a book 
 printed in 1600, and there can be no 
 doubt of its having been well known 
 and popular in Scotland for many cen- 
 turies. About the year 1840 the Cale- 
 donian Curling Club was instituted, and, 
 at a meeting in Edinburgh, rules were 
 issued, as the game, up to that period, 
 had not been played in a uniform 
 manner. The regularity thus secured, 
 gave a great impetus to the game, 
 which received additional distinction 
 from the circumstance, that in 1842 
 Prince Albert became the patron of 
 the club, and her Majesty the Queen 
 conferred on it the title of " Royal. " 
 
;2S 
 
 Pdiience and Application will carry us through. 
 
 Implements of the Game. — These 
 are the "curling stones;" they are 
 spherical in form, flattened ahove and 
 below, with a breadth of about twice 
 their thickness ; the angles are rounded 
 off, the upper and under surfaces pa- 
 rallel, and the imder surface or " sole " 
 extremely smooth ; into the centre or 
 upper surface is fixed the handle, by 
 means of which the player swings the 
 stone in the act of making a " shot." 
 The stones are made of whinstone or 
 granite, often beautifully polished ; the 
 nodules of whinstone called "yolks" 
 are considered best adapted to the pur- 
 pose by reason of their hardness. The 
 stones are usually from thirty pounds 
 to sixty pounds in weight. In addition 
 to the stones each player must be pro- 
 vided with a "besom" or broom, for 
 the purpose of sweeping the ice, and 
 prevent the running of the stones being 
 impeded. 
 
 Technical Terms used in the 
 Game. — 1. The Rink. — This is the 
 space in which the game is carried on, 
 which may be from thirty to fifty yards in 
 length, and ten or twelve feet in breadth. 
 The ice within that space must be as 
 smooth and free from flaws as possible. 
 The term " rink" is likewise applied to 
 all the players who are engaged in the 
 game played. 2. The, Tee. — This is a 
 hole or mark at each end of the rink. 
 
 3. Broughs. — These are two circles of 
 different diameters drawn round the 
 tee, so that the distance of the stones 
 from the tee may be calculated by sight, 
 actual measurement not being allowed 
 till the play at each end is finished. 
 
 4. A Hog's score. — This is a score 
 drawn across the rink at each end, and 
 distant from the tee about a sixth part 
 of the length of the rink. 5. The 
 Lead. — A term applied to the person 
 considered the best player, who arranges 
 the order oi playing. 6. The Driver 
 is a term applied to the person last in 
 order, who gives directions to all his 
 party. 7. The Skippers are those who 
 have the exclusive direction and regu- 
 lation of the game. 8. Wicking is the 
 act of striking away the winning stone 
 which lies nearest to the tee. 
 
 Rules OF the Game. — 1. The length 
 of the rink shall in general be forty- 
 two yards ; any deviation from this 
 must be regulated by the consent o( 
 the parties, and when a game is begun, 
 no change is to be made in the dimen- 
 sions of the rink unless by the concur- 
 rence of the majority-. 2. The rink 
 shall be changed in all cases when, from 
 the springing of water the majority of 
 the players cannot "make up," and 
 neither party shall be entitled to object, 
 as all contests must be decided on the 
 fair and equitable principles of science 
 andnot of strength. 3. The number of 
 shots in a game shall be twenty-one, 
 unless otherwise mutually decided on. 
 4. The hog's score is to be one-sixth 
 part of the length of the rink from the 
 tee. 5. Every rink is to be composed 
 01 four players aside, unless it is to be 
 otherwise mutually agreed upon. The 
 same individual or party shall not play 
 two stones in succession, and every 
 player shall deliver both his stones al- 
 ternately with an opponent. 6. Par- 
 ties shall decide by cuts who are to 
 " fill the ice " at the first end ; after 
 which the winning party of the last 
 end or game of the day's play shall do 
 so. No stones shall count which do not 
 lie within seven feet of the tee, unless 
 it be otherwise mutually settled. In 
 cases in which each party has a stone 
 equally near the tee, neither shall be 
 counted, and the winning party of the 
 previous end shall again fill the ire. 
 Measurements shall be taken from the 
 middle of the tee to that part of the 
 stone which is nearest to it. 7. Each 
 player shall place his feet in such a 
 manner as that in delivering his stone 
 he shall bring it over the tee ; the 
 player who steps aside to deliver his 
 shot shall forfeit his stone for that end ; 
 no player after delivering his last stone 
 shall remain longer then to see his next 
 opponent fit his tee, but shall take his 
 place at the other end, between the 
 score and the previous player of his 
 own party ; he shall not give any 
 directions to the next of his party who 
 plays. 8. No player shall speak to 
 or interrupt another when in the act of 
 
The Staiidcr-by sees more than the Player. 
 
 329 
 
 delivering his stone ; if he docs so, one 
 shot shall bo added to the score of the 
 party thus inteiTupted. 9. The rota- 
 tion of plaj' adopted at the beginning 
 must be kept throughout the game. 
 10. No stone shall be changed during 
 the game unle«s broken, ia which case 
 the largest fragment shall count. If a 
 stone roll and stop on its side or top, it 
 shall not be counted but put off the 
 ice ; and if the handle of a stone 
 come off in the dtlivcrj', the player 
 must keep hold of the handle, otherwise 
 he cannot replay the shot. 11. If a 
 player make a shot out of his turn, the 
 Btone may be stopped in its progress 
 and returned to him. If the error be 
 not discovered till the stone comes to 
 rest, the adversaries shall have the 
 option of adding one to their score, and 
 the game may proceed, or the end may 
 be declared null and void. 12. In the 
 case of doublo-soled stones the side 
 commenced with shall not be changed 
 during the game, under forfeit of the 
 match. 13. The skipper is to have the 
 exclusive control of the sweeping de- 
 partment. There must be no sweeping 
 till the stone has passed the hog's score, 
 imless snow is falling or drifting, M-hcn 
 sweeping may be allowed from tee to 
 tee. Sweeping must be always to one 
 side. 14. liefore beginning to play, 
 parties must take the different sides of 
 the rink, and keep them during the 
 game, and on no pretence shall any 
 player he allowed to cross or go upon 
 the middle of the rink. 15. If a run- 
 ning stone, in sweeping or otherwise, 
 bo man-ed by any of the party it be- 
 longs to, it shall be put off the ice. If 
 it be marred by any of the opposite 
 party, it shall be placed where the skip- 
 per of the parly it belongs to shall 
 order. If marred by any other means 
 the player shall take his shot again. 
 If a stone be displaced accidentally be- 
 fore the case provided for in Eule 13 
 comes into operation, it shall be placed 
 as nearly as possible in its former posi- 
 tion. 16. If a player play a wrong 
 stone, it may be stopped while running, 
 but if not stopped till again at rest, 
 it shall be replaced by the stone he 
 
 ought to have played. 17. The mea- 
 suring of shots shall not be permitted 
 before the termination of the end. The 
 skippers shall settle points in dispute 
 as to shots, and if they disagree, the 
 questions shall be decided by a neutral 
 party, whose judgment shall be final. 
 
 18. If a played stone bo displaced be- 
 fore the last stone is thrown and at 
 rest, by any of the party who are lying 
 the shot, they shall forfeit the end ; if 
 by any of the losing party, who have 
 the stone yet to play, they shall be pre- 
 vented from playing that stone and 
 have one point deducted from their 
 score. The number of shots to be 
 marked by the winners shall be decided 
 by the majority of the players, tho 
 offender not being allowed to vote. 
 
 19. The game shall be regulated and 
 directed exclusively by the skippers, 
 who may play in any part of it they 
 choose, but having selected their place 
 at the beginning they must keep it to 
 the end of the game. The players may 
 ad\-ise but shall not have tho control of 
 their director, and they shall on no 
 pretext address themselves to a person 
 about to play. 20. If any questions 
 arise which may not be provided for by 
 the letter or spirit of the Rules now 
 laid down, they may be referred to the 
 three nearest members of the repre- 
 sentative committee unconnected with 
 the disputing parlies, who shall form a 
 district committee of reference, whose 
 decision shall be binding on all con- 
 cerned, till the annual general meeting 
 of the representative committee, to 
 whom either party may appeal the case 
 or cases in dispute. 
 
 Aciulteratiori of Food, 
 &c. — "To eat dirt" is a well-known 
 Oriental metaphor, signifying a state 
 of humiliation ; but (lifficult although 
 it be to realize it, the remarkable 
 process of eating dirfc is performed by 
 oiuselves, not in a jnere metaphorical 
 sense, but literally and in fact. " No 
 doubt," oui' readers will say, " we must 
 all ' eat a peck of dirt,' more or less, 
 duiing our lives, ?%y swallowing from 
 time to time unclean particles which 
 accidentally find their way into our 
 M 2 
 
23^ 
 
 Adulteration is the necessary Burden of Villany. 
 
 food." This, however, is not onr mean- 
 ing, true although it may he. "What 
 ■\ve affirm is, that in instances much 
 more numerous than Ave are apt to 
 suspect, there are intentionally mingled 
 with our food and drink foreign sub- 
 stances, for a great proportion ot which 
 "dirt"- — not to em])loy any stronger 
 term — is an appropriate appellation ; 
 and it is somewhat humiliating to think 
 that we should thus he unconsciously 
 compelled to exemi)lify the Oriental 
 phrase, not in its figurative, hut in its 
 strictly literal sense, and that much 
 more frequently and continuously than 
 we are aware. 
 
 The subject is of very great import- 
 ance, and comprehends so large a 
 number of particulars, that a consider- 
 able volume might readily be given to 
 its discussion. AH we can do, however, 
 is to lay before our readers such con- 
 siderations as may lead to their more 
 minute studj' of the question. 
 
 The Methods op Adulteration. 
 — The infamous system wo refer to is 
 carried on in various modes. One 
 method— and it is the least injurious 
 form of the fraud — consists of mixing 
 with the dearer and better class of sub- 
 stances used as food such as are of low 
 price and of inferior quality, but of the 
 same kind. A second method is that 
 of mixing cheap substances of a dif- 
 ferent kind with that for which the 
 substance is ])urchased. A third method 
 consists of the introduction into articles 
 of food of substances which are either 
 not beneficial or actually injurious ; 
 and a fourth method is that of mingling 
 with articles of consumption substances 
 of a poisonous nature. 
 
 The Motive eor Adulterating. — 
 It is not requisite to suppose that this 
 nefarious practice has its origin in any 
 desire to inflict personal injury ; it 
 springs from the cupidity and dis- 
 honesty of those whose business it is 
 to supply the public demand ; but it is 
 encouraged by that demand itself, and 
 by the great ignorance as well as the 
 prejudices of the consumers. An 
 instance to this efl'ect may here be 
 given. Some jears ago a respectable 
 
 grocer in London, struck with the gross 
 dishonesty of the system of adulteration 
 too common in trade, resolved to furnish 
 his customers with perfectly pure 
 articles so far as it was possible to 
 obtain them, and among the rest with 
 ground pepper entirely free from any 
 false admixture. On carrying out this 
 design he found, however, that virtue 
 was by no means its own reward ; on 
 the contrary, that it gave birth to no 
 inconsiderable injury and mortification, 
 for his ground pepper, although per- 
 fectly genuine, differed so much in 
 appearance from the adulterated com- 
 modity, that the public would not pur- 
 chase it ; and it occasioned so violent a 
 prejudice against the worthy tradesman 
 that he was nearly ruined. It is 
 doubtful whether pure mustard seed 
 ground for use would he as acceptable 
 to the public as the falsified article 
 mixed with wheat flour and coloured 
 with turmeric, known as superfine Dur- 
 ham. It will he found, indeed, in a 
 variety of instances, that the system of 
 adulteration arises not more from the 
 dishonesty and cupidity of the dealers 
 than from the ignorance of the public, 
 and the facility with which they can 
 be deceived. 
 
 Adulteration of "Wheat Flour. 
 — It is a fortimate circumstance that 
 the great staple articles of consumption 
 are much less liable to falsification than 
 articles of minor importance. This, 
 however, arises not from any virtue in 
 the dealer, or any unwillingness to can y 
 out the system of deception wherever 
 and whenever practicable ; it is merely 
 the consequence of a physical difficulty. 
 Take as an instance wheat flour. If 
 the fanner, the miller, or the victualler 
 could obtain a cheap substance which 
 could be mixed with the flour to the 
 extent of one-half or three-fourths, 
 without the least fear of detection, and 
 without any prejudicial results beyond 
 those that were remote, such as injury to 
 the health or danger to the life of the 
 consumer, we cannot doubt that our 
 flour would speedily be adulterated to 
 the extent to which cayenne pepper m 
 said to be. Upon the whole, therefore, 
 
A A fa II is not jvhat he Saif/i, but is ivhat he Doeth. 331 
 
 tht;re is no great danger of our flour 
 tieing made to consist chiefly of very 
 fine plaster of Paris and sawdust 
 bleaclied and carefully ground; and 
 this not because of the results that 
 would ensue, but because the gypsum 
 and the sawdust would bo too dear 
 both in the purchase and the prepara- 
 tion. 
 
 Adulteration or Cayenne PErpEii, 
 &c. — It is, moreover, both fortunate 
 and remarkable that the articles chiiflj- 
 and most injuriously adulterated are 
 such as are not absolutely " necessaries 
 of life." Thus, for instance, cayenne 
 pepper is adulterated not only with 
 salt and mustard seed, which would bo 
 comparatively harmless, but with saw- 
 dust, brick-dust, and tho poisonous 
 drug red-lead. But with the various 
 kinds of pepper and curry powders wo 
 might bo able to dispense. Other 
 articles of food are mixed with sub- 
 stances, which, if not positively and 
 directly prejudicial, constitute a fraud 
 and imposition, and are indirectly in- ! 
 jurious to the consumer, who is made | 
 to pay for substances he does not 
 require, and is thus cheated of his 
 means. 
 
 Advlteration of Pickles, &c. — 
 The preparation of pickles and of sweet- 
 meats atford instances of adulteration, 
 by means of chemical substances, of a 
 poisonous nature. Verdigris or acetate 
 of copper is employed to give to pickles 
 the tine green colour they often exhibit ; 
 arsinite of copper, chromate of lead, 
 bisulphate of mercury, red-lead, all of 
 which are deadly poisons, are employed 
 in giving various shades of colour to 
 the numerous forms in which the con- 
 fectioner makes up sugar, while the 
 white sugar is itself mixed not merely 
 with flour, but with a proportion of 
 plaster of Paris. 
 
 To Detect Adulterations. — Va- 
 rious methods have been specified by 
 which many of these impostures can 
 be detected, such as tho examination 
 of the suspected substance by means of 
 a powerful microscope, and by chemical 
 analysis; and no doubt much might 
 thus be done, but not one in a thousand 
 
 of the persons most interested in the 
 matter would be found competent, even 
 if possessed of time and inclination, to 
 pursue the inquiry. 
 
 Punishment for Adulteration. — 
 IIow to check or terminate a practice 
 so discreditable to the perpetrators, and 
 so humiliating and injurious to those 
 imposed upon, is a question not easily 
 answered. Some legislative measures 
 undoubtedly ought to be devised for 
 this end, and strenuously enforced. To 
 dispose of adulterated articles might in 
 all cases be made a misdemeanour or 
 even a felony, and a suitable punish- 
 ment inflicted. But in default of accu- 
 rate legislation, the consumer will best 
 secure his own interests by dealing 
 only with the largest and most respect- 
 able merchants, whose interest it is to 
 furnish the purest arlicli-s that can be 
 procured ; the extent of whose business 
 places them above the temptation to 
 adulterate tho articles they deal in, and 
 whose position renders them superior 
 to the gain made at the expense at once 
 of honesty, manliness, and good con- 
 science. 
 
 The Domestic Cat. — Tho 
 cat is always an object of interest in tho 
 family. If she has a gentle temper — 
 and in this respect cats are not all 
 alike — she suft'ers the children to pull 
 her about, giving no resistance, but 
 exercising much of the virtue of passive 
 endurance. She is endowed with sin- 
 gular curiosity. Anything or any place 
 with which she is not perfectly fomiliar 
 she takes care to examine and investi- 
 gate. A new piece of furniture brought 
 into an apartment at once becomes an 
 object of curiosity to the cat, and puss 
 is not satisfied till she subjects the 
 article to a thorough examination. 
 Even a drawer which she has not en- 
 tered, if left open, will become the 
 object of her scrutiny, and she nuist 
 enter it to satisfy this instinct. If re- 
 moved with the family to a new house, 
 she will not be contented till every part 
 of the domicile be examined. Some 
 authors think that this propensity in an 
 animal not gifted apparently with very 
 great intelligence, is merely the conse- 
 
33^ 
 
 A muffled Cat is not a good Mouser. 
 
 qiitnce of an instinct which prompts 
 the animal to make itself thoroughly 
 conversant with its future hunting- 
 grounds, so that when seeking or 
 pursuing her prey, she may he so weU 
 acquainted with eveiy nook and corner 
 that neither mouse nor rat shall have 
 any chance of escaping from her claws. 
 The cat has an instinctive delight in 
 ■warmth and comfort, and seems quite 
 a type of indolence and luxurious en- 
 joyment ; this, however, is only the case 
 when she requires repose, for her acti- 
 vity and vigilance are marvellous when 
 she is under excitement, during the 
 pursuit of her natural prey. 
 
 Origin of the Cat. — According to 
 naturalists the question of the origin of 
 the domesticcat is involved in much un- 
 certainty. Some authors state that the 
 wild cat, of which there are specimens in 
 the forests of the north of Scotland, and 
 which are found prohahly in most coun- 
 tries of Europe, is the original stock from 
 which all the varieties of the domestic 
 cat have proceeded. Others think -this 
 is not the case, from a circumstance well 
 known, viz. , that the tail of the domes- 
 tic cat is much longer than that of the 
 wild animal. Eut this is no evidence 
 against the theory referred to, for much 
 greater alterations than the elongation 
 of the tail are effected by domestica- 
 tion; the colours of the animal, and 
 much of its instincts and habits, are 
 more or less modified by that cause. 
 Our own impression is that the wild cat 
 is certainly the ancestor of the domestic 
 species. 
 
 Vahieties of the Cat. — There are 
 a good many v.arietics of the domestic 
 cat. Those of Persia are remarkable 
 for the breadth of the fur upon the tail, 
 giving it much the appearance of a 
 fox's brush ; and the Angora and Maltese 
 breeds, which have for the most part 
 long and silky fur, and the breeds found 
 in the Isle of Man and in Cornwall, 
 which have cither no tail whatever, or 
 only the rudiments of that important 
 appendage. 
 
 The Persian akd Maltese Cats 
 are great favourites with the French. 
 In many of the cafes in Paris a large 
 
 white or grey cat is to be seen beside 
 Madame at the comptoir ; and they 
 walk about with the utmost confidence 
 through a crowd of strangers. They 
 are much more familiar and intelligent 
 than the ordinary domestic cat, and 
 will follow their master or mistress like 
 a dog. We were much amused lately 
 when staying at the sea-coast, by 
 watching two little girls who had each 
 a grey Maltese kitten, which was regu- 
 larly taken out to walk each morning 
 and afternoon on the Common ; the little 
 creatures faithfully followed their mis- 
 tresses, and the way in which they 
 jumped over the tufts of grass, with 
 their tails straight up in the air, and 
 the fearful panic Avhen a dog was seen 
 in the distance, was extremely comic. 
 These cats are, however, more deli- 
 cate and susceptible of cold than the 
 English cat ; damp also is most preju- 
 dicial to them. Their basket should be 
 lined with several folds of flannel, and 
 they should be covered over warmly at 
 night, and not allowed to go out in wet 
 weather. 
 
 The word "cat-witted" is employed 
 to indicate the possession of but a 
 limited amount of intelligence and 
 ability ; and certainly, as compared with 
 the dog, puss is inferior in intellect. 
 But great differences prevail in this 
 respect; some members of the feline 
 race possess much more cleverness than 
 others, and some have ability enough to 
 rival some dogs in their faculties, in 
 the exercise of which, as in the case of 
 the more intelligent of the canine family, 
 something by no means very dissimilar 
 from a process of reasoning may occa- 
 sionally be discovered. 
 
 Diseases of Cats. — The cat is sub- 
 ject to several diseases ; but, as a gene- 
 ral rule, is seldom seriously ill. The 
 best rule to keep the animal in good 
 health is to have it fed with regularity, 
 kept clean, and furnished with plenty 
 of pure water. In respect to the ail- 
 ments of puss, " prevention is easier 
 than cure," as it is in many matters of 
 higher moment. The cat ought not to 
 be overfed. If she appears out of 
 sorts, a little brimstone in milk vrill 
 
A hashficl Mouse makes a prouct Cat 
 
 333 
 
 fieqnontlj' bo found useful ; but, as in 
 the case of dogs, in any serious malady 
 puss ought to bave the aid of a veteri- 
 nary surgeon, especially if she be a 
 valuable animal, and return the care 
 lavished on lier by reciprocal aifcction 
 towards her owner. 
 
 Inodorous Paint. — All peo- 
 ]ile are ready to admit the disagreeablc- 
 iio.'s and inconvenience of the smell 
 liiiherto inseparable from the process 
 of house-painting. The odour indeed 
 in some instances produces headache, 
 nausea, and sickness, and some persons 
 find it requisite, in order to escape the 
 annoyance, to vacate their premises, 
 even if one apartment be subjected to 
 the process. It appears that a highly 
 ingenious composition has now been 
 invented which supersedes the use of 
 linseed oil, turpentine, and other odour- 
 ous sTibstances, commonly employed in 
 making paint. This substance, which 
 is not inappropriately called " the 
 painter's desideratum," possesses very 
 ( onsidi'rable advantages which render 
 it worthy of public approval and patron- 
 age. Tlie following are some of its 
 peculiarities: — 1. It dries rapidly. In 
 less than half an hour after it is applied 
 it is perfectly dry and hard, so as to bo 
 roady for another coat. 2. It is en- 
 tirely free from odour, so that an apart- 
 ment may be inhabited the same day 
 on which it is painted. 3. It is econo- 
 mical ; three coats of paint made with 
 it are equal to four coats of the ordi- 
 narj' paint. 
 
 It is evident from these facts that the 
 new composition is extremely well 
 adapted for painting counting-houses, 
 offices, ships'-cabins, and all places 
 where the saving of time is an object. 
 No time is lost as by the usual mode of 
 painting, from the necessity of the 
 workmen going from one job to another, 
 or waiting for many hours till the 
 various coats of paint have become dry ; 
 for example, a street door can, by the 
 use of " the painter's desideratum," re- 
 ceive four coats of paint and be var- 
 nished in one day ; whereas, by the old 
 method iive several days are required for 
 the completion of the work. In addi- 
 
 tion to these advantages it may be added, 
 that by the use of the composition now 
 referred to, painters are in a great 
 measure freed from those painful and 
 often fatal complaints incident to their 
 occupation; and, as already stated, those 
 who suffer from the smell of paint aro 
 themselves exempted from that annoy- 
 ance. It may be further mentioned, as 
 an additional recommendation, that this 
 new composition is durable, deans 
 readily, and is not injuriously effected 
 by soap or alkalies. 
 
 Upon the whole, this ingenious com- 
 position may be styled, not only " the 
 painter's desideratum," but "the 
 
 UOUSElIOLnEU's DESIDERATIM." Wc 
 
 are glad to find that the Builder and the 
 Architect, both influential periodicals, 
 express their approval of it ; and we 
 hope that so useful a discovery will 
 meet with the success which we cannot 
 doubt it justly merits. The" Inodorous 
 paint " can be had of Mr. John J. G. 
 Erck, 6, Devonshire Road, Hackney, 
 London, and he will bo ready to fur- 
 nish anj' information on the subject 
 that may be required. 
 
 Varnishe s. — Varnishes are 
 generally composed of resinous sub- 
 stances, dissolved in strong spirits and 
 oil, turpentine being generally the 
 spirit employed. The solution ought 
 to be of such consistency as to enalile 
 it to lie quite smooth and flat on the 
 article varnished, so that it will either 
 leave a thin glossy coating, or can bo 
 made so by polishing after the surface 
 is quite dry. 0\\'ing to the extremely 
 inflammable nature of the materials 
 employed, the preparation of varnish is 
 highly dangerous, and should only be 
 carried on in premises specially adapted 
 for the purpose, and by competent 
 workmen, h Imost all of the varnishes 
 suitable for domestic use can bo had 
 at the oil shops or daysalters, but ve 
 give a few simple receipts for the lighter 
 descriptions, in case any of our readers 
 may wish to prepare it for themselves. 
 These receipts are extracted from the 
 work of a practical chemist. 
 
 Varxish roR Grates. — To two 
 pounds of common asphaltum, fused in 
 
334 
 
 On Painting and Fighting, look afar off. 
 
 an iron pot, add one pint of hot boiled 
 linseed oil ; mix weU and boil for some 
 time. When partially cooled add two 
 quarts of oil of turpentine. If too thick 
 increase the turpentine. Apply with 
 an ordinary paint brush. 
 
 Varnish for Paper Hangings, 
 Maps, Prints &c. — Take of genuine 
 palo Canada balsam and rectified oil 
 of turpentine, equal parts, and mix 
 thoroughly. Give the articles two coats 
 of size before varnishing. 
 
 Varnish for Caru-Work, Bas- 
 kets, &c. — Take black, red, or any 
 other colour of sealing-wax, according 
 to fancy ; break it into small pieces, 
 and add enough rectified or methylated 
 spirit to cover it ; let the vessel stand 
 near the fire for two days until it is 
 quite dissolved. Give the article two 
 coats of size before varnishing. The 
 size is made by dissolving parchment 
 cuttings in boiling water. This is a 
 most useful varnish for fretwork, card- 
 work, baskets, &c. 
 
 An excellent Varnish for Paint- 
 ings. — Take of pure white wax one 
 pound, and melt it with a gentle heat ; 
 add one pint of rectified spirit. Mix 
 perfectly, and pour it on a porphyry 
 slab. Grind it with a muller to a per- 
 fectly smooth paste, adding more spirit 
 as required. Put the paste into a mar- 
 ble mortar ; make an emulsion with 
 three and a half pints of water, gradu- 
 ally added ; strain it through muslin, 
 and let it become quite cold. "When 
 rcquii-ed for use, pass a hot iron over to 
 fuse, and make it quite transparent. 
 After it becomes thoroughly dry, polish 
 with a clean linen cloth. 
 
 Maxims for a Cook. 
 
 I. Keep your kitchen and its furni- 
 ture, as M^ell as your cookery utensils, 
 as clean and sweet as possible. 
 
 II. Let your own dress and appear- 
 ance be scrupulously neat and clean, as 
 M'ell as suitable for your work ; finery 
 is pnrticularlyout of place in a kitchen. 
 
 III. Never give away food without 
 the express permission of your mistress ; 
 when meat is in danger of being spoiled 
 from being kept too long, and it is 
 
 not needed for table, most mistresses 
 will readily give permission to give it 
 to some poor person, but it should not 
 be given unknown to them. 
 
 IV. Always ascertain the peculiar 
 tastes of the family, whether they pre- 
 fer meat well or underdone, dishes 
 highly seasoned or plain, and endeavour 
 to meet their M'ishes rather than your 
 own idea of what is the correct thing 
 to be done. 
 
 V. Endeavour to avoid waste either 
 in food or coals; some cooks will make 
 a rich soup or savoury stew out of frag- 
 ments, that a wasteful one rejects as 
 useless. 
 
 VI. Should your mistress understand 
 cookery, your Ijcst way will be to follow 
 exactly her instructions ; only it is 
 better that a new dish should be tried 
 for the first time when the family is 
 alone, in case of a failure. 
 
 VII. Never undertake to do any- 
 thing unless you are sure you can do 
 it well ; better try some other dish in 
 which you know you can succeed. 
 
 VIII. In small establishments where 
 a dinner is seldom given, a much 
 greater amount of preparation is needed 
 than where the family entertain fre- 
 quently ; in the former case, you hail 
 better ask your mistress to let you have 
 some assistance for the occasion, other- 
 wise you will not be able to do credit 
 to yourself in the cooking of the dinner. 
 
 IX. Never trust any part of your 
 duty to another without seeing that it 
 is done in a proper manner; you are the 
 accountable party, not your assistant, 
 and upon you will fall the censure if 
 there is a failure. 
 
 X. Remember that there is a great 
 deal in the appearance of a dish ; let 
 each dish look well on the table, and 
 have an appropriate garnishing or orna- 
 mentation ; and above all, the dishes 
 must be hot; nothing is more unpleasant 
 than lukewarm meat or soup, while 
 fish is utterly destroyed by being 
 allowed to become cool. 
 
 XI. Be punctual in having the 
 dinner exactly at the moment for which 
 it has been ordered ; a good cook has 
 her dinner not only ready at the mo- 
 
IV/to has Spice enough, may season his Meat as he pleases. 335 
 
 ment, but it is cooked, as the saying is, 
 " to a turn." 
 
 XII. Cooks often have the reputation 
 of being both cross and disaijrceable ; 
 endeavour to avoid obtaining this 
 character ; make yourself useful to your 
 emploj'crs, and pleasant and agreeable 
 to your fellow-servants. 
 
 Hints on Seasoning 
 D i s h e S. — Many of the ordinary 
 articles of food are so insipid, that in 
 order to render them palatable, some 
 condiments are required, or some of 
 those preparations known in the art of 
 cookery as seasonings. Thus, to men- 
 tion an example or two ; veal, which is 
 rather tasteless, is much improved by 
 a little lemon-juice squeezed upon it; 
 roast mutton is the better for a little 
 red-currant jelly, and even roast beef is 
 rendered more palatable by being eaten 
 with a sauce made of mustard and horse- 
 radish, and f(ir these and all other kinds 
 of fresh meat salt is universally required. 
 
 Gexeual Rules as to Seasonings. 
 — All condiments, or seasonings, used 
 for the purpose of promoting digestion 
 or correcting some unfavourable quality 
 in the food taken, may be subdivided 
 into four classes — 1, saline; 2, saccha- 
 rine ; 3, oleaginous ; and 4, aromatic. 
 
 Saline Condiments. — Of these the 
 principal are common salt and vinegar; 
 the tirst of these is a natural and ne- 
 cessary stimulant to the digestive func- 
 tions, and its dailj- use conduces to the 
 preservation of health and strength ; 
 the second is a grateful and salutary 
 stimulant. 
 
 Saccharine Condiments. — Sugar is 
 the chief of these. It is nutritious, 
 antiseptic, and even laxative, and may 
 be employed with advantage in season- 
 ing. 
 
 Oleaginous Condiments. — Of these 
 olive oil and butter may be mentioned 
 as two of the most important. The 
 former, used as a seasoning to raw vege- 
 tables, checks their fermentation in the 
 stomach, and prevents their being too 
 tiatulent. 
 
 Aromatic Condiments. — These 
 chiefly consist of spices, such as pepper, 
 cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, aud 
 
 certain garden seeds and roots, namely, 
 garlic, onion, and mustard. 
 
 The art of cookery prescribes the 
 various modes by which thcsy difl'erent 
 condiments may be employed in making 
 seasonings for dishes. Without, how- 
 ever, entering into those minute parti- 
 culars, which belong to the culinary art, 
 one or two general observations may bo 
 useful. 
 
 It cannot be doubted that the various 
 substances now enumerated, are well 
 adapted to " season " and improve tho 
 flavour of food, and even to render 
 it more wholesome as well as digest ilile. 
 It must be kei)t in mind, however, thiit 
 the use of vinegar is not adapted to all 
 constitutions, and that several of tho 
 aromatic condiments already mentioned, 
 however agreeable, ought to enter but 
 verj- sparingly into the seasonings used 
 by persons of full habit, and who are 
 liable to any inflammatory ailments ; 
 and finally, as a general rule, it ought 
 never to be forgotten that the habitual 
 or frequent use of strong seasonings, 
 tends, in the opinion of the most eminent 
 judges of the matter, to injure tho 
 stomach, and deteriorate its digestive 
 powers. 
 
 Hunger is said to he the " best sauce,' * 
 and in the spirit of that well-known 
 aphorism, we may venture to add that 
 the best " seasonings " we can employ 
 ai-e not those compounded in the kitchen, 
 but fresh air, ample exercise, tempo- 
 ranee, regular habits, and abundant 
 occupation both for body and mind. 
 
 Hints on Home Deco- 
 ration. — Skeleton Leaves. — 
 "We have oftener than once picked up, 
 on a country road, in the autumn 
 season, a skeleton leaf. The object is 
 an interesting one. The green of tho 
 leaf is gone for ever, the " fleshy " 
 matter has vanished, and what we see 
 is merely a brown skeleton, or rather a 
 surt of framework, consisting of tho 
 stems that form the true skeleton of tho 
 leaf, and tho fine network of veins 
 ■which fill the intermediate spaces, and 
 the purpose of which, in the living leaf, 
 is to carry tho sap — the life-blood of a 
 plant — from one quarter to another. 
 
33<5 
 
 Home is the Residence of the Heart. 
 
 However interesting the skeleton of 
 a leaf that has been bleached by na- 
 ture may be, it cannot be alleged to be 
 beautiful in colour, and therefore it is 
 not of much value for the purposes of 
 household decoration. But it happens 
 that in this instance, at least, we can 
 improve upon nature ; for the leaves 
 that are artiiicially macerated and 
 bleached, are much prettier in appear- 
 ance than those that have been sub- 
 jected to the "skyey influences" of 
 wind and rain. When carefully treated, 
 a skeleton leaf is white in colour ; and, 
 as every vein and stem is perfect, the 
 object is not only curious and instruc- 
 tive, but also very beautiful. Different 
 kinds of leaves tastefully grouped upon 
 a dark background — black velvet is 
 perhaps the best — form a very elegant 
 ornament. 
 
 The stores of nature yield almost 
 endless varieties of leaves, suitable 
 for being bleached, and used for home 
 decoration ; but among the best kno\vn 
 and the most easily obtained, are 
 the leaves of the different kinds of 
 poplar, the leaves of the apple and pear 
 trees, of the ivj^, the willow, the maple, 
 and the columbine. Many seed-vessels 
 also — for example, those of the thorn- 
 apple, of henbane, of the wild poppy, 
 &c. — may be treated in the same way, 
 and have a very telling effect when judi- 
 cioiisly intermixed with skeleton leaves 
 in decoration. The leaves should be 
 gathered during the summer months, 
 placed in a tub of some sort, covered 
 with water, and left exposed to the sun. 
 Young leaves are unsuitable, therefore 
 do not pick them ojf the end of a branch, 
 but lower down. After the leaves have 
 remained a fortnight, they may be exa- 
 mined, and those of them that are 
 evidently decaying rapidlj-, should be 
 removed, and placed in a basin of clean 
 water. In moving the leaves we must 
 be careful not to touch them with the 
 fingers. We must float them on to a 
 card when we wish to examine or to 
 move them. After moving them into 
 the basin of water, we clean the leaves 
 by brushing off " the skin " with a hair 
 pencil, and removing the green "fleshy" 
 
 matter. In using the brush, we do not 
 sweep it across the leaf as if we were 
 painting ; if we did so, we should tear 
 the skeleton. We bring away the 
 green matter by "tapping" the leaf 
 with the brush. After being cleaned, 
 the leaves are bleached by being im- 
 mersed in a mixture of chloride of lime 
 and clean water. When bleached, the 
 leaves are again repeatedly washed, 
 and then dried in an oven or before the 
 fire. There are many ways of mount- 
 ing skeleton leaves, and the only 
 general direction we can give here, is 
 to have a dark background, which will 
 throw out the white veins of the 
 leaves. 
 
 Feather Screens. — These exceed- 
 ingly handsome ornaments can be 
 made at home ; and though, in making 
 them, certain processes may not be 
 considered as feminine employments, 
 yet a younger brother or some friend 
 will generally be found, who will tako 
 upon himself the labour of stuffing the 
 head, &c. A feather screen is made of 
 the wings, and the skin of the head and 
 breast of the bird. The most suitable 
 birds are those of a naturally rapid 
 flight, for in them the wing leathers 
 are strong, and will bear to be firmly 
 handled. The pigeon, all the tribe of 
 ducks, wild and tame, as well as the 
 large family of hawks, make excellent 
 screens. 
 
 The wings are first removed by cut- 
 ting the muscles at the elbow joint. 
 The feathers are afterwards lifted and 
 held back on the breast, and the skin is 
 cut round to the back. The skin is 
 then drawn off over the head, and will 
 be found as a rule to come off easily. 
 The neck is severed from the head at 
 the base of the skull, all pieces of flesh 
 or skin are removed, the eyes are 
 taken out whole, and the brains scooped 
 out with a quill. The hollow of the 
 skull is then stuffed with wool, wetted 
 with arsenical soap. The inside of 
 the skin is also smeared with the 
 arsenical soap, and stufted with wool. 
 The wings are now taken in hand, and 
 all the flesh and sinews removed from 
 them, and the skin and bones rubbed 
 
sport should be made a Pleasure of, not a Gain. 
 
 337 
 
 with the arsenical soap. The wings are 
 then stretched on a board, and if the 
 feathers do not naturally lie in the re- 
 qmred direction, they must be fixed 
 with pins hammered into the board. 
 The making up of the screen consists 
 in fitting a piece of millboard to the 
 screen handle, fixing the wings to this 
 millboard, and then fitting on the head 
 and breast. The fixing on is done 
 chiefly with glue, and with a dariiiiig- 
 ncedle and twine. 
 
 The Game of Draughts.— 
 This game has in some respects a like- 
 ness to chess. It is played on a board 
 like that used for chess, divided into 
 eixty-four squares, coloured in the same 
 manner. But in preparing to play 
 the game, the square on the right hand 
 of each of the two players must be a 
 black square. Two persons play the 
 game, but they have each only twelve 
 men instead of sixteen, as in chf ss. 
 
 Placing of the Mex, &c. — In 
 draughts, the moves are simple, pre- 
 senting to view very little of the inex- 
 haustible variety of chess, and the 
 marvellous complication to which the 
 movements of the various pieces con- 
 duce. The game is played with flat 
 discs of wood or ivory — such as are 
 used in the game of backgammon, — 
 coloured white and black, or red and 
 white, as the cafe may be. All the 
 men on the board must be placed in 
 order, on one of the same colour ; by 
 this means — supposing the white 
 squares only to be played on — the 
 white squares on the first three lines 
 on each side of the board will be occu- 
 pied by the men, leaving the two 
 middle lines of squares unoccupied. 
 
 Object of the Game. — The game 
 consists of an effort made by each 
 player to take all his opponent's men, 
 or so to block them up that they can- 
 not move without being taken. He 
 who first accomplishes this wins the 
 game. 
 
 The Moves. — These are sufficiently 
 simple. The men cannot move either 
 straight forward, or to the right or left, 
 or backwards ; their moves are only in 
 a diagonal direction, similar to that of 
 
 the bishop in chess ; but the move is 
 restricted to one square, except in cases 
 which shall be presently described, and 
 can be made at the early stages of the 
 game only in an onward direction. If 
 one of the adversary's men be in the 
 way, the man of course cannot move, 
 but if behind the man in front of him 
 there be a vacant square, he can leap 
 over the other into the square beyond 
 him, and so capture the man over whom 
 he has thus leaped, and who must then 
 be removed from the board. And if it 
 should happen that the man who has 
 thus leaped over and taken his adver- 
 sary should, on occupying the new 
 square, find another man before him, 
 having also a vacant square immedi- 
 ately beyond him, he can leap over this 
 enemy also into the vacant square 
 beyond, and repeat the process a third 
 or fourth time if possible on each occa- 
 sion ; and as it wei'e, at one move 
 taking several of the adversary's men. 
 This is an important matter, because, 
 as already mentioned, the grand object 
 of each player is to clear his opponent's 
 men off the board as quickly as possible. 
 Much skill and judgment are accord- 
 ingly called forth for this purpose, each 
 player endeavouring so to play (as to 
 afford some of his men the opportunity 
 of leaping over) and taking in succes- 
 sion several of those of the adversary. 
 "When any of the men belonging to 
 either side have found their way to 
 the furthest line of squares on the op- 
 ponent's side of the board, the}' become 
 possessed of a new privilege, that ol 
 being crowned, which confers on them 
 a power both of moving and of taking 
 men different from what they pre- 
 viously enjoyed. The piece is crowned 
 or converted into a king by having 
 another man placed upon it, and it is 
 then entitled to move backwards as 
 well as forwards, still keeping, how- 
 ever, to the diagonal line as before, and 
 is rendered capable of leaping over and 
 taking any man with an open square 
 behind it, as already described in its 
 former onward movement; and it can 
 likewise capture any number of the 
 I adversary's men in succession which 
 
33^ 
 
 Game about is fair Play. 
 
 have an unoccupied square behind 
 them. It is obvious that the privilege 
 of being crowned renders the man so 
 distinguished much more formidable to 
 their opponents than before, and hastens 
 the conclusion of the game. It is 
 the object therefore of each player to 
 convert his men into kings as early in 
 the game as possible, in order not only 
 to support his own men, but more 
 effectually to attack those of his 
 adversary. 
 
 On accomplishing the object of get- 
 ting one or more of his men crowned, 
 the player must exercise his skill either 
 in taking his opponent's men, or so 
 blocking them up that they cannot 
 move without being captured. One or 
 two i^ractical lessons will be sufficient 
 to illustrate the mode in which this is 
 to be done. The first move is of con- 
 siderable importance, and the players 
 in successive games take the first move 
 alternately. 
 
 EuLEs OF THE Game. — I. The men, 
 as already stated, may be placed either 
 on the black or the white squares. If 
 put upon the black squares, each player 
 ■will have a white square at the right- 
 hand corner of the board ; if placed on 
 the white squares, there will be a 
 black square at each right-hand corner. 
 
 II. The choice of the men and the 
 first move are to be determined by lot. 
 
 III. No player is allowed to perform 
 any act which may prevent his oppo- 
 nent from plainly seeing the situation 
 of all the men. IV. If a player touch 
 a man unless to adjust it upon the 
 square, he is bound to move it. V. If 
 a man be en prise — i.e., capable of being 
 taken — it must be taken ; but if the 
 player to whom it belongs do not cap- 
 ture it, the opponent may "huff" him, 
 by removing his man from the board, 
 and then playing a man of his own. 
 And the player may, if he choose, in- 
 sist on his adversary taking the man 
 oftered instead of " standing his huff." 
 VI. Five minutes is allowed for a 
 move. A player exceeding that time 
 loses the game. VII. A player loses 
 Iho game if he ceases to play without 
 his adversary's consent. VIII. If only 
 
 two men, crowned or not, remain at 
 the end of a game, one of the players 
 may call on the other to win the game 
 in forty moves, or to consider it a drawn 
 game. IX. If three kings remain op- 
 posed to two, the player with the in- 
 ferior force may demand of his opponent 
 that he shall win the game in fifty 
 moves, or make it a drawn game. 
 X. If a player make a false move, he 
 must replace the men and move cor- 
 rectly, or resign the game. XI. If 
 several pieces be taken at one move, 
 none of them must be removed from the 
 board till the taking piece has arrived 
 at Hi final square; and if the player 
 fail to take the man he can take, his 
 opponent may "huff" him. XII. 
 When a man arrives at the last row of 
 squares on the opponent's side, he must 
 at once be crowned, and he cannot then 
 move till bis opponent has moved his 
 man. XIII. Disputes are to be settled 
 by the decision of the majority of the 
 company present. 
 
 ■The Game of Piquet. — 
 In this game two persons play, and 
 thirty-two cards are used, Avhich are 
 these — viz., ace, king, queen, knave, 
 ten, nine, eight, and seven of each suit ; 
 these cards rank in the order of this 
 list, at the head of which is the ace. 
 The first step after the stakes are 
 agreed upon is to cut for deal ; he that 
 cuts the lowest card deals. The cards 
 are dealt two by two ; each player is to 
 receive twelve cards. Twenty-four 
 being thus distributed between the two 
 players, eight cards remain. These are 
 called "the stock," and are to lie on 
 the table between the two players. 
 
 On receiving his cards each player I 
 must sort them, putting together those I 
 of each suit, and ascertaining whether I 
 he has what is called a carte blanche, * 
 
 that is to say, that his cards have no 
 '* picture " cards among them, viz., 
 king, queen, or knave. The advan- 
 tage of a carte blanche is this: the 
 player who has it counts ten, and this 
 takes precedence of every other score, 
 counting towards the pique or repique.. 
 and preventing the adversary from 
 having either one or the other ; and if 
 
There are no Games, luithoiit Pains. 
 
 339 
 
 the player who holds it bo at ninety or 
 more— game being one hundred — he 
 wins the game. 
 
 AVlien the cards are sorted by the 
 players, the elder hand discards — that 
 is, he throws out not more than five of 
 the cards that appear to him to bo of 
 least value, and takes from the stock 
 in exchange for them a con-esponding 
 number. The general rule applicable 
 to discarding by the elder hand may 
 here be stated ; that he must necessarily 
 exchange one card, and must leave 
 three cards in the stock for dealer, and 
 if he take a smaller number than five, 
 he has a right to look at such of the 
 five as he leaves. The dealer is under 
 no obligation to discard ; but if he docs 
 80, he must take in the cards left by 
 the elder hand and his own, three at 
 the bottom of the stock, and he is at 
 liberty to take not those three only but 
 all his adversary has left. If he leave 
 any cards, he has a right to look at 
 them, and if he does so, the elder hand 
 may look at them also, but not other- 
 •wise. 
 
 In reckoning the score the following 
 are to be considered, besides the carte 
 blanche already referred to, — viz., the 
 Point, the Sequence, the Quatorze, the 
 Cards, the Caput. Of each of these 
 some brief details may be of use. 
 
 I. The Point. — The player Mho has 
 the greatest number of cards in a suit 
 is said to have " the point." If, how- 
 ever, both players have an equal num- 
 ber of cards iu the same or ia different 
 suits, then the person has the point 
 who has the greatest number of pips, 
 reckoning the ace as being eleven , and the 
 court cards as ten each. Whoever has 
 the point counts one for each card ; but 
 if the number ends in four, then the 
 person holding it counts one less than 
 the number of cards. 
 
 II. The SEavENCE. — This is the 
 having several cards in the same suit 
 following in a consecutive manner, as 
 the ace, the king, the queen, the knave, 
 the ten, nine, and eight ; and of thes'j 
 there are si-x kinds, known by the fol- 
 lowing French terms: — Tierce, or three 
 in seq^uence ; Quart, four in sequence ; 
 
 Quint, five in sequence ; Seizidmc, six 
 in sequence ; Septihine, seven in se- 
 quence ; Uuitieme, eight in sequence, 
 in a whole suit. The most numerous 
 of these is the most valuable, and whero 
 the numbers of cards are equal the 
 highest is the most valuable ; for ex- 
 ample, a tierce to an ace, which is 
 termed tierce major, is more valuable 
 than any other tierce, although inCerinr 
 to a quart to a ten, as the latter contains 
 four cards. The sequence counts next 
 to the point, a tierce being equal to 
 three, a quart to four, a quint to 
 fifteen, a scizieme, sixteen, &c. As an 
 illustration of this — if the elder hand 
 have five cards for his point he counts 
 five, and if these five are a sequence he 
 counts twenty — five for the point and 
 fifteen for the quint. 
 
 III. The Quatorze. — "When a 
 player has four cards of equal value in 
 the four different suits, he is said to 
 have a quatorze, and whatever player 
 holds the highest quatorze counts four- 
 teen, the highest taking precedence, 
 and rendering of no value any inferior 
 quatorze. If neither of the players 
 holds a quatorze, then three of equal 
 value or three aces count three, .ind 
 next in order to the sequence. The 
 lowest quatorze, that of tens, is supe- 
 rior to the highest three, that of aces, 
 and whoever has the highest quatorze, 
 has the right to count any that are 
 inferior, although his adversary should 
 have an intermediate one. The qua- 
 torze of aces annuls all the others ; and 
 he who has them counts a quatorze of 
 tens, although his opponent should 
 have a quatorze of kings, queens, or 
 knaves. If there be no quatorze, he 
 may count three aces, kings, queens, 
 knaves, or tens, and three aces are 
 held superior to three kings, and by 
 holding a good quatorze the player 
 may not only count inferior ones, but 
 even three tens, and any other threes 
 but those nine, eight, or seven, al- 
 though the opponent may have three 
 of a superior value. 
 
 IV. The C.\rds. — Two cards, one 
 from each player, make a trick, and if 
 each player has six tricks, then the 
 
340 
 
 Money is the Art, that hath turned up Trumps. 
 
 cards are divided ; but if either of the 
 players wins seven or more tricks, lie is 
 said to have the cards, and in virtue 
 of this he has the privilege of counting 
 ten beyond the number he has already 
 scored. 
 
 V. The Capot. — A player is said to 
 win a capot when he wins all the tricks, 
 and in this case, instead of adding ten 
 to his score, he adds forty. 
 
 Having thus briefly explained the 
 foregoing terms, we shall now present 
 to the reader a view of the general 
 iTiles to be observed in plajang the 
 game, avoiding for brevity's sake any 
 minute statement of the reasons on 
 which these rules are founded. 
 
 Geneual Eules. — I. The player 
 jught to play by the stages of his 
 game. If backward in the game, he 
 ought to play a pushing game, otherwise 
 he ought to make twenty-seven points 
 elder hand and thirteen younger hand. 
 In every hand he ought to compare his 
 game with that of his opponent and 
 discard accordingly. II. You ought 
 to discard in expectation of winning 
 the cards, and this is so essential a part 
 of the game, that it makes twenty-two 
 or twentjf-thi'ee points diflerence ; 
 therefore do not discai'd for a low qua- 
 torze, because in so doing you run the 
 risk of losing above twenty points in 
 the hope of winning foiuieen. III. 
 At the commencement of a party, play 
 to make your game, which is twenty- 
 seven points elder hand and thirteen 
 points younger hand. IV. If your 
 adversary be much before you in the 
 game, the consideration of winning the 
 cards must be put out of the question. 
 V- When you discard, endeavour to 
 gain the point without the risk of 
 losing the cards by so doing. VI. 
 Alwaj's risk some points for the mate- 
 rial object of saving your lurch or lurch- 
 ing your adversary. VII. If you have 
 six tricks with any winning card in 
 your band, always play that card. 
 VIII. If you are much advanced in 
 the game, let your adversary gain two 
 points for your one as often as you can, 
 especially if you are to be elder hand 
 in the next deal ; if, on the contrary, 
 
 you are to, be younger hand, never re- 
 gard the losing of two or three points 
 for the gaining of one. IX. The 
 younger hand ought to play on the 
 defensive ; in order therefore to make 
 his thirteen points, he is to carry tierces, 
 quarts, and strive for the point. X. 
 The elder or yoimger hand should 
 sometimes sink one of his points in 
 the hope of winning the cards, and 
 he must do this with judgment and 
 without hesitation. XL It is con- 
 sidered good play for a yoimger hand 
 not to call three queens, knaves, &c., 
 and to sink one card of his point. 
 XII. The younger hand is not to 
 take in any cards, if he thus runs the 
 risk of losing them, unless he is very 
 backward in the game. XIII. If the 
 younger hand have the king, queen, 
 and nine of a suit, or the king, knave, 
 and nine of a suit, he may discard 
 either of the suits. XIV. If three 
 aces are dealt to the younger hand, his 
 best play generally is to throw out the 
 fourth suit. XV. The younger hand 
 ought generally to carry guards to his 
 queen suits, in order to make points 
 and save the cards. XVI. If he finds % 
 that the elder hand, by calling his 
 point, has five cards Avhich will make 
 five tricks in play, and may have the 
 ace and queen of another suit, he oi/glt 
 to throw away the guard to the king 
 of the latter suit. This will afford hirt a 
 chance of saving the cards. XVII. If 
 the elder hand has a quart to a king 
 dealt him with three kings and three 
 queens, and is obliged to discard either 
 one of his quart to the king on a king or 
 queen, he is to do so in such a manner 
 as will afford him the greatest pro- 
 bability of winning the cards. XVIII. 
 If the elder hand has taken in his 
 five cards, and has the ace, king, and 
 knave of a suit, having discarded two 
 of that suit, and has likewise the ace, 
 king, knave, and two small cards of 
 another suit, but no winning cards in 
 the other suits, he ought to play from 
 the suit of which he has the fewest ia 
 number. XIX. If the elder hand be 
 certain to make the cards equal by 
 playing them in any particular manner. 
 
Many can pack the Cards, that cannot Phiy. 
 
 541 
 
 and if he be advanced before his oppo- 
 nent in the game, he ought not to risk 
 losing them ; if, however, his opponent 
 is much before him, it becomes his 
 interest to risk losing the cards in ex- 
 pectation of winning them. 
 
 Laws of the Game. — The laws 
 of Piquet, briefly stated, ai-e the fol- 
 lowing : — I. The elder hand must lay 
 out at least one card. II. He loses 
 the game if he takes in one of the 
 three cards belonging to the younger 
 hand. III. If he happen to turn up 
 a card belonging to the younger hand, 
 he is to reckon nothing that deal. 
 IV. If the younger or elder hand play 
 with thiiteen cards, he shall count 
 nothing. V. If either player have 
 thirteen cards dealt, it is at the option 
 of the elder hand to stand the deal or 
 not. VI. If either player reckons 
 what he has not, he counts nothing. 
 VII. If the elder hand touches the 
 stock after he has discarded, he cannot 
 alter the discard. VIII. If a card be 
 faced, and is discovered in the dealing 
 on the stock, there must, luiless it be 
 the bottom card, be a new deal. IX. 
 If in dealing a card belonging to the 
 elder hand be tiu-ned up, he has a right 
 to have a new deal if he choose. X. If 
 the younger hand takes in five cards, he 
 loses the game miless the elder hand 
 has left two cards. XI. If the elder hand 
 calls forty-one for his point, which hap- 
 pens to be a great-major, and is allowed 
 to be good ; and if he reckons only four 
 for it and continues to play, he is not 
 entitled to count more. XII. If he 
 shows a point, quart, or tierce, and 
 asks if they are good, and forgets to 
 reckon any of them, the younger hand 
 becomes thereby barred from reckoning 
 any of equal value. XIII. Carte- 
 blanche counts first and saves piques 
 and repiques ; it need not be shoNvn till 
 the adversary has first discarded. XIV. 
 If the elder hand calls a point and docs 
 not show it, it is not to be reckoned ; 
 and the younger hand may show his 
 point and reckon it. XV. Ton must 
 cut two cards at least ; if you play with 
 eleven, or fewer, no penalty attends it. 
 XVI. If the elder hand leaves a card, 
 
 and, after he has taken in, puts to his 
 discard the four cards taken in, they 
 must remain with his discard, and he 
 only plays with eight cards. XVII. If 
 the younger hand mixes a card with 
 his discard before showing it to the 
 elder hand, the elder hand has a right 
 to see his whole discard. XVIII. If 
 the younger hand leaves a card or cards, 
 and does not see them, the elder hand 
 has no right to see them; but if the 
 younger hand leaves a card or cards 
 and looks at them, the elder hand has a 
 right to see them. XIX. If a card too 
 many or too few be dealt, the elder 
 hand has the option of a new deal, and 
 must leave three cards for the younger 
 hand if he stands a new deal. XX. A 
 player ought, in tlie first place, to call 
 his point. If he have two points, and 
 intends to reckon the highest, he must 
 call that first, and abide by the first 
 call ; tierces, quarts, quints, &c., are to 
 be called next, and the highest must be 
 called if it be intended to reckon them ; 
 and a qtiatorze is to be called in pre- 
 ference to three aces ; and if he call a 
 tierce, having a quart in his hand, he 
 must abide by the first call. XXI. If 
 a player deals twice together, and dis- 
 cover it before seeing his cards, he may 
 insist on his adversary's dealing ; if the 
 pack be fotmd faulty in any deal, that 
 deal is to be held void. XXII. If a 
 player at the commencement does not 
 reckon or show carte blanche, &;c., he 
 cannot count them afterwards. He 
 cannot discard twice, and is not allowed 
 to take any of his discard back again 
 -after he has touched the stock. XXIIf . 
 When the elder hand does not take all 
 his cards, he must specify the number 
 left and taken. XXIV. If a player 
 shall call his game wrong without cor- 
 recting himself before he plaj's, he is 
 not permitted to reckon anything that 
 game; btit the adversary may reckon all 
 that he has good in his own game. 
 XXV. A card is understood to be 
 played if it has touched the board ; if a 
 player names a suit and then plays a 
 different one, or if he looks at any card 
 belonging to the stock, he is liable to 
 have a suit called. 
 
342 Oysters are best in the Month that has an R in it. 
 
 We must refer our readers to the 
 more elaborate treatises on Piquet for 
 illustrations and examples of particular 
 ^ames, and the computations relating 
 to them, in accordance with the doctrine 
 of probabilities. 
 
 Oysters, How to Keep 
 and. Preserve.— The best mode 
 of effecting this object is to wash them 
 perfectly clean with a brush ; pack 
 them in a tub with the flat side upper- 
 most, cover them with water containing 
 salt in the proportion of four or five 
 oimcestoeach gallon of water, strewover 
 the top some good oatmeal, and change 
 the water every twenty-foiir hours. 
 Those packed in barrels at the beds, only 
 require a little oatmeal with salt and 
 water ; they will keep alive for several 
 days if attended to ; a weight should be 
 placed over the oysters to prevent the 
 shells from opening too much. 
 
 Oysters, to Cook. — It is the boast 
 of a celebrated restaurant at the other 
 side of the Atlantic, that they can cook 
 oysters in a different mode for every 
 day in the year. Without attempting to 
 follow such a multitudinous example, 
 Ave may venture to offer to our friends 
 a few tried receipts for cooking this 
 favourite shellfish, which we have no 
 doubt will be found pleasing to those 
 who follow them. 
 
 Oysters, to Fry. — Choose large 
 plump oysters, boil them in their own 
 liquor for about a minute, drain them, 
 and strain the liquor, fry them in two 
 ounces of butter, their own liquor, half 
 a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, and a 
 dessert spoonful of catsup, lay them on 
 a dish, and garnish with parsley and 
 toasted sippets. 
 
 Oysters, to Roast. — An American 
 Receipt. — Choose out the largest shells 
 you can find, lay them with the flat side 
 iippermost on a gridiron over a clear 
 lire ; make a seasoning of lemon juice, 
 cayenne, and salt; and when each 
 oyster shell opens, put in about a tea- 
 spoonful of this sauce and a little bit 
 of butter, and let it stew for five 
 minutes. These are extremely nice, 
 eaten with brown bread and butter. 
 
 Oyster Sour. — At page 11 will be 
 
 found an excellent receipt for oyster 
 soup. 
 
 Scalloped Oysters. — Scald the 
 oysters for a minute in their own 
 liquor, beard them and strain the 
 liquor ; put a few into a scallop shell 
 or patty pan, strew over them a few 
 finely grated bread crumbs, pepper, salt, 
 and nutmeg, squeeze a little lemon 
 juice into the strained liquor, put a 
 little into each shell with a few drops of 
 essence of lemon-peel, cover over with 
 bread crumbs, put a few bits of butter on 
 the top, and brown in a Dutch oven. 
 
 Oy'ster Patties. — Scald the oysters, 
 and strain the liquor ; add to it twice 
 as much cream as there is liquor, thicken 
 it with fine bread crumbs, season with 
 a little salt, white pepper, nutmeg, 
 lemon-peel, and very little leraon-juice ; 
 line some mince-pie pans with puff- 
 paste. Mix the oysters and cream well 
 together, fill the pans, cover them with 
 paste, and bake ; if the cream is not 
 rich, put a bit of butter as large as a 
 nut in each patty. 
 
 Oyster Fritters. — Make a stiff 
 batter with one or two eggs, according 
 to the quantity required; season to taste 
 with i^epper and salt. Prepare some 
 oysters as if for sauce, dip each into 
 the batter, and fry of a nice brown 
 colour, either in very fresh lard or 
 butter. Lay them on a clean sieve 
 before the fire until every particle of 
 grease has drained from them, and serve 
 them on a hot napkin. 
 
 The Gallina, or Guinea- 
 fowl. — This bird has been known in 
 England for five hundred years. It is 
 a native of that part of Africa which its 
 name indicates, but it is also said to be 
 indigenous in America. It is a larger 
 bird than our ordinary barn-door fowl ; 
 but the eggs are small, thi-ee of them 
 being hardly equal to an ordinary hen's 
 egg ; they are, however, numerous and 
 well-flavoured. This foM'l does not 
 thrive in confinement, but requires 
 perfect liberty, and a wide space over 
 which to wander. And it is of so pug- 
 nacious a character, moreover, that it 
 can hardly be got to associate with 
 other poultry on amicable terms. They 
 
To frightai a Fo7uI, is not the way to catch her. 
 
 543 
 
 are not so generally reared in this 
 country as might be expected, con- 
 sidering that they come into season at 
 the end of January, just when pheasants 
 and paitridges are going out. The 
 difficulty of rearing the young ones in 
 this damp climate, and the very noisy 
 and destructive habits of the old birds, 
 may account for their absence gene- 
 rally from our poultry yards, 'i'hey 
 are, however, very excellent eating, and 
 well worth the trouble of keeping. 
 
 To Keep Guinea-fowl. — The best 
 way to begin is to procure some eggs of 
 a good stock, hatch them under a small 
 variety of fowl, such as gamefowl or ban- 
 tams ; when the chicks appear, keep 
 them under cover where they can have 
 plenty of air and dry gravel ; feed them 
 frequentlv, at least once in every three 
 hours. Begin by giving eggs and milk 
 made into rather a dry custard ; towards 
 the end of the first month, add a little 
 oatmeal mixed with milk, and as they 
 grow older, boiled vegetables, small 
 wheat, and potatoes, may be given . Ants' 
 eggs are their favourite delicacy, and 
 will be found most nourishing food for 
 them. These birds are very fond of 
 scratching in a garden, not for seeds 
 but for insects and grubs, and it is 
 questionable whether they do most 
 harm in rooting out the gardener's 
 seeds, or good in destroying the insects 
 that would eat up his plants after they 
 had grown up. 
 
 To Cook Guinea-fowls. — These 
 birds are generally used for table when 
 young, say eight or nine months old at 
 most. Hang the bird as long as possible, 
 truss like a turkey-poult ; it may be 
 roasted either stuffed or larded. 
 
 Stuffed Guinea-fowls. — Make a 
 rich pork forcemeat, fill the bird with 
 it, cover it with white paper, thickly 
 battered, roast an hour, basting it very 
 well all the time, as it is rather dry. 
 Serve it with a rich gravy and bread 
 sauce. 
 
 Larded Guixea-fowls. — Lard the 
 breast well with shreds of fat bacon, 
 and roast it before a clear fire, baste it 
 Well with butter; just before it is roasted 
 enough, dredge it well with flour as a 
 
 roast fowl is done, and let it froth 
 nicely. Serve with rich gravy and 
 bread sauce. 
 
 Cold Guinea-fowl may be re- 
 dressed like cold fowl or turkey. 
 
 Glue for Fretwork, 
 Fency Articles, &c. — Salis- 
 bury glue is the best kind for fancy 
 work; the price is about one shilling 
 per pound ; the sheets should be trans- 
 parent, and of the colour of dark amber. 
 As much of this glue as is required 
 should be soaked in cold water forteii or 
 twelve hours ; the water must then be 
 drained off, the bits of glue put into the 
 inside tin of a common glue-kettle, and 
 the space between the tin and the outside 
 filled with boiling water ; this should be 
 placed near the fire, so that the water 
 may remain hot and simmering, and in 
 a short time the glue will be found dis- 
 solved and ready for use. It ought to 
 run from the brush in a fine continuous 
 stream, but if too thick to do this, a 
 very little hot water may be added to 
 it. The firmness of the joint does not 
 depend upon the thickness or quality 
 of the glue, so much as upon the two 
 edges of the wood being strongly 
 pressed together, and the glue squeezed 
 out as much as possible. If it is ap- 
 plied to the grain of the wood endwise, 
 it will be much absorbed, and may 
 require applying a second time. Any- 
 thing glued should be left undisturbed 
 for some hours, until it becomes quite 
 hard and dry. 
 
 To fix Photographs in 
 an. Album.— Use dextrine, a pre- 
 paration from starch in the form of a 
 white powder. JIake a rather thicK 
 paste of this with cold water, taking 
 care to keep it all perfectly clean ; 
 cover the whole of the back of the pho- 
 tograph lightly with this, and place it 
 on the desired page of the album. A 
 sheet of white blotting paper should be 
 laid on the under side of the album page. 
 Smooth the photograph gently all over 
 and round the edges with a white hand- 
 kerchief. Glenfield starch, made thick 
 and boiled rather longer than is re- 
 quired lor stiffening, is also very good 
 for fixing photographs. 
 
344 
 
 The Father is the Guest that best becomes a Tabic. 
 
 Family Pictures. 
 Fathee. 
 
 In prime of years, but with a trace 
 Of life's past trials on his face ; 
 Dispelling these at eventide, 
 "When daily cares are cast aside ; 
 A small dominion, all his own, 
 He sits upon his household throne, 
 While hands, and hearts, and lips draw 
 
 near 
 The Father's hours at home to cheer. 
 
 Mother. 
 
 First in her duty and her love, 
 A gentle Mother comes to prove 
 That she who shared his joys and tears. 
 Divides the wreath her Husband wears. 
 And still theie beams fiom her sweet 
 
 face 
 Reflections of that early grace 
 Which rapt his fancy, won his heart, 
 And made her of himself a part. 
 
 Sister. 
 
 But in the Daughter more we see 
 Of Mother's girl-simplicity : 
 Her gentle look, her graceful walk, 
 Her cheerful song, and pleasing talk ; 
 Her busy fingers, never still. 
 Her loving heart, her ready will 
 To soothe a care, or charm a pain — 
 In her the Mother lives again ! 
 
 Brother. 
 
 Hope of the house ! whose manly pride 
 Turns fears of future cares aside ; 
 Ambition burning in his breast. 
 By love of home alone repress' d ! 
 How much of life he seems to know ; 
 What depths his early maxims show : 
 A rock on which his parents rest. 
 To find their years supremely blest ! 
 
 Uncle. 
 
 Uncle, who calls on Sabbath day. 
 Or at the sunset finds his way, 
 To talk of all absorbing themes 
 That move the world, and fill his 
 dreams ; 
 
 With some grave notion lately caught, 
 Or fresh experience strangely bought ; 
 Nephew and Uncle, side by side. 
 Philosophize with conscious pride ! 
 
 AUNTV. 
 
 Aimty, on bits of gossip bent, 
 Avoids the sages thus intent ; 
 And, with her little scraps of news, 
 Mother and Sister must amuse ; 
 While Father listens with surprise 
 To problems of jjhilosophies. 
 Obscured at some prevision choice, 
 By Aunty's never-tiring voice ! 
 
 One Other. 
 
 And who is he, unlike the rest. 
 Who seems upon their love impressed ? 
 Why come so oft ? Why linger late ? 
 Why look back from the garden gate.? 
 Why bring fresh flowers, where gar- 
 lands grow ? — 
 Causing dear Sister's cheeks to glow; 
 Filling with tears her Mother's eye?, 
 And rousing Aunty's shrewd surmise ! 
 
 To that Other let us say : 
 When you bear the prize away, 
 Guai'd her with a holy care. 
 Sacred hopes and loves rest there ! 
 So that, in your own good time. 
 When a parent in your prime — 
 Father, Mother, Sister, Brother, 
 Uncle, Aunty, and — One Other — 
 Gather round your household shrine, 
 And a lovely Daughter thine, — 
 You may to that Other say. 
 When he bears your child away — 
 "Prize her, love her all your life, 
 As I have loved and 2}rized my Wife ! " 
 
 To Extract Splinters. — 
 
 Thorns and splinters finding their way 
 under the skin frequently give no in- 
 considerable pain, and imless extracted, 
 the annoyance may be very great, as 
 inflammation will in all probability 
 ensue, which is the process nature 
 adopts for getting rid of the cause 0/ 
 irritation. If the splinter or thorn 
 cannot be immediately extracted, — for 
 which purpose a needle M'ill be found 
 
7'he Best Surgeon is he ivho has been hacked himself. 345 
 
 in most cases a sufficient surgical in- 
 stiumcnt, — linen dipped in hot- water 
 ought to bo bound round the place, or 
 the pait may be bathed in hot water. 
 In the event of inflammation, which 
 may probably issue on the production 
 of an ulcer, the steam of hot water 
 should be applied, and afterwards a 
 poultice of bread and milk. 
 
 Whitlow. — Cause.s of Whit- 
 low. — There are very few affections 
 that commence so simply but after- 
 wards become so painful and serious 
 in their results as whitlow. 
 
 It is most frequently foimd in people 
 in a low state of health, and in nerv'ous 
 and delicate females. The commence- 
 ment of an attack is generally marked 
 by pain and redness in the linger, or 
 palm of the hand, as the case may be. 
 The pain, slight at first, becomes gra- 
 dually more intense and throbbing, 
 and entirely prevents sleep. The patient 
 sutlers from loss of appetite, and fulls 
 into an irritable state from the constant 
 pain and want of sleep, and in some 
 severe cases, unless relief is obtained, 
 delirium may come on. Whitlow is 
 sometimes found as a consequence of 
 certain constitutional diseases, and may 
 also be caused by wounds from a thoni, 
 a splinter of wood, a rusty nail, or the 
 sting of a fish. The latter is a common 
 cause amongst fishermen. 
 
 CuuE OF Whitlow. — If the disease 
 is situated under the skin, the pain is 
 not very severe, and hot fomentations 
 and poultices will generally be suffi- 
 cient ; but if it is situated deeply near 
 the bone, in the finger or palm of the 
 liand, with severe throbbing pain, the 
 aid of a surgeon must be sought, and an 
 incision made to allow the matter to 
 escape. The relief is immediate; poul- 
 tices, hot fomentations, and water 
 di'essing should afterwards be applied. 
 
 In the deep-seated and painful forms 
 of whitlow, when surgical aid is not 
 called in early, the bones of the hand 
 or fingers become diseased, and loss of 
 power and motion are the result. 
 
 After an attack the patient will gene- 
 rally require tonics, with nutritious 
 diet, and change of air, if possible. 
 
 Colic. — This arises from several 
 causes, perhaps the most common being 
 indigestion, with flatulence. Nervous 
 or spasmodic colic sometimes occurs, 
 as well as that caused by fright, hys- 
 teria, cold, gout, &c. Mineral poison- 
 ing by lead and copper will also produce 
 attacks of colic. 
 
 Sy.mi'toms of Colic. — The symptoms 
 of a "fit of the colic," as it is called, 
 are severe twisting pains in the abdo- 
 men, occurring in paroxysms, relieved 
 by pressure, but without any feverish 
 symptoms, such as thirst, heat of skin, 
 quickness of pulse. &c. The attacks 
 seldom last long, but the pain is gene- 
 rally very severe and distressing during 
 their continuance, and relief is im- 
 patiently called for. 
 
 CuuE OF Colic. — When the cause 
 arises from indigestion or improper 
 food, a stimulating and anti-spasmodic 
 draught, containing brandy, ether, chlo- 
 roform, or opium, should be given, with 
 hot turpentine stupes to the abdomen. 
 A purgative draught will also generally 
 bo useful, when the attacks arc induced 
 by poisoning with lead or copper. The 
 first consideration is to find out the 
 source of the poison, and remove it. 
 This will most frequently be found in 
 the water used, or in the cooking uten- 
 sils. In people suffering from lead 
 poisoning, a blue line is seen on the 
 gums where they touch the teeth, and 
 in poisoning from copper a purple line 
 in the same place. The treatment in 
 these cases, after the removal of the 
 cause, consists in the use of free purga- 
 tives, opium to allay pain, warm baths, 
 and nutritious diet and stimulants, to 
 support the system, whilst nature is 
 eliminating the poison. Milk in large 
 quantities, as an article of diet, has 
 been found very useful, and electricity 
 has been strongly recommended. 
 
 Anodyne and Diapho- 
 retic Po^A/^de^. — James's powder, 
 three grains ; carbonate of ammonia, 
 four grains ; compound powder of 
 ipecacuanlia, four grains ; mix. In gout, 
 rheumatism, and many diseases, this 
 powder procures sleep and allays pain. 
 It may be repeated every four hours. 
 
346 
 
 Draughts. — This term signifies 
 the form in which the liquid medicines 
 arc taken, that are required to act 
 speedily, and the dose of M-hich must be 
 definite, and does not admit of being 
 very frequently repeated. They are 
 intended for various purposes in medical 
 practice, as the list subjoined will sufli- 
 cicntly indicate. 
 
 Draught por Heartburn, or Mor- 
 bid Acidity OF THE Stomach. — Twenty 
 drops of pure water of ammonia, in 
 two ounces of almond mixture, or of 
 common water. Ammonia is an alkali, 
 and neutralizes the acidity. 
 
 Draught roii Nervousness. — Am- 
 moniated tincture of valerian and com- 
 pound tincture of bark, of each one 
 drachm ; compound tincture of aloes, 
 ten di'ops ; camphor mixture, an ounce 
 and a half; mix the ingredients. 
 This draught may be repeated three or 
 four times a day. It is of great service 
 to those who are weak and nervous. 
 
 Tonic Draught. — Solution of acetate 
 of ammonia, two drachms ; tincture of 
 bark, a drachm and a half ; decoction 
 of baric, an ounce and a half; aromatic 
 confection, half a drachm ; mix the in- 
 gredients. This is an excellent medi- 
 cine. It combines with the effect of a 
 tonic, the power of relaxing the skin, 
 and lessening feverish symptoms, in- 
 dicated by heat and dryness of the 
 skin. 
 
 Draught tor Spasms, &:c. — Am- 
 moniated tincture of valerian, two 
 drachms; tincture of castor, one drachm; 
 Battley's solution of opium, twenty 
 drops ; camphor mixture, one ounce ; 
 syrup of tolu, one drachm ; mix. This 
 draught M'ill be found of great benefit 
 in spasms of the stomach and hysterical 
 ailments, to which weak and delicate 
 persons are frequently subject. 
 
 Emetic Draught. — Emetic tartar, 
 one grain ; ipecacuanha powder, fifteen 
 grains ; common water, an ounce and a 
 half; mix. This is a useful prescrip- 
 tion, and is usually employed for the 
 purpose of unloading the stomach, either 
 in ordinary cases or in fevers. 
 
 Purging Draught. — Compound in- 
 fusion of senna, an ounce and a half; 
 
 A Disease hiown is half cured. 
 
 cinnamon water, two drachms ; mannn, 
 one drachm ; Epsom salts, one drachm ; 
 mix. This is the "Black Draught" so 
 frequentljr prescribed, and so useful. 
 
 Cooling Draught for Fevers. — 
 Subcarbonate of potash, one scruple ; 
 cinnamon water, two drachms; common 
 water, an ounce and a half ; syrup of 
 orange-peel, one drachm ; mix the in- 
 gredients. A tablespoonful of lemon- 
 juice must be added immediately before 
 the draught is taken. This is a saline 
 and effervescing ckaught, frequently 
 given in fevers or inflammations. It 
 allays heat, quenches thii'st, and en- 
 courages perspiration. It may be re- 
 peated every three hours. 
 
 Mixtures. — Cordial Mixture 
 FOR Depression and Debility. — 
 Camphor mixture, four ounces; distilled 
 water, an ounce and a half; carbonate 
 of ammonia, twelve grains ; compound 
 tincture of cinnamon, and tincture of 
 ginger, each one drachm ; syrup of 
 ginger, two drachms ; mix. The dose 
 is three tablespoonfuls twice or thrice 
 a day. 
 
 Fever Mixture. — Subcarbonate of 
 potash, two drachms ; purified nitre, 
 thirty grains ; camphor mixture, six 
 ounces; syrup of saffi-on, three drachms; 
 mix these ingredients. The dose is 
 two tablespoonfuls, mixed with an 
 equal quantity of water, and a table- 
 spoonful of lemon -juice, or twenty-five 
 grains of tartaric acid, and taken im- 
 mediately. It may be repeated every 
 three or four hours. This mixture has 
 a cooling effect on all inflammatory 
 fevers. 
 
 Gout and Eiieumatism Mixture. 
 — Calcined magnesia, four scruples ; 
 Epsom salts, six drachms ; spearmint 
 water, five ounces ; vinegar of meadow 
 saffron, and syi-up of common saff'ron, 
 of each half an ounce ; mix. This 
 medicine is to be given at the early 
 stages of an attack of gout or rheuma- 
 tism. The fourth pait of it should be 
 taken every three or four hours, till 
 the bowels are freely acted upon ; and 
 it ought to be continued every morning, 
 or every other morning, during the con- 
 tinuance of these diseases. 
 
Nature is beyond all Tcaaiiii;:;. 
 
 347 
 
 Camphor Balls. — These arc 
 used for nibbinj]^ on the hands, after 
 washing tlicm, to prevent chaps, &c. 
 Melt of spermaceti three drachms, 
 white wax four drachms, almond oil 
 one ounce, and stir into the mixture 
 three drachms of powdered cami)hor. 
 
 A Few Words on Po- 
 mades. — In making pomades it is 
 essential that the principal in<;redient, 
 which consists of animal fat, should be 
 jKrfcdhj fresh. IJeef marrow is per- 
 haps the ptircst, but bear's grease, veal 
 fat, beef, and mutton, are also u^cd in 
 the preparation. To jjrepare the fat 
 the followini:» is the best mode : — Cut 
 it into piece?, removing all flesh, skin, 
 &c. , and beat it in a mortar; put it into 
 a tinned dish, and stand it in boiling 
 water to molt the fat ; strain through 
 a hair sieve, and remove the scum. 
 While cooling, constantly beat the fat 
 up with a wooden spoon or druggist's 
 spatula, to make it look white, or this 
 can be done by adding a few grains of 
 citric acid. To perfume the pomade, 
 essence of lemon, bergamot, cloves, kc, 
 are added when the fat is cold, in the 
 proportion of two ounces of the essence 
 to ea'h four pounds of fat and lard. 
 
 Mauuow Pomade. — Beef marrow, 
 one ounce ; castor ('il, half an ouiice ; 
 tincture of cantharides, one drachm ; 
 essential oil of bitter almonds and of 
 lemon, of each twelve drops. This will 
 be foimd very beneficial if the hair 
 should show symptoms of falling off. 
 
 P0M.\I)E FOU BB-VUTIFYINO THE IIaIU. 
 
 — Oil of sweet almonds, one pint ; sper- 
 maceti, one and a half ounce ; purified 
 lard, two ounces ; melt with a gentle 
 heat, "When nearly cold, add scent as 
 above, and pour into wide-mouthed 
 pots or bottles. 
 
 Castok Oil Pomade. — Castor oil, 
 four ounces; prepared lard, two ounces; 
 ■white wax, six drachms ; essence of ber- 
 gamot, two drachms ; oil of lavender, 
 twenty drops ; eau de Cologne, half !i 
 drachm. Keep stirring until quite cold. 
 
 Hair "Washes. — To Cleanse 
 AND Stuengthen' tuf. Haiii. — Boil 
 one pound of rosemary in two quarts of 
 water; filter through blotting paper; 
 
 then add one ounce of spirit of lavender 
 and a quarter of an ounce of Naples 
 soap, or salt of tartar. 
 
 To Hemove Scukf and Curl the 
 IlAm. — Beat up the yolk of an egg in 
 a pint of clear soft water ; apply it to 
 the hair in a warm state, and theu wash 
 the hair with warm water. 
 
 How to treat the Hair. 
 — Dr. Cazenave, of the Hospital of St. 
 Louis, Paris, gives the following clear 
 instructions on the management of the 
 hair of young girls. He says, — 
 
 " Pas's a fine-tooth comb, at regular 
 intervals, every twenty-four hours, 
 through llio hair, in order to keep it 
 from matting or entangling ; soparato 
 the hairs carefully and r.pcat.'dly, so 
 as to allow the air to pass through 
 them for several minutes ; u-o a brush 
 that will sers-e the double purpose of 
 cleansing the scalp and gently stimu- 
 lating the hair bulbs. Before going to 
 bed, it will be desirable to part the hair 
 evenly, so as to avoid false folds, or 
 what is commonly called turning against 
 the grain, which causes the hairs to 
 break. Such are the usual and ordi- 
 nary requirements as to the manage- 
 ment of the hair. There is on tho 
 other hand, a class of persons who carry 
 to excess the dressing and adornment of 
 the hair, especially those who are gifted 
 with hair of the finest quality. Thus, 
 for example, some females are in tho 
 habit, during the ordinary operations 
 of tho toilette, of dragging and twisting 
 the hair, so as to almost draw the skin 
 with it ; tho effect of which is, in the 
 first instance, to break the hairs and 
 fatigue the scalp, and finally to alter 
 the bulb it,self. The fine-tooth comb 
 is also freely used, especially where 
 the hair is cliviJed— a part that tho 
 most particular attention seems to be 
 bestowed upon. These separations, and 
 the back of the neck, whence the hair 
 is drawn, in females, towards the crown 
 of the head, are the parts which first 
 show signs of the decay or falling off 
 of the hair." 
 
 The most healthy mode of dressing 
 the hair of females, especially young 
 ones, is to let the hair be as loose as 
 
34S 
 
 // is never too late to Learn. 
 
 possible, or arranged in large bands, so 
 as to allow the air to pass through them. 
 It is a mistake to plait tightly the hair 
 of children under eleven or twelve years 
 of age. The process of plaiting more 
 or less strains tbc hairs in their roots, 
 by pulling them tight. The hair of 
 girls shoidd be cut at the ends, and 
 allowed to curl freely. 
 
 Nails in Outdoor Work. 
 • — It is well known that iron nails, ex- 
 posed to the effects of the weather, 
 quickly become covered with rust, and 
 in process of time the iron is converted 
 int) oxide of iron, and the nail ulti- 
 mately wastes away, destroying at the 
 fame time the woodwork to which it 
 has been attached. To obviate the in- 
 convenience thus arising, some sugges- 
 tions have been made not unworthy of 
 the reader's attention, and which are 
 founded on the necessity of covering 
 the nails Avith some substance, that shall 
 prevent or check the oxidation by more 
 or less excluding the air. Tinned nails 
 would for a considerable time resist 
 the oxygfn, but would not ultimately 
 prevent the rusting. Painting the nails 
 would secure the object in view so long 
 as the paint continued to inteqjose be- 
 tween the iron and the air, and dipping 
 the nails, when hot, into grease would 
 have a similar effect. In both the 
 latter modes, however, the paint or the 
 grease would necessarily be rubbed off in 
 the process of driving, and would pro- 
 tect chiefly that part of the nail vvhich 
 is exposed to the action of the atmo- 
 sphere. The beneficial results would 
 nevertheless continue for a considerable 
 period, and the painting and greasing 
 might from time to time be renewed. 
 
 Crochet a Tricoter. — This 
 strong and solid-looking kind of crochet, 
 is generally worked in wool for sofa 
 ])illows and blankets, couvrettcs, anti- 
 macassars, &c. The hook used for this 
 stitch is longer than the iisual bone 
 hook, and should have a button on the 
 end ; to begin — 
 
 Ist Row. Make a chain as for ordi- 
 nary crochet, leaving the last stitch of 
 the chain to count as the first stitch 
 of the second row. 
 
 2nd Row. Put the hook through the 
 next loop of the chain, draw the wool 
 through, leaving the loop on the hook; 
 this is repeated till every loop of the 
 chain is taken up, thus forming the 
 second row. 
 
 3rd Row. Take the wool once round 
 the hook, and draw it thrsugh two of 
 the loops, once round again and through 
 the loop just made, and the next one, 
 and so on, drawing the wool through 
 two loops at a time till they are aU 
 worked off. 
 
 4th Row. Put the hook into the first 
 long perpendicular' stitch that appears 
 on the front of the work, draw the wool 
 through, leaving the loops on the hook 
 as in the second row, but taking care in 
 every row to work the edge-stitch plain. 
 
 5 th Row is the same as the third. 
 
 To narrow in this stitch miss the 
 edge loop in each row ; it is only suit- 
 able for straight work. 
 
 COUNTEKI'ANE IN CkOCHET A TrI- 
 
 coTER.— Make a chain of ten loops in 
 coarse knitting cotton, and work eleven 
 rows, then take bright scarlet Berlin 
 wool, and crochet all round this sq\iare 
 in double crochet, putting two stitches 
 into every second loop, and one stitch 
 of double crochet into the interme- 
 diate loop, working also four stitches 
 at each corner; then work a row of 
 treble crochet in the scarlet wool, in- 
 to every second stitch, with two chain 
 between each ; when this has been 
 worked all round the sides of the 
 square, fasten off, and work a cross of 
 scarlet and green in the centre, or any 
 other little device. It is one advantage 
 of this kind of crochet, that it can have 
 a pattern worked in cross-stitch over it, 
 which adds much to the rich appear- 
 ance of the work. 
 
 Antimacassar, in Round Stars — 
 Evans' Boar's Head cotton. No. 18, 
 Penelope crochet hook of moderate 
 size. Form a chain of ten into a round. 
 
 1st Row. Make five chain, one 
 double crochet, into the round, two 
 chain, one double, into the roimd, repeat 
 till there are ten double stitches and 
 the five chain ; join into the third of 
 these five chain. 
 
Winter finds out what Summer lays up. 
 
 •2nd Row. Make a round of thirty- 
 two stitches of single crochet, worked 
 into the double, nnd chain stitches be- 
 tween them ; join this. 
 
 3rd Row. Work three chain, one 
 double, three chain, two double, into 
 the first stitch of the round, two chain, 
 two double, three chain, two double, 
 into the fourth stitch ; repeat this till 
 there are eight points of three chain, 
 with three stitches of the round between 
 each point ; join into third chain of the 
 first point. 
 
 4th Row. Three chain, and five 
 double, into the three chain of each 
 point, this forms one star; these are 
 joined at each of the points, and make 
 ii pretty and serviceable antimacassar. 
 Finish off with fringe, knotted into the 
 stars at the edge. 
 
 The Blanche Pattehx Fon Edoino. 
 - -A new and pretty trimming never be- 
 fore described. Fine Mignardise braid. 
 Boar's Uead cotton No. 24, or Ardem's 
 No. 30, and a fine Penelope liook. Take 
 up a loop on the braid, and join the cot- 
 ton to it, work two chain, one single, 
 into the next loop of the braid ; repeat 
 till five loops are taken tip ; make a 
 chain of nine ; purl into the third, 
 stitch, three chain, one single, into 
 next loop of braid; one chain, one single, 
 into next loop of braid ; repeat this 
 until four loops are taken, then one 
 chain. Turn back and take every back 
 8' itch of the eight siitches just made, 
 <!!•> chain; turn again and take the 
 back stitch of the last eight stitches. 
 Count seven loops on the braid, make 
 one chain, and then take up the eighth 
 loop, and work it into the first of the 
 eight stiches, one single, into the second 
 of the eight stiches. Take the nexi 
 loop of the braid into the third of the 
 tight stitches, and so on, till four loops 
 of the braid are worked in, with a 
 fingle crochet between each. Make 
 three chain, draw this through the purl, 
 work three chain, one single, into the 
 next loop of the braid, two chain, one 
 single, into the loops of the braid, 
 until five loops are taken up ; this 
 forms the inner side of one point. For 
 the outer edge, take up the loop on the 
 
 349 
 
 opposite side of the braid to the one 
 taken up when commencing ; work 
 single crochet, into seven loops, without 
 any stitch between, five chain, purl into 
 fourth stitch, one chain, into next loop 
 of braid ; repeat this into next loop. 
 Jfake a chain of seven, purl this into tho 
 second stitch, one chain, info next loop 
 of braid, repeat this into seven loops, 
 then five chain, purl into second stitcli, 
 one chain, into next loop ; repeat thia 
 into next loop, thus making eleven little 
 points ; work single crochet into nine 
 more loops of the braid, making ten 
 loops taken iip, one chain, take up the 
 last purl made, two chain, into next 
 loop of braid, one chain, into next purl, 
 t vo chain, into next loop, seven chain, 
 purl into second stitch, one chain into 
 next loop, seven times repeated. The 
 edge by which the lace is sewn on is 
 done in the following manner : — Work 
 single crochet into the first thirteen 
 stitches made in the pattern, over the 
 five loops ; three chain, three double, 
 into the purl, three chain, thirteen 
 single as before. This will show the 
 pattern, which is repeated till the re- 
 quired length is made. When evenly 
 worked in fine braid and cotton, this 
 forms a very pretty lace-like edging. 
 
 Winter Salads. — One of our 
 arctic voyagers, who well knew tho 
 value of green vegetables as preventives 
 of Rcur\-\', ordered a few bags of mould 
 to be shipped, intending to prow some 
 saladinp in the ship during the severi- 
 ties of the arctic winter. One of his 
 ofiicers, thinking that this mould was 
 a useless encumbrance, had it thrown 
 overboard; and he was horrified when 
 his commander inquired after tho 
 mould, in order to commence bis opera- 
 tions in winter gardening. 
 
 Although many very good salads can 
 be prepared without green vegetables, 
 it is astonishing how seldom these are 
 to be seen at English tables. Give a 
 Frenchman a few cold potatoes, an egg 
 or two, and a cruet stand, and he will 
 prepare a salad, that forms a nutritious 
 and palatable meal, out of ingredients 
 on which an Englishman would almost 
 starve. Cold haricots, beet, French 
 
35° 
 
 Learn Young, and you will learn Fair. 
 
 beans, &c., can all be used in a similar 
 manner, and from many of these most 
 delicious salads can be prepared. 
 
 Vinegar fob. Salads. — In making 
 salads of all kinds, the best French 
 vinegar is far superior to the English 
 article made from malted grain. Even 
 in the depth of winter a salad may be 
 obtained with verj' little trouble. Wa- 
 tercresses are generally accessible, and 
 mustard and cress can always be grown. 
 We have seen very good dishes of green 
 salading grown on plates, a piece of 
 coarse Saunel or old blanket being cut 
 to fit the bottom of the plate ; this is 
 kept saturated with water, and mustard 
 seed is sprinkled thickly on the top ; if 
 kept in a warm place (light is not 
 necessary), it will germinate, and when 
 an inch and a half or two inches high 
 may be cut, and will be found far 
 superior in flavour to the coarse rape 
 which too many of the greengrocers 
 sell as a substitute for mustard, becaxise 
 the seed is a little cheaper to purchase 
 in the first instance. Mustard seeds 
 may be grown in a warm room at all 
 periods of the year. 
 
 Eeu Cabbage Salad. — Cut a head 
 of red cabbage into thin shreds ; pour 
 boiling water over it for fifteen minutes, 
 let it cool ; drain off the water, and lay 
 it in a basin with a little salt and about 
 a wincglassful of vinegar. Let it lie 
 in this for two or three hours. Cut 
 up a large head of celery into dice : 
 pour boiling water over it for ten 
 minutes : drain, and when it is cold, 
 mix it with the cabbage in a salad 
 bowl, adding three tablespoonfuls of oil, 
 with half a teaspoonful of pepper, and a 
 teaspoonful of mustard powder mixed 
 up in it. Mix all well together, and 
 serve. 
 
 Beetroot Salad. — No salad can sur- 
 pass one made of beetroot and Spanish 
 onion, both boiled, and allowed to get 
 cold ; then cut in slices, which are ar- 
 ranged alternately on a dish, one slice 
 overlapping the other, and seasoned 
 with salt, pepper, vinegar, and oil. 
 
 Haricots Salad. — Take a pint of 
 the best and largest white haricots, well 
 boiled ; sprinkle over them a teaspoon- 
 
 ful of salt, and half the quantity of 
 pepper ; add a very little finely chopped 
 onion, or a few drops of shalot vinegar, 
 a tablespoonful of vinegar, two of oil, 
 a sprinkling of very finely chopped 
 parsley. Stir together, and serve. 
 
 Cold French Beans may be served 
 in the same manner as haricots, a little 
 chopped tarragon being added, or tar- 
 ragon vinegar used, either wholly or 
 partly, in place of plain vinegar. 
 
 A French Salad. — Chop three an- 
 chovies, a shalot, and some parsley 
 quite small ; put them into a bowl, 
 with two tablespoonfuls of vinegar, 
 one of oil, some mustard and salt. 
 "When well mixed, add by degrees cold 
 roast or boiled meat, in thin slices ; 
 put in few at a time, not exceeding 
 two or three inches long. Shake them 
 in the seasoning and then put more, 
 cover the bowl, and let the salad bo 
 prepared three hours before it is eaten. 
 Garnish with parsley and slices of the 
 fat. 
 
 Potato Salad. — Do not regard cold 
 potatoes as waste, but cut them into 
 slices, and dress with pepper, salt, oil, 
 and vinegar. A little parsley chopped 
 may bo added. This forms an excellent 
 salad for the supper-table. 
 
 A Capital Salad. — Cut into small 
 portions an equal weight of onions, 
 cucumbers, and apples. Put them into 
 a salad bowl, and strew them with salt 
 and cayenne peppci'. Add a wine- 
 glassful of good sherry, and the same 
 of vinegar. This salad can be used at 
 once. 
 
 Gouffe, in his most magnificent 
 cookeiy book, gives several directions 
 for making salads, two of which we 
 here transcribe, as being not usually 
 known. 
 
 German Salad. — Blanch one pound 
 of sauerkraut in boiling water for five 
 minutes, cool, and drain it well. Throw 
 one pound of red pickled cabbage into 
 cold water, drain, and cut it with the 
 sauerkraut into thin shreds, and put 
 the whole into a basin ; chop two onions 
 very fine, blanch, drain, and add them 
 to the sauerkraut, together with one 
 ounce of grated horseradish, and a 
 
Marry your Sons 7(.'/ien you will, your Daughters when you can. 351 
 
 table?poonful of chopped chervil. Sea- 
 son with salt, pepper, six tablespoon- 
 fuls of oil, and one tablespoonful of 
 vinegar. Taste for the seasoning, and 
 dish the salad. 
 
 Swedish Salad.— Wash and trim a 
 pickled herring, cut it into small dice, 
 and put it in a ba«in. Take the same 
 quantity of cold roast beef, boiled pota- 
 toes, beetroot, and russet apples, and 
 four anchovies, previously steeped in 
 vntcr ; cut the whole into small dice, 
 and add to the cut herring, along with 
 one tablespoonful of well-drained capers, 
 one tablespoonful of chopped gherkins, 
 one hard-boiled egg chopped fine, two 
 tablcspoonfuls of chopped chervil, one 
 tablespoonful of chop[)ed tarragon, and 
 twenty turned olives. Season with 
 salt, pepper, oil, and vinegar, and mix. 
 Tut tlio whole into a salad bowl, and 
 lay two dozen freshly opened oysters 
 on the top. This salad should be highly 
 seasoned. 
 
 Property of Married 
 Women. — Various circumstances 
 have long concurred to point out the 
 absolute necessity of legislation on this 
 subject, and the Act of Parliament 
 ■which has recently passed mIU, wo 
 doubt not, be productive of most bene- 
 ficial results, by furnishing respectable 
 married women with legal protection 
 against the cruelty and injustice to 
 which they are too often exposed. The 
 mcastu'c, indeed, can hardly fail to bo 
 beneficial, not only to the wife and her 
 childien, but even to the husband him- 
 self. The Act, which is entitled " The 
 Man-icd Women's I'ropcrty Act, 1870," 
 declares that "it is desirable to amend 
 the law of property and contract with 
 respect to married women." The fol- 
 lowing is an abstract : — 
 
 I. The earnings of any married 
 woman, in any occupation, money, or 
 property acquired by her, by the exer- 
 cise of skill, and all investments of such 
 money or property, shall be deemed 
 her separate property, and shall be in- 
 dependent of her husband. 
 
 II. Dejwsits in savings banks, and 
 annuities granted by the Commissioners 
 for the reduction of the National Debt, 
 
 in the name of a married woman (or a 
 woman who may marry after such do- 
 posit or grant), shall bo deemed her 
 separate property. 
 
 III. A woman married, or about to 
 be married, may have any property in 
 the public stocks or funds to which she 
 is entitled, or which she is about to ac- 
 quire, transferred to her own name, or 
 her intended name, as her separate 
 property. 
 
 IV. & V. The same provision is 
 made as to shares in any joint stock 
 company, or in any industrial and pro- 
 vident society, or any other society. 
 
 VI. Nothing in the act shall give 
 validity to deposits or investments of 
 moneys of the husband as against his 
 creditors. 
 
 VII. A married woman becoming 
 entitled to any personal property, as 
 next of kin, or to any sum of money 
 not exceeding £200, under a deed or 
 will, shall be entitled to such property 
 for her separate use. 
 
 VIII. Freehold, copyhold, or cus- 
 tomary-hold property, descending to any 
 woman married after this Act, shall be- 
 long to her for her own separate use. 
 
 IX. In questions between husband 
 and wife as to property declared by 
 this Act to be the separate property of 
 the wife, cither party may apply to 
 the Court of Chancery in England or 
 Ireland, or in England to the judge of 
 the County Court of the district in 
 which either resides. 
 
 X. A manied woman may eflFect a 
 policy of insurance on her own life, or 
 that of her husband, and such policy 
 shall be as valid as if made with an un- 
 married woman. 
 
 XI. A policy of insurance effected 
 by any married man on his own life, 
 for the benefit of his wife and children, 
 shall not be subject to the control of 
 the husband or his creditors, and shall 
 not be a part of his estate. 
 
 XII. A married -woman shall be en- 
 titled to maintain an action in her own 
 name for recovery of wages, &c., which 
 are her separate property, either under 
 this Act, or in viitue of a writing under 
 the husband's hand before her marriage. 
 
352 
 
 // is never too late to " MEND." 
 
 XIIT. A married woman, having 
 separate property, whose husband be- 
 comes chargeable to any parish, shall 
 be liable to the parish for the main- 
 tenance of her husband. 
 
 XIV. A married woman, having 
 separate property, shall be subject to 
 the same liability as a widow for the 
 maintenance of her children, and no- 
 thing in the Act shall relieve the hus- 
 band from any liability at present im- 
 posed on him to maintain her children. 
 
 The Act does not extend to Scotland. 
 
 It is proper to remind our readers 
 that the above is only a summary of 
 the Act, and that those who are spe- 
 cially interested in it, ought both to 
 examine the Act itself, and in order to 
 avoid all misconception, be governed 
 by the opinion of a judicious solicitor. 
 
 Cements. — How often does the 
 mistress of the house lament that, owing 
 to the carelessness of a domestic, her 
 favouj-ite service of china is " broken," 
 by the fracture of a cup or saucer, or 
 her set of wineglasses are minus one or 
 more of their number, from the same 
 cause. In our " Maxims for Young 
 Housekeepers " (see page 315) we 
 insist on the servant at once reporting 
 any breakage, as, in very many in- 
 stances, the mischief may be remedied, 
 although, of course, no skill can ever 
 restore the broken article to its original 
 state. We give a few effective receipts 
 for making cements, all of which are 
 taken from the work of a practical 
 chemist ; and at page 58, will be found 
 " Coaguline," a most excellent cement 
 for all kinds of broken articles. 
 
 Cement for Glass and Metals. — 
 An Indian receipt. Dissolve five or 
 six pieces of gum mastic, each about 
 the size of a large pea, in just as much 
 spirit as will render it liquid. Soften 
 some isinglass by steeping it in water ; 
 having dried it, dissolve as much of it 
 in good brandy as will fill a two-ounce 
 l)hial ; add two small bits of gum am- 
 moniacum, previously rubbing them 
 until they are dissolved. Mix the two 
 solutions ; keep in a close phial, and 
 when it is to bo used set the phial in 
 boiling water. 
 
 German Cement fok Glass or 
 Earthenware, &c. — Take two parts 
 of gum shellac, one part of Venice tur- 
 pentine ; heat them together in an iron 
 pot, taking care to keep the lid quite 
 close, as the turpentine is very inflam- 
 mable. AVhen partially cool form into 
 sticks ; when wanted for use melt near 
 a gentle fire. 
 
 Curd Cement for all kinds of 
 Earthenware. — Add half a pint of 
 vinegar to half a pint of skimmed 
 milk ; mix the curd with the whites of 
 five eggs, M'ell beaten, and sufiicient 
 powdered quicklime to form a paste. 
 This cement will resist water and a 
 moderate degree of heat. 
 
 A most useful Cement for 
 Joining any Material. — Take of 
 orange shellac, bruised, four ounces ; 
 highly rectified spirit of Avine, three 
 ounces. Set the mixture in a warm 
 place, frequently shaking it till the 
 whole is dissolved. Wood naptha may 
 be substituted for the spirit of Avine, 
 but some object to the unpleasantness 
 of the naptha. 
 
 Dr. Ure's Diamond Cement. — Take 
 one ounce of isinglass, six ounces of 
 distilled water, boiled down to three 
 ounces, and an ounce and a half of rec- 
 tified spirit. Boil for two minutes, 
 strain, and add, while hot, half an ounce 
 of a milky emulsion of ammoniac, and 
 five drachms of tincture of gum mastic. 
 This receipt is by the celebrated author 
 of the " Dictionary of Chemistry." 
 
 The Truffle.— This is a sub- 
 terraneous fungus indigenous to several 
 parts of Great Britain, but most 
 common in the downs of Wiltshire, 
 Hampshire, and Kent. They grow in 
 clusters, several inches from the surface 
 oi the sou. Their position is discovered 
 by means of dogs specially trained for 
 the purpose. The truffie is of a gljbular 
 shape, the size of a hen's egg. It has 
 no root, and is either of a dark colour, 
 or whitish, with an uneven surface. 
 Like the mushroom, trufiles are used 
 in stuffings, gravies, and other highly 
 seasoned culinary preparations. An 
 attempt has been made to cultivate the 
 truffle artific ally in Germany. 
 
On Valentine s Day, a i^ood Goose linU Lay. 
 
 353 
 
 St. Valentine's Day. 
 14^A February. 
 
 There's a flutter in tho kitchen. 
 
 There's a tremor in the hall, 
 The nursery's revolting; 
 
 Hevolution reigns o'er all. 
 
 All the servants have struck work; and 
 as 
 
 They're " Unionists " each one ; 
 Thev'll all hold out, at least, until 
 
 The sinking of the sun. 
 
 A scented missive has inflamed 
 
 The soul of Mary-IIann, 
 It bore a heart transfixed ; and came 
 
 From Lord Eycjink's young man. 
 
 And Ilalfred, who f >r whiskers. 
 And for calves— t-herc is no other ; 
 
 Is the elected Valentine of her 
 Who owns "The George" as brother. 
 
 Arcadians of the Kitchen, 
 I admire your simple ways, 
 
 Your loves so unconventional, 
 Deserve my happiest lays. 
 
 But loftier themes inspire mc — 
 In the Drawing-room above 
 
 Lady Uivicnne d'Escutcheon talks 
 "With Mr. Banks of love. 
 
 The lady hesitates ; tho swain 
 His bribe for maninge raiees, 
 
 He's oft'ering thousands ten a year, 
 With jewels and post-cliaisc:. 
 
 Then, carte-hlanche at Stagg and 
 Mantle's, ho 
 
 The high-born maid assures. 
 She wavers — smiles — then whispers, 
 
 " It's settled. Banks, I'm yours." 
 
 D. MuBKAY Smith. 
 
 The Month of February. 
 
 " Then camp old February sitting 
 In an old wagpon, for he could not rido. 
 Drawn of two lishes for the season fitting 
 Which through the flood before did softly 
 
 slide 
 And swim away ; vet had ho by his side 
 Uis plough and harness fit to till tho 
 ground, 
 And tools to prune the trees, before the 
 
 pride 
 Of hasting prime did make them bourgeon 
 
 Tide." Spenter. 
 
 February, the second of tho two 
 months introduced into tho year by 
 Xunia Pompilius, is the shortest month 
 in tho year, consisting of only twenty- 
 eight days, excepting in leap years, 
 when an additioi\al day is added. The 
 name is suppa?cd to be derived from 
 the ceremonies of expiation and purifi- 
 cation which, in pagan Home, took 
 place in this month, " Februare" signi- 
 fying to expiate. It is a doubtful ques- 
 tion whether the festival of tho "Purifi- 
 cation of the Blessed Virgin," which is 
 held on the second of February, or 
 Candlemas day, is not an engrafting of 
 a Christian festival on the old Roman 
 custom. Candlemas is so called from 
 the ceremony of blessing candles, which 
 takes pla( e every year in tho chapel of 
 the Qriirinal, where th^ Popo himself 
 otnoiates, being carried in procession, 
 followed by the cardinals and great dig- 
 nitaries, who hold the lighted candles 
 which have j ust been blessed. This cus- 
 tom is very ancient, and was, at one time, 
 universal throughout all ChristLudom ; 
 indoeiJ, we find traces of it in the early 
 literature of most European nations. 
 The poet Herbert refers to the custom, 
 Ilerrick also speaks of the taking down 
 of the Christmas decorations on Candle- 
 mas-eve. In Scotland there were foot- 
 ball matches on this day, one of which 
 created considerable amusement at Jed- 
 burgh ; the ball was thrown into the 
 river Jed, which is very shallow near 
 the town, and the game was concluded 
 in the water. An old Scottish rhyme 
 thus expresses a popular superstition : — 
 " If Candleruas day be dry and fair, 
 The half of winter's to come and mair; 
 If Candlemas day be wet and foul. 
 The half of winter's gane at yule." 
 N 
 
354 The Snotvdrop is the Herald of Fair Flora's Train. 
 
 The most celebrated day in February- 
 is certainly the 14th, dedicated to St. 
 Valentine. As to the connection that 
 this martjrred saint had with the send- 
 ing of valentines, there appears to be 
 no tradition ; even the observances of 
 the day, formerly so important, have 
 now degenerated into the sending of 
 illuminated cards and sachets from the 
 sentimental, and anonymous quizzing 
 letters from facetious valentines. In 
 Sir Walter Scott's novel of the " Fair 
 Maid of Perth," the customs of St. 
 Valentine's day in Scotland are spoken 
 of, and in that most interesting volume, 
 " Pepys' Diary,"' some very curious and 
 amusing incidents relating to it are also 
 mentioned. 
 
 February was called by the Saxons 
 "Sprout Kale," from the sprouting of 
 cabbage at this time, and also Sol- 
 monaib, OAving to the more frequent 
 appearance of the sun, and the visibly 
 increased length of the days. The 
 snowdrop is called the " Fair maid of 
 February," and the crocus is dedicated 
 to St. Valentine. These, with the daisy, 
 (the flower of St. Margaret, and which 
 bears her name in France), the bright 
 yellow primrose, the coltsfoot, and the 
 graceful tassels of the hazel, give the 
 first promise of the coming spring. 
 
 The Cook's Calendar for 
 February. — Fish in Season. — 
 Salmon, trout, tui'bot, eels, soles, smelts, 
 whitings, skate, sturgeon, perch, tench, 
 cai-p, herrings, crabs, lobsters, prawns, 
 crayfish, oysters, and shrimps. 
 
 Meat in Season. — Beef, veal, 
 mutton, house lamb, and pork. 
 
 PouLTEY IN Season. — Turkeys, 
 capons, chickens, ducklings, fowls, 
 guinea fowls, pigeons. 
 
 Game in Season. — Hares, rabbits, 
 snipe, wild duck, teal, widgeon, wood- 
 cock, plover, wildgoose. 
 
 Vegetables in Season. — Cabbage, 
 spinach, beets, celery, parsnips, carrots, 
 lettuce, turnips, small salad, forced sea- 
 kale, asparagus, and mushrooms. 
 
 Fruits in Season. — Apples, pears, 
 walnuts, oranges, dried figs, dates, and 
 forced strawberries. 
 
 Gardener's Calendar for 
 February. — The frost will have 
 broken up the earth pretty well, and 
 attention should now be directed to 
 forming beds for early vegetables. 
 Plant out cabbages for early use ; sow 
 peas and beans abundantly ; also ra- 
 dishes, lettuce, spinach, and small salad ; 
 begin the spring planting of potatoes ; 
 plant out cuttings of gooseberries, cur- 
 rants, and raspberries; finish pruning 
 vines ; fork over and top-dress borders ; 
 rake or hoe over beds containing bulbs, 
 which will now be putting their heads 
 above ground, and must be assisted by 
 keeping the surface loose and friable 
 by constant rakings ; sow anemone 
 seed and plant anemones and ranun- 
 culus roots in sand, if the season is 
 mild and open. 
 
 Prepare the beds for flowering plants, 
 suf'h as Tom Thumb geraniums, cal- 
 ceolarias, verbenas, and fuchsias, and 
 prepare these plants for being put out, 
 by giving them as much air as possible, 
 at the same time keeping them carefully 
 secured from frost ; top-dress auriculas 
 with well-rotted cow-dung and rough 
 sand ; stir up the earth between the 
 bulbs in the tulip beds and cover them 
 equally from rain and frost ; begin to 
 sow hardy and half hardy annuals in 
 pans, in a gentle heat, for future trans- 
 planting ; put some of the choicest 
 dahlias in pots, in a light mould, and 
 sink them in a hot bed ; prune one 
 half your roses, leaving the others to 
 be done in March ; graft some for 
 standards of the prunings of your 
 choice sorts. China and climbing 
 roses generally require but little prun- 
 ing ; seek for slugs and grubs, and 
 attend to the lawns, gravel walks, and 
 shrubberies ; watch hyacinths grown 
 in the house in glasses ; change the 
 water, or, rather, renew it every week, 
 taking care that the water added is of 
 the same temperature as that in the 
 glasses; many kinds of fuchsias may 
 now be re-potted, which should be done 
 on a fine moist day; they will soon 
 begin to push out the young brancheq 
 for flowering, 
 
The Taste of tJie Kitchen is better than the SincH. 
 
 355 
 
 A Few tried Receipts for 
 Jellies, Creams, Custards, 
 &C. — Calves'-feet Jelly. — Boil four 
 cnlves-feet or cow-heels in two gallons 
 of water until it is reduced to t wo quarts; 
 strain it, and when cold, skim off the 
 fit ; then put the jelly to boil, with a 
 pint of sherry, a glass of good brandy, 
 the peel and juice of three lemons, 
 enough loaf-sugnr to sweeten it, and 
 the whites and shells of six eggs, well- 
 bcat^n. Stir ail together till it comes 
 to a boil ; let it boil quickly for a few 
 minutes, then strain it throiiith a flannel 
 jelly-bag until it is quite clear. A very 
 little saffron boiled with it gives a 
 rich colour. 
 
 Orange Jelly. — Squeeze the juice 
 from ten sweet and one Seville orange, 
 add the juice of two and the rind of 
 one lemon pared thin, loaf-sugar enough 
 to sweeten the juice, one quart of water, 
 and four ounces of isinglass. Boil all 
 these ingredients for a few minutes, 
 then strain through a jelly-bag till 
 clear, and put it into shapes. Add a 
 little saffron if the colour is too pale. 
 A glass or two of good brandy is an 
 improvement. 
 
 JPLLY MADE FROM GeLATINE. — Put 
 
 an ounce and a half of gelatine into a 
 pint of cold water, with the rinds and 
 juice of three lemons, the night before 
 It is required. Next morning, pour over 
 it a pint of boiling water, half a pint 
 of dark brown sherry, the whites and 
 shells of three eggs well beaten, and 
 sufficient loaf-sugar to sweeten the 
 whole. Boil without stirring for ten 
 minutes, then strain through a jelly- 
 bag. This will make a quart of excel- 
 lent jelly. 
 
 Claret Jelly. — Dissolve an ounce 
 and quarter of isinglass and half a pound 
 of loaf-sugar in half a pint of water ; 
 add a pint of good claret, a wineglassf ul 
 of brandy, and half that quantity of 
 maraschino ; strain through a jelly-bag 
 and put into a mould. 
 
 Sago Jelly. — Boil a teacupful of 
 eago in three pints and a half of water, 
 till quite thick ; when cold, add a pint 
 of raspberry -juice, pressed from fresh 
 fruit, or half the quantity of raspberry- 
 
 syrup ; add enough loaf-sugar to sweeten 
 it, boil it quickly for five minutes, and 
 put it into a shape which has been 
 steeped in cold water ; pour a little 
 cream over the jelly in the dish. 
 
 Tort Wine Jelly. — Pour a bottle 
 of port on two otmccs of isinglass, 
 M'ith a little grated nutmeg and two 
 ounces of sugar-candy. After twelve 
 hours, piit the whole into a jug with the 
 quarter of a lonion in thin slices; tie it 
 over with paper, and set it for an hour 
 or so in a saucepan of boiling water. 
 Two wineglassfuls is sufficient at one 
 time. It 18 better to take it warm 
 than cold. 
 
 Marble Cream. — Sweeten to taste 
 a pint of thic k rich sweet cream, whisk 
 it to a froth, atul add half a pint of well- 
 sweetened raspberry -juice; dissolve an 
 ounce and half of isinglass in as little 
 water as possible, and while warm pour 
 it on the cream. Whisk the whole to- 
 gether and put it into moulds ; it will 
 fill two of the ordinary size. 
 
 Lemon Cream. — Takeapint of thick 
 cream, and put to it the yolks of two 
 eggs well beaten, four ounces of fine 
 sugar, and the thin rind of a lemon. 
 Boil it up, then stir it till almost cold; 
 put the juice of a lemon in a dish or 
 bowl, and put the cream upon it, stir- 
 ring it till quite cold. 
 
 Sponge Cream. — Mix over-night 
 half an ounce of isinglass, one wine- 
 glassful of sherry, and two ditto of 
 water. Let these stand till morning, 
 then boil them till the isinglass is dis- 
 solved, and strain through a piece of 
 muslin into a pint of good thick cream, 
 to which two ounces of sifted sugar have 
 been added. Stir gently for a few 
 minutes, and pour all into the mould, 
 until set sufficientlj' to turn out. 
 
 Italian Cream. — Rub the rind of a 
 lemon on a lump of sugar, and scrape it 
 into a tolerably deep pan. Add the 
 juice of two lemons, three tablespoon- 
 fuls of good brandy, and three quarters 
 of a pint of thick sweet cream. Sweeten 
 to taste with powdered sugar, and whisk 
 the whole to a thick froth. Lastlj', stir 
 in three quarters of an ounce of dis- 
 solved isinglass. Put all these ingre- 
 
356 
 
 The proof of the Pudding is in the Eating. 
 
 dients into a cool mould, and it will 
 turn out in an hour. 
 
 Italian Cream. — Another receipt 
 for this wlII be found at page 48. 
 
 Coffee Cream. — Boil a quait of 
 cream and put it to cool, make some 
 coffee very strong, and put it to cool ; 
 sweeten it with sugar-candy ; boil half 
 an ounce of isinglass in a little cream, 
 then pxit the ccifee and cream into a 
 deep pan, wiih a glass of brandy and 
 sugar sufficient to make it sweet; Avhisk 
 it up. When it begins to get thick, put 
 in the isinglass ; keep on -whisking it. 
 When quite thick fill the cups. 
 
 Chocolate may be used instead of 
 coffee, and it will be much richer. 
 
 Caledonian Cream. — Two ounces 
 of raspberry iam or jelly, two ounces 
 of red currant jelly, two ounces of 
 sifted loaf sugar, and the whites of 
 two eggs ; put these into a bowl, and 
 beat with a spoon for three quarters of 
 an hour. It makes a very pretty dish 
 for Slipper. 
 
 French Custard. — Flavour a quart 
 of milk with about half the peel of a 
 small lemon, pared thin, and sweeten 
 to taste. Boil it and let it become 
 quite cold, then blend with it three 
 dessertspoonfuls of fine flour and two 
 eggs well beaten. Simmer till of a 
 proper thickness, stirring it the whole 
 time. Pour it into cups. 
 
 Lemon Custard — Scj[ueeze the juice 
 of three lemons on half a pound of loaf 
 sugar ; beat the yolks of eight eggs 
 and boil them in three quarters of a 
 pint of milk till just thick ; pour over 
 the sugar and lemon-juice; mix all well 
 together and add a teaspoonfid of 
 essence of lemon. This is an excellent 
 custard, if the juice is not allowed to 
 ciu'dle the milk and eggs, by being 
 added to them when too hot. 
 
 Lemon Solid. — Squeeze the juice of 
 a lemon into the glass dish in -which it 
 is to be sent to table, sweeten a pint of 
 thick cream, boil it for a few minutes ; 
 then put it while boiling hot into a 
 ('hina tea-pot. Pour it from some 
 distance into the dish, so as to make it 
 froth up; when cold, stick it over with 
 blanched almonds. 
 
 Lemon Sponge. — Put three quarters 
 of an oimce of isinglass into a pint of 
 cold water, let it stand a few minirtes 
 before dissolving over the fire, then 
 add three quarters of a pound of loaf- 
 sugar, the juice of three lemons, and 
 the thinly-pared rinds of two. Boil all 
 together for five minutes, then strain 
 and let it stand till almost cold ; beat 
 the whites of two eggs to a froth, add 
 them to the sponge, and whisk for about 
 ten minutes. It should be put lightly 
 into a glass dish. 
 
 Lemon Honeycomb. — Sweeten the 
 juice of a lemon to taste and pour it 
 into the dish you serve it in ; mix the 
 white of an egg, beaten with a pint of 
 lich cream and a little sugar; whisk it, 
 and as the froth rises put it on the 
 lemon -juice. Let this be done the day 
 it is required to be served. 
 
 Moonshine. — Dissolve three quar- 
 ters of an ounce of isinglass in a pint 
 of boiling water, add half a pound of 
 loaf-sugar, and the rind of two lemons 
 pared very thin, boil ten minutes, then 
 strain the whole, while hot, through a 
 hair sieve ; add the juice of the two 
 lemons, and when the mixture is nearly 
 cold, whisk it till it looks like snow. 
 Put it in a mould ; it will tiu-n out 
 next day. 
 
 Whipped Froth, for Trifles, Tarts, 
 <S:c.— Whip briskly the whites of six 
 fresh eggs, putting in very gradually 
 two tablespoonfuls of finely powdered 
 and sifted sugar, with a few drops of 
 ratafia or lemon essence, whisk till quite 
 stiff; it will stand for two days. 
 
 New Stamp Act, 1870,— 
 This Act comes into operation on the 
 first of January, 1871. Its purpose is 
 to grant cei-tain stamp duties in lieu of 
 duties of the same kind now payable 
 under various Acts, and to consolidate 
 and amend provisions relating thereto. 
 It contains 128 sections, and a long 
 schedide relating to a variety of duties, 
 penalties, exemptions, &c. Omitting 
 such matters as are of comparatively 
 rare occurrence — for which wo refer 
 our readers to the Act itself, — we shall 
 mention a few of the particulars maro 
 frequently claiming their attention. 
 
Lino is costly^ take a Pint and agree. 
 
 ;57 
 
 Geneiial Heguiations. — Under 
 these M'o find various provisions made 
 by which the Commissioners of Inland 
 Itcvcnne have the power of securing 
 iho payment of duty. " All public 
 officers having in their custody any 
 rolls, books, papers, documents, or pro- 
 ceedings, the inspection whereof may 
 tend to secure any duly, or to the proof 
 or discovery of any fraud or omission 
 in relation to any duty," are bound to 
 allow all such documents to be in- 
 spected by any person duly authorized 
 by the Commissiontrs. Every person 
 refusinfj to permit this inspection shall 
 for each refusal forfeit £10. If any 
 person whose office it is to enrol, 
 register, or enter in any rolls, &c., any 
 instrument chargeable with any duty, 
 enrols, registers, or enters any such 
 instrument not being duly stamped, he 
 ahall forfeit .£10. The first of these 
 regulations will, as our readers may 
 perceive, bear an important relation to 
 the amoimt of income tax that may be 
 char^^eable ; the second regulation will 
 render it compulsory that some docu- 
 ments used in hanking business be in 
 futureduly stamped. Anotherregulation 
 lenders liable to a penalty of £.50 an)' 
 person who fraudulently removes any 
 adhesive stamps, &c. 
 
 Si'EciAL Regi'latioxs. — Under thcse 
 an agreement or memorandum of agree- 
 ment is liable to a duty of 6d., denoted 
 by an adhesive stamp, to be cancelled 
 by the person bj' whom the agreement 
 is first executed ; a bill of exchange in- 
 cludes all drafts, orders, cheques, letters 
 of credit, kc. (except bank noles), 
 entitling any person to payment by anj' 
 other person of any sum of money. A 
 promissory note nu-ans any document 
 (except a bank note) containing a pro- 
 mise to pay any sum of monej-. The 
 fixed duty of one pemny on a bill of 
 exchange may bo denoted by an adhe- 
 sive stamp, to be cancelled by the 
 person who signs the bill ; and the ad 
 valorem duties on bills and proniissoiy 
 notes are to be denoted by adhesive 
 stamps ; and the non-cancelling of the 
 stamp when it is necessary, the issuing 
 of bills and promissory notes unstamped, 
 
 or on improper stamps, incur certain 
 penalties. Unqualified persons who 
 draw or prepare any instruments re- 
 lating to real or personal estate, &c., 
 render themselves liable to a penalty of 
 £50. The duty of one penny is to be 
 charged on a certified copy or extract 
 from any register of births, baptisms, 
 marriages, deaths, and burials : the 
 duty is to be denoted by an adhesive 
 stamp, to be cancelled by the person 
 by whom the copy is signed before he 
 delivers it. A writing containing an 
 order, &c., from the owner of stock to 
 any company or to any banker to pay 
 dividends to any person is not charge- 
 able with duty as a power of attorney. 
 The word "receipt" means any note or 
 memorandum M-hereby any money 
 amounting to £2 or upwards on any 
 bill or promissory note for £2 or up- 
 wards is acknowledged to have been 
 received ; or any debt or part of a debt 
 of the amount of £2 or upwards is ac- 
 knowledged to have been settled. Such 
 receipts are to be charged with a duty 
 of one penny, denoted by an adhesive 
 stamp, to be cancelled by the person 
 giving it; and to give any receipt 
 liable to duty not stamped, or to refuse 
 to give a receipt duly stamped, or to 
 evadtf the duty by giving a receipt for 
 a sum less than £2, incurs a penalty of 
 £10. llaving mentioned these par- 
 ticulars, we may state that, as some of 
 our readers may require to study the 
 Act itself as to the points we have not 
 thought it requisite to refer to, the 
 document can be procured at the price 
 of one and sixpence through any book- 
 seller. 
 
 Hints on the Art of 
 Fencing. — Fencing is an art of 
 great antiquity. It consists of the use 
 of the small-sword, which is employed 
 not for cutting as the broadsword, but 
 for thrusting. The sword used has a 
 straight and narrow blade, and about 
 thirty-two inches in length. 
 
 I. Utility of the Akt. — How valu- 
 able soever skill in the use of the rapier 
 may be, the art of fencing is of very 
 gieat excellence; and, as a form of 
 bodily exercise, it is highly conducive 
 
;58 Plague o/it, I iJiought he zvas Valiant and skilled in Fence. 
 
 to healtli and the development of 
 physical strength. On this subject the 
 following opinions, expressed by seve- 
 ral competent judges, are well worthy 
 the attention of the reader. 
 
 Sir Anthony Carlisle thus speaks : — 
 " According to nij^ judgment the exer- 
 cise (if fencing tends to promote bodily 
 health and the development of the 
 athletic powers. It is likewise appa- 
 rent that the attitudes and exertions of 
 fencing are conducive to the manly 
 lorms and muscular energies of the 
 human figure." 
 
 Dr. Clive also says : — " Muscular 
 cxeition is essential in perfecting the 
 form of the body, and those exercises 
 which require the use of the greatest 
 number of muscles are most conducive 
 to this end. Fencing causes more 
 muscles to act at the same time than 
 most other exercises. It promotes the 
 expansion of the chest and improves 
 respiration, whereby the functions of 
 the most important organs of the body 
 are njore perfectly performed." 
 
 Sir Everard Home makes the follow- 
 ing remarks on the same subject: — 
 " Of all the different modes in which 
 the body can be exercised, thero is none, 
 in my judgment, that is capable of 
 giving strength and velocity, as well as 
 precision, to the action of all the volun- 
 iary muscles of the body, in an equal 
 degree as the i^ractice of fencing, and 
 none more conducive to bodily health." 
 
 II. Implements rou Fencing. — In 
 addition to the foil — which is a substi- 
 tute for the sword — a well-padded glove 
 is required for the protection of the 
 hand, and a wire ma<k to protect 
 ihe face from aa accidental wound. 
 The body ought to be protected by a 
 si out jacket with a leather collar; and 
 the foils are usually tipped with a 
 button, which affords a further safe- 
 guard against any unintentional injur}'. 
 
 III. 1niti.\toky Movements in 
 Fencing. — These are various. The 
 first which the beginner has to learn is 
 the mode of placing himself in a posi- 
 tion called " the guard," from which 
 all other movements, of whatever kind, 
 may be said to originate. The first 
 
 position requires that the knees are 
 straight, the feet at right angles to each 
 other, heel to heel, the right foot and 
 right side and face directed to the ad- 
 versary, and the arms hanging down 
 by the side, and the left hand holding 
 the foil a few inches below the guard. 
 The second position, which is adapted to 
 attack or defence, requires that the 
 knees be bent, and the right leg ad- 
 vanced before the left, the right side 
 presented to the opponent, and the arm 
 reached forward with the foil, but 
 slightly bent at the elbow. The Lunge. 
 This is an important movement, and 
 somewhat difficult to execute success- 
 fully. It is the attitude of making a 
 thrust at the adversary. The right 
 arm is extended straight from the 
 shoulder, the foil and arm being on the 
 same level ; the right foot is advanced 
 about eighteen inches ; the left foot re- 
 mains immovable, and the left arm and 
 hand slope downwards towards the left 
 knee. The Beeover. This movement 
 immediately succeeds the lunge. In it 
 the left arm is quickly raised into its 
 original position, the right arm drawn 
 in and the left knee bent ; the fencer, 
 in a word, places himself as in the 
 second position. 
 
 Such arc the primary movements ia 
 the art of fencing. These must be 
 carefully practised, so that some profi- 
 ciency may be obtained, before the 
 learner attempts the more delicate and 
 difficult movements of attack and de- 
 fence. Indeed the possession of some 
 skill and accuracy in the positions and 
 movements already referred to, is abso- 
 lutely indispensable to success in the 
 more advanced branches of the art. 
 
 Hints on Home Decora- 
 tion. — Wax Flowers. — These are 
 certainly the most beautiful substitute-? 
 for natural flowers when it is impossible 
 to obtain the latter. Many of these 
 imitations are exceedingly like the 
 natural plant in all but perfume, and 
 the manufacture of them affords an 
 opportunity for the (jxercise of great 
 neatness and good taste, as Avell as 
 observation of the nature and structure 
 of the flowers which it is intended to 
 
Ornament is Good, when it does not interfere with the Usejul. 359 
 
 represent. But very little instruction 
 is nccessury in learning to make wax- 
 flowers ; to follow nature aa closely as 
 possible will be found the best advice, 
 and any instructions will only refer to 
 the wax requisite to be purchased, the 
 few tools needed for the manufacture, 
 and the mode of using these tools. 
 
 The "Wax. — This is sold ready pre- 
 pared in small sheets of various thick- 
 nesses and of almost every shade to be 
 seen in nature, and those that are not 
 exactly the tint required can be readily 
 made to assume it by the help of powder 
 colours. To begin a group of wax 
 flowers, it will bo enough to procure 
 one dozen sheets each of Nos. 1, 2, and 
 3 in the best white wax ; three shades 
 of yellow wax, sLx sheets of each ; two 
 shades of pink, six sheets of each ; six 
 or seven shades of green, from the light 
 green of the primrose leaf to laurel and 
 myrtle green, six sheets of each. 
 
 The Colouus are sold in little bottles; 
 the most useful are carmine, three 
 shades of blue — viz., cobalt, Prussian 
 blue, and French ultramarine, — three 
 shades of chrome yellow, flake white, 
 burnt umber, a bottle of bloom, and 
 one of liquid transparent gall. 
 
 The Implements. — A pair of small 
 finely-pointed scissors, which must 
 never bo used for any other purpose, a 
 palette knife, six small sable brushes, 
 some small saucers for mixing the 
 colours, boxwood tools with smooth 
 round tops for rolling the wax, steel 
 pins with glass heads for the same pur- 
 pose, wire covered with green in three 
 sizes, for the stems, and two shades 
 of green down. Some people use tin 
 cutters for the leaves, similar to paste 
 cutters, which can be bought at any of 
 the London bazaars , but though these 
 cutters are convenient, they are not 
 absolutely necessary : we have seen 
 most beautiful wax flowers cut merely 
 from a tracing of the natural leaf, by 
 laying it on a piece of white paper, 
 and tracing the outline with a pencil. 
 
 To MAKE A Camellia Japonica. — 
 This is one of the easiest flowers to 
 make, the leaves being large and of 
 four sizes only. If the cutters are not 
 
 available, take a large camellia, study 
 well its appearance, the way in which 
 the leaves grow, and their sizes ; then 
 pull off one of the most perfectly-shaped 
 of the large outer leaves, lay it on a bit 
 of white paper, and trace the edge 
 round with a pencil. Do the same 
 with the smaller leaves ; then cut out 
 these diagrams, take a sheet of the 
 thickest white wax, lay the diagram on 
 it, and cut out ten patterns or leaves of 
 the largest size, eleven leaves of the 
 next size, eleven of the third size, and 
 eight of the fourth ; take a piece eight 
 inches long of strong green wire, make 
 a ball the size of a large pea of white 
 wax on the end of the Mire ; lay a h af 
 of the fourth size on the palm of the 
 left band, and with the head of the box- 
 wood tool rub the edge of the leaf till it 
 becomes thin ; pinch and crumple it as 
 the natural leaf is done; put a slight 
 tint of yellow, as in the real leaf, and 
 stick each leaf round the ball of wax, 
 pressing it close; and when all the 
 leaves are put on of this size, bind 
 them with the parings of the wax. 
 Follow on with the other leaves, making 
 each row more opcti till the last and 
 largest leaves, which almost lie back from 
 the stem in a horizontal position. The 
 Camellia Japonica is the largest and 
 most wax-like of these flowers ; the C. 
 Imbricata has finely notched leaves, 
 also white. A red camellia is made 
 with pale yellow wax, which is painted 
 over M-ith carmine : this gives exactly 
 the deep shade of the natural flower. 
 The leaves of the rose are the same 
 shape as those of the Camellia. For 
 the green leaves it is best to buy 
 artificial leaves of muslin, and coat 
 them over with green wax the proper 
 shade, taking care to preserve all the 
 veins and markings in the wax surface. 
 In fact, the closer the imitation of 
 nature, the more beautiful the flower 
 will be, therefore nature is the book to 
 study ; but those who wish for very 
 excellent instruction, had better consult 
 Mrs. Peachey, who has a high reputa- 
 tion as an instructress in the art of Wtix 
 flower making; and whose address, we 
 believe, can be had at the Soho bazaar. 
 
360 
 
 From every Region of the Sky, 
 
 Cork Standsfor Flowers, 
 Ferns, &c. — There are few prettier 
 oruaments for a sitting-room, than 
 stands made from the first bark stripped 
 from the cork trees, which is of no 
 value for cork making. This has been 
 recently introduced into this country 
 for garden purposes, for which it has 
 proved to be admirably adapted, more 
 particularly for growing ferns, orchids, 
 and other plants of a similar nature. 
 In appearance it resembles moss-grown 
 wood, and no doubt will supersede 
 those stands in imitation of bark, made 
 of terra cotta, now so much used for 
 fern-cases, flower-stands, &c. Many of 
 the prettiest and most graceful ferns 
 will grow in a moderately warm room, 
 without any glass over them ; and for 
 these, the cork stands are particularly 
 well suited, being light and porous, 
 not only absorbing, but retaining mois- 
 ture, which is so desirable for fern 
 cultivation. A very beautiful and 
 easily managed little fernery can be 
 constructed in one of these stands. Lot 
 it be put in a window, with a southern 
 or western aspect. Have a tin 
 lining inside the stand, put plenty of 
 " crocks " into the bottom, then fill 
 it with a mixture of silver sand, de- 
 cayed leaf mould, and, if possible, a 
 little bog mould; do not sift this mould, 
 or let it be too fine. Many ferns grow 
 best in stones, old mortar, and rubbish. 
 Round the edges of the stand may be 
 put the Ipsolipsis f/rcicilis, which is so 
 graceful a plant as to deserve a place 
 in every fernery. Of the taller ferns, 
 Pteris lovgifolia, the tallest, Fteris ser- 
 rulata, and Pteris tremula, there may 
 be one each. An Adiantum capiiis 
 veneris and Adiantum formosa, with an 
 Atliyrium fclix fwmina, one or two 
 spleenworts, and an oak and beech fern, 
 will be found sufficient for a tolerably 
 large stand ; and any spare corner may 
 be tilled up with the common lycopo- 
 diiim to be seen in most greenhouses, 
 which will soon form a green carpet 
 over all unoccupied spots, and add 
 much to the beauty of the fernerj''. 
 These ferns require but little care ; 
 they must be shaded from the sun and 
 
 draughts, which are most prejudicial. 
 In winter, water with milk -warm 
 water, once a week ; in summer, water 
 every day, or every second daj-, as they 
 appear to need it. In this way the 
 ferns will grow luxuriantly, and form 
 a most interesting as well as beautiful 
 ornament in a drawing-room.* 
 
 Safety during Thunder- 
 storms. — A correspondent has sug- 
 gested to us that it might be useful to 
 aff'ord our readers some information on 
 this subject, pointing out especially 
 places and things to be avoided, and pre- 
 cautions to be taken, so as to ensure, as far 
 as possible, personal security. We shall 
 therefore quote the inquiries which our 
 correspondent makes, and reply to them 
 in the order in which they occur in bis 
 note ; believing that the discussion will 
 not be vv'ithout its interest to a large 
 number of our intelligent readers. 
 Prior, however-, to giving our replies 
 to the questions we refer to, we think 
 it may conduce to the greater clearness 
 of those, if, avoiding technicalities as 
 much as possible, we preface what we 
 have to say with a short statement as 
 to electricity in the condition familiarly 
 known as Ughtiung. 
 
 It has been established by numerous 
 experiments, that the electricity de- 
 veloped by meansof an electric machine, 
 is identical with the electricity in the 
 earth and the atmosphere, and that the 
 spark artificially produced is identical, 
 however comparatively minute, with 
 the phenomenon we call lightning, and 
 that both are governed by exactly the 
 same natural la^rs. It is found that if 
 the conductor of an electric machine be 
 insulated, that is to say, placed on some 
 nonconducting substance, and then put 
 into a negative condition, by being 
 connected M'ith the negative side of the 
 electric machine, it will, because of that 
 condition, receive electricity in the form 
 of a spark, provided that some con- 
 ducting substance in contact with the 
 source of positive electricity be near 
 enough to allow the spark to pass, that 
 
 * The cork and stands can be had of the 
 London and Lisbon Cork Compauy, Upper 
 Thames Street, London. 
 
lied Bolts inforky Vengeance fiy. 
 
 361 
 
 is to say, within what is called " strik- 
 ing distance." In this case the spark 
 would pass into the conductor till an 
 equilibiium took place, and the con- 
 ductor, which we have supposed to be 
 negative, was no longer in that condi- 
 tion, but possessed the same amount of 
 latent electricity as surrounding objects. 
 Now if a cloud be in a negative state, 
 and insulated by being surrounded with 
 dry air, it is like the supposed negative 
 conductor, — in a condition to receive a 
 spark from the earth ; on the other 
 hand, if the earth bo negative, it is in a 
 condition to receive a supply of elec- 
 tricity from a cloud ; all that is requisite 
 in either case being that there shall 
 exist some conducting medium between 
 the cloud and the earth, or that the two 
 objects shall be sufficiently near each 
 other to be within "striking distance;" 
 in which case the spark or lightning 
 will pass from one object to the other 
 till the equilibrium is restored. Light- 
 ning, therefore, passes not only from 
 the clouds to the earth, but from the 
 earth to the clouds ; in either instance 
 taking its course through the best con- 
 ductor that happens to be next the 
 point where the tension or accumulation 
 of electricity is greatest. 
 
 This brief statement is requisite in 
 order to avoid repetition in replying to 
 the questions we refer to, and because 
 these imply that lightning proceeds 
 only from the clouds. We shall now 
 state the inquiries made, and furnish 
 brief answers, taking them in the order 
 in which they occur : — 
 
 I. Q. " Is it best to open doors and 
 windows, or to shut them ? Some 
 persons open all doors and windows, to 
 allow the electric fluid a free passage ; 
 others shut aU doors and windows, to 
 keep it all out of the house." 
 
 I. A. Whether the house be at the 
 point where the electricity takes its 
 departure to the clouds, or at that at 
 which the electricity from the clouds 
 enters the earth, the fluid is not de- 
 flected from its course by the circum- 
 stance of a door or window, being shut 
 or open. Even if the door were com- 
 posed of solid iron, it would no more 
 
 interpose a barrier to the passage of th« 
 electric agent, than if it were wide 
 open. 
 
 II. Q. "Is it safe to sit near a 
 window or near the fireplace .^" 
 
 II. A. The window is not only as 
 safe, but probably more safe than some 
 other parts of the house. It is how- 
 ever less safe to sit near the fireplace. 
 The chimney being the most prominent 
 part of the house, is the point generally 
 on which the lightning strikes, or by 
 which it quits the earth. The grate, 
 fender, and fire irons, and even the 
 smoke in the chimney, may act in some 
 slight degree as conductors, and if the 
 chimney be the course down or up 
 which the electricity passes, immediate 
 proximity to it might involve injury, 
 not so much from the direct stroke of 
 the lightning, as from its indirect 
 efiects. 
 
 Ill Q. "If in bed, is it safer to 
 remain there, or to get up and go below 
 stairs ? " 
 
 III. A. If the bed be as far as any 
 other part of the room from the fire- 
 place or its metallic furniture, it would 
 probably be safer to remain in it during 
 the storm. As to going downstairs, it 
 has been recommended by some persons 
 that a cellar, being below the surface of 
 the earth, is the safest place of refuge, 
 on the supposition that coming from the 
 clouds the electricity would first ex- 
 pend itself on the surface of the earth, 
 before touching things below if, this, 
 however, is a popular error. As already 
 mentioned, the lightning rises out of 
 the earth as well as proceeds from the 
 clouds ; the cellar, therefore, or the 
 ground floor, may accordingly, in some 
 cases, be nearer the point at which the 
 electricity ascends ; and the efi'ects are 
 as violent at the place from which the 
 electricity takes its departure, as at the 
 place which it stiikes on its arrival at 
 the earth. 
 
 IV. Q. "Are looking-glasses in 
 front of a window dangerous 'i Do they 
 attract the lightning if the window is 
 shut?" 
 
 IV. A, Looking-glasses are in no 
 way the cause of danger, and certainly 
 
 n2 
 
362 
 
 The Love of Child7'en is JVoman^s Instinct. 
 
 do not attract the lightning, whether 
 the \yindow he closed or open. The 
 amalgam at the back of a mirror, it is 
 true, is a metallic substance ; but it is 
 too slight to be taken into account. 
 
 V, Q. " Are persons more secure 
 lying down than standing erect?" 
 
 V. A. Lying down, as a general 
 rule, is a safer position than an upright 
 attitude, as will be seen from the fol- 
 lowing few remarks as to safety out of 
 doors, subjoined to the necessarily very 
 shoit replies as to security inside the 
 house. 
 
 The same reason why proximity to 
 the chimney and its iron or brass fur- 
 niture is less safe than other places, is 
 that which renders the immediate 
 neighbourhood of trees out of doors 
 insecure. The chimney and the tree 
 are prominent objects, and act as con- 
 ductors for the fluid. The tree is 
 considerably more dangeroiis than the 
 chimney, because it is so much higher 
 and because its upper branches are all 
 of them so many additional conductors. 
 Moreover, the moist wood of a tree is 
 a better conductor than the smoke of a 
 chimney, or the chimney itself. Fur- 
 ther, the tallest and largest trees are 
 much less safe than such as are low and 
 small ; and, as people are natuially apt 
 to take shelter from the rain during a 
 thunderstorm under the largest' and 
 most umbrageous trees, it is found to 
 be under such, chiefly, that they are 
 struck with lightning. 
 
 To stand during a thunderstorm on 
 high ground, where there are no large 
 trees to act as conductors, is likewise 
 xmsafe. The human body is itself a 
 good conductor, and by standing up- 
 right the danger is increased : a person 
 in that attitude on elevated ground, 
 may be higher than a very tall tree 
 lower down, and maj', on that ac- 
 count, form the very point on which 
 the electricity strikes. If caught by a 
 thunderstorm on elevated ground, the 
 safest course, however inconvenient, is 
 to lie down, instead of maintaining an 
 erect posture, and theicby furnishing 
 the electiicity with a point on which 
 to c-trikr. 
 
 Food for Infants. — This sub- 
 ject possesses so much interest, and is 
 so important, that a few hints as to the 
 feeding of infants, and the aliments 
 most fitted for them, will, we feel as- 
 sured, prove highly acceptable to a 
 large number of our readers. For the 
 sake of greater clearness and precision, 
 we shall subdivide the information we 
 convey into separate topics. 
 
 1. The Mother's Milk. — Presum- 
 ing that the mother is in vigorous 
 health, the nutriment with which 
 nature furnishes her for the use of her 
 oflspring, is better adapted to it than 
 any artificial food can be ; and an infant 
 ia good health will require nothing else 
 for the first four months, unless the 
 natural provision is deficient in quan- 
 tity or defective in quality. 
 
 2. Reasons for giving other Ali- 
 ments. — Circumstances frequently oc- 
 cur a few months after the infant's birth, 
 which render it necessary and advisable 
 not to depend entirely on the maternal 
 supply. There may be too great a 
 drain upon the mother's strength ; it 
 may be requisite for her to leave her 
 infant for some hours ; there may be a 
 failure of the supply from illness or 
 other causes ; the quantity of milk may 
 be deficient, or the quality of it may 
 be deteriorated, so that the infant may 
 not continue to thrive from the lack of 
 sufficient nutrition. Any of such cir- 
 cumstances are sufficient to suggest 
 the necessity of providing additional 
 nourishment. 
 
 3. Choice of a "Wet Nurse. — In 
 those cases in which it is indispensable 
 to employ a wet nurse, there are some 
 considerations, by attention to which, 
 the choice of a person best suited to 
 the important office may be made. 
 Vigorous health and soundness of con- 
 sti'ution are, it is obvious, of primarv 
 moment, and ample evidence as to these 
 conditions may be obtained from the 
 appearance of the nurse herself, and 
 the examination made by the medical 
 attendant, while a sufficiency of good 
 and wholesome food will have the salu- 
 tary eiFect of maintaining her in health 
 and vigour. But there are other coa- 
 
Children are Poor Men's Riches. 
 
 363 
 
 Biderations which are too often over- 
 looked, and which, when an opportu- 
 nity occurs of making a careful selec- 
 tion, ought not to bo ignored. These 
 relate to the woman's state of mind and 
 her temperament. A fretful, irritable, 
 impatient temper is incompatible with 
 being a good nurse, who ought to be of 
 a mild and gentle disposition. It is 
 remarkable, too, that a brunette sup- 
 plies much richer milk than a blonde, 
 although of equal age and equally cared 
 for. The infant's capacity for taking 
 its food corresponds in a great measure 
 with its mother's temperament, and that 
 of the nurse ought not to bo widely 
 dissimilar from that of the mother. If, 
 however, the mother be very fair and 
 delicate, the nurse, besides being robust, 
 ought to be somewhat darker in com- 
 plexion ; but a veiy dark woman with 
 black hair ought not to be chosen as 
 the nurse of a child, whose mother's 
 hair and complexion are of precisely an 
 opposite character. 
 
 4. Substitutes tor Human Milk. 
 • — In consequence of the abundance of 
 oily and cheesy matter which cow's 
 milk contains, it is not well adapted to 
 form a substitute for human milk, al- 
 though necessity, and the facility with 
 which it can be obtained, leads to its 
 frequent use. The milk of the goat 
 and the ewe also abounds in caseine 
 and butter, and are therefore still 
 less adapted to the purpose than the 
 milk of the cow. The milk of the ass 
 and the mare approach much more 
 nearly than any other to the consist- 
 ence and composition of human milk. 
 Neither of these kinds of milk, how- 
 ever, can be obtained with sufficient 
 facility, and if other than human milk 
 is employed it is generally that of the 
 cow, which, however, can be diluted, 
 or otherwise adapted to the purpose in 
 view. 
 
 5. Milk of the Cow.— In adopting 
 cow's milk for the food of an infant, it 
 ought to be made to resemble the 
 mother's milk as near as possible in 
 composition. To this end, milk, water, 
 and loaf sugar ought to be mixed, in 
 the proportions of two-thirds of mUk, 
 
 one-third of water, and a small quan- 
 tity of loaf sugar. According to the 
 judicious Dr. Graham, " nothing but 
 the milk thus prepared ought to be 
 given, and very little, if anything else, 
 for the second month." The nourish- 
 ment thus given ought always to be 
 administered at a degree of temperature 
 equal, or n-arly equal, to that of the 
 infant's body ; and as the bottle em- 
 ployed for the purpose is furnished with 
 a siphon-tube and an ai-tificial nipple, 
 the milk can be kept at a suitable tem- 
 perature by immersing the bottle in 
 water of the temperature of ninety- 
 eight degrees. 
 
 Condensed Milk. — In ref.Tring 
 to the subject of cow's milk, it is 
 proper to direct the attention of our 
 readers to the "Condensed milk" pre- 
 pared in Switzefland, which, from its 
 extreme purity, is specially adapted 
 to be used in feeding infants. It is 
 prepared from the finest and richest 
 milk ; it is entirely free from any kind of 
 adulteration, and thus it possesses great 
 claims on public attention ; but, as we 
 are speaking of the feeding of infants, 
 we confine our remarks to the use of 
 the Swiss condensed milk as suited in 
 a peculiar manner to that purpose. 
 Dr. Cuiboiu-t, of the French Academy 
 of Medicine, says, " Cow's milk, with 
 the addition of one-fifth of its weight 
 of water, and a little sugar, is as nearly 
 as possible equal to woman's milk." 
 The "Condensed milk," diluted with 
 seven to nine parts of water, exactly 
 answers this description ; and as it is 
 perfectly free from adulteration, and 
 keeps sweet for a great length of time, 
 without any tendency to sourness, and 
 without undergoing any chemical 
 change, it may, from these and other 
 considerations, be truly said "that the 
 condensed milk is superior as food for 
 infants, even to the present ordinary 
 milk." * 
 
 • The " Condensed milk " is prepared by 
 the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company, 
 at Cham, in the Canton of Zug. The milk, 
 which contains in its natural state eighty-flvo 
 per cent, of water, has a vastly greater quan- 
 tity of water added when subjected to tho 
 roguery of the milkman. 
 
364 Chihh'eji are Certain Cares, hut Uncertain Comforts. 
 
 VI. Additional Food. — According 
 to Dr. Graham, already quoted, the 
 infant, after the third month, may be 
 fed daily by the addition to its usual 
 diet of a small cup of beef tea and a 
 crumb of bread. At the end of four 
 months, it should be fed twice a day ; 
 once with bread and milk, or biscuit 
 powder and milk, and once with light 
 broth and bread, arrowroot, or rice. At 
 the age of eight or nine months, it 
 should be fed three times in twenty- 
 four hours, and more solid food may be 
 given ; as a bread or rice pudding, or a 
 boiled egg. Speaking of cows' milk as 
 being by itself "too heavy" and too 
 apt, from its tendency to acidity, to 
 produce gripings and other disorders of 
 the bowels in young children; "it will 
 be useful," observes the same excellent 
 authority, "to mix with it decoctions 
 of animal substances ; such as chicken 
 or veal broth, or decoction of hartshorn 
 shavings ; of which last, two ounces 
 should be boiled in a quart of water 
 over a gentle fire till the ■whole is re- 
 duced to a pint; when, after it has 
 become cold, it will be of the consist- 
 ence of a light jelly. This mixed with 
 about twice its quantity of cow's milk, 
 with the addition of a little sugar, forms 
 for young children a proper aliment." 
 
 We shall close these remarks by an 
 extract from the "Manual of Domestic 
 Economy," written for the Government 
 training colleges by Mr. Tegetmeicr. 
 "All preparations containing butter, 
 such as rusks, tops and bottoms, &c., 
 are extremely objectionable food for 
 infants; plain bread made into pap is 
 also apt to turn sour in the stomach in 
 consequence of being fermented. A 
 much better food for very young child- 
 ren is plain household or seconds flour 
 baked in a slow oven till it has acquired 
 a light fawn colour; in this state its 
 taste is agreeable, closely resembling 
 that of biscuits ; and, after having been 
 rolled to crush the lumps, it is readily 
 prepared for use by mixing it with 
 cold water and boiling it for two or 
 three minutes. In cases where it is 
 necessary to render the food somewhat 
 more relaxing, a coarser meal may be 
 
 employed, or one-third of fine barley- 
 meal added before baking. All pure 
 starches, such as arrowroot and those 
 farinaceous foods from which every 
 portion of bran has been separated, are 
 unfit for the entire support of children ; 
 the starches because they are almost 
 entirely destitute of nitrogenous sub- 
 stances, and the farinaceous foods from 
 the absence of those materials from 
 which bones are formed." 
 
 The following are the directions for 
 the preparation of food recommended by 
 Baron Liebig: "Half an oimce of the 
 best seconds wheaten flour, an equal 
 weight of flour from pale malt, and seven 
 grains of bicarbonate of potash, are 
 mixed with one ounce of water and five 
 ounces of cow's milk, and the whole 
 heated over a gentle fire. As soon as 
 the mixture begins to thicken, it is re- 
 moved from the fire, stirred for four or 
 five minutes, then heated again, when 
 it becomes thin, and finally made to 
 boil, and then strained to separate the 
 bran of the malt flour. It is then 
 ready for use. The preparation does 
 not require any sugar to be added, as 
 the malt converts the starch of the 
 wheat into a kind of sugar which is ex- 
 ceedingly easy of digestion. There 
 can be no doubt of the value of this 
 food, but the trouble of preparation is 
 an objection to its adoption; many 
 chemists, however, prepare the mate- 
 rials ready for use, so that the weighing 
 and straining are not required. In 
 cases where it is preferred to prepare 
 the ingredients at home, a common 
 coffee mill kept exclusively for the 
 purpose may be used to giind the 
 malt." 
 
 Chapman's Entire Wheat. — Since 
 the previous part of this article was 
 put in type, our attention has been 
 drawn to a new description of food 
 suitable for infants, called " Chap- 
 man's Patent Prepared Entire Wheat 
 Flour," and from the evidence of 
 the '■ Lancet," and the analysis of an 
 eminent chemist, Dr. Attfield, Professor 
 of Practical Chemistry to the Pharma- 
 ceutical Society of Great Britain, this 
 description of food "is incomparably 
 
He who cannot Lose with Pleasure, stakes his Heart. 
 
 ;65 
 
 superior to arrowroot and other forms 
 of starch, which contribute but little to 
 tbo formation of bone or muscle." 
 
 Vingt et un. — This game may 
 be played by two or more persons. At 
 the commencement it is usual to deter- 
 mine wlio is to deal, as thn deal is an 
 advantage, and frequently is long pos- 
 fcssed by the same player. The deal 
 should be cut for, or, the cards being 
 dealt round, the person who gets the 
 lirst ace or the first knave obtains the 
 privilege of dealing. The cards are to 
 be given to the players one at a time, 
 and when the first card is given, the 
 stakes are to be mentioned oefore the 
 Eccond is Etcp, and when the second 
 card is seen, and found to make a natu- 
 ral viiigt-uii, it must be at once declared 
 and paid, and the dealer loses his deal, 
 but if the dealer himself also obtains a 
 natural vingt-un, he cuts himself in, 
 and does not lose his deal. After the 
 first card is dealt all round, and the 
 stakes declared, it is optional with the 
 dealer, alter he has seen his own card, 
 to double the stakes. "When the dealer 
 has given two cards, one at a time to 
 each player, including himself, he asks 
 each person in rotation, commencing 
 with the eldest hand on the left, 
 whether he stands or chooses another 
 card, if the latter, a card must then be 
 given from the top of the pack, and 
 then another, or more if desired, till the 
 points of the additional cards, along 
 with those already dealt, exceed, or 
 make twenty-one exactly, or such a 
 number less than twenty-one as may bo 
 proper to stand upon. In any case in 
 which the points exceed that number, 
 these cards are at once to be thrown 
 up, and the stakes paid to the dealer, 
 who, in turn, is entitled to draw addi- 
 tional cards. On taking a vingt-un the 
 dealer receives double stakes from all 
 who stand the game, with the excep- 
 tion of those players who also have 
 twenty-one, between whom there is, 
 therefore, a drawn game. The dealer, 
 unless a natural vingt-un occurs, pays 
 single stakes to all whose numbers be- 
 low twenty-one are higher than his 
 own, and receives from those who have 
 
 lower numbers. Those, however, whose 
 numbers are similar to those of the 
 dealer pay nothing, and receive no- 
 thing ; but if the dealer draws moro 
 than twenty-one, he pays to all who 
 have not thrown up. 
 
 Natural Vingt et vx. — This term 
 is employed whenever twenty- one is 
 dealt in commencing to plaj*. It ought 
 to be declared at once ; the possessor of 
 it is entitled to the deal and to double 
 stakes from the dealer. It may be 
 proper here to state, that an ace may be 
 counted either as one or os eleven, and 
 every court card as ten ; the rest of the 
 pack, however, are counted according 
 to their points. 
 
 The Pig. — The important place 
 which the pig occupies in household 
 economy renders a few remarks on the 
 subject indispensable. 
 
 Vaiuols Ukeeus. — The most ap- 
 proved breeds are the Uerkshire, the 
 Essex, and the Chinese. The first 
 fattens easily and rapidly, and some- 
 times attains a prodigious size. The 
 last of the three kinds mentioned is 
 comparatively small, but it fattens on 
 less food, and grows fat with greater 
 rapidity than any other variety. The 
 Essex variety requires a greater pro- 
 portion of food than the weight it 
 attains to justifies, and is upon this 
 wholly inferior to either of the other 
 kinds we have mentioned. There are, 
 however, several other kinds which are 
 favourites in certain districts, such as 
 the gigantic black and white breed of 
 Cheshire, the piebald pigs of Shrop- 
 shire and Sussex, and the white pigs of 
 Suflfolk and Hampshire. Perhaps the 
 breed most commonly esteemed, both in 
 England and Scotlaud, is a mixture of 
 the Chinese with some of the larger 
 British species. 
 
 How to Choose a Pig. — Whatever 
 the breed may be, it is requisite, in 
 order to make a judicious selection, to 
 give attention to certain particulars, 
 such as the following : — the loin and 
 breast ought to be broad, so as to allow 
 abundant scope for the functions of 
 breathing, &c. ; the bones ought to be 
 small, and the joints fine ; this affords 
 
366 Pigs may Whistle, but they have a bad Mouth for it. 
 
 evidence of high hreeding, and the 
 better a pig is bred the more rapidly 
 will it come to maturity, and the more 
 readily it will fatten ; the feet should 
 be firm and sound, the toes lying well 
 together and pressing evenly upon the 
 ground ; the snout not too elongated 
 but somewhat short and convex, rather 
 than fiat. 
 
 Hints ox Feeding, &c. — A young 
 pig intended for feeding and killing 
 ought to be purchased at such an age 
 as that it will be about sixteen months 
 old at Christmas, the latter part of 
 December or the month of January 
 being the best time for slaughtering, 
 and the animal ought to be more than 
 a year old. As to feeding, any refuse 
 from the kitchen or garden, such as 
 potato and turnip parings, cabbage 
 leaves, table waste, will be found suit- 
 able, especially if grains from a distillery 
 or barley dust can be added. As a 
 general rule, the food ought to be 
 chiefly vegetable, and ought to be 
 given frequently and in small quanti- 
 ties, that the animal may not become 
 very hungry, this being sometimes 
 prej udicial. 
 
 Hints on Fattening. — In Septem- 
 ber the process of fattening ought to be 
 begun. The diet must of course be 
 nourishing ; but the feeding ought not 
 to be commenced too suddenly, lest a 
 surfeit be the consequence. The finer 
 the feeding the finer will be the pork 
 or bacon. The best materials for feed- 
 ing are barley and pease meal, and if 
 milk, either skimmed milk or butter- 
 milk, be given with the meal, it will 
 tend greatly to improve the quality of 
 the meat. Potatoes are frequently em- 
 ployed for feeding, but the flesh of pigs 
 so fed is not so solid or good as when 
 the animal is supplied with harder 
 food ; the fat, too, is somewhat loose 
 and flabby. In addition to the meal 
 aheady referred to, a feed or two of 
 corn daily for a fortnight before the 
 time of Idlling, together with churned 
 cr skimmed milk, will be found very 
 effectual in improving the quality of the 
 flesh. Boiled potatoes, mixed with a 
 few handfuls of oatmeal, together with 
 
 Swedish turnip?, carrots, and broken 
 corn, will also be found an excellent 
 fattening diet, and can be procirred at 
 a very moderate expense. In a word, 
 care should be taken to avoid foul feed- 
 ing, and not to overfeed the animal ; as 
 much only should be given as can bo 
 consumed at a meal, and the feeding 
 ought to be regular, and with each 
 supply a little salt should be given. 
 Finally, let the pig be kept dry, clean, 
 and warm. "Washing the animal with 
 soap and warm water, and rubbing it 
 down with rough straw or a hard 
 brush will conduce greatly to its health, 
 and will cause it to fatten on a less 
 quantity of food than when it is suf- 
 fered to remain dirty, wet, and uncom- 
 fortable. 
 
 To pickle various Meats. 
 — Pork. When the side of pork has 
 had the hams taken off and the re- 
 mainder cut into conveniently sized 
 pieces, let each one be rubbed with 
 common salt, and then set to drain for 
 twenty-four hours. Prepare a pickle 
 as folloM's : — Boil seven pounds of 
 common salt, two ounces of saltpetre, 
 and a pound and a half of coarse brown, 
 sugar in four gallons of water, boil till 
 the scum (which should be skimmed 
 off) ceases to rise, let it then stand till 
 cold, pack the pork into a clean, deep 
 tub, and pour the pickle over ; in about 
 six weeks pour off the pickle and boil 
 it again, adding two ounces of sugar 
 and half an ounce of saltpetre ; this 
 pickle will keep sweet for many months. 
 
 To CiTiiE Bacon and Hams. — Rub 
 the sides and hams well with common 
 salt, let them lie for one day, then make 
 the following mixture : — for every forty 
 pounds weight of meat take half a 
 pound of common salt, thi'ee quarters of 
 a pound of bay salt, one ounce and a 
 half of black pepper, half an ounce of 
 allspice, and two ounces of saltpetre, 
 all ground very finely together. Rub 
 the meat well with this mixture, and 
 let it lie four days, then repeat the 
 rubbing and let it lie two days ; on the 
 third day pour over it three pounds of 
 treacle to the same quantity of meat, 
 rub it three times a week for a month, 
 
Grafl'ni^ is an Art 7vhich doth mend Nlitiitr. 
 
 357 
 
 then hnnj; up ench piece to drain; when 
 quite drained, smoke them, or if that is 
 not convenient, rub them [over with 
 essence of tar, which will give a smoky 
 flavour. 
 
 To Pickle Beef. — To one hundred- 
 weight of beef take four pounds of 
 common salt, six ounces of salprunelle, 
 six ounces of saltpetre, and a pound and 
 a half of coarse sugar. Poimd these 
 all fine in a mortar, and then heat them 
 over a slow fire ; rub the meat with 
 this mixture while it is as hot as the 
 hand can bear, then pack the meat in 
 an air-tight cask or tub ; no water is to 
 be used ; the meat will be fit to cook 
 in twelve days. Tongues are very good 
 cured in this way. The pickle given 
 for pork is also very good for beet and 
 tongues. 
 
 Hambro' Pickle for Beef. — To 
 four gallons of water add five pounds 
 of salt, four ounces of saltpetre, and a 
 qjound of brown sugar ; boil all together 
 for two hours, and take oflF the scum as 
 it rises. When cold put the meat iato 
 it ; boil the pickle again at the end of 
 six weeks, and then once every month; 
 it will keep good for four or five 
 months. Beef used out of this pickle 
 is much more delicious than when dried 
 or hung. 
 
 To make Brawn.— Take a 
 large-sized pig's head, with the cars, 
 a set of pettitoes, and two large cow- 
 heels. Wash and scrape the head very 
 thoroughly, and if it has not been salted, 
 lay it into strong brine with a little 
 saltpetre in it for twenty-four hours. 
 If the head has been cured, soak and 
 wash it well in hot water, set it to boil 
 with the feet and cowheel until all the 
 bones will come out; take a brawn 
 mould with a pressor, such as are to be 
 had at most of the ironmongers ; put the 
 head round the sides of the mould, and 
 the feet and cowheel in the middle. 
 Some people prefer to cut np all the 
 meat into dice, but by either plan it eats 
 equally well. Sprinkle a little pepper 
 amongst the meat, and lay a bay leaf or 
 two on the top ; put a little of the liquor 
 the head was boiled in over the meat, 
 and screw down the presser. Bake it 
 
 for half an hour ; then let it stand till 
 quite cold and firm. 
 
 G r a f t i n g . — This operation is per- 
 formed for the purpose of propagating 
 the choicer descriptions of fruit trees 
 and large shrubs, and in principle is the 
 same as the budding of roses, ■which 
 has been already noticed. 
 
 A shoot or scion is taken from one 
 tree and inserted in the stem or some 
 part of another, which is called the 
 stock, in such a manner that they unite 
 and produce the fruit, or some other 
 property of the plant from which the 
 scion is taken. By this process varieties 
 of fruit are kept from degenerating, 
 which they very frequently do if they 
 arc grown from seed. It also hastens 
 the period of fruit-bearing in the case 
 of young stocks, and is frequently the 
 means of restoring fertility in the case 
 of trees, the fruitfulness of which has 
 been exhausted. The operation, how- 
 ever, is not confined exclusively to 
 fruit trees, but is practised upon most 
 hardwooded plants of an ornamental 
 character. There are several modes of 
 performing the operation. One of the 
 most common is to cut with a sharp 
 knife a longitudinal section of the 
 scion, about an inch or an inch and a 
 half in length, and a similar sectioa 
 from the stock on which the scion is to 
 be placed. The cut surfaces of the two 
 are then laid together in such a manner 
 that the edges of stock and scion overlap 
 each other. They are then bound to- 
 gether by matting, and the whole 
 covered over with a coating, sufficiently 
 thick to exclude the air, of soft clay. 
 In addition to this mode there is tongue- 
 grafting, which is a modification of the 
 mode described already. Cleft grafting 
 is done by forming the end of the scion 
 to be grafted into a wedge shape, and 
 fitting it into a wedge-like opening that 
 has been cut in the stock. Inarching 
 is another mode of grafting, which is 
 frequently used in the case of vines. 
 Two plants growing either in the com- 
 mon border of the vinery or in pots, 
 are brought together and a slice is 
 taken off each, with a sharp knife, 
 nearly half through their diameter, the 
 
368 
 
 Fruits thai Blossom first, lu ill first be Ripe. 
 
 cut sections being of the same length. 
 Those are then brought together, so 
 that at least two of their sides or lips 
 are in close contact. A tie is then put 
 above and another below the wounds, 
 so that the tie that is to hold the wounds 
 between the two ties first mentioned, 
 may be undone at any time without the 
 risk of destroying the embryo union, 
 until that union is fairly completed. 
 When the vine shows by its vigorous 
 growth that it is deriving supplies of 
 sap from its new parent, its connection 
 with its own roots is at first half severed, 
 and at the end of the first season's 
 growth finally cut ofi", the two plants 
 being henceforth one. 
 
 The Cherry: its uses and 
 culture. — The original home of 
 this deliciovis fruit is Boncus, in Asia, 
 whence it was brought to Italy 73 a.c. 
 by the Roman general, Lucullus, and 
 was introduced to this country about 
 120 years later. It is one of the ear- 
 liest of our imported fruit trees. It 
 is mentioned by Lidgate, an English 
 poet, who wrote about or before 1415. 
 It is an exceedingly refreshing fruit, 
 whether as a constituent of the dessert 
 or in the forms of pies and tarts. A 
 fine wine is made from the juice of the 
 cherry, and a spirit is distilled from 
 the fermented pulp, known in Germany 
 as Kixschwasser. The gum -w'hich 
 exudes from the tree is equal to gum 
 Arabic, and the wood is useful to the 
 flute and cabinet maker. The cherry, 
 as a rule, luxuriates in a warm, sandy 
 soil, in an elevated situation ; but some 
 of the best varieties — for example, the 
 May Duke — will thrive in all soils and 
 aspects. In order to obtain fruit earlj^, 
 some of the varieties are planted against 
 walls, but all the sorts do well as 
 dwarfs or espaliers in general situa- 
 tions, and most of them as standards. 
 FuU standards should be planted from 
 twenty to thirty feet, and small stand- 
 ards from fifteen to eighteen feet apart. 
 The proper season for planting is from 
 the end of October till February or 
 March. Varieties of the cherry are 
 perpetuated by grafting or budding on 
 stocks of the black or red wild chemes, 
 
 and new sorts are procured from cherry 
 stones, which are preserved in saud 
 from the autumn till spring, and then 
 sown. The plants come up the same 
 season, but should not be removed till 
 the second autumn after soM'ing, when 
 they may be transplanted into rows 
 three feet apart, the plants being placed 
 from a foot to fifteen inches apart in 
 the row. Next summer they will be 
 fit to bud if intended for dwarfs ; but if 
 for standards, they should be allowed 
 to stand one or more seasons, generally 
 till they are four years old. They 
 should be budded or grafted about six 
 inches from the ground, the usual way 
 being to bud in summer, and to graft 
 those which do not succeed the follow- 
 ing spring. There are various methods 
 of training the cherry when grown on 
 walls or espaliers, which must be left 
 to the judgment of the grower. Occa- 
 sional priming is all that is required, 
 the object being to remove any irre- 
 gularity in cross placed or overcrowded 
 bran';hes, and to take away all cankery 
 and decayed wood. 
 
 Vegetable Marrow. — This 
 is a member of the gourd tribe. It is 
 a native of India, a half hardy annual, 
 but produces fruit in the open air in 
 this coimtry during the warmest period 
 of the summer. It is one of the most 
 valuable members of its family, being 
 useful for culinary purposes in every 
 stage of its growth, and a prolific fruit 
 bearer. Its cultivation is simple. Seed 
 may be sown in April in a hotbed 
 under a frame or hand-glasp. and the 
 plants transferred to a favourable 
 southern aspect in the open air at the 
 end of May. They may also be sown 
 under a hand-glass without bottom 
 heat at the beginning of May for 
 fxiture transplantation, or the seeds 
 may be sown towards the end of the 
 month in the open ground. They re- 
 quire a rich soil ; and may be trained to 
 a pole or trellis, or permitted to ramble 
 over the soil, the runners being pegged 
 down at the joints, where they will 
 readily take root. "Water should be 
 given copiously in warm weather when 
 there is no rairu 
 
It is Education that forms the Man. 
 
 3^9 
 
 The Abecedarian Coun- 
 cil. — Languaga is one of tho greatest 
 gilts to reasoning beings, and correct 
 use, and a knowledge of it, is a signifi- 
 cant mark of cultivation. Among errors 
 in speaking, that of defective pronunci- 
 ation is the most conspicuous, and this 
 frequently arises from a misconception 
 of the po^vers of letters, and the modifi- 
 cations of those powers under different 
 combinations or relationships. The 
 hints supplied by the following imagi- 
 nary " Council," may probably impress 
 the memory of the reader, and correct 
 some of the errors hitherto uncon- 
 sciously committed. 
 That some "errors in speaking" nay 
 
 hence be dispelled 
 An Abecedarian Coimcil -was held. 
 The A's and the 13's, the C's and tho 
 
 D'P, 
 The E's and the F's got in with a 
 
 squeeze ; 
 The G's and the II's, the I's, J's, and 
 
 K's 
 Had to struggle for places in various 
 
 ways. 
 The L's and tho M's, N's, O's, P's, and 
 
 Q's 
 Got in where they could — there was no 
 
 room to choose. 
 E's, S's, and T's, U's, Y's, Ws, and 
 
 X's— 
 To know how tbcy managed, the writer 
 
 perplexes. 
 The Y's and tho Z's were the absolute 
 
 last, 
 And right in the doorway the latter 
 
 stuck fast. 
 
 A 
 A opened proceedings by wishing to 
 
 state 
 Of sounds he claimed four, as halt, far, 
 
 fat, and mate, 
 Thus varied in length by an easy gra- 
 dation, 
 Soon on mem'ry impressed by a brief 
 
 application. 
 lie owned that he trespassed at times 
 
 on his friends. 
 As in xvasp ho seemed (which our 
 
 usage commends) ; 
 But they more than retorted, he said, 
 
 with a sigh, 
 
 For many who knew not the use of an I 
 Turned ace into iss, and ate into it, — 
 Thus, for furnace fumw*, moderate 
 
 moderti .' 
 
 B 
 B modestly said he claimed only one 
 
 sound. 
 Quite easily formed, as in beauty or 
 
 bound; 
 But many so clipped him, that fre- 
 quently he 
 Ilad to censure the frolics of meddle- 
 some P, 
 Who, quite out of p'aco, would tum 
 
 bane into pane, 
 Of which vulgar intrusion B wished to 
 
 complain. 
 Moreover, B said he was " under tho 
 
 thumb" 
 Before T, after M, in dibt, tomb, and 
 
 dumb.^ 
 
 C 
 C, a regular roam-about, stood forth fo 
 
 say 
 That ho often did duty for S and for 
 
 K ; 
 And this further confession occasioned 
 
 surprise. 
 He mimicked poor Z just in one word, 
 
 suffice. 
 
 D 
 D spoke very humbly, and frankly con- 
 fessed 
 Having only one sound, save Mhen E 
 
 •was suppressed.* 
 E 
 E claimed four sounds, as in me, met, 
 
 her, there; 
 And others when vowels were linted as 
 
 a pair ; 
 E was sounded as A in break and 
 
 in steak; 
 While in sew and in shew E an 
 
 seemed to make. 
 In George sounds with 0, and in 
 
 surgeon with U, 
 And kept up the same in the sin.ple 
 
 worHfew. 
 In bey, prey, and survey, E sounded as 
 
 A, 
 
 1 B is silent before T, and after M in the 
 same syllable. 
 
 s When E, in the termination ed is sup- 
 pressed, then D sometimes sounds like T, as 
 $niiffed. pasted, faced, packed. 
 
370 
 
 Di-ink deep, or taste not the Fierian Springy 
 
 And seeming determined to have Ms 
 
 O'vvTi way 
 In hovel and s-poTcen E would scarce 
 
 soimd at all, 
 "While in chimney and valley E seemed 
 
 almost to bawl ! ^ 
 F 
 F modostly said he claimed no sound 
 
 but one, 
 Save in of he seemed V, and his mission 
 
 ■\vas done. 
 
 G 
 G claimed but two sounds, one hard and 
 
 one soft, 
 Eut he trespassed on F in laughed or in 
 
 covghcd. 
 He was hard in get, gear, and soft in 
 
 gin, gem, 
 He was silent in night, sigh, gnash, 
 
 gnaw, and in phlegm? 
 H 
 And now for poor H !' He no sooner 
 
 appeared 
 Than the Abecedarians chuctled and 
 
 jeered. 
 But H standing his groxind, in a man- 
 ner quite heart}'. 
 Seemed content to be food for sport 
 
 to the party. 
 " I will tell you," said H, " I am fre- 
 
 f^uently wronged 
 By being expelled whence I rightly be- 
 longed; 
 But my very abusers oft compensate 
 
 me 
 By letting me in where I've no right to 
 
 be! 
 I'm called ' poor letter H,' I must can- 
 
 didl}' own. 
 But 1 honestly leave all my compeers 
 
 alone. 
 Yet do people expel me from my ^appy 
 
 'ome, 
 
 1 AVhen L M N R precede E in a termina- 
 tion, the latter should usually be sounded as 
 wooileu, women, flanneZ, syren. 
 
 2 Gr is silent before M or N in the same 
 syllable. 
 
 3 H is rather an aspiration than a sound. 
 It is properly called an aspirate, pronounced 
 with full breath, as her, here, hit. H final, 
 preceded by a vowel, is silent, as ah, hurrah, 
 •Sarah ; and at the beginning of a word should 
 usually be sounded, as hart, host, &c., except 
 in heir, hospital, honour, humour, and a few 
 others. 
 
 And with me at once to the h.)ospital 
 
 roam ; 
 They still do me 'b.)onoitr and h.)umour 
 
 me too. 
 And thus pay me much more than is 
 
 ]x)onesily due !" 
 
 I claimed but two sminds, as in^« and 
 
 ia.Ji}w, 
 A short sound in icit, and a long one in 
 
 ivine ; 
 But, as if ev'ry vowel must needs have 
 
 some league. 
 Take the sound of two ee's in critique 
 
 and iiitigiie.^ 
 
 J seemed in confusion, and scarce would 
 
 appear. 
 Till G-soft encouraged him, saying 
 
 "I'm near!" 
 In fact in joy, jasper, 'tis ptizzling to 
 
 see 
 The difF'rcnce in soxmd between J and 
 
 soft G. 
 For Germany, Gentile, and words like 
 
 congeal 
 Seek for J to establish a right of 
 
 appeal. 
 
 K 
 
 K said that he had but a small claim to 
 make, 
 
 And even of that, C and Q would par- 
 take, 
 
 Since in calm, and in cataract, quadrant, 
 and quoir, 
 
 They both did to his keen expression 
 aspire.* 
 
 L spoke of his modesty — trespassed on 
 
 none, 
 But was frequently silent, in words like 
 
 chaldron.^ 
 
 1 Also like ee in chagrin, mandarin, ton- 
 tine, magazine, tambourine, marine, &c. 
 
 2 Quire should be pronounced ktcire. K 
 is used where C would sound S, as in kind, 
 keen. K is silent before N, in the same 
 syllable, as Tcnave, knee, knowledge. 
 
 3 I, is also silent in almond, could, tcotild, 
 should, talk, yolk, half, calf, calve. Chaldron 
 should be pronounced chadrun. 
 
A little Learning is a Dangerous thing. 
 
 371 
 
 In psalm was not heard, had in salmon 
 
 no share, 
 But in soldier spoke out with emphasis 
 
 clear. 
 
 M spoke of his claim to one uniform 
 
 sound, 
 And would not to fetters of silence ho 
 
 bound ; 
 lie spoke out like a man, and few things 
 
 would be droller, 
 Than to find people leaving him out of 
 
 comptroller. 
 
 N 
 N laughingly said that in sin and in 
 
 sinner, 
 He played a strong part, and in^iVj, and 
 
 in dinner; 
 But in sonff, and in sffwy, in bany, and 
 
 in rant;. 
 He escaped through the noso with a 
 
 singular twang. ' 
 
 
 set the proceedings completely alive, 
 By saying of sounds he had no less than 
 
 five ! 
 He sounded as A in sought, and in 
 
 wrought ; 
 In touch and in rough it was U's sound 
 
 ho caught ; 
 In brown and in goicn he appeared as 
 
 OU; 
 And became double-o in shoe or canoe. 
 With I or with Y in boil or in bog. 
 He claimed sound the fifth wth much 
 
 boiftcrousjog." 
 
 P 
 
 P had one simple sound, as in puppet 
 
 and pear, 
 But in psallrg, psalm, corps, never 
 
 troubled the car.^ 
 
 Q 
 Q said that he had very little to do, 
 And never did that unless aided by U.* 
 
 1 N has also a nasal sound in ian^, banquet, 
 &C. But is mutp after M in the same syllable. 
 
 3 O takes the sound of U in you, thould, and 
 through; and the long sound of U in tcool. 
 
 3 JPh sounds as F in phrase, philotophy , &c. 
 P is silent between M and T, as in peremptory, 
 redemption, preaumpfuoui. 
 
 * Q is invariably followed by U, as in quote, 
 queen, quarter. 
 
 R 
 
 R never was silent but begged to com- 
 plain. 
 That many from doubling him would 
 
 not refrain, 
 But with Irish-like impulse his true 
 
 soxmd would blurt, 
 And render him thus : " I hope yourr'o 
 
 not hmrt!" 
 
 S 
 Shaped like a serpent, how strange it 
 
 appears. 
 That he, like a serpent, should hiss in 
 
 our ears ! 
 This suggestion was raised, but shaking 
 
 his head, 
 S claimed an alliance with innocent Z.' 
 
 T 
 T claimed a sharp sound, as in turn, 
 
 type, and top. 
 Yet in bustle or whistle his sound ho 
 
 would stop.' 
 
 U 
 U claimed a long sound in mute, unit, 
 
 and suit. 
 In victuals or gtiest he was known to 
 
 be mute, 
 But he had a short sound in tub, bud, 
 
 and sun. 
 Somewhat longer in pull, but again 
 
 short in /"mm.-* 
 
 V 
 V had little to say— and it only was 
 
 that 
 F was his master, and V was F-flat ! 
 
 W 
 "W looked very pompous, his arms being 
 
 outspread, 
 And these were the few useful things 
 
 that he said : 
 
 1 S has a peculiar hissing sound in such 
 words as iee and leen, but sounds as Z in hit, 
 haf, v^c. 
 
 s T is also silent in castle, eclat, hautboy. 
 Ti before a vowel sound sh, as in the termina- 
 tions Hon, tial, tions, tient. But where pre- 
 ceded by s or x, is sounded, as in question, 
 it then partakes of the sound of ch, as quet- 
 chitit. 
 
 3 U takes the sound of donble-o in cushion, 
 cuckoo, butcher, pudding, rue, rude, fruit, &c. 
 Before A, has the power of W, when both 
 vowels are souuded, as equal, ek-ical, per' 
 suade, language, &c. U is silent ia guarantee ; 
 is mute also in mctnaller, guess, Ac. BothU 
 and E are mnte in tongue, plague, harangue, 
 prorogue, &c. 
 
372 Ah! hoiv dismayed, the Gardener sees his Blossoms all destroyed j 
 
 He was silent in tcrong, wreath, whole, 
 and in sivord, 
 
 And his nature was changed when be- 
 ginning a word.^ 
 X 
 
 X has a sharp sound, as in tax and ex- 
 cise — 
 
 (Enough to make tax-payers open their 
 eyes !) 
 
 In that good word exemplar)/ then he 
 seems flat, 
 
 And many, we fear, are too like him in 
 that ! * 
 
 Y 
 
 Y said that I was his intimate friend. 
 
 To each other they oft would their ser- 
 vices lend, 
 
 Thus one word very often made use of 
 the Y, 
 
 While its relative claimed the good ser- 
 vice of I. 
 
 Z 
 
 Z spoke from the doorway, and scarcely 
 was heard. 
 
 Yet he modestly wished he might put 
 in a word. 
 
 lie claimed friendship with S, and 
 sometimes, he said, 
 
 When his friend was too fast, he did 
 service instead.' 
 
 Now the Council has ended — what good 
 
 'has it done ? 
 Has it given instruction ? or yielded 
 
 some fun ? 
 Those Letters, we fear, are in some 
 
 things so malleable. 
 That none of the group can he voted 
 
 "infallible." 
 But their hints may avail for many 
 
 good uses, 
 And save Mother Tongue from some 
 
 common abuses. 
 Other rules may be gleaned from the 
 
 learned Grammarians, 
 So here's " thanks to the Council 
 
 OP Adsecedarians." 
 
 1 W and Y are eonsoDantgwhen beginning 
 words, in other situations they are vowels. 
 W, when coming before H, is pronounced asif 
 if standing after it — thus where, what, and 
 when. 
 
 2 X at the beginning of a word sounds as 
 Z, — thus, in Xerxes, Xenophon, Xantippe. 
 
 3 Z bears the same relation to S as v does 
 F, B to P, and D to T. 
 
 Garden Spiders, to De- 
 stroy. — Various kinds of fruits and 
 plants, both in the garden and the hot- 
 house, are frequently infested with in- 
 sects, such as aphides, earwigs, red 
 spiders, and other pests. The vine, the 
 peach, the melon, the cherry, the cur- 
 rant, and some humbler plants, afford 
 them appropriate places of abode, to the 
 discomfort of the gardener, and the 
 detriment of his fruit. Several modes 
 of expelling these pests have been de- 
 vised. One of the most successful is 
 that of frequently washing the plants 
 and fruits hj'^ means of the watering-pot 
 and rose. This itself will vastly dimi- 
 nish their numbers, and at length de- 
 stroy them. Lime-water, however, 
 will be found much superior to common 
 water for the purpose, care being taken 
 that the fluid shall reach the lower sides 
 of the leaves, and those parts of the 
 twigs and branches in which the insects 
 take refuge. Six o' clock in the morning 
 is an excellent time to perform this 
 work. And when the leaves and fruit 
 have been thoroughly washed, care 
 should be taken to shade the plants in 
 the hot-house or forcing-house, with 
 matting, to prevent injury to them from 
 the heat of the sun, while they are in a 
 wet, cool state. The washing may be 
 repeated about three o'clock in the 
 afternoon. And it may be here stated, 
 that as a precautionary measure, before 
 putting plants into frames, the frames 
 ought to be well washed, both in and 
 out with a mixture of soap-suds and 
 chamber-lye, which may be done with 
 a brush or a woollen rag ; this will de- 
 stroy the eggs of spiders which may 
 have been deposited during the pre- 
 ceding season. 
 
 To Destroy Insects by 
 Fumigation. — The fumigation 
 of the greenhouse or hot-house with 
 tobacco will be found an excellent plan. 
 The smoke should be made strong, and 
 allowed to remain for some time before 
 opening the door for the admission of 
 fresh air. There are various modes of 
 fumigating a green-house with tobacco 
 smoke, the most common and easy being 
 to burn leaves of tobacco in a common 
 
Much Corn lies luider the Stfaiv that is 7iot seen. 
 
 373 
 
 chafing dish, but this caa only be 
 effectual in a small frame or green- 
 house ; for larger houses a more elaborate 
 apparatus is necessary, and, perhaps, 
 the best of these is the fumigating pot, 
 a cylindrical-shaped vessel made of 
 sheet-iron. Near the bottom a pipe is 
 fitted in with a grate at the inner end. 
 Jn the lid of the box a pipe is also 
 placed to convey the tobacco smoke used 
 in fumigation, through an aperture 
 made in a square of zinc, in several of 
 the sashes of the conservatory, if it is 
 large, into the house. Fire is placed in 
 the bottom of the box and the tobacco 
 or tobacco-paper over the lire. A pair 
 of common bellows is then applied to 
 the blow hole in the pipe at the bottom 
 of the vessel, and the smoke driven up- 
 wards through the lid pipe, until the 
 house is fully fumigated. Hothouses 
 are fumigated in the same way, and 
 plant cases in rooms and windows may 
 l)e purified of their vermin by an ordi- 
 nary tobacco pipe. 
 
 Maize, to Cultivate as a 
 Vegetable. — There is no vegetable 
 used in England more delicious than 
 the maize, or Indian corn, so common 
 in America. It is boiled when almost 
 ripe, and eaten from the cob with salt, 
 popper, and butter. The corn grows 
 without the least trouble, all over 
 Canada, and ripens quite as well as in 
 the tropics, and there is no reason why 
 it should not be grown iu England, at 
 least as far as the stage when it is 
 required to be used as a vegetable. 
 So long ago as 1829, Cobbett grew 
 Indian com and ripened it in his 
 garden in Surrey, and others have 
 since followed his example. We have 
 Eceii the common Indian com grown 
 and ripened without any diificulty, 
 merely as an experiment, in gardens 
 in the South of Ireland, and if its 
 excellence as a vegetable were more 
 known, it would surely become as com- 
 mon as cucumbers, vegetable marrows, 
 &c., which require more care in the 
 culture. Maize may be raised either 
 iu a slight hotbed ; or in the open 
 ground, about the middle of April, but 
 if the season be a late one the sowing 
 
 should be deferred until the first week 
 in May. It is a good plan to make 
 three or four sowings up to the middle 
 of May ; the earlier will, however, 
 generally prove the better plants. 
 
 To Gkow Maize in the Opex 
 Ground. — Mark a circular spot a foot 
 across, dig out the earth about six 
 inches ; in this make three holes, and 
 into each hole drop two grains of corn. 
 When they come up, draw out the 
 weakest plant, leaving the other; trans- 
 plant the weaker plants into a similar 
 round pit, and also those that have been 
 raised in the hot-bed. 
 
 The reason for making sunk beds to 
 receive the seed is, that the corn re- 
 quires earthing-up as it grows, and it is 
 better to avoid, if possible, making un- 
 sightly heaps round its stems ; also, the 
 surrounding earth proves a protection 
 to the plants in their most tender state. 
 The after cultivation of the two sow- 
 ings is the same ; during dry weatlur 
 liberal watering with weak manure 
 water, and earthing-up from time to 
 time as the plants progress. 
 
 To those totally unacquainted with 
 the appearance of the corn when grow- 
 ing, it may be stated that the bamboo- 
 like stem of some of the finest plants is 
 about two inches in circumference at 
 the base ; the leaves come in the form 
 of long ribbon-like grass, falling over 
 gracefully towards the stem. The 
 height of the tallest plants is about 
 seven feet to the extreme top of the 
 flower. The stem is jointed at equal 
 distances, about six inches apart ; it 
 tapers elegantly to its highest point, 
 and there throws out a cluster of flowers 
 greatly resembling a bunch of pale 
 green wheat. The centre flower shoots 
 straight up, the rest falling in a grace- 
 ful group around it. 
 
 While the flower is expanding, it 
 will be noticed that the stem has at 
 many of the lower joints become per- 
 ceptibly thicker, and on either side, 
 alternately, will be seen what appears 
 like a mass of closely-folded leaves. 
 This is the "cob," as it is called in 
 America, or, to use more English 
 phraseology, the ear of com. 
 
374 
 
 A Cake eaten in Peace, is worth two in Trouble. 
 
 As the flower comes to muturity, 
 and begins to shed its pollen, a mass of 
 filaments, very like a skein of beautiful 
 pale green floss silk, will appear at the 
 end of the leaves which enfold the cob. 
 When the threads have changed colour, 
 and begin to shrivel, the cob is ready 
 for cutting as a culinary vegetable. 
 It requires boiling from half to three- 
 quarters of an hour. 
 
 Each plant will bear from three to 
 seven cobs. The first which make 
 their appearance are nearest to the 
 flower, and the finest. The plant bears 
 only a leaf at each of the five topmost 
 
 i'oints ; and those of the plants which 
 lave only three cobs, usually have 
 these cobs much finer than the plants 
 that have five or seven. Many of the 
 plants grow with only one stem ; others, 
 when from about a foot and a half to 
 two feet high, throw out a shoot on 
 each side ; these should be cut away. 
 Those plants which have come without 
 side shoots, and those from which they 
 have been cut away, will bear the 
 finest cobs. The plants with the side 
 shoots left to grow are the most orna- 
 mental. As a vegetable, maize or In- 
 dian com is profitable, and to most 
 palates a great delicacy, and, as an 
 ornamental plant, no one can deny 
 its beauty. 
 
 Cakes made from In- 
 diaxi Corn. — Hoe Cakes. — Of 
 hoe cakes, all acquainted with " Uncle 
 Tom's Cabin," or nigger literature, 
 have heard. Hoe cakes, which are very 
 wholesome, are made by scalding any 
 quantity of Indian meal with half the 
 quantity of boiling water ; butter and 
 salt being added according to taste. 
 The cake is baked in a well-greased 
 tin, and a relish fit for any table Avill 
 be the result. 
 
 Indian Cakes. — A pourd of butter, 
 a pound and a half of sugar, six eggs, a 
 teaspoonful of ginger, and the same of 
 cinnamon ; three pounds and a quarter 
 of fine Indian meal, and a quarter of a 
 pound of flour. Bake in small tin 
 moulds, and eat when cold. 
 
 Johnny Cakes. — Make a thick bat- 
 ter of Indian meal, butter, and warm 
 
 water ; moiild it in the hand into small 
 cakes, rubbing a good deal of flour in 
 the hand to prevent their sticking. 
 These cakes are fried in butter or lard ; 
 when browned on one side, turn the 
 other. They take about twenty minutes 
 in cooking. Eat them hot, with butter 
 or treacle. 
 
 The Meal /or these cakes is ground 
 very fine, and dressed a second time, 
 thus removing part of the husks. This 
 makes it much more smooth and pala- 
 table than the common Indian meal. 
 
 Useful Receipts for 
 Cakes. — A Currant Pound Cake. 
 — Take one pound of best currants, 
 washed and dried ; one pound of sifted 
 sugar; one pound of dried and sifted 
 flour; and one pound of good fresh 
 butter, half a pound of citron, cut into 
 thin strips, and ten eggs well beaten, 
 yolks and whites separately ; wash the 
 butter with a wooden spoon in fresh 
 water, then squeeze it in a clean cloth, 
 beat it in a deep pan to a cream, then 
 add by slow degrees the other ingre- 
 dients, beating always the same way. 
 When they are all mixed in, add a largo 
 glass of brandy, with a teaspoonful of 
 lemon essence in it ; line a cake tin with 
 buttered paper, and bake in a quick 
 oven. 
 
 Almond Bride Cakes. — Take three 
 ounces of sweet almonds and half an 
 ounce of bitter ; blanch and pound them, 
 add a tablespoonful of ratafia, a quarter 
 of a pound of butter (creamed), a pound 
 of dried flour, and half a pound of sifted 
 sugar ; wet with M'hites of eggs, and 
 bake in buttered tins. 
 
 Derby Short Cakes. — Rub half a 
 pound of butter into one pound of flour, 
 and mix one egg, a quarter of a pound 
 of sifted sugar, and as much milk as 
 will make a paste., EoU it out thin, 
 and cut out the cakes with the top of a 
 wine-glass. Put the cakes on tin plates 
 strewed over with sugar, and bake for 
 ten minutes. 
 
 Scotch Short Bread. — Take two 
 pounds of dried and sifted flour ; mix 
 into a pound and half of it, a quarter of 
 a pound each of candied peel, sifted 
 sugar, and blanched s^eet almonds, cut 
 
/'// 7iiakc Assurance doubly sure, and take a Bond of Fate. 575 
 
 into small bits ; melt a pound of fresh 
 butter, and when cool, pour it into the 
 flour, ■working it up with the hands, 
 using the remainder of the flour to 
 work it with ; form it into a large 
 round nearly an inch thick, cut this 
 into four pieces, pinch each piece neatly 
 round the edge, strew carraway comfits 
 over the top, lay the pieces on -white 
 paper, floured, and then on baking- tins ; 
 bake in a moderate oven. 
 
 luisH Seed Cake. — Beat eight 
 ounces of fresh butter to a cream, mix 
 into it by degrees a pound of sifted 
 sugar, twelve ounces of dried flour, 
 nine eggs well beaten, a tablespoouful 
 of ratafia, an ounce of good whole carra- 
 way seeds, and a teaspoonful of lemon 
 essence ; bake in a tin lined with well- 
 buttered paper in a quick oven. 
 
 llicE Cake. — Take half a pound of 
 rice floiir, half a pound of best flour, 
 half a pound of powdered loaf sugar, 
 and seven eggs, the yolks and whites of 
 which must be well beaten separately, 
 the rind of a lemon grated, and half a 
 pound of butter. Beat all well together 
 for rather more than half an hour, butter 
 a pan, fill it, and bake for three-quarters 
 of an hour. 
 
 Cream Cakes. — The whites of three 
 eggs, one drop of essence of lemon, and 
 as much powdered sugar as will thicken 
 them ; whisk the whites to a dry froth, 
 then add the powdered sugar, a tea- 
 spoonful at a time, until the egg is as 
 thick as very thick batter. Wet a sheet 
 of white paper, place it on a tin, and 
 drop the egg and sugar on it in lumps 
 about the shape and size of a walnut. 
 Set them in a cool oven, and as soon as 
 the sugar is hardened take them out. 
 With a broad-bladed knife take them 
 ofi'the paper, place the flat parts of two 
 together, and put them on a sieve in a 
 very cool oven to dry. 
 
 Life Assurance. — The duty 
 of making provision for one's family is 
 of universal obligation, and is admitted 
 to be so by every class of the com- 
 munity. But, although the daily avo- 
 cations of mercantile or professional life, 
 may afford the head of a family the 
 means of performing this duty with 
 
 tolerable success, during a period of 
 health and activity ; it too often hap- 
 pens that the provision made does not 
 anticipate the contingency of death, by 
 which those for whom we so industri- 
 ously labour, may at any hour be 
 plunged in grief, rendered doubly bit- 
 ter not only by pecuniary troubles, but 
 perhaps by absolute want. No man 
 inspired with genuine affection for those 
 dependent on him, no man acquainted 
 with the duties incumbent upon him, 
 can regard, without anxiety, the very 
 possibility that such aggravated domes- 
 tic cidamity may befall those, for whoso 
 benefit he is daily toiling with anxious 
 solicitude. Now Life Assurance affords 
 a most just and admirable method of 
 warding off evils other\vise inevitable. 
 Happily this is so well known, tliat 
 arguments in evidence of it are unneces- 
 sary. But there is one question con- 
 nected with the subject of the deepest 
 importance, viz., the solvency and sta- 
 bility of the Company, Society, or 
 Association to which we trust for the 
 performance of the momentous objects 
 we have in view. Unquestionably, on 
 this subject, some legislative measuies 
 have been very greatly required ; and 
 we are happy to find that an Act of 
 I'arliament has recently been jjassed, 
 which we earnestly trust will be pro- 
 ductive of most beneficial results, its 
 title is " The Life Assurance Com- 
 panies Act, IS70," and its purpose is 
 to "Amend the Law relating to Life 
 Assurance Companies." This Act con- 
 tains 25 Sections, together with six 
 schedules, all expressly intended to as- 
 certain the stability of any Assurance 
 Companies that may in f utui-e be formed. 
 Referring our readers to the Act itself 
 for minute details, we shall content our- 
 selves with bringing under their notice 
 some of its more important provisions. 
 "Every company established after 
 the passing of this Act . . . shall 
 bu required to deposit the sum of 
 £20,000 with the Accountant-General 
 of the Comt of Chancery . . . and 
 the Accountant-General shall return 
 such deposit to the company so soon as 
 its life assurance fund accumulated out 
 
376 
 
 How far this Candle can shoiv his Beams ! 
 
 of the premiums shall have amounted 
 to £40,000." 
 
 The necessity of this deposit M'ill it- 
 self have a salutary eifect, but in addi- 
 tion to this, several of the other sections 
 of the Act are hardly less important. 
 The seventh section contains the fol- 
 lowing :— " Every company shall once 
 in every five years, if established after 
 the passing of this Act, and once every 
 ten years if established before the pass- 
 ing of this act, or at such shorter in- 
 tervals as may be prescribed by the 
 instrument constituting the company, 
 or by its regulations or by-laws, cause 
 an investigation to be made into its 
 financial condition by an actuary, and 
 shall cause an abstract of the report of 
 such actuary to be made in the form 
 prescribed in the fifth schedule to this 
 Act." 
 
 Before the end of 1872, and subse- 
 quently within nine months after each 
 investigation into its financial condition, 
 each company shall prepare a statement 
 of its life assurance and annuity business, 
 " in the form contained in the sixth 
 schedule to this Act." These statements 
 or abstracts are to be signed, printed, or 
 deposited with the Board of Trade, and 
 copies are to be given to " every share- 
 holder and policy holder of the com- 
 pany." A penalty of £50 will be in- 
 curred for every day during which any 
 conipanv does not comply with the 
 requirements of this Act, and any person 
 •who signs any statement or document 
 required by this Act, and which is in 
 any particular false, shall be liable on 
 conviction to fine and imprisonment, 
 " or on summary conviction thereof to 
 a penalty not exceeding fifty pounds." 
 These important provisions will, it 
 cannot be doubted, go far to render 
 future companies perfectly secure, and 
 the new enactment will therefore con- 
 fer upon the public an inestimable boon, 
 by rendering the provisions which the 
 insurer makes for one of the most im- 
 portant objects of his existence perfectly 
 certain. 
 
 "Age next birthday." This is one 
 of the questions which insurance ofiices 
 require those about to insure their lives 
 
 to reply to. Let us beg our readers to 
 consider the very great importance 
 which attaches to this question. In- 
 stances have occurred in which most 
 grievous hardship has been inflicted 
 upon the representatives of persons in- 
 sured, by oversight or mistake on this 
 subject; insurance ofiices have some- 
 times refused to pay policies, however 
 long they may have been kept up, 
 merely because no satisfactory evidence 
 could be obtained of the exact age of 
 the person deceased. Let us suggest 
 to our readers that all such injustice 
 and hardship can be rendered impossible 
 by having the age of the person insured 
 certified at the outset, and admitted and 
 endorsed on the policy itself. 
 
 Ozokerit Candles. — Wehave 
 no doubt that many of our readers, 
 particularly those of the fair sex, have 
 been sorely perplexed for some months 
 past, at the mysterious announcement 
 of " Ozokerit patented," which has oc- 
 cupied a prominent place in every 
 newspaper, magazine, and periodical of 
 any repute. Speculation has been rife 
 on the subject, and even bets have been 
 exchanged ; some holding that it 'Was a 
 scent, others a species of corn flour, a 
 disinfecting fluid, food for infants, and 
 it has even been averred that it was 
 some new and wonderful description 
 of sewing machine, that would cut out 
 and make clothes by itself, on simply 
 turning a handle. 
 
 Just before going to press, we find 
 that the proprietors have in some mea- 
 sure elucidated the mystery, but as 
 many of our readers, especially where 
 resident abroad, may not have seen this, 
 we shall try to give a proper explanation. 
 Ozokerit, then, is a new kind of candle, 
 patented and manufactured by Messrs. 
 J. C. and G. Field, from a new descrip- 
 tion of mineral wax, found in the Ural 
 and Carpathian mountains, the borders of 
 the Caspian Sea, Russia, and Persia. The 
 name "Ozokerit" is derived from the 
 Greek particle Ozo, "I smell of," and 
 Keros, " wax." The substance closely 
 resembles the pure spermaceti; it has 
 the bluish white flame of the parafiine, 
 but very much larger in volume, and as 
 
Hunger dares not enter the Working Woman s House. 377 
 
 it is not only extremely hard and un- 
 bending, but possesses illuminating 
 powers of extraordinary brillianc)', the 
 candle seems admirably adapted for use 
 in warm climates, assemblies, balls, &c., 
 ■whilst its moderate price, fifteen pence 
 a pound, places it ■within the roach of 
 all families, who do not, or may be un- 
 able to use gas. 
 
 Messrs. Field have been so eminently 
 successful in their previous improve- 
 ments in candles, that wo feel assured 
 the " Ozokerit Candle," like its prede- 
 cessors, will secure a large amount of 
 public favour. 
 
 Needlework. — Tattino ou 
 Fkivolite. — This is an old stylo of 
 work revived, and its principal merit 
 consists in the strength of the edgings 
 that are worked in it. The work can 
 be made of great fineness, but what it 
 gains in beauty it loses in strength ; it 
 is, however, fashionable, and is a grace- 
 ful mode of occupying white and deli- 
 cate bands. 
 
 The Imi'lements for tatting are an 
 ivorj' ortortoiseshcll shuttle, with a gilt 
 pulling pin and a ring attached to the 
 pin by a chain ; tliis pin is used for 
 drawing the thread through the little 
 loops called picots by which talting is 
 joined. 
 
 The Cotton may be any strong 
 and yet soft make; tine crochet or ma- 
 chine-sewing cotton is suitable for this 
 purpose. 
 
 The Stitch. — In ordinary tatting 
 there are tico stitches used to make o/ij 
 stitch ; it is therefore c:illed double 
 stitch, and consists of what are known 
 as French stitch and English stitch. 
 
 To itECiiN to learn to tat, fill the 
 shuttle with cotton in the same way 
 that a netting needle is filled, leave 
 about a yard or rather less of the end 
 loose ; take the cotton, a few inches from 
 the end, betM'een the first finger and 
 thumb of the left hand ; pass the cotton 
 over the first three fingers of that hind 
 and lay it across the end akcady under 
 the thumb, thenholdboth togetherunder 
 the thumb, allowing room for the fiee 
 movement ofthe three fingers nowunder 
 the cottonloop. Take the shuttle between 
 
 the first finger and thumb of the right 
 hand, let the cotton fall loojely over tiie 
 back of the left hand, and pass the 
 shuttle under the loop of cotton between 
 the first and second fingers of the left 
 hand, passing the shuttle frani you 
 under and \ipwards, then draw the 
 shuttle tight, and form the knot by the 
 left hand thread on the shuttle thread, 
 if this is not done the loop will not draw 
 up when finished; this forms the 
 French stitch, the one half of the 
 double stitch. Proceed then to form 
 tlie other half, the English stitch, in 
 the following manner : — Let the thread 
 fall towards you, jtul the shuttle over 
 the left hand thread, and pass it under 
 and downwards towards you between 
 the first and second fingers of the left, 
 hand, draw the shuttle tight as before ; 
 this forms one double stitch. 
 
 To MAKE A PicoT, iwist the purling- 
 pin in the left-hand thread close to thj 
 last-formed stitch, make a double, then 
 take out the pin, leaving a small loop 
 called a picot. 
 
 To joi.v the loops. Ilaving made a 
 picot in the first loop at the point of 
 jimction, when you come to a corre- 
 sponding stitch on the second loop, draw 
 with the pin, the left-hand thread 
 through the first picot, in a sufficiently 
 large loop to admit the shuttle, pass it 
 through, then draw the left hand thread 
 tight again and continue the work. 
 
 In wokkino with two threads, fill 
 the shuttle without cutting the thread 
 oS" from the reel ; the reel thread is used 
 in the connecting bars in several pat- 
 terns, particularly in edgings. 
 
 Tatting Edging, Ko 1. — This is 
 worked with a single thread, and forms 
 a trefoil. 
 
 First Oval. — Make a loop, and work 
 three double, one pieot three double, 
 one picot three double, one picot (two 
 double, one picot four times repeated) ; 
 three double, one picot, thiee double, 
 one picot, three double, draw up. 
 
 Second Oval. — Commence close to 
 last ; make a loop and work three double 
 into last picot of first oval, three double, 
 one picot, three double, one picot, (two 
 double one picot, six times), three 
 
378 
 
 How sad it is to sit and Pine, 
 
 double, one picot, three double, one 
 picot, three double, draw up. 
 
 Third Oval. — Three double, join into 
 last picot of last oval, and work the 
 same as first oval. Kow fasten off, and 
 commence as from first oval, but join 
 at the thirteenth double into fifth picot 
 of last oval, and continue as before. 
 Work the edge in crochet, with one 
 single chain into three picots of small 
 ovals, and two chain between each 
 oval 
 
 Tatting Edging, No 2. — This pat- 
 tern is worked with two threads. 
 
 First Oval. — Three double, one picot, 
 three double one picot, three double 
 (one picot, two double five times), three 
 double, one picot, three double, one 
 picot, three double, draw up tight. 
 Now take the reel thread, and work 
 on it six single, one picot, six single, 
 draw it up and commence another oval 
 with the shuttle thread, in this manner, 
 three double, join into last picot of last 
 oval, three double, join into next picot, 
 three double (one picot, two double five 
 limes), three double, one picot, three 
 double, one picot, three double, draw up 
 and lake up the reel thread as before. 
 
 Make an edge by working into the 
 first picots made by the reel thread one 
 single crochet, three chain, one single 
 crochet into the loop joining the oval. 
 
 Tatting Edging, No. 3. — This is 
 worked in two rows. First row double 
 thread, commence by making with the 
 shuttle thread first oval *, three double, 
 one long picot (thiee double one 
 picot four times), three double, one long 
 picot, three double, draw up. Now 
 work upon the reel thread, six single, 
 one picot, six single, draw up and com- 
 mence another oval, three double, join 
 into last long picot of former oval, three 
 double, one picot, three double, one long 
 picot, three double, draw up, and again 
 take up the reel thread and repeat from 
 first star. The second row or edge is 
 worked with double thread *, draw it 
 through first short picot of large oval, 
 and fasten, two double, one picot, two 
 double, one picot, two double, one picot, 
 two double, draw the shuttle thread 
 through next picot of oval, and continue 
 
 until four picots are filled, two double, 
 draw the shuttle thread through centre 
 picot of small oval, two double, and 
 repeat from *. The edge is worked in 
 crochet as in No. 1 . 
 
 Hints on Dinner-Table 
 Decorations. — The following ad- 
 mirable hints for dinner-table decora- 
 tion appeared some time ago in the 
 Queen newspaper. "We now present 
 them to our readers almost without 
 abbreviation. 
 
 " There are few houses now in which 
 dinners d la Russe have not gained 
 favour, either to the full or else to the 
 modified extent ; both require the table 
 to be prettily decorated with flowers, 
 ferns, and fruit, and oifer an excellent 
 opportunity for the good taste of the 
 owner to be displayed in arranging 
 them. "What a pleasant contrast a din- 
 ner-table of the present day offers to 
 those of our grandfathers, when the 
 eyes and nose were alike annoyed by 
 the ponderous coutses set before them ! 
 Now we have bright sweet flowers and 
 cool-looking ferns before us, with per- 
 haps a tiny fountain in the centre of the 
 table, or one of those loose blocks of 
 ice that have become so general and 
 fashionable an ornament Not only 
 are our eyes rested and gratified by the 
 sights and scents of some of nature's 
 most charming productions, but our 
 personal comfort is decidedly increased, 
 the temperature being kept much lower 
 by the hot dishes being away from the 
 table, and by the evaporations from the 
 flowers, fountain, or ice blocks. 
 
 " Perhaps a few hints on dinner-table 
 decorations may be found useful and 
 acceptable by those who take pleasure 
 (and who does not?) in seeing their 
 tables prettily arranged, and therefore I 
 place my experiences at their service. 
 Every one has heard of, and many have - 
 seen, those lovely "looking-glass" ■' 
 tables, in which a sheet of glass is ex- " 
 tended the whole length and width of 
 the table, only leaving sufficient room 
 for the plates, wine-glasses, &c. The 
 edges of this sheet of glass are hidden 
 by moss, with flowers placed in it ; or, 
 stiU prettier, by long wreaths of flowera 
 
The long Half-hour before we Dine. 
 
 179 
 
 and drooping leave?, placed in naiTow 
 green fin irays; these are about an 
 inuh wide, and, being filled with damp 
 sand, the flowers remain in their 
 natural brilliance for the whole even- 
 ing. This tabic, of course, was a costly 
 thing ; but a short time ago I saw a 
 modification of it, which is within the 
 reach of all. This M'as a round (or 
 oval, if it suits the table better) piece of 
 looking-glass, about two feet in diame- 
 ter, and encircled by a ring of brilliant 
 flowers and leaves ; the flowers were 
 placed in one of the green tin trays 
 that I have alluded to, which was about 
 two inches deep, and rather more in 
 width. These tiays can be made at a 
 very trilling cost by any worker in tin, 
 and should bo painted green before 
 being used. A very pretty centre for 
 the table might be arranged by placing 
 the piece of looking-glass on a stand, 
 and placing ring alter ring of flowers, 
 resting one on the inside edge of the 
 other, until a pyramid was formed, 
 concealing the wooden stand, and hav- 
 ing for its apex the lake of looking- 
 glass. 
 
 " Nearly every one has one or more of 
 those lovely clear glass vases, generally 
 known as " Exhibition" vases. Theso 
 universal favourites have but one fault, 
 but that is a terrible one — their fragile- 
 ncss. The least careless touch or vio- 
 lent shake, and the slender stem snaps. 
 There are now made similar vases in 
 laskctworlc, which, ^\■hile retaining all 
 the prettiness of their relatives the 
 glass ones, possess nothing of their 
 aptitude to break. They are lined with 
 tin, to hold the M'ater. A white painted 
 wicker one, with gold lines, would look 
 very pretty in the middle of a luncheon 
 table; or, for common use, plain M'hite 
 or brown wicker. Any basket shop, 
 too, will furnish prettily made baskets 
 with handles, and lined with tin. In 
 these you can place a small pot of 
 flowers or ferns, hiding all with plenty 
 of moss ; and they would look very 
 pretty on either end of a sideboard. At 
 Weston-super-Mare, near Bristol, there 
 is a manufactory of terra-cotta, well 
 worthy of being visited and examined 
 
 by all who like to have pretty things 
 for their pet plants, whether on tables, 
 in conservatories, or in gardens. Every 
 imaginable thing is made here ; but I 
 must especially mention the baskets, 
 flower-pots, and saucers for mosses and 
 ferns. The designs are beautiful, and 
 there is something in the colour of 
 terra-cotta which seems to set off the 
 lovely green of the ferns and mosses, as 
 well as the brighter hues of the flowers. 
 
 " There are all kinds of devices for 
 hiding the pots in which flowers are 
 growing when placed on a table. One 
 of the most useful things is certainly 
 the expanding cover, made of crossed 
 pieces of wood, and which will fit any 
 flower-pot. They can be bought al- 
 most everywhere, and for the trifling 
 sum of Is. to Is. 6d., so that they are 
 within the reach of all. However, 
 many people prefer to see the work of 
 their own hands before them, and for 
 their benefit I will mention one or two 
 other things for hiding the flower-pots. 
 One is very much like the expanding 
 covers 1 have just mentioned, but is 
 made of folded slips of letter paper, fast- 
 ened where they cross by tufts of scarlet 
 wool ; the letter paper is folded much 
 as if it was going to be made into 
 "lighters," only in four folds instead 
 of three. Another very easily made 
 one is done by cutting a sheet of thin 
 cardboard, or rough drawing paper, 
 into a little larger shape than the flower- 
 pot it is destined to cover ; close it at 
 the side, paint it dark green, and then 
 sew closely all over it bunches of that 
 pretty bright dark green moss that 
 can be bought very cheaply at any 
 florist's. Care must be taken that 
 the moss is thickly sewed on, and does 
 not show the cardboard. The effect is 
 excellent, and the cost trifling. Wire 
 flower-stands might have the sides 
 lined in a similar way. 
 
 " At some tables (though the fashion, 
 I am sorry to say, prevails more in 
 France than England) charming little 
 bouquets are laid on each guest's plate, 
 or placed in the champagne glass. 
 Every one seems pleased to receive such 
 a sweet welcome, and they are speedily 
 
38o 
 
 A new Broom stveeps Clean. 
 
 transferred to the dresses of their fair 
 recipients, or to the button-holes of the 
 sterner sex. As a gentleman now 
 hardly considers himself dressed "point- 
 device " without his button-hole bou- 
 quet, perhaps a few words on making 
 them up may be acceptable to my fair 
 readers. Provide yourself with plenty 
 of fine wire, and with this fix securely 
 the petals of any rose, rosebud, or 
 camellia that you may he going to use ; 
 driving the wire across the bottom of 
 the rose, straight through, and bringing 
 the ends of it down the stalk. For 
 geraniums, azaleas, &c., a drop of the 
 stiffest gum in the centre of each flower 
 will keep their bright petals from fall- 
 ing. Always hack the bouquet with 
 some leaves of the fancy-edged gera- 
 nium, then the rose or buds, or camel- 
 lia, or whatever you are going to use ; 
 then a tiny spray of maidenhair fern, 
 and some heliotrope or Parma violets, 
 or any little flowers that the season 
 may give you, and with another bit of 
 fern your bouquet is complete. Eound 
 each flower as you add it put a twist of 
 wire to keep all firm." 
 
 Brooms, or S^Areeping 
 Brushes.— These articles of house- 
 hold furniture, wbich are in constant 
 requisition, are made of various mate- 
 rials, such as cane, hair, whalebone, 
 &c., and are all too well known to 
 require specific description. Those 
 made of the inside of the canes called 
 rattan, after the outside has been 
 stripped off for the seats of chairs, are 
 very eff'ective and durable, and have 
 the merit of being cheap. One of the 
 most recent and ingenious inventions 
 is Kent's " Patent Champion Sweeper." 
 The brush, which is made of bristles, 
 is placed on a cylinder, and connected 
 with it are two rollers, by which it is 
 made to revolve as it is pushed over the 
 carpet. It sweeps the dust into a pan, 
 which is closed, so that the dust is col- 
 lected without being diffused over the 
 apartment. The contrivance is pre- 
 cisely similar in princij^le to the mow- 
 ing machine. It has the merit of being 
 ingenious, and is suitable to the pur- 
 pose of sweeping the dust where it is 
 
 particularly desirable that it should not 
 be scattered; but the instrument is 
 heavy, and servants are extremely apt 
 to let them get out of order. A modih- 
 cation of these s^veepers has been made 
 for the purpose of sweeping billiard 
 tables, which is said to be a complete 
 success ; and it supplies a want that 
 has long been felt, the difficulty of 
 sweeping the dust thoroughlj^ off a 
 billiard-table being very great, in con- 
 sequence of the dust and flue collecting 
 at the ledges and corners, in spite of 
 all the care that is taken to keep them 
 closely covered. 
 
 Crimping and Goffering 
 Machines. ^These pieces of me- 
 chanism have been invented for the 
 purpose of producing the plaiting or 
 fluting on friUs, with much greater 
 regularity and expedition than can pos- 
 sibly be done by the hand goffering 
 machines. The work is perfurraed by 
 grooved rollers, which are heated and 
 tiu-ned bj' the handle after the articles 
 to be plaited have been placed between 
 them. In the goffering machines the 
 grooves are larger and less regular than 
 in those used merely for crimping. 
 These machines are well adapted lo 
 those establishments where a large 
 quantity of such work has to be done, 
 but in private households they are 
 much less necessary. 
 
 Bellows. — The common bellows 
 is a well-known contrivance for blow- 
 ing the fire, and is not only simple and 
 ingenious, but of great antiquity. Its 
 structui-e is so familiar to us, that it is 
 hardly necessary to describe it. The 
 double bellows commonly used in a 
 forge has been occasional^ made for 
 domestic use, but it is found too heavy 
 for the purpose. It has the advantage 
 of producing a continuous stream of 
 air. Clarke's patent blower is a great 
 improv(Jiuent on the old-fashioned 
 bellows ; it is light and cheap, and 
 also produces a continuous blast, which 
 blows lip the fire much better than the 
 common instrument. 
 
 To make a Devil. — Cut up 
 thin slices of any cold meat, fowl, or 
 kidneys ; lay them in a shallow dish, 
 
What ! can the Devil speak true ? 
 
 381 
 
 and pour over them the following: 
 One teaspoonful of powdered mustard, 
 two teaspoonfuls each of Worcester 
 sauce and mushroom ketchup, one tea- 
 spoonful of Chili wine or vinegar, half 
 a teaspoonful of Cayenne, a teaspoonful 
 of salad oil, or small piece of butter if 
 there is no fat on the meat ; a teaspoon- 
 ful of lemon juice, and a wineglassful 
 of Claret or Burgundy. Set the dish 
 in the oven, and stir the meat about in 
 the same for a quarter of an hour. 
 
 To make a Grill. — Mix io a 
 teacup equal quantities of mustard, 
 ground pepper, and vinegar. Take the 
 legs and gizzard of a turkey, or some 
 beef or mutton bones. Slit the meat 
 down to the bone, and fill the slits with 
 this mixture, rub it well in all over the 
 meat, then broil over a very clear fire. 
 Yorkshire Pudding.— Break 
 a good-sized egg into a basin with 
 three tablespoonluls of flour, mix it 
 well, then add milk by degrees ; the 
 batter must be well blended, and about 
 the thickness of rich cream. Have the 
 tin ready with a little warm dripping 
 in it from the joint that is roasting. 
 Pour in the batter, then put it into the 
 oven for a quarter of an hour, to set it ; 
 take it out and lay it slanting towards 
 the fire under the joint for half an 
 hour. Pour oif the dripping and serve. 
 This recipe makes about a pint of 
 Yorkshu'e pudding. 
 
 Frangipani. — Take six bitter 
 and a handful of sweet almonds ; pound 
 them as fine as possible in a mortar 
 vvith a tablespoonful of rose water, add 
 a quaiter of a pound of powdered 
 sugar, a tablespoonful of flour, the 
 yolks of two eggs, half a lemon peel 
 grated fine, one spoonful of orange mar- 
 malade, and the same quantity of 
 chopped peel, and a little nutmeg : mix 
 all together with half a pint of good 
 cream. Line a baking tin with a thin 
 light paste, laying a thicker bit round 
 the edge, put in the preparation, bake 
 in a moderately hot oven for about 
 half an hour. 
 
 Cheese Strav/S. — Take a 
 quarter of a pound each of flour, butter, 
 grated Parmesan cheese, and a little 
 
 salt and cayenne pepper. Mix these 
 together with an egg. EoU out the 
 paste thus made about half an inch 
 thick, and cut it into strips about three 
 inches l<mg and half an inch broad. 
 Bake in a moderate oven, and serve, 
 piled on a napkin, hot. The same mix- 
 ture may he made into flat biscuits, in 
 fancy shapes, as a variety. 
 
 Fried Ramequins.— There 
 is no mode in which cheese is presented 
 at table so common as in ramequins, 
 which may be varied according to taste. 
 When fried, they are generally prepared 
 by putting into a stewpau a quarter of 
 a pound of rich cheese sliced thin, and 
 two ounces of butter. Shake the pan 
 round till they are melted and mixed ; 
 then add the frothed whites of three 
 eggs, beat all together ; put into the 
 frying-pan small squares of bread on 
 buttered paper ; poiir the mixture upon 
 the pieces of bread, lay them in butter 
 for five minutes, drain them on a nap- 
 kin, brown slightly with a salamander, 
 and serve hot. 
 
 Ramequins "with An- 
 chovy. — Put into a stewpan a quar- 
 ter of a pound of grated mild rich 
 cheese, a quarter of a po\md of butter, 
 an anchovy cut very small, and a glass 
 of white wine ; stir in, as it simmers, 
 two tablespoonfuls of floirr, or as much 
 as will form a paste ; then transfer the 
 paste to a pan, and beat up with it as 
 many beaten eggs as the paste will im- 
 bibe, without becoming too thin ; then 
 mould it into the form of small eggs, 
 brush over with egg, and bake a quarter 
 of an hour to a golden brown. 
 
 The Dormouse, and 
 how to keep it. — This gentle, 
 but rather stupid little pet, appears to 
 partake of the nature both of a squirrel 
 and a mouse ; in habits resembling the 
 former much more than the latter. 
 They are natives of the south of 
 Europe and north of Africa ; one 
 species only is indigenous in England. 
 They are very gentle, and easily tamed, 
 and are often kept for years in a cage ; 
 which, however, must he warm and 
 very clean. Their natural food is 
 beechmast, acorns, nutp, grain, &c. 
 
382 Physic is the Substitute for Exercise and Temperance. 
 
 They hybemate like squirrels, but on 
 mild days in winter they wake up and 
 take food. The floor of the cage should 
 be spread with fresh sand every day, 
 and the sleeping-box filled with soft 
 moss or dry grass. This should be fre- 
 quently changed. In winter, wool 
 should be added to the moss, and the 
 cage should stand in a moderately 
 heated room, as sudden changes of tem- 
 perature are often fatal to these little 
 creatures. When in confinement, their 
 food should mainly consist of hemp, 
 canary, and millet seed ; a nut (cracked), 
 occasionally an almond or two, a little 
 plain biscuit, and a little ripe friiit for a 
 treat. If unwell, a small portion of 
 white bread and milk may be given. 
 Dormice should be handled very gently, 
 as they are easily injured ; but, with care 
 as to temperature, cleanliness, and fresh 
 air and clean water, they will live for a 
 long time. 
 
 Remedy for Flies on 
 Horses. — As many of our readers 
 liave doubtless pitied their horses when 
 worried and tormented with flies, we 
 give the following remedy, which is 
 said to be an excellent one, from the 
 Journal of Chemistry: — Take two or 
 three small handfuls of walnut leaves, 
 upon which pour two or three quarts 
 of cold water ; let them infuse one 
 night, and pour the whole next morn- 
 ing into a kettle, and let them boil for 
 a quarter of an hour. When cold, the 
 mixture is fit for use. Before the horse 
 goes out of the stable, moisten a sponge, 
 and let those parts which are most 
 iiritable, be smeared over with the 
 liquor, namely, between and upon the 
 ears, the neck, the flanks, &c. Not 
 only the gentleman or lady who rides 
 out, will derive pleasure from the wal- 
 nut leaves thus prepared, but the coach- 
 man, ostler, waggoner, and all others 
 who use horses during the hot months, 
 will be delighted with the fragrance. 
 
 Epileptic Fits; or, as it is 
 commonly called, the Falling sickness. 
 This is a complicated disease of the 
 nervous system, which has been known 
 from the earliest times. 
 
 Symptoms, — The principal symptoms 
 
 of an attack are sudden loss of con- 
 sciousness and sensibility. The pn- 
 tient gives a loud piercing shriek or 
 groan, and falls to the ground, violently 
 convulsed and foaming at the mputh. 
 The tongue is frequently thrust out 
 and bitten, the eyeballs are rolling, the 
 pupils dilated and insensible to light, 
 the breathing is laborious, and some- 
 times almost ceases, the face becomes 
 flushed and congested, and the skin is 
 cold and clammy. As the attack passes 
 off the patient remains insensible, and 
 apparently in a deep sleep, with heavy 
 breathing or snoring. 
 
 Duration of Attacks. — The dura- 
 tion of an attack is from three or four 
 minutes to half an hour, or more, and 
 the frequency may be as great as two 
 or three in a day, ^A"llilst in other 
 cases months may intervene betweoii 
 the attacks. In many instances a curioua 
 sensation is felt creeping up the arm or 
 leg, giving warning that the fit is about 
 to come on. 
 
 As epilepsy is brought on by a variety 
 of causes, it will be necessary to seek 
 the aid of a physician ; but during the 
 duration of an attack the following 
 directions should be followed : — 
 
 Treatment. — The patient should be 
 laid on a bed, or on the floor, cart? 
 being taken to prevent his injuring 
 himself by the violence of the convul- 
 sions. Plenty of air is to be admitted 
 around him, his clothing should be 
 loosened, especially about the neck, 
 and a piece of cork or soft wood, it 
 possible, be piit between the teeth, ts 
 prevent the tongue being injured. 
 Dashing cold water over the head if 
 sometimes useful when the face is verv 
 much flushed. The popular plan of 
 giving salt is bad, and should be 
 avoided. 
 
 Saturnine Cerate for 
 Burns, &c. — Acetate of lead in 
 powder, two drachms ; white wax, two 
 ounces ; olive oil, half a pint. Melt 
 the wax in seven fluid ounces of the 
 oil ; then add gradually tho acetate of 
 lead, rubbed down with the remainder 
 of the oil, and stir the compound with a 
 wooden spatula till completely com- 
 
Throw Physic to the Dogs, I'll fione oj it. 
 
 383 
 
 bined. This ointment is an excellent 
 cooling application for inflamed sores, 
 excoriations, and burns. It ought to be 
 renewed night and morning. 
 
 Turner's Cerate. — Prepared 
 calamine and yellow wax, of each half 
 a pound ; olive oil, a pint. Melt the 
 wax, and mix the oil Nvith it, and add 
 the calamine as the mixtiiro cools, 
 stirring it constantly till it is cold. 
 This preparation is possessed of cooling 
 and healing properties, and is of much 
 use as applied to ulcers and bums after 
 the inflammation has subsided. 
 
 Balsams. — Feiak's Balsam. — 
 This preparation is compounded of ben- 
 zoin, purified storax, balsam of tolu, 
 socotorine aloes, and rectified spirits of 
 wine. It is stimulating to the lungs 
 and stomach, increases their tone, and 
 thus promotes expectoration. It is 
 useful in old coughs and asthmatic 
 complaints, but not adapted to recent 
 coughs. The dose is ti'om twenty to 
 forty drops, twice a day on sugar. This 
 medicine is well known to the druggist 
 under the name of Compound tincture 
 of Benjamin. It has been celebrated 
 also under the various names of Tur- 
 lington's Balsam, "Wade's Drops, Com- 
 mander's Balsam, and Jesuit's Drops. 
 
 Balsam of Honey. — Balsam of tolu, 
 one ounce ; gum storax, one drachm ; 
 purified opium, fifteen grains ; best 
 hone}', four ounces ; rectified spirits of 
 wine, one pint. Digest them together 
 for a week, and strain the liquor. This 
 prescription is of great use in colds and 
 habitual coughs, unaccompanied by 
 feverish symptoms. The dose is from 
 one to three teaspoonfuls occasionally. 
 i This medicine is understood to be 
 identical with what is known as Sir 
 John Hill's Balsam of Honey. 
 
 Electuarle s.— These are 
 chiefly mixtures of vegetable substances 
 combined with syrup or honey, so as to 
 be of a moderate consistence, neither 
 liquid nor solid. The object of such 
 preparations is to secure a vehicle, by 
 which medicines may be administered, 
 60 that their taste may be covered by 
 the mixture with which they are com- 
 bined. 
 
 Aperient Electuary.— Cream of 
 tartar, one ounce ; milk of sulphur, one 
 ounce; sub-borateof soda, two drachms 
 and a half; syrup of ginger, of suiR- 
 cient quantity to give the required 
 consistence. The dose is one or two 
 teaspoonfuls at bedtime. This will be 
 found a mild and exceUent laxative, 
 and often is of great use in uterine 
 obstructions. 
 
 Lenitive Electuary. — The mode 
 of preparing this electuary is the fol- 
 lowing : — Take of the best senna leaves 
 reduced to a fine powder, four ounces ; 
 pulp of prunes, one pound; pulp of 
 cassia, a quarter of a pound ; pulp of 
 tamarinds, three ounces ; treacle, a pint 
 and a half; essential oil of carraway, 
 two drachms. Boil the pulps with the 
 treacle to the consistence of honey, add 
 the senna, and when the mixture is 
 nearly cold, add the oil of carraway, 
 and, lastly, mix the compound tho- 
 roughly. This preparation is a mild 
 aperient, suited to constipation from 
 whatever cause. It is admirably suited 
 to children and delicate persons. United 
 with an equal quantity of flowers of 
 sulphur, it is an admirable remedy for 
 piles. The dose is from one to three 
 teaspoonfuls at bedtime. 
 
 Lemon Kali. — To make the 
 lemon kali, take one pound of powdered 
 w hite sugar, half a pound of bicarbonate 
 of soda, half a pound of citric acid 
 powdered, and half a drachm of essence 
 of lemon. Sift the whole well together, 
 and put it into dry, wide-mouthed 
 bottles. Tartaric acid may be used, but 
 it is inferior to the citric acid. Much 
 depends also on the freshness of the 
 essence of lemon, and on the careful 
 exclusion of damp from the mixture. 
 
 Cough Mixture.— Honey, 
 five ounces ; treacle, a quarter of a 
 poxmd ; best vinegar, seven ounces. 
 Mix these ingredients, and let them 
 simmer for fifteen minutes, and when 
 the mixture is milk-warm, add two 
 drachms of ipecacuanha wine. Dose : 
 a tablespoonful every four hours. This 
 mixture deserves the high repute it 
 possesses. It is well adapted for child- 
 ren, the taste being agreeable. 
 
384 Roses grow on Thorns, and Honey zvears a Sting. 
 
 Conservatory Gas- 
 boilers. — The great demand for gas 
 as an agent for lighting purposes, has 
 probably had some influence in prevent- 
 ing even the most ingenious persons 
 from rendering the heating properties 
 of gas as available for domestic uses as 
 its illuminating qualities confessedly 
 are. This important object, however, 
 has for some time been attracting atten- 
 tion, and various contrivances, more or 
 less ingenious, have been adopted to 
 accomplish it. Among these the " Non- 
 pareil" gas boiler and hot-water appa- 
 ratus, and the " Nonpareil " gas oven, 
 made by Mr. Shrewsbury of Lower 
 Norwood, deserve special attention. The 
 first of these inventions appears to be 
 extremely well adapted to a number of 
 useful purposes, in connection with 
 household economy, such as the heat- 
 ing of conservatories and vineries ; 
 warming halls, counting-houses, har- 
 ness-rooms, &c. These boilers can 
 either be fixed outside the conservatory 
 (which maybe done without any brick- 
 work), or they can be fitted to the pipes 
 of the ordinary coke boiler without dis- 
 turbing it. They use up all the heating 
 properties of the gas, thus preventing 
 waste ; and as the burner causes no 
 smoke, it consequently does not reqiiire 
 frequent cleaning. Eeing free from 
 smell, or escape of gas, they are ad- 
 mirably suited for indoor use. Dr. 
 Letheby, referring to this gas boiler, 
 makes the following remark : — " It is 
 a very economical appai'atus, and is evi- 
 dently well suited for warming rooms 
 and conservatories." 
 
 The gas oven is also an apparatus 
 on which miich skill and ingenuity 
 have been successfully expended. 
 The gas is not introduced inaide the 
 oven, and thus all danger of any 
 deposit of carbon, or any smell in 
 the oven of half-consumed carburetted 
 hydrogen, is completely prevented, and 
 the process of roasting or baking is 
 carried on not only most effectively, 
 but with remarkable economy. It 
 may be added that the oven has re- 
 ceived the approval of Dr. Letheby as 
 ■«"ell as the boiler above referred to. 
 
 Propagating Fruit and 
 Rose Trees. — There is a success- 
 ful method of propagating rose, apple, 
 pear, and apricot trees not generally 
 known. The operation should be per- 
 formed in the month of June. Take 
 fresh and vigoroiis cuttings of last year's 
 growth, bend them in the form of a bow, 
 and place them in the earth with the 
 centre, or bent part upwards, just on a 
 level with the surface, at which point 
 there should be a bud or shoot, which is 
 the only part to be exposed to the air. 
 The other parts, covered by the earth, 
 form roots that feed the bud, which 
 soon starts into leaf. The mode of 
 setting them is to make two drills, 
 about three inches apart, with a ridge 
 between, over which bend the cutting, 
 and sink an end down into each drill, 
 pressing the earth very firmly ; then 
 water freely. They may be put out in 
 the open air, and do not require shades. 
 This method has been tried, and found 
 very successful ; and other kinds of 
 trees and shrubs can be struck in the 
 same manner. 
 
 Perfumes. — Natural perfumes 
 are not only the most healthful, but are 
 the least costly. The science of che- 
 mistry has introduced among our artifi- 
 cial perfumes, many substances of an 
 oifensive nature in their natural state. 
 The artificial oil of bitter almonds, 
 now largely employed in perfuming 
 soap and flavouring confectionery, is 
 prepared from the fetid oils of gas 
 tar. 
 
 Blany a fair forehead is damped with 
 eau-de-millefleurs, without knowing 
 that its essential ingredient is derived 
 from the drainage of cow-sheds ! The 
 oil of apples is made from fetid fussel 
 oil ; and the oil of pineapples from 
 a chemical treatment of putrid cheese. 
 Yet there are many chemical perfumes 
 that are unobjectionable, owing to the 
 similarity of the elements of the sub- 
 stances from which they are elaborated, 
 to those that are found in a state of 
 nature. Thus the oil of lemons, 0/ 
 roses, rosemary, &c., are identical in 
 composition with the oils of turpentine 
 and copaiba. 
 
Home is Home, be it ever so Homely. 
 
 385 
 
 Cleanliness for Plants. — 
 
 Frequently the cause of the languidness 
 of plants in rooms, arises from want of 
 care in cleansing the leaves. Plants 
 breathe hy their leaves, which should 
 be kept perfectly clean, otherwise their 
 respiration is interfered with. The mere 
 watering of the roots is not enough. 
 Plants also perspire by their leaves, 
 and any accumulation of dirt and dust 
 letards this useful function. Plants 
 also feed by their leaves, by absorbing 
 the carbonic acid of the atmosphere ; 
 and, to speak familiarly, dirt destroys 
 both their appetite and digestion Let 
 any one examine a sickly plant, long 
 kept in a sitting room, or draw a piece 
 of white linen or leather over the sur- 
 face of the leaves, and he will probably 
 discover the cause of the plant's droop- 
 ing. 
 
 The Home of Taste.— It is 
 easy to be neat and to be clean, and these 
 are two leading charms of domestic life. 
 How easy it is to arrange rooms with 
 graceful propriety ! Elegance resides 
 not with the draper or the upholsterer ; 
 it is not put up with the hangings and 
 curtains ; it is not in the carpetings, the 
 furniture, or the ornaments. These 
 may be all oppressive and cheerless, if 
 the presiding spirit be not neat, cheer- 
 ful, and given constantly to those little 
 handyworks that impart brightness to 
 the surroundings of daily life, though 
 the acts themselves may be so simple 
 and easy as to excite little observation. 
 
 News from Home! — "We 
 have long enjoyed penny postage, and 
 now, under certain restrictions, but 
 vouchsafing to us great privileges, comes 
 halfpenny postage. From east to west, 
 from south to north, a halfpenny will 
 henceforward convey printed news, 
 while a penny Avill, as hitherto, frank 
 the written confidings of friendship or 
 love. "Who can estimate the great 
 moral resiilts that may spring from 
 cheap and rapid postal communication? 
 How many a father is comfurted on 
 his journey of life ; how many a son is 
 reminded of the hope of liis childhood ; 
 how many a married daughter feels 
 herself again amidst the happy circle 
 
 of her younger years ? Let news /row 
 home, and news for home, henceforth 
 weave the ties of our existence, and 
 keep our hearts in fond response. 
 
 The Best Promises.— The 
 best promises are those that are sincerely 
 made, and faithfully kept. There are 
 some people of whom the young and in- 
 experienced need to be warned. There 
 are the sanguine promisers, who, from 
 a foolish custom of fawning upon those 
 they meet, have acquired a habit of 
 promising to do great kindnesses, which 
 they have no thought of performing. 
 There are others who, while they lavish 
 their promises, have some thought of 
 performing what they engage to do; 
 but, when the time of performance 
 comes, the sanguine and benevolent fit 
 being gone off, the trouble or expense 
 appears in another light ; the promiser 
 cools, and the expectant is painfully 
 disappointed. Never promise without 
 consideration ; and always perform 
 what you promise. 
 
 Education consists too much in 
 naming things, when it should relate 
 more to their properties and uses. If 
 we instruct children orally while con- 
 templating nature, we impart ideas 
 that render names and facts doubly 
 interesting. The teacher should take 
 occasion to give instruction in gardens, 
 fields, by the side of rivers, lakes, 
 ponds, &c. He should speak of the 
 various objects seen, and invite from 
 the children inquiries, and endeavour 
 to perfect their impressions. "Walking 
 and talking lessons will do much to 
 enlarge and strengthen the youthful 
 mind, and form a pleasing relief to the 
 formal routine of the schoolroom. By 
 these lessons the foundations of cha- 
 racter are frequently laid, and no sub- 
 sequent influences can destroy them. 
 Linnaeus was the son of a poor Swedish 
 clergyman. His father had a little 
 flower garden, in which he cultivated 
 all the flowers which his means or tastt 
 could select. Into his flower garden he 
 introduced his child from infancy, and 
 thus created the taste in Linnoeus, 
 which afterwards made him the first 
 botanist and naturalist of his time. 
 
386 If Ladies be but Young and Fair, they have the Gift to know it. 
 
 Seek to Discover Some- 
 thing. — The details of the deplorable 
 war between France and Prussia have 
 served to show how active certain 
 minds have been in the study of im- 
 plements and chemical agents of de- 
 struction. Needle guns, breech-load- 
 ing cannon and rifles, chassepots, mit- 
 traUleuses, and various explosive and 
 life-destroying compounds, bear ample 
 testimony to the industry of a class 
 of people, who devote their minds 
 towards the construction of destruc- 
 tive implements. 
 
 To discover works of good, promo- 
 tive of peace or industry, is a far 
 worthier occupation. The electric tele- 
 graph, photography, chloroform, gas, 
 and various economic oils, the appli- 
 cation of vegetable fibres to the manu- 
 facture of paper, &c., are among the 
 later triumphs of pacific inventions. 
 'I'lie various kinds of nutritious food 
 now being introduced, if not actual 
 discoveries, are at least new and ex- 
 tended applications, tending to supply 
 the wants of the ever-increasing human 
 family. 
 
 The great laboratory of nature is 
 doubtless far from exhausted. And 
 though we cannot all be discoverers 
 and inventors, we may contribute to 
 human progress by intelligent obser- 
 vation, and by friendly encouragement 
 to those who plod upon the pathway of 
 discovery, although they may not be 
 successful in their first steps. Most 
 young people have great respect for 
 men of science, and are apt to think 
 that it is impossible that they can e-\'er 
 know as much as Doctor or Professor 
 So-and-so. 
 
 All the persons whose knowledge is 
 now wondered at were once as ignorant 
 as any one Avho reads this, if you 
 desire to become learned about natural 
 things — the rocks, trees, animals, and 
 the like — you must, in the first place, 
 learn to use your eyes, or make obser- 
 vations, as they are callei. One of the 
 most celebrated naturalists of his time 
 once said, in speaking of some of his 
 discoveries, "AU I had to do was to 
 look and see how things were foimed." 
 
 Hints to Young Ladies. 
 
 — Men who are worth having want 
 tromen for their wives. A bundle of 
 gewgaws, bound with a string of flats 
 and quavers, sprinkled with eau-de- 
 Cologne, and set in a carmine saucer, 
 is no help for a man ■who expects to 
 bring up a family upon substantial 
 bread and meat. The piano and croquet 
 are good in their places, and so are 
 beads, falls, and frills ; but you cannot 
 make a dinner nor a bed out of either ; 
 and both dinner and bed are necessary 
 to domestic happiness. Life has its 
 realities as well as its fancies, but these 
 are too often made a matter of deco- 
 ration; the curtains and tassels may 
 be thought of, but the bedstead is for- 
 gotten. Suppose a young man of good 
 sense, and of course of good prospects, 
 to be looking for a wife — what chance 
 have you to be chosen? You may 
 catch him, but how much better for 
 him to make it an object to catch you ! 
 Bender j'-ourself worthy of being won, 
 and then you will find that honourable 
 and worthy candidates will aspire to 
 the possession of the prize. 
 
 Economical Wives. — A 
 young married woman, who has not had 
 the opportunity of 2>rofiting by the ad- 
 vice and example of a good mother, will 
 find some difiicultj' at first in applying 
 her household money to the best advan- 
 tage ; for there is really an art in spend- 
 ing money. Some women will keep 
 house respectabljr on one third less 
 money than will be required by others, 
 j'ct without either meanness or illiberal 
 dealing. But to do this, judgment, 
 forethought, and experience are neces- 
 sary. One woman will be able to tell 
 yoxi to a shilling what her housekeeping 
 costs, while another cannot guess at it. 
 The former has method and regularity 
 and a certain sum assigned to her; 
 while the latter is all hap-hazard — it 
 comes and goes, and she knows not 
 how. And this is almost sure to be the 
 case if the money is doled out by her 
 husband, instead of being given in one 
 sum to the extent of his means. True 
 economy is a sound understanding 
 brought into action; it is calculation 
 
She is a Wife, think what a Wife should be, and She is that. 387 
 
 realized ; it is the doctrine of propor- 
 tion reduced to practice ; it is the fore- 
 seeing of contingencies, and providing 
 against them ; it is expecting emer- 
 gencies, and being prepared for them. 
 
 Little Things. — Springs are 
 little things, but they are sources of 
 large rivers and lakes ; a helm is a little 
 thing, but it governs the course of a 
 ship ; nails, screws, pins, and pegs are 
 little things, but large things could 
 scarcely be constructed without them. 
 A word, a look, a frown, a smile, a 
 tear, are all apparently little things, 
 but they exert mighty influence. 
 
 Brothers and Sisters.— 
 The character of young men depends 
 much upon that of the young women 
 with whom they associate. If the 
 latter are cultivated, intelligent, and 
 accomplished, young men will feel the 
 requirement that they themselves 
 should be upright and gentlemanly ; 
 but if their female friends are frivo- 
 lous and silly, young men will be found 
 dissipated and worthless. A sister 
 is the best guardian of her brother's 
 integrity. She is the surest inculcator 
 of faith in female purity and worth. 
 As a daughter, she is the true light of 
 home. The pride of the father oitenest 
 centres in his sons, but his affection 
 is expended on his daughters. 
 
 Husbands and Wives. 
 — The Husband. — The power of a 
 husband to make his wife happy, or 
 the reverse, is quite as great. A good 
 temper, a determination to leave care 
 as much as possible at his place of busi- 
 ness, a disposition to avoid assuming 
 lordly authority, ai e great qualifications 
 very easily cultivated. A handsome 
 husband must become plain sooner or 
 later ; a rich one may become poor ; a 
 talented one may find his abilities under- 
 estimated ; but a husband with an 
 amiable temper always continues the 
 same, and rarely disappoints those who 
 rest upon him. If to his good temper 
 he adds good sense, he will be sure to 
 make his wife happy. It is not the 
 man of showy qualities who will make 
 the existence of his wife pleasant ; it is 
 he who has common sense and a good 
 
 heart. The qualities that wear well, 
 not those that dazzle, are the qualities 
 for domestic life. These truths, though 
 self-evident, are apt to be forgotten. 
 The preceding remarks are far from 
 exhausting the relative duties of hus- 
 bands and wives ; they convey a few 
 simple lessons, the study of which will 
 go a long way towards the promotion of 
 domestic happiness. 
 
 The Wife. — Marriage should be con- 
 sidered as the most solemn league of 
 perpetual attachment ; a state from 
 which artifice and concealment are to 
 be banished for ever ; and in which 
 every act of dissimulation is a breach 
 of faith. This should be equally im- 
 pressed upon husbands and wives. The 
 power of a wife for good or evil is 
 incalculable. A good wife is to a man 
 wisdom, courage, strength, and en- 
 durance ; a bad one is confusion, 
 weakness, discomfiture, and despair. 
 No condition is hopeless when the 
 wife possesses firmness, decision, and 
 economy. There is no outward pros- 
 perity which can counteract indo- 
 Itmce, extravagance, and folly at home. 
 Man delights in enterprise and in ac- 
 tion ; he expends much of his moral 
 force in conflicts with the world, but 
 to sustain him he needs a tranquil 
 mind and a whole heart. Home should 
 therefore be to him a place of repose and 
 cheerfulness ; and under these influ- 
 ences his soul renews its strength again, 
 and he goes forth with fresh vigour to 
 encounter the labour and trouble of 
 the world. But if at home he finds 
 no rest, is met with bad temper, and 
 unfeeling reproaches, the love of home 
 vanishes. Command a husband's at- 
 tention by being attentive to him ; 
 never exact anything, and you will 
 obtain much. Appreciate a husband's 
 attentions, and his kindness will not 
 weary. A wife may have more sense 
 than her husband, but she should not 
 appear to know it. The female character 
 should, from its earliest formation, be 
 moulded to its important duties as the 
 friend and improver of man. This is 
 not slavery, it is exalted duty, and will 
 rarely faU to bring its own reward. 
 
388 To Each, to All, a fair good Night, 
 
 And pleasing Dreams, and Slumbers light. 
 
 THE CLOSING OF THE VOLUME. 
 
 As leaf "by leaf, so day by day, 
 
 The story of our Life speeds fast ; 
 Our eyes grow dim, our locks turn grey; 
 
 Yet Memory enshrines the past, 
 And peaceful years reward the Sage 
 
 Who leaves of Works good trace behind ; 
 Whose virtues gild each thoughtful Page, 
 
 Adorning Life, as Heaven designed. 
 
 II. 
 
 Dark tempests gather round the Soul 
 
 That heeded not a guiding Star, 
 iN'or watched the index to the Pole 
 
 Which points our Destinies afar. 
 From ev'ry Wind of Heaven that blows. 
 
 From each bright Orb that shines above, 
 From waking Morn to Eve's repose, 
 
 Come Lessons of Creative love ! 
 
 III. \ 
 
 \ 
 
 Could we but read, when Life began, » 
 
 The Story that our deeds will frame, % 
 
 How righteously each heart would plan, f 
 
 To shun the toils of Sin and Shame ! 
 God for our Guide, Love for our Creed, • ) 
 
 And Truth our ever-constant Friend — 
 Then Peace would close our days indeed, 
 
 And " BEST OF EVERYTHING," our_End ! 
 
ANALYTICAL INDEX. 
 
 A. PAOB 
 
 Abecedarian council, The 369 
 
 Abergele, Notes on 170 
 
 Abernethy biscuits 275 
 
 Aberystwith, Notes on 177 
 
 Accidents by Coach 23 
 
 By Railway 23 
 
 Accommodation bills, Law of 46 
 
 Acrostic, The 145 
 
 Actinias, or sea-anemones 119 
 
 Addresses of letters 221 
 
 Advertising, Hints on 193 
 
 Adulterations of Food : — 
 
 Methods of 330 
 
 Motive for 330 
 
 To detect 331 
 
 Punishment for 331 
 
 Cayenne pepper 331 
 
 Pickles 331 
 
 Wheat flour 330 
 
 Aids to memory 212 
 
 Air, Atmospheric 105 
 
 Breathinp; 105 
 
 Constant supply of fresh 1<'5 
 
 Frequently breathed 105 
 
 Ventilation li 5 
 
 Album, To fix photographs in 343 
 
 Aldborough, Notes en 157 
 
 Ale, Toripen 2 2 
 
 Allspice *5 
 
 Almond bride-cakes 37i 
 
 Almoud emulsion 183 
 
 Alum water 298 
 
 Aloes, Compound decoction of 182 
 
 Amateur acting. Hints on 30a 
 
 Auditorium, The 310 
 
 Costumes lor 31 1 
 
 Curtain, The 310 
 
 Lights, The 311 
 
 Plays, The 311 
 
 Side scenes, The 311 
 
 Stage, The 310 
 
 Amber pudding 324 
 
 American butter sauce 2'JJ 
 
 American drinks 150 
 
 Gin cocktail 150 
 
 Gin sling 15'> 
 
 Mint julep 15 J 
 
 Sherry cobbler 150 
 
 Ammoniacal liniment 1 17 
 
 Anagram, The 250 
 
 Angling, Art of. 121 
 
 Bait, fishing-rods, and tackle 121 
 
 Barbel .'. 12> 
 
 Bream l.;2 
 
 Carp 122 
 
 Chub 122 
 
 Dace 122 
 
 Fly fishing 13-i 
 
 Grayling 122 
 
 Gudgeon 121 
 
 Perch 122 
 
 Angling, Art of (continued) — Plan 
 
 Pike 123 
 
 Roach 121 
 
 Salmon 131 
 
 Tench 122 
 
 Trout 135 
 
 Fly fishing for 135 
 
 Animal food, General remarks 36 
 
 For invalids 36 
 
 Animal Poisons 266 
 
 Ankle, sprained. To treat 53 
 
 Annuities, Law of 220 
 
 Anodyne lotion 298 
 
 Plaster 117 
 
 Ants, To destroy 88 
 
 Appetite, Cure for the loss of 189 
 
 Apple, the, To cultivate 192 
 
 To preserve during winter 222 
 
 Apple cheese. To make 163 
 
 Jelly, To make 133 
 
 Water 77 
 
 Apple paring machine 12t 
 
 Apprentice and master. Law of 134 
 
 Apricot marmalade 163 
 
 Wine 198 
 
 April, Month of 33 
 
 Aquarium, The 138 
 
 Fresh-water 140 
 
 Marine 139 
 
 Sea water for 140 
 
 Archery, Notes on 148 
 
 Arrow, The 149 
 
 Articles required 148 
 
 Bow, To draw 148 
 
 To preserve 148 
 
 To string 148 
 
 Tounstring 148 
 
 Practice of 148 
 
 Score, The 149 
 
 Target, The 149 
 
 Archery and croquet party. To manuge 149 
 
 Arcliimedean lawn-mower 165 
 
 Ardrossan, Notes on 179 
 
 Aromatic tinctures 215 
 
 Arrowroot, Remarks on 100 
 
 Blancmange 100 
 
 Custard 100 
 
 Jelly 156 
 
 Pudding ^ 100 
 
 Boiled 183 
 
 Sauce 293 
 
 Snow cakes 100 
 
 Artichokes, To boil 71 
 
 To fry 71 
 
 To ragout 71 
 
 Artificial asses' and goats' milk 119 
 
 Another way 119 
 
 Gems 31 
 
 Fuel 32 
 
 Light, home-made gas, &.c 30 
 
 Asparagus, To boil 71 
 
 Assignment, Law of. 2.59 
 
390 
 
 Index. 
 
 PAGB 
 
 Astringent decoctions 182 
 
 lotion 298 
 
 Powder 298 
 
 Asthma, or hay fever 180 
 
 Athole brose, To make 28 
 
 Attachment, Lord Mayor's 239 
 
 August, Month of 161 
 
 Australian meat, To dine for a penny ... 12 
 
 To preserve 12 
 
 Autumn (PoeCry) 193 
 
 Aviary, The 217 
 
 Canaries 218 
 
 Breeding of 219 
 
 Mules 219 
 
 Goldfinches, sisliins, &c 219 
 
 B 
 
 Bacon, To choose 35 
 
 Backgammon, Game of 307 
 
 Implements for 307 
 
 Mode of playing 308 
 
 Bagatelle, Game of 269 
 
 Bait for angling 1?' 
 
 Baking of meat, General remarks d7 
 
 Calf's head 68 
 
 heart 68 
 
 Leg of beef 68 
 
 Ox cheek 68 
 
 Eump 68 
 
 Ballater, Notes on 210 
 
 Balm tea 156 
 
 Balsam for hair 287 
 
 Friar's 383 
 
 Honey 383 
 
 Banks, Savings 203 
 
 Post Office Savings 203 
 
 Bankers' cheques, Law of 123 
 
 Bankruptcy, New law of 17 
 
 Barbel, To catch 122 
 
 Barley, Nutritive qualities of 99 
 
 Cream, To make 12 
 
 Decoction, Compound 181 
 
 Simple 181 
 
 Bath, Notes on the town of 207 
 
 Baths, Cold 51 
 
 Hot 52 
 
 Shower 51 
 
 Tepid 51 
 
 Turkish 52 
 
 Vapour 52 
 
 Warm 51 
 
 Bathing, Sea 50 
 
 Beans, Kidney 71 
 
 Bedsores 118 
 
 Bed and table linen. To wash 126 
 
 Beef, Tochoose 35 
 
 Brisket, To boil 40 
 
 CoUops 259 
 
 Collops, Minced (Scotch) 259 
 
 Hashed, To cook 259 
 
 Legof, To bake 68 
 
 Minced 260 
 
 Oi 36 
 
 Eissoles 259 
 
 Eump, To bake 68 
 
 Bump, Stewed 100 
 
 Steaks, To broil 67 
 
 Beef (continued) — pagb 
 
 Steak rolls 11 
 
 Steaks, To fry 68 
 
 Steaks, Stewed 100 
 
 Toroast 37 
 
 Beef tea. To make 11 
 
 Beer cup. To make 150 
 
 Beer, To manage 63 
 
 Bees and Beekeeping 82 
 
 Drone 82 
 
 Enemies of 108 
 
 Food for 108 
 
 Hints on 107 
 
 Natural history of 82 
 
 Pasturage for 107 
 
 Position of hives 107 
 
 Queen, or mother 82 
 
 Robbers of 108 
 
 Stings, to cure 119 
 
 Sunshine and shadow for 107 
 
 Swarming 83 
 
 Water supply for 107 
 
 Working 82 
 
 Beetroot, To cook 71 
 
 BeUows, for the fire 380 
 
 Bengal Chutney 196 
 
 Curry powder 261 
 
 Meat for. To cook 261 
 
 Eicefor 262 
 
 Benrhydding, Notes on 209 
 
 Bezique 73 
 
 Game of 73 
 
 Aces and Tens 73 
 
 Declaring 73 
 
 Diminished score 73 
 
 Hints to learners 73 
 
 Lasttrick 73 
 
 Packs required, &e 73 
 
 Playing 73 
 
 Scoring 73 
 
 Variations 73 
 
 Bicycle and velocipede, The 110 
 
 Billiards, Game of 242 
 
 General principles of 243 
 
 Object ot game 242 
 
 Rules of 244 
 
 Baulk line 243 
 
 Technical terms used in 243 
 
 Pool, Game of 245 
 
 Rules of 246 
 
 Single 246 
 
 Pyramids 246 
 
 Rules of 247 
 
 Billiards, American game of 247 
 
 Baulk for 247 
 
 Bills of Exchange, Law of. 123 
 
 Of sale. Law of 46 
 
 Blackberry wine. To make 198 
 
 Black cloth, To remove stains from 26 
 
 Black eye, "To cure 160 
 
 Black pepper, Retort of 8 
 
 Blackpool, Notes on 160 
 
 Blancmange, rice. To make 183 
 
 Bleeding from the nose, Best treatment 75 
 
 Blindness 263 
 
 A great calamity 264 
 
 Printing for 264 
 
 Boating 91 
 
 Best length of stroke 93 
 
Judex. 
 
 391 
 
 Boating (continued)— ^^ ^.^ 
 
 Backing go 
 
 Holdingwater "„ 
 
 Keeping of stroke ""* 
 
 Beet styleof 
 
 Time 
 
 Learning to row 
 
 Manoeuyres 
 
 Outrigger boat "J 
 
 ScuUingboat ^J 
 
 Rowing boat „„ 
 
 Paddling ^r. 
 
 Rowing gJJ 
 
 93 
 93 
 92 
 93 
 91 
 
 Sculling , 
 
 Body linen. To wash *- 
 
 Boiler, Slow combustion 
 
 Boiling, General remarks J» 
 
 Meat to be put in boilmg water *) 
 
 Meat to be boiled slowly ^^ 
 
 Time allowed ^ 
 
 Pot, Toskim T^ 
 
 Vegetables ^ 
 
 Round of beef. 7k 
 
 Veal - % 
 
 Calf's head ^ 
 
 Ham Ap. 
 
 Leg of lamb T, 
 
 Mutton '^ 
 
 Rabbit • -^ 
 
 Fish, General remarks.. *^ 
 
 Cod's head and shoulders w 
 
 Haddock tV 
 
 Soles Tf 
 
 Turbot ■ Xi 
 
 Fowl, General remarks *| 
 
 Goose 4, 
 
 Turkey o'. 
 
 Boils, To cure Vu"^:^^;^* " '>i« 
 
 Books, school. Topreserre the binding... .06 
 
 Boots, white, To clean .',°^ 
 
 Bottling, Corks for -■ ' 
 
 Malt liquors, Hintson ^^- 
 
 State of liquor ^ 
 
 Bottle wai. To make *" 
 
 Bournemouth, Notes on Jo» 
 
 Bowls, Gameof ••••• ,„q 
 
 Braiding Silk or Worsted ^a 
 
 Brawn, To make j-^ 
 
 Brewing, Home, Notes on [continued)-tt^^ 
 
 Malt for |»g 
 
 Mash tub jgg 
 
 g^^^^f •■••;•;;;;;;;;;;;;;::::::;::;:::::: 230 
 
 sl^charometer and thermometer ... 2» 
 
 UndcrbKck and coolers ^^ 
 
 Water for ■■■■■■ -«. 
 
 Worts, boiling of first ^ 
 
 Second ojq 
 
 Zinc-lined coolers for *^ 
 
 Bridge of Allan. Notes on f^ 
 
 Bridlington, Notes on 
 
 Brighton, Notes on ~ 
 
 Brocoli, To boil ■ -. 
 
 Broiling, General remarks ^ 
 
 Fowls tfj 
 
 Mutton chops ^ 
 
 Partridges ^ 
 
 Rabbits ^ 
 
 I Rump steake ^ 
 
 Salmon gy 
 
 "Veal cutlet jg^j 
 
 Brooms, Hints on ^ 
 
 Brose, Scotch .WV 110 
 
 Broth, of Beef. Mutton, and Veal 11| 
 
 Calls-foot jj^ 
 
 Chicken ;■ jjg^ 
 
 Mutton '■■ jjg 
 
 Veal 007 
 
 Brothers and Sisters ,^ 
 
 Browning for soups ■•■•■ „„ 
 
 Bugs, To destroy, new method ■«>^ 
 
 Building Societies j*g 
 
 Bundoran, Notes on ^.. 
 
 Burnett's disinfecting fluid ^^ 
 
 Burns, To cure ' ggj 
 
 Cerate for ,gg 
 
 Butter, General remarks J"| 
 
 Proper taste of ^gg 
 
 To make -jgg 
 
 To manage jg^ 
 
 Varieties of 908 
 
 Buxton, Notes on 
 
 Bray, Notes on 
 
 Breach of trust. Law o4 
 
 Bread, Best way to make .... 
 
 And butter pudding .... 
 
 Home-made and bakers . 
 
 239 
 93 
 
 292 
 93 
 76 
 
 Panada g^ 
 
 Soda 
 
 9-1 
 
 Sponge for, To set "^ 
 
 Tokeep ,7., 
 
 Breakfast. Hintson ^^2 
 
 Bream, To catch „^ 
 
 Brewing, Home, Notes on |-o 
 
 Boiler for • „5n 
 
 Brewhouse and vessels ^-» 
 
 Casks, To clean, for ^^^ 
 
 Fermentation q^g 
 
 Fermenting tun -^^ 
 
 Fining 228 
 
 Gauge stick <,oq 
 
 Heat required " 
 
 Hops for ' 
 
 Cakes, Almond bride ^74 
 
 A nice plain 074 
 
 Another receipt g^^ 
 
 Cream •. '■• 374 
 
 Currant pound -_^ 
 
 Derby short 37- 
 
 Irish seed ■■■ o-. 
 
 Luncheon, for children ^^ 
 
 Queen ;"; 375 
 
 374 
 
 Rice 
 Scotch oat 
 
 Scotch shortbread ''^^ 
 
 Soda gg 
 
 Soda currant ^ - „-. 
 
 Cakes of Indian corn, Hoe cake 3^» 
 
 Indian cakes •• „_^ 
 
 Johnny cakes g^^ 
 
 Meal (or go 
 
 Calf's head. To bake ^ 
 
 To boil 83 
 
 Heart, To bake g^ 
 
 Calf s foot jelly •. otfX 
 
 Calisthenics, Dress lor 
 
392 
 
 Index. 
 
 Calisthenics {continued) — pagb 
 
 For women 240 
 
 Canaries, History of 218 
 
 Breeding of 219 
 
 Mules 219 
 
 To tame ... 253 
 
 Temper of 254 
 
 Candied fruit, To make 133 
 
 Candles, A few words on 144 
 
 Ozokerit 376 
 
 Camphor ball 347 
 
 Capsicums, To pickle 254 
 
 Cardwork baskets, Varnishes for 334 
 
 Carbolic acid, a disinfectant 79 
 
 Carp, To catch 122 
 
 Carrigeen, Irish moss jellj 156 
 
 Carrots, To boil 71 
 
 Carpets, To choose 5 
 
 Tolaj 6 
 
 To remove grease from 234 
 
 Cash and credit 239 
 
 Casks, Stands for 232 
 
 Cassia 45 
 
 Castor oil pomade 317 
 
 Cat, Domestic 331 
 
 Diseases of 332 
 
 Origin of 332 
 
 Persian and Maltese 332 
 
 Varieties of 332 
 
 Catarrh, or cold, To cure 180 
 
 Cauliflower, To boil 71 
 
 Cayenne, Adulterations of 331 
 
 Pepper, To make 254 
 
 Pepper, Red-hot attack 8 
 
 Cecils, To make 55 
 
 Celery, To fry 102 
 
 Cement, A few words on 352 
 
 Coaguline 58 
 
 Curd ',',.[, 352 
 
 Cisterns, for 52 
 
 For earthenware 352 
 
 For glass and metal 352 
 
 Rooms, for 49 
 
 Stoves, for 46 
 
 Most useful 352 
 
 New, for mahogany 27 
 
 Portland 24 
 
 Roman 24 
 
 Ure's, Dr , diamond 352 
 
 Centipede, Sting of 267 
 
 Cerate, Saturnine 382 
 
 Turner's .383 
 
 Chairs, To choose 44 
 
 Easy 44 
 
 Reading 44 
 
 Chameleon top. The 288 
 
 Champagne cup. Number one 150 
 
 Number two 1=,0 
 
 British 103 
 
 Chancellor's pudding. To make 292 
 
 Charade, Newstyleof. 49 
 
 For a Christmas party 312 
 
 Charcoal as an antiseptic 64 
 
 As a disinfectant 89 
 
 Cheese, General remarks on 169 
 
 Making 169 
 
 Colouring for 170 
 
 Curd, To set !!!!!!!!!!!!!!.!....! i7o 
 
 Milk for 170 
 
 Cheese (continued) — faob 
 
 Varieties of. 170 
 
 Rennet for 169 
 
 Cheddar 171 
 
 Cheshire 171 
 
 Cream 171 
 
 Without rennet 173 
 
 Dunlop 171 
 
 Dutch 171 
 
 Gloucester 171 
 
 Gruyere 171 
 
 Marigold 171 
 
 Parmesan 170 
 
 Sage, or green 171 
 
 Stilton 171 
 
 Cheese cakes, Almond 324 
 
 Cocoa-nut 324 
 
 Lemon 324 
 
 Straws 381 
 
 Cheltenham, Notes on 208 
 
 Cherry, its culture and use 368 
 
 Brandy 134 
 
 Jam, To make 132 
 
 Jelly 132 
 
 Wine, Black 1W7 
 
 Red 197 
 
 Chess, Game of 304 
 
 Arrangement of men 304 
 
 Castling 306 
 
 Checkmate 306 
 
 Counter attack 306 
 
 Double pawn 307 
 
 En prise 306 
 
 False move .^ 307 
 
 Forced move 306 
 
 Gambit 306 
 
 Laws of 307 
 
 Moves of 305 
 
 Objects of game 305 
 
 Odds 306 
 
 Sacrifice 307 
 
 Smothered mate 306 
 
 Stalemate 306 
 
 Technical terms 305 
 
 Winning the exchange 306 
 
 Chickens, Hints on the management of.,. 90 
 
 First food for 90 
 
 Food for the hen with chickens 91 
 
 How to fatten 91 
 
 Removal from the hen 90 
 
 To fry 69 
 
 To roast 39 
 
 Chicken jelly 11 
 
 Panada 64 
 
 Chiffonier, Tochoose 6 
 
 Chilblains, To cure 22 
 
 Children, Scalds on 22 
 
 Chills, To prevent 251 
 
 How to act in cold weather 251 
 
 Preventive measures 251 
 
 Chimney, smoky, To cure 54 
 
 Pieces, marble. To clean 8 
 
 China, To mend 65 
 
 Chlorides ofsoda and lime 80 
 
 Chloride of lime used in washing 216 
 
 Chlorody ne 76 
 
 Chocolate, To make jg 
 
 Chocolate pudding. To make o^. 
 
 Chub, To catch "^^ 
 
Index. 
 
 393 
 
 PAon 
 
 Christmas parlies. How to give 312 
 
 Charadnsfor 312 
 
 Cotillon for 313 
 
 Bonbons, The 313 
 
 Cushion iigure. The 313 
 
 Duel, The 313 
 
 Four-in-hand, The 313 
 
 La Fleur 313 
 
 Look inn-gUas, The 313 
 
 Nifhtcap, The 313 
 
 Rosette^*, The 313 
 
 Screen, The « 31 1 
 
 Tableaux vivanta 312 
 
 Ribbon jewellery 312 
 
 Christraaa {Poeli-y) 2S!> 
 
 Goose pie -!)l 
 
 Plum puddinj; -id 
 
 Church decorations, ilow to manage . 3 '2 
 
 Materials for 303 
 
 Wreathing for 302 
 
 At Christmas 303 
 
 AtKnster and Whiteuutido 301 
 
 At Harvest homes 30|. 
 
 Church, Panic in 23 
 
 Chutney, Bengal : 198 
 
 Cider and Perry, Ilints on 193 
 
 To make 198 
 
 To8ne 198 
 
 To bottle 190 
 
 Cider Cup, to make 102 
 
 Cint^rarias, to keep 253 
 
 Cingalese curry 203 
 
 Cinnamon, his tiill withered form 8 
 
 Cinnamon, What is it ? '15 
 
 Citrate of magnesia 156 
 
 Claret cup. To make 102 
 
 Jelly 355 
 
 Claret stains, To remove 28 
 
 Clarified Bvrup, To make 132 
 
 To preserve fruit in 132 
 
 Classical music S-iS 
 
 Clay, modelling in 279 
 
 Masks, to copy 2S0 
 
 Cleanliness for plants JifiS 
 
 Clevedon, Notes on 160 
 
 Clifton, Notes on 208 
 
 Clothing, Hints on 21 
 
 Dark-coloured 21 
 
 Light-coloured 21 
 
 Closing of the volume (Porfry) 339 
 
 Cloves demanded to speak 8 
 
 What they aro 45 
 
 Coach accidents 23 
 
 Coa'iiline 68 
 
 Coal as fuel 31 
 
 Scuttle, The best 32 
 
 Coats, To remove grease from 23 
 
 Cobra di capello. The bite of 266 
 
 Cocoa nibs 11 
 
 To prepare l^i 
 
 Cockroaches, To destroy 77 
 
 Cod's head and shoulders. To boil 40 
 
 Cod liver and tapioca jelly 215 
 
 ColTee-driukers, Hints to 13 
 
 Tomalie 14 
 
 Good, To make 270 
 
 Coke a3 fuel 33 
 
 Cold air :i toaiu 233 
 
 FA.OS 
 
 Cold bath, The 51 
 
 Cold Guinea fowl 313 
 
 Cold feet. Treatment of 27 
 
 CoUc 345 
 
 Symptoms of 3t5 
 
 Cure of 315 
 
 College puddings 293 
 
 Collops, Beef 259 
 
 Minced, Scotch 2'i9 
 
 Concentrated soap 303 
 
 Concerts, Domestic 218 
 
 Condiments, Best 8 
 
 Condy's disinfecting lluid C4 
 
 Conger eel. Bite of 207 
 
 Conservatory gas boiler 381 
 
 Constitution water W< 
 
 Conundrum, Tho 216 
 
 Cook, Maxims for a 331 
 
 Cookery, General remarks 37 
 
 For invalids, see page 399 of ludex. 
 
 Cooking, Fire for 37 
 
 Captain Warreu's apparaluj 42 
 
 Cook's calendar for March 1 
 
 April 31 
 
 M.ay 6(; 
 
 June 98 
 
 July 130 
 
 August 162 
 
 Septeu.ber 194 
 
 October 226 
 
 November 258 
 
 December 290 
 
 January 322 
 
 February 354 
 
 Coolers for water. Best 16 
 
 Corks for bottling 232 
 
 Stands for ilowers 360 
 
 Substitute lor wax on 15 
 
 Corkscrew, Best 15 
 
 Corns, To cure '. 27 
 
 Cornet-i-piston 219 
 
 Coltillon, The 312 
 
 Couch, To choose 41 
 
 Cough, Emulsion fur recent 182 
 
 Mixture for 383 
 
 Old standing 182 
 
 Cows, General remarks on 166 
 
 Food for 167 
 
 Feeding time 167 
 
 Grazing for 166 
 
 Crabs, To choose 35 
 
 Crnel-slnnd and spice-box 41 
 
 Cream, ho.v formed 188 
 
 Caledonian 356 
 
 Chocolate 356 
 
 Cofftfe 356 
 
 Italian 355 
 
 Anotlier receipt 48 
 
 Lemon 355 
 
 Marble 355 
 
 Sponge 3')5 
 
 Cream of Tartar drink 118 
 
 Creme d'orange 134 
 
 Cribbage, Game of 271 
 
 Arrangements for playing 271 
 
 Explanation of terms 272 
 
 Fifteens 272 
 
 Fcur-hi')dfd gam? ■ 273 
 
 o2 
 
394 
 
 Index. 
 
 Cribbage, Game of (continued) — page 
 
 lawBof 272 
 
 Pairorpairs 272 
 
 Playing 271 
 
 Points in play 272 
 
 Points in reckoning 272 
 
 Sequences 272 
 
 Six-card game 272 
 
 Three-handed game 273 
 
 Value of cards 271 
 
 Cricket, Game of 95 
 
 Donblewicket 95 
 
 Laws of. 96 
 
 Single wicket 96 
 
 Laws of 96 
 
 Crickets, to destroy 83 
 
 Crimping and goffering machines 380 
 
 Crochet 317 
 
 Atricoter 348 
 
 Antimacassar in 348 
 
 Counterpane in 348 
 
 Cottonfor 318 
 
 Double crochet 318 
 
 Single crochet 318 
 
 Implements for 318 
 
 Purling 319 
 
 Eibbed 318 
 
 Slipstitch 318 
 
 Square 318 
 
 To begin 318 
 
 Treble 318 
 
 Cjomer, Notes on 157 
 
 Croquet 112 
 
 Game of 114 
 
 Ground for 113 
 
 Implements 113 
 
 Enlesof 112 
 
 Croquet and archery party. To manage... 149 
 
 Crumb-cloths, Best" 6 
 
 Cruet-stand, the invention of 10 
 
 Cucumbers, To stew 101 
 
 Currant jam, To make 131 
 
 Jelly, To make 132 
 
 Wine, Eed 197 
 
 Curry, Bengal 261 
 
 Meat, to cook for 261 
 
 Powder for 261 
 
 Rice for 262 
 
 Cingalese 262 
 
 Curling, Game of 327 
 
 Implements for 328 
 
 Kules of 328 
 
 Technical terms 328 
 
 Custard, French 356 
 
 Lemon 356 
 
 Cutlery, To choose 88 
 
 Cuts, Treatment of 295 
 
 Great wounds 295 
 
 Shght wounds 295 
 
 D 
 
 Dace, To catch 122 
 
 Dairy, The 167 
 
 Cleanliness of 167 
 
 Fresh air in 167 
 
 Utensils for 167 
 
 Damson jam, To make 132 
 
 Wine, to make 197 
 
 Daw lish, Notes on 159 
 
 fAGB 
 
 Deafness, General remarks 298 
 
 Dulness of hearing 299 
 
 Eitraneous bodies in the ear 299 
 
 Inability to perceive sound 299 
 
 Organic defects 298 
 
 Teaching deaf and dumb 299 
 
 Treatment 299 
 
 Deal, To make like oak 28 
 
 Decalcomanie, Hints on 222 
 
 Decanters, To wash 127 
 
 December, Month of 289 
 
 Decoctions, General Remarks on 181 
 
 Aloes 182 
 
 Astringent 182 
 
 Barley, Compound 182 
 
 Simple 182 
 
 Peruvian bark 182 
 
 SarsaparUla 182 
 
 Deer, Fallow 36 
 
 Stag 36 
 
 Depilatories 296 
 
 Desk, Reading 44 
 
 Devil, To make 380 
 
 Diaphanie 279 
 
 Diarrhoea 295 
 
 Symptoms 296 
 
 Treatment 295 
 
 Dinner, Hints on 172 
 
 Rolls 274 
 
 Table decorations 378 
 
 Diseases, Infectious 77 
 
 Burnett's Disinfecting fluid 80 
 
 Carbolic Acid 79 
 
 Charcoal 80 
 
 Chlorides of soda and lime 80 
 
 Condy's fluid 64 
 
 Disinfectants for 79 
 
 Diuretic mixture 296 
 
 Dog, The domestic 282 
 
 Diseases of 284 
 
 Distemper in 285 
 
 Feeding of 284 
 
 Food for puppies • 285 
 
 Health of 284 
 
 Management of 284 
 
 Pets 285 
 
 Blenheim spaniel 283 
 
 English mastiff 282 
 
 English terrier 283 
 
 King Charles's 283 
 
 Maltese 283 
 
 Newfoundland 282 
 
 Skye terrier 283 
 
 Toy 283 
 
 Watch 283 
 
 White, To wash 160 
 
 Dormouse, The 381 
 
 Dough nuts 274 
 
 Dover, Notes on 158 
 
 Draughts, Game of 337 
 
 Moves 33^ 
 
 Object of game 337 
 
 Placing the men 337 
 
 Rules 338 
 
 Draughts, Medical 346 
 
 Cooling 346 
 
 Emetic 346 
 
 For heartburn 346 
 
Index. 
 
 395 
 
 Draughts, Medical {continued)— paQk 
 
 Nervousness 346 
 
 Purging 346 
 
 Spasms 346 
 
 Tonic 346 
 
 Dreams 85 
 
 Drinks for feverish patients 289 
 
 Judson's lime juice 269 
 
 Lemonade syrup 269 
 
 Lamplough's pyretic saline 269 
 
 Drinks for invalids, see page 399 of Index. 
 
 Drinks, light, for summer 102 
 
 Beer cup 150 
 
 Champagne cup. Number one 150 
 
 Number two 150 
 
 Cider cup 102 
 
 Claret cup 102 
 
 Ginger beer 103 
 
 King cup 103 
 
 Limonade aa lait 102 
 
 Milk punch 251 
 
 A richer 255 
 
 Moselle cup 150 
 
 Orangeade 103 
 
 Raspberry vinegar 103 
 
 Sauterne cup 150 
 
 Drole, Gameof 74 
 
 Beautiful Nell 74 
 
 Emperor 74 
 
 Empress 74 
 
 Four beggars 75 
 
 Jack Drole 75 
 
 Laws of 76 
 
 Playing 75 
 
 Privileged carda 74 
 
 Savage 74 
 
 Drowned, To restore the apparently 50 
 
 Medical assistance 50 
 
 To restore breathing 50 
 
 Duck, The domestic 189 
 
 Aylesbnry 190 
 
 Common 190 
 
 Rouen 190 
 
 To choose 35 
 
 To roast 33 
 
 Dunoon and Innellan, Notes on 178 
 
 Dutch oven. The 43 
 
 Dustbins 23 
 
 Dyes, Simple, for home use 152 
 
 Dyspepsia or Indigestion 213 
 
 Scaleofdiet 214 
 
 Symptoms 213 
 
 Treatment . 214 
 
 Earache, Best cure for 22 
 
 Bars 114 
 
 Earth closet, The 23 
 
 Ecarte, Game of 268 
 
 Cutting for 270 
 
 Dealing for 270 
 
 Misdealing 270 
 
 Terms used in 271 
 
 Economical wives 336 
 
 Education 385 
 
 Egg boiler, Novel 85 
 
 Draught for invalids 156 
 
 Mixture for aninvalid 13 
 
 Mulled 156 
 
 PAGB 
 
 Eggs, To preserve 224 
 
 Electuaries 383 
 
 Aperient 383 
 
 Astringent 297 
 
 Lenitive 383 
 
 Embrocations and liniments 76 
 
 For bruises and sprains 76 
 
 Chilblains 76 
 
 Inflamed 76 
 
 Rheumatism 76 
 
 Embroidery 109 
 
 The materials 188 
 
 Cotton for 110 
 
 Braiding 188 
 
 English, or broderie Anglaise 109 
 
 Tapestr V work 153 
 
 Silt embroidery 187 
 
 Gobelin stitch 154 
 
 Leviathan stitch 164 
 
 Plaited stitch 164 
 
 Tent stitch 154 
 
 Emulsions, general remarks 182 
 
 Almond 183 
 
 Egg 183 
 
 Gum arabio 188 
 
 For old coughs 182 
 
 Recent coughs 182 
 
 English and Scottish mineral spas 209 
 
 English, Welsh, Irish, and Scotch seaside 
 
 watering-places 157 — 176 
 
 Enigma, The 216 
 
 Epileptic fits 388 
 
 Duration of attack 388 
 
 Symptoms 382 
 
 Treatment 382 
 
 Excoriations 296 
 
 Exercise, its importance and usei 20 
 
 Equestrian 20 
 
 Friction 20 
 
 Gymnastics 20 
 
 Pedestrian 20 
 
 Exmouth, Notes on 169 
 
 Eyesight, A few words on 263 
 
 Colourblindness 263 
 
 Day blindness 263 
 
 Night blindness 263 
 
 Long-sightedness 263 
 
 Short-sightedness 283 
 
 Eyes 114 
 
 Weak, To treat 75 
 
 Eye-water, Anodyne 76 
 
 Astringent 76 
 
 For specka 76 
 
 F 
 
 Fainting fits. To cure 53 
 
 Family pictures 344 
 
 Farinaceous substances as food 98 
 
 Feathers for pillows. To clean 234 
 
 Feather screens, To make 336 
 
 February, Month of. 363 
 
 Feet, A few words on 27 
 
 Cold 27 
 
 Tender 27 
 
 Fencing, Hints on 357 
 
 Implements 358 
 
 Initiatory moves 358 
 
 Utility of 357 
 
396 
 
 Index 
 
 PA3E 
 
 Fenders, best kind 5 
 
 Fern cases, Adrice on 21 
 
 Figs, To presarve 133 
 
 Fiepuddng 293 
 
 Filey, Notes on 157 
 
 Filters, Cheap 236 
 
 Danchell's 236 
 
 Lipscombe's 236 
 
 Filtration of water 236 
 
 Fires, A few words on 28 
 
 How they break out 28 
 
 In chimneys 28 
 
 Dwellings, Escape from 28 
 
 Twenty precautions against 176 
 
 Fire-grates, Advice on 4 
 
 Fire insurance, Law of ISl 
 
 Fire-irons, best kind 5 
 
 Fireproofing 27 
 
 Fisli in season in March 1 
 
 April 34 
 
 May 66 
 
 June 98 
 
 July 130 
 
 August 162 
 
 September ,.. 194 
 
 October 226 
 
 November 258 
 
 December 290 
 
 January 322 
 
 February 354 
 
 Fish, Hints on choosing 35 
 
 As an article of diet 35 
 
 Deep sea 35 
 
 Fresh-water 35 
 
 Salt-water 35 
 
 To boil, general remarks 40 
 
 A la Bechamel 294 
 
 Pudding 294 
 
 Plain 294 
 
 Scallop 295 
 
 Fish, Poisonous 267 
 
 Conger eel 267 
 
 Mussels 267 
 
 Yellow-billed sprat 267 
 
 Fishing rods 121 
 
 Tackle 121 
 
 Flannels, To wash 127 
 
 Flavouring for minces 259 
 
 Fleas in dogs, To destroy 256 
 
 Fleetwood, Notes on ..". 160 
 
 Flies on horses. To prevent 382 
 
 Floors, Best way to scour 24 
 
 Floorcloth, Kamptulicon 42 
 
 Linoleum 42 
 
 Parkesine 42 
 
 Flour, Adulteration of 330 
 
 Flowers, Rustic stands for 277 
 
 Fly-fishing, Notes on 136 
 
 Fomentations, General remarks 54 
 
 Anodyne 54 
 
 Ordinary 54 
 
 Strengthening 54 
 
 Food, Adulteration of. 329 
 
 Food for infants 362 
 
 Football, Game of 60 
 
 Fork handles. To fasten 32 
 
 Fowls, general remarks 41 
 
 To boil 40 
 
 Fowls (continued.'^ — pagb 
 
 To choose 35 
 
 To roast 39 
 
 Tobroil 67 
 
 Old, to dress 256 
 
 Foxglove, Poisoning by 268 
 
 Frangipani 381 
 
 Freckles, To remove 119 
 
 French beans. To pres:;rve, for winter ... 275 
 
 Polish, best, To make 136 
 
 Custard 356 
 
 Fret Work, Hints on 301 
 
 Tools lor 302 
 
 Fricandeau of cod or sole 294 
 
 Friction, Value of, in exercise 20 
 
 Friends, To choose 47 
 
 Fruit in season in May 66 
 
 June 98 
 
 July 130 
 
 August 162 
 
 September 194 
 
 October 226 
 
 November 258 
 
 December 290 
 
 January 322 
 
 February 354 
 
 Fruit as food 99 
 
 To bottle 103 
 
 Candied 133 
 
 Dried, To choose 99 
 
 To preserve in syrup 132 
 
 Fruit cordials 134 
 
 Cherry brandy 134 
 
 Cremo d' orange 134 
 
 Ginger cordial 134 
 
 Noyeau 134 
 
 Fruit stains, To remove 52 
 
 Tarts, Paste for 323 
 
 Fruit and rose trees. To propagate, new 
 
 method 384 
 
 Frying, general remarks 68 
 
 Artichokes 71 
 
 Beefsteaks 68 
 
 Chickens 69 
 
 Haddock 69 
 
 Lamb chops 69 
 
 Mackerel 69 
 
 Fresh, another way 69 
 
 Mutton chops 68 
 
 Cutlets 69 
 
 Sausages 69 
 
 Skate 69 
 
 Soles 69 
 
 Veal cutlets 69 
 
 Fuel of different kinds 31 
 
 Artificial 32 
 
 Coal 31 
 
 Coke 32 
 
 Peat 32 
 
 Wood 32 
 
 Fumigation as a disinfectant 79 
 
 Muriatic acid gas 79 
 
 Nitrous acid vapour 79 
 
 Sulphur 79 
 
 To destroy insects 373 
 
 Funnel, New patent 62 
 
 Furniture oil. To make 255 
 
 Polish 255 
 
Jnaex. 
 
 397 
 
 Q PaGK 
 
 Game in season in March ^ 
 
 ^'„.:;:;::::;:;::::::::::::;;::::::;;;::::::;;| 
 S^::;:;;::::::::;:::;::;:;;;::;::::::;;;::::::;« 
 
 August '^ 
 
 September J^* 
 
 October 226 
 
 November 258 
 
 December 290 
 
 January 322 
 
 February 354 
 
 Game, To choose 3^ 
 
 Game soup 2-7 
 
 Games, Indoor, Various ;— 
 
 Hacli f;ammon 3"' 
 
 Bagatelle 2G9 
 
 B£zique J\ 
 
 Billiards 242 
 
 Chess 3M 
 
 Cribbase 271 
 
 Draughts "^2 
 
 Drdle 74 
 
 Ecartfe 269 
 
 Piquet 3J8 
 
 Pool 245 
 
 Pyramids 246 
 
 Vingtet-Un 36o 
 
 Whist 69 
 
 Outdoor, Various : — 
 
 Archery 148 
 
 Bowls 1™ 
 
 Cricket 9' 
 
 Croquet 112 
 
 Curfing 327 
 
 Ctolf Ill 
 
 La Crosse °° 
 
 Quoits 1"5 
 
 Macquet 210 
 
 Garden edgings 277 
 
 Box 277 
 
 Pavement 277 
 
 Tiles 277 
 
 Gardener's calendar for March 1 
 
 April 34 
 
 51;;^:;;:::::::::::::::=:;::::::::::::::::. 
 
 July 30 
 
 August 163 
 
 September 194 
 
 October 226 
 
 November 258 
 
 December 290 
 
 January 3i2 
 
 February 354 
 
 Garden spiders. To destroy 3/2 
 
 Gargles, General use of 155 
 
 For throat inflammation 155 
 
 For throat mortification 155 
 
 Second prescription for 155 
 
 For suppuration 155 
 
 Mucilaginous 155 
 
 Various 155 
 
 Gas, Home-made 30 
 
 Remarks on ^1 
 
 Burners ^ 
 
 Gas boiler. Conservatory 384 
 
 PAQB 
 
 Geese, To choose 36 
 
 Geese, Domestic 191 
 
 Cramming of 191 
 
 Black-legged 191 
 
 Chinese 19l 
 
 Hong Kong 191 
 
 Toulouse 191 
 
 White Chinese 191 
 
 Goslings, To fatten 190 
 
 Eggs of 190 
 
 Gems, Artificial 31 
 
 Geraniums, To preserve 222 
 
 German paste for birds 219 
 
 Gilding, To preserve 26 
 
 Gin cocktail 160 
 
 Sling 160 
 
 Ginger 46 
 
 Forces a hearing - 9 
 
 Cordial 134 
 
 Beer, To make 103 
 
 Powders 166 
 
 Gingerbread, Best 276 
 
 Finger 276 
 
 Glass, Silvering for 26 
 
 Sizing for 25 
 
 To mend 65 
 
 Globes, To clean 127 
 
 Gloucester jelly, To make 155 
 
 Gloves, wash-leather. To clean 96 
 
 Glue for fretwork 343 
 
 Gnats, Attacks of 119 
 
 Goldfinches, To breed 219 
 
 Glycerine, Notes on 30 
 
 Gold-fish, To manage and breed 276 
 
 Golf, Game of HI 
 
 Ball Ill 
 
 Match 112 
 
 Goose, To boil 41 
 
 To roast 38 
 
 Green 38 
 
 Goose pie, Christmas 294 
 
 Gooseberry fool 103 
 
 Jam, Green 131 
 
 Red 130 
 
 White 131 
 
 Marmalade 163 
 
 Wine 104 
 
 Bed 197 
 
 Goulard water, Superior 298 
 
 Grafting, Hints on 367 
 
 Grape jelly. To make 138 
 
 Wine! 198 
 
 Grapes, To keep 223 
 
 Grates, To burnish 127 
 
 Gravy, A rich brown 258 
 
 White 259 
 
 Grayling, To catch 122 
 
 Grazing for cows 166 
 
 Grease from steps and passages. To remove 64 
 
 From carpets. To remove 234 
 
 Stains in wallpapers. To remove 200 
 
 Grebe, To clean 216 
 
 Green tigs, To preserve 133 
 
 Grill, To make 381 
 
 Groceries, Hints on 99 
 
 Ground rice pudding 293 
 
 Gudgeon, To catch 121 
 
 Gums, To preserve 18 
 
398 
 
 Index. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Gum Arabic emulaicm 182 
 
 Guinea-fowl 342 
 
 Cold, To redress '.. 343 
 
 To cook 343 
 
 To keep 343 
 
 Tolarcf. , 313 
 
 To stuff 343 
 
 Guinea-pig 217 
 
 Gutta-percha, White 29 
 
 Gymnastica 20 
 
 For women 240 
 
 H 
 
 Haddocks, To boil 40 
 
 Tofry 69 
 
 Haggis, Scotch, General remarks 273 
 
 To cook 273 
 
 Hair, the. To treat 347 
 
 Brushes, To clean 216 
 
 To remove scurf 347 
 
 Preparations for 85 
 
 Washes for 347 
 
 Ham toast 11 
 
 To boil '. 40 
 
 Hands, To beautify 27 
 
 To remove stains from 25 
 
 New mixture for 256 
 
 Eedness of, To cure 256 
 
 Hares, To choose 35 
 
 Nutritious qualities of. 36 
 
 To roast 39 
 
 To stew 101 
 
 To stew a second time 260 
 
 Harmonium, Hints on the 141 
 
 Cost of 143 
 
 Music for 143 
 
 To purchase 142 
 
 Harmonium, hautbois, harp 249 
 
 Harness, To preserve 88 
 
 Harrogate, Notes on 208 
 
 Harvest bug, Remedy for 200 
 
 Harvest moon. The (Poeir^) 161 
 
 Hashes and Minces, Eemarks on 258 
 
 Hastings, Notes on 168 
 
 Hats, To remove grease from 25 
 
 Hay fever, Cure for 181 
 
 Heaths, To keep and preserve 253 
 
 Helensburgh, Notes on 178 
 
 Hemlock, a poison 267 
 
 Henbane, a poison 267 
 
 Hen with chickens. Feeding of. 91 
 
 Herbs, To dry 223 
 
 Hints to young ladies 385 
 
 Holidays, and where to spend them : — 
 English Watering-places :— 
 
 Aldborough 157 
 
 Blackpool 160 
 
 Bournemouth 159 
 
 Bridlington 157 
 
 Brighton 158 
 
 Broadstairs 158 
 
 Clevedon 160 
 
 Cowei 159 
 
 Cromer 157 
 
 Dawlish 159 
 
 Dover 158 
 
 Eastbourne 158 
 
 Kley 157 
 
 Holidays, &c. (continued) — pagb 
 
 Fleetwood 160 
 
 Hastings 158 
 
 Hfracombe 159 
 
 Isle of Wight 159 
 
 Lowestoft 157 
 
 Margate 157 
 
 Penzance 159 
 
 Eamsgate 158 
 
 Eyde 159 
 
 Sandown 159 
 
 Scarborough 157 
 
 Shanklin 159 
 
 Southend 157 
 
 Southsea 159 
 
 Southwold 157 
 
 St. Leonards 158 
 
 Teignmouth 159 
 
 Torquay 159 
 
 Ty nemouth 157 
 
 Weston-super-Mare 160 
 
 Weymouth 159 
 
 Whitby 157 
 
 Worthing 158 
 
 Irish Watering- Places : — 
 
 Bray 177 
 
 Bundoran 178 
 
 Holywood 177 
 
 Howth 177 
 
 Kilkee 177 
 
 Kingstown 177 
 
 Queenstown 178 
 
 Eosstrevor 178 
 
 Tramore 177 
 
 Warrenpoint 178 
 
 Scottish Watering- Places : — 
 
 Ardrosaan 179 
 
 Dunoon 178 
 
 Innellan 178 
 
 Helensburgh 178 
 
 Isle of Man 179 
 
 Larga 179 
 
 Millport 179 
 
 Nairn 179 
 
 North Berwick 178 
 
 Oban 178 
 
 Eothesay 178 
 
 St. Andrews 197 
 
 Welsh Watering-Placea . — 
 
 Abergele 176 
 
 Aberystwith 177 
 
 Llandudno 177 
 
 Ehyl 177 
 
 Swansea 177 
 
 English Mineral Spas : — 
 
 Bath" 207 
 
 Ben JBhydding 209 
 
 Buxton 208 
 
 Cheltenham 208 
 
 Clifton 208 
 
 Harrowgate 208 
 
 Leamington 209 
 
 Malvern 208 
 
 Matlock 208 
 
 Tunbridge Wells 208 
 
 Scottish Mineral Spas : — 
 
 Ballater 210 
 
 Bridge of Allan 209 
 
 Moffat 209 
 
Index. 
 
 399 
 
 Holidays, &c. (con<tnM<(f) — page 
 
 Pitkeathly, or Bridge of Earn 209 
 
 Strathpeffer 210 
 
 Holywood, Notes on 177 
 
 Home Decorations, Hints on 222 
 
 D£calcomanie 222 
 
 Diapbanie 279 
 
 Feather screens 336 
 
 Fretwork carving 301 
 
 Japanese lacquer. To imitate 241 
 
 Modellinn; in clay 279 
 
 Skeleton leaves 335 
 
 Spray work 242 
 
 Wax flowers. To make 358 
 
 Wood carving 281 
 
 Home made wines 196 
 
 Home of taste, The 385 
 
 Horseradish sauce 95 
 
 Hotch-potch, Best winter 10 
 
 Summer 192 
 
 Hot bath. The 52 
 
 Honse, BuildinR of 2 
 
 Choosing of 2 
 
 Furnishing of 43 
 
 Purchasing of 2 
 
 Tenants, Hints to 3 
 
 To keep cool in summer 105 
 
 Housekeepers, Maxims for young 315 
 
 Housemaid, Maxims for a 316 
 
 Howth, Notes on 177 
 
 Husband, Choice of 7 
 
 Husband and wife. Law of. 46 
 
 Husbands and wives 387 
 
 The husband 387 
 
 The wife 387 
 
 Hyacinths, To cultiTate 252 
 
 In glasses 252 
 
 In pots 253 
 
 I 
 
 Ice, A few words on 104 
 
 Machines 104 
 
 To preserve 104 
 
 Use of, in medicine 104 
 
 Iceland moss jelly 216 
 
 nfracombe, Notes on 159 
 
 Indigestion, General remarks 213 
 
 Cure for 214 
 
 Innellan and Dunoon, Notes on 178 
 
 Infants' food 362 
 
 Additional food 364 
 
 Entire wheat flour 364 
 
 Choice of wet-nurse 362 
 
 Condensed milk 363 
 
 Cow's milk 363 
 
 Mother's milk 362 
 
 Reasons for other aliments 362 
 
 Substitutes for milk 363 
 
 Infections diseases 77 
 
 Infection, Causes of 78 
 
 Special preservative against 78 
 
 To prevent 78 
 
 Infusions, General remarks 297 
 
 Calumba 297 
 
 Demulcent 297 
 
 Peruvian bark 297 
 
 Senna 297 
 
 Tonic 297 
 
 Ink stains. To remove 58 
 
 FASB 
 
 Inks, Best black 287 
 
 Diluted sulphuric acid 287 
 
 Indian 287 
 
 Scarlet 287 
 
 Sympathetic 287 
 
 Innerleithen, Notes on ' 209 
 
 Insects, To destroy by fumigation 372 
 
 Insects, ravages of, To stop 66 
 
 Insurance, Post OflBce 203 
 
 Invahds, Cookery for : — 
 
 A great restorative 12 
 
 Arrowroot jelly 166 
 
 Arrowroot pudding 183 
 
 Barley cream 12 
 
 Beef tea 11 
 
 Bread panada 76 
 
 Bread pudding 183 
 
 Broth of beef, mutton, and veal 118 
 
 Calf's-foot broth 118 
 
 Carrigeen, or Irish moss jelly 156 
 
 Chicken broth 118 
 
 Chicken jelly 11 
 
 Chicken panada 64 
 
 Egg draught 166 
 
 Egg mixture 12 
 
 Gloucester jelly 155 
 
 Iceland moss jelly . 216 
 
 Isinglass blancmange 216 
 
 Liebig's essence for making beef tea 64 
 
 Light flour pudding 183 
 
 Meat panada 76 
 
 Mulled egg 166 
 
 Mutton broth 118 
 
 PorkjeUy 166 
 
 Porter jelly 215 
 
 Kice ftancmange 183 
 
 Eicemilk 64 
 
 Sagomilk 76 
 
 Shank jelly 166 
 
 Tapioca and codliver jelly 216 
 
 Tapioca jelly 183 
 
 Tapioca pudding 183 
 
 Veal broth 118 
 
 Veal sherbet 215 
 
 Invalids, Drinks for : — 
 
 Apple water 77 
 
 Artificial asses' and goats milk 119 
 
 Artificial milk. Asses', No. 2 119 
 
 Balm and mint tea 156 
 
 Citrate of magnesia 156 
 
 Constitution water 118 
 
 Cream of tartar drink (imperial) 118 
 
 Ginger beer powders 156 
 
 Hyson tea 166 
 
 Raspberry vinegar 77 
 
 Lemon water 77 
 
 Saline lemonade 118 
 
 Seidlitz powders 156 
 
 Tamarind water 77 
 
 Toast water 156 
 
 Whey, Lemon 77 
 
 Milk 76 
 
 Nitre 77 
 
 Two milk 77 
 
 White wise 76 
 
 I OU, Law of 192 
 
 Iron wire bins 63 
 
 Ironmould from linen. To remove 58 
 
400 
 
 Index. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Isinglasg blancmange 216 
 
 Isle of Man, Notes on 179 
 
 Isle of Wight, Notes on 159 
 
 Ivory ornaments. To clean 251 
 
 To stain 254 
 
 J 
 
 Jam, cherry, To make 132 
 
 Currant 131 
 
 Gooseberry, Green 131 
 
 Red 131 
 
 White 131 
 
 Raspberry 131 
 
 Strawberry 131 
 
 Damson ,.. 132 
 
 January, Month of 321 
 
 Japanese lacquer work, To imitate 241 
 
 Article to be adorned ' 241 
 
 Lpaves for, To gather 241 
 
 To prepare 241 
 
 Varnish for 241 
 
 Jellies, Fiuit, To make 132 
 
 Apple 132 
 
 Cherry 132 
 
 Cuirant 132 
 
 Grape 132 
 
 Jellies, Sweet 355 
 
 Arrowroot 156 
 
 Calves' feet 355 
 
 Claret 355 
 
 Gelatine 355 
 
 Gloucester 155 
 
 Orange 355 
 
 Pork 156 
 
 Port wine 355 
 
 Sago 355 
 
 Shank 156 
 
 Jet, To clean 93 
 
 Julienne, Soup a la 227 
 
 July, Month of 129 
 
 June, Monthof 97 
 
 K 
 
 Kaflfee kanne. The 276 
 
 Kidney beans, To boil 71 
 
 Kid gloves, To clean 26 
 
 Kilkee, Notes on 177 
 
 King cup, To make 102 
 
 Kingstown, Notes on 177 
 
 Kitchen, Tbe, its fittings andfurniture ... 41 
 
 Boiler, The 5 
 
 American kitchener 41 
 
 Leamington kitchener 41 
 
 Slow combustion boiler 42 
 
 Warren's, Capt., cooking apparatus 42 
 
 Dresser 43 
 
 Dutch oven 43 
 
 Floors, Covering ior 42 
 
 Kitchen Spice 48 
 
 Knife handles, To fasten 32 
 
 sharpeners 32 
 
 Knives, To clean: the Kuile cleaning 
 
 machine 124 
 
 Knitting, Ilints on 206 
 
 Implements for 206 
 
 Terms used in 206 
 
 To make a stitch 206 
 
 Plain knitting 206 
 
 Knitting. Hints on (continued)— PAGB 
 
 Purhng 206 
 
 To cast off 207 
 
 To join 207 
 
 To decrease 206 
 
 "A cloud," To knit 235 
 
 Antimacassar, To knit 235 
 
 Knitting machines 235 
 
 Lace, To wash 126 
 
 La crosse. Game of 58 
 
 Lacquered articles, Toch'aii 24 
 
 Lacquer, Japanese, To imitate 241 
 
 Lama dress. To wash 126 
 
 Lamb, To choose 35 
 
 Nutritious qualities of 36 
 
 Legof, Toboil 40 
 
 To stew 101 
 
 To roast 33 
 
 Chops, To fry 69 
 
 Lamp, New safety 23 
 
 Lamps and oils, General remarks 201 
 
 Moderator 201 
 
 Passage 202 
 
 Queen's 202 
 
 Oils, Best 202 
 
 Lawn, The 165 
 
 Mower, The Archimedean 165 
 
 Llandudno, Notes on 177 
 
 Largs, Notes on 179 
 
 Laws and Acts, Various : — 
 
 Accommodation bills 46 
 
 Annuities 220 
 
 Assignments 239 
 
 Attachments, Lord Mayor's 239 
 
 Bankers' cheques 123 
 
 Bankruptcy, new law of 17 
 
 Bills of Exchange 123 
 
 Bills of Sale 46 
 
 Cash and Credit 2:39 
 
 Breach of trust by trustees 239 
 
 Husband and Wife 4'6 
 
 lOU 192 
 
 Libel 72- 
 
 Lii'e Insurance, new law of 375 
 
 Life and Fire Insurance 134 
 
 Making a Will 106 
 
 Marriage 106 
 
 Married Women s property, new Act 351 
 
 Master and Apprentice 134 
 
 Master and Servant 72 
 
 Mortgage 179 
 
 Nuisances 325 
 
 Parish law 325 
 
 Partnership 180 
 
 Receipt stamps 180 
 
 Rent in England 265 
 
 Scotland 266 
 
 Savings Banks 202 
 
 Post Office 203 
 
 Insurance 203 
 
 Stamp Act, New law of 356 
 
 Leamington, Notes on ". 209 
 
 Lemon rind 46 
 
 Cream 355 
 
 Custard 356 
 
 Honeycomb 356 
 
 SoUd 353 
 
Index. 
 
 401 
 
 Lemon (cjntinucd) — pigb 
 
 Sponge 356 
 
 Water 77 
 
 Whey 77 
 
 Pudding, Permanent 293 
 
 Pudding 323 
 
 Suet 292 
 
 Lemon kali 383 
 
 Lemons, to preserve 133 
 
 Lemonade saline 118 
 
 Letters, Addresses of 221 
 
 Libel, Law of 72 
 
 Liebig's extract of meat 61 
 
 Life and fire insurance. Law of 134 
 
 Post Office 203 
 
 Life insurance. New law of 375 
 
 Light, Artificial 30 
 
 Light drinks for summer 102 
 
 Limonade au lait 102 
 
 Lime juice, Judson's 269 
 
 Chloride of 80 
 
 Linen, bed and table. To wash 126 
 
 Body, To wash 125 
 
 Liniments 117 
 
 Ammonia 117 
 
 Stimulating 117 
 
 Liquid, to remove grease spots 26 
 
 Liquids, Advice on 31 
 
 Little things 387 
 
 Lobsters, To choose 35 
 
 Salad, To make 102 
 
 Lotions 298 
 
 Alum water 293 
 
 Anodyne 298 
 
 Astringent 298 
 
 Kitric acid 298 
 
 Lowestoft, Notes on 157 
 
 Luncheon, Hints on 172 
 
 Cake for children 274 
 
 Ly tham, Notes on 160 
 
 M 
 
 Macaroni and veal pie 261 
 
 Timbale 261 
 
 Mace 45 
 
 Demanded a hearing 8 
 
 Mackerel, Fresh 69 
 
 Tofry 69 
 
 Mahogany, New cement for 27 
 
 To extract ink from 28 
 
 Maids of honour 325 
 
 Maize, To cultivate 373 
 
 To grow in open ground 373 
 
 Malt liquors. To bottle 233 
 
 Malvern, Notes on 203 
 
 Maps, Varnish for 334 
 
 Marmalade, Apricot 163 
 
 Gooseberry 163 
 
 Orange 162 
 
 Quince 163 
 
 Eed currant 163 
 
 Marjoram, To dry 223 
 
 Marble, To remove smoke stains from ... 288 
 
 March, Month of 1 
 
 March violets (Popiry) 1 
 
 Marketing, Hintson 34 
 
 Margate, Notes on 157 
 
 Marriage, Law of 106 
 
 Marrow patties 324 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Marrow Pomade 347 
 
 Marrow, Vegetable, To cultivate 363 
 
 Married women. Property of, new law ... 351 
 
 Marking-ink, To remove 26 
 
 Marble chimney-pieces. To clean 8 
 
 Master and apprentice. Law of 134 
 
 Master and servant. Law of 72 
 
 Matches, Advice on 55 
 
 Materials for embroidery 183 
 
 Matlock, Notes on 203 
 
 Mats, sheepskin. To clean 216 
 
 To prepare the sheepskin for 262 
 
 May-day {Poetry) 65 
 
 May, Month of 65 
 
 Mayonnaise sauce 260 
 
 Mead, To make 232 
 
 Meat in season in March 1 
 
 April 34 
 
 May 66 
 
 June 88 
 
 July 130 
 
 August 162 
 
 September IS-* 
 
 October 226 
 
 November 258 
 
 December 290 
 
 January 322 
 
 February 354 
 
 Meat, To choose 35 
 
 Boiling, Observations on 39 
 
 To boil in a cloth 40 
 
 To boilslowly 35 
 
 Fresh, to boil 40 
 
 Time allowed to boil 39 
 
 Toskim 40 
 
 Meat panada 76 
 
 Melons, To preserve 133 
 
 Memory, Aids to 212 
 
 Metronome, The 189 
 
 Mildew, To remove 52 
 
 Mil k, asses' or goats'. Artificial 119 
 
 Another receipt 119 
 
 Milk, Hints on 168 
 
 Quantity of 168 
 
 Skimmed 163 
 
 Treatment of 163 
 
 Millport, Notes on 179 
 
 Minees, Kemarks on 258 
 
 To serve 260 
 
 Mutton or beef 260 
 
 Pies, To make 293 
 
 Collops, Scotch 2«9 
 
 Mincing machines 124 
 
 Mint julep, To make 150 
 
 Mint, To dry 223 
 
 Mirrors, To clean 24 
 
 Mineral spas, English and Scottish 207 
 
 Mixed fruit wine 1^7 
 
 Mixtures, Medical 346 
 
 Cordial 346 
 
 For fever 316 
 
 For gout and rheumatism 346 
 
 Tonic 295 
 
 Modelling in clay 279 
 
 Masks, to copy 280 
 
 Moffat, Notes on 209 
 
 Moonshine 356 
 
 Mortgage, Law of. 179 
 
402 
 
 Itidex. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Moselle cup, To make 150 
 
 Moths, To destroy 77 
 
 Mouth, The 114 
 
 Ulceration of, ' 154 
 
 Mucilage, or liquid gam 96 
 
 Mulberry wine. To make 198 
 
 Mulligatawny soup 228 
 
 Mumps, Cause and cure of 155 
 
 Music and musical instruments, hints on : — 
 
 Pianoforte, The choice of 81 
 
 Advice on the three years' system 81 
 
 Practising the 81 
 
 Preserving and tuning 81 
 
 Other musical instruments 82 
 
 Singing, Hints on 128 
 
 Choice of a teacher 128 
 
 Practice of singing 128 
 
 Is singing injurious 128 
 
 Grand piano, The 189 
 
 Pract ice of 188 
 
 Copying of 189 
 
 Harmonium, the, Hints on 141 
 
 Cost of 142 
 
 Music for 142 
 
 Purchasing of 142 
 
 AVhat to practise 188 
 
 Classical 248 
 
 Domestic concerts 248 
 
 Instruments for 248 
 
 Clarionet, hautbois, bassoon ...... 249 
 
 Cornet a-pistons 249 
 
 Flute, harp, guitar, concertina... 249 
 
 Orchestrina, The 248 
 
 Advice to famili'ies on music 249 
 
 Musical hints to mammas 300 
 
 Mamma and her boys 301 
 
 Supply of songs 248 
 
 Singing 301 
 
 What instruments should boys learn ? 301 
 
 When should girls begin music ? 300 
 
 Mushrooms, A few words on 223 
 
 To bake 224 
 
 To broil 224 
 
 To choose 224 
 
 Ketchup 224 
 
 To pickle 196 
 
 To preserve 224 
 
 To ragout 103 
 
 To stew 101 
 
 Muslins, To wash 126 
 
 To render uninflammable 160 
 
 Mustard displayed a friendly feeling 8 
 
 Best plaster 19 
 
 Mutton, To choose 35 
 
 Nutritious qualities of 36 
 
 Legof, Toboil 40 
 
 To roast 38 
 
 To stew 101 
 
 lioin of. To roast 38 
 
 Saddle of, To roast 38 
 
 Shoulder of, To roast 38 
 
 Broth 118 
 
 Chops, Tobroil 67 
 
 Tofry 69 
 
 Cutlets, To dress 68 
 
 Haricot 260 
 
 Minced 260 
 
 To stew 101 
 
 PAOB 
 
 Muriatic acid gas 79 
 
 Mussel, The, as a poison 267 
 
 N 
 
 Nails in outdoor work 348 
 
 Nairne, Notes on 179 
 
 Needles 288 
 
 Needle-threader, New 288 
 
 Needlework, Remarks on 48 
 
 Braiding in silk or worsted 188 
 
 Crochet 317 
 
 Crochet a tricoter 348 
 
 Embroidery, English 109 
 
 Embroidery, Silk;' 187 
 
 Embroidery, Tapestry 153 
 
 Knitting, Hints on 206 
 
 Knitting machines 235 
 
 Sewing machines 88 
 
 To choose 90 
 
 Hand 89 
 
 Treadle 89 
 
 Tatting 377 
 
 Netting, Hints on 278 
 
 Diamond 278 
 
 Herring-bone 278 
 
 Honeycomb 278 
 
 Implements for 278 
 
 Square 278 
 
 Stitches used 278 
 
 News from home 385 
 
 Nightmare 296 
 
 Treatment 296 
 
 Nightshade, Deadly 267 
 
 Nitre whey. 77 
 
 Nitrous acid vapour 79 
 
 North Berwick, Notes on 178 
 
 Nose, bleeding of, To cure 75 
 
 Nose, The 114 
 
 November, Month of 257 
 
 Noyeau, To make 134 
 
 Nuisances, Law of 325 
 
 Nursing, Hints on 83 
 
 Nutmeg 45 
 
 Made a noise 9 
 
 o 
 
 Oats 99 
 
 Oat-cakes, Scotch, To make 220 
 
 Oban, Notes on '. 178 
 
 October, First of (Poetry) 226 
 
 Month of 225 
 
 Oldyear and the New (Poetry) 321 
 
 Oilcloth, To clean 28 
 
 Oil» and lamps 201 
 
 Oils. Best 202 
 
 Omelette, A delicious 11 
 
 Onions, To pickle 196 
 
 Toragout 102 
 
 Opium as a poison 267 
 
 Syrup of 181 
 
 Orange jelly 355 
 
 Marmalade 162 
 
 Pudding 324 
 
 Peel 46 
 
 Oranges, To preserve 133 
 
 Orangeade 103 
 
 Orchestrina, The 248 
 
 Ornaments, gilt. To clean 24 
 
Index. 
 
 403 
 
 PAGB 
 
 •Ostrich feathers, To clean 2^ 
 
 Oven. Dutch 3q 
 
 Ox beef „••••■■•,■ 68 
 
 Cheek, To bake 3. 
 
 Oysters, To choose 3^ 
 
 To cook 343 
 
 Fritters 343 
 
 Tofry 342 
 
 Patties 342 
 
 To preserve 342 
 
 To roast 343 
 
 To scallop Y\ 
 
 8°nP ■■■■:: T.;. 376 
 
 Ozokent candles 
 
 P 
 
 255 
 Paotine. Hints on 24 
 
 Paint, To clean 333 
 
 Paint, Inodorous 227 
 
 Palestine soup ■• ot 
 
 Paper, stains from, To remove ^^ 
 
 Papering and painting, Hints on 
 
 Papier-mache, To clean 
 
 Paraffine, New appbcation of g^. 
 
 Parish law 3^4 
 
 Parrot.The 314 
 
 Cockatoos 3J4 
 
 Mdcawa 324 
 
 African, or grey 3^. 
 
 Diseases of 314 
 
 Food for • 315 
 
 To teach, to speak 3^^ 
 
 Cage for 315 
 
 Guide 223 
 
 Parsley, To dry ^j 
 
 Parsnipe.Toboil.... Ig^, 
 
 Partnership, Law 01 3g 
 
 Partridges, To choose gy 
 
 Tobroil 219 
 
 Pastes for birds ••; 323 
 
 Pastry, Hints on making „23 
 
 Paste-board and rolhng-pm |^^ 
 
 Tart and patty pans 323 
 
 Paste for fruit tarts 323 
 
 Potato paste 323 
 
 Puflfpaste 323 
 
 Eich light paste 200 
 
 Pea-fowl 132 
 
 Peaches, To preserve ■ • 222 
 
 71 
 223 
 102 
 124 
 , 32 
 20 
 
 Pears, To keep 
 
 Peas, To boil 
 
 Green, To keep 
 To stew ... 
 
 Pea-sheUer 
 
 Peat as fuel 
 
 Pedestrian exercise Igg 
 
 Penzance, Notes on g ^ 
 
 Pepper, Cayenne g' 45 
 
 Black '45 
 
 Jamaica g 45 
 
 White •■ 122 
 
 Perch, the. To catch gg 
 
 Perfume for a sick room ^ 
 
 Perfumes, what derived from ^ 
 
 Peruvian bark igg 
 
 Perry, To bottle igg 
 
 To make 25 
 
 Pewter, To clean 
 
 Phlegmatic temperaments |^ 
 
 Phonography, Hints on . 
 
 Photographs, To fix, in an album <w 
 
 Pianoforte, Choice ot g^ 
 
 Practice of ■ q. 
 
 Preserving and tuning 
 
 Three years system ^gg 
 
 Grand 4 
 
 Pictures, To hang •• ooi 
 
 Pickles, Adulteration of. ^^ 
 
 Hintson jgg 
 
 Bengal chutney ^^gg 
 
 Indian 195 
 
 Mixed igg 
 
 Mushrooms jgg 
 
 Onions • • • naa 
 
 For meats, bacon, and ham ^ 
 
 Beef 007 
 
 Hambro' ^ 
 
 Pork 3g5 
 
 Pig.The ..^...,...-. ■; 365 
 
 Breeds, Various ggg 
 
 To choose 3gg 
 
 To fatten 3gg 
 
 To feed 233 
 
 Pigeons, Notes on 35 
 
 To choose 233 
 
 Diseases of 233 
 
 Food for 233 
 
 Health of 234. 
 
 Carrier, The 234 
 
 Turtle dove, The jgj 
 
 To stew 4|g 
 
 Pigments, Green 122 
 
 Pike, the, to catch ..;■ 034 
 
 Pillows, feathers for, To prepare ^ 
 
 Pills, Alterative 2I6 
 
 Digestive 268 
 
 For Inflammation 215 
 
 Laxative 2I6 
 
 Purgative 268 
 
 To relieve pain 215 
 
 Stomachic 276 
 
 Pins ■■ 338 
 
 Piquet, Game ot 339 
 
 Cards for 340 
 
 Capot ■ 340 
 
 General rules 341 
 
 Lawsof 339 
 
 Point 339 
 
 Quatorze 339 
 
 Sequence 209 
 
 Pitkeathlv, Notes on „/^o 
 
 PlantrTo collect and preserve 203 
 
 Cleanliness for, necessary ^^ 
 
 To arrange 203 
 
 To collect 204 
 
 To dry ■•■■■•• 204 
 
 Another method gg 
 
 In pots. To water ,4- 
 
 To propagate by budding • --v-;; tg. 
 ^Fruit and rose trees, new method sm 
 
 By cuttings ^^ 
 
 Plants a^IsKpropagate^hy suckers 277 
 
 Plasters _ n7 
 
 Anodyne ug 
 
 Cough 
 
404 
 
 Index. 
 
 Plasters (continued) — page 
 
 Resolvent 117 
 
 Strengthening 118 
 
 Warm 117 
 
 Plaster of Paris, Use of. 24 
 
 Plate, To choose and clean 87 
 
 Plover, green. To roast 39 
 
 Grey, To roast 39 
 
 Plum and damson cheese 163 
 
 Golden drop 133 
 
 Poisons, General remarks 236 
 
 Mineral poisoning, Symptoms of. 236 
 
 Antidote for 237 
 
 Alkalies, Strong 237 
 
 Arsenic... 238 
 
 Antimony 238 
 
 Bismuth 238 
 
 Lead 238 
 
 Mercury 237 
 
 Nitre 238 
 
 Nitrate of Silver 238 
 
 Preparations of copper 238 
 
 Tin 238 
 
 Zinc 238 
 
 Antidotes for the nine preceding 238 
 
 Poisons, Animal 266 
 
 Treatment for 266 
 
 Bee sting 267 
 
 Centipede sting 267 
 
 Cobra di capelJo, Bite of 266 
 
 Rattlesnake, Bite of. 266 
 
 Scorpion Stingof 267 
 
 Wasp, Stingof 267 
 
 Poisons, vegetable, general remarks 267 
 
 Treatment for 267 
 
 Deadly nightshade 267 
 
 Foxglove, or digitalis 268 
 
 Hemlock 267 
 
 Henbane 267 
 
 Opium 267 
 
 Prussic acid 268 
 
 Poisonous dyes 26 
 
 Poisonous fish 267 
 
 Treatment for 267 
 
 Conger eel 267 
 
 Mussels 267 
 
 Yellow-billed sprat 267 
 
 Pomades, A few words on 347 
 
 To beautify the hair 347 
 
 Castor oil 347 
 
 Marrow 347 
 
 Pool, Game of 245 
 
 Rules of 245 
 
 Single 246 
 
 Porcelain, Pictures on 25 
 
 Pork, To choose 35 
 
 Chine, To roast 38 
 
 Leg of. To roast 38 
 
 Porter jelly 215 
 
 Porter, To ripen 232 
 
 Port wine stains. To remove 26 
 
 Post Office Insurance 203 
 
 Post Office Savings Banks 203 
 
 Potato paring machine 124 
 
 Potatoes, a la maitre d'hotel 288 
 
 Fried 288 
 
 Mashed 288 
 
 New.Toboil 71 
 
 Paste 323 
 
 Potatoes {continued) — Fi.aa 
 
 Sweet balls 288 
 
 Poultice, The, General remarks 53 
 
 Charcoal 53 
 
 Goulard's 54 
 
 Hemlock 53 
 
 Yeajt 53 
 
 Poultry in season in March 1 
 
 April 34 
 
 May 66 
 
 June 98 
 
 July 130 
 
 August 162 
 
 September 194 
 
 October 226 
 
 November 258 
 
 December 290 
 
 January 322 
 
 February 354 
 
 Poultry, Hints on 35 
 
 To fatten for table 151 
 
 Poultry plague or roup 151 
 
 To fatten young poultry 91 
 
 Hints on management of chickens ... 90 
 
 Food for 90 
 
 For hen with chickens 91 
 
 The domestic duck 189 
 
 The domestic goose 190 
 
 Goslings, to feed 191 
 
 The guinea-fowl 342 
 
 The pea-fowl 200 
 
 The turkey 199 
 
 To choose and cook 35 
 
 Chickens, To i'ry 69 
 
 Ducks, To roast 38 
 
 Fowl, To boil 41 
 
 Toroast 39 
 
 To broil 67 
 
 Goose, To boil 41 
 
 Toroast 39 
 
 Turkey, To boil 41 
 
 Toroast 38 
 
 With chestnuts 38 
 
 Guinea-fowls, To keep 342 
 
 To cook 343 
 
 To lard 343 
 
 To stuff. 343 
 
 To recook cold 343 
 
 Powders, Anodyne 345 
 
 Aperient 268 
 
 Astringent 298 
 
 Emetic 268 
 
 Forfevers 268 
 
 Purgative 268 
 
 Preserving. General remarks on 130 
 
 Candied fruit 133 
 
 Clarified syrup 132 
 
 Fruit in clarified syrup 132 
 
 Golden drop plum 133 
 
 Green figs 133 
 
 Lemons 133 
 
 Melons 133 
 
 Oranges 133 
 
 Peaches 133 
 
 Jams, To make. Cherry jam 132 
 
 Currant jam, red, white, or black ... 131 
 
 Damson jam 132 
 
 Gooseberry jam, green or white 131 
 
 Gooseberryjam, red 131 
 
 I 
 
Index. 
 
 405 
 
 Preserving {continued.) — pagh 
 
 Orleans and other plum jams 132 
 
 Easpberry jam 131 
 
 Strawberry jam 131 
 
 Jellies, Fruit, To make. Apple jelly ... 133 
 
 Cherry jelly 132 
 
 Currantjelly 132 
 
 Grape jelly 132 
 
 Marmalades, To make 163 
 
 Apple cheese 163 
 
 Apricot 162 
 
 Currant, red 163 
 
 Damson or plum cheese 163 
 
 Gooseberry 163 
 
 Orange 163 
 
 Quince 163 
 
 Prints, To varnish 334 
 
 Private theatricals 309 
 
 Promises, The best 385 
 
 Propagation of fruit and rose trees, new 
 
 method 384 
 
 Prussic acid as a poison 268 
 
 Puddings, A few words on making 291 
 
 Butter, The 291 
 
 Candied peel, The 291 
 
 Eggs, The 291 
 
 Plour, The (ingredients) 291 
 
 Fruit, The 291 
 
 Spices, The 291 
 
 Suet, The 291 
 
 To mix a pudding 291 
 
 Amber 324 
 
 Arrowroot 100, 183 
 
 Bread 183 
 
 Chancellor's 292 
 
 Chocolate 324 
 
 Christmas plum 291 
 
 CoUege 293 
 
 BxceUent bread and batter 292 
 
 Fig 293 
 
 Ground rice 293 
 
 Lemon 323 
 
 Lemon, Permanent 293 
 
 Lemon suet 292 
 
 Light flour 183 
 
 Orange 324 
 
 Palmyra or date 292 
 
 Plain plum 292 
 
 Sponge 292 
 
 Super-excellent 324 
 
 Tapioca 183 
 
 Vermicelli 324 
 
 Punctuality, Hints on 26 
 
 Punctuation, Hints on 319 
 
 History of 319 
 
 Points, length of 319 
 
 Names of 319 
 
 Secondary 319 
 
 Uses of 319 
 
 Other points 320 
 
 Illustrations 320 
 
 Purgative tincture 215 
 
 Putty, Thermoplastic 64 
 
 Pyramids, Game of 246 
 
 American game 247 
 
 Baulk 247 
 
 Eulesof 247 
 
 Pyretic sa'ine, Lamplough'a 269 
 
 Q PAGB 
 
 Quail, To roast 39 
 
 Queen cakes. To make 220 
 
 Queenstown, Notes on 178 
 
 Quiuce marmalade 163 
 
 Quinsey, Cause and Cure 155 
 
 Quoits, Game of. 165 
 
 R 
 
 Rabbits, Hints on 24fl 
 
 To choose 35 
 
 Best kind 250 
 
 Habits of 249 
 
 Nutritious qualities of 36 
 
 To keep clean 250 
 
 To feed 250 
 
 To rear 250 
 
 To boil 40 
 
 Tobroil 67 
 
 To roast 39 
 
 Racquet, Game of. 210 
 
 Implements for 210 
 
 Rules of 210 
 
 Railway accidents 23 
 
 Ramequins, Fried 381 
 
 With anchovy $81 
 
 Ramsgate, Notes on 168 
 
 Raspberry jam. To make 131 
 
 Vinegar, To make lOJ 
 
 Wine, to make 197 
 
 Rats, A few words on 18 
 
 When useful 18 
 
 How to destroy 18 
 
 Ratafia, To make 222 
 
 Red 222 
 
 Rattlesnake, Bite of 266 
 
 Receipt Stamps, Law of 180 
 
 Rennet, To make 169 
 
 Bavarian 220 
 
 Rent, Lawof 265 
 
 In Scotland 266 
 
 Respirators 286 
 
 Restorative, A great 12 
 
 Another 12 
 
 Rheumatism, Its nature and saiise 19 
 
 Treatment 19 
 
 Rhubarb, To preserve 103 
 
 Tincture of 215 
 
 Rhyl, Notes on 177 
 
 Rice, as food 99 
 
 Milk 64 
 
 For curries 262 
 
 Minces 260 
 
 Roach, To catch 121 
 
 Rocliery, To construct 146 
 
 Room, To warm a In rge 184 
 
 Roasting, General remarks 37 
 
 Time required 37 
 
 AVell-done or underdone 37 
 
 Rostrevor, Notes on 178 
 
 Rothesay, Notes on 173 
 
 Roup iu fowls 151 
 
 Rowing 92 
 
 Boats 91 
 
 Rugs, sheepskin. To clean 216 
 
 Rumpsteaks, To broil 67 
 
 Rust, Mode of removing 22 
 
 Rustic stands for flowers 277 
 
4o6 
 
 Index. 
 
 S PAGE 
 
 Sftge, Todry 223 
 
 Sagomilk 76 
 
 JeUy 355 
 
 Soup 227 
 
 Salad, An excellent summer 102 
 
 Lobster 102 
 
 Salads, Winter 349 
 
 Beetroot 350 
 
 Capital winter 350 
 
 Cold French beang 350 
 
 French 350 
 
 German 350 
 
 Haricot 350 
 
 Potato 350 
 
 Red cabbage 350 
 
 Swedish 351 
 
 Vinegar for 350 
 
 Salmon, the, To catch 135 
 
 Tobroil 67 
 
 Cold, To re-cook 295 
 
 Salt 46 
 
 Pale as snow 9 
 
 Sandown, Notes on 159 
 
 Sanitary soap 809 
 
 Sarsaparilla, decoction of 182 
 
 Sauce, Best 10 
 
 American butter 293 
 
 Arrowroot 293 
 
 Horseradish 95 
 
 Wine , 293 
 
 Sausage machine 12i 
 
 Sausages, To fry 69 
 
 Sauterne cup, To make 150 
 
 Savings Banks 202 
 
 Post Office 203 
 
 Savory, to dry ■. 223 
 
 Savoys, to boil 71 
 
 Scalds, To cure 18 
 
 Scallop offish 295 
 
 Scarborough, Notes on 157 
 
 Scones, Soda 94 
 
 Scorpion, Sting of. 267 
 
 Scottish and English mineral spas 207 
 
 Sculling 93 
 
 Sea-bathing, Hints on 50 
 
 Sea^side, At the (Poeirj/) 129 
 
 Sea-side studies 119 
 
 Sea-weeds, To preserve 183 
 
 Seasonings, Hints on, for dishes 335 
 
 Aromatic 335 
 
 General rules for 335 
 
 Oleaginous 335 
 
 Saccharine 335 
 
 SaUne 335 
 
 Secondary cookery. Remarks on — 
 
 Hashes and minces 258 
 
 BeefLash 259 
 
 Beef rissoles 259 
 
 Cecils, or dormers 55 
 
 Cold salmon 295 
 
 Devil, To make 380 
 
 Fish a la Bechamel 294 
 
 Fish pudding, Plain 294 
 
 Another receipt 294 
 
 Fricandeau of cod or sole 294 
 
 GriU, Tomake 381 
 
 Ham toast 11 
 
 Secondary cookery (continued) — page 
 
 Hare, To stew a second time 260 
 
 Macaroni and veal pie 261 
 
 Macaroni, Timbale of 261 
 
 Mayonnaise of cold fowl 200 
 
 Minced mutton 260 
 
 Mince, To serve 260 
 
 Mince, Rice for 260 
 
 ScaUopoffish 294 
 
 Veal, cold. To use up 11 
 
 Veal croquets 259 
 
 Veal patties 259 
 
 Seek to discover something 386 
 
 Seidlitz powders 156 
 
 Senna, Syrup of 181 
 
 September, Month of 193 
 
 Servants, Choice of 47 
 
 Sewing machines 88 
 
 Hand 89 
 
 Treadle 89 
 
 To choose 90 
 
 Sbanklin, Notes on 159 
 
 Shawls, To wash, Scotch way 127 
 
 Sheepskins for mats. To prepare 262 
 
 Sherry cobbler. To make 150 
 
 Shorthand, Notes on 185 
 
 Shower bath 51 
 
 Shrubs propagated by suckers 277 
 
 Sick room. Perfume for 85 
 
 Sideboard, To choose 6 
 
 Sidmouth, Notes on 159 
 
 Silkworm, History of 205 
 
 Eggs of 205 
 
 Rearing of 205 
 
 Silks, white or light. To clean 207 
 
 Grease, To remove from 25 
 
 Wax stains. To remove 220 
 
 Silk stockings. To wash 207 
 
 Silver ornaments, To clean 255 
 
 Singing, Notes on 128 
 
 Choice of teacher 128 
 
 Is it injurious? 128 
 
 Practice of 128 
 
 Siskins, To breed 219 
 
 Skate, To fry 69 
 
 Skating, Hints on 326 
 
 Fii-st attempts .- 326 
 
 General directions 326 
 
 The Skate 326 
 
 Skeleton leaves, To make 335 
 
 Skin, Care of 251 
 
 Cleanliness of 252 
 
 Offices of 252 
 
 Sleep, A few words on 16 
 
 JProper duration of 16 
 
 To procure comfortable 17 
 
 Smoke stains from marble. To remove ... 288 
 
 Smoky chimneys. To cure 54 
 
 Snipe, To choose 35 
 
 Toroast 39 
 
 Snow cakes 100 
 
 Snuflf, Advice on 20 
 
 Soap, A few words on 309 
 
 Concentrated 309 
 
 Fields 309 
 
 Knight's primrose 309 
 
 Sanitary 309 
 
 Toilet 309 
 
 Soda, Chloride of 80 
 
Index. 
 
 407 
 
 PA.OB 
 
 Soda Bread 94 
 
 Cakes 94 
 
 Currant Cakes 95 
 
 Scones 94 
 
 Sofa, The, and couch 44 
 
 Soles. To boil 40 
 
 Tofry 69 
 
 New way of cooking H 
 
 Soups, General remarks 226 
 
 a la Julienne 227 
 
 Browning for 227 
 
 Carrot 227 
 
 Game 227 
 
 Maigre, White 95 
 
 Mulligatawny 228 
 
 Oyster '. 11 
 
 Palestine 227 
 
 Sago 227 
 
 Sorrel 95 
 
 Stock for 226 
 
 Vermicelli 227 
 
 White 95 
 
 Southend, Notes on 157 
 
 Southport, Notes on 169 
 
 Southsea, Notes on 159 
 
 Southwold, Notes on 157 
 
 Spectacles, A few words on 265 
 
 Perisonpic 265 
 
 Spicebox, The 44 
 
 Spinach, To boil 70 
 
 Splinters, To extract 344 
 
 Sponge pudding, To make :.... 292 
 
 Spongio-piline 54 
 
 Sprains, To cure 53 
 
 Sprat, Yellow billed, poisonous 267 
 
 Spring ( Poeir.v) 33 
 
 Spruce beer, To make 14 
 
 Squinting, To cure ... 117 
 
 St. Andrew's, Notes on 179 
 
 St. Leonard's, Notes on 158 
 
 Stammering, Cure of 67 
 
 Stamp Act, New, 1870 356 
 
 Strathpeffer, Notes on 210 
 
 Strawberry jam. To make 131 
 
 Stewing, General remarks 100 
 
 Beef, Rump of 100 
 
 Steak 100 
 
 Cucumber 101 
 
 Hare 101 
 
 Lamb, Leg of. 101 
 
 Mushrooms 101 
 
 Mutton, Leg of , 101 
 
 Shoulder of 101 
 
 Peas, Green 102 
 
 Pigeons 101 
 
 Veal 101 
 
 Sting of Bees and Wasps 119 
 
 Stomachs, Weak 31 
 
 Wrongs of 143 
 
 Stoppers, To loosen 15 
 
 Stoves, Cement for 46 
 
 Sugar, To choose 99 
 
 Sulphur as a disinfectant 79 
 
 Summer {Poetry) 97 
 
 Sunstroke, To treat 116 
 
 Super-excellent pudding 324 
 
 Supper, Hints on 172 
 
 Swansea, Notes on 177 
 
 rAOE 
 
 Swimming, Art of, Remarks on 137 
 
 Syrups, General remarks 181 
 
 Clarified \[[ 13a 
 
 Opium '.'..'.'.'..'. 181 
 
 Senna igi 
 
 T 
 
 Tables, The best dining 44 
 
 Tableaux vivants 312 
 
 Tamarind water 77 
 
 Tap. Excelsior "" 53 
 
 For wine, beer, and spirits 63 
 
 Tapioca and cod-liver jelly ', 215 
 
 JeUy '.■'■■'_ 183 
 
 BuddiDg X88 
 
 Tatting, Remarks on 377 
 
 Cotton for '_ 377 
 
 Implements for " 377 
 
 Picot, To make "'."' 377 
 
 To begin ..'......'. 377 
 
 To join 377 
 
 The stitch 377 
 
 Working with two threads 377 
 
 Patterns. — Edging No. 1 ].'" 377 
 
 No. a ..'.'.'.'..' 378 
 
 No. 3 378 
 
 Tea, Best way to make 13 
 
 Drinkers, Hints to " 13 
 
 Notes on 173 
 
 Balm ...'...'.'.'.'. 156 
 
 Hyson 156 
 
 Mint 156 
 
 Teeth, To preserve 13 
 
 Teignmouth, Notes on 159 
 
 Tench, To catch 133 
 
 Tepid bath. The ,,',','.'. 51 
 
 Theatre, Panic in 23 
 
 Thermo-plastic putty 64 
 
 Thunder-storms, Safety during 360 
 
 Tinctures, General remarks 214 
 
 Aloes for indigestion 297 
 
 Aromatic 215 
 
 Bark for fever and ague 297 
 
 Bitter 214 
 
 For chronic looseness 297 
 
 Purgative 215 
 
 Rhubarb 215 
 
 Tinned vessels. Danger of 25 
 
 Toast water 156 
 
 Tobacco, Advice on 20 
 
 Toilet vinegar 288 
 
 Tomato, The 213 
 
 Baked 212 
 
 Pickled 211 
 
 Preserved 211 
 
 Salad 211 
 
 Sauce 21a 
 
 Tonics for the Stomach, &c 296 
 
 Top, Chameleon, The 288 
 
 Torquay, Notes on 159 
 
 Tramore, Notes on 177 
 
 Trout, To catch 135 
 
 Fishing-tackle for 135 
 
 Truffle, The 353 
 
 Trustees, Frauds of. Law of 239 
 
 Tunbridge Wells, Notes on 2O8 
 
 Turbot, To boil 41 
 
4o8 
 
 Index. 
 
 Ti-QS 
 
 Turkeys, General remarks 199 
 
 Norfolk 199 
 
 To boil 41 
 
 To choose 35 
 
 To roast 38 
 
 With chestnuts 38 
 
 Turkish bath, The 52 
 
 Tweed cloaks, To waterproof 96 
 
 Two-milk whey 77 
 
 Tynemouth, Notes on 157 
 
 V 
 
 Vaccination, law of 20 
 
 Valentine's (St.) day 353 
 
 Vapour bath 52 
 
 Varnishes, Various 333 
 
 Veal, To choose 35 
 
 To boil 40 
 
 Cold, To use up 11 
 
 Cutlets, To broil 67 
 
 Tofry 68 
 
 Croquets 259 
 
 Fillet, To roast 37 
 
 Loin of. To roast 37 
 
 Nutritious qualities of. 36 
 
 Patties 259 
 
 Sherbet 215 
 
 To stew 101 
 
 Veal and macaroni pie 261 
 
 Vegetables in season in March 1 
 
 April 34 
 
 May 66 
 
 June 98 
 
 July 130 
 
 August 162 
 
 September 194 
 
 October 226 
 
 November 258 
 
 December 290 
 
 January 322 
 
 February 354 
 
 Vegetable food. General remarks 69 
 
 Vegetables, to cook 70 
 
 A neat dish 70 
 
 ToboU 40 
 
 Artichokes 71 
 
 Tofry 71 
 
 Eagout 71 
 
 Asparagus 71 
 
 Beetroot 71 
 
 Brocoli 71 
 
 Cabbage 71 
 
 Carrots , 71 
 
 Cauliflowers 71 
 
 Kidney beans 71 
 
 Parsnips 71 
 
 Peas 71 
 
 Potatoes, new 71 
 
 Spinach 70 
 
 Vegetable marrow, to cultivate 368 
 
 Vegetables in season for pickling 130 
 
 Velocipede and bicycle. The 110 
 
 Vent-peg, Best 63 
 
 Ventilation, Hints on 105 
 
 Vermicelli soup 227 
 
 Pudding 824 
 
 Vinegar, Toilet .* 288 
 
 Whey 77 
 
 97^ 
 
 Fi.eB 
 
 Vingt-et-Un, game of 365 
 
 Natural 366 
 
 Volume, Closing of the {Poetry) 388 
 
 Wall papers, To remove grease from 200 
 
 Walnut, The 286 
 
 As medicine 286 
 
 Propagation of 286 
 
 Warm bath 51 
 
 Warren Point, Notes on 178 
 
 Washing, Hints on 125 
 
 Machines 125 
 
 Wringing and mangling machines ... 125 
 
 Wash-leather gloves. To clean 96 
 
 Wasps, stings of. To cure 267 
 
 New and simple cure for 256 
 
 Water, its Properties, Filtration, &c. 14, 233 
 
 Watering places. Various 157 — 176 
 
 Waterproofing 27 
 
 Wax, bottle, To make 232 
 
 Stains from silk. To remove 220 
 
 Flowers, To make 358 
 
 Camellia japonica 359 
 
 Colours for 359 
 
 Implements for 359 
 
 Wax for 359 
 
 Weston-super-Mare, Notes on 160 
 
 Whey, Various kinds 77 
 
 Whipped froth 356 
 
 Whiskey punch, Irish 16 
 
 Scotch 16 
 
 Whist, Game of, General remarks, &,c. ... 59 
 
 Whitby, Notes on 157 
 
 White silks. To clean 207 
 
 Stockings, To wash 207 
 
 Whitebait, To dress 255 
 
 Whitlow, cause and cure 345 
 
 Whooping-cough, New cure for 53 
 
 Liniment for 117 
 
 Wife, Choice of a 7 
 
 Wild fowl. To roast 39 
 
 Wills, to make. Law of 106 
 
 Window blinds and curtains 6 
 
 To clean 24 
 
 Window gardening 164 
 
 Wines, Various 196 
 
 Wines, To manage bins for 63 
 
 Winter (Poetry) 257 
 
 Wives, Economical 386 
 
 Wives and husbands 387 
 
 Wood as fuel 32 
 
 Wood carving. Hints on 281 
 
 Woodcock, To choose 35 
 
 To roast 39 
 
 Woollens, To wash 127 
 
 Worms, To cure 116 
 
 Worthing, Notes on 158 
 
 Wrist sprains. To treat 53 
 
 Yeast, German, To make 04 ^ 
 
 Yorkshire pudding, to make 381 
 
 Young ladies, hints to 386 l 
 
 Zoophytes, Actiniee, &c 119 
 
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