TERRIFIC REGISTER.

efforts. Whilst within this jure you to exert your strength, and renew your fence, we are masters of our hands, masters of our weapons, and have hopes of saving our lives; but once disarmed, our fate will be an ignominious death. Take then your swords, which your enemy would fain get from you without fighting; drench them in their blood; revenge on them your slaughtered friends and relations; give these strangers a sample of your make them feel you are men, and determined to sell your lives as dear as possible."

courage;

These words he seconded with a suitable action; for throwing open the gates, he rushed towards the enemy, laid numbers of them at his feet, and though he lost an eye and was wounded in the body, continued fighting with indefatigable impetuosity, when the townsmen joined him, and repulsed the enemy, notwithstanding a vast superiority of numbers.

THE UPAS, OR POISON TREE OF JAVA.

This tree, which is one of the largest in the forests of Java, is called by the natives Antshar. It belongs to the twenty-first order of Linnæus. The stem rises cylindrical, perpendicular, and completely naked to the height of sixty, seventy, or eighty feet; that part of it nearest the ground, in one of the largest trees, measured ten feet in diameter, and at the part where the stem becomes regularly round, about three feet; after it has arrived to the above mentioned height, it sends off a few stout branches, which spreading horizontally with several irregular curves, divide into smaller branches, forming The leaves are alternate, oblong, heart-shaped, with a a kind of crown. waving margin, their upper surface smooth, the lower rather rough and reticulate. The male and female flowers are produced on the same branch, at no great distance from each other, the seed is an ovate nut with one shell. The bark is whitish, slightly bursting longitudinally, it is in old trees nearly an inch thick near the ground, and, being wounded, yields plentifully the poisonous juice, which is frothy, of a yellowish colour, resembling milk in consistence, its surface becoming brown on exposing to the air.

young The Antshar is found only in the largest forests, in a fertile, but not very elevated soil; it is on all sides surrounded by shrubs and plants, and trees were observed spontaneously growing from seeds which had fallen from may be approached and ascended like other common trees, the parent tree. It for nothing is to be apprehended, except when it is felled or largely wounded, by which a large portion of the juice is disengaged, the effluvia of which, mixing with the atmosphere, produces heat and itching to the eyes, and sometimes cutaneous eruptions. The poisonous juice is procured by puncturing the true bark, which in a large tree will yield a tea-cupful in a very short time. The Javanese prepare this by mixing it with various spices, but this process does not appear to increase its poisonous property, for the simple unprepared juice will produce mortal effects in the same time.

From the result of many experiments, it appeared that dogs punctured with darts envenomed with the juice of the Antshar, died between twelve and thirty minutes after the insertion of the poison. Birds died between five and minutes. Fortunately no eight minutes. In an experiment made upon a buffalo, he survived the insertion of the poison two hours and ten opportunity offered to enable the narrator to speak of its effects upon the human frame; for though the Javanese possess poisoned cresses and other

weapons, it does not appear that they are used in war, as the wounds inflicted on our soldiers in Java were cured without difficulty. Analogy, however, will leave us no doubt of its mortal effects; we have also the testimony of Rumphius, a respectable Dutch author, who tells us, that the inhabitants of Merepe used poisoned darts in their attack upon Amboyna in 1650; he says "the poison of these darts, touching the warm blood, is carried through the whole body, so that it may be felt in all the veins, causing an excessive burning of the head, which is followed by fainting and death."

DREADFUL CRUELTIES PRACTISED AT THE SIEGE OF SANCERRE.

The following account of the "Siege of Sancerre," is taken from an old work entitled as above.

Most part of the year 1573 was employed in the sieges of Sancerre, Roche, and other places, in molesting the inhabitants of Languedoc, and more and more in troubling the country of France. In the beginning of the year the inhabitants of St. Sancerre began their preparations, furnishing themselves with corn, but not so well as they should have done, upon the opinion that some of the townsmen had, that the Catholics would go to some other place; this vain expectation was the cause of great misery to the inhabitants, who, besides the famine, did not put their fortifications in a proper state of defence. On the ninth of January, there appeared some troops of horse, to the number of about four hundred, and the next day five ensigns of the old bands of the regiment of Goas, with various other troops gathered thereabout. These, within fifteen days after, were reinforced by eight ensigns of the old bands of the regiment of Sarrieu, and five other new companies, some bands of the country thereabout, under the command of certain gentlemen, enemies to the Sancerreans; besides also divers peasants that gaped after the ruin of that small receptacle of the Protestants. There came also sixteen ensigns of pioneers, so that the whole army amounted to about four or five hundred horse, and five thousand foot, besides the pioneers and peasants. The Lord of Chastre, general of the army, sent a drummer with letters to summon the besieged to yield upon terms, which he promised should be reasonable; they detained his drummer, and made no answer, which afterwards proved very prejudicial unto them, albeit in the beginning they made many gallant and profitable sallies.

In the beginning of February, the besiegers erected a fort, within four hundred paces of the town, towards Fontenay, and bringing their artillery by boats upon the Loire, namely, twelve cannons, and four colverins, they made a bulwark of earth upon the highway to St. Thibaut, also, a palisade in St. Ladras' field, and cut off the highways and paths about the town, planting ten pieces in the field of St. Ladre, and six more upon Woolpheselme, a high mountain on the south side of Sancerre, which commands the town, as they afterwards found by experience. In four or five days they discharged above three hundred cannon shot, in which time there happened sundry things worth mentioning. All this thunder hurt none of the inhabitants, except one maid, who was slain by the passing of a bullet, at one of the four first vollies; so fierce was the storm, that the stones of the town-wall, the paving stones, and the shivers of the timber of such houses as the shot struck, flew whistling in the air, broke the stocks of arquebuses in the hands and on the shoulders of the besieged, rent and pierced their caps, hose, and hats, yet never

touched their bodies; and a bullet carried away the crest of a soldier, named Paullay, but otherwise done him no hurt.

Another cannon-shot, piercing through the wall, came with such violence, that, lighting on a barn, it carried away a great corner stone, which fell upon a man's back, named Petit Boys, yet hurt him not. Another shot, falling upon the curtain and parapet of the town, cast down a cart-load of stones and brickbats, near the minister of La Charitie, named John de Lery, (from whom we have the whole account of the siege, at which he was from beginning to end) so that some flew between his legs with great violence and did him no harm; and another minister, being in his pulpit, on Sunday, the eighth of March, both he and his whole congregation were, in a manner, overwhelmed by the stones of a house, which a cannon-shot had beaten down, yet not a person was slain or wounded, except a few that were a little scratched. The fire of the battery was still continued so furiously against the walls, which were but weak, and the besiegers discharged above six thousand cannon-shot against the town, yet there were not five-and-twenty of the besieged slain.

About the end of February, the besiegers endeavoured to surprise a ravelin, in which attempt they were fiercely repulsed, and lost Captain Druory, with five-and-twenty of the old bands, besides a number of wounded whom they carried away. The continual rain and snow annoyed both parties exceedingly, especially the besiegers, for the townsmen burnt a wooden bridge covered with hurdles, under which the besieged used to come safe to the foot of the ravelin; and, thinking the enemy had undermined the ravelin, they immediately sunk wells to countermine that side.

Three days afterwards, about nine o'clock at night, coming unobserved through the trenches, they entered the ditch, not far from the breach of Londis, which they found so well guarded, that they were forced to retreat, with the loss of several men, killed and wounded. During the whole conflict, which was long and sharp, the besieged continually sang psalms; upon hearing which, the enemy discharged some shot from the artillery, that lay upon the hill, called the Woolf's Elm, but they fell upon the rampart, without wounding any of the garrison. Having also learnt from some pioneers, taken in a sally, that the besiegers were going to sap the ravelin of the old gate, in one night they cut it in two, and made, as it were, a new one of it, which by the next morning was defenceable.

On the seventeenth of March, about forty soldiers sallied out, who surprised a corps de garde, slew eighteen or twenty, and brought in a prisoner, who told them that they would on the next day, be beaten with sixteen pieces. The next day, the besiegers, having, with all their pieces planted in three places, (namely in St. Ladre's field, the Wolf's Elm, and the Smith's Carroy,) battered and beaten down all the towers and walls of the town, and levelled the breach, which was above three hundred paces wide, their white ensign colonel, followed by the rest, shewed himself, all their men coming under cover through their trenches, even to the edge of the tower ditch, when they gave the signal for assault as follows: Sarrieu's regiment advanced to the breach towards the Goose-gate, in a place called Londis Grange, where the fight was hottest, and to second them came Lord Chastre, general of the army, with his men at arms, who, with other horsemen, alighted, and fought that day on foot. This assault was famous; for the assailants came in good order to the breach, upon which they clambered; and seven or eight of the best armed men came to blows. Lord Bonnuit, the gentlemen of the country, and Captain Carter gave the second charge, whereunto they came with such

resolution, that some of them twice entered the breach. Among others, Fontain Carter's ensign, one that had revolted and changed his religion, who was hurt, and returned lame and halting. In this second onset, four ensigns, accompanied by four or five hundred men, valiently entered the ditch; but instead of making straight to the beach, they went close to the corner of the wall, which they still battered with their ordinance, where they halted with their ensigns, and could not be damaged by the townsmen, who were not able to stand upon the wall that parted them, by reason of the vollies of cannon-shot. During the assault, fifteen hundred labourers, with their slings, being furnished with stones by the women and girls, wrought wonders, and wounded many of the enemy; even in the thickest of the fight, a woman caught hold of a soldier's pike, and strove to wrest it out of his hand.

A young man of the town, named Jalot, being taken by a targetman, and led away, as he descended into the ditch, called to his companions rather to shoot him, than suffer him to be carried away; whereupon one of them, lying on his face, aimed, and killed the targetman, and then Jalot, with his dagger slew another that laid hold of him, and so escaping, returned through the breach to his companions. The besieged had no other defence but their small shot, swords, and slings; neither could they make use of their engines, as the general assault was given sooner than they expected, by reason of the battery that had continued all the morning. The Sancerreans had, in the assault, seventeen either slain or wounded, besides a girl that was carried away by a cannon-shot. The assailants left threescore of their most valiant men in the ditch, besides two hundred mortally wounded, that died in their tents and lodgings, and as many more wounded, who recovered. Afterwards, the assailants, understanding the state of the town, resolved to shut up and starve the Sancerreans by the number of forts which they had erected near the walls, and made defensible, notwithstanding the townsmen's sallies and planting two colverins at the extremity of the town, they returned the rest of the pieces to the towns from which they had been brought, only leaving sufficient strength about the town to hinder the besieged coming forth, or receiving relief from the country.

In the beginning of April, one of the garrison, slipping down the wall, came to the greater fort, and assured them that the besieged began to famish. Within two days after, the besiegers, the surer to surround the town, had erected new small forts, and kept guard so strictly at night, that the townsmen perceived that they meant to take them by the throat rather than by the fists. Hereupon they sent messengers to procure assistance, but they were either driven back by the enemy, or made prisoners. Being thus shut up by their inveterate enemies, from the first of April, the want of flesh had caused them to dispatch all their asses and mules. In the end they were constrained to eat horses, cattle, moles, mice, dogs, hides of oxen, &c.; and at the end of June, a third part of the besieged had no more bread. Such as could get linseed, or other seed, caused it to be ground or be beaten in mortars, and made into bread; or substituted herbs, mixed with a little bran, when they could get it. They eat bread, made of straw meal, of powdered nutshell, and slate. On the twentieth of July, a poor labourer and his wife were executed for eating the head, entrails, and brains of their daughter, a child of three years of age, that died for want; having dressed all the other parts of the body to eat at other times. Another old woman, who lodged in their house, and had eaten of their cannibal banquet, died in prison, not long after her apprehension. What rendered the crime more horrid, was, that the

same day they had been nourished with some pottage made of wine and herbs, which ought to have satisfied them in that time of necessity. Such as went out to seek relief, were either slain by the enemy, or constrained by blows with staves, to turn back; and, staying without the town, lived on the sprigs of vines, blackberries, red snails, or herbs, till most of them perished miserably between the trenches and the ditches. Among other shocking spectacles, were the bodies of a labourer and his wife, one hard by the other, among the vines, and two of their children weeping by them, the younger being but six weeks old, which a charitable widow took home to her house. If many died among the vines near the trenches, and in the ditches, there died many more in the streets and houses, for some days they buried five-and-twenty or thirty that died of hunger; and almost all the children under twelve years of age died of hunger.

A boy, five years old, having languished some weeks, running along the street, became quite exhausted, and fell down before his father and mother, who, at that instant, perceived the sinews of their child shrink in, as if they had been cut, and presently he died. Another boy of ten years of age, lying at the point of death, hearing his father and mother weeping and lamenting about him, whose arms he felt were as dry as wood, said to them, "Why do you weep in this manner, to see me die for hunger? I ask no bread of you, mother, for I know you have it not; but seeing it is the will of God that I should die in this manner, I must take it thankfully." On the thirtieth of June, all other resources being exhausted, they killed all the remaining draught horses, and six cows, kept to give milk for some young children; and sold the flesh, together with a little corn, which had been brought by stealth into the town, being cut and gathered in the night, which was sold for half-a-crown a pound; but this means continued not long, the enemy keeping such strict watch. The Sancerreans lost, during the siege, about eighty-four men in the town; but the famine killed, both within and without the town about five hundred, besides those that languished; who, having escaped, had much labour and pain to recover themselves.

At length the Duke of Anjou, brother to the king, and his lieutenantgeneral of France, being elected king of Poland, the Polish ambassadors, who came to France to fetch him, solicited the bishop of Valance and Lancac, his associate, to keep the promise which they had made and sworn unto them, in the name of the king their master, to set at liberty all the towns and people of France, who were molested for their religion; which request being granted, the siege of Sancerre was raised.

SUPERSTITION OF THE BRAZILIANS.

Senhor Gama relates a circumstance which occurred during his Ouvidorship, in the Comarca of Sabard, that affords a tolerably strong evidence of the deep subtlety practised by some, at least, of the Brazilian holy fathers, for their personal benefit. A female residing at no great distance from Sabara, whose mind was darkened by bigotry, and who was particularly rigid in all religious observances, no saint-day passing, without her exhibiting the utmost devotion; mortified herself in a peculiar degree on all occasions of fasting, and during lent always refrained from eating with such resolution, that she acquired the honour of being considered a saint. So strongly was she influenced by this delusion, that she communicated her self-working inspirations