Title: The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction - Volume 20, No. 583, December 29, 1832
Author: Various
Language: English
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THE MIRROR OF LITERATURE, AMUSEMENT, AND INSTRUCTION.

VOL. XX, NO. 583.] SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1832. [PRICE 2d.

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[Illustration:  NATURAL TUNNEL, IN VIRGINIA.]



NATURAL TUNNEL, IN VIRGINIA.


Rock Bridges occupy the same pre-eminence amongst the sublimities of
nature, that artificial bridges maintain amidst the labours of man.
Both alike inspire us with admiration, though we are enabled to obtain
but unequal results as to their respective origins. The bridge, built
by human hands, is, indeed, a triumph of the perfection of skilful
contrivance; the strength and beauty of the arch are among the most
simple yet exquisite results of science, wonderful as they may appear
to the untaught beholder: but how shall we explain the formation of
stupendous rock-arches across deep ravines and rolling torrents, in
countries where none but the wild and picturesque forms of nature rise
to gladden the eye and heart of the inquiring traveller? Of the latter
description are the natural bridges which abound in the State of
Virginia; as Rockbridge, which gives name to the county in which it is
situated, and the wild and fantastic bridges of Icognozo; all of which
are more extensively recognised among the wonders of creation than the
specimen here presented to the reader.

This Tunnel is in Scott county, Virginia; but was so little known beyond
its immediate neighbourhood, as to induce Lieut.-Col. Long, (U.S. Army,)
to communicate its description to Mr. Featherstonhaugh's _American
Journal of Geology and Natural Science_; and the following narrative
of the Colonel's Excursion will be read with interest:--

"During the past summer, I visited a remarkable natural bridge in Scott
county, Virginia, to which I have given the name of Natural Tunnel, on
account of its striking resemblance to artificial structures of that
kind.

"The immediate locality of this tunnel is upon a small stream called
Buck-eye, or Stock Creek. This last name owes its origin to its valley
having been resorted to by the herdsmen of the country, for the
attainment of a _good range_, or choice pasture-ground, for their
cattle. The creek rises in Powell's mountain, and is tributary to Clinch
river, which it enters at the distance of between two and three miles
below the tunnel. The aspect of the surrounding country, and especially
of that to the northward of the tunnel, and constituting the southerly
slope of the mountain just mentioned, is exceedingly diversified, and
broken by elevated spurs and ridges, separated from each other by deep
chasms, walled with cliffs and mural precipices, often presenting
exceedingly narrow passes, but occasionally widening into meadows or
bottoms of considerable extent. The mural precipices just mentioned
occur very frequently, bounding the valleys of the streams generally in
this part of the country, and opposing ramparts of formidable height,
and in many places utterly insurmountable. Such are the features
peculiarly characteristic of _Wild Cat Valley_, the _Valley of
Copper Creek_, of Powell's and Clinch rivers, and of numerous other
streams of less note, all of which are situated within a few miles of
the Natural Tunnel.

"To form an adequate idea of this remarkable and truly sublime object,
we have only to imagine the creek to which it gives a passage,
meandering through a deep, narrow valley, here and there bounded on both
sides by walls, or _revetements_, of the character above intimated,
and rising to the height of two or three hundred feet above the stream;
and that a portion of one of these chasms, instead of presenting an
open, _thorough cut_ from the summit to the base of the high
grounds, is intercepted by a continuous unbroken ridge, more than three
hundred feet high, extending entirely across the valley, and perforated
transversely at its base, after the manner of an artificial tunnel, and
thus affording a spacious subterranean channel for the passage of the
stream.

"The entrance to the Natural Tunnel on the upper side of the ridge
is imposing and picturesque in a high degree; but on the lower side
the grandeur of the scene is greatly heightened by the superior
magnitude of the cliffs, which exceed in loftiness, and which rise
perpendicularly--and, in some instances, in an impending manner--two
or three hundred feet; and by which the entrance on this side is
almost environed, as it were, by an amphitheatre of rude and frightful
precipices.

"The observer, standing on the brink of the stream, at the distance
of about one hundred yards below the debouchure of the Natural Tunnel,
has, in front, a view of its arched entrance, rising seventy or eighty
feet above the water, and surmounted by horizontal stratifications of
yellowish, white, and grey rocks, in depth nearly twice the height of
the arch. On his left, a view of the same mural precipice, deflected
from the springing of the arch in a manner to pass thence in a
continuous curve quite to his rear, and towering in a very impressive
manner above his head. On his right, a sapling growth of buck-eye,
poplar, linden, &c., skirting the margin of the creek, and extending
obliquely to the right, and upward, through a narrow, abrupt ravine,
to the summit of the ridge, which is here and elsewhere crowned with
a timber-growth of pines, cedars, oaks, and shrubbery of various
kinds. On his extreme right is a gigantic cliff, lifting itself up,
perpendicularly from the water's edge, to the height, of about three
hundred feet, and accompanied by an insulated cliff, called the Chimney,
of about the same altitude, rising, in the form of a turret, at least
sixty feet above its basement, which is a portion of the imposing cliff
just before mentioned.

"Desirous of illustrating this paper by a front view of the Natural
Tunnel where the creek issues from it, I have, with the assistance
of a particular friend in this city--to whom I am indebted for the
accompanying drawing[1]--been enabled to furnish a sketch which very
faithfully represents some of the appearances I have described. The
embellishments last mentioned, however, viz. the chimney and its
accompaniments, could not be comprised in the landscape.

"The following passages are from my own private journal:--

"Saturday, Aug. 13, 1831. Having ascended Cove ridge, we turned aside
from our route to visit the natural bridge, or tunnel, situated on
Buck-eye, or Stock creek, about a mile below the Sycamore camp,[2] and
about one and a half miles from a place called Rye cove, which occupies
a spacious recess between two prominent spurs of Powell's mountain, the
site of the natural tunnel being included within a spur of Cove ridge,
which is one of the mountain spurs just alluded to. Here is presented
one of the most remarkable and attractive curiosities of its kind, to be
witnessed in this or any other country. The creek, which is about seven
yards wide, and has a general course about S. 15 W., here passes through
a hill elevated from two to three hundred feet above the surface of the
stream, winding its way through a huge subterraneous cavern, or grotto,
whose roof is vaulted in a peculiar manner, and rises from thirty to
seventy or eighty feet above its floor. The sides of this gigantic
cavern rise perpendicularly in some places to the height of fifteen or
twenty feet, and, in others, are formed, by the springing of its vaulted
roof immediately from its floor. The width of the tunnel varies from
fifty to one hundred and fifty feet. Its course is that of a continuous
curve, resembling the letter S; first winding to the right as we enter
on the upper side, then to the left, again to the right, and then again
to the left on arriving at the entrance on the lower side. Such is its
peculiar form, that an observer, standing at a point about midway of its
subterranean course, is completely excluded from a view of either
entrance, and is left to grope in the dark through a distance of about
twenty yards, occupying an intermediate portion of the tunnel. When the
sun is near the meridian, and his rays fall upon both entrances, the
light reflected from both extremities of the tunnel contributes to
mollify the darkness of this interior portion into a dusky twilight.

"The extent of the tunnel, from its upper to its lower extremity,
following its meanders, is about 150 yards; in which distance the stream
falls about ten feet, emitting, in its passage over a rocky bed, an
agreeable murmur, which is rendered more grateful by its reverberations
upon the roof and sides of the grotto. The discharge of a musket
produces a crash-like report, succeeded by a roar in the tunnel; which
has a deafening effect upon the ear.

"The hill through which this singular perforation leads, descends in a
direction from east to west, across the line of the creek, and affords a
very convenient passage for a road which traverses it at this place,
having a descent in the direction just mentioned of about four degrees.

"The rocks found in this part of the country are principally sandstone
and limestone, in stratifications nearly horizontal, with occasional
beds of clay slate. A mixture of the two former frequently occurs among
the alternations presented by these rocks. A variety of rock resembling
the French burr occurs in abundance on Butcher's-fork of Powell's river,
about twenty miles northwardly of the Natural Tunnel. Fossils are more
or less abundant, in these and other rocks. Fossil bones, of an
interesting character, have been found in several places. Saltpetre
caves are numerous. Coves, sinks, and subterranean caverns, are
strikingly characteristic, not only of the country circumjacent to the
Natural Tunnel, but of the region generally situated between the
Cumberland mountain, and the Blue ridge or Apalachian mountain.
Bituminous coal, with its usual accompaniments, abounds in the northerly
parts of this region; and in the intermediate and southerly portions,
iron, variously combined, often magnetic, together with talcose rocks,
&c. &c. are to be met with in great abundance.

"The mountains in this vicinity--long. 82° to 84° W. from Greenwich,
lat. 35° to 36° N.--are among the most lofty of the Allegheny range.
Several knobs[3] in this part of the range, among which may be
enumerated the Roan, the Unaka, the Bald, the Black, and Powell's
mountains, rise to the height of at least four thousand five hundred
feet above tide."

Mr. Featherstonhaugh remarks, that the Natural Tunnel has not been
worn through the rock by the long-continued action of running water is
evident, not from the cavernous structure alone of the general country,
but from the form of Powell's mountain, in a spur of which the Tunnel
passes transversely.

Mr. Featherstonhaugh further concludes the Tunnel to be a natural cavity
in the rock, for, if such had not been the case, "it is evident that the
stream would have been deflected from its line; would have followed the
base of the hill, and have turned the extreme point."

Little is known of the geology of the country in which this Tunnel is
situate, notwithstanding the popularity of the natural bridges of the
State. The rock before us would appear to belong to that class which
geologists commonly term Perforated Mountains, which some suppose
to have been bored through, in part, at least, by the persevering
industry of man. "Such phenomena," observes Maltebrun, "are, however,
mere eccentricities of nature, and differ from caverns only from
the circumstance of having a passage entirely through them. The
Pierre-Pertuise in Mount Jura, and Pausilippo, near Naples, are
instances of this kind. The Torghat, in, Norway, is pierced by an
opening 150 feet high, and 3,000 long. At certain seasons of the year,
the sun can be seen darting its rays from one extremity to the other of
this vault. Near New Zealand is a rocky arch through which the waves of
the sea pass at high water."[4] The latter, one of the Piercy Islands,
will be found engraved and described in _The Mirror_, vol. xix. p. 145.


    [1] See the Cut.

    [2] This designation has been given to a spot in the Valley of the
        creek, where formerly stood a hollow sycamore (platanus
        occidentalis) tree of an enormous size, the remains of which
        are still to be seen, and in the cavity of which, whilst it
        stood, fifteen persons are said to have encamped at the same
        time together.

    [3] Out-liers of any particular ridge.

    [4] Physical Geography, book viii.

       *       *       *       *       *


THE LATE SIR WALTER SCOTT.

(_From the Note Book of a Tourist_.)

In the summer of 1829, I made a Tour of the Borders. On the 16th of
August, I arrived in Melrose. I came on the top of the coach from
Jedburgh, in company with two intelligent fellows, a young Englishman of
fortune (apparently,) and a Russian nobleman. We put up at the George,
where we found about five tourists, redolent of sketch and note books,
drinking toddy and lying in wait to catch a sight of the lion of the
neighbourhood, Sir Walter. The voracity with which they devoured any
anecdotes of him was amusing. In the evening it came on a peppering
storm. I had foreseen this on our route from _Jeddart_. The Eildons
had mounted their misty cap, always a sure prognostic of rain; in fact
they are the barometer of the district. I then prevailed on my two
companions to forego their visit to the Abbey that night. We therefore
had in old Davidson, the landlord of the Inn, and my companions
submitted him to an interrogatory of three long hours' duration.
One little anecdote of fresh occurrence struck me as possessing some
interest. I will record it. About a month before, a poor maniac
presented herself at the gates of Abbotsford. She desired to see Sir
Walter. The servant denied her admittance, but such was the earnestness
of the poor creature, that _auld Saunders_, on her pressing
application, went and informed his master, "that a puir demented lassie
was at the gett (gate) greetin' like a bairn." Sir Walter had the
kindest of hearts; "O admit her puir thing," he said. The woman no
sooner entered than she fell on her knees in reverential awe before Sir
Walter. Her story was simply this. She belonged to Aberdeen; she was
married to a young farmer in that neighbourhood and had not long before
given birth to a beautiful infant, the first pledge of their loves.
The pains of birth had injured her mental equanimity, and eluding the
vigilance of her keepers she set forward one evening in search of the
great enchanter, whose works had in happier hours beguiled her with
their beauty. She travelled for a week; the distance from Aberdeen to
Abbotsford was about a hundred and fifty miles. She had walked every
step. Sir Walter did what he could to soothe her distracted mind,
and get her wasted frame recruited. But after some time he deemed it
advisable to exercise his judicial power and put her in a place of
security, until definite intelligence could be procured of her friends
and relations. Jedburgh is the county town of Roxburgh; and thither all
wanderers of this and a less gentle race are sent. A post-chaise was
sent for from old Davidson, of the George, and when it was at the door
of Abbotsford, Sir Walter induced the poor girl to enter it, promising
to accompany her "out a ridin'." She entered--looking for him to follow.
The door was instantly closed, and the post-boy lashing and spurring his
horses, darted off in a second. She gave a piercing shriek, looked
wildly round her, and abandoned herself to the most agonizing despair;
exclaiming in a tone of the utmost pathos, "ah! deceitfu' man, hae ye
beguiled me too!"--and then she sunk back in the carriage, and buried
herself in the deepest silence. * *

18th August. Set out to view the ruins of Dryburgh Abbey. Called
on Capt. (now Sir David) Erskine, from whom I received the politest
attention. His housekeeper acted as my cicerone, and conducted me over
the venerable pile. These time-worn ruins stand on the north bank of
the Tweed, by which they are almost surrounded, and are backed by hills
covered with wood, of the richest foliage. The abbey as well as the
modern mansion house of the proprietor, is completely embosomed in wood.
Around this sylvan spot the Tweed winds in a beautiful crescent form,
and the scene is extremely interesting, embracing both wood and water,
mountain and rock scenery. The whole gives rise to sentiments of the
most pleasing, devotional tranquillity. The place, however, at which I
paused, was St. Mary's Aisle: "here," I said to myself, "will the mighty
minstrel sleep, when his harp shall be silent!"--and here I offered the
votive tribute in anticipation, which thousands will follow me in, now
that he is, too truly, alas! no more. At the little iron palisading I
stood, and said, "here Scott will sleep:" in this, fate has not deceived
me. He rests there now. Peace to his manes!

August 20. Down at the Abbey this night. It would be absolute folly
to note down what I saw or thought of this most remarkable monastic
structure. Every album possesses it, in all the beauty of its fairy
architecture; its tabernacles, its niches and canopies, and statues,
pinnacles, pediments, spires, and the tracery of its vaultings.

The decorated work is most exquisitely executed. The mouldings are
still so sharp, that they seem as lately from the chisel of the mason.
The south transept window and door are the most perfect of the ruins.
The day light of the window is twenty-four feet by sixteen, divided by
four mullions. The tracery and cuspings are all of the decorated style
of the Gothic. It is furnished with crotchets and creeping foliage.
There are a number of niches, canopies, and tabernacles, on the south
transept; and the corbels that support the statues, are carved with
grotesque figures; some representing monks with cowls upon their heads,
others musicians playing upon different kinds of instruments; some are
most hideous to look at. Sir Walter procured casts of many of these
grotesque figures, which on a visit to Abbotsford, I observed placed in
the ceiling of the hall. He has clothed them in a new dress, more suited
to the social scene of their present locality. But, I always ramble
into the _shop_, when I get on architecture. Let me narrate the
occurrence of this night. As I was pacing the great aisle of the abbey,
a carriage drove up to the gate. "Sir Walter Scott!" said the keeper,
brushing past me to receive him. A lady alighted. I heard "good night!"
responded by a person in the carriage, who drove off with it. Who can
this be, thought I to myself. It was dusk--the lady advanced with a
stately step. I moved aside. "In these deep solitudes and awful cells!"
methought I heard her say. She ascended to the bell-tower. "Who is that
lady?" said I to the keeper when he entered. "That, sir," said he,
"is Mistress Hemmins, the poet writer, wha is on a visit to Maistre
Lockhart, and she cam just noo in Sir Walter's carriage, and she wants
to be alane, sir, by hersel." I took the hint, and made for the George
and my glass of toddy, unwilling to deprive the world of those lays,
which Melrose, the rush of the Tweed, and midnight would, no doubt,
inspire in the fair authoress.

August 23. At Galashiels, a semi-rural demi-manufacturing town on the
banks of the "braw, braw Gala water." Not having the good fortune to get
to Abbotsford from Melrose, I started over the hill which looks down on
Galashiels, towards that destination. Abbotsford I need not render an
account of. But my approach to it was not deficient in interest.

On arriving at the summit of the hill overlooking the Tweed, it burst
upon my sight. I looked down on the grounds in which it is settled, as
on a map. The skill and industry of Sir Walter is not more remarkable in
his literary than in his rural works. The house stands in a bare, barren
corner of Selkirkshire, (I think) but by admirable management, he has
enclosed it with fine, hardy young wood, and quite altered its
appearance.

At the bottom of the hill I took the boat at the ferry, and resting in
the middle of the stream, the Tweed, and looked around me. I saw a
person on the opposite bank appearing and disappearing in the wood which
comes down to the water's edge. I drew near. He was dressed in a short,
green coat and cap, and was amusing himself with the antics of a large
dog. The place--the time--the air--the gait--every thing conspired:
"Who's that, lassie?" said I to my little boat rower; "That, sir? that's
_himsel_, that's the shirra" (sheriff.) Yes, it was the man--he
himself--the pride of Scotland--her boast--the intellectual beacon of
her hills--it was Sir Walter Scott!

Sept. 3. At Selkirk. At Mitchell's Inn, where I was introduced to the
celebrated Jamie Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd. He had come, I think, from
a fair held at the Eildons. We got over a jug of toddy. Our conversation
turned on the church service of the kirk of Scotland, and we rambled
into poetry in conversing on the psalms. I pointed out to the shepherd,
that a fair fame might be achieved by arranging the Psalms of David, and
superseding the barbarities of Sternhold and Hopkins. James maintained
that the present edition in use in Scotland, could _not_ be
improved. He said that the question had been agitated in the General
Assembly, and Sir Walter Scott was applied to, to furnish an improved
versification, but he answered, stating that it would be a more
difficult matter to get the people to adopt them, than to furnish the
same. Any alteration in this respect would be looked upon as little
better than sacrilege, and he therefore advised that the present form
should be continued in. "Watty's a sensible chap," said the shepherd,
speaking familiarly of Sir Walter, "and if he laid a finger on o'or
venerable psalmody, I wad pitch a louse at him, wha hae ever loved the
man as my ain brether."

       *       *       *       *       *

During the last years of Sir Walter's life, he visited in the counties
of Berwick, Roxburgh, and Selkirk, the various scenes which his graphic
pen has delineated and incorporated in his minstrelsy and romance. The
summer when the preceding notes were made, I happened to be in Kelso,
and took ride one day to visit the worthy minister of a neighbouring
parish, in which the celebrated border _keep_ Smailholme tower is
situated, the scene of the fearful legend embodied in the poem "The Eve
of St. John."

We rode over to it: it is situated on a crag or ridge of rock, high
in the north range of hills, the Lammer-muir, which spring from the
splendid vale of Teviot and Tweed, commanding an unbounded prospect
on the east and west; the south is terminated by the Cheviots and
the English border.

We found the Tower in possession of a party, and the Rev. Mr. C---- rode
forward to report, in case we should be deemed intruders. He came back
shortly, and it was no other than Sir Walter himself, with several
members of his family, who had accompanied him to bid a final farewell
to _Smaillum keep_. As I afterwards heard, he was in the highest
spirits, and repeated the poem for the gratification of his party, in
that impressive manner for which he was remarkable, in giving the
necessary effect to his own compositions. The party brought a cold
collation with them: before leaving, Sir Walter surveyed the beautiful
prospect at his feet, the Tweed and Teviot meeting in sisterly
loveliness, and joining their waters in the valley, with the golden
fields of England in the distance; when filling a glass of wine he drank
with fervour, in which all joined him, "baith sides of the Tweed."

I.

       *       *       *       *       *


OLD ENGLISH ARMOUR.

(_From a Correspondent._)

Previous to the time of Edward I., the body-armour may be distinguished
by the appellations of _trelliced, ringed, rustred, mascled, scalad,
tegulated, single-mailed_, and _banded_. The _trelliced_ method
has not been properly ascertained: it probably consisted of leather
thongs, crossed, and so disposed as to form large squares placed
angularly, with a round knob or stud in the centre of each. The
_ringed_ consisted of flat rings of steel, placed contiguous to
each other, on quilted linen. The _rustred_ was nothing more than
one row of flat rings, about double the size of those before used, laid
half over the other, so that two in the upper partially covered one
below. _Mascled_; the hauberk composed of several folds of linen,
covered with diamond-shaped pieces of steel touching each other, and
perforated: so called from their resemblance to the _meshes_ of a
net. _Scaled_; formed of small pieces of steel like the scales of
fish, partially overlaying each other. This species was used only during
the reigns of Henry II and Richard I. The _tegulated_ consisted of
little square plates, partly covering one another, like tiles.

_Single Mail_ was composed of rings set edgeways on quilted linen.
It came into use about the close of John's reign, and continued to be
partially worn till that of Edward I. At the commencement of Henry
III.'s reign, it covered not only the head, but hands, legs, and feet.
It was very heavy, and likewise the rings were liable to be cut off by
the blow of a sword; which latter circumstance, perhaps, introduced the
contrivance of _banded_ armour, which was composed of parallelogramic
pieces of metal, sown on linen, so placed as to fold perpendicularly
over each other, like palings, and kept in their places by bandy or
hoops of leather.

We now come to the _Double-chain Mail_, consisting of interlaced
rings, which made its first appearance in the triumphant reign of Edward
I. It is said to be of Asiatic invention, and was composed of four rings
within a fifth, each of which was rivetted. _Single-chain mail_ was
worn by the Crusaders, in Henry III's time; and when the number of rings
was doubled, it became _double-chain mail_. Its great advantages
were compactness and pliability. Horses were now clothed in mail.

In the latter part of Edward III.'s reign, the _double-chain mail_
became so covered with pieces of steel as to cause them in a little time
to supersede it altogether. This, therefore, was termed _mixed_.
The _double-chain_ hauberk had been found, owing to its weight, to
press injuriously upon the chest; to remedy which, a breastplate of
steel was contrived, which being placed underneath, kept the mail from
pressing upon the stomach. The throat was protected by a chain-covering
that surrounded the neck, and hung down to the shoulders like a tippet.

We now come to _Plate Armour_. In Henry IV.'s reign, the adoption
of the _mixed_ armour soon pointed out, by experience, the
inutility of retaining the _ringed_ hauberk. The thighs and legs
were no longer covered with _double-chain mail_, and the arms only
partially. A back-plate was added, which, with the breast-plate, formed
a cuirass. During the use of _mixed_ armour, the arms, thighs,
knees, and legs were covered with plates of metal; and for the hands
were invented gloves of plate, with fingers, called _gauntlets_.

From the Conquest to the time of Richard III., the fashion was to ride
with the toes down; after which period, the heel was dropped, and the
toe raised. Spurs were not screwed to the armour before the time of
Henry V.

No higher degree of perfection was ever attained in armour than during
the reign of Richard III. The outline of the suit was most elegant, the
workmanship most elaborate, and the choice of ornaments full of taste.

       *       *       *       *       *



MANNERS AND CUSTOMS.

       *       *       *       *       *


CHRISTMAS AT HEREFORD.

In the county of Hereford, some of the Romish and feudal ceremonies are
yet practised. On the eve of Old Christmas-day, there are thirteen fires
lighted in the cornfields of many of the farms, twelve of them in a
circle, and one round a pole, much larger and higher than the rest, and
in the centre. These fires are dignified with the names of the Virgin
Mary and twelve Apostles, the lady being in the middle; and while they
are burning, the labourers retire into some shed or outhouse, where they
behold the brightness of the apostolic flame. In this shed they lead a
cow, on whose horns a large plum-cake has been stuck, and having
assembled round the animal, the oldest labourer takes a pail of cider,
and addresses the following lines to the cow with great solemnity:

  "Here's to thy pretty face, and thy white horn,
  God send thy master a good crop of corn,
  Both wheat, rye, and barley, and all sorts of grain,
  And next year, if we live, we'll drink to thee again."


After which the verse is chanted in chorus by all present.

They then dash the cider in the cow's face, when, by a violent toss of
her head, she throws the plum-cake on the ground; and if it falls
forward, it is an omen that the next harvest will be good; if backward,
that it will be unfavourable. This is the commencement of the rural
feast, which is generally prolonged till the following morning.

       *       *       *       *       *


CHRISTMAS IN MEXICO.

"Christmas is in Guadalaxara," says Mr. Hardy, "a season of great
diversion. The portales (colonades), which are much better than those of
the city of Mexico, and infinitely more numerous, are all well lighted
up with candles, surrounded by coloured paper shades, standing on little
tables, which display a great assortment of sweetmeats and fruits. The
ladies and gentlemen walk about, finely dressed, under the portale, and
convert it into a fashionable promenade.--From seven till ten, there is
not perhaps a single family in the whole town which has not taken a few
turns in their gayest dresses, to witness the sweetmeat exhibition--to
see and to be seen. It may be well to give the traveller a gentle hint
with respect to the 25th of December: nothing borrowed on that day is
ever returned. It is, in short, to the Mexicans, who call it. 'La noche
buena,' what April fool-day is to us. Therefore, traveller, beware!
It is the occasion of much frolic and amusement."

W.G.C.

       *       *       *       *       *


NEW YEAR'S GIFTS.

The custom of New-year's Gifts is very ancient, and was formerly carried
to a great extent. The sovereign used to accept gifts from his courtiers
and principal favourites, and was also in the habit of making presents
to certain individuals; the prince, however, always taking care that the
presents he received greatly exceeded in value those which he gave.
It is recorded of Bishop Latimer, that on one occasion he presented to
his master, Henry VIII., instead of a sum in gold for a New-year's
Gift, a New Testament, with the leaf folded down at Hebrews, ch. xiii.,
v. 4.--on reference to which the king found a text well suited as an
admonition to himself. Queen Elizabeth supplied herself with wardrobe
and jewels principally from new year's gifts. Dr. Drake has given
a list of some of these presents;--amongst the items we find the
following: "Most of the peers and peeresses of the realm, the bishops,
the chief officers of state, her majesty's household, even as low
as the master of the pantry and head cook, all gave her majesty a
Christmas-box,--consisting either of a sum of money, jewels, trinkets,
or wearing apparel. The Archbishop of Canterbury usually gave 40l.,
the Archbishop of York 30l., and the other prelates from 10l. to 20l.
The peers gave in the same proportion;--whilst the peeresses presented
rich gowns petticoats, shifts, stockings, garters, &c. Her physician
presented her with a box of foreign sweetmeats; and from her apothecary
she received a box of ginger-candy and a box of green ginger. Ambroise
Lupo gave her a box of lute-strings; and Smith, the royal dustman,
presented her majesty with two bolts of cambric."

W.G.C.

       *       *       *       *       *


SUMPTUARY LAWS.

These laws were made to restrain excess in apparel, costly furniture,
eating, &c.

Zaleucus, the ancient philosopher and legislator of Greece, ordained
that no woman should go attended with more than one maid in the street,
except she was drunk. He prohibited the use of wine, otherwise than as
a medicine, &c.

Among the Romans there were sumptuary laws to restrain the number of
guests at feasts;--not only the master of the feast, but all the guests
too, were liable to the penalty. It was also enacted, that more than ten
asses should not be spent at any ordinary feast. Ten asses was the price
of a sheep.

Luxury was restricted in England in 1337; wherein the prelates and
nobility were confined to two courses every meal, and two kinds of food
in every course, except on great festivals. All who did not enjoy a fee
estate of 100_l._ per annum were also prohibited from wearing furs,
skins, or silk; and the use of foreign cloth was confined to the royal
family alone--to all others it was prohibited. An edict was issued by
Charles VI. of France, which says, "Let no one presume to treat with
more than a soup and two dishes," 1340.

Sumptuary laws were made in England, in former times, against picked
shoes, short doublets, and long coats. The dandies of ancient days wore
the beaks or points of their shoes so long, that they encumbered
themselves in their walking, and were forced to tie them up to their
knees; the _fine gentlemen_ fastened theirs with chains of silver,
or silver gilt, and others with laces. This ridiculous custom was in
vogue from the year 1382; but was prohibited, on the forfeiture of
20_s._ and the pain of cursing by the clergy, 1467.

In the reign of King Henry IV., Camden says--Pride was got so much into
the foot, that it was proclaimed that no man should wear shoes above
_six inches broad at the toes_; and other garments were so short,
that it was enacted, under Edward IV., that no person under the
condition of a lord wear any mantle or gown, unless of such length.

P.T.W.

       *       *       *       *       *


MARRIAGE CUSTOM.

The following singular, though highly _useful_ custom, formerly
existed in England: viz.--"There was usually carried before the mayde,
when she shoulde be married, and came to dwell in hir husbande's house,
_a distaffe, charged with flaxe, and a spyndle hanging at it_, to the
intente shee might bee myndeful to lyve by hir labour." The foregoing
is extracted from "A Treatise wherein dicing dauncing, vaine plays, or
enterludes; with other idle pastimes, commonly used on the Sabbath-day,
are proved by the authoritie of the word of God, and ancient writers;
by John Northbrook, minister and preacher of the word of God."

JUVENIS.

       *       *       *       *       *


NATIONAL CAPRICES.

The Persian, it is said, will endure suffocation before he will blow the
fire with his breath; the Indian places supreme perfection in besmearing
himself with cow-dung; the Mussulman believes himself purified from all
his sins by the ablution of his head and arms: the only question with
him is, "whether the ceremony ought to begin at the elbow or at the
points of his fingers;" but so great is the difference of opinion on
this head, that if two Mahometans meet on a journey, and accost each
other with brotherly affection, by the one beginning his ablution
at his fingers' ends, and the other at his elbow, they instantly
separate and become mortal enemies.

WALTER E.C.

       *       *       *       *       *



RETROSPECTIVE GLEANINGS.

       *       *       *       *       *


THE POST OFFICE.


In the year 1635, Charles I. directed his postmaster to open a
communication between London and Edinburgh, &c. &c. In 1653-4, the
revenues of the Post-office were farmed by the Council of State and
Protector, at 10,000_l._ per annum. Some idea of their progressive
increase may be gained by the perusal of the following:--

  1664     £21,000
  1674      43,000
  1685      65,000
  1688      76,318
  1697      90,505
  1710     111,467
  1715     145,227
  1744     235,492
  1775     345,321
  1785     463,753
  1793     607,268
  1814   2,005,987


Since 1814, Mr. Macculloch considers the revenue of the Post-office to
have been about stationary.

ANTIQUARES.

       *       *       *       *       *


BEDE'S CHAIR.

[Illustration: BEDE'S CHAIR.]


This curious relic is preserved in the vestry of the ancient church of
Jarrow, two miles from South Shields, in the county of Durham. It is a
large chair of oak, traditionally said to have been the seat of the
VENERABLE BEDE, the pre-eminent boast of the monastery, a portion only
of the church of which establishment remains at Jarrow. The chair is
very rudely formed, and, with the exception of the back, is of great
age. To have been possessed by Bede, it must be eleven hundred years
old; but there is no precisely authentic testimony of its belonging to
that learned writer. The Danes and Normans are said to have plundered
the monastery of all its valuables; though it is reasonable to suppose,
that the monks would preserve the seat of their principal with more
reverential care, and attach to it more importance, than they would to
any other article of furniture. Mr. Fosbroke, the diligent antiquarian,
refers to it as Bede's Chair in accredited manner; that is, as taken
for granted, or without note or comment of doubt.

Venerable Bede was born at Wearmouth, A.D. 672, only a few years after
the introduction of Christianity into Northumberland. When seven years
of age, he was received into the monastery of his native place, where
his infant mind acquired the rudiments of that knowledge which has
rendered his memory immortal. When only nineteen, he was ordained
deacon; and, even at that early age, was regarded as exemplary for
his piety and studious life: he was subsequently removed to the new
foundation at Jarrow, where he continued to study throughout a long
life. The results of his monastic seclusion furnish a bright page even
in these dark ages. "Such was the authority of his writings, that,
though only a humble monk in the most remote, barbarous, and recently
converted of the Saxon principalities, he attained (what was even then)
the singular honour of being the most celebrated writer of Christendom
for more centuries than one."[5] His great work is entitled, an
"Ecclesiastical History," detailing ecclesiastical with civil events;
which was, indeed, inevitable, when the ecclesiastics were the only men
of knowledge. Bede believed in miraculous interpositions, and honestly
related them; nevertheless, our obligations to his industry are
invaluable. To him we owe all our knowledge of English history, from the
landing of the Saxons in Kent to his time, (nearly three centuries,)
and all our certain information respecting the various tribes who then
inhabited the island: from him it is apparent that the work called the
Saxon Chronicle copies long passages. Bede also translated St. John's
Gospel into English; and it is said, that a copy of some of St. Paul's
Epistles, in Bede's handwriting, is still preserved in the library of
Trinity College, Cambridge. His works, published at Basle, extend to
eight folio volumes.

Bede died May 26, 735, in the sixty-third year of his age. He was first
buried in his own monastery, but his remains were afterwards removed,
and interred in Durham cathedral; and, being subsequently canonized, he
was enrolled in the Romish calendar of saints. His character is thus
drawn by William of Malmsbury:--"He was a man, that, although born
in the extreme corner of the world, yet the light of his learning spread
over all parts of the earth. All the hours which he had to spare from
the monastic exercises of prayer, and singing in the choirs by day and
night, (in which he was constant, and very devout,) he most diligently
spent in study, and divided his whole time between that and his
devotions."

The Chair is not the only memorial of Bede preserved in this
neighbourhood. About one mile west of Jarrow is a _Well_, still
called _St. Bede's_, to which it was customary, almost as late as
the middle of the last century, to convey diseased children, and, after
dropping in a crooked pin, to dip them for the recovery of their health:
round the Well, also, on every Midsummer Eve, was a great resort of the
neighbouring people, with bonfires, music, and dancing. The mystical
properties of the Well are not of difficult solution: since it was
reasonable enough to associate the restorative effects of cold bathing
with sanctity; and the rejoicings at the spring were indicative of the
gladness of the people, in connexion with a name endeared to them, by
the wisdom, virtue, and benevolence, of its possessor.

    [5] Sir James Mackintosh.


       *       *       *       *       *


GOLD-BEATING.

Early in the 17th century, great surprise was excited upon the
promulgation of the fact, that the Parisian gold-beaters could produce
1,600 leaves, or 105 square feet, from one ounce of gold; but the
surprise of the public was redoubled, when, upon the discovery of the
fine skin now in use, they found that 147 square feet could be produced
from the same quantity.

ANTIQUARES.

       *       *       *       *       *


MONUMENT OF A CRUSADER.

In the great north aisle of Winchester Cathedral, in a dark nook
immediately adjoining the wall of the choir, is the mutilated effigies
of a Crusader, recumbent on an oblong stone. The figure is armed
cap-a-pee, in a hauberk,[6] with sword and shield, the latter of which
bears, quarterly, two bulls passant, gorged with collars and bells, and
three garbs, being the armorial bearings of the noble family of De Foix,
of which was the Captal de Buck, one of the first Knights of the Garter,
at the commencement of the Order. On a slab, placed perpendicularly
against the adjoining wall of the choir, are several shields, emblazoned
with the arms of the royal families of England, France, Castile. Leon,
&c. There is no inscription remaining to point out for whom this figure
was intended; but Gall, in his "Antiquities of Winchester," gives the
following inscription as having existed on the monument:--_"Hic jacet
Willielmus comes de insula Vana, alias Wincall_;" the parish of that
name lies on the river Itchin, and might formerly have been insulated.
The verger of Winchester Cathedral, in reply to an inquiry made by the
editor of the "Antiquarian and Topographical Cabinet," said, it was a
knight of the name of _Fox_, evidently meaning _De Foix_. This
figure suffered severely from the iconoclasts, at the time of Cromwell's
taking possession of Winchester. Amongst other mutilations, they have
entirely hacked away the right leg, leaving only the foot connected with
the lion couchant, against which the figure rests.

This Engraving will be received by the attentive inquirer, as an
interesting specimen of the sepulchral architecture of olden times;
and, judging from the mutilated remains, its original beauty would
have reminded us of the remark of an antiquarian writer,--that he
never saw a fine monument out of England.

[Illustration: (_Monument of a Crusader, in Winchester Cathedral_.)]

    [6] A tunick, or frock of armour, with wide sleeves, reaching a
        little below the elbow, terminating with a broad, gilt border,
        and having a hood, not separate. Its first introduction in armour
        is referred to the time of William II.

       *       *       *       *       *



THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

       *       *       *       *       *


CHOICE APHORISMS.

(_From_ 144, _in Fraser's Magazine_.)


It is perfectly possible to make champagne from gooseberries, equal to
that yielded by the grape. _Exampli gratiâ_: Lord Haddington, who
is a first-rate judge of wines, had a bottle of mock and one of real
champagne set before him, and was requested to say which was which. He
mistook the product of the gooseberry for the genuine article; and many
persons, reputed good judges, have done the same thing.

By putting a piece of lump-sugar, the size of a walnut, into the
tea-pot, you will make the tea infuse in one-half the time. This fact is
well known to bag-men and stage-coach travellers.

Members of dilletanti societies are generally especial asses:
their eternal talk about the fine arts, drawing, colouring, harmony,
composition, chiaro-scuro, fore-shortening, design, and so forth,
is enough to turn the stomach of a horse. The thing is the more
insufferable, because they absolutely know nothing of the subject,
and have about as much real appreciation of works of genius as
a pig possesses for the inventions of Watt or Daedalus.

While prigs of the above description are eternally chattering about such
topics, men who are really eminent in the fine arts never say a word on
the subject. Goldsmith describes this matter well in his account of Sir
Joshua Reynolds:--

  To coxcombs averse, yet most civilly steering,
  When they judged without skill he was still hard of hearing;
  When they talk'd of their Raphaels, Correggios, and stuff,
  He shifted his trumpet, and only took snuff."


When I see a man who affects to doubt everything he hears, I never
hesitate about writing him down an ass. A great doubter is a solemn and
self-conceited prig. How amusing is it to see the blockhead shake his
empty pate, compress his lips into a sneer, and turn up his absurd
unmeaning eyes in dubious disbelief, when he hears aught which he thinks
it would imply sagacity to discredit! Such persons imagine, that to be a
great doubter implies wisdom; whereas, in their case, it has its origin
in constitutional phlegm and stupidity.

Arguers and spouters are invariably asses.

If you wish to make yourself agreeable to any one, talk as much as you
please about his or her affairs, and as little as possible about your
own. People are such downright egotists themselves, that they cannot
tolerate egotism in others.

A person who cannot relish absurdity and wit, and must, moreover, have
a satisfactory reason for whatever is said or done, is a philosophical
blockhead.

The best tooth-powder in the world is Armenian hole, a pennyworth of
which will serve a man for six months.

If a man pronounces you a liar, it is very absurd to call him out for
the same. This ceremony does not prove that you are _not a liar_;
it only shows, that you possess sufficient courage to stand at the
distance of twelve paces, while a pistol--probably a leadless one--is
fired at you.

Snuff-taking in a woman is abominable, unless she be very aged--say
eighty, or upwards--when it is rather becoming than otherwise.

Young girls, of from fourteen to seventeen, are fond of aping the woman
in their dress, and are partial to long shawls, which give the young
things a matronly appearance. When they become women in reality, they
are rather too apt to go upon the opposite tack, and to assume the dress
and airs of the girl.

A well-made man always looks shorter than he is; ditto a well-made
woman.

A story-teller, or dealer in anecdote, is an abomination that ought to
be expelled from all well-regulated societies. A man of an original and
truly powerful mind never deals in anecdotes, unless it be for the
purpose of illustrating some general principle. Women and weak men are
all addicted to the vice. If a person of this description begins to
annoy a company with his or her twaddle, the only cure for it is to
affect deafness--a very convenient infirmity at times.

_A hint to Cooks_.--Roasted chestnuts, grated or sliced, make an
excellent addition to the stuffing for turkeys or geese.

_Another hint_.--In boiling salmon, split the fish from head to
tail; if you do not do this, but boil it entire, or cut horizontally
through the middle, it is impossible to cook it thoroughly, the
thickness of the back and shoulders being such, that, if the outside be
properly done, the inside must needs be little better than parboiled. On
the Tweed, and other salmon districts, the latter system is held in
abomination.

A clever servant is almost invariably quick tempered. The reason is
obvious: superior talent is always accompanied by pride, which must meet
with many petty annoyances in the menial state.

Never praise or talk of your children to other people; for, depend upon
it, no person except yourself cares a single farthing about them.

Sea-gull eggs, when boiled hard and eaten cold, with pepper, salt,
vinegar, and mustard, make a delightful breakfast dish. Many persons
have an antipathy to such eggs; but it is from eating them in the soft
state, when they have always a fishy taste. Try them as above, and they
will change their opinions upon the subject.

If a person has a great knack at finding out feats of legerdemain, you
may pronounce him a blockhead. I never knew a clever man who was worth
a farthing at detecting such tricks.

I have a profound veneration for great liars of a certain class. On this
account Baron Munchausen, Major Longbow, and Ferdinand Mendez Pinto,
are my especial favourites. Men of this description are invariably
good-tempered, benevolent, and generous; and will, any day, treat you to
a bottle of wine, provided you do them the favour of listening to their
adventures.

_Important to Drunkards_.--If, an hour before sitting down to
drink, you take a grain or two of opium, you will be able to withstand
a much greater quantity than otherwise of liquor. This fact has escaped
the observation of Macnish.

Some stupid people suppose that imagination and philosophy are
incompatible. Blockheads! Was not Bacon, the greatest of philosophers,
one of the most imaginative of men? There is more true philosophy in the
writings of Shakespeare, Milton, and Scott, than in those of all the
metaphysicians that ever existed.

An accomplished woman, in common parlance, means one who sings and
dances well, knows a little French, a little Italian, a little drawing,
a little embroidery, and not much of any thing, excepting fashionable
novels; in which she is a great adept.

A lady's album is generally worth looking at, as a psychological
curiosity, indicative, to a considerable extent, of the taste and
feelings of its owner.

If a man borrows a shilling from you, and on being dunned pretends to
have forgotten it, you may with considerable safety set him down for
a liar.

When a man finds it convenient to tell a lie, he should sport a good
thumping one when he is about it. If a great lie serves his purpose
better than a little one, why hesitate between the two, when the sin is
equally great in both cases? The former has this advantage, that, when
detected, its enormity may be so great as to enable the person to pass
it off as a piece of quizzery, which can never be done with the latter.

Heroic liars, such as the Baron or Major, are a godly race; but those
who practise the sin in a small way, and keep fibbing about trifles are
a despicable crew, and should be held by the heels, and soused head
down-most in a firkin of small beer.

Men who are, or who fancy themselves to be good singers, are great
bores. The airs which they assume in company are most insufferable. If
asked for a song, they affect, with an aspect of the most hypocritical
humility, that really they cannot sing--that their voice is out of
order--that they are hoarse, and so forth; the fellows all the while
being most anxious to show forth, only wanting to be pressed, in order
to enhance their own importance, and stimulate the curiosity of the
company. Nor is this the worst of the case; for no sooner do they
perpetrate one song, than they volunteer a dozen, interlarding the
intervals between their performances with pedantic disquisitions on
music, and flooring every man who ventures to hazard an opinion on
the subject. These people, whether amateur or professional, must be
extinguished; and the best way to accomplish their overthrow, and
reduce them to their native insignificance, is, in the first instance,
to take them at their word, and not urge them to sing. By so doing, they
immediately take the pet, and sport mum for the rest of the evening.
The same remarks apply to musical people in general, whether in the
shape of fiddlers, fluters, horn blowers, thumpers on the pianoforte,
&c. These individuals can think of nothing else but their favourite
pursuit, and imagine all the world to be equally interested in it. Take
a musician off music, and he is the most ignorant of animals. A good
story in illustration of this is told about Madame Catalani. Being at a
large party in Vienna, where Goethe was present, she was much surprised
at the great respect with which that illustrious man was treated.
On inquiring his name, she was informed it was the celebrated Goethe.
"Celebrated!" said the siren; "what music did he ever compose? Why,
I never heard of him!"

An absurd prejudice prevails among many people against the skate. If
this fish is hung up and dried for a day or two, then cut in slices,
done on the gridiron, and eaten with butter, it is most delicious.

N.B. The female skate is more delicate than the male.

Persons who indulge in conundrums, charades &c. are invariably poor
creatures; as are those who have a knack at finding out such trifles.
The same remark applies to punsters. It is difficult for a man of
sterling talent to perpetrate a pun, or to solve an enigma. On the
latter account, Oedipus must have been an ass.

A fact.--Nine-tenths of the catsup which is sold in the shops is a vile
compound of liver and the roan of fish, seasoned with vinegar, pepper,
and other condiments. If you wish the article genuine, you must procure
mushrooms, and make it yourself.

       *       *       *       *       *


FERDINAND VII. OF SPAIN.

There is no court in Europe about which so little is known as that of
Madrid, and certainly no European sovereign whose character and habits
have been so studiously misrepresented as those of Ferdinand. The first
time we beheld this monarch, we could scarcely credit the evidence of
our senses. Walking in the gardens of the Retiro, at the time crowded
with company, we encountered a portly old gentleman, quite unattended,
habited in a plain, blue coat and nankeen trousers. This was Ferdinand,
_El Rey absoluto_, whom, in our mind's eye, we had long sketched
with the dark pencil of a Murillo. On a countenance that we expected
to have seen marked by all the dark and fiery passions of a Caesar
Borgia, we beheld an expression of _bonhomie_--a total absence of
hauteur, still less of ferocity; in fact, so totally different was he
in appearance from all that we had preconceived, that it was with
some difficulty we could persuade ourselves that our cicerone was not
practising upon our credulity. So much, then, for the notion, that he
never trusts himself out of his palace without being surrounded by
a formidable guard. Perhaps no monarch is oftener seen without, or
evinces less fear for his personal safety, than the tyrant Ferdinand.

By men of all parties, at Madrid, he is spoken of as a man not naturally
vicious, but equally prone to good or evil, according to the direction
impressed upon him towards either of these two ends, arising from a wily
indolence of character, that, conscious of its own inability, throws
itself on another. Leave him, say they, but the name of king, his
secretaries, his valets, and his favourite amusements,--give him his
Havanna cigars, (a lot of which he sends daily to the officer of the
guard,)--and he would willingly consent to any change that might be
proposed to him. The faults or the vices of Ferdinand are owing to his
neglected and defective education; no care was taken to prepare him for
his high station.

It was in the spirit of party that he embroidered a petticoat for the
Holy Virgin, solely with the view of pleasing and cajoling the clergy;
for, in his heart, Ferdinand is rather a devotee to pleasure than
religion. In his habits he is remarkably domesticated; he rises at
an early hour, and passes the greater part of the day in his wife's
apartment, of whom he is passionately fond. The queen unites to a very
graceful figure an interesting expression of countenance, that sometimes
wears an appearance of sadness. Such is Ferdinand of Spain, whose actual
demise will disclose scenes that at present almost set political
calculation at defiance.

Ferdinand has been married four times:--1st, To Marie Antoinette,
daughter of the King of the Two Sicilies; 2ndly, To his neice, the
Infanta of Portugal, Maria Isabella; 3rdly, To the Princess Maria
Josepha-Amelia, daughter of Prince Maximilian of Saxony; and, lastly,
to his present queen, Maria Carletta, daughter of the late King of
Naples.--_Metropolitan_.

       *       *       *       *       *



NOTES OF A READER.

       *       *       *       *       *


ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF EMIGRATION TO BRITISH AMERICA.


One of the disadvantages of emigration is the separation of friends for
ever. Time and distance no doubt gradually obliterate from our mind the
most endearing recollections; but, under untoward circumstances, which
will at times cross the path of every mortal in the most favourable
situations, the emigrant's, and particularly the female emigrant's,
breast must be "stung with the thoughts of home," on comparing the many
conveniences and comforts, and society, which they enjoyed in their
fatherland, and which cannot be within their reach in their newly
adopted country for many years to come, and perhaps not within the
period of their lives. Unavailing wishes that they were back to their
own country have been expressed by many, who looked with dread on the
hardships they had to encounter at their first settlement. The labour
required to clear a forest of gigantic trees is appaling to a man who
has nothing to depend on but the physical strength of his own body; and
if its powers have been impaired by low living, arising from a want of
employment previous to the period of his emigration, and if he have a
wife and large family depending on him for support, that labour must be
exercised at the outset to a painful degree. All the shelter he can
expect in the first winter of his sojourn is in a house of trees
piled together, and his wooden furniture must consist of the rudest
construction, blocked out of the timber which he himself has cut down.
Though the air is clear and bracing, the intensity of the cold in winter
is far beyond what he can conceive, and the heat in summer is so great
for a short period as to blister the skin, if left exposed to the
influence of the sun's rays. The diversity of temperature in the seasons
causes an additional expense in the provision of clothes for the winter.
Musquitoes swarm on every new settlement, and annoy every one by their
stinging and raising inflamed spots over the body. Rubbing strong
vinegar over the parts is said to alleviate the pain. Fires of wet
chips, lighted at the doors of the cabins, will prevent the ingress of
these troublesome insects. When a clearance has been made the musquitoes
are not so troublesome. They dwell chiefly in the woods, and in the
vicinity of swamps, and come out in hot weather. A small, black fly
annoys also very much, by settling among the hair in the morning and
evening. Sleep is completely driven away when they make an attack, and
they produce the most uneasy sensation.

The state of the roads prevents a constant or rapid communication
between places; and in a new country, where coin as the circulating
medium is scarce, and barter exists as the medium of exchange,
difficulties are often encountered in disposing of the surplus stock of
agricultural produce. The intrusion of wild animals is an evil which
ought not to be overlooked as affecting a new settler. If the cattle and
sheep are not penned up at night, they may be partly destroyed by the
ferocity of the bears. Bears, however, are not numerous. But squirrels
and racoons, of which there are plenty, may destroy the corn crops
materially, particularly in any season that is unfavourable to the
formation of beech masts and nuts. Mice and rats eat the seed of the
Indian corn after it is in the ground, so that two or three successive
sowings are sometimes necessary.

The advantages, on the other hand, which emigrants may enjoy in our
American colonies are numerous and important. The first and great
advantage is constant employment, whether labour be required for
the improvement of their own land, or that of an employer. Constant
employment bestows vigour on the bodily frame, and contentment to the
mind. Labour, it is true, is not so high priced in Canada as it was when
labourers were scarcer, but still an able-bodied agricultural labourer
can get 2s. 6d. a-day, and skilful mechanics as much as 5s. and their
victuals. The soil being quite new and fresh, it is naturally fertile,
and it will give a good return for the labour bestowed upon it, and,
of course, the exercise of superior skill and industry will produce
extraordinary results. The climate in summer, too, being so very
superior to this country, that many products of the soil may be obtained
there with little trouble, which cost much trouble and expense here. Not
only the ordinary grains can be grown to perfection, but maize, garden
vegetable produce, and fruits of all kinds, grow luxuriantly. It is
found, however, that the grafted trees from this country thrive much
better, and produce more and better fruits, than the natural trees of
the country. Abundance of provisions, then, for the largest families may
be always obtained in our American colonies during the whole year. This
assurance of abundance not only produces contentment of mind, but endues
that spirit of independence which forms a valuable ingredient in a manly
character. All accounts agree in the happy and contented state in which
the emigrants are found, even in the midst of toil. Ample future
provision for the family soothes the mind of the emigrant in the hour
of dissolution. Not a trifling advantage consists in the absence of all
vexatious imposts or burdens. There are no stamp-duties. Taxes there
must be in all civilized communities, but there they are "trifles light
as air." One dollar per hundred acres of land is about the annual amount
of taxation to an emigrant. Besides all that, he may make his own malt,
brew his own beer, make his own candles and sugar, raise his own
tobacco, and tan his own leather, without dread of being exchequered.
And last, though not least, of these advantages, is the almost unlimited
space which lies open for settlements. For many generations yet unborn,
good land and constant employment will await the arrival of the emigrant
in the forest lands of our American colonies. These advantages
counterbalance the evils of a new country, but, combining the former
with the latter, emigrants should check the ardour of enthusiasm. They
must consider that perseverance alone will insure success. They must
make up their mind to work ere they can prosper. If they wish to possess
land of their own, they must take money with them to give in exchange
for that land. Having obtained the land which they desired to possess,
they must consent to endure hardships before they can obtain even a
shelter, and they must wait with patience the returning seasons before
they can reap the fruits of their industry. All these considerations
cannot be too strongly urged on the mind of the emigrant, for if they
are not expected and guarded against, disappointment and vexation
will assuredly ensue. "It is a matter of the first importance," says
Mr. M'Gregor, "for a man living in the United Kingdom, to consider,
before he determines on expatriation, whether he can, by industry and
integrity, obtain a tolerably comfortable livelihood in the country of
his nativity; whether, in order to secure to his family the certain
means of subsistence, he can willingly part with his friends, and leave
scenes that must have been dear to his heart from childhood; and
whether, in order to attain to independence, he can reconcile himself to
suffer the inconveniency of a sea voyage, and the fatigue of removing
with his family from the port where he disembarks in America, to the
spot of ground in the forest on which he may fix for the theatre of
his future operations; whether he can reconcile himself for two or
three years, to endure many privations to which he had hitherto been
unaccustomed, and to the hard labour of levelling and burning the
forest, and raising crops from a soil with natural obstructions, which
require much industry to remove. If, after making up his mind to all
these considerations, he resolves on emigrating, he will not be
disappointed in realizing in America any reasonable prospect he may have
entertained in Europe. These difficulties are, indeed, such as would
often stagger the resolution of most emigrants, if they had not before
them, in every part of America, examples of men who must have encountered
and have overcome equally, if not more disheartening hardships, before
they attained a state of comfortable affluence."--_Quart. Journ. Agr._

       *       *       *       *       *


THE SILK MANUFACTURE.

The principal branches of this manufacture consist in the dyeing,
winding, warping, throwing, and weaving. The first needs no explanation;
the winding is the process between the throwing and the weaving. After
the silk is thrown it is dyed, and then wound off preparatory to the
loom. The warping is stretching the parallel threads on the loom,
preparatory to weaving.

_Throwing_ silk, is twisting two threads into one for the purpose
of weaving. The single thread, as wound off from the cocoon, is
designated the raw silk.

There are two descriptions of thrown silk. One is called _tram_,
and consists of two threads simply twisted together. This description of
thrown silk is used in the shuttle or transverse threads of a piece of
silk on the loom. The other variety of thrown silk is called
_organzine_. In this, the single threads are first twisted up,
previous to their being twisted together. This is used for the warp, or
parallel threads upon the loom.

Throwing of silk was an important branch of manufacture in this country,
until the duties were reduced in 1826. Since that period it has
declined. The manufacture of thrown silk is chiefly carried on at
Macclesfield, Congleton, and in the West of England. As silk can be
thrown more cheaply in foreign countries than it can be in England,
there has been a difference between the throwsters and the weavers of
Coventry and Spitalfields, the latter having requested the protecting
duty against foreign thrown silk to be reduced, to the manifest injury
of the former.

It may be as well to explain to the reader the weights which are used
in the silk trade. The weight of silk is estimated by _deniers_, an
old Italian weight, of which twenty-four are equal to an ounce, used
only in the silk trade, in the same manner as the weight called a _carat_
is employed by those who deal in diamonds, and other precious stones.
It is the custom to reel off, upon an engine established in the silk
trade, a measure of four hundred ells of tram or organzine, (which are
both double threads,) and the weight of this quantity establishes the
fineness or coarseness of the silk. Four hundred ells of the finest
Italian tram will weigh eighteen deniers; and although this silk will
occasionally run so coarse as to weigh forty deniers, the qualities
mostly in use vary in weight from eighteen to thirty deniers. The China
and Bengal silk varies from thirty-five to eighty deniers in its weight.
Turkey silk, the importation of which has lately much increased, and
which is worked up in the single thread on account of the coarseness of
the texture, varies from thirty to fifty deniers; which, as the others
are weighed in the tram or double thread, will be in the proportion of
sixty to one hundred deniers.

Silk is the staple manufacture of France, and has always received the
fostering protection of the government. The raw material is the produce
of the country; and, as the growers of silk are not permitted to export
it, it is purchased by the manufacturers at a much cheaper rate than it
can be procured by us. The value of the raw silk yearly produced in
France is estimated at about three millions and a half sterling--the
produce of manufacture at about two millions and a half; so that the
silk trade of France is to be valued, on the whole, at about six
millions sterling.

This is the estimate which is made by the acknowledgment of the French
government; but there is every reason to suppose that it is much more
considerable. This is certain;--that it is of the greatest value to that
nation, and has received such protection, and, in consequence, is in
that flourishing condition, that, at present, no other country can
compete with it.--_Metropolitan_.

       *       *       *       *       *


RECENT VISIT TO THE FALLS OF NIAGARA.

Mr. Fergusson in his notes made during a Visit to the United States and
Canada in 1831, says: after breakfast I took leave of my friend, and
walked on for the Falls, leaving the stage, in which I had secured a
place, to follow. The day was delightful, and as I ascended the steep
hill from Queenston, I overtook a soldier of the 79th in charge of the
baggage wagons, leaning on his musket, and wrapt in admiration of the
surrounding scenery, "_It's mair like Scotland, sir, than ony thing
I've seen sin' I left it_," was the poor fellow's remark, and truly
it was far from misapplied, making due allowance for difference of
scale. The country from Queenston to the Falls is well settled, and
finely diversified by farms, orchards and open forest. The soil is
perhaps light, but in some places of a stronger description, and
all apparently fertile, desirable land. A very beautiful property,
originally laid out by the ill-fated Duke of Richmond, and subsequently
possessed by Sir Peregrine Maitland, adjoins the Road. The house, which
is in the cottage style, of wood, seems large and commodious. This
estate is in a very favourable situation, and has been lately sold
for 2,000l.; it contains about 450 acres of good, useful land. The
distance from Queenston to Niagara is about seven miles, and I sauntered
on the whole way, the coach not overtaking me. About four miles from
the Falls, the sound came upon my ear like the murmur of Old Ocean on
a rugged strand. In certain states of the atmosphere and the wind this
is heard at a much greater distance. The noise gradually increased,
and by and by the spray was seen rising in columns above the trees.
A splendid and extensive establishment was soon after recognised as
Forsyth's hotel, and, under feelings far more intense than common
curiosity, I hurried forward to a point, where Niagara in all its glory
came in view. From the increasing facility of migrating now-a-days even
from one end of the world to another, Niagara has lost somewhat of that
mysterious halo with which it was wont to be enveloped; but still it
must ever be Niagara. The most eloquent descriptions, I should think,
must prove inadequate to convey a just conception of the scene. Nor can
the pencil, I imagine, ever do it justice. A cataract may be said, as
regards the painter's art, to differ from all other objects in nature.
The human face and figure, the rich and varied landscape, the animal
and vegetable world, may with sufficient propriety be delineated _at
rest_, but quiescence forms no feature here. The ceaseless roar, the
spray mounting like clouds of smoke from the giant limekiln, and the
enormous sheet of water which rolls into the abyss, can only be felt
and understood by repeated visits to the scene. My attention was for a
time distracted by the rapids which are extremely interesting, and with
any other neighbour than the Falls would excite the highest admiration
and wonder. After some time spent in contemplation, I proceeded to my
friends, where a kind and comfortable home awaited me. Mr. C. possesses
a residence which is certainly one of the most romantic domiciles in the
world. The house stands on a small lawn upon a point overhanging the
rapids, and about half a mile above the Horse-Shoe Fall. The garden is
behind, washed by a fine branch of the river, which encircles a wild and
thickly wooded island, and on every side new and interesting prospects
appear. The river is a mile across, and of great depth, and, for the
same distance above the Falls, is one sheet of foam. We sauntered down
in the evening to the river side, and the rapids lost nothing by a
closer inspection. My bedroom looked directly upon them; I could watch
the smoke of the Fall, as I lay on my pillow; and with the wild roar of
the cataract sounding in my ears, I closed my first day at Niagara. The
following morning proved fine, and we devoted the forenoon, of course,
to the Falls. Lake Erie had just broken up, and the icebergs came
crushing down the rapids, in a way highly interesting. My friends being
quite at home in all the mazes of the river side, conducted me by a wild
and rugged route to the edge of the Table-rock, when, upon emerging from
a tangled brake, I beheld the Horse-shoe or great British Fall, pouring
down its volume of ice and water, at the distance of a few feet from
where we stood. The rock felt to me as though it vibrated, and a large
mass did in fact lately give way, soon after a party had retired from
the precarious stance. It is limestone, full of ugly fissures and rents.
A narrow wooden staircase conducts adventurous travellers to the bottom
of the Fall, where a sort of entrance is generally effected to a short
distance under the sheet, and for which performance a certificate in due
form is served out. The stair was at this time under repair, and the
accumulation of ice below perfectly reconciled me to wave pretensions
to such slippery honours. At some distance below the Fall, and opposite
to the American staircase, there is a ferry, to which a safe and most
romantic carriage-road has been lately formed, out of the solid rock,
at no small labour and expense. When a similar accommodation shall
have been provided upon the American side, it is expected to prove a
lucrative concern, but at the present foot-passengers only can be landed
in the States. The little skiff had just put off, with a party from the
Canada shores, and got involved in streams of ice, in a way somewhat
hazardous, and which rendered it impossible for the boatmen to return.
The scene from the ferry is indeed magnificent, the Horseshoe, the
American Fall, and Goat Island being all in view, with the great pool or
basin eddying in fearful and endless turmoil. In the evening I walked
up the river side towards the village of Chippeway, to visit a natural
curiosity upon Mr. C.'s estate. A spring surcharged with sulphuretted
hydrogen gas rises within a few paces of the river. A small building is
erected over it, and when a candle is applied to a tube in a barrel,
which encloses the spring, a brilliant and powerful light is evolved.
Close adjoining are the remains of extensive mills burnt by the
Americans during last war. The water privilege is great, and machinery
to any extent might be kept in play.--_Quart. Journ. of Agriculture._

       *       *       *       *       *



THE GATHERER.

       *       *       *       *       *


_Dramatis Personae._--The stages and theatres of the Greeks and
Romans were so immense, that the actors, to be heard, were obliged to
have recourse to metallic masks, contrived with tremendous mouths, in
order to augment the natural sound of the voice. This mask was called by
the Latins _persona_, from _personare_ (to sound through); and
delineations of such masks as were used in each piece were generally
prefixed to it,(as we now prefix the names of the characters in our
modern plays), as appears from the _Vatican Terence_. Hence
_dramatis personae_ (masks of the drama); which words, after masks
ceased to be used, were understood to mean _persons of the drama_.

J.E.J.

       *       *       *       *       *


_Punctuality_.--The late hospitable Colonel Bosville had his
dinner on the table exactly two minutes before five o'clock, and no
guest was admitted after that hour; for he was such a determined
observer of punctuality, that when the clock struck five, his
porter locked the street-door, and laid the key at the head of the
dinner-table. The time kept by the clock in the kitchen, the parlour,
and the drawing-room, and the watch of the master, were minutely the
same. That the dinner was ready, was not announced to the guests in
the usual way; but when the clock struck, this superlative time-keeper
himself declared to his guests, "Dinner waits." Boileau, the French
satirist, has a shrewd observation on this subject: "I have always been
_punctual at the hour of dinner_," says the bard, "for I knew that
all those whom I kept waiting at that provoking interval would employ
those unpleasant moments to sum up all my faults."

THOMAS GILL.

       *       *       *       *       *


_Volcanoes_.--According to Dr. Ure, there were, in 1830, 205
burning volcanoes on the globe. Of these, 107 occur in islands, and 98
on continents, but ranged mostly along their shores.

       *       *       *       *       *


_Former Junction of England and France_.--From the correspondence
pointed out by Mr. William Phillips, the geologist, between the strata
of Dover and the hills west of Calais; and by M. de la Beche, between
the strata of the coast of Dorset and Devon, and those of Normandy, it
may be inferred that the English Channel is a submarine valley, which
owes its origin in a great measure to diluvial excavation, the opposite
sides having as much correspondence as those of ordinary valleys on the
land.

       *       *       *       *       *


_Soldiers_.--English soldiers were at one period distinguished
by badges, like those worn by watermen. The general colour of their
dresses appears to have been white; though, in 1544, a part of the
forces of Henry VIII. were ordered to be dressed in blue coats, guarded
with red, without badges, the right hose red, and the left blue. In
1584, Elizabeth ordered the cassocks of the soldiers sent to Ireland
to be a sad green, or russet; though the cloaks of the cavalry were
red. In 1693, the dresses of the soldiers were grey, and those of the
drummers purple; but the red uniform was probably adopted when the
House of Hanover acceded to the throne.

In the time of Cromwell and Charles II. ordinary hats were lined with
iron plates, to prevent assassination.

       *       *       *       *       *


_Choristers_.--The singing boys are, probably, the only officers
of the Catholic Church retained to this day by the Royal Family; for
at the Reformation, when masses, &c., had wholly ceased, Queen Elizabeth
retained on her establishment four sets of singing-boys, attached to
St. Paul's, Westminster Abbey, St. George's Chapel, Windsor, and that
of the Royal Household. For the support of these bands, she issued out
warrants, like the other English sovereigns, for taking up "suche apt
and meete children as are fitt to be instructed and framed in the art
and science of musicke and singing."

       *       *       *       *       *


_A Ha! ha! Fence_.--Bridgman, a landscape gardener, early in the
last century, is supposed to have introduced in the Royal Gardens at
Richmond, the sunk fence for boundaries, instead of walls: an attempt
considered so astonishing, that the common people called them Ha! has!
to express their surprise at the sudden termination of their walk.

       *       *       *       *       *


_Sheridan's Funeral_.--Mr. Moore has omitted one of the most
touching and heart-stirring anecdotes connected with the funeral of
Sheridan. The noble and select company had assembled to pay the last
tribute of respect to departed genius, and the coffin was about to be
placed in the hearse, when an elegantly-dressed personage, who pretended
to be distantly related to the deceased, entered the chamber of death.
At his urgent entreaties to view the face of his friend, the coffin lid
was unscrewed; and, to the horror and surprise of the bystanders, he
pulled out a warrant, and arrested the body! Mr. Canning and Lord
Sidmouth went into an adjoining room, and paid the debt, which (it is
said) amounted to 500l.

THOMAS GILL.

       *       *       *       *       *

_Dr. Walcot, to Shield the Composer_.--The following was sent to
Shield, the ingenious composer, for his ivory ticket for admission to
a concert, by his friend Peter Pindar:--

  Son of the _string_ (I do not mean Jack Ketch,
    Though Jack, like _thee_, produceth _dying tones_;)
  Oh! yield thy pity to a starving wretch,
    And for to-morrow's _treat_, pray send thy _bones_.

THOMAS GILL.

       *       *       *       *       *

_Epitaph on Mr. Death, the Actor_.


  Death levels all, both high and low.
    Without regard to stations;
      Yet why complain,
      If _we_ are slain?
  For here lies one, at least, to show
    He kills his own relations.

J.E.J.


       *       *       *       *       *

THE AUTHOR OF THE SKETCH-BOOK.

VOL, XX. of THE MIRROR, with a Steel-plate Portrait of

WASHINGTON IRVING, Esq.,

a Biographical Memoir, Eighty-eight Engravings, and Four Hundred
and Sixty-four enlarged pages, is now publishing, price 5s. 6d.

Part 131, price 8d., and Part 132, price 10d., (completing
Vol. XX.) are also ready.

The SUPPLEMENTARY NUMBER, containing the above Portrait, Memoir,
Title-page, Index, &c., price 2d., will be published in the ensuing
week.

       *       *       *       *       *

_Printed and published by J. LIMBIRD, 143, Strand, (near Somerset
House,) London; sold by G.G. BENNIS, 55, Rue Neuve, St. Augustin, Paris;
CHARLES JUGEL, Francfort; and by all Newsmen and Booksellers_.

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