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    Did anybody ever invent anything ? Is there on record one discovery ? The Oriental and proverbial sage declared that there was nothing new tinder the sun—and every man who deludes himself with the belief of having made a discovery , finds that it was known ' long ago . ' If to-morrow an overland route to America should be detected , the next week will disclose that Goutrs knew of it in the thirteenth century , and that Brown the bagman spoke familiarly of it in commercial rooms . There is something more than churlish detraction in this . Men . are pleased ,-no doubt , at discovering in anterior records a trace of the new truth , pleased also that they can make that discovery ; but apart from all such influences there are the indubitable facts of random guessing on the one hand , and of direct filiation of ideas on the other two sources sufficient to supply any and every invention with

    the appearance of an ancestor . Who invented Nature-Printing ? . Not Councillor Axois Auee , -who claims it , at least for the "Viennese Printing Office . Mr . Henet Bbadbxjby has plainly proved so much in . the very interesting and elaborate Lecture delivered before the Royal Institution , and now republished with , a German translation . " The distinguishing feature of the process consists , firstly , in impressing natural objects , such as plants , mosses , seaweeds , feathers , into plates of metal , causing , as it were , the objects to engrave themselves by pressure ; secondly , in being able to take such casts or copies of the impressed plates as can be printed from the ordinary copper-plate press . " The first Nature-printer was—Nature herself . She made * such accurate impxesr sions of plants on the plates of her coal-beds , that nearly a thousand species of fossil plants have already been identified in these typographical evidences . Mr . Bradbury says : —

    Experiments to print direct from Nature were made a 3 far back as about tyro hundred and fifty years ; it is certain therefore that the present successes of the art are mainly attributable to the general . 'advance of science , and the perfection to which it has been brought in particular instances . On account of the great expense attending the production of woodcuts of plants ia early times , many naturalists suggested iho possibility of making direct use of Nature herself as a copyist . In the Book of Arty of Alexis Pedemontanus ( printed in the year 1572 , and translated into German by Wecker ) , may be found thejirst recorded hint as to taking impressions of plants . At a later period , in the Journal des Voyages , by M . de Moncoys , in 1650 , it is mentioned that one Welkenstein , a Dane , gave instruction ; in making impressions of plants . The process adopted to produce such results at this period consisted in laying out flat And drying the plants . By holding them over the smoke of a candle , or

    an oil lamp , they became blackened in an equal manner all over ; and by being placed between two soft leaves of paper , and being rubbed down with a smcotbing-bone , the Soot was imparted to the papei , and tie impression of the veins and fibres was so transferred . But though the plants were dried in every case , it was by no means absolutely necessary ; as the author has proved by the simple experiment of applying lamp-black or printer's ink to a fresh leaf , and producing a successful impression . Linnseos , in , his JPhzlosqphia Botanica , relates that in America , in 1707 , impressions of plants were made by Hessel ; and later ( 1728—1757 ) , Professor Kniphof , at Erfurt , ( who refers to the experiments of Hessel ) , in conjunction with the bookseller Fiinke , established a printing-office for the purpose . He produced a -work entitled Herbarium

    Vivwn . The range and extent of his work , twelve folio volumes , containing 1200 plates , corroborates the curious fact of a printing-office being required . These impressions were obtained by the substitution of printer ' s ink for lamp-black , and flat pressure for the smoothing-bone ; but a new feature at this time -was introduced—that of colouring the impressions by hand according to Nature—a proceeding which , though certainly contributing to the beauty and fidelity of the effect , yet had the disadvantage of frequently rendering indistinct , and even of sometimes totally obliterating , the tender structure and finer veins and fibres . Many persona at the time objected to the indistinctness of such representations , and the absence of the parts of fructification : but it was the decided opinion of Linnaeus , that to obtain a representation of the difference of species was sufficient .

    Mr Bbadbdkt continues the history with patient minuteness ; but the reader must seek it in the pamphlet , our space admits of no further extract . As a history of the various tentatives , it is extremely curious , and fully proves that the Viennese Government has only the credit of applying the invention with more commanding resources .

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    Who invented Vivaria ? Bid Gouus know them also ? Did Sohwein-SdHNurj-usar in his JProdromus clearly indicate their practicability ? Vivaria suddenly eruptive in drawing-rooms , are not fungus-like in their genesis , however they may resemble fungi in rapidity of distribution : whence their origin ? Dr . LANKESTEBin bis recent little treatise , The Aquavivarium , very much to be recommended to amateurs , hints at differences of opinion on this subject , and adds : — To whomsoever credit maybe given for perfceting those arrangements , I cannot for a moment doubt that the original idea was taken from the success attending tho cultivation of plants in closed glass caseson tho plan recommended by Mr . Ward . It

    • were tried , for the purpose of enabling persons away from the seaside to l ™ ""* animals . A lady in London frequently surprised the scientific societies fcJSiSH ? beautiful living specimens of rare marine animals ; and these she succeededX 5 th * nig for many months by aerating the sea-water by pouring it frorTone v , * another , ...... . ° . . ¦ w vessel to Previous to the year 1850 , many experiments had been made in London of v sticklebacks , gold fish , and other animals , in jars containing Valisneria I findi *? some of my own notes , that I . had sticklebacks in a jar containing VnV * ' ^ Water Starwort , in 1849 . Ia March , 1850 , Mr . Robert Wu ^ gtonieaT "' * before the Chemical Society , which was afterwards published in the journal n ? T * Society , in which , he described the general conditions necessary to the I , ?" plants ana animals in jars of water , and gave an account of hia own arram »« r ? for that purpose . .. . W » e'nents The practicability of establishing arrangements of this kind has been oftm a ' cussed in the council of the Zoological Society , and in 1852 they determined toe » t under the skilful guidance of Mr . Mitchell , a house in their gardens in Regeut ' s P v large enough to hold several -water-tanks for marine and fresh-vrater animals Intv '

    . spring of 1853 this house was opened , and at once gave an immense impetus to rt establishment of water-vivaries . Most of the marine creatures contained in it \ e obtained by Mr . Gosse , -who had previously cultivated marine animals -with -aUnt ^ sea-water . An account of his experiments is given in his very interesting RaMht of a Naturalist on the Devonshire- Coast . In 1854 , Mr . Gosse published a beautifl volume , entitled The A qziarium , in which he describes minutely the structure and habits of a large number of marine animals adapted for domestication in vesselslf sea-water . .- ¦¦ ' .. ° After the success of his experiments with fresh-water plants and animals , Mr . Warington commenced operating upon marine plants and animals with sea-water . In this he has been more successful than any other operator , probably arising from the care with which he constructed his tanks . An . account of his experiments is given in the Annals of Natural History for November , 1853 . Many important hints and suggestions will be found in Mr . Warington's other papers in the Annals of Natural History . ' / ' - ¦ ' - " ¦;'¦ ¦ " : ' ¦ - . ¦ ¦/ . "¦ ¦ ¦¦ ' ¦ .- ¦ . ¦' ¦

    The Vivarium has become so fashionable that the honour of inventing i is worth claiming . Mr . H . J . Boitn , who has recently opened an establishment in Essex-street , Strand , for the sale of glass tanks , sea water , and ' marine stores , ' has such faith in the extent and solidity of tliis new "br anch of commerce , that he announces the publication of a monthly Eeview devoted exclusively to Vivaria . When " a sect is strong enough to support a periodical , it is formidable ; when an amusement—and Natural History is an amusement to the majority of those who keep Vivaria—can boast of an exclusive ' organ' it must be vigorous indeed . The drama has not been able to support a dramatic periodical for many years . If Mr . Bohn's review prospers—which we sincerely hope—it will indicate the existence of a very large public indeed interested in Vivaria . Meanwhile the reader -will do well to get Dr . I / Ankester ' s little book .

    , was his genius that saw , in the accidental sprouting of a fern in a glass bottle , tho » "ana of maintaining fresh vegetation in the midst of the smoke and dirt of London . wnen ne had succeeded in fitting up his first fernery in Wellclose-squarc , ho was not « rold flK Mcovorin B > that in tho little pools which ho so ingeniously constructed there , ? a nw , ™ i ? , 5 ) tne * creatures would live in tho water , provided plants were present , SuJt ^ fi fi ! i , e air of hls fernery . Tho culture of ferns in cases , by Mr . Ward ' s R rT ^ . to iho c ^ t-uro of water-plants in tho same cases , and air-broath-K 1 .. T iS r bal 8 ™ introduced , to increase the interest of the scene . 8 UJ 3 # w ^ V i f r * Word Btated > afc a meeting of tho British Aasociation at JSSJrliifl n Bu « ***»* , not only in growing 8 oa-wced 9 in aea-watcr , but in S tStS T * , ? mUBt ™ t * My bo regarded as tho firat step towards « Uzin tho marine Aquavlvarium . From tliia timo experimenta of various kinda

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    AURORA LEIGH . Aurora Leigh . By Elizabeth Earrett Browning . Chapman and Hall . Whek , some weeks ago , we anticipated the delight of anew poem front Mrs . Browning , ' we never , in our keenest expectations , thought of receiving so fine a poem us .. Aurora Lei j / // , which surpasses in sustained strength and variety , anything English poetry has had since Chilile Harold . It places Mrs . Browning beyond dispute at the head of nil poetesses , ancient or modern , and although it will be judged diversely by diverse minds , no one , we fancy , will venture to claim for any other woman's poem an equal rank .

    Having , as justice demands , expressed emphatically our sense of the greatness of Aurora Leigh , without stint of phrase , and yet without precipitate or careless eulogy , we must also add that the poem has very many faults , some deeply-seated , some quite superficial and remediable , which faults , perhaps , will give the critics occupation , but " will not in ; any appreciable degree affect the success of the work ; for in Art , as in Life , success depends on what is positive , on excellence of some kind ; and where this existsno amount of mistake , or incompleteness , can finally prevent recognition . Kean ' s acting was fuller of faults than that of many a . man who never rose above mediocrity ; but Kean ' s genius was of such positive and thrilling influence , that like a meteor he burnt his pathway befor the wondering gaze of men , who might on reflection object to the irregularity , ' but could not , ¦

    even in reflection , forget the splendour . - . We cannot in our scanty limits pretend to criticize Aurora Leiyh , but certain general points may hero be touched , ' as if we chatted with the reader when the book was closed . And first ns to its conception . It is a threevolume novel in verse . This of itself is something new . Scott and Byron told stories in verse ; Tennyson in the Princess and in Maud has also tried his hand at story-telling , with very indifferent success as a story-toller ; but no poet—at least wo know of none—has represented modern life in sucn forms as it assumes in modern fiction , no one has sung the novel instead ol toriting it . Aurora Leigkhas a story equal in incident , character , and scenery to Almost any three-volume novel of the English type . In no respect docs it differ from the novel except that it is sung . It sings of our actual hie , embodying the schemes and struggles , tUp opinions and the social contrasts of our day . Alton Locke is not raoro immediately the product of our social conditionnor less idealized * -r

    , . . „ . ^ rf *^« ¦ ' »» w « 1 *» x ^« , * V ^ Mk-J IVIVUllMVUt > . 1 . Whether the poet is right or wrong in thus swerving from the aIia ( P universal practice of seeking in distant clinics and distant ttges for t subject of song , we will not here inquire . Briefly we may suggest that t poet therein should please himself ; let ua have poems , and not trouble oursclv » 3 when they corao . iEschylus , in . writing the Aw , never P USC _^ consider whether contemporary events wcro fitted for ideal treatment ; treated them ideally , and was content . But when wo waivo that ff ° j ^ question , it only brings us to a more direct consideration of the P ? ^ n ] Y instance . Wo erant Mrs . Browning the utmost licence in her choice oj

    to he more rigorous in our judgment of the subject chosen ; nn < * | " ^ ing she was at perfect liberty to write a musical novel , wo demand trora the writing of a novel which in itself is good . In proportion na slio ¦ . in * duces tho elements of ordinary fiction into her poem , she must bo crme by the stnndarda of fiction . No one thinks of objecting to Childe llaroia ,

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    -Tities are not the legislators , but the judges and police of literature . They do not mike la ^ s-they interpret and try to enforce them .-Edinbvrffh Rev tew . ¦ ? ¦ ¦ ' ' . ' ' . ' ' ¦ ¦

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    1142 THE XEADEB . [ TSo . 349 ,. tUamti . ^

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Nov. 29, 1856, page 1142, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2169/page/14/