ON A PICTURE IN THE EXHIBITION,

CALLED THE DOUBTFUL SNEEZE.' The doubtful sneeze! a failure quiteA winker half, and half a gaper. Alas! to paint on canvass here What should have been on TISSUEpaper.(" London.")

EELS. Of the longevity of this fish, the following instance is recorded. John Meredith, an officer of excise, who resided in a cottage at Llanvas, Brecon, having, in the year 1781, caught a small eel, put it into a well in his garden, which is about nine feet deep, and three in diameter, but seldom contains more than two feet of water, except the neighbouring river, Usk, is swelled by floods, when it completely fills. Upon one inundation, in 1812, the eel above-mentioned appeared on the surface, and was caught in a pail, when, to use the language of Margaret Price (carrier from Brecon to Swansea), who tenanted the cottage at the time, it was

66

as

thick as her arm, and coiled round the pail from bottom to top." Thirty-one years it had existed in

its narrow abode, to which it was again consigned, and where it may probably still continue.

("Annals of Sporting.")

SHAKSPEARE's PLAY HOUSE.

SIR,-You are correct in stating the GLOBE, is now partly occupied by that the site of Shakspeare's Theatre, the Brewhouse of Barclay and Perkins. Perhaps the following account of a building which formerly occupied the remaining part, may not be unacceptable to your readers.

Some years after the destruction of the theatre, a meeting-house for Protestant Dissenters, occupying a space of 2000 square feet, was erected on a portion of the site. It was opened in 1672 by the Rev. T. Wadsworth, who had been ejected from the living of St. Thomas Poultney, by the Bartholomew Act. After him it had numerous ministers, of the Presbyterian persuasion, till, during the time of a Mr. John Ward, (who first embraced the opinions of Arius, and afterwards of Socinus) the congregation gradually deserted the chapel, and it was closed in 1752. It was afterwards opened by a sect of Dissenters called Independents, whose first minister was a Mr. M'Kenzie. He was succeeded by Mr. Charles Skelton, who preached here for several years ; but the society declining, he resigned his charge in 1776, and the house was again closed. It appears, however, to have been still used as a chapel occasionally, for the Rev. Sir H. Trelawney preached a charity-sermon here in the year 1789. It was shortly after converted into a warehouse; and subsequently into a mill to grind bones, which, for some time, formed a conspicuous object in this neighbourhood, but was pulled down in the month of TRUTH. February, 1820.

TRANS-ATLANTIC VARIETIES,

OR,

SELECTIONS FROM AMERICANA
JOURNALS.

(Resumed from page 196.)

REFINED LANGUAGE.-We transeribe the annexed elegant specimen of

dramatic criticism from the "New York Gazette" of the 7th September last:

66

Theatrical.-A part of the company attached to the Baltimore Theatre, are playing at Washington. A critic in the Georgetown Metropolitan, is unmercifully severe on Mr. Wheatley, who, it seems, undertook to play an Iago-like trick on the Bard of Avon, by playing lago. He says, could the bard have heard him, although he has, slept three hundred years, his canonized and hearsed bones, would have burst their cearments.'He avers, his whole recitation was a dull monotonous bellowing, and when he attempted to contract or purse his brows, they seemed to be worked by a windlass, while his abdomen contained steam machinery, which gave a ten horse power to his tongue.'

MUSIC. In the "New-York Daily Advertiser," of September 12, 1822, a music-dealer offered the following novel preventative against the pesti lential fever then raging in that city : "Music can soften pain to ease, And make despair and madness please."

At a time when so much alarm is excited by the prevailing epidemic, it is the duty of the Philanthropist to suggest every plausible method of preventing its approach, or ameliorating its effects. It is an axiom of the Medical Faculty, that cheerfulness and serenity of mind is a potent preventive of contagion; while fear, gloom, and despondency, render the nervous system susceptible of evils to which a different state of mind would afford an impenetrable barrier. And now, when

"Midst filth,by heat and moisture bred, Feli fever rears his ghastly head; Rising from noxious-steaming ground, S reads death and desolation round," What can so effectually prepare the mind to protect the body as Music? The almost miraculous power of "Sweet sounds" has been felt and acknowledged in every age of the world. The harp of the shepherd David charmed away the moody fiend that possessed the bosom of his Royal master. The lyre of Orpheus is said

to have performed a still greater wonder in the regions of darkness: and history furnishes innumerable instances of disease, bodily as well as mental, readily yielding to the fascinations of Music. The bite of the Tarantula produces a madness which always terminates in death, unless counteracted by the magic influence of the delectable art.

Under these considerations, the Subscriber feels it a duty to invite all, who wish to guard themselves against contagion, during the present alarining crisis, to visit his Music Store, 29, Chatham-street, which is one of the most healthful and salubrious situations in the city. Here they may examine antidotes and remedies, of which the disciples of Hipprocrates can never boast. (Resumed ot page 262.)

Enteresting Varieties.

LONGEVITY.-Certain animals, birds, and reptiles are very long-lived, though nothing can be discovered in their formation to account for the circumstance. The stag, the elephant, the eagle, the crow, the parrot, and the viper, are notorious for longevity; and in 1497, a carp of prodigious size was caught in a fish-pond in Suabia, with a ring of copper affixed to it, on which were engraved these words in Latin:-"I am the first fish that was put into this pond, by the hands of Frederick 2nd, Governor of the World, 5th October, 1230;' so that it must have lived 267 years.

joined with him in soliciting from a magistrate a warrant to search for some plate they pretended to have lost; but, in order not to alarm the midwife, and put her on her guard, they began their sham search at the distance of nine or ten houses from hers.

When, however, they came to her residence, she affected the utmost unconcern, desiring them not to hurry themselves, but to proceed in their task with all possible circumspection. They did so, and on coming to the privy, they put down a hook which they had brought with them on purpose, and drew up the body of a child newly destroyed They continued the search, till they had found the remains of no less than sixty-two children. The midwife was immediately apprehended and brought to trial, and being found guilty upon the fullest evidence, besides her own confession, she was condemned to die, which sentence was executed in the following horrible manner on the 28th May, 1673.

A strong kind of gibbet was erect ed, under which a fierce fire was kindled; and the prisoner, being brought to the place, was suspended from the gibbet in a large iron cage, in which were also placed sixteen wild cats, which had been caught for the purpose: When the torment of the flames began to be unbearable, the furious animals attacked the woman, as the cause of the agony they endured. In about fifteen minutes they tore out her eyes and entrails, yet still she continued alive and sensible, imploring some charitable spectator to put her quickly to death, but no one daring to comply with her entreaties, she remained in this frightful situation for the space of thirty-five minutes, and then died in unspeakable misery. At the time of her death, twelve of the cats had expired, and the other four survived but a minute or two longer.

Detestable as were the crimes of this she-monster, and justly as they merited the punishment of death, the unnecessary and lingering torments she was made to undergo, reflect disgrace upon the age and country in

which they were inflicted; nor does that infernal refinement of cruelty less deserve to be execrated, which thus condemned sixteen unoffending animals to the most agonizing sufferings, without the shadow of necessity or

excuse.

COLONEL BLOOD.

(Concluded from page 220.) UPON the total overthrow of Blood's daring scheme, his spirits failed him; and, while he remained prisoner in the Tower, he appeared not only silent and reserved, but dogged and sullen. He soon changed his temper however, when, contrary to all probability, and his own expectation, he was informed the king intended to examine him himself; this was brought about by the Duke of Buckingham, then the great favourite and first minister, who infused into his majesty, over whom he had for some time a great ascendency, a curiosity to see so extraordinary a person, whose crime, daring as it was, argued a prodigious force of mind, and made it probable, that he might be capable of making important discoveries. These insinuations had such an effect upon the king that he consented to what the duke desired, which in the end proved disadvantageous to them all; for it brought discredit upon the royal character, an indelible load of infamy upon the duke, and ultimately produced Blood's ruin.-Blood was no sooner acquainted that he was to be introduced to the royal presence, than he conceived immediately he stood indebted for this honour to the notion the king, or some about him, had of his intrepidity, and therefore was not at all at a loss about the part he was to act, and on the acting of which well his life depended. He is allowed on all hands to have performed admirably upon this occasion; he answered whatever his majesty demanded of him clearly, and without reserve; he did not pretend to capitulate or make terms, but seemed rather pleased to throw his life into the king's hands by an open and boundless confession. He took care, however, to prepossess his majesty in his favour, by various;