melancholy, or of a purer marble: the price was only five hundred francs, and as there was at present no inscription on it, they might have any thing they pleased engraved, for which, however affectionate, he would charge moderately by the letter. The gentlemen seemed startled by the price: they, however, proposed an inscription, and inquired how much "the best of parents -tenderest of husbands," would come to? M. N. made his calculation: on hearing its amount they seemed more appalled than before, and one of them instantly said "Suppose then, we were to leave the best of parents out of our lamented friend's monument? It would come cheaper then; and, in truth, perhaps the less we say of his conduct as a father, the better:" "I was just thinking," replied the other, "that propriety as well as economy seemed to require us to drop the allusion to his conjugal life: it was not in the domestic circle that our deplored relative (and here the speaker's voice faultered) displayed most brilliantly the many virtues and amiable qualities by which his character was unquestionably adorned." The result of the decision I did not wait to hear; finding that the dealer in memorials was likely to be occupied for some time with these sincere mourners, I made an appointment with him for another day; and, when I saw him again, I learned, on inquiry, that the two gentlemen had gone away without ordering any monument at all. W. CORNUCOPIA OF LITERARY CURIOSITIES AND REMARKABLE FACTS. From the English Magazines. LITERARY CHIT-CHAT. E have elsewhere mentioned WR that Captain Parry's voyage may be expected to be published in about a month. Mr. Murray has not, that we have seen, announced his other works for the season; but report speaks highly of several which he has in the press. Among those mentioned to us in the literary circles, besides Belzoni, are Walpole's History of his Own Times, and the Anecdotes of the late King, by the Earl of Waldegrave, both of which naturally excite great expectation. Mr. Colburn has advertized Lady Morgan's Italy, from which a good deal of entertainment is anticipated. The correspondence of Charles Talbot, Duke of Shrewsbury, edited by Archdeacon Coxe, is also announced. Mr. Maturin has, we hear, got sermons, novels, and plays, all forth or forth-coming. Two or three satirical novels are about to appear. The author of the successful novel of the Mys. tery is again ready. Mr. Godwin has taken up the cudgels against Mr. Malthus. The Edinburgh press is very still at present: we have heard of nothing but Kenilworth.-Lit.Gaz. Nov.11. The late Sir Peter Parker, who was killed on board the Menelaus, in America, in 1814, was a brave and very skilful officer, but uncommonly wild and thoughtless. He was once on a cruize and afthe Mediterranean; up ter having been some months at sea, went on shore at Malta, where, happening to be greatly gratified by a band of instrumental performers that he casually met with, he ordered them to go on board his ship: they did so, and he speedily followed, and sailed off with them on a cruize for six or eight months, when he unshipped them at the place where he took them on board. This lively freak nearly lost him his commission. His father, who was Admiral of the Fleet, was so provoked at his numerous irregularities, that he determined to hold no communication with him, further than was necessary as Commander in Chief. While sailing at the head of a numerous fleet in the Atlantic, he received a communication from his mother, in which she desired to be remembered to her son, which he effected in the following manner : VOL. 8.] Original Anecdotes of Eminent Persons.-Nevil's Feast. 321 "Make a signal (said the Admiral) for the Menelaus to lay to:" this was done. "Now make the signal for the Captain to come on board:" this was done also, and Captain Parker, in his boat, proceeded to the Admiral's ship, which, when he had gained the deck of, he was met by his father, who saluted him with the following laconic speech "I have received a letter from your honoured mother, dated (so and so); she is perfectly well, and desires to be remembered to you.-Now pack off: I've nothing more to say to you." KING OF PRUSSIA AND THE MAGICIAN. Extract from a letter written in 1760, by a chaplain in the Austrian army, to the prior of the Franciscan convent at Frankfort on the Maine." Reverend Sir! You were certainly much astonished when you heard of the two battles, (of Liegnitz and Torgau,) which the King of Prussia has gained in this campaign. At Liegnitz, the King met with a magician, who persuaded him to promise the devil the souls of 20 jesuits if he would help him. By the aid of the magician, the King accordingly gained the victory. Beelzebub sent from hell many legions of little devils provided with bellows, and placed them behind the soldiers, whom they drove forward. Some who were blown on so furiously that they got the colic, declared that this forced march was a devilish manœuvre. The imperial army was compelled to retire, being unable to endure the stench of the brimstone which came from the Prussians. At Torgau, where the victory was gained at night fall, this evil spirit commanded all the little devils that had pushed the Prussians behind, to place themselves on their noses, and to take the form of spectacles. By these means, the impious heretics gained the advantage over the unfortunate Austrians, who could not see any thing." SIR RICHARD STEELE. The celebrated Sir Richard Steele married the only child and heiress of Jonathan Scurlock, esq. of Caermarthen in Wales. His lady died in 1718. His letters to her are still extant, and furnish a beautiful model of epistolary correspondence. For some years afterwards He Sir Richard kept Whitehouse, lying about a mile out of Caermarthen, on the eastern side of the river, in his own occupation. He fitted up the house and gardens decently, according to the taste of his age, with high walls, a good garden, and handsome walks, of which there are still some vestiges, though_a farmer now occupies the house. In 1720, he was appointed a commissioner of the forfeited estates in Scotland, whither he went to execute his trust. returned thence to White-house, where he resided chiefly during the remainder of that year, and the year 1721, for the purpose of superintending his daughter's estate, who succeeded to it after her mother's death. (She afterwards became Lady Trevor.) During this period he wrote his comedy of the Conscious Lovers, which is said to have been first acted in his own house, by a select party of his friends, some of whom were resident in his own neighbourhood, and many came from London and other places upon the occasion. He was frequently visited here by the first literary characters of the age. arbour where he wrote his comedy is called the Conscious Lovers' arbour. He died at the present Ivy-Bush, whither he had removed from White house, on the 1st of Sept. 1729. He is buried in Caermarthen church, but so far from being distinguished by monumental honours, not even a common tomb stone marks where his remains are de posited. It is supposed his grave is near the south east door, just at the entrance into the church. Though no proud monument records his name, yet his moral writings will ever live, and he will always be remembered in the page of English biography, as the polite scholar, elegant critic, aud the great reformer in the English style of literature. wine, one pipe of spiced wine, 80 fat oxen, 6 wild bulls, 1000 weathers, 300 hogs, 300 geese, 3000 capons, 300 pigs, 200 peacocks, 200 cranes, 200 kids, 5000 chickens, 4000 pigeons, 400 rabbits, 200 bitterns, 4000 ducks, 400 herrings, 200 pheasants, 500 partridges, 4000 woodcocks, 400 plovers, 100 curlews, 100 quails, 1000 egrets, 200 rees, above 400 bucks, does, and roebucks, 1056 hot venison pasties, 4000 cold venison pasties, 1000 dishes of jellies parted, 4000 dishes of plain jellies, 4000 cold custards, 2000 hot custards, 300 pikes, 300 breams, eight seals, four porpoises, 400 tarts, 1000 servants to attend, 62 cooks, and 515 kitchens; of which Feast the Earl of Warwick was steward, the Earl of Bedford treasurer, the Lord Hastings comptroller; with many more noble officers. ASTRONOMY. The The true regular distances of the moon, from a certain number of fixed stars throughout each month, and from the sun also in the first and last quarters of each lunation, are calculated, for every third hour at Greenwich, and published in the Nautical Almanack, which furnishes the means to navigators of finding the longitude, through observations which they make of the distance of the moon from a star or from the sun, for comparison with the Greenwich distance of the same luminaries, at that instant, obtained by interpolation. defect of this method of finding the longitude, highly useful as it is, consists in the slow apparent motion of the moon, in approaching or receding from a star, which is fixed, and more so from the sun, which has itself a slow apparent motion in the same direction with the moon: on the contrary, several of the planets, according to the rate of their own motions visibly recede from or approach towards the moon, through a considerable portion of each lunation, and these planets, when so circumstanced, have a considerably greater apparent velocity of approach or recession from the moon, than the sun or any stars have therefrom. For want of tables of the apparent distances of the moon and the planets, being published in the Almanacks, navigators have not yet been able to avail themselves of the planets, in their lunar observations ; but this defect the Danish Government is about to supply, by the Almanack for 1822, which is to appear in June or July next, and contain the planets' distances from the moon every three hours at Copenhagen, calculated under the directions of M. Schumacher, Professor 24 of Astronomy. This Feast exceeded all feasts of that time, and was thought more befitting a King than an Archbishop, and that he did it to let the publick see he was given to hospitality. But the surprise was not only at the extravagance of the cost, but where they could procure all the particulars both from sea and land; where they got kitchens and ovens to dress all this; where they found places to eat it in; and lastly, where they got people to eat it all, unless they invited all the nation: but this Archbishop was the Phoenix glutton of the age; for others were as frugal as he had been profuse, as will appear by the following Bill of fare of a Feast had by the Wax Chandlers' Company on the 28th of October, 1478, eight years after the former, viz : Two loins of mutton and two loins of veal £. s. d. 0 0 0 4 0 0 24 00 4 0 0 6 A loin of beef A leg of mutton A pig A capon A coney One doz. of pigeons 0 0 0 One hundred eggs 0 0 2 0 1 7 084 6 0 8 8 Total......0 7 0 the other hand was not sorry to find her passion returned with the utmost ardour, which was not a little strengthened by her filial attentions to her father, who being aged and infirm, was loth to part with her, till she had closed his eyes. The old gentleman lived in his chateau about six miles from the city. Thither the young lawyer went daily; but as such short visits were inimical to the sentiments each felt for the other, she frequently returned them in town. It was at this period a young actress appeared on the French boards, of whom every one spoke in praise. She was gifted with a pleasing contour of countenance, without being a regular beauty, though she possessed so many pleasing qualifications as to entrap the heart of the young Magistrate. It was impossible an amour of this nature should long remain a secret; and when it reached the ears of his virtuous lady, she was overwhelmed with grief, but, unlike the generality of her sex in her situation, she bore her lot with fortitude, and even concealed her chagrin from her father. Shut up from her infancy within the walls of a convent, she had no opportunity of studying the graces. She forms a plan for the acquirement of them, which, as love prompts, she executes. She goes to the theatre, sees her rival, divested of jealousy, and attentively studies her manner, attitudes, and transitions of voice, person,and passion; and as her genius was great, so was her assiduity incredible. among whom was her husband, who ex* pressed his wonder that she should make her taste so long a secret, and did not condemn a curiosity natural to her age. On their return home, the new actress was the subject of conversation; he expressed himself in raptures with her. "And pray," says she, “my dear, which do you think plays the part best, the stranger, or Miss T?" “Oh, there is no denying it," exclaimed he, "the stranger is an angel." -"Behold then in me that stranger," throwing her arms around his neck; "behold what I have done to regain the lost affections of a much-loved husband." He was struck with astonishment; and on repeating some of her actions, as she had portrayed them on the stage, he beheld the angel stranger in his own wife. He fell at her feet, and vowed eternal constancy; a vow which he never afterwards felt an inclination to forget, so well did she improve the victory she bad gained. AUTOMATON CHESS PLAYER. The admirers of Chess will very shortly be gratified by the appearance of a selection of 50 games from above 300, played by the celebrated Automaton Chess-Player during its late public exhibition, against various opponents, some of whom rank amongst the first players in England. Many of these games are admirably well contested. In all of them the Automaton gave a pawn and the first move to his adversary, with nearly uninterrupted success ; and the various and skilful combinations it displays, form a fine study for the amateur. THE SPARROW. At length,as she wished, so it fell out: the favourite actress was taken ill, and sent word she could not perform in the play that evening. Our young lady flies to the manager and offers her services The ignorant, ever ready to judge to undertake the part, she is accepted, from superficial observation, have conand it is announced "a Young Lady, a demned the sparrow, because it feeds on perfect stranger, will make her appear the produce of the farmer, as a most ance as the substitute of Miss T- noxious bird, fit only to be extirpated. who is suddenly taken ill." All the world It is to be recollected, however, that inwent to the theatre, and among them the sects form no inconsiderable part of the person on whose account this adventure food for birds. Mr. Bradley, in his was hazarded. She dressed herself treatise on husbandry and gardening, charmingly, played her part to admira- has proved by actual observation, that tion, and came off with great eclat. a pair of sparrows, during the time they When the play was concluded, and her stage clothes taken off, she went into the parterre, and mixed with the audience, had young, carried to the nest forty caterpillars in one hour; and supposing them employed with equal diligence for twelve hours a day, they will in one week consume the astonishing number of three thousand three hundred and sixty caterpillars. Thus an all wise Providence checks the inordinate increase of insects; which, however useful in themselves, would if left unmolested, propagate with such rapidity as to consume the vegetable productions of the earth, and leave it a desert waste. WINTER. Written at Bath. HERE Boy, another cheering fire! A waste of fuel, heap it higher! Let Persian carpets clothe the ground Let perfumed bougies glare around; Let soothing music hither bring Her vocal flute, and magic string. Tobacco smoke is the only cure for the disease called oscitans, or the gapes, in poultry and birds in general. It is curious to observe a bird on its perch and at rest; it is not by any voluntary action which it exerts by which it is prevented from falling when asleep; it is by the pressure of the body upon the legs, by which the flexor tendons of the feet are compelled to embrace the branch upon which it is seated. POETRY. Though through the sky the owlish light, Shall length of days and summer suns Hail! Winter, hail! and let my prayer That piles my flaming cheerful hearth, Then Boy, let's have another fire! THE LAKE OF GENEVA. TO night the wind is loud; And the lake falls harsh on the shore ! And the heaven is grey-not a star or a cloudBut a low'ring mistiness hangs, like a shroud, O'er my head, as I list to the roar. Like a shroud o'er my head! That word hath an import that told: 'Tis dull to see wave chasing wave, To watch how they rise and roll on tow'rds the land; How they curl and swell, but to break on the sand, Like the hopes of my life on the grave. I turn-yet where to go? The gloom hides the hills, though they're nigh: But one tree on Saleve stands alone midst the snow, Full three thousand feet from the valley below, And it is not more lonely than I! WINTER SCENES. HOW keen and howling is the storm! To town or city if we turn, What numbers weep, what numbers mourn! O! ye, whom Providence hath blest, The naked clothe the hungry feed, |