Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1829-08-03


in dark and misty night, 0or i /. on sue'
uights tha, they usually appsas.) have ioun'
the., phenomena sufficient los the exPana
fion of all the fantastic tricks which are repof
ted OF thess phanto,ns.
Thsy are opposed To be endowed with Y
conceive power. They appear 10 'e.e'Y
from the spectator, or TO advance towards MN
But this NAV be explained without locohp
,ion--by their variation In respect to quaint
~ of dame. As the light dwindles away
IL will seem 10 move from you, and with ve
Ioeiry preporiinued 20 lbe rspid'ty oil its dinins
ton. Again as IL grows large, u will appeal
20 approach YOU. If II expire. by several nick
erings or ssshes. il will seem 10 sKip from you
and whea il re-sppears you sill easily imagine
that il has assumed a new position. This rea
tening accounts for then apparent motion
either 10 or from the spectator and | never
could ascertain that they moved IN airy Other
direction, thai ia, in line oblique er perpendic
ular to that in which they first appeared In
one instance. indeed,I thought this vas The isci
and what struck ue as more singular. the light
appeared 10 mose, with great rapidly, against
a very strong wind. But after looking some
time. l reflected hat | mad not changed tho
direction Of my eye at all, whereas II the APP
paren, motion had beeo real, | ought 10 have
turned half round. The deception was ocea.
stoned by the motion of the wind itscif--as A
stake standing in a rapid stream will appear
20 move against the current
Hiy common notion that The ignis fstuuB
cannot be approached, but viii move oGas
yanidiy rs you advance. This Characteristic
is mentioned in the Edinbnrg Encyclopedia
IL Is doubtless mistake. Persons attempting
them, have been deceived perhaps as 10 their
distance, and ending them farther off than they
imagined, have proceeded little why and
given over, under the Impression that pursuit
vas VAIN, An acquaintance OF mine, PLAIN
man, told me he actually stole up close 20 one
and esugh, il in his hat, as he ihougb' -" and
what was IL ?" l asked. II wasn't nothin. "'
On looking into bis hat for the I" Inning el.
w." il had wholly disappeared. His motions
aissipsted the yspcr, or perhaps his foot had
closed the oriice from which IL issued To this
instance another may be added. A young
man aud woman walking home from an eve.
ming visit. approached a light which They took
for a lantern carried by some neighbour. bui
which on aotpally passing II. they found TO be
borne by no visible being and taking the nsslves
TO fight, burst into the nearest house, with
snoh precipitation rs TO overnltn the furniture
and impart 90 small share Of their frisl, 10 The
family.
The Circumstance that these lights Usually
appear over maishy grounds, explains another
popular notion respecting them namely. that
they possess the power Of beguling persons
into swsmrs and fens.--To this superstition
PsrneIl slludes in his Fairy Tale. in which he
makes Willo'the.wisp one OF his dancing TAI.
rtes;
Then VIII who bears the uispy Gre,
To trail the swans among the mire," &c.
t., .okt ,,,s atan
for the hight OF u neigh boring house, aud the
received traveller, directing his course towards
10, n,ee's with fences bitches, and other obsta.
cles and by perseverance, lands NJ length. quite
bewiidered. in the swamp itself. BY this time
he perceives that the falsa lamp is only ms
chevoms Jack lantern. An adventure OF this
kind remember 10 have occurred in my own
0s ghborheod man lcfi his n, ghhors house
late in the evening, andat day light had not
reached his own, "a quarter OF mile distant
81 which his family being concrned, n number
of persons wen, out to search for him. We
fbund him near a swamp. with soed clothes
and thoughtful oounfenanee, reclining by a
fence. The account he gave was, that he had
been led into the swamp hy jaok-a-lantern.
Up story wss no doubt true, and yet had little
ofthe marvellous IN it. The night cring dark
aud the mans senses little dsOrdered whal,
by glass TOO much oil mis- neighbours cherry,
on app osching his house he saw light aud
no, suspeoting that il was not upon his mantle l,
made towards il. A bush or bog. might have
led To the ssme place, II he had hnppened 10
take it for his chimney top.
10 tho eolloguial doab, negative Of the common
people OF New England. e.
From correspondent ofh. Nev York Journal
Of Commerce
KNIGHTS or MALTA.
4 few individuals still retain the name of
hing hts and il is very ltle more than the
name. One or two remain in Malta. and
few are TO be found scattered here and there
ON the continent, but the society has quite per.
shed They have. however, left many marks
Of their wealth and enterprise. which will be
looked at with interest by future gene aions
The po0derous aud immensely variegated for.
'ihcations cost unheard OF toll They strike the
transient traveller a. comparatively small " ork
but when thoroughly examined, they present
quantities of hewn stone, in.
geniously composing wall behind wall and for
LITIGATION overlooking for'i6cation.
Tins deceiving the enemy With the appear.
,nce of a gentle rise OF ground. by which per.
IONS might march straight up 10 the city when
in fact they must pass over numerous small
precipices, and two OF three villages, aud then
Ind ditch from twenty TO forty or fifty feet
teep, and forty wide, over which are draw.
bridges, and on the side next the city, a wall
rom thirty to SIXTY feet perpendicular In an
her place are high embsnkments. presenting
niia except avail three or foar feet high. A.
pain, there are Two immense ditchas, which
cannot be discovered at any point until the enc.
ny has made their way close 10 the city, 10
rliich soldiers could he marched from one har-
Dor 10 the other. or from both the harhors di.
rec'ly 20 the top oftwo immense forts. which
,ver'op the highest ground OF the city by forty
Get. L. this without exposing them at all 10 the
'nemy's FIRE. In another place are underground
passages into the city. Cut in the rock. one or
NO NJ them forty or fifty roos in length and
rye enough TO allow five or six men TO pass
abreast, and at the same time are perfectly
iafe from being discovered. In addition TO all
his, the city is guarded by impenetrable gates,
iouble and triple with planks and bars. The
'nemy might spend a long time before they
could enter the city, were there no guards or
We apons to prevent them SuDuliea with these