shire, now called, from him, St. Alban's. Amphialus being closely pursued, made his escape, dressed in St. Alban's clothes. This, however, being soon discovered, exposed St. Alban to the fury of the Pagans; and our saint refusing to perform the sacrifice to their gods, was first miserably tortured, and then put to death.

*17. 1762.-LADY FAIR DISCONTInued.

This fair, held annually in the Borough of Southwark, was a similar exhibition of interludes, shows, and unlawful pastimes to that of Smithfield at Bartholomew tide, and equally a nuisance to the peaceable inhabitants.

*18. 1815.-BATTLE OF WATERLOO.

Before the sun had drunk the dew,

The marching columns glanced in view,
And on the plains of Waterloo
The cry was 'Death or Victory!'

The bugle rang its war-note high,
The battle thunder rends the sky;
And onward to the charge they fly;
And rank to rank closed rapidly.

In dread array the warriors meet,
And high their hearts for glory beat;
The reddened soil beneath their feet
Has marked the battle's boundary.
O! few shall hail the evening horn
Who heard its sound at dawn of morn;
And widowed mothers long shall mourn
The soldiers' timeless destiny!

Their Country's tears shall dew the grave
Where valour sleeps; and o'er the brave
Proud Freedom shall her banner wave,
To consecrate their memory!

*18. 1806.-IDOL OF JUGGERNAUT.

From Dr. Buchanan's interesting narrative of the dreadful idolatry of the Hindoos, we take the following extract illustrative of the festival of Juggernaut or Jaganaut:

. I have returned home (says the Dr.) from witnessing a scene which I shall never forget. At twelve o'clock of this day, being the great day of the feast,

the Moloch of Hindoostan was brought out of his temple amidst the acclamations of hundreds of thousands of his worshippers. When the idol was placed on his throne, a shout was raised by the multitude, such as I had never heard before: it continued equable for a few minutes, and then gradually died

away.

'The throne of the idol was placed on a stupendous car or tower about sixty feet in height, resting on wheels which indented the ground deeply, as they turned slowly under the ponderous machine. Attached to it were six cables, of the size and length of a ship's cable, by which the people drew it along. Upon the tower were the priests and satellites of the idol, surrounding his throne. The idol is a block of wood, having a frightful visage painted black, with a distended mouth of a bloody colour. His arms are of gold, and he is dressed in gorgeous apparel. The other two idols are of a white and yellow colour. Five elephants preceded the towers, bearing towering flags, dressed in crimson caparisons, and having bells hanging to the caparisons, which sounded musically as they moved.

After the tower had proceeded some way, a pilgrim announced that he was ready to offer himself a sacrifice to the idol. He laid himself down in the road before the tower as it was moving along, lying on his face, with his arms stretched forwards. The multitude passed round him, leaving the space clear, and he was crushed to death by the wheels of the tower. A shout of joy was raised to the god. He is said to smile when the libation of the blood is made. The people threw cowries, or small money, on the body of the victim, in approbation of the deed. He was left to view a considerable time, and was then carried by the Hurries to the Golgotha, where I have just been viewing his remains. How much I wished that the Proprietors of India Stock could have attended the wheels of Juggernaut, and seen this peculiar source of their revenue!'

This procession is thus beautifully described by Southey, in his Curse of Kehama :

A thousand pilgrims strain

Arm, shoulder, breast and thigh, with might and main,
To drag the sacred wain,

And scarce can draw along the enormous load.
Prone fall the frantic votaries in its road,
And, calling on the god,

Their self-devoted bodies there they lay
To pave his chariot way.
On Jaga-naut they call,

The ponderous car rolls on, and crushes all.
Through blood and bones it ploughs its dreadful path,
Groans rise unheard; the dying cry,
And death and agony,

Are trodden under foot by yon mad throng,

Who follow close, and thrust the deadly wheels along.

*19. 1820.-SIR JOSEPH BANKS DIed.

Sir Joseph, together with Dr. Solander, a pupil of Linnæus, accompanied the celebrated Captain Cook in his voyage round the world. After his return he went with Dr. Solander to visit Iceland; a rich harvest of new knowledge and of specimens compensated for the toils and expense of this scientific adventure. Among other things worthy of notice, they discovered the columnar stratification of the rocks surrounding the caves of Staffa; a phenomenon till then unobserved by naturalists, but which was no sooner made known in a description by Sir Joseph Banks, then it became famous among men of science throughout Europe.

In the year 1777, when Sir John Pringle retired from the Presidency of the Royal Society, Sir Joseph Banks was elected to fill the vacant chair; and never, perhaps, has it been filled with more honour to the individual, or more advantage to the interests of science. His time, his wealth, his influence, his talents; an incomparable library of science and art; knowledge and judgment to advise; affability to conciliate and encourage; generosity to assist; all of which he possessed, (and it was all some

P

thing either of goodness or greatness) he made the patrimony of the studious and learned, not of his own country alone, but of the whole world. 20.—TRANSLAtion of edward, King of the West Saxons.

Edward being barbarously murdered by his mother-in-law, was first buried at Warham, without any solemnity; but, after three years, was carried by Duke Alferus to the minster of Shrewsbury, and there interred with great pomp.

21.-LONGEST DAY.

This day is, in London, 16 h. 34 m. 5 s., allowing 9 m. 16 s. for refraction.

Improve the present hour, for all beside

Is a mere feather on the torrent's tide.

ON TIME.

Why sits thou by that ruined hall,
Thou aged carl, so stern and gray?
Dost thou its former pride recal,

Or ponder how it passed away?

Know'st thou not me? the Deep Voice cried,
So long enjoyed, so oft misused

Alternate in thy fickle pride,

Desired, neglected, and abused ?

Before my breath, like blazing flax
Man and his marvels pass away;
And changing empires wane and wax,
Are founded, flourish, and decay.
Redeem my hours-the space is brief—
While in my glass the sand-grains shiver,
And measureless thy joy or grief,

When Time and thou shall part for ever!

Antiquary.

*21. 1809.-DANIEL LAMBERT DIED.

He had retired to rest in apparent health, and intended seeing company the following day, but was found lifeless in his bed in the morning. His coffin, consisting of 112 superficial feet of elm, was rolled upon two axle-trees to the grave at the back of St.

Martin's church, Stamford, where a monument was erected, thus inscribed: In remembrance of that prodigy in nature, Daniel Lambert, a native of Leicester, who was possessed of an excellent and convivial mind, and in Personal Greatness he had no competitor. He measured three feet one inch round the legs, nine feet four inches round the body, and weighed 52 stone 11 lbs. or 739 lbs. aged 39. As a testimony of respect this stone is erected by his friends in Leicester.'

The following list of persons of remarkable size has been taken from the obituary of the Gentleman's Magazine:

Edward Bright, Malden, Essex, died November, 1750, weight 42 stone 7 lbs.-615 lbs.

Jacob Powell, Stebbing, Essex, died October 1754, weight 40 stone-560 lbs.

Benjamin Bower, Holt, Dorsetshire, died December 1763, weight 34 stone 4 lbs.-480 lbs.

Mr. Baker, Worcester, died July 1766, 'supposed to be a larger man than Bright,' but no weight stated. Mr. Spooner, Shuttington, Warwickshire, died June 1775, 40 stone 9 lbs.-569 lbs.

24. SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST AND MIDSUMMER

DAY.

The nativity of St. John the Baptist is celebrated by the Christian church on this day, because he was the Forerunner of our blessed Lord, and, by preaching the doctrine of repentance, prepared the way for the gospel. He was imprisoned by Herod for preaching against his marriage with his brother's wife, and was afterwards beheaded by the arts of that enraged

woman.

It is somewhat singular that many of the earliest Printers were named John; as GEINSFLEICH senior and junior, FuST, MEIDENBACHIUS, and PETERSHEMIUS; a circumstance that induced the Leipsic Printers to consecrate ST. JOHN the Baptist's anniversary to festivity, as is observed by Jo. STORIUS,