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    the powder-casks ; but the heat became so intense we "Were forced to } eave them to their fate , and prostrate # u . rselv £ s , the smoke now gleaming with a murky flame , at a perfectly singeing temperature , producing a difficulty of breathing , that threw Mr . M n ( a gentleman with delicate lungs ) into convulsions . 33 ut tho ^ e dreadful moments quickly passed away ; a lew in , Qre seconds and the last blade of grass was con-9 \ imed , and the monster that threatened to lick us into his flaming throat vanished with the wind , leaving a \> sA , d and blapkened pjain around us . "

    A PI / EA 8 . A . NT NIGHT . * f The evening closed so mildly none of us took the trouble of erecting our tents , spreading our bedding on the velvet carpet , with our heads pillowed on the scented flowers ; but towards morning , as it came to my turn to mount guard , it came down a regular soaker , falling in perpendicular torrenta , without a breatli of air to slant it ; yet the men were not much disturbed by it , sleeping on heroically , merely pulling in . their heads under the blankets ae the great drops plashed upon their faces . "When the sun shone out shortly after , I could no $ help ga t ing on the different couches , which smoked like melon-beds in its warm rays ; nevertheless , they all arose healthy , cheerful , and hupgry . "

    A STORM . " "We had another sublime but terrific conflict of the elements in the evening , not confined to one quarter , but pervading the entire heavens . It commenced by a portentous calm , that caused us all to listen intuitively , as if aware that something awful was approaching ; black clouds soon after began rolling up from the edges of the horizon , accompanied with fitful squalls that almost rocked the waggons off their balance , and intermitting torrents that fell in large globules . About eleven o'clock it again became 6 ullenly calm , and the sky obscured with a jet-bit k curtain , which enveloped us in Cimmerian darkness ; but at times a

    blaze of sheet lightning behind would throw a lurid gleam through , producing the grandest imaginable effect ; and then , as if rent in pieces by prolonged peals of thunder , showers of electric fluid poured from the clouds , Tendering the most minute objects momentarily ¦ visible , and enabling us to see that t he majority of our mules had pulled up their pins and stampeded . As soon as the tire-works got on the wane the waterworks commenced in real earnest , keeping up a striking analogy to Vauxhall ; but as the loss of the mules ¦ would be disastrous in the last degree , we mounted all the saddle-horses which were tied up to the waggon wheels , and commenced a most novel but nervous chase , following up our frighted game by tl . o

    aid of the lightning , which at times almost blinded us , making our horses shiver and snort , and bewildering the mules , who kept v \ heeling about , not knowing in what direction to seek escape , we w re thus foitunately enabled to get amongst them , and tie their lariats in bunches attached to the horns of our saddles . The storm now settled down into heavy , constant rain , in which we made several ineffectual attempts to retrace our steps , but were finally compelled to dismount , and sit down contentedly on the wet ground , under this shower-bath , until dnylighT , when the sun soon put all the vapours to flight . It waB about five miles from our enmp , and by the time we reached it , breakfast being prepared , we did not wait to change our garments , as the exercise and the hot sun had dried them on our backs . "

    For the present we close with the account of a—TKAINEI ) JiUlTALO JIOHBK . " Not very long utter Blurting we saw a Binull herd of buffalo to windward of us , and , being desirous to test the merits of the Buffalo borne we got in trade . 1 made known to one of the Indians that I wished him to pursue them and 8 hoot one . Spreading out the arms before him that he might take his choice of weapons he selected two holster-pistols , which he Btuck in liis girdle , and , throwing u&ide his robe , taught the little horse , and , making a sort of noose hridle of the lariit , jumped upon him bare-baeked . The game creature knew perfectly well what wits in tho wind , as ,

    pricking forward his ears , lie voluntarily darted off towards tho herd , while we stopped on a hill-Bide looking on at the sport . It so happened the herd did not break until he was tolerably clone to them , and , curiously enough , they then headed back in the direction from ¦ which ho euine . He whs soon laid alongside a !) ig bull , who , uh he drew closer upon him , pistol in hand , made a quick lunge , which wan as quickly evaded by the horse , without uny admonition from the rider , immediately resuming his proximate position of lun own Qccord . Alter galloping a few strides more , the Indian loant over , and stretching hiH arm to the full

    length , fired ; u momentary shock followed the report , alter which the wounded brute darted from tho herd at his enemy ; but tho watchful horso , uh quick iih thought , wheeled right round , galloping uway from hia pursuer , with what jockicw cull u stirrup eye cant back to watch hm movement * , regulating bin upoeilwo accurately a « not more than sufoly to outstrip him . The bleeding buffalo continued the chaso ft quarter of a mile , and then stopped , puwinj ? tho eiuth in an agony of pain and fury ; the horso was ntrx-k utill » t the Hflinu moment , « h if gifted with volition , and l > ecamc again the pu inner , us the buffalo turned to

    rejovu the herd . Jn less than a minute he was one more s , id . c by side with the sinking bull , dodging his thrusts with the skill of a fencing-master , until another shot brought the contest to a close , the buffalo dropping to his knees and falling slowly over on his side as the life-ebbing tide issued from his chest . " The Indian immediately dismounted to cut his throat ; and , while engaged in this operation , the horse stood quietly over the prostrate carcase , like a greyhound after having run down a hare . The instinct of those animals is truly surprising . They leave your hands free for the use of your weapons , requiring no guidance from the reins , for they intuitively hit upon the beast you select , watch their opportunities of approximating , and anticipating his attack , br therolling of the eve , never fail in evading them . "

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    A PROSE HOMER . The Iliad of Homer . Literally Translated , with Explanatory Notes . JBy Theodore Alois Buckley , B . A . The Odutsey of Homer ; xcith the Hymns , Epigram * , and Battle of the Progs nnd Alice . Literally Translated . By r . A . Buckley , B . A . H . G . Bohn . These are two volumes of Mr . Bohn ' s spirited undertaking , The Classical Library , for which public gratitude is due ; and they fulfil their promise better than most works : — *• In every work regard the writer ' s end "

    is not a bad canon , though subject to some reservation ; and in regarding the " end " proposed by Mr . Buckley , viz ., that of literal translation , we must record his success . He has , indeed , succeeded but too well . He is so literal as to be inaccurate ! It is very often mere schoolboy ' s construing that we have in place of the movement and colour of Homeric poetry . Open the volume where you will , and you will scarcely find a page that does not speak loudly against this system of literal translation . We do not refer to the incessant rendering of " buts , " " indeeds , " " ands , " where the original is merely expletive , words which should no more be rendered in translation than the " you knows" of an orator should be reported in his

    speech ; we refer to the tameness and consequent inaccuracy of the rendering of poetic expressions . We are not unaware of the excessive difficulty of translation , but point to the fact that , although the more nearly the original is rendered word for word , the more poetic as well as more accurate does the translation become , nevertheless literalness is often as wide of the mark as paraphrase . The translators of Homer have all fallen into this practical paradox : they proclaim Homer to be

    the greatest of poets , and incessantly labour to improve him ! In our opinion he is far from being the greatest of poets , though the Homeric poems are among the most delightful and interesting of works , —and his translators are still farther from improving him . They are a provoking race . Without specimens their ineptitude would not be credited . You shall have some . Where shall we dip ? For it is hut dipping , ad aperturnm , and examples grow to your hand like thistles .

    The descent of Apollo 1 Critics have been unanimous in their praise of it ; let us see how translators can destroy the simple hemistich : 6 £ ' iji 6 VVKTt eo \ Kuq . " He went like night . " How large , how simple ! Apollo the sun-god being angered was darkened : he went like night . This Voss improves into Er wandelte diiaterer Nacht gleich . Pope into Breathing revenge , a sudden night he spread . Drydcn into Dark as a stormy night he ranged around . Tickell into In clouds he flew concealed from mortal siy Jit . Oh ! oh f oh ! Bozoli says

    ]) i Inija orrenda notle avea sembiantc . Where is the simple strength of the original ? What had Homer to do with " dusterer Nacht , " " sudden night , " " stormy night" ( and * ' ranging around " to !) to say nothing of the Tickell sublime ? And what says Mr . Buckley ? "But he went along like unto night . " The " but" is a lilerality , " along " is a stupjussago , and by these two little words lie damagen the beauty of the original .

    While regretting that Mr . Buckley should have been ho very literal in most passages , we have to note a want of litcralncss on occanionH where it would he . both useful and poetic . By this we mean that lie adheres too cIohcIv to the common meaning of words without a isuilicient watchfulness of the ¦ primitive meaning . We could . select , many examples , l ) ii ^ one is an good as a hundred , and we < hoose it th « rather that Buttmarui is given , in a . pole , a « the authority . In the Odyssey ( B . H . m , j 5 ii ) the eagles ure poised above the hetidu of the

    assembly 'i < r < rcvro ^ oXcdpov , " glaring destruction , as we propose to translate it , the verb oVo-o . wa / , although it means " foreboding , " haviiig its root in face . Mr . Buckley follows translators in rendering it " portended "—but we cannot hesitate betV 6 ? the intensity of the one pkraie and ttie w ^ a ^ ness of the other . Mr . Buckley ' s translation was , however ^ never meant for the critical microscope . It was rrieant as a serviceable book for students , and it is such . The notes are brief , clear , and tu $ he purpose ; and altogether these yplumes are yepy acceptable . With them the beginner may bpldjy tackle Homer jn th . e original—they will lighten tfee tedium of a lexicon , and supply the place of a master .

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    HOMOEOPATHY . The British Journal of Homoeopathy . S . High } ey . ( Third Notice . ) Sugar of milk is the innocent vehicle of tbe homoeopathic medicines . A quantity is moistened with the tincture of a ' supple , say acpnjte or pbamomile , and the spirit is suffered to evaporate , $ p ^ s to leave the saccharine fecula impregnated with the extract of cbamomile or aconite . One part of this

    tinctured powder is mixed with ninety-nine parts of plain sugar of milk , they are rubbed up together into the most intimate state of mixture , and this is called the first trituration of the medicine under preparation . One part of it is then mixed and rubbed up with other ninety-nine of sugar , and this is the second trituration . One part of tjjis dilution is next triturated with a third ninety-nine parts of sugar ; one part of this again with pther ninety-nine sugars ; and so iorth , until the trituration be carried so high as the thirtieth dilution ^

    and even higher . Each of these powders , frtim the first to the highest degree of attenuation , is made into pilules no bigger than a pinhead ; and a single such pinbead of milk sugar , just touched as it were with the medicine , is large enough for a dose . The third , sixth , twelfth , and thirtieth dilutions are in common use in this country . The quantity of medjeament contained in such globule is far beyond the reach of the finest balance , and indeed it is inconceivably minute . At the same time the medicine is undoubtedly there , though in an infinitesimal Tatio , as is easily discovered with

    the aid of a potent microscope . Sjch is a sufficient general description of the tmuraiion and different dilutions of the medicines commonly used by the homoeopathic doctors . Curiously enough , thJ 3 accidental portion of their system is jested on , sneered down , and denounced as if it were tbe whole head and front of their offending , whereas a man may actually practise homoeopathy , it appears , and never administer a single globule . Some of them , we are told , prefer the exhibition of drops of tbe orig inal tinctures , or of certain dilutions of these tinctures . But tliey may be all said to believe in the curative action of even the most infinitesimal of doses .

    Nor is the conception of such shadowy Quantities of matter being effective , in the working of changes in the body of man , without many analogies and considerations of possibility , or even likelihood . Humphry Davy found that a nailhead of zinc is able to protect some half dozen square feet of copper from the corrosive action of aea water ; that is to say , to reverse the poles , of all the myriads of atoms contained in that surface , stretching its influence over many times its own ch'ameter in all directions . Sir John Mcrschel was amazed to find

    how very , very small a portion of potassium does the name soit of thing for so large a quantity of quicksilver . It is notorious that the natural medicines in some of the beet mineral waters arc present in attenuated quantities . Mulder bus discovered that white of eggs or ajbumen , and fibrin or muscular fibre , immensely as they differ in physiological ' fupction , ; jrc pf exactly the same chemical composition , hating an exceedingly minute ratio of qne element . A pound or two of water can actually be made to exert the pressure of

    tons by incariN of its disposition in the Brarnah press , a thing which no human mind can truly conceive , although any human mind can prove it , and though any human eyes can witness it orery day in the world by visiting a workshop where it in uhp ( 1 . It i « a paradox , like these homoeopathic globules , hut it is u fact . So timi i « it that jt is not the quantity of matter no much us its quality , iUj relation , its method of « ipplicaUon , thai , determines its specific effect ivenefw . There ure many well-known things in these dayp of physical ui » rpriKC whioU arc calculated to withdraw tho thought "

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    444 iEfcfltea&et * [ Saturday ,

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), May 10, 1851, page 444, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1882/page/16/