The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-09-08 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANnARD.

Toe CARDINAL SPIDER.—A large breed of seiders
ate u dle I've palace of Hampton Court. They are called
there " Cardinals," in honour, I suppose, of Cardinal
Wolsey. They are full an inch in length, and many of
them of the thickness of a finger. Their legs are about
two inches long, and their bodies covered with a thick
hair. They feed chiefly on moths, as apperirs from the
wings of that insect being found in great abundance under
and amongst their webs. In running across the carpet
in an evening, when the light of a lamp or candle has cast
a shade from their large bodies, they have been mistaken
for mice, and have occasioned no little alarm to some of
the more nervous inhabitants of the palace. A doubt has
even been raised whether the name of Cardinal has not
been given to this creature from an ancient belief that the
ghost of Wolsey haunts the place of his former glory un-
der this shape. At all events, the spider is considered as
a curiosity, and Hampton Court is the only place in which
I have met with it.—Jesse's Gleaninos in Natural History.
A FESTIVAL OF THE AISAOUA.—I saw some of these
fanatics roll enormous serpents in the hollow of their
tambourines, while livid adders reared their hideous heads
from the hoods of their bernous, and, dropping to the
floor, glided over the marble as cold as themselves. In
spite of the horror which I felt at this sight, curiosity got
the better of my disgust, and I remained. I must con-
fess, however, that my heart beat violently; the dim ob-
scurity, the infernal music, the women, shrouded in their
white veils, appearing like phantoms risen from the grave,
all prepared my imagination for the festival of the Aisaoua.
Now calling for red hot iron, small shovels, the broad
part the size of the hand, with long iron handles, were
given to them. Seizing each one, these enthusiasts, plac-
ing one knee on the ground, applied their hands, and even
tongues, to the red-hot metal. One of them, more madly
excited than his companions, placed the brightest portion
of the instrument between his teeth, and held it in that
position for upwards of thirty seconds. Let not the
reader think that I exaggerate ; I witnessed all that I re-
late ; and, in order to impress the scene stronger upon
my memory, the performer of this last act placed himself
directly opposite to me with a lighted taper in his hand.
It is impossible for me to give a reason for what I saw,
but I cannot disbelieve it; I smelt the stench of burnt
flesh, and when I afterwards touched their hands and feet,
I found only a fresh and uninjured skin. The sight of
ore old man, nearly sixty-five years of age, gave me great
pain ; he grasped the red-hot iron, and placing it on his
leg, allowed it to remain ther until a whitish smoke arose,
which filled the whole house with its poisonous odour.—
Algeria and Tunis in 1845.
CABRERA'S SANGUINARY REPRISALS.—In Valdero-
bles, on the 20th of February, Cabrera received intelli-
gence of his mother's death. Its first result was a fero-
cious proclamation, by an article of which be decreed the
death of four women, one of them the lady of a Christino
colonel, then in his power. Had be shot them at once,
in the first heat of anger and heaviness of grief, the act,
however barbarous and severe, would have been palliated
by circumstances ; but for seven days he dragged those
unfortunate women with him on all his marches, compel.
ling them to wander barefoot over the rugged mountains
of Arragon. So great were the sufferings of these poor
creatures, that even Cabrera's aides-de-camp, albeit not
very tender-hearted, interceded for them with their chief.
At last, on the 27th February, having returned to Valde-
robles, three of the women were released from their
misery by a violent death. This execution was followed
by many others. Seven and twenty national guards,
taken prisioners at Liria, were kept alive two or three
days, and then massacred at Chive. On the 17th of
April, the ferryman of Olva, who acted as spy to Cabrera,
and who was shot after the war, in the year 1841, brought
information to the Carlist camp that two companies of
Christino soldiers, quartered in the hamlet of Alcotas,
kept but a careless watch, and might easily be surprised.
Cabrera immediately set out, the ferryman acting as guide,
and fell upon the Christinos before they were aware of
his approach. They defended themselves bravely; but,
their ammunition being expended, and themselves sur-
rounded, they capitulated on promise of quarter. Ca-
brera's chaplain, Father Escoribuela, was the person who
prevailed on them to surrender, solemnly assuring them
that their lives should be spared. A few hours later,
this same priest heard the confession of the officers pre-
viously to their execution. To the soldiers, even the last
consolations of religion were refused. Unshrtven, they
were shot to the last man.—Blockwood's Magazine.
OUR CONNEXION WITH ANTIQUITY.—We are
ac-
customed to look back opon the old world and its people
as if they belonged to us little more than another planet
and its inhabitants who have no more connexion with us
than swimm ng round the same sun. But every now and
then some link glitters, in the polishing up of our know-
ledge, which discloses to us, in a startling way our con-
nexion with the past. "It is a singular fact," we are
told, " that the pattern now most common upon Paisley
shawls, and which has always been a great favourite, was
in use among the Hindoos three or four thousand years
ago." In an Egyptian vase, 2,844 years old, discovered
in a mummy pit, were found, among some dust a few
peas. Three of these were planted at Highgate in a soil
resembling that of the banks of the Nile. Of the three,
one sprouted, producing nineteen pods; and from these
has grown a plentiful crop of seed. Thus, an Egyptian
of nearly 3,000 years ago has directly handed over to us
a harvest of peas, and we seem brought face to face with
him. Among the picture writing of the Egyptians, there
are records of the curative use of mesmerism by the
priests—the physicians of their time. It is believed that
printed calicoes were worn at the date of some early por-
tions of the Old Testament : and that the self-moving
vessel in which Ulysses traversed the sea was nearly re-
lated to our steam-boats; and there are some of our
countrymen to be met with in London, who have seen
medallion likenesses of the Pharoahs who knew and did -
not know Joseph; and of the lady to whom Solomon's
song was addressed. These things are useful, as well as
curious, to ponder: They make us descend humbly from
our proud position as tenants of a very old and wise world
to inquire whether we are not, in fact, yet in the infancy
of the race, with almost everything that is most weighty
yet to learn, Putting together what we know, and our
deep instincts of what we do not know, such might ap-
pear to be our rational conclusion.—Harriet Martineau.
in the People's Journal.
HERRING FISHING is Wicx.—But by shooting their
nets just before nightfall, the herrings, in their nocturria I
rambles do not detect the wily " suspension and interdict"
which has been taken out against them, and is every
where hanging out for their destruction in these their
watery heavens. When a shoal thus meets a net under
the obscure cover of the night, it cares little and fears
less; and so pushing forwards, every fish with a view to
get on in life (in the midst of which they are in death)
presses his snout and head through a mesh, an inch square,
too small to admit his shoulders, but, alas! too small also
to permit the withdrawal of the thoughtless head,—for
the sharp edge and opening action of the gill-covers pre-
sent obstructions which the most high-minded herring
struggles in vain to overcome. By the grey of the early
twilight we fcund ourselves in the very thickest of the
fight. Many crews were making large captures, hauling
up their long extended nets, glittering with fish "as the
dew of the morning," or as one of our sailors expressed
it, " going over the gunnel like a white horse." The sur-
face of the sea seemed at this time dotted over with small
dark spots. These were the boats with their sails pulled
down. As the nets are hauled they are also shaken, so
as to cause all those fish that are loosely meshed to drop
into the boat, the Test being disentangled when they reach
the harbour. While the boats lay at anchor by their nets,
they looked like motionless specks upon the water, and
the effect was singular and very striking, when they sud-
denly hoisted their canvas, as if emerging from the bottom
of the deep, and shot away towards the shore, covering
the now brightened surface, far and near, with a multitu-
dinous array of sombre-coloured sails. The same law re-
gulates the morning as the evening fishery, and they are
not allowed to cast again after sunrise. We then re-
turned to Wick bay, and for an hour or two enjoyed the
sight of the countless boats returning, laden with their
scaley treasures, in much the same order as that in which
we had seen them depart outwards the preceding evening.
—Miami's Voyage round the Coast of Scotland.
DOING PENANCE AT ST.WINIFstEn'sWELL.—HoweII
hastily bad her good bye, and once more joined his friend.
Herbert had with some difficulty pushed his way through
the dense crowd of pilgrims which surrounded the bathing-
well, and was gazing with deep interest on a scene that to
him "was strange and new." Pilgrims of both sexes, of
all religions and ages, were standing around the well, im-
patiently awaiting the departure of those who were already
in possession of it ; whilst numbers might be seen setheil
on the steps that led down to it, bathing a sounded foot or
injured arm ; and the centre was occupied by devout pil-
grims, who stood immersed to their chins, and so had
stood for several hours, mnttering Ave Marias, and drop-
ping bead after bead on their rosaries, totally regardless
of the icy coldness of the water. One man having quitted
the well somewhat suddenly, was stopped, just as his foot
was on the last step, by his father-confessor, who asked
him somewhat sternly, " if he had not omitted an Ave
Maria or a Paternoster ? for if such were the case hisepen-
ance would be of no avail; and that so far from the water
having washed away his sin from his heart, it would only
have spread it over his whole body." The poor, drip-
ping, trembling wretch assured the priest that he bad re-
peated fifteen Ave Marias and fifteen Paternosters. " Re-
member your penance is but half accomplished; it must
be repeated to-morrow." The man bowed low, and the
crowd around the well made ample room for him to pass.
"Of what crime has that man been guilty ?" asked Her-
bert, of a group of Englishmen who were standing near,
and shaking their heads most ominously at the half-
drowned sinner as he passed them. "Sir," was the an-
swer, " he has been guilty of a great sin ; he caused the
worthy Father yonder to cat and drink on a fast-day.
Father James,—all the saints bless him !—had been jour-
neying from house to house on a rigid fast-day, preaching
most unwcariedly the crime of breaking the fast till the
clock had struck twelve. It had just sounded the hour of
eleven when the holy man entered the house of yonder
sinner : he was weary and hungry, and threw himself
down and exclaimed " Twelve o'clock struck as I entered
the house ; supper will doubtless soon be ready:" " Now,
the carnal-minded man did not tell the holy priest he had
mistaken the hour, but hastened to the kitchen
. and or-
dered the supper to be placed on the table instantly, and
an excellent supper soon made its appearance; and poor
Father James, little dreaming of the sin he was guilty of,
ate of every dish, and drank of every jug of ale that was
near him, for he was thirsty as well as hungry. At length
the clock struck twelve ; but there was much talking going
on at the instant, and no one heard it but the mistress of
the house, who started from her seat and exclaimed,
" The Virgin Mary preserve us! we have broken the fast
by eating our supper an hour too soon I" I was present,
and oh ! I wish you could have seen the look the good
Father cast on the man ; and then so great was his distress
of mind, that before he could speak to him, the Father
was obliged to empty a large jug of ale that stood near.
He then, in a voice of thunder, commanded him to do
penance in this well."—Blackwood.
CHANGEABLE PLANT.—Theliebiscus mutabilis,a plant
growing in the West Indies, is in the morning of a pale
French-white colour ; tat noon, a delicate pink ; and in
the evening, crimson.