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Leader (1850-1860), 9th February 1856, Edition 1 of 2, Page 136, ;»» ^i>1*rrftt1*l> yii IJx vllllli v ? of oe.

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    • ;»» ^i>1*rrftt1*l> yii IJx vllllli v ? of oe.
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      ;»» ^I≫1*Rrftt1*L≫ Yii Ijx Vllllli V ? Of Oe.

      littwtere .

      Untitled Article

      [ t is one of the sudden pleasures of science to confirm empirical practice , to prove that the " old woman ' s remedy , " or the " custom of the country , " although founded on no axiomatic hasis , and pretending to no hetter argument than tradition , may nevertheless have been blind wisdom . From time immemorial it has been a precept with careful shepherds not to let the sheep turn out upon the dewy grass , or graze in damp and marshy regions . Why was the dew of morning , so dear to poets , considered dangerous to sheep ? No one could tell ; least of all the Bucolic guardian ; but if he could not tell yovLwky it was so , he averred that it was so . And now Science conies with a very simple explanation to justify the empirical precept . Siebold , the great comparative anatomist , has given the rationale in his curious treatise on Entozoa , which the Annales des Sciences Naturelies has begun to publish inextenso ; for those who have not got Sieboi « d ' s book , Ueber die Bandtind Blasenwurmer , or who do not read German , the Annales des Sciences

      Naturelles is doing a service by its translation . The particular point in Siebold ' s book to which we are now referring may be thus briefly stated : Entozoa , many of them at least , pass the early portion of their predatory existences in the bodies of one species of animal , and their maturity in another . The eggs are deposited in th « se later domiciles ^ but not developed the ^ e : they have to be expelled ; and the dear little innocents , either as eggs or * mbryosa are cast upon the wide woild to shift for themselves . But how ? There they lie on the smoking dung-heap ; and far away roam the sheep in whose lungs and liver they alone can develope themselves , and find food ; what chance have they ? This chance . The rain washes them into the earth ; or the farmer flings them in manure upon the soil . The humidity serves to develope them ; they fix themselves against the moist grass ; the sheep nibble the grass , and with it carry these tiny entozoa into their stomachs once there the business is soon accomplished !

      Thus it is that the dewy grass is dangerous . Thus it is that damp seasons are so ; prejudicial to sheep , multiplying the diseases of lungs and liver to which these animals are subject ; -whereas in the dry hot seasons such diseases are rare because the entozoa iiave been desiccated .

      Untitled Article

      Some time ago we rectified the universal error , of French and other writers , in quoting , or misquoting , the celebrated aphorism of Bupfon , on strjtfe . By a simple reference to the passage in which the famous phrase occurs ( a passage obviously known to few of those who quote ) , it appeared ph $ t Bufpondid not say : Le stifle c ' est Vhomme , but said , what is vexy diflferent , Le style est de Vhomme mime . As the misquotation is universal we Cannot ' greatly blame M . A . RopHE for not avoiding it , althoug h in a iyorfc expressly devoted to style ; a work which ., intended for the instruction

      of students of both sexes in the practice of French composition , is one well worth the attention of all literary students . It is a small volume , entitled , Du Style fit de la Composition Littfraire , published by Longmans . It has the somewhat rare merit of being a work on sityle written by one whose own style is excellent . Teachers of elocution have generally a brogue or a stutter ; teachers of style ought generally to be pupils : they affect to instruct tne public , and do so in language which lamentably betrays their own pressing need of instruction . M . Rr ^ nwi ? . in nnt « vr » iir o « ovr . r > ,. ; c ^ . />^ , 7 * , >„„! t _ » need of instruction . M . Roche is not onlan experienced teach he is

      y er , an ** $$$ & ? *¦ . writer . He knows what good writing is , and in criticising afyle employs itj . We will give one slight specimen : " M . Victor Hugo se pique egalement d'etre concis , et ft sait encore moins etre pre " cis : H est avare de mots et prodigue de details surabondants ; il e \> ourte I ' expression et il jflflaie la pense ' e . Son style est plus serr $ que celuide M . de Lamartine mats il est tout aussi diffus . M . de Lamartine a la phrase diffuse ; la dift fusion de M . Victor Hugo consistedaccumulor des phrases concises , qui sonsouvent inutiles . "

      TW . Roche , or any one else curious in style , should look in the writings of Charles Dickens for unrivalled prodigality of whimsical images and minute observation . In the last number of Little Dcrrit how the spirit of fun is seen careering amid the minutest details of observation in the descriptions of the mendicant commissioners !—how well observed is the walk of -these people , « a peculiar way of doggedly slinking round the corner as if they were eternally going to the pawnbrokers j » —what a glimpse we have of the staircase window

      which looked in at the back windows of other houses as unwholesome as itself , •« with poles and lines thrust out of them on wluch unsightly linen hung : aa if the inhabitants were angling for clothes and had sonqe wretched bite ^ not ^ worth attending to ; " -what a lodging-house door-post ia that which „ aeemed M fa ] l of bei ,. hand , es fl 3 a cath ° ° , ftS ^ P * " what a description of Mew-stroet , and of the younger Barnacle Wy * letting his eye-glasa fall out , and iterating his imbecile , " Why look nero . The number is bright with , genius .

      Untitled Article

      travels , the other is a diary written during the siege , or ratber extracts f rora a diary . So that the narrative of travel , although not written for that purpose , forms a prelude to the story of the siege . We wish we could say that the book had not disappointed us . It ia well written and interesting ; but we feel that all has not been told , and have a suspicion that the writer ° tnight have told us what we want to know ; that he would have done less injustice to himself and bis subject had he taken more time to work up that subject in fact , to re-write his notes . But the reader must understand that we are not disappointed with what is presented to us , taken absolutely ; we onta feel that the author , having produced so good a book , when he was about it might have produced one much better .

      Dr . Sandwith is not one of those birds of passage who have recently flown over the Eastern regions and have brought back volumes of travels . His connexion with the East is not of a recent date . lie was in the East in 1847 , again in 1849 , and from the latter year until Kars was taken he did not quit the East . Part of his time was spent at Constantinople ; part on the Danube . In the autumn of 1854 he was appointed to the staff of General Williams , and with General "Williams he remained until the autumn of 1855 . His long residence in Turkey , and his visits to the seat of wars in Europe and Asia , qualify him to speak on these matters . We are promised a full explanation of the circumstances attending the fall

      of Kars , and some papers relating to the sombre business are to be produced in Parliament . Let us hope , that if the matter be dealt with at all it will be dealt with fully , that the whole question will be examined , and not a part . The reader who takes up this volume will not find the whole question gone into . But he will find a pretty strong light thrown upon one important element—the influence of the governing classes , or rather persons , of Turkey , in determining the catastrophe . Undoubtedly the answer which Dr . Sandwith's -volume gives to the question . What caused the loss of Kars ? is—the corruption of the Turkish rulers in the first place , the conduct of Omar Pacha in the second . The latter admits of a question , but the former is beyond all doubt .

      In the very earliest pages of the volume Dr . Sandwith 3 in simply describing the passengers on board the steamer conveying him to Trebizond , strikes the keynote of the whole . One of them is a Pacha going to his government , and our author spies him enjoying his kef or dolce far niente , ' . " the great occupation of his life since he has been a Pacha I" Here he is finely painted : — About seven of his attendants stand before hiin with their hands folded . They preserve a grave and serious air , gazing anxiously into that placid face , and they have been standing there for the last two houra . The Pacha varies the monotony of the voyage by smoking , eating- raw cucumbers , and fingering his beads . A Turk , even a Paeha > is never absolutely unoccupied ; some such , employments aa the above are always had recourse to , for I believe be never thinks . His numerous servants -watch , every movement of his eye . What can it mean ; and whence

      the origin of this strange adoration of their master ? We have nothing like it ia the West ; but from time immemorial it seems to have obtained in Eastern manners . Ifc must have been deeplylmprinted into the mind of the nation when each Pacha had the power of life and death ; and when at a nod the head of an offending servant was rolled into the dust . The Pacha makes » languid remark ; a servant answers , touching his forehead in token of profound respect- The Pacha pushes a stool with his foot ; , and his attendants spring forward to remove it . The Pacha feela for his snuffbox ; a quick-fingered slave has found it for him ere his fingers closed on it , A-t last the Pacha is tired of sitting on deck , so he makes a move , heaving a sigh at the exertion . Two of his men rash forward to support him on each side ; two or three go before , pushing the profanum vulgus out of the way , and two or three follow , bearing his pipe , pocket-handkerchief , snuffbox , &c . He is conducted to the cabin , and , a soft cushiony seat being prepared , he settles himself down again , and his attendants take their places as before .

      The reader must be reminded that the thing sketched here is not a type of the Osmanli race , he is the type of the modern Byzantine—the adulterated product of debasement and crime . He is not tlie true representative of the Turk , and his falseness shows the more conspicuous beside the " short , brawny figures , with honest and intelligent features" of the Anatolian peasants , or " the fine graceful stalwart forms of the Circassians . " And vet to things like that above described , was entrusted the defence of the Turkish frontier in Armenia . Having taken a personal illustration , let us take one of another kind . The Turk has always treated road-making and road-mending with perfect contempt . The only road in Turkey kept in tolerable repair is that on which the Sultan takes his evening drive . Now , when Russia made a road from Souchum Kale to Erivan , in order to turn the course of commerce into her own territory , the Turk grew jenlous and determined to make a road . In this case the Pacha chosen was the model of a " reformed , liberal-minded , civilised Turk , " with a Parisian education . Well , he was to make a road from Trebizond to Erzeroum , and he arrived at the former city with plenty of men and money : —

      &Mrrtdl »« » s a SANPWITH'S SIEGE OF KARS .

      I was at that time a sanguine and confident believer iu the reform of Turkoy and I Btill have great hopes , but they ore somewhat modified . This road was quoted aa an instance of progress , but a few months passed away aud tho workmen rested from their labours . They had accomplished two miles of road which had been ( figuratively speaking ) paved with gold . Wore tho workmen overpaid , or tho engineers ? What became of the vast sums expended 1 No one choao to au « awer these inoonvenient questions : the Pacha was removed to fill a high post undor Government , and a road of two miles , already in bad repair , remains us a monument of Turkey ^ indifference and apathy to her own best interests . Who dare say that the failure of this undertaking was not one of the causes of the fall of Kars ?

      As it is with her roads , so it ia with her vaat mineral resources . The minea , with the exception of those at Heraclea in English hands , are worked on the most primitive principles . The farmer of a nine fears to lay out money lest the Government should think ho ia getting too rich . By a short-sighted and djshoncat policy , the Government is linble to break contracts in favour of a higher bidder ; in short , everything is done that discourages production . Xet rurkey possesses some of the finest coal , iron , nnd copper mines in the world ; mines that , under o reasonable system of administration , would be wu K * aourceof P » lb » c wealth . Take an instance of a different kind . When Dr , Sandwith arrived at a village near Baiburt , he found that Captain JJelUot had been murdered a few hours before . Ho carried the news to

      Untitled Article

      OTitice are not tlie legislators , but the judges and police of literature . They do not make laws—they interpret and try to enforce them . —Edinburgh Kevtew .

      Untitled Article

      136 THE LEADER [ No . 307 , Saturday ,

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Feb. 9, 1856, page 136, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2127/page/16/