The Sun.
London, England, 1845-09-17 00:00:00

rmonths in the service, The finding is not known.-
4-'"ae7ick Chronicle- .
to Chr.exe.—; The pot:ato, even in Ireland, does not appearr
ho v . escaped as well as was at first sup-posed. 11. r
book of reference which has ,
Pe. however th • • • to be most generally useful
t/Coir/tiOleNseAZYd
legs , e injury will turn out
of
of guano .avrotlilue'almereti
noft VIII.
thi
si this thear t
TPtii(sjLisitTheiCfir4SitLpal)r
, extensive than some are inclined. to apprehend.. from the press for years. The. first
We have beard it surmised that the itudicions is entitled p"
Factor," the last is " Intderunnadteiornstaalnrdijabwiy.':
for in th v
of the
materials for
as alrearl • may have been the cause All the articles are written clearly an
dyarnage . but the mischief, even as fir Treat research has been made to collect..
guano
. at al:a"; talßnif;sili'dei:, too R:,
to
ip)elaaceees°Zie'';,l!
tettg,hax never been applied. Same atmospheric iiii- :t.ihaTi.nrj:sdaiclii,e;evilaesr.e in every instance au ntzeau des con-
th , "'nest or some it iII in the ground by
--e ,m, '. • ,r, (.112:en rim
iv g-continued wet, will mere proba'ily be found to
us e originated the disease.
Liatp.a.sr the La , .---The weather c.intinues most favourable
.for
norvaerrvest. We have dry warm I lays, the vvird
can
hardyll lby weft• Reapirip• is universal, and reapers
togZ:__ii.y be obtained. W'e are Mad to perceive that
_irt
.into the haggard accomoanies the reaping ; fir
Zl:qe grain is fully in a condition' to be removed almost
e,„_7Y_n_c,"..%(,A week or two of such w,alher as we now
7i':it, ure a splendid harvest. The grain, how-
..._,p be variable in colour and quality.
or_
_Ke4s WTI. Ai trapEa.—Wednesday evening last the son
la
i,apeatable farmer named Kenny, residing at Clonder-
, f:tghtzeisnesyt;iiiscdohuonintey. Clare, was waylaid on returning to his
allot of ."se, and barbarously murdered within a pi .tol-
The father was alarmed by the report of
urther on, the anhaegfixpurptsn:tl:ll:
re yar hurrying person
otnh the seasma ew I:Ye iags•li'-1
e
upriadreernhtiswaarsm,aalt-Llsat
iill°;slsvis lailrtarl::;:ap:ieedicleir: strfiaotfd. Illi s r)Wsiraho:weeani LostfhSae
corpse
having perforated his forehead ; and the
brale'llu'it,ltot content with his deadly aim, had also
instrataelane Poor your
1, tig man's skull with a blunt
Vest wits'J°l34.-aY the butt of a gun. An in-
(,ororker, 4elrl next day by Thomas Whitestone, Esq.,
against aoruen a dict of wilful murder was returned
°tie may have Deaver or Persons unknown, as more than
I):4:ll,:cieneg.cce,naatnty.ateaskbieetrien implicati, To account for this re-
cleat to explain thaTtPiecaerisanyvi.nt.daictive outrage, it is suffi-
rrick, of
small
11 arm,
of the murdered lad,
about seven acres, from
1111111-' A -rs flnis, Esq.--LLimerich Chronicle.
---Ittittt,l3l
HENO-
ioll.slA oil, E AERIAL P
84IRE. --681" r-ED AT COMEIE, PER ra.

book is got up in most luxurious style, and is adorned
with a view of a scene from La Fille de l' Orage—an elon-
gated portrait of the author, and an illuminated cover-
title. These two last are very ingenious artistical
puzzles.

whole series. We have no less than twenty-one original
articles and seven very important communications.
Three of these are on draining and reclaiming heath lands ;
two on tenant improvements ; three on varieties of ma-
nures ; one on the advantages of thick sowing, which
will be read with the greater interest, at a period when
thin sowing is so warmly advocated by some of the
largest wheat-growers in Yorkshire and in Kent, on the
system so well described by W. L. Fox. From Mr. John
Watson, jun.'s Prize Essay on " Reclaiming Heath
Land," we extract the following curious and important
statements :

clear, distinct, understandible, and better than all, in an
elementary book intended for juveniles, interesting. The
work is profusely illustrated, beautifully got up, and is
just the book for a birth-day present to a clever child.

HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF STATESMEN
WHO FLOURISHED IN THE TIME OF
GEORGE 111. By Henry, Lord Brougham. Second
Series.
Mr. Knight has published a new edition of these
sketches in a smaller form and at a cheaper rate. The
work is printed in a fine legible type, is of a commodious
size, and indeed every way suited to the general reader.
Those who chose to purchase the original edition have
formed an opinion of the characters of the most distin-
guished public men during the latter part of the reign of
lII.s a butd to
tmh
easney
awbhroi e af r
ne
of ot
ine do
ooff
trhe
ea ding
work,h at
hd
ere-
fore,
volume are George IV. (including Queen Caroline and
ft°ohreeeomrmgeeaany be useful. The principal characters in this
Sir John Leach), Lord Eldon, and his brother Lord
Stowell, Mr. Horne Tooke, Lord Castlereagh, Lord
Liverpool. Mr. Tierney, and Lord St. Vincent. The pic-
ture drawn of George IV. is of a very forbidding aspect,
and probably not a little surcharged, from the
peculiar circumstances in which the noble author was
placed in his defence of the Queen. A strong feeling
rankles in his mind against the royal spendthrift, lie is
described as selfish, irritable, revengeful, "ignorant of
all but the passages of history which most princes read
with some superficial knowledge of the dead languages,
which he had imperfectly learned and scantily retained;
considerable musical skill, great facility of modern
tongues, and no idea whatever of the rudiment of any
science, natural or moral ; unless the very imperfect
notions of the structure of Government, picked up in
conversation or studied in newspapers, can be reckoned
any exception to the universal blank." The treatment
of the Princess of Wales the very first week after her
marriage, exhibits conduct revolting to every mind, and
the prime actor was only saved from universal execra-
tion because the dark deeds which disgraced his charac-
ter ancj made the life of his consort all but insupport-
able, were at the time screened from the public gaze. The
following description paints human nature in such a de-
testable shape, that we would gladly believe that Lord
Brougham has been misinformed, and that the sufferings
of the Princess had made her magnify the crimes of her
husband :
" No sooner was the marriage solemnised, which plunged
the country into unmixed joy, and raised a mingled expecta-
tion and sneer among the population of the Court, than the
illustrious husband proceeded to the most exemplary, and
indeed scrupulousfulfilment of his vows—but not those made
at the altar. There were others of a prior date, to which,
with the most rigorous sense of justice, he therefore gave the
preference ;—performing them with an exactness even beyond
the strict letter of the engagement. It is true they were not
quite consistent with the later obligations " to love, cherish,
and protect ;" but they were vows notwithstanding, and had
been attested with massy oaths, and fierce imprecations, and
accompanied with a touching and a copious effusion of tears.
Their purport was an engagement to reject, to hate, and to
insult the wedded wife ; to yield her rivals, not unwedded,
but the helpmates of other lords, the preference on all occa-
sions ; to crown the existence of the one with all favour, and
affection, and respect, while that of the other should be made
wretched and unbearable by every slight which could be
given, every outrage which could be offered to the feelings
most tyrannical over the female bosom. Swift followed,
then, upon the making of the second and public vow, the
punctual fulfilment of the first and private obligation. Never
did the new-married pair meet but in the presence of others;
the Princess was treated on every occasion, but most on public
occasions, with ostentatious neglect, nay, with studied con-
tumely ; each resource of ingenious spite was exhausted in
devising varied means of exhibiting her position in melan-
choly contrast with the empire of her rivals ; when she sub-
mitted, trampled upon as dastardly and mean; when she
was reluctantly goaded into self-defence, run down and
quelled and punished as contumacious ; and as soon as mal-
treatment was suspected to have begotten the desire of reta-
liation, she was surrounded with spies, that not a gesture or a
look, a word, or a sigh, might pass unregistered, unexagge-
rated, unperverted."
A note to the life of Lord Eldon, partly describing
end partly suppressing expressions (which cannot be
recited) used by the Prince in reference to Mr. Percival,
tends to make his character still more repulsive. To Lord
Stowell's eminence as a judge full justice is done, and it
is correctly observed:--" If ever the praise of being
luminous could be justly bestowed upon human compo-
sitions, it was upon his judgments, and it was the appro-
bation constantly, and as it were peculiarly, appropriated
to those wonderful exhibitions of judicial capacity."
The sketches of Horne Tooke and Lord Liverpool are
perhaps the best in the collection. There is an entire
absence of party and personal feeling, and due praise is
given alike to the great abilities, the learning, and the
consistency of the former, and the good sense and
integrity of the latter. Throughout these pages suffi-
cient proofs are given that the Noble Lord has no great
regard for the old Whig party, thus well described:—
" The aristocratic and exclusive nature of Whig society,
the conviction then prevailing, and at all times acted upon,
that the whole interests of the State are wrapt up in those of
" The Party," while those of the party are implied by the
concerns of a few great families, their dependants, and their
favourites,—was sure to keep at an unpassable distance one
who, like Mr. Tooke, felt his own real importance, was unwil-
ling to measure it by the place he held in the estimation of
some powerful lord or more puissant lady, and was deter-
mined not to substitute for it the base nominal value attached
to obsequious servility."
And we can discover sentences which, though applied to
the individuals of whom his Lordship treats, may have a
different personal application. For instance, speaking of
Lord Shelburne, he says—
" Than whom none ever entered into the combats of public
life with an ampler provision of combined capacity and in-
formation, and none ever sustained the useful part which he
acted, with more unsullied honour. This tribute to truth
and justice is due from Whigs to one whom it suited the
policy of 1753 to run down by every species of slander,
partly in the prose of pamphlets, partly in the verse of pas-
quinades, partly in the mixed fiction and prose of speeches,
—merely because, not belonging to the party, he was auda-
cious enough to act for himself, instead of snaking himself a
tool of those who boasted that they never had confided in
him, at the moment they were complaining of his desertinv
their councils."

BIOGRAPHICAL. AND CRITICAL MISCEL-
LANIES. By William H. Prescott, author of "The
Hist ny of Ferdinand and Isabella," " The Conquest of
Mexico," 6^c.
The reputation which Mr. Prescott has achieved, the
ability and judgment exhibited in his historical works,
and the curiosity which exists to compare the earlier es-
says of such a writer with his later and more ambitious
productions, cannot fail to procure a reception for this
volume. Nor will the reader arise from its perusal dis-
satisfied or uninstructed. Much sound criticism runs
through its various articles; much sound information may
be gleaned from them. If this work came out as an
original one, we admit, at once, that it would not ad-
vance Mr. Prescott's literary reputation. But, with one
exception (a biography of Brockden Brown, the novelist,
published in Sparks's American Biography), the thirteen
articles here collected appeared in the North American
Review. The more recent articles are the most artisti-
cally written, but even the earliest (dated 1824) displays
critical acumen and sound common sense—that rarest
of all mental possessions.
The biographical papers are by far the best. Mr.
Prescott seizes the leading incidents, rapidly generalises
them, and cleverly applies them to illustrate his own
view of the character and productions of the persons
concerning whom he writes. This is exemplified in his
notice of Scott, and even more so in his essay upon the
life and writings of Cervantes. His biography of
Brockden Brown is more carefully executed, but it was
written not under the coverture of a critique in a Re-
view, but as part of a work to be reviewed. We may
add, that Mr. Prescott's estimate of Scott is written
with delicacy and discrimination. His genius is done
every justice to, and his faults—the result of writing
against time—are very indulgently alluded to.
The con amore article in the volume is the review of
Washington Irving's Caniquest of Grenada." It was
written in 1829, probably abou t the time when Mr. Prescott
had only recently entered upon the great field of Spanish
story, of which, as yet, he remains the master. Per-
haps it was the very composition of this very article
which made Mr. Prescott write his history of Ferdi-
nand and Isabella. We have known more than one in-
stance where, from merely reviewing a book, the critic
has himself been induced to write another (and a better)
upon the same subject.
The paper on Moliere, written before Sir Walter Scott
undertook the same subject (in the Foreign Quarterly
Review), will not suff;r by comparison even with the
mighty master. The papers upon Italian literature' are
good (though the third one has the fault of being too
mach of a defence of the first), but the notice of Cha-
teaubriand's English literature is dull enough. By far
the most curious paper is that on Scottish song. Like
gentle Geoffry Crayon, our author has a fine reverence
for old ballads—aye, and the taste to admire, and the
boldness to praise, modern snatches of the rural poetry
of " Auld Scotland."
We have read this volume with satisfaction, and dis-
miss it with praise. It is not equal to the collected re-
views of Macaulay, Jeffrey, or Sydney Smith ; but the
article is the form of composition which has best displayed
their ability and made their style. Mr. Prescott is more
than a writer of articles—he ranks among the best his.
torians of our time.

LOVE AND 11IESDIERISM.
3 Vols.
We regret to learn from, he preface to this work that
the author of " Branahietye House" has written his last
novel. Spit , of the ineonsit,tency of human nature,
there is Always sornothing melancholy attached to the
word last." All feel the charm of old ass.ciations,
and are loth to part with a familiar friend. We
recal the pleassnt hours passed together, the sorrows
his presence has dispelled, the good feelings he has
called forth, the bright hopes he has inspired, and we
sigh to think it will be so no more. Such are the feel-
ings with which we regar.l a favourite author, and such
will be the feelings of Mr. Smith's admirers when they
learn that he is to amuse them no longor. He tells us
in the introduction that after a successful career of nearly
a (parer of a century he now comes before the public,
like an actor, on his farewell benefit; and as on such an
occasion it is usual for the hero of the evening to sustain
many different parts, appearing alike in tragedy or
comedy, as if to exhibit his various talents, so it seems
that Mr. Smith has wished to-appear for the last time,
for in this work be has given us two very different spe-
cimens of his power—the tales of Love and Mesmerism
are as unlike in character, as in name. The first is a
history or the human heart, an analysis of its secret
passions, written in glowing and energetic language, full
of vigour and reality. The scene is in Italy, the land of
love and romance. We see Venice, duri g the rule of
her last Doge, arrayed in delusive splendour, hastening
to her downfall. The foll )wing is a description of the
proud " Queen of the Waters" :

By Horace Smith,

" All lands in England and Wales, at an elevation of 1,000
feet above the level of the sea, whatever may be their qualities
in regard to the nature of the soil, are too high for arable cul-
ture. In some districts, however,
we find as good crops pro-
duced, and the harvest as early, at an elevation of 800 feet as in
others at 300 feet lower. Local circumstances have a great
tendency to alter the climate as well as the period of the ripen-
ing of grain. Poor clay soils, on a cold-bottomed, retentive sub-
soil, and a northern aspect, are much later than these of light,
dry, sandy, gravelly, rubbly nature, on a rocky or porous sub-
soil, with a southern aspect and a good inclination, approaching
to a right angle with the sun at mid-day. Large tracts of un-
drained land, unreclaimed heaths, forests, lakes, mountains,
and morasses, all have a tendency to attract moisture and de-
crease the temperature of the district; whilst, on the ether
hand, a well cultivated and well drained district has the oppo-
site effect. Moisture attracts moisture, and water attracts
water. How much, then, might be done to improve the cli-
mate of this country were a complete and thorough drainage
effected of all the waste lands, in addition to what is steadily
going on in cultivated districts. The effect of such a state of
things may be readily imagined by those who have studied the
laws of nature."
In a paper by Mr. Spooner, on" Bones and Sulphuric
Acid," this gentleman describes the results of various
experiments made by him with these manures on turnip
crops. Of the guano be remarks—
" This, however, I may say, with regard to guano, that the
experiment convinced me that this valuable manure can be
readily and safely applied with the common drill (without any
particular provision being made for covering the manure with
earth before the deposition of the seed), by merely mixing the
guano with about four times the quantity of fine mould, and
adding as much ashes as the drill will deposit. In the case in
question the guano was used at the rate of 3 cwt. per acre,
and the mould and ashes ware added so as to make the whole
amount to thirty bushels per acre."
The following results were arrived at in experiments
with the mixed manure referred to. They seem valua-
ble ones :

" Why should we attempt to portray Venice ? Lives there
in the wide European world a single educated man who is a
stranger to it? No, not one. Such a being would be an
anomaly, a solecism, an impossibility. He may have never
been wafted in a gondola, as it floated, like a brooding halcyon,
over the waters of the Grand Canal ; he may never have done
admiring homage with his bodily eye to the sovereign of the
many isles; but to his mental vision she has long been patent,
palpable, familiar as the market-place of his native town.
The paintings of Canaletto. Guardi, and other artists—the
vivid portraitures of dramatists and novelists, the
paeans of poets, the more sure and sober delinea-
tions of history, have not only indelibly stamped
upon his memory the glorious annals of this oldest
and most celebrated of all modern cities, but have pictured to
his delighted gaze her serpentine canal, with its myriad diver-
ging channels, her turret-crowned isles and islets, her Plasma
of St. Marc, her Piazzetta, her Rialto, her churches, her
palaces, columns, obelisks, to siers, and trophies. Up from the
Adriatic does she majestically rise before him, haunting his
imagination like a dream, the only dream, perhaps, which. corn-
bining wildness, splendour, and grotesque romance, still falls
short of the wildness, splendour, and romance of the reality.
" Populous and gay, yet comparatively silent and unbust-
ling—t metropolis without horses, carriages, or cattle—its in-
habitants gliding along the river-streets in black funereal-look-
ing gnndolas—its fantastic buildings varying from every known
style and epoch, and contrasting while they harmonize with
each other, this aphrodite of the Adriatic might well be deemed
a glorious apparition, evoked from the waters of the deep by
the wand of some imaginative enchantress. Almost as dreamy,
ideal, and fancy-painted as the ' baseless fabric of a vision,'
what city, nevertheless, so prolific of fact, so storied with
historical associations, so prodigal of European, African,
and Asiatic realities, so self-revealing and autobiographical as
Venice? Enriched with the spoils of three quarters of the
globs, bearing the handwriting of twelve centuries upon her
walls, nearly every temple an epoch, every tower a narrative,
every column a trophy, she has literally made the stones
prate of her whereabouts' has eternised her public glory in
her public buildings; and has rendered her open places as un
reserved in their disclosures and revelations as the confessional
box of a cathedral."
" Mesmerism" is a tale of a very different character,
more adapted to a German enthusiast than an English
novel-reader ; it is written in beautiful language, fall of
feeling and pathos, yet it is neither calculated to instruct
or amuse. The author considers mesmerism as a pro-
found " mystery" which he has not attempteel to solve,
and disregarding all the proleable and the possible,
he has sought t " gild refined gold," and render the
" mystery" more mysterious than ever. One of his
objects is to render the idea of' death less terrible, and
he has given us the example of two young sisters gra-
dually sinking to an early grave as calmly and gently as
"n infant on its mother's bosom. The whole passage is
full of tenderness and pathos, but was it necessary to
increase the interest of the scene by introducing visions
and phantoms ? To diminish the terrors of Death he
is introduced as a dark figure, bearing the name of the
" Universal Friend"—thus truth is destroyed, and the
cheering example is lost ; we have no longer a useful
lesson, but a wild incomprehensible romance. We
should be sorry if Mr. Smith thus terminated his literary
labours ; he will find enough to employ his energetic
fancy and undiminished vigour in the realities of life,
without plunging into mystery, or retiring from the
scene. It is true we are surrounded by rising authors,
and the ranks of literature are daily reinforced, but a
hundred recruits are not equal to one veteran, and not-
withstanding the daily increasing volumes, the public
cannot spare the author of " Brambletye House."

e:. ,_ (From the Athencrubrn.
its
sy":lliiee. promises ere long to
on benders in the heavens above as it a
the beauty of it • 1
and its mysterliousf
theod s superficia, scenery
t.chtioru:sidesra'sva,sl (of which the
'ec)homseloansgnboeteedn ffoorr
write
following vision, observed bv a party
eni„, of
the earth beneath. What are we to think o
~_rter se none), abaut eight oclock on the.
the 21st ult two miles west of this village ?
Immediately to the ”north of the village of Comriee
-0
a bald hill, called Dunmore with a pillar o
we ,
or 80 feet in the height built on its summit in memory
of the late Lord Melville.g The perfect image
et
°Lille
8111°11-known hill and obelisk, as exact at
e; the
ow usually represents the substance,
'va'
least two
"'stinctly projected on the northern secs,
atn
interven-
piles beyond the original, which, owing
to
a ll from the
least as
tog enaineece wag itself not in view at a
Stati , --
t hat
the village,
,-`bent present as viewed from
a shadow on
Stony,()ll. The image was that which the hill and
is r
', rona the south. Instead
of the thing
*t
-td, it seemed to be the shape .
and
of being
tepresented moulded out of the cloud itself,sy.The
th,t's stuck up against the northertnhosek
of the
4,lges of the figure representing .
Pillar, thoug,h, of course, less substantianld.low,leclilndge,tiloioand
their granitic originals, seemed as erect and
harder fea
tarethe masonry itself, and so also were
of the hill formed parts of the profile,
portions in the original covered with
wood
portions th,ea-
fl„flire a serrated fringe, exactly as these p•
whandileittihtolsiee
!elves would show if looked at between the eve
e figure continued visible after it tvees,
hour, and was,
first a I:10 noticed
khow long before it is of course inposnsibl to say), for
Ilbotlt ten minutes or a quarter
i in the case.
Individuals, so that there could be nthoerol
was
one
pro
je,„
:luring that time, seen and minuteelyail examineduson by three
Ckne of these seemed to think tfht
tion in the model on the topo o
the monument, that
wtasrnnext morning, he was obliged
the
However,bas e. of
!In a
gte i n tahhtee bill,o rigni original,
on examining the latter
to admit that
the his memory, for there.the
shape of a clump of trees,
of faithful thin
thel
stood twhaesprinotoorteype
t We
dis-
puted projection, in
at the very sPo-• have often heard of th:
of various objects,
i' Spectre of the Brocken,"thaendinvmearrteinde:rnhaels:
both
different class of phenomena
leen in the air. But the present seems
writer is aware of) rlei.
a elms never before (that the eitherseems otfethheeslee,hagnd t,-)
solar shadow
name and M. Gmelin to be the magnified,
~.'irded• "The spectre" has been explained both by ,
by some reflective
aria the other appearance is caused or the objects represented cast upon the distant clou I,
s the phenomena at
Property in the i atmosphere ;
15,reient under review seemed twoh
latter was not
the materials of the cloud itself, as the
visible beyond the limits of the image, and these mate-
beeeaformed or cut out of
vials, out of which the image
have
s had
erected
(, , remained visible long after the likeness had
in.
seemed to. been
c-a,"4- Could all this have been morally o
perplne fortuitous configurations into
? Thew exactness of
thq fill,'eatl'!Y changing themselves.-hicnhecolouds are
observed in a
factory even wt.°41,1 have made this explanation unsatis-
diff,ren, 'LI tuough the phenomenon Were_ng
i where the
original‘spart of
ugh
to the con-
that that,
Present almost forces the m
. the world ; but happen
sent se
but
at, however it may be accounted for, the pre-
h as a fact of no mere accidental coincidence,
t .gt the t
Illoineh wo objects, the hill and cloudy
, ow connected together as cause and effect.
time,
,tl(lll,,this occasion the sun had been down for someeeping
image, were
1,14114,0 moon had only lately risen, and was
the
the %° some holes in a thick screen of clouds thatpsekirted
iiigelN. eastern horizon, and of course far from the line. of
hodmnre and image so that neither of these luminaries
any any direct hand'in the sketch. The planet .liars,
vision era though invisible from the station during
rosef
vie' "clog to an intervening hill, soon afterwards
hers '''r More resplendent than ever the writer remein-
'cions
tilaoto have seen him before—thus raisin,g suspi -
ciitt the ti
o ,ne had been concerned in the plot ; and, upon re
"lon, we found that he must have been about the line
..,an, theyine• But how could he cause such an image?
e be any such Daguerreotype virtue in his
I.!tYB as to produce such results? We have heard of
17tiectrical rays from the various planets having an effect
1n ?M. we &c., but we do not recollect of its ever
aving been even surmised that they were capable of
thus producing pictures. The writer is One who has
!iltvays been inclined to they
these alleg electrical
Influences but assuming for a moment that' Mars' rays
have the property of I' •
directed against (and wet arc tern'' any cloud they are
Powers both in imanufacturiertaaTfidei7tr,iity has great
, vthinagt,.. cloutls),
and supposing further that his rave one
were playing full upon the cloud in question alnleensl ''l
the portion screened from thecae irect action' by excepth
tervening hill and monument, can thus i ginte. hi.w
the figure could have been formed, or rather amine
of the
ninad. The writer is by no means satsfied with this
itttempted solution, but off Ts it merely as a guess in a
question involving considerable interest and mystery.
, [The writer's " guess" at thee, aus -, of the phenomen ,n
1. indeed very imaginative, for, considering that the n )si-
eonstantly changing
lion of the shadow of the mountain on the cloud must he
by the earth's rotation on its axis,
the rays of Mercury must have the power to form
hypothesiswell as to dissipate the cloud, to reconcile his
to theserved phenomenon.]
814/„.
SUPERIORITY Or ST---------ONE TO TRIIN IN BRIDGE
1.314/„.
446brierbtli, , :14C.---Stolle, is however, pre-eminently the bridge
esrs material. The carpenter can supply the want of a
_2niapaFatively short time, and in most cases at a
fro,:i?st. The smith and founder will, with moderate assistance
R
" reason and bricklayer, effect what cannot be done with
tol4ithce..e,_and will in cases supply the place of stone with iron.
e,i . stone might be used, but grandeur of effect, power or
riaClo3tallee, and eternity of endurance, are to be sought in
ivethe mason's art, and with the mason's matte-
Val for know of and possess nothing. as a m
tot br., masstve, permanent construction and fitted-
liabi-
ijlit 'IP budding particularly so free from
to change in bulk f in a ' t ral influence as stone;
4414 well ell
tiki n°thing, therefore, considerr agY itsna otheru qualities as essen-
t.' so well adapted for th n'.
•
Tun
' affected by many
known that iron is injuriously
tv, , teat produce little or no impression on stone, viz.,
141z.?.11, galvanic aetion, &c. ;
ek,tso_ospherie change,, electricity, continual percussion,
14a:sphere), which,
es 11:noil bridge being composed of a series of small bars
it is liable to oxidation (a
itt.._""ll Presents a great surface to the corroding powers of the
in a series of ears serinusly impairs its
It . ngth, notwithstandine the precayutions taken to preserve
%PI, percussion and vibration operate so injuriously
e stdtekit, as altogether to alter its internal structure and destroy its
viegt,,tl in proof of which see the accounts of the numerous acci-
frkture4t have occurred on the various lines of railway from the
tte
,_ . of the axles of railway carriages, concussions, &c.—
v.-14,114er,
Tottit, IIL °P ARCHITECTURAL KNOWLEDGE TO
higt„oB--To those who know anything of architectural
to :',1411d have sufficient knowledge of styles and dates
:Innss!lerlim,dg arid enjoy old building Belgium, the Ne-
, --sy' and German offer' 'extraordinary attrac-
taate'tel. 4 is greatly to' be egretted that compara-
tll, few of our tourists r know ' anything about
ltter, notwithstanding the subject now occupies
4044 rnore
in England than was the ease a
!INI e 4 a 4 attention They visit the cathedrals, and churches,
n!feeloierZt
.7s, both at home and abroad they are amused
.and
—te: ;i...._but
.the instruction which these buildings
'n a
ihliiteet ta
vizetitnatten that
notethe silently convey, is have t tlhe
.key,
carneadse _ 1
by Zih,„..ibe delight
d four-fold
taietit;:wiedge of arehitecturraltvlea. " in
ak for a few
Istory—we spe Joist to
tot isa; tgtsaeh of our
tiveth: tnia knawled.ne".
11 who would de-
pdrofessional read.ers only as may
lioirßtekt,l't kllest advantZeTraZ theirc adviseslimm ear rambles, and the
e it.aniQunt of Pleasure to apply themselves to soy
sltnhalge stoat without difficulty by those who know the
at,„, ~ it at
you when it was erected, very often the
*list": ,neiety at that period ; at which end it was begun, at.n
k time alter
prl'rogrea,.... anions were ad. You find it to be a stagei
,Lsll.4.teied it part of the whole, and can see clearly what
0,1 shoold and what it led to Architecture, as a fine
4 wt'itrnbepfaorrte of. general. education • arid, indeed
di trlsod, who I
heardWe an edu-
oft_ •
.arence betel n
vtiZ toaltki
~..e._ !en classic and Gothic grandchitecture, and haved
the rod in i'brg wllO have stood in the Athenian Acroplis an
~orint;_4 vvho yet did not know the
dearthD4ri oritg• femn
the aril u' and bad not the most remote at a con-
LI nithed„:l between the stru•ltures of Greece and Rome, and
-'s of the lei
elk titat tile cr. ddle ages on this side of the Ales; still
s tabk I. , Imerences between them, now so strikingly apo,-
" 41044 step by steps tzid uplaiued... Th• Builder.

" The bones and acid turnips were the first to appear above
ground; the tops grew luxuriantly, and, for some time, main-
tained a superiority over the rest of the field ; the guano tur-
nips, however, after some time, rivalled them; and those ma-
nured with bones alone (though lagging behind terribly at
'first) made amends towards the latter end of the autumn ;
and, on weighing a few rods, in the month of December,
scarcely any difference could be discerned. The bones and
acid roots were the largest, but exhibited more bare
spots, probably owing to the irregularity of the deposition
of the manure from the cause before mentioned. Besides
which, I should state that they laboured under the disadvantage
of being on the outside of the field, and near a high hedge.
To say the least, however, two bushels of bones, with the ad-
dition °lithe acid, successfully rivalled eight times the quantity
of bones, though tt.e latter was employed on land considered,
previously, much superior to the other. I beg to conclude my
remarks on this interesting subject with the observation, that
when we find that sulphuric acid enters very largely into the
constituent parts of the Swedish turnip, are we not justified in
concluding that the remarkable effect attending the application
of the bones and acid, united, is, in some measure, to be attri-
buted to the specific virtue of the acid in affording food to the
plant?"

THE O'DOIVOGHUE ; A TALE OF IRELAND.
By Harry Lorrequer. Nus. VIII. and IX.
These numbers contain several chapters of very stir-
ring interest, and of the illustrations, by Leech, " The
Student" and "The Piper" are the best. These are
sOld Characters with New Faces—
Some Talbot—A Presage of Danger Harry.
very cleverly grouped. The chapters of these two num-
bers introduce us to Thu Capital and its Pleasures—
Firstso m e Im
flintspr
Impressions--Old s s i o
aboutn
—The St. Patrick's, Ball (an excellent scene)—and the
Daybreak on the Stroud. It is very difficult to find a
better sketch of Dublin society as it existed fifty years
ago than this:—
" It would be a most unfair criterion of the tastes and plea-
sures of that day, were we to pronounce, from our experience
of what Dublin now .is. Provincialism had not then settled
down upon the city, with all its petty attendant evils. The
character of a metropolis was upheld by a splendid Court, a
resident Parliament, a great and titled aristocracy. The fore-
ground figures of the time were men whose names stood high,
an.l whose station was recognised at every Court of Europe.
There was wealth more than proportioned to the cheapness of
the country; and while ability and talent were the most striking
features of every circle, the taste for gorgeous display, exhibited
within doors and without, threw a glare of splendour over the
Beene, that served to illustrate but not eclipse the prouder glo-
ries of mind. The comparative narrowness of the circle, and
the total absence of English reserve, produced a more intimate
admixture of all the ranks which constitutes good society here
than in London, and the advantages were evident ; for while
the aristocrat gained immeasurably from ready intercourse with
men whose pursuits were purely intellectual, so the latter ac-
quired a greater expansiveness, and a wider liberality in his
views, from being divested of all the trammels of mere pro-
fessional habit, and threw off his pedantry, as a garment un-
suited to his position in society. But what more than all else
was the characteristic of the time, was the fact, that social
eminence—the sucees de salon—was an object to every one.
From the proud peer, who aspired to rank and influence in the
councils of the State, to the rising barrister, ambitious of
Parliamentary distinction—from the mere fashionable idler of
the squares, to the deep plotter of political intrigue—this was
alike indispensable. The mere admission into certain circles
was nothing—the fact of mixing with the hundred others who
are announced, and bow; Wand smile, and slip away, did not
then serve to identify a man as belonging to a distinct class in
society ; nor would the easy platitudes of the present day. in
which the fool or the fop can always have the ascendant, suffice
for the absence of conversational ability, ready wit, and sharp
intelligence, which were assembled around every dinner-table
of the capital."
But for unexaggerated Irish humour—the popular
verve —we have seldom met anything to surpass
what follows. It is a grand Court ball at the Vice-regal
Lodge. The carriages are " setting down" their com-
pany, and the mob are gently "hinting" their opinions
of men and manners:—
" The taunting sarcasms and personal allusions, of whi.lh
the Irish Members were not sparing in the House, were here
repeated by those, who suffered the severity to lose little of its
sting in their own version.
" Look at Flood, boys—there's the old vulture with broken
beak and cadaverous aspect—a groan for Flood," and the de-
mand was answered by thousands.
" There's Torn Connelly," shouted a loud voice, three
cheers for the Volunteers—three cheers for Castletown."
" Thank you, boys, thank you," said a rich mellow voice, as
in their enthusiasm the
meb pressed
the carriage of
the popular Member, and even shook handsith the footmen
behind the carriage.
" Here's Luttrel, here's Laurel," cried out several together,
and in a moment the excitement, which before was all of joy,
assumed a character of deepest execration.
" Aware of the popular feeling towards hire, this gentleman's
carriage was guarded by two troopers of the horse-police—nor
was the precaution needless, for no sooner was he recognised,
than a general rush was made by the mob, and for a moment
or two the carriage was separated from the rest of the line.
" Groan him, boys, groan him, but don't touch the traitor,"
shouted a savage-looking fellow,
who stood a head and shoulders
above the crowd.
" Couldn't you afford to buy new liveries with the eighty
thousand pounds the Government gave you," yelled another,
end the sally was responded to with a burst of savage
laughter.
"Throw us out a penny," called a third, "it will treat all
your friends in Ireland—let him go, boys, let him go on, he's
only stopping the way of his betters."

THE ILLUMINATED MAGAZINE.
The tale of " The Dead Guest," from the German of
Zschokke, is continued, as are " The Recreations of Mr.
Zigzag." A new doggrel tale, entitled " The life and
Adventures of Bob Thin," is begun in this number.
The subject (a New Poor-law tale) is a good one, and
in better hands might have been made an excellent
vehicle for poetry, pathos, and withering satire, but as it
is the author has merely perpetrated some pages of
meaningless doggrel, in which the attempt at wit is as
apparent as the failure is conspicuous. We give the
following as a specimen:—
Well, as we said, in the olden days,
When ladies never miss'd their stays
(Because, in truth, they'd not been granted :
A cherub might as well have panted
For a dandy pair of pantaloons,
Or whale have sigh'd for table-spoons : )
Days more than " golden " double-worth'd,
When horrible gold was all unearth'd—
The days of Natural Equal-
ity and property for all ;
There were no Poor .laws, for this good
Reason, that no man wanted food ;
And none on 's neighbour any ravages
Committed ; till at length some savages,
A lordly, idle set of stoats,
Seised peaceful husbandman by th' throats,
And over Nature's gentlest code,
On roaring Rapine rough-shod rode.
Ohe, jam saris ! So, leaving the " lordly idle set of
stoats," mounted on " roaring rapine, " to ride rough-
shod over a " code," proceed we to remark that, although
the literary portion of the present number is very
mediocre, the pictorial illustrations are exceedingly
beautiful. This very tale of BA Thin is illuminated
by pictorial initial letters to each verse, some of which
are the most fanciful and quaint imaginable.

DELASSEHENTS CULINAIRES. CULI-
NARY RELAXATIONS. By A. Soyer, of the
Reform Club.
We have here the renownel inventor of the Souffle
illonstre a la Clontarf, appearing in the character of
author. The Revue Serie Buffs, with which these de-
lassements commence, is a glorious extravaganza. M.
Soyer was at a supper of the artistes of the Opera after
the conclusion of a new ballet, and on some of those pre-
sent observing on the difficulty of composing a ballet, M.
Soyer volunteered to produce one, and composed " La
File de l'Orage." This constitutes the subject of the
first part of the delassements. Full of wit, fun, and
quiproquo, this paper wants little save putting into
dialogue to be made one of the most amusing and origi-
nal of comic dramas, in the course of which, the
ballet itself, which would afford excellent scope for
scenic effect, and which, if curtailed, would,
no doubt, succeed, might be introduced. We
commend this hint to the attention of M. Soyer. The
plat Pagodatique, the subject of the next paper, is one
of the most elegant and useful of modern gastronomical
inventions. It is a new entree dish, with a centre and
four compartments under one cover. There is not a
gourmet of taste in the land who will not possess himself
of one. For a petit souper it is the most elegant of
dishes, containing five varieties in one entree. This
plat Pagodatique is one of the culinary glories of the
Reform Club. The last article we give entire :
" Procure, if possible, the antique Vase of the Roman Capi-
tol ; the Cup of Hebe ; the Strength of Hercules ; and the
Power of Jupiter ; then proceed as follows : —Have ready the
chaste Vase (on the glittering rim of which three Doves are
resting in peace), and in it deposit a Smile from the Duchess
of Sutherland, from which Terrestrial Deesse it will be most
graceful; then add a Lesson from the Duchess of Northum-
berland ; the Happy Remembrance of Lady Byron ; an In-
vitation from the Nlarchioness of Exeter; a Walk in the
Fairy Palace of the Duchess of Buckingham ; the Honour of
the Marchioness of Douro ; a Sketch from Lady Westmore-
land; Lady Chesterfield's Conversation; the Deportment of
the ilarcluoness of Aylesbury ; the Affability of Lady Mar-
cus Hill ; some Romances of Mrs. Norton ; a Mite of Gold
from Miss Courts ; a Royal Dress from the Duchess of Buc-
clench ; a Reception from the Duchess of Leinster ; a Frag-
ment from the Works of Lady Blessington ; a Ministerial
Secret from Lady Peel ; a Gift from the Duchess of Bedford ;
an Interview with Madame de Bunsen ; a Diplomatic Remi-
niscence from the Marchioness of Clanricarde ; an Autocratic
Thought from the Baroness Brunow ; a Reflection from Lady
John Russell; an Amiable Word from Lady Wilton ; the
Protection of the Countess de St. Aulaire ; a Seraphic Strain
from Lady Essex ; a Welcome from Lady Alice Peel ; the
Sylph-like form of the Marchioness of Abercorn ; a Soiree of
the Duchess of Beaufort : a Reverence of the Viscountess
Jocelyn ; and the Good-will of Lady Palmerston.
" Season with the Piquante Observation of the Marchioness
of Londonderry ; the Stately Mien of the Countess of Jersey ;
the Tresor of -the Baroness Rothschild; the Noble Devotion
of Lady Sale; the Knowledge of the Fine Arts of the
Marchioness of Lansdowne; the Charity of the Lady de
Grey ; a Criticism from the Viscountess of Melville ;—with a
Musical Accompaniment from the whole ; and Portraits of all
these Ladies taken from the Book of Celebrated Beauties.
" Amalgamate scientifically ; and should you find this
Appareil (which is without a parallel), does not mix well,
do not regard the expense for the completion of a Dish
worthy of the Gods
" Endeavour to procure, no matter at what price, a Vir-
tuous Maxim from the Book of Education of her Royal
Highness the Duchess of Kent; a Kiss from the Infant
Princess Alice ; an Innocent Trick of the Princess Royal ; a
Benevolent Visit from the Duchess of Gloucester; a Mater-
nal Sentiment of her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cam-
bridge; a Compliment from the Princess Augusta de Meek - lenbourg ; the Future Hopes of the Young Princess Mary;
And the Munificence of her Majesty Queen Adelaide.
"Cover the Vase with the Glorious Reign of her Most
Gracious Majesty, and let it simmer for half a century, and
more, if possible, over a Fire of Immortal Roses.
" Then uncover, with the greatest care and precision, this
Mysterious Vase ; garnish the top with the Aurora of a
Spring Morning ; several Rays of the Sun of France ; the
Serenity of an Italian Sky; and the universal Appreciation
of the Peace of Europe.
" Add a few Beams of the Aurora Borealis ; sprinkle over
with the Virgin Snow of Mont Blanc; glaze with an Erup-
tion of Mount Vesuvius ; cause the Star of the Shepherd to
dart over it; and remove, as quickly as possible, this chef
d'oeuvre of the nineteenth century, from the Volcanic District.
"Then fill Hebe's Enchanted Cup with a religious Balm,
and with it surround this mighty Cream of Immortality ;
" Terminate with the Silvery Light of the pale Qiieen of
Night, without disturbing a Ray of the Brilliancy of the
brightest Queen of the Day."
This " Hommage aux Dames" is at once elegant,
truthful, and complimentary, and is worthy of the
gallantry of the nation to which M. Soyer belongs. The
allegorical meaning of this composition, which', as we
take it, is emblematical of Peace, is quaintly poetical.
Thus do we interpret the allegory. The ladies, of
course, compose the cream. The antique vase with the
doves ropre3ents the ocean undisturbed by war—from
the cup of Hebe happiness is poured upon all nations—
the strength of Hercules maintains the nations within the
prop-r limits, and the power of Jupiter preserves peace
betwe ‘n them. The fifty years is evidently an allusion
to the length and happines of the reign which our pre-
sent below 44 Sovereign is in all probability destined
to enjoy. In a note, M. Soyer pledges himself in
his forthcoming gastron.Anioal work to give
a receipt " for a practicable dish making parallel
with the Cream of Great Britain." We look for-
ward to the appearance of the promised work
with curiosity, to ascertain what that dish oan be. The

TRANSACTIONS OF THE BRITISH AND
FOREIGN INSTITUTE. 1843-44-45.
We have from time to time recorded the praiseworthy
exertions of Mr. J. S. Buckingham to found an Institute
in which persons of all nations might meet us upon
common ground to enjoy literary society, and to forward
the cause of intellect, literature, and science, and which
at the same time should be a social reunion to which not
only ladies might be admitted, but of which their pre-
sence should form an essential part, so that it should be
a microcosm not only of the literature and science, but
of the politeness and refinement, of the polished nations
of the world—a Society in which the arts should appear
as the handmaids of refinement and civilisation, which
should be a practical illustration of the truth of the old
classical adage :
" Ingenuas didieisse fideliter artes emollit mores nec sinit
esse feros."
It appears that Mr. Buckingham formed the idea of
such an Institution as far back as 1830, and published a
prospectus of it in that year, but the nation
was then engaged in working out what it
considered its political regeneration. Amidst the
turmoil of politics the proposal for establishing an in-
stitution remained unattended to. Mr. Buckingham
himself, joining in the political agitation of the period,
became a Parliament Member," and the plan remained
in abeyance until 1843. In the meantime Mr. Buck-
ingham, who had previously travelled all over the Old
World, visited the New, and, on his return from the
United States, he again brought forward his proposal
for the establishment of the British and Foreign Insti-
tute. Ills exertions were nobly seconded by the Earl
of Devon, Lord Brougham, the Bishops of Durham,
Norwich, and St. David's ; Lord James Stuart, Sir E.
Codrington, Sir G. Staunton, Mr. Pendarves, the
Member for Cornwall ; Mr. Mackinnon, the Member
for Lymington ; the Rev. S. Ramsay, and Mr. Tite,
the architect of the Royal Exchange. Under their
auspices the Institution was founded, and under their aus-
pices has it gone on increasing in prosperity to the present
time. It appears that the Institution, which possesses a
choice library, is open every day to members, except on
Sundays, until eleven o'clock in the evening, and that on
certain evenings soirees are given, which must be the
most delighlful reunions imaginable. To these soirees
no ladies or gentlemen are admitted, except they are in
full evening costume. There is a selection of music—
in fact, a concert by the professional members of the
Institution, and between the parts of the concert Mr.
Buckingham gives an oral review of the new books
which have been added to the library. These reviews
are given in the volume of the transactions, and de-
lightful resumes they are—clear, distinct, instructive
and amusing. On other occasions a lecture is given on
some literary or scientific subject, or a discussion takes
place among the members of the Institute on themes
previously proposed. The present volume contains
ample reports of all these reviews, lectures, and discus
sions, and as a work communicating a vast fund
of useful information on a variety of topics
in a most amusing and popular form, we know of no
single volume that can for one moment compare with it.
It is profusely illustrated by copper-plates and wood-
cuts, all of which are of the highest order of pictorial
excellence. As a specimen of typography, it is beauti-
ful —forming a thick quarto volume, with wide margins,
gilt edges, and ornamental covers. The whole getting
up of the work is superb. It is one of the most orna-
mental books that can be placed upon a drawing-room
table, and, unlike the generality of ornamental books,
it is full of sterling information, communicated in the
most agreeable manner, and is more valuable for its
articles than for its appearance.

THE SPORTSMAN'S LIBRARY. By John
Mills, Author of The Old English Gentleman," cc.
Mr. Mills is well known for a variety of publications ;
he is reckoned among the sporting tribe one of the
great chieftains of the day, and if long practice, en-
thusiasm in the cause, and well-earned trophies may be
taken as criterions of merit, he is fully entitled to his
rank. " From the time my memory can date," says he,
"field sports have been my study, the thought, the
occupation of my life. I have sought for information
' wherever and whenever it could be obtained, and never
' yet permitted an opportunity to pass of testing, at the
earliest period, the rules laid down for the guidance of
the sportsman." As far as we happen to be acquainted
with the topics adverted to, the work attests the claims
of the author. The instructions laid down are judicious,
and will be found useful to many even well initiated in
the different sports. Besides, he has the spirit and '
humanity of a true sportsman ; he pursues game not
for slaughter, but exercise and amusement, and with the
least possible suffering to the fere nature intended for
the use of man. Alluding to the mode of killing wild
fowl in North America, he says—
" Anybody who really takes delight in this slaughtering,
must have a very different idea of sport from that which I
entertain. I hold in utter contempt any mode of killing
which is pursued as a sport, wherein nothing is wanted but
cold blooded butchery. And let me ask what can be more
cold-blooded, both literally and, . figuratively speaking,
than in the depth of a winter's night, to punt within range
of a countless multitude of birds, grazing together in a solid
mass, and then, after some hours' watching, perhaps to get
one shot at them ? It really is more contemptible and cruel
than some battues I have heard of; for in the one case the
wretched cripples flap away, to meet with the horrid death of
starvation ; while in the other the army of keepers generally
manage to stop the unhappy victims with bludgeons and
such-like means of stoppage in transitu."
The least interesting part of the work for the com-
mon sportsman is that which treats of the breeding and
condition of hunters, and " giving physic to dogs."
Some hundred pages_ are occupied with disquisitions on
these subjects, and prescriptions and the rules of the
veterinary art, which may be useful for the regular
breeder or the master of foxhounds, but are of little im-
portance to others. The rest of the work, however,
amply compensates for such dry details, and we can,
therefore, safely recommend it as a useful manual for
every son of Nimrod. We give the following instruc-
tions on "leaping" as a specimen:— •
" To ride over a gate, when you can easily throw it back
upon its hinges, or to take any totally unnecessary leap; is
anything but to show your judgment. Remember the race
is not always to the swift,' and that in a long run it is next
to a certainty that you will have as much leaping as the
most rapacious can desire.
" When a horse is turn his head from anything
like a leap of magnitude. It is quite impossible that he can
take it with any degree of safety; and the attempt is a fool-
ish risk of some deplorable result.
" After having cleared a fence, or barrier of any kind, into
an enclosure, look instantly for the best place for your next
leap ; and, having fixed upon it, keep your horse as straight
as an arrow towards the spot, and never swerve. A great deal
depends upon your keepinc, the head of your horse in a direct
line with his quarters, in taking a leap ; for, if you pull him
either to the near or to the off side, the chances are greatly in
favour of his sending you to bite the ground in company with
himself."

THE ART-UNION.
Pyne's admirable paper on the Nomenclature of Pic-
torial Art is continued in the present number. The
observations on Light and Shade in the present portion
of it are very profound, and should be studied carefully
and meditated on by every student who would take rank
as an artist. The illustrations of this number consist of
a beautiful engraving, by Lerouge, from Horace Vernet's
picture " Le Combat de l'Affroun," and a series of exqui-
site wood-cuts from the pictures and decorations of the
Palace of Versailles. We trust that the following
announcement which appears in the Art-Union is
correct :

" ST. Jim:Ws GATE, CLERlCENWELL.—Notwithstanding a
report to the contrary, we are glad to learn that this venerable
relic, to which attach so many interesting associations, is likely
to be preserved, a subscription being proposed for the repara-
tion of the decorative portions of the gate—such as tapping or
testing each stone in the north and south fronts, carefully
rubbing those that are sound, and replacing those which are
too much decomposed with new stone, not squared, but in.
serted so as to conform with the present appearance of the
building. The Committee recommend carrying up the battle-
ments in stone in front of the angular turrets, to their original
height ; inserting new labels to the doors and windows—strong
courses and bands around ; new and proper mullions with
einque-foil heads to the large windows in the north and south
fronts ; removing the unsightly Roman doorway and shop win-
dow en the south side, and placing a new window and doorway
in keeping with the old gate ; and pointing up the sides of the
building with stone or slate set in good mortar, finished with
blue ash mortar to preserve a uniform colour."

-
HOIV'S ILLUSTRATED BOOK OF BRITISH
SONG. Edited by George Hogarth, Esq.
In this work painting has been called in to illustrate
the productions of her sister, music, and it does equal
credit to the artist and to the musician. It has been
long most unjustly made a reproach to us that we have
no national music. This work, at once classical and
national, will prove the utter fallacy of such a reproach.
It will be the classical book of British Song, and de-
lighted are we to see such a work undertaken by the
most accomplished, learned, and tasteful of musical
critics that this or any other country has ever seen, Mr.
George Hogarth. His name alone is a sufficient guaran-
tee that nothing but what is deserving of immortality
will be admitted into this, par excellence, the Book of
British Song.

JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL
SOCIETY OF ENGLAND. Vol. VI., 1845.
Part I. " 13• actice with Science."
The whole range of our periodical publications does
not, perhaps, embrace objects in themselves of more vital
importance to the primary and most extensive interests
of society than this journal especially addresses itself to.
Whatever may be thought of the short-sightedness and
interested prejudice which rigidly maintains a system of
prohibitory and exclusive legislation in respect of the trade
in corn, there can be no doubt in anj candid mind that
both the science and theory of agriculture, and its practical
adaptation throughout all the processes of agrestic hus-
bandry, have made giant strides in the progress of im-
provement during the last five years. We have no de-
sire to disturb the salutary rule that has been self-pre-
scribed fur their own conduct, by the parent and the
branch societies, for the extension and advancement of
agriculture in this c_suntry—of abstaining from political
discussion in the work of preparing their communications,
and in the general management of their affairs ; but
we may be allowed to remark, that for this and
other extraordinary benefits of a contingent or incidental
character, the stoutest enemy of the Anti-Corn-law
League must allow that the British public are mainly indebted to the spirited agitation of that energetic body.
The present number of this journal is the richest, and at
the memo time the most interesting we have yet see 4 of the

THE LATE WILLIAM MASTERMAN, ESQ.—This
wealthy and eminent City banker has died, leaving funded and
personal property, independent of his real estates, to the amount
of nearly 160,0001, By his will, which he had made some years
before his death, he has bequeathed to each of his six children a
legacy of 15,0001.; and a legacy to his sister, Mrs. Oxley, and
his nephew, Henry Oxley. Ills library, with .aLI the books and
contents, he has left to his eldest son, John Masterman, Esq.. the
Member for the City, to whom he has devised the estate at Ley.
ton, where he resided, as well as all other his real estates, free.
hold or copyhold. The residue of his personal estate he leaves to
his two sons, John and Thomas; whom he has appointed executors
to his will.

It is reported that the poem of Hippolyte Lucas,
which has been accepted and purchased by the French
Opera House; has been confided to Balfe, who is a.ssidueusly
employed in composing the music for it. It is a drama in four
acts, of which the subject is Spanish, and entitled La Juive de
Tolede. The partition, it is added, will be completed by De-
cember, and the opera ready for representatibn by the close
so
January.

• 41- z
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• ,
nn.
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MAGAZINES.-(CONTINUED.)
TArrs MAGAZINE.
This Magazine did not reach us till about a week after
nearly all the periodicals of the same month had been
received, and this must be the excuse for our brief notice
of its contents, which altogether are excellent. The
first article contains a review of Wordsworth's Poetry
occasionally
by De Quincy, which is superior in its way, though,
aceording to our judgment, far too flattering. It is
spirited an d
it attractivetaktakes
p 0;e theti e
flightsatten
highertion neverthan
thoseflags,
thatand
Wordsworth ever essayed. We give the following re-
marks on the French Revolution as a specimen
Why is the recluse disgusted with the French Revolution?
Because it had not fulfilled many of his expectations ; and, of
those which it had fulfilled, some had soon been darkened by
reverses. But really this was childish impatience. If a man
depends for the exuberance of his harvest upon the splendour
of the coming summer, you do not excuse him for taking
prussic acid because it rains cats and dogs through the first ten
days of April. All in good time we say ; take it easy; snake
acquaintance with May and June before you do anything rash.
The French Revolution has not, even yet (184.5), come into
full action. It was the explosion of a prodigious volcano,
which scattered its lava over every kingdom of every continent,
everywhere silently manuring them for social struggles; this
lava is gradually fertilising all ; the revolutionary movement is
moving onwards at this hour as inexorably as ever. Listen, if
you have ears for such spiritual sounds, to the mighty tide even
now slowly coming up from the sea to Milan, to Rome, to
Naples, to Vienna. Hearken to the gentle undulations already
breaking against the steps of that golden throne which stretches
from St. Petersburgh to Astrachan ;—tremble at the hurricanes
which have long been mustering about the pavilions of the
Ottoman Padishah. All these are long swells setting in from
the French Revolution. Even as regards France he: self,
that which gave the mortal offence to the sympathies of the
solitary was the Reign of Terror. But how thoughtless to
measure the cycles of vast national revolutions by metres that
would not stretch an ordinary human passion. Even to a frail
sweetheart, you would grant naore indulgence than to be eff in
a pet because some transitory cloud arose between you. The
reign of terror was a mere fleeting phasis. The Napoleon
dynasty was nothing more. Even that scourge, which was
supposed by many to have mastered the Revolution, has itself
passed away upon the wind,—leaving no wreck, relique, or
record behind, except precisely those changes which it worked,
not as an enemy to the Revolution (which also it was), but as
its servant and its tool. See, even whilst we speak, the folly
of that cynical sceptic who would not allow time for great na-
tural processes of purification to travel onwards to their birth,
or wait for the evolution of natural results ;—the storm that
shacked him, has wheeled away ;—the frost and the hail that
offended him have done their office ;—the rain is over and gone;
—happier days have descended upon France ;—the voice of the
turtle is heard in all her forests ;—man walks with his head
erect ;—bastiles are no more ;—every cottage is searched by the
golden light of law; and the privileges of conscience are con-
secrated for ever."
He thus sums up his praises of the venerable poet:—
" Young and Cowper, the two earlier leaders in the pro-
vince of meditative poetry, are too circumscribed in the range
of their sympathies, too exclusive, and oftentimes not suffi-
ciently profound. Both these poets manifested the quality of
their strength by the quality of their public reception. Popu-
lar in some degree from the first, they entered upon the inhe -
ritance of their fame almost at ence. Far different was the
fate of Wordsworth ; for, in poetry of this class, which appeals
to what lies deepest in man, in proportion to the native power
of the poet, and his fitness for permanent life, is the strength
of resistance in the public taste. Whatever is too original
will be hated at the first. It must slowly mould a public for
itself ; and the resistance of the early thoughtless judgments
must be overcome by a counter resistance to itself, in a better
audience slowly mustering against the first. Forty and seven
years it is since William Wordsworth first appeared as an
author. Twenty of those years he was the scoff of the world,
and his poetry a bye-word of scorn. Since then, and more
than once, senates have rung with acclamations to the echo of
his name. Now, at this moment, whilst we are talking about
him, he has entered upon his seventy-sixth year. For himself,
according to the course of nature, he cannot be far from his
setting; but his poetry is but now clearing the clouds that
gathered about its rising."
The review of Thiers' third and fourth volume of the
" Consulate and the Empire" of France deserves praise
for its impartiality, and the correct view it takes of his
ability as a writer, and his glaring defects as an his-
torian; but the most interesting articles, which owe
much to the numerous extracts, are on two books of
" Travels in the United States of America"—one by a
" Scottish Craftsmau"—in other words, a carder and
spinner of wool—and the other by Mr. Lyell, the well-
known writer on geology. We have read the whole of
them from beginning to end, and recommend all those
who are desirous of forming a favourable estimate of the
state of society in America, to follow the example. The
sportsman will find much amusement as well as instruc-
tion in the last publication of Mr. Mills, entitled the
" Sportsman's Library," to which full justice is done in ,
the present number.

THE CRIMINAL LAW.
In the eighth report of the Commissioners on
Criminal Law, just presented to Parliament, the:follow.
ing suggestions are made for the amelioration of the ex.
isting criminal law :-
1. That grand juries be abolished.
2. That police-courts be established in each county or
Parliamentary division of a county, and in each town
containing 40,000 inhabitants.
3. That stipendiary chairmen be appointed for the
sessions.

4. That the Crown prosecutors be attacked to each
police-court, and be authorised to conduct the entire
criminal business of their respective districts ; that one
chief Crown prosecutor be appointed to manage all
criminal informations in the Court of Queen's Bench,
and all State prosecutions ; and that the Att,,rney-
General be considered the supreme head of this de-
partment.
5. That the defendant shall, in all cases, be entitled
to fifteen days from the date of the commencement of
proceedings to the day of trial, having the power to
wave such privileges, in ca,e he shall deem it his inte-
rest to do so.

6. That five days before the trial the defendant shall,
on request, be furnished with a copy of the indictment
or information, a copy of the depositions, a list of the
witnesses, and a list of thejury panel, gratis ; and that
two days before the trial the defendant shall, on request'
furnish the Crown attorney with a list of such witnesses
as he intends to call to facts.
7. That both the Crown prosecutor and the defendant
shall be entitled to challenge peremptorily one full jury
each, but no more, and that no challenge for cause be r
allowed.

Lastly. That where the defendant's innocence is
clearly established at the trial, the judge shall be era- 'I!
powered to award him his costs.

POTATO DISEASE in AMERICA.
Throughout the northern States of America the po- •
tatoes were last year affected by the same disease which
has proved so destructive in this country. The Ame-
ricans denominate the disease " potato cholera," or
potato plague. It appears that in New Hampshire three
men died from eating the diseased potatoes, and a great
number of cattle lost their lives from a similar cause.
The disease affected the plant in situations where there
has been an intense drought, so that the wetne's of the
season is not the cause of it. There are two kinds of rot,
the dry and the wet. The disease is attributed to the
constant replanting the same seed, and as a proof that
this is the cause the New Haven Herald says—" A
friend has a crop raised from a hamper of Irish potatoes
which had no rot affection among them ; but a row of
mercers contiguous were every one of them wholly rot-
ten." It is also stated that " the rot is the most destructive
among those varieties which have been the longest pro-
pogated, while it is less so among those more recently
introduced from the balls."
In Novia Scotia, the progress of this distemper among
the potatoes seems to have been somewhat singular. It
has for a series of years been found to pervade particu-
lar farms—sometimes appearing in the stalk, like rust,
long before the potatoe has arrived at maturity ; and, on
cutting open the young root, the disease is foun to ex-
hibit itself in black spots throughout the inside of it.
At other times, the distemper has appeared after the po-
tato has been harvested and put into the cellar—the first
intimation which the farmer receives being an offensive
smell arising from their decomposition ; and experience
has taught them, in this contingency, immediately to
cull over the whole mass, and remove every defective
potato, as it has been found rapidly to spread over the
whole if this is not done. It has sometimes broken out

suddenly and spread from farm to farm, and cellar to ,
cellar, lingering a few years, :and then entirely disap-
pearing for a time. After trying many remedies, the T
farmers in that region adopted the plan of planting the
balls, and thus procuring new seed, which, in two or
three years, arrived at maturity and full size.
The following letter, which appeared in the Boston
Cuidivator last year, may furnish our readers with some
useful hints :—" Last year (1843) I found, when I
began to dig and get in my potatoes, there was a con-
siderable number rotten, and a great many tainted,
which I took great care to have picked out, as all my
neighbours were complaining of their potatoes being in
the same situation, and I had them put in the cellar.
But, about the middle of Dec., my family complained of
the bad smell in the cellar ; upon which I examined,
and found the potatoes in a bad condition ; and I took
them out of the bin, and picked them over again ; and,
when returning them into the bin, in every layer I put
about half a peck of slacked lime, and mixed it well
through them ; and so on till all was in ; which I do
believe stopped the rot and bad smell, as there were but
very few found affected afterward.. This spring, when
I began to pint my potatoes, flook about,,a table spoon-
ful of slacked lime and put it into each hill ; and when
they were up, and before they were hoed, I made a mix-
ture of eight bushels of leached ashes, two bushels of
lime, and three bushels of ground plaster, and stirre
them well together. I made a scoop that held about one
gill, and I put this full of the mixture on each hill, close
to the stalks ; and I found, when I began to use them
in the summer, that they were all sound, and continued
so ; and I had not one rotten potato when I took them
up in October, although my neighbours on both sides of
the farm had scarcely any sound ones to get in. So I
must think that what I did to my potatoes was the cause
of my being so successful."—John 11'etterville, in the
Boston Cultivator.

WADE'S LONDON REVIEW.
This is an excellent number of Wade. It opens with
an admirable article entitled " Commercial aspects—
Locomotion and Railway Speculation," which gives a
short but succinct resume of the History of the rise and
progress of the Railway System. Many persons have
asked recently where all the money is to come from to
carry out the new railway projects ? To this question
the writer of this article thus replies :
"Do not despair, we say. With Consols nearly at par,
and money easily to be had at 21,4 per cent., without a single
one-pound note in circulation on this side the Tweed, and a na-
tional income increasing at the rate of fifty millions per annum,
there seems no ground for serious apprehension of forthcoming
instalments, if not from the present shareholders, from others
who may purchase thefr liabilities. At all events, there will
be something to show for the outlay ; by interlacing the whole
island with iron roads, there will be a useful result, which is
more than can be _said_ of every experkditure,—the subsiding
Continental Princes to wit, or sending out capital to work
foreign mines, to open foreigri roads, or fish up Spanish gal-
leons in the bay of Vigo.
" The flow of money to railways has certainly diverted the
surplus resources of the country from investment in the funds,
keeping down the prices of these securities, and preventing a
saving of public revenue, by a reduction of interest in the Three
per Cents. This appears the chief drawback, and is likely to
continue so long as the whole world almost is making tempting
offers for the loan of British capital, to insure the facilities of
railway communications."
" He's too much of a Gentleman" is an admirable social
sketch by the authoress of " Old Pictures." The Greek
tale, " Ambition," is continued, and we have, in addition,
several able critiques on works recently published.

The New Genesee Farmer, for Oct. 1844, states
" Some things, however appear to be certain, and may
be of immediate advantage to our readers The_
disease is not confined to any particular soil or locality.
Some have informed us that it appeared only in dry soil, E
and others in moist. 2d. It is not confined to any par-
ticular kind of potatoes, though in this region the mercer
and long pink-eye are the most affected. 3d. The po:
tatoes, when affected with the rot, are poisonous to ani-
mals, and, consequently, should not be used for feeding,
4th. The disease spreads more rapidly among the pota-
toes after being dug and placed in a heap, than while in
the ground; consequently, if it is thought they are affected '
it is better to delay digging till late in the fall."
A writer in the Cultivator says :—" For some years
past I have used slacked lime, which I sprinkle on the
potatoes as suon as they are cut for seed, and shovel them
over it, and plant them immediately. Since I have
adopted this plan I have not lost a potato, either in the
ground or after they were put in the, cellar ; and such
of my neighbours as follow my example iti7e alike fortu-
nate, and in no way troubled with the rot."

PROGRESS OF THE HARVEST, &C.—With fivourable
weather, and the crop in excellent condition, the reaping of barley
is now general. In the neighbourhood of this town a large portion
is cut. At Castle Stuart the barley shearing is over, and a large
field of oats cut do xn. At Petty, Mr. Strothers had on Monday
four scythes and eighteen sickles at work, and shearing has been •
general over the district since Monday. Cutting is also in progress
at Dores ; but higher up the country, in Stratherrick, the crops
are more backward, and a few days must elapse ere harvest will
be general in that quarter. The same remark applies to the vale
of Strathnairn, as far down as Cawdor. About Cantray the crops
are not yet sufficiently matured for cutting. Between' Cawdor
and Nairn both oats and barley are falling fast before the stroke
of the reaper. About Nairn and Auldearn a good deal of corn
was carried to the stack-yard last week. Mr. Brodie, of Lethen, had
a strong body of reapers at work. Mr. Shirreff, Barnyards, is
gutting wheat; and all over the Aird district the fields, both of
barley and oats, are diminishing in size deny. As far back as Mon-
day week there were no fewer than one hundred and eighty.eight
shearers engaged cutting down barley at Coul. There was a sale
of barley and oats at RaigiTlOrC on Monday. The former
sold at an average of nearly 10f. an acre, and
the oats averaged 111. per acre. There were several
lots of new oats in our market yesterday, principally of the
sandy kind. A good deal was sold at 265. to 2ss. per quarter.
From Strathspey we learn that barley-harvest is in progress. On
Saturday and Sunday mornings there were slight touches of frost,
which blighted a few potatoe fields, but did no further injury.
Although cattle fell in price at the last Grantown tryst, lambs
sold high, and there has but seldom been such a number exhi.
bited. A lot of three-score wedder lambs from Clenbeg were on
the grorind, and 7s. 6d. a head was refused for two-thirds of the
same. They were of the common black-faced breed.—lnvernere )
Courier.
A MAN DROWNED TO SAVE A PENNY.--An ink
quest was held at the Ferry Boat, Mexbororugthr,omon view of
the
body of Henry Graham, an Irish labourer
with four other
appeared in evidence that the deceased,
r days for Mr. Dickenson. .)
Irishmen had been shearingonwerteo
hp: ,r
seeding in the afternoon t
of Mexborough, and on the.
of the men crossed the river Dun f
vest for Mr. Pigot;
four
raid the usual charge of one penny. _t
by the ferry-boat,pseLrveaevuioneuhstodna.eyntullnldearl'h)
and
Graham (who was of a close and saving
but it appears that
disposition), rather than pay
the penny, went some distance below
toand was attempting to cross the River Dun on some
the ferry
ts
when he slipped off and fell into deep water, and was u.
fortunatelysnes' drowned in the presence of his companions, the ferry.,
man, and others, without their being able to render him any as.
sistance. The body was got out in about twenty minutes, and -
every means used by Dr. Woolam to restore animation, but without
effect. It may be remarxed that the deceatif'd had Jived for three
weeks on 6s. Sd., that he had 3/. 9s. 6d. in money, in his pockets,
and had left 101. In the hands of a person at Marsden, near Hud. •
dersfield, for whom he had been worxing. A verdict of accidentally
drowned was recorded.—Doncaster Gazette.
'TIE PLYMOUTH FISHERY.—Great quantities of
fish have been caught during the past week, by the trawlers and
hooking-boats, and a large quantity of pilchards has been brought
into the town from the Cornish coast. On Friday last so nun-serous
were the hakes, that cart.loads of that fish lay on the quay ter
want of mawns to put them in. We bear that arrangements have
already been made, when the railway to this town is completed, to

forward this valuable article of food to the manufacturing districtil
in the course of sixteen or eighteen hours. Fish being so abundant it?
this town, the hake is compartively neglected, except by the poorer

classes. There is no doubt that the speculators will meet with
good profit in the transport of the hake and other fish into the die.
tricts of the north.—. Plymouth Journal.
SERIOUS CART ACCIDENT.--011 Thursday morning,
between ten and eleven o'clock, a serious accident occurred to

James Carr, a labourer, living in Edward-street, Wa!worth. It
appears that the poor fellow was engaged in his usual occupation.
collecting manure in the road, when a carrier's cart heavily laded •
passed over him, and Carr being very deaf, it it supposed that ht,
did not hear it :approach. He was instantly picked up in an in,

sensible state, and carried into the house of Mr. Davies, a surgeon,
when It was ascertained that the unfortainate man had rupture*

a bloodvessel, hl addition to having broken three of his ribs, AM
now lies without the slightest hope of recovery.
BUST or ADAM SMITH.—The exquisite bust of
Dr. Adam Smith, executed in marble by the ingenious artist,
Mr. Patrick Park, was yesterday placed in an appropriate
niche of the Council Hall in Wilson-street, and attractei•
considerable attentimfrom the members.—Clavow (Aron h

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4:4, L.::

8. That at the Central Criminal Court, and at the
assizes, special juries may be allowed on important
trials ; that the application for their appointment may
be made by either party to the police magistrate, and in
case of his refusal to grant an order, to one of the supe-
rior judges ; and those jurors shall discharge their
duties without remuneration.