According to Mr. Cobbett, and Chief Justice Best, the English peasantry excel those of every other country, because they are pug-nacious, and it must be admitted, that monkeys are adepts in the art of self-defence. Forbes, in his Oriental Memoirs, assures us, that they seize serpents behind the head, grind their teeth out against a stone, and, having thus rendered them harmless, toss them as playthings to their children.

arms.

We have still stronger testimony respecting their bravery. The famous M. Tavernier tells us that, returning from Agra, with the English president, to Surat, they passed within four or five leagues of Amenabad, through a little forest of mangoes. "We saw here (says he) a vast number of very large apes, male and female, many of the latter having their young in their We were each of us in our coaches, and the English president stopt his, to tell me that he had a very fine new gun, and knowing that I was a good marksman, desired me to try it by shooting one of the apes. One of my servants, who was a native of the country, made a sign to me not to do it; and I did all that was in my power to dissuade the gentleman from his design; but to no purpose: for he immediately levelled his piece and shot a she ape, who fell through the branches of the tree on which she was sitting, her young ones tumbling, at the same time, out of her arms upon the ground. We presently saw that happen which my servant apprehended, for all the apes, to the number of sixty, came immediately down from the trees and attacked the president's coach with such fury, that they must infallibly have destroyed him, if all who were present had not flown to his relief, and by drawing up the windows and posting all the servants about the coach, protected him from their resentment. I must confess, I was not a little afraid, though they did not offer to meddle with me, because they were very large, and of incredible strength, and their fury was so great, that they pursued the president's coach for nearly three leagues.'

Like all good boxers they have a great antipathy to

the smell of gunpowder. On a shooting party in India, one of Mr. Forbes's friends we are told, in the Oriental Memoirs, killed a female monkey and carried it into his tent, which was soon surrounded by forty or fifty of the tribe, who made a great noise and seemed disposed to attack their aggressor. They retreated when he presented his fowling-piece, the dreadful effect of which they had witnessed, and appeared perfectly to understand. The head of the troop, however, stood his ground, chattering furiously. The sportsman, who perhaps felt some little degree of compunction for having killed one of the family, did not like to fire at the creature, and nothing short of firing at him would suffice to drive him off. At length he came to the door of the tent, and finding threats of no avail, began a lamentable moaning, and, by the most expressive gestures, seemed to beg for the dead body. It was given him: he took it sorrowfully in his arms, and bore it away to his expecting companions.

This is a proof of parental kindness which does honour to the whole tribe, and their good sense in the other affairs of life is not less creditable to their intellect. Walking,' says a Dutch captain, along the banks of the west river (on the Ivory Coast), I often saw a monkey with something like a piece of redstained ivory suspended about his neck.

In the hope of taking this creature and ascertaining the fact, I one day provided myself with two pair of jack boots, one pair of them lined with birdlime, and walked towards his accustomed haunt. I soon saw the animal; but, making no show of having observed him, put on one of the two pairs, leaving the birdlimed pair upon the ground, and retiring to some distance within a neighbouring wood.

That followed which I had been taught to expect. The animal drew on the boots as he had seen me do, and, being incumbered by them, was taken with little difficulty.

He was excessively annoyed at being made prisoner, but infinitely more so on being despoiled of his

ivory ornament, which turned out to be what I imagined. I however soothed him as well as I could; I carried him aboard, relieved him from his boots and his birdlime, hung a string of party-coloured beads about his neck, and sent him away with a net full of

oranges.

My surprise was extreme, on returning to my accustomed walk, at the usual hour, the following day, to meet the same monkey, who approached me in the most friendly manner, and offered me two pieces of ivory similar to that which I had taken from him the day before. I thought that I understood him, took him by the paw, and conducted him down to the beach, where my boat was waiting for me.

This he entered very readily, was rowed alongside the ship, and sprang up her side with infinite agility. He now seemed much more at home than on his former visit, ate some gingerbread nuts, drank some gin, which was given him, with infinite satisfaction, and then flew all over the rigging, before we were aware of his intention.

'On his descent, having given him two strings of beads and two nets of oranges, I again dismissed him, and have no doubt that we should have established a singular traffic with these creatures, had not a tifoon sprung up that night from the shore, and forced us so far to sea, that a return to the coast, at that period of the year, became absolutely impracticable.'

What a misfortune to Dutch commerce! But the captain's statement shows that there is nothing new under the sun. Harris, speaking of monkeys, says, When their numbers made them excessively troublesome, the Indians (as Strabo and Diodorus Siculus inform us) turned this imitating faculty upon them, to their own destruction: for coming to their haunts, with basins full of water, or of honey, they washed their faces, in the sight of these animals, and then, substituting pots of thin glue, instead of the water or honey, retired out of sight. The monkeys, as soon as they were gone, came down and washed their faces

likewise, and, sticking their eyes together, became blind and were easily taken. In other places they brought boots into the woods, and, putting them on and off, left them well lined with glue, or a sort of birdlime; so that when the monkeys put them on, they stuck fast and hindered their escape.

Sailors, it is well known, are very partial to those animals which libel human nature; and few foreign traders are without one on board. A monkey, who showed much character, once sailed in company with a bear, from which he extracted much amusement for the sailors. Bruin, who was of a saturnine complexion, indulged himself much in sleeping on the sunny side of the deck. On these occasions the monkey would overhaul his paws and twitch out any hair which he found matted by tar or pitch, the suffering which to remain seemed to be a great scandal in his opinion.

At other times he would open Bruin's eyelids and peep into his eyes, as if to ascertain what he was dreaming about. The bear, irritated at such liberties being taken with his person, used to make clumsy attempts to revenge himself; but his persecutor was off in an instant. The rigging was, on these occasions, his place of refuge. Thither he was indeed followed by his enemy; but poor Bruin was but an indifferent top-man, and seldom got beyond lubber's hole.

The monkey, on the contrary, was famous for his activity, and for some time was entitled by the sailors, Deputy-captain of the fore-top.' He obtained this designation from a very singular practice. Having observed the excitement produced on deck by the announcement of a sail a-head, which, as well as the chase which followed, seemed to be highly agreeable to him, the fore-top became his favourite station; from whence he made his signals with great energy, chattering with a peculiar scream when any vessel was in sight, and indicating by signs in what direction it appeared.

The vessel being one day lying opposite Broad Wall, having discharged her cargo, a dog got on board and

gave pug a world of trouble: on one occasion he seized him by the tail as he was mounting the capstan; and refused to let go his hold of this monkey appendage until the mate compelled him. Pug, however, had his revenge: he stole behind his enemy while he was basking in the sun on the extremity of a plank, and, gently slipping his hand under him, started him into the river.

During the same day a Scotch boy came on board to beg a bit of sugar. Taking off his hat, he preferred his petition to pug, who had by this time been dressed in a blue jacket and trowsers, with a great furry cap. Jacko took no notice, except to grin a bit, while the poor fellow kept booing and booing, like Sir Pertinax Macsycophant in the play; but, finding all his requests were disregarded, he came forward, and was descending the fore-scuttle, when we demanded what the lad wanted, and whether he couldn't find any body upon deck? Eh, (says Jock,) I saw the auld gentleman of a mate aft there-a deadly sulky-looking sort of a body too, but he would nae answer me.' • Hush (says the boatswain,) he'll hear you. That isn't the mate, but a passenger we brought home from the island of Jamaica. He's a very rich sugar-baker, but dreadfully cross and spiteful-we're all afraid of him.'' Eh, be good unto us! (returned the simple lad;) are all the sugar-bakers like unto him? They must be a main comical set!' He was directed to go down the halfdeck and take a little out of a cask; but he wouldn't attempt it till one of his companions descended with him. Eh, Jammie, (says the first,) did you nae see the ootlandish passenger body sitting aft on the quarter-deck?' Na, Jock, (replied the other,) wha was it?' 'I dinna ken, but they tellit me he was a sugarbaker from Jemakee; but such an ugly cat-faced looking Eh, sir! (taking off his hat on observing the monkey grinning at 'em down the hatchway, as if listening)-Eh, sir, 'twas nae you we were talking aboot, but anither gentleman, a sugar-baker in Soonderland. Eh, sir, we would nae offend your countenance for the warld!'