The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-11-06
November Magazines.



With November closes the 5lst volume OF
this standard magazine The number opens
with an article by John Muir on the glaciers
of California, embelished with illustrations
of several of the most notable. These ga
ciers at one time aboundcd IN the Sierra Ne
vadas as pleneously as at present IN the noun
tains of Greenland, but as the earth has grown
warmer, or climate changed, have melted
away until only here and there we find expir
ing remnants. We cut from the article tins
lore on the subject of glaciers
| A glacier is current Of ice derived from
snow. Complete glaciers of the first order
| take their rice on the mountains, and descend
into the sea, Just as all complete rivers OF the
first order do In north Greenland the snow
supply and general climatic conditions are
such that its glaciers pour directly INTO inc
ocean, and so undoubtedly did those OF the
Pacific slope during the flush times OF the
glacial epoch; but now the world is SO warm
and the snow crop SO scanty, nearly all the
glaciers left alive have melted to mere hints
of their former selves. The Lyell Glacier is
now less than mile long; yet, setting out
from the frontal moralne, we may trace Its
faces and by immense canons and moraines
distance of more than forty miles.
The glaciers of Switzerland are in like
decaying condition as compared with their
former grandeur; so also are those Of Nor
way, ASIA and South America. They have
come 10 resemble the short rivers Of the east
ern slope of the Sierra that flow out into the
hot plains and are dried up. According to
the Schlagintwcit brothers, the glaciers OF
Switzerland melt at an average elevation
above the level of the sea of 74l4 feet. The
glacier of Grindelwald melts at less than 1000
feet; that of the Aar at about 5000 feet The
Himaaya glacier, in which the Gauges takes
its rise, does not, according to Captain Hodp-
son, descend below 1914 feet. The average
elevation at which the glaciers of The Sierra
melt is not far from 900 feet above sea-
level.
Doubtless the most entertaining article In
this number Is that by James T. Fields, "Bar'
nv Cornwall and some of his friends Bar
ry" (Proctcr) himself is lovingly drawn, and
of number of his friends we have nccessar-
lily briei, but pithy, sketches The lllustra-
lions of the article consist of portraits, very
creditably executed, Cf most of the celebrl'
ties introduced. We have room for only this,
of Walter Savage LandOr:
II was at breakf fast in Kenyon's house that
first met Walter Savage Lander. AS | en-.
tered the room with Proctor, Lander was
In the midst OF an eloquent harangue on the
thigh art of portraturc. Proctor had been
lately sitting to daguerreotypist for Il pic.
ture, and Mira. Jameson, who was very fond
of the poet, had arranged the camera for that
Ion I,nl IA nj
in his hand, declaring that 1t had never been
surpassed as specimen of that particular art.
The grand looking author Of "Pericles and
Aspasia" was standing in the middle of the
room when he entered, and his voice sound.
ed like an explosion OF first-class artillery.
Seeing Proctor enter, he Immediately began
to address him in high.sOsnding Latin com
plimen,s. Poor modest Proctor pretended to
stop his ears that he might not listen to Ian.
doris enlogistic phrases. Kenyon came to
the rescue by declaring the breakfast had
been waiting half an hour. When we arrived
at the table Landor asked Proctor to join him
on an expedition into SPAN which he was
then contemplating NO" said Proctor,
"for can not even walk Spanish and hav-
Ing never crossed the Channel, do not in
tend to begin now"
"Never crossed the CHANNEL" roared Ian
dor-"never saw Napoleon Bonapartc" lie
then began TO tell us how the young Corsican
looked when he first saw him, saying that he
had the olive complexion and roundness OF
face of Greek girl; that the consurs voice
was deep and melodious, but untruthtul in
tone. While we were eating breakfast he
went on to describe his italian travels in ear
ly youth, telling us that he once saw Shelley
and Byron meet in the doorway Of hotel IN
Pisa. Landor had lived in Italy May years,
| for he detested the climate Of his native coun-
try, and used to say lone could only live com
forlably in England who was rich enough to
have solar system of his own
Proctor told me that when Lander got INTO Il
passion his rage was sometimes uncontrolla.
BILE. The frey spirit knew his weakness, hut
his anger quite overmastered him in spite OF
himself Keep your temper, Landor," some
body said to him one day when he was rag
ing "'rhat Is just what don't wish to keep,
he cried IL wish To be rid of such an imam
Gus, ungovernable thing. don't wish To
Keep my temper"
James Parton continues ms contributions
on Carica,ure, the present number embracing
Recent French Caricature," and is reple,e
with amusing sarcasm. Edward J. Wickson
dscourses learnedly of Butter and Cheese,
giving an instructive account OF some large
establishments for the manufacture Of those
important products. Air Towns and Their
Inhabitants" is satire on Western Life the
"Gnome King" is II sort of fairy tale extrava
CANA, well written but hardly III keeping
with the gravity of Harper's. Dora Rush
tens Romance" Is a very pleasant love story
the "Modprn psycle il another story rathp
tedious, but the application is seasonabl,
Psyche" is duly married to her lover al
lives happily IN retirement, bot prosperit
gives her an entrec into society, and then sh
loses her husband and her domestic happ
ness takes flight There is some very reads
bic poetry in the number, and the ediiori'