families abroad, one especially we are bound to notice-we mean, the desire of avoiding those changes in the mode of living at home, which a lessened income makes expedient or necessary. Every one knows to what extent this motive has had effect. The high agricultural prices and commercial profits during the war, raised the scale of living generally among the higher classes, and even much lower down in society. The present altered rate of profits on every branch of produce and industry has revoked this effect, and created the need of considerable expenditure: though, by no means, we believe, to the same level at which it stood twenty or twenty-five years ago. It is the struggle pauper against this retrenchment, the VERONA. A late resident at this place says, it is the finest of the second-rate cities of Italy. The Duomo is a noble building. amphitheatre, built in the reign of Trajan, is in a perfect state of preservation in the inside, and is capable of containing 22,000 spectators. The arena is made use of every evening for some theatrical representations, the profits of which are expended in keeping the .building in noble building. The Ellustrations of History. order. Nearly a mile from the town is situate the stone sarcophagus, 'wherein the body of the sleeping Juliet was laid. In the side of the stone a hole has been perforated to admit light and air. The tomb stands in a garden or seminario, where once was a Franciscan convent. Shakspeare has rendered immortal the tragic end of the unfortunate lovers, which healed the breach between the families of Montagu and Capulet. AN AUSTRIAN LAND STORM. A land-storm in the neighbourhood of Vienna is unique in its display of the effect of wind upon dust, and he who has only encountered a March gale on a high road in England, knows but little what those unfortunate Austrians endure, who leave the walls of their city in dry and dusty weather. The effect of the visita. tion is curious: through the closed windows of a carriage, one may be admiring the sparkling sunshiny morning, the gaiety of the equipages on the road, the buildings in the distance, but in an instant, by one rending blast, the roads are swept clean of every atom which a square foot of dust, to every foot of road HISTORY OF BELLS. ANY attempt to trace the origin of bells would be useless, those of a small size being very ancient. According to the Mosaic law, the lower part of the blue robe worn by the high priest in religious ceremonies was to be adorned with pomegranates, and gold bells, intermixed at equal distances, which, it is conjectured, was meant to give notice of his approach to the sanctuary, and thus escape the punishment of death, annexed to an indecent intrusion. At first, bells seem to have been appropriated to religious purposes, and were common in all the heathen temples; afterwards the Greeks and Romans used them for civil and military purposes.. Saint Paulinus, who, about the year 400, was bishop of Nola, in Campania, is said to be the first who introduced bells into churches, previous to which the Christians made use of rattles," sacra ligna," to call the congregation together, no bells being allowed by government to a proscribed sect; hence bells were called by the Romans, nolæ, and sometimes, campanæ. It is said that bells of a large size were applied to ecclesiastical purposes, in some of the monastic societies of Caledonia, so early as the sixth century: they are noticed by the venerable Bede in 670, and appear to have been common, from the first erection of parish churches in this. kingdom. Ingulphus informs us that Terketulus, abbot of Croyland, who died about the year 870, gave a great bell to the church of that abbey, which he named Guthlac, and it is stated that St. Dunstan, about the year 970, cast two of the bells of Abingdon Abbey, with his own hands. The Chinese were formerly celebrated for the magnitude of their bells: at Nankin there was one twelve feet high, seven and a half in diameter, and twenty-three feet in circumference; but this has been greatly surpassed by one made at Moscow, by order of Anne, late Empress of Russia, which is stated by Mr. Cox to have been nineteen feet high, sixty-three feet eleven inches in circumference, and twenty-three inches thick, and weighing 432,000 lbs. Brand says the custom of muffling bells was introduced into this country soon after the restoration; and that the use of bells in the time of mourning was formerly prohibited. The passing-bell, according to Mabillon, anciently served two purposes: one of which was engaging the prayers of all good people for departing souls; and the other was, driving away the evil spirits which were supposed to haunt the bed and house, and ready to seize their prey, but kept at a distance by the ringing of this bell. Durand, in his Ritual, written about the end of the twelfth century, speaks of it as an old and well-established custom : When thou dost hear a toll or knell, Then think upon thy passing-bell. The bell of St. Sepulchre's commenced tolling for prisoners, on the morning of their execution, in 1605. The custom of baptizing bells is very ancient before bells were hung, they were washed, crossed, blessed, and named by the bishop, generally after some saint, that the people might think themselves summoned to divine service by the voice of the saint whose name the bell bears. This practice was, however, prohibited by Charlemagne, in 789; but was soon afterwards revived, and on the restoration of the Bourbon dynasty, the bell of the church of Notre Dame at Paris, was regularly baptized, and received the name of the Duke and Duchess of Angouleme, on the 15th of November, 1816. The practice of ringing the bells in changes, or regular peals, is said to be peculiar to the British nation-whence Britain has been termed the ringing island. This custom seems to have originated with the Anglo-Saxons. Ingulphus states, that besides the large bell before noticed, as having been given by Terketulus to Croyland Abbey, he also, some time af terwards, gave six other bells, all of which rang together, and were the first tunable bells in England; and it is certain this diversion was common in England long before the Conquest. There are now several societies of ringers in London, particularly one known by the name of the College Youths, of which Sir Matthew Hale, Lord Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench, was in his younger days a member. The uses of bells are summed up in the following Latin distich : Laudo Deum verum, plebem voco, congrego Defunctos plero, pestem fugo, festa decoro. elerum, The Mahometans make no use of bells, considering them as profane; but the people are summoned to the mosques by the voice of the public crier, from one of the towers, or minarets. Customs of Various Countries. CEREMONY OF BLESSING HOUses. ceremony of blessing the houses by the rector of the parish takes place : it is performed as follows:-Every house is visited by the clergyman, dressed in a little white cassock over his black clothes, accompanied by an inferior priest, in the same costume, by way of an attendant. The former pronounces the blessing in the name of the Trinity, on the house and its inhabitants, repeating the same ceremony up stairs and down stairs, in every hole and corner. The ceremony'ended, every house makes a small offering; the poor of eggs, and the more genteel of chocolate, those who wish to be thought of the latter class are generally very munificent. JEWISH SUPERSTITION. The Jews at Pisa, which place has a tolerable sprinkling of them, have a superstition, that when a dead body is carried out for interment, if a dog passes under the bier, the funeral must be postponed for the day, and the body is conveyed back from whence it was brought. The people of the town being aware of this false piece of devotion of the despised race, take pleasure in hunting dogs in such a direction as to make them pass under the bier, as soon as they discover a Jew's funeral, to the discomfiture of the Jews, and the diversion of the people.. Sketches of Orators, (No. 14.) ÆLIAN. ELIAN, born at Proeneste, in Italy, was the auditor of Pausanius. He taught rhetoric at Rome, soon after the death of Adrian. For the sweetness of his speech he was called the honied word.' He wrote of living creatures, of various history, and of military things. His writings were distinguished by an Athenian spirit, and his purity of the Greek tongue. Gesner, speaking as to his history, says, In Elian's books of living creatures, there is, I say, a certain temperament and harmony of either philosophy, moral and natural.' And another critic adds, In his narrations, what is there that is not egregious and excellent? What, not fit either to be known, or to imitate, or to be declined? What is there that is not neat, elegant, polite, and attic? Who shall give sweeter savour to the taste, or create morceaux more fit for mental repast? Like a hyblæan hive, his honey is inex haustible.' Science and Art. AMERICAN MAGNIFYING POWER. P. A solar microscope is prepared for exhibition at Hartford, which is said to possess a magnifying power of 3,000,000, and may be raised to 4,000,000, if the room is sufficiently large, and the light strong. By its assistance, the white mealy particles on the surface of figs appear living objects of 24 feet in length; the sting of the common honey-bee 14 feet in length; and hundreds of snakes of the enormous extent of six to eight feet may be discovered in two drops of vinegar.-New York Paper. appears METHOD OF CLEANING PICTURES. To clean old pictures painted in oil colours, wash them well with a sponge dipped in warm beer; let them become very dry, and then wash them with liquor of the finest gum-dragon, steeped or dissolved in fair water; never use blue starch, which tarnishes, and eats out the colouring; or white of eggs, which casts a thick varnish over the picture, and only mends bad ones, by concealing the faults of the colouring.-New Mon. Anecdotiana. ANAXARCHUS. Anaxarchus, the philosopher of Abdera, enjoyed the confidence of Alexander the Great, and being one day at dinner with him, was asked by the conqueror, how he liked the entertainment? "It is excellent," replied the guest. "It wants but one dish, and that a delicious one, the head of a tyrant." If the philosopher meant the head of Nicocreon, he paid severely for his saying, for by the orders of the tyrant of Salamis, he was pounded in a mortar. RELIEF OF DELHI BY AN ACTOR. When Nadir Shah, the usurper of the Persian throne, lay before Delhi with a all the miseries that a want of food enpowerful army, the besieged endured tails. Within the walls famine began to rage every day more fiercely, but the Shah was deaf to the miseries of mankind. The public spirit of Tucki, a famous actor, deserves to be recorded upon this occasion. Touched with compassion for Nadir Shah, which so delighted the the sufferers, he exhibited a play before monarch that he commanded the actor to ask for what he most desired. Upon hearing the Sultan's words, Tucki immediately fell upon his face, and said, 'O King! command the gates to be opened, that the poor may not perish.' request was granted, and half the city poured into the country, and the place was supplied in a few days with plenty of provisions. DR. BERKELEY. His As Berkeley, the celebrated author of the immaterial theory, was one morning inusing in the cloisters of Trinity College, Dublin, an acquaintance came up to him, and seeing him wrapt in contemplation, hit him a smart rap on the shoulder with his cane. The Doctor starting, called out, 'What's the matter?' His acquaintance looking him steadily in the face, replied, "No matter, Berkeley.' GENERAL CHURCH. THIS officer owed a thousand pounds to his tailor, who came to dun the General even in his tent. Unable to pay, and desirous of getting rid of an importunate creditor, General Church offered him a Captain's commission, promising to make him an aide-de-camp to a general officer. The tailor's vanity was greater than his avarice, he took the commission, and set out to join the army. CURIOUS INSCRIPTION. In a barber's shop window in a court in the neighbourhood of Whitechapel, is the following inscription. "Gentlemen shaved without incision or laceration." Diary and Chronology. DATE. DAYS. DIARY. Sept. 3 Pope Gregory the first, surnamed the Great, was by 1189.Anniversary of the coronation of Richard This saint was the daughter of Sinibald, lord of 子 L St. Bertin was abbot of the abbey of St. Bertin, near the town of St. Omers, in French Flanders. He died A. D. 709, beloved for his sanctity and humility.. 1066.-William, Duke of Normandy, arrived at Pevensey with his army on this day, to contest his right to the kingdom against Harold, who had assumed the crown in opposition to the will of Edward the Confessor, who had, bequeathed it to him, as being a descendant of Canute.. This saint, who is said to have been a man of great virtue and piety, and gifted with many miracles, was abbot of St. Mark's, near Spoletto. 1768.-Anniversary of the grand Stratford jubilee, instituted by David Garrick, the English Roscius, in honour of our immortal Shakspeare. This design, noble in itself, whatever might be the motive, met with a vast deal of ridicule and opposition from the envious and malicious, but, notwithstanding, it was carried into execution with uni-' versal approval. 7 St. Evurtius was bishop of Orleans about the year 8 A. D. 340. 1665-The plague of London. This fearful and devastating contagion commenced on this day; the pestilence raged with such vast fury, spreading in all directions, and sweeping away noless than 68,000 of the inhabitants. 1709.-Born at Litchfield, Dr. Johnson, the Colos- This festival is celebrated in the church with great 1513. The battle of Flodden Field was, fought on this day, between the forces of Henry VIII, and' those of the king of Scotland, who commanded in person. The Scotch in this conflict were signally defeated by the English, and their king slain, and with him the flower of the Scottish nobility. The victorious earl of Surrey, who led the English, was restored by Henry to the title of Duke of Norfolk, forfeited by his father. 2 It was on a cold winter's evening in the last year of the reign of Elizabeth, that a party of gallants sat enjoying themselves in the Devil Tavern in Fleet-street. The various liquors on the tables before them, plainly shewed that they were determined to fortify their stomachs, while within doors, against the effects of the cold without. There was Malmsey, Burgundy, and Sherris sack in plenty, and it was easy to perceive that they had gone far to rouse the spirits of the company, though without making them absolutely uproarious. "Well, Frank Marley," said one of the gallants, slapping the shoulder of him who sat on his right-hand, " by cock and pye, it glads my heart to see thee here; VOL. II. K See Page 131. and hast thou left thy books, and quitted the close air of the Temple, for the good cheer of mine host of the Devil? By mine honour, Frank, thou art regenerated thou shalt be baptized in sack, and admitted again into the society of Christian men.' "Christian men !" retorted the student, "why, callest thou thyself Christian, Ned, while carousing under the sign of the very Devil himself? I'll wager a pottle o' Malmsey thou hast not seen the inside of a church since last Penticosttide." "Thou wilt lose thy wager, Frank: ask Barnaby, the sexton of St. Martin's, if I was not the most devout of the congregation on Sunday last." ; "Ay, truly," cried another of the company, "thou wert there doubtless but it was Mistress Bridget Barlow, the rich goldsmith's widow who attracted thee -Here's to thy success!" He drank off a glass of wine as he spoke, and his example was followed by the rest of the company, when the student called for a song. The first speaker (who was the son of one of the richest mer 37 |