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Leader (1850-1860), 13th June 1857, Edition 2 of 2, Page 5

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      Deatiljof Douglas Jeurold. All Liberal P...

      he wrote The Chronicles of Clovemook—a work full of the richest fancy , and a quaint species of loving satire and Ep icurean cynicism , if the paradox may be allowed . The magazine succeeded for a time , but not for lonff" and the same may be said of Douglas Jerrold's aijnjing Magazine ( started in January , 1845 , and in which the novel of St . Giles and St . James was published ) , and of Douglas Jerrold ' s Weekly Newspaper , commenced in the middle of 1846 . During some of the early months of its existence , Mr . Jerrold was the editor of the Daily JSTews . S ince 1852 , he has edited , avowedly , TJotid ' s Weekly Newspaper ; and his connexion with Punch lasted to the close of his life .

      The character of Jerrold s wit was remarkable , and of the highest order . While yielding in pungency to none , and while striking through and through every species of false pretence , it was associated with manifest warmth and kindness of heart , and with a deep feeling of reverence for anything really noble and veritably sacred . Herein he differed greatly from many of the small witlings now so numerous , whose trivial iesting has a certain Mephistophelian character in its inability to believe in anything sincere and genuine . l

      Jerrold , moreover , was a well-read man , especialy in English literature , though he had a good knowledge of foreign languages , which he had acquired entirely by his own exertions . His conversation flashed with perpetual scintillations of wit ; and though , as in all such cases , he sometimes dealt hard blows at individuals , the affection of a large circle of friends shows that he never seriously intended to injure the feelings of his acquaintance . To this should be atlded that his practical be nevolence—though he always endeavoured to conceal it—was of the widest and wannest kind .

      Thus far we have written on purely public grounds , in the belief that we are giving some expression , however inadequate , to the general sorrow which the death of such a man must awaken . But we cannot conclude without uttering something of what we feel as members of that profession of which Jerrold was one of the noblest ornaments . Other callings in life are prompt to recogniseythe honour they have derived from particular members ; why should not ours follow that just and generous rule ? " We are the more inclined to speak from this special point of view because there is—we say it with regret—something of a sectional and jealous feeling in literary men , for the most part , which is riot creditable to themselves or to their calling . In the case of Jerrold ' s death , some of our daily contemporaries have undoubtedly spoken with a warmth of esteem which

      honours them ; but the Morning Star writes a grudging notice , and the Morning Post , with the characteristic meanness of the Conservative party , gives only two Unas to its notice of the death of an eminent brother pressman . In the cold air of these petty feelings , it is pleasant to recal a beautiful interchange of compliments —sincere as the speakers themselves—which took place between Jerrold and Leigh Hunt at a dinner given some years ago in honour of the latter . Jerrold said of the veteran essayist and poet , that , even in his hottest warfare , his natural sense of beauty and gentleness was so great that , like David of old , " he armed his sling with shining pebbles of the brook ; " and Leigh Hunt , with equal grace and truth , observed of " his friend Jerrold , " that , " if he had the sting of the bee , he had also his honey . "

      Jitnejj, 1857.] The Leader. 557

      JiTNEJj , 1857 . ] THE LEADER . 557

      Gold Works In England. {Abridgedfrom The...

      GOLD WORKS IN ENGLAND . { Abridgedfrom the Times . ) People who only know of gold in nuggets , and who are accustomed weekly to read of the arrival of half a million in ounces from Australia , may bo surprised to hoar of works for the crushing of gold quartz being established in England . Nevertheless , such is the fact , and in a remote corner of Cheshire—pregnable only to firm railway tourists—an establishment exists , not only for the conversion of American quartz into ounces and ingots of the precious metal , but which purposes to extend its auriferous researches among tho mountains and quarries of England . Tho Chaucellorville Gompnny , as it is called , lias been at work now only for a short

      Ponod , though long enough to bo found a tolerably « xtenaivo factory , if wo may eo term it , whore all tho various processes necessary to tho production of tho circulating medium from exceedingly tHrty looking stones goos on daily . Tho material upon whiuh up to tho present they have tested their powora has been Virginian quartz from a gold-bearing district in tho Unitod Statoa ; but they intend to venture upon experiments with tho English n jeks , which , if successful , may loud to important results . Wuon delivered on tho wharf of tho works at Frodsham , » io cost of tho ore is nearly 80 a . por ton . It is a coarse

      amorphous quartz , not unlike rock salt in appearance , out largely intermixed with auriferous and argentiferous Pyrites . This is first calcined in an ordinary kiln to Partially free it from sulphur , and assist tho process of crushing , which it subsequently undergoes from tho Mumpers , after being broken into smallor pieces . Tho Btnmpors used at Frodsham are ordinary Cornish ones , or tho most primitive form , ancl such us have boon in " throughout Cornwall and Dovou for many years . " 'a Bald that those do tho work bettor than either Jonos b , Berdun ' s , or Britten ' s quarto-crushing machines ,

      which certainly seems singular ; but what , perhaps , is more remarkable is , that ordinary millstones , —in fact , a common flour-mill will , it is alleged , crush it better than any . Close to the Frodsham works stands an extensive flour-mill , at which twelve tons of the quartz have been ground finer than anything done by the stampers and "crushing machines in the same period of time . The machine used at Frodsham has twelve seven cwt . stampers , which crush the quartz to the consistency of a coarse sand at the rate of rather more than a ton per hour , or about twenty tons per day . There is , however , already sufficient steam power on the premises to crush fifty tons daily if the supply is forthcoming . From the stampers , the crushed quartz flows with a stream of

      water into a series of' slime pits , ' labyrinths of narrow pipes at the entrance of which the particles of gold sink according to their specific gravity . From these it is shovelled up with the other matter with which it is mixed and placed on the ' shaking table , ' a long platform of wood fixed under a small stream of water , and which by an alternate rise andfall allows the greater part of the extraneous substances to be washed away . Only a dark coloured sand , containing particles of quartz , gold , silver , copper , and iron , remains on the table , whence it is removed to undergo the process of fine grinding , which reduces it to an impalpable powder as soft as flour , and not unlike it , save that it glitters with minute specks of metal . It is again calcined in a reverberatory

      furnace ( to drive off the remains of sulphur ) , which is so constructed as to prevent the metallic particles of gold and silver passing up with the draught . Shafts are . attached to the furnaces in which the sulphur and any metals that may have been volatized are deposited , and the yield from the former appears to be large . As the ore thus roasted a second time is found to contain , a proportion of other metals , it is thrown , when heated , into a bath of mineral acids , by which the copper , & c , is dissolved , and afterwards precipitated in the usual manner . For reasons of economy , muriatic acid is used , though the saving is rather in appearance than in fact , as the chlorine in the acid must naturally dissolve a

      portion of the gold also , and to that extent diminish the yield per ton . The auriferous powder . which remains is finally passed through a stream of water under a wheel containing five—hundred and fifty magnets , which revolves at the rate of fifteen times a minute . This frees it from much iron . What remains flows into an amalgamator , in which the mercury and ore are agitated together , the activity of the former being quickened occasionally by jets of steam passed through it . After a given time the mercury is removed and placed in a retort , where it is distilled into water , leaving only a gold button containing a little s ilver behind .

      Half an ounce per ton , if worked upon the spot where the quartz is found , -would pay all expenses , and even with the works at Cheshire and the mine in America lioz ., if the supply is continuous and the works well managed , should give a fair remuneration . Twenty tons per diem are now reduced at the Frodsham works , at a cost in coals , for amalgamation , loss of mercury , labour , sundries , wear and tear of machinery , of 17 s . per ton , which , with the original price of the ore , raises it to 21 . 7 s . This is by no means the first time that attempts have been made to extract gold from the Welsh quartz , though , whether from mismanagement or the intrinsic poverty of the matrix , not one of the schemes lias as

      yet proved remunerative . No doubt whatever exists as to the auriferous nature of the soil and rocks of Wicklow , and for some time the Government mining energy was directed into that channel . The result was gold , certainly , but gold at the rate of 5 / . and 61 . per oz . It must , however , bo recollected that at that time steam machinery was unknown . About two years ago , acompany started to produce g ; old from the Welsh quartz by the smelting process , but this soon met with the fate which attends all schemes that go out of the way to bo excessively expensive . It was soon wound up , but its brief period of working seemed to provo that about three-quarters of an ounce of gold por ton could bo got from Welsh rock , though , as far as we are a ware , it did not prove that tho

      supply of quartz of even this moderate richness was largo or would bo constant . That fair and , perhaps , ovon rich specimens of auriferous quartz may now and then bo found iu Wales wo are well aware , though it has yet to be shown that it is rich enough to pay tho working , or that enough of any kind oxists to keep up a regular supply . Gold is almost as universally diffused as iron ; it may ovon bo obtained from tho ashes of plants ; theroforo Welsh quartz is not likely to bo without it , but the quantity of its yield id open to as grave doubts as tho extent of « i » y auriferous rocks in Wales at all . This is tho problem vlilch tine Frodsham Company propose to solve . Thoy tiro also about to enter into arrangements for a supply of Australian quartz .

      Fire At The Messrs. Pickford's Walieilou...

      FIRE AT THE MESSRS . PICKFORD'S WAliEIlOUSES . A ooNPLAanATiON of alarming magnitude , tho light of which could bo soon ovor a largo part of London , burst out on Tuesday night in tho extensive warehouses occupied by Messrs . Piokforil , the railway carriers . On that evening , according to the acoountu in tho dally

      papers , there was an unusual influx of business , and it was past ten before the Liverpool and Manchester goods were drawn out of the warehouses . The invoices for these were still in course of preparation by the clerks , when a sudden alarm of fire ran through the building , and , on looking up from his desk , the principal bookkeeper observed an unusual glare of light at the extreme northeastern corner of the premises , immediately adjoining the engine-house , and in close proximity to lofts in . which hay and straw for the use of the horses were kept . Almost before time had elapsed to ascertain the real extent of the danger , the flames had spread into the main warehouse , and in a few moments the whole area was threatened with destruction . The clerks were

      terrified , and fled precipitately , leaving their books and papers open on the desks . By the exertions of some dozen carmen , however , more than one hundred valuable horses were set loose and were driven out of the building , whence they galloped wildly about the neighbourhood ; but one perished in the flames . The outbreak occurred about a quarter after ten o ' clock , and in less than twenty minutes the whole building was on fire . When the engines arrived , they could do nothing more than confine the mischief to the warehouses ; but these were utterly destroyed . All the vast stores of goods intended for places south of Manchester were burnt as

      they stood upon the trucks , and , in addition to these , many thousands of pounds' worth of property stored in the warehouses , and waiting orders for removal , are irrecoverably lost . A considerable quantity of live stock perished in the wreck . No fewer than fifty pigs , some goats , and much poultry have been destroyed . At half-past eleven , the massive north wall fell into the canal , burying beneath it two barges , almost blocking up the current , and causing the water to flow over the towing-path . Among the sufferers by this catastrophe will be Messrs . Bass , of Burton-on-Trent , whose consignments of pale ale are exclusively entrusted to Messrs . Pickford .

      When the horses were turned out , they were driven mostly along the Hampstead and Kentish-town roads in the direction of Highgate and Hampstead-heath , and this was nearly fatal to Mr . Inspector Fidge . He had seen the fire and was riding rapidly down Highgate-hill , when he was suddenly met by a drove of the frightened horses , which were galloping up the hill at the top of thuir speed . In an instant , he was in the midst of them , horse and rider being overthrown . Beyond being terribly shaken , however , and covered from head to foot with mud , he sustained no injury .

      There are various rumours as to the origin of the calamity , but none of a positive character . By some it is alleged that the fire was caused by the sparks of the chimney of one of the barges igniting some hay and straw in the gallery ; by others that it was from , one of the men ' s pipes , or a lucifer match . It is stated that at least 40 , 000 quarters of corn were in the building , the whole of which has been burnt . On Wednesday morning , the railway authorities , with great promptness , placed at the disposal of the company

      a large space on the opposite side of the canal , between it and Chaplin and Home ' s warehouses . Workmen were immediately employed in erecting temporary premises , and in the course of the day the following placard was posted on the walls of the destroyed building and on tho gates of the railway : — " Pickford and Co ., as agents to the London and North-Western Railway Company , have arranged for conducting their business as usual since the lamentable fire at Cainden-town last night . — Gresham-street , June 10 , 1857 . "

      State Of Trade. This Reports From Tho Ma...

      STATE OF TRADE . This reports from tho manufacturing towns for the week ending last Saturday indicate a continued disposition to guard against tho probable effect of high prices iu causing a fulling off of consumption . At Manchester , the market has been bqnofited by tho suspension of work consequent upon Whitsuntide , and the generul arrangements for tho future diminution of the rate of production . In tho hosiery and woollen districts there has been general quietness . At Birmingham , iu tho iron and other trades , there is a fair amount of employment , but no signs of groat activity . Tho further reduction announced during tho week in tho prices of tin and copper is expected , however , to impart animation to several branches of manufacture . Tho Irish linen-markets are without alteration . — Times .

      Tho gonorol business of tl » o port of London during tho same week lias again boon very active . Tho number of vessels reported inward was 8 J 12 , being 91 more than in tho previous week . Tho number cleared outward was 111 ) , including 15 in ballast , showing a deereaso of six . Tho total of vessels on tho berth loading for tho Australian colonies is 49 , being ton less than at tho last account . Of those now loading , seven are for Adelaide , throe for Goolong , flvo for llobart Town , throe for Launcoston , ono for Melbourne , one for Moroton Bay , four for Now Zealand , twelve for Tort Philip , two for Portland Bay , ono for Port Fairy , eight for Sydney , and ono for Swan llivor . Of those , ono was ontorod outward in February , throe- in March , and nlnotoon in Apr il . — Idem , ' The suspension of Mossrs . Evans , Hoaro , and Co ., a flrm largely onguged in tho Australian export trade , waa

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), June 13, 1857, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_13061857/page/5/