SPECTABILIA.

Children and servants are remarkably Herodotean in their style of nar- ration. If an educated man were giving an account of the late change of administration, he would say—' Lord Goderich resigned ; and the King, in consequence, sent for the Duke of Wellington.' A porter tells the story as if he had been hid behind the curtains of the royal bed at Windsor: So

Lord Goderich says, "I cannot manage this business ; I must go out." So the King says,—says "Well, then, 'I must send for the Duke of Welling-

ton—that's ' This is in the very manner of the father of history.— Edinburgh Review.

Bishop Watson compares a geologist to a gnat mounted on an elephant,. and lying down theories as to the whole internal structure of the vast ani- mal, from the phenomena of the hide.

Dr. PARR'S OPINION OF THE ANCIENT METHOD OF FIDDLING.—"His per formance, says Mr. Ashley, consisted in merely holding the instrument by the• head, and sounding the open strings, and singing, with great animation and power of voice, Greek verses, or chorusses as he called them : shifting the

fingers, he said, was useless, and merely a French innovation." This is a touch beyond Smollett in his portrait of the Doctor in ' Peregrine Pickle.'

In after life, when Mr. Ashley met Dr. Parr at Norwich, he asked him if he still practised the violoncello? The Doctor seriously replied, that as he could, not accomplish the Greek scale' he had been reluctantly compelled to resign. his musical studies.—Barker'sParriana.

SACRAMENTAL BREAD.—The Church of Rome, in the height of its power,. was extremely scrupulous in all that related to the sacramental bread. Ac- cording to Stevens, in his Monasticon, they first chose the wheat, grain by grain, and washed it very carefully. Being put into a bag, appointed only for that use, a servant, known to be a just man, carried it to the mill, and worked: the grindstones, covering them with curtains above and below ; and having put on himself an albe, covered himself with a veil, nothing but his eyes ap- pearing. The same precaution was used with the meal. It was not baked• till it had been well washed; and the warden of the church, if he were either, priest or deacon, finished the work, being assisted by two other religious, men, who were in the same orders, and by a lay brother, particularly ap- pointed for that business. These four monks, whets matins were ended, washed their faces and hands.

THE LAUNDRESSES OF BUENOS AYRES.—The washerwomen of Buenos Ayres present a singular spectacle to a stranger; they pursue their avoca,

tion on the heath and this soap-sud army extends for nearly two miles. All the washing of the town is performed there,by black women slaves, and ser- vants: at a distance upon the water, it looks like surf breaking upon the shore ; they wash well, extending the linen upon the ground to dry. Rob- beries amongst them are punished by ducking. A wedding, or other joyous ceremony, is celebrated with African magnificence ; a canopy is formed from the linen, and the heroine of the day placed under it ; red handkerchiefs for flags are carried upon sticks, with saucepans, drums, &c. They dance pas- seuls, after the mode of Guinea and Mozambique I presume. The music conaists of singing and clapping of hands ; thunders of applause follow- Pariaot and Angiolini never received more ; a general shout ends the enter- tainniente. Their adherence to African customs is a peculiar trait. At the approach of rain confusion seems at Ls height, and " chaos come again ; " the ladies hurrying in all directions to save their linen from the pitiless storm.

PORSON ON MORAL AND Peewee Evra.—" There was a large company,

and the Doctor (Parr) addressed Person nearly in these words Mr. Porson, pray what do you think about the introduction of moral and physical evil into the world 1"fitis was a knotty question.

Contienere omnes, intentique era tenebant.

Porson, after a moment's pause for reflection, answered with ereat solemnity,

or dryness of manner Why, Doctor, I think, we should have done very well without them?"—Barher's POOR-MAN-OF-NtUTTON.—Dr. Jamieson, the lexicographer of Scotland, ex- plains that " this is a term applied to the remains of a shoulder of mutton, which after it has done its duty as a roast at dinner, makes its appearance as a broiled bone at supper, or upon the next day." The Doctor gives the following anecdote in illustration.—" The late Earl of B., popularly known by the name of Old Rag, being indispnatel in an hotel in London, the land- lord came to enumerate the good things he had in his larder, to prevail on his guest to eat something. The Earl at length, starting suddenly from his couch, and throwing back a tartan night-gown which had covered his sin- gularly grim and ghastly face, replied to his host's courtesy ; ' Landlord, I think I roue/ cat a morsel of a poor man.' Bonifaee surprised alike at the ex- treme ugliness of Lord B.'s countenance, and the nature of the proposal, re- treated from the room, and tumbled down stairs precipitately ; having no doubt that this barbaric chief, when at home, was in the habit of eating a joint of a tenant or vessel when his appetite was dainty."

SUMMARY Buecneny IN rne PAMPAS.—A boy was deepatched for a sheep for our supper ; to my astonishment I saw him returning full gallop, with the poor animal trailing on the ground, fastened by the hind leg.: its struggles lasted but a little time, for, on arriving, life was extinct ; being li- terally strangled with dragging along the ground. Without attempting to bleed it, the head was cut off; in five minutes it was skinned, and, I may say, smoking with life, put into the pot for supper. This I learnt was al- ways the case, but never having witnessed a thing of the kind before, I need scarcely add, that it took away all my inclination to eat any part of it.— Brand's Voyage to Peru.

THE REWARD OF GENIUS.—" Two of our present prelates, I believe, were at one time his pupils. One, at least, I am sure was. Parr used to exult in the narrative of the sound birchings he conferred on him—rehearse it with his hands, and chuckle during the rehearsal. This very circumstance augers veil of the prelate's merit! While Parr wielded the ferule, his invariable rule was, never to punish lads of stunted capacity, nor try to extort, from mediocrity of talent, treasures which nature had not been prodigal enough to bestow. No, the really talented he attacked—to those, nature had been bountiful—and resolute Parr was to make her gifts be cultivated. There is a distinguished divine of the day, justly respected for his attainments and merits, who was mainly indebted to Parr's instruction for his celebrity. For some time after he entered the seminary, over which this great scholar ruled, the lad was classed as a 'mediocre,' and engaged, in consequence, the comparative amnesty extended to that grade. It happened, however, that one evening (after school-hours) the head assistant called to acquaint Parr with the momentous discovery, that, 'from some recent observations, he was led to conclude * * 5 * was a lad of genius." Say you so ?' (roared out Parr, in one of his delighted chuckles)—' then begin to flog to-morrow morning !!!' The distinctive birch was, I learn, not forgotten. The eclipse of genius speedily wore off."—Barker's Parriana.

Sea HUMPHREY DAVY'S PRAISE OF ANGLING.—" The search after food is an instinct belonging to our nature ; and from the savage in his rudest and most primitive state, who destroys a piece of game, or a fish, with a club or spear, to man in the most cultivated state of society, who employs artifice, machinery, and the resources of various other animals, to secure his object, the origin of the pleasure is similar, and its object the same : but that kind of it requiring most art may be said to characterise man in his highest or in- tellectual state ; and the fisher for salmon and trout with the fly employs not only machinery to assist his physical powers, but applies sagacity to conquer difficulties.; and the pleasure derived from ingenious resources and devices, as well as from active pursuit, belongs to this amusement. Then as to its philosophical tendency, it is a pursuit of moral discipline, requiring patience, forbearance, and command of temper. As connected with natural science, it may be vaunted as demanding a knowledge of the habits of a considerable tribe of created beings—fishes, and the animals they prey upon, and an ac- quaintance with the signs and tokens of the weather and its changes, the nature of waters and of the atmosphere. As to its poetical relations, it carries us into the most wild and beautiful scenery of nature ;— amongst the mountain lakes, and the clear and lovely streams that gush from the higher ranges of elevated hills, or that make their way through the cavities of cal- careous strata. How delightful in the early spring, after the dull and tedious time of winter, when the frosts disappear, and the sunshine warms the earth and waters, to wander forth by some clear stream, to see the leaf bursting from the purple bud, to scent the odours of the bank perfumed by the violet, and enamelled, as it were, with the primrose and the daisy ; to wander upon the fresh turf below the shade of trees, whose bright blossoms are filled with the music of the bee ; and on the surface of the waters to view the gaudy flies sparkling like animated gems in the sunbeams, whilst the bright and beautiful trout is watching them. from below ; to hear the twit. teriug of the water-birds, who, alarmed at your approach, rapidly hide them- selves beneath the flowers and leaves of the water-lily ; and as the season advances, to find all these objects changed for others of the same kind, but better and brighter, till the swallow and the trout contend, as it were, for the gaudy May-fly, and till in pursuing your amusement in the calm and balmy violin, you are serenaded by the sows of the cheerful thrush and melodious nightingale, performing the offices of paternal love, in thickets or- namented with the rose and woodbine !"—Salmonirs.

A Sine ON SHORE.—The confusion of a ship being on shore, and the im- pression it must make upon those who have never witnessed a scene of the sort, cannot easily be imagined. The leadsman is in the chains chaunting the depth of water, to the attentive ears of the captain and master, who are conning the ship to his cry of quarter-less-four, &c. ; when all at once, while under full sail, she strikes. " Holloa! what's that ?" cries the captain. "The ship's on shore," reply a dozen voices in the same breath. " What water," cries the captain ? " Quarter-less-two, sir," is the reply. " What water forward ? what water abaft ? what water to starboard? what water to port ?" to all which questions various sailors fly to answer. " Two fathoms, sir—quarter-less-two," &c. Again she strikes. Now confusion begins, va- rious orders and the boatswain's pipe are heard in all directions. " Turn

the hands up to shorten sail Aye, aye, sir !" " Man the fore and main clue-gamete, top-gallant &c. " All manned, sir." " Up

courses, in top-gallant sails." Away go the sails, flapping in the wind till silenced by their various buntlines and cluelines drawn close to the yards ; —bump again she goes. " Lower away the topsails." "Turn the hands up, out boats." Down fly the yards, the shrill pipe is heard again : " All hands out, boats ahoy!" Away fly the pigs, sheep, ducks, geese, turkies, fowls, &e. that may happen to be in the launch ; their cackling, &c. drowns the officers' voices : " Throw them overboard, down below, anywhere to stop their noise." " Clear away the kedge anchor. Get the stream cable up from below." Up it comes, roaring across the hatchway. The anchor is lowered to the stern of the launch ; the other boats are sent off, to sound round the vessel for the deepest water ; when that is found there the anchor is dropped. " Now heave away on the cable, my lads." " The anchor's coming home, sir." Harder she strikes still ; other orders are given : " Stand by to start all the water below—man the pumps—see the guns all clear for throwing overboard." Previous to these orders being put into exe- cution the sailors are cheered up to "Try her once more : heave again, my lads." " She holds, she holds ! hurra! my hearties, bravo ! There she starts, there she goes. She's oil', she's off." " Hold fast the guns, never mind the water." " Another heave, my boys, hurra ! and she floats." " There she is, all your own." " Now turn the hands up to make sail, hoist away the topsails, man the fore and main tacks, &c." " All manned, sir." " Haul on board" is the word, and away she goes again, all right, without further damage than probably knocking a little of the false keel off her bottom, which a few hours in dock will put in order again.—Brand's T 'olive to Peru.

A new steam-coach has been made at Edinburgh by Messrs. J. and G. Naesmith, the sons of the eminent landscape-painter. The Scotsman, speaking of their invention, says—'. Their steam-coach • is now finished so far as regards the machinery, and we had the pleasure of inspecting it a few clays ago. The engine is on the high pressure principle, as it always is for locomotive vehicles ; but from the construction of the boiler, every chance of explosion is more effectually guarded against than in most of those which are called low pressure engines. The furnace is a cube of about 30 inches, with two chimneys ; the boilers, four in number, are placed within it. They consist of iron cylinders, about nine inches in diameter, and are placed in a vertical position. There are two steam cylinders of about four incites diameter, with the cranks at right angles. The whole space occupied by the machinery, which is about all feet long., 3 feet broad, and 31 feet deep, scarcely exceeds in size the ordinary boot placed behind a stage-coach The vehicle has four wheels, and is steered by a person sitting in front. A trial, we understand, is to be made of it in a few days."