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or two hundred miles further up the Missouri this winter. Fort Osage is three hun dred miles by water above the mouth of the Missouri, and is the present limit of our population to the west. The safety with which the expedition, consisting of ten boats, has ascended this stream, is an evidence that the danger of navigating that river is more imaginary than real. Several boats, carrying provisions to the Yellow Stone, have passed

St. Louis within a few weeks past; one of which has been lost in the Missouri, between St. Charles and Belle Fontaine.

KENTUCKY.

The dispute between General Adair and General Jackson, it is said, has been satisfactorily accommodated, through the friendly interference of the venerable Governor Shelby, of Kentucky.

ART. 12. CABINET OF VARIETIES.

(From the London Literary Gazette.)

HERMIT IN LONDON, Or Sketches of Fashionable Manners. No. III.

THE BLUNDERER.

THERE cannot be a better man than Sir Michael Marall. No one more obliging; nothing is kinder than his heart; yet no one on earth commits more unlucky mistakes in company. From these, he is reck oned a mere scatter-brain, a marplot, a quiz, and is often avoided. From these, he has got himself into very serious scrapes, and has lost his very best friends. Finally, from these unwilling errors, he, who of all men in the world, wishes most to please and to do good, scarcely ever opens his mouth without committing a blunder,-without giving offence.

Sir Michael is now fifty years of age; yet is he as thoughtless as when first I knew him, which is thirty years ago. As a proof of the confusion of his brain, he forgets daily to wind up his watch, sets it wrong afterwards, and is never in time any where. In his commonest concerns he is always under some misapprehension-some mistake; and in his conversation, he is sure to say or to do something out of time or out of place. If he meet a widower, he will invariably inquire after his wife. If he meet a lady who is divorced, he will (forgetting the circumstance) beg his respects to her husband. He not unfrequently asks unmarried ladies after their children; and people at variance, after their friend so and so. The many who do not know and pity this absence, or rather this confusion of his, consider that he either intends to hoax them, or to insult them. The few who are acquainted with his infirmity, fear to ask him to their house, lest he say or do something offensive to their company.

I remember one day when he made an appointment with me to ride together to see a cottage on the banks of the Thames: we waited a considerable time; at last he rung the bell, and asked why the groom did not bring his horses to the door? when, all VOL. IV. No. IV.

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of a sudden, he recollected that he had lent them to a friend. Upon another occasion, he kept dinner waiting two hours at a friend's house, and upon flying in a passion at his coachman's neglect, he was informed that he had sent his carriage to bring home his little nephews from school. He lost an aunt's favour by outbidding her at a sale of china, which he did, thinking that she had an interest in keeping up the price of the article; and a rich cousin scratched him out of her will for speaking against Methodism, he having entirely forgot her religious persuasion.

But of all the unfortunate days of blunders that ever occurred, that was the chief on which I met him at dinner at the Marchioness'. Being in general two hours too late, and resolving to make amends for his usual failures, and never having dined at the Marquis's before, he arrived two hours before he was expected. The score of ser vants in the hall stared at him on his arrival, and then looked at each other-as much as to say, "Is he mad? what a queer genius this Sir Michael must be !" But the groom of the chambers, with his accustomed officious grin and low bow, said, mechanically, "My Lord will be down in ten minutes," and then placed his chair, bowed, and handed him a newspaper. He had time to spell every word of it. After which he took up a novel and went through it.

At length a powdered servant opened the folding-doors, and in walked the Marchioness. Sir Michael had never seen her before; but he was acquainted with her sister Lady Barbara, to whom the resemblance was striking. He rose up, and made his best bow; whilst the Marchioness smiled on him with her usual dignity and mildness. Cheered by this into self-confidence, he thus began: 'I need not (bowing a second time) ask your Ladyship to whom I have the honour of speaking, seeing so strong a resemblance betwixt your daughter and yourself.' "Daughter, Sir, I have none; you must mistake." Probably-Madam-I may; I ask your Ladyship's pardon.'

At this moment her elder sister, Lady Barbara, entered the room. That, that, that lady, Medam, is the person I meant ; I.

took her for your Ladyship's daughter. Lady Barbara, your most obedient! delighted to see you look so well: indeed the likeness' (Marchioness)" is that of a younger to an elder sister: my sister Barbara is three years older than myself (drily); but (with a smile of contempt) there is certainly a strong family likeness." Oh! yes, beautiful! vastly like indeed! a strong very strong family likeness, particularly about the eyes' (Lady Barbara squints dreadfully.) Here ensued a loud laugh of the two ladies. (Marchioness) "Do you think so, Sir Michael?" (Sir Michael perceiving the obliquity of the sister's eye) No, my lady, not at all, not a bit!'

(Marchioness) "I am quite mortified to think how long you have been kept waiting. My Lord is not yet come from the House; and I am much later than usual myself, having been detained at Philips and Robins's." I understand your Ladyship: yes, the two money lending attorneys; I know them well; hard dogs. "Not at all, Sir Michael, I mean the auctioneers." Yes, yes, (all confusion) the auctioneers I mean.'

(Marchioness) "I see that you have taken up that scurrilous novel, what think you of it?" Beautiful! full of wit! how it cuts up the gouty alderman, pocketing the poor's rates! and the fat, gambling Marchioness' (the latter was herself.) (Lady Barbara, wishing to relieve him) "Hem! did you look at those trifles in verse? They are very trifles, but written merely at leisure hours, mere bagatelles composed on the spur of the occasion. What think you of them?" Trifles, trifles indeed; mere bagatelles, as your Ladyship justly observes; quite below par; childish, very childish indeed; a catchpenny, no doubt.' Lady Barbara-"Child ish, as you say; very much below par; but no catchpenny, Sir; they are my composition, and were never sold, but printed for a few friends, more indulgent and partial than Sir Michael Marall," (the knight in an agony) Pardon me, my Lady; my ho

nour

(The Marquis entered) "My dear Baronet, how are you? Why, you are come in time to-day. (Turning to the Marchioness) This is my very oldest friend." Her lady ship gave a contemptuous look, which said, Je vous en fais mon compliment.

The company now began to arrive brisk ly; carriages chased carriages down the street; and the thunder of the street-door was like a feu de joie. The Marquis now drew his friend aside, and said, " Michael, I am heartily glad to see you here. It is now three years since I met you at Newmarket. I have been to Naples and to Vienna since, and have got married. I am sorry that I had not an earlier opportunity of introducing you to the Marchioness; but you will find her at all times happy to see you."Sir Michael. No doubt; I read it in her countenance. A very sweet woman! a most interesting person! and I perceive that

she is as women wish to be who love their lords. Ha, ha, ha! yes, pretty far gone; there's no fear of the title's being extinct; no, no; I hope soon to have the pleasure of wishing you joy on the change of her ladyship's shape; very large indeed, but all in very good time.'-Marquis. "Sir Mi chael, I hope that her ladyship's change of shape will not be so sudden as you expect; else must ill health be the cause. She is, I confess, rather corpulent, but is not so in the way which you imagine." Here he turned from him, and left him overwhelmed with shame-they had been married only three months.

Now entered Colonel O'Fagan, who, after making his obeisance all round, attacked the Baronet. "Sir Michael, you played me a pretty trick to-day; you promised to bring me here in your carriage, knowing as you do that one of my horses is lame; and here you are before me, after keeping me waiting an hour and a half." My dear Colonel, I ask ten thousand pardons; but it is my coachman's fault; he never put me in mind of it as I bid him, for my memory is most treacherous; 'tis entirely his fault; but he is an Irishman, and one must pardon his bulls and blunders sometimes; they be long to his country, and he cannot help them.'-The Colonel, angrily, "Sir Michael, you are very polite; but here stands an Irishman before you, (born in London to be sure,) who never made a bull in his life, nor disappointed his friend." The poor Baronet was struck dumb, and sat silent until dinner was announced.

Defeat and diffidence took such posses sion of him at table, that he scarcely dared to open his mouth. At last the Marquis, seeing his consternation, endeavoured to draw him out, by saying, "Sir Michael, did you observe the sale of our old school-fellow's estate! it fetched eighty thousand pounds! should you have thought it worth as much?" By no means, my dear Lord; and I was as much surprised to see the crim. con. business of Lady-(he was stopped by a look of the Marquis's)-I mean the death of old Lady-(another frown)-the mar riage of Captain Bracetight to a mechanic's daughter.' The crim. con. lady, whose publicity had been revived after lying dormant twelve months, sat opposite to him; the old lady's daughter, in deep mourning, was on his right-hand; and Captain Bracetight's brother was near the foot of the table! "Each looked on the other, none the silence broke."

Sir Michael blushed and stammered, coughed, called for water, and hesitated. His next neighbour on the left addressed him; and he stuttered so in reply, that the other, who had an impediment in his speech, almost suspected that he was turning him into ridicule.

At the desert, four beautiful children were ushered in, walking by files in rather

a stage-effect way. They were the Marquis's nephews and nieces. His brother and sister were at table, and the children had heen sent for as a recreation to them. Every one was eager to praise them, to extol their beauty, to enumerate their good qualities, &c. Sir Michael, after priming himself with a glass of hermitage "to bear his courage up," thought that he would be complimentary too: What lovely children!' exclaim ed he, fixing his eyes at the same time on their father, who is remarkably plain. What lovely creatures!' repeated he, laying much emphasis on the word lovely. Are all these children yours?" So her Ladyship says," replied the husband; and there was nothing but blushes, smiles, surprise, and confusion round the table.

6

His last blunder was respecting Walter Scott. Being asked by a lady what he thought of that excellent poet, whom he had seen in his tour through Scotland, he replied, "Charming, charming; but 'tis a pity he is so lane." How do you mean? said Mrs. Freethink, a blue-stocking lady. Is it his poetry (continued she) or bis person, to which you allude? "His person"(here he recollected the lameness of the Marquis's brother! so, trying to recover bimself, he recalled his words)" not in his person, Madam, but in his poetry”—(reflecting on the beauty of his lines, and the pubtic opinion, he recovered himself again by) "1-I—mean in both-in neither-upon my soul, I beg your pardon-I do not know what I mean." Here a general laugh could no longer be controlled, and he was laughed at by all present. He retired early; took French leave; went home; passed a sleepless night; and never returned to Doricourt House. The Marchioness has given orders to her German porter to say to the Baronet always, "Madame n'est pas visible;" and the whole family has dropped him.

The poor Baronet will at last be obliged to live the life of a recluse, as he will not be able to keep an acquaintance in the town; or perhaps he may end by some very serious consequences attending these habitual mistakes, for these unmeant insults are never forgiven, and, so weak are we, that many who can generously pass over and forget an injury, can never pardon the being degraded, or rendered ridiculous, whether it be intentionally or unintentionally-in joke, or in earnest.

THE HERMIT IN LONDON.

SUPERSTITIONS, APPARITIONS, &c. What I have already said to you of Gustavus III, has probably excited many a smile at the weakness of the human mind. But the most singular is still to come! There was, at Stockholm, a Finnlander, named Birnramm, who had an office in the Chancery, where he had to translate the Swedish ordinances into the Finnland language; a

plain, modest man, who had nothing of the charlatan about him. Without any knowledge of chemistry and physics, he possessed one of the most singular talents that can be imagined. He opened fast-locked doors without any key or any smith's tool. He only put into the key-hole a pointed piece of wood, made the sign of the cross over it, spoke soine words, and, in an instant the door sprung open! Highly credible, and by no means credulous persons, have assured me themselves, that they have been eye-witnesses of this. Great church doors, which had just been strongly fastened, flew open with much force as soon as he made use of his charm. The eye-witness only observed that B. had a brown polished stone in his hand, of an unknown composition.

The king heard a great deal of this very singular man, who, far from seeking to deceive, endeavoured to avoid celebrity as much as he could; lived in peaceful refirement, and, like a new Proteus, gave proofs of his talents only when compelled. Gustavas wished to be acquainted with him, and intimated that he would send for him, to convince himself of the truth or falsehood of the wonderful powers attributed to him, but informed him, at the same time, that he, (the king,) to guard himself against deception, would not acquaint him beforehand of the particular day or hour: he, however, let him know, (which might as well have been omitted but relala refero!) that an old ruinous church, in the neighbourhood of Gripsholm Castle, where, at that time, the court resided, was fixed on for the scene of this operation. From this moment strict watch was of course kept, that nobody should enter the church, in which divine worship had long ceased to be performed.

In the middle of the night one of the king's courtiers suddenly came to Bicornramm's door. B. is in bed. He must get up, and quickly dress himself, under the strictest watch of the king's messenger, get with him into the carriage; and they immediately drove off. They arrive early in the morning at Gripsholm. The king and five of his confidential attendants, and Biernramm, go to the appointed church. B. said beforehand, that he would make a figure appear, which they should see one after another. The figure would appear to all of them with the same features, but to each in a different attitude. He had neither any instrument, (or at least any visible one,) nor any chemical ingredient. After repeating several unintelligible words, be takes the persons present, one after another, by the hand, and brings them into a corner of the church, and what do they see now? a human form standing upright and motionless, but with the eyes open, and every appearance of life. The figure seemed to be a youth of about 15 or 16 years of age, covered in a white garment, something similar to a priest's mantle. One of the specta-

tors saw only the upper half of the arm of this figure, another only the under half; from a third there was hid another part of the figure, as if a kind of mist alternately concealed a part of it from the eyes; but all six, on communicating their observations, agreed that they had seen a youth standing upright, clothed in white. B. could not have produced the successive changes by new processes; for as one of the spectators had contemplated the apparition at his leisure, (every one was allowed six or eight minutes, time enough to prevent any illu sion of the senses,) B. led him by the hand back to his place, taking another in his turn to the corner of the church.

The youthful figure was surrounded by a radiant circle; but B. had expressly desired them not to come too near to it, and especially not to touch it, because the touch, as he was convinced, would produce a violent electrical shock. Every one obeyed his instructions. They at last all went away. The spectators, astonished at what they had seen, asked one another the cui bono of such a miracle; but could not deny it, and still less explain it.

In order to make you shake your head still more, my dear cautious, sceptical friend! I add, that I have heard all this related in a very small, chosen circle; and even by one of the six eye-witnesses, who is most certainly neither an anecdote hunter nor a visionary. The same Bicernramm possessed, as equally credible persons have assured me, several other gifts of this kind, of which he could himself give no account, and would say nothing more than that, "God had given them to him, and that they did not belong to the vain, arrogant men of learning, who pertended to know the reason of every thing." In fine, he was far from boasting of these wonderful gifts, displayed them unwillingly, and frequently refused quests of this kind, saying, "One must not tempt God." Sometimes, however, he yielded; and the following is an account, by an eye-witness, of what was then seen. "He placed a wooden table, without any metal about it, in the middle of a dark room; and on the table, three candlesticks, either of ivory or of china. When he had then spoken a few words, there issued from the joints of the doors and windows brilli ant lights of many colours, which at first danced round the spectators, and then stood stil! upon the candlesticks, and spread such a light in the room, as if it had been brilliantly illuminated with wax tapers. At another time, he took steel and flint, and struck them together as one usually strikes a light, when there appeared a radiant figure, which was first visible in one corner of the room; at a second stroke, in a moment changed its place, and showed itself in another corner; and, at a third stroke, upon the ceiling."

I looked the relaters of these miraculous stories sharp in the face, to see if they were

raving, or if they wanted to make a joke of my credulity; but I am certain that neither was the case. It is equally difficult to deny these stories and to believe them; and the incredulous philosopher is not satisfied with merely doubting. The eye-witness whom I last mentioned, had, during this singular transaction, asked himself: sogno o son des to? I asked myself the same question, as he related it to me; and perhaps you will do so likewise, while you are reading this

FRENCH VERSATILITY,

dome, at Paris, which Buonaparte erected, on the model of Trajan's pillar, with the cannon taken at Austerlitz, which were cast

The celebrated column, in the Place Ven

into a grand series of spiral relief, commemorative of his victories, and a Colossal Statue of the Conqueror to surmount the whole, is well known to the British public. The allies, on capturing Paris, were about to destroy this monument, but at last were satisfied with removing the statue, and the column still stands, a record of the warlike achievements of Napoleon and his armies. It might be thought puzzling to mould such stubborn materials into a compliment to the other powers of Europe, and to the restored monarch; but a Frenchman's ingenuity is equal to any thing in this way. One of the sides is without an inscription; and a clever fellow proposes that it should be filled up as

follows:

A la paix de l'Europe

Et au retour du Roi legitimate, L'armée Française

Fait hommage de ses victoires M,DCCC,XVII.

DECLARATION OF THE ALLIED SOVEREIGNS. "Now that the pacification of Europe is accomplished, by the resolution of withdrawing the foreign troops from the French territory; and now that there is an end of those measures of precaution which deplorable events had rendered necessary, the Ministers and Plenipotentiaries of their majesties the Emperor of Austria, the King of France, the King of Great Britain, the King of Prussia, and the Emperor of all the Russias, have received orders from their Sovereigns, to make known to all the courts of Europe the results of their meeting at Aix-la-Chapelle, and with that view to publist the following Declaration:

"The convention of the 9th of October, which definitively regulated the execution of the engagements agreed to in the treaty of Peace of November 20, 1815, is considered by the Sovereigns who concurred therein, as the accomplishment of the work of peace, and as the completion of the po litical system destined to ensure its solidity

"The intimate union established among the monarchs, who are joint parties to this system, by their own principles, no less than by the interests of their people, offers

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to Europe the most sacred pledge of its fature tranquility.

"The object of this union is as simple as it is great and salutary. It does not tend to any new political combination-to any change in the relations sanctioned by existing treaties. Calm and consistent in its proceedings, it has no other object than the maintenance of peace, and the security of those transactions on which the peace was founded and consolidated.

“The Sovereigns, in forming this angust union, have regarded as its fundamental basis their invariable resolution never to de part, either among themselves or in their relations with other States, from the strictest observation of the principles of the right of nations; principles which, in their application to a state of permanent peace, can alone effectually guarantee the independence of each government, and the stability of the general association.

"Faithful to these principles, the Sovereigns will maintain them equally in those meetings at which they may be personally present, or in those which shall take place among their Ministers; whether it shall be their object to discuss in common their own interests, or whether they take cognizance of questions in which other governments shall formally claim their interference. The same spirit which will direct their councils, and reign in their diplomatic communications, shall preside also at these meetings, and the repose of the world shall be constantly their motive and their end.

"It is with such sentiments that the Sovereigns have consummated the work to which they were called. They will not cease to labour for its confirmation and perfection. They solemnly acknowledge, that their duties towards God, and the people whom they govern, make it peremptory on them to give to the world, as far as in their power, an example of justice, of concord, of moderation; happy in the power of consecrating, from henceforth, all their efforts to the protection of the acts of peace, to the increase of the internal prosperity of their States, and to the awakening of those sentiments of religion and morality, whose empire has been but too much enfeebled by the misfortune of the times. (Signed)

METTERNICH, HARDENBERG,
RICHELIEU, BERNSTORFF,
CASTLEREAGH,
NESSELRODE,
WELLINGTON, CAPO D'ISTRA."
Aix-la-Chapelle, Nov. 15, 1818."

COW-TREE.

Mr. Humboldt and his companions, in the course of their travels, heard an account of a tree which grows in the valleys of Aragua, the juice of which is a nourishing milk, and which, from that circumstance, has received the name of the cow-tree. The tree in its general aspect resembles the chrysophyllum cainito; its leaves are oblong, pointed,

leathery, and alternate, marked with lateral veirs projecting downwards; they are parallel, and are ten inches long. When incisions are made into the trunk, it discharges abundantly a glutinous milk, moderately thick, without any acridness, and exhaling an agreeable balsamic odour. The travellers drank considerable quantities of it without experiencing any injurious effects; its viscidity only rendering it rather unpleasant. The superintendant of the plantation assured them that the negroes acquire flesh during the season in which the cow-tree yields the greatest quantity of milk. When this fluid is exposed to the air, perhaps in consequence of the absorption of the oxygen of the atmosphere, its surface becomes. covered with membranes of a substance that appears to be of a decided animal nature, yellowish, thready, and of a cheesy consistence. These membranes, when separated from the more aqueous part of the fluid, are almost as elastic as caoutchouc ; but at the same time they are as much disposed to become putrid as gelatine. The natives give the name of cheese to the coagulum, which is separated by the contact of the air; in the course of five or six days it becomes sour. The milk, kept for some time in a corked phial, had deposited a little coagulum, and still exhaled its balsamic odour. If the recent juice be mixed with cold water, the coagulum is formed in small quantities only; but the separation of the viscid membranes occurs when it is placed in contact with nitric acid. This remarkable tree seems to be peculiar to the Cordit liere du Littoral, especially from Barbula to the lake of Maracabo. There are likewise some traces of it near the village of San Mateo; and, according to the account of M. Bredmeyer, in the valley of Caucagua, three days journey to the east of the Carac cas. This naturalist has likewise described the vegetable milk of the cow-tree as possessing an agreeable flavour, and an aromatic odour; the natives of Caucagua call it the milk-tree.

METHOD OF MAKING SALT IN THE GREAT LOO-CHOO ISLAND."

Near the sea, large level fields are rolled or beat so as to have a hard surface. Over this is strewn a sort of sandy black earth, forming a coat about a quarter of an inch thick. Rakes and other implements are used to make it of a uniform thickness, but it is not pressed down. During the heat of the day, men are employed to bring water in tubs from the sea, which is sprinkled over these fields by means of a short scoop. The heat of the sun in a short time evaporates the water, and the salt is left in the sand, which is scraped up and put into

* Extracted from Captain Hall's "Account of a Voyage of Discovery to the West Coast of Corea, and the Great Loo-cheo Island."

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