The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-01-28 00:00:00

BEZ-EtINTVIG I r AVsramoiA,-7-..-The nait4'es catch anew'
the bees, and attach to it, with settle resin or gum, the light
down of the swan or owl. Thus laden, the bee makes for the
branch of some lofty tree, and so betrays its home of sweets
to its keen-eyed pursuers.-3fiteliell's Australia.
DESCENT OF SPIDERS.—A letter from. Sukkur, on the
Indus, dated lith September, mentions the following phe-
nomenon :-=" I was taking a stroll into the fields, when I
found myself suddenly covered with a whole host of small
and large spiders. On looking about, I observed that I was
standing in the anidst of a large cloud of those animals, who
appeared descending in a filmy web of no small dimensions
from the upper regions. Having extricated mysek. with some
difficulty from their embraces, I took a position from whence
I could see about are, withoitt being annoyed by :them ; and
to my astonishment I beheld descending, maze within maze,
and fold within fold, an innumerable host of spiders, all sus-
pended and dancing on their numberless tiny threads, which
were at times seen to glance in every variety%of 'shade;arnia
the beams of the rising sun. The morning was somewhat
dark and louring, and the stillness was now and then brOken
by some distant rumbling of thunder."—AsiatieJourhal.

THE CORPORAL.—Daring the American revolution,. an
officer,, not habited in his military costume, was passing by
where a small company of soldiers were at work, making
some repairs upon a small redoubt. The commander of the
little squad was giving orders to those who were under him,
relative to a stick of timber, which they were endeavouring
to raise to the top of the works. The timber went up hard :-
on this account the voice of the little great man was often
heard in his regular vociferations of " Heave away ! There
she goes ! Heave oh !" &c. The officer before spoken of
stopped his horse when arrived at the place, and, seeing the
timber sometimes scarcely move, asked the commander why
he did not take hold, and render a little assistance. The lat-
ter, appearieg to be somewhat astonished, turning to the
officer with the pomp of an emperor, said, " Sir, I am a cor-
poral!"—" You are not though, are you ?" said the officer ;
" I was not aware of it." And taking off his hat and bow-
ing, " I ask your pardon, Mr. Corporal." Upon this he
dismounted his elegant steed, flung the bridle over the post,
and lifted till the sweat stood in drops upon his forehead.
When the timber was elevated to its proper station, turning
to the man clothed in brief authority, " Mr. Corporal Com-
mander," said he, " when you hake another such a job, and
have not hands enow, send to. your commander-in-chief, and
I will come and help you a second time." The corporal was
thunderstruck. It was Washington !—Naval and Military
Gazette.

INDIAN MEDICINE MEN.—Their mode of "making me-
dicine," to use their own term, is this: The sick man is laid
upon a bed of mats and blankets, elevated from the ground,
and surrounded by a raised frame-work of hewn boards.
Upon this frame two " medical men" (sorcerers) place them-
selves, and commence .chanting, in a low voice, a kind of
long-drawn, sighing song. Each holds a stout stick, of about
four feet long in his hand, with which he beats upon the
frame-work, and keeps accurate time with the music. After
a few minutes the song begins to increase in loudness and
quickness, a corresponding force and celerity being given to
the stick, until in a short time the noise becomes almost
deafening, and may well serve, in many instances, to accele-
rate the exit of him whom it is their intention to benefit.—
Town.rhend' a Sporting Excursions in the Rocky Mountains.
BUFFALOES IN THE -BLUFFS.—W e went around to lee-
ward, and upon approaching nearer, saw the huge animals
rolling over and over in the sands with astonishing agility,
enveloping themselves by the exercise in a perfect atmosphere
'of dust ; occasionally two of the bulls would spring from the
ground and attack each other with amazing address and
fury, retreating for ten or twelve feet, and then rushing sud-
denly forward, and dashing their enormous fronts together
with a shock that seemed annihilating. In these rencontres,
one of the combatants was often thrown back upon his
haunches, and tumbled sprawling upon the ground ; in which
case the victor, with the true prize-fighting generosity,
refrained from persecuting his fallen adversary, contenting
himself with a hearty resumption of his rolling fit, and kick-
ing up the dust with more than his former vigour, as if to
celebrate his victory.---Toronshend's Sporting Excursions in
the Rocky Mountains.
SPORTING ANECDOTE.—When the celebrated Mr. John
Ward hunted the Oxfordshire country, the hounds frequently
met at Middleton Stoney, where they often found a fox that
took them away at a flying pace to the park wall at Wood-
stock—l believe six miles as the crow flies. Here at one
spot they always lost him. One day Mr. Price, of Wood-
stock, a well-known member of the hunt, was riding along
the road near the spot where they had but a few days before
lost Reynard : he was addressed by a man who was mending
the highway—" Zo, zur, you lost nu auld freend agin t'other
day ; aye, Ido know where he goes ti." " Where, my good
fellow ? ' said Mr.'Price. " Ay, that's'it,": said he, with a
knowing leer. " Why not tell. me ?" " 'Cause ye'll kill
he with them great dogs if I di." Upon the promise of o
good reward, he was induced to betray his friend; and
offered the next time toshow the very spot where poor pug-
secreted-himself. A meeting at Middleton Stoney soon took
_place ; they, had riot drawn longbefore cry was heard in
the Cover—in another minute " TallyAo!", sounded from
the lower 'end—and off they went like madness; their old
friend was found, arid theyhad a rattling bui•st to the paik-
wall; the hounds flung up the scent—the man made his
appearance—he was capped for, when three pounds seven-
teen shillings were collected. " Ay—good ; but ye'll now
take away them noisy dogs," for he would not " ha' him
k;ll'd wi' them noisy dogs." The hounds were taken from
the spot, and the man showed Mr. Ward sly Reynard
perched up in a magpie's nest in a fir tree just within the
plantation. This he 4ot to by running up a wall, going some
way along it, then springing with one bound into his hiding-
place. With a pole they unlodged him, the. hounds were
laid on at him as quick as possible, but pug was too much
for them; he got clear off, and was too cunning ever again
to try the magpie's nest. Mr. Price never afterwards met
this man on the road but -he was accosted with,, " Ay, zur ;
what, wi' all yer noisy dogS. ye could ha kill him—ay
Oxford paper.
WOMEN or Horzonunu.—l have repeatedly seen women
with hair of two, and, in some instances, of three distinclt
colours ; deep black and chestnut brown, not promiscuously
mingled throughout, but lying in separate masses; and-in
the rare instances of which I have spoken, they were blaek,
hrown, and a kind of ash colour, giving to the head a most
singular appearance. I had supposed that this party-co-
loured character of the hair was the effect of art, but was
soon informed to the contrary, and perceived that by the
natives themselves it was considered a deforrnity.—Towns-
land' s Sporting Excursions in the Rocky _Mountains.
' VILLAIN, CLOWN, KNAVE, 80012.—1 n many languages
there is a transition, not altogether unnatural, from lowness
of condition to lowness of character. It is so in Greek, and
it is so in English. A' villain
.was originally only a'rillanus
tor inhabitanof the vill6, dependent on the 'great man or
lord of the soil ; now, a villain is a knave. But a knave
was formerly only a servant, nay, before that, only a boy.
The German knaba is now a boy, but the English, after be-
coming a servant
' (Wickliffe's Version of the Bible has
"Paul, a knave of Jesus Christ," that is, a servant of, &c.)
has now become a'rogne. In the same' way, though colere
in Latin meant to till the land, and colonus a tiller of the
land, the English, clown means not merely a countryman,
hilt a countryfied or rustic man. So, though the German
bauen means to till the land, and boner a countryman or
peasant, the English boor, which is the same word, means
more, and implies something of the clown ; and the adjectives,
boorish and clownish, are nearly synonymous. In the word
neighbour, that is nigh-boor, the word has lost its peculiar
meaning. Now, on the other hand, while countryfied,
clownish, boorish, and rustic, imply something coarse,
cityfied implies something polite, as we see in the word
urbane, from urbs, " a city," or civil, from civis, " a
citizen."—Chambers' Journal.

A REGAL FROLIC (OTAHEITE.)—WhiIe we were prci-
ceeding, a man suddenly sprung up behind my . saddle, and
fixed his arms firmly around my waist. I was not more as-
tonished than my horse at this intrusion ; and the spirited
animal which I rode, not being accustomed to carrying dour
ble, and feeling unwilling to be imposed upon, began kicking
up his heels, and• darting wildly about the road. I requested
the intruder to dismount instantly ; but the only attention
which was paid to this was a reply in the native language,
which I did not understand. Supposing him to be one of
the servants who had been heated by the refuse wine of the
feast, and considering myself in real danger from the unruly
conduct of my horse, I turned hill' round, and I dealt my
merry companion_ a blow in the chest, which I intended
should have unseated him. How was I astonished to hear
the exclamation, " Don't strike so hard, hauri" from him
who occupied my crupper ! and I was not long in discovering
that the joker was the King, Kauikeaouli, himself.—
Townsend's Excursions. •

CATALINI'S LOVE OP THE ENGLISH.—She always speaks
with great warmth of the kindness she experienced in Eng-
land, and says she feels that she can never do enough to prove
to the English her deep sense of gratitude for- all the hos-
pitality she received from them. Her frankness and cordiality
emboldened us, before taking leave of her, to prefer a humble
petition for a.song. With the most•perfect good-humour she
instantly complied with our request, though she said she was
still suffering from the effects of a recent cold, and hoped we
would put up with some petite' bagatelle. With a, truly
French refinement of politeness, she sang " Home, sweet
home ;" thinking, no doubt, that nothing could be more
grateful to our English ears.—Diary of a Nun.

EVILS OF WHISKEY.—There is a tradition in Scotland
that a drain of whiskey produced the restoration of Charles
the Second. The messenger from the parlianieut had brought
letters to Monk whilst he remained at Edinburgh. ' This
messenger was also entrusted with despatches to the Gover-
nor of Edinburgh Castle; a circumstance which he mentioned
to one of Monk's servants, while on his journey. The man,
a serjeant saw something unusual in this, and prevailed upon
his fellow-traveller to drink a dram of whiskey with him
at a neighbouring ale house, where the messenger became
ultimately so drunk that the serjeant was enabled to take the
papers from his custody without detection. This done, he
posted to his general with the packet; who, on perusing its
contents, found an order for his arrest and detention in the
castle. Policy and resentment at once directed the eyes of
Monk to Charles, and his restoration suceeeded.—Harrison
Flather, High School, Jan. 14, 1840.

CHANGING WINE.—As to de men passengers, I always
let dem shift for themselves, for dere werry few of dem
is real superfine gentlemen, but jist refidge a leetle varnished
over de surface like, all pretence. Dey all make believe dat
dey know wine, when, dam urn, dere isn't hardly none of em
know him by name even. One buccra. says, Steward, I can't
drink dis wine, it is werry poor stuff ; what de debit do you
mean by giving me such trash as dis ? He no tit to drink at
all ! s Change him directly; and. gib me some dat is fit for a
gentleman. Well, I takes up de wine, and looks at um werry
knowing, and den whisper in his ear not to speak so loud lest
everybody hear; and I put de finger on my nose and nods,
and I goes and brings him another bottle of tie werry identical
same wine, and he taste him, smack his lip, and say, Ah, dat
is de wine, steward, always bring me dat wine,-and I remem-
ber you when I leab the ship. Hush, I say, massa, not so
loud, sir, if you please, for dere is only a werry few bottles
of dat ere wine, and I keep him for you, for I sees you knows
de good wine when you sees him, which is more nor most
gentlemen does. Dey is cussed stupid is dem whites, and
werry conceited, Mr. Labender ; but there isnotting like let-
ting him hab his own way.—Letter Bag of the Great Western.
THE FEET.—The foot is a very important member of the
hurrian frame, even if simply considered as the organ of loco-
motion, It is an appropriate and elegant finish to the figure*;
and when suffered to exhibit the untrammelled formation and
proportion of nature, is indeed beautiful. The usages of so-
ciety in modern Europe, at once judiciously combining health,
comfort, and elegance, forbid the exhibition of the unclothed
foot; but the exquisite sculptures of early Greece and of pa-
trician Rome sufficiently attest the accuracy of our assertion.
Witness in those matchless statues which have hitherto de-
fied the arch-enemy of all human labours, Time—the finely
proportioned • feet only protected by the simple sandal; the
arched and muscular instep ; the dimpled joints, and straight
slender toes falling equally to the ground. We feel at once,
as we look on them, their perfect adaptation to the purpose
of graceful exercise, their peculiar beauty of formation and
finish in themselves, and their capability of supporting the
unequalled superstructure of which they form so, elegant a
part. Yet a small foot, meaning a narrow shapeless one, is
now so generally admired—and such excessive pains are taken
to obtain It, by restricting the growth of the foot in early life,
•
•by the use of small and unyielding shoes—that in the upper
asses of society in this country, a really hand-
and. middle classes
sortie foot is:rarelylound to accompany figures of even fault-
less. proportions otherwise. This absurd prejudice indeed
obtains chiefly among the ladies, who, careless of medical
and mechanical advice and opinion to the contrary, continue
•to make use of shoes smallerindoin many ins
size thanthedtiannleeens he.
siednesorf
their feet actually require, and
fully submit to the most cruel elf-imposed restraint, rather
than allow the world to perceive tdheavtenaprnn
nature has
of theirasgiven
per-
-50
ro
feet properly pportioged to .„..e jo
50118.—MTn hu's Pockei Guide
to the Toilette, •