The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-10-06 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL gtANDAItn.

A PROOF THAT A MAN CAN BE HIS OWN GRAND-
FATHER.—There was a widow and her daughter-in-law,
and a roan and his son. The widow married the son, and
the daughter the old gentleman. Th.; widow was there-
fore mother to her husband's father, and, consequently,
grandmother to her own husband. They had a son, to
whom she was great grandmother ; now, as the son of a
great grandmother must be either a grandfather or great
uncle, this boy was one or the other. He was his own
grandfather! This was the case with a boy at school at
Norwich.—Hood's Magazine.
TEA.—The chemical constituents of tea are—volatile
oil, tannic acid, and theine ; the other constituents are
those commonly found in the ►eaves of vegetables. The
tea owes its smell, and part of its effects to its volatile oil.
The tannic acid blackens the salts of iron, as the tannic
acid of oak. The theine is the most remarkable constituent.
Peligot has lately discovered in tea a larger quantity of
theme, besides some caseine, both of which are azotised
substances. The use of carbonate of soda is advantageous
in the preparation of tea, as it is in that of coffee; it in-
creases the power of drawing the extract out of the leaves,
makes the infusion stronger, and gives it a better taste.
In the ashes of tea the author found oxide of iron and ar-
gilla, and draws from this circumstance the conclusion,
that the shrub grows and thrives on ferruginous and ar-
gillaceous soils, which are also in other respects favourable
to the formation of ammonia, and of the azotised caseine
and theine. In using tea, most persons only consume
those parts which are to be extracted by water, particu-
larly the etherial oil, the tannate of theine, gum, and
most of the soluble salts. But the tea is not exhausted by
a single infusion in boiling water; at least one-third of
the soluble constituents remain in the leaves, with the
greatest part of the caseine. Carbonate of soda dissolves
the caseine, and therefore materially increases the strength
of the beverage. The theine is composed of eight atoms
of carbon, four atoms of nitrogen, ten atoms of hydrogen,
and two atoms of oxygen. In those countries where tea
is generally taken (as England and Holland), diseases of
relaxation and emmollition prevail, particularly among the
female sex. Tea considerably increases the sensibility of
the whole nervous system, and relaxes the digestive canal;
but it certainly possesses some nutritive power, in conse-
quence of containing two azotised substances—theine and
caseine. The increased secretion of urea and bile, subse-
quent to its use, shows its medicinal effect. The Chinese
use the tea leaves as an emetic. Fresh tea acts, according
to Percival, like opium and henbane on the nerves, and
like foxglove on the function of the heart and arteries.
Those men who are engaged in unpacking tea are very
liable to become paralytic; the exhalations of tea produce
headache, giddiness, &c. Vessels of porcelain are the
best for extracting the constituents of tea; and tin boxes
should always be used for Preserving it.—Chambers's
Journal.

HONG KONG AS A PLACE OF TRADE.—We have
taken some pains to make ourselves acquainted with the
capabilities of Hong Kong, and with the circumstances
connected with its being chosen as a British settlement.
It is situated in the neighbourhood of an immense trade,
and has a magnificent harbour. These two facts are in-
disputable, and every body can appreciate their impor-
tance. Mr. Davison, in a work of much interest, lately
published, entitled " Trade and Travel in the Far East,"
and who was for twelve months at Hong-Kong, says
that " as a depot for goods intended for the Chinese mar-
ket, I conceive the situation of Hong Kong to be unri-
valled." As a decisive proof of the eligibility of Hong
Kong as a place of trade in the eyes of the Chinese them.
selves, he mentions that some of them have paid immense
sums for ground on which to build stores there. In re-
gard to climate, there can be no doubt that it has proved
unfavourable, but this disadvantage is shared by Chusan,
the only other place named as suitable for our settlement,
and probably by any locality along the coast which could
be thought of for such a purpose. Much of the unhealthi-
ness of all these places seems referable to temporary and
super ficial causes—to paludal miasma, exhal,rtions from
deserted rice grounds, as well as from naturally swampy
spots in the ravin: s, and from the brushwoods growing
and rotting there. This we gather from the important
work of Dr. Wilson, inspector of our naval hospitals and
fleets in China, lately published, and entitled " Medical
Notes on China." The writer holds (p. 164) that acci-
cental circumstances have helped to fix on the climate of
Hong Kong, at the commencement of its colonial history,
a much worse character than it will be found to deserve.
One main ground arises from his remark, that there ap-
pear to be in China great periodic physical movements—
times of exacerbation of disease, with long intervals of
remission ; and that the accumulation of the causes of
endemic being now discharged, a period of comparative
immunity will follow. It may thus be that our first ap-
pearance in China synchronized with a cycle of disease,
and that attention being directed to the removal of excit-
ing causes, the climate will not be found permanently un-
favourable to Europeans. There appears to be no reason
to blame the government for selecting Hong Kong as the
site of our English colony, and none, certainly,for reflect.
ing on our envoy in regard to that transaction. The
choice rested between this place and Chusan. It will be
remembered what an outcry there then was against the
latter place, on the ground of its unhealthiness. It ought
also to be known that Hong Kong was selected by Mr.
Eliot, the predecessor of Sir Henry Pottinger, and that
the latter found many costly public works erected and in
progress there, and large sums of money expended both
publicly and privately on the island. In this state of af-
fairs, Sir Henry Pottinger referred the choice of the place
for our settlement to the ministers at home, stating the
comparative advantages of the two places under conside-
ration, Chusan and Hong Kong, and on what was, we
believe, a just estimate of their merits, the government
decided for Hong Kong.—Dublin University Magazine.

THE BADGER..—Notwithstanding the persecutions and
indignities that he is unjustly doomed to suffer, I maintain
that he is fa: more respectable in his habits than we gene-
rally consider bim to be. " Dirty as a badger," " stink-
ing as a badger," are two sayings often repeated, but
quite inapplicable to him. As far as we can learn of the
domestic economy of this animal when in a state of na-
ture, he is remarkable for his cleanliness--his extensive
burrows are always kept perfectly clean, and free from all
offensive smell; no filth is ever found about his abode;
every thing likely to oflend his olfactory nerves is carefully
removed. I, once, in the north of Scotland, fell in with a
perfect corny of badgers; they had taken up their abode
in an unfrequented range of wooded rocks, and appeared
to have been little interrupted in their possession of them.
The footpaths to and from their numerous holes were bea-
ten quite hard ; and what is remarkable and worthy of
note, they had different small pits dug at a certain distance
from their abodes, which were evidently used as recepta-
cles for all offensive filth ; every other part of their colony
was perfectly clean. A solitary badger's hole, which 1
once had dug out, during the winter season, presented a
curious picture of his domestic and military arrangements ;
a hard and long job it was for two men to achieve, the pas-
sage here and there turned in a sharp angle round some
projecting corners of rock, which he evidently makes use
of when attacked, as points of defence, making a stand at
any of these angles, where a dog could not scratch to en-
large the aperture, and fighting from behini his stone but-
tress. After tracing out a long winding passage, the
workmen came to two branches in the hole, each leading
to good-sized chambers ; in one of these was stored a con-
siderable quantity of dried grass, rolled up into balls as
large as a man's fist, and evidently intended as food ; in
the other chamber there was a bed of soft grass and leaves
—the sole inhabitant was a peculiarly large old dog-bad-
ger. Besides coarse grasses, their food consists of various
roots ; amongst others, I have frequently found about
their hole the bulb of the common wild blue hyacinth.
Fruit of all kinds and esculent vegetables form his repast,
and I fear that he must plead guilty to devouring any
small animal that may come in his way, alive or dead ;
though, not being adapted for the chase, or even for any
very skilful strategy of ear, I do not suppose that he can
do much in catching an unwounded bird or beast. Eggs
are his delight, and a partridge's nest with seventeen or
eighteen eggs must afford him a fine meal, particularly if
he can surprise and kill the hen-bird also; snails and worms
which he finds above ground during his nocturnal rambles,
are likewise included in his bill of fare. I was one summer
evening walking home from fi hing in Loch Ness, and
having occasion to fasten up some part of my tackle, and
also expecting to meet my keeper, I sat down on the shore
of the loch. 1 remained some time, enjoying the lovely
prospect : the perfectly clear and unruffled loch lay before
me, reflecting the northern shore in its quiet water. The
opposite banks consisted, in some parts, of bright green-
sward, sloping to the water's edge, and studded with some
of the most beautiful birch-trees in Scotland ; several of
the trees spreading out like the oak, and with their rag-
ged and ancient looking bark resembling the cork-tree of
Spain—others drooping and weeping over the edge of the
water in the most lady-like and elegant manner. Parts of
the loch were edged in by old lichen-covered rocks; while
farther on a magnificent scar of red stone rose perpendi-
cularly from the water's edge to a very great height. So
clearly was every object on the opposite shore reflected in
the lake below, that it was difficult, nay impossible, to
distinguish where the water ended and the land commenced
—the shadow from the reality. The sun was already set,
but its rays still illuminated the sky. It is said that from
the sublime to the ridiculous there is but one step ;—and
I was just then startled from my reverie by a kind of grunt
close to me, and the apparition of a small waddling grey
animal, who was busily employed in hunting about the
grass and stones at the edge of the loch ; presently ano-
ther, and another, appeared in a little grassy glade which
ran down to the water's edge, till at last I saw seven of
them busily at work within a few yards of me, ail coming
from one direction. It at first struck me that they were
some farmer's pigs taking a distant ramble, but I shortly
saw that they were badgers, come from their fastnesses ra-
ther earlier than usual, tempted by the quiet evening, and
and
by a heavy summer shower that was just over, and which
had brought out an infinity of large black snails and
ap-
petiteworm s. , onA
sw cwhathe
dressedbadgers
in grey
feaenddi ng
sittingw with
on a greyh good
rock, they did not see me, but waddled about, sometimes
close to me ; only now and then as they crossed my track
they showed a slight uneasiness, smelling the ground, and
grunting gently. Presently a very large one, which I took
to be the mother of the rest, stood motionless for a mo-
ment listening with great attention, and then giving aloud
grunt, which seemed perfectly understood by the others,
she scuttled away, followed by the whole lot. I was soon
joined by my attendant, whose approach they had heard
long before my less acute ears gave me warning of his
coming. In trapping other vermin in these woods, we
constantly caught badgers—sometimes several were found
in the traps ; I always regretted this, as my keeper was
most unwilling to spare their lives, and I fancy seldom did
so. His arguments were tolerably cogent, I must confess,
When I tried to persuade him that they were quite harm-
less, he answered me by asking, " Then why, sir, have
they got such teeth, if they don't live, like a dog or fox,
on flesh ?—and why do they get caught so often in traps
baited by rabbits ?" I could not but admit that they bad
most carnivorous-looking teeth, and well adapted to act
on the offensive as well as defensive, or to crunch the
bones of any young hare, rabbit, or pheasant that came in
their way."—Wild Sports and Natural History of the
Highlands.