386 



KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



a few imagine they see it on these stones ; 

 though in truth there is scarce a vestige of 

 it ; its place being supplied by another of a 

 more delicate hue, known as the map lichen, 

 {Lecidia Geographica.) 



It is a curious fact, that while the former 

 of these is abundant on rocks belonging to 

 the secondary and tertiary series, the latter 

 abound on the primitive rocks ; and seldom 

 do we see the slightest morsel of the one, 

 where the other is present. The traveller 

 through the lowlands of England is familiar 

 with the parmelia ; but when he enters the 

 region of greenstone and slate, inWestmoreland 

 and Cumberland, he loses his old friend, and 

 discovers, for the first time, the natural haunt 

 of the map lichen. — D. 



FOE 



ENGLAND'S ACQUIRED TAST1 

 ARDENT SPIRITS. 



Mankind are, almost all of them, prone 

 to indulge in ardent spirits. Some take them 

 even in the day time ; but far more fly to 

 them, as a matter of course, in the evening. 

 It is an English custom with young and old. 



That " use is second nature," is a truth 

 too well known to be disputed ; but this use, 

 we contend, is an "abuse." Spirits were 

 never intended, under any circumstances, to 

 be enjoyed as a luxury. It is an acquired 

 taste to be fond of them, and the injury they 

 do the human frame is incalculably great. 

 They are certain poison, — slow perhaps, but 

 the effect is sure. 



Some time since, at a meeting of the 

 Statistical Society, a Paper on this subject 

 was read by F. G. Neison, Esq., and we feel 

 it a duty to print its substance in our 

 columns. More particularly at this season 

 — when " Joviality," as it is called, is in the 

 near distance ; and excess is at its elbow. 



Mr. Neison commenced by explaining, that 

 the primary reason for collecting the data 

 brought forward was, to apply the results to 

 " Life-assurance operations," and he had 

 consequently included only well marked cases 

 of intemperance — not brought into his observa- 

 tions men, occasional drinkers, or what is 

 termed generous or " free livers." 



Throughout the whole of the tables, the 

 mortality shown was frightfully high. In the 

 61T15 years of life, to which the obser- 

 vations extended, 357 deaths had taken 

 place ; but if these lives had been subject to 

 the same rate of mortality as the general 

 population of England and Wales, the num- 

 ber of deaths would have been HO only, or 

 less than one-third. At the term of life 

 21 — 30, the mortality was upwards of five 

 times that of the general community, and in 

 the succeeding twenty years, it was above 



four times greater — the difference gradually 

 becoming less and less. 



An intemperate person of 20 years of age 

 has an equal chance of living 15 - 6 years ; 

 one of 30 years of age, 13*8 ; and one of 40 

 years, 1TG years, — while a person of the 

 general population of the country would 

 have an equal chance of living 44'2, 36*5, 

 and 28*8 years respectively. Some curious 

 results were shown in the influence of the 

 different kinds of drinks on the duration of 

 life, — beer drinkers averaging 21 '7 years; 

 spirit drinkers, 16*7 years ; and those who 

 drink both spirits and beer indiscriminately, 

 16T years. These results, however, were 

 not more curious than those connected with 

 the different classes of persons. 



The average duration of life, after the 

 commencement of intemperate habits among 

 mechanics, working and laboring men, was 

 18 years; traders, dealers, and merchants, 

 17 ;• professional men and gentlemen, 15 ; 

 and females, 14 years only. But perhaps 

 the most important circumstance disclosed, 

 was the remarkable similarity between the 

 proportion of crime in the sexes to the pro- 

 portion of deaths from assigned causes of 

 intemperance. It was shown that the ten- 

 dency to crime in the male sex is nearly five 

 times greater than that of the female, or 

 more strictly, in the relation of 336 to 1581, 

 while the ratio of death to the population, 

 from assigned causes of intemperance, at the 

 age of 20 and upwards, is in the relation of 

 8,011 to 36,769, a most remarkable agree- 

 ment, the difference being under 2J per cent. 



Mr. Neison concluded by giving an esti- 

 mate of the number of drunkards in Eng- 

 land and Wales. From this it appeared, 

 the -number of males was 53,583 ; and females 

 11,223, making a total of 64,806, which 

 gives 1 drunkard to every 74 of the male 

 population ; 1 to every 434 of the female ; 

 and 1 in 135 of both sexes. 



We can hardly feel surprised at so many 

 persons losing their senses, committing 

 suicide, and sinking prematurely into their 

 graves, when w r e know lioio they live. 

 Some people seem to look upon us as " a 

 monster," because Ave will not do as they do, 

 before retiring to rest, — drown our senses in 

 the bottle ! In this matter, however, we shall 

 ever remain singular. 



SHAKES IN INDIA. 



There has been so much said of late about 

 snakes, that we offer a few selections from Mrs. 

 Clemons' " Residence in India." From these we 

 gather that travellers in the East have very many 

 hair-breadth escapes; and that the snake is 

 charmed by music. This last has recently been 

 stoutly denied. 



Speaking (says Mrs. Clemons) of India and 

 its delights, there is one thing which I must say 



