Ex Libris C. K. OGDEN \ LONDON WARD AND LOCK, 168, FLEET 8TRJJET. TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS COMPRISING THE MARVELLOUS AXD RARE, ODD, CURIOUS, QUAIXT ECCEXTRIC AXD EXTRAORDINARY IN ALL AGES AND NATIONS, IN AET, NATURE, AXD SCIENCE INCLUDING MANY WONDEKS OP THE WOELD ENRICHED WITH HUNDREDS OF AUTHENTIC ILLUSTRATIONS EDITED BY EDMUND FILLIXGHAM KING, M.A. AUIHOB OF "LIFE OF NEWTON," &c., &c. LONDON: WARD AXD LOCK, 158, FLEET STREET, AND ALL BOOKSELLIK?. PREFACE. A BOOK OF WONDERS requires but a brief introduction. Our title-page tells its own tale and forms the best expo- sition of the contents of the volume. Everything that is marvellous carries with it much that is instructive, and, in this sense, " Ten Thousand Wonderful Things," may be made useful for the highest educational purposes. Events which happen in the regular course have no claim to a place in any work that professes to be a regis- ter of what is uncommon ; and were we to select such Wonders only as are capable of familiar demonstration, we should destroy their right to be deemed wondrous, and, at the same time., defeat the very object which we profess to have in view. A marvel once explained away ceases to be a marvel. For this reason, while rejecting everything that is obviously fictitious and untrue, we have not hesitated to insert many incidents which appear at first sight to be wholly incredible. In the present work, interesting Scenes from Nature, Curiosities of Art, Costume and Customs of a bygone period rather predominate; but we have devoted many of its pages to descriptions of remarkable Occurrences, beau- tiful Landscapes, stupendous Water-falls, and sublime Sea- pieces. It is true that some of our illustrations may not IV PREFACE. be beautiful according to the sense in which the word is generally used ; but they are all the more curious and characteristic, as well as truthful, on that account ; for whatever is lost of beauty, is gained by accuracy. What is odd or quaint, strange or startling, rarely possesses much claim to the picturesque and refined. Scrape the rust off an antique coin, and, while you make it look more shining, you invariably render it worthless in the eyes of a collector. To polish up a fact which derives its value either from the strangeness of its nature, or from the quaintness of its narra- tion, is like the obliterating process of scrubbing up a painting by one of the old masters. It looks all the cleaner for the operation, but, the chances are, it is spoilt as a work of art. We trust it is needless to say that we have closed our pages against everything that can be considered objec- tionable in its tendency ; and, while every statement in this volume has been culled with conscientious care from authentic, although not generally accessible, sources, we have scrupulously rejected every line that could give offence, and endeavoured, in accordance with what we profess in our title-page, to amuse by the eccentric, to startle by the unexpected, and to astonish by the marvellous. INDEX TO ENGRAVINGS. PAGE AMULET BROTCHE 332 ANCIENT METHOD OF KEEPING A "WASHING ACCOUNT .... 3 ANCIENT NCT CRACKERS 236 ANCIENT SNUFF BOXES 210 ANGLO-SAXONS, SEPULCHRAL BARROW OF THE 27 APTERYX, THE, Oil WINGLESS BIRD 308 ARCHITECTURE FOR EARTHQUAKES , 324 AZTEC CHILDREN, THE 37 BASTILLE, STORMING OF THE . 193 BEAU ERUMMEL (A), OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY .... 61 BIBLE USED BY CHARLES I. ON THE SCAFFOLD 271 BILLY IN THE SALT BOX 181 BLIND GRANNY 70 BLIND JACK 23 BOOK-SHAPED WATCH . 328 BRANK, THE 2 BRASS MEDAL OF OUR SAVIOUR 241 BRITANNIA TUBULAR BRIDGE 173 BUCKIXGER, MATTHEW 53 BUCKLER OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY, \VITH FISTOL INSERTED . . 30 BUNYAN'S (JOHN) TOMB . . . 157 BURMESE PRIEST PREACHING 266 CAMDEN CUP, THE 250 CASCADE DES PELERINES 135 CATACOMBS AT ROME 87 CHAIR BROUGHT OVER TO AMERICA BY THE PILGRIM FATHERS . .186 CHINESE METHOD OF FISHING 316 CHINESE PUNISHMENT OF THE KANG, OR WOODEN COLLAR . . . 134 CHRISTMAS, PROCLAIMING THE NON-OBSERVANCE OF . . .19 CORAL REEFS . 74 CORPSE BEARER DURING THE PLAGUE 284 COSTUME, ANCIENT .... 18, 71, 78, 86, 212, 213, 220, 296, 297 CRADLE OF NOSS 325 CUCKING STOOL 1 CURFEW BELL, THE 33 CURIOUS FIGURES ON A SMALL SHRINE . .... 203 VI INDEX TO ENGRAVINGS. PAGE DAGGER OF RAOUL DE COURCY 263 DANCING NATIVES OF NEW SOUTH WALES 225 BAKXEV (JENNY), A HARMLESS ECCENTRIC OF THE YEAR 1790 . . 187 BOG-WHEEL, THE OLD 101 DRINKING-GLASS, ANCIENT 153 DROPPING WELL OF KNARESBOROUGH 143 DUCK-BILLED PLATYPUS, OR ORNITHORYNCIIUS PARADOXUS , . . 273 DYAK WITH HEADS, SKULL HOUSE, AND HOUSE OF SEA DYAKS . 276, 277 EAST INDIA HOUSE, THE FIRST 206 EDDYSTONE LIGHTHOUSE 109 EGYPTIAN TOYS IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM 130 EMBROIDERED GLOVE, PRESENTED BY MARY QUEEN OF SCOTLAND TO AN ATTENDANT ON THE MORNING OF HER EXECUTION . . . 263 EXTRAORDINARY CATARACT 224 EXTRAORDINARY SITUATION FOR A TREE 313 EXTRAORDINARY TREE 183 FASHIONABLE DISFIGUREMENT OF THE TIME OF CHARLES I. . . . 213 FETE OF THE FEDERATION OF THE NATIONAL GUARDS OF FRANCE, 1/90 289 FIGG (JAMES) THE CHAMPION PRIZE-FIGHTER OF 1733 . . . .113 FLOATING CITY OF BANKOK 309 FRENCH ASSIGNATS, FACSIMILE OF THE FORMS IN WHICH THEY WERE ISSUED TO THE PUBLIC 2"> t FULLERTON'S (COLONEL) DEVICE FOR PASSING A MOUNTAIN TORRENT . 194 GARRICK'S cup c 232 GIANT TREE 229 GREAT AVALL OF CHINA 233 HACKNEY COACHMAN OF THE TIME OF CHARLES II 258 HACKNEY COACH, THE EARLIEST * . . .211 HENRY i. (KIM;) DREAM OF 26 HENRY THE EIGHTH'S AVALKING STICK 30 HEART OF LORD EDWARD BRUCE AND CASE 240, 247 HOOPS (LADIES) IN 1740 G INSTRUMENTS OF TORTURE: THE EXECUTIONER'S AXE; THE BLOCK ON AVHICH LORDS BALMKRINO AND LOVAT AVERE BEHEADED; THE SCAVENGER'S DAUGHTER; SPANISH BILBOES; MASSIVI-: IKON COLLAR FOR THE NECK; THUMB SCREAV. BRAND FOR MARKING FELONS; IMl'RESSION OF BRAND ; PUNISHMENT FOB DRUNKARDS, roRMIKl.V IN USE AT NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE ; THE AVHIRLIGIG, A MILITARY METHOD OF PUNISHMENT; PILLORY, STOCKS, AND WIIU'IM Mi -POST FORMERLY ON LONDON BRIDGE 60, 90 INDEX TO ENGRAVINGS. Vll PAGE JEAYEL PRESENTED BY MARY OF SCOTS, TO EARL HUNTLEY . . . 243 JOHNSON'S (DR. SAMUEL) RESIDENCE IN INNER TEMPLE LANE . . 48 OLD STAIRCASE IX THE RESIDENCE OF . .49 JOY (WILLIAM) THE ENGLISH SAMPSON 177 LOCOMOTIVE, THE FIRST 96 , THE PRESENT AND TRAIN 97 LORD OF MISRULE 15 LOUIS XVI., EXECUTION OF 255 LUTHER'S (MARTIN) TANKARD . . . 150 MAY-POLES 101 MILITARY HATS IN THE OLDEN TIME . .75 MONSOONS 180 MONSTROUS HEAD-DRESS OF 1782 242 MORAYSHIRE FLOODS 126 MOSQUE OF OMAR 317 ST. SOPHIA 104 MUMMERS, OR ANCIENT WAITS 14 XEBUCHADXEZZAR, MASK OF . 105 XELL GWYNNE'S LOOKING-GLASS 237 NEWTON'S (SIR ISAAC) OBSERVATORY 10 HOUSE, ST. MARTIN'S STREET .... 11 NORMAN CAPS 44 XORTH-AMERICAX INDIAN WAR DESPATCH 45 OLD LONDON SIGNS 120 ORNAMENTS OF FEMALE DRESS IN THE TIMES OF THE ANCIENT BRITONS 79 PAPYRUS ROLL, FROM A SPECIMEN IX THE BRITISH MUSEUM . . 82 , SYRIAN, WITH AND WITHOUT FLOWERS 83 PASS OF KEIM-AN-EIGH 329 PENN'S (WILLIAM) SILVER TEA SERVICE 202 PENNSYLVANIA JOURNAL, FAC-SIMILE OF THE HEADING OF THE LAST NUMBER, 1765 63 PLOUGHIXG, AXCIEXT MODE OF 66 PONT DU GARD, THE GREAT AQUEDUCT OF 312 POPULAR AMUSEMENTS IN 1743 56 POTTERY IN CHINA, THE ART OF 321 POWERS COURT FALL, PHENOMENON AT THE 305 PREACHING FRIAR 221 PRE-ADAMITE BONE CAVERNS 199 PRINCE RUPERT, HEAD QUARTERS OF, DURING THE SIEGE OF LIVER- POOL, IN 1644 . . . - , , .292 Vlll INDEX TO ENGRAVINGS. PAGB PrLPIT OF JOHN KXOX AT ST. ANDREW'S 270 PYRAMIDS OF EGYPT 131 QUEEN ELIZABETH'S STATE COACH 193 KALEIGH'S (sin WALTER) AXCIEXT RESIDENCE AT BLACK-WALL . . 161 REVOLVER, A, OF THE FIFTEENTH CEXTUKY 30 KINO, FORMERLY THE PROPERTY OF CHARLES 1 263 8AIXT GEORGE, TOMB OF 281 SAINT GEORGE'S HALL, GIBRALTAR 7 SCRIPTURAL ANTIQUITIES : DRUM, OR TIMBREL ; DRUM IX USE IN THE EAST ; HARP ; LUTES ; INSCRIBED STONE J SANDALS ; DISTAFF ; ROMAN FARTHING ; STOXE MONEY- WEIGHTS ; HAND MILL ; EASTERN WINE AND WATER BOTTLES 217 SELKIRK (ALEXANDER) AND THE DANCING GOATS 22 SEPULCHRAL VASE 320 SILVER LOCKET IX MEMORY OF THE EXECUTION OF CHARLES I. . . 263 SNAKE CHARMER 300 SOUTH STACK LIGHTHOUSE . . . 240 SPANISH DAGGER OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY 263 STEAM BOAT, FAC-SIMILE OF THE FIRST 301 ST. WINIFRED'S WELL . 304 SUMMERS' MAGNET, OR LOADSTONE 41 THRESHING CORN, ANCIENT METHOD OF 67 TILBURY FORT, WATER GATE OF 190 TOWER OF Till: THUNDERING WINDS . . . ' . . . .93 TUMBREL, THE 2 VESUVIUS, CRATER OF, IX 1829 165 VOLCANO OF JORULLO, MEXICO 164 WATCH PRESENTED BY MARY OF SCOTLAND TO MARY SEATON . . 285 WATER CARRIER OF THE OLDEN TIME 259 WIGS OF VARIOUS PERIODS .... 31 TEN THOUSAND WONDEBFUL THINGS. IX PBOVIXCIAX TOWXS IX THE OZDEX TI1IE. The instruments most in vogue with, our ancestors were three i&e cucking-stool, the brank, an,d the tumbrel. The Cucking-stool was used by the pond in many village greens about one hundred years ago or little more, and then deemed the best corrective of a scolding woman. By the sea, the quay offered a convenient spot. The barbican, at Plymouth, was a locality, doubtless terrible to offenders, however oare- IHE CUCKIJfG-STOOL. less of committing their wordy nuisance of scolding. Two pounds were paid for a cucking-stool at Leicester in 1768. Since that it has been placed at the door of a notorious scold as a warning. Upon admission to the House of Correction at Liverpool, a woman had to undergo the severity of the cucking-stool till a little before the year 1803, when Mr. James Neild wrote to Dr. Lettsom. The pump in the men's court was the whipping-post for females, which discipline continued, though not weekly. Kinr/ston-upon-Thames. s. d, 1572. The making of the cucking-stool 80 Iron work for the same 30 Timber for the same , 76 Three brasses for the same, and three wheels . . 4 10 134 At Marlborough, in 1625, a man had 4<7. for his help at the cucking of Joan Iseal. TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; Gravesend. ] 636. The porters for ducking of Goodwife Campion Two porters for laying up the ducking-stool 2 8 The Brank, for taming shrews, was preferred to the cucking-stool in some counties, and was used there for the same purpose. The brank was in favour in the northern counties, and in Worcestershire, though there were, notwithstanding, some of the other instruments of punishment used, called in that county gum-stools. The brank was put over the head, and was fastened with a padlock. There are entries at Worcester about mending the " scould's bridle and cords for the same." The cucking-stool not only endan- gered the health of the party, but also gave the tongue liberty 'twixt every dip. The brank was put over the head, arid was fastened with a pad- lock. THE 3KAXK. The tumbrel was a low-rolling cart or carriage (in law Latin, titm- berella) which was used as a punishment of disgrace and infamy. Millers, when they stole corn, were chastised by the tumbrel. Persons wen- sometimes fastened with an iron chain to a tumbrel, and conveyed Lure- headed with din and cry through the principal streets of towns. THE TUMBHF.L. Court of Hustings Book, 1581. (L>/mc.} " The jury present that the tumbrell be repaired and maintained from time to time, according to the statute." In 1583, Mr. Mayor was to provide a tumbrel before All Saints Day, under a penalty of 10s. MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AJJD QUAINT. ANCIENT METHOD OF KEEPING A WASHING ACCOUNT. Shakerley Marmion, in his " Antiquary," says : "I must rev'rence and prefer the precedent Times before these, which cansum'd their wits in Experiments ; and 'twas a virtuous Emulation amongst them, that nothing Which might profit posterity should perish." Without a full adherence to this dictum, we would nevertheless admit that we are indebted to the past for the germ of many of our most im- portant discoveries. The ancient washing tablet, although of humble pretensions to notice, is yet a proof of the simple and effective means frequently adopted in olden times for the economy of time and ma- terials. A reference to the engraving obviates a lengthened explanation. It will there be seen that if the mistress of a family has fifteen pillow- covers, or so many collars, or so many bands, to be mentioned in the washing account, she can turn the circular dial, by means of the button or handle, to the number corresponding with the rough mark at the bottom of the dial, above which is written sheets, table-cloths, &c. This simple and ingenious contrivance, obviates the necessity of keeping a book. The original ''washing board," from which the engraving is taken, was of a larger size, and showed the numbers very distinctly. Similar dials may be made of either ivory or metal. 4 TEX THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; THE HATE. The quality and colour of the hair was a subject of speculative theory for the ancients. Lank hair was considered indicative of pusil- lanimity and cowardice ; j-et the head of Napoleon was guiltless of a curl ! Frizzly hair was thought an indication of coarseness and clumsiness. The hair most in esteem, was that terminating in ringlets. Dares, the his- torian, states that Achilles and Ajax Telamon had curling locks; such also was the hair of Timon, the Athenian. As to the Emperor Augustus, nature had favoured him with such redundant lucks, that no hair-drease* in Koine could produce the like. Auburn or light brown hair was thought the most distinguished, as portending, intelligence, industry, a iul disposition, as well as great susceptibility to the tender passion. : ami Pollux had bro wrr hair ; so also had Menelaus. Black hair does not appear to have been esteemed by the Humans: but red was an of aversi the time of .hulas, red hair was thought a mark of reprobation, both in the case of Tynhou, who deprived his brother <-f the sceptre of Egypt, and -Xubuc.hadiiez/iRr who acquired it in expiation of his atrocities. Even the donkey tribe suffered from this ill-omened visitation, according to the proverb of "wicked as a red - of that colour were held in such detestation among the (,'opths, that every year they sacrificed one by hurling it from a high wall. IDE riKsi UOKILK HOI - : Coffee is a native of Arabia,, supposed by some to have IK en the cliief ingmlient of the old LucxxUommiaii broth. Tin- use of this berry was not known in England till the year Hi/JT. at which lime Mr. 1). Edwards, a Turkey merchant, on his irturn from Smyrna to London, brought with liim a OJroek of Itagusa, who was used to prepare this liquor for his in:; y morning, Ayho, by the way, never wanted company. The merchant, therefore, in order to get rid. of u crowd of k to o])cn a coift-e-liHHSf, wliieli lie did in St. Michael's Alley, in Cornhill. This was the first coffee-house opened in London. EATING FOE A WAGER. The handbill, of which the subjoined is a literal copy, was circulated by the keeper of the public-house at which the gluttony was to happen, as an attraction for all the neighbourhood to witness : " Jifiini/ci/ in Kc/tf, .Inly 11, 1726. A strange eating worthy is to preform a Tryal of Skill on St. James's Day, which i> the day of our Fiiir for a wairer of Five (fuiueas, viz. : he is to rat four pounds of bacon, a bushel of French beans, with two pounds of butter, a quartern loaf, and to drink a gallon of strong beer!" POX KILLED BY A SWAX. At Pousey, a swan sitting on her eggs, on one side of the river, observed a fox swimming towards her from the opposite side ; rightly judging >lie could best grapple with the fox in her own element, she pronged into tj ml after heating him oil' for some time with her wiuys, at length succeeded iu drowning him. MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. HIGHWAY:ME:N T ix 1782. On Wednesday, the 9th January, 1782, about four o'clock in the after- noon, as Anthony Todd, Esq., Secretary to the Post-office, was going in his carriage to his house at Walthamstow to dinner, and another gentle- man with him, he was stopt within a small distance of his house by two highwaymen, one of whom held a pistol to the coachman's breast, whilst the other, with a handkerchief over his face, robbed Mr. Todd and the gentleman of their gold watches and what money they had about them. As soon as Mr. Todd got home all his men-servants were mounted on horses, and pursued the highwaymen ; they got intelligence of their passing Lee-bridge, and rode on to Shoreditch ; but could not learn anything farther of them. The same evening a gentleman going along Aldermanbury, near the church, was accosted by a man with an enquiry as to the time ; on which the gentleman pulled out his gold watch. The man immediately said, " I must have that watch and your money, sir, so don't make a noise." The gentleman seeing nobody near, he delivered his gold watch and four guineas, with some silver. The thief said he was in distress, and hoped the gentleman would not take away his life if ever he had the oppor- tunity. Sunday, the 13th January, 1782, about twelve o'clock, a man was, by- force, dragged up the yard of the French-Horn Inn, High Holborn, by some person or persons unknown, and robbed of his watch, four guineas, and some silver ; when they broke his arm and otherwise cruelly treated him. He was found by a coachman, who took him to the hospital. A?? ARCHBISHOP TVASHIXGr THE FEET OF THE POOE. In the Gentleman's Magazine, we find the following observance : Thursday, April 15, 1731. Being Maunday-Thursday, there was dis- tributed at the Banquetting-house, Whitehall, to forty-eight poor men, and forty-eight poor women (the King's age 48) boiled beef and shoulders of mutton, and small bowls of ale, which is called dinner ; after that, large wooden platters offish and loaves, viz., undress'd, one large old ling, and one large dry'd cod ; twelve red herrings, and nine- teen white herrings, and four- half quartern loaves ; each person had one platter of this provision : after which was distributed to them shoes, stockings, linnen and woolen cloath, and leathern bags, with one penny, two penny, three penny, and four penny pieces of silver, and shillings : to each about 4 in value. His Grace the Lord Archbishop of York, Lord High Almoner, performed the annual ceremony of washing the feet of a certain number of poor in the Eoyal Chapel, Whitehall, which was formerly done by the Kings themselves, in imitation of our Saviour's pattern of humility, &c. James II. .was the last King who performed this in person, ifis doing so was thus recorded in the the Cliapel Royal Register. " On Maunday Thursday April 16 1685 our gracious King James y e 2 d wash'd wip'd and kiss'd the feet of 52 poor men w 11 ' wonder- ful humility. And all the service of the Church of England usuall on that occasion was performed, his Maty being psent all the time.'' 6 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; A LUCKY FIND. Sunday, April l.-A few days ago, Sir Simon Stuart, of Hartley, in Hampshire, looking over some old writings, found on the back ot one ol them a memorandum noting that 1,500 broad pieces were buried in a certain spot in an adjoyning field. Whereupon he took a servant, and after digging a little in the place, found the treasure in a pot, hid there in the time of the late civil wars, by his grandfather, Sir Nicholas Stuart. Gentleman's Magazine, 1733. HOOPS IN 1740. The monstrous appearance of the ladies' hoops, when viewed be- hind, may seen from the following cut, copied from one of lligaud's views. The exceed- ingly small cap, at this time fashionable, and the close up- turned hair beneath it, give an extraor- dinary meanness to the head, particu- larly when the libe- rality of gown and petticoat is taken into consideration : the lady to the left wears a black hood with an ample fringed cape, which envelopes her shoulders, and reposes on the summit of the hoop. The gentleman wears a small wig and bag ; the skirts of his coat are turned back, and were sometimes of a colour different from the rest of the stuff of which it was made, as were the cuff's and lappels. SIEGE OF OrBEALTAE. Gibraltar had been taken by a combined English and Dutch fleet in 1T<>1, :md was confirmed as a British possession, in 1713, by the peace of I ti.'i-ht ; but in 1779 it was assailed by the united forces of France and Spain, and tlic siege continued till the 2nd of February, 1783. The chief attack was made on the 13th September, 1782. On the part of the be- . brides stupendous batteries on the laud side, mounting two hundred pieces of ordnance, tin n was an army of 40,000 men, umli T the command of the Due do Crillon. In the bav lay the combined tit rts <>t l-'r;mce and Spain, comprising forty-seven sail of the line, beside tin buttt ring ships of powerful construction, that cost upwards of 50,000 each. From these the heaviest shells rebounded, but ultimately two of them were set on fire by red-hot shot, and the others were destroyed to : t h< -in from falling into the hands of the British commander. The tin fleet also suffered considerably; but the defenders cMapnl with very little loss. In this engagement 8,300 rounds were fired by MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 7 the garrison, more than half of which consisted of red-hot balls. During this memorable siege, which lasted upwards of three years, the entire expenditure of the garrison exceeded 200,000 rounds, 8,000 barrels of powder being used. The expenditure of the enemy, enormous as this quantity is, must have been much greater ; for they frequently fired, from their land-batteries, 4,000 rounds in the short space of twenty-four hours. Terrific indeed must have been the spectacle as the SAINT GEOBGE'S HALL, GIBBALTAB. immense fortress poured forth its tremendous volleys, and the squadron and land-batteries replied with a powerful cannonade. But all this waste of human life and of property was useless on the part of the assail- ants ; for the place was successfully held, and Gibraltar still remains one of the principal strongholds of British power in Europe. During the progress of the siege, the fortifications were considerably strengthened, and numerous galleries were excavated in the solid rock, haying port-holes at which heavy guns were mounted, which, keeping up an incessant fire, proved very efficacious in destroying the enemy's en- campments on the land side. Communicating with the upper tier of these galleries are two grand excavations, known as Lord Cornwallis's and St. George's Halls. The latter, which is capable of holding several hundred men, has numerous pieces of ordnance pointed in various direc- tions, ready to deal destruction on an approaching enemy. 8 TEN THOUSAND VvONDERFUL THINGS ; EEKriNir WJinsr.NTIDE AT DURHAM CATHEDBAL. The following curious account of the consumption of provisions in the cathedral of Durham, during \Yhitsun -week, in 1347, together with the prices of the articles, is taken from the rolls of the cellarer, at present in the treasury at Durham : six hundred salt hen-ings, 3s. ; four hun- dred -white herrings, 2s. 6d. ; thirty salted salmon, 7s. 6d. ; twelve fresh salmon, 5s. 6d. ; fourteen ling, fifty-five "kelengs;" four turbot, 23s. Id. ;'two horse loads of white fish, and a "congr," 5s. lOd. ; "playc," "sparlings," and eels, and fresh water fish, 2s. 9d. ; nine carcases of i>\'ii, saltid, so bought, :J(is. ; one carcase and a quarter, fresh, (is. 11 - : d. : a quarter of an oxo, fresh, bought in the tovui, :js. 6d. ; .seven - .nl a half of swine, in salt, 2s. 2*d. ; six carcases, fresh, 12s. '.)/ and lays, the poet's crown, ' i rough all the town, i of ChriitmanK-ar '.mas, tbejoy.'ii-s period of the ith hriRhr'/W/y all your tr-inples strow, . taunil&eei. rtuttctov." . " The wind being easterly, wo liiid thirty fathoms of water, when at ton k in the morning.;aiaea'Hnster like a man ap])eared near our ship, !io larboai was, whose name is William ho took a irrappling iron to pull him up: but our captain, "am . hindered him, hi -inu r afraid that tin >uld drag him away into the sea. The said Lmione struck him on the bark, to make him turn about, that lie might view him tin- Ixlt-v. The monster, being struck, showed his face, ha\ing his two hands dosed as if he bad expreted some auger. Aft-rwards he went round the ship : v-as.at tin- stern, he took hold of the helm with both hands, and we were obliged to i i; h,. should damage it. From b lard, swimming still 'as men do. When ( ' ;! ''"'- hip. h- viewnl for some time the tigurc that was .' . sentt-d a liea-itil'ul woman, and then he rose out ! hem willing to eateh that li-ure. All this hflpiwned in t!i. 'he wholr crew. Afterwards he cam.- a -a in to trh-.anl, wliere tl !-tisli lian^ing down with ar "i 'letl it without -polling it, and then removed the In of a cable and came again to the -t-n;, wh n he took hold of the helm a MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 17 second time. At that very moment, Captain Horin got a harping-iron ready, and took it himself to strike him with it ; but the cordage being entangled, he missed his aim, and the harping-iron touched only the monster, who turned about, showing his face, as he had done before. Afterwards he came again to the fore part, and viewed again the figixre in our prow. The mate called for the harping-iron ; but he was frightened, fancying that this monster was one La Commune, who had killed himself in the ship the year before, and had been thrown into the sea in the same passage. He was contented to push his back with the harping-iron, and then the monster showed his face, as he had done at other times. Afterwards he came along the board, so that one might have given him the hand. He had the boldness to take a rope held up by John Mazier and John Deffiete, who being willing to pluck it out of his hands, drew him to our board ; but he fell into the water and then removed at the distance of a gun's shot. He came again immediately near our board, and rising out of the water to the navel, we observed that his breast was as large as that of a woman of the best plight. 'He turned upon his back and appeared to be a male. Afterwards he swam again round the ship, and then went away, and we have never seen him since. I believe that from ten o'clock till twelve that this monster was along our board ; if the crew had not been frighted, he might have been taken many times with the hand, being only two feet distant. That monster is about eight feet long, his skin is brown and tawny, without any scales, all his motions are like those of men, the eyes of a propor- tionable size, a little mouth, a large and flat nose, very white teeth, black hair, the chin covered with a mossy beard, a sort of whiskers under the nose, the ears like those of men, fins between the fingers of his hands and feet like those of ducks. In a word, he is a well- shaped man. Which is certified to be true by Captain Oliver Morin, and John Martin, pilot, and by the whole crew, consisting of two and thirty men." An article from Brest, in the Jlcmoirs of Treronx. This monster was mentioned in the Gazette of Amsterdam, October 12, 1725, where it is said it was seen in the ocean in August, same year. A SHAVED BEAE. At Bristol I saw a shaved monkey shown for a fairy ; and a shaved bear, in a check waistcoat and trousers, sitting in a great chair as an Ethiopian savage. This was the most cruel fraud I ever saw. The un- natural position of the beast, and the damnable brutality of the woman- keeper who sat upon his knee, put her arm round his neck, called him husband and sweet-heart, and kissed him, made it the most disgusting spectacle I ever witnessed ! Cottle was with me. Southey. THE OEIGIX OF WIGS. As for the origin of wigs, the honour of the invention is attributed to the luxurious Sapygians in Southern Italy. The Louvain theologians, who published a French version of the Bible, affected, however, to dis- cover the first mention of perukes in a passage in the fourth chapter of Isaiah. The Vulgate has these words : ' ' Decalvabit Dominus verticem filiaruin Sion, et Dorninus crinem eariun nudabit." This, the Louvaiu 18 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; gentlemen translated into French as follows: " Le Seigneur dechSvelera s des lilies de Sion, et le Seigneur decouvrira leurs perruques ; which, done into English, implies that " The Lord \vill pluck the hair from the heads of the daughters of Sion, and will expose their periwigs. DEF.SS IX 1772. The year 1772 introduced a new style for gentlemen, imported by a number of voting men of fashion who had travelled into Italy, and formed an association called the Maecaroni Club, in contradistinction to the Bei-f-steak Club of London. Hence these new-fashioned dandies were styled Maccaronies, a name that was afterwards applied to ladies of the same genus. The accom - panying cut delineates the pe- culiarities of both. The hair of the gentleman was dressed in an enormous toupee, with very large curls at the sides ; while behind it was gathered and tied up into an enormous club, or knot, that rested on the back of the neck like a porter's knot ; upon this an exceedingly small hat was worn, which was some- times lifted from the head with the cane, generally very long, and decorated with extremely large silk tassels ; a full white handkerchief was tied in a large bow round the neck ; frills from the shirt-front projected from the top of the waistcoat, which was much shortened, reaching very little below the waist, and being without the ilap-coycred pockets. The coat was also short, reach- ing only to the hips, fitting closely, having a small turn-over collar as now worn ; it was edged with lace or braid, or decorated with frog-but- tssels, or embroidery ; the breeches were tight, of spotted or striped silk, with enormous bunches of strings at the knee. A watch was car- ried in each pocket, from which hung bunches of chains and seals : silk stockings and small shoes with little diamond buckles completed the gentleman's dress. The ladies decorated their heads much like the gen- tlemen, with a most enormous heap of hair, which was frequently sur- mounted by plumes of large leathers and bunches of flowers, until the head seemed to overbalance the Imdy. The gown was open in front ; hoops were discarded except in full-dress ; and the gown gradually spread outward from the waist, and trailed upon the ground behind, shewing the rich laced petticoat ornamented with, tiowers and needlework ; the sleeves widened to the elbow, where a succession of ruffles and lappets, each wider than the other, hung down below the hips. MARVELLOUS, RAKE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. CHB.ISTHAS OBSERVANCES PUT DOWIT BY THE PTTBJTANS. 19 During the Commonwealth, when puritanical feelings held iron sway over the rulers of the land, and rode rampant in high places, many strong attempts were made to put down what they were pleased to term superstitious festivals, and amongst these was that of Christmas Day. So determined was the Puritan party to sweep away all vestiges of evil creeds and evil deeds, that they were resolved to make one grand attempt upon the time-honoured season of Christmas. The Holly and the PBOCLAIMIJf& THE NON-OESEKVAXCE OF CHRISTMAS. Mistletoe-bough were to be cut up root and branch, as plants of the Evil One. Cakes and Ale were held to be impious libations to superstition ; and the Roundheads would have none of it. Accordingly, we learn that, in the year 1647, the Cromwell party ordered throughout the principal towns and cities of the country, by the mouth of the common crier, that Christmas Day should no longer be observed it being a superstitious and hurtful custom ; and that in place thereof, and the more effectually to work a change, markets should be held on the 25th day of December. This was attacking the people, especially the country folks, in their most sensitive part. It was hardly to be expected that they would quietly submit to such a bereavement ; nor did they, as the still-existing " News-letters " of those days amply testify. 20 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; THE MAXXEtt OF "WATCHMEN" TXTniATrXG THE CLOCK AT IX GKRMAXY. VIII. Past eight o'clock ! 0, Herrnhuth, do thou ponder ; t souls in Xoah's ark were living yonder. IX. 'Tis nine o'clock ! yc brethren, hear it striking ; Keep hearts and houses clean, to our Saviour's liking. X. Xow, brethren, hear, the clock is ten and passing; None rest but such as wait for Christ embracing. XI. Eleven is past ! still at this hour eleven, The Lord is calling us from earth to heaven. XII. Ye brethren, hear, the midnight clock is humming; At midnight, our great I'.ridegroom will be con I. Past one o'clock; the day breaks out of darkn Great Morning-star appear, and break our hardness! II. 'Tis two ! on Jesus wait this silent season, Te two so near related, will and reason. III. The clock is three ! the blessed Three doth merit Tiif best of praise, from body, soul, and spirit. IV. 'Tis four o'clock, whon three make supplication, The Lord will be the fourth on that occasion. V. Five is the clock ! live virgins wen- discarded, "NVhen live with wedding garments -\\-civ rewarded. VI. The clock is six, and 1 go off my station ; .Now, brethren , irafrh yourMhes for -your salvation. A T)0n which the mastili' instantly sprang to her assistini.-r, and with mouth and paws completely smothered out the flame by pn the bonnet together. The lining of the bonnet and the ehild's'hair only were burnt. CAMBRIDGE CLODS. Abou; ince, two characters, equally singular in their .iris, a well-known boakaeUer, and .! son, a bookbinder, and principal bas>->inger at Trinity College Chajtel U.-nien, \vi 'ih reinarkaldy ^iieli small consumer.--, jn the article of bread, that their abstemiousness in that particular was generally noticed ; but, to make amends, they ga and indulgence of their niitry, and lish, of almost every ('n-seri]ition. So one day, hmin- taken an exenrsion, in walking a few miles from home, MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. they were overtaken by hunger, and, on entering a public-house, the only provision thev could procure was a clod of beef, weighing near four- teen pounds, which had been a day or two in salt ; and this these two moderate bread consumers contrived to manage between them broiled, assisted by a due proportion of buttered potatoes and pickles. The hind- lord of the house, having some knowledge of his guests, the story got into circulation, and the two worthies were ever after denominated the Cam- bridge Clods !. WITCH-TESTING AT NEWCASTLE IN 1649. March 26. Mention occurs of a petition in the common council books of Newcastle, of this date, and signed, no doubt, by the inhabitants, concerning witches, the purport of which appears, from what followed, to have been to cause all such persons as were suspected of that crime to be apprehended and brought to trial. ILL consequence of this, the magistrates sent two of their sergeants, viz.- Thomas Shevill and Cuth- bert Nicholson, into Scotland, to agree with a Scotchman, who pretended knowledge to find out witches, by pricking them with pins,, to come to Newcastle, where he should try such who should be brought to him, aud to have twenty shillings a piece, for all he should condemn as witches, and free passage thither and back again. "When the sergeants had brought the said, witch-finder on horseback to town, the magistrates sent their bell-man through the town, ringing his bell and crying, all people that would bring in. any complaint against any woman for a witch, they should be sent for, and* tried by the person appointed. Thirty women were brought into the town-hall, and stripped, and then openly had pins thrust into their bodies, and most of them were found guilty. The said reputed witch-iinder acquainted Lieutenant- Colonel Paul Hobson, deputy-governor of Newcastle, that he knew women whether they were witches or no by their looks ; and ; when the said person was searching of a personable and good-like woman, the said colonel replied, and said, surely this woman is none, and need not be tried, but the Scotchman said she was, and, therefore, he would try her ; and presently, in the sight of all the people, laid her body naked to the waist, with her cloathes over her he-ad, by which fright and shame all her blood contracted into one part of her body, and then he ran a pin into her thigh, and then suddenly let her cloathes fall, and then demanded whether she had nothing of his in her body, but did not bleed ! but she being amazed, replied little ; then he put his hands up her cloathes and pulled out the pin, and set her aside as a guilty person, and child of the devil, and fell to try others, whom he made guilty. Lieutenant- Colonel Hobson, per- ceiving the alteration of the aforesaid woman, by her blood settling in her right parts, caused that woman to be brought again, and her cloathes pulled up to her thigh, and required the Scot to run the pin into the same place, and then it gushed out of blood, and the said Scot cleared her, and said she was not a child of the devil. The witch-finder set aside twenty-seven out of the thirty suspected persons, and in conse- quence, fourteen witches and one wizard, belonging to Newcastle, were executed on the town moor. 22 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; ALEXANDER SELKIRK AND THE DANCING GOATS. The adventures of Alexander Selkirk, an English sailor, who, more than one hundred and fifty years since, was left alone on the island of Juan Fernandez are very wonderful. This extraordinary man sought to beguile his solitude by rearing kids, and he would often sing to them, and dance with his motley group around him. His clothes having worn out, he dressed himself in gar- ments made from the skins of such as run wild about the island ; these he sewed together with thongs of the same material. His only needle was a long slender nail ; and when his knife was no longer available, he made an admirable substitute from an iron hoop that was cast ashore. Upon the wonderful sojourn of this man, Dcfoc founded his exquisite tale of " Kuliins.)!! Crusoe," a narrative more extensively read and better known than perhaps any other ever written. JACOB BOBART. A curious anecdote of Jacob Bobart, keeper of the physic garden at Oxford, occurs in one of Grey's notes to Hudibras" He made a dead rat resemble the common picture of dragons, by altering its lira. I and tail, and thrusting in taper sharp sticks, which distended the skin on each side till it resembled wings. He let it dry as hard as possible. The learned iinin.'diatrly pronounced it, a dragon; and one of them sent an accurate description of it to Dr. Magliabccchi, librarian to the Grand Duke of Tuscany ; several line copies of verses were wrote on so rare a Object; but at last Mr. Bobart owned the cheat. However, it was looked upon as a masterpiece of the art ; and, as such, deposited in the Museum. MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. BLIND JACK. The streets of London, in the reigns of Queen Anne and Georges I. and II., were infested with all sorts of paupers, vagabonds, impos- tors, and common adventurers ; and many, who otherwise might be considered real objects of charity, by their disgusting manners and general appearance in public places, rather merited the interference of the parish beadles, and the discipline of Bridewell, than the countenance and encouragement of such persons as mostly congregated arotmd common street exhibitions. One-eyed Granny and* Blind Jack were particular nuisances to the neighbourhoods in which the first practised her mad- L>4 TEX THorsxXP WONDERFUL THINGS; drank gambols, and the latter his beastly manner of performing on the flageolet. John Keiling, alias Blind Jack, having the misfortune to lose his sight, thought of a strange method to insure himself a livelihood. He was constitutionally a hale, robust fellow, without any complaint, saving blindness, and having learnt to play a little on the flageolet, he conceived a notion that, by performing on that instrument in a different way to that generally practised, he should render himself more noticed by 'the public, and be able to levy larger contributions on their pockets. The manner of Blind Jack's playing the flageolet was by obtruding the mouth-piece of the instrument up one of his nostrils, and, by long custom, he could produce as much wind as most others with their lips into the pipe ; but the continued contortion and gesticulation of his mus- cles and countenance rendered him an object of derision and disgust, as much as that of charity and commiseration. THE YORKSHIRE TIKE. Ah iz i truth a country youth, Neean us'd tee a Lunnon fashions ; Yet vartue guides, an' still presides, (hver all mah stepson' passions. Neea coortly leear, bud all sincere, Neea bribe shall ivrer blimul me, If thoo can like a Yorkshire tike, A rooague thoo' 11 nivver timid me. Thnf envy's tuns, Rp ea sliiulee hung, Wad lee aboot oor country, Neea men o' t' eesttli booast greter wurth, Or maro extend ther boountv. Oor northern breeze wi' uz agrees, An' does for wark weel fit uz ; I' public cares, an' all affairs, "WT honour we acquit uz. Seea gret amoind is ne'er confiand, Tu onny shire or nation ; They geean meeast praise weea weel dis]>:. rued iddicasion. Wliuhl rancour rolls i' lahtle souls, Bv shallo vion-s dissarning, They're nobbut wise 'at awlus prize (jud manners, sense, and leearnin. TWTD OF THE FATIIKES OX FAT.SJ: HAn;. '!' rtullian say.,, I !' you will not lling awny your false hair, as hate- ful (n Tleavcu, cannot I miake it hateful t(i' yourselves, bv reminding you thai tin i'ai u \vi-;ir may flme ome not only from a criminal, but from :i VOTV dirty :heml ; perhaps tfrom the lu ad of one ThiB*MB KMffihai'd hit indeed: hut it was not i!' ;irlv strokcsttiwigs.as tliat d> all liy Cloiucns of Alexandria. IK- latter int'orii, : -minded wig-wearers, when they knelt at fhuroli thoiBleMiiiL that tliey must lieiffoaB. enough to recol- "ii the wii;-, anil did not pass through 1" the wearer! Tin- v.-a- u .stuinhlin^-bloek to the peo-,)le ; many of whom, howp,vr: tlic ]ieruke, and took '.thoii 1 chance as to the percokltisqg tin. ,. i,, .,,, diction. FOOD OF ANIMALS. LiniKpus states the cow to eat 27fi plants, and to refuse 218 ; the goat 49, and declines li'il; the >heep takes ;5S7, and nieotfl IU; the horse likes 2li l J, and avoids HTJ : hut the hog, more nice in its provision than any of the former, eats but 7'J plants, and rejects 171. MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 25 SLATE ADVERTISEMENTS. The following announcements are curious, as showing the merchandise light in which the negro was regarded in America while yet a colony of Great Britain :- FRANCIS LEWIS, Has for SALE, A Choice Parcel of Muscovado and Powder Sugars, in Hogsheads, -*- Tierces, and Barrels ; Havens, Duck, and a Negro Woman and Negro Boy. The Coach-House and Stables, with or without the Garden Spot, formerly the Property of Joseph Murray, Esq ; in the Broad Way, to be let separately or together : Inquire of said Francis Lewis. New York Gazette, Apr. 25, 1765. nphis Day Pain away from John J\P Comb, Junier, an Indian Woman, * about 17 Years of Age, Pitted in the face, of a middle Stature and Indifferent fatt, having on her a Drugat, Wastcoat, and Kersey Petticoat, of a Light Collour. If any Person or Persons, shall bring the said Girle to her said Master, shall be Eewarded for their Trouble to their Content. American Weekly Mercury, May 24, 1726. A Female Negro Child (of an extraordinary good Breed) to be given -^- awav ; Inquire of Edes and Gill. Boston Gazette, Feb. 25, 1765. To be Sold, for want of Employ. A Likely Negro Fellow, about 25 Years of Age, he is an extraordinary **- good Cook, and understands setting or tending a Table very well, likewise all Kind of House Work, such as washing, scouring, scrubbing, &c. Also a Negro Wench his Wife, about 17 Years old, bom in this City, and understands all Sorts of House Work. For farther Particulars inquire of the Printer. New York Gazette, Mar. 21, 1765. PRESERVATIVE POWER OP COAL-PIT WATEE. The following is extracted from the register of St. Andrew's, in New- castle : "April 24th, 1695, wear buried, James Archer and his son. Stephen, who, in the moneth of May, 1658, were drowned in a coal-pit in the Galla-Flat, by the breaking in of water from an old waste. The bodys were found intire, after they had lyen in the water 36 years and 11 months." THE QUEEN BEE. Reaumur relates the following anecdote of which he was a witness : A queen bee, and some of her attendants, were apparently drowned in a brook. He took them out of the water, and found that neither the queen bee, nor her attendants were quite dead. Reaumur exposed them to a gentle heat, by which they were revived. The plebeian bees recovered first. The moment they saw signs of animation in their queen, they ap- proached her, and bestowed upon her all the care in their power, licking and rubbing her ; and when the queen had acquired sufficient force to move, they hummed aloud, as if in triumph ! 26 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; DREAM OF KING HENRY I. A singular dream, -which happened to this monarch when passing over to Normandy in 1130, has been depicted in a manuscript of Florence of Worcester, in Corpus Christi College, Oxford. The rapacity and oppres- sive taxation of his government, and the reflection forced on him by his own unpopular measures, may have originated the vision. He imagined himself to have been visited by the representatives of the three most important grades of society the husbandmen, the knights, and the clergy who gathered round his bed, and so fearfully menaced him, that he awoke in great alarm, and, seizing his sword, loudly called for his at- tendants. The drawings that accompany this nar- rative, and represent each of these visions, appear to have been executed shortly afterwards, and are valuable illustrations of the general costume of the period. One of them is introduced in this place. The king is here seen sleeping ; behind him stand three husbandmen, one carrying a scythe, another a pitchfork, and the third a shovel. They are each dressed in simple tunics, without girdles, with plain close-fitting sleeves ; the central one has a mantle fastened by a plain brooch, leaving the right arm free. , The beards of two of the'se figures are as ample as those of their lords, this being an article of fashionable indulgence within their means. The one with the scythe wears a hat not unlike the felt hat still worn by his descend- ants in the same grade : the scroll in his left hand is merely placed there to contain the words he is supposed to utter to the king. SEPULCHRAL BARROW OF THE ANGLO-SAXONS. The engraving on the next page is copied from a plate in Douglas's Nenia and represents one of the most ancient of the Kentish barrows opened by him in tli" ('liutham Lines, Sept. 1779 ; and it will enable the reader at once to understand the structure of these early graves, and the inte- resting nature of their contents. The outer circle marks the extent of the mound covering the body, and which varied considerably in eleva- tion, sometimes being but a few inches or a couple of feet from the level of tin- ground, at others of a gigantic structure. In the centre of the mound, and at the depth of a few feet from the surface, an oblong rec- tujgulax tfrave is cut, the space between that and the outer circle being in with chalk, broken into small bits, and deposited carefully ana MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 7 firmly around and over the grave. The grave contained the body of a male adult, tall and well-proportioned, holding in his right hand a spear, the shaft of which was of wood, and had perished, leaving only the iron head, 1 5 inches in length, and at the bottom a flat iron stud (a), having, a small pin in the centre, which would appear to have been driven into the bottom of the spear-handle ; an iron knife lay by the right side, with remains of the original handle of wood. Adhering to its under side were very discernible impressions of coarse linen cloth, showing that the warrior was buried in full costume. An iron sword is on the left side, thirty-five and a quarter inches in its entire length, from the point to the bottom of the handle, which is all in one piece, the wood-work which covered the handle having perished ; the blade thirty inches in length and two in breadth, flat, double - edged, and sharp-pointed, a great por- tion of wood covering the blade, which indicates that it was buried with a scab- bard, the external covering being of leather, the inter- nal of wood. A leathern -, strap passed round the waist, from which hung the knife and sword, and which was secured by the brass buckle (5), which was found near the last bone of the vertebrae, or close to .the os sacrum. Between the thigh-bones lay the iron umbo of a shield, which had been fastened by studs of iron, four of which were found near it, the face and reverse of one being represented at (c.) A thin plate of iron (d), four and a half inches in length, lay exactly under the centre of the umbo, having two rivets at the and, between which end the umbo were the remnants of the original wooden (and perhaps hide-bound) shield ; the rivets of the umbo having apparently passed through the wood to this plate as its bracer or stay. In a recess at the feet was placed a vase of red earth, slightly ornamented round the neck with concentric circles and zigzag lines. A2T OLD GANDEE. Willoughby states in his work on Ornithology, that a friend of his possessed a gander eighty years of age ; which in the end became so ferocious that they were forced to kill it, in consequence of the havock it committed in the barn-yard. He also talks of a swan three centuries old ; and several celebrated parrots are said to have attained from one hundred to one hundred and fifty years. 28 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; EXTKAORDIXABY SLEEPEK. M. Brady, Physician to Prince Charles of Lorraine, gives the follow- ing particulars of an extraordinary slipper : ::, named Elizabeth Alton, of a healthful strong constitution, who had :it t<> tin- curate of St. Guilain, near the town of Mons, ubuut the beginning of the year 1738, when she was about thirty- w extremely n-tlrss and raelaucholy. In the month . 'ii^ust. in the same year, sh'e fell into a sleep which held four days, notwithstanding all possible endeavours to awake her. At length she awoke naturallv, but became more restless and uneasy than before ; for six or seven days, however, she resumed her usual employments, until she fell asleep again, wlu'ch continued eighteen hours. From that time tn t : I.-h is fifteen years, she fell asleep daily about three o'clock' in the morning, without waking until about eight or nine at night. In 17-V1 indeed lit i-sloep returned to the natural periods for four mouths, and, in 17 prevented her sleeping for three weeks. On February 21). 1 1~>'~>, M . Brady, with a surgeon, went to see her. About five o'clock in the evening, they found her pulse extremely regular ; on taking hold of her arm it was NI ri^-id, that it was not bent without b trouble. They then attempted to lift up her head, but her neck and back \ ' :i as her arms. lie hallooed in her ear as loud as his voice could reach ; he thrust a needle into her flesh up to the bone ; he put a piece of rag to her nose Maming with spirits of wine, and let it burn some lime, y.-t all without being able to disturb her in the least. At length, in hours and a half, her limbs began to relax ; in eight hours she turned herself in the bed, and then suddenly raised herself up, sat down by the tire, eat heartily, and began to spin. At other times, tliev whipped her till the blood came ; they rubbed her back with honey, and" then exposed it to the stints of bees; they thrust nails under her finger-nails ; and it seems these triers of experiments consulted more the notifying their own curiosity than the recovery of the unhappy object of the maluily. A I'.VT ENGLISHMAN. r, iii his travels, speaks of a corpulent Englishman, who in pass- ing through Savov, was obliged to make use of twelve' chairmen. He is to have weighed five hundred and fifty pounds, or thirty-nine stone four pounds. A II.UTY FAMILY. A gentleman travelling through Mecklcnburgh, some years since, witnewed a singular association of incongruous animals. After dinner, the landlord of the inn plaeed on the lloor a lur^e dish of soup, and gave a loud whistle. Immediately there came into the room a mast ill', an Angora cat, an old raven, and a remarkably larye rat, with a bell about its neck. They all four went to the dish, and, without disturb- eeeh otfear, fed together: after which th. . lav D** 01 'vhile the raven hopped about the room. The landlord, after accounting for the familiarity of these animals, informed his guest MARVELLOUS, RARE. CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 29 that the rat was the most useful of the four ; for the noise he made had completely freed his house from the rats and mice with which it was before infested. JLN'CIEyT FIRE-ARMS IN THE TOWER OF LONDON ARMORY. We have just now before us a drawing of an old piece of ordnance, formed of "bars of iron, strongly hooped with the same material, which forms a striking contrast with the finely- wrought cannons which may be seen in store at Woolwich Arsenal, and elsewhere, at the present day. The exact date and manner of the introduction of cannon is a matter which has caused much dispute. The earliest mention of the use of can- non on shipboard is in Rymer's " Fcedera." It is an order to Henry Somer, Keeper of the Private Wardrobe in the Tower, to deliver to Mr. Groveney, Treasurer to Queen Philippa, Queen of Sweeden, Denmark, and Norway, (who was then sent by her uncle, Henry the Fourth, to her husband, in the ship called the Queen's Hall,) the following military stores: 1 1 guns, 40 petras pro gunnes, 40 tumpers, 4 torches, 1 mallet, 2 fire-pans, 40 pavys, 24 bows, 40 sheaves of arrows. After the old cannon composed of bars of iron, hooped together, had been some time in use, hand- cannon, a simple tube fixed on a straight stake, was used in warfare, charged with gunpowder and an iron bullet. This was made with trunnions and casabel precisely like the large cannon. In course of time, the touch-rhole was improved, and the barrel cast in brass. This, fixed to a rod, had much the appearance of a large sky- rocket. What is now called the stock was originally called the frame of the gun. Various improvements were from time to time made in the hand-gun, amongst which was a pan fixed for containing the touch-powder. In rainy weather, this became a receptacle for water ; to obviate which, a small piece of brass made to turn on a pin was placed as a cover. This done, there was a difficulty in preserving the aim in consequence of the liability of the eye to be diverted from the sight by the motion of the right hand when conveying the lighted match to the priming. This was, to a certain extent, prevented by a piece of brass being fixed to the breech and perforated. The improved plan for holding the lighted match for firing the hand-guns is shown in the engraving of the Buckler and Pistol ; it consists of a thin piece of metal something in shape of an S reversed, the upper part slit to hold the match, the -lower pushed up by the hand when entended to ignite the powder. After the invention of the hand-cannon, its use became general in a very short space of time in most parts of the civilized woi'ld. Philip de Comines, in his account of the battle of Morat, in 1476, says he encountered in the conferate annv 10,000 arqt&busiers. The arquebusiers in Hans JBurgmam's plates of the " Triumph of Maximilian the First," have suspended from their necks large powder flasks or horns, a bullet bag on the right hip, and a sword on the left, while they carry the match-lock in their hands. Henry the Eighth's Walking-stick, as the Yeomen of Guard at the Tower call it, is a short spiked mace, in the head of which are three 30 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; short guns or pistols, which may be fired at very primitive touch-holes by a match. The Revolver has four barrels, and although clumsy in construction, is not very different in principles from those recently introduced. 1. Henry the Eighth's "Walking-slick. 2. A Krvnlvcr of the Fifteenth century. 3. Buckler, with Pistol inserted. The use of the pistol inserted inside the Imcldor is obvious as the latter affords protection to the person while using the former. MARVELLOUS, HAIIE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 31 WIGS. In 1772 the Maccaronies, as the exquisites of that time were called, wore wigs similar to 1, 2, 3, with a large toupee, noticed as early as 1731, in the play of the Modern Husband : " I meet with nothing hut a parcel of toupet coxcomhs, who plaster up their brains upon their peri- wigs," alluding to the pomatum with which they were covered. Those worn by the ladies in 1772 are given as 4, showing the rows of curls 4. 5. e. at the sides. The pig-tails were worn hanging down the back', or tied up in a knot behind, as in &. About 1780 the hair which formed it was allowed to stream in a long lock down the back, as in 6, and soon afterwards was turned up in a knot behind. Towards the end of the century, the wig, as a general and indispensable article of attire to young and old, went out of fashion. A FALSE FIND. At Falmouth, some years ago, the sexton found coal in digging a grave ; he concluded it must be a mine, and ran with the news and the specimen to the clergyman. The surgeon explained that they had stolen a French prisoner who died, and filled his coffin with coal that the bearers might not discover its emptiness. 32 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; BELLS. As far back as the Anglo-Saxon times, before the conclusion of the seventh century, bells had been in use in the churches of this country, particularly in the monastic societies of Northumbria ; and were, there- fore, in use from the tirst erection of parish churches among us. Those of France and England appear to have been furnished with several bells. In the time of Clothaire II., King of France, and in the year 610, the army of that king was frightened from the siege of the city of Sens, by rinu'ing the bells of St. Stephen's Church. They were sometimes com- posed of iron in France ; and in England, as formerly at Home, they were frequently made of bass. And as early as the ninth century many were cast of a large size and deep note. "Weever, in his work on funeral monuments, says " In the little sanc- tuary at Westminster, King Edward III., erected a clochiiT, and placed therein three bells, for the use of St. Stephen's Chapel. About the biggest of them were cast in the metal these words : "King Edward made mee thirty thousand weight and three ; Take me down and wey mee, and more you shall find mee." " But these bells being taken down in the reign of Henry VIII., one wrote underneath with a coal : " But Henry the Eight, Will bait me of my weight." This last distich alludes to a fact mentioned by Stow, in his survey of London ward of Earringdon "Within to wit that near to St. Paul's School stood a clochier, in which were four bells, called JI'NHS' bells, the jrivaii'M in all Kngland, against which Sir Miles Partridge staked an hundred pounds, and won them of Henry VIII., at a cast of dice. Matthew Paris observes, that anciently the use of bells was prohibited in time of mourning. Mabillon adds, that it was an old practice to ring the bells for persons about to expire, to advertise the people to pray for them whence our passing-bell. The passing-bell, indeed, was anciently for two purposes one to bespeak the prayers of all good Christians for a soul just departing ; the other to drive away the evil spirits who were supposed to stand at the bed's foot. This dislike of spirits to bells is mentioned in the Golden Legend, by Wynkyn de \Vorde. " It is said, evill spirytes that ben in the regyon of thayre, doubte moche when they here the belles rongeii ; and this' is the cause why the belles ben rongen when it thondrdh, and when grete tem- peste and outrages of wether happen; to the ende that tlie Mends and wyekcd snirytes shold be abashed and flee, and cease of the movynge of tempeste. ' Another author observes, that the custom of ringing bells at the approaeh of thunder is of some antiquity; but that Ilie design was not so much to shake the air, and so dissipate the thunder, as to cull the people to church, to pray that the parish might be preserved from the terrible effect of lightning. "Warner, in his history of Hampshire, enumerates the virtues of a bell, by translating the lines from the " Helpe to Discourse : MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. "Men's death's I tell by doleful knell; Lightning and thunder I break asunder. On Sabbath all to church I call ; The sleepy head I raise from bed ; The winds so fierce I doe disperse ; Men's cruel rage I doe assuage." Four of the bells of the ancient Abbey of Hexham were dedicated or baptised ; and although the old bells no longer exist, the legends upon the whole six have been preserved, and a free translation given by Mr. "Wright, is as follows : 1. Even at our earliest sound, The light of God is spread around. 2. At the echo of my voice. Ocean, earth and air, rejoice. 3. Blend thy mellow tones with mine, Silver voice of Catherine ! 4. Till time on ruin's lap shall nod, John shall sound the praise of God, 5: With John in heavenly harmony, Andrew, pour thy melody. 6. Be mine to chant Jehovah's fame, AVhile Maria is my name. These epigraphs or legends on bells, are not uncommon. The Eev. "W. C. Lukis, in his notices on church bells, read at the Wilts Archaeolo- gical Meeting, gave the following instances : 34 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; At Aldbourne, on the first bell, we read, " The gift of Jos. Pizzic and "Win. Gwynn. " Music and ringing we like so well, And for that reason we gave this bell." On the fourth bell is, " Humphry Svmsin gave xx pound to buy this bell, And the parish gave xx more to make this ring go well." A not uncommon epigraph is, " Come when I call To serve God all." At Chilton Foliatt, on the tenor, is, ".Into the church the living I call, And to the grave I summon all. Attend the instruction which I give, That so you may for ever live." At Devizes, St. Mary, on the first bell, is, " I am the first, altho' but small. I will be heard above you all." And on the second bt-11 is, " I am the second in this ring, Therefore next to thee I will sing." Which, at Broadchalk, is thus varied : " I in this place am second bell, I'll surely do my part as well." On the third bell at Coin is, " Robert Forman collected the money for casting this liell Of well-disposed people, as I do you tell." At Bath Abbey, on the tenth bell, is, " All you of Bath that hear mo sound, Thu'iik Lady llopton's hundred pound." On the fifth bell at Amesbury is, " Ho strong in faith, praise God well, Frances Countess Hertford's bell." And, on the tenor, " Altho' it bo unto my loss, I hope you will consider my cost." At Btowe, Northamptonshire, and at St. Mary the Virgin, Oxford, we find, " Be it known to all that doth me see, That Newcombe, of Leicester, made me." At St. Michael's, Coventry, on the fourth bell, is, " I ring at six to let men know When to and from their work to go." On the seventh bell is, " T ring to Sermon with a lusty borne, That all may come and none can stay at homo." MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 35 Oil the eighth bell is " I am and have been called the common bell To ring, when fire breaks out to tell." At St. Peter's-le-Bailey, Oxford, four bells were sold towards finishing the tower, and in 1 792 a large bell was put up, with this inscription : " "With seven, more T hope soon to be For ages joined in harmony." But this very reasonable wish has not yet been realized ; whereas at St. Lawrence's, Reading, when two bells were added to form a peal of ten, on the second we find " By adding two our notes we'll raise, And sound the good subscribers' praise." The occasion of the erection of the "Westminster Clock-tower, is said to have been as follows : A certain poor man, in an action for debt, being fined the sum of 13s. 4d., Radulphus Ingham, Chief Justice of the King's Bench, commiserating his case, caused the court roll to be erased, and the fine reduced to 6s. 8d., which being soon after discovered, Ingham was amerced in a pecuniary mulct of eight hundred marks, which was employed in erecting the said bell-tower, in which was placed a bell and a clock, which, striking hourly, was to remind the judges in the hall of the offence of their brother. This bell was originally called Edward ; " but," says a writer in the " Antiquarian Repertory, " when the Reformation caused St. Edward and his hours to be but little regarded ; as other bells were frequently called Tom, as fancied to pro- nounce that name when stricken that at Lincoln, for instance, and that at Oxford this also followed the fashion, of which, to what I remember of it before it was hung up, I may add another proof from a catch made by the late Mr. Eccles, which begins " ' Hark, Harry, 'tis late 'tis time to be gone, For Westminster Tom, by my faith, strikes one.' " Hawkins, in his " History of Music," says, " The practice of ringing bells in change, or regular peals, is said to be peculiar to England : whence Britain has been termed the ringing island. The custom seems to have commenced in the time of the Saxons, and was common before the Conquest. The ringing of bells, although a recreation chiefly of the lower sort, is, in itself, not incurious. The tolling of a bell is nothing more than the producing of a sound by a stroke of the clapper against the side of the bell, the bell itself being in a pendant position, and at rest. In ringing, the bell, by means of a wheel and a rope, is elevated to a perpendicular ; in its motion, the clapper strikes forcibly on one side, and in its return downwards, on the other side of the bell, producing at each stroke a sound." There are still in London several societies of ringers. There was one called the College Youths (bell-ringers, like post- boys, never seem to acquire old age). Of this it is said Sir Matthew Hale, Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench, was, in his youthful days, a member ; and in the life of that upright judge, by Bumet, some facts 36 TKX THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; an- mentioned which favour this relation. In En-land the practice of viiiirinu' has been reduced to a science, and peals have been composed which bett the names of their inventors ; some of the most celebrated of these vvere coinjM,>ed about fifty years ago by one Patrick. This man was a maker of barometers. In {he year HiS-4, one Abraham Kudhall, of the t-itv ,,f (;; .nm<:ht die art of bell-founding to great perfection. His de-.ei-ndants in succession have continued the l)usmess of casting bells : and by a list published by tbem at Lady Day, 1774, the family, m in al- -nul o.l',l l.rl!-. lunl cast to tlie amount of .'5,.3!)i. The peals of St. Dunstan's in the Ka-t, St. I'.ride's, London, and St. Martin's-in-the- Fields, aiv a m on-- tin- number. The following " Articles of Ringing' 1 an upon the walls of the belfry in the pleasant village of Ihmster, in M't-hiiv. Tluy are dated 1 7. And first, if any overturn In ^ der or ^ bcer " If any one these articles Kct'useth to obey, Let him have nine strokes of the rope, And so depart away." A liell, as that he may, He forthwith for that only fault In beer shall sixpence pay. "3. If any one shall curse or swear "When conic within the do..r. Jle then shall fnrleit f.,r that fault .: nti'incd hefore. lui.i. oi- MI i: KOI; A :%-]-.(. SKI ix 1770. " Know all Men by these J'restnts, That I, Kli/abeth Treat, of I5oston, in the county of Sutt'olk, widow, in consideration of the sum of 25 Id. to me in hand, paid before the ensealin^- hereof by Samuel ., of 15o>ton aforesaid, mereliant, the receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge, have ^i-anted, bargained, and sold, and by these presents do fully and absolutely ^rant. bargain, and sell unto the said Samuel lireck, my XC-TO man named llarr\ , a-eil about forty years, Avith his apparel, to have- and to bold the said Neuronian Harry, with his apparel, unto the said Samuel liivek, \n* executors, administrators, and assigns, to bis and their only proper use, benetit, and belioof for ever ; And l,the said Kli/abetli Tr.-ai, for myself, my heirs, executors, and administrators, do covenant, that at the time of eiisealintr, and until the delivery hereof, I am the true and lawful owner of the said \e--ro man, and that lie is free from all former md incumbranees whatsoever, and that I will warrant and defend the said Ne^ro man unto the said Samuel ,, his heirs, and a^-i-ns for ever, against the lawful claims and demands of all pei-<>i:s \vhomso; \er. " \\ itness my hand and seal, this tenth day of October, Anno Domini, tlimi'-and seven hundred and seventy, in the tenth year of His Majesty's l-eiv.ll d, and delivered iu pi i lence of us. '1 n. IMA- Mi i.vn.i.r. i;i.i/\];i in TKI vr." " MVKV Win 1 1 . MARVELLOUS, RAKE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 37 THE AZTEC CHILDKEX. Among the animated curiosities which are occasionally exposed to the gaze of the wonder-loving public, we may prominently notice the AZTEC CHILDREN two singular Lilliputians who were recently exhibited throughout the kingdom. Maximo and Bartolo (for by these names the two Aztec children have been baptized) are by some medical men supposed to be of the respective ages of twenty-two and sixteen. Professor Owen, stated them to be ten or twelve, and seven or nine in 1853. The height of the boy (the elder is about three feet, and the girl does not reach quite two feet six inches. Their limbs, though slender, arc proportionate and well formed, and the general development of their figures is remarkably graceful. The cranium is peculiar, being narrower than that of any other THE AZTEC CHILDREN, AS EXHIBITED I>" EXGLAXD. races of beings known to the world ; and though the face is somewhat prominent, the features are regular and the countenances agreeable, and, after a short acquaintance, higMy interesting. Each has a beautiful head of jet black hair, which flows gracefully in curls. They are lively and intelligent, showing considerable aptitude for mental training, and have already learned to give utterance to several expressions which can be readily understood by visitors. Since the arrival of these prodigies from the United States, they have been the objects of curious ethnological speculations. Dr. Latham does not consider them as a new species of the if rims homo. Professor Owen regards them as instances of impeded development, and Dr. Conolly was struck with their resemblance to idiots. 38 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ', NOTICES TO TAR AND FEATlli.K. The original handbills of the committee for Tarring and Feathering subjoined, are of singular interest, as they were the earliest emanations of the spirit that led to England's losing her American colonies, and the consequent rise of the United States : To the Dclaicare Pilots. THE Regard we have for your Characters, and our Desire to promote your future Peace and Safety, are the Occasion of this Third Address to you. In our sc'cond Letter we acquainted yon, that the Tea Ship was a Three Decker ; We are now informed by good Authority, she is not a Three Decker, but an old Hack Ship, without a Ilvad, or any Ornament*. The Captain is a short fat Fellow, and a little obstinate withal. So much the worse for him. For, so sure as he rides rnsfn, "We shall heave him Keel out, and see that his Bottom be well tired, scrubb'd and paid. 1 1 is Upper- Works too, will have an Overhawling and as it is said, he has a good deal of Quick Work about him, We will take particular Care that such Part of him undergoes a thorough Rummaging. We have a still worse Account of fa's Owner ; for it is said, the Ship POLLY was bought by him on Purpose, to make a Penny of us: and that he and Captain J//>v.s were well advised, of the Kisque they would run, in thus daring to insult ami abuse us. Captain Ai/rcs was here in the Time of the Stamp- Act, and ought to have known our People better, than to have oxpeeted ATO would be so mean a> to MiH'er his rottm TEA to be funnel' d down our Throats, with the Parliament's Duty mi .veil with it. \Ve know him well, and have calculated to a Gill and a Feather, how much it will require In tit him for an American Exhibition. And we hope, not one of your Bodv will behave so ill, as to oblige us to clap him in the Cart alonu- Side of the (.'attain. We must repmt. that the SHU 1 POLLY is an old Hack Ship, of about Two Hundred and Fifty Tons burthen, without a Head, and without Ornaments, and, that CAPTAIN AYKKS is a thick chunky Fellow. As guch, TAKE CARE TO AVOID Til KM. Your Old Friends, Till: CoMMITTKK FOR TAUKINU AND FEATHERING. Philadelphia, December 7, 1773. To Capt. At/res, 'of the Ship Polly, on a Voyage from London to Philadelphia. Sli:, TT7"eareinformodthat you have, imprudently, taken Chargeof a Quantity of Tea ; which has been sent out by the India Company, under the 'ices of the Minixtn/, as a Trial of A American Virtue and'ltesolution. Now, us your Cargo, on your Arrival here, will most assuredly bring you into hot watir:and as yii are perhaps a St ranger /^ these I'-irts, we have oon eluded to advise you of the present Situation of Affairs in Philadelphia that, taking Time by the Forelock, you may stop short MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 39 in your dangerous Errand secure your Ship against the Rafts of com- bustjble Matter which may be set on Fire, and turned loose against her : a,nd more than all this, that you may preserve -your own Person, from the Pitch and Feathers that are prepared for you. In the iirst Place, we must tell you, that the Pennsylvanians are, to a Man, passionately fond of Freedom ; the Birthright of Americans ; and at all Events are determined to enjoy it. That they sincerely believe, no Power on the Face of the Earth has a Eight to tax them without their Consent. That in their Opinion, the Tea in your Custody is designed by the Ministry to enforce such a Tax, which they will undoubtedly oppose ; and in so doing, give you every possible Obstruction. We are nominated to a very disagreeable, but necessary Service.' To our Care are committed all Offenders against the Rights of America ; and hapless is he, whose evil Destiny has doomed him to suffer at our Hands. You are sent out on a diabolical Service ; and if you are so foolish and obstinate as to compleat your Voyage ; by bringing your Ship to Anchor in this Port ; you may run such a Gauntlet, as will induce you, in your last Moments, most heartily to curse those who have made you the Dupe of their Avarice and Ambition. What think you Captain, of a Halter around your Neck ten Gallons of liquid Tar decanted on your Pate with the Feathers of a dozen wild Geese laid over that to enliven your Appearance ? Only think seriously of this and fly to the Place from whence you came fly without Hesitation without the Formality of a Protest and above all, Captain Ayres let us advise you to fly without the wild Geese Feathers. Your Friends to serve THE COMMITTEE as before subscribed. Philadelphia, Nov. 27, 1773. TJ. FRANKLIN'S CELEBRATED LETTER TO STRAHAN. As a sequel to the foregoing notices, we give Dr. Franklin's celebrated letter, written in the actual heat of the first outbreak. Philadelphia, July 5, 1775. Mr. STRAHAN, You are a member of Parliament, and one of that majority which has doomed my country to destruction. You have begun to burn our towns, and murder our people. Look upon your hands ! They are stained with the blood of your relations ! You and I were long friends ; you are now my enemy, and I am, yours, B. FRANKLIN. HENRY II. STRIPT WHEN DEAD. 1189. Immediately upon his death, those that were about him applied their market so busilie in catching and niching awaie things that laie readie for them, that the king's corps laie naked a long time, till a child covered the nether parts of his body with a short cloke, and then it seemed that his surname was fulfilled that he had from his childhood, which was Shortmantell, being so called, because he was the first who brought short clokes out of Anjou into England. 40 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; TKAXSl'LAXTATIdX OF JIAIE. The Signer Dottore Domenieo Xardo addressed a letter to the Academy of Padua, in 1826, on the subject of the growth of hair after death, and even after its separation in >ni the body. The latter property had been previously observed by Krafl't. The Signor Xardo recounts the results of experiments made OH hifl own person in the transplantation of hair, and relates, that by transplanting quickly a hair, witli its root, from a pore uf his head, into a pore of his chest, easily to be accomplished by widening the pore somewhat witli the point of a needle, introducing the root with nicety, and exciting within the pore itself, by friction, a slight degree of inflammation, the hair takes root, continues to vegetate, and UTO\VS ; in due season changes colour, becomes white, and falls. ANCIKNT CAX.VON UAISKP 1'KOM TJ1 K SKA. A fisherman of Calais some time since, drew up a cannon, of very ancient form, from the bottom of the sea, by means of his nets. M. de Jtheims has since removed the rust from it, and on taking off the breech was much surprised to find the piece still charged. Specimens of the powder have been taken, from which, of course, all the saltpetre has dis- appeared alter a submersion of three centuries. The ball was of lead, and was not oxidixed to a depth greater than that of a line. corn-T-iiorsr. ATTRACTIONS- IN 1700. The great attraction of Don Saltero's. Coffeehouse was its collection of rarities, a catalogue of which was published as a guide to the visitors. It comprehends almost every description of curiosity, natural and arti- ficial. " Tigers' tusks : the 1'ope's candle ; the skeleton of a Guinea- pi.L: ; a lly-eap iimnk.y : a piece of the true Cross ; the Four Kvangclists' Inacls cut on a cherry-stone; the Iving of Morocco's tobacco-pipe : Mary Queen of Scot's pincushion : <5." Mr. Aduu exhibited, for the entertainment of the curious, "Miss Jenny Cameron's shoes ; Adam's eldest daughter's hat; the heart of the famous Adams, that was han-ed at Tyburn with Lawyer Carr, Jaimarv IS, 17.'J<>-7: Sir Walter Kaleiuh's tobacco-pipe; Vicar of Bray's dogs; en-ine to shell ^reeii pease with ; teeth that grew in a fish's belly; Itlack .lack's ribs; the very comb that Abraham combed his son Isaac and Jacob's head with; Wat Tyler's spurs; rope that cured Captain I.owry of the liead-acb, ear-aeh,'tooth-ach and bclly-aeh ; Adam's key >f The tore and back door ( ,f the (iarden of Eden, *tc., !v:o." These are only a few out of live hundred oth'-rs equally marvellous. A WO.M\N T\KI> mi: i,K,iin:i) MATMI rito.M A I;O.MH. I)iirin- the sie-e of Gibraltar, in 1782, the Count d'Artois canic to St. lloeli, to visit the place and works. While his highness was inspect- MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAIXT. 41 ing the lines, in company -with the Duke de Crillon, they both alighted with their suite, aud all lay flat upon the ground, to avoid the effects of a bomb that fell near a part of the barracks where a Frenchwoman had a canteen. This woman, who had two children in her arms at the time, rushed forth with them, and having seated herself, with the utmost tniiir/-froid, on the bomb-shell, she put out the match, thus extricating from danger all that were around her, many of whom witnessed this courageous and devoted act. His highness rewarded this intrepid female by bestowing on her a pension of three francs a day, and engaged to pro- mute her husband after the siege ; while the Duke de Crillon, imitating the generous example of the prince, ensured to her likewise a daily pay- ment of live francs. THE StTXIMKHS MAGNET, OR LOADSTONE. Among the great naval officers of Elizabeth's reign must be ranked Sir George Summers, the discoverer of the Bermudas, often called the Summers Islands from that circumstance. Here is a representation given of what the descendants of Sir George Summers call the " Summers magnet, or loadstone." It is in the possession of Peter Franklin Bellamy, Esq., surgeon, second son of Dr. Bellamy, of Ply- mouth. The tradition in the family is that the admiral before going to sea used to touch his needle with it. The stone is dark-coloured, the pre- c cise geological formation doubtful. This curious stone, with armature of iron, was probably an ancient talisman. SWALLOWING LlZAHIiS. Bertholin, the learned Swedish doctor, relates strange anecdotes of lizards, toads, and frogs ; stating that a woman, thirty years of age, being thirsty, drank plentifully of water at a pond. At the end of a few months, she experienced singular movements in her stomach, as if some- thing were crawling up and down ; and alarmed by the sensation, con- sulted a medical man, who prescribed a dose of orvietan in a decoction of fumitory. Shortly afterwards, the irritation of the stomach increasing, she vomited three toads and two young lizards, after which, she became more at ease. In the spring following, however, her irritation of the stomach was renewed ; and aloes and bezoar being administered, she vomited three female frogs, followed the next day by their numerous progeny. In the month of January following, she vomited five more living frogs, and in the course of seven years ejected as many as eighty. Dr. Bertholin protests that he heard them croak in her stomach! 42 TEN THOUSAND AVONDERFUL THINGS; IMMKXSK SKA A species of sea-serpent was tlirowu ou shore near Bombay in 1819. It was about forty feet long, and must have weighed many ton?. A violent gale of wind threw it high above the reach of ordinary tides, in which situation it took nine months to rot ; during which pi tr.ivi Uen WWfi obliged to change the direction of the road for nearly a quarter of a mile, to avoid the offensive effluvia. It rotted so completely that not a vestige of bone remained. TIIK ROYAL TOUCH. For many ages one of the regal prerogatives in this country was to touch for the cure of rajius morbits, or scrofula ; a disease too well known to nci'd any description. At different periods hundreds of persons as- svmhlcd i'ioiii all parts of the country annually to receive the royal interposition. Lists of the alllicted weiv published, to afford a criterion for determining us to its success ; and from Edward the Confessor to the reign of Queen Anne, its efficacy appears to have obtained a ready and general belief. The ceremony was announced by public proclamations ; one of which we copy from '' The Newes," of the 18th of May, 16(>4. " His Sacred Majesty'' (Charles II.) "having declared it to be his royal will and purpose to continue the healing of his people for the Evil during the month of .May, and then to give over until .Michaelmas next, I am com- manded to give notice thereof, that the people may not come up to town in the interim, and lose their labour." An extract from the " Mercurius Politicus" affords additional informa- tion. " Saturday," says that paper, " being appointed by His Majesty to touch such as were troubled with the Kvil, a great company of poor afflicted creatures were met together, many brought in chairs and flaskets, and being appointed by His Majesty to repair to the banqueting-house, His Majoty sat in a chair of state, where he stroked all that A\VIV brought unto him, and then put about each of their necks u white ribbon, with an angel of gold on it. In this manner His Majesty stroked above six hundred ; and such was his princely patience and tenderness to the poor afllieted creatures, that, though it took up a very long time, His Majesty, who is never weary of well-doing, was pleased to make inquiry whether tin-re were any more who had not yet been touched. Alter pra\ei-s \vere ended, the Duke of Buckingham brought a towel, and the Karl of Pembroke a basin and e\wr, who. after they had made obeisance to His Majesty, kneeled down, till His Majesty had washed." This sovereign is said to have touched nearly one hundred thousand patients. With (Jueen Anne the practice was discontinued. But 80 late ns the 28th of February, 171'J, little more than two years before her death, the following proclamation appeared in the " (ia/ette" : " It being Her Ma- jesty's royal intention to touch for the Kvil on Wednesday, the 19th of March next, and so to continue weekly during Lent, it is ller Majesty's MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 43 command that tickets be delivered the day before at the office in White- hall ; and that all persons shall bring a certificate signed by the Minister and Churchwardens of their respective parishes, that they have never received the royal touch." Dr. Johnson, when an infant, was brought, with others, for this purpose ; " and when questioned upon the subject, confessed he had a faint recollection of an old lady with something black about her head." A religious service, of which Dr. Heylin, Prebendary of Westminster, in his "Examen Historicum," has given us the particulars, accompanied the ceremony ; which, as a document of pious interest, we transcribe : " The first Gospel is the same as that on the Ascension-day, Mark xvi. 14, to the end. At the touching of every infirm person these words are repeated : ' They shall lay their hands on the sick, and they shall recover.' The second Gospel begins with the first of St. John, and ends : Ithese words : (John i. 14 :) ' I' all of grace and truth.' At the putting the angel about their necks were repeated, ' That light was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.' " ' Lord, have mercy upon us.' " ' Christ have mercy upon us.' ' ' Lord have mercy upon us. Our Father, &c.' Minister. Lord, save thy servants :' ' ' Response. Which put their tiust in thee.' J/. Send unto them help from above :' R. And ever more defend them.' ' Jlf. Help us, God, our Saviour !' ' ' R. And for the glory of thy name sake deliver us : be merciful unto us, sinners, for thy name sake !' " ' M, Lord, hear our prayer :' " ' R. And let our cry come unto thee.' " ' The Collect. Almighty God, the eternal health of all such as put their trust in thee, hear us, we beseech thee, on the behalf of these thy sen ants, for whom we call for thy merciful help; that they receiving health, may give thanks unto thee in thy holy Church, through Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen.' < The peace of God,' &c." TEG TA.XKAEDS. The pegging, or marking the drinking cups, was introduced by St. Dunstan, to check the intemperate habits of the times, by preventing one man from taking a larger draught than his companions. But the device proved the means of increasing the evil it was intended to remedy; for, refining upon Dunstan's plan, the most abstemious were required to drink precisely to a peg or pin, whether they could soberly take such a quantity of liquor or not. To the use of such cups may be traced the origin of many of our popular phrases. "When a person is much elated, we still say, "He is in a merry pin;" and, "He is a peg too low," when he is not in good spirits. On the same principle we talk of "taking a man down a peg," when we would check forwardness. 44 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; XOBMAX CAPS. There is nothing more amusing to the traveller on the continent, than to observe tin- extraordinary variety of those head-anpendagea, many of tin-in In -ir-looms for generations in some families, all more or less prized according to the richness of materials employed upon them, and the peculiarity of shape. There is no article of dress more important to the ,W///'/m/i-, whatever may be her means, than the cap which so jauntily and triumphantly asserts the dignity of the wearer. The wives of fermieres who can afford such luxuries as expensive lace and trimmings, spend a little income in the decoration of their caps. Many cost upwards .a of three thousand francs for the materials and manufacture; and these, as we have lie lore observed, are handed from mother to daughter through i\e years, and are highly prized. In the primitive villages of Normandy, on some holidays, it is a pleasing sight to see the dense army of caps, with Haps fanning the air, and fol- lowing the gesUeulatory movements of their talkative and volatile owners. When the weather is don 1 it fnl, t he cap- wearers take care to he provided with i uinlirella of a clumsy construction, reinarkahly heavy, and some- what similar, jn-rhaps, to the original with which Jonas llanway braved t l ic ji en of a London populace in first introducing it. MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. NOBTH AMERICAN INDIAN WAB DESPATCH. 45 The following is a facsimile of a gazette of a tribe of IsTorth American Indians, who assisted the French forces in Canada, during the war between France and England : Explanation of the Gazette, giring an account of one of their expedi- tions. The following ilii-isions explain those on the plate, us referred to by the numbers: 1. Each of these figures represents the number ten. They all signify, that 18 times 10, or 180 American Indians, took up the hatchet, or declared war, in favour of the French, which is represented by the hatchet placed over the arms of France. 2. They departed from Montreal represented by the bird just taking wing from the top of a mountain. The moon and the buck show the time to have been in the first quarter of the buck-moon, answering to July. 3. They went by water signified by the canoe. The munber of huts, such as they raise to pass the night in, shows they were 21 days on their passage. 46 Tl V THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; 4. Then they came on shore, and travelled seven days by land nted by the foot and the seven huts. '. When tlio}- arrived near the habitations of their enemies, at sun- rise shown by the sun being to the eastward of them, beginning, as they think, its daily course, there they lay in wait three days repre- liy the hand pointing, and the three huts. ::'-r which, they surprised their enemies, in number 12 times 10, or 120. The man asleep shows how they surprised them, and the hole in the ton of the building is supposed to signify that they broke into of their habitations in that manner. 7. They killed with the club eleven of their enemies, and took five aers" The former represented by the club and the eleven heads, the latter bv the figures on the little pedestals. *. They lost nine of their own men in the action represented by the nine heads within the bow, which is the emblem of honour among the Americans, but had none taken prisoners a circumstance they lay great weight on, shown by all the pedestals being empty. '.. The heads of the arrows, pointing opposite ways, represent the battle. 10. The heads of the arrows all pointing the same way, signify the night of the enemy. RECEIPTS FROM ALBEKTCS MAGXUS. If tJiox icylt make a Carbnckfe sf <><-, or rs in the Lcmple. He said 1 certainly might, and that Mr. Johnson would take it as a compliment. His chamber* were on the first floor of fc !'*! ? S 1 i ^'/Sl 1 ontmjd tlu ' m Avith :m i'"]'ivssiou given me by the Rev. Dr. Blair of Edinburgh, who described Ids having found ie giant in his den. Ho received me very courteously ; but it must be .onf,ssed that lus apartment, and furniture, and morning dress, were suftciently uncouth. His brown suit of clothes looked vm- ,-,istv ; he ^.ffJL^A^^^l"^ 6 ^ "%^W Wi tu,, -small head; his shirt neck and knees of his Bweohea were loose, his i stockings ,11 drawn up, and he had a pair of unbuckled tt,n tl J ' SBffiT^? a thcSC sl VCnl y l^iculars u t ,v fbr- gottt-u the moment he began to talk." >' ". : " I entered," says the narrator, " with one of my friends, and found a man resembling an ourang-outaug crouched upon a stool in the manner of a tailor. His complexion announced a distant climate, and his keeper stated that In- found him in the island of Molucca. His body Avas bare to the hips, havinga chain round tin- waist, seven or eight feet long, which was fastened to a pillar, and permitted him to circulate out of the reach of the spectators. His looks and gesticulations were frightful. His jaws never ceased snap- ping, except when Bending forth discordant cries, which were said to be indicative of hunger. He swallowed flints when thrown to him, but pre- ferred raw meat, which he rushed behind his pillar to devour. He groaned fearfully during his repast, and continued groaning until fully satiated. When unable to procure more meat, he would swallow stones with frightful avidity : which, upon examination of those which he acci- dentally dropped, proved to he partly dissolve d by the acrid quality of his saliva. In jumping about, the undigested stones were heard rattling in his stomach. 1 ' The men of science quickly set to work to account for these feats, so completely at variance with the laws of nature. JSefJ ire they had hit upon a theory, the pretended Molucca savage was discovered to be a peasant from the neighbourhood of Mesani/on, who chose to turn to account his natural deformities. When staining his face for the purpose, in the dread of hurting his eyes, he left the eyelids unstained, which completely puzzled the naturalists. By a clever sleight of hand, the raw meat was left behind the pillar, and cooked meat substituted in its] place. Some asserted his passion for eating behind the pillar to be a proof of his - origin: most polite persons, and more especially kings, liein:: addicted to feeding in public. The stones swallowed by the pretended savage were taken from a vessel left purposely in the room full of them ; small round stones, encrusted with pla>1er, which afterward- gave them the appearance of having been masticated in the mouth. Before the dis- covery of all this, the impostor had contrived to reap a plentiful harvest. MARVELLOUS, HAKE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 51 PEBUVIAX BAEK. In 1693, the Emperor Kanghi (then in the thirty- second year of his reign, and fortieth of his age) had a malignant fever, which resisted the remedies given by his physicians ; the emperor recollected that Tchang- tchiu, (Father Gerbillon), and Pe-tsin, (Father Bouret) two jesnit mis- sionaries, had extolled to him a remedy for intermittents, brought from Europe, and to which they had given the name of chin-yo (two Chinese words, which signify "divine remedies;"] and he proposed to try it, but the physicians opposed it. The emperor, however, without their knowledge took it, and with good effect. Sometime afterwards, he ex- perienced afresh several fits of an intermittent, which, though slight, made him uneasy ; this led him to proclaim through the city, that any person possessed of a specific for this sort of fever, should apply without delay at the palace, where patients might also apply to get ciired. Some of the great officers of his household were charged to receive such remedies as might be offered, and to administer them to the patients. The Europeans, Tchang-tching, (Gerbillon) Hang-jo, (Father de Fon- tenay, Jesuit) and Pe-tsin, (Bouret) presented themselves among others, with a certain quantity of quinquina, offered it to the grandees, and instructed them in the manner of using it. The next day it was tried on several patients, who were kept in sight, and were cured by it. The officers, or grandees who had been appointed to superintend the experi- ment, gave an account to the Emperor of the astonishing effect of the remedy, and the monarch decided instantly on trying it himself, provided the hereditary prince gave his consent. The prince, however, not only refused, but was angry with the grandees for having spoken so favour- ably of a remedy, of which only one successful trial had been made ; at last, after much persuasion, the Prince reluctantly grants his consent, and the emperor J ;akes the bark without hesitation, and permanently recovers. A house is given by the emperor to the Europeans, who had made known the remedy, and through the means of Pe-tsin (Father Bouret) presents were conveyed to the King of France, accompanied with the information, that the Europeans (that is, the French Jesuits) were in high favour. Jlistoire Generate de la Chine, fyc, tome xi. p. 168, 4to. Paris, 1780. WHITE CATS. In a number of "Loudon Gardener's Magazine," it is stated that white cats with blue eyes are always deaf, of which extraordinary fact there is the following confirmation in the " Magazine of Natural History," No. 2, likewise conducted bv Mr. Loudon : Some years ago, a white cat of the Persian kind (probably not a thorough-bred one), procured from Lord Dudley's at Hindley, was kept in a family as a favourite. The animal was a female, quite white, and perfectly deaf. She produced, at various times, many litters of kittens, of which, generally, some were quite white, others more or less mottled, tabby, &c. But the extra- ordinary circumstance is, that of the offspring prodiiced at one and the same birth, such as, like the mother, were entirely white, were, like her, invariably deaf; while those that had the least speck of colour on their fur, as invariably possessed the usual faculty of hearing. 52 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; A WOMAN DEFENDS A FORT SINGLY. Lord Kamcs in his "Sketches of the History of Man," relates an ex- traordinary instance of presence of mind united with courage. Some Iroquois in the year 1690, attacked the fort de Vercheres, in Canada, which belonged to the French, and had approached silently, hoping to scale the palisade, when some musket -shot forced them to re- tire : on their advancing a second time they were again repulsed, in wonder and amazement that they could perceive no person, excepting a woman who was seen everywhere. This was Madame de Vercheres, who conducted herself with as "much resolution and courage as if supported by a numerous garrison. The idea of storming a place wholly unde- fended, except by women, occasioned the Iroquois to attack the fortress repeatedly, but, after two days' siege, they found it necessary to retire, lest they should be intercepted in their retreat. Two "years afterwards, a party of the same nation so unexpectedly made their appearance before the same fort, that a girl of fourteen, the daughter of the proprietor, had but just time to shut the gate. _ With this youiu/ woman there was no person whatever except one soldier, but not at all intimidated by her situation, she showed herself sometimes in one place, sometimes in 'another, frequently changing her dress, in order to give some appearance of a garrison, and always tired opportunely. In short, the faint-hearted Iroquois once more departed without success. Thus the presence of mind of this young girl was the means of saving the fort. IMiKNTUKE OF A HORSE-RACE BETWIXT THE KAUI.S OF MORTON AND ABEHCOKX AND THE LORD liOYDE. As indicating the state of the English language amongst the nobility of Scotland in 1(>21, the following is curious: " Anv Imh'iittnir of nnr IIarb Naig : The erle of Abercome obleissis him to tarodooe his gray If aig : My lord Boyd obleissis him to produce his bay horse ; Upoiie the conditions following. Thay ar to run the iirst Thurs- day November nixtocum, thric mett mylcisof Cowper raise in Fyll'. The waidger to be for enery horse ten dowbill Anegellis. The foirmest horse to win the hail thivtty. Ilk rydaiv to be audit scot t is staiicwccht. And the pairtio not comperaud, or rel'uisand to eonsigne the waidger, sail undergo the foirl'altour of this sowme, and that money foirfaltit salbe additt to the staik to be tane away be the wynner. Forder, we declair it to be lesum to ony gentilman to produce ane horse and the lyk waidger, and thay salbe weh-um. Subscrybith with all our handis, at Ilammiltoune tlie fyfteine day oft' August 1621. MORTON, Ar.KumKM:, KAKI.Y I si; OK CHOCOLATK. All advertisement in "The Public Adviser," from Tuesday, June 16th, to Tuesday, June l*:$d, KiJT, informs us that " in Biahopegate-street, in (iuceii's-hi -ad-alley, at a Frenchman's House, i* an excellent "West India diink, called ('Ju>i-i>tnfr, to be sold, where you may have it ready at any time, and also unmade, at reasonable rates." MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 53 3IATTHEW BTJCKIXGEH. Of all the imperfect beings brought into the world, few can challenge, for mental and acquired endowments, any thing like a comparison to vie with this truly extraordinary little man. Matthew Buckinger was a native of Nuremberg-, in Germany, where he was bom, June 2, 1674, without hands, feet, legs, or thighs ; in short, he was little more than the trunk of a man, saving two excrescences growing from the shoulder- blades, more resembling fins of a fish than arms of a man. He was the last of nine children, by one father and mother, viz. eight sons and one daughter ; after arming at the age of maturity, from the singularity of 54 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; his case, and the extraordinary abilities he possessed, he attracted the notice and attention of all persons, of whatever rank in life, to whom he was occasionally introduced. It does not appear, by any account extant, that his parents exhibited him at any time for the purposes of emolument, but that the whole of his time must have been employed in study and practice, to attain the wonderful perfection he arrived at in drawing, and his performance on various musical instruments ; he played the flute, bagpipe, dulcimer, and trumpet, not in the manner of general amateurs, but in the style of a finished master. He likewise possessed great mechanical powers, and conceived the design of constructing machines to play on all sorts of musical instruments. If Nature played the niggard in one respect with him she amply repaid the deficiency by endowments that those blessed with perfect limbs could seldom achieve. He greatly distinguished himself by beautiful writing, drawing coats of arms, sketches of portraits, history, landscapes, &<., most of which were executed in Indian ink, with a pen, emulating iu perfection the linest and most finished engraving. He was well skilled in most games of chance, nor could the most experienced gameM.T or juggler obtain the least advantage at any tricks, or game, with cards or di He used to perform before company, to whom he was i-xhihhed, various tricks with cups and balls, corn, and living birds; and coxdd play at skittles and ninepins with great dexterity ; shave himself with perfect ease, and do many other tilings equally surprising in a pel-son so de- ficient, and mutilated by Nature. His writings and sketches of figures, landscapes, &c., were by no means uncommon, though curious ; it being customary, with most persons who went to see him, to purchase some- thing or other of his performance; and 'as he was always employed in writing or drawing, he carried on a very successful trade, which, together with the money he obtained by exhibiting himself, enabled him to sup- port himself ami family in a very genteel manner. The late Mr. Herbert, of Cheshunt, in Hertfordshire, editor of " AimVs History of Print- ing," had many curious specimens of Huckinger's writing and drawing, the most extraordinary of which was his own portrait, exquisitely done on vellum, in which he most ingeniously contrived to insert, in the Mow- ing curls of the wig, the 27th, 121st, 128th, 140th, H!th, and the 150th I's.ilms, top-tlin- with the Lord's Praver, most beautifully and fairly written. Mr. Uaar Herbert, son of the former, while carrying on the business of a bookseller in Pall-Mall, caused this portrait to be engraved, for which he paid Mr. Harding fifty guineas. Buckinger was married four times, and had eleven cliildren, vix., one by his first wife, three by his second, six by his third, and one }>\ last One of his wives was in the habit of treating him extremely ill, frequently beating and other ways insulting him, which, for a long time, ho very patiently put up with ; but once his anger was so much aroused, that he sprung upon her like a fury, got her down, and buffeted her with his stumps within an inch of her life; nor would ho suffer her to arise until she promised amendment in future, which it seems she prudently MARVELLOUS, BARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 55 adopted, through, fear of another thrashing. Mr. Buckinger was but twenty-nine inches in. height, and died in 1722. VOXDERFITL PROVISION OF XATfEE. The insects that frequent the waters, require predaceous animals to keep them, within due limits, as well as those that inhabit the earth ; and the water-spider (Argyroneta aqnatica] is one of the most remark- able upon whom that office is devolved. To this end, her instinct instructs her to fabricate a kind of diving-bell in the bosom of that element. She usually selects still waters for this purpose. Her house is an oval cocoon, filled with air, and lined with silk, from which threads issue in every direction, and are fastened to the surrounding plants. In this cocoon, which is open below, she watches for her prey, and even appears to pass the winter, when she closes the opening. It is most commonly, yet not always, under water ; but its inhabitant has filled it for her respiration, which enables her to live in it. She conveys the air to it in the following manner : she usually swims on her back, when her abdomen is enveloped in a bubble of air, and appears like a globe of quicksilver. "With this she enters her cocoon, and displacing an equal mass of water, again ascends for a second lading, till she has sufficiently filled her house with it, so as to expel all water. How these little animals can envelope their abdomen with an air-bubble, and retain it till they enter their cells, is still one of Nature's mysteries that has not been explained. It is a wonderful provision, which enables an animal that breathes the atmospheric air, to fill her house with it under water, and by some secret art to clothe her bodv with air, as with a garment, which she can put off when it answers her purpose. This is a kind of attraction and repulsion that mocks all inquiries. STOiTACH BRrSH. One of the Court Physicians, in the reign of Charles II., invented an instrument to cleanse the stomach, and wrote a pamphlet on it ; and ridiculous as a chylopoietic-scrubbing-brush may appear, it afterwards got a place among surgical instruments, and is described as the Excutor Ventriculi, or cleanser of the stomach; but the moderns not having stomach for it, have transferred it to the wine merchant, who more ap- propriately applies it to the scouring the interior of bottles. Heister gives a minute description of it, and very gravely enters on the mode and manner of using it : the patient is to drink a draught of warm water, or spirit of wine, that the mucus and foulness of the stomach may bo washed off thereby : then, the brush being moistened in some convenient liquor, is to be introduced into the oesophagus, and slowly protruded into the stomach, by twisting round its wire handle. When arrived in the stomach, it is to be drawn up and down, and through the oesophagus, like the sucker in a syringe, till it be at last wholly extracted. Some recommend plentiful drinking in the operation, to be continued till no more foulness is discharged. But though this contrivance is greatly extolled, and said to prolong life to a great age, especially if practiced once a week, month, or fortnight ; yet, there are very few (probably, because tried by very few) instances of its happy effects. 56 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; POPULAR AMUSEMENTS IN 1743. Iii Ma-rii' Enijland of the Olden Time, we find the following copy of a hand-bill announcing performances : By a company of English, French, and Germans, at Phillips's New Wells, near the London Spa, Clerkemvell, 20th August, 1743. This evening, and during the Summer Season, will be performed several new exercises of Hope-dancing, Tumbling, Vaulting, Equilibres, Ladder-dancing, and Balancing, by Madame Kerman, Sampson Rogetzi, Monsieur German, and Monsieur Dominique ; with a new Grand Dance, called Apollo and Daphne, by Mr. Phillips, Mrs. Lebrune, and others ; singing by Mrs. Phillips and Mrs. Jackson ; likewise the extraordinary performance of Herr von Eeckcnhcrg, who imitates the lark, thrush, blackbird, goldfinch, canary-bird, flageolet, and German flute ; . a Sailor's Dance by Mr. Phillips; and Monsieur Dominique (lies through a hogs- head, and forces both heads out. To which will be added The Harlot's Progress. Harlequin by Mr. Phillips ; Miss Kitty by Mrs. Phillips. Also, an exact representation of the late glorkms victory gained over the li hy the Knglish at the battle of Dettingen, with the taking of the \Vhito Household Standard by the Scots Greys, and blowing up the bridge, and destroying and drowning most part of the French army. To begin every evening at five o'clock. Every one will be admitted for a pint of wine, as usual. MARVELLOUS, RAKE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 57 DAXCIXG BOOMS. Dancing rooms were much frequented a century or so ago in London, which was then pretty well supplied with this means of recreation. We find that there*were rare dancing doings at the original dancing room at thejf?eW-end of King-Street, Bloomsbury, . in the year 1742 Hickford's great room, Panton-Street, Haymarket, . . 1743 Mitre Tavern, Charing-Cross, .... 1743 Barber's Hall, ....... 1745 Richmond Assembly, ..... 1745 Lambeth Wells 1747 Duke's long room, Paternoster Row .... 1748 Large Assembly Room at the Two Green Lamps, near Exeter Change, (at the particular desire of Jubilee Dickey !) . 1749 The large room next door to the Hand and Slippers, Long -lane, West Smithfield ...... 1750 Lambeth Wells, where a Penny Wedding, in the Scotch manner, was celebrated for the benefit of a young couple, . . 1752 Old Queen's Head, in Cock-lane, Lambeth, . . . 1755 and at Mr. Bell's, at the sign of the Ship, in the Strand, where, in 1755, a Scotch Wedding was kept. The bride " to be dressed without any linen ; all in ribbons, and green flowers, with Scotch masks. There will be three bag-pipes ; a band of Scotch music, &c. &c. To begin precisely at two o'clock. Admission, two shillings and sixpence." ORIGIN OF THE USE OF TOBACCO. " Maister JohnNicot, Counsellor to the Kyng, beeyng Embassadour for the Kyng in Portugall, in the yeres of our Lorde, 1559, 60, 61, wente one daye to see the Prysons of the Kyng of Portugall, and a gentleman beeyng the keeper of the saide Prisons presented hym this hearbe, as a strange Plant brought from Florida ; the same Maister JSTicot, hauyng caused the saide hearbe to be set in his garden, where it grewe and mul- tiplied marveillously, was vpon a tyme aduertised, by one of his Pages, that a young man, a kinne to that Page, made a saye of that hearbe bruised, both the herbe and the joice together upon an ulcer whiche he had vpon his cheeke nere vnto his nose, coming of a Noli me tangere whiche bega to take roote already at the gristles of the Nose, wherewith he founde hym self marveillously eased. Therefore the said Maister Nicot caused the sicke yong man to be brought before hym, causing the said herbe to be continued to the sore eight or tenne daies, this saide Noli me tangere, was vtterly extinguished and healed : and he had sent it, while this cure was a working to a certaine Physition of the Kyng of Portugall of the moste fame, for to see the further workyng and effect of the said Nicotiane, and sending for the same yong man at the end of tenne daies, the said Phisition seeyng the uisage of the said sicke yong man certified, that the saide Noli me tangere was utterly extinguished, as in deede he never felt it since. Within a while after, one of the Cookes of the said Embassadour hauyng almost cut off his Thombe, with a great choppyng knife, the steward of the house of the saide gentleman 58 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; ranne to the saide Xicutiane, and dresssed him there -with fyve or sixc times, and so in the ende thereof he was healed : from that time fonvarde this hearbe began to bee famous throughout all Lisltunte,. where the court of the Kyng of Portugall was at that presente, and the vertue of this saide hearbe was preached, and the people beganne to name it the Ambsssadour's hearbe! Wherefore there- came ccrtaine daies after, a Hi-lit li'inan, of the countrv, Father to one of the Pages of the Ambassa- dour, who was troubled with an vlcer in his Legge, hauyng had the same two yeres, and demaunded of the saide Ambassadour for his hearbe, and vsing'the same in suche order as is before written, at the ende of tenne or twelve daies he was healed. From that time fourth the fame of that hearbe encreased in such sorte, that manye came from all places to have that same herbe. Emong all others there was a woman that had her face covered with a Ringwonne rooted, as though she had a Visour on her face, to whom the saide L : Ambassadour caused the herbe to be 11 her, and told how she should vse it, and at the ende of eight or tenne daies, this woman was thoroughleye healed, she came and shewed herself to the Ambassadour, shewing him of her healyug. After there came a captain to presente his sonne, sick of the Kinges euill to the saide L: Ambassadour, for to send him into France, vnto whom there was save mode of the saide hearbe, whiche in fewe daies did beginne to shewe greate signes of healing, and finally was altogether healed of the kinges euill. The L: Ambassadour seeing so great ctt'eetes proceeding of this hearbe, and hauing heard say that the Lady Montigny that was, dyed at Saint Germans, of an vlcer bredde in her breast, that did turn to a yuli me tdiujrrc, for which there coidd never be remedev bee founde, and likewise that the Countesso of Kutt'e, had sought for all the famous 1'hisitions of that llealmc, for to heale her fun.-, unto whom they could no remedy, he thought it good to communicate the same into l-'rauiice, and aid send it to Kyng Fraunces the seeonde ; and to the Queen Mother, and to many other Lords of the Courtc with the maner of govcrnyng the same: and how to applie it vnto the said diseases, i vi n as he had found it by experience ; and chiefly to the lorde of Jarnac :nour of Kogrll, with whom the .saide Lorde Arabassadour had ' omitie for the service of the Kyng. The whiche Lorde of Jarnac, told one davc at the (Jneenes Table, that lie had eausi d the saide Vientiane to be dUtilled, and caused the water to be dronke, mingled with water I'liiftlinmii^ otherwise called eyebright, to one that was shorte breathed, and was thm \\ith healed. " .) ngraving. \\ ith the exicntioiier's axe, that long list of unfortunates who liave met their fate within the walls of the Tower, or on Tower Hill, since the MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 59 lime of Henry VIII., have been beheaded. Among them may be enu- merated Queen Anne Bolevn, whom Henry first presented to his people as their Queen while standing with her on the Tower Stairs, after she had been conveyed thither from Greenwich with every possible pomp. Crowds of gilded barges, with gay banners waving at their sterns, then lined the stream. The noblest of the land were in the young Queen's train or were waiting to receive her. Loud rounds of cannon, and soft, merry strains, announced her arrival ; and the burly King stepped for- ward to kiss her in the sight of the assembled multitude. On the same day, three short years afterwards, she was led forth to execution within the Tower walls. The good Sir Thomas More and the chivalrous Earl of Surrey, Lady Jane Grey and her young husband, the gallant Raleigh, and a host of others, also perished by that sad symbol of the executioner's office. The block is said to be of less ancient date, but is known to have been used at the execution of three Scotch lord* the unfortunate adherents of the Pretender a little more than a century ago. On the top part of the block, there are three distinct cuts, two of them very deep and pa- rallel, and the other at an angle and less eftective. The horrible instrument of torture called the " Scavenger's Daughter," was, in the " good old days," used as a means of extorting confession. The head of the culprit was passed through the circular hole at the top, and the arms through those below. The whole of this part of the machine opens in somewhat the same manner as a pair of tongs, the upper part being fixed round the neck and arms, and the semi-circular irons placed on the legs. The body was then bent, and a strong iron bar was passed through the irons connected with the head and arms, and those in which the legs were placed. " The culprit would then," as one of the " Beef- eaters" who attends on visitors makes a point of observing, " be doubled up into very small compass, and made exceedingly uncomfortable." The Bilboes need little explanation, being only a strong rod of iron, with a nob at one end, on which are two moveable hoops, for the pur- pose of holding the legs ; these being fixed, and a heavy iron padlock put on the proper part the wearer was said to be in a Bnboe. Instru- ments of this description were much used on board of ship for the pur- pose of securing prisoners of war. The Iron Collar is a persuader of a formidable description, for it weighs upwards of 141bs.. and is so made that it can be fixed on the neck and then locked. Such a necklace would, we think, be sufiiciently inconvenient; but it is rendered still more uncomfortable by sundry prickles of iron knowingly placed. The Thumb-screw, also preserved in the Tower, is a characteristic example of a species of torture at one time nmch resorted to. The engraved example has been constructed so as to press both thumbs ; nevertheless, it is a convenient little instrument, which might be easily carried about in the pocket. We have met with varieties of the thumb"- screw in several collections some for the accommodation of one thumb only. In the Museum of the Royal Antiquarian Society of Scotland there are some thumb-screws which" are said to have been used upon the Covenanters. 60 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; Times have changed for the better since the " Scavenger s Daughter, and the other matters represented, were amongst the mildest ot the methods used for the purposes of punishment and intimidation. I he stocks, the public whipping-posts, boilings, and burnings in Bnutbtte 1. Tlii- KxiTuti'iiicrV A\r. 2. The Block on which Lords lialincrino, were beheaded. 3. The Scavenger's Daughter. 4. Spanish Bilboes. 5. Massiva Iron Collar for the Neck. G. Thumb-Screw. and elsewhere, the exhibition of dead men's heads over gateways,, the- hiMit, the rack, 1hr ]>ilWy, the practice of making men eat their own bks in Chcapsidi', drawing on hurdles to the place of execution, and. then hanging, drawing, and ([iiartrring, chopping oil' hands and ears, and other iv\,,ltiii'j- |iini-linicnt>, have lioiie out ul' use, uud it is gratiiy- ing to know that we are all the beU'.i t<>r it. MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AXD QUAINT. 61 A BEAU BRUJI51ELL OF THE 17TH CENTURY. This very curious representation of a first-rate exquisite is copied from a very rare" broadside, printed in 1646, and styled The Picture of an English Aiitickc, tcith a List <>fhi* ridiculous Habits and apish Gestures. The engraving is a well-executed copperplate, and tlie description beneath is a brief recapitulation of his costume : from which we learn that he wears a tall hat, with a bunch of riband on one side, and a leather on the other : his face ^potted with patches : two love- locks, one on each side of his head, which hang- upon his bosom, and are tied at the ends with silk rib- and in bows. His beard on the upper lip encompassing his mouth; his band or collar edged with lace, and tied with band-strings, secured by a. ring: a tight vest, partly open and short in the skirts, be- tween which and his breeches his shirt protruded. His cloak was carried over his arm. His breeches were ornamented by "many dozen of points at the knees, and above them, on either side, were two "Teat bunches of riband of several colours." His legs were incased in " boot -hose tops, tied about the middle of the calf, as long as a pair of shirt-sleeves, double at the ends like a run-band ; the tops of his boots very large, fringed with lace, and turned down as low as his spurres, which gingled like the bells of a niorrice-dancer as he walked ;" the " feet of his boots were two inches too long." In his right hand he carried a stick, which he " played with" as he " straddled" along the streets " singing." PEAYING FOR XEVEXGE. In Xorth "\Vales, when a person supposes himself highly injured, it is not uncommon for him to go to some church dedicated id a celebrated saint, as Llan Elian in Anglesea, and Clynog in Carnarvonshire, and there to offer his enemy. He kneels down on his bare knees in the church, and ottering a piece of money to the saint, calls down curses and misfortunes upon the offender and his family for generations to come ; in the most firm belief that the imprecations will be fulfilled. Sometimes they repair to a sacred well instead of a church. 62 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; \ Kr.MAi.K SAMPSOX: FROM A HANDBILL. September 4th, 1818, was shown at Bartholomew Fair, " The strongest woman in Europe, the celebrated French Female Hercules, Madame Gobert, who will lift with her teeth a table five feet long and three feet wide, with several persons seated upon it ; also carry thirty-six weights, fifty-six pounds each, equal to 2,016lbs., and will disengage herself from them without any assistance ; will carry a barrel containing 340 bottles ; also an anvil 400 Ibs. weight, on which they will forge with four ham- mers at the time she supports it on her stomach ; she will also lift with JUT hair the same anvil, swing it from the ground, and suspend it in that position to the astonishment of every beholder ; will take up a chair by the hind stave with her teeth, and throw it over her head, ten feet from her body. Her travelling caravan, (weighing two tons,) on its road from Harwich to Leominster, owing to the neglect of the driver, and badness of the road, sunk in the mud, nearly up to the box of the wheels ; the two horses being unable to extrieate it she descended, and, witli apparent I the caravan from its situation, without any assistance what TREES THAT GROW SHIRTS. " We saw on the slope of the Cerra Dnida," says M. Humboldt, " shirt trees, tifty feet high. The Indians cut off cylindrical pieces two feet in diameter, from which they peel the red and fibrous bark, without making any Longitudinal incision. This bark affords them a sort of garment which resembles a sack of a very coarse texture, and without a seam. The upper opening serves for the head, and two lateral holes are cut to admit the arms. The natives wear these shirts of Marina in the rainy season : they have the form of the ponchos and manos of cotton which are so common in New Grenada, at Quito, and in Peru. As in this climate the riches and beneficence of nature are regarded as the primary causes of the indolence of the inhabitants, the missionaries do not fail to say in showing the shirts of Marina, ' in the forests of Oroonoko, garments are found ready made upon the tiv. >.' " A KI:M M.I: vi:vn;ii.<>nrisr. A female ventriloquist, named Barbara Jacobi, narrowly escaped being burnt at the -lake in 1685, at Haarlem, where she was an inmate of the public Hospital. The curious daily resorted thither to hear her hold a dialogue with an imaginary personage with whom she conversed as if concealed behind the curtains of her bed. This individual, whom she called Joachim, and to whom she addressed a thousand ludicrous ques- tions, which lie answer, d in the same familiar strain, was for some time supposed to be a confederate. But when the bystanders attempted to :i for him behind the curtains, his voice insiantly reproached them with their curiosity from the opposite corner of the room. As Barbara Jacobi had contrived to make herself familiar with all the gossip of the city of Haarlem, the revelations of the pretended familiar were such as to cause considerable embarrassment to those who beset her with impertinent MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAIXT. 63 CALMUC OPINION OF LIGHTNING. The Calmucs hold the lightning to be the fire spit out of the mouth of a dragon, ridden and scourged by evil Daemons, and the thunder they make to be his roarings. THE HEADING OF THE EXPIRING PENSYLVANIA JOURNAL. Journalism has had its trials and difficulties in England, as well as in America ; but we do not remember to have ever seen a more quaint last Xiunber, than the subjoined fac-simile exhibits : AND WEEKLY ADVERT I SER . EXPIRING .-In, Hopes of a Resunr-ec/fonloElFE .. AM sorry to be obliged to ac- quaint my Read- ers, that as The STAMP - ACT, is fear'd to be ob- ligatory upon us after the Firtt of November ensuing:, (the fatal To-morrotc) the Publisher of this Paper un- able to bear the Burthen, has thought it expedient TO STOP awhile, in order to deliberate, whether any Methods can be found to elude the Chains forged for us, and escape the insupportable Slavery ; which it is hoped, from the last Representations now made against the Act, may be ef- fected. Mean while, I must earnestly Request every In- dividual of my Subscribers, many of whom have been long behind Hand, that they would immediately Discharge their respective Arrers, that I may be able, not only to support myself during the Interval, but be better pre- pared to proceed again with this Paper, whenever an opening for that Purpose ap- pears, which I hope will be soon. WILLIAM BRADFORD. NOSTRUMS. Unsuccessful gamesters used formerly to make a knot in their linen ; of late years they have contented themselves with changing their chair as a remedy against ill-luck. As a security against cowardice, it was once only necessary to wear a pin plucked from the winding sheet of a corpse. To insure a prosperous accouchement to your wife, you had but to tie her girdle to a bell and ring it three times. To get rid of warts, you were to fold up in a rag as many peas as you had warts, and throw them upon the high road ; when the unlucky person who picked them up became your substitute. In the present day, to cure a tooth-ache, you go to your dentist. In the olden time you would have solicited alms in honour of St. Lawrence, and been relieved without cost or pain. 04 TKN THorsAM) \\ ( (XDKHFUL THIM.s; CHII.DKF.X. Uaillet mentions one hundred and sixty-three chil Urn endowed with . .rdinarv talents, among whom low arrived at an advanced age. The two sons of Yjuintilian, so vaunted by their father, did not reach their (nth year. Hermogenes, -\vlio, at the age of fifteen, taught rhetoric to Marcus Aurelius, who taawn^had over the most celebrated rhetoricians of .-, did not die, but at twenty-four, lost his faculties, and forgot all lit- had previously acquired. Pica di Mirandola died at thirty-two ; Johannes Seciuulus at twenty-five : having at the age of fifteen composed admirable Greek and Latin verses, and become profoundly versed in jurisprud.-nc and letters, i'aseal, whose genius developed itself at ten years old, did not attain the third of a century. In 1791, a child was born at Luheck, named Henri Heinekem, whose precocity was miraculous. At ten months of age, he spoke distinctly ; at twelve, learnt the Pentateuch by rote, and at fourteen months, was p rfeetly acquainted with the Old and Xew Testaments. At two years j , h>. was as familiar with Ancient History as the most erudite authors of antiquity. Sauson and Danville only could compete with him -.rraphical knowledge: ( 'ieero would have thought him an "alter '"ii hearing him converse in Latin; and in modern languages lie u;i- equally proficient. This wonderful child was unfortunately carried i.ff in his fourth vear. According to a popular proverb "the sword ut the sheath." HTKCT OF jirsir ox A i'h,i;ox. Ilingley gives a singular anecdote of the effect of music on a pigeon, 'ated !>y John Lockman, in some reflections concerniim- o]>eras, sed to his musical drama of Rosalinda. He was staying at a whose daughter was a line performer on the harpsichord, andobs'Tved a pigeon, which, whenever the voting lady played the son- Speri-si," in Handel's opera of Adme'tus (and this Imly), would :id from an adjacent dove-lions,- to the room-window where she sat, and listen to it apparently with the most pleasing emotions ; and when the song was finished it always returned immediatelv to the dove- house. PiiVNKR OF FASCINATION IX SXAKI.s. f animals are held in universal dread by others, and not the terrible i> the ell'ect pr,,duc:d by Hi,- rattle-snake. .Mr. I'ennanl lliat this snake will frequently lie at the bottom of a tree, on which a squirrel i> aeated. He li\,- s hi> i yes OH tihfi animal, and from .oment it cannot escape: it he-ins a' doleful outcry, M hieli is so 'uiown that a pa- i l>\, on hearin- it, immediately knows that aal :,t. The squirrel runs up the tree a lit tie \\ a\ , come> down a-ain, then -,,,-s up and afterward.-, comes still IOW.'T. The HUtte continues at the bottom of the live, with his e\es li\ed ,,n the -q'liir. !. ajid his attent ion i^ so entirely taken up. that a person acei- tontall> a|.pr,ia,hing may make a euiiM'derable noise, without so much ,0 snake's- turning about. The s.piiml conns lower, and at last MARVELLOUS, HARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. ' 65 leaps clown to the snake, whose mouth is already distended for its recep- tion. Le Vaillant confirms this fascinating terror, by a scene he wit- nessed. He saw on the branch of a tree a species of shrike trembling as if in convulsions, and at the distance of nearly four feet, on another branch, a large species of snake, that was lying with outstretched neck and iiery eyes, gazing steadily at the poor animal. The agony of the bird was so great that it was deprived of the power of moving away, and when one of the party killed the snake, it was found dead upon the spot and that entirely from fear for, on examination, it appeared not to have received the slightest wound. The same traveller adds, that a short time afterwards he observed a small mouse in similar agonizing convulsions, about two yards from a snake, whose eyes were intently fixed upon it ; and on frightening away the reptile, and taking up the mouse, it expired in his hand. SECOND SIGHT. About the year 1725, the marvellous history of a Portuguese woman set the whole world of science into confusion, as will be found by refer- ring to the "Mercure de France." This female was said topossess the gift of discovering treasures. Without any other aid than the keen penetra- tion of her eyes, she was able to distinguish the different strata of earth, and pronounce unerringly upon the utmost distances at a single glance. Her eye penetrated through every substance, even the human body ; and she could discern the mechanism, and circulation of all animal fluids, and detect latent diseases ; although less skilful than the animal mag- netisers, she did not aft'eot to point out infallible remedies. Ladies could learn from her the sex of their forthcoming progeny. The King of Portugal, greatly at a loss for water in his newly built palace, consulted her ; and after a glance at the spot, she pointed out an abundant spring, upon which his Majesty rewarded her with a pension, the order of Christ, and a patent of nobility. In the exercise of her miraculous powers, certain preliminaries were indispensable. She was obliged to observe a rigid fast ; indigestion, or the most trifling derangement of the stomach, suspending the marvellous powers of her visual organs. The men of science of the day were of course confounded by such prodigies. But instead of questioning the woman, they consulted the works of their predecessors ; not forgetting the inevitable Aristotle. By dint of much research, they found a letter from Huygens asserting that there was a prisoner of war at Antwerp, who could see through stuffs of the thickest texture provided they were not red. The wonderful man was cited in confirmation of the wonderful woman, and rice versa, CHARACTER INDICATED BY TIIF. KAI!:-. According to Aristotle, large ears are indicative of imbecility ; while small ones announce madness. Ears which are flat, point out the rustic and brutal man. Those of the fairest promise, are firm and of middling size. Happy the man who boasts of square ears ; a sure indication of sublimity of soul and purity of life. Such, according to Suetonius, were the ears of the Emperor Augustus. 66 TEN THOUSAND WONDEBFUL THINGS; GROANING BOARDS. Groaning boards were the wonder in London in 1682. An elm plank w.i> exhibited to the king, which, being touched by a hot iron, invariably produced a sound resembling deep groans. At the Bowman Tavern, in 1 >rury Lane, the mantel-piece did the same so well that it was supposed to In' part of the same elm -tree; and the dresser at the Queen's Arms Tavern, St. Martin le Grand, was found to possess the same quality. St range times when such things were deemed wonderful ; even to in writing exhibition before the monarch. ANCIENT PLOUGHING AND THRESHING. The ancient plough was light, the draught comparatively easy ; but then the very lightness required that the ploughman should lean upon it with AJJCIEXT MOPE OF FLOUCiHIXO. liis whole weight, or rise it would glide over the soil without making a single furrow. " Unless," said Pliny, " the ploughman stoop forward, to pi-cs.-. down tin plough, as well as to conduct it, truly it will turn aside." Ovii wnv anciently employed in threshing corn, and the same custom i> still retained in Egypt and the east. This operation is effected by trampling ujxin the sheaves, and by (bagging a clumsy machine, furnished with three rollers that turn on their axles. A wooden chair is attached to the niiiehine, and on this a dri\. r Mttte himself, urging his oxen backward* ami forwards among the sheave-, which have previously heen thrown into >:> of about dgn feet wide and two in height. The -rain thus beaten out, I.-, collected in an open place, and shaken against the wind by an unt. with a small slios. 1, or, as it is termed, a winnowing fan, which chaff and leaves the grain uninjured : MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AXD QUAINT. 67 " Thus, with autumnal harvests cover'd o'er, And thick bestrewn, lies Ceres' sacred floor; While round and round, with never- wearied pain, The trampling steers beat out th' unnumber'd grain." HOMEII. Horace further tells us, that the threshing floor was mostly a smooth space, surrounded with mud walls, having a barn or garner on one side ; occasionally an open field, outside the walls, was selected for this purpose, yet uniformly before the town or city gates. Such was the void place wherein the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, sat each of them on his throne, clothed in his robes, at the entering in of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets prophesied before them. In the marginal reading we are informed, that this void space was no other than a thresh- ing floor ; and truly the area was well adapted for such an assemblage, OXBN THRESHING COBX. being equally suited to accommodate the two kings and their attendants, and to separate them from the populace. Eastern ploughshares were of a lighter make than ours, and those who notice the shortness and substance of ancient weapons, among such as are preserved in museums, will understand how readily they might be applied to agricultural uses. FROST FAIRS. In 1788-9, the Thames was completely frozen over below London- bridge. Booths were erected on the ice ; and puppet-shows, wild beasts, bear-baiting, turnabouts, pigs and sheep roasted, exhibited the various amusements of Bartholomew Fair multiplied and improved. From Putney -bridge down to Iledriff was one continued scene of jollity during this seven weeks' saturnalia. The last frost fair was celebrated in the 68 'ir.N THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; year 1814. The frost commenced on 2 7th December, 1813, and continued 1" the 5th February, 1814. There was a grand walk, or mall, from Hlackfriars-bridge to London-bridge, that was appropriately named The Citi/ Rontl, and lined on each side with booths of all descriptions. .d'printing-pivs~-s were erected, and at one of these an orange- eol.mred standard was hoisted, with " Oranr/e liin-en" printed in large characters. There were E and Rouge et Noir tables, tee-totums, and skittles : concerts of rough music, viz. salt-boxes and rolling-pins, grid- . horns, and marrow-bones and cleavers. The carousing^ booths were rilled with merry parties, some dancing to the sound of the' tiddle, others sitting round blazing fires smoking and drinking. A. printer's devil bawled out to the spectators, " Now is your time, ladies and gentlemen, now is your time to support the freedom of the press '. lie press enjoy greater liberty? Here you rind it working in the middle of the Thames ! MAGIC RAIN STONE. The Indian magi, who are to invoke Yo He "Wall, -and mediate with the supreme holy fire that he may i;ive seasonable rains, have a trans- parent stone of sxxpposed great power in assisting to bring down the rain, when it is put in a basin of water, by a reputed divine virtue, impressed on one of the like sort, in time of old, which communicates it circularly. This stone would suffer a great decay, they assert, were it even seen by their own laity : but it by foreigners, it would be utterly despoiled of its divine communicative power. THE BOM HARDIER BEETLB. The bombardier beetle (('itnili'i* <->-cjti/ti>'!ii;th, and thickness ; indeed, it was of such a prodigious size, that her mouth could not contain it, and she could never close her lips, or to usr :i nimmon expression, keep her tongue within her teeth. This wonder- ful tV-at of washing her eye with her tongue was exhibited with a view of obtaining money from such as crowded around her, and no sooner had MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 71 she obtained sufficient means, but she hastened to the first convenient liquor-shop, to indulge her propensity in copious libations, and when properly inspired, would rush into the streets with all the gestures of a frantic maniac, and roll and dance about, until she became a little sobered, which was sometimes accelerated by the salutary application of a pail of water, gratuitously bestowed upon her by persons whose door- way she had taken possession of, as shelter from the persecuting torment- ings of boys and girls who generally followed her. ANCIENT FEMALE COSTUME. A good specimen of the costume of a female of the higher classes is here given, from an effigy of a lady of the Ilyther family, in Ryther church, Yorkshire, engraved in Hol- lis's Monumental EJfiyies, Sbe wears a wimple, covering the neck and encircling the head, the hair of which is gathered in plaits at the sides, and covered with a kerchief, which falls upon the shoulders, and is secured by a fillet passing over the forehead. The sleeves of the gown hang midway from the elbow and the wrist, and display the tight sleeve with its rows of buttons beneath. The mantle is fastened by a band of ribbon, se- cured by ornamental studs. The lower part of the dress consists of the wide gown, lying in folds, and completely concealing the feet, which have been omitted, in order to display the upper part of this interesting effigy to greater advantage. CHILCOTT, THE GIANT. 1815. Died at Trenaw, in Cornwall, a person known by the appella- tion of Giant Chillcott. He measured at the breast six feet nine inches, and weighed four hundred and sixty pounds. One of his stockings held six gallons of wheat. DE. LETTSOM'S REASONS FOR DISMISSING A SERVANT. The Doctor was in the practice of carrying the produce of his fees .carelessly in his coat-pocket. His footman being aware of this, used to make free with a guinea occasionally, while it hung tip in the passage. The Doctor, having repeatedly missed his gold, was suspicious of the footman, and took an opportunity of watching him. He succeeded in the detection, and, without even noticing it to the other servants, called him into his study, and coolly said to him, " John, art in want of money ?" " K"o ; " replied John. " Oh ! then, why didst thou make so free with my pocket ? And since thou didst not want money, and hast told me a lie, I must part with thee. Now, say what situation thou wouldst like abroad, and I will obtain it for thee ; for I cannot keep thee ; I cannot recommend thee ; therefore thou must go." Suffice it to say, the Doctor procured John a situation, and he went abroad. 72 TKX THOlvYNP WONDEKITL THINGS; II VXDHILL FROM rECKHAM FAIR IX 1726. Our ancestor* just i:j:> years ago had but limited opportunities tor gra- tifying a taste tor Natural History it' we may judge from the supply of animals deemed sufficient to attract attention in 1726 : " Geo. I. R. "To the lovers of living curiosities. To be seen during the time of Peck/id < Fnir, a Grand Collection of Living Wild Beasts and Birds, lately arrived from the remotest parts of the World. " 1. The I\-llic " 6 & 7. The two tierce and surprising fiytMMC, Male and Female, from the River <;iti. These Creatures imitate the human voice, and .: roes out of their huts and plantations to devour them. Th' v have a mane like a horse, and two joints in their hinder leg more than any other creature. It is remarkable that all other beasts are to be tamed, but Hi/minx they are not. "8. An JSMftMMBN Tn/iii Stirof/i', having all the actions of the human ^prcies, which (when at its full growth) will be upwards of five fe< t high. "Also several other surprising Creatures of different sorts. To be tVom !> in the morning till 9 at night, till they are sold. Also, all manner of curiosities of different sorts, are bought and sold at the abov place by John Bennett." SOMN VMHfl.ISM. Some years ago a Hampshire Baronet was nearly driven to distraction by the fact that, every night, he went to bed in a shirt, and every morn- ing awoke naked, without the smallest trace of the mis-.ing garment liscovered. Hundreds of shirts disappeared in this manner: and as there was no fire in his i in, it was impossible to acc'ount for the mystery. The servants believed their master to be mad ; and even he began to fancy him-' !f bewitched. In tin* conjuncture, he implored an intimate friend to sleep in the room with him : and ascertain by what manner of mys- midniirlit visitant his garment \\as so strangely removed, The friend, accordingly, took up his station in the haunted chamber: and lo ! k struck one, the unfortunate I'.aronet, who had previously _rivu audible intimation of beincr t'ast asleep, rose from bis bed, rekindled with a match tin' candle which bad b.^u extinguished, deliberately MARVELLOUS, It ARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 73 opened the door, and quitted the room. His astonished friend followed ; saw him open in succession a variety of doors, pass along several pas- sages, traverse an open court, and eventually reach the stable-yard ; where he divested himself of his shirt, and disposed of it in an old dung-- heap, into which he thrust it hy means of a pitch-fork. Having finished this extraordinarv operation, without taking the smallest heed of his friend who stood looking on, and plainly saw that he was walking in his sleep, he returned to the house, carefully reclosed the doors, re-extin- guished the light, and returned to bed ; where the following morning he awoke as usual, stripped of his shirt ! The astonished eye-witness of this extraordinary scene, instead of apprising the sleep-walker of what had occurred, insisted that the fol- lowing night, a companion should sit up with him ; choosing to have additional testimony to the truth of the statement he was about to make ; and the same singular events were renewed, without the slightest change or deviation. The two witnesses, accordingly, divulged all they had seen to the Baronet ; who, though at first incredulous, became of course con- vinced, when, on proceeding to the stable-yard, several dozens of shirts were discovered ; though it was surmised that as many more had been previously removed by one of- the helpers, who probably looked upon the hoard as stolen goods concealed by some thief. KILLED BY EATING MtTTOX AND PUDDING. Teddington. " James Parsons, who had often eat a shoulder of mutton or a peck of hasty pudding, at a time, which caused his death, buried March 7, 1743-4, aged 36.'' CORAL RKEFS. Coral reefs are produced by innumerable small zoophytes, properly called Cwdl-iitst-ctii. The Coral* insect consists of a little oblong bag of jelly closed at one end, but having the other extremity open, and surrounded by tentacles or feelers, usually six or eight in number, set like the rays of a star. Multitudes of these diminutive animals unite to form a common stony skeleton called Coral, or Madrepore, in the minute openings of which they live, protruding 1 their mouths and tentacles when under water ; but suddenly drawing them into their holes when danger approaches. These animals cannot exist at a greater depth in the sea than about ten fathoms, and as the Coral Islands often rise with great steepness from a sea more than three hundred fathoms deep, it would seem that a great alteration must have taken place in the depth of the ocean since the time when these little arcliitects commenced their labours. Throughout the whole range of the Polynesian and Australasian islands, there is scarcely a league of sea unoccupied by a coral reef, or a coral island ; the former springing up to the surface of the water, perpendicularly from the fathomless bottom, " deeper than did ever plummet sound :" and the latter in various stages, from the low and naked rock, with the water rippling over it, to an un- interrupted forest of tall trees. "Everyone," says Mr. Darn-in, "must be struck with astonishment when he first beholds one of these vast rings of coral rock, often many leagues in diameter, here and there surmounted by a low verdant island 74 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; with dazzling white shores, bathed on the outside by the foaming breakers of the ocean, and on the inside surrounding a calm expanse of water, which, from reflection, is of a bright but pale green colour. The naturalist "ill feelthis aatnnislinii.nt more deeply after having examined the soft almost ntatmotn bodies of these apparently insignilicant m-atmvs 1 when he knows that the solid reef increases only on the outer edge which, day and night, is lashed by the breakers of an ocean never at i oral being beautiful in form and colour, is sought after for purposes of ament : and it, fiihery or gathering gives employment to many persons Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, the MeditemaMn, and otlu-V P l. ^traits of Messina, the rock which yield coral are from about .V.o Wfcet below th.- rarfctt of th, wat.-r. 'Tin- f-oral h.-iv -rows to about !>t n 1,-ngth of twelve inches, and requires eight or t.-n years to toperfectjon. In th, p-n.-ral mode of tishing for coral, the instru- t used consists of two heavy beams of wood, secured together at right angles, and loaded with stones to sink them. MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 75 MILITARY HATS TX OLDEX TI3IK. No. 1, Charles I. No. 2, William III. No. 3, Niveniois. X<> 4, Kevonlmller. Xo. o. families. No. 6, Wellington. WHY A 51 AX ilEASVIMCS MORE IX THE MORXIXG THAX IX THE EVEXIXG, &C. There is an odd phenomenon attending the human body, as singular as common : that a person is shorter standing than lying ; and shorter in the evening when he goes to bed, than in the morning when he rises. This remark was first made in England, and afterwards confirmed at Paris, by M. Morand, a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences in France, and by the Abbot Fontana likewise. The last-mentioned person found, from a year's experience, that ordinarily in the night he gained five or six lines, and lost nearly as much in the day. The cause of which effect, so ancient, so common, but so lately per- ceived, proceeds from the different state or condition of the inter- vertebral annular cartilages. The vertebra, or joints of the spine, are kept separate, though joined by particular cartilages, every one of which has a spring. These yield TG TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; in ;ill sid.-s, without any inflexion on the spine, to the weight of the head and upper extremities ; but this is done by very small and imper- ceptible derives, and must of all when the upper parts of the body are loaded witli any exterior weight. So that a man is really taller after Jyiiu- some time, than after walking, or carrying a burthen a great while. this reason it is that, in the day and evening, while one is sitting or standing, the superior parts of the body that weigh or press upon the inferior, press those clastic annular cartilages, the bony jointed work is contracted, the superior parts of the body descend towards the inferior, and proportionably as one approaches the other, the height of the stature dimmii Hence it was, that a fellow enlisting for a soldier, by being measured ivcr-night, was found deficient in height, and therefore refused; but by accident being gauged again the next morning, and coming up to the stature, he was admitted. On the contrary, in the night-time, when the body is laid a-bed, as it is in an horizontal situation, or nearly so, the superior parts do not weigh, or but very little, upon the inferior ; the spring of the cartilages is imbent, the vertebra} are removed from one another, the long jointed work of the spine is dilated, and the body thereby prolonged; so that a person finds himself about half an inch, or more, higher in stature in the. morning than when going to bed. This is the most natural and simple reason that can le given, for the different heights of the same ; at different times. A SENSIBLE DOG BEFU8ING TO BAIT A CAT. A dustman of the name of Samuel Butcher, residing at Mile-end, who kept a large dog, having taken it into his head to divert himself and other-, a few days airo, by the cruel sport of cat baiting, which the dog refusing to perform to the satisfaction of his master, was beat by him in ! brutal manner, when the animal at length, in retaliation, flew at his mmieieifiil keeper, and inflicted very severe wounds about his face, limbs, and body, in some instances tearing large mouthfuls of his flesh <|iiite clean out, and at one time clun^ so fast to the man, that before he disengaged from him the animal's throat was obliged to be cut. The man was promptly conveyed to the London Hospital, and there died of juries In- received. r;i;n IM, HIMSKI.F SHOD. A horse havintr been turned into a field by its owner, Mr. .Joseph Lane, of Fa.vonibe, in the parish of Ashclworth, was misled therefrom the next morning, and the usual inquiries set afoot, as to what could liav. be." mie of him. lie had, it seems, been shod (all fours) a few davs before, and as usual got pinched in a foot. Feeling, no doubt, a lively sen BOO f proper shoeing, and desirous of relieving the cause of pain, h'e ci.ntnved to unhang the gate of his pasture with his mouth, and make the be-t of liis way to the smithy, a distance of a mile and a half from Fascombe, waiting respectfully at the door until the bun^lin^ urtisf ;>. The smith relates that he found him there at, opening his shed ; 'lie h..i-e advaiu ed to the forge and held Tip his ailing foot ; and MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 77 that he himself, upon examination, discovered the injury, took off the shoe, and replaced it more carefully, which having done, the sagacious creature set oft' at a merry pace homewards. Soon after, Mr. Lane's servants passed by the forge in quest of the animal, and upon inquiry, received for answer ' ' Oh, he has been here and got shod, and is gone home again." MAN WITHOUT II .-VXDS. The following account is extracted from a letter sent to the Rev. Mr. Wesley by a person named Walton, dated Bristol, October 14, 1788 : " I went with a friend to visit this man, who highly entertained us at breakfast, by putting his half-naked foot upon the table as he sat, and carrying Ids tea and toast between his great and second toe to his'mouth, with as much facility as if his foot had been a hand, and his toes lingers. I put half a sheet of paper upon the floor, with a pen and ink-horn : he threw off his shoes as he sat, took the ink-horn in the toes of his left foot, and held the pen in those of his right. lie then wrote three lines, as well as most ordinary writers, and as swiftly. He writes out all his own bills, and other accounts. He then showed how he shaves himself with a razor in his toes, and how he combs his own hair. He can dress and undress himself, except buttoning his clothes. He feeds himself, and can bring both his meat or his broth to his mouth, by holding the fork or spoon in his toes. He cleans his own shoes ; can clean the knives, light the fire, and do almost every other domestic biisiness as well as any other man. He can make his hen-coops. He is a farmer by occupation ; he can milk his own cows with his toes, and cut his own hay, bind it up in bundles, and carry it about the field for his cattle. Last winter he had eight heifers constantly to fodder. The last summer he made all his own hay-ricks. He can do all the business of the hay-field (except mowing), as last and as well, with only his feet, as others can with rakes and forks. He goes to the field and catches his horse ; he saddles and bridles him with his feet and toes. If he has a sheep among his flock that ails anything, he can separate it from the rest, drive it into a corner, and catch it when nobody else can. He then examines it, and applies a remedy to it. He is so strong in his teeth, that he can lift ten pecks of beans with them. He can throw a great sledge-hammer as far with his feet as other men can with their hands. In a word, he can nearly do as much without, as others can with, their arms. He began the world with a hen and chicken ; with the profit of these he purchased an ewe ; the sale of these procured him a ragged colt (as he expressed it) and then a better ; after this he raised a few sheep, and now occupies a small farm." THE THIEF CArGHT. IX HIS OWX TRAP. A man having, some years since, stolen a sheep at Mitcham, in Surrey, tied its hind legs together, and put them over* his forehead to carry it away, but in getting over a gate the sheep, it is thought, strug- gled, and, by a sudden spring, slipped its feet down to his throat ; for they were found in that posture, the sheep hanging on one side of ths gate and the man dead on the other. 78 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; COSTUME OF THE LADIES IX THE TIME OF THE PLAXTA.GEXETS. The ladies' costume may seen to advantage in the annexed engraving from the Sloane MSS., No. 3983. A wimple or gorget is wrapped round the neck, and is fastened by pins at the sides of the face, which are covered above the ears ; a gown of capacious size, unconfined at the waist and loose in the sleeves, trails far behind in the dirt. The under- garment, which is darker, has sleeves that tit closely ; and it appears to be turned over, and pinned up round the bottom. The unnecessary amount of stuff that was used in ladies' robes rendered them obnoxious to the satirists of that period. In Mr. Wright's collection of Latin stories, published by the Percy Society, there is one of the fourteenth century, which is so curious an in- stance of monkish satire, and is so apt an illustration of the cut before us, that I cannot resist presenting it to my readers. It runs thus : " Of a Proud Woman. I have heard of a proud woman who wore a white dress with a long train, which, trailing be- hind her, raised a dust as far as the altar and the crucifix. But, as she left the church, and lifted up her train on ac - count of the dirt, a certain holy man saw a devil laugh- ing ; and having adjured him to tell why he laughed, the devil said, ;< A companion of mine was just now sitting on the train of that woman, iiMii- it as if it were his chariot, but when she lifted her train up, mv corananion was shaken off into the dirt : and that is why I was lau-li- >ng." CORPULENT MAX. XOTTIXGHA5I, 1819. November 10. Death of Mr. Henry 1'mcknall, confectioner, Chandlers- lane, aged forty-nine. He was excessively corpulent, weighing im.iv than twenty-live stone, and died very suddenly, immediately after rat- ing a hearty breakfast. In Lord Howe's memorable engagement, on the 1st of June, 1794, he had served as a marine on board the Hruns- His interment, at St. Mary's New Burial-ground, on the 14th, .rew together a large concourse of spectators. The coffin was of enor- mous size, and nearly equalled the body in weight. It was made of excellent oak, was 6 feet 8 inches in length, and 2 feet 1 1 inches across o breast; the bottom was 2* inches thick, the sides 1^, and the lid 1. l be whole, including the body, considerably exceeded five hundred- weight. MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 79 TAKING A MAN TO PIECES AND SETTING HIM TIP AGAIN. "Don John, of Austria," says Staveley, "Governor of the Nether- lands for Philip the 2d of Spain, dying at his camp at Buge (Bouges, a mile from Namur), was carried from thence to the great church at Havre, where his funeral was solemnised, and a monument to posterity erected for him there hy Alexander Farnese, the Prince of Parma. Afterwards his body was taken to pieces, and the bones, packed in mjails, were privately carried into Spain, where being set together with small wires, the body was rejointed again, which being filled or stuffed with cotton, and richly habited, Don John was presented to the king entire, leaning on his commander's staff'. Afterwards the corpse being carried to the church of St. Laurence, at the Escurial, was there buried near his father, Charles V., with a fitting monument for him." ORNAMENTS OF FEMALE DRESS IN THE TIMES OF THE ANCIENT BRITONS. Fig. 1 is a necklace of beads, each bead being cut so as to represent a group of several, and give the effect of many small round beads to what are in reality long and narrow ones. Fig. 2 is a necklace of sim- pler construction, consisting of a row of rudely-shaped beads, its centre being remarkable for con- taining a rude attempt at ] f\ representing a human face, i / the only thing of the kind -* Hoare discovered of so an- cient a date in Britain. Fig. 3 is another necklace, con- sisting of a series of cu- rious little shells, like the hirlas horn used by the Bri- tons, which are perforated lengthways, and thus strung together. Fig. 4 is a pin of iron, supposed to have been used as a fastening for a mantle ; it is ornamented with two movable rings. Fig. 5 is a small gold orna- ment, checkered like a chess- board, and suspended from a chain of beautiful workmanship, which, in taste and execution, bears a striking similarity to our modern curb-chains. Fig. 6 is an ear-ring, a bead suspended from a twisted wire of gold. Fig. 7 is a brass orna- ment, and Fig. 8 a similar one of gold : such ornaments are usually found upon the breasts of the exhumed skeletons of our barrows, and were probably fastened on their clothes as ornaments. Their cruciform character might lead to a doubt of their high antiquity, if we were not aware of the fact, that the symbol of the cross was worn, as an amulet or ornament, ages before the Christian era. 80 TKN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; I.AKUK EEL. Latelv, near Maldon, an eel was taken, measuring Jwfcct six in Ifiujt'li, Kfi-i-ntf<'it in tjirt It, and weighing '>(> JJOHIH/S, the largest of the \er caught, or described in natural history. PERSEVERING DOG. A boast being made of the obedience of a Newfoundland dog in fetching and carrying, the master put a marked shilling under a large square stone by the road side, and, having ridden on three miles, ordered the dog to go back and fetch it. The dog set off, but did not return the whole day. He had gone to the place, and being unable to turn the stone, sat howling by it. Two horsemen came by and saw his distress, and one of them alighting removed the stone, and iinding the shilling. put it in his pocket, not supposing that the dog could possibly be looking- for that. The dog followed the horses for upwards of twenty miles, stayed in the room where they supped, got into the bed-room, got the breeches in which the fatal shilling had been put, made his escape with them, and dragged them through mud and miie, hedge and ditch, to his master's hm CURE FOR CORPULENCE. A few years ago, a man of about forty years of age, hired himself as a labourer, in one of the most considerable alt-lux -went s in the City: at this time lie was a personable man; stout, active, and not fatter tLan a moderate-si/ed man in high health should be. His chief occupation was to superintend the working of the new beer, and occasionally to set up at night to watch the sweet-wort, an employment not requiring either activity or labour ; of course, at these times, lie had an opportunity of tasting the liquor, of which, it appears, lie always availed himself; beside-, this, lie had constant access to the new beer. Thus leading a quiet inactive lite, lie began to increase in bulk, and continued to enlarge, until, in a very short time, he became of such an unwieldy si/e, as to In- unable to move about, and was too big to pass up the brewlnuise stair- it' by any accident he fell down, he was unable to get up again without help. The integuments of his face hung down t<> the shoulders and breast: the fat was nut confined to any particular part, but diffused over the whole of his body, arms, legs, A;e., making his appearance such as to attract the attention of all who saw him. lie left this service to go into the country, being a burthen to himself, and totally useless to }\\- employers. About two years afterwards lie called upon bis old masters in very different shape to that above described, being reduced in si/e nearly half, and weighing little more than ten stone. The account that. he gave of himself was, that us soon as he had quitted the Inewhouse he went into l.cdfonlshire. where having soon spent the money he had earned, and being unable to work, lie was .brought into such a state of poverty, as to be scarcely dhlo to obtain the siistenanc,- of life, often a whole day without fooil : that he drank very little, and that was I'.y this mode of living hi- began to diminish in si/e, so 08 to be able to walk about with tolerable CUM. II, then engaged him- MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AXD QUAINT. 81 self to a farmer, with whom he stayed a considerable time, and in the latter part of his service he was able to go through very hard labour, being sometimes in the field ploughing and following various agricultural concerns, for a whole day, with no other food than a small pittance .of bread and cheese. This was the history he gave of the means by which this extraordinary change was brought about. He added, his health had never been so good as it then was. WORSHIP OF THE SUX AND MOOX. The Sun was first worshipped, probably, as a bright manifestation of God, but soon began to be regarded as the Deity himself. The Moon, in the absence of the Sun, and next in splendour, would succeed it iu superstitious attention. And so we rind the Romans, as well as the Saxons, dedicating the first and second days of the week respectively to these " great lights." Formerly, festivals were held on the appearance of a !Xew Moon ; and in some parts of England it is still customary to bless it, and in Scotland at the same time to drop a courtesy. And in times not long past, the influence of the Moon was considered to be so great as to regulate the growth of air, and the effect of medi- cine, and to cause steeples and other elevated buildings to bend from their upright positions. A SEA ABOVE THE SKY. This belief is curiously illustrated bv two legendary stories pre- served by Gervase of Tilbury. " One Sunday," he says, " the people of a village in England were coming out of church on a thick cloudy day, when they saw the anchor of a ship hooked to one of the tombstones ; the cable, which was tightly stretched, hanging down from the air. The people were astonished, and while they were consulting about it, sud- denly they saw the rope move as though some one laboured to pull up the anchor. The anchor, however, still held fast by the stone, and a great noise was suddenly heard in the air, like the shouting of sailors. Presently a sailor was seen sliding down the cable for the purpose of unfixing the anchor ; and when he had just loosened it, the villagers seized hold of him, and while in their hands he quickly died, just as though he had been drowned. About an hour after, the sailors above, hearing no more of their comrade, cut the cable and sailed away. In memory of this extraordinary event, the people of the village made the hinges of the church d'oors out of the irou of the anchor, and ' there they are still to be seen.' At another time, a mer- chant of Bristol set sail with his cargo for Ireland. Some time after this, while his family were at supper, a knife suddenly fell in through the window on the table. When the husband returned, he saw the knife, declared it to be his own, and said that on such a day, at such an hour, while sailing in an unknown part of the sea, he dropped the knife overboard, and the day and hour were known, to be exactly the time when it fell through the window. These accidents, Gervase thinks, are a clear proof of there being a sea above hanging over us." St. Patrick's Pinyatori/. It;/ Jho*. Wrieriod a manufactory of paper existed at Samarcand. In the eighth i-entury the Saracens conquered Spain, and introduced into the Penin- sula, amongst other arts, that of the manufuetmv of paper, which art was a long time finding its way into ..thn- parts of Kurope, in Italynot until the eleventh or twelfth* century. The vast amount of papyrus MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AM) QUAINT. 83 which must have been employed in Italy, may be inferred from the number of rolls or scaj)ioH this substance discovered in Herculaneum and Pompeii ; also from a perusal of many existing documents bearing directly or indirectly on this branch, of commerce. Even so late as the commencement of the sixth, century, Cassiodorus congratulated the world on the abolition, by King Theodoric, of the high duty on papyrus from Egypt ; and he spoke in high iiown terms of the great utility of the material. The latest papyrus roll known is of the twelfth centurv, con- taining a brief of Pope Paschal II., in favour of the Arehiepiscopal see of Ravenna. The various species of papyrus plants belong to the natural order PAPTBCS WITHOUT FLOWERS. PAPYKUS WITH FLO WEES. " Cyperacece," or sedges, of botanists; a main characteristic of which is a certain triangularity of stem. The method of constructing a writing surface from these stems was as follows : The available portion being cut off (it was seldom more than twelve inches in length), and split, or, more properly speaking, unfolded into thin sheets, which were glued together transversely in such a manner that the original length of the papyrus stem became the breadth of the future sheet ; the length of which might be increased at the pleasure of the operator. Frequently the manufactured scrolls were more than thirty feet long. As different methods prevail in the manufacture of our ordinary paper, so in like manner there were different processes of fashioning the papyrus into shape. The rudest manufacture appears to have been that of Egypt, and the best papyrus sheets appear to have been made in Rome during the 84 TKN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; Augustine yra. The preceding sketch represents a papyrus roll, copied from a specimen in the Egyptian Room of the British Museum. Considering the numerous pieces entering into the composition of the roll, of which our illustration represents a portion, the lines of juncture are remarkably well concealed, only a sort of grain being visible. The surface, moreover, is smoothed, and its colour very much like that of India paper. The hieroglyphics are coloured as is usual, red is the predominant tint, and the colours are no less well demarcated and sepa- rate than they would have been on glazed paper. Our preceding wood-cuts represent the Sicilian or Syrian papyrus, hitherto termed cypents papyrus, in two states of development one with flowers, the other without. In order that inflorescence may take place, the plant requires to be well supplied with water. EXECUTION IN 1733. Friday, March 9 "Was executed at Northampton, William Alcock, for the murder of his wife. He neve.r own'd the fact, nor was at all concerned at his approaching death ; refusing the prayers and assistance of any persons. In the morning he drank more than was sufficient, yet sent and paid for a pint of wine, which being deny'd him, he would not enter the cart before he had his money return'd. On his way to the gallows he sung part of an old song of " Robin Hood," with the chorus, "Deny, derry, down," &c., and swore, kick'd, and spurn'd at every person that laid hold of the cart ; and before he was turn' d off, took oil' his shoes, to avoid a well known proverb ; and being told by a person in the cart with him, it was more proper for him to read, or hear somebody read to him, than so vilely to swear and sing, he struck the book out of the person's hands, and went on damning the spectators and calling for wine. Whilst psalms and prayers were performing at the tree he did little hut talk to one or other, desiring some to remember him, others to drink to his good journey, and to the last moment declared the injustice of his case. DOG FRIENDSHIP. At Bishops Stortford there were two dogs, which belonged to nobody, and lived upon the quay of the river or canal there. They took the greatest delight in rat hunting, and when the maltsters went about at night to see that all was safe, these dogs invariably followed them. Their mode of proceeding was very ingenious. As soon as the door of the malt-house was unlocked, one rushed in and coursed round the wan-house, not chasing any rat which might start, but. pursuing its way among the malt. The other stood at the door and snapped at the rats as (hey endeavoured to escape. The one standing at the door was known to kill six rats, all of \vhieh had rushed to the door at the same time. The next room they came to, they would change posts ; the one which hunted before, now standing at the door and wiring the prey. I'.y tlii means the do._r* killed in the malt ing-houses of one maltster alone, upwards of 2,000 rats in the course of one year. One of them on one occasion killed sixty-seven in less than five minutes. They seemed to pursue the sport simply for their amusement. MARVELLOIS, HARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 85 ALi HOlHTtiS. Just as a strolling actor at Newcastle had advertised his benefit, a remarkable stranger, no less than the Prince Annamaboo, arrived, and placarded the town that he granted audiences at a shilling a-head. The stroller, without delay, waited on the proprietor of the Prince, and for a good round sum prevailed on him to command his Serene Highness to exhibit his august person on his benefit night. The bills of the day announced that between the acts of the comedy Prince Annamdboo would give a lively representation of the scalping operation, sound the Indian tcar-ichoop in all its melodious tones, practice the tomahawk exercise, and dine d In cannibal. An intelligent mob were collected to witness these interesting exploits. At the conclusion of the third act, his Hiyhncss marched forward flourishing his tomahawk, and shouting, " Ha, ha .' ho, ho /" K"ext entered a man with his face blacked, and a a piece of bladder fastened to his head with gum ; the Prince, with an enormous carving-knife, began the scalping part of the entertainment, which he performed in a truly imperial style, holding up the piece of bladder as a token of triumph. Next came the war-whoop, an un- earthly combination of discordant sounds ; and lastly, the banquet, x-i insisting of raw beef-steaks, which he rolled up into roiileaus, and devoured with right royal avidity. Having finished his delicate repast, lie wielded Iris tomahawk in an exulting manner, bellowed " Ha, ha ! ho, ho .'" and made his exit. The beneficiarc strolling through the market-place the following-day, spied the most puissant Prince Anna- maboo selling penknives, scissors, and quills, in the character of a Jew pedlar. "What!" said the astonished Lord Toicnley, "my Prince, is it you ? Are you not a pretty circumcised little scoundrel to impose upon iis in this manner ?" Moses turned round, and with an arch look, replied, " Princh be d d! I rash no Princli ; I rash acting like you. Your troop rash Lords and Ladies last night ; and to-night dey vil be Kings, Pr inches, and Emperor! I rash humpuas, you rash Jnnnjwys, all vash humpugs ."' KEDrCIXG WEIGHT. A gentleman, of great respectability in the mercantile world, who weighed thirty-two stone nine pounds, put himself upon a strict diet of four ounces of animal food, nix ounces of bread, and two pounds of liquid, in twenty-four hours. In one week he lost thirty pounds -weight, and in six months he was diminished the astonishing quantity of one hundred and thirty-four pounds. His health and spirits Avere much improved, and considering his remaining size of twenty-three stone, he was very active. AXECDOTE OF A SEHPEXT. Lord Monboddo relates the following singular anecdote of a serpent : " I am well informed of a tame serpent in the East Indies, which belonged to the late Dr. Vigot, once kept by him in the suburbs of Madras. This serpent was taken by the French, when they, invested Madras, and was carried to Pondieherry in a close carriage. But from thence, he found his way back again to his old quarters, though Madras was above one hundred miles distant from Pondicherrv." 86 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; ENGLAND BEFOKE THE ROMANS. Before the Roman invasion, the dress of its chieftains consisted of a close coat or covering for the body, called by Dio a tunic, and described as checkered with various colours in divisions. It was open before, and had long close sleeves to the wrist. Below were loose pantaloons, called bv the Irish brii/is, and by the Romans brayes and bracce ; whence the modern term "breeches." Over their shoulders was thrown the mantle or cloak, called by the Romans sriy it HI, and derived from the Celtic word sale, which signi- fied a skin or hide, and which was the original cloak of the country. Diodorus tells us that it was of one uniform colour, generally either blue or black, the predominating tint in the checkered trousers and tunic being red. On their heads they wore a conical cap, which de- rived its name from the " cab," or hut of the Briton, which was of similar form. On their feet were shoes made of raw cow-hide, that had the hair turned outward, and which reached to the ankles. Shoes so constructed were worn within the last few years in Ireland ; and we engrave two from specimens in the Royal Irish Academy. One is of cow-hide, and drawn together by a string over the foot ; and the other has a leather thong, which is fastened be- neath the heel inside, and, passing over the instep, draws the shoe like a purse over the foot. It is of untanned leather. ROMANS IN BRITAIN DRESS OF NATIVE KKMAI.IIS \T Til \T J'KKIOD. The British gwn, from whence comes the modern "gown," descended to the middle of the thigh, the sleeves barely reaching to the elbows : it was sometimes confined hy a girdle. Beneath this a longer dress reached to the ancles. The hair was trimmed after the Roman fashion; and upon the feet, when covered, were sometimes worn shoes of a costly character, of which we know the Romans themselves to have been fond. An extremely beautiful pair was discovered upon opening a Roman burial-place at Southfleet in Kent, in 1802. They were placed in a stone sarcophagus, between two large glass urns or vases, each containing a considerable quantity of burnt bones. They were of superb and expensive workmanship, being made of fine purple leaihur, reticulated in the form of hexagons all over, and each hexago- nal division worked with gold, in an elaborate and beautiful manner. MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 87 \t ATA CO MBS ROME. Amid the ruins of stately temples, and numerous remains of the " Eter- nal City," there are no objects which have such great and general in- terest as the subterranean churches, dwellings, and places of sepulchre of the early Christians, which perforate, by a net-work of excavations, the neighbourhood of Rome. The great increase in the extent and magnificence of Rome during tha times of the Republic, led to the formation of quarries in the surrounding part?. The peculiar nature of the soil has caused the excavations to be 88 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; made in a manner similar to that used in the working of coal, iron, stone, lime, &c. The useful material has, in fact, been cleared away, leaving long ranges of dark eaves and After the stone had been re- moved from these underground quarries, it was, for many centuries, custom n v to work out the sand for the purpose of making cement. Yitrin ins has stat< .-d that the sand obtained from the Esquiline pits was preferable to any other. Ultimately the quarries and sandpits extended to a distance of upwards of liftecn miles on. one side of Rome. Tails of this lar_;-e ran-'- of excavations were from time to time used a- burial- grounds by such of the Romans as could not afford the cost of burning the bodies' of their dead relations. And, in addition, the Esquiline hills became infested by banditti, and was from these various causes rendered almost impassable *ln these excavation-, it is said, that not only persons, but cattle, con- trived to support existence : and although it was well known that large numbers were lodged in these dismal dwellings, their intricacy ami num- berless entrance.- rendered them a comparatively secure retreat. It is related that attempts were made to cover the galleries with earth, in order to destroy those who were concealed within. _- I . t-V~v |-\ * 1 % ^ n ' 1 "U'-' SI ' (| f time the catacombs became, H tC 3Lj V 1 W ^ T '" IA ' . i: "' n "'' " I1( ' <"' tvvo ' neglected |--- r> ir%^ an< l filled U P w i tn rubbish, and remained r I I f\ f*\T if ^ or a P ei 'i o< l f upwards of one thousand ^^IL'U years untouched and almost unknown. In T~C* ^ r? P\/Y/~ T\ the sixteenth century the whole range of ' t J L- I V I (_ B\ the eat ae, tin!' ;>ened, and numerous iHcriptions and other matters c 'with the struggles amd hanlshi]>s of the early Christians l)ronght to light. The annexed brief memorial will show ti. lettering. MiiH!> (!- I'l NISH.MKXT. Anlt pa. ions of some ancient instruments of punishment and torture, all n:-. - h-rrible in their thuMter, the use of which, for May a long been happily abandoned. As a companion to this irroiip. we ha d a few of the instruments of punishment bv which criminals of a vulgar character were sought to be of these i> tlie '.'Ion's brand, the mark of which rendered a man infamous for life. Figure 1, p. !>0 j'epresents the, instrument itself. Figure '_'. the mark brandt d in, which latter has been engra\ ! iln- exact si/". The device, which is deeply cut into the ni !i us was used before the invention of the !>rop and the Wheel f..;- Kxeeiition and torture. "The Stocks and Whipping-post, although long since remo\.- be .seen in some of the old street.-, ol' London and in country towns, Dinted with its red, blue, and yellow stripes, and surmounted with MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 95 a gilt acorn. The lute and violin were formerly among the furniture of a barber's shop. He who waited to be trimmed, if of a musical turn, played to the company. The barber himself was a nimb'le-tongued, pleasant- witted fellow. William Rowley, the dramatist, in "A Search for Money, 1609," thus describes him : " As wee were but asking the question, steps me from over the way (over-listning us) a news-searcher, viz. a barber : hee, hoping to attaine some discourse for his next patient, left his bancr of basons swinging in the ayre, and closely eave-drops our conference. The saucie treble-tongu'd knave would insert somewhat of his knowledge (treble-tongu'd I call him, and thus I prove't : hee has a reasonable mother- tonger, his barber- surgions tongue ; and a tongue betweene two of his lingers, and from thence proceeds his wit, and 'tis a snapping wit too). Well, sir, hee (before hee was askt the question,) told us that the wandring knight (Monsier L' Argent) sure was not farre off; for on Saterday-night hee was faine to watch till morning to trim some of his followers, and its morning they went away from him betimes. Hee swore hee never clos'd )iis eyes till hee came to church, and then hee slept all sermon-time ; but certainly hee is not farre afore, and at yonder taverne showing us the bush) I doe imagine hee has tane a chamber." In ancient times the barber aftxl the tailor, as news-mongers, divided the crown. The barber not only erected his pole as a sign, but hung his basins upon it by way of ornament. BEES OBEDIENT TO TRAINING. Though it is customary in many rural districts of England, when bees are swarming, to make a clanging noise with metal implements, imder the impression an erroneous one we believe that it will induce the swarm to settle, it is not generally supposed that bees are susceptible of being trained to obey in many respects the orders of their teacher. Such, however, is the fact, and an instance of it occurs in the following adver- tisement, which we have copied from an old newspaper. We give it as we find it, but it is not very clear what locality is meant by " their proper places " : "At the Jubilee Gardens, Dobney's, 1772. Daniel Wildman rides, standing upright, one foot on the saddle, and the other on the horse's neck, with a curious mask of bees on his face. He also rides, standing upright on the saddle, with the bridle in his mouth, and, by firing a pistol, makes one part of the bees march over a table, and the other part swarm in the air, and return to their proper places again." A HAN SELLING HIS OWN BODY. Anatomists and surgeons have frequently incurred the odium of being precipitate in their post mortem examinations. It has been charged upon the illustrious Vessalius, and, in more modern times, on Mons. de Lassone, and others ; nay, credulity has gone so far, as to suppose, that subjects have occasionally been kept till wanted ; nor is such a notion altogether extravant, when we find an article of this kind offered to Joshua Brookes, the anatomical lecturer, in the following terms : " Mr. Brooke, i have taken it into consideration to send this poor man 96 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; to you, being greatly in distress, hopeing you -will find sum employment for him in silling the dead carcases ; and if you can find him no employ- ment, the berer of this wishes to sill himself to you, as he is weary of this life. And I remain your humble servant, " Joii^r DAVIS." THE FIEST LOCOMOTIVKS. It is little more than thirty years ago, when, on the river Tyne, a large fleet of peculiarly-formed vessels was to be seen daily employed in the carriage of coals to the ships from the " staiths," which projected into LOCOMOTIVE. 1:0111 the various colliery tramways. At that period, there was only one very small and ill-constructed steam-packet for the conveyance of pus-enters betwi en Newcastle and Shields, and a-ainst Avhich so much prejudice existed, that the majority of persons preferred the covered wherries, wlueh, for some centuries before, hud been in use ; yet so slow and uncertain was this menus of transit between the two towns, that as in a hurry often found it advisable to walk the intervening dis- t in.-.-, \\-hich is about ei^ht miles. Th. collieries situated away from the river had tramways of wood let ito the ordinary mads, in such a manner as to form wheel-tracks for These, drawn by horses, were the only means thought of for MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAIVr. 97 bringing the coals to the river bank. Some of these tramways were nearly as old as the times of Queen Elizabeth or James I when the increase of London and other causes began to overcome the prejudice against the use of -sea-coal." Many of the tramwavs passed^amfd green and shadowy woods and other pleasant places, and we have often THE PBESEXI LOCOMOTIVE A3fD TKAIN. thought when wandering through them, of the difficulties that beset travellers at that time. Even at a more recent date, in 1673, day coaches were considered dangerous, and it was suggested that the multitude of them in London should be limited, and not more than one be allowed to howu in the engraving, was placed upon the wagon way of the \Vylam Colliery, from Wylam to Xcwburn, on the Tyne, near Newcastle, and greatly astonished all who saw it drawing along, at the rate of three miles and a half per hour, from fifteen to twenty wagons of coals, making all the while a horrible and snorting noise, difficult to describe, and send- ing forth at the same time tire and dense clouds of black smoke. George connexion with Messrs. Dodd and Losh ; and in 1825 the projection of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway afforded a further opportunity for their development. The opposition jo the use of steam-engines on tin's line of railway seems singular enough at the present day; still it was very great. The use of horses was, however, found to be too expensive, and George Stcphenson having stated that he could work a locomotive with safety at a rate of from six to eight miles an hour (" I knew," said he, "that if I told them more than that, they would look upon in.- as more fit for a lunatic house than to give evidence in the Mouse of Commons''), a reward of /)<)<)/. was offered for the best locomotive engine. A trial took place in October, 1*1'') oti/i/ /Vv/,///-.srro/ t/i-nrn aiju . the steam locomotive engines which were ottered in competition. ' Of tic ^ , one \\as withdrawn at the commencement of the experiment. Tin; Ity:" liv Mraithwait and Kricsson, met with an accident; and the " Sanspareil," by llackworth, attained a velocity of fifteen miles an hour, with a gross load of nineteen tons, but at length gave way, owing to an MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 99 accident ; the remaining engine, constructed by Robert Stephenson and Mr. Booth, succeeded in performing more than was stipulated. The contrast between the date mentioned at the commencement of our article and the present time is remarkable : the old and clumsy fleet has vanished from the Tyne ; a railway carries passengers from Newcastle to Shields in a few minutes ; numerous steam vessels sail upon the river, some of large size; which travel to various and distant ports. On the colliery railway hundreds of locomotives are at work, and hundreds of thousands of miles of iron rails spread over a wide extent of the civilized world ; and, in addition to other wonders, the electric telegraph will, ere long, outrival the power of Puck, the fairy, and "put a girdle round the world in (less than) forty minutes." SIR WILLIAM WALL.VCE THE HEEO OF SCOTLAND. 1305. This year was marked by the capture of Sir William Wallace. It appeal's that the King of England had anxiously sought to discover his re- treat, and that, tempted by the prospects of the rewards his baseness might earn for him, Ralph dc Haliburton, one of the prisoners taken a short time previously at Sterling, had proffered his services for that purpose. Upon being seized, he was conveyed to the castle of Dumbarton, and thence to England. He was brought to London, "with great numbers of men and women," says Stow, " wondering upon him. He was lodged in the house of William Delect, a citizen of London, in Fenchurch- streeet. On the morrow, being the eve of St. Bartholomew, lie was brought on horseback to Westminster, John Segrave and Geoffrey, knights, the mayor, sheriffs, and aldermen of London, and many others, both on horseback and on foot, accompanying him ; and in the great hall at Westminster, he being placed on the south bench, crowned with laurel for that he had said in times past that he ought to bear a crown in that hall, as it was commonly reported and being appeached for a traitor by Sir Peter Malorie, the king's justice, he answered, that he was never traitor to the king of England, but for other things whereof he was accused, he confessed them." These circumstantial and minute details, inartificially as they are put together, and homely or trivial as some of them may be thought, are yet full of interest for all who would call up a living picture of the scene. Wallace was put to death as a traitor, on the 23rd of August, 1305, at the usual place of execution the Elms in West Smithfield. He was dragged thither at the tails of horses, and there hanged on a high gallows, after which, while he yet breathed, his bowels were taken out and burnt before his face. The barbarous butchery was then completed by the head being struck oft', and the body being divided into quarters. The head was afterwards placed on a pole on London-bridge ; the right arm was sent to be set up at Newcastle, the left arm to Berwick, the right foot and limb to Perth, and the left to Aberdeen. AN ELEPHANT DETECTS A ROBBER. An officer in the Bengal army had a very fine and favourite elephant, which was supplied daily in his presence with a certain allowance of 100 TEN THOUSAND -\YONDEKFUL THINGS food, but being compelled to absent himself on a journey, the keeper of the beast diminished the ration of food, and the animal became daily thinner and weaker. When its master returned, the elephant exhibited the greatest signs of pleasure ; the feeding time came, and the keeper laid before it the former full allowance of food, which it divided into two parts, consuming one immediately, and leaving the other untouched. The officer, knowing the sagacity of his favourite, saw immediately the fraud that had been practiced, and made the man confess his crime. JIAY-I'OI.KS. dance May-pole, dirked with .u-arlamls, round which the' rustics used to in this month, yet. stands in a few of our villages through the whole circle of the year. A May-pole formerly stood in the Strand, upon the site of the church by Somerset House, but was taken down in 1717. The village May-pole we en-rave still remains by the ruins of St. Briavel Oaaue, Forest of Dean, (nonoestanhixe, and forma an object of consider- able inter. >( to tlie visitor. Several in the village could remember the May-day dancers, and the removal and s, ttin- up of the .May-pole. No whatever of this old Kn-lish festival lias, however, bei'ii taken for J-ean. The .May-|>ole i, about sixty feet hi-h ; about half- way up i- the rod to which it was usual to fasten' the garlands and ribbons. * Let >erve, that in many parts of Dean Forest, those who love to trace MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 101 the remains of old manners and customs will find ample employment. The people are civil and hospitable ; their manner of address reminds us of the wording of the plays of Shakspere's times ; and in most houses, if a stranger calls, cider and bread are offered, as in the olden time. THE OLD DOC WHEEL. About a century and a half ago, the long-backed "turnspit" dog, ie curious apparatus here shown, yclept the " Old Dog Wheel," i and the curious apparatus here shown, yclept ^he " Old Dog Wheel," were to be found in most farm houses ; simple machinery has, however, now been substituted for the wheel which the dog was made to turn round, like the imprisoned squirrels and white mice of the present day ; and not only the dog wheels, but also the long-backed "turnspit" dog have almost disappeared. That which we engrave, however, still exists, and may be seen by the curious, at the Castle of St. Briavel, which stands on the borders of the Forest of Dean, in Gloucestershire. ABRAHAM AXD SARAH. The Talmudists relate that Abraham, in travelling to Egypt, brought with him a chest. At the custom-house the officers exacted the duties. Abraham would have readily paid them, but desired they would not open the chest. They first insisted on the duties for clothes, which Abraham consented to pay ; but then they thoiight by his ready acqui- escence that it might be gold. Abraham consents to pay for gold. The}' now suspect it might be silk. Abraham was willing to pay for silk, or more costly pearls in short, he consented to pay as if the chest contained 102 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; the most valuable of things. It was then they resolved to open and examine the chest ; and, behold, as soon as the chest was opened, that great lustre of human beauty broke out which made such a noise in the laud of Egypt it was Sarah herself! The jealous Abraham, to conceal her beauty, had locked her up in this chest. AGES OF CELEBEATED MEN. Hippocrates, the greatest physician the world has ever seen, died at the age of one hundred and nine, in the island of Cos, his native country. Galen, the most illustrious of his successors, reached the age of one hundred and four. The three sages of Greece, Solon, Tholes, and Pitta- ens, lived for a century. The gay Democritus outlived them by two years. Zeno wanted only two years of a century when he died. Dio- genes ten years more ; and Plato died at the age of ninety-four, when the eagle of Jupiter is said to have borne his soul to heaven. Xenophon, the illustrious warrior and historian, lived ninety years. Polemon and Epicharmus ninety-seven ; Lycurgus eighty-live ; Sophocles more than a hundred. Gorgias entered his hundred and eighth year ; and Asclepi- ades, the physician, lived a century and a half. Juvenal lived a hun- dred years ; Pacuvius and Varro but one year less. Carneades died at ninety ; Galileo at sixty-eight ; Cassini at ninety-eight ; and Newton at eighty-five. In the last century, Fontenelle expired in his ninety-ninth year; Buffon in his eighty- first ; Voltaire in his eighty-fourth. In the present century, Prince Talleyrand, Goethe, Rogers, and Niemcewicx are remarkable instances. The Cardinal du Belloy lived nearly a century ; and Marshal Moncey lately terminated a glorious career at eighty-five. I:ITI: 1C) was filled with people and tents, selling all sorts of wares as in a citty. The frost (Jan? 24) continuing more and more severe, the Thames before London was still planned with boothes in formal streetes, all sorts of trades and shops furnished and full of com- modities, even to a printing-press^, where the people and ladyes took a fancy to have their names printed on the Thames. This humour took so universally, that 'twas estimated the printer gained 5 a-day, for printing a line only, at sixpence a day, besides what he got by ballads, &c. Coaches plied from Westminster to the Temple, and from several other staires to and fro, as in the streetes, sleds, sliding with skeates, a bull-baiting, horse and coach races, puppet playes and interludes, cookes, tipling, and other lewd places, so that it seem'd to be a baccha- nalian triumph, or carnival on the water." " It began to thaw (Feb. 5), but froze againe. My coach crossed from Lambeth to the Horseferry at Millbank, Westminster. The booths Avere almost all taken down ; but there was first a map, or landskip, cut in copper, representing all the manner of the camp, and the several actions, sports, and pastimes thereon, in memory of so signal a frost." inr, niAKUTF.i: or THK MOUTH. We give the following extract from a very old work ; not only because it contains several shrewd observations, but also because it is a good specimen of the -spelling and diction which prevailed in the sixteenth ei-ntury, at which period there is internal evidence that the book was written, though it bears no date on the title page : "The mouth greate and wyde hetokeneth wrath, boldnes and warre. And such men are commonly glottons. A wyde mouth withoute meesure, as thought it wen; cutte and stretched out, sygnifieth ravening inhu- manitif, wickednes, a warlyke hart and cruell, like unto beastes of the MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 107 sea. Such men are greate talkers, boasters, babblers, enuious, lyars, und full of follye. The mouthe that hathe but a lyttle closynge and a lyttlc openynge, sygnyfyeth a fearful man, quyet, and yet unfaithfull. The mouthe that is verye apparent and rounde with thycknes of lyppes, sygnyfyeth vnclenlynes, follye, and cruelltye. The mouth whyche hath a quantitie in his sytuation with a lyttle shutting, and srnylynge eyes wyth the reste of the face, sygnyfyeth a carnall man, a lover of daunces, and a greate lyar. When the mouthe turneth in speakinge it is a sygne that it is infected with some catarre or murre as is manyfest ynough. The long chynne declareth the man to be veiy lyttle subiecte to anger, and of a good complexion : and yet he is somewhat a babbler and a boaster of hymselfe. They that have a lyttle chinne, are much to be avoyded and taken heede of, for besydes all vices with the whyche they are fylled they are full of inipietye and wyckednes and are spyes, lyke unto serpents. If the ende of the chynne be round it is a sygne of feminine maners and also it is a sygne of a woman. But the chynne of a man mustc be almoste square/' " The most excellent, profitable, and please, nt bookc of the famous doctour and expert ^-istroloffien ^-ircandam or Ale- andrin." ***. Now ready turnedout of French into our ntlr/are tonge, by Will. Warde. Black letter. ]S T o date.. Printed by J. liowbothum. EXECUTION OF EARL FERRERS FOR MURDER, 1760. Lord Ferrers was hung for the deliberate and cruel murder of his steward, Mr. Johnson, and his execution at Tyburn furnishes a curious instance of the exhibition of egregious vanity in a man who was just about to meet an ignominious death, and of misplaced pride in his family who could actually decorate the scaffold with the emblems of respectful mourning. His lordship was dressed in his wedding-clothes, which were of light colour, and embroidered in silver. He set out from the Tower at nine o'clock, amidst crowds of spectators. First went a large body of con- stables, preceded by one of the high constables ; next came a party of grenadiers and a party of foot; then the sheriff, in a chariot and six, the horses dressed with ribbons ; and next, Lord Ferrers, in a landau and six, escorted by parties of horse and foot. The other sheriff's carriage followed, succeeded by a mourning-coach and six, conveying some of the malefactor's friends ; and lastly, a hearse and six, provided for the pur- pose of taking the corpse from the place of execution to Surgeons' Hall. The procession was two hours and three-quarters on its way. Lord Ferrers conversed very freely during the passage. He said, " the appa- ratus of death, and the passing through such crowds of people, are ten times worse than death itself; but I suppose they never saw a lord hanged, and perhaps they will never see another." He said to the sheriff, " I have written to the king, begging that I might suffer where my ancestor, the Earl of Essex, the favourite of Elizabeth, suffered, and was in great hopes of obtaining that favour, as I have the honour of being allied to his Majesty, and of quartering part of the royal arms. I think it hard that I must die at the place appointed for the execution of common felons." 108 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; The scaffold was hung with black bj- the undertaker, at the expense of Lord Ferrers' family. His lordship was pinioned with a black sash, and was unwilling to have his hands tied, or his face covered, but was persuaded to both. On the silken rope being put round his neck, he turned pale, but recovered instantly. Within seven minutes after leav- ing the landau, the signal was given for striking the stage, and in four minutes he was quite dead. The corpse was subjected to dissection. STRANGE FUNERAL OBSEQTJIKS. The following, taken from an old magazine, is a singular manifestation of eccentricity in a person who, from the books he selected to be buried with him, was evidently a man of an educated and refined mind : Died, May 4, 1733, Mr. John Underwood, of "Whittlesea, in Cambridge- shire. At his burial, when the service was over, an arch was turn'd over the coffin, in which was placed a small piece of white marble, with this inscription, " Non omnis moriar, 1733. Then the six gentlemen who follow'd him to the grave sung the last stanza of the 20th Ode of the 2d book of Horace. No bell was toll'd, no one invited but the six gen- tlemen, and no relation follow'd his corpse; the coffin was painted green, and he laid in it with all his cloaths on ; under his head was placed Sanadon's "Horace," at his feet Bentley's " Milton ;" in his right hand a small Greek Testament, with this inscription in gold letters, " /u ev TM (Sav^a, J. U," in his left hand a little edition of " Horace" with this inscription, " Musis Amiens, J. U. ;" and Bentley's " Horace" under his back. After the ceremony was over they went back to his house, where his sister had provided a cold supper ; the cloth being taken away the gentlemen sung the 31st Ode of the 1st Book of " Horace," drank a chearful glass, and went home about eight. He left aboiit 6,000/. to his sister, on condition of her observing this his will, ordcr'd her to give each of the gentlemen irn guineas, und desir'd they would not come in black cloaths. The will mils thus, "Which done I would have them take a chearful glass, and think no more of John Underwood." QUICK TRAVELLING IN OLD TIMT.s. Saturday, the seventeenth day of July, 1619, Bernard Calvert, of Andover, about three o'clock in the morning, tooke horse at St. George's Church in Southwarke, and came to Dover about seavcn of the clocke the same morning, where a barge, with eight oares, formerly sent from London thither, attended his suddaine coming : he instantly tooke barge, and went to Callice, and in the same barge returned to Dover, about three of the clocke the same day, where, as well there as in diverse other places, he had layed sundry swift horses, besides guides : he rode back trnjii thence to St. George's Church in Southwarke the same evening, a little after eight o'clock, fresh and lusty. State's Annul*. EDDYSTONE LIGHTHOUSE. As the arts and sciences improved, so did the construction of Light- houses, until one of the greatest accomplishments of engineering skill, ever attempted upon such works, was exhibited in the construction of the MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 109 Eddystone Lighthouse, which is, indeed, much more entitled than the Pharos of Alexandria to be considered one of the wonders of the world. The rock on which this tower is built is placed about twelve miles south- west of Plymouth, and consists of a series of submarine cliffs, stretching from the west side (which is so precipitous that the largest ship can ride THE EDDTSTONB LIGHTHOUSE. close beside them) in an easterly direction, for nearly half a mile. At the distance of about a quarter of a mile more is another rock, so that a more dangerous marine locality can hardly be imagined. Both these rocks had proved the cause of many fatal shipwrecks, and it was at last resolved to make an attempt to obviate the danger. In the year 1696, a gentleman of Essex, named "Winstanley, who had a turn for architecture and mechanics, was engaged to erect a lighthouse upon the Eddystone rock, and in four years he completed it. It did not, however, stand long, for while some repairs were in progress under his direction in 1703, on 110 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; the 26th November, a violent hurricane came on which blew the light- hoxise down, and Mr. Winstanley and all his workmen perished nothing remaining of the edifice but a few stones and a piece of iron chain. In the spring of 1706 an Act of Parliament was obtained for rebuilding the lighthouse, and a gentleman named Rudyerd, a silk mercer, was the engineer engaged. He placed live courses of heavy stones upon the rock and then erected a superstructure of wood. The lighthouse on the Bell Rock, off the coast of Fife, and the one placed at the entrance of the Mersey on the Black Hock, are similarly constructed, so that there seemed to be good reason for adopting the principle. Mr. Smeaton thought that the work was done in a masterly and effective manner ; but in 1755 the edifice was destroyed by lire, and he was next retained as the engineer for this important building. The result of his labours has justly been considered worthy of the ad- miration of the world, for it is distinguished alike for its strength, dura- bility, and beauty of form. The base of the tower is about twenty-six feet nine inches in diameter, and the masonry is so formed as to be a part of the solid rock, to the height of thirteen feet above the surface, where the diameter is diminished to nineteen feet and a half. The tower then rises in a gradually diminishing curve to the height of eighty-five feet, including the lantern, which is twenty-four feet high. The upper ex- tremitv is finished by a cornice, a balustrade being placed around the base of the lantern for use as well as ornament. The tower is furnished witli a door and windows, and the whole edifice outside bears the graceful outline of the trunk of a mighty tree, combin- ing lightness with elegance and strength. Mr. Smeaton commenced his labours in 1756, and completed the building in four years. Before com- mencing operations he took accurate drawings of the exterior of the rock, and the stones, which were brought from the striking and romantic dis- trict of Dartmoor, were all formed to fit into its crevices, and so prepared as to be dovetailed together, and strung by oaken plugs. When put into their places, ami then iinnly cemented, the whole seemed to form, and does indeed constitute, a part'of the solid rock. s \\r.\HNii SICKNESS. The Sweating Sickness first visited England Anno Dom. 1483, and repeated its visitations 1 IS.",, 1,">0(5, 1517, 1528, and last of all, 1551. This epidemic disease raged with such peculiar violence in England, and had so quick a crisis, that it was distinguished by the name of l-'l>Iii'in<'i-ii Tirilinuiii'ii. This singular fever seems to have been of the most simple, though of the most aeuto kind, and notwithstanding princes and nobles were its chief victims, the physicians of the day never agreed upon the method of treating it. The splendid French embassy, which arrived in Kngland in 1550, found the court-feslivities damped by a visitation of that strange and terri lie malady. " Tiiis pestih -nee, first brought into the island by the foreign merce- naries who composed the army of the Earl of Richmond, afterwards Jlenry VII., now made its appearance for the fourth and last time in MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. Ill our annals. It seized principally, it is said, on males, on such as were in the prime of their age, and rather on the higher than the lower classes : within the space of twenty-four hours, the fate of the sufferer was decided for life or death. Its ravages were prodigious ; two princes died of it ; and the general consternation was augmented, by a super- stitious idea which went forth, that Englishmen alone were the destined victims of this mysterious minister of fate, which tracked their steps, with a malice and sagacity of an evil spirit, into every distant country of the earth whither they, might have wandered, whilst it left unassailed all foreigners in their own." AN AMERICAN ADVERTISEMENT. The following is an early specimen of that system of poetical advertis- ing which in recent times has become so common. It is always inte- resting to note the origin of customs with which we subsequently become familiar : Notice to the Public, and especially to Emigrants, who wish to settle on Lands. The Subscriber offers for Sale, several Thousand Acres of Land, situated in well settled Front Townships, in Lots to suit Purchasers. Particulars about Location, May be known by application. For quality of soil, and so forth, Buyers to see, on Nag must go forth. This much I'll tell ye plainly, Of big trees ye' 11 see maiulj*. 'Bout Butter Nut and Beach, A whole week I could preach ; But what the plague's the use of that ? The lands are high, low, round, and flat. There's rocks and stumps, no doubt enough, And bogs and swamps, i\u& quantum-tuff) To breed the finest of Musquitoes ; As in the sea arc bred Bonitos, No lack of fever or of ague ; And many other things to plague you. In short, they're just like other people's, Sans houses, pigsties, barns, or steeples. "What most it imports you to know, 'S the terms on which I'll let 'em go. So now I offer to the Buyer, A Credit to his own desire, For butter, bacon, bread, and cheese, Lean bullocks, calves, or ducks and geese, Corn, Tates, flour, barley, rye, Or any thing but Punkin-Pte. In three, four years, Aye, five or six, If that won't do, why let him fix. But when once fix'd, if payment's slack, As sure as Fate, I'll take 'em back. THOMAS DALTON. Kingston Brewery, (Canada,) Nov. 2, 1821. MAGNIFICENCE OF FORMER TIMIX Account how the Earl of Worcester lived at Ragland Castle in Mon- mouthshire, before the Civil Wars, ichich began in 16-11. At eleven o'clock in the forenoon, the Castle gates were shut, and the tables laid ; two in the dining-room ; three in the hall ; one in Mrs. "Watson's apartment, where the chaplains are, (Sir Toby Mathews being the first ;) and two in the housekeeper's room for the lady's women. The Earl came into the dining-room attended by his gentlemen. As soon as he was seated, Sir Ealph Blackstone, Steward of the house, retired. The Comptroller, Mr. Holland, attended with his staff, as did the Sewer, Mr. Blackburne ; the daily waiters, Mr. Clough, Mr. Selby, and Mr. Scudamore ; with many gentlemen's sons, from two to seven 112 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; hundred pounds a year, bred up in the Castle ; my Lady's Gentleman Usher, Mr. Harcourt ; my Lord's Gentlemen of the Chamber, Mr. Morgan and Mr. Fox. At the first table sat the noble family, and such of the nobility as came. At the second table, in the dining-room, sat Knights and Honourable Gentlemen, attended by footmen. In the hall, at the first table sat Sir Ralph Blackstone, Steward ; the Comptroller, Mr. Holland ; the Secretary ; the Master of the Horse, Mr. Delewar ; the Master of the Fish Ponds, Mr. Andrews ; my Lord Her- bert's Preceptor, Mr. Adams ; with such Gentlemen as came there under the degree of a Knight, attended by footmen, and plentifully served with wine. At the second table in the hall, (served from my Lord's table, and with other hot meats,) sat the Sewer, with the Gentlemen Waiters and Pages, to the number of twenty-four. At the third table in the hall, sat the Clerk of the Kitchen, with the Yeomen Officers of the House, two Grooms of the Chamber, &c. Other Officers of the Household were, Chief Auditor, Mr. Smith ; Clerk of the Accounts, Mr. George Wharton ; Purveyor of the Castle, Mr. Salsbury ; Ushers of the Hall, Mr. Movie and Mr. Croke ; Closet Keeper, Gentleman of the Chapel, Mr. Davies ; Keeper of the Records; Master of the Wardrobe ; Master of the Armoury ; Master Groom of the Stable for the War Horses ; Master of the Hounds ; Master Falconer ; Porter and his man. Two Butchers ; two Keepers of the Home Park ; two Keepers of the Red Deer Park. Footmen, Grooms, and other menial Servants, to the number of 150. Some of the footmen were brewers and bakers. Out Officers. Steward of Ragland, William Jones, Esq. ; the Governor of Chepstow Castle, Sir Nicholas Kemys, Bart. ; Housekeeper of Worces- ter House, in London, James Redman, Esq. Thirteen Bailiffs. Two Counsel for the Bailiffs to have recourse to. Solicitor, Mr. John Smith. S.VDLER'S WELLS. "T. GL, Doctor in Physic," published, in 1684, a pamphlet upon this place, in which he says:" The water of this well, before the Reforma- tion, was very much famed for several extraordinary cures performed thereby, and w;is thereupon accounted sacred, and called Holy-well. The priests belonging to the priory of Clerkenwell using to attemt there, made the people believe thai the virtue of the water proceeded from the efficacy of their prayers ; but at the Reformation the well was stopped, upon the supposition that the frequenting of it was altogether super- stitious ; and so by degrees it grew out of remembrance, and was wholly lost until then found out ; when a gentleman named Sadler, who had lately built a new music-house there, and being surveyor of the high- ways, had employed men to dig gravel in his garden, in the midst whereof they found it stopped up and covered with an arch of stone." After the decease of Sadler, Francis Forcer, a musician of some eminence in his profession, became proprietor of the well and music-room ; he was MARVELLOUS, HAKE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 113 succeeded bv his son, who first exhibited there the diversions of rope- dancing and" tumbling, which were then performed in the garden. The rural vicinity of the " Wells," long made it a favourite retreat of the pleasure-seeking citizens. CHA.MPIOX FIGG. James Figg, a native of Thame, in Oxfordshire, was a man of remark- able athletic strength and agility, and signalized himself greatly over any of his country competitors in the art of cudgel-playing, single-stick, and other gymnastic exercises. Having acquired a considerable know- ledge of the broad-sword, he came to London, and set up as master in 114 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; that science, undertaking to teach the nobility and gentry of his day the noble art of self defence ; and championed himself against all comers. He took a waste piece of ground, the corner of Wells and Castle-streets, Oxford-road, and erected a wooden edifice, which, in imitation of the Romans, he denominated an amphitheatre ; and established here a regular academy, to train pupils in the practice of cudgeling, broad- sword, &c. &c., as well to use it, on fixed occasions, for the exhibition of prize-fighting. He had many followers, and we find him commemo- rated and praised by most of the wits of his time. " The Tattler," "Guardian," and "Craftsman," have equally contributed to preserve his memory, as have several writers. Bramstone, in his " Man of Taste" tells us : " In Figg the prize-fighter by day delight, And sup with.Colley Gibber every night." Another writer notices him in the following lines : " To Figg and Broughton he commits his breast, To steel it to the fashionable test." Sutton, the pipe-maker of Gravesend, was his rival, and dared the mighty Figg to the combat. Twice they fought, with alternate advan- tage ; but, at the third trial, a considerable time elapsed before victory decided for either party ; at length the palm of victory was obtained by Figg. In short, neither Ned Sutton, Tom Buck, nor Bob Stokes, could resist, or stand against his skill and valour. He was never defeated but once, and then by Sutton, in one of their previous combats, and that was generally supposed to have been in consequence of an illness he had on him at the time he fought. When Faber engraved his portrait from a painting by Ellys, he was at a loss what he should insert, as an appropriate motto, and consulting with a friend what he should put, .was answered, "A Fi, with Christopher Clarkson, from Lanca- shire, who was called the Old Soldier. The fashion of attending prize- fighting matches had attained its highest zenith in Figg's time, and it was looked upon as a very great proof of self-denial in an amateur if he failed a meeting on those occasions. From Figg's theatre he will not miss a night, Though cocks, and bulls, and Irish women, tight. Kigg left a widow and several children ; so recently as 1794 a daughter- in-law of his was living, and resided in Charles-street, Westminster, where she kept a house, and supported herself very decently by letting lodgings, aided by a very small income. n::i>s IN 1,17:;. The wardrobe of a country gentleman is thus given from a will, dated 1 . r >7:;, in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, in Bray ley and Britton's (>'i-n//n'<- 11/nnfrnfoi "I give unto my brother Mr'. William Sheney MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 115 my best black gown, garded and faced with velvet, and my velvet cap ; also I will unto iny brother Thomas Marcal my new shepe colored gowne, garded with velvet and faced with cony ; also I give unto my son Tyble my shorte gown, faced with wolf (skin), and laid with Billements lace ; also I give unto my brother Cowpcr my other shorte gowne, faced with foxe ; also I give unto Thomas Walker my night gown, faced with cony, with one lace also, and my ready (ruddy) colored hose ; also I give unto my man Thomas SAvaine my doublet of canvas that Forde made me, and my new gaskyns that Forde made me ; also I give unto John Wyldinge a cassock of shepes colour, edged with ponts skins ; also I give unto John. Woodzyle my doublet of fruite canvas, and my hose with fryze bryches ; also I give unto Strowde my frize jerkin with silke buttons ; also I give Symonde Bisshoppe, the smyth, my other frize jerkyn, with stone buttons ; also I give to Adam Ashame my hose with the frendge (fringe), and lined with crane-coloured silk ; which gifts I will to be delivered immediately after my decease." ORIGIX OF THE CREST OF THE PRIXCE OF "WALES. The loss of the French at the battle of Cre9y was immense. There fell 1,200 knights ; 1,400 esquires ; 4,000 commissioned officers ; 30,000 rank and file ; Dukes of Lorraine and Bourbon ; Earls of Flanders, Blois, Har- court, Vaudemont, and Aumale ; the King of Bohemia ; the King of Ma- jorca. The "English lost one esquire, three knights, and less than one hundred rank and file. Here did they first use field artillery ; and on this battle-field did the young Prince of Wales adopt the ostrich plumes and motto of the slain King of Bohemia, Avho, being blind, desired to be led at a gallop between two knights into the thick of the fight, and thus met death. Those feathers and the two words " Ich clien," " I serve," are to this day the heraldic bearings of the Prince of Wales, whom God preserve ! So much for Cre^y or Cressy ! SINGULAR DISCOVERY OF A THIEF IX 1822. On Februaiy 20, as a servant in the employ of J. L. King, Esq., of Stogumber, was entering a field, his attention was attracted by a mag- pie, which appeared to have escaped from a neighbouring house. The bird spoke so uncommonly plain that the man was induced to follow it. " Cheese for Marget, Cheese for Marget" was its continual cry, as it hopped forward, till it stopped behind a hay-stack, and began to eat. On inspection, a number of hams, a quantity of cheese, &c., were dis- covered, which had been stolen, a short time previously, from Mr. Bowering, of Williton. The plunder was deposited in sacks, on one of which was marked the name of a person residing in the neighbourhood, which led to the apprehension of four fellows, who have been committed to Wilton gaol. EFFECT OF VINEGAR OX THE SKIX. By the use of vinegar the Spanish General Vitellis, made his skin hang about him like a pelisse ; but of the wonderful dilatability of the skin, no instance equals the Spaniard who showed himself to Tan-Horn, Silvius, Piso, and other learned men at Amsterdam. Taking up with his left 116 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; hand the skin of his right shoulder, he would bring the same up to his mouth : again he would draw the skin of his chin down to his breast like a beard, and presently put it upwards to the top of his head, hiding both his eyes therewith ; "after which, the same would return orderly and equally to its proper place. ADVERTISEMENT OF A DYING SPEECH BOOK IN 1731 Newgate literature was more popular in the last century than it is now. The following is an advertisement in the Gentleman' 's Magazine of the above date : " A General History of Executions for the year, 1730. Containing the lives, actions, dying speeches, confessions and behaviour, of sixty male- factors executed at Tyburn, and elsewhere; particularly three un- fortunate young gentlemen, viz., Mr. Goodburn, a Cambridge scholar, Mr. Johnston, and Mr. Porter, son to the late Lord Mayor of Dublin : and of several notorious highwaymen, foot-pads, street-robbers, and housebreakers, as Dalton, Everet, Doyle, Newcomb, &c. , and of the live young highwaymen taken at Windsor, said to have formed a design to rob the Queen there. To which is added, the trial of William Gordon at Chelmsford for a robberv on the highway ; an account of the incen- diaries at Bristol, and the apprehending John Power, for sending threatening letters, and firing Mr. Packer's house; also the life of Col. Ch s. Together with an alphabetical list of all the persons in- dicted or tried at the Old Bailey, the year past. With the judgment of the couit respectively passed upon each, referring to the pages in the session books for the trials at large. Printed for R. Newton at St. John's Gate, and sold by the booksellers price bound 2s. 6d. " ADVERTISEMENT OF A FLEET PAKSOX. In the last century, when marriages were allowed to be transacted we cannot say solemnized in the Fleet Prison, and the adjacent taverns, the pronigate wretches who disgraced their sacred profession by taking part in such iniquities, were obliged to bid against one another for custom here is one of their advertisements : G. R. At the true Chapel at the old Red Hand and Mitre, three doors from Fleet Lane and next Door to the White Swan ; Marriages are performed by authority by the Reverend Mr. Symson educated at the University of Cambridge, and late Chaplain to the Earl of Rothes. N.B. Without Imposition. i in-: AS*. In all countries, this sure-footed and faithful animal is adopted as an emblem of stupidity, from the patience with which it submits to punish- ment and endures privation. A pair of ass's ears is inflicted upon a child MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 117 in reproof of his duncehood ; and through life we hear every blockhead of our acquaintance called an ass. "Whereas the ass is a beast of great intelligence ; and we often owe our safety to its sure and xmerring foot beside the perilous precipice, where the steps of the man of science would have faltered. The Fathers of the Church, and the Disciples of the Sorbonne, per- suaded of the universal influence of the Christian faith, believed the dark cross on the back of the ass to date only from the day on which our Saviour made his entry into Jerusalem. The ass of the desert was an animal of great price. Pliny mentions that the Senator Arius paid for one the sum of four hundred thousand sesterces. Naturalists have fre- quently remarked the extraordinary dimensions of an ass's heartj which is thought an indication of courage ; and it is the custom of the peasantry of some countries to make their children wear a piece of ass's skin about their person. The ass's skin is peculiarly valuable, both for the manu- facture of writing-tablets and drums ; which may be the reason why a dead ass is so rarely seen. It is too valuable to be left on the highway. In many places, the ass serves as a barometer. If he roll in the dust, fine weather may be expected ; but if he erect his ears, rain is certain. Why should not these animals experience the same atmospheric influences as man ? , Are we not light-hearted in the sunshine, and depressed in a heavy atmosphere ? CHOICE RECEIPTS FROil " PHTSICK FOE THE POOR. LONDON, 1657." To make any one that SIcepeth answer to whatsoever iliou ask. Take the heart of an oul, and his right legg, and put them upon the breast of one that sleepeth, and they shall reveal whatsoever thoii ask them. To knoio any Man or Woman's minde when they are Asleep. Take the hart of a dove, and the legg of a frog, dry it well, and beat them to powder in a morter, put this up in a linnen cloth, with three or four round pibble stones, as big as wallnuts, then lay this upon the parties pit of their stomach, and they shall tell you all things that they have done, if there is anything remarkable that troubles them. To make the Nose Bleed. Take the leaves of yerrow, put it up in thy nose ; this will make the nose bleed immediately. lo make a Tooth Drop out. Mizaldus saith that if you make a powder of earth-worms and put it in the hollow of a rotten tooth, it will im- mediately drop out. How strange must have been the education and intelligence of the period, when people could write, publish, and practice such incredible trash ! SHOCKING DEPRAVITY. The following account, from an old magazine, affords a strange and lamentable instance of a wretch just about to die, being only intent with his latest breath to defame his own mother : Mary Lynn, condemn'd last Assizes for the County of Norfolk, was burnt to ashes at a stake, for being concern'd in the murder of her mis- tress ; and Smith, the principal, was hang'd for the same fact. She deny'd her being guilty, and said Smith could clear her if he would. 118 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; She behaved with decency, and died penitent. Smith was drunk at the Callows ; and seem'd to have but little sense either of his crime or punishment ; however, desired all masters to pay their servants' wages on Saturday night, that they might have money to spend, and not run in debt. Said, " My mother always told me I should die in my shoe?, but I will make her a liar ;" so threw them off. PERSONAL CHARMS DISCLAIMED. If any human being was free from personal vanity, it must have been the second Duchess d'Orleans, Charlotte Elizabeth of Bavaria. In one of her letters (dated 9th August, 1718), she says, " I must certainly be monstrously ugly. I never had a good feature. My eyes are small, my nose short and thick, my lips broad and thin. These are not materials to form a beautiful face. Then I have flabby, lank cheeks, and long features, which suit ill with my low stature. My waist and my legs are equally clumsy. Undoubtedly I must appear to be an odious little wretch ; and had I not a tolerable good character, no creature could endure me. I am sure a person must be a conjuror to judge me by my eyes that I have a grain of wit." CADER IDRIS. On the very summit of Cader Idris there is an excavation in the solid rock, resembling a couch ; and it is said that whoever should rest a night in that seat, will be found in the morning either dead, raving mad, or endued with supernatural genius. OLD LONDON SHIXS. Some notion of the houses arid shops of old London may be gathered by a visit to Bell Yard, near Temple Bar ; Great Winchester Street, near the Bank ; the wooden houses near Cripplegate Chxirch ; and a few other districts which were spared by the Great Fire of 1666. In Bell Yard, for instance, the national feeling for improvement has from time to time i -fleeted changes : the lattices of diamond-shaped lead-work, carved pendants, and the projecting signs of the various tradesmen, have dis- appeared, and here and there sheets of plate glass have been used, to give a somewhat modern appearance to the places of business. Still the pro- jecting and massive wood-work of the shops, and the peculiar picturesque appearance of the houses, cannot be altogether disguised ; and if any <>t our readi-rs, who mav be curious in such matters, will walk up Bailey's Court, on the west side of Mell Yard, he will there see a group of wooden buildings exactly like the great mass which was cleared by the fire. In some of the pictures of London of about this time, the shops of the various tradesmen were chiefly ungla/ed, and above the door of each was suspended the silver swans ; tin- gulden swans; the chained swans ; the golden heads; mitres; bells lilaek, red, white, and blue; rising and .-i-tting suns; moons of different phases; men in the moon; sceptres; crowns, and many other devices, which, even at that time, were uccessary to distinguish one shop from another. The chequers; St. George and f lie dragon ; royal oaks ; king's heads ; and double signs, such as the MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAIXT. 119 horse-shoe and magpie ; bell and crown ; bell and horns, and such like, were more particularly set apart for the use of the various hostelries. Everyone, however, who had a London shop of any kind or consequence, had his sign. Many of them were well carved in wood, and ornamented with emblazonry and gilding. No doubt if it were possible to find at the present time the same picturesque architectural displays as were to be met with in London in (iueen Elizabeth's days, our artistic friends would be able to pick up many a nice subject for their pencils, but in those days there were plenty of drawbacks ; the pavement was bad, the drainage was worse, and from the eaves of the houses and pents of the shops, streams of water ran down in wet weather upon the wayfarers, and, by lodging in the thoroughfares, made the London streets something in the same state as those of Agar Town and some other neglected parts of the metropolis. "We must not forget that in the days to which we allude there were no nagged foot- paths, and that the only distinction from the horse and cart roads, and that for the foot passengers, was a separation by wooden posts, which, in genteel places, were made supports for chains. People, however, got tired of this bad state of things, and measures were taken to put a stop to the streams of water from the roofs, &c. After the Great Fire, an enactment was made for an alteration in the spouts, &c. ; all barbers' poles, and projecting signs, and other projections were to be done away with, and other changes made for the better. Up to the reign of Queen Anne, we find, by reference to views of Cheapside and the neighbourhood of the Monument, that the projecting signs were still in use ; and that even at that recent date, many of the London shops in the important neighbourhoods above mentioned were without glazing, and looked much lik e some of the greengrocers' sheds in use now in Bermondsey and some other places. Severe measures seem to have been at length taken against the pro- jecting signs, and most of them disappeared, and then it became a most difficiilt matter either to address letters, or find a man's shop. In Dr. Johnson's day, he and other persons gave the address " over against " a particular sign, or so many doors from such a sign. In consequence of this uncertainty, many houses in London, which from their association with eminent men would possess much interest now, cannot be pointed out ; and it was a wonderful benefit to the metropolis when the plan of numbering the houses in each street was hit upon. But for this, considering that the population has doubled in the last fifty years, it is difficult to know how the genius of Rowland Hill would have worked his plan of London post-office delivery, or business could be carried on with any kind of comfort. The booksellers and publishers seem to have been the last, with the exception of the tavern-keepers, to give up the old signs. After the Great Fire, some of the ancient signs which were cut in stone, and which had escaped the conflagration, were got out of the ruins, and afterwards placed in the front of the plain, yet solid, brick buildings which were erected after that event. Some of these the " Chained Bear," the " Collared Swan," the " Moon and Seven Stars," and " Sun," in Cheap- 120 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; side, and some others which we now engrave are still preserved. The carved wooden sign of the " Man in the Moon," in Wych Street, Strand, is a rare example ; and the " Horse-shoe and Magpie," in Fetter Lane, is one of the last of the suspended signs to be now found in the City. Amongst the painted signs of London taverns worth notice, is one in Oxford-street (nearly opposite Rathbone-place), said to have been painted by Hogarth. The subject is " a man loaded with mischief." He lias a stout woman on his shoulders, together with a monkey, in;iie, etc. The male figure shown in this street picture seems to bear up pretty well under his burden. MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 121 XABROW ESCAPE. CALM RELIANCE ON PROVIDENCE. In the year Ioo2, Francis Pelusius, of sixty-three years old, digging a well forty foot deep in the hill of St. Sebastian, the earth ahove him fell in upon him to thirty-five foot depth ; he was somewhat sensible before of what was coming, and opposed a plank, which by chance he had with him, against the ruins, himself lying under it ; by this means he was protected from the huge weight of earth, and retained some room and breath to himself, by which he lived seven days and nights without food or sleep, without any pain or sorrow, being full of hope, which he placed in God only. Ever and anon he called for help, as being yet safe, but was heard by none, though he could hear the motion, noise and words of those that were above him, and could count the hours as the clock went. After the seventh day, he being all this while given for dead, they brought a bier for his corpse, and when a good part of the well was digged up, on a sudden they heard the voice of one crying from the bottom. At first they were afraid, as if it had been the voice of a subterranean spirit ; the voice continuing, they had some hope of his life, and hastened to dig to him, till at last, after they had given him a glass of wine, they drew him up living and well, his strength so entire that to lift him out he would not suffer himself to be bound, nor would use any help of another. Yea, he was of so sound, understanding, that, jesting, he drew out his purse and gave them money, saying He had been with such good hosts, that for seven days it had not cost him afarthuxj, CEILING OF WHITEHALL. The celebrated painting on the roof of the Banqueting House, has been restored, re-painted, and refreshed, not fewer than three times. In the reign of James II., 1687, Parrey Walton, a painter of still life, and the keeper of the king's pictures, was appointed to re-touch this grand work of art, which had then (as appears by the Privy Council Book) been painted only sixty years. Walton was paid 212 for its complete restora- tion, which siun was considered by Sir Christopher Wren, " as very modest and reasonable." It was restored a second time by the celebrated Cipriani ; and for a third time by a painter named Rigaud. BUNYAN'S BIBLE. John Bunyan's Bible (printed by Bill and Barker) bound in morocco, and which had been his companion during his twelve years' unjustifiable confinement in Bedford gaol, where he wrote his " Pilgrim's Progress, was purchased at the sale of the library of the Eev. S. Palmer, of Hackney, March, 1814, for the late Samuel Whitbread, Esq., for the sum of 21. This Bible, and the " Book of Martyrs," are said to have constituted the whole library of Bunyan during his imprisonment. SPECIMENS OP ROYAL GRANT*. In 1206, King John grants to W. de Camville a licence to destroy game in any of the royal forests, which proves the origin of the Game Laws. 1238. Henry III. gave 5001. to Baldwyn, Emperor of Constantinople. TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; 1342. King Edward III. forgives to the mayor and citizens of London the indignation and rancour of niind that he had conceived against them. 1344. The king grants to Adam Thorp, the trimmer of his beard, certain lands at Eye, near Westminster. The scrupulous attention which Edward III. paid to that ornament of his face, may be seen in his bronze effigy in Westminster Abbey, which was taken from a mask after his death. 1409. The king settles on Joan of Navarre, his queen, 10,000^. per annum. 1417. Henry V. grants to Joan Warin, his nurse, an annuity of 201. during life. 1422. The jewels which had belonged to King Henry V., and were valued at so large a sum as 40,000/., were delivered to Sir Henry Fitz Hugh, and his other executors, for the payment of his personal debts. 1422. The " Pysane," or great collar of gold and rubies, was pawned by the king to his uncle, Cardinal Beaufort, who is supposed, at the time of his death, to have amassed more wealth than any subject in England. COFFEE AND TEA. The bill for attendance at the Dorchester Assizes in 1686 of Mr. John Bragge, the town-clerk of Lyme, presents this novelty the article coffee is charged 2d. This may have been drunk at a coffee-house. Coffee was introduced from Turkey in 1650. An advertisement in the " Mcrcurius Politicus," Sept. 30, 1658, instructs how "That excellent and by all physitians approved C/timt drink, called by the Chineans Tcha, by other nations, tay alias tec, is sold at the Sultana's Head Coffee-house, in Sweeting' s-rcnts, by the Exchange, London. " There was a " cophce-house" in St. Michael's-alley, Cornhill, about 1657. Tea, coffee, and chocolate were placed under the excise. There was no tax upon these commodities when imported, but when made into drink, as tea was, at 8d. a gallon, and sold at these houses. nr.M AiiKAHi.r, I-KKSKKVATION OF in MAX n AIKSINOI; TTIE NORMAN PERIOD. In 1839 a cofh'n was discovered in the abbey church of llomsey, which had originally contained the body of a female of the abovecarly time. The bones had entirely decayed, but the hair, with its characteristic in- destructibility, was found entire, and appeared as if the skull had only recently been removed from it, retaining its form entire, and having plaited tails eighteen inches in length. It is still preserved in a glass case, lying upon the same block of oak which has been its pillow for centuries. ITIil.K' T\>ri; FOll CONJUEING IX 1718. One of the amusements of 17 is was the juggling exhibition of a fire- 'liter, whose name was De Eigbtrehight, a native of the valley of An- nivi in the Alps. This tremendous person ate burning coals* chewed Hainm- ItrimMone and strtillairctl \\, licked a red-hot poker, placed a red- hot heater OH his tongue, kindled coals on his tongue, sufli-red them 1o !" MO-.MI, mid broiled meat on them, ate melted pitch, brimstone, bee*- MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 123 wax, sealing-wax, and rosin, with a spoon ; and, to complete the busi- ness, he performed all these impossibilities five times per diem, at the Duke of Marlborough's Head, in Fleet-street, for the trifling receipts of 2s. 6d., Is. 6d., and Is. Master Hightrehight had the honour of exhibit ing before Lewis XIV., the Emperor of Germany, the King of Sicily, the Doge of Venice, and an infinite number of princes and nobles and the Prince of Wales, who had nearly lost this inconceivable pleasure by the envious interposition of the Inquisition at Bologna and in Piedmont, which holy office seemed inclined to try their mode of burning on his body, leaving to him the care of resisting the flames and rendering them harmless ; but he was preserved from the unwelcome ordeal by the in- terference of the Dutchess Royal Regent of Savoy and the Marquis Bentivoglia. THE TRIUMPHS OP SCIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE. Distance seems not to have entered into the calculations of the engineers who built those monuments of human skill carriage -road* over the Alps. They were after a certain grade, and they obtained it, though by contortions and serpentine windings that seem almost endless. Thus the Simplon averages nowhere more than one inch elevation to a foot, and, indeed, not quite that. Thirty thousand men were employed on this road six years. There are six hundred and eleven bridges in less than forty miles, ten galleries, and twenty houses of refuge, while the average width of the road is over twenty-five feet. The Splugen presents almost as striking features as the Simplon. From these facts, some idea may be gathered of the stupendoiis work it must be to carry a carriage-road over the Alps. CHRISTMAS PIE. The following appeared ia the Neiccastle Chronicle, 6th January, 1770: " Monday last was brought from Howick to Berwick, to be shipped for London, for Sir Henry Grey, hart., a pie, the contents whereof are as follows: 2 bushels of flour, 201bs. of butter, 4 geese, 2 turkeys, 2 rabbits, 4 wild ducks, 2 woodcocks, 6 snipes, 4 partridges, 2 neats' tongues, 2 curlews, 7 blackbirds, and 6 pigeons : it is supposed a very great curiosity, was made by Mrs. Dorothy Patterson, house-keeper at Howick. It was near nine feet in circumference at bottom, weighs about twelve stones, will take two men to present it at table ; it is neatly fitted with a case, and four small wheels to facilitate its use to every guest that inclines to partake of its contents at table." THE UPAS, (POISON) TREE. "We give here an instance of the extravagancies of ancient travellers, this tissue of falsehoods being taken from " Foersch's Description of Java :" The Sohon Upas is situated in the Island of Java about twenty- seven leagues from Batavia, fourteen from Soulis Charta, the seat of the Emperor, and between eighteen and twenty leagues from Tinkjoe, the present residence of the Sultan of Java. It is surrounded on all sides by a circle of high hills and mountains ; and the country round 124 TEX THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; it, to the distance of ten or twelve miles from the tree, is entirely barren. Xot a tree, nor a shrub, nor even the least plant or grass is to be seen. I have made the tour all around this dangerous spot, at about eighteen miles distant from the centre, and I found the aspect of the country on all sides equally dreary. The easiest ascent of the hills is from that part where the old Ecclesiastick dwells. From his house the criminals are sent for the poison, into which the points of all warlike instruments are dipped. It is of high value, and produces a consider- able revenue to the Emperor. The poison which is procured from this tree is a gum that issiies out between the bark and the tree itself, like the ctnnjihor. Malefactors, who for their crimes are sentenced to die, arc the only persons who fetch the poison ; and this is the only chance they have of saving their lives. After sentence is pronounced upon them by the Judge, they are asked in Court, whether they will die by the hands of the executioner, or whether they will go to the Upas-tree for a box of poison ? They commonly prefer the latter proposal, as there is not only some chance of preserving their lives, but also a certainty, in case of their safe return, that a provision will be made for them in future by tho Kmperor. They are also permitted to ask a favour from the Emperor, which is generally of a trifling nature, and commonly granted. They arc then provided with a silver or tortoise-shell box, in which they arc to put the poisonous gum, and are properly instructed how to proceed while they are upon their dangerous expedition. They are always told In attetld to the direction of the wind, as they are to go towards the tree before the wind ; so that the effluvia from the tree is always blown from them. They go to the house of the old ecclesiastic, who prepares them by prayers and admonitions for their future fate ; he puts them on a long It at hern cap with two glasses before their eyes, which comes down as fur as their breast; and also provides them with a pair of leather gloves. They are conducted by the priest, and their friends, and relations, about two miles on their journey. The old Ecclesiastick assured me that in upwards of thirty years, he had dismissed above seven hundred criminals in the manner described, and that scarcely two out of twenty hav turned. All the Malayans consider this tree as an holy instrument of the great prophet to punish the sins of mankind, and, therefore, to die of tfifl poison of the Upas is generally considered among them as an honourable death. This, however, is certain, that from fifteen to eighteen miles round this tree, not only no human creature can exist, but no animal of (in;/ kind lias ever been discovered, there are no Jish in tho waters, and when any birds lly so near this tree that the effluvia reaches tin in, they drop down dead. DI'ATII I \r-i:i) BY STTPERSTITIOX. In Hamburg, in 1784, a singular accident occasioned the death of a young couple. The lady going to the church of the August in l-'riars, knelt down near a Mausoleum, onianienled with divers figures in marble, among which Avas that of Death, armed with a scythe, a small piece of the Millie hein^ loose, fell on the hood of the lady's mantelet. On her return home, she mentioned the circumstance as a matter of indifference MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 125 to her husband, who, being a credulous and superstitious man, cried out in a terrible panic, that it was a presage of the death of his dear wife. The same day he was seized with a violent fever, took to his bed, and died. The disconsolate lady was so affected at the loss, that she was taken ill, and soon followed him. They were both interred in the same grave ; and their inheritance, which was very considerable, fell to some very distant, relations. ST. PAUL AXD THE VIPER. THE CHURCH AT MALTA. Not far from the old city of Valetta, in the island of Malta, there is a small church dedicated to St. Paul, and just by the church, a mira- culous [statue of the Saint with a viper on his liand ; supposed to be placed on the very spot on which he was received after his shipwreck on this island, and where he shook the viper off his hand into the fire, without being hurt by it. At which time the Maltese assure us, the Saint cursed all the venomous animals of the island, and banished them for ever ; just as St. Patrick treated those of his favourite isle. Whether this be the cause of it or not, we shall leave to divines to determine, though if it had, St. Luke would probably have mentioned it in the Acts of the Apostles ; but the fact is certain, that there are no venomous animals in Malta. THE FIRST HERMITS WHY SO-CALLED. Hermits, or Eremites, (from the Greek tpiipos, a desert place,) were men who retired to desert places to avoid persecution ; they lodged in eaves and cells : " Where from the mountain's grassy side, Their guiltless feast they bring ; A scrip with herbs and fruit supply'd, And water from the spring." The first hermit was Paul, of Thebes, in Egypt, who lived about the year 260 ; the second, was St. Anthony, also of Egypt, who died in 345, at the age of 105. ST. JAMES'S SQUARE. The author of A Tour through the Island of Great Britain (Daniel Defoe), second edition, 1738, gives us the following particulars of this aristocratic locality: "The alterations lately made in St. James's Square are entitled to our particular notice. It used to be in a very ruinous condition, considering the noble houses in it, which are inhabited by the first quality. But now it is finely paved all over with heading- stone ; a curious oval bason full of water, surrounded with iron rails on a dwarf wall, is placed in the middle, mostly 7 feet deep and 150 diameter. In the centre is a pedestal about fifteen feet square, designed for a statue of King William III. The iron rails are octagonal, and at each, angle without the rails, is a stone pillar about 9 feet high, and a lamp on the top. The gravel walk within the rails is about 26 feet broad from each angle to the margin of the basin. It was done at the expense of the inhabitants by virtue of an act of parliament. The house that once belonged to the Duke of Ormond, and since to the Duke of Chandos, 126 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; is pulled down and makes three noble ones, besides fine stables and coach- houses behind, and two or three more good houses in the street leading to St. James's Church. This noble square wants nothing but to have the lower part of it, near Pall Mall, built -of a piece with the rest, and the designed statue to be erected in the middle of the basin. "His Royal Highness the Prince of "Wales has taken the Duke of Norfolk's house, and another adjoining to it, which are now (October, 1737) actually repairing for his town residence ; Car It on House being too small for that purpose." THE MORAYSIIIRE FLOODS. In the month of August, 1829, the province of Moray and adjoining districts were visited by a tremendous flood. Its ravages were most destructive along the course of those rivers which h;ivc their source in the Cairngorm mountains. The waters of the Findhom and the Spey, and their tributaries, rose to an unexampled height. In some parts of their course these streams rose lil'ty t'ect above their natural level. Many houses were laid desolate, much agricultural produce was destroyed, and il lives were lost. The woodcut in our text represents the situation of a boatman called Sandy Smith, and his family, in the plains of Forres. " They were huddled together," says the eloquent historian of the Floods, " on a spot of ground a few ft t square, some forty or fifty yards beloTT their inundated dwelling. Sandy was sometimes standing and sometimes hitting on a small OMK, and, as the beholders fancied, watching with intense an.xit ty the pnen-x ,,f the flood, and trembling for every lai^e tre.- that it brought sweeping past them. His wife, eo\eivd with a blanket, sat shi\ering on a bit of a log, one child in her lap, and a girl of MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 127 about seventeen, and a boy of about twelve years of age,, leaning against her side. A bottle and a glass on the ground, near the man, gave the spectators, as it had doubtless given him, some degree of comfort. About a score of sheep were standing around, or wading or swimming in the shallows. Three cows and a small horse, picking at a broken rick of straw that seemed to be half-afloat, were also grouped with the family." The account of the rescue of the sufferers is given with a powerful dramatic effect, but we cannot afford space for the quotation. The courageous adventurers who manned the boat for this dangerous enter- prise, after being carried over a cataract, which overwhelmed their boat, caught hold of a floating hay-cock, to which they clung till it stuck among some young alder-trees. Each of them then grasping a bough, they supported themselves for two hours among the weak and brittle branches. They afterwards recovered the boat under circumstances almost miraculous, and finally succeeded in rescuing Sandy and his family from their perilous situation. TBEAX3IEXT AXD CONDITION OF W01IEX IX FOMIEB, TIMES. From the subversion of the Iloman Empire, to the fourteenth or fif- teenth century, women spent most of their time alone, almost entire strangers to the joys of social life ; they seldom went abroad, but to be spectators of such public diversions and amusements as the fashions of the times countenanced. Francis I. was the first who introduced women on public days to Court ; before his time nothing was to be seen at any of the Courts of Europe, but grey-bearded politicians, plotting the destruction of the rights and liberties of mankind, and warriors clad in complete armour, ready to put their plots in execution. In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries elegance had scarcely any existence, and even cleanliness was hardly considered as laudable. The use of linen was not known ; and the most delicate of the fair sex wore woollen shifts. In Paris they had meat only three times a week ; and one hun- dred livres, (about five pounds sterling,) was a large portion for a young lady. The better sort of citizens used splinters of wood and rags dipped in oil, instead of candles, which, in those days, were a rarity hardly to be met with. Wine was only to be had at the shops of the Apothecaries, where it was sold as a cordial ; and to ride in a two -wheeled cart, along the dirty rugged streets, was reckoned a grandeur of so enviable a nature, that Philip the Fair prohibited the wives of citizens from en- joying it. In the time of Henry VIII. of England, the peers of the realm carried their wives behind them on horseback, when they went to London ; and in the same manner took them back to their country seats, with hoods of waxed linen over their heads, and wrapped in mantles of . cloth to secure them from the cold. HOMER IX A NUTSHELL. Huct, Bishop of Avranches, thus writes in his autobiography: ' ' When his Highness the Dauphin was one day confined to his bed by a slight illness, and we who stood round were endeavouring to entertain him by pleasant conversation, mention was by chance made of the person 128 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; who boasted that he had written Homer's Iliad in characters so minute, that tlu- whole could be enclosed in a walnut shell. This appearing in- credible to many of the company, I contended not only that it might be done, but that I could do it. As they expressed their astonishment at this assertion, that I might not be suspected of idle boasting, I im- mediately put it to the proof. I therefore took the fourth part of a com- mon leaf of paper, and on its narrower side wrote a single line in so small a character that it contained twenty verses of the Iliad : of such lines < -licit page of the paper could easily admit 120, therefore the page would contain 2400 Homeric verses : and as the leaf so divided would give eight pages it would afford room for above 19,000 verses, whereas the whole number in the Iliad does not exceed 17,000. Thus by my single line I demonstrated my proposition." AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF CIURTXG CROSS AND CUKAPSIDE CHOSS. The following interesting "Autobiographies" of the Old London Crosses, are extracted from Henry Peacham's Dialogue between the C'/v.,sw /// Cheap and Chariny Cross, confronting/ each other, as fearing their J'till in these uxcertainc times, four leaves, 4to. 1641. " C'hariiir/ Cross. I am made all of white marble (which is not pcr- <. ived of euery one) and so cemented with mortar made of the purest lime, Callis sand, whites of eggs and the strongest wort, that I defie all hatchets and hammers whatsoever. In King Henry the Eighth's daies I was hinged, and should have been degraded for that I had: Then in F.dward the Sixe, when Somerset-house was building, I was in danger ; :il'tT that, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, one of her footmen had like to have run away with me ; but the greatest danger of all I was in, when I quak'd for fear, was in the time of King James, for I was eight times begged: part of me was bespoken to make a kitchen chimney for a chide oonstable in Shoreditch; an inn-keeper in Holborn had bargained iur as much of me as would make two troughes, one to stand under a pumpe to water his guests' horses, and the other to give his swine their nu ate in ; the rest of my poore carcase should have been carried I know no', whith'T to the repaire of a decayed stone bridge (as I was told) on the top of Harrow-hill. Our royall forefather and founder, King Edward the First you know, built our sister crosses, Lincolne, Granthame, \Yolmrne, Northampton, Stonie-Stratfonl, Ihmstable, Saint Alhanes, and ourselves here in London, in the 21st yeare of his raignc, in the yeare 1'JWi." " CftMMMI Cross. After this most valiant and excellent king had built me in tonne, answerable in beauty and proportion to the rest, 1 fell to decay, at which time one John Ilatherly, maior of London, having first obtained a licence of King Henry the' Sixt, anno 1441, I was u- j >; i i red in a beautiful manner. John Fisher, a mercer, after that gave 600 Brakes to my new erecting or building, which was finished anno 1 IM, and after in the second yeare. of Henry the Kighth, J was gilded o\er against the coming in of Charles the Fii't, F.mperor, and newly then rild.d against the coronation of King F.dward the Sixt, and gilded a uuiio 106-1, against the coronation of King Philip. Lord, how ol'tcu have MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 129 I been presented by juries of the quest for incombrance of the street, and hindring of cartes and carriages, yet I have kept my standing ; I shall never forget how upon the 21st of June, anno 1581, my lower statues were in the night with ropes pulled and rent down, as in the resurrection, of Christ the image of the Virgin Mary, Edward the Con- i''SMir, and the rest. Then arose many divisions and new sects formerly unheard of, as Martin Marprelate, MUU Penrie, Browne, and sundry others, as the chronicle will inform you. My crosse should have been taken quite away, and a Piramis errected in the place, but Queen Elizabeth (that queen of blessed memory) commanded some of her privie councell, in her Majesties name, to write unto Sir Nicholas Mosely, then Maior, to have me againe repaired with a crosse ; yet for all this I stood bare for a yeare or two after : Her Highness being very angry, sent expresse word she would not endure their contempt, but expressly com- manded forthwith the crosse should be set up, and sent a strict command to Sir William llider, Lord Maior, and bade him to respect my antiquity ; for that is the ancient ensigne of Christianity, &c. This letter was dated December 24, anno 1600. Last of all I was marvellously beautified and adorned against the eomming in of King James, and fenced about with sharp pointed barres of iron, against the rude and villainous hands of such as upon condition as they might have the pulling me down, would be bound to ritie all C'heapside." It is scarcely necessary to say that both crosses have long since dis- appeared, and their sites become uncertain, although the name of Charing Cross still distinguishes an important London district. SOMETHING LIKE A FEAST. Leland mentions a feast given by the Archbishop of York, at his installation, in the reign of Edward IV. The following is a specimen: 300 quarters of wheat, 300 tuns of ale, 100 tuns of wine, 1,000 sheep, 104 oxen, 304 calves, 304 swine, 2,000 geese, 1,000 capons, 2,000 pigs, 400 swans, 104 peacocks, 1,500 hot venison pasties, 4,000 cold, 5,000 custards hot and cold. Such entertainments are a picture of manners. EGVPTIAX TOYS IX THE BI1ITI.SII MU6EOT. The truth of the old proverb, that "there is nothing new under the sun," will be recognised on an examination of the interesting group which forms the subject of our engraving. Here are dolls of different shapes, some of them for good children, and some, perhaps, for bad ; foot-balls, covered with leather, &c., the stitches in parts still firmly adhering; models of fishes and fruit; and round pellets, which the "small boys" of the present day would call "marbles." These toys have been played with by little Egyptians who have been dead and buried three or four thousand years. Many of the toys that hold 'places in the English and other markets, are, so far as fashion is concerned, of considerable antiquity, having been made, without any alteration in pattern, by certain families for several generations. In the mountainous districts of the Savoy and Switzerland, large numbers, both of children and grown persons, arc 130 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; constantly employed in the manufacture of Noah's-arks, milkmaids, &c. Some of the animals carved in wood, and sold here for small prices, show considerable skill in the imitation of the forms of nature, and could only be produced at their present cost, owing to the cheapness of living in those districts, and to the systematic division of labour. tr the birth-place of Prince Albert is a very large manufactory of military toys, such as drums, trumpets, helmets, &c. ; and in parts of Holland " The children take pleasure- in making What the children of England take pleasure in lireaking." THE I'Vl;\MIHS (IF IK.Yl'T. The Pyramids of Egypt, especially the two largest of the Pyramids of MARVELLOUS, HARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 131 Jizeh, are the most stupendous masses of building, in stone, that human labour has ever been known to accomplish. The Egyptian Pyramids, of which, large and small, and in different states of preservation, the number is very considerable, are all situated on the west side of the Nile, and they extend, in an irregular line, and in groups, at some dis- tance from each other, from the neighbourhood of Jizeh, in 30 N. lat. as far south as 29 N. lat., a length of between 60 and 70 miles. All the Pyramids have square bases, and their sides face the cardinal points. The Pyramids of Jizeh are nearly opposite to Cairo. They stand on a plateaxi or terrace of limestone, wich is a projection from the Libvan mountain-chain. The surface of the terrace is barren and irregular, and is covered with sand and small fragments of rock ; its height, measured TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; from the base of the Great Pyramids, is 164 feet above the Nile in its low state, taken at an average of the years 1798 to 1801. The north- east angle of the Great Pyramid is 1700 yards from the canal which runs between the terrace and the Nile, and about live miles from the Nile itself. Herodotus was informed by the priests of Memphis that the Great Pyramid was built by Cheops, King of Egypt, about 900 B. c., or about 450 years before Herodotus visited Egypt. He says that 100,000 men were employed twenty years in building it, and that the body of Cheoj was placed in a room beneath the bottom of the Pyramid, surrounded by a vault to which the waters of the Nile were conveyed through a subter- ranean tunnel. A chamber under the centre of the Pyramid has indeed been discovered, but it does not appear to be the tomb of Cheops. It i; about 56 feet above the low-water level of the Nile. The second Pyra- mid was built, Herodotus says, by Cephren, or Cephrenes, the brother and successor of Cheops ; and the third by Mycerinus, the son of Cheops. TEST OF COr RAGE IX A CHILD. In the education of their children, the Anglo-Saxons only sought to render them dauntless and apt for the two most important occupations of their future lives war and the chase. It was a usual trial of a child's courage, to place him on the sloping roof of a building, and if, without screaming or terror he held fast, he was styled a stout hercc, or brave boy. Howcl. i TIOX OF KAVII.L1AC, WHO A^SAsSlXATKD IIKMiV Till: !'<>. OF HtAV The scene is thus described in a volume published in 1728 : "This Francis ivavilliac was born in Angoulcsmc, by profession a lawyer, wlio, after the committing of that horrid fact, being sei/ed and put upon the rack, May 27; the 25th he had sen? ath passed mi him, and was executed accordingly in the manner following. He was ln-oiight out of prison in his shirt, with a torch of two pound weight lighted in one hand, and the knife wherewith lie murdered the king chained to the other ; lie was then set upright in a dung-earl, wherein he was carried to the gieve or place of execution, where a strong scaffold was built; at his coming upon the scaffold he crossed himself, a sign that he dyt d a Papist; then, be was bound to an engine of wood made like St. Andrew's cross; which done, his hand with the knife chained to it was put into a furnace, then naming with lire and brimstone, wherein it was in a most terrible manner consumed, at which he cast forth horrible cries yet would he not confess any thing ; after whicli the executioner having made pincers red hot in the same furnace, they did pinch the brawn of his arms and thighs, the calves of his legs, with other fleshy parts of his body, then they poured into thewoiinds scalding oil, rosin, pitch, and brimstone mettea together; but to make the act of his tragedy equal in torments to the rest, they caused four strong horx s to lie lu-ought to tear his body in pieces, where bean ready 1o sutler his last torment, he was again questioned, but would not reveal any thing, and so died without calling upon God, or speaking one word concerning Heaven : his flesh and joints were so MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 133 strongly knit together, that these four horses cotild not in a long time dismember him, but one of them fainting, a gentleman who -was present, it i ounted upon a mighty strong horse, alighted, and tyed him to one of the wretch's limbs, yet for all this they were constrained to cut the ilesh under his arms and thighs with a sharp razor, whereby his body was the easier torn in pieces ; which done, the fury of the people was so great, that they pulled his dismembered carcass out of the executioner's hands, which they dragged up and down the dirt, and, cutting oft* the flesh Avith their knives, the bones which remained were brought to the place of execution, and there burnt, the ashes were cast in the wind, being judged unworthy of the earth's burial ; by the same sentence all Ids. goods were forfeited to the king. It was also ordained that the house where he had been, born should be beaten down, a recompence being given the owner thereof, and never any house to be built again upon that ground ; that within fifteen days after the publication of the sentence, by sound of trumpet in the town of Angoulesme, his father and mother should depart the realm, never to return again ; if they did, to be hanged up presently : his brethren, sisters, and other kindred were forbidden to carry the name of Ravilliac, but to take some other, and the substitute of the king's attorney-general had charge to see the execution of the sentence at his peril." KNIVES AXD FOltKS. " In all ancient pictures of Eating, &c. knives are seen in the hands of the guests, but no Forks." -Turner's Saxons. " Here I will mention a thing," says Coryat in his ' Crudities,' " that might have been spoken of before in the discourse of the first Italian toun. I obserued a custome in all those Italian cities and townes through which I passed, that is not vsed in any other country that I saw in my t raules, neither doe I think that any other nation of Christendome doth vse it, but only Italy. The Italians, and also most strangers that are commoraiit in Italy, doe alwaies at their meales vse a little forke when they cut their meate. For while with their knife, which they hold in one hand, they cut their meatc out of the dish, they fasten their forke, which they hold in their other hand, upon the same dish, so that what- soever he be that sitting in the company of others at meate, should vn- aduisedly touch the dish of meate with his fingers from which all at the table doe cut, he will give occasion of offence unto the company, as hauing transgressed the laws of good manners, in so much that for his error he shall be at the least broue-beaten, if not reprehended in words. This form of feeding, I vnderstand, is generally vsed in all places of Italy, their forkes being for the most part made of yron or steele, and some of siluer ; but those are used only by gentlemen. The reason of this their curiosity is, because the Italian cannot by any means indure to have his dish touched with fingers, seeing all men's fingers are not alike clean. Hereupon I myself thought good to imitate the Italian fashion by this forked cutting of meate, not only while I was in Italy, but also in Germany, and oftentimes in England, since I came home : being once quipped for that frequent vsing of my forke, by a certain TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; -entleman, a familiar friend of mine, one Mr. Laurence Whitaker, who in his merry humour doubted not to call me at table furcifer, only for vsing a forke at feeding, but for no other cause." Coryafs Crudities, Kill. Even when Heylin published his Cosmography, (1652,) forks were still a novelty. See his Third Book, where having spoken of the ivory sticks used by the Chinese, he adds, " The use of silver forks, which is by some of our spruce gallants taken up of late, came from thence into Italy, and from thence into England." Antiquarian Repertory. K3. r ^ rinxi>i: o;u,.u;. The Chinese arc very quiet and orderly; and no wonder, because' they arc afraid of the great bamboo stick. The mandarins (or rulers of towns) often sentence offenders to lie upon the ground, and to have thirty strokes of the bamboo. But the Wooden collar is worse than the bamboo stick. It is a great piece of wood with a hole for a man to put his head through. The men in wooden collars are brought out of their prisons everv morning and chained to a wall, where cveryl.ody passing by can si^e them. They caniiut |e,-d thcinsehes in their wooden collars, because they cannot bring their hands to their mouths ; but sometimes a son may be seen MARVELLOUS, HARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 135 feeding his father, as he stands chained to the wall. There are men also whose business it is to feed the prisoners. For great crimes men are strangled or beheaded. ^?>:-F=" fr? 1 CASCADE DES PELERINES. There is a waterfall in Chamouni which no traveller should omit going to see, called the Cascade des Pelerines. It is one of the most curious and beautiful scenes in Switzerland. A torrent issues from the Glacier des Pelerines, high up the mountain, above the Glacier 130 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; du Bossons, and descends, hy a succession of leaps, in a (loop gorge, from precipice to precipice, almost in one continual cataract ; Imt, it is :ill the while merely gathering force, and preparing for its last magnificent deep plunge and recoil of beauty. Springing in one round condensed column out of the gorge, over a perpendicular cliff, it strikes, at its fall, with its whole body of water, into a sort of vertical rock basin, which one would suppose its prodigious velocity and weight would split into a thousand pieces ; but the whole cataract, thus arrested, at Middenly rebounds in a parabolic arch, at least sixty feet into the air ; and then, having made this splendid airy curvature, falls with great and beauty into the natural channel below. It is beyond mear-uvc beautiful. It is like the fall of divine grace into chosen hearts, that send it forth again for the world's refreshment, in something like such a shower and spray of loveliness, to go winding its life-giving course after- wards, as still waters iu green pastures. The force of the recoil from the ] (lunge of so large a body of water, at such a height, is so great, that -tones, thrown into the stream above the fall, may be heard amidst the din striking into the basin, and then are instantly seen careering in the arch of Hashing waters. The same is the < ase with bushes and pieces of wood, which the buy., are always ootrrfe in throwing in, for the curiosity of visitors, who stand below, and see each object invariably carried aloft with the cataract, in its rebounding atmospheric gambol:,. When the sun is in the right position, the rainbows play about the fall like the glancing of supernatural wings, as if angels were taking a shower-bath. If you have "the head and the legs of a chamois," you may climb entirely above this magnificent scene, and look out over the cliff right down into the point where the cataract shoots like the lightning, to be again shot back in ten thousand branching jits of diamond*. INT. oNNKCTKD WITH TIIK li.UIOM KTF.H. In navigation, the barometer has become an important element of guidance, and ::. most int'Te-thig incident is r.rninted by ('apt. Uasil Hall, indicative of its value in th< . While cruising off the - bis surprise lie observed it to evince violent and IVeqin-::! all. -;.t inn. Kis experience told him to expect bad weather, and he mentioned it (> In- iVi.-nd. il! : companion, however, only laugi. day was splendid in the extreme, the sun was shining with its utmost brilliance, and not a cloud specked the deep blue sky above. Pmt Captain Hall was too uneasy to be satisfied with ban- appearances. He hurried his friend to his ship, and gave imme- diate directions for shortening the top hamper of the frigate as speedih a- pus-ibl,.. His lieutenants and the men linked at him in unit" urprise, and on.' or two of the former ventured the inutility of the proceeding. The captain, however, persevered. The sails were furled ; TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; 137 the topmasts were struck ; in short, everything that could oppose the wind was made as snug as possible. His friend, on the contrary, stood in under every sail. The wisdom of Captain Hall's proceedings was, however, speedily evi- dent ; just, indeed, as he was beginning to doubt the accuracy of his instrument. For hardly had the necessary preparations been made, and while his eye was ranging over the vessel to see if his instructions had been obeyed, a dark hazy hue was seen to rise in the horizon, a L ; tint rapidly overspread the sullen vavcs, and one of the most tremen- dous hurricanes rant upon the vessels that ever seaman encountered on liis ocean home. The sails of the brig were immediately toiu to ribbons, her niasts went by the board, and she was left a complete wreck on the tempestuous surf which raged around her, while the frigate v> driven wildly along at a furious rate, and had to scud under bare poll . across the wide Pacific, full three thousand miles, before it could be said that she was in safety from the blast. AHCHBisnor CKAXJIKK'S HIETAEY. In this curious document, quoted by AVarton (Hist, of Poet, iii., 177, edit. 1840) an archbishop is allowed to have two swans or two capons in a dish, a bishop one ; an archbishop six blackbirds at once, a bishop live, a dean four, an archdeacon two. If a dean lias four dishes in his first course, he is not afterwards to have custards or fritters. An Archbishop may have six snipes, an archdeacon two. Rabbits, larks, pheasants, and partridges, are allowed in these proportions. A canon residentiary is to have a swan only on a Sunday ; a rector of sixteen marks, only three blackbirds in a week. TILE KING'S COCK CEO WEE. A singular custom, of matchless absurdity, formerly existed in the English Court. During Lent, an ancient officer of the crown, styled the King's Cock Grower, crowed the hour each night within the precincts of the Palace. On the Ash Wednesday, after the accession of the house of Hanover, as the Prince of Wales (afterwards George II) sat down to supper, this officer abruptly entered the apartment, and in a sound re- sembling the shrill pipe of a cock, crowed past ten o'clock ! The astonished prince, at first conceiving it to be a premeditated insult, rose to resent the affront, but upon the nature of the ceremony being explained to him, he was satisfied. Since that period, this silly custom has been dis- continued. CHINESE DELICACIES. The Chinese eat, indiscriminately, almost every living creature which comes in their way ; dogs, cats, hawks, owls, eagles and storks, are re- gular marketable commodities : in default of which a dish of rats, field- mice, or snakes, is not objected to. Cockroaches, and other insects and reptiles are used for food or for medicine. Their taste for dogs' flesh is quite a passion. Young pups plump, succulent, and tender fetch good prices at the market -stalls, where a supply is always to be found. A dish of puppies, prepared by a skilful cook, is esteemed as a dish fit 138 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; for the gods. At every grand banquet it makes its appearance as a hash or stew. A young Englishman attached to our Canton factory, dining one day with a wealthy Hong merchant, was determined to satisfy his curiosity in Chinese gastronomy by tasting all or most of the numerous dishes which were successively handed round. One dish pleased him so well that he ate nearly all that was put before him. On returning home- wards some of his companions asked him how he liked the dinner, and how such and such dishes ; and then began to imitate the whining and barking of half a dozen puppies. The poor young man then understood, for the first time, that he had been eating dog, and was very angry, and very sick at the stomach. Other Europeans, however, have been known to declare that they succeeded in conquering a prejudice, and that a six weeks old pup, properly fattened upon rice, and dressed d la Chinoise, was really a bonne louche. A GREAT 3IABYEL SEEN IN SCOTLAND. The following strange and almost incredible account is given by Lind- say, of Pitscottie: " About this time (the beginning of the sixteenth century) there was a great marvel seen in Scotland. A bairn was born, reckoned to be a man-child, but from the waist up was two fair persons, with all members pertayning to two bodies ; to wit, two heads, well- eyed, well-eared, and well-handed. The two bodies, the one's back was fast to the other's, but from the waist down they were but one personage ; and it could not be known by the ingene of men from which of the bodies the legs, &c., proceeded. Notwithstanding the King's Majesty caused great care and diligence on the up-bringing of both bodies ; caused nourish them, and learn them to sing and play on instruments of music. Who within short time became very ingenious and cunning in the art of music, whereby they could play and sing two parts, the one the treble, and the other the tenor, which was very dulce and melodious to hear ; the common people (who treated them also) wondered that they could speak diverse and sundry languages, that is to say, Latin, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, English, and Irish. Their two bodies long continued to the age of twenty-eight years, and the one continued long before the other, which was dolorous and heavy to the other ; for which, when many required of the other to be merry, he answered, " How can I be merry which have my true marrow as a dead carrion about my back, whicn was wont to sing and play with me : when I was sad he would give me comfort, and I would do the like to him. But now I have nothing but dolour of the having so heavy a burthen, dead, cold, and unsavoury, on my back, which taketh all earthly pleasure from me in this present life ; therefore I pray to God Allmighty to deliver me out of this present life, that we may 'be laid and dissolved in the earth, wherefrom we came, &c." Iluchanan, who relates the same strange tale, avers that he received it from "many honest and credible persons, who saw the prodigy with their own eyi s." He adds that the two bodies discovered different tastes Mini appetites; that they would frequently disagree and quarrel, and would consult each other, and concert measures lor the good MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 139 of both ; that when any hurt was done to the lower parts, each upper body felt pain ; but that when the injury was above the junction, then one body only was affected. This monster, he writes, lived twenty-eight years, but died wretchedly ; one part expiring some days before the other, which, half-putrilied, pined away by degrees. THE KING OF KIPPED. The following anecdote is valuable, inasmuch as it gives us an idea of the manners which a King of Scotland could practice without offence to his subjects : King James V. was a very sociable, debonnaire prince. Residing at Stir- ling in Buchanan of Arnpryor's time, carriers were very frequently passing along the common road with necessaries for the use of the king's family. One of these being near Arnpryor's house, and he having some extraordinary occasion, ordered him to leave his load at his house and he would pay him for it ; which the carrier refused to do, telling him he was the king's carrier, and his load was for his majesty's use. To which Arnpryor seemed to have small regard, compelling the carrier, in the end, to leave his load ; telling him, if King James was King of Scotland, he was king of Kippen, so that it was reasonable he should share with his neighbour king in some of these loads so frequently carried that road. The carrier representing this usage, and telling the story as Arnpryor spoke it, to some of the king's servants, it came at length to his majesty's ears, who, shortly thereafter, with a few attendants, came to visit his neighbour king, who was, in the meantime, at dinner. King James having sent a servant to demand access, was denied the same by a tall fellow with a battle -axe, who stood porter at the gate, telling him there could be no access till dinner was over. This answer not satisfying the king, he sent to demand access a second time ; upon which he was desired by the porter to desist, otherwise he would find cause to repent his rude- ness. His majesty finding this method would not do, desired the porter to tell his master that the good man of Ballangeich desired to speak with the King of Kippen. The porter telling Arnpryor so much, he, in all humble manner, came and received the king, and having entertained him with much sumptuousness and jollity, became so agreeable to King James, that he allowed him to take so much of any provision he found carrying that road as he had occasion for ; and, seeing he made the first visit, desired Arnpryor in a few days to return him a second at Stirling, which he performed, and continued in very much favour with the king, always thereafter being termed King of Kippen while he lived. AN ECCENTRIC TOT/HIST. Sir Hildebrand Jacob, of Yewhall, in Oxfordshire, died at Malvern in 1790. He succeeded his grandfather, Sir John, 1740, his father, Hildebrand, having died in 1739. He was a very extraordinary character. As a general scholar, he was exceeded by few ; in his know- ledge of the Hebrew language he scarcely had an equal. In the earlier part of his life, one custom which he constantly followed was very re- markable. As soon as the roads became pretty good, and the fine weather 140 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS J u to set in, his man was ordered to pack-up a fuw tilings in a port- manteau, and with these his muster and himself set off, without knowing whither they were' going. When it drew towards evening, they enquired at the lirst village they saw, whether the great man in it was a lover of books, and had a tine library. If the answer was in the negative, they went on farther; if in the affirmative, Sir Hildcbrand sent his compli- ments, that he was come to see him ; and there he used to stay till time or curiosity induced him to move elsewhere. In this manner Sir Hilde- brand had", very early, passed through the greatest part of England, without scarcely ever sleeping at an inn, unless where the town or village did not afford one person in it civilized enough to be glad to see a gentle- man and a scholar. HANGING A MAYOR. On the right of the road leading towards Cacrgwrle, and about a mile from Mold, is an old structure, which presents a singular specimen of the style of domestic architecture during the ages of lawless violence in which it was erected : it consists of an ancient square tower of three stories, and appears to have been designed as a place of fortified habi- tat ion. .During the wars between the houses of York and Lancaster, it was inhabited by Rciuallt ab Gruffydd ab Bleddyn, who was constantly engaged in feuds with the citizens of Chester, in 1495, a considerable number of the latter came to Mold fair, and a fray arising between the hostile parties, ^reat slaughter ensued on both sides; but Reinallt, who obtained the victory, took the mayor of Chester prisoner, and conveyed him to his mansion, where he hung him on the staple in his great hall. To avenge this affront, a party of two hundred men was despatched from Chester to seize Reinallt, who, retiring from his house into the adjoining woods, permitted a few of them to enter the building, when, rushing from his concealment, he blocked up the door, and, setting lire to the house, destroyed them in the flames; he then attacked the re- mainder, whom he pursued with great slaughter ; and such as escaped the sword weiv drowned in attempting to regain their homes. The staple on which the mayor was hung still remains fixed on the ceiling of the lower apartment. ii:i;NAL AFFECTION IX A DUMU WOMAN. Mary, Countess of Orkney, was both deaf and dumb ; she was man it d in the year 1701.5, by signs. Shortly after the birth of her first child, the nurse, with considerable astonishment, saw the mother cautiously approach the cradle in which the infant was sleeping, evidently full of some decj) design. The Countess, having perfectly assured herself that the child really slept, raised an immense stone which she had concealed under her shawl, and, to the horror of the nurse, (who was an Irish- woman, and like all persons of the lower orders in her country, and indeed in most countries, was fully impressed with an idea of the pecu- liar cunning and mali^nitv of " dmnliies,") lifted it with an apparent intent to lling it down vehemently. ISefore the nurse could interpose, ,d Hung the stone, .not, however, as the servant had ap- prehended, at the child, but on the floor, where, of course, it mtide a MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 141 great noise. The child immediately awoke, and cried. The Countess, who had looked with maternal eagerness to the result of her experiment, I'dl on her knees in a transport of joy. She had discovered that her child possessed the sense which was wanting in herself. She exhibited on many other occasions similar proofs of intelligence, but none so interesting. THE PERILS OF INVENTORS. The dangers which inventors have frequently to encounter are very great. Among many instances we may mention the following : Mr. Day perished in a diving bell, or diving boat of his own construc- tion, at Plymouth, in June, 1774, in which he was to have continued for a wager, twelve hours, one hundred feet deep in water, and probably, perished from his not possessing all the hydrostatic knowledge that was necessary. Mr. Spalding was professionally ingenious in the art of con- structing and managing the diving bell, he had practised the business many years with success. He went down, accompanied by one of his young men, twice to view the wreck of the Imperial East Indiaman, at Kish Bank, in Ireland ; on descending the third time, in June, 1783, they remained about an hour imder water, and had two barrels of air sent down to them, but on the signals from below not being repeated, after a certain time, they were drawn up by their assistants, and both found dead in the bell. BRIBERY. The triumphant exposure and punishments of corrupt bribe-takers on a grand scale belongs to the close of the seventeenth century. In 1095 Sir John Trevor, the Speaker of the House of Commons, was compelled to put the question himself that he should be expelled. A bill for securing the right application to poor orphans of freemen of London of funds belonging to them could not be carried without purchasing the support of influential members and of the Speaker himself, at a bribe for the latter of 1,000 guineas ! Sir Thomas Cook, the governor of the East India Company, paid 167,000 in one year for bribes to members of the House, of which Sir Basil Firebrace took for his share 40,000. Corruption was universal, therefore deemed venial. - LEGALISED GAMBLING. The following statement shows the extent to which lotteries encouraged a spirit of gambling among the people, and we may hence appreciate the soxmdncss of the policy which dictated their suppression : The Post Soy of December 27, says: "We are informed that the Par- liamentary Lottery will be fixed in this manner : 150,000 tickets will be delivered out at 10/. each ticket, making in all the sum of 1,500,000/, sterling ; the principal whereof is to be sunk, the Parliament allowing nine per cent, interest for the whole during the term of 32 years, which interest is to be divided as follows: 3,750 tickets will be prizes from 1,000/. to of. per annum during the said 32 years ; all the other tickets will be blanks, so that there will be 39 of these to one prize, but then 142 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; each blank ticket will be entitled to fourteen shillings a year for the term of 32 years, which is better than an annuity for lite at ton per cent, over and above the chance of getting a prize." Such was the eagerness of the publick in subscribing to the above profitable scheme, that Mercers'-hall was literallv crowded, and the Clerks were found in- competent to receive the influx of names. 600,000/. was subscribed January 21 ; and on the 28th of February, the sum of 1,500,000/. was completed. ONE OF THE EFFECTS OF MAXO'ACTUBES. How greatly does the introduction of a manufacturing establishment into a town where none previously existed, alter its whole character and condition ! It is said that the burgh of Lanark was, till very recent times, so poor that the single butcher of the town, who also exercised the calling of a weaver, in order to till up his spare time, would never venture upon the speculation of killing a sheep till every part of the animal was ordered beforehand. When he felt disposed to engage in such an enterprise, he usually prevailed upon the minister, the provost, and the town-council, to take shares ; but when no person came forward to bespeak the fourth quarter, the sheep received a respite till better times should cast up. The bellman or akeUymatl, as he is there called, used often to go through the streets of Lanark with advertisements such as are embodied in the following popular rhyme : " Bell-ell-ell ! There's a fat sheep to kill ! A leg for the provost, Another for the priest, The bailies and deacons, They'lltaktheneist; And if the fourth leg we connot sell, The sheep it maun leeve and gae back to the hill !" PATES DE FOIES GKAS. Strasbourg is the great market for pates do foics yras, made, as it is known, of the livers of geese. These poor creatures are shut up in coops, so narrow they cannot turn round in them, and then stuffed twice a day with Indian corn, to enlarge their livers, which have been known to swell till they reached the enormous weight of two pounds and a half. Garlick, steeped in water, is given them, to increase their appetites?' This invention is worthy of the French nation, where cooks are great us nobles. INSCRIPTION IX CONWAY CHURCH. Here lyeth the body of Nicholas Hookes, of Conway, gentleman, (who was the forty-first child of his father, \Vni. Hookes, Ksq., by Alice, his wife,) the father of twenty-seven children, who died the 27th day of March, Ki.'JT. DHOPITM:-W1-;r.LS. , If ytm journey through Yorkshire, l>e sure to stop opposite the ruins of Knaretboroogh Castle, because, on the south-west bank of the river 2udd> MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 143 you will observe the petrifying spring of Knaresborough, the celebrated dropping- well where the peasants and the needy crowd to make their humble fortunes by afterwards retailing small sprigs of trees, such as the elder or ash, or pieces of the elegant geranium, the wild angelica, or the lovely violet, turned into " obdurate stone." Every spring does not possess the petrifying properties of that of Knaiesborough ; but there are, doubtless, many dropping- wells distri- buted over the earth's crust ; and some of these are well known to possess the property of petrifying various objects submitted to the action of their waters. For example : we have seen birds' nests, with the eggs, and delicate sprigs of moss surrounding them, and even the fibres of \vool turned into stone, aye, and delicate flowers. "Whence is this extra- ordinary power ? From the soil over which the waters flow ! The limpid streams absorb the silicious particles, and deposit them in the intimate structure of the mat .'rials submitted to the action of the water.;; and 144 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; flms we find the materials of which the earth's cmst is composed, always undergoing a change. Twentv gallons are poured forth every minute from the top of the Knaresboroim'h cliff, and the beauty of the scene can only be appreciated by those Avlio have stood upon the margin of those " stony waters" and beheld the crystal fluid descend from above witli metallic fall. CHINESE IVOHY BALLS. Nothing can afford a greater proof of the patience and perseverance, as well as of the taste of a Chinese handicraft snian, than one of these elegant baubles, each ball being exquisitely carved, and no two alike in pattern. Kach of the balls rolls freely within that which encloses it, an,d is visible through apertures ; so that however many there be, the beauties of each can be examined, and the number of the whole counted. Much time is spent upon the carving of these toys, for the cleverest artist will employ a whole month in the execution of each separate ball ; consequently the labour of two years is not unfrequently bestowed on the production of a single toy, which is formed out of a solid globe of ivory, and has no junction in any part. The outside of this globe is first carved in some very upen pattern, and is then carefully cut with a sharp, line instru- ment, through the openings, till a complete coating is detached from the 8olid part inside, as the peel of an orange might be loosened with a scoop from the fruit, without being taken off. One hollow ball is thus formed, with a solid one inside of it. The surface of the inner ball is then carved through the interstices of the outer one, and when finished, is subjected to the same operation as the first ; and thus a second hollow ball is pro- duced, still with a solid one of smaller dimensions inside. This process i repealed again and again, the ditliculties increasing as the work pro- . till at length only a small ball, of the si/e. of a marble, is left iu the criit re, which is also ornamented with figures cut upon it, and then the ingenious but useless bauble is complete 1 . This process is said to be ruicd under water. CREDULITY OF THE ANCIENT.-. The credulity of even the learned men in the early ages may be judged of by the following facts : Marcus Varro writeth, that there was a town in Spain undermined with rabbits ; another likewise in Thcssaly by moles or molewharps. In Africa the people were compelled bylocusts'to leave their habitations; and out of ; but it was William Caxton who introduced into England the art of print- ing with fusile types, in 1474. Shillings first 'coined in England, 1505. Silk stockings iirst worn by the French King, 1543 ; first worn in Eng- land by Queen Elizabeth in 1561. Tobacco iirst brought from Virginia into England, 1583. Watches first brought into England from Germany, in 1597. Regular Posts established from London to Scotland, Ireland, &c., 1635. The Plague rages in London, and carries off 68,000 persons, 1665. The great fire of London began, September 2nd, and continued three days, in which were destroyed 13,000 houses, and 400 streets, 1666. Jea first used in England, 1666. The Habeas Corpus act passed, 1678. William Penn, a Quaker, receives a charter for planting Pensylvania, 1680. Bank of England established by King William 1693. The first public Lottery was drawn same year. The first British Parliament, 1707. The Cathedral Church of St. Paul, London, rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren, in 37 years, at one million expense, by a duty on coals, 1710. Westminster Bridge, consisting of 15 arches, begun 1738, finished in 1750, at the expense of 389,000/., defrayed by parliament. Commodore Anson returns from his voyage round the world, 1771. The British Museum erected at Montagu House, 1753. 149 Englishmen are confined in the black-hole at Calcutta, in the East Indies, by order of the Nabob, and 123 found dead next moruiii". 175--,. LEGENDS AJIONii sAVAtii: NATIONS. It is curious to note how savages endeavour to account for the prodi- gies of nature. In the island of Samoa, one of the Sandwich group, there is the following legend. Mafuic is their god of earthquakes, who was deemed to possess great power, but lias, according to the Samoans, lost much of it. The way in which thej-jsay this occurred is as follows : One Talago, who possessed a charm capable of causing the earth to divide, coming to a well-known spot, cried, " Rock, divide ! I am Talago ; come to work !" The earth separating at his command, he went down to cultivate his taro patch. His son, whose name was Tiitii, became acquainted with the charm, and watching his father, saw him descend, and the earth close after him. At the same spot, Tiitii said, "Rock, divide! I am Talago ; come to work !" 'Hi. rock did not open, but on repeating the words and stamp- ing his foot violently, the earth separated, and he descended. Being a youii- man, he made a -re at noise and hustle, notwithstanding the am ice dt his father to be quiet, lest Mafuie would hear him. The M,H then asked, " Who is Mafuie, that I should be afraid of him?'' Ob- MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 147 serving smoke at a distance, he inquired the cause of it. Talago said, " It is Mafuie heating his oven." Tiitii determined to go and see, not- withstanding all the persuasions of his father, and met Mafuie, who inquired who he was, " Are you a planter of taro, a builder, or a twister of ropes ?" " I am a twister of ropes," said Tiitii ; "give me your arm, and I shall show you." So, taking the arm of Mafuie, he twisted it off in a moment. Such a practical illustration of his powers soon made Mafuie cry out, "2fa fia ola, na fia ola!" I desire to live, I desire to live ! Tiitii then took pity upon him, and let him go. The natives, on feeling an earthquake, exclaim, " Thanks that Mafuie has but one arm ! if he had two, he would shake the earth to pieces." ORIGIN OF THE WOED LADY. It was the custom at the time of the Plantagenets, and previously, for ladies of distinction and wealth regularly to distribute money or food to the poor. The title of lady, is derived from the Anglo-Saxon, and literally signifies giver of bread. The purse, with similar meaning, was named as a receptacle for alms, and not as an invention for the preser- vation of money. ANECDOTES IX SEEMONS. The fashion which once prevailed of introducing historical anecdotes into addresses from the pulpit, is illustrated by the following extract from a sermon by the Martyr Bishop Ridley : Cambyses was a great emperor, such another as our master is ; he had many lord-deputies, lord-presidents, and lieutenants under him. It is a great while ago since I read the history. It chanced he had under him, in one of his dominions, a briber, a gift-taker, a gratifier of rich men ; he followed gifts as fast as he that followed the pudding, a hand-maker in his office, to make his son a great man; as the old saying is, " Happy is the child whose father goeth to the, devil." The cry of the poor widow came to the emperor's ear, and caused him to flay the judge quick, and laid his skin in his chair of judgment, that all judges that should give judgment afterward should sit in the same skin. Surely it was a goodly sign, a goodly monument, the sign of the judge's skin : I pray God we may once see the sign of the skin in England. STATE OF LONDON IN 1756. The state of the police regulations in the metropolis at the above date, is exhibited in the following extract from an old magazine : At one o'clock this morning (Oct. 4, 1756), the Hon. Captain Brudenel was stopped in his chair, just as it entered Berkeley-square, from the Hay -hill, by two fellows with pistols, who demanded his money ; he gave them five-sixpences, telling them he had no more, which having taken, they immediately made off. The captain then put his purse and watch under the cushion, got out, drew his sword, and being followed by one of the chairmen with his pole, and the watchman, pursued them up the hill, where the Hon. Captain West, who was walking, having joined them, one of the fellows having got off, they followed the other into 148 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; Alhrmarle-mews, Avhere finding himself closely beset, he drew a pistol, and presented it, upon which the captain made a lunge at him, and ran him through the body. The fellow at the same time fired his pistol, which, the captain being still stooping, went over his head and shot the watchman through the lungs ; at the instant the pistol was discharged, while the fellow's arm was extended, the chairman struck it with his pole and broke it ; he was then seized and carried with the watchman to the round-house in Dover-street, where Mr. Bromtield and Mr. Gataker, two eminent surgeons, came ; but the captain would not suffer the villain to be dressed, till he discovered who he and his confederates were ; when he acknowledged they were both grenadiers in Lord Howe's company. The poor watchman died in half an hour after he was shot ; and the soldier was so disabled by his wound that he was carried in a chair to Justice Fielding, who sent him to New Prison, where he died. 1 ' FBOM A HANDBILL OF BARTHOLOMEW FAIR. IN 1700. The following extract is worth notice, inasmuch as it shows that in the matter of amusement, the tastes of the lower orders of the present day are not much improved since the last century : " You will see a wonderful girl of ten years of age, who walks back- Avards up the sloping rope driving a wheelbarrow behind her ; also you will see the great Italian Master, who not only passes all that has yet hi ru seen upon the low rope, but he dances without ft pole upon the head of a mast as high as the booth will permit, and afterwards stands upon his head on the same. You will be also entertained with the merry conceits of an Italian scaramouch, who dances on the rope with two children and a dog in a wheelbarrow, and a duck on his head." PASSAGE THROUGH THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA SUGGESTED THREE HUNDRED YEARS AGO. Ancient d'liibr. In the Town Library (Stadt Bibliotlick) of Nurem- berg is preserved an interesting globe made by John Schoncr, professor of mathematics in the Gymnasium there, A.D. 1520. It is very re- markable that the passage through the Isthmus of Panama, so much sought after in later times, is, on this old globe, carefully delineated. II MIGHT OF MOl'NTAINS. The perpendicular height of Snowdon is, by late admeasurements, 1,190 yards above tin- level of the sea. This makes it, according In Pennant, 210 yards higher than Cader Jdris. Some state Wliernside, in Yorkshire to be tlie highest mountain in South Britain, and more than 4,000 feet. Eebrdlyn i 3,324 led, i'.eu Lomond 3,262. Mont Blanc rises l."i,(jsi) feet; the American Chunborazo is 20,909 feet, the hi ,<1 e\er trodden by man; and the mountains of Thibet above 25, 000 lie highest at present known. INTKHIirrilo.N or Till: WKLl'lM; WILLOW INTO KM, !. \XD. The .W/> Jiul>i/ttur childhood, when we were deeply imbued with the fairy lore which at that time was so plentifully .supplied, and so cairerly devoured. I oh u I'.unvan was buried in Bunhill Fields bury ing-ground, City-road ; and the tablet on his tomb, which the en^ravin^ verv convetlv repre- sents is as follow; :" Mr. John J'linyan, author of the ' I'il^riia'^ MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 157 Progress,' ob. 12 Aust. 1688, cot. 60." Formerly there were also the fol- lowing lines : " The Pilgrim's Progress now is finished, And death has laid him in his earthly bed." Bunhill Fields burying-ground was opened as a suburban cemetery in 1665, in the time of the great plague, and was a favourite burying-place with the Dissenters. Here are buried Daniel Defoe ; Dr. Isaac Watts ; Joseph Kitson the antiquary ; Dr. Thomas Goodwin, the chaplain who at tended Cromwell's death-bed ; George Fox, the founder of the Quakers ; the mother of John "Wesley ; Lieut. -General Fleetwood, son-in-law of Oliver Cromwell; Thomas Stothard, R.A., and other eminent men. SPIDERS FOXD OF 3irSIC. Spiders hear with great acuteness, and it is affirmed that they arc attracted by music. Disjonval relates the instance of a spider which 158 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; used to place itself on the ceiling of a room over the spot where a lady played the harp, and which followed her if she removed to another part; and he also says that the celebrated violinist Berthome, when a boy, saw a spider habitually approach him as soon as he began to play, and which eventually became so familiar that it would h'x it si If on his* desk, and on his arm. Bettina noticed the same effect with a guitar, on a spider which accidentally crossed over it as she was playing. BEEAKFASTIXG HTT IN 1745. This quaint announcement, in a handbill of the time, shows how cheaply those who lived a century or so past could enjoy suburban pleasures in miTrie Islington : " This is to give notice to all Ladies and Gentlemen, at Spencer's original Breakfasting-Hut, between Sir Hugh Middleton's Head and St. .lohn Street Road, by the New River side, fronting Sadler's "VVells, may lie had every morning, except Sundays, line tea, sugar, bread, butter, :md milk, at fourpence per head ; eott'ee at threepence a dish. And in the afternoon, tea, sugar, and milk, at threepence per head, with good attendance. Coaches may come up to the farthest garden-door next to the bridge in St. John Street Road, near Sadler's Wells back gate. -V TIM: r.o\i:-sc. She was the daughter of a man named Wall is, a. bone-setter at Uin- dou, in Wiltshire, ami sister to the celebrated " Polly 1'eachem," who married the Ihikeof liolton. I'pon some fn/nili/ quarrel, Sally Walli-. left, her professional parent, and wandered up ami down the country in a mis. rable manner, calling herself " Craxy Sally," and pursuing, in her perambulations, a course that fairly just iii'ed the'title. Arriving at i Kpsom, she succeeded iu liuinl)iigging the worthy bumkins of that place, so decidedly, that a subscription was set on foot to keep her among them ; but her fame extending to the metropolis, the dupes of London, a nu- merous class then as well as now, thought it no trouble to go ten miles to MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 159 see the conjuror, till at length, she was pleased to bless the afflicted of London with her presence, and once a week drove to the Grecian Coffee- house, in a coach and six with out-riders ! and all the appearance of nobility. It was in one of these journeys, passing through Kent-street, in the Borough, that being taken for a certain woman of quality from the Electorate in Germany, a great mob followed and bestowed on her many bitter reproaches, till Madame, perceiving some mistake, looked out of the window, and accosted them in this gentle manner, " Confound you, do'nt you know me 't I am Mrs. Mapp, the bone-suffer /" upon which, they instantly changed their revilings into loud huzzas. TWO CERTIFICATES OF GKETXA-GllEEN JIAKIUAGES AT DHTEBEXT DATES. " This is to sartfay all persons that my be consernid, that A B from the parish of C in the County of D and E F from the parish of G and in the county of H and both comes before me and declayred themseless both to be single persons, and now mayried by the form of the Kirk of Scot- land, and agreible to the Church of England, and givine ondre my hand, this 18 th day of March 1793." " Kingdom of Scotland " County of Dumfries " Parish of Gretna " These are to certify, to all whom, it may concern, that John N . . . . from the parish of Chatham in the County of Kent, and Ilosa H . . . . from the Parish of St. Maries in the County of Nottingham, being both here now present and having declared to me that they are single persons, but have now been married conformable to the Laws of the Church of Eng- land, and agitable to the Kirk of Scotland. As witness our hands at Springfield this 4 th day of October 1822. " Witness " Witness me. Jane Itae David Lang. John Ainslie." John N BosaH...." THE WOMEX OF ENGLAND. The women here are generally more handsome than in other places, sufficiently endowed with natural beauties, without the addition of adulterate sophistications. In an absolute woman, say the Italians, are required the parts of a Dutch woman, from the girdle downwards ; of a French woman, from the girdle to the shoulders : over which must be placed an English face. As their beauties, so also their prerogatives are greater than any nation ; neither so servilely submissive as the French, nor so jealously guarded as the Italians ; but keeping so true a decorum, that as England is termed the Pergatorie of Servants, and the Hell of Horses, so is it acknowledged the Paradise of Women. And it is a common by- word amongst the Italians, that if there were a bridge built across the narrow seas, all the tcomen in Europe would run into England . For here they have the upper hand in the streets, the upper place at the table, the thirds of their husband's estates, and their equal share of all lands ; privileges with which other women are not acquainted, They 160 TEX THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; were in high esteem in former times amongst foreign nations, for the mo- destie and gravitie of their conversation ; but of late so much addicted to the light garb of the French, that they have lost much of their ancient honour and reputation amongst knowing and more sober men of foreign countries who before admired them. Peter Heylin's Cosmographie, 1652. PRICES TOE SEATS AT CORONATIONS. On consulting Stowe, Speed, and other antiquaries, it appears that the price of a good place at the coronation of "William the Conqueror was a blank ; and probably the same at that of his son William Ilufus. At that of Henry I. it was a crocard, and at King Stephen's and Henry the Second's a pittard. At King Richard's and King John's, it was nfuskin ; and rose at Henry the Third's to a dodkin. In the reign of Edward I. the coins began to be more intelligible ; and we iind that for seeing his coronation a Qwas given, or the half of aferliny, or farthing, which was, as now, the fourth part of a sterling, or penny. At the coronation of Edward II. it was a farthing ; and at that of Edward III. a halfpenny, which was very generally given. In the reign of Richard II. it was a penny, and continued the same at that of Henry IV. But at that of Henry V. it was two pennies, or half of a f/rossiis, or groat ; and the same at that of Henry VI. and of Edward IV. ; nor do we find it raised at the coronation of Richard III. or that of Henry VII. At that of Henry VIII. it was the whole r/russus, or groat, nor was the price altered at those of Edward VI. and Queen Mary ; but at Queen Elizabeth's it was a teston, tester, or sixpence. At those of James I. and Charles I. a shilling was given ; which sum was advanced to half a crown at the coronations of Charles and James II. At King William's and Queen Anne's, it was a crown ; and at George the First's the show was seen by many at the same price. At the coronation of George II. some gave half a guinea ; but at that of George III. and Queen Charlotte, anno 1761, curiosity seems to have risen to an amazing height. On this occasion the price given for single seats were almost incredible ; in some houses ten guineas, and in ordinary houses five guineas. Great and universal anxiety prevailed to see this grand spectacle, from the reflection how improbable it was that many who were there could ever have an opportunity of witnessing the like :iLrain. As an instance of this extreme anxiety, it is confidently related, that a gentleman was prevailed on to take a room for his lady, at the price ot one hundred and forty guineas ; but the appointment of the solemnity of the coronation falling unluckily at the exact time when she expected to be delivered, she actually further prevailed on her husband to let a skilful man-midwife, nurse, &c., attend her, and to hire another room, lest the hurry of the day should bring on her labour, when it might be impossible for her to be removed without endangering her life. ANCIENT HOUSE AT BLACK W.\ 1.1. -SAID TO HK TIIK IIKSI pr.NCK OF sll; W.U.TliK KM. HIGH. The house shown in the engraving is interesting from two pauses ; first, that it was the house in which Sir Walter Raleigh smoked his first pipe MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 161 of tobacco in. England, and secondly, that it is one of the few relics remaining of those picturesque old houses of the days of Queen Bess. The house is built of strongly framed timber, which, in recent years, has been plastered over ; and the carved heads that ornament the gables, and which are good both in design and execution, show that this house is at least 350 years old. 162 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; At the present time a tavern has been built between this house and the river. Formerly, however, there was, no doubt, a trimmed garden and terrace towards the Thames,|from which the inhabitants may have watched ,>rogress of Queen. Elizabeth from the Tower to her palace at Gfeenwich. It is singular to notice the fashion of these old houses, arising from the value of space within walled towns ; each floor projects over the other, so that the upper apartments have more room than the lower. While, in an artistic point of view, we cannot help regretting the disappearance of the able and quaint gables, for sanitary and other reasons we must be content with the change. \MiiASSADORS WHY HELD BY THE AMIS AT THE OTTOMAN COTTRT. A dervise addressed Hajaxet, emperor of the Turks, 1495, for alms, and while the charitable Sultan searched for his money, the treacherous beggar wounded liim with a dagger, and was instantly slain by the royal attendants. This incident is rendered memorable by its bavin:; occasioned the ungracious restraint under which even the ambassadors of Christian powers were subject to in former times when they received an audience from the Ottoman Emperor. They were held by the arms by two attendants, when they approached the throne, nor were their arms loosed till they had quitted the presence. TRAVELLING- IX 1760. The nobility and gentry were accustomed to make their long journey.-- in ponderous family-carriages, drawn by four horses. These vehicles would be laden at the top with an array of trunks and boxes, while perhaps six or seven persons, with a lapdog, would be stowed within. The danger of famine on the road was averted by a travelling larder of baskets of various condiments ; the risk of thirst would be provided against, by bottles of usquebaugh, black cherry-brandy, cinnamon-water, .sack, port, or strong beer: while the convoy wotild be protected by a basket-hilled sword, an old blunderbuss, and a bag of bullets and a great horn of gunpowder. OLD ST. !'UI,'s. In the old cathedral was a tmver of stone, in height from the ground 260 feet, on which was a spire of wood, covered with lead, 274 feet hi^-li, In the tower was a celebrated peal of bells; and somewhat above the stone-work was a " faire dial," from which there was order taken in tlie ightei -nth year of Kdward III. that the rich chasing and gilding should be always kept in good preservation. On this dial was the figure of an aii^-el pointing to the hours of both day and night a device more ap- propriate than most of the clock-hands in present use. From this lofty steeple, which formed Mich an important feature of old London, the chimes rung merrily on saints' days and holidays; and at times the choristers mounted up aloft and ehaunted forth their orisons at dawn and sunset a custom still observed at Durham Cathedral. He fore the lire of London, the spire of St. Paul's was more than once destroyed or damaged by fire and lightning. MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 163 On Candlemas Eve, 1444, about two o'clock in the afternoon, the light- ning fired the steeple. The citizens came forth and succeeded in over- coming the fire ; it, however, broke forth again at night, and but little of the spire was saved. In the year 1<5G1, in the month of June, there fell a prodigious quantity of rain, attended with thunder and lightning. St. Paul's steeple was struck within a yard of the top. At first, a little fire appeared, resembling the light of a torch, and in eight minutes the weather-cock fell ; and the wind rising high, the fire within an hour afterwards destroyed the steeple down to the very battlements, and then, in consequence of the mass of burning timber that fell from the spire, burnt so violently that the iron-work and the bells melted and fell upon the stairs in the church ; the east and west roofs catching fire communi- cated with the north and south, and destroyed them all. Much damage was also done to other parts. The spire was again reared, and the damaged bells properly replaced. In addition to the bells in the tower of old St. Paul's there was a common bell, the property of the city, hung in a suitable building, closely ad- joining to the Cathedral, which was rung that the inhabitants might assemble at wardmotes and other important occasions. Another fire damaged the ancient church, and then the great fire of 1666, swept steeples, bells, churches, and all before it. THE BEDFORD MISSAL. In January, 1786, when the Bedford Missal was on sale, with the rest of the Duchess of Portland's collection, King George III. sent for his bookseller, and expressed his intention to become the purchaser. The bookseller ventured to submit to his majesty, that the article in question, as one highly curious, was likely to fetch a high price. " How high ':" exclaimed the king. " Probably two hundred guineas," replied the book- seller. " Two hundred guineas for a Missal!" exclaimed the Queen, who was present, and lifted up her hands with astonishment. "Well, well," said his Majesty, " I'll have it still; but since the Queen thinks two hundred guineas so enormous a price for a Missal, I'll go no further." The biddings for the royal library did actually stop at that point ; and Mr. Edwards carried off the prize by adding three pounds moie. The same Missal was afterwards sold at Mr. Edwards's sale, in 1815, and purchased by the Duke of Marlborough, for 637 15s. FORMATION OF THE VOLCANO OF JOKTJLLO. The Mexican volcanoes of Orizaba, Popocatapetl, Jorullo, and Coliina appear to be connected with each other, being placed in the direction of a line running transverse to the former, and passing east and west from sea to sea. As was first observed by Humboldt, these mountains are all situated between north latitude 18 59' and 19 12'. In an exact line of direction with the other volcanoes, and over the same transverse fissiu-e, Jorullo was suddenly elevated on the 29th of September, 1759. The circum- stances attending the production of this volcano are so remarkable, that we shall here notice them in some detail. 164 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ', An extensive plain, called the Malpays, was covered by rich fields of cotton, sugar-cane, and indigo, irrigated by streams, and bounded by basaltic mountains, the nearest active volcano being at the distance of eighty miles. This district, situated at an elevation of about 2600 feet above the level of the sea, was celebrated for its beauty and extreme fer- tility. In June, 1759, alarming subterranean sounds were heard, and these were accompanied by frequent earthquakes, which Avere succeeded by others for several weeks, to the great consternation of the neighbouring TOLCANO OF JOBULLO, UKilCO. inhabitants. In September tranquillity appeared to be re-established, when, in the night of the 28th, the subterranean noise was again heard, and part of the plain of Malpays, from three to four miles in diameter, rose up like a mass of viscid thud, in the shape of a bladder or dome, to a height of nearly 1700 feet; llames issued forth, fragments of red-hot stones were thrown to prodigious heights, and, through a thick cloud of ashes, illumined by volcanic lire, the softened surface of the earth was seen to swell up like an agitated sea. A huge cone, above 500 feet high, with rive smaller conical mounds, suddenly appeared, and thousands ol' lesser cones (called by the natives homitos, or ovens,) issued forth from the upraised plain. These consisted of clay intermingled with decom- posed basalt, each cone being a fiDiutrolle, or gaseous vent, from which issued thick vapour. The central cone of Jorullo is still burning, and on MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 165 one side has thrown up an immense quantity of scoriaceous and basaltic lavas, containing fragments of primitive rocks. Two streams, of the tem- perature of 186 of Fahrenheit, have since burst through the argillaceous vault of the hornitos, and now now into the neighbouring plains. For many years after the first eruption, the plains of Jorullo were uninhabit- able from the intense heat that prevailed. CHATER OF VESTJVirS IX 1829. The water Stromboli, which has been in activity since the most ancient times, presents at present the same appearances a*s those which were des- cribed by Spallanzani, in 1788. It is constantly tilled with lava in a state of fusion, which alternately rises and falls in the cavity. Having ascended to ten or twelve yards below the summit of the walls, this boil- ing fluid is covered with large bubbles, which burst with noise, letting enormous quantities of gas escape from them, and projecting on all sides scoriaceous matter. After these explosions, it again subsides, but only to rise again and produce like efiects these alternations being repeated 166 TEX THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; regularly at intervals of some minutes. In craters where the lava is less lluid than in. that of Stromboli, new cones are sometimes formed in the midst of the Crater, which lirst rise in the form of a dome, and then burst out so as to form a small active volcano in the middle of the crater of tlu v great one. This phenomenon is often presented within the crater of Vesuvius, and was more particularly -witnessed in 1829. LOAP SUGAK. In 1553 a sugar-loaf was presented to Mr. "Waldron, of Bovey House, which weighed 7 Ibs., at Is. Id. per Ib. (7s. 7d.) The late Lord Rolle married the last of that branch of the Waldron family. The house remains about ten miles west of Lyme. The sugar- loaf was charged at a high rate, considering the greater value !iMdeivd as a cheap article produced in abundance in the islands of the \Vest Indies. The sugar-cane was not imported thither into 15arba4oes tlie JJraxils till the year 1(511. How surprising the result of ollicial inquiries in the year IN.JO into the consumption, of sugar ! It amounted to 7, 523,1 NT ewt>., or 30 Ibs. each individual of the United Kingdom* M SITXSIOX nii i:s AT J'llKYBOURG, There are two suspension bridges in Freybourg ; one remarkable for its ' length, the- oilier for its extreme beauty. The latter connects the tup of two mountains, swinging over a frightful gulf that makes one dr/.-/.y to look down into. There are no buttresses or masomvork in sight at a little distance ; shafts are sunk in the solid rock of the mountain-., down which the wires 1hat sustain it are dropped. Then- it stretches, a nuTe black line, nearly three hundred feet in the heavens, from summit to summit. It looks like a spider's web flung across a chasm : its delicate tracery showing lear and distinct against the sky. AVhile you are looking at the fairy creation suspended iu mid-heaven, almost expecting the next breexc will wait it away, you see a heavy waggon driven on it; you shrink back witli horror at 'the rashness tha't could trust so frail a structure at that di/xy height ; but, the air-hung cobweb sustains the pressure, and the vehicle passes in safety. Indeed, weight steadies it; while the wind, as it .sweeps down the gulf, m:ik> I it swing under you. The large suspension bridge is supported on four cables of iron wire, each oiii' com|Mrd of one thousand and fifty-six wires. As the .Menai bridge of \Vule, is often said to be longer than this, I give the dimension.-, of both ind them in .Mr. Murray: -Kreybourg: length, nine hundred and fi\c feet ; height, one hundred and Ke\enly-i'our feet; breadth, twenty- tight feet. Mcnai: length, live hundred and eighty feet; height, oiie MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 167 hundred and thirty feet ; breadth, twenty-five feet. A span of nine hundred and five feet, withcmt any intermediate pier, seems impossible at first, and one needs the testimony of his own eyes before he can full}' believe it. WONDERFUL CLOCK. Towards the end of the last century, a clock was constructed by a Genevan mechanic named Droz, capable of performing a variety of sur- prising movements, which were effected by the figures of a negro, a shepherd, and a dog. When the clock struck, the shepherd played six tunes on his flute, and the dog approached and fawned upon him. This clock was exhibited to the King of Spain, who was highly delighted with the ingenuitv of the artist. The king, at the request of Droz, took an apple from the shepherd's basket, when the dog started up and barked so loud that the king's dog, which was in the same room, began to bark also. We are moreover informed that the negro, on being asked what hour it was, answered the question in French, so that he could be under- stood by those present. HAKDKIX THE SMUGGLER, 1757. Mandrin was the son of a peasant in Dauphiny who dealt in cattle. His first employment was buying and selling horses, by which he sub- sisted several years. But having on some occasion committed a murder, he was obliged" to fly from justice, and in his absence was condemned by the Parliament of Grenoble to be broken on the wheel. Being now a fugitive, and destitute of employment, he learned to counterfeit money, and by this fraud made considerable gain, till, being discovered, the officers of the Mint at Lyons issued a warrant for apprehending him, and he was again obliged to qiiit the country. While he was wandering about from place to place, and hiding himself in caves and woods, he be- came acquainted with a gang of smugglers, and associating with them was, after some time, made their captain. As this gang was very nume- rous, he was less cautious of being seen, and having at length lost his sense of fear by habitual danger, he frequently entered towns and cities, raised contributions on the king's officers by force, and spread the same terror among others that others had brought upon him. But in propor- tion as he became more formidable he was, in fact, less secure ; for the Government found it necessary to detach after him such a force as he could not resist, and the Farmers-General offered 48,000 livres reward for taking him. After many times attacking his party in a running fight, in which several were cut off, Mandrin, with eight of his men, took shelter in a castle on the frontiers of Savoy. They were closely pursued by several detachments, under the command of Colonel de Molie're, who entered the King of Sardinia's territory after him, without having first obtained leave. Moliere was immediately opposed by a great number of peasants: whether they were instigated by Mandrin, or whether they were jealous of their privilege, is not known ; but all his expostulations being fruitless, and being determined not to relinquish his prey, for whom he hoped to receive so considerable a reward, he forced his way against them, killing twelve and wounding many others. Mandrin waited the 168 TEX THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; issue of this contest in his castle, -where he was soon besieged by 150 men, who attacked the place with great vigour. Mandrin and his partisans defended themselves like men who had nothing to fear in a battle equal to being taken alive ; and after several of them were killed, and the castle gates burst open, they retreated, fighting from chamber to chamber, and from story to story, till, reaching the garret, and being able to pro- ceed no further, they were at last overpowered by numbers, having killed twenty of their adversaries, and spent all their ammunition. Mandrin, Avith those that survived of his little party, were carried prisoners to Valence in Dauphiny. * * * Mandrin was examined every day from the 13th of May to the 25th, in order to discover his accomplices. In the mean time several of his associates were put to the torture to dis- cover what they knew of him, and were afterwards broken on the wheel, that death might give a sanction to their testimony. He himself was subjected to torture, but without eliciting anything further than he had previously revealed. Throughout he steadfastly re- fused to betray his comrades, and conducted himself with much dignity and heroism. On the day of his execution he received absolution from Father Gasperini, a Jesuit, who had administered to him the consolations of religion during his confinement. Before he was led out of the prison, his shoes and stockings were taken from him ; but, though barefooted, he walked along with great firmness and a good grace. When he came to the cathedral to perform the amende honortiblr, he asked forgiveness of the monks and priests for his want of respect to their order, and was then conducted to the scaffold. He mounted with great composure, and addressed himself in a short and pa- thetic exhortation to the spectators, especially the young persons of both sexes ; he then sat down on the nave of the wheel, and loosened the buttons of his shirt-sleeves himself. Then he entreated pardon of the custom-house officers, whom he had so often and so grossly injured ; and turning to the penitents who surrounded the scaffold -with his oonfeMOT and two other eminent persons of his order he earnestly recommended himself as the object of their prayer, and immediately delivered himself up to the executioner. He received eight blows on his arms and legs, and one on his stomach, and was intended to have been left to expire of the wounds ; but as the executioner was going down from the scaffold, an order came to strangle him; the bishop and all the considerable persons at Valence having interceded for this mitigation of his punisnment. .Mandrin was twenty-nine years of age, about five feet five inches higli, well made, had a long visage, blue eyes, and sandy chcsnut hair ; he had something rough in his countenance, and a strong robust port; he was perpetually smoking tobacco, with which he drank plentifully of any liquor that was at hand, and ate till the last with a good appetite. SUDDKN i;r.nvr.i:y i I:<>.M M.UINKSS. The following extraordinary account is taken from the Qentkmatfp Maifdzim: of 1784: "About six years since, a seafaring person was taken into the Asylum for Maniacs at York ; during the space of five years and six months he never expressed any desire for sustenance, and MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 169 was fed in the manner of an infant. The servants undressed him at night, and dressed him in the morning ; he never spoke, and remained with his hody bent all day, and was regarded by all about him as an animal nearly converted into a vegetable. About the middle of May, 1783, he suddenly astonished the people round him with saying, ' Good morrow to you all.' He then thanked the servants for the care they had taken of him, and appeared perfectly sane. A few days after, he wrote a letter to his wife, in which he expressed himself with great propriety. On the 28th of May following he was allowed to leave the hospital, and return to his family ; and has now the command of a ship in the Baltic trade, and is in full enjoyment of perfect health, both in mind and body. This very singular case is attested by Dr. Hunter, F.R.S., of York, in a letter to Dr. Percival, of Manchester, and by the servants now at the Asylum in York." SUMMARY OF THE BIBLE. The following table is published, as containing accurate particulars of the English version of the Bible : In the Old Testament. Books, 39 Chapters, 929 Verses, 23,214 Words, 592,493 Letters, 2,728,100 In the New Testament. Books, 27 Chapters, 260 Verses, 7,959 Words, 181,253 Letters, 838,380 Total. Books, 66 Chapters, 1,189 Verses, 31,173 Words, 773,746 Letters 3,566,480 The middle chapter and the shortest in the Bible is the hundred and seventeenth Psalm ; the middle verse is the eighth of the hundred and eighteenth Psalm. The twenty-first verse of the seventh chapter of Ezra, in the English version, has all the letters of the alphabet in it. The nineteenth chapter of the second book of Kings and the thirty- seventh chapter of Isaiah are alike. THE LEPROSY. LAZARS. LAZAR-HOTISES. That loathsome disorder, leprosy, was introduced into England in the reign of Henry I., and was supposed to have been brought out of Egypt, or perhaps the East, by means of the crusaders. To add to the horror, it was contagious, which enhanced the charity of a provision for such miserables, who were not only naturally shunned, but even chased by royal edict, from the society of their fellow-creatures. Lepers, or Lazars, were sick persons removed out of monasteries to cells or hospitals, always built out of cities and towns. Their usual maintainence was, from liberty allowed them to go upon every market- day, to the market, where with a dish, called a clap dish, they would beg corn. Their sickness and loathsome appearance giving great disgust, many withheld their charity, upon which account they were afterwards re- strained from begging at large, but permitted to send the proctor of the hospital, who came with his box one day in every month to the churches, and other religious houses, at time of service ; and there received the voluntary charity of the congregations. This custom is said to be the origin of the present practice of collecting briefs. 170 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS j The leprosy was much more common formerly, in this part of the globe, than at present. It is said, that there were in Europe lif'teon thousand hospitals founded for them. Perhaps near half the hospitals that Avere in England were built for lepers. Lepers were so numerous in the twelfth century, that by a decree of the Lateran Council under pope Ale\ p ander III., A.D. 1179, they we n empowered to erect churches for themselves, and to have their own mi- nisters to officiate in them. This shows at once IIOAV infectious and offen- sive- their distemper was. And on this account, " In England where a man was a leper, and was dwelling in a town, and would come into the churches, or among his neighbours when they were assembled, to talk to them to their annoy- ance or disturbance, a writ lay DC Leproso amovendo." What follows is remarkable. The writ is for those lepers " who appear to the sight of all men, they are lepers, by their voice and their sores, the putrefaction of their flesh, and by the smell of them." And so late as the reign of Edward VI. multitudes of lepers seem to have been in England ; for in 1 Edw. 6. c. 3. in which directions are given for carrying the poor to the places where they were born, &c. we read the following clause : " Provided always, that all leprous and poor /icil-rcd creatures may, at their liberty, remain and continue in such houses appointed for lepers, or bed-red people, as they now be in." 1184 to 1191. The leprosy was at this period, and long after, a cruel epidemic in our country, possibly brought by the crusaders from the Holy Land, and spread here by filth and bad diet. It was supposed to be infectious, and was shunned as the plague ; so that, had it not been for these pious institutions, multitudes must have perished under this loath- some disorder. Among other wild fancies of the age, it was imagined that the persons afflicted with leprosy, a disease at that time (1327, Edward II.) very common, probably from bad diet, had conspired with the Saracens to poison all springs and fountains ; and men being glad of any pretence to get rid of those who were a burthen to them, many of those unhappy people were burnt alive on the chimerical imputation. ('.very one of the luxar-houses had a person, called o. fare-yoer, who used to beg daily for them. THE COXDOB, IN r-EIUT. Dr. Pickering, of the United States Antarctic Expedition of 1839, being in the vicinity of the Andes, attempted the ascent of one of the summits ; by noon he had reached a high elevation, and looking up, he espied a huge condor soaring down the valley. He stopped to observe the majestic bird as it sailed slowly along. To his surprise it took a turn around him, then a second and a third, the last time drawing so near that he lie^m to apprehend that it meditated an attack. He describes himself as In -ing in the worst possible condition for a fight, his strength being exhausted by climbing, and his right hand having been lamed for some days from a hurt. The nature of the groimd, too, was anything but favourable for defence ; but there was nothing left but to prepare for a MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 171 light, and with this intent he took a seat and drew his knife. At the instant, as if intimidated by the sight of the weapon, the bird whirled off in another direction. Dr. Pickering confessed, however humiliating the acknowledgment, that he was at the time very well satisfied with the condor's determination to let him alone. COST OF SIR CHRISTOPHER WREX's CHURCHES. The following is an account of what the undermentioned churches cost building, the designs for which were furnished by Sir Christopher Wren : 4,354 St. Paul's 736,752 Allhallows the Great Broad-street Lombard-street St. Alban's, Wood-street St. Anne and Agnes. . . . St. Andrew's, Wardrobe. Holborn... 5,641 3,348 7 8,058 15 3,165 2,448 10 7,060 16 11 9,000 St. A-tholin's 5,685 5 10 St. Austin's 3,145 3 10 St. Benet, Grailchurch.. 3,583 9 oi Paul's Wharf.. 3,328 18 10 -Fink 4,129 16 10 ' 11 1 6 St. Jiride's ............ 11,430 St. Bartholomew's ...... 5,077 1 Christ Church ........ 11,778 9 St. Clement, Easteheap.. 4,365 3 - Danes ...... 8,786 17 St. Dionis Back Church 5, 737 10 Ok 8 5,207 11 10 St. Edmund the Kin . . , St. George, Botolph-lane 4,509 4 St. James, Garlick-hill. . 5,357 12 10 - Westminster.. 8,500 St. Lawrence, Jewry ---- 11,872 1 9 St. Michael, Basin-hall 2,822 17 - Royal ...... 7,455 7 9 St. Michael, Queenhithe Wood-street. Crooked-lane Cornhill . . St. Martin, Ludgate.. St. Matthew, Friday-sT. St. Margaret Pattens -Lothbury St. Mary, Abchurch . . Magdalen Somerset at Hill 3,980 12 Aldcrmanbury. 5,237 3 leBow 8,071 18 le Steeple .... St. Magnus, Lond. bridge St. Mildred. Bread -street Poultry s. cl. 3 8 2 11 5 11 5 11 8 2 4 1 M 94 P 6 1 7,388 8 7? 9,579 19 10 3,705 13 6i 4,654 9 7J 5,042 2,554 4,641 4,686 5,378 18 2,301 8 4,986 10 5,340 8 4,922 2 4,291 12 6,579 18 St. Nicholas Cole Abbev 5,042 6 11" St. Olav, Jewry 6,580 4 10 St. Peter's, Cornhill.... 5,647 8 2 St. Swithin, Canon-street 4,687 4 6 St. Stephen, Wallbrook . 7,652 13 8 Coleman-str, 4,020 16 6 St. Ycdast, Foster-lane.. 1,85315 6 EARLY CLOCKS. The first clock which appeared in Europe, was probably that which Eginhard (the secretary of Charlemagne), describes as sent to his royal master by Abdalla, King of Persia. " A horologe of brass, wonderfully constructed, for the course of the twelve hours, answered to the hour- glass, with as many little brazen balls, which drop down on a sort of hells underneath, and sounded each other." The Venetians had clocks in 872, and sent a specimen of them that year to Constantinople. SINGULAR SPECIMEN OF ORTHOGRAPHY IX THE SIXTEENTH CEXTURY. The following letter was written by the Duchess of Norfolk to Crom- well, Earl of Essex. It exhibits a curious instance of the monstrous anomalies of our orthography in the infancy of our literature, when u spelling book was yet a precious thing : " My fiary gode'lord, her I sand you in tokyu hoff the neweyer, a 172 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; glasse hoff Setyl set in Sellfer gyld, I pra you tak hit in wort. An hy wer habel het showlde be bater. I woll hit war wort a m crone." Thus translated: ' ' My very good lord, Here I send you, in token of the new year, a glass of setyll set in silver gilt ; I pray you take it in worth. An I were able it should be better. I would it were worth a thousand crown." DEATH OF THE EARL OF KILDARE. In 1513, died the most powerful baron and active soldier of his age, Fitzgerald, Earl of Kildare. He had been, during thirty years, at different times, chief governor of Ireland, and was too potent to be set aside, otherwise his strong attachment to the house of York would pro- bablv have been his ruin. The untameable spirit of the earl sometimes involved him in trouble, from which he was extricated by a lucky blunt- ness ; as when once, when charged before Henry VIII. with setting fire to the cathedral of Cashel, "I own it," said the earl, "but I never would have done it had I not believed that the archbishop was in it." The king laughed, and pardoned the ludicrous culprit. The Bishop of Meath was his bitterest foe. He accused him to Henry of divers mis- deeds, and closed his accusation with ' ' Thus, my liege, you see that all Ire-land cannot rule the earl." "Then," said the perverse monarch, " the earl shall rule all Ireland," and instantly made him lord- deputy. The English loved the earl because he was brave and generous, and because his good humour equalled his valour. Once, when he was in a furious paroxysm, a domestic who knew his temper, whispered in his ear, " My lord, yonder fellow has betted me a fine horse, that I dare not take a hair from your lordship's beard ; I pray, my lord, win me that wager." The earl's features relaxed, and he said to the petitioner, ' Take the hair, then, but if thou exceedest thy demand, my list shall meet thy head." THE BRITANNIA TUBULAR BRIDGE. This is one of the most remarkable structures in the world, the design of the celebrated architect, Sir It. Stephcnson. This bridge is on the line of the Chester and Holy head Railway, crossing the Menai Straits, within sight of Telford's Chain Suspension Bridge. It is made of cast iron of a tubular form, in the tube of which the railway passes. Four of these span the Strait, and are supported by piles of masonry ; that on the Anglesea side is 143 feet 6 inches high, and from the front to the end of the wing walls is 173 feet. These; wing walls terminate in pedestals, on which repose colossal lions of Egyptian character. The Anglesea pier is 196 feet high, 55 feet wide, and 32 feet long. In the middle of the Strait is the Britannia Rock, from which the bridge derives its name ; on this the Britannia pier is raised. It is equi-distant from the Anglesea and Carnarvon piers, being 460 feet in the clear from each, and sustains the four ends of the four long tubes, which span the distance from shore to shore. There are two pairs of short and two of long tubes, the lengths of these pairs In-ing 250 feet and 470 respectively. The Egyptian lions an- '2,'j feet 6 inches long, 12 feet 6 inches high,'s feet wide, and weigh 80 tons. Two thousand cubic feet of stone wm- MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 173 required for each lion. The total quantity of stone in the bridge is 1,400,000 cubic feet. The weight of malleable iron in the tubes is 10,000 tons ; of cast iron, 1,400 tons. The whole length of the entire bridge, measuring from the extreme front of the wing walls, is 1,833 feet, and its greatest elevation at Britannia pier, 240 feet above low- water-mark. The total cost of the structure is 601,865. This won- derful structure was besun April 13, 1846, and completed July 25, 1850; opened for traffic Oct. 21, 1850. DAFFEY'S ELIXIE. In the Postboy, Jan. 1, 1707-8, is the following curious advertise- ment ;_ Dafley's fauiou. Elixir Stilutis by Catherine Daffey, daughter 174 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; of Mr. Thomas Daffy, late rector of Redmile, in the valley of Belvoir, who imparted it to his kinsman, Mr. Anthony Daffy, who published the same to the benefit of the community and his own great advantage. The original receipt is now in my possession, left to me by my father. My own brother, Mr. Daniel Daffy, apothecary in Nottingham, made the Klixir from the said receipt, and sold it there during his life. Those who know it, will believe what I declare ; and those who do not, may be convinced that I am no counterfeit, by the colour, taste, smell, and operation of my Elixir. To be had at the Hand and Pen, Maiden- Lane, Covent Garden." WHIM. " This was a tea garden, situated, after passing over a wooden bridge on the left, previous to entering the long avenue, the coach way to where Kanelagh once stood. This place was much frequented, from its novelty, being an inducement to allure the curious, by its amusing deceptions, particularly on their first appearance there. Here was a large garden, in different parts of which were recesses ; and if treading on a spring, taking you by stirprise, up started different figures, some ugly enough to frighten you a harlequin, a Mother Shipton, or some terrific animal. In a large piece of water, facing the tea alcoves, large fish or mermaids, were show- ing themselves above the surface. This queer spectacle was first kept by ;i famous mechanist, who had been employed at one of the winter theatres, there being then two." Angclo's l'/c Xic or Table Tnlk, p. 10(5. Horace Walpole, more than once alludes to this place of entertainment in his Letters ; and in 17o<5 a 4to. satirical tract appeared entitled Jriini/'s U'/iiin ; or S, are accounts of one William Walker, who is said to be the executioner. In the same maga/ine for .lane, 17s I, it is supposed to be a lliehard Brandon, of whom a long account is copied from an Kxeter newspaper. But William Lilly, in his " History of his Life and Times," has the following remark- able passage : " Many have curiously inquired who it was that cut off his [the king's] head : 1 have no permission to speak of such things : only thus much I say, he that did it is as valiant and resolute a man as lives, and one of a competent fortune." To clear up this passage, we shall present our readers with Lilly's examination (as related by himself) re the first parliament of King Charles II. in June, Kiiio. "At my first appearance, many of the young memhers affronted me highly, and demanded several BOttrrilous questions. Mr. \\Yston held a paper 1 ... fore his mouth; bade me answer nobody but .Mr. I'rinn; I ;1 his command, and saved in\s< ]f much trouble therein, and when Mr. I'rinn put any difficult or doubtful (juerv unto me, Mr. \V> prompted me with a lit question. At last, after almost one hour's MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 175 tugging, I desired to be fully heard what I could say as to the person that cut Charles I.'s head off. Liberty being given me to speak, I related what follows, viz. : "That the next Sunday but one after Charles I. was beheaded, llobert Spavin, Secretary to Lieutenant-General Cromwell at that time, invited himself to dine with me, and brought Anthony Pearson, and several others, along with him to dinner. That their principal discourse all dinner-time was only who it was that beheaded the king ; one said it was the common hangman ; another, Hugh Peters ; others were also nominated ; but none concluded. Piobert Spavin, so soon as dinner was done, took me by the hand, and carried me to the south window : saith he, ' These are all mistaken ; they have not named the man that did the fact ; it was Lieutenant-Colonel Joice. I was in the room when he fitted himself for the work, stood behind him when he did it ; when done, went in with him again. There is no man knows this but my master, viz., Cromwell, Commissary Ireton, and myself.' ' Doth Mr. Rushworth know it ?' saith I. ' No, he doth not know it, saith Spavin. The same thing Spavin since has often related to me when we were alone." WHIPPING PRISONERS. Mr. Ellesdon, Mayor of Lyme, in 1595, paid for s. cl Four yards of canvas to make a coat to whip the rogues in . 3 Making the same 06 Whipping of three of the ship boys for stealing of Mr. Hassard's salmon fish in the Cobb 10 (N.B. Salmon was plentiful in the west at this epoch.) The charge of fourpence made for whipping a boy continued for many years the same. The whipping of a woman who was a stranger was little more costly ; but the inflicting such a punishment upon a towns- woman was remunerated at a higher rate, as may well be supposed, from a consideration of several circumstances. To take a violent, noisy woman from her chamber, tie madam to the tumbrel and whip her round the town, was an undertaking that demanded assistance and protection to the official or hireling that wielded the thong. In the Town Accompt Eook are found such entries as those which are given in illustration : s. (I 1625. For whipping William "Wynter's boy . . . .04 ,, Agnes Abbott twice . . . . 24 1644. Paid two soldiers to attend the whipping of a woman . 2 6 Paid to whipping four women . . . . 40 THE INIQUITIES OP THE SLAVE TRADE. We may form some idea of the temptations which the trade in human beings held out, even to people who held an honourable position in the world, from the fact that the captain of a frigate, within a few years before the slave trade was abolished, Avas known to purchase slaves in the West India market, have them entered as able seamen, and compel the artificers to teach them a trade ; so that when the ship 176 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS returned each was sold at a high rate as a valuable piece of property. The worst, however, has to be told. Upon sailing from Portsmouth, some of the best men were sent away upon duty in a ship's boat, in order that they might be returned " run," by which they lost pay and clothes, but made room for the negroes lately kidnapped, who were entered, though they did no work for the ship, as able seamen ! We have all heard of a naval officer who had his pocket picked at a West- minster election, and who openly professed his vow, which he rigidly performed, of flogging every Londoner that joined his ship for this act. This, it is said, was no idle vow ! DISCOVERY OF THE BODY OF CANUTE THE GREAT. In June 1766, some workmen who were repairing Winchester Cathe- dral discovered a monument, wherein was contained the body of King Canute. It was remarkably fresh, had a wreath round the head, and several other ornaments of gold and silver bands. On his finger was a ring, in which was set a large and remarkably fine stone ; and in one of his hands a silver penny. Archaoloyia, vol. iii. The penny found in the hand is a singular instance of a continuance of the pagan custom of always providing the dead with money to pay Charon. M.P.'S AND MAYORS PRIVATEERS. William Morfote, who represented Winchelsea in Parliament in 1428, was a privateer with a hundred men under him. He found it necessary to obtain the king's pardon in 1435, by the advice of Parliament, there being a legal difficulty about his having broken prison at Dover Castle. Two merchants of Sherborne in Dorsetshire were robbed of their cargo, worth 80, A.D. 1322, by llobert de Battyle. This transaction did not lose him the good opinion of his townsmen, who chose him Mayor of Winchelsea a few years later. ALGERINE INVASION OF IRELAND. The Algerines landed in Ireland in 1627, killed 50 persons, and carried off about 400 into slavery. One vessel captured by them was worth 260,000. They made purchases of stores and provisions they wanted in the western parts of Ireland bv Baltimore, and in 163*1 carried off 1 00 captives from that town. They landed their poor cap- tives at llochelle, and marched them in chains to Marseilles. Twenty- six children are said to have been carried off at one time from Cornwall. In 1633, Lord Wentworth, appointed lord deputy of Ireland, named noted pirate vessels off the coast of Ireland and their captures. Persons in their wills used to leave sums of money for redeeming well-known captives from bondage in Algiers and other places. wiu.mr JOY, TIM: ENGLISH SAMPSON. William Joy was a native of Kent, and born May 2, 1675, at St. Law- rence, a small village one mile from Itamsgate, in the Isle of Thunet. \Vln-n very young, he distinguished himself among his juvenile com- panions and playmates, by his amazing superiority in strength, over any MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 177 antagonist that dare to come in competition with his power, whether in play or earnest. When about twenty-four years of age, he first began to exhibit in public his astonishing feats, in a display of personal prowess inferior to none but the Hebrew champion recorded in holy writ. Among many other of this man's extraordinary performances may be recorded : 1. A strong horse, urged by the whip to escape his powerful rein, is restrained and kept from escape solely by the check of his pull, aided by a strong rope, and this without any stay or support whatever. 2. Seated upon a stool, with his legs horizontally elevated, solely by muscular power, he jumps clearly from Ms seat. 3. To prove the agility and 178 TEN THOUSAND M'OXDERFTJL THINGS; flexibility of his joints, he places a glass of wine on the sole of his foot, and, in an erect posture, without the least bending of his head or body, - the glass to his mouth, and drinks the contents, turning his foot with both hands, to accommodate his draught. 4. Aided by a strong leather girdle, or belt, and supporting himself by pressing his arms on a railing, he lifts from the ground a stone of the enormous weight of '2, _'-}() Ibs. "). A rope fastened to a wall, which had borne 3,500 Ibs. weight, without giving way, is broke asunder by his amazing strength. The celebrity of this man attracted the curiosity of King William III., before whom he exhibited at Kensington Palace ;' likewise before George, Prince of Denmark, and his royal consort, the Princess, afterwards Queen Anne, and their son "William, Duke of Gloucester, called the Hope of England. He also went through a regular course of performances at the Ihike's Theatre, in Dorset-gardens, Salisbury-square, which was attended by the first nobility and gentry in the kingdom. PllICE OP SHELL-FISH IN 1675, A bill for shell-fish enables us to ascertain the prices paid in Charles II. 's reign for these delicacies, Mr. Walter Tucker, mayor of Lyme, Dorset, paid for the judges, for 30 lobsters 1 10 6 crabs 060 100 scallop* 050 300 oysters 040 50 oranges 020 2 7 DISTRIBVTIXfi IIAXH-MLLS. The month of July 1736 afforded a singular popular csp/osi'nn, con- trived in the following strange manner : A brown paper parcel, which had been plaeed unobserved near the side-bar of the Court of King's- bmeli, Westminster-hall, blew up during the solemn proceedings of the Courts of Justice assembled, and scattered a number of printed bills, giving notice, that on the last day of Term live Acts of Parliament would be publicly burnt in the hall, bet ween the hours of twelve and one, at the Royal Kxeliange, and at St. Margaret's hill, which were the (Jin Act, tin' Smuggling Act, the Mortmain Act, the Westminster ! Act, anil tlir Act for burrowing (iOO, ()()()/. on the Sinking fund. One of the bills was immediately carried to the Grand Jury then sitting, who found it an infamous libel, and recommended the oil', of 11 reward to diseo\ ( r tho author. in NX in:s v.unr.s. Tin- " Han/ des Vaches," which is commonly supposed to be a si nir, stands in Swit/ciland for a class of melodies, the literal meaning of whic-h is cow-rows. The German woid is I\nr< ilu'n rows of cows. It derives its origin from the manner the cows march home along the Alpine paths at milking time. Tlu> shepherd goes before, keeping e\i i \ -jler in its place by the tones of his horn, while the whole herd wind MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 179 along in Indian file, obedient to the call. From its association it always creates home-sickness in a Swiss mountaineer, when he hears it in* a foreign land. It is said, these melodies are prohibited in the Swiss regiments attached to the French army, because it produces so many desertions. One of the " Eanz des Yaches " brings back to his imagina- tion his Alpine cottage the green pasturage the bleating of. his moun- tain goats the voices of the milk-maids, and all the sweetness and in- nocence of a pastoral life ; till his heart turns with a sad yearning to the haunts of his childhood, and the spot of his early dreams and early happiness. The Swiss retain their old fondness for rifle-shooting, and there is annually a grand rifle match at some of the large towns, made up of the best marksmen in all Switzerland. There are also yearly contests in wrestling, called Zwing Feste, the most distinguished wrestlers at which are from Unterwalden, Appenzel, and Berne. MONSOONS. These are periodical winds which blow over the Indian Ocean, be- tween Africa and Hindustan for nearly six months from the north-east, and during an equal period from the south-west. The region of the monsoons lies a little to the north of the northern border of the trade- winds, and they blow with the greatest force and with most regularity between the eastern coast of Africa and Hindustan. When the sun is in the southern hemisphere a north-east wind, and when it is in thu northern hemisphere, a south-west wind blows over this sea. The north- east monsoon blows from November to March. It extends one or two degrees south of the equator. It becomes regular near the coasts of Africa sooner than in the middle of the sea, and near the equator sooner than in the vicinity of the coasts of Arabia. This wind brings rain on the eastern coasts of Africa. The south-west monsoon does not extend south of the equator, but usually begins a short distance north of it. It blows from the latter end of April to the middle of October. Along the coast of Africa, it appears at the end of March ; but along the coast of Malabar, not before the middle of April ; it ceases, however, sooner in the former than in the latter region. The rainy season on the west coast of Hindustan commences with the first approach of the south-west mon- soon. The monsoons prevail also on the seas between Australia and China, The effect of the struggle which precedes the change in the direction of the wind in this part of the world is thus described in " Forbes' s Oriental Memoirs." The author was encamped with the English troops : "The shades of evening approached as we reached the ground, and just as the encampment was completed, the atmosphere grew suddenly dark, the heat became oppressive, and an unusual stillness presaged the immediate setting-in of the monsoon. The whole appearance of external nature resembled those solemn preludes to earthquakes and hurricanes in the West Indies, from which the East in general is providentially free. We were allowed very little time for conjecture. In a few minutes the heavy clouds burst over its. I had witnessed seventeen monsoons in India, but this surpassed them all in its awful appearance and dreadful effects. Encamped in a low situation on the borders of a lake formed to 180 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS collect the surrounding water, we found ourselves in a few hours in a liquid plain ; tent-pins giving way in a loose soil the tents fell down and left the whole army exposed to the contending elements. It requires a lively imagination to conceive the situation of a hundred thousand human beings of every description, with more than two hundred thousand elephants, camels, horses, and oxen, suddenly overwhelmed by this dreadful storm in a strange countrv, without any knowledge of high or low ground, the whole being covered by an immense lake, and surrounded by thick darkness, which rendered it impossible for us to distin"E HUXDRED YEARS AGO. Glasgow is now within one minute of London ; in the last century it was scarcely within a fortnight of it. It is a positive fact that when the post arrived there a hundred years ago, the firing of a gun announced its coming in. The members of the clubs who heard it tumbled out of bed, and rushed down to the club-room, where a tankard of hot herb ale, or a beverage which was a mixture of rum and sugar, was ready for them before breakfast. How forcibly do these things bring before us the size of Glasgow at that time, and the habits of its citizens. EXECUTION OF ADMIRAL BYXG. The horrid details of the execution of criminals are wholly unfitted for our pages, but Admiral Byng was not a criminal ; his life was sacri- ficed to party spirit and party interests, and an account of his murder for such it really was is therefore highly interesting, as it enables us to see the dauntless manner in which a brave man can meet a dreadful fate, which he knew to be wholly undeserved. The execution took place on board the " St. George," man-of-war in Portsmouth harbour, on the 14th of March,. 17o7. The Admiral, accompanied by a clergyman who attended him during his confinement, and two gen- tlemen, his relations, walked out of the great cabin to the quarter- deck, where he suffered, on the larboard side, a few minutes before twelve o'clock. He was dressed in a light grey coat, white waist- coat, and white stockings, and a large white wig, and had in each hand a white handkerchief. He threw his hat on the deck, kneeled on a cushion, tied one handkerchief over his eyes, and dropped the other as a signal, on which a volley from six marines was fired, five of whose bullets went through him, and he was in an instant no more. The sixth went over his head. From his coming out of his cabin could not be two minutes till he fell motionless on his left side. He died with great rt- MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. solution and composure, not showing the least sign of timidity. The RamiUies, the ship the admiral had in the Mediterranean, was riding at her moorings in the harbour, and about half an hour before he suffered, she broke her mooring chain, and only held by her bridle, which is looked on as a wonderful incident by people who do not consider the high wind at that time. EXTKAOKDIXAKY TEEE. The Samoan group of islands in the South Sea lies between the lati- tudes of 13 30' and 14 30' S, and the longitudes of 168 and 173 W. In some of these islands there is a most remarkable tree which well de- serves a place in our roll of extraordinary productions. It is a species of banyan (Ficus reliyiosa}, and is called by the natives Ohwa. Our sketch gives a good idea of some of these trees. The pendant branches of many of. them take root in the ground to the number of thousands, forming stems from an inch to two feet in diameter, uniting in the main trunk more than eighty feet above the ground, and supporting a vast system of horizontal branches, spreading like an umbrella over the tops of the other trees. THE PLAGCE IX EXGLAXD. The Register of Ramsay, in Huntingdonshire, mentions 400 people who died there of the plague, in or about February 1665, and that it was introduced into the place by a gentleman, who first caught the infection by wearing a coat, the cloth of which came from London : the tailor who made the coat, with all his family, died, as did no less than the number above mentioned. But the ravages made by the plague in London, about 1665, are 184 M:.\ THOUSAND WONDERFUL THI.\ well known : it was brought over from Holland, in some Levant goods, about the close of the year 1664 : its progcss was arrested, in. a great degree, by a hard frost which set in in the winter ; but as the spring of 1665 advanced, its virulence advanced. Infected houses were shut up and red crosses painted on the doors, with this in- scription, "Lord have mercy upon us." Persons going to market took the meat off the hooks themselves, for their otcn security, and for the Butcher's, dropped, their money into pans of vinegar ; for it was supposed that even their provisions were tainted with the infection. In the months of August and September the greatest mortality occurred ; for the deaths of one week have been estimated at 10,000 ! It may be supposed, that no great accuracy existed in the Registers, to afford a correct esti- mate ; for, in the parish of Stepney, it is said they lost, within the year, 116 sextons, grave-diggers and their assistants ; and, as the disorder advanced, the churchyards were incapable of holding more bodies, and large pits were therefore dug in several parts, to which the dead were brought by cartloads, collected by the ringing of a bell and the mournful cry of " Bring out your dead." Add to this, that these carts worked in the night, and no exact account was kept, as the clerks and sextons were averse to a duty exposing them to such dangerous consequences, and often carried off before such accounts as they had taken were delivered in. All the shops were shut up, grass grew in the most public streets, until about December 166"), when the plague abated, and the citizens who had left their abodes for the country, crowded back again to their residences. The computation is, that this horrible disease carried off 100,000 persons in London : it is singular, that the only parish quite exempt from infection was St. John the Evanin-lNt, in "NVatling Street. LANDSLIP AT COLEBROOK, SHROPSHIUK. A most remarkable circumstance happened there in the morning of the 27th of May, 1773, about four o'clock. Xear 4,000 yards from the river Severn stood a house, where a family dwelt ; the man got up about three o'clock, heard a rumbling noise, and felt the ground shake under him, on which he called up his family. They perceived the ground begin to move, but knew not which way to run; however, they providentially and wonderfully escaped, by taking an immediate night, for just as they got to an adjacent wood, the ground they had left separated from that on which they stood. They first observed a small crack in the ground about four or five inches wid'\ and a field that was sown with oats to heave up and roll about like waves of water ; tho trees moved as it' blown with wind, but the air was calm and serene ; the Severn (in which nt that time was a considerable Hood) was agitated very much, and the current seemed to run upwards. They perceived a great crack ran very quick up the ground from the river. Immediately about thirty acres of land, with the hedges and trees standing (except a few that were overturned), moved with great force and swiftness towards the S ;ided with great and uncommon noise, compared to a large Hock of sic swiftly. That part of the land next the river was a small wood, less than two acres, in which grew twenty large oaks ; a few of them MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. thrown down, and as many more were undermined and over-turned ; some left leaning, the rest upright, as if never disturbed. The wood was piished with such velocity into the channel of the Severn (which at that time was remarkably deep), that it forced the waters up in columns a considerable height, like mighty fountains, and drove the bed of the river before it on the opposite shore, many feet above the surface of the water, where it lodged, as did one side of the wood ; the current being instantly stopped, occasioned a great inundation above, and so sudden a fall below, that many fish were left on dry land, and several barges were heekd over, and when the stream came down were sunk, but none were damaged above. The river soon took its course over a large meadow that was opposite the small wood, and in three days wore a navigable channel through the meadow. A turnpike road was moved more than thirty yards from its former situation, and to all appearance rendered for ever impassable. A barn was carried about the same distance, and left a* a heap of rubbish in a large chasm ; the house received but little damage. A hedge that was joined to the garden was removed about fifty yards. A great part of the land was in confused heaps, full of cracks, from four inches to more than a yard wide. Several very long and deep chasms were formed in the upper part of the land, from about fourteen to upwards of thirty yards wide, in which were many pyramids of earth standing, with the green turf remaining on the tops of some of them. Hollows were raised into mounts, and mounts reduced into hollows. Less than a quarter of an hour completed this dreadful scene. CTJEIOrS CUSTOM AT STRASBOT7BG. At Strasbourg they show a large French horn, whose history is as fol- lows : About 400 years ago, the Jews formed a conspiracy to betray the city, and with this identical horn they intended to give the enemy notice when to attack. The plot, however, was discovered ; many of the Jews were burnt alive, the rest were plundered of their money and effects, and banished the town ; and this horn is sounded twice every night from the battlements of the steeple in gratitude for the deliverance. The Jews deny the fact of this story, except the murdering and pillag- ing their countrymen. They say the whole story is fabricated to furnish a pretext for these robberies and murders, and assert that the steeple of Strasbourg, as has been said of the Monument of London, " Like a tall bully lifts the head and lies." DOWX AMOXG THE DEAD 1TEX. The following is an extraordinary instance of the recklessness of sailors when in the pursuit of what they call pleasure. In the year 1779, a Mr. Constable, of Woolwich, passing through the churchyard there at midnight, heard people singing jovially. At first he thought they were in the church, but the doors were locked, and it was all silent there : on looking about he found some drunken sailors who had got into a large family vault, and were regaling with bread, cheese, tobacco. 186 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; and strong beer. They belonged to the Robust, man of war, and having resolved to spend a jolly night on shore, had kept it up in a neighbouring alehouse till the landlord turned them out, and then they came here to finish their evening. They had opened some of the coffins in their dare- devil drunkenness and crammed the mouth of one of the bodies with bread, and cheese, and beer. Constable, with much difficulty, prevailed on them to return to the ship. In their way one fell down in the mud, and was suffocated, as much from drunkenness as the real danger. The comrades took him on their shoulders, and carried him back to sleep in company with the honest gentlemen with whom lie had passed the evening. CHAIR BROUGHT OVER TO AMERICA IN THE MAYFLOWER BY THE PILGRIU FATHERS. How frequently do we obtain, from the ordinary articles of domestic life which they were accustomed to use, a correct idea of the habits and tastes of whole communities which have long since passed away. A striking instance of this is the chair, of which the above is a correct sketch. It belonged to John Carver, who was one of the band of single- hearted men who constituted the Pilgrim Fathers, and who after first setting out from Holland, eventually sailed from Plymouth in England, in August, 1620. They landed in Cape Cod Harbour, Xew England, on the 9th of November following. Carver, was one of the chief spirits of the band, and the chair whieli we have sketched was one of his best articles of furniture, wliich he took with him in the Mayflower. He was elected the first governor of the community, and died in the year following his election. How forciblj' does it show the simplicity of taste, and the freedom from pomp and vanity which characterised the de- voted and fearless men who left their native shores, and sought " freedom to worship God" in a land to them unknown, that they should have selected as their iirst governor, an individual, the best chair in whose house was the homely article which we have here depicted. A HARMLESS ECCENTRIC. The annexed cut represents a singular character who was \vell known about the year 175)0 in the southern part of the county of Cuinliurlaiid. Her appearance is thus described by a correspondent of the Gentleman's MARVELLOUS, HARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 187 Magazine of that date : " Though I have seen, her at various times, and frequently conversed with her, for these 20 years, I have never been able to learn any particulars respecting her family, friends, or name. The country people know her bv the appellation of Jenny Barney, from the manner, I presume, in which she used to mend her clothes. Her present garb is entirely of her own manufacture. She collects the small parcels of wool which lie about the fields in sheep farms, spins it on a rock and spindle of her own making ; and as she cannot find any other method of making the yarn into cloth, she knits it on wooden needles, and by that means procures a warm comfortable dress. In the lifetime of the late Charles Lutwidge, Esq., of Holm Hook, she took possession of an old cottage, or rather cow-house, on his estate, in which she has ever since been suffered to continue. Her intellects seem at certain times greatly deranged, but her actions are harmless, and her language in- offensive. On that score she is caressed by all the villagers, who supply her with eatables, &c. , for money she utterly refuses. She seems a person in her lucid intervals, of much shrewdness, and her understanding is TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; above the common level. This has also been improved by a tolerable education. Her appearance has been much the same for these 20 years, so that she must now be nearly 90 years of age ; but of this, as well as her family and name, she is always silent. She seems to have chosen out the spot where she now lives, to pass the remainder of her days unknown to her friends, and in a great measure from a distaste of a wicked world, to ' prepare herself,' as she often in her quiet hours says, ' for a better.' " THE RULING PASSION. A remarkable instance of the irresistible strength of the ruling passion was to be seen a few years ago in a Londoner, who had kept are tail spirit-shop, and retired into the adjoining county when he had made a fortune, to enjoy himself. This man used to amuse himself bv having one puncheon filled with water, and measuring it off by pints into another. There was also another retired cit who used every day to angle in his round wash-hand-basin sized fish-pond for gold-fish. One fish he knew, because it had once lost its eye in being caught and he used to say " Confound that fellow, this is the fifth, sixth, &c., time that I have caught him this season." It used to provoke him. INTERESTING REPORT WRITTEN BY SIR CHRISTOPHER \V11EN. In the history of public buildings and monuments, it is always curious to note the original plans of those who designed them, and to mark the different proposals and suggestions which were taken into consideration. On this account our readers will no doubt be gratified by perusing the following Report of Sir Christopher Wren, on the ornament which it would, in his opinion, be most desirable to place on summit of the Monu- ment, on Fish Street-hill. The Report was drawn up for the use of the Committee of City Lands : "In pursuance of an Order of the Comittee for City Landes, I doe heerwith offer the several designes which some monthes since I showed His M tie . for his approbation ; who was then pleased to thinke a large Ball of mctall, gilt, would be most agreeable, in regard it would give an Ornament to the Town at a very great distance ; not that His M tie . dis- liked a statue ; and if any proposall of this sort be more acceptable to the City, I shall most readily represent the same to Hi- M ; . " I cannot but comend a large Statue, as carrying much dignitie with it, and that w h would be more valcwablc in the eyes of Forreiners and strangers. It hath been proposed to cast such a one in Brasse, of 12 foot high for 1,000. I hope (if it be allowed) wee may find those who will cast a figure for that mony of 15 foot high, w 1 ' 1 ' will suit the givat- of the pillar, & is (as I take it) the largest at at this day extant, and this would undoubtedly be the noblest finishing that can be found rable to soe goodly a workc in all men's juil^'ineiits. "A Ball of Copper, 9 foot diameter, cast in se\erall peeces with the Flames and gilt, may well be don with the iron worke and fixing for &X)lb., and this will be most acceptable of any thing interior to a statue, by reason of the good appearance at distance, and because one may goe up into it, & upon occasion use it for fireworkes. MARVELLOUS, RAKE, CURIOUS, ASD QUAINT. 189 " A Phoenix was at first thought of, & is the ornament in the wooden modell of the pilar w ch I caused to he made before it was begun ; hut upon second thoughtes I rejected it, because it will be costly, not easily undertstood at that highth, aud worse understood at a distance, and lastly dangerous, by reason of the sayle, the spread winges will carry in the winds. " The Belcony must be made of substantial well forged worke, there being noe need* at that distance of filed worke, and I suppose (for I cannot exactly guesse the weigh) it may be well performed and fixed ac- cording to a good designe for fourscore & ten poundes, including painting, All w ch is humbly submitted to your consideration. "July 28, 1675. " CHE. WEEX." CHAXGE OF SEX. Connected with the plumage of birds is an extraordinary problem which has baffled all research, and towards the solution of which not the slightest approach has been made. Among certain of the gallinaceous birds, and it has been observed in no other family, the females occa- sionally assume the male plumage. Among pheasants in a wild state, the hen thus metamorphosed, assumes with the livery a disposition to war with her own race, but in confinement she is spurned and buffeted by the rest. From what took place in a hen pheasant in the possession of a lady, a friend of the late Sir Joseph Banks, it would seem probable that this change arises from some alteration in the temperament at a late period of the animal's life. This lady had paid particular attention to the breeding of peasants. One of the hens, after having produced several broods, moulted, and the succeeding feathers were exactly those of a cock. This animal never afterwards laid an egg. The pea-hen, has sometimes been known to take the plumage of the cock bird. Lady Tynte had a favourite pea-hen, which at eight several times produced chicks. Having moultc-d when about eleven years old, the lady and her family were astonished by her displaying the feathers peculiar to the other sex, and appealing like a pied peacock. In this process the tail, which was like that of the cock, first appeared. In the following year she moulted again, and produced similar feathers. In third year she did the same, and then had also spurs resembling those of the cock. The bird never bred after this change of her plumage. TILBUBY FOET. The chief fame of Tilbury rests on the formation of the camp here, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, to defend London against the Spanish in- vasion. Although it is unnecessary to recount the well-known circum- stances which led to the formation of the Tilbury camp, it may not be out of place to give the famous speech of Queen Elizabeth on the occasion of her visit : " My loving People, "We have been persuaded by some that are care- ful of our safety, to take heed how we trust ourselves to armed multitudes for fear of treachery ; but assure you I do not desire to live to distrust h ful and loving people. Let tyrants fear. I have always so be- 190 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS havecl myself that under God I have placed my chiefest strength and safe- guard in the loyal hearts and goodwill of my subjects ; and therefore I am come among you at this time, not as for "my recreation or sport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live or die amongst you all to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom, and for my people, my honour and my blood even in the dust. I know that I have but the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart of a king, and a king of England too ; and I think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, WA.TKH-GATK OF IILBUBV FOBT. or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realms M which, rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, 1 will myself take up armsI myself will be your general, judge, and rcwarder of every one of your victories in the Held." The most full deMTiptioii of Elizabeth's reception at Tilbury is printed i a sort of do-givl pun,,, headed, "Elizabetha Triumphaus, briefly, truly, and effectually net forth, declared, and handled by James Aske/ Ine poem mentions, that when about 20,000 well-appointed men had MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 191 arrived, at Tilbury, orders were sent to the various shires to cause the troops in each to remain until further notice ; and so great was the de- sire to meet the enemy, that one thousand men of Dorsetshire offered 500 to be allowed to march to the camp at Tilbury. . The alarm of the Spanish invasion was, however, not the last to threaten the Londoners, and direct attention to Tilbury. On the 8th of June, 1667, Ruyter, the Dutch admiral, sailed out of the Texel with fifty ships, and came to the mouth of the Thames, from whence he detached Vice-Admiral Van Ghent, with seventeen of his lightest ships and some fire-ships. Van Ghent in the same month sailed up the Medway, made himself master of the fort of Sheerness, and, after burn- ing a magazine of stores to the value of 40,000, blew up the fortifica- tions. This action alarmed the City of London ; so that to prevent simi- lar mischief, several ships were sunk, and a large chain put across the narrowest part of the Medway. But by means of an easterly wind and a strong tide, the Dutch ships broke through the chain, and sailed between, the sunk vessels. They burnt three ships, and carried away with them the hull of the " Royal Charles," besides burning and damaging several others. After this they advanced as far as Upnor Castle, and burnt the " Royal Oak," the " Loyal London," and the " Great James." Fearing that the whole Dutch fleet would sail to London Bridge, the citizens caused thirteen ships to be sunk at Woolwich, and four at Blackwall, and platforms furnished with artillery to defend them were raised in several places. The consternation was very great, and the complaints were no less so. It was openly said the king, out of avarice, had kept the money so generously given to him to continue the war, and left his ships and subjects exposed to the insults of the enemy. After this ex- ploit, Ruyter sailed to Portsmouth, with a design to burn the ships in that harbour ; but finding them secured, he sailed to the west, and took some ships in Torbay. He then sailed eastward, beat the English force before Harwich, and chased a squadron of nineteen, men-of-war, com- manded by Sir Edward Spragg, who was obliged to retire into the Thames. In a word, he kept the coasts of England in a continual alarm all July, till he received news of the conclusion of peace. This daring attack was no doubt the cause of Tilbury Fort being made to assume its present form. It is now a regular fortification, and may be justly looked upon as the key to the City of London. The plan of the building was laid out by Sir Martin Beckman, chief engineer to Charles II., who also designed the works at Sheerness. The foundation is laid upon piles driven down, two on end of each other, till they were assured they were below the channel of the river, and that the piles, which were pointed with iron, entered into the solid chalk rock. On the land side, the works are complete ; the bastions are faced with brick. There is a double ditch, or moat, the innermost of which is 180 feet broad, with a good counterscarp, and a covered way marked out with ravelins and tenailles. There are some small brick redoubts ; the chief strength, how- ever, of this part of the fort consists in being able to lay the whole level under water, and, by that means, make it impossible for an enemy to carry on approaches that way. On the river side is a very strong curtain, 192 TKX THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; with the picturesque water-gate shown in our engraving in the middle, Before this curtain is a platform, in the place of a counterscarp, on which are planted cannon of large size. These completely command the river, and would no doubt cripple the ships of an enemy attempting to pass in this direction. A few years ago there were placed on the platform 106 cannon, carrying from 24 to 46 pounds each, besides smaller ones planted between them. The bastions and curtains are also planted with guns. The circular tower shown in the engraving was in existence in the time of Q,uecn Elizabeth, and was called the Block-house. BIXGING THE CHANGES. It is curious to note the number of changes which may be rung on different peals. The changes on seven bells are 5,040; on twelve 479,001,600, which it would take ninety-one years to ring at the rate of two strokes in a second. The changes on fourteen bells could not be rung through at the same rate in less than l(),.37-> years : and uponfour- and-twenty, they would require more than 117,000 billions of years. DISGRACEFUL STATE OF THE LOXDOIf POLICE IN 1724. That notorious burglar, Jack Sheppard, finished his disgraceful career at Tyburn in the year 1724, and we notice the event, not with the view of detailing the disgusting particulars of an execution, but because the ontrages which were allowed to take place after the dreadful scene was over, exhibit in a striking light the miserable police regulations which existed at that period, and the manner in which the mob were allowed to have it nearly all their own way. The Sheriff's officers, aware of the person they had to contend, with, thought it prudent to secure his hands on the morning of execution. This innovation produced the most violent resistance on Sheppard's part ; and the operation was performed by force. They then proceeded to search him, and had reason to applaud their vigilance, for he had contrived to conceal a penknife in some part of his dress. The ceremony of his departure from our world passed without disorder ; but, the instant the time expired for the suspension of the body, an undertaker, who had followed by his 1'ricnds' desire with a hearse and attendants, would have conveyed it to St. Sepulchre's church-yard for interment ; but the mob, conceiving that surgeons had employed this unfortunate man, proceeded to demolish the vehicle, and attack the sable dependants, who escaped with difficulty. They then seized the body, and, in the brutal manner common to those wretches, beat it from each to the other till it was covered with bruises and dirt, and till they reached Long-acre, where they deposited the miserable remains at a public-house called the Bariey- mow. After it had rested there a tew hours the populace end red into an enquiry why they had contributed their assistance in bringing Shcp- pard to Long-acre ; when they discovered they were duped l>y a bailiff, who was actually employed by the surgeons; and that they had taken the corpse from a person really intending to bury it. The elucidation of their error c\;i-pi rated them almost to phrcnsv, tad a riot immediately commenced, which threatened the most serious consequences. The in- MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 193 habitants applied to the police, and several magistrates attending, they were immediately convinced the civil power was insufficient to resist the torrent of malice ready to burst forth in acts of violence. They therefore sent to the Prince of Wales and the Savoy, requesting detachments of the guards ; who arriving, the ringleaders were secured, the body was given to a person, a friend of Sheppard, and the mob dispersed to attend it to the grave at St. Martin's in the Fields, where it was deposited in an elm coffin, at ten o'clock the same night, under a guard of soldiers, and with the ceremonies of the church. A TETCUPH OF ENERGY. After the accession of Tippoo Saib to the throne of Mysore in 1782, the English made overtures for a termination of the war which had been commenced by his father, but flushed by the possession of a large army, a well-filled treasury, a passion for war, and an inordinate sense of his own importance, Tippoo refused all terms of pacification, and left the English no alternative but to battle against him as they could. Lord Macartney, who was at that time the Governor of Madras, on becoming acquainted with the determination of Tippoo, resolved to prosecute hos- tilities with the greatest vigour, and having placed Col. Fullerton at the head of his force, he provided him with an army, collected from various parts, of 16,000 good troops, and afforded that excellent officer all avail- able assistance in carrying the war into Tippoo's territory. Fullerton laid his plans with considerable skill ; he encouraged the natives to bring and sell provisions to him on his march, effectually checked devastation and plundering, scrupidously respected the religious opinions of the Hindus, consolidated and improved the mode of march, and availed himself of the subtle cunning and nimble feet of the natives to establish a remarkably complete courier- system, whereby he could re- ceive and communicate intelligence with a rapidity never before attained by any European officer in India. He had to choose between two systems di' strategy either to march through the Mysore territory, and frustrate Tippoo in his siege of Mangalore ; or boldly to attack Seringapatam, in order to compel Tippoo to leave Mangalore as a means of defending his own capital. The colonel decided on the adoption of the latter course, as promising more fruitful results. Being at Daraporam, 200 miles south of Seriugapatam, Fullerton resolved to divert the route, and take a circuit nearer the western coast, where the capture of the strong fort of Palagat- cherry would afford him a valuable intermediate depot, commanding one of the chief roads from the Malabar to the Coromandel coasts. On the 18th of October he started. After capturing a few small forts, he ascended to high ground, where dense forests, deep ravines, and tortuous waters courses embarrassed every yard of his progress : to fill up the ravines before he could drag his artillery over them, to throw trees across them where the depth was too great for filling up, to clear gaps through forests with the axe, to contend against tremendous rains were only part of the difficulties he had to meet ; but he met them like a skilful commander, reached Palagatcherry on the 5th of November, and captured the fort on the loth, obtaining with it a welcome supply of money, grain, guns, 194 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; powder, shot, and military stores. When the difficulties which Colonel Fullerton had to encounter, and the triumphant manner in which he overcame them, are taken into consideration, it will be readily admitted we think, that his enterprise is well deserving of being recorded as a striking example of what maybe accomplished by a union of professional skill and invincible energy. Our engraving represents one of the de- vices which Colonel Fullerton employed for the purpose of enabling his forces to pass over a mountain torrent. STORMING OF THE BASTILLK AT PARIS. The great Revolution in France, at the close of the last century, was ill ul \vundrrful events, many of which might be appropriately recorded mo " r I . <>ne <>f the most striking anionir tli.-m w;is Hie' storming and capture of tlic Bastille, a vast state-prison whirh was IH--UU to be' !' l>y Charlea V., and finished by his successor in 1383. The MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AXD QUAINT. 195 demolition of this fortress was the first triumph of the armed populace of Paris, and it rendered the progress of the revolution irresistible. As the day closed in on the evening of Monday, the 14th of July, 1789, a reckless multitude of rioters, after seizing 30,000 muskets and several pieces of artillery at the Hotel des Invalides, rushed in wild excitement to the Bastille, rendered hateful to the people by the political im- prisonment of many hapless men in past times, although less frequently applied to similar purposes under the milder rule of Louis XVI. An armed mob of at least 100,000 men, aided by troops who joined them in e regiments at a time, had not long to contend against the old TCSS. _ The governor, De Launay, made such a defence as a brave Boer might at such a juncture ; but his few troops were bewildered and wavering: he received orders from the Hotel cle Ville which he knew not whether to obey or resist, but no instructions from the court or the isters ; and the military aid to the mob became stronger than anv torce he could bring to bear against them. The chains of three draw- 196 TKN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; bridges wore broken by hatchets ; straw, wood, oil, and turpentine were brought and kindled, to burn down the gates ; and after many volleys from the mob had been answered by a few from the fortress, l)c Launay, seeing no hope of succour, resolved to blow up the place rather than vie It I. In this he was prevented by the Swiss guards, who formed a part of th< small garrison, and who, after a parley with the insurgents, opened the gates, and surrendered. The Bastille was taken. The ruffians, heedirg nothing but their own furious passions, disregarded the honourable rules of capitulation ; they beheaded De Launay in a clumsy and barbarous manner, and putting his head on a pike, carried it through the stre 'ts shouting, laughing, and singing ; they were prevented only by an ic- cidental interruption from burning alive a young lady whom they found in one of the court-yards ; they hung or maltreated many of th'e Swiss and invalid soldiers ; and they fearfully hacked the bodies of three or four officers in the endeavour to decapitate them. The prisoners within, only seven in number, were liberated, and treated with a drunken revel ; while the Chatelet and other prisons became scenes of renewed disorders. The sketch which we give above, of the attack on the Bastille, is taken from a medallion by Andrieu. D1*HATIOX OF LIFE AMONG AETISTS. In Gould's Dictionary of Artists, published in 18139, the names, with the ages, of 1122 persons are given ; which furnish the following remark- able facts as to the longevity of this class of men. Died under (50 years old, 474 ; 60 years and under 70, 2-j() : 70 years and under SO, '_>!;$ ; 80 years and under 90, l.'J4 ; 90 years and under 100, 19; above 100, 1. The mean a-e at death of the whole number being o.3 years ; from which it would appear that the pursuit of the fine arts has a tranquilizing effect upon the spirit, and a tendency to moral refinement in the habits and manners of its professors, extremely favourable to the prolongation of life. M.i: IN TIIE VALUE OF LAND. At Brighton, within the present century, a spot of ground was offered to a hair-divsser in fee, upon condition of shaviTig the possessor for life. The terms were declined, and the land soon became of immense value. IN U en; N CABLE \ Ml PATH ! liS. The following are a few of the more striking manifestations of that unaccountable feeling of antipathy to certain objects, to which so many persons are subject, and with instances of whicn in a modified form perhaps most people arc; acquainted with: Krasmus, though a native of Rotterdam, had such an aversion to lish, that the smell of it threw him into a fever. Ambrose Pare mentions a gentleman, who never could see an eel with- out fainting. There is an account of another gentleman, who would fall into convul- sions at the sight of a carp. A lady, a native of France, always fainted on seeing boiled lolv Other persons from the same country experienced the same inconvenience' MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 197 from the smell of roses, though they were particularly partial to the jdour of jonquils or tuberoses. Joseph Scaliger and Peter Abono never could drink milk. Cardan was particularly disgusted at the sight of eggs. Uladislaiis, king of Poland, could not bear to see apples. Jf an apple was shown to Chesne, secretary to Francis I., he bled at the nose. A. gentleman, in the court of the emperor Ferdinand, would bleed at the nose on hearing the mewing of a cat, however great the distance might be from him. Henry III. of France could never sit in a room with a cat. The Duke of Schomberg had the same aversion. M. de Lancre gives an account of a very sensible man, who was so terrified at seeing a hedgehog, that for two years he imagined his bowels were gnawed by such an animal. The same author was intimate with a very brave officer, who was so terrified at the sight of a mouse, that he never dared to look at one unless he had his sword in his hand. M. Vangheim, a great huntsman in Hanover, would faint, or, if he had sufficient time, would run away at the sight of a roasted pig. John Rol, a gentleman in Alcantara, would swoon on hearing the word lana, wool, pronounced, although his cloak was woollen. The philosophical Boyle could not conquer a strong aversion to the sound of water running through a pipe. La Mothe le Vayer could not endure the sound of musical instruments, though he experienced a lively pleasure whenever it thundered. The author of the Turkish Spy tells us that he would rather encounter a lion in the deserts of Arabia, provided he had but a sword in his hand, than feel a spider crawling on him in the dark. He observes, that there is no reason to be given for these secret dislikes. He humorously attri- butes them to the doctrine of the transmigration of the soul ; and as re- garded himself, he supposed he had been a fly, before he came into his body, and that having been frequently persecuted with spiders, he still retained the dread of his old enemy. LOND02T EESOETS A HmTDRED YEARS AGO. In addition to the regular theatres, there were many places of amuse- ment, such as the Vauxhall and Ranelagh Gardens, the site of the latter being now occupied by the houses that hem in Chelsea College ; the Rotunda, famous for its music, its gardens, and its piece of water ; Bell- size House and Gardens on the Hampstead Road, where tea, coffee, and other refreshments could be had, together with music, from seven in the morning^ with the advantage of having the road to London patrolled during the season by twelve " lusty fellows," and of being able to ride to Hampstead by coach for sixpence a-head ; Perrot's inimitable grotto, which could be seen by calling for a pot of beer ; Jenny's Whim, at the end of Chelsea Bridge, where "the royal diversion of duck-hunting" could be enjoyed, " together with a decanter of Dorchester" for sixpence; Cuper's Gardens, in Lambeth, nearly opposite Somerset House, through 198 TEX THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; which the "Waterloo Road was ruthlessly driven ; the Marble Hall, at Vauxhall, where an excellent breakfast was ofi'ered for one shilling : Sadler's Wells, celebrated both for its aquatic and its wire-dancing at- tractions ; the Floating Coffee-House, on the river Thames, the Follr House at Blackwall, Marybone Gardens, the White-Conduit House, ani a nmltitude of others, to enumerate which would be tedious and un- profitable. On Sunday, we are told, the " pnobocracy," amused the -Hi- selves by thrusting their heads into the pillorv at Georgia, by being sworn at Highgate, or rolling down Flamstead Hill in Greenwich Park. Some regaled their wives and families with buns at Chelsea and Pald- ington ; others indulged in copious draughts of cyder at the Castle , in the pleasant village of Islington ; while the undomcstic cit, in claret - coloured coat and white satin vest, sipped his beer and smoked his pipe at Mile End, or at the "Adam and Eve" in Pancras, or "Mother lied Cap's " at Camden. QUEEN ELIZABETH'S STATE COACH. The accompanying engraving is taken from a very old print repre- senting the state procession of Queen Elizabeth on her way to open Parliament on April 2nd, 1571. This was the first occasion on which a state coach had ever been iised by a Sovereign of England, and it wa.* the only vehicle in the procession ; the Lord Keeper, and the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, all attending on horseback. It was drawn by two palfreys, which were decked with trappings of crimson velvet; and, according to an old authority, the name of the driver was William Boonen, a Dutchman, who thus became the first state coachman. TIIK ORIGIN OF EATING GOOSE ON MICHAELMAS DAY. Queen Elizabeth, on her way to Tilbury Fort, on the 29th of S ep- tember, loSi), dim d at the ancient seat of Sir Neville Umf'reville, near that place; and as British Bess had much rather dine oft' a high-seasoned and substantial di*h than a simple fricassee or ragout, the knight thought MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 199 proper to provide a brace of fine geese, to suit the palate of his royal guest. After the Queen had dined heartily, she asked for a half-pint lumper of Burgundy, and drank " Destruction to the Spanish Armada." She had but that moment returned the glass to the knight, who had done the honours of the table, when the news came (as if the Queen had been possessed with the spirit of prophesy) that the Spanish fleet had been destroyed by a storm. She immediately took another bumper, in order to digest the goose and good news ; and was so much pleased with the event, that she every year after, on that day, had the above excellent dish served up. The Court made it a custom, and the people the same ever since. PBE-ADAMITE BOXE CAVEKXS. Among the wonders of the world, the bone caves of the pro-Adamite period deserve a prominent place. It is to this period that the ex- tensive remains of Mammifera? found in the strata of the Pampas of Buenos Ayres, and in the caverns which are scattered in such vast numbers over the continents of Europe and America, and even in Aus- tralia, are to be ascribed. We regret that we can find room for a description of only one of these caverns, but it is a most extensive one, and among the first which attracted attention. It is situated at Bay- lenreuth, in Franconia, and the engraving which we here give repre- sents a section of it. The entrance of this cave, about seven feet in height, is placed on the face of a perpendicular rock, and leads to a series of chambers from fifteen to twenty feet in height, and several hundred feet in extent, in a deep chasm. The cavern is perfectly dark, and the icicles and pillars of sta- lactite reflected by the torches present a highly picturesque efl'ect. The 200 TF.X THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; floor is literally paved with bones and fossil teeth, and the pillars and corbels of stalactite also contain osseous remains. Cuvier showed that three-fourths of the remains in this and like caverns were those of bears, the remainder consisting- of bones of hyenas, tigers, wolves, foxes, glut- tons, weasels, and other Carnivora. HOW DISTANT AGES ARE CONNECTED BY INDIVIDUALS. Mr. Robert Chambers, in a curious and interesting chapter in the " Edinburgh Journal," entitled " Distant Ages connected by Indivi- duals," states, in 1847, "There is living, in the vicinity of Aberdeen, a gentleman who can boast personal acquaintance with an individual who had seen and conversed with another who actually had been present at the battle of Flodden Field !" Marvellous as this may appear, it is not the less true. The gentleman to whom allusion is made was personally acquainted with the celebi ated Peter Garden, of Auchterless, who died in 1775, at the reputed age of 131, although there is reason to believe that he was several years older. Peter, in his young days, was servant to Garden, of Troup, whom he accompanied on a journey through the north of England, where he saw and conversed with the famous Henry Jenkins, who died 1670, at the age of 169. Jenkins was born in 1501, and was of course twelve years old at the period of the battle of Flodden. Field ; and, on that memorable occasion, bore arrows to an English noble- man, whom he served in the capacity of page. " When we think of such things," adds Mr. Chambers, " the ordinary laws of nature seem to have undergone some partial relaxation ; and the dust of ancient times almost becomes living flesh before our eyes." THi: EARTHQUAKE AT LISBON. On the 1st of November, 1 ".">,;, a few minutes before 10 a.m. the inha- bitants of Lisbon were alarmed by several violent vibrations of the ground, which then rose and fell several times with such force that hundreds of houses came toppling into the streets, crushing thousands of people. At the same time the air grew pitchy dark from the clouds of dust that rose from the crumbling edifices. Many persons ran down to the river side, in the hope of escaping to the shipping ; but the water suddenly rose some yards perpendicularly, and swept away e-scrything before it. The quay, with nearly 200 human beings standing on 'it, all at once disappeared. Large ships, which were lying high and dry, floated off, and were dashed against each other or carried down the river. In every direction the surface of the water was overspread with boats, timber, casks, household furniture and corpses. The scene on dry land was yet more horrifying. Churches, government buildings, and private houses, were all imolved in the same ruin. Many thousands of trembling fugitives had collected in the great square, when it was discovered that flames were spreading in every quarter. Taking advantage of the universal panic and confusion, u band of miscreants had tired the city. Nothing could be done to stav the pro-re^ of the Humes, and for eiirht days they raged unchecked. Whatever the earthquake had spared fell a prey to'this new calamity. " It is not to be expressed by human ton- ue,"* writes an eye-witness. MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 201 ' ' how dreadful and how awful it was to enter the city after the fire was abated ; and looking upwards one was struck with horror in beholding dead bodies, by six or seven in a heap, crushed to death, half buried and half burnt ; and if one w r ent through the broad places or squares, nothing to be met with but people bewailing their misfortunes, wringing their hands, and crying, ' The world is at an end.' If you go out of the city, you behold nothing but barracks, or tents made with canvass or ship's sails where the poor inhabitants lye." Another eye-witness is still more graphic. " The terror of the people was beyond description : nobody wept, it was beyond tears ; they ran hither and thither, delirious Avit'h horror and astonishment beating their faces and breasts crying misericordia, the world's at an end; mothers forgot their children, and ran about loaded with crucitixed images. Un- fortunately, many ran to the churches for protection ; but in vain was the sacrament exposed ; in vain did the poor creatures embrace the altars ; images, priests, and people, were buried in one common ruin. * The prospect of the city was deplorable. As you passed along the streets, you saw shops of goods with the shopkeepers buried with them, some alive crying out from under the ruins, others half buried, others with broken limbs, in vain begging for help ; they were passed by crowds without the least notice or sense of humanity. The people lay that night in the field, which equalled, if possible, the horrors of the day ; the city all in flames ; and if you happened to forget yourself with sleep, you were awakened by the tremblings of the earth and the howlings of the people. Yet the moon shone, and the stars, with unusual brightness. Long wished for day at last appeared, and the sun rose with great splen- dour on the desolated city in the morning. Some of the boldest, whose houses were not burnt, ventured home for clothes, the want of which they had severely felt in the night, and a blanket was now become of more value than a suit of silk." STRANGE CURE FOE THE RHEUMATISM. Bridget Behan, of Castle-waller, in the county of Wicklow, Ireland re- tained the use of all her powers of body and mind to the close of her long life, 110 years, in 1807. About six years preceding her death she fell down stairs, and broke one of her thighs. Contrary to all expectation, she not only recovered from the effects of the accident, but actually, from thence, walked stronger on this leg, which, previously to the accident, had been a little failing, than she had done for many years before. Another re- markable circumstance relating to this fracture was, that she became per- fectly cured of a chronic rheumatism of long standing, and from which on particular occasions, she had suffered a good deal of affliction. A short while before her death she cut a new tooth. SILVER TEA SERVICE WHICH BELONGED TO WILLIAM Articles of ordinary use, however small may be their intrinsic value, which have once been the property of men who have been good and great how rare the conjunction! are always invested with a peculiar interest. They often afford a clue to the tastes of those who once 202 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS possessed them. On this account we have great pleasure in laying before our readers, a representation of the silver tea service which belonged to the celebrated William Penn, the founder and legislator of Pennsylvania, whom Montesquieu denominates the modern Lycurgus. He was the son of Admiral Penn, was born at London in 164-1, "and was educated at Christchurch, Oxford. At college, he imbibed the principles of Quakerism, and having endeavoured to disseminate them by preaching in public, lie was thrice thrown into prison. It was during his first imprisonment that he wrote " No Cross, no Croiai" In [March, 1680 81, he obtained from Charles II. the grant of that territory which now bears the name of Pennsylvania: in 1682 he embarked for his new colony, and in the following year he founded Philadelphia. He returned to- England in 1684, and died in July, 1718. He was a philosopher, a l<'ii-islator, an author, the friend of man, and, above all, a pious Christian. In addition to the reasons above given, the sketch of the t a service is an object of curiosity as showing the state of silversmith's work in England, at the close of the seventeenth century, for articles of domestic use. CURIOUS FIGURES ON A SMALL SIIKIM:. The figures here given are copied from a curious little bronze strongly gilt, which was engraved in the " Gentleman's Magazine" for 1833, accom- panied with a description, by A. J. Kcnipe, Esq., the author of the letter- MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAIXT. 203 press to "Stothard's Monumental Effigies," whose intimate knowledge in these matters enables him to well authenticate dates ; and he con- siders this relic may safely be attributed to the early part of the twelfth century ; it was discovered in the Temple Church, and had originally formed a portion of a pyx, or small shrine, in which the consecrated host was kept. Our engraving is more than half the size of the ori- ginal, which represents the soldiers watching the body of our Lord, who was, in mystical form, supposed to be enshrined in the pyx. They wear scull-caps of the Phrygian form, with the nasal like those in the Bayeux Tapestry ; andthe mailles or rings of the hauberk appear, as in the armo\;r there, sewn down, per- haps, on a sort of gam-, beson, but not inter- laced. They bear kite- shaped shields, raised to an obtuse angle in the centre, and having large projecting bosses : the third of these figures is represented beside the cut in profile, which will en- able the reader more clearly to detect its pecu- liarities. On two of these shields are some ap- proachesto armorialbear- ings ; the first is marked with four narrow bendlets ; the second is fretted, the frets being repeated in front of his helmet, or clwpelle defer : all the helmets have the nasal. A long tunic, bordered, and in one in- stance ornamented with cross-lines, or chequered, appears beneath the tunic. The sword is very broad, and the spear, carried by the first figure, obtuse in the head, a mark of its antiquity. The shoes are admirable illustrations of that passage of Geoffry of Malmesbury, where, representing the luxury of costume in which the English indulged at the time when Henry I. began his reign, he says : " Then was there flowing hair, and extravagant dress ; and then was invented the fashion of shoes with curved points : then the model for young men was to rival women in delicacj?- of person, to mimic their gait, to walk with loose gesture, half-naked." The curvature of the points of the shoes in the little relic before us, in conformity with the custom censured by Malmesbury, is quite remarkable. One turns up, another down ; one to the left, another to the right ; and scarcely any two in the same direction. THE QUEER'S SHARKS. The harbour of Trincomalee swarms with gigantic sharks, and strange to relate, they are all under British protection ; and if any one is found molesting or injuring them, the fine is 10, or an im- 204 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; prisonmcnt! How this ridiculous custom originated, it is hard to s;iv ; hut we art' told, that in the early days of British conquest in" the East, sailors were apt to desert, and seek refuge in the then inaccessible wilds of the interior ; and of later years, when civili- sation has unharred the gates of Cingalese commerce to all nations of the world, the soldiers of the regiment stationed at Trincomalee, dis- rimtented with their lot in life, were wont to escape from the thraldom of the service, by swimming off to American and other foreign vessels, preferring chance, under a strange Hag, to a hard certainty under their own. Thus the Uueen's sharks are duly protected as a sort of water- police for the prevention of desertion both from the army and navy. OLD VERSES OX W'KKX KI.IXAI5ETH. The following quaint and curious verses are taken from a very old volume, entitled A Croirne Garland of (foitldcn J'asv.s, (lathered out of England's Rion into a place of public amusement. Walpole, in one of his entertaining letters to Mann, April 22nd, 1742, thus speaks of the gardens, which were then unfinished: "I have been breakfast iiig this morniiig at Itanelagh Garden; they have built an immense ampitheatre, with balconies full of little ale- houses ; it is in rivalry to Vauxhall, and cost abou- twelve thousand pounds. The building is not finished, but they cot great sums by people going to sec it and breakfasting in the house : there were yesterday MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 205 no less than three hundred and eighty persons, at eighteen-pence a piece." Again, under the date May 26th, 1742, he writes to his friend as follows : "Two nights ago, Ranelagh Gardens were opened at Chelsea; the prince, princess, duke, much nobility, and much mob besides were there. There is a vast ampitheatre, finely gilt, painted, and illuminated ; into which everybody that loves eating, drinking, staring, or crowding, is admitted for twelve pence. The building and disposition of the gardens cost sixteen thousand pounds. Twice a week there are to be ridottos at guinea tickets, for which you are to have a supper and music. I was there last night, but did not find the joy of it. Vauxhall is a little better, for the garden is pleasanter, and one goes by water." " The only defect in the elegance and beauty of the ampitheatre at Ranelagh," says the London Chronicle for August, 1763, " is an im- proper and inconvenient orchestra, which, breaking into the area of that superb room about twenty feet farther than it ought to do, destroys the symmetry of the whole, and diffuses the sound of music with such irregular rapidity, that the harmonious articulations escape the nicest ear when placed in the most commodious attitude ; it also hurts the eye upon your first entry. ' ' To remedy these defects, a plan has been drawn by Messrs. "Wale and Gwin, for adding a new orchestra, which being furnished with a well-proportioned curvature over it, will contract into narrower bounds the modulations of the voice, and render every note more distinctly audible. It will, by its form, operate upon the musical sounds, in the same manner as concave glasses affect the rays of light, by collecting them into a focus. The front of this orchestra being planned so as to range parallel to the balustrade, the whole area also will be disencum- bered of every obstruction that might incommode the audience in their circular walk. There is likewise provision made in this plan for a stage capable of containing 30 or 40 performers, to officiate as chorus-singers, or otherwise assist in giving additional solemnity on any extraordinary occasion." "At Ranelagh House, on the 12th of May, 1767," says the Gentle- man' 's Magazine, " were performed (in the new orchestra) the much admired catches and glees, selected from the curious collection of the Catch Club ; being the first of the kind publickly exhibited in this or any other kingdom. The entertainments consisted of the favourite catches and glees, composed by the most eminent masters of the last and present age, by a considerable number of the best vocal and instrumental performers. The choral and instrumental parts were added, to give the the catches and glees their proper effect in so large an amphitheatre ; being composed for that purpose by Dr. Arne." The Rotunda, or amphitheatre, was 185 feet in diameter, with an orchestra in the centre, and tiers of boxes all round. The chief amuse- ment was promenading (as it was called) round and round the circular area below, and taking refreshments in the boxes while the orchestra and vocalists executed different pieces of music. It was a kind of ' Vauxhall under cover,' warmed with coal fires. The rotunda is said to have been 206 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS projected by Lacy, the patentee of Drury Lane Theatre. " The d'a-il" Dr. Johnson declared, " was the finest thing he had ever seen." The last great event in the history of Ranelagh was the installation ball of the knights of the Bath, in 1802, shortly after which the place was pulled down. TIII: riK".T EAST INDIA norsi:. The tradition is, that the East India Company, incorporated December 31st, 1600, first transacted their business in the great room of the Nag's Head Inn, opposite St. Botolph's Church, Bishopsgate Street. The maps of London, soon after the Great Fire of 1666, place the India House on a part of its present site in Leadenhall Street. Here originallv stood the mansion of Alderman Kerton, built in the reign of Edward Vl., rebuilt on the accession of Elizabeth, and enlarged by its next purchaser, Sir \V. Craven, Lord Mayor in 1610. Here was born the groat Lord Craven, who, in 1701, leased his house and a tenement in Lime Street MARVELLOUS, HARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 207 to the Company at 100 a year. A scarce Dutch etching, in the British Museum, of which the annexed engraving is a correct copy, shows this house to have been half timbered, its lofty gable surmounted with two dolphins and a figure of a mariner, or, as some say, of the first governor ; beneath are merchant ships at sea, the royal arms, and those of the Company. This grotesque structiire was taken down in 1726, and upon its site was erected the old East India House, portions of which yet remain ; although the present stone front, 200 feet long, and a great part of the house, were built in 1798 and 1799, and subsequently enlarged by Cockerel!, R.A., and Wilkins, R.A. ADYEETISEMEXTS IX THE LAST CEXTLTRY. The following strange advertisements have been culled at random from magazines and newspapers circa 1750. They give us a good idea of the manners and tastes of that period : " Whereas a tall young Gentleman above the common size, dress'd in a yellow grounded flowered velvet (supposed to be a Foreigner), with a Solitair round his neck and a glass in his hand, was narrowly observed and much approved of by a certain young lady at the last Eidotto. This is to acquaint the said young Gentleman, if his heart is entirely dis- engaged, that if he will apply to A. B. at Garraway's Coffee House in Exchange Alley; he may be directed to have an interview with the said young lady, which may prove greatly to his advantage. Strict secresy on the Gentleman's side will be depended on." " A Lady who had on a Pink coloured Capuchin, edged with Ermine, a black Patch near her right eye, sat in a front seat in the next Side Box but one to the Stage on Wednesday night at Drury Lane Playhouse ; if that Lady is single and willing to treat on terms of honour and generosity of a married s.tate, it would be deemed a favour to receive a line directed to C. D., at Clifford's Inn Old Coffee House, how she may be address'd, being a serious affair." " To be seen this week, in a large commodious room at the George Inn, in Fenchurch- street, near Aldgate, the Porcupine Man. and his Son, which has given such great satisfaction to all that ever saw them : their solid quills being not to be numbered nor credited till seen ; but give univer- sal satisfaction to all that ever see them ; the youth being allowed by all to be of a beautiful and fine complexion, and great numbers resort daily to see them." " A Bullfinch, that pipes, ' Britons rouse up your great magnanimity,' at command, also talks, is to be sold at the Cane Shop facing New Broad Street, Moorfields ; likewise to be sold, two Starlings that whistle and talk extremely plain. " Great variety of fine long Walking Canes." THEODORA DE VEEDIOST. This singular woman was born in 1744, at Leipsic, in Germany, and died at her lodgings, in Upper Charles-street, Hatton Garden, London, 1802. She was the only daughter of an architect, of the name of Grahn, who erected several edifices in the city of Berlin, particularly the Church TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; of St. Peter's. She wrote an excellent hand, and had learned the mathe- matics, the French, Italian, and English languages, and possessed a com- plete knowledge of her native tongue. Upon her arrival in England she commenced teaching of the German language, under the name of Dr. John do Vcrdion. In her exterior, she was extremely grotesque, wearing a hag wig, a large cocked hat, three or four folio books under one arm, and an um- hrella under the other, her pockets completely tilled with small volumes, and a stick iu her right hand. She had a good knowledge of English books ; many persons entertained her for her advice relative to pur- chasing them. She obtained a comfortable subsistence from teaching and translating foreign languages, and by selling books chiefly in foreign literature. She taught the Duke of Portland the German language, and was always welcomed to his house, the Prussian Ambassador to ottr Court received from her a knowledge of the English language ; and several distinguished noblemen she frequently visited to instruct them in the French tongue ; she also taught Edward Gibbon, the celebrated Roman Historian, the German language, previous to his visiting that country. This extraordinary female has never been known to have ap- peared in any other but the male dress, since her arrival in England, where she remained upwards of thirty years ; and upon occasions she would attend court, decked in very superb attire ; and was Avcll remem- bered about the streets of London ; and particularly frequent in attending book auctions, and would buy to a large amount, sometimes a coach- load. Here her singidar figure generally made her the jest of the com- pany. Her general purchase at these sales was odd volumes, whicli sho used to carry to other booksellers, and endcavoxir to sell, or exchange for other books. She was also a considerable collector of medals and foreign coins of gold and silver ; but none of these were found after her decease. She freqti' uteil the Furnival's Inn Coffee-house, in Holborn, dining there almost every day ; she would have the first of every thing in season, and \v;i^ :e i-tivmious for a large quantity, as she was dainty in the quality of what she chose for her table. At times, it is well-known, she could dispense with three pounds of solid meat ; and we are very sorry to say, she was much inclined to the dreadful sin of drunkenness. Her death was occasioned by falling down stairs, and she was, utter much affliction, at length compelled to make herself known to a German phy- sician, who prescribed for her, when the disorder she had, turned to a dropsy, defied all cure, and finished the life of so remarkable a female. DKiyiXG STAGS LIKE CATTI.i:. Buried at Dislcy, Cheshire, June 2nd, 1753, Mr. Joseph Watson, in the 105th year of his age. lie; was born at Moseley Common, in the parish of Leigh, in the county of Lancaster ; and married his wife from Ktchells, near Manchester, in the said county. They were an happy couple ~'2 years. She died in the it 1th year of her age. He was park- r to the late Peter 1-eigh, Ksq., of Lime, and his father used to drive and show 7-ed deer to most of the nobility and t> in that part of the kingdom, to the general satisfaction ui' all who MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 209 ever saw them ; for he could have driven and commanded them at his pleasure, as if they had been common horned-cattle. In the reign of Queen Anne, Squire Leigh was at Macclesneld, in Cheshire, in company with a number of gentlemen, amongst which was Sir Roger Mason, who was then one of the members for the said county ; they being merry and free, Squire Leigh said his keeper should drive 12 brace of stags to the Forest of Windsor, a present to the Queen. Sir Roger opposed it with a wager of 500 guineas, saying that neither his keeper, nor any other person could drive 12 brace of red deer from Lime Park to Windsor Forest on any account. So Squire Leigh accepted the wager from Sir Roger, and immediately sent a messenger to Lime for his keeper, who directly came to his master, who told him he must immediately prepare himself to drive 12 brace of stags to Windsor Forest, for a wager of 500 guineas. He gave the Squire, his master, this answer, that he would, at his command, drive him 12 brace of stags to Windsor Forest, or to any part of the kingdom by his worship's direction, or he would lose his life and fortune. He undertook, and accomplished this most astonishing performance, which is not to be equalled in the annals of the most ancient history. He was a man of low stature, not bulky, of a fresh complexion, pleasant countenance, and he believed he had drank a gallon of malt liquor a day, one day with another for above sixty years of his time. ECCEXTEIC WILL. The following will, as an exhibition of strange eccentricity, is not inappropriate to our pages. Mr. Tuke, of Wath, near Rotherham, who died in 1810, bequeathed one penny to every child that attended his funeral (there came from 600 to 700) ; Is. to every poor woman in Wath ; 10s. 6d. to the ringers to ring one peal of grand bobs, which was to strike off while they were putting him into the grave. To seven of the oldest navigators, one guinea for puddling him up in his grave. To his natural daughter, 4 4s. per annum. To his old and faithful servant, Joseph Pitt, 21 per annum. To an old woman who had for eleven years tucked him up in bed, 1 Is. only. Forty dozen penny loaves to be thrown from the church leads at twelve o'clock on Christmas day for ever. Two handsome brass chande- liers for the church, and 20 for a set of new chimes. EXTRAORDINARY FROST. As an instance of great rarity in England of the severity of a frost, it is worth notice, that in January, 1808, the rain froze as it fell, and in London the umbrellas were so stiffened that they could not be closed. Birds had their feathers frozen so that they could not fly, and many were picked up as they lay helpless on the ground. ANCIENT SNTJTT BOXES. These ancient smiff boxes furnish proof of the love of our ancestors for the titillating powder. An admiring writer of the last century, reflecting on the curious and precious caskets in which snuff was then imprisoned, asks 210 TEX THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; " What strange and wondrous virtue must there be, And secret charm, snuff! concealed in thee, That bounteous nature and inventive art, Bedecking thee thus all their powers exert." But every age, since snuff was in use, appears to have cherished great regard for the beauty and costliness of its snuff boxes, and even at the present time, the snuff box is the recognised vehicle of the highest honour a corpoiation can bestow. Those here represented are not so much boxes as bottles. They are richly and elaborately ornamented with sporting subjects, and no doubt once belonged to some famous personage. Judging of their very antique form and figures, we are inclined to think they must have been in use earlier than it is generally supposed that snuff was introduced into this country. MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. SEEING THE FIRST, AND THE LAST OF TWO GENERATIONS. Frances Barton, of Horsley, Derbyshire, died 1789, aged 107. She followed the profession of a midwife during the long period of eighty years. Her husband had been sexton of the parish seventy years ; so that this aged pair frequently remarked, that she had twice brought into the world, and lie had twice buried the whole parish. Her faculties, and memory in particular, were remarkably good, so that she was enabled well to remember the Revolution in 1688, and being present at a merry making on that glorious occasion. THE EARLIEST HACKNEY-COACH. The above is a correct representation of one of the earliest forms in which coaches for hire were first made. They were called Hackney, not, as is erroneously supposed, from their being first used to carry the citizens of London to their villas in the suburb of Hackney, but from the word " hack," which signifies to offer any article for sale or hire. Hack- ney coaches were first established in 1634, and the event is thus mentioned in one of StrajjfonTt Letters, dated April in that year : " One Captain Bailey hath erected some four Hackney-coaches, put his men in livery, and appointed them to stand at the May-pole in the Strand, giving them instructions at what rates to carry men into several parts of the town, where all day they may be had. Other hackney- men seeing this way, they flocked to the same place, and perform their journeys at the same rate. So that sometimes there is twenty of them together, which disperse up and down ; that they and others are to be had everywhere, as watermen are to be had by the water-side. * * * Everybody is much pleased with it." A rNIQrE LIBRARY. A singular library existed in 1535, at Warsenstein, near Cassel ; the books composing it, or rather the substitutes for them, being made of wood, and every one of them is a specimen of some different tree. The back is formed of its bark, and the sides are constructed of polished pieces of the same stock. When put together, the whole forms a box ; and inside of it are stored the fruit, seed, and leaves, together with the TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; moss which grows on the trunk, and the insects which feed upon the tree ; every volume corresponds in size, and the collection altogether has an excellent effect. DRESS FORTY YEARS AGO. Caricature, even by its very exaggeration, often gives us a better idea of many things than the most exact sketches could do. This is more especially the case with respect to dress, a proof of which is here given by the three caricatures which we now lay before our readers. They are copied from plates published at the period to which they refer, and how completely do they con- vey to us a notion of the fashions of the day ! "With the peace of 1815 com- menced a new era in English his- tory ; and within the few years immediately preceding and fol- lowing it, English society went through a remarkably rapid change ; a change, as far as we can see, of a decidedly favourable kind. The social condition of public senti- ment and public morals, litera- ture, and science, were all im- proved. As the violent internal agitation of the country during A the regency increased the number of political caricatures and satirical writings, so the succession of fa- shions, varying in extravagance, which characterised the same period, produced a greater number of caricatures on dress and on fashionable manners than had been seen at any previous period. During the first twelve or fifteen years of the present century, the general cha- racter of the costume appears not to have undergone any great change. The two figures here given represent the mode in 1810. A few years later the fashionable costume furnished an extraordinary contrast with that just represented. The waist was again shortened, as well as the frock and petticoat, and, instead of concealment, it seemed to be the aim of the ladies to exhibit to view as much of the body as pos- sible. The fops of 1819 and 1820 received the name of dandies, the ladies that of dandizettes. The accompanying cut is from a rather broadly caricatured print of a dandizette of the year 1819. It must be considered only as a type of the general character of the foppish costume of the period ; for in no time was there ever such a variety of forms in the dresses of both sexes as at the period alluded to. We give, with the same reservation, a figure of a dandy, from a carica- MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. tore of the same year. The number of caricatures on the dandies and DANDIZETli;. dandizettes, and on their fopperies and follies, during the years 1819, 1820, and 1821, was perfectly astonishing. FASHIONABLE DISFIGUREMENT. The extent to which people may be led to disfigure themselves by a blind compliance with the fashion of the day, was never more strikingly displayed than in the custom of dotting the face with black patches of different patterns. It might easily be supposed that the annexed sketch is a carica- ture, but such is not the case ; it is a correct likeness of a lady of the time of Charles the 1st, with her face in full dress. Patching was much admired during the reign of that sovereign, and for several succeeding years. Some authors think that the fashion came originally from Arabia. No sooner was it brought to England and France, than it became an absolute fureur. In the former country, old and young, the maiden of sixteen, and the grey-haired grandmamma, covered their faces with these black spots, shaped like suns, moons, stars, hearts, crosses, and lozenges, and some even, as in the 214 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; instance before us, carried the mode to the extravagant extent of shaping 1 the patches to represent a carriage and horses. A REMARKABLE OLD Mr. Ingleby, of Battle Abbey, Sussex, died 1798, aged 117. He had been for upwards of ninety-five years a domestic in the family of Lady Webster. The following narrative of this remarkable man is by a gentle- man who visited him in the autumn of 1797 : " To my great surprise," he says, " I found Mr. Ingleby in a situation very far removed from the luxuries of life, or the place which might be deemed necessary for his years. He was in an antique outbuilding, near the Castle Gate, where his table was spread under an arched roof ; nearly the whole of the building being filled with billet-wood, and scarcely ffording room for the oaken bench on which this wonder of longevity was reclining by the fire. His dress was a full-bottomed wig, and a chocolate-coloured suit of clothes with yellow buttons. His air and de- meanour was pensive and solemn ; though there was nothing in his look which impressed the mind with the idea of a person more than fourscore years old, except a slight falling of the under jaw, which bespoke a more advanced age. We were introduced by a matron, who served as a sort of interpreter between us Mr. Ingleby's deafness not permitting any regular conversation. When the nurse explained our errand, he replied, in ajrery distinct but hollow voice, ' I am much obliged to the gentlemen for the favour they do me ; but I am not well, and unable to converse vrith them.' He then turned his face to the higher part of the bench on which he reclined, and was silent. In each of his withered hands he held a short, rude, beechen walking stick, about three feet high, by the help of which he was accustomed not only to walk about the extensive premises in which he passed the most part of his life, but also to take his little rambles about the town ; and once (for, occasionally, the old gentleman waS irascible,) he set out on a pedestrian excursion to Hast- ings, t inquire for another situation in sercice, because his patroness desired him to be more attentive to personal neatness. It is but justice to the lady alluded to, to add, that the uncouth abode in which Mr. Ingleby dwelt was the only one in which he could be persuaded to reside, and which long familiarity had rendered dear to him. The choice ap- ]iean (I very extraordinary; but such persons, in their conduct, are sel- dom governed ly the tixed and settled rules by which human life is ordinarily regulated." CTTBIOUS MANtJSCEirr. A very curious manuscript was presented to the Antiquarian Society of Yorkshire in 1828." It contains sundry rules to be observed by the household of Henry the sth, and enjoins the following singular particulars: "None of his Ilighness's attendants to steal any locks, or keys, tables, forms, cupboards, or other furniture, out of noble- men's, or gentlemen's, houses where he goes to visit. No herald, min- strel, falconer, or other, to bring to the Court any boy or rascal ; nor to keeps lads or rascals in Court to do their business for them. Master MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. cooks not to employ such scullions as shall go about naked, nor lie all niijld on the (/round before the kitchen fire. Dinner to be at ten, and supper at four. The Knight Marshall to take care that all such un- thrifty and common women as follow the Court be banished. The proper officers are, between six and seven o'clock every morning, to make the fire in and straw his Highness's Privy Chamber. Officers of his High- ness's Privy Chamber to keep secret every thing said or done, leaving hearkening or inquiring where the king is or goes, be it early or late, without grudging, mumbling, or talking of the King's past time, late or early, going to bed, or any other matter. Coal only allowed to the King's, Queen's, and Lady Mary's Chambers. The Queen's Maids of Honour to have a chet loaf, a manchet, a gallon of ale, and a chine of beef, for their breakfasts. Among the fishes for the table is a porpoise, and if it is too big for a horse-load, a further allowance is made for it to the purveyor." The manuscript ends with several proclamations. One is " to 'take up and punish strong and mighty beggars, rascals, and vagabonds, who hang about the Court." WONDERFUL ESCAPE. In 1809, a barge was going along the new cut from Paddington with casks of spirits and barrels of gunpowder. It is supposed that one of the crew bored a hole in a powder barrel by mistake, meaning to steal spirits, the gimlet set fire to the powder, and eleven other barrels were driven to the distance of 150 yards ; but only the single barrel exploded. DAVID HOIK OX HIS OWX DEATH. The letter which we here lay before our readers was addressed by David Hume to the Countess de Boufflers, and is supposed to be the last that was ever written by that great historian, as he died only five days afterwards, August 25th. With what calmness did that illustrious phi- losopher contemplate the rapid approach of his own death ! The letter was torn at the places where the words are printed in italics : ''Edinburgh, 20th of August, 1776. " Tho' I am certainly within a few weeks, dear Madam, and perhaps within a few days, of my own death, I could not forbear being struck with the death of the Prince of Conti, so great a loss in every particular. My reflection carried me immediately to your situation in this melan- choly incident. What a difference to you in your whole plan of life ? Pray, write me some particulars ; but in such terms that you need not care, in event of decease, into whose hands your letter may fall. ' ' Jly distemper is a diarrhoea, or disorder in my bowels, which 'has been gradually undermining me these two years ; but within these six months has been visibly hastening me to my end. I see death approach gradually, without any anxiety or regret. 1 salute you with great affec- tion and regard for the last time. " DAVID HUME." SCETPTUHAL ANTIQUITIES. The rude musical instruments here represented, have been collected by modern travellers, and are but little changed from the ancient forms. 216 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS A. Drum, or Timbrel, of Baked Potter's Clay. AA. Drum in use in the East. B. Harp. -C. Lutes. I). Inscribed Stone. 1'.. Sandals. The drum or timbrel marked A, is made of thin baked clay, something in the shape of a buttle, \\itli parehmenl si retched over the wider part. On beine struck with the finger, this instrument makes a remarkably loud sound. These relics are lodged in the London Scriptural Museum, and arc all ticketed with the texts they serve to illustrate. This arrangement is very judicious, and gives a great additional interest to the sacred objects while under inspection. MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 1. Distuft'. 2. Koman Farthing. 3. Stone Money Weights. L Hand Mill. 5. Eastern Wine and Water Bottles. The distaff was the instrument which wrought the materials for the robes of the Egyptian Kings, and for the " little coat" which Hannah made for Samuel ; by it, too, were wrought the cloths, and other fabrics used in Solomon's temple. By reference to the above engraving, it will be seen that nothing can be more simple than this ancient instrument, which is a sort of wooden skewer, round which the flax is wrapped ; it is then spun on the ground in the same manner as a boy's top, and the TEX THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; thread wrought off, and wound upon a reel shown in the foreground of the picture. " Querns," or stoue hand-mills of various sizes, similar to that represented iu our engraving, have been repeatedly found in con- nectiou with Itoman, Saxon, and other ancient remains in this country. They are still to be met with in constant use over the greater part of India, in Africa, and also those districts of the East, which are more par- ticularly associated with Holy Writ. It may be worth while to mention that this description of mill is an improvement upon the method of simply crushing the corn laid on a flat stone, with another held in the hand. The "Quern" is a hard stone roughly rounded, aad partly hollowed, into which another stone, which has a handle, is loosely fitted. The corn required to be ground is placed in the hollow receptacle, and the inner stone is moved rapidly round, and in course of time, by immense labour the wheat, &c. is ground into flour. The Scripture prophecies men- tion that of two women grinding at the mill, one shall be left and the other taken, the two-handled mill will explain the meaning of this passage. CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF REMA11KAULTC i:VKM>. The following curious table is extracted literatim from Arthur Hopton's Ctiticordiiiicic <>f 1'cars, 1615: 1077. A blazing star on Palm Sunday, ncre the sun. 1100. The yard (measure) made by Henry I. 1110. The moone seemed turned into bloud. 1128. Men wore haire like women. 1180. Paris in France, and London in Englande, paued, and thatching in both left, because all Luberiek was spoiled thereby with lire. 1189. Robin Hood, and Little John lived. This yeare London obtained to be gouerned by sheriffes and maiors. 1205. By reason of a frost from January to March, wheate was sold for a marke the quarter, which before was at 12 pence. Anno Iti-i/iii 6. John. 1209. London bridge builded with stone : and this yeare the citizens of London had a grant to choose them a maior. 1227. The citizens of London had libertic to hunt a certain distance about the citie, and to passe toll-free through England. 1231. Thunder lasted fifteen daies ; beginning the morrow after St. .Martin's day. 1233. Four sunncs appeared, besiile the. Irtie sunne, of a red colour. 1235. The Jews of Norwich stole a boy and circumcised him, minding to have crucified him at Easter. 1 - 1 7. The king farmed Q,ueene-hiuc for fifty pounds per annum, to the citizens. 1 -'>-. (Jrerit tempests upon the sea, and fearfull : and this year the king (Henry IU.) granted, thai \vhcretofore the citizens of London were to present the maim- before the kin^ 1 , wlieresoeuer he were, that now barons of the exchequer should seme. 1291. The Jcwes corrupting Kn^land with VMITV, had tirst a had^e ^iuen them to wean-, that they ini^ht be knowne, and after were banished to the number of I. JO, (KM) persons. MARVELLOUS^ RAKE., CURIOUS,, AND QUAINT. 219 1313. ^-This yeare the king of France burned all his leporous and pocky people, as well men as women : for that he supposed they had poysoned the waters, which caused his leprosie. About this time, also, the Jews had a purpose to poysoii all the Christians, by poysoning all their springs. 136.1. Men and beasts perished in diuers places with thunder and light- ning, and fiends were scene speake unto men as they trauelled. 1372. The first bailiffes, ia Shrewsbury. 1386. The making of gunnes found ; and rebels in Kent and Essex, who entred London, beheaded all lawyers, and burnt houses and. all bookcs of law. 1388. Picked shooes, tyed to their knees with siluer chaines were vsed. And women with long gownes rode in side-saddles, like the queene, that brought side-saddles first to England ; for before they rode astrid. 1401. Pride exceeding in monstroiis apparrelL 1411. Guildhall in London begun. 1417. A decree for lantherne and candle-light in London. 1427. Earn from the 1st of April! to Hollontide. IdlO.-t-St. John's College in Cambridge being an ancient hostell, was conuerted to a college by the executors of the Countesse of Rich- mond and Derby, and mother of Henry VII., in this yeare, as her will was. ] erson. For the last thirty years of her life she had kept no servant, except one old female, who died in 1806 ; she was succeeded by the old woman's grand- daughter, who was married about 1813 ; and she was followed, in the situation, by an old man, who attended the different houses in the square to go on errands, clean shoes, &c. Mrs. Lewson took this man into her house, and he acted as her steward, butler, cook, and housemaid ; and with the exception of two old lap-dogs and a cat, he was her only com- panion. The house she occupied was elegantly furnished, but after the old style ; the beds were kept constantly made, although they had not been slept in for about fifty years. Her apartment was only occasionally pwept out, but never washed ; the windows were so encrusted with dirt that they hardly admitted a ray of light to pass through them. She had used to tell her acquaintance, that if the rooms were wetted, it might be the occasion of her taking cold ; and as to cleaning the windows, she observed that many accidents happened through that ridiculous practice : the glass might be broke, and the person wounded, Avhen the expense of repairing the one, and curing the other, would both fall upon her. A large garden at the rear of the house was the only thing connected with her establishment to which she really paid attention. This was always kept in good order ; and here, when the weather permitted, she enjoyed the air, or sometimes sat and read by way of pastime ; or else chatted on times past with any of the few remaining acquaintances whoso visits she permitted. She seldom visited any person except Mr. Jones, a grocer at the corner of the square, with whom she dealt. She was so partial to the fashions prevailing in her youthful days, that she never changed the manner of her dress from that worn by ladies in the reign of George the First. She always wore powder with a large toupee made of horsehair on her head, nearly half a foot high, over which her front hair was turned up ; a cap over it, which knotted under the chin, and three or four curls hanging down her neck. She generally wore silk gowns, the train long with a deep flounce all round, a very long narrow waist, very tightly laced up to her neck, round which was a rutf or frill. The sleeves of her gown, to which four or five large ruillcs were attached, came below the elbow ; a large straw bonnet, quite flat, high heeled shoes, a full made black silk cloak trimmed round with lace, and a gold-headed cane com- pleted her every day costume for the last eighty years of her life, and in which habiliments she occusionally walked round the square, when she was uniformly spoken of by all spectators as Lady Lcirsuii. She never practised ablutions of any kind, or hardly in any degree, because, as slu alleged, those persons who washed themselves were always taking cold, or laying the foundation of some dreadful disorder. Her method was In besmear her face and neck all over with hog's lard, because that was soft and lubricating ; and then, because she required a little colour iu her cheeks to set oil' her IHTMUI to advantage, she had used to paint them with rose-pink. Her manner of living was so methodical, that she would not take her tea out of any other than a favourite cu|>. She \\a> equally particular with respect to her knives, forks, plates, &u. At breakfast she arranged, in a particular manner, the paraphernalia of her table ; at MARVELLOUS, RARE,, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 223 dinner she always observed a particular rule as to the placing of the two or three empty chairs, by which the table was surrounded, but herself always sat in one favourite chair. She constantly enjoyed an excellent state of health ; assisted at all times in regulating the affairs of her household ; and never, until a little previous to her decease, had an hour's illness. She entertained the greatest aversion to medicine ; and, what is remarkable, cut two new teeth at the age of 87, and was never troubled with the toothache. Towards the close of her life her sight failed her. She lived in live reigns, and was believed to be the most faithful living chronicler of the age. A few days previous to her decease, an old lady Avho was her neighbour died suddenly, which had such an effect upon her that she frequently said her time was also come, and she should soon follow. She enjoyed the use of all her faculties till that period, when she became weak and took to her bed ; but steadily refused all medical aid ; her conduct to a few relations was extremely capricious; and she would never see any of them ; and it was not until a few hours before her disso- lution that any relaxation in her temper was manifested. She was in- terred in Bunhill Fields burying-ground. WHEN FIRE ENGINES WERE FIRST MADE. The Phoenix was the tirst fire office established, in 1682. There were used in towns squirts, or syringes for extinguishing fire, which did not exceed two or three feet in length. These yielded to the Fire Engine, with leathern pipes, Avhich was patented in 1676. Water-tight, seam- less hose was made in Eethnal Green in 1720. About this date s. d. A fire engine and pipe for Lyme cost . . ,600 A square pipe, 23 feet long . . . . 1 18 12 leather fire buckets 233 A Fire Engine was considered an appropriate present for an aspirant to a borough. At Lewes, in 1726, T. Pelham, Esq., gave one, and having been chosen representative in 1731, he presented a second. EXTRAORDINARY CATARACT. In the island of Piilo Penang, in the Straits of Malacca, there is a cataract which is surpassed by very few in the four quarters of the earth. It is rarely visited, and, therefore, has been but seldom described ; but, those who have been fortunate enough to witness it, all agree in the opinion that it forms one of the wonders of the world. The stream which supplies it is of considerable volume, and after traversing a long tract of comparatively level country, is suddenly precipitated almost without a break into a ravine, nearly two hundred feet below the summit of the fall. The annexed engraving gives an excellent representation of the scene. The stream descends with a mighty roar, and rushes on with a lightning speed. If you take the trouble of bringing a small looking-glass in your pocket, and come here about an hour before noon, you will be able to produce some very beautiful artificial rainbows. But whatever you do, never attempt to clamber to the top of the rocks, for though, doubtless, 224 TEX THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; the scenery is very sublime up there, the pathway is slippery and dangerous in the extreme ; and the guides can tell* how two hapless youths, officers belonging to a regiment stationed here some twenty years ago, clambered up that hill, and how they shout, <1 with impli on reaching yon summit, and waved their handkrnOii.-ts ravely ; but they can also tell the gloomy and disastrous end of all M i ; now the wild screams echoed far and wide, as both slipped and fell ong into the surging torrent, and the sun shone brightly upon the MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 225 bright red uniforms as they were hurried over the precipice, and dashed from rock to rock ; 'and, whilst yet the horror-stricken spec- tators gazed with speechless agony and terror, the bodies of the poor young men were borne away and hid by the blood-stained waters from human recovery. DANCES OF THE NATIVES IX NEW SOUTH WALES. The manners and customs of the uncivilized are always legitimate objects of wonder and curiosity to the civilized. It is on this account that we give the above sketch of one of the festival dances of the natives of Australia. These dances are not only the usual close of their combats, but are frequent in time of peace. They appear almost necessary to stir up their blood ; and under the excitement they produce, the whole nature of the people seems to be changed. To a spectator the effect of one of these exhibitions almost equals that of a tragic melo-drama. A suitable place for the performance is selected in the neighbourhood of their huts. Here a fire is built by the women and boys, while such of the men as are to take a share in the exhibition, usually about twenty in number, disappear to arrange their persons. When these prepara- TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; tions are completed, and the fire burns brightly, the performers are seen advancing in the giiise of as many skeletons. This effect is produced by means of pipe clay, with which they paint broad white lines on their arms and legs, and on the head, while others of less breadth are drawn across the body, to correspond to the ribs. The music consists in beating time on their shields, and singing, and to it the movements of the dancers conform. It must not be supposed that this exhibition is a dance in our sense of the word. It consists of violent and odd movements of the arms, legs, and body, contortions and violent muscular actions, amounting almost to frenzy. The performers appear more like a child's pasteboard supple-jack than anything human in their movements. This action continues for a time, and then the skeletons, for so they apear to be, since they truly resemble them, suddenly seem to vanish and n-appear. The disappearance is effected by merely turning round, for the figures n.re painted only in front, and their dusky f'oims are lost by mingling with the dark background. The trees, illuminated by the fire, are brought out with some of the figures in bold relief, while others were indistinct and ghost-like. All concurs to give an air of wild- ness to the strange scene. As the dance proceeds, the excitement increases, and those who a short time before appear only half alive, become full of animation, and finally are obliged to stop from exhaustion. A rUDDIXG AS AX ADVE11TISKMKXT. The following fact is interesting, inasmuch as it gives us an insight into the popular tastes of the period, and the power of mob-law : In 1718, -lames Austin, inventor of the Persian ink powder, invited his customers to a feast. There was a pudding promised, which was to be boiled fourteen days, instead of seven hours, and for which he alh\ved a chaldron of coals. It weighed 900 pounds. The copper for boiling it was erected at the lied Lion in Southwark Park, where crowds went to see it ; and when boiled, it was to be conveyed to the Swan Tavern, Fish Street Hill, to the tune of "What lumps 'of pudding my mother gave me." The place was changed to the Rest oration Gardens in St. George's Fields, in consequence of the numerous company expected, and the pudding set out in procession with banners, streamers, drums, &c., but the mob chased it on the way and carried all oft'. THE DESOLATION OF EYAJI. The ancient custom of hanging a garland of white roses, made of writing paper, and a pair of \\liite gloves over the pew of the unmarricil villagers who die in the ilo\\er of their age, prevailed up to the year 1837 in the village of Fyam, and in most other villages and little towns in the Peak of Derbyshire. In the year l<>(!o, the plague \\as conveyed to this unfortunate village, which for a time hud been chieily confined to Lon- don. The infection, it appears, was carried in a box of woollen clothes; the tailor, to whom they were directed was, together with his family, the immediate \ictiins of this fatal importation; and a few days siillircd to conliriii the fact, that the entire hamlet was deeply infected. A general MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 227 panic ensued, the worthy and truly Christian Rector, the Rev. William Mompesson, at this eventful and awful crisis, summoned the parish, and after energetically stating the case, and declaring his decided intention of remaining at his post, induced his hearers to adopt the measures he was about to propose, if not for their own preservation, at least for the more important cause, the preservation of the surrounding country. Eyam, from this moment, like a besieged city, was cut off from the living world, and to the zeal and fidelity of this ever-to-be -respected minister was con- fided the present, as well as eternal welfare of those who were about to prove to posterity, that devotion to their country, as well as to their God, was combined in the truly Christian creed taugnt them by this reverend man. But alas ! it was the will of the Almighty that the ranks of this devoted nock should be rapidly thinned, though Mr. and Mrs. Mompesson had been hitherto spared ; but in August, the latter was carried off bv the fatal disease, in the 27th year of her age ; her monument may still be seen at no great distance from the chancel door. A number of grave- stones, bearing date 1666, ^in the church-yard, show that for a time, at least, the dead had been deposited there in the usual manner. Soon after the death of Mrs. Mompesson, the disorder began to abate, and in about two months might be said to have entirely ceased. The pious and amiable Rector was graciously preserved. CUKIOrS PLAY BILL. The following remarkable theatrical announcement is worth preserva- tion, inasmuch as it forms a curious effusion of vanity and poverty, in the shape of an appeal to the taste and feelings of the inhabitants of a town in Sussex : . (Copy.) At the old theatre in East Grinstead, on Saturday, May oth, 1758, will be represented (by particular desire, and for the benefit of Mrs. P.) the deep and affecting Tragedy of Theodosius, or the Force of Love, with magnificent scenes, dresses, &c. Varanes, by Mr. P., who will strive, as far as possible, to support the character of this fiery Persian Prince, in which he was so much admired and applauded at Hastings, Arundel, Petworth, Midworth, Lewes, &c. Theodosius, by a young gentleman from the university of Oxford, who never appeared on any stage. Athenais, by Mrs. P. Though her present condition will not permit her to wait on gentlemen and ladies out of the town with tickets, she hopes, as on former occasions, for their liberality and support. Nothing in Italy can exceed the altar, in the first scene of the play. Nevertheless, should any of the Nobility or Gentry wish to see it orna- mented with flowers, the bearer will bring away as many as they choose to favour him with. As the coronation of Athenais, to be introduced in the fifth act, con- tains a number of personages, more than sufficient to fill all the dressing rooms, &c., it is hoped no gentlemen and ladies will be offended at being refused admission behind the scenes. N.B. The great yard dog, that made so much noise on Thursday night, 228 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; (hiring the last act of King Richard the Third, will be sent to a neigh- bour's over the way ; and on account of the prodigious demand for places, part of the stable will be laid into the boxes on one side, and the granary be open for the same purpose on the other. Vivut Rex, THE EAE OF BIEDS NOT TO BE DECEIVED. The sense of hearing in birds is singularly acute, and their instinct leads them instantly to detect the slightest variation in the song of those of their own kind. The following is a laughable instance of this : A bird-catcher, wishing to increase his stock of bullfinches, took out his caged bird and his limed twigs, and placed them in such a situation of hedge and bush as he judged favourable to his success. It so hap- pened that his own bird was one of education, such as is usually termed a piping bullfinch. . In the first instance a few accidentally thrown out natural notes, or calls, had attracted three or four of his kindred feather, which had now taken their station not far distant from the cage. There they stood in doubt and curiosity, and presently moving inch by inch, and hop by hop towards him and the fatal twigs, they again became stationary and attentive. It was in this eager and suspended moment that the piping bullfinch set up the old country-dance of "Nancy Dawson." Away flew every astounded bullfinch as fast as wings could move, in such alarm and confusion as bullfinches could feel and they only can venture to describe. FLYING COACH. If the Exeter Flying Stage arrived from London at Dorchester in two days, and at Exeter at the end of the third day, about 1739, the speed must have been considered surprising. Those who made use of such a conveyance were doubtless looked upon as presumptuous, neck-or-nothing mortals. There was a " Devizes chaise " from London at this time which took a route through 1 leading, Newbury, and Marlborough. There is a good house at Morcomb Lake, east of Charmouth, now no longer in the road, owing to this having been diverted. This was a road-side inn, where the judges slept. The Fly Coach from London to K.xctrr K/fjif there the fifth night from town. The coach proceeded the next morning to Axminster, where it breakfasted, and there a woman barber shared the coach. AN AGED SPIRIT DRINKER. Daniel Bull M'Carthy, of the county of Kerry, Ireland, died 1752, aged 111. At the age of eighty-four he married a fifth wife, a girl little more than fourteen years of age, by whom he had twenty children one every subsequent year of his life. It was remarked that he was scarcely ever seen to expectorate ; nor did any extent of cold ever seem to aft'ect him. For the last seventy years of his life, when in company, he drank plenti- fully of rum and brandy, which he always took neat; and, if in com- pliance with solicitations he took wine or punch, always drank an equal MARVELLOUS, BARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 229 sized glass of rum or brandy, which he designated a icedge. The tempe- rature of his body was generally so hot that he could bear but little cloth- ing, either by day or night upon his person. GIAXI TREE. There are few trees in the world like the giant tree in the island of Pulo Penang, of which the annexed engraving is a correct representation. It is one of the various kinds of palm, and some idea may be formed of 230 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; its height from the fact that it is twice as tall, and quite as straight, as the mainmast of a line-of-battle ship ; there are no branches, no twigs anywhere to he seen, save just at the very summit, and here they bend over gracefully, something like what one would imagine a large-sized palm-tree to be, if gazed at through Lord Itosse's telescope. It is a only specimen of its kind to be met with in the whole island. PUNISHING FALSE ACCUSERS. Wisdom may sometimes be learned at a Quarter Sessions, and it would be advantageous if we occasionally took a hint from our ancestors. The magistrates at sessions in Charles the First's reign could and did address themselves to questions arising between parties moving in humble life, very important to them, and who could now-a-day in vain seek re- dress in the same quarter. A modern Bridget might continue to charge men with a breach of promise of marriage without legal measures being- available against her. This was not so in 1626. Her case was con- sidered, and her injurious conduct and mode of life were duly estimated, with what result we shall learn from the following entry in the minute book of a quarter sessions in Devonshire of that date : " Forasmuch as it hath appeared unto this Court that Bridget Howsley of Langton, spinster, liveth idly and lewdly at home, not betaking herself to any honest course of life, and hath lately falsely and scandalously accused one [left blank in the original] of Honiton, in Devon, challenging a promise of marriage from him, which tended much to his disgrace, and that she is a continual brawler and sower of strife and debate between her neighbours, inhabitants of Langton aforesaid, this court doth there- fore think fit and order that the said Bridget Howsley be forthwith com- mitted to the House of Correction, there to be set on work and remain for the space of six whole months, and from thenceforth until she shall find very good sureties for her appearance at the next Sessions, after the said six months shall be expired, or until she shall procure a master that will take her into service." A PHASE OF THE SOUTHCOTTIAN DELTJSIOX. One of the most remarkable cases on record of combined knavery, credulity, and superstition, is the belief whicli so extensively prevailed about fifty years ago in the mission and doctrines of Joanna Southcott, and of which, strange' to say, some traces remain even to the present day. Is it not astonishing that so recently as the year 1S14, August 3rd, the following paragraph which we believe gives a correct statement of the facts should have appeared in the Courier newspaper!' "Joanna Southcott lias lately given out that she expects in a fewwceks to become the mother of the true Messiah. She is nearly seventy years of age. A cradle of most expensive and magnificent materials has been bespoken by a lady of fortune for the accouchement, and has been for some days ex- hibited at the warehouse of an eminent cabinet maker in Aldersgate-street. Hundreds of genteel persons of both sexes have heeii to see this cradle, in which her followers believe the true Messiah is to be rocked. The follow- ing has been given us a< a correct description : ' A child's crib, three feel MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. six inches, by two feet, of satin wood, with brass trellis, side and foot board ; turned feet, carved and gilt, on castors ; a swing cot, inside caned, to swing on centre ; at each end gilt mouldings, top and bottom for gold letters ; a canopy cover, with blue silk ; carved and gilt under it, a gold ball, and dove, and olive branch ; green stars at each corner, gilt ; blue silk furniture ; an embroidered celestial crown, with Hebrew characters, gold letters ; a lambs' -wool mattress, with white fustian down bed, down pillow, and two superfine blankets.' " HOUSEHOLD EXPENSES OF KING EDWARD THE FIRST. Edward the First kept three Christmasses at Rhuddlan castle, in Flint- shire ; and it is a fact not generally known, that his queen Eleanor, exclu- sively of theyoung prince Edward, born at Caernarvon, was delivered of a princess there in 1283. This shows that his entire household must have been transferred into Wales, at the time his policy was directed to complete the annexation of the principality of Wales to that of England. In an ancient record in the tower of London, dated 1281-2, and translated by Samuel Lysons, Esq., is a curious roll of Edward's expenses when at Rhuddlan. It consists of four sheets, containing the particulars, under proper heads, of the sums of money paid for the maintenance of his household. The sum of the expenses in this roll is 1,395 10s., which sum, with the expenses of the other roll of the queen's household is 2,220 2s. lOjd. The roll is very curious, but too long to be inserted here. We append the following as a specimen of the various items it contains : Paid on the day of the queen's churching in oblations to mass . . . . . . . . . . 3 The queen's gift to divers minstrels attending her churching 10 The queen's gift to a female spy 010 A certain female spy, to purchase her a house as a spy .100 For the brethren at the hospital at Rhuddlan . . .011 For a certain player as a gift . . . . . .080 For the celebration of mass for the soul of William de Bajor 1 10 For the messenger carrying letters to the long at London, to be sent to the court of Rome, for his expenses . .010 Paid sundry bailiffs at the castle 4 10 For the carriage of 80 casks of wine from the water to the castle 22 For a cart bringing lances and cross bows from Ruthlan to Hope . .014 For the carriage of 3,000 from the king's wardrobe to the queen's Avardrobe . . . . . . 10 5 For 600 turves, to place about the queen's stew pond in the castle . ..' 010 Carriage of figs and raisins to Aberconway . . .001 Paid wages for 1,060 archers at twopence, with 53 cap- tains at fotirpence, with 10 constables of cavalry at 12d. a day . 68 8 6 Paid the same for 1,040 archers, &e. &c. . ; . 67 4 232 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; GARKICK'S CTTP. This celebrated Shakspearean relic was presented to David Garrick, by the Mayor and Corporation of Stratford-upon-Avon, in September, 1769, at the Jubilee which he instituted in hongur of his fa- vourite Bard. It measures about 11 inches in height. The tree from which it is carved was planted by Shakspeare's own hand, in the year 1609, and after having stood 147 vears, was, in an evil hour, anct when at its full growth and remarkably large, cut down, and cleft to pieces for lire-wood, by order of the llev. Francis Gastrell, to whom it had become an object of dislike, from its subjecting him to the frequent importuni- ties of travellers. Fortunately, the greater part of it fell into the possession of Mr. Thomas Sharp, a Avatchmaker of Strat- ford, who, " out of sincere vene- ration" for the memorv of its immortal planter, and well know- ing the value the world set upon it, converted the fragments to uses widely differing from that to which they had been so sacri- legiously condemned. Garriek held this cup in his hand at the Jubilee, while he sung tin beautiful and well-known air, which he had composed for the occasion, beginning " IMiold this fair goblet, 'twas carved from the tree. Which, () my sweet Shakspcare, was planted by thcc ; As a relic I kiss it, and bow at the shrine, What conies from thy hand must be ever divine ! All shall yield to the Mulberry tree, Mi'iid to thce, lili-st Mulberry ; Matchless was he "VVho planted thc<>, And thou like him immortal be ! " QUICK WORK. Mr. John Coxcttcr, of Grcenham Mills, Newbury, had two South down sheep shorn at his factory exactly at five o'clock in the morning, from the wool of which, after passing its various processes, a complete MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 233 damson coloured coat was made, and worn by Sir John Throckmorton, at a quarter past six in the evening, being two and three-quarter hours within the time allotted, for a wager of 1,000 guineas. The sheep were roasted whole, and a sumptuous dinner given by Mr. Coxctter. ORIGIN OF THE GREAT WALL OF CIIIXA. As has been invariably the case in the early history of all the leading nations of the earth, great confusion and civil discord existed in the empire of China in its first stages. It was divided into petty prince- doms, each prince striving to outwit the other, and all anxiously aiming at the supreme power of the land, till the Emperor Chi-hoang-ti, who came to the throne aboiit three hundred years before the Christian era, conquered the whole of the jealous petty princes, and united their states into one vast empire. But no sooner had he achieved this, than the Tartars began to be troublesome, and, hoping effectually to exclude their invasions, this emperor caused to be constructed the often-read-of great wall of China, a stupendous work of masonry, extending from the sea to the western province of Shensee and carried over a tract of fifteen hundred miles, comprising high mountains, deep valleys, and broad rivers, the wall being supported over the latter by gigantic arches. Fortified towers were erected at every hundred yards, and its summit admitted of six horsemen riding abreast. This sovereign is said to be the founder of the Hau dynasty. The wall proved an insignificant 234 TEX THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; barrier to the Huns or Tartars, who harassed the princes of the Hau dynasty, and were a very scourge to the farmers of the frontier pro- vinces. About the year 201, the Hau dynasty gave way to the Tsin, which latter was founded by a lineal descendant, through many gene- rations, of the builder of the great w*>.ll. In the sketch which we have given, our chief object has been to show the extraordinary inflexibility of the Chinese in carrying their Avail strictly along their frontier line, in spite of the stupendous obstacles which, intervened in the shape of mountains and valleys. PRIVY PURSE EXPENSES OF CHARLES II. Malone, the well known editor of Shakespeare, possessed a curious volume an account of the privy expenses of Charles II, kept by Baptist May. A few extracts from this MS., takeji from. Malone's transcripts, are here offered : s. d. j s. d. My Lord St. Alban's bill . 1,746 18 11 For weighing: the king .... 100 Lady Castlcmaine's debts Sir E. Vincr, for plate . . For grinding cocoa-nuts Paid Laily ('., play money 1,116 1 Paid Hall for dancing on the 850 ; rope 20 580 The Queen's allowance 1,250 300 Paid Lord Lauderdale for For a band of music 50 ballads 5 To the footman that beat i To a bone-setter attending Teaguc ') 7 ?> the Duchess of Moiunouth 10 To Mr. Pears, for the charges Paid Terry for waiting on of a body dissected before thekucnraBBUBC 10 the king 5 1 For 3,685 ribbons for the Lady C., play money 300 To the Morrice Dancers at Ely 110 ''., play money ". 300 .Mr. 'Knight for bleeding the Nell (iwyn 100 king 10 10 j Lost by the kin g at pla\ on healing 107 10 4 Mrs. ISlague, the king's valentine .. . 218 For a receipt of chocolate .. 227 Mr. Price, for milking the 10 Twelfth-night '. . . . 220 Paid what wsis borrowed for the Countess of Castle- To one that showed tumblers' maine 1,650 tricks 5 7 6, COLOTJE OF THE HAT FOK ( A KIHN AI.s. Innocent IV. first made the hat the symbol or cognixance of the car- dinals, enjoining them to wear a red hat at the ceremonies and proces- sions, /// taken nf flu'ir b/'inij rctidy to spill their blood for Jesus Christ. si;\i-;i;m or mi: LAWS A iirM>Ki:i> YI;VKS AI,O. Two lads were hanged for stealing a purse containing two shillings and a brass counter. Of ten criminals emu ieted at one sessions, tour \\vre hanged and six transported. Very often half a doxen were sentenced to death at a single sessions. On the 17th March, l~~>~>, eight malefactors were hanged together at Tyburn. It was recorded as a matter ol'sm ^rise, that, "<>nly MX <-OH\ ids received sentence of death at Gloucester Assi/es." One of these was a woman named Anne Ockley, who was executed on the following ,lj,y, on the charge of murdering an illegitimate child. To the last she denied her guilt, except in not having called in medical advice MARVELLOUS, HARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 235 for her infant after a bad fall. She took the Sacrament, and begged for more time to prepare herself for the change ; this favour being denied, she remained praying for two hours on the drop before she would give the signal. MARKING THE KING'S DISHES AVITH THE COOK'S NAMES. King George II. was accustomed every other year to visit his German dominions, with the greater part of the officers of his household, and espe- cially those belonging to the kitchen. Once on his passage at sea, his first cook was so ill with the sea-sickness, that he could not hold up his head to dress his majesty's dinner ; this being told to the king, he was exceedingly sorry for it, as he was famous for making a Rhenish soup, which his majesty was very fond of; he therefore ordered inquiry to be made among the assistant-cooks, if any of them could make the above soup. One named Weston (father of Tom Weston, the player) under- took it, and so pleased the king, that he declared it was full as good as that made by the first cook. Soon after the king's return to England, the first cook died ; when the king was informed of it, he said, that his steward of the household always appointed his cooks, but that he would now name one for himself, and therefore asking if one Weston was still in the kitchen, and being answered that he was, " That man," said he, " shall be my first cook, for he makes most excellent Rhenish soup." This favour begot envy among all the servants, so that, when any dish was found fault with, they used to say it was Weston' s dressing : the king took notice of this, and said to the servants, it was very extraordi- nary that every dish he disliked should happen to be Weston' s ; "In future," said he, " " let every dish be marked with the name of the cook that makes it." By this means the king detected their arts, and from that time Weston's dishes pleased him most. This custom was kept up till late in the reign of George III. PARLOUS DAYS. Bloodletting, considered during the last century to be necessary for every one in health or not, at spring and fall, was an operation performed by the country surgeons on the labourers on a Sunday morning, at a charge of 6d. each. Bleeding in bed by a barber was, in the reign of Charles II., sometimes charged, for a lady, so high as 10s., and for a gentleman, Is. and 2s. 6d. The operator perhaps harboured the patient at an additional charge. Barbouring by the year was charged 16s. Superstition had marked certain days in each month as dangerous for bloodletting, which were called parlous days. In July, the 1st, 7th, 13th, 12th, 25th, and 20th were of the above kind. As the whole population had recourse to bloodletting twice a year, bleeders or barbers were in constant demand. A FUNERAL APPROPRIATELY CONDUCTED. During the year 1700, the minister of a parish in Kent was interred at the age of 96 years ; the gentleman who preached his funeral sermon was 236 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS 82 ; he who read the sendee 87 ; the clerk of the parish was the same age ; the sexton was 86 ; in addition to which list of aged persons, there were several present from the adjacent parishes 100 years old each, and upwards. ANCIKN'T NUT-CKA.CKEES. The two quaint instruments pictured in our engraving, of about the time of Charles I. or II., are made of hard wood rather rudely carved ; and look as if in their time they had seen good service. The grotesque heads, with the mouth, affording the means of cracking the nuts, are examples of the fitness of design for a particular purpose, which charac- icri/t- many of the objects in domestic use in the middle ages, and up to the reign yi' Queen Anne, after which ornamental art for household uses MARVELLOUS, HARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 237 seems almost to have been disused. Even in the time of George III., our chairs, tables, side-boards, &c., were made heavy, very ugly, and without any attempt at appropriate pattern. NELL GWYXXE S LOOKING-GLASS. This glass is in the possession of Sir Page Dicks, of Port Hall. It bears the likeness of Xell Gwynne and King Charles, which are modelled in wax ; and also the supporters, or crest, which Xell assumed, namely, the lien and the leopard. The whole is curiously worked in coloured glass beads, and the figures, with the dresses, made to project in very high relief ; indeed, they are merely attached to the groundwork. In the upper compartment is Charles in his state dress ; and the bottom one, that of Nell Gwynne, in her court dress the pattern of which is 238 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; very tasteful. On the right is Charles in his hunting dross. The heads have retained their colours, which are very appropriate to the subject, and must have heen a work of considerable time and patience ; but whether done by Nell or not, there is no record. A REMARKABLE HIGHLANDER. In August, 1827, John Macdonald expired in his son's house, in the Lawiiniarket, Edinburgh, at the advanced age of one hundred and seven years. He was born in Glen Tinisdale, in the Isle of Skye, and, like the other natives of that quarter, was bred to rural labour. Early one morning in his youth, when looking after his black cattle, he was sur- prised by the sight of two ladies, as he thought, winding slowly round a hill, and approaching the spot where he stood. When they came up, they inquired for a well or stream, where a drink of water could be ob- tained. He conducted them to the " Virgin Well," an excellent spring, which was held in great reverence on account of its being the scene of some superstitious and legendary tales. When they had quenched their thirst, one of the ladies rewarded Macdonald with a shilling, the rirst silver coin of which he was possessed. At their own request he escorted them to a gentleman's house at some distance, and there, to his great surprise and satisfaction, he learned that the two "ladies" were Flora Macdonald and Prince Charles Stewart. This was the proudest incident in Macdonald's patriarchal life ; and, when surrounded by his Celtic brethren, he used to dilate on all the re- lative circumstances with a sort of hereditary enthusiasm, and more than the common garrulity of age. He afterwards turned joiner, and bore a conspicuous part in the building of the first Protestant church which was erected in the island of North Uist. He came to Edinburgh twenty- three years before his death, and continued to work at his trade till he was ninety-seven years of age. Macdonald was a temperate, regular-living man, and never paid a sixpence to a surgeon for himself, nor had an hour's sickness in the whole coxirse of his life. He used to dance regularly on New-year's day, along with some Highland friends, to the bagpipe. On New-year's day, 1825, he danced a reel with the father, the son, the grandson, and great- grandson, and was in more than his usual spirits. His hearing was no- thing impaired, and till within three weeks of his demise he could have threaded the finest needle with facility, without glasses. CATS WITH KNOTTED TAlI.s. We extract the following paragraph from the narrative of a voyager in the Indian Ocean, because it contains an account of a rarity in natural history with which few, we believe, are acquainted. " The steward is again pillowed on his beloved salt nsh, and our only companion is a Malacca cat, who has also an attachment for the steward s pilltiw. Puss is a tame little creature, and comes rubbing herself mildly against our shoes, looking up in our faces, and mewing her thoughts. Doubtless she is surprised that you have been so long looking at her without noticing the peculiarity in her tail, which so much distinguishes MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 239 her from the rest of the feline race in other quarters of the globe. Take her up in your lap, and see for yourself. Did you ever observe such a singular knot so regular, too, in its formation ? Some cruel monster must have tied it in a knot whilst puss was yet a kitten, and she has outlived both the pain and inconvenience. But here comes a kitten, all full of gambols and fun, and we find that her tail is in precisely the same condition. So, then, this is a remarkable feature amongst the whole race of Malayan cats, but for which, no one we meet with, is able to give us a satisfactory explanation." CURIOUS FEATS. In 1553, the following extraordinary exhibition was performed in the presence of Queen Mary, in her passage through London to West-- minster. It is thus described by Holinshed, in his " Chronicle," printed 1577: "AVhenshee didd come to Sainte Paule's church yarde, Maister Haywood sat in a pageant under a vine, and made to her an oration in Latine ; and then there was one Peter, a man of Holland, who didd stand upon the weathercocke of St. Paule's steeple, holdyng a streamer in his handes of five yardes long, and waving thereof. Hee sometimes stood on one foot and shook the other, and then hee kneeled on his knees to the verie grate marvel of al the people. Hee hadd made two scaffolds under him one above the cross, having torches and streamers sett xipon it, and another over the ball of the cross, likewise sett with streamers and torches which could not burne, the wind was so greate." Our chronicler further informs us, that "Peter didd have xvi pounds xiii shillings and iii pence given to him by the citie of Lon- don for his costes and pains, and for all his stuffe." IMPUDENCE OR CANDOUR, "WHICH IS IT ? The following advertisement appeared in the St. James's Chronicle of 1772. " Wanted immediately, fifteen hundred, or two thousand pounds, by a person not worth a groat ; w r ho, having neither houses, land, annui- ties, or public funds, can offer no other security than that of simple bond, bearing simple interest, and engaging the repapnent of the sum borrowed in five, six, or seven years, as may be agreed on by the parties. Whoever this may suit, (for it is hoped it will suit somebody), by direct- ing a line for A. Z. in Rochester, shall be immediately replied to, or waited on, as may appear necessary." THE SOUTH STACK LIGHT-HOUSE. Though not so celebrated as the Eddystone, the South Stack Light- house is unquestionably one of the marvels of science, and as such may be appropriately described in our pages. It is erected on the summit of an isolated rock, three or four miles westward from Holyhead, and separated from the main land by a chasm ninety feet in width. This splendid structure was raised in the year 1808. The elevation of the summit of the rock on which it is erected is 140 feet above the level of the sea at high- water mark ; the height of the tower, from the base to the gallery, is sixty feet ; and the lantern is twelve feet high from the 240 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS gallery ; making the total elevation of the light 212 feet ahove high- water mark. The light is produced by twenty-one brilliant lamps, with powerful reflectors, placed on a revolving triangular frame, displaying a full-faced light every two minutes, which, in clear weather, is distinctly visible at a distance of ten leagues. Latterly there has been an addi- tion of three red lights placed at the rock, which are more distinctly visible in foggy weather than the light-house lights. The rough sea caused by the strong tides about the head rendered the communication by boat very precarious. In order to obviate the danger, a passage was contrived by means of two ropes thrown across the gulf, along which the individual was drawn in a box or cradle, by the assistance of pulleys atiixed at each end. This plan was superseded by a bridge of ropes, which was used some years after, though always considered unsafe, on account of the constant wear of the ropes. In 1827, a modern sus- pension chain-bridge was thrown over the sound, the span of which is 110 feet, the chains being firmly bolted in the rock on each side, and carried over two massive stone pillars erected for the purpose. The chain supports a platform of timber live feet wide, and seventy feet above high-water mark. The bridge is attained by descending the irolyhcad mountain in a zigzag direction by a tlight of 380 steps. MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. BRASS JTEDAL OF OTTR SAVIOUR. 241 In 1702, the late Rev. H. Rowlands, author of lion a Antiqua, while superintending the removal of some stones, near Aberfraw, Wales, for the purpose of making an antiquarian research, found a beautiful brass medal of our Saviour, in a tine state of preservation, which he forwarded to his friend and countryman, the Rev. E. Llwyd, author of the Archeoloi/ifc Brltanincu, and at that time keeper of the Ashmolean library at Oxford. This medal, of which an engraving is subjoined, has on one side the figure of a head exactly answering the description given by Publius Lentulus of our Saviour, in a letter sent by him to the emperor Tiberius and the senate of Rome. On the reverse side, it has the following legend or inscription, written in Hebrew characters, " This is Jesus Christ, the Mediator or Reconciler;" or "Jesus, the Great Messias, or Man Media- tor." And being found among the ruins of the chief Druids resident in Anglesea, it is not improbable that the curious relic belonged to some Christian connected with Bran the Blessed, who was one of Caractacus's hostages at Rome from A.D. o2 to 59, at which time the Apostle Paul was preaching the gospel of Christ at Rome. In two years afterwards, A.D. 61, the Roman General Suetonius extirpated all the Druids in the island. The following is a translation of the letter alluded to, a very antique copy of which is in the possession of the family of Kellie, after- wards Lord Kellie, now represented by the Earl of Mar, a very ancient Scotch family taken from the original at Rome : " There hath appeared in these our days, a man of great virtue, named Jesus Christ, who is yet living among us, and of the Gentiles is accepted as a prophet, but his disciples call him ' the Son of God.' He raiseth the dead, and cures all manner of diseases ; a man of stature somewhat tall and comely, with very reverend countenance, such as the beholders both love and fear ; his hair the colour of chesnut, full ripe, plain to his ears, whence downwards it is more orient, curling, and waving about his shoulders. In the midst of his head is a seam or a partition of his hair after the manner of the Xazarites ; his forehead plain and very delicate ; his face without a spot or -wrinkle, beautified with the most 242 TEX THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; lovely red ; his nose and mouth so formed that nothing can be repre- hended ; his beard thickish, in colour like his hair, not very long but forked ; his look ; innocent and mature ; his eyes, grey, clear, and quick. In reproving, he is terrible; in admonishing, courteous and fair spoken; pleasant in conversation, mixed with gravity. It cannot be remarked that any one saw him laugh, but many have seen him. weep. In pro- portion of body, most excellent ; his hands and arms most delicate to behold. In speaking, very temperate, modest, and wise. A man, for his singular beauty, surpassing the children of men ! " The representation of this sacred person which is in the Bodleian library, somewhat resembles that of the print of this medal, when com- pared together. It was taken from a likeness engraved in agate, and gent as a present from the sultan for the release of his brother, who was taken prisoner. There is a well-executed drawing of this at the Mostyn library, much worse for age. ^lOXSTEOrS HEAD-DRESS. At no period in the history of the world was anything more absurd in head-dress worn than that here depicted, which was in vogue with the fashionables of 1782. The body of this erection was formed of tow, over which the hair was turned, and false hair added in great curls, bobs, and ties, powdered to profusion ; then hung all over with vulgarly-large rows of ' pearls, or glass beads, fit only to decorate a chandelier ; flowers as obtrusive were stuck about this heap of finery, which was sur- mounted by broad silken bands and great ostrich-feathers, until the head-dress of a lady added three feet to her stature, and the male sex, to use the words of the Spectator, " became suddenly dwarfed beside her." To effect this, much time and trouble was wasted, and great personal annoyance was suffered. Heads, when properly dressed, "kept for three weeks," as the barbers quietly phrased it ; that they would not really " keep longer may be seen by the many recipes they give for the destruction of insects which bred in the flour and pomatum so liberally bestowed upon them. The description of " opening a lady's head," after a three weeks' dressing, given in the magazines of this period, it would be imagined, would have taught the ladies common sense ; but fashion could reconcile even the disgust that must have been felt by all. TRICE OF HUMAN II A IK. Long flaxen hair was bought from the bead at 10s. the ounce, and any other tine hair at os. or 7s. the ounce in 16G2. Within the present century the heads of hair of whole families in ,' MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT ; 243 Devonshire were let out by the year at so much rent per poll. An Exeter perriwig maker went round periodically, cut the locks, and oiled the numskull of each thus left in stubble. INTERESTING AND FANCIFUL RELIQUE. The enamelled jewel, of which we give an engraving, was presented by Mary, Queen of Scots, to George Gordon, fourth Earl of Huntley. The precise period at which the gift was made is not now known, though the time was not improbably during the residence of the Queen in France, when the Order of St. Michael was conferred on the Duke of Chatel- herault, the Earl of Huntley, and several other Scottish nobles, about 154S. The lock of Mary's hair which is attached to the small ivory skull, is of a light auburn, inclining to a gold- colour ; and if allowance be made for some fading in the course of years, and for the hair of the Queen having generally become darker as she advanced in life, the accuracy of Melvil will be confirmed, when, in speaking of her after her return to Scotland, he says, "her hair was light auburn ; Elizabeth's more red than yellow." In this particu- lar little reliance can be placed upon the portraits of Queen Mary ; since it is well known, that in the latter part of her life, it was a fashionable practice to wear false hair of various hues, though in some of her pic- tures the colour of the locks is nearly similar to the hue of that represented in the present. The skull, from which it issues is connected by a twisted skein of silk with the figure of a Cupid shooting an arrow, standing on a heart enamelled red, transfixed with a dart. On one side the heart is a setting for a precious stone, now vacant ; and, on the other, in white letters, the words " Willingly Wounded." From the point of the heart is a pendant, containing on one side a small ruby, and having the other enamelled blue with an ornament in white. Our engraving represents one side of the jewel, of the exact size of the original. FASTIDIOUSNESS IN DRESS AT AN OLD AGE. John Benbow, of Xorthwood, in the parish of Frees, Salop, died 1806, agsd 107. His occupation was that of a maker of clocks and watches. 244 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; If is steadiness of hand, clearness of intellect, and complete command of all his faculties, were such that, till within a very few years of his de- cease, he was enabled to execute, the most intricate and delicate manipu- lations connected with his business. He lived in three centuries ; and, at the time of his decease, had a son, a grandson, and several great- grandchildren, living in the house with him. He was remarkable for industry, sobriety, early rising, and soon retiring to rest, and was uni- versally respected for his integrity and ingenuity. His favourite bever- age was " small beer " brewed of molasses. To the very close of his life he was remarkable for his extreme attention to his dress and everything relating to his personal appearance, as will be seen by the following anecdote. About three years before his death, his tailor brought him home a new coat ; on examining which he discovered that. the man, either through not being provided with the necessary material or inad- vertence, had substituted a cloth collar for a velvet one, which he \vas accustomed to have added to his garment. Mortified at this circumstance, and learning that the tailor had not velvet of the necessary quality by him, he took up his walking-stick and straitway went off to Whitchurch, a distance of seven miles, to purchase the materials proper to make a new collar, and, to the astonishment of all his family, returned home in a few liours. surEESTmox OF THE JAVA?. Nowhere has superstition a greater power over the human mind than among the inhabitants of Java. \Vhen 1he proper chord is touched, there is scarcely anything too gross for the belief of these islanders. Mr. Crawfurd relates that some yens since, it was almost accidentally discovered, that the skull of a buffalo was superstitiously conveyed from one part of the island to another. The point insisted upon was, never to let it rest, but to keep it in constant progressive motion. It was carried in a basket, and no sooner was one pcr-on relieved from the load than it was taken up by another; for the understanding was, that some dreadful imprecation was denounced against the* man who should let it rest. In tnis manner, the scull was hurried from one province to another, and after a circulation of many hundred miles, at leii-lh reached the town of Samarang, the Dutch governor of which sei/ed it, and threw it into the sea, and thus the spell was broken. The Javanese expressed no resentment, and nothing further was heard of this unaccountable transaction, ^ione could tell how or win-re it originated. The same writer relates a still more extraordinary instance of infatua- tion. During the occupation of Java by the English, in the month of Mav 1*11, it was unexpectedly discovered, that, in a remote but popu- IOM- part of the island, a road, leading to tin- top of the mountain of Sumbcng, one of the highest in Java, had been constructed. An enquiry 'in foot, it was discovered that the delusion which gave i . rk had its origin in the province of Hanyunas, in the teiritories of the Siisunan, and that the infection had spread to the territory of the Sultan, and thence extended to that of the Europeans. On examination MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. a road was found constructed twenty feet broad, and from fifty to sixty miles long, and it was wonderfully smooth and well made. One point which appears to have been considered necessary, was, that this road should not cross rivers, and in consequence it wound in a thousand ways. Another point as peremptorily insisted on was, that its straight course should not be interrupted by any private rights ; and in consequence trees and houses were overturned to make way for it. The population of whole districts, occasionally to the amount of five or six thousand labourers, were employed on the road, and, among a people disinclined to active ex- ertion the laborious work was nearly completed in two months -such was the effect of the temporary enthusiasm with which they were inspired. It was found in the sequel that the whole work was set in motion by an old woman, who dreamt, or pretended to have dreamt, that a divine personage was about to descend from heaven on the mountain in question. Pifity suggested the propriety of constructing a road to facilitate his des- cent ; and it was rumoured that divine vengeance would pursue the sacrilegious person who refused to join in the meritorious labour. These reports quickly wrought on the fears and ignorance of the people, and they heartily joined in the enterprise. The old woman distributed slips of palm-leaves to the labourers, with magic letters written upon them, which were charms to secure them against sickness and accidents. When this strange affair was discovered by the native authorities, orders were issued to desist from the work, and the inhabitants returned without a murmur to their wonted occupations. SIZE OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS. The exact size of our own country is a legitimate object of ciiriosity. We believe the following will be found strictly accurate : The area of England is estimated at 31,929,340 acres. Wales 4,320,000 Scotland 16,240,000 S. Isles adjacent to the coast 1,055,080 W. Isles 851,200 Orkneys 153,606 Shetlands 643,840 CASE CONTAINING THE HEART OF LORD EDWARD BRUCE. Lord Edward Bruce was eldest son of Sir Edward, baron of Kinloss, so created by James I. in 1603, to whom the king gave the dissolved abbey of Kinloss, in Ayrshire, after he had been instrumental in his succession to the crown of England ; whither accompanying the king, he was made master of the Rolls in 1604, died in 1610, and was buried in the Rolls chapel. His son, the lord Edward, killed in duel by Sir Edward Sack- ville in 1613, was succeeded by his brother, who was created Earl of Elgin in 1633, and an English baron in 1641. Sir Edward Sackville, by whose hand the Lord Edward Bruce fell, was younger brother to Richard Sackville, Earl of Dorset, on whose death he succeeded to the title. He was lord president of the council, a joint lord keeper, and filled several other distinguished offices under Charles I., 246 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; to whom he adhered, by whose side he fought at the battle of Edge-hill, and whose death he took so much to heart, that he never afterwards stirred out of his house in Salisbury-court, but died there on the 17th of July, 1652. Between these noblemen there arose a quarrel, which terminated in their duel ; and all that is, or probably can be known respecting it, is contained in the following correspondence, preserved in a manuscript in Queen's college library, Oxford. ^~ " - A JLniniciir, Monsieur " I that am in France, hear how much you attribute to yourself in this time, that I have given the world leave to ring your praises ; and for me, the truest almanack, to tell you how much I suffer. If you call to memory, when as I gave you my hand last, I told you I reserved the heart for a truer leconcilliation. Now be that noble gentleman, my love once spoke, and come and do him right that could recite the tryais you owe your birth and country, were I not confident your honour gives you the same courage to do me right, that it did to do me wrong. EC master of your own weapons and time; the place wheresoever, I will wait on you. By doing this, you shall shorten revenge, and clear the idle opinion the world hath of both our worths. "ED. BKL-CK." A Monsieur, Ifnnsiriir Huron lie Kinlnss. " As it shall be al\v;iys far from me to seek a quarrel, so will I always be ready to meet with any that is desirous to make tryal of my valour, by so fair a course as you require. A witness whereof yourself shall be, who, within a month, shall reeeive a strict account of time, place and weapon, where you shall tind me ready disposed to give honourable satislnetion, by h'im that shall conduct you thither . In the mean time, be as secret of the appointment, as it seems you are desirous of it. "E. SACKVILE." MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 247 A Monsieur, Monsieur Baron dc Kinloss. "I am at Tcrgose, a town in Zeland, to give what satisfaction your sword can render you, accompanied with a worthy gentleman for my second, in degree a knight. And, for your coming, I will not limit you a peremptory day, but desire you to make a definite and speedy repair, foi your own honour, and fea'r of prevention ; at which time you shall find me there. Tenjose, Wth of August, 1613. " E. SACKVILE." A Monsieur, Monsieur Sackvile. " I have received your letter by your man, and acknowledge you have dealt nobly with me ; and now I come, with all possible haste, to meet you. " E. BEUCE." The combat was fierce, and fatal to Lord Bruce. It has always been presumed that the duel was fought under the walls of Antwerp ; but the combatants disembarked at Bergen-op-Zoom, and fought near that town, and not Antwerp. In consequence of a tradition, that the heart of Lord Edward Bruce had been sent from Holland, and interred in the vault or burying- ground adjoining the old abbey church of Culross, in Perthshire, Sir Robert Preston directed a search in that place in 1808, with the following result: Two fiat stones, without inscription, about four feet in length and two in breadth, were discovered about two feet below the level of the pavement, and partly under an old projection in the wall of the old building. These stones were strongly clasped together with iron ; and when separated, a silver case, or box, of foreign workmanship, shaped like aheart, was found in a hollow or ex- cavated place between them. Its lid was engraved with the arms and name " Lord Edward Bruse ; it had hinges and clasps ; and when opened, was found to contain a heart, carefully embalmed, in a brownish coloured liquid. After draw- ings had been taken of it, as represented in the present engravings, it was carefully replaced in its former situation. There was a small leaden box between the stones in another excavation ; the contents of which, what- ever they were originally, appeared i educed to dust. Some time after this discovery, Sir Robert Preston caused a delinea- tion of the silver case, according to the exact dimensions, with an in- scription recording its exhumation and re-deposit, to be engraved on a 248 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; brass plate, arid placed iipon the projection of the wall where the heart was found. It is a remarkable fact, that the cause of the quarrel between Lord Bruce and .Sir Edward Sackville has remained wholly undetected, not- withstanding successive investigations at different periods. Lord Cla- rendon, in his "History of the Rebellion," records the combat as an occurrence of magnitude, from its sanguinary character and the eminence of the parties engaged in it. He does not say any thing respecting the occasion of the feud, although Lord Brace's challenge seems to intimate that it was matter of public notoriety. The exact day of the duel is not known, but it was certainly in 1613, and most probably in August from the date of one of the above letters. EXTRAORDINARY FEMALE INTREPIDITY. Early on the 24th of January, 1822, the turnpike-house, about four miles from Basingstoke, on this side Overton, was attacked, with intent to enter, by two men, who had taken off some tiles at the back part of the premises (the roof being very low) to effect their purpose. These villains knew, it would appear, that a lone woman, Mrs. Whitehousc, received the tolls at this gate, and that her husband attended a gate as far distant as Colnbrook. Mrs. Whitehouse, however, very fortunately possessed three loaded pistols, one of which she tired then a secon.l, and a third, without effect. These determined ruffians (notwithstanding being thrice fired at) were, it appears, resolved not to depart without accomplishing the projected robbery. Mrs. Whitchouse's little hoy, only 11 years of age, in the mean time had re-loaded a brace of pistols, one of which Mrs. AVliiti-lumse tired, and wounded one of the despe- radoes full in the face he fell, and the blood flowed profusely; yet, :< to i elate, the accomplice had hardihood enough to drag away the wounded robber ! On observing this, Mrs. \Yhitchouse fired the fifth pistol at them, but missed them. The fellow who received the contents of the fourth pistol being supposed to have been killed, and some persons residing at a considerable distance from the spot 1m ing heard of tin 1 cii - emiistancc, assembled, and made diligent search at daybreak to discover the liody of the deceased; but, although the blood could be traced sonic distance from the house, the body could not be found ; nor were those concerned in the attack ever found out. The successful resistance, however, deserves to be recorded. GIGANTIC BOM:s. Whenever any bones of unusual magnitude were discovered, it was invariably the custom to ascribe them to some giant. This was always SD ii|i to recent years, and no wonder it, was intensely the case at the early period of I(it claims of the year IT'.H). The municipalities of Paris and other eities sought to ameliorate the state of affairs by subscribing for a certain amount of church property, endeavouring to find private purchasers lor i, and paying the receipts into the national exchequer. This, however, being but a very partial cure for the enormity of the evils, the National Assembly fell upon the expedient of creating state-paper or bank-notes, to have a forced currency throughout the kingdom. Such was the birth of the memorable assignats. Four hundred millions of this paper wen- put in circulation; and a decree was passed that church property to that amount should be held answerable for the assignats. Our sketch repn- sents several of the different forms in which the Assignats were issued to the public. i:\KCUX10X OF LOUIS XVI. The judicial murder of Louis XVI. was the climax of the Revolution in France. The Convention voted his death at three o'clock on the MARVELLOUS, HARE, CURIOUS, AXD QUAINT. 255 morning of the 20th January, 1793, and he was taken to execution in twenty -six hours afterwards. The guillotine was erected in the middle of the Place Louis XV., a large open square, having the Champs Elysees on one side, and the gardens of the Tuileries on the other. The Place bristled with artillery, and every street and avenue leading to it was crowded with troops and armed multitudes, who had cannon with them charged with grape-shot ; while the carriage was surrounded by picked men, who had orders to despatch the king with their carbines in case of any rescue being attempted. At about half-past ten, the king, who had been engaged in prayer during the ride, arrived at the spot ; he descended from the coach, and his con- fessor followed him. Three executioners approached to remove his upper garments, but he put them back, and performed that simple office for himself. He resisted somewhat the indignity of having his hands tied, and only yielded on the entreaty of his confessor ; and had also to yield on the subject of cutting off his back hair. He ascended the steps that led to the platform with a firm bearing, still followed by M. Edgewoi-th. When on the top, he made a sudden movement towards the edge of the scaffold, and exclaimed with a loud and firm voice : " Frenchmen, I die innocent ; it is from the scaffold, and when about to appear before my 256 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; God, that I tell you so. I pardon my enemies ; I pray that France"- Here Santerre, on horseback, raised his right hand, and cried : ' ' Drums ! Executioners, do your duty !" Several drummers immediately begin by their noise to drown the sound of the king's voice : and six executioners brought him to the centre of the scaffold. He exclaimed again : ' ' I die innocent ; I ever desired the good of my people ;" but his voice could be heard only by the executioners and the priest. He then knelt down, in order to place his head in the appointed spot ; the confessor, bending over him said: "Son of St. Louis, ascend to heaven!" The spring of the machine was touched, the heavy axe descended in its grooves, and the once royal head was severed from the body. Samson, the chief execu- tioner, took up the bleeding head by the hair, and' walked three times round the scaffold, holding it up at arm's-length to show it to the people. The troops and the spectators shouted : " Vive la Republique !" put their hats and caps upon their bayonets and pikes, and waved them in the air, with prolonged and re-echoing cries of " Vive la Republique !" " Vive la Xation !'' "Vive la Libertc !" Many of the savage men standing near the scaffold dipped their pike-heads into the king's blood, and others their handkerchiefs not as a sacred memento, but as a symbol of the downfall of all kings ; they even paraded these gore-stained objects before the windows of the Temple, that perchance the queen and her children might sec: them. The headless trunk of Louis was put into a large wicker- basket, placed in the coach, and carried to the cemetery of La Madeleine ; where, without coffin or shroud, it was thrown into a deep pit, partly tilled up with quicklime. On that same morning, one Bcnoit Leduc, a tailor, who had on some occasions worked for Louis, presented a petition to the Convention, praying to be allowed, at his own expense, to bury the body of the king by the side of his father, Louis XV., and under the monument raised to that prince by the city of Sens ; but the Convention r jeeted his petition, and ordered the executive council to see that Louis was buried like other criminals. A MAN A(ii-:i) ONI: nrxDiir.i) YE.VUS CLAIMING \ BOTTLE OF AVIXK. John Bull, of London, stock-broker, died 1848, aged 100 years. When at the age of about 9:J, and in the employ <>t' Messix. Spurling, stock- brokers, he left by mistake in the office of the accountant of the Bank of Knghind, a large number of banknotes. On duoorering his loss, after diligently searching for the missing parcel, he went back to the account- ant's office, partly to acquaint Mr. Since with the circumstance, and 1 tartly as a last hope that he might there find the missing treasure. To li is great joy he found the pared -ox, and in its room placed a pack of cards, wit h the knave of clubs uppermost. The xealous doctor, sus- pecting nothing of the Matter, put up his box, took shipping, and, arriving safe in Dublin, went immediately to the Viceroy. A council was called ; ;in d, after a speech, the doctor delivered his box, which MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAIXT. 261 being opened by the secretary, the first thing that presented itself was the knave of clubs. This sight surprised the Viceroy and the council, but much more the doctor, who assiired them that he had received a commission from the Queen, but what was come of it, he could not tell. ' Well, well,' replied the Viceroy, ' you must go back for another, and we will shuffle the cards in the mean time.' The doctor accordingly hastened across the channel ; but at Holyhead he received the intelligence of the Queen's death, and the accession of Elizabeth, who settled on Urs. Edmonds a pension of forty pounds a year, for saving her Protestant subjects in Ireland. DRESS IX THE PROVINCES IX 1777. In the days when mail-coaches had not begun to run, and when rail- roads and telegraphs had not entered into the imagination of man, the style of dress in the provinces was often very different to what it was in London, and on this account the following paragraph is deserving of record. We have taken it from a copy of the Nottingham Journal, of September 6, 1777, where it is headed "Ladies undress." " The ladies' fashionable undress, commonly called a dishabille, to pay visits in the morn- ing, also for walking in the country, on account of its being neat, light, and short, consists of a jacket, the front part of which is made like a sultana ; the back part is cut out in four pieces ; the middle part is not wider at the bottom than about half an inch ; the sides in proportion very narrow. The materials most in vogue are, white muslins with a coloured printed border chintz pattern, printed on purpose, in borders about an inch deep. The silks, which are chiefly lutestrings, are mostly trimmed with gauze. The gauze is tuckered upon the bottom of the jacket, and edged with different-coloured fringes. The petticoat is drawn \ip in a festoon, and tied with a true lover's knot, two tassels hanging down from each festoon. A short gauze apron, striped or figured, cut in three scollops at the bottom, and trimmed round with a broad trimming closely plaited ; the middle of the apron has three scollops reversed. The cuffs are puckered in the shape of a double pine, one in the front of the arm, the other behind, but the front rather lower. To complete this dress for summer walking, the most elegant and delicate ladies carry a long japanned walking-cane, with an ivory hook head, and on the middle of the cane is fastened a silk umbrella, or what the French call 'a parasol,' which defends them from the sun and slight showers of rain. It opens by a spring, and it is pushed up towards the head of the cane, when expanded for use. Hats, with the feathers spread, chiefly made of chip, covered with fancy gauze puckered, \ ariegated artificial flowers, bell tassels, and other decorations, are worn large." A GROrT OF RELICS. The Dagger of Raoul de Courcy, of which a representation is included in the cut over leaf, is an interesting relic, and its authenticity can be relied upon. Raoul de Courcy, according to the old French chro- niclers was a famous knight, the lord of a noble castle, built upon a mountain that overlooks the Yalee d'Or, and the descendant of that 262 TKN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; haughty noble \vho took for his motto: " Neither king, nor prince, nor duke, nor earl am I, but I am the Lord of Courcy" in other words, greater than them all. He fell in love with the wife of his neighbour, the Lord of Fayel, and the beautifid Gabrielle loved him in return. One night he went 'as usual to meet her in a tower of the Chateau of Fayel, but found himself face to face with her lord and master, llaoul escaped, and Gabrielle was ever after closely guarded. Still they found the oppor- tunity for numcKms interviews, at which they interchanged their vows of love. At length, Jlaoul, like a true knight, set out to fight beneath the banner of the Cross, for the possession of the Holy Sepulchre. Ere he went, at a stolen meeting, he bade the fair Gabrielle adieu, giving to her " a silken love-knot, with locks of his own hair worked in with the threads of silk." She gave him a costly ring, which she had always worn, and which he swore to wear till his last breath. AYhat tears were shed what kisses were exchanged at this last meeting ! for {he Holy Land was very far from France in the Middle Ages. On his arrival in Syria, Italph de Courcy became known as the " Knight of Great Deeds," for it seems he could only conquer his love by acts of daring valour. After braving every danger, lie was at length wounded in the side by an ai-row, at the siege of Acre. The king of England took him in his arms with respect, and gave him the kiss of hope, but the arrow was a poisoned one, liaoul felt that he had little time to live. He stretched out his arms towards France, exclaiming, " France, France ! Grbrielle, Gabrielle!" He resolved to return home, but he was hardly on board the ship that was to waft him there, ere he summoned his squire, and begged of him after he was dead, to carry his heart to France, and to give it the Lady Fayel, with all the armlets, diamonds, and other jewels which he pos- sessed, as pledges of love and remembrance. The heart was embalmed, and the squire sought to deliver his precious legacy. He disguised himself in a mean dress, but unluckily met witli the Lord of Fayel, and, not knowing him, applied to him for information as to how admittance into the chateau could be gained. The Lord of Fayel at once attacked and disarmed the poor squire, who was wounded in the side with a hunting-hanger. The precious paeket was soon torn open, and the heart discovered. The Lord of Fayel hastened home, and, giving it to his cook, desired that it might be dressed with such a sauce as would make it very palatable. liaoul's heart was served up at table, and the fair Gabrielle partook of it. "When she had finished eating, the Lord of Fayel said "Lady, was the meat you eat good '?" She replied, that the meat was good. " That is the reason I had it cooked," said the Castellan; "for know that this same meat, which you found so good, was the heart of Raoul de Courcy." " Lord of Fayel," said Gabrielle, "the vengeance you have taken cor- responds with the meanness of your soul; you have made me eat his heart, but it is the last meat I shall ever eat. After such noble food I will never partake of any other." She fainted, and only recovered her consciousness a few minutes MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 263 1. Dagger of Raoul dc Courcy. 2. Embroidered Glove, presented by Mary, Queen of Scotland, on the Morning of her Excution, to one of her Attendants. 3. Spanish Dagger of the Sixteenth Century. 4. Ring, with Inscription, " Behold the End," formerly the Property of Charles I. o. Silver Locket, in Memory of the Execution of Charles I. before death. Such, is the history of Raoul de Courcy and the Lady Ga- brielle, as told in the language of the old chroniclers. The glove shown in the engraving is said to have been presented by the unfortunate Queen Mary, on the morning of her execution, to a lady 264 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; of the Denny family. The embroidery is of tasteful design, and may he useful as a contrast with many of the patterns for needlework at pre- sent in fashion. Moreover, the sight of this memorial brings to recol- lection a few particulars in connection with this somewhat important part of both male and female costume. The ancient Persians wore gloves, and the Romans, towards the decline of the empire, began to use them. In England they seemed to have been introduced at a very early period. In the Anglo-Saxon literature we meet with yhf, a covering for the hand, and in the illuminated M SS. of that period the hands of bishops and other dignitaries are shown en- cased in gloves which, in many instances, were ornamented with costly rings ; while on the tombs of kings and queens, &c., the hands are shown almost invariably covered. It is related of the pation Saint of Brussels, who lived in the sixth century, that she was famous for only two miracles : one consisted in lighting a candle by means of her prayers, after it had been extin- guished ; the other happened in this way the fair saint being in a church barefooted, a person near, with respectful gallantry, took off his gloves and attempted to place them under her feet. This comfort she declined ; and, kieking the gloves away, they became suspended at some height in the church for the space of an hour. On opening the tomb of Edward the First, some years ago, in West- minster Abbey, the antiquaries assembled on that occasion were sur- prised to find no traces of gloves. It has been suggested that in this instance linen or silk gloves had been used at the burial of the king, but which arc supposed to have perished with age. The practice of throwing down a glove as a challenge, is mentioned by Matthew Paris as far back as 1'24<3 ; and a glove was worn in the hat or cap as a mistress's favour, as the memorial of a friend, and as a mark to be challenged by an enemy. At a time when the Borders were in a state of incessant strife, Bar- nard Gilpin, who has been so justly called " the Apostle of the .North," wandered unharmed amid the confusion. On one occasion, entering a church (we believe that of Rothbury, Northumberland,) he observed a glove sxispended in a conspicuous place, and was informed that it had been hung up as a challenge by some horse-trooper of the district. Mr. Gilpin requested the sexton to remove it ; who answered, >- Not I sir, I dare not do it." Then Gilpin called for a Ion- stud', took down the -love, and put it in his bosom, and in the course of his sermon, said, "I hear that there is one among vmi who has even in this sacred place hung up a glove in defiance ;" ami then producing it in the midst of the !. Cation, he challenged, them to compete with liim in acts of Christian charity. Gloves, in former times, were common amongst other ^i ft s offered to friends at the new year ; and they were received without offence l>y the ministers of justice. It is related that Sir Thomas More, a- Lord Chan- cellor, decreed in favour of Mrs. Crooker against the Karl of Anuidel. On the following New-year's day, in token of her gratitude, she pre- sented Sir Thomas with "a pair of gloves containing forty angels. " It MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 265 would be against good manners," said the chancellor, "to forsake the ladies' Xew-year's gift, and I accept the gloves ; the lining you may bestow otherwise." The custom of the presentation by the sheriff of a pair of white gloves to the judge on the occasion of a maiden assize is still in vogue ; and, judging from the reports in the newspapers, such presents appear to be of frequent occurrence. " Gloves, as sweet as damask roses," were highly prized by Queen Elizabeth, and, in her day, formed such an important item of a lady's expenses, that a sum was generally allowed for " glove money." The old fashioned gloves have now a considerable value amongst the curious. At the sale of the Earl of Arran's goods in 1759, the gloves given by Henry VIII. to Sir Anthony Denny, sold for 38/. 17s. ; those given by James I. to Edward Denny, sold for Til. 4s. ; and the mitten given by Queen Elizabeth to Sir Edward Denny's lady, for 251. 4s. Some of the English towns which formerly were famous for the manu- facture of gloves, still keep up their character. Amongst these "Wood- stock, Yeovil, Leominster, Ludlow, and Worcester may be mentioned. The Spanish dagger formerly belonged to a governor of Castile, in the sixteenth century, as is shown by the perforated fetter-lock on the blade ; and although the initials are engraven there also, we have not been able to discover any particulars of the original owner. The workmanship and style of the dagger are of great beauty. The little ring with the inscription " Behold the end," was once the property of Charles I., and was presented by him to Bishop Juxon on the morning of his execution. The silver lockets, on which are the emblems of death, were extensively manufactured and sold after the execution of Charles I. They generally bore the date of the king's death. THE HAMSTER EAT. There are various kinds of rats, and one of these is the Hamster, of the genus Cricetus of Cuvier. Tlxough rare in Europe to the west of the Rhine, it is widely spread from that river to the Danube on the south-west, and north-easterly through a vast extent of country into Siberia. We notice it in our pages on account of its extraordinary habits. Its life appears to be divided between eating and fighting. It seems to have no other passion than that of rage, which induces it to attack every animal that comes in its way, without in the least attending to the superior strength of its enemy. Ignorant of the art of saving itself by night, rather than yield, it will allow itself to be beaten to pieces with a stick. If it seizes a man's hand, it must be killed before it will quit its hold. The magnitude of the horse terrifies it as little as the address of the dog, which last is fond of hunting it. When the hamster perceives a dog at a distance, it begins by emptying its cheek- pouches if they happen to be filled with grain ; it then blows them up so prodigiously, that the size of the head and neck greatly exceed that of the rest of the body. It raises itself on its hind legs, and thus darts upon the enemy. If 'it catches hold, it never quits it but with the loss 266 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; of its life ; but the dog generally seizes it from behind, and strangles it This ferocious disposition prevents the hamster from being at peace with any animal whatever. It even makes war against its own species. When two hamsters meet, they, never fail to attack each other, and the stronger always devours the weaker. A combat between a male and a female commonly lasts longer than between two males. They begin by pursuing and biting each other, then each of them retires aside, as if to take breath. After a short interval, they renew the combat, and continue to fight till one of them falls. The vanquished uniformly serves for a repast to the conqueror. KNAVERY OF THE PRIESTS IN BURMA H. The manner in which an uncivilized people will calmly submit to be duped by the extortionate rascality of their priests, is strongly ex- hibited in the kingdom of Burmah. The people who are there held in the highest estimation are the priests. Any one who pleases may be a priest. The priests pretend to be poor, and go out begging every morning with their empty dishes in their hands ; but they get them well tilled, and then return to their handsome houses, all shining with gold, in which they live together in plenty and in pride. They are expected to dress in rags, to show that they are poor ; but not liking rags, they cut up cloth in little pieces, and sew the pieces together to make their yellow robes ; and this they call wearing rags. They pre- tend to be so modest, that they do not BUBMESB PBIESI POACHING. jjj^ t() ^^ fl^ f^^ ^ ^ j^ them with a fan, even when they preach; for they do preach in their way, that is, they tell foolish stories about Buddha. The name they give him is Guadama, while the Chinese call him Fo. They have five hundred and fifty stories written in their books about him ; for they say he was once a bird, a fly, an elephant, and all manner of creatures, and was so good whatever he was, that at last he was born the son of a king. Is it not marvellous that a whole people should, for generation after generation, not only submit to be thus scandalously cheated, but should also hold those who cheat them in the highest esteem ? A curious fact, indeed, in the history of mankind. 31IKACULOUS ESCAPE. One of the most singular circumstances occurred a few years" ago that ever came within our observation. Mr. Charlton, surgeon, of Wylani, near Newcastle-on-Tyne, having at a late hour been culled upon in haste to give his attendance at Ovingham, borrowed a spirited horse of a friend, that he might proceed with the least possible delay, lie had not gone above half a mile when he perceived his horse stumble, and he immediately threw himself from the saddle. It was fortunate he did so, for the next instant his horse had fallen down a precipice of near seventy MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 267 feet ; and, incredible as it may seem, the animal sustained no injury, but immediately dashed into the Tyne, and swam to the opposite side. Search was made after him, and hearing his master's voice, he was heard to neigh even across the water in token of -recognition, and was ultimately restored without speck or blemish. A NATIONAL TASTE FOE It is a remarkable fact that a taste for gaming appears in some cases to pervade a whole people, and to become one of the chief national cha- racteristics. Xo where is this more manifest than among the inhabi- tants of the Asiatic Islands. Games of hazard are the favourites of these islanders. Some of them they have learned of the Chinese, the most debauched of gamesters, and others of the Portuguese. The only game of hazard, of native origin, among the Javanese consists in guessing the number of a certain kind of beans which the players hold in their hands. But of all the species of gaming that to which the Indian islanders are most fondly addicted is betting on the issue of the combats of pugnacious animals, and particularly the cock. The breed in highest estimation is the produce of Celebes. The people of Java fight their cocks without spurs ; but the Malays and natives of Celebes with an artificial spur, in the shape of a small scythe, which, notwithstanding its barbarous appear- ance, is in reality less destructive than the contrivance employed among ourselves. Quail fighting also is extremely common in Java. The most famous breed of this bird is found in the island of Lombok ; and it is a singular fact, that the female is used in these bitter but bloodless combats, the male being comparatively small and timid. Neither do the Javanese hesitate to bet considerable sums on a battle between two crickets, which are excited to the conflict by the titillation of a blade of grass judiciously applied to their noses. They will likewise risk their money on the strength and hardness of a nut, called kamiri ; and much skill, patience and dexterity, are exercised in the selection and the strife. At other times two paper kites decide the fortune of the parties ; the object of each in this contest being to cut the string of his adversary. On a favourable day fifty or sixty kites, raised for this purpose, may some- times be seen hovering over a Javanese city. A FKIEXD TO PHYSIC. Mr. Samuel Jessup, who died at Heckington, Lincolnshire, in 1817, was an opulent grazier and of pill-taking memory. He lived in a very eccentric way, as a bachelor, without known relatives, and at his decease was possessed of a good fortune, notwithstanding a most inordinate craving for physic, by which he was distinguished for the last thirty years of his life, as appeared on a trial for the amount of an apothecary's bill, at the assizes at Lincoln, a short time before Mr. Jessup's death, wherein he was defendant. The evidence on the trial affords the following materials for the epitaph of the deceased, which will not be transcended by the memorabilia of the life of any man. In twenty-one years (from TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; 1791 to 1816) the deceased took 226,934 pills (supplied by a most highly respectable apothecary and worthy person of the name of Wright, who resided at Bottesford), which is at the rate of 10,806 pills a year, or 29 pills each day ; but as the patient begun with a more moderate upjn - tite, and increased it as he proceeded, in the last five years preceding 1816, he took the pills at the rate of 78 a-day, and in the year 1814, he swallowed not less than 51,590. Notwithstanding this, and the addition of 40,000 bottles of mixture, and juleps and electuaries, extending alto- gether to fifty-five closely written columns of an apothecary's bill, the deceased lived to attain the advanced age of sixty-five years. AX IXCULPATORY EPITA.PH. The following epitaph at West Allington, Devon, is deserving a place in our record of curiosities, inasmuch as it appears to be a successful at- tempt in making a monumental stone, both a memorial of the deceased, iind also a means of reproving the parson of the parish : " Here lyeth the Body of Daniel Jeffery the Son of Mich ael Jeffery and Joan his Wife he was buried y tf 22 day of September 1746 and in y 18 th year of his age. This Yoiith When In his sickness lay did for the minister Send + that he would Come and With him Pray 4- But he would not ate nj But When this young man Buried was The minister did him admit 4- he should be ( 'aried into Church 4- that he might money gect By this you See what man will dwo + to g. money if he can -t- who did refuse to come pray + by the Forcsaid young man." HTTNTrNG A SHEKP KILLER. It has been remarked, that when once a dog acquires wild habits, and takes to killing sheep, he docs far more mischief than a wild beast, since tu the cunning of the tamed animal he adds the ferocity of the untamed. A remarkable case of this sort is mentioned in the following paragraph, which we have copied from the Neircnxtlf Cmn-n/if of the year 1S2I3. It is also curious to note the account of the chase, and of the jny which the whole country-side seems to have manifested at the slaughter of the animal. September 21 A few days ago a dog of a most de- structive nature infested the fells of iCaldbeck, Carroek, and High Tike, about sixteen miles south of Carlisle. Little doubt remains of its being the s;nu< if in hlmh (beat it into shivers) and nie out of it." The interesting relique commemorated in tliis curious extract, is of that stately style of carving which was introduced towards the close of the sixteenth century in Protestant preaching-places ; and continued, though of a more heavy character, throughout the whole of the suc- ' < ding century. A scroll-bracket remaining on the preacher's left. hand, and some broken pieces at the top of the hack, appear to indicate that it was once more extended, and had probably a canopy or sounding- board. MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 271 THE BIBLE rsEI) BY KIXG CHARLES THE FIRST OX THE SCAFFOLD. There is so much external evidence of the genuineness of this VL-I-V beautiful and interesting relique, that no doubt can exist as to its per- fect authenticity, though the circumstance of the King having a Bible with him on the scaffold, and of presenting it to Dr. Juxon, is not men- tioned in any contemporaneous account of his death. The only notice of such a volume, as a dying gift, appears to be that recorded bv Sir Thomas Herbert, in his narrative, which forms a part of the Memoir* of the last Tico Years of the Eciyn of that unparalleled Prince of ever- blessed memory, King Charles I. London, 1702, Svo, p. 129, in the following passage : " The King thereupon gave him his hand to kiss: having the day before been graciously pleased under his royal hand, to give him a certificate that the said Mr. Herbert was not imposed upon him, but by his Majesty made choice of to attend him in his bed- chamber, and had served him with faithfulness and loyal affection. His Majesty also delivered him his Bible, in the margin whereof ho had with his own hand, written many annotations and quotations, and charged Mm to give it to the Prince so soon as he returned." That this might be the book represented in our engraving, is rendered extremely pro- bable, by admitting that the King would be naturally anxious, that his son should possess that very copy of the Scriptures which had been pro- vided for himself when he was Prince of Wales. It will be observed 272 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; that the cover of the volume is decorated with the badge of the Princi- pality within the Garter, surmounted by a royal coronet in silver gilt, inclosed by an embroidered border ; the initials C. P. apparently im- properly altered to an 11., and the badges of the Rose and Thistle, upon a ground of blue velvet : and the book was therefore bound between the death of Prince Henrv in 1612, and the accession of King Charles to the throne in 1625, wnen such a coronet Avould be no longer nsed by him. If the Bible here represented were that referred to by Herbert, the circumstance of Bishop Jnxon becoming the possessor of it might be accounted for, by supposing that it was placed in his hands to be trans- mitted to Charles II. with the George of the Order of the Garter be- longing to the late King, well known to have been given to that Prelate upon the scaffold, January 30th, 1648-9. LAMBETH WELLS, THE APOLLO GARDENS, AND FlXCIl's GROTTO. Among the numerous public places of amusement which arose upon the success of Vauxhall Gardens, which were first opened about 1661, was one in Lambeth Walk, known as Lambeth Wells. This place was first opened on account of its mineral waters, which were sold at a penny per quart. The music commenced at seven o'clock in the morning, and the price of admission was three pence. A monthly concert under the direction of Mr. Starling Goodwin, organist of St. Saviour's Church Southwark, was afterwards held here, and Erasmus King, who had been, coachman to the celebrated ~l>r. Desagnliers, read lectures and exhibited experiments in natural philosophy, the price- of admission being raised to sixpence. This place was open before 1698, and existed as late as 1752, when "A Penny Wedding after the Scotch fashion, for the benefit of a young couple," was advertised to be kept there. Lambeth Wells at length becoming a public nuisance, the premises were shut up, and ultimately let as a Methodist Meeting-house. The music gallery was used as a pulpit; but the preacher being greatly disturbed in his enthusiastic harangues, he was obliged to quit, when the premises were coaverted to various purposes, except the dwelling, which is now known by the sign of the Fountain public-house. On the site of Messrs. Maudslay's factory, in the Westminster Road, formerly stood the Apollo Gardens. This place of amusement was opened in 1788, by an ingenious musician named Claret, who published, in 1793, a small quarto pamphlet, entitled "Musical Phenomena: An Organ made without Pipes, Strings, Hells, or Glasses; the only Instru- ment in the world that will never require to be re-tuned. A Cromatie Trumpi t, capable of producing just Intervals, and regular Melodies- in all Keys, without undergoing any change whatever. A French Horn, answering the above description of the Trumpet." The Apollo Gardens had one spacious room elegantly fitted up, and decorated in taste suitably to its intention. The gardens consisted of a number of elegant pavilions or alcoves, well adapted for the accommoda- tion of different companies; they were ornamented chiefly with a suc- cession of paintings, relating to romantic histories, particularly the MARVELLOUS, RAKE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 273 different adventures of Don Quixote. It had a fine orchestra erected in the centre of the gardens. The place being ultimately converted into a receptacle for loose and dissolute characters, the magistracy very properly suppressed it about the year 1799. In Gravel Lane, Southwark, was Finch's Grotto, a public garden and place of amusement, so named from William Finch, the proprietor. The Grotto was opened to the public in 1770 upon the plan of Vauxhall gardens. An orchestra and a band of musicians, added to the rural character of the place, and drew a numerous body of visitors. Very little is known about the Grotto, but it is supposed to have been closed early in the present century. THE DUCK-BILLED PLATYPUS, OR ORNITHORYXCHrS PARADOXUS. Of the genus Ornithornynchus only one species the Paradoxvs has yet been discovered in the whole world, and it is, therefore, one of the great curiosities of animal life. It appears to be a union of a quad- ruped and a bird, and is only to bo found in Xew Holland, where it inhabits the reeds by the side of rivers. Our engraving represents it very accurately. It is about twenty inches long, having a flattened body, somewhat like the otter, and is clothed with a dark soft fur. The elongated nose very much resembles the beak of a duck, like which these animals feed upon water insects, shell-fish, and aquatic plants. The feet are five-toed and webbed, and in the fore-feet this membrane extends beyond the nails : the male is armed with a spur on each hind leg. This curious animal, in which a duck's beak is united to the body of a quadruped, rolls itself up like a hedgehog, when it sleeps in its burrows on the banks of the streams whence its food is derived. ORIGIX OF BOLTOX ABBEY. About midway up the Vale of Bolton, amidst the gloomy recesses of the woods, the Wharfe, which is otherwise a wide and shallow river, is sud- denly contracted by two huge rocks, which approach each other so nearly, that the country folk, or rather the villagers, call it the Stn'd, because adventurous people stride or leap from one rock to the other. In ancient 274 TEX THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; days, the whole of this valley belonged to Baron Romillie, whose eldest son having died, left a younger brother, of the name of EGREMONT, solo heir of the domains and inheritance of this family. One day, however, when this young man, familiarly called the "Boy of Egremont," was returning from hunting with the hounds in the leash, he, as he had done many times before, was going to leap the Strid, when, just as he had attempted it, the hounds held back, and precipitated him headlong into the deep and awful chasm, which the impetuous fall of water (thus produced by the sudden contraction of the river) had worn in the base of the two rude rocks, and he was never seen afterwards. The Baron, being now left childless, built the Abbey, and endowed it with the domains of Bolton. LEXGXII OF LIFE WITHOUT BODILY EXERCISE. The Rev. William Davies, Rector of Staunton-upon-Wye, and Vicar of All Saints, Hereford, died 1790, aged 105. The life of this gentleman displays one of the most extraordinary instances of departure from all those rules of temperance and exercise, which so much influence the lives of the mass of mankind, that is, probably to be found in the whole re- cords of longevity. During the last thirty-five years of his life, he never used any other exercise than that of just slipping his feet, one before the other, from room to room ; and they never after that time were raised, but to go down or up stairs, a task, however, to \vhicli he seldom sub- jected himself. His breakfast was hearty ; consisting of hot rolls well buttered, with a plentiful supply of tea or cott'ee. His dinner was sub- stantial, and frequently consisted of a variety of dishes. At supper he generally eat hot roast meat, and always drank wine, though never to excess. Though nearly blind for a number of years, he was always elp ert'ul in his manners, and entertaining in his conversation, and was much beloved by all who knew him. He had neither gout, stone, para- l\>is, rheumatism, nor any of those disagreeable infirmities which mostly attend old age ; but died peaceably in the full possession, of all his facul- ties, mental and corporeal, save his eyesight. Like most long livers he was very short of stature. KXTKAOKDIXARY FASHIOX IN CIGARS. A taste for tobacco in some form or othtr seems to extend over the whole inhabitable globe. In this respect it matters not whether 11:1 are civilized or uncivilized ; and however completely they may differ from each other in everything else, they all agree in a fondness for "the weed." In the mode, however, of indulging in the luxury, there is the greatest diversity, and no where is this more strikingly manifested than in the Philippine Islands. " It is not till evening that the inhabitant of the higher class begin to stir ; till that time they are occupied in eating, sleeping, and smoking toliaeco, which is no where more general than on the island of Luzon ; lor children, before they can Avalk, begin to smoke si-gars. The women earry their fondness for it to a greater height than the men; for, not content with the usual small segars, they have others made for them, MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 275 which are a foot long and proportionally thick. These are here called the women's segars, and it is a most ludicrous sight to see elegant ladies taking their evening walk, with these burning brands in their mouths." How widely does the fashion in Luzon differ from the fashion at Paris ! NOVEL WAT OF PURCHASING A HUSBAND. The following paragraph, which we have copied from a magazine of 1790, not only gives us a curious instance of female determination in the pursuit of a husband, but tells us of the price which human hair was worth at the period when ladies wore such monstrous head-dresses of false curls. * ' An Oxfordshire lass was lately courted by a young man of that country, who was not willing to marry her unless her friends could advance 507. for her portion ; which they being incapable of doing, the lass came to London to try her fortune, where she met with a good chapman in the Strand, who made a purchase of her hair (which was delicately long and light), and gave her sixty pounds for it, being 20 ounces at 3^. an ounce ; with which money she joyfully returned into the country, and bought her a husband." GLOVES. ORIGIN OF "TIN XONET." Gloves were very common as New Years gifts. For many hun- dreds of vears after their introduction into England in the 10th century, they were worn only by the most opulent classes of society, and hence constitiited a valuable present. They are often named in old records. Exchange of gloves was at one period a mode of investiture into pos- session of property, as amongst the ancient Jews was that of a shoe or sandal; and " glove -money" is to this day presented by High Sheriffs to the officers of their courts, upon occasion of a maiden assize, or one in which no cause is tried. Pins, which at the commencement of the sixteenth century displaced the wooden skewers previously in use, be- came a present of similar consequence ; and at their iirst introduction were considered of so much importance in female dress, that "pin- money " grew into the denomination of dower, which, by the caution of parents, or justice of a consort, was settled upon a lady at her marriage. HABITS AND HABITATIONS OF THE DYAKS OF BOENEO. It is impossible to appreciate properly the courage, determination, and skill which have been displayed by the gallant Sir James Brooke, unless we make ourselves acquinted with the character and habits of the extraordinary race of men over whom he triumphed. The Dyaks are a savage people who inhabit Borneo. They lived there be- fore the Malays came, and they have been obliged to submit to them. They are savages indeed. They are darker than the Malays ; yet they are not black ; their skin is only the colour of copper. Their hair is cut short in front, but streams down their backs ; their large moiiths show a quantity of black teeth, made black by chewing the betel-nut. They wear but 'very little clothing, but they adorn their ears and arms, and legs, with Bombers of brass rings. Their looks are wild and fierce, 276 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; DTAK WITH HEADS. but not cunning like the looks of the Malays. They are not Mahome- dans ; they have hardly any religion at all. They believe there are some gods, biit they know hardly any- thing about them, and they do not want to kuow. They neither make images to the gods, nor say prayers to them. They live like the beasts, thinking only of this life ; yet they are more unhappy than beasts, for they imagine there are evil spirits among the woods and hills, watching to do them harm. It is often hard > to persuade them to go to the top of ? a mountain, where they say evil ^ spirits dwell. Such a people would ? be more ready to listen to a mis- ~ sionary than those who have idols, and temples, and priests, and sacred books. Their wickedness is very great. It is their chief delight to get the heads of their enemies. There are a great many different tribes of Dyaks, and each tribe tries to cut off the heads of other tribes. The Dyaks who live by the sea are the most cruel ; they go out into the boats to rob and bring home, not slaves, but HEADS ! ! And how do they treat a head when they get it ? They take out the brains, and then they dry it in the smoke, with the flesh and hair still on ; then they put a string through it, and fasten it to their waists. The evening that they have got some new heads, the warriors dance with delight, their heads dangling by their sides ; and they turn round in the dance, and gaze upon their heads, and shout, and yell with triumph ! At night they still keep the heads near them ; and in the day they play with them, as children with their dolls, talking to them, putting food in their mouths, and the betel-nut between their ghastly lips. After wearing the heads many days, they hang them up to the ceilings of their rooms. No English lord thinks so much of his pictures, as the Dyaks do of their heads. They think these heads are the finest ornaments of their houses. The man who has most heads, is considered the (jrc/itc^t man. A man who has no Jictidx is despised! If he wishes to be respected, he must get a head as soon as he can. Sometimes a man, in order to get a head, will go out to look for a poor fisherman, who has done him no harm, and will come back with his head, When the Dyaks tight against their enemies, they try to get, not only the heads of men, but also the HEAD OF A DTAK. MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 277 HOUSE OF SEA DYAKS. heads of women and children. How dreadful it must be to see a poor baby's head hanging from the ceiling! There was a Dyak who lost all his property by fire, but he , cared not for losing anything, so much as for losing his pre- cious heads ; nothing could con- sole him for his loss ; some of them he had cut off himself, and others had been cut off by his father, and left to him ! People who are so bent on killing, as these Dyaks are, must have many enemies. The Dyaks are always in fear of being attacked by their ene- mies. They are afraid ot living in lonely cottages ; they think it a better plan for a great many to live together, that they may be able to defend themselves, if surprised in the night. Four hundred Dyaks will live together in one hoiase. The house is very large. To SKULL HOUSE. make it more safe, it is built upon very high posts, and there are ladders 278 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; to get up by. The posts are sometimes forty feet high ; so that when you are in the house, you find yourself as high as the tall trees. There is one very large room, where all the men. and women sit, and taDi, and do their work in the day. The women pound the rice, and weave the mats, while the men make weapons of war, and the little children play about. There is always much noise and confusion in this room. There are a great many doors along one side of the long room ; and each of these doors leads into a small room where a family lives ! the parents, the babies, and the girls sleep there, while the boys of the family sleep in the large room, that has just been, described. The Hill Dyaks do not live in houses quite so large. Tet several families inhabit the same house. In the midst of their villages, there is always one house where the boys sleep. In this house all the heads of the village are kept. The house is round, and built on posts, and the entrance is underneath, through the floor. As this is the best house in the village, travellers are always brought to this house to sleep. Think how dreadful it must be, when you wake in the night to see thirty or forty horrible heads, dangling from the ceiling ! The wind, too, which comes in through little doors in the roof, blows the heads about ; so that they knock against each other, and seem almost as if they were still alive. This is the Dead-house. Such are the men whom the Rajah Brooke subdued ! SCOTTISH WILD CATTLK. The wild white cattle, a few of which arc still to be found in Chatel- herault Park, belonging to the Duke of Hamilton, in Lanarkshire, are great objects of curiosity, inasmuch as they are identical with the primitive source of all .our domestic cattle. The following description of their habits is abridged from an article by the Rev. "W. Patrick, in the Quarterly Journal of Agriculture : " I am inclined to believe that the Hamilton breed of cattle is the oldest in Scotland, or perhaps in Britain. Although Lord Tankerville has said they have 'no wild habits,' I am convinced, from personal vation, that this is one of their peculiar features. In browsing their extensive pasture, they always keep close together, never scattering or straggling over it, a peculiarity which does not belong to the Kyloe, <>r any other breed, from the wildest or most inhospitable regions of the ElghlaXUbi The white eo\vs are also remarkable for their systematic manner of feeding. At different periods of the year their tactics arc different, but by those Mquftinted with their habits they are always found about the same part of the forest at the same hour of the day. In the height of summer, they always bivouac for the night towards the northern extremity of the forest ; 1'ioin this point they start in the morning, and browse to the southern extremity, and return at sunset to their old rendezvous; and during these p.Tambulations they always feed <-n //m.v.sr. "The bulls are seldom ill-natured, but when they are so they display a disposition more than ordinarily savage, cunning, pertinacious, and revengeful. A poor bird-catcher, when exercising his vocation among the ' Old Oaks,' as the park is familiarly called, chanced to be attacked MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AXD QUAINT. 279 by a savage bull. By great exertion he gained a tree before his assailant made up to him. Here he had occasion to observe the habits of the animal. It did not roar or bellow, but merely grunted, the whole body quivered with passion and savage rage, and he frequently attacked the tree with his head and hoofs. Finding all to no purpose, he left off the vain attempt, began to browse, and removed to some distance from the tree. The bird-catcher tried to descend, but this watchful Cerberus was again instantly at his post, and it was not till after six hours' imprison- ment, and various bouts at ' bo-peep ' as above, that the unfortunate man was relieved by some shepherds with their dogs. A writer's apprentice, who had been at the village of Quarter on business, and who returned by the ' Oaks ' as a ' near-hand cut,' was also attacked by one of these savage brutes, near the northern extremity of the forest. He was fortunate, however, in getting up a tree, but was watched by the bull, and kept there during the whole of the night, and till near two o'clock the next day. " These animals are never taken and killed like other cattle, but are always shot in the field. I once went to see a bull and some cows destroyed in this manner not by any means for the sake of the sight, but to observe the manner and habits of the animal under peculiar cir- cumstances. When the shooters approached, they, as usual, scampered off in a body, then stood still, tossed their heads on high, and seemed to snuff the wind ; the manoeuvre was often repeated, till they got so hard pressed (and seemingly having a sort of half-idea of the tragedy which was to be performed), that they at length ran furiously in a mass, always preferring the sides of the fence and sheltered situations, and dexterously taking advantage of any inequality in the ground, or other circumstances, to conceal themselves from the assailing foe. In their flight, the bulls, or stronger of the flock, always took the lead ! a smoke ascended from them which could be seen at a great distance ; and they were often so close together, like sheep, that a carpet would have covered them. The cows which had young, on the first ' tug of war,' all retreated to the thickets where their calves were concealed ; from prudential motives, they are never, if possible, molested. These and other wild habits I can testify to be inherent in the race, and are well known to all who have an oppor- tunity of acquainting themselves with them." BELLS OF THE ANCIENTS. Bells were known in the earliest ages of which we have any certain account. But the bells of the ancients were very small in comparison with those of modern times, since, according to Polydore Yirgil, the invention of such as are hung in the towers, or steeples of Christian churches, did not occur till the latter end of the fourth, or beginning of the fifth century ; when they were introduced by Paulinus, Bishop of Xola. The Jews certainly employed bells, since they are spoken of in Scriptures ; and the mention of them by Thucydides, Diodorus Siculus, Suidas, Aristophanes, and other ancient writers, proves that they were used in Greece ; while Plautus, Ovid, Tibullus, Statins, and a variety of Latin authors, speak of bells as in use among the Romans. But the so 280 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; bells of the ancients were all made for the hand ; or were of a size to be affixed to other musical instruments, like those which were occasionally appended to the drum. Whether, when detached from other instruments, they were used on other occasions, or only in particular ceremonies, or as signals, is not known ; nor have we any clue by which to guess whe- ther they were tuned in concordance with any scale, or whether they were unisons to each other, or not formed to any particular pitch, tut merely used as sonoroiis auxiliaries to other instruments, without any regard to their agreement of tone, cither with one another, or with the instruments they accompanied. EARTHQUAKE AT XOTTINGirAM IX 1816. Earthquakes arc providentially occurrences of great rarity in England. The one which took place on the 17th of March, 1816, was one of the most dangerous that has ever been experienced in this kingdom. It ex- tended over a vast area of country, and in some localities its eft'ects were felt very severely. As a proof of this, we have copied the following para- graph from a Nottingham paper of the day : Nottingham, in common with a great part of the North Midland district, experienced a smart shock of an earthquake. 1 It was felt at half-past twelve p.m., and as Divine service, it being Sunday, was not over at the churches, great alarm was expressed by the con- gregations. At Si. Peter's and St. Nicholas's, the consternation was so great, that service had to be suspended for a few seconds, and one lady was borne out in a state of insensibility. The pillars supporting St. Mary's tower shook very visibly, but, fortunately, the attention of the crowded congregation was so engrossed by the eloquence of the sheriff's chaplain, and the presence of the Judge and his retinue, that the alarm was but slight, or the rush and loss of life might have been great. In various parts of the town and neighbourhood, glasses were shaken off of shelves, articles of domestic use displaced, window- casements thrown open, and other indications manifest of the influence of the subterra- nean movement. STATE OF riU-SKKYATIO.V OK A DMA I) 11ODY. According to a statement in Ilolinshed, in 110,3, while digging for a foundation for the church of St. Mary-at-hill, in London, the body of Alice Hackney was discovered. It had been buried 17o years, and yet the skin was whole, and the joint pliable. It was kept above ground four days without annoyance, and then re-interred. ASVI.l'M I-OK DKSTlTfTK CATS. Of all the curious charitable institutions in the world, the most curious probably is the Cat, Asylum at Aleppo, which is attached to one of the mosques there, and was founded by a misanthropic old Turk, who being possessed of large granaries, was much annoyed by rats and mice, to rid himself of which he employed a legion of cats, who so effectually rendered him service, that in return he left them a sum in the Turkish funds, with strict injunctions that all destitute and sickly cats should be provided for, till such time as they took them- MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 281 selves off again. In 1845, when a famine was ravaging in all Xorth Syria when scores of poor people were dropping- down in the streets from sheer exhaustion and want, and dying there by dozens per diem before the eyes of their well-to-do fellow creatures, men might daily be encountered carrying away sack loads of cats to be fed up and feasted on the proceeds of the last will and testament of that vagabond old Turk, whilst fellow creatures were permitted to perish. T05IB OF SAINT GEORGE. The tomb of Saint George, England's patron-saint, is situated in the Bay of Kesrouan, between the Nahr-et- Kelb and Batroun, surroiinded by luxuriant gardens and groups of romantic-looking villages and con- vents. George, The Arabs venerate St. > whom they style Mar Djurios, and point to a small ruined chapel (as in our engraving), ori- ginally dedicated to him to com- memorate his victory over the dragon, which, they say, took place near to the spot. The tradition is, that the dragon was about to devour the king of Bevrout's daughter, when St. George slew him, and thus saved the lady fair ; and the cre- dulous natives point to a kind of well, upwards of sixty feet deep, where they stoutly affirm that the dragon used to come out to feed upon his victims. All this is very curious, in- asmuch as it gives an Arabian interest to the career of the patron "f,_ saint of England, whose portrait, =1^ in the act of slaying the dragon, "3 constitutes the reverse of most English coin, and is regarded the as embodiment of English valour. BEGGAKS SELECTED AS 3IODELS BY P.VIXTEES. Michael Angelo Buonarotti often drew from beggars ; and report says, that in the early part of his life, when he had not the means of paying them in money, he woxdd make an additional sketch, and, presenting it to the party, desire him to take it to some particular person, who would purchase it. Fuseli, in his life of Michael Angelo, says that " a beggar rose from his hand the patriarch of poverty." The same artist, in one of his lectures, delivered at the Royal Academy, also ob- serves, that "Michael Angelo ennobled his beggars into Patriarchs and Prophets, in the ceiling of the Sistjne Chapel." 282 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; Annibal Caracci frequently drew subjects in low life. His Cries of Boloyna, etched by Giuseppe Maria Mitelli : pub. 1660, in folio, are evidently from real characters. It will also be recollected, that some of the finest productions of Murillo, Jan Miel, and Drogsloot, are beggars. Callot's twenty-four beggars are evidently from nature ; and among Itembrandt's etchings are to be found twenty-three plates of this descrip- tion. Sir Joshua Reynolds frequently painted from beggars, and from these people have originated some of his finest pictures, particularly his '"Mercury as a Pickpocket," and "Cupid as a Link-boy." His Count Ugolino was painted from a pavior, soon after he had left St. George's Hospital, from a severe fever. Mr. West painted the portrait of a beg- gar, on the day when he became a hundred years old ; and considered him as a pensioner for several years afterwards. The same person was used also as a model, by Copley, Opie, &c. Who can forget the lovely countenance of Gainsborough's " Shepherd's Boy," that has once seen Earlom's excellent engraving from it ? He was a lad, well known as a beggar to those who walked St. James' s-street seventy years ago. The model for the celebrated picture of the " Woodman," by the same artist, died in the Borough, at the venerable age of 107. Mr. Sollekens, in 1778, when modelling the bust of Dr. Johnson, who then wore a wig, called in a beggar to sit for the hair. The same artist was not equally fortunate in the locks of another great character ; for on his application to a beggar for the like purpose, the fellow declined to sit, with an observation that three half-crowns were not sufficient for the trouble. SriTLY OF WATER FOR OLD LOXDOIf. Leaden pipes conveyed spring water to London city from Tyburn in 1236; and in 1285 the first great conduit of lead was begun there. In i I 1'2 Henry VI. granted to John Hatherlcy, Mayor, license to take up 200 fother of lead. The pipes from Highbury brought in the water in 1483. We may learn how much was thought of this useful work by the fact that the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and many worshipful persons used to ride and view the conduit heads at Tyburn ; and after dinner there, somewhat different from recent sportsmen, thev hunted a fox. The water- works at London Bridge were established, in 1512. In 1534, two-fifteenths were granted by the Common Council for defraying the expense of bringing water from Hackney to Aldgate to a conduit. But Peter Morris did not bring his supply of water to the highest parts of London till the year 1569, and Sir Hugh Middleton's far-famed New lliver was only rendered available in 1618, that is, a space of sixty-eight years after the introduction of a stream of pure water into the western parts of the town of Lyme in Dorset. COMBINATION' OK INSTINCT AXD FORCE OF HABIT IX A BOG. A dog which had been accustomed to go with his master regularly for sometime to Penkridge church, still continued to ^o there by himself every Sunday for a whole your, while the edifice was under repair, and divine service was not held. Whenever he could, he would get into the MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 283 family pew and there pass the proper time. His instinct enabled him to perceive the occasion, and to measure the regular time, but it could carry him no further. A remarkable exemplification of the difference between instinct and reason. YORKSHIRE IN THE LAST CENTURY. Anecdotes which are apparently trifling in themselves, are often of im- portance, as exhibiting in a striking light the dialect and social condi- tion of the people, and the period they refer to. An instance of this is the following, which has been recorded as the bellman's cry at Bipon, on the occasion of a great frost and fall of snow, about 1780 : "I is to gie notidge, that Joanie Pickersgill yeats yewn to neit, to moarn at moarn, an to moarn at neit, an nea langer, as lang as storm hods, 'cause he can git na mare eldin." The Translation. I am to give notice, that John Pickersgill heats his oven to-night, to-morrow morning, and to-morrow at night, and no longer as long as the storm lasts, because he can, get no more fuel. INSTANCE OF MANY AGED PERSONS DYING ABOUT THE SAME DATE. The following is taken from a copy of Nile's " Weekly Register," published at Baltimore, in the month of January, 1823. It is the list of deaths which had been notified ta the paper within one week, and we give it, as a singular instance of the decease of so many persons above one hundred years old being announced in the same paragraph. "In Franklin co. Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Campbell, aged 104 several of her relatives had reached 100. At Troy, ]V. Y., Ann Fowler, 100. At Tyngsboro', JST. Y., Abigail Hadlock, 104. At Somers, N. Y., Michael'Makeel, 103. At Rutland, Oswego, IS". Y., Mrs. Buroy, 110. At Brunswick, Maine, Gen. James W. Ryan, 107 his wife is yet living, aged 94 ; they were married together 75 years before his death. At Georgetown, Col. Yarrow, a Moor, (supposed) 135 ! At the city of New York, a woman, a native of St. Domingo, 106. At Sargus, Mass., Mrs. Edwards, 101. In Edgecomb county, H". C., "William Spicer, aged about 112. In Boston, William Homer, 116." CORPSE BEAKERS DURING THE PIAGUE. Of all the calamities with which a great city is infested, there can be none so truly awful as that of a plague, when the street doors of the houses that were visited with the dreadful pest were padlocked up, and only accessible to the surgeons and medical men, whose melancholy duty frequently exposed them even to death itself ; and when the fronts of the houses were pasted over with large bills exhibiting red crosses, to denote that in such houses the pestilence was raging, and requesting the solitary passenger, to pray that the Lord might have mercy upon those who were confined within. Of these bills there are many extant in the libraries of the curious, some of which have borders engraved on wood, printed in black, displaying figures of skeletons, bones, and coifins. S84 TEX THOUSAND WONDEKFUL THINGS ; They also contain various recipes for the cure of the distemper. The Lady Arnndel, and other persons of distinction, published their methods for making what was then called plague-water, and which are to be found in many of the rare books on cookery of the time ; but happily for London, it has not been visited by this affliction since 166<3, a cir- cumstance owing probably to the (in at Fire in the succeeding year, which consumed so many old and deplorable buildings, then standing in narrow streets and places so conlined, that it was hardly possible to know where any pest would stop. Kvery one who inspects Agas's Plan of London, engraved in the reign of Elizabeth, as well as those published subsequently to the rebuilding of the City after the fire, must acknowledge the great improvements a> to the houses, the widening of the streets, and the 1'ree admission of fivsh air. It is to be hoped, and indeed \ V r niav conclud" from the verv great and daily improvements on that most excellent plan of widening streets, that this great city will never again witnes> such visitations. MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 285 AN lien the plague was at its height, perhaps nothing could have been more silently or solemnly conducted than the removal of the dead to the various pits round London, that were opened for their reception ; and it was the business of Corpse Bearers, such as the one exhibited in the preceding engraving, to give directions to the carmen, who went through the city with bells, which they rang, at the same time crying ' ' Bring out your Dead." This melancholy description may be closed, by observ- ing that many parts of London, particularly those leading to the Courts of Westminster, were so little trodden down, that the grass grew in the middle of the streets. The curious relic, of which we herewith give an engraving, was pre- sented by Mary, Queen of Scots, to her Maid of Honour, Mary Seaton, of the house of "Wintoun, one of the four celebrated Maries, who were Maids of Honour to her Majesty. " Yestreen the Queen had four Maries, The night she'll hae but three ; There was Marie Seaton, and Marie Beaton, And Marie Cannichael and me." The watch is of silver, in the form of a skull. On the forehead of the skull is the figure of Death, with his scythe and sand-glass ; he stands between a palace on the one hand, and a cottage on the other, with his toes applied equally to the door of each, and around this is the legend from Horace " Pallida mors ceqito pulsat pede paupervm tttbi-r/Kta Hegumque turn's." On the opposite, or posterior part of the skull, is a representation of Time, devouring all things. He also has a scythe, and near him is the serpent with its tail in its mouth, being an emblem of eternity ; this is surrounded by another legend from Horace, " Tumpus 286 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THTNGS ; cilox re rum tuque iiin'ditisti retitsfas." The upper part of the skull is divided into two compartments : on one is represented our tirst parents in the garden, of Eden, attended by some of the animals, with the motto, " Peccandn pertKionem mineritim a'ti-rnam jtosteris merHcre." The opposite compartment is tilled with the subject of the salvation of oamptaranvt" Running below these compartments on both sides, there is an open work of about an inch in width, to permit the sound to come more freely out when the watch strikes. This is formed of emblems belonging to the crucifixion, scourges of various kinds, swords, the flagon and cup of the Eucharist, the cross, pincers, lantern used in the garden, spears of different kinds, and one with the sponge on its point, thongs, ladder, the coat without seam, and the dice that were thrown for it, the hammer and nails, and the crown of thorns. Under all these is the motto, " Scala caali ad (jlorunn via." The watch is opened by reversing the skull, and placing the upper part of it in. the hollow of the hand, and then lifting the under jaw which rises on a hinge. Inside, on the plate, which thus may be called the lid, is a representation of the Holy Family in the stable, with the infant Jesus laid in the manger, and angels ministering to brm ; in the upper part an angel is nen descending with a scroll on which is written, " fi/nrift r.cvW.s/.s J)f<>, cf ill term ]>nu- Jioininibns IHK.' coin " In the distance are the shepherds with their fiocks, and one of the men is in the act of performing on a cornemuse. The works of the watch occupy the position of the brains in the skull itself, the dial plate being on a fiat where the roof of the mouth and the parts behind it under the base of the brain, are to be found in the real subject. The dial plate is of silver, and it is fixed within a golden circle richly carved iu a scroll pat- tern. The hours are marked in large Koman letters, and within them is the figure of Saturn devouring his children, with this relative legend round the outer rim of the fiat, " Sieiit nteis sic ct (>in/>ibns Idem.' 11 Lifting up the body of the works on the hinges by which they are attached, they are found to be wonderfully entire. There is no date, but the maker's name, with the place of manufacture, " Moy-e, t'.lois," are distinctly engraven. IMois was the place where it is believed watches were first made, and this suggests the probahility of the opinion that, the watch was expressly ordered by Queen Mary at lUois, when she went there witli her husband, the Dauphin, previous to his death. The watch appears to have been originally constructed with catgut, instead of the chain which it now has, which must have been a more modern addition. It is now in perfect order, and performs wonderfully well, though it re- quires to tie wound up within twenty-six hours to keep it goin.n- with tolerable accuracy. A larice silver beil, of very musical, sound, till.-, the entire hollow of the skull, and receives the works within it when the watch is shut ; a small hammer set in motion by a separate escapement, strikes the hours on it. This very curious relic must have been intended to occupy a stationary MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 287 place on aprie-dieu, or small altar in a private oratory, for its weight is much too great to have admitted of its having been carried in any way attached to the person. A MOITSTER. It is almost incredible that such a monster, as the one we are about to describe should have been allowed to continue his wicked career for some years, in a civilized country like Trance, little more than a hundred years ago, but the following paragraph is copied from a Paris journal of that period 1755, January the 17th and there is every reason to believe that it is strictly correct. What was his fate we do not know, but can hardly doubt. The Marquis de Plumartin, whose execrable crimes are known over all France, has at last been taken in his castle, by 300 men of the King's Own regiment of foot, and carried to Poitiers, loaded with irons. The king is going to appoint a commission to try him. This monster tiirned away his wife sonic years ago, and became, the terror of Poitou. Neither woman nor man durst appear in the neigh- bourhood. Having one day lost a cause in one of the king's courts, he caused the usher and his man, who came to intimate the sentence to him, to be burnt alive. Some days after, having drawn six of his creditors into his castle, where he had shut himself up with several of his crew, he ordered some of his people to drag them into a pond, tied to the tails of horses, and afterwards fastened them to a stake near a great fire, where three expired, and the other three died a few days after. Thirty of the Marshalsea guards, who were sent to apprehend him, having beset his castle, he barricaded the doors and fired on them from the garret window, killing the commanding officer and five others. After which he left the kingdom, but absurdly imagining that his crimes were forgot, he lately returned." FERSEVERAXCE REWARDED BY FOETTTNE. "We have copied the following paragraph from the pages of a local his- torian, because it gives us a striking instance of what perseverance and good fortune will accomplish, in raising a man to comparative distinction from the humblest walks of life. August 26, 1691 Sir John Duck, bart., departed this life, being Wed- nesday at night, and was buried upon the Monday after, being the 31st of August. The wealthiest burgess on the civic annals of Durham. Of Sir John's birth, parentage, and education, the two first have hitherto remained veiled in impenetrable obscurity ; as to the third, he was bred a butcher under John Heslop, in defiance of the trade and mystery of butchers, in whose books a record still exists, warning John Heslopp that he forbear to sett John Ducke on worke in the trade of a butcher. John Duck however grew rich, married the daughter of his benefactor, and was created a baronet by James II. He built a splendid mansion in Silver-street, Avhcre a panel still exists recording his happy rise to fortune. The baronet, then humble Duck, cast out by the butchers, stands near a bridge in an attitiide of despondency ; in the air is seen a raven bearing in his bill a piece of silver, which according to tradition fell at the feet of the 288 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; lucky John, and was naturally calculated to make a strong impression on his mind. He bought a calf, which calf became a cow, and which cow being sold enabled John to make further purchases in cattle, and from such slender beginnings, to realise a splendid fortune. On the right of thu picture is a view of his mansion in Silver-street, and he seems to point at another, which is presumed to be the hospital he endowed at Lumley. He died without issue, and was buried at St. Margaret's, where his wife, Pia Prudens Felix, lies buried beside him. On Duck the Butchers shut the door ; But Heslop's Daughter Johnny wed : In mortgage rich, in offspring poor, Xor son nor daughter crown'd liis bed. TRAVELLING IX TILE VXITED STATES EXACTLY OXE HUXDKED YEAHS AGO. The American advertisement, of which we here give a literal copy, is deserving of preservation on account of the quaintness of the inn-signs, the peculiarity of the spelling and diction, the " shifting" of the passen- gers which it announces, and the general idea it gives us of the way in which travelling was performed in America at the time when it was issued. Philadelphia STAGE -WAGGON, and New- York STAGE BOAT performs their Stages twice a Week. TOHN BUTLER, with his waggon, sets out on Mondays from his *' House, at the Sign of the Death of the Fox, in Strawberry ally, and drives the same day to Trenton Ferry, when Francis Holman meets him, and proceeds on Tuesday to Brunswick, and the passengers and goods being shifted into the waggon of Isaac Fit/randolph, he takes them to the New Blazing-Star to Jacob Fitzrandolph's the same day, where Rubin Fitzrandolph, with a boat well suted, will receive them, and take them to New- York that night. John Butler returning to Philadelphia on Tuesday with the passengers and goods delivered to him l>y I-'raneis Holman, will again set out for Trenton Ferry on Thursday, and Francis Holman, &c. will carry his passengers and goods, with the same expedition as above to New- York. Weekly Mercttnj. March 8, 1759. li'.TE OF THE ri:i>r,i:ATinx. TAKTS 1790. The leading events of the great Revolution in France, may be fairly classed with the marvellous, and among our " Ten Thousand Wonderful Things" there will be found few more wonderful than the civic fothal of the general federation of the National Guards of France, which took place on the 14th of July, 1790, and of which the above is a correct re- presentation, taken from a view by Duplessis Bertaux. The pro- ceedings of that memorable day had in them a mixture of religious celebration appanntly singular amon^ a people, who had lately >o much trampled on religion; but as this celebration was more pagan than Christian in its character, the singularity becomes less marked. On the preceding evening, a Ilii'roilraint'. was performed it the cathedral of Notre Dame- -a kind of sai-ml drama, made up by M. Desaugiers of scraps from the Bible mixed witli other matter, and set to music ; it pro- MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 289 fessed to tell the story of the taking of the Bastille, and to typify the sadness, trouble, contusion, joy, and alarm of the Parisians. Then suc- ceeded a Te Dcinn, chanted in presence of some of the principal federal and municipal bodies. Early ia the morning of the 14th, amid dense clouds and heavy rain, the National Guards from all the eighty-three departments of France, together with deputations from the state army and navy, began to assemble, 'and speedily formed an immense line from the Porte St. Antoine to the Porte St. Martin ; whence they marched, with bands playing and colours flying, to the Champ de Mars, regaled and cheered by the Parisians on the route. On reaching the great square of the Tuileries, the procession was headed by the municipality of Paris and the members of the National Assembly, and followed by a body of grav-headed veterans. The procession traversed the Seine by one of the bridges, greeted by salvos of artillery drawn up on the quays, and entered the Champ de Mars under a triumphal arch almost hidden by flags and patriotic inscriptions. One o'clock had arrived before the various bodies forming the procession had taken their destined places in the enclosed 290 TEX THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; parallelogram, surrounded by nearly 300,000 spectators on the raised terraces, most of whom were by this time drenched by the continuous rain. In the centre of the area was a lofty altar, half pagan, half Catholic in its adornments ; and around this altar the provincial National Guards danced and sang in very excited fashion. The royal family ap- peared at three o'clock. In an immense gallery near the altar, the National Assembly were seated, with the king and the president on two chairs of state exactly equal in height and richness, and the queen and the rest of the court seated behind a significant interpretation of the decree just announced. At the instant of the king taking his seat, the air was rent with cries of Vive li- Hoi! Vive la Nation ! The banners were unfurled ; 1,800 musicians burst forth with jubilant strains ; cannon poured out continuous volleys ; Talleyrand, as bishop of Autun, assisted by sixty chaplains of the Paris National Guards, performed mass at the altar ; and the banners were blessed by sprinkling with holy- water. Then Lafayette, dismounting from his white charger, received from the hands of the king a written form of oath ; he swore to this oath at the altar, and with his raised arm gave a signal for the countless host to do likewise every one raising his right hand, and saying J<- li-juri' .' The king took the oath prescribed to him ; and the queen held up the dauphin in her arms, as if to denote that he also, poor child, had sworn to defend the national liberties. At five o'clock the royal family retired, and tin- crowd began to leave the Champ de Mars. Twenty-five thousand fed' or provincial deputies went to a royal chateau about a mile distant, where a dinner had been prepared for them by order of the municipality of Paris, with Lafayette as chairman of the banquet. At night all Paris was illuminated ; and for three or four days the feastiugs, reviews, and cele- brations were numerous, including a grand dance on the site of th molished Bastille. On the 18th, Lafayette reviewed the provincial or federate National Guards, and on the 19th they were reviewed by the king. Paris was intoxicated for an entire week, each man displaying at once his delight and his vanity. A MAX CARRIES 3DE8 HOUSE OX HIS HEAD. Simeon Ellerton, of Craike, Durham, died 1799, aged 104. This man, in his day, was a noted pedestrian, and before the establishment of regular "Posts," was frequently employed in walking commissions, from the northern counties to London and other places, which he executed with singular fidelity and despatch. He lived in a neat stone cottage of his own < r.-eting ; and what is remarkable, he had literally carried his house on his head ; it hein.u- his constant practice to bring back witli him from every journey which he undertook, some suitable stone, or oth'T material for his purpose, and which, not unfrequently, he carried 40 or 50 miles on his head. T r:\OTlANCK AXF> FEAH. In the year 1712, "Whist on predicted that the comet would appear on "Wednesday, llth October, at live minutes alter live in the moi and that the world would be destroy -d by liiv on the Friday following. MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 291 His reputation was high, and the comet appeared. A number of persons got into boats and barges on the Thames, thinking the water the safest place. South Sea and India stock fell. A captain of a Dutch ship threw all his powder into the river, that the ship might not be endan- gered. At noon, after the comet had appeared, it is said that more than one hundred clergymen were ferried over to Lambeth, to request that proper prayers might be prepared, there being none in the church service. People believed that the day of judgment was at hand, and acted some on this belief, more as if some temporary evil was to be expected. There was a prodigious run on the bank, and Sir Gilbert Heathcote, at that time the head director, issued orders to all the fire offices in London, requiring them to keep a good look out, and have a particular eye upon the Bank of England. ARABIAN HOUSES. It is a singular circumstance, that it is to the Arabian that England is indebted for her improved, and now unrivalled, breed of horses for the turf, the field, and the road. The Arabian horses are divided into two great branches ; the Kadischi whose descent is unknown, and the Kochlani, of whom a written gene- alogy has been kept for 2000 years. These last are reserved for riding solely, they are highly esteemed and consequently very dear. They are said to derive their origin from King Solomon's studs. However this may be they are fit to bear the greatest fatigues, and can pass whole days without food. They are also said to show uncommon courage against an enemy. It is even asserted, that when a horse of this race finds himself wounded and unable to bear his rider much longer, he retires from the fray, and conveys him to a place of security. If the rider falls upon the ground, his horse remains beside him, and neighs till assistance is brought. The Koehlani are neither large nor handsome but amazingly swift. The whole race is divided into several families, each of which has its propeu name. Some of these have a higher reputation than others on account of their more ancient and uncontaminated nobility. We may not believe, perhaps, all that is told us of the Arabian. It has been remarked that there are, on the deserts which his horse traverses, no milestones to mark the distance, or watch to calculate the time ; and the Bedouin is naturally given to exaggeration, and most of all when relat- ing the prowess of the animal which he loves as dearly as his children ; yet it cannot be denied that at the introduction of the Arabian into the European stables, there was no other horse comparable to him. IIEAD-QJuARTERS OF PB.IXCE RTTrERT AT EVERTOX, DTJRIXG THE SIEGE OF LIVERPOOL, IX 1644. Prince Rupert, assisted by the Earl of Derby, having taken Bolton by storm, and refreshed his army there for some days, advanced on Liver- pool, where the Parliament had a strong garrison under the command of Colonel More, of Bank -hall ; and finding on his approach to the town, the high ground near it favourable to his design, compared it to a crow's nest, probably imagining it would be taken with as little difficulty ; but 292 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; the resistance he met with, induced him to declare it was more like an eagle's nest, or a den of lions. The siege began about the 2nd of June, and the view exhibits his head-quarters from that time till the reduction of the place. His main camp was established round the beacon, about a mile from the town, and his officers were placed in the adjoining villages, from whence a detach- ment marched every day, being relieved every twenty-four hours, to open trenches and erect batteries. From these advances Prince Rupert frequently attacked the besieged and their works in the way of storm, but was constantly repulsed with great slaughter of his men. At length, Colonel More, rinding the town must of necessity surrender, and desirous it ingratiating himself with the Prince, for the preservation of his house and effects at l>ank Hall, gave such orders for his soldiers to retire, that the works on the enemy's side were abandoned, and the loyalists entered the town at three o'clock in the morning of June 20, putting to the sword all they met with, till they arrived at the Midi Cross, which then stood on the site where the Kxchan^e now stands. Here tin- soldiers of the Castle, drawn up in line, beat a parley, and demanded quarter, which, on their submitting as prisoners of war, and surrendering the Castle to the Prince, was granted. Tin; soldiers were then suit to the MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AXD QUAINT. 293 tower, St. Nicholas's Church, and other places of security ; but the Par- liament-army, soon after the siege, repossessed themselves of the Castle, and appointed Col. Birch, as governor. FIEE AT BUKAVELL, CAUBKIDGESHIRE. 1727. Some strollers brought down a puppet-show, which was exhibited in a large thatched barn. Just as the show was about to begin, an idle fellow attempted to thrust himself in without paying, which the people of the show preventing, a quarrel ensued. After some altercation, the fellow went away, and the door being made fast, all was quiet ; but the same man, to gain admittance privately, got over a heap of hay and straw, which stood near to the barn, and accidentally set it on fire. The spectators of the show, alarmed by the names, which had comimmicated to the barn, rushed to the door ; but it happened unfortunately that it opened inwards, and the crowd pressing violently against the door, there could be ho escape. Thus the whole company, consisting of more than 160 persons, were kept confined till the roof fell in, and covered them with fire and smoke : six only escaped with life ; the rest, among whom were several young ladies of fortune, were reduced to one undistinguish- able heap of mangled bodies, totally disfigured. The friends of the dead, not knowing which were the remains they sought, caused a large hole to be dug in the church-yard, and all the bodies were- promiscuously interred together, and a tablet erected in the church to perpetuate thi's most melancholy event. AX APPARENT SINGULARITY ACCOUNTED FOB. It is generally well known that birds are very active agents in the extension of vegetation, and that fruit and flowers are, to a great extent, rendered prolific by the insects which visit their blossoms ; but few people are aware of the means through which fish are formed in lakes and ponds, which are not connected with other waters. Here, also, an insect is the principal agent. The large water-beetle, which is in the habit of feeding upon the spawn of fish, occasionally in the evening climbs iip the stems of rushes, &c. out of the water, sufficiently high to enable it to take wing ; in these circumstances it has been caught, and, putting it into water, has been found to give out the spawn with which it had gorged itself previous to taking flight, both in a digested and iindigested state ; so that, on trial, it has been found that it produced fish of various kinds. EUROPEAN BALANCING EQUAL TO THE INDIAN JUGGLERS. The astonishing dexterity of the Indian jugglers is known to all, but many years ago a Spaniard named Cadenas made himself equal, if not superior to them. He may be truly said to be superior to them, inasmuch as several of his feats have never been attempted by them. Don Cadenas extended himself flat on his back on a large table. He then elevated his legs until they were at right angles with his body ; he was assisted in keeping this position by a sort of pyramidal cushion, which was placed under him, a little below the lower end of his back. His feet and ankles were covered with boots, on which were many small castanets 294 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; and little bells. The tranca, which is a round piece of wood, about 8 feet long and five inches in diameter, handsomely painted, was then laid horizontally on the soles of his feet, his legs being perpendicular. Having exactly balanced the tranca, he alternately struck his feet against it, the castanets, &c., keeping time with the music. In pro- portion to the strength with which he struck the tranca, with one foot or both feet, was the height to which he elevated it, always catching it, in its descent, with great accuracy, on the soles of his feet. Sometimes by bending his knees and then striking out with his limbs, he threw the tranca several feet into the air, catching it, in its descent, on his feet, with as much neatness and more certainty than the Indian jugglers used to catch the brass balls in their hands. He concluded the performance with the tranca, by exactly balancing it on the sole of his left foot, and then by repeated strokes of his' right foot set it rapidly in motion like a horizontal fly-wheel. MOB-WISDOM. A singular instance of a mob cheating themselves by their own headlong impetuosity, is to be found in the life of Woodward, ths comedian. On one occasion, when he was in Dublin, and lodged opposite the Parliament House, a mob who were making the members swear to oppose an unpopular bill, called out to his family to throw them a Bible out of the window. Mr. \V. was frightened, for they had no such book in the house, but he threw out a volume of Shakespere, telling the mob they Averc welcome to it. They gave him three cheers, swore the members upon this book, and afterwards returned it without discovering its contents. COMMUNICATION BETWEKX ANIMALS. The means by waich animals contrive to communicate their ideas to each other is a phenomenon which has never been satisfactorily explained. The two following instances of it are very curious. A gentleman who was ia the habit of occasionally visiting London from a distant county performed the journey on horseback, accompanied by a favourite little terrier dog, which he left at an inn at some distance from London till his return. On one occasion on calling for his dog the landlady told him that it was lost ; it had had a quarrel with the great house dog, and had been so worried and bit that it was thought he would never recover, but at the end of a few days he crawled out of the yard, and no one saw him for almost a week, when he returned with another dog bigger than his enemy, on whom they both fell and nearly destroyed him. This dog had actually travelled to its own home at Whitmore in Staffordshire, had coaxed away the great dog in question, which followed him to 1 St. Alban's to assist in resenting the injury of its friend. The following story is related of a little spaniel which had been found lame by a surgeon at Leeds. He carried the poor animal home, bandaged up bis leg, and after two or three days turned him out. The dog returned to the surgeon's house every morning till hi-- leg was perfectly well. At the end of several months, the spaniel nu.iiu pre- i hiniM-lf in company with another dog, which ha<' i\\> been lamed ; and he intimated, as well as piteous and intelligent looks could MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 295 intimate, that he desired the same assistance to be rendered to his friend as had been bestowed upon himself. The combination of ideas in this case, growing out of the recollection of his own injury, and referring that to the cure which had been performed ; the compassion he had for his friend to whom he communicated the occurrence, and induced to seek relief under his guidance, together with the appeal to the humane surgeon, is as extraordinary a piece of sagacity as can be found in all the annals of animals. STEAXGE CUSTOM! ABOVT The following anecdote forcibly illustrates the absurd custom which prevailed many years ago in America, of giving children names, made up of Scripture sentences. We record the anecdote as being descriptive of a curious local custom. About the beginning of the present century a Xew England sea captain having some business at a public office, which required him to sign his name, was rather tedious in performing the operation, which did not escape the observation of the officer, who was a little impatient at the delay, and curious withal to see what sort of a name it could be that required so long a time to spread it upon paper. Perhaps the captain had a long string of titles to grace it, such as honorable, esquire, colonel of militia, selectman of the town of - , &c., which he chose to make an ostentatious parade of; or perhaps it was his whim to subscribe the place of his nativity and that of his residence, together with his age, height, and complexion. He was mistaken ; for the captain had subscribed nothing but simply his name, which, when he had done, the officer, after some trouble in decyphering, found to read thus : Through -Much -Tribulation -We- Enter-Into-the-Kingdom-of-Heaven Clapp. ' ' Will you please to teH me, Captain Clapp," said he, with as demure a face as his violent incli- nation to indulge in a hearty laugh would, allow him to put on, "what might your mother have called you in your infancy, to save herself the trouble of repeating a sermon whenever she had occasion to name her darling?" "Why, sir," replied Captain Clapp, with laughable simplicity, " when I was little they used to call me Tribby, for shortness." DRESS Itf LOXDOX DUEIXG THE LAST CE> T TUEY. The seven illustrations which accompany this article represent the progress of dress in London from 1690 to 1779. They speak for them- selves, and tell their own tale far better than any description in words could tell it for them. The scale in society to which the persons de- picted in the engravings belong, is what may be called the upper middle class, and we thus obtain a more correct idea of the general style of dress, than we should have done had we confined our observations solely to the higher ranks. It is, [however, very curious to notice the value placed upon dress during the period indicated ; and how frequently its loss is recorded. Thus we find it mentioned that Lady Anderson, whose house was robbed at a fire in Red Lion Square in 1700, lost a gown of orange 296 TEX THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; damask, lined with, striped silk. The family of George Heneage, Esq., at the same time, and by the same casualty, lost "a head, DBES3 1G90-1715. DBKSS 1721. DBBSS, 1725 COMMON LIFE. DRESS, 1733. with very fine looped lace of very great value, a Flanders' laced hood, a pair of doxible ruffles and tuckers, two laced aprons, one MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAIXT. 97 edged with point lace, and a large black scarf embroidered with gold." At the same period the ladies wore Holland petticoats, DEESS, 1752. BEKSS CIKCA 1773, 1778. embroidered in figures with different coloured silks and gold, with broad orrice at the bottom. In 1702 diamond stomachers adorned the ladies ; they were composed of that valuable stone set in silver, and sewed in a variety of figures upon black silk. The men imported the Cham- paign wig from France. They were made very full, curled, and eigh- 298 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; teen inches in length to the point, with drop locks. In the Post Sat/, of November 15, 1709, there were advertised as stolen, " A black silk pet- ticoat, with red and white calico border, cherry-coloured stays, trimmed with blue and silver, a red and dove-coloured damask gown, flowered with large trees ; a yellow satin apron, trimmed with white Persian, and muslin head-clothes, with crow-foot edging ; a black silk furbelowed scarf, and a spotted hood." Black and beaver hats for ladies were ad- vertised in 1719, faced with coloured silks, and trimmed with gold and silver lace. A man of fashion in 1720 wore the full flowing curled wig, which fell in ringlets half-way down his arms and back, a laced coat, straight, formal, with buttons to the very bottom, and several on the pockets and sleeves ; his shoes were square at the toes, had diminutive buckles, a monstrous flap on the instep, and high heels, a belt secured the coat and supported the sword. Perukes were a highly important ar- ticle of dress in 1734. Fans were much used, ladies seldom, appeared withoTit this useful ornament in their hands. The hoop underwent many important changes ; sometimes it projected at the sides only, or, like its ancestor, the fardingale, it spread itself all round in imposing majesty. High-heeled shoes maintained their place. In 1740 tight sleeves with full ruffles, small pointed waists, enclosed in whalebone, loose gowns, called sacques, and cloaks with hoods, named cardinals, were In f/nunfa monde. Among the gentlemen's costumes, the most striking was the llinnllu's tail, which was a plaited tail to the wig, with an immense bow at the top and one at the bottom. Claret coloured clothes were considered as handsome ; and light blue with silver button-holes, and silver Barters to the knees, was very fashionable between 1740 and 17ol. The change to wearing the natural hair instead of wigs took place about 176.3. From that date the female dress altered by degrees : the cap was enlarged to an enormous size, and the bonnet swelled in proportion. Hoops were entirely discontinued. Hats and bonnets of straw, chip, and beaver, be- came well proportioned, and velvet pelisses, shawls and silk spencers v,i n contrived to improve rather than injure the form. The male dress also insensibly changed from formality to ease, and thus, by degrees, the fashion became what our illustrations represent it to have been in 17"!'. ATTAR OF EOSES. Lieutenant Colonel Polier gives a full history of extracting this ial oil, in vol i. p. 332, of the Asiatic Rcscnrcliot. The roses irrow, cultivated near Lucknow, in fields of eleven acres each. The nil is procured by distillation; the petals of the flowers only are ii-ed; and in that country no more than a quantity of about two drachms can be procured from an hundred-weight of rose leaves, and even that in a favourable season, and by the process being performed with the utmost care. The oil is by accident of different colours ; of a bright yellow, of a reddish hue, and a line emerald. It is to the mother of Mebnil Xcssa Iie.irum, afterwards called Nourjehan Begum, or, Lit/lit J' tlif U'nr/fl, that the fair sex is indebted for this discover}'. On this oc- the emperor of Hindustan rewarded the inventrcss with a string of valuable pearls. Nourjehan Begum was the favourite wife of Jehangir, MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 299 and her game the fiercest of India. In a hunting party she killed four tigers with a matchlock, from her elephant, and her spouse was so de- lighted at her skill, that he made her a present of a pair of emerald brace- lets, valued at a lack of rupees, and bestowed in charity a thousand mohurs. FLEET MARRIAGES ABOUT 1740. Many of the early Fleet weddings were really performed at the chapel of the Fleet ; but as the practice extended, it was found more convenient to have other places within the Rules of the Fleet, (added to which the Warden was compelled by act of parliament not to suffer them,) and thereupon many of the Fleet parsons and tavern-keepers in the neigh bourhood fitted up a room in their respective lodgings or houses as a chapel. The parsons took the fees, allowing a portion to the plyers, &c., and the tavern-keepers, besides sharing in the fees, derived a profit from the sale of liquors which the wedding party drank. In some instances the tavern-keepers kept a parson on their establishment at a weekly salary of twenty shillings ; while others, upon a wedding -party arriving, sent for any clergyman they might please to employ, and divided the fee with him. Most of the taverns near the Fleet kept their own registers, in which (as well as in their own books,) the parsons entered the weddings. EFFECTS OF THE GREAT EARTHQUAKE AT LISBOX. The earthquake happened on November the 1st, 1755, and its sphere of action embraced many cities and states. St. Ubee was totally destroyed. At Cadiz the sea broke down the outer wall, Hooded the town, and drowned some hundreds of persons. The Cathedral of Seville was seriously damaged, several houses overthrown, and many persons injured. The shock was felt, indeed, throughout the whole of Spain, except in Catalonia, and also in Germany. In many parts of Great Britain the water in lakes and ponds was violently upheaved, and ebbed and flowed over the banks. A solemn Fast was consequently com- manded to be observed on the 6th of February next ensuing, in the hope to avert, by prayer and penitence, a similar calamity from this country. A ship at sea, 100 leagues to the westward of Lisbon, had her cabin windows shattered to fragments, and many vessels in deep water quivered as if they had struck against a rock. In Morocco the eftects of the shock were most disastrous. In Mequinez two-thirds of the houses were des- troyed, and above 300 in Fez. A caravan of 200 persons going along the coast from Sallee to Morocco were overwhelmed by the sea, and a still more munerous caravan was swept away by the sudden rise of the inland rivers. In France and Holland earthquakes were repeatedly felt during the entire month of November, and occasionally even in December. SNAKE-CHARMERS. In the East Indies, the Pambatees, or snake-charmers, come from the mountains called the Ghauts. They make a trade of catching serpents, training them and exhibiting them for money. These reptiles are com- monly the cobra-di-capello, the hooded or spectacle serpent, and of other 300 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS similar species. A Pambatee will sometimes carry eight or more of them in a low round basket, in which the serpents lie coiled round one another. As soon as the lid is removed from the basket, the serpent creeps out of it. The master plays on an instrument somewhat resembling the bag- pipe, and the snakes are taught to mark the cadence by the motion of their heads, till at length they fall asleep. In order to rouse them, the Pambatee suspends his music and shakes a ring round his arm to which a piece of red cloth is fastened. The irritated serpent darts at the ring ; but as the master has taken care to extract the pouch containing the poison, and to file his teeth, he can do no harm. The musical instrument just mentioned is called mttf/ontee. It is com- posed of a hollow calebash, to one end of which is fitted a mouth-piece similar to that of the clarinet. To the other extremity is adapted a tube perforated with several holes, which arc successively stopped by the fingers, like those of the flute, while the player blows into the mouth- piece. In the middle of the instrument is a small mirror, on which the serpents fix their eyes while dancing. The above engraving will con- vey a correct idea of the Pambatee and his instrument. WOXDKUFUL ESCAPE. In 1785, at "Winster, in Derbyshire, a show being exhibited at a public-house, some gunpowder being scattered on the floor of an upper chamber, took fire, and communicated to the remainder of a barrel, by which the whole upper part of the house was blown up ; about sixty persons were below, and not one hurt. MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 301 FAC-SIMILE OF THE FIRST STEAM BOAT. The triumph of steam navigation is one of the wonders of science ; and, traversed in all directions as the navigable waters of the earth now are, by vessels propelled by steam, it is not a little curious to look at the first rude effort, and to examine the attempt which has been followed by such extraordinary success. The world stands indebted, not for the discovery, but for the success- ful application of steam power to navigation, to Robert Fulton, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1765, being the son of a poor Irish labourer who had emigrated to America. He came to London in 1 786, and sub- sequently, in the character of an inventor and projector, proceeded to Paris, where, however, he did not meet with much success or encourage- ment. It is evident, from the following letter to a friend, that while residing in the French capital, that his attention was even then turned to the subject of propelling vessels by mechanical power : Paris, the 20th of September, 1802. To Mr. FULLER SKIPWITH. Sir, The cxpence of a patent in France is 300 livers for three years, 800 ditto for ten years, and 1500 ditto for fifteen years ; there can be no difficulty in obtaining a patent for the mode of propelling a boat which you have shewn me ; but if the author of the model wishes to be assured of the mirits of his invention before he goes to the expence of a patent, I advise him to make the model of a boat, in which he can place a clock spring which will give about eight revolutions ; he can then combine the movements so as to try oars, paddles, and the leaves which he proposes ; if he finds that the leaves drive the boat a greater distance in the same 302 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; time than cither oars or paddles, they consequently are a better applica- tion of power. About eight years ago the Earl of Stanhope tried an experiment on similar leaves in Greenland Dock, London, but without success. I have also tried experiments on similar leaves, wheels, oars, paddles, and nyars similar to those of a smoak jack, and found oars to be the best. The velocity with which a boat moves, is in proportion as the sum of the surfaces of the oars, paddles, leaves, or other machine is to the bow of the boat presented to the water, and in proportion to the power with which such machinery is put in motion ; hence, if the sum of the surfaces of the oars is equal to the sum of the surfaces of the leaves, and they pass through similar curves in the same time, the effect must be the same ; but oars have this advantage, they return through air to make a second stroke, and hence create very little resistance ; whereas the leaves return through water, and add considerabily to the resistance, which resistance is increased as the velocity of the boat is augmented : no kind of machinery can create power ; all that can be done is to apply the manuel or other power to the best advantage. If the author of the model is fond of mechanics, he will be much amused, and not loose his time, by trying the experiments in the manner I propose, and this perhaps is the most prudent measure, before a patent is taken. I am, Sir, with much respect, yours, ' ROBT. FULTON. In the following year, 1803, he appears to have made an experiment in France of propelling a vessel by mechanism, and though it failed in consequence of the timbers of the boat being too weak, it served to con- vince him so completely of ultimate success, that he immediately gave instructions to Watt and Boulton to prepare a suitable steam engine for him, and send it to New York. Having returned to that city in 1806, he set about building a boat, and having received the engines he hud ordered, he successfully started the first steam-boat in the world on her trial trip to Albany from New York in August, 1807. Her name wus the " Clermont" and the above engraving is a correct representation of her. She was in length 133 feet, in depth 7, and in breadth 18. SEVERE EXACTMKNT ACAINST I'.F.dc \ i;*. At the commencement of the reign of Edward VI., a most severe and extraordinary statute was made for the punishment of vagabonds and relief of poor persons. It does not appear who were the contrivers of this instrument, the preamble and general spirit of which were more in accordance with the tyrannical and arbitrary measures of the preceding reign, than with the mild and merciful character of the infant sovereign, who is well known to have taken a very active part in the affairs of government. It repeals all the. former statutes on this subject, ami enacts, that if any beggar or other person, not being lame or impotent, and after loitering or idly wandering for the space of three days or more, shall not offer himself to labour, or being engaged in any person's service, shall run away or leave his work, it shall be lawful for the master to carry him before a justice of peuee, who, on proof of the offence, shall cause the party to be marked with a hot iron with the MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AXD QUAINT. 303 letter V on the breast, and adjudge him to be his master's slave for the space of two years, who shall feed him " on bread and water, or at his discretion, on refuse of meat, and cause the said slave to work by beat- ing, chaining, or otherwise in such work or labour (how vile soever it be) as he shall put him unto." If the slave should run away or absent himself for a fortnight without leave, the master may pursue and punish him by chaining or beating, and have his action of damage against any one who shall harbour or detain him. On proof before the justice of the slave's escape, he is to be sentenced to be marked on the forehead or ball of the cheek with a hot iron with the letter S, and adjudged to be his master's slave for ever ; and for the second offence of running away, he is to be regarded as a felon and suffer death. The children of beggars to be taken from them, and, with other vagrant children, to be appren- ticed by the magistrate to whoever will take them ; and if such children so apprenticed run away, they are to be retaken, and become slaves till the age of twenty in females, and twenty-four in males, with punish- ment by chains, &c., and power to the master to let, sell, or bequeath them, as goods and chattels, for the term aforesaid. If any slave should maim or wound the master, in resisting correction, or conspire to wound or murder him, or burn his house or other property, he is to suffer death as a felon, unless the master will consent to retain him as a slave for ever ; and if any parent, nurse, or bearer about of children, so become slaves, shall steal, or entice them away from the master, such person shall be liable to become a slave to the said master for ever, and the party so stolen or enticed away restored. If any vagrant be brought to a place, where he shall state himself to have been born, and it shall be manifest that he was not so born there, for such lie he shall be marked in the face with an S, and become a slave to the inhabitants or corpora- tion of the city for ever. Any master of a slave may put a ring of iron about his neck, arm, or leg, for safe custody, and any person taking or helping to take off" such ring, without consent of the master, shall forfeit the sum of ten pounds. This diabolical statute, after remaining for two years, was repealed, on the ground that, from its extreme severity, it had not been enforced. JUDGES IX THEIR ROBES ATTEyDLXG PUBLIC BALLS. That the ideas of good taste and propriety which now prevail are greatly in advance of those which our ancestors entertained, is strikingly inanifested by the fact, that the dreadful scenes which followed the last business of a county assize did not prevent a festive beginning of the same. On the commission day at each county town was held an assize ball. The judges attended in black silk gowns with band and two-curl bob-wig. They did not dance, but usually played at whist. What would be thought now-a-days of judges who went to a public ball room on commission day, and played at whist in their robes ? ST. WINIFRED'S WELL. The most copious spring in Great Britain is St. Winifred's Well, near the town of Holywell, in Flintshire. The well is an oblong square, 304 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS about twelve feet by seven. The water passes into a small square court through an arch ; it has never been known to freeze, and scarcely ever varies in quantity either in drought or after the greatest rains. The water thrown up is not less than eighty-four hogsheads every minute. This sacred well is the object of many pilgrimages, even in the present day, and several modern miracles are related of the influence of its waters. Pope Martin V. especially enjoined such pilgrimages, and the monks of Basingwerk were furnished with pardons and indulgences to sell to the fT. \VISIFBED S WEtL. devotees. James the 2nd visited the well in 1G86, and Leopold, King of the Belgians, in 1819. Apart from all superstitious notions, its waters doubtless possess many curative properties. Over the well, Queen Margaret, the mother of Henry VII., erected a beautiful chapel, whose elegantly fretted roof, and graceful columns and arches, are generally admired as examples of good architecture. Our engraving is a correct icpresentation of the interior. INSTAXCi: OK ASSIDUITY AXD I'KKSKY KRAXCK. The Rev. Wm. Davy, a Devonshire curate, in the year 1795, begun a most desperate undertaking, vi/., that of printing himself twenty-six volumes of sermons, which he actually did, working off page by page, for fourteen copies ; and continuing this almost hopeless task for twelve MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 305 years, in the midst of poverty! amounts to a riding passion. Such wonderful perseverance almost PHENOMENON AT THE POWERSCOUET FALL. The Powerscourt Fall, of which the annexed is an engraving, is formed by the river Dargle, and is situated in the county of Wicklow. When the river is full, it presents a very errand appearance. The stream preci- pitates itself over a nearly perpendicular cliff, 300 feet in height, and falls into a natural basin or reservoir, encircled by rocky masses of considerable magnitude, whilst the whole scene is backed by mountains. =^^S-^^ This fall exhibits rather a sin- gular phenomenon, in the diffe- rent degrees of velocity with which the water descends in different parts of the cascade. ;"'; *59^"J Thus, on one side, the water s' may be observed to pour down with considerable velocity ; while, on the other side, the fall, in the upper part, presents the appearance of a continued stream of frothy foam, gliding slowly down the face of the cliff, though the lower part moves with greater velocity. This circumstance is, however, readily accounted for ; being, in fact, mainly attributable to the comparatively small body of water which forms the cas- cade. The water, on the one side, that which descends with the greater velocity (and this forms by far the larger portion of the cascade) meets with no interruption in its descent, but falls, almost from the top, to the bottom in an unbroken sheet. On the other side, however, the cliff in the upper part deviates from the perpendicular, and the consequence is, that, owing to the slope .or inclination of the rock over which it flows, the progress of the water is checked in that particular part, though lower down, where the cliff is again perpendicular, it regains its velocity. If the body of water in this cascade were greater, this phenomenon would not occur. HOW CHESS ORIGINATED IN INDIA. By the unanimous consent of all nations, chess holds the first place among social amusements. The history of this game has exercised many 306 TEX THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; able pens. According to Sir "William Jones, it is decidedly of Hindoo invention. "If," says he, in a learned memoir on this subject inserted in the second volume of the Asiatic Researches, " evidence were required to prove this fact, we may be satisfied with the testimony of the Per si tins, who, though as much inclined as other nations to appropriate the ingen- ious inventions of a foreign people, unanimously agree; that the game was imported from the west of India in the sixth century of our era. It seems to have been immemorially known in Hindoostan by the name of Chctiira >/tc,- of Great Britain. Of the origin of this game various accounts are given. Some Hindoo legends relate, that it was invented by the wife of llavanen, king of Lanca, or Ceylon, to amuse her husband with an image of war, wlicn Rama, in the second age of the world, was besieging his capital. The high degree of civilisation which the court of llavanen had attained at so remote a period is worthy of notice. An ancient Hindoo painting repre- sents his capital regularly fortified with embattled towers. He there defended himself with equal skill and valour, whence he and his sub- jects were denominated magicians and intuits. Uavancn seems to have been the Archimedes of Lanca; and his science must have appeared BOpernattml to the invader, llama, and his wild horde of mountaineers, who were termed in derision satyrs or apes, whence the fable of the divine Hanooman. According to another account, the occasion of this invention was as follows: Behub, a young and dissolute Indian prince, oppressed his people in the most cruel manner. Nassir, a Brahmin, deeply alllicted l.y his excesses, and the lamentations of his subjects, undertook to recal the tyrant to reason. With this view lie invented a game, in which the king, impotent by himself, is protected only by his subjects, even of the lowest class, and frequently ruined by the loss of a single individual. The fame of this extraordinary invention reached the throne, and the king summoned the Brahmin to teach him the game, as a new ainns,- ment. The virtuous Brahmin availed himself of this opportunity to instil into the mind of the yonn^ tyrant the principles of good govern- ment, and to awaken him to a sense of his duties. Struck by the tiuths which he inculcated, the prince conceived an esteem for the inventor of the new game, and assured him of his willingness to confer a liberal MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 307 Temimeration, if lie would mention his own terms. Nassir demanded as many grains of wheat as would arise from allowing one for the first square, two for the second, four for the third, and so on, doubling for each square of the sixty-four on the chess-board. The king, piqued at the apparently trivial value of the demand, desired him somewhat angrily to ask a gift more worthy of a monarch to bestow. When, how- ever, Kassir adhered to his first" request, he ordered the required quan- tity of corn to be delivered to him. On calculating its amount, the superintendents of the public granaries, to their utter astonishment, found the demand to be so enormous, that not Behub's kingdom only, but even all Hindoostan would have been inadequate to the discharge of it. The king now admired the Brahmin still more for the ingenuity of of his request than for the invention, appointed him his prime -minister, and his kingdom was thenceforward prosperous and happy. The claim of the Hindoos to the invention of chess has been disputed in favour of the Chinese ; but as they admit that they were unacquainted with the game till 174 years before Christ, and the Hindoos unquestion- ably played it long before that time, the pretensions of the latter must naturally fall to the ground. DISOEDEES CUEED BY FEIGHT. Fabritius makes mention of a gentleman, with whom he was familiar, who, being unjustly suspected, was tortured upon the rack, and, when released, found himself quite cured of the gout, which was, before this violent remedy, rather troublesome Again, we have instances of dis- orders being cured by fright. We find, in the Journal de Henri IV., that, " On Friday, June the 9th, 1606, as Henry IV. of France, and his Queen, were crossing the water in the ferry-boat of Neuilly, the Duke of Vendome being with them, they were all three in great danger of being drowned, especially the queen, who was obliged to drink a great deal more than was agreeable to her ; and had not one of her footmen, and a gentleman called La Chatagnieraie, who caught hold of her hair, despe- rately thrown themselves into the water to pull her out, she would have inevitably lost her life. This accident cured the king of a violent tooth- ache ; and, after having escaped the danger, he diverted himself with it, saying he had never met with so good a remedy for that disorder before, and that they had ate too much salt meat at dinner, therefore they had a mind to make them drink after it." THE AVIXGLESS BEBD OF >*EW ZEALAND. One of the chief wonders of the world of Ornithology is the Apteryx, a bird which is found only in New Zealand, and even there, is rapidly becoming extinct. It is a creature so strange, that no imagination could have fancied a bird without wings or tail, with robust legs, and with claws which are suited for digging, and are actually used in forming excavations, in which this singular bird lays its eggs, and hatches its voung. If the Apteryx were to become extinct, and all that remained of it, after the lapse of one or two centuries, for the scrutiny of the naturalist were a foot in one Museum, and a head in another, with a few 308 TEX THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; conflicting figures of its external form, the real nature and affinities of this most remarkable species would be involved in as much obscurity and doubt, and become the subject of as many conflicting opinions among the ornithologists of that period, as are those of the Dodo in the present day. The Apteryx is not larger than a full-grown fowl, and has only a rudi- mentary wing, so covered with the body feathers as to be quite concealed ; the terminating slender claw may, however, be discerned on examination. The bill is long and slightly curved, having the nostrils at the ex- tremity ; its feathers, the sides of which are uniform in stmcture, do not exceed four and a-half inches in length, and are much prized as material for mantles or cloaks by the chiefs. It is a nocturnal bird, using its long bill in search of worms, upon which it principally feeds ; it kicks with great power, and burrows at the root of the rata, at the base of THE WINGLESS BIRD. which tree is also found the extraordinary Splueria Robertaia, a species of vegetating caterpillar. Detaining the form of the caterpillar, the fungus pervades the whole body, and shoots up a small stem al>o\v the surface of the ground, the body of the caterpillar being below the earth in an erect position. The Apteryx frequently leans with its bill upon llic earth one of its chief characteristics ani thus, when viewed from a distance, appears to be standing on three legs. By the natives of New /calami, these birds are called Kiwis, from the cry they utter, and they are frequently caught by a cunning imitator of their tone, who, when they approach, da/xles and frightens them with a li T KOK. the tide, amidst the uproar and shouts of the inhabitants and all the spectators. We also observe that all the front row of houses are neatly painted shops, in which various tempting commodities are exposed for sale ; behind these again, at equal distances, rise the lofty and elegant porcelain towers of the various watts and temples. On our right-hand side, far away as we can see, are three stately pillars, erected to the memory of three defunct kings, celebrated for some acts of valour and j ustice ; and a little beyond these, looming like a line-of-battle ship amongst a lot of cockle-shells, rises the straggling and not very elegant palace of the king, where his Siamese Majesty, with ever so many wives and children, resides. Right ahead, where the city terminates, and the river, making a curve, flows behind the palace, is a neat-looking-fort, 310 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; surmounted with a tope of mango-trees, over which peep the roofs of one or two houses, and a tall nag-staff, from which floats the royal pendant and jack of Siam a flag of red groundwoik, with a white elephant worked into the centre. That is the fort and palace of the prince Chou Fau, now king of Siam, and one of the most extraordinary and intellectual men in the East. Of him, however, we shall see and hear more, after we have bundled our traps on shore, and taken a little rest. Now, be careful how you step out of the boat into the balcony of the floating house, for it will recede to the force of your effort to mount, and if not aware of this, you lose your balance and fall into the river. Now we are safely transhipped, for we cannot as yet say landed ; but we now form an item, though a very small one, of the vast population of the city of Bangkok. We take a brief survey of our present apartments, and find everything, though inconveniently small, cleanly and in other respects comfortable, First, we have a little balcony which overhangs the river, and is about twenty yards long by one and a half broad. Then we have an excellent sitting-room, which serves us for parlour, dining-room, and all ; then we have a little side room for books and writing ; and behind these, ex- tending the length of the other two, a bed-room. Of course we must bring or make our own furniture ; for, though those houses inhabited by the Chinese are pretty well off on this score, the Siamese have seldom any- thing besides their bedding materials, a few pots and pans to cook with, a few jars of stores and fishing-net or two. Every house has a canoe attached to it, and no nation detests walking so much as the Siamese ; at the same time they are all expert swimmeis, and both men and women begin to acquire this very necessary art at a very curly age. Without it a man runs momentary risk of being drowned, as, when a canoe upsets, none of the passers-by ever think it necessary to lend any aid, supposing them fully adequate to the task of saving their own lives. ( anm > ail- hourly being upset, owing to the vast concourse of vessels and boats plying to and fro; and, owing to this negligence or carelessness in rendering assistance, a Mr. Uenham, an American missionary, lost his life some twelve years ago, having upset his own canoe when it was just getting dusk, and though surrounded by hundreds of boats, not one deemed it necessary to stop and pick the poor man up." BEQUESTS FOE I.ICMTINi; Till' STKK1ITS. There cannot be a greater contrast than between the present and the ancient mode of lighting the streets of London. "What a picture do tin- two following bequests present to us of the state of things a hundred years ago ! John Wardall, by will, dated 20th August, Ki.'iC,, gave to the Grocers' Company a tenement called the While Hear, in Walbrook, to the intent that they should yearly, within thirty days after Mieharlmas, pay to the churchwardens of St. Botolph, Uillingsgate, 4, to provide a ;_<, d and sufficient iron and glass lantern, with a candle, for the direction of pas- ts to g<> with more security to and from the water-side, all night long, to be fixed at the north-east corner of the parish church MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 311 Botolph, from the feast-day of St. Bartholomew to Lady-Day ; out of which sum 1 was to be paid to the sexton for taking care of the lantern. This annuity is now applied to the support of a lamp in the place pre- scribed, which is lighted with gas. John Cooke, by will, dated 12th September, 1662, gave to the church- wardens, &c., of St. Michael's, Crooked Lane, 76, to be laid out to the most profit and advantage, for various uses, and amongst them, for the maintenance of a lantern and candle, to be eight in the pound at least, to be kept and hanged out at the corner of St. Michael's Lane, next Thames Street, from Michaelmas to Lady-Day, between the hours of nine and ten o'clock at night, until the* hours of four or five iu the morning, for affording light to passengers going through Thames Street, or St. Michael's Lane. EXTRAORDIXA31Y IXSTAXCE OF CREDULITY.. To the honour of the lords of the creation, there are some husbands who so grieve at the death of their partners, that they will not part with them when actually dead ; and even go so far as to wish, and try hard, for their resurrection ; witness Sir John Pryse, of Xewtown, Montgomery- shire, who married three wives, and kept the first two who died, in nis room, one on each side of his bed ; his third lady, however, declined the honour of his hand till her defunct rivals were committed to their proper place. Sir John was a gentleman of strange singularities. During the season of miracles worked by Bridget Bostock, of Cheshire, who healed all diseases by prayer, faith, and an embrocation of fasting spittle, mul- titudes resorted to her from all parts, and kept her salivary glands in full employ. Sir John, with a high spirit of enthusiasm, wrote to this wonderful woman to make him a visit at Xewtown Hall, in order to re- store to him his third and favourite wife (above mentioned), now dead. His letter will best tell the foundation on which he built his strange hope, and very uncommon request : Purport of Sir J. Pryse's letter to Jlrs. Bridget Rostock, 1748. Madam, Having received information, by repeated advices, both pub- lic and private, that you have, of late, performed many wonderful cures, even where the best physicians have failed, and that the means used appeared to be very inadequate to the eft'ects produced, I cannot but look upon you as an extraordinary and highly-favoured person ; and why may not the same most merciful God, who enables vou to restore sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and strength to the lame, also enable you to raise the dead to life ? Xow, having lately lost a wife, whom I most tenderly loved ; my children an excellent step-mother, and our acquaint- ances a very dear and valuable friend, you will lay us all under the highest obligations ; and I earnestly entreat you, for God Almighty's sake, that you will put up your petitions to the Throne of Grace, on our behalf, that the deceased may be restored to us, and the late dame Eleanor Pryse be raised from the dead. If your personal attendance appears to you to be necessary, I will send my coach and six, with proper .servants, to wait on you hither, whenever you please to appoint. Re- TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; compense of any kind, that you could propose, would be made with the utmost gratitude ; but I wish the bare mention of it is not offensive to both God and you. I am, madam, your obedient, &c. (Pennant's 'Wales, vol. 3, p. 190.) JOHX PRYSE. HIGH: PKICE OF FISH ix IOXDOX. It is on record that on January 4, 1809, there being only four cod-fish in Billingsgate, a fishmonger gave fourteen guineas for them, and salmon soon after was sold at a guinea a pound ! THI: I.;:::AT .ujn:i)LXT OF POST nr CAUD. The remains of Homan aqueducts, of great extent and massiveness, occur in various parts of Europe, over which the Roman dominion oner extended. Among these, the most celebrated are the Pont (lit Gard, near Nismes, in the Department du (lard, in the south of France; the aqueduct over the Moselle, near Metz ; and the aqueduct of Segovia, in Old Castile. The Pont du Gard (of which we here give an engraving) was designed to convey the waters of the fountain of Aure to the to\vu of Nismes, the ancient Nemausus. This aqueduct crosses the beautiful valley, and the stream of the river (iardon, uniting two steep hills, by which the valley is hounded at this place. It consists of two tiers of large arches, the lower of which are eighty feet in span, and a third tier of small arches, which support the trunk of the aqueduct. The channel for the Water is above four feet wide, and live deep, and is lined with cement three inches thick, and covered with a thin coating of red (lay. The whole work, with the exception of the above-mentioned channel for MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 313 the water, is built without mortar or any other cement ; and its eleva- tion above the bed of the river Gardon, is not less than a hundred and fifty feet. The extremities of this splendid structure are in a dilapidated condition, but the remainder is in a very good state of preservation. EXTRAORDINARY SITl'ATIOX TOIL A TliEE. The Lower and Middle* Lakes at Killarney are separated by a penin- sula, upon which stands the ruin of the Abbey of Muckross, which was founded in 1440, and re-edified in 1602. The ruin, which consists of parts of the convent and church, is not remarkable either for extent, or for beauty of workmanship, but its preservation, seclusion, beauty of situation, and accompanying venerable trees, render it one of the most interesting abbey remains in Ireland. The entire length of the church is about 100 feet, its breadth 24. The cloister, which consists of twenty-two arches, ten of them semi-circular, and twelve pointed, is 314 TEX THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; the best preserved portion of the abbey. In the centre grows a magni- ficent yew-tree, as represented in our engraving, which covers as a roof the whole area ; its circumference is thirteen feet, and its height in pro- portion. It is more than probable that the tree is coeval with the abbey, and that it was planted by the hands of the monks who first inhabited the building. It is believed by the common people that any person daring to pluck a branch, or in any way attempting to injure this tree, will not be alive on that day twelvemonth. TR.VYIXG BY MACHINERY. Mr. Moorcroft informs us, in his "Journey to Lake Manasawara, in Undes, a province in Little Thibet," that the inhabitants used the fol- lowing most extraordinary wav of saying their prayers : It is done 1 hy motion, which may be effected* by the powers of steam, wind, or water. A large hollow cylinder, like a drum, is erected, within which is inclosed all the written prayers the people choose to oiler, and then it is set going, by being whirled round its own axis ; thus saving the trouble of repeat- ing them. Mr. Turner, whose travels in Thibet are before the public, corroborates the account of these whirligigs. They are common, also, among the Monguls, the Calmucks, and the Kalkas ; so that the engi- neers for these pious wheels must have a tolerably extensive 1r;;< this national mode of worship is naturally liable to wear out. But even this mode is innocence itself, compared with that of a set of savages, who prtnj i>c<>]>lc to dctiili ; for Lisiansky, in his Voyage round the World, gives us an account of an extra-religious sect, in the Sandwich Islands, who arrogate to themselves the power of praying people to death. Who- soever incurs their displeasure, receives notice that the homicide-litany is about to begin ; and such are the effects of imagination, that the very notice is frequently sufficient, with these weak people, to produce the effect, or to drive them to acts of suicide. iori.\<; i.v Tin: LASI n:vn uv. At a Somersetshire hunt dinner, seventy years since, thirteen toasts used to be drunk in strong beer ; then every one did as he liked. SOUK; members of the hunt occasionally drank a glass of wine at the wind up, who were not themselves previously wound Tip. In country towns, after a dinner at one o'clock P.M., friends used to meet to discuss the local news over their glasses of strong beer, the merits of which furnished a daily theme. At Bampton one Knot of gentlemen took four times the duration of the Trojan war, and even then failed to settle which of the party brewed the best beer. A FIN'E OLD SOLDI KK. Jeremiah Atkins, of the Scar, near Bnmiyard, Herefordshire, died in 17iHi, a.u'i'd 102. He had been a soldier through all the earlier periods of his manhood, and had seen much service : Mas present at the taking of :ico, and at the Havannah ; and, on one occasion, being taken prisoner \>y tin- Indians of North America, was \ < r y near beim: scalped, as he was only rescued at the moment they were about to perform the MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 315 operation. He was likewise at the taking of Crown Point, in America, and in the battle of Fontenoy with the Duke of Cumberland, whom he also accompanied in his resistance to the advance of the Scotch rebels, being in several df the skirmishes and battles fought on that occasion. He afterwards went again to America, and took part in the storming of Quebec, when Wolfe was killed. The last battle in which he was en- gaged was that of Tournay, in Flanders. This extraordinary man re- tained the full use of all his natural faculties, save hearing, to the very close of his life. POPULAR FALLACY OF THE VIRTUES OF A SEVENTH SOX. It is believed that a seventh son can cure diseases, but that a seventh son of a seventh son, and no female child born between, can cure the king's evil. Such a favoured individual is really looked on with vene- ration. An artist visiting Axminster in 1828, noticing the indulgence granted to one urchin in preference to others, and seeing something pur- ticular in this child, addressed his mother as follows : "This little man appears to be a favourite: I presume he is your little Benjamin." " He's a seventh son, sir," said the mother. Affecting an air of surprise, I expressed myself at the instant as being one very anxious to know what a seventh son could do ? The mother, a very civil woman, told me that ' ' she did think, to cure all diseases, should be the seventh son of a seventh son ; but many folk do come to touch my son." In April, 1826, a respectable looking woman was engaged in collecting a penny from each of thirty young women, unmarried ; the money to be laid out in purchasing a silver ring, to cure her son of epileptic fits. The money was to be freely given, without any consideration, or else the charm would have been destroyed. The young women gave their pence, be- cause it would have been a pity for the lad to continue afflicted if the charm would cure him. SELF-NOURISHMENT . That animals may sometimes be kept alive for a long time solely on nourishment supplied from their own bodies, is evident from the fact that after a great fall of earth on one occasion from the cliff at Dover, which buried, a whole family, a hog was found alive five months and nine days after it had thus been buried ! It weighed about seven score when the accident happened, and had wasted to about thirty pounds, but was likely to do well. CHINESE METHOD OF FISHING. There is nothing more extraordinary in the history of the different nations of the world than the ingenuity of the Chinese. They are the most handy people on the face of the earth, and the lower orders are just as clever as the higher. A proof of this may be seen at a fishing village which is contiguous to the town of Victoria, in Hong Kong. It remains in much the same state as that in which it existed prior to the British occupation of the island. Old worn-out boats, and torn mat-sails, bam- boos and dried rushes, these are the principal materials employed in the construction of their domiciles. The fishing boats are most inge- 316 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; niously built. Each of these has a long projecting bamboo, which is rigged out from the stem in the form of a bowsprit, only working on a pivot. From the extremity of this outrigger, a strong rope comm- unicates with a balance-board, that exactly poises the bamboo out- rigger, when the net is immersed in water, and the fisherman has only to walk up and down this plank to raise the net and let it drop again in the water. But opposite to the island, and on many of the little insular rocks which constitute the " ten thousand isles," of whicli the emperor of China, amongst his vast pretensions to titles, lays claim to be lord, fishing is conducted on a larger scale, though worked upon the same principles. Huge poles are driven into the ground where the water is comparatively shallow, and leading ropes, which pass over a block-wheel inserted in the tops of these poles, communicate at (HIM SI! METHOD OF FISHING. one end with large circular nets, (constructed somewhat in the shape of a funnel, the upper rim being attached to floats, whilst from the centre are pendant weights,) the other end being fastened on shore to a balance plank, which the weight of one man suffices to work. - 1UE OK OMAK. The opposite engraving represents the (ireat Mosque at Jerusalem. It is built on the exact site of Solomon's Temple, and takes its name from its original founder, the Caliph Omar. It is a Turkish edifice, and is devoted to the worship of Mahomet. Titus having taken Jerusalem in the second year of Vespasian's reign, not one stone was left upon another of that Temple where Christ had done such glorious things, and the destruction of which he had pre- dicted. When the Caliph Omar took Jerusalem, in G'3G A.D., it appears that the site of the Temple, with the exception of a very small part, had been abandoned by the Christians. Said-Ebcn-Batrick, an Arabian MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AXD QUAINT. 317 GKEA.T MOSQUE AT JKKUSALE1I. historian, relates that the Caliph applied to the Patriarch Sophronius, and enquired of him what would he the most proper place at Jerusalem for building a mosque. Sophronius conducted him to the ruins of Solo- mon's Temple. Omar, delighted with the opportunity of erecting a a mosque on so celebrated a spot, caused the ground to be cleared, and the earth to be removed from a large rock, where God is said to have conversed with Jacob. From that rock the new mosque took its name of Gameat-el-Sakhra, and became almost as sacred an object to the Mussulmans, as the mosques of Mecca and Medina. The Caliph El- Oulid contributed still more to the embellishment of El-Sakhra, and covered it with a dome of copper, gilt, taken from a church at Balbeck. In the sequel, the crusaders converted the Temple of Mahomet, into a sanctuary of Christ ; but when Saladin re-took Jerusalem, he restored this edifice to its original use. The form is an octagon, either side being seventy feet in width ; it is entered by four spacious doors, the walls are white below, intermingled with blue, adorned with pilasters, but above, it is faced with glazed tiles of various colours. The interior is described as paved with grey marble, the plain walls are covered with the same material in white It contains many noble columns, in two tiers. The dome is painted, and gilt in arabesque, whence depend antique vessels of gold and silver ; im- mediately beneath it stands a mass of limestone, -reported to have fallen from heaven when the spirit of prophecy commenced. On this sat the destroying angel, during the slaughter caused by David's numbering the 318 TEX THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; people. From this Mahomet ascended to heaven. Within the scoried Avails, moreover, are the scales for weighing the souls of men, the shield of Mahomet, and other relics, besides the entrance to the infernal regions ; seventy thousand angels ever guard the precious stone. Entrance to this hallowed edifice has been gained only by two or three Europeans ; indeed, the Turks will not allow infidels to approach the sacred enclosure around it, which measures about sixteen hundred feet in length, by one thousand in width, and is adorned with fountains, orange, cypress, and other trees. The mosque itself is esteemed the finest piece of Saracenic architec- ture in existence, far surpassing St. Sophia in beauty. Its view, com- bined with the distinguished monuments in the City of the Sultan, in Egypt, Greece, and Italy, strongly indiices a belief in the accuracy of an able article in the Quarterly Rcvinr, in which the origin of the five predominant styles of architecture throughout the world, viz., the By- zantine, Chinese, Egyptian, Grecian, and Gothic are assigned respec- tively to the convex and concave curves, to the oblique, horizontal, and perpendicular lines. A COUPLE OF ECCENTRICS. Mr. Pay, the eccentric founder of Fairlop fair, had a housekeeper, who had lived with him for thirty years, and was equally eccentric. She had two very strong attachments ; one to her wedding-ring and garments, and the other to tea. When she died, Mr. Day would not permit her ring to be taken off; he said, " If that was attempted, she would come to life again ;" and directed that she should be buried in her wedding- suit, and a pound of tea in each hand; "and these directions were lite- rally obeyed. THE rXlVKIlSALITY OF TAXATION. The following extract, from the Ey the industry of man (IMS on the sauce which pamper' s man's appetite, and the drug that restores him to health on the ermine which decorates the judge, and the rope which hangs the criminal on the poor man's salt, and the rich man's spice on the brass nails of the coffin, and the ribands of the bride at bed or board, cmiahunt or Icrant, we must pay; the schoolboy whips his taxed top the beardless youth manage s his taxed horse, with a taxed bridle, on a taxed road: and the dying Englishman, pouring hi-, medi- cine, which lias paid seven per cent., into a spoon that lias paid fifteen per cent., flings himself hack upon his chintz bed, which lias paid twenty MARVELLOUS, RARE;, CUKIOUS, AND QUAINT. 319 two per cent. makes Ms "will on an eight-pound stamp, and expires in the arms of an apothecary, who has paid a license of an hundred pounds for the privilege of putting him to death. His whole property is then immediately taxed from two to ten per cent. Besides the probate, large fees are demanded for burying him in the chancel ; his virtues are handed down to posterity on taxed markle ; and he is then gathered to his fathers to be taxed no more. SHAM PROPHETS. William Hackett, a fanatic of the sixteenth century, after a very ill life, turned prophet, and signified the desolation of England. He pro- phesied at York and at Lincoln ; where, for his boldness, he was whipped publicly, and condemned to be banished. He had an extraordinary fluency of speech, and much assurance in his prayers ; for he said, that if all England should pray for rain, and he should pray to the contrary, it should not rain. Hackett had two brother-prophets joined -with him, Edward Coppinger, named the prophet of mercy, and Henry Arthiugton, the prophet of judgment. Coppinger, the merciful prophet, declared that Hackett was the sole monarch of Europe ; and at length they proclaimed him, July 16, 1592. On the 28th of the same month, however, the monarch of the whole earth, who had also personated divinity, was hanged and quartered. Coppinger famished himself in prison, and Ar- thington was pardoned. Fitz Simon relates, that in a quarrel Hackett had at Oundle, " He threw down his adversary, and bit oft' his nose ; and, instead of returning it to the surgeon, who pretended to set it on again, while the wound was fresh, ate it." Hackett, on the scaffold, made a blas- phemous prayer, which is recorded by Fitz Simon and Camden, too horrid to be repeated. He hated Queen Elizabeth, and tried to deprive her of her crown ; he confessed to the judges that he had stabbed the effigies of this princess to the heart, with an iron pin ; and a little before he was hanged, being an accomplished swearer, he cursed her with all manner of imprecations. HOOETXCr A BOY INSTEAD OF A FISH. About five and thirty years ago, as Mr. George Moor was fishing in the river Tyne at Pipewellgate, Gateshead, he espied something in the water which seemed like a drowned dog, but the day being clear, and the sun shining, he thought he perceived a face, upon which he threw his line to it (which had but three hairs at the hook) and hooked a coat, by which he fovind it was a boy, but the hook loosing hold, he again cast his line and struck him in the temple and drew him to the shore, and in less than quarter of an hour he revived. CHILDREN OF AGED PARENTS. Margaret Krasiowna, of the village of Koninia, Poland, died 1763, aged 108. The following extraordinary circumstances are stated, by Eaton, as connected with the life of this woman : "At the age of ninety-four she married her third husband, Gaspard Eaycolt, of the village of Ciwous- zin, then aged one hundred and five. During the fourteen years they 320 TEX THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; lived together she brought him two boys and a girl ; and, what is very remarkable, these three children, from their very birth, bore evident marks of the old age of their parents their hair being grey, and a vacuity appearing in their gums, like that which is occasioned by the loss of teeth, though they never had any. They had not strength enough, even as they grew up, to chew solid food, but lived on bread and vegetables, they were of a proper size for their age, but their backs were bent, their complexions sallow, with all the other external symptoms of decrepitude. Though most of these particulars," he adds, " may appear fabulous, they are certified by the parish registers. The village of Ciwouszin is in the district of Stenzick, in the palatinate of Scndonier. Gaspard llaycolt, the father, died soon after, aged 119." SKPrLCHRAL VASE FIUXM PERU. The vessel of which the annexed is an engraving, was taken from the tomb of one of the ancient inhabitants of Peru ; the subjects of the Incas, or princes who ruled over that country before it was conquered by the Spaniards. Vases of this sort were probably placed in the sepulchres of the Peruvians to contain the ashes of the dead, or offerings to their disembodied spirits ; usages which are fami- liar to us through the frequent allusions to them which we meet with in the works of the poets of ancient Home, and the discovery of urns and lachrymatories in 1 Ionian tombs which have been in our own and other cemetries. The specimen which we have engraved is quadruple, but forms one vessel. MUST !i:oN CANNON". The first cannon was cast in Sussex in 1535. In after years bonds were taken in 1,000 from the owners of the charcoal furnaces, that none should be sold till a license for the sale or issue of the ordnance had been procured. Fears were entertained that the enemy would purchase them. PROLIFIC AUTHOR. No one need despair, after the following instance, of shining in quan- tity, if not in quality : Hans Sacks was a Nuremberg shoemaker, born there in 1494 ; he was instructed, by the master-singers of those days, in the praiseworthy art of poetry ; he, therefore, continued ID make verses and shoes, and plays and pumps, boots and books, until the seventy- seyi'iiih year of his age ; wnen he took an inventory of his poetieal stock in trade, and found, according to his narrative, that his works filled thirty folio volumes, all written with his own hand ; and consisted of MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 321 four thousand two hundred mastership songs, two hundred and eight comedies, tragedies, and farces (some of which were extended to seven acts), one thousand seven hundred fables, tales, and miscellaneous poems, and seventy-three devotional, military, and love songs ; making a sum total of six thousand and forty-eight pieces, greet and small." Out of these, we are informed, he culled as many as tilled three massy folios, which were published in the year 1558-61; and, another edition being called for, he increased this three volumes folio abridgement of his works, in the second, fi-om his other works. None but Lope de Vega exceeded him in quantity of rhyme-making. THE AUT 01' POXTEKV IX CHIXA. The Chinese traditions carry back the practice of the potter's art to a very remote epoch. Father Entrecolles, a French missionary, resided in China at the beginning of the last century, and his letters published in Paris, in 1741, supply some curious and interesting information on this subject. Writing in 1712, he says that at that time ancient porcelain was very highly prized, and bore large prices. Articles were extant which were reputed to have belonged to the Emperors Yao and Chun, two of the most ancient mentioned in the Chinese annals. Yao reigned in 2357 and Chun in 2255 before Christ. Other authorities place the reign of Chun in 2600 before Christ. It appears from the researches of M. Stanislaus Julian that, from the time of the Emperor Hoang-ti, who reigned 2698 to 2599 before Christ, there had always existed a public officer bearing the title of the Intendant of Pottery, and that it was under the reign of Hoang-ti that the potter's art was invented by Ivouen- ou. It is also certain that porcelain, or tine pottery, was common ill China in the time of the Emperors Han, 163 B.C. 322 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINOs; In digging the foundations of the palaces, erected by the dynasties of Han and Thang, from 163 B.C. to 903 A.D. great quantities of ancient vases were found which were of a pure whiteness, but exhibited little beauty of form or fabrication. It was only under the dynasty of Song, that is to say, from 960 to 1278 A.D., that Chinese porcelain began to attain a high degree of perfection. Further evidence of the antiquity of the potter's art in China, as well as of the existence of intercommunication between that country and Egypt, is supplied by the discoveries of Rossellina, Wilkinson, and others, who found numerous vases of Chinese fabrication, and bearing ( 'hinese inscriptions, in the tombs at Thebes. Professor Rossellini found a small vase of Chinese porcelain with a painting of a flower on one side, and on the other Chinese characters not differing imich from those used at the pre- sent day. The tomb was of the time of the Pharaohs, a little later than the eighteenth dynast}-. This vase, with its Chinese inscription, is represented in Fig. 1, from an exact cast made by Mr. Francis Davis. Another of the Chinese vases, found in the Theban tombs, is repre- sented in Fig. '2. This is preserved in the Museum of the Louvre. The shape of the vase is that of a flat-sided flask. A side view is tnven in Fig. 3. These flasks are very small. The engravings represent them of their proper dimensions. Mr. Wilkinson thinks it probable that they ^in- brought to Egypt from India, the Egyptians having had commercial relations with that country at a vc TV remote epoch, and that they came not as pieces of porcelain, but as vessels containing some articles of importation. STROXG ATTACHMENT TO S.MOKIXt:. The following is a curious case of extreme fondness for smoking in a very poor and very old man. In the year 1810, there died in Dart ford workhouse, aged 106, one John Gibson. He had been an inmate of the house for ten years, and till within two months of his death used daily to perambulate the town. His faculties were entire to the last, lie \vas so much attached to smoking, that he requested his pij>c, together with his walking-stick, might be placed in his coffin, which request was complied with. KXTi:\ni;i.lNAl:V l.r.TTKK. The following strange and curious epistle, we are assured, was sent to a surg"(in of eminence by a malefactor who had been sentenced to ath. It has a degree of character and quaintness about it Avhich is raivly found in the letters of convicts. Whether or not the surgeon complied with his request \ve do not know. " Sir, I'u-inp- informed that you are the only surgeon in this minify, in the habit of dissecting dead bodies being very poor, I am desirous -iny; what remains t<> me of life, with as much comfort as my unhappy condition admits of. In all probability I shall be executed in the course of a month : having no friend to intercede for me, nor even to afford me a morsel of bread, to keep body and soul together till the fatal mo- MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 323 ment arrives, I beg you will favour me with a visit ; I am desirous of disposing of my body, which, is healthy and sound, for a moderate sum of money. It shall be delivered to you on demand, being persuaded that on the day of general resurrection, I shall as readily find it in your laboratory, as if it were deposited in a tomb. Your speedy answer will much oblige your obedient sen-ant, JAMES BROWN." A MATTRESS FOE A BAXK. In the month of April, 1822, Mrs. Motley, broker, Bedford-street, Xorth Shields, purchased an old mattress for 2s. from a shipowner, who was going to reside with his daughter ; in arranging some papers a few clays ago, he found a document in the hand-writing of his deceased wife, not intended for his perusal, but that of her son by a former husband, in which it was stated that property to a considerable amount was de- posited in the said mattress. His daughter in consequence waited on Mrs. Motley, and offered her a few shillings to return it. Mrs. M. naturally supposed that this seeming generosity was not without a cause, but having sold it to a Mrs. Hill for 3s., for a small consideration she regained possession of the prize, but on entering her house the original proprietor and a constable were ready to receive her, and without ceremony cut open the mattress, when a purse, said to contain lOOgs., two gloves tilled with current silver coin, several valuable rings, trinkets, silver spoons, &c., were discovered. Mrs. Hill had considerably reduced the mattress to fit a small bedstead without finding the hidden treasure. ARCHITECTURE FOR EARTHQUAKES. Sumatra is one of the largest islands in the Indian Archipelago, and the houses of the inhabitants are deserving of notice, inasmuch as they furnish a correct and curious specimen of the style of building, which the frequent occurrence of earthquakes renders the safest in the coun- tries where such visitations are common. The frames of the houses are of wood, the under-plates resting on pillars six or eight feet high, which have a sort of capital, but no base, and are wider at top than at bottom. The people appear to have no idea of architecture as a science, though much ingenuity is often shown in working up their materials. The general appearance of their houses is accurately represented in the annexed plate. For the floorings they lay whole bamboos, four or five inches in diameter, close to each other, and fasten them at the ends to the timbers. Across these are laid laths of split bamboo, about an inch wide and of the length of the room, which are tied down with filaments of the rattan, and over these are usually spread mats of different kinds. This sort of flooring has an elasticity alarming to strangers when they first tread on it. The sides of the houses are generally closed in with bamboo, opened and rendered flat by notching or splitting the circular joints on the out- side, chipping away the corresponding divisions within, and laying it to dry in the sun pressed down with weights. This is sometimes nailed to the upright timbers or bamboos, but in the country parts it is more com- monly interwoven or matted in breadths of six inches, and a piece or 324 TEX THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; sheet formed at once of the size required. In some places they use for the same purpose the inner bark procured from some particular trees. When they prepare to take it, the outer bark is first torn or cut away ; the inner is then marked out with a proper tool to the requisite size, usually three cubits by one ; it is afterwards beaten for some time with a heavy stick to loosen it from the stem, and being peeled off, laid in the sun to dry, care being taken to prevent its warping. The bark used in building has nearly the texture and hardness of wood ; but the pliable and delicate bark of which clothing is made is procured from a bustard .species of the bread-fruit. The most general mode of covering houses is with the leal' of a kind of palm called nipah. These, hefoiv they arc laid on, are formed into sheets about rive feet long, and as deep as the length of the leaf will ad- mit, which is doubled at one end over a slip or lath of bamboo. They are then disposed on the roof so that one sheet shall lap over the other, and are tied to the bamboos which serve for rafters. Tin: NUS-; IN MI I;TI..\M>. Off Hressay is the most remarkable of the rock phenomena of Shetland, the Moss, a small high island, with a flat summit, girt on all sides by MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 325 perpendicular walls of rock. It is only 500 feet in length, and 170 broad, and rises abruptly from the sea to the height of 160 feet. The communication with the coast of Bressay is maintained by strong ropes stretched across, along which a cradle or wooden chair is run, in which the passenger is seated. It is of a size sufficient for conveying across a man and a sheep at a time. The purpose of this strange contrivance is to give the tenant the benefit of putting a few sheep upon the Holm, the top of which is level, and affords good pasture. The animals are DISABLE OF >"OSS. transported in the cradle, one at a time, a shepherd holding them upon his knees in crossing. The temptation of getting access to the numberless eggs and young of the sea-fowl which whiten the surface of the Holm, joined to the promised reward of a cow, induced a hardy and adventurous fowler, about two centuries ago, to scale the cliff of the Holm, and establish a connexion by ropes with the neighbouring main island. Having driven two stakes into the rock and fastened his ropes, the desperate man was entreated to avail himself of the communication thus established iu 326 TEN THOUSAND "WONDERFUL THINGS ; returning across tlie gulf. But this he refused to do, and in attempting to descend the way he had climbed, he fell, and perished by his fool- hardiness. SWALLOWED VP BY AX EARTHQUAKE AND THROWN OUT AGAIN. A tombstone in the island of Jamaica has the following inscription : " Here lieth the body of Lewis Galdy, Esq., who died on the 22nd of September, 1737, aged 80. He was born at Montpellier, in France, which place he left for his religion, and settled on this island, where, in the great earthquake, 1672, he was swallowed up, and by the wonderful providence of God, by a second shock was thrown out into the sea, where he continued swimming until he was taken up by a boat, and thus mi- raculously preserved. He afterwards lived in great reputation, and died universally lamented." CtTSTOJIS OF THE BORDER BETWEEN ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. In the courts held by the lords wardens of the Marches, a jury was established : the English lord chose six out of Scotland, and the Scotch six out of England. The defendant, upon the trials, was acquitted upon his own oath ; these oaths are singular : we transcribe them. 1. JUROR'S OATH. You shall clean no bills worthy to be fouled : you shall foul no bills worthy to be cleaned ; but shall do that which appeareth with truth, for the maintenance of truth, and suppressing of attempts. So help you God. 2. PLAINTIFF'S OATH. You shall leile (little) price make, and truth say, what your goods were worth at the time of their talcing, to have been brought and sold in the market, taken all at one time, and that you know no other recovery but this. So help you God. 3. DEFEND A NT'S OATH. You shall swear, by heaven above you, hell beneath you, by your part in Paradise, by all that God made in six days and seven nights, and by God himself, you are whart and sackless, of art, part, way, witt- ing, ridd, kenning, having, or reciting, of any of the goods and chatties named in this bill. So help you God. These oaths and proceedings arose from the frequent incursions of both Scotch and English, on both sides the wall, to where they had no right. TURKISH MODE OF REPARATION. On April 2-jth, 1700, at Constantinople, the Turks were removing the standard of Mahomet, making a grand procession through the city ; all Christians, upon this occasion, were forbid to appear in toe streets or at their windows. But the wife and daughter of the Imperial minister, being excited by curiosity, placed themselves at a secret window to ob- thc procession; which was no sooner discovered by the Turks, than they attacked the ambassador's house, and endeavoured to force an en- trance. But the servants of the minister opposing them, well-armed, a dreadful fray ensued, in which no less than one hundred persons lost their lives, and the ambassador's lady was very severely treated. Some of the rioters dragged her down into the court-yard, and made prepara- to strangle her; when a party of Janissari'-s, who were despatched to her assistance by an aga in the neighbourhood, happily came and pre- MARVELLOUS, BARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 32~ served her. Upon complaint being made of this outrage, by her Irasband, to the grand vizier, that minister expressed great sorrow for the insult that had been offered, and assured him he should have all the reparation it was possible to procure. A few hours after the vizier sent the Impe- rial minister a rich present of jewels for his lady, and a bay, which was found to contain the heads of the three principal rioters. HAIR TOUTED GREY BY FRIGHT. There is an interesting anecdote of a boy, in one of the rudest parts of the County of Clare, in Ireland, who, in order to destroy some eaglets, lodged in a hole one hundred feet from the summit of a rock, which rose four hundred feet perpendicular from the sea, caused himself to be sus- pended by a rope, with a scimitar in his hand for his defence, should he meet with an attack from the old ones ; which precaution was found necessary ; for no sooner had his companions lowered him to the nest, than one of the old eagles made at him with great fury, at which he struck, but, unfortunately missing his aim, nearly cut through the rope that supported him. Describing his horrible situation to his comrades, they cautiously and safely drew him up ; when it was found that his hair, which a quarter of an hour before was a dark auburn, was changed to grey. MEMORABLE SNOW-STORM. The following characteristic account is taken literatim .from the parish register of the village of Youlgrave in Derbyshire : "This year 1614-5 Jan. 16 began the greatest snow which ever fell uppon the earth, within man's memorye. It cover'd the earth five quarters deep uppon the playne. And for heapes or drifts of snow, they were very deep, so that passengers, both horse and foot, passed over yates hedges and walles.. It fell at ten si \\ rail tyrnes, and the last was the greatest, to the greate admiration and fear of all the land, for it came from the foure ^ of the world, so that all c'ntryes were full, yea, the south p'te as well as these mountaynes. It con- tinued by daily encreasing unti Jthe 12 th day of March, (without the sight of any earth, eyther uppon hilles or valleys) uppon w 1 ' 1 ' daye, being the Lordes day, it began to decrease ; and so by little and little consumed and wasted away, till the eight and twentyth day of May, for then all the heapes or drifts of snow were consumed, except one uppon Kinder- Scout, w ch lay till Witson week.". ROADS re 1780. A squire from the neighbourhood of Glastonbury, journeying to Sarum in his carriage, about 1780, took care that his footman was provided with a good axe to lop off any branches of trees that might obstruct the pro- gress of the vehicle. WONDERFUL PEDESTRIAN FEAT. Captain Cochrane, who set out from St. Petersburg in May, 1820, to v:a11i through the interior of Eussia to the east of Asia, with a view of ascertaining the fact of a north-cast cape, travelled at the rate of forty - three miles a day for one hundred and twenty-three successive days. He 328 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; afterwards walked upwards of four hundred miles without meeting a human being. Wherever he went he seems to have accommodated him- self to the habits of the people, however rude and disgusting. With the Kalmucks, he eat horse-iiesh, elks, and wolves ; and with the Tchutski he found as little difficulty in pasturing upon bears, rein-deer, and raw frozen Jislij the latter of which he considered a great delicacy. BOOK-SHAPED WATCH. The unique curiosity, of which the annexed is an accurate represen- tation,- was one of the choicest rarities of the Bernal collection, and is, therefore, highly appropriate to our pages. It once belonged to, and was made for, Bogislaus XIV., Duke of Pomerania, in the time of Gustavus Adolphus. On the dial-side there is an en- graved inscription of the Duke and his titles, with the date 1027, and the engraving of his armorial bearings ; on the bac-k of the case there are engraved two male portraits, buildings, &c. ; the dial-plate is of silver, chased in relief ; the insides are chased with birds and foliage. This watch lias apparently two separate movements, and a large bell ; at the back, over the bell, the metal is ornamentally piem-d in a circle, with a dragon and other devices, and the sides are pierced and en Jlessichti." raved in scrolls. It bears the maker's name, " Dionistus TIIK 1UT.IXG 1'ASSKiX. Mr. Henry Stribling, farmer, who died at Goodleigh. near I'avnstaple, August 1st, 1800, in the eightieth year of his age, was one of the great- est fox -hunters in Devonshire, and had collected such a number of foxes pads, all of which he had himself cut off when in at the death, that they entirely covered bis stable door and door-posts. At bis own particular request, a pad was placed in each of his hands in his coffin, and lie un- attended to the grave by the huntsmen and whippers-in of the packs with which he had hunted. KDKTS \<; UXST riinn.r.ns. An idea may be formed of the strictness with which all popular amuse- ments were prohibited when the Puritans had the ascendancy, from 1 he- fact that in 1650-7 Oliver Cromwell prohibited all persons called fiddlers or minstrels from playing, iiddling, or making music in any inn, ale-house, MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 329 or tavern, &c. If they proffered themselves or offered to make music, they were to be adjudged to be rogues, vagabonds, and sturdy vaga- bonds, and were to be proceeded against as such. SCENE OF DESOLATION. The pass of Keim-an-eigh is one of the numerous wonders of nature. It is situated on the road from Mac-room to Bantry, in the county of Cork, and winds through a deep and narrow rocky defile, about two English miles in length. Its name means, in Irish, " The Path of the Deer." Perhaps, in no part of the kingdom, is there to be found a place so utterly desolate and gloomy. A mountain has been divided by some convulsion of nature, and the narrow pass is overhung on either side, as seen in our engraving, by perpendicular cliffs clothed in wild ivy and underwood, with, occasionally, a stunted yew-tree or arbutus growing among them. At every step advance seems impossible some huge rock jutting out into the path, or sweeping round it, seeming to con- duct only to some barrier still more insurmountable ; while from all sides 330 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS; rush down the "wild fountains," and forming for themselves a rugged channel, make their way onward, the first tributary to the gentle and fruitful Lee. Nowhere has Nature assumed a more apalling aspect, or manifested a more stern resolve to dwell in her own loneliness and gran- deur, undisturbed by any living thing ; for even the birds seem to shun a solitude so awful, and the hum of bee or chirp of grasshopper is never heard within its precincts. THE FIRST ENGLISH NUN. Face, widow of Edwin, king of Northumberland, is said to have been the first English nun ; and the first nunnery in England appears to have been at Barking, in Essex, which was founded by Erkenwald, Bishop of London, wherein he placed a number of Benedictine or black nuns. The most rigid nuns are those of St. Clara, of the order of St. 1'rancis, both of which individuals were born and lived in the same town : the nuns are called poor Clares, and both they and the monks wear grey clothes. Abbesses had formerly seats in parliament. In one, held in 694, says Spelman, they sat and deliberated, and several of them sub- scribed* the decrees made in it. They sat, says Ingulphus, in a parlia- ment held in 855. In the reigns of Henry III. and Edward I. four of them were summoned to a national council, viz. those of Shaftsbury, Barking, "Winchester, and "Wilton. I'UKSEXCE OF MIXD ESCAPE FItOX A TKiEK. In 1812, a partv of British naval and military officers were dining in a jungle at some distance from Madras, when a ferocious tiger rushed in among them, seized a young midshipman, and filing him across his back. In the first emotion of terror, the other officers had all snatched up their iirnis, and retired some paces from their assailant, who stood lashing his sides with his tail, as if doubtful whether he should seize more prey, or retire with that which he had already secured. They knew that it is usual with the tiger, before he seizes his prey, to deprive it of life, by a pat on the head, which generally breaks the skull ; but this is not his invariable practice. The little midshipman lay motionless on the hack of his enemy ; but yet the officers, who were uncertain whether he had received the mortal pat or not, were afraid to fire, lest they should kill him together with the tiger, ^"hile in this state of suspense, they per- ceived the hand of the youth gently move over the side of the animal, and conceiving the motion to result from the convulsive throbs of death, they were about to fire, when, to their utter astonishment, the dropped stone dead; and their young friend sprang from the ca waving in triumph a bloody dirk drawn from the heart, for which lie had been feeling with the utmost coolness and circumspection, when the motion of his hand had been taken for a dying spasm. COST OF ARTICLES I2f THE FOURTEENTH CEXTVKV. The following article is taken from Martin 's JUston/ <>f ThrtfonL It is copied from an original record in that borough, when John lu F" was mayor, in the tenth year of Edward the Third, A.D. 11336. It is so MARVELLOUS, RARE, CURIOUS, AND QUAINT. 331 far curious, as it exhibits an authentic account of the value of many articles at that time ; being a bill, inserted in the town book, of the ex- penses attending the sending two light-horsemen from Thetford to the army, which was to march against the Scots that year. . (I To two men chosen to go into the army against Scotland 100 For cloth, and to the tailor for making it into two yoicns 611 For two pair of gloves, and a stick or staff 2 For two horses 115 OT For shoeing these horses 4 For two pair of boots for the light-horsemen 2 8 Paid to a lad for going with the mayor to Lenn (Lynn), to take care of the horses (the distance between Thetford and Lynn is 53 miles 3 To a boy for a letter at Lenn (viz., carrying it thither) .003 Expenses for the horses of two light-horsemen for four days before they departed 1 LAW AND OBDEB. IX THE STKEETS OF LOXDOX IX 1733. AVhat an extraordinary state of things does the following extract from the Weekly Register of December 8th, 1733, disclose ! The stages and hackney-coaches actually made open war upon private carriages. " The drivers," says the paragraph, "are commissioned by their masters to annoy, sink, and destroy all the single and double horse-chaises they can conveniently meet with, or overtake in their way, without regard to the lives or limbs of the persons who travel in them. What havoc these in- dustrious sons of blood and wounds have made within twenty miles of London in the compass of a summer's season, is best known by the articles of accidents in the newspapers : the miserable shrieks of women and chil- dren not being sufficient to deter the villains from doing what they call their duty to their masters ; for besides their daily or weekly wages, they have an extraordinary stated allowance for every chaise they can reverse, ditch, or bring by the road, as the term or phrase is." "Verily, we who live in the present day have reason to rejoice that in some things there is a decided improvement upon " the good old times." XEVEK SLEEl'IXG IX A BED. Christopher Pivett, of the city of York, died 1796, aged 93. He was a carver and gilder bv trade ; but during the early part of his life served in the army, and was in the retinue of the Duke of Cumberland, under whose command he took part in the battle of Fontenoy, as he did at the battle of Dettingen under the Earl of Stair ; he was likewise at the siege of Carlisle, and the great fight of Culloden. His house, after he had settled at York, being accidentally burnt down, he formed the singular resolution of never again sleeping in a bed, lest he should be burned to death whilst asleep, or not have time sufficient, should such a misfortune again befall him, to remove his property ; and this resolution he rigidly acted upon during the last forty years of his life. His practice was to re- pose upon the floor, or on two" chairs, or sitting in a chair, but always 332 TEN THOUSAND WONDERFUL THINGS ; with his clothes on. During the whole of this period he lived entirely alone/ cooked his own victuals, and seldom admitted any one inta his habitation : nor would he ever disclose to any the place of his hirth, or to whom he was related. He had many singularities, but possessed, po- litically as well as socially, a laudable spirit of independence, which he boldly manifested on several trying occasions. Among other uncommon articles which composed the furniture of his dwelling, was a human skull, which he left strict injunctions should be interred with him. AMULET BKOTCHE. The subjoined engraving represents an ancient Gaelic Brotchc, which was made in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and once belonged to a High- land Chief, Maclean of Lochbuy in the Isle of Mull, being formed of silver found on his estate. It is of circular form, scolloped, and surrounded by small upright obelisks, each set with a pearl at top ; in the centre is a round crystalline ball, considered a magical gem ; the top may be taken oft', showing a hollow, originally for reliques. On the reverse side of the brotche are engraved the names of the three kings of Cologne, with the word consummation. It was probably a consecrated brotche, and worn not only for the purpose of fastening the dress, but as an amulet. H. TUCK, PBIXTER, Ifi Jc 17, NEW SIBKKT CLOTH FAIB WEST UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY A 000100202 1 iBrfli Di. mwmmm ffiffi