Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Reviews.
REVIEWS .
All Books intended for Review should be addressed to the Editor of The Freemason ' s Chronicle , 23 Great Queen Street , W . C . Brook ' s Popular Botany . Comprising all the Plants , British and Foreign , most useful toman in Medicine ; Food ; the Manufactures :
and tho Garden . With descriptions , and an account of their varions properties and uses , accompanied with recipes , prescriptions , application , and modes of cultivation . With coloured Plates and numerous Wood Engravings . Part I . London : , T . A . Brook and Co ., 2 S 2 Strand .
JUDGING from tho contents of this first number , we should say this serial publication will ho found very useful and that it will really deserve , from the simplicity of its descriptions , tho designation of a popular work . Many works bearing this titloare far beyond fho comprehonsion of ordinary readers , and can only bo so considered from the fact of thoir cheapness placing them within tho reach of peoplo of
small means who necessarily form the bulk of our population . In Messrs . Brook and Co . 's Botany , everything is plnin sailing . Tho meaning of the botanical names of the different plants is explained , and tho local or general English names which correspond with tho botanical terms are famished . Each plant is described , and the reader is told its uses , the soil in which it will grow , and tho mode in whioh it
should be cultivated . Thus of the Peony ( Ficonia Officinalis ) which is tho first described in this number , we are told , among other things , that it will flourish in any ordinary garden soil , hut grows best in rich deep loam . " It is increased by division of the roots and by seods , if new sorts are desired . The Tree or Montan varieties , " of which there are many beautiful varieties from China and Japan , may be
propagated by division and by layers or suckers . Among tho superstitions connected with it is monttoned one cited by Josophns , that to pluck it up by the roots would cause clanger to any ono who touched it . Hence a piece of string was attached to it in the night ; to this was made fast a hungry clog who was or might be induced to ptili it np by having some savoury morsels of roasted flesh placed
tantalizingly a little beyond his reach . According to Pliny and Theophrastus it must be plucked at night time , or otherwise the woodpecker , so ran tho common idea , wonld peck out the eyes of any one it saw touching the plant . At one time the Peony was much prized for its medicinal properties , especially in the cure of epilepsy ; indeed , it owes its name to one Pa > on , who was the first to employ
it for such a purpose , but it is seldom used now . " The fresh roots and seeds possess a faint and unpleasant smell , and have an acrid , astringent and slightly bitter taste . " When dried the former wholly disappears , and the latter nearly so . When used medicinally these roots and seeds aro dried and powdered , and a closo consists of from thirty to forty grains . Its properties aro anti-spasmodic . Necklaces
of beads cut from its root were till recently worn by children during teething . Thoy were tho " anodyne necklaces" of the chemists . Under Aconite , Monkshood , or Wolfsbane , a full description of the root is given , both in writing and illustration , especially for tho purpose of enabling people to distinguish it from Horseradish for which it has been fatally mistaken . Its uses , as a medicine , aro alsc
explained both as taken inwardly and for external application . Iu the former case it is good for gouty and rheumatic pains , paralysis , & c , & c , while in the latter it has been found a most powerful and rapid agent in neuralgic pains . Internally it is taken as a powder , tincture , or extract , and tho following recipe from tho " London Pharmacopeia " is givon for the tincture . " Take of tho root of
Aconite coarsely powdered 15 oz ., of rectified spirit 2 pints . Macerate for seven days : then press out aud strain . Tho dose is from 2 to 10 drops ; ono drop , however , will often bo sufficient . " We are told , furthci-, that Aconito must in all cases be used with extreme caution , as thero is no antidote to it . Tho root of tho Goldthread , it seems , yields a pure bitter tonic
without either aroma or ustringency , and is givon in American practice , in cases of dyspepsia , general debility , and convalescence from fevers , being in facta good substitute for Quassia , Gentian , aud other plants possessing tonic properties . The Colnmbine , Stavesaereunder which head must be included the different varieties of annual Larkspur—and the Marsh Marigold are also fully described . From
tho last , which is known in many parts of England as tho water buttercup , horse-blob , and meadow-blont , is obtained a tincture , which may be usefully applied to flesh wounds , causing them to heal rapidly . The following recipe is given , though not on tho authority of tho English Pharmacopoeia , which does not contain it : — " Take of the fresh flowers of the Marigold 2 oz ., and of rectified spirit 1 pint ;
macerato for 10 days and strain . " There is obvionsly an aclvantago iu having the properties and uses of our most useful plants explained in such simple fashion . Wc congratulate the publishers and compiler on tho good beginning they have made , and we trust they will find encouragement to continue and complete their task . The price of each number is only twopence .
The Official Guide from Glasgow to the Highland * , by " The Royal Route" vi' % Grinan and Caledonian Canals . With Lists of Sailings and Fares per David MacBrayno's Royal Mail Steamers " Columba " and " lona . " Tire holiday season is fast approaching—indeed , in the case of many schools and families it lias begun—and those who havo not yet
made up their minds what to do and whither to go havo little time left them to settle these questions . Numbers , of course , will betake themselves to the Continent . Our inland and sea-side resorts will soon bo thronged with visitors , all anxious to lay in a fresh supply cf ozone , while tho Highlands of Scotland arc sure " to havo their complement of tourists bent on the same object while viewing the scenic beauties of Northorn Britain . To tho notice of the last category of
Reviews.
intending tourists we commend this Official Guide-Book . It con . tains a well-drawn map , showing the varions routes taken by Mr . MacBrayno ' s steamers , as well as Lists of Fares and Notes " of Throngh Route Sailings , " every facility being given to tourists for making directly from point to point , or breaking thoir journey as it may suit them . But though tho map and tho lists aro essential to
any publication of this kind , tho principal feature in this instance is tho very full description of all tho principal places of interost which aro accessible by rail or steamer in connection with this Crittan and Caledonian Canal 'Route . Whoever did the work of compilation has done it extremely well , and the Guide might with groat justice havo been described as au historical one , possessing a very
considerable degree of interest front tho quantity of matter relating to old times and people which has been collected within its eighty odd pages . Thero aro , too , a number of illustrations which serve to givo a good idea of tho places thoy represent . Thus , for tho low price of sixpence , there is at ouo ' s command a guide which will tell people not only what to seo and how to set about visiting it , but also what historical or romantic associations are connected with each of tho
places mentioned . Iioth Black ' s and Murray ' s , wo are well aware , aro moro elaborate , and contain information of a moro oxtensive and varied character , but then they are moro costly likewise . Hero a good map , with time-tables and guido , can be had for sixpence only , with a photograph of ono of Mr . MacBrayno ' s lino of steamers thrown in . It is a most readable compilation , as woll as an invaluable guido to tho Western Highlands .
Weather Wisdom . London : Groombridge and Sons , 5 Paternosterrow , E . C . To bo weather-wise in this inconstant climato of ours requires not only a keen observation , but also a long and varied experience . Thero are , of course , certain general laws which may be followed without hesitation even by those ignorant of meteorology , but it is as woll
to havo something more than general laws to guido us in prejudgm" - the weather of tho morrow , and—to what cause duo wo know notthis necessity has become more manifest than it was years ago . Ono does not need to be a very old man to recal the time when the weather was seasonable , with a fair degree of regularity . Thero were wet summers and mild winters then as now , but whether it is
fancy or that wo noto these things now more closely ; or whether , as many people imagine , there is something revolutionary going ou in tho planetary system , wo have latterly seen less of seasonable weather in season than we did in our younger days . However this maybe , the author of this little work on " Weather . Wisdom" has done good service by bringing together within the compass of a few
pages a very considerable amount of information , most of it being derived from tho works of such eminent meteorological authorities as the lato Admiral Fitzroy , Mr . Lowe , the lato Dr . Horschell , & c . The book is conveniently divided into short sections , each of which gives tho results of experience in interpreting tho weather from somo particular source , such as " The Sun and the Sky , " ' ' Tho Moon ,
Stars , & c , "The Clouds , Dew , Mist , and Fog ; " front observation of ' 'Animals , Birds , Insects , of Plants , & c . ; by tho use of instruments invented by man , as tho Pluvioscope , Barometer , . Hygrometer , & o If may easily be conceived that much of the information contained in these pages is interesting as well as valuable . Tho most curious piece is that of Qtiati-enier Disjonval and his spiders , which is worth
. giving a brief sketch of . This Disjonval , by birth a Frenchman , was Adjutant-General in Holland , and when the Dutch patriots revolted against the Stadtholder ho sided with them . Ho was , however , taken prisoner by tho army of the Duke of Brunswick , and sentenced to twenty-five years' imprisonment , eight of which he passed in a dungeon at Utrecht . The only living objects ho saw were spiders ,
whose habits ho watched very narrowly , partly to beguile the monotony of his life , and partly from a tasto he had formed for the study cf natural history . A violent pain on one side of his head , which ho always experienced when a change of weather was impending , first drew hi . ? attention to tho connection between such changes and tho movements of theso insects . Thus tho spiders ,
which spun a long web in a wheel-like form , invariably withdrew from his cell whenever he had his bad headache , and both these signstheir disappearance and his headache—were invariably followed by very severe weather . When they began to show themselves again in their webs and displayed their usual activity , the pains in his head began to leave him , until he got well and the fine weather
returned . So industriously and with such intelligence did he pursuo these studies that at length he was enabled to prognosticate tho approach of severe weather from ten to fourteen days before it set in . The knowledge thus acquired stood him in good service and was tho means of his recovering his liberty . When in 1791 the Republican armies of France overran Holland , an unexpected thaw occurred iu
the early part of December and imperilled tho safety of the troops unless thoy were withdrawn at once . Tho French Generals wero seriously entertaining tho idea cf accepting a sum offered by tho Dutch and retiring their forces , when Disjonval , who hoped that the success of the Republicans might lead to hh release , managed after great exertions to got a letter conveyed to tho French
Commanderin-Chief iu Jannary 1795 , in which ho pledged himself that from the movements of his spiders a severe frost would commence in fourteen days and givo the French time , by becoming masters of all the rivers , to complete aud scenro their conquest beforo a thaw set iu a ^ ain . Tho French General trusted in the prognostication aud held on . Tho cohl weather foretold by Disjonval set in in twelve days and was so intense that tho ice over tho rivers and cnals became ' capable of
bearing the heaviest artillery . On the 23 th January the French entered Utrecht in triumph and Disjonval was released . Tho foreo-em " story is quoted from the Foreign ^ nar ^ crly Review . Tho section headed "Rale-: and Observations of the Barometer " contain 3 extracts from notes of the late Admiral F ' dzroy . Ono wiiit is particularly worth noting , namely " that tho statu of the tr : forotols coming weather , rather than shows the weather that is
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Reviews.
REVIEWS .
All Books intended for Review should be addressed to the Editor of The Freemason ' s Chronicle , 23 Great Queen Street , W . C . Brook ' s Popular Botany . Comprising all the Plants , British and Foreign , most useful toman in Medicine ; Food ; the Manufactures :
and tho Garden . With descriptions , and an account of their varions properties and uses , accompanied with recipes , prescriptions , application , and modes of cultivation . With coloured Plates and numerous Wood Engravings . Part I . London : , T . A . Brook and Co ., 2 S 2 Strand .
JUDGING from tho contents of this first number , we should say this serial publication will ho found very useful and that it will really deserve , from the simplicity of its descriptions , tho designation of a popular work . Many works bearing this titloare far beyond fho comprehonsion of ordinary readers , and can only bo so considered from the fact of thoir cheapness placing them within tho reach of peoplo of
small means who necessarily form the bulk of our population . In Messrs . Brook and Co . 's Botany , everything is plnin sailing . Tho meaning of the botanical names of the different plants is explained , and tho local or general English names which correspond with tho botanical terms are famished . Each plant is described , and the reader is told its uses , the soil in which it will grow , and tho mode in whioh it
should be cultivated . Thus of the Peony ( Ficonia Officinalis ) which is tho first described in this number , we are told , among other things , that it will flourish in any ordinary garden soil , hut grows best in rich deep loam . " It is increased by division of the roots and by seods , if new sorts are desired . The Tree or Montan varieties , " of which there are many beautiful varieties from China and Japan , may be
propagated by division and by layers or suckers . Among tho superstitions connected with it is monttoned one cited by Josophns , that to pluck it up by the roots would cause clanger to any ono who touched it . Hence a piece of string was attached to it in the night ; to this was made fast a hungry clog who was or might be induced to ptili it np by having some savoury morsels of roasted flesh placed
tantalizingly a little beyond his reach . According to Pliny and Theophrastus it must be plucked at night time , or otherwise the woodpecker , so ran tho common idea , wonld peck out the eyes of any one it saw touching the plant . At one time the Peony was much prized for its medicinal properties , especially in the cure of epilepsy ; indeed , it owes its name to one Pa > on , who was the first to employ
it for such a purpose , but it is seldom used now . " The fresh roots and seeds possess a faint and unpleasant smell , and have an acrid , astringent and slightly bitter taste . " When dried the former wholly disappears , and the latter nearly so . When used medicinally these roots and seeds aro dried and powdered , and a closo consists of from thirty to forty grains . Its properties aro anti-spasmodic . Necklaces
of beads cut from its root were till recently worn by children during teething . Thoy were tho " anodyne necklaces" of the chemists . Under Aconite , Monkshood , or Wolfsbane , a full description of the root is given , both in writing and illustration , especially for tho purpose of enabling people to distinguish it from Horseradish for which it has been fatally mistaken . Its uses , as a medicine , aro alsc
explained both as taken inwardly and for external application . Iu the former case it is good for gouty and rheumatic pains , paralysis , & c , & c , while in the latter it has been found a most powerful and rapid agent in neuralgic pains . Internally it is taken as a powder , tincture , or extract , and tho following recipe from tho " London Pharmacopeia " is givon for the tincture . " Take of tho root of
Aconite coarsely powdered 15 oz ., of rectified spirit 2 pints . Macerate for seven days : then press out aud strain . Tho dose is from 2 to 10 drops ; ono drop , however , will often bo sufficient . " We are told , furthci-, that Aconito must in all cases be used with extreme caution , as thero is no antidote to it . Tho root of tho Goldthread , it seems , yields a pure bitter tonic
without either aroma or ustringency , and is givon in American practice , in cases of dyspepsia , general debility , and convalescence from fevers , being in facta good substitute for Quassia , Gentian , aud other plants possessing tonic properties . The Colnmbine , Stavesaereunder which head must be included the different varieties of annual Larkspur—and the Marsh Marigold are also fully described . From
tho last , which is known in many parts of England as tho water buttercup , horse-blob , and meadow-blont , is obtained a tincture , which may be usefully applied to flesh wounds , causing them to heal rapidly . The following recipe is given , though not on tho authority of tho English Pharmacopoeia , which does not contain it : — " Take of the fresh flowers of the Marigold 2 oz ., and of rectified spirit 1 pint ;
macerato for 10 days and strain . " There is obvionsly an aclvantago iu having the properties and uses of our most useful plants explained in such simple fashion . Wc congratulate the publishers and compiler on tho good beginning they have made , and we trust they will find encouragement to continue and complete their task . The price of each number is only twopence .
The Official Guide from Glasgow to the Highland * , by " The Royal Route" vi' % Grinan and Caledonian Canals . With Lists of Sailings and Fares per David MacBrayno's Royal Mail Steamers " Columba " and " lona . " Tire holiday season is fast approaching—indeed , in the case of many schools and families it lias begun—and those who havo not yet
made up their minds what to do and whither to go havo little time left them to settle these questions . Numbers , of course , will betake themselves to the Continent . Our inland and sea-side resorts will soon bo thronged with visitors , all anxious to lay in a fresh supply cf ozone , while tho Highlands of Scotland arc sure " to havo their complement of tourists bent on the same object while viewing the scenic beauties of Northorn Britain . To tho notice of the last category of
Reviews.
intending tourists we commend this Official Guide-Book . It con . tains a well-drawn map , showing the varions routes taken by Mr . MacBrayno ' s steamers , as well as Lists of Fares and Notes " of Throngh Route Sailings , " every facility being given to tourists for making directly from point to point , or breaking thoir journey as it may suit them . But though tho map and tho lists aro essential to
any publication of this kind , tho principal feature in this instance is tho very full description of all tho principal places of interost which aro accessible by rail or steamer in connection with this Crittan and Caledonian Canal 'Route . Whoever did the work of compilation has done it extremely well , and the Guide might with groat justice havo been described as au historical one , possessing a very
considerable degree of interest front tho quantity of matter relating to old times and people which has been collected within its eighty odd pages . Thero aro , too , a number of illustrations which serve to givo a good idea of tho places thoy represent . Thus , for tho low price of sixpence , there is at ouo ' s command a guide which will tell people not only what to seo and how to set about visiting it , but also what historical or romantic associations are connected with each of tho
places mentioned . Iioth Black ' s and Murray ' s , wo are well aware , aro moro elaborate , and contain information of a moro oxtensive and varied character , but then they are moro costly likewise . Hero a good map , with time-tables and guido , can be had for sixpence only , with a photograph of ono of Mr . MacBrayno ' s lino of steamers thrown in . It is a most readable compilation , as woll as an invaluable guido to tho Western Highlands .
Weather Wisdom . London : Groombridge and Sons , 5 Paternosterrow , E . C . To bo weather-wise in this inconstant climato of ours requires not only a keen observation , but also a long and varied experience . Thero are , of course , certain general laws which may be followed without hesitation even by those ignorant of meteorology , but it is as woll
to havo something more than general laws to guido us in prejudgm" - the weather of tho morrow , and—to what cause duo wo know notthis necessity has become more manifest than it was years ago . Ono does not need to be a very old man to recal the time when the weather was seasonable , with a fair degree of regularity . Thero were wet summers and mild winters then as now , but whether it is
fancy or that wo noto these things now more closely ; or whether , as many people imagine , there is something revolutionary going ou in tho planetary system , wo have latterly seen less of seasonable weather in season than we did in our younger days . However this maybe , the author of this little work on " Weather . Wisdom" has done good service by bringing together within the compass of a few
pages a very considerable amount of information , most of it being derived from tho works of such eminent meteorological authorities as the lato Admiral Fitzroy , Mr . Lowe , the lato Dr . Horschell , & c . The book is conveniently divided into short sections , each of which gives tho results of experience in interpreting tho weather from somo particular source , such as " The Sun and the Sky , " ' ' Tho Moon ,
Stars , & c , "The Clouds , Dew , Mist , and Fog ; " front observation of ' 'Animals , Birds , Insects , of Plants , & c . ; by tho use of instruments invented by man , as tho Pluvioscope , Barometer , . Hygrometer , & o If may easily be conceived that much of the information contained in these pages is interesting as well as valuable . Tho most curious piece is that of Qtiati-enier Disjonval and his spiders , which is worth
. giving a brief sketch of . This Disjonval , by birth a Frenchman , was Adjutant-General in Holland , and when the Dutch patriots revolted against the Stadtholder ho sided with them . Ho was , however , taken prisoner by tho army of the Duke of Brunswick , and sentenced to twenty-five years' imprisonment , eight of which he passed in a dungeon at Utrecht . The only living objects ho saw were spiders ,
whose habits ho watched very narrowly , partly to beguile the monotony of his life , and partly from a tasto he had formed for the study cf natural history . A violent pain on one side of his head , which ho always experienced when a change of weather was impending , first drew hi . ? attention to tho connection between such changes and tho movements of theso insects . Thus tho spiders ,
which spun a long web in a wheel-like form , invariably withdrew from his cell whenever he had his bad headache , and both these signstheir disappearance and his headache—were invariably followed by very severe weather . When they began to show themselves again in their webs and displayed their usual activity , the pains in his head began to leave him , until he got well and the fine weather
returned . So industriously and with such intelligence did he pursuo these studies that at length he was enabled to prognosticate tho approach of severe weather from ten to fourteen days before it set in . The knowledge thus acquired stood him in good service and was tho means of his recovering his liberty . When in 1791 the Republican armies of France overran Holland , an unexpected thaw occurred iu
the early part of December and imperilled tho safety of the troops unless thoy were withdrawn at once . Tho French Generals wero seriously entertaining tho idea cf accepting a sum offered by tho Dutch and retiring their forces , when Disjonval , who hoped that the success of the Republicans might lead to hh release , managed after great exertions to got a letter conveyed to tho French
Commanderin-Chief iu Jannary 1795 , in which ho pledged himself that from the movements of his spiders a severe frost would commence in fourteen days and givo the French time , by becoming masters of all the rivers , to complete aud scenro their conquest beforo a thaw set iu a ^ ain . Tho French General trusted in the prognostication aud held on . Tho cohl weather foretold by Disjonval set in in twelve days and was so intense that tho ice over tho rivers and cnals became ' capable of
bearing the heaviest artillery . On the 23 th January the French entered Utrecht in triumph and Disjonval was released . Tho foreo-em " story is quoted from the Foreign ^ nar ^ crly Review . Tho section headed "Rale-: and Observations of the Barometer " contain 3 extracts from notes of the late Admiral F ' dzroy . Ono wiiit is particularly worth noting , namely " that tho statu of the tr : forotols coming weather , rather than shows the weather that is