him with provisions; and the instant a favourable moment arrived for his escape, his vigilant friend conducted him from his subterraneous abode, and instructing him in the safest means to pass unmolested. Leaving the tomb, he regained the country; and soon after by joining his wife, her presence and affections taught him to appreciate still more highly the services of his generous benefactress. CURIOUS CUSTOMS. A spectacle of an extraordinary description was presented a few days ago, in the neighbourhood of Alnwick. About four miles from that town there is a pond known by the name of the Freemen's Well, through which it has been customary for the freemen to pass from time immemorial before they can obtain their freedom.---This is considered so indispensible that no exemption is permitted, and without passing this dreaded ordeal, the freedom would not be conferred. It is difficult to convey an adequate conception of the nature of this exhibition, for the simple wading through a pool, which is both long and deep, forms perhaps the least remarkable part of the sight. The pond is prepared by proper recognised officers in such a manner as to give the greatest possible annoyance to the persons who are to pass through it. With this view, great dykes or mounds are erected in different parts, so that the candidate for his freedom is at one moment seen at the top of one of them only up to his knees, and the next instant is precipitated into a gulph below, in which he frequently plunges completely over head. To add to the difficulty, the water is purposely rendered so muddy that it is impossible to see where these dykes are situated, or by any precaution to avoid them. In order to give effect to the spectacle, those aspiring to the honour of the freedom of Alnwick are dressed in white stockings, white pantaloons, and white caps. After they have "reached the point proposed," they are suffered to put on their asual clothes, and obliged to join in a procession and ride for several miles round the boundaries of the freemen's property---a measure which is not a mere formality for parade, but absolutely indispensible, since if they omit visiting any part of fheir property, it is claimed by his Grace the Duke of Northumberland, whose steward follows the procession to note if any such omission occurs. The origin of the strange practice of travelling through the pond in the manner we have described is plausibly explained by a tradition. It is said that King John was once nearly drowned upon the spot where this pond is situated, and saved his life by clinging to a hollow tree; and that he determined, in consequence, thenceforth, that before any candidate can obtain the freedom of Alnwick, he should not only wade through this pond, but plant a holly tree at the door of his house on the same day, and this custom is still scrupulously observed.---On the occasion to which we have just alluded, no less than 13 individuals went through the necessary formalities. The inhabitants of St. Johanna (an island near Madagascar), among other customs, have the following:-They beg an English name of the sailors who touch at their island; and, of course, names of the first eminence are given by our tars. Thus, when they have come to visit the ships that touch at the island, it has happened that the Duke of Richmond has humbly solicited the washing of linen; Lord Eldon requested a preference for his vegetables; Lord Liverpool has been detected in stealing a blanket; and the Duke of Bedford been known to beg for a tenpenny nail! SPECIMENS OF A PUNSTER'S VOCABULARY. A Tallow-chandler, is defined to be a Grecian; a Pugilist, a striking character; an Apothecary, a scrupulous or a dramatic character; a Postman, a man of letters; a Nightman is called a member of the Privy Council; a Pastry cook, a man of puffs; a Liquor-merchant, a man of spirit. Punning pervades the public press. In an account of a Butcher's wife being brought to bed, it is added, "of a fine chopping boy;" Pugilist's wife is confined with a "thumping boy;" in an account of a criminal's execution, the editorial wag observes, he had a drop too much;' a Scavenger is made to prefer a sweeping charge against a crusty baker; a Shoemaker's house being burnt down, he is said to have lost his awl (all); a dealer in gunpowder is said to be gone off to America; and it is added that there was a fine blow-up amongst his creditors. 66 NATURAL HİSTORY. The change from caterpillar to butterfly was long esteemed a real change of one animal into another; but this is not the case. The egg of a butterfly produces a butterfly with all the lineaments of its parent; only these are not disclosed at first, but for the greater part of the animal's life are covered with a sort of case, in which are legs for walking, these only suit it in this state; but its mouth takes in nourishment, which is conveyed to the included animal; and after a proper time this covering is thrown off, and the butterfly appears in its proper form. Before it passes into this state, there requires a state of rest for the wings to harden, and the several other parts to acquire their proper firmness: this is done when the animal lies in what is called the nymph or chrysalis state, in appearance only a lump of inanimate matter. There is a determined time for each of these changes; but in the several kinds, the periods are different. There is no sign of sex in the animal while in the caterpillar state: the propagation of the species is the business of the creature in its ultimate perfection; and till that, these parts are never exposed one female butterfly, will produce 300 or 400 eggs, or more. females are always larger than the males; and more slow in their motions; some of them have no wings, or at the most only very small ones. : The The care of all the butterfly tribe to lodge their eggs in safety is surprising. Those whose eggs are to be hatched in a few weeks, and who are to live in the caterpillar state during part of the remaining summer, always lay them on the leaves of such plants as will afford a proper nourishment; but on the contrary, those whose eggs are to remain unhatched till the following spring, always lay them on the branches of trees and shrubs, and usually are careful to select such places as are least exposed to the rigour of the ensuing season, and frequently cover them from it in an artful manner. Some make a general coat of a hairy matter over them, others hide themselves in hollow places in trees, and other cells, where they live in a kind of torpid state during the winter, that they may deposit their eggs in the succeeding spring. The common food of these creatures is the leaves and verdure of vegeta bles; yet as harmless as they seem, they will many of them destroy their fellows. These species, however, though freed from such dangers, are exposed to others; the worms or maggots of several sorts of flies are frequently found about them, some preying upon their outside, others lodged within them under the skin, but both kinds eating the creature up alive. Nothing is more surprising in insects than their industry; and in this the caterpillars yield to no kind, not to mention their silk, the spinning of which is one great proof of it. The cases which some of these insects build for passing their transformations under, are by some made with their own hair, mixed with pieces of bark, leaves, and other parts of trees, with paper, and other materials. There is one which builds in wood, and its case is harder than the wood itself. This is the horned caterpillar of the willow, which is one of those that eat their exuviæ. This creature has sharp teeth, with which it cuts the wood into small fragments; and these it unites into a case, by means of a viscous juice, which hardens as it dries, and is a strong cement. The butterfly, as soon as hatched, discharges a liquor which softens the viscous matter of the case; and so the fragments falling to pieces it finds its way out. Another curious artifice is that by which some species of caterpillars, when approaching to the chrysalis state make themselves lodgments in the leaves of trees; by rolling them up into a sort of hollow cylindric case, proportioned to the thickness of the body, and carefully secured. Besides these caterpillars, there are other species which only bend the leaves once, and others, which by means of thin threads, connect many leaves together to make a case. Caterpillars are very destructive to gardens, particularly that which afterwards becomes the common white butterfly. This is of a yellowish-white colour, spotted with black, and infests the leaves of cabbages, cauliflowers, and the Indian cress, of which it eats all the tender parts, leaving only the fibres entire. It is called by the gardeners a grub. domestic poultry, but of emus* and other strange birds, in the common course of incubation. The apparatus is yery simple. The eggs are deposited in trays on straw, and kept at a temperature of about 101, the natural temperature being about 104. In three weeks, the usual period for hens, the chickens burst the shell, and seem as healthy and lively as when produced by the common process. Other birds and fowls follow the same rule as to time.. But the most extraordinary part of this exhibition is an invention to show or demonstrate the whole progress of hatching from day to day, from the first deposition of the egg to the final developement and ejection of the animal. This consists of a series of twenty-one illuminated vessels, in each of which an egg is exposed, opened, from the first to the twenty-first day, and viewed through a glass. Thus the entire operation and secret of nature is rendered palpable to the sense. You see the yolk thicken; by the third day it displays whitish annular rings; by the fifth there is a red speck and a curious formation of slight red fibres-the future heart and bloodvessels of the bird; by the eighth or ninth these assume more perfect forms, and a black speck indicates the eye, which, in a few days more, is placed in the head above the beak; all these, and all the other parts, feathers, &c. gradually form, till at last, about the nineteenth day, the remainder of the yolk is drawn into the body by the navel, and the perfect animal subsists thereon till it is enabled to burst its shell. This it effects very ingeniously. This striking exhibition throws a wonderful light upon one of the least understood matters in the whole circle of natural science. The first indication of vital function takes place, as nearly as possible, about the seventy-second hour, when a quivering, like an electric spark, is observable. This is almost too minute for human sense, and vanishes momentarily; yet it seems to be the beginning of life, the incipient of the nervous system." cription which you lately gave of the mode in which witnesses and Jurymen are bothered by Gounsel, refreshed in my memory a grievance of this kind, of which I was myself a witness and participator-quorum pars magna fui and as Virgil says Opened all my wounds again. "I have the misfortune, Sir, to be what the world calls a modest man; and it is owing to my modesty that I have lacked promotion. Whether in love, friendship, or ambition, I have generally failed in my attempts, because I was modest. But I shall not the general misadventures which have detain you and your readers now with resulted to me from this serious affliction, and incurable malady of the mind, although they might furnish matter for a very edifying essay; but the present letter. to proceed at once to the object of "I was lately, Sir, an evidence in a cause of house-breaking at the Sessions House, in the Old Bailey. It was a most flagrant and self-evident case; but the prisoner was acquitted, entirely owing to my MODESTY, assisted by the IMPUDENCE of his Counsel. I shall never forget the questions put to me on that occasion, amidst the grins of the young nursesellors-and the good-humoured giglings of Justice, the junior Coungle of the Jury. Indeed, I suspected, as I timidly glanced towards the Bench for protection, that the Judge's wig was a little awry with his efforts to pre preserve a dignified composure. This, however, may be a delusion proceeding from a too susceptible fancy. Take the questions as they occurred; at the yourself with a face as red with blushes same time you must picture me to as the Red Lion of Brentford is with red ochre and vermillion, and with the big round drops' of perspiration coursing one another down my innocent cheeks, in piteous chase.' Counsellor-Pray, where do you chance to live, Mr. Modesty? Evidence-I live, Sir, at No. 4, a retired spot, THE DISADVANTAGES OF MO- DENCE IN A COUNSEL. To the EDITOR of the PORTFOLIO. *These require seven weeks and six days incubation. mi→ Court, Cannon-street. Are you sure you live there? (in a bass voice. Evidence-Yes, Sir, I am sure I live there; and have lived there these twenty years. squeaking treble voice.) a Cul de Sac. Do you know the prisoner at the bar? Evidence-No; I do not know the prisoner at the bar. Counsellor (In a bass voice)— Hey? what do you mean by saying you do not know the prisoner at the bar? Evidence-I mean that I never was acquainted with him, and never saw him till the night the robbery was committed. Counsellor-Heyday! Mark that, Gentlemen of the Jury! Why you said just now that he broke open the house! Now house-breaking and robbery are two different things. The Court, I hope, will attend to this circumstance. Evidence-Sir, I say he was detected in forcing open the window-shutters of the lower parlour. Counsellor (Leaning forward familiarly with his arms a-kimbo, and his tongue thrust out in his cheek.)— You don't happen to remember, Mr. Accuracy, how many panes of glass there are in the lower parlour? Evidence-No: I do not exactly re member. Counsellor (In a squeaking voice.) -Good! so absorbed in secluded contemplation; a perfect Penruddock in Cannon-street; above panes as well as pleasures (In a pass voice.)—Will you swear that there were not ten panes? Evidence-No! I do not exactly remember. There were either six or eight; but I do not remember which. Counsellor→Pray, Gentlemen, observe: he does not know how many panes there were in the window of the lower parlour. What part of the house do you inhabit? Evidence-The second story: two rooms, a dining-room and a bed-room. Counsellor-What do you call a bed room? Evidence-The room in which I sleep. Counsellor (In a squeaking voice) -Do you always sleep in a bed-room, Mr. Shy-face. Evidence-Ye-ye-yes, Sir. Counsellor (Winking) - You observe this witness's manner, Gentlemen of the Jury. Pray does the house chance to be your's? Evidence-No; I'm only a lodger. Counsellor-Oh! now it comes out. "Only a lodger" (mimicking) like the Irishman at the time of the fire. What profession are you? Evidence-I am Counsellor (In a ferocious bass voice)-Remember you are upon your oath the most solemn oath that can possibly be administered to man-you call your Maker to witness. Remember this is a serious thing. Evidence-1 am a Gentleman, Sir. Counsellor--I thought so-(Quizzing with his brother Counsel)—Every body is a Gentleman, now-a-days; it is a convenient travelling name, like Captain. The witness, Gentlemen, is facetious. But come, Sir, no evasion, if you please. Remember you are on your oath; an oath is not to be trifled with. How might you chance to be a Gentleman ? Evidence-I have an estate in the country, on the profit of which I live in town. Counsellor-Is your estate copyhold or freehold, or is it only a farm some dozen roods square, where you employ horses and ploughs for a country 'Squire ? Evidence-Really, Sir, your question seems so odd, that I do not know what answer to make. Counsellor (Shaking his horse hair mane in triumph.)-Gentlemen, you find that this witness does not know what answer to make; and this is a citcumstance I wish you particularly to attend to. In this manner was I and the other witnesses bothered, the Jury mystified, and the prisoner, who is one of the most notorious house-breakers in the kingdom, escaped the hands of Justice, amidst the amusement and merriment of the whole Court. That this legal system is very funny, no one can be more ready to admit than myself; that it is ingenious as well as generous cannot be disputed, since a guinea will engage such wit and talent indifferently on the white or black side of any given question. Besides, the exhibition which it makes of our happy Constitution as by law established, which is our proudest boast, it teaches a lesson of humiliation to bumility, and of Christian pa tience to honesty, which is, in point of practical philosophy, invaluable. In my own particular case also, it has been highly beneficial in convincing me of a great truth :-namely, that modesty is a great incumbrance; or, to use the slang of fashion, that modest persons are un-bear-able bores. In all my subsequent experience I have constantly found that impudence (particularly if it be inordinately shallow) succeeds best; and I particularly recommend it to your Readers as the best friend they can employ in all worldly transactions, more especially in Courts of Law. I am, Sir, your's. &c. &c. RALPH MODEST. Rose-bud Hall. 1 TO THE EDITOR OF THE PORTFOLIO. "MY DEAR MR. EDITOR.-There is a mighty pleasant book, published every now and then by Mr. Debrett, who is dead, called the Peerage of Great Bri tain and Ireland. That his being dead should hinder him from continuing his work, I am sure is quite unnecessary, for his own pages afford us numerous instances of people going on with all the operations of vitality long after they have ceased to exist, or before they were born. It is indeed, a pleasant book and full of excellent anecdotes and startling facts in all branches of knowledge, far beyond what you find in common works, and perhaps you could find me a corner, to give your readers a few specimens of the wonderful things therein contained. AN OLD TAILOR. "P. 268, we are informed that Sir Wm. Fitzwilliam, Knt. was married in 1506, and died in 1734. Now allowing him to have been thirty years old on his wedding day, he must have deceased at the good age of 358, which to he sure is not quite so old as Enoch, the junior of the Patriarchs, but is no bad age in these postdiluvian times for a tailor, as this ancestor of the illustrious house of Fitzwilliam happens to have been. SINGULAR COMPUTATION. "P. 730. John, 4th Earl of Strathmore, we are told, was succeeded by his son John, the 5th Earl -he by his brother Charles, the 6th Earlhe by his brother James, the 7th Earl -and be by his brother Thomas, the 8th Earl exhibiting in his person the uncommon instance of six brothers successively succeeding" (a good phrase) "each other in the Earldom." Now, common people, counting it on their fingers, would find that John, Charles, James, and Thomas were but four-but the ingenious calculators for Mr. Debrett, find them to be six DEFUNCT STATE OF PARLIAMENT. "P. 1009. We read of an officer who was killed at New Orleans. Time was when this was enough to put an end to any man-but we find here, that "in remuneration of his gallant services, he received the unanimous thanks of both Houses of Parliament -which, no doubt, under the circumstances must have been amazingly flattering. But still greater news comes behind-" of both Houses of Parliament, to whose memory a monument is erected in the Cathedral of St.Paul." I am sorry to hear this-though poor old Parliament had some ugly Members, I had an affection for the body, and am grieved to find that it has been tucked under a marble counterpaneno matter how costly. PROPHETIC POWERS OF GEORGE I. "P. 1035. Arthur Annesley, the first Earl of Mountnorris, was created Earl, December 10, 1723, but deferred being born until August 7, 1744, nineteen years afterwards. This, Í think, reflects great credit on the fore displayed by our ministers "a hundred knowledge of the fitness for Earldoms years ago." QUICK WORK. "P. 1101. Matthew Barnewell, Viscount Kingsland, was married secondly to Miss Mary Anne Bradshaw, in December, 1819: and thirdly, to Miss' Julia Willis, on the 2d of January, 1820, which, in my opinion, is not bad going. It is not every one of us who would have the luck to get a wife, gét rid of her, and get another in less than a month. A PRECOCIOUS YOUTH. Ld. Clarina, was born May 29, 1796"P. 1295. Nathaniel William, second had a daughter in 1797, and five other children in due course was a Lieute. nant General in the army-and died Governor of Barbadoes, January 26, 1810, aged fourteen years, wanting. three months and three days. A smart Lad by mine honour. "Such are my gleanings for this wcek-in due course you shall get more authentic facts from, dear Mr. Editor, your Servant at command, THOMAS PIPES. Sloan-street." ANECDOTES OF LORD BYRON, A young lady of considerable talents, but who had never been able to succeed in turning them to any profitable account, was reduced to great pecuniary hardships through the misfortunes of her family. The only persons from whom she could have hoped for relief were abroad; and so, urged on, more by the Sufferings of those whom she held dear than by her own, she summoned up resolution to wait upon Lord Byron, at his apartments in the Albany, and ask his subscription to a volume of poems. She had no previous knowledge of him, but from his works; those works which, have induced so many others, equally |