ary session begins, and to conclude when it ends. As we have already said, in the course of the month of March whitebait generally make their appearance in the Thames, being then exceedingly small, apparently but only quite recently changed from the albuminous state of the young fry. During the ensuing months they are caught in immense numbers, not only being consumed by the constant succession of visitors who frequent the different taverns situated in the neighborhood of Greenwich and Blackwall; but large supplies being every day dispatched to the metropolis by railway or steamer, where they may be seen in almost every fishmonger's shop, and advertised on tavern cartes of all descriptions.

During the past forty or fifty years, too, whitebait-catching has has become quite an important branch of British fishery, and, with the ever-growing popularity of this fish, is yearly, it would appear, increasing in value. Indeed, we are informed that one firm alone pays as much as a hundred pounds a week in wages during the season; and at another place the large sum of one thousand pounds is paid every year as wages to the whitebait-catchers. These figures are alone sufficient to show how many thousands of the poorer classes are more or less supported by what is looked upon as an article of luxury; and when it is therefore considered how highly beneficial the popularity of this fashionable delicacy is in promoting the livelihood of those whose шeans are next to nothing, we can only hope that its well-deserved popularity will continue, for years to come, to retain the honored place of supremacy which it now holds.

As regards the origin of the term "whitebait there is every reason for supposing that its name is due to its beautiful whiteness when first caught. Thus, in former years, these little fishes were used as 'bait" for the crab-pots, and were called "whitebait" in contradistinction to the baits that were not white. Cuvier describes it under the title of harengale blanquette," remarking that the little silver fish is of

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a most brilliant silvery white, and that its fins are in like manner of pure white." Mr. Yarrell, also, speaks of the whitebait as "clupea alba.'

In

Flanders, where whitebait are caught in the Scheldt, near the mouth of the Durme, they bear the French provincial name of Mange-tout,' a by no means inappropriate expression. A common Flemish name, too, is "pin," which is perhaps in allusion to the diminutiveness of their form. Referring to the particular mode of catching whitebait by which a constant supply is daily obtained for the enormous demand during the season, it would seem that in years gone by this practice was considered highly injurious to the fry of fish in general; and hence the rule and order of the lord mayor was to the following effect: "No person shall take at any time of the year any sort of fish usually called whitebait, upon pain to forfeit and pay five pounds for every such offence; it appearing to this court that, under pretence of taking whitebait, the small fry of various species of fish are thereby destroyed.' At Gravesend, whitebait are frequently caught by the Thames fishermen in the small meshed nets used for taking shrimps-generally known as trinker nets.'

At one time whitebait seems to have been eaten by the lower orders, if we may rely on a statement of Mr. Pennant, who, alluding to this fish, tells us, 'they are esteemed very delicious when fried with fine flour, and occasion duiing the season a vast resort of the lower order of epicures to the taverns contiguous to the places where they are taken.' If, indeed, this statement be correct, a great change must have come over the class of epicures frequenting Greenwich and Blackwall since Pennant's day; for nowadays it is not the poor, but rather the higher and richer classes, who can afford to sit down to a whitebait dinner. Thus, among those who honor, from time to time, a whitebait dinner with their presence may be found representatives of the highest and most exalted personages in the land, extending from the Court of St. James's Palace at the fashionable West End to the Lord Mayor and Corporation in the East. For many years, too-although from various circumstances, the rule has occasionally been broken through-it has been customary for her majesty's ministers to bid adieu to their parliamentary labors by partaking at Green

wich of their annual fish dinner," at which not the least in importance among the many sumptuous articles of fare is the dish of whitebait," with its homely accompaniment of brown bread and butter, and refreshing cup of iced punch. As regards the cooking of whitebait, one of the special conditions for its success, when prepared for the table, has been that they should be directly netted out of the river, into the cook's caldron. At the same time, however, there can be no doubt that the delicacy of this little fish rests as much upon its skilful cookery as upon its freshness. In days gone by the chief rendezvous for lovers of whitebait during the summer months was Lovegrove's 'bait-kitchens" at Blackwall, where it was said to be cook ed with the utmost skill. The manner in which it was dressed may be briefly summed up as thus: The fish was generally cooked within an hour after being caught, and for this purpose it was kept in water, from whence it was taken by a skimmer as occasion required; they were then thrown upon a layer of flour contained in a large napkin, in which they were thoroughly shaken until completely enveloped in flour; they were next put into a colander, the superfluous flour being removed by sifting. As soon as this process was over, they were put into hot lard contained in a copper saucepan placed over a charcoal fire, and in about two minutes were removed by means of a tin skimmer, then thrown into a colander to drain, and immediately served up, being placed on a fish drainer in a dish. Of course the rapidity of the cooking was of the utmost importance, otherwise they lost their crispness. In Flanders the manner of cooking whitebait is quite primitive, though the only one, we are told, agreeable to the taste of the people. Of every little fish the tail is clipped off with scissors, boiling water is kept ready on the fire, and the whitebait is cast into it. At the first bubbling of the water, which happens in a minute or two, the fish are immediately strained, and dished up; melted butter being the only sauce. Although the method of cooking them is extremely simple, they are nevertheless relished as one of the greatest delicacies, and, as such, are in constant demand.

Once more, the present paper would

The

not be complete without a short notice of the ministerial fish dinner, the origin of which is somewhat obscure. According to one account, in the early part of the last century, a very high tide in the Thames broke down a portion of the sea-wall that protected the marshes of Essex, near the village of Dagenham. An extensive tract of valuable land was, in consequence of this occurrence, flooded and lost; and notwithstanding various costly attempts carried on for a succession of years, the breach remained in its deplorable condition. At last, however, in the year 1721, an engineer named Perry was successful in his endeavors to repair the wall-a feat which, it is reported, made as great a sensation at that time as the construction of the Thames Tunnel in after years. work, however, was considered of such importance that an act of Parliament was passed, appointing a body of commissioners for its superintendence. These when elected were mostly city gentlemen, and they soon arranged among themselves a dinner as a preliminary step for afterward discussing their business. In a short time it was discovered that the inland lake of water, which it was found almost impossible to drain entirely off, produced excellent freshwater-fish. Hence we are told, on the authority of a correspondent of Notes and Queries, their visits came to be connected with a dinner of fresh fish, caught and served up in the board-room, which formed part of a building close to the floodgates, usually known as Breach House, and which had been purposely erected for the accommodation of the superintendent of the works. This dinner soon became an annual institution, and many of the commissioners who had country houses in different parts of Essex contributed not only wines from their cellars, but fruit and flowers from their gardens for dessert. Distinguished guests, too, were invited, including the cabinet ministers, the latter being conveyed from Whitehall in the royal and admiralty barges. Hence, in course of time, it became a kind of ministerial whitebait dinner; and afterward, owing to the long journey from Westminster, the scene was changed from Breach House and transferred to one of the taverns at Greenwich.

Another origin, however, has been assigned to this annual festivity, which is as curious as the preceding one. Many years ago, on the banks of Dagenhain Reach, in Essex, a merchant named Preston, a baronet of Scotland, and some time M.P. for Dover, occupied a cottage, where he was in the habit of seeking quietude and relief from his parliamentary and mercantile anxieties; frequently entertaining as his guest the Right Honorable George Rose, secretary of the treasury. On one occasion Mr. Rose accidentally happened to intimate to his host that he was quite sure Mr. Pitt, of whose friendship both were proud, would much enjoy a visit to such a charming country nook, removed, as it was, from the bustle and turmoil of every-day life. The premier was accordingly invited, and so much enjoyed his visit that he readily accepted an invitation for the following year. After be ing Sir Robert Preston's guest several

times, it was finally decided that, as Dagenham Reach was a long distance from London, and the premier's time was valuable, they should henceforth dine together near Westminster. Thus Greenwich was selected, and as this place was more central, other guests were invited to meet the premier, who in time included most of the cabinet ministers. As, however, the dinner was now no longer of a private character, and embraced many visitors personally unacquainted with Sir Robert Preston, it was decided that he should be spared the expense; but, as a compromise, he insisted on supplying a buck and the champagne. The time for dining together was generally after Trinity Monday-a short time before the close of the session. On the death of Sir Robert Preston, the dinner assumed a political character, and the party was limited to the cabinet ministers.--Belgravia Magazine.

ILLUSIONS: A Psychological Study. By James Sully. (International Scientific Series. Volume xxxiii.) New York: D. Appleton & Co.

This volume, as the author explains in his preface, embraces in its view “not only the illusions of sense dealt with in treatises on physiological optics, etc., but also other errors familiarly known as illusions, and resembling the former in their structure and mode of origin." First pointing out the distinction between illusion and hallucination, Mr. Sully proceeds to deal in regular order with illusions of perception (that is to say, errors which counterfeit actual perceptions), dreams, illusions of introspection (errors arising from misubservation or misinterpretation of internal feelings), illusions of insight, illusions of memory, and illusions of belief. To some one, often to several, of these forms of illusion nearly every man is sometimes liable. " Hardly anybody," says Mr. Sully, "is always consistently sober and rational in his perceptions and beliefs. A momentary fatigue of the nerves, a little mental excitement, a relaxation of the effort of attention by which we continually take our bearings with respect to the real world about us, will produce just the same kind of confusion of reality and phantasm which we observe in the insane. To give but an example: the play of fancy which leads to a detection of animal and other forms in clouds, is known to be an occupation of the insane,

and is rightly made use of by Shakespeare as a mark of incipient mental aberration in Hamlet; and yet this very same occupation is quite natural to children, and to imaginative adults when they choose to throw the reins on the neck of their phantasy. Our luminous circle of rational perceptions is surrounded by a misty penumbra of illusion."

In his method of treatment, Mr. Sully confines himself in general to the classification and description of the various forms of illusions, and to showing by analysis and by example how these are distinguished from the normal operations of the mind; but at the close of his exposition he allows himself a little wider range, and points out how the psychology of the subject leads on to its philosophy. From the latter point of view, strictly applied, the whole of nature would seem to be illusory, and men "such stuff as dreams are made of;" and we are compelled to admit that, as George Eliot observes, what we call illusions are often, in truth, a wider vision of past and present realities—a willing movement of a man's soul with the larger sweep of the world's forces." Mr. Sully, however, finds a reasonable ground for philosophic certitude in the scientific assumption of a coincidence between permanent common intuition and objective reality. He thinks that the operation of the law of evolution in society would insure that common beliefs should be in the main true beliefs, and he holds that a stable basis for

philosophical inference is furnished by a body of commonly accepted belief. As the conclusion of his investigation he says: "It would thus appear that philosophy tends, after all, to unsettle what appear to be permanent convictions of the common mind and the presuppositions of science much less than is sometimes imagined. Our intuitions of external realities, our indestructible belief in the uniformity of nature, in the nexus of cause and effect, and so on, are, by the admission of all philosophers, at least partially and relatively true; that is to say, true in relation to certain features of our common experience. At the worst they can only be called illusory as slightly misrepresenting the exact results of this experience. And even so, the misrepresentation must, by the very nature of the case, be practically insignificant. And so in full view of the subtleties of philosophic speculation, the man of science may still feel justified in regarding his standard of truth-a stable consensus of belief-as above suspicion."

A feature of the work which enhances greatly its attractiveness for the general reader is the large number of interesting facts, anecdotes, and experiments with which many of the special points are illustrated. Mr. Sully has done wisely in addressing his book to the great public of intelligent readers and not merely to a few special students of psychology.

POEMS. By Oscar Wilde. Boston: Roberts Brothers.

From time to time during the past year or two, rumors, generally designed to convey a ludicrous impression, have reached America of a new social sect called Esthetes," which had arisen in London, and entirely dispossessed, for the moment at least, the milder absurdities of the Pre-Raphaelites. According to the reports, the votaries of this sect are distinguished by sentiments that are quite too utterly utter for utterance;" by a propensity to invest themselves in a greenery-yallery, Grosvenor gallery" sort of color; by a fondness for inviting their friends to stumble over furniture in the "dim, religious light" of halfdarkened chambers; and by a habit of ing off a lily" in preference to more vulgar and substantial food. The acknowledged leader of this sect is a young man named Oscar Wilde, who was the son of a distinguished physician in Dublin, and who is now one of the bestknown figures in London society. The first achievement that won him notoriety was the invention of the now famous saying, We must try and live up to our blue china ;" and since then, as the "Maudle" of Du Maurier's caricatures, he has been immortalized in Punch. To the ridicule and revilings thus

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It must be admitted, in justice to Mr. Wilde, that his poetry is much better than his social performances would have led us to expectmuch better than those who have gotten into the habit of ridiculing him are now disposed to acknowledge. It is too imitative- too much the echo of the work of other poets, particularly of Swinburne—to be assigned a positively high rank; but it shows culture, study, poetic sensibility, an unusual facility in the management of difficult metres and complex rhythmical movements, and a very remarkable command of language. Only Swinburne surpasses him in what we may call volubility and an easy rapidity of style, and none of the younger poets has shown such dexterity in the technical features of his art. In fact one would have to recognize great promise in his work but for the taint of insincerity and affectation which pervades it all, and the fleshly and lascivious suggestions in which his imagination seems to revel. It is very speedily discovered that Mr. Wilde has no convictions, nor anything that is permanent enough to be regarded as opinions. The prey of every passing whim or emotion, he perpetually contradicts and discredits himself; and the reader is inclined to resent such perfervid intensity of language when he finds that it means nothing except a sort of gymnastic exercise of the vocabulary. It is to be observed, moreover, that this taint of insincerity gives a peculiarly offensive flavor to the pruriences in which the author deals. To give expression to the genuine feelings of an ardent and sensuous temperament is, perhaps, in a sense excusable; but to simulate these feelings in order to secure a plausible excuse for pruriency merits the severest reprobation. The time will come, we venture to think, when Mr. Wilde, perceiving this for himself, will deeply regret some of the poems of this volume. We think so because we are confident that he is capable of much better and higher work than any he has yet done. SCIENTIFIC CULTURE AND OTHER ESSAYS. By Josiah Parsons Cooke, Professor of Chemistry and Mineralogy in Harvard College. New York: D. Appleton & Co.

Apart from the merit of lucid exposition of scientific theories and discoveries, which these essays possess in an unusual degree, they will command the admiration of every thoughtful reader for the effective manner in which the author denounces the perversion of true mental culture, which is involved in the so-called