Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. V, No. XXV, June, 1852Various
General
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. V, No. XXV, June, 1852
Various
American literature -- Periodicals; Civilization -- Periodicals; Culture -- Periodicals
I lifted my hand. "Hurra! Take that, you cowardly lubber!" roared Dick
Redhead; and down went the avalanche of liquid, knocking not only the
pistol out of Wyatt's hand, but himself clean off his legs, and nearly
drowning Mary Ransome, her mother, and half-a-dozen others. A rope had
been made fast to one of the rafters, down which we all quietly slid
before the astonished smugglers could comprehend what had happened.
Resistance was then out of the question, and they did not attempt it.
I took Wyatt and one or two others into custody, for having contraband
spirits in their possession; and the others were permitted to make
themselves scarce as quickly as might be--a license they promptly
availed themselves of.
I have but a few words to add. Henry Ransome died, I heard, not
long afterward, of pulmonary consumption, brought on by the abuse
of alcoholic liquors, and his wife and daughter ultimately got into
respectable service. Mary Ransome married in due time, and with
better discretion than her mother, for she does, or did, keep one of
the branch post-offices in Bermondsey. Dr. Lee disappeared from the
neighborhood the instant the state of his leg enabled him to do so,
and I have never seen him since. John Wyatt, _alias_ Black Jack, was
transported for life, under the _alias_ of John Martin, for a highway
robbery near Fareham, in the year 1827. Lately I saw him on board the
convict hulk at Portsmouth.
DROPS OF WATER.
As all, or very nearly all, the animalcules found in water are
invisible to the naked eye, no subject can be more interesting than
that of these wonderful atoms, which, we have every reason to suppose,
are by far the most numerous of those beings possessing life. The
variety of form, the extraordinary construction, the rapid movement
of some, the stationary life of others, and many other peculiarities,
will prove subjects of interest and delight to the thinking mind. The
one idea that a single drop of water may afford amusement and excite
astonishment for hours to the investigator, is sufficient proof of the
wonderful powers of the Creator in this minute portion of his works.
These little creatures prove quite fascinating; and hour after hour
will be spent in watching their habits and movements, till the powers
of the student are exhausted. A good microscope, in fact, opens a new
world to the possessor, a world of beings totally different from any
thing we have been accustomed to see; and the substance of which they
are composed is in general so transparent, that the internal structure
is visible to the eye--even the act of digestion can be perceived, and
the food traced from its entrance at the mouth to its passage into the
internal cavities; the eggs, also, can be seen within the body. These
and many other peculiarities have been discovered only by very patient
investigation, and several naturalists, both English and foreign, have
almost devoted their lives to the study; and let no one say it is a
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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