storks, along the flat. These stilts raise them from three to five feet: the foot rests on a surface, adapted to its sole, carved out of the solid wood; a flat part, shaped to the outside of the leg, and and reaching to below the bend of the knee, is strapped round the calf and ankle. The foot is covered by a piece of raw sheep's hide. In these stilts they move with perfect freedom, and astonishing rapidity; and they have their balance so completely, that they run, jump, stoop, and even dance, with ease and safety. We made them run races for a piece of money, put on a stone on the ground, to which they pounced down with surprising quickness. They cannot stand quite still, without the aid of a long staff, which they always carry in their hands. This guards them against any accidental trip, and when they wish to be at rest, forms a third leg, that keeps them steady. The habit of using the stilts is acquired early, and it appeared that the smaller the boy was, the longer it was necessary to have his stilts. By means of these odd additions to the natural leg, the feet are kept out of the water, which lies deep during winter on the sands, and from the heated sand during the summer: in addition to which, the sphere of vision over so perfect a flat is materially increased by the elevation, and the shepherd can see his sheep much farther on stilts than he could from the ground. This department of France is little known, and if what I have here related be as new to your readers as it was to me at the time I first saw them, this description may possibly afford them some amusement. I remain, dear sir, &c. &c. THOS. MAYNARD. An account of the proceedings of the Court of Inquisition at Lisbon, against Elizabeth Vasconellos, an English woman. Elizabeth Vasconellos, now in the city of Lisbon, doth, on the 10th of December, Anno 1706, in the presence of John Milner, Esq. her majesty's consul-general of Portugal, and Joseph Willcocks, minister of the English factory at Lisbon, declare and testify;That she was born at Arlington, in the county of Devon, and a daughter of John Chester, Esq.; bred up in the church of England; and, in the eleventh year of her age, her uncle, David Morgan, of Cork, intending to go and settle in Jamaica as a physician, by her father's consent, he having several children, took her with him to provide for her. In 1685, they went in an English ship, and near the island they were attacked by two Turkish ships; in the fight her uncle was killed, but the ship got clear into Madeira, and she, though left destitute, was entertained by Mr. Bedford; a merchant, with whom, and other English, she lived as a servant till 1696; in that year she was married, by the chaplain of an English man of war, to Cordoza de Vasconellos, a physician of that island, and lived with him eight years, and never in the least conformed to the Romish church. In 1704, her husband, having gone on a voyage to Brazil, she fell dangerously ill, and, being light-headed, a priest gave her the sacrament, as she was told afterwards, for she remembered nothing of it. It pleased God she recovered, and then they told her she had changed her religion, and must conform to the Romish church, which she denied, and refused to conform; and thereupon, by the bishop of that island, she was imprisoned nine months, and then sent prisoner to the inquisition at Lisbon, where she arrived the 19th of December, 1705. The secretary of the house took her effects, in all above 5001. sterling; she was then sworn, that that was all she was worth: and then put into a straight dark room, about five feet square, and there kept nine months and fifteen days. That the first nine days she had only bread and water, and a wet straw bed to lie on. On the ninth day, being examined, she owned herself a Protestant, and would so continue; she was told, she had conformed to the Romish church, and must persist in it or burn; she was then remanded to her room, and, after a month's time, brought out again; and, persisting in her answer as to her religion, they bound her hands behind her, stripped her back naked, and lashed her with a whip of knotted cords a considerable time; and told her afterwards, that she must kneel down to the court, and give thanks for their merciful usage of her; which she positively refused to do. After fifteen days she was again brought forth and examined; and, a crucifix being set before her, she was commanded to bow down to it and worship it, which she refused to do; they told her that she must expect to be condemned to the flames, and be burnt with the Jews at the next auto de fe, which was nigh at hand. Upon this she was remanded to her prison again for thirty days; and, being then brought out, a red-hot iron was got ready, and brought to her in a chaffing dish of burning coals; and, her breast being laid open, the executioner, with one end of the red-hot iron, which was about the bigness of a large seal, burnt her to the bone in three several places, on the right side, one hard by the other; and then sent her to her prison, without any plaster, or other application to heal the sores, which were very painful to her. A month after this she had another severe whipping, as before; and in the beginning of August she was brought before the Table, a great number of inquisitors being present, and was questioned whether she would profess the Romish religion or burn? She replied, she had always been a Protestant, and was a subject of the Queen of England, who was able to protect her, and she doubted not would do it, were her condition known to the English residing in Lisbon; but, as she knew nothing of that, her resolution was to continue a Protestant, though she were to burn for it. To this they answered, that her being the Queen of England's subject signified nothing in the dominions of the King of Portugal; that the English residing in Lisbon were heretics, and would certainly be damned; and that it was the mercy of that tribunal to endeavour to rescue her out of the flames of hell; but, if her resolution were to burn rather than profess the Romish religion, they would give her a trial of it before hand: accordingly the officers were ordered to seat her in a fixed chair, and to bind her arms and her legs, that she could make do resistance nor motion, and the physician being placed by her, to direct the court how far they might torture her without hazard of her life, her left foot was made bare, and an iron slipper, red-hot, being immediately brought in, her foot was fastened into it, which continued on, burning her to the bone, till such time as, by extremity of pain, she fainted away; and, the physician declaring her life was in danger, they took it off, and ordered her again to prison. On the 19th of August she was again boought out, and whipped after a cruel manner, and her back was all over torn; and her being threatened with more and greater tortures, and, on the other hand, being promised to be set at liberty if she would subscribe such a paper as they should give her, though she could have undergone death, yet not being able to endure a life of so much misery, she consented to subscribe as they would have her; and accordingly, as they directed, wrote at the bottom of a large paper, which contained she knew not what; after which they advised her to avoid the company of all English heretics; and, not restoring to her any thing of all the plate, goods, or money, she brought in with her, and engaging her by oath to keep secret all that had been done to her, turned her out of doors, destitute of all relief, but what she received from the help and compassion of charitable Christians. The above-said Elizabeth Vasconellos did solemnly affirm and declare the above written deposition to be true, the day and year above written. October 10, 1816. MR. URBAN-The spots observable on the sun's disk, in conjunction with the wet summer, have been the subject of much speculation, and have excited considerable alarm. They have been dreaded even more than the appearance of the most portentous comet, about which, as supposed to influence our globe, only vague and undefined notions can be formed, while the baleful effects of the spots in question seem more direct, and can, it is imagined, be more distinctly ascertained; for it is very natural to infer that any opaque substance interposed between us and a luminous body must deprive us of a certain portion of its light and heat. Allow me, therefore, to submit, through the medium of your miscellany, a few observations, calculated, it is hoped, to dispel any gloomy apprehensions which may have been indulged on the subject, by convincing the reflecting mind that there is no cause for alarm. 1 In the first place it is worthy of remark, that similar spots have been observed in the sun for upwards of two centuries; and it is not improbable that they may be coeval even with the sun himself. For, as they were first discovered by Galileo, soon after the invention of his telescope, and have been observed at different periods ever since, it is a fair presumptive argument that such spots may have always existed. Who can doubt that the planet Herschell, and the other lately discovered planets, have existed for ages, though they were unknown prior to our own times? It is true these planets have a more definite and permanent character than the solar macula; but this is no proof that the latter have not always existed, any more than the variety in number and form of the clouds, occasionally passing over our earth, is a proof that such exhalations are not coeval with the earth itself. Galileo observed a spot, which is computed to have been three times the extent of the surface of the earth, that is to have obscured about 600,000,000 of square miles of the sun's disk: this continued between two and three months. But Gassendus saw one still larger, namely, one-twentieth of the diameter of the sun, and visible to the naked eye. This spot consequently occupied an extent of above 1,500,000,000 of square miles; yet the solar light was not perceptibly diminished, and therefore not the heat, as will more evidently appear in the course of these observations. The same Astronomer likewise observed above 40 spots of different sizes at once. Of the nature of these spots nothing certain or satisfactory appears to be yet known; they have been supposed by some to be a kind of nebulous exhalation in the solar atmosphere. Dr. Wilson, of Edinburgh, thought they were caverns; and a French astronomer fancied they were mountains. The writer of these remarks does not pretend to determine which hypothesis is most probable; nor, indeed, is this at all necessary to his purpose, as it would make little or no difference in the conclusion he wishes to draw. If, however, he were to give his opinion in so dubious a case, it would, perhaps, be in favour of those who imagine the spots to be a kind of excavation of the luminous fluid supposed to envelop the opaque and solid body of the sun. This hypothesis seems to be countenanced by the nuclei of the spots, and the different phases they assume in their rotation. Yet it is difficult to conceive how a vacuum should be produced and continued so long in the fluid; for all fluids, whether elastic or non-elastic, have a strong tendency to find ther level, and to fill up immediately any chasm made in them. It would be difficult to conceive how the atmosphere of our globe could be removed from any particular place, and the surrounding fluid prevented, for some weeks, from rushing in to supply the deficiency. It would be no less a miracle than the passage of the Israelites through the Red Sea, where the waters were a wall to them on the right hand and on the left." The solar fluid, however, may be of such a volatile and expansive nature, that a small force may be sufficient to overcome its gravitation towards the centre. But, leaving the solution of this difficult question to others who are better qualified for the task, let us proceed to consider, whether these spots, of what nature soever they may be, can have any influence on our globe. Now, whether we regard the sun as an igneous body, or only the grand focus of the light and heat created at the beginning, which appears more probable, any partial obstructing substance, though of the extent above mentioned, would not at all diminish the heat upon our globe, supposing the absolute solar heat to remain the same. For that obstructing body would not absorb and consume the heat it received, but would radiate it in every direction; so that there would be no absolute loss of heat. The only effect would be, an increase in its immediate vicinity, by the union of its rays with those which did not fall upon it; and a proportionate diminution as far as its shadow extended. This shadow would be a kind of cone, of a certain length, according to the diameter of the obstructing body, and its distance from the luminary. The heat beyond, that is, towards the earth, would be as great as if there had been no impediment, for it would have recovered its equability. A spot, one-twentieth of the sun's diameter, or about 44,000 miles diameter, if not rising higher than the sun's surface, would have no shadow at all. If this spot were in the form of a cube, and wholly above the sun's surface, and resting, as it were, upon it, the shadow, in this case, would only extend about 8000 miles; but, if in the shape of a globe, not half so far. This point, however, may perhaps be better illustrated by a more familiar example. Let us then imagine ourselves in a room where there is a fire twenty inches wide, and as many deep, and let us suppose a cubic inch of any opaque substance placed close to it, about the centre; this would bear nearly the same proportion to the fire that the spot observed by Gassendus did to the sun. Now can any one believe that the heat in the middle, or farthest part of the room, would be diminished after this substance was placed in that situation, especially after it had ceased to become hotter, and was of an equal temperature with the heat immediately surrounding it? There would, indeed, be rather less heat on the side of the obstructing substance farthest from the fire, though not extending the tenth of an inch; whilst the rest of the room would not be the least affected by it in any part. It is apparent then that the spots observed in the sun can have no influence on the heat of our globe, unless they could be supposed to diminish the absolute heat in the system. This, however, cannot be admitted. It is highly probable that the solar heat is a substance sui generis, unlike any heat produced on our globe by chemical agency; and that a certain quantity of it was at first created, which has continued ever since, without either diminution or increase. This substance may concentrate about the sun more than about any of the other bodies in the system, not only on account of his superior bulk, but by reason of some peculiar attraction. Having thus shown, to the satisfaction, it is hoped, of every unprejudiced mind, that the unfavourable season we have witnessed cannot have been occasioned by any diminution of solar heat, though we have certainly had less heat in this country than usual, let us inquire whether this diminution of heat be general on our globe, for, if not, that circumstance would of itself be sufficient to refute any argument drawn from the supposed influence of the spots in the sun. Now the fact appears to be, that while we have been complaining in this country of wet and cold, in Russia there has been a drought, which is enough to prove that this wet and cold season has been only partial. It is needless to inquire whether in the East Indies or Mexico there has been less heat than usual, or whether there has been a more severe winter towards the Antarctic Pole. Even here, this present month has been hitherto several degrees warmer than the corresponding part of the year 1813, a year not selected as being colder than others before or after it, but merely because the writer of these remarks happens to have in his possession a correct diary of the thermometer during that year alone. We must look then for the causes of this wet and cold season, not to the sun, but to the earth itself. The removal of a considerable number of icy mountains, by tempestuous winds, from the neighbourhood of the Arctic Pole into more southerly latitudes in the Atlantic might occasion it. And it may have been observed, that the rain has generally come from the West; and that we have had dry and warm weather as soon as the wind has shifted to the east or north-east; that is, when the wind has blown from Russia, where there has been a drought, it has been fine; but when from the Atlantic it has been wet and cold. And this wet seems to have been expended in passing over Eng land, France, Germany, &c. and not to have travelled so far east as Russia. Yours, &c. ་ ' METEOROLOGUS. Pit-place, Epsom, Jan. 6, 1816. MR. URBAN Your correspondent, T. S. (vol. LXXXV. part II. p. 408.) mentions the marvellous account of Lord Lyttelton's death,' and wishes to see it authenticated.' Having bought Pit Place, where he died, I can give the following copy of a document in writing, left in the house as a heir-loom, which may be depended on. Having received much pleasure and instruction from your work for near forty years, I deem it my duty to assist, in however trifling a degree. 'Lord Lyttelton's Dream and Death' (see Admiral Wolseley's account.) I was at Pit Place, Epsom, when Lord Lyttelton died: Lord Fortescue, Lady Flood, and the two Miss Amphletts, were also present. Lord Lyttelton had not been long returned from Ireland, and frequently had been seized with suffocating fits. He was attacked several times by them in the course of the preceding month. While in his house in Hill-street, Berkeley-square, he dreamt, three days before his death, 'he saw a bird fluttering, and afterwards a woman appeared' in white ap On parel, and said, Prepare to die, you will not exist three days." He was alarmed, and called his servant, who found him much agitated, and in a profuse perspiration. This had a visible effect, the next day, on his spirits. the third day, while at breakfast with the above mentioned persons, he said, I have jockied the ghost, as this is the third day.' The whole party set off to Pit Place. They had not long arrived when he was seized with a usual fit; soon recovered; dined at five; to bed at eleven. His servant, about to give him rhubarb and mint-water, stirred it with a tooth-pick; which Lord Lyttelton perceiving, called him a 'slovenly dog,' and bid him bring a spoon. On the servant's return, he was in a fit. The pillow being high, his chin bore hard on his neck. Instead of relieving him, he ran for help; on his return found him dead.' In Boswell's Life of Dr. Johnson,' (vol. IV. p. 313.) he said, ' It is the most extraordinary occurrence in my days. I heard it from Lord Westcote, his uncle I am so glad to have evidence of the spiritual world, that I am willing to believe it.' Dr. Adams replied, "You have evidence enough; good evidence, which needs no support.' T. J. Domestic Literary Intelligence. THOMAS DAY, Esq., of Hartford, (Conn.) is preparing for publication, and will shortly put to press, a new edition of the third and subsequent volumes of Campbell's Nisi Prius Reports, with additional notes and references, upon the plan of his edition of Espinasse's Reports. A Sketch of the Life, Last Sickness, and Death of Mrs. Mary Jane Grosvenor; left among the papers of the late Hon. Thomas P. Grosvenor-to be published by Coale and Maxwell, Balti work, to be entitled The Washington Museum, or Repository of Useful Arts: devoted to the purpose of diffusing that kind of knowledge which is calculated to promote the arts and manufactures of the United States: a large portion of the work being employed in selecting, and displaying in a brief and comprehensive way, the best subjects of the Patent Office. By a Society of Gentlemen.' We think the undertaking deserves to be patronized. The Emporium of Arts and Sciences, lately conducted by Judge Cooper, is to be revived. see, also, that there is hardly a shade of difference between his own account and ours. As to extensive advertising' and military despotism'--it is merely a difference about the meaning of the phrases. Great promises, extensively circulated-and military cen |