837 Marriage of an Englishman in New Zealand. bable conjecture, by the peone's taking hold of one of the corners of the balsa, (which projects like that of a cocked hat,) and asking you- Esta V. bien?' 'Are you comfortable? To this question you reply by a nod of the head, for the use of the tongue is lost; but even if words were at command, you may not wish to commit yourself by expressions diametrically opposed to feelings and symptoms; or, you may wish it to be imagined, as is sometimes practised in perilous situations, that your profound silence indicates indifference of danger, or may pass for coolness and presence of mind. Silence also conveys an idea of gravity, and of resignation to your fate, which, indeed, is no more than becoming, when you feel persuaded that nothing short of a miracle can prolong your existence beyond a quarter of an hour. The nod being given, a peone on the shore imparts a gentle impulse to your tottering bark, while the peone in the water, keeping hold of the corner with one hand, strikes out with the other, and swims away with you to the opposite bank. The moment you touch it, so great is your joyful surprise at arriving perfectly safe, that all the perils of your voyage are forgotten, and you soon find out (as is often the case in life) that your imagination had represented dangers and difficulties, where, with a little caution, there existed neither the one nor the other. -Temple's Travels in Peru. MARRIAGE OF AN ENGLISHMAN IN Ir happened one day, while we were all me. Aimy now advised me to take two or three wives, it being the custom for the 838 .... chiefs to have as many as they think proper; and I consented to have two. About sixty women were then brought up before me, none of whom, however, pleased me, and I refused to have any of them; on which Aimy told me that I was tabooed for three days, at the expiration of which time he would take me with him to his brother's camp, where I should find plenty of women that would please me. Accordingly we went to his brother's at the time appointed, when several women were brought up before us; but, having cast my eyes upon Aimy's two daughters, who had followed us, and were sitting on the grass, I went up to the eldest, and said that I would choose her. On this she immediately screamed, and ran away; but two of the natives, having thrown off their mats, pursued her, and soon brought her back, when, by the direction of Aimy, I went and took hold of her hand. The two natives then let her go, and she walked quietly with me to her father, but hung down her head and continued laughing. Aimy now called his other daughter to him, who also came laughing; and he then advised me to take them both. I then turned to them, and asked them if they were willing to go with me, when they both answered, I pea, or I pair, which signifies, Yes, I believe so. On this, Aimy told them they were tabooed to me, and directed us all three to go home together, which we did, followed by several of the natives. We had not been many minutes at our own village, when Aimy, and his brother also, arrived; and in the evening a great feast was given to the people by Aimy. During the greater part of the night, the women kept dancing a dance which is called Kane-Kane, and is seldom performed, except when large parties are met together. While dancing it, they stood all in a row, several of them holding muskets over their heads; and their movements were accompanied by the singing of several of the men, for they have no kind of music in this country. My eldest wife's name was Eshou, and that of my youngest Epecka. They were both handsome, mild, and good-tempered. I was now always obliged to eat with them in the open air, as they would not eat under the roof of my house, that being contrary to the customs of their country. When away for any length of time, I used to take Epecka along with me, and leave Eshou at home. The chiefs' wives in New Zealand are never jealous of each other, but live together in great harmony, the only dis 839 Brief Account of the Burmese.-Aphorisms, &c. tinction among them being, that the oldest | is always considered the head wife. No other ceremony takes place on occasion of a marriage, except what I have mentioned. -Library of Entertaining Knowledge. BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE BURMESE. MR. Fox, late Missionary at Ceylon, has communicated the following particulars concerning Burmah and Budhuism: "The Burman empire is, in its original extent, one of the oldest empires in Asia. That it was in existence as an empire about seventeen centuries ago, I think they have histories which cannot well be questioned; and other Indian histories, in their enumeration of the cities in the known world, particularly mention Ava. "According to their own account, and the accounts of the Singhalese, the Burman emperor was the first distinguished character, who countenanced the doctrines of Budhu; and at Ava the principal relics of Budhu, (so supposed,) are enclosed in a magnificent mausoleum, near which stands the principal temple, dedicated to Budhu. From the policy of the Budhuist monarch, strangers have generally been prevented from passing into the interior of these countries; and from this cause, little has been known of the Burman empire for centuries, except from Budhuist priests of other countries, who have received their education there, and authority to perform the highest offices of the Budhuist priesthood. It is supposed, that a century ago the empire was still confined within its ancient limits, and that the first effort to enlarge it, was by attacking the Siamese: all other conquests fall within the present century. It is hard to conceive, from what principle they could make so many unprovoked attacks on the Company's territories. I have been told, that the emperor's prime ministers flatter his "omnipotence," (for this is one of his titles) in high terms, telling him that such is his power, that he has only to will it, and Fort St. George and Fort William, (Madras and Calcutta,) will be overturned at once. But as these insults, which have been borne with unusual patience, have all fallen out since the English subdued the Budhuist kingdom of Kandy; and there has, to my knowledge, been much recent communication between them, I greatly question if the conduct of the Burman emperor has not been the result of revenge and fanaticism; since any failure in Budhuism at this time must be cousidered ominous, as the reign of their present 840 Budhu, according to their own accounts, drawing near to a close. "Their system is a system of pure atheism-virtue and vice, from a necessity of nature, produce their own reward. They admit no God the Creator, no God the Judge, no God the righteous Rewarder. From anecdotes which I have heard from Mr. Chater, the Baptist Missionary, who resided some years at Rangoon, and from George Nadoris, and Benjamin Parks, our converts in Ceylon, who resided at Ava, the character of Budhuism in the Burman empire, and in Ceylon, is the same :-it palliates every vice, and feeds a principle of selfishness to a degree unknown in the worst parts of the least favoured Christian country: it cherishes no social feeling, it has no bond but the ties of self-interest; it inculcates, at least produces, no higher humanity than that practised by the priest and Levite, (Luke x. 31, 32.) The will of the king is law. "The cruelties of the Burman monarch exercised on his subjects, are similar to those formerly practised by the monster of Kandy. The king of Kandy impaled alive; his Burman majesty crucifies. The ancient language of the country is the Magudha, or Pali; a language confessedly so ancient, that among the Indian literari, there are as strong controversies on the claim of the Sangscrit, and Pali, to antiquity, as there have been in Europe, for the antiquity of the Hebrew and Arabic languages: and though it is a controversy which can never be terminated, the arguments for the Magudha are very strong. The Singhalese profess to have come originally from the country a little south-east of the Burman empire, viz. from Sincapore, or Singhapoora, the lion's city, and they call themselves Singha-le, from the lion's blood; some say, because one of their kings sprung from a lion, perhaps a famous warrior, but more probably because the emblem of their monarch was a lion." APHORISMS, &c. AN APHORISM is a maxim or general rule; a brief sentence comprehending much matter in a few words. In language strong, pointed, and vigorous, ideas should be as numerous as expressions, leaving no room for useless or unimportant words. A harsh man can sometimes smile, and a kind man can sometimes frown; the former is the transient sunshine of winter, the latter is the evanescent gloominess of summer. Times of public commotion are those in which the talents and virtues of humble life are called into publicity; and often have the workshop and the loom furnished characters for the future historian, and proved that the true nobility of mankind are not always adorned with a riband, nor pointed out to vulgar gaze by the glittering of a star. There is a word in the vocabulary more bitter, more direful in its import, than all the rest. If poverty, disgrace, bodily pain, slighted love, or perjured friendship, is our unhappy fate, we may kneel, and bless Heaven for its beneficent influence, if we are not tortured with the anguish of Re morse. The satisfaction derived from revenge endures but for a moment; but that which is the offspring of clemency is eternal. Of what advantage is a cultivated mind, or improved taste, if it does not render us more independent of the casualties of life? Those who have only experienced affluence can judge but incorrectly of themselves or others: the rich and powerful live in a perpetual masquerade, in which all about them wear borrowed characters: and the estimation they are held in is only discovered when they can no longer give hopes or fears. There is this difference between happiness and wisdom, he that thinks himself the happiest man really is so, but he that thinks himself the wisest, is generally the greatest fool. Sensibility would be a good Porteress, if she had but one hand-but with her right she opens the door to Pleasure, with her left to Pain. Dionisius strove to be the best poet; Caligula, to be the best orator; Nero, the best fiddler, of their times-but they were the worst emperors. Heat is the instrument, and anger the whetstone of fortitude. 842 That man employeth his thoughts well, who useth them rather to testify his virtue, than to nourish his displeasure. Yielding to immoral pleasures corrupts the mind; living to animal and trifling ones, debases it: and both, in their degree, disqualify it for its genuine good, and consign it over to wretchedness. Where the peoples' affection is secured, the traitor's purpose is prevented. Beauty is the true glass of divine virtue, and suspicion the mirror in which we see our own noted dangers. A man of no resolution, or of weak resolution, says an old drama, will be won with a nut, and lost by an apple. True wisdom teacheth us both to do well and to speak well. They who are hasty in adopting new projects, ought to be reminded, that in all novelty there is hazard, and in all experiments there is a risk of disappointmentfor no man can reason so accurately from the past, as to be certain of a future result. To play the scoffing fool well, is a sign of some wit, but no wisdom. We seldom value rightly, what we have never known the misery of wanting. Society is the true sphere of human virtue. Sterne has well expressed the too common spirit of detraction-" Does a man from real conviction of heart forsake his vices? The position is not to be allowedno-his vices have forsaken him!" To fly from covetousness is to gain a kingdom. It is not death that destroyeth the soul, but a bad life. Pomps and honours are bitter mockeries to the troubled mind. Experience, that touchstone of truth, abundantly convinces us, that all parts of nature are in correspondence with, and dependent on, each other for the exercise of Pride hath two steps; the lowest, blood-their functions, and the accomplishment of the highest, envy. In common life, reason and conscience have only the appetites and passions to encounter; but in higher stations they must oppose artifice and adulation. Suffering is no duty, but where it is necessary to avoid guilt or to do good. Many men lose by desire, but are crowned by content. As oft as we do good, we offer sacrifice. When the punishment is disproportioned to the offence, abhorrence of the crime is absorbed in compassion for the criminal; and when expediency is pleaded for the severity, instead of justice, the force of the example disappears, and the moral principle loses much of its efficacy. their destination; and that the final term in which the vairous uses of the parts which compose our world centre, is visibly man. Corrupt company is more infectious than corrupt air. There is no security in evil society, where the bad are often made worse, the good seldom better. The bitterest fruit of distress is the bread of another's baking; but if it must be eaten in base company, fortune has done her worst. He is my friend that succoureth me-not he that pitieth me. The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, 843 Celestial Phenomena.-Poetry. CELESTIAL PHENOMENA. On the 4th of this month the noble planet Jupiter is stationary, and may be noticed as the apex of an isosceles triangle and w Sagittarii being the base. He now commences a direct motion, and his configurations with the stars in Sagittarius will interest the observer as he passes to the south of his tract during February, March, and April last. He slowly recedes from 26 Sagittarii, and on the 17th is observed between and 29 Sagittarii, and in a line with 30 and 33 of the same constellation. On the 25th he is noticed between and Φ the former star, and on the 29th between ⚫ and 33. His passage under y Sagittarii is now interesting. On the 1st of October ν บ he is seen in a line with 29 and 30, and between the latter star and w. On the 6th he is noticed in a line with γ and 2 Sagittarii, and between the former star p. On the 8th he is between and w, and and 30; he is also noticed in a line with and 33. On the 11th he is in a line with and 29, and between the former star and r. On the 13th he is seen between 1 and 2, and w Sagittarii. On the 16th he is observed in a line with v and 30, on the 19th with 1 and 2, and between and and o and p. On the 22d he is seen between w and o Sagittarii and forms a cross with r, 4, and w. the 24th he is seen in a line with 29 and 33, on the 26th between and 33, and On and w; and on the following day between o and T. He now directs his course between the former star and, passing them on the 1st of November. On the 3d he is observed in a line with o and 1, and on the following day with the former star and 2. On the 7th he passes between and; on the 10th between and d; and on the following day he is seen in a line with 1 and 2 Sagittarii. On the 13th, between and d, and 7 and p 2; and on the 15th between and ρ After this day he approaches 50, and passes between it and 3 Sagittarii on the 24th. 2. 844 her, and at 24 minutes 24 seconds past 9, it is distant from her only 10 minutes. Mars will be seen some distance to the east of the moon. POETRY. BOSWORTH FIELD. RELUCTANT from his eastern bed On Boswell's wild and heathy plain; A knowledge of impending dread; No murmuring bee the beath bell sought, Away the screaming curlew fled;The shepherds, from the heathery waste Drove forth their wandering flocks in haste; The neighbouring rustics hied away, Far from their homes in dire dismay. For now the trumpet's shrilly sound Awoke the warlike brave to arms; Their movements shook the swampy ground, And ope'd the scene of war's alarms: Ten thousand lances brightly glare, And banners sweep aloft in air, Unnumber'd plumy helmets wave Above the wearers' waiting grave! The fiery war-steeds proudly prance Beneath a countless range of spears; Beheld the scene with fearless frown; They charge; and, like the dreadful sweep When night-storms lash the furious deep, A darting shadow as they pass; The flashing steel gleams round and round, The battle of Bosworth Field was fought on Monday, August 14th, 1485, and terminated the con tentions between the houses of York and Lancaster. 45 Unshaken as the ocean-rock, Awhile the tyrant's phalanx stood, While 'mid the devastating shock Flow'd o'er the field a tide of blood: Richard, at length, in sad dismay, Bebeld his wavering troops give way, And with a voice which rage had bound, He thus bespoke his vassals round. Avaunt! what! ye who have so long, At last to yon raw vagrants yield!- "Brandont e'en by this hand is gone! His standard hurl'd among the dust!Why cower ye back?-what! would ye shun In victory's hour my sacred trust! Catesby and Ratcliffe, (hearts of steel,) On Richmond still their terrors deal: Tho' Norfolk lies among the slain, Charge, ye vile cowards! charge again!" Again the battle rages keen, Again the rallied troops advance; Again in furious broil are seen, Death-dealing sword and darting lance: Soldiers and nobles 'mid the fray, A countless host, are swept away, Like harvest-field, in pride array'd, Beneath the mower's sweeping blade. "Tis vain. Serene amid the strife, Richmond cheers on his valiant band ;Amid the sacrifice of life, He cheers them on with heart and hand: Forward! brave Richmond! forward now, Victorious Richmond! unto thee Of right that royal crown belongs- The red rose and the blooming white! THOS, CROSSLEY. Near Halifax, July 22nd, 1830. HEAVEN. HEAVEN is the pilgrim's home, Where tears of grief can never come, Heaven is the port of peace, Poetry. Sir Wm. Brandon, standard-bearer to the Earl of Richmond, said to have fallen by the hand of Richard. His everlasting rest! Where sin and sorrow never come To rankle in his breast; Fresh raptures wind around his soul! Which Jesus died to gain, And Satan, though he struggle hard Fear not for God and truth combine HOPE-A PARODY. WHAT is it soothes our various woes "Tis Hope, gentle Hope. 'Tis Hope-heaven-born Hope. The Hope of earthly promise born, 'False Hope, fatal Hope. Sweet Hope, blessed Hope. THE POET'S SOUL. -The haven for a soul, WHERE destroying tempests roar, Where life's sparkling joy-streams roll, Where rage flashes in the eye, Breathing death on friends and foes; |