that form than by hiring it; but the house that he occupies the home that covers him -the place where has set up the staff of his rest, that he hires; in that he is content to be a mere sojourner, having no interest in the soil, none in the chamber where he has passed, or hopes to pass, many of the happiest hours of his life: liable, either at the end of a specified period, or at the caprice of a landlord, to be turned out-to have, as Lord Byron phrased it, 'his household gods shivered about him.'" But the same writer, after appealing to the feelings, also refers to the pocket, and it is with this that we have most to do on the present occasion. He says "the ordinary rent of a house is calculated at from six to ten per cent. of its value, according to its position and utility for occupation: that is to say, that the occupier, in order to inhabit his house, uses another man's capital, and is content to pay him an enormous rate of interest for it; and while he thus occupies property not his own, every sixpence that he lays out upon it, every little alteration that he makes, whether for beauty or convenience; every tree that he plants, and every fixture that, arising from the improvements in manufactures and domestic articles of utility, he finds it necessary to add to his household arrangements-all these are, when he ceases to be tenant, left for the benefit of people in whom he has no interest, and to whom he has been paying heavy interest!" That there must be some reason for this marked negligence in persons seeking to become their own landlords is clear, or the fact would never exist; what this reason has been, and still is, we hope to assist in determining. The reason in days gone by was, in some measure, no doubt, the absence of facilities for such purposes. In the present day, it must be a want of appreciation of such #facilities, arising from misapprehension or mistrust. We have previously stated that many of the earlier building societies, in their zeal to procure members, held out the prospect of such enormous profits to the investing members, that the borrowing members had good cause to flinch from the onus which must be thrust upon them in order to fulfil such promises! No doubt great evils sprang out of this. But as we have also previously shown such evils do not necessarily appertain to building societies. It is quite within the power of a well-established and properlyconducted building society to afford great benefits to both classes of members, without taking undue advantage of either. Let us first take the case of a person borrowing money of a building society, as contrasted with borrowing of a private individual in the ordinary way. Any equitably constituted building society will lend £100, on a fair average security, upon condition of receiving annually, for 14 years (the most usual term), £11, or in the whole, £154. If the amount be borrowed in any other Advantage in favour of a building society, on a £100 loan, £16. In a larger loan the amount of difference would be very considerable. Besides, it is a great convenience to persons of limited means to be able to pay off their loans by instalments-while their so doing constitutes a source of profit to the society, as shown in our last paperthough to a private individual such a mode of repayment would be attended with both trouble and loss. And now a few words with respect to the profits to investing members. It was a notorious fact that, until building societies were introduced, there existed no eligible means for the profitable investment of the savings of the industrious classes. Savings banks, with their unremunerative interest, stringent regulations, and bad management, afforded but little inducement to frugality; while loan societies, from the very nature of their operations advancing their funds chiefly upon personal security-involved so much risk as scarcely to compensate for the larger rate of interest they promised to investers. It is clear that, in the absence of facilities for the rapid and safe investment of money, no society or individual could guarantee to the lender remunerative interest. It is equally clear that, except upon the principle of combination, the savings of persons of humble means could not be accumulated into sums sufficiently large for ordinary investments, without considerable loss of interest during the progress of accumulation. In process of time these difficulties came to be understood, and it is not too much for us to say, that it was creditable to the legislators of this country, while announcing the fact that "certain societies, commonly called 'Building Societies,' had been established in different parts of the kingdom, principally amongst the industrious classes, for the purpose of raising, by small periodical subscriptions, a fund to assist the members thereof in obtaining a small freehold or leasehold property," they also declared that it was expedient to afford encouragement and protection to such societies, and the property obtained therewith," and in furtherance of this view they passed the "Building Societies' Act" (6 and 7 Wm. IV., c. 32), which, although not as comprehensive as it might have been, has yet been the means of considerable benefit to those who are alive to the importance of availing themselves of it. 66 say, he intends to do, if only his "life be spared;"-but "death, the avenger," overtakes him, and then what is the position of affairs? The very engagement he has entered into for the benefit of his family becomes a clog upon them,-the means are not forthcoming for keeping up the monthly subscriptions due to the building society,the property therefore has to be prematurely put up for sale, and loss is most likely occasioned, either to the society, or to the family of the deceased member! This is no imaginary illustration; it is one of far too frequent occurrence; but, thanks to the progress of statistical science, it need no longer be a drawback upon habits of prudence and forethought. By a very small monthly or annual payment there are at least two respectable insurance offices (the East of England Life Office, and the Law Property Assurance Society) that will, in the event of the death of a borrowing member, either pay off in one sum the amount due to the society, or discharge all the future monthly payments as they accrue due to the society! Thus, in either case, the property will be rendered secure to the representatives of the deceased, and the society protected from the risk of loss. A slight example will serve fully to illustrate this useful feature:-A person aged 25, borrowing £100 of a building society, repayable. in ten years, may, by the payment of 2s. Ed. per month during the first, diminishing down to 4d. per month during the last year, secure, should he die, a sufficient sum to discharge his debt immediately, or for a similar monthly payment secure the future payment of his monthly subscriptions in the event of death, and thus leave his property unencumbered. Nearly all writers who have investigated this subject have been struck with the advantages building societies may be made to confer. But, as we have already shown, the great essential is that such societies should be in the hands of business menconducted with sound and vigorous management-no inducements being held forth which are not intended, and cannot, consistently with the interests of all parties, be carried out. We must not omit to remark that to building societies, as to almost all other matters of business or social life, "Life Insurance" has attached itself as a “faithful guardian and friend." We concoct schemes for the accumulation of wealth for the benefit of our fellow-creatures-or for the advancement of future generations; We have only now to add that the estibut to all our schemes the "dread uncer- mated number of building societies in operatainty of death" stands out in fearful anta- tion at this time, in the United Kingdom is gonism. The man who borrows a hundred 2,000, and their aggregate annual income or five hundred pounds of a building society about £5,000,000! Let those who have preto purchase his dwellinghouse, intends to viously looked upon these societies with repay the society full principal and interest, indifference pause, and they may discover and leave his "freehold " as an "inherit-"gold mines" nearer home than those of ance" to his wife and family, all this, we Australia, or California! C. W., Jun. Ir is the great privilege of poverty to be happy unenvied, to be healthful without physic, and secure without a guard. The Inquirer. QUESTIONS REQUIRING ANSWERS. 227. When passing through the Kyles of Bute one evening last summer, on board a steamboat, the motion of the paddles caused a beautiful blue light to be thrown out of the water, and which I saw reflected a long way behind. Could any of your correspondents account for this phenomenon; or say where I can find information on the subject.-A. M.D. 228. Can any one explain what is meant by the "Kentish fire" often mentioned in reports of public meetings. I suppose it a kind of applause: but of what kind, and why so called?-H. 229. Could any of the sage readers of the British Controversialist say whether it be a fact that greatness of intellect is almost invariably associated with dark-coloured hair; as this is asserted by some, and my own limited knowledge corroborates it; and I hear that all at the present day remarkable for genius or talent are characterized by this peculiarity? If so, can the connexion be in any way explained? And are there, or have there been any great men with hair of the opposite colour or of fair complexion?-ENITOR. 230. A writer in the last number of the Contro, versialist, who seems to have found his opponent's "logic" as unpleasant as his wit, has placed on record the following passage:-"Our theme is superlogical, and as such it is dangerous to sober thought,' with those who cannot rise above the trammels of a mere word-philosophy; and if, from our superlogical position, we are ineffective for forcing the convictions of logic-ensconced intellects, we, at all events, enjoy an immunity from the attacks of this wo.d-wielding class." I should be sorry to renew a contest between the two doughty champions of the late debate; but, as I have met with a similar idea two or three times lately, both in print and in oral converse, I should feel it a favour if any other impartial writers would give me their opinion on the philosophy of the above passage, and assist one who has been trying to ensconce his head in a helmet of logic, to obtain a clear and correct view of its The former decreasing in regular quantities, all that is necessary to obtain the end sought is to get two sets of pullies and place them in opposite directions, and one strap will then work on each pulley.-A SUBSCRIBER FROM NO. 1. 218. Her Majesty's Descent and Title to the British Crown. -The question of P. D. might cording to the different meanings attached to the form a fine subject for quibbling discussion acwords in right of." Strictly speaking, I should the British throne" in right of" her descent from be inclined to say that Queen Victoria occupies the Princess Sophia of Hanover, in whom, and the heirs of her body (lincal issue), the imperial crown was vested by the Act of Settlement (12 and 13 Will. and Mary, cap. 2). Most readers are aware that the crown is hereditary, and is governed in its descent by the ordinary laws of inheritance, with the exception, that in ordinary estates the right of primogeniture is confined to males, while in the case of the crown, it is extended to females. But this hereditary succession is not absolute and unconditional. Iu 1688, a convention of the English Houses of Parliament declared that James II. by certain acts had "abdicated the throne;" while our Scotch brethren, much more boldly, and (I conceive) truthfully, "did find and declare that" he had done certain unconstitutional acts, "whereby he had forefaulted (forfeited) the crown, and the throne was IV., the course of descent of the crown had been become vacant." Now, from the time of Henry repeatedly re-modelled and altered by the joint action of the king aud parliament for the time being consequently, in 1688, the throne being vacant by forfeiture, the parliaments of Scotland and England, as trustees for the nation, naturally assumed this power, and placed William and Mary on the throne, making further provisions. and limitations (some of them directly contravening the strict rules of inheritance) for the future 202. A Question. in Machinery.-In looking the Act of Settlement was passed, pointing out descent of the crown. A few years afterwards, over" The Inquirer" for January, I there find a question of the simplest kind, which I perceive from whom, on certain events (which subsequently has not yet received an answer; I therefore beg occurred), the descent of the crown should be. leave to furnish F. T. A. with the easiest rule he traced, and at the same time limiting that descent. will find, if he tries for twelve months, viz.,I think that the Act of Settlement might be by certain conditions. Indeed-to coin a phrase Addition. He having the whole of the speeds or pullies on one spindle given, and two on the other, all that he has simply to do is to find the number of inches added to 9 and 6, which will make them equal to the two outer pullies, viz.: province.-HOMUNCULUS. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. in. in. in. in. 15 15 15 15 described as having vested the crown of these realms in the Princess Sophia for an estate-tail Protestant, i. e., in her and such heirs of her body as are members of the Protestant Church of England. It can scarcely be said, therefore, that By a statute of Anne, it has since been made high treason to maintain" that the kings of this realm, with the authority of parliament, are not able to make laws to bind the crown and the inches respectively. The following must be done descent thereof." Y our beloved monarch reigns in right of her descent from the Stuart family; if we trace her right by descent beyond the Princess Sophia, we should ascend to Egbert, the first king of England, to Llewellyn the Great of Wales, and to Duncan, King of Scotland, whom Macbeth murdered. P. D.'s informant appears to have been playing on the strict meaning of the word "British. Our Queen, though not the direct heir, is a lineal descendant from James I., in whom the lines of descent from Egbert, William the Conqueror, Duncan, and Llewellyn, for the first time met in one person. It is a curious fact that in addition to her descent from these ancient founders of kingdoms, the Queen is also a lineal descendant from the founder of each separate dynastyNorman, Plantagenet, Tudor, Stuart, and Brunswick-which has reigned in England. As illustrating the foregoing remarks, and as the most interesting and ancient line, I may trace Her Majesty's descent upwards to Egbert, first sole monarch of England- -a period of 1050 years. Victoria is the granddaughter of George III., who was the grandson of George II., who was the grandson of Sophia, Princess of Hanover,* who was the granddaughter of James I.+ of Eng. land, who was the grandson of James V. of Scotland, who was the grandson of Henry VII. of England, by his wife Elizabeth, who was the granddaughter of Richard, Duke of York, who was the grandson of Roger Mortimer, Earl of March, who was the grandson of Lionel, Duke of Clarence (third son of Edward III.), who was the grandson of Edward II., who was the grandson of Henry III., who was the grandson of Henry II., who was the grandson of Henry I.,¶ by his wife Matilda, who was the granddaughter of Ed The Princess Sophia was the daughter of Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia, and daughter of James I. + James I. was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, the daughter of James V. of Scotland. James IV. of Scotland married Margaret, the eldest daughter of Henry VII. of England. 2 The father of Edward IV.; he was slain at the battle of Wakefield. Not having had access to any work on English history, while compiling the above genealogy, it is right to warn the reader that I feel some hesitation in trusting my memory as to the precise relationship between the Duke of York and Roger Mortimer. The claims of the Duke of York (who was son to the Earl of Cambridge by Anne, sister to the last Earl of March) were in right of his mother. Lionel, Duke of Clarence, left an only daughter, Philippa, who by marriage with Edmund Mortimer, had issue Roger Mortimer. The doubt in my own mind is whether Anne, the mother of the Duke of York, was the daughter or sister of this Roger Mortimer. The difference is not great, but I should be sorry to lead P. D. into an error, however trifling. The house of Mortimer being descended from Gladys, the sister of Llewellyn the Great, the right by descent to the supremacy of Wales thus joined the title to the English crown. Henry II. was the son of Geoffrey Plantagenet (whence the name of the dynasty) by Matilda, the daughter of Henry I. ward the outlaw,* who was the grandson f Ethelred, who was the grandson of Edmund the Elder, who was the grandson of Alfred the Great, who was the grandson of Egbert.-B. S. Since the Norman Conquest the crown of Eng. land has been hereditary. At the death of Elizabeth, the King of Scotland received the crown of England, in virtue of his grandmother having been a descendant of the house of Plantagenet, and he the nearest heir to the throne. His family retained the throne till the Revolution of 1688 (with the exception of the period of Cromwell's Protectorate), at which time King James's infant son, being a Roman Catholic, was passed over, and his daughter Mary, the wife of William, Prince of Orange, received the crown. Both of these dying without issue, as also their successor Anne, the crown was therefore settled upon the Princess Sophia (daughter of Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia, daughter of James I.), and her heirs, being Protestants. This princess died before Queen Aune, and her son George I., the Elector of Hanover, the immediate ancestor of Queen Victoria, was called to the crown. By this settlement it will be observed that the direct issue of King James II. are passed over, as well as of Henrietta, the daughter of Charles I., who married the Duke of Orleans, owing to their being Catholics. By an act in the reign of William III., no person who is a Roman Catholic, or married to a member of that persuasion, can sway the sceptre of Great Britain.- WALTER. 219. Vegetarianism.-Though no friends to the practice of vegetarianism, we are great lovers of fair-play in argument, and as such tender our services to " A Young Vegetarian." The source of his difficulty is a misconception of the nature of Biblical argument. If he wish to argue soundly, he must learn to confine Bible reasonings to moral, social, and religious questions. The Scriptures do not teach physiology or therapeutics. The Jewish dispensation found mana flesh-eating being; and for certain symbolic purposes it forbad certain meats; when those pur poses were accomplished, the meaning of the symbols was explained, and their abolition shown to Peter by the vision recorded in Acts x. The words "kill and eat," are consequently no more to be regarded as an argument against vegetarianism, than as a command that every man should become his own butcher and eat the raw flesh of those animals only which were pronounced unclean by the Mosaic law. If "A Young Vegetarian" should ever again meet an opponent who seriously urges the passage in question as an argument, we would advise him to refer to the conduct of Christ in the Pharisee's house, and to ask his opponent if he considers that a rational argument against clean hands. If " A Young Vegetarian" admits Bible arguments into his discussions he will find far greater difficulties than in the passage quoted; Edward the Outlaw (the son of the celebrated Edmund Ironside) had issue, Edgar Atheling (who died childless) and a daughter, Margaret. Margaret married Malcolm III., King of Scotland, by whom she had several children, and amongst the rest, Matilda, the wife of Henry I. of England. The sole issue of this latter marriage, living at the death of Henry I, was Matilda, or Maude, Empress of Germany, whose son ultimately suc ceeded to the English crown as Henry II. e.g., Abel was a keeper of sheep, and since sheep.nounced exactly as it is written. It is impossible skius-if wanted for clothing the few human to know with certainty how the Romans thembeings then alive (though we fancy they would selves pronounced it, but probably it was somebe inconveniently warm in Central Asia)-might what in the same way as modern Italian is now have been obtained without keeping sheep on a spoken. Latin is pronounced quite differently large scale. It is pretty evident that flesh-eating on the Continent to what it is in England, because was then in fashion, which, connected with the all nations now pronounce it exactly as it is writsupreme command over all animals given to ten, giving to each of the vowels the sound it has Adam, looks very like a Divine permission to kill, in their own language. One error, however, and a divinely-implanted instinct to eat animal beginners are liable to fall into:-Nubes, a cloud, food. Again, by express Divine command, the is two syllables, not one, and is pronounced newJewish priests received a portion of the flesh of bees. Miles, a soldier, is not sounded like the the animals sacrificed for their own sustenance, plural of the English word mile, but in two syland the whole Jewish nation were bound to eat lables, as my-lees. Amare, to love, is not prothe flesh of the paschal lamb, so that none of nounced like the feminine of a horse, but like God's peculiar people could have been vege- a Mary. These remarks may seem very absurd tarians without sin. Again, it was commanded, to some, but I really don't see how anybody "Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's would ever find them out himself, unless told. milk;" this precept was intended to warn the "Enitor next inquires the nature of Latin poetry. Jews against any approach to barbarity and The nature of Latin poetry is just the same as the cruelty, even in thought or appearance, yet it nature of English poetry, but we suppose it is goes on the assumption that the cruelty of killing the nature of Latin verse that is sought. All the a kid and eating boiled meat is permissible. But Eneid is written in what is called Hexameter no candid reasoner will urge these or any other verse. This word is derived from the Greek Hex, scriptural arguments against vegetarianism, un- six, and metron, a measure; and the verse is so less its supporters commit the folly of arguing called because it has six feet in it. But what is the question on moral grounds. If our friend is a foot? Let us take a line of English verse for resolved to become "a Biblical Vegetarian," we an example:can only pity his woful position as a disputant, and regret that the sacred volume should be dragged into a squabble on the subject-matter of cookery. Comparative anatomy, human physiology, chemistry, and experience as to its results -these are the battle-fields on which "A Young Vegetarian" should war against those who, like ourselves, are (so long as it is not abused) friends to-A GOOD ROUND OF BEEF. 225. The Principles of the English Language. -In reply to the inquiries of E. S. I would recommend him to procure the latest edition of Walkers" Dictionary," containing the additional words (of which there are some thousands) that have been introduced since the publication of the first issue of that work. He should then study carefully the Principles of English Pronunciation," prefixed to it; and in the meantime he should not pass over a word he sees in the course of his reading, or hears in conversation, of the pronunciation of which he is not certain, without referring to the dictionary, and fixing its true sound in his memory. For correcting false and teaching true pronunciation, E. S. could not do better than read regularly Pitman's "Phonetic Journal," which comes out weekly, and his other phonetic serials in the phonotypic character. We strongly advise the study of Dr. Beards "Lessons in English," price 3s., for teaching thoroughly the composition of the words of our language. Should E. S. take this course, I venture to say he will not fail to be greatly benefited, as I have derived great advantage from it myself. -ENITOR. 226. The Pronunciation of Latin, &c.-Perhaps the following remarks will be what" Enitor" requires. The Latin language should be pro " "Who can decide when doctors disagree? It will be seen that there are just ten syllables in this line. Two syllables are called a foot, hence there are five feet in the above line. Every line in the " Paradise Lost" has five feet. It is the dividing of lines, or verses as they are called when reference is made to Latin lines, into feet which is called scanning. But the scanning of Latin verse is not quite so simple. Two kinds of feet are used in the composition of Hexaineter verses, one containing three syllables, the other two. The foot of three syllables is called a Dactyl; the foot of two syllables is called a Spondee. A dactyl is composed of one long syllable followed by two short ones; a spondee of two long ones: for one long syllable is equivalent to two short ones. A long syllable is marked thus - ; a short one thus. Let us now examine the first line of the Æneid. "Arma virum que cano, Trojæ qui primus aboris." This when divided into feet, or scauned, is as follows: Armă virum que că | nō Trō | jæ qui | primus ab ōris. It will be seen that there are six feet in the verse, the first two being Dactyls, the second two Spondees, the fifth a Dactyl, and the last a Spondee. In every Hexameter verse the last foot is a Spondre, and the last but one a Dactyl. The remaining four may be either Dactyls or Spondees at the pleasure of the writer. With regard to the pronunciation of long and short vowels, we can only say tha a long vowel must be pronounce long, and a short vowel short. To take the accent on the first syllable; thus, implicate. an English example, implicate is sounded with If the accent were on the second syllable, the i of the second syllable would be long; thus, implicate. So in the above line of the Eneid, virum is pronounced vir'um uot virum; and cano is sounded can'o, not ca no; primus is pronounced primus, |