The Sun.
London, England, 1833-09-02 00:00:00

THE ASIATIC JOURNAL.

There are only two original articles of any
length in the Asiatic Journal of this month.
One is " Sketches of Indian Society, No. 6,"
which contains a somewhat wiredrawn descrip-
tion of water travelling on the Ganges. The
subject has been made familiar to English
readers by Bishop Heber's journals, and the
style of the present article does not compensate
for the want of novelty in its subject matter.
We trust the writer has not exhausted his or her
materials, for these sketches form a series of
papers which have for some months past
pleased us well. The other original paper
is a continuation of Hindoo Metaphysics,
which we cannot i say improves as it pro-
ceeds. Of the reviews, documents, and
abstracts that which has pleased us most is the
account given of a journey across the desert of
Cobi, or Gohi, into China. The following in-
teresting narrative of a battle between a tiger
and an alligator was witnessed by Mess. Gogerly
and Lacroix, Missionaries of the London So-
ciety, in their course through the Sunderbunds,
in Janua. y last. We have picked it out from
that part of the work which contains the miscel-
lanies, denominated " Asiatic Intelligence."

" About eleven o'clock in the forenoon we cast anchor
in the Barchurra Nuddee, with an extensive forest on both
sides; when, at about a hundred yards from us, sn alliga-
tor came out of the river, to enioy his noontide sleep in
the rays of the sun. After remaining there about half an
hour, and being apparently in a sound sleep, we observed
an immense tiger emerging from the jungle. and bending
his steps toward the place where the alligator lay. In
size, the tiger exceeded the largest we had ever seen ; and
his broad round face, when turned towards us, striped
with white, his fierce eyes, with the amazing apparent
strength of his limbs, made the stoutest heart on board
tremble at the thought of encountering such a dreadful
foe. With the most cautious pace imaginable, the tiger
approached the alligator; his raised foot remained some
seconds before he replaced it on the ground ; and so he
proceeded till he came within the powi-r of his leap, when,
exerting all his strength, and bounding from the earth, he
descended immediately upon the alligator's hack, and
seized it by its throat. The monster of the deep, roused
from its slumber, opened its tremendous jaws, and slashed
its terrific tail ; arid, while the conflict listed, each seemed
to exert its utmost strength. The tiger, however, had
the advant ge, for he had grasped the alligator in a part
of the neck which entirely prevented him from turning
his bead sufficiently round to seize his antagonist; and
though many severe blows were inflicted on the body of
the tiger by its saw-like tail, the noble beast of the forest,
when the battle was concluded, shook his brawny sides,
an I seemed unconscious of any pain. Having overcome
the alligator, he dragged it a little farther on the shore,
and sat over it exactly in the attitude of a cat sitting over
a captive mouse ; he then took the creature in his mouth,
and gently walked off with it into the jun ties. About ten
minutes al erward we saw the t:ger emerge from the forest;
and after gazing at us for a few minutes, and perhaps
imagining that we were almost too far from the shore to
allow him to add to us the number of his trophies of victory
and blood, he slowly pursued his course in a different
direction to where he had left his prey, and we saw him
no more. In less than an hour afterward, the alligator,
who had been stunned, but not killed, crept out of the
jungle, and though evidently much injured, yet with some
difficulty reached the river. He, however, was too much
lacerated to remain long in the water, and soon came again
to land ; but took the precaution of exposing but a part
of his body, and keeping his face toward the shore; he
continued but a very short time, and again launched into
the deep, repeating his visits to the beach almost every
quarter of an hour whilst we remained. The sight was
certainly dreadfully magnificent, and one, we believe,
which is very seldom witnessed."

JO HNST ONE S EDINBURGH MAGA-

ZINE.

This is a first number, and unlike most num-
bers in the same predicament, gives a smiling
promise of the future. One word, however, we
will just venture to whisper in the ear of the fair
editor—and that one word is—brevity. The ma-
jority of the articles, though all above the usual pe-
riodical calibre, are too long. Their extreme exu-
berance requires the free use of the pruning-
hook. This is especially the case with the open-
ing essay or memoir, entitled the " Experiences
of Richard Taylor, Esq.," who (unlike Richard
the Third,) would be considerably improved
by being " curtailed of his fair proportions."
His biography extends to nearly eighteen pages,
when there is scarcely incident to fill a dozen.
" The Turf" is a clever notice of a well-known
and well-written essay on that subject, which
appeared in the last number of the " Quarterly
Review." It has, however, the besetting sin of
prolixity, and we may say of it, with more truth
than Horne Tooke said of Junius, that materiem
superat opus. In justice to Mrs. Johnstone, we
quote an extract from the introductory memoir
of "Richard Taylor, Esq." This character,
though fictitious is so ably and vigorously pour-
trayed as to wear all the aspect of reality.

" It was however, as the gentleman with the umbrella'
that Mr. Taylor was best known ; for this was his name
wi•h the multitude ; the mazy women and children, of
whom be was a daily speaking acquaintance; and with
two-thirds of the men. He was, indeed, lavish of his
acquaintanceship, but as chary of his intimacy. His circle
took in both extremes of society, and all that lay between
them. On the same morning he might have been seen
leaning on the cane of the neatly rolled up brown silk um-
brella, fixed with its soother-of-peal button, talking with
the richest merchants leaving the Exchange, or conversing
with an Irish market-woman, or an old Jew clothesman.
Such was the street status of Mr. Taylor, when the Peace
sent the hero of Waterloo to perambulate the pavement of
London ; and, in his Grace, the people of Mr. Taylor's
heat discovered, to his horror, the double of their man
with the umbrella.' In the height, and the general out.
line of the figure, the compactness of the person, the alac-
rity and firmness of movement, and also in the length of
the countenance, there might be some slight resemblance, as
well as in the plainness, accuracy, and (a certain style
established) the unpretendingness of the dress. But the
main feature was assuredly the umbrella ; with something
perhaps of that cast of countenance which Richard
himself called the mach-heroic, and which he had
but narrowly escaped, while it was more fully de-
veloped in his double. Any one who had seen these
alleged counterparts without their hats, would have
been on the instant dispossessed of this ideal res •mblance.
Even Young ladies allowed that Mr. Richard Tar-
im-, without his hat, was a quite other thing.
Even Mary Anne, whose glory was her beautiful and re-
dundant silken tresses, then looked with real admiration on
the superb development of brain displayed in
" The bald polish of the honoured head"
of her god-father ; and, in his deep sunk, dal k eyes, grey
and lucid, saw gatherings of meanings, and signs of
thoughts, which had never visited the mind of his walk-
„ g illustrious counterpart. This alleged, or imaginary
resemblance was exceedingly annoying to poor Mr. T -
!or, who forthwith became fur some months a small lion ;
or, What is worse, the reflection of a great lion ; and a
regular spectacle to holyday folks and country cousins.
Ti) crown his chagrin, some shabby artist, who had better
opportunities of seeing him than his Grace of Wellington,
actually sketched him en hero; /Ad, at the small cost of

a few frogs and a stiff stock, posted him in several prin,
,hops as the true lion of Waterko. This was the mon
provoking to our hero, as, if there was one set of me'
whom he detested more than another, it was heroes. He
h suff-aed by them, and oeen oth. rs puffer : they were
hut iinortiments, it is tru-; but he .aid • one does not like
the gallows any more than the hangman.'"