The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-03-21 00:00:00

KING'S EVIL.

Among the many customs, the entire disuse of which
marks the decay of superstition arising from the progress
of knowiedge, there is no one more remarkable than the
solemn act of charming away this scrofulous infection by
the miraculous touch of a royal finger. Dr. JOHNSON, it
is well known, inherited this °disease. " His mother," says
Bosw ELL, his loquacious biographer, " yielding to the su-
perstitious notion, which it is wonderful to think prevailed
so long in this country as to the virtue of the regal touch,
—a notion which cur kings encouraged, and to which a
man of such inquiry and such judgment as CARLE (the
historian) could love credit—carried him to London,',
where he was actually touched by Queen ANNE. Mrs.''
Johnson, indeed, as Mr. Hector informed me, acted by Me
advice of the•celehratcd Si: JOHN FLOYER, then a physkian
at Lichfield. Jon NSO N used to talk of this very frankly, and
Mrs. nom has preserved his very picturesque descrip-
tion of the scene, as it remained upon his fancy. Bring
asked if he could remember Queen ANNE? he had,'
he said, a confused, but somehow a sort of solemn re-
collection
of a lady in diamonds and a long black hood.'
This touch, however, was without any effect."
It was but in the last century that this mode of cure was
thus gravely recommended by .a physician of celebrity,
while, in the present day, there is no person, however ig-
norant, that would not laugh at the credulity of his fore-
fathers, who could have faith in such a remedy:—such is
the general advancement of human reason, and the graddal
diffusion of.common sense. MtssoN, a Frenchman, in his
" emoirs and Observations in his Travels over England,"
translated by OZELL, and published in 1719, gives the fol-
lowing curious and interesting particulars of this super-
stitious ceremony, of the performance of which he was him-
self an eve witness:—

" Every body knows, that Edward, called the Confessor, and ca.
nonized by Pope Ales:in:ler the Third, was the first King of Eng.
land that pretended to the virtue of curing the evil, by touching the
party affected. I believe all the Kings that have succeeded him
have had the same weakness, and flattered themselves with the
moue illusion down to William 111. by the grace of God now
reigning; who not being a man of chimeras, laughs at this folly.
The English nation had, and perhsps still has, a great faith in
this anodyne remedy. During the last months of the Reign of
James 11. as it was easy to imagine that when God should raise
the Protestant wind, which was to bring over the Restorer into
England, it might occasion a synabble that would interrupt the
ordinary course of things, abundance of people. affected with the
evil, flocked from all parts to be touched ; the King having notice
of it, was so gracious as to declare that lie would touch more fre-
quently than usual, and appoined the days when he would do it.
1 was present at the hut ceremony : the King was seated in a chair
of state, raised two or three steps, in the great Hall of Whitehall,
called the Banguetii.g House, The Reverend Father Peter, with
his little baud and his sweeping cloak, was standing at the King's
right hand. After some prayers, the diseased person, or those that
pretended to be so, were made to pass between a narrow double
rail, which faced the King. Each patient, rich and poor, mate and
female, fell upon their knees, one after another, at the King's feet.
The King, putting forth MI two hands, touched their two clr ekes;
the JeAnit, who held a number of gold tnedals, each worth about
two crowns, fastened to a narrow white ribbon, put the ribbon
round the patient's neck at the same time that tile King touched
him, and said something tantamount to what they say in France,
" The King touches thee 4 God cure thee." Tins was done in a
trice ; and jar fear the same patient shank' crowd iota again,
to get another medal, he was taken by the arm and carried into a
safe place. %{'hen the King was weary of repeating the same
action, and touching the cheek or chin, Father Peter, the Almoner,
presented him with the end of the string which was timid the
patient's nee* ; the virtue passed from the hand to the string,
from the string to the clothes, front the clothes to the skin, and
from the skin to the tool of the evil ; after this Royal touch, those
that were really ill were put into the hands of physicians : and
those that came only far the medal had no need of other remedies."

FROM SATURDAY NIGHT'S GAZETTE.
AU LITARY PROMOTIONi.

•
War-Office, March 18, 1826.
2d Regiment of Life Guards—Lieutenant William Nesbitt Bur.
myna to be Captain, by purchase, vice Ridout, who retires.
Cornet al.d .Sub-Lieutenant Henry Dallas to be Lieutenant, by
purchase, vice Burrnwes.
Richard Henry Beaumont. Gent. to be Cornet and Sub-Lieute-
nant, by purchase, vice Dallas.
3d Regiment of Light Dragnons—Lieutenant John 211‘Queen to
be Captain, by purchase, vice Guff; who retires.
Cornet Charles Phillippa to be Lieutenant, by purchase, vice
Al 'Queen.
George Henry Lockwood, Gent. to be Cornet, by purchase, vice
Phillipps.
10th ditto—Christopher Hampden Nicholson, (lent. to be Cornet,
bl putchase, vice Lord James Fitzroy, promoted in the 63d
rot.

ist7orGrcnadier Regiment of Foot Guards—Ensign and Lieute-
nant John Blenkinsopn Coulson, from half-pa y Coldstream Foot
Gunn to be Enagn and Lieutenant, vice Duncan Davidson,
who exchanges, receiving the difference.
Ist Regiment of Foot—Ensign Henry Charles Fraser. from the
38th Foot, by purchase, vice Stoytc, promoted; and Enbign
John lil`Gregor, without purchase, vice Suter, deceased—to be
Lieutenants.
_ _ .

Robrrt Johtatill, Gent. vise 31'Gregor, to be Ensign, without
purchase.
Bth ditto—Lieutenant Archibald Maclachlan has beer. superseded,
he having obtained leave of absence on false pretences.
10th ditto—Lieutenant Saville Broom to be Captain, by purchase,
vice Powell, who retires.
Ensign Henry Aitchison Hawkey to' be Lieutenant, by purchase,
♦ice Broom.

14th ditto—Ensign James Ramsay Smith, vice Kirkman, de-
ceased; and Ensign Robert Nayler, vice Crawford, deceased—to
be Ensigns, without purchase.
Edward Capadose, Gent. vice Smith ; and Ralph Dodd, Gent. lice
Nayler—to be Ensigns.
38th ditto—Ensign Robert Elisha Coghlan, from the 61st Foot, to
be Lieutenant, without purchase, vice Mends, deceased.
Ensign James Bunbury Blake, from the 64th Foot, to be Ensign,
vice Fraser, promoted in the Ist Foot.
64th ditto—Thomas Kenyon, Gent. to be Ensign, by purchase,
vice Blake, appointed to the 38th Foot.
73d ditto—Assistant-Surgeon George Martin to be Surgeon, vice
Edward Owen, rho retires upon half-pay.
79th ditto—Robert Fulton, Gent. to be Ensign, by purchase, vice
Moorsom, promoted in the 7th Foot.
87th ditto—Lieutenant James T. Moore to be Captain, without
purchase, viceClifFord, deceased.

Etisign Robert Russell. Harris to be Lieutenant, vice Moore.
Richard Loveday, Gent. to be Ensign, vice Harris.
88th ditto--Assistant-Surgeon Richard Douze, from half- ay oth
Wcst India Regiment, to be Assistant-Surgeon, vice Edward
11•Iyer, who exaanges.