admission to her, he offers her a beaver's tongue, or some other eatable, which she rejects before company, but receives in private. The lover is obliged to purchase every visit with a bottle of brandy, which he presents to the lady's father. If the old gentleman should chance to be enamoured of the liquor, which is generally the case, he prolongs the period of courtship for many years. Luckily for the lover, the fair one's father is compelled to return the liquor should he at any time refuse his assent.

In Denmark, marriages are often contracted several years before the parties live together. The gentry sometimes give portions to their daughters; but the burghers, and those of low rank, part only with clothes, household goods, and a wedding-dinner, till their death.

The young Greenlander in general chooses his wife for her skill in housewifery and sewing, and expects with her no dowry the women prefer a man who is dexterous in hunting and fishing. They seldom have illegitimate children. It sometimes happens to a divorced wife, or a young widow, who, though held in great contempt for the looseness of her morals, frequently makes a fortune by selling her children to those who may happen to have none of their own. Polygamy is not altogether unknown among them, but it rarely happens; not that they are deterred from any idea of crime or disgrace attaching to that state, for they consider that man has a particular claim to respect who by his industry is enabled to maintain more than one wife. To be without children is esteemed a great reproach; in such cases the marriage-contract is, as it were, by consent broken; for the man has only to leave his house in anger, and not to return for several days, and the wife understanding his meaning, will pack up her clothes, and remove to her own friends. It is usual for a man, a few days after the death of his only wife, to adorn himself, his children, and his house, in the best manner possible, in order to render himself agreeable to some other fair; but to do this, his kaiak, or little boat, and above all, his darts must be in the finest order. He does not, however, marry, till the expiration of a full year, unless he has small children, and no one to nurse them. Where there is more than one wife, and the chief or proper one dies, the junior wife takes her place, and, if possible, pays more attention to the motherless children than she does to her own.

In Russia, the lower classes have a marriage ceremony peculiar to themselves. When the parents have settled the preliminaries of a match, which is often done without the parties most interested having seen each other, the bride is examined by a number of females, who are bound to correct any defects they may discover in her person. On her wedding day she is crowned with a garland of wormwood (somewhat ominous it must be confessed), and the priest. throwing a handful of hops upon her head, invokes the blessing, which is, that she may be as fruitful as that plant.

The Bratskia Tartar Tribe, subject to Russia, may marry as many wives as they can purchase, the price is generally paid in cattle, and the nuptials are celebrated on the day they are delivered. When the husband dies, leaving several wives, she who has borne him children, or if that be the case with them all, the oldest becomes mistress of the jurte, or hut. Those who have had no children, return to their relations, and carry with them the clothes and presents which they may have received from their husband, and if they should have no place to which they may retire, they continue in the jurte, subordinate to the wife's mother, and are entitled to a tenth of the cattle left by the husband.

The Cossack bridegroom visits the house of his intended bride, riding upon a fine horse, covered with small bells, given him as a present from his nearest relations. These bells announce to her the approach of him to whom she is soon to be united, and after marriage they are carefully preserved by her to decorate the nuptial bed on festal occasions. The Cossack wives are not only destitute of portions, but the husband is obliged to furnish them with a bundle of linen, part of which must be made into a head-dress for the marriage ceremony.

The marriages of the Samoiedes are attended with 110 other ceremony than a verbal agreement. If they have a child they christen it after the first animal they meet, or if they happen to meet a relation he suggests a name which is generally adopted.

In Turkey marriages are chiefly negociated by the ladies. (We are sorry it is not the custom with us.) The terms being agreed upon, the bridegroom pays down a certain sum of money, a licence is taken out from the proper magistrate, and the marriage is solemnized. It is then cele

brated with mirth and jollity, and the money usually expended in furnishing a house.

The Greek women marry at the age of fifteen. During courtship the lover serenades his mistress either in front of the house or from the water. On these occasions he conveys the burthen of his passion, which is generally warm and sincere. Upon the eve of the marriage day, the bride is led by her female acquaintance in triumph to the bath. Numerous attendants and music are to be found on these occasions, The bride, profusely adorned, and covered with a red veil, proceeds with a solemn pace, supported by her female friends and relations. The splendid torch of Hymen still maintains its place among the modern Greeks. It blazes in their processions, and is an attendant in the chamber of the newly married couple, where it remains until the whole is consumed. If by any accident it should become extinguished, the most unfortunate presages would be drawn; to prevent which unremitting vigilance is used. The bridegroom and bride, before their presentation to the altar, are each adorned with a crown or chaplet, which, during the ceremony, are changed by the priest. A cup of wine, immediately after benediction, is first given to the married couple; then delivered to the sponsors, and finally to the witnesses of the marriage. The bride, supported by her friends, is accompanied home, they prevent her from touching the threshold of the door, which would be considered ominous. She is then compelled to walk over a sieve which is covered with a carpet, in the way to her husband's room. If the sieve should not crackle as she passes, it would be reckoned very prejudicial to the lady's honour; but all are happy, provided the ordeal prove propitious.

(To be resumed.)

THE LOUNGER'S PIC NIC.

No. I.

"Dulce est desipere in loco."---HOR.
""Tis sweet to trifle now and then."

REGULARITY OF GENERAL WASHINGTON.

THE following instances of the regularity and method with

which General Washington conducted his affairs are from a work entitled "A Tour in America,"-" There are several anecdotes related of him (General Washington), for being methodical. I was told by General Stone, that he was travelling with his family, in his carriage across the country, and arrived at a ferry belonging to General Washington. He offered the ferryman a moidore. The man said, 'I cannot take it; the general asked, "Why, John?' He replied, 'I am only a servant to General Washington, and have no weights to weigh it with, and the general will weigh it, and if it should not be weight, he will not only make me the loser, but will be angry with me.'- Well, John, you must take it, and I will lose three-pence in its value.' The ferryman did so, and he carried it to General Washington on the Saturday night following. The general weighed it, and it was not weight-it wanted three-halfpence. General Washington carefully wrapped up three-halfpence in a piece of paper, and directed it to General Stone, which he received from the ferryman on his return.

"General Stone told me another of his singularities; that during the time he was engaged in the army in the American war, and from home, he had a plasterer to plaster a room for him, and the room was measured, and the plasterer was paid by the steward. When the general returned home, he measured the room, and found the work came to less by fifteen shillings than the man had received. Some time after the plasterer died, and the widow married another man, who advertised in the newspapers to receive all, and pay all due to or by her former husband. The general, seeing the paper made a demand of the fifteen shillings and received them. Another time a man came to Mount Vernon to pay rent, and had not the exact balance due to the general, When the money was counted, the general said, "there wants fourpence." The man offered him a dollar, and desired him to put it into the next year's account. No-he must get the change, and leave the money on the table until he had got it. The man rode to Alexandria, which is nine miles from Mount Vernon, and then the general settled the account. It was always his custom, when he travelled, to pay as much for his servants' breakfast, dinner, or supper, as for his own. It is said he never had any thing bought for his use that was by

weight, but he weighed it; or any thing by tale, but he had it counted; and if he did not find it due weight or number, he sent the articles back again to be regulated."

THE BISHOP AND THE CURATE.

Some time about the year 1761, a living in Caermarthenshire, in the gift of Dr. Squire, late bishop of St. David's, being vacant, his lordship received a letter from the earl of B-, recommending one Mr. L-, in the strongest terms, to his lordship, and intimating, that, if his lordship had not fixed on a person to supply the living he should be much obliged to him, if he would present his friend Mr. L- to it, and that his lordship might command his (the earl's) interest for himself or friends at any time. It happened, before the bishop returned an answer to the earl, that a poor curate, miserably dressed, came to his house, he being then at Abergavenny, and sent in a letter to his lordship. This letter was written by himself to the bishop, in which he set forth, that he had a wife and five children ; that his income was so small that they wanted the common necessaries of life; that he had no friend to recommend him; but, hearing of the goodness of his lordship's heart, and his liberal way of thinking and acting, he was come to petition his lordship for the living: he hoped, at least, that his lordship would pardon his presumption; for though the method of application was uncommon, yet so was his lordship's generosity; and, notwithstanding, he had no particular claim to his favour by interest or dependence, he had, however, a general claim to it, as being an honest man ; which to his lordship was no small recommendation. The bishop ordered him in, gave him a dinner, for he had walked upwards of twenty Welch miles, required a testimonium of his good behaviour, which he produced, found him well acquainted with polite literature, and the mathematics, and, in short, not only presented him to the living, but gave him the money to discharge the expenses of the institution. May the memory of this action remain as long as any language can convey ideas to posterity! and, as the grateful remembrance of Dr. Squire's goodness is indelibly fixed in the hearts of the whole family who are made thus happy, so let the record of this deed stand in the page of history, and may time itself never be able to efface it!