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peculiar fashion, and a long staff nearly as tall as herself. I remember her well-every week she paid my father a visit for her almous, when I was a little boy, and I looked upon Madge with no common degree of awe and terror. When she spoke vehemently (for she had many complaints) she used to strike her staff upon the floor, and throw herself into an attitude which it was impossible to regard with indifference. She used to say that she could bring from the remotest parts of the island, friends to revenge her quarrel, while she sat motionless in her cottage; and she frequently boasted that there was a time when she was of considerable importance, for there were at her wedding fifty saddled asses, and unsaddled asses without number. If Jean Gordon was the prototype of the character of Meg Merrilies, I imagine Madge must have sat to the unknown author as the representative of her person.

"I have ever understood," says the same correspondent, speaking of the Yetholm gypsies, "that they are extremely superstitious-carefully noticing the formation of the clouds, the flight of particular birds, and the soughing of the winds, before attempting any enterprise. They have been known for several successive days to turn back with their loaded carts, asses, and children, upon meeting with persons whom they considered of unlucky aspect; nor do they ever proceed upon their summer peregrinations without some propitious omen of their fortunate return. They also burn the clothes of their dead, not so much from any apprehension of infection being communicated by them, as the conviction that the very circumstance of wearing them would shorten the days of the living. They likewise carefully watch the corpse by night and day till the time of interment, and conceive that the deil tinkles at the lykewake' of those who felt in their dead thraw the agonies and terrors of remorse.-I am rather uncertain about the nature of their separate language. They certainly do frequently converse in such a way as completely to conceal their meaning from other people; but it seems doubtful whether the jargon they use, on such occasions, be not a mere slang invented for very obvious purposes. I recollect of having heard them conversing in VOL. I.

this manner-and whether it was an imaginary resemblance I know notbut the first time I listened to Hindhustanee spoken fluently, it reminded me of the colloquies of the Yetholm gypsies."

On the subject of the gypsey language, our readers will remark a curious coincidence between the observation just quoted, and the first of the following anecdotes, which we are enabled to state upon the authority and in the words of Mr Walter Scott-a gentleman to whose distinguished assistance and advice we have been on the present occasion very peculiarly indebted, and who has not only furnished us with many interesting particulars himself, but has also obligingly directed us to other sources of curious information :

"Whether the Yetholm gypsies have a separate language or not, I imagine might be ascertained, though those vagrants always reckon this among their arcana majora. A lady who had been in India addressed some gypsies in the Hindhustanee language, from the received opinion that it is similar to their own. They did not apparently understand her, but were extremely incensed at what they conceived a mockery; so it is probable the sound of the language had an affinity to that of their own.

"Of the Highland gypsies I had the following account from a person of observation, and highly worthy of credit. There are many settled in Kintyre, who travel through the highlands and lowlands annually. They frequently take their route through the passes of Loch Katrine, where they are often to be met with. They certainly speak among themselves a language totally distinct from either Gaelic or Lowland Scotch. A family having settled near my informer for a few days, he wormed some of the words out of a boy of about twelve years old, who communicated them with the utmost reluctance, say ing, his grandfather would kill him if he knew of his teaching any one their speech. One of the sentences my informer remembered-it sounded like no language I ever heard, and I am certain it has no affinity with any branch of the Gothic or Celtic dialects. I omitted to write the words down, but they signified, 'I will stick my knife into you, you black son of a devil'- a gypsey-like exclamation. My

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informer believed that many crimes and even murders were committed among them, which escaped the cognizance of the ordinary police; the seclusion of their habits, and the solitary paths which they chose, as well as the insignificance of their persons, withdrawing them from the ordinary inspection and attention of the magis

trate.

"The Scottish lowland gypsies have not in general so atrocious a character, but are always poachers, robbers of hen-roosts, black-fishers, stealers of wood, &c. and in that respect inconvenient neighbours. A gang of them, Faas and Baillies, lately fought a skirmish with the Duke of Buccleuch's people and some officers of mine, in which a fish-spear was driven into the thigh of one of the gamekeepers.

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A lady of rank, who has resided some time in India, lately informed me, that the gypsies are to be found there in the same way as in England, and practise the same arts of posture-making and tumbling, fortune-telling, stealing, and so forth. The Indian gypsies are called Nuts, or Bazeegurs, and are believed by many to be the remains of an original race, prior even to the Hindhus, and who have never adopted the worship of Bramah. They are entirely different from the Parias, who are Hindhus that have lost caste, and so become degraded.

There is a very curious essay concerning the Nuts in the seventh volume of the Asiatic Researches, which contains some interesting observations on the origin and language of the European gypsies. But we have been tempted to extend this article already far beyond the limits we propose usually to allot to any subject in the course of a single Number; and though we have still many curious particulars to detail, we find these must necessarily be delayed till our next appearance. We cannot, however, quit this subject for the present without noticing with particular approbation a little work lately published by Mr Hoyland of Sheffield, entitled, "A Historical Survey of the Customs, Habits, and present State of the Gypsies; designed to develope the origin of this singular people, and to promote the amelioration of their condition."-The author has industriously collected the substance of what previous historians or

travellers have related of them, from their first appearance in Europe down to our own times. He has also taken great pains to procure information respecting their present state in Britain

by sending circular queries to the chief provincial magistrates, and by personally visiting several of their encampments-for the purpose of setting on foot some plan for their improvement and civilization. Mr Hoyland, we understand, is a member of the respectable society of Friends or Quakers

whose disinterested and unwearied exertions in the cause of injured humanity are above all praise. It is enough to say of the present object, that it is not unworthy of that Christian philanthropy which accomplished the abolition of the slave trade. We shall account ourselves peculiarly happy, should our humble endeavours in any degree tend to promote Mr H.'s benevolent purpose, by attracting public attention to this degraded race of outcasts-the Parias of Europethousands of whom still exist in Britain, in a state of barbarism and wretchedness scarcely equalled by that of their brethren in India. From such of our readers as may have had opportunities of observing the manners, or investigating the origin and peculiar dialect of this singular people, we respectfully invite communications. Even solitary or seemingly trivial notices on such a subject ought not to be neglected: though singly unimportant, they may lead collectively to valuable results. But we need not multiply observations on this point

since our idea is already so well expressed in the following extract from the same valuable communication which we last quoted." I have always considered," says Mr Scott, as a very curious phenomenon in Society, the existence of those wandering tribes, having nearly the same manners and habits in all the nations of Europe, and mingling everywhere with civil society without ever becoming amalgamated with it. It has been hitherto found difficult to trace their origin, perhaps because there is not a sufficient number of facts to go upon. I have not spared you such as I have heard or observed, though many are trivial: if others who have better opportunities would do the same, some general conclusions might result from the whole.'

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(To be continued.)

SELECT EXTRACTS.

ACCOUNT OF COLONEL BEAUFOY's mouni, accompanied by a guide who

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COLONEL BEAUFOY, a philosopher of considerable eminence, has lately published, in the Annals of Philosophy (No 50, Feb. 1817,) an interesting account of a journey which he made to the summit of Mount Blanc in the month of August of the year 1787.From about the year 1776, various unsuccessful attempts had been made, by different adventurers, to reach the summit of this stupendous mountain. -The first of these attempts was made in that year by M. Couteran, accompanied by three guides from the neighbouring valley. After travelling fourteen hours, during which they had made their way over many of the most hazardous and fatiguing parts of the ascent, they arrived at the eminence next to mount Blanc, at about 13,000 feet above the Mediterranean; but perceiving that four hours would still be necessary to accomplish their enterprise, that the day was far advanced, and that clouds were beginning to envelope the summit, they were obliged, with much regret, to give up the project they had so nearly accomplished. -The next attempt was made in September of the year 1784, by M. Bourrit, accompanied by six guides; but he was so affected by the intensity of the cold, when he had very nearly accomplished the object of his journey, that he found it to be a matter of absolute necessity to relinquish any hope of making farther progress.-In the following year, 1785, Marie Coutet and James Balma reached a sheltered place at a very considerable elevation, where they passed the night, and were afterwards proceeding towards the summit of the mountain, when a violent storm of hail obliged them to desist. On the 13th of the same month, Saussure and Bourrit, with twelve guides, after having advanced about 7808 feet above the level of the sea, were also prevented by a fall of snow from accomplishing their design.-At last, on the 8th of August of the year 1786, Dr Paccard, a physician of Cha

was skilled in the passes, and availing himself of the knowledge of the route which had been acquired by the attempts of former travellers, succeeded, after many discouraging accidents, in actually gaining the summit of the mountain.-The travellers remained about half an hour on a spot which had never probably been trod by any human foot, and where the cold was so intense as not only to freeze the provisions and ink which they carried along with them, but also to affect their own bodies with several very unpleasant and dangerous symptoms.

The success of this expedition of Dr Paccard appears to have encouraged Saussure to a second attempt; and, accordingly, on the 14th of August 1787, he succeeded in conveying to, the top of the mountain a pretty large assortment of philosophical instruments, and of other conveniencies for the success of the expedition. He remained on the summit of the mountain four hours, enjoying the satisfaction of a most extensive prospect, and diligently employing this favourable opportunity in the performance of several interesting and instructive experiments. At this vast elevation, of something more than 15,000 feet above the level of the sea, respiration was very sensibly affected-a burning thirst seemed almost to parch the skin, and a particular aversion was at the same time felt for every kind of spirituous liquors-the only alleviation which the sensations of the travellers admitted, being that derived from copious and repeated draughts of fresh water. It will be seen in the sequel, that precisely the same effects were experienced in the subsequent ascent which we are about to consider.

The expedition of Col. Beaufoy was the third successful attempt to gain the summit of the mountain. It was undertaken only five days after that of M. Saussure, which we have now related; and to a few extracts from the Colonel's paper, comprehending what seems most remarkable in the journey, we shall now direct the attention of our readers.

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Col. Beaufoy's Journey to the Summit of Mount Blanc.

After detailing the preparations he had made for the successful prosecution of his journey, and giving an account of his progress during the first five hours after his departure, by which time he had arrived at the second glaciere, called the Glaciere de la Cote, the Colonel thus continues his narrative: "Our dinner being finished, we fixed our cramp irons to our shoes, and began to cross the glaciere; but we had not proceeded far, when we discovered that the frozen snow which lay in the ridges between the waves of ice, often concealed, with a covering of uncertain strength, the fathomless chasms which traverse this solid sea; yet the danger was soon in a great degree removed, by the expedient of tying ourselves together with our long rope, which, being fastened at proper distances to our waists, secured from the principal hazard such as might fall within the opening of the gulf. Trusting to the same precaution, we also crossed upon our ladder, without apprehension, such of the chasms as were exposed to view; and sometimes stopping in the middle of the ladder, looked down in safety upon an abyss which baffled the reach of vision, and from which the sound of the masses of ice, that we repeatedly let fall, in no instance ascended to the ear. In some places we were obliged to cut footsteps with our hatchet; yet on the whole the difficulties were far from great, for in two hours and a half we had passed the glaciere. We now, with more ease and much more expedition, pursued our way, having only snow to cross; and in two hours arrived at a hut, which had been erected in the year 1756 by the order and at the expense of M. de Saussure."

At this hut the travellers slept; and the following is a very striking account of the night scene which was observed Lat this elevated station: "At two o'clock I threw aside my blankets, and went out of the hut to observe the appearance of the heavens. The stars shone with a lustre that far exceeded the brightness which they exhibit when seen from the usual level; and had so little tremor in their light, as to leave no doubt on my mind, that if viewed from the summit of the mountain, they would have appeared as fixed points. How improved in those altitudes would be the aids which the telescope gives to vision !-indeed

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the clearness of the air was such, as led me to think that Jupiter's satellites might be distinguished by the naked eye; and had he not been in the neighbourhood of the moon, I might possibly have succeeded. He continued distinctly visible for several hours after the sun was risen, and did not wholly disappear till almost eight."

With the morning dawn the company proceeded on their expedition; and the following passage will convey a very distinct idea of the dangers and horrors to which this journey is exposed.-" Our route was across the snow; but the chasms which the ice beneath had formed, though less numerous than those that we had passed on the preceding day, embarrassed our ascent. One in particular had opened so much in the few days that intervened between M. De Saussure's expedition and our own, as for the time to bar the hope of any further progress; but at length, after having wandered with much anxiety along its bank, I found a place which I hoped the ladder was sufficiently long to cross. The ladder was accordingly laid down, and was seen to rest upon the opposite edge, but its bearing did not exceed an inch on either side. We now considered, that should we pass the chasm, and should its opening, which had enlarged so much in the course of a few preceding days, increase in the least degree before the time of our descent, no chance of return remained. We also considered, that if the clouds, which so often envelope the hill, should rise, the hope of finding, amidst the thick fog, our way back to this only place in which the gulf, even in its present state, was passable, was little less than desperate. Yet after a moment's pause the guides consented to go with me, and we crossed the chasm. We had not proceeded far, when the thirst, which, since our arrival in the upper regions of the air, had been always troublesome, became almost intolerable. No sooner had I drank than the thirst returned, and in a few minutes my throat became perfectly dry. Again I had recourse to the water, and again my throat was parched. The air itself was thirsty: its extreme of dryness had robbed my body of its moisture."

After surmounting a succession of similar dangers, and continuing to experience the same disheartening sensa

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tions, the company at length arrived at about 150 fathoms below the level of the summit. Their feelings at this moment are well depicted in the following passage. "The pernicious effects of the thinness of the air were now evident on us all: a desire, almost irresistible, of sleep came on. My spirits had left me: sometimes, indifferent as to the event, I wished to lie down; at others I blamed myself for the expedition; and, though just at the summit, had thoughts of turning back without accomplishing my purpose. Of my guides many were in a worse situation; for, exhausted by excessive vomiting, they seemed to have lost all strength, both of mind and body. But shame at length came to our relief. I drank the last pint of water that was left, and found myself amazingly refreshed My lungs with difficulty performed their office, and my heart was affected with violent palpitation. At last, however, but with a sort of apathy which scarcely admitted the sense of joy, we reached the summit of the mountain; when six of my guides, and with them my servant, threw themselves on their faces, and were immediately asleep."

We have only room for one other extract, in which an account is given of the effect produced upon the mind of the spectator by the view from the vast height to which the travellers had attained. "When the spectator begins to look round him from this elevated height, a confused impression of immensity is the first effect produced upon his mind; but the blue colour, deep almost to blackness, of the canopy above him, soon arrests his attention. He next surveys the mountains, many of which, from the clearness of the air, are to his eye within a stone's throw from him; and even those of Lombardy seem to approach his neighbourhood: while, on the other side, the vale of Chamouni, glittering with the sunbeams, is to the view directly below his feet, and affects his head with giddiness. On the other hand, all objects, of which the distance is great and the level low, are hid from his eye by the blue vapour which intervenes, and through which I could not discern the Lake of Geneva, though, at the height of 15,700 English feet, which, according to Saussure, was the level on which I stood; even the Mediterranean sea must have been within the line of vision. The air was still, and the day

so remarkably fine, that I could not discover in any part of the heavens the appearance of a single cloud.”

In this expedition the latitude of Mount Blanc was very accurately determined, and some experiments were also made respecting the power of a burning-glass at the summit of the mountain, compared with its effect in the vale of Chamouni. The chief interest of the narrative, however, is derived from the information which it communicates respecting the dangers of the journey itself, and from the corroboration it has given to the testimony of other travellers respecting the effect produced upon the human body in such elevated situations. We do not know that any account has yet been published of the attempts which have been made, subsequent to that of Colonel Beaufoy, to accomplish the same journey,-but we have reason to believe, that of late years the summit of the mountain has been frequently gained.

ACCOUNT OF THE REMARKABLE CASE OF MARGARET LYALL,

Who continued in a State of Sleep nearly Six Weeks.

By the Rev. JAMES BRewster, Minister of Craig.

(From the Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Read Feb. 19, 1816.)

Manse of Craig, Feb. 19, 1816.

MY DEAR BROTHER, THE enclosed account was drawn up at the request of Robert Græme, Esq. when all the circumstances were fresh in my own recollection, and that of all with whom I had occasion to confer on the subject. Since you requested me to send you a correct copy of the whole case, I have renewed my inquiries among the friends of the young woman, and submitted my account to several persons, who were most capable of supplying any omissions, or correcting any mistakes. I can confidently vouch for the general accuracy of the statement, but would not wish its credibility to rest entirely on my single testimony. I have therefore procured the signature of the young woman's father, and of several gentlemen, with whom you are more or less acquainted, and who frequently The acsaw her during her illness. count of her recovery, on the 8th of

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