An 'Inquisitive Gent' mistakes the drainage system of his 'Fastidious
Host'—a decorated set of pipes emerging from the floor of the dining
room—for an elaborately carved ornament.
Considering Christmas ghosts to be obsolete, the writer suggests their
replacement by 'Spirit Lights' and other phenomena associated with
spiritualism. 'Instead of groaning, Ghosts rap tables', while '"mediums" rise
by "levitation" / And subject them to elongation' and perform such feats as
floating out of two-storey windows and materialising fruit on tables. Warns
that 'There is a lady,
MRS.
GUPPYGuppy, Agnes (née Nicholl)
(1838–1917)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, / Mark, shallow scientific puppy', the
'heaviest' medium in London who was carried three miles by spirits to a
séance. Concludes by describing other spiritualistic phenomena and
suggests, 'How much more credible and pleasant / Than the old Spirits are the
present'.
Begins by introducing the 'horoscope', an 'ingenious little instrument'
which, fitted with a 'self-acting forecaster', enables several predictions to
be made. These bogus predictions include the occurrence of a full moon on 24
February, the addition of 'several new animals' to the collection at the
Zoological Society GardensZoological Society of London —Gardens
CloseView the register entry >>,
and the gulf stream being 'heard of again, probably for the last time, the
tendency of modern scientific investigation being to show up that bugbear as a
humbug'.
Punch, 62 (1872), 9–10.
My Health[43/45][Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 101 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 111–12 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 149 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 163–64 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 173–74 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 195 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 227–28 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 242 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 60 (1871), 246, 251 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 61 (1871), 17 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 61 (1871), 27–28 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 61 (1871), 132–33 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 61 (1871), 154–55 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 61 (1871), 180–81 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 61 (1871), 183–84 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 61 (1871), 237 [Francis C Burnand], 'My Health', Punch, 61 (1871), 260–61 Anon, 'My Health', Punch, 62 (1872), 29–30
Responds to
Charles Lyell'sLyell, Sir Charles, 1st Baronet
(1797–1875)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
remark that the three things necessary for a geologist are travel, travel, and
travel. Infers that geologist must travel over the earth's surface in order to
explore its interior. Glad that this does not apply to the exploration of other
objects that are round (plum-puddings) and which have crusts (mince-pies).
Education, Physics, Superstition, Meteorology, Astrology, Cultural
Geography
Notes that in some rural districts, where 'the study of physics is still in
its infancy', people consider foul weather or the 'appearance of the Aurora
over the
Bank of
EnglandBank of England
CloseView the register entry >>' to be a 'favourable augury', the Zodiacal light to be a
'forerunner of the turnip-fly', and the parhelion to betoken drought.
Pharmaceuticals, Disease, Sanitation, Public Health, Medical
Treatment, Medical Practitioners, Periodicals
The initial letter forms part of an illustration showing two humanoid
figures, their bodies being made from the containers of medical treatments. One
figure, whose body is made from a 'powder' bottle and whose head is made from a
bottle of 'stomach black draught', talks to a figure whose head is made from a
box of 'blue pills'. The text refers to a recent discussion in newspapers
concerning the sources of an outbreak of typhoid fever. However, while the
newspapers suggest that the source lies in people's drains, Punch
counsels: 'Look to yourselves'. Agrees that sewers generate a 'pestiferous'
atmosphere in which rats and labourers work and explains that the latter, and
also 'medical men', consume gin 'which is medicinal' unless drunk in large
doses. Advises that people should look at their drains but also 'to the natural
gates and alleys of the body', which should be kept 'clear, and permeable, and
pervious'. Suggests that people can expel the 'poisonous or morbid effluvia'
from their bodies by ministering alcohol to themselves or by visiting a doctor.
However, the writer suggests that Punch itself is a 'popular panacea'
which the patient will find 'invariably efficacious'.
Describes a journey by steamboat from Dover to Boulogne-sur-Mer which has
been marred by foul weather and heaving waves. Proceeds to describe a dream of
'spring-seated' steamboats with padded passages, and wonders whether
John FowlerFowler, Sir John, 1st Baronet
(1817–98)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> or
anybody else could design a boat that 'won't roll' and therefore does not make
people sick.
Gender, Education, Museums, Natural History, Medical Treatment,
Magnetism, Light, Instruments
Recounts visits to the
Natural History MuseumBritish Museum (Natural History)
CloseView the register entry >> and
St Paul's
CathedralSt Paul's Cathedral
CloseView the register entry >>, illuminated by a 'Tyndaluminospectric light'. Concludes:
'We women have yet something to learn in physical science'. Notes that her
female doctor applied a 'magnetic detonator' to her spine and ears. Claims that
her sister has mastered several intellectual disciplines, including 'political
economy, statistics, aerostatics, electrology, hygiene and thermapeutics'.
Discusses the trial of a British version of the American
GatlingGatling, Richard Jordan
(1818–1903)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>
gun. Reports that several Royal Artillery officers thought that the weapon
would not stand up against artillery and compares the new gun to an 'Italian
Grinding Organ'.
Discusses a report in the
Swiss
TimesSwissTimes
(cited 1872)
PU1/62/4/2 CloseView the register entry >> of the strike by Arcadian physicians demanding higher
fees and the suggestion that patients might respond with a strike of their own.
Thinks that medical practitioners in England would be justified in staging a
strike given their 'ridiculously low wages', which would also legitimate the
formation of a professional union. Suggests that medical practitioners could
stage their strike much less aggressively than members of other trades' unions
and without 'filching away their physic, stethoscopes, and surgical
instruments'.
Railways, Steam-power, Engineering, Politics, Commerce, Government,
Cultural Geography
Similar to
Anon, 'A Seat on the Safety-Valve', Punch, 62 (1872), 36, this shows the Chancellor of the
Exchequer,
Robert LoweLowe, Robert, 1st Viscount Sherbrooke
(1811–92)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, as a
locomotive 'stoker' conversing with the French head of state,
Adolphe ThiersThiers, Louis Adolphe (Adolphe)
(1797–1897)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>.
Both stand in front of a locomotive, John Bull, whose smoke stack is covered
with a 'safety valve' held down by a lever on the end of which is a large
weight labelled 'Income Tax—Surcharge'. The locomotive represents the
booming British economy of the early 1870s. Lowe points to the weight and
explains to Thiers that 'that's the way we "raise the wind;"—simplest
thing in the world!'. Thiers is more sceptical and replies that he thinks John
Bull will '"blow up" one day!'.
Thinks that 'Medical men, experts and others, in the witness-box, are
unfortunately apt to use technical terms for which there are no equivalents in
plain English'. Agrees with judges for rejecting such incoherent witnesses,
adding that 'There are no hard words of phrases, of which the use, by Judges or
Counsel, is sometimes unavoidable in law'.
Notes Mr Punch's praise of the skill of the 'great Healers' who have
improved the health of
Prince EdwardEdward VII, King of Great Britain and Ireland and
of the British Dominions Beyond the Seas, Emperor of India
(1841–1910)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>,
but adds Mr Punch's complaint about the number of jests on the names of the
attendant doctors.
Hospitals, Narcotics, Temperance, Pharmaceuticals, Medical
Practitioners, Medical Treatment, Measurement, Health
Notes that the '"anti-alcoholic" manifesto lately put forth by two hundred
and fifty first-class doctors' has aided the foundation of a 'movement' to
establish a hospital for the 'treatment of diseases apart from the ordinary
administration of alcoholic liquors'. Puzzled by this claim, the author
stresses that most doctors treat diseases rather than administer alcoholic
beverages. Suggests that the doctors might want to establish a hospital where
alcohol will not be used to treat diseases and that 'nearly every article in
the Materia Medica' might be banned owing to its toxic effects. Asks who
the doctors have in mind when they claim that 'it is believed' that the
prescription of alcohol for medical purposes has caused intemperate habits, and
wonders how many readers attribute their taste for alcohol to its medical
consumption. Appreciates that alcohol should be administered with as much care
as 'any other drug' and speculates that this will lead to carefully graduated
'physic glasses' which will replace wine glasses at tables.
Responds to news that
Louis AgassizAgassiz, Louis (Jean Louis Rodolphe)
(1807–73)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> has
discovered a fish which builds a nest. Anticipates the discovery of similarly
strange phenomena, including glow-worms living in hives, tortoises hopping from
bough to bough, and the existence of pigeon's milk.
Describes the shadowy figures—the 'ghosts'—who constitute the
lords of the
AdmiraltyAdmiralty
CloseView the register entry >>. They
attempt to abrogate responsibility for such naval disasters as a 'ship
ill-found, or fleet ill-led', and make such poor decisions as to work troop
ships until they grow rotten and to allow the 'squalls that blow about
REIDReed, Sir Edward James
(1830–1906)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> AND
CO.' to send 'CaptainsHMS Captain CloseView the register entry >>' to the bottom.
Reports that the new metal Fluozinium is 'making its way against the current
of scientific prejudice'. Describes several of the metal's properties,
including the fact that it emits fumes that can be inhaled safely and that it
has unprecedented porosity, frangibility, and opalescence.
Utilitarianism, Medical Practitioners, Health, Politics
Discusses a report of the meeting of the guardians of the
St
Pancras Poor Law UnionSt Pancras Poor Law Union
CloseView the register entry >>, at which an increase in the number of
inquests held upon the bodies of paupers dying in the workhouse was revealed.
The meeting also insinuated that this increase was caused by avaricious medical
officers seeking fees for conducting more inquests. Punch agrees that
such inquests are unnecessary because it believes most pauper deaths to be due
to misery rather than 'special neglect'.
The initial letter forms part of a large illustration showing the complex
distilling apparatus by which Mr Punch (shown) produces 'essence' of
ParliamentHouses of Parliament
CloseView the register entry >>. It is dominated
by large glass vessel in which stand leading statesmen of the day and the
Palace of
WestminsterPalace of Westminster
CloseView the register entry >>. Into this vessel flow glass tubes which are secured to
the vessel with bungs made from royal crowns.
Links the 'improvement of man' to the 'elevation' in the 'ideas of
ornamental art' held by women. Thinks that women's use of certain 'objects of
natural history'—notably, small birds—for decoration shows the rise
in civilisation but threatens the extinction of various species. Requests women
to exploit less appealing creatures such as frogs and cockroaches.
Sanitation, Analytical Chemistry, Pollution, Adulteration, Public
Health
Discusses a report in the
South
London CourierSouth London Courier
(1869–72)
British
Library Newspaper Catalogue CloseView the register entry >> of an investigation into South London water by
M'Cormack, Dr.
(fl. 1871)
PU1/62/9/4 CloseView the register entry >>a Lambeth medical
officer. His conclusion is that the water is 'totally unfit for human
consumption' and consists of 'diluted sewage' prompts Punch to argue
that it is appropriate that such noxious water should be supplied to
'fraudulent South London Grocers' who make adulterated tea.
Notes that the chief commissioner of
Hyde ParkHyde Park
CloseView the register entry >> will run
botanical classes during the summer months in order 'to promote natural
sciences amongst the upper classes'.
Depicts an 'Irish Gentleman' who tries to dance to the 'fitful music of the
telegraph wires' and complains that whoever is responsible for the music 'can't
play a bit' or 'kape thime'.
Notes that an 'eminent Spiritualist' has claimed that 'Psychics' is the
cause of tables making noises during séances: Punch wonders
whether this is a misprint for 'Sly kicks'.
Notes from the
GraphicGraphic
(1869–1900)
Waterloo Directory CloseView the register entry >> that 'A
lady has found the principle which differentiates the finite from the infinite'
and wants the 'Academy of Sciences' to pay her 'a million sterling for the
secret'. Surmises that the secret must be worth keeping at this price, but
would hesitate to buy it 'with a pretty strong persuasion that the secret,
after all, being in a lady's keeping, would not very long be kept'.
Discusses an extract from a 'provincial journal' by its 'London
Correspondent'. The reporter observes that spiritualism is 'exciting more and
more attention in London' but opines that 'the belief in the spiritual nature
of the manifestations is decreasing in proportion as the belief in the reality
of the manifestations themselves increases'. The letter-writer agrees with this
suggestion, but criticises 'your Sadducees' for referring such phenomena to
'"unconscious cerebration", and "muscular action"', because such causes cannot
account for séance manifestations such as tunes being played on
accordions without fingers touching the keys. Believes spiritualists are
equally at fault in their explanations. Notes that
Joseph
Glanvill'sGlanvill, Joseph
(1636–80)
DSB CloseView the register entry >>Daemon of Tedworth (a version of which was
published in
Glanvill 1726Glanvill,
Joseph 1726. Sadduciums Triumphatus; Or, a Full and Plain
Evidence, Concerning Witches and Apparitions. In Two Parts, the First Treating
of their Possibility, the Second of their Real Existence [...] 4th edn,
London: A. Bettesworth and J. Batley
CloseView the register entry >>) describes
how chairs moved about by themselves in a way reminiscent of spiritualist
séances. Doubts whether this was caused by 'muscular action, voluntary
or involuntary', although allows for the possibility that it might have been
due to a tricky medium using 'an invisible wire'. Denies that such 'spiritual'
manifestations are caused by the spirits of 'defunct relations' and, appealing
to 'mythology and etymology', suggests that they are caused by 'demons or
goblins'. Concludes with the claim that 'the spirits of Spiritualism are either
Hobgoblins or Humbugs'.
Pollution, Analytical Chemistry, Public Health, Government
Responds to
Edward
Frankland'sFrankland, Sir Edward
(1825–99)
DSB
DNODNBB CloseView the register entry >> chemical analysis of the metropolitan water companies'
output. Notes that the water supplied by the
Kent
Water Works CompanyKent Water Works Company
CloseView the register entry >> is much purer than that supplied by other
metropolitan companies, which is only suitable for horticultural purposes.
Given the amount of living matter that Frankland traced in water, suggests that
'all flesh is grass'. Criticizes the legislation for forcing householders to
pay more for being supplied with water that still contains dubious
substances.
Comments on the
British Medical Journal'sBritish Medical Journal
(1857–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >>
report that the number of deaths from heart disease in middle-aged men is
increasing. Therefore urges people to reduce 'muscular exertion' and 'anxious
effort' in their lives. Not surprised by the statistics, since middle age is
the period of 'man's struggle to maintain a wife and a family'. Links the
increased incidence of heart disease to an increase in the price of 'feminine
dress and ornamentation'. Urges men not to marry unless they can 'well afford
it'.
An exchange between Jupiter and other gods of Greek mythology over the
launch of a new thirty-five ton turret-ship, the
HMS
ThundererHMS Thunderer CloseView the register entry >>. Jupiter ponders the immense fire power of the
ship and the boldness of the British in arming its fleet.
Human Development, Animal Development, Zoology, Physiology,
Instruments
Shows a mother and her son walking in a park. They head towards a man
wearing a respirator which makes his face look decidedly simian. The boy asks
his mother whether the gentleman bites.
Laments the fact that fatalities are needed to prompt the abolition of such
hazardous processes as trains running without block-telegraphing and
'unqualified' chemists and druggists making up prescriptions. Lamenting the
recent death of a boat-crew, the writer urges the
AdmiraltyAdmiralty
CloseView the register entry >> to fit ships
with
Clifford'sClifford, Mr
(fl. 1872)
PU1/62/15/1 CloseView the register entry >>
boat-lowering apparatus. Thinks Britain has 'offered up enough lives to
Admiralty prejudice'.
Shows two young boys standing before their mother in a parlour. The mother
cradles a young baby. One boy notes that this is 'the new baby the doctor has
sent here to mama', and his brother replies: 'Yes. And don't it squeal? And I
do say it's a great shame of the doctor to send babies when people are ill,
like poor mama. I hate him!'.
Pollution, Public Health, Medical Practitioners, Scientific
Practitioners, Crime, Controversy, Manufactories, Sanitation,
Government
Reports on the trial of
Mr SalmonSalmon, Mr
(fl. 1872)
PU1/62/16/3 CloseView the register entry >>, a
manure manufacturer accused of injuring the public's health with offensive
odours from his factory. Notes that Salmon's business exploits fish-heads and
garbage from slaughter-houses, and relates the testimony of the local medical
officer concerning the smell. Describes the 'usual arraying of eminent
"scientific witnesses"' to prove that great efforts had been made to remove the
odour and that 'there were no BAD smells'. Cynically notes how sanitary
officers, agricultural chemists, and chemical lecturers 'came forward to
testify on behalf of Salmon and his sweetness'. Reports that the judge and jury
inspected the factory and that, whatever the analytical chemist
Henry LethebyLetheby, Henry
(1816–76)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> may
have done for manure manufacture, they were still overwhelmed by the smell.
Citing the sanitary measures undertaken by
James
StansfeldStansfeld, Sir James
(1820–1898)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>,
Alexander J
E CockburnCockburn, Sir Alexander James Edmund
(1802–80)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, and
Edward H Stanley (15th
Earl of Derby)Stanley, Edward Henry, 15th Earl of Derby
(formerly styled 'Lord Stanley')
(1826–93)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>, believes the nation should be 'progressing fast and
far on the way to that cleanliness which is next to godliness'. Laments the
lack of parliamentary and public interest in 'Public Health'.
Societies, Botany, Geology, Ethnology, Human Development,
Anthropology
Reports that experiments at the 'Royal Farinaceous Society' prove that a
substance produced by the roots of the cassava plant is a 'sure prophylactic
against lassitude' when drunk with brandy. Reports the discovery of a waistcoat
button in the older pliocene beds of Bedfordshire, and regards this as evidence
for the existence of man 'at a period long anterior to the dates hitherto
current in geological circles'. Expects such news will lead to a 'serious
revolution in anthropological science'.
Descent, Politics, Domestic Economy, Gender, Human Species
Strongly objects to a lecture given by an American woman on 'Whether man,
being the inferior animal, had a right to the suffrage'. Thinks women may
consider men so inferior that they should change places with women, with men
fulfilling domestic roles and women having sole authority over national
affairs. Doubts whether
Charles R
DarwinDarwin, Charles Robert
(1809–82)
DSB CloseView the register entry >> 'ever dreamed of [man] descending to a level such as
this'.
Medical Treatment, Heterodoxy, Mesmerism, Homeopathy
Reports on an evangelical sect, the Peculiar People, who prefer to treat
disease by prayer and the laying on of hands, rather than by medical treatment.
Reports that a verdict of manslaughter was passed on one member of the sect who
denied medical treatment to his child who subsequently died of small-pox.
Questions whether this is legal and wonders what would happen to those whose
children die of small-pox, having only received treatment from a mesmerist and
homeopath.
Notes the high price fetched by wild animals. Thinks that a man, 'to make
money by a wild-beast show, must indeed drive a "roaring" trade', as the
'magnates in the animal line do'.
Notes the struggles 'to get your children on in life', including contending
with a variety of diseases, schooling, and the task of finding marriage
partners for the children.
Telegraphy, Technology, Politics, War, Internationalism, Comparative
Philology
Like many Tenniel illustrations of the 1865 and 1866 Atlantic cable
enterprises, this shows Father Neptune talking to his mermaids about the
trans-Atlantic telegraph. He relaxes on a rock, smoking a pipe, and looks down
at the cable which is inscribed with the words 'Alabama Squabble'—a
reference to a long-running dispute between Britain and the United States of
America concerning the damage done to the interests of the Union states during
the American Civil War by the
CSS
AlabamaCSS Alabama CloseView the register entry >>, a Confederate ship built in Britain. Neptune
says to his mermaids: 'Why there's nothing but messages! Look here,
girls. If they can't come to terms one way or tother, and let me enjoy my
Whits'n holidays in peace and quiest—blest if I don't break the
cable'.
Announces the imminent arrival of a comet that is expected to 'terrify
everybody'. Extracts a report anticipating the comet's 'terrible growth' in the
sky, its dramatic raising of the earth's temperature, and its 'hideous
collision' with the earth. The report suggests that there will be no time for
'an ejaculation' and that small insects will be instantaneously killed.
Punch notes that the report has the sanction of several learned
authorities, including the Astronomer Royal (George B AiryAiry, Sir George Biddell
(1801–92)
DSB
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>), and that the comet's nose has
already been seen above the horizon. Urges readers to hurry their
subscriptions.
Responding to debates about Britain's coastal defences, the author notes the
vulnerability of 'transport ships of wood' which would make 'all hands a
holocaust' with one shell. Urges that if coastal defences are 'right' then
'You'll ne'er have foes ashore to fight', but upholds the importance of
securing a strong army that is 'fit to meet / The biggest that could dodge our
fleet' or the possibility that Britain's 'torpedoes' and 'rams' will prove
ineffective.
Telegraphy, Electricity, Religious Authority, Superstition,
Progress
The writer reports that he has received, by electric telegraph, the news
that the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople,
Anthimos VIAnthimos VI
(1782–1877)
WBI CloseView the register entry >>, has
excommunicated the Bulgarian Patriarch, anathematised two Bulgarian bishops,
and inflicted 'eternal pains of hell' on another bishop. Thinks this news
'smacks of the pre-scientific ages', when electricity was considered a
'supernatural phenomenon', and when 'Patriarchs and Popes were commonly
believed to be supernaturally endowed by fulminating powers'. Thinks such
fulminations, 'anachronistically reported by the lightning wire', are out of
date.
Presents a programme 'of the various classes of objects, intended to be
shown at the International Exhibitions during the remainder of the period which
commenced in 1871, and will terminate in 1880'. Given the time needed to
prepare the artefacts, considers the publication of this schedule to be
advantageous to future exhibitors. Each programme consists of a bizarre array
of household and other 'things'. The programme for 1879, for example, will
display 'Agricultural implements, sewing machines, swimming apparatus,
diving-bells, dry docks, dentistry, and gums'.
Noting
Henry Letheby'sLetheby, Henry
(1816–76)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >>
support for the high quality of London water, christens Letheby 'a sort of
Champion of the Thames' and a 'Thamesby'. Similarly, considering that the
Thames is enriched by tributaries from Kingston-on-Thames, postulates that the
rivers Thames and Lethe are so much alike that 'Thamesby and Letheby are really
equivalent names'.
Inveighs against 'the destroyers / Of our native British birds' whom the
author considers as disreputable as 'greedy Lords of Manors' and 'Railway
wretches'. Laments the loss of various species of British bird and suggests
various ways of punishing the bird-destroyers, including hanging. In conclusion
asks readers to read the plea of
Angela G
Burdett-Coutts (1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts)Burdett-Coutts, Angela Georgina, 1st
Baroness
(1814–1906)
ODNB CloseView the register entry >> for the protection of
birds in a recent issue of
The TimesThe Times
(1777–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >>.
Notes that fools think that the earth, owing to its crust, is 'a pudding, or
pie', that 'Vesuvius, at seasons, let out / The gravy within it has got', and
that lava indicates that 'Inside the meat is all hot'.
Reports that three out of five conversations open with the subject of the
weather. Notes that the ancient Greeks built a 'Temple of the Winds' and
boasted a playwright (AristophanesAristophanes
(c. 448–c. 388 BC)
CBD CloseView the register entry >>) who wrote The Clouds. Notes
the number of people who are trying to raise the wind and that, despite
scientific discoveries, the exact composition of the clouds remains unknown.
Distinguishes morning from night dew and insists that since there are 'four
quarters of the wind' there should be two halves, but adds that nothing is
known of this at the
Royal Observatory,
GreenwichRoyal Observatory, Greenwich CloseView the register entry >>.
Light, Electricity, Instruments, Technology, Politics,
Government
The subject of this article is the light recently installed on the clock
tower of the
Palace of
WestminsterPalace of Westminster
CloseView the register entry >>, which will shine when the
House of
CommonsHouse of Commons
CloseView the register entry >> is in session. The poem, written from the perspective of
the Chief Commissioner of the
Metropolitan Board of
WorksMetropolitan Board of Works
CloseView the register entry >>, Acton Ayrton, describes his unsmiling expression and
uncompromising attitude. The narrator notes that he has given the light to the
House of Commons gratis. He insists that 'To hire electric light I'm loth', and
claims that his choice of gas lighting was prompted by the fact that 'cheap
gas' was plentiful, Ayrton liking anything that is 'cheap and nasty'. Boasts
that his lamp, 'Backed with reflectors through the gloom', will 'illume' one
half of London, a symbol of the House of Commons where 'but one side can be
right'. Adds that his clock will also show how the House of Commons 'takes no
note of time', but both the light from the lamp and political 'wisdom' will
have to shine through 'a weary length / Of leaden spouting'. Concludes by
insisting that his light will keep the 'balance right' and is better than
'costlier, brighter, broader light' that would have 'conveyed' less
meaning.
Concerns the ways farmers are 'cheated' by the producers of adulterated
fertilisers. Describes how the principal fertiliser, superphosphate of lime,
'can be watered as easily as rum; and with less risk of detection'. Reports on
a letter to the
Chemical
NewsChemical News
(1859–1900+)
Waterloo
Directory CloseView the register entry >> by
Mr LittleLittle, Mr
(fl.1871)
PU1/62/25/2 CloseView the register entry >>, noting
the lack of consensus among chemists over the analysis of fertiliser. Little
also calls for the establishment of a 'chemical school' where prospective
farmers can learn to analyse manure, and to protect themselves from 'fraudulent
artificial manure manufactures'. He claims that farmers would save money by
taking his advice. Punch praises Little's scheme.
Punch, 62 (1872), 260.
Programmes of Royal Societies. (Special of Course)
Announces the presentation of several academic papers including Dr Tippler
on the 'Use and Effect of Alchol', Dr Smuggins on the 'employment of the Star
in (a) billiards, (b) in theatrical entertainments', Dr Terfytte on 'a
mathematical enquiry into the state of the odds in connection with individual
happiness', and Dr Squib on 'Two Ugly Persons waltzing illustrative of Two
Revolving Planes''.