there are so few instances of the kind, than that we should have been able to point out these, which we do with all deference to the lady's own judgment. We must, in concluding our notice of them, again repeat our expression of the pleasure and interest with which we have perused her volumes. From the Literary Gazette. JESSE'S ANECDOTES OF DOGS. Anecdotes of Dogs. By Edward Jesse, Here lies Lupa, Whose grandmother was a wolf, Conclusive as this fact may appear, as proving the descent of the dog from the wolf. it is not convincing, the dog having characters which do not belong to the wolf The dog, for instance, guards property with strictest vigilance, which has been entrusted to his charge; all his energies seem roused at night, as though aware that that is the time when depredations are committed. His courage is unbounded, a property not possessed by the wolf; he apthe recollection of an injury, if received from pears never to forget a kindness, but soon loses the hand of one he loves, but resents it if offered by a stranger. His docility and mental pliability exceed those of any other animal; his habits are social, and his fidelity not to be shaken; hunger cannot weaken, nor old age respects, to human intelligence. If he comimpair it. His discrimination is equal, in many mits a fault, he is sensible of it, and shows pleasure when commended. These, and many other qualities which might have been enumerated, are distinct from those possessed by the wolf. It may be said that domestication might doubted, and is not likely to be proved; the produce them in the latter. fact is, the dog would appear to be a precious This may be gift to man from a benevolent Creator, to become his friend, companion, protector, and the indefatigable agent of his wishes. While all other animals had the fear and dread of man implanted in them, the poor dog alone looked at his master with affection, and the tie once formed was never broken to the present hour." To sit down on our stool to review this delightfully illustrated book is something like getting into the saddle to go out with the hounds. We look around, and there are all the animals as lively as spring. For a whipper-in, no one could be more au fait than Mr. Jesse, who seems to be quite familiar and intimate, as it were, with every dog in the pack, knowing as much of their breeds, habits, and characters, as if he were himself of the same genus, the very son of a dog. Then the tail-pieces are so apropos, and the whole got up in so good a style, that we feel our admiration for the whole species increase as we contemplate their variety and beauty; as our veneration for their intellect is greatly augmented whilst we read these true stories of their humanity, ing settled, our author proceeds to tell us The preliminaries of the family tree becourage, sagacity, and general talent, not anecdotes of wolf-dogs, Newfoundlands, to say genius. Man, indeed, ought to love collies, St. Bernards, bloodhounds, terriers, dogs, in return for the affection they dis- spaniels, poodles, Esquimaux, greyhounds, play towards man. Yet Mr. Jesse is not pointers, pugs, turnspits, foxhounds, beaquite sure whether or no they are the re-gles, mastiffs, and bulldogs; all in that gosclaimed descendants of the wolf, though he sipping, light-reading manner, which is inclines to consider them a distinct race, calculated to make a performance of the and unquestionably no connexion with Rey-sort so popular. Let it be our task to un nard the Fox. Thus, says he :kennel a few samples of these anecdotes, "We dismiss the fox as an alien to the dog, choosing such as we think may be either or at all events as a distinct species. Thenew or least known, and, by way of criticomes the claim of the wolf as the true ori- cism, add a few analogous specimens from ginal of the dog. Before considering this, let our own canine budget. We pass at once us revert to the question of what constitutes a species. Mr. Hunter was of opinion that it is to the colley, of which Mr. Jesse relates: the power of breeding together and of continuing to breed with each other; that this is par- Scotch sheep-dog. "A lady of high rank has a sort of colley, or tially the case between the dog and the wolt ring the bell, he does so; but if he is told to When he is ordered to is certain, for Lord Clanbrassil and Lord Pem-ring the bell when the servant is in the room broke proved the fact beyond a doubt above whose duty it is to attend, he refuses, and then half a century ago, and the following epitaph the following occurrence takes place. His in the garden at Wilton House is a curious mistress says, 'Ring the bell, dog. record of the particulars :— The dog looks at the servant, and then barks his bow : - port, who, with several others, was tied up in the yard. The Newfoundland soon gnawed the rope which confined him, and then, hearing the cries of his companions to be released, he set to work to gnaw the ropes which confined them, and had succeeded in three or four instances, when he was interrupted by the entrance of the jailor. bow, once or twice. The order is repeated | be secured by the police, and removed to the two or three times. At last the dog lays hold prison-yard. Among them was a Newfoundof the servant's coat in a significant manner, land dog belonging to a ship-owner of the just as if he had said to him, 'Don't you hear that I am to ring the bell for you?-come to my lady. His mistress always has her shoes warmed before she puts them on; but during the late hot weather, her maid was putting them on without their having been previously placed before the fire. When the dog saw this, he immediately interfered, expressing the greatest indignation at the maid's negligence. He took the shoes from her, carried them to the fire, and after they had been warmed as usual, he brought them back to his mistress with much apparent satisfaction, evidently intending to say-if he could-'It is all right now.' And again : "At Albany, in Worcestershire, at the seat of Admiral Maling, a dog went every day to meet the mail, and brought the bag in his mouth to the house. The distance was about a half a quarter of a mile. The dog usually received a meal of meat as his reward. The servants having on one day only neglected to give him his accustomed meal, the dog on the arrival of the next mail buried the bag, nor was it found without considerable search." * * * "A gentleman, from whom 1 received the anecdote, was walking one day along a road in Lancashire, when he was accosted, if the term may be used, by a terrier-dog. The animal's gesticulations were at first so strange and unusual, that he felt inclined to get out of its way. The dog, however, at last, by various significant signs and expressive looks, made his meaning known, and the gentleman, him for a few hundred yards. He was led to to the dog's great delight, turned and followed the banks of a canal which he had not before seen, and there he discovered a small dog struggling in the water for his life, and nearly exhausted by his efforts to save himself from drowning. The sides of the canal were bricked, with a low parapet wall rather higher than the bank. with some difficulty got hold of the dog and The gentleman, by stooping down, drew him out, his companion all the time watching the proceedings. It cannot be doubt[By the way, the word " usually" spoils ed but that in this instance the terrier made this story; for if the reward were not con-use of the only means in his power to save the stant, the revenge for the omission of one other dog, and this in a way which showed a day only could not be accounted for.] The power of reasoning equally strong with that of Newfoundland has always been noted for a human being under a similar circumstance." remarkable intelligence; and Mr. Jesse tells : "Extraordinary as the following anecdote may appear to some persons, it is strictly true, and strongly shows the sense, and I am almost inclined to add reason, of the Newfoundland dog. A friend of mine, while shooting wild fowl with his brother, was attended by a sagacious dog of this breed. In getting near some reeds by the side of a river, they threw down their hats, and crept to the edge of the water, when they fired at some birds. They soon afterwards sent the dog to bring their hats, one of which was smaller than the other. After several attempts to bring them both together in his mouth, the dog at last placed the smaller hat in the larger one, pressed it down with his foot, and thus was able to bring them both at To match this we may as well here relate the following yet more wonderful fact. A dog was one day accidentally run over by a "shay-cart" in Portland-street, and had his leg broken; which being witnessed by a humane surgeon living near, he took the creature up, and dressed the limb carefully with splints, &c., and restored him to his grieved master, with whom he was a mighty favorite. As he got better he was from time to time carried to the doctor's to have his wound dressed. By and by he got well enough to limp there by himself, and finally, when quite restored, the habit had grown so confirmed with him, that he used every now and then to make a grateful and friendly call by way of acknowledging the service "A gentleman had a pointer and Newfound- which had been done him. Such was the land dog which were great friends. The for- state of affairs, when one evening his wellmer broke his leg, and was confined to a ken-known scratch and tapping at the surgery nel. During that time, the Newfoundland never failed bringing bones and other food to the pointer, and would sit for hours together by the side of his suffering friend. the same time. "During a period of very hot weather, the Mayor of Plymouth gave orders that all dogs found wandering in the public streets should door was heard more impatiently than was wont, and when it was opened to him he walked in with a companion dog who had got a severe hurt on his leg, and was accordingly brought and recommended as a patient, for similar bandages and lotions to those he had found effectual in his own di- as recorded in our faithful chronicle at the lapidated case. time; and both of them performed feats of Mr. Jesse goes on with other instances sagacity which could not be explained by of sagacity: "A vessel was driven by a storm on the beach of Lydd, in Kent. The surf was rolling furiously. Eight men were calling for help, but not a boat could be got off to their assistance. At length a gentleman came on the beach accompanied by his Newfoundland dog, He directed the attention of the noble animal to the vessel, and put a short stick into his mouth. The intelligent and courageous dog at once understood his meaning, and sprung into the sea, fighting his way through the foaming waves. He could not, however, get close enough to the vessel to deliver that with which he was charged, but the crew joyfully made fast a rope to another piece of wood, and threw it towards him. The sagacious dog saw the whole business in an instant-he dropped his own piece, and immediately seized that which had been cast to him; and then, with a degree of strength and determination almost incredible, he dragged it through the surge and delivered it to his master. By this means a line of communication was formed, and every man on board saved. * * * "An intelligent correspondent, to whom I am indebted for some sensible remarks on the faculties of dogs, has remarked that largeheaded dogs are generally possessed with superior faculties to others. This fact favors the phrenological opinion that size of brain is evidence of superior power. He has a dog possessing a remarkably large head, and few dogs can match him in intelligence. He is a cross with the Newfoundland breed, and besides his cleverness in the field as a retriever, he shows his sagacity at home in the performance of several useful feats. One consists in carrying messages. If a neighbor is to be communicated with, the dog is always ready to be the bearer of a letter. He will take orders to the workmen who reside at a short distance from the house, and will scratch impatiently at their door when so employed, although at other times, desirous of sharing the warmth of their kitchen fire, he would wait patiently, and then entering with a seriousness befitting the imagined importance of his mission, would carefully deliver the note, never returning without having discharged his trust. His usefulness in recovering articles accidentally lost has often been proved. As he is not always allowed to be present at dinner, he will bring a hat, book, or any thing he can find, and hold it in his mouth as a sort of apology for his intrusion. He seems pleased at being allowed to lead his master's horse to the stable." any process short of human reasoning powers. Learned dogs have been in numbers, but these French scholars (something like Spanish pointers in form) were the most marvellous ever witnessed. Not that London dogs are destitute of a sort of cockney ability. We knew one who was accustomed to go almost every day with a penny in his mouth to the baker's and buy a roll for his own consumption. One day the baker's man, in a joke, gave him a roll, hot as fire, just out of the oven, which he instantly dropt, seized his money off the counter, and from that day changed his baker. He never would go back again to that shop, but spent his penny like a good steady customer with a better behaved tradesman. Of a colley we have the following from Mr. Jesse: "The owner of a sheep-dog having been following fact, among others respecting the hanged some years ago for sheep-stealing, the dog, was authenticated by evidence on his trial. When the man intended to steal any his dog to perform the business. With this sheep, he did not do it himself, but detached view, under pretence of looking at the sheep with an intention to purchase them, he went whom he secretly gave a signal, so as to let through the flock with the dog at his heel, to him know the individuals he wanted, to the number of ten or twenty out of a flock of some hundreds. He then went away, and, at the himself in the night-time, who picked out the distance of several miles, sent back the dog by individual sheep that had been pointed out to him, separated them from the flock, and drove his master, to whom he relinquished them." them before him by himself, till he overtook These creatures do such acts on the Scot tish mountains in regard to the guidance and direction of flocks, that they are utterly incredible without being seen, and nearly incredible when they are. The waving of a shepherd's arm at a distance far beyond the sound of voice is sufficient to regulate all their movements: and you may see them a mile or two miles off, on top of hills, obeying every gesture of their master, pointing out various and complex operations. We saw a colley once in Perthshire taking a flock of sheep to Falkirk Tryst, or Fair: and as the road was dusty, he chose to indulge his charge occasionally with a bit of green walk and nibble. To accomplish this, where he observed a gap in a hedge, he bounded into the field and ran on to the farther extremity on his route; if he found an opening there, he returned and drove the sheep into the pasture to pick up a little on their way—if not, he occupied the gap, and resolutely denied them entrance, driving them, with barking, along the turnpike road. Mr. J. affirms that the greyhound, if kindly treated, is as sensible as other dogs; not so the pug. But the pointer is one of the most sagacious-and his action in sporting is highly eulogized. On Monday we saw a water-spaniel which was so fond of duckshooting, that when very hungry his owner threw him down a piece of meat, and at the same moment took up his gun to go upon the deck of the yacht; and the animal left his food untouched to leap upon deck to see the piece discharged. This fellow liked also a sport of his own, which consisted in catching crabs in the water and giving them a crunch betwixt his jaws, which spoilt their swimming for ever after he had dropt their mangled shells. This species is closely allied in acuteness to the Newfoundlanders of whom Mr. J. farther relates: "A Newfoundland dog of the true breed was brought from that country, and given to a gentleman who resided near Thames Street, in London. As he had no means of keeping the animal, except in close confinement, he sent him to a friend in Scotland by a Berwick smack. When he arrived in Scotland, he took the first opportunity of escaping, and though he certainly had never before travelled one yard of the road, yet he found his way back to his former residence on Fish Street Hill, but in so exhausted a state that he could only express his joy at seeing his master, and then died. So wonderful is the sense of these dogs, that I have heard of three instances in which they have voluntarily guarded the bedchamber doors of their mistresses, during the whole night, in the absence of their masters, although on no other occasion did they approach them." the neighborhood of white-bait banquets on the banks of the Thames! Two more anecdotes from our author, and two more of our own, and we have done with the dogs: "A mastiff belonging to a tanner had taken a great dislike to a man, whose business frequently brought him to the house. Being the consequences, he requested the owner of much annoyed at his antipathy, and fearful of the dog to endeavor to remove the dislike of the animal to him. This he promised to do, and brought it about in the following manner, by acting on the noble disposition of the dog. Watching his opportunity, he one day, as if by accident, pushed the dog into a well in the siderable time. When the dog seemed to be yard, in which he allowed it to struggle a congetting tired, the tanner desired his companion to pull it out, which he did. The animal on being extricated, after shaking himself, fawned upon his deliverer, as if sensible that he had saved his life, and never molested him again; on the contrary, he received him with panied him a mile or two on his way home.” kindness whenever they met, and often accom In the following anecdote, we have the dog in the character of a groom : : In the next, the dog is a physician: "During a very severe frost and fall of snow in Scotland, the fowls did not make their appearance at the hour when they usually retired to roost, and no one knew what had become of them; the house-dog at last entered the kitchen, having in his mouth a hen, apparently dead. Forcing his way to the fire, the sagacious animal laid his charge down upon soon came again with another, which he deposited in the same place, and so continued till the whole of the poor birds were rescued. had become quite benumbed by the extreme Wandering about the stack-yard, the fowls cold, and had crowded together, when the dog, observing them, effected their deliverance: for they all revived by the warmth of the fire." We will not swear to the truth of the following, but we heard it on the spot, at Lime-the warm hearth, and immediately set off. He house, near unto Blackwall. A dog attached to the yard of a leading shipbuilder there was stolen by a sailor, and concealed on board a vessel bound for India and China. In the Chinese seas the vessel was attacked by pirates, and, after a sharp battle, driven ashore and destroyed. Almost the entire crew perished; but what was the astonishment in the building yard when, months after, the dog made his appearance, having, by some means or other, found his way back from China and dark pirates to The dog of the succeeding anecdote was a church-goer, and sound Protestant : "It is a curious fact that dogs can count time. I had, when a boy, a favorite terrier, once or twice, but never afterwards. Trim concealed himself every Sunday morning, and either met me as I entered the church, or I found him under my seat in the pew." which always went with me to church. My that it was neither more nor less "than mother, thinking that he attracted too much joost a treeumphal airch raised in honor of of my attention, ordered the servant to fasten the meeting of the poets." Miss Wordshim up every Sunday morning. He did so worth smiled, and Wilson laughed and declared the idea not amiss. But when it was told to Wordsworth he took De Quincey aside, and said loud enough to be heard by more than the person he was addressing, "Poets! poets! what does the fellow mean? Where are they?" Hogg "Mr. Southey, in his 'Omniana,' informs was a little offended at the time, but he enus, that he knew of a dog which was brought joyed it afterwards; and we have heard up by a Catholic, and afterwards sold to a Pro-him tell the story in his own "slee" and testant; but still he refused to eat anything on inimitable manner, and laugh immoderatea Friday." ly as he told it. Poor James Hogg! REGINA has reason to remember James; nor And here is a good Catholic of a dog, and unconvertible : The following dogs were sentimental was the poet of "Kilmeny" forgotten dogs :- Dogs have been known to die from excess of joy at seeing their masters after a long absence. An English officer had a large dog, which he left with his family in England, while he accompanied an expedition to America, during the war of the Colonies. Throughout his absence, the animal appeared very much dejected. When the officer returned home, the dog, who happened to be lying at the door of an apartment into which his master was about to enter, inmediately recognized him, leaped upon his neck, licked his face, and in a few minutes fell dead at his feet. A favorite spaniel of a lady recently died on seeing his beloved mistress, after a long absence." on the when dead, by the great poet of the Excursion. There is nothing more touching in poetry since the time of Collins than Wordsworth's extempore verses shepherd's death. He knew his claims to be called a poet, and time will confirm his judgment and make the Rydal Aurora a story merely to amuse. Poets, where are they? Is poetry extinct among us, or is it only dormant? Is the crop exhausted, and must the field lie fallow for a time? Or is it that, in this commercial nation of ours, where every thing is weighed in Rothschild's scales of pecuniary excellence, that we have no good poetry beIcause we have no demand for it? We falter while we think it is so. Poets we still have, and poetry at times of a rich and novel, but not a cultivated flavor. Hardly a week elapses that does not give birth to as many different volumes of verses as there OF are days in a week. But then there is little that is good; much that was imagination, and much that might have passed for poetry when verse was in its infancy among us. verse Much of that clock-work tintinabulum of rhyme-that cuckoo kind of which palls upon the mind and really disgusts you with verse of a higher character. But now we look, and justly too, for something more. Whilst we imitate others, we HOGG has told an amusing anecdote of Wordsworth at Mount Rydal. It chanced one night while the bard of Kilmeny was at the Lakes with Wordsworth, Wilson, and De Quincey, that a resplendent arch, something like the aurora borealis, was ob- can served across the zenith, from the one ho- others' maps can make a new discovery. no more excel than he that sails by rizon to the other. The splendid meteor All the old dishes of the ancients have been became the subject of conversation, and new heated and new set forth usque ad the table was left for an eminence outside But we forbear. where its effect could be seen to greater something more than schoolboy commonPeople look for advantage. Miss Wordsworth, the poet's places and thoughts at second-hand, and sister, who accompanied them, expressed a novelties and nothing more, without a sinfear lest the brilliant stranger might prove gle grain of salt to savor the tun of unominous, when Hogg, thinking he was say-meaningness which they carry with them. ing a good thing, hazarded the remark It is no easy matter to become a poet,— |