Graham's Magazine, Vol. XXXI, No. 4, October 1847

In Short

Published in Philadelphia in October 1847, this volume of Graham’s Magazine offers a rich cross-section of Victorian-era periodical literature, blending sentimental fiction, historical sketches, poetry, and book reviews. It features tales of tragic devotion, domestic misunderstandings, frontier legends, and humorous legal vignettes. The collection reflects the moral earnestness, aesthetic sensibilities, and social preoccupations of the mid-nineteenth century, capturing the diverse literary modes that entertained and instructed readers of the period.

The Story

The volume opens with the French romance "The Village Doctor," translated by Leonard Myers, wherein the elegant Countess de Moncar inherits a neglected castle in Morvan. Dr. Barnabé is called to a mysterious white cottage on a hill, inhabited by the refined William Meredith and his young, devoted wife, Eva. Tragically, William is later found dead in the woods from a head wound, leading Eva to collapse in a fatal swoon beside his body.

Shifting to colonial history, Seba Smith recounts early judicial records of the Bay State in "The General Court and Jane Andrews’ Firkin of Butter," detailing a humorous court trial where Jane is accused of packing stones in her butter, only for a witness to ramble endlessly about a dispute with a miller. In correspondence from Cincinnati, a young woman named Lucy Lee confesses her agonizing doubts to her friend Kate about whether she can marry a wealthy, brilliant gentleman named Mr. Melwin without genuine love.

Meanwhile, an Indian legend set along the Illinois River portrays the captive Anacaona and her deep bond with Nainee, an Indian girl who helps her fashion a tiny bark canoe to send a farewell message down the river to her lover. In "The Islets of the Gulf," characters like Rose, Harry Mulford, and Jack Tier navigate dangerous encounters involving Captain Spike's brig, the Molly Swash, near the Tortugas, culminating in the arrival of a United States naval ship, the Poughkeepsie.

In "The Stratagem," a young traveler visits the White Mountains, while Mr. Pluribusi teases his niece Mary regarding her growing jealousy over Harry Thatcher, which is eventually resolved through family counsel. Bob Short, a writer incapable of practical household tasks, attempts to reform by inventing a bizarre, oversized cradle modeled after Cleopatra's barge and a champagne tub. Finally, Frank Forester recounts his youthful first day of snipe shooting at Cambridge, remembering the crisp October morning, the flooded fens, and a rare double-shot that killed two English snipe at once.

How It Unfolds

• The unexpected inheritance — The Countess de Moncar inherits an old castle in Morvan, setting the stage for a local doctor to observe mysterious new residents moving into a white cottage on a hill.
• A tragic discovery in the woods — William Meredith is found dead with a head wound during a stormy night search, prompting his grief-stricken wife Eva to collapse lifeless upon his body.
• The trial of Jane Andrews — A court in early Massachusetts attempts to try a woman accused of packing stones into her butter, interrupted by a witness's long-winded tale about a gristmill.
• Doubts before the altar — Lucy Lee writes anxious letters from Cincinnati, torn between marrying a wealthy, distinguished suitor and her yearning for true affection.
• An Indian girl's escape — Anacaona uses a tiny, self-made bark canoe on the Illinois River to signal her farewell and escape her captivity with the aid of Nainee.
• Confrontation at the light-house — Harry Mulford and Rose evade the menacing Captain Spike on a desolate islet until the arrival of naval officers on the war-steamer Poughkeepsie restores order.
• The invention of a singular cradle — The unhandy writer Bob Short attempts domestic reform by designing an extravagant, multi-purpose baby cradle that confounds his neighborhood.
• A morning of snipe shooting — The narrator recalls a crisp October dawn spent wading through bogs near Cambridge, culminating in a successful and memorable day of field sports.

The People

• The Countess de Moncar is a charming, coquettish Parisian noblewoman who inherits a rural estate, preferring lively social amusements to quiet reflection.
• Eva Meredith is a young, devoted wife living in an isolated cottage who endures a harrowing torchlit search through the woods only to find her husband dead.
• Jane Andrews is an accused countrywoman who stoutly maintains her innocence when brought before a strict colonial judge over a disputed firkin of butter.
• Lucy Lee is a wavering correspondent from Cincinnati who struggles with the moral dilemma of marrying for convenience rather than love.
• Anacaona is a captive indigenous girl whose steadfast heart and friendship with Nainee enable her to orchestrate a clever escape along the river.
• Harry Mulford is a capable and cool-headed mate who breaks away from the corrupt Captain Spike to aid Rose and cooperate with naval authorities.
• Bob Short is an imaginative literary man hopelessly inept at practical household tasks who humorously constructs an eccentric, boat-like infant cradle.
• Frank Forester is an ardent, nostalgic sportsman recalling his collegiate days and his first enthusiastic morning of snipe shooting in the fens.

In Its Own Voice

“As for me, I troubled myself but little about it. What matters it, thought I, who they are, they are human beings who must undergo sickness before long, and then I shall be sent for.”

Dr. Barnabé reflects pragmatically upon the arrival of mysterious strangers in his quiet village.

“Ah, Kate, if it is so, no wonder there is so much domestic misery and conjugal infidelity in the world.”

Lucy Lee expresses her profound reservations about marrying without genuine affection.

“That was the first and last time that I ever have killed myself or seen killed by another, two English snipe at one shot.”

Frank Forester marvels at a stroke of rare marksmanship during his early morning hunt.

What It's Really About

The volume explores the complex interplay between romantic idealism and harsh domestic reality. It investigates the psychological weight of marriage without love, the persistence of moral and social codes across different eras from colonial courts to modern drawing rooms, and the friction between intellectual ambition and practical capability. Through its varied fictional landscapes—from French country estates and American frontier rivers to colonial courtrooms and English fens—the magazine questions how individuals navigate duty, jealousy, and unexpected tragedy. It emphasizes the necessity of emotional authenticity and personal integrity in human relationships.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate classic nineteenth-century prose, historical periodicals, and diverse narrative forms will find this collection endlessly fascinating. Reading it feels like opening a time capsule of Victorian literary taste, offering a delightful mix of poignant romance, folksy humor, and evocative nature writing. While modern readers may occasionally find the period's sentimental excesses or archaic dialogue challenging, the sheer variety of voices provides a rewarding window into the past. What stays with you are the vivid atmospheric touches—the damp chill of a forest search, the quiet beauty of an autumn morning in the fens, and the universal anxieties of the human heart captured over a century and a half ago.