The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction, Vol. 17, No. by Various
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THE MIRROR OF LITERATURE, AMUSEMENT, AND INSTRUCTION.
VOL. 17, NO. 480.] SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 1831. [PRICE 2d.
* * * * *
[Illustration: SWAN RIVER.]
SWAN RIVER
(See the Engraving)
"A view in Western Australia, taken from a hill, the intended site of a
Fort, on the left bank of the Swan River, a mile and a quarter from its
mouth. The objects are, on the left, in the distance, Garden Island,
that on the right of it Pulo Carnac; between the two is the only known
entrance for shipping into Cockburn Sound, which lies between Garden
Island and the main land; the anchorage being off the island. On the
right is the mouth of the Swan River. On the left, a temporary mud work,
overlooking a small bay where the troops disembarked. In the foreground
tis a road leading to the intended fort and cantonment on the river."
Few subjects in our recent volumes have excited more attention than the
facts we have there assembled relative to the New Colony on Swan River.
The most substantial and agreeable proofs of this popularity have been
the frequent reprints of the Numbers containing these Notices, and the
continued inquiries for them to the present moment. For the information
of such persons as are casual purchasers of our work, we subjoin the
numbers:
No. 368 and 369 contain the papers (abridged) from the _Quarterly
Review_, with the Regulations issued from the Colonial Office; and an
Engraved Chart which is more correct than that in the _Q. Rev_.
Nos. 410 and 411 contain an Engraved View on the Banks of the River,
from an original drawing by one of the expedition; and a copy of Mr.
Fraser's Report of the Botanical and other productions of the Colony.
No. 430 contains an important Letter from the Colony.
No. 464 contains an account (with extracts,) of the first Newspaper
_written_, not printed, in the settlement.
The annexed Engraving is from a well-drawn lithograph distributed with
No. 12 of the _Foreign Literary Gazette_ date March, 1830; the
support of which work by the public was by no means commensurate with
its claims.
The letter-press with which the Engraving was circulated contains little
beyond the earliest settlement. The most recently received account is
that conveyed through the _Literary Gazette_, a fortnight since;
and as no paper is more to be relied on for information connected with
expeditions of discovery, colonial matters, &c. we extract nearly the
whole of the communication:--
Perth Town, Swan River, Western Australia, Oct. 4, 1830.
My dear ----, a ship being about to sail in the course of a week for
England, I must not lose the opportunity of giving you a few lines
respecting our movements and the state of the colony. I am somewhat
late in my communications to my friends; but as this is the second ship
only that has sailed direct for England since our arrival, you must not
attribute the delay to any neglect on my part. The information which
I can give you may be implicitly depended on. By the late accounts from
England, it appears that the most exaggerated and false reports prevail
regarding the present state and probable prospects of the colony,
like all other reports that are a mixture of truth and falsehood; and
as it is usual to paint the latter in the brightest colours, so it
usually stands foremost in the picture: they have been industriously
disseminated by a set of idle, worthless vagabonds, and have been
eagerly taken up by the inhabitants of Cape Town and Van Dieman's
Land.--These two places are so excessively jealous of the colony of
Swan River, lest the tide of emigration should turn towards us, that the
former use every means in their power to induce the settlers in their
way here to remain with them; and they have been, I am sorry to say, too
successful, having detained nearly two hundred labourers. The grounds of
complaint are, that the colony is not equal to the representations given
of it, and that it has not answered their expectations. The account in
the _Quarterly Review_, as far as it goes, is correct, with one
exception; but the impression it is calculated to make, when in unison
with the hopes of needy adventurers, is too favourable to be realized.
The _Review_ observes, that the land seen on the banks of the Swan
is of a very superior description; and this is undoubtedly true; but
the imagination and enthusiastic feelings of many have induced them
to suppose that _all_ the land on the banks of the Swan, and the
whole country besides, is included in that description. Now, the good
land is chiefly confined to the banks of the rivers, as you will see by
a map which I have sent to ----; the rest is sandy, but it is covered
throughout the year with luxuriant vegetation. The cause of this arises
in some measure from the composition of the soil beneath, which, at an
average depth of five or six feet, is principally clay, which holds the
water in lagoons, that are to be met with in every hollow in every part
of the country on this side the mountains. It unfortunately happens that
none of the good land is to be seen even as far up the river as Perth,
the whole soil of which is sandy; hence all new-comers are at first
disappointed; and, without taking any further trouble to examine
the country, leave the colony in disgust altogether. But it has now
been found that the land at Perth, notwithstanding its unpromising
appearance, possesses capabilities which intelligent and experienced
persons foresaw, and that it only requires time and patience to develope
its surprising qualities: at this moment there are vegetables growing
to an enormous size, scarcely credible, and which for the sake of truth
I actually measured. What say you to radishes twenty inches round, and
grown in nothing but sand, without any manure or preparation of the
ground? Turnips, cabbages, peas, lettuces, all flourish in the worst
soils here; but I fear the climate is too warm for potatoes, though
well adapted for most of the tropical fruits, as yams, bananas, &c.
The soil and aspect of the country seems well suited for the vine,
which, from the little experience we have had, does exceedingly well.
There are no esculent productions worth mentioning indigenous, but there
is some fine timber, which will no doubt become a valuable article
of exportation: it is between the mahogany and the elder, and may be
applied to all the purposes of the former. Its greatest recommendation
is, that the white ant will not touch it, and it will consequently be
a great desideratum where that insect abounds. We have likewise the red
and blue gum, but in no great quantity, in the immediate vicinity of
Perth. The animal productions are the same as on the other side of the
island, as also the birds. The rivers swarm with fish, every one of
which is good eating; but it is only lately that we have been well
supplied with them. There is abundance of limestone ready at hand in
most parts of the river, as well as the finest and strongest clay,
plenty of which runs along the shore that bounds Perth, for a mile and
a half, as you will see by the map. Of the mineral resources of the
country nothing is as yet known; for every one has been too much
occupied in locating himself to give that subject any attention. By
the reports from England, it appears that from the misfortunes which
happened to the first ships that came out, a very unfavourable opinion
is formed of the safety of the port. Gage's roads afford a very good
anchorage during the summer months; but, being exposed to the north-west
winds, it is a very insecure station during the winter, the ground being
rocky and a loose sand; but this evil, I am happy to say, is in a great
measure obviated by the discovery of a good anchorage about four miles
to the southward of the mouth of the river, and marked in the map as the
Britannia Roads. The bottom is firm holding ground, and has been proved
to be a very secure anchorage during the late gales, when all the ships
in Gage's Roads went on shore, while those on the Britannia Roads rode
it out, with the exception of one ship, which broke her anchor. Besides,
a passage has lately been found out from Gage's Roads to Cockburn, into
which ships may run, if they are too much leeward of the Britannia
Roads; so that you see we may always have a refuge from the storm.
I hope you will take care to give publicity to _this_ circumstance,
because it is one upon which the success of the colony mainly depends.
The bar at the mouth of the river, and the flats in various parts of its
course, are a great drawback to our communications; but these evil will
no doubt be remedied in the course of time, and that without much
expense. There is a clear channel all the way up the river for vessels
of 500 tons, commencing about a mile and a half above Freemantle to
Perth; then there are a succession of flats until you pass the islands,
where the navigation continues clear for many miles up the river.
The prospects of the colony are every day improving, to the
satisfaction of all classes; and the great number of respectable
settlers, and their patience and perseverance in establishing
themselves, are the surest grounds for the ultimate prosperity of the
settlement. The only objections, as I can see, that can be urged with
any degree of plausibility against the success of the colony, are, that
the land at Perth and in the neighbourhood is not of that description
to induce the settlers to cultivate, and that all the good land being
now granted, there is no more on this side the mountains to satisfy the
demands of new settlers; but these objections are, I am happy to say,
about to be removed, as an ensign of the 63rd regiment (a Mr. Dale) has
lately returned from a tour of discovery into the interior, and has
brought intelligence, that to the eastward of the Swan River there is
a large and fertile tract of beautiful country, with a river passing
through it, which, from a subsequent visit by Mr. Erskine, a lieutenant
of the 63rd, is likely to prove of the greatest importance to the
colony. Those of the settlers who have not taken up their grants of land
mean to secure them here, and myself among the number, a grant having
been allowed me, at the rate of 3,200 acres. The governor is quite
delighted, and now considers the ultimate success of the colony to be
certain. He intends visiting the country, and tracing the course of the
river, in a few days; and it is my wish to accompany him, if possible,
that I may select my own grant.
The spirit of detraction to which the writer alludes in the early part
of his letter is thus noticed in the _Cabinet Cyclopaedia_, vol. iii.
of Maritime and Inland Discovery: "The difficulties and embarrassments
which the settlers at the Swan River have been obliged to endure, have
been industriously exaggerated by the colonial press; the strong desire
which exists in New South Wales to attract emigrants to that country
being naturally allied with a disposition to disparage every other
settlement."
* * * * *
ON VIEWING CANTERBURY
_From the rural Heights of Harbledown, in the Summer of 1827._
(_For the Mirror._)
I.
I am no pilgrim unto Becket's shrine,
To kneel with fervour on his knee-worn grave,
And with my tears his sainted ashes lave,
Yet feel devotion rise no less divine--
As rapt I gaze from Harbledown's decline
And view the rev'rend temple where was shed
That pamper'd prelate's blood--his marble bed
Midst pillar'd pomp, where rainbow windows shine;
Where bent the [1]anointed of a nation's throne
And brooked the lashes of the church's ire;
And where, as yesterday, with soul of fire,
Transcendent Byron view'd the hallow'd stone.
Sure Chaucer's pilgrims, on this crowning height,
Repress'd their mirth, and kindled at the sight.
II.
Couch'd in the bosom of a bounteous vale,
The ancient city, to the enamour'd sight,
Gleams like a vision of the fairy night,
Or Be-ulah, in Banyan's holy tale.
The silvery clouds that o'er the valley sail
Dim not the sinking sun, whose lustre fires
The old cathedral and its gorgeous spires,
The ruin'd abbey, garlanded and pale
The vesper choristers in each lone wood
Chant to the peeping moon their serenade;
Now creeps the far-off forest into shade,
And twilight comes o'er heath, and field, and flood.
Oh! had I genius now the task to try,
My picture should Italian Claude's outvie!
* * H.
[1] Henry the Second.
* * * * *
MOUNT ST. MICHAEL.
(_To the Editor._)
In no. 477 of the _Mirror_ you have given a spirited engraving
of Mount St. Michael, with a succinct account annexed, to which the
following particulars may serve as addenda:--
Its most ancient name was Belinus, when it was inhabited by Druidesses.
After the abolition of the Druids, it took the name of Mons Jovis; to
which was substituted that of Tumba, when a monastery was erected upon
it. In 708, Bishop Auber raised upon it a church, which he dedicated
to St. Michael.--Ethelred, the second, of England, had a particular
veneration for Mount St. Michael. Abbot Roger had been almoner to
William the Conqueror. Henry II. of England made a pilgrimage to Mount
St. Michael, when he met Louis VII. King of France, with a splendid
suite.
In 1203 the fortifications consisted only of wooden palisades. Being
attacked by the Bretons, they set fire to them: the fire reached the
church and abbey, which was completely destroyed. The monastery was
restored in 1226, by Abbot Adulph de Villedieu. His successor, Richard
Justin, obtained from the Pope the most distinguished privileges.
In 1418 the English made a fruitless attack upon it.
In 1423 it was attempted again, with a very considerable force and
powerful artillery, two pieces of which now stand at the main gate:
one has a stone ball in it of about fifteen inches diameter. Among
the distinguished English officers who perished at the siege, was a
Chevalier M. Burdet.
In 1577 a Protestant chief (Dutouchet) succeeded by stratagem in getting
possession of it. After two day's possession, he was obliged to evacuate
it.
In 1591 a similar attempt proved most destructive to the assailants.
In 1594, the spire, the bells, and the church, were considerably injured
by lightning.
Mount St. Michael was visited in 1518 by Francis I. of France; in 1561,
by Charles IX.; in 1576, by the Duchess de Bourbon; in 1624, by the Duke
de Nevers, who made a rich present to the abbey; in 1689, by Madame de
Levigne, who designated it Le Mont fier et orgueilleux. In 1689, Philip
Duke of Orleans, brother to Louis XIV., was one of its visiters.
The most remarkable circumstance is the visit paid to it on the 10th of
May, 1777, by the Ex-King of France, the Count d'Artois (twenty years
old). On inspecting the state-prison, a wooden cage was shown to him.
The prince, struck with horror at the sight of it, ordered it to be
destroyed. Shortly after, the young princes of Orleans, among whom the
present King Philip, accompanied by Madame de Lillery, stopped at Mount
St. Michael. After having inspected the subterraneous passages and
magazines, the wooden cage was shown to them. They asked for workmen and
axes, and giving the first blow themselves, this infernal machine was
completely destroyed.
The prior of the abbey was formerly governor of the town and castle, and
the keys were brought to him every evening. It gives name to the late
military order of St. Michael, founded by Louis XI, in 1479. The view
from the summit is fine, embracing the coasts of Normandy and Britanny,
with the town and ruins of the cathedral of Avranches, elevated on a
mountain, and the intervening valley, with the open sea of the British
Channel.
W.G.C.
* * * * *
SONNET TO M * * *
(_For the Mirror._)
Though rough, not lengthened, is our worldly way;
Then wipe thy pearly eyes, no more to weep--
Thy feet from falling let this memory keep--
Our love hath lasted through the stormy day.
These clouds like early mist shall melt away,
And show the vale beyond the pointed steep;
For they who sow in tears, in smiles shall reap--
Then be thy spirits as the morning gay.
For thou alone art gifted with the power
To still the tempest in my stubborn soul;
Thy smile creates around the billows roll
The blissful quiet of a halcyon hour.
Then shed no tear--then heave no sorrowing sigh
Since love like thine may time and toil defy.
* * H.
* * * * *
LONG RIDES.
(_To the Editor._)
In 478 of your entertaining little miscellany, I observe a short account
of an unparalleled feat of riding, performed by John Lepton, of Reprich,
in 1603. As I know you wish to be "quite correct," the following may be
acceptable: it is copied verbatim from a scarce book (in my possession)
entitled, "The Abridgement of the English Chronicle," by Edmund Howes,
imprinted at London, 1668 (15th James I.):--
"In this month, John _Lenton_, of _Kepwick_, in the county of Yorke,
Esq., a gentleman of an ancient family there, and of good reputation,
his majesty's servant, and one of the grooms of his most honourable
privy chamber, performed so memorable a journey as I may not omit to
record the same to future ages; the rather for that I did hear sundry
gentlemen, who were good horsemen, and likewise many good physicians,
affirm it was impossible to be done without danger of his life.
"He undertook to ride five several times betwixt London and Yorke,
in sixe dayes, to be taken in one weeke, between Monday morning and
Saturday following. He began his journey upon Monday, being the 29th of
May, betwixt two and three of the clock in the morning, forthe of St.
Martin's, neere to Aldersgate, within the city of London, and came into
Yorke the same day, between the hours of 5 and 6 in the afternoon, where
he rested that night. The next morning, being Tuesday, about 3 of the
clock he tooke his journey forthe of Yorke, and came to lodgings in St.
Martins aforesaid, betwixt the hours of 6 and 7 in the afternoon, where
he rested that night. The next morning, being Wednesday, betwixt 2 and
3 of the clock, he tooke his journey for the of the city of London, and
came into Yorke about 7 of the clock the same day, where he rested that
night. The next morning, being Thursday, betwixt 2 and 3 of the clock
he tooke his journey forthe of Yorke, and came to London the same day
betwixt 7 and 8 of the clock. The next day, being Friday, betwixt 2
and 3 of the clock he tooke his journey towards Yorke, and came thither
the same day, betwixt the hours of 7 and 8 in the afternoon. So as he
finished his appointed journey (_to the admiration of all men, in five
days, according to his promise_). And upon Monday, the 27th of this
month, he went from Yorke, and came to the court of Greenwich upon
Tuesday the 28th, to his majesty, in as fresh and cheerful a manner
as when he began."
* * * * *
SONG.
(_For the Mirror._)
"I'll sing you a new song to-night."
I'll sing you a new song to-night,
I'll wake a joyous strain,
An air to kindle keen delight,
And banish silent pain;
Bright thoughts shall chase the clouds of care,
And gloom of deepest sadness,
For oh! my spirit loves to wear
The sunny ray of gladness.
I love to mix alone with those,
Whose hearts are wildly free,
For human griefs, and human woes,
Are strangers yet to me;
I will not early learn to pine
My summer life away,
But ever bend at pleasure's shrine,
And mingle with the gay.
Should sorrow come with coming years,
And touch the strings of woe,
I'll learn to smile away its tears,
Or check their idle flow;
And still I'll sing; a song as bright,
And wake as glad a measure,
Bid grief and sorrow wing their flight,
And hail the reign of pleasure.
W.H. PRIDEAUX.
* * * * *
SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY.
* * * * *
IMPROVEMENTS IN BLACK WRITING INK.
_By John Bostock, M.D._[2]
When the sulphate of iron and the infusion of galls are added together,
for the purpose of forming ink, we may presume that the metallic salt
or oxide enters into combination with at least four proximate vegetable
principles--gallic acid, tan, mucilage, and extractive matter--all of
which appear to enter into the composition of the soluble parts of the
gall-nut. It has been generally supposed, that two of these, gallic
acid and the tan, are more especially necessary to the constitution of
ink; and hence it is considered, by our best systematic writers, to be
essentially a tanno-gallate of iron. It has been also supposed that
the peroxide of iron alone possesses the property of forming the black
compound which constitutes ink, and that the substance of ink is rather
mechanically suspended in the fluid than dissolved in it.
Ink, as it is usually prepared, is disposed to undergo certain changes,
which considerably impair its value. Of these the three following are
the most important: its tendency to moulding, the liability of the black
matter to separate from the fluid, the ink then becoming what is termed
ropy, and its loss of colour, the black first changing to brown, and, at
length, almost entirely disappearing.
Besides these, there are objects of minor importance to be attended to
in the formation of ink. Its consistence should be such as to enable
it to flow easily from the pen, without, on the one hand, its being so
liquid as to blur the paper, or, on the other, so adhesive as to clog
the pen, and to be long in drying. The shade of colour is also not to be
disregarded: a black, approaching to blue, is more agreeable to the eye
than a browner ink; and a degree of lustre, or glossiness, if compatible
with the due consistence of the fluid, tends to render the characters
more legible and beautiful. With respect to the chemical constitution
of ink, I may remark, that although, as usually prepared, it is a
combination of the metallic salt or oxide, with all the four vegetable
principles mentioned above; yet I am inclined to believe that the last
three of them, so far from being essential, are the principal cause
of the difficulty which we meet with in the formation of a perfect
and durable ink. I endeavoured to prove this point by a series of
experiments, of which the following is a brief abstract:--Having
prepared a cold infusion of galls, I allowed a portion of it to remain
exposed to the atmosphere, in a shallow capsule, until it was covered
with a thick stratum of mould; the mould was removed by filtration,
and the proper proportion of sulphate of iron being added to the clear
fluid, a compound was formed of a deep black colour, which showed no
farther tendency to mould, and which remained for a long time without
experiencing any alteration.
Another portion of the same infusion of galls had solution of isinglass
added to it until it no longer produced a precipitate; by employing the
sulphate of iron, a black compound was produced, which, although paler
than that formed from the entire fluid, appeared to be a perfect and
durable ink. Lastly, a portion of the infusion of galls was kept for
some time at the boiling temperature, by means of which a part of its
contents became insoluble; this was removed by filtration, when, by the
addition of the sulphate of iron, a very perfect and durable ink was
produced. In the above three processes I conceive that a considerable
part of the mucilage, the tan, and the extract, were respectively
removed from the infusion, while the greater part of the gallic acid
would be left in solution.
The three causes of deterioration in ink, the moulding, the precipitation
of the black matter, and the loss of colour, as they are distinct
operations, so we may presume that they depend on the operation of
different proximate principles. It is probable that the moulding more
particularly depends on the mucilage; and the precipitation on the
extract, from the property which extractive matter possesses of forming
insoluble compounds with metallic oxides. As to the operation of the tan,
from its affinity for metallic salts, we may conjecture, that, in the
first instance, it forms a triple compound with the gallic acid and
the iron; and that, in consequence of the decomposition of the tan,
this compound is afterwards destroyed. Owing to the difficulty, if not
impossibility, of entirely depriving the infusion of galls of any one
of its ingredients, without, in some degree, affecting the others, I was
not able to obtain any results which can be regarded as decisive; but
the general result of my experiments favours the above opinion, and
leads me to conclude, that, in proportion as ink consists merely of the
gallate of iron, it is less liable to decomposition, or to experience
any kind of change.