Klaprath states that in an edifice before the great temple of Buddah, at
Jeddo, is the largest bell in the world. It weighs 1,700,000 pounds,
four times greater than the great bell of Moscow, and fifty-six times
larger than the great bell of Westminister, England.
_Great Bell of Rouen._
The grand entrance to the cathedral of Rouen is flanked by two towers;
the one was erected by St. Romain; the expense of constructing the
other, which bears the whimsical name of _Tour-de-beurre_, was raised by
the sum received for granting the more wealthy and epicurean inhabitants
of the city permission to eat butter during Lent. It was in this tower
that the celebrated bell was erected; it was named George D'Amboise,
after its founder, who died from joy upon seeing it completed. It
weighed 40,000 pounds, and was melted into cannon in the year 1793.
_St. Fillan's Bell._
In Sinclair's "Statistical Account of Scotland," the Rev. Mr. Patrick
Stuart, minister of Killin parish, Perthshire, says: "There is a bell
belonging to the chapel of St. Fillan that was in high reputation among
the votaries of that saint in old times. It is a foot high, oblong in
form, and made of mixed metal. It usually lay on a grave-stone in the
church-yard. When mad people were brought to be dipped in the saint's
pool, it was necessary to perform certain ceremonies in which there was
a mixture of druidism and popery. After remaining all night in the
chapel, bound with ropes, the bell was set upon their head with great
solemnity. It was also the popular opinion that if the bell was ever
stolen, it would extricate itself out of the thief's hands and return
home, ringing all the way."
_The Bells of Jersey._
The following is the bell-legend connected with Jersey: "Many years ago
the twelve parish churches in that island possessed each a valuable peal
of bells; but during a long civil war the government determined to sell
the bells to defray the expenses of the troops. The bells were
accordingly collected and sent to France for that purpose; but on the
passage, the ship foundered, and everything was lost, to show the wrath
of Heaven at such a sacrilege. Since then, during a storm, these bells
always ring from the deep, and to this day the fishermen of St. Owen's
Bay always go to the edge of the water before embarking, to listen if
they can hear the bells upon the wind. If so, nothing will induce them
to leave the shore; if all is quiet, they fearlessly set sail."
_Subterranean Christmas Bells._
Near Raleigh, in Nottinghamshire, there is a valley, said to have been
caused by an earthquake several hundred years ago, which swallowed up a
whole village, together with the church. Formerly, it was a custom for
people to assemble in this valley on Christmas morning, to listen to the
ringing of the bells of the church beneath them. This it was positively
asserted might be heard by putting the ear to the ground and harkening
attentively. Even now, it is usual on Christmas morning for old men and
women to tell the children to go to the valley, stoop down, and hear the
bells ringing merrily.—_Hone_, 1827.
_St. Sepulchre's Bell._
It has been a very ancient practice, on the night preceding the
execution of condemned criminals, for the bellman of the parish of St.
Sepulchre to go under Newgate, and, ringing his bell, to repeat the
following, as a piece of friendly advice to the unhappy wretches under
sentence of death:—
All you that in the condemn'd hold do lie,
Prepare you, for to-morrow you shall die;
Watch all, and pray, the hour is drawing near,
That you before the Almighty must appear;
Examine well yourselves, in time repent,
That you may not to eternal flames be sent.
And when St. Sepulchre's bell to-morrow tolls.
The Lord above have mercy on your souls!
Past twelve o'clock
_The Passing Bell._
The Passing Bell was so named from being tolled when any one was passing
from life. Hence it was sometimes called the _Soul Bell_, and was rung
that those who heard it might pray for the person dying, and who was not
yet dead. We have a remarkable mention of the practice in the narrative
of the last moments of the Lady Katherine Grey (sister of Lady Jane
Grey), who died a prisoner in the Tower of London, in 1567. Sir Owen
Hopton, constable of the tower, "perceiving her to draw toward her end,
said to Mr. Bockeham, 'Were it not best to send to the church, that the
bell may be rung?' and she herself, hearing him, said: 'Good Sir Owen,
be it so;' and almost immediately died."—_Ellis's Original Letters._
_Bell-ringing in Holland._
The Hollanders exhibit the most enthusiastic fondness for bells. Every
church and public building is hung round with them in endless variety.
In Amsterdam not less than a thousand bells are kept constantly ringing,
which creates a din that is almost intolerable to strangers.
_Babes of Bethlehem._
It is an ancient custom at Norton, Worcestershire, England, on the 28th
of December (Innocents' Day) to ring a muffled peal in token of sorrow
for the slaughter of the hapless "babes of Bethlehem," and, immediately
afterwards, an unmuffled peal, in manifestation of joy for the
deliverance and escape of the infant Saviour.
_Ringing the Changes._
It is curious to note the number of changes which may be rung on
different peals. The changes on seven bells are 5040; on twelve,
479,001,600, which it would take ninety-one years to ring, at the rate
of two strokes in a second. The changes on fourteen bells could not be
rung through at the same rate in less than 16,575 years, and upon
four-and-twenty they would require more than 117,000 billions of
years.—_E. F. King._
_Bell Inscriptions._
Epigraphs or legends on bells were quite common in England. We subjoin
specimens—
_On the Six Bells of the Ancient Abbey of Hexham._
Even at our earliest sound,
The light of God is spread around.
At the echo of my voice,
Ocean, earth and air rejoice.
Blend thy mellow tones with mine,
Silver voice of Catherine!
Till time on ruin's lap shall nod,
John shall sound the praise of God.
With John in heavenly harmony,
Andrew, pour thy melody.
Be mine to chant Jehovah's fame,
While Maria is my name.
A not uncommon epigraph is—
Come when I call,
To serve God all.
At Aldbourne, on the first bell, we read: "The gift of Jos. Pizzie and
Wm. Gwynn.
Music and ringing we like so well,
And for that reason we gave this bell."
On the fourth bell is—
Humphry Symsin gave xx pounds to buy this bell,
And the parish gave xx more to make this ring go well.
At Broadchalk—
I in this place am second bell,
I'll surely do my part as well.
At Coln, on the third bell—
Robert Forman collected the money for casting this bell
Of well-disposed people, as I do you tell.
At Devizes, St. Mary—
I am the first, altho' but small,
I will be heard above you all.
I am the second in this ring;
Therefore next to thee I will sing.
Amesbury, on the fifth bell—
Be strong in faith, praise God well,
Frances Countess Hertford's bell.
Amesbury, on the tenor bell—
Altho' it be unto my loss,
I hope you will consider my cost.
At Bath Abbey—
All you of Bath that hear my sound,
Thank Lady Hopton's hundred pound.
At Stowe, Northamptonshire—
Be it known to all that doth me see,
That Newcombe, of Leicester, made me.
At St. Michael's, Coventry—
I ring at six to let men know
When to and from their work to go.
On the seventh bell is—
I ring to sermon with lusty bome,
That all may come, and none can stay at home.
At St. Peter-le-Bailey, Oxford, in expectation of other bells which were
never purchased—
With seven more I hope soon to be
For ages joined in harmony.
On the eighth bell is—
I am and have been called the common bell,
To ring when fire breaks out to tell.
St. Helen's church, at Worcester, England, has a set of bells cast in
the time of Queen Anne, with names and inscriptions recording victories
gained in that reign—
1. BLENHEIM.
First is my note, and Blenheim is my name;
For Blenheim's story will be first in fame.
2. BARCELONA.
Let me relate how Louis did bemoan
His grandson Philip's flight from Barcelon.
3. RAMILIES.
Deluged in blood, I, Ramilies, advance
Britannia's glory on the fall of France.
4. MENIN.
Let Menin on my sides engraven be,
And Flanders freed from Gallic slavery.
5. TURIN.
When in harmonious peal I roundly go,
Think on Turin, and triumphs on the Po.
6. EUGENE.
With joy I bear illustrious Eugene's name;
Fav'rite of fortune and the boast of fame.
7. MARLBOROUGH.
But I for pride the greater Marlborough bear;
Terror of tyrants and the soul of war.
8. QUEEN ANNE.
The immortal praise of Queen Anne I sound,
With union blest, and all these glories crowned.
On the famous alarm-bell called Roland, in a belfry-tower in the once
powerful city of Ghent, is engraved the subjoined inscription, in the
old Walloon or Flemish dialect—
"My name is Roland; when I toll there is fire,
And when I ring there is victory in the land."
The following inscription, remarkable for bad taste, is on one of eight
bells in the church tower of Tilton, Devon—
"Recast by John Taylor and Son,
Who the best prize for church bells won
At the Great Ex-hi-bi-ti-on
In London, 1-8-5 and 1."
ARTICLES OF RINGING.
The following "Articles of Ringing" are upon the walls of the belfry in
Dunster, Somersetshire, England:—
1. You that in ringing take delight,
Be pleased to draw near;
These articles you must observe,
If you mean to ring here.
2. And first, if any overturn
A bell, as that he may,
He forthwith for that only fault
In beer shall sixpence pay.
3. If any one shall curse or swear
When come within the door,
He then shall forfeit for that fault
As mentioned before.
4. If any one shall wear his hat
When he is ringing here,
He straightway then shall sixpence pay
In cyder or in beer.
5. If any one these articles
Refuseth to obey,
Let him have nine strokes of the rope,
And so depart away.
_Old Weather Rhymes._
If New Year's eve night-wind blow south,
It betokeneth warmth and growth;
If west, much milk, and fish in the sea;
If north, much cold, and storms there will be;
If east, the trees will bear much fruit;
If north-east, flee it, man and brute.
If St. Paul's day be fair and clear,
It does betide a happy year;
But if it chance to snow or rain,
Then will be dear all kinds of grain;
If clouds or mists do dark the skie,
Great store of birds and beasts shall die;
And if the winds do fly aloft,
Then wars shall vex the kingdome oft.
A swarm of bees in May
Is worth a load of hay;
A swarm of bees in June
Is worth a silver spune;
A swarm of bees in July
Is not worth a fly.
The hind had as lief see his wife on the bier,
As that Candlemas-day should be pleasant and clear.
If Candlemas-day be fair and bright,
Winter will have another flight;
But if Candlemas-day be clouds and rain,
Winter is gone, and will not come again.
When Candlemas-day is come and gone,
The snow lies on a hot stone.
If Candlemas is fair and clear,
There'll be twa winters in the year.
February fill dike, be it black or be it white;
But if it be white, it's the better to like.
When the cuckoo comes to the bare thorn,
Sell your cow and buy your corn;
But when she comes to the full bit,
Sell your corn and buy your sheep.
If the cock moult before the hen,
We shall have weather thick and thin;
But if the hen moult before the cock,
We shall have weather hard as a block.
When the wind's in the south,
It blows the bait into the fishes' mouth.
As the days lengthen
So the colds strengthen.
If there be a rainbow in the eve,
It will rain and leave;
But if there be a rainbow in the morrow,
It will neither lend nor borrow.
A rainbow in the morning
Is the shepherd's warning;
But a rainbow at night
Is the shepherd's delight.
No tempest, good July,
Lest corn come off blue by.
When the wind's in the east,
It's neither good for man nor beast;
When the wind's in the south,
It's in the rain's mouth.
When the sloe-tree is as white as a sheet,
Sow your barley, whether it be dry or wet.
No weather is ill
If the wind be still.
A snow year,
A rich year.
Winter's thunder
Is summer's wonder.
St. Swithin's day, if thou dost rain,
For forty days it will remain;
St. Swithin's day, if thou be fair,
For forty days 'twill rain na mair.
The bat begins with giddy wing
His circuit round the shed and tree;
And clouds of dancing gnats to sing
A summer night's serenity.
At New Year's tide,
The days are lengthened a cock's stride.
If the red sun begins his race,
Expect that rain will fall apace.
The evening red, the morning gray,
Are certain signs of a fair day.
If woolly fleeces spread the heavenly way,
No rain, be sure, disturbs the summer's day.
In the waning of the moon,
A cloudy morn—fair afternoon.
When clouds appear like rocks and towers,
The earth's refresh'd by frequent showers.
As the days grow longer
The storms grow stronger.
Blessed is the corpse that the rain falls on.
Blessed is the bride that the sun shines on.
He that goes to see his wheat in May,
Comes weeping away.
_Signs of Foul Weather._
The soot falls down, the spaniels sleep,
And spiders from their cobwebs peep.
Loud quack the ducks, the sea-fowl cry,
The distant hills are looking nigh.
Puss on the hearth, with velvet paws,
Sits wiping o'er her whisker'd jaws.
The smoke from chimneys right ascends,
Then spreading, back to earth it bends.
The walls are damp, the ditches smell,
Clos'd is the pink-ey'd pimpernel.
Quite restless are the snorting swine,
The busy flies disturb the kine.
The wind unsteady veers around,
Or settling in the south is found.
The glow-worms, numerous and bright,
Illumed the dewy hill last night.
Through the clear stream the fishes rise
And nimbly catch the incautious flies.
_First Meerschaum Pipe._
In 1723 there lived in Pesth, the capital of Hungary, Karol Kowates, a
shoemaker, whose ingenuity in cutting and carving on wood, etc., brought
him in contact with Count Andrassy, ancestor to the present prime
minister of Austria, with whom he became a favorite. The count, on his
return from a mission to Turkey, brought with him a large piece of
whitish clay, which had been presented to him as a curiosity on account
of its extraordinary light specific gravity. It struck the shoemaker
that, being porous, it must naturally be well adapted for pipes, as it
would absorb the nicotine. The experiment was tried, and Karol cut a
pipe for the count and one for himself. But in the pursuit of his trade
he could not keep his hands clean, and many a piece of wax became
attached to the pipe. The clay, however, instead of assuming a dirty
appearance, as was naturally to be expected, when Karol wiped it off,
received, wherever the wax had touched, a clear brown polish, instead
of the dull white it previously had. Attributing this change in the tint
to the proper source, he waxed the whole surface, and, polishing the
pipe, again smoked it, and noticed how admirably and beautifully it
colored; also, how much more sweet the pipe smoked after being waxed.
Karol had struck the smoking philosopher's stone; and other noblemen,
hearing of the wonderful properties of this singular species of clay,
imported it in considerable quantities for the manufacture of pipes. The
natural scarcity of this much esteemed article, and the great cost of
transportation in those days of limited facilities for transportation,
rendered its use exclusively confined to the richest European noblemen
until 1830, when it became a more general article of trade. The first
meerschaum pipe made by Karol Kowates has been preserved in the museum
at Pesth.
_The First Oval Lathe._
William Murdock, the inventor of the oval lathe, was a poor millwright.
He was a good workman, but rather shiftless, until he came into the
employ of Boulton & Watt, the English manufacturers of steam-engines in
the last century. The way in which the millwright first attracted the
attention of these great machinists is thus told:—
Somewhere about the year 1780, a traveling millwright, weary and
foot-sore, and with the broadest of Northern Doric accent, stopped at a
factory in England and asked for work. His aspect indicated beggary, and
the proprietor, Mr. Boulton, had bidden him seek some other workshop,
when, as the man was turning sorrowfully away, he suddenly called him
back, saying—
"What kind of hat 's yon ye have on your head, my man?"
"It's just timmer, sir," replied the man.
"Timmer, my man!" ejaculated the manufacturer. "Just let me look at it.
Where on earth did you get it?"
"I just turned it in the lathe," said the mechanic, with a flush of
pride.
"But it's oval, not round, my man," said Mr. Boulton, in surprise; "and
lathes turn things round."
"A-weel, I just gar'd the lathe gang anither gait to please me; and I'd
a long journey before me, and I thocht I'd have a hat to keep out water;
and I had na muckle to spare, so I just make ane."
The man was a born inventor, but he didn't know it. By his ingenuity he
had invented the oval lathe, one of the most useful of machines. He had
made his hat with it, and the hat made his fortune. Great events often
result from seeming trifles. Mr. Boulton was a sharp man of business. He
saw that the man who could turn out of a block of wood an oval hat, was
too valuable a workman for the firm of Boulton & Watt to lose sight of.
William Murdock was then and there employed. In 1784 he made the first
wheeled vehicle impelled by steam in England,—made it with his own
hands and brains. He gained fame and fortune, but the "timmer" hat, made
for a long journey and to keep out water, was the corner-stone of both.
_Porcelain._
An alchemist, while seeking to discover a mixture of earths that would
make the most durable crucibles, one day found that he had made
porcelain.
_Origin of Blue-tinted Paper._
The origin of blue-tinted paper came about by a mere slip of the hand.
The wife of William East, an English paper-maker, accidentally let a
blue bag fall into one of the vats of pulp. The workmen were astonished
when they saw the peculiar color of the paper, while Mr. East was highly
incensed over what he considered a grave pecuniary loss. His wife was so
much frightened that she would not confess her agency in the matter.
After storing the damaged paper for four years, Mr. East sent it to his
agent at London, with instructions to sell it for what it would bring.
The paper was accepted as a "purposed novelty," and was disposed of at
quite an advance over the market price. Mr. East was astonished at
receiving an order from his agent for another large invoice of the
paper. He was without the secret, and found himself in a dilemma. Upon
mentioning it to his wife, she told him about the accident. He kept the
secret, and the demand for the novel tint far exceeded his ability to
supply it.
_Following His Nose._
While Marshall Jewell was Minister to Russia, he found out, by the use
of his nose, the secret of making Russia leather. Instead of using
tallow and grease in the dressings of skins, the Russians employed
birch-bark tar. By careful inquiry, and literally following his nose,
during a visit to one of their large tanneries, he found the compound in
a mammoth kettle, ready for use. He reported his discovery, and the
result is that genuine Russian leather goods are now made in America.
_Discovery of Composition for Printing-Rollers._
The composition of which printing-rollers are made was discovered by a
Salopian printer. Not being able to find the pelt-ball, he inked the
type with a piece of soft glue which had fallen out of a glue pot. It
was such an excellent substitute that, after mixing molasses with the
glue, to give the mass proper consistency, the old pelt-ball was
entirely discarded.
_Mezzotinting._
This art was suggested by the simple accident of the gun-barrel of a
sentry becoming rusted with dew.
_Whitening Sugar._
The process of whitening sugar was discovered in a curious way. A hen
that had gone through a clay puddle went with her muddy feet into a
sugar house, leaving her tracks on a pile of sugar. It was noticed that
wherever her tracks were the sugar was whitened. Experiments were
instituted, and the result was that wet clay came to be used in refining
sugar.
_Discovery of Glass._
Pliny informs us that the art of making glass was accidentally
discovered by some merchants who were traveling with nitre, and stopped
near a river issuing from Mount Carmel. Not readily finding stones to
rest their kettles on, they employed some pieces of their nitre for that
purpose. The nitre, gradually dissolving by the heat of the fire, mixed
with the sand, and a transparent matter flowed, which was, in fact,
glass.
_Essence of Pearl._
A French bead-maker named Jaquin discovered the manner of preparing the
glass pearls used at present, which approach as near to nature as
possible, without being too expensive. He once noticed, at his estate
near Passy, that when the small fish called _ables_ or _ablettes_ were
washed, the water was filled with fine silver-colored particles. He
suffered the water to stand for some time, and obtained from it a
sediment which had the lustre of the most beautiful pearls, which
suggested to him the idea of making pearls from it. He scraped off the
scales of the fish, and called the soft shining powder which was
diffused in the water essence of pearl, or _essence d'orient_. He
succeeded in coating the interior of glass beads with the pearly liquid,
and amassed a large fortune. This was during the reign of Henry IV.
(according to some authors), and Jaquin's heirs continued the business
down to a late period, and had a considerable manufactory at Rue de
Petit Lion, at Paris. It required from eighteen to twenty thousand fish
(which were not more than four inches in length) to make a pound of the
essence of pearl. These pearls were frequently taken for genuine ones.
Mercure Galant (1686), tells us in that year of a poor marquis, who,
being in love with a lady, gained her affections by presenting her with
a string of artificial pearls. They cost him not more than three louis,
while she, believing them to be genuine pearls, valued them at 2,000
francs. Jewelers and pawnbrokers were frequently deceived by them.
_Diminutive Note Paper._
A Brighton stationer took a fancy for dressing his show-window with
piles of writing paper, rising gradually from the largest to the
smallest size in use; and to finish his pyramids off nicely, he cut
cards to bring them to a point. Taking these cards for diminutive note
paper, lady customers were continually wanting some of "that lovely
little paper," and the stationer found it advantageous to cut paper to
the desired pattern. As there was no space for addressing the notelets
after they were folded, he, after much thought, invented the envelope,
which he cut by the aid of metal plates made for the purpose. The sale
increased so rapidly that he was unable to produce the envelopes fast
enough, so he commissioned a dozen houses to make them for him, and thus
set going an important branch of the manufacturing stationery trade.
_Etching upon Glass._
This process was discovered by accident about the year 1670, by an
artist named Schwanhard. We are told that some aqua-fortis having fallen
by accident upon his spectacles, the glass was corroded by it. He thence
learned to make a liquid by which he could etch writing and figures upon
glass.
_Lundyfoot's Luck._
The shop of a Dublin tobacconist by the name of Lundyfoot was destroyed
by fire. While he was gazing dolefully into the smouldering ruins, he
noticed that his poorer neighbors were gathering the snuff from the
canisters. He tested the snuff for himself, and discovered that the fire
had largely improved its pungency and aroma. It was a hint worth
profiting by. He secured another shop, built a lot of ovens, subjected
the snuff to a heating process, gave the brand a particular name, and in
a few years became rich through an accident which he at first thought
had completely ruined him.
_Citric Acid._
A London chemist was the inventor of citric acid, and, having his own
prices as long as the way of making the acid was a secret, realized a
large fortune.
This chemist trusted nobody, but worked entirely alone. He thought his
secret very safe. It was necessary, however, to have a chimney to his
laboratory, and chimneys sometimes want sweeping.