VARIETIES.

Colonist, Issue 1, 23 October 1857, Page 4

VARIETIES.

FEMALE EQUESTRIANISM. ...-..■ A lady's riding is like her dancing;' if it comes at all, it must come naturally. No woman can be taught to ride, especially if she begins after her childhood'is.past. Of course I do not mean that a. lady cannot sit, after a fashion, upon a quiet, easy-going horse i but to be free of tho nholesqiunp species—to foel tha f inexpressible happiness and enjoyment which riding » live, fresh, free horse alone can give—a lady must be "born a rider.' It is not only scat and Im'nd (hat constitute such, but it i» a real appreciate and love for the horse ; a capability to etijov his high spiiits with him; and a sufficient knowledge of his anatomy, diseases, power of aidiiiatice, and temper, to enable her to feel herself pint and parcel of her horse—his friend, his playmate, but.'at the Bame timo, his unyieiding ruler.: I ride with the third pummel • the off pummel I consider useless, hut am inaifldreiit whether it is there or not. A saddle lately sent to mo from Wilson, in Vere-street, has it.

A shoe stirrup is best.; A huly should never rule a weedy, low-uhoulderfld, narrow-chested horse. Ho should always lie up to a stone, or even two, over her weight. A lady's saddle is unusually light ut Hib. On no pretence should a lady ride with a martingale ; a utar-tfuzing bi-ute i* always the b.>tttjr for a spur on ■e.ich side of him. 1 always -ride in a spur; it keeps the lazy ones awake, and the vicious one* in order. No timid or inexperieuoeil woman sliould use the spur, as, if frightened, they might unconsciously apply it, with dangerous consequents. It is impossible to impart a hand. Tho hand must vary in every horse ono ride". 1 have at piesont three hordes for my riding, which illustrate this. One, a nolile eliesnut, "a winged steed with mane of gold," wlio has a mouth "like a gatepost," or .rather-like "Multum-in-I'arvo" in "Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour; 1' the second, a large »oi Jil-ouiTying black, with a month so light that a touch "will make him rear ; and the third a Turkish horse, wiiose mouth vurios with Iris temper. J fii'd it is a very useful plan, in rklinj new or " queer" horses, to. take the snaffle in one Imnd and the curb in the other; thus you can. Bee both, without dropping either.

The Boys uf London —I cm assure yon—said Lord bhuffce«bury at the Sheffield meeting on Ragged Schools— that in London the children are remarkably wild, and, in the outset, violent. They are wonderfully acute— more acute than any children to be found in any other part of Kiiglaud. I luve lizard prison inspectors say, and seen it inysuif, that tho aeuteness of tliu metropolitan child is something painful. His painful, be.cuuse it is a diiiense, precocious, unnatural. . The children are ivorked upon by the detestable atmosphere in which they live, until their nervous systems tiro brought'into a high decree of excitement and precocity.' That shows what k'iiui of children we liave to deal with. Not long ago a Kagged School was opened in a new district. The teachers went down, not expecting what happened. The boys in the locality around thought it a famous opportunity for .indulging in ininohief, or, as they considered it,a lark, and were' determined' tcr t>ive the teachers what they called a dose. When my friend, Mr. Payne, arrived, nu hour or so ufter the time at which the school was to have opened, ho found only one or two lamps burning, nil the windows broken, two of the teuchera outside covered with mud from bead to foot, while in the school the master was tying on his back, with fix boys sitting upon him singing " Pop goes the weasel." Mow, 1 want to show you that teachers there must be of no common order. They endured this with patience ; they did not call in the police ; they resorted to no violence; they .remonstrated with the lads, and went ■away. They returned on the second night, and there was a little of the same treatment, but not no much; on tho third night there was sun'ree'y any; and on the fourth right the ciu:dren (locked in, and all was orderly ; mid depend upon it that the very boys who had sung " Pop goes the weasel" on the |>ro>trate muster, would be amongst the best boys and monitors in the school. I only mention this to show tlte great peculiarity of the c.ass.— ' Laborer's Friend. ■

' Derivation of thk Word • Nugokt.'— In Notes and Queries, vol. vii., p. 293, it is stated that nugget is a word used in Scotland, a nugget of sugar beiny equivalent to a lump of sugar, and that tiie name is there applied to a short corpulent person. (Do. p. 36' G.) Jamisori's Dictionary U also autAotity for the latter uhc. In the same penoilic.il th« following derivations have been suggested:—l. I'Vom ilie Persiun nugud, ready money, or the liind.istaueo nuguud, hard cash.. 2. Fiom lan ingot,' corrupted into ' ft ningot,' and this subxeqiient'y into n nigirot or midget. 3. That it is a word of English home growth, derived liorn a loot i<og or nng, current in En.-'anl under various forms—'nogs' being in the north the n.ime for skittle-pins, while in the midland counties 'nog' is the wooden bull used at the j>nme of shinty; nnd 'noggin,' its diminutive means a hunch. The form 'ni^' occtits in Essex, signifying a' small piece. The general idea seems to be • tumpiuess,' and the root is perhaps found in the liish knock, a hill, and in the English word knuckle. This derivation had occurred to me before leading the article above quoted. I wi,l only add that tho form ' vi.4' is plainly a dimmitive from nog, as tip from top, nip from sup; and quote the additional form ung found in Derbyshire, for a rough dalk of Limlk-r. From this, nugget would be a j simple diminitivo—like lappet and sippet, .from lap and .inp. D.-an Trench quotes from Nor h's trauslatioii of Plutarch's lives tlio'fonn niggot—'niguots of |>old and silver.' This he is inclinud tv believe a form of nugget, and deduces both from 'ignof,' 'by the not uncomiuon metathesis of the two first letters' With a!l deference to so distinguished an authority, such a change is, I think, hardly easy or probable." If niggot be, as is likel), the same as nugget, and derived from the sume source, it occurs in Eugli»h as far back as 1012 —the year in which North's trnnslut:on was published. With respect to the first derivation, it uoud seem more likely a priori that the nnrno should have benn given from the external appearance of the thing, 'a little lump,' than from its intrinsic value. M. 11. I..— Facts and Figures. Ports Heads —Sir Walter Scott's hat was always the smallest ju any company lie happened to bo in—the bond wa* a pyramidal. Boron's was tl.o same. Sir Charles Nupier, in his diary, thus mentions his meet tig with Byron:—"Lord Hyron is still hero—a very good fellow, very pleasan', always laughing and joking. An American gave a very good account of him in the iiewspupers, tut said tltnt his head was too large in proportion, which is /not true. He dined with mo the dny heforo tho paper arrived, nnd four or five of us tried to put on \iU hat, but nono could ; he hail the smallest, head of all, .Mid one of the smallest I ever s:iw. Me i* very compassiounte, and kind 10 every one in di-tress.1' At the opening of Uiirn'n mausoleum in 1834, for the interment of his widow, the poet's sknd was taken up nnd examined. Nine »enttemen were prosoiit, and every one tried his hat^on the ukuil. Only one of the nine could cover it, ami that-whs the l.at of Mr. Thomas Curly lv Had the poeL'4 cranium possessed its ori»in«! covering of niiiisy black hair'we should not have been ablo to add. the abave item to Mr. Carly.e'u biography Courier. How to Giiovr Largr Fruit.—»A correspondent of the Gardener's Gazstte bsi\s:—l have; from observation* and a series of trials, ascertained that ad soits of fruit can be raised one-third larger thnn they usually are, andtheir qualities much improved, by simply, .supporting the fruit in the following nimiuec;—As soon as it is fully developed it should not b« allowed to-hang its weight upon its htnlk, as the increasing weight strains the stalk, nnd in that way lessens the quantity of nutritious fluid How ing to the fruit. This may be obviated in somo cases by lay ing tlu> pear, ap'.do, or whatever it may be, upon a branch, and iixin» it with a piece of matting to prevent its being inured by the ftind ; or by putting it into a small net made forthepurpo.se, at the same time keeping the stalk in a horizontal position, when it can bo (lone without twisting: or heuding if; a* tlte bending cither accidentally or by the weight uf tho fruit, in in ' my opinion most injurious to its growth, tor the pores of the woody stalk iire struined cm the one side, of the bend and compressed on the other; hence the vessels through which the requisite nourishment flows be.in*? thus partial!} shut up, the growth of the fruit is retarded in proportion to tho straining and compression of the stalk' The fixing of the.fruit also prevents the rkk of its fallin'! oft" and getting damaged before it reaches maturity;, 1 have dahlias upon the Fame juinciple nnd with; Minilar success ; and I have no doubt that the most ef flower bloom*, citpecially those which are weighty and. inclining, can bo grown much larger by the system referred to, nnd, in short, all sorts of vegetables, trees, &c." .. . . A Slight Mistake.—A Dutchman, the other day reading nil account of a meeting, came to the words, ' The meeting thru dissolved.' lie could not define the meaning of the latter, Ro/he-referral to his dictionary, and felt, satisfied. Ina-fcw minutes his friend came in, when Honty uaid, 'Ddy irtust hay werry'liot wedderdere in New York. ,1 ret au "amount of a meeting vero all de peoples hab melted 11 way." - -A blacksmith mace ont a bill ngainit one of his customers in whie.li a clitrgo was intended to be made for Medimj two mattocks ; but the son of Vulcan, who had k'en more use to wieldi ig a sledge-hammer than studying Dr. Johnson, write the following item ;—' To steal* ing two insul dunks, (wo killings.'

A, female member of Dr. S.s church in Boston having safely passed through her ninetoentJMiccouclitnent, her - husband sent the iolJowiu? note to L%i R^T^ctor, to be read before the congregation : —•'Mrs.T^, having beon safely delivered of her nineteenth child, (the, with . her husband, would return unfeigned thanks to Almighty God for hi*great favor, and humby ask for a contitiuance of his blessing*.' People go acbording to tlioir brains. If those Ho in their head, they study; if in the stomach, thejr eat; if in tlie heels, they dance. ■' ■ . Which side of a hoi su invariably has the nio«t ha'r on ? —The outside. __ ; There are two methods of disbursing money—one is paying through yonr bankers; the other, paying through the nose. .. ■ Why is a soldier like a. vine?—Btcunse he is listed, trained, and forced to shout. ' . Shkridax.—Sheridan had a very convenient formula as a reply to the new publications that were constantly ; sent him, viz, " Dear Sir, 1 have received ywur exqni-ito work, and I have no doubt 1 ahull be highly delighUd after I have read it." 1 Sammy my son, how many weeks be long to the year ?' . 1 Forty-nix, Sir.' Why, Sauiny, hotf do you make thai out?'—'The other six nre Lout.'-- 1 Mothtr, putthi* boy to bed ; he is getting too for'ard.' Guhologt.— Shillabcr, of the Carpet Bag, tels us '• the following outrageous gun story :—Speaking to-day w Itli the »o\\ of a gun regarding some gunuiiig'exploils, he told me of a singular instance of a gun. hanging firo, which, were it not .for his well known veiaoity, 1 should • , feel did|k)sed to dotibc. He.had snapped his a*n at a grey squirrel, and the cap had exploded, but the piece. ■, not going dtf he took it from his shoulder, looked down into the barrel, undraw the charge just starting, whei!, • bringing it to his shoulder again, it went off and killed the squirrel! ; , Give Impervious to Watkr—lf a coating "of alu« or site be brushed over vriMi v decoction of one part of ' powdered gull nuts in twelve of water, reduced to eight parts and strained, it be. bines hard, and as solid mid impervious to water as v coat of oil p«int; .in fact, a kind of leather is formed. It makes a good cout for ceilings to-whitewash on, and fur lining walls for pu|*ihangings ' Sheffield Cutlery. —In thef^pmfacture of the singlo article of tul.-lo knives, 700 peisons are employed in the forging, 900 in the grinding and polishing, and 1300 with the preparation and pu.ting on of the hart- " dies. There are. more than 3000 persona engaged in the manufacture of pen and pocket knives, who work up nearly £100,000 worth of material*, of whom 250 to 300 nre smiths, and 500 grinders, and 2500 nan and, boys employed in the othur operations. In the matter of razors (.hero are, it is said, no less than 150 smiths engaged (two to each anvil) ,•' and 900 male*, mid 200 - . females, in the manufacture of scissors. The quantity of ivory and ileors' horn used for knife handles is enormous : 140,000 to 150,000 Ib. of the former, and 500,000 of the latter. It u|ipears that angling U on the increase throughout the world. In 40 yearn, t!i« London fishini.'oroiUindtiickle makers have incroised front six or seven to nearly' 5'J, mutiy of whom wurk fur exportation. The ladies are said to havo been thro«n into the greatest consternation at the recent appointment nf a utimlter of lawyers in ail parts of Kug and lo ivgiiUT the deeds of married wonwn. When is the soup likely to run out of the saucepan ? When there's a leek in it: Tho subjoined advenincment is extracted from an Irish newspai»r: —" MisHtng from Killnrney, Jnu« O'Fogarty, she had in her arms, two bubits and a Guernsey cow—all black, with red hnir and tortoUenholl combs behind her ears and large spots all down her back, * which *quinlß awfully." From the foregoing description, which is the cow and which is Jane Fogarty T - A discontented man wa» .perpetually iv the habit of' reminding his second rib what an excellent mitna^er hi* * first wifif was. Out of a:l ptiticnce, she one day comforted him with the remark, that no one regretted her . dentil more than she did. When a reformed dnml'ard confines himsolf to palo ale, can that be called Lit tar repentance ? A Texiu paper says that the earth U ho kind in that State, that just tickle her trith a hoe and sho will lungb with a harvest. An old lady, while indulging a few evenings sinco in reminiscence* of her girlhood, when xhu had lots of beaux, exclaimed, " Why; the truth is, that at one timo I was ho Imppy thnt 1 was tuirly uncohifortuble.' A student once remarking in company that he could make uu impromptu rhyme upou any words that inii;lit bo given him, w»h requested to try his j.owei son ' di-do-dumb,' wliereupon he gave the following:— When Dido's l<>ver would not to Dido come, Dido sat fno|.iiu', and was Dido dumb. }3urrs on tub Bkxcii And Bak.—T/.e man wfco i« fond of bringing actions Against other people it seKiom - accountably for his own. ' .- The first motive with the jury in retiring is to con-- . j-iJer their vordicl—tho secon I, to oonsider them- , solves. Briefs show their arguinonts on cne sido only'; . law--3 era can display them on either. An attorney's business is from ten to four; his pleasure, six-aiifl-uight. . v Strict Business Man : Patrick,- hereafter I want yon to commence work at five o'clock, and quit at seven, Patrick: Sure, und w:oulil'ut it bo as well if I'd ojiiiijt'iiee in the morning at seven, and leave oil' at five in the evening I • ( -