Missouri Botanical Garden

PETER H. RAVEN LIBRARY

Pagination Note:

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luaossiiM

Dear Sir: ^qhVS

.1 send you, herewith, the proof of \\\€'-%3Qj^ntcal Directory,
purposed - to be issued with, or as, the November No. of the
Botanical Bulletin, and ask your kind assistance in making it as*'
complete as "possible. You will double the favor by returning it
with y our remarks as speedily "as may be convenient. ^

As it js based on that published by the Essex Institute some
Nky'^rs i\is pfobablc that there have been many changes.

Be so good as to mark with a cross those addresses which you
know to be correct ; with a query those whose title you doubt ;
to correct those which are wrong ; and to add what you can.

It is desirable to embra'ce in this list all who are actively inter-
ested in any department of the science, embracing anatomists and
physiologists as well as systematists ; the students of fossil as well
as of living planls^'^bf Cryptogams as well as of Phenerogams ;
an*d likewise^the artists^ho illustrate thes%,subjecLs., ^ ^

By complying with this request you will much oblige.

IJVDIA AJVn ITS NATIVE PRINCES.

65

INDIA AND ITS NATIVE PRINCES.

India w . the land of ancient traditions,
and the birthplace of languages and religions.
According to the system of the Hindus, the
present age of the world is divided into
four grand periods, comprehending to the
year 1875 a space of three million eight
hundred and ninety-two thousand nine hun-
dred and sixty-nine years. That “ boastful
VoL. XL— 5.

and turgid vanity ” which Mr. Mills, the his-
torian, tells us characterizes all Oriental na-
tions, might as well have claimed double this
number of years as the measure of Hindu
antiquity, for one period could have been
comprehended by the mind as easily as the
other. On the other hand, philologists and
students of mythology, or of the history of

66 IJVJ?IA

religions, could have found a few hundred
thousand years quite as ample as three or
four millions to beget that obscurity, uncer-
tainty, and contradiction which have afforded
ample scope for the exploitation of all sorts
of theories and for the construction of sys-
tems innumerable. Histories of India^ which
are rarely, if ever, read, burden the shelves
of all libraries. But, if its chronology is to
the last degree confusing, and, indeed, in-
comprehensible, the country itself surpasses
all others in that which interests the traveler
and fascinates the reader. The terms mag-
nificence, grandeur, and splendor do not
reach the limit of hyperbole without the pre-
fix Oriental,” and India is the country, of all
countries, which has given this adjective to the
vocabulary. Its luxuriant forests and inter-
minable jungles abound in the noblest game
that ever falls before the sportsman’s rifle.
Accounts of travels through the country are
therefore sure to be diversified with thrilling
adventure. Its temples surpass those to be
found in any other country, not only in num-
ber, but in colossal grandeur and exquisite
delicacy of architecture ; the antiquity of its
ruins and their wonderful extent give the arch-
seologist the widest scope for research; and its
native princes, although shorn of much of
their former glory, still live in a magnificent
luxury, which revives the glories of the “Ara-
bian Nights,” and makes even those imagi-
native tales seem at least to be founded in
fact. There is a marvelous fascination in
accounts of this strange land, and when the
narrative is rehearsed by an impressionable
and enthusiastic Frenchman, whose imagi-
nation is keenly alive to the scenes through
which he passed, and who has unusual skill
in depicting with pen and pencil the won-
ders he witnesses, we have a book of travels
not only interesting and valuable for the in-
formation it conveys, but which, in its exter-
nal attractions, reaches the dignity of a
work of art. Such a volume is that superb
quarto, “India and its Native Princes:
Travels in Central India in the Presidencies
of Bombay and Bengal,” by M. Louis Rous-
selet, just issued in this country by Messrs.
Scribner, Armstrong & Co. M. Rousselet’s
journeys in India covered a period of between
four and five years, — from 1864 to 1868.
During this time he visited the extreme south-
ern part of the peninsula, reaching Seringa-
patam and Outakamand, Hyderabad and
Aurungabad. To the northward he visited
Agra, Delhi, Meerut, and the mountainous re-
gion of Peshawur, meanwhile traveling exten-
sively in the interior. Crossing the country.

he stopped at Lucknow, Benares and Patna,
thus reaching Calcutta, whence he visited
all the points of interest in the adjacent
country. Then going down the coast to
Madras and Pondicherry, he made a short
stay in Ceylon, and so returned home. This
brief itinerary is sufficient to indicate the
thoroughness with which M. Rousselet pros-
ecuted his explorations. No other work of
travels in this extremely interesting country
gives so comprehensive a view of it, and none
other sketches with such fidelity and sus-
tained interest its wonderful ruins, its mag-
nificent temples, and the characteristics of
its people and their rulers.

Without following M. Rousselet step by
step — for this would involve a reproduction
of the volume itself— we shall present, with
slight abridgment and disconnectedly, a few
of his picturesque descriptions and instruct-
ive paragraphs.

Reaching Bombay in the midst of the
rainy season — in July, 1864 — our traveler
was detained there until it should be practi-
cable to penetrate the interior. But the two
or three months spent in this active com-
mercial city and its vicinity were industri-
ously improved. A glance at the map will
show that the island of Bombay forms part
of an important group of islands, which,
placed in front of the estuary of a river, ap-
pear to form a kind of delta. It is the port
of arrival for all who come from Persia, from
Arabia, from Affghanistan, and the coast of
Africa; and from it the pilgrims from Hindus-
tan, bound to Mecca, Karbala, or Nujilf, take
their departure. Besides the indigenous races,
which still present great variety, one meets
the Persian with his high cap of Astrakhan ;
the Arab in his Biblical costume ; the Tomale
negro with fine, intelligent features ; the Chi-
nese, the Burmese, and the Malay. The
corpulent Buniahs of Kutch or Goojerat,
with their pyramids of muslin on their heads,
raise their voices in rivalry with the natives
of Cabul or Scinde ; the Hindu fakir, naked
and hideously painted, elbows the Portu-
guese priest in his sable robe, and the beg-
gar, clad in tatters and repulsive in the ex-
treme, clamors for alms.

Bombay supplies the products of Europe
to two-thirds of India. The trade of which
it has legitimately the command, apparently
ought to be sufficient to satisfy the ambi-
tion of its merchants, but M. Rousselet re-
minds us of a time when they boldly
grasped after more, and, failing, plunged the
community into the disorders of a terrible
crisis. The series of events which had this

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PAPERS

THE STORY OF SEVENOAKS.

85

who had no stake in the contest. His im-
partiality came from indifference. He had
an opportunity to show his knowledge and
his skill, and he delighted in it.

“ What is your name, witness ? ” inquired
Mr. Balfour.

‘‘ Albert Timms, at your service.”

“ What is your calling, sir ? ”

“ I have at present the charge of a depart-
ment in the School of Mines. My specialties
are chemistry and microscopy.”

“ You are specially acquainted with these
branches of natural science, then ? ”

“ I am, sir.”

“ Have you been regarded as an expert in
the detection of forgery ?”

“ I have been called as such in many cases
of the kind, sir.”

“ Then you have had a good deal of ex-
perience in such things, and in the various
tests by which such matters are deter-
mined ? ”

“ I have, sir.”

“ Have you examined the assignment and
the autograph letters which have been in your
hands during the recess of the court ? ”

“ I have, sir.”

‘‘ Do you know either the plaintiff or the
defendant in this case ? ”

“ I do not, sir. I never saw either of them
until to-day.”

Has any one told you about the nature
of these papers, so as to prejudice your mind
in regard to any of them ? ”

No, sir. I have not exchanged a word
with any one in regard to them.”

“ What is your opinion of the two letters ? ”
‘‘ That they are veritable autographs.”

“ How do you judge this ? ”

“ From the harmony of the signatures
with the text of the body of the letters, by
the free and natural shaping and interflowing
of the lines, and by a general impression of
truthfulness which it is very difficult to com-
municate in words.”

What do you think of the signatures to
the assignment ? ”

“ I think they are all counterfeits but
one.”

“ Professor Timms, this is a serious matter.
You should be very sure of the truth of a
statement like this. You say you think they
are counterfeits : why ? ”

“ If the papers can be handed to me,”
said the witness, “ I will show what leads me
to think so.”

The papers were handed to him, and,
placing the letters on the bar on which he
had been leaning, he drew from his pocket

a little rule, and laid it lengthwise along the
signature of Nicholas Johnson. Having re-
corded the measurement, he next took the
corresponding name on the assignment.

“ I find the name of Nicholas Johnson of
exactly the same length on the assignment
that it occupies on the letter,” said he.

Is that a suspicious circumstance ? ”

It is, and, moreover” (going on with his
measurements), “ there is not the slightest
variation between the two signatures in the
length of a letter. Indeed, to the naked
eye, one signature is the counterpart of the
other, in every characteristic.”

“ How do you determine, then, that it is
anything but a genuine signature ? ”

The imitation is too nearly perfect.”

“ How can that be ? ”

Well, no man writes his signature twice
alike. There is not one chance in a million
that he will do so, without definitely at-
tempting to do so, and then he will be
obliged to use certain appliances to guide
him.”

“ Now, will you apply the same test to the
other signature ? ”

Professor Timms went carefully to work
again with his measure. He examined the
form of every letter in detail, and compared
it with its twin, and declared, at the close
of his examination, that he found the second
name as close a counterfeit as the first.

Both names on the assignment, then, are
exact fac-similes of the names on the auto-
graph letters ? ” said Mr. Balfour.

“ They are, indeed, sir — quite wonderful
reproductions.”

“ The work must have been done, then,
by a very skillful man ? ” said Mr. Balfour.

The Professor shook his head pityingly.

“ Oh, no, sir,” he said. “ None but
bunglers ever undertake a job like this.
Here, sir, are two forged signatures. If
one genuine signature, standing alone, has
one chance in a million of being exactly
like any previous signature of the writer,
two standing together have not one chance
in ten millions of being exact fac-similes of
two others brought together by chance.”

How were these fac-similes produced ? ”
inquired Mr. Balfour.

“ They could only have been produced by
tracing first with a pencil, directly over the
signature to be counterfeited.”

“Well, this seems very reasonable, but
have you any further tests ? ”

“ Under this magnifying glass,” said the
Professor, pushing along his examination at
the same time, “ I see a marked difference

. noTAWCRt C V

86 ' : THE -S^SY OF SEVENOAKS.

between the signatures on the two papers,
which is not apparent to the naked eye.
The letters of the genuine autograph have
smooth, unhesitating lines; those of the
counterfeits present certain minute irregu-
larities that are inseparable from painstaking
and slow execution. Unless the Court and
the jury are accustomed to the use of a glass,
and to examinations of this particular char-
acter, they will hardly be able to see just
what I describe, but I have an experiment
which will convince them that I am right.”

“ Can you perform this experiment here,
and now ? ”

I can, sir, provided the Court will per-
mit me to establish the necessary conditions.

I must darken the room, and as I notice
that the windows are all furnished with,
shutters, the matter may be very quickly and
easily accomplished.”

“ Will you describe the nature of your ex-
periment ? ”

Well, sir, during the recess of the court
I have had photographed upon glass all the
signatures. These, with the aid of a solar
microscope, I can project upon the wall be-
hind the jury, immensely enlarged, so that
the peculiarities I have described may be
detected by every eye in the house, with
others, probably, if the sun remains bright
and strong, that I have not alluded to.”

‘‘ The experiment will be permitted,” said
the Judge, “ and the officers and the janitor
will give the Professor all the assistance he
needs.”

“ Gradually, as the shutters were closed,
the room grew dark, and the faces of Judge,
jury, and the anxious-looking parties within
the bar, grew weird and wan among the
shadows. A strange silence and awe de-
scended upon the crowd. The great sun in
heaven was summoned as a witness, and the
sun would not lie. A voice was to speak to
them from a hundred millions of miles away
— a hundred millions of miles near the realm
toward which men looked when they dream-
ed of the Great White Throne.

They felt as a man might feel, were he
conscious, in the darkness of the tomb, when
waiting for the trump of the resurrection
and the breaking of the everlasting day.
Men heard their own hearts beat, like the
tramp of trooping hosts ; yet there was one
man who was glad of the darkness. To
him the judgment day had come ; and the
closing shutters were the rocks that covered
him. He could see and not be seen. He
could behold his own shame and not be con-
scious that five hundred eyes were upon him.

All attention was turned to the single pair
of shutters not entirely closed. Outside of
these the Professor had established his helio-
stat, and then gradually, by the aid of
drapery, he narrowed down the entrance
of light to a little aperture where a single
silver bar entered and pierced the darkness
like a spear. Then this was closed by the
insertion of his microscope, and, leaving his
apparatus in the hands of an assistant, he
felt his way back to his old position.

“ May it please the Court, I am ready for
the experiment,” he said.

“The witness will proceed,” said the
Judge.

“ There will soon appear upon the wall,
above the heads of the jury,” said Professor
Timms, “ the genuine signature of Nicholas
J ohnson, as it has been photographed from
the autograph letter. I wish the Judge and
jury to notice two things in this signature —
the cleanly cut edges of the letters, and the
two lines of indentation produced by the
two prongs of the pen in its down-stroke.
They will also notice that, in the up-stroke
of the pen, there is no evidence of indenta-
tion whatever. At the point where the up-
stroke begins, and the down-stroke ends,
the lines of indentation will come together
and cease.”

As he spoke the last word, the name swept
through the darkness over an unseen track
and appeared upon the wall within a halo
of amber light. All eyes saw it, and all
found the characteristics that had been pre-
dicted. The Professor said not a word.
There was not a whisper in the room.
When a long minute had passed, the light
was shut off.

“ Now,” said the Professor, “ I will show
you in the same place the name of Nicholas
Johnson as it has been photographed from
the signatures to the assignment. What I
wish you to notice particularly in this signa-
ture is, first, the rough and irregular edges
of the lines which constitute the letters.
They will be so much magnified as to pre-
sent very much the appearance of a Virginia
fence. Second, another peculiarity which
ought to be shown in the experiment — one
which has a decided bearing upon the char-
acter of the signature. If the light continues
strong, you will be able to detect it. The
lines of indentation made by the two prongs
of the pen will be evident, as in the real
signature. I shall be disappointed if there
does not also appear a third line, formed by
the pencil which originally traced the letters,
and this line will not only accompany, in an

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^EORGE ENGELMAR!'!

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