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the joint of the elbow, to the top of the | flect on the choice of a profession. To middle finger; equal to twenty-seven him, at this time, nothing appeared inches, and consequently exceeding, by several inches, the present size of arms and hands. We shall not find one foot in twenty of our modern feet, that will measure 12 inches in length. Three of these make a yard; but a yard is equivalent to about four of our diminished feet; so that we have lost about two inches in the article of feet.

Α pace is the measure of five feet. If we may suppose, without slipping over the bounds of probability, this distance was but a step for our ancestors, we must allow that they generally outstepped us; for there are not many persons now, that can step with ease beyond three feet. Perhaps this disproportion may appear incredible; but we are to remember, that the length of a step is in general correspondent with the size of the person; and also that in the day to which we refer, the action of the femoral muscles was not impeded by those vile ligatures, called garters; that the feet were not cramped with shoes; and that the toes were spread like the claws of some animals. We may also suppose, that the Germans walked like the Indians, with a spring; and not as we contracted moderns, who move our legs like the two limbs of a compass; the left not venturing to leave one spot, until the right has taken full possession of another. At every step they fell upon the heel, pressed forward upon the extreme condyles of the phalanx pedis, and sprang away by the help of strong and elastic toes. If, therefore, we take into consideration the almost gigantic size, the habitual strength of hips, thigh, leg, and foot, their uninjured construction, their unfettered uses, and the peculiarity of gait, the distance of five feet will not appear beyond their usual exertions. Race-horses have been known to clear 10 or 12 yards at a bound. It would scarcely be more extravagant for a Welsh Pony or Gentleman-Nag to doubt the truth of this fact, by measuring the distance by their own paces, than for us to suspect our ancestors incapable of the exploit, because it exceeds our utmost attempts.

PROFESSIONAL ANECDOTE.

A CERTAIN youth, after having acquired a good education, began to re

more honourable or more laudable, than that of a minister. He accordingly passed through his ecclesiastical studies, obtained every legal qualification, and began to preach. It was not long, however, that he continued in this employment. He soon turned his attention to medicine, and became a physician. Unfortunately, this also, after a season, ceased to charm, and, like divinity, was thrown aside. He then became a lawyer, in which profession he continued through life.

A friend of his, who had noticed this strange versatility of temper, took an occasion one day, to inquire into the reasons of his instability. To this inquiry, he received the following reply. "When I chose divinity, I did it because I thought the soul of more importance than the body; but I soon found, that men were in general more concerned about their bodies than their souls, and this discovery induced me to turn physician. Continuing to make my observations, it was not long before I learned, that, whatever importance might be attached either to soul or body, people were more intent upon the gratification of their wicked tempers, than they were to provide for either. This consideration led me to prefer my last occupation, that of a lawyer. And I can assure you, Sir, that so far from being deceived in my calculation, I do not think I shall ever change my profession again."

PIOUS BARBARITY.

IT appears from the history of the Inquisition, by Lorentes, that the nuptials of Charles II. and the niece of Lewis XIV. were solemnized by an Auto-de-fé; in which the shrieks and groans of 118 human beings ascended to heaven, in clouds of smoke, from a bed of fire lighted on the altar of inhumanity. This was an offering of pious gratitude; and was considered an infallible method to cause the God of mercy and love to smile propitiously on the marriage. But as no progeny appeared to bless the public hopes, multitudes were at a loss to conceive, how an union commencing under such pious and auspicious presages, could be rendered unfruitful. The cause, however, was soon discovered. The

Juggernaut of Europe was again hungry; the fires of the holy Inquisition were again lighted; and another Autode-fé was celebrated: and, to prepare the people for a disappointment, which even the Inquisitors suspected they should not be able to avert, they were amused with strange calculations on the wrath of the Almighty; and taught to infer, how dreadfully they must have incurred the divine displeasure. To this barbarous farce, the deluded devotees were the more easily reconciled, from an assurance, that if these inhuman sacrifices had not been offered, some unheard-of judgments might have been expected to overtake the nation.

But these impious contrivances have been found insufficient to stifle the voice of nature, in those parts of the world where its accents can be expressed and heard. The wary execu- | tioners of this detestable tribunal have taken the hint; and their unhappy victims, instead of pouring out their groans in flames before the multitude, have been doomed to die in dungeons, where the shrieks of agonizing nature can only be heard by those whose interest it is to conceal them. The last person who publicly perished in the flames, was a woman. She was burned at Seville, Nov. 7th, 1783.

Lorentes calculates, that the Inquisition alone, in the Spanish Peninsula, under the uninterrupted dominion of 45 Grand Inquisitors, has sacrificed 241,000 individuals. Every condemnation is accompanied with a confiscation of property, and with the dishonour of the whole family of him who suffers. By the late emperor of France, this iniquitous tribunal was suppressed; but by the king of Spain its power has been restored.

RABINICAL ANECDOTE.

THE celebrated Buxtorf, in his Hebrew Lexicon, chap. 9. page 228, says, that the name of Eve is derived from a word which signifies "to talk." On this derivation, and the import of the term, the Rabinical writers have founded the following fable.-On a certain occasion, there fell from heaven twelve large baskets, filled in a manner somewhat like Pandora's box, but with very different materials. They did not contain bodily diseases, but an affliction of another species. They were filled with chit-chat. On their descent, a No. 2. Vol. I.

general scramble between the sexes took place; but the ladies being more active and more successful than their competitors, picked up nine of them, which they instantly secured, and they have carefully transmitted the contents to their female posterity.

ON LOVE TO MAN.FROM LAVATER.

Love, what art thou? O Love! who, of all mortals, has ever pronounced thy glory divine? To give and to teach, to gladden, to comfort, and to warm,-is this the whole compase of Love? Or is it the province of Love to forgive and relieve our foes? to supplicate blessings with tears for those who wish evil to us? Or is it the duty of Love, to waste our fortune for friends, to die in their service, unknown to them; to grasp the misery of nations; to carry the burden of ages; to soar up to heaven; to plunge into the bottomless chasms, for groaning mankind's relief; to be entranced with the happy; to groan with the hapless, in the darkness of night; to be all for all; to live but in others, as the heart's blood lives in every limb;-is this the standard of love? Speak! answer me, Love! Thou smilest, art silent! Thy smile, what tells it me, heaven-born Love? —“I am all in all,—unspeakable, like Him! unfathomable, like Him!"

66

AUXILIARY BIBLE SOCIETY, LIVER

POOL.

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ON Wednesday the 21st instant, pursuant to public notice, a of people, amounting, by estimation, to about 1500, met in the Music Hall, to celebrate another anniversary of this philanthropic institution. chair was taken at twelve o'clock, by General Dirom, who opened the business of the day in a judicious and becoming manner. An exceedingly well written Report was then read, which gave, in ample detail, a perspicuous account of the various objects connected with the parent institution; occasionally referring to past successes, and also to future anticipations. The Ladies' Report was excellently arranged, and its sentiments were well expressed.

The Rev. Mr. Burn, of Birmingham, who represented one of the absent Secretaries, and the Rev. Mr. Hughes, one of the Secretaries of the Parent M

Society, then spoke at some length. | ten on the subject of Slavery, the inThese were followed by several Minis-terest of the master is the only protecters, some belonging to the Establish- tion of the slave. ment, and others of different denominations, which continued the meeting until nearly five o'clock. A general spirit of benevolence seemed to breathe throughout the whole assembly, without being tarnished by party insinuations, or sullied by unmeaning compliment or foolish adulation. A common wish for the circulation of the Bible among heathen nations, appeared to be the grand principle by which all were actuated, independently of local prejudices or of party distinctions, which always prove detrimental to harmonious co-operation. A collection was made at the doors, which, we understand, was handsome.

EGYPTIAN OPINION RESPECTING
THUNDER.

To palliate the traffic, it has sometimes been asserted, that, although slavery still prevails in the United States, the condition of the negroes is far more comfortable than that of the peasantry in England. In some cases, this statement may be correct; but of slavery in the abstract, it may be said, "Let men paint and disguise thee however they will, they cannot alter thy nature; thou art slavery still." Towards many of these miserable captives, the cruelties, on which this system of inhumanity is founded, still prevail in all their rigour. The slave, unable to claim any protection from law, finds himself exposed to all the wanton sallies, and unfeeling caprices, of the petty tyrant, without being able to obtain any redress. To inflict torture on a slave, is too frequently view

A native of some learning having beened with an eye of indifference; and questioned on the cause of thunder, replied with all the confidence of conviction, in the following manner:

"We know very well that it is an angel, but so small in stature, that he cannot be seen in the air. He has, however, the power of conducting the clouds of the Mediterranean into Abyssinia; and when the wickedness of men is at its height, he makes his voice to be heard, which is a voice of menace and reproach. And, as a proof that he has also the disposal of punishment, he opens a little way the gate of heaven, whence darts out the lightning. But as the clemency of God is infinite, his wrath is never carried further in Upper Egypt."

CRUELTY TO A NEGRO.

A more unnatural association can hardly be imagined, than an American presents to the world, when, with one hand, he signs the Act of Independence, and with the other, brandishes the whip over his terrified slaves. The former has frequently been held forth in all the glowing colours which language could impart, to excite the admiration of Europe; while the latter has, with equal care, been concealed from observation. The condition of the negro is truly pitiable; and, perhaps, there is too much truth in the concession of Bryan Edwards, Esq.; namely, that after all which has been said and writ

those who, from their cradles, have been in the habit of witnessing scenes of barbarity, which, as they advanced in years, they have been accustomed to augment, appear insensible to the finer emotions of the heart, which display one of the brightest ornaments of human nature. By any one who gives credit to the following instance of cruelty, these reflections cannot be thought to partake of severity. It is extracted from Fearon's Narrative of a Journey through North America; recently made, and printed during the last year.

"A few minutes before dinner, my attention was excited by the piteous cries of a human voice, accompanied with the loud cracking of a whip, Following the sound, I found that it issued from a log-barn, the door of which was fastened. Peeping through the logs, I perceived the bar-keeper of the inn, to which this barn belonged, together with a stout man, more than six feet high, who was a colonel, and a negro boy, about fourteen years of age. The boy, being stripped naked, was receiving the lashes of these monsters, who relieved each other in the use of the horsewhip. The poor boy fell down several times on his knees, begging and praying that they would not kill him, and assuring them, that he would do any thing they would appoint: but this produced no cessation in their exercise. At length, Mr. Lawes, the innkeeper, reached the

head and towering pride, like virgin gold, resemble the abode of angels; Ummerapoora, the great government seat of the mighty sovereign, in mag

spot, and directed the valiant colonel, and his humane employer, the barkeeper, to desist; informing them, that the boy's refusal to cut wood was in obedience to his (Mr. L's.) direction. Col-nificence and splendour, such as the onel coldly replied, that "he did not know what the Niggar had done; but that as the bar-keeper had requested his assistance to whip Cæsar, he, of course, had lent a hand; this being no more than he should have ex-foundation of majesty, whose powerpected Mr. Lawes to do for him under similar circumstances."

At dinner, when the treatment of this negro-boy became the subject of conversation, the company, consisting chiefly of Americans, sanctioned the deed with their decided approbation. The landlord, indeed, expressed some regret on the occasion; but it was not a regret which arose from the inhumanity that had been practised; but merely from the adventitious circumstance, that the Niggar was not his own. "He had been left under his care by a friend, and he did not like to see his friend's property injured.”"Such treatment of their wretched slaves,” Mr. Fearon assures his readers, is common in Kentucky; while in the eastern and older States, the oppression of all persons of colour is intolerably grievous."

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SINGULAR TITLE OF THE VICEROY

OF PEGU.

blessed spirits in celestial regions enjoy, luminous as the sun, and emitting fire like the gleams of lightning; the golden throne, whose minarets resemble those of angels; the seat and

ful influence gives protection to the weak; the sovereign of the red and white elephants; lord of earth, air, and justice; this monarch has raised the golden foot of confidence; and his orders, rapid as the rays of lightning, are obeyed!"

AFFECTATION OF SENSIBILITY.

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WHEN the late Dr. Moore was in Paris, in the course of his travels, he one day found a lady of quality, whom he had been in the habit of visiting, manifesting much ill humour, and evidently betraying great agitation of mind. Dr. Moore, who had never before beheld her in such a state of confusion, suspected that some serious calamity had taken place, and, with much sympathetic feeling, inquired into the occasion of her perturbation. The lady, who felt the cause of her vexation in all its magnitude, instantly returned the following reply. "Why, my dear Sir, I yesterday sent Madame la Comtesse de the politest mes"THE great, the magnificent and pow-sage in the world, begging to have the erful, eminent, and of authority, who honour of her company this day at is above the reach of praise, the mag- dinner; and behold, the horrid woman, nanimous Maha Rajah, who in excel- with a rudeness or ignorance of life lence and virtue exceeds all the rajahs without example, sends me word that in the world; whose ancestors sprang she accepts my invitation !" from the sun, and who is celebrated throughout the earth; lord of the gold and silver mines, of the mines of rubies, sapphires, and all precious stones, and who, without labour or trouble, can extract whatever is desirable or useful; who is the master of all things, the mighty monarch of many towns; lord of all the sea-ports; by whom all creation, whether great or small, near or distant, is equally esteemed, and dear as the flesh and blood of his golden breast; who listens to the petitions of all, and supports the dignity and respect of every class of men; who is the most excellent lord, before whom the rulers of other countries continually come to pay their due and respectful homage; whose elevated

PROFOUND PENETRATION.

THERE are few books, containing observations on distinguished characters, which have lately made their appearance in the world, more justly celebrated than "Madame de Stael's Considerations on the Events of the French Revolution." Her habits of intimacy with exalted personages, gave her, indeed, an opportunity of observing displays of intellect, and of profound penetration, which few have possessed; and her luminous remarks plainly tell us, that she well knew how to take every advantage of her situation.-Bernadotte, she considered as a ruler of consummate prudence and

peculiar sagacity; and his conduct, when he abstained from active operations at particular seasons, such as he manifested in March, 1814, she ascribes to a sound and enlightened view of the interests of Sweden and France; although many others, who only saw the fact, without being able to comprehend the reasons by which he was guided, attributed his inactivity to an instability of disposition, or an intention to deceive. To confirm the truth of her own opinion, she has related the following anecdote :

"When news was brought him that the French had entered Moscow, the envoys of the different powers, who were then in his palace at Stockholm, were thunderstruck: he alone declared firmly, that, from the date of this event, the campaign was lost to the conquerors; and, addressing himself to the Austrian Envoy, at a time when the troops of that power still formed a part of the army of Napoleon, " You may," said he, write to the Emperor, that Napoleon is lost, although the capture of Moscow seems the greatest exploit in his military career." I was near him when he expressed himself in this way, and did not, I confess, put entire faith in his predictions. But his profound knowledge of the art of war, disclosed to him an event at that time least expected by others."

SLAVE-SHIP WRECKED.

EXTRACT from a private letter, giving an account of a shipwreck near the island of Cuba, not long before the Slave Trade was abolished.

"Your cousin Richard has lately arrived from a disastrous voyage, in a most pitiable condition, having lost all his clothes and his watch; and his life seems to have been preserved by a miraculous interposition of Providence.

"On the middle passage from the coast of Africa to Barbadoes, the ship had an engagement with an English cutter, and many broadsides were exchanged before they discovered their mutual mistake. The ship, however, did not receive any considerable damage in this encounter; but one man had his arm shot off. This was only the beginning of their misfortunes. On proceeding from Barbadoes to the Havannah, the ship, having 250 slaves on board, struck on a sunken rock, off the coast of Cuba, about five leagues

....

from the shore, and immediately turned on her beam ends. The captain, in hopes that she would recover her proper position, and that the people on board might be saved from the peril of their situation, ordered her masts to be cut away. But every effort proved in vain. Her hull remained immoveably fixed on the rock; and after continuing in this state all night, and part of the next day, she divided asunder, and became a perfect wreck. The quarter deck and the cabin being separated from the other parts, the pumps and stores were washed out, and nothing but a scene of horror presented itself. Many of the sailors at this instant jumped overboard, under the delusive hope of being able to swim on shore, although the land was fifteen miles distant. Several of these were almost immediately drowned, alongside of the wreck. One boat, however, and only one, remained; and in this the captain and a few men proceeded on shore, to seek assistance, and to procure some fresh water. Just at this time, your cousin jumped into the sea, and soon caught hold on one of the pumps, that was floating near the wreck; and not long afterwards reached one of the masts, that had drifted to a considerable distance, where it remained stationary, on account of the rigging which was entangled among the craggy rocks at the bottom. On perceiving that the mast could make no approaches towards the shore, he again quitted his station, after having rested some time, and swam towards a part of the wreck, on which he espied four men. fragment, which proved to be the main grating, he at length reached with extreme difficulty, and was nearly exhausted when he joined his companions in misfortune. The wind was favourable; and they were driven to land in about four hours. But the part of the island on which they landed being uncultivated and uninhabited, no assistance was to be procured; so that they were compelled to subsist seven days on grass, on the leaves of trees, and on some candles that occasionally washed ashore from the wreck. They were then providentially picked up by a Spanish schooner, and taken to the Havannah. From this place, the captain, and three others only, reached Liverpool: all the slaves, except one woman, perished."

This

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