projecting roof of the shed. The noise continued the shouting rose higher than ever-the other schooners opened their fire, both cannon and musketry; and from the increasing vehemence of the Spanish exclamations, and the cheering on board Obed's vessels, I concluded the attacking party were having the worst of it. My dog Sneezer now came jumping and scrambling up the trap-stair, his paws slipping between the bars at every step, his mouth wide open, and his tongue hanging out, while he barked, and yelled, and gasped to get at me, as if his life depended on it. After him I could see the round woolly pate of Peter Mangrove, Esquire, as excited apparently as the dog, and as anxious to get up; but they got jammed together in the small hatch, and stuck there man and beast, At length Peter spoke-" Now sir, now, Nancy has run on before to the beach with two paddles; now for it, now for it." Down trundled master, and dog, and pilot. By this time there was no one in the lower part of the shed, which was full of smoke, while the infernal tumult on the waters still raged as furiously as ever, the shot of all sorts and sizes hissing, and splashing, and ricochetting along the smooth surface of the harbour, as if there had been a sleet of musket and cannon balls and grape. Peter struck out at the top of his speed, Sneezer and I followed; we soon reached the jungle, dashed through a path that had been recently cleared with a cutlass or billhook, for the twigs were freshly shred, and in about ten minutes reached the high wood. However, no rest for the wicked, although the row seemed lessening now. "Some one has got the worst of it," said I. "Never mind, master," quoth Peter, "or we shan't get de betterest ourself." And away we galloped again, until I had scarcely a rag an inch square on my back, or any where else, and my skin was torn in pieces by the prickly bushes and spear grass. The sound of firing now ceased entirely, although there was loud shouting now and then still. "Heaven have mercy, Peter unquestionably." "Well, massa, you know best," So we tugged at the sable heroine, and first one leg came home out of the tenacious clay with a plop, then the other was drawn out of the quagmire. We then relieved her of the paddles, and each taking hold of one of the poor half-dead creature's hands, we succeeded in getting down to the beach, about half a mile to leeward of the entrance to the cove. We found the canoe there, plumped Nancy stern foremost into the bottom of it for ballast, gathered all our remaining energies for a grand shove, and ran her like lightning into the surf, till the water flashed over and over us, reaching to our necks. Next moment we were both swimming, and the canoe, although full of water, beyond the surf, rising and falling on the long swell. We scrambled on board, set Nancy to bale with Peter's hat, seized our paddles, and sculled away like fury for ten minutes right out to sea, without looking once about us, until a musket-shot whistled over our heads, then another, then a third; and I had just time to hold up a white handkerchief, to prevent a whole platoon being let drive at us from the deck of his Britannic majesty's schooner Gleam, lying to about a cable's length to windward of us, with the Firebrand a mile astern of her out at sea. In five minutes we got on board of the former. Mercy on me, Tom Cringle, and is this the way we are to meet again?" said old Dick Gasket, as he held out his large, bony, sun-burnt hand to me. "You have led me a nice dance, in a vain attempt to redeem you from bondage, Tom; but I am delighted to see you, although I have not had the credit of being your deliverer very glad to see you, Tom; but come along, man, come down with me, and let me rig you, not quite a Stultze's fit, you know, but a jury rig-you shall have as good as Dick Gasket's kit can furnish forth, for really you are in a miserable plight man.” "Bad enough, indeed, Mr. Gasketmany thanks though bad enough, as you say; but I would that your boat's crew were in so good a plight.' Mr. Gasket looked earnestly at me"Why, I have my own misgivings, Mr. Cringle; this morning at daybreak, the Firebrand in company, we fell in with an armed felucca. It was dead calm, and she was out of gunshot, close in with the land. The Firebrand im mediately sent the cutter on board, fully armed, with instructions to me to man the launch, and arm her with the boatgun, and then to send both boats to overhaul the felucca. I did so, standing in as quickly as the light air would take me, to support them; the felucca all this while sweeping in shore as fast as she could pull. But the boats were too nimble for her, and our launch had already saluted her twice from the sixpounder in the bow, when the seabreeze came thundering down in a white squall, that reefed our gaff topsail in a trice, and blew away a whole lot of light sails, like so many paper kites. When it cleared away, the devil a felucca, boat, or any thing else, was to be seen. Capsized they could not have been, for all three were not likely to have gone that way; and as to any creek they could have run into, why we could see none. That they had pulled in shore, however, was our conclusion; but here have we been the whole morning firing signal guns every five minutes without success.' "" "Did you hear no firing after the squall?" said 1. Why, some of my people thought they did, but it was that hollow, tremulous, reverberating kind of sound, that it might have been thunder; and the breeze blew too strong to have allowed us to hear musketry a mile and a half to windward of them. I did think I saw some smoke rise, and blow off now and then, but❞— "But me no buts, Master Richard Gasket; Peter Mangrove here, as well as myself, saw your people pursue the felucca into the lion's den, and I fear they have been crushed in his jaws.' I briefly related what we had seenGasket was in great distress. They must have been taken, Mr. Cringle. The fools, to allow themselves to be trepanned in this way! we must stand out and speak the corvette-All hands make sail!" To be concluded in our next. The Naturalist. after being several hours at sea, were much astonished at seeing the two creatures following the sloop. After being exhausted with flying, they perched themselves on the top of the mast. Crumbs of bread were thrown on the deck, with the view of alluring them down; but they resisted the temptation for a considerable time. Pressed by hunger, they at last descended to the deck, and ate up with avidity the fragments that were scattered before them. Having eaten a hearty meal, the feathered voyagers returned to the topmast. By the time the vessel was two days at sea, they descended from their high altitude once on an average every three hours, when, after partaking of some food, they regularly returned to their elevated quarters. Matters proceeded in this way during the voyage, which was a long one, the crew all the while being alike ignorant of what had attracted them in the first instance to the vessel, and of what could have induced them to put to sea. On reaching the river Tyne the matter was explained. A nest, with four young ones in it, was discovered at the topmast. The nest, with its callow inmates, was taken down by the sailors, and being put, in the presence of the old birds, into a crevice of an old house on the banks of the river, the unfledged creatures were left to parental care, which they doubtless received. Table Talk. VISIT TO HERSCHEL.-We slept at Windsor, and, on the following morn"ing, went to pay our respects to the famous astronomer, Herschel. The English still persist in calling the planet he discovered three years ago, by the name of the Georgium Sidus; but Europe, indeed the whole world, more just to the philosopher than his country -have decreed that it shall bear his own name. Herschel is between forty and fifty years of age; and his life has been of a chequered nature. He was born in Hanover. I believe his father was a musician. He entered the Hanoverian service, as a flute-player-became disgusted with the army-deserted and came over to England. Some nobleman engaged him to form a band. He afterwards became a music-master, and an organist; but his love for astronomy was so powerful, that he found means, when not occupied in his profession, to bring reflecting telescopes to SPARROWS.-We have often heard of birds choosing singular places for building their nests, but of none more singular than that we are about to record. A coal vessel from Newcastle, or some place in that neighbourhood, having lately been at Nairn, two sparrows were frequently observed to light on the top of the vessel's mast; and the crew, perfection. He is now engaged in preparing one that will be forty feet in length. It will occupy him three or four years in completing. Herschel received us with great kindness talked to us upon astronomical subjects-and assured us that, within these few months, he had made the discovery of a volcanic mountain in the moon. He tells us that the milky way is certainly composed of nebulous stars, and that they consist of several thousands. He is allowed a pension by government. His anxieties and miseries are now at an end; and the remainder of his life he intends to devote to astronomical pursuits. In his studio, he has written, over the mantel-piece, the inscription of Gil Blas:-"Spes et fortuna valete, sat me lusistis, ludite nunc alios." Mirabeau's Letters. Hill LORD HILL AT TALAVERA.was moving up to reinforce Colonel Donkin, and was in the act of giving some orders to the colonel of the 48th regiment, when he was fired at from this summit; and not doubting that the shots proceeded from some British stragglers, who mistook the direction of their fire, he rode smartly up, accompanied by his brigade major, Fordyce, to stop them. These two were instantly surrounded by the enemy; Fordyce was killed on the spot; and the hand of a French grenadier was already on the bridal of Hill's charger; but the general spurred his horse hard, broke away and galloped off. Directing the wounded beast downwards, he met a part of the 29th; and turning, led them up with uncalculating courage to the charge. The old 29th did not disappoint him; they won back the summit at the point of the bayonet. But scarcely had the general placed them in position by the side of Colonel Donkin's brigade, ere a heavy mass of French battalions again advanced; and a violent attack, of which the first was but a prelude, burst upon them.The fire flashed red upon the night; and was delivered so close, that the combatants discerned each other's formation within a few paces. The British having poured in their deadly volley, rushed on with their bayonets, broke the dark column, and drove it down. TRADITION OF THE RED SEA.-The superstition of the neighbourhood (a point in the Red Sea, which is remarkable for the furious gusts to which it is almost continually subject) ascribes it to a supernatural, and not to a physi cal cause; for this being, according to received tradition, the spot where the chosen people under Moses passed over, the ignorant imagine that, since it was also here that the host of Pharaoh was swallowed up, their restless spirits still remain at the bottom of the deep, and are continually busied in drawing down mariners to their destruction; a notion so received among all the seafaring people along that coast, that it would be quite in vain to argue against it. The STARCH.-The manufacture of starch was known to the ancients. Pliny informs us that it was made from wheat and from siligo, which was probably a variety or sub-species of wheat. invention of starch is ascribed by Pliny to the inhabitants of Chio, where in his time the best starch was still made. Pliny's description of the method employed by the ancients of making starch is tolerably exact. Next to the Chian starch that of Crete was most celebrated; and next to it was the Egyptian. The qualities of starch were judged by the weight; the lightest being always reckoned the best. CHARACTER OF THE ENGLISH.-John Selden, the glory of the English nation, as Grotius calls him, thus describes his countrymen. "Their ingenuity will not allow them to be excellent at the cheat; but are rather subject in that kind to take than to give, and supposing others as open-hearted as themselves, are many times in treaties overmatched by those whom they overmatch in arms; upon the same account they are neither imperious over those beneath, nor stubborn against those above; but can well discern both person and time. They will honour majesty whenever they see it. The only way to conquer them, is to let them have their liberties; for, like some horses, they are good for carriage, as long as their burthens are easy and sit loose upon them, but if too close girt, they will break all, or cast their burthens aside." THE BARKING OF DOGS.-Dogs in a state of nature never bark; they simply whine, howl, and growl; this explosive noise is only found among those which are domesticated. Sonnini speaks of the shepherds' dogs in the wilds of Egypt as not having this faculty; and Columbus found the dogs, which he had previously carried to America, to have lost their propensity to barking. The ancients were aware of this circumstance. Isaiah compares the blind It can watchmen of Israel to these animals: Source of the GANGES.-The mountain scenery which surrounds Gangoutri, where the infant Ganges bursts into view, is sublime and amazing. The traveller winds his way to this place, clambering over steep rocks, or creeping along the face of precipices, where flights of steps are formed by posts driven into the crevices. At length he reaches the village, consisting only of a few huts and the temple dedicated to Mahadeo. Here naked and pointed cliffs, shooting up to the sky with confused masses of rock lying at their feet, and only a few trees rooting themselves in the deep chasms, making the spectator feel as if he had trode on the ruins of a former world. Vast shattered precipices, which frown over the temple, have strewn the vicinity with enormous fragments of granite, destined probably one day to overwhelm the edifice itself. A few old pines throw a dark shade over the troubled waters, whose roar is heard beneath, mingled with the stifled but fearful sound of the stones borne down by the current. Rocky heights shut in the prospects on every side except towards the east, where, behind a crowd of naked spires, the view is bounded by the four snowy peaks of Roodroo Himala. POTTERY OF THE ANCIENTS. Herodotus records of Asychis, one of the kings of Egypt, that he built a pyramid of bricks made of the mud or silt dredged up from the bottom of the river. All the Roman bricks are of a deep red colour, very compact and well burnt. In ancient Rome, it was said of Augustus, that he found the city of brick, and left it of marble. That part of the walls of Athens which looks towards Mount Hymettus, was built of brick. In China, bricks are made of blue clay more or less sandy. ARDENT SPIRITS A POISON. - When pure ardent spirits are taken into the stomach, they cause irritation, which is evinced by warmth and pain experienced in that organ; and next, inflammation of the delicate coats of this part and sometimes gangrene. They act in the same manner as poisons. Besides the local injury they produce, they act on the nerves of the stomach which run to the brain, and if taken in large quantities cause insensibility, stupor, irregular convulsive action, difficult breathing, and often sudden death. STOCKING WEAVING.- "William Lee, M.M., I thinke," says Aubrey, "of Magdalen Hall, Oxon, was the first inventor of the weaving of stockings, by an engine of his contrivance. He was a Sussex man born, or else lived there. He was a poor curate, and observing how much paines his wife tooke in knitting a paire of stockings, he bought a stocking and a halfe, and observed the contrivance of the stitch, which he designed in his loome, which (though some of the instruments of the engine he altered) keepes the same to this day. He went into France, and there died before his loome was made there. So the art was not long since in no part of the world, except England. Oliver Cromwell, protector, made an act that it should be felony to transport this engine. This information I tooke from a weaver (by this engine) in Pearpole-lane, 1656. Sir I. Hoskyns, Mr. I. Hoskyns, Mr. Stafford Tyndale, and I, went purposely to see it." SWIFT'S IMPATIENCE OF CROSSES.Swift was born not for cogitation, but action for turbulent times, not for calm. He ceases to be great directly he is still; and his bitterness at every vexation is so great, that I have often thought, in listening to him, of the Abbe de Cyran, who, attempting to throw nutshells out of the bars of his window, and constantly failing in the attempt, exclaimed in a paroxysm of rage, Thus does Providence delight in frustrating my designs.' SUPERSTITION IN SCOTLAND. - The following customs still linger in the south of Scotland. The bride, when she enters the house of her husband, is lifted over the threshold, and to step on it, or over it, voluntarily, is reckoned a bad omen. This custom was universal in Rome, where it was observed as keeping in memory the rape of the Sabines, and that it was by a show of violence towards the females that the object of peopling the city was attained. On the same occasion a sweet cake, baked for the purpose, is broken above the head of the bride, which is also a rite of classic antiquity. In like manner the Scottish, even of the better rank, avoid contracting marriage in the month of May, which genial season of flowers and breezes might, in other respects, appear so peculiarly favourable for that purpose. It was specially objected to the marriage of Mary with the profligate Earl of Bothwell that the union was formed within this interdicted month. This prejudice was so rooted amongst the Scots, that in 1684 a set of enthusiasts, called Gibbites, proposed to renounce it, among a long list of stated festivals, fast days, popish relics, not forgetting the profane names of the days of the week, names of the months, and all sorts of idle and silly practices which their tender consciences took an exception to. This objection to solemnize marriage in the merry month of May, however fit a season for courtship, is also borrowed from the Roman Pagans, which, had these fanatics been aware of it, would have been an additional reason for their anathema against the practice. RETREAT OF MASSENA.-By express orders from the French head-quarters, the city of Leyria, and the church of Alcobaça, (which are to the Portuguese as Westminster Abbey and the Bodleian to an Englishman) were given to the flames. The whole line of their retreat was marked by fire, desolation, and blood. The cruelties perpetrated ought not to be described. Every horror that could make war hideous attended this dreadful march. In the district of Coimbra, near 3000 persons were murdered by the French. Thousands hid themselves in the woods and mountains; but even here the marauders of the enemy, prowling like wolves for food, found them, some in large and trembling companies, some caverned in lonely fear; and seizing their little stores of maize or pulse, slew them!at times. in cruel favour, sparing the women. Varieties. NOT TO BE TEMPTED.-"That's a fine stream for trouts, friend," observed a piscatorial acquaintance, the other day, to a genuine "Sprig" from the emerald isle, who was whipping away with great vigour at a well-known and favourite pool. "Fait, and it must be that same, sure enough," returned Pat, “for deuce a one of 'em 'll stir out of it." CARRIER PIGEONS.-During the 18th century, it was not uncommon for the English merchants at Aleppo to obtain intelligence of the arrival of their vessels at Scanderoon by means of carrier pigeons. Whatever could be comprised in a few words was written on a slip of paper, and fastened to the pigeon, which immediately took flight. It was usual to send down the pigeons from Aleppo, that they might always be ready at the port. Maillet, the French Consul in Egypt, relates, that a merchant of Aleppo, having accidentally killed one of these feathered messengers, was the first to learn that a scarcity of galls prevailed in England, and, profitting by the intelligence, he speedily made a speculation by which he gained 10,000 is at present a man who believes himself dead ever since the battle of Austerlitz, where he received a serious wound. His delirium consists in that he can no longer recognise his own body. If he is asked how he is, he says, you ask how Pere Lambert is, but he is dead, he was killed at the battle of Austerlitz; what you now see is not him, but a machine made in his likeness, and which has been very badly made. This man has frequently fallen into a state of immobility and insensibility, which lasts for several days. Neither sinapisms nor blisters ever cause the slightest pain. The skin has been frequently pinched, and pierced with pins, without his being aware of it.-Does not this man offer a remarkable example of delirium manifestly influenced by want of sensibility in the skin, and want of well-marked modification of visceral sensibility? NOT SO BAD AS EXPECTED. In the melo-drama of the Caravan, a dog named Carlo played a principal character. Dignum, the singer, was also in the same piece. One evening the latter went up to Sheridan, and, with a grave face, informed him that he had some bad news to relate. Sheridan eagerly inquired what it was; to which Dignum answered, that he felt himself so hoarse as to be unable to get through the songs. Sheridan, seizing him by the hand, rejoined, "My friend, you have relieved my mind of a weight; I thought the dog had been taken ill.” |