The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-07-24 00:00:00

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SAXON LADIES.—A tourist in Germany gives the follow-
ing description of the Saxon ladies :—" Ladies are models of
industry : whether at home or abroad, knitting and needle-
work, no interruption. A lady going to a route would think
little of forgetting her fan, but could not spend hail an hour
without her implements of female industry. A man would
be quite pardonoble for doubting, on entering such a drawing-
room, whether he had not strayed into a school of industry ;
and whether he was not expected to cheapen stockings, instead
of dealing in small talk. At Dresden it is carried so far that
even the theatre is not protected against stocking wires. I
have seen a lady gravely lay down her work, wipe away the
tears which the sorrows of Theckla, in Wallanstein's death,
had brought into her eyes, and immediately resume her knit-
ting,",

, COUCH GRASS.—A HINT TO FARMERS.—I further beg to
call the attention of British agriculturists to the use which
is made, in Italy, of "couch grass," which, in this country,
is collected in the fields into heaps and burnt in pure waste.
The long gramineous under-ground shoots of couch grass, in
French called chien dent, in Italian gra'mminia, when fresh
dug up are crisp, tender, and of a flavour not unlike aspara-
gus, but sweeper. Sarsaparilla is a near relation to it, and
Italian physicians as frequently order decoctions of the one
as of the other to their scorbutic patients; and some assert
assert that the gramminia is the better detergent of the two.
But this is not the purpose to which I should like to see
gramminia applied in this country, but as a most excellent,.
wholesome, and favourite food for horses. The children of
the Italian peasant will follow the plough and the harrow,
and collect as much couch grass roots as pays for their own
keep. After the couch is picked, it is well washed, and be-
comes as white as snow. It is then tied into bundles of
about two feet long and six inches diameter, then kept in or
well sprinkled with clean water Until served out to the pur-
chaser, who himself generally throws the bundles in the
never-failing clear fountain of an Italian court-yard before
he gives it to his horses. Of this gramminia or of carrot the
Italians always give to their horses (in the spring and sum-
mer at least) a certain nurnber of bundles every day at 12
o'clock. Upwards of forty thousand pounds sterling worth
of gramminia is thus annually sold by the peasants to the
inhabitants of the city of Naples alone. In this country
every bit of this valuable provender is burnt on the ground
which produce it. In Italy the peasants are very thankful
for being allowed to pick couch grass from off the fields, and
often pay for it ; in England many hands are employed, at
tvac.,,es, to pick up and burn it.—Colonel Maceroni's Memoirs.

NUMBER OF TIIVELI.EiiS BY STAGE COACHES IN GREAT
B RITA IN.—Upon making a calculation (by a method previ-
ously explained) for the whole number of stage coaches that
possessed licenses at the end of the year 1&34, it appears that
the means of conveyance thus provided for travelling are
equivalent to the conveyance, during the year, of one person
for the distance 597,159,420 miles, or more than six times the
distance between
f,dite.aatgitlhtirlsoeettuethetetimanhrt,utr,therBhs et sun. Observation has
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rvsrGoi themselves
propor-
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ex-
clude Britain may be represented by
from the calculation all very young children, as well
as persons who, from their great age and bodily infirmities,
are unable to travel, there will probably remain in England
10,000,000 of persons by whom that amount of travelling
might be accomplished; but it is well known that a vcty
large proportion of the population are not placed in circum-
stances that require them to travel; and, if even it were
otherwise, that they would not avail themselves of a mode of
conveyance so comparatively costly as a stage coach. We
shall probably go to the utmost extent in assuming, that not
more than 1-sth, or two millions of persons, travel in that
manner, and it places in a strong point of view the activity
which pervades this country when we thus arrive at the con-
ssirsaioartbat, ewe*" of tive.wiriv•rwwftesenicietvAna-tire,ame rag e e I
onland by some public conveyance 180 miles in the course
of the year. This calculation is exclusive of ail travelling in
post chaises, in private carriages, and by steam vessels, the
amount of which there are not any .means for estimating. It
affords a good measure of the relative importance of the me-
tropolis to the. remainder of the country, that, of the above
number of 597,159,420, the large proportion of 409,052,644 is
the product of stage coaches, Which are licensed to run from
London to various parts of the kingdom. The licenses, which
have formed the groundwork of the calculations, include all
public conveyances proceeding between one part of England
and another part of England, as well as those conveyances
which travel between England and Scotland, but not such
as begin and end their journeys in Scotland; and their tra-
vellingin Ireland is wholly excluded —Progress of the Nation,
by G. R. Porter, vol. 11,

ANGLOMANIA OF MURAT..--MUrat Was what the
French denominate a decided " Aug/war/We." He liked
*everything that was English; and certainly at the present day
the English have in many things got before their neighbours
by several lustres. He had English maids and govirnesses
for his four children (two boys and two girls), English grooms
for his.numerous English horses, English curricles and other
carriages, Manton's fowling-pieces, and "English Port wine."
--Life of Colonel Maceioni.
SCIENCE IN TURKEY.—The celebrated Professor Rate!
has just returned to Berlin from his travels in the east, and
among the facts of minor importance which he relates is one
which cannot fail to excite a smile. The scientific instru-
ments which are so often presented to the Sultan are by him
distributed indiscriminately in equal portions, without any
reference to the purposes for which they are intended : thus
the school of su►gery frequently receives mathematical in-
struments, while the military schools are honoured with those
intended for surgical operations.—Athenceum.
AN AMERICAN JUDGE.—There he sat, with his hat on, a
cigar in his mouth, his arms folded, and. his feet over the
rail, looking as sour as an unripe lemon. " Bring up them
culprits," said he ; and when they were brought up be told
'em it was scandalous, and only fit for English and ignorant
foreigners, that sit in the outer porch of darkness, and not
high-minded intelligent Americans. "You are a disgrace,"
said he, "to our great nation, and I hope I.shall never hear
the like of it again. If I do, I'll put you on your trial as
sure as you are born. I hope I may be skinned alive by wild
cats if I don't."—Sam Slick.

SNAILS.—In the Gardener's Gazette I saw an extract from
a Scotch paper, recommending bran as a decoy for snails,
which I have tried, and found it quite effectual. I bad been
much annoyed, and my plants had suffered much by. them;
and 1 could not find any remedy but that of examining the
the plants separately and frequently, which was very tedious;
but by laying small patches of bran in the vacant squares of
cauliflower, lettuce, and other beds of vegetables, I find
snails, a small black worm, which I believe is the germ of
the black snail, and many other insects congregated there,
and have seldom found any on my plants since, If the
patches of bran be covered so as to keep it dry, it seems to
be more attractive to the vermin, and that is easily done by
broken flowerpots, pieces of slate, &c.—From a correspondent
of the Gardener's Gazette.
THE MARKET-PLACE AT NEWCASTLE.—Learn, therefore,
that there is here the largest market-place in England—pro-
bably in Europe. Liverpool has been in dudgeon ever since
its erection; the cauliflowers there have invatiably exhibited
the jaundiced tint of jealousy, and the meat looking red and
black with passion, in consequence. Tne markets in New-.
castle cover somewhat more than two acres ; measuring 4,0
feet in length by 312 in width. The roof is of wood, with
pendant corbels; the sides are of substantial stone. The
whole'is loity, capacious, and calculated for every good ser-
vice, as well as picturesque effect. At given stations, there
are fountains of marble in the centre; of which the water, in
warm weather, refrigerates and sweetens the whole atmos-
phere. It is a glorious vista—and was once occupied (on
the opening of the markets Oct. 22, in 1835) by two thousand
guests; irradiated by gas light.—Dr. Dibain's Northern
Tour.

MODE OF PREVENTING BEER FROM BECOMING ACID.—
A patent has been taken out, in America, for preserving beer
from becomingtcid in hot weather, or between the tempe-
ratures of 74 and 94 deg. To every 174 gallons of liquor,
the patentee, Mr. Storewell, directs the use of one pound of
raisins, in the following manner:—" Put the raisins, into
the liquor before fermentation; the liquor may then be let
down at 65 deg. or as high as 70 deg. The bag containing
the raisins must remain in the vat, until the process of fer-
mentation has so far advanced as to produce a white appear-
ance, or scum, all over the the surface of the liquor, which
will probably lake place in about 24 hours. The bag con-
taining the raisins must then be taken out, and the liquor left
until fermentation ceases The degree of heat, in the place
where the vat is situated, should not exceed 66 deg. nor be
less than 60 deg."—Journal of the Franklin institution.
The Arabs possess extraordinary sagacity in tracing foot-
steps upon the sand; they can generally ascertain from in-
specting the impression-1. Whether the footsteps belong to
his own or some neighbouring tribe, and consequently whe-
ther friend or foe has passed-2. He knows, from the slight-
ness or depth of the impression whether the man who made
it carried a load or not-3. From the strength or faintness
of the tracts whether he passed on the same day, or one or
two days before—and 4. From a certain regularity of inter-
vals between the steps a Bedouin judges whether the man is
fatigued or not, and hence be can calculate the chalice of
overtaking him. This faculty of distinguishing footsteps on
the ground extends to beasts (horses and camels) as well as
men. An offender can scarcely hope to escape detection in
any clandestine proceeding as his passage is recorded upon
the road in characters that any one of his Arabian neigh-
bours can read.—Robinson's Travels in Palestine and Syria.
AMERICA.—Did you ever drink any Thames water, squire?
said the Clockmaker; because it is one of the greatest natu-
ral _curiosities ever known in the world. When I returned
from Poland, in the hair spekelation, I sailed from London,
and we had Thames water on board. Says Ito the captain,
says I, I guess you want to pyson us, don't you, with that
are nasty, dirty, horrid stuff? how can you think o' takin'
such water as that ? Why, says he, Mr. Slick, it does make
the best water in the world—that's a fact; yes, and the best
porter too;—it farments, works off the scum, clarifies itself,
and beats all natur';—and yet look at all them are sewers,
and drains, and dye stuffs, and factory-wash, and onmention-
elites that are poured into it;—it beats the bugs, don't it ?
Well, squire, our great country is like that are Thames water,
-it does receive the outpoinin's of the world,—homicides
and regecides, jail-birds and galley-birds,—poor-house chaps
and workhouse-chaps,—rebels, infidels, and forgers,—rogues
of all sorts, sizes, and degrees,—but it farments, you see,
and works clear;_ and what a'most a beautiful clear stream
o' democracy it does make,—don't it? Not hot enough for
fog, nor cold enough for ice, nor limey enough to fur up the
hvlers, nor too bard to wash clean, nor raw enough to chop
the skin.—but gist the thing; that's a fact.—Sam Slick, the
Clockmaker.

E kIITHENWARL—There is scarcely any manufacture which
is so interesting to contemplate in its gradual improvement
and extension, as that of earthenware, presenting, as it does,
so beautiful a union of science and art, in furnishing us with
the comforts and ornaments of polished life. Chemistry ad-
ministers her part by investigating the several species of
earths, and ascertaining as well their most appropriate corn-
Linatiocs, as the respective degrees of heat which the several
compositions require. Art has studied the designs of an-
tiquity, and produced from them vessels even more exquisite
in form than the models by which they have been suggested.
The ware has been provided in such gradations of quality as
to suit every station, from the highest to the lowest. It is to
be seen in every country, and almost in every house, through
the whole extent of America, iri many parts of Asia, and in
most of the countries of Europe. At home it has superseded
the less cleanly vessels of pewter and of wood, and by its
cheapness has been brought within the means of our poorest
housekeepers. Formed from substances originally of no
value, the fabrication has •produced labour of such various
classes, and created skill of such various degrees, that nearly
the whole value of the annual produce may be considered as
an addition made to the mass of national wealth. The abund-
ance of the ware exhibited in every dwelling is sufficient evi-
dence of the vast augmentation of the manufacture, which is
also demonstrated by the rapid increase of the population in
the district where the potteries have been established.—
Quarterly Review.

ANECDOTES of PIIINCE TALLEYRAND.—The following
anecdotes are from a literary and political autobiography by
M. Heiberg, a Dane, who was for twenty years an attaché
to the ministry for foreign affairs in France. In speaking
of the zeal necessary in the service of the bureaux, Prince
Talleyrand humourously and wittily said, "I think zeal and
activity in the public services should exist in the inverse
ratio with the importance of the places occupied. Thus it is
highly proper for me as the minister to possess little zeal;
you, M. Roux, chef de divisien, must have a little more than
I ; you, M. Chellaye, in your capacity of copyist, have need
of a great deal of zeal and activity; and as to a aarcon de
bureau, he never can have enough. 111. Heiberg entering
one evening the apartment of the minister, expecting to find
him quite alone, was surprised to see him seated at his
writing table, and near him M. Labesnardiere, his secretary
and confident. He was about to retire, but the minister bid
him stay. The surprise of M. Heiberg was still greater,
when he heard M. Labesnardiere dictating, and Talleyrand
writing to the dictation of his secretary. The fact was, the
prince was obliged every second or third day to make a re-
port to the emperor in his own handwriting, and in order to
save himself the trouble of collecting the necessary informa-
tion, he found it shorter and less troublesome to have the
report dictated to him by his confidential secretary. On one
occasion, when Talleyrand was in vain seeking one of his
secretaries, M. Heiberg volunteered his services. The mi-
nister accepted his offer, and told him to take a magnificent
sheet 'of paper and write a letter for him to the Empress
Josephine. While he was preparing to write, Talleyrand
went to his writing table, and began to examine his papers;
after a short interval he said, " Well, is the letter finished ?"
" Your excellency has not told me what to write." "Simple
man I" replied the prince; "in writing to a lady one always
commences with speaking of her wit, beauty, and grace—the
rest is fur the postscript.'
NELSON AND WELLINGTON.—An al tick in the Edinburgh
Review, just published, contains the following account of the
only interview that ever took place between these two illus-
trious warriors:--7" The Duke, then Sir Arthur Wellesley,
had just returned front his ever-memorable campaign in
India ; but his fame, though high amongst those who knew
anything of the concerns of that remote region, bad not yet
become so familiar to the mass of society at home as to
render it profitable to the print-sellers and tavern-keepers to
exhibit his physiognomy to the public gaze. Consequently,
the features now so familiar to all were then so little known,
even to-Nelson, that; when he found himself one day in the
waiting-room of one of the secretaries of state in company
with the great eastern warrior, he knew him not. It was
otherwise with Nelson, whose deeds, having been performed
nearer home, were far better, or, at 11 events, more generally
kriown; and with whose appearance Sir Arthur could not
but be well acquainted, even had he no other help than the
signs over the inn doors on his way from Portsmouth. The
natural attraction of genius drew them together, and the mi-
nister whose leisure they were waiting.for, being long engaged,
these two illustrious men were left in conversation for some

time. The news of Sir Robert Calder's action had just been
received, and this naturally formed a principal topic of their
discourse. Sir Arthur Wellesley said to Lord Nelson—
" This measure of success won't do now-a-days, for your
lordship has taught the public to expect something more
brilliant." Shortly after this remark Lord Nelson left the
waiting-room, evidently to find out who his new friend was,
and, returning in a minute, renewed the conversation on a
fresh footing. Nelson had at that time some project for oc-
cupying Sardinia, and he wished Sir Arthur to take charge
of the troops on the occasion. But he replied that he would
rather not—that he had just returned from India—in short;
he did not enter into that view. Soon afterwards Lord Nelson
sailed—the battle of Trafalgar was fought, and they never
met again."