Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1862-03-01
Select MiseeIlann.
Something about DWarfs.

We beg leave to call the readers atten.
ton to Dwarfs. Has not Homer told us
how the pigmies fought the cranes! Has
not Strabo described the difference be.
tween two pigmy races-the one five spans
high, and the other only three? Is not
Ctesias grave, and Ovid gay concerning
them Do not nearly oil the writer's Of
Antiquity bring forth from their brooding,
and prolific fancy, races SO dimnutiye as
to rival the Lilliputs of Lemuel CULVER
With such high authority, we might in
dulge in many curious speculations as to
how small luna n body could hold hu.
man soul, and picture the vagaries of Ma
ture in her variations of mans normal
height. All we propose, however, is to
offer {. few well authenticated facts about
dwarfs ancient and modern.
The Egyptians are said to have had
dwarts in attendance on their princess
The Romans, in the dogoneracy Of the En-.
pire; not satisfied with the dwarfs which
Nature presented, made it a trade to pro.
duce dwarfs by the use Of bandages and
confinement in boxes, SO as to hinder the
natural growth. Domitian had compa-
ny of dwarf gladiators. Tiberius had a
dwarf in whom he tolerated great license
Of peech, and who was almost as cruel as
his master. aulia, the niece ef Augustus,
had a little dwarfsh fellow, called Cano-
pas, whom she set great store By; he was
not above two feet and half high 4
freed maid Of Julia was of the same height
Pliny tells US of tie knights of Rome,
Marius Maximus and Marcus Tullus, who
were two feet, eleven inches high, "and,
in TRUTH says he, eve ourselves have
seen their bodies as they lay embalmed. 3"
Another ancient writer states that, Gin
the time Theodosius, there was seen in
Egypt pigmy SO small of body that he
rosembled a partridge; yet did he excr.
else the functions Of q man, and could sing
tunably." Antouius had dwarf who
was not more than two fee! high, and Au-
gustus Caesar exhibited in his plays a
young man who weighed no more than sew.
eutoen pounds. Alypiu3, the excellent OF
Alexandria, is said to be only one foot five
inches high. Calvus, tho orator, who COLI
tended with Cicero, was remarkable for
the smallness of his tature. The Turks
as well as the Romans, had their famous
dwarfs They were purchased at an i'm,
monse expense for the amusement of the
Ottoman Emperors, and sometimes did
good service. Chiracus, the wisest coun-
sellor of the East, was not three feet high
neither was Uladislaus of Poland, who
fought more battles, and achieved more
brilliant victories than any of his prode
ccssors, Dantlow, who was thirty incho:
high, and deprived of his arms, wrote Lat
in and Russ Ui:h his left foot, and by the
same means made pen ink drawings of nc
mean kind. NulItm UirtaS respuU Natu-
ru0a Giants show us the work Of Nature
written in text hand dwarfs are hel
smallest penmaaslip, but no less complete
and elegant than the 9th ere.
Among comparatively modern dwarG
we may notice JyGary .udson. lie was
born in 1913, ut Latham, IA Rut utandshirc
His father W., .utcA-r, stout and corpu'
lent OF frame his mother was also of Or.
dinary stature. At eighs years old, jeff.
cry was not half Il yard in height, and
was taken by the Duchess of buckingham
who clothed him in satir. At splendid
feast given by the duke, there was cold
pie, which being opened, Jeifery started
up in a complete armor. Jefery was a
great favorite with the queen, and conse.
quently drew on himself the attention Of
the court and the public. In the castle oi
Petworth, in the county of Sussex, there
IS fire picture by Vandyko, representing
Jeffory standing by the queen. At the
beginning of the civil war, he was appoint
ed captain in the royal army, In l64l,
in consequence of a quarrel with person
of the name of Crofts, he challenged his
enemy to mortal combat. Crofts duly
made his appearance, but his only weapon
was a large squirt, A real duel avenged
the second insult, and Jeffery ct the first
fire, shot his adversary dead. Jetery, or
one occasion, was taken by Flemish pi'
rate, and the story of his activity is cele-
brated by Sir William Davenant, in q
poem called "JeffredOs," On the restOr
alton of the royal family, Jeffery agair
appeared at court He died in 1852, a
the age of sixty-threo; he was then il
prison charged, with some political offence
Nicholas Ferry, another celebrate,
} Jr,ovF uos borr IN J7dI in tbn Vosnes