64 
OLLA PODEIDA. 
[Nature and Art, Pebruary 1, 1867. 
to the ‘ grimly ’ month, when the sky is lead, the air is fog, 
and earth and water are mingled mud and ice. No holidays 
then ; no pretty gifts for the maidens of the mistletoe ! ” 
Queen. — “ Please'to remember poor St. Valentine ! 
King. — “ Avaunt ! Cannot womankind get through the 
shortest month of all without the help of a lazy Boinish 
saint P” 
Queen. — “Tour most gracious Majesty ” 
King “ Craves pardon of his queen. We were wrong 
in every way. We are bound to keep up our festive character; 
and, moreover, we have ourselves received many a kindness 
from the lord of filagreed note-paper. Indeed, a reminder 
has already reached us.” 
Queen. — “ The present is so absurdly premature that I 
forget to be jealous.” 
King. — “ There is no call for either frowns or laughter. 
We speak of designs that have been sent us for approval ; 
nothing- more. They were loaded with the perfumes that have 
often refreshed us in the bills of the Lyceum or the Hay- 
market ; there was no mistaking the breath of Bimmel.”* 
Queen. — “ We presume that they are sentimental.” 
King. — “ From top to toe : no figures of fun, we assure 
you. They closely resemble those dancing flowers of the 
pantomime, that have more than half supplanted the old 
grotesques. The flowers are prettily drawn and coloured, 
and the French-looking fairies that wear them will please 
many a love-lorn youth. For ourselves, however, we have 
never sent a sentimental valentine.” 
Queen. — “ Would it offend your royal ear if I sang you 
one of that description ?” 
King. — “ By no means ! It will tune our head for the 
pillow.” 
So saying, the king leant backwards in his easy chair, 
while the queen bent over her harp, and sang the following 
lay to a tune of the future : — 
THE BOY BISHOP. 
The maiden awoke in the silence of night, 
For the depth of her chamber was gleaming with light : 
* Bimmel’s Animated Flowers, drawn by J. Cheret, fox- 
specimens of which, as shown on the opposite page, we are 
indebted to Messrs. Bimmell. 
She leant on her elbow, — a vision was there, — 
A child with a mitre of gold on his hair ; 
A violet rochet this boy-bishop wore, 
And the light seemed to flow from the crozier he bore. 
But over his rochet were cheeks full of smile, 
And under his mitre were eyes full of guile, 
And roguish the laughter that mixed with his lay, 
“ Awake ! for I bring thee first-fruits of the day ! 
’Tis a sigh,' — from the heart of a poet it came ; 
And I charge thee to read, — in St. Valentine’s name !” 
The maiden arose, — but the nearer she drew, 
The taller and fuller the bright vision grew ; 
And the mitre was changed to a crown like a king’s, 
And the rochet flew back into violet wings ; 
And, quickening the air with the breath of desire, 
He leant on his sceptre — a cresset of fire. 
She knew him— her master ! — she knelt at his feet, 
And faster, though softly, her white bosom beat ; 
And she gazed at the tablet he held in his hand, 
But many may read it, yet few understand. 
Oh, master of hearts, stoop again from above, 
And again let her read it by torchlight of Love ! 
When the echoes of the queen’s harp had died away, the 
king spoke, and his voice was like the voice of the Sphinx of 
Stodax-e : — “We see the maiden and her poet still sitting 
apart, after years of shilly-shallying ; and they are ex- 
changing valentines, not of honey but of gall.” 
Then the qxxeen said, laughing, “ Oh, false prophet ! for 
they are sitting, happily united, under the long torch of 
hymeneal Cupid.” 
King. — “ The words of your lay sounded familiar to me ; 
but surely there should be more of them. The boy may 
grow as serious as you please at the end, but he ought to 
be a little more sportive at the beginning.” 
Queen. — “Even so ; a few lines have been omitted.” 
King. — “ I begin to think I can guess who sent them.” 
' Queen. — “ I am sure I know who received them.” 
The queen touched her secretaire, and a hidden drawer 
sprang out of it ; and she drew forth a rose-coloured 
envelope. She turned towards the king. Their eyes met, 
and they both rose from their seats ; and each seemed to 
hear solemn music in the distance. 
OLLA P 
On Water-Filters.- — -The sources of water-supply to 
London are at present subject to so much defilement, and it 
is likely to be so long before that evil is remedied, if ever it 
can be, that the study of the means of purifying drinking 
water — that is, pure water from a foul supply — is a subject 
of importance to all, and one on which medical men are very 
likely to be called upon to advise. The current number of 
the Popular Science Review contains an excellent article on 
the subject, discriminating the various merits of the moulded 
cax-bon filter, Danchells animal carbon filter, Dahlke’s 
silicated carbon filter, and Spencer’s magnetic carbide filter. 
The article, which is well worth x-eading, is by Dr. Divers, 
a very able water-analyist ; and although we could have 
wished for more definite conclusions, we can understand 
that there is a great difficulty in speaking very positively as 
to comparative merits. His final conclusion is, that 
“ In the magnetic carbide filter of Spencer, the cistern- 
filter of Danchell, and the silicated carbon filter, we may 
possess with tolei-able certainty the means of freeing water 
from matters injurious to health. The uncertainty lies in 
the fact that the particular filter used by a person may be 
imperfect as a mechanical filter, and may have become 
inefficient as. a purifier from dissolved organic matters, 
unless, as regards the latter point, it be a Spencer’s filter, 
and have only been used with water of tolerable clearness 
(such as that supplied to London), and not largely charged 
with carbonate of lime in solution. Hence arises the 
propriety of having a filter examined after being placed in a 
ODRIDA. 
house, in order to test its efficiency. This ought to be done 
by the filter-sellers.” The verdict is most favourable to 
Spencer's magnetic carbide filter, but hardly so much as it 
deserves. — British Medical Journal. 
^n the time of the Bomans Algeria supplied the 
gourmets of the Empire with truffles and some other 
gastronomic delicacies; at the present moment it serves 
amongst other things, as a valuable kitchen-garden for 
France, and supplies the citizens of that empire with new 
peas, potatoes, and asparagus, before even the hottest 
part of the south of France can get les Primeurs, as early 
productions are called in Paris, ready for the market. The 
peas and asparagus of Algeria are not so fine as those of 
France, especially the latter, for which French growers are 
renowned. But in February, when French asparagus is 
selling at the rate of twenty, thirty, and even forty shil- 
lings per small bundle, that of Algeria can be had for less 
than a third of the money. In the third week of February 
last year, Algerian potatoes were worth, in the central 
market of Paris, half-a-crown a pound, when those pro- 
duced in France were twice that sum. At the same time, 
Algerian peas were selling in Paris at half-a-crown a pound, 
shells included ; so that a good dish of petits pois at this 
season would have cost about two guineas. Algeria also 
supplies France with a large quantity of oranges — those of 
Blidah being very good — lemons, citrons, pomegx-anates, and 
dates, for all of which there is a considerable demand. 
