, 1873-01-05

AAA* AosSs
then bo viewed through piece OF 1celana
J spar, Two dots will bo sein. A miner
n!0gst, hy measuring tho angles Of e
erty, eyen sa before m s i:ect tFej. me rsqires 10
ecientidc thought to do that. But Sir William
Rowan Hamilton. the late Astronomer Royal, of
ireland, knowing these facts, aod also tho ex-
plaasdon Of them which Fresnel had given,
that. BY looking through certain crystals in .
particular direction, ehou1d SEQ not two dots,
but 3 continuous circle. Mt- Lloyd Enado the
experiment, and sdto the circle. THIS has always
been considered one Of tho most signal instances
Of scientific thought in tho domains Of physics.
1t IL most distinctly IN application OF experience
gained under certain circumstances to cntiroly
different circumstances.
-Nr. Darwin relates an instance Of the ex-
tremo disturbance Of mlnd to which son,e sensi-
tive arc liable, that will excite not only snz
prise, but hope, in the mind Of tho reader: IA
small dinner party" SO goes the story, twas
given in honor OF an extremely shy man, Hho,
when lie rose to return thanks, rehearsed the
leart, in absolute silcnce, and did not utter
speaking with mnch emphasis. His friends,
petceising how tho case stood, loudly ap-
plaudea tho imaginary bursts Of eloquenco,
whichever his gestures indicated 0 pause, and tho
man never discovered that he had remained tho
whole time completely SILENT This ia excellent,
and gives the world hint OF how after-dinner
speeches may cease to torment mankind. AL
the Bpeeeh-makers might be set at work ut once
on this model; and, while the half-dozen gentle
mon are silently tossing their arms about in the
air, and thus economically, in the matter OF
time, getting through tho allotted boro, the rest
OF the company can proceed with the entertain
mont, unwearied BY the usual post-prandih
prosiness.
-Lcndon Inns now got a Tree City Library,
Which ID likely to bocomo q very IKE thing. Be-
fore ths fire Of 1G66, there WAS AL institution Of
this kind, containing many precious volumes;
but, after its destruction, no steps were taken
to reyiyo it until 1924. Since that gear, additions,
which slowly came in, wero slowed away in 3
gloomy room, Of bad approach, in tue Guildhall;
but, now the corporation hare taken the matter
in hand, splendid apartment has been provided,
apect, rre-eminently what it should be, richer in
Typographical works relating to London shan
e7en the Britiah Museum itself. Why could not
our corporation hare D room doyoted to works
relative to Chicago? Such q collection, stcadi-
ly kept up, would be Invaluable in 1878, even it
only Taught our grandchildren what to avoid.
Tho blundsfa Of tho English in regard to
American geography nre notorious; an antigua
RAN Ands sevezal curious illustrations In Thack-
eray's 'yirginians." Thus the groat novelist
makes Madam Esmond, of Castlevood, in
Westmoreland County," neighbor of Wash
ington at Aft. Vernon, on tho Potomac, 50 mi1ea
distant, aud regular attendant o. public woz-
slip at williamsburg, halfway between the
York and James Rivers, full 1875 miles from Mt.
Vernon; and so immensely Affected" nro tie
colored hearers Of & young preacher at Williams
burg that s' there WAS such negro chorus about
the house as might bo heard across the Poto-
mac" /" tho nearest bank Of which is SO miles
away. Thaekeray makes General Braddock ride
out from Williamsburg (he never VAS there) IN
"hia own coach, pondorous, eu1blazoned yeM-
Gle" with Dr.. Franllin, '.the little Postmaster
Of philadelphia" (Ftanklin's average weight
was 16o pounds), over muddy road in March,
100 miles, to dine With Madame Esmond, in
1Testmorcland County, near ut. Vernon.
Speaking OF Mr. Dlxon'a libel suit against
the Pal .1;au Gazette, the London Times re-
bellous to point out truly md grayely that book
has an immoral tendency aud no one who reads
the passages solicited By Sir John EAzslake, even
without looking further into the volume whence
they arc taken, eau doubt that such iB the inev-
itable tendency OF such language on such
theme. Human nature being what it is, no one
was likely to bo morally the better, while many
were certain to be morally the worse, for reading
lfr. Dixon's graphic description OF societies
III which 81 free love" u substituted for mar
riage, nnd all the unw1ittcu LAWS regulating
the relations Of the sexes are os!entatioualy
defied. No doubt there ia place Is
well as timo for all things, and q fur
less guarded treatment Of forbidden subjects
il it occurred in medical treatise. But Mr:
Dixon's "Now A1nerica" and "Spiritual Wives"
are not medical treatisos, nor are they, as Mr.
Dixon would now have the world believe,
~ Of religious fanaticism. They are lively
sketches Of mon and manners, intended for pop
HIar reading, and suro to be widely disseminated
They must, therefore, DO tosted BY wholly dif-
limited itself to condemnation Of them, as in
oYitably conduci7e to low tone Of morality,
there would not have been 30 much rs q prina1
Jacie ground for IN action Of libel. As it it, Mr.
Dixon has gained his suit. Tonnyson Gays that
the 1ingllng OF the guinea heals the hurt that
honor feels- Tic healing capablity OF ona
penny-the amount Of damages awarded to Mr.
Di1on-cannot bo very great.
"A so1newhat peculiar story Is attached to the
posthumous work; BY u; villensin, '.The His
lished in Paris. Tho deceased Acade1nician COM
menced this voluminous dissertation more than
forty years ago. and did not complete it till 1851
After II. Viflemain's death, which took place on
tue day whom 500 900 OF ayes were being elicit
cd By tho last Of tho Napo1oonic ple1iscles, his
family were about TO publish the work which, for
some nnaccouutable reason, the author had kept |
SO long in reserve, when their plans wero quito |
upset by the outbreak OF the war. When Paris !
was "erioualy threatened By tho Ger.
Of the capital. Their transportation was
no easy matter, for II. yiIIemain had the habit |
Of never burning single scrip OF paper, and
all tue notes, copies, articles, etc. connected
with this work, made up heavy load Of ltera-
ture, added to, a. they were, BY an unpublished |
TRANSLATION Of Piudar," and fragments abont |
tho Restoration. From Paris they wore sent |
to Angers, and, when that town Was threatened,
Lord Lyons was asked to take thom under his
protection, but he seems to have thought that
he could hardly be expected to do 80. Eventual
y the precious deposit appears to hayo reached
Bordeaux, whence it Was sent back to Paris just
before the conhagratons in the Rue de Lille
md the Ruo de VeFneuil. The house in which
he manuscripts we're lodged WAS in this quar-
er, but luckily escaped destruction, and tho
book has at last reached the hands Of tho
'rinter.
in our opinion Mr. Yates is one Of the sor-
lest shams which modern English literature hns
Produced, and tie po1tteness With which he has
'eeu universally received III this country speaks
'etter for our hearts than our heads. After
;rantlng him industry and supreme self-assur-
nee, we have conceded every possible claim
pon which his prosperity ia based. A man can