That this is not a fanciful representation of the tone of his mind on this trying occasion, is evinced by the following letter, in which he announced to one of his friends the intelligence of the destruction of his princely mansion : 'My dear S-, London, March 16, 1807. I shall begin with good news. I came here last Thursday very well. My wife and child are very well. I have sold the priory well.-Now the reverse of the medal is, that Hafod was burnt down last Friday.-No lives lost.-Thank God it was not worse.-To-day I set out for the ruins.—I must renew the fable of the Phoenix. 'Always yours, most sincerely, 'T. JOHNES.' P. S. I fear the precious cahiers of Monstrelet have perished.' The fable of the Phoenix was renewed; and another mansion, with many improvements, arose from the ruins of the former. The loss of his only daughter some time afterwards, added to a lingering complaint, contributed to embitter the last days of Mr. Johnes he retired into Devonshire to seek a milder air, for the recovery of his health, but without effect. A very interesting Memoir of this accomplished scholar and amiable man will be found in the Annual Biography and Obituary for 1817, p. 533, from which we have extracted the above particulars. 25.-SAINT MARK. St. Mark's Gospel was written in the year 63. The order of knights of St. Mark at Venice, under the protection of this evangelist, was instituted in the year 737, the reigning doge being always grand master :-their motto was, Pax tibi, Marce, Evangelista Meus.' 6 This day takes its name from the Latin term rogare, to ask; because, on the three subsequent days, supplications were appointed by Mamertus, Bishop of Vienna, in the year 469, to be offered up with fasting to God, to avert some particular calamities that threatened his diocess. *27. 1794.-SIR WILLIAM JONES DIED. It may convey some idea of the facility of his talents, and the exquisiteness of his memory, when it is recorded, that he understood no fewer than twenty-eight languages, eight of which had been acquired with critical correctness. In respect to his literary achievements also, they were so numerous as to exhibit an Herculean task never before attempted, or attained, in an equal number of years. His celebrity, indeed, is astonishing, and, in point of character, his is one of the fairest of the age in which he lived, both as to integrity and patriotism; while in respect to genius, general literature, and deep research, it is second to none, in the annals of his country. Pious, regular, punctual in the discharge of all his duties; he was a perfect model in private life. Patient, indefatigable, uncorrupt, and at the same time gifted with a wonderful degree of precision and equanimity; he exhibited the perfect pattern of an upright Judge: critically acquainted with the architecture of the English constitution, he admired that noble fabric, in its antient primeval Saxon simplicity; and lamented that its noble Gothic arch had been disfigured and undermined by the modern torrent of corruption. So pure was he in regard to his principles, that he obtained the appellation of the English Cato;' so universal in respect to attainments, that he bore a near resemblance to the admirable Crichton,' while a learned Dutch Professor termed him the Phoenix of his day, and the ornament of the age.' It is greatly to be lamented that Sir William Jones did not succeed in his wish to represent his alma mater (Oxford) in Parliament, as it would have detained him in England, and might have preserved, for many additional years, a life so dear and so precious to his coun H. A. Schultens. H try. This was the object of his highest ambition; and one for which, as he himself was accustomed to say, he would gladly have sacrificed not only an Indian Judgeship of six thousand a year; but a Nabobship, with as many millions.' To conclude, he literally sacrificed his life to a nice sense of duty, the completion of a code of laws for our Hindoo and Mohammedan subjects in India; -and was worthy to live either in the times of Harmodius and Aristogiton, to whose triumph he attuned his lyre; or of Hampden and Sidney, whose lives and whose death alike constituted the theme of his eulogium'. APRIL 1756.-WILLIAM GIFFORD BORN, author of the well known translation of Juvenal, For I am sick of ling'ring here, And pluck the ragged moss away, And weeds that have no business there?' And who with pious hand shall bring The flow'rs she cherished, snowdrops cold, And vi'lets that unheeded spring, To scatter o'er her hallowed mould? 'See Annual Biography and Obituary for 1817, p. 444, where is an excellent life of Sir William Jones, which does ample justice to his political principles, a subject scarcely noticed by Lord Teignmouth. Some original and important letters have been also inserted in this new life. And who, while mem'ry loves to dwell I did it; and, would fate allow, Should visit still, should still deplore- Take then, sweet maid! this simple strain, Thy grave must then undecked remain, And can thy soft persuasive look, eye, From the earliest times, this day was set apart to commemorate our Saviour's ascension into heaven: all processions on this, and the preceding rogation days, were abolished at the reformation. In London, on this day, the minister, accompanied by the churchwardens, and a number of boys, with wands, walk in procession, and beat the bounds of the parish. But this is not always practised, nor in every year. Holy Thursday was formerly a day of great festivity at Beziers, a town in the south of France, and was celebrated with a variety of little sports. A whimsical procession, called the procession of the Camel, constituted a part of them. A figure representing that animal, with a man in the inside, was paraded about the town, and, by means of some machinery which the man directed, the figure was made to perform many ridiculous tricks, to the great amusement of the spectators. The municipal officers, attended by the companies of the different trades and manufactures, preceded the camel; it was followed by a cart, over which were branches of trees twined into an arbour, and filled with as many people as could possibly be crammed into it: the cart was drawn by mules ornamented with bunches of flowers and ribands; a number of people stuck over with flowers and little twigs of trees, who were called the wild men, followed the cart and closed the procession. After parading about the town all day, towards evening the whole company repaired to the chapel of the Blue Penitents, where they were met by the chapter of the cathedral, who had previously also gone in procession round the town, and then a large quantity of bread was given away by the chapter among the poor. Hence the day was called, in the language of the country, lou jour de caritach, the day of charity. Another part of the ceremonies of the day was, that the peasants from the country for a great way round assembled in the streets with crooks in their hands, and, ranging themselves in long files on each side, made mock skirmishes with their crooks, aiming strokes at each other, in parrying which great dexterity was shown, and great emulation which should parry them the best. There were commonly many skirmishes in the course of the day, and each ended with a dance to the music of the fife and tambourin. The inhabitants of the town also carried on among themselves a little warfare, in throwing sugarplums and dried fruits at each other, from their windows, or as they passed in the streets. Finally, the day was concluded by a favourite dance among the young men and women, called la danse des treilles. Every dancer carries a cerceau, as it is called, that is a half hoop, twined with vine branches; and ranging themselves in long files on each side of the street, they form different groups, and in the evolutions of the dance make a variety of figures with the cerceaux, with wonderful grace and agility. young men were all dressed in white jackets and trowsers, and the young women in white jackets with The |