looked at you, with large rolling eyes, from under his bushy eyebrows, with a quick upward glance of inquiry. Now and then, he would walk off to see the donkeys, and report on his return, to the other passengers, his views as to their state of comfort, and happiness.

Somehow his opinion, did not appear to have much weight with the other passengers-whether it was from want of intelligence on their part, or obscurity of perception, we could not say. At tea-time he sat opposite to us; he dashed wildly into salad, and then said in a loud voice across the table, "I have seen your donkeys; I should like to go with you." "You seem to like them,' we replied. "No!" exclaimed he, very wildly; "it is your gipsies' dark eyes."

"He is insane," said the Chevalier, in an under tone, to which we readily assented. The bagman certainly did look wild; and it immediately occurred to us that he slept under our berth, in the same cabin-not a lively contemplation, but we were determined, not to meet trouble halfway.

We had entered up some of our notes, and had strolled on deck to enjoy the freshness of the sea-breeze, when we found ourselves one of a small party of passengers, whiling away the time, in pleasant conversation, in which our captain joined.

"You must write a book," said the officer who had had the Roman fever.

"And dedicate it to you?" we rejoined.

"I will take one copy," said one passenger. "I will take three copies," said our captain.

"Ah!" said another, "it should be on the saloon table."

"And then," said another, "it will be interesting to know the fate of the three donkeys."

We admitted that, after so much encouragement, we must write a book, and dedicate it to the officer, who had had the Roman fever.

Several anecdotes were related. One passenger said, "There was a house near Hyde Park, which formerly belonged to an old gentleman, who left his property to trustees on certain trusts, provided they buried him on the top of his house."* Several instances were told of persons desiring in their wills to be buried in their garden; and one or two cases were mentioned where the wish had been disregarded.

The weather became rainy, and our compagnons de voyage, sought shelter elsewhere. We, however, still

• Although the account, singular as it is, receives very general credence, and the place of sepulture, on the roof of the mansion near Hyde Park, is even pointed out, we must say, that a literary friend, who devoted some time to the inquiry, discredits the truth. In a letter written by a near relative of the titled possessor, which we have seen, it is stated, that the account is correct, and it is also stated, that the property, for that reason, was purchased for a lower price. The matter therefore remains involved in some mystery. We have since been informed by a clergyman, that he well remembers being told, of the sepulture of a body, on a house near Clapham Junction, on the London and South-Western Railway. Another instance has also been mentioned to us, as occurring in one of the midland counties. At the last moment, but in time to find a record in this note, a friend has kindly sent us the following facts, illustrative of our page heading, "Strange Wills." At Stevenage, in Hertfordshire, a pleasantly situated place on the High North Road, about eleven miles from Hertford, a resident, Henry Trigg, having peculiar ideas about the resurrection, left his property to his heirs, upon condition, and in trust, that they put him in an oak coffin, and placed his body on the rafters of his barn, attached to the Old Castle Public House, in the parish of Stevenage. There he was placed in 1724, and there he now remains. In the time when coaches stopped at the Old Castle Public House, there were many travellers on the Great Northern Road. The old oak coffin was then a lion of the place, and brought grist to the landlord of the inn. Even now it is occasionally visited by the curious.

D

clung to the fresh sea-air, and as we paced the deck near the wheel, we could not help observing the silent seaman, gazing intently in solemn earnestness, on his compass, as if, like Dr. Dee, he noted many things, within a magic crystal. He was a good-looking, though weather-beaten man, with a dark moustache.

In answer to an observation we made, as to the weather, he said, "Well, sir, I never felt it so cold as it was last Sunday-not even in the Baltic last winter, when I had ice, an inch thick on my back. Why, I had three coats on last Sunday!"

We then remarked, that there were few accidents on the line of steamers.

"Accidents you

think seldom occur on this line? Well, I don't know. There was the Echo last winter; not a soul saved! I've slipped four in my time, as have soon after gone down."

แ

"You've been lucky," said we..

Lucky? Well-if there is such a thing as luck; but I think Providence ordains all things; I believe all things are ordained for us." Many sailors we have met, have been men of deep religious feeling; below a rough surface, we have often found much true piety.

The Chevalier still remained on deck, and we had a long conversation about Iceland. The Icelandic language is the same as the old Norwegian language; but he told us that it is difficult for one who speaks only modern Norwegian, to learn Icelandic. In Iceland, he said, they were great snuff-takers; it was calculated that each person took 2lbs. of snuff per head each the Scotch, they had their mulls or snuff-horns.

year.

Like

At twelve o'clock on this day, the thermometer stood

PROGNOSTICATIONS.

35

333

at 62. The ladies had scarcely appeared; they generally suffer more than gentlemen.

It was nearly twelve at night when we entered our cabin to go to bed. The occupant of the second berth was invisible, but not asleep; and he asked whether we objected to have the cabin-door open. We were only too glad to oblige him, and with the bull's-eye window open also, we had an agreeable atmosphere.

His mind was apparently still dwelling upon the gipsies. An interrogating voice issued from the lower berth, as we were preparing to go to bed.

"I suppose you have been writing your diary?" "Yes."

"Well, I suppose you will write a book? I will take two copies. Have you a bed or a mattrass in your tent?" "No!"

"That would not do for me. I should have an air bed to keep you off the ground. You will probably stay a day or two at Christiania? I suppose the gipsy girl will cook for you? She will suffer, and be ill, won't she? You will have much trouble with her."

We informed him she had more spirit, and was quite as strong as her brothers.

Our fellow-passenger again continued, "Where did you engage them?"

We answered, we had known them some time, and they were attached to us; and then, wishing him goodnight, we left him to pursue his dreams of the gipsies' dark eyes, which had evidently made an impression upon him.

Our shrewd calculator was evidently under the gipsies' spell.

A SEAMAN'S ADVENTURES-THE UNFORTUNATE TOURIST-AN APT QUOTATION-FREEMASONRY-CHRISTIANSAND-PAST RECOLLECTIONS—THE STONE-OVERPAYMENT-TWO SALMON FISHERMEN-A TRAVELLER'S CURIOSITY-NORWEGIAN SNAKES- -SCENERY-WE ARE ONEGOLDEN OPINIONS.

RUNIC

He philo

"47.,"

On Sunday morning, the 19th of June, we rose at four o'clock, and went on deck. The morning was cloudy; not a passenger to be seen. The seaman at the helm received our salutation. This one did not possess a moustache, but he had his say, and said it. sophised thus. His wages were not 47. a month. said he, "I ought to have; but if I did not take less, they would ship men at 37. who would. There were 300 men in the Custom House at Hull who never did more than two hours' work a day. They had not got it for them to do. He had been to California, and had, by gold digging, accumulated in a few months 3501.-was stuck-up coming down the country-lost all-shipped to Valparaiso, got about 807., and set up in business. The