an ivory pin with a large head, two steel
 pins with china heads, about a dozen bottles
 of different coloured powders, an assortment
of large and small brushes, saucers and
little slabs of white marble, green and
white wire, scissors and down, and smalt,
 and sepia, and lake; that the wax must
be soft, dull on one side, and sufficiently
opaque to need no painting on the wrong side
 or under side of a flower; that the large
 ivory pin is useful for the Victoria Regia, the
 water lily, and other royal flowers; while the
 two smaller pins are of use for flowers of
 lesser magnitude; that the cake colours are
 to be rubbed down with the coloured powders
 before using; that the large white wire is to
be used for the stems of dahlias and camellias,
 and such like flowers; the finer white
 wire to support the petals, and the green
 wire to make stems. The lady-artist then
explains how to mix the colours and powders
 to produce the required tints; how to use the
curling-pins, and the scissors, and the brushes.
And then she takes, one by one, the principal
kinds of flowers, and describes the method of
modelling them in wax—the crocus, the
snowdrop, the primrose, the violet, the
 anemone, the tulip, the narcissus, the jonquil, the
 daisy, the wallflower, the rhododendron, the
jasmine, the rose in a dozen or so of varieties,
the carnation, the myrtle, the honeysuckle,
 the fuchsia, the forget-me-not, the geranium,
the mignonette, the orange blossom, the lily,
the dahlia, the camellia, the passion-flower,
 the hollyhock, the cactus—all pass in succession
 under notice, and the means of imitating
 all are described. Let us see whether we can
 understand how to make a waxen snowdrop.
"This charming pensive little flower should be
 prepared from double white wax. It consists
 of six petals, like its companion the crocus.
The longest are left perfectly white, the others
 striped upon the inside with very light green
 paint; and upon the opposite or exterior side
 of the petal is placed a triangular green spot,
near the off end. Cut a fine green wire, three
inches long; cover it with a strip of light green
 wax, and affix to the end the stamina, cut
 from yellow wax. Place round these the
striped petals, and those that are quite white
immediately between; finish off the same by
 placing a little double green wax at the end
 of the flower, which forms the calyx; the
 flower-stem is then to be attached to a stronger
stem: where they are united place a small
sheath, cut from lemon wax, tinged round
the edge with light green. The leaves are
 rather narrow, not so dark as the crocus, made
 from double wax. The head of the pin is
 merely rolled down the centre: they are
attached a short way down the stem."
The largest flower yet modelled in wax is
 of course the magnificent Victoria Regia, that
 wonderful and peerless plant with the round
 table-top leaves; but the largest groups mount
 to four or five feet in height; and we have
 heard of mythic hundreds of pounds at which
 such groups have been valued, and of glass
 shades to cover them which beat all other
 glass shades in existence hollow.
AMONG THE SHALLOWS.
WE trust there may be found no Star-
chamber matter in it, but we have a belief
 that justice sometimes runs aground among
the Shallows. In spite of their lineage,
descended as they all are from Robert Shallow,
esquire, in the county of Gloster, justice of
peace and coram—ay, and cust alorum—ay,
and ratolorum, and gentleman born, who
wrote himself armigero.
When transportation was a ready punishment
for all offenders there was odd-handed
justice administered at quarter sessions, and
 in other high judicial places. There used to
 be a power given by the law to transport any
 one for larceny who had been once convicted
 of a felony. The power was one that required
 much tact and delicacy in the handling, and
 anything that requires tact and delicacy in
 the handling, it was natural to entrust to the
 keeping of the Shallow family, just as it
 might be natural for any man dealing
 extensively in glass and china to engage an
 elephant or bull as shop-walker. Such
animals would promptly call attention to the
 delicacy of the wares.
So far as that last matter is concerned, we
 will take the part of elephant, and show
some of the delicacies of the law. In the first
place, it is well known that a true Shallow—
honorary or stipendiary—must be terrible;
 'tis in his blood: rogues and particularly
vagabonds—who are the worst kind of rogues—
must tremble when he clears his throat. He
knows that what is worth doing is worth
 doing well; he does not like half measures of
 punishment; seven years' transportation is
 the lowest figure at which he can be said to
 do business with any degree of pleasure, and
if a prisoner be rude, or should call Verges a
 pig, or fail in a just admiration of the court,
his worship is ready to say another seven,
make the term fourteen, and close the
 bargain. Thus Colonel Jebb informed the public
 in his report for eighteen hundred and
fifty, that "During the last ten years there
 has not been an average of more than ten or
 twelve persons sentenced to a longer period
 than two years' imprisonment, and less than
four hundred and fifty to two years and
above one year; whereas the number
sentenced to periods of seven years' and ten
 years' transportation has varied from three
thousand nine hundred and twenty-one to
 two thousand two hundred and twenty-six."
 Furthermore we may add, that by the tables
of criminal offenders for the year last closed,
it appears that only three persons were
 sentenced to imprisonment for periods exceeding
 two years, and less than six hundred were
imprisoned for two years or between one and
two. But there were two or three thousand
Dickens Journals Online ![]()