Book: The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction, Vol. 10, Issue 281, November 3, 1827
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THE MIRROR OF LITERATURE, AMUSEMENT, AND INSTRUCTION.
VOL. X. No. 281.] SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1827. [PRICE 2d.
* * * * *
MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF ALL NATIONS.
* * * * *
NO. XIV.
* * * * *
[Illustration]
The first of the above engravings represents one of the _Body Guards
of the Sheikh of Bornou_, copied from an engraving after a sketch
made by Major Denham, in his recent "Travels in Africa." These negroes,
as they are called, meaning the black chiefs and favourites, all raised
to that rank by Some deed of bravery, are habited in coats of mail,
composed of iron chain, which cover them from the throat to the knees,
dividing behind, and coming on each side of the horse; some of them wear
helmets or skull-caps of the same metal, with chin-pieces, all
sufficiently strong to ward off the shock of a spear. Their horses'
heads are also defended by plates of iron, brass, and silver, just
leaving room for the eyes of the animal; and not unfrequently they are
hung over with charms, enclosed in little red leather parcels, strung
together, round the neck, in front of the head, and about the saddle.
[Illustration]
Their appearance is altogether of a warlike character, the horses being
well caparisoned, and the riders well clothed for personal defence; and
though their equestrian evolutions be somewhat wild, the lance or spear
is doubtless a formidable weapon in their hands. The savage splendour of
their dress, together with the pawing and snorting of their fiery
steeds, render them appropriate auxiliaries to royalty, in countries
where such attributes of power are requisite to impress the people with
the importance of their rulers, and where the milder aids of
civilization and refinement are wanting to protect the sovereign from
violence.
The second engraving, copied from the same authentic source as that
preceding it, is a somewhat grotesque portraiture of one of the _Lancers
of the Sultan of Begharmi_, described, in an historical and geographical
account by a native prince, as an extensive country, containing woods
and rivers, and fields fit for cultivation; but now desolated, as the
inhabitants say, by the "misconduct of the king, who, having increased
in levity and licentiousness to such a frightful degree, as even to
marry his own daughter, God Almighty caused Saboon, the prince of
Wa-da-i, to march against him, and destroy him, laying waste, at the
same time, all his country, and leaving the houses uninhabited, as a
signal chastisement for his impiety."
Major Denham having applied for the covering of the above warrior and
his horse, in his journal thus describes their arrival:--"Aug. 11. Soon
after daylight, Karouash, with Hadgi, Mustapha, the chief of the
Shouaas, and the Sheikh's two nephews, Hassein and Kanemy, came to our
huts. They were attended by more than a dozen slaves, bearing presents
for us, for King George, and the consul at Tripoli. I had applied for a
_lebida_, (horse-covering,) after seeing those taken from the Begharmis;
the sheikh now sent a man, clothed in a yellow wadded jacket, with a
scarlet cap, and mounted on the horse taken from the Begharmis, on which
the sultan's eldest son rode. He was one of the finest horses I had
seen, and covered with a scarlet cloth, also wadded. 'Every thing,'
Hadgi Mustapha said, 'except the man, is to be taken to your great
king.'"
The Begharmis, it will be seen, were conquered by the people of Kanem;
and Major Denham has translated, and given in the appendix to his
_Travels_, a song of thanksgiving on the triumphant return of the
governor, full of the characteristic beauty and simplicity of savage
life. In these struggles it would appear the law of nations is severe on
the weakest; for the son of the late sultan of the Begharmis is
described as "now a slave of the sheikh of Bornou." So wags the world!
LIVING AT TOULOUSE.
Part of a house, sufficient for a small family, unfurnished, may be had
for 14 l. a year; and the most elegant in the city, in the best
situation, for 60 l., including coach-house, stable, cellar, &c. A horse
may be kept well for 14 l. a year. The wages of a coachman are 8 l., a
housemaid 8 l., a noted cook 16 l., and a lady's-maid 10 l. The price of
a chicken is 7-1/2 d.; a partridge 1 s.; a hare 2 s. 6 d.; a duck 1 s.;
a turkey 2 s. 6 d.; the best bread 1-1/2 d. per lb.; common ditto 1 d.;
a bottle of wine 3 d.; brandy is sold by the lb. of 16 oz. and costs 6
d.; grapes 1/2 d. per lb.; meat 3 d.; butter 4 d.; cheese 6d; 50 lbs.
carrots 10 d.; other vegetables at the same rate. A dozen very fine
peaches now cost a halfpenny; pears 3 d. a dozen; labourers, who work
from sunrise to sunset, are fed by the proprietor, and have 6 d. per
day, which, in this part of the country, will go further than three
times the sum in England. The horses and oxen used about the farms are
fed chiefly on straw, and do not consume more than 3 d. a day. The
labouring people make a very nourishing diet from maize flour, which is
fried with grease; and this, with beans, forms the principal part of
their food. They neither use nor wish for meat; but at this season they
have figs and grapes almost for nothing--_Original Letter_.
MOHAMMEDAN SUPERSTITION.
The eastern, and all Mohammedan people, considering Alexander the Great
as the only monarch who conquered the globe from east to west, give him
the title of "the two horned," in allusion to his said conquests. They
likewise believe that Gog and Magog were two great nations, but that, in
consequence of their wicked and mischievous disposition, Alexander
gathered and immured them within two immensely high mountains, in the
darkest and northernmost parts of Europe, by a most surprising and
insuperable wall, made of iron and copper, of great thickness and
height; and that to the present time they are confined there; that,
notwithstanding they are a dwarfish race,--viz. from two to three feet
in height only--they will one day come out and desolate the world. As
Lord Mayor's Day is just approaching, perhaps some of the visiters of
Gog and Magog on that occasion may decide this matter. It is almost akin
to our nursery quibble of the giants hearing the clock strike, &c. &c.
PERSIAN BARBER.
The Khas-terash (literally, personal shaver) of the present sovereign
has, in the abundance of his wealth, built a palace for himself close to
the royal bath at Teheran. And he is _entitled_ to riches, for he
is a man of pre-eminent excellence in his art, and has had for a long
period, under his especial care, the magnificent beard of his majesty,
which is at this moment, and has been for years, the pride of
Persia.--_Persian Sketches_.
LIVING IN GENEVA.
The vicinity of Geneva appears peculiarly eligible for the permanent
residence of an English family. There is perhaps no town on the
continent where greater facilities are afforded for a man of literary
and scientific pursuits to indulge his taste or to increase his
knowledge. The city is close built, and consequently not an agreeable
place to live in; but its immediate environs abound with delightful
spots.
The costume of the Genevese assimilates much with that of the French;
but the better class of females are partial to the English fashions. The
language of the country is French, but its habits and religion are
widely different. Not only does the Protestant faith find here the
salutary prevalence of a kindred faith, but the members of our own
ecclesiastical establishment are enabled to join each other every
Sabbath day in the worship of God, and at stated seasons to receive the
holy sacrament according to the pure and apostolic ritual of the church
of England.
The expense of a house, with a garden and piece of land, within a mile
of the gates, including also the keeping of a caleche and pair of
horses, for a gentleman, his lady, two children, and three servants,
does not exceed 300 l. a year; and with this he is enabled to receive his
friends occasionally, and in a respectable style. To proceed from a
family establishment to a bachelor's pension, "I," says Mr. Seth
Stevenson, in his _Continental Travels_, "was told that a person
at Petit Saconnex has a sleeping-room to himself, and his breakfast,
dinner, tea, and supper with the family, for 500 francs (20 l. 16 s. 8 d.)
per annum."
The taxation of Geneva is described as very trifling. There is a sort of
income-tax, to which every man of property contributes, on his honour,
as to the amount of that property. The whole tax for horses and
carriages amounts to about 18 d. for each person; the richest it seems
pays no more, and the others pay no less. "My friend assures me,"
continues Mr. S. "that his fellow citizens approve of their annexation
to Switzerland, and also of the union of the Valais with the Helvetic
confederation--that the people of this little republic are flourishing
again, contented with their government; and as the best proof of their
returning prosperity since the peace, he adverted to the comparatively
few indigent or distressed persons among them, and to the fact of there
being only forty-five persons in the poor's hospital, besides those
admitted under the head of casualties."
* * * * *
ORIGINAL STORY OF HAMLET,
(_From the Latin of Saxo Grammaticus, but interspersed._)
Florwendillus, king of Jutland, married Geruthra, or Gertrude, the only
daughter of Ruric, king of Denmark. The produce of this union was a son,
called Amlettus. When he grew towards manhood, his spirit and
extraordinary abilities excited the envy and hatred of his uncle, who,
before the birth of Amlettus, was regarded as presumptive heir to the
crown. Fengo, which was the name of this haughty prince, conceived a
passion for his sister-in-law, the queen; and meeting with reciprocal
feelings, they soon arranged a plan, which putting into execution, he
ascended the throne of his brother and espoused the widowed princess.
Amlettus, (or Hamlet,) suspecting that his father had died by the hand
or the devices of his uncle, determined to be revenged. But perceiving
the jealousy with which the usurper eyed his superior talents, and the
better to conceal his hatred and intentions, he affected a gradual
derangement of reason, and at last acted all the extravagance of an
absolute madman. Fengo's guilt induced him to doubt the reality of a
malady so favourable to his security; and suspicious of some direful
project being hidden beneath assumed insanity, he tried by different
stratagems to penetrate the truth. One of these was to draw him into a
confidential interview with a young damsel, who had been the companion
of his infancy; but Hamlet's sagacity, and the timely caution of his
intimate friend, frustrated this design. In these two persons we may
recognise the Ophelia and Horatio of Shakspeare. A second plot was
attended with equal want of success. It was concerted by Fengo that the
queen should take her son to task in a private conversation, vainly
flattering himself that the prince would not conceal his true state from
the pleadings of a mother. Shakspeare has adopted every part of this
scene, not only the precise situation and circumstances, but the
sentiments and sometimes the very words themselves. The queen's
apartment was the appointed place of conference, where the king, to
secure certain testimony, had previously ordered one of his courtiers to
conceal himself under _a heap of straw;_ so says the historian; and
though Shakspeare, in unison with the refinement of more modern times,
changes that rustic covering for the royal tapestry, yet it was even as
Saxo Grammaticus relates it. In those primitive ages, straw, hay, of
rushes, strewed on the floor, were the usual carpets in the chambers of
the great. One of our Henrys, in making a progress to the north of
England, previously sent forward a courier to order _clean straw_
at every house where he was to take his lodging. But to return to the
subject.
The prince, suspecting there might be a concealed listener, and that it
was the king, pursued his wild and frantic acts, hoping that by some
lucky chance he might discover his hiding-place. Watchful of all that
passed in the room, as he dashed from side to side, he descried a little
movement of the uneasy courtier's covering. Suddenly Hamlet sprung on
his feet, began to crow like a cock, and flapping his arms against his
sides, leaped upon the straw; feeling something under him, he snatched
out his sword and thrust it through the unfortunate lord. The barbarism
of the times is most shockingly displayed in the brutal manner in which
he treats the dead body; but for the honour of the Danish prince, we
must suppose that it was not merely a wanton act, but done the more
decidedly to convince the king, when the strange situation of the corpse
was seen, how absolutely he must be divested of reason. Being assured he
was now alone with his mother, in a most awful manner he turns upon her,
and avows his madness to be assumed; he reproaches her with her wicked
deeds and incestuous marriage; and threatens a mighty vengeance upon the
instigator of her crime.
In the historian we find that the admonitions of Hamlet awakened the
conscience of the queen, and recalled her to penitence and virtue. The
king, observing the change, became doubly suspicious of the prince; and
baffling some preliminary steps he took to vengeance; Hamlet was
entrapped by him into an embassy to England. He sent along with him two
courtiers, who bore private letters to the English monarch, requesting
him, as the greatest favour he could confer on Denmark, to compass, by
secret and by sure means, the death of the prince as soon as he landed.
Hamlet, during the voyage, had reason to suspect the mission of his
companions; and by a stratagem obtaining their credentials, he found the
treacherous mandate; and changing it for one wherein he ordered the
execution of the two lords, he quietly proceeded with them to the
British shore. On landing, the papers were delivered, and the king,
without further parley, obeyed what he believed to be the request of his
royal ally; and thus did treason meet the punishment due to its crime.
The daughter of the king being charmed with the person and manners of
the foreign prince, evinced such marks of tenderness, that Hamlet could
not but perceive the depth of his conquest. He was not insensible to her
attractions; and receiving the king's assent, in the course of a few
days led her to the nuptial altar. Amidst all joys, he was, however,
like a perturbed ghost that could not rest; and before many suns had
rose and set, he obtained a hard wrung leave from his bride, once more
set sail, and appeared at Elsineur just in time to be a witness of the
splendid rites which Fengo (supposing him now to be murdered) had
prepared for his funeral. On the proclamation of his arrival, he was
welcomed with enthusiasm by the people, whose idol he was, and who had
been overwhelmed with grief when Fengo announced to them his sudden
death in England. The king, inflamed with so ruinous a disappointment,
and becoming doubly jealous of his growing popularity, now affected no
conciliation, but openly manifested his hatred and hostility. Hamlet
again had recourse to his pretended madness, and committed so many
alarming acts, that Fengo, fearing their direction, ordered his sword to
be locked in its scabbard, under a plea of guarding the lunatic from
personal harm, After various adventures, at last the prince accomplished
the death of his uncle's adherents, and vengeance on the fratricide
himself, by setting fire to the palace during the debauch of a midnight
banquet. Rushing amidst the flames, he kills Fengo with his own hand,
reproaching him at the moment with his murder, adultery, and incest.
Immediately on this act of retribution he was proclaimed lawful
successor to the throne, and crowned with all due solemnity.
Thus far Shakspeare treads in the steps of the annalist; the only
difference is in the fate of the hero; in the one he finds a kingdom, in
the other a grave. Saxo Grammaticus carries the history further; and
after the crowning of Hamlet as king, brings him again into Britain,
where, in compliment to that land of beauty, he marries a second wife,
the daughter of a Scottish king. Hamlet brought both his wives to
Denmark, and prepared for a long life of prosperity and peace. But the
sword hung over his head; war burst around him, and he fell in combat by
the hand of Vigelotes, son of Ruric. Saxo Grammaticus sums up his
character in a few words: "He was a wise prince and a great warrior.
Like Achilles, he had the principal actions of his life wrought on his
shield. The daughter of the king of Scotland casting her eye on it,
loved him for the battles he had won, and became his bride."
* * * * *
SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.
* * * * *
ENGLISH FRUITS.
(_Concluded from page 295._)
_The Vine_.--The value and transcendant excellence of this foreign fruit
is too well known to require any extended account in this paper; as a
native of the southern verge of the northern temperate zone, it only
requires its natural degree of heat to bring it to perfection. The
growth is luxuriant, is fertile, easy of management, and as it requires
support, obedient to the trainer's will. Many excellent varieties ate in
our stoves and vineries; differing in hardness, size of bunches, and in
colour and flavour of fruit. These, it is likely, have been gained from
seeds; and as its cultivation has been primaeval with the inhabitants of
the earth, no wonder it received, for its unequalled utility, their
chiefest care.
That the climate of this country has undergone a considerable change
within the last hundred years, is allowed by all who have considered the
subject; and nothing furnishes a more convincing proof of this, than the
history of the vine. Previous to the reign of Henry VIII., every abbey
and monastery had its vineyard. In the rent-rolls of church property in
those days, and long afterwards, considerable quantities of grapes were
paid as tithe; and the vestiges of some of those vineyards remain to
this day. They were usually placed on the south side of a hill, in a
light dry soil, having the surface covered with sand; the vines being
trained near the ground. But with such inclement and changeable springs,
and long protracted winters, as have been experienced of late, even such
frost as is seen at this moment (24th of April,) vines as standards in
the open air, would be destroyed; or, at least, no dependence could be
placed upon them for a crop. But vineyards in the country could neither
be so profitable, nor are they so necessary as they were in those days;
international intercourse is now more open, and corporations, whether
religious or civil, can be supplied with grapes in any shape, and their
precious juice in any quantity, at a cheaper rate than either home-grown
or home-made. In their cultivation in this country, practitioners are
more liable to err in planting them in too rich, than in too poor a
soil; the first adds too much to their natural luxuriance of growth, and
always reduces the flavour of the fruit.
_The Mulberry_.--This fruit has not been subjected to the
operations and attention of the improver so much, perhaps, as it
deserves; true, it has been planted against walls, and as espaliers; and
in both places has done well.
_The Fig_ has been long in our gardens; a very ancient one is still
alive in the garden of one of the colleges at Oxford. In its native
country it produces two crops in the year, and this property makes its
management rather difficult in a country where it can but with
difficulty be made to produce one; and especially when trained in the
common way to a wall, where the crop is often sacrificed to the useless
symmetry of the tree. It is impatient of frost, and requires protection
during winter; and is also impatient of the knife, and more, perhaps,
than any other tree, is disposed to form its own natural head. When kept
in a glass case, either planted in the ground or in pots, it well repays
the trouble bestowed upon it.
_The Quince_.--This fruit remains very steadily in character to
what it has always been known to be; the taste is too austere to be used
alone from the tree; but with other fruits in pastry, or in the shape of
preserves or marmalade, it is useful.
_The Medley_.--Two or three sorts of this tree are in cultivation:
they are placed in the lowest grade of fruits; though, when they are
perfectly mature, they are much relished by some palates. The azarola,
service, and two or three others used in the south of Europe, are not
worth notice here.
_The Filbert_.--The common wild hazle of our hedges has been
improved, by chance or cultivation, into the several varieties of red
and white filberts and cob-nuts. Working them upon the hazle, or upon
themselves, is necessary; because, it not only makes them more fruitful,
but also brings them sooner into bearing.
_The Walnut_.--This nuciferous tree has been cultivated in England
more for the value of the timber than for its fruit. There are several
varieties, differing chiefly in the size of the nut, from the diminutive
ben-nut, to the large or double French sort. The only improvement which
can be expected in this, is a hardier sort which would be less
susceptible of damage from frost.
_The Chestnut_.--The description of the walnut may be applied to
this, as they are natives of the same climate; and their flowers are
alike impatient of frost. The fruit of this is, however, inferior to
that of the walnut, and seldom arrives at the same degree of perfection.
The tree grows to a great size, and is one of the most valuable of our
forest trees. In "days of yore," it must have been much more plentiful
in this country, or more plentifully imported, than it now is; as the
principal timbers of abbeys, cathedrals, and other ancient buildings,
are chiefly formed of it: being equally durable as the oak, which it so
much resembles, that they can hardly be distinguished from each other,
but by the test of the wet edge of a chissel being stained by the oak,
and not at all by the chestnut.
_The Melon and Cucumber_.--These exotic fruits are extensively
cultivated; the latter takes various shapes in our bills of fare; the
former is more a luxury than a fruit for general use; their culture on
hot-beds forms a material branch of modern gardening, and with that of
the gourd, pumpkin, squash, vegetable marrow, &c., is well known.
_The Pine-Apple_.--This sovereign of fruits is, and can only be, in
this country, an appendage to opulence and rank. Several varieties are
cultivated in our forcing-stoves, and grace the tables of the rich, and
in as great perfection as they can be had between the tropics. In their
wild state, they affect the sides of rivulets, and often under the shade
of lofty trees; but are of inferior flavour, unless the weather is very
dry when they are ripening off; and when cultivated, they receive little
or no water during the last stage of their growth.--_Quarterly Journal
of Science, &c._
* * * * *
ANECDOTES OF THE MARVELLOUS.
_A Prediction Fulfilled._
At the time of the American war, a gentleman (a mere youth) entered the
army, and saw some little service. One day, during an engagement, he
was, in the hurry and confusion of it, knocked down; and a soldier,
setting his foot upon his chest in passing over him, hurt him so
exceedingly that he became senseless; upon recovering, he found himself
still stretched on the ground, and a singular, looking female stood
beside him, who, as he opened his eyes, exclaimed in an ill-boding
voice, "Ay, young man, mark my words: _that_ hurt will be the
death of you in your forty-second year." He immediately recognised in
this old raven one of those _soothsayers_ who usually followed the
army, and gained a livelihood by their oracular powers. Mr. L. certainly
did _mark_ her words, inasmuch as returning to England, he quitted
the army, entered the church, and amongst other red-coat reminiscences,
used frequently to mention (and mention but to ridicule) the American
soothsayer's prediction. Nevertheless, true it is, that he did die in
his forty-second year, and of a disease in his _chest_ too,
although he had never suffered from the hurt beyond the period at which
he received it.
_Imagination._
The measles (it is pretty well known to all voyagers) is at St. Helena a
hideous and fatal disorder, although generally mild at the Cape, which
is about a fortnight's sail from the former island: every ship,
therefore, from the Cape, upon touching at St. Helena, undergoes
examination, and, if the measles are known to be prevalent at the former
place, is put into quarantine, and no officer, however urgent his
business may be, allowed to land without making oath or affidavit that
he has not been on shore at the Cape, or approached an infected person.
Some years since, a naval officer, acquainted with the then governor of
St. Helena, General P----n, was invited to dine with him, and met at
dinner another officer from another vessel, who, it is to be presumed,
had eluded undergoing the usual precautionary measures, and was perhaps
ignorant of their existence, since he mentioned, during the repast, that
the measles were prevailing at Cape Town, and admitted that he had
entered it. Now, he had just arrived at St. Helena, and though he
expressly stated that he had not gone near any infected person, poor
Mrs. P----, uttering a shriek, fled from the table, exclaiming that she
knew she should have the measles; in fact, she immediately fell sick of
that disorder, (and died, I think I understood.) All her family took it,
and it raged through the island, proving dreadfully destructive.