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Huntingdon, before Mr. Justice Fenner, for bewitching a Mr. Throgmorton's family, &c.

A few years after an advocate for this belief appeared from no less a quarter than the throne itself. King James I. in his Demonologie, completely superseded Reginald Scot's Discoverie of Witchcraft, a work which so completely unmasked the whole machinery, and was a store house of facts on the subject. The infection, commenced at the throne, soon reached the parliament, and (as it has been observed, the greatest part of mankind have no other reason for their opinions than that they are in fashion) a statute was passed in the first year of king James, having for its object, as expressed in the preamble, "the more effectual punishment of those detestable slaves of the devil, witches, sorcerers, enchant ers, and conjurors." The statute is worded with great care, and contains many clauses which our limits forbid inserting, but which include every The description of the "crime." punishment was enacted to be the pillory for the first offence, (even though its object were not effected,) and death for the second. "Thus was the detestable doctrine established both by law and fashion; and it became not only unpolite, but criminal to doubt it; and as prodigies are always seen in proportion as they are expected, witches were every day discovered, and multiplied so fast in some places, that Bishop Hall mentions a village in Lancashire where their number was greater than that of the houses." There was dreadful havoc in that county after this law had passed. Lancashire has always been remarkable for the number of its witches.

Though the information we have to go upon cannot of course be considered as very accurate, yet it has been ascertained that between the commencement of the statute in question (1602) and the year 1701, in the space of one century, three thousand one hundred and ninety-two persons, whose age, poverty, or infirmities

rendered them objects of attention, were executed for the crimes of witchcraft and sorcery. The act alluded to was rigorously enforced during this period, and the above calculation is probably very much under the mark, and does not include the numbers that were tried on suspicion, but acquitted for want of sufficient proof of the charges alleged against them. The most trivial and frivolous circumstances were suffi

cient to commence a prosecution against the unfortunate objects of suspicion, and their trials were conducted in the most summary manner. In that respect there is a striking similarity between this epoch and the reign of terror in France.

In 1634 seventeen Pendle-forest witches were condemned in Lancashire, by the infamous contrivances of a boy only eleven years of age and his father. Amongst other charges equally wonderful and miraculous, this little villain deposed that a greyhound was transformed by their 66 into agency one Dickenson's wife," &c. These poor creatures, however, obtained a reprieve, and were sent to London, where they were first viewed and examined by his majesty's physicians and surgeons, and then by "his majesty himself and the council." The result was that the boy's contrivances were exposed and properly punished. In 1664, Alice Hudson, who was burnt at York, said she received money from the devil, ten shillings at a time.

In the same year the most singular trial which has been recorded took place before Chief Justice Hale at Bury-St.-Edmunds. Notwithstanding the acknowledged piety and learning of this eminent character, he was as credulous, and followed as nearly as possible in the footsteps of the most unrelenting of his precursors. I regret I cannot find room for the details of this remarkable trial, which endedin the conviction and execution of Amy Duuy and Rose Callender. There were thirteen indictments against the prisoners, which all cousisted of charges of the most frivolous

nature; but Sir T. Browne, of Norwich, decided the matter on being asked for his opinion. Lord Hale would not sum up, but left the case to the jury, praying "that the great God of heaven would direct their hearts in this weighty matter."

Much has been said and written on the possibility of raising his Satanic majesty. However, the potentate is said sometimes to have favoured us mortals with a visit unasked. It is related that Mr. White, of Dorchester, the assessor to the Westminster Assembly, was one night visited by the arch-fiend himself, who met with a reception that must have astonished him in no slight degree. "The de vil, in a light night, stood by his bedside. The assessor looked awhile whether he would say or do any thing; and then said, 'If thou hast nothing to do, I have,' and so turned

himself to sleep." Several erudite scholars have advocated the possibility of raising him; and Defoe, who has paid more attention to the "devil's circumstances and proceedings with mankind" than any other individual, tries to prove, that "although we can hardly suppose that the master-devil comes himself at the summons of every ugly old woman," yet there are several "emissaries, aidsde-camp, or devil's angels, who come and converse personally with witches, and are ready for their support and assistance on all occasions of business." The story of St. Dun stan conversing with and taking the devil by the nose with a pair of redhot pincers, is well known in the annals of fame.

I have already exceeded my limits, and must conclude for the present.

INDIAN TRADITIONS.

VARIETIES.

THE HE Dog-rib Indians, who are derived from the same stock with the Chipewyans, say that, according to the traditions of their fathers, the first man was named Chapewee. He found the world well stocked with food, and he created children, to whom he gave two kinds of fruit, the black and the white, but forbade them to eat the black. Having thus issued his commands for the guidance of his family, he took leave of them for a time, and made a long excursion for the purpose of conducting the sun to the world. During this, his first absence, his children were obedient, and ate only the white fruit, but they consumed it all; the consequence was, that when he a second time absented himself to bring the moon, and they longed for fruit, they forgot the orders of their father, and ate of the black, which was the only kind remaining. He was much displeased on his return, and told them that in future the earth would produce bad fruits, and that they

would be tormented by sickness and death-penalties which have attached to his descendants to the present day. Chapewee himself lived so long that his throat was worn out, and he could no longer enjoy life; but he was unable to die, until, at his own request, one of his people drove a beaver-tooth into his head.

WARM CLOTHING.

Our ancestors wore garments formed of materials much better calculated to exclude the effects of damp and cold than we do in modern times. The attire of females in particular consisted principally of woollens, worsted stuffs, and quilted and brocaded silks,‚—a difference totally oppo sed to the light and thin draperies of our Own fashions. Nor was the clothing of the male part of the community of former years, less adapted for protection from the vicissitudes of the weather. On this subject, Dr. Southey, in his excellent work on Consumption, remarks, that in many parts of Scotland, where con

sumption is now prevalent, the old people affirm that it was unknown before the warm Scottish plaiding was exchanged for the thin, fine, cold English cloth, and woollen cotton.

THE UNIVERSE IN A NUT-SHELL.

The great Sir Isaac Newton believed that, by sufficient compression, the whole matter of the universethe solid globe itself-with the sun, planets, and stars, might be brought into a globular space of only one inch in diameter. With all humble deference to the memory of Newton, we venture to think that this is more akin to romance than to philosophy.

SUGAR FROM THE BEET ROOT.

An establishment is now forming, in the neighbourhood of Paris, for the manufacture of this sugar on a very extensive scale. A British gentleman is said to have offered a house called the Chateau d'Ormes, and an immense territory for the culture of the beet. More than sixty establishments are, or soon will be, in activity in all parts of France for this manufacture; and, we believe, from calculations recently made, that the sugar from the beet root, by means of the ameliorations lately introduced in the processes of baking and crystallisation by various mauufacturers, particularly by M. Crespel d'Arras, may before long enter into competition even with the sugar of the Indies.

HOW TO SECURE A CUSTOMER.

An English officer, who had fitted up his house at Brussels with showy polished furniture, purchased without judgment at the shops of the fripiers, was desirous of having a mangle made on the English construction: a fellow, who had got into his good graces by selling him bargains, undertook to make one in a month for 200 francs, about half the price in Oxford-street. "Je connais bien votre affaire," said the unblushing rascal; "soyez tranquille." The period expired, but the machine was not tout à fait achevé," on account of the negligence of the serrurier

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who had undertaken the iron-work. This apology was received, and another month allowed; but our amateur found that, from some other cause, it was still unfinished. Chagrined at this second disappointment, he insisted upon seeing what progress had been made: when the rogue found that he could no longer carry on the delusion, he said with great sang froid, "Mais, Monsieur, qu'est ce qu'un mango? Je n'en ai jamais vu!" "But what induced you," replied our countryman, "to pretend to make a machine that you had never seen ?" "Ah! ma foi," said he,

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we Flemings will undertake any thing; and though I could not make a mango, yet I thought you might occasionally visit my magazin, while you imagined it was in hand, and buy some other articles. I hope you will excuse this little ruse-c'est notre maniere !"

FASCINATING POWER OF CATS.

The fascination of serpents is beyond a doubt, though it is often disbelieved by those who are afraid of obtaining a reputation for credulity, and who delight to feed their vanity by rejecting opinions that are deemed vulgar or common. The celebrated Montaigne was not a person who could be accused of credulity, and he informs us, that near his house, a cat was observed, watching a bird at the top of a tree. For some time they mutually fastened their eyes on each other, and at length the bird let itself fall as if dead into the cat's claws;either, he remarks, being dazzled by the force of terror, or by some uuknown attractive power in the cat.

THE MONKEY.

The Monkey has not had justice done him; for what right have you to judge of a whole people, from a few isolated individuals,-and from a few isolated individuals, too, running up poles with a chain round their waist, twenty times the length of their own tail, or grinning in ones or twos through the bars of a cage in a menagerie? His eyes are red with perpetual weeping-and his smile is sar

donic in captivity. His far is mouldy and mangy, and he is manifestly ashamed of his tail, prehensile no more-and of his paws, " very hands as you may say," miserable matches to his miserable feet. To know him as he is, you must go to Senegal; or if that be too far off for a trip during the summer vacation, to the Rock of Gebir, now called Gibralter, and see him at his gambols among the cliffs. Sailor nor slater would have a chance with him there, standing on his head on a ledge of six inches, five hundred feet above the level of the sea, without ever so much as once tumbling down; or hanging at the same height from a bush by the tail, to dry, or air, or sun himself, as if he were flower or fruit. There he is, a monkey indeed; but you catch him young, clap a pair of breeches on him, and an old red jacket, and oblige him to dance a saraband on the stones of a street, or perch upon the shoulder of Bruin, equally out of his natural element, which is a cave among the woods. Here he is but the Ape of a Monkey. Now if we were to catch you young, good subscriber or contributor, yourself, and put you into a cage to crack nuts and pull ugly faces, although you might, from continued practice, do both to perfection, at a shilling a head for grown up ladies and gentlemen, and sixpence for children and servants, and even at a lower rate after the collection had been some weeks in town, would you not think it exceedingly hard to be judged of in that one of your predicaments, not only individually, but nationally, -that is, not only as Ben Hoppus, your own name, but as John Bull, the name of the people of which you are an incarcerated specimen? You would keep incessantly crying out against this with angry vociferation, as a most unwarrantable and unjust Test and Corporation Act. And, no doubt, were an Ourang-outang to see you in such a situation, he would not only form a most mean opinion of you as an individual, but go away with a most false impression of the whole human race.

AGE OF TREES,

In cold climates, the age of trees may be known by counting the circles which appear upon making a transverse section. In warm climates, this cannot be done, for there the tree is always growing, and is not, as in cold countries, interrupted in its vegetation by the cold of winter. We may even, indeed, distinguish hard winters, by the appear ance of the circular layers, which are also generally found to be thicker on the south than on the north side. Linnæus counted no less than 300 layers in a common oak, (Quercus robur.) In the fir, (Pinus sylvestris,) 400 have been counted. If the tradition is to be believed that the Scots patriot, Wallace, planted at Ellerslie, in Renfrewshire, the oak which bears his name, it ought to exhibit more than 500 layers; but we think it extremely doubtful whe ther any trees were planted in Scotland during so turbulent a period. In old trees, there are often hollows which prevent the counting of the layers.

IMPROVED PEDOMETER.

Mr. Harris, the ingenious optician of Holborn, has constructed a pedometer on an improved principle. The apparatus is contrived to indicate the distance travelled on the principle of registering the number of steps. The box containing the wheel-work, is made of the size of a watch-case, and goes into the fob or breeches pocket; and by means of a brass lever fastened to the thigh, the number of steps which the wearer takes in his regular paces are registered from the action of the lever upon the internal wheel-work at every step, to the amount of 30,000. It is necessary, to ascertain the distance walked, that the average length of one pace be previously known; and that multiplied by the number of steps registered on the dial-plate, will give the distance required.

By a similar apparatus, called a way-wiser, attached to the wheel of a carriage, the distance travelled may be accurately ascertained.

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