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BOOKS ON OUR TABLE . The Embroidered Banner and other Marvels . By Lieutenant-Colonel Hort . J . and D . A . Darling-It is difficult for critics to keep pace with Colonel Hort ; he writes faster than we can read . He treats literature as an amusement , and gallops through it with a gay and easy air . Almost every month give ' s a new woik from his pen ; and to criticize such works with any severity would seem like taking an unfair advantage of him . The present volume is a collection of short stories and anecdofes , principally Spanish , illustrated by eight coloured engravings of an intensely commonplace order . It is a showy volume , but its glitter is that of tinsel . There is somewhat of the pleasant soldier in all Colonel Hort writes ; but he is apt to care more for the writing than the matter .
Theory of Heat and the Vital Principle . By Arthur Trevelyan . On the Vibrations caused by Heat and the Vapour-lamp Furnace * and Experiments with Chlorine Gas . By the same Author . On the Insanity of Mankind . By the same . J . Paterson and Co ., Edinburgh . The interest this gentleman takes in all matters of moral and physical progress is a guarantee that whatever he issues will have the merit at least of practical and novel results . All the subjects named of scientific character are treated with the brevity of one who is quite master of them , and the completeness of the diagrams
which illustrate the text leave nothing to be desired in the way of explanation . With respect to the Theories of Heat and the Vital Principle the editors of the Chemical Gazette and Electrical Magazine rejected them because " entirely opposed to the views generally entertained , " and likely to involve a complete revolution of established opinion on these subjects . Precisely for these reasons we think the public should take an interest in these essays , which are written with great clearness , and the theories advanced are supported by eminent authorities .
The essay on the Insanity of Mankind is a fearless application of moral results in a scientific manner to the solution of social and religious difficulties . Chapters on Policy v . Straightforwardness ; or Thoughts on the PulUiv . nl , Jteligious , and Literary IVorld . ( Reprinted irmn the Anltlon Times . ) By l' \ Rowland Young , Diss , Norfolk . Miokluwaitu , Ashton-imder-Lymo . These are a series of papers dedicated to the fearful and unbelieving . They are written by one who writes readily and earnestly , an'l , what is more , with respect to antagonists , justly . They abound in facts and quotations peculiar to the school of outspoken thinkers among the working classes , which is daily receiving accessions , and enforced by Mr . Young in a manner that greatly adds to their value .
Hints on invention ; comprising Observations on the Improvement ami MimnifHimnU of I ho Voice , Modulation , Jlrliculution , Pro-¦ nunciiiliun , JJffactiiw Speech , liinphascs , Pauses , Jlclion , Mxpnms / on tij' /' 'eatings , i $ c . Original , compiled , and seluccd , by <; hiiil (! s Williim . Sinu . li , I ' roi'usgor of Elocution . ( Second ihoiibuiiil , greatly improved ) . George Biggs . Useful this work certainly is , though it professes to give no more than general hints . Its value consists in the selection from many elaborate treatises , which few have
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vessels , bound on their mission of discovery , weighed anchor from before Huelva , and bent their course towards the Canary Isles . Glad in heart , but not yetconfident that resolution would not fail his fellow voyagers , Columbus made all haste to lose sight of Europe . On the third day the Pinta ' s rudder was disabled . Alonzo Pinzon secured it with ropes , but these gave way , and the vessel lagged on her course . The admiral , therefore , touched at the Canaries , and for three weeks sought another ship , but finding none , caused a new rudder to be made for the Pinta , and started forth again . The eruption of Teneriffe , witnessed by the crew , spread a panic among them ; but Columbus , bringing his scientific knowledge to dispel this superstition , allayed all fear , and induced them to proceed vigorously on their way . "
Behold them , then , at last fairly launched upon the mighty way ! After so many disappointments , after such , eating cares , the first step is taken , the winds blow hope and exultation to the brave adventurer , the dream of his life is about to be accomplished : — ' For three days a dead calm brooded over the sea ; but on the 9 th of September , when Ferro , the last of the Canaries , was grown dim in the distance , a lively breeze sprang up , and swiftly and steadily the three ships sailed to the west . Fear now possessed the crews : lamentations broke out , and a panic spread . Sight of land was lost , and a strange region—perhaps an ocean without limit — perhaps vast quicksands and submerged rocks—lay before them . Nevertheless , Columbus , by dwelling on the wealth of the undiscovered world , excited their imaginations , and revived the fainting spirit of enterprize .
" Advancing rapidly before this powerful gale , the admiral feared lest their great distance from Europe might awaken terror in the minds of his fellow voyagers . The expedient of a false reckoning of the ship ' s progress suggested itself , and the crews were thus kept in ignorance of the real breadth of sea they had traversed . On the 11 th they saw floating part of a mast belonging to some large vessel , which was looked upon as ominous of shipwreck . On the J 3 th , in the evening , the variation of the needle was observed . It pointed no more to the north star , but to the north-west , and gradually increased its changing tendency . Nature ' s laws seemed altered . They were in a trackless sea , where even the mysterious guides of heaven failed them . To the crews this circumstance
their way , for the breeze was weak and variable . The crews believed this to indicate a shallow sea , and feared to rush blindly on the rocky and desolate boundaries of creation , where , amid breakers and quicksands , the vessels would be engulfed in inevitable wreck . Still the sounding line sank vainly in search of the sea-bed . Then the wind fell , the weathe ' calmed , the glassy sea scarcely heaved under its influence . A whale rolled its broad back above the water , and the sailors , who found in
every phenomenon the active source of fear , dreaded lest in that sluggish sea they were doomed to be fixed for ever . Columbus never failed to account plausibly for these things ; but mutiny threatened ; alarm induced discontent , and discontent appeared to forebode an open and irresistible rebellion . On the 25 th , however , as though by a special providence , the glassy ocean broke into a long heavy roll , and dispelled the dread of an eternal stagnation .
The fair breeze blew , the white foam flew , The furrow followed free—We were the first that ever burst Into that silent sea . * ' The sailors still reasoned on . the prudence of proceeding further . They were now far beyond the bounds of navigation ; they had been wafted , day after day , over unknown expanses of ocean , and it appeared that they were sailing through an illimitable sea , which rolled its waters to eternity beyond . Provisions could not last for ever , and every day lengthened the distance between them and the known world . Still they did not understand how far they had in reality proceeded . Knots of conspirators , nevertheless , clustered on the decks , and whispered conversations nursed the idea of rebellion into a definite resolve . "
Herrera tells us that the discontented thought it ¦ would be their best plan to throw him quietly into the sea , and say ho unfortunately fell in while looking at the stars ! Poor fellows ! their agitation was not kept in check by tlie exalted hopes which swelled his bosom , and with diminished faith in their captain ' s power they went plunging down the waves , mocked by signs of a land which never came in . sight : — " Affairs were ripening to a crisis , when—now that all expedients seemed to fail , and hope was well nigh worn out—fresh weeds floated by , a fish , known to inhabit only rocky waters , swam around ; a branch of thorn , covered with berries , tossed before them , and they picked xip a reed , a small board , and a curved staff . Again Expecta-*;~ .-. o # - # - >^> fi tintAo nn « Vio nrmv ar \ t \ tli o t . TirPtt vessels went
appeared pregnant with alarm ; but Columbus ingeniously allayed their fears . The needle , he said , pointed to some stationary and unseen point , and the motion of the Polar star caused the variation of the compass . The solar system was not then understood , and this explanation received credence . The phenomenon is now the source of no surprise , although its cause is still unknown . This is a curious illustration of human weakness . The most portentous wonders are disregarded because they are familiar , whilst novelty , even of a trivial character , makes deep impression on the mind . The vast organization of the universe , with the power that created it , form matter of light discussion , whilst the smallest deviation from the accustomed course of nature affords food for more marvel than the noblest and grandest operations of
Algaily on , steered by Hope , with joyful hearts on board . " At evening , when the usual vesper hymn was sung , Columbus addressed his companions , reminded them of God ' s goodness shown in the stormless voyage and tranquil sea , and in the multiplied signs which had led them to the land , promised long ago by hope . On leaving the Canaries he had predicted that , having suiled two thousand one hundred miles , it would be wise to shorten sail at midnight . Land might intercept tlieir course ere morning broke . This precaution was now taken . A vigilant watch was ordered , and a doublet of velvet , in addition to the pension , was promised to him who should first proclaim the sight of a shore .
mighty agency . The morning of the 14 th of September was ushered in with appearances of joyful augury . A heron and a water-wagtail fluttered on the wing around the masthead , and were regarded as promise of land . The next night they saw something like a flame of fire falling from the sky into the sea—another sign of hope . They now came under the influence of the trade winds—the steady , unvarying , unceasing breezes , which follow the sun , and breathe over the ocean between the tropics , from east to west . Still onward , before this ceaseless g ? ile , they sailed , further , and still further , over the unknown , unnavigated ocean .
" Away westward they kept their slackening course . An unremitting watch was maintained on board . The day closed , the ' sun set , and night fell . Columbus , from the lofty poop stretched his gaze towards the horizon , now growing dim in . the thickening light . At ten o ' clock , a glimmer , as of a distant beacon , seemed to shine in the west ; he called one of the company , asking him if he saw alight in that direction . lie said , Yes . But Columbus , unwilling to delude himself with a fancy , called another who mounted , but the appearance had vanished . It soon shone out again , like ? a torch in the sea-tossed bark of a fisherman , or alight carried to and fro in a forest . Slight as was this sign of hope , Columbus rested on it with sanguine expectation .
*• Large patches of weeds were now 6 een floating on the water , drifting from the west . Some seemed to have been detached from Tocks , others to have been washed from river banks—some yellow and withered , others green and fresh . A live crab was on one of them : this Columbus carefully preserved . They saw also a white tropical bird , of a kind that never sleeps on the sea . Tunny fish sported around the vessels , and recalled to the navicator ' s mind the description of Aristotle , of certain adventurers , driven by storms far into the west , where the waters were clothed with matted weeds , and where the tunny was in great plenty . He had now , he thought , arrived in the Weedy Sea , described by ancient mariners .
«• Morning brought the blessed fulfilment . A gun , fired from the Pinta , carried on its flash the confirmation of their hopes—the intelligence that a land was seen , liodrigo de Triana first saw it . The new world was discovered , and the navigator ' s long life of weariness , toil , and disappointment was crowned with success—success which opened to the nations of civilized Europe rich , unbounded , and exhaustless fields of enterprize . The reader who accompanies me further will , doubtless , not fail to compare the savage regions then first , seen , with the flourishing dominions now rising into yearly increasing power , und . r the fostering influence of the great united republic . Tlio contrast between summer and winter is not greater than that of the verdant , fresh , and fruitful shoie ' s , first revealed to the view of Columbus , with the populous city-studded coasts , now marked with the thousand features of a ripening civilization . " iFor the subsequent career of the discoverer we must-refer to tho volume of Mr . St . John . It is an elegant and cure-fill compilation , reduced to the smallest onitKu-H compatible with clearness . As a lir . 't work it is or" good promise , not only in tho excellence-of its workmanship , but in tho modesty and good titste with which it is written ; the extracts wo have already mado will substantiate our criticism ,
" On the 18 th , the same breeze still blew over a tranquil sea . Bach vessel strove to be in advance . The Pinta , a fast sailer , kept ahead , and Alonzo Pinzon , hailing the admiral , told him that a great flight of birds hovered in the north , where some singularly shaped clouds , in the peculiar light of sunset , assumed the appearance of islands . Columbus , however , detected the delusion , and maintained his course . On the next day the breeze sank , and drizzling showers succeeded , iwo pelicans visited the vessels , and , as these are shoreloving birds , appeared to herald land . Two hundred fathoms of line , however , found no bottom to the sea . Columbus judged that islands must lie to the north and south ; but , having engaged to sail westward , refused to alter his course , although the sailors murmured deeply when they thought of the vast track of ocean they had
left brhind . , " When , on the 20 th , the wind veercl to tVic southwest , this circumstance , though unfavourable to tuoir progress , was lmiled gladly , as the unvarying gale ? , blowing from the oast to the west , appeared preternatural and mysterious . Orchard-loving birds lloivover heal , with lively songs—cheering music ; to tlu- ? ea-wearicd navigate , rs . These small songster ? , ti ; fy thought , would not sing if wearied , and a long fligl . it from land must exhaust their strength .
and wo elo .-o our notice with this narration or ono the sulj . siquent ejjij-odos : — < j . Yi'Ti ;! ti ; oi' a c : \ uiu <; iiii : r . " . During the absence of Columbus , the a Hairs of the colony hud been stined into a complicated maasof confusion . Guunabo , tlu ' Cnrib king , had laid siege to the mountain fortress of Uibao . Tho little garrison had spread slaughter throueh his ranks . Oieda . a bold-hearted young
Spaniard , had , with his few dauntless followers , vanquished ten thousand enemies ; but this victory , although , it created terror , did not inspire respect . The licentious profligacy of the colonists at Isabella scattered wide the feelings of enmity and revenge . An armed coalition of native chiefs was formed , and the admiral , on his return , at once saw that the salvation of the settlement must be effected by the most vigorous means . Guacanagan now once more visited him . He revealed a secret plot among the island caciquesand promised the assistanceof his
, ^ forces . But skilful management was required . 1 he admiral resolved to effect , by stratagem , what it must cost much blood to purchase with arms . Caonabo , the Carib chief , was an enemy by no means contemptible . His territory was naturally fortified by ravines , forests , rivers , rocks , and morasses , more impregnable than granite ramparts . But Alonzo de Ojeda engaged to take him alive by a subtle manoeuvre . With ten chosen followers , mounted and armed , he reached the populous town where Caonabo dwelt . He was received with the
courtesy which a brave man deserved from an enemy equally fearless . He asked the cacique to visit Isabella , there to conclude a treaty , and lured him by the offer of the church-bell—long an object of wonder to the Indians , who could not account for its gathering the Spaniards to the house of worship , but by the supposition that it spoke articulately in an unknown tongue . " Caonabo consented . On tbe way home , they arrived at a broad shallow river , whose clear limpid waters tempted the cacique to bathe . Ojeda then produced a set of polished-steel manacles , bright as silver , which he described as ornaments worn by Spanish kings , who had received them as gifts from heaven . He proposed that the chief , putting them on , should mount behind his horse , and astonish his subjects with them . Flattered
by the idea , the cacique consented , and the haughty Carib , thus subdued by a trick , was presented to Columbus , a manacled but not a humbled captive . He was kept in chains in close confinement , but otherwise treated kindly . Severe as it may seem , this course was , perhaps , necessary , for conciliation of this chief was impossible . They might cheat him out of his power , but could not break his unconquerable spirit of enmity and independence . When the admiral entered any room , it was customary for all to rise ; but Caonabo sat unmoved , rising only when Ojeda approached . In explanation , he said Ojeda had dared to visit his territory and seize him , which Columbus had not ventured to attempt . The brother of this Carib chief , in revenge for his capture , made a second assault on Fort St . Thomas , in the Cibao hills ; but his army of seven thousand men was routed by a small body of horse under Ojeda . "
_ ... " At length the vessels entered upon a track (> f water matted with a vast covering of weeds , sweeping iu huge floating fields as far as eye could reach , and impeding
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Oct . 5 , 1850 . ] & %$ & *« & *«» 6 m
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Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 5, 1850, page 665, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1855/page/17/
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