A

reckoned a competent estate for a gentleman; at least, the lord of a single manor would seldom have enjoyed more. knight who possessed £150 per annum, passed for extremely rich.* Yet this was not equal in command over commodities to £4000 at present. But this income was comparatively free from taxation, and its expenditure lightened by the services of his villeins. Such a person, however, must have been among the most opulent of the country gentlemen. Sir John Fortescue speaks of five pounds a-year as "a fair living for a yeoman." So when Sir William Drury, one of the richest men in Suffolk, bequeaths, in 1493, fifty marks to each of his daughters, we must not imagine that this was of greater value than four or five hundred pounds of this day; but remark the family pride, and want of ready money, which induced country gentlemen to leave their younger children in poverty Or, if we read that the expense of a scholar at the university, in 1514, was but five pounds annually, we should err in supposing that he had the liberal accommodation which the present age deems indispensable; but consider how much could be afforded for about sixty pounds, which would be not far from the proportion. And what would a modern lawyer say to the following entry in the churchwardens' accounts of St. Margaret, Westminster, for 1476: "Also paid to Roger Tylpott, learned in the law, for his counsel-giving, 3s. 8d. with fourpence for his dinner." Though fifteen times the fee might not seem altogether inadequate at present, five shillings would hardly furnish the table of a barrister, even if the fastidiousness of our manners would admit of his accepting such a dole.

It is the vulgar idea that Queen Elizabeth's maids of honour breakfasted on beef-steaks and ale, and that wine was such a rarity as to be sold only by apothecaries as a cordial. The science of good living was as well understood in those days as it is now, though the fashion might be somewhat different the nobility had French cooks; and among the dishes enumerated, we find "not only beef, mutton, veal, lamb, kid, pork, rabbit, capon, pig;" but also red, or fallow deer, and a great variety of fish and wild fowl, with pastry and creams, Italian confections, and preserved fruits, and sweetmeats from Portugal; nay, we are even told of cherries served up at twenty shillings a pound. The variety of wines can hardly be exceeded at present: for a writer of Elizabeth's time mentions fifty-six different kinds of French wine, and thirty-six Spanish and Italian wine, imported into England.

"THE ROAST BEEF OF OLD ENGLAND."

In the Notes to Hume's History of England, vol. i., SS, are some extracts from the Household Book of the establishment of the fifth earl of Northumberland, begun in 1512; and no baron's family lived on a more splendid scale. Yet they lived mostly upon salted meat. Thus: "Six hundred and forty-seven sheep are allowed, at twenty-pence apiece; and these seem to be all cat salted, except between Lammas and Michaelmas, p. 5. Only twenty five hogs are allowed, at two shillings apiece; twenty-eight veals at twenty-pence; forty lambs at tenpence or a shilling, p. 7. These seem to be reserved for my lord's table, or that of the upper servants, called the knights' table. The other servants, as they ate salted meat almost throughout the whole year, and with few or no vegetables, had a very bad and unhealthy diet: so that

Macpherson, Annals, p. 424. from Matt. Paris.

+ Difference of Limited and Absolute Monarchy, p. 133. Hist. of Hawsted, p. 141.

Nichols's Illustrations, p. 2. One fact of this class did, I wn, stagger me. The great Earl of Warwick writes to a private gentleman, Sir Thomas Tuddenham, begging the loan of twenty pounds, to make up a sum he had to pay. Paston Letters, vol. i. p. 84. What way shall we make this commensurate to the present value of money? But an ingenious friend suggested, what I do not question is the case, that this was one of many letters addressed to the adherents of Warwick, in order to raise, by their contributions, a considerable sum. It is curious, in this light, as an illustration of man

ners.

Hallam, Hist. Mid. Ages, vol. iii. pp. 451–453.

there cannot be anything more erroneous than the magnificent ideas formed of the Roast Beef of Old England." Probably, this national dish is not older than the time of Charles II., when a roast chine of beef was a favourite supper viand; although this inference is from better authority than the anecdote of Charles knighting a loin of beef (Sir-loin), upon an oak table lately shown at Friday Hill House, Chingford, Essex.-Popular Errors, Part III.

Varieties.

The Ladies of Bogata wear neither shoes nor stockings; their feet are quite bare, and particularly well washed and clean. They are said to dislike shoeing, as much as a horse which has run wild till he is five or six years old.

Emeralds.-The curé of Moufra, where the finest emeralds in the world are found, has a waistcoat with small emerald buttons, the greater part of which have been found in the crops of fowls and turkeys, picked up by them in their rambles, to digest their food. Among the crown jewels of Spain, is an emerald so large as to be used for a paper-weight.

The Author of Waverley.-Mrs. Murray Keith, a venerable Scotch lady, from whom Sir Walter Scott derived many of the traditionary stories and anecdotes wrought up in his admirable fictions, taxed him one day with the authorship, which "What!" exclaimed the old he, as usual, stoutly denied. lady, "d'ye think I dinna ken my ain groats among other

folk's kail?"

Union of Literary Compositions. At a large literary party in Edinburgh, a short time ago, in the course of conversation it was mentioned that a certain well-known literary character had written two poems, one called "The Pebble," the other "The Ocean;" that he was offering them to the booksellers, who, however, would not accede to his terms of publication, and that the worthy author was therefore puzzled not a little as to what he should do with his productions. "Why," remarked a sarcastic gentleman who was present, I think the doctor could not do better than throw the one into the other."

How to mount a Horse.-In Peru, a knot is tied in the horse's tail, into which the lady introduces her foot, as into a stirrup.

Do you smoke, sir?" Do you smoke, sir?" said a London sharper to a country gentleman, whom he met with in a coffee-house, and with whom he wished to scrape an acquaint"Yes," said the other, with a cool, steady eye," any one who has a design upon me."

ance.

Double Letters.-A pretty little maid of Erin presented herself at the post office the other day, and handing in a letter, modestly asked how much was to pay, as she said the letter was to her mother, and she wished to pay in advance. The clerk, on receiving it asked the usual question, "single or double?" When she replied with the most bewitching naïveté, at the same time blushing up to the eyes, “Double, sir! I was married last week."

Hang Together.-Richard Penn, one of the proprietors, and of all the governors of Pensylvania, probably the most deservedly popular, in the commencement of the revolution, (his brother John being at that time governor,) was on the most familiar and intimate terms with a number of the most decided and influential Whigs: and, on a certain occasion, being in company with several of them, a member of Congress observed that such was the crisis, "they must all hang together." "If you do not, gentlemen," said Mr. Penn, “I can tell you that you will be very apt to hang separately.”

Receipt for the Ladies.-Cream may be frozen by simply putting it into a glass vessel, and then placing the whole in an old bachelor's bosom.

London: Published for the Proprietors, by W. BRITTAIN, Paternoster Row. Edinburgh: JOHN MENZIES. Glas gow: D. BRYCE.

Printed by J. Rider, 14, Bartholomew Close.

BEELOOCHEES PROFESSIONALLY

EMPLOYED.

AN additional volume of Travels has just appeared from the pen of the lamented Sir Alexander Burnes, C.B. &c., entitled Cabool being a Personal Narrative of a Journey to, and Residence in, that City, in the years 1836, 7, and 8. From the Frontispiece to this work has been reduced our present Illustration; assured as we are that any fresh information respecting the people of the country in which the British arms are now striving to recover their fame, must be acceptable to our readers.

The Engraving represents a group of Muzarees, a Beeloochee wild tribe, occupying the western bank of the Indus. The plundering disposition of these people having, for some time, engaged the attention of our Government, Sir A. Burnes made it a point of express stipulation with the authorities in Sinde, that they should suppress it, in order that peace might be maintained on the river. The chief of the Muzarees, Behram Khan, had taken an early opportunity of showing his submission to the British, and had met Sir A. Burnes with some sixty persons of his tribe from the plains and hills, "to seize." as he said, "the hem of the garment of the British nation." This chief attended Sir Alexander with his bards, who, as he entered the camp, sang his praises and deeds of valour, accompanying their voices by a kind of "siringee," or guitar, which sent forth softer sounds than could have been expected from the instrumental music of the pirates of the Indus. These barbarians, for they are little better, were astonished and enchanted when our travellers produced their musical snuff-boxes; their chief, however, Behram, was evidently a man of sense and judgment. They all rode mares, which, they said, were more docile than horses, and capable of enduring greater fatigue on their "chupaos," or forays; and that when it was neces sary to dismount, one man could hold half-a-dozen of them. They illustrated this by a curious proverb: “a man with a saddle on a mare has his saddle on a horse; a man with his saddle on a horse has his saddle on his head."

The country of these people is rich in wool, but their garments were all of the coarsest cotton cloth. 'The accompanying spirited sketch of these Beeloochees," says Sir A. Burnes, "for which I am indebted to my friend Captain Hart, very correctly delineates the appearance of these men. Of their boldness of character we had ample opportunities of judging in the army of the Indus.”

The following more detailed description of a Jemidar of Beeloochees is extracted from a letter which appeared in the Oriental Herald for September, 1840:

"The face is decidedly Jewish in expression, the nose aquiline, with small sharp eyes, and a large beard; and, in many instances, contrary to the Mohammedan custom, the back hair is suffered to grow, and descend to some length upon the shoulders. The costume consists of the peculiarly straight Sindee cap, of various and gaudy colours; a large, full shirt, reaching below the knees, of coarse blue cotton cloth, tied in at the waist with a roll of silk or parti-coloured cloth; to this is appended a sword

The Baluchi, (Beeloochees) are a very numerous people, of simple pastoral life, who dwell under ghedans, or tents, made of black felt and spread over a wicker frame, with which they wander with their flocks over the vast upland of Kelát; and inhabit most of that great region of eastern Persia which is included between Afghanistan to the north, and the Indian Ocean to the south, reaching westward from the Indus to the Great Salt Desert. They are a race of Persian Iliyahs, and speak a dialect of the Persian language." -Dr. Prichard's Natural History of Man, p. 176—7.

and dagger; while loose trowsers, drawn in tightly at the ankles, and a shield and matchlock, complete the tout ensemble of a Sindhian mercenary. These men are largeboned, and of considerable stature, for Asiatics; they have dark complexions, and are of a bold and martial bearing. The treaty which has been lately concluded between the Ameers of Sindh and the British Government, provided for the dismemberment of the Beeloochee army, supposed to amount to about 20,000 men, horse and foot, and for a subsidy of 5000 British troops, being kept up in their stead. The Beeloochee chiefs owe a sort of feudal service to the Ameers, and hold, in return for military service, to be rendered as occasion may require, certain grants of lands or jahgirs.”

66

THE BAL MASQUE.

BY MRS. H. W. RICHTER.

Where throngs of knights and barons bold, In weeds of peace high triumphs hold."-MILTON, COULD fancy's dream a brighter pageant view, Than Britain's princely halls of splendour knew; When there assembled, names of lineage high, Old England's grace, and knightly chivalry? Each grey historic record woke once more, As fair similitudes their likeness bore; Again from buried years, the past awoke, Aud mailed knights their long oblivion broke. In glittering throngs, high dames of other years Arouse each memory that Time endears. In dazzling phalanx to the pageant press The brightest forms of nature's loveliness. But old romance has waved a fairy wand, And in bright order comes the motley band; And gathering there, the great" Euchanter's" train, His noble dames and warriors live again: There sweet Rebecca, in her robe of green, And fair Rowena with her gentle mien; And red-cross knights from Holy Land were there, With martial pomp the revelry to share. To that bright scene in antique guise resort The stately lords of famed Eliza's court. While the first Charles, with melancholy brow, In sadness seemed the balls of state to know. The "Lion-hearted King," with glittering crest, Templars, and squires, and knights, in order prest. There Norfolk's Duke-the noble Howard, came, And Bruce from Scotland, with his regal name; And York's sad rose, sweet Cicely was there, "The flower of Raby," with her handmaids fair. While Henry's injured queen, with peerless grace, In courtly halls of state, again had place. There came the "Falc'ner," with his snowy plume, And gems, and sparkling eyes the scene illume; While Edward's court, with names of high renown, Throng'd round the youthful" head that wore a crown." The flower of chivalry, young Gaston, came, With Bayard, knight of an unsullied fame :While music in soft measure stole around, Lending enchantment to that fairy ground. "Twas fancy's reign,-that pageant of an hour, Gave to the past reality and power: But like the dreams of earth, it fled awayMelting before the breaking light of day :But let not thus, the names of fair renown, The glorious deeds of yore, to dust go down. Still round the throne, your lasting station be, High knightly courage, truth, and loyalty! Long may each grace in Britain's court abide, Unswerving virtue, ever at its side,

And with unshaken fame, to future ages glide!