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marks on national character , the result of observation an 1 reflection ; and as the Exposition will " make us acquainted with strange bedfellows" in the shape of foreigners , this analysis is apropos . German Protestantism is worthy the attention of our theological readers ; indeed , as we said , the whole number is attractive . In Frazer , that entertaining Note Book of a Naturalist continues to pour fourth its stores ; and the singularly graphic paper on the Cloister Life of Charles V . is concluded . The prevailing Epidemic is a pleasant and sagacious criticism on the " malady of verse , " as exhibited in recent volumes . Blackwood is political , protectionist , and not so amusing as of old . Tait is varied and well written —notably the articles on the Exposition—on Hartley Coleridge , and De Quincey ' s rambling exaggeration on Pope , which is relieved by the glancing lights of his incomparable style .
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The mysteries of Puffing , and the audacities of Puffing , have been exposed many a time and oft ; the naivetes of Puffing are still untouched . A sample was exhibited in the Times on Monday . Here it is : — " Found , on the 1 st of May , a manuscript of an incomplete Poem . Unless claimed , immediately it will be ... " No , we scarcely dare print the threat , it is something so colossal ! At the risk of your utter incredulity , however , we will give the advertised consequence : — " Unless claimed immediately it will be published to pay the expenses J " We did not imagine any one so simple as to fancy the public would be duped by such an announcement . We judge of others , it is said , by ourselves . The advertiser having the excessive simplicity of supposing such announcement would not be seen through , judges the public as simple as himself , and , therefore , likely to be duped !
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A new German Paper is this week to be started in London under the editorship of General Haug , assisted by Kinkel , Arnold RugEj and Johannes Ronge . These names are guarantees for the thoroughly democratic principles of the journal , which , aiming at something like a realization of its title—Kosmos , will also contain articles in French , Italian , anri English , written by leaders of the European Democracy .
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A disgraceful outrage has just been perpetrated in Fiance , which we point out to the indignation of all honest minds ; its author is Alkxandre Dufai , and the outrage is a satire on Socialist women—a subject which lends itself an easy prey to satire , and therefore renders M . Dufai more inexcusable for having attacked a living woman under guise of attacking an intellectual aberration . The title of this aatire , LHUa , ou la Femme Socialiste , is enough to point out George Sand as the unmistakeable aim of his shafts ; but , as if to dissipate even the faintest trace of doubt , he tells us in the preface that he has made L / ilila . narrate her childhood , education , and poetic droatns , her marriage with a sous prifet , who did not " understand" her ; and her amours with a poet who did understand her , for he carried her oil '; he has also made Jjt . lUa marry by turns all the Socialist systems in the persons of their chiefs ; and finally , shown her in the Revolution of 1848 , presiding at Lc Club de Femmes , and playing an active part in public life . After this he has the shameless audacity to < say that lie attacks the " species , " not the " individual !"
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kelly's tuii » to California . An Excursion to ( kilifornia over the J ' rniriet , Koch ;/ Mountains , and (/ mat Sierra Navmlu With a Stroll through the Dujtjmt and Uanchcs of that Country . lSy Williuni Kelly , J . I ' . - voIb . Chapman and Hall . T iiih is one of the most exciting and entertaining books of travel we have opened for in any a long ( lay . It takes us over country which , if not absolutely untrodden , is still quite fresh from the tramp of travellers in search of a subject after having fatigued themselves in quest of the picturesque , am ] fatigued their readers by their pictures of it
Nor is Mr . Kelly a mere litterateur . There is no fine writing in his volumes j there is no surplusage ; no bookmaking ; no constant preoccupation of " reader , " forcing him to dress up for effect . With a rattling , straightforward style he tells us in simple language all he met with that may be of interest , and neither philosophizes nor rhapsodizes about his experiences . Page after page incidents and pictures occur , which in the hands of a wordspinning traveller would wander into separate chapters . The animation is incessant , the interest unflagging . He has no style ; but then he does not , like bad writers , aim at style . He has no felicities of expression ; but , as a set-ofF , he is without affectations . It is the plain talk of an adventurous not overcultivated man , all the more impressive because it does not aim at impressiveness .
The narrative of his journey across the Prairie and Rocky Mountains is enlivened by a succession of perils , mishaps , and experiences : the Indians , friendly and inimical—the prowling wolves—the bear and buffalo hunts—the sport—the fording of rivers and descent of precipitous paths—the excitements of danger , and the various incidents of travel . We found it difficult to lay the volume down ; and our space shall be given to extract rather than to criticism for the benefit of the reader .
A SHIP ON FIRE . " Towards the close of the second day , as the shades of evening were beginning to settle down , we observed a halo above the horizon , in the direction where the sun had sank ; but imagining it emanated from thac luminary , we thought nothing of it , till it became quite apparent , as we advanced , that it was a lurid flame arising from some great burning pile ; a little further , and the confused hum of voices came along the still calm air—settlers enjoying some merrymaking round their large log fires . But no ; those are not the sounds of glee and mirth . Hark ! there is anxiety in that shout : there , that is surely the scream of female terror . Yes ; there is no mistaking it now ; those are the hurried words of
commanda catastrophe has taken place ; and as we rounded a bend of the river we saw the funeral pile of a steamer , the flames roaring and crackling , numbers of human beings clustered in the arms and branches of the trees that stood in the flood where she was driven when the fire was discovered , and many standing in the water up to their armpits , holding up females and children . It was a terrific sight to contemplate , for the sad wails impressed us with the melancholy conviction that human life was involved in the accident . We durst not approach too closely , but sent our boats off" to relieve the sufferers , taking on board the ladies and children first ; and long before the last man was on our deck , there was not a fragment of the ill-fated boat to bo seen : the dark waters had closed over the last vestige of her hull . Providence ,
however , benignly spared all souls . " She was a superb boat , owned b y the captain , a young man whose all was embarked in her , who was just married to a lovely girl , and was spending tlie first phase of the honeymoon on board the virgin craft , that bad , too , on the same morning espoused her destined element , and sailed proudly and gaily away from St . Louis with colours flying , bearing on her bosom the bridal party ; sweet concurrence , arranged by the bridegroom in trustful lovingness of his youthful partner . They launched out together ou the strewn of life in the vessel of their hopes ,
and in the fair prospect that shone before them anticipated no reverse ; it would have been a slighting of kind Fortune to doubt her continuous sincerity by insuring the boat ; but the same sun that beamed upon their first essay , sunk sadly upon their fortunes . The poor captain bore his losses bravel y ; and if a shade of melancholy passed his brow , it was more in consequence of his wife ' s dejection tliiin at the untimely wreck of his entire property . The great accession of passengers left us in n very crowded htate ; so much so , that we had lour sets of company at each meal ; but we did not suffer much inconvenience long , as we reached St .. Louis the evening of the next day . "
TUB DARKIlCs ' llAI . Ii . " Wo gave a dinner the evening before we left to our friends and acquaintances at St . Louis , at which we hud a great deal of Cnliforninu spouting and singing ; but I contrived to get away early with Mr . W- — , to attend a nigger ball , in honour of some African festival , which I was given to understand would be ii rare treat to a foreigner , unused to the imitative gentility of the sable race . It 18 n matter of some diflic ; iiliy for whites to get admission to thone reunions , an jokes and tricks have often resulted from their presence ; besides which , the niggers conceive they only desire to attend iu order to ridicule them . However ,
Mr . W got tickets through some of his own darkies , and we were admitted , but not without a rigid scrutiny . Although it wan full nine o ' clock when we entered , there was no one in the room but the stewards , strutting about in all thepiideof their lofty shirt-collars and decorations , for this assembly of " Allblacfut" had their correct notions about th «
fashionable propriety of late hours as well as the titled frequenters of Willis ' s great rooms . Some of the earliest setting-downs took place shortly after our arrival , the ladies , in low dresses , tightened round the waist with an indentation more like a girth than a pair of stays ; all wearing little kerchiefs of bright colours round their necks , with a sort . of semi-turban on the head of a regular rainbow complexion , and drops of such dimensions and gravity as elongated the ears into the shape of jargonelle pears . Men and women wore white gloves , and their faces p hone with a polish as if they washed in copal varnish for the occasion . There was also a deal of perfumery in requisition , but eau de Cologne and lavender-water soon became too strongly diluted with other essences to retain , their virtues , bringing to mind Dean Swift ' s
couplet—Not all Arabia ' s spices would sufficient be ; Thou smeLL ' st not of their sweets—they stink of thee . The orchestra was at the end of the loom , and in front of it a refreshment counter , where mint juleps and oyster patties were served out . There were several old people amongst the company , all of whom had either a pair of bones or a tin rattle in the head of their canes , to beat time , aB they could not dance . Presently the fiddles and banjos struck up , when the floor was quickly tenanted ; a movement very soon followed by a hurricane of sneezing , during which I also caught infection ; but the noise of those nasal convulsions was partly drowned as the " fun became
fast and furious , " raising up a duBt which , seizing everybody by the nose , set musicians , dancers , and spectators into such a paroxysm of sneezing as brought all simultaneously to a full stop . The ladies seemed ill at ease , too , between the shoulders , and many a fair heel was spasmodically uplifted to allay the irritation on the other leg , while others kept nipping their dresses , as if to annihilate some foreign intruder in the lining ; in fact , dancing and fiddling now became completely merged in sneezing and scratching . I felt there was foul play somewhere , for my shins
itched most irresistibly ; but very soon found that the suspicion alit upon Mr . "VV and myself , as the stewards , in a body , came up to us , sneezing , and gate us to understand , sneezing , the sooner we retired the better for our comforts and safety , as there was a great and general inclination to inflict condign punishment on us for what we had done . There was no use in attempting an explanation in the tempest of sneezing , so we accordingly withdrew , sneezing , and left this polished society to sneeze and scratch themselves to their hearts' content . We , however ,
ascertained next morning that some mischievous wags managed to get into the ballroom during the day , and dredged the floor with hellebore and cayenne , which , sent floating in the atmosphere by the beating of the dancers , produced the annoying results which led to our ejection . "
Having purchased their mules for the journey , they had to harness them , and how easy this was you may gather from what he says : — " They were a most refractory lot to deal with ; not nn animal of the batch letting on the gear without a fierce struggle , frequently mixed up with amusement , for it was most laughable- to see a regular setto betwixt a nigger and one of the mule ? , the mule rearing and lifting up Sambo , hanging on . by the ear , into the air ; who , the moment be reached the ground , ran at The delinquent with his head like a ram , butting him in the ribs , sometimes with such force as to completely stun " de dam son ob a jackass , " and in bad cases seizing the lug in his teeth , and holding on like grim death , while a collar was fitting or a britching being adjusted . "
Here is a picturesque bit : — IIIK 1 'RAIIUK ON 1 'IUT .. " We observed from this eminence a dusky appearance in front , but we were unable to determine at the time whether it was smoke or a low black cloud ; however , as we approximated , our doubts were soon resolved ; it was smoke emanating from a prairie on fire right in our track , the flames travelling rapidly towards us , with a favourable bree / . e . I immediately ordered the prairie to leeward of us to be fired in several places , and the bell-mare to be caught , who with the loose animals were betraying nymptoms of alarm , Unit I feared would cause them , to stampede ; meanwhile the fire came down upon ub , roaring , extending north and south about three inil < ' » , presentnext
ing a grand but terrific spectacle . The move was to get the waggons into the space cleared by our own fire , and make the mules and horses ( " - '" l y « " » t to the wheels . The smoke came drifting before the flames in dense hot wnutliH as wo scoured the lariat * , the animals snorting and Blinking with dread ; and some of them rearing in affright , and breaking tho tying * , bolted away wildly , until they overtook the fiameH behind them , when they rushed frantically back , plunging in amongst those that remained . Ihe heat now became excessively uncomiorUbU * . lor our line was not over fifteen yards from the edge of tho unburnt grass to windward , and we i-onli not back the wnguoiiH without loosening the animate . Am the devouring element camo tslcmer , burning wisps wore carried in the air , endangering our waggon covers and
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May 10 , 1851 . ] ^ f & * & *** . 443
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Leader (1850-1860), May 10, 1851, page 443, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1882/page/15/
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