Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

and-forty hours after death-before the grim con- Iger, no doubt, came into his head from his not queror has had time, in most cases, to hang his ensign there"

Ere yet decay's effacing fingers

Have swept the lines where beauty lingers,

And then calculate, if you dare, the numbers whom no such intervening angel came to rescue from this inconceivable horror! On that head the statistics, of course, are silent, but suggest ive. Of all but these 94, the grave keeps the secret: but remember that of all who, since 1833, were about to be buried alive, these are the favored of accident: then take to your Tables of Chances, and tremble before the resulting relative figure which they present!-And for all this amount of horror the cure is easy. In England no man is laid in the grave, till signs have set in of that coming corruption, which, however the heart may shrink from it, relieves at least from this most terrible fear of all. In France, if the dead must be put away so soon, it should be by fire, as of old-or, at least, the surgeon should operate, in mercy, before the coffin-lid be closed.

Athenæum.

[ocr errors]

knowing what to do with his time, he being under an engagement not to write more than eighteen volumes of original romances per annum. To an ordinary mind eighteen volumes of origiDumas it is nothing he has written, and can nal matter is a prodigious year's work; but to write, three times as much. His theatrical management will, no doubt, be distinguished by several daring novelties. The first is to be the proeleven acts, to take two nights performing! duction of a melo-drama, written by himself, in

CURIOUS LEGACY.-The late John Orr, Esquire, of Madras, in addition to £1000 left to the Montrose Infirmary, has also left £1000 to the neighboring parish of St. Cyrus, the interest of which is to be annually distributed according to the following rather whimsical terms:-Interest of £200 to be distributed among the poor in tea, sugar, &c., at Chrismas; interest of £300 in equal proportions, to the tallest married woman in the pa ish, the shortest married woman in the parish, the oldest married woman in the parish, and the youngest married girl in the parish, for the year.' Thus, in addition to a substantial benefit, the inhabitants are furnished with a subject for a little mirthful gossip annually.-North British Adver

THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE LOCUST.-In the summer evenings it is common to see upon the trunks of trees, reeds, or any upright object, a heavy-looking, lump-backed, brown beetle, antiser. inch and a half long, with a scaly coat, clawed lobster-like legs, and a somewhat dirty aspect; AFRICAN EXPLORATION.-The following is which latter is easily accounted for by the little from the Malta Times of the 27th ult." There hole visible in the turf at the foot of the tree, are letters in town from Mr. James Richardson, whence he has lately crept. I have sometimes dated the 23d November, from Ghadames, in the carried them home and watched with great inter- Great Desert, where he had been residing for est the poor locust shuffle off his mortal, or rather three months, and whence he was to start on the earthly coil, and emerge into a new world. The following day, equipped in the Moorish dress, in first symptom is the opening of a small slit which order to make his way, along with a negro and a appears in the back of his coat, between the Moor, through the wild tribes en route to Soudan; shoulders, through which, as it slowly gapes and should he succeed in reaching that place in wider, a pale, sickly-looking texture is seen, safety, he seems inclined to proceed to Timbucthrobbing, and heaving backwards and forwards, too, and other parts of the southern interior. The Presently a fine square head with two light red road is very dangerous; for on the 20th they had eyes, has disengaged itself, and in process of time news of the capture of a caravan belonging to (for the transformation goes on almost impercep- Ghadames in its way to Sonat. Mr. Richardson tibly) this is followed by the liberation of a portly had purchased a camel and had prepared biscuits, body and a conclusion; after which the brown dried meat, dates, oil, and a few other luxuries for leggings are pulled off like boots, and a pale his support. His negro he stole at Jerbay, where, cream-colored, weak, soft creature very tenderly finding him in slavery, he coaxed him to run walks away from its former self, which remains away, and made a free man of him. His Moorish standing entire, like the coat of mail of a warrior servant is a Ghadameite-a sort of jockey-an of old-the shelly plates of the eyes that are African genius, who understands camels and gone looking after their lost contents with sad things of that sort. Their route is due south through Tack of speculation' in them. On the back of Ghat, Aheer, Damerghon, the first negro city of the new-born creature lie two small bits of mem- Soudan, Karnac, and then to Juckaton, the capibrane, doubled and crumpled up in a thousand tal of Soudan, and the Sultan's head-quarters-a puckers, like a Limerick glove in a walnut-shell; trip of three months' duration. Should Mr. these now begin to unfold themselves, and grad- Richardson resolve at this city to return, his way ually spread smoothly out in two large beautiful back will be through Bornou and Fezzan. The opal-colored wings, which by the following morn-people of Ghadames were very kind to the ining, have become clearly transparent, while the trepid traveller, esp cially the Governor, who body has acquired its proper hard consistency showed the Christian (he had never seen one beand dark color; and when placed on a tree the fore) all sorts of attention and civilities. A letter happy thing soon begins its whirring, creaking from Tripoli looks upon Mr. Richardson's enterchirruping song, which continues with little in-prise as more than courageous or resolute, in termission, as long as its harmless happy life.-fact, as foolhardy and desperate, seeing that he Meredith's New South Wales.

A READY PEN.-Alexander Dumas, the celebrated novelist, has, it is said, obtained permission to erect a new theatre, of which he is to be the manager. The idea of turning theatrical mana

has no guarantee from the English or Ottoman Governments. He has been advised by every one to return; but go he would, and much fear is entertained that he may fall a sacrifice to one of two dire enemies,-savage cruelty, or the climate."

SCIENCE AND ART.

founded on a passage in the Gospel of St. Luke. Augustus Cæsar is here represented delivering a writ, signed with his seal, to the three philosophers. A figure in the other corner seems to represent Richard of Heldingham and Lafford, who, as we learn from an inscription in NormanFrench verse, caused this map to be made; but of this personage we appear to know nothing.

EARLY MAP OF THE WORLD.-Mr. Wright | contains a curious enumeration to the four maps exhibited a fac-simile engraving of the early map of chief authority at that time in England, which of the world preserved in Hereford Cathedral, were, the map of Robert de Melkelcia, the map and gave orally a series of explanations and ob- in the abbey of Waltham, the map in the king's servations, which occupied a large portion of the chamber at Westminster, and the map of Matevening. He stated that the original of this map thew Paris. The Hereford map now before the was drawn on vellum, mounted on a wood frame meeting appeared, by the fac-simile, to be of the with folding doors, and that it had served as an beginning of the thirteenth century. At the top altar-piece. A copy had been made some years was figured the Saviour sitting in judgment on ago for the Geographical Society; but our gene- the quick and the dead. On the left-hand corner, ral notions of antiquarian science being then not at the bottom, was a picture taken from the commuch advanced, and the Society thinking it un-mencement of Ethicus and the common mediedeserving of publication, it remained in the pos-val cosmographies, representing Augustus Cæsar session of the Society, until a copy was made sending three philosophers to measure the earth; from that copy for M. Jomard, the distinguished one of whom measured the north, the other the keeper of the map-department of the Royal Li-east, and the third the south. It is a legend brary at Paris, who had had it engraved at a great expense, to form one of a series of monuments of the history of geography, but it was not yet published. Mr. Wright observed, that at all periods of history since the times of the Romans, we find, more or less, allusions to the existence of maps. One of the earliest in the middle ages was that possessed by St. Gall, who founded in the sixth century the monastery which has since borne his name. Charlemagne is said to have had a map of the world engraved on three large tables of silver, which his grandson Lothaire broke up to make into money when his troops murmured for want of pay. One of the earliest maps of the world we now possess is an Anglo-Saxon one of the end of the tenth century, in a Cottonian Ms. in the British Museum. In the twelfth and thirteenth century they become more numerous. The earlier maps appear to have been copied from Roman models; but after the eleventh century they were evidently constructed by the person who drew them, and who placed all his notions of geographical localities as near as he could in the position they ought to hold. Thus, by the legends, and figures of animals, and men, and towns, &c., one of these medieval maps is a veritable pictorial treatise on geography. A map of the thirteenth century in the British Museum

INCRUSTATION OF BOILERS OF STEAM ENGINES-In the Institution of Civil Engineers, ir J. Renni, president, in the chair. The discussion upon the incrustation of boilers was renewed, and it was attempted to be shown, that, viewed chemically, the muriate of ammonia might act prejudicially upon the copper and iron of boilers: that the two metals in combination with a saline solution would induce a powerful galvanic effect, and if aided by the unequal action of heat on the different parts of the boiler, producing a thermo-galvanic circuit, considerable deterioration of the boiler would ensue. It was instanced that on applying a small quantity of the muriate of ammonia in a locomotive boiler, the incrustation was immediately removed from the tubes, hence it was argued that a chemical action upon the metal must have taken place. On the other hand, after contesting the correctness of the

chemical view assumed, it was asserted that, from the small quantity of muriate of ammonia used, no perceptible chemical action could occur; and that in practice, after several trials of long duration in locomotive and marine boilers, no traces of metal could be discovered by the most delicate tests. Numerous practical instances were given of the full success of Dr. Ritterbandt's invention, and the general opinion appeared to

tempt to expose the misrepresentations in this country of the character of his own; and as the showing of an intelligent American on that subject, we think it deserving attention. Apart from this question, also, the book contains much interesting information.

GREAT BRITAIN.

be, that by the introduction of the system he had SELECT LIST OF RECENT PUBLICATIONS. conferred a great benefit upon the engineering world, and most particularly upon railways where the incrustation of the tubes of the locomotives was a source not only of great expense, but not unfrequently the cause of accidents, as, by reducing the production of steam, the power was diminished, the speed could not be maintained, and collisions ensued. This process of keeping the

boilers free from incrustation was therefore of great importance.-Lit. Gaz.

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.

American Facts. Notes and Statistics relative to

the Government, Resources, Engagements, Manufactures, Commerce, Religion, Education, Literature, Fine Arts, Manners and Customs, of the United States of America. By GEORGE PALMER PUTNAM, Member of the New York Historical Society, &c., &c. 12mo, pp. 292. Wiley and Putnam, London and New York, 1845.

Putnam's book to convince us that the United

Notes on the Bucolics and Georgics of Virgil, by T. Keightley. 8vo.

King of Saxony's Journey through England, by Dr. Carus. Svo.

The People, by J. Mitchelet, translated by Cocks. 8vo.

Rev. Sidney Smith's Sermons, preached at St. Paul's and other churches. 8vo. Algeria and Tunis in 1845, by Capt. J. C. Kennedy. 2 vols. 8vo.

Travels of Lady Hester Stanhope, forming the completion of her Memoirs. 3 vols. 8vo. with numerous illustrations.

Nelson's Letters and Dispatches, edited by Sir Harris Nicolas. 8vo. 6th vol.

Lives of the Kings of England, by Thomas Roscoe, Esq. 8vo.

History of the Captivity of Napoleon at St. Helena, by Gen. Count Montholon. 2 vols. 8vo.

Recollections of a French Marchioness. 2 vols. 8vo.

GERMANY.

Guericke, H. E., Allgemeine christliche Symbolik.

Fuchs, A., Geschichte des Schriftenthums der Griechen und Römer.

Kiepert's Atlas von Hellas und seiner Colonien, 24 Maps, colored. Edited by Carl Ritter. Folio.

We are quite willing that our kinsman on the other side the Atlantic should have a full hearing in his own cause. He has some right to complain of John Bull, but not by any means so much as he at times seems to suppose. So far as regards the religion of America, we suspect that it is greatly over-estimated by the religious people of Great Britain; nor did we need Mr. Dorner, J. A. Die Lechre von der perStates embrace a large territory, with large re-tish dargestellt. Vol.I., Part II. ited son Christi, geschichtlich u. biblish dogmasources, and that there are men in that country who evince a genuine sympathy with the higher forms of civilization. The weak and tender points are not these. Lynch law and slavery, and the repudiative policy, and other things too nearly resembling that policy, remain much as they were, after all the softening attempted in their favor. These are matters which do not admit of mending; they must come to an end before the talkings of the Old World will be altogether acceptable to the ears of the New. If the feeling in this country, with regard to the commercial spirit of Americans, be so unfavorable, would it not be wise, instead of placing all that feeling to the account of prejudice, to in-liographie orientale. 1. contenant les livres quire if there be not some just cause for such im- | Arabes, Persans, et Turcs, par J. T. Zenpressions? We ask this question in all friendship. ker. Bad as this world may be, nations and individuals generally find in it the sort of reputation they deserve. The causes are many which should dispose Great Britain and America to amity, and not to hostility, and we are sure that to this sentiment not a few of her sons would heartily respond. In our pages no wrong shall be wittingly done to the claims of our transatlantic brethren.

FRANCE.

Bibliotheca orientalis. Manuel de Bib

Agassiz, L., Iconographie des Coquilles tertiaries.

Etudes Critiques sur les Mollusques fossiles. Livr. IV. 4to.

Exploration scientifique de l'Algérie pendant les années 1840, 41, 42. Sciences But let them not forget that they will reap as phys.-Zoologie: Hist. Nat. des Mollusthey sow Mr. Putnam's book is a spirited at-ques, par M. Deshayes. Liv. I. 4to.

[graphic][subsumed][subsumed][merged small]
« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »