“It should be mentioned, to the honour of the Court of Chancery, that late in the sixteenth and early in the seventeenth century, its powers were exerted against the exaction of those cruel laws by which the Church of England was allowed to persecute men who differed from its own views.”—See Lord Campbell’s Chancellors, vol. ii.
Liberty of Conscience.
The principle of perfect respect for Liberty of Conscience is the last, the hardest, the most precious conquest of humanity over itself. On its maintenance depends the only real assurance which the world can have even of revealed truth; for where would be the assurance even of revealed truth in a world of mental slaves? England seems chosen as the guardian of liberty of conscience in Europe at the present time. To guard it faithfully is her best tribute to Heaven—her best title to the respect of all that is good and noble in the world. That she has guarded it well will be her glorious epitaph, when, in the revolutions of empire, her power and wealth shall have become a legend of the past. Distance and climate do not change principle. The conscience of the Hindoo is conscience, however clouded, though declaimers may pretend that good is evil and evil good, by the law of the prophet and the institutes of Menu. If it were not so, it would be vain to offer him a purer religion, for he would be incapable of seeing that our religion is purer than his own. Double, treble the number of your missionaries and your bishops. Speed in every way the apostolic work of Christian love. But the sword is forbidden; and not only the sword, but every influence that can compel or induce the heathen to offer to the God of Truth the unholy tribute of a hypocritical profession—the unclean sacrifice of a lie.—Saturday Review.
Awful Judgments.
There cannot be a more impious abuse of the authority of the name of God than its employment in solemn asseveration of the truth of that which the utterer knows to be a lie. Such wickedness has been marked with divine vengeance; and Dr. Watts has sought to impress this fact upon the minds of children, in one of his “Divine Songs,” telling us how
Caught with a lie upon his tongue.
An instance of this heinous sin is recorded upon the Market-cross at Devizes, in Wiltshire, in these words:—
“The Mayor and Corporation of Devizes avail themselves of the stability of this building, to transmit to future time, the record of an awful event, which occurred in this market-place in the year 1753; hoping that such record may serve as a salutary warning against the danger of impiously invoking Divine vengeance, or of calling on the holy name of God to conceal the devices of falsehood and fraud.
“On Thursday, the 25th of January, 1753, Ruth Pierce, of Potterne, in this county, agreed with three other women to buy a sack of wheat in the market, each paying her due proportion towards the same; one of these women, in collecting the several quotas of money, discovered a deficiency, and demanded of Ruth Pierce the sum which was wanting to make good the amount; Ruth Pierce protested that she had paid her share, and said, She wished she might drop down dead, if she had not. She rashly repeated this awful wish, when, to the consternation and terror of the surrounding multitude, she instantly fell down, and expired, having the money concealed in her hand.”
It is not long since, in one of the parish churches of Canterbury, the officiating minister alluded to an awful instance of the interposition of the Almighty, which was presented a few miles from the above city. A woman who was accused of theft positively denied it, and in her protestations solemnly appealed to God in testification of her innocence, and wished she might be struck dead if guilty. She had no sooner used the expression than she fell a lifeless corpse. The articles imputed to her as having been stolen were afterwards found in her house.
Christian Education.
If we look to the nature of the human mind itself, if we consider its longings, how comprehensive is its range, how great its capabilities, how little its best and highest faculties are satisfied with the objects that are placed before us upon earth, how many marks this dispensation bears of being a temporary, and, as it were, an initiatory dispensation, is it not monstrous to pretend that we are giving to the human being such a cultivation as befits his nature and his destiny, when we put out of sight all the higher and more permanent purposes for which he lives, and confine our provision to matters which, however valuable (and valuable they are in their own place), yet of themselves bear only upon earthly ends? Is it not a fraud upon ourselves and our fellow-creatures? is it not playing and paltering with words? is it not giving stones to those who ask for bread, if, when man, so endowed as he is, and with such high necessities, demands of his fellow-men that he may be rightly trained, we impart to him, under the name of an adequate education, that which has no reference to his most essential capacities and wants, and which limits the immortal creature to objects that perish in the use?—W. E. Gladstone.
On the whole subject of National Education, how enlarged and liberal are the views taken by the Bishop of Oxford, in one of his recent Sermons. “Our National Education is at this moment surrounded by many difficulties. Among the chief of these are those which spring from the relations of our Church and State. There is no use in disguising from ourselves the fact that these questions exist, and some of them press for settlement. I believe it to be the more manly and the more Christian way freely to admit their existence, and to lend our aid with all honesty in working out their true solution. We cannot, of course, concede one of our principles. We must teach the truth as we have received it—whole, unmixed, uncompromised. But this point secured, whatever we can do we ought to do, by a kindly regard to the feelings of others, by an allowable co-operation and all lawful concession, to loose the hard knot which discord has tied, and unite the hearts of this people in the mighty work of educating its youth to do good service to our God, and to maintain truth and righteousness throughout his world.”
The Book of Psalms.
On the Psalms, that inexhaustible treasury of divine wisdom and prophetic inspiration, Hooker asks:
“What is there necessary for man to know which the Psalms are not able to teach? They are to beginners an easy and familiar introduction—a mighty augmentation of all virtue and knowledge; in such as are entered before, a strong confirmation to the most perfect amongst others. Heroical magnanimity, exquisite justice, grave moderation, exact wisdom, repentance unfeigned, unwearied patience, the mysteries of God, the sufferings of Christ, the terrors of wrath, the comforts of grace, the works of Providence over this world, and the promised joy of the world which is to come, all good necessarily to be either known, or done, or had—this one celestial fountain yieldeth. Let there be any grief or disease incident to the soul of man—any wound or sickness named, for which there is not in this treasure-house a present comfortable remedy at all times ready to be found.”
With what satisfaction the pious Bishop Horne composed his Commentary on these sacred lyrics of the Sweet Singer of Israel, may be judged from the following passage from the Commentator’s Preface:
“Could the author flatter himself that any one would have the pleasure in reading the following exposition which he hath had in writing it, he would not fear the loss of his labour. The employment detached him from the bustle and hurry of life, the din of politics, and the noise of folly. Vanity and vexation flew away for a season; care and disquietude came not near his dwelling. He arose fresh as the morning to his task; the silence of the night invited him to pursue it; and he can truly say that food and rest were not preferred before it. Every Psalm improved infinitely on his acquaintance with it, and no one gave him uneasiness but the last; for then he grieved that his work was done. Happier hours than those which have been spent in these meditations on the Songs of Sion, he never expects to see in this world. Very pleasantly did they pass, and move smoothly and swiftly along; for when thus engaged, he counted no time. They are gone, but have left a relish and a fragrance on the mind, and the remembrance of them is sweet.”
Elsewhere the Bishop thus characterizes the Psalms:
“Calculated alike to profit and to please, they inform the understanding, elevate the affections, and entertain the imagination. Indited under the influence of Him to whom all hearts are known, and all events foreknown, they suit mankind in all situations; grateful as the manna which descended from above, and conformed itself to every palate. The fairest productions of human wit, after a few perusals, like gathered flowers, wither in our hands and lose their fragrancy; but these unfading plants of Paradise become, as we are accustomed to them, still more and more beautiful. Their bloom appears to be daily heightened; fresh odours are emitted and new sweets extracted from them. He who hath once tasted their excellences will desire to taste them yet again; and he who tastes them oftenest will relish them best.”
The pure and sweet feeling with which this excellent prelate dwells on his past labours, if labours they can be called, could scarcely have been greater, had he foreseen the immense circulation which his work enjoys, and the universal esteem in which it is held.
A more recent Commentator concludes his remarks on the last Psalm with these touching words: “I shall never again so dwell upon them on earth. My God! prepare me for heaven, and for joining there in the songs of the redeemed in the high services of eternity.”
The Book of Job.
Diversified are the opinions of the most learned critics concerning the author of the Book of Job, the period at which it was written, in what part of the world the events there recorded occurred; and, though last not the least difficult and perplexing, whether the whole composition may not be regarded rather as allegorical than natural and true. Dr. Mason Good observes of this poem, in his Introductory Dissertation on the Book of Job:—
“It is the most extraordinary composition of any age or country, and has an equal claim to the attention of the theologian, the scholar, the antiquary, and the zoologist—to the man of taste, of genius, and of religion. Amidst the books of the Bible it stands alone, and though its sacred character is sufficiently attested both by the Jewish and Christian Scriptures, it is isolated in its language, in its manner, and in its matter. Nothing can be purer than its morality, nothing sublimer than its philosophy, nothing simpler than its ritual, nothing more majestic than its creed.”
Perhaps all our readers may not be aware that, with the exception of the first two chapters and the last ten verses, the book is poetic—it is everywhere reducible to the hemistich form; but whether it is to be considered as dramatic or epic has not been determined. That Moses was the author of this sublime composition seems now almost universally agreed upon by learned commentators. The work itself, moreover, possesses internal evidence to the truth of this statement, many parts of it harmonizing with his acknowledged writings. Dr. Mason Good contends that—
“In his style the author appears to have been equally master of the simple and the sublime—to have been minutely and elaborately acquainted with the astronomy, natural history, and general science of his age—to have been a Hebrew by birth and native language, and an Arabian by long residence and local study; and finally, that he must have flourished and composed the work before the Egyptian Exody. Now it is obvious that every one of these features is consummated in Moses, and in Moses alone; and that the whole of them gives us his complete lineaments and character; whence there can be no longer any difficulty in determining as to the real author of the poem. Instructed in all the learning of Egypt, it appears little doubtful that he composed it during some part of his forty years’ residence with the hospitable Jethro, in that district of Idumæa which was named Midian.”
Against the supposition that Moses was the author of the Book of Job, it has been alleged that the word “Jehovah” frequently occurs in it—a word which was first revealed to Moses by the Almighty, preparatory to his undertaking the deliverance of the Hebrew nation. But, although we are told that this term was communicated to Moses for the first time in Exodus vi. 3, we yet find it used nearly thirty times in the Book of Genesis; we may, therefore, with Dr. Mason Good, suppose that he was in possession of this name long before the promulgation of this poem; and the novelty of the communication might have induced him at once to exchange whatever term he had antecedently employed for this new and consecrated term.
It seems now to be universally agreed upon that the land of Arabia Petræa, on the south-western coast of the lake Asphaltites, in a line between Egypt and Philistia, surrounded by Kedar, Teman, and Midian, all of which are districts of Arabia Petræa, situated in Idumæa, is the land of Edom or Esau. With regard to the supposition of some learned authors, that the book is wholly allegorical, Dr. Chalmers does not concur in such a conjecture. He appears to have thoroughly studied the arguments both for and against such a theory, and to have decided against it. He is conclusively of opinion that Job was a real character, and that the history recorded of him is a statement of facts. “There is,” says our author, “a very distinct scriptural testimony for the inspiration of his book in 1 Cor. iii. 19.”
Uz, where Job lived, was Edom. “We disclaim,” says Dr. Chalmers, “all consent to this being an allegorical and not a literal history; and we found our disclaimer on the subsequent references in the Bible to Job as to a real personage; as in James, v. 11, and still more in Ezekiel xiv. 14-20, where he is ranked with Noah and Daniel, whose reality no one doubts. Would the prophet have thus mixed a fictitious with real and historical characters?”
It is also worthy of remark, that the history of Job, although much altered from the original, is still well known among the Asiatics. Though our author does not consider Job’s history, as a whole, as being allegorical, yet he thinks the transcendental or supernatural parts of it may be so; and he compares these passages with those in 1 Kings xxii. 19; Zech. iii. 1; and Rev. xii., all of them representations more or less resembling similar ones in Job.—Times journal.
APPENDIX.
Great Precedence Question.
The great question relative to precedence which agitated the cities of Dublin and Edinburgh in 1863, arose at the presentation of addresses to the Queen at Windsor by the respective corporations of those two cities, on the occasion of the marriage of the Prince of Wales, when the corporation of Dublin was given precedence, under protest on the part of the corporation of Edinburgh.
The question was subsequently referred to the chief Irish heraldic authority, the Ulster King of Arms, Sir Bernard Burke, LL.D., and the report which Ulster thereupon wrote was ordered by the House of Commons to be printed. Ulster begins by stating that
“The claim of Edinburgh to the higher precedence is made to rest on the following reasons:—1. The Scottish Act of Union being earlier in date than the Irish Act of Union. 2. The arms of Scotland being quartered in the royal shield before the arms of Ireland. 3. By the Acts of Union of Scotland and Ireland, the Peers of Scotland taking rank before the Peers of Ireland.”
However, “Dublin founds its claim to precedence on broader and more intelligible grounds; viz.—1. Prescriptive right of Dublin as second city in the dominion of England from the reign of King Henry II., a right unaffected in any way by the Acts of Union. 2. Greater antiquity of the city of Dublin. 3. Greater antiquity of the charters of incorporation of the city of Dublin. 4. Seat of Government and the Viceroyalty being still retained in Dublin. 5. Greater and more dignified privileges of the corporation of Dublin.”
Ulster then shows that the quartering of the royal arms, which were capriciously varied at different periods, proves nothing in favour of Edinburgh; and that, by her Act of Union, Scotland was amalgamated with England as Great Britain; while Ireland, though united, preserved in her union a quasi separate position, being still a viceroyalty, with a vice-king and court, having their capital in Dublin.
He concludes by urging that, from the Lord Mayor and Corporation of Dublin being privileged to present their addresses to the Sovereign on the throne at St. James’s, Edinburgh not having that privilege,—and from the immense antiquity of the city of Dublin, Dublin is clearly entitled to precedence.
Sir George Grey transmitted this report of Ulster to Garter-King-of-Arms, Sir Charles Young, D.C.L., F.S.A.; Garter gave an opinion, which was also ordered by the House of Commons to be printed. Garter, in his opinion, inclines in favour of Edinburgh, on the grounds—1st, That Scotland occupies the second quarter in the royal shield; 2nd, that England itself became on the accession of James I. an “appanage of the Scottish crown;” 3rd, that as the peers of Scotland were given special precedence by the Irish Act of Union, all other precedence followed “by analogy;” and 4th, that the Mayor of Dublin was not “Lord” Mayor till 1665, while Maitland avers that the style of “Lord” Provost was enjoyed by the chief magistrate of Edinburgh in 1609.
A remark of Sir George Grey’s in the House of Commons, wrongly reported, led to the belief that this opinion of Garter was to decide the question. But, on the contrary, the discussion was continued.
Ulster gave, in reply to Garter, a second opinion, which was ordered by the House of Commons to be printed. In his further observations Ulster commences by saying: “The point at issue is not a question of nationalities, or of the relative superiority of Ireland over Scotland, or Scotland over Ireland. That question, a very invidious one, is not now raised, and will, I trust, never be: the only result which could arise from such a discussion would be to wound the feelings and love of country of one or other of two very sensitive peoples.... The only question to be determined is simply which of the two corporations has the higher precedence?—a right to be determined by municipal charters, royal grants, and other legal evidence.” Ulster then still insists on the far longer existence of Dublin. He repudiates the idea altogether that England was an “appanage” of Scotland, any more than France was an appanage of Navarre, when Henry IV., King of the latter country, inherited the crown of France. Appanage has not that meaning. Garter is wrong as to the date of the Mayor of Dublin being “Lord” Mayor in 1665: he was made so by Charles I. 29th July, 1642, while the Provost was not “Lord” Provost till 1667. Ulster concludes for Dublin, on the greater antiquity of Dublin’s charters over those of Edinburgh, on it being contrary to all law to construe acts of Parliament “by analogy,” and on the undoubted fact, that George IV. conferred in 1821 on Dublin, which Sir Robert Peel emphatically styled “the second city of the Empire,” the exclusive (except as to the city of London) honour of presenting addresses to the Sovereign on the throne at Windsor or St. James’s.
With these observations of Ulster the question rests in abeyance.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Douglas Jerrold.
[2] This paper relates to the Invasion Tactics, as illustrated by Sir John Burgoyne: the Paper at page 21-24 refers to the project of Napoleon I.
[3] We have now learned from Mr. Motley’s researches to estimate more correctly the worth of the army at Tilbury. “There were,” he says (History of the United Netherlands, vol. ii. p. 515 et seq.), “patriotism, loyalty, courage, and enthusiasm in abundance;” but “there were no fortresses, no regular army, no population trained to any weapon.” “On the 5th of August no army had been assembled—not even the bodyguard of the Queen—and Leicester, with 4000 men, unprovided with a barrel of beer or a loaf of bread, was about commencing his entrenched camp at Tilbury. On the 6th of August the Armada was in Calais Roads, expecting Alexander Farnese to lead his troops upon London.” Good fortune and gallant sailors saved us from this calamity; but the undisciplined mob which was assembled under an incompetent commander on shore would have done little to avert it; and we have in this case a sufficient proof of the difficulty of improvising an army in an interval of “diplomatic correspondence.”—Quarterly Review, No. 223.
[4] In the Itinerarium ad Windsor.
[5] The Statutes were inscribed in Latin to the time of Edward I. (1272); in Norman-French to about the time of Richard III. (1483); and subsequently in the English language.
[6] Selected and condensed from the Times, June 13, 1863.
[7] See Things not generally Known, First Series, pp. 120-121. Popular Errors Explained, p. 207.
[8] In some cases where parties had been married at Gretna, the marriage used to be repeated, as soon as they returned to England, in a church.
[9] In 1815 the number of marriages celebrated at Gretna was stated in Brewster’s Edinburgh Encyclopædia, at 65, which produced about 1000l. at the rate of fifteen guineas each: Murray, however, charged as low a fee as sixpence each.
[10] For the details of these successful steps for the abolition of the Gretna Green marriages, the writer is indebted to the obliging courtesy of a Correspondent who took an active part in the measure.
[11] This Treasury Minute of July 16, 1861, directs that the superintendents and inspectors of police shall be authorized to receive treasure-trove from the finders, and shall transmit it to the Solicitor of the Treasury, who will ascertain at the Mint the real intrinsic or metallic value of the treasure, and the amount will then be remitted to the finder. Cases will no doubt occur in which rare and valuable coins will be disposed of at a higher price than their bullion value, but they will then find their way into some collection, either public or private, and will not be melted down. It should be generally known that treasure-trove is not claimed peremptorily by the Crown, nor is there any occasion for the finder to sell it to the nearest silversmith under the apprehension that it would have to be given up without compensation.
[12] It is now shown to be 91,328,600 miles.
[13] Abridged (with interpolations) from a communication to the Illustrated London News, 1857.
[14] There are two distinct theories respecting the formation of coal, though all agree that it is of vegetable origin. This is proved by the trees and plants found in the substance of coal, by the vegetable remains imbedded in the accompanying strata, and by microscopical examination. The plants most abundant are ferns, some of which were of gigantic size. These are supposed to have composed two-thirds of the mass of most coal. Large trees are sometimes discovered growing upright in the shale that lies beneath and above a seam of coal. The vegetation from which coal has been formed, according to the views of some geologists, grew on the places where it is found, and they consider it to have been composed of decayed beds of peat which grew in succession one over the other, and that by the compression of the whole, when submerged, and by the accompanying action of heat, these vegetable beds were converted into coal. Other geologists imagine that it was produced by the accumulation of drift wood brought down by great rivers, similar to the present accumulation of drift wood on the coast of Mexico brought down by the great American rivers. There are geological facts adduced in support of both theories. Ireland presents the remarkable geological feature of an immense area of carboniferous rocks without coal, that valuable portion of the deposit having, it is supposed, been swept away by some of the denudations to which the surface of the globe has been exposed in the early periods of its history.—Prof. Morris.
[15] This and the other abstracts in the present section by Prof. George Wilson, are from a valuable paper by that able writer, on the Physical Sciences which form the Basis of Technology.
[16] Described and illustrated in Things not generally Known. First Series.
[17] Herschel’s Outlines of Astronomy.
[18] What would the old Scotchman of the following anecdote say to such an age?—Sir Alexander Ramsay had been constructing upon his estate in Scotland, a piece of machinery, which was driven by a stream of water running through the home farm-yard. There were a thrashing machine, a winnowing machine, a circular saw for splitting trees, and other contrivances. Observing an old man, who had long been about the place, looking very attentively at all that was going on, Sir Alexander said, “Wonderful things people can do now, Robby?” “Ay,” said Robby, “indud, Sir Alexander; I’m thinking if Solomon was alive now, he’d be thought naething o’!”—Dean Ramsay.
[19] In a book published in 1679, we find these cautions on Gold and Silver Wares:—“Can you imagine that although the buyer perceive not the deceit at first, when the work is newly sold and cunningly set off with all your skill, that he will not perceive it in the wearing like brass or copper, and when sold again be allowed but 3s. or 3s. 6d. the ounce for the silver, and but 2l. 10s. or 3l. the ounce for the gold, when he paid 5s. the ounce for the silver, and 4l. the ounce for the gold, besides the fashion? You may be sure he will not only repent the dealing with you, but publicly say you are a very cheating knave; and say also, ‘Who would buy such sort of works, wherein is so much deceit, but rather use any other thing instead thereof?’ And thus the people are discouraged to buy your works, and your trade decays, while you vainly think to treble your profit, but instead thereof lose your trade. When otherwise, if your gold and silver works be of standard goodness, your customers will say, ’Tis as good as money in their pockets, weight for weight; and that they know what they paid for the fashion, which is all the loss they shall be at, and the work wears creditable; and they will not repent of their bargain, but publicly commend it, whereby others will be encouraged to buy such works, and so your trade increases.”
[20] Many years since, the writer heard Sir Lucas Pepys, (some time President of the College of Physicians,) inquire of a druggist at Dorking what use he could possibly make of the many drugs in his shop; “for,” added Sir Lucas, “I have only used five or six articles in all my practice.”—J. T.
[21] Liebig: Letters on Chemistry, p. 28.
[22] The Bishop has elsewhere observed, with respect to what he terms “the prescriptive rights of the Church,” that, “there always must be subjects upon which good men, from the mere natural law of the mind contemplating one side of a subject with greater interest than another, will arrive at different conclusions.”
[23] See Times, May 2nd and 5th, 1863.
And having view’d the order of the skies,
Think (if thou canst) that matter blindly hurl’d
Without a guide, should frame this wondrous world.”
Creech.
[25] In Blackfriars: originally the Palace of Bridewell, and subsequently a House of Correction.
[26] See the beautiful poem entitled, “Intimations of Immortality.”
INDEX.
- Accidents on Railways, 200.
- Accommodation Bill, never sign, 168.
- Adams, President, Ancestry of, 18.
- Advocate, Payment of, 109.
- Age of the People, 233.
- Air, Fresh, Worth of, 241.
- America, Discovery of, 79.
- Ancestors of Washington, 16.
- Ancestry of President Adams, 18.
- Anti-Corn Law League, Origin of, 37.
- Appellate Jurisdiction of the House of Lords, 108.
- Archæology and Manufactures, 229.
- Aristocracy, the word, 99.
- Armstrong, Sir W., on “Seeds of Invention,” 176.
- Arrest of the Body after Death, 133.
- Art, Good and Cheap, 230.
- Arts, False, advancing True, 247.
- Astronomy, Limitations of, 213.
- Atheism, Folly of, 276.
- Attorney, do not make your Son, 108.
- Augustine, St., Mission of, 77.
- Bacon, Roger, Science of, 173.
- Balloon Ascents, High Temperatures in, 218.
- Bank Failures, Losses by, 165.
- Bar, Success at, Secret of, 107.
- Barometer for Farmers, 222.
- Baronetcy, Expense of, 97.
- Bayonet, History of the, 228.
- Benefit of Clergy, 116.
- Bidder, Mr. George, C.E., 146.
- Blindness, on, 235.
- Bonaparte, the House of, 20.
- Border Marriages, 120.
- Bowyer, Sir George, on Public Executions, 143, 144.
- Brain Disease, Dr. Forbes Winslow on, 257.
- Brass, Antiquity of, 191.
- Bridewell of the City of London, 135.
- Britain, Great, on the World’s Map, 80.
- Britain, Roman Civilization of, 61.
- Brodie, Sir B., on Mind and Organization, 253.
- Brunswick, House of, and Casting Vote, 78.
- Burial of Sir John Moore, 15.
- Burying Gold and Silver, 155.
- Calculation, Mental, Precocious, 146.
- Cambridge Man, 76.
- Cancer, Remedies for, 245.
- Catholic Emancipation and Sir Robert Peel, 53.
- Castlereagh, Lord, at the Congress of Vienna, 33.
- Cato-street Conspiracy, the, 34.
- Cavour’s Estimate of Napoleon III., 51.
- Celtes, what are they? 60.
- Centre of the Earth, 206.
- Change of Surname, 102.
- Changes, a few of the World’s, 55.
- Chartists, the, in 1848, 41.
- Christmas, Past and Present, 266.
- Church, Compulsory Attendance at, 117.
- Civilization, the Lowest, 67.
- Civilization, true Source of, 66.
- Crown, the Imperial State, 93.
- Coal-mine, deepest in England, 188.
- Coal Resources, our, 185-189.
- Coal, Theory of, 185.
- Coburg, House of, 53.
- Cockfighting, Law against, 136.
- Coin, Counterfeit, 161.
- Coinage, Wear and Tear of, 161.
- Coleridge, Sir John, on Trial by Jury, 112.
- Colonial Empire, British, 82.
- Comfort, what is it? 69.
- Common Law, 104.
- Concrete not new, 190.
- Congregational Church, First in England, 276.
- Conscience, Liberty of, 281.
- Conscience, the National, 11.
- Consumption not hopeless, 238.
- Convicts, What is to be done with our, 138.
- Cooling of the Earth, 207.
- Copper-sheathing Ships’ bottoms, 190.
- Copper-smelting, 191.
- Copyright, the Law of, 124.
- Correlation of Physical Forces, 180.
- Coup d’Etat Predictions, 44.
- Cross, Mark of the, 118.
- Crowns, English, 93.
- Curiosities of the Exchequer, 151.
- Curiosities of the Statute Law, 105.
- “Custom, the Queen of the World,” 74.
- Death-bed of the Doubting, 269.
- Death-Warrants, 140.
- Deodands, Law of, 132.
- Despot deceived, 66.
- Deville, the Phrenologist, 254.
- Diamond, Brilliancy of, 191.
- “Dieu et mon Droit,” 91.
- Distances measured, 149.
- Discoverers, not Inventors, 172.
- Doubt, our Age of, 270.
- Doubt about Religion, 267.
- Druids, and their Healing Art, 245.
- Earth, Cooling of the, 207.
- Earth and Man compared, 206.
- Earth, how it was peopled, 57.
- Earth, Centre of the, 206.
- Earth, Distance of, from the Sun, 215.
- Earth’s Surface, Inequalities of, 210.
- Earth, why presumed to be Solid, 206.
- Education, Christian, 283.
- Egyptology, what is it? 271.
- Eloquence of the Day, 6.
- Employment, giving, 168.
- Enamel, French, 232.
- Enghien, the Duke of, 24.
- English People, the, 84.
- English, what they owe to Naturalized Foreigners, 203.
- Evidence, what is it? 110.
- Exchequer, Curiosities of, 151.
- Executions, Public, 142.
- Feasts, Moveable, 266.
- Fees, Ecclesiastical, 153.
- Field-Marshal, the rank, 101.
- Fitzroy, Admiral, on the Weather, 218.
- Flint, use of, in Pottery, 197.
- Foot, the Roman, 147.
- “Fourth Estate, the,” 5.
- Fractured Leg, how restored, 246.
- Freedom, Love of, 65.
- Free-speaking, Whately on, 9.
- French Emperorship, Revival of, 43.
- Friendly Societies’ Laws, 166.
- Game Laws, the, 139.
- Gardens, Law of, 131.
- Gavelkind Customs, 126.
- Geology, Revelations of, 58.
- George III., what drove him mad, 27.
- Gibbet, the Last in England, 141.
- Glory of the Past, 72.
- Gold and Silver, burying, 155-157.
- Gold seeking, Results of, 157.
- Gold, Standard, 162.
- “Great Events from Little Causes spring,” 76.
- Gretna Green Marriages, 120.
- Growth, Geological, 204.
- Guilds, Ancient and Modern Benefit Clubs, 75.
- Gunpowder, Philosophy of, 192.
- Gustavus III. of Sweden, 38.
- Hair suddenly changing Colour, 237.
- Half-mad, the, 258.
- Hands, why do we shake? 67.
- Head, Sir F., on Public Executions, 142.
- Hearing, Sense of, 234.
- Heart, the Human, 234.
- Heat and Motion, Identity of, 208.
- Heat, Universal Source of, 209.
- Heir to the British Throne always in Opposition, 4.
- Heralds’ College, 86.
- Heraldry, Worth of, 85.
- Hoarding Money, 157.
- Holding over after Lease, 125.
- Hop Duty, Abolition of, 125.
- Horse-power, calculation of, 198.
- Horses, Value of, 166.
- Icebergs and the Weather, 223.
- Ignorance and Irresponsibility, 137.
- Imitative Gold Chains, 232.
- Imperial State Crown, the, 93.
- “Implements in the Drift,” 205.
- “In the Beginning,” 279.
- Innate Ideas and Pre-existence of Souls, 277.
- Insanity, Causes of, 256.
- Insurance, Origin of, 163.
- Insurance Policies, 130.
- Invasion of England, 47.
- Invasion of England projected by Napoleon I., 21.
- Invasions and Railways, 202.
- Inventions and Discoveries, contemporary, 227.
- Irish, the, and Potatoes, 81.
- Irish-speaking Population, 81.
- Irish Titles of Honour, 87.
- Irish Union, the, 19.
- Iron as a Building Material, 189.
- Jerusalem and Nimroud, 272.
- Jewellery, Imitative, 231.
- Job, the Book of, 285.
- Judge’s Black Cap, origin of, 141.
- Judgments, Awful, 282.
- Jurors, Attendance of, 113.
- Justice, Cupar and Jedburgh, 138.
- Jury, Trial by, 111.
- King’s-Book, the, 116.
- King and Queen, 89.
- Knighthood, Expense of, 97.
- Law, Statute and Common, 104.
- Legal Hints, 129.
- Legitimacy and Government, 5.
- Lenses, Burning, 182.
- Leonard’s, St., Lord, his Handy-Book, 129.
- Leopold, King of the Belgians, 54.
- Libel, the Law of, 113.
- Libel, Propagation of, 115.
- Liberty of Conscience, 281.
- Life, Periods and Conditions of, 233.
- Life, Uncertainty of, 262.
- Life, What do we know of it, 70.
- Light, Velocity of, how measured, 216.
- Lightning, Death by, 226.
- Lightning, Force of, 226.
- Lime, Phosphate of, what is it? 194.
- London, Ancient and Modern, 81.
- London, the See of, 96.
- Loot, derivation of, 229.
- Lottery, the First, 160.
- Louis Philippe, Fall of, 40.
- Lucifer Match, Safety, 195.
- Luxury, what is it? 70.
- Machiavelism, 9.
- Majesty, title of, 90.
- Marriage Fines, 119.
- Marriage Law of England, 118.
- Marriage, Solemnization of, 123.
- Marriages, Irregular, 120.
- Martyrs, Religious, Last, in England, 281.
- May Fair Marriages, 120.
- Mechanical Arts, the, 178.
- Mechanical Effects, Imposing, 197.
- Medicine, brief History of, 248.
- Medicine, what has Science done for it? 249.
- Melbourne, Lord, Statesmanship of, 44.
- Metals, Precious, What becomes of, 158.
- Meteorological Observations, Value of, 218.
- Methylated Spirit, 193.
- Militia, what it can do, 48.
- Mind and Organization, Relations of, 253.
- Mineralogy, Uses of, 185.
- Mining, Vicissitudes of, 183-185.
- Ministries, Whig and Tory, 2.
- Money, Interest of, 162, 163.
- Money Panic of 1832, 36.
- Moonlight and Blindness, 227.
- Moonlight, Effect of, on Vegetation, 227.
- Moore, Sir John, Burial of, 15.
- Moveable Feasts, 266.
- Mutiny at the Nore, 52.
- Napoleon I., Downfal of, predicted, 29.
- Napoleon III., Estimate of, by Count Cavour, 51.
- Napoleon III., early Life of, 43.
- “Nation of Shopkeepers,” 12.
- National Conscience, 11.
- Nature’s Ventilation, 240.
- Naval Heroes, 50.
- Northwick, Lord, his Pictures, 133.
- Numbers descriptive of Distance, 146.
- Observance, Ungraceful, 45.
- Oil, Effect of, in stilling Waves, 180.
- Opinion, Popular, Worth of, 8.
- Over-Speculation, 165.
- Oxford, Bishop of, on Rationalism, 273.
- Oxford, Bishop of, on Religious Doubt, 267-270.
- Oxford Man and Cambridge Man, 75.
- Pardon, Queen’s, 140.
- Parliament, Placemen in, 99.
- Parliament, Precedence in, 99.
- Parliament, Seats in, sold, 99.
- Parliament, Speakers of, 10.
- Partition of Poland, 46.
- Past, the Guide for the Present, 79.
- Patents, Object of, 177.
- Patriot, the truest, the greatest Hero, 71.
- Peace Statesmanship, 15.
- Pear-flavouring, New, 192.
- Peel, Sir Robert, and Catholic Emancipation, 53.
- Peers, New, 100.
- Pensions, Noteworthy, 56.
- Perfumes, Nature of, 239.
- Perspective, what is it? 181.
- Philosopher and Historian, the, 1.
- Philosophers, the old, 71.
- Physic, Element of, in Medical Practice, 250.
- Physician, the best, 260.
- Physicians’ Fees, 251.
- Pillory, the, in England, 139.
- Pitt, Mr., Last Moments of, 25.
- Pitting in Small-pox prevented, 251.
- Poisoning, Remedy for, 259.
- Poland, the Partition of, 46.
- Political Cunning, 100.
- Politics not yet a Science, 1.
- Popular Opinion, Worth of, 8.
- Potatoes the national food of the Irish, 81.
- Pottery, Manufacture of, 196.
- Precedence of Dublin and Edinburgh, 287.
- Preferment, Church, 15.
- Press, Power of the, 6.
- Press, Writing for the, 6.
- Principal and Agent, 129.
- Protectionist Party, 4.
- Psalms, the Book of, 283.
- Punishment, Baron Alderson on, 145.
- Queen Anne’s Bounty, 154.
- Queen’s Messengers, 95.
- Queen’s Serjeants, Queen’s Counsel, and Serjeants-at-Law, 107.
- Queen, Presents and Letters to, 95.
- Queen’s State Crown, 93.
- Quietus and Bodkin, 153.
- Quipus, the Peruvian, 148.
- Railway Accidents, 200.
- Railway, Social Effect of the, 200.
- Railways, British, and Roman Roads, 62.
- Railways and Invasions, 202.
- Rain, and St. Swithun, 224.
- Rainfall in London, 225.
- Rainy Saints’ Days, 225.
- Rationalism, what is it? 273.
- Rats and Ratting, Political, 4.
- Recreations of the People, 244.
- Rector, Induction of, 115.
- Religion, Doubt about, 267-270.
- Religious Forebodings, 275.
- Rent, Origin of, 150.
- Republic, Worth of a, 14.
- Revenue, Public, what becomes of, 153.
- Revolutions, Great Sufferer by, 37.
- Revolutions, Results of, 13.
- Roman Civilization of Britain, 61.
- Roman Roads and British Railways, 62.
- Russell Family, the, 100.
- Russia, how bound to Germany, 50.
- Sabbath for Professional Men, 278.
- “Safe Men” for Office, 14.
- Safety Match, the, 195.
- Salutation, Various Modes of, 68.
- “Sangrado, Dr.,” original of, 247.
- Sanitary Hints, 242.
- Saxons, Domestic Life of, 64.
- Sceptics, Hint to, 271.
- Science, the One, 174.
- Science, Practical, 178.
- Science, Social, Changes in, 171.
- Science, what has it accomplished? 171.
- Scotch Thistle, 88.
- Sea, Chemistry of, 212.
- Seas, Heavy, and Large Vessels, 199.
- Sea, its Perils, 213.
- “Seeds of Invention,” 176.
- “Seeing is believing,” 255.
- Servants’ Characters, 131.
- Shamrock, the, 87.
- Ships, Sheathing with Copper, 190.
- Shorthand Writers, 7.
- Shyness, how it spoils Enjoyment, 73.
- Sky, Beauty of the, 217.
- Sky, Blue Colour of, 216.
- Sleeping and Dreaming, 236.
- Sleeping, Position in, 237.
- Souls, Pre-existence of, 277.
- Sovereign, Coinage of, 160.
- Speakers of the Houses of Parliament, 10.
- Special Pleading, what was it? 110.
- Spectacles, How to wear, 183.
- Spirit, Methylated, 193.
- Spontaneous Generation, 181.
- “Star-spangled Banner” of the United States, 18.
- Statute Law, 104.
- Steam-boat, the First, 198.
- Stereoscope, the, 182.
- Stockbrokers, 164.
- Stone Age, the, 59, 205.
- Storm Glass, 223.
- Sudden Deaths, various, 262-265.
- Suicides, Motives for, 259.
- Sun-force, on, 175.
- Sun, Distance of, from the Earth, 215.
- Surgery, Improved, 246.
- Surname, Change of, 102.
- Swithun, St., his true history, 224.
- Tally, antiquity of the, 152.
- Teeth, Care of the, 234.
- Telegram, Origin of, 229.
- Theology, what is it? 274.
- Theory and Practice, 177.
- Thistle, the Scotch, 88.
- Ticket-of-Leave Men, 137.
- Tory Ministry, 2.
- Town and Country Air, 243.
- Treasure-Trove, Usage of, 126-129.
- Trial, what is it? 111.
- Trial by Jury, 111.
- Tribute-money, 159.
- Trinity High-Water Mark, 150.
- Underneath the Skin, 253.
- Union, the Irish, 19.
- Union-Jack, the, 101.
- Utter-Barristers, 109.
- Ventilation, Artificial, 241.
- Victoria, 92.
- Vienna Congress, Lord Castlereagh at, 33.
- Vitiating a Sale, 130.
- Votes, memorable, 78.
- Wages heightened by Machinery, 167.
- Wales, Prince of, his Plume and Motto, 91.
- Wars by trivial Causes, 77.
- Washington, Ancestors of, 16.
- Water, Running Force of, 180.
- Waterloo, Battle of, 31, 32.
- Waterloo, Prince of, 96.
- Watt and Telford compared, 177.
- “We,” the Royal, 90.
- Weather Signs, various, 220-222.
- Weights and Measures, Uniformity of, 149.
- Wellington’s Defence of the Waterloo Campaign, 32.
- Wellington’s Military Administration, 38.
- Wellington predicts the Peninsular Campaign, 30.
- Whig and Tory Ministries, 2.
- Whiteboys, 49.
- Wild Oats, 73.
- Will, Duty of Making, 133.
- Will, Don’t make your own, 134.
- Wills, making of, 170.
- Wills, a Year’s, 169.
- Wood, how long will it last? 194.
- Wood, what is it? 194.
- Wounds, Compensation for, 260.
- Wounds, New Remedy for, 260.
- Yellow Fever, Cure for, 240.