The houses contain stools, benches, and tables of the rudest kind; the wood fire, when any fire is wanted, crackles in the centre of the room, the smoke issuing where it can; the huswife, surrounded by her hardy offspring, attends to the humble domestic arrangements, while her lord and master traverses the mountains with his gun in search of game for his family. At night, a small stick of the pinus lariccio often serves as a lamp. This," said a Corsican to me, as he pointed to a twig that was lying on the ground in the forest of Vizzavona, "is one of our candles." Such is the simple mode of living that generally pervades the whole interior of the island. 66 coun The traveller in Corsica never meets with a beggar. If he is accosted in his road, it is generally with the question of "What news do you bring with you?" and others relating to his journey, his business, &c. Often these inquiries extend beyond the trifles that generally engross conversation, even in more civilized tries. The secretary in chief of the prefect related to us the following anecdote:-I was travelling in the interior quite incognito; a peasant came up to me and asked as usual for news; I told him immediately of the marriages, deaths, &c. that had then lately occurred at Ajaccio. The peasant replied, "I don't want to know those matters. I wish to be informed what the allied sovereigns are now doing at Laybach?" The peasantry never feel the least abashed; and whatever may be the appearance of the traveller, they come towards him, rest on their muskets, and begin a conversation as familiarly as if the parties were intimate ac quaintances. Each man seems to consider it a duty to bring home as much news as he can learn in his his countrymen. rambles, and to communicate it to bands have been assassinated, preMothers of families, whose husuntil their children grow up to serve the dress of the deceased, manhood, and then show them the clothes tinged with the blood of vengeance; and in dispute with their fathers, and exhort them to they have not revenged themothers, the latter taunt them if selves. tini, "these unhappy children "Thus," adds M. Agoshave no other alternative, than to live dishonoured, or to destroy the murderers of their parents, and they rush headlong into crime." The moresca, a sort of mock fight, is a very favourite spectacle of the Corsicans, and attracts the inhabitants from all parts of the island. In this exhibition, there are challenges, single combats, and the defeat of the party representa general battle, which ends with ing the enemy of the nation. rally precede the marriages of a The long courtships, that geneknown; neither is the bridegroom more civilised people, are here unthe first proposer of the union. persons is one of great festivity. The day of marriage of young In the evening the bride is conducted to the house of her husband, amidst the music of violins and cetre, whilst the attendants sing a sort of gratulatory epithalamium. The husband comes out of his and amidst the discharge of mushouse at the sound of the music, kets, receives the company with cordiality; offering honey, fruits, wine, and other things, for their refreshment. When the married couple are advanced in years, so that the union is not likely to be fruitful, the Corsicans conduct themselves in a totally different mar.ner. Instead of approaching the bridegroom's house with instruments of music, they come then with spades, horns, discordant bells, and make a frightful "charivari." Thus denoting their disapprobation of a marriage which cannot fulfil one of the chief ends for which it was destined. The bridegroom so circumstanced bears this affront with good grace, since the custom is very ancient. The Corsican wife is little more than the slave and drudge of her haughty master. He rides on his mule, whilst she paces along at his side. To the cultivation of the plot of ground that surrounds his hut the wife has to attend, whilst he smokes his pipe beneath the shady chesnut, or roams about the mountains with his gun and dog. But with this dreadful disparity of condition between the husband and wife, the latter is seldom cruelly treated, and infidelity. to the marriage contract is very rare. Children do not meet with equal attention from their parents; the sons engrossing nearly all the little property possessed by the family, whilst a daughter has nothing to look forward to in leaving the home of her father, but to become the slave of her husband. It is not uncommon to see two families dining at the same table, and warming themselves at the same fire. Cousins are frequently brought up together, loving each other with the affection of brothers and sisters; and the grandfather, the chief of the whole family, is sometimes seen surrounded by twenty or thirty descendants, possessing, with the necessaries of life, that love towards each other, which springs from a similarity of habits, and from a community of interest. The education of their children, is as rude as their mode of life. A few maxims are all the parents inculcate into their offspring; they instruct them to believe in God and their religion, but omit the Christian precept of the forgiveness of injuries; on the contrary, they teach them to revenge insults. The sons no sooner arrive at the age of puberty, than their parents buy them arms, or lend them their own; telling them that being men and strong as other men, they ought to see their rights respected. These words, engraven on the heart of the young Corsican, are always recurring to his thoughts, and frequently lead to the most frightful consequences. What those rights are, does not depend with him upon any dry definitions, it is enough that he feels insulted; and thus in his own person he often unites the different characters of legislator, of judge, and of executioner. One of the most imposing religious fêtes that take place in the island, occurs in Rogation week, when the vegetation is in its most vigorous state. At this time, the Corsicans go in procession from the parish church of their villages; whilst the smiling appearance of their country, the brilliancy of the sun, and the freshness of the atmosphere invite them to sing the praises of the Author of all things. They march at a slow pace; the men separate from the women; the priest in the middle; the children follow behind the priesthood. When the procession is arrived at a point of land which commands the prospect below, the Curé gives his benediction to the country around, prays the Almighty to chain the tempests and torrents, the winds and all other natural causes inimical to the fruits of the earth, intended for man's subsistence. The congregation, on their knees, listen with profound attention. As soon as the prayers are finished, the procession returns in the same order to the parish church, where the people obtain bundles of little wooden crosses, which they fix separately on their lands. The fête-days, in honour of the patron saint of each village, are consecrated to prayer, and the effusion of the tenderest feelings. On these days, relatives generally of the different members of a faassemble together; and this union mily is considered as a sacred obligation imposed on all. A refu sal to attend on such occasions is considered as a denial of their family; and produces much injury to a man's reputation. At these festive meetings, the Corsicans arrange, in general, the marriage of their daughters, and other family tics of the island, or of the village matters; and talk over the poliin which they are assembled. GEOGRAPHY, ASTRONOMY, &c. ARTS AND MANUFACTURES. CHEMISTRY. PATENTS. NATURAL HISTORY. THE Living Skeleton. The following is an account of this strange lusus naturæ, who has been lately imported for the gratification of the curiosity of the London public. The name of the Living Skeleton is Claude Ambroise Seurat; he is a native of Troyes, in Champagne, was born on the 10th of April, 1798, and is consequently 27 years of age. The result of an inquiry as to whether any object had presented itself during his mother's pregnancy, to create a fright, was, an assurance to the contrary. The mother was very short-sighted. The child, on coming into the world, presented the customary baby form, its features being handsome; but in proportion as the infant grew, the frame gradually wasted away, and so continued to decrease until the attainment of its full stature, which occurred at the usual term of life. period Claude Ambroise Seurat had attained his present height of five feet seven inches and a half, when his frame had dwindled to the livingskeleton form it now personifies. Having been shaved for the purpose of displaying the formation of the skull, in order to prevent the effect of cold, he wears a wig the colour of his eye-brows, which are a dark chesnut brown. The pupils of his eyes are large, full, and penetrating; the whites very clear, and his sight strong; but the upper lids appear rather to weigh downwards, from a laxity of the muscles, added to which there is a glaziness in the sight, that conveys a some thing of ghastliness to the general appearance. His teeth are perfect; his power of mastication very good, there is no defect in the strength of the jaws. His right shoulder inclines very much downwards, while the left rises in proportion. The upper joints of the arms present nothing but bones covered with the skin, their circumference measuring just four inches; while the fore arms, on the contrary, are five inches and a half. The hands are particularly long, and the nails beautifully formed; but the fingers are contracted upwards. The muscles of the arms are, however, wasted away or contracted, so that our subject does not possess the power of elevating the hands higher than in a semi-horizontal position, and when in that attitude nothing can possibly exceed the sepulchral appearance of this living anatomy. Perhaps one of the most wonderful circumstances attending the living skeleton is, that if measured externally from the chest to the back bone, the distance is under three inches. Taken round the waist at the bottom of the ribs, the body measures barely one foot eleven inches, and when the object throws its arms backwards, the shoulderblade-bones are scarcely one inch asunder. From the vertebræ of the back, taken between the shoulders to the centre of the loins, the falling-in is not less than five inches. The thighs are much smaller than the legs, and, like the upper joints of the arms, merely covered with skin; the knees of a reddish colour, protrude in the front and sides, forming as it were a bowl at the bottom of the thigh-bones. The legs, of which the right is the largest, merely show signs of calves, particularly the latter; and the main arteries of the exterior of the thighs and legs are large and full, which were, no doubt, augmented by the excessive heat of the weather. little if any animal food, a penny When in France he ate very sustenance; but as he now parFrench-roll was enough for a day's takes of animal diet in very small quantities, his portion of bread is reduced accordingly. and the evacuations of nature reguHis digestion is extremely good, larly performed-his sleep is uninterrupted, except at certain periods, when he has violent attacks of the night-mare; to dispel which his father, who always sleeps with him, and carefully watches his motions, on perceiving their ap proach, merely touches him with the hand, when the whole subsides. His voice is by no means strong, but far from disagreeable: he has a particular passion for music, and conversation must not be kept up even can sing in a faint tone: but exhaustion would be the consefor any length of time, as complete quence. When speaking, the rothe neck is perceptible, and the pulstatory motion through the skin of ation of the heart conspicuous to the eye. the floor, the limb appears to be extraordinary creature in England, |