Зображення сторінки
PDF
ePub

punishment is not very common, we subjoin, as a matter of curiosity to some of our readers, the

Form of Penance.

"Whereas, I, good people, forgetting my duty to Almighty God, have committed the detestable sin of incest, by contracting marriage, or rather the show or effigy of marriage, with Mary Ann Taylor, the sister of my late wife, and thereby have justly provoked the heavy wrath of God against me, to the great danger of my own soul, and the evil example of others; I do earnestly repent, and am heartily sorry for the same, desiring Almighty God, for the merits of Jesus Christ, to forgive me both this and all other offences, and also hereafter so to assist me with his Holy Spirit, that I never fall into the like offence again; and for that end and purpose I desire you all here present to pray with me, and for me, say ing, "Our father,'" &c.—Westmoreland

Chronicle.

NINEPENNY MARL.

To the Editor of the Every-Day Book. Sir,There is an ancient game, played by the shepherds of Salisbury Plain,' and "village rustics" in that part of the country, called "Ninepenny Marl." Not having read any account of it in print, I hasten to describe it on your historical and curious pages. Decyphering and drawing lines on the sand and ground are of great antiquity; and where education has failed to instruct, nature has supplied amusement. The scheme, which affords the game of "Ninepenny Marl," is cut in the clay, viz. :—

or it might be drawn upon the crown of a hat with chalk. In cottages and public houses, it is marked on the side of a pair of bellows, or upon a table, and, in short, any plain surface. "Marl" is played, like cards, by two persons; each person has nine bits of pipe, or stick, so as to distinguish it from those of the opponent. Each puts the pipe or stick upon one of the points or corners of the line, alternately, till they are all filled. There is much caution required in this, or your opponent will avail himself of your error, by placing his man on the very point which it is necessary you should occupy; the chief object being to make a perfect line of three, either way, and also to prevent the other player doing so. Every man that is taken is put into the square till no further move can be made. But if the vanquished be reduced to only three, he can hop and skip into any vacant place, that he may, if possible, even at the last, form a line, which is sometimes done by very wary manœuvres. However simple "Ninepenny Marl" may appear, much skill is required, particularly in the choice of the first places, so as to form the lines as perfectly and quickly as possible. This the above imperfectly described way is game, like cards, has its variations. But

that to which I was accustomed when a

boy. I have no doubt, Mr. Editor, many of your country readers are not wholly ignorant of the innocent occupation which

Ninepenny Marl" has afforded in the retirement of leisure; and with "rong recollections of its attractions, I am, Sir,

Your obliged correspondent, P—— T—, July, 1826.

P

P.S. "The shepherds of Salisbury Plain" are so proverbially idle, that rather than rise, when asked the road across the plain, they put up one of their legs towards the place, and say, "Theek woy!" (this way )—“ Thuck way!" (that way.)

NATURALISTS' CALENDAR. Mean Temperature . . . 63 · 17.

[merged small][graphic][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

The last place wherein the Leverian collection was exhibited, was in a handsome building on the Surrey side of the Thames, near Blackfriars-bridge, consisting of seventeen different apartments, Occupying nearly one thousand square yards. In these rooms were assembled the rarest productions in the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms, with inimitable works of art, and the various dresses, manufactures, implements of war, &c. of the Indian nations in North and South America, Otaheite, Botany-bay and other foreign parts, collected by the late captain Cook and other navigators.

The preceding engraving represents the rotunda of the museum, from a print pub lished about twenty years before the sale took place. It is an accurate record of the appearance of that part of the edifice, until the auction, which was held on the premises, finally broke up the rare assemblage of objects exhibited. After the sale the premises were occupied for many years by the library, apparatus, and other uses of the Surrey Institution. They are now, in 1826, used for recreation of another kind. On

the exterior of the building is inscribed "Rotunda Wine Rooms." It is resorted to by lovers of "a good glass of wine" and a cigar," and there is professional singing and music in "the Rotunda" every Tue day and Thursday evening.

The last editor of Mr. Pennant's "London," in a note on his author's mention of the Leverian Museum, remarks its dispersion, by observing that "this noble collection, which it is said was offered to the British Museum for a moderate sum, was sold by auction in 1806. The sale lasted thirty-four days. The number of lots, many containing several articles, amounted to four thousand one hundred and ninety-four."

This statement is somewhat erroneous. An entire copy of the "Catalogue of the Leverian Museum," which was drawn up by Edward Donavan, Esq. the eminent naturalist, is now before the editor of the Every-Day Book,with the prices annexed. It forms an octavo volume of four hundred and ten pages, and from thence it appears that the sale lasted sixty-five days, instead of thirty-four, and that the lots amounted to 7879, instead of 4194, as stated by Mr. Pennant's editor

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

The first exhibition of the Leverian Museum in London, was at "Leicester

house," Leicester-square. "This house was founded," Mr. Pennant says, "by one of the Sydnies, earls of Leicester. It was for a short time the residence of Elizabeth, daughter of James I., the titular queen of Bohemia, who, on February 13, 1661, here ended her unfortunate life. It was successively the pouting-place of princes. The late king (George II.) when prince of Wales, after he had quarrelled with his father, lived here several years. His son, Frederick, followed his example, succeeded him in his house, and in it finished his days."

Mr. Pennant then proceeds, more immediately to our purpose, to observe, “No one is ignorant of the magnificent and instructive museum, exhibited in this house by the late sir Ashton Lever. It was the most astonishing collection of the subjects of natural history ever collected, in so short a space, by any individual. To the disgrace of our kingdom, after the first burst of wonder was over, it became neglected; and when it was offered to the public, by the chance of a guinea lottery, only eight thousand out of thirty-six thousand tickets were sold. Finally, the capricious goddess frowned on the spirited proprietor of such a number of tickets, and transferred the treasure to the possessor of only two, Mr. Parkinson." Further on, Mr. Pennant says, "I must not omit reminding the reader, that the celebrated museum collected by the late sir Ashton Lever, is transported to the southern end of Blackfriars-bridge by Mr. Parkinson, whọm fortune favoured with it in the Leverian lottery. That gentleman built a place expressly for its reception, and disposed the rooms with so much judgment, as to give a most advantageous view of the

innumerable curiosities. The spirit of the late worthy owner seems to have been transfused into the present. He spares no pains or expense to augment a collection, before equally elegant and instructive."

Mr. Pennant, in his "History of Quadrupeds," likewise makes mention of the Leverian Museum, as 66 a liberal fund of inexhaustible knowledge in most branches of natural history," and he especially names "the matchless collection of animals" there exhibited, to which he had recourse while correcting the descriptions for the last edition of his work.

We have gathered from Mr. Pennant, that the Leverian Museum was disposed of by lottery, and his own opinion, as a naturalist, of its merit. The evidence whereon the committee of the house of commons founded its report in behalf of the bill, which afterwards passed and enabled sir Ashton Lever to dispose of his museum in that manner, amply testifies the opinion conceived of it by individuals fully alified to decide on its

importance.

Mr. Tennant who had been upwards of twenty years a collector of subjects of natural history, and had seen all the cabinets of curiosities, both public and private, of any note in Holland, France, and Portugal, and those at Brussels, Dresden, Brunswick, and Vienna, and had also seen the Spanish cabinet while collecting in Holland, said, that he had never seen any collection more rare, more curious, or more instructive than sir Ashton Lever's, nor any that could be compared with it; that it exceeded all others in the beauty and preservation of the numerous articles it contained, which were better selected than any he had seen elsewhere; and that it contained many specimens that could not be procured at any expense.

Sir William Hamilton gave similar testimony. Having a particular love for natural history, in different journeys to and from Naples, where he was ambassador from Great Britain, he had seen every public and private museum in Hol. land, France, Germany, Italy, and Sicily, and he thought sir Ashton Lever's collection was in every respect the finest.

Baron Dimsdale said he had seen the cabinets of curiosities at Moscow and St. Petersburgh, and also those at Paris and Dresden, which are esteemed very curious and valuable, and that they were not, all

together, to be compared with sir Ashton Lever's museum.

After such distinguished and unquestionable testimonials respecting this collection, it would be trifling to adduce a poem in proof that it merited praise; but as a curiosity, which, on account of the youth of its author, sir Ashton Lever himself must have deemed a "curiosity," the following may be perused with interest.

VERSES,

ADDRESSED TO SIR ASHTON LEVER, BY A LITTLE BOY OF TEN YEARS OLD ON BEING FAVOURED WITH A SIGHT OF HIS MUSEUM.

November 6, 1778. If I had Virgil's judgment, Homer's fire, And could with equal rapture strike the lyre, Could drink as largely of the muse's spring, Then would I of sir Ashton's inerits sing. Look here, look there, above, beneath, around, Sure great Apollo consecrates the ground Here stands a tiger, mighty in his strength, There crocodiles extend their scaly length: Subtile, voracious to devour their food, Savage they look, and seem to pant for blood. Here shells and fish, and finny dolphins seen, Display their various colours blue and green.

View there an urn which Roman ashes bore, And habits once that foreign nations wore. Birds and wild beasts from Afric's burning

sand,

And curious fossils rang'd in order stand. Now turn your eyes from them, and quick

survey,

Spars, diamonds, crystals, dart a golden ray
View apes in different attitudes appear,
With horns of bucks, and goats, and shamois

deer.

Dreadful they seem, grim-looking as they lie.
Next various kinds of monsters meet the eye;

What man is he that does not view with awe
Dauntless he looks, and, eager to engage,
The river-horse that gives the Tigris law?
Lashes his sides, and burns with steady rage.
View where an elephant's broad bulk ap.
pears,

And o'er his head his hollow trunk he rears:
He seems to roar, impatient for the fight,
And stands collected in his utmost might.
Some I have sung, much more my muse could

name;

I've gained my end, if you, good sir, receive
A nobler muse requires sir Ashton's fame.
This feeble present, which I freely give.
Your well-known worth, to distant nations
told,

Amongst the sons of Fame shall be enroll'd.

Kennington, Nov. 8, 1778.

Gentleman's Magazine.

T. P.

[graphic]

Ticket of Admission to the Leberian Museum.

ISSUED BY MR. PARKINSON AFTER HE OBTAINED IT BY LOTTERY.

It seems appropriate and desirable to give the above representation of Mr. Parkinson's ticket, for there are few who retain the original. Besides-the design is good, and as an engraving it is an orna

ment.

And-as a memorial of the method adopted by sir Ashton Lever to obtain attention to the means by which he hoped to reimburse himself for his prodigious outlay, and also to enable the public to view the grand prize which the adventure of a guinea might gain, one of his advertisements is annexed from a newspaper of January 28, 1785.

IR ASHTON LEVER's Lottery Tickets are now on sale at house, every day (Sundays excepted) from Nine in the morning till Six in the evening, at One Guinea each; and as each ticket will admit four persons, either together or separately, to view the Museum, no one will hereafter be admitted but by the Lottery Tickets, excepting those who have already annual admission.

This collection is allowed to be infinitely superior to any of the kind in Europe. The very large sum expended in making it, is the cause of its being thus to be disposed

of, and not from the deficiency of the daily receipts (as is generally imagined) which have annually increased, the average amount for the last three years being 18337. per annum. The hours of admission are from Eleven till Four.

Good fires in all the galleries.

The first notice of the Leverian Museum

is in the "Gentleman's Magazine" for May, 1773, by a person who had seen it it was first formed. Though many speciat Alkerington, near Manchester, when mens of natural history are mentioned, the collection had evidently not attained

have amounted to no more than "upwards of one thousand three hundred glass cases, containing curious subjects, placed in three rooms, besides four sides of rooms shelved from top to bottom, with glass doors before them." The works of art particularized by the writer in the "Gentleman's Magazine," are "a head of his present majesty, cut in cannil coal, said to be a striking likeness; indeed the workmanship is inimitable-also a drawing in Indian ink of a head of a late duke

« НазадПродовжити »