The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-12-17 00:00:00

THE SHORTEST DAY.

(From Tait's Magazine for Decentser.)
Why, how is this ! past nine o'clock
I fear I'm very late;
I really thought, it is so dark,
That it was only eil lit.
I shall be scolded terri. :y,
And nothing can 1 say
Except, what every body knows,
It is the shortest day!
It's very t'ark ! I cannot see
At all what I'm about :
Ay there—l knew it would be so—
My stockings wrong-side out.
It is not worth while getting up;
I care not what you say ;
"But rea ly we should stay in bed
All through the shortest day.
I cannot see to dress myse'f
I shall be such a fright;
But to be sure, it matters not, •
The day is more like night.
The air is thick as thick p'a-soup,
You scarce can see your way ;
I'm half afraid to grope about
Upon the shortest day.
I wonder what blind people do,
Of optics quite bereft—
I've made a b'under with my shoe,
My right foot's in my left !
Misfortunes never single come,
I've heard old sages say,
And thus I'm bothered on all hands
Upon the shortest day.
I wish the sun would show his face :
Alas I I must show mine,—
He's shrouded quite in murkiness,
And won't come forth to shine.
He's really very stingy now,
And won't bestow a ray,
To save our noses from lamp-posts
Upon the shortest day.
The men who make the Almanacks
Are very waggish folks,
But there's no reason why the world
Should suffer for their jokes:
For though it's dull, it's very clear,
No matter what they say,
That there is not a day at all
Upon their shortest day.
The morning star won't lend his light
To lead me to the latch,
I must find my own Inciter—
Give me a patent match I
But were I fairly in the street,
A waggon or a dray
Might pulverise me in the fog,
And end my shortest day.
And thus all thro' this doleful time
We risk both life and limb,
One cannot stir an inch in peace
When all is dark and dim.
There is no antidote against
Such sorrows in array,
Except that nothing can last long
Upon the shortest day.

ENGLISH SHEEP.—It is worthy of remark how steadily
the sheep of England have increased both in number and
weight as the breed has been improved, and the mode of
supplying them with food better understood. In 1698 Mr.
Gregory King calculated that there were in Great Britain
12,000,000 sheep ; in 1741 the number had increased to
16,640,000; in 1774, according to Arthur Young, the num-
ber was 25,589,754 ; in 1826, Mr. Lucock estimated them
to be 26,148,463 ; in 1834, Mr. M' Culloch stated them to
be 32,000,000, and the value of their wool £7,000,000 ;
and not only have they during this period thus nearly
trebled in number, but they have at the same time nearly
doubled in their average weight. In 1710, according to
Mr. Davenant, the average weight of black cattle was only
3701b5. ; of calves, 501bs. ; of sheep and lambs, 481bs. ;
but it is now calculated by Mr. Youatt that the average
dead weight of the cattle sold at Smithfield is 6561b5. ; of
calves, 1441b5. ; and of sheep and lambs 901bs. (Youatt
on Cattle, p. 257.) In 1732, the number of sheep and
lambs sold at Smithfield was 514,700 ; these had increased
to 1,647,316 in 1835, and to ,854,320 in 1843.—Farmer's
Magazine.

MANNER OF TRYING THE FORCE OF GUNPOWDER,
AND IMMENSE QUANTITIES USED.—Mechanical aid
contributes no less than chemistry to the perfection of
gunpowder • therefore other means of forming a judg-
ment, in addition to chemical tests, become necessary.
Manufacturers are in Ihe habit of paying great attention
to the manner of its burning, whether it ignite rapidly or
slowly, whether it scintillate or not, whether it leave
much residue, and on the contrary, &c., &c. There are
also instruments called eprovelles for ascertaining the
comparative force of powder : but in our government
service the force of gunpowder is ascertained by trying
the `power of a given quantity in projecting a known
weight. A charge of four drachms of fine grained or
small-arm powder is expected to project a steel ball with
the requisite force to perforate a certain number of half-
inch wet elm planks, placed three quarters of an inch
asunder, the first being thirty feet from the muzzle of the
barrel. A charge of four ounces of cannon powder must
be capable of projecting, from an eight-inch Gomer mor-
tar, a sixty-eight pound iron shot not less than 380 feet.
Few persons can be aware of the enormous quantities of
gunpowder used for military purposes. At the siege of
Cuidad Rodrigo, in January 1812, 74,9781b5. of gun-
powder were consumed in thirty hours and a half; at the
storming of Badajos, 228,8301b5. in 104 ; and this from
the great guns only ! At the first and second sieges of
San Sebastian, 502,1101b5. were used ; and at the siege of
Saragossa, the French exploded 45,0001b5. in the mines,
and threw 16,000 shells during the bombardment !—Poly-
technic Magazine.