6 private? Did he not, on the contrary, in all places and at all times, refuse to converse on the subject of his own labours, turning off every attempt at commendation with a few words of depreciation, and hastily directing the conversation to some other point? And as to that morbid sympathy with scoundrels which Mr. Carlyle holds in such just abhorrence, where can we discover any trace of that weakness in John Howard? Has Mr. Carlyle forgotten the fact which Howard puts so prominently forward, that his sympathy was mainly exerted on behalf, not of thieves and felons, but of innocent men? Howard tells us himself that the circumstance which excited him to activity was seeing some who, by the verdict of juries, were declared not guilty; some on whom the grand jury did not find such an appearance of guilt as subjected them to trial; and some whose prosecutors did not appear against them, after having been confined for months, dragged back to gaol and locked up again till they should pay sundry fees to the gaoler, the clerk of assize,' &c. It was on behalf of these innocent men, and of the poor debtors who were made to share their sufferings, that all Howard's sympathies were excited. As to the thieves and murderers, there is no evidence that he felt any other interest in them than such as was naturally excited by seeing them exposed to dangers which were no part of their sentence. He did not deem it just, even to the most depraved of mankind, to sentence them to hard labour or the gallows, and to superadd an attack of gaol-fever. Beyond this John Howard does not appear to have shown more sympathy with scoundrels than Mr. Carlyle himself would approve. We contend, then, that John Howard was in no sense the first patient who suffered from the Benevolent-Platform Fever;' and we further contend that he was in all respects a much truer hero than it pleases Thomas Carlyle to represent him. At the same time, however, that we defend John Howard and attempt to place his truly great character in lights in which it has not generally been viewed even by his admirers, we must repeat that we do not mean wholly to dissent from Mr. Carlyle's doctrines. Harsh as they may seem to be, we recognize in them more real mercy than in the theories and practices of men who pique themselves on their benevolence. Nay, as we have said before, we think such men as Mr. Carlyle much wanted at present, and likely to effect much good in spite of their exaggerations. He may not succeed in inducing the State to enlist idlers and shoot them if they desert from labour; but he will, perhaps, prevail on all promoters of idleness to cease from the ill-judged squandering of money by which idleness is created and perpetuated. So also with other men of like stern modes of thought. Those who utterly condemn all indiscriminate alms-giving, and would have the man who commits charity (?) in the street, highway, or doorway, fined for his folly, and the recipient flogged for his wickedness, may fail in this, but still succeed in pouring upon all careless distributors of money the contempt which their folly merits. Those, also, who protest against the mock-humanity of the blockade of the African coast, though they may make no impression upon an impracticable prime minister, may be the means of rendering any similar philanthropic crusade henceforth impossible. Once more, then, we tender our thanks to Mr. Carlyle and the Reactionists for their hearty abuse of Model Prisons, Indiscriminate Alms giving, Universal Suffrage and Ballot-box Panaceas: but we must still cling to our Hero, John Howard, as a man worthy of all admiration, and a very proper model for all country gentlemen who have hitherto yielded to the temptations of the Law of Settlement, to the neglect and injury of the Poor on their estates; to all victims of the 'Benevolent-Platform Fever;' and to all and sundry of whatever rank or position in life who find themselves tempted to prefer talking philanthropy at public meetings to acting Christianity at home. LEAVES FROM THE NOTE-BOOK OF A NATURALIST. PART IV. AFRICA, of all the quarters of the old world, is the country of wonders. Take up a steady-going book of travels, or the Arabian Nights, what region like Africa? Open a volume of natural history, the older the better, and the African marvellous forms throw all the others into shade. Did not the phoenix live there, and make its appearance among the Heliopolitans only once in five hundred years? He came on the death of his sire in shape and size like an eagle, with his glorious particoloured wings of golden hue set off with red, dutifully bearing from Arabia the body of his father to his burial-place in the temple of the sun, and there piously deposited the paternal corpse in the tomb. But how did the phoenix carry him to the grave,-as the kite carried Cock Robin, I suppose? No, madam; he brought his revered, deceased parent, in this manner. He first formed a large egg of myrrh, and then having by trial ascertained that he could carry it, he hollowed out the artificial egg, put his parent into it, stopped up the hole through which he had introduced the body with more myrrh, so that the weight was the same as the solid egg of myrrh, and performed the funeral in Egypt.* If you would see the manner of his death, turn to the Portraits d'Oyseaux, Animaux, Serpens, Herbes, Arbres, Hommes et Femmes d'Arabie et Egypte, observez par P. Belon du Mans; and there you will behold Le Phoenix selon que le vulgaire a costume de le portraire' on his fiery funeral pile, gazing at a noon-day radiant sun with as good eyes, nose, and mouth as ever appeared over mine host's door, with the following choice morsel of poetry : Arabia to Egypt, wrapped up in myrrh, is a very different task from the porterage of a dead body thence and thither. Some, again, declare that the bird never died at all; but that when Age 'clawed him in his clutch,' and he found himself not quite so jaunty as in the vaward of his youth, he collected the choicest perfumed woods of Araby the blest, waited patiently for fire from heaven to kindle the 'spicy' pile, burnt away what we have heard termed his old particles,' and came forth as if he had drunk of the renovating elixir of life. But what right had the phoenix to such pleasant immortality? Because he never ate the forbidden fruit. Moreover, there is a place in Arabia, near the city of Buto, to which Herodotus went on hearing of some winged serpents; and when he arrived there, he saw bones and spines of serpents in such quantities as it would be impossible to describe: there they were in heaps, and of all sizes. Now this place is a narrow pass between two mountains, opening into a spacious plain contiguous to that of Egypt; and it is reported, says he of Halicarnassus, that at the commencement of spring, winged serpents fly from Arabia towards Egypt, but the ibises meet them at the pass, and kill them; for which service the ibis is held in high reverence by the Egyptians.‡ The serpent allé' that fled near Mount Sinai, figured by Belon, was probably one of this ghastly crew of invaders. And here a word for Herodotus, who has been accused of all sorts of Munchausenisms. It will be generally found, that whatever he says he himself saw has been corroborated by modern eye-witnesses. In the case of the phoenix he writes,— They say that he has the following contrivance, which, in my opinion, is not credible;' and then he relates the story of the egg of myrrh, and of the son's carrying the father's † Paris, 1557. O du phoenix la divine excellence! It is to be hoped, for the sake of the son, that this is the correct version. The carriage of ashes from *Herodotus, Euterpe. VOL. XLI. NO. CCXLIV. 6 + Euterpe, 74. FF body into Egypt. Again, he heard of winged serpents, but says he saw the bones of serpents, which he doubtless did; and after describing the black ibis which fights with the serpents, at the conclusion of the chapter he evidently alludes to the report, when he says that the form of the serpent is like that of the water-snake, but that he has wings without feathers, and as like as may be to the wings of a bat. When we take a glance at the map, and see what an enormous area of African territory is still an undiscovered country, even in this age of enterprize, can we wonder that romance has been busy with the vast and unknown tracts? Many of the animals which are known to us are of extraordinary shape and habits; and it was but the other day that Professor Owen described a new species of anthropoid apes, the Gorilla, more horrible in appearance than any phantom that Fuseli ever imagined. Look at the proportions of the giraffe, with its prehensile tongue and its mode of progression, by moving two legs on the same side together, so that both feet are off the ground at the same time. But we must not multiply examples which will occur to most of our readers. A few years only have elapsed since the giraffe has been made familiar to modern Europeans, and in no country have so many been kept together as in the British islands. In the garden of the Zoological Society they have bred regularly and well, and the offspring, with one exception, have lived and thriven. Still there are three huge African forms which have never yet made their appearance in that extensive and noble vivarium- the African elephant, the hippopotamus, and the African rhinoceros, of which last there are several species. By the enterprize of the society, aided by the prudent zeal of Mr. Mitchell, we may soon have the satisfaction of beholding the two first of these gigantic pachyderms in the garden at the Regent's Park. And here we cannot but congratulate those who delight in zoology and who, nowadays, does not ?— upon the happy change which has passed over that noble and now wellconducted establishment, since Mr. Mitchell, favourably known for his attainments in that branch of science, and gifted with the command of a ready and accurate pencil, has held the office of secretary. A healthy and comfortable air pervades the place. The habits of the animals are studied, and confinement made as little irksome as possible. Communications are opened with foreign powers, and new forms continually flow in consequent upon a wise liberality. I am just returned from visiting the greyhounds about to be sent by the Zoological Society to Abbas Pasha, who has already caused one young hippopotamus to be taken from the White Nile. It is now under the kind care of the Hon. C. A. Murray at Cairo, where it safely arrived on the 14th of November last, when it was flourishing, enjoying a bath of the temperature of the river, and delighting everybody by its amiable and docile qualities. This most valuable gift was accompanied by a fine lioness and a cheetah; and Mr. Murray was further informed by his Highness the Viceroy of Egypt that a party of his troops remained out on the White Nile, expressly charged with the duty of securing a young female hippopotamus, destined also for the society. If fortune be but propitious—if no casualty should arise to disappoint our hopes, it is not improbable that in the merry month of May two hippopotami may be presented to the wondering eyes of the visitors to the Regent's Park. The Romans, who saw in their day every known creature that the Old World produced, were made familiar with this uncouth form-this huge incorporation of life -at their shows and shambles of men and beasts, when both fell slanghtered as the crowning excitement of the arena. But no living hippopotamus has as yet been seen on British ground. The King of Dahomy, the steps of whose throne are formed of the * Zoologists owe a large debt of gratitude to Mr. Murray, for the unwearied activity, tact, skill, and care, which he has exerted to procure curious living animals for this country. skulls of his enemies, and who commands an army of plump, well-fed Amazons, had never seen a peacock. The Zoological Society, longing for an African elephant, sent over to his majesty a gift of pea-fowls, the cocks having first been shorn of their tailor rather back-feathers; for the feathers springing from the back arrange themselves into that magnificent iridescent circle, and are supported by the caudal feathers, when Juno's bird shines out in all his splendour, and as the nursery-maids term it,' spreads his tail.' But why dock the peacocks? Because, if they had been sent with their trains on, they would have presented such a ragged appearance to the royal eyes, after being cooped up on their voyageto say nothing of the irritation to the system of the birds themselves from their bedraggled and begrimed plumage, or of the accidents of pitch and tar-that the king might have well questioned the faith of those who had filled his mind with the glories of this recipient of the eyes of Argus, and his blood-drinker might have been called into action. No, the train - feathers were most wisely cut, and, with the birds, a well-executed drawing of a peacock in all its glory was sent, and his majesty was informed, that when they moulted, and the new feathers came to perfection, the effect would be similar to the drawing, but very superior. With the present a letter-grandis epistola-was sent, besealed and beribanded, together with a list of the society from which the present came. His majesty listened in silence while one name well-known to scientific Europe after another was pronounced, and the king made no sign; but when that of Lord Palmerston was enunciated, the royal voice interrupted the recitation of the beadroll with, Ah, I know that man!' Then the peacocks were paraded, and, even in their curtailed state, admired, and the king gave directions to his Amazons to seek out a wild female elephant, with a young one of an age fit to be separated from the mother; and when they had found her, their orders were to kill the hapless parent and to save the offspring as a gift to the Zoological Society of London. The lamented death of Mr. Duncan, who take him all in all was, perhaps, the very man of all others for keeping up our relations with this grim potentate, may possibly act unfavourably for the interests of the society, but we have so much confidence in the energy of the management, that we doubt not that this misfortune, great as it is, will not be suffered long to cloud the fair prospects which were opened to the longing eyes of naturalists and the sight-seeing public. Just look at the announcement which the council of the Zoological Society have been enabled to make for the current year. They state that they have already received advice of collections of various importance, which are in progress of formation, or already shipped from : Singapore-by Capt. the Hon. H. Keppel, R.N. Ceylon-by A. Grant, Esq. M.D., and A. Grace, Esq. Deputy Queen's Advocate. Bombay-by Alexander Elphinston, Esq., and A. Shaw, Esq. H. E. I. C. Civ. S. Whydah - by J. Duncan, Esq. H. B. M. Vice-Consul. Sta. Lucia-by Lieut. Tyler, R.E. South Carolina - by J. Davis, Esq. M.D. As long as the president and council do their duty in this way, and consider the instruction and amusement of thousands, as they have done, by lowering the price of admission on Mondays to sixpence, they will receive the support of the public; and they deserve it. Of the African form of rhinoceros, three specics-Rhinoceros bicornis, Rhinoceros keitloa, and Rhinoceros simus-are preserved in the wellarranged zoological collection of the British Museum, which Owes SO much to the energetic care of Mr. Gray; nor do we despair of seeing some, if not all, of these great pachyderms in life and health in the Regent's Park. Last year the Asiatic rhinoceros (Rhinoceros Indicus) died there, after a healthy existence of fifteen years in the garden. The cause of death, apparently, was inflammation of the lungs,-a disease which the damp and foggy atmosphere arising from the undrained clay soil, which carries off so many of the animals confined there. When I will the Government take in hand the long-promised work of draining that park? All ye dwellers in that captivating but-during certain months, when moisture is most prevalent-dangerous locality, read the well-written and well-considered report of Mr. Donaldson. The comfortable dowagers now take their airings without fear of the dashing, well-mounted highwaymen, who formerly took toll in Marylebone Fields; but malaria still lurks there, shrouded in the mist that rises from the marshy ground and that ornamental but unblessed lake-for no stagnant water resting upon a basin of clay can ever carry healing on the wings of its evaporation. But to return to the deceased rhinoceros. On dissection it was manifest that the animal had broken a rib, probably in throwing itself heavily down to rest in its uncouth manner. This fracture might have injured the lungs at the moment, and the subsequent anchylosis probably produced a pressure which accelerated the disease. Shortly before death the animal strained to vomit without effect, with the exception of some froth tinged with blood at the mouth; and soon afterwards bloody matter was discharged at the nose. These are not pleasant particulars; but these lines may meet the eyes of some of those interested in the management of the animals, and may afford hints for the future. Poor fellow, he was stupidly goodnatured in the main, and would let the visitors rub his nose or his horn -which, by the way, he never permitted to grow, but kept it constantly rubbed down-or tickle him about the eye, or place their hands in the folds of his stout mail-like buff coat, where the skin, as we heard an honest yeoman, who was making the experiment, say, was as soft as a lady's!' He was very good friends with poor old Jack the elephant, now dead and gone, notwithstanding the stories of the violent antipathy which the two huge beasts bear to each other, and how the rhinoceros runs his horn at last into the elephant's belly, and how the blood of the elephant runs into the eyes of the rhinoceros and blinds him, when the roc, or ruk, pounces upon the combatants, and carries them both off in his claws. The elephant used to tickle him with his trunk, and stroke his ears, now and then giving his tail a sly pull; upon which the rhinoceros would cut a clumsy caper, wheel round, and nibble the elephant's trunk with his huge flexible lips. He was fond of going into the capacious tank, which served as a bath for him and the elephant, who were alternately let out into the enclosure; the gambols before-mentioned having been played through the iron railing, when the elephant was expatiating in the great enclosure, and the rhinoceros was out in the small space before its apartment. When the rhinoceros first took to the water, there was a marked difference between his obstinate stupidity and the sagacity of the elephant under the same circumstances. The bottom of the tank, which is surmounted by an elevated coping, gradually inclines from the entrance, till, at the opposite extremity, it is deep enough to permit an elephant of full height, and of the massive proportions of poor Jack, to submerge the whole of its gigantic body; and most gratifying it was to see Jack enjoy the cooling comforts of an entire submersion, now dipping his huge head beneath the surface, and presently raising it again, again to plunge it out of sight. The rhinoceros walked in well enough down the gradual descent, and when he got out of his depth swam boldly to the opposite extremity. Once there, however, he seemed to have no idea of the possibility of returning, but remained plunging and making fruitless efforts to get out over the raised coping while he was in the deep water, where the wall went sheer down and there was no foothold. It was rather a nervous time for those who witnessed the violent and ungainly efforts of the brute; for it was feared that he would then and there tire himself out and sink exhausted. last, when almost overworn by his useless toil, he was half-forced, halfcoaxed round, and when his head At |