Winnecke's comet was discovered by its godfather, also in 1858, at the Bonn Observatory. Its period is five years and a half, and is believed to be identical with the third comet of 1819. After 1858 it contrived to elude observation for awhile, but was caught by Winnecke himself on the 9th of April, 1869. On the 30th of June following, it slipped round the perihelic corner and got out of the way, leaving us to lay telescopes on it by-and-bye if we can.

Whatever harm comets may have done by frightening half-witted people out of their intellectual remnant, comet wines have in some slight measure made up for it. M. Babinet tells us that we may further improve their errors. The perturbations of Encke's comet have helped us to weigh the planet Mercury. By-andbye we shall verify the weight already assigned to the earth by the irregularities of Biela's comet. Faye's will one day tell us the mass of Mars. And, lastly, the hope is held out to us that the comets which traverse the circumsolar regions will reveal to us, by their unsteady march, the existence and quantity of chaotic matter which circulates with the planets round our central star and supplies the meteoric masses masses known as aërolites.

THE MODERN TANTALUS.

I ACQUIRED this singular soubriquet among my friends from the following adventure.

Our friend Bricker Bracker is well known as being the possessor of a lodge situated in a deliciously sequestered locality, but, according to Sydney Smith's measure of inconvenient distance, much more than five miles from a lemon." This was really a drawback to his abundantly proffered hospitality, as the nearest railway station, village inn, public-house, or human habitation, was at least eight miles away. But if there was this drawback in the case of the lodge, there was the advantage that it was so luxuriously victualled, so stored with the choicest wines, spirits, beers, &c., that a band of epicureans might ask for nothing better than to stand a month's siege there, and be regularly beleaguered.

Bricker Bracker, indeed, prided himself on his cellars, where, in bins well lit and comfortably warmed, slept veteran bottles of Bordeaux and Burgundy, keeping each other comfortable, wrapped in what seemed

their fur paletôts, made of thick cobwebs and mould. Another weakness of our friend Bracker was his taste in glass; his flasks, decanters, and glasses were all of the choicest kind. His theory was that a noble vintage should be nobly received, and that, as a lord used to be entitled to be hanged with a silken rope, so should a nobly-born vintage be carried to its doom in the most elegant vessels. He used to say, also, that the system of introducing black bottles which epicures affected was too plebeian; you missed the rich purple and all the glories of the grape; and thus it was that his sideboard and the shelves of his cabinet were lined with flasks and bottles, each exquisitely engraved all over with trees, and birds, and flowers-marvels of workmanship. But this did not exhaust the special tastes of Bricker Bracker. His gem of a house was fitted with all kinds of mechanical devices for saving trouble; the bells were electric, everything was done by machinery, and the quantity of labels all about the house, with the word patent" inscribed, was inconceivable. He was, indeed, a species of modern Sir Abel Handy. Every guest had in his dressing-room a sort of simple telegraph, six little knobs, inscribed clothes," "hot water," "fire out," coffee," "boots," spirits." Beside these, was a little door, which would fly open, discovering a tiny lift, which brought up the article wanted. All this was in the view of dispensing with servants, of whom our friend had a sort of horror. He said they broke his glass, and destroyed property generally, and he hoped soon, with improved machinery, to dispense with all but one or two. His apparatus for uncorking bottles was of singular ingenuity, and he had adapted a recent invention-a sort of screw-stopper, with a key, which has recently come into use-as a protection against the peculations of domestics, and as also useful in keeping the precious juice air-tight.

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The world was naturally curious about this little ménage, and people were eager to be asked down. But Major Philips, however, a rather sneering officer, who had spent his life in "fadging about," and, with his wife, trying to get meat, drink, and quarters gratuitously, was almost snarling in his condemnation of the system.

"All this machinery is shabbiness and stinginess," he said. "The man wants to save. While you are staring at and admiring his devices, he is starving you. Depend upon it, though his bottles are fine,

It's all

the wine he puts in them is poor. stinginess, I know. Cogs and wheels cost very little, for they eat nothing; men and women cost a great deal, for they do."

It was in vain to argue with this sceptic; that I assured him that Bricker Bracker was the most generous and lavish of men; nothing would convince him, and he went about describing the thing as a good joke, contemptuously holding up my friend to ridicule for this elaborate system of stinginess. Somehow, Philips always contrived to be right in his bitter publicly expressed opinions, or to have the appearance of being so, which amounts to the same thing; and on this occasion was to prove equally right, or have the appearance of right, to my confusion. The adventure was as follows:

Our Bricker Bracker sent out invitations for a choice little party of ten, who were to come down and stay the night of the feasting with him. Major Philips was with me at the time; and I turned on him triumphantly. "Now," I said, "I know Bracker sufficiently well to ask him to let me bring a friend to his house; and he knows me sufficiently well to agree to such a proposition. I will bring you if you like, and then you will see how ill-founded and even ungenerous is your judgment."

This was putting him in an ingenious state of embarrassment, as it would put him to proof, as it were, of his assertions, or make him accept a hospitality he had spoken of so contemptuously. But the selfish cynicism of Philips was unassailable. "I shall go," he said, " because I owe it to myself, and it will give you a lesson. Mark my words, the whole thing will break

down."

I said we should see.

On the very morning of the day on which the festival was to take place, a telegram was brought in. Again Philips was with me at the time. "What did I tell you?" he said. I opened it with dreadful misgivings. It was not a put off. But it went very near it. Bracker had been summoned away "to the bedside of a sick aunt."

"Has money, of course," said Philips. "No one would go to a sick aunt pure and simple, still less to a sick aunt's bedside."

But Bracker wrote, he had left everything ready for the dinner-the wines all ranged on the sideboard, ready for drinking. Key would be sent by post. "But take care of my glass. I must not find even a scratch on my precious decanters."

"There!" I cried, "is that the telegram of an inhospitable man ?"

"I don't know," said Philips, "the whole looks to me more fishy than ever. Asked to dine, and the first thing is, the host flies! However, you shall see, my boy."

We drove down in great spirits, mustering seven at the least. Arrived at the lodge we were received by the single servant in charge-an excellent cook-and were shown to our rooms. There each brought

all the mechanical resources into play, trying this button and that for "hot water," il "boots," &c., and all working admirably. When we came down the servant brought me and Philips into the dining-room, and the most elegant appetising sight met our gaze.

A choice little round table was laid out with exquisite taste, and on the shelf of the little sideboard were ranged. I suppose, at least a dozen decanters of the most elegant shapes, each engrossed over with birds, beasts, landscapes, &c., and each already in possession of the rich juice that was to recruit us.

"Well," I said to the sceptic, "what do you say now? Here is," reading the silver labels round the neck of each, "Amontil lado, Chateauneuf de Pape, Clos Vougeot, '57 claret, port, and your own favourite, some noted old East India Madeira. What do you say now ?"

"Wait a little," he said, coolly. "When it is in our glasses time enough for all that."

sugar,

I could have retorted that even when good wine had reached Mr. Philips's interior, he had been known to reserve his gratitude, but I held my peace. On another corner shelf we found liqueurs and cognacs, prime old Scotch and Irish whiskies, and a silver punch-bowl, of old repoussé pattern, with lemon and in the correct quantity, lying at the bottom. A neatly written card exhibited minute directions for quantities; a lemon-squeezer, one of the most ingenious bits of machinery, lay beside it, and also a little engine for shaving off the peel. All these incitements whetted the appetites of our party, who were many-bottle men, excellent connoisseurs, and protested they never were in such vein.

Dinner was served, sent up by the lift: we waited on ourselves. We were sharp set, and some one suggested a glass all round of the particular old cognac. I got up myself to fetch the precious cordial. In fact, I was to act as my friend's deputy.

This," I said, holding it up to the light, "I know to be of immense value, and was

sold, I believe, at Prince Talleyrand's death. It is the softest and most delicious spirit you ever tasted. Prepare!"

"Help it round," said Philips, "and don't be like an auctioneer."

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Ah," I said, "gentlemen, would you believe it that there is one amongst us who is sceptical as to human hospitality, who requires proof, real proof? Well, it shall be furnished; but I warn that person, that when he shall have filled himself with the excellent vintages, of which he is unworthy, I shall call on him for an honourable avowal and retractation."

The cork did not come out, at least would not receive the corkscrew; when looking at it closer I perceived it to be one of the mechanical corks, which are screwed up tight with a key. "A wise precaution," I said; "this keeps out the air thoroughly." I rang the bell, or rather called down to the attendant through the tube, bidding her send up the key. The reply came promptly that master always kept it himself, and had said he would send it to me by post. Philips burst into a sneering laugh.

"Never mind the cognac," said a stout, jovial guest. "We'll do with the old West India. I never can eat a morsel unless I stimulate with a preparatory glass." "Nor I," "Nor I," said other voices, with the unanimity of the chorus in William Tell.

"The West India will, in fact, be better," said I, "collaring" that bottle; "we-will-why," I faltered, "why this fellow is corked in the same way. Good gracious! Surely, they cannot all have been-

I seized the flasks unwillingly one after the other. In the neck of every one, with one exception, had been inserted one of these terrible inventions, each screwed down only too satisfactorily. All the same-West India, Clos Vougeot, claret, "LL," not a bottle thus untreated! All the guests leaped frantically to their feet, for much was involved; their palates were inflamed with anticipation, and each was execrating the vile brass mechanism that shut off the precious fluids. We had the cook up in a

Oh, this won't do, you know," said the oldest of the party. "I shall be ill if I don't have my drink. We must only knock the necks off."

This solution was hailed with delight, and blessings were showered on his head. But the cook at once interfered.

"Excuse me, gents," he said, promptly, though ungrammatically, "them things is all in my charge, and my master values 'em more than he does his money. He said there wasn't to be a scratch on 'em, and I'll take care there shan't be. No, if that's your line, gents, beg pardon, but they'd best be out of harm's way." With this he hurriedly gathered them up, and putting them safely back on the shelf, stood on guard before them.

The miserable night that followed was really indescribable. We were gloomy and furious. Who could eat, or even speak? The only diversion was the spectacle of men going restlessly over to make one more experiment on the wretched flasks. Were it the contriving something, in a critical case, where life was concerned, more ingenuity could not have been exhibited. Men became transformed into engineers and mechanicians. Strange complications with penknives were attempted; but the patentee had done his work too well. We turned with disgust from the dishes; some got up and walked about the room. Then we all quarrelled. The worst was the triumph of Philips, who said that he had suspected it all along. Nothing could clear me. was pronounced, on the motion of Philips, to be the most ingeniously "stingy" trick ever perpetrated, and that Bricker Bracker, with his machineries and "tomfoolery," was the meanest of mankind. As for me, I was acquitted on the uncomplimentary grounds of "weakness of intellect."

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It

Only let it be a lesson to you for the future," said Philips. "Let him humbug you as much as he pleases, but see that he

woman could wear the Spanish crown. This ancient and hitherto inviolable law had been arbitrarily cancelled and set aside by the poor priest-ridden, half-idiotic king, without the necessary consent of the Cortes and the nation. This step he had been induced to take by the intrigues of his wife's lovers and her Jesuit priests. The Biscayans, brave, proud, and independent, supported Don Carlos, because he had promised to restore their fueros, or local rights, and exemption from taxation, of which the Queen Regent and the Christinos of the Madrid bureaus threatened, as it was reported, to deprive them. Agile, hardy, fond of war, the Biscayans defended their domitable courage, and the Queen Regent, glens and mountain-side farms with insoon finding that her southern Spaniards could do little against them, looked towards England-Spain's old ally-for aid.

Lieutenant-General Sir G. De Lacy Evans, a brave and restless Peninsular officer, at once set to work, with his usual fire and energy, to organise a British Legion. By the advice of the Privy Council, William the Fourth, on the 10th of June, 1835, issued an order, permitting any English subject to enrol himself in such Legion for the term of two years, and the recruits were armed and accoutred from the Tower of London. In spite of party hatred of Sir De Lacy Evans, as a wellknown reformer, there can be no doubt that the Legion was formed of good average men, chiefly young agricultural labourers, eager to rival the deeds of their fathers, starved-out hand-loom weavers from the west of Scotland, and Irish peasants, with a slight, and, indeed, unavoidable infusion of London vagabonds and thieves.

This auxiliary force, slandered with such bitter and untiring malice by the English Conservatives, consisted of two regiments of cavalry, six regiments of infantry, and some artillery. The cavalry included the Reina Isabel Lancers and the Queen's Own Irish Lancers. The infantry comprised the First Regiment (yellow facings), the Fourth Westminster Grenadiers (white facings), the Sixth, or Scotch Grenadiers, the Eighth Highlanders (red facings), the Consolidated Royal Irish, and the Rifle Corps (green and red facings).

The Reverend Mr. Farr, in a book on the Carlist war, has admirably sketched the contrast between the two parties. "See," he says, "the lightly armed Carlist soldier. Helmet he has none; not a strap or bit of leather of any kind has he to en

cumber him. On his head he wears a small, light, round cloth cap of the country, which has been for a long time, and is even now, a fashionable head-dress with English ladies; only, when a woman wears it, it is generally made of silk or velvet. For uniform, he has a plain metal button, on a grey cloth frock-coat, and a pair of linen or cloth trousers, but there is little uniformity in the colour of the coat or trousers, as it depends entirely on what the Jews at Bayonne can smuggle over the French frontier. He is armed with a musket, and his cartridge-pouch, or canana, as they call them, being fixed round his body with a strap, it rather supports than fatigues him. Not one man in five appeared to me to encumber himself with even a scabbard for his bayonet; in the strap by which he fixes his canana round his waist, he would make a hole, and in that stick the bayonet. On their feet they had sometimes shoes, but oftener the string-made sandal of their countryaspargartas-which travellers, who have been no further than the baths of Bagneres de Bigorre, or De Luchon, in the French Pyrenees, must have observed was worn by their mountain guides in preference to the shoe. While the poor fellows of the Legion-heavily and stiffly armed with their sack-clad backs, and a dangling strap over their shoulders, to hold their cartridgepouch, and another to hold their bayonet -are panting, sighing, and almost dropping from exhaustion, scarce able to move for want of breath, either when attacking or pursuing the enemy-the Carlist soldier, the bravest, the most terrible, the most active mountain enemy in the world, lightly equipped, and with no encumbrances, with impunity attacks or retreats, as best suits his inclination, from his heavy-clad foes, with a consciousness of superiority which he is not wrong in possessing. With what perfect contempt do the Carlists treat their enemies! They can allow themselves to be apparently surrounded, and when there is just one little open corner left, they run off at last, dashing up the mountains, without ever losing a man; while artillery, cavalry, and every engine of war is of no avail. The only thing a Carlist fears is to be caught on a high road, or level ground, where cavalry can act, or be exposed in the fields to spherical shells, for as they burst in the air, they shoot backwards and forwards, right and left, upwards and downwards; but it is the power of backward firing that utterly disconcerts them,

as getting behind a tree, parapet, or barricade, not only gives them no protection, but makes them a surer mark. It is exactly this hide-behind-something warfare which they delight in, from which they can either pounce on their enemy or spring away from him, as best suits their purpose.'

The real fighting commenced at San Sebastian, on May the 5th, 1836. The Carlists had stretched a double cordon of fortifications from the river Urimea on the east, to a deep glen which opened on the sea one hundred miles to the west; within that enclosure were some villages, with their tributary orchards and vineyards sprinkled over the heights, a great many scattered houses, and many small fields surrounded by stone walls. These fortifications began about a half a mile from San Sebastian. The defences were ditch-banks, deep cut lanes, breastworks, barricades of barrels filled with earth; moreover, all the farmhouses were viciously loopholed for musketry.

The main road from San Sebastian to Hernani, intersecting the ground, was barricaded in various places, and the heights behind, here and there broken by hollows, were intrenched for cannon. Altogether it was a nasty place. Although part of the Fourth, six companies of the Eighth, and some Spaniards from Santander, had not yet arrived, General Evans, with his usual gallantry, resolved not to wait for reinforcements, but instantly to attack with his mere handful of five thousand raw troops, and fifteen hundred Spaniards. On the 4th, orders came to the field-officers to prepare for a desperate attack the next morning, and the commanding officers harangued their men. Colonel Fortescue said to his regiment of Rifles :

"Neither give nor take quarter; you will be fighting with savages, who will kill all prisoners, so stand to the last man against them."

This rather vague and somewhat savage order was understood by the men to only warn the young soldiers not to surrender to the ferocious Carlists.

It was all bustle that night in San Sebastian, says Sergeant Somerville, the intelligent eye-witness to whose memoir we shall be largely indebted. At one A.M. the regiments began to muster. It was a dark, wet morning, and the roads were heavy for the advance.

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Close up, cover your files, and be silent," was the order of the officers of companies.