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160-Decimal Principle in the Coinage. W. H. M.-You are right. The issue of the silver florin, or two-shilling piece, is an experiment made with a view to establish the decimal principle, for which there are numerous advocates.

161-Home Duties. E.-At breakfast, a grownup daughter should relieve her mother from the trouble of pouring out tea and coffee, and, by giving her mind to the occupation, and learning all her mother's ways, make it agreeable to her to resign the office

162-Genuine Jwellery. M.--For the most part of the jewellery manufactured in this country, no guarantee exists whereby the public may be assured of the quality of the gold of which it is made; ail that they can depend upon is the character of the goldsmith.

163-Nails growing into the Flesh. T. H. M.A friend to whom we applied on the receipt of your letter, has sent in the following remedy:Cut a notch in the middle of the nail every time the nail is pared. The disposition to close the notch draws the nail up from the sides.

164-Vine Planting. T. W.-The aspect best suited to the growth of the vine is from the eastern to the south-eastern. On walls having any of these aspects, the sun shines with full force in the early part of the morning, at which time there is something highly favourable to vegetation in the influence of his rays.

165- Vegetables. B.-All vegetables are in the highest state of perfection, and fullest of juice, just before they begin to flower: the first and last crop have neither the fine flavour nor the perfume of those which are gathered in the height of the season; that is, when the greater part of the crop of each species is ripe.

puts a stop to the further growth of the tubers, and renders late planted potatoes valueless.

169-School Teachers. J. R. M.-The variety and extent of qualifications required in a teacher, depend entirely on the description of school. In one of a small and humble kind, a single assistant must teach a little of everything; in one of a first-rate character, and consisting of more than a hundred scholars, paying high prices, the business is divided.

170-Patent Medicines. W. C.-The majority of patent medicines lay claim to the physically impracticable power of curing all, or a number of diseases. But the existence of an universal remedy is an insult to the understanding, and none but the most ignorant or credulous of mankind will sanction a medicine to which is attributed the power of removing all complaints, or even two dissimilar diseases.

171-Kitchen Gardens. C.-Kitchen gardens are by no means so profitable as they are thought to be, and generally speaking, must be regarded more as a luxury than a source of saving. Vegetables can, in most cases, be purchased more cheaply than they can be grown, and it is merely for securing their freshness, and the pleasure of having reared them, that a kitchen garden is worth consideration.

172-Painting on Porcelain. C. F. G-The art of painting on porcelain is precisely the same as that of the enamel painter. The colours are laid upon the glazed porcelain, which is again exposed to heat until the colours are incorporated with the glaze, and form an enamel upon the piece. In this manner have some of the most beautiful productions of modern art been fixed upon. the ornamental pieces of Sèvres porcelain.

166-Weak Eyes. E. E.-Mr. Curtis recommends for weak eyes a frequent bathing with 173-Magnets. C. R. G.-When placed so as cold water, unless an actual organic disease to be at liberty to move in any direction, the should exist. An excellent lotion for the eyes north end of the magnet points to the north may be used with great safety night and morn-pole, and its south end to the south pole; this ing-a simple mixture of camphor, eight ounces; is called the polarity of the magnet. When the distilled water, sixteen ounces. north pole of one magnet is presented to the south pole of another, they will attract one another. But if the two south or the two north poles are presented to each other, they will repel.

167-Training Dogs. W. H. E.-You have perhaps been too severe. In training dogs, it is necessary to preserve (as in fact, on every occasion) an even temper; never correct the dog in vengeance for your own irritation; gentleness does far more than violence can ever effect, and a dog that requires the latter treatment had better be got rid of.

168-Potato Planting. J. R. C.-The first half of May was formerly considered the best season for potato planting; but, at present, autumn, or very early spring planting, offers the only chance of a crop; the blight usually showing itself about Midsummer, and destroying the foliage,

174-Preserved Vegetables. G. C. S.-Generally speaking, preserved vegetables retain their flavour better than meats, especially in the case of those abounding in saccharine principle, as beet, carrots, parsnips, salsafy, which preserve to advantage. The more farinaceous do not preserve so well, such as green peas; whilst those abounding in volatile oils are hardly worth preservation at all (especially cabbages, turnips, and celery), except as anti-scorbuties.

175-Ancient Enigma. C. W.-The question you allude to as put forth by the Sphynx, and solved by Edipus was this. "There is a Being, which has four feet, and it has also three feet, with only one voice; but its feet vary, and when it has the most it is the weakest." The answer is "Man," who, when he is an infant, crawls upon his hands and knees; when he is a man, he walks uprightly; and when he is old, he totters with a stick.

176-Governesses. G. M.-Offices are open in various parts of London proposing to provide engagements for governesses and teachers of every grade, on the payment of a certain fee for entering your name upon their list of candidates; and if you obtain an engagement with any person whose name they may have mentioned to you, it is required, we believe, to give a certain per-centage of the stipend you receive. The endeavours of friends, however, to obtain you an engagement, should, of course, be tried first.

177-Likes and Dislikes. A. B. C.-We attach too much importance to being liked by everybody; and in youth we are ready to quarrel with any one of our companions who shows indifference or dislike to us. Now this is both impolitic and unjust. All minds that are not wholly under the influence of divine love, are subject to likes and dislikes, which are so unaccountable that they seem like instincts; and because you happen to be the object of a dislike which you cannot account for, you have no right to resent it. It implies no fault or demerit in either party, and should pass unnoticed.

In

178-Barometers. F. G.-In using the barometer as a weather-glass, no rule which can be given will always hold true. The rising of the mercury usually presages fair weather, and the falling, foul weather, or rain, snow, high winds, and storms, the lowest fall being found in great winds, though unaccompanied by rain. very hot weather, the falling of the mercury usually foreshows thunder; in winter, the rising presages frost; in frosty weather, a continued fall foretells a thaw; and in a continued frost, a rise indicates the approach of snow. If a change of weather follows very close upon a change in the barometer, it may be expected to last but for a short time, and vice versâ; and where the motion of the mercury is unsettled, changeable weather may be anticipated.

179-Sugar for Children. X. Y. Z.-A moderate use of sugar is more desirable for children than otherwise. Its universal abundance in certain vegetable productions, its existence in the milk of all animals, and the natural predilection of adults as well as children for it, evi

dently seem to point out the propriety of permitting its more liberal use, especially as the groundless fear that it spoils the teeth is abundantly refuted. The negroes in the West Indies always get plump and fat during the sugar season; they, however, require to take a liberal allowance of condiments to remedy, the indigestion to which it is liable to give rise: the same rule applies to children. Salt should never be restrained from the use of the young, and their natural feelings and instincts will inform them when to refuse it. Nature is indeed a kind mother to all.

180-Difference of Colour in Hair. W. E. H.— The difference of colour in the hair is owing to the tint of the fluid which fills the hollow tube in each hair. This fluid has been analyzed by Liebig, and the result shows "that the beautiful golden hair owes its brightness to an excess of sulphur and oxygen with a deficiency of carbon, whilst black hair owes its jetty aspect to an excess of carbon and a deficiency of sulphur and oxygen." Few, perhaps, have ever bestowed a thought upon the number of hairs in the human head. A German, it seems, has applied himself to the task of counting them, and gives us the result of his labours:-"In a blonde one, he found 140,040 hairs; in a brown 109,440; in a black, 102,962; and in a red one, 88,740." The red appears to be the coarsest, and yet we find silky, and coarse, fair-haired people, and some have red hair of a beautiful soft, silky and wavy appearance, while others have it as coarse as wire and as bright as a brick.

181-Transfer of Prints to Wood. E. H.-First varnish the wood once with white hard varnish, which facilitates the transferring; then cut off the margins of the print, which should be on unsized paper; that is, paper that absorbs like blotting-paper-and wet the back of it with a sponge and water, using enough water to saturate the paper, but not so as to be watery on the printed side. Then, with a flat camel - hair brush, give it a coat of transfer (spirits of wine) varnish on the printed side, and apply it immediately, varnished side downwards, on the wood-work, placing a sheet of paper on it and pressing it down with the hand, till every part adheres. Then, gently rub away the back of the print with the fingers, till nothing but a thin pulp remains. It may require being wetted again, before all that will come (or rather ought to come) off is removed. Great care is required in this operation, that the design or printed side be not disturbed. When this is done, and quite dry, give the work a coat of white hard varnish, and it will appear as if printed on the wood.

182-Rebus. W. T.-The word rebus, is defined by Dr. Johnson as "a word represented by a picture."

183-Adhesive Composition on Postage Stamps. E. R.-For any number of postage stamps you may have to place on letters, it will be better to use water than to wet them in the usual manner with saliva.

189-Hair-brushes. C.-The use of a moderately hard brush for the head keeps up a healthy circulation, and is on every account to be preferred to the employment of a comb. The scurf, as it is called, which collects on the head from neglect, arises not from, at least only in a very small degree, the dead cells or scales of the scalp being thrown off, but from the evaporation and hardening of the secretions which are poured out on the scalp. Washing is much less effectual in removing this incrustation, in con

184 St. Blaise and the Wool-combers. S. C.St. Blaise was Bishop of Sebaste, in Cappadocia, and is said to have visited England, and to have settled at a place in Cornwall, desig-sequence of its greasy nature, than brushing. nated after him, St. Blazey. He suffered martyrdom in 289, by beheading, after his flesh had been cruelly lacerated with iron combs; and from this latter incident he was selected as the tutelary saint of the wool-combers.

185-Garden Labels. M.-We believe that gutta percha labels will obviate the difficulties you mention. These are attached to the tree or plant by gutta percha thread, which does not decay, nor is it hard enough to chafe the plant. The name of the plant is stamped upor the label. They have been tested by exposing them to sunshine and rain for several days, aud by Lese they seem unaffected.

186-Geraniums. T.-The geranium can either Le propagated by seed or cuttings. The time for sowing the seed is in July. When it has become perfectly ripe, it should be sown in a pot and placed under a hand-glass. In three weeks the plant will appear, at which time they should be potted separately, and in the autumn they will become fine plants. The proper time for transplanting is when they have produced three

leaves.

187-A "Stave" of Poetry. J. C. W.-The poems of the Cymri were graven upon small staves or rods, one line upon each face of the rod, and the old English word stave, as applied to a stanza, is probably a relic of the practice, which in the early ages prevailed in the west. In the East we find the custom still subsisting; the slips of bamboo, upon which the inhabitants of the Indian Archipelago now write or scratch their compositions with a bodkin, are, substantially, our ancient staves.

190-Essence of Flowers. F. H. J.-Procure the petals of any flowers that have an agreeable fragrance, card thin layers of cotton-wool which dip into the finest Florence or Lucca oil, sprinkle a small quantity of fine salt on the flowers, and lay them on a layer of cotton, and a layer of flowers, until an earthen jar or wide-mouthed glass-bottle is full, tie the top close with bladder, then lay the vessel in a south aspect to the heat of the sun, and in fifteen days, when you uncover it, a fragrant oil may be squeezed out of the cotton mass altogether, which will be found little inferior to the celebrated otto of roses, if those flowers have been used.

191-Evening Parties. G. W.-In the matter of eating the good things provided, the characters of individuals are shown, and very greedy propensities will occasionally appear under very fair forms. It is best to make up your mind beforehand as to what refreshments agree with you, and what do not, and then partake of them accordingly. Health is best consulted by avoiding mixtures; to eat freely of one thing is better than to eat of a variety, and to eat slowly is necessary for both health and reputation; for what is more disagreeable than to see a person devouring rich things as though they were famished, or never before had tasted anything so good.

192-Clothing. J. J. C.-With respect to the different periods of life-children should, from the birth, be habituated to light clothing, not only by day, but in bed; for nothing contributes more to form the constitution. Infants and children are less apt to have their perspiration checked than persons who are more advanced in life, and, therefore, less apt to catch cold. From the stage of childhood to the thirty-fifth year, the strength of the vital powers, and a brisk circulation, tend very much to keep up an equal perspiration; but, after

188-Sea-weeds. D.-Sea-weeds must all be soaked in large quantities of fresh water, so as to extract the salt before they are laid down to dry. If the collector has not time to examine and lay them down while at the sea-side, nothing more should be done than allowing them to dry moderately in the open air, and that period, the force of the circulation being tying them up loosely in strong brown paper. They may thus be carried without injury to any aistance; and when macerated in fresh water, will expand as fully as before.

lessened, the clothing by day, and the covering by night, should be gradually increased; for many of the diseases of advanced life are produced or exasperated by obstructed perspiration.

193-Resignation. Y. Z.-You cannot do better than adopt the advice of your physician. The views which you secretly take of your illness, will materially affect your conduct under it, as well as your recovery. If you look only at second causes, and fret and repine over the circumstances which were the immediate agents in bringing on your malady, you will bear it with far less patience and cheerfulness than you would if you saw in it the operation of wise laws, and the arrangements of a wise Providence. Resignation under suffering is a virtue which in a remarkable degree brings its own reward. The evil to which we are reconciled loses half of its power over us. There is nothing like a filial trust in God, for harmonizing the feelings and soothing the irritable nerves of the invalid; it often does more than medicine for his recovery.

194-Charity. T.W.H.-We quite agree with you that the practice of indiscriminate alms-giving is highly pernicious. The formation of committees to inquire into cases of distress, with a view to assist the really deserving children of affliction, is very commendable, and the efforts you are making in your neighbourhood will, we hope, be successful. But it is not money only that is requisite. Mahomet's definition of charity, embraced the wide circle of kindness. "Every good act," he would say, "is charity." "Your smiling in your brother's face is charity; an exhortation of your fellowman to virtuous deeds, is equal to alms-giving; your putting a wanderer in the right road is charity; your assisting the blind is charity; your removing stones and thorns, and other obstructions from the road, is charity; your giving water to the thirsty is charity."

195-Drawing. G. R.-The principle of light, shadow, and reflection, for solid objects, may be studied by a very simple process. Select a white globe,-a billiard-ball will answer the purpose,-place it in a room in which there is one window; then turn it in different lights, and it will be observed that there is only one part of it which can be represented perfectly white, the other rays falling obliquely upon a receding surface, falls at last into perfect shadow, and is only relieved by the reflection of surrounding objects on the opposite side. An oval may be represented by an egg, a cone by rolling up paper in the form of an extinguisher. It is by these simple models that the pupil can readily study all the general principles of shadowing. The same principles of light and shade is applicable to each study of the art; simplicity is one of the leading characteristics of beauty in every object for the study of a young artist.

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196-The Diving-Bell. H. E.-The oldest information we have respecting the use of the diving-bell in Europe, is that of John Taisnier, quoted by Schott. The former, who was be at Hainault in 1509, had a place at court und Charles V., whom he attended on his voyage Africa. He relates in what manner he saw at Toledo, in the presence of the emperor and several thousand spectators, two Greeks le themselves down under water, in a large inverted kettle, with a burning light, and rise up again without being wet. It appears that this art was then new to the emperor and the Spaniards, and that the Greeks were induced to make the experiment in order to prove the possibility of it. After this period the use of the diving-bell seems to have become still better known. It is described inore than once in the works of Lord Bacon, who explains its effects, and remarks that it was invented to facilitate labour under the water.

197-Adulteration of Butter. Z. From an account in the Lancet, it appears that on an. examination of forty-eight samples of different butters, they all contained large quantities (more or less) of water and salt; in many cases as much as a fourth or even a third of the former, and of the latter article a great quantity is purposely added to increase the weight and bulk, over and above that which may be necessary for the preservation of the butter. A simple method of determining approximately the amount of water present in any sample is to melt the butter, fill a small bottle with it, and place it near the fire for half an hour or so; the water, as also the salt, will sink, on account of their weight. The water thus separated has usually a milky appearance, conveying the impression that it contains flour-an impression. however, which, in all the samples examined, had proved to be erroneous. This appearance has doubtless deceived many, and has led to the report that butter is frequently adulterated with various farinaceous substances. The low kinds of butter known by the term "bosh" were formerly adulterated in this way, and they may still be so in some rare cases. Some years since the adulteration of butter with flour was so common that Mr. Miller, a very intelligent butter-factor of Wellington Chambers, Londonbridge, brought this subject before the Provost of Glasgow, who declared the whole of the butter so adulterated to be forfeited. More recently Mr. Miller directed the attention of the city authorities of London to this matter, but did not succeed in moving them to take any steps in it. The attention of all housekeepers should be directed to this.

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