"The half-blush of the eglantine,

And the pure sweetness of the jessamine," in such a graceful manner, that all who have beheld them must have been charmed. The case of rare and curious botanical specimens, showing their growing state and various phases, modelled by the Messrs. Mintorn (Class 29, No. 70), reminded us of Kew Gardens, with its pillars for climbingplants, the lower part of the case being occupied by the Victoria Regia, Nymphadeæs, and other rare aquatic plants. Before leaving the gallery, we must not forget to mention a most tempting looking pot of mignonette, also modelled by the Messrs. Mintorn, and placed on a stand near to their large case.

Our next group of flowers is selected from Class 30, and is modelled by Miss Lumsden (No. 125), a young lady who gained the Medal of the Metropolitan Society of Florists and Amateurs, in 1848. The tableau is quite new, as regards the style of grouping; the flowers, which are

a cornucopia of gilt wire, which is attached to a dark velvet ground, the whole being surrounded by branches of oak, with leaves and acorns, bordered by slips of lookingglass, which are covered at the corners by a sprig of oak, and framed in a handsome gilt frame. Beautiful moss-roses, lilacs, carnations, verbenas, snowdrops, azaleas, hops, yellow rose, lilies, jasmine, dahlias, fuchsias, forget-me-not, hawthorn, cactus, laburnum, nasturtium, China and monthly roses, hellebore, and begonia grandiflora, are most tastefully and effectively arranged; "Nor gradual bloom is wanting,

Nor hyacinths of purest virgin white,
Low-bent, and blushing inward; nor jonquils,
Of potent fragrance."

We may congratulate the exhibitors of Wax Flowers in the Crystal Palace upon the very great perfection to which they have brought the art; and we hope that some of our own pupils will profit by the designs we have given, and endeavour, by taking Nature as their model, to rival the Wax Flowers of the Exhibition.

THE VOICE OF OTHER DAYS.

WHEN Spring, with all her flowery train,
Made glad the smiling earth,
I turn'd my weary feet again,

To scenes of boyhood's mirth.
The swallow breathed in twittering lore;
The thrush, in mellow lays;
The cataract in its tiny roar,
"The voice of other days!"

The clock, within the old grey tower;
The dreamy water-mill;

The school-boys free, at noontide hour;
The bees that roamed at will;

The alehouse sign; the poplar trees;
All, in their several ways,

Breathed on the perfume-laden breeze,
"The voice of other days!"

But, when I sought each well-known face,
And called each cherished name,
Sad silence reigned in every place;
Alas! no answer came,

Some in the far-off spirit-land,
The rest in devious ways:

I heard no more, in accents bland,
"The voice of other days!"

Far from the scenes my heart loves well,
I wander forth again;

But, like the severed ocean shell,
Their echoes I retain.

And often, when my spirit groans,
In labour's weary ways,

I sleep-and hear in angel tones,

"The voice of other days!"-WM. ILOTT.

THE ROBIN.

BY JOHN CRITCHLEY PRINCE.

Ai, gentle Robin! I delight to hear,
From hawthorn, apple-tree, or cottage sill,
Thy melting melody, so soft and clear

Light as the tinklings of a tiny rill,

The wild notes issuing from thy eloquent bill, Are partly cheerful and are partly sad, Like chastened grief, endeavouring to be glad, And wile with words the memory of ill. But the consoling sounds, wherever heard;

Fall on my heart like drops of genial balmSoothe the sharp pangs of many a hope deferred, And interfuse a sense of inward calmA sense of resignation to the will That smites, some hidden goodness to fulfil. Oh, patient Robin! may I learn from theeThou little teacher on that naked tree

A due submission into Heaven's behest; Cheerful humility, and conscious power, To meet and struggle with the roughest hour, Whate'er the trial, and whate'er the test; Thankful for smallest blessings when they come, Calm in my sorrows, in my triumphs dumbUnbowed by care, unawed by lawless wrong; Firm to endure, but ready to enjoy, Heedless of scorn, superior to annoy,

And prompt to sing an uncomplaining songA song of praise, too, Robin, like thine own, Haply to reach the everlasting throne.

The ripe fruit falls. garb assume,

The forest trees a gorgeous

Of all the gold and crimson hues that evening clouds illume

And where the sportive zephpr sighed, in murmurs sweetly dim,

The wild winds for the dying year, loud moan a funeral hymn.

The village children, seeking nuts beneath the hazel boughs,

Twine the sweet woodbine with wild hops, in garlands round their brows:

Then chase the snowy thistle-down, borne onward by the breeze,

Or pelt the nimble squirrel tribe, that gambol 'mongst the trees.

The music of the huntsman's horn comes echoing down the vale,

And mingles with the ceaseless hum of the nevertiring flail;

Whereat the speckled turkey brood met round the old barn-door,

To get the scattered grain, and join in chorus

evermore.

The flowers die fast; the morning comes, arranged in frozen dew;

The silent woodland shades are clothed in Autumn's myriad hue;

And oft the solemn passing-bell falls on the startled ear;

And often, o'er the graveyard's path, is borne the ladened bier.

Then let us wander thro' the woods-their myriad hues behold,

From lightest green to darkest brown; from brow to brightest gold;

And, wandering, let us ponder oft our own life's sure decay,

For soon, like autumn's fading leaves, we, too, shall pass away.

And let us strive to live each day, so that the end of life

May, like these blessed Autumn days, with fruitfulness be rife;

Then shall we have such store on high, that we may safely brave

The chill torpedo sleep of Death-the Winter of the Grave!

WILLIAM ILOTT,

USEFUL RECEIPTS.

succeed in a case or two, but would fail in others. No kennel should be without this medicine. Any chemist can determine how long it will keep. 6 oz. filings of pewter, 6 oz. rue, 4 oz. garlic, 4 oz. mithridate or Venice treacle. Cut the rue and garlic small; mix them with three quarts of strong beer, or white wine, in an earthen vessel that can be stopped close; put it into a pot of water with

Watch and Chronometer Oil.-Put a quantity of the best olive oil into a phial, with two or three times as much water, so that the phial may be about half full. Shake the phial briskly for a little time; turn the cork downwards, and let most of the water flow out between the sides of the cork and the neck of the phial; thus the oil must be washed five or six times after the last quantity of water has been drawn off; what remains is a mixture of water, oil, and mucilage. To separate these from each other, put the phial into hot water for three or four minutes, and most of the water will fall to the bottom, which must be drawn off as before. The oil must then be poured into a smaller phial, which being nearly full, must be well corked, set in a cool place, and suffered to stand undisturbed for three or four months, or until all the water has subsided, with the mucilage on the top of it, and the oil above all; the oil must then be poured off into very small phials, kept in a cool place, well corked to preserve from the air. The mucilage may be used for dirty work. I have tried the above successfully. -W. J., Watchmaker.

To prevent the Acidity of Beer.-It is a common practice, after a barrel has been running some time, to make a hole in the bung, to cause the beer to come out quicker; the consequence is, that shortly after it becomes acid, and hardly drinkable. A little reflection and reasoning would soon show that such need not be the case, viz. Why does it stop running? And why, when a hole is made, is it set running again? Taking the bore of the tap to sustain a pressure of 7lbs., it would run out until it was balanced; and when a hole is made, it lets in the air, which presses upon the beer and forces it out. Well, it is evident that to keep a continual flow, it wants a continual pressure. My plan is this-fill the barrel or casks as usual, but upon the top have a float, and 7 or 15lbs., as required, which will press upon the liquid with that force, and overcome the pressure of the air at the tap. By this means liquors may be kept in tap, without suffering any detriment.W. T. R.

Hydrophobia.-We have been favoured with the following useful communication:-The remedy has been used with success by Lord Rossmore, in his kennel, for some years, and by gentlemen and sportsmen of his lordship's acquaintance, in King's County, in Ireland. One reference will be sufficient for the present. A hound, having all the appearance of madness, bit several hounds in the pack of a Mr. Freeman. He was killed; the medicine was immediately applied to all the rest, bit and not bit, save one, on which the experiment was not tried; he died raving mad; none of the rest showed any appearance of infection. The sooner it can be applied the better. After a lapse of 12 or 24 hours, the remedy might

against the sides of the pot when the water is boiling; let it simmer over a slow fire three or four hours, then squeeze the liquor from the herbs, and bottle it for use, and seal the cork. How to apply it :-For a dog, one tablespoonful the first day, two the second, three the third, four the fourth, and five the fifth; continue to give five for four mornings more. Nine mornings in all.

The same quantity to man or woman, making allowances for robust or less vigorous frames. To a child, half the quantity. If a poultice can be applied to the wound, let it be of the squeezed herbs, hot.

Instructions for Browning Gun-barrels.-Nitric acid half-ounce, sweet spirits nitre half-ounce, spirits of wine one ounce, blue vitriol two ounces, tincture of steel one ounce, are to be mixed together, the vitriol having been previously dissolved in a sufficient quantity of water to make, with the other ingredients, one quart of mixture. Previous to commencing the operation, let the barrel be well cleaned from all grease and other impurities, place a plug of wood in the muzzle, and stop the vent well. Apply the mixture with a clean sponge or rag, taking care that every part is equally covered, and then expose to the air for twentyfour hours; after which the barrel must be rubbed with a hard brush and rag to remove the oxide from the surface. The whole operation may be performed a second or even third time if necessary, until the barrel is made of a perfectly brown colour. It must be then carefully brushed and wiped, and immersed in boiling water in which a small quantity of alkaline matter has been put, in order that the action of the oxide may be destroyed, and the impregnation of the water neutralized. The barrel, when taken from the water, must be perfectly dried and rubbed smooth with a burnisher of hard wood, then heated to the temperature of boiling water, to receive a varnish of the following materials:-Spirits of wine one quart, dragon's blood powder three drachms, shelllac bruised one ounce: after the varnish is perfectly dry, the barrel must be rubbed with the burnisher to give a glossy appearance; if the barrel had been previously browned, it should be rubbed with coarse emery paper previous to commencing the operation, so as to make the barrel perfectly clean and fit for the action of the oxide. In moist weather the operation must be performed in a dry place, as humidity weakens the effect of the oxide. To repair the browning :-When the barrel is much rubbed, a little vitriolic acid may be applied to it, and then receive the treatment that barrels undergo in browning, taking care to deaden the action of the acid with boiling water. When in constant use, the brown may be kept perfect by an application of vinegar, to remain on the surface for a day, and then well washed with boiling water. To preserve the polish, rub smartly with bees'-wax, and finish with dry flannel. [These are the Government instructions to brown the arms of the coast-guard.]—J. H. D.

(A and A*), are of different forms; this has been done for particular reasons. In the first place, the outer part of the frame (A*) should be cut away in a perpendicular direction, and then hollowed out, as C C, where it is very darkly shaded. This is easily accomplished by means of a rasp and circular file, and adds so much to the general appearance of the work, that its adoption is almost imperative, because the practised eye is at once captivated by the superiority of the style. The inner part (A) is gradually bevelled off towards the glass, which is readily done by sawing away the wood in an angular direction, and afterwards using the rasp and file.

It may be well to observe, that after the work is rasped and filed, it is necessary to use sandpaper to fine the work, and that the general tone and appearance of it-and, indeed, of most imitation, carved, and leather work-is improved by staining the basis with some of the stains recommended in p. 295. vol. ii. As we prefer dark woods, we use the red stain, afterwards mottling and streaking the whole with black japan varnish; thus, the work is painted and varnished at the same time, and the character of it improved. A little practice will soon render the operation easy and effective. As it is our intention to publish some articles upon imitating the various kinds of wood by staining, dyeing, and painting or graining, we refrain from further observations at pre

The frame may be completed and varnished as we have pointed out above, or finished with oak varnish, or may be gilt.

We have now finished the frame, and of course the glass has been cut to the proper size, and is ready; the table has the frame-work turned,

carved, and rubbed off, and the marble top is placed in a proper manner upon it; but we have yet to make the lion's head for the legs, and the body and feet, as also some of the scrollwork.

Passing along a dirty narrow lane-no matter where we saw a stall full of every kind of rubbish, and things useful. Amongst the heap was an old knocker with a lion's head; and for your sake, dear reader, we purchased it, and moulded the lion of our room and table after the manner described at p. 27. If you keep a sharp look-out, and make good use of your senses, many an old knocker, handle, finger-plate, or other thing looked upon as useless, will be found very handy for decorative purposes; and thus the old adage, "Keep a thing seven years, and you will find its use," is fully realised in this instance.

In the designs given in the preceding pages, there are certain portions of scroll-work introduced, but this may be formed of leather, by the method previously described at p. 27, or of wood in the usual manner.

No. 2.-This design admits of more applications than one: thus it may be used as a console table, a cabinet, or bookcase, by adopting some slight modification. The part now occupied by the letter-press might be glazed with folding doors, and occupied by stuffed birds, or fitted with shelves and used as a book-case, while the side could remain as it is.

The decorations of the upper part of the design are to be constructed in accordance with the direc

tions furnished (p. 26), and the remaining portions executed as usual. The general form may not accord with the ideas of all, in which case the designs we have given before will no doubt assist our pupils in arranging the whole according to their own fancy,

The table is made of wood, stained, painted, or prepared as we have recommended above, and

the pillars should be turned of the same shape as Fig. 42, or any other form that may be more conformable to the taste of the reader.

It is impossible to fix any exact scale of measurement for the designs, as much will, of course, depend upon the height of the rooms and size of the recess; but, as a general rule, the glass and frame should, if possible, be about twice the height of the other.

The jars, vases, &c., given in the illustration, are only placed there for the purpose of giving a more natural appearance to the design.

Our next illustration, Fig. 43, is a design for a mirror, the half only being drawn. It is constructed as usual, of the shape given, and then