base as to seek his safety in flight, and not to have died in defending her. "No! No! It is my highest happiness that I have suffered, and that you have escaped; we shall both live, and Heaven will yet bless us with many pledges of our lasting love." This really happened; the girl recovered, was married to her impassioned swain, and they are still both alive, with a numerous family of children.

So romantic a tale of love, jealousy, revenge, fidelity, and heroism, would have been incredible, were it not that all the parties were known to Mr. Mayseyk, who related it; that he did so in the presence of many other persons born in Aleppo, and acquainted, by report, with the fact; and that the veracity of the narrator may be regarded as unquestionable.

In pursuing our way across this plain, we passed a party of husbandmen gathering in the harvest, the greater portion of the grain now being fully ripe. They plucked up the corn by the roots, instead of reaping it, a practice often spoken of in the Scriptures, though reaping seems to be made the earliest and most frequent mention of. On seeing the caravan, one of the labourers ran from his companions, and, approaching us, danced, stood on his hands, with his feet aloft in the air, and gave other demonstratians of joy, when he presented us with an ear of corn and a flower, as an offering of the first-fruits of the year; another remnant also of a very ancient usage in the "wave offering" of the sheaf and the ear of corn, commanded to the Israelites by Moses. We returned for it a handful of paras, or small tin coin, and answered the shout of joy which echoed from the field, by acclamations from the caravan..-—Buckingham's Travels in Mesopotamia.

a

RUINS OF NINEVEH. WE went from hence towards the northeast, and passing over a stone bridge of Mohammedan work, thrown across small stream, which discharges itself into the Tigris, came in about an hour to the principal mounds which are thought to mark the site of the ancient Nineveh.

There are four of these mounds, disposed in the form of a square; and these, as they show neither bricks, stones, nor other materials of building, but are in many places overgrown with grass, resemble the mounds left by intrenchments and fortifications of ancient Roman camps.

The longest of these mounds runs nearly north and south, and consists of several ridges of unequal height, the

whole appearing to extend for four or five miles in length. There are three other distinct mounds, which are all near to the river, and lie in the direction of east and west. The first of these, counting from the southward, is the one called "Nebbé Yunus," having a tomb on it, which is thought to contain the ashes of the prophet Jonas, and a small village collected round it; the next to the northward is called Tal Hermoosh, which is not marked by any striking peculiarity; and the third is the one we first ascended, and which, by way of distinction, from its regularity and height, is called Tal Ninoa, or the Hill of Nineveh.

There are appearances of mounds and ruins extending for several miles to the southward, and still more distinctly seen to the northward of this, though both are less marked than the mounds of the centre. The space between these is a level plain, over every part of the face of which, broken pottery, and the other usual debris of ruined cities, are seen scattered about.

If it were true, as asserted by Strabo, and other early writers, that Nineveh was larger than Babylon, it might be considered to have been the largest city that ever existed in the world, and one might even credit the assertion, that "Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days journey," not in circumference, as it has been assumed, but in length, since Jonah did not begin to proclaim the denunciations of God against it, until he had entered the city a day's journey, which would then have been its further extreme, if three days only had been the extent of its circuit.

But we are furnished with its actua dimensions in stadia, which enables us to compare how far its comparative magnitude was greater than that of Babylon, or

not.

Herodotus assigns to this last a square of four hundred and eighty stadia, or a circumference of sixty miles, counting fifteen miles for each of its sides, reckoning the stadium at its highest standard of eight to a mile. Diodorus Siculus gives the dimensions of Nineveh as one hundred and fifty stadia in length, and ninety stadia in breadth, or about nineteen miles in front along the river, and elever and a quarter in breadth from the river to the mountains, estimating the stadium at the same standard of value

There was, it is true, a greater length in the city of Nineveh; but from its more. confined breadth, the space actually in cluded within the limits given was somewhat less than that of Babylon. It may, however, be admitted to claim for itself a higher antiquity, since the second great

A MORAVIAN ESTABLISH

MENT.

I WENT to visit a Moravian establishment in the town of Sarapta. Opposite the inn formerly stood a house containing eighty bachelors, and near it one contain ing eighty spinsters. The house of the former has been burnt down; that of the latter has escaped. The females divide their own dwelling with the men, till theirs is rebuilt. When a bachelor is tired of a life of celibacy, he goes next door, chooses one out of the eighty spinsters, and makes her his wife. The pair become members of the general community, and keep a house for themselves. The vacancies are filled up by the children of those who had once been inmates of these mansions of single blessedness. I was highly gratified with my visit to this human hive. Every thing was in the neatest order; the sisters, as they are called, with their little caps, and uniform dress, remind me of our fair Quakers. The female children were reading and writing; the young women were engaged in domestic employments. The old maids, for there were a few, were occupied in knitting and needle work. All were busy at the occupation best adapted to their pe culiar habits and talents. Nor were the brothers idle; here were shoemakers, tailors, weavers, printers, and bookbinders. I was shown a fine collection of the serpents and other reptiles of Southern Russia. I saw also a large collection of antiquities found in the neighbourhood, which proves the former existence of an ancient city on this spot. Capt. Keppel's Travels.

On the 9th of November I was present at an entertainment given by the Lord Mayor. After dinner there was dancing in three rooms. In that which was set apart for the first nobility, minuets only were danced. I could scarcely remain here a quarter of an hour, partly on account of the heat, the room being very narrow, and partly on account of the bad music, for the orchestra consisted but of two violins and a violoncello; and the minuets were more like Polish than German or Italian ones. In another room, which resembled a subterraneous cavern,

they danced in the English fashion; the music was rather better, owing to the addition of a drum, which drowned the scraping of the wretched fiddlers. In the great hall the band was more numerous, and somewhat better: here the gentle. men, however, were sitting at the dinner. table, drinking. One part of the company danced without hearing a note of the music; while at the table, songs were roared out, and healths drank, with the greatest clamour; flourishing of glasses, and cries of huzza! huzza! huzza!

Greissinger's Life of Haydn.

MODE OF DISPERSING LO.
CUSTS.

WE traversed the grand steppe or desert ing of the 1st of August, we arrived at a of Astrakhan for two days. On the evenRussian village, which was surrounded by a considerable tract of well-cultivated land. While changing horses, I witsight a vast flight of locusts, extending nessed what was to me a very curious fifteen miles, suddenly made their aphuge phalanx to attack the crops. In an pearance from the east, and came in a instant every villager was on the road to his own field.

Some took dogs, others ing and clapping their hands all the way, were on horseback, and others ran shoutthe inhabitants finding from experience that the locusts very much dislike noise. colony of Karass, when the locusts come My fellow-traveller told me, that in the in sight, not only all the inhabitants, but drive them off, by drums and fifes, and a the military turn out, and endeavour to perpetual discharge of musketry. The enemy, thus repulsed, make a speedy retreat, and commit their depredations on the land of those who are less on the alert to resist them.-Capt. Keppel's Travels.

THE JEWEL CHAMBER OF THE KREMLIN.

of gold and silver vases, goblets, and THE jewel chamber contains a number other vessels, of which I have neither time nor inclination to make particular mention. Round the walls are the thrones of different monarchs, and, standing on separate pedestals, are numerous crowns, including those of Kazan, Astrakhan, Siberia, Georgia, and Poland, the sight of which brought to mind the gradual increase of this vast empire. We were shewn the large boots of Peter the Great, and the coronation coat of the emperor Alexander. This last is of a green colour, perfectly plain, and the cloth of as coarse a texture as that worn by sergeants of our army.-Ibid.

as a medicine. In Iceland, food is prepared from it. For this purpose, a dish of the lichen is prepared by chopping it small, boiling it in three or four successive portions of water to take off its natural bitterness, and then for an hour or two in milk. When cold, this preparation has the form of a jelly, which is eaten with milk or cream, and makes a very palatable dish.

The most minute species of this great genus hold a much more important place in the economy of nature than is apparent to superficial observers. They are the first beginning of vegetation on stones of all kinds exposed to the air, whose decomposing surfaces are the receptacle of their imperceptible seeds, and soon afford nourishment to the sprouting plants, whose minute fibrous roots still farther insinuate themselves. The larger species take possession of every cavity and fissure, both of stones, and of the decaying external bark of trees. In time they all decay, and furnish a portion of vegetable mould, capable of nourishing mosses, or still larger plants. The residuum of these being still more considerable, is washed by rains into large cavities, where even forest trees can scatter their seeds, by the penetrating power of whose roots, great masses are dislodged from the most lofty, rocks. Thus the vegetable kingdom exercises dominion over the tributary fossil world, and, in its turn, affords the same no less necessary aid to animal existence. Nothing in nature is allowed to remain stationary, idle, or useless, and the most inconsiderable agents frequently appear, in the hands of divine Providence, to be the most irresistible.

The Gatherer.

"I am but a Gatherer and disposer of other men's stuff."---Wotton

THE RULING PASSION STRONG IN DEATH.

ALL through Ireland, the ceremonial of wakes and funerals is most punctually attended to, and it requires some scavoir faire to carry through the arrangement in a masterly manner. A great adept at the business, who had been the prime manager at all the wakes in the neighbourhood for many years, was at last called away from the death-beds of his friends to his own. Shortly before he died, he gave minute directions to his people, as to the mode of waking him in proper style. "Recollect," says he, "to put three candles at the head of the bed, after you lay me out, and two at the foot, and one at each side. Mind now,

and put a plate with the salt on it just a-top of my breast. And, do you hear, have plenty of tobacco, and pipes enough. And remember to make the punch strong. And-but what the devil is the use of talking to you; sure, know, you'll be sure to botch it, as won't be there myself."

FATAL EFFECTS OF A LIE.

A BANK note had been stolen out of a letter, it was traced to the bank, the clerks of which said, they had paid it to a young man that very much resembled a person who was at the General Post-office. This was a strong presumption; to make it, however, much stronger, the character of the young man was inquired into. and it appeared by the evidence of his brother clerks, at the office, that he lived in a manner superior to what they could afford, and that he had often told them that they did not live well enough for him; this had great weight with the jury; he was convicted and executed. It appeared unfortunately soon after his execution, that the young man had lived in the most frugal manner, to support his aged and distressed mother, and that to prevent his being teased by his young friends for not living in the way they did, (which would have completely put a stop to his pious exertions in favour of his mother,) he had recourse to an untruth which ter minated, so tataliy and disgracefully, a virtuous, useful, and benevolent life, tainted only by a little foolish vanity.

TO OUR READERS.

WE have been favoured with the following letter from Mr. Hood, the highly talented author of Whims and Oddities, and National Tales, which needs not a comment from us

2, Robert Street, Adelphi. MR. HOOD begs to refer the Editor of the MIR. RO to a Ballad said to be by Thomas Hood, in one of his numbers, as an extract from the Literary Chronicle. T. H. begs to assure the Editor of the MIRROR, that the article in question is an impudent forgery, of some person without a name perhaps, who has made free with another. T. H. is anxious to inform the Editor of the MIRROR, of this circumstance, because he entertains a very favourable opinion of that periodical, and of the judgment displayed in its extracts. He will be much obliged by the correction, in the MIRROR, of such a misrepre sentation.

To the Editor of the MIRROR.

Printed and Published by J. LIMBIRD, 143, Strand, (near Somerset House, and sold by all Newsmen and Booksellers,

ELY PLACE was formerly the residence of the bishops of Ely. Dr. John Kirkby, who died bishop of Ely in 1290, laid the foundation of the palace, by bequeathing several messu ages in this place; others were purchased by his successor, William de Luda; at length the whole, consisting of about forty acres, was enclosed in a

wall.

Holinshed has recorded the excellency of the strawberries cultivated in the garden by Bishop Morton. He informs us, that Richard, Duke of Gloucester, afterwards Richard III., in the council held in the Tower on the morning he put Hastings to death, requested a dish of them from the bishop. See Shakspeare, Richard III. Act iii, Scene iv. :"My Lord of Ely, when I was last in Holborn, I saw good strawberries in your garden there, I do beseech you send for some of them." Here was a most venerable hall, 74 feet ong, lighted with six Gothic windows, and all the furniture suited the hospitality

VOL. IX.

P

of the tinies. This room the sergeants-atlaw borrowed to hold their feasts in, on account of its size. In the year 1531, eleven gentlemen of the law, who had been just honoured with the coif, gave a grand feast here for five days successively. On the first, the king and his queen, Catherine of Arragon, graced the feast with their presence; as also the foreign ambassadors, the lord mayor, the judges, the barons of the exchequer, the aldermen, and many other persons of quality and consequence. In quantity of provisions it resembled a coronation feast. There were brought to the slaughter-house 24 great beeves, at 26s. 8d. a piece; one carcass of an ox, at 24s.; 100 fat wethers, at 2s. 10d. a piece; 34 porkers, at 3s. 6d. a piece; 91 pigs, at 6d. each; 10 dozen of capons of one poulterer, (for they had three,) at 20d. a piece; capons of Kent, 9 dozen, at 12d. a piece; coarse capons, 19 dozen, at 6d. a piece; cocks of Grose, 7 dozen and 9. at 8d. a piece; coarse

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