days before the 9th Thermidor, the day on which Robef pierre was overthrown, a revolutionary tribunal in one of the departments of the North of France condemned to death M. des R****, an ancient magiftrate, and a most eftimable man, guilty, at fifty leagues from Paris, of a confpiracy, which had not existed at St. Lazare. M. des R. had a water spaniel, of ten or twelve years old, of the fmall breed, which had been brought up by him, and had never quitted him. Des R. in prifon faw his family dispersed by a system of terror;-some had taken flight; others, themfelves arrested, were carried into diftant gaols; his domeftics were difmiffed; his house was buried in the folitude of the Seals; his friends either abandoned him, or concealed themselves; every thing in the world was filent to him, except his dog. This faithful animal had been refused admittance into the prifon. He had returned to his master's houfe, and found it fhut. He took refuge with a neighbour, who received him; but that pofterity may judge foundly of the times in which we have exifted, it must be added, that this man received him trembling, in fecret, and dreading left his humanity for an animal fhould conduct him to the fcaffold. Every day, at the fame hour, the dog left the house, and went to the door of the prison. He was refufed admittance, but he constantly paffed an hour before it, and then returned. His fidelity at length won upon the porter, and he was one day allowed to enter. The dog faw his mafter. It was difficult to feparate them; but the gaoler carried him away, and the dog returned to his retreat. He came back the next morning, and every day; and once each day he was admitted. He licked the hand of his friend, looked at him, licked his hand again, and went away of himself.

"When the day of fentence arrived, notwithstanding the crowd, notwithstanding the guard, he penetrated into the hall, and crouched himself between the legs of the unVOL. I. No. II. 3 T happy

happy man, whom he was about to lofe for ever. The judges condemned the man; and, may my tears be pardoned for the expreffion, which efcapes from them, they condemned him in the prefence of his dog. They reconducted him to the prifon, and the dog, for that time, did not quit the door. The fatal hour arrives, the prifon opens; the unfortunate man paffes out; it is the dog that receives him at the threshold. He clings upon his hand. Alas! that hand will will never more be fpread upon thy careffing head! He follows him. The axe falls, the mafter dies, but the tenderness of the dog cannot ceafe. The body is carried away, he walks at its fide; the earth receives it, he lays himself upon the grave.

"There he paffed the firft night, the next day, the fecond night. The neighbour, in the mean time, unhappy at not seeing him, rifks himself, searching for the dog, gueffes for the extent of his fidelity the asylum he has chofen, finds him, careffes him, brings him back, and makes him eat. An hour afterwards, the dog escaped, and regained his favourite place. Three months paffed away, each morning of which he came to feek his food, and then returned to the afhes of his mafter; but each day he was more fad, more meagre, more languishing, and it was plain that he was gradually reaching his end. They endeavoured, by chaining him up, to wean him; but you cannot, triumph over Nature! He broke, or bit through his bonds; escaped; returned to the grave, and never quitted it more. It was in vain that they endeavoured to bring him back. They carried him food, but he ate no longer. For four and twenty hours he was feen employing his weakened limbs in digging up the earth that separated him from the remains of the man he had fo much loved.

Paffion gave him ftrength, and he gradually approached the body; his labours of affection then vehemently increased; his efforts became convulfive; he fhrieked in his

ftruggles;

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507

ftruggles; his faithful heart gave way, and he breathed out his laft gafp, as if he knew that he had found his mafter!"

The following is another Inftance of Remarkable Sagacity in a Dog.

SOME years fince, Mr. S-, of Margate, in Kent, was returning from a neighbouring town, during a very heavy fall of snow, and was accompanied by a dog belonging to a relation of his, who kept an inn near his own house. He became fo fatigued with his journey, which he performed on foot, that he was hardly able to proceed; and, when within a mile or lefs from home, he several times ftopped; when the fagacious animal feized hold of his coat, and impelled him forwards, until, through his kind efforts, he literally tore the fkirts from his garment. At last, Mr. S. being entirely overcome by the inclemency' of the weather, when he had arrived within 200 yards of his house, was obliged to drop on the fnow by the fide of a hovel; and fuppofes he immediately fell asleep. It appeared that the faithful animal had used every endeavour to awaken him, as his hands and face, when he was difcovered, were evidently marked by the claws of the dog; but this being ineffectual, he then left his friend, and hafted to his mafter's houfe, and by every gefture which he could command, endeavoured to entice fomebody with him, by howling, running backwards and forwards to the door, &c. But, not being able to make himself understood, he took a perfon by the coat, and led him to the fpot where his friend lay in an deprived of life by the cold. Mr. S. was taken to his houfe, culty restored to animation. In gratitude to his deliverer (under the Almighty), he took the greatest care of the dog;

infenfible flate, and nearly Affiftance being procured, and with the greateft dith

had his portrait accurately taken in oil colours, and which, as a memento, now graces the chimney-piece in his hall. Shall we call this fidelity, instinct, fagacity, friendship, or reafon, in the brute; or a gracious interpofition of Eternal Providence, in thus furnishing this animal with faculties beyond the nature of his fpecies; thus to preserve the life of one in the higher rank in his wonderful, incomprehenfible, and all beautiful creation?

A REMARKABLE DISCOVERY.

An extraordinary circumstance was discovered a few days fince, which is worth recital:-About 15 years ago Lady Guildford loft a favourite dog, when the refided in BusheyPark; she first advertised it, with a reward of five guineas, and afterwards ten, but without fuccefs. A few days fince, one of the labourers grubbing up some old Pollards, found the skeleton of the very dog, and the brass collar round his neck, and below it the skeletons of two hares, which he had pursued into the tree, whence it is fupposed they could not extricate themselves.

Mr. GRANGER,

The Wonderful Inftances of Animal Affection in your last Number, reminded me of fome curious Anecdotes on the Sagacity of Birds, which have been related by Gentlemen of unquestionable Veracity; if the two following are worthy your Attention, you are at Liberty to infert them.

Iflington.

I remain, Yours, &c.

On the SAGACITY of BIRDS.

T. BOOLE.

MR. S. Simpfon, late of Wilton, in America, recites the following curious anecdote.

"Early one morning I heard a noise from a couple of

martins,

SAGACITY OF BIRDS.

509

martins, who were jumping from tree to tree adjoining my dwelling. They made several attempts to get into a box or cage fixed against the house, which they had before occupied; but they always appeared to fly from it with the greatest dread, and repeated thofe loud cries which first drew my attention. Curiofity led me to watch their motions. After fome time, a small wren came from the box or cage, and perched on a tree near it, when her fhrill voice feemed to amaze her antagonists. After fome time, she flew away. The martins took this opportunity of returning to their cage; but their stay was fhort; their diminutive adversary returned, and made them fly with the greatest precipitation. They continued manoeuvering in this way the whole day, and, I believe, the wren kept poffeffion during the night.

"The following morning, on the wren's quitting the cage, the martins immediately returned, took poffeffion of their manfion, broke up their own neft, which confifted of twigs of different fizes, went to work, and, with more induftry and ingenuity than I fuppofed they poffeffed, they foon barricadoed their doors. The wren returned, but could not re-enter. She made attempts to storm the works, but did not fucceed. I will not prefume to fay that the martins followed our modern maxim, and carried with them a fufficiency of food to fuftain a fiege, or that they made ufe of the abftinence which neceffity, fometimes during long and bad ftorms, might probably occafion; but they perfevered for near two days to defend the entrance within the barricado; and the wren, finding the could not force an entry, raifed the fiege, quitted her intentions, and left the martins in quiet poffeffion, without further moleftation."

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