Page images
PDF
EPUB

tremity of the trunk terminates in a protuberance which stretches out on the upper side in the form of a finger, and possesses in a great degree the niceness and dexterity of that useful member), in o his ear, where she kept it a long time, and after having drawn it affectionately over the whole body of Haus, she put it tenderly into her own mouth. Hans did exactly the same to Peggy, but his pleasure was more concentrated. This he appeared to express by his tears, which fell from his eyes in abundance.

Since that time they have never been separated, and they dwell together in the same apartments. The society of these two intelligent animals, their habitudes, their mutual affection, and their natural attachment, still excited notwithstanding the privation of liberty, might furnish curious observations for the natural history of their species.

man and other travellers in the interior of Africa, to be from twelve to fifteen feet, measured to the top of the back; the female is much less than the male. They are said to live to the age of a hundred and twenty or a hundred and thirty years even in a state of captivity.

In the third volume of the Asiatic Researches, published in 1789, s a long and very particular account of the method of catching wild elephants, by John Corse, Esq. and in the first part of the Philosophical Transactions for 1799, is another paper, which contains much curious information on the manners, habi's, and natural history of the elephant, by the same gentleman. From these it appears that the accounts of the sagacity, modesty, and size of the elephant, have been greatly exaggerated by natural historians.

As to what relates to the modesty of these animals, we must refer to the latter paper. The

residence in India, and from 1792 to 1797, the elephant hunters were under his direction. A few extracts from his remarks may suffice in this place.

These two elephants, who are natives of Cey-author's observations are the result of many years lon, were brought to Holland when very young. They are nearly fifteen years of age. Their height is about seven feet and a half. Their tusks, which are very short, have been broken, but they will grow again as they become older. The tail of the male hangs down to the ground; that of the female is much shorter.

The following anecdote appeared in another French journal about the middle of the year

1799.

One day,

"I have seen young elephants from one day to three years old sucking their dams, constantly with their mouths, but never saw them use their trunks, except to press the breast, which, by natural instinct, they seemed to know would make the milk flow more readily. (Aristotle says expressly, that the young elephants suck with their mouths and not with their trunksAristot. Opera. Basile, 1500, fol. p 494.) So that Buffon's account was made merely from con

A sentinel belonging to the menagerie at Paris, was extremely careful, every time he mounted guard near the elephants, to desire the spectators not to give them any thing to eat. This was by no means pleasing to the elephants. Peggy, injecture, and proves to be erroneous." particular, beheld him with a very unfavourable eye, and had several times endeavoured to correct his unwelcome interference, by besprinkling his head with water from her trunk. when a great number of people were collected to view these animals, the opportunity seemed convenient for receiving, unperceived, a small bit of bread; but the vigorous sentinel was on duty. Peggy, however, placed herself before him, watched all his gestures, and, the moment he opened his mouth to give his usual admonition to the company, discharged in his face a large stream of water. A general laugh ensued; but the sentinel having calmly wiped his face, stood a little on one side, and continued as vigilant as before. Soon after, he found himself obliged to repeat his notice to the spectators not to give the elephants any thing; immediately Peggy snatched his musket from him, twirled it round in her trunk, trod it under her feet, and did not restore it until she had twisted the barrel into the form of a screw.

"The mode of connexion between the male and female is now ascertained beyond the possibility of a doubt, and is exactly similar to the horse. The exact time an elephant goes with young is not yet known, but it cannot be less than two years, as one of them brought forth a young one twenty-one months after she was taken. This young one was thirty five inches high, and grew four inches in as many months. Another young one was measured as soon as born, and was found to be of the same size; at a year old he was forty-six inches in height; at two years, fifty-four; three, sixty; four, sixty.five; five, seventy; six, seventy-four; and at seven years, six feet four inches. When full grown, the male elephants of India are from eight to nine feet in height, measured at the shoulder, as horses are measured; to this must be added eighteen or twenty inches, if the height be taken to the top of the curvature of the back. The female is generally a foot less. The largest elephant known in India was ten feet six inches in

The height of the elephants is said by Spar-height, to the shoulder.

[blocks in formation]

HOW TO TAME A TURBULENT HUSBAND.

A TALE OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY.

A TRADESMAN who lived in a village near St. Albans, had been twice married, and ill-treated his wives so as to cause their death. He sought a third, but as his brutality was well known in the place where he dwelt, he was obliged to go fifty miles off for a wife.

tripped up his heels, pushed him in, and locked the lid.

Never man was in a greater passion than our man; he threatened to kill her, and made more noise than a wild-boar caught in a trap. She answered him very quietly: "My dear friend, pray be calm, your passion may injure your health; refresh yourself a little in this comfortable trunk; for I love you too much to let you out now you are so outrageous." In the mean time she ordered her maid to make some custards and cream-tarts, and when these were baked and

He obtained one, and after he brought her home, all the neighbours came to visit her, and acquaint her in what manner her husband used to treat his former wives. This somewhat surprised her, but she resolved to wait patiently till her lord and master might take it into his head to beat her. She did not wait long, for her hus-ready, she sent round to all the neighbouring band was a terrible fellow.

gossips to come and partake of her collation.

One morning he waited on his lady with a This was served up, not on a table, but on the cudgel, and was preparing himself to make use lid of the trunk. Heaven knows what pretty of it. "Stop," said she, "I fancy that the things the husband heard all these famous tatlers right which you now pretend to have over me is publish in his praise. In such a case, a wise man not mentioned in our marriage-contract; and I must submit and give fair words. So did our declare to your worship you shall not exercise it." friend in the chest. His language was soothing, Such a distinct speech disconcerted the husband he begged pardon, and cried for mercy. The so much, that he laid down his cudgel, and only ladies were so good as to forgive him, and let him began to scold her. "Get out of my house," out of the trunk. To reward him for his good said he, "and let us share our goods." "Rea-behaviour they gave him the remainder of the dily," said she, "I am willing to leave you;" custards and tarts. He was thus completely cured and each began to set aside the moveables. The of his brutality, and was afterwards cited as a lady loosens the window curtains, and the gen-model for good husbands; so that it was suffi tleman unlocks an enormous trunk in order to fill it with his property; but as he was leaning over to place some articles at the bottom, she

cient to say to those who were not so, take care of the trunk, to make them as gentle as lambs, like himself.

MR. EDITOR,

THE OLD BACHELOR.

[ocr errors]

gave a toleration of existence within my dwelling) the superintendence of my kitchen and pantry. She died some months ago; and this calamity, which I felt with all the poignant anguish that ever bereaved such a man as me of peace, has brought upon me a thousand others, that force me to lay my grievances before the world, that I may receive from this generous and feeling age an appropriate sympathy in all my

I AM an old bachelor, who have been accustomed for many years to enjoy domestic order and tranquillity. My only household companions have hitherto been my dog, my cat, and an old woman. The latter of these had been servant to my mother; and from the time I was weaned till I was sent to school, she was my dry-nurse and guardian. When I grew up to man's estate, and had the misfortune to lose those reatives who dwelt in family with me, I felt a strong repugnance o wedlock; and being of a calm temperate disposition of body and mind, I left love and marriage to those folks that liked them.ply her place. This was easily found, at least I I resolved, therefore, to live in a recluse way, and to give old Martha, my dry- nurse, (the only human animal to whom, in the female shape, I

bitter sorrows.

When I recovered from the affliction-I suffered, by the loss of my faithful Martha, 1 instituted the necessary inquiries after a fit person to sup

thought so, for the advertisement I put into the newspaper had not been a day published, when about half a dozen middle aged women made

imposture, and the friends of sinners. Yes, these written papers contained the most abominable falsehoods that ever were penned by profligacy, and conceived by jesuitical morality. This one

My fortitude forsakes me, Mr. Editor, when I think of my sad afflictions; and I must now, when language fails me, seek utterance in

A BACHELOR.

their appearance, and produced an abundance of ||(O tempora! O mores!) every one of them bore characters, testificats, and so forth. I read over, written papers in their hands, subscribed by per. one by one, these laudatory documents; and was sons of reputed respectability in town, but who, puzzled in my choice from among the applicants, in my apprehension, deserve to be in the very not so much by the deficiency, as the supera-worst repute as liars, impostors, at least abettors of bundance of praise which was bestowed upon each. Every one seemed better than another; and at last, my choice was determined, by the circumstance of one of the competitors for favour having a nose resembling that of my great-grand-stole-that one drank-a third did worse, &c. mother, whom I had seen when I was a boy. Well, my great-grandmother's nose-likeness entered on my service, and moved through the house for eight days with great circumspection." expressive silence." But before a month had elapsed, I found, although she had served successively the ladies of a lord, a shoemaker, and a parson (every one of whom gave her a written character, as excellent as language could make it), that she was lazy, stupid, and withal had a tongue that never ceased to make the " roof and rafters dirl." This would not do for me; and I dismissed her. I had kept the names of the other persons, who also brought me characters, as they called them; and having discovered their respective places of abode, sent for, and employed them the one after the other. In the space of three months I have had trial of four servants, not one of whom could either do the duties of a good servant, or refrain from the mal-practices of the very worst; yet

P. S. I have recovered my temper so far as to be able to put one or two serious questions. Can any man or woman, of sound moral principles, reconcile to these the false assertions which they write and speak in favour of servants who are about to leave their employ? Do they not consider, that a servant is frequently the means of rendering a whole family very happy, or exItremely uncomfortable? And can any honest mind think the solemn and serious declaration of an untruth, which is followed by consequences so momentous, a thing of a very light and trivial nature?

THE LADIES' TOILETTE; Or, ENCYCLOPÆDIA OF BEAUTY. [Continued from Page 31.]

CHAP. XII.

History of French Fashions continued.

THIS was quite sufficient to revive the use of hoops. They did not, however, make their appearance immediately; the women were apprehensive of a blockade, and durst not all at once exhibit themselves in public with such a vast appendage. They were at first talked of, and that is something; soon afterwards the actresses began to appear in them on the stage, and set the whole female world still more agog to adopt the fashion. Fear still restrained them; the elegantes durst not exactly copy the actresses; they began therefore with wearing criardes, a kind of buckram plaited about the hips, and thus took the first step towards disfiguring the shape. It may easily be conceived that these criardes were thought enchanting. At length, the following summer (1715), two women of quality,

under pretext of the heat of the weather and their embonpoint, wore hoops at home, and soon ventured to exhibit themselves in the Tuileries. They at first appeared only in the evening, and took the useful precaution of passing through the orangery, to avoid entering by the ordinary gates which were always beset with the party-coloured gentry with whose insolence they were well acquainted. They presently shewed themselves more boldly, and being followed by others of the sex, the fashion soon became so general that not a woman was seen without a hoop. Some years afterwards, as we are informed by the Mercure de France, the wives of mechanics, and the very servant maids, would not go to market without hoops, and they had swelled to such a size as to be three ells in circumference.

the way from La Chapelle to Versailles. This was at that time a very common practice.

The Queen herself set the example of these absurd dresses. She contrived for her sledgeraces, says the author of the Secret Correspon

of these head-dresses represented lofty mountains, enamelled meadows, silvery streams, thick forests, English gardens; an immense plume of feathers supported the whole edifice behind.

This certainly was not the era of good taste among the women of France. With paint and powder employed to an excessive degree, with frizzled hair, ridiculous head dresses and hoops, what more could be wanting to disfigure the finest woman? In 1718 Lady Mary Wortleydence, a head-dress of prodigicus height. Some Montague visited Paris; she was struck with the dress of the ladies, and drew this picture of it, which was not very flattering:-"I must tell you something of the French ladies. I have seen all the beauties, and such (I cannot help making use of the coarse word) nauseous creatures! so fantastically absurd in their dress! so monstrously unnatural in their paints! their hair cut short and curled round their faces, and so loaded with powder that it makes it look like white wool! and on their cheeks to their chins, unmercifully laid on a shining red japan, that glistens in a most flaming manner, so that they seem to have no resemblance to human faces. 1 am apt to believe that they took the first hint of their dress from a fair sheep newly

ruddled."

Such, nevertheless, was the costume of the females of the gay age of Louis XIV. and during the reign of his successor. The most barbarous head dresses then bore the most ridiculous names; such were the head-dresses en papillon, en chien fu, à oreilles d'épagneul, en marrons, en vergettes, en bichon, &c.

But it was under the last of the French kings that extravagance in the head-dress was carried to the highest possible pitch. The women then wore such lofty head dresses that they were obliged to kneel in their carriages. It is a fact which will scarcely be believed, but many women are still living who formerly submitted to this little inconvenience of the fashion, and I know some who recollect it perfectly well. I shall never forget an anecdote related to me a few years since by one of my friends. He was at La Chapelle, near Paris, with some of his acquaintance, who were preparing to set off for Versailles; they were going to a court ball, and their dress was in the highest style of elegance. My friend was extremely surprised at the manner in which these two ladies placed themselves in their carriage: the height of their feathers would not allow them to sit in it, they therefore both knelt down opposi'e to each other, and in this uncomfortable posture they proceeded all

It was at this time that the celebrated Carlini, performing in an Italian piece before the Queen, took the liberty of putting in his hat a plume of peacock's feathers of excessive length. This plume being perfectly straight and erect, was too high for any door, which gave occasion to the harlequin to perform a thousand antics. It was intended to punish him for his presumption, but it was found that he had acted by the orders of the King, who had not even the power to lower the Queen's head dress.

Those who may be curious to make the whole round of the foolish, ridiculous, or absurd fashions of the reign of Louis XVI. need only turn over the public prints of the time, where they will find an abundant harvest of extravagances. The Journal de Paris then announced the new fashions. I shall here introduce only two adver tisements taken at random from among a hundred others in that journal. These specimens will be sufficient to convey an idea of the taste prevailing at that period, which is not very far distant.

October 16, 1778.-" Aujourd'hui on offre aux dames un chapeau à l'amiral. On verra chez Mademoiselle Fredin, marchande de modes, à l'écharpe d'or, rue de la Féronnerie, un chapeau sur le quel est representé un vaisseau, sans voiles, avec tous ses agrets et apparaux, ayant ses canons en batterie, et il est executé avec autant de precision que de gout."

January 1780.-" On trouve chez Mademoiselle Saint-Quentin rue de Clery, des poufs en trophée militaire: les étendarts et les timbales posés sur le devant ont un effet trés agréable.”

Such was the taste when the Revolution produced an universal change. Here, therefore, I shall conclude my historical sketch of French fashions.

(To be continued.)

CURIOUS ANECDOTE OF MARY OF SAVOY, WIFE OF ALPHONSO, KING OF PORTUGAL.

WHILE that consummate General, Marshal Schomberg, was in Portugal, in the years 1667,|| 1668, the King Alphonso was married to Mary of Savoy, a princess of French extraction by the mother's side. But the King was either unwise, er savage, or both; and without believing more than half what historians have reported of him, there yet remains enough to prove, that he was defective both in mind and body. His mother had perceived his imbecility, and had destined the crown to his younger brother, Don Pedro. Alphonso remembering this, treated his brother harshly: he also treated his Queen rudely, and hereby produced a sympathy between the suffer ers, which was not calculated to rest in mere commiseration. The confessor of the Queen was a Jesuit; the confessor of Don Pedro was a Jesuit also. The sway of these holy fathers was equally prevalent in politics and in religion, over the consciences of their charge; while their regard to the promotion of the power of their order was insuperable, incessant, and indefatigable. These confessors, well acquainted with the secrets of their penitents, plotted to give the state a new King, and the Queen a new husband, by raising Don Pedro to the throne. This, at length, they effected. They deceived and terrified the King's Minister, the Comte of Castelmelhor, into flight; they spread reports which alienated the minds of the people from their sovereign, who was, at length, arrested, dethroned, divorced, and his place supplied by his brother.

waiting for her in the chapel. As it was the custom to hear mass together, kneeling at the same desk, she dressed herself in all haste, yet could not arrive before the elevation of the host; she was, consequently, obliged to hear a second mass, while the King, who had performed his duty, quitted the chapel.

Scarcely had the King left the place, when the Queen recollected the letter from the Duke of Schomberg, which she had left in her bed. Terrified at the thought, she imparted her situa tion and heedlessness to her confessor, who was kneeling beside her. He instantly took on himself the office of securing this dangerous com munication, and ran in all speed to the Queen's apartment. But, what was his confusion, when informed that the King was there!

As the confessor was not privileged to enter the Queen's sleeping apartment in her absence, he stopped a moment at the door to listen, and overheared the King walking about the room very hastily, and speaking with great warmth to the Countess of Castel melhor, the first lady of the bed-chamber to the Queen.

The confessor returned with this terrific account; on which, the Queen, in great consternation, committed the business to one of her ladies in whom she confided. But, when this lady entered the chamber, she beheld the King lying along on the Queen's bed.

There remained now no resource but in the Queen herself, who must run every risk.-But the mass was not ended; and to have withdrawn before its close, would have occasioned infinite scandal. The confessor, in this extremity, advis ed her to feign sickness: she suddenly swooned

During the discussions necessary to bring about this revolution, the Queen was advised to consult the Duke of Schomberg, as to measures to be taken. The Jesuit confessor informed the general of the situation of things at court; but the Pro-away, and was carried to her chamber. testant soldier did not at once enter into the in- The King, alarmed and affected at this sight, tentions of the Catholic churchman; neither ordered the Queen's bed to be made instantly. eloquence nor subtilties convinced him: however, This was the only incident wanting to change the a correspondence was established between the Queen's feigned swoon into a paroxysm of des. Duke and the Queen, which, of course, was pair; she, therefore, appeared to revive a little, conducted with the utmost privacy. One even- and, in the feeblest accents, intreated to be placed When there, she ing, very late, the Queen received a long letter, on the bed just as it was. wherein the Duke had given his advice, with full felt all around her, and, at length, found the fatal letter which had caused her so much misery. detail of particulars, on the subject entrusted to him. As the night was advanced, the Queen It had not been detected, because it had remainretired to bed, sent away her women, under pre-ed covered by her night clothes! She therefore tence of certain devotions which had been enjoin-recovered, by little and little, from her well-acted ed her, got into bed, read the letter, and went to fainting, and her real horrors. sleep. In the morning, before she was risen, she received notice that the King was already

Such are the risks attendant on confidential communications and intrigues at Courts!

« PreviousContinue »