which did not include good fortune were
shared equally by the young couple. They
remained in the valley and adopted the manner
of life of the early father of nations, and
it is said that a city now exists on that spot,
far out of the track of commerce and travel,
protected from the visits of the evil-minded
by the spirits who still watch over the
posterity of their sister. The old king lived
beyond the natural term of humanity, and
attributed the prosperity of the little district
entirely to the wisdom of his own counsel.
They have learned by experience—a
marvellous circumstance—but it is necessary to
add that the foolish vizier Sahel was
summoned from Cairo, and when he fell into his
old master's arms and heard that he was
forgiven, carefully concealed his face to hide one
smile and two tears, which the reader may
interpret as he pleases.

POTICHOMANIA.

WHAT new mania is this? What is potiche
or poticho, and why need women have an
especial mania for it? If potiche be
something good, why not have potichotechny,
or potichology, or potichonomy, or potichosomy ,
or potichography, or potichometry?
A mania is almost as bad as a phobia: a
madness for, is as little pleasant as a madness
against; and we may perchance yet have a
potichophobia as an antidote to the potichomania.
A learned pundit who has discoursed
on this subject for the benefit of the public,
reasons in this way— that as metromania,
bibliomania, and melomania, are irreproachable
words, by which one expresses love of
poetry, love of books, and love of music—
there seems no reason why we should not
invent the word potichomania. He admits
that we have not yet become accustomed to
the sound of such a word; but what of that?
Is it not easier than angeiography, for a
description of weights and measures? or than
ophthalmoxystic as a name for a little rye-ear
brush used to smooth the eyebrows? Thus
he claims the right to offer for academical
baptism the word potichomania, on the ground
that men are permitted—or rather that
science is permitted, under etymological
pretexts—to add to modern languages by means
of the Greek. How far the academical Greeks
of the present day will approve of the
composite name, it will be for them to declare.
Potiches are said to be Chinese or Japanese
jars: and hence the new art becomes a frenzy
for jars—a very pretty conclusion, which it is
to be hoped will be satisfactory to all parties.
That the art means something amusing, whatever
the name may mean, is evident enough;
for the advertising columns of the daily
journals inform us that Mr. So-and-so, for a
given number of shillings or guineas, will give
a certain number of lessons in potichomania,
whereby a lady may easily learn the elegant
art; while colour-makers and print-sellers
adopt similar means of notifying to the world
that all the materials necessary for the practice
of this art may be obtained at their
respective establishments.

To come to the gist of the matter, it
seems that potichomania is a method of
imitating in decorated glass, Japanese, or any
other specimens of ware or porcelain. There
seems no reason why pleasing and even
elegant results may not be obtained; but if
it be used only as a means of imitating ugly
specimens of oriental workmanship, its
desirability as a means of art may be
questioned. If, on the other hand, natural taste
be allowed fair play, there is no reason to
doubt that very elegant results may follow.

A recently published essay on the
subject, shows that the list of working materials
is somewhat formidable, comprising glass
vases, or potiches, or cups, or plates, shaped
similarly to those made of pottery or porcelain;
a well-assorted selection of coloured
papers or gelatine sheets; a fine-pointed
pair of scissors for cutting out; tubes or
bottles of prepared colours of various tints; a
bottle of a peculiarly prepared varnish;
another bottle containing refined essence of
turpentine; a bottle of melted gum; a round
hog's-hair brush for gumming the paper
ornaments, another for varnishing, and two
flat brushes for colouring; a vessel in which
the colours may be diluted; and a box
wherein to stow away all these treasures.
As to the means of procuring the glass
articles themselves, this must be left to the
skill of the glass-maker. The object is to
produce glass imitations of pottery and
porcelain articles; and therefore the glass must
of course be wrought into a form consistent
with such a purpose. It may be a vase, or a
potiche, or a honey-pot, or a plate, or a cup
—anything, in short, which has a smooth
surface (for articles with ornaments in relief
do not seem to be susceptible of this mode of
imitation); but the glass-worker must in any
case precede the ornamentalist.

Though most persons have a sort of
obscure notion that the colours on cups and
saucers, dishes, and plates, are in some way
burnt in, yet the delicacy and nicety of the
methods are little suspected. There is the
majolica ware of Italy, copied from the
Moorish pottery, adorned with copies of
paintings by Raffaelle and his contemporaries,
and some specimens supposed to have been
painted by the hand of the great master
himself. There is the Della Robbia ware, so
named from a Florentine artist, who modelled
and sculptured excellent works in porcelain,
and then adorned them with enamel and gold
and colours. There is the Palissy ware,
invented by a man whose life was a continuous
romance, and presenting historical,
mythological, and allegorical designs on grounds of
rich yellow and blue and gray. There is the
delft ware, with its beautiful enamel, its blue