Journal affairs, that Dr Johnson's words, 'Panting Time toiled after him in vain,' might appropriately have been applied to him. To impress on his numerous law-avoiding and peace-seeking clients the necessity of remembering the passage of 'the inaudible and noiseless foot of Time,' and to save himself the tedium of listening to interminable stories of all sorts of wrongs, real or imaginary, he had written over the door of his sanctum in prominent letters the pungent words: 'Be short. Probably the student of Harvard University was endeavouring to improve on Dr Mather's inseription by specifying more exactly the brevity desired in his friends' visits, when he affixed this announcement to his door: 'Notice-Hours for Visitors, 7 to 7.45.' Whether this period consisted only of forty-five minutes, in the morning or evening, cannot be discovered from the more than ambiguous inscription itself. And if the 'hours' actually set apart for the entertainment of his fellow-students were from 7 A.M. to 7.45 P.M., or vice versa, then we are afraid that young man would find himself 'plucked' at the first little go' that took place. We cannot help thinking this must have been the promising student of whom the story is told, that he bought a dozen towels, and writing his name on number one, put Ditto on each of the others. the Those who indulge in legends over their door lintels, however simple, do not always get all say to themselves. That arch-trickster, Theodore Hook, addressed the following lines To Mr Blank, who puts over his door "Pen and Quill Manufacturer:" You put above your door and in your bills, While some scholars are accustomed to bury themselves so deeply in their studies, that the entrance of a visitor causes annoying mental perturbation, and have in self-defence found it necessary to adopt the deterrent expedient we have been illustrating, every individual, we think, desires immunity from such persistent callers as tramps and beggars. The brass plate of a teacher of the French language in Glasgow, in addition to the information such brasses' are meant to convey, forbids beggars and oldclothes dealers to ring the bell. A gentleman near Winchester made a rockery in front of his house, in which he planted some beautiful ferns, and having put up the following notice, found it more efficient and less expensive than spring-guns or man-traps. The fear-inspiring inscription was: 'Beggars beware; Scolopendriums and Polypodiums are set here.' The wall of a gentleman's house near Edinburgh some years since exhibited a board on which was painted a threat quite as difficult for the trespasser to understand as the preceding Any person entering these inclosures will be shot and prosecuted.' An eccentric old gentleman placed in a field on his estate a board with the following generous offer painted thereon: 'I will give this field to any man who is contented.' It was not long before he had an applicant. 'Well, my man, are you a contented fellow?'-'Yes, sir, very.'-"Then why do you want my field?' The applicant did not wait to reply. The following lines are engraved on a stone tablet at the entrance to a certain summer-house, and surrounded by a border of spiders, beetles, earwigs, and centipedes, and other natives of these cool grots: Stranger, or Friend, whatever name accord Whoe'er thou art, young, old, or rich, or poor, Seventy years ago, the Universal Magazine recorded the fact that the notice 'Reding and Wrighting taut hear,' appeared over the door of a school in the neighbourhood of Hoxton; and a few years since, the Leeds Express contained evidence that the schoolmaster was still abroad. According to that newspaper, two curious documents were to be seen in two different windows in the neighbourhood of Hunslet. The first, in a wretched scribble, is as follows: 'A Da Skool kept hat-plaise, terms 2 and 3 pens per week for reeding and knitting and righting and sowing.' The other, in the window of a shoemaker, is similar to one we have seen in a shopwindow in Drury Lane : A man lives here which don't refuse But times are bad-I cannot trust. Fifty years since, the following doggerel lines were to be seen written over the door of a little alehouse on the road between Sutton and Potton in Bedfordshire: The native landlord of the hotel at Lahore, in which the following notice to the guests is posted up, is apparently determined to charge for every possible item of expenditure, and to allow no fuss about the payment of what he anticipates his customers will look upon as overcharges: Gentleman who come in hotel not say anything about their meals they will be charged for; and if they should say beforehand that they are going out to breakfast or dinner, &c., and if they say that they not have anything to eat, they will be charged, and if not so they will be charged, or unless they bring it to the notice of the manager; and should they want to say anything, they must order the manager for and not any one else; and unless they not bring it to the notice of the manager, they will be charged for the least things according to the hotel rate, and no fuss will be allowed afterwards about it. Should any gentleman take wall-lamps or candle-light from the public rooms, they must pay for it without any dispute its charges. Monthly gentlemans will have to pay my fixed rate made with them at the time, and should they absent day in the month, they will not be allowed to deduct anything out of it, because I take from them less rate than my usual rate of monthly charges.' We have before us a printed circular, headed 'Invitation of Subscription,' issued by a continental firm, and urging upon postage-stamp collectors the immense advantages of a stampjournal published by the said firm. It is, says the notice, 'the only stamp-paper in all the world that takes care to publish regularly the commercial accounts of principal centres of stamps trade; besides which with this year the direction intending to satisfy evermore its readers, has given earnest to same new correspondents at London and Paris.' Over and above autentic accounts' of certain society proceedings, the paper promises various new features. Among these there is to be-'An apposite ruddle'-though what 'ruddle' is meant for we cannot guess-'entitled corrispondences is designed to the demands, requests, delucidations, and whatever similar article inspecting stamps that subscribers are in right to insert.' The paper,' it is further announced, 'for the modicity of its insertions prices sustain the competition with whatever other paper.' This assertion must be cheering to the postage-stamp collectors who understand it. AMBER. Pro THE origin of amber has always been obscured in a more or less deep halo of mystery. Pliny the Naturalist wrote of it under its Greek name electron, as the fossil resin of an extinct conebearing tree. Although these firs or pines became extinct at a period far anterior to all historical time, it is certain that they lived in a later age and were of a higher organisation than the giant forms of the semi-tropical carboniferous era, which were prototypes of the cypress trees still existing in eastern North America. fessor Zaddach says the amber-producing trees must have grown on green sand-beds of cretaceous soil forming the shores of estuaries where the lower division of the Tertiary accumulated. And it is not only to these prehistoric forests that amber bears witness; for in this resin, fossilised by centuries of time, have been discovered nearly eight hundred different species of insects, mostly now extinct; and many specimens of the flora of that period, embalmed whilst still a living vegetation, which differ entirely from the fossil plants supplied by the brown coal-beds resting immediately above. On the Prussian coast of the Baltic Sea, mines are now worked to a depth of a hundred feet, where Professor Phillips found in a stratum of dark bituminous wood, forty feet thick, stalactites of amber; and round masses with pyrites and sulphate of iron in the coarse sand beneath. Indeed, the true home of amber is on the borders of that inland sea, the Ostsee of the Germanic and Scandinavian nations; and vast quantities are still thrown up in stormy weather, when the restless waves break in foam upon the shore, particularly on the seagirt promontory of Samland. It is found also at Cape Sable, in Maryland; and in insignificant quantities in Siberia and Greenland. In Britain, it is so rare as almost to be unknown, although small pieces have been discovered in the sandy deposit of the London clay at Kensington. But the most beautiful specimens of a varying purple shade have been torn from their far-away home in the classic isle of Sicily. The first record of this antique treasure is found in the old Homeric poems; we read in the Odyssey of amber beads in a necklace of gold brought by a Phoenician merchant to the queen of Syra; and in the description of the palace of Menelaus, the mighty king of Sparta, it is said to shine like the sun or the moon, in its splendour of copper, of gold, of amber, and ivory.' The Greek name for amber, electron, was occasionally also used in ancient times for a mineral composed of gold and silver, because its pale yellow colour resembled amber. In those old days, amber was in great request for the imitation of precious stones by artificial staining, from its brilliant Journal lustre, and the ease with which it could be cut and polished. From changes induced by its fossilised condition, amber differs from other resins in respect of its peculiar hardness, and in being less brittle, and of greater electric action. Blazing like a torch when a light is applied, it was peculiarly adapted for use in religious ceremonies; and great quantities have alone been consumed in the unbroken worship of thirteen centuries at Mecca, that holy city of Arabia, which saw the birth of the Prophet, the dawn of the Mohammedan religion. There is a quaint fascination in this ancient town, the cradle of Mussulman traditions, where the 'Beitullah' or House of God stands surrounded by colonnades, to which hundreds of thousands of weary pilgrims annually resort, crossing great sandy deserts, through hardships innumerable, to fulfil the command of the Prophet, that the faithful should stand at least once in their lives before the shrine at Mecca. They are enjoined to walk seven times round, prostrating themselves, and kissing reverently at each turn the great block of black basalt, now fixed in the north-east corner of the massive stone structure called the Kaaba; but at which, in a far different religion, the same strange rites were observed many centuries before the birth of Mohammed. If we could unweave the tangled web of centuries, we should probably find that the burning of amber was not the least amongst the rites and ceremonies of the past. It was strangely intermingled with the myths and legends of the ancient Greeks, and was largely used in the adornments of their temples, being laid, with other precious things, upon the sacred altars, where all costly gifts were thought acceptable to the gods. It is difficult now to realise the feeling of superstitious veneration with which amber has been regarded through successive civilisations, or the strange fantasies evoked by its mystic properties which transformed it into a passion and a faith. Not only in the luxurious cities of Greece and in Rome, but under the great historic dynasties of China, and amid all the extravagance of oriental splendour, it was esteemed very precious. One of the gates of Thebes, 'the ity of the hundred gates, whose superb ruins, perhaps the most ancient in the world, now lie Scattered on both banks of the Nile, was, Herodotus tells us, made of amber. Even in the oldest of krown sepulchres, the British barrows, amber beads have been found along with pierced stone ares, arrow-heads, and other buried treasures. expedition to the shores of the Baltic in search of this foreign treasure; and returned with thirteen thousand pounds of amber for the Emperor, including a single piece which weighed thirteen pounds. The dull barbarians of that northern land, who were stirred to labour for this valued product of their stormy sea, could not comprehend the startling price paid for it, or its use in the great and unfamiliar world beyond the Alps. The best pieces of amber are now taken in the rough by Armenian merchants to Constantinople, where they are carved and chased and polished by the hand of the engraver, as mouthpieces for pipes. In the Pipe Bazaar of the great Byzantine edifice-which contains mosques, fountains, and a labyrinth of arcaded streets, each a separate bazaar-are hidden away amber mouth-pieces of fabulous value, in every shade of colour, lustrous as crystal, and set with diamonds and rubies. Supported by sculptured columns, and decorated with arabesques, this dimly lighted city in the heart of Stamboul is full of marvels and treasures. Through its narrow thoroughfares, camels and carriages and horsemen force their way, amongst a dense throng of people of every nation and typeTurks in muslin turbans, Persians in pyramidal bonnets of Astrakhan fur, Hebrews in yellow coats, with Greeks, Armenians, and runningfootmen in gorgeous liveries; and in this shifting crowd are dignitaries of the court, who spend perhaps fifty thousand francs on their pipe collections; and harem-ladies, wrapped in long white veils, who come for gray amber, gold-embroidered bags of musk and sandal-wood, and the sweet-scented gums made by the women of Chio, which are all sold in the Perfumery Bazaar of this great oriental fair. Thus we find that amber, little esteemed as it is at the present time in Europe, and although no longer the important source of wealth that it once was, still has a place in the luxury and religion of the East; and the dim records of its venerable history furnish us with many picturesque and poetic associations, whether we think of it in its early home amid archaic forests, or, as in classic lore The sweet tears shed by fair Heliades Apollo's daughters, When their rash brother down the welkin sped, NEW ZEALAND. No doubt its value was enhanced by the curious electrical phenomena which it exhibits; for six SILKWORM-FARMING IN ENGLAND AND Lundred years before the Christian era, Thales of Metus noticed that, when rubbed, amber or electron attracted light and dry bodies; in which Demote observation lay the foundation of our melern science of electricity. It was believed bear a charm against disease, and to possess the power of detecting the presence of poison. Piny remarks upon its wonderful properties, d says: True it is that a collar of amber eads worn round the neck of young infants is a singular preservative against secret poison, and a counter-charm to witchcraft and sorceries.' The same authority mentions that the price of a small figure in amber, however diminutive, exceeded that of a healthy living slave. In the n of Nero, a Roman knight was sent with an THOSE who have ever kept silkworms must know the difficulty which is sometimes found in obtaining the mulberry leaves on which they feed. Indeed, sometimes in consequence of bad weather the trees are so behindhand in putting on their leafy garments, that large numbers of worms perish of starvation. This evil can be mitigated by throwing the eggs into a lethargic state by the application of intense cold. In this state the eggs can be kept until the mulberry leaves appear in full vigour. On the above subject, in connection with eggs received from the antipodes, Captain G. Mason of Yateley, Hants, writes to us as follows: I have no doubt that the climate and soil of Australia, New Zealand, and Norfolk Island, are well adapted for the production of cocoons or silk; while the temperate climate of England is better suited for sound eggs. have adopted in these last two seasons, the worms in the magnanerie are guarded against any damp or sudden chill, which are their most fatal enemies in every stage of their active or dormant life. The weight of produce, whether of cocoons or eggs, from a given measure of waste land, will much depend on the standard of reason and intelligence acquired in our schools by the women and children, to whom this industry is so well adapted. On the 23d of February 1881, I received one ounce of silkworm eggs from Sydney, via San Francisco, the produce of moths on the 3d of December 1880. On the 1st of May, I placed these with ten ounces of eggs laid at Yateley in August 1880, in a refrigerator fed with The quality of silk and eggs produced in lumps of ice in the morning, and again in the England from the Bombyx mori, fed on the leaf evening of each day, when required to keep down of the Morus alba, which grows luxuriantly the temperature at forty to forty-five degrees, on any soil (excepting clay or chalk), has been and in the last week to fifty degrees, at a cost judged 'excellent. The supply of food is safe of three to four shillings per week; and from in summer; and with the aid of a small the 1st of July, at intervals of five days, one-wrought-iron stove, hygrometer, thermometer, third part of these were moved very gradually and the perfect ventilation of the trays which I to a temperature of from seventy-five to eighty degrees. From the 5th to the 19th, the hatching was perfect; the worms looked strong, and 'roused' well in their changes until the fourth age, when their unequal size gave the first symptom of careless feeding. In the fifth age, the greater number died without sign of any specific disease; yet many of the stronger worms mounted the hurdles well, and formed perfect cocoons. The weight of food given to the worms was very insufficient, although the trees which were stripped yielded an average of thirty-nine pounds of sorted leaf. On the 22d of June, I received a few of the same eggs, laid about the 3d December 1880, in a half-ounce letter from Sydney, which, coming via Suez, I did not submit to the refrigerating process; yet, though kept in the same temperature-namely, from seventy to eighty degreesfrom the 5th of July, these did not begin to hatch until the 22d of August, the worms coming out so slowly, that all were not hatched on the 20th of October, when, with no prospect of food, I destroyed the remainder. Many formed excellent cocoons. year In 1879 I was led to try the experiment of retarding the hatching of eggs by use of ice, from the success in stocking the rivers of New Zealand and Australia from the ova of fish so treated. In that all my eggs hatched out perfectly; while in 1880 the hatching stopped after three days from the too sudden rise of temperature and drying of the atmosphere, caused by the careless use of the stove, from which the eggs never recovered vitality. In tracing the above Australian eggs through their dormant state, it is remarkable that the first lot, coming vid San Francisco, after passing two months in this climate, and two months in my refrigerator, hatched out in a little over seven months from the time they were laid; while the second lot, having passed about four months at Sydney, coming in mail-bag vid Suez, and subsequently kept in a high temperature, without any hibernation, did not begin to hatch until nearly nine months, and had not finished in eleven months; so that, with these eggs, artificial hibernation appears to be absolutely necessary to enable us to reap the rich produce of the Bombyx mori in six or seven months, which the opposite seasons of our Eastern Colonies would allow for rest; indeed, without this aid, patience would be exhausted and labour unprofitable. Last year, by favour of Messrs Green, I sent about an ounce of eggs in the ice-room of the Chimborazo of the Orient line, to the Secretary of the Melbourne Exhibition, for distribution, who kindly acknowledged the receipt in good order; but I have no further report. From past experience, A Pope's Slow Combustion Stove, fitted with a quick-candle, to avoid smoke in lighting when the atmosphere is heavy, will be found perfect both for radiation and circulation of the air in the magnanerie. "THE HAVEN WHERE THEY WOULD BE.' Half hidden in the sombre yew-trees' shade, With golden arrows; only grasses wave In melancholy rhythm. Let me stay: Angels have knelt with me when I have prayed. 'Tis nearly Home. The space of time 'twixt Heaven and the sod Life's inner working is as one great tome All Rights Reserved. POPULAR LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART. CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM AND ROBERT CHAMBERS. KEEPING ORDER IN CHURCH. Ir may not be known to many of our readers that for more than three centuries, the duties of awakening sleeping members of congregations and of driving out intruding dogs from churches were discharged by regularly appointed and salaried officials in various parts of England, and to a more limited extent in America. These duties, moreover, were often performed by a single individual. PRICE 11d Storker for whipping doggs' the sum of half-acrown. Eight years later (1624), the dog-whipper received only two shillings for his services; and in 1625 and 1628 only the same salary as was paid at Youlgrave in 1609 was granted at Wakefield-one shilling and fourpence. It is evident that other duties besides those of driving dogs out of church were imposed on the so-called dog-whipper;' for the books for 1664 state that the quarter's wages of that official amounted to four shillings. It would appear that the practice The earliest mention of dog-whipping in con- of partly clothing the 'dog-whipper' originated nection with religious services which we have about the commencement of the eighteenth noted, is in 1550, in which year the church-century; for, as we have already stated, the warden's books at Louth contain an entry of the payment of twopence 'to the bellman for beating the dogges out of the church.' The same set of books contain similar entries. In 1705 one hilling was paid for the discharge of this duty. The next note respecting dog-whippers states that in the year 1597 the sum of '0:0:9d.' was 'paid to old Verde for whipping of dogs' in the parish church of Worksop. In 1616 the accounts of the churchwardens of the same church state that 'for whipping dogges out of the church one whole year' the sum of twelvepence was paid. At Youlgrave, the church authorities appear to have been more liberal than their Nottinghamshire friends in the payment of their dog-whipper, as the accounts show that one shilling and fourpence was the annual salary received in 1609 by Robt. Walton for whipping the dogges forth of the church in tyme of divyne service.' Eight years later (1617), the authorities of the same harch rewarded Robert Benbowe for his services the same direction by the payment of two lings. Whether the Youlgrave dog-whippers had any distinguishing badge of office at this ne, we are unable to state; but the accounts a century later (1715) show that a 'coat and furniture' were provided for that officer at a cost eleven shillings and sixpence. Youlgrave official was, in 1715, provided with a coat; and in 1703 the dog-whipper and sexton at Wakefield were provided with 'hatts, shoes, and hoses,' at a cost of eighteen shillings and sixpence. These personages were officially clothed down to the year 1820. Amongst the 'layings-out' for the parish church of Ash-next-Sandwiche, for 1634, is the following: Item, payd to tomas brown for on quartar for A year keeping the dodgs out of the church 0:2: 0; and a similar entry for the 'wadges' due to the same man for the Christmas 'quartar.' The practice of intrusting to a beadle or some other official the duty of awakening sleeping members of a congregation, seems to have prevailed in America more than two centuries ago. In 1646, the Rev. Dr Samuel Whiting was minister of Lynn, Massachusetts. One Obadiah Turner kept a journal at that time, from which we give the following amusing extract: '1646, June the 3d. Allen Brydges hath bin chose to wake the sleepers in meeting, and being much proud of his place, must need have a fox taile fixed to the end of a long staff, wherewith he may brush the faces of them that will have naps in time of discourse; likewise a sharp thorne, wherewith he may prick such The churchwardens of Wakefield were even as be moste sounde. On the laste Lord his day, are liberal than those of Youlgrave; for we as he strutted about the meeting-house, he did ther that in 1616, there was 'paid to Gorby spy Mr Tomkins sleeping with much comforte, |