You talk of your taste and your talents to me,
And ask my opinion-so don't be offended;
Your taste is as bad as a taste well can be:
And as for your talents---you think they are splendid.

Eggs preserved 300 years.-In the wall of a chapel near the Lago Maggiore, built more than 300 years ago, three eggs, imbedded in the mortar of the wall, were found to be quite fresh. It has long been known that bird's eggs brought from America or India, covered with a film of wax, have been hatched in Europe after the wax had been dissolved | by alcohol.

The antiquity of certain proverbs is among the most striking singularities in the annals of the human mind. Abdalmalek, one of the khaliff's of the race of Ommiades, was surnamed, by way of sarcasm, Rasch al Hegiarat, that is, the skinner of a flint; and to this day we call an avaricious man a skin-flint. } of the earth.

OBSERVATIONS

On the Countries of Congo and Loungo, as in 1790.-(Continued from our last.)

By Mr. Maxwell, author of the Letters to Mungo Park, &c. Turtle.-There is a species of black turtle in the Congo, weighing about sixty-five pounds without the shell. It has a longer neck than the sea-turtle, with a long slender tail, and an ugly rough skin. It is thought excellent food by the natives and the French. This may be true enough, notwithstanding its disgusting appearance; but every one knows that the latter are not very nice in the choice of their viands, provided they will enter into the composition of a Friccasee or Ragout.

These

itself. A large Snake was floating close past | largest of the kind that I have seen, keep
the vessel. It was a Boa Constrictor. I imme- together in flocks of many thousands. They
diately manned the yawl, and went in pursuit, are quite unpalatable, from their rank fishy
foolishly thinking that if I could but fix a taste. I have sometimes shot them, and stuffed
harpoon into it, the force of the current would their skins; but owing to a superabundanec
prevent its boarding the boat. Imagining it of oleaginous matter, and the warm weather,
to be asleep, I approached slowly, to have an they could not be preserved: The wings, when
opportunity of striking it to the best advantage, stretched, measure ten feet from tip to tip.-
but soon discovered that it was dead. I hooked Parrots. Every morning, the Parrots leave
it with the harpoon, and drew it alongside; their roosting places in large flocks, in search
but when on deck, the stench was so intoler- of food, and return in the evening. A con-
able, that we were obliged to throw it over- fused noise denotes their flight. They nestle
board. It was quite flaccid; and, although the in societies on the large cotton-trees, and it
entrails were out, the diameter of the body in was no uncommon thing to see upon one tree
that state was nine inches. The extremities alone, upwards of an hundred nests.
had been cut off, and only fourteen feet of the are generally scooped out of the bark, which
trunk left; but as this part tapered nothing at is very thick and easily penetrated.-Coosu
either end, we may reasonably conclude that Enquela. This is a green Parroquet not larger,
the whole body was at least three times that than a sparrow, a very pretty bird-Toucan
length. Here, then, is a Snake fifty feet long, There is a species of Toucan in the woods,
and almost a foot in diameter! Its probable about the size of a magpie, with a monstrous
dimensions need not surprise us, there are so protuberance upon the upper mandible. I
many well-authenticated accounts of the enor- believe it is the Ramphastos described by nas
mous size to which these reptiles attain: The turalists.-Flamingo. The brilliant scarlet
natives spoke of this as a very small one. plumage of this bird produces a beautiful
The skin was a quarter of an inch thick, and effect in a flock: the length of its legs, how-
had beneath it a deep layer of fat. It was ever, gives it rather an awkward appearance
covered with large serrated black and dusky on dry ground; but these, and its long neck,
coloured spots across the back. The belly are absolutely necessary for procuring its food,
was white.
which it searches for amongst reeds, in marshy
grounds, and in pools of water. The form of
the upper bill is well calculated for assisting
it in this operation. When flying, the whole
bird exhibits the form of a cross, whence the
Spaniards and Portuguese call it the Bird of
Christ, and therefore will not suffer it to be
molested in their territories. The islands and
sand-banks of the river are frequented by vast
flocks of Flamingos, Muscovy ducks, plovers,
coots, curlews, water-hens, &c.-Out. Among
others, there is a small Horned Owl, about
the size of a canary, a very singular little
bird: Swallows. Great numbers of these fres
quent Congo in September. They are much
larger than those which visit Britain; but whe-
ther they migrate, or remain in some part of
the country throughout the year, I could not
ascertain.

Crocodiles. These are very numerous in the river, and the natives say voracious; but they do not seem to dread them; on the contrary, I have observed people bathing where crocodiles were swimming a short time before. They may be seen every hour of the day, sunning themselves upon the sand-banks. They appear, however, to be of a smaller species, and not so numerous, as at Old Callabar, where they continually float past the shipping like large grey pieces of timber, and are there so bold that they frequently seize people in the small canoes. In Old Callabar River, I once obThe Autumnal Conflagrations frequently served a crocodile swimming with a large Cat-prove destructive to the Boa Constrictor, espefish in its mouth, to the opposite shore. It cially when gorged with its prey; and it is only held the fish by the head, whilst the body was then that the natives dare attack it with any thrown into a perpendicular position. I watched hopes of success. At other times it will make it with the spy-glass until it had dragged the a whole vilage fly before it. Its name in the fish upon the mud-bank, and commenced its Loango tongue is Bomma, whence Embomma. meal. A party armed with muskets was then BIRDS.-Loxia, or Whidah Birds.-There despatched from the ship, to kill it, but on the are vast numbers of these in Loango. They approach of the boat, it retreated to the water are about the size of a bullfinch, and are with the fish in its mouth. From this I am marked like that bird on the wings. The induced to think that the crocodile cannot feathers of the tail, which is about five times devour its prey in the water. the length of the body, are beautifully arched, Seebisee. Upon the low islands in the river, and have a fine gloss. The Portuguese, by a small animal resembling a rat, but much whom they are called Humpasara chamada larger, is found. It has two long cutting reuva, prize them highly for their beauty, and teeth before, and is covered with bristles like keep them in cages in their houses, where I those of a hedge-hog. It burrows in the sandy have often seen them.-Boolicoco.-Some trasoil. The natives, who call it Seebisee, andvellers have asserted, that Angola abounds with the French, esteem its flesh a great delicacy. Peacocks, which are inclosed within high walls Unfortunately, however, we recollect, that for the king's amusement, and that none of Frenchmen pay the same encomiumns on rats the natives dare kill them. These, I suspect, and frogs. Nay, they go further, for I have are the Boolicoco of Angoya, a very beautiful frequently seen Carrion exposed to sale in the bird; but to what species it belongs, I know country markets of Brittany. not. It has neither the scream of the Peacock, nor his train. It is about the size of a pheasant,

Bats.-There is a large species of bat, measuring thirty-four inches between the wings, when extended, and ten inches from the nose to the tail. It harbours about the Palmetto trees, and lives upon the fruit, which is about the size of a large Orange, but not eaten by the natives. I have seen some hundreds of these bats fly out from a single tree; and, when on the wing, they appear as large as Crows. They are very fierce and vicious when wounded.

Frogs-During the night, the banks of the Congo, in the neighbourhood of Embomma, are perfectly alive with innumerable numbers of Frogs, and other noisy reptiles, which keep up an incessant croaking until morning. They are, I suppose, what is called the Bull Frog.

Boa Constrictor.-Once when lying in the river, and hearing an unusual noise overhead, I hastened upon deck. The natives, of whom a number were on board, were calling out Bomma! Bomma! Those on shore were running from the landing-place in the greatest terror. The cause of this alarm explained

very wild, and numerous. The name Boolicoco, is derived from its note, coc-coc-coc The back and wings are of a light green,-the breast, and the large feathers of the wing, are brown,-the bill, red and yellow; the tail is long, and covered with transverse bars of green, black, and yellow; but without moons: it has, however, the crest of the peacock.Pigeons. Loango can boast of a great variety of Pigeons of all colours; some are green, so that they cannot be distinguished from the leaves among which they conceal themselves. They are frequently so fat, as to burst when brought down by a shot.-Mamguanza. This bird is about the size of a turtle-dove, and of most exquisite beauty: The bloom on its gorget, when distended like that of the pigeon, varies from a flaming purple to an intense blue, according to the light in which it is viewed. They are to be seen in large flocks, hovering near the fishing parties. It is, I believe, the Blue Roller of the Leverian collection.-Pelican. The Pelicans of Congo, which are the

There is a small blue bird about the size of a linnet, which, from its social habits, deserves to be mentioned. It nestles in whole flocks upon a dwarf bushy tree, and I have sometimes counted to the number of five hundred nests upon a single tree. One is apt at first sight to mistake them for fruit.

(To be continued.)

LOVE CHARMS:

FROM MR. WASHINGTON' IRVING'S NEW WORK, Come, do not weep, my girl, Forget him, pretty pensiveness; there will Come others, every day, as good as he.' SIR J. SUCKLING. The approach of a wedding in a family is always an event of great importance, but particularly so in a household like this, in a retired part of the country. Master Simon, who is a pervading spirit, and, through means of the butler and housekeeper, knows every thing that goes forward, tells me that the maid-servants are continnally trying their fortunes, and that the servants'-hall has of late been quite a

scene of incantation.

head of a family flow down through all the branches. The squire, in the indulgence of his love of every taing that smacks of old times, has held so many grave conversations with the parson at table, about popular superstitions and traditional rites, that they have been carried from the parlour to the kitchen by:

It is amusing to notice how the oddities of the

the listening domestics, and, being apparently sanctioned by such high authority, the whole house has become infected by them.

heart. Instead of singing about the house as for-
merly, she goes about pale and sighing, and is apt
to break into tears when her companions are full of
merriment.

The servants are all versed in the common modes of trying luck, and the charms to ensure constancy. Mrs. Hannah, the vestal gentlewoman of my They read their fortunes by drawing strokes in the Lady Lillycraft, has had long talks and walks with ashes, or by repeating a form of words, and looking Phoebe, up and down the avenue, of an evening; in a pail of water. St. Mark's eve, I am told, was and has endeavoured to squeeze some of her own a busy time with them; being an appointed night for verjuice into the other's milky nature. She speaks certain mystic ceremonies. Several of them sowed with contempt and abhorrence of the whole sex, and hemp-seed to be reaped by their true lovers; and advises Phoebe to despise all the men as heartily as they even ventured upon the solemn and fearful pre- she does. But Phoebe's loving temper is not to be paration of the dumb-cake. This must be done fast-curdled; she has no such thing as hatred or coning, and in silence. The ingredients are handed tempt for mankind in her whole composition. She down in traditional form : An eggshell full of salt, has all the simple fondness of heart of poor, weak, an eggshell full of malt, and an eggshell fall of loving woman; and her only thoughts at present barley-meal." When the cake is ready, it is put are, how to conciliate and reclaim her wayward upon a pan over the fire, and the future husband will swain. appear; turn the cake, and retire ; but if a word is spoken, or a fast is broken, during this awful ceremony, there is no knowing what horrible consequences would ensue !

، The experiments, in the present instance, came to no result; they that sowed the hemp-seed forgot the magic rhyme that they were to pronounee, so the true lover never appeared; and as to the dumb-cake, what between the awful stillness they had to keep, and the awfulness of the midnight hour, their hearts failed them when they had put the cake in the pan; so that, on the striking of the great house-clock in the servants' hall, they were seized with a sudden panic, and ran out of the room, to which they did not return until morning, when they found the mystic cake burnt to a cinder.

، The most persevering at these spells, however, is Phoebe Wilkins, the house-keeper's niece. As she is a kind of privileged personage, and rather idle, she has more time to occupy herself with these matters. She has always had her head full of love and matrimony. She knows the dream-book by heart, and is quite an oracle among the little girls of the family, who always come to her to interpret their dreams in the mornings.

The spells and love-charms, which are matters
of sport to the other domestics, are serious concerns
with this love-stricken damsel. She is continually
trying her fortune in a variety of ways. I am told
that she has absolutely fasted for six Wednesdays
and three Fridays successively, having understood
that it was a sovereign charm to ensure being mar-
ried to one's liking within the year. She carries
about, also, a lock of her sweetheart's hair, and a
riband he once gave her, being a mode of producing
constancy in a lover. She even went so far as to try
her fortune by the moon, which has always had much
to do with lovers' dreams and fancies. For this
purpose she went out in the night of the full moon,
knelt on a stone in the meadow, and repeated the
old traditional rhyme :--

،“ All hail to thee, moon, all hail to thee ;
I pray thee, good moon, now show to me
The youth who my future husband shall be.'"

When she came back to the house, she was
faint and pale, and went immediately to bed. The
next morning she told the porter's wife that she had
seen some one close by the hedge in the meadow,
which she was sure was young Tibbets; at any rate,
she had dreamt of him all night; both of which,
the old dame assured her, were most happy signs.
It has since turned out that the person in the meadow
was old Christy, the huntsman, who was walking
his nightly rounds with the great stag-hound; so
that Phoebe's faith in the charm is completely

shaken.'

، A VILLAGE POLITICIAN.

'I am a rogue if I do not think I was designed for the helm
of state; I am so full of nimble stratagems, that I should
have ordered affairs, and carried it against the stream of a
faction, with as much ease as a skipper would laver
against the wind.'
THE GOBLINS.

During the present gaiety of the house, however, the poor girl has worn a face full of trouble; and, to use the house-keeper's words, "has fallen into a sad hystericky way lately." It seems that she was born and brought up in the village, where her father was parish-clerk, and she was an early playmate and sweet-heart of young Jack Tibbets. Since she has come to live at the Hall, however, her head has been a little turned. Being very pretty and naturally genteel, she has been much noticed and indulged; and being the house-keeper's niece, she has held an equivocal station between a servant and a companion. She has learnt something of fashions and notions among the young ladies, which have effected quite a metamorphosis; insomuch that her finery at church on Sundays has given mortal offence to her former intimates in the village. This has In one of my visits to the village with Master occasioned the misrepresentations which have awak- Simon, he proposed that we should stop at the inn, ened the implacable family pride of Dame Tibbets. which he wished to shew me, as a specimen of a real But what is worse, Phoebe, having a spice of coque- country inn, the head quarters of village gossip. I try in her disposition, showed it on one or two occa- had remarked it before, in my perambulations about sions to her lover, which produced a downright the place. It has a deep old-fashioned poreh, leadquarrel; and Jack, being very proud and fiery, hasing into a large hall, which serves for tap-room and absolutely turned his back upon her for several suc- travellers'-room; having a wide fire-place, with high cessive Sundays. backed settles on each side, where the wise men of the village gossip over their ale, and Hold their sessions during the long winter evenings. The landlord is an easy indolent fellow, shaped a little like one of his own beer barrels, and is apt to stand gossiping at his door, with his wig on one side, and his hands in his pockets, whilst his wife and daughters attend to customers. His wife, however, is fully competent to manage the establishment; and, indeed, from long habitude, rules over all the frequenters of the tap-room as completely as if they were her dependants instead of her patrons. Not a veteran alebibber but pays homage to her, having, no doubt, been often in her arrears. I have already hinted that she is on very good terms with Ready-money Jack. He was a sweetheart of her's in early life, and has always countenanced the tavern on her account. Indeed, he is quite the "cock of the walk" at the tap-room.

The poor girl is full of sorrow and repentance, and would fain make up with her lover; but he feels his security, and stands aloof. In this he is doubtless encouraged by his mother, who is continually reminding him what he owes to his family; for this same family pride seems doomed to be the eternal bane of lovers.

As I hate to see a pretty face in trouble, I have felt quite concerned for the luckless Phoebe, ever since I heard her story. It is a sad thing to be thwarted in love at any time, but particularly so at this tender season of the year, when every living thing, even to the very butterfly, is sporting with his mate; and the green fields, and the budding groves, and the singing of the birds, and the sweet smell of the flowers, are enough to turn the head of a love-sick girl. I am told that the coolness of young Ready-money lies very heavy at poor Phoebe's.

166

As we approached the inn, we heard some one talking with great volubility, and distinguishing the ominous words taxes," poor's rates," and agricultural distress." It proved to be a thin loquacious fellow, who had penned the landlord up in one corner of the porch, with his hands in his pockets as usual, listening with an air of the most vacant acquiescence.

The sight seemed to have a curious effect on Master Simon, as he squeezed my arm, and altering his course, sheered wide of the porch, as though he had not any idea of entering. This evident evasion induced me to notice the orator more particularly. He was meagre, but active in his make, with a long, pale, bilious face; a black beard, so ill-shaven as to bloody his shirt-collar, a feverish eye, and a hat sharpened up at the sides, into a most pragmatical shape. He had a newspaper in his hand, and seemed to be commenting on its contents, to the thorough conviction of mine host.

At sight of Master Simon the landlord was evidently a little flurried, and began to rab his hands, edge away from his corner, and make several profound publican bows; while the orator took no other notice of my companion than to talk rather louder than before, and with, as I thought, something of an air of defiance. Master Simon, however, as I have before said, sheered off from the porch, and passed on, pressing my arm within his, and whispering as we got by, in a tone of awe and horror, That's a radical! he reads Cobbett!"

I endeavoured to get a more particular account of him from my companion, but he seemed unwilling even to talk about him, answering only in general terms, that he was "a cursed busy, fellow, that had a confounded trick of talking, and was apt to bother one about the national debt, and such nonsense;" from which I suspected that Master Simon had been rendered wary of him by some accidental encounter on the field of argument; for these radicals are continually roving about in quest of wordy warfare, and never so happy as when they can tilt a gentleman logician out of his saddle.

confirmed. I find the radical has but recently found On subsequent inquiry my suspicions have been mit fearful devastations with his doctrines. He has his way into the village, where he threatens to com

already made two or three complete converts, or new lights; has shaken the faith of several others; and has grievously puzzled the brains of many of the oldest villagers, who had never thought about politics, or scarce any thing else, during their whole lives.

He is lean and meagre from the constant-restlessness of mind and body; worrying about with newspapers and pamphlets in his pockets, which he is ready to pull out on all occasions. He has shocked several of the staunchest villagers by talking lightly of the 'squire and his family, and hinting that it would be better the park should be cut up into small farms and kitchen-gardens, or feed good mutton instead of worthless deer.

He is a great thorn in the side of the 'squire, who is sadly afraid that he will introduce politics into the village, and turn it into an unhappy thinking community. He is a still greater grievance to Master Simon, who has hitherto been able to sway the political opinions of the place, without much cost of learning or logic; but he has been very much puzzled of late to weed out the doubts and heresies already sown by this champion of reform. Indeed, the latter has taken complete command at the tap-room of the tavern, not so much because he has convinced, as because he has out-talked all the old-established ofdcfes. The apothecary, with all his philosophy, was as nought before him. He has convinced and converted the landlord at least a dozen times; who, however, is liable to be convinced and converted the other way by the next person with whom he talks. It is true the radical has a violent antagonist in the landlady, who is vehemently loyal, and thoroughly devoted to the king, Master Simon, and the squire. She now and then comes out upon the reformer with all the fierceness of a cat-o'-mountain, and does not spare her own soft-headed husband, for listening to what she terms such "low-lived politics." What

|

brated names in the entire range of medical biography, will be found those of men who relinquished other avocations for that of physic; in the present instance, the well-known medical characters, so basely calumniated, have an envious-a noble distinction. To class these respectable individuals with persons who subsist by chicanery and delusion, can only be the malignant act of

"Some licens'd quacks, who may have pass'd the college, Yet still possess NOR SENSE, NOR BRAINS, NOR KNOWLEDGE."

makes the good woman the more violent, is the per-sented as a dirty pursuit ; and I am sure it is healthy, fect coolness with which the radical listens to her as it is connected with exercise in the open air. To attacks, drawing his face up into a provoking super- watch the growth of a floweret, or to point out its cilious smile; and, when she has talked herself out characteristic peculiarities, is surely an harmless and of breath, quietly asking her for a taste of her home- interesting amusement for the leisure hours of either brewed. sex ; but when the attention is directed to the culinary and medicinal properties of herbs, the occupation must then be allowed to be of substantial utility. But it is not my wish to be particularly urgent on this occasion. I have only given publicity to an idea which has often been favourably talked of in private circles. I should be glad to do any thing in my power to assist in the establishment and support of such an institution as the one proposed; but neither my habits, nor my circumstances, render me a fit person to come forward to open the subscription, and to draw forth, by my example, the subscriptions of others. I hope, however, that the proposal will soon meet with a suitable patron; and, it would give me pleasure to see my opponent, who THE REV. J. J. TAYLOR, A. B. respectfully

The only person that is in any way a match for this redoubtable politician is Ready-money Jack Tibbets, who maintains his stand in the tap-room, in defiance of the radical and all his works. Jack is one of the most loyal men in the country, without being able to reason about the matter. He has that admirable quality for a tough arguer, also, that he never knows when he is beat. He has half a dozen old maxims, which he advances on all occasions, and though his antagonist may overturn them never so often, yet he always brings them anew to the field. He is like the robber in Ariosto, who, though his bead might be cut off half a hundred times, yet whipped it on his shoulders again in a twinkling,

and returned as sound a man as ever to the charge.
'Whatever does not square with Jack's simple
and obvious creed, he sets down for "French poli-
tics;" for, notwithstanding the peace, he cannot be
persuaded that the French are not still laying plots
to ruin the nation, and to get hold of the Bank of
England. The radical attempted to overwhelm him
one day by a long passage from a newspaper; but
Jack neither reads nor believes in newspapers. In
reply, he gave him one of the stanzas which he has
by heart from his favourite, and, indeed, only author,
old Tusser, and which he calls his Golden Rules :-

"Leave princes' affairs undescanted on,
And 'tend to such doings as stand thee upon;
Fear God, and offend not the king nor his laws,
And keep thyself out of the magistrate's claws."
'When Tibbets had pronounced this with great
emphasis, he pulled out a well-filled leathern purse,
took out a handful of gold and silver, paid his score
at the bar with great punctuality, returned his money,
piece by piece, into his purse, his purse into his
pocket, which he buttoned up; and then, giving his
cudgel a stout thump upon the floor, and bidding the
radical "good morning, Sir!" with the tone of a
man who conceives he has completely done for his
antagonist, he walked with lion-like gravity out of
the house. Two or three of Jack's admirers who
were present, and had been afraid to take the field
themselves, looked upon this as a perfect triumph,
and winked at each other when the radical's back

Ridicule has been ridiculously called the test of truth.
J. H. TooKE.
TO THE EDITOR,

SIR, Whatever may be the opinion of my opponent, I certainly have not time to enter into a regular controversy upon the subject of the proposed Botanical Garden. Nor, indeed, were my leisure more abundant, should I feel any inclination to enter the lists with a writer, who seems willing to ridicule a suggestion, against which his objections, if placed in a fair and candid point of view, would appear very trifling.

I trust that the subject will soon be taken under the protection of some one in every respect more competent than myself, to do it justice. A botanical garden has, certainly, been much spoken of, and long desired, among the higher classes of persons in Manchester.

The study of botany is not only interesting but useful and it is, in my opinion, very desirable that, in a place like Manchester, the study should be promoted, by the doing of something, which might increase a taste for the science.

Notwithstanding the raillery of my opponent, there is, I think, no science more suitable for the fair sex than botany. It has been erroneously repre

I suspect can think rationally in his graver moments,
exerting his talents in favour of the establishment
which he, in an idle moment, has thought proper to
oppose.
A BOTANIST.

Manchester, June 17, 1822.

TO THE EDITOR,

SIR,-A few pages entitled "The Assassin Actor"
lately attracted my attention, and every line is, in
my opinion, clearly identified with the characters of
the individuals who are said to be the authors.-An
obscure theory issuing from a brain evidently labour-
ing under the efforts of inebriation and despairing
rivalry, cannot leave a doubt as to one; whilst "shreds
and patches" profusely interwoven, as unequivocally
point to another. The composition is altogether scur-
rilous and contemptible-a disgrace to the writers,
and affording no compliment to the taste, principle,
or any other quality, save the patience of readers.
In fact, no disinterested man, on dipping into the
"Assassin Actor," and observing the writers' digres-
sion merely to stigmatize persons of the first respect-
ability, can for a moment forbear expressing his
unqualified indignation. Talent is ridiculed, discri-
minative patronage is insulted, and integrity and
honourable conduct are degraded and maligned.
A practioner of talent, ability, and established
reputation is thus spoken of :--

"There's one I know, whose wisdom must be subtle,
Because in early life he threw the shuttle,
Handled his legs and arms, and work'd so hard,
He got advanc'd to H- 's stable yard!
But Dr. H.
was kind enough ere long,
To place the lad his prentices among ;
To do odd jobs, make physic up, or so-
Go errands, and do what there was to do;
Next starts as doctor, and as you may see,
He gets appointed to the Infirmary;
And now his carriage rolls," &c.

The third gentleman calumniated, is one whose
practice the writer envies, and in which he longs to
participate; whilst common people select according
to ability and character, this writer urges a different
cause for preference-

"Another too, who lords it up and down,
Could spin fine hanks as any in the town;
But when his spinning spun his purse too nice,
Turns surgeon, and man-midwife, in a trice;
And in less time than I now bend this twig,
Sets up his horse, and flannts it in his gig,
Turns up his nose, with sanctity profound
At those whose learning cost them many a pound!"
"Learning," when exemplified in a sober, diligent,
honourable life, is sure to lead to extensive, respect-
able practice; but dissipation at once disqualifies a
man, (however "learned") for medical business.
Who would swallow a medicine prepared, or submit
to an operation to be performed, by a drunkard?

Thousands and thousands of pounds have been
expended in endeavouring to drive learning and com-
mon sense into heads which never have been, nor
ever will be, any other than block-heads- but, forsooth,
because of those ill-spent pounds we are to give a
preference to dissipated boobies, and that too in the
most important services!

Talent, diligence, and honourable character will ever advance their possessors, even though they never passed a college; and, amongst the most cele

The title-page admits of one just, necessary, and peculiarly appropriate addition, viz :-By "ASSASSIN" WRITERS!!

Manchester, June 18, 1822.

VINDEX.

informs his Friends and the Public, that he will resume bis Instructions in Classics, History, Belles Lettres, &c. on Monday, 5th of Angust.

No. 7, Dickinson-street.

GENERAL LONDON NEWSPAPER OFFICE,

AND

Circulating Library, 5, St. Ann's-Square.

B. WHEELER, begs most respectfully to inform
the Inhabitants of Manchester, and its Vicinity, that
he has opened the above OFFICE, where the latest
Editions of all the London Newspapers are procured on the
SHORTEST NOTICE, and sent (post free) to all parts of the
kingdom.

N. B. The London Observer is on sale every Sunday
Evening, containing the Saturday Night's Gazette.
Orders for Books, Magazines, Reviews, &c. punctually
attended to.

A quantity of Masic on sale at half price.

VALUABLE LIBRARY, PORTFOLIOS OF

ENGRAVINGS, PHILOSOPHICAL APPARATUS, OPTICAL INSTRUMENTS, an AIR GUN, &c., the Genuine Property of a Gentleman retiring from the vicinity of Manchester. To be SOLD by AUCTION, by Mr. THOMAS DODD, at his Auction Repertory, No. 28, King-street, Manchester, on Monday, July 1st., 1822, and four following days, commencing each day at eleven precisely. This Library is very select, in regard to the editions and choice copies of the works of such authors as are held in universal repute; more especially in the departments of Bibliography, Divinity, Lives, Memoirs, Correspondence, Essays, British Classics, Popular Novels, Civil and Natural History, Rural Sports, Arts, Science, Philosophy and Chemical Research, British Topographical History, more immediately connected with the counties of Lancaster and York; among which are Whitaker's Grand Works, on large paper, and Aikin's Manchester, copiously illustrated by additional Engravings; capital works in Architecture and decorative embellishment; magnificent Galleries of Art, including the Orleans, Florence, and Stafford cabinets; a rich assemblage of PUSTRY, embracing nearly every tasteful and elegant composition that the present age has produced; together with all the choice pieces of ancient British and Scottish Origin, as recently collected by Ritson, Evans, Ellis, Weber, Pinkerton, &c.; cnrious old Histo rical Tracts, of peculiar interest and rarity; also all the reprints of rare and curious pieces of the Comic Muse, as re-issued from the Lee Priory Press, of which the number of copies is limited to 100 or under; Printed Music, con. sisting of original Scottish Airs, Moore's Irish Melodies, Sacred and Popular Pieces, in Songs, Overtores, &c.; a variety of Engravings and original Etchings, by Artists of distinguished celebrity, chiefly of the Flemish and British Schools; among the latter are the sublime and richly wrought compositions in colours, by Richard Westall; valuable Philosophical and Optical Instruments, including Solar and Compound Microscopes; an Air Gan, on the most perfect principle, &c. &c.-May be viewed three days prior to the Sale, when Catalogues may be obtained at Sixpence each.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.
We are obliged by the remarks of our correspondent, Mr.
W. M. Le.-His observations, however, on the solu-
tion of No. 20, are not, we think, quite correct.-If, as is
often the case, 16.08 be used for 16, the result will
evidently be as Mr. Wilson has given it.-Mr. W. M.
Le's Solutions of No. 20, 21, and 23, did not come
to hand.

Communications have been received from Castigator.-
Laura. Viator.-F.-Azet.-Iriphilus.-Bobby.-Z. A.-
Caesar Withns.-Quin, and several others.

Manchester: Printed, Published, and Sold, by the
Proprietors, HENRY SMITH AND BROTHERS,
St. Ann's Square, to whom all Communications (post
paid) must be addressed.