500

Mr. Courtenay on removing Grease from Paper.

utterly discarded by every rank in the kingdom! for until this and other barbarous practices be abolished, Britain can never deserve the title of a completely civilized nation.

"If we consider this practice in a moral point of view, its effects on the manners and dispositions of the people will be obvious. Cruelty, revenge, envy, malice-in short, all the deadly passions that infest the human mind, not excepting murder itself, are by these savage exhibitions called into active operation. A child, brought up amongst a society of cockers, whatever may be his external appearance, will undoubtedly in the frame and culture of his mind be little removed from the uncultivated barbarian. The dreadful inhumanity of those addicted to such sports, is strikingly and affectingly displayed in the following relation of the death of a cocker, extracted from a periodical journal for April, 1789: Died, April 4th, at Tottenham, John Ardesoif, esq. a young man of large fortune. Mr. A. was very fond of cockfighting, and had a favourite cock, upon which he won some profitable matches. The last bet he laid on this cock was lost; which so enraged him, that he had the bird tied to a spit, and roasted alive before a large fire. The screams of the miserable animal were so affecting, that some gentlemen who were present at tempted to interfere, which so enraged Mr. A, that he seized a poker, and with the most furious vehemence declared that he would kill the first man who interposed; but, in the midst of his passionate asseverations, he fell down dead apon the spot! Such, we are assured, were the circumstances attending the death of this pillar of humanity. On reading this awfully-affecting narrative, eur pity is not more excited towards the niserable sufferer, than towards his hel lish tormentor, called to appear at the tribunal of his maker with all his imperfections on his head."

Hoping that these remarks will meet the eye of some who scruple not to enage in this cruel diversion, and that, in time, they will repent and reform, I am, ANTILANISTA.

N.B. For further information respect ing the origin of cock-fighting, I refer your readers to Claudius Alian, in whose works they will find, in the original Greek, a very accurate account of the origin and cause of the universality of this practice. The battle above alluded to was either that of Platea or Mycale, and may be placed about Olympiad 75,

[July 1,

2-A. M. 3526. The origin of the custom, however, must be dated from a remoter period; for Themistocles encouraged his countrymen to adopt it from the example of the Barbarians.

MR. EDITOR,

I BEG leave to answer the last query of your correspondent T. S. (in p. 331, of your excellent magazine for May last) viz. "How to remove spots of grease from paper without damage to it," from a tried valuable recipe.

Gently warm the paper that is stained with grease, wax, oil, or any other fat body; take out as much as possible of it by means of blotting-paper; then dip a small brush in the essential oil of turpentine, heated almost to ebullition, (for when cold it acts only very weakly), and draw it gently over both sides of the paper, which must be carefully kept warm. This operation must be repeated as many times as may be rendered necessary by the quantity of grease inbibed by the paper. When entirely removed, recourse must be had to the following method in order to restore the paper to its original whiteness :-Dip another brush in highly rectified spirit of wine, and draw it over the greased part.

If this method be employed with due caution, it will effectually remove the spots of grease, without obliterating the writing which may have been on the paper, or even the common printing-ink. I am, a real well-wisher,

ALBERT COURTENAY. Court-house, Taunton, May 13, 1815.

MR. EDITOR,

HAVING lately had an opportunity of inspecting some books and papers of an eminent political character deceased, I was amused by finding one of the smallest folio volumes I had ever seen, elegantly bound in red morocco, gilt, 3 by 2 inches in size, containing, by dint of large letters, wide spaces, and by giving all the dates and figures in words at length, about sixty pages, of the whole of which I subjoin an exact copy, as I think you will concur with me is wishing to preserve a transcript of this apparently unique record of the shortlived coalition administration of Lords Granville and Bath; and perhaps some of your numerous correspondents may explain the particular allusions contained in the words distinguished by the Italic character.

There are two plates in it, one comsisting of the royal arms facing the in

1815.]

History of the Grenville and Bath Administration.

primatur, and another of a coffin lid, and containing the arms of the two peers surmounted by an earl's coronet. Bedford-row, April 17, 1815.

T.

The surprising History of a late long Ad-
wonderful
ministration, shewing the
Transactions, the wise Negotiations, the
prudent Measures, and the great Events
of that most astonishing Period. by
Titus Livius, Jun.-London: Printed at
the sign of the Mushroom, in Pop-in
Alley, just popping out of King's Court.
1746. Printed for A. Moor. Price 6d.

501

molished in the twinkling of an eye. It
was prophesied in the London Evening.
Post, that several dark passages in our
modern annals were to be cleared up;
that certain trials which had been for
some time suspended, were to go on
without a screen; and many other great
to be accomplished. In
things were
order thereto several changes were to
be brought about; oue in particular is
told by a tart historian of the present
times in the following manner:-A cer
tain wag, well known by the name of
Will Waddel, played a comical unlucky
trick the other day with a companion of
his, who is lately come from Carlisle.
Will told this youth that he could pro
cure him an admirable place in the family
of a certain great man of his acquaint-
ance, and accordingly took the youth,
who had powdered and bedressed him-
self in a very extraordinary manner, to

ORDERED. G. R. Whereas our trusty and
well-beloved Trufle Mushroom has at
great labour and expence compiled the
History of our Administration, we have
thought proper, at his humble request, to
permit him to print it, and we order that
no other person do presume to pirate the
same at their peril
Done as one of our greatest acts
this last moment of our Admi-the gentleman's house. Will went in to
nistration.

INTRODUCTION.

GLE.
B-H.

There is not any thing so eagerly read by the public as those shining periods of history which are filled up with the important negotiations and sagacious conduct of some great politicians. But the qualities which must conspire to form an author capable of doing justice to so grand a period are so rarely to be met with, that it will perhaps be esteemed an unpardonable presumption in a common writer to attempt so arduous a task; yet invited by the grandeur of the subject, and spurred on by the love of glory, who can forbear to enter on the great design? The work will immortalize the workman. In hopes therefore of a glorious immortality, and truly inspired with the dignity of the subject, I sit down to write the ensuing history with all the candour, truth, and impartiality that becomes an historian, entering on the performance of so elaborate and magnificent a work.

Part the First.

On the 10th day of February, 1745, his Grace the Duke of Newcastle, and the Right Hon. the Earl of Hardwicke, resigned the seals into his Majesty's hand; and

The King was pleased to appoint the Right Hon. John Earl of Granville to be principal Secretary of State.

And now was to commence such a ⚫ revolution in our political conduct as was to astonish all Europe. The king of France, the Queen of Spain, the Devil and the Pretender were all to be des - NEW MONTHLY MAG,-No. 18,

the gentleman, and left his friend without to cool his heels, as the phrase is, in the anti-chamber, having acquainted him that he should soon be called in and hired. The Carlisle lad waited a long time expecting the return of Will, who had slipped down a pair of back-stairs and departed; at last the housemaid coming to sweep the rooms, found this young man walking backward and forward, and instead of getting his place, he narrowly escaped being carried before Justice de Veil, on suspicion of having a felonious design on the house.

Many other changes and experiments were to have been attempted, but Heaven always tries the virtues of a hero by some disappointment, which baulks his hopes and baffles all his great designs; as you will see in the second part of our important history.

Part the Second. '

On the 14th day of the same month of February, in the very same year of our Lord, 1745, the Right Hon. the Earl of Granville resigned the seals into his Majesty's hands, which his Majesty was pleased to re-deliver to his Grace the Duke of Newcastle, and to the Right Hon. the Earl of Hardwicke, and thus ended the second and last part of this astonishing administration, which lasted 48 hours, three-quarters, 7 minutes and 11 seconds, and which riay truly be called the most wise and most honest of all administrations; the minister having, to the astonishment of all men, never transacted any one rash thing, and what is more marvellous, left as much money in the treasury as he found in it. This VOL. III.

SU

Church Music-Defence of English Artists.

worthy history I have faithfully recorded in this mighty volume, that it may be read with the valuable works of our immortal countryman, Thomas Thumb, by our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, to the end of the world. Finis.

1815.]

Cruel Experiments on Animals.

ers, by not putting them high enough, he has shewn no delicate fear, nor any fear at all, of wounding the reputation of the English artists, his own countrymen, by thrusting them down without ceremony, and depreciating altogether "the many attempts made in this country to bring stained glass to a degree of perfection." I have no objection to an auctioneer's attempt to keep up the value of a property entrusted to him for sale, by every fair and honourable means; but as an honest man and an Englishman, I am offended at an unwarrantable attempt to puff off a French property, by undervaluing the talents, and unjustly depreciating the workmanship, of the whole body of English artists.

In page 40 of the same catalogue, I find the following extraordinary assertion: "The sizes of the pieces exceeding the possibility of any English artist undertaking such an attempt at any price."-This is an assertion which not only is not true, but which the writer himself must have known could not be true at the time he was writing it; for he well knew, although an English artist might fail, it was perfectly possible for any English artist to make the attempt. But in point of fact the assertion is NOT true; for which I refer to the noble window of stained glass in Salisbury cathedral, executed by Pearson, now living in Great Russell-street, Bloomsbury. Although that window, which is the admiration of all foreigners and natives who have seen it, is 21 feet high by 17 feet wide, it is so ingeniously and permanent ly cemented, as to present to the eye the appearance of one undivided piece of glass. The noble performances in stained glass at Fonthill, Brasennose, Middle Temple Hall, Grays Inu, and many other capital specimens, executed by the same British artist, are additional contradictions of the bold assertions of this catalogue writer.

In the above I have contented myself with having exposed the cruelty of this gross attack upon the whole body of the English artists, and the unwarrantable misrepresentations by which the writer has attempted to support that attack. Having discharged that duty, I take my leave; trusting that two respectable men like Messrs. Robins have had no band, or intentional share, in the transaction. VERITAS.

MR. EDITOR, I CONSIDER it as one among many of the useful purposes of a miscellaneous

503

journal, (and none possess that merit in a higher degree than yours,) that it enables persons who are not authors by profession to communicate their sentiments of praise or censure on those who are; and thus a more correct expression of the general feeling is obtained than can be collected from the review, or any other vehicle, by which one author abuses another or praises himself.

The immediate subject which suggested the above observation, and prompted my availing myself of the publicity your pages will afford, is an article in that very respectable scientific publication of Dr. THOMSON's, The Annals of Philosophy; in the number of which for February last occurs an article which is calculated to excite at once indignation and disgust in every well constituted mind.

It is a communication from a Dr. John Cross, of Glasgow, on the use of the cerebellum, on the spinal marrow, and on respiration. The author sets out in it by a fulsome annunciation of what he calls a discovery, but which is nothing more than a fanciful theory most inconclusively supported. Of him or his theory your readers would probably have been spared the trouble of ever hearing from me, but for what I consider the unpardonable means resorted to by him for attempting to establish it, by the most cruel experiments on living animals; a practice too wantonly adopted, and from which I defy any surgeon to prove that the slightest benefit has ever resulted by analogy to the human subject.

Those whose souls have been harrowed up, or even hardened, by the recol lection of Spallanzani's experiments on frogs, Sir E. Home's on thousands of rabbits, and Mr. Brodie's on the effect of poisons, will still recoil with horror from the paper in question; and nothing but a hope to check an evil of such magnitude would induce me to make the quotation at which I shudder while I write.

"I was at length tempted to use the trephine upon living animals. Having cut out a circular piece of the occipital bone of a sheep, and laid bare the cerebellum, I applied pressure upon it with the handle of a scalpel; iminediately the ears, eyes, mouth, tongue-in short, the whole muscles about the head and face, became convulsed. On thrusting the handle of the scalpel through the cerebellum upon the medulla oblongata, the muscles of the body were at the same time convulsed. On pressing upon the