Vol IV. HALIFAX, % S, FEBRUARY 10, No. 7.

Transcription

1 ORA ET LABORA. Vol IV. HALIFAX, % S, FEBRUARY 10, No. 7. THE TALKING ZEPHYR. LEUMAS. Hak! the evening Zephy's stealing Its aiy way into the bowe ; List! its beezy hand is feeling Fo the faiest sweetest Fo the Dalhousie Gazette." 14 flowe. Zephy : tell me why thou't ceeping So softly 'mong the tiny flowes ; Why, when othe winds ae sleeping, Dost thou seek these gaden bowes? " I have come," eplied the Zephy, " To fan the floweets lest they fade ; Come to balm to beathe, as eve, On some toil-won aching head. " I have come, too, as a vespe, Beathing sweetness in my song ; Come to tell thee in a whispe, * Th' eve of life will come ee long/ " Balmy is my beath at even, Yet it sighs fo pating day, Weeping dew-teas like a pilgim Saddened by the sun's last ay. " Theefoe, hea my whisp'ings, motals, Haste to speed you on you way ; Linge not lest Heaven's potals Close against you while you stay." Welcome balmy whispeing " Zephy Welcome spiit-voice of even ; Welcome dewy-beath that eve Wafts the soul in thought to Heaven. I would lean of thee, sweet Zephy, To gathe balm fo aching heats; I would say to motals eve, 4 Time is fleeting life depats.' PRIDAL DEVELOPMENT. Let not the moal satiist think that we intend mounting his well idden hobby to make a aid on silks and boadcloths, shoe-buckles and ostich-feathes, the univesal hempen pile that adds so much to the gloy of womanhood, and the edoubtable Glengay that clings so tenaciously to one ea; let all such caping at the "fashionable follies" of the day be left to suly bachelos and peevish old maids, who ae out of fashion themselves and though the distoted spectacles of an envious tempe, see nothing but sou gapes all aound them. Fa moe contemptible is that, which fo want of a bette name, we shall call Liteay Snobbey which flaunts aboad its gaudy dapey to hide the most pitiable ignoance. Thee is the hiow-nothing who endeavous to impess a sense of his pofound leaning, by neve ventuiag an opinion on anything. He invaiably looks wondous wise. The deepe the subject of convesation the deepe his abstaction. If science o philosophy be discussed he is appaently holding communion with the spiits of Newton, Bacon, o Locke, of whose woks he is as ignoant as wee Noah's capentes o the bicklayes at the Towe of Babel. He instinctively finds the intellectual " knot" of a company, and sits with gave mien, vaying his expessions by an occasional appoving nod o disappoving shake of his canial shell, and appeciating the convesation quite as highy as would an Esquimaux the beauties of Demosthenes in the oiginal, o a monkey the hai splitting theoies of Metaphysicians. Anothe membe of the same family is the know-something, who has picked up a few thead-bae ideas fom some intellectual ag-basket, and these he flouishes with untiing vigou, aising a dust to conceal his eal ignoance. So long as his " Polly want a cacke " song will fit into the subject of discussion, so long is his voice the loudest and most fequently head. If pechance, the convesation tun on any othe than his favoite theme, his sensitive politeness suddenly eminds him that it would not be good mannes fo him to be talking all the time, so he gaciously denies himself the pleasue of saying anything on the subject. If appealed to fo a decision, he gavely stokes his bead, (if he has one) and condescendingly emaks that thee ae weighty aguments on both sides of the question, he has scacely made up his mind on the subject, but will caefully weigh the matte. If unable to avoid speaking on mattes with which he feigns familiaity, he confines himself to gunting a monosyllabic assent to eveything that may equie an answe, o, as if such things ae not wothy his attention, with consequential look and dignified step he walks off, meditating on the elations of side-walk and sole-leathe. Anothe class does not choose so high a gound of opeation. The cente of a cicle whose only fault is ignoance and good sense enough to know it, a noisy ignoamus palms off plated jewely on his gaping auditos who ae in blissful innocence of the distinction between gold and kettle bass. Whee thee is no dange of his statements being falsified, whee all must be taken at his wod, this pedantic snob likes to display his well-thumbed stock of loe. No highe ambition has he than to be the nucleus of an open-mouthed cowd, who wondeingly listen to his oacles. " And still they gaze and still the wonde gows That one small head can cay all he knows." Next in ode comes the fashionable poetic fop, who to ceate and maintain a liteay eputation among the intellectual fai, manages to wedge in though the sutues of his casemated skull, a few sentimental lines fom " Locksley Hall" o the " May Queen," and a vese fom the only Psalm with which he is guilty of any acquaintance, and these

2 50 DALHOUSIE GAZETTE. he hymes off on evey possible occasion in times that would make Opheus unsting his discodant lye and hang it on a bush to wail tuneless music to the winds. He goes into aptues ove the beauties of poety ; endoses with knowing emphasis all the opinions expessed by his fai companions with egad to the meits o demeits of vaious authos ; paises extavagantly what they commend; and denounces in unmeasued tems what they disappove. Longfellow, Wodswoth, and Tennyson ; Milton and Cowpe and Pope; Byon and Buns; Shelley and Scott, ae tumbled fom mouth to mouth till the cones ae won off thei names, by those who ae as well acquainted with poety as a memaid with milliney, o a Hottentot with Hape's Magazine." u None so pitiably contemptible as he who has obtained an education without leaning his own ignoance, who is eve stalking his pedanty befoe the wold and does not know it, whose taining has failed to supply the common sense which Natue unfotunately neglected to bestow, who has a fai education but has not mental conceptions sufficiently acute to see the ignoance and stupidity that still claims kin with him. In the house and by the way peseveing as a newsboy blows " Halifax Repote," they ae eve tumpeting thei own paise. " I " and " my doings," foms the neve failing subject of convesation, and the slighted " weathe " has to etie in confusion and take efuge among those whose bump of egotism is less fully developed. " The moe vaied and extensive a man's knowledge, the moe does he feel his own ignoance. He who climbs highest the steeps of leaning, but gains a moe extended view of the vast unknown compaed with which his actual knowledge gows gadually less, and the man who can complacently natte himself on the extent of his attainments, and his mighty gasp of genius, may take comfot in the eflection that the cause is not in the extent of his knowledge but in the naowness of the hoizon that bounds his intellectual vision. Like the mouse he fondly imagines that his little till is all the wold, and swells with the idea of his own impotance till he gets a peep ove the edge into the mighty chest beyond. The immotal Newton picked up a few pebbles fom the shoe of that mighty ocean of unfathomed tuth that lay beyond his ken. If the poo old man wee to evisit the eath in these last days, he would have to hide his diminished head fo shame and beat a hasty eteat to the shades, at the sight of some shallow bained pedants of the nineteenth centuy, calmly sailing ove that ocean, with a double woven sceen of ignoance and impudence to potect them fom the ays of the sun of knowledge, and a ten hose popelle of self conceit diving them at andom on thei tackless way. HISTORY OF A TOAD. FAR, fa back in the dim ages of obscuity, in a cetain place which shall be nameless, thee lived an old toad. And who moe happy than he? Safe fom foes in a comfotable abode, fomed by the oots of a lage oak, ejoicing in a family of thee, and at peace with the wold in geneal, he was the vey pictue of contentment and happiness. But alas! though fo a long time things went on smoothly and hamoniously, the wilfulness and iepessible cuiosity of one of the toads junio, bought disaste and wetchedness into the peaceful abode. Fo one day as the paent was setting out on his daily excusion ound the tee in seach of woms and gubs, the youngest of the family pleaded to be allowed to accompany him. But the old toad was too well acquainted with the heedlessness of youth and the danges of the outside wold to gant this equest, and he left with a pating injunction and paental waning to all his offsping to stay within doos. Happy fo them had this advice been followed! But no! youth is too headstong and young blood too hot to be efused anything upon which the heat has been set; and a bief inteval afte the depatue of the old toad, found the young one also in the open ai. Intoxicated with delight at the wondes which he saw, fo full five minutes he stood immovable, then with a coak of joy he bounded towads a beautiful flowe a shot distance off. But no soone had he eached this, than a glitteing object close by excited his cuiosity and admiation ; and one shot leap sufficed to land him faily upon it, alas! misguided toad I thou hast leapt into the vey jaws of dange! The glitteing object was nothing less than a snake ; one of those deadful eptiles about which his fathe whose advice would that he had followed! had told so many feaful tales. But too late was it now fo eflection, and too late fo epentance. Opening its teible jaws, the. monste caught between its piecing teeth ou unhappy heo ; one slight effot, and he is swal no! a ustling noise is head behind; instinctively the snake knows that it indicates the pesence of a sepent of a still lage species ; and, still etaining the pize in its distended mouth, it seeks efuge in a tee ; fo it can climb excellently, w heeas the last come cannot do so at all. And thus the toad, in agony fom emose, teo, and pain, is conveyed up an old pine. And befoe we go any futhe, let me descibe the appeaance of this pine. Once tall, once young, once vedant, it was now old and witheed, and, having been once stuck by lightening, completely boken in two ; it possessed not even a leaf to offe a contast to the moss-coveed bak; decayed and entiely hollow, it looked as if the fist blast would lay it postate. Up this tee then huied the snake; and when it eached what now fomed its top, the tunk having been thee seveed by lightening, it pepaed to swallow the pize. But ah! thee's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip, and how soon the victo may become a victim, no one can say : at this vey moment a wild sceech is head, and with indescibable apidity thee ushes on the scene a huge eagle ; one swoop, and the sepent is in his talons! At this citical moment the snake's head, and consequently the contained toad, is diectly above the hole which descends fom the top to the bottom of the old hollow tunk; and now, when attacked by the eagle, the sepent's jaws open, and, stunned and senseless, the toad falls inside to the bottom. Thee, whilst a teible stuggle was going on ovehead betwixt the scaly eptile and the monach of the ai, he lay insensible ; no did he evive until a few dops of the blood of the conqueed and dying sepent fell on his head. Then he ecoveed consciousness, only, to all appeaance, to die a lingeing death. But wondeful to elate! day afte day olled on, and still he lived: totally depived of food, and all but excluded fom light and ai, he still existed! And now fom the dak ages of the past, we must come to the bight ones of the pesent; and fom a cetain place whee dwelt a cetain toad, pass to a mine in a coal distict. Ca-loads of this valuable mineal ae being daily extacted and daily shipped off to less favoued counties. See, this last ca-load has bought up an immense lump ; so huge is it, that it must be boken befoe it can be of any use. And in ode to do this, one of the mines, with pick and cow-ba appoaches. Anothe joins him, and both set themselves to the task ; foce is inceased by foce, and blow succeeds blow, until the shining block with a sudden cack splits up, and lo! out fom the cente of the mass leaps, vigoous and unhut, a toad! Mavellous podigy! fo geneations has ou heo, fo such in tuth he is, been impisoned in this coaly bed without food, ai, o light, and he is still alive and active! The histoy of ou toad, fom the time when we left him inside the hollow tee, until he emeged fom a lump of coal, may be given in a few wods ; though of couse the cicumstance of his living at all in such a situation is beyond human ken. The tee fell; a ive had by, oveflowing its banks,

3 DALHOUSIE GAZETTE. 51 caied it down, togethe with a numbe of othes, to one common deposit; hee, witn a heteogeneous mixtue of all sots of vegetable poducts, duing the lapse of centuies it changed its natue, though fixed and univesal laws, to a mineal substance; man then came upon the scene, and by investigating and exploing, discoveed this ich mine, in which pobably the only living thing was the toad whose histoy I have been witing. A TRIP TO PETERSBURG. We sailed fom a pot on the westen coast of England at the end of the month of June, and ou voyage in the English Channel, acoss the Noth Sea, though the Skage Rack, down the Cattegat, up the Baltic, and along the Gulf of Finland, until we eached the mouth of the Neva, was a most pleasant one; so pleasant indeed, that to give an inteesting account of it would equie the desciptive powes of a Washington Iving. We had no gales, no aging stoms, bette still, we had no tantalizing calms, and wee neve fo moe than a few hous at one time out of the sight of land. The monotony which usually accompanies a sea voyage was to a geat extent elieved by the diffeent phases which each new county that we saw pesented to us. We had not long lost sight of the Dove cliffs befoe the high land on the westen coast of Denmak became visible, and having been diven nothwad hj a southely wind we wee able to catch a faint glimpse of the neaest Nowegian headland, just enough to enable us to say that we had seen the land so famous fo its ocean kings in times that have gone by. We had the good fotune to pass though the Sound in daylight. This was the most inteesting pat of ou voyage. Until we had eached within a vey shot distance of the Stait which affods an entance fom the Cattegat to the Baltic, we wee unable to tell which couse was the pope one to take because we appeaed to be equally hemmed in by land on evey side, but soon a naow opening pesented itself, which poved upon close obsevation to be less than two miles wide, and had we not been favoued by a fai wind we should not have been able on account of the naowness of the passage to have made ou way though, fo the eade must know that we wee in a sailing vessel. The view was pefectly delightful. On the westen side wee to be seen the high ganite hills of the Swedish coast, while on the Danish side the land was low, ising in a vey slight incline fom the sea, coveed with most luxuiant con fields, and studded hee and thee with lage, neat, and comfotablelooking fam houses, each tastefully suounded by a thick gove of pines. And hee we must confess a athe unpatiotic feeling, fo although we had seen some fams in Nova Scotia which ae consideed excellent, and had passed though the most beautiful and fetile fields of which Geat Bitain boasts, we wee neve befoe so stongly seized with the desie of leading an agicultual life as when looking upon the pictuesque and aable lands tilled by the Banish peasant in the vicinity of Elsinoe. As we pass though the Sound and ente the Baltic sea, anothe scene pesents itself. On the ight bank we have a nea and full view of the petty little town of Elsinoe, whose name is so familia to ou eades' eas; while on the Swedish side and at a distance of seven miles we can distinguish the sails of the numeous windmills which ae to be seen all along the coast, with a chuch steeple hee and thee ising fom among a little cluste of houses indicating the situation of a Scandinavian village. Befoe us ae countless multitudes of vessels of vaious sizes, and at vaious distances thanks to the supeio speed of ou baque, we wee able in a vey shot space of time to ovetake those going in the same diection with ouselves, and to come up quickly with those which we met. All the while we peceived fantastically igged little skiffs and pilot boats dating out fom the shoe on eithe side, and passing ove the wate with almost miaculous speed. We have omitted to mention the castle of Elsinoe, which is situated on the point of land pojecting fom the Danish coast at the naowest pat of the Sound. Ou omission was intentional fo the space allowed us is not sufficient fo even a patial desciption of the elaboate achitectue and antique style of that time-honoed and once impegnable fotess. Besides, in ode to do it justice it would be necessay to lead ou eades back to the time of Hamlet, and to quote much moe of Shakespeae's play than we can now emembe. Ou sail up the Gulf of Finland, although, pehaps, the most monotonous pat of ou voyage, was by no means the least pleasant; patly no doubt fom the fact that we wee anticipating an ealy aival in a foeign county, but chiefly on account of the delightful w eathe which we enjoyed. We expeienced at that time the longest days we had eve known, but only long in point of time and not because they wee weaisome. Thee was no night thee. A shot peiod of twilight, it is tue, between the hou of midnight and two o'clock next moning, seved to divide one day fom anothe; but, duing the whole of ou visit to nothen Russia, which lasted until the middle of August, we can safely say that we expeienced no moe dakness than is seen in Nova Scotia on fine, clea, fosty moonlight nights when the gound is coveed with snow. We aived at Constadt on the loth (o as the Russians would say, on the 3d) of July, afte a passage of 20 days, half of which had been spent in the English Channel. The impessions we had aleady fomed of the county we wee about to visit, wee not vey encouaging; fo as we appoached neae the mouth of the Neva and wee bette able to distinguish the appeaance of the coast on eithe side we found that the land was flat and unattactive, and possessed few evidences of habitation but these foebodings which wee just beginning to take possession of ou minds wee soon dissipated by the contast pesented by the ush and (Russian) bustle which geeted us upon ou fist glimpse of Constadt. Any attempt at a desciption ot the massive fotifications fo which that city is famous could convey but little idea to the eade of thei gand and imposing appeaance. Suffice it to say that even we who had little idea of the destuction which can be poduced by a well-diected volley fom 8 o 10 poweful cannon (not to speak of as many hundeds), expeienced a feeling of pofound elief when we had passed ]beyond the ange of the guns placed in ties upon the two sentinel-like fotesses which ae situated at a distance of about 1000 yads apat, one being built on each side of the channel of the Neva, about half a mile fom the town of Constadt, Mfe have now succeeded howeve impefectly in binging ou eades face to face with the massive and extensive fotifications which potect the capital of all the Russias. We shall attempt to make ou next aticle moe inteesting by elating some of the sights which we managed to see duing ou visit to the city of Petesbug, and ou impessions of the people with whom we came in contact. ALEXIS.

4 52 DALHOUSIE GAZETTE. HALIFAX, N. S., FEBRUARY 10, EDITORS. D. C. FRASER, '72, E. SCOTT, '72, W. P. ARCHIBALD, '72, A. H. MCKAY, '73, JAMES C. HERDMAN, '74. M A N A G I N G COMMITTEE. J. M. CARMICHAEL, '72, D. S. FRASER, '74, A. I. TRUEMAN, '72 Secetay. CONTENTS. The Talking Zephy. 49 Pidal Development Histoy of a Toad A Tip to Petesbug Editoial The Intoduction of Silk into Euope Notices of Exchanges, &c Coespondence College Notes Dallusiensia Scientific Items D. Hedge was among the speakes, and in answeing the questions to which we have alluded, spoke as follows: " The studies to be pusued in the education of women, wheeby the highest education is intended, may be classed unde thee heads : those which should be equied of all, those which should be left optional, but ecommended to all, and those equiing a special vocation, and fo which oppotunity should be affoded whee such aptitude exists. Unde the fist head I include, next to udiments of eading, witing, dawing, eckoning, histoy, geogaphy, the outlines of astonomy, physiology, the udiments of anatomy, the histoy of English liteatue, one o two moden languages, say Fench and Geman, studied oally and sciptoially. The studies to be ecommended ae botany, zoology, chemisty, geognosy, ethnology, political science, the histoy of liteatues othe than English, paticulaly moden liteatues, Latin studied gammatically, and pehaps Italian and Spanish. Unde the head of studies equiing a special vocation I eckon the science of language, Geek and the oiental languages, achaeology, psychology, speculative philosophy, the highe mathematics and thei applications to physical science. In the class of studies to be ecommended I have named chemisty and natual histoy. Fo both of these studies the female mind possesses peculia aptitudes. The faculty of obsevation is moe eadily developed in women than in men, and they possess in a geate degee the genius of manipulation. * * "As to the question of pomiscuous education of the sexes, the question,' Shall the highest education of women be attempted in men's colleges?' I am not, as I said, pepaed to speak fom the fixed conviction which expeience only can waant. I incline to the view that ou Univesities should be thown open to women so fa as the studies pusued in them ae elective ; that women should have the pivilege of attendance on such couses of lectues as they may choose to hea, that they should be allowed to offe themselves fo examination in the studies they have pusued and eceive degees, if the examination has poved them competent, on the same tems on which these degees ae awaded to the othe sex. They should not, howeve, be admissable to any of the college couses, excepting those known as ' univesity lectues,' to which they have aleady been invited, without fomal maticulation based on appoval by examination as igoous as that equied of boys who offe themselves as candidates fo admission to the college. Fo the sake of both sexes the igo of equiement should be as geat fo the one as fo the othe." Pesident White, of Conell Univesity, who has lately been visiting the Univesities of the Westen States, whee the co-education of the sexes has been extensively tied, gave an account of thei system, and ecommends its adoption. The esult of his visit goes to show that in many depatments women ae capable of doing as good wok as men. He epots that a pize fo the solution of poblems in the highe mathematics, offeed by Pof. Wood of Michigan Univesity, which has not been gained fo seveal yeas, was this yea obtained by a woman; and that in the depatment of Botany THE " Women's Eights " question, if it wee eve entetained by any but a few addle-headed females, has now given place to one fa moe pactical and wothy of consideation, viz., the chaacte and method of the Highe Education necessay fo the fai sex. This question has been bought to the notice of educationists, as well by the action of the ladies themselves, as by the geneal pogess and diffusion of leaning. Women feel that in these days, when colleges exist in evey section of the county, something moe than a common-school education, o even a knowledge of dawing and calisthenics, is necessay to place them on an equality with the stonge sex. They ae accodingly seeking eagely to obtain the highe education. Sistes, who wee wont, in fome times, to wonde at thei bothes who came home fom the Univesities, eciting Latin Hexametes by the hou, and talking in misty vague language of the poblems of Philosophy, ae now plunging into these same subjects. Whethe the highe education is necessay fo woman, would be an absud question now. He intellect, and he place and influence in society, alike poclaim he ight to eceive instuction in the highe banches of knowledge, and man could only pevent he fom obtaining this instuction by the babaous execise of his supeio physical foce. The questions to be discussed ae : Which of the highe banches of study ae most necessay fo woman, and most congenial to he tastes and intellect? and shall these studies be pusued in sepaate colleges, o in conjunction with men in especially, women excel the men, as shown by a schedule of existing Univesities? These difficult poblems ae commanding class-wok kept by Pof. Winchell, of the same Univesity. the attention of thinking men eveywhee, and These facts show in some degee the intellectual capabilities movements ae in opeation to endeavou to give a pactical solution to them. A Women's Educational Association has of woman; while on the othe hand, Pesident White affims that no scandal has as yet aisen in those colleges whee the lately been fomed in Boston fo the pupose of pomoting sexes ae educated togethe. Howeve, the expeiment is the discussion of these subjects, and initiating efom. A meeting has been held unde thei auspices, at which addesses not yet fully tied, and it would be pematue and visionay to indulge in any pophecies concening the futue of woman's wee deliveed by seveal eminent men. The Rev. education.

5 DALHOUSIE GAZETTE. 53 THE INTRODUCTION OF SILK INTO EUROPE. At the pesent day we find that silk is extensively used in almost evey pat of the wold. Though it is s ich an impotant aticle of commece and won by so many, yet we doubt not that compaatively little is known of its histoy, o of the inteesting account connected with its intoduction into Euope. The Chinese possessed the at of silk-making at a vey ealy peiod in the wold's histoy. They wee vey anxious to keep it a secet, and succeeded in doing so fo a geat length of time. China was anciently called Cees, and fom this came the Latin wod Seicum, whence the English Silk. Thus we see that even the vey name by which it is known amongst us is indiectly deived fom the Chinese. It is said that the manufactue of silk was fist caied on by St. Ling, wife of the Empeo of Hoang Ti, as ealy as the yea 2600 B. C. Of the diffeent species of silkwom, that which feeds upon the mulbey leaf weaves a web of much bette quality than any othe, and was fist bought into Euope in the eign of Justinian. Some infeio species wee known in Westen Asia and Easten Euope pevious to this date, but no one attempted to make use of them, until Pamphila, a woman of Cos, an island lying off the west coast of Caia, made a thin gauze which was much admied. The silk then manufactued soon became an aticle of expot. At the same time small quantities wee bought fom China, but the difficulties connected with such a long oveland oute endeed the cost so exobitant that the Romans wee obliged to use the Cosesin fabic, though much infeio, and of a vey limited supply. The fist wite that made mention of silk was Vigil, who spoke of it as " soft wool combed fom the limbs of tees " in Cees. Many yeas befoe the time of Justinian Caavans cossed fom the Chinese shoes to the coast of Tye in about two hunded and foty-thee days, and bought a consideable quantity of silk. The Romans, too, caied on diect tade with China though the distict of Amenia, but this was inteupted by a wa between the monachs of Pesia and Constantinople. It was, howeve, esumed, but again had to be given up on account of the epeated attacks of the pedatoy hodes of babaous Huns and Tuks. The Russian oveland tade, is, even at the pesent day, much endangeed by those plunde-seeking tibes. In the time of Justinian silk had become an indispensable aticle, and the tade, then quite extensive, had fallen entiely into the hands of the Pesians. The Empeo, seeing his county dained of he wealth by those who wee enemies and ivals, began to look upon them with jealous eye. In hope of opening up a tade with Easten Asia by the Red sea, he solicited the aid of the Abyssinians and Ethiopians. They, howeve, wee unwilling to ente into competition with the Pesians, and consequently the poject failed. About this time a vey oppotune cicumstance occued. Two Roman monks, who wee missionaies to the Chinese Empie, etuning to Constantinople, and heaing of Justinian's effots to obtain silk at a cheape ate, suggested to him the pacticability of cultivating the wom, and of pepaing the silk in his own capital. They also explained the pocess of manufactue in China, and then offeed to use thei endeavos to secue the woms fo him. Encouaged by libeal gifts and fai pomises they etuned unde the petence of esuming thei missionay labos, and stealthily secued a numbe of the insects, and stated home. It was, howeve, found impossible to convey such a shot-lived ceatue so fa. This attempt poving a failue they detemined to expeiment with the eggs of the wom, and again they outwitted the Chinese by caying off, in a hollow cane, a numbe of these. This ingenious stategem poved successful. On aiving at Constantinople the eggs wee caefully hatched by atificial heat; the woms wee fed on mulbey leaves, cultivated fo the pupose ; they wee fosteed with geat cae until they had inceased to a geat numbe, and then the manufactue of silk began in Euope about 530 A. D. ' In a shot time an aticle was poduced in evey way equal to that bought fom the East. The citizens of the Roman capital wee now anxious to keep this a secet, and guaded it as caefully as the Chinese had, fo so long a time done. Thei evenue was geatly inceased by this monopoly, which they enjoyed fo nealy six hunded yeas. The Saacens wee the fist to obtain a knowledge of the at, and made it known in Spain. A man named Rojee intoduced it into Sicily about 1150, A.D., and finally the whole of Euope became acquainted with the silk-making pocess. Since the intoduction of silk into Euope, its manufactue has fomed a lage pat of the industies of Italy, Tukey and Geece. The inhabitants of Fance, Spain and Potugal, have also engaged in the at, but only to a limited extent. The cultivation of the silk wom has been attempted in England, but with little success, on account of the climate being so cold and vaiable. The quantity of silk used at the pesent time is most enomous. Geat Bitain alone impots annually thiteen millions pounds weight, valued at 16,500,000 steling. NOTICES OF EXCHANGES, &c. WE have eceived the pospectus of Westwad Ho! a weekly jounal to be published at Ottawa in the inteests of Canadian immigation. The object of this jounal will be, as the pospectus states, " to dissipate in some degee the ignoance with egad to Canada so unfotunately pevalent in the Bitish Isles," and to bing to the notice of intending emigants the teitoial, agicultual, commecial and othe esouces of ou new nationality. This is a laudable entepise, and w e hope that it will meet with the success which T it deseves. A specimen numbe of " Ou Own Fieside," a weekly liteay jounal, published in Chicago, is on ou table. It is somewhat sensational in its chaacte. Thee is a good poem howeve in this numbe, by Will M. Caleton, on The Buning of Chicago, which, fotunately fo the autho, contains no allusion to that much-aggieved bid, the Phenix. Messs. Louis Peault & Co. have sent us seveal samples of onamental pinting, executed at thei establishment, in Monteal. If we can judge of the geneal chaacte of thei wok fom these samples, we would ponounce it fist-class. Business-Cads, Addess-Cads, Bill-Heads, and Ciculas, ae alike executed with exteme neatness and cae. We would advise all w ho desie onamental pinting in the highest style of that at, to patonize Messs. Louis Peault & Co., 230 St. James Steet, Monteal. BUSINESS Lettes eceived since last issue, fom II. A. Bayne, B.A., J. A. MacCabe, Rev. C. B. Pitblado, Pof. W. Elde, A. Simpson, P.K.I., Isaac Gant, A. Puvis, and Hezekiah Muay. To CORRKSPOND KNTS. A. S. A lette addessed to cae Ms. J. Mille, 4 Pak St., Edinbugh, will find J. G. Mac- Gego, o any of ou Edinbugh students. H. A. B. No moe is due ; thanks fo you kindness.

6 54 DALHOUSIE GAZETTE. EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY AND MEDICALS. THE FEMALE DEAR GAZETTE : When I mailed my last lette, the Univesity Cout wee about to come to a decision on the vey impotant question of the Medical Education of Females. The paty of opposition had high hopes that the esolutions by which Ladies had gained access to the Medical classes, would be epealed, and the suppotes of the movement feaed the same esult. The hopes, howeve, wee fallacious, the feas goundless. The Cout esolved " that it is not advisable at pesent to eceive the egulations peviously passed w ith efeence to the Medical Education of women," adding T a clause in which it was asseted that these egulations could not be consideed as implying that the ladies wee to be allowed to gaduate. With the exception of the statement contained in this clause, theefoe, mattes wee in the same state as they had been peviously. Miss Jex-Blake, like a skilful geneal, now etuned to the chage. She agued that if the egulations wee not to be escinded, all obstacles peventing them fom being caied out should be emoved, and in ode to thei emoval she laid befoe the Cout cetain papes. In these papes it was stated that cetain pofessos of the Faculty of Medicine had declined to give sepaate couses of instuction to women ; and the Cout wee asked eithe 1. To extend, in the case of female students, the pivilege ganted, by odinance of the Univesity Commissiones, to lectues, not being pofessos in the Univesity, of qualifying fo gaduation by thei lectues, which pivilege is now esticted to fou of the pescibed subjects of study; o, 2, to authoise the appointment of special lectues to give, in the Univesity, qualifying couses of instuction in place of those pofessos who decline to do so ; o, 3, to odain that the pofessos efeed to should themselves give the necessay couses of instuction to women. To these equests the Cout etuned the following answe, which as being a most impotant decision, I quote in full: " The second couse suggested is not in the powe of the Cout o othe univesity authoities, singly o jointly, to adopt. The thid couse is equally beyond the powe of the Cout. No pofesso can be compelled to give couses of instuction othe than those which, by the use and wont of the Univesity, it has been the duty of the holdes of his chai to delive. The fist of the poposed measues would imply an alteation in one of the odinances fo gaduation in medicine. Such alteation can be made by the Univesity Cout only, with the consent, expessed in witing, of the Chancello, and with the appoval of He Majesty in Council. But to alte in favo of female students, ules laid down fo the egulation of gaduation in medicine, would imply an assumption on the pat of the Cout that the Univesity of Edinbugh has the powe of ganting degees to women. It seems to the Cout impossible fo them to assume the existence of a powe which is questioned in many quates, and which is both affimed and denied by eminent counsel. So long as these doubts emain, it would, in the opinion of the Cout, be pematue to couside the expediency of taking steps to obtain, in favo of female students, an alteation of an odinance which may be held not to apply to women. Though the Cout ae unable to comply with any of the specific equests efeed to, they ae at the same time desious to emove, so fa as possible, any pesent obstacle in the way of a complete medical education being given to women, povided always that medical instuction to women be impated in stictly sepaate classes. The Cout ae of opinion that the question unde efeence has been complicated by the intoduction of the subject of gaduation, which is not essential to the completion of a medical o othe education. The Univesity of London, which has a special chate fo the examination of women, does not confe degees upon women, but only gants them ' cetificates of poficiency/ If the applicants in the pesent case would be content to seek the examination of women by the Univesity fo cetificates of poficiency in medicine, instead of fo Univesity degees, the Cout believe that aangements lo accomplishing this object would fall within the scope of the powes given to them by section 12 of the Univesities (Scotland) Act. The Cout would be willing to conside any such aangements which might be submitted to them." It is impossible to say what action the ladies will now take. Thei wisest couse is to accept the " cetificate of poficiency," but it is not easy fo human natue, and especially fo that pat of it which is esident in woman, to abandon a favouite plan. Some speak of a suit at law, othes theaten to induce the Govenment to withdaw thei annual gant until the Univesity bows to the will of Miss Jex-Blake & Co. These, howeve, ae but the cies of extemists. Thee ae wise men in the paty, and we may est assued that nothing will be done without due consideation. Yous, etc., Edinbugh, Jan 15th, MAC. THE Methodists have the most Colleges of any chuch in the United States, being 61. The Catholics next, 58. Univ. Recode. THE Athenaeum says that at Cambidge " the knowledge of the Geek lettes and of one of M. Bonn's tanslations sometimes constitutes the undegaduate's sole claim to be accounted a Geek schola." AN oato of McKendee College poposes to gasp a ay of light fom the geat ob of day, spin it into theads of gold, and with them weave a shoud in which to wap the whilwind which dies upon the Westen paiies. Gap and Gown. THERE ae about 150,000 coloed pupils in the day and night schools in the fome slave States and distict of Columbia. Twenty-five schools of vaious gades and advantages have been established, mostly unde the diection of the Congegationalists. Thiteen of these hold popety which amounts in the aggegate to ove $1,000,000. These institutions, howeve, with thei libeal endowments, ae not adequate to meet the educational wants of the coloed people. An effot is theefoe being made to obtain help fom Congess to establish new schools and incease the endowment of those aleady in existence. The Tipod. A YOUNG lady of Michigan Univesity, who was passing an examination in Geek, afte she had ead the passage assigned, addessed the Pofesso in these wods : " Do let me ead some moe ; this is such a beautiful passage." Young men neve do such things. Gap and Gown. AMONG the ecollections evived at the ecent Williams College eunion at New Yok City was that of the suspension of William Cull en Byant fo a flagant violation of the ules of the college. His offence consisted in eciting a poem entitled " Thanatopsis," befoe it had been coected by the Pesident! The esult was that Byant gaduated at Yale, and the poem went foth to the wold in the unfinished condition in which the pesent finds it. The Iipod. THE following, accoding to an exchanges the bill of fae with which the ladies of Vassa wee entetained on Thanksgiving day: Apples, Bananas, Havana Oanges, Assoted Nuts, Figs, Almonds, Raisins ; Catawba, Isabella, Malaga and Califonia Gapes ; Pyamids of Stawbey, Vanilla and Chocolate Ice Ceams; Tea, Coffee and Chocolate. The Tipod. Young men will no doubt soon be applying fo admission to Vassa. FIVE Japanese Pincesses ae said to have landed at San Fancisco, and to be on thei way to Vassa. Ex. Thei " heathenish days ae no moe."

7 DALHOUSIE GAZETTE. 55 A SENIOR eading Moliee's " Le Bougeois Gentilhomme" in the Fench Class the othe day endeed the passage in the following style : " Je coyais Jeanetton Aussi douce que belle Je coyais Jeanetton Plus douce que mouton." I thought my Jeanette As beautiful as she was sweet, I thought my Jeanette Sweete than a piece of meat. Genius will out. THE libay is almost deseted. Stange and hoid sounds ae head beneath it. Whethe the elfs ae the ghosts of the past o the wanings of the futue, we cannot tell. An investigation should be made. A SENIOR, concluding an elegant oation on Ameica fo the Ameicans, said " I cannot go in fo a union of the Canadians and Yankees, while the latte ae so immoal. Let them excommunicate thei immoalities, and then we may talk ove the matte." We ae at a loss to know what kind of a bull should be issued to have the desied effect. A JUNIOR pepaing the fist act of the Adelphi of Teence, a few evenings since, spent an hou o moe in a fuitless endeavo to find the meaning of the wod Stoax. Finally he gave up in despai, concluding that it must be an obsolete intejection coesponding to the English holloa, o something like that. INTERESTING. A Feshman epots that he has discoveed in this city an indescibable, which if not the wok of at, must be vey inteesting to cuiosity-huntes. The specimen had an insciption expessed thus : *A Gaping Asylum fo Liteay Inutilities." If not a chance poduction of natue, as some conjectue, it must undoubtedly be a elic of the monastic age. DEPENDING on Almanac infomation, which m this paticula case fom some ovesight o w ant of cae on the pat of the compile pobably, is on a pa with its weathe pedictions, a cetain individual witing on Univesities " the u othe day astounded us by the following piece of infomation : Now as to Dalhousie ; on compaing it with its bethen, it will be seen that in eality it has no advantage ove them, as to vaiety of instuction, fo although it affods these thee banches Metaphysics, Psychology and Minealogy, not as it appeas taught in any of the othes, except pobably Minealogy in Acadia yet it does not instuct in these five most impotant banches, Natual Philosophy, Astonomy, Mental Philosophy, Composition, and Hebew, which ae taught in one o othe of its fou compees." If the wite had taken the touble of sending fo a Calenda of the Univesity, he would find that all these and many othe " banches " not taught elsewhee in the povince ae povided fo. Excepting the Medical College, the following ae povided fo in the Ats and Science Couses alone. Rhetoic, English Liteatue, Fench, Geman, Spanish, Latin, Geek, Hebew, Compaative Philology, Psychology, Logic, Metaphysics, ^Esthetics, Ethics, Political Economy, Histoy, Mathematics, (pue), Math. Physics, Expeimental Physics, (these last two constituting what is called Natual Philosophy,) Astonomy, Chemisty, Minealogy, Botany, Zoology, Geology, Anatomy and Animal Physiology. We make no futhe comment. THE phosphoescence which often endes the sea so beautiful, does not come fom living tissues, but fom dead o castoff matte in the fist stages of decomposition. In fishes, oxygen easily penetates the skin, and acts upon the adipose tissue ; in othe maine animals, glands, containing a secetion in which thee is fatty matte in a state of degeneation pesent, ae cast off and give ise to phosphoescence in the same way that decaying fish o bones do, viz.: by the fomation of a phosphoic hydocabon o of phosphoetted hydogen. AMONG the geatest wondes of moden science, ae the evelations made by the micoscope in the wold of the " Infinitely Little." By micoscopic powe, a suface can be enlaged 56,000,000 times, and the oganization of animalculae so small that 10,000 of them could be anged in the length of an inch, can be studied. These " infusoia " o " potozoa," as they ae called, possess immense vitality and enegy. Most have twenty, and some even a hunded stomachs, which ae coated ove with teeth, so that mastication and digestion constitute but one pocess, and thei blood-cavities ae said to be fifty times as stong in popotion, as the heat of the hose o the ox. They ae found in the blood of man, and ou mouths ae filled with them. They extact silica fom sea-wate to fom thei skeletons, and the geate pat of the siliceous stata of the globe ae nothing moe than " cemeteies of animalcules, millions of whose copses would not have made up a cubic inch." A NEW banch of photogaphy has just been bought into notice. An Italian photogaphe, by means of the diving-bell and poweful atificial light, has succeeded in poducing some submaine views with a pefect success. The attempts wee made upon the Italian coast, and the most fantastic images obtained, showing the vegetation and zoophytes of the sea's bottom. This is cetainly something most emakable, and only anothe poof of the eminence of the Italians in this banch of science. The Italian photogaphs, both landscapes and potaits, ae povebially fine. In the potait line they have quite a novelty which we have not yet seen in this county. The face of the sitte is coveed with a species of cement o hadening mixtue which completely fills up all the winkles and hides the blemishes, poducing, when the negative is touched up, a pictue of wondous softness and beauty. We have seen one of these poductions, and can vouch fo the accuacy of ou statement. Cap and Gown. THE SONG OE THE CHEMIST. Oh, come whee the Cyanides silently flow, And the Cabuets doop o'e the Oxides below ; Whee the ays of Potassium lie white on the hill, And the song of the Silicate neve is still. Come, oh, come! Tumti, tun tun! Peoxide of Soda and Uani-um! While Alcohol's liquid at thity degees, And no chemical change can affect Manganese ; While Alkalies flouish, and Acids ae fee, My heat shall be constant, sweet science, to thee! Yes, to thee! Eiddledum-dee! Zinc, Boax and Bismuth ; and H O-f-C. London Fun

8 56 DALHOUSIE GAZETTE. '. 1IC UN LAY, CONNOLLY & KELLY, PUBLISHERS, BOOKSELLERS & STATIONERS, WHOLESALE AND RETAIL BOOKSELLERS & STATIONERS, 34 and 36 Geoge Steet, HALIFAX. HALIFAX, N. S. GiTLlMl'SFURNISHINGSTORE. Wm I 9 I I No. 106 Ganville Steet, IMPORTERS OF SHIRTS, GLOVES, BRACES, TIES, HOSIERY, READY-MADE CLOTHING, Umbellas, Potmanteaus, Valises, &c. &c. Shits Made to Ode. COLLEGE STATIONERY of all kinds, including CLASS BOOKS, of vaious sizes and bindings; togethe in ou line equied by Students. A NOTE with all the aticles full assotment of the Medical Woks ecognized and used by the Medical Faculty of Dalhousie College, always on hand. STEPHEN T. HALL, BOOKSELLER, STATIONER, ANI> D E A L E R IN FANCY GOODS, 100 UPPER WATER ST., Opposite Tohin's Whaf, HALIFAX, N. S. VARIOUS COLOURS. Book-binding, Coppe Plate and Lette Pess Pinting, neatly and pomptly executed. N E W B O O K S. PROVINCIAL BOOKSTORE, UPPER FRONT OF PROVINCE BUILDING. Pujos Fench Class Book, Adle's Geman Eeade, Ahn's Geman Gamma, Angus' Handbook of the English Tongue, Latham's Handbook of the English Language, Pinciple Latina, Initia Gseca, Potts' Euclid, Colenso's Aithmetic, Algeba and Tigonomety, Todhunte's Conic Sections, Plane Tigonomety and Algeba, Ganot's Physics, Livy, Heodotus, Home, Sophocles, and all othe Classics, Weale and othe Publishes, Eowne's Chemisty, Inoganic Chemisty, with all the othe books in use in Dalhousie College and othe Educational institutions. Subsciptions eceive! fo all English and Ameican Peiodicals. ' A. P. KATZMANN. WILLIAM GOSSIP, UNITED SERVICE BOOK & STATIONERY WAREHOUSE, No. 87 OKAFVTLLE STREET, HALIFAX. Impots and deals in all kinds of COLLEGE AND SCHOOL BOOKS. Wholesale and Retail Deale in Books and Stationey, Pape Hangings Bodeings, Plain and Figued Pape Window Blinds. Mathematical Instuments, Suveyos' Chains and Tapes always on hand. Special attention given to the Impotation and Sale of ARTISTS' MA TERIALS, fom the best Houses in the Wold. PRINTING and BOOKBINDING done to ode, and with despatch. BOOKS, &c. impoted to ode, fom Geat Bitain and the United States, with the geatest punctuality. Enquie paticulaly fo WILLIAM GOSSIP, 87 Ganville Steet. ARMY AND NAVY Ittlilllli & If If i ALSO DEALER I N ENGLISH AND AMERICAN PERIODICALS, Newspapes. Music, &c, &c. BOOK-BINDING and PRINTING in all thei 165 AND 167 HOLLIS STREET, Banches. THE "DALHOUSIE GAZETTE" Is issued evey altenate Satuday, duing the session, by the SMents of Dallousie College and Univesity. TERMS. One Collegiate Yea (in advance) $0.50 Single copies 05 To be had at the Bookstoes of Messs. Connolly & Kelly and S. T. Hall. The *' Gazette" is fowaded to all subscibes until an explicit ode is eceived fo its discontinuance, and until all aeas ae paid. Payments to be made to A. I. Tueman, and all communications addessed to Editos "DALHOUSIE GAZETTE," Halifax, Nova Scotia. Pinted by the "NOVA SCOTIA PRINTING COMPANY," cone Ganville and Sackville Steets, Halifax, N. S.