N. B. This Valuable Museum and Magazine of the Wonders of the World will be found truly an Original Work, entirely different from any ever published under Titles any way fimilar, the Editor being determined not to admit any Article whatever into this Authentic Chronicle but what fhall be previously tried and proved True, and attefted genuine. Every Thing (however, or by whomfoever communicated) fhall be ftrictly fcrutinized, and all Articles, improbable, fabulous, fictitious, romantic, doubtful, or not well authenticated, will most affuredly be rejected in toto. With respect to the many valuable Authentic British Portraits which will be introduced into this Work, we are much indebted to an illustrated Copy of the celebrated Mr. GRANGER's Biographical Hiftory of England, as well as to Mr. BROMLEY'S Copious Catalogue of Portraits from King Egbert the Great to the prefent Time, in which are included thofe preferved and communicated by the Earl of Oxford, Mr. Evelyn, Mr. Amos, Mr. Nicholls, Mr. Afbmole, Mr. Pepys, the Duchefs of Portland, the Hon. Horace Walpole, Sir William Musgrave, the Rey. Mr. Brand, James Bindley, Efq. Commiffioner of the Stamp Duties, and Anthony Storer and Edmund Turner, Efqrs. &c. &c. For the other EMBELLISHMENTS, domeftic as well as foreign, we are very much obliged to a very extenfive Lift of Friends and Correfpondents, in which we now announce the Names of HARRY GRANT, Esq. American Conful for Scotland, Sir Ashton Lever, Mr. Caulfield, Mr. Hawthorn, Mr. Jeffery, Mr. Richardson, Mr. Harvey, Mr. Ryley, Mr. Wefton, Mr. Taylor, &c. as well as the British Museum, the Leverian Museum, Dr. Hunter's Museum, Merlin's Museum, the European Museum, and other Repofitories, public and private, of Wonderful, Eccentric, and Extraordinary CORIOSITIES, Animate and Inanimate. EXPLANATION OF THE FRONTISPIECE. The Frontispiece represents the GENIUS of the WORLD introducing Youthful ADMIRATION to all the WONDERS of NATURE and ART the Scene is the MUSEUM of CURIOSITIES displaying at one View the WONDERFUL BRAZEN COLOSSUS, the PYRAMIDS OF EGYPT, the Burning VESUVIUS, and TNA; STONEHENGE, and the FROZEN ISLANDS, with all the astonishing Serpents, Beasts and Birds of different Islands; the Phenix, Hyena, Cockatrice, Ostrich, the Rein Deer of Norway, Russia, &c. Bears, Lions, Crocodiles, AntEaters, &c. &c. Surrounded with Portraits of the most eccentric Characters; Sir Jeffery Dunstan and Bartholde, renowned for Deformity; Clarke, the surprising Posture-Master; and others remarkable for Strength and Agility; Love, the corpulent Bookseller of Weymouth; Margaret Finch, the Norwood Gypsey; an Egyptian Mummy, and every other surprising Rarity which can excite Astonishment and gratify Curiosity. Authentic Communications of fearce Prints or Drawings of remarkable Subjects, accompanied with genuine Accounts, for The Wonderful Museum (if attested by real Names and Poft-paid) will be thankfully received by Mr. KIRBY, who will, when Plates are engraved, carefully return the Originals to the Owners with Proof Impreffions. ! PREFACE. THOUGH several Compilations have been offered to the Public with the Epithets of WONDERFUL, MARVELLOUS, &c. yet by the introduction of ridiculous Fables and unmeaning Romances, they have given more Disgust than Satisfaction. While some, whose Merit we readily acknowledge, are confined to particular subjects, such as remarkable Characters, human Longivity, extraordinary Occurrences, Adventures, &c. but at present there is no Work of Respectability UNITING ALL THE CURIOSITIES OF NATURE AND ART. The Editors of the WONDERFUL MUSEUM have therefore been induced to make a Collection of ALL those CURIOSITIES, including Wonderful Biography, Wonderful Events, Wonderful Longivity, and, in short, every Wonder that is indispu tably TRUE, as it is their unalterable Determination, not to admit into their REPOSITORY any Relation, however curious, that is doubtful or unauthenticated. TRUTH being our chief Object, and which alone can recom▾ mend a Work of this Nature, we trust that Readers in general wil be IMPROVED, as well as SURPRISED. YOUTH will here find Information, will attain a Knowledge of the World; and by the Wonderful Providences here related, obtain a full Conviction of the Omnipotent Being!-the LEARNED will find ample Store for their Consideration-the CURIOUS a Magazine of authentic Prodigies, and-the LOVERS OF NATURE AND ART be highly gratified; in short, The GRAVE and GAY shall find it Food- VARIETY is our next Object, and no Subject can afford greater Variety than the Whole WONDERS of the WORLD colle&ed together—it affords Entertainment for the Scholar- the Travellerthe Antiquary-the Botanist-the Philosopher-and the Divine. To accomplish so great an Undertaking, INDUSTRY shall not be wanting wanting-it shall be our Study to procure AUTHENTIC ACCOUNTS of all the most Remarkable PRODUCTIONS and Extraordinary EVENTS that have ever happened in Nature and Art from the Creation of the World to the present Time; and as "the Proper Study of Mankind is Man," every Surprising Character, both of Ancient and Modern Times, will here be given-Remarkable LONG-LIVERS, WARRIORS, COWARDS, DWARFS, GIANTS, MISERS, IMPOSTORS, FANATICS, and all eccentric Men and Women in every Walk of human Life, who by their Deviations from the regular Path, have created WONDER, or have rendered themselves REMARKABLE for Courage, Strength, Avarice, Philanthropy, or some singular Vice or Virtue. In our cursory Accounts we shall treat of stupendous Rocks, marvellous Volcanos, astonishing Inundations, violent Earthquakes, Storms, Eclipses, &c.-Wonderful Escapes from Death and Danger-dreadful Shipwrecks-Shocking Murders-and Remarkable Executions. Every lusus Naturæ, or Sport of Nature, shall be investigatedevery interesting Anecdote that is well attested shall be RECORDED, every REAL CURIOSITY described-but our AUTHORITIES shall be so truly respectable, that in furnishing this Variety we shall be most careful not to sacrifice "The fair Form of TRUTH." Having thus advertised Readers of our Design, it may be suspected that we have promised too much-but not more than we can perform-for at present we have a Collection of most admirable and scarce Articles for the Work, besides the promised Assistance of several eminent Characters (on whose Veracity we can depend) to support it.We shall, notwithstanding, pay proper Attention to every Correspondent, and humbly solicit the Communications of all those who may be in Possession of any Extraordinary Information but as the Basis of this Work is TRUTH, it must be observed that no Favour which is not accompanied with REAL NAME and ADDRESS, and every satisfactory Testimony, can be admitted into the WONDERFUL MUSEUM and EXTRAORDINARY MAGAZINE. AUTHENTIC Books, aftonishing difference in price Bohun, Earl of Hereford, Bagod, Earl of Norfolk British Soldiery, a remarkable Anecdote of Burning Weil, at Barahcoor Barbarity, horrid, at Vienna Bohon-Upas, or Poison-Tree at Java Bridgewater, a curious anecdote of the Duke of Buchan, Dr. William, the remarkable Physician Birds, inftances of the Sagacity of Bear, fingular affection of a Brandon, Richard, the Executioner of Charles I. Bottle Conjuror, Haymarket, impofition of the Bonaparte, Napoleone, intereftiag memoirs of His Cruchies in Egypt Births, monstrous and strange Bentley, Nathaniel, of Leadenhall Street, his eccentricities -Additional lines addreifed to, by Mr. Dobbinfon 44 527 163 92 214 243 168 168 345 371 Blanch, Mr. and three others, the miraculous Deliverance of Cruelty, barbarous inftances of Complexion, remarkable change of, in an African Cut-purfe, Mall, or Moll, famous in the reign of Charles I. Cutting off the hand, remarkable punishment of, defcribed Cafcade, furprising, near Terni, in Italy Condor, a monstrous Bird of South America Catherine, first Emprefs of Ruffia Colredo, Lazarus, and his little Brother Cromwell, Thomas, Earl of Effex Curiofities, Natural, in Austria 223 235 566 555 164 117 Charles XII. King of Sweden 244 Challenge, fingular 317 -Charles II. remarkable anecdote of 3 Curiofity, Natural, at Torceilla de Camaros 395 Caernarvon, Earl of, his moderation 446 Crab, the land 454 - Character, a fingülar, at Bagaria 496 500 Dancer, Daniel, efq. authentic memoirs of Damiens, Robert Francis, extraordinary trial and execution of, for ftabbing Louis XV. Devil's Three Jumps in Surrey defcribed Deception, curious, practifed upon a bishop D'Aguilar, the Honourable Baron, Extraordinary Memoirs of Dinely, Sir John, Bart, the fingular History of Dogs, fagacity of Dog, Lady Guildford's Derby, Earl of, a fingular story of the Dutch, cruelty of the Domery, Charles, the wonderful raw-flesh eater De Verdion, hiftory of Death, miraculous Efcapes from Difeafes, Rigorous, in Africa Dutch Seamen, wonderful Deliverance of Deed of Gift of William I. Earthquakes, wonderful effects of, from Spallanzini's travels Efcape, wonderful, of four feamen Elephant, a remarkable hunt of a wild one, by Indians Earth, Pofitions of the Epitaph, a remarkable one Eponina, the remarkable hiftory of 320 Evan, Mrs. Margaret Uch, a fingular Lady 434 442 |