The Press.
London, England, 1854-12-23 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

according to the rnles of the strictest propriety and eti-
quette; and when the banquet was concluded, and the
female attendants, whose office it was to wait on the
ladies table, came round with their ewers and napkins,
each lady washed bar bruit's, and rose from her seat with
perfect steadiness. This second ablution was even more
needful and agreeable than the first, for the refined and
civilised Egyptians were at that time ignorant of the use
of knives and forks, and employed their fingers alone for
dividing and conveying to their mouths any solid articles
of food. They had, indeed, spoons and ladles for their
soup, and some of toese were very beautifully formed, and
composed of gilt, bronze, silver, ivory, or hard wood ; but
knives were unknown, except a large carving-knife, or
rather falchion. which was used for the purpose of cutting
up the joints of meat.
Such " useful knowledge " kind of descrip-
tions, and the laborious manner in which all
the inferior " accessories of the scene " are
perked up into the reader's face, are merely
suggestive of superficiality, and give an im-
pression that, however " strong a hold the
"subject may have taken on the mind and
" imagination " of Mrs. Webb, her present
narrative can in no way be noticed as a suc-
cessful example of imaginative power applied
to the development of Egyptian life.

Prose Halietaios ; or, Anenent and Modern Fish
Tattle. By the Rev. C. 1). Badhain, M.D.
London : J. W. Parker and Son.

THE amusement of fishing has always been
the favourite pursuit of the thoughtful and
contemplative in as great a degree as the more
active and violent sports have been popular
with the men of action and adventure. Stately
poems, sparkling lyrics, and profound trea-
tises, have been devoted to the subject, which,
though in itself but 41, narrow one, obtains
variety from the gossip, anecdote, and illus
tration, incident to such "an idle trade." Dr.
Badham, in the present volume, has made a
large collection, not only of these anecdotes,
but of varied learning on fish, fish-sauces,
fish-cookery, fish lovers, and, not by any means
least, fish dealers—that class who have pre-
sented so marked a contrast to the gentle
craft of fishers at all times from Juvenal's days
to our own. A great portion of the book is
composed of contributiouc which have already
appeared in Frame* Magazine, for which mode
of publication their desultory form was,
perhaps, better calculated than for a separate
work. The mode of treating the subject is not
so light as, from the nature of it, one might
have anticipated. There is, so to speak, a
wedging together of quotations, facts, and
anecdotes, in such close proximity as to be
somewhat tiresome, and a book of " tattle " is
made to resemble rather a collection of mate-
rials calculated to furnish full twenty books
such as Horace Walpole might have written
and everybody could have read. Such a col
lection, however, is both interesting and
valuable ; and if it is too solid and extensive,
it is probably because the author hits been
embarrassed by the riches of his subject, ex
tending as it does through so many ages
and into many countries As a favourable
specimen of Dr. Badham's style, we select a
passage respecting the frantic fondness for
mullet which forms the subject of the denun-
ciation of the satirists and moralists of
Rome.—
To buy and rear mullet was, with many, the " fixed
idea"—the settled business and ruling passion of life :
those whose purses were long enough, drained them to
maintain vivariums ; and not only cash, but time too, was
profusely lavished upon this one object: quite betimes,
and long before office or 'change hours (no luckless
lover or expectant heir more eager for the peep of day
than he), the mullet-millionaire was at the pond ere the
start were extinguished, feeding or caressing his fish. It
took time, skill, and patience to teach creatures so obtuse
to heed the voice that called or the hand that fondled and
fed them ; but to warm such cold-blooded animals as these
into a reciprocity of regard, was a wink of yet greater clan-
cultv, and the prime " labour of love ; " and that it might
nut Le " lost," this
Man of pleasure was a man of pains,
who would toil, sweat, and hang all day over his stews ;
manipulate iu turn every member of the mute com-
munity, and seek, with the assiduity and zeal of an in-
cipient M.l'., to ingratiate himself with his scaly con-
stituents. Educational responsibilities (of which some
make so light) he thoroughly appreciated, and knew
practically alike its difficulties and details ; with him it
was a joint, affair of honour and conscience not to allow
any neighbour's mullet to become more accomplished than
his own; and thus with heart and soul. intellect and repu-
tation entirely devoted to this oue object, the work of
tuition prospered in his hands (" quid non facit amor 1")
and was attended with surprising results : the " Red

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Rovers " of the fish-pond would at length know and ac-
knowledge their master; at his whistle flock einulously to-
gether, at his sight leap joyously into the air; and as he
pluuged his arm iuto the agitated basin, each individual of
the berried shoal strove who should first present tins and
rub scales against the well-known lingers! With only o•e
coadjutor, a trusty and very dear functionary—his nomen•
clator—whose particular office it was to assign and teach
each tinny favourite its distinctive appellation, the devoted
master would divide the glory of these triplaTaideatic exhi-
bitions, to witness which (near Naples) lull half the city
sometimes poured out to llauli, and there beheld, in wide-
mouthed wonder—
Each well•trsin'd pupil answering to the roll,
Approach the "haniester " and receive his dole.
Nor did their lord's arduous duties close with the re-
view; as dinner drew near, other cares, in which mullet
Bull occupied the first place, demanded prompt attention
and settlement : well dressed guests expected well•dressed
fish ; and thus a culinary consultation, long as Domitian's
with his privy councillors on the same subject, would
ensue with the cook as to how his favourites should be
served ; and by the time that important point was ad-
justed, the hungry guests, with hospitality tickets, the
vouchers of their right to be there, arrived; when the
host must welcome and assign to all their places; and as
the different trienniums filled with lulling friends, then,
nor before, must issue the crowning order of the day,
to " bring in the mullet "—not dead and swimming in
sauce—but alive, and swimming in a capacious globe
of glass, to be handed round to the bussing crowd, the
theme of rapturous eulogy from every tongue ; till
hunger restraining further curiosity the fish were slowly
put to death in " fulsome " sauce ; nor till the last struggle
was over were they removed for awhile, preparatory to •
second entrée on a " lordly dish," now done to a turn, again
to become the theme of conversation, and nut mars-