From Chambers' Journal. POOH-POOH. Pоon-PоOн is a surly old gentleman, not without his virtues. It is his delight to throw cold water on ardent projectors, and save people from deluding themselves with extravagant views of human improvement. There is the same kind of respectability about Pooh-pooh which makes Liberals glad when they can get a Conservative to head a requisition, or take the chair at a meeting. But Pooh-pooh is more remarkable for his bad side than his good one. Without hopes or faith in anything himself, he tends to discourage all hopeful effort in others. Had he his way, there would never be any brilliant or highly useful thing done. He would keep all down to a fixed level of routine, passable, but only just enough to escape censure. He wishes to make the course he takes appear as springing from a hatred of the extravagant; but it often comes mainly from a desire to avoid being troubled, or, worse still, from a jealousy of the people who strive to be extragood or great. He certainly is not quite the infallible sage he wishes to pass for. The fact is, there is not one of the important inventions and extensions of power of the last wonderful age, which has not had to struggle against the chilling philosophy of Mister Pooh-pooh. History is full of the instances in which he has condemned, as impracticable and absurd, proposals which have ultimately, in spite of him, borne the fairest fruit. Gas-lighting was referred to Sir Humphry Davy and Wollaston, as the two men best qualified to judge of its feasibility; but Mister Pooh-pooh was at their elbow, to insinuate all sorts of objections and difficulties, and they pronounced against an article of domestic utility which is now used, more or less, in nearly every house in every town and village in the kingdom. It was all that steam-navigation could do to get over Poohpooh's opposition. Even James Watt, who had in a manner made the steam-engine, gave way to the whispers of Pooh-pooh regarding its use in vessels. Sir Joseph Banks was applied to by some enthusiastic advocate of this application; when, under the inspiration of Pooh-pooh, who stood beside him, he said: "It is a pretty plan, sir; but there is just one little point overlooked that the steamengine requires a firm basis on which to work.' He sent away the man, under the disgrace of his pity, and, we suppose, thought no more of the matter till he heard of steamers plying regularly on the Hudson and the Clyde, with or without the firm basis to work upon. When Pooh-pooh first heard that some persons were so mad as to think of carriages being drawn by steam on rails at the rate of twenty-five miles an hour, he was indignant, and set himself to prove, which he did entirely to his own satisfaction, that the carriages would not go at anything like that speed-if driven to it, the wheels would merely spin on their axles, and the carriages would stand stock-still. He was sincerely anxious that this should prove the case, and we may imagine his feelings when the plan was realized with the effect contemplated by its projectors. The same unsanguiné gentleman gave a lecture at Newcastle, in 1838, to prove to the British Association that steamers could never cross the Atlantic. Some people wished, hoped, prayed that they might cross the Atlantic; he indulged in a calm but happy belief that they never would. Here, too, he underwent the mortification of defeat. Not long after that time, Mr. Rowland Hill started the idea of a universal Penny Postage. He showed many facts in favor of the feasibility of the scheme; and the public entered warmly into his views. But Pooh-pooh had long been on intimate terms with the postoffice officials, and under his advice these gentlemen did all they could to prevent the public from being gratified. When the new plan was carried, in spite of all opposition, Mister Pooh-pooh felt of course that a very foolish thing had been done, and he foretold its entire failure. It must have been with a sore heart that he has seen the number of letters multiplied sevenfold in ten or twelve years, the revenue not much diminished, and everybody besides himself pleased. He is apt to be rather shabby afterwards about his false premises and prophecies. When the Crystal Palace was projected, and Pooh-pooh was consulted, he said it would never stand the winds, but quickly tumble down like a castle of cards. Afterwards, when this hope of his-for his inauspicious views are always founded upon hopes- was proved by the event to be fallacious, he explained the matter away; he had only said that, unless made of the requisite strength, it would fall! He does not like to be reminded of his false predictions; but it is seldom he has to suffer in that way, for, when a great and useful novelty has been successfully accomplished, the public generally confines its thoughts to the honored author, taking but little heed of Mister Pooh-pooh and his now vain prognostications who, on his part, seldom then goes beyond a few quiet nibbles at the grandeur of the achievement. Pooh-pooh has his favorite positions in this world. He likes, above all things, to be in office. His defensive negative policy is seen there in its greatest force. Indeed, it scarcely has an existence elsewhere than in places of dignity and trust. From his being practically connected with things, he knows their difficulties, which dreamers out of office have 66 no idea of; and thus it is that he feels him- to his reputation. It must be owned that, self entitled to speak so confidently against once he is committed, nothing can exceed the every new thing that is proposed. Already heroism with which he maintains his consistburdened with a duty which perhaps occu-ency throughout all the stages of the refutapies no less than four hours out of every tion which events administer him. twenty-four, he feels, with good reason, a horror of everything that proposes to bring new trouble into his department. Even a proposal to simplify his work he shrinks from, grudging the trouble of considering or discussing that from which he expects no success. Pooh-pooh, too, has generally some tolerable degree of scientific reputation; it is hard to say how acquired—sometimes, it is to be feared, only by looking wise and holding his tongue. There he is, however, a kind of authority in such matters. Woe it is for any new project in mechanics, or any new idea in science, to be referred to him, and all the more so if it be a thing “in his line," for no mercy will it meet! In the literary world, the analogous situation for Pooh-pooh is that of the old-established critic. He sits in the editorial chair, apparently for the sole purpose of keeping down all the rising geniuses. Every new birth of poetic energy, every fresh upturn of philosophic thought, is visited with his determined hostility. He relishes most that which keeps nearest to his own temperate and unoffending mediocrity. We are afraid that this is beginning to be rather an unpleasant world for Mister Poohpooh. It goes too fast for him. So many of his hopelessnesses have been falsified by events, that he must feel himself a little out of credit. Then his own constant sense of disappointment! To find novelty after novelty getting on," as it were, in spite of his ominous head-shakings, must be a sad pain to his spirit, cool and congealed as it is. One day, it is iron steamers another day, rise of wages under free-trade. Great reliefs are given to misery, great positive additions made to national happiness, where he long ago assured the world no such things could be. It is too bad. I begin to feel almost sorry for poor Mister Pooh-pooh under these circumstances. It sets me upon recalling his virtues, which, in his present unfortunate position, we are too apt to overlook-namely, his usefulness in saving us from rushing into all kinds of hasty, ill-concocted plans, and patronizing all kinds of plausible, superficial pretenders. Depend upon it, Mister Poohpooh has his appointed place in the economy Pooh-pooh is less strong in a new country of a wise Providence; and, therefore, pestithan an old. He hardly has a hold at all lent as he is sometimes with his leaden, imamong the fearless, bounding spirits of Aus- movable mind, I think we are called upon to tralia. The go-ahead Yankees despise him. adininister only a qualified condemnation. In England, he has least strength in large The drag is but a clumsy part of the mechancities and amongst the active mercantile ism of a carriage, but it has sometimes the classes. He is strongest in official circles, honor of being indispensable to the saving of old-fashioned genteel towns, and torpid vil-all the rest from destruction. lages. But he has a certain strength everywhere, for he is a bit of human nature. have no doubt that, even amongst the golddiggers, he might occasionally be found shaking his head, and turning away with his characteristic contemptuous air from proposals of new prospectings." 66 We - about DECLIVITY OF RIVERS. -A very slight declivity suffices to give the running motion to water. Three inches per mile, in a smooth, straight channel, gives a velocity of about three miles an hour. The Ganges, which gathers the The external aspect of Mister Pooh-pooh the world, is, at 1,800 miles from its mouth, only waters of the Himalaya Mountains, the loftiest in is hard and repelling. He has a firm, well-about 800 feet above the level of the sea set, self-satisfied air, as much as to say "Don't speak to me about that, sir." He has a number of phrases, which he uses so often that they come to his tongue without any effort of his will; such as, "It will never -do" -"All that has been thought of before, but we know there is nothing in it". "People are always meddling with things they know nothing about;" and so forth. We might call them pet phrases, if it could be imagined that Mister Pooh-pooh had a favor for anything; but this we well know he has not. There is great reason to suspect that, from the readiness of these phrases to come to his tongue, he has on several occasions committed himself to opposition where a few moments' thought would have sufficed to show him that that course was dangerous twice the height of St. Paul's, in London, or the height of Arthur's Seat, in Edinburgh- and to fall these 800 feet in its long course the water requires more than a month. The great river Magdalena, in South America, running for 1,000 miles between two ridges of the Andes, falls only 500 feet in all that distance; above the commencement of the 1,000 miles it is seen descending in rapids and cataracts from the mountains. The gigantic Rio de la Plata has so gentle a descent to the ocean, that, in Paraguay, 1,500 miles from its mouth, large ships are seen which the force of the wind alone-that is to say, have sailed against the current all the way by which, on the beautifully inclined plane of the stream, have been gradually lifted by the soft wind, and even against the current, to an clevation greater than that of our loftiest spires. Arnott's Physics. for lost, and never stopping until she reached her boat, when she recrossed the river. The Turks collected among themselves the whole their company, reporting to him what had taken amount due to her, and took it to the captain of place. He laid the case before Ibrahim Pasha, who sent him across the frontier with the money. It happened to be a market day in the Austrian town, and the arrival of a Turkish officer created a great sensation; but, when he inquired for the woman and handed to her the price of her bread, the whole affair was understood; the officer was repeatedly cheered by the people in the streets, who shouted, "Long live the Turks!" and he who accompanied him to express their thanks for returned to the camp with a great many of them, the conduct of the troops towards their country woman. Our author confesses that he went into the Christian provinces of Turkey with some prej- Our traveller stayed some time at Travnik; udices against its religion and government; where he became acquainted with the princibut being anxious only for facts, and open to pal Turks, and especially with the famous the reception of evidence, his prejudices grad- Omar Pasha, who put down the Bosnian inually melted away in the lights of a better surrection in 1851, commanded the Ottoman knowledge of the country and he appears forces in Montenegro- and who, should certo have come back from his sojourn in the tain events now on the cards turn up, is the frontier lands of the two creeds with a deep man designated for still higher military empreference for the mild and open rule of the ployments. Of these several officers we have Sultan as compared against the irritating spy-vivid and pleasing pictures:- that of Omar system of the Austrian Kaiser or the more violent principles of the Muscovite emperor. This is a valuable testimonial. It is the more striking as being unbought and unexpected the result of careful examination, and of considerable intercourse with all classes of the people, from Islam Pashas and Christian bishops downwards. Refraining, as we must, from all discussion of the political questions here laid open, and agitated with sufficient zeal and earnestness elsewhere we will seek to convey to the reader by a few short extracts an idea of the "Resident's" style of writing, and some means of judging of the present state of the countries visited and described by him. Here, for example, is a characteristic anecdote of Moslem probity -an anecdote in rather strong contrast with the military Macaire-ism of most of our European soldiers: Pasha and his family is particularly interesting. Omar was by birth a Croat. He commenced his career by entering one of the Austrian frontier regiments; but quitted that service for the army of the Sultan, in which he has risen by merit alone to the very highest rank. The reader will probably recollect that the Austrian cabinet claimed this distinguished soldier, in the beginning of the present year, as "a deserter and refugee !" Our traveller says of his personal appearance He is a middle-aged man, tall and slight, with a good countenance and mild, unaffected manners, and with an exceedingly soldierlike bearing." He speaks German and Italian fluently, as well as Turkish and the Sclavonic dialects of the Lower Danube. His wife is said to be a splendid pianist and a good composer; and his little daughter is described as a paragon of beauty and goodness. - These Turks were not the only acquaintance Bakers from Austria were in the habit of cross-whom the tourist found at Travnik. ing the river Unna to sell white bread in the camp. The troops, having had few opportunities of spending their pay during the war, were well provided with money, and, the quantity of these loaves being always insufficient, there was generally a scramble for them. The bakers, soon finding that every one of the men who had thus obtained a loaf, came forward voluntarily to pay for it, adopted the practice of leaving them to arrange the preference among themselves, and of throwing down the bread to be distributed as they liked. A woman, however, who had come over for the first time on this errand, took fright when the Turkish soldiers began snatching the loaves, although they did so with perfect goodhumor, and she ran away, giving up her bread CCCCLXXX. LIVING AGE. VOL. II. 19 writes: He I had many opportunities of meeting another Austrian at Travnik, who was neither more nor less than a government spy. He arrived there shortly after me; and I was assured, on competent authority, that his especial duty was to watch me and report on all I did or said, and perhaps on a good deal that I did not either do or say. It was a singular fact, however, that although aware of this, I took a great liking to him. He forced his society on me at all hours; he always appeared when I paid a visit, and generally followed every one who called on me; but he was such an amusing companion, and ho did his dirty work with so good a grace, that he quite disarmed my indignation. And I think he took a liking to me too, possibly because I saved him the trouble of employing the more elaborate resources of his profession by telling, generally unasked, all he wished to know. I had nothing to conceal, and I made no secret of my researches after truth in the countries I was visiting. At first he seemed to mistake my frankness for skilful duplicity, on Talleyrand's principle of speaking the truth in order to deceive, as it would not be believed; but he soon understood me, as he was very clever, and then we got on famously, for I dictated the reports that were forwarded about myself, and made the most of an intimacy which I could not avoid. Most readers have a notion, more or less vague, of drum-head trials and military justice as these matters are conducted in civilized countries. Here we have such a scene as witnessed by our author in the Turkish camp at Bosnia: him was not strong, and the court decided that any answer to the questions put to him. Ahmed Pasha then addressed the old man whom he had ordered to remain, and who now fell completely into the snare, in spite of all his cunning; for he supposed that he was forgiven, and wished to show his gratitude by zeal for the government. He replied to Ahmed Pasha that the youth was In a large marquee we found twelve field- the well-known Hassan Bey, who had contribofficers with the Mufti, or doctor of Mahometan uted more towards the active sustaining of the law, seated on two lines of divans, at the upper insurrection than any of the other chiefs. The ends of which were the places of the two majors- lad looked astonished at this denunciation; but general, Arab Ahmed Pasha and Mustapha it made him speak at last, and to the purpose. Pasha, and near them, two clerks, to record the "Yes," he said, "I am Hassan Bey; I was a proceedings. When we had all sat down, for the chief; and I did what I could against the govofficers rose to receive us, pipes, narghiles, and ernment. I am ready to hear my sentence; but coffee were brought, and the day's work com- not alone. Who made me a chief? You, Abmenced, Osman Aga having taken his stand be- dullah Aga! you came to my house when my hind me to explain what was going on. The father had been killed at Vutshiak, and you court was commissioned to examine and class the persuaded me to take his place. My mother prisoners, with the power of acquitting those it refused to let me go, and you told her that withfound innocent, but not possessing that of con- out me the men of the district would disband. demning the guilty, who were to be finally judged I went, but you did not. You sent us young by Omar Pasha and Haireddin Pasha, with sev-men, who believed your words, and you remained eral assessors. Five of the accused had been in your house. Pasha, I am guilty!". -"Tshodselected to undergo this investigation of their jul!" said Ahmed Pasha. 66 Child! our Paculpability. The first was a very tall and thin disha will, I hope, be merciful to your youth, and old man, of a cringing and sinister aspect. He we will recommend you for mercy. As for this had been a schoolmaster, and he was charged old traitor, he shall be sent to answer for having with having written the correspondence kept up misled you and others." between some of the rebel chiefs. He pleaded guilty to having indited the letters, but he denied that he had at the time any knowledge of their real purport. The tenor of them, and his evident acuteness, completely refuted this plea; and he was duly committed for trial by the higher court. The next prisoner was also an old man, with a long white beard, who had been one of the principal instigators and directors of the insurrection in Turkish Croatia, and who was, A few Serbs, who understood Greek, joined us, apparently, a cunning old fox. His name was and our conversation took a political turn. They Abdullah Aga, the servant of God. He asserted talked of the prince of Serbia, deserving the atthat he had not been present at any of the en-tachment of his countrymen, as being the son of gagements, and he succeeded in substantiating his assertion by calling witnesses from among those arrested, who all deposed in his favor; but there was too strong an appearance of his having been deeply implicated to admit of his acquittal. A good idea suggested itself to Ahmed Pasha; he ordered that the old man should remain in the tent during the trial of the others. Two young men were then brought in, chained together. The first pleaded an alibi, which was weakly enough supported; but the case against 66 In course of time, from being prejudiced against Turkish rule, the English Resident" became, as we have indicated, its strenuous advocate; and on occasion, as for example when he soundly rates the Servians for disloyalty, his zeal becomes rather indiscreet and amusing: : their deliverer, Czerny George; and they men- I learnt at Carlovacz, with some degree of certainty, that if another attempt on the part of the Magyars should take place, they will be eagerly joined by the Croats. It appears that the former people still hope to achieve, if not complete national independence, at least more liberal institutions than they have as yet enjoyed under the Austrian rule; and that another insurrection is projected, which is not intended to break out until its principles shall have spread over all the Sclavonian provinces of the Austrian empire ; while the Croatians now understand the error they fell into by opposing the Hungarians, and will in future make common cause with them. They were induced to follow their Ban, in his campaign against Hungary, by promises of political enfranchisements, and of diminutions in their fiscal burdens, which promises have subsequently been belied by him; and he is now as unpopular among them as he was formerly revered. Their natural sympathies are all in favor of the Hungarians. I have crossed the Simplon, the St. Gothard, and the Ampezzo, all of which passages of the Alps are celebrated for the masterly style in which the greatest obstacles are surmounted; but I do not think that any one of them displays such a degree of skill in tracing of the line, or of perfection in its execution, as the Louisenstrasse. There is not the slightest danger on any part of the road; parapets have been raised wherever the height of the retaining walls is considerable, and protection from the furious winds of winter is provided at all the places which are exposed to them, by raising these parapets eight or ten feet above the level of the road. When the Bora, as it is called in the country. blows violently, the heaviest wagons remain for hours behind these walls waiting until it subsides, as nothing can withstand its force; and instances have occurred when they have been upset by a sudden blast, if their drivers ventured too soon beyond the shelter prepared for them; while pedestrians are often obliged to lie down at the foot of the parapets to escape being blown over the cliffs, and travellers have been found frozen to death in this position on cold winter nights. The other passage which we shall quote contains a pasha's notion of the uses of the yashmak: At dinner I talked to him of Djelaludin Pasha, and he told me that a case of suicide had taken place, quite lately, at Travnik. A young sergeant of one of his regiments had betrothed himself to the pretty daughter of a Bosniac Mussulman; the sergeant was shot through the head at the battle of Krupa, and the girl blew out her brains with a pistol when she heard how he died. "It all comes of not wearing the veil," said the pasha, "and of letting affianced couples see each other. If she had always kept her yashmak on her face, she might have married another man, for there would have been no great love in the matter." With these extracts, we take our leave of a book from which we have derived much information with regard to the Christian popu lations of Turkey. We should add, that the volumes are embellished - the first with a drawing of Jassy, and the second with a map of the Danubian provinces. INDIANS IN EUROPEAN DRESS. As much as I like to see an Indian in his native dress or ornament, be it as scanty as possible, equally funny and disfigured do they look when they put on European clothes. They frequently have no idea for what purpose and in what order they ought to be worn. First, a dress-coat, and then a waistcoat, then part of a shirt, or a waistcoat by itself, or a pair of trousers, or three and four pair of them at the same time, they do not care; and they admire a uniform most-red, if pos sible, with gold or silver. I frequently saw Indians in the greatest heat with three pairs of trousers, the upper ones pulled up as high as they could get them, the second pair rolled up to their knees, and the undermost left to their natural length, to let all men see what a splendid wardrobe they call their own, and could afford. Cravats for garters, shirt-collars point downwards, waistcoats buttoned behind, and other mistakes continually occur; and, like children, they hang upon them what they can get, and sometimes even what they can buy with hardearned money, till they get tired of it, and throw it aside. Gerstaecker's Journey Round the World. |