NAPOLEON.

During the voyage of Napoleon to Elba, he expressed a little alarm upon one occasion to Captain Usher on account of the roughness of the sea. "Fear not, sire," said the gallant and classic seaman, " I have more confidence than Cæsar's pilot."

Although well known, as doubtless, the anecdote of Cæsar and the Pilot is to our readers, yet, as the beauty of the compliment paid by Captain Usher to his illustrious passenger, depends upon that story's being immediately recollected, we trust we shall not offend by inserting it.

In the contest between Cæsar and

Pompey, the former, attired as a slave, went on board a fisherman's boat, in order to cross to Brundusium, where his forces lay. A storm arose, and the pilot hesitating to proceed, Cæsar, throwing off his disguise, thus addressed him, "Quid times? Cæsarum vehis." "Why dost thou fear? thou

carriest Cæsar."

It is usual in Scotland to send up, shortly before dinner, some young birds called Kittiwakes, as a whet for the appetite. We have heard of an honest gentleman, who being set down to this kind of whet for the first time, after demolishing half-a-dozen, with much impatience declared that he had eaten sax, and did not find himself a bit more hungry than before he began.

STANISLAUS, FATHER TO THE QUEEN OF

LOUIS THE FIFTEENTH,

Stanislaus, the Queen's father, died in consequence of being severely burnt, by his fire side. Like almost all old men, he disliked those attentions which imply the decay of the faculties, and had ordered a valet-de-chambre, who wished to remain near him, to withdraw into an adjoining room; a spark set fire to a taffety dressing gown, wadded with cotton, which his daughter had sent him. The poor old prince, who entertained hopes of recovering from the frightful state into which this accident reduced him, wished to inform the Queen of it himself, and wrote her a letter evincing the mild gaiety of his disposition, as well as the courage of his soul, in which he said, "what consoles me is, the reflection that I am burning for you," To the last moment

of her life, Maria Leckzinska never parted with this letter, and her women often surprised her kissing a paper, which they concluded to be this last

farewell of Stanislaus.

MAHRATTA JUSTICE.

On the 21st of last May, twenty large vultures, (vultur cinerus) descended together near the Zydowo, in the environs of Guesne. One was killed, which was sent to Doctor Freter in Berlin, for his Museum of Natural History. So large an assemblage of birds of prey would have offered, in former times, a large field of conjecture.

LONGEVITY.

Within a short period, six persons died at or near Allonby, whose united ages amount to 563 years; viz. John Barwise, 99; Jonah Ashburn, 92; Mary Litt, 96; Ann Beeby, 92; Betty Younghusband, 92; Mary Hodson 92.

PREVENTITIVE FOR DRY ROT.

This destructive visitant in dwelling houses, generally originates in the cellar. If persons white washing cellars, will mix as much copperas with the wash, as may give it a clear yellow hue, and repeat this every year, they may prevent the dry rot, or stop its progress if it has already begun. This is so easy, and so cheap an experiment, that being well assured of its efficacy, we trust it may generally be adopted.

ORTHOGRAPHY.

The following is a literal copy of a notice on a gate between Cheltenham and Gloucester:-" Here is no Public Road: whosoever tresprss on wil be proccuted to the hutmast Reglar."

A lady told me, says St. Foix, that in her will she had ordered her body to be opened after her death, as she was afraid of being buried alive!

trious municipal lawgivers, who, from time to time, have immortalized our country.

Those who tread not the boards of this great metropolis, and are in consequent ignorance of the shifting of the scenery, the working of the mechanism, and the performance of the actors, would marvel not a little at the many displays of talent which are hourly exhibited. It is but a few days since, that a friend of ours, attracted by the golden dreams of an advertisement, resolved to communicate with the advertiser. An interview was the result. The projector, a person of diminutive stature, but so corpulent withal, that it were dubious whether he were taller in an upright or a recumbent posture; cautious, silent, and solemn, proceeded to business, after closing the door and windows, by drawing from his pocket, what our friend thought a large piece of oil-skin, and placing it upon the crown of a beaver somewhat the worse for a two summers' wear, covering the whole of his corpus, so far as the trunk, face and all, with the falling folds. Thus equipped, he strutted about the room, exclaiming ever and anon-" there." -"Where?" enquired our friend;"there!" rejoined the little man, again taking the circumference of the apartment, and there," answered our friend, whose temper was not the most placid, applying the toe of his Wellington to the nether bulk of the unhappy projector *.

But we have got quite out of our latitude. We sat down to recommend an ingenious and admirable invention, and we have not as yet spoken one word upon the subject. A very clever artist has favoured us with the model of a machine for disencumbering the chins of his Majesty's Christian subjects of superfluous hair; by which that painful operation, vulgarly called shaving (and when we say painful, we speak feelingly) may be performed with ease and despatch, not only upon single patients, but upon many at the same instant. The inventor has not as yet procured a patent, because he has recently made experiments with a steam

Our visionary contemplated the substitution of his smooth Capuchin for the rough Benjamin so long a favourite with the knights of the whip -and thus, in verity, did he ruminate-' there are so many public coaches in England-there are so many coachmen to cach-all must have skins-ergo, I shall fleece them.'--Theory is a very brilliant, imposing sort of personage, until he comes into contact with that old-fashioned common-place gentleman, called Practice.

engine, and is very sanguine in his expectations of bringing that powerful leaver to act upon the jaws of his countrymen, (oh! that he could include his countrywomen) and thus, at two slashes, to trim a whole parish, or corporation together. So soon as the machine shall be completed, he proposes raising one thousand pounds, in fifty pound shares, for the purpose of erecting three upon grand dimensions. One in the city of London, one in the borough of Southwark, and one in Westminster, -with a supernumerary upon a smaller, but a stronger scale, in Diot Street, St. Giles's, to be devoted solely to the service of the ladies and gentlemen who have emigrated from the Emerald Isle, and have settled in that tranquil quarter of the metropolis. The machine for the city of London, having the cor poration in view, is to be mounted with a blade somewhat resembling that very useful instrument, called a cheesescooper, by which means, those wor shipful gentlemen, the latter part of whose physiognomies exhibit all the agreeable variety of hill and dale, may be operated upon without disturb ing the crown of a single ruby eminence, or of undamming one livid stream. This concave instrument, the projector also recommends to gentlemen whose jaws, by some strange freak of nature, incline the wrong way; as in the present mode of performing by Indian files, the thumb of the operator, which of necessity must form a cushion to enable his weapon to act, very frequently suffers materially, the said weapon having first made its way through the flesh of the unshaven patient.The dividends to be paid, when due, at the shops of the lottery-office keepers, the proprietors of which, in consequence of the resolution of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, being nearly reduced to the situation of overgrown sweepchimneys, will have sufficient leisure to devote to their new occupation, one, by the way most suitable to their ancient calling-shaving the public.

THE INTERESTING UNKNOWN.

In the beginning of the reign of Louis the Sixteenth a person who associated with the Duchess de Cosse, the Queen's dresser, discovered, in a village near Marly, a female living retired in a cottage more neatly arranged, and better furnished, than those of the other peasants in the vicinity. She had a cow, which, however, she knew not how to milk, and requested her neighbours

to render her that service. One thing seemed still more surprising; it was a library of about two hundred volumes, which formed the chief ornament of her retreat. The duchess spoke of this interesting recluse to the Queen: by her account she was a Sarah Th***, like the heroine of a novel, which the chevalier de St. Lambert had just published at the conclusion of the poem of the Seasons.

"

For several days nothing was talked of but this Sarah of Marly; it was observed, that she was only known in the village by the name of Marguerite; that she went to Paris but twice a-year, and alone; that she seldom spoke to her neighbours, unless to thank them for any little services they had rendered her; that she regularly heard low mass on Sundays and holidays, but was not religious; that the works of Racine, Voltaire, and Jean Jaques, had been seen in her cottage. At length, the interest thus excited, increased to such a degree, that Marie Antoinette desired to be acquainted with the object of it, and directed her ride towards the place of her retreat. The Queen quitted her carriage before she reachad the village, and taking the arm of the Duchess de Cose, entered the cottage. "Good day, Marguerite," she said, "your cottage is extremely pretty." "Not to speak of, madam; but I keep it neat." "Your furniture is good." "I brought it from Paris, when I came to fix myself here." "They say you go there very little." "I have no occasion." "You have a cow that you do not attend to yourself." "My health requires me to drink a great deal of milk; and, having always lived in town, I am unable to milk my cow, and my neighbours do me this service." have books." "As you see, madam." "What, Voltaire!" said the Queen, taking up a volume of that author; "have you read the wholeof his works?" "I have read those volumes which I possess the age of Louis the Fourteenth, the reign of Charles the Twelfth-the Henriade, and his Tragedies." "What taste in the selection!" exclaimed the Duchess; " it is really surprising! you read a great deal it is said." "I have nothing better to do; I like it; it kills time, and the evenings are long." "How did you obtain these books?" resumed the Queen; "did you purchase them?" "No, Madam;" replied Marguerite: "I was housekeeper

"You

to a physician, who died, and left me by will, his furniture, his books, and an annuity of eight hundred livres from the Hotel de Ville, which I go to receive every half-year." The Queen was highly amused at seeing all the reports about the recluse of Marly overturned by a narrative so simple, and so little deserving of attention. The new Sarah Th*** was, in fact, a retired cook-maid.

THE DYING NEGRO.
A TRUE STORY.

Quashi was brought up in the family of the planter to whom he belonged from his childhood, as playfellow to his young master. In process of time, he rose to be driver, or black overseer to the companion of his infant days, who had succeeded his father in the estate. He retained for his master all the tenderness that he had felt for his playmate, and the respect with which the relation of master inspired him was softened by the affection which the remembrance of their boyish intimacy kept alive in his breast. He had no separate interest, and his master's absence only increased his diligence. In short, there existed between them, apparently, the most indissoluble tie that could bind master and slave together. Though the master had judgment to know when he was well served, and policy to reward good behaviour, he was too apt to take suspicion for proof. Poor Quashi one day could not exculpate himself to his master's satisfaction for something done contrary to the discipline of the plantations,and was in consequence threatened with the ignominious punishment of the cart-whip, and he knew his master's temper too well to doubt the performance of his promise. A negro, who has grown up to manhood without undergoing a solemn cart-whipping, takes a pride in what he calls the smoothness of his skin, and would be at more pains to escape such a punishment than many would to avoid the gallows. Quashi dreaded this mortal wound to his honour, and slipped away unnoticed, with a view to avoid it. It is a usual thing for slaves, who expect to be punished for their own fault or their master's caprice, to go to some friend of their master, and beg of him to mediate for them. This custom is found to be so