commisseration of pretended friends, he family, is first served; at his solitary pile of rice, placed on fresh plantain hastened to join it. In the memorable repast, he is waited on by his wife, who leaves, and garnished with curries of difmutiny which some time afterwards broke helps him and supplies him with what ferent kinds; the ladies do the same, colOut in this regiment at Edinburgh, when he wants. The turn of the mistress of lected within the house. Both parties they seized possession of Arthur's Seat, help themselves with their hands, and eat and set the power of government at defi the house is next, and of the younger from the common pile. This mode of ance, Salmon is said to have been called children who cannot help themselves eating, peculiar to the marriage feast, is upon, in consequence of his knowledge of without a mother's care; the rest of esteemed proof of good fellowship, and English, and superior address, to take the the family eat last, and their portion is should any one hesitate to partake, he management for his comrades of the ne- what remains. Among poor people, would be considered an enemy, and gociation which ensued for their return these distinctions are little attended to, be driven away. After the repast, the to duty. The regiment was ultimately and the family all eat together. Though bridegroom enters the house, meets the embarked for India, and Salmon was not a convivial, the Singalese are a 80- change balls, made of rice and cocoa-nut bride attended by her friends; they exheard of no more. Of the merits of a writer of whose cial people, great gossips, and when milk; and he presents her with the piece works we know so little, it would be rash not seriously occupied, visiting and of white cloth and with the jewels and orto form any conclusive judgment. The conversation are their principal amuse-naments he has brought. All this having pieces which have happened to survive ments. On such occasions, the men been transacted in silence, he retires, the general fate of his productions, may, and women form their respective cir- and he returns to the mandoo. The night perhaps, be those which were least enti- cles, and are never seen mixed in so- is passed by the company in telling stotled to have any influence on the deci-ciety. Old bachelors and old maids ries and in conversation; the next mornsion. He appears to have been rather a writer who promised much, than who had are rarely to be seen among the Singa-ing, the bride, led by the bridegroom, and accompanied by all their friends, is lese; almost every man marries, and conducted to his father's house, where These two parts are, like their prede-of the union are settled by the pa-feast, similar to the preceding. The womarries young, and the preliminaries the ceremony is concluded with another cessor, each embellished with a group rents:of fine portraits, elegantly engraved. man's dower generally consists of houseWhen a young man has reached hold goods and cattle, but rarely of the age of eighteen or twenty, he is con-land.' realized much.' An Account of the Interior of Ceylonsidered marriageable, and it is the duty Though polygamy and concubinage By John of his father to provide him with a proper wife. The father having selected a family of his own caste and rank, pays the master and of its Inhabitants. Davy, M. D., F. R. S. (Concluded from p. 627.) of it a visit, and if the information he re are contrary to the religion of the Singalese, yet they indulge in both, particularly the former, and it is remarkable that in the Kandyan territory, as in Tibet, a plurality of husbands is much more common than of wives. One woman has frequently two husbands, and Dr. Davy says he has heard of one case, where a woman had as many as seven. THE Singalese have, from time imme-ceive respecting the lady's dower be samorial, indulged in that preference so tisfactory, he formally proposes his son. natural and common to an agricultural Soon after the father of the lady returns people, of living either in very small the visit, to learn the circumstances of the villages, consisting of a few houses, or young man, the establishment he is to detached habitations, separated from have, and his prospects in life. If both each other only by the extent of land parties are so far satisfied, the father of the occupied by each individual. Their friend, to see the lady, and inquire reyoung man makes another visit to his We pass over the history of Ceylon, dwellings are generally in low and specting her qualifications, age, and dis- as one of the least interesting chapters sheltered situations. The economy of position. He is contented if she is young- of the volume, and proceed to Dr. a Singalese family is very simple;er than his son, in good health, free from Davy's travels in the island, from they have about them, and in their ulcers and corporal blemishes, possessed which we shall make a few extracts, neighbourhood, almost every thing of a pretty good disposition, and acquaint- and first of Adam's Peak, which is an they require, and the occupations of ed with the ordinary duties of a house-immense mountain, of a conical form, the different members of the family wife. On his return home, he desires his are well defined. The more laborious the young man enter the house, it is un-point :son to go clandestinely and see her; if rising rapidly and majestically to a: operations of agriculture, as plough-der a feigned name; and if he see his ining, embanking, &c. fall to the lot of tended he must not address her. The the men; and the lighter, as weeding day of the marriage being fixed, and the and assisting in reaping, to the women. hour determined by an astrologer, the The care of the house and the manage bridegroom and his family, their relations inent of the household affairs belong and friends, proceed to the house of the almost exclusively to the latter, and bride, accompanied by people carrying constitute their peculiar duties. The bearing a large pingo, laden not only with provisions, and by four men in particular, Singalese rise at dawn of day, and re-all sorts of provisions, but likewise with a tire to rest about nine or ten o'clock piece of white cloth, and with jewels and at night. They sleep on mats, either ornaments, varying in number and rich- We arrived at the top of the mountain on the floor or on couches, with a fire ness, according to the means of the indi-a little after three o'clock. The magnigenerally in the room. Their princi-vidual. The party set out in time to ar- ficent views of the surrounding scenery pal meal is at noon, and consists of rive towards evening; they find a mandoo amply repaid us for a laborious march, rice and curry, which is generally com- (a temporary building) prepared for their and all the little difficulties we had to posed of red pepper, salt, lime-juice, friends of the lady assembled to meet reception, a feast in readiness, and the contend with. and the dried skin of the gorka. Their them. In the middle of the mandoo, meals are short and unsocial; the which is covered with mats, the men of master of the house, the father of the both parties seat themselves round a large 'Near the summit, the ascent is so precipitous, that were it not for iron chains fixed to the rocks, small indeed would be the number of those who would complete their pilgrimage; even with the help of these chains, accidents occasionally occur, and lives are lost; only a fortnight behere; looking down, they became giddy fore (we were told) two natives perished and frightened, fell, and were dashed to pieces. From the surrounding scenery our curiosity soon led us to examine the summit of the mountain, and the object which induces thousands annually to undertake this weary pilgrimage. The summit is very small; according to the measurement made by Lieut. Malcolm (the first European who ascended the peak), its area is seventy-four feet by twenty-four. It is surrounded by a stone wall five feet high, built in some places on the brink of the precipice. The apex of the mountain is a rock, which stands in the middle of the inclosure, about six or eight feet above the level ground. On its top is the object of worship of the natives, the Sreepada,-the sacred impression, as they imagine, of the foot of Boodhoo, which he stamped on his first visit to the island. It is a superficial hollow, five feet three inches and three-quarters long, and be tween two feet seven inches and two feet five inches wide. It is ornamented with a margin of brass, studded with a few gems, of little value: it is covered with a roof, We passed the night on the moun- rived, consisted of several men and A priest, in his yellow robes, stood on which is fastened to the rock by four iron chains, and supported by four pillars; and it is surrounded by a low wall. The roof was lined with coloured cloths, and its margin being decked with flowers and streamers, it made a very gay appearance. The cavity certainly bears a coarse resemblance to the figure of the human foot: were it really an impression, it is not a very flattering one, or the encomiums which are lavished on the beauty of the feet of Boodhoo are very improperly bestowed. It is hardly worth inquiring how it was formed, and whether it is intirely or only partly artificial. From its appearance and other circumstances, I believe it to be partly natural and partly ar-gious faith and duties; and, in response, tificial. There are little raised partitions they repeated the same after him. When to represent the interstices between the he had finished, they raised a loud shont; toes; these are certainly artificial; for a and he retiring, they went through the minute portion, which I secretly detach- same ceremony by themselves, with one ed, was a mixture of sand and lime, simi- of the party for their leader. lar to common cement, and altogether different from the rock itself. Lower wives affectionately and respectfully saAn interesting scene followed this, down, on the same rock, there is a little luted their husbands, and children their niche of masonry, dedicated to Samen, parents, and friends one another. An old who is also worshipped on the Peak, be- grey-headed woman first made her sa ing considered the guardian god of the lems to a really venerable old man; she mountain. Within the inclosure is a was moved to tears, and almost kissed small house of one room, the residence of his feet; he affectionately raised her up. the officiating priest; and this and two Several middle-aged men then salemed small huts outside the parapet, is all the the patriarchal pair; these men were sasbelter that the mountain affords. There lemed in return by still younger men, is nothing else on the summit deserving who had first paid their respects to the of notice, that I am aware of, excepting a old people; and, lastly, those nearly grove of Rhododendrons (rhododendron of the same standing slightly saarboreum), which, studded with large red lemed each other, and exchanged betelflowers, made a very handsome appear- leaves. The intention of these salutaance. It is situated on the east and tions, I was informed, was of north-east side of the mountain, immedi- kind,-to confirm the ties of kindred, to ately outside the parapet, and is consider-strengthen family love and friendship, and the natives say was planted by Samen, Each pilgrim makes some offering to immediately after the departure of Bood- the impression of the foot and to Samem. hoo, and that it is peculiar to the peak, I observed several of them: one preand found in no other part of the island. sented a few small pieces of copper coin, The latter assertion I have since ascer- another some betel leaves, another some tained to be quite erroneous; the tree is areka nuts, another some rice, and another common on all the higher mountains of a piece of cloth. The offerings were the interior, and it occasionally makes its placed on the impression, and almost imappearance at elevations little exceeding mediately removed, by a servant who two thousand feet above the levelof the sea. stood by for the purpose; they are the ed sacred. This shrub, or rather tree, remove animosities. a moral perquisites of the chief priest of the Malwatte Wiharè. Before the pilgrims descend, they are blessed by the priest, and exhorted to return to their homes, and lead in future virtuous lives? At Gannithenè, Dr. Davy visited an elephant snare, which is merely asquare space of small dimensions, surrounded by strong palisades, having a tree in the middle, and a narrow entrance. The manner in which elephants are taken is very simple: The wild animals are first driven to Kandy, and then, if approved of, to this place. When an elephant enters the inclosure, he is fastened to the tree by means of a noose, and his feet are properly secured by strong ropes. From the inclosure he is led to an adjoining spot; a firmly to trees, and he is not allowed to shed is built over him; his feet are tied lie down. We found six elephants in less shackled, according to the subjugaprogress of taming,-their limbs more or tion effected. They were all extremely lean, and miserable objects to look at. More than half of those caught die during their confinement; they seem to pine for the lost blessing of liberty; they retion." fuse to eat, and generally die of starva ples, which, with the palace, are the The city of Kandy abounds in temprincipal objects worthy of notice: The palace did occupy a considerable portion of ground. Its front, about two hundred yards long, made rather an imposing appearance; it looked towards the different temples, and rose above a handsome moat, the walls of which were pierced with triangular cavities, for purposes of illumination. At one extremity it was terminated by an hexagonal building of two stories, called Pateripooa, in which the King, on great occasions, appeared to the people assembled in the square below. At the other extremity it was bounded by the women's apartments, on the front of which the sun, moon, and stars, (not of gallantry, but as insignia of royalty,) were carved in stone, and in which, at the public festivals, the King and his ladies stationed themselves to diate space was occupied chiefly by the great entrance to the palace, and by the temple (the Dalada Malegaiva,) a little in the rear. The entrance was by a draw-bridge over the moat, through a of huge steps, and through another archmassive archway, on one hand up a flight way to the hall of audience; and on the other hand, up another flight of steps, to the temple and the hexagonal building.' witness the processions. The interme At Memoora there is a nitre cave, which our author thus describes : The first view of the place was exceedingly striking. A large cave appear ed in a perpendicular face of rock, about three hundred feet high, crowned with forests, at the base of which was a stage or platform of rubbish, that seemed in dan-way by a horde of rebels in a thick jun-ably skilled on the three divine in ger of sliding into a deep wooded valley, closed in by mountains of considerable elevation and remarkable boldness. The cave was two hundred feet deep, and at its mouth, which was nearly semicircular, about eighty feet high, and one hundred wide. Its floor was rocky and steep, rapidly ascending inward, and its extremity was narrow and dark. To facilitate the ascent, ladders were planted in the most difficult places. The workmen whom I found at their labours, sixteen in number, were the rudest set of artificers gle, who fired on the detachment from Badulla, at two miles distance, through I ever witnessed; their bodies, almost some hundred Kandyans, to report the Some observations on the effects of the climate,' on the diseases of Ceylon,' and an Appendix of Proclamations and other State Papers, close this valuable volume. The engravings are numerous and well-executed. struments to which those beauties degraded by droning sing-song. tunes. We be Congregations are in a great degree led by a humdrum organist or desk-professor, whose pious orgies,' of course, are rehearsed at home, for the elasticising of the spirits of a select tea party. It is a subject much to be lamented, that social meetings are not more cultivated in the more retired and serious walks of society; and it is worthy of prominent remark, that where they are so, the little differences of religious and political opinions, (for they are too often found to exist under the same influence,) are softened into unity, peace, and concord. lieve it to have been a reason with composers of eminence generally, that the poetry, which is not considered strictly The Beauties of Mozart, Handel, evangelical and orthodox, has been Pleyel, Haydn, Beethoven, and other more suitable, from possessing more celebrated Composers; adapted to taste, grace, and expression, than the Words of Popular Psalms and poems approved by staid divines, upon Hymns, for One or Two Voices; a par of mediocrity with the redoubted with an Accompaniment and appro- Sternhold and his successors. Time, priate Symphonies for the Piano- that brings the eternal round of excelforte, Organ, or Harp. By an Emi-lence and beauty to pass, we are pernent Professor. Music 4to. 1821. suaded, will lead the above collection editor of this volume of harmony, is Dr. WE have heard it whispered, that the of beautiful compositions into the Busby; whether this be true or false, we cannot state; it might be him, or Latrobe, or any one else out of a hundred professors that could be named in the musical world. But whispers are nothing to us, because we look at the execution of the work, not to the name attached to it, nor the concealment of the eminent professor! with whom we entirely agree, that it is a pity the Devil should have all the best music.' Some have objected to the adaptation of right pleasant melody' to psalms THESSALIAN MARTYRS. and hymns and spiritual songs,' under (From Pouqueville's Travels in Greece.) an idea that, however the voice may be EUTHYMUS Blachavas, renowned and engaged, the mind will return to quoted as the last of the brave ThessaPray Goody please to moderate,' lians, was awakened at the noise of or the lip still covet The rich ambro-arins which the northern nations caused sia of thy Breath,' or Drink to me to be heard at Lovcha, in Thrace, in only with thine Eyes.' Be it remem- 1809. He had invited to a last effort bered,' there are thousands of lovely all the generous sons of Thessaly, who women and anti-corinthian youths, were prepared to sacrifice themselves This small party was beset about mid-with sweet voices, who are toler- for liberty. Olympus, Ossa, and In an earlier part of this volume, Dr. Davy states, that this nitre cave is a very compounded rock, consisting of calespar, felspar, quartz, mica, and tale, in a humid state, exposed to the air, and slowly decomposing, strongly impregnated with saltpetre.' One hundred parts of this compound rock were found to consist of 2.4 nitrate of potash. 0.7 nitrate of magnesia. 0.2 sulphate of magnesia.. 9.4 water. 26.5 carbonate of lime. 60.7 earthy matter, insoluble in lute nitric acid.' di The remaining part of Dr. Davy's tour contains an account of all the principal objects in the country through which he travelled, but there is nothing particularly striking, and we shall only quote a singular instance of heroism which occurred at Passera, during the rebellion of 1818. Lance-corporal M'Laughlin, of the 72d, with four rank and file of that regiment, six Malays, and six Singalese, were on their march for Passera to Badulla:- ̈ hearts of the rising generations without the least prejudice to their morals or happiness, and we hope that nurses will lullaby them to Watts, Cowper, and Barbauld, while engaged in fostering their infant charge into mental habitude and virtue. With reminding the editor of the too frequent accompaniments to a first edition, a few printer's discords and engraver's naturals, we recommend the work to our readers. protect you.-Executioners, apply the torture. At these words, pronounced with the energy of rage, the pages of the satrap concealed themselves while the executioners seized their victim, and Demetrius, of the order of St. Ba- threw him down at the feet of the tysilius, elevated by that evangelic cha-rant, who spat in his face. The holy rity which characterized the Apostles image was taken from him. Pointed in their persecutions, traversed in these reeds were driven into the nails of his stormy days the neighbouring cantons, fingers and toes. His arms were likein order to calm their minds and lead wise pierced by them, and at the them back to the yoke of obedience. height of his agony nothing escaped Denounced as a seditious person, and his lips but these words, Lord have taken with Blachavas, he appeared be- mercy on thy servant-Queen of Heafore the satrap of Janina loaded with ven pray for us.' The torture of the irons. It was wished that he should reeds being ended, there was applied name accomplices, in order to involve round his head a chain of ossalets, in the conspiracy the orthodox pre- which was forcibly tightened while lates, who occupied the ecclesiastical the executioner called out to him to thrones of Thessaly; but strong in name his accomplices, but the chain faith he testified the truth of the liv- broke without extorting from him a ing God, and his answers inflamed the murmur. The executioners, tired out, rage of the Vizir, which blazed out in begged that the torture might be susa dialogue worthy of being recorded pended till the following day, and the to Christendom as a monument belong-patient was precipitated into a damp dungeon. The satrap did not again attend the torture, which recommenced according to his orders, by suspending the victim with his head down over a fire of pitchy wood, with which they eter-slowly burnt the skin of his cranium. Othryx, were shaken; the Mahome- and patience-one of the disciples of Demetrius. God reigns from Demetrius. The venerable image Vizir.-I wish to see it. Vizir. It is thus that you mislead Demetrius.-My accomplices are Vizir. To your own you mean, you Demetrius. I glory in that name. They were afraid that his life might escape, and withdrew him from the chafing-pan to cover him with a table, on which the executioners mounted, and danced for the purpose of breaking his bones. Victorious in the last trial, Demetrius, having now passed through the torture of the reeds, the fire, and of the estrapado, was built into a wall, leaving his head out of the masonry. He was there supplied with nutriment, in order to prolong his agony. He died on the tenth day, invoking the name of the Almighty. His supernatural courage astonished Epirus, and his name was quoted as a saint. It was said, that even miracles were performed by it; and what cannot be doubted is, that his blood appeased the rage of the satrap, and that he was the last expiatory victim of Thessaly. Original Communications. A FRENCH ADVERTISEMENT. Demetrius.-Prodigies, say! The mother of our Saviour is our intercessor SIR,-In the forty-sixth number of with her immortal Son. She works the Affiches Universelles, a daily miracles for us every day, and every French paper, and the forty-first artiday I invoke her, cle, under the title Paris, is the followVizir.-Let us then see if she willing advertisement of a book-keeper and teacher of the French language, which I extract without alteration, viz.— ready attained to a certain age, how many years is it probable that it will M. Meinier, teneur de livres, still live? These are two questions, rue du Four St. Germain, No. 28, très the solution of which is not only cuconnu, enseigne la partie double simplifiéerious but important. en un mois de leçons. Il se charge de la vérification, de la rédacion de tous comptes et des arbitrages; et il peut en outre donner quatre heures par jour pour les livres d'une maison de commerce.BOOK-KEEPER and TEACHER of the French tongue, repair to dwelling-house.' What am I, Sir, to understand by the last sentence, which is in English? Does it imply that I am to repair to his dwelling house, or that he will repair to mine? This shows how ridiculous it is for persons to affect an understanding of another language, when they have but imperfectly learned their own. However, the twofold profession of keeper and teacher, I advise most strenuously to all young men who go raw from the country to London; and with what importance it would appear in our daily papers, under an advertisement like this: A young man from Lancashire wishes for a situation We shall here give two tables on this subject, one by M. Dupré de St. Maur, and the other by M. Parcieux. The table of M. Parcieux is formed from lists of annuitants : TIME TO LIVE. widowers to married women or widows, is nearly as 125 to 140; and the whole number of this class of society is, to the whole of the inhabitants, as 265 to 631.. Among 631 inhabitants, there are 118 married couples, seven or eight, widowers, and 21 or 22 widows. 1870 married couples give, annually, 357 children. The number of servants is to the whole number of inhabitants, as 136 to 1535 nearly. OXFORD ANECDOTES. JACOB BOBART-Was a German horticulturist, and came to England about the middle of the seventeenth century. He was appointed first superintendant of the physic garden in Oxford, founded in 1632, by Henry Earl of Danby. The catalogue of plants in the physic garden, published in 1648, was drawn up by J. Bobart, and is a favourable proof of his zeal and diligence. This catalogue was repub It may be deduced from the preced-lished in 1648, considerably improved, at the Bull and Mouth,' the Belle ing observations, that when the inhabi- and enlarged to more than double its Savage,' or Red Lion,' as book-keep-tants of a country amount to one mil-bulk; Bobart being assisted in the er and teacher of the English tongue. lion, the number of those of the differ- work, as he acknowledges, by Dr. Ladies boarding-schools regularly at-ent ages will be as follows: tended, repair to dwelling-house. But what may be considered propriety in France, is obviously the reverse in England. I am, Sir, your's, &c. R. Between 0 and 1 year complete 1 5 5 10 20 .... .... Philip Stevens and Wm. Brown, M. A. 38,740 A plant, in honour of Bobart, is called, 119,460 Bobartia, a genus formed by Linnæus, 99,230 and said to grow in the East Indies. 94,530 Under the care of Bobart and that of 82,380 his son, the garden continued to flou77,650 rish many years. Old Jacob died in 71,665 the garden house, February 4th, 1679, 64,205 aged eighty, and was buried in the church-yard of St. Peter in the East, where there is a monument to his me37,110 mory, against the wall of the church,, 28,690 On rejoicing days, he used to have his, venerable, beard tagged with silver.. He left two sons, Jacob and Tilleman, 2880 who were both employed in the physic 1025 garden. Jacob, who was a man of 335 learning, published the second volume of 'Morison's Oxford History of Plants,' 1699. An anecdote is told of, him, which implies somewhat of a hu mourous disposition, He found a large dead rat in the garden, and transformed it by art into the shape of a By taking a mean also, it is found dragon, as represented in old and cu that in twenty-five families, there is rious books of natural history, particuone where there are six or more chil-larly in Aldrovandus. This was shown. dren. ........ 70 .... .... 100 .... Above 100 years 13,195 7065 82 3 or 4 Total,... 1,000,000 The number of inhabitants of a country is to that of the families, as 1000 to 2224. The proportion of males and females in a country, are as 18 to 19. It is found, that there are three marriages annually among 337 inhabitants, so that 112 inhabitants produce one marriage. The proportion of married men or to various learned men, all of whom believed it to be a genuine and invaluable specimen of the dragon. Many fine copies of verses were written by the literati in honour of Bobart and his matchless discovery, and persons flocked from all parts to see it. Bobart owned the cheat some years after, 4 |