about for a long time upon the deck, but at last he lay down as if he had been dead; and when one of the bystanders exclaimed, "What a wonderful God that must be who has human creatures even in the water;" the merman answered, "Yes; and if you knew all I do, you would say so indeed; but, if you do not let me this moment return to the water, neither ye nor your ship shall ever reach the land." Thereupon he would not speak another word; but was placed in the boat, out of which he sprang himself. The year after, when the state counsellor, Christopher Ulfeld, was sent with a ship to Gulland, a merman, having black hair and a long beard, approached them on their way; he seemed to have great curiosity, and observed the ship and those that were in it very closely; but when one of the sailors flung him out a shirt in sport, he ducked under, and was no more seen. THE FATA MORGANA. (Mon. Mag.) THE CONCHOLOGIST'S COMPANION; COMPRISING THE INSTINCTS AND CONSTRUCTIONS OF TESTACEOUS ANIMALS, &c. &c. BY THE AUTHOR OF THE WONDERS OF THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM, &C. THI HIS unpretending volume will be received with much pleasure by those whose taste leads them to the study of natural history: especially by the more juvenile students, for whose use it is principally designed. It is a judicious and entertaining compilation from larger and more scientific works on the same subjects, interspersed with descriptions of natural scenery from the pen of the compiler, who appears to be an ardent lover of nature. The following extract from the description of the coral, which contains also an account of that singular phenomenon the fata morgana, will give a good idea of the style in which the work is written. "This elegant production is common to the shores of Great Britain; but the finest specimens are brought from the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Africa, Bastions of France, islands of Majorca and Corsica, and from the coasts of Provence and Catalonia. A large fishery also subsists in the Straits of Messina, where the shell collector had lately an opportunity of not only seeing the method employed by the Sicilian fishermen in bringing up the coral, but also La Fata Morgana, that beautiful aerial phenomenon, which the credulous natives imagine to be produced by fairies or invisible beings, "That in the colours of the rainbow live, It was summer, early in July, the morning calm and delightful; the winds were hushed, the surface of the bay remarkably smooth-the tide at its full height, and the waters elevated in the middle of the channel. The sun had just surmounted the hills behind Reggio, and formed an angle of forty-five degrees on the noble expanse of water which extends before the city. Suddenly the sea that washes the Sicilian shores presented the aspect of a range of dark mountains; while that on the Calabrian coast appeared like a clear polished mirror, which reflected and multiplied every object existing or moving at Reggio, with the addition of a range of more than a thousand giant pilasters, equal in altitude, distance, and degree of light and shade. In a moment they lost half their height, and bent into arcades, like those of a Roman aqueduct. A long cornice was then formed on the top, and above it rose innumerable castles, which presently divided into towers, and shortly afterwards into magnificent colonnades. To these succeeded a sweep of windows; then came pines and cypresses, and innumerable shrubs and trees; in shadier scenes 'Pan or Sylvanus never slept, nor nymph "This glorious vision continued in full beauty till the sun was considerably advanced in the heavens; it then van ished in the twinkling of an eye; and instead of pilasters, groves, and colonnades, the shell collector saw nothing but the mountains of Reggio, Messina, and a beautiful expanse of water, reflecting its cultivated shores, and the eattle that were grazing on its banks.* "A new scene was now presented to his attention. It consisted of a number of boats skimming rapidly over the transparent water, each of which was tipped with vivid light; and a fleet of more than twenty small vessels, with their sails expanded to catch the breeze. They were employed in the coral fishery, which is carried on from the entrance of the Taro to the part of the Strait opposite to the church of the Grotto, or through a tract of six miles in length, and to the distance of three miles from Messina. Each vessel was manned by eight men, who separately moored them above a range of submarine rocks, and then proceeded to bring up the branches of coral by means of an instrument formed of two poles of wood, crossing each other at right angles, and having a piece of net fastened on the under side; a large stone having been previously fixed at the points where the poles cross each other, in order to facilitate the descent of the instrument; and a cord strongly tied round the middle. Each of the fishermen held one of these instruments in his hand, and by the help of a companion, guided the net to those places where the coral was supposed to grow, which was then enclosed in the meshes of the net, broken off, and immediately drawn up.” VARIETIES. Original Anecdotes, Literary News, Chit Chat, Incidents, &c. INHABITANTS AND HABITATIONS OF THE MOON. Professor Gruithausen in Munich has now published the first-third of his essay on the many plain indications of inhabitants in the moon, and especially of a colossal building. The Munich Gazette relates some of the most remarkable results derived from a great number of observations made last year. They answer three questions-1. To what latitude in the moon are there indications of vegetation?-2. How far are there indications of animated beings ?-3. Where are the greatest and plainest traces of art on the surface of the moon? With respect to the first question, it appears from the observations of Schroter and Gruithausen that the vegetation on the moon's surface extends to 55 degrees South latitude, and 65 degrees North latitude. Many hundred observations have shown in the different colours, and monthly changes of the parts, evidently covered with plants, three kinds of phenomena, which cannot possibly be explained, except by the process of ve མི་མང་ ་ན་ ་་ཟ་ དང་མ་ཁ་ * For a further description of a La Fata Morgana, consult Travels in the Two Sicilies, by Swinburne. getation. To the second question, it is answered that the indications from which the existence of living beings is inferred, are found from 50 degrees North latitude to 37 degrees, and perhaps 47 degrees South latitude. The answer to the third question relates to the observations pointing out the places in the moon's surface, in which are appearance of artificial causes, altering the surface. The author here examines the appearances that induces him to infer that there are artificial roads in various directions, and he also describes the great colossal edifice, resembling our cities, on the most fertile part, near the moon's equator. It is remarkable that it stands accurately, according the four cardinal points, and that the main lines are in angles of 45 and 90 degrees, and a building resembling what is called a star redoubt, is attached to it, which the discoverer presumes to be dedicated to religious purposes; and as the Selenites can see no stars in the day time (their atmosphere being so pure) he thinks that they worship the stars, and consider the earth as a natural clock. The Essay is accompanied by several plates. BEETHOVEN. Beethoven is the most celebrated of the living composers in Vienna, and in certain departments the foremost of his day. His powers of harmony are prodigious. Though not an old man, he is lost to society in consequence of his extreme deafness, which has rendered him almost unsocial The neglect of his person which he exhibits gives him a somewhat wild appearance. His features are strong and prominent; his eye is full of rude energy; his hair, which neither comb nor scissors seem to have visited for years, overshadows his broad brow in a quantity and confusion to which only the snakes round a Gorgon's head offer a parallel. His general behaviour does not ill accord with the unpromising exterior. Except when he is among his chosen friends, kindliness or affability are not his characteristics. The total loss of hearing has deprived him of all the pleasure which society can give, and perhaps soured his temper.-Even among his oldest friends, he must be humoured like a spoilt child. He has always a small paper book with him, and what conversation takes place, is carried on in writing. The mouent he is seated at the piano, is evidently unconscious that there is anything in existence but himself and his instrument; and, considering how very deaf he is, it seems impossible that he should hear all he plays. Accordingly, when playing very piano, he often does not bring out a single note. He hears it himself in the "mind's ear." While his eye, and the almost imperceptible motion of his fingers, show that he is following out the strain in his own soul through all its dying gradations, the instrument is actually as dumb as the musician is deaf. He seems to feel the bold, the commanding, and the impetuous, more than what is soothing or gentle. The muscles of the face swell, and its veins start out; the wild eye rolls doubly wild; the mouth quivers, and Beethoven looks like a wizard overpowered by the demons whom he himself has called up.Tour in Germany in 1820, 21, & 22, he PLUM PUDDING. This is one of the relics of barbarous cookery-a compilation of grossness, gastronomically unscientific, and preeminently unwholesome. Sugar, dough, and fat are its basis, and in such proportion that its lighter ingredients have not power to redeem its crudity.No wonder John Bull is dyspeptic, hypochondriacal, and suicidal, when plumpudding and malt-liquor occupy his stomach so often. Boiled dough is the food of his youth-solid, stone-like dough;-and when he grows up, he mollifies his mess with sugar and raisins; scarcely a day passes without a wedge of his favourite dish-plumpudding; and then he mopes and drinks his ale, until a sufficient portion of the narcotic portion of his beverage nods him down to sleep. And yet John wonders why he suffers from indigestion! Leave off plum-pudding. The French, who know better than we do the science of cookery, laugh at us for patronizing it. Thermometrical Observations. A gentleman perceiving a man swallowing liquor from a thermometer, enquired of a bystander the reason of such a strange proceeding; to which he replied, "Oh! he is getting intoxicated by degrees." The Human Heart. 8vo. 10s. 6d. This volume, which is a collection of tales, written with considerable talent, would have been a much more pleasing work had the author not filled it so very full of horrors. He appears to be never satisfied unless he is lacerating" the human heart" with some appalling narrative, either conjured up by his own imagination, or selected from the darkest pages of history. Thus the second tale, "Thou shalt not do evil that good may come of it," is the well-known story of Col. Kirk's infamous treachery and violence to the sister of one of his prisoners. It does not argue any great sense in the writer of his own powers, when he thus resorts to the horrible, for the purpose of infusing an interest into his stories; nor, indeed, is this the best mode of accomplishing such an object; for our own parts, we rather turn with distaste from these pictures of death and destruction and despair. We regret that the author of these tales has not selected more pleasing themes for his pen, as he appears to possess talents and feelings which would enable him to produce a much more agreeable work. The Brisbane River lately discover ed, and the largest yet known in New Holland, empties into Moreton Bay, in lat. 28°, and is there three miles broad; but at about twenty miles from its mouth, it is crossed by a ledge of rocks, on which the tide rises only twelve feet at high water: at fifty miles from the sea the tide rose four and a half feet, and ran upwards of four miles per hour: its usual depth from hence to the sea is three to nine fathoms. This river comes from the S. W., in the direction of the Macquarie Marshes, distant about three hundred and fifty miles, of which it is the probable outlet: a supposition which seemed confirmed by the banks of the Brisbane, showing no marks of floods, more than seven feet above a low state of water. The Hives of Bees taken out to New South Wales by CAPT. WALLACE, were five of them thriving well, and had thrown off many swarms, although the greater part of these had escaped into the woods; where they are multiplying fast, owing to the country and climate being so favourable to their propagation. It seems probable therefore, that wild honey and wax, as well as that raised in hives, may become ere long articles of export from the colony. The British Asiatic Journal of November contains a remarkable article, a sort of prediction, found in the text of the philosopher Confucius, announcing, in a manner very distinct, that they were to expect from the west (this is in reference to China) a saint, or holy one, that would instruct men in the whole of their duties, and stamp perfection on the principles and practices of religion. These curious texts, which have already obtained some publicity from the labours of Mr. Abel Remusat, appear here, in Chinese characters, with an English and Latin version, corresponding, verbatim, to each character. The Calcutta Gazette reports some interesting discoveries by Mr. Moorcroft. in his progress through certain elevated and imperfectly-known regions bordering on India. Vast quantities of timber suited to ship-building; a whiter and more productive kind of wheat than any known in Britain; several sorts of barley, more productive, and containing more valuable properties for malting than those cultivated in England; a plant that cures the rot in sheep, of which disease the late Dr. Bakewell asserted, that hundreds of thousands died every year in Britain; a hardy variety of hay, with which waste moors and heath-covered commons may be cultivated, so as to afford winter-food for an additional million of English sheep. The quality of this food is such as to fatten them in half the time they would require on any known forage now in use; a breed of mountain sheep, of which an English cottager may keep three with more ease than he can maintain a cur-dog: a little farmer may keep a small flock of them on the waste produce of his farm. This breed has been secured, and provision made for keeping a stock of them for three years. In 1818, Yuenke, Governor of Canton, and Ke Foo Yuen, Deputy Governor, wrote to the Emperor to solicit his authority for the composition of a topographical description of the Province of Canton, assigning as a reason that what was composed ninety years. before, was become very defective and inaccurate. The Emperor approved the project, and the work was undertaken under the direction of twentyseven persons of different ranks and talents, and submitted to the general surveilance of the Governor. Four years have been occupied in the composition and printing of this book. It is now about to appear in a hundred volumes, under the title of Kwangtung-tung-che, or General Topography of China. CURE FOR THE TOOTH-ACHE. Take a table-spoonful of any kind of spirits, and the same quantity of sharp vinegar, and a tea-spoonful of common salt; mix them well together; hold the liquid in the mouth, so that it can enter the cavity of the tooth, and it will give immediate relief, MATTER. M. BORY DE SAINT VINCENT has lately read to the Society of Natural History, and to the Academy of Sciences at Paris, a curious memoir on Matter, considered with reference to Natural History. In consequence of the great errors which result from the use of microscopes of more extensive power, M. de Saint Vincent has confined himself in his observations to mieroscopes which magnify a thousand times. In penetrating by these instruments into the invisible world (to use his own expression,) matter has constantly presented itself to him in five states, perfectly distinct; states which he by no means considers as primordial and elementary, but which, however they may be themselves constituted, form, by their combinations, the greater part of existing beings. To each of these classes of corpuscula, he gives a characteristic name, conformable to its most remarkable properties, and classes them in the following order :-Mucous MATTER, LIVING MATTER, VEGETABLE MATTER, CRYSTALLISABLE MATTER, EARTHLY MATTER. MUCOUS MATTER shows itself in water submitted to the prolonged operation of air and light. It coats the stones which lie at the bottoms of brooks and rivers, and renders them very slippery. It is sensibly unctuous to the touch; and sometimes acquires the consistence of a jelly. Aquatic animals are more or less covered with it; and M.Bory de St.Vincent thinks the viscidity of sea water is chiefly attributable to it. LIVING MATTER, according to M. de Saint Vincent, is composed of globules, perfectly round, which are the monas termo, of Muller. These globules are in constant agitation, and move with the greatest swiftness. Their appearance precedes, by a shorter or a longer time, that of the animals called infusiores. They incorporate themselves with mucous matter, give it a certain consistence, and convert it into membranes which seem to require nothing, in order to constitute living bodies, but a nervous network, the manner of the introduction of which will probably never be discovered. VEGETATIVE MATTER discloses itself in all kinds of water, even in distilled. It colours, with an agreeable green, the liquid in which it is formed, and the bodies which are immersed in that liquid. M. Bory de Saint Vincent attributes to it the greenish hue of packed oysters. The particles of vegetative matter are compressible, oval, and transparent, but of a greenish hue, motionless, preserving their colour, but losing their form in drying. CRYSTALLISABLE MATTER is the fourth result of the spontaneous decomposition which takes place in infusions. It is an assemblage of translucid particles, hard, angular, and flat; which approach one an other by molectilar attraction, and not by any motion belonging to themselves. EARTHLY MATTER is composed of hard, opaque, polyedrous or rounded molecules; the form and colour of which are not changed by alterations of wet and dryness. M. Bory de Saint Vincent thinks that, with this small number of materials, endowed with invariable properties, Nature is enabled to produce the prodigious variety of beings which people the universe, all subjected to simple and uniform laws. He entirely denies the transformation of animals into vegetables, and reciprocally, even in microscopic beings. CEMENT FOR GLASS OR CHINA. Garlic, stamped in a stone mortar, the juice whereof when applied to the pieces to be joined together, is the finest and strongest cement for that purpose, and will leave little or no mark, if done with care. NEW WORKS. Canova's Works, complete, 2 vols. imp. fol. 41. 4s.; imp. 4to. 61. 6s.-Robinson's Illustrations of Mickleham Church, roy. 4to. 25s.; imp. 4to. 21. 2s.-Rhodes's Peak Scenery, or the Derbyshire Tourist, 8vo. 14s.Hawker's Instructions to young Sportsmen, 3d edit. roy. 8vo. 30s.-Beauvillier's Art of French Cookery, 12mo. 7s.-The Philomathic Journal and Literary Review, No. I. 5s. -The Human Heart, post 8vo. 10s. 6d.Nichols' Arminianism and Calvinism compared, 2 parts, 8vo. 20s.-Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary, Vol. IV. 18mo. 8s.Preston on the Law of Legacies, 8vo. 14s. -Woolrych on the Law of Rights of Common, 8vo. 14s The compilers of the Percy Anecdotes having announced a Collection of Histories of the capitals of Europe, have commenced their design with the History of London. It appears to be a collection carefully made, of the most interesting facts which are to be found in the various Histories of London, to which are subjoined details relative to its present state. The materials of the work are, therefore, unexceptionable, but it chiefly recommends itself by the neatness and elegance of its typography, and particularly by some highly-finished engravings by Cooke, made after drawings by Neal. If the other capitals are exhibited in as good taste, the work will be an acquisition to our cabinet libraries. A contribution to military history has been published in the Journal of an Officer, written during the Siege of Quebec, in 17756. The narrative is circumstantial and very interesting, and it is enriched by notes, a supplement, and preface, by Mr. Short, who in spite of circumstances, continues to to call the Americans revolutionists and rebels. We cannot wonder that the Journal should be mingled with such feelings, but the sentiments of the editor are not in keeping. He does not seem to be aware of the maxim, that no glory can be gained in a war which is not both just and necessary |