34 



KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



England and O-port-o ! The eye was caught, 

 the palate tickled. We marvelled if all 

 were "right," — very much doubting it. 

 Nor were our doubts unconfirmed. That 

 room was not the visitors' room. A " cold 

 shoulder " apprised us of that fact ; and we, 

 with sundry other doubters, travelled on- 

 wards to ruminate in the patients' room, 

 before described. 



We have already said we were somewhat 

 early in our arrival. This gave us time to 

 look around us ; and to examine the pre- 

 parations for the coming games. Three 

 glorious fires were there — two at one end 

 of the room ; throwing a cheerful blaze on 

 the guests assembled to share the grateful 

 heat. Walking leisurely about, we duly 

 arrived at the two large, and handsomely de- 

 corated Christmas-trees, — which reared their 

 heads high in air, as if conscious of their 

 attractions. We will venture to say they 

 had never before yielded such an infinite 

 variety of fruit. 



Then we came to the three stupendous 

 Twelfth- cakes, whose girth we should be 

 afraid to state ; and whose united weight a 

 horse might be able to estimate. They 

 were raised on pedestals, and elevated some 

 two feet above the ground. And what a 

 profusion of droll figures danced away on 

 their summits ! And what an expanse of 

 sugar there was for them to dance upon ! 

 Then there was a pianoforte, and — but hark ! 

 it is striking six. W r hat numbers of men 

 there are coming in on the left ; and look at 

 the crowd of women on the right, — all pro- 

 ceeding to occupy the benches placed for 

 them on either side of the room. And see 

 — they are all seated ; and smiling in anti- 

 cipation of a merry evening. There are 

 some smart nurses too in attendance on the 

 women; and they also look " jolly." 



The seats [all occupied, the lights are 

 partially extinguished ; andlo ! on a sheet be- 

 hind the twelfth-cakes, we recognise a sweet 

 moonlight view of " Kircudbright Abbe} T ," 

 ushered in by a song, — "Lovely Night," 

 from Miss Anne Cox. This fairly fascinated 

 all the patients ; who applauded vociferously 

 not only it, but the entire series of Dis- 

 solving Views which followed. 



It was now that our sympathies became 

 fully enlisted. There was light sufficient 

 for us to scrutinise, closely, the various 

 countenances by which we were surrounded 

 —on the right and on the left. What a sight 

 lay before us ! There sat several hundred 

 fellow-creatures, — mere wrecks of humanity, 

 amused, — positively amused, and happy for 

 the time, whilst memory faintly summoned 

 up a remembrance of the past. Oh, the 

 many sighs we heard, as the band played 

 " Auld lang Syne," " Beautiful Rhine," " Ye 

 Banks and Braes," "Kate Kearney," &c. ! 



It was impossible to withhold the tribute of 

 a tear, more than once ; nor did we wish it. 

 If ever we philosophised, we did so now. 

 If ever we were thankful for the gift of 

 reason, in its fullest enjoyment, it was now. 

 Only by contrasts like these, can we form 

 any just estimate of the goodness of God to 

 the children of men.* 



We pass over the conversation we held 

 with a number of these poor creatures during 

 the evening. It was interesting to us for a 

 variety of reasons ; seeing that it gave us a 

 deep insight into human nature, and fully 

 confirmed certain opinions we had formed 

 respecting the maladies under which these 

 poor patients were suffering. We had it 

 from their own mouths (honestly spoken) 

 that they were happy ; well cared for, and 

 well fed. " See ! " said one remarkably fine 

 woman. " am I not fat ? They do feed us up 

 here, just-a-bit." And such no doubt is 

 the fact. During the evening, we saw 

 Henry Pownall, Esq., one of the magis- 

 trates, kindly extending his hand towards 

 several of the patients. They took it gently 

 and kissed it, — blessing its owner. Sensible 

 are they of the sympathy shown them, and 

 alive to any little offering of friendship. 



We must not dwell longer on these scenes. 

 The cakes were in due course cut up, — or 

 rather sliced up, as if by magic. Divided 

 and subdivided, they were sent in wedges all 

 over the room ; and set all the patients in 

 ecstacies. Generous were they too, very. 

 We came away with many a sample of cake. 

 Then the band struck up, followed by the 

 merry dance ; and the whole room was a 

 mighty mass of moving humanity. How 

 they did all enjoy it ! It was indeed 



" Tripping it on the light fantastic toe ! " 



Men and women, boys and girls, nurses 

 and attendants — all commingled. It was a 

 most interesting sight ; and the recollection 

 of those festivities will no doubt linger long 

 in the memory (even though imperfect) of the 

 patients who took so leading a part in them. 



As regards ourself, and our amiable com- 

 panion, — we were so overjoyed with what we 

 saw, that we talked of nothing else all the 

 way home. Rough vras the road ; and long 

 the distance for us to go on foot (for no 

 vehicles of any kind could be induced to 



* After the "Dissolving Views" (the effect 

 produced by which was very remarkable), came 

 the " Chromatrope." It is impossible to describe 

 the excitement which this caused among the 

 patients. Its colors and changes — following^ in 

 rapid succession, and apparently endless, fairly 

 set them dancing, shouting, leaping, jumping. 

 And when the hand struck up " God save the 

 Queen," and all the voices tried to become " one," 

 the picture may he imagined — not painted. What 

 a scene ! We shall never forget it. — Ed. K J. 



