There is so much frankness and sorrow in this confession of a national sin against good manners, that the least thing we can do is to assure Dr Ware, that he takes much too favourable a view of the habits of the English in the matter in question.  That among the highly-educated, the refined, and in what is called ‘good society’ generally, no one is guilty of the crime he speaks of, is quite true; but we take leave to say that inferior grades of people—­the bulk of those walking the street, for example—­are about as guilty of it as are the Americans; and it must doubtless be from this source that our transatlantic brethren have been contaminated.  This hint as to the origin of a bad practice may perhaps suggest amendment in those departments of our population where it is required.  Might not something also be done in the way of school instruction?

FOOTNOTES: 

[6] ’Let six such Americans meet round a stove, in a bar-room, or parlour, or hotel drawing-room, of a morning—­of the six, four will spit before speaking a word; one will bid good-morning first, and spit afterwards; the sixth will make a remark somewhat at length upon the weather, and, by way of compensation for extraordinary retention, spit twice or thrice.’

‘THE MAGNETOSCOPE.’

In No. 415 of this Journal, we printed a paper with the above title, merely as one likely to excite interest, but warning the reader that we did not ourselves vouch for its statements.  This caution appears to have been very necessary; for Dr Madden—­the substance of whose lecture was given in the article—­now declares, that ’very shortly after its delivery, he, in common with many others, detected a serious fallacy in the whole series of experiments; and that, by prosecuting his inquiry in this new direction, he ascertained that not one of the hitherto recorded experiments can be looked upon as proving the existence of magnetic currents at all.’  The pendulations, it seems, are caused solely by ’slight mechanical impulsions, unconsciously or half consciously conveyed to the instrument by the luckless experimentalist.’

VILLAGE CLEANING.

It is a serious mistake to suppose that sanitary arrangements are required only for London and other large cities.  Few small towns or even villages are exactly what they should be as regards health.  Villages, indeed, by having no jurisdiction, are in many cases far more unhealthy than populous towns.  We could point out a village of a few hundred inhabitants—­a pretty place to look at, at a distance—­where there is much mortality among infants and others in consequence of foul gutters and bad drainage.  In a small pamphlet, forming an appeal to the ratepayers of Keswick on this subject, there occur the following observations respecting the state of a place called Braithwaite, which we candidly believe might apply