poems of the Ukrainean Cossack, and learn the secrets of his inner life, we feel that his was likewise a noble nature. Encompassed on all sides by deadly enemies, persecuted in his institutions, his associations, even his faith, the object of suspicion and hatred to Pole and Turk, Russian and Tartar, it is not strange if he became the bandit and scourge of neighboring nations that history represents him. But, when we see his unflinching devotion to his faith and to his people-when we see him for generations fearlessly offering his life in a struggle of whose utter hopelessness we find him aware from the first, without prospect of reward, merely because the Cossack could not voluntarily surrender his liberty, we feel that he is a grand figure in history-the grander that he has not hitherto enjoyed even the poor boon of having his greatness recognized. These few lines from one of their own poems might be fairly considered to typify the sole aspiration of the Ukrainean Cossacks, and how little that aspiration has been realized:

แ

"Oh! the tomb in the field to the wild wind spake,

And that lonely tomb to the wind spake so:

'Blow over me, wind, lest I withered be,

Blow over me fresh, lest I blackened grow.

"Blow, that the young grass may spring up upon me,
That the young grass upon me may ever be green.'
No sun lights that tomb, and no breeze bloweth there,
And far, far off only, the grass is seen."

While the stern and solitary Cossack of the Ukraine or Little Russia is the sole descendant of the ancient Zaporogue, the Cossack of the Don has become the parent of numerous and extensive branches, of which the principal are the Cossacks of the Volga, the Terek, the Grebeskoi, the Ural, the Yaik, and Siberia. It will thus be seen that from the Dnie per to Kamschatka, the Russian Empire possesses along her southern border a military cordon of people, differing from her in race, in character, in institutions, bearing her little good-will, yet constituting the most powerful bulwark of her dominions. That a race whose nucleus was a band of hunted

fugitives, whose increase arose from nations differing in origin, in language, in faith, Circassian and Pole, Sclave and Tartar, who at first roamed the steppes with no more definite object than the preservation of life by flight, and whose increasing strength served only to render them the terror as they had once been the scorn of all surrounding nations; that such a people, consolidated into a distinct race, preserving intact their manners, customs, and institutions, should ever be the chief bulwark of the nation who was long their greatest tyrant, is one of the marvels of history. To many a reader, even of the present day, the name of Cossack presents scarcely any other image than that of the marauder of the seventeenth century. Yet it would be difficult to find in the history of nations a people who, deprived of independence, have preserved through so many generations their institutions, their poetry, their manners and customs, and their indestructible nationality, so eminently as the Cossacks of the Don and Ukraine.

ART. III.—1. Some Curious Experiments and Researches into the Nature of Certain Things. New York. 1871-'75.

2. Memoirs and Analyses of Meat Extracts and other Valuable Commodities. Brochures. New York.

3. Essays on Metaline as a Lubricator. By Prof. C. F. CHANdler, PH. D., Dean of the Faculty, School of Mines, Columbia College; President of the Board of Health, etc., etc., etc. Assisted by several members of the American Institute, said to be conspirators against the said Metaline. With an Appendix on Dripping Pans, etc.

No name is more abused among us at the present day than "scientist "-none is so often assumed without any real claim. The merest smatterers-those who have but the vaguest ideas even of the elementary principles of any science whateverdub themselves "scientists," and wish themselves considered as almost unfathomable in their knowledge of "the nature of

things." But what is stranger, and much more to be deplored, a large proportion of the public accept their vain, ambitious pretensions, and regard them as oracles. It has become a trite saying that the age of faith is passed; but it is not so. Faith has only changed its objects. Formerly those objects were chiefly spiritual; now they are chiefly material.

It is not, however, in its theological aspects that we propose to view the question; that we leave to the divines, whose peculiar duty it is. We will only remark on this point that surely it is less degrading to be credulous in regard to the affairs of a future, or distant world, than to be so in regard to the affairs of earth. Even atheists admit that there is more imbecility in being unduly credulous in things earthly than there is in being so in things heavenly. In short, it will be agreed by the sensible portion of all sects and denominations, Heathen as well as Christian, that no system of religion of the ancient or modern world, however false or absurd, has been the basis of a more grovelling superstition than that which invests three-fourths of our so-called scientists with the attributes of oracles.

But let us not be misunderstood. We do not allude to those who claim to cultivate astronomy, mathematics, geology, or logic. These are sciences which do not admit of much imposition on the part of those who would seek fame or profit by claiming to be their votaries. Chemistry is the great thing for such. With no other science can they make such bold, hollow pretensions, or secure such handsome rewards in money or "trade." Far be it from us to disparage, in any manner, a science with which are associated such illustrious names as Berzelius, Gay-Lussac, Lavoisier, Priestley, Dumas, Laurent, and a host of others. Indeed, none value it more than ourselves for the incalculable good it has done, and is doing, for modern civilization. In proof of the fact we can refer to many articles we have written in this and other journals with the view of illustrating its advantages and encouraging its study. Moreover, there is no science to which we have devoted more attention ourselves, or from the study of which we have derived more real gratification.

By all means, then, let chemistry be studied, and as thoroughly as possible. It is not against the science that we utter a word, but against those who, while having but an exceedingly scanty knowledge of its principles, pretend to be masters of it, and use it chiefly, if not exclusively, as a means of gratifying their greed for gain.

We do not make these remarks hastily, or without good reason. For the honor of that beautiful science it is really painful to us to mention many things done in its name in New York. Thus, for example, how few of our readers would suppose that there is scarcely a restaurant in the city, of any extent, that has not a "scientist" of the class alluded to connected with it as an "analytical chemist." If the soup, pudding, or sausage, etc., is found unpalatable, indigestible, or worse, this functionary is always ready with an "analysis" or "description" to prove that it was the customer's stomach, and not the soup, pudding, sausage, etc., that was at fault. Sometimes the "scientist" receives quite a handsome salary for these valuable services, but generally he takes his pay "in trade”— that is, he obligingly proves, by example as well as by precept, that the viands instead of being defective are of the best quality.

It should be remembered that even a few dollars a week from a dozen or a score of eating-houses, not to mention choice meals and wines, amount to something comfortable in the year. Then there are the whole tribe of quack doctors and manufacturers of patent medicines, each of whom has more or less important work for our scientist. Not a drug in the market claiming to cure all manner of diseases which is not "analyzed," from time to time, by an "eminent chemist," who certifies that every ingredient entering into its composition is exactly the right thing.

The same is true of each of those numerous preparations which are said to have such wonderful effects on the hair, the teeth, the breath, the complexion, etc.; so that if the hair falls off, or becomes prematurely gray instead of growing more and more luxuriant and glossy under the preparation as

promised; if the teeth corrode and drop out one by one; if the breath becomes more and more offensive instead of sweet or "aromatic;" if the complexion turns any color but the natural or healthy one-the certificate of the "analytical chemist," or scientist, is always at hand to convince the victim that he may thank the "preparation " that his case is not a hundred-fold worse than it is!

To our scientist it makes no difference whether the preparation be for the hair, the teeth, the complexion, or the stomach; he is as much at home in "flavoring extracts" and cordials as he is in pomatums or dentifrices, and he can determine the superior quality of whiskey or lager-bier as readily as he can show that oxygen is not nitrogen—that is, provided his fees or his perquisites are not forgotten. If they are, then it is quite another matter; ten to one that there has been extensive and probably poisonous adulteration lately!

The constant fear of our thrifty scientist is a deficiency of oxygen. This is his shibboleth. According to him, if we have only a reasonable supply of oxygen, we may bid defiance to all diseases; there could be no such thing as an epidemic. Yet this scarce thing-scarce especially, it seems, in the city of New York-is acknowledged by every chemist worthy of the name to be the most abundant element in nature. Not only are eight-ninths of all the water on the globe, including oceans, lakes, and rivers, four-fifths of the weight of all vege table bodies, and three-fourths of that of animals, oxygen, but about one-half of the solid rocks. Let us suppose that our scientist himself weighs 154 bs.; if he is constituted in the usual way of mortals, an analysis of his carcass would prove that considerably more than half of it (111 lbs.) is oxygen. And, if he is in the habit of helping himself freely at the restaurants as represented, it would be found to contain from 21 to 24 lbs. of carbon, according as the adipose matter is more or less developed; but we think that the element phosphorus would be found rather small-probably not more than 1 lb.