186 



KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



work exhibition — the corpses never having moved 

 from their positions since the vessel went down. 

 There were eighteen or twenty persons in the 

 cabin, all of whom seemed to be holding conversa- 

 tion with each other ; and the general appearance 

 of the whole scene was so life-like, that he was 

 almost inclined to believe that some were yet liv- 

 ing. From their various positions and counte- 

 nances, it is evident that they could have no idea 

 of the disaster which was hastening them to so 

 untimely an end. This accounts for the non-find- 

 ing of the bodies." — To read this statement of 

 literal facts, while seated comfortably at home, 

 is appalling — truly. But what must the actual 

 sight have been, when vividly presented to the 

 eyes of that diver ? Well might he refuse again 

 to witness it ! — Emily P., Carskalton. 



Ardent Spirits, Beer, Tobacco, &c. — As you 

 have spoken your mind so often, so nobly, and 

 so plainly, Mr. Editor, on the use of these most 

 filthy abominations, I make no apology for 

 sending you some statistical facts bearing on the 

 general question. Neither you nor I shall ever 

 succeed in removing the evil ; but w T e have a 

 right to keep on " hinting" at the inevitable con- 

 sequences resulting from a parley with the 

 enemy. Very recently a Parliamentary paper 

 has been published, in return to a motion made 

 by Mr Hume, showing the number of persons 

 taken into custody for drunkenness and disorderly 

 conduct by the metropolitan police — with similar 

 returns relating to the city of London, and to 

 Edinburgh and Glasgow. From this, we arrive 

 at the following gloomy facts ; and get " an idea" 

 of what is still going on daily. In 1831, when 

 the metropolitan population amounted to 1,515,585, 

 there were 31,353 persons arrested for drunken- 

 ness, and 10,383 for disorderly conduct. Of the 

 drunkards, 11,605 were women, and 19,748 were 

 men. Among the persons who conducted them- 

 selves in a disorderly manner, there were 7,287 

 women and 3,096 men. In 1841, when the popula- 

 tion had increased to 2,068,107, the numbers were 

 for drunkenness 15,006, and for disorderly conduct 

 15,810. There were among the drunkards 5,123 

 females, and 9,883 males ; and among the disor- 

 derly, 7,913 women and 7,897 men. In the same 

 year, the city police took up 2,313 persons for 

 drunkenness, and 802 persons for disorderly 

 conduct — among a population, as shown 

 by the census returns, of 123,563 per- 

 sons. In 1851, when the population of the metro- 

 politan districts had increased to 2,399,004, the 

 total number of persons arrested for drunkenness 

 had decreased to 10,668 ; 6,207 of whom were men, 

 and 4,461 women ; and the total of disorderly per- 

 sons arrested was 6,138 ; 2,556 of whom were men, 

 and 3,762 women. In the city the numbers were, in 

 1851 — drunkards arrested, 280 ; disorderly persons 

 arrested, 681. Edinburgh, with 140,000 inhabi- 

 tants in 1841, shows 4,824 arrests for drunkenness 

 and disorderly conduct in that year ; and in 1851, 

 when the population was 166,000, the arrests 

 were only 2,793 ; while in Glasgow, with 333,651 

 inhabitants in 1851, there were 10,012 arrests. 

 I do not ask you, Mr Editor, to grant me more 

 space. My communication is a multum in parvo 

 that needs no extension ! — Civis. 



Sea-Anemone. — I have read your very inter- 

 esting paper on polypes, (see p. 28) and now send 

 you a brief description of the manner in which I 

 treated a sea-anemone, which may not, perhaps, 

 be unacceptable. The sj>ecimen that I was 

 fortunate enough to obtain, was found at Aberyst- 

 with. Its size, when closed, was nearly that of 

 the echinite (commonly called the " sea urchin"), 

 and it resembled a flattened ball of exceedingly 

 transparent and colorless jelly, having merely a 

 dark spot in the centre. Being highly delighted 

 with my treasure, and feeling certain that it was 

 a living mass, the idea of wishing to prolong its 

 existence and to have an opportunity of seeing it 

 fully develop itself, was but natural. With a view 

 to facilitate this, I secured a considerable quantity 

 of fresh sea-water, and had it carefully bottled and 

 corked. I then procured a very large Seidlitz- 

 water glass ; and nearly filling it, I placed the 

 anemone in it. For two days it remained seem- 

 ingly motionless, but it then occurred to me to 

 place the glass in the full blaze of the sun ; when, 

 to my great delight, in about ten minutes, I 

 observed a tremulous motion, and, in about a 

 quarter of an hour, the w^hole of the tentaculae 

 expanded. What a most beautiful sight pre- 

 sented itself! The hitherto colorless mass had 

 assumed the vivid color and perfect appearance 

 of a fine scarlet French anemone ! So long as it 

 was in the sun, it continued expanded, but would 

 immediately commence withdrawing into itself, 

 so soon as I removed it into the shade. Some- 

 times, it would remain for days together enclosed, 

 when left to itself. I never could discover that it 

 had the slightest disposition to eat ; and I conclude 

 that it lived entirely upon the natural supply of 

 nourishment in the sea-water, which I usually 

 changed about once in ten days. When I passed 

 it into other hands, although it had been several 

 weeks in my possession, it seemed perfectly 

 healthy ; and I have no doubt it would have ex- 

 isted till the stock of water was exhausted. — 

 Water-Lely. 



11 Cupid" and the Revenue. — The god of love 

 is a wag. He first sets the heart on fire ; and 

 then makes people " pay " handsomely for the 

 pleasure he excites. It is the only " tax " they 

 pay without a groan ! " Never" says the report, 



since the introduction of the Penny Postage- 

 rate, has there been so great an amount of cor- 

 respondence passing through the Post-office at 

 St. Martin's-le-Grand, as there was on Monday, 

 Feb. 14 ; that being what was called the ' Feast 

 of St. Valentine,' or, in more modern parlance, 

 ' St. Valentine's Day.' Never was there so great 

 an accumulation of correspondence in the earlier 

 part of the morning. No fewer than 40,000 

 letters had to be delivered within the circle of the 

 London district post alone by the first despatch ; 

 and at ten o'clock, the number had increased to 

 65,000, — a quantity hitherto unprecedented. At 

 eight o'clock in the evening, it appeared that not 

 less than 350,000 letters had been sorted during 

 the day, upon many of which not less than one 

 shilling postage was charged, the major part of 

 which were taken in. Taking these at the rate 

 in the mass of l^d each postage (a very^moderate 

 average), the sum charged to the revenue would 

 amount to £2,604 3s. 4d.; this, in fact, being 



