n at once-and pushing open a green baize door, with a glass plate in its centre, bearing on it-the word, Parlour I found myself in the midst of a circle of well-dressed men, seated round a fire, smoking their pipes and sipping Hollands and water.-A movement was instantly made to accommodate me with a seat near the fire; I took a chair, a pint of ale, and a cigar-and by imperceptible degrees, joined a conversation, which will be allowed to be sufficiently general when I sayit embraced, among other things, politics, religion, and theatricals, agriculture, Sir Robert Peel, Premier, and Robert Owen Esqr., socialist-but all conducted with a propriety and intelligence, which positively astonished me, in such a placeI insensibly sat chatting away several hours, and soon banished all the dreary thoughts that had filled my mind before entering the house. One of the frequenters of this place with whom I entered into conversation, pointed out to me four elderly men who, he said, had never, for one evening, Sundays and times of sickness excepted, missed being at their posts in that very room, for the last twenty years, and passing a few hours together in chat. I looked at these four men,-they were evidently respectable tradesmen, I listened to their conversation, they evinced great intelligence and really extensive general information, and I at last rose to go, having to my surprise found it to be eleven o'clock, feeling myself really benefited both in mind and spirits, by the four hours spent in the Parlour of the Angel» for which, including a pint of ale and ́a eigar, I paid sixpence!— This was the first, but not the last time of my visiting a Parlour of a public-house-a new source of amusement and instruction was opened to me, which I failed not to profit by; and I soon discovered that anyone may enjoy the society most suited to his taste, on any evening of the week, at a trifling expence, at different Public Houses of respectability.-Should a man be disposed for society of a higher caste, he will find it at the Castle. Moorgate, in the City--and at the West End at the University Arms Gower Street. Should he be sportingly inclined; let him go to the Bricklayer's Arms, » Albemarle 4 " n Terrace, City Road-or to the « Feathers, Holborn. Is he a fancier of the Ring-there is the Castle, Holborn-kept by Tom Spring the celebrated pugilist-(who, it may be observed, though perhaps remarkable in a person of his class, is a perfect gentleman in manners and appearance) and a great resort of those addicted to the noble art of Self Defence, as it is termed-Does he wish for the company of theatrical peoplethere is the Wrekin» near Drury Lane, kept by Hemming, the actor, and entirely frequented by those of his class.-Does he covet the society of commercial men and travellers, he will always meet with such at the « Angel », Islington.-In short be his desires what they may in this respect, whether be affect the company of the high or the low, the rich or the poor, or the medium of either, they are all alike within his reachand all, at a moderate expense. And is this not a comfort? I have felt it so indeed, many times. It is emphatically a London comfort-obtainable nowhere else. " It is my intention in some future sketch, to give an account of several evenings spent in this manner, in different parlours; as numerous amusing incidents frequently occur at such resorts, the recital of which cannot, I think fail to entertain the readders of this Periodical :-the British reader-I would fain hope, will be glad to peruse a light sketch from life in his own land-and I venture to trust, that those of this country, in which we are so pleasantly sojourning-and who have shown such readiness to encourage a publication in our national language, will not find entirely devoid of interest these feeble efforts from the pen of St. Petersburg, August 1842. Неизвѣстный. MISCELLANEA. LIVING UNDER WATER WITHOUT COMMUNICATION WITH THE ATMOSPHERE. DR. PAYERNE's experiments.-One of the most remarkable experiments of modern times, was performed last week by a Dr. Payerne, at that excellent experimental school, the Polytechnic Institution, Regent-street. Dr. P. descended in the great diving-bell of that establishment, in his ordinary dress, and remained there for the space of three hours without any communication whatever with the upper air, and apparently without having been in the slightest degree affected or inconvenienced by his long submersion. He states, that he could just as easily have remained down twelve or twenty-four hours; indeed he assigns no limit to his powers of sub-aqueous vitality. General Pasley, and several other eminent scientific individuals, kept watch at the bell during the whole of the three hours, and were perfectly satisfied that no supply of vital air was conveyed to Dr. Payerne from above. Now that this surprising feat, so long regarded as of the class of physical impossibilities, has been at last accomplished, every one (as usual) is discovering how easy it is. It is only to take down with you something that will absorb the carbonic acid gas as fast as you generate it, and something else (with a lucifer match or two to heat it) from which you may set free oxygen enough to keep you alive. Doubtless these are the main conditions of the experiment and there are several well-known substances which do possess these two requisites. Pure potassa, for example, will absorb nearly half its weight of carbonic acid gas; and chlorate of potass gives out when heated 3915 parts per 100 of oxygen. The judgment and skill, however, which have formed out of such abstract notions and (quoad hoc) unapplied facts as these (supposing the conjectures that point to them to be correct) a practical means of living under water which have realized so nice a balance or adjustment of essential yet conflicting. elements-cannot be of an everyday cast, and unquestionably entitle Dr. Payerne to take a high place among the inventors and discoverers of the age. The practical applications which this new art admits of, are numerous and important. Diving-bells and helmets will now be freed from all those cumbrous, yet delicate appendages which make working with them so difficult, and in no case free from considerable danger. Works under water will be prosecuted with almost as much ease as works above. Valuable wrecks will no longer lie for ages on our shores, hidden and unexplored; but within a month or two of their being ingulfed, restore their treasures to the daring and industry of man. For purposes of war, too power to wage which, with advantage, is always, in just hands, the best security for peace-this invention will be invaluable. The earth.—The earth is the cul de sac in the great city of God-the camera obscura, full of inverted and diminished images from a more beautiful world-the halo round a better sun-the numerator of an unknown denominator. Verily, it is almost an absolute nothing. SPEECH NOT ALWAYS SPEAKING.- When Metastasio places the following words in the mouth of a woman distracted with grief Ah! non son io chi parle, E il barbaro delore, Che delirar mi fá may he not have been prompted by the speech of Hamlet's mother, when she attributes his reproaches not to himself, but his madness, and is admonished in reply, Mother! for love of grace Lay not that flattering unction to your soul, Sill more happily was the same thought illustrated by a poor turnpike-girl in Scotland, of whom the late Charles Matthews loved to make honourable mention. He and his postchaise companion had paid at the gate on their way to dine with a friend, and as it was past midnight when they again reached it on their return, the girl demanded the toll for another day. Deeming this an imposition, the companion, who had been sacrificing somewhat too liberally at the shrine of Bacchus, visited the claimant with a shower of opprobrious terms, uttered in so loud a key that they awakened the mother, who protruded her nightcapped head from a little window above the door, exclaiming, "Maggie, dear! for what is the gentleman abusing ye? To which the girl replied with an arch smile, «It's no the gentleman that's speaking now, mither; it's the wine!" GRINNING GRAYBEARDS. We may admire a tear-drop on the cheek of yeuth and beauty, not less than a dew-drop on a rose; but a smirk upon the sickly and wrinkled features of old age displeases us as an incongruity. Its misplaced brightness is like the gloomy glitter of a coffin-plate or rather may we compare it to those clocks which play a merry tune just before they strike the hour of midnight. LIST OF NEW PATENTS. William Young, of Queen street, lamp-maker, for improvements in lamps and candlesticks. May 28; six months. Philip Jacob Kayser, of Gracechurch-street, manufacturer, for improvements in the construction of lamps. May 31; six months. Henry Phillips, of Exeter, chemist, for improvements in purifying gas for the purposes of light. May 31; six months. Richard Watson, Jun, of Cloth-fair, gas fitter, for improvements in draining land embankments, and cutting of Railways and other engineering works. May 31; six months. Henry Wilkinson, of Pall Mall, gun-maker, for improvements in unloading shipping, especially those vessels called colliers. May 31; six months. Louis Nicholas de Meckenheim, of Vienna, but now of London, engineer, for improvements in the art of depositing and manufacturing metals and metal articles by electro-galvanic agency, and in the apparatus connected therewith. June 1; six months. William Henry Kempton, of South street, Pentonville, gentleman, for improvements in the manufacture of candles. June 1; six months. |