SCOTCH SNOW-STORMS. THE most dismal of all the snow-storms on record, is "the thirteen drifty days." This extraordinary storm, as near as I have been able to trace, must have occurred in the year 1620. The traditionary stories and pictures of desolation that remain of it, are the most dire imaginable; and the mention of the thirteen days to an old shepherd, in a stormy winter night, never fails to impress his mind with a sort of religious awe, and often sets him on his knees before that Being who alone can avert such another calamity. It is said that during thirteen days and nights, the snow-drift never once abated; the ground was covered with frozen snow when it commenced, and, during all that time, the sheep never broke their fast. The cold was intense, to a degree never before remembered; and, about the fifth and sixth days of the storm, the young sheep began to fall into a sleepy and torpid state, and all that were so affected in the evening, died during the night. The intensity of the frost-wind often cut them off, when in that state, instantaneously. About the ninth and tenth days, the shepherds began to build up large semicircular walls of their dead, in order to afford some shelter for the remainder of the living; but they availed but little, for about the same time they were frequently seen tearing at one another's wool with their teeth. When the storm abated, on the fourteenth day from its commencement, there was, on many a highlying farm, not a living sheep to be seen. Large misshapen walls of dead, surrounding a small prostrate flock, likewise all dead, and frozen stiff in their lairs, were all that remained to cheer the forlorn shepherd and his master; and though, on low-lying farms, where the snow was not so hard before, numbers of sheep weathered the storm, yet their constitutions received such a shock, that the greater part of them perished afterwards; and the final consequence was, that about nine-tenths of all the sheep in the south of Scotland were destroyed. In the extensive pastoral district of Eskdale Moor, which maintains upwards of twenty thousand sheep, it is said none were left alive, but forty young wedders on one farm, and five old ewes on another. The farm of Thaup remained without a stock, and without a tenant, for twenty years after the storm; at length one very honest and liberal-minded man ventured to take a lease of it, at the annual rent of a grey coat and a pair of hose. It is now rented at 5007. An extensive glen in Tweedsmuir, belonging to Sir James Montgomery, became a mon at that time, to which any man drove his flocks that pleased, and it continued so for nearly a century. com The years 1709, 40, and 72, were all likewise notable years for severity, and for the losses sustained among the flocks of sheep. In the latter, the snow lay from the middle of December until the middle of April, and all the time hard frozen. Partial thaws always kept the farmer's hopes alive, and thus prevented him from removing his sheep to a low situation, till at length they grew so weak that they could not be removed. There has not been such a general loss in the days of any man living, as in that year. It is by these years that all subsequent hard winters have been measured, and of late, by that of 1795; and when the balance turns out in favour of the calculator, there is always a degree of thankfulness expressed, as well as a composed submission to the awards of Divine Providence. The daily feeling naturally impressed on the shepherd's mind, that all his comforts are so entirely in the hand of Him who rules the elements, contributes not a little to that firm spirit of devotion for which the Scottish shepherd is so distinguished. I know of no scene so impressive as that of a family sequestered in a lone glen, during the time of a winte storm; and where is the glen in the kingdom tha: wants such a habitation? There they are left to the protection of Heaven, and they know and feel it. Throughout all the wild vicissitudes of nature, they have no hope of assistance from man, but are con versant with the Almighty alone. Before retiring to rest, the shepherd uniformly goes out to examine the state of the weather, and makes his report to the little dependent group within-nothing is to be seen but the conflict of the elements, nor heard but the raving of the storm. Then they all kneel around him, while he recommends them to the protection of Heaven; and though their little hymn of praise can scarcely be heard even by themselves, as it mixes with the roar of the tempest, they never fail to rise from their devotions with their spirits cheered, and their confidence renewed, and go to sleep with an exultation of mind, of which kings and conquerors have no share. But of all the storms that ever Scotland witnessed, or, I hope, will ever again behold, there is none of them that can once be compared to the memorable 24th of January 1795, which fell with such peculiar violence on that division of the south of Scotland, that is between Crawford-muir and the border. Within these bounds seventeen shepherds perished, and upwards of thirty were carried home insensible, who afterwards recovered: but the number of sheep that were lost, far outwent any possibility of calculation. One farmer alone, Mr. Thomas Beattie, lost 1440; and many others, in the same quarter, from 600 to 800 each. Whole flocks were overwhelmed with snow, and no one ever knew where they were, till the snow dissolved, when they were all found dead. Many hundreds were driven into waters, burns, and lakes, by the violence of the storm, where they were buried or frozen up; and these the flood carried away, so that they were never seen nor found by the owners at all. The following anecdote somewhat illustrates the confusion and devastation that it bred in the country : the greater part of the rivers, on which the storm was most deadly, run into the Solway-Frith, on which there is a place called the Beds of Esk, where the tide throws out and leaves whatsoever is thrown into it by the rivers. When the flood after the storm subsided, there were found in that place, and the shores adjacent, 1840 sheep, nine black cattle, three horses, two men, one woman, forty-five dogs, one hundred and eighty hares, besides a number of meaner animals. LIFE appears long to the miserable; to him that is happy, a moment. If this hold true of eternity, how dreadful will the condition of some be! IF you would know the value of a guinea, try to borrow one of a stranger.-HUNTER. THE ARCH OF TITUS.. THE Emperor Titus having conquered Judea, and taken Jerusalem, the Roman senate decreed, that a triumphal arch should be erected to his honour. This arch still remains, and is one of the most curious and interesting monuments of ancient Rome. It is attractive to the sculptor, the antiquary, and the historian, in many points of view-but above all it is interesting to the Christian; and to the Jew so deeply affecting, on account of the humiliating calamity which 28 it records, that, it is said, no man of that nation will ever willingly pass under it. It is not simply the event that it commemorates, so intimately connected both with the Law and the Gospel, from which it derives its interest, though that is remarkable enough, but the strong light which it throws by its sculpture upon several of those sacred deposits of the temple, which were most intimately connected with the service of the Jewish ritual, and carry us back even to the time of the great legislator himself. The Arch of Titus is situated on the eastern declivity of the Palatine mount. On approaching it from the south (being the side least injured by time) its original form is lost in ruins at each extremity; but the arch itself, a column on each side of it, with the frieze and attic, are still pretty entire. The building, in its original form, must have been nearly an exact square. It is constructed of white marble. In the space formed by the curve of the arch, there are winged figures, personifying Fame. Upon the frieze is a representation of a sacrifice, with an allegorical figure at the extremity of the procession, carried upon a litter. [JANUARY 26 THE SENATE AND PEOPLE OF ROME, TO THE DIVINE TITUS, THE SON OF VESPASIAN or fifteen feet wide) on each side are oblong spaces, Upon entering the arch (which is about fourteen seven feet in height, by nearly fourteen in length, containing a representation of the triumph of Titus, when he returned to Rome, after having taken Jerusalem. car, drawn by four horses; Victory is crowning him On the east side appears the emperor in a triumphal with laurel; Rome personified as a female figure, conducts the horses; and citizens and soldiers crowned with laurel, compose the crowd that attends him. On the opposite side, is another and more interesting part of the procession, exhibiting the spoils taken from the temple of Jerusalem;-the golden candlestick with seven branches, the golden table, and the During the time these sculptures were in execution, the objects themselves must have been under the eyes of the artist, as the accidents to which their loss is attributed, happened long after the arch was completed. The same sacred vessels made under the immediate direction of Moses, did not exist in the Temple at the time it was destroyed: those brought back from Babylon having been carried off by Antiochus Epiphanes, but they were immediately replaced by persons well acquainted with their form, and it is still easy to trace the general outlines of these obje ts in Exodus xxv. 3—36. The Jewish Historian, Josephus, an eye-witness of the triumph of Vespasian and Titus, distinctly mentions these objects as making a conspicuous figure in the procession. After mentioning some other particulars, he says, "But for these (spoils) that were taken in the Temple of Jerusalem, they made the greatest figure of them all; that is, the golden table of the weight of many talents; the candlestick also that was made of gold,"-" the branches were in number seven, and represented the honour in which the number seven was held among the Jews." He then adds, " and after these triumphs were over, Vespasian resolved to build a temple to Peace: he also laid up therein these golden vessels and instruments that were taken out of the Jewish temple, as ensigns of his glory. But still he gave orders that they should lay up their law and the purple veil of the holy place in the imperial palace itself, and keep them there*." Thus, although injured by time and accident, there is still standing at Rome a resemblance, taken from the objects themselves, of the holy instruments and vessels, originally formed according to divine instruction, 3323 years ago; bearing undeniable evidence to the truth of the Mosaic history. It is probable that part of these injuries may be attributed to the antipathy which the Jews have to this monument of their final overthrow. The lapse of eighteen centuries has not effaced the memory of that calamity from the minds of the modern Jews. At little more than a thousand paces from this monument, there is another memorial of their subjugation. In what is called the Ghetto Ebrei (or abode for Jews), from five to six thousand of them reside, and are confined every night, from an hour after sun-set till an hour before sun-rising, in a few narrow and dirty streets that have been allotted to them. memory of those events which led to it, have been guarded by every circumstance that can give authen ticity to history *. Two Roman emperors of eminent renown (Vespasian and Titus) were employed in the work of destruction, and the notice taken of it by their contemporaries proves it to have been regarded as the most prominent achievement of their reign. The exploits of Roman power were recorded and speedily published to the utmost limits of an empire that extended from the Thames to the Euphrates. Surviving the convulsions by which that mighty empire was torn in pieces, the Jews remain a distinct people, preserving with religious care the history of their crimes, and sentences of condemnation, and though in avowed enmity to Christianity, supporting by their obstinacy the evidence of its truth. * Medals were also struck on the occasion, on one side of which there is a female figure in the attitude of grief, under a palm-tree, with the words JUDEA CAPTA, and on the other, the head of Vespasian or Titus. DUTIES are ours. events are God's. This removes an in EACH has his fault we readily allow; After eighteen centuries of persecution, they remain a living monument and illustration of some of the most remarkable passages of Scripture prophecy. Moses foretold in detail, the miseries of the siege which Josephus has related, and predicted the signal DISCRETION in speech is more than eloquence.punishment that awaited their unbelief; and the honours conferred upon Titus for completing their ruin, took place at the distance of no less than half a century from the time that our Saviour forewarned them of its approach. These prophecies are in our hands, and the captive nation itself has been dispersed among us to attest their accomplishment. If the present condition of the Jews be a fact, for which we have the evidence of our senses, so the * The Copy of the Law and the Purple Veil of the Sanctuary were accordingly preserved in the imperial palace; thus they all remained for more than 300 years, till in the sack of Rome, 455, they fell into the hands of Genseric, and were carried into Africa to Carthage from thence they were afterwards translated to Constantinople, then the capital of the Roman empire, by Belisarius, who recovered them in his conquest of Africa; and by a strange vicissitude they were again transferred to Jerusalem. "What has become of them since, it is difficult to conjecture; it is suspected by some, they were carried to Persia in the year 641, by Chosroes, but there are doubts whether the ship in which they were embarked ever reached its des unation : STRAW-PLATTING. -BACON. THE following notice of Straw-platting, abridged from At The precise period when the Dunstable bonnets made of straw-plat, that is of entire wheat straws, platted in long narrow strips, and afterwards sewn together, were invented, is unknown. The Dunstable bennet is probably a century and a half old.—Gay, in his Shepherd's Week, said to have been written about 1720, in giving an account of the valuables bequeathed | by a dying shepherdess, says My new straw hat, so trimly lined with green, The weight and clumsy appearance of these bonnets, which confined the work generally to the small straws, probably first suggested the idea of dividing the straw; but the difficulty of making the division so that each of the parts might be equal, the labour expended in the operation of splitting, and the unevenness of the work where the splits were not of equal breadth, must have retarded the progress of this ingenious branch of our manufactures very considerably. The first attempts to divide the straw, were by means of knives; but this was a work that occupied much time. About thirty years ago, a mode was invented of dividing the entire straw into equal parts, by means of little instruments called " MACHINES," and then platting the divided parts. The ingenuity of the inventor (a great benefactor to his country,) was rewarded by realising a fortune of 30,000l.; and from that time may be dated the use of the plat made from divided straws. The Straw-platting Districts include Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, and Essex. In many other counties the platting is partially followed, and it may be well adopted in other districts for the supply of the neighbourhood. The material generally used is ripe wheat-straw; but rye and other straws have been used, and within the last ten years large quantities of Italian straw, said to be both of corn and grass, have been imported, and worked up into what are called Tuscan plat. Experiments on the different straws of corn and grass, and on the precise times when they should be cut, whether before or at the time when the corn and grass are ripe, might lead to some discoveries, which would add to the profits of the manufacturers, as well as to the durability and beauty of the bonnets. Straw-platting is of importance to farmers, in these times, in an agricultural point of view, from the increased value of good straw; twopence per pound being given for it in the rough-that is, without the heads of corn,-in the straw-plat districts. The platter should be furnished with, 1st. a knife, to cut the straw; 2nd. a tub (or box) and cover, with a few ounces of brimstone, and something of iron to burn it upon, for fumigation; 3rd. machines for dividing the straws; 4th. a work-bag; 5th. a plat-mill; 6th. a cloth to wrap the work in; 7th. a piece of pasteboard, to roll the plat round as it is worked; 8th. a bottle with water, to wet the straw; 9th. a piece of deal, half a yard broad, to wind the platting upon. The process of platting is as follows: The strawdrawers, or farmers' labourers *, are employed in drawing out the straws and cutting off the heads of corn (for threshing would bruise and split the straw). When this is done, it is sometimes sold to the platter in the rough, at about twopence a pound. The next process is to strip the straw of the leaves that sheathe the stalk, and cut it into proper lengths. Each straw is taken, root upwards, and stripped, and then cut with a knife (not too sharp), ready for whitening or steaming, so as to allow it to be cut again into shorter unjointed lengths. The straws so cut, supposing the root up, are the upper or top, the middle, and the lower or bottom. Very good straw will produce three; but generally there are two, the upper and lower. Good straws must be straight. The lengths are cut twice, for the ends are liable to be injured in steaming, and the straw requires to have a good end to work with. t is seldom the platter takes the business in the first stage. After whitening, the straws are again examined, and the good ones separated from the bad. They are then again cut, so as to be from eight to ten inches in length, and are again put into smaller bundles, about ten inches round, tied with straw; and in that state are taken to the plat-market for sale. The process of whitening, or steaming, consists in subjecting the straw to the fumes of brimstone, in a close tub or box. The bundles, or handfuls, are first dipped in water, then shaken a little, so as not to retain too much moisture, and put on their ends round the inside of the tub or boxt. About an ounce of brimstone, broken into small pieces, is placed in the centre of the box, on a plate, or piece of tin or iron, and lighted; and the box is shut or closed up, to keep out the air and prevent the fumes escaping. The straws are examined by the platter before they are cut or used. The following are the principal faults. 1st. Black-haud, spottiness, or spot, which frequently arises from the rubigo, or rust in wheat; this is a great fault, frequently occurring in unfavourable seasons: 2nd. Red-haud, or redness, which is also a fault spoiling the appearance of the plat; 3rd. Bruised straw; 4th. Jointed straw; 5th. Crooked straw. The three latter kinds will not divide, or work well. The good straws are divided into three or four sizes, according to the calibre of the straw, or degree of fineness, for the different works. The straws are then cut into splints by the Machines, of which there are two kinds. One kind, probably the earliest, consists of a pointed wire, upon which the straw is forced; it then comes in contact with 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or 11, sharp divisions (the Nos. 5, 6, 7 are the most usual), which divide the straw into so many equal parts. These instruments have handles, and are made of either brass or iron; some are made more crooked than others; the price is from twopence upwards. The other kind consists of the point and sharp part let into wood. Several instruments, as the Nos. 4, 5, 6, and 7, are in one piece of wood. This latter instrument sells, in white wood, or oak, for one shilling and upwards; in mahogany, somewhat dearer. These ingenious instruments, and the plat-mills, after mentioned, are obtained with difficulty except at the market-stalls, on market-days, in the straw-plat districts; they may, however, be procured in London. By the division of labour, it is usual in manufactories, for one person (a Splitter) to examine, sort, and split the straw for fifty others, who are called platters, or braiders. The straws, when split, are termed splints; of which each worker has a certain quantity. Before working up the splints or straws into plat, those which are more or less curved or hollow, are flattened. This was attempted to be done by the common rolling-pin, but latterly by an instrument of work called the P'LAT MILL; made generally of deal, but sometimes of box-wood. The straw is put between the cylinders of this mill, and worked two or three times through it, by which the splints become flat, and are easy to work. The plat-mill in use at present is soon put out of order; and an acceptable service would be rendered to several English counties, by the improvement of this simple but important machine. It is almost impossible to describe the mode of A washing-tub, or a common tea-box, such as are sold by the grocers, will answer the purpose; but a supenor kind of box is used by Mr. Collier, of Ivingho, Bucks, a very intelligent manufacturer. It is a large oblong box, in which are placed the bundles of straw, reserving a place for the brimstone, which is let in by a trap-uoor at one end: the box may be onened in six or eight hours. working straw into the different plats; it can only be learnt under an able and kind instructress, who may be obtained from the straw-plat districts, on reasonable terms; when females are taught quite young, however, it is not difficult of acquirement. There are many schools in the districts, but they are susceptible of considerable improvement. Platters work first with the top of the straw (the root being upwards); the other end is generally either spotty or discoloured by the sun and air; the top is bright, having been covered by the leaf, which sheaths about two-thirds of the length up to the next joint. The platter leaves the lower ends unplatted, which appear in regular work at one side. Platters should be taught to use their second fingers and thumbs, instead of their fore-fingers, (often required in turning the splints,) which very much facilitates the platting, and they should be cautioned against wetting the splints too much; taking care, in double platting, to use enough to make the straws stick together. After a piece has been platted, it should be wound round a board, half a yard broad, and fastened at the top with yarn, and kept there several days, to form it into a proper shape. Of the different plats, which are numerous, the principal are the following. First: the Dunstable, or whole straw; a considerable improvement has taken place in the imitations; as 2nd. the Rustic, of four coarse straws: this is a large plat, and used in making very common bonnets and hats ; 3rd. the Pearl, of four small straws, not much used, being very expensive; 4th. the Devonshire of seven straws; 5th. the fine-seven; 6th. the Backbone, also worked in seven; 7th. the Double-seven : the straws are in the doubles wetted and laid together, and worked double; 8th. the Eleven Straw; 9th. the Double Eleven; 10th. the Lustre, or shining, of seventeen straws; 11th. the Wave, of twenty-two straws, the straws appear as if worked one way; 12th. the Diamond, of twenty-three straws. The platter works and sells by scores, or pieces of twenty yards long; and three score, or three and a half of the commoner straws, will make a bonnet. The bonnet-makers cut the score into half scores or ten yards, and a quarter score, or five yards. A good platter can make half a score in a day, or three score a week; good work will always command a sale, both in winter and summer. It is not intended here to describe the further process in making bonnets and hats ;--the plat is, by the best manufacturers, bleached (which is a delicate process). At Luton, and in some other places, there are regular bonnet-bleachers. The plat is then sewed, by the bonnet-sewers, (a difficult branch of business,) who make and form the bonnets and hats, which are then blocked; (an operation very laborious, and giving rise to disease of the chest, very often ending fatally. Can this be remedied?) The bonnets and hats are then pressed, and after being wired, lined, and ticketed, are ready for sale. THE USES OF ADVERSITY. Health to the bud, and fragrance to the flower, So, churlish Fortune rears her favourite child, His present Majesty, when residing in Bushy Park, had a part of the foremast of the Victory, against which Lord Nelson was standing when he received his fatal wound, deposited in a small temple in the grounds of Bushy House, from which it was afterwards removed to the upper end of the dining-room, with a bust of Nelson upon it. A large shot had completely passed through this part of the mast, and while it was in the temple, a pair of robins had built their nest in the shot-hole, and reared a brood of young ones. It was impossible to witness this little occurrence without reflecting on the scene of blood and strife of war, which had occurred to produce so snug and peaceable a retreat for a nest of harmless robins.- JESSE'S Gleanings. MEN balance a moment in possession against an eternity in anticipation: but the moment passeth away, and the eternity is yet to come. IN wonder all philosophy began; in wonder it ends: and the offspring of Ignorance: the last is the parent of Adora admiration fills up the interspace. But the first wonder is tion. COLERIDGE. ANNIVERSARIES IN JANUARY. MONDAY, 28th. 814 Charlemagne, King of France, and Emperor of Germany, died, 1613 Louis XIII. of France issued an edict against Duelling, with a 1725 Peter the Great, Czar of Russia, died at Petersburgh. Ca therine I. proclaimed Empress. 1616 Cape Horn first doubled. THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY. There are markets for the sale of the large bundles of long straw, both rough and properly stripped; the short straws; the straw-plats; and the bonnets, &c., throughout the straw-plat districts. The best bonnet-market is at St. Alban's, but there are others at Luton, Dunstable, and Braintree; these markets Ir has been already stated (p. 7), that when Numa Pompilius altered the Roman Calendar, he added January and February to are held only in the morning, from about eight to the year; making the latter the second month. Following the exten o'clock, and the plat buyers always attend. The ample of the Greek calendar, he assigned to it twenty-nine days; price of Double-seven (common plat) in October, which number Julius Cæsar continued; but Augustus Cæsar reduced them to twenty-eight, adding the twenty-ninth, or expunged 1832, was under eighteen-pence a score; three score day, to his own month of August; still Numa's number was, in and a half make a bonnet, which may be purchased manner, kept up; for, every fourth year, an additional, or twenty at the market by the public, and be made up at the ninth day was intercalated between the twenty-third and twentyfourth of February. These alterations made by the Emperor bonnet-maker's. Augustus, are retained in our calendar, with this slight difference, Temple, January 1, 1833. W. |