The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-04-21 00:00:00

LITERATURE,

We are sd considerably behind in oar notice of new
-books, the p•Priddicals, and' other 'pablicatiotts; that we
'Liken to brinir up our arrear,:, to the extent of our limits,
as the best apology- we,e.an offer for the unaoidable
, We take them as they come to hand.

,
.Ist.. The Naturalist's Libr6-1/. Vol. 1.
The Perch Fancily. •By Sir Wm. JARDINE' Bart., &c.
-Li2ars,Erlinbargli ; &repel, Livetp.ool.•
—ins elegant work equals -if •not surpasses any of its
predecessors in • the Naturalists' Library, and will, be
,fotnid to contain much valuable, curious; instructive, and
ofig,ibil information.. The plates are executed irfath
rilliable taste; and with strict fidelity to nature, every
fish
being coloured to the life. The frontiSpiece is a spirited
eagraving from Lawrence's famous portrait of the.late
SlriJnseph-Banks, and the volume .opens with' a memoir
of that magnificent patron-of the • sciences:" We cannot
assist 'the* st'brk better than by giving; the following in^
teresting extract from the introduction
"The greater p.ortion' of ffshcis 'areiearuivotous, and find an
attendant and varied food.ia the inametise prctfasion.of moluseons
aeurials, as' well as in the sinaller species. of then own order,
for'amoug theta may be. said 'to exist a constant SyStna of at-
Licit and defence—a general.,War, the stronger against the
weaker: A few only subsist on vegetables; " and graze the'sa
weed, their pastute." The teeth, the- only otgaus almost-of
prehension, areaherefore varied in innumerable forms, but are
chiefly adapted either for tearing or bruising. In the cartila-
ginous fish we find these forms strongly developed ' thosb of
the. sharks will exhibit an 'example of the first, of the most
forthidable kind, of great size and strength,.smooth and pierc•
ing, or sharp, but serrated. Those of the rays or skates ofsh the
second, fitted for bruising, where the food is in a great part ell
fish, and where the teeth are arranged as a dense pavement.
In others, again, the teeth,' various in size and strength, are
placed in the jaws, vomer, tongue; arches of the branchire, and
inythe thro,it. The latter' arranement is one of the most sin-
gular, and bears the title among French ichthyologists of "deuts
ert relour,"`fratn their exhibAing the' appearance, to the naked
eye, of the pile of coarse velvet. These act by the compression
orthe lower pheryngeal-museleS,' and an example will'be found
in the genus cyprinus,. to whicli belong, the greater part ofthose
-.fisbes which, by :English anglers,- are denominated " leather
• znouths." The food being seized is almost immediately swal-
lowed ; and, such is its, voracity, that substances.entirely foreign
are,often taken in, as may almost always be seen in, the stomach
ofla cod, which sometimes presents a most heterogeneous mass
little fitted for nutrition. -
" Although the teeth and jaws, with pursuit, are the principal.
accessories for securing prey, various fishes, deprived of swift-
ness, entice their prey by stratagem. Such are all the Atari,
with long filamentous appendages to the lips, Which, in some,
are said to possess the property of-stinging. Others, again,
lurk in concealment, and dart out Upon the casual passers by.
The rostrated chntodon employs a most singular property of
propelling a drop of water with unerring aim and considerable.
force at insects which have settled on aquatic plants, seizing
them on their fall into the water. But of all the properties with
which these siugular creatures ate endowed, either for attack or
defence; that of the benumbing and electric stroke of tbe torpedo
and gymnotas is the most remarkable. -Experiments have
tended to confirm its connexion With the -galvanic influence.
Many an assailant must be most unexpectedly stopped by it,:
and the fishes which are endowed with it. being, ,in teneral; of.
slow motion, lurk until their victims approach within the Mu;
once of their deadly and peculiar pdwer. ' •
-" The reproduction and valuation of fish is another part of
their history full of interest. They are, with .a few exceptions,
oviparous, and are fruitful to a most surprising degree—so much
so, that if the whole ova were to be matured bounds could not
be assigoq4 to them, and the expanse of the waters would, be
crammed ; but among the millions' of ova'which are deposited,
those hatched. to maturity will not exceed one in.the thoesaud,
perhaps a much less proportion, and in their great feitility we
see both a beneficent design in furnishing an ample supply, of
food, for many'of the inhAitants of the seine element, and for
Cis numerous tribe of water fowl which, at some seasons, feed
entirely on Oig eggs and fry; while, on the other hand, without
this abundaut power of generation, a stock could not be saved
from, the numerous enemies of sea and air, to which the) are
nearly constantly exposed. general the eggs are deposited
in water comparatively shallow, upon rocks on gravelly or
sandy banks, on aquatic plants, or' marine alga, or in holes
formed in the banks or borders of the lake's or rivers; and to
the strong instinctive principle which impels these.creatures to
seek suitable sitdations for the deposition of their spawn do we
owe. the abundant supply of fish which annually resort to our
shores, The migration of the herring, mackerel, pilchard, &c.,
ail depend,on this, and the countless shoals which arrive only
leave the great recesses of the deep to seek the shallower bays
and:estaaries for the purpose of continuing their species._
There.is. one circumstance in the breeding of fishes which
requires notice—that of no care being bestowed on the oya, or .
_young, after a place has been selected and fin hod for the de-
position, or after they are hatched. , There sleins, however,.
here Also to be exceptions. The calticlichyv liitoralis makes, a
, regular uest of long leaves, 91' grail, in which:they.lay their eggs
it} a flattened cluster, and cover them over most:carefully. l hey,
remain by the side of the nest till the spawn is hatched with as
rrineb..Aolicitti'de as a hen ;guards her eggs, both male and female,
for ith`ey'Are monogamous, Steiaily o,viifehing 'the
.spawn, arid,
c6k4geously attacking any assailant. Hence the'negroes fre-:
qMtitly, take them by.puttiVg' their hands into•the Water, close
to the pest, on 'agitating which the, male springs furiously at
them, and is thus captured.
Dr. Haneock, Zoological Journal, XIV . p. 214.

2d. The British Vinenzaker and Domestic Brewer; a
• ;complete, practical, and easy Treatise on the Art and
Management of British Wines :and. Liqueurs.. By.
W. H. ROBERTe. - Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh
Simpkin and Marshall, London. .
'There is one sin of Which we' have not-been •guilty
-at least 'conscientiously 'guilty—We never drank
two glasses- of home' niade-nr British wine in ' the
whole course of a rather long life. When any' mem-
ber of the temperance society can say .'as much; we
shall forgive On one ocscas.rion, only-were we
tempted to taste, at the request of- a beautifiil quakeress,
a'glass of what she was pleased to call BritiSh ehampaone,
made by her fair Self—oll Bacchtis forgive liert--from
goose-berries, and perhaps it was-good, (we say nothing
to the contrary,) but we'shall never forget the serisatiOns,
We felt at' tbatlrying Moment. One has to sutfer.a great
deal for one's country:; but we vow not to be caught in
that way again—'-if possible'!
However, that has nothing to do with Mr. Roberts'
hook, which, to those who like sweet juices, and pleasant
waters, must.beinvalnable. There sister Kate or aunt
Margery, provided they are unmarried, may learn to
Make all sorts of 'wine, from champagne down to that
squeezed out of 'birch, parsnipS, and cowslips ; and
splendid liqueurs front kirschwasser (when genuine, our
favOurite) to " Perfect Love," (which we know nothing
.about ;) and front maraschino down to ginger cordial
and -cherry brancly4—the last of which, thanks be and
praise; we have only seen in the shops.
•
' But'we must allow the author to say a word or two for
•
iiinself
"-Eight Or nine years ago, a Very respectable friend of mine,
'who lived Much in the world, and'Who was in the habit of enter-
taining: his friends with a variety of Continental wines. sera,
me tiVapint betties, Which he begged I would till with some very.
• old black CurranCwine, made to a particular way ; a wine
Of which he.was'very fond, And alweet enjoyad mlich whilst
Visiting. me; Gratitierr with this opportunity of pleasing -my
friend, complied with his request, bottled the wine,• sealed 'it,
and sent it'. Some weeks after," a very large party dined with
hitii.% It is 'pet my intention here to name the individuals of
that paity;siace it to say, among others, there'were two pre.
sent whose judgment in wines was 'reckoned unexceptionable.
After having enjoyed hock and chatipagne, and when the par-
meta'n cheese was brought, he requested his' servant to bring a
small bottle* Which was on the sideboard. The seraint brought
it, 'with a napkin rolled round it. The liqueur glasses were all
ready on the salver to receive the contents. The mouths of the
quests.bOing in right trim to enjoy it after the cheese, it was
- drawn; the glasses were filled and handed around; one smacked
his lip's,' another pronounced it delicious, another most deli-
itrus, and so on. None, however, dared to give it a name.—
All eyes were now fixed upon the judges, first on one, then on
•tite' other. One of them confidently asserted it WRS the very'
best Constantia he had ever tasted. The second pint was un-:
i43l.lceiVand equally enjoyed as the first. This story I had from'
the gentleman himself, as well as from one of the party, who'
mentioned it merely to me as a story, 'characteristic of my
friend's- style in diiing.any thing, and who was not aware of its
'being home made wine uutil I informed him of it. Surely after.
this no one will be found to start the question, Is it possible, or
is not possible to make a good wine in this country ? Such
men as those who dined with my friend might be deceived as to
whether the wine was foreign or home made, but we can scarcely
imagine they would be mistaken as to whether it was
.good or
bad.
" Nor do I find this a siugular ca'se; Other judges have been
deceived with Wines n14(14 ill this country, wheu drunk at the
tables of their, friends, as.those were who dined at my friend's
table. In a workfvublisbcd by. Sir.•Edwafd..Barry, 1i7,, he te-'
lates the manner in which. he hon. 'Charl!s:llainilton rears die
grapes, and manufactures his wines; after Which deseription he.
adds: " It would be endless to mention how inatil gobd judges
of wine were deceived by my wine, and thought it superior ridges
the best Champagne, they ever drink! 'Evan
.the Duke de'
Mine l'ois preferred it to-any oiler wine; lint such i 3. the pre
judiee of most people to, any thing of English giowth, I -gene-
rally found it prudent -net' to declare Where it grew, till after
they had passed their verdict upon it.
The surestproof which I can give its excellence is, that
I told it to wine merchants fer fifty guineas a hogshead; and
one wine merchant, to whom I sold five hundred pounds worth.
at one time, assured me, that he sold some of the best of it at
7s. lid. to 10s. fide par bottle." . •
Weare-of course bound to believe all this, and we
.have 110 -objections- whatever that the " dear public "
,Should taAe as well as believe. The best part of the'
:book, biswever,..in.our opinion;--is that' which relates to
iltineurs.; and to • those who 'patronize such' articles it
Mat be worth any Money. It otwht to be bound up with
-the , cook's Oracle, and be in the' hands of every young
lad' who has not a turn for algebra and the logarithms.
Part 111 treats of brewing, and we give the autlior'S
ittparon the more substantial article—POßTillt—from the
ivagre und washings of which • he makes a, sort of small
-beer admirably calculated for the ten pound householders
of Edinburgh—we mean those who return Sir John .
Campbell to parliament:—
" Although' am aware that ver
r y few
of faei ee erethink of
making their own porter, yet a fomula this manufacture May
not he unacceptable josome. Per making, putter:three kinds
of malt are necessary', the pile
_matt, the broeu alt, and the
patent black malt. For ruaklug a hegshead withOet table beer
'four bushels of pale malt, two bushels of broWn;'end fourteen
pounds of patent black malt ate 'ernploved. The inalt having been
crushed or ground 48 haul's pee v i0u"."60 galloris of boiling water
anit When-le-anted with cold water to
are run into the mash-inn,
temperature 1800 or IB2Q, the malt is put in in a similar man-
ner as for the ale. It is mashed . for twenty minutes Or more,
'until it is brought to arrequaf consistency,i the cover is then
put on, the malt sacks and the blanket placed on the top of it,
to keep the wort as warm as possible ill the meautime, the cop-
per having been refilled, the water is-preparing fore second
extraction. The mash stands thus covered for an
a and a
4ktilf, the tap is partially turned, the first 'tinning received in 'a.
pail until it appears clear, when the contents of the pail are e-
r
be
turned into the mash-tun, aud the extracfallowed to run into
aaderback. When thirty-five gallons have been run off,