Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

after waiting a few weeks, you will find its fine colours fly off, and you have an old dingy hen canary, not worth its daily consumption of seed.

GULLING SALE-SHOP.

In Blackfriars'-road there is a "salesman's shop," not far from the bridge; and upon this shop's window is written, "Goods purchased here may be paid for by instalments." A young man, gulled by this fixed his eye upon a watch which hung in the rogue's window, and determined upon purchasing it in the manner proposed by the placard. He concluded his bargain with the watch-owner, and paid him down ten shillings, agreeing to give him every week a like sum, until the amount, three pounds fifteen shillings, should be paid. The watch was to remain in the possession of the "salesman" until the full amount of its purchase was also in his hands. The young man, on mentioning the circumstance to a friend who understood the nature of the thing in the watch-case, told him to have nothing to do with it-that it was not worth a guinea. The young man then returned to the shopkeeper, and informed him that he would rather decline taking the watch, and would, if agreeable, substitute some other article for the ten shillings which he had paid. Oh, no," said Mr. Hawkeye, "I cannot do that; but if you don't like the watch, you may have any other article for the full amount of what you agreed to pay me!"

[ocr errors]

This is a refinement on those nuisances the tally-shops; and we think that if the young man who was thus gulled out of his ten shillings would summons the guller, he would do a service to the public, by exposing him.

MR. MANNING'S CALICO.

This gentleman (whose name bythe-bye we have heard is properly spelt Manheim) has taken down his penny-a-yard calico, which we remarked upon in a preceding Number; but seeking to gull us as well as others, he has put up halfpenny handkerchiefs. This is beneath any proper tradesman, and why it is so, was ex◄ plained by us a week or two ago.

MR. STOVE AND ALDGATE PUMP.

Our erudite correspondent, Mr. Stove, who so ably advocated the Aldgate Pump humbug in our last Number, is requested to give us another letter; but let him recollect that we never said any thing against the Cabinet Makers' Society. We confined our observations to the rogues who wished to identify themselves with it-the Aldgate Pump Company people.

BIRDS OF PASSAGE.

(A Cockney Fact.)

of

worthy citizen of Milk-street left his Books, counting-house, and the smoke of London, to sojourn a little week with his friend in Hampshire: he amused himself with his gun, and brought down a brace of birds; these he dispatched by the Telegraph to his friend HBishopsgate-street, who sent them to the drysalter in Bucklersbury; the drysalter sent them to Doctor DSoho; the doctor, wishing to be well with his patient, sent them to the rich Jew merchant of Finsbury; hence they passed to Finchley, the countryseat of a certain East-India director; back again to the city; twice they travelled from north to south of London; thrice they intersected the city from east to west, Hammersmith and Hendon, Tottenham and Tyburn; they visited the wards of Candlewick, Dowgate, Farringdon, and Portsoken. The money paid for carriage, porterage, donations, on account of these birds of passage, would have furnished a feast fit for an alderman. At length, when the honest citizen returned to Milk-street, the first objects that met his eyes and saluted his nose were the identical two birds which he had shot a week before, just now brought him as a present from Mr. Deputy L- of Queenhithe.

REFLECTIONS, MAXIMS, &c.

(Continued from p. 286.)

48. Some men who have evinced a certain degree of wit and talent in private companies, fail miserably when they venture to appear as public characters, ou the grand theatre of. human life. Great men in a little

circle, but little men in a great one, they show their learning to the ignorant, but their ignorance to the learned; the powers of their mind seem to be parched up and withered by the public gaze, as Welsh cascades before a summer sun, which, by-thebye, we are told, are vastly fine in the winter, when nobody goes to see them.

49. We follow the world in approving others, but we go before it in approving ourselves.

50. After hypocrites, the greatest dupes the devil has, are e who exhaust an anxious existence in the disappointments and vexations of business, and live miserably and meanly, only to die magnificently and rich. For, like the hypocrites, the only dis

interested action these men can accuse themselves of is, that of serving the devil, without receiving his wages; for the assumed formality of the one, is not a more effectual bar to enjoyment than the real avarice of the

other. He that stands every day of his life behind a counter, until he drops from it into the grave, may negociate many very profitable bargains; but he has made a single bad one, so bad indeed, that it counterbalances all the rest; for the empty foolery of dying rich, he has paid down his health, his happiness, and his integrity; since a very old author observes, that "as mortar sticketh between the stones, so sticketh fraud between buying and selling." Such a worldling may be compared to a merchant, who should put a rich cargo into a vessel, embark with it himself, and encounter all the perils and privations of the sea, although he was thoroughly convinced before hand that he was only providing for a shipwreck, at the end of a troublesome and tedious voyage.

#1. Of the professions it may be said, that soldiers are becoming too popular, parsons too lazy, physicians mercenary, and lawyers too powerful.

too

52. We know the effects of many things, but the causes of few; experience, therefore, is a surer guide than imagination, and inquiry, than conjecture. But those physical difficul

ties which you cannot account for, be very slow to arraign; for he that would be wiser than nature, would be wiser than God.

53. The farther we advance in knowledge, the more simplicity shall we discover in those primary rules that regulate all the apparently endless, complicated, and multiform ope rations of the Godhead. To Him, indeed, all time is but a moment, and all space but a point, and He fills both, but is bounded by neither. As merciful in his restrictions as in his bounties, he sees, at one glance, the whole relations of things, and has prescribed unto himself one eternal and producing the highest ultimate hapimmutable principle of action, that of piness, by the best possible means. But he is as great in minuteness as in fly have been fitted up and furnished magnitude, since even the legs of a with all the powers, and all the properties of an air-pump, and this has been done by the self-same hand that created the suns of other systems, and placed them at so immense a distance from the earth, that light herself seems to lag on so immeasurable a journey, occupying many millions of years in arriving from those bodies unto us. But, in proof of the obser vation with which I set out, modern discoveries in chemistry have so simplified the laws by which the Deity acts in his great laboratory of nature, that Sir Humphry Davy has felt himself authorized to affirm, that a very few elementary bodies indeed, and which may themselves be only different forms of some one, and the same pri mary material, constitute the sum total of our tangible universe of things. And as the grand discordant harmony of the celestial bodies, may be ex plained by the simple principles of gravity and impulse, so also in that more wonderful and complicated miphenomena of morals are perhaps recrocosm, the heart of man, all the solvable into one single principlethe pursuit of apparent good; for although customs universally vary, yet man, in all climates and countries, is essentially the same. Hence, the old position of the Pyronnists, that the more we study, the less we know, is

true, but not in the sense in which it has been usually received. It may be true that we know less, but that less is of the highest value; first, from its being a condensation of all that is certain; secondly, from its being a rejection of all that is doubtful; and such a treasure, like the pages of the Sybil, increases in value, even by its diminution. For knowledge is twofold, and consists not only in an affirmation of what is true, but in the negation of that which is false. And it requires more magnanimity to give up what is wrong, than to maintain that which is right; for our pride is wounded by the one effort, but flattered by the other. But the highest knowledge can be nothing more than the shortest and clearest road to truth; all the rest is pretension, not performance, mere verbiage, from which we can learn nothing, but that it is the external sign of an internal deficiency. But to revert to our former affirmation of the simplicity of those rules that regulate the universe, we might farther add, that any machine would be considered to be most ingenious, if it contained within itself principles for correcting its own imperfections. Now, a few simple but resistless laws have effected all this so fully for the world we live in, that it contains within itself the seeds of its own eternity. An Alexander could not add one atom unto it, nor a Napoleon take one away. A period, indeed, has been assigned unto it by revelation, otherwise it would be far less difficult to conceive of its eternal continuance, than of its final cessation.

54. Some men possess means that are great, but fritter them away, in the execution of conceptions that are little; and there are others who can form great conceptions, but who attempt to carry them into execution with little means. These two descriptions of men might succeed if united, but as they are usually kept asunder by jealousy, both fail. It is a rare thing to find a combination of great means, and of great conceptions, in one mind. The Duke of Bridgewater was a splendid example of this

union, and all his designs were so profoundly planned, that it is delightful to observe how effectually his vast means supported his measures, at one time, and how gratefully his measures repaid his means, at another. On the blameless and the bloodless basis of public utility, he founded his own individual aggrandizement; and his triumphal arches are those by which he subdued the earth, only to increase the comforts of those who possess it. The duke was not considered a clever lad at Eton, which only strengthens an observation often made. that vivacity, in youth, is often mistaken for genius, and solidity for dulness.

GARDENING, HORTICULTURE, &c.

This and the following are the proper months to prepare a garden.

ΤΟ CHOOSE THE BEST SOIL FOR A

GARDEN.

Prefer a sandy loam, not less than two feet deep, and good earth, not of a binding nature in summer, nor retentive of rain in winter, but of such a texture, that it can be worked without difficulty in any season of the year. There are few sorts of fruit-trees, or esculent vegetables, which require less depth of earth to grow in than two feet to bring them to perfection, and if the earth of the kitchen-garden be three or more feet deep, so much the better; for when the plants are in a state of maturity, if the roots even of peas, spinach, kidney beans, lettuce, &c. be minutely traced, they will be found to penetrate into the earth, in search of food, to the depth of two feet, provided the soil be of a nature that allows them. If it can be done, a garden should be made on land whose bottom is not of a springy, wet nature. If this rule can be observed, draining will be unnecessary; for when land is well prepared for the growth of fruit-trees and esculent vegetables, by trenching, manuring, and digging, it is by these means brought into such a porous

temperament; that the rains pass through it without being detained longer than necessary. If the land of a garden be of too strong a nature, it should be well mixed with sand, or scrapings of roads, where stones have been ground to pieces by carriages.

TO MAKE GRAVEL WALKS. The bottom should be laid with lime-rubbish, large flint stones, or any other hard matter, for eight or ten inches thick, to keep weeds from growing through, and over this the gravel is to be laid six or eight inches thick. This should be laid rounding up in the middle, by which means the larger stones will run off to the sides, and may be raked away; for the gravel should never be screened before it is laid on. It is a common mistake to lay these walks too round, which not only makes them uneasy to walk upon, but takes off from their apparent breadth. One inch in five feet is a sufficient proportion for the rise in the middle; so that a walk of twenty feet wide should be four inches higher at the middle than at the edges, and so in proportion.

As soon as the gravel is laid, it should be raked, and the large stones thrown back again; then the whole should be rolled both lengthwise and crosswise; and the person who draws the roller should wear shoes with flat heels, that he may make no holes, because holes made in a new walk are not easily remedied. The walks should always be rolled three or four times after very hard showers, from which they will bind more firmly than otherwise they could ever be made to do.

TO PREPARE HOT-BEDS, MANURES, AND COMPOSTS.

Stable-dung is in the most general use for forming hot-beds, which are masses of this dung after it has undergone its violent fermentation.

Bark is only preferable to dung, because the substance which undergoes the process of putrid fermentation requires longer time to decay. Hence it is found useful in the barkpits of hot-houses, as requiring to be

seldomer moved or renewed than dung, or any other substance.

Leaves, and especially oak-leaves, come the nearest to bark, and have the additional advantage, that when perfectly rotten like dung, they form a rich mould, or excellent manure.

The object of preparation in these three substances being to get rid of the violent heat which is produced when the fermentation is most powerful, it is obvious that preparation must consist in facilitating the process. For this purpose, a certain degree of moisture and air in the fermenting bodies are requisite; and hence the business of the gardener is to turn them over frequently, and apply water when the process appears impeded, and exclude rain, when chilled with too much

water.

Recent stable dung generally requires to lie a month in ridges or beds, and be turned over in that time thrice before it is fit for cucumberbeds of the common construction; but for M'Phail's hot-beds, or for linings, or for frames with moveable bottoms, three weeks, a fortnight, or less, will suffice; or no time at all need be given, but the dung formed at once into linings. Tan and leaves require, in general, a month. Fermentation is always most rapid in summer; and if the materials are spread abroad during frost, it is totally impeded. In winter the process of preparation generally goes on under the back sheds; which situa tion is also the best in summer, as full exposure to the sun and wind dries too much the exterior surface; but where sheds cannot be had, it will go on very well in the open air. Some cultivators have devised plans to economise heat by fermenting dung in vineries which are just beginning to be forced, or in vaults under pine pits or plant stoves.

COOKERY.

GAME.

Game ought not to be thrown away even when it has been kept a very long time, for when it seems to be

spoiled, it may often be made fit for eating, by nicely cleaning it, and washing it with vinegar and water. If there is danger of birds not keeping, draw, crop, and pick them; then wash in two or three waters, and rub them with salt. Have ready a large saucepan of boiling water, and plunge. them into it one by one, drawing them up and down by the legs, that the water may pass through them. Let them stay in five or six minutes; then hang them up in a cold place. When drained, pepper and salt the insides well. Before roasting, wash them well.

The most delicate birds, even grouse, may be preserved thus. Those that live by suction cannot be done this way, as they are never drawn ; and perhaps the heat might make them worse, as the water could not pass through them; but they bear being high.

Lumps of charcoal put about birds and meat will preserve them from taint, and restore what is spoiling.

PHEASANTS AND PARTRIDGES.

Roast them as turkey; and serve with a fine gravy (into which put a very small bit of garlick), and bread-sauce. When cold, they may be made into excellent patties, but their flavour should not be overpowered by lemon.

TO POT PARTRIDGE.

Clean them nicely; and season with mace, allspice, white pepper, and salt, in fine powder. Rub every part well; then lay the breast downwards in a pan, and pack the birds as close as you possibly can. Put a good deal of butter on them; then cover the pan with a coarse flour-paste and a paper over, tie it close, and bake. When cold, put the birds into pots, and cover them with butter.

A VERY CHEAP WAY OF POTTING BIRDS.

Prepare them as directed in the last receipt; and when baked and grown cold, cut them into proper pieces for helping, pack them close into a large potting-pan, and (if possible) leave no spaces to receive the butter.

Cover them with butter, and onethird part less will be wanted than when the birds are done whole.

The butter that has covered potted things will serve for basting, or for paste for meat pies.

USEFUL RECEIPTS.

TO CLEAN PAPER HANGINGS. First blow off the dust with the bellows. Divide a white loaf of eight days old into eight parts. Take the crust into your hand, and beginning at the top of the paper, wipe it downwards in the lightest manner with the crum. Do not cross, nor go upwards. The dirt of the paper and the crums will fall together. Observe, you must not wipe above half a yard at a stroke; and after doing all the upper part, go round again, beginning a little above where you left off. If you do not do it extremely lightly, you will make the dirt adhere to the paper. It will look like new, if properly done.

TO TAKE INK OUT OF MAHOGANY.

Dilute half a tea-spoonful of oil of vitriol with a large spoonful of water, and touch the part with a feather; watch it, for if it stays too long, it will leave a white mark: it is therefore better to rub it quick, and repeat if not quite removed.

FOREIGN WINES.

Wine is too often considered as rather a luxury than a necessary article of consumption, in our climate, and amongst people of our habits; and thus we continue a porter and spirit-drinking community. The introduction of wine generally would tend inuch to improve our commercial prosperity, our general health, and our national habits. The use of wines in long and cold winters, greatly promotes health, cheerfulness, and social enjoyment; and if, as is generally expected, the ministers should reduce the duty, we may fairly calculate upon a great increase of consumption. The present high duty not only keeps down consumption, but offers great

« ZurückWeiter »