Enquire within upon everything The great Victorian-era domestic standby

Put into a saucepan about two pounds of well-soaked beef, cut in eight pieces; half a pound of salt pork, divided in two, and also soaked: half a pound of rice, or six tablespoo...

Duty. £ s. d. Not above..................... £5 | 0 0 1 above £5 and not above 10 | 0 0 2 " 10 " 25 | 0 0 3 " 25 " 50 | 0 0 6 " 50 " 75 | 0 0 9 " 75 " 100 | 0 1 0 " 100 " 200 |...

Pure atmospheric air is composed of nitrogen, oxygen, and a _very_ small proportion of carbonic acid gas. Air once breathed has lost the chief part of its oxygen, and acquired a...

Avoid Manifestations of Ill-temper. Reason is given for man's guidance. Passion is the tempest by which reason is overthrown. Under the effects of passion, man's mind becomes di...

In-door preparations for future operations must be made, as in this month there are only five hours a day available for out-door work, unless the season be unusually mild. Mat o...

reader with the rules and modes of play adopted in this excellent game. Bézique is said to be of Swedish origin, and to have been introduced to English players through the mediu...

ii. Spirit Polish.--Shell-lac, two pounds; powdered mastic and sandarac, of each one ounce; copal varnish, half a pint; spirits of wine, one gallon. Digest in the cold till diss...

grains, and sugar a scruple, made into five powders. _Dose_, half of one of these for a child from birth to one year, and a whole one from that age to three years.

It is customary with respect to domestic servants, that if the terms are not otherwise defined, the hiring is by the month, and may be put an end to by either party giving a mon...

Spirits of naphtha rubbed with a small painter's brush into every part of a bedstead is a certain way of getting rid of bugs. The mattress and binding of the bed should be exami...

trimmings, and few things injure it more than damp; therefore, to preserve its beauty on bonnets, a lady in nice mourning should in her evening walks, at all seasons of the year...

The largest sum which a workman can recover in any of the above cases is limited to the amount of the average earnings for _three_ years of a person in his situation.

The only necessary implements for tatting are a thin shuttle or short netting-needle, and a gilt pin and ring, united by a chain. The cotton used should be strong and soft. Ther...

finely-powdered plaster of Paris to make into a good paste, and use as soon as possible after it is mixed. This composition may be used to cast architectural ornaments, busts, s...

Mothers who wish not only to discharge well their own duties in the domestic circle, but to train up their daughters for a later day to make happy and comfortable firesides for...

best way is for one person to stand on each _side_ of the patient, and each to place an arm behind his back, while he passes his arms over their necks, then let their other arms...

The following brief rules are suggested, in a hope to show the way to a more constant, easy, and friendly intercourse amongst friends, the writer feeling convinced that society...

Special licences are dispensations from the ordinary rule, under which marriages can only take place canonically in the parish church, or other places duly licensed for that pur...

heat, drawing them through the hand; rinse in lukewarm water, dry, and finish by pinning out. Brush the flossy or bright side with a clean clothes-brush, the way of the nap. Fin...

ix. "At a great pennyworth, pause awhile." He means, perhaps, that the cheapness is apparent only, and not real; or the bargain, by straightening thee in thy business, may do th...

It is safer, as a general rule, to keep your place than to jump out. Getting out of a gig over the back, provided you can hold on a little while, and run, is safer than springin...

xiii. Nouns of one syllable ending in _y_ preceded by a consonant, change _y_ into _ies_ in the plural; and verbs ending in _y_, preceded by a consonant, change _y_ into _ies_ i...

With respect to the kinds of exercise, the various species of it may be divided into active and passive. Among the first, which admit of being considerably diversified, may be e...

The housewife who is anxious to dress no more meat than will suffice for the meal, should remember that beef loses about one pound in four in boiling, but in roasting, loses in...

Of late years new disinfectants for the removal of disagreeable and offensive odours, and the preservation of meat, &c., have been brought into use. Sir William Burnett's disinf...

spirit (made by mixing equal parts of rectified spirit and water), three ounces; otto of roses, ten drops; soak for twenty-four hours and strain. Bergamot may be substituted for...

The French Game (or Sans Egal) is played as follows:--The player who wins the lead takes four balls, leaving the other four for his opponent, and placing the black ball on the s...

combinations of vowels, &c.; but as they are more difficult to describe, and as they do not relate to errors which are commonly prevalent, we shall content ourselves with giving...

A sheet of finely perforated zinc, substituted for a pane of glass in one of the upper squares of a chamber window, is the cheapest and best form of ventilator; there should not...

As a rule give emetics after poisons that cause sleepiness and raving;--chalk, milk, eggs, butter, and warm water, or oil, after poisons that cause vomiting and pain in the stom...

Artichokes, asparagus, balm, beans (French, kidney, scarlet, and Windsor), carrots, cauliflowers, celery, chervil, cucumbers, endive, herbs of all sorts, lettuces, mushrooms, pe...

is a lively round game, at which several may play, with a complete pack of cards, bearing the same value as at whist. A pool is made with fish or counters, on which such a value...

Let us take the case of a person who has no intimate knowledge of any particular trade, but having a very small capital, is about to embark it in the exchange of commodities for...

If the Deceased leave a Widow, but no child or children, one half of his personal estate will fall to his widow, and the other half will be divisible among the next of kin. The...

In this the sixty-one points or holes on the cribbage-board mark the game. The player cutting the lowest card deals; after which, each player lays out two of the five cards for...

Thoroughly clean and free from grease the article to be decorated; then, having cut off the white paper margin of the drawing, dip one of the brushes into the transfer varnish,...

Description of the Game.--The game of _Vingt-un_, or twenty-one, may be played by two or more persons; and, as the deal is advantageous, and often continues long with the same p...

[Footnote 1: Adapted from the "Dictionary of Daily Wants," published by Houlston and Sons, Paternoster Square, E.C., in one volume, half bound, at 7s. 6d., or in three separate...

If flowers of sulphur be mixed in a little milk, and after standing an hour or two, the milk (without disturbing the sulphur) be rubbed into the skin, it will keep it soft and m...

are the roasting parts of beef, and these bear in all places the highest price. The more profitable of these two joints at a family table is the ribs. The bones, if removed from...

Boil the cloth in a weak solution of pearlash--an ounce to a gallon of water,--wash, dry, and then steep in a decoction of bruised nutgalls. After drying it is to be steeped twi...

following:--Boil a pound of indigo, two pounds of woad, and three ounces of alum, in a gallon of water. When the silk is of a proper colour, remove, rinse, and dry.

ii. Cutting.--The pack is then cut by the right hand adversary; and the dealer distributes the cards, one by one, to each of the players, beginning with the player on his left,...

The game of Cribbage differs from all other games by its immense variety of chances. It is played with the full pack of cards, often by four persons, but it is a better game for...

This fashionable game is played with two packs of cards, from which the twos, threes, fours, fives, and sixes, have been discarded. The sixty-four cards of both packs, shuffled...

Pound fine an ounce of black pepper, and half an ounce of allspice, with an ounce of salt, and half an ounce of scraped horseradish, and the same of shalots, peeled and quartere...

gallon--and then immerse for half an hour in the following mixture:--Take half a pound of turmeric, and a quarter of a pound of pearl-ash; boil in a gallon of water. When taken...

A teacupful of well-bruised plaster of Paris, mixed with double the quantity of oatmeal, to which a little sugar may be added, although this last-named ingredient is not essenti...

The game of Put is played with an entire pack of cards, generally by two, but sometimes by four persons. At Put the cards have a value distinct from that in other games. The bes...

Loosen the cord, or whatever it may be by which the person has been suspended. Open the temporal artery or jugular vein, or bleed from the arm; employ electricity, if at hand, a...

_Sup_.--To His Excellency The Right Honourable Earl of Dufferin, K.P., G.C.M.G., K.C.B., Her Britannic Majesty's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Sublime Otto...

The chief difference (says Captain Crawley) between these and previous laws will be found in the method of taking the Croquet. The new laws say that the foot must _not_ be place...

For the reasons just given, the acetate or tartrate of iron is preferable to the sulphate; and the acetate or tartrate of alumina to alum. _For reds, yellows, green, and pinks_,...

is the above game cut in half. Honours are not _called_ at any part of the game; but, as in Long Whist, they are counted by their holders and scored--except at the score of four...

the knave and stands his game, the dealer has neither trump, ten, ace, nor court-card; it will follow that the knave will be both high, low, Jack, and game, as explained by--

turned up for trump; the knave of clubs generally, or sometimes the knave of the trump suit, as agreed upon, is the highest card, and is styled Pam; the ace of trumps is next in...

though the day be a dark one. If the sun is going down, look up to the stars. If the earth is dark, keep your eye on heaven. With God's promises, a man or a child may be cheerful.

No trait of character is more agreeable in a female than the possession of a sweet temper. Home can never be happy without it. It is like the flowers that spring up in our pathw...

which is founded on Ecarté, and is the national game of the United States, is played with a pack of cards from which the twos, threes, fours, fives, and sixes have been withdraw...

stroke from another ball, and every ball is considered to be in-play while it is within the circle, which may be of any dimensions chosen by the players previous to the commence...

ii. _Bezique_ is the queen of spades and knave of diamonds, for which the holder scores 40 points. A variation provides that when the trump is either spades or diamonds, Bezique...

is always less in price than the roasting parts. It is not so economical a part as the round, having more bone with it, and more fat. Where there are children, very fat joints a...

nostril, carefully closing the other, and the mouth; at the same time drawing downwards, and pushing gently backwards, the upper part of the windpipe, to allow a more free admis...

An indoor game played on an oblong board usually from six to ten feet long by a foot and a half to three feet in width. The bed of the table is of slate covered with a fine gree...

and declares whether he will play or take the miss. If he decide to play, he says, "I play," or "I take the miss;" but he may elect to do neither; in which case he places his ca...

According to the English method the carcase of beef is disposed of more economically than upon the Scotch plan. The English plan affords better steaks, and better joints for roa...

(_g_) If a player, in striking at a ball which lies against a peg or wire, should move it from its position by striking a peg or wire, the ball must be replaced, and the stroke...

viii. The non-dealer throws out for the crib before the dealer. A card once laid out cannot be recalled, nor must either party touch the crib till the hand is played out. Either...

game, the possessor of the lesser number may call on his opponent to win in at least fifty moves, or declare the game drawn. With two Kings to one, the game must be won in at mo...

jalap and powdered rhubarb each fifteen grains, ginger two grains, mix. _Dose_, for a child above five years, one _small_ teaspoonful; above ten years, a _large_ teaspoonful; ab...

i. ii. P I T H I S S U E I D E A S C E N T T E A R S E E T H H A R E U N T I E E T H E R

this be discovered by his antagonist before a second stroke in error has been made, the turn is lost, and all points made after the mistake, and the balls shall remain as they l...

sliced liquorice root four drachms, Epsom salts two and a half ounces, boiling water half an imperial pint. Keep this standing on the hob or near the fire for three hours, then...

v. Caution is necessary in playing this game _to win_. As a general rule, the first player should not take the miss, as the dealer's stake is necessarily to be added to the loo....

of a very dark red, add half an ounce of salt of tartar; stain the work with the liquor while _boiling hot_, giving three coats; then, with a painter's graining brush, form stre...

weak solution of aquafortis, half an ounce to the pint, and then finish with the following:--Put four ounces and a half of dragon's blood and an ounce of soda, both well bruised...

Boil half a pound of French Berries (the unripe berries of the _rhamnus infectorius_) in two quarts of water till of a deep yellow, and while boiling hot give two or three coats...

iii. It is more respectful to write the word "Esquire" in full. The ----substituted for initials is vulgar, and pardonable only in extreme cases; if the Christian name or initia...

[When odds are given, the player giving them moves first. White generally moves first; therefore, if black win the move, the board is turned. It is usual to play with the white...

entitled, either in play or in reckoning hand or crib, is liable to be "pegged;" that is, to be put back as many points as he has over-scored, and have the points added to his o...

In playing Bézique, it is best to keep your tens till you can make them count; to retain your sequence cards as long as possible; to watch your opponent's play; to declare a roy...

adjusted during any part of the game. After they are so placed, if either player, when it is his turn to play, touch a man, he must move it. If a man be so moved as to be visibl...

xxvi. Before the letter R, there is a slight sound of _e_ between the vowel and the consonant. Thus, _bare, parent, apparent, mere, mire, more, pure, pyre,_ are pronounced nearl...

ii. If your hat is VERY wet, or stained with _sea_ water, get a basin of clean cold water, and a good stiff brush; wash it well all over, but be careful to keep the nap straight...

xiii. When WH begins a word, the aspirate _h_ precedes _w_ in pronunciation; as in _what, whiff, whale;_ pronounced _hwat, hwiff, hwale, w_ having precisely the sound of _oo_, F...

[It is usual to change the pawn for a Queen, but it may be replaced by a Rook, Bishop, or Knight, without reference to the pieces already on the board. In practice it would be c...

take at once every card of the same denomination upon the table, but likewise all that will combine therewith; as, for instance, a ten takes not only every ten, but also nine an...

wood, and boil for an hour and a half in a gallon of water. Brush the wood several times with this decoction while hot. Make a decoction of nut galls by simmering gently, for th...

iv. A formal visit should never be made before noon. If a second visitor is announced, it will be proper for you to retire, unless you are very intimate both with the host and t...

afford excellent stock for soup; and, if not reduced too much, the meat taken from the bones may be served as a stew with vegetables; or it may be seasoned, pounded with butter,...

_fault_. It is also a fault if the server does not stand in the manner as stated above, or if the ball served drop in the net or beyond the service line, or if it drop out of co...

[Less than three cards, above or below, is not a cut. Ace is lowest. Ties cut again. Lowest deals. Each player may shuffle, the dealer last. The right-hand adversary cuts to dea...

the second, won by the same player, raises his score to 30, his third stroke to 40, and his fourth counts _game_. If, however, the players have both scored 40, it is called _deu...

hold only three originally, play the best; but you need not return it immediately, when you win with a king, queen, or knave, and have only small ones, or when you hold a good s...

superior to an inferior force, or even if they have equal forces, the defending player may call upon his adversary to mate in fifty moves on each side, or draw the game.

equally among the players possessing them. Thus, if there be three pence, shillings, or half-crowns, in the pool, the tricks are a penny, sixpence, or half-a-crown each. The thr...

the dealer gives four cards, one at a time, to each player, and either regularly as he deals, or by one, two, three, or four at a time, lays four more, face upwards, upon the bo...

is, in large families, one of the most profitable parts owing to its comparative freedom from bone: it is usually boiled, and is generally sold at the same price as the sirloin,...

[Revokes forfeit three tricks from the hand or score: or opponents may add three to their score; partner may ask and correct a trick if not turned; the revoking side cannot scor...

strike his own ball while in contact with the other, so as perceptibly to stir both. In doing this he is _not_ allowed to place his foot on his ball. A player, when his turn com...

is the part of which the butcher makes great profit, by selling it in the form of steaks, but the whole of it may be purchased as a joint, and at the price of other prime parts....

is much esteemed for purposes of soup; so also is the Cheek. The Tongue is highly esteemed. The Heart, stuffed with veal stuffing, roasted, and served hot, with red currant jell...

is not considered to be a very economical joint, the bone being large in proportion to the meat; but the greater part of it, at least, is as good as that of any prime part. On a...

iii. Do not load the top of a piano with books, music, &c., as the tone is thereby deadened, and the disagreeable noise alluded to in the last paragraph is often produced likewise.

an ounce of pearlash, and apply hot with a brush. Then take two quarts of the logwood decoction, and half an ounce of verdigris, and the same of copperas; strain, and throw in h...

knave, ten, and so on, down to deuce. The dealer then gives three cards, one at a time, face downwards, to each player; and also dealing an extra hand, or "miss," which may be t...

iv. Give to the written page an ample margin _all round_; or fold down the left hand side to the extent of one-fourth the width of the entire paper so as to leave a broad margin...

[It is usual, in such a case, to say _J'adoube_ (I adjust); but he may not touch a piece with the intention of moving it, and then, when he discover his mistake, say, _J'adoube....

This game is played both Limited and Unlimited Loo; it is played two ways, both with five and three cards. Several may play, but five or seven make the better game.

prevent confusion, tell each person what they are to do before you commence; thus, one is to wash out and hand the sponges, another to heat the adhesive plaster, or hand the ban...

["Standing the huff" is when a player refuses to take an offered piece, but either intentionally or accidentally makes another move. His adversary then removes the man that shou...

circumstances:--1. If he has moved either King or Rook. 2. If the King be in check. 3. If there be any piece between the King and the Rook. 4. If the King, in moving, pass over...

For information as to the best modes of play, the Openings and Endings of Games, &c., read 'The Book of Chess', by G.H. Selkirk, published by Messrs. Houlston and Sons.

[The dealer must not touch the cards after they have left his hands; but he may count those remaining in the pack if he suspect a misdeal, or he may ask the players to count the...

sulphate of iron: after a short time take it out and rinse again. Have ready in another vessel a hot solution of prussiate of potash, to which a small quantity of sulphuric acid...

is cut into neck (scrag end); neck (best end); loin (best end); loin (chump, or tail end); fillet (upper part of hind leg); hind knuckle, which joins the fillet; knuckle of fore...

address it as soon as it is written. Otherwise awkward mistakes may occur, your correspondents receiving letters not intended for them. If there be a town of the same name as th...

xxxi. For ventilation open your windows both at top and bottom. The fresh air rushed in one way, while the foul escapes the other. This is letting in your friend and expelling y...

vi. E final is silent after _l_ in the following terminations,--_ble, cle, dle, fle, gle, kle, ple, tle, zle;_ as in _able, manacle, cradle, ruffle, mangle, wrinkle, supple, rat...

sulphur, and half an ounce of cream of tartar, with eight ounces of treacle; and, according to the age of the child, giving from a small teaspoonful to a dessertspoonful, early...

ball that he is not entitled to Croquet, and the mistake be discovered before he has made a second stroke, he loses his turn, and any point so made in error; but if he has made...

places it where he considers that it would have rolled to. Should it be stopped by a player, it will rest with the side opposed to that player to say whether the ball shall rema...

nick-nacks. You call them goods; but if you do not take care they will prove evils to some of you. You expect they will be sold cheap, and perhaps they may, for less than they c...

the above rules (Nos. xv. and xvi), a player is bound, upon being appealed to, to declare truly what is his next hoop or point in order, and is entitled to demand of his antagon...

is sold at a moderate price per pound; but, if hung for a day or two, it is very good and very profitable. Where there are a number of servants and children to have an early din...

take Croquet off the ball that is struck first; but if he has hit two simultaneously, he may choose from which of them he will take it, and in both cases a second hit is require...

thoroughly all over the article; then shake it well, and dust it with clean soft cloths. Afterwards, where there are any gold or silver flowers, take a piece of crimson ingrain...

viii. Remember the number of trumps out at every stage of the game. Note, also, the fall of every court-card in the other suits, so that you are never in doubt as to the card th...

hand plays a card--his highest trump if he has two or more; if not, any card he chooses. The next plays, and, if he can, follows suit or heads the trick with a trump. If he can...

cards, either in addition to or in the place of any card or cards of that declaration, he is not allowed to score until he has taken another trick. Moreover, he must resume the...

not the playing ball, it must at once be put out three feet at right angles from the boundary; but if it is the playing ball, it may, at the discretion of the player, either be...

stroke. Foul strokes are made by touching a ball with hand or person while it is in play; by playing with a wrong ball; by playing out of turn; by overturning the ring; and by m...

an ounce of the moss in one quart of water until sufficiently thick, rectified spirit in the proportion of a teaspoonful to each bottle, to prevent its being mildewed. The quant...

hand, and the striker can score no point till he has taken Croquet. After hitting another, a ball may be stopped by any player; but should it, in rolling, displace any of the ot...

beyond the hoop and then pass through it, the hoop and the hit both count; but, should any part of the ball that is hit have been lying beneath the hoop, the Croquet must be tak...

in the first round, before any of the four cards are turned up upon the table; but if a card happen to be faced in the pack, before any of the said four be turned up, then the d...

before the player lays down his first card, or he loses his right to mark it. If played in the first trick, it must be announced before it is played to.

log-wood chips, and a quarter of a pound of copperas; lay on three coats, oil well, and you will have a black stain that will stand any kind of weather, and one that is well sui...

less than four yards from the ring. The first player lifts his ball with the spoon-cue, and throws it towards the ring; each of the others taking his turn alternately--the balls...

man, or one of his opponent's men, or make an illegal move, his adversary may compel him to take the man, make the right move, move his King, or replace the piece, and make a le...

by his playing a card, to which the dealer must follow suit or trump, or throw away. The winner of the trick then leads: and so on till all the five cards in each hand are played.

scores ten. The game may be varied by making the last trick the twenty-fourth--the next before the last eight tricks. It is an unimportant point, but one that should be agreed u...

the suit, if the card be not covered; but he may be compelled to play the highest or lowest of the suit led, and to play the exposed trump when it is called by his adversaries.

dealer; after which the deal goes round, from left to right. In case of a tie, the players cut again. Ace is lowest, and the court-cards and tens are reckoned of the same value,...

for this exchange ten is scored. This exchange is made immediately after he has taken a trick, but he may make a declaration at the same time, the card exchanged not being used...

or not, the strain is always upon it, and if it is not kept up to concert pitch it will not stand in tune when required, which it will do if it be attended to regularly.

enter, or scattering powdered lime in them. Where a lighted candle will not burn, animal life cannot exist; it will be an excellent caution, therefore, before entering damp and...

themselves; nor go immediately behind a led horse, as he is apt to kick. When crossing a roadway always go behind a cart or carriage, never in front of it.

xiii. When your visitor retires, ring the bell for the servant. You may then accompany your guest as far towards the door as the circumstances of your friendship seem to demand.

bottom, and place a few sticks slanting against its sides, so as to form a sort of gangway for the beetles to climb up it, when they will go headlong into the bait set for them.

right to play before his partner; or if the fourth hand play before the second or third, the cards so played must stand, and the second be compelled to win the trick if he can.

powdered ipecacuanha ten grains, and of extract of hyoscyamus one scruple; mix, and beat into a mass, and divide into twenty-four pills; take one or two, or if of a very costive...

adhering to the upper surface, are heavy, and emerge from a vulva or bag; they grow in tufts or clusters in woods, on the stumps of trees, &c., whereas the true mushrooms grow i...

and three pounds of iron rust, sifted. Mix, and let stand for a week. Lay three coats of this on hot, and then rub with linseed oil, and you will have a fine deep black.

thus supposing A and B are partners opposed to C and D; A serves in the first game, C in the second, B serves in the third, and D in the fourth, and so on.

many cards dealt; in the latter case, a new deal is optional, provided it be done before a card has been played, but not after, to draw from the opposing hand the extra card.

of water, and while hot brush over the work until of a proper colour. Dissolve two ounces of alum in a quart of water, and brush the solution over the work before it dries.

the stroke, the player may, at the umpire's discretion, bring out the ball so far as to allow of the free swing of the mallet, and in taking a Croquet both the balls.

poultry, fish, butter, cheese, and so forth. Horseradish is the garnish for roast beef, and for fish in general; for the latter, slices of lemon are sometimes laid alternately w...

first hoop in a direct line between the pegs; and a ball having been struck is at once in play, and croquetable whether it shall have made the first hoop or not.

the player scoring the highest number of points, less the aces and tens in the last deal, wins the game. If still a tie, the taker of the last trick wins.

and then, diet a little more costly, clothes a little finer, and a little entertainment now and then, can be no great matter; but remember, "Many a little makes a mickle."

need not take notice of the check. But if two moves only are made before the discovery of the mistake, the pieces may be replaced, and the game properly played.

pegs, under a penalty of two points. If the foremost peg has been displaced by accident, it must be placed in the hole behind the peg standing on the board.

games--treble bézique counting 1,500. An extra pack of cards is required for the third other player; so that, in the case of three, the trump card is the twenty-fifth.

choice or cutting. Partners sit opposite each other, one collecting the tricks of both, and the other keeping the score, or each may keep his own score, which is preferable.

side, and remain so that a straight-edge placed in contact with the hoop on the non-playing side touches the ball, the ball cannot run its hoop at its next stroke.