the midlands, if there were one, like her | ambition is to be found. Barring premasister of the eastern fens, knew that "he" had not come, and cared nothing for "the voices that called her from without." The shadows were lengthening, and the "clanging rookery began to stream homeward from afar across the sky. We must be gone, and leave the place to its ghostly guardians.

celebrated men among the ancients who | lavishes on her favorites, and it is needbelonged to the Saturnian species. Pris- less to say that those whom she influences ons are consecrated to this unpleasant are remarkable for their beauty. They luminary. The sun, as may be supposed, are fond of dress and ornament, sing willbestows many advantages on the mortals born under its protection. It confers personal beauty, greatness of soul, and a taste for the fine arts. Honor and riches are also among its favors, but, as usual in the case of planets, it can play the part of the wicked fairy godmother. Under its evil influence men imagine themselves to be poets or misunderstood artists, and persevere, in spite of their want of success, in a career which only brings them contempt and ridicule. But they console themselves, and suffer with resignation, believing themselves to be superior beings. They are destined to perish in strange lands, and particularly by fire. Mercury gives a feeble voice, a complexion of the color of new honey, light brown hair, and a long, pointed chin. Its subjects are active and agile, apt at games which require sleight of hand. Dancers and acrobats belong to this category. This planet quickens the intelligence, and bestows eloquence and tact. Under its unfavorable aspect it confers an ugly, grimacing face. Men are often hunchbacks when born under such circumstances: they are also thieves, untruthful, and envious. Mars turns out a very different order of beings. They are above the middle height, and strongly built without being heavy. Their skin is hard and red, especially about the ears. The white of the eye is bloodshot, the nostrils open and dilated, and they frown easily. Punch is an exaggerated type of the individual born under the influence of Mars. The movements of such persons are rapid and abrupt; they have "devastating gestures," as M. Desbarolles remarks. Servants who break much crockery are under the sway of this planet. It will readily be imagined that a perverse aspect of Mars multiplies assassins, highwaymen, and rioters. Gentle Luna offers a pleasing contrast to her irascible neighbor in her dealings with the human race. The infant born while she is in the ascendant has a round head, a white, pallid complexion, and spongy muscles. Its face is broad and full, eyes prominent, and of a grayish blue. The eyebrows are faintly marked, and the chin somewhat retreating. As the child grows up, he will be found to be changeable, capricious, and egotistical; fond of travelling, in order to obey his instinct of inconstancy. Venus resembles Jupiter in the gifts which she

ingly when they are asked, and seem to be altogether pleasant sort of people. All artists are more or less under the influence of Venus. Fortunately for every one, no planet rules the roast completely. There are generally two or more which preside at every birth, so that Saturn's disagreeable proclivities may be tempered by the pleasant qualities of Jupiter. Mercury and Saturn form a sinister conjunction, and when Venus has a finger in the pie the result is often a fatal love affair. In this case an ugly woman is often able to excite a passion as violent as it is inexplicable. Persons about to marry should be careful to choose their partners for life according to the planets which guide their destiny. A Saturnian husband could scarcely expect to be happy with a Mercurial wife, nor can those in whom the influence of Mars predominates look forward to a blissful union with the phlegmatic but inconstant nymphs of the moon. The present writer was so much affected by what he had gleaned from the pages of "Les Mystères de la Main," that he forthwith despatched six stamps to an astrologer, enclosing at the same time the necessary information as to the year, month, and hour of his birth, and asking the mo mentous question as to which planet ruled his fate. After a period of suspense the answer came. "You were born under Uranus, an eccentric (sic) star." The oracle had spoken, and all the inquirer's expectations were dashed to the ground. He had hoped to hear that he was born under the happy influence of Jupiter and Venus, with perhaps just a suspicion of Mercury thrown in. Instead of this, Uranus, a mere mushroom planet only discovered in 1781, is palmed off upon him. Should he have a round head and spongy muscles, or hard, red skin and dilated nostrils? He knows not, and it is this element of doubt which makes the whole affair so painful. He can discover but little about this outsider among planets. Eccentricity may be pardoned in it, considering its undesirable situation at an immense distance from the sun; but can it be dreadful thought—that some of its eccentricity is communicated to him? As for the astral fluid on which M. Desbarolles discourses at great length, it seems unlikely that if discharged from this "eccentric star" it would ever reach the person whom it was intended to ben

efit. The present writer had resolved to have his horoscope cast at the charge of five shillings, but after this experience he changed his mind. Uranus indeed!

From St. James's Gazette. THE SIGN-LANGUAGE OF EASTERN

TRADERS.

themselves of a code of manual signs, expressed by pressure of the hand or finger in concealment.

The

This code of mercantile signs is in general use throughout the southern parts of western Asia, as well as in the harbors and trading stations of Arabia, the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and eastern Africa. Apart from the secrecy it ensures, it has the advantage since the signs are everywhere the same-of enabling traders of IN the customary open-air markets of different nationalities, to whom the bazaar Eastern countries — especially in those vernacular is unknown, to buy and sell devoted to transactions in hides, leather, without the aid of intermediaries. wool, grain, and fruit-it is no uncommon practice has occasionally been referred to thing to see a couple of sedate-looking by observant travellers, though the signs traders seated on the ground, each with themselves have never yet been described. his right hand concealed in his neighbor's They are extremely simple, few in numcapacious sleeve, and engaged, to all ap- ber, and easily learned. To make a beginpearance, in squeezing each other's fin- ning, the would-be buyer opens the busigers. For a few minutes they will remain ness with an offer to purchase, expressed in this position, one nudging the other by passing the palm of the hand sideways occasionally, but without exchanging a over the vendor's knuckles. If he grasp word; and then, rising, they will separate the first or index finger of the seller fully and go their way. Sometimes the per- extended, the price offered is one, of whatformance is varied a little. A couple of ever the coin may be in which tender is merchants will stand in the middle of a customary in the market. A single presbrawling and gesticulating crowd by which sure underneath with the thumb makes they are surrounded and observed; one this ten; a double pressure, distinctly will raise the end of his long robe or unroll given, one hundred. The first two fingers the muslin veiling his turban, and under taken together signify two; pressure of cover of this the pair will begin to clasp the thumb underneath, once or twice, raishands and fingers as before. The spec-ing the figure to twenty or two hundred. tacle is extremely funny to the Western In like manner, the first three fingers traveller who does not understand what is going on; but in point of fact the traders are simply engaged in what they call "fixing the price," or bargaining, by means of a code of manual signs almost universally used by Eastern merchants, who are compelled to do much of their business in the open air, surrounded by people who are quite as curious about every affair in progress as the principals themselves. This system of dealing has been adopted for a very simple reason. Most ordinary transactions between buyer and seller in Eastern markets are carried on with a vast amount of noise, swearing, and gesticulation; but yet more remarkable is the active part taken in the negotiation by the spectators the idlers, loafers, and busybodies, who abound in all Oriental markets. Every one has something to say, some advice to give or suggestion to make. And as the unwritten code of the East does not permit the parties to resent the meddling of the crowd, it is impossible, under ordinary circumstances, to These are the chief signs of this merarrange any matter of business without cantile finger-speech, which can be made the knowledge of half the market. And to indicate any numbers. For instance, so it is that Moslem merchants avail to express 3,540 it is only necessary to

grasped by the buyer convey an offer of
three, thirty, or three hundred; the four
fingers, four, forty, or four hundred; and
the whole hand five, fifty, or five hundred.
The little finger taken by itself signifies
six, sixty, or six hundred; the third or
ring finger, seven, seventy, or seven hun-
dred; the middle finger, eight, eighty, or
eight hundred; and the first or index fin-
ger, bent-not extended as for one
is equivalent to nine, ninety or nine hun-
dred. Grasping the thumb alone is a ten-
der of one thousand. Fractions are not
less easily expressed. To signify one-
half, the buyer passes the thumb sideways
across the middle joint of the vendor's
middle finger. The same movement in
the direction of the knuckle means an ad-
dition of one-fourth; while in the contrary
direction, towards the finger-tip, it is an
offer of a quarter less. The whole nail of
the forefinger grasped between thumb and
index finger means one-eighth more; the
tip of the nail only, an eighth less.

grasp the vendor's thumb three times, the hand once, and then the four fingers together with a distinct single pressure. The sign for 96 is made by taking hold of the seller's index finger, bending it in so doing, and then seizing the little finger. The sign for 7 would be given by grasping the little finger, then moving the thumb sideways across the middle joint of the first finger. To express the fraction it would only be necessary to give the sign for one (grasping the index-finger), and then that for less by taking hold of the tip of the nail. Of course the buyer, by this means, indicates the highest price he is disposed to offer; while the seller, through the same medium, makes known the lowest terms he is disposed to accept. Equipped with these signs, the Iranian trader from the Persian Gulf has no difficulty in exchanging commodities with the negro dealer from Kordofan and Sennar, and an Englishman, though ignorant of any Eastern tongue, could enter an Oriental market to-morrow and bargain with as much ease as a native of the country.

who is not over-scrupulous in resisting an unfounded claim. An instance in point: A Bushire trader bargained for a number of sheep in the usual way for a certain price. Subsequently he came and demanded delivery at a rate one-fourth lower than was agreed upon. The vendor refused, and the buyer summoned him before the local court to enforce the contract as to price. The vendor, of course, had no witnesses to enable him to resist the demand; so he consulted a lawyer, who advised him how to act. He duly appeared before the cadi next day and admitted the pursuer's plea as to the price settled between them. Then he swore, after Mahommedan fashion, that he had duly delivered the sheep. As the complainant could produce no witnesses to prove he had not received them, he was, of course, non-suited. In most disputes arising out of the employment of the manual signs between traders, the matter is settled by an appeal to the elders of the bazaar; and this, as a rule, is found satisfactory to both parties.

From The Spectator.

THE GERMAN EMPEROR.

Disputes arising out of the employment of this manual code in bargaining are not very frequent apparently. Mistakes are not easily made; for though the sign for one, ten, and a hundred, two, twenty, and two hundred, and so on, resemble each other somewhat, it must not be forgotten THERE is something of the statue about that the average prices in open markets are the figure of the German emperor, grand well known, and that whatever fluctuations as it is, something which induces men to there may be range within narrow limits; forget that it is alive, with brain, and will, so that no merchant would for a moment and thoughts. They think of its grand suppose any buyer was offering ten or a appearance, its massive effect, its solidity, hundred times the average value of any and its dignity, and then turn with congoods in question. Where roguery is at-ventional words of praise to consider the tempted, it is done, as a rule, by resorting to some device of another kind. For instance, a merchant who has disposed of a quantity of wheat at a low price will secure the services of a professional grain-measurer when making delivery; and these gentry are such practised hands at their business that they can, in measuring, make an enormous difference in favor of either buyer or seller, according as they are privately fee'd by either of the parties. Now and then, however, disputes as to the price offered and accepted do occur; and then the absence of witnesses, where the bargain was made by signs, leads to awkward complications. But the legal | code of Mahommedans is peculiar; and if, by requiring witnesses to prove a negative, it favors an unscrupulous complainant who is prepared to swear to the truth of his demand, it also suggests an easy way out of the difficulty to a defendant

abilities of the artificers who it is imagined made it, and to whom they assign endless credit for that achievement. The predisposing causes of this great error, which will, we believe, be found one day to have made much newspaper history inaccurate, are not difficult to detect. Hardly any great European personage of this century, or, indeed, of any century, has been so little audible as the emperor William. He has made no speeches supposed to be his own, the endless letters which he must have written have not appeared in print, and his sayings have either not been reported from respect, or have not been of the kind which live in reporters' memories. He has been more successfully shrouded than most monarchs within the veil of a rigid etiquette, and has, moreover, been more completely surrounded with officers trained to regard secrecy as of the essence of their duty.