Astronomy, Time, Piety, Wonder, Biblical Authority, Prognostication,
Religious Authority
Reflects on the passage of time and on the 'wonders displayed in the
formation of the planetary world'. Reports that, according to
Flavius
JosephusJosephus, Flavius
(c. 37–c. 100)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>, 'longevity was bestowed upon Adam and his posterity for
the express purpose of improving the sciences of geometry and astronomy'.
Reporting the recent observation of a comet, the writer observes: 'Some persons
imagine that Comets are the forerunners of greatcalamities or evils'. (3) A
postscript records that
Galileo
GalileiGalilei, Galileo
(1564–1642)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> died on 8 January 1642, and reports: 'He was cited before
the Holy Inquisition, and forced to abjure the
CopernicanCopernicus, Nicholas
(1473–1543)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> or true system of the world.'
It continues: 'After going through the humiliating ceremony, he stamped with
his foot on the earth, saying, e pur si muove, "it moves
notwithstanding"'. (4)
Paulian 1758[Paulian, Aimé
Henri]. Dictionnaire de physique portatif [...]. A l'usage des
personnes qui n'ont aucune teinture de geometrie; dans lequel on explique le
sistème physique de Newton [...], Avignon: F.-B. Merande, La Veuve
Girard, 1758
CloseView the register entry >>
Subjects:
Nutrition, Anatomy, Menageries
Reports the case of a 'true lithophagus, or stone-eater' who could swallow
large flints and powdered stones made into a paste.
Reports the awarding of one of the 'most liberal rewards' of the
Royal Society
of ArtsRoyal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce
CloseView the register entry >> to
W WynnWynn, W (watch- and clock-maker, of Dean Street, Soho Square, London)
(fl. 1827)
ML1/9/240c/6 CloseView the register entry >>, 'an ingenious watch and
clock maker in London', for his improvement in church and turret clocks (12).
The improvement is described in some detail.
Parry 1826Parry, William
Edward 1826. Journal of a Third Voyage for the Discovery of a
Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific: Performed in the Years
1824–25, in His Majesty's Ships Hecla and Fury, Under the Orders of
Captain William Edward Parry, London: John Murray
CloseView the register entry >>
An anecdote relating to
Denis B Quatremère
D'IsjonvalQuatremère D'Isjonval (or Disjonval), Denis Bernard
(1754–1830)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>, who, while a prisoner in Holland, advised a French
general on the weather on the basis of his observation of the behaviour of
spiders.
See also:
A B C, 'Spiders', Mirror of Literature, 8 (1826), 422
As an apprentice shoemaker, Gifford 'possessed but one book in the
world—A Treatise on Algebra; of paper, ink, slate or pencil, he was
totally destitute, and without a penny to buy any. Being partial to the
mathematical sciences, he sat up, night after night, at his studies, and beat
out small pieces of leather to a smooth surface, upon which he contrived to
work his algebraic problems' (21).
Describes the invention by
John LeslieLeslie, Sir John
(1766–1832)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> of 'an
extremely delicate apparatus for ascertaining the specific gravity of powders',
and some of his results.
The article relates chiefly to the tall tales of a sporting friend of the
writer, of whose lies it is observed: 'I shall not attempt to trace the causes
of this infirmity of mind; but wherever it exists in the same degree, I
consider it as presenting a case for the consideration of the physician rather
than of the moralist' (43).
'If drugs and physic could but save / Us mortals from the dreary grave, /
'Tis known that I took full enough / Of the apothecary's stuff / To have
prolong'd life's busy feast / To a full century at least; / But spite of all
the doctor's skill, / Of daily draught and nightly pill, / Reader, as sure as
you're alive, / I was sent here at twenty-five'.
Focuses on the Duke of York's role as 'the reformer and regenerator of the
British
armyArmy
CloseView the register entry >>' (51). Reports the poor
state of military education prior to his reforms. As Commander-in-Chief, the
Duke had a 'gradual and meliorating influence', and , under his charge, 'a
taste for studying mathematics and calculations applicable to war was gradually
introduced into the army, and carried by some officers to a great length' (52).
Draws attention to the foundation under his command of the
Royal Military College,
SandhurstRoyal Military College, Sandhurst CloseView the register entry >>, 'where every species of scientific instruction is
afforded to those officers whom it is desirable to qualify for the service of
the staff', and notes that 'if the British officer brings against his
scientific antagonist [...] an improved and enlightened knowledge of his
profession, to the memory of the Duke of York the army and the country owe
them' (53).
Offers no account of the author's 'views of the metaphysical part of this
subject' which he or she has 'for years endeavoured to analyze, and reduce to
rules by personal experiment'. The author observes: 'whether dreams are to be
accounted for by the ordinary laws of imagination and association; or whether
the theories of
HobbesHobbes, Thomas
(1588–1679)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>,
HartleyHartley, David
(1705–57)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>, or
bishop NewtonNewton, Thomas
(1704–82)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, be
the more correct, or agreeable to my experience, I need not now explain'.
Promises to readers the means to 'control the character' of their dreams.
Rejects the notion of 'half-informed physiologists' that unpleasant dreams
result from 'repletion of blood in the sinuses of the brain'. Attributes them
instead largely to the 'derangement of the sinuses of the stomach and digestive
organs' in consequence of inappropriate eating. 'Nature, Providence,
AbernethyAbernethy, John
(1764–1831)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, and
Dreaming, are all against clogging and turnpiking the interior'. (91) Describes
as dangerous quackery the advice on procuring pleasant dreams published by 'a
ruffian, whom some amusingly call a philosopher, one
Dr.
FranklinFranklin, Benjamin
(1706–90)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>, an American'. Advises against large or small 'bed rooms',
reporting: 'In one of the first kind which I had, I dreamed of nothing but
being out hunting bears with
captain ParryParry, Sir William Edward
(1790–1855)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>,
in nankeens without drawers; and in one of the latter, I was regularly twice a
week, a rat in an air pump'. Gives advice on making beds, and continues, 'But
where is the use of having a philosophically constructed bed, if you do not
study a scientific and accurate method of lying in it?—you may as well
put a
Troughton'sTroughton, Edward
(1753–1836)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>
equatorial sector into the hands of an Esquimaux'. (92)
Section: The Selector; or, Choice Extracts from New Works
Hall 1826Hall, Basil 1826.
Voyage to Loo-choo, and Other Places in the Eastern Seas, in the Year 1816:
Including an Account of Captain Maxwell's Attack on the Batteries at Canton;
and Notes of an Interview with Buonaparte at St. Helena, in August 1817,
Constable's Miscellany of Original and Selected Publications, 1, Edinburgh:
Constable
CloseView the register entry >>
Subjects:
Scientific Practitioners, Mathematics
Describes Basil Hall's attempts to see Napoleon on St Helena. Napoleon
declines to see him until he learns that Hall is the son of
James Hall,Hall, Sir James
(1761–1832)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> who spent
some time at Brienne at the period when Napoleon was a student at the
military collegeBrienne. military college
CloseView the register entry >> there. Napoleon
remembers Hall's father as the first Englishman he ever met, and observes: 'he
was fond of mathematics—he did not associate much with the younger part
of the scholars, but rather with the priests and professors' (87).
Dagley 1826Dagley,
Richard 1826. Death's Doings: Consisting of Numerous Original
Compositions, in Prose and Verse, the Friendly Contributions of Various
Writers; Principally Intended as Illustrations of Twenty-four Plates,
London: J. Andrews and W. Cole
CloseView the register entry >>
Begins with preliminary observations on the necessity of winter to purify
the air, disperse 'those unwholesome and infectious vapours which would fill us
with disease and death', and destroy 'innumerable multitudes of noxious
insects, which otherwise would devour the few existing remains of vegetation'
(92). Discusses the discovery and cause of the zodiacal light, and gives
instructions for constructing an astronomical telescope.
The writer describes the striking alteration in the appearance of the
heavens on travelling to the southern hemisphere, and its effect upon the
European traveller. He refers to the particular beauty of the 'Cross of the
south', and observes that it is an 'object of peculiar veneration' to Roman
Catholics (98). He describes how, on his first voyage across the equator,
several of the crew followed the example of one bred a Catholic in falling to
their knees at the sight of it, 'not indeed from religion' but because 'their
stubborn hearts were overcome by the solemn stillness and beauty of the scene
around them, and the pure feeling which such sights and such a recognition were
calculated to inspire' (99).
Section: The Selector; or, Literary Notices of New Works
Hall 1826Hall, Basil 1826.
Voyage to Loo-choo, and Other Places in the Eastern Seas, in the Year 1816:
Including an Account of Captain Maxwell's Attack on the Batteries at Canton;
and Notes of an Interview with Buonaparte at St. Helena, in August 1817,
Constable's Miscellany of Original and Selected Publications, 1, Edinburgh:
Constable
CloseView the register entry >>
Basil Hall tells Napoleon that his father,
James Hall,Hall, Sir James
(1761–1832)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> had often
expressed 'great admiration of the encouragement he had given to science while
he was emperor of the French', which gratifies Napoleon. On learning that James
Hall was president of the
Royal Society of EdinburghRoyal Society of Edinburgh
CloseView the register entry >>,
Napoleon asks detailed questions about the organization of the society. He also
inquires at length concerning the voyage into the eastern seas of
HMS LyraHMS Lyra CloseView the register entry >>, and its
discoveries.
In response to an earlier letter (Jacobus, 'On Frost', Mirror of Literature, 9 (1827), 20–21), the writer details his or her
experiments on the subject.
Grew 1681Grew, Nehemiah
1681. Musaeum Regalis Societatis; or, A Catalogue & Description of the
Natural and Artificial Rarities Belonging to the Royal Society and Preserved at
Gresham Colledge: Whereunto is Subjoyned the Comparative Anatomy of Stomachs
and Guts. London: printed for the author
CloseView the register entry >>
Keppel 1827Keppel, George
Thomas 1827. Personal Narrative of a Journey from India to
England: By Bussorah, Bagdad, the Ruins of Babylon, Curdistan, the Court of
Persia, the Western Shore of the Caspian Sea, Astrakhan, Nishney Novogorod,
Moscow and St. Petersburgh, in the year 1824, London: Henry Colburn
CloseView the register entry >>
Subjects:
Steamships, Invention, Superstition, Cultural Geography
Section: The Selector; and Literary Notices of New Works
Relates of the fictional Scriblerus Sacrophagus that his 'work on Cosmogony
was published when his intellect was most vigorous, yet it was little read,
less understood'. Describes his 'long argument with a profound friend on
phrenological science', which included the 'convincing' argument that since
'veracity and mendacity are incompatible' it follows that phrenology 'must be
veracious if it be not mendacious'. (125)
The narrator records: 'On the turf road we observe a variety of curious
shells. We stop to examine them, and while we are selecting the most beautiful
of them, a clap of thunder makes us jump on our feet and look around'
(141).
[Best] 1826[Best, Henry D.]
1826. Four Years in France; or, Narrative of an English Family's Residence
there During that Period; Preceded by Some Account of the Conversion of the
Author to the Catholic Faith, London: Henry Colburn.
CloseView the register entry >>
Discusses the evident separation of the Rock of Avignon from the hills on
the other side of the Rhone, observing that its cause 'is a question that might
puzzle a writer of theories on the formation of the earth'. Remarks: 'If we can
believe, what philosophers would readily enough believe were not the fact
asserted in the bible,—that the earth was at one time covered with water,
even the tops of the mountains,—and if we can suppose also that currents
existed in this deluge; then, on the subsiding of the waters, these currents
might meet with the summits and ridges of hills, and work and wear for
themselves a passage, the waters of the deluge gradually retiring, but, in the
mean time, sustaining the currents at the requisite height'. Urges 'humility in
Scriptural interpretation'. (150)
Best 1826[Best, Henry D.]
1826. Four Years in France; or, Narrative of an English Family's Residence
there During that Period; Preceded by Some Account of the Conversion of the
Author to the Catholic Faith, London: Henry Colburn.
CloseView the register entry >>
Subjects:
Meteorology, Instruments
Reports that on one of the panes of the dining room window 'a thermometer,
with the scale marked on glass, was fixed on the outside; thus the temperature
of the outer air might be known without opening the casement' (165).
Race, Medical Practitioners, Medical Treatment, Quackery, Faith,
Miracle, Superstition
Reports a general conviction among the 'Orientals' that all Europeans 'have
a knowledge of medicine and necromancy'. Observes that it is 'easy to acquire
the reputation of an able physician', and reports: 'the really skilful medical
man who accompanied us during our tour in Upper Egypt, was accustomed [...] in
imitation of the celebrated Sangrado, of happy memory, to administer only the
most simple remedies, which never failed to produce a prompt and marvellous
effect'. (167) The reference is to Dr Sangrado, a quack doctor in
Alain R Le
Sage'sLe Sage, Alain René
(1668–1747)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> novel
Gil BlasLe Sage, Alain
René 1715–35. Histoire de Gil Blas de
Santillane, Paris: Ribou
CloseView the register entry >>,
who prescribed warm water and bleeding for every ailment.
Ireland 1816, Ireland, W. M.
1816. 'Some Account of the External Changes Which Take Place in the Surinam
Frog (Rana paradoxa, Linn.), From its Earlier Stages Till it Becomes a
Perfect Animal', Quarterly Journal of Science, 1, 55–59
CloseView the register entry >>Jenyns 1827, Jenyns,
Leonard 1827. 'Observations on the Ornithology of Cambridgeshire',
Transactions of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, 2,
287–324
CloseView the register entry >>Tusser 1573Tusser, Thomas
1573. Fiue Hundreth Points of Good Husbandry: Vnited to as Many of Good
Huswiferie, First Deuised, & Nowe Lately Augmented with Diuerse Approued
Lessons Concerning Hopps & Gardening, and other Needeful Matters Together,
with an Abstract Before Euery Moneth, Conteining the Whole Effect of the Sayd
Moneth with a Table & a Preface in the Beginning both Necessary to be
Reade, for the Better Vnderstanding of the Booke, London: Rychard
Totell
CloseView the register entry >>
The narrator relates that the 'urchins' that came out of the school 'were
obliged to make their best bow, by drawing back the left leg, catching the tuft
of hair that hung over their forehead, and bringing their stiff necks to the
precise mathematical curve that constituted politeness' (181).
Gives a brief history and description of the hospital. The writer observes:
'In the construction of the building great attention was paid to the interior
arrangement, and no hospital in the kingdom has a freer circulation of air, or
more complete provision in every respect for the objects of its care'
(193).
Laments that Giovanni Belzoni 'died in poverty' and that 'others reaped the
reputation that should be his'. Observes that 'No just mention of Belzoni
occurs in the
British
MuseumBritish Museum
CloseView the register entry >>, in enumerating the articles that enrich it through his
labours'. Regrets that 'Rich men are beginning to find they can buy a
name'.
Brooke 1826Brooke, Arthur de
Capell 1826. Winter Sketches in Lapland; or, Illustrations of a
Journey from Alten on the Shores of the Polar Sea in 69°55" North Lat.
Through Norwegian, Russian, and Swedish Lapland, to Torneå at the
Extremity of the Gulf of Bothnia: Intended to Exhibit a Complete View of the
Mode of Travelling with Rein Deer, the Most Striking Incidents that Occured
During the Journey, and the General Character of the Winter Scenery of
Lapland, London: John Murray
CloseView the register entry >>
Relates an anecdote of
George HorneHorne, George
(1730–92)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
concerning six physicians in 'one of our universities' who were known as
'plague, pestilence, and famine, battle, murder, and sudden
death'.
Advises that otherwise unexplained melancholy is due to 'some physical
weakness' which should be rectified. 'The blood of a melancholy man is thick
and slow' and he should therefore put his blood in motion by exercise, drinking
wine, and other 'excitements'.
A letter to the newspaper introduces an 'amusing' attempt at the English
epistolatory style by a Bengalee copying clerk. It includes the following:
'Contemplating with adoration the sublime grandeur of English gentlemen, my
heart and mind rebound and beat with such palpitation for joy, that it may be
likened unto the vulcanic raptures of Mount Vusivious in England'.
Human Species, Commerce, Race, Monstrosities, Natural History,
Religion, Genius, Exhibitions
The writer begins by observing quizically: 'We know not if, among the
several qualities, to the possession of which philosophers have ascribed our
superiority over frogs and jackdaws, the spirit of commerce has been duly
registered—whether the continually working principle of barter, wanting
in all other animals, has given a triumphant distinction to humanity, and thus
proved the immortal essence of man in his day-book and ledger' (257). Describes
the 'Jew slopseller' in terms that are sometimes those of natural history.
Observes of his appearance, 'HoraceHorace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus)
(65–8 BC)
CBD CloseView the register entry >> himself never imagined such a monster; it would
be the head of a fox on the body of a mastiff—of a cat, fixed on the neck
of an antelope'. States of his behaviour, 'it would seem some spirit of gain
inhabited his every tendon and nerve, and that his body echoed and throbbed
throughout with their clamour and their stirring'. Considers that his 'prime
god is made at his majesty's mint' and observes: 'If he can give to
second-cloth the passing freshness of superfine, he is, in his own esteem, a
second
DescartesDescartes, René Du Perron
(1596–1650)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>; if he can replace copper for
gold, another
NewtonNewton, Sir Isaac
(1642–1727)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>'. States
that he 'has no love of nature, animate or still', except with a view to making
money: 'Shew him Mount Vesuvius in full eruption, and he will speculate on
getting it up in a raree-show'. Describes the slop-seller as preying,
crocodile-like and fox-like, on honest sailors. (258)
Section: The Selector; and Literary Notices of New Works
Relates that the bailie of a coastal town in Fife, watching a ship break up
in a storm, noticed a turkey being washed ashore. 'Whether it was that turkeys
had never then been seen in Fifeshire, or that the terrific scene had utterly
confused all distinctions in his mind between zoology and ornithology' he was
terrified, and announced to the town that he had seen 'a dreadful cretur'. On
being questioned further he reported that he took it to be 'ane elephant'.
Reports that
John PringlePringle, Sir John, 1st Baronet
(1707–82)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
mentioned in one of his works having cured a soldier by daily use of the
'dog-and-duck water'—that is, the celebrated waters drawn from the
medicinal spring at the
Dog and DuckDog and Duck, tavern and medicinal spa CloseView the register entry >>
tavern on the site later occupied by the
Bethlehem Royal HospitalBethlehem Royal Hospital
CloseView the register entry >>. 'A French
physician, who translated this passage of Sir John's, said, that "the cure was
effected by administering an excellent broth made of a dog and
duck!"'.
Human Species, Natural History, Human Development, Physiology,
Ageing
Considers the capacities of humans in different stages of development,
comparing them with those of other animal species, and concentrating
particularly on the decline of the human body in old age.
Mirror of Literature, 9 (1827), 268–70.
The Novelist. No. C. The Golden Cup and the Dish of Silver
Race, Medical Practitioners, Religion, Morality, Pharmaceuticals,
Medical Treatment, Mental Illness, Temperance
The narrator begins by reporting the particularly cruel usage of Jews in
Turkey. The story relates to a 'Yussef, a Hebrew of great wealth and wisdom,
but outwardly, a poor beggarly druggist', living in Constantinople (269).
Forced to eat pork by an aga, he is later summoned to attend one of the aga's
favourite concubines. Not even permitted to examine or speak to her, he is
ordered to prepare medicines, but instead fills 'physic bottles' with wine. The
illness of the favourite being 'merely a languor and melancholy', she is cured
by the wine (270). Yussef thus becomes the aga's trusted physician, while,
according to the aga's earlier promise, obliging him to drink a dish of wine
against his own religious convictions.
'Every body knows the strange effects which for many years were attributed
to the bite of the tarantula, and the extent to which even scientific persons
allowed their credulity to carry them on the subject' (277). Canvasses various
of the physiological explanations formerly offered for the phenomena. Describes
the overhaul of the subject by
Dr
SanguiettiSanguietti, Dr
(fl. 18th century)
ML1/9/250b/5 CloseView the register entry >> and
Francesco
SeraoSerao, Francesco
(1702–1783)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>, whose experiments and publications 'effected a complete
change in the opinions of well informed persons [...] who no longer believed in
the venomous qualities of the tranatula, and the malady which had been
attributed to their bite'. Reports a recent case detailed in the
Osservatore
MedicoOsservatore Medico
(1823–33)
RLIN CloseView the register entry >> of Naples in which the bite of a trantula resulted in
serious symptoms. Describes the treatment of the patient by
Dr
MazzolaniMazzolani, Dr
(fl. 1827)
ML1/9/250b/5 CloseView the register entry >>. Observes: 'By this case the negative conclusions of Dr.
Sanguietti are shown to be without foundation', but records that the
'extraordinary symptoms formerly described' were 'probably the offspring of a
heated imagination'. (278)
'How shocking 'tis our fate to dread, / By dealing with our baker! / And,
while we eat our daily bread, / Befriend the undertaker! / Death oft, by
pistol, sword, or knife, / Inflicts a mortal wound; / But who would think the
staff of life / Would fell us to the ground?'.
' ——, of worm-destroying note, / With little folks who breed
'em, / Has all his life been poisoning worms, / And now's consign'd to
feed 'em. / Thus, 'twixt our doctor and his foes, / Accounts are pretty
'trim; / For many years he lived by those, / And now these live on
him.'
Mirror of Literature, 9 (1827), 288–90.
The Sketch Book. No. XXXV. Merry England on May Morning
The writer revels in the thought of the traditional celebrations of May-day,
but contrasts them with the present state of the nation, which has ceased to be
'poetical'. 'We are, in serious prose, a nation of stock-jobbers, political
economists, and shopkeepers'. 'As we have become enlightened, we have ceased to
be poetical; we have lost poetry, and we have gained steam-engines'. (289)
Section: The Selector; and Literary Notices of New Works
In response to an earlier article on Stonehenge, Oldbuck (the titular
character in
Walter Scott'sScott, Sir Walter, 1st Baronet
(1771–1832)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>The Antiquary[Scott, Walter]
1816. The Antiquary, Edinburgh: Archibald Constable and Co.; London:
Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown
CloseView the register entry >>) makes
various observations, concluding with a correction of the earlier writer's
assertion that the stones had been brought from Purbeck. He offers his
credentials as 'a geologist and rambler through the isle of Purbeck' (301).
The narrator's uncle is a virtuoso, 'a most extraordinary being, a species
of multum-in-parvo man'. By profession, he is a divine, but, 'for
amusement', he is 'any thing and every thing that his ever-varying fancy impels
him to be, in the pursuit of arts and sciences'. The narrator reports his
recent conversation with his uncle concerning the disordered contents of his
study. First, he observes 'a large press, from which appeared hanging the rough
edges of a couple of quires of blotting paper; it was for pressing sea-weeds
and other plants. Near it stood some of the former in a large white pie-dish;
and by that laid a handful of land-weeds, with earth and stones, yet adhering
to their roots, and two or three slender red worms twining about them'. As the
narrator stumbles through the litter of the study, the dust flies about him 'as
it curled about
BelzoniBelzoni, Giovanni Battista
(1778–1823)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>
in his awful enterprises amid the ashes of the Egyptian dead'. His uncle owns a
cast of an executed murderer following his dissection, but only as 'a
curiosity', being no convert to phrenology. He believes that phrenologists have
'now mixed up with their science the mysticisms of
KanteanKant, Immanuel
(1724–1804)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>
metaphysics, by way of rendering it intelligible!'. (316) The narrator
is reluctant to help his uncle take snails out of their shells, and confesses
his dislike of the gore and discomfort of natural history. His uncle defends
natural history: it provides him with fresh air and exercise, it allows him to
put together beautiful and valuable collections ('entomologists value a
complete set of our British [insects] only, at above five hundred pounds'), and
increases his enjoyment in the countryside beyond that of the poet or painter.
The narrator offers to blow his uncle up in searching for the philosopher's
stone if his uncle will allow him a room in his house for his 'chemical
operations', but his uncle already considers that he has the philosopher's
stone in the 'art of happiness'. On inspection of his uncle's museum,
where all was 'arranged and ticketed in scientific order' he is 'very near
pursuing the same line of instructive amusement', and has since 'commenced a
museum upon gleanings in our mineralogical counties'. (317)
Brooke 1826Brooke, Arthur de
Capell 1826. Winter Sketches in Lapland; or, Illustrations of a
Journey from Alten on the Shores of the Polar Sea in 69°55" North Lat.
Through Norwegian, Russian, and Swedish Lapland, to Torneå at the
Extremity of the Gulf of Bothnia: Intended to Exhibit a Complete View of the
Mode of Travelling with Rein Deer, the Most Striking Incidents that Occured
During the Journey, and the General Character of the Winter Scenery of
Lapland, London: John Murray
CloseView the register entry >>
P T W, pseud.
[Peter T Westcott]
Westcott, Peter Thomas
(1782/3–1845)
Gentleman's Magazine, n.s. 23 (1845), 328
CloseView the register entry >>Timbs, John
1871.'My Autobiography: Incidental Notes and Personal Recollections',
Leisure Hour (1871), 20–23, 85–88, 181–84,
212–15, 266–69, 293–95, 347–51, 394–98,
420–24, 469–72, 500–03, 596–600, 612–15,
644–48, 685–88, 692–96, 730–33, and 794–99
CloseView the register entry >>
Genre:
Epigram
Subjects:
Theology of Nature, Plenitude
Quotes from
George CheyneCheyne, George
(1671–1743)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>:
'All the integral parts of nature have a beautiful analogy to one another and
to their mighty original, whose images are more or less expressive, according
to their several gradations in the scale of beings' (333).
A 'worthy city baronet' gazing at the gas lights in front of the
Mansion HouseMansion House
CloseView the register entry >>,
and being asked by an old acquaintance if he is 'studying astronomy', replies
to the contrary that he is 'studying gastronomy'; to his friend's
surprise he enquires: 'Do you doubt my voracity?'.
The writer observes: 'The very feelings which in bygone days have endeared
us to fond hearts and gentle spirits, may be perhaps those most calculated to
estrange the affections of others; the animal spirits whose flow may have
gladdened a fond circle, fail, or become enfeebled beneath a sense of isolation
[...]; the character is formed by circumstances; they act as a thermometer to
inhabit its several changes and gradations' (337).
Section: Arts and Sciences
Mirror of Literature, 9 (1827), 338.
Efficacy of the Chloruret of Lime as a Disinfecting Agent
Thompson 1827Thompson,
George 1827. Travels and Adventures in Southern Africa:
Comprising a View of the Cape Colony, with Observations on the Progress and
Prospects of British Emigrants, London: Henry Colburn
CloseView the register entry >>
Thompson 1827Thompson,
George 1827. Travels and Adventures in Southern Africa:
Comprising a View of the Cape Colony, with Observations on the Progress and
Prospects of British Emigrants, London: Henry Colburn
CloseView the register entry >>
The writer discusses the 'soothing' feelings aroused by an 'old familiar
face'. Observing that distance of place sometimes has the same effect as length
of time, the writer considers that there can be little of this sentiment in
Britain: 'The abominable facility of travelling by fly-coaches and
steam-packets gives us all a species of ubiquity—we are here and there
and every where'. This does not apply to distant lands: there are only sailing
ships to Africa or Asia, 'The Bay of Biscay and the sands of Arabia equally
defy
Mr. M'AdamMcAdam, John Loudon
(1756–1836)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>', and
'The Niger is not navigated by steam-boats, nor are the deserts of Africa
accommodated by post-coaches passing every hour' (350). An editorial footnote
notes that the writer 'does not take cognizance of
"The Enterprise"Enterprise, ship CloseView the register entry >> [a
steam-vessel which sailed to India in 1825] and the creations of our great
two-hundred horse power
WattWatt, James
(1736–1819)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>'. (351)
Section: The Selector, and Literary Notices of New Works
The poet reviews quizzically all the items it is supposed Parry will take
with him, including 'Some gallons of
Sir Humphrey'sDavy, Sir Humphry, Baronet
(1778–1829)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
acid' and 'The new steam-acting
Perkins'Perkins, Jacob
(1766–1849)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>
ploughs'. He informs the reader that, after three months of adventures
(including 'Sentimental loves of Squaws'), on 'Quarter-day you'll have him
back, / With his volume in his pack'.
Dibdin describes a visit with Michael Kelly to the house of his friend the
surgeon
James WilsonWilson, James
(1765–1821)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>,
'who then occupied the spacious mansion, museum, and anatomical theatre of the
celebrated John Hunter'. Kelly is squeamish, and is made to believe that three
dead turkeys are in fact cadavers.
Barlow 1814Barlow, Peter
1814. A New Mathematical and Philosophical Dictionary: Comprising an
Explanation of the Terms and Principles of Pure and Mixed Mathematics, and Such
Branches of Natural Philosophy as are Susceptible of Mathematical
Investigation. With Historical Sketches of the Rise, Progress and Present State
of the Several Departments of these Sciences, and an Account of the Discoveries
and Writings of the Most Celebrated Authors, both Ancient and Modern,
London: G. and S. Robinson [etc.]
CloseView the register entry >>
Reading, Time, Astronomy, Astrology, Meteorology,
Prognostication
The narrator describes Hans Hosman, a 'venerable Dutchman' he knew some
years before 'in the neighbourhood of Franklin, in Mississippi' (372). Hosman
had only three books: a guide to New York, a Dutch Bible, and an almanac dated
1797. The last of these was one of his 'most especial treasures, and as the
holy book ministered to the comfort of his soul, he resorted to this very
frequently to obtain information in many matters relating to his body.' He
frequently used it 'to learn the day of the month, the changes of the moon, the
rising and setting of the sun, &c.' but 'it was more especially his oracle
on the subject of the weather, when it was his constant practice to consult it,
before undertaking any affair of great importance'. Often the planets 'most
capriciously flew into the face of his oracle, manifestly setting at defiance
its prognostications, but this never once staggered his faith in its complete
authenticity. He used to say that their strange conduct must be attributed to
the new-fangled notions existing in the world of latter days'. (373)
An eagle is jealous of two people in a balloon, until the gas escapes and
they plummet to earth. The moral, stated by the eagle, is: 'Thus perish all /
Who'd vainly hope to rise / Beyond the sublunary sphere / Allotted by their
Maker here / Far into other skies' (380–81).
Mirror of Literature, 9 (1827), 381–83.
The Topographer. No. XXII. The Burning Cliff, Dorset.
Brooke 1826Brooke, Arthur de
Capell 1826. Winter Sketches in Lapland; or, Illustrations of a
Journey from Alten on the Shores of the Polar Sea in 69°55" North Lat.
Through Norwegian, Russian, and Swedish Lapland, to Torneå at the
Extremity of the Gulf of Bothnia: Intended to Exhibit a Complete View of the
Mode of Travelling with Rein Deer, the Most Striking Incidents that Occured
During the Journey, and the General Character of the Winter Scenery of
Lapland, London: John Murray
CloseView the register entry >>
Subjects:
Exploration, Aesthetics, Design
Describes, among other things, the aurora borealis.
Brooke 1826Brooke, Arthur de
Capell 1826. Winter Sketches in Lapland; or, Illustrations of a
Journey from Alten on the Shores of the Polar Sea in 69°55" North Lat.
Through Norwegian, Russian, and Swedish Lapland, to Torneå at the
Extremity of the Gulf of Bothnia: Intended to Exhibit a Complete View of the
Mode of Travelling with Rein Deer, the Most Striking Incidents that Occured
During the Journey, and the General Character of the Winter Scenery of
Lapland, London: John Murray
CloseView the register entry >>
Brooke 1826Brooke, Arthur de
Capell 1826. Winter Sketches in Lapland; or, Illustrations of a
Journey from Alten on the Shores of the Polar Sea in 69°55" North Lat.
Through Norwegian, Russian, and Swedish Lapland, to Torneå at the
Extremity of the Gulf of Bothnia: Intended to Exhibit a Complete View of the
Mode of Travelling with Rein Deer, the Most Striking Incidents that Occured
During the Journey, and the General Character of the Winter Scenery of
Lapland, London: John Murray
CloseView the register entry >>
Although Kimber's learning was only superficial, he enjoyed possessing
books, especially 'such as were highly embellished'. All his books were packed
in boxes, piled upon one another. Of an evening he would spend hours looking at
the books in his chimney corner. He also spent large sums on scientific
instruments ('he was equally a patron of science'). 'Costly maps decorated the
boxes in which they were enclosed; magnificent globes were safely packed in
cases, which warned the carrier to be wary of his charge; theodolites and
telescopes, protractors and quadrants, planetariums, lunariums, and portable
orreries, were sheltered in boxes from the dust of the chambermaid, and ever
ready for use as soon as unpacked'. (397) On his death, his books and
philosophical apparatus attracted good prices when auctioned in Lewes.
The narrator has always had a huge appetite, but is slight in build: 'At
fourteen, I was long, lean, and cadaverous, and to those who had never seen me
dine, of a pulmonary appearance; those who had, candidly acknowledged, that if
there was a consumption visible, it was in the dinner, and not in the diner'
(401). As a young man in love he strives at a dinner not to reveal his appetite
to 'the sentimental Amelia'. Before the evening is over he finds that his
'abstinence had most remarkably
MacadamizedMcAdam, John Loudon
(1756–1836)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> the
road to her affections' (402). When he is found out, her relatives think he has
'the appetite of an elephant' (403).
Section: The Selector, and Literary Notices of New Works
Brooke 1826Brooke, Arthur de
Capell 1826. Winter Sketches in Lapland; or, Illustrations of a
Journey from Alten on the Shores of the Polar Sea in 69°55" North Lat.
Through Norwegian, Russian, and Swedish Lapland, to Torneå at the
Extremity of the Gulf of Bothnia: Intended to Exhibit a Complete View of the
Mode of Travelling with Rein Deer, the Most Striking Incidents that Occured
During the Journey, and the General Character of the Winter Scenery of
Lapland, London: John Murray
CloseView the register entry >>
The narrator describes his friend, Dr Gregory Grubworm, who is a member of
many learned societies, and has, 'after many years of anxious study, made
several grand discoveries in the arts, which he is convinced will greatly
benefit mankind' (412–13). He is shy of disclosing them in his lifetime,
although he intends to leave his manuscripts for publication after his death.
The narrator offers an account of his 'recent invention for discovering gold
and silver buried in the earth', of which he learned after finding his friend
in a warm dispute on the subject with 'Professor Mouldy, Member of the
Geological Society of Amsterdam'. Gives Grubworm's account of his
invention—a divining rod—and his use of the rod to find a silver
horseshoe which 'belonged to Cæsar's own horse'. Promises a true
account of 'the forthcoming argument between my friend and another learned
professor (which is expected to take place next month)'. (413)
The narrator disputes the supposed pleasures of country living, and is
scathing about 'Gentleman-farming' as being either sordid if practiced for
gain, or a waste of the land if not. 'The notion of gentlemen's agriculture
being beneficial to the community in the way of experiment, is altogether a
sham plea. The real farmer, who lives by his labour, alone makes useful
experiments, because he alone undertakes them at a heavy personal risk'. The
narrator is less scathing of gardening, but observes that 'the florist may have
[...] a hundred times more pleasure in London, than can be obtained in the
country' since the plants of 'every clime are there laid at his feet, collected
within the small space of a nursery ground'. (416) Observes that, since it is
more difficult to grow plants in the 'smoke of London', the associated
excitement is greater. As 'generally pursued', natural history is 'a most
pompous inanity; a substitution of sounds of ideas, of nomenclature for
knowledge'. 'With the exception of a very few men of real science, almost
uniformly inhabiting great cities, your observers of the loves of the
cockchafers, the Paul Prys into the mysteries of the cryptogameic hymen, are
for the most part the heaviest mortals that breathe'. Observes of the
parochialism of country gentlemen that a stranger in their company 'is as
completely thrown out of all conversation or understanding, as a New Zealander
at a lecture on the atomic theory'. (417)
Section: The Selector; and Literary Notices of New Works
'DR. JOHNSON, when a lady who travelled
with him in a carriage, remarked that she could not hear him in consequence of
the noise, is said to have answered, "Madam, the stripetuosity of circumrotary
motion renders the modulations of ordinary discourse inaudible; and the
cartilaginous materials which compose our auricular members become stultified
to the exercise of their natural functions!"'.
'COLMANColman, George, the younger
(1762–1836)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> told an apothecary
lately who brought him in a tolerably heavy charge for medicine and
visits, that he could return his visits, and dispense with
his medicine.'
'"I HAVE lived," said Dr. E. D. Clarke, "to know that the
great secret of human happiness is this: never suffer your energies to
stagnate.—The old adage of 'too many irons in the fire,' conveys an
abominable lie. You cannot have too many; poker, tongs, and all:—keep all
going."'
An anecdote concerning the dentist father of
François
J TalmaTalma, François Joseph
(1763–1826)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>, who thought an actress was calling for his aid when merely
practicing a song.
Observes that individuals should remember that not all share their
knowledge, or their pleasure in it. Despite his delight in 'absolute
certainty', the mathematician should not 'support every assertion with a
demonstration'; he would probably be 'believed more firmly without the
demonstration' (428–29). Classifies three types of pedant: the ignorant,
the semi-learned, and the learned. The 'whole art' of the ignorant pedant
consists in 'talking unintellibibly, and using a certain bead-roll of
scientific terms'. The semi-learned pedant 'knows a little not generally
known', and thinks himself so wise that he will not 'degrade himself to refute
an opponent'. Describes the 'semi-learned pedant in natural philosophy, who is
for ever amusing one with deductions, and inductions, and what not', and who
will give a learned disquisition on any subject arising in conversation. (429)
Learned pedants are neither so numerous nor so culpable. The learned pedant's
conduct arises 'from an underrating of his own talents, which leads him to
believe that all are equally as learned and wise as himself' (430).
Describes Charles Colton in physiognomical and phrenological terms. Records
that he appeared well-informed on every subject: 'He appeared to have an
intimate knowledge of chemistry, and to be, in theory at least, a very
excellent mechanic; and these various kinds of knowledge are often displayed in
a very considerable degree, in his endeavours to illustrate some of the
favourite maxims in his
LaconColton, Charles
Caleb 1820–22. Lacon; or, Many Things in Few Words:
Addressed to Those Who Think, 2 vols, London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme,
and Brown
CloseView the register entry >>' (434).
Section: The Selector; and Literary Notices of New Works
Talbor 1682, Talbor, Robert
1682. The English Remedy; or, Talbor's Wonderful Secret, for Cureing of
Agues and Feavers. Sold by the Author Sir Robert Talbor, to the most Christian
King, and Since his Death, Ordered by his Majesty to be Published in French,
for the Benefit of his Subjects; And Now Translated into English for Publick
Good, London: Jos. Hindmarsh
CloseView the register entry >>Harvey 1683Harvey, Gideon
1683. The Conclave of Physicians: Detecting their Intrigues, Frauds, and
Plots, Against their Patients. Also a Peculiar Discourse of the Jesuits Bark;
The History Thereof, with its True Use, and Abuse. Moreover, a Narrative of an
Eminent Case in Physick, London: J. Partridge
CloseView the register entry >>