paper. "It may gratify national pride (says he) to be told that mankind are indebted to the wisdom of Elizabeth, and the prudence of Burleigh, for the first newspaper. The epoch of the Spanish armada is also the epoch of a genuine newspaper. In the British Museum are several newspapers, which had been printed while the Spanish fleet was in the English Channel, during the year 1588. It was a wise policy to prevent, during a period of general anxiety, the danger of false reports, by publishing real information. The earliest newspaper is entitled "The English Mercurie," which, by authority, was "imprinted at London by her highness's printer, 1588." These, however, were only extraordinary gazettes, and not regularly published; and it appears that even in this obscure origin they were skilfully directed by the policy of that great statesman, Burleigh, who, to inflame the national feeling, gives an extract of a letter from Madrid, which speaks of putting Elizabeth to death, and describes the instruments of torture on board the Spanish fleet. The first newspaper in the collection at the British Museum is marked No. 50, and is in Roman, not in black letter. It contains the usual articles of news, like the London Gazette of the present day. In that curious paper there is intelligence, dated from Whitehall, on the 23d of July 1588. Under the date of July 26, there is the following notice : Yesterday the Scots' ambassador being introduced to Sir Francis Walsingham, had a private audience of her majesty, to whom he delivered a letter from the king his master, containing the most cordial assurances of his resolution to adhere to her majesty's interests, and to those of the protestant religion." And it may not here be improper to take notice of a wise and spirited saying of this young prince (he was then twenty-two) to the queen's minister at his court, "That all the favour he expected from the Spaniards was, the courtesy of Polypheme to Ulysses, to be the last devoured.' The aptness of King James' classical saying carried it from a newspaper into history.

In the reign of Queen Anne there was but one daily

paper; the others were weekly. Some attempted to introduce literary subjects, and other topics of more general speculation. Sir Richard Steele then formed the plan of his Tatler. He designed it to embrace the three provinces, of manners, of letters, and of politics. The public were to be conducted insensibly into so different a track from that to which they had been hitherto accustomed. Hence politics were admitted into his paper. But it remained for the more chaste genius of Addison to banish this disagreeable topic from his elegant pages. The writer of polite letters felt himself degraded by sinking into the dull narrator of political events. From this time newspapers and periodical literature became distinct works.

O YES!

Few persons would suppose, that a crier, when bawling in our courts of justice, or in country towns, "O yes! O yes!" was commanding the talkers to become hearers in the old French phrase Oyez (listen), which has been retained by this officer ever since legal pleadings were conducted in that language-this, however, is the fact.

THE NAME OF PERCY.

Malcolm, King of Scotland, laid siege to Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, which being unable to resist him, must inevitably have fallen into his hands, as no relief could be expected; whereupon a young Englishman, without any other arms than a slight spear in his hands, at the end of which hung the keys of the castle, rode into the enemy's camp, and approached near Malcolm, sloping the lance, as if he intended to present him with the keys of the garrison, but at the same time made such a thrust at the king, that piercing him into the brain, through one of his eyes, he immediately fell dead on the spot, and the bold performer of the act escaped by the swiftness of his horse-From this desperate action, he took upon himself, and was always called by the name of Pierce-eye, or Perc-ee, and from

him are said to have descended the ancient Earls of Northumberland.

PRINTING.

There is some probability that this art originated in China, where it was practised long before it was known in Europe. That the Romans did not practise the art of printing cannot but excite our astonishment, since they really possessed the art, and may be said to have enjoyed it, unconscious of their rich possession, as they stamped their pottery with stereotype, or immoveable printing types. How, in daily practising the art (though confined to this object), it did not occur to such an ingenious people to print their literary works, is not easily accounted for. When first the art of. printing was discovered, one side of the paper only was impressed; the means of printing on the opposite side was not then found out. Specimens of these early printed books may be seen in the libraries of his Majesty and Lord Spencer. It was afterwards attempted to paste the two blank sides together, and thus render them one leaf. The blocks were then made of soft wood, and their letters were carved; but frequently breaking, the expense and trouble of carving and gluing new letters suggested our moveable types, which has produced such, almost miraculous, celerity in this art. Our modern stereotype consists of letters carved in brass, which not being liable to break like these blocks of soft wood which they first used, is profitably employed for works which require to be frequently reprinted. Printing in carved blocks of wood must have greatly retarded the progress of universal knowledge; for one set of types could only have produced one work, whereas it now serves for hundreds. Printing was gradually practised throughout Europe from the year 1440 to 1500. Caxton and his successor Wynkyn de Worde were our own earliest printers. Caxton was a wealthy merchant, who, in 1464, being sent by Edward IV. to negotiate a commercial treaty with the Duke of Burgundy, returned to the country with this invaluable

art. Notwithstanding his mercantile habits, he possessed a literary taste, and his first work was a translation from a French historical miscellany. The tradition of the devil and Dr. Faustus was derived from the odd circumstance in which the Bibles of their first printer, Faust, appeared to the world. When he had discovered this new art, and had printed off a considerable number of copies of the Bible, to imitate those which were commonly sold in manuscript, he undertook the sale of them at Paris. It was his interest to conceal this discovery, and to pass off his printed copies as manuscripts. But as he was enabled to sell his Bibles at sixty crowns, while the scribes demanded five hundred, this created universal astonishment; and still more, when he produced copies as fast they were wanted, and even lowered his price: this made a great sensation at Paris. The uniformity of copies increased the wonder. Informations were given to the magistrates against him as a magician; his lodgings were searched; and a great number of copies being found were seized. The red ink which embellished his copies was said to be his blood; and it was therefore adjudged that he was in league with the devil, and Faust was at length obliged (to save himself from a bonfire) to discover his art to the parliament of Paris.

SAILING COACHES.

The curious invention of sailing coaches was found out by Simon Stevinus, in the Netherlands. An account of an experiment made in one of them will best describe them. Purposing to visit Grotius (saith Gassendus), Peireskius went to Scheveling, that he might satisfy himself of the carriage and swiftness of a coach, a few years before invented; and made up with that artifice, that with expanded sails it would fly upon the shore as a ship upon the sea. He had formerly heard that Count Maurice, a little after his victory at Newport, had put himself thereinto, together with Francis Mendoza, his prisoner, on purpose to make trial thereof; and that within two hours they arrived at Putten,

which is distant from Scheveling fourteen leagues, or two-and-forty miles. He had therefore a mind to make the experiment of it himself, and he would often tell us with what admiration he was seized when he was carried with a quick wind, and yet perceived it not, the coach's motion being equally quick."

THE TRUMPET.

The trumpet is said by Vincentio Galileo, in his Dialoge della Musica, page 146, to have been invented at Nuremberg; and there is extant a memoir which shows that trumpets were made to great perfection by an artist in that city, who was also an admired performer on that instrument: it is as follows:- -" Hans Meuschell, of Nuremburg, for his accuracy in making trumpets, as also for his skill in playing on the same alone, and in the accompaniment with the voice, was of so great renown, that he was frequently sent for to the palaces of princes the distance of several hundred miles. Pope Leo the Tenth, for whom he had made sundry trumpets of silver, sent for him to Rome; and, after having been delighted with his excellent performance, dismissed him with a munificent reward."

WALES.

Cymbru, Cambria, or Wales, according to the Welsh Chronicles, had its name from Camber, one of the three sons of Brut (or Brutus ab Silius, which hero is mentioned by Homer to have conquered Aquitain): the other two sons of Brut were Locrin, whence came the name of Lloegr, (now England); as well as that of Albania, from Albanic, who possessed Scotland.—Brut y Brenhinoedd.

WATER COMPANIES.

There is not a city in the world that is so well supplied with that most essential article of domestic use, water, as London. The most remote parts of the metropolis are supplied with it regularly and in abundance, and at a price that is by no means high. In Paris, at