cecurred at Ceylon. Parties were employed felling timber in the forests of Candia, and this timber, after having been squared, was dragged to the depot by a large party of elephants, who, with their keepers, were sent there for that purpose. This work was so tedious, that a large truck was made, capable of receiving a very heavy load of timber, which might be transported at once. This truck was dragged out by the elephants, and it was to be loaded. I should observe, that when elephants work in a body, there is always one who, as if by common consent, takes the lead, and directs the others, who never refuse to obey him. The keepers of the elephants, and the natives, gave their orders, and the elephants obeyed, but the timber was so large, and the truck so high on its wheels, that the elephants could not put the timber in the truck according to the directions given by the men. After several attempts, the natives gave up the point, and retiring to the side of the road as usual, squatted down, and held a consultation. In the mean time the elephant who took the lead summoned the others, made them drag two of the squared pieces to the side of the truck, laid them at right angles with it lifting one end of each on the truck, and leaving the other on the ground, thus forming the inclined plane. The timber was then brought by the elephants, without any interference on the part of keepers or natives, who remained looking on, was pushed by the elephants with their foreheads up the inclined plane, and the truck was loaded. Here, then, is an instance in which inventive instinct-if that term may be used-was superior to the humbler reasoning powers.

That animals have the power of memory as well as man, admits of no dispute. In elephants, horses, and dogs, we have hourly instances of it; but it descends much lower down-the piping bullfinch, who has been taught to whistle two or three waltzes in perfect concord, must have a good memory, or he would soon forget his notes. To detail instances of memory, would therefore be superfluous; but, as it does occur to me now, I must give an amusing instance how the memory of a good thrashing overcame the ruling passion of a monkey,-which is gluttony,-the first and only instance that I ever saw it conquered.

I had on board of a ship which I commanded, a very large Cape baboon, who was a pet of mine, and also a little boy, who was a son of mine. When the baboon sat down on his hams, he was about as tall as the boy was when he walked. The boy having a tolerable appetite, received about noon a considerable slice of bread and butter, to keep him quiet till dinner time. I was on one of the carronades, busy with the sun's lower limb, bringing it in contact with the horizon, when the boy's lower limbs brought him in contact with the baboon, who having, as well as the boy, a strong predilection for bread and butter, and a stronger arm to take it withal, thought proper to help himself to that to which the boy had been already helped. In short, he snatched the bread and butter, and made short work of it, for it was in his pouch in a moment. Upon which the boy set up a yell, which attracted my notice to this violation of the articles of war, to which the baboon was equally amenable as any other person in the ship; for it expressly stated in the preamble of every separate article, All who are in or belonging to.' Whereupon I jumped off the carronade, and by way of assisting his digestion, I served out to the baboon, monkey's allowance, which is, more kicks than halfpence. The master reported that the heavens intimated that it was twelve o'clock, and, with all the humility of a captain of a man-of-war, I ordered him to make it so ;' whereupon it was made, and so passed that day. I do not remember how many days it was afterwards that I was on the carronade as usual, about the same time, and all parties were precisely in the same situations, the master by my side, the baboon under the booms, and the boy walking out of the cabin with his bread and butter. As before, he again passed the baboon, who again snatched the bread and butter from the boy, who again set up a squall, which again attracted my attention. I looked round, and the baboon caught my eye, which told him plainly that he'd soon catch what was not at all my eye;' and he proved that he thought so, for he actually put the bread and butter back into the boy's hands. It was the only instance of which I ever knew or heard, of a monkey being capable of self-denial when his stomach was concerned, and I record it accordingly. (Far paranthèse :) it is well known that monkeys will take the small pox, measles, and I believe the scarlet fever, but this fellow, when the ship's company were dying of the cholera, took that disease, went through all its gradations, and died apparently in great agony.

DEAR L

LETTERS FROM A RAMBLER,

BY GEO. P. JENNINGS, OF THE CUMBERLAND LODGE.

No. 4.

Guernsey, August, 183-.

A stroll through Guernsey, although the stranger will miss the rich luxuriance of Jersey, presents many objects well worthy of attention; and though nature has been less prodigal in her gifts, art, aided by human skill and industry, has done more than in the sister island. The houses, generally speaking, are larger and of a superior description, and many are surrounded with pleasure grounds, laid out in the very best style. The most picturesque spots are the bays of Fermain, Petit Bo, and Moulin Huit, and they, particularly the latter, are very beautiful, though they fall far short of those I described in my last. Near Fermain Bay is St. Martin's Church, situated on a high hill, and is the principal land mark for approaching the island from the south and east, for the immense shoals and ridges of rock skirting the island in every direction, render the navigation perilous in the extreme; here is also a pillar of great height, erected in honor of General Doyle, but the view from the top does not recompense the adventurer for trusting his neck to the dark, winding, and, in some parts, delapidated stairs leading to it. The island contains about a dozen churches, exclusive of those in the town, chiefly built between the years 1120 and 1400; they form, by far, the most prominent feature of the landscape, and the situation of some is pleasing and romantic. The only place, except St. Peter, deserving the name of a town, is St. Sampson's, about three miles to the north of the former; it possesses a good harbour, and has some trade, principally fishing: the only objects of interest to the stranger are the castle and the church, the latter is the oldest in the island, having been erected in 1111, being, by rather a singular coincidence, of the same date as the oldest church in Jersey.

Proceeding onwards from St. Sampson's, the tourist will soon find himself in a bleak, barren, tract of land, which extends along the north-western coast; at one extremity of it is an extensive but indifferent race course, and if the running be upon equal par, the "turnout" of the Guernsey races must be a poor affair. At some distance thence, upon the same tract of country, are to be seen the principal, if not the only remains of antiquity to be found in the island. These relics are Druidical, and consist of several large stones firmly fixed upright in the ground, with others lying upon them; thus most probably, forming an altar, on which the sacrifices, generally human, of the votaries were offered. There are also a number of stones, of much greater height than the former, apparently the remains of a circle originally surrounding the altar; at some distance are other huge masses, which may have formed part of some buildings for the exercise of the Druidical rites; though they are too irregular in their appearance to warrant a conjecture as to their precise use. Some more romantic visitor might have had a vision of the priests of the oak, with their long beards and mistletoe boughs; the cries of the victim, and the crackling of the ascending flames, while the grey, rough-hewn pillars reflected the votive fires, and seemed by their ghastly glare, the fitting temple of a Moloch, from whose shrine, ignorance, superstition, and cruelty, yelled their demoniac chorus over the hapless beings consigned into their power. To your less imaginative friend, however, no such visionary array presented itself, though no one, I should imagine, can behold the relics of those blood-stained rites, without feeling the exhilarating contrast presented to them, by the benign influence of the mental light which now irradiates that once gloomy hemisphere. But enough of this digression.

The island contains numerous genteel country residences, and the seat of Lord de Saumarez is as beautiful a specimen of a miniature palace as can well be imagined. More than this, in description of scenery of Guernsey, cannot well be said without going too much into detail; but we must not forget the inhabitants. The country people are divided into three classes :-first, the landowner, then the small farmer, and then the cottager; the first class are distinguished from the second by cultivating their own land, and breeding cattle for exportation, as well as being more extensive dealers in potatoes, cider, &c. The same frugality almost invariably accompanies both classes, and as often meets its reward, a poor farmer being very rarely to be met with; though

one,

by that term you must not imagine that the rich farmers are similarly circumstanced as those in the agricultural districts in England. Thirty English acres is here considered a large farm, and the majority are much smaller. It also often happens that the smaller farmers who live on the coast, are owners of a fishing-boat, or have a share in and thus unite the two vocations of exacting produce from both land and water; the disposing of the fish in the market generally falling to the lot of the female part of his family. The cottages are generally kept in the cleanest and neatest possible order; scarcely one being without flowers or evergreens, creeping up the walls and mantling over the door. One article of furniture is generally to be seen in the house of a genuine Guernseyman, and is almost exclusively the characteristic of this island, it is called the "lit de veille," and consists of a broad frame, similar to a bed-frame, about a foot and a half high, placed in the corner of the kitchen or common room, boarded over, and covered with dry fern or hay; a lamp is suspended from the ceiling over it; and on this "lit de veille" the young people of the house and their neighbours, assemble on winter evenings, sitting in a circle, feet to feet; there they sew, knit, sing, or pass the time in any other work or amusement. There is much sociality in this custom; and some say it has had its origin from combining those two qualities so essential to the country taste company and economy. It might at first be supposed, that such a custom would be apt to introduce habits not very congenial to morality, but I do not think that such has ever been the case; from some cause, however, probably the increased intercourse with the English, the "lit de veille" is not near so general as it once was. The most amusing object in the dress of the country people is the bonnet, which is of very large dimensions, and does not, like the English one, extend far in front, but has a high crown, with huge sides or wings reaching over the ears, and sometimes as low as the shoulders: they are made of silk or other stuff, are generally white, and set off with a number of bows, ribbons, &c. This prominent part of the costume is falling rapidly into disuse, and it is seldom that a young girl is seen in it, though the elder matrons cleave to it with all the tenacity of long attachment. The native language is also undergoing the same change as the dress, and gradually approximating to English. A few years since, scarcely any but the inhabitants of St. Peter's could speak either English or genuine French, their own language being a most barbarous mixture of French and Norman ; but now it is rare to find a person, except in the most remost parts of the island, who cannot answer an English question in the same language. The language of Guernsey is quite different from that of Jersey, and what is still more singular from that of Serk; so dissimilar, indeed, is it from that of the latter place, that notwithstanding the shortness of the distance, only nine miles, and the daily communication existing between them, a native of either island is perfectly unintelligible to a native of the other.

:

I must now say a few words on the state of society among the more opulent classes, or as they are, perhaps, better known, the higher orders. A great portion of this class of inhabitants consists, as in Jersey, of English; but there is considerable difference between the state of the same rank of society in the two islands and in the comparison, Guernsey has decidedly the advantage; the causes of this are manifold; but as the discussion of them forms no part of my plan, I shall simply state that such differences do exist. The line of distinction between natives and English is not drawn so strong, or observed so closely here as in the sister island; neither is there so much party spirit respecting local affairs, which has been one great cause of dividing the society of Jersey into such numerous sub-divisions. There is also far more real opulence in Guernsey, and many wealthy English families, whereas the greater number of Jersey exclusives, are, as I before observed, naval and military officers, retired on halfpay, and who form a system of society, sufficiently exact in the appearances of gentility, but woefully difficient in the realities of its enjoyments. The commerce of Guernsey consists, in a great measure, of the carrying trade, in which vessels are employed to take cargoes from one foreign port to another, as there is but small dependence upon the inland market. During the wars of the end of the last and the beginning of the present century, smuggling was carried on to a vast extent, but the strict regulations now in force have almost entirely destroyed it. The imports and exports are nearly the same as those of Jersey, but owing to the small size of the island and its less cultivation, they are not near so extensive. Potatoes form one great staple of export.

The Guernsey cow has long been justly celebrated, but the exportation of them is not so large as might have been expected, as the farmers prefer rearing them for the

sake of the milk and butter than for sale. I have ascertained that there are seldom more than 520 cows and calves exported in one year. The spirit of rivalry in this breed of cattle is carried to such an extent between the two islands, and a Guernsey farmer could not on any account be induced to admit a Jersey cow among his stock. One thing connected with their management appears rather strange to one, like myself, accustomed to see cattle feeding at large in the extensive pastures of the English agricultural counties; it is the practice of always tethering the cows, allowing to each a small extent of ground; when this appears pretty closely eaten, the stake is moved a few yards, giving a fresh range on one side of their former one, and so on till the whole field has been taken in time. The consequence of this arrangement is, that the grass is not wasted or trodden down, and much less land is required to keep a cow than on the English system; a desideratum, when the extent of land is so small, of great moment.

The government of Guernsey is vested in the bailiff, twelve jurats, chosen by the inhabitants of the different parishes, and the attorney general of the royal court; together with the beneficed clergy of the island, the constables and "douzaneers" of each parish, in all 174. The governor or lieutenant governor, (deputies again !) for the time being has a deliberative voice at all meetings of the "States," but no vote. The government of the island is not affected by any act of the English Parliament, unless it be by a special enactment; the revenues consist of harbour dues, a duty of one shilling per gallon upon all spiritous liquors imported, a small license upon inns, and a few other similar dues: the above being the only duty paid upon spirits, the prices of them and all other exciseable commodities are about the same as in Jersey. the particulars of which I have previously mentioned. The established religion of the island is the Church of England; service is performed in most of the country churches in French, and in the town, alternately in French and English. In addition to the establishment, are numerous bodies of dissenters, and all the fanatical sects common in England, find here great support; the "unknown tongues" have lately appeared, and have been warmly received by many persons: one Rev. Gentleman of the English church has been expelled by his diocesan, (the bishop of Winchester) for not only countenancing those extravagant notions, but for introducing them into the service of his church.

The proximity of Guernsey to several small islands at the distance of from four to twenty miles, combined with the paucity of amusements on shore, cause sailing to be the recreation most in vogue; almost every person approximating to a gentleman either has a boat of his own, or is part owner of one: the pleasure boats are very numerous, and form a beautiful object when viewed from the shore, as they are skimming along the sea. I have made several excursions to the islands above mentioned, the particulars of which I must reserve for my next. The enjoyment of sailing requires great caution, and a good knowledge of the coast, on account of the variableness of the weather, and the sudden gales of wind frequently rising, as also from the innumerable rocks and shoals which are thickly set in every direction; I have been out more than once with the sky delightfully fine and clear, when in less than half an hour, a fog has enveloped us with such an impervious veil, that it was impossible to distinguish even the massive walls of the old castle, from which, at the time, we have not been more than two hundred yards distant. Mackerel fishing is also a favourite amusement in the proper season; and also lobster fishing, which latter is effected by sinking large baskets among the rocks at night, and drawing them up in the morning; the fish gains admission into these baskets by the same means as a mouse creeps into a trap, and the consequences of its intrusion are pretty similar. This description of fishing is much followed by gentlemen, and is considered a great amusement, though I must confess, I had very small relish for it, which was by no means increased, by the chance of an unskilful fisher oversetting the punt (or small fishing boat) by the weight of the lobster trap, as it must be drawn up into the boat to obtain possession of the prey.

But it is time I brought this epistle to an end; the signal is up of the packet being in sight on her way from Jersey to England, as she only stops here to take on board passengers and letters, I will bundle it off to the post office, and then, I suppose, by the end of three or four days, the red-nosed guard of the *** mail, will give it in charge to the nimble-heeled postman, who will deliver it to yon; and then it will doubtless soon meet its due, by being transferred from your hands to-the fire.

Yours, truly,

G. P. J.

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, our greatest of dramatic writers, was born at Stratford< upon-Avon, in Warwickshire, on the 23d April, 1564. His father is, by some authorities, stated to have been a butcher, by others a woolstapler, and it is very probable that he united both those trades. The circumstance of his having a large family, prevented him from bestowing more than a slender education upon his children. William, who appears to have been his eldest son, received the principal part of his scholastic instruction at the free-school of his native town, and he seems to have been indebted to his natural genius and industry for the greatest part of his learning. The history of his first introduction to the drama, if its authenticity can be relied on, is singular; he had the fate to become acquainted with some young men who were in the habit of stealing deer from the park of Sir Thomas Lucy, near Stratford; for which he was severely prosecuted by that gentleman, and in order to revenge himself, wrote a satirical ballad, in which Sir Thomas was depicted in no very favourable colours: this raised so bitter a persecution against him, that he was obliged to leave his home, and take refuge in London, where, it is said, he obtained subsistence by holding the horses at the door of the theatre, belonging to gentlemen who came to witness the performance. * He afterwards appeared as an actor, but we do not hear of his showing any marks of excellence in that department; but his connexions soon roused the sparks of genius, which burst forth with so resplendent a lustre. His career is comprised in two words-HE WROTE ! It is impossible to state the exact order in which his works appeared. Romeo and Juliet was produced in 1597, and is generally said to have been his first attempt, but good evidence exists to show that he had written some of his dramas six or seven years before.

He

His plays soon became extremely popular, and were acted before Queen Elizabeth and the members of the court; and it is said, that her Majesty was so highly pleased with the character of Falstaff in Henry IV., that she requested Shakespeare to continue the character in another piece, and to represent him in love. The Merry Wives of Windsor was the piece produced in compliance with the Royal request, and certainly the picture of Sir John's love is quite in unison with his other accomplishments. also found many powerful patrons among the nobility, particularly the Earl of Southampton, who is recorded to have presented him, at one time, with £1000, in those days an immense sum; he was also on intimate terms with the leading literary characters of the day, among others, "rare Ben Jonson." The last of his plays was produced about the year 1614, between 25 and 30 years from the appearance of his first.

On his leaving the stage, the exact time of his so doing is not known, he retired to his native town of Stratford, where he lived in a private manner till his death, which

*This mode of visiting the theatre may seem strange to play-goers of the present day, but at that time the performance commenced about four o'clock in the afternoon. VOL. 4-No. 4-2 A.