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"It sometimes happens," says Mr. Twisle- | be rejected as a forgery, or a forged will might toL, "that it is impossible to detect the author be accepted as genuine.' of anonymous letters or of a forged signature, except by a comparison of handwritings. A bad and base man may successfully have taken such precautions that no human eye saw his hand while it was penning a particular document, and that no external evidence is in existence to trace that document into his possession. In such a case, everything in a trial may depend on the special knowledge which is brought to bear on the internal evidence of the document itself by the Advocates, the Jury, and the Judge. From ignorance of the subject an advocate sometimes does not ask the proper questions of an expert, whose evidence is favour

In conclusion, we congratulate Mr. Twisleton, not only upon having settled, as we think, once for all the long-disputed controversy respecting the authorship of the Junian Letters, but upon having produced the only work which has yet appeared in the English language, conveying systematic instruction on the comparison of handwritings. The book opens a new and interesting vein of inquiry, will be essential to all engaged in antiquarian or legal pursuits, and ought to find a place in every well-appointed library.

* Mr. Twisleton adds in a note:-"In the Mat

able to his cause. From similar ignorance an advocate on the other side is frequently driven into the subterfuge of declaiming against ex-lock Will Case (Cresswell v. Jackson), which was perts, when, if he had a little knowledge of the subject, he might weaken the force of adverse evidence by two or three reasonable objections. And if in a trial either the judge or a single prejudiced juryman held the opinion that no certainty could be arrived at by comparison of handwritings, or that in such comparison it was a better test to look to general character than to individual letters, there might easily be an absolute miscarriage of justice. If accused of writing malicious and libellous anonymous letters, a guilty man might escape, or an innocent man might be condemned. When important interests were at stake a genuine will might

causes by the "Common Law Procedure Act" of 1854, and likewise in criminal cases in 1865.

tried before Lord Chief Justice Cockburn and a London Special Jury in 1864, three codicils to a will were rejected as forgeries. In this case, in which erything, as far as handwriting was concerned, de Mr. Chabot gave evidence against the codicils, evpended on minute differences, which he pointed out, and which the Chief Justice on the 1st of March, 1864, in a summing up of remarkable ability, brought in detail under the notice of the jury with his own comments. If the case had been tried by a judge under the influence of either of the principles mentioned in the text, the forgery would prob the Lord Chief Justice was published the same year ably have been successful. The summing up of from a transcript of the short-hand writer's notes (London, Alfred Boot, Dockhead, 1864). It will amlectual power; but it also deserves special attention ply repay perusal as a specimen, generally, of intel as a luminous model of the manner in which evidence founded on a comparison of handwritings may be presented to a jury."

A FEW minutes before and after the earthquakes of the 17th March last, powerful positive electrical currents were rushing towards England through the two Anglo-American telegraph cables, which are broken near Trinity Bay, Newfoundland. Mr. C. F. Varley, C.E., who informed us of the fact, broaches the novel speculation that some earthquakes may be due to subterranean lightning. He imagines that as the hot centre of the earth is approached, a layer of hot dried rock may be found which is an insulator, while the red hot mass lower down is a conductor. If this conjecture be true. and there is plausibility in it then the world itself is an enormous Leyden jar, which only requires charging to a very moderate degree to be equal to the production of terrific explosive discharges.

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AN examination of the mean monthly and annual temperature of the British Isles, based on observations extending over a period of thirteen years (1857 to 1869) at 155 stations, has been made by Mr. A. Buchan, the secretary of the Scottish Meteorological Society, and published in a recent number of their Journal. This paper affords the first reliable solution of this meteorological problem, which has an important bearing especially on the agricultural The French Atlantic cable was disturbed at interests of the kingdom. The monthly isotherthe same time, and so were many of the Eng-mals illustrate the powerful conserving influence lish land-lines, but the only observations as to the direction of the current were made by means of the Anglo-American telegraph cables. A number of Mr. Varley's charts about earthcurrents were published in the Government

of the ocean on the temperature of these islands, and they enjoy that mean annual temperature (45° to 52°) which experience has proved to be most conducive to health and longevity. Academy.

CHAPTER XL.

THE next morning, when Zachary Brasig arose, he took hold of his head with both hands, saying:

"Karl, you may congratulate yourself that I haven't a worse headache than I really have for who could play assessor to-day? If I had followed Grammelin's cursed punch receipt I should have a whole nest of sparrows in my head this morning. But I made it after my own fashion."

Well, were you very jolly?" asked Habermann.

"Good morning, Kurz, where is your young Herr?"

"I have no young Herr; I am Herr * myself."

Kurz, take care of your words, we live in democratic times, since

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"Ah, what? Here? Take care! I despise the whole democracy, when my shopman goes out drinking punch over night, and cannot get up in the morning; and old people should be ashamed.

"Hold, Kurz, you are beginning again with your flatteries, like last Sunday, but I cannot allow it at present, on account of my situation at the court. And adieu, Kurz! But I am sorry for you, for you have caught the inflorentia, you should go to bed, there is something in your bones, and if you will feel under your gaiters, you will find you are beginning to get the rheumatism. But adieu, Kurz!”

He went off, but Kurz raved about his shop, and stormed at the whole world, until his wife, as soon as the shopman was out of bed, got him into bed, and put him under arrest for the time.

"Oh, yes! the younger part of the company were quite lively; as for me, I kept myself very quiet. I sat by the town-musician, David Berger, and, by the way, Karl! what an amount that fellow can stand! I thought to myself, that belongs to his business; but one glass after another, incessantly! and at last he became what they call sentimental, he embraced me, and, with tears in his eyes, told me how little he could earn in these political times, till Herr Süssmann, who is Kurz's After this little interview, Bräsig went shopman, and I really pitied him. And to the Rathhaus, and earned there withHerr Süssmann proposed to the company that we should get up a fraternity ball, for David Berger's benefit; that is, a political one, where all ranks, nobility, and ritter-proprietors, and pächters and burghers and their wives and children, should come together, and shake hands, and dance with, and, for aught I know, kiss each of life, and coming home at two o'clock in other. And this indicium was resolved upon, and it is to be a week from Sunday. And Herr Sussmann drew up a subscription paper, and I subscribed for you and me and the Frau Pastorin and Louise."

"Brasig, I beg of you, what would the Frau Pastorin and Louise do at a ball, or I, either?"

"But you must, for it is a noble cause." "And you couldn't go either, Zachary, for a week from Friday is Mining's wedding day, and the next Sunday the going to church, and what would my sister say if you were absent, and at your stupid Reform-ball?"

"That alters the matter, we must have it put off, and so adieu, Karl, I will go at once to Herr Süssmann, and see about it, and then I must go to the Rathhaus, you know, to sit for four groschen an hour."

He went directly to Kurz's shop, but Herr Sussmann was not there, Kurz himself was running about, opening the drawers and looking in, and then shutting them again.

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out any further trouble, and in all quiet,
five times four groschen, for the sitting
lasted five hours. When he came home
they had finished dinner, and as the
table was spread again, expressly for him,
the Frau Pastorin made some pointed
remarks about irregularity in one's habits

the morning, and sitting down to dinner
at two o'clock in the afternoon; and Uncle
Bräsig sat there, and grinned, looking
very well contented with himself, as if he
would say, "Ah, if you knew what hard
work I have been doing, and in what place
I went through with it, you would stroke
me and pet me, you would kiss me, and do
more than you have ever done for me;"
and when he rose from the table, he said,
solemnly, "Frau Pastorin, it will all come
to light, as the Herr Burgomeister says."
and he nodded to Habermann, Bonus!
as the Herr President Rein says," and go-
ing up to Louise, he put his arms round
her and kissed her, and said,
66 Louise,
get me the finest sheet of writing paper
that you can find, for I want to pack up a
little-well, I will say indicium,
that it may not be injured, for it is to go
a long way."

08

And as he went out with the sheet in

Herr has the meaning of Mr., Sir, gentleman and master.

[ Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by Littell & Gay, in the Office of the Librarian

of Congress at Washington.]

his hand, he turned round again to remark:

"Karl, as I said before, what can be

done shall be done."

And he came back once more to say: "Frau Pastorin, I shall come home to supper to-night."

He went to the post-office. The postmaster was at home, he was always at home; for a hundred and fifty thalers salary, he had imprisoned himself for life, not in a room, no, in a bird-cage, which he called his "comptoir," and when he had no postal business, he sat there and played the flute, and sung, like the finest canarybird. He was engaged in this agreeable business, when Bräsig entered:

Good-day, Herr Postmaster. You are a man of honor, therefore I wish to ask your assistance in a delicate matter. Of course, it isn't necessary for you to know the thing itself, that must remain a secret, and what I tell you must also remain a secret. I am going to write to Paris." "To Paris? What the devil are you writing to Paris for?"

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"Oh, yes," said the postmaster, “come right in here, before my wife sees you, for, though it is the regular room for passengers, my wife will allow no one under a count to go in there. And you must let yourself be locked in.”

Brasig had no objections to that, and so he sat there, from three o'clock in the afternoon, until it grew dark, and wrote his letter; the postmaster fluted and sung, in his bird-cage; he wrote; the Frau Postmaster came and rattled the door, she wanted to get into her sanctum, and scolded because the key was gone; the Herr Postmaster had it in his pocket, and fluted and sung; Bräsig wrote his letter. Finally he finished it; he read it over, and we can look over his shoulder. Here it is.

"HIGHLY WELL-BORN YOUNG HERR VON RAMBOW:

"A very remarkable thing has happened here, since Kurz the merchant had his manure rival in respect to the stadtbullen. Habermann carted on to baker Wredow's field, who is his To Paris," said Brasig, drawing him- the Rambow coat of arms on it, which was a found a piece of black waxed cloth there, with self up. "What in the world!" said the post-about the theft of the louis-d'ors, in the year great relief to him, on account of the suspicion master, "one of you inspectors gets a let-45, and the Herr Burgomeister also says that ter from Paris, and the other will send one. Well, we will see how much it costs." He turned his books over, and said at last, "I can't find it here, I will reckon it up; it cannot be done under sixteen groschen."

66

No matter, I have earned twenty groschen this morning, at the court." "Whom is the letter for?" "The young Herr Franz von Ram

bow."

"Do you know his address, where he lives?"

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Why, in Paris."

But Paris is a great city. You must know the street, and the number of the house."

"God bless me!" said Brasig, "all that! I don't know it."

"Ask Habermann."
"That is just the thing, he mustn't know

of it."

66

it is an indicium. The Herr Burgomeister has
made me assessor at the court; there is a little
something to be earned in that way, but it is
very hard for me, being an old farmer, and
accustomed to exercise, and also on account of
the gout; it is not much trouble to be sure, but
one gets sleepy in the long sittings. But the
good of it is that I can know all about the
business, which Habermann must know nothing
about, because the Herr Burgomeister has for-
bidden it. Since you are in Paris, and not in
Rahnstadt, I can talk with you freely, as a
friend, about the business, and the business is
this: the weaver, he lies, that he has no more
intercourse with his wife, and the Herr Bur-
gomeister says that is another indicium. We
have a great many indiciums already. The
principal business is still to come, however,
namely, Kahlertsch. Kählertsch is positively
determined to marry the weaver, and is of the
opinion that the weaver will not have her, be-
cause his divorced wife wants him to marry
her again. This has caused bad feelings in
- what is called jealousy, and
Kählertsch,
she has come out with a lot of new indiciums,
as the Herr Burgomeister says, very important
and elevant, or, as I express myself in German,
But the
nearly connected with the matter.

Well, I know no other way, then, than for you to write your letter, and enclose it to the Mecklenburg ambassador, Dr. Urtlingen, he may be able to find him." He must," said Brasig, "for the busi-Herr Burgomeister says, one must be very ness is of great importance, and that is careful, for the women-folks are spiteful when what he gets his salary for. But what I they are jealous, and tell lies sometimes. Meanwas going to say, will you allow me to write while her lies have proved themselves, since she the letter here? Because it must be kept has come out with the whole truth, that the a secret from Habermann." weaver was always getting Danish double louis

the young Frau Pastorin knows how to manage him. Rector Baldrian brought the tailoresses, and a certain Platow or Patow or some such person, into the Reform; but Kurz has been repeatedly turned out; his four horses have the inflorentia; it began with his old saddle-horse, and it will end with himself, for he has already got the rheumatism. The old Frau Pastorin Behrends is still our honored hostess, also with eating and drinking, for Habermann and I lodge and sleep, and take our daily meals with her; she, as well as Habermann, would send greetings to you, but they cannot, for they know nothing about it. But we often speak about you, since you are always like an everpresent picture before our eyes. I cannot think of more to tell at present, - but one thing occurs to me. Pomuchelskopp got himself voted into the Reformverein; the master carpenter Schultz is a brave man, he stood by me, at that time. Krischan Däsel has been sent away by your Herr Cousin, and there is no definite trace of Regel; but Louise Habermann is - thank God! - very well indeed.

d'ors, as also the butcher Kränger testified, in two compertinent cases. And while the weaver was before the court, telling us new lies and new indiciums, they searched the weaver's house, with Hoppner at the head, and found nine Danish double louis-d'ors, in his cupboard, in a secret place. Which he tried to contend against, later, but did not succeed. She, the weaver's wife, who is the worst of the lot, was also caught, this morning, since they found, in searching her house, a snuff-box, which had belonged to the blessed Herr Pastor himself, and was kept by the Pastor's family like a relic, in a glass case, for which shameful deed she has been furnished with free lodgings. Kählertsch has also been taken up, since in her wickedness she has belied the court, the Herr Burgomeister, and myself, as assessor. They all lie, till they are black in the face, but what good does that do them? The Herr Burgomeister says he is morally persuaded that they have done it, and it must come out, and it will come out. What a triumph it will be for my Karl Habermann, when he stands in his old age, like an angel of innocence tried in the fire, and goes about among the people, with his white hair, in the white robes of innocence. They must be as ashamed as drowned poodles for all they have done to him, I mean to speak with respect-Pomuchelskopp and the Pumpelhagener, who have fallen out with each other, because Zamwell has sued the other, of which I "Immeriter Inspector, and temporary Asseswill say nothing more, since I told Pomuchelskopp my opinion of him at the Reformverein, and your Herr Cousin of Pumpelhagen has given me the cold shoulder. He is going on in a bad way, for he is dreadfully disturbed because Moses has given him notice for the money on St. John's day, and he has no money and no grain, and how can they live? He is an utterly incapable man. You must never, while I live, let Habermann know of this letter; because it

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is a secret between us. But I thought it would

In the hope that my humble writing may not be disagreeable or inconvenient, I have the honor to subscribe myself, with the deepest reverence, and greeting you from the heart as an old friend, Your most obedient humble servant, "ZACHARY BRASIG.

66

sor.

"RAHNSTADT, 13 May, 1848.

ter in the Frau Postmaster's sanctum, since the
"POSTSCRIPT. Apropos! I write this let-
Herr Postmaster has locked me in expressly for
the purpose, and has sworn not to say a word.
This is all because of the secrecy, for Habermann
and the Frau Pastorin and Louise know nothing
about it; Louise has given me this sheet of letter
paper, it belonged to her, and I believe it will
be a little gratification to you, for I remember
my youthful days, when I had three sweethearts
at once. She is devoted, in love and sadness,
to her old father, and for others she is a
If I receive
precious pearl of the human race.
tions, I will write again about the rascals they
an answer from you, that you have no objec-
have caught. If you should be in our region

"THE AFORESAID."

be interesting for you to know who the real rascals were, and that Karl Habermann, thank God! is not among them. He is very much cheered up by these occurrences, and strikes out with his heels, like a young colt, when the saddle is taken off. I think this is an encouraging sign for the future. As for news of your old acquaintances in the region, I can only tell you that, next week Friday, Mi-again a week from Sunday, I invite you to our fraternity ball; the seamstresses and tailoresses ning and Rudolph expect to be united in marare all to be invited. riage. Frau Nüssler, whom you will remember as a very beautiful young woman, is still — no need to say- very handsome, but has grown a little stouter; Jochen also is very well, and is training up, for his future establishment, a new crown prince. Your Herr Colleague, of old times, is now the Totum at Pumpelhagen; Habermann says he will yet do well; I say he is a greyhound, who goes among people with his fire-arms, on account of which he has put Frau Nüssler and me formally under the ban. We have a Reform at present in Rahnstadt; the young Pastor Gottlieb preached against it, but

When Bräsig had finished this difficult piece of work, he rapped and pounded on the door, and as the postmaster unlocked it and let him out, he stood there, with the sweat dripping from his face.

"Bless me!" said the postmaster, "how you look! It is true, isn't it? Unaccustomed labor is painful!"

With that, he took the letter from him, and put it in an envelope, and directed it

to the Herr von Rambow, and then en- "You are running about the town all day," closed it in another envelope, to the ad--another match; "but you go with blind dress of the Mecklenburg ambassador in eyes, - two matches at once, "and with Paris. Bräsig paid his sixteen groschen, deaf ears!"-another match. You aland the letter was now ready to start on ways know everything," - a match-and its journey, for the postman, who should when anything happens, then you know take it, that moment stopped at the door. nothing, three matches together. And the postmaster sung, in his bower: "Ein Leipziger Student hat jungst nach haus geschrieben,

Frau Mutter, sagen Sie, darf denn kein chen lieben? "

Brasig went up to the Frau Pastorin very politely and pleasantly, and took the match-box from her hand, saying, "By Mäd-your leave!". - a match-"what do you mean by that?". the second match. Have I done anything to harm you?”. the third match. "Kurz ought to be paid with his own wares!". two matches. "His things that ought to catch don't catch, and what ought not to catch,

And as Bräsig went out of the door he sung:

"Custine schickt eine schnelle Post,

Die nach Paris reiten muss:

Die Sachsen und Preussen marschiren ins catches," - three matches. "The con

Feld,

Um Mainz zu bombardiren,

Und wenn ich keinen Succurs bekomm,
Denn muss ich capituliren."

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founded things have got the inflorentia!" and with that he threw the whole box on the table, pulled his own match-safe out of his pocket, and struck a light.

66

"You may capituliren, as much as you Brasig," said the Frau Pastorin, putplease, for all me; only hold your tongue, ting all the tried matches carefully into as you have promised," said our old friend, the box, "I am very much vexed with you. and he went home, not only with the agree- I am not inquisitive, but, when anything able feeling that he had done a good action, | happens that concerns Habermann and but also with the equally agreeable feeling Louise, I am certainly the nearest, and that he had accomplished a difficult task ought to know it. Why must our little very skilfully, since he considered it pure Anna first come out with what you ought finesse, as he said to himself, to have intro- to have told me long ago, for you knew it, duced Louise into the letter, so delicately, I see it in your face, you knew it." so præter propter and so circa, that one How so?" asked Bräsig, and was gomust have keen scent, to suspect any-ing to pretend great ignorance; but the thing. Frau Pastorin was too much provoked with him, for she thought he had treated her shamefully, and she said:

Well, when one indulges such a delight ful consciousness of his good and skilful performances, and, so to say, warms him- "You need not pretend; I know that self at its blaze as at a cosy fire, on a you know everything, and you tell me winter's evening, it must be doubly vexa- nothing!" and now she began to tap the tious to be driven out in the wind and old man, and the little assessor also bored rain, with all manner of scolding and re- away at the Herr Assessor; finer and finer proaches; and this happened to Brasig, the two women drew their threads, and when he entered the Frau Pastorin's room, got everything out of Bräsig that he knew, where she was sitting with the little asses- for silence was by no means a special gift sor; Louise was not there. Frau Pastorin of his, and when he at last cried out in was just trying to light a lamp, and the sheer despair: "So, now I know nothing matches would not catch, firstly, because more," then the little round Frau PastoKurz did not supply them with the best rin placed herself before him, saying, quality, and secondly, because Frau Pas-"Brasig, I know you, I see it in your face, torin-perhaps from economy-had the you know something more. habit of putting the broken matches, and What else do you know?" those that would not light, back into the box, so that. such a match, in the course of its short life, had the satisfaction of being tried at least twenty times, which may have been very agreeable to the match, but was very provoking to other people.

"Well, there you are!" cried the Frau Pastorin angrily, trying a match. "There you are, at last," the second match.

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Out with it!

Frau Pastorin, it is a private affair."

That is all the same; out with it!" And Brasig shoved about in his chair, and looked right and left, but there was no help for it, he must surrender, and he said, finally, "I have written about it to Herr Franz von Rambow, at Paris; but Karl Habermann must never know it."

"To Paris!" cried the Frau Pastorin, putting her hands on her sides, "to the

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