business in that small but promising town: on this day, of all days of the year, he was expected home, and towards evening accordingly he rode into the town, along the north road, with pistols and bags, as the custom then was: he came an hour earlier than he was due, and his horse bore marks of hurry, and his face of some strong excitement. I should premise that this youth had been a favourite of Madam Clorinda's, and had often visited her at York. This was the tale which Joseph told in Burchester to the crowd of neighbours who were assembled at his father's:-Thirty miles off on the northern road he had stopped to give his cob some water at a trough by a wayside inn: as the beast was peacefully drinking, and himself luxuriating in the shade of a large elm, he saw the dust rise on the road about half a mile off in the direction of Burchester; the cloud came nearer and nearer, until he saw the heads of galloping horses, a postilion in scarlet, and a coachman in a wig and hat also seated on the box of a handsome chariot, of which the windowblinds were down on the side next himself; but as the vehicle dashed past him the blind was suddenly drawn up, and his cousin Polly nodded and smiled in his astonished face. It was over in the twinkling of an eye; but he just caught sight also of-" Whom?" shouted a dozen voices in a breath. "Of my father's good friend, excellent Mr. John Chiselton," said Joseph, quietly, as if that were the saving clause after all!

Roars of laughter, screams of amusement from Samuel, Jonas, and Darias, imprecations from Zephaniah at having been so completely outwitted, and hysterical tears from Mrs. Dever to find the matter was not so bad after all, finished that eventful day. Mr. Paul Lefevre was exculpated, and, in the public excitement caused by the true story, the rumour of the chariot having been one of his own was forgotten. He swore at and bribed the two men among his own servants who could have testified to the disappearance of his equipage, and the very practical joke to which he had been a victim never went farther than a gossip's wink.

We need not say that worthy John Chiselton married his wife in lawful style at Gretna Green, and drove her quietly back to her beloved York, where the wilful child never appeared to regret that she was an "old man's darling." The chariot was returned to the Priory with Mr. Chiselton's compliments; and when I was a little lad, Mrs. Lavinia Billings, who alone knew this story in its detail, showed me, at the time of the great Lefevre sale, the identical vehicle with crested panels and faded yellow hangings which had assisted my Great-Aunt Polly's Elopement.

XIII-ILLUSTRATIONS OF EVERY-DAY LIFE.

THERE is a common saying that "seeing is believing," and it might just as truly be asserted that seeing is understanding; for the visual organs are in such direct communication with the brain, that impressions received through them strike upon it at once in their fullest intensity, outlining themselves too upon the memory in permanent characters. The principle of appealing thus directly to the noblest sense, the eye, is happily becoming more and more prevalent in all schemes of education, whether for the young or the adult; and an effort has recently been made, based upon this sound foundation, which merits the particular regard of all who are interested in the great cause of social progress.

For some months past a tiny paragraph, in which figures are almost as numerous as letters, has appeared regularly in the newspapers, announcing how many persons have visited the South Kensington Museum during the preceding week; and among the thousands to which the list generally amounts, it is probable that many of our readers may be included. They have gazed perhaps with admiration at the beautiful miniature models of tower and temple, at the curious arabesques, and quaint old carvings on the groundfloor; marvelled at the mass of fragments in the Architectural Museum; reverted to their own less favoured school-days, amid the multifarious modern advantages shown in the Educational Collection; and lingered long and lovingly among the pictures of the Sheepshanks bequest. They may, too, have sought a knowledge of manufacturing processes in the East Gallery, and seen at one view the whole work of the hatter, or brush-maker, or bookbinder in its every stage. But have they paused in the small apartment at the south end of this gallery? Probably not; for it is at the first glance the least attractive of all the collections; yet it is this little corner of the great building to which we would now call special attention, believing that its contents will be found on examination to be as interesting as anything that is there. It is true they are not brilliant, and neither are they curious, in the sense of rarity; for this is a "Museum of Common Things," and all that it contains are "Illustrations of Every-Day Life." But is not this our Life, and are not these the "Things" which in the aggregate most affect us, the atoms of which the mass of our existence is chiefly made up? How then can we look upon them with indifference? The title it bears becomes, on a moment's reflection, the best invitation to a study of this collection, but its interest may perhaps be enhanced by a slight sketch of the history of its formation.

About ten years ago Mr. Twining jun., an energetic member of the Labourer's Friend Society, conceived the idea of popularizing what is now known as Social Science by means of an exhibition of

objects connected with domestic economy; and when his plans were matured, having obtained the sanction of the Council of the Society of Arts and the approbation of the Emperor of the French, he took the first step towards carrying out his design by organizing a collection of the kind for the Great Paris Exhibition in 1855. A similar one was formed during the next year in Brussels, and the interest shown in these two temporary exhibitions encouraged Mr. Twining to devise the scheme of a permanent one in England. Under the auspices of the Society of Arts, this sagacious philanthropist at his own expense gathered materials to form the nucleus of the present collection, which was subsequently increased by various appropriate contributions from other quarters; and the erection of the Educational Museum at South Kensington offering a favourable opportunity for putting it under the guardianship of Government, and thus making it a truly national institution, it was formally made over to the Department of Science and Art, and by them thrown open to the public, with the rest of the building, in the summer of last year.

The main object of the Collection, as explained in the yet unpublished Catalogue, is “to bring together and render practically available every means for improving the condition of the working classes, and more especially to enable them to acquire, in an easy and agreeable way, a knowledge of the origin, distinctive properties, and relative value for use, of everything that appertains to the necessities and comforts of common life, and thus to show them how they may lay out their earnings to the best advantage." Though at present the arrangements are only provisional, quite enough may now be seen to show not only the nature of the plan, and how admirably it is adapted to accomplish the ends thus aimed at, more especially when it shall have reached its full development, but also that its benefits are by no means likely to be confined to the " working classes," unless in the broadest signification of that term.

The department of Costume, which first presents itself on entering, is the least complete of any; indeed, there is merely sufficient to give an idea of what is intended to be effected; but even here the sight of several suits of clothing from countries in the north of Europe, labelled with the announcement that the cloth for the man's coat and waistcoat is woven by his wife, and indeed that every one of the articles for either male or female wear, except the hat for the former, is made at home, may give rise to some not unprofitable reflections, as we look back into the past and remember how short a time has elapsed since like labour was the lot of women here, and forward into the future to mark fresh fields for England's manufacturing energies. A cloak, too, formed of plaited hay by the Portuguese peasantry, will assuredly call up visions of the rich vineyards on which their labour might have been more profitably bestowed to furnish a refreshing draught for the thirsty Yorkshire or Westmoreland weaver, and the warmer and more graceful cloth mantles he would gladly supply to them in exchange,

if systems of taxation would allow him thus to obtain a harmless and pleasant substitute for fatal gin or stupifying beer.

A small collection of household utensils, though promising great future usefulness, is as yet too insignificant to claim much notice, and we therefore pass at once to the great feature of the Museum, Alimentary Substances, and especially food supplied by the vegetable kingdom, and here, within the compass of a few feet, we may learn more about the " daily bread" man asks from heaven than is often acquired in a lifetime from books or scattered observation. Specimens of the various kinds of wheat from which the chief article of our own diet is prepared are accompanied by samples of the ground meal, classified from "bran" to "pastry whites;" while the analysed composition of each, set forth in large figures, fixes impressively the folly of preferring the over-refined white bread of city consumption to the more wholesome and nutritious brown loaf of the cottager. In adjoining compartments wé have presented to us consecutively a complete view of the staple of consumption in almost every country; the raw material; the prepared food, when of a nature to be exhibited; pictures of the mode of cultivation and preparation; printed details of the chemical composition, and even minute culinary directions as to how it may best be cooked in order to develop its agreeable and nutritious qualities. And it is intended, too, that this information shall not have to be laboriously sought for in a purchased catalogue, but it will be exhibited in large-typed placards close to the objects indicated, so as best to arrest the eye and fix itself in the memory. Here we may compare the Scotchman's oat, fitted for its humid habitat by the sheltering eaves of its loose down-looking husk, with the erect sunshine-seeking maize of southern climes; of the meal whereof the American makes his "mush" and the Italian his "polenta;" or pass from the rapidgrowing rice the Hindoo or Arab boils fresh for each repast, to the hardy rye of which the Northern peasant makes a loaf that will keep for months or years, and serve as food alike for his horse or for himself. Here too we have bodily before us foreign articles of diet whose names alone have been hitherto familiar to us, such as the edible lupin, lentils of birthright-buying celebrity, or the multumin-parvo chickpea, which forms the fare of the desert-traveller, as affording the greatest amount of life-supporting food in the smallest possible compass. Or we may learn the mode of growth and the history of substances daily seen, but of whose origin few are aware, as, for instance, the Manna Kroupe, which made a sudden début a few years ago in every grocer's shop, under different names, and offering conflicting statements as to its "antecedents." We see it here in its primary form as an elegant feathery panicle of tiny grains, and are told that it does not dispute the soil with plants of higher pretensions, but grows best in the water, where no other food could be cultivated; with the addition of the instructive fact that it was from some observant student of nature remarking with what

avidity it was devoured by domestic animals, that its nutritious properties were brought into notice and made available for higher purposes.

We are introduced too to new friends, furnished with credentials to show how desirable it is that we should become better acquainted with them. The tuberous chervil bears a certificate from a French chemist, showing that it is superior in quality to even the potato; and this passport to our good opinion is visé by the Paris marketgardeners, whose careful culture it has so well repaid that its yield is now nearly equal in quantity to that of its Irish rival. The mangold wurzel informs us, with ingenuous blush, that he is not so very much inferior to his rosy cousin the beet, but that in times of scarcity he might be welcomed by the poor if duly introduced to them. Our wild purple goat's beard claims to be better than the parsnip, a claim endorsed by Continental cultivators; and its very common relative, the yellow variety, needs but a little attention to become nearly as good, while even in its wild state its spring shoots form a palatable article of diet. The edible snail too asks a share of the favour accorded to his marine brother the periwinkle, and sundry sea-weeds plead for a more honourable fate than to remain ungathered on the shore save in some few spots where their dietetic qualities have found recognition.

This slight sketch of a few of the objects exhibited will, we hope, suffice to show that this little section is no less worthy of careful inspection than the more prominently attractive halls and galleries of the Kensington Museum; but we have a further object in view in thus calling attention to it. We would fain make known, far as our influence may extend, the general invitation that has been sent forth (addressed, too, "especially to ladies ") by its zealous and benevolent founders to co-operate with them in its extension and development, and invoke all who may have it in their power to do so, to assist in so useful and patriotic a work. This is not a demand upon the purse: what is required is Time and Labour, Thought and Skill, treasures of which many a woman possesses a superabundance, and would be glad to know of some worthy object on which they might be expended. Here is large scope for them, and an unusual opportunity afforded for applying the most elegant accomplishments to purposes of the greatest utility. Ample pictorial illustrations would be one of the most attractive features in a museum of this kind, as among the surest means of drawing observation to what might be otherwise passed unnoticed; but at present the supply of these is very scanty. Miss Twining, being an amateur artist, has presented a series of coloured drawings of useful plants, and there are a few prints here and there, showing for instance the cultivation of wheat, rice, and other grains; Neapolitan Lazzaroni eating Maccaroni; Hebrews preparing unleavened bread for the Passover, &c., &c. ; but many more such illustrations are required, and any would be found acceptable which might represent the localities where the various articles exhibited are produced, the processes they undergo, the

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