I LOVE to rise at dawn of day, And in the woodlands wild to stray, And musing linger there ;-- To ramble thro' the verdant fields, I love to hear the warbling songs throngs, And fields and forests fill :--- I love to view the cattle play And gambol o'er the mead ;--- Yes, dearest maid, thy blessings fair, And glisten in the dew ;-- Thou bidd'st flocks, birds, and woods impart Depriv'd of thee, these pleasures fail, Or soothe the ling'ring day ;--- And in my walks attend; At morning's dawn, beside the rill, But thro' the tempest gleams that stately tow'r A giant height,on which the Sun-beams show'r From the Literary Gazette, Aug. 1818. "THROUGH!" A Seal having the device of an arrow piercing a cloud cut upon it, with the motto Through,' occasioned the following lines from the pen of the German poet and soldier Korner. Linder, wreathed in mist, majesty, While thunder rolls between. 66 All else in nature blot, But save my fields in peace, My children and my cot!" Yes, prostrate at your prayers, Cowards, in dust remain,--He who in thunder moves Shall crush you on the plain !--Thus bells amid the storm To prayers the tremblers call, And to the turret draw The bright electric ball. Not such alone are placed In fell Destruction's sight--A glittering pompous train* I see in armour bright; Of danger consciousless, They silent steal along Toward the lightnings creep, That grow each flash more strong. That threats to lay you low. Your efforts will await. Through the dense cloud it flies, The bow's whole strength demands To speed it t'wards the skies. * Supposed to refer to saure of the Prussian soldiery. VOL. 4.] "Through"---it is flown---it sails In sunbeams all serene, In azure fields of air Beyond this stormy scene! Our watchword and our sign, Original Poetry. Made tigers waltz, and breath'd soft airs "Through,' brothers, “Through,' shall be Permitted scarce a morning call, To lead us from the field, By death to victory! Leave earth to vulgar souls, Heroes must look on high; No clods encumber them, Their path is on the sky! They head the burning clouds, The lightnings blaze below-- Above---their laurels grow! "Through!" lies their lovely land-- From the European Magazine. C. R. THE PROGRESS OF MUSIC. [By the author of "Legends of Lampidosa, &c."] Ν IN ancient Taste was young, The dulcet Virginal she strung, When stiff in carkanet and caul, Or stroll'd through alleys straight and dim, Of dwarfs and dames and barons old, In coif and bib the grandam yet Rejected Harpsichord !---with thee Like me, with worn-out tongue aad quill--- Now Taste is older, and the reign She taught strange fish a roundelay... To Music's feast, with joyful hums, The exile Conversation comes; When gas and ladies' eyes illume The glories of the Concert-room-- * * * * * * * * "Tis done---the final crash astounds--- 87 Of toys and tools, sits Music crown'd, Still triumph, Music !---still renew As sprigs and stones and wood-nymphs danc'd Bid waltzing nymphs stand still, and then Where grass should form a verdant seat, Should own the painted windows light; The oak-grown walk where rooks should call, Returning from their evening fight. The river, lost among the trees; The torrent rushing down the steep; Or watch the sun's expiring beam. We'd roam, nor fear the bowling blast. And starry concave, would proclaim That other worlds should see our love, And sanctify the glorious flame ! 88 Intelligence: Literary and Philosophical. [VOL. 4 INTELLIGENCE. NEW THEORY RESPECTING THE INTERIOR OF M THE EARTH!! R. Steinhauser, in Halle, has informed the world, through the medium of the Literary Gazette (of Halle,)that our Globe is a hollow ball, the interior of which perhaps contains a little Solar System. From a long series of observations on the variations of the Magnetic Needle, it seems to him to follow incontrovertibly, that at the depth of 170 (German, about 765 English) miles, a body revolves round the centre of the earth, from West to East, but very slowly, as it takes 440 years to accomplish one revolution. This body is endued with a very strong magnetic power, and is the cause of the variations of the Magnetic Needle. The calculations of M. Steinhauser, are stated to be perfectly consonant to experience; and he foretold, in 1805, that the Needle would first become stationary, and then, about the present time, return towards the East, which has in fact happened. Hitherto, navigators have merely judged impirically, from the variation of the Needle, whether they have been driven by currents too far to the East or the West: but in future they will observe the position of the subterraneous body, called Pluto, and thereby determine their position with as much certainty as by the most celestial phenomena! A letter from Copenhagen communicates the following details, upon the breaking up of the ice on the coast of Greenland: "Four hundred and fifty square miles of ice have recently detached itself from the eastern coast of Greenland and the neighbouring regions of the Pole. It was this mass which, during 400 years, had rendered that province at first difficult of access, and afterwards inaccessible, so as even to cause its existence to be doubted. Since 1786 the reports of the whalers have invariably referred to some changes, more or less consid erable, in the seas of the North Pole; but at the present time, so much ice has detached itself, and such extensive canals are open amidst what remains, that they can penetrate, without obstruction, as far as the 83d degree. All the seas of the North abound with these floating masses, which are driven to more temperate climates. A packet from Halifax fell in with one of these islands in a more southeru latitude than the situation of London; it appeared about half a mile in circumference, and its elevation above the water was estimated at 200 feet. This breaking up of the Polar ice coincides with the continual tempest from the South-east, accompanied with heats, rains, storms, and a very electrical state of the atmosphere: circumstances which, during three years, have caused us to experience in Denmark hot winters and cold humid summers.---On the 25th of May there fell at Copenhagen five showersof hail, to each of which succeeded a dead calm. Public curiosity has recently been much excited by the appearance and performances of two human salamanders, who, in the days of superstition, could, by resisting the last act of an Auto da fe, have been considered as saints or demons. We allude to a Spanish female, named Signora Giradelli, who has been exhibiting her powers at Edinburgh; and Ivan Ivanitz Chabert, a Russian, who has been displaying similar qualifications in the English metropolis. All the stories of St. John escaping from the cauldron of boiling oil, of Queen Emma walking bare-foot over the red hot plough-share, and of the Hindoos walking into nine inclosures with fiery balls of iron in their naked hands, now lose the impression which they were wont to produce, and almost sink into trifles, compared with the exploits of those incombustible persons. (See our 36th No.) The White Matter voided by snakes is almost entirely pure Uric Acid. (Dr. John Davy.) There is a longitudinal fissure in the poison teeth of serpents, which is not perceptible in those of a harmless kind. It is not long since it was a fashion among our fair sex to make their own shoes, but the rage seems to have gone by, notwithstanding the acknowledged quality of the ladies to stick to the last. Instead of cobbling, bookbinding has now its votaries. Three lessons make a proficient, and the teacher says it is a most useful, amusing, and elegant employ ment. AtGreenhill,parish of Ruthwell,died in his 76th year, Andrew Rome. This old man, with his brother, who still survives, and is about ten years older, was among the last of a daring and enterprising race of smugglers, who carried on an extensive contraband trade in Annandale, before the exclusive privileges of the Isle of Man were bought up and regulated by government. He was a native of the border parish of Dornock, but for the last forty or fifty years resided in the parish of Ruthwell, where he rented a farm under the Earl of Mansfield. The character of this old smuggler was strongly marked with the peculiar features of his illicit occupation, and would have formed a fine subject for the graphic pen of the author of "Guy Mannering." NEW WORKS. Biographical Conversations on the most eminent Voyagers of different Nations, from Columbus to Cooke; by the Rev. W. Bingley. Translations from Camoens, and other poets: with original poetry; by the author of "Modern Greece," and the "Restoration of the Works of Art to Italy." 8vo. 4s. Dr. Andrew Duncan will soon publish an Account of the Life, Writings, and Character, of the late Dr. Alex. Monro. An Account of the Small-Pox, as it appeared after Vaccination, will shortly appear, by Alexander Monro, M. D. professor of Anatomy in the University of Edinburgh; including, among many cases, three which occurred in the author's own family. "Some of the floating islands conveyed forests and trunks of trees. We notice this last fact principally for the satisfaction of Sir Charles Morgan, so well known to the geologists, who attribute to phenomena of literary world by his appendices to Lady this sort the blocks of foreign granite found Morgan's work on France, has put to press in the chain of the Jura mountains, and con- his Sketches of the Philosophy of Life. veyed at the epoch when our highest mountails were covered with water."--Gent. Mag. COL. JOHNSON'S JOURNEY OVERLAND FROM INDIA TO ENGLAND IN 1817. 4TO. WITH PLATES. A NY prefatory remarks would only taking up on his way a little child to "Near the door of the women's apartment stands the priest in his robes. He reads prayers for fifteen minutes over the child, which,laid on bedding, is held by the godfather. (There is no godmother, even at the christening of a girl, detain our readers from the enter- adjust the equilibrium. From the sight tainment which this Journey offers, and of an Arab bagpiper, Colonel Johnson as our opinion of its agreeable qualities supports the hypothesis, that this instrumay be gathered from the extracts as we ment originated in the East, and found proceed, we shall not stop for even one its way to the Highlands of Scotland introductory observation. Colonel through the channels of Greece and Johnson, accompanied by Captain Sal- Rome. There are some Armenian ter, having determined to return to Eng- families of great wealth in Bushire. A land by an overland route, instead of a christening at one of their principal sea voyage, left Bombay for Bushire in merchants is thus described :— the Gulf of Persia, in a large merchant vessel, about the middle of the month of February 1817. They touched at Muscat, where immense multitudes of a small fish, like Sardinias, are caught by throwing a net over the spot where they are observed," and as soon as sufficient the wife of the godfather being considtime has elapsed for the net to descend ered as holding that distinction,) The below the shoal of fish, one of the fish- godfather repeats many short sentences, ers, nearly naked, dives to the bottom dictated by the priest, as the name of of the net, which he collects together in the child, his promises as sponsor, &c. his arms. He then pulls a string con- 2dly. The child is removed into the nected with the net, which is gently women's apartment, the door is shut, drawn up, the diver ascending with it." and a prayer is read by the priest outThese divers remain from seventy to a side, holding the handle of the lock: bundred seconds under water. the door is then opened, and the priest, At Bushire, the Arabs are a strong, his assistant, a clerk, and the godfather, thickset, and muscular race. One par- enter; a large basin is placed at the taticular man carried upon his back a full ble, with four candles round it; in a pipe of Madeira; and, at another time, niche above the table is a golden cruci700 lb. of rice, in bags, for two miles, fix, studded with seven large precions M ATHENEUM. Vol. 4. 90 Singular Customs at Bushire. {VOL. 4 stones, and there is a long glass vessel book in contact with the mother's head; with sanctified oil. The priest prays when it is finished, the godfather bows over the basin; then the assistant puts to the company, and retires with the water into, first hot, then cold, bishop and priests to another suite of as required; he next immerses the cru- apartments on the side of the house apcifix in the basin of water, praying all propriated to the males, where a breakthe while, and his assistant responding. fast table is laid out for a numerous asThe godfather during this time holds sembly." the child flat on the bedding below him: Such is a rich Armenian baptism, of a little of the sanctified oil is then added the ceremonies at which we do not redrop by drop to the water, during which member to have read any account beprocess, the priest and his assistant fore. The ladies are not beautiful, chant, the crucifix being previously re- though they have fine black eyes, eyemoved from the water. 3dly. The brows, and hair; but habitual seclusion child, entirely naked, is taken up and renders them pale, and their very early put into the basin by the priest, who marriages prematurely old. with his hands laves every part of the On the road from Bushire to Shiraz, infant's body; it is then taken out and there are prodigious numbers of beggars wrapped up. The priest pronounces in a state of the utmost destitution and the baptismal name and some prayers, wretchedness. The way is also infested which the godfather repeats after him, by robbers, hut our countrymen passed and takes up the glass of oil, praying in safety. While at Kauzeroon, about all the while; then bringing it near the half way, they of course visited the celechild, he dips his thumb in the vessel, brated Shapour; but as this place and rubs oil first on the child's forehead, is so well described by M. Morier then behind each ear, subsequently on (whose second* Journey is, we observe, the chin, the eyes, mouth, and nose; with much satisfaction, just published, then the breasts, the hands, the back, and will speedily claim our attention) the abdomen, and the top of each foot, we shall very briefly dismiss the chief praying the whole time, and the points relatiug to it in Colonel Johnson's clerk responding. 4thly. The child be- narrative. Having with incredible faing dressed by the nurse in rich clothes, tigue attained the summit of the mounis given to the godfather, when the bish- tain which overhangs the valley where op comes in, invested in embroidered the sculptures are, he entered the cave robes and a black silk hood over his and examined the fallen statue. It is head, and attended by two or three of white lime-stone, as hard and compriests. The bishop places himself at the pact as marble: its extreme length from head of a procession formed of priests, 16 to 20 feet. From the plate, it seems two by two, followed by the officiating a curiously executed work, of an armpriest, next to whom is the godfather ed, bearded Jupiter-like giant, with a bearing the child; they pass in this order to the public apartment, where the females in their best dresses are assem. bled, sitting along three sides of the room on cushions placed near the walls. The mother, who is veiled, sits apart on cushions, as in state, on the other side. When the bishop enters the room, the ladies all rise and remain standing. The godfather places the child in the lap of the mother, who remains veiled as beThe account of the first journey thro' Persia, of fore. The bishop takes the book and this accomplished gentleman, published in 1812, is reads a short prayer, to which responses one of the most interesting books of travels we ever are given by the other priests. During read, and from the little we have had time to peruse this concluding part of the ceremony, the officiating priest holds a prayer- him sort of mural crown upon his head. About 400 feet within this stupendous and terribly sublime cavern is a tank of water, surrounded by grotesque formations of stalactites shooting upwards from the base and downwards from the roof. Shiraz did not strike our travellers, as they approached to it through the barren of the second, it seems to merit equal praise.-Ed. |