PSA - Spectator magazine archives now free and online

[Richard Hakluyt]

The Spectator is a centre-right British magazine that has been published since 1828. They have been busy and archived the entire magazine. Introduction and link here :

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2013/06/welcome-to-the-spectator-archive-180-years-of-history-now-online/

This is a very worthwhile resource, strongly recommended 

[Brazen]

I always think of the Bojo years whenever I'm forced to make up a quote 

[mongers]

I'm largely bored with Languish nowadays and find some of you exceptionally irritating.

[Sheilbh]

Amazing. Striking little nuggets everywhere and some amazing articles. I love this from the end-of-year 1870 edition:

The extraordinary efficiency of Prussian administration, pro- bably the most efficient for its purposes in the world, cornea out in the government of occupied provinces outside Alsace and Lorraine. Herr Bethmann Holweg, for example, German Prefect of the Meuse, during his term of office there has re-established the post, repaired all the roads, reopened a canal destroyed by Baron David, protected the railways and telegraphs by fines for damage, stopped the rinderpeat, and reopened all the schools and lyceums. The taxes are regularly collected, and the strike of the judicial authorities has been met by establishing military tribunals, which take cognizance of all charges down to wife-beating. The extraordinary thing is, that in a district like this, out of the way of the actual campaign, nobody interferes with Herr Holweg, who is obeyed with very little more opposition than in Germany. One cannot help wondering how he would find it if he had Kent to govern.

[fhdz]

There are few things quite so charming as being enamored of a strongman from afar.

[Syt]

They may want to proof-read some of those scans, though:

Quaes Vicroata has been showing herself to the troops who have re- turned from the Crimea

Also, that quote sounds naughty.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Yes, they have done it on the cheap and some of the fonts used (especially in older issues) have posed difficulties to the OCR equipment. You can zoom in on the original text if it gets confusing.

Proof-reading by volunteers would be good; if they had to pay for the proof-reading then one suspects they would have to charge.

[Syt]

From an August 1854 issue:

IRELAND.

At Dublin, On Saturday, two Hebrew gentlemen, named Salomon and Lazarus, tendered informations to the Capel Street Magistrate, in order that a warrant might be issued for the arrest of Mr. Edmond O'Flaherty on a charge of forging signatures to certain bills of exchange. Mr. Maurice Saloman, Jeweller, deposed that Mr. O'Flaherty reseed to him a bill for 4501., dated 1st May 18,14, purporting to be drawn by Lord Dunkellin upon Lord Boling- broke, and indorsed to William Keogh, Solicitor-General for Ireland. Mr. Lazarus, jeweller, deposed that Mr. O'Flaherty passed to him a bill for 450/., dated 220 March 1854, purporting to be drawn by Edmond O'Flaherty upon John Robert Godley, and accepted by Mr. Godley ; and a bill for 701., purport- ing to be drawn and accepted by the same parties. Mr. Godley, on Monday, appeared upon a summons; and in consequence of urgent business was per- mitted to give his evidence alone upon a sworn information. He deposed that the signatures purporting to be his were not his, and that he had never authorized Mr. Edmond O'Flaherty to use his name. Mr. Keogh appeared on Tuesday, and gave similar testimony.

It is stated that Mr. O'Flaherty is in Copenhagen, out of the reach of be constable ; but another report describes him as having selected New York as his place of exile.

Dennis Mullowney, a fine young man, described as "quite a Tipperary giant," being six feet four inches in height, has been butchered in Nenagh at noonday, by no fewer than seven ruffians, who knocked him from his horse, and inflicted so many wounds that he died some days after. The assassins ran off, but one returned to make the work sure, and, as the victim lay helpless in the street, dashed his skull in with a stone. The father of the deceased is an opulent farmer, and the murder appears to have been on account of some dispute about land. Several men arc in custody.

Lord Gough has bought Loughcouter Castle and demesne, formerly the residence of the Gort family, for 20,000/. : the erection of the castle cost 80,000/.

The supersedeas dismissing Mr. Carden from the Deputy-Lieutenancy and Magistracy of Tipperary will be immediately issued.

[Syt]

20-FEB-1847

The citizens of the great American Union have been startled by an extraordinary letter from General Taylor, addressed to a private friend, but sent by that friend to the papers. It is a ludicrous and lamentable exposure of boundless aggression, joined-to the utmost penuriousness in means. The Yankee spoiler is constrained by no scruple but that on the score of his own outlay; he sets no limits to his raid, except by the meanness with which he - fits out the buccaneering expedition. General Taylor combines in his own person the unscrupulous highwayman rapacity of a Cortes or a Raleigh with the mortified state of a Washington whose resources are kept down to a pitch of short commons by Congress. But his letter will be an opportune sermon on peace to the tax-hating Republicans. To make the war quite satisfactory to them, it should have been paid for in advance, by loans raised on bonds, which they would repudiate.

[The Brain]

12 May 1928

The Swedes have published bulky and elaborate investigations, written in English, on the racial constitution of their nation. They are perhaps the purest Nordic stock in the world. Light hair and eyes seemed more prominent among them than in Norway. The relatively pure Nordic Swedes are of tall stature, and the standard of beauty in both sexes is high. The other types recognized by experts are known as East Baltic and Lapp. These do not add to the good looks of the families in which their strains are apparent. The Lapp blood gives a semi-Mongolian look and a squat figure. But I did not visit the northern parts of Sweden, where the Lapps mostly live.

The Swedes are amazing linguists. English is taught in the national schools, and all educated people talk it fluently, with a better pronunciation than the Dutch, who also talk our language with great ease. They seemed rather hurt if we understood a word of Swedish, though we should have liked to attempt simple sentences in their language, which is musical and, I thought, peculiarly well adapted to the chorales which are a large part of their church services.

...

... The " Nordic theory " has been run to death ; but it cannot reasonably be doubted that the peoples of Northern Europe and especially the Scandinavians are among the finest specimens of the human race, and, that while there is still room for overseas settlement we can hardly have too many of them.

[Richard Hakluyt]

14th December 1861

"Austria —There has been no intelligence from Austria for some weeks of the slightest interest. The system of levying the taxes by billeting soldiers upon refractory officials seems still pursued, and is partially successful; and Hungary is reported perfectly quiet. The Reichsrath has accomplished nothing."

[Syt]