spirits were consumed in Great Britain, and 211,685 in Ireland. Of home-made spirits, the consumption was 16,884,955 gallons in Great Britain, and 8,136,362 in Ireland. Foreign and colonial wine, 6,227,022 gallons in Great Britain, 586,809 in Ireland. Beer, 16,543,781 barrels in Great Britain, 640,251 in Ireland. Malt, 40,362,102 bushels in Great Britain, 1,630,076 in Ireland. Sugar, 6,999,884 cwts. in Great Britain, 487,705 in Ireland. Tea, 51,001,851 lb. in Great Britain, 7,832,236 lb. in Ireland. Tobacco, 24,940,555 lb. in Great Britain, 4,624,141 lb. in Ireland. Taking the population as being much the same in number in 1853 as in 1851, when the census was taken, the average consumption during the year must have been, then, considerably above a gallon of spirits (nearly nine pints, or about a sixth of a pint per week), nearly a quart of foreign wine (or half a pint in three months), and about 22 gallons of beer (not quite half a pint a day). An individual average, however, is very wide of the mark. It may give a somewhat better idea of the quantity to take the average by families. According to this return, if there had been a Communistic system, and these beverages had been equally distributed, a family of six persons must have had to drink, in the course of the year, 52 pints of spirits (a pint a week), six quarts of foreign wine (a pint a month), and 1,080 pints of beer (not quite three pints a day). The following rough calculation is made of the amount spent on spirits and tobacco: the prices placed against each article are under the cost; but even at such low rates the amount of money thrown away annually is incredible :—

5,143,324 gals. of foreign and colonial spirits, at 15s. per gal.

16,884,955 gals. of gin, at 10s. 8,136,362 gals. of whiskey, at 6s. 6,813,831 gals. of wine, at 15s.. 17,175,032 brls. of beer, at 20s. 29,564,696 lbs. of tobacco, at 4s.

......

......

£3,857,493 0 o

8,442,477 10 0 2,440,908 120 5,110,373 5 0 17,175,032 00 5,912,939 4 0

[The italics introduced by our correspondent in his concluding sentence, save us the necessity for commenting on the above "awful facts." Let anybody read the above, and say if our strictures from time to time (severe though they be) are anything but just. Men and beasts-what a slight partition divides the two!]

Domestic Duties "not" Disgraceful. The elegant and accomplished Lady Mary Wortley Montague, who figured in the fashionable as well as in the literary circles of her time, has said that "the most minute details of household economy become elegant and refined when they are ennobled by sentiment." And surely, my dear sir, they are truly ennobled when we attend to them either from a sense of duty, or consideration for a parent, or love to a husband. "To furnish a room," continues this lady, "is no longer a commonplace affair, shared with upholsterers and cabinet-makers; it is decorating the place where I am to meet a friend or lover. To order dinner,

is not merely arranging a meal with my cook; it is preparing refreshments for him whom I love. These necessary occupations, viewed in this light by a person capable of strong attachments, are so many pleasures, and afford her far more delight than the games and shows which constitute the amusements of the world."-PHŒBE, Brighton.

Death of a Distinguished Naturalist.-Mr. George Newport, F.R.S., long known to the scientific world as a distinguished naturalist, more particularly in the department of entomology, died at his residence in Cambridge Street, Hyde Park, on the 7th ult., after a comparatively-short illness. Mr. Newport was a surgeon; but in order to apply himself more fully to scientific pursuits, he had almost withdrawn from practice of late years, being enabled to do so chiefly by a small pension from Governmenta pension conferred upon him for his attainments in natural science. He contributed several valuable papers to the Transactions of the Royal and Linnæan Societies; among them were papers On the respiration and on the temperature of insects; "On the reproduction of lost parts in insects and myriapoda; " "On the impregnation of the ovum in amphibia;' "On the natural history and development of the oilbeetle; ""On the formation and use of the airsacs in insects; "On the vapor expelled from bee-hives ;" and "On the generation of the aphides." He was the author of the article "Insecta" in the " Cyclopædia of Anatomy and Physiology." He was a fellow of the Royal and the Linnæan Societies, as well as of many other similar 80cieties on the Continent and in America. He had been more than once elected president of the Entomological Society, in the originating and advancing of which he took a lively interest. Mr. Newport was not less estimable as a member of society, than he was eminent as a man of science.-G. W.

Beetles. I have had a beetle given me, which I am told is a Golden Ground Beetle; but I am unable myself to decide the question. Will you please give me the distinguishing features of this insect, whereby I shall be able to satisfy myself? It is a beautiful creature, and I feel anxious to know its value.-E. R., Hampstead.

[We find the "Golden Ground Beetle" thus described in "Harrison's Cabinet of Entomology," No. 2. By comparing the particulars with the marks on your beetle, you will easily be able to come to a conclusion:-"Golden Ground Beetle (Carabus auratus). Head, thorax, and elytra, green, glossed with gold; head lightly punctulated, with a longitudinal impression near each eye; thorax, subcordate, transversely wrinkled, an oblong impression on each side towards the posterior angles, which are somewhat deflexed; elytra, oblongovate; convex margin, with a coppery tinge, rather rough, and, approaching the apex, sinuous; each elytron with a triple series of rows of smooth elevated ribs, the interstices finely granulated; the legs, tarsi, four basal joints of antennæ, and organs of mouth, of a brownish red color; under parts of body, bluish black. Of this highly beautiful insect, but few individuals have been taken in this country. In France,

it is comparatively common, and known by the name of Le Jardinier.' Latreille observes, that it is a most destructive enemy to the cockchafer, attacking and killing the females at the moment of oviposition, thereby preventing the birth of thousands of young. Captured near Exmouth, Dover, Southampton, and Canterbury."]

Lily of the Valley.-Everybody is in love with this pet of the flowers, and it ought to be generally known that it may be successfully cultivated in pots for forcing, year after year. It must have kind treatment; but to have it in flower in the greenhouse or conservatory from the month of January until its usual time of flowering in the open air, well repays the little attention it requires. This may be effected by attending to the following system of management:-The roots should be taken up for potting as soon as the leaves have decayed, in order to allow time for the formation of roots previously to starting them into growth. The middle of December is a good time to begin forcing this Lily; and a succession of flowers may be kept up by taking a few pots into the forcing pit every three or four weeks, as they remain a long time in perfection. When the plants have done flowering, they should be removed from the greenhouse to a cold pit or frame, where they can have plenty of light and air; and as soon as they have completed their growth, they should be set a partially-shaded border, protected from cutting winds. They may remain there until the end of October or beginning of November, when they should again be placed in the cold pit until they are required for forcing. When the plants are taken into the forcing pit, they should be plunged in a mild bottom heat; and entirely covered with loose leaves, to exclude light until the roots shall have become active; after which they should be fully exposed to light, and given plenty of air. Plants treated in this way will not require to be re-potted until the second season after they have been removed from the ground. And when it is necessary to do so, the soil should be carefully shaken from the roots, and the plants re-potted into pots of the same size as those they came out of; or larger, as may be found requisite. Five-inch pots will be found to be a very convenient size in which to grow the Lily of the Valley; and the soil most suited to its wants is composed of turfy loam, leaf-mould, and sand.-G.F.

on

The Spider-catching Fly of Van Diemen's Land.-This insect is about the size and figure of a wasp, but in color resembling the domestic fly. Its habits are very singular. The spiders it captures with so much daring, are not intended for food for itself, but for its future progeny. The fly in the height of the summer season may be seen very busy on the moist banks of the river, collecting mud to form cells, which it constructs with great expedition. These cells are made to contain three or four spiders, most of them half as large as itself, which are closely packed, and immediately covered over, the cover of the first being the basis of the second; and so on, in succession. It takes advantage of any chink in the wall, or niche in the angles of the doors or windows, for its building purposes. I have not ascertained, says a resident naturalist, if the fly

hunts singly or in couples; but one, at least, found its way upstairs, or through the window of a bedroom, and constructed, before it was observed, a number of its clay cells on the chintz bed-curtain. When discovered and the cells brushed down, the spiders covered the bottom of a dessert plate, and presented a beautiful appearance, being of all colors; some as if richly enamelled, and quite perfect, and as fresh as if alive. This was the work of two or three days only. The spiders were all of the geometrical class, and were killed as soon as seized. On another occasion I found an Italian iron filled up by them, as also an iron saucepan-handle; and a dress that had been suspended on a nail for a few days, had a large patch of their nests upon it. So soon as the cavity is filled up with fine plump spiders, an egg is deposited therein; and when duly hatched the grub has a sumptuous feast prepared for it.— MIMOSA.

Chrysomela Tenebroides.-Within the last ten days, my daughter captured and brought up to me a pair of Chrysomela tenebroides. I have carefully examined that excellent work, "A Manual of British Coleoptera," by J. F. Stephens, Esq., as well as that beautiful volume of "British Coleoptera, delineated by W. E. Shuckard, Esq.," and also several other works on British Coleoptera. In not one of them do I find any notice of this fine beetle! I scarcely need tell you that I possess several European specimens, and that I know what Chrysomela tenebroides is. T. Marsham, in his "Entomologia Britannica" (published upwards of fifty years ago) has accurately described it. My object in requesting insertion of this little notice, is to ascertain, through the medium of any of your entomological contributors, if this insect is no longer considered British- and, if possible, "why" it is no longer considered so? Being very much interested in everything relating to entomology, I naturally feel very curious on the subject, the more particularly as no doubt exists about the two I have just become possessed of being Chrysomela tenebroides.-BOMBYX ATLAS, Tottenham, April 19.

Bark-bound Trees.-Some over-wise people, says a writer in the Gardeners' Journal, have an idea that when a tree gets mossy and bark-bound -the latter another term for the want of growth and weakness, consequent upon neglected cultivation-it is only necessary to slit the bark up and down the stem with a jack-knife, and it will at once spread out and grow! This is sheer nonsense. Dig about and cultivate the roots (and the bark will take care of itself), with a scraping off the moss, and a washing of the stem with ley or soap-suds, or chamber slops, which last is quite as good. The increased flow of the sap, induced by a liberal feeding of the roots, will do its own bursting of the "hidebound" bark which is simply its enfeebled condition as a consequence of its poverty of root. No one thinks of turning out a bony, half-starved calf in the spring, into the clover-field, with the skin on its sides all split through with a knife in order to add to its growth. But this last proposition is quite as sensible and philosophical as the other. Nature takes care of herself in these particulars. Sap in

plants, is what the blood is to animals. Its vigorous flow reaches every part of its composition, and gives to each its proper play and function. We can show frequent instances of a decrepid, shrivelled branch, (by the throwing open and manuring of the roots, and a thorough pruning of the whole top) increasing from an inch to two inches in diameter in a single season; and without assistance it grew, bursting and throwing off its old contracted bark as freely as the growth of a vigorous asparagus-shoot will develop itself during a warm shower in May. Such nostrums are only the invention of the head to the laziness of the hands.-There is much good sense in the above, and it should be widely diffused; I therefore send it to OUR OWN JOURNAL.-J. G., Hounslow.

Tree Labels. I am of opinion that nothing. equals thin sheet-lead for this purpose. It is very pliable and durable. The letters should be stamped on it; and the labels soldered to small iron stakes, or nailed to the wall, as the case may be. I have seen labels of this kind which had been in use for 60 years. To all appearance they were as good as they were the day they were made. Putty paper, or wood, are more fit for the boudoir than to stand the test of the seasons. They want renewing every 5 or 10 years; but this is not the case with lead, which is very lasting.-W. BROWN, Merevale.

English Churches and English Women.-I am often struck with the "power of memory" shown by ladies who go to church regularly on Sundays and week days. Is it not, indeed, something superhuman which enables a woman after she has passed an hour and a half in church, without ever lifting her eyes off her prayer-book, or letting them wander from the preacher, to describe to you the toilette of every lady in church, without omitting the smallest details? She will not for get either their gloves or the collars; she will never give to one lady the lace or ornaments of another. Not only does this require great perfection in the powers of memory, but a singular and phenomenal development of the sight; for ladies who sit on her right or on her left hand, or behind her, will not be omitted, any more than those who sit before her. She will have seen them all, she will have remarked all the details of their attire-even those which are the most insignificant in appearance, without having been once caught turning her head, and without having exhibited a sign of being engaged with anything but her prayers.-ALPHONSE KARR.

[O, fie! Alphonse Karr, you are a rash man thus boldly to express your sentiments in the face of day. We nev-er!]

Wild Men of the Himalayas.-A race of wild men called "Harrum-mo, are said to inhabit the head of the valley, living in the woods of a district called Mund-po, beyond Bah; they shun habitations, speak an unintelligible tongue, have more hair on the face than Lepchas, and do not plait that of their heads, but wear it in a knot; they use the bow and arrow, and eat snakes and vermin, which the Lepchas will not touch.-DR. HOOKER.

Curious Calculation to illustrate Population.If all the people of Great Britain says CHESHIRE, in his Results of the Census," had to pass through London in procession, four abreast, and every facility were afforded for their free and uninterrupted passage during twelve hours daily, Sundays excepted, it would take nearly three months for the whole population of Great Britain to file through, at quick march, four deep. To count them singly, at the rate of one a second, would take a year and a half; assuming that the same number of hours daily were occupied, and that Sundays also were excepted.-JANE W.

A Remarkably pleasant Climate.-The following is the Calendar of a Siberian or Lapland year :June 23.-Snow melts. July 1.-Snow gone.

9.-Fields quite green.
17.-Plants at full growth.
25.-Plants in flower.
Aug. 2.-Fruits ripe.

10.-Plants shed their seed.
18.-Snow, continuing to June 23!
-QUIZ.

The Cowfish.-The Cowfish, a species of Manatus, inhabits the Amazon, and is particularly abundant in the lakes in this part of the river. I saw a female, about six feet long, and near five in circumference in the thickest part. The body is perfectly smooth, and without any projections or inequalities; gradually changing into a horizontal semicircular flat tail, with no appearance whatever of hind limbs. There is no distinct neck; the head is not very large, and is terminated by a large mouth and fleshy lips, somewhat resembling those of a cow. There are stiff bristles on the lips, and a few distantly scattered hairs over the body. Behind the head are two oval fins, and just beneath them are the breasts, from which, on pressure being applied, flows a stream of beautiful white milk. The ears are minute holes, and the eyes very small. The color is a dusky lead, with some large pinkish-white marbled blotches on the belly. The skin is about an inch thick on the back, and a quarter of an inch on the belly. Beneath the skin, is a layer of fat of a greater or less thickness; generally about an inch, which is boiled down to make an oil used for light and for cooking. The intestines are very voluminous, the heart about the size of a sheep's, and the lungs about two feet long, and six or seven inches wide, very cellular and spongy, and can be blown out like a bladder. The skull is large and solid, with no front teeth; the vertebræ extend to the very tip of the tail, but show no rudiments of posterior limbs; the fore limbs, on the contrary, are very lightly developed, the bones exactly corresponding to those of the human arm; having even the five fingers, with every joint distinct, yet enclosed in a stiff inflexible skin, where not a joint can have any motion. The cow-fish feeds on grass at the borders of the rivers and lakes, and swims quickly with the tail and padilles; and though the external organs of sight and hearing are so imperfect, these senses are said by the hunters to be remarkably acute, and to render necessary all their caution and skill to capture the animals. They bring forth one, or rarely two, young ones, which they clasp in their

arms or paddles while giving suck. They are harpooned, or caught in a strong net, at the narrow entrance of a lake or stream, and are killed by driving a wooden plug with a mallet up their nostrils. Each yields from five to twentyfive gallons of oil. The flesh is very good, being something between beef and pork; and this one furnished us with several meals, and was an agreeable change from our fish diet.-R. WAL

LACE,

Necessity of Rest for the Eyes.-Endeavor always, if it can be accomplished, to give the eyes rest for a while after eating; especially if your occupation obliges you to sit. The bad effects of an opposite line of conduct may be daily seen in the red faces, livid lips, and bloodshot eyes, of those who either think intensely, or strain the sight soon after meals. After all employments that tend to inflame the passions-as pleading, teaching, lecturing, debating, &c., rest to the sight is absolutely essential to its preservation in old age; for the blood being more heated than usual, and flowing to the head in excess, unfits the eyes for exertion; and will, if persevered in, produce the most painful consequences.-A

FRIEND.

[We imagine this is intended as "a hint" for us. Thanks, many; kind "Friend !"]

A Cure for Whitlow.- Let the suffering part be moistened with water, and then touched with nitrate of silver, till the spot begins to be discolored. Then let it be simply covered with lint, and bandaged. If the complaint be of recent date probably on the following day all pains will cease; and, on the third, the cure is effected. If of longer duration, the skin will be more thickened; and, after acting on it with the caustic, it must be removed with the scissors or knife, in order to give free exit to the collected matter underneath. If swelling or redness are still present, the application of the lunar caustic should be repeated till the tumor disappears, and the spot becomes free from pain. If whitlow happens on callous parts of the hand, it will be better to remove thin layers of the callous skin with the knife before the caustic is used. Warm fomentations of linseed are likewise useful in such cases.-ROSA B.

The Water Lily-It is a marvel whence this perfect flower derives its loveliness and perfume; springing as it does from the black mud over which the river sleeps, and where lurk the slimy eel and speckled frog, and the mud turtle, whom continual washing cannot cleanse. It is the very same black mud out of which the yellow lily sucks its obscene life and noisome odor! Thus we see, too, in the world, that some persons assimilate only what is ugly and evil from the same moral circumstances which supply good and beautiful results-the fragrance of celestial flowers-to the daily life of others.-MARGARET FULLER.

Tameness of the Robin.-In April, 1852, a pair of robins entered my drawing-room, through the open window. From their movements, we guessed they were selecting some convenient site in which to form a nest. They examined everything very carefully, and reconnoitred every corner of the

room. Two large vases on the mantelpiece were specially surveyed; but they were not liked. At last, they selected the corner of the gilt cornice, surmounting the window curtains. Here, in a short time, they began to build; bringing in twigs, dried leaves, and other articles necessary for the construction of their nest. In three or four days, the habitation was completed; and, in due time, four very pretty eggs were deposited therein, carefully sat upon, and all hatched. Thirteen days afterwards, the four young ones, being fully fledged, with their parents, took their departure in my presence. During the whole period above-mentioned, the birds came in and out as if the room were their own, nothing daunted by the presence of the owners or their friends. The hen bird always came in at night, the male most commonly remaining in the garden without. Candles and music caused her no disturbance. Her mate in his repeated visits would hop about the floor, and readily accept crumbs thrown to him, on the rug, by the mistress of the house. The hen bird chiefly sat; while the male brought in to her, worms, and grubs, and other articles of food, singing a little song announcing his arrival. He would sometimes remain motionless upon the teapoy for a few minutes; then she would come down from the nest, receive the wriggling worm or writhing grub from his mouth, and dismiss him in search of more. On the day when the young ones were hatched, noted down as on the eighth of May, both birds alighted on the head of the mistress of the house, on her going to the window, as if to communicate the joyous tidings of the birth of their progeny. They afforded, as will be readily imagined, much interest to all our household, as well as to our friends and neighbors; some of whom, having heard of our winged guests, would ask leave to realise the tale by ocular demonstration. The only disappointment felt was, that, in taking their departure, neither the parents nor the young ones made any acknowledgment for the secure and hospitable home afforded themnot without some inconvenience, for the window had to be kept open through the day during their occupation of the principal room of the house.G. SPENCE, Lee, Kent.

[We have not given insertion to the anecdote kindly forwarded with the above, copied from the Dumfries Courier. We never allow any anecdotes of animals furnished to that paper, to appear in ours. We require "facts." Fun is all very well in its way, but a man may be too waggish. More fabrications are already in circulation; and they will increase with the summer heat. Gooseberries and cauliflowers are even now of gigantic size; and the annual colossal “cabbage” is fast growing!]

Cocoa-Nut Matting. This serviceable commodity, which forms a striking feature in the manufactures of this country, is the production of the cocoa palm, a tree which thrives luxuriantly in the latitudes of the tropics. There are five distinct varieties of palms to be met with in the torrid zone, viz., the cocoa palm, the fan ditto, the date ditto, the sago ditto, and the beetle-nut palm. The first produces the cocoa-nut of commerce, the juice of which, in a premature stage of fruition, is denominated cocoa-nut milk. This

latter