78 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS [Dep 



air away ; vegetables may render the air unwholesome by their 

 supply ; and animal putrefaction seems to, furnish a quantity 

 of vapour at least as noxious as any of the former. All these 

 united generally make up the mass of respiration, and are when 

 mixed together harmless ; but any one of them for a long time 

 singly predominant becomes at length fatal. In like manner it 

 is maintained that society is most safe and most healthy when, 

 on the one hand, no one class is unduly powerful, and when on 

 the other no class is unfairly lessened in influence : and that 

 because the objectionable qualities of each are balanced by the 

 compensating ingredients of all, it is desirable to preserve to 

 them severally their natural influence and scope, and perfect 

 freedom to ensure vitalising action. A. 



The Specious Appearance of Moral Depravity. 



A species of very destructive blasting is known to the 

 farmer under the name of bunt, and to the botanist as Ustilayo 

 fcetida, on account of the intolerable odour which it exhales. 

 It is one of the most common diseases to which wheat is sub- 

 ject. Scarcely a field is free from its attacks ; and in favour- 

 able circumstances it spreads widely and proves very destruc- 

 tive. It confines its ravages entirely to the grain. Externally 

 the infected ear presents no abnormal appearance. There is no 

 black dust, no stunted growth or malformation by which the 

 presence of the insidious foe may be recognised. On the con- 

 trary, the infected ears continue growing, and appear even 

 plumper and of a richer and darker green than the sound ones. 

 The very stigmata of the flowers remain unaltered to the last. 

 Stealthily and secretly the process of poisoning is accomplished ; 

 and not in many cases till the harvest is reaped and the wheat 

 ground for flour is the discovery made by the odour and colour 

 that the produce is unfit for human food. Under this external 

 mask of health all fecundation is rendered impossible ; there 

 is no development of the parts of fructification ; no embryo 

 whatever can be detected ; the whole interior of the seed when 

 broken and bruised is found to be filled with a black fetid 

 powder, which contains on chemical analysis an acrid oil, putrid, 

 gluten, charcoal, phosphoric acid, phosphate of ammonia and 



