A LEGEND OF CARRIGAFOILE. THE EAR-RING. On his return from the siege of Boulogne, where he took a freak to go fighting for his enemy, the king of England, Connor O'Connor, in passing through London, took another freak in his head, and that was, to buy a gold ear-ring. One would have thought that the prince of Kerry could have indulged his wish at the word; but no such thing. When he presented himself at the counter to ask the price of the bauble, which he had been at least a quarter of an hour admiring from the window, the jeweller, an old Jew, with a pair of spectacles upon his nose, eyed him for a minute or two, with a look of contempt, and exclaimed "Pshaw!—the like of you to think of such a jewel!" ring, and then taking another freak into his head, he flung the separated portion of his ear, jewel 84 feet from the castle's top to the water's edge; and all, souse into the chasm-a height of exactly and he and the poet watched till it sunk out of sight. "Well done!" exclaimed Dermid in raptures ; "now art thou worthy of thy name and race! Iracht shall be thine again !" To verify his prophecy, the poet hurried his patron down the winding stair of the lofty tower: taking to horse, they cantered off, and, to first visit, to be sure, was to the jeweller, who be brief, reached London in a few days. Their recognised neither of them, for he was purblind, and besides the chieftain was somewhat altered with grief for his folly, and a new dress with which Dermid had provided him. O'Connor, "I'll tell you what, blind Isaac," says “I may look a little the worse for the wear, after this weary war in Artois, and the vile usage your Sassenagh king gives to his allies; but that ring must have, whatever the cost." "Ten thousand marks is the damage!" said the Jew, changing his tone to a civil whine. "I doubt, Christian! if you find that amount in any corner of your weather-beaten raiment. Howbeit, tell me what security you'll give to pay it in a year and a day, and you shall not be disappointed." "Iracht-i-Connor!" cried the prince of Kerry, haughtily; "I'll forfeit Iracht and all its lands and tenements, with the sole exception of the castle of Carrigafoile, if the sum be not paid, with interest, before the lapse of that period. "Done!" said the Jew, who now felt that he was talking to a great man and a good mark; and when he said "Done!" he sent for the notary. Quickly then was the note of agreement signed and sealed, and the beautiful diamond ear-ring transferred to Connor O'Connor, who with maidenlike ecstacy hung it in his right ear, and departed. Time flew by, and he took another freak into his head. He forgot to pay, and at the expiration of a year and a day, Iracht-i-Connor was seized by the Jew. The freak which O'Connor then took into his head was, to sit every evening on the top of Carrigafoile tower, surveying from this his only remaining property, the vast inheritance of his ancient race, which he had so foolishly lost for ever. Underneath the tower is a deep hole, which is always full of water, tho' the tide have retired from around Carrig castle, which twice a day it makes a little isle and part of the main land alternately; and O'Connor was looking down upon this deep blue gulf, from which Carrickafoile takes its name, ("the rock of the chasm,") when he heard a very melancholy song, and called to Dermid, his poet, to know what fool was singing such doleful strains? "Your muse deplores that O'Connor should have sold his inheritance for a pebble," replied the poet. "Ah! Dermid !" said O'Connor, "is not this a beautiful jewel?" "Yes," rejoined the bard, "but Iracht-i-Connor is a still more beautitul one !" O'Connor spoke not a word, but he tore his skean from his belt, and applying it to his ear, cut the bottom part off, from which depended the ear "What, ho! blind Penchback!" inquired the latter, as they entered the shop of the Israelite; of desolation where thou doest thy deeds of dark"hast thou aught worth having in this abomination ness? My friend and I have need of some gold lace at thy hands, if indeed this vile den of thine can furnish anything precious." "Softly, softly! sir Nazarite!" ejaculated the Jew, with an air of some importance; "mayhap thou knowest not thou standest in the midst of the best treasures and best appointed store in Lonnon. Look ye here, and see if thy want be not met to a marvel?" "Tut, tut!" hissed out Dermid, "I guessed you had nothing but trash; I'd venture a good turn that an old skinflint of your sort could not come up to any taste in a lustrum-do your best, and put all your miserly old coins to the effort." the Jew, "thy tongue hath more assurance than "Now by all the prophets, Christian!" exclaimed beseems thee; but to cut the matter short, I will forfeit all Iracht-i-Connor, if in four and twenty hours I shall not provide thee with the lace thou requirest !" "Say you so, dear Jew," said the poet; "now, then, if thou be in good earnest, put that word in writing, and bind thyself before a notary-for all of thy nation are cunning varlets-that in twenty four hours thou wilt have ready for my purchase a piece of gold lace which will reach from the top to the bottom of this gentleman's right ear-art agreed?" "Done !" cried the confident Jew, and calling in a notary the contract was signed, sealed, and delivered. On their return at the same hour the next day, he produced a beautiful specimen, rich with gold, studded with jewels, and the exact size of a human Carrigafoile castle! And, now have we won back the inheritance of O'Connor ?" Ere quitting the shop, the prince of Kerry purchased another ear-ring from the Jew, for which he paid him four times the price, to put the poor d-l in good humour if possible. And on their way back to their own country, the poet suggested to his patron that it would be well if he would bid adieu to his freaks for the future, which the other promised most faithfully to do. "And permit me to observe," continued Dermid, "that one thing in thy bargain for that first bauble of thine, has always surprised me-it is, that when you risked Iracht for its purchase, you excepted Carrigafoile from the hazard?" "This, too, was a freak of mine, Dermid; but the reason why I did it, if there were any, was that I could never guess why O'Connor Slugach, my ancestor, built that castle at all, unless it were that while we possessed it, Iracht should never be long out of our tenure.' Slugach was a glutton," replied the poet, "as his name imparts, otherwise he had never built up stone walls for his protection, but trusted to his arms, and the woods, and the mountains." "True!" resumed O'Connor; "and now that I look coolly back upon my follies, I can see no reason for them whatever, save that, at some period or another of his life, a man will have his fling." "Ah! no, my prince!" sighed his monitor; "the thoughtless will to be sure go astray amid the world's temptations-the wise will be ever ruled by religion and reason." E. V. B. (1) Archbishop Ussher dates his death on 25th November, the 7th month, called “Cisleu.” (2) The hot waters of Callirhoe, the use of which Herod had been recommended as a last resource, are situate on the other side of Jordan, and empty themselves in the lake Asphaltites. (3) Antipater expressed such lively joy at his father's supposed death, that it hastened his own, as in the text. (4) He issued out his summons for all the heads of the Jews to repair to Jericho on a set day, under pain of death, and upon their arrival ordered them to be shut up in the circus. He then gave strict charge to Alexas, his sister's husband, to have them all butchered as soon as his breath was gone. By this means," said he, "I shall not only damp the people's joy, but secure a real mourning at my death." However, though bound by fearful oaths, Alexas set the Jews free on his demise. (5) Having heard a report about mid-day, that Herod was expired, they went immediately to the temple gate, over which he had set up a golden eagle of extraordinary bigness and exquisite workmanship, as a propitiation to the Romans, and began their pious work by pulling it down and breaking it into pieces with axes and hammers, as the greatest eye-sore of all, for which Herod caused the ringleaders to be burned to death.- History of the Jews, dedicated to William Lord Tallet, Baron of Hensol, M.DCC.XLV. EXPERIMENTS ON THE BLOOD.-MM. Andral and Gavairet, struck with the fact that a professor had succeeded in preciptating albumine in the form of globules, by adding a sufficient quantity of water to serum neutralised by an acid, repeated M. Liebig's experiment, and found that the globulous bodies, which developed themselves in the serum of the blood, were nothing less than the first rudiments of the vegetable of fermentation. Their experiments were repeated on the white of an egg, and on various serosities produced by disease; and the result is, that whatever may be the albuminous liquid, the alkaline property of which is removed by an acid, the same phenomenon presents itself. THE WRECK. Loud bellowing reports awoke me from a deep sleep. I raised myself upon my arm in the bed, and drew my watch from beneath my pillow. I perceived that the hour was seven. An indistinct recollection of the past crept upon my memory, and I was puzzled at the cause of my awaking so suddenly; but the mystery was soon explained. Whilst I was still gazing upon the dial of my Geneva, a tremendous burst of noise opened upon my ear; it was the report of a cannon, and there was no mistaking its meaning. I leaped from my bed, and threw up the window dense masses of human beings were already on the road beneath, running in the direction of the beach, and a cry arose amongst them "that a ship was in the breakers!" : I hastily threw on my clothes, and soon joined the multitude. Hundreds were on the beach when I reached it. The rain came down in torrents. The waves gambolled madly along the shore, and their spray was sent flying through the air. At the distance of about 500 yards from the beach lay a splendid vessel, contending powerfully with the element which bore her. Her deck was crowded both with sailors and men who wore the uniform of British soldiers. At particular moments might be heard one manly voice, which rose above the din that existed on board, giving forth its orders with coolness and precision, as spar after spar came tumbling into the boiling sea. Boats were launched from the shore, but the men who occupied them found it impossible to approach the ship: two of the frail barques had been stove in the attempt, and four of the men narrowly escaped drowning. "Can anything be done to save them ?" I cried, addressing myself to a man dressed in fustian clothes, below the middle size, but strongly built, who stood beside me. As this singular being finished speaking, his head sunk upon his chest, and his thoughts seemed to have strayed back to the recollection of earlier days. There was a something so extraordinary about the man's person and conversation, that I became actually spell-bound for the time; nor did I dare to intrude upon his reflections until they were ended. Suddenly his head became proudly elevated, and there was a fire in his eye as he said: "But I possess a secret satisfaction still the roar of my cannon is still reverberating in the ears of their boldest warriors!" "For God's sake," I said, "let us try and do something to save those fifty wretches!" 66 "Fifty! There are three hundred souls in that ship, so sure that there is one. "How know you that?" I asked. "She is a convict ship." "Good Heavens! they will all perish." "All!" said the stranger, in a solemn voice. "There is still a chance of their escape," I said, as the vessel gained an offing near a large rock, where the sea was less troubled than the waters around. "Now comes the crisis!" cried the stranger. Do you mark that shingle on the vessel's right bow? That's called the Devil's Point, and well does it deserve the name; for more misfortunes have been caused from its accursed position among the breakers, than all the calamities which the surrounding rocks could boast of. The vessel's only chance of being afloat for the next half hour entirely depends upon her passing that dangerous point. Had this event," he continued, his eyes penetrating the atmosphere" had it happened but three hours later, for by that time the fury of the storm must be past, a skilful pilot might be able to make something of her course; but at present it would be folly for the best mariner that ever steered a craft to think of it." "The water seems tranquil where she rides at present,” I said. "Ay; but the more the treachery, I warrant Do you obsarve the base of that rock?" he said pointing to the object. "I do." "There cannot!" he answered, with a decision which none could mistake: “their fate rests with God! 66 Woe to the mariner who touches the Devil's Point on a day like this! I would rather steer the largest vessel in proud George's service through the Caribean seas on the darkest night that ever came from the Heavens, than to have the management of a craft amongst these breakers on the finest day that ever the sun shone upon; for there is treachery in every ounce of their waters." "Stranger, you seem to possess much judgment in nautical affairs," I said; “for pity sake, suggest some scheme that may be acted upon for the relief of those unfortunate people. Oh, if you have charity—" "Charity!" he exclaimed, glancing at me angrily; "but I forgive you the expression," he added, after a moment's pause; "you little know the character of the man who stands before you. There are those on board yonder vessel, who wear the English livery, minions of the British king, who would tell you that I never possessed a spark of the virtue that you have named; but all who would brand me as such are liars-dark, foulmouthed liars. The man who has been wronged by their nation is defiled as a loathsome thing. Around the watch-fires of the English camp have I been represented as a thing of hideous form; as not being of human flesh and blood; as being supernatural." "I have watched the green element creeping round it silently for hours, and would at one period of my life, from my own judgment and experience in nature, venture to stake my existence upon the tranquillity of its waters for hours; but I was deceived; and it proves how little man's knowledge really is, though much he pretends to. I have seen it since then," he continued, "when the waters were as calm as a sleeping infant; and in the next instant I have seen the surf fly fifty feet above the summit of its peak. Ha! the vessel nears the rock-ten minutes will decide her fate!" That comparatively tranquil offing which I have before alluded to became suddenly agitated. The waters rose high above the level of the point, and in the next moment the sea fell full forty feet below the standard of its original height, exposing a large bed of rocks. The vessel was tossed and hurled about as though she were but a very chip of her own formation; but she still rode the boiling element, contending powerfully. When within thirty feet of the point, she suddenly stopped, and seemed as if she understood her dan gerous position, and remained stationary for a few minutes. "May God be merciful to them!" I breathed, in a low tone, almost afraid to hear my own voice. "Amen!' responded my companion devoutly. "I passed that very rock, in company with others, on a dark night, three years since; but it was the benevolence of the Almighty alone that preserved us." "May we not hope then, in the present instance?" I said. "This case differs from mine," he replied. "Yonder ship is already on the rocks. The vessel that I commanded on that fearful night was an American privateer: we had 3,000 stand of arms on board, besides ammunition, for the Yankees, and we were bound for Boston. We had been several days at sea, when one morning the man at the wheel descried a strange sail some miles astern of us. I perceived by the glass that she was an English sloop of war. We crowded our little craft with as much sail as she could carry; but our endeavours to outstrip the English ship proved fruitless; about dusk she was close upon us. I was a proscribed man, and I knew that I had but little to expect; desperation gave me energy, and I ran the privateer for these very breakers, trusting everything to Providence. We soon entered among these treacherous rocks, and the king's ship pursued us rapidly. Everything succeeded in our scheme: we escaped the threatened dangers of the night, but it proved a terrible adventure for the British: not a man of them was alive next morning-eighty souls perished that night! Many and loud were the peals which came from their cannon-but not a beacon lighted on the shore in answer to their signals!" The stranger seemed lost in thought a second time; but suddenly catching my arm, he cried, as he pointed to the ship-" Now is the moment!" I watched the issue in misery. The waters, which had receded but a few minutes before, came rolling back in mountains, supplying cavities they had borrowed from but now, and sweeping everything before them that opposed their course, except the rocks. The ship was literally raised out of the sea into the air, and then violently dashed upon the rock known by the name of "The Devil's Point," upon which she remained trembling for a moment then slipped heavily into the trough him to spare them; some were seen leaping into the boiling sea, whilst others clung to the bulwarks and rigging of the ship. Upon the bow of the sinking vessel appeared a female of about twenty years old, with an infant firmly clasped within her arms; she gazed upon its face for a minute, kissed it, and jumped into the water-they never rose again. After a little time the ship completely severed and went down head foremost, and 300 human beings became immersed in water. 66 My God, can we render them no assistance?" I frantically cried, turning round to address my companion; but he was no where to be found. I turned my eyes again upon the sufferers, and could perceive with horror, that bold and powerful swimmers reached the rocks but to be dashed to pieces; their corpses lay bleaching on the barren crags by scores, while more sunk into the deep without a struggle. My head grew giddy; I became sick-deadly sick, I gasped for breath; I was choking-absolutely choking. My limbs shook violently; my strength forsook me; I reeled, and fell to the earth! I know not what length of time I remained in this state, but the interval which elapsed before I came to my senses was haunted by confused and miscellaneous visions of shipwrecked mariners, and spectral apparitions. I fancied that I was the last of the crew, that all had perished but me, and that I was standing upon a single plank in the centre of the German Ocean, surrounded by a host of unearthly spirits, who claimed me as their own. In each being I recognised the feature of a drowned shipmate, and though each lineament had been changed by some supernatural agency, still in every face I traced the original; the eyes of the spectres were hollow and sunken, and from the sockets issued a blue quivering flame which smelt of brimstone; their hands were long and bony, and the chill of death was in their touch; and each spectre scraped his jaw bone with the knuckles of his right hand, in imitation of gnashing, because they had no teeth; and they all laughed and grinned betimes, for they liked variety, and one cried out "His skull, a good bowl would make." And the apparitions laughed and grinned again; the same spectre cried out "His tongue for the wolf we'll take." And they laughed again, and well did they enjoy of the sea! A movement was now visible on The moment that they became sensible of their danger-oh God! I shall never forget it—a long, loud, and wild cry of despair rent the air, and ascended to the very heavens; but the boisterous sea only mocked them in their agony, and dashed the vessel a second time upon the point! The ship split from her bows to her stern; then ensued a scene of horror which baffles every idea of the human imagination! Men who, perhaps, never thought of their God before, nor never named him but in blasphemy, were heard calling upon "See, our lights of burning flame "Hubble, bubble, A wild screeching in the air followed, and several voices mingled in one common cry of "We'll cranch him, paunch him, and skin him.” The agony was insufferable-I could endure it no longer; I awoke with the cry still ringing in my ears, but that shout which aroused me from my trance came from the beach. With much difficulty I raised myself from the ground and looked upon the sea. The first object that met my view was an open boat crowded with human beings, Faddie together in one disordered mass; one form, alone, stood erect it was the stranger: I watched his sundry escapes with a feverish anxiety, a3 he dashed the boat past one danger, but to arrive at another; after imminent and frightful perils, he at length succeeded in bringing twenty of the sufferers to land; about 280 perished! I hastened to the spot and grasped his hand. "Stranger!" I said, "forgive me for my suspicions you have acted nobly." "I have done no more than charity demanded of me," he replied, with a melancholy smile. "You surely must be fatigued; come with me to my house, that you may have rest and refreshment, for you require both, after this day's exertions." "I thank you," he answered, "but, believe me, I require them not. Attend to these poor wretches who have been saved through my poor instrumentality, and see that they want for nothing. I must be many miles from hence," said he, pointing to the sun which was now visible in the Heavens-"I must be many miles from hence ere that sun sets." He turned upon his heel and departed. The English government offered a large reward to the man who acted so fearlessly that day, but the sum was never claimed. That morning's catastrophe formed the groundwork of many a wild and fearful tale. And around the fisherman's fire-side it is still whispered, that the daring stranger of that day was no other than the terrible "Paul Jones," the clebrated American. R. MUMMY PITS.-In Egypt, the dead, after being embalmed, were deposited, in great numbers, in caves or places formed under ground. These are now known by the name of mummy pits. It is impossible to conceive a more singular and astonishing sight than a tomb of this description. Imagine a cave of considerable magnitude filled up with heaps of dead bodies in all directions, and in the most whimsical attitudes; some with extended arms, others holding out a right hand, and apparently in the attitude of addressing you some prostrate; others with their heels sticking up in the air. At every step you thrust your feet through a body or crush a head. Most of the bodies are enveloped with linen, coated with gum, &c., for their better preservation. Some of the linen is of a texture remarkably fine, far surpassing what is made in Egypt at this day, and proving that their manufactures must have arrived at a great degree of excellence. Many of the bodies, probably of the lower orders, are simply dried, without any envelopment. Innumerable fragments of small idols are scattered about; they are mostly human figures of Osiris, about two inches long, with the hook and Scourge in either hand: some are of stone, some of baked earthenware, and others of blue pottery. The bodies are stowed in compact masses, tier on tier, always crossing each other. In some instances we found the hair quite perfect.-Irby and Mangles' Travels. ARSENIC A CURE FOR CANCER.-Arsenic mixed with ointment has been used to cure cancer, by which either radical cures have been effected, or the extension of the disease has been so checked as to prevent the destruction of the patient. The secretions, for some days after the administration of the remedy, gave proofs of the presence of the arsenic, thus showing that it had been absorbed, but none of the injurious effects of the poison were manifested in the system. THE EVEN. The eventide comes with each passing day, On the ocean's bosom slumb'ring. Tho' darkness is spread o'er the earth afar, Sheds its light over heaven's canopy. And the year's eve comes, when the flower dies, To shake down the summer's blossoming. Then the lily and rose in their gayest bloom, With their tinted leaves, find an early tomb, And nature appears in her sable gloom Then winter reigns triumphantly. So the heart of man, like a desert drear, And flourished in summer's gaiety. And the even of human life will shed The precincts of death's dark territory. They flourish again luxuriantly. Spread out as nature's garniture. They blossom throughout eternity. ELLIS. HATCHING EGGS.-Many schemes for hatching chickens, ducklings, and the young of other domesto poultry, have at various times been brought before inclosed in a vessel of cylindrical form, made of sheetthe public. Mr. Todd has invented an apparatus iron, whose diameter is 24 inches and height 22 inches It consists of several pars, among which is a hatching tray, occupying the upper part of the vessel, lined with wool, and has around a central aperture, through which the steam passes from the boiler to the hatching department The hatching process is simple, and may be thus described: When the eggs are first placed in the hatching tray, it is necessary to mark 1 and 2, or A and B, or some other mark, by which to distinguish opposite sides; as also to write the date on each egg, so as to distinguish one batch of eggs from another. successive days, it is necessary (for so Nature will hold 100 eggs. Once in every 24 hours, for 21 time, when the chickens break forth from their shells, dictates) to turn the eggs: at the expiration of that it is found advisable to leave them in the tray for about 24 hours, before they are transferred to the rearing compartment, the temperature of which is about 12 deg. lower than that of the hatching room. The tray LIQUID MANURE.-In Paris a new contract has recently been signed, by which the contractor agrees to give the city 22,000l. per annum for the contents of the cesspools of Paris. |