The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-08-29 00:00:00

sustain, as will also ob e k them : hence,
when trees are struck, being shiver • - huint, cattle
or men sheltering under them freqv I se their lives
at the same time, sharing in the fa f the conducting
tree. In the creature world, the c., 1 ,niLnt of a ner-
vous system seems to render tin in vec,lllarly susceptible
to electric changes, in ad lition to their common physical
qualities : thus a man may be " struck," because he is
conductor in common with inanimate things around,
but the vital endowments he possesses are also involved
in the material changes, and they can be annihilated,
thus, either as dependent upon or superadded to their
material basis : hence the sacrifice often of life, caused
by the superior conducting power of his material frame.
One step farther, and our explanation is finished, in
words as simple as we can find, supposing that we are
writing for the non-initiated or only partially informed.
But, the human body when heated, and its nervous sys-
tem when agitated with fear, appear to be more than
ordinarily susceptible of attracting the lightning; hence
the double source of dangers to us when we place our-
selves in such circumstances, as that, around us as well
as within ourselves, such favourable conducting means
are brought into a fearful focus. Many valuable lives
have been sacrificed to the want of knowing these sim-
ple facts of such easy recollection. The writer lost an
old friend in this regretful way ; and if he appear to
some tedious on this subject— now, happily, commonly
understood, in part at least—yet some one individual
reading these pages may happily be cautioned off,
thereby, from possible danger ; and the already well-
informed reader would be selfish indeed if he begrudged
a moment's patience over a passage which the author
begrudged no trouble to indite—seeing that thereby, as
before said, some one case may possibly occur where a
party may be so exposed, and where no other means of
gathering the necessary instructions, for instant adop-
tion, may be within reach. Never, in all the course of
his life, would the humble author feel more happy, than
if permitted, only for once, to warn off another success-
fully from danger, by anticipation of the fact, in the
compilation of a little manual for the purpose of pointing
out to the pedestrian his wisest and best course in gene-
ral, and in such special, cases ; being got up as it is in
the most portable and cheapest manner. Away ! then,
from the possibly fatal shelter, my friends ; and prefer
to flee before the storm rather than to harbour in decep-
tive security ! When you have left that tree, the next
flash may prostrate both the shelter and the sheltering
cattle to the ground—monuments of the scathing fury
of the thunder-storm.

With no other ill effects than a good wet jacket, our
friends, after some patient putting in practice the motto
that " ills which can't be cured must be endured," at
last emerge from their unpleasant drenching, having
pushed along under as " tight a reefing, and making all
as snug as they can," as the sailors would term it.
Perhaps there may be one mariner in the company, who
has hardily just condescended to button his coat, and
declares that the shower is nothing compared with a
" sea breaking over the decks" in the midst of the
tossing ocean ; and so, by comparing less with greater
evils, wins contentment, and practically sets forth wisdom.
Supposing that endurance wins its own reward for
our heroes, the witty repartee and laughing pleasantry
bear up, by their volley after volley, the spirits of the
party, which otherwise would flag under the late dis-
comfiture of pelting wet. The clouds have exhausted
their " dread artillery," and the landscape again begins
to smile, as the blue mountain ridges stand forth in their
variously chiselled outlines ; whilst the sun gathers after
him his attendant retinue of fleecy clouds, and, as he
sinks finally beneath the visible horizon, flings back his
parting mantle of glory upon his earthbom, yet aerial
servants. Our party reach the brown woodside, and,
tracing its primrose borders, regale themselves with the
fragrance of its flowery people, as it rises upward on the
evening exhalations, and is quickened with the humid
atmosphere around. The " bonny moon" lights up the
calm heaven as she ascends her sun-born track, and the
hamlet on the skirt of the wood sends upward its" grace-
fully curled" wreath of smoke from its low chimney top,
to telegraph to our soaked travellers the welcome hospi-
talities which blaze within its jessamined walls.
65. Our slippers, a hasty change of all wet garments,
a cheerful fire quickly kindled by eager hands, and a
cup of tea as quickly prepared, all form a series of shift-
ing scenes in our little drama of the " rural," such as
all lovers of the " natural" must remember often to
have seen enacted in the course of their devotional pil-
grimage to the shrine of the " picturesque." If the
said tea-drinking to close upon the " hours" of rest,
and if the article be brewed, as frequently is the case
on such occasions, into " veritable stingo"—travellers
thinking they cannot have too much of a good thing—
then it probably will be found to interfere with the
crown of the pedestrian's labours, " balmy sleep."
It is not unlikely, however, that after tea an hour
may be devoted to the honour of the crackling hearth,
during which the scenes of the day's changeful experi-
ence may be recounted over with sundry emendations
and humorous colourings ; and, whilst discussing in di-
vers tones the varied themes of general and absorbing
interest, the plans for the following day must be allowed
to "go into committee of the whole house." Whilst
some, perhaps, from a notion of warding off any chances
of rheumatic twinges from the late drenching, as well
as conceiving that, whilst following a comparatively
Indian hunting life, the pipe of peace is requisite, some-
how or other, to constitute a Council of Deliberative
Proceedings, in all its unblemished integrity of forms,
will dare again to light the fascinating weed of India's
growth. Our friends have much endured, perhaps much
forborne, at our respectful remonstrances, it may be :"
they must, who choose so to do, to establish their claims
ral grounds of that endurance, forbearance, equanimity,
high-souled resolve, and, lastly, as a make-weight re-
semblance, re-kindle even the little tvitchery of Me social
sacrifice ! But we are forgetting, all this whila, we
mean to put in one more claim to be heard, though not
until the council has broken up, and the votes been col-
lected in the bowl of some one's exhausted pipe-head.
If it is not too late, or the party not too sleepy, some of
the scraps further alluding to pedestrian or valetudina-
rian matters, either in instructive prose or pleasing
poetry, as found in the following supplementary chapter,
may be read, pro bond public°, and discussed profitably,
either now or at some future leisure of walking or halt-
ing. We have chosen no order in it, as it is to be a
dish of fragments of all sorts to suit all.
66. Finally, then, whether our pedestrian group—of
whom we are about now with regret to take our leave,
and to conclude, in the regular part of the story, our
labours in their behalf—chose or not to wind up with a
nightcap of negus, it is not our business to play the spy.
Early rising deserves, because it earns, the grateful
meed of early rest, when the day is properly filled up
with work and good humour. We shall just once more
play the travelling physician to our respected group, and
shew them all good and faithful service to the last, be-
fore we can feel satisfied to make our parting how. It
lies in the matter of an useful hint, touching that hideous
region to a tired tourist, which has not for ever been to
ourselves, unfortunately, a " terra incognita," viz., a
damp bed. It is possible that some such mischance may
await some one of our company, the bare supposition of
which makes our teeth chatter with memory of a by-
gone tour. If there is any suspicion of such being the
case, from the smell or feel of damp, cold sheets, &c.,
or if any one, without reason particularly to apprehend
it, yet wishes to establish the negative to a demonstra-
tion, we know no better or easier method than to request
the servant to take up a warming pan of coals, (warming
pans are not used in Ireland, perhaps not in Scotland—
we don't remember—a great nuisance for travellers
there, not to get so useful a test any way,) and to warm
the bed as usual for a few minutes ; they tale
tumbler, wipe it very dry with a silk handkerchief,
within and without, and put it upside down, mouth
downwards that is, in the middle of the bed, between
the sheets ; take it out in a minute or two, and if the
bed is damp, there will be a dew formed on the sides of
the tumbler inside, of course ; in which case, we need
scarcely add, it would be imprudent to sleep in the bed,
at least in those sheets. Where, from the use of this
test, or from any other evidence, the sheets appear damp,
get them dried. Often it is that they are not suitably
aired at the fire, but just removed carelessly at once
from the linen-press, or worse from the mangle, where,
in order to mangle them well, they were previously
sprinkled, and never subsequently dried. In whatever
way, if the sheets are cold, and stick to the hand, it is
better to send them again to the kitchen fire as a pre-
caution ; or in case, for instance, all in the house have
retired to rest, and this is impracticable,—perhaps your
candle has been put out, and yourself undressed, before
you make this discovery last, which ought to have been
verified earlier,—then your only way is to throw the
sheets completely off the bed, and to get in between the
blankets ; for, however unpleasant this may be, espe-
cially in summer, yet it is better to put up with this than
to risk taking a cold, which proves seldom anything but
a formidable attack of fever, along with some inflamma-
tory seizure, as in the chest, &c., &c.
We believe we have now completed our day's under-
taking, leaving our little attempt in the hands of the
charitable folks for whose benefit, combined with amuse-
ment, we have endeavoured thus to cater after our best
fashion. Now, we shall beg leave, then, to discharge
the very last act of our willing service, viz., to bring the
bed-candlestick, and attend the best-humoured of the
party to his charming little bedroom, with modest old-
fashioned oriel window, it may be, through whose crys-
tal' panes, mayhap, come streaming in the bonnie smi-
ling beams of the bright harvest moon, and, as they
seem to struggle across the neatly carpeted floor, just
reach the snug little white bed with dimity hangings, in
the middle of the room, there to fall upon the dazzling
snow-white counterpane, with a spell only felt in the
country on a "stilly night" ! If one single ray, the
furthest flung of all the pencilled host, stray onwards to
the bed's head, and there enable him to spell the grate-
ful invitation of the downy pillow, we will take the part-
:nu: liberty of reading aloud, for the gentle reader's be-
fit and closing sympathy, the lines under which he has
already fallen fast asleep—
" To ail and each a fair good night.
And rosy dreams, and slumbers light ! "
BYRON.

* Query—"shaped"?—Printer's Devil.