_Other people's eyes the cause of ruin._--Almost all the parts of
the body, says Dr. Franklin, require some expense. The feet demand
shoes; the legs stockings; the rest of the body, clothing; and
the stomach a good deal of victuals. Our eyes, though exceedingly
useful, ask, when reasonable, only the cheap assistance of
spectacles, which would not much impair our finances. But the eyes
of _other people_ are the eyes that ruin us. If all but myself were
blind, I should want neither fine clothes, fine house nor fine
furniture.
_Enormous Bird._--Mr. Henderson has discovered, in New Siberia, the
claws of a bird, measuring each a yard in length; and the Yaknts
assured him they had frequently in their hunting excursions, met
with skeletons, and even feathers of this bird, the quills of which
were large enough to admit a man's arm. This is a fact in support of
the tradition, that the earth was formerly inhabited by giants, for
men, not exceeding ourselves in stature, would have been helpless
against birds of prey of this magnitude.
_Martial glory._--In the Edinburgh Review of Dr. Seybert's
"Statistical Annals of the United States," there is an admonition
to the Americans to abstain from martial glory. "We can inform
them," (says the Reviewer) "what are the inevitable consequences of
being too fond of glory. Taxes upon every article which enters into
the mouth, or covers the back, or is placed under the foot--taxes
upon every thing which is pleasant to see, hear, feel, smell, or
taste--taxes upon warmth, light, or locomotion--taxes on every thing
on earth, and the waters under the earth--of every thing that comes
from abroad, or is grown at home--taxes on the raw material--taxes
on every fresh value that is added to it by the industry of
men--taxes on the sauce which pampers man's appetite, and the drug
that restores him to health--on the ermine which decorate the judge,
and the rope which hangs the criminal--on the poor man's salt, and
the rich man's spice--on the brass nails of the coffin, and the
ribands of the bride--at bed or at board, couchant or levant, we
must pay! The school boy whips his taxed top--the beardless youth
manages his taxed horse with a taxed bridle on a taxed road; and
the dying Englishman, pouring his medicine which has paid seven per
cent., into a spoon which has paid fifteen per cent., flings himself
back upon his chintz bed, which has paid twenty-two per cent.--makes
his will on an 8l. stamp, and expires in the arms of an apothecary,
who has paid 100l. for the privilege of putting him to death.--His
whole property is then taxed from 2 to 10 per cent., besides the
probate. Large fees are demanded for burying him in the chancel; his
virtues are handed down to posterity on taxed marble; and he is then
gathered to his fathers to be taxed no more."
_Law Intelligence.--R. & C. Rhodes, vs. Peleg Congdon._ The court
are of opinion that the legal mode of computing interest, where
there have been partial payments, is, to cast the interest on the
principal, up to the time of the first payment, which add to the
principal; and from this sum deduct the payment, and so on through
all the endorsements when one year or more intervenes between the
payments, provided the sum paid is greater than the sum due for
interest, when the payment is made; if less than such sum is paid,
to be applied towards the payment of interest; and where the note
or mortgage has not run one year, then, cast the interest tin the
payment, as well as the principal, up to the end of the year.--The
above decision was made by the Supreme Court, at their late April
term, in Kent, Maryland.
_On Books._--Dr. Aikin in his valuable letters from a Father to a
Son, thus elucidates the value of a Library:--"Imagine (says he)
that we had it in our power to call up the shades of the greatest
and wisest men that ever existed, and obliged them to converse with
us on the most interesting topics--what an inestimable privilege
should we think it!--how superior to all common enjoyments! But in
a well furnished library we, in fact, possess this power. We can
question Xenophon and Cæsar on their campaigns--make Demosthenes and
Cicero plead before us--join in the audiences of Socrates and Plato,
and receive demonstrations from Euclid and Newton. In books we have
the choicest thoughts of the ablest men in their best dress. We can,
at pleasure, exclude dulness and impertinence, and open our doors to
wit and good sense alone. Without books, I have never been able to
pass a single day to my entire satisfaction; with them, no day has
been so dark as not to have had its pleasure. Even pain and sickness
have for a time been charmed away by them. By the easy provision
of a book in my pocket, I have frequently worn through long nights
and days in the most disagreeable parts of my profession, with
all the difference in my feelings between calm content and fretful
impatience."
_European Literature._---The catalogue of the fair of Leipsic, for
1819, contains one thousand two hundred and sixteen new works, in
Greek, Latin, and German; thirty-eight novels, thirty dramatic
pieces, twenty-seven geographical maps, fifty-nine pieces of music;
and seventy-seven works in foreign languages, the French, Italian,
Polish, Bohemian, Danish, and Spanish.
_Egypt._--The last news from this country, of inexhaustible
curiosity, contains information respecting the labours of that
magnificent undertaking, the Grand Canal of Alexandria. Already
the primary effects of it have given an impulse to agriculture and
industry, such as might be expected from it. The culture of cotton,
of the sugar cane, of the mulberry tree, is beginning to assume
a degree of activity, as also the rearing of silkworms; and some
important new manufactories are already at work, holding out the
promise of future commercial prosperity.
_Lakes in New Holland._--It appears that two large seas or sheets of
water have been discovered in the interior of New Holland, supplied
chiefly by two considerable rivers, whose sources are on the western
side of the Blue Mountains.
_Missions in India._--The Reverend James Bryce, in a sermon
preached in Calcutta, March, 1818, said, "Zeal the most active and
disinterested, and diligence the most assiduous, have not been
spared by the Christian missionary, in his pious attempts to convert
the natives of India. But, alas! it may be doubted, if at this day
he boasts a single proselyte to his creed, over whom he is warranted
to rejoice."
_Increase of Taxes in England._--A meeting of the magistrates, and
other owners and occupiers of land in Monmouthshire, was held lately
at Abergavenny, for the purpose of petitioning Parliament for
relief. The 1st clause of the petition states, "That the farmer at
this time can obtain but little more for his corn than in the year
1793, although the taxes are increased _four fold_, and the poors'
rates above trebled, since that period."
_British Exports._--The exports of white and plain calicoes from
Great Britain, were--In 1814, 58,928,174 yards; in 1815, 65,669 930;
in 1816, 50,251,102; and in 1817, 63,525,555.
_Scull of king Robert the Bruce._--Lately in the church of
Dumfermline, the grave of the celebrated warrior king Robert the
Bruce was opened, in presence of a numerous assemblage of men of
rank and science. The scull, and various parts of the skeleton,
were in a state of preservation: now that the opinions of Gall
and Spurzheim are not passed over as mere pieces of quackery, the
curiosity of anatomists, and even of the public in general, was
excited by this invaluable opportunity of inspecting and examining
such a scull as that of king Robert the Bruce. We are told, that
several of the propensities of this great man, were strongly
expressed in the eminences of the scull--in particular, that the
organ of _combativeness_ was the most prominent of the whole.
_Power of Ice._--The following singular account of the power of ice,
is taken from an English periodical publication, of January 1820.
"Huyghens, in order to try the force with which ice would expand
itself when confined, filled a cannon, the sides of which were an
inch thick, with water, and then closed the mouth and touch hole so
that none could escape. The instrument, thus filled was exposed in
a strong freezing air. In less than twelve hours the water within
was frozen, and began to dilate itself with such force, that it
actually burst the piece in two different places. Mathematicians
have calculated the force of the ice on this occasion; such a
force, they say, would raise a weight of 27,730 pounds. From hence,
therefore, we need not be surprised at the effects of ice destroying
the substance of vegetables, trees, and even splitting rocks, when
the frost is carried to excess.
"The late frost produced quite a phenomenon at the back of the
Cold-Bath-Fields prison, where the New River Water Company's leading
iron pipes cross the Fleet Ditch. The pipes not having been properly
cemented, or the cement having worn away, the water had spouted up
high in the air: and when the very severe weather was, it commenced
freezing, and continued to freeze till a large cascade or fountain
of ice was actually formed, as white as snow, about ten feet above
the pipe, and reaching in large icicles concocted together nearly
to the water in the ditch below. The bank was covered with a thick
coat of ice from the spray, which blew from the water-fall. The
circumference of the frozen pile could not be less than eight or ten
feet, at half that height from the pipe. At a distance it was not
possible to distinguish it from water spouting and falling down;
and when close to it the ice looked so clear and beautiful, and the
rarity of such an object being considered, made every one behold it
with wonder and admiration."
_Ingenious Machine._--The National Fire and Life Insurance
Association, (London) have introduced a newly invented machine,
which possesses the following properties: In case of fire,
it instantly awakens the party in whose sleeping room it is
placed--immediately lights a lamp--makes known the hour of the
night, and not only that a fire has commenced, but in what room.
_Chinese Superstition._--The following article, which gives some
idea of Chinese superstition, is taken from a Peking Gazette:--"The
1st of May, 1818, there arose suddenly at Peking, a tempest, that
obscured the heavens and filled the air with sand and dust. The
Emperor, thinking it was a judgment from heaven, was very much
alarmed, and very anxious to know what it meant: he assembled his
ministers of state, and commanded them to endeavour to discover the
cause of it: he then reprimanded his astronomers for not having
foretold it to him. 'You announced to me,' said he to them, 'three
days ago, the happy influence the stars had over me, foretelling a
long and prosperous life; this was mere flattery, while you either
would not or could not tell me of this impending misfortune.' Three
of those _sages_ gave their opinion, that the cause of this tempest
was the dismissal of the late chief minister, _Sung Tajin_, and
advised him to recall him; but his Majesty, far from approving their
proposal, reprimanded them for having the presumption to meddle with
the royal prerogative. The body of mathematicians gave in their
opinion, assuring him that if this whirlwind, accompanied with dust,
continued during the whole day, it indicated a perverse conduct and
variance of opinion between the sovereign and his ministers, as well
as a great drought and famine. If the wind disturbed the sand, moved
the stones, and made much noise, inundations were to be expected;
and if the dust continued to fall one hour more, the plague would
rage in the southern regions, and half the inhabitants to the
southeast would be sick."
The Gazette expresses his Majesty's uneasiness at this long drought.
His Majesty has ordered his sons to fast, to pray, and offer
sacrifices to heaven, to earth, and to the god of wind. There was
to be a solemn festival on the 25th of May, 1819, at which all
the princes, ministers, and nobles, were to appear in procession,
wearing mourning as a mark of their contrition!
_To Farmers' Wives._--A most excellent method of making BUTTER, is
now practised in England, which effectually prevents its changing
and becoming rancid.--The day before churning, scald the cream in a
clean iron kettle, over a clear fire, taking care that it does not
boil over. As soon as it begins to boil, or is fully scalded, strain
it, when the particles of milk, which tended to sour and change the
butter, are separated and left behind. Put the vessel into a tub of
water, in a cellar, till the next morning, when it will be ready
for churning, and become butter in less than quarter of the time
required in the common method. It will also be hard, with peculiar
additional sweetness, and will not change. The labour in this way is
less than the other, as the butter comes so much sooner, and saves
so much time in working out the buttermilk.--By this method good
butter may be made in the hottest weather.