Gum lac is extremely useful, being a principal ingredient in varnishes, in sealing-wax, and in cements; it is also used in large quantities in dyeing silk; and, when mixed with tamarinds, it is said to make a beautiful scarlet, which is not discharged by washing.
24th.—Yesterday, you well know, dear Mamma, was my uncle’s birth-day—it was not allowed to pass unnoticed, though, he says, the habit of marking particular days may be the cause hereafter of much pain. Be that as it may, we all were anxious to celebrate it. Little Grace repeated to him, when he came to breakfast, some very touching lines, written by Mary, as an address from all his children. Caroline presented him with his two favourite flowers, a rose and a sprig of lavender; and I followed her with a little drawing of one of the few wild flowers still in blossom—the great white bindweed, which I had often heard him admire. I felt very doubtful of venturing to offer it, but he received it with an encouraging kindness peculiar to himself.
As the day was mild and bright, my uncle hired a boat, and took us all up the river, beyond the village of Elmore; we had an excellent view of Gloucester, and in the distance, we saw the pretty Malvern hills.
In returning, we went on shore at Elmore, where my aunt paid a visit to a lady, with whose daughters she ran away for a few days; and lower down the river, we stopped for half an hour at Newnham, to call on Mrs. Ando, who had been an old servant of my aunt’s. She is now living independently on her earnings, in a neat comfortable house; and she is always so rejoiced to see any of the family, that a visit to her is quite a festival. We found a pretty little child playing about the room, prattling French, and looking very droll, in a large Swiss hat. Mrs. Ando told us, that about a fortnight since, a gentleman and lady, with this child, had crossed the Severn, and come to Newnham; but the illness of the poor gentleman had detained them, and as the inn was small, and unfit for invalids, and the innkeeper being unwilling to let a sick man remain in the house, she had allowed them to lodge with her out of compassion. She described them as very amiable people; they had expected a friend to meet them, but had been disappointed; and she added, that they seemed to be distressed for money.
When we returned, there was the most beautiful western sun-light on every thing; cottages, trees, and the orchards full of rosy apples, were all gilt by it; and the river appeared like a sheet of glassy silver.
Soon after dinner, the evening part of the birth-day rites began, by a merry party at French blind-man’s buff. This was very amusing, for my uncle and aunt joined in it, and he was so comical, that it gave the game quite a new character. Tea succeeded, and after Grace had retired to bed, the piano-forte was opened, and we three sang for my uncle his favourite song of “Hark the Lark,” which we had learned purposely to surprise him on this day. He appeared so much gratified by this little attention, which had been a happy thought of Mary’s, that we were more than repaid for all our exertion to perform it well. Several other favourite songs were sung, in some of which the young ladies who had come from Elmore assisted; and when we were tired of singing, we danced reels and quadrilles, to finish the evening. Sometimes my uncle made up our number, and my aunt was so good as to play for us.
The servants were allowed to have a tea-party for their friends on this occasion, and I heard, this morning, that my aunt had distributed meat or clothing to all her poor pensioners. The school-girls, too, had a holyday; and books—work-bags—pin-cushions—or housewifes—were distributed according to their merits. Caroline did all this part of the business.
25th. Sunday.—My uncle has been giving me some instruction in reading the Psalms to-day.—He thinks they are not always rightly understood, partly from the mistaken views of modern expositors, who have ascribed the immediate subject of every psalm, either to the history of the Jewish nation, or to the events of David’s life.
“Many of the psalms,” he said, “do commemorate the miraculous interpositions of God in behalf of his chosen people, and many of them were probably composed upon the dangers, afflictions, and deliverances of King David. But even of those which relate to the Israelites as a nation, there are few which do not represent, in a figurative manner, the future history of the Christian church; and of those which allude to the life of David, there are none in which it is not the ‘Son of David’ who is the principal and real subject. David’s complaints against his enemies are the Messiah’s complaints—David’s afflictions are the Messiah’s sufferings—David’s penitential supplications are the petitions of the Messiah, under the burden of the imputed guilt of man; and David’s songs of triumph are the Messiah’s thanksgivings for his victory over sin and death. In short, every part of the book of Psalms has a double object.
“They go in general under the name of the Psalms of David: he probably gave a regular form to the musical part of the Jewish service; but there is good reason for supposing them to be the compositions of various authors;—some more ancient than the time of King David, and some of a later age. Of many, he was undoubtedly the author; and we know, from his own words, that those of his composition were prophetic—‘David, the son of Jesse, the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, the spirit of Jehovah spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.’