LUSUS NATURE.

An extraordinary female twin birth lately took place at Soignies. Both were perfectly formed, but united together from the upper part of the neck to the umbilical region. The heads, shoulders, arms, hands, and lower limbs were in their natural positions, and it seemed as if nothing more was necessary than to cut the skin to separate the bodies and make two individuals. There was but one umbilical cord.-A still more wonderful Lusus Naturæ, on the 21st December, is vouched for by M. Denis, of Souilly, who states, that the imagination of a female under his care had been so wrought on by a deformed caricature, that she produced an infant without a head. The face was on the back of the sternum. This monster was still born.

ANECDOTES OF LORD ORFORD.

When Walpole quarrelled with Lord Sunderland, he went over to the opposition, and on the debate upon the capital clause in the mutiny bill, be made use of this strong expression, "Whoever gives the power of blood, gives blood." The question being carried in favour of the ministry by a small majority, Sir Robert said after the division, "Faith, I was afraid that we had got the question;" his good sense (observes Mr. Seward, from whom this anecdote is quoted) perfectly enabling him to see that armies could not be kept in order without strict discipline, and the power of life and death.

Walpole had always very exact intelligence of all that was passing at the court of the Pretender. When Alderman Barber visited the minister after his return from Rome, he asked him how his old friend, the Pretender, did. The alderman was much surprised; Sir R. then related some minute particulars of a conversation which had taken place between them. "Well then, Jack," said Sir Robert, "go, and sin no more, lest a worse thing befall thee."

Walpole was accustomed to say, when speaking of corruption, "We ministers are generally called, and are sometimes, tempters, but we are oftener tempted."

SERPENTS.

A few weeks since some young ladies who had been taking a walk were accosted by a gipsy woman, who, for a small reward, very politely offered to show them The following singular circumstance is related in their future husband's faces in a pool of water that Campbell's travels, by a respectable person who was stood near. Such an offer was too good to be refus-eye-witness to the fact: The serpent was only ed, and, on paying the stipulated sum, the ladies hast- about twelve inches long, and not thicker than a Having found a hen's egg, the ened to the water-each in anxious expectation of man's little finger. getting a glance of the beloved;' but lo! instead of little reptile gradually distended its mouth so as to beholding the form, the face,' they so fondly antici- swallow it whole. When the egg had reached the pated, they were surprised to see only their own rosy stomach, the serpent, by twisting himself round, cheeks and sparkling eyes glancing from below. broke the egg, threw up the shell, but retained its 'Sure you are mistaken, woman,' exclaimed one of contents.' them, for we see nothing but our own faces in the water.' Very true, mem,' replied the sagacious fortune-teller, but these will be your husband's faces when you are married.'

ANECDOTE OF MILTON.

The freedom and asperity of his various attacks on the character and prerogative of the late King, rendered him peculiarly obnoxious when the Restoration was accomplished. To save himself, therefore, from the fury of a Court which he had so highly incensed, and the vigilance of which from the emissaries employed, it was become so difficult to elude, he connived with his friends in effecting the following innocent imposture. The report of his death was so industriously circulated, that the credulity of the public swallowed the bait prepared for them. The coffin, the mourners, and other apparatus of his burial were exhibited at his house, with the same formality as if he had been really dead. A figure of him, as large, and as heavy as the life, was actually formed, laid out, and put in a lead coffin, and the whole funeral solemnity acted in all its parts. It is said when the truth was known, and he was found to be alive, notwithstanding the most incontestible evidence that he had been thus openly interred, the wits about the Court of King Charles II. made themselves exceedingly merry with the stratagem by which the Poet had preserved his life. The dively and good natured Monarch discovered, too himself, not a little satisfaction, on finding that, by this ingenious expedient, his reign had not been tarnished with the blood of a man already blind by application, infirmity and age, and who, under

Years.

Jan.

Feb.

March

1812

2

April.

May.

June.

July.

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

3 2 0 1

REPOSITORY OF GENIUS.

The position of the nine digits required in No. 3.
2914
753

618

The arrangement of 100 numbers required in our last.
1092/93 7 5|96| 4|98|99| 1|

11 19 18 84 85 86 87 13 12 90
71 29 28 77 76 75 24 23 22 80
70 62 63 37 36 35 34 68 69 31
41 52 53 44 46 45 47 58 59 60
51 42 43 54 56 55 57 48 49 50
40 32 33 67 65 66 64 38 39 61
30 79 78 27 26 25 74737221
|81|89|88 14151617|83|82|20|
100 9 894|95 697 3 291

Solution to the question in our last.
Let a the side of the Pentagon in feet.
Theezul.7204774 × 10 × x2-400. bv
And x=
23.249 feet, the side

400 17.204774

No. 1.

QUERE. Are liquids and fluids synonymous terms if not, what is the difference?

No. 2.

To produce the name of an ancient Town in Lancashire, take, Three sevenths of a command,-Four fifths of a fashionable game,-and one half of a term for fear.-Required its name.

No. 3.

Foreigners amuse themselves with describing EngThis celebrated Speaker of the House of Commons, for the purpose of relaxing himself from the multi-land as the most gloomy of all nations, and November plied cares of his office, was in the habit of passing as the month when the English have no other enjoy of the Pentagon required. his evenings at a respectable country public-house, ment but that of hanging and drowning themselves. The real fact is, that, on a general computation, the which for nearly a century was known by the name of the Jew's-harp-house, situated about a quarter of English are less addicted to the crime of suicide than a mile north of Portland-place. He dressed himself any other nation; and that as to the much-abused in plain attire, and preferred taking his seat in the month of November, it is so far from being the first chimney corner of the kitchen, where he took part in in the bad pre-eminence of self-murder, that it stands the vulgar jokes, and ordinary concerns of the land- only seventh in the list. We refer to the following lord, his family and customers. He continued this account of suicides, during the last ten years, in the practice for a year or two, and much ingratiated city and liberty of Westminster, from 1811. himself with his host and family, who, not knowing his name, called him the gentleman,' but, from his familiar manners, treated him as one of themselves. It happened, however, one day, that the landlord was walking along Parliament-street, when he met the speaker in state, going up with an address to the throne, and looking narrowly at the chief personage, he was astonished and confounded at recognizing the features of the gentleman, his constant customer. He hurried home, and communicated the extraordinary intelligence to his wife and family, all of whom were disconcerted at the liberties, which at different times they had taken, with so important a person. In the evening Mr. Onslow came as usual, and prepared to take his old seat, but found every thing in a state of peculiar preparation, and the manners of the landlord and his wife changed from indifference and familiarity to form and obsequiousness. The children were not allowed to climb upon him, and pull his wig as heretofore, and the servants were kept at a distance. He, however, took no notice of the change, but finding that his name and rank had by some means been discovered, he paid the reckoning, civilly took his departure, and never visited the house afterwards,

1813 2 1
1814 2

1815 5

<1160

225

3 2 2 2 2 0 3 3 5 1 4 4 0 2 0 3 3 237 0 210

2

AN ARITHMETICAL PARADOX AND QUESTION. Addition of Numbers may be performed without addition, and subtraction made without subtraction. From the produce of 19 multiplied by 12, subtract 52, and add 19. QUERY,-the total, without the use of the above-mentioned rules, and a demonstration.

THE DRAMA.

MANCHESTER DRAMATIC REGISTER.
Monday, Feb. 25th-Conscience with Miller and his
Men.
Tuesday, 26th.-The Foundling of the Forest: with
the Warlock of the Glen.

Wednesday, 27th.-Rob Roy with Past Ten o'Clock
Friday, March 1st.-Henri Quatre: with the Ren-
dezvous.

LITERARY NOTICES.

An edition of 500 copies of the British poets, in 100 volumes, royal 18mo., which has long been in preparation, is, we understand, on the eve of being published. It includes our most celebrated Poets, from Chaucer and Spenser down to Burns and Cowper, together with the standard Translations from the Classics. The lives of the authors are prefixed to their works; as far as they extend, those by Dr. Johnson are adopted; the remainder, fifty in number, are original compositions. The embellishments are proof impressions of nearly two hundred masterly engravings; and the whole of the typography executed by Whittingham.

The pair are wed, and the feast is spread
Within that bannered hall so wide;
The dance is led, and the wine blood-red
Is quaffed to the bealth of the bonny bride.

But the laughter loud is changed to shrieks,
The sounds of mirth are o'er;
And many a blade with slaughter reeks,
And the hall is stain'd with gore.

The wild wind raves along the waves,
That bear the bark of the bride;
And the moon riding high in the vaulted sky,
Sees it whelmed beneath the tide.
And for many a day, across the bay,

Shall the ghost of that lady glide.

Here the minstrel suddenly paused, and Ella, terrifled with the prophecy respecting herself, which he had uttered, immediately turned towards home, when she was met by Sir Oscar, as before related. On The author of the Beauties, Harmonies and Sub-hearing the cause of her fright, Sir Oscar used bis limities of Nature, is engaged upon a new work, entitled The Tablets of Memnon; or, Fragments, illustrative of the human character.'

utmost efforts to efface the disagreeable impressions
He succeeded
left on her mind, by the old man.
partially, by his smiles, ridicule, and reasoning,
but could not wholly remove her fearful forebodings.
There was still a cloud of sadness on her brow, a
feeling of apprehension in her breast, and both
gathered strength as the important day nearer ap-
proached. Neither was Sir Oscar, though he endea-
voured, as much as possible, to conceal them, free
from the same disagreeable sensations.

up the river, and moor her under the trees beside the red rocks; and mind me Gandulph,' said the Baron, more sternly, 'your life depends upon your secrecy." But to night! Sure your Lordship won't go to night." Let my orders be obeyed, and instantly, or you may rue it: I am not used to be trifled with. Well if your Lordship will venture, surely I may, and so I'll go with all speed.'

The other domestics of Ulric heard this dialogue in amazement. There were no guests at the Black Tower, they well knew; and they were quite at a loss to know was the meaning of a moonlight sail, on a rough stormy night, in the middle of December. In a short time however, guests began to arrive, some of which the park-ranger discovered to be notorious deer-stealers; and one of the visitors was recognized as the captain of a numerous band of robbers, that infested the neighbouring mountains, and for whose head large rewards had been frequently offered. They were all ferocious looking fellows, well armed, and received from the Baron a hearty welcome.

This had been the bridal day of Sir Oscar and Lady Ella. Their hearts had long been united in the closest union, but this day, the outward ceremony of joining hands, and plighting their vows before the altar, had been performed.

The marriage was celebrated with all pomp and splendour. It was graced by a numerous retinue of knights and ladies; who, after the ceremony, accompanied the pair to the castle, where a sumptuous banquet was prepared, to which they all sat down in high clusion. No one was permitted to intrude upon him Ulric in the mean time remained in the deepest se- spirits. The rosy wine flowed profusely. The goblet was often filled and emptied to the health and hapwithout his special order. He held no familiar inter-piness of the pair. Then was the loud laugh-the course with any of his domestics, excepting one. This was a menial in one of the lowest offices of his establishment. With this man he had long and frequent conferences, but the results never transpired

Or the Voyage and Adventures of Cyril Shenstone, Esq. his lips, as he maintained a sullen reserve to all his

Pས་ ས་་སལ་

ready jest, and the strains of music and dancing. The hall rung with minstrelsy. Far out upon the ocean, the radiance of the windows gleamed upon the surface of the dark foamy waves; and the soft strain of music, wild and irregular, was frequently heard on fellow-servants. One day, after being a long time the fitful blast. The lower orders were equally joycloseted with his master, he came down stairs in a ous, and the sparkling bowl banished care from the Thus was the feast kept up till great hurry, saddled a horse, and galloped up the heart of every one. avenue, at full speed. None of the servants could midnight; when, as the bell of the castle tolled one, a conjecture the cause of his journey. The Baron, band of ferocious ruffians burst into the hall, headed after he had been gone some time, came down into by Ulric. In an instant all was horror and confusion. window, and hurried pacings to and fro, appeared their unarmed and defenceless victims, and backed to be in the greatest impatience for his return. It them to pieces with their swords, while the other bore began to grow dusk-he came not-and the patience the bride, struggling and shrieking, away. Ulric, saof the Baron waned fast. He quickened his step, his tiated with the blood he had spilt, drew off the ruffians brow contracted into a deeper frown, and he bitterly to the beach, where their remaining accomplices had cursed his unnecessary delay. The night wind rushed retreated to, with their unfortunate prize. The words through the forest in fearful murmurs, and the awful of the minstrel now came forcibly to the unfortunate voice of the distant thunder was beard afar off. Still Ella's recollection, and she at once concluded that he came not. Suddenly the clattering of hoofs was her husband, father, and friends, were no more, and heard, and in a few moments the messenger entered the hall, leaving his jaded steed to the care of a fellow domestic. Ha!' said the Baron, have you not brought him.' No,' replied the fellow, he is out beyond the banks, and will not be in till the morning tide.' - Eternal curses'—' But I left my message with his wife, and'- May withering plagues seize them,' interhave. By heavens, 'tis Gundulph.'-At this moment rupted the Baron. But hast thou been to 'I another horse tramp was heard, and old Gundulph, the fisherman, entered the castle-yard, mounted on a lank bony hack. Why Gundulph,' said the Baron, I thought you were trauling beyond the banks, and would not be in till to morrow's tide.' Yes, your Lordship, I left that word with my dame, but as I saw the scud was coming in, and that there would be a storm, and that I should not make a good trip of it, Terror seized upon the hardiest of the villains, and about noon I made sail for home, and my dame told the air was rent with their cries. Just at the mome I was wanted here directly; so I borrowed Neigh-ment when the pale moon again appeared from between bour Cogswell's blind mare, and came as fast as I could.' Right, Gundulph; and now in what sort of trim is your boat.' Why, your Lordship, a little strained and damaged in her timbers, but stout enough -barring accidents-to weather many a voyage yet.' 'Will she carry twenty men.' Why your Lordship, we might manage.' Well, I have a party of friends, and to night we are going to have a sail by moonlight; so you must make all speed home, and bring your boat

1

"

that she should not long survive them. Ulric now
placed her on board the boat of Gundulph, the ruf-
fians embarked, and the vessel set sail up the river.
It was now dark as the grave, save when the moon, for
a moment, appeared between the huge clouds, which
were driven rapidly along the sky by the furious gale
that howled incessantly along the wide waste of
their course, and it was with the greatest difficulty
waters. The tide was ebbing, and much impeded
that they kept their vessel from upsetting.
much tossing, they, however, arrived opposite to the
old church, on the contrary bank of the river.
Here the contending elements seemed at once to con-
spire their destruction. The waves dashed furiously
against the vessel, the wind blew fearfully impetuous,
and the murkiest darkness reigned around.

After

two large parting clouds, there came a wave more powerful-a blast more furious than any of the former -the vessel disappeared-a few faint and bubbling cries were heard from the drowning crew, and then they all sunk to rise no more.

Oh Lord!' said the Captain.

Shiver my timbers,' said Jack Brindle but that's a queer trick.'

That's all a most infernal lie,' said the Captain,

because d'ye see, my masters, the best of it is, there are no castles remaining, that were built to resist the incursions of the Danes;-Ha! Ha! Ha!'

Ha, Ha, Ha, re-echoed Jack Brindle-but come' said he to an elderly gentleman who sat lolling at his ease in one corner, 'come my fine fellow, let us have your tale.'

Prick up your ears then,' said he, and smoothing his chin with his left hand, and twisting the chain of his watch round the finger of his right, thus addressed us.

TALE III.

The Apparition.

'My dear friends, the terrible disaster which I am now about to relate to you, is, perhaps, one of the most extraordinary circumstances that has happened to the lot of man. Dreadful and appalling in it's effects, the impression it has made upon me, time has in vain endeavoured to efface.

The adventure of which I speak, took place as I was returning home from a visit at a friend's.

My road homewards led through a deep shady lane at the edge of my friend's park;-it was a stormy night; the gusty wind rushed violently through the tangled trees, and roared along the deep avenues of the park. The branches crackled and swung against each other, and ever and anon, at some blast wilder and stronger than the rest, clashed and re-echoed with all the noise of a violent clap of thunder. It was toThe sear and red wards the latter end of Autumn. leaves already fallen, and those which, the evening before, had hung quivering and trembling in expectation of the next gust carrying them away, were whirled and dashed about in the air, in wreathes of various forms. The road was muddy and splashy, and the heavy rain fell in tremendous showers at short intervals. My friend had wished me to stay all night, but particular business requiring my attendance very early the next morning, I set off in despite of all their kind entreaties. My servants preceded me with lanteras, but the wind was so boisterous that it soon extinguished the light, and they were rendered useThe noise that piping wind roared on unceasingly

it made was unlike any sound I had heard before, it was worse than the rude chafing and boiling of the breakers against a rock; louder than the rushing of the strongest cataract lashing itself to fury. My servants now came to me; they were certain they heard deep groans at a little distance; I myself thought I heard something, but whether it was the wind that made the noise, for it indeed howled strangely, or the groans of a human being, I was unable to conjecture.

it was no pleasant undertaking, but we were now
necessitated to it. We proceeded slowly, for the
road was rugged and uneven ;-something whirred
past us with a screaming noise ;-oh, how my heart
bounded ;--still we kept on: we had not arrived
where the largest pile of ruins lay. A many dark
deep chambers, choked up with weeds, brambles,
A deep groan
and crumbling stones, lay beside us.
now burst upon our ears, and rivetted us to the
spot,-it seemed to proceed from one of the vaults
near us ;—we listened breathlessly;-it was repeated
from a different quarter;--we were almost chilled
with horror, and fear rooted us to the place ;-pre-
sently we heard the clanking rattling noise of chains,
and a figure, swathed in the mouldering habiliments
of the grave, issued from one of the recesses. My
servants gave a convulsive scream, and fell senseless
on the earth. I was in a much worse condition: a
clammy cold sweat burst from my brow,-my mouth
became as dry as dust, and my tongue clove fixedly
to my palate. I could not stir;-my eyes were turned
with a strong gaze on the spectre-but I could not
move;-every faculty was absorbed in the contem-
plation of this dreadful object, and I remained rooted
to the spot.

thunder at the door; I will leave word with my porter
to shew you up stairs directly, and the emplo ment
shall be disposed of according to your wishes without
fail.'

The parties separated, and it is probable that the
Duke of Newcastle in a very few hours forgot there
was such a worthy as the Cornish voter in existence.
Not so with the place-anticipating elector; his memo.
ry, cumbered with a less perplexing variety of objects
than the Duke's, turned out to be the most retentiv
of the two. The supervisor yielded in a few months
afterwards to that most insatiable and scrutinizing of
all gaugers, Death; and the ministerial partizan, rely
ing on the word of the peer, was conveyed to London
by the mail, and having ascended the steps of a large
house (now divided into three) at the corner of Great
Queen Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, thundered at the
door!'-

It should in this place be premised, that precisely at the moment when the expectation of a considerable party of a borough in Cornwall were excited by the death of a supervisor, no less a person than the king of Spain was expected hourly to depart; an event in which all Europe, but more especially Great Britain, was materially interested.

The Duke of Newcastle, on the very night that the The spectre was But the worst was yet to come. of a gigantic size-and flashes of fire darted from it's proprietor of the decisive vote was at his door, had sat up, anxiously expecting dispatches from Madrid; eyeless scull, as it waved it's lean gaunt arms to bid me depart, the blast blew aside it's blood-stained wearied, however, by official business, be retired to garment and revealed what appeared, in the dimness, rest, having previously given instructions to his por to be human bones. A smothered diabolical laughter not to go to bed, as he expected every minute a messenger with advices of the greatest importance, burst from it-it began to move towards me-but I and desired that he might be shewn up stairs the moHis Grace had just fallen asleep, could not stir-when a terrible stream of fire burst ment of his arrival. was when the loud rap of his friend from Cornwall saluted from the aperture from which it had arisen. amazed at this, and expected to be swallowed up his ear, and effectually dispelled his slumbers. every instant. Two men now sprung up behind the spectre, and they all three took to their heels with a roar of laughter.

'Is that all,' said the captain.

ANECDOTE OF THE DUKE OF NEWCASTLE.

A Javeastie's administration, and which, with whatever scepticism the reader may be disposed to regard it, is too amusing to be past over in silence.

as good as your word, and let my son-in-law succeed him!'

To the first question of Is the Duke at home?' (it was two o'clock in the morning) the porter answered, 'Yes, and in bed; but has left particular orders that come when you will you are to go up to him directly. God for ever bless him, a worthy and honest gentleman!' exclaimed the mediator for the vacant supervisorship, smiling and nodding with appropation of naivn prinċrtur' is wave is: would not deceive me let me hear no more of lords and dukes not keeping their words-I verily believe they are honest as well as other folk.' Repeating At the election of a borough in Cornwall, where the these words as he strided up the stairs, the burgess Is he dead?' enquired his Grace, rubbing his ministerial and opposition interests were so equally of Cornwall was ushered into the Duke's bed-chamber. Yes, my Lord,' poised that a single vote was of the utmost importance, a person not expected to give his suffrage in favour eyes, and scarcely awaked from dreaming of the of the aristocratical side of the question, suddenly al- King of Spain, Is he dead?' tered his mind, and by his apostacy turned the tide of replied the eager expectant, delighted to find that When did he die?' The day before recollection. affairs completely to the satisfaction of the Duke, the election promise was so fresh in the minister's whose friend and dependant was elected, and the contest put an end to by the possessor of the casting vote. yesterday, exactly at half-past one o'clock, after In the warmth of gratitude for aid so gratuitous and being confined three weeks to his bed, and taking a The place we had now arrived at, would indeed of itself, have been, at such a time of night, sutli- unexpected, the Duke poured forth many acknow-power of doctor's stuff; and I hope your Grace will be The Duke, by this time perfectly awake, was stagcient to alarm many a stout bosom. It was close ledgments and professions of friendship in the ear of bordering the ruins of the old abbey. This, pro- the vacillating constituent, and frequently begged to be informed in what manner he could serve him, and from Madrid in so short a space of time, and perverbially, was haunted, and few durst stray near it's limits after the edge of dark. It was now midnight, how he could repay an obligation he was pleased to gered at the impossibility of receiving intelligence and the fitful blasts were whistling through the sombre acknowledge so important. The happy voter, who was a farmer and petty landholder in the neighbour-plexed at the absurdity of a king's messenger apply. We listened in fear to or mad? where are your distrees that skirted its ruins. the terrible sound. The lightning, which had before hood, thanked the Duke cordially for his kindness, ing for his son-in-law to succeed the King of Spain. gleamed athwart the gloomy sky at distant intervals, and told him that the supervisor of excise was old and infirm, and if he would have the goodness to re- patches?' vociferated his Grace, hastily drawing aside the curtains of the bed; when, instead of a now shot down in frequent and repeated flashes, and countenance of his friend from Cornwall, making low revealed to me the blanched and pallid countenances commend his son-in-law to the commissioners in case bows, with hat in hand, and hoping my Lord would of my companions. The deep voice of the thunder of the old mau's death, he should think himself and royal courier, he recognized the fat, good-humoured became deeper and louder, as it rolled in tremendous his family bound to render government every assispeals over our heads. The whole heavens seemed intance in their power on any future occasion.' not forget the gracious promise he was so good as to Vexed at so untimely in interruption, and disapa commotion; vast rifting clouds rolled along, lighted up by the brilliant flashes of lightning that passed make in favour of my son-in-law at the late election.' pointed of his important dispatches from Spain, the Duke frowned for a few seconds, but chagrin soon gave through them. The flickering forms of the waving trees, that nodded their gloomy heads at the will of the blast, the shrieking and screaming of the disway to mirth at so singular and ridiculous a combinaturbed rooks, and the roar of the tumbling river at Ever and anon the tion of apposite circumstances, and he sunk on the a distance, completed the scene. fiture and confusion of the pliant and obsequious farmer, who very probably began to conjecture, that moon might be partially visible, as the dense clouds bed in a violent fit of laughter, to the entire discomwere rent open, and then she appeared of a fiery red colour; the stars were completely obscured;-the lords and dukes were not in the habit of testifying ast clouds curtained up and shrouded them comletely. Our way lay through the abbey. I confess that profound respect at the sight of their friends

My dear friend, why do you ask for such a trifling
employment?' exclaimed his Grace; your relation
But how shall I get admitted to you,
shall have it at a word speaking, the moment it is
vacant.'
my Lord; for in London I understand it is a very
difficult business to get a sight of you great folk,
though you are so kind and complaisant to us in the
country?' The instant the man dies,' replied the
premier, used to, and prepared for the freedoms of a
contested election, the moment he dies, set out
post haste for London; drive directly to my house,
by day or night, sleeping or waking, ill or well;

Is the man drunk

which he thought consistent with their nobility of deportment. However, though his Grace could not manage to place the son of his old acquaintance on the throne of his Catholic Majesty the King of Spain, he advanced him to a post which some persons might consider not less honourable-he made him an exeiseman.

TO THE EDITOR.

SIR, As I doubt not but many of your readers are well versed in antiquarian lore, in which I confess myself to be a mere novice, I beg leave to send you an inscription which some years ago fell in my way, but which I have not found any one, in the limited eircle of my acquaintances, able to explain. I took it to our Parson, in the hope that he would read it for me; but, although I believe he is a very learned man, having studied three years at Oxford, where he was made a Bachelor, (by the bye, I am no friend to the Bachelor system,) he was obliged to confess that it was beyond his comprehension. He declared at once that it was not Latin, which I myself, indeed, had shrewdly suspected, before I consulted him. I suggested to him that perhaps it was Greek, as I had been informed that some of the characters of that language are very similar to ours, only with different powers; (poor ignorant beings! they mistake a P for an R, and after laying M flat on one side they call it S!) but he satisfied me that I was mistaken by comparing some of the characters in question with those in an alphabet contained in an old Greek grammar which he produced, in which nothing like several of the letters in my MS. was to be found.

As none

E

INAN. E. WAND
BEAU

TIFU. LEDI (f)

TION. COR. REC. TE

DAN. DREVIS (g)

EDBYT

HE. AUT. HOR

to bare lightly as they roll. No parent need regret accompanying his child to such instructive exhibitions; for here, science descends to the capacities of all, and imposes upon the notice of the idle and perverse.

The half-untutored mind may here he escorted along the outer boundaries of creation, may fearlessly drive the chariot of the sun,-may dance with a comet athwart the heavens,-play with planets as with marbles, and ascertain its own position to be but one mind, in one world, of one system, amidst the myriads of systems floating in immensity. It is hard to tell the thirst for science and the sublimity of sentiment which such a method of instruction might create, in spirits that now grovel on the earth; if, in connexion with a steady and unerring apparatus, every body and its motion were elucidated in a neat and unhesitating manner; and all conjectural theories, long since exploded, were to pass nearly unnoticed. But while there was much to amuse, there was much to bewilder, in the evenings that I spend at the Exchange. If at any time I was annoyed with a false and insonorous intonation,-or surprised at a novel and ludicrous emphasis,-or diverted by the frequent recurrence of a word,--or touched by a burst of eloquence, simultaneous with the Demosthenes of Scotland, though others might enjoy the sallies of imagination over the amplitude and beauties of the universe, my mind, alas! was loaded as with fetters, and, as by a more fearful fatality, could not envy those that did rise.

We were not of course compelled to yield to every statement, as correct; or, to confide in every prominent theory, as precisely conformable to the Copernican or Newtonian system. We were favoured with the hypothesis of the more celebrated philosophers, and left, I presume, to chuse for ourselves. There were however a few philosophical adventures, which forcibly struck me as original. Not to trouble you, Sir, with a list of these, I will merely introduce one instance to the notice of your readers, who may proa This I take to be Sheriffs of Erfurth,' and my conbably throw over it an additional light. The reason written, the plural is formed by prefixing a letter, instead of why the moon appears so much larger when it verges varying the termination for this purpose, as in other tougues. to the horizon, than when it is more elevated, was mnscription is tenered to b This and the following I suppose to be the names of trabe persons whom this accounted for (if my memory does not deceive me) alias Fairy-Hall, the place of their residence. objects aromatig ha In the "Ofner, from having c' NOTBEL OSTFO RITS-HALL,' I translate Not far from Rits Hall, the head-quarters, I apprehend, of the nothing intervening with which to compare it. This weird sisters; but in this I will not be positive. was more plainly illustrated, by referring us to the difference of the real and apparent size of the ball on the top of St. Paul's, the spectator having, in the one case, other objects around him; but in the other, views nothing but the ball itself. Previously, I had

d Are not these the Christian names of some of the weird sisters? SAPPE may be translated Sappho.

of the characters are materially different from those
of our common English alphabet, except in their
antiquated cast, we concluded that the inscription
was written in some European tongue either ancient
or modern. Our family doctor, having onee been an
assistant-surgeon in the army, possesses a little smat-
tering of several of the continental languages. I.jecture is, that in the language in which this inscription is
therefore, next had recourse to him. He examined
my MS. with great attention, (for the benefit of the
may be proper to say that Ms. means andseripi,
and MSS. Manuscripts, that is, something written
by the hand, not printed; see Bailey's Dictionary,)
and he consulted several vocabularies and dictionaries
or worden-boecks, (as he told me the Dutch call
them,) which he had collected during his residence
on the continent. But the uncouth words of my
inscription had obtained no place in any of them. It
was certain the inscription was not French; (do you
think young Boney bas any chance of being King of
France?)-for the terminations -ent and -oir do not
occur in any part of it. Italian it could not be; for
it could lay no claim to the soft melodious sounds
of that effeminate language. It might be Russian,
although this was doubtful. But after all I am dis-
posed to think that it is a dialect of the Gothic or
Anglo-Saxon, as I think I can trace some resem-
blance between several of the words, and the speci-
mens given of those languages in the etymological
part of Bailey's Dictionary, a work which I hold in
the highest esteem, notwithstanding the ill-natured
remark of the stupid carle of Eskdale-Muir, of whom
you speak in the 21st page of the Iris, as it gives
me more insight into erudite subjects, than any book
which I ever met with. Encyclopædias, they say,
are useful, but I dont know, and they are very dear.
(Pray is not Bailey's Dictionary the principal class
book at Oxford and Cambridge ?)

Having now detained you so long, I shall transcribe the inscription to which my researches have been so studiously directed. You have no characters in

your printing-office which will exactly correspond
to the original; but you will come sufficiently near the
truth to prevent any misapprehension, by employing
the small black sort of letter, with the strokes all of
a uniform thickness, with which you print the titles
of the different departments of your paper.
Hoping some of your learned correspondents will

We could not conveniently comply with the wish of eremy Antiq.-Ed.

case, with other

e I opine that this is the name of one of the ardient admirers of the above-mentioned sisters, and what follows is the place of his abode, which I would translate the Island of Wands or Staves,' that is, the modern Staffa. INAN'-imagined this sensible variation dependant upon the hence probably Inch or Insch, a word in the Scottish language, signifying an islet covered by the sea at high water. f I am almost confirmed in the interpretation noticed in the preceding note, because this evidently means that he was a great Beau' among the Ladies, here written' Ledi.' g Perhaps this is another of their beaux; but I confess I am very much puzzled to give a satisfactory explanation of this latter part of the inscription, or of the beginning of it.

TO THE EDITOR.

SIR, The recommendations prefixed to the Lectures on Astronomy, which concluded last evening, could not fail to rouse the attention of the literary and scientific; for if the shadow of the genius of a Playfair or a Brewster were to be revived, we were nut to be diverted hy any casual circumstance, from the intellectual feast. The attendance was, therefore, flattering at the very outset; and it is due, both to the oratory and philosophy of our Lecturer, to concede, that the number of his pupils has been retained, though with considerable variations, to the close of

the scene.

Whether this circumstance will induce our philosopher to insert the name of Manchester in his recommendatory preface, after the august cities of London, Edinburgh, and Dublin, I have not heard, nor do I know whether it would so far affect the credit of our town in the literary world, as to warrant our solicitation of the favour.

With all the charm of these Lectures upon me, you will readily perceive, that I am not enthusiastic in my plaudits; and surely, the consideration of the authority which attends them, will awe my strictures

We

density of the atmosphere, which is always more ap-
parent at the horizon, and renders the sun or moon
less bright than when immediately above us.
need only look at the object, in either case, through
a tube, so as to exclude all intervening objects, and
the phenomenon still remains to be accounted for.

It is much to be regretted, that when a little more
accuracy and elegance is needed, to set off a public
for want of a friendly suggestion.
lecture to the greatest advantage, that he should fail

Feb. 28th.

PHILANTHROPOS.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.
ZENO THE WAY TO LIVE Ms. and several other
favours shall, if possible, appear in our next.
ROB ROY has our thanks for his good wishes, but we must '
refer him to the Manager of our Theatre for an answer to
his question.

We perfectly agree with the remarks contained in the letter
of J. A. and shall be happy to hear from him in future.-
His present communication came too late for insertion
this week.-We would suggest to him the propriety of
altering the last line of the fourth stanza.
The suggestion of AMICUS has been adopted.
MATHEMATICUS forgot to pay the postage.

Manchester:

Printed, Published, and Sold,

BY HENRY SMITH AND BROTHERS 14, St. Ann's-Square.

Speak, virgin: wherefore wert thou there? with religion, with the most affecting and impressive eloquence.