PORTUGUESE DANCES.-The two dances of greatest note are, as you probably know, the fandango and the bolera. In the former, the immobility of the Spanish features is truly ridiculous, while the movements themselves convey a meaning which appeals too strongly to the senses, to allow of its being mistaken. Such a dance one may fancy among the voluptuous Ionians; but the rigid sons of Sparta would have condemned the figurantes to the black-hole of Aristomenes. The fandango is introduced in better society, with a little more decency; but from a specimen which I saw at Valladolid, its luxuriance will still bear pruning. The bolera is more boisterous in its lewdness, and may be characterized as a piece of four acts, in the progress of which, the passion it represents gains an increasing intensity, until, in the last, it becomes the ode of Sappho, in pantomime.-Adventures in the Peninsula.

MISREPRESENTATIONS OF TRAVELLERS.-It is strange what erroneous ideas of things one gets; it appears to me, that the first person who writes a book, does not visit the country which he describes, and that others follow his book, not their own eyes. I had always read that Florence was a cheerful place, and was surprised to find that the Old Bailey and Newgate-street must be the favourite haunts of dimpled mirth, and that laugliter might be found holding both his sides in Warwick-lane, rather than in the gloomy Tuscan capital. At Rome I expected to feel like a worm crawling about a skull; that it would be impossible to turn the corner of a street, or to look out of a window, without bursting into tears; but I found that the city upon seven hills, and upwards, has much of the bright, smart aspect of Bath and Cheltenham. I suppose, by reflecting upon the theme, that Romulus and Remus, and St. Gregory the Great, and many others who used to reside here, are dead, the mind may be attuned to sorrow; but when left to itself, I do not think that the aspect of the place alone would make it sad. There are ruins in plenty to be sure, but they are white and handsome, and not of a mournful countenance. I shall, in future, distrust all books of travels; and if I find either Vesuvius, or the sea, at Naples, I shall wonder by what strange accident describers have for once guessed right.-Hogg's Two Hundred and Nine Days on the Continent.

THE LADIES OF VALLADOLID.-The ladies were so agreeable, that I saw much less of the city and its buildings than I otherwise should have done. In the evening I accompanied them to a tertullia, which was attended by all the fashion of the place. I really think there is less of art in the composition of Spanish women than of any other people whatsoever. They neither paint nor patch, nor have those periodical moultings of feathers, which fashion elsewhere prescribes; but they all dress nearly alike, and in the same way at all seasons; so that Señora Maria is only to be distinguished from Señora Mariana by a countenance more melancholy, by black eyes swimming in a more maiden whiteness, or by a figure (which is ever graceful) of a somewhat larger or smaller mould. The fasquina, or black silk petticoat, is generally bordered at the bottom with black beads, and so disposed into an open kind of net-work, as to afford the curious eye a casual felicity of admiring the most beautiful ancles in the world. Their stockings are of white silk, and they are never without a mantela (an ample veil of white lace) which is gracefully flung over their head and shoulders when they go abroad, and at other times adopted as a shawl. Small pieces of lead are attached, I understand, to the bottom of the fasquinas, which accounts for the Ionian elegance of its foldings and fall. Amidst the many changes that Spain has undergone, the women alone seem to be unchanged. Lattices, and jealousies, and duennas, and indeed all that used to give love-making such a romantic air in this beyond that of any other country, bave long since disappeared; but the passion itself still constitutes the existence of Spanish women. It is not, however, that intriguing kind of love, which we hear of in France, where a lady changes her love as easily and as often as her gloves; but rather devotion to one object, which renders them the greatest tyrants in the world, and makes them exact more adoration than was ever offered up at any idol's shrine.—Adventures in the Peninsula.

VALUE OF TIME AT ROME.-Rome is one great court of chancery, not for expence, but for delay; no one can comprehend that at a few hours, a few days, a few weeks, or a few months, can make any difference; they speak with equal patience of what will happen in an hour, the next year, the next generation, or the next century. When a man of sense is well off, he is unhappily apt to let well alone; I presume, therefore, that the Romans are very comfortable; or that they are, and have been, for a long time so much the reverse, that they are sunk in listlessness and hopeless despondency. -Hogg's Two Hundred and Nine Days on the Continent.

A LION HUNT.-Mr. S. had chased in the direction of the mimosas, trenching on the ground which our comrades were to take. He was getting closer to his object, and was about to dismount a second time, when his eyes glanced on the long wished for game,—an enormous lion! He was walking majestically slow, but when Mr. S. gave the tallyho to us, he couched, and seemed inclined to wait, but soon afterwards cantered off to the mimosas.

In a few seconds we were all up, at least our division.-The first object was to prevent him from climbing the mountain, we therefore rode through the mimosas about three hundred yards from where he had entered, and got between him and the heights. Diederik Muller and Mr. S. with their servants and led horses, then rode round the little grove, whilst we were stationed where we first entered. The grove was hardly five hundred yards in length, and twenty in breadth, consequently we could by this arrangement command the whole of it.

The other part of our division having rode round the grove, came up opposite to us, but at a distance, and as we saw them dismount we did the same. Our situation was not very enviable; we had but one large gun, but Mr. Rennie, who carried it, was perfectly collected. We were talking to each other rather in a whisper, when Mr. Rennie very coolly said, "Listen, the gentleman is grumbling."-The sound was so very like distant thunder, that we doubted it, but at the same moment I caught a glimpse of the lion walking away not a hundred and fifty yards from us, and he must have been previously still nearer to us than we had calculated. I gave the alarm, which was echoed to our friends, who in an instant mounted and rode up to the lower end, calling upon us to advance. We were moving down to gain a position on a little height, when a gun was fired, followed by four more. This convinced us our other division had joined.

We thought there would have been an end to our sport before it had well begun ; but on the contrary, the shots were fired not only to prevent him leaving the copse, but to prove their guns, for a miss fire is frequently of consequence. The last shot had the effect of turning him, and we now had a full view of him returning to the centre, whisking his tail about, and treading among the smaller bushes as if they had been grass, reminding us most forcibly of the paintings we had seen of this majestic

animal.

The last shot however had convinced us that our position was not safe, for the ball passed very near us. We called to inform the party of this, and they resolved on another plan of attack. They desired us to station two Hottentots on a hill above our position, and we were to join them. We crossed again through the bush, and it was then determined that we were all to dismount, and tie our horses together, and then to advance on foot.

This is the usual plan, and it is done to secure any person from gallopping off by his horse taking fright or otherwise, which would induce the lion to pursue, and thus one or other might be sacrificed.

We had hardly begun to tie our horses, when the Hottentots stationed on the hill, cried out that the lion was running off at the lower end, where he had attempted to escape before. We were on horseback in a second, but the lion had got a-head; we had him however in full view, as there was nothing to intercept it. Off he scampered. The Tambookies who had just come up, and mixed among us, could scarcely clear themselves of our horses; and their dogs howling and barking,- -we hallooing,the lion still in full view, making for a small copse, about a mile distant,—and the number and variety of the antelopes on our left, scouring off in different directions, formed one of the most animated spectacles the annals of sporting could produce.

Diederik and Mr. S. being on very spirited horses, were the foremost, and we wondered to see them pass on in a direction different from the copse where we had seen the lion take covert. Christian gave us the signal to dismount, when we were, as well as could be judged, about two hundred yards from the copse. He desired us to be quick in tying the horses, which was done as fast as each came up. And now the die was cast, there was no retreating. We were on lower ground than the lion, with not a bush around us. Diederik and Mr. S. had now turned their horses, for, as we afterwards learned, they had been run off with, in consequence of their bridles having broken. The plan was to advance in a body, leaving our horses with the Hottentots, who were to keep their backs towards the lion, fearing they should become unruly at the sight of him.

All these preparations occupied but a few seconds, and they were not completed,when we heard him growl, and imagined he was making off again :-but no,-as if to retrieve his character from suspicion of cowardice for former flight, he had made up APRIL, 1827. 2Q

his mind in turn to attack us. To the growl succeeded a roar, and in the same instant we saw him bearing down upon us, his eye-balls glistening with rage. We were unprepared; his motion was so rapid no one could take aim,—and he furiously darted at one of our horses, whilst we were at their heads, without a possibility of preventing it. The poor horse sprung forward, and with the force of the action wheeled all the horses round with him. The lion likewise wheeled, but immediately couched at less than ten yards from us. Our left flank thus became exposed, and on it fortunately stood C. Muller and Mr. Rennie. What an anxious moment! For a few seconds we saw the monster at this little distance, resolving as it were on whom he should first spring. Never did I long so ardently to hear the report of a gun. We looked at them aiming, and then at the lion. It was absolutely necessary to give a mortal blow, or the consequences might perhaps be fatal to some one of the party.-A second seemed a minute.-At length Christian fired;-the under-jaw of the lion dropped,blood gushed from his mouth, and he turned round with a view to escape.-Mr. Rennie then shot him through the spine, and he fell.

At this moment he looked grand beyond expression. Turning again towards us, he rose upon his fore feet,-his mouth bleeding, his eyes flashing vengeance. He attempted to spring at us ;-but his hind legs denied him assistance ;--he dragged them a little space, when Stephanus put a final period to his existence by shooting him through the brain. He was a noble animal-measuring nearly twelve feet from the nose to the tip of the tail.

Diederik and Mr. S. at this crisis rejoined us, and eagerly enquired if all were safe. They had seen the lion bear down upon us, and they thought it impossible but that one of us must have suffered. The anxiety now was to learn whose horse had been the victim, and it was soon announced that it was a highly valued one of poor Diederik's. The lion's teeth had pierced quite through the lower part of the thigh; it was lame, and Diederik thinking it irrecoverably so, determined on shooting it, declaring that no schelm beast should kill his horse. We all however interfered, and it was at length arranged with two Tambookies, that if they would lead him to their kraal, they should have a goat for their trouble. The Tambookies had some beads given them for skinning the lion,-which they readily accomplished with their assagais; my trophy was the under jaw and teeth. The elements now seemed determined to crown the whole with a feu de joie, for in a few minute we had just over us, a tremendous peal of thunder!—Scenes and Occurrences in Caffer Land.

GREAT BREECHES.-Amongst the many anecdotes related of this great work, one is, that Pius IV. was displeased that so many of the figures were naked, not because he was so ignorant of antique simplicity as to be offended himself by a display of nudity; but he feared, lest the Protestants should make use of what, to a gross mind, would seem to be immodesty of the picture, as an argument against the Romish religion; he mentioned the affair to Michael Angelo, who wisely thought that the Catholic faith was in no danger from an objection of such flagrant vulgarity and ignorance, and refused to alter his work. The more cautious Pope afterwards directed Daniel d'Volterra to clothe the naked; he covered up every thing that the reformers could have taken hold of, and got for his pains the nick-dame of il braghettone, great breeches, or the breeches-maker. From the number of figures, and the great surface to be covered, it would appear no inconsiderable contract, even to one of our army tailors.-Hogg's Two Hundred and Nine Days on the Continent.

CURIOUS MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.-One of the Hottentots placed himself at the entrance of the tent, and sung several Caffer songs, accompanied by a curious stringed instrument, called a gorrah; he applied his breath to the strings, and produced some wild and pleasing notes; then occasionally recited some words, which the boor interpreted as a call for the chiefs of the different Caffer tribes to assemble at particular places, either for war or hunting.-Scenes and Occurrences in Caffer Land.

HOLY HEADS.-There is a neat cathedral, well hung, as usual, with pictures relating to miracles. One of these is pre-eminent in absurdity, being the representation of two decapitated saints, whose heads appear floating in a little boat, on a most tempestuous sea. The story is, that suffering martyrdom by the axe, their heads were thrown into the sea, and sinking to the bottom, a stone took compassion on them, and being changed into a boat, brought them safe into this friendly port. I need scarcely say, that this parody of the heathen stones of Orpheus and Arion is religiously believed by most of the inhabitants, and that a great fast is kept every year in commemoration of the event.-Adventures in the Peninsula.

FRESCO PAINTING.-I visited the villa Massimi, where some Germans are engaged painting in fresco three small rooms, with stories from Dante, Tasso, and Ariosto; each poet is to be confined to his room. The Germans go back to the old style of Pietro Prugeno, and others who preceded Raphael, under an ingenious notion and theory, that in order to paint like him, it is necessary to begin where he did, and to imitate those masters whom he imitated: that in all the arts there is a rising, a secondary splendour, and a setting: to attain the meridian glory it is not expedient to imitate it, for it leads on, as has ever been the case, to the evening only; that it is advisable to commence with the morning to study that, and so to take, at least, the chance of a bright sun at twelve o'clock, or of a decidedly bad day. There is some talent in these works; but the colours are muddy, as if mixed contrary to the neat handed practice of nature, with dirty water. I here saw clearly the mode of executing frescos, for the work was in progress; they are painted in the fresh plaster, as the name implies; but the whole surface of the wall is not covered at one time, as I had ignorantly supposed; a small piece only is laid, as much as the artist can cover whilst it is moist, some more plaster is then added, either contiguous to the former, or on any part of the wall that is more convenient; and thus by degrees the whole is covered: the joinings of the different portions are distinctly visible, turning in wavy lines, like coasts and rivers on a map; but the painter generally contrives that they should fall in shaded parts, and wherever they will be least visible, and interfere least with the effect of the picture. The design, or drawing upon strong paper, called from that substance the cartoon, is placed against the wall, and the outlines are traced through it with the leg of a pair of compasses, or some such instrument, which pressing hard upon the paper, marks the soft plaster behind it; I have always found, on nearly inspecting a fresco, that the outline was engraven on the wall.-Hogg's Two Hundred and Nine Days on the Continent.

A JONAS CRAB.-During the evening, whilst we were occupied at the woodingplace, a party of natives were observed running towards us along the beach on the south side without the port, apparently returning from a hunting excursion, for the woods on the south side of the bay had been on fire for the last two days. As they approached, they retired behind the beach among the trees, and, upon their reaching the opposite side of the entrance, crept upon their hands and knees behind the bushes, where they remained, as they thought, concealed until the evening. A little before dark they were observed to creep out and range themselves upon the beach, as if meditating upon their plans for the night, but by this time it was so dark that we could not see what they afterwards did; in order to deter them from approaching us, a musket was fired over their heads, and if this had the desired effect, it was a happy circumstance for them, for an immense shark was caught in the middle of the night, which, from the extraordinary capacity of its mouth and maw, could have swallowed one of them with the greatest ease. On opening the animal, we fully expected to discover the limbs of some of the natives, who we assured ourselves had crossed over to our side the water; but we only found a crab, that had been so recently swallowed, that some of our people made no hesitation in eating it for their supper.-King's Australia.

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DR. BARRY'S EXPERIMENTS IN CASES OF POISON.-At the very time we are writing, Dr. Barry, of Paris, is engaged in a series of experiments, the application of which promises to be immediate, and of high importance. Having been led by some former experiments to conjecture, that absorption cannot take place in a vacuum, performed the following experiment, in order to ascertain the fact. He carefully removed the hair from the outer part of a dog's thigh, so as to expose the skin. He then caused a venomous serpent to inflict in immediate succession on this portion of the dog's thigh, two bites. As soon as the wounds were made, he applied a cuppingglass over the part bitten, and retained it there nearly an hour. At the end of that period, the dog rose from the table, and walked with tolerable ease: he continued in perfect health, and not the slightest injury from the bites supervened. A pigeon was bitten by the same serpent about an hour after it had twice bitten the dog: nothing was done to counteract the effects of the wound the pigeon expired in agony and convulsions, twenty minutes after its infliction. If further experiments confirm the obvious inference suggested by this, there is discovered an easy and certain remedy for the bite of poisonous and rabid animals. Hydrophobia, that horribly, and hitherto incurable disease, will no longer hold in its appalling and destruc ive course. To put an effectual stop to this frightful malady, it will be necessary only to apply a cuppingglass over the wounded part.-Parliamentary Review for 1825.

A CONVENTUAL KITCHEN AT AMARANTHE.—Previously to quitting the kitchen, where such substantial preparations were going forward as fully asserted the claim of its hospitable inmates to the title of bons vivans. Through the centre of the kitchen flowed a stream of water, grated at both ends, in which some fine carp were enjoying themselves, during the short time they had to live. The cooks were all friars of subordinate degree, and the effect of seeing these unshod sons of St. Domingo go through the manual exercise of the culinary art, was irresistibly comic. As I mounted my horse, the waiting friar above mentioned stood at the portal, and softly ejaculated, "Pel' amor de Deos." The hint was necessary, as I should never have presumed to insult the dignity of the order, by depositing my mite with one of the meanest of its I slipped a dollar into the friars's hand, received a flood of benedictions, and rode forwards.-Adventures in the Peninsula.

sons.

A ROMAN PREACHER. At physical existences, even at the Colosseum, one casts a glance, or takes one's good look, and can no more; but moral existences attract and detain the attention. My regards were soon drawn away from the stone walls, which, however wonderful, are but stone walls, and addressed to a crowd collected by the preaching of a capuchin. I joined in the throng, and listened to his discourse. He spoke most fluently, without pause or stop, and gave a strangely acute accent to the last syllable of every word; the stuff he uttered was not so bad as might have been expected. He was not in a pulpit, but on a stage, like a mountebank's, upon which he walked backwards and forwards in the manner of a wild beast in its cage at Exeter 'Change; nor did he resemble one of these creatures less in aspect than in his action. A man kept clinking a box of halfpence all the time, as an instrumental accompaniment to the preacher's vocal performance; it was also meant as a gentle hint to the pocket; but the faithful thought it less earthly to be contrite than generous-less painful to grunt than to give; the ghostly father got more groans than halfpence. When the discourse was concluded they knelt down to pray, the monk said a prayer, and the people repeated it after him; they then got up and walked in procession to the several stations, singing and making the same loud and doleful noise that is heard in England in the vicinity of a meeting-house, where the methodists, or other serious persons within are in full operation. A large wooden cross is planted in the middle of the arena; from time to time, women walked up to it and kissed it with a rapturous fervour; I felt curious to know how far the cross was to be envied, supposing it to be sensible of their caresses; I therefore approached it; and of the many ladies who kissed it, I cannot say that any one was fit to kiss any thing but wood; nevertheless the old ladies may be very lovely-I speak only of the impressions they made upon me.-Hogg's Two Hundred and Nine Days on the Continent.

HONEY-HUNTING.-At the end of a path we discovered a rude but very ingenious scaffolding made by the Hottentots to obtain honey from the hive. The rock overhung its base so much that very great labour and skill were required, and risk incurred, in fixing and tying with strips of bark, the poles and branches of trees. Their reward may literally be said to be sweet. The manner of finding it is very singular, as related to us by one of our party, who had accompanied a Hottentot in search of some. The Hottentot went to a place that he thought likely to contain the hives, and immediately whistled with a sort of call that the honey bird or indicator is accustomed to, when the little feathered attendant made its appearance, chirping loudly and hovering about them; it then flew forward, still chirping and watching to see if they followed. It tried twice to lead them across a kloof, flying back and again forward to entice them to follow; they, however, not liking to go that way, and the Hottentot continuing to whistle the call, the bird at length flew back, and led another way, still watching and chirping to them to follow him, which they now did, and very soon it hovered over a place in the rock, where, on searching, they found a hive full of honey; the bird immediately perched in a bush over them, and waited patiently till they had taken the honey, when it flew down, and took possession of the nest, and eat what was left for it. The honey-bird is rather larger than a sparow, with brown feathers. The quantity of honey taken every year is immense, and its flavour is very delicious. The bees seldom or never sting if they are not hurt. The Hottentot is very particular in his manner of leaving the honey for the bird, as he says that it will then rememeber him, and lead him another time in preference to any other person. When the bird has sure the ones the young bees are carefully closed up with stones to prevent the being changed into em out, and as there are always a quantity of flowers, the bees say, that this payment.-Scenes and Occurrences in Caffer Land. by most of the in

of the event.-Adve

* A kind of badger.