stagger and fall; the conqueror then fell upon him to despatch him, and with one stroke of her beak laid open his skull.

OSTRICH-RIDING.

Mr. ADAMSON, in his "Voyage to Senegal," &c. mentions two ostriches, which, though young, were of gigantic size, and afforded him a very remarkable sight. "They were so tame, that two little blacks mounted both together on the back of the largest. No sooner did he feel their weight, than he began to run as fast as pos- : sible, and carried them several times round the village, as it was impossible to stop him otherwise than by obstructing the passage. This sight pleased me so much, that to try their strength, I directed a full grown negro to mount the smallest, and two others the largest. This burthen did not seem at all disproportioned to their strength. At first they went at a tolerably sharp trot, but when they became heated a little, they expanded their wings as though to catch the wind, and moved with such fleetness, that they scarcely seemed to touch the ground. The ostrich moves like the partridge, with the advantage of a greater fleetness; and I am satisfied that those I am speaking of, would have distanced the fleetest race horses that were ever bred in England. It is true they would not hold out so long as a horse; but they would undoubtedly go over a given space in less time. I have frequently beheld this sight, which is capable of giving one an idea of the use it might be made of, hnd we but the method of breaking and managing it as we do a horse."

GENEROUS INTREPIDITY.

ÎN August, 1777, a vessel from Rochelle, laden with salt, and manned by eight hands, and two passengers on board, was discovered making for the pier of Dieppe. The wind was at the time so high, and the sea so much agitated, that a coasting pilot made four fruitless attempts to get out, and conduct the vessel safe into port. Boussard, a bold and intrepid pilot, perceiving that the helmsman was ignorant of latent danger, endeavoured to direct him by a speaking trumpet and signals; but the captain could neither see nor hear, on account of the darkness of the night, the roaring of the winds, and the extraordinary swell of the sea. The vessel in the meantime grounded on a flinty bottom, at the distance of thirty toises from the advanced mole.

Boussard, touched with the cries of the unfortunate crew, resolved to spring to their assistance, in spite of every remonstrance, the entreaties of his wife and children, and the apparent impossibility of success. Having tied one end of a rope round his waist, and fastened the other to the mole, he plunged headlong into the boisterous deep. When he had got very near the ship, a wave carried him off, and dashed him on shore. Twenty times successively was he thus repulsed, rolled upon flinty stones, and covered with the wreck of the vessel, which the fury of the waves tore rapidly to pieces. He did not, however, abate his ardour, A single wave dragged him under the ship he was given up for lost, but he quickly emerged, holding in his arms a sailor, who had been washed overboard. He brought him on shore mo

tionless and just expiring,

In short, after an infinity of

efforts and struggles, threw his rope on board.

he reached the wreck, and All who had strength enough

to avail themselves of this assistance, tied it about them, and were successively dragged to land.

Boussard, who imagined he had now saved all the crew, worn down by fatigue, and sinarting from his wounds and bruises, walked with great difficulty to the light-house, where he fainted through exhaustion. Assistance being procured, he began to recover. On hearing that groans still issued from the wreck, he once more collected the little strength that was left him, rushed from the arms of those that succoured him, plunged again into the sea, and had the good fortune to save the life of one of the passengers, who was lashed to the wreck, and who in his languid state, had been unable to profit by the assistance administered to his companions.

Mons. de Crosne, the Intendant of Rouen, having stated these circumstances to M. Neckar, then directorgeneral of the finances, he immediately addressed the following letter to Boussard, in his own hand writing:

* BRAVE MAN,

“I was not apprized by the Intendant till the day before yesterday, of the gallant deed you achieved on the 31st of August. Yesterday I reported it to his Majesty, who was pleased to enjoin me to communicate to you his satisfaction, and to acquaint you, that he presents you with one thousand livres, by way of gratification, and an annual pension of three hundred livres. Continue to succour others when you have it in your power; and pray for your good king, who loves and recompenses the brave.”

CANAL OF LANGUEDOC.

THE canal of Languedoc, or as it is sometimes called, the canal of the Two Seas, forms a junction between the Ocean and the Mediterranean, and was first projected under Francis I. but begun and finished under Louis XIV. This amazing undertaking, which does honour to the able minister Colbert, and to Requet, the engineer, who conducted the work, was begun in 1666, and finished in 1681. It reaches from Narbonne to Thoulouse, and has established a ready communication between the two fertile provinces of Guienne and Languedoc.

Above 12,000,000 cubic feet of earth, and more than 30,000 cubic feet of solid rock, have been removed, to excavate the bed of this canal; it has on it one hundred and fourteen locks; sixteen prodigious large mounds have been raised to divert the course of useless waters, and twenty-four spacious drains have been made to empty it, when in danger of being too full. On a moderate computation, there are above 240,000 cubic feet of stone work in these erections, including a projection into the sea of 200 fathoms, and a pier of 500 fathoms more, which secures the port of Cette, and renders it a commodious barbour.

In some places the canal is conveyed by aqueducts over bridges of incredible height and strength, which give a passage to other rivers under them. But what seemed most extraordinary at the time was, that near the town of Beziers, it was conveyed under a mountain by a tunnel 720 feet in length, cut into a lofty arcade, principally lined with free-stone, except towards the ends,

where it is only hewn through the rock, which is of a sulphurous substance.

The expense of this great work was 13,000,000 of livres, about 540,000 sterling; of which the king contributed 7,000,000, and the Province of Languedoc the

rest.

PAUL, THE TIGER HUNTER.

OF such importance has the search for tigers, and their consequent destruction, proved in some part of Bengal, that large tracts of country, once depopulated by their ravages, or by the apprehensions to which the proximity of such a scourge naturally must give birth, have by persevering exertion been freed from their devastations. The accomplishment of this change has been chiefly attributed to a German of the name of Paul, who was for many years employed as superintendent of the elephants at Daudpore, generally from fifty to a hundred in number.

Paul possessed a coolness and presence of mind, which gave him a wonderful superiority in every thing relating to tiger hunting, He rarely rode but on a bare pad, and ordinarily by himself, armed with an old musket, and furnished with a small pouch, containing his powder and bail. His aim was at the head or heart of the tiger, and in general his shots took effect. He is believed to have killed more tigers than any hundred persons in India. He once killed five in the same day; four of these were shot in less than an hour, in a patch of grass not exceeding three or four acres, where only one was supposed to be concealed. He was remarkable for killing