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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 11404 ***
+
+Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
+      file which includes the original illustration.
+      See 11404-h.htm or 11404-h.zip:
+      (http://www.ibiblio.org/gutenberg/1/1/4/0/11404/11404-h/11404-h.htm)
+      or
+      (http://www.ibiblio.org/gutenberg/1/1/4/0/11404/11404-h.zip)
+
+
+
+
+THE MIRROR OF LITERATURE, AMUSEMENT, AND INSTRUCTION.
+
+VOL. 12, NO. 343.] SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1828. [PRICE 2d.
+
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE ADMIRALTY OFFICE, WHITEHALL.]
+
+
+THE ADMIRALTY-OFFICE.
+
+
+The _Admiralty Office, Whitehall_, has few pretensions to architectual
+beauty. It is, however, to use a common phrase, a _commanding_ pile, and
+its association with Britain's best bulwarks--her NAVY--renders it an
+interesting subject for representation.
+
+The Admiralty-office adjoins to the north side of the Horse Guards,
+and was erected by Ripley, in the reign of George II., on the site of
+Wallingford House. It recedes from, but communicates with, the street by
+advancing wings, and is built principally of brick. In the centre of the
+main building is a lofty portico, of the Ionic order, the taste of which
+is not entitled to much praise. It consists of four columns, and on the
+entablature is an anchor in bold relief. Here are the offices, and the
+spacious abodes of the lords commissioners of the admiralty, together
+with a handsome hall, &c. On the roof of the building is a Semaphore
+telegraph, which communicates orders by signal to the principal ports
+of the empire.
+
+But the most tasteful portion of the whole, is a stone screen, by Adams,
+in front of an open court, and facing the street. The style is
+exceedingly chaste and pleasing, and the decorations are characteristic
+naval emblems, finely executed. The representation of two ancient vessels
+in the end entablatures, merit especial notice.
+
+Since the appointment of the Duke of Clarence to the office of lord high
+admiral, the Admiralty has been the town residence of his royal highness.
+The exterior has been repaired, and the interior in part refitted. The
+screen has likewise been renovated with much care, and two of the
+entrances considerably enlarged, but with more regard to convenience than
+good taste. The portion occupied by the royal duke contains a splendid
+suite of state rooms, within whose walls have frequently been assembled
+all the bravery, as well as rank, of the empire; for the interests of the
+noble service are too dear to his royal highness to be eclipsed by the
+false lights of wealth or fashion.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+HUITAIN DE CLEMENT MAROT.
+
+(_For the Mirror_.)
+
+
+  Plus ne suis ce que j'ay esté
+  Et ne le scaurois jamais estre,
+  Mon beau printemps et mon esté
+  Ont fait le saut par la fenestre.
+  Amour! tu as esté mon maistre
+  Je t'ai servi sur tous les Dieux,
+  O si je pouvois deux fois naistre,
+  Comment je te se virois mieux!
+
+
+_Imitation_.
+
+  I am no more, what I have been
+    And ne'er again shall be so.
+  My summer bright, my spring time green,
+    Have flown out of the window.
+  Oh love, my master thou hast been,
+    I, first of gods, instal thee,
+  Oh! could I e'en be born again,
+    Thou doubly would'st enthral me.
+
+D.M.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+TEMPLE AT ABURY.
+
+(_To the Editor of the Mirror_.)
+
+
+There is an inconsistency in the account of Abury in No. 341, perhaps
+overlooked by yourself.
+
+I would ask, how could that arrangement of the fabric, so fancifully
+and ingeniously described by Stukely, be intended to represent the
+Trinity, when the place was confessedly in existence long anterior to
+Christianity? nor is there any thing in the old Druidical or Bardic
+tenets that can be twisted to any such idea.
+
+This _Abury_, with _Silbury_, is supposed to be the _Cludair Cyfrangon_,
+or _Heaped Mound of Congregations_, mentioned in the _Triads_, the
+building of which is recorded as "one of the three mighty achievements of
+the Isle of Britain;" and here were held the general assemblies of the
+Britons on religious occasions, and not at Stonehenge, as is generally
+supposed. This last place is decidedly more modern than the pile at
+_Abury_; the Welsh call it _Gwaith Emrys, (the work of Emrys_,) and it
+ranks as another of the mighty achievements of the Isle of Britain, the
+third being "the raising of the Stone of Keti," supposed to be the "_Maen
+Ceti_" at Gwyr, in Glamorganshire.
+
+The presumption that _Stonehenge_ is more modern than _Abury_ is founded
+upon the fact that Stonehenge exhibits marks of the chisel in different
+parts, while the former does not. The ancient British documents give us
+the founder of the latter, namely, _Emrys_, or _Ambrosius_, while we are
+left in ignorance as to who raised the pile of _Cyfrangon_.
+
+Nor was Stonehenge ever of such magnitude as _Abury_, the diameter of the
+former being 99 feet, whilst the latter was 1,400; the largest stones of
+the former weigh 30 tons, but the latter weigh 100 tons!
+
+_Gwaith Emrys_ was possibly more for political than religious assemblies.
+Here was held the meeting of the Britons and Saxons, when the _Plot of
+the Long Knives_ (_Twyll y Cyllyll Hirion_) was consummated, and the
+flower of the British chiefs treacherously destroyed by their pretended
+friends.
+
+Different authors have strenuously contended for giving the honour of
+supremacy to either of these places over both Britain and Gaul, in the
+days of Druidism; but Rowlands has industriously placed its chief seat in
+Anglesey.
+
+LEATHART.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+TRANSLATED EPITAPH.
+
+(_To the Editor of the Mirror_.)
+
+
+  Quod fuit esse quod est, quod non fuit esse quod esse,
+  Esse quod est non esse, quod est non, erit esse.
+
+
+As a translation of this curious epitaph (in Lavenham churchyard) which
+is formed out of two Latin words, has been requested from some of your
+readers, I send the following:--
+
+
+  What John Giles has been
+    Is what he is, (_a bachelor_.)
+  What he has not been,
+    Is what he is, (_a corpse_.)
+  To be what he is
+    Is not to be, (_a living creature_.)
+  He will have to be
+    What he is not. (_dust_.)
+
+JOSEPH MASON.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+_Another_.
+
+
+  What we have been and what we are,
+    The present and the time that's past,
+  We cannot properly compare
+    With what we are to be at last.
+
+  Tho' we ourselves have fancied forms,
+    And beings that have never been,
+  We unto something shall be turned--
+    Which we have not conceived or seen.
+
+G.H.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS.
+
+(_For the Mirror_.)
+
+
+The ensuing letter, though very short, discloses one or two instances
+connected with a subject of unfading interest--the death of Mary Queen
+of Scots. It need hardly be stated, says an able writer on this subject,
+that Queen Elizabeth's conduct with respect to the execution of Mary was
+a mixture of unrelenting cruelty, despicable cowardice, and flagitious
+hypocrisy; that whilst it was the dearest wish of her heart to deprive
+her kinswoman of her existence, she attempted to remove the odium of the
+act from herself, by endeavouring to induce those to whose custody she
+was intrusted to assassinate their prisoner; that when she found she
+could not succeed, she commanded the warrant to be forwarded; and that
+when she knew it was too late to recall it, asserted that she never
+intended it should be carried into execution, threw herself into a
+paroxysm of affected rage and grief, upbraided her counsellors, and
+first imprisoned and then sacrificed the fortunes of her poor secretary,
+Davison, one of her most virtuous servants, as a victim to her own fame,
+and the resentment of the King of Scots. These damning facts in the
+character of Elizabeth are too well known to require to be dilated on;
+they have eclipsed the few noble actions of her life, and remain
+indelible spots on her reputation as a woman and a sovereign. But we
+learn from this letter the humiliating effects made by her ministers
+to appease her fury, and her implacable resolution to overwhelm the
+unfortunate Davison with the effect of her assumed, or perhaps real
+repentance. In his apology, that statesman informs us, that on the
+Friday after Mary's execution, namely, on the 10th of February, arriving
+at the court he learnt the manner in which the queen had expressed
+herself relative to the event; but being advised to "_absent himself for
+a day or two_," and being, moreover, extremely ill, he left the court,
+and returned to London. Woolley's communication being dated on _Sunday_,
+(the manuscript is so excessively badly written as to be almost
+illegible,) shows that Elizabeth did not summon her council, and evince
+her displeasure at their conduct, until Saturday, the 13th of February,
+two days after she was informed of Mary's fate. Davison had been
+attacked with a stroke of the palsy shortly before, and all he says of
+his committal is, that he was not sent to the Tower until Tuesday the
+14th, on account of his illness; though some days previous (probably on
+Saturday the 10th) the queen assembled her council.
+
+This letter also exhibits a specimen of Leicester's characteristic
+meanness; for notwithstanding that he was a party to the act of
+forwarding the warrant for Mary's death, as his name occurs among those
+of the council who signed the letters to the Earl of Shrewsbury, the earl
+marshal, and to the Earl of Kent, both of which were dated on the 3rd of
+February, 1586-7, commanding them to cause it to be put into execution,
+he took care to withdraw from court before Elizabeth performed the roll,
+which has so justly excited the scorn of posterity. It may be also
+remarked, as another example of the official duplicity of the period,
+that Sir Francis Walsingham likewise affected not to have been concerned
+in the affair of dispatching the warrant, as in his letter to Lord
+Thulstone, the secretary to King James, dated at Greenwich, on the 4th of
+March, 1586-7, less than a month afterwards, he says, "_Being absent from
+court_ when the late execution of the queen, your sovereign mother,
+happened," though we find that he signed both the letters just mentioned.
+
+G.B.
+
+_A Letter from John Woolley, clerk of the Council in the time of
+Elizabeth, to the Earl of Leicester_.
+
+To the Righte Honorable my singular good the Earle of Leycester, one of
+her Maties Most Honorable Privie Councell.
+
+RYGHTE Honorable and my moste especiall goode Lorde,--It pleased her
+M'tye yesterday night to call the lord treasurer and other of her
+councell before her into her withdrawing chamber, where she rebuked us
+all exceedingly, from our concealing from her our proceeding in the Queen
+of Scott's case; but her indignation particularlye lyghteth most upon my
+lord treasurer and Mr. Davison, who called us togeather, and delivered
+the commissione, for she protesteth she gave _expresse commandement_ to
+the contrarye, and therefore hath taken order for the committing of Mr.
+Secretary Davison to the Tower, iff she contenew in the mynd she was
+yeterday night, albeit we all kneeled upon our knees to praye her to the
+contrarye.
+
+I think your lordship happy to be absent from these broiles, and thought
+it my dewtye to lett you understand them; and so in haste I humblye take
+my leave.--At the Courte, this present Sunday,[1] 1586.
+
+Your lordship's ever most bounden,
+
+J. WOOLLEY.
+
+P.S. I have oftentimes sent unto John, your old servante, Mr. Norld, to
+pray humbly your lordship's orders for the ordering of his case; he hath
+been long in prisone, and desireth your lordship's orders for the hearing
+of his case, which it may please your lordship to express unto
+me.--_Cottonian MSS. Caligula, c. ix. fol. 168_, (_Original_.)
+
+
+    [1] 12th February, 1586-7.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+The Topographer
+
+
+A VISIT TO STUDLEY PARK AND FOUNTAINS ABBEY, YORKSHIRE.
+
+_With a Notice of the Roman Military Road, leading from Aldborough (the
+Isurium of the Romans,) to the North._
+
+
+  "Yet still thy turrets drink the light
+    Of summer evening's softest ray;
+  And ivy garlands, green and bright,
+    Still mantle thy decay;
+  And calm and beauteous, as of old,
+  Thy wand'ring river glides in gold."
+
+A.A. WATTS.
+
+
+Among the most attractive scenes of northern Yorkshire is Studley Park,
+renowned for the richness of its sylvan scenery, which embosoms the noble
+ruin of Fountains Abbey.
+
+For the date of my visit to this _Arcadia_, I must refer the reader to
+that season of life when the pure source of thought and feeling is
+untainted by the world. It is eleven miles from my home to Studley Park,
+five of which I walked in the twilight of a summer's evening, and slept
+at a little cottage by the way. The day had been sultry, and the moon
+rose slowly over the mounds of Maiden Bower, once the site of the noble
+mansion of the Percys, now destroyed and desolate;[2] and fell in dreary
+softness on tower and wood, illumining the sable firs of Newby Park, and
+throwing another lustre on the gaudy "gowans" that decked the adjacent
+meadow. Here was a scene for the poetic sympathy of youth:
+
+
+             "That time is past,
+  And all its giddy rapture;
+  Yet not for this faint I, nor mourn;
+  Other gifts have followed; for such loss
+  I would believe, abundant recompense."
+
+WORDSWORTH.
+
+
+The morning found me, after an early breakfast, on the road to Studley
+Park. Now there are some "moods of my own mind" in which I detest all
+vehicles of conveyance, when on an excursive tour to admire the antique
+and picturesque.--Thus what numerous attractions are presented to us,
+sauntering along the woody lane on foot, which are lost or overlooked
+in the velocity of a drive! On the declivity of a meadow, inviting our
+reflection, rises a little Saxon church, grey with antiquity, and
+solemnized by its surrounding memorials of "Here lies."--Across the
+heath, encircled with fences of uncouth stones, stands a stern record
+of feudal yore; at the next turn peeps the rectory, encircled with old
+firs, trained fruit trees, and affectionate ivy; beneath yon darkened
+thickets rolls the lazy Ure, expanding into laky broadness; and, beyond
+yon western woods, which embower the peaceful hamlet, are seen the
+"everlasting hills," across which the enterprising Romans constructed
+their road. I next passed the boundaries of Newby Park, the property of
+Lord Grantham. Here beneath enormous beeches were clustering the timid
+deer, "in sunshine remote;" and the matin songs of birds were sounding
+from the countless clumps which skirt this retreat. Within that solitude
+had I enjoyed the society of a brother, alas, now no more! and yet the
+landscape wore the same sunny smile as when I carved his name on the
+towering obelisk before him. I felt that sorrow so exquisitely described
+by _Burns_:
+
+
+  "How can ye bloom so fresh and fair;
+  How can ye chant, ye little birds,
+  And I so weary, fu' o' care."
+
+
+Leaving Rainton, a sudden rise brings you to the _Roman Military Road_,
+leading from Aldborough,[3] the Isurium of the Romans, to Inverness, in
+Scotland. This road was repaired by the Empress Heleanae, and hence the
+corruption, from her name, of Learning Lane, its present designation.
+It was laid by the Romans, with stones of immense size, which have
+frequently been dug up. The _Via Appia_, at _Rome_, which has lasted
+1,800 years, resembles it in construction. Raised considerably above the
+level of the country which it crosses, it is an object of wonder and
+interest even to the illiterate, on account of the continuous perspective
+it presents; there being no _bend_ in it for several miles. Traversing
+this noble monument of art, how are we led to think on the "strange
+mutations" which have overthrown kings and kingdoms in the period of its
+duration, whilst the road remains "like an eternity:"
+
+
+ON CROSSING THE ROMAN MILITARY ROAD, LEADING FROM ISURIUM TO THE NORTH.
+
+
+  O'er classic ground my humble feet did plod,
+    My bosom beating with the glow of song;
+    And high-born fancy walk'd with me along,
+  Treading the earth Imperial Caesar trod.
+
+  A thousand rural objects on the way
+    Had been my theme-but far-off years arose,
+    When ancient Britain bow'd beneath her foes,
+  Adding resplendence to great Caesar's day:
+
+  When sounds of Roman arms through valley rung,
+    And rose that glorious morn upon our isle,
+    No night can hide, or cloud conceal its smile,
+  That dazzling morn, which out of darkness sprung.
+    Enduring cenotaph of Roman fame--
+    More than this record of their mighty name!
+
+
+I reached the ancient town of Ripon as the bells were merrily ringing in
+the towers of its old collegiate minster, for it was the anniversary of
+its patron saint, St. Wilfred. After refreshment, and a walk of three
+miles, I arrived at _Studley Park_. The fairy effect produced on entering
+this beautiful retreat is almost indescribable. We suddenly exchange the
+field and forest scenery for all the poetry of prospect. On the right is
+a declivity clothed with laurel, and stretching far away; and on the left
+a lofty and well trimmed fence of laurel, forms a screen or curtain to
+the valley beneath; the sighing of distant woods and the dashing of
+waterfalls, break on the enraptured ear, and cause the anxious eye to
+long for some opening in the verdant shroud. Anon the valley is seen; and
+through an aperture in the laurel wall, cut in imitation of a window,
+breaks as sweet a scene as ever _Claude_ immortalized! Unwilling to
+hazard a formal description, I will merely attempt an outline. Far below,
+the silver waters of the _Skell_ meander softly amongst statues of
+tritons, throwing up innumerable fountain streams. These are masterly
+executions after the ancient sculptors, and give the scene an air of
+Grecian classicality. Around these triumphs of art, rise lofty woods of
+graceful birch, varied by dark fir, and interspersed with erections of
+Roman and Gothic design. It is in the contemplation of these beauties
+that fancy recalls the mythology of rocky woods, peopled with Dryads and
+Fauns. Passing by a circuitous path to the other side of this Eden, by
+sloping walks shaded with ilex, ancient oak, sycamore, cypress, and bay,
+we have a view of the extent of the valley, terminating with the ruins of
+_Fountains Abbey_, and flanked by rocks, wildly overgrown with shrubs;
+and before us, seen more distinctly, are the statues of _Hercules_ and
+_Antaeus_, and a _Dying Gladiator_--the Temple of Piety, in which are
+bronze busts of Titus Vespasian and Nero, and a fine bas-relief of the
+Grecian Daughter. In front of this temple the water assumes a variety of
+fantastical forms, ornamented at different points by statues of Neptune,
+Bacchus, Roman Wrestlers, Galatea, &c. The banqueting-house contains a
+Venus de Medicis, and a painting of the Governor of Surat, on horseback,
+in a Turkish habit; on the front of this building are spirited figures
+of Envy, Hatred, and Malice. From the octagon tower, Mackershaw Lodge
+and Wood are seen to great advantage; and from the Gothic temple, the
+dilapidated abbey is an object of striking solemnity; whilst an opening
+in the distance shows the venerable towers of Ripon Minster.
+
+Wandering eastward, we arrive at the precincts of Fountains Abbey, which
+gradually presents its monastic turrets midway in a dell, skirted by
+hills crowned with trees, and varied by rocky slopes to the brook. This
+abbey was founded in consequence of the disgust which certain monks of
+the Benedictine order at St. Mary's, York, had imbibed against their
+_relaxed_ discipline; when struck with the famed austerities of the monks
+of Rievaulx, they left their abode, and retired to this valley, under the
+shade of seven yew trees, six of which were (in 1818) standing. The abbey
+was destroyed in the reign of Stephen, and rebuilt in 1204.[4] The
+present ruin is celebrated for the sublimity of its architecture, many
+parts of which are as perfect as when first erected. The tower is 160
+feet in height, and is a fine specimen of Gothic, in its best taste. It
+may with safety be asserted, that no church or abbey in England can boast
+of such an elegant elevation. The cloisters, 270 feet in length, and
+divided by 19 pillars and 20 arches, extend across the rivulet, which
+is arched over to support them; and near to the south end is a large
+circular stone basin. This almost subterranean solitude is dimly lighted
+by lancet windows, which are partially obscured by oaks, beeches, and
+firs; and the gloom is heightened by the brook beneath, which may be seen
+stretching its way through the broken arches. The only tomb in the church
+is that of a cross-legged knight, which lies near the grand tower, and
+represents one of the Mowbrays, who died at Ghent, in 1297. Near the
+altar is a stone coffin, in which, according to Dugdale, Lord Henry
+Percy was interred in 1315. Contiguous to the church is an extensive
+quadrangular court, which has been converted into a flower garden. On
+the east side is a line of beautiful arches, under one of which is the
+entrance to the chapter-house, a weed-grown solitude of deadly silence--
+
+
+        "Where the full-voiced choir
+  Lie, with their hallelujahs, quench'd like fire."
+
+
+In 1791, by the removal of some fragments of ruin in the chapter-house,
+the sepulchres of several of the abbots were discovered; but the
+inscriptions were obliterated. Over the chapter-house were the library
+and scriptorium. The architecture or Fountains Abbey is mixed; in some
+parts are seen the sharp-pointed windows, in others the circular arches.
+The great eastern window is indescribably magnificent, being 23 feet in
+width. There has been a central tower, which has long since fallen to
+decay. The sanctum sanctorum is 131 feet in length; over one of its
+eastern windows is the figure of an angel holding a scroll, dated 1283.
+The total length of the church is 358 feet. On the north side of the
+quadrangular court is the refectory, which was supported by large pillars,
+and adjoining it is the reading gallery, where portions of the Scriptures
+were delivered to the monks whilst at their meals; by the side of it are
+the kitchen and scullery, the former remarkable for its spacious arched
+fire place. Over the refectory was the dormitory, which contained 40
+cells; and under the crumbling steps leading to it is the porter's lodge.
+Near to the refectory are the remains of the abbot's chambers.
+
+But adieu to the waning glory of Fountains Abbey and the receding towers
+of Ripon Minster, while retracing my path of yesterday morning. I must
+linger awhile on the Roman way, where antiquity maintains her supremacy
+in spite of the war of time, and where the earth looks immutable. Now the
+groves of Newby Park re-appear with their "sylvan majesty," creating
+unutterable sympathies; for the wind that bows the surrounding branches
+moves me to weep for that romantic spirit whose ashes moulder on the
+shores of India, where
+
+
+  "When the sun's noon-glory crests the wave,
+  He shines, without a shadow on his grave."
+
+
+* * H.
+
+
+    [2] Here Henry Percy, the fourth Earl of Northumberland, was
+        murdered by an infuriated mob, in the fourth year of Henry
+        VII.; he having, as lord lieutenant of the county, levied a
+        tax on the people by order of his sovereign, for carrying on
+        the war in Bretague. Skelton, poet-laureat to Henry VIII.
+        lamented his death in some elegiac lines.
+
+    [3] Aldburgh, or Aldborough, so called by the Normans, was the
+        Iseur of the Ancient Britons, and the Isurium of the Romans.
+        Perhaps there is not another Roman city, not even excepting
+        York, where so many antiquities have been discovered. The
+        opening of ancient baths, burial vaults, &c. has led to
+        the finding of tesselated pavements, coins, urns, rings,
+        lachrymatories, seals, monumental inscriptions, medals,
+        statues, chains, sacrificing vessels, &c. It is to be lamented
+        that modern ignorance and barbarity are fast obliterating all
+        traces of the Roman walls of Isurium; their foundations having
+        been dug up for the mercenary purpose of obtaining their
+        materials. We cannot sufficiently censure such irreverence to
+        "hoar antiquity," or the contracted and grovelling ideas
+        which actuate such village Vandals.
+
+    [4] The following letter was addressed by Layton, one of the
+        emissaries of the Dissolution, to Lord Cromwell, at the
+        Reformation:--
+
+        "Please your worship to understand that the Abbot of Fountaynes
+        hath so greatly dilapidated his house, wasted ye woods,
+        notoriously keeping six ------; and six days before our coming,
+        he committed theft and sacrilege, confessing the same; for at
+        midnight he caused the chapleyne to stele the keys of the secton,
+        and took out a jewel, a cross of gold with stones; one _Warren_,
+        a goldsmith of the Chepe, was with him in his chamber at the
+        hour, and there they stole out a great emerode with a rubye, the
+        said _Warren_ made the Abbot believe the rubye was a garnet,
+        and so for that he paid nothing for the emerode, but £20. He
+        sold him also plate, without weight or ounces.
+
+        "Subscribed, your poor Priest
+        and faithful servant,
+        R. LAYTON."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+THE ANECDOTE GALLERY
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+PALEY.
+
+
+Paley would employ himself in his Natural Theology, and then gather his
+peas for dinner, very likely gathering some hint for his work at the same
+time. He would converse with his classical neighbour, Mr. Yates, or he
+would reply to his invitation that he could not come, for that he was
+busy knitting.  He would station himself at his garden wall, which
+overhung the river, and watch the progress of a cast-iron bridge in
+building, asking questions of the architect, and carefully examining
+every pin and screw with which it was put together. He would loiter along
+a river, with his angle-rod, musing upon what he supposed to pass in the
+mind of a pike when he bit, and when he refused to bite; or he would
+stand by the sea-side, and speculate upon what a young shrimp could mean
+by jumping in the sun.
+
+With the handle of his stick in his mouth, he would move about his garden
+in a short hurried step, now stopping to contemplate a butterfly, a
+flower, or a snail, and now earnestly engaged in some new arrangement of
+his flower-pots.
+
+He would take from his own table to his study the back-bone of a hare, or
+a fish's head; and he would pull out of his pocket, after a walk, a plant
+or stone to be made tributary to an argument. His manuscripts were as
+motley as his occupations; the workshop of a mind ever on the alert;
+evidences mixed up with memorandums for his will; an interesting
+discussion brought to an untimely end by the hiring of servants, the
+letting of fields, sending his boys to school, reproving the refractory
+members of an hospital; here a dedication, there one of his children's
+exercises--in another place a receipt for cheap soup. He would amuse his
+fire side by family anecdotes:--how one of his ancestors (and he was
+praised as a pattern of perseverance) separated two pounds of white and
+black pepper which had been accidentally mixed--_patiens pulveris_, he
+might truly have added; and how, when the _Paley arms_ were wanted,
+recourse was had to a family tankard which was supposed to bear them, but
+which he always took a malicious pleasure in insisting had been bought at
+a sale--
+
+
+  ----------Haec est
+  Vita solutorum miserâ ambitione gravique;
+
+
+the life of a man far more happily employed than in the composition of
+political pamphlets, or in the nurture of political discontent. Nay,
+when his friend Mr. Carlyle is about going out with Lord Elgin to
+Constantinople, the very headquarters of despotism, we do not perceive,
+amongst the multitude of most characteristic hints and queries which
+Paley addresses to him, a single fling at the Turk, or a single hope
+expressed that the day was not very far distant when the Cossacks would
+be permitted to erect the standard of liberty in his capital.
+
+I will do your visitation for you (Mr. Carlyle was chancellor of the
+diocese,) in case of your absence, with the greatest pleasure--it is
+neither a difficulty nor a favour.
+
+Observanda--1. Compare every thing with English and Cumberland scenery:
+e.g., rivers with Eden, groves with Corby, mountains with Skiddaw; your
+sensations of buildings, streets, persons, &c. &c.; e.g., whether the
+Mufti be like Dr. ----, the Grand Seignior, Mr. ----.
+
+2. Give us one day at Constantinople minutely from morning to night--what
+you do, see, eat, and hear.
+
+3. Let us know what the common people have to dinner; get, if you can,
+a peasant's actual dinner and bottle; for instance, if you see a man
+working in the fields, call to him to bring the dinner he has with him,
+and describe it minutely.
+
+       *        *        *        *        *
+
+4. The diversions of the common people; whether they seem to enjoy their
+amusements, and be happy, and sport, and laugh; farm-houses, or any thing
+answering to them, and of what kind; same of public-houses, roads.
+
+5. Their shops; how you get your breeches mended, or things done for you,
+and how (i.e. well or ill done;) whether you see the tailor, converse
+with him, &c.
+
+6. Get into the inside of a cottage; describe furniture, utensils, what
+you find actually doing.
+
+All the stipulations I make with you for doing your visitation is, that
+you come over to Wearmouth soon after your return, for you will be very
+entertaining between truth and lying. I have a notion you will find books,
+but in great confusion as to catalogues, classing, &c.
+
+7. Describe minutely how you pass one day on ship-board; learn to take
+and apply lunar, or other observations, and how the midshipmen, &c, do it.
+
+8. What sort of fish you get, and how dressed. I should think your
+business would be to make yourself master of the middle Greek. My
+compliments to Bonaparte, if you meet with him, which I think is very
+likely. Pick up little articles of dress, tools, furniture, especially
+from low life--as an actual smock, &c.
+
+9. What they talk about; company.
+
+10. Describe your impression upon first seeing things; upon catching the
+first view of Constantinople; the novelties of the first day you pass
+there.
+
+In all countries and climates, nations and languages, carry with you the
+best wishes of, dear Carlyle,
+
+Your affectionate friend,
+
+W. PALEY.
+
+_Quarterly Review_.
+
+       *        *        *        *        *
+
+
+
+
+SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY.
+
+       *        *        *        *        *
+
+
+_The Tea Plant_.
+
+The tea leaf is plucked from the plant by the manufacturers at _three_
+periods during the spring, which crops they call, in their technical
+phrase, the head, or first spring; the second spring; and the third
+spring. The quality of the tea varies according to the time of the
+plucking. The young and tender leaves of course make finer tea than tough
+and old ones.--_Asiatic Register_.
+
+
+_Portsmouth Literary and Philosophical Society_.
+
+We have been much interested with the report of this Society for 1827-8,
+and we are happy to record the prosperity of the establishment. Some
+of the lectures, especially those on Geology, or Mineralogy, are very
+attractive; and in the curator's report, we notice that the Museum,
+previously rich in fossil organic remains, has been enriched by numerous
+donations in this department, during the past session. The entire number
+of specimens in the Museum is upwards of 9,000.
+
+We have not been at Portsmouth for these three years, and till we saw
+this report, were not aware that the State Chambers, lately on the
+Platform Battery, had been pulled down towards the close of last year.
+The building was of some interest. It was of stone, with walls of
+considerable thickness, and square vaults below, descending to a level
+with the parade, and used at different periods as dungeons. The part on
+which the vane stood, was erected in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and
+the other part was built in the time of Charles II., whose name, with the
+date, was on a marble slab above the doorway. Of late years the building
+had been modernized and used as a signal-house and subscription
+reading-room. If we are not mistaken, the edifice had often been much
+injured by the encroachments of the sea, and probably this led to its
+removal.
+
+
+_Conversations on Geology_.
+
+We notice with much pleasure a handsome volume under the above popular
+title, which represents that delightful science in the very attractive
+form of a series of dialogues between a mother and her children.
+The Huttonian and Wernerian systems and the Mosaic Geology, are here
+familiarly explained, and illustrative phenomena and recent discoveries
+glanced at in the progress of the conversations. How much more profitable
+are such family recreations than sitting hours over spotted pieces of
+paper, counting the pips of dice, or simpering over fashionable novels
+and tales of scandal run mad. Bookish families are usually the happiest,
+at least if we rightly estimate the term. In an early number we shall
+endeavour to find some portion of these "Conversations" for our columns.
+
+
+"_Arcana of Science for_ 1829."
+
+This work will appear early in January. It will be on the same plan as
+the volume of last year, and will contain at least _thirty engravings_,
+on copper and wood. The _mechanical_ department is unusually copious, and
+there are some abstracts in the _chemical_, which are of high value.
+
+
+_Rice_.
+
+Trials have recently been made to grow the dry rice of China in Italy;
+and it is expected that in time an advantageous cultivation of it may be
+introduced in France.
+
+
+_Turf_.
+
+A correspondent of a French work on gardening thinks that green turf may
+be obtained in France by trenching the ground, freeing it from stones,
+covering the surface with two or three inches of rich compost, and then
+laying on the turf. The improved soil, he thinks, will retain moisture
+sufficient to keep the turf growing all the summer, and, consequently,
+green.
+
+
+_Garden of the Hesperides_.
+
+Lieutenant Beachey, in his _Travels in Cyrene_, recently published, has
+thrown some curious light on the ancient account of these celebrated
+gardens. It appears, that, like many other wonders, ancient and modern,
+when reduced to simple truth, they are little more than common
+occurrences. Baron Humboldt and Mr. Bullock have reduced the floating
+gardens of Mexico to mud banks, with ditches between; and lieutenant
+Beachey makes it appear, that the gardens of the Hesperides are nothing
+more than old stone quarries, the bottoms of which have been cultivated.
+
+
+_Preparation of Cinnamon_.
+
+The rough bark is first scraped off with knives, and then, with a
+peculiar instrument, the inner rind is stripped off in long slips; these
+are tied up in bundles, and put to dry in the sun, and the wood is
+sold for fuel. The operation was thus explained to bishop Heber by the
+cinnamon peelers; but in the regular preparation, the outer bark is not
+scraped off; but the process of fermentation, which the strips undergo
+when tied up in large quantities, removes the coarse parts. The peelers
+are called Chaliers.
+
+
+_Power of the Sun's Rays_.
+
+Mr. Mackintosh, contractor for the government works at Stonehouse Point,
+Devon, lately had to descend in the diving-bell with workmen to lay the
+foundation of a sea wall. The machine is fitted with convex glasses, in
+the upper part, to serve the purpose of windows; and Mr. Mackintosh
+states, that on several occasions, in clear weather, he has witnessed the
+sun's rays so concentrated by the circular windows, as to burn the
+labourers' clothes, when opposed to the focal point, and this when the
+machine was twenty-five feet under the surface of the water!--_From the
+MS. Journal of the Bristol Nursery Library_.
+
+
+_The Cowslip and Polyanthus_.
+
+By sowing the seed of the wild cowslip in the garden, a number of
+varieties will be produced, some of which have flowers of a beautiful
+bright red colour. May not this process be the first step towards the
+formation of our garden polyanthus? if that be not, as is generally
+supposed, a variety of the primrose, rather than of the cowslip.--_Gard.
+Mag_.
+
+
+_French Method of making Coffee_.
+
+The principal points are these:--The coffee,--_Turkey or
+Bourbon_,--should be roasted only till it is of a _cinnamon colour_, and
+closely covered up during the process of roasting. In France this is done
+in closed iron cylinders, turned over a fire by a handle, like a
+grindstone. The coffee should be coarsely ground soon after it is roasted,
+but not until quite cool: some think its _aroma_ is better preserved by
+beating in a mortar, but this is tedious. The proportions for _making
+coffee_ are usually _one pint of boiling water to two and a half ounces
+of coffee_. The coffee being put into the water, the coffee-pot should be
+covered up, and left for two hours surrounded with hot cinders, so as to
+keep up the temperature, without making the liquor boil. Occasionally
+stir it, and after two hours' infusion, remove it from the fire, and
+allow it a quarter of an hour to settle, and when perfectly clear, decant
+it. Isinglass, or hartshorn shavings, are sometimes used to clarify
+coffee; but by this addition you lose a great portion of its delicious
+aroma.
+
+Coffee in England is generally _over-roasted_, and to this fault arise
+all the inconveniences which are so often attributed to coffee, but which,
+in reality, are produced by the imperfect modes of its preparation.--_From
+the Coffee-Drinker's Manual, translated from the French_.
+
+
+_Ivy_.
+
+Attached to the officers' barracks at Winchester, is a very fine
+specimen of ivy; its trunk has been severed off to a height of more than
+two feet from the ground, yet it has for years continued in healthy
+vegetation.--_Gard. Mag_.
+
+
+_Parasite Sycamore_.
+
+In Kinmel Park, Denbighshire, is an oak tree, which, twenty or thirty
+years ago, lost one of its largest branches by the wind, and a partial
+decay was the consequence; a key from a neighbouring sycamore fell into
+the fracture, which, vegetating, has formed for the old mutilated oak a
+new head. This parasite appears to have so completely seated itself, that,
+though the place of its first lodgment is twelve feet from the ground, it
+is thought that its roots will very soon penetrate to the earth, and at
+last destroy its venerable nurse.--_Ibid_.
+
+
+_Turpentine_.
+
+Common turpentine is the produce of the Scotch pine. Trees with the
+thickest bark, and which are most exposed to the sun, generally yield the
+most turpentine. The first incision is made near the foot of the tree,
+and as the resin flows most abundantly in hot weather, the operations are
+begun about the end of May, and continued to September. The juice is
+received into holes dug in the ground, is afterwards taken out with iron
+ladles, poured into pails, and removed to a hollow trunk, capacious
+enough to hold three or four barrels. _Essential oil of turpentine_ is
+obtained by distillation. _Common resin_ is the residuum of the process
+for obtaining the essential oil. _Tar_ is obtained from the roots and
+other parts of old trees. _Med. Botany_.
+
+
+_Gum Arabic_.
+
+The purest and finest gum arabic is brought in caravans to Cairo, by the
+Arabs of the country round Mounts Tor and Sinai, who bring it from this
+distance on the backs of camels, sown up in bags, and often adulterated
+with sand, &c. The gum exudes spontaneously from the bark and trunk of
+the branches of the tree, in a soft, nearly fluid state, and hardens by
+exposure to the air, or heat of the sun. It begins to flow in December,
+immediately after the rainy season, near the flowering time of the tree.
+Afterwards, as the weather becomes hotter, incisions are made through the
+bark, to assist the transudation of the juice.--_Ibid_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+RECOLLECTIONS OF A R*T.
+
+_Written by Himself_.
+
+_From Blackwood's Magazine._
+
+
+This is a pleasant piece of satire upon the _autobiographic_ mania of
+the present day. The original article extends to twenty pages, and is
+throughout a masterly graphic sketch. We have marked a few extracts,
+which we shall endeavour to connect.
+
+
+  "A R--t! a R--t! clap to the door."
+
+POPE.
+
+
+As I intend to write the following pages entirely for my own amusement,
+and as they will most probably never meet the eye of mortal man,
+who alone can decipher them, it is unnecessary for me to make any
+observations on the doctrine of metempsychosis, to which indeed my reader
+(if there shall ever be one) may perhaps not be inclined to give implicit
+belief. It is unnecessary for me, therefore, to begin by alluding to my
+former visit to this earth. I shall not even hint, whether if it ever
+took place, it was in antediluvian ages, or during the Babylonian,
+Grecian, or Roman glory; or in more modern times. Be assured, however,
+gentle reader, (if any there ever be,) that I have the faculty of
+observation--that I have seen many generations of men--that I have been
+in almost every corner of the habitable world, and that I am intimately
+acquainted with the history of mankind.--(Sir Walter Scott's Novels I
+have listened to with the greatest attention!)--I have eat opium in
+Constantinople--garlic in Italy--potatoes in Ireland. I have dabbled my
+whiskers in Guava jelly--have drunk rack at Delhi, and at New South Wales
+I have enjoyed the luxuries of Kangaroo soup and Opossum gravy. I have
+been at the Highland-moors with young Englishmen--at Melton with young
+Scotsmen, and at bathing-quarters with old dowagers and their daughters.
+I have travelled in all ways--by seas--by land--on foot--on horseback--in
+a carriage--in a ship--in a palanquin--in a muff; but the motion of the
+camel I never could bear, it so jolted my poor old bones, and discomposed
+my whole body. India never agreed well with me. The insects, not to
+mention the serpents, annoyed me. The heat made me quite bilious; and,
+indeed, I began to feel my liver affected. And however partial I
+naturally was to perfumes, I soon had a great dislike to the strong smell
+of musk, which I felt about myself, and which, as I observe every
+historian agrees, very soon begins to appear in all of my species who
+reside for any time in India. Musk should not of itself be disagreeable;
+but to have it constantly below one's nose, and to have every thing you
+touch smelling of it, you may easily conceive must be very annoying.
+
+The Count de Buffon, whom we reckon one of our best historians, I see,
+says we are an omnivorous animal, and that we only seem to prefer hard
+substances to those which are tender or succulent. In this, however, he
+is mistaken; at least I can answer for myself. I know, for my part, I
+prefer mulligatawney and a tender young chicken, to an old pair of boots
+or a well-picked bone.
+
+I have the misfortune, my reader, whoever you may be, to belong to a
+race to which you have an aversion; I may say a perfect horror. I am a
+wretched proscribed animal. A lady would faint at the sight of me; and if
+I should merely run across a room, a whole legion of boys and footmen
+would be after me; and if they should kill me, they themselves, and I am
+afraid every other person, would give them credit for doing a meritorious
+action. But, gentle reader, our character is worse than it should be.
+Although we never received any kindness from man, I am sure I can answer
+for myself, at least, I have not very often done him mischief for
+mischief's sake; and do remember that I did not choose my own form, and
+that perhaps I am now doomed to animate it from the contempt and cruelty,
+with which, in better days, I may have used the species. But I moralize,
+and this does not well suit my present condition. You may think it as
+ridiculous an idea as an oyster in love, which, I remember, used to
+tickle my fancy. I must only for one moment be allowed to observe, that
+man bestows far too much care and attention on that green-eyed monster,
+which I do detest--I mean the cat. If we were caressed and made much of
+like it, and half so carefully attended to, I am sure we would make a
+much better return, and be truly grateful and attached. My friend Buffon
+seems perfectly to understand their character, and I must be allowed to
+quote a sentence or two from him, which I know will be much more credited
+than any thing I could myself say. "They possess," says he, "an innate
+malice, and perverse disposition, which increase as they grow up, and
+which education teaches them to conceal, but not to subdue. From
+determined robbers, the best education can only convert them into
+flattering thieves, for they have address, subtlety, and desire of
+plunder." ... "They easily assume the habits of society, but never
+acquire its manners, for they have only the appearance of attachment and
+friendship." And again he says, "the cat appears to have no feelings
+which are not interested--to have no affection which is not conditional--
+and to carry on no intercourse with man, but with the view of turning it
+to his own advantage. Even the tamest are under no subjection, for they
+act merely to please themselves."
+
+The dog is a very different animal. He is really attached to his master,
+and only lives to serve him. A dog is a perfect gentleman, and I love to
+fight with gentlemen.
+
+The Apostle Paul, in his Epistle to the Philippians, says,--"Beware of
+dogs!" c. iii. v. 2. Now, I cannot help always having thought, that he
+must have meant cats. It is very easy to suppose the Greek word "[Greek:
+kunas]," may have crept in instead of "[Greek: galas]" and this, indeed,
+is I believe, corroborated by the folio manuscript copy of the Bible, of
+1223, in the British Museum.
+
+Our race is generally said to have come from some of the islands in the
+Levant, or according to others, from Sweden; but I can ascertain with
+certainty, that my family came to France along with the Huns, and that my
+immediate ancestors came over to England with William the Conqueror, in
+1066. I consider my blood, therefore, as purely British as any of the
+inhabitants of the island. There is a tradition among us, that the
+descendants of the pair who cruised with old Noah, settled in the north
+of Asia, and that we were to be found no where else for about 500 years
+afterwards. As to this, however, I do not pretend to speak with certainty;
+but one thing I know, that wherever man is seen to inhabit, we are to be
+found--wherever he goes, we attend him. We sent out parties to make
+discoveries with Vasquez de Gama, Dampier, Anson, and Cook, and although
+we English gentlemen (who have no blood-relationship with the Norwegians)
+are known to have such a natural abhorrence at cold, the love of science
+prevailed, and a strong party were sent to the frozen seas with Ross,
+Lyon, and Parry. Pontoppidan sagely observes, that "neither the wood nor
+water R*ts can live farther north than Norway; that there are several
+districts, as that of Hordenvor, in the diocese of Bergen, and others in
+the diocese of Aggerhum, where no R*ts are to be found; and that the R*ts
+on the south banks of the Vormen soon perish, when carried to the north
+side of it." But we do not reckon Mr. Pontoppidan a historian implicitly
+to be believed, and indeed the Admiralty took such care of us, that we
+might have remained for years at the Pole itself, without even having the
+toothache!
+
+We always accompany the first visiters of countries, and when they take
+possession for their king, we do so for ourselves; and without being put
+to much trouble in carrying out stores, we have always the best and the
+pick of every thing. Often have I laughed at the pains man took to
+preserve his property from man. Stone and iron are made to do their
+best-armed sentries walking night and day--when all the time I have,
+with the coolest composure, been daily wallowing in the best of every
+thing. Nature abhors a vacuum, and will not allow us to starve,
+especially in the midst of plenty; but I may safely say, that I never
+wantonly destroyed, and, if possible, have always preferred the rich
+man's store.
+
+Before the flood, as the cave of Yorkshire no doubt proves, we were to be
+found in this island--but upon this subject I shall not enter at present.
+Probably what is now Britain, was not then an island--I leave this,
+however, to wiser heads!
+
+In the beginning of the year ----, my parents accompanied the baggage of
+the ---- Dragoon Guards to Scotland. They told me they came in the carts
+with the sergeants' wives, as being the most comfortable. I was born
+above one of the stables on the east side of the court of Piershill
+barracks, or as I used to hear the soldiers then call it, "Jock's Lodge,"
+which is within a mile and a half of Edinburgh. My father was a kind,
+sensible gentleman, and was much esteemed by all his friends; and I
+sincerely forgive him for the great desire, and the many attempts he made
+to eat me up. It was a natural instinct, and poor fellow, he could not be
+blamed for it. If he had succeeded, it would have saved me many vexations
+and trials, but my poor mother thought otherwise; and I am sure she
+fought most valiantly with my father whenever he made any attempt of the
+kind.
+
+[He might, perhaps, have lived and died in the barracks where he was born,
+had it not been for his miraculous escape from a _hunt_ by the officers
+of the dragoons. A few nights afterwards a large band of R*ts made an
+excursion of several miles, and in returning, remained for a day or two
+at Leith. "It being a sea-port, they met with some of their own species
+from all parts of the world, the language of most of whom they could not
+understand."--He travels in the pocket of a captain to Edinburgh. His
+adventures in this city are very amusing. He next sails for Holland.]
+
+We set sail in a few days with a fair wind down the Frith, and soon left
+the Bass and the May behind us. I must confess, I was a little afraid,
+when, for the first time, I was out of sight of land. It is a dismal
+thought to have nothing but sea and sky around, and only a frail plank
+between us and the fathomless depths of ocean. This was my first voyage;
+but many a day and month and year have I spent on the water since that
+time.
+
+I was a little squeamish or so for the first day, but nothing like some
+of our passengers. The great secret I have always found, is to eat plenty,
+and drink a little brandy; that is much better than all your quack
+receipts.
+
+We had a dog on board, but he was a lazy, mangy fellow, and gave us
+little trouble. The wind continued favourable, and on the sixth evening,
+the lights of Goeree and Helvoetsluis were visible. Some of the
+passengers left us at the latter town; but I merely went ashore and took
+a rapid look of the streets, and of the guard-ship, which was in the Dock
+in the centre of the town, and returned to the smack by the captain's
+boat. I saw rather a curious scene on board the man-of-war. Some of her
+men had been engaged in a row the previous night, and were sentenced to
+be flogged. After being stripped, they seemed to dip each man in the
+water before commencing the more disagreeable part of the operation. If I
+had not been in such a hurry, I should certainly have made bold to have
+carried a biscuit to a poor little midshipman, who was condemned to
+remain twelve hours at the mast-head for some nonsense or other, and who
+looked most miserably cold.
+
+Mynheer is certainly a strange fat-bottomed animal after all. His pipe
+never seems to be out of his mouth, nor his hands out of his pockets. The
+pilots who came on board, with their very little hats, their immense wide,
+short breeches, and large wooden shoes, surprised me not a little. The
+Dutch get the credit of being very cleanly, but I cannot say much as to
+that, in their persons at least. The Bad Huis, or Bath Hotel, which is on
+the Boom Keys, the best street in Rotterdam, was recommended to me as the
+only one a gentleman could go to, and there accordingly I and four of the
+passengers took up our quarters.
+
+Upon the whole, there did not appear much to be seen in the town. The
+inhabitants seemed more an eating and drinking sort of people than any
+thing else. Their ferries through the town are a very great nuisance,
+as one cannot always have a doit about them; and a surly, brown, Dutch
+rascal at one time had the impudence to stop me till I had to borrow
+from a friend. The statue of Erasmus is a shabby concern.
+
+A party were intending, I found, to make a trip along the Rhine; so
+I thought I could not do better than join them. We went by the Hague,
+Haarlem, and Amsterdam. With the last, I was much disappointed. They say
+it contains 200,000 human inhabitants, but it has not even a tolerable
+hotel. The famous Haarlem tulip gardens, I of course visited,
+particularly those of Van Eeden. I wonder what the fools could see in
+tulips, who gave 10,000 guilders for one root. The organ is certainly
+very fine; but it nearly cracked the drum of my ears.
+
+When at Amsterdam, I was nearly carried off to Archangel, which would, at
+the time, have been rather a bore indeed. After a grand let-off, given by
+a rich burgo-master, to which my friends got me a special invitation, I
+incautiously exceeded in the curaçoa, of which I did not at all then know
+the strength. The vessel put to sea, and I had enough to do to secure
+my retreat in the pilot boat. From Amsterdam we proceeded in a curious,
+large diligence to Utrecht, and from that to Cologne. We had twelve
+(human) passengers inside, who smoked the whole time without intermission.
+I, as well as all my species, are most partial to perfumes, and I did not
+therefore fail to visit the representative of Signior Jean Marie Farina
+in his shop, No. 4568, à la rue haute à Cologne. Nothing struck me
+particularly in this town of Cologne. The streets are very narrow, and
+seemed dull enough. To be sure, the principal one, which is said to be a
+German league in length, is rather fine. The old convent of the Ladies of
+St. Ursula, is curious at least. They show you in it the bones of 11,000
+virgins, who they say were murdered by the Huns at the time of their
+invasion, when they destroyed the town. I might easily have had a taste
+of them; but I had no fancy for such antiquated old maids. In the
+Cathedral, or Dom, as they call it, you see the tomb of the three famous
+kings of Cologne, and the gold and silver chests which contain the bones
+of the Holy Engelberth. I don't think, in the whole town, there is any
+thing else worth the trouble of looking at. The hotel "Le Prince Charles,"
+I found tolerably comfortable: there is a good French cook, but he is
+a saucy fellow.
+
+(_To be concluded in our next_.)
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+THE SELECTOR;
+AND
+LITERARY NOTICES OF
+_NEW WORKS_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+A MOTHER'S LOVE
+
+
+  Oh, beauteous were my baby's dark blue eyes,
+  Evermore turning to his mother's face,
+  So dove-like soft, yet bright as summer skies;
+  And pure his cheek as roses, ere the trace
+  Of earthly blight or stain their tints disgrace.
+  O'er my loved child enraptured still I hung;
+  No joy in life could those sweet hours replace,
+  When by his cradle low I watched and sung--
+  While still in memory's ear his father's promise rung.
+
+  Long, long I wept with weak and piteous cry
+  O'er my sweet infant, in its rosy bloom,
+  As memory brought my hours of agony
+  Again before my mind:--I mourned his doom;
+  I mourned my own: the sunny little room
+  In which, opress'd by sickness, now I lay,
+  Weeping for sorrows past, and woes to come,
+  Had been my own in childhood's early day.
+  Oh! could those years indeed so soon have passed away!
+
+  Past, as the waters of the running brook;
+  Fled, as the summer winds that fan the flowers!
+  All that remained, a word--a tone--a look,
+  Impressed, by chance, in those bright joyous hours;
+  Blossoms which, culled from youth's light fairy bowers,
+  Still float with lingering scent, as loath to fade,
+  In spite of sin's remorseless, 'whelming powers,
+  Above the wreck which time and grief have made.
+  Nursed with the dew of tears, though low in ruin laid.
+
+_The Sorrows of Rosalie_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+FAGGING AT WINCHESTER SCHOOL.
+
+
+The following outline of a recent quarrel at Winchester School serves to
+illustrate the _System_ of _Fagging_ as practised at one of our leading
+schools, among the "future clergy, lawyers, legislators, and peers of
+England." It is extracted from a pamphlet by Sir Alexander Malet, Bart.;
+and we hope this _expose_ will lead to the extermination of the
+"custom:"--
+
+The prefects, or eight senior boys of the school, are in the habit of
+fagging the juniors; and that they may have a greater command of their
+services during meal times, they appoint one of the junior boys with the
+title of course keeper, whose business it is to take care that whilst the
+prefects are at breakfast or supper, the juniors sit upon a certain cross
+bench at the top of the hall, that they may be forthcoming whenever a
+prefect requires any thing to be done. During that part of the short
+half-year in which there are no fires kept, a sufficient number of boys
+for this service was generally furnished from the fourth class, and it
+was considered that the junior part of the fifth class, which is next in
+the ascending scale, was exempt from so disagreeable a servitude. It
+appears, however, that within these few years, there has been a much
+greater press of boys to enter the school than formerly; the consequence
+has been, that they have come to it older and more advanced in their
+studies than formerly, and the upper departments of the school have
+received a greater accession of numbers in proportion than the lower
+classes. The fourth class, therefore, gradually furnishing a smaller
+number of fags, the prefects issued a mandate, that the junior part of
+the fifth class should share with the fourth in the duty of going on hall:
+this was for some time submitted to; but at length one of the boys of
+this class intentionally abstained from seating himself on the cross
+bench at supper-time, and being seen by the senior prefect, and desired
+by him to go on hall, refused to do so, and argued the point as a matter
+of right, alleging, as the ancient usage of the school, the exemption of
+the junior part of the fifth class from this duty till the commencement
+of fires; he referred to the course keeper as being the depositary of
+the rules, and expressed himself prepared to abide by his decision. The
+course keeper, who does not appear to have been very well versed in the
+usages of the school, decided that the boy ought to go on hall; and the
+prefect therefore resolved, not only to enforce this new rule, but
+to punish the contumely of this unlucky boy by giving him a public
+chastisement. To this, however, the junior did not feel inclined to
+submit, and a second prefect laid hold of him, that he might not evade
+the beating destined for him: a simultaneous movement then took place
+amongst the juniors, who pinioned the two prefects, released the boy
+who was being beaten, and gave them to understand that the intended
+chastisement should not be inflicted. The prefects instantly laid a
+complaint before the head master, who expelled the boy who had refused to
+go on hall, and five others, who had appeared most active in preventing
+the prefect from punishing him.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+WRITTEN IN A LADY'S ALBUM.
+
+
+  As sweeps the bark before the breeze,
+    While waters coldly close around,
+  Till of her pathway through the seas
+    The track no more is found;
+  Thus passing down Oblivion's tide,
+    The beauteous visions of the mind
+  Fleet as that ocean pageant glide,
+    And leave no trace behind.
+
+  But the pure page may still impart
+    Some dream of feeling, else untold,--
+  The silent record of a heart,
+    E'en when that heart is cold.
+  Its lorn memorials here may bloom,--
+    Perchance to gentle bosoms dear,
+  Like flowers that linger o'er the tomb
+    Bedewed with Beauty's tear.
+
+  I ask not for the meed of fame.
+    The wreath above my rest to twine,--
+  Enough for me to leave my name
+    Within this hallow'd shrine;
+  To think that o'er these lines thine eye
+    May wander in some future year,
+  And Memory breathe a passing sigh
+    For him who traced them here.
+
+  Calm sleeps the sea when storms are o'er,
+    With bosom silent and serene,
+  And but the plank upon the shore
+    Reveals that wrecks have been.
+  So some frail leaf like this may be
+    Left floating on Time's silent tide,--
+  The sole remaining trace of me,--
+    To tell I lived and died.
+
+_Malcolm's Scenes of War, &c._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+THE SUICIDE LOVER.
+
+
+A young man, of rich and respectable parents, was for a long time
+passionately in love with a young lady of the same town, whose birth
+and fortune were equal to his own; he had also the good fortune not
+to displease the young lady. Both families were anxious to bring the
+business to a conclusion; notwithstanding which the intended always found
+some specious pretext to put off the ceremony. The parents of the lady,
+after yielding for some time to the different excuses of their future
+son-in-law, as they could not find out the motive, began to be weary of
+being put off so often, and at last declared to him that a rival, who was
+his equal in every thing, had presented himself, and that if he did not
+soon make up his mind, they should be obliged to give up to the desire of
+his rival. The young man upon this information made up his mind; and,
+after the necessary arrangements, the day for the ceremony arrived. The
+bride, the two families and friends, were assembled, and waited only for
+the bridegroom in order to proceed to church, when a servant arrived with
+the sad intelligence that his master was taken suddenly ill, and in
+consequence requested that the celebration of the nuptials might once
+more be deferred for a few days. Two of his friends, who witnessed
+both the surprise and even the indignation which was marked on every
+countenance, left the party, and hastened to the gentleman's house,
+and pointed out in such strong colours the folly, as well as the bad
+consequences of his behaviour, that he sent them away, assuring them that
+he would dress himself and follow them immediately. But an hour having
+elapsed, and no bridegroom appearing, the two friends again set out to
+inquire into the cause of the delay, which seemed to them more than ever
+extraordinary. They had just arrived at the foot of his staircase, when
+they heard the report of a pistol. They hastened to ascend, and having
+forced open the door of the young man's apartment, they found him dead
+upon the floor, weltering in his blood. They were so shocked at the sight
+before them, that they could not return to announce the fatal news, but
+instantly dispatched a servant for that purpose. It is more easy to
+conceive than describe the consternation such a piece of intelligence was
+likely to throw every one into; but the situation of the bride was most
+to be pitied; she not only lost a lover just on the point of being her
+husband, but fancied that he had received some calumnious information
+which caused him to prefer death to the necessity of being united to her.
+It was some days before this mystery was cleared up, as it was not until
+the seals were broken, that they found the following written paper in his
+desk, dated eight days before the fatal catastrophe:--"I adore
+Mademoiselle de N----, and shall do so all my life. Her virtues surpassed
+if possible her charms; and I would sacrifice the last drop of my blood
+rather than cause her the least uneasiness. But the cruel and dangerous
+passion of jealousy possesses me to such a degree, that notwithstanding
+all her merits, the bare idea of a rival makes me wretched. Every effort
+on my part, joined to the voice of reason, has never been able to
+eradicate this dreadful poison from my heart, and which I fear is
+incurable. If I yield to my penchant for her, and become her husband,
+instead of being a tender lover, of which she is so worthy, I should be
+a tyrant, whose frenzy would render her more miserable than myself. They
+press me to bring our union to a conclusion, they threaten me also with a
+rival, who without doubt deserves her more than I. How can I, miserable
+wretch that I am, how can I ward off the blow which threatens me? I
+flatter myself, at least, to have succeeded in my endeavours to conceal
+the vice of a heart which, although entirely her own, can never
+exterminate the miserable passion which possesses it. The time approaches
+with rapid strides when I must make up my mind. Good Heaven direct me!
+shall I risk making her unhappy? Can I resolve to see her the wife of
+another? Never, no never! rather let me die a hundred deaths...."
+
+This unfortunate youth had written no more, but it was sufficient to
+prove that he had sacrificed himself for the happiness of his mistress.
+
+_Album of Love_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+THE CRUSADER'S SONG.
+
+"Remember the Holy Sepulchre."
+
+
+  Forget the land which gave ye birth--
+    Forget the womb that bore ye--
+  Forget each much-loved spot of earth--
+    Forget each dream of glory--
+  Forget the friends that by your side
+    Stood firm as rocks unbroken--
+  Forget the late affianced bride,
+    And every dear love token--
+  Forget the hope that in each breast
+    Glow'd like a smould'ring ember--
+  But still the Holy Sepulchre,
+    Remember! oh remember!
+
+  Remember all the vows ye've sworn
+    At holy Becket's altar--
+  Remember all the ills ye've borne,
+    And scorn'd to shrink or falter--
+  Remember every laurel'd field,
+    Which saw the Crescent waving--
+  Remember when compell'd to yield,
+    Uncounted numbers braving:
+  Remember these, remember too
+    The cause ye strive for, ever;
+  The Cross! the Holy Sepulchre!
+    Forget--forget them never!
+
+  By Him who in that Sepulchre
+    Was laid in Death's cold keeping--
+  By Her who bore, who rear'd him. Her
+    Who by that Cross sat weeping--
+  By those, whose blood so oft has cried
+    Revenge for souls unshriven!--
+  By those, whose sacred precepts guide
+    The path to yonder Heaven!
+  From youth to age, from morn to eve
+    From Spring-tide to December,
+  The Holy Sepulchre of Christ
+    Remember! oh remember!
+
+_Literary Remains of Henry Neele_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+A SERENADE.
+
+
+  Wake, Lady, wake! the midnight Moon
+  Sails through the cloudless skies of June;
+  The Stars gaze sweetly on the stream,
+  Which in the brightness of their beam,
+    One sheet of glory lies;
+  The glow-worm lends its little light,
+  And all that's beautiful and bright
+  Is shining in our world to-night,
+    Save thy bright eyes,
+
+  Wake, Lady! wake! the nightingale
+  Tells to the Moon her love-lorn tale;
+  Now doth the brook that's hush'd by day,
+  As through the vale she winds her way,
+    In murmurs sweet rejoice;
+  The leaves, by the soft night-wind stirr'd,
+  Are whispering many a gentle word,
+  And all Earth's sweetest sounds are heard,
+    Save thy sweet voice.
+
+  Wake, Lady! wake! thy lover waits,
+  Thy steed stands saddled at the gates;
+  Here is a garment, rich and rare,
+  To wrap thee from the cold night-air;
+    Th' appointed hour is flown.
+  Danger and doubt have vanish'd quite,
+  Our way before lies clear and right,
+  And all is ready for the flight,
+    Save thou alone!
+
+  Wake, Lady! wake! I have a wreath
+  Thy broad fair brow should rise beneath;
+  I have a ring that must not shine
+  On any finger, Love! but thine--
+    I've kept my plighted vow;
+  Beneath thy casement here I stand,
+  To lead thee by thine own white hand,
+  Far from this dull and captive strand--
+    But where art thou?
+
+  Wake, Lady! wake! She wakes! she wakes!
+  Through the green mead her course she takes;
+  And now her lover's arms enfold
+  A prize more precious far than gold,
+    Blushing like morning's ray;
+  Now mount thy palfrey, Maiden kind!
+  Nor pause to cast one look behind,
+  But swifter than the viewless wind,
+    Away! away!
+
+_Ibid_.
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+THE GATHERER
+
+
+  "A snapper-up of unconsidered trifles."
+SHAKSPEARE.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+FILTHY WATER.
+
+
+If the unhappy victims of mud-juice had constant access to the solar
+microscope, and there was occasionally in London a little sunshine to set
+off the animated bedevilments which are crowded into the composition, and
+could see thousands of animals, generated in filth, and living in the
+highest spirits and the greatest abundance, in the stuff destined for
+their stomachs, they would go mad. Boiled down in tea (for which, in
+the midst of _starvation_, a cockney pays five hundred per cent. beyond
+its value, and a tax of five hundred per cent. more than that,) these
+centipedes, toads, small alligators, large worms, white bait, snails,
+caterpillars, maggots, eels, minnows, weeds, moss, offal in detachments,
+gas-juice, vinegar lees, tallow droppings, galls, particles of dead men,
+women, children, horses, and dogs, train-oil, copper, dye-stuff, soot,
+and dead fish, are all, according to the chemistry of the washerwomen,
+neutralized, mollified, clarified, and rectified--but this we doubt; and
+if any of the unhappy persons who imbibe nastiness fourteen times a week,
+under the idea that it is good and wholesome because it is hot, will
+take the trouble to look at the agreeable deposit in the bottom of the
+"slop-basin," they will find that independent of all the muddy, fishy,
+oily, gaseous, animal and vegetable stuff, introduced into their stomachs
+under the guise of that most poisonous of all herbs, tea, they are in the
+habit of swallowing mud, earth, stones, sand, and gravel, in quantities
+sufficient to establish in less than three months spaces of land as big
+as Cornish freeholds in their insides.--_John Bull_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+NAPOLEON.
+
+
+While Napoleon was a subaltern in the army, a Russian officer remarked,
+with much self-sufficiency, "That his country fought for glory and the
+French for gain."--"You are perfectly right," answered Napoleon; "every
+one fights for that which he does not possess."
+
+INA.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+FORBIDDEN FRUIT.
+
+
+Sir Richard Steele, who represented the borough of Stockbridge, Hants,
+in parliament in the reign of Queen Anne, carried his election against
+a powerful opposition, by sticking a large apple full of guineas, and
+declaring that it should be the prize of that man whose wife was first
+brought to bed after that day nine months. This merry offer procured him
+the interest of the ladies, who, it is said, commemorate Sir Richard's
+bounty to this day, and once made a vigorous effort to procure a standing
+order of the corporation, that no man should ever be received as a
+candidate who did not offer himself on the same terms.
+
+HALBERT H.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+EPITAPH ON A SILLY, DRUNKEN SOT.
+
+
+His life and death five letters do express; A.B.C. he knew not, and he
+died of X.S.
+
+G.J.F.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+CONVENIENT ABSENCE.
+
+
+An individual often visited a landscape painter, who had a very beautiful
+wife, but he always met with the husband. "Zounds," said he, one day to
+him, "for a painter of landscapes, you are very seldom in the country."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+TARRAGON.
+
+
+We recommend our correspondent, _Qy?_ to steep shalots and tarragon in
+vinegar, to be used as a sauce with rump-steaks. Or he may chop the
+shalots and tarragon _very fine_, and sprinkle them over the meat.
+Tarragon sprinkled over mutton chops is a nice relish; and with _sauce
+piquante_ flavoured with the above vinegar, makes a dish on "which the
+gods might dine."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+PEREMPTORY CONCLUSION.
+
+
+An advocate, whose pleading appeared too diffuse for the cause he was
+defending, had received an order from the first president to abridge it;
+but the former, without omitting a word of his intended address, replied
+in a firm tone, that all he uttered was essential. The president, hoping
+at length to make him silent, said to him, "The court orders you to
+_conclude_." "Well," replied the advocate, "then I _conclude_ that the
+court shall hear me."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+GROUNDS OF RECOGNITION.
+
+
+A man went to a restaurateur's (or chop-house) in France, to dine. He
+perceived another man in the room and hurried away to tell the master.
+"If you do not, Sir, order that man, who is dining alone at the table
+in the corner, out of your house, a respectable individual will not be
+able to sit down in it."--"How is that, Sir?"--"Because that is the
+executioner of R----." The host, after some hesitation, at length went
+and spoke to the stranger, who calmly answered him: "By whom have I been
+recognised?"--"By that gentleman," said the landlord, pointing out the
+former. "Indeed, he ought to know me, for it is not two years since I
+whipped and branded him."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+SINGULAR MISTAKE.
+
+
+A courtier was playing at piquet, and was greatly annoyed by a
+short-sighted man with a long nose. To get rid of it he took his pocket
+handkerchief and wiped his troublesome neighbour's nose. "Ah, sir," said
+he immediately, "I really beg your pardon, I took it for my own."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
+
+
+During the revolution, a young man was travelling in the Diligence to
+Lyons with "_a brother and a friend_," when they had got about half way
+the latter's purse became empty; "_Brother_," said he to the young man,
+"pay for me, and I will return it to you at Lyons." "I cannot."--"Why, are
+we not brothers?" "Oh certainly, but _our purses are not sisters_."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+SPANISH REFUGEES.
+
+
+As philanthropy is of no _caste_ or creed, let us dip our pen "in the
+milk of human kindness," and recommend each of our readers to contribute
+the amount of the MIRROR purchase-money--_Two-pence_--to the fund for
+relief of the Spanish Refugees.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+THE ANNUALS.
+
+
+The SUPPLEMENT announced in No. 340 of the MIRROR, will be published next
+Saturday, December 6, and will contain Notices of such of the ANNUALS as
+were not included in the previous Supplement, with a FINE ENGRAVING, and
+their _Spirit_, or _Second Sight_.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+LIMBIRD'S EDITION OF THE
+
+_Following Novels are already Published_:
+
+-                                      _s._ _d_.
+Mackenzie's Man of Feeling . . . . . . 0    6
+Paul and Virginia. . . . . . . . . . . 0    6
+The Castle of Otranto. . . . . . . . . 0    6
+Almoran and Ramet. . . . . . . . . . . 0    6
+Elizabeth, or the Exiles of Siberia. . 0    6
+The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne . . 0    6
+Rasselas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0    8
+The Old English Baron. . . . . . . . . 0    8
+Nature and Art . . . . . . . . . . . . 0    8
+Goldsmith's Vicar of Wakefield . . . . 0   10
+Sicilian Romance . . . . . . . . . . . 1    0
+The Man of the World . . . . . . . . . 1    0
+A Simple Story . . . . . . . . . . . . 1    4
+Joseph Andrews . . . . . . . . . . . . 1    6
+Humphry Clinker. . . . . . . . . . . . 1    8
+The Romance of the Forest. . . . . . . 1    8
+The Italian. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2    0
+Zeluco, by Dr. Moore . . . . . . . . . 2    6
+Edward, by Dr. Moore . . . . . . . . . 2    0
+Roderick Random. . . . . . . . . . . . 2    6
+The Mysteries of Udolpho . . . . . . . 3    6
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Printed and Published by J. LIMBIRD, 143, Strand, (near Somerset House,)
+London; sold by ERNEST FLEISCHER, 626, New Market, Leipsic; and by all
+Newsmen and Booksellers._
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 11404 ***