longer serviceable to their employers: so that they are obliged to find, if they are friendless, a home in the hospital or workhouse, and are brought to an untimely end. This cruelty and these abuses lie with the public, for they ought to make their purchases, and compel their dependants to do the same, before the evening, and all shops ought to be closed by six or seven P. M. every day in the week, both summer and winter.

IV. Housemaids, cooks, and other servants are overworked, and allowed no time for bodily and mental exercise and recreation, which are indispensably necessary to preserve the system in a healthy state. The justice and humanity of the British public made them all unite not long since to suppress the slave-trade, and lead them at the present day to decry the nefarious traffic in flesh and blood in America; but yet, strange to state, they subject their domestic servants to a species of refined bondage, which is grievous to be borne. The servants have to rise at an early hour in the morning, are employed in hard, active work all day, have to sit up late at night, and often dispense with less rest than nature requires; and their frames consequently become diseased, and nothing awaits them but poverty and its attendant evils. It is to be much wished that masters and mistresses would remember that all human beings are fabricated in the same manner, and that, if exercise and mental culture are necessary for them and their families, they must also be requisite for their servants; for what is useful or injurious to the one must and will be equally advantageous or detrimental to the other. These are facts which no philosophy nor sophistry can refute.

V. Females attending schools suffer much from being daily kept too many hours in succession at what is considered necessary study. They are obliged to sit erect on chairs or benches without backs, because it is deemed vulgar to lean, and the muscles of the back, in order to preserve the required attitude, are constantly kept on the strain and after two or three hours' confinement the girls become weary and fidgety, because the muscles are deprived of that variety of wholesome motion for which they were designed by nature. When the long and tedious school-hours are over, the girls are prohibited the use of the skipping-rope, the ball, the hoop, battledore, and shuttlecock, and all other cheerful and exhilarating games of dexterity; and, for from nine to twelve hours devoted to various tasks, they are only permitted to take a walk, which may be denominated a solemn and melancholy procession, at an allotted hour-if the weather happens to be fine at that time-for one hour. But this is not the exercise nature demands, for she requires amusement to be combined with muscular exercise, and she will not be cheated; and we find, in a short time, that the muscles become weakened and incapable of supporting the spine, and consequent curvature of it is too common, and the body is susceptible of disease. It is stated by Dr. Forbes that, in a boarding school containing forty girls which he visited, there was not one who had been at the school for two years whose spine was not more or less crooked. For one poor child, twenty rich ones are affected, and the proportion of boys and girls is about equal among the poor; but among the rich, for one boy, one hundred girls have curvature of the spine.

DEATH OF A CORSICAN CHIEF.

THE following account, we believe, was originally published in the United Service Journal some sixteen or seventeen years since. So few similar cases are to be met with that we reprint it here. We read of many a melancholy tale of death from starvation; but a veil is generally drawn over the sufferings of the unfortunate victim. Here, however, we have the man himself calmly waiting the approach of death. He appears to have been a man of some literary talent, and guiltless of the crime laid to his charge.

Lucius Antonio Viturbi, the hero of our tragic tale, was born at Petua, in Corsica, in 1769, and had obtained the enthusiastic age of twenty-three when he became inflamed with the delusions of the French Revolution. Having accompanied his father, Simon Paulo, to a convention of insular notables, it was proposed, in the spirit of the new doctrines, to exclude the Frediani family therefrom, on account of its nobility. To this the elder Viturbi objected, till, finding his arguments overruled, he yielded to the majority. When the assembly had dissolved, a partisan of the obnoxious family reproached him for wavering, and, in the altercation which ensued, he was suddenly stabbed. On the alarm being given, the son found considerable difficulty in forcing himself into the room to attend his bleeding parent; and one of the Frediani being killed at the instant, in the door-way, Lucius Antonio was suspected of being the assassin.

A deadly feud now flamed between the families, which manifested itself by repeated attacks, in which the Viturbi appear to have been more on the defensive than their opponents. The arrival of General Paoli suspended these murderous outrages; but, in consequence of taking opposite views of political exigencies, our hero's family differed with that chief, and withdrew to Toulon, where they remained until the evacuation of the island by the English. In the interim, the Frediani had glutted their vengeance by seizing their enemy's property, and laying waste his lands-deeds for which they were now imperiously called to account. By a not unusual compromise, an intermarriage was proposed and accepted as the effectual means of assuaging animosities, and old Simon Paulo set off to suppress the legal proceedings; but, unfortunately, his intention being misunderstood by the Frediani, they procured his assassination on the road. General indignation followed the perpetration of this atrocity, and the laws assigned all the compensation in their power.

Lucius Antonio became accusateur publique, and executed the office with such integrity as to promise a career of honour; but Lucius, unadvisedly refusing his vote for Napoleon's elevation to the throne, became inimical to the ruling powers, and was consequently obliged to retire to Petua, followed by the harassing insults of his former foes. In 1814, one of the Frediani was shot from an ambush, under circumstances which involved our hero and his son in considerable suspicion; yet, Buonaparte's escape from Elba happening then to engross the public attention, no positive measures were adopted, and he, with other chiefs, repaired to the public rendezvous at the head of his vassals.

Here a new misfortune assailed him, in his people being instigated to a skirmish by the followers of the Ceccaldi, also his personal enemies, in

which two of the latter were killed; whereupon Lucius Antonio and his son absconded. The Buonapartists obtained a decree for the confiscation of his property, the burning of his house, and the erection of a pillar of infamy on the spot. This, however, was rescinded on the settlement of public affairs, and both father and son were pardoned after a short imprisonment. They once more returned tranquilly to Petua, where they were received with the strongest marks of attachment by the peasantry, and hoped to have ended their days in peace. But, alas! the assassination of Donato Frediani in 1814 was revived; the son escaped to the continent, but Lucius Antonio, despite of various fruitless appeals, was imprisoned, and, after a trial of fifteen days, was condemned to be guillotined. The sufferer defended himself with great presence of mind; and then sought delay, only that he might avoid the disgrace of a public execution by taking laudanum. This failing in its effect, he hoped to increase a diarrhoea, under which he was labouring by sudden repletion; but the effort, on the contrary, caused it to cease, so that his only resource was starvation. The following is a literal translation of his extraordinary journal; and it should be noticed that, finding himself weak, he signed it on the 18th of December, but he did not die until the 20th, when he stretched himself out, and, calmly ejaculating "I am prepared to leave this world," expired.

"1821, 25th Nov.-At ten o'clock in the morning I ate abundantly, and with appetite. At three in the afternoon I took eleven doses of a narcoctic mixture. Until eleven at night I remained awake, and very tranquil; a pleasing warmth ran through my veins, the diarrhoea had ceased, and my general health improved. I then fell asleep, and enjoyed profound repose till one, when one of the guards asked me if I was asleep, and I could scarcely show that I was awake.

"26th. I fell asleep again almost immediately, and passed five hours in a deep lethargy. From that time till eleven I continued alternately sleeping and waking, amused with delightful though short dreams. My sleeping then decreased, but did not entirely cease, and the day passed without feeling an inconvenience of any kind. I found the effect of the elixir had entirely ceased to act. I finished the twenty-sixth day very tranquilly. At night I conversed with three soldiers of the guard and the jailors till midnight.

"27th.-About one I began to sleep, and woke only for a short time at half-past four; then slept again for an hour, when I felt well and strong, only my mouth was rather bitter. Thus I have passed two days without eating, yet feel no inconvenience. . [Four days are here omitted in

the MS.]

"2nd Dec.-At three o'clock to-day I ate with appetite, and passed the day very tranquilly.

"3rd, Monday.-Without eating or drinking, and without being agitated by the privation.

"4th, Tuesday.-Without taking any food or drink whatever, I continued through the day and night in a state of health and quiet calculated to please any one not in my situation.

"5th. Last night I did not sleep at all, yet it arose entirely from the agitation of my mind. In the morning and also through the day I was more calm. It is already two, P.M., and, after three days, my pulse does not show much inclination to fever, the motion is rather more rapid and the pulsation heavier; I feel no inconveniences of any kind. My imagina

tion is fervid, my sight very clear, nor do I feel the least hunger or drought. My mouth is free from bitterness, my hearing is distinct, I feel vigour throughout my body. At half-past four I closed my eyes for a few minutes, but a sudden tremour awoke me. At half-past five I began to feel pain in my left breast, but not fixed. My pulse begins to elongate itself towards the elbow like a fine thread. After eight o'clock I slept tranquilly for an hour, and then found my pulse perfectly calm. Again I slept till eleven, when my pulse became perceptibly weaker. At one my throat was very dry with a parching thirst. The same at eight o'clock, with a slight pain in the heart; the left pulse oscillated in opposition to the right, denoting a disturbance occasioned by a want of food.

"6th.-On the failure of the first means which I had recourse to, I lost my courage and my good sense. My situation was truly lamentable, for I was precluded from all other means deemed certain. Every report, every word allured a mind weakened by misfortune. The physician advised me to eat, assuring me that I should linger fifteen days by starvation. The excessive delicacy of the Advocate Marii is the cause of all my present agony. I determined on trying repletion; but it had a contrary effect to what I had hoped, by arresting the diarrhoea-in short I am unfortunate in every way. It is now four days since I ate and drank, and yet I have no fever. I deserve pity and not reproach. I began in a higher tone even than Cato; the end may perhaps correspond to the beginning. I suffer a burning thirst and devouring hunger, with unshaken courage and unaltered firmness. At ten my pulse grew weak and my head became confused. At mid-day the right pulse indicated intermittency, and then the left. At three my pulse was very small, the intermittency had ceased; my sight vacillated. At four the intermittency recommenced, but my head was clear. At six the intermittency ceased, and the pulse became stronger and more regular. At nine, great want of strength, the, pulse regular, the mouth dry. Twelve, strange variations followed in the pulse; but it is now regular, though feeble; mouth and thorax very dry; half an hour's tranquil sleep.

"7th. By six o'clock I had had four hours' comfortable sleep. On waking, my head was giddy, accompanied by a longing thirst and great commotion in my pulse. Until half-past three there was a perfect calm in my pulse; but then a convulsive motion began with intermittency in the left, and slacker in the right: my mind is diminished. At mid-day my pulse was regular. At two, a burning thirst, weak pulse, but not feverish. At four, decided intermittency in both pulses. At six, pulse perfectly calm. At midnight, great thirst, with bitterness, but otherwise tranquil.

"8th.-At four, an intolerable thirst, but otherwise calm; had some hours' quiet sleep. At eight in the morning, after two hours' very tranquil repose, mouth extremely dry, tongue so parched as nearly to prevent speaking, very ardent thirst. Intermittence at eleven. Quite calm at twelve, but an ardent thirst. Half-an-hour's rest in the afternoon, two minutes' swimming of the head on waking, but perfect tranquillity of pulse; the burning thirst continues, and my strength diminishes, but yet my body is calm. At eight my pulse is vigorous, but every third pulsation is intermittent; burning thirst; all the rest calm. At twelve I found I had an hour's repose; but swimmings on waking, and pulse disordered; general debility, especially of sight.

"9th. At three, found I had slept an hour; and again, on waking, found

myself giddy, with the usual symptoms. After seven the intermittent pulsations ceased, giving way to extreme weakness; very burning thirst. At three P.M., half an hour's rest, succeeded by the usual symptoms. My head then became tranquil, as well as all the rest of my body; but my extremities were cold until evening, when my pulse became vigorous and regular, and all my senses were restored to their pristine acuteness. A burning perpetual thirst. Ten o'clock.-The fear of ignominy only, and not the fear of death, confirms me in the resolution of entirely abstaining from all nourishment; therefore, in the execution of this strange project, I suffer the most frightful agony and unheard-of torments. My innocence gives me the courage to conquer such prolonged sufferings. I forgive those judges who have condemned me from sincere conviction; and I swear an eternal implacable hatred against the infamous, the blood-thirsty Bouchier.

"10th. The thirst diminished between six and eight, A.M.; still giddy; on awaking, pulse very weak, but regular. If it be true that in Elysium we preserve the memory of mundane things, I shall always have before my eyes the image of the protector of truth and innocence, the respectable Counsellor Abbatucci! May heaven shower down its choicest blessings on him and his posterity! At twelve, a steady head, tranquil stomach, senses acute, and I continue to enjoy snuff. Thirst has regained its violence, but my hunger has ceased. In the afternoon hunger returned several times; pulse rather accelerated; otherwise tranquil. "11th. Before midnight, great avidity to eat, with unextinguishable thirst; then obtained tranquil sleep. At six, pulse much weakened, and announcing approaching dissolution. Thirst more bearable. I have undertaken and achieved one of the most extraordinary projects, perhaps, that was ever imagined by man; yes, I have achieved it, undergoing incredible agonies to free my family, my relations, and my friends from ignominy; not to give my enemies the satisfaction of seeing my head fall by the guillotine, and to teach the iniquitous, monstrous Bouchier the temper of the Corsican character.

"At two P.M. The excessive weakness ceasing, after about an hour, my pulse has regained a regular vigour, which to me is alarming; every part of my body is tranquil, although my strength is diminished. Six o'clock.

My intellectual faculties are in their usual state; hunger has ceased entirely; and thirst is more tolerable. My physical strength sensibly diminishes. Ten o'clock.-Deus in nomine tuo salvum me fac, et in tua virtute libera me. In these words are comprised my religious principles. Since my seventeenth year, I have always believed in one God, Creator of the universe, Rewarder of the good, and Punisher of the bad. Since then I have never believed in man.

"12th. From one o'clock I had a lethargic sleep of four hours and a half. I then lay for an hour, in a scarcely sensible state, with every indication of approaching death; yet I revived, and rose at nine o'clock. My pulse is weak, but regular, and my thirst somewhat diminished. At six o'clock P.M.; my thirst returned but no hunger. My faculties clear; constantly awake; strength in every part. Ten A.M.-Very burning thirst; pulsation very weak and irregular; a cessation of the dilation, and contraction of the heart; languid all over; great dislike to the light; faintness.

"13th. At midnight the pulsations became very slight and intermittent, with a burning thirst and general weakness. In this extreme, my reason quitted me, and, without the concurrence of my judgment, urged by a burn