taken by a person of the name of Winstanley, in the reign of King William. Mr Winstanley does not appear to have been a man of solidity and judgment sufficient to erect an edifice of this kind. He had never been noted for any capital work, but much celebrated for a variety of trifling and ridiculous contrivances. If you set your foot on a certain board in one of his rooms a ghost would start up, or if you sat down in an elbow-chair its arms would clasp around you. His lighthouse, which was built of wood, partook of his whimsical genius. It was finished with galleries and other ornaments, which encumbered it without being of any use. It was, however, on the whole, much admired as a very ingenious edifice, and Winstanley certainly deserved the credit of being the first projector of a very difficult work. He had fixed it to the rock by twelve massy bars of iron, which were let down deep into the body of the stone. It was generally indeed thought well founded, and the architect himself was so convinced of its stability, that he would often say he wished for nothing more than to be shut up in it during a violent storm. He at length had his wish, for he happened to be in it at the time of that memorable storm on the 26th of November, 1703. As the violence, however, of the tempest came on, the terrified architect began to doubt the firmness of his work: it trembled in the blast, and shook in every joint. In vain he made what signals of distress he could invent to bring a boat from the shore. The terrors of the storm were such that the boldest vessel durst not face it. How long he continued in this melancholy distress is unknown; but in the morning no appearance of the lighthouse was left. It and all its contents, during that terrible night, were swept into the sea." 66 ping out with his best speed when a fellow leaped from behind a heap of loose stones, and accompanying the flourish of a huge club with a demoniac yell, demanded Money!" with a ferocity of tone and manner perfectly appalling. The bishop gave the robber all the silver he had loose in his pocket, hoping that it would satisfy him; but he was mistaken, for no sooner had the ruffian stowed it away in a capacious rent in his tattered garment, than with another whirl of his bludgeon, and an awful oath, he exclaimed-"And is it with the likes of this I am after letting you off? a few paltry tinpennies! Its the gould I'll have, or I'll spatter your brains. Arrah, don't stand shivering and shaking there, like a Quaker in the ague, but lug out your purse, you devil, immediately, or I'll bate you as blue as a whetstone." His lordship most reluctantly yielded his wellfilled purse, saying in tremulous accents, "My good fellow, there it is, don't ill use me-I've given you all, pray let me depart. Surely you have taken enough; leave me my watch, and I'll forgive all you have done."-" Who axed your forgiveness, you ould varmint? Would you trifle with my good nature,? Don't force me to do anything I'd be sorry for-but, without any more bother, just give me the watch, or by all that's holy- And he jerked the bludgeon from his right hand to his left, spat in the horny palm of the former, and re-grasped the formidable weapon, as though seriously bent on bring. ing it into operation; this action was not unheeded by his victim, he drew forth the golden time-piece, and with a heavy sigh handed it to his spoiler, who, rolling the chain and seals round it, found some wider aperture in his apparel into which he crammed it; and giving himself a shake to ascertain that it had found, by its own gravity, a place of safety, he said THE IRISH HIGHWAYMAN. Doctor W, the Bishop of Cashel, having occa- "And now be off with you, and thank sion to visit Dublin, accompanied by his the blessed saints that you leave me withwife and daughter, determined to perform out a scratch on your skin, or the value of the journey by easy stages, in his own car- your little finger hurt." It needed no perriage, and with his own sleek and well-fed suasion to induce the bishop to turn his horses, instead of trusting his bones to the back upon the despoiler of his worldly tender mercies of an Irish postchaise, and goods, and, having no weight to carry, he the unbroken garrons used for drawing set off at what equestrians term "a hand these crazy vehicles. One part of his route canter;" scarcely, however, had he reached was through a wild and mountainous dis- the middle of the precipitous road, when trict, and the bishop, being a very humane he perceived his persecutor running after man, and very considerate of his cattle, him. He endeavoured to redouble his made a point of quitting his carriage at speed. Alas! what chance had he in a the foot of every hill and walking to the race with one whose muscles were as top. On one of these occasions he had strong and elastic as highly-tempered loitered to look at the extensive prospect, steel? "Stop, you nimble-footed thief of indulging in a reverie upon its sterile ap the world!" roared the robber-" stop, I pearance, and the change that agriculture tell you; I've a parting word with you might produce, and in so doing suffered yet." The exhausted and defenceless his family and servants to be considerably churchman, finding it impossible to conin advance. Perceiving this he hastened tinue his flight, suddenly came to a standto make up for the lost time, and was step- still. The fellow approached, and his face, instead of his former ferocity, was lit up with a whimsical roguishness of expression, as he said, "And is it likely I'd let you off with a better coat on your back than my own? and will I be after losing the chance of that hat and wig? Off with them this moment, and then you'll be quit o' me." The footpad quickly divested the bishop of his single-breasted coat, laid violent hands upon the clerical hat and full-bottomed wig, put them on his own person, and then insisted on seeing his late apparel used in their stead; and with a loud laugh ran off, as though his last act had been the most meritorious of his life. * * "My dear W the expense of a few pounds, I have preserved ice for twelve and eighteen months. An ice-house will be more likely to succeed above ground than under. Ice will not melt in the hottest sun half so soon as in a close and damp cellar. Put a lump of ice into cold water, and one of the same size before a hot fire, and the former will dissolve in half the time that the latter will. The bed for the ice should be three feet above the level of the ground, and this bed should consist of faggots, or something that will admit the drippings to be drained instantly off. This is the way they have ice-houses under the burning sun of Virginia, and "there they keep their fish and meat as fresh and sweet as in winter, when neither will keep twelve hours, though let down to the depth of one hundred feet in a well. A Virginian, with some poles and straw, will construct an ice-house for ten dollars, as good, if not better, than those which cost our men of taste as many scores of pounds.-A. E. W. Daventry. exclaimed his affectionate wife, after listening to the account of the dangers to which her husband had been exposed, "for heaven's sake take off that filthy jacket, and throw it out of the window. You can put my warm cloak over your shoulders till we reach the next stage, and then you will be able to purchase some habit better suited to your station and calling." "That is more easily said than done, my love," he replied; "I have lost all the money I possessed; not a single guinea is left me to pay our expenses to-night. My watch, too, that I so dearly prized! Miserable man that I am!" "Never mind your watch, or anything else just now-only pull off that mass of filth, I implore you; who knows what horrid contagion we may all catch if you persist in wearing it?" "Take it off, dear papa," observed his daughter, "but don't throw it away; it may lead to the detection of the wretch who robbed you." The obnoxious garment was removed; the young lady was about to place it under the seat, when she heard a jingling noise that attracted her attention, and, on examination, found secreted in various parts of the coat, not only the watch, pocket-book, purse, and silver, of which her father had been deprived, but a yellow canvass bag, such as is used by farmers, containing about thirty guineas. ICE-HOUSES.-I converted to the purpose a building formerly used as a mushroomhouse, which is in a dry and shady situation. I dug, or rather subsoiled the flooring, a foot or more in depth (the deeper the better), leaving it as loose and friable as possible; upon that was placed a layer of sticks and faggots, upon that again was put another layer of straw (this was to get a drainage for the water without making a communication with the external air), lining the sides of the building with straw, so as to prevent the ice from coming in contact with the brick wall. The ice was then carted in and broken quite small, with wooden beaters; when full the door was shut close, and the admission of outward air was prevented by straw, &c. At A TRIBE OF SAVAGE DWARFS.-Beyond the extensive wilderness which bounds Caffra, on the south are the Doko, a pigmy and perfectly wild race, not exceeding four feet in height, of a dark olive complexion, and in habits even more closely approximated "to the beasts that perish" than the bushmen of Southern Africa. They have neither idols, nor temples, nor sacred trees; but possess a glimmering idea of a supreme being, to whom in misfortune (such as any of their relatives being slain by the kidnapper), they pray, standing on their heads, with their feet resting against a tree, "Yere, if, indeed, thou art, why dost thou suffer us to be killed? We are only eating ants, and ask neither food nor raiment. Thou hast raised us up. Why dost thou cast us down?" The country inhabited by the Doko is clothed with a dense forest of bamboo, in the depths of which the people construct their rude wigwams of bent canes and grass. They have no king, no laws, no arts, no arms; possess neither flocks nor herds; are not hun. ters, do not cultivate the soil, but subsist entirely upon fruits, roots, mice, serpents, reptiles, ants, and honey; both of which latter they lick, like the bear, from off their arms and hands. They beguile ser. pents by whistling, and having torn them piecemeal with their long nails, devour them raw; but although the forests abound with elephants, buffaloes, lions, and leopards, they have no means of destroying or entrapping them. A large tree, called Loko, is found, amongst many other spe cies, attaining an extraordinary height, the roots of which, when scraped, are red, and serve for food. The yeho and meytee are the principal fruits; and to obtain these, women as well as men ascend the trees like monkeys: and in their quarrels and scrambles, not unfrequently throw each other down from the branches. Both sexes go perfectly naked, and have thick, pouting lips, diminutive eyes, and flat noses. The hair is not woolly, and in the female, reaches the shoulders. The men have no beard. The nails, never pared, grow both on the hands and feet like eagle's talons, and are employed in digging for ants. The people are ignorant of the use of fire. They perforate their ears in infancy with a pointed bamboo, so as to leave nothing save the external cartilage: but they neither tattoo nor pierce the nose; and the only ornament worn is a necklace composed of the spinal process of a serpent.-Harris's Highlands of Ethiopia. BITUMINOUS LAKE.-The Boston Telegraph, published in Texas, has the following paragraph under this head :-Perhaps few of our citizens are aware that there is a small lake situate within one hundred miles of Houston, that is quite similar to the Pitch Lake of Trinidad. This singular lake or pond is situate in Jefferson County, near the pond between Liberty and Beaumont, and is about twenty miles from the latter village. The lake is formed of bitumen or asphaltum, and is about a quarter of a mile in circumference. In the winter months its surface is hard and capable of sustaining a person. It is generally covered from November to March with water, which is sour to the taste. Owing to this cause it is called by the people in the vicinity the sour pond or sour lake. In the summer there is a spring near the middle where an oil liquid (probably petroleum) continually boils up from the bottom. This liquid gradually hardens after being exposed to the air, and forms a black pitchy substance similar to that at the sides of the lake. Mr Butler of Galveston, who has seen the Pitch Lake at Trinidad, examined a piece of the bitumen obtained from this lake, and says it is pre cisely like the bitumen of Trinidad. This bitumen may at some future day become valuable as a substitute for coal in the formation of gas to light cities. It burns when lighted with a clear bright light, but gives out a very pungent odour. The ancients used bitumen as a cement in the construction of walls and buildings. They also used it in many cases as a substitute for tar or pitch. We believe, however, that little use is now made of it for these purposes, even where it is found most abundantly. The Gatherer. Captain Conolly and Colonel Stoddart.— Accounts have been received at the Foreign office from St Petersburg, stating that the Russian envoy at Teheran, in a despatch dated the 15th (27th) of December, had reported to his government that Captain Conolly had been put to death for having shown, on many occasions, great partiality for the Khan of Kokan, at that time at war with Bokhara, and the Colonel, in consequence of the discovery of a secret correspondence which he kept up with his coutrymen at Cabul through the channel of Indian merchants established at the former place. Dr Schnell.-The journal, the 'Helvétie,' announces the death, by suicide, of a distinguished political writer and civilian, Dr Schnell, the chief of a party in Switzerland making powerful head against the aristocratic section, and the most able of the editors of the 'Volksfreund,' journal of Berthoud. He had left that town on a pedestrian excursion, which he hoped might bring relief to the acute pains from which he had been for some time suffering, and is supposed to have flung himself into the Aar under a fresh accession of his complaint. New Insects. - The attention of the Linnean Society has been called by Mr Curtis on two species of Hymenopterous insects. The first belonged to the family Tenthredinidæ, and constituted a new genus, which Mr Curtis proposed to call Dieloceras. This insect had been taken by Mr Ellis in the Brazils; hence he called the species D. Ellisi. This insect is chiefly remarkable for its larvæ forming for themselves a cocoon in community, a fact that has not hitherto been observed amongst insects. The cocoon exhibited was oblong, and about the size and form of a Jargonelle pear. In the inside the cocoon consisted of about thirty cells, having a resemblance to those of the wasp and the bee, but not so regular. The second insect was a species of wasp. It forms a remarkable nest, about eight inches in length, and fifteen inches in circumference. It has a conical form, and is suspended from the branch of a tree by its apex. The texture is very hard, resembling an earthenware vessel, and very different from that of other wasps. At the base there is an opening, not allowing the passage of more than one insect at a time. The Slave Trade.-Government are resolved to adopt the most active measures to put an end to the traffic in slaves on the African coast, and the French government has also determined on the same course. The Penelope,' 22, steam frigate, Captain Jones, and the Prometheus,' Lieutenant Pasco, and two or three other steamers are about to be despatched to the coast of Africa, which they will scour in those latitudes where this traffic is carried on. The smaller steamers will go up the rivers and examine every inlet and creek where it is possible for any slaver to be concealed, and the search along the coast will be so minute that it will be impossible for any vessel to escape the vigilance of the squadron. Three French steamers are being equipped for similar service on the African coast, and there will be a cordial co-operation between the French and English cruisers in every plan resorted to for the effectual suppression of the slavetrade. Dissection of the Cameleopard.-At the Paris Academy of Sciences, a communication has been received from M. Joly, of Toulouse, and M. Lavocat, of the veterinary school of that town, on the anatomy of the giraffe which died there. The most remarkable facts were the extraordinary length of the digestive tube of this animal, which measured about two hundred English feet, and the great volume and numerous circumvolutions of the brain. The weight of the brain in the animal was about a pound and a half English. In volume it exceeds that of the ox or the horse. Parliamentary Representation.—A parliamentary report has been published, giving an analysis of the total number of members sent to the House of Commons by the several counties, cities, towns, and boroughs in England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland respectively, according to the late census, 6th June, 1841: Total Population. 14,995,138 nearly 400,000l., while that of the assessed charity, by poor's rates, was 551,2021. per annum. Heraldic Honours in the Time of Queen Elizabeth.—When Queen Elizabeth made Hawking paymaster of the navy she gave him a coat of arms, "whose crest was a demi-moor properly coloured, bound by a cord," the very symbol which, more than two hundred years afterwards, was used to stamp infamy on those concerned in it, as well as abhorrence and detestation of the slave trade itself. Silk Worms.-It is now believed that silk worms may be raised in many parts of the West Indies, and that instead of one crop per annum, one per month can be obtained all the year round. One acre of plants will yield 10,000 lbs. of picked leaves, which, on the assumption that 152 lbs. of leaves will yield 1 lb. of reeled silk, gives 66 lbs. per acre. This, at three crops in the year, would yield 198 lbs. of silk, which is worth 20s. the pound. An Artist's View of Sunrise.-I saw the sun rise on Lake Maggiore-such a sunrise! The giant Alps seemed, literally, to rise from their purple beds, and putting on their crowns of gold to send up a Hallelujah almost audible!- Washington Allston. Profitable Speculation. When Drake returned from his voyage of two years and ten months round the world, the clear profits, according to the settlement between him and his partners, amounted to no less than 47 for 1, or 4,700 per cent. The Post Office.-A common postman is required to find two sureties in 50%., or to deposit an Exchequer bill of 100%. Mr Greenough.-A bust of Mr Greenough, executed by Mr Richard Westmacott, at the cost of some of the Fellows of the Geological Society, has been completed. 911,603 The likeness is pronounced to be faithful. 64 7,370,533 10 477,945 4 61,150 25 265,610 1 University 2 8,175,238 2,620,184 26,702,163 London Charities.-It has been ascertained by the Statistical Society that the funds of the City charities alone amounted annually to 220,870l., those of the general endowed charities to 77,000l., and those of the endowed parochial charities of the city and the rest of the metropolis to 97,000l. per annum; the total annual revenue of the metropolitan endowed charities being Original Communications. THE BISHOP'S PALACE AT WELLS. WELLS, or Villa à copia fonticulorum, so called from its abundant springs, appears to have first risen into importance in the time of Ina, king of the West Saxons, who built a church there, which was dedicated to St Andrew, A.r. 704. The church is said to have been only collegiate, and the bishopric not to have been founded till the time of King Edward the Elder. William of Malmesbury, however, has preserved a copy of the charter described as granted by King Ina. The document is certainly ancient, and the solemnity with which purports to have been executed, in these day's cannot but provoke a smile. "Whoever shall, hereafter," it awfully proclaims, on any occasion whatever, attempt to pervert or nullify this testament of my munificence and liberality, let him know that with the traitor Judas, to his eternal confusion, he shall perish in the devouring flames of unNo. 1206.] 66 L speakable torments." The charter of this donation and privilege was written in the year of our Lord's incarnation, 725, the fourth of the Indiction, in the presence of King Ina and of Beorthwald, archbishop of Canterbury, the venerable prelates Daniel and Fordred, and others whose names are underneath. "I, Ina, king, with my own hand subscribe this donation and liberty, and ratify it under the seal of the holy cross. I, Edelburg, queen, consent to it. I, Baldred, king, confirm it. I, Adelard, brother to the queen, consent. I, Beorthwald, archbishop of the church of Canterbury, King Ina's donation and liberty, under the seal of the holy cross, corroborate. I, Daniel, inspector of God's people, acquiesce. I, Fordred, bishop, with the mark of the cross impress it. Wulden, prefect; Brutus, prefect; Ethelbeard Umming, prefect; Winchilsea, earl, with all the people present consent to and confirm it." However grave its aspect, the charter is shown by Britton to be a forgery. Such [VOL. XLIV. |