side of the ascent as well as on the top, so that at a distance it
appeared to be an immense pyramid covered with wood. The situation of
this extraordinary effort of human skill, aided by human wealth and
perseverance, adjoining the river Euphrates, we must suppose that in
the upper terrace was an hydraulic engine, or kind of pump, by which
the water was forced up out of the river, and from thence the whole
gardens were watered, and a supply of the pure element furnished to the
fountains and reservoirs for cooling the air. In the spaces between
the several arches, on which the whole structure rested, were large
and magnificent apartments, very lightsome, and commanding the most
beautiful prospects that even the glowing conceptions of an eastern
imagination could dream to exist.
THE GREAT BELL OF BURMAH.
At a temple in the environs of Amarapoora, the capital of Burmah, there
is an enormous bell, which is thus described by Captain Yule:--"North
of the temple, on a low circular terrace, stands the biggest bell in
Burmah--the biggest in the world, probably, Russia apart. It is slung
on a triple beam of great size, cased and hooped with metal; this beam
resting on two piers of brickwork, enclosing massive frames of teak.
The bell does not swing free. The supports were so much shaken by the
earthquake, that it was found necessary to put props under the bell,
consisting of blocks of wood carved into grotesque figures. Of course
no tone can now be got out of it. But at any time it must have required
a battering-ram to elicit its music. Small ingots of silver (and some
say pieces of gold) may still be traced, unmelted, in the mass, and
from the inside one sees the curious way in which the makers tried to
strengthen the parts which suspend it by dropping into the upper part
of the mould iron chains, round which the metal was run. The Burmese
report the bell to contain 555,555 viss of metal (about 900 tons). Its
principal dimensions are as follow:--External diameter at the lip,
16 feet 3 inches; external diameter 4 feet 8 inches above the lip,
10 feet; interior height, 11 feet 6 inches; exterior ditto, 12 feet;
interior diameter at top, 8 feet 6 inches. The thickness of metal
varies from six inches to twelve, and the actual weight of the bell
is, by a rough calculation, about eighty tons, or one-eleventh of the
popular estimate. According to Mr. Howard Malcolm, whose authority was
probably Colonel Burney, the weight is stated in the Royal Chronicle
at 55,500 viss, or about ninety tons. This statement is probably,
therefore, genuine, and the popular fable merely a multiplication of it
by ten."
This monster Burmese bell is, therefore, fourteen times as heavy as
the great bell of St. Paul's, but only one-third of that given by the
Empress Anne to the Cathedral of Moscow.
BANDOLIERS.
[Illustration: [++] Bandoliers.]
We here engrave a set of bandoliers, a species of weapon much in vogue
about the close of the sixteenth century. The specimen before us
consists of nine tin cases covered with leather, with caps to them,
each containing a charge of powder, and suspended by rings from a cord
made to pass through other rings. The caps are retained in their places
by being contrived so as to slip up and down their own cords. Two
flaps of leather, on each side, are intended to protect the bandoliers
from rain, and attached to one of these may be perceived a circular
bullet-purse, made to draw with little strings. This specimen was
buckled round the waist by means of a strap; others were worn round the
body and over the shoulder. The noise they made, agitated by the wind,
but more especially the danger of all taking fire from the match-cord,
occasioned their disuse, as Sir James Turner tells us, about the year
1640.
TOMB OF DARIUS.
Among the most remarkable tombs of the ancients, may be noticed the
sepulchre carved out of the living rock, by order of Darius, the
warrior and conqueror king of Persia, for the reception of his own
remains; and which is existing to this day at Persepolis, after a
duration of twenty-three centuries.
The portico is supported by four columns twenty feet in height, and
in the centre is the form of a doorway, seemingly the entrance to the
interior, but it is solid; the entablature is of chaste design. Above
the portico there is what may be termed an ark, supported by two rows
of figures, about the size of life, bearing it on their uplifted hands,
and at each angle a griffin--an ornament which is very frequent at
Persepolis. On this stage stands the king, with a bent bow in his hand,
worshipping the sun, whose image is seen above the altar that stands
before him, while above his head hovers his ferouher, or disembodied
spirit. This is the good genius that in Persian and Ninevite sculpture
accompanies the king when performing any important act. On each side
the ark are nine niches, each containing a statue in bas-relief. No
other portion of the tomb was intended to be seen, excepting the
sculptured front; and we must, therefore, conclude that the entrance
was kept secret, and that the avenues were by subterranean passages, so
constructed that none but the privileged could find their way. We are
told by Theophrastus, that Darius was buried in a coffer of Egyptian
alabaster; and also that the early Persians buried their dead entire,
preserving their bodies with honey or wax.
THE GATE ON OLD LONDON BRIDGE.
[Illustration: [++] Gate on Old London Bridge.]
In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, a strongly embattled gate protected
the entrance from Southwark to Old London Bridge, and it was usually
garnished with traitors' heads in "rich abundance," as may be seen
in the accompanying cut, which is copied from Visscher's view, in
1579. The bridge was at that period covered with houses, a narrow
road passing through arcades beneath them, and they abutted on props
over the river on either side. The bridge was proudly spoken of by
our ancestors. Thus, in the translation of Ortelius, published by J.
Shaw, in 1603, he says of the Thames:--"It is beautified with statelye
pallaces, built on the side thereof; moreover, a sumptuous bridge
sustayned on nineteen arches, with excellent and beauteous housen built
thereon." Camden, in his great work, the "Britannica," says, "It may
worthily carry away the prize from all the bridges in Europe," being
"furnished on both sides with passing faire houses, joining one to
another in the manner of a street."
EXTRAORDINARY PONDS AND FISH.
The ponds in the department of Ain in France are 1667 in number. The
industry and ingenuity of man have converted the marshes into fertile
plains and productive ponds, by constructing dykes from one hill to
the other, for the plateaux are covered with small hills. When the
proprietor of one of these ponds wishes to cultivate it, he draws off
the water into the dyke attached to it. Wheat, barley, and oats are
then sown, and the seed thus fertilised by the slime produces a crop
double that produced by the land in the vicinity. After the harvest
is collected, the water is permitted to return to its former bed, and
carp, tench, and roach are then thrown into it. Some of these ponds
will support 100,000 of carp, and 100 pounds of little tench and roach.
In the course of two years these carp, which weighed only one ounce
and a-half, will have attained the size of two pounds and a half. The
fishing begins in April, and is continued until November. The increase
of the fish is as one to five.
THE CEREMONIAL OF MAKING THE KING'S BED.
The following account of the old ceremony of making the King's bed in
the time of Henry the Eighth, was sent to the Society of Antiquaries,
in 1776, by Mr. J. C. Brooke, of the Heralds' College, F.S.A. &c. In a
letter to the president, he says,--
"It is extracted from an original manuscript, elegantly written,
beautifully illuminated, and richly bound, which was some time in the
library of Henry, Duke of Norfolk, earl marshal of England, to whom it
came by descent from Thomas, the great Duke of Norfolk, beheaded in
the reign of Queen Elizabeth; who married Mary, daughter and coheir
of Henry Fitz-Alan, Earl of Arundel, lord chamberlain to King Henry
the Eighth. It contains the whole duty of the lord chamberlain, and
of the officers in his department; is the original copy kept for the
information of that earl; and had been compiled by order of, and
approved by, the King himself in council."
"_The oolde ordre of Makynge the Kynges Bedd not to used nor done, but
as Hys Grace woll comaund and apoynte from tyme to tyme herafter._
"_Furste_, a groome or a page to take a torche, and to goo to the
warderobe of the kynges bedd, and bryng theym of the warderobe with
the kynges stuff unto the chambr for makyng of the same bedde. Where
as aught to be a gentylman-usher, iiii yomen of the chambr for to make
the same bedde. The groome to stande at the bedds feete with his torch.
They of the warderobe openyng the kinges stuff of hys bedde upon a
fayre sheete, bytwen the sayde groome and the bedds fote, iii yeomen,
or two at the leste, in every syde of the bedde; the gentylman-usher
and parte commaundyng theym what they shall doo. A yoman with a dagger
to searche the strawe of the kynges bedde that there be none untreuth
therein. And this yoman to caste up the bedde of downe upon that,
and oon of theym to tomble over yt for the serche thereof. Then they
to bete and tufle the sayde bedde, and to laye oon then the bolster
without touchyng of the bedd where as it aught to lye. Then they of
the warderobe to delyver theym a fustyan takyng the saye therof. All
theys yomen to laye theyr hands theroon at oones, that they touch not
the bedd, tyll yt be layed as it sholde be by the comaundement of the
ussher. And so the furste sheet in lyke wyse, and then to trusse in
both sheete and fustyan rownde about the bedde of downe. The warderoper
to delyver the second sheete unto two yomen, they to crosse it over
theyr arme, and to stryke the bedde as the ussher shall more playnly
shewe unto theym. Then every yoman layeing hande upon the sheete, to
laye the same sheete upon the bedde. And so the other fustyan upon or
ii with such covervnge as shall content the kynge. Thus doon, the ii
yomen next to the bedde to laye down agene the overmore fustyan, the
yomen of the warderobe delyverynge theym a pane sheete, the sayde yoman
therewythall to cover the sayde bedde. And so then to laye down the
overmost sheete from the beddes heed. And then the sayd ii yomen to lay
all the overmost clothes of a quarter of the bedde. Then the warderoper
to delyver unto them such pyllowes as shall please the kynge. The sayd
yoman to laye theym upon the bolster and the heed sheete with whych the
sayde yoman shall cover the sayde pyllowes. And so to trusse the endes
of the sayde sheete under every ende of the bolster. And then the sayd
warderoper to delyver unto them ii lyttle small pyllowes, werwythall
the squyres for the bodye or gentylman-ussher shall give the saye to
the warderoper, and to the yoman whych have layde on hande upon the
sayd bedde. And then the sayd ii yomen to lay upon the sayde bedde
toward the bolster as yt was bifore. They makyng a crosse and kissynge
yt where there handes were. Then ii yomen next to the feete to make the
feers as the ussher shall teche theym. And so then every of them sticke
up the aungel about the bedde, and to lette down the corteyns of the
sayd bedde, or sparver.
"Item, a squyer for the bodye or gentylman-ussher aught to sett the
kynges sword at hys beddes heed.
"Item, a squyer for the bodye aught to charge a secret groome or page,
to have the kepynge of the sayde bedde with a lyght unto the time the
kynge be disposed to goo to yt.
"Item, a groome or page aught to take a torche, whyle the bedde ys yn
makyng, to feche a loof of brede, a pott wyth ale, a pott wyth wine,
for them that maketh the bedde, and every man.
"Item, the gentylman-ussher aught to forbede that no manner of man
do sett eny dysshe upon the kynge's bedde, for fere of hurtying of
the kynge's ryche counterpoynt that lyeth therupon. And that the sayd
ussher take goode heede, that noo man wipe or rubbe their handes uppon
none arras of the kynges, wherby they myght bee hurted, in the chambr
where the kynge ys specially, and in all other."
ORIGIN OF SANDWICHES.
To the memory of "Lord Sandwich" belongs the name of that edible.
Being, during his administration (as was very usual with him), at a
gambling-house, he had, in the fascination of play, for more than five
and twenty hours forgotten fatigue and hunger, when suddenly, feeling
disposed to break his fast, though still riveted to the table, he
called to bid some one bring anything that was to be had to eat, which
happened to prove a slice of beef, and two pieces of bread. Placing
them together for the sake of expedition, he devoured them with the
greatest relish. The most ecstatic encomiums published his discovery,
and giving it his name, bequeathed it as a memento to his country, as
one of the most important acts of his administration.
THE TREATY-STONE AT LIMERICK.
The city of Limerick is very famous in history. Before it, in 1651,
Ireton "sate down;" there he continued to "sit" for six months; and
underneath its walls the fierce republican died of plague. Greater
celebrity, and higher honour, were, however, obtained by Limerick in
1690. Early in August, William summoned it to surrender; the French
general, Boileau, who commanded the garrison--"rather for the King
of France than the King of England"--returned for answer, that "he
was surprised at the summons, and thought the best way to gain the
good opinion of the Prince of Orange was to defend the place for his
master King James." The siege was at once commenced. The flower of the
Irish army were within its walls, or in its immediate neighbourhood;
the counties of Clare and Galway were open to them, from which to
draw supplies; and a French fleet rode triumphantly in the Shannon.
The garrison, however, were little disposed to act in concert: the
jealousy of the commanders of the French and Irish had spread to their
troops; and they cherished feelings of contempt or hatred towards each
other, that argued ill for their success in opposing the steady and
disciplined forces of William.
[Illustration: [++] Treaty-Stone at Limerick.]
Yet the Irish succeeded; the siege was raised on the 30th of August.
But, in the autumn of 1691, it endured a second, which occupied about
six months; when the garrison, wearied of a struggle from which they
could derive nothing but glory, on the 23rd of September, a cessation
of hostilities took place; an amicable intercourse was opened between
the two armies; and articles of capitulation were, after a few brief
delays, agreed upon. The "violated treaty" was signed on the 3rd of
October, 1691; it consisted of two parts, civil and military. It is
said to have been signed by the several contracting parties on a large
stone, near to Thomond Bridge, on the county of Clare side of the
river. The stone remains in the position it occupied at the period, and
is an object of curiosity to strangers, as well as of interest to the
citizens of Limerick. We, therefore, thought it desirable to procure a
drawing of the relic, which retains its name of "the Treaty Stone."
THE TEMPLARS' BANNER CALLED BEAUSEANT.
When Constantine the Great was on the eve of a battle with Maxentius,
we are told that a luminous standard appeared to him in the sky with a
cross upon it, and this inscription:--"_In hoc signo vinces_--By this
sign you shall conquer;" and that this sign so encouraged Constantine
and his soldiers that they gained the next day a great victory.
When Waldemar II. of Denmark was engaged in a great battle with the
Livonians in the year 1219, it is said that a sacred banner fell from
heaven into the midst of his army, and so revived the courage of his
troops, that they gained a complete victory over the Livonians; and
in memory of the event, Waldemar instituted an order of knighthood,
called "St. Danebrog," or the strength of the Danes, and which is
still the principal order of knighthood in Denmark. Now, taking these
legends for as much as they are worth, and no more; what do they prove?
Not that this miraculous standard and cross came to the assistance
of Constantine; not that this miraculous banner came to the aid of
Waldemar; but they prove that such was the paramount importance
attached to the sacred banner among the forces, that wherever it was
present, it was a great means of inspiriting the men with increased
confidence and courage, and so contributed to the victory.
[Illustration: [++] Beauseant.]
The great importance attached to the banner in the middle ages is not
to be wondered at, when we consider that it was a kind of connecting
link between the military and the clergy; it was a religious symbol
applied to a military purpose, and this was the feeling which animated
the Crusaders and the Templars in their great struggle against the
enemies of Christianity. The contest then was between the crescent and
the cross--between Christ and Mahomet. The Knights Templars had a very
remarkable banner, being simply divided into black and white, the white
portion symbolising peace to their friends, the black portion evil to
their enemies, and their dreaded war cry, "BEAUSEANT."
SWORD-FISH _v._ WHALES.
So boundless is the sword-fish's rage and fury against whales in
particular, that many observers imagine his sallies against rocks and
timber to originate in an error of judgment, that all these lunges are
intended to punish leviathan, and are only misdirected in consequence
of the imperfect vision which prevents this scomber, like many of
his family, from accurately distinguishing forms. Whenever a supposed
whale is descried, our savage _sabreur_ rushes forward to intercept
his progress, and suddenly flashing before his victim, either alone
or in conjunction with some other unfriendly fish, instantly proceeds
to the attack. Relations of such sea-fights, attested by credible
eye-witnesses, are not uncommon; we content ourselves with the citation
of one of unimpeachable accuracy. Captain Crow, cited by Mr. Yarrell,
relates that in a voyage to Memel, on a calm night, just off the
Hebrides, all hands were called up to witness a strange combat between
some thrashers (carcharias vulpes) and a sword-fish leagued together
against a whale; as soon as the back of the ill-starred monster was
seen rising a little above the water, the thrashers sprang several
yards into the air, and struck him with their descending tails, the
reiterated percussions of which sounded, we are told, like a distant
volley of musketry. The sword-fish meanwhile attacked the whale from
below, getting close under his belly, and with such energy and effect
that there could be little doubt of the issue of a fray, which the
necessity of prosecuting their voyage prevented the crew from watching
to its close. The sword-fish is not less remarkable for strength than
pugnacity, the depot of its great physical powers being, as in most
scombers, in the tail.
WEALTH OF SPAIN UNDER THE MOORS.
The Moors, whose conquest and expulsion were attended with such
atrocities, and such triumphs to the Catholic church, were by far the
most industrious and skilful part of the Spanish population, and their
loss was a blow to the greatness and prosperity of that kingdom from
which it has never recovered. The literary activity and commercial
enterprise of the Arabs, which the wise policy of their Caliphs
encouraged, contributed both to enrich and adorn their adopted country.
Cordova, the seat of the Ommiades, was scarcely inferior, in point of
wealth and magnitude, to its proud rival on the banks of the Tigris.
A space of twenty-four miles in length, and six in breadth, along the
banks of the Guadalquiver, was occupied with palaces, streets, gardens,
and public edifices; and for ten miles the citizens could travel by
the light of lamps along an uninterrupted extent of buildings. In the
reign of Almansor it could boast of 270,000 houses, 80,455 shops,
911 baths, 3,877 mosques, from the minarets of which a population of
800,000 were daily summoned to prayers. The seraglio of the Caliph, his
wives, concubines, and black eunuchs, amounted to 6,300 persons; and he
was attended to the field by a guard of 12,000 horsemen, whose belts
and scimitars were studded with gold. Granada was equally celebrated
for its luxury and its learning. The royal demesnes extended to the
distance of twenty miles, the revenues of which were set apart to
maintain the fortifications of the city. Of the duty on grain, the
king's exchequer received about L15,000 yearly, an immense sum at that
time, when wheat sold at the rate of sixpence a bushel. The consumption
of 250,000 inhabitants kept 130 water-mills constantly at work in the
suburbs. The population of this small kingdom under the Moors is
said to have amounted to 3,000,000, which is now diminished perhaps
to one-fifth of that number. Its temples and palaces have shared the
same decay. The Alhambra stands solitary, dismantled, and neglected.
The interior remains of the palace are in tolerable preservation, and
present a melancholy picture of the romantic magnificence of its former
kings. Seville, which had continued nearly 200 years the seat of a
petty kingdom, enjoyed considerable reputation as a place of wealth
and commerce. The population in 1247 was computed at 300,000 persons,
which, in the sixteenth century, had decreased one-third. It was one
of the principal marts for olives in the Moorish dominions; and so
extensive was the trade in this article alone that the _axarafe_, or
plantations round the suburbs, employed farm-houses and olive-presses
to the amount of 100,000, being more than is now to be found in the
whole province of Andalusia.
THE FIRST OPERA.
The first composer who tried his hand at setting an opera to music was
Francisco Bamirino, an Italian artist; and the piece to which he lent
the charm of a melodious accompaniment, was the "Conversion of St.
Paul," which was brought out at Rome in 1460.
RUINS OF EUROPA.
Lady Sheil, in her "Life in Persia," thus describes some wonderful
ruins which she saw about thirty miles from Tehran:--
"From near Verameen a most remarkable antiquity still survives the
lapse of twenty centuries, that is, if what we hear be true. It
consists of an immense rampart, twenty or thirty feet in height, and
of proportional thickness, including a space of about half a mile in
length and nearly the same in breadth. It is in the form of a square;
the rampart is continuous, and at short intervals is strengthened by
bastions of prodigious size. The whole is constructed of unbaked bricks
of large dimensions, and is in a state of extraordinary preservation.
The traces of a ditch of great size, though nearly filled up, are
evident in front of the rampart. No buildings are found inside, where
nothing is visible excepting a few mounds,--not a single habitation or
human being. The solitude of this striking vestige of antiquity adds
to its solemnity. It stood alone; Elboorz, distant only a few miles,
gazing down on its hoary walls, with Demawend, in its garments of
snow, to complete the scene. From no place have I had a finer view of
this grand mountain, which seemed to lie exactly to the north. I am
informed that these magnificent ruins represent Europa, a city built
by Seleucus, which, if true, would make it upwards of two thousand
years old. On seeing the perfect state of the ruins, and the materials
of which they are composed, one feels no hesitation in crediting so
venerable an antiquity. Seleucus chose the spot well. The district of
Verameen is renowned for its fertility, though not at this period for
the salubrity of its climate. The surrounding country is covered with
earthen mounds, denoting former edifices, which, if explored, might
reveal objects worthy of the erudition and intellect of even Sir Henry
Rawlinson."
CELEBRATED GUN.
[Illustration: [++] Gun of Charles IX. of France.]