Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

12 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

FASHIONABLES, LITERATURE,…

D OMES TIC MA NA GEMENT.

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GLEANINGS..

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GLEANINGS- One Deuuis, commonly called the Critirk, who had written a threepenny pamphlet against tha power of France, being in the country, and hearing of a French Privateer hovering about the coast, although he was twenty miles from the sea, fled to town, and told his friends they need not wonder at his haste; for the King of France having got intelli- gence where he was, had sent a privateer on purpose to catch him.—A chambermaid to a lady of my ac- quaintance, 30 miles from London, had the very same turn of thought, when talking with one of her fellow-servants, she said, "I hear it is all over London already, that I am going to leave my lady." —And so had a footman, who being newly married, desired his comrade to tell him freely what the town said of it!-Dcan Swift. The two maxims of any great man at Court are: always to keep his countenance, and never to keep his word.-Ibid. THE BLACK-HOLE AT CALCUTTA.—Calcutta was taken by the Nabob Surajah Dowla in 1756, when the English prisoners, in number 145, were driven in the evening into a place called the Black-liole prison, a cube of about 18 feet, where, through the want of room, the exclusion of fresh air, and the heat of the climate, 123 of these hapless victims expired in extreme agonies the same night'—One of the survivors died a few years ago. CAPACIOUS BEER CASKS.—A few years ago, before Mr. Thrale's death, which happened in 1781, an emulation arose among the brewers to exceed each other in the size of their casks, for keeping beer to a certain age; probably, says Sir John Hawkins, taking the hint from the tun at Heidelberg. One of the trade (the father of the late Mr. Whitbread it is conjectured) had constructed one that would hold some thousand barrels, the thought of which troubled Mr. Thrale, and made him repeat from Plutarch, a saying of Themistocles "The tro- phies of Miltiades hinder my sleeping." Yet, Mr. Boswell, in his journal, relates that Dr. Johnson once mentioned that his friend Thrale had four casks so large that each of them held 1000 hogsheads. But Mr. Meux, according to Mr. Pennant, can shew 21 vessels containing in all 35,000 barrels: one alone holds 4,500 barrels; and in the year 1790, this enterprising brewer huilt another which cost 50001. and contains nearly 12,000 barrels, valued at about 20,0001. A dinner was given to 200 people at the bottom, and 200 more joined the cnmpany to drink success to this unrivalled vat. DAVID GAM.—David Gam was a very favourite Captain of Henry V. His highspirited answer when Henry sent him to reconnoitre the enemy at Agincourt, deserves to be recorded :—An't please you, my Liege, there are enough to be killed, enough to run away, and enough to be taken prisoners." Sacrificing his life for the King's personal safety in the ensuing conflict, this valiant Welshman, as he lay expiring of his wounds, was knighted by the gratetul monarch. This hero's residence was at Old Court, near Abergavenny. It is said that he also resided at Newton, near the bridge at Brecon. —Dieneces, the heroic Spartan, gave an answer of the same description, when he was told, before the battle of Thermopylae, that the Persians were so nu- merous that their arrows would darken the light of the sun, That will be very convenient," replied Dieneces, for we shall then fight in the shade." ORIGIN OF THE TERM LADY.—How it came to pass that women of fortune were called Ladies before their husbands had any title to convey that mark of distinction to them. Heretofore it was the fashion for those families whom fortune had blessed with affluence to live constantly at their mansion house in the country and that once a week, or oftener, the lady distributed among her poor neigh- bours, with her own hands, a certain quantity of bread, and she was called by them the Laff-day, i.e. in Saxon, the Bread- giver. These two words were in time corrupted and the meaning is now as little known as the practice which gave rise to it yet it is from this hospitable custom that to this day the ladies in this kingdom aloncserve the meat at their own table. IMPERIAL BLACKSMITH, AND NOBLE BELLOWS- BLOWERS.—Peter the Great, Emperor of Russia, visited with great assiduity the iron works of his dominions, and himself learnt the business of a blacksmith. He succeeded so well in that trade, that in one day he forged alone, 18 poods of iron, equal to 720 pounds weight, and put his own par- ticular mark on each bar. This was performed at the forges of one Muller, at Istia, ninety versts' distance from Moscow, to which place he often resorted. One of these bars, authenticated by Peter's mark, is still to be seen at Istia in the same forge. Another, forged also with the Czar's own hand, is shewn in the cabinet of the academy of sciences at Petersburgh: but this was forged at Olonetz near the lake Lodoga, the 12th of October just before his death, which happened in 1725 this bar weighs 120 lbs. Peter, on the receipt of one of his day's wages from Muller, went directly to a shop and pur- chased a pair of shoes, which he took great pleasure In showing on his feet, saying to those who were present, I have earned them well with the sweat of my brow, with hammer and anvil." Peter once passed a month at Istia; and when he worked at the forges, the bayards, and other noblemen of his suite, were obliged to blow the bellows, to stir the fire, to carry coals, and perform all the other offices of journeymen blaeksmiths. At the time of the Trojan war, not only arms, but the instruments of the mechanic arts, were made of copper. Iron was then held in such estimation, that, in the games which Achilles celebrated iu honour of Patroclus, he proposed a ball of that metal as a considerable prize. HONEY-MOON. The juice of bees, not Bacchus, here behold, Which British bards and bridegrooms quaff'd of old." From the custom of drinking mead for thirty days' feast after a grand wedding, comes the expression Honey-moony which is a Teutonic phrase, not to be found in the warm wine latitudes. Attila, King of Hungary, notorious for the horrible ravages that he committed both in Gaul and Italy, drank so freely ot hydromel on his wedding day, that he was found suffocated at night; this occurred in 453, and with him expired the empire of the Huns. BRANDY.- ,rile celebrated Bishop Berkeley used to call the few who had drunk spirituous liquors with impunity for a series of years, the Devil's decoys. UMBRELLAS.—The first person who used an umbrella in the streets of London, was the bene- volent Jonas Hanway, who died in 1786. The first sold in Glamorganshire was at Neath a respectable shopkeeper of that town sent to London for one for Sir Herbert Mackworth, about 70 years ago. ANECDOTE OF HANDEL.-HurIllg the latter part of Handel's life, about the year 1753, in the Lent season, a minor canon from the cathedral of Glou- cester offered his services to Handel to sing. His offer was accepted, and he was employed in the choruses. Not satisfied with this department, he requested leave to sing a solo air, that his voice might be heard to more advantage. This request also was granted but he executeclhis solos so little to the satisfaction of his audience, that he was, to his great mortification, violently hissed. When the performance was over, by way of consolation Handel made him the following speech—" I am very sorry, very sorry for you, indeed my dear Sir but go back to church in de country God vill forgive you for your bad singing; dese wicked people in London dey vill not forgive you." TRAVELLING IN ENGLAND A CENTVRY AGO. In December, 1703, Charles the Third, King of Spain, slept at Petworth on his way from Portsmouth to Windsor; and Prince George of Denmark went to meet him by desire of the Queen. In the relation of the journey given by one of the prince's attendants, he states; "we set out at six in the morning, by torch-light, to go to Petworth; and did not get out of the coaches (save only when we were overturned or stuck fast in the mire) till we arrived at our jour- ney's end. 'Twas a hard service for the prince to git fourteen hours in the coach that day without eating anything, and passing through the worst ways I ever saw in my life. We were thrown but once, indeed, in going, but our coach, which was the leading one, and his highness's body coach, would have suffered very much, if the nimble boors of Sussex had not frequently poised it, or supported it with their shoulders, from Godalming almost to Petworth; and the nearer we reached the Duke's house, the more inaccessible it seemed to be. The last nine miles of the way cost us six hours time to conquer them; and indeed we had never done it, If our good master had not several times lent us a pair of horses out of his own coach, whereby we were enabled to trace out the way for him. Atterwards, writing of his departure on the following day from Petworth to Guildford and thence to Windsor, he says; I saw him (the prince) no more, till I lound him at supper at Windsor; for there we were overturned (as we had been once before the same morning).and broke our coach; my Lord Delaware had the same fate, and so had several others."— Annals of Queen Anne.

aCJllPTUitH ILLUSTRATIONS.—No.…

UNI VERSIT Y IN TELL IU ENCE,…

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TRIAL BY JURY IN PRUSSIA.…

STATE OF THE CHURCH.

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