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Some difference of opinion prevails regarding the succession to the throne on the death of Niall III.; some historians state that Turgesius, the Dane, had himself proclaimed monarch, and governed as such till his death, and others, that Malachy was at once chosen to fill the throne. I think it probable that both statements are to some extent correct. The ambition and power of Turgesius were likely to suggest the formal assumption of regal dignity where he already ruled by the sword, but it is quite obvious that his self-election does not entitle him to be included in our list of monarchs, as it was in form and fact a usurpation contrary to the settled constitution of the country in that respect, and never did, or could, extend its authority beyond the ranks of his own foreign followers. On the other hand, there can be little doubt that as Malachy was by descent entitled to the throne, he was elected to it in the ordinary manner by his countrymen, and must alone have been considered the proper object of their fealty; it is probable, however, that his power was so completely overshadowed by that of his formidable rival, until the happy period when he freed himself from it, that his authority was but nominal, though it entitles him to be enrolled as monarch. I shall, therefore, notice his reign as commencing in the year 846.

Notwithstanding the successes of the Irish during the few years preceding the commencement of Malachy's reign, the Danes contrived to maintain their position in the country, and by means of repeated reinforcements to extend the terror of their sway, until at length the hopes of many sunk, and peaceful men begun to abandon their native homes, and seek refuge France, and such of the other continental kingdoms as were not then exposed to similar ravages and disturbance. The great learning and piety of our philosophers and clergy made them welcome guests wherever they chose to fix the place of their exile; there is a remarkable testimony borne to their merits in the following extract of a letter to the Emperor, Charles the Bald, from an eminent ecclesiastic of Auxerre, dated about this period:-The writer says "Why do I speak of Ireland, that whole nation almost despising the dangers of the sea, resort to our coast with a numerous train of philosophers, the most famous of whom abdicating their native soil, account themselves happy under your favour, as the servants of the wise Solomon." Such were in those days the miserable consequences of those hateful and criminal feuds among our people, which made them a prey to foreign tyranny. The activity of Turgesius, and the increase of his forces soon enabled him again to suppress every manifestation of hostility on the part of the Irish, and to establish his power in greater security than it had ever been. The work of spoil and devastation continued until scarcely any species of property, or any institution remained to plunder or destroy. One instance of their barbarous spirit deserves particular record; it is, that having on one occasion sacked the city of Armagh, they seized all the secular clergy, and religious of different orders, besides the numerous students of the university, founded there, and conveyed them to Limerick, where they were put on board ships and sent out to sea, but never heard of afterwards!

notice of, that a soldier was quartered in every house and cottage throughout the kingdom; but the reader has no idea of the miseries entailed upon every family by that regulation. Here was not only a spy upon every action, every word, and every look, but the soldier was also the absolute master of the house, and of every person in it. Not a chicken could be killed, not an egg, nor a little milk used for any one, till he was first satisfied and his leave obtained: and if he had a mind to lie with the wife or daughter, he must not be denied, lest his resentment should dispossess them of all they had. Neither the cries of the infant, nor the wants of the diseased, which required milk, were in the least regarded by this brute; and he would oftentimes devour it wantonly, to create the greater distress, and to enhance his inhumanity. Many of the Irish at first refused to comply with these oppressions; but then the soldiers of the neighbouring houses joining together, they were dragged by vislence to the guard, which they kept in every country; and there imprisoned and cruelly used till they had made satisfaction to their guests, whom they had offended by their disobedience. None of the gentry or nobility were allowed to wear any clothes, but what the Danes had first worn out and laid aside : the young ladies were not permitted to work at all with the needle; and the sons of the Irish chiefs were prohibited the use of arms, or to exercise themselves in any feats of activity or inartial sports; lest they should be qualified and tempted to shake off the yoke of slavery now about their necks. Every master of a family throughout the island was obliged to pay an annual tribute to the government of an ounce of gold; and if he was remiss in the payment, whether through utter inability or not, he was punished with the loss of his nose; which occasioned it to be called by the name of the Nose Tax. In short, all the natives of every rauk were prohibited under the penalty of the severest fines and imprisonment, to make any public entertainments, or to use hospitality among each other; in order to prevent any caballing or contriving against the government for the restoration of their liberties.

Such, and so dreadful was the bondage in which the Irish were held by these barbarians; but yet nothing could bring them to an union among themselves. This was conduct so utterly incapable of any excuse, that if one might presume to interpret the dark ways of Heaven, and to judge of things so far above our reach, one would think that the miseries which fell upon this people through the savage cruelty of the Danes, were dealt out by providence as a just return for those evils, which their everlasting contentions brought upon one another. Be this however as it might, the excess of tyranny practised by Turgesius, at length roused some of them from their desperation; aud by the event it was very evident, that it was not owing to the superior power, or skill, or valour of these foreigners, that they trampled thus over the rights and liberties of the Irish, but to their own spirit of discord; and that they rather chose to suffer themselves, than that those whom they hated should not be miserable."

The occurrence here alluded to, by which this frightful scheme of oppression was at length destroyed, took place in the year 859. Few Irishmen, or readers of Irish history, are ignorant of the circumstances, which are deservedly considered to dis play as much lofty spirit, intrepid and cool daring, and devoted patriotism as any recorded in history; and a nobler subject for the heroic poet has never, perhaps, been afforded by human action. I need not dwell on the fierce passions of Turgesius, and his admiration of the daughter of Malachy, in the neigh bourhood of whose palace the tyrant had likewise erected a sumptuous abode; it is known with what fond caution the father sought to preserve the virtue of his child, with what savage impetuosity the ruffian stranger pursued his object, and with what deliberate sagacity and determination the parent and prince resolved to avenge at once his own honour, and free his country. The fall of Turgesius and fifteen of his principal officers, in the moment of their promised enjoyment, by the hands of the young Irish chiefs, disguised as females, and the example given by Malachy, soon roused the Irish people in all parts of the country, and at length by a simultaneous movement they com

A full detail of the atrocious system now established by them, is impossible at this remote period, but some idea may be formed of its intolerable oppression from the following extracts, which I prefer giving from an English historian:-" Turgesius having brought the whole island into subjection," says Warner, "he made it his next business to new model the state; in order to secure himself in the government which he had obtained by force. Thus into every barony he put a Danish King, where before there had been an Irish one for what we call Lords of the Manor, in those days they called kings. Into every disrict or parish was placed a captain of war; every ville (or town) had a sergeant, and every house a soldier. The bishops and clergy were, for the most part, retreated into bogs and wildernesses, into woods or subterraneous caves, where they preserved their historical monuments, and where they lurked about like wild beasts. 事 In every church or monastery that was not reduced to ashes, and near the ruins of those that were, a lay Danish abbott had his residence; in order to collect the revenues with which they were endowed.pletely destroyed the Danish power. Many of the Danes fled All the books that could be met with they burnt or tore to pieces; the schools and seminaries of learning were shut up or destroyed, and the inhabitants were not permitted to teach their children to read." Besides this, female chastity was subjected to their brutal will; and, continues the historian-"these are only the outlines of that cruel bondage which the native Irish were held in by their Lords the Danes: the particulars are still more shocking and insupportable. It has already been taken

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from the country, many fell victims to the hungry and maddened vengeance of the people they had wronged, and some were permitted to remain in the country on testifying their submission to the native authorities. Turgesius was kept bound and guarded by Malachy, until the conquest of his countrymen was completed, when he was brought forth, and in the view of the assembled people, flung into the waters of Lough Aunin, 18 Meath, near which was his residence, and was drowned.

Immediately after this happy event a convocation of the states of the kingdom was held, and the government was gratefully secured to Malachy. This is by some considered the period of his accession to the throne, but we have no sufficient reason to believe that he was not elected monarch previously, as I have already noticed, particularly as his nephew, the son of his predecessor, was then still in his minority. In this convention all the ancient rights of the princes and people, and the powers of government were restored, and the property of individuals, as far as possible, was also replaced. Unhappily, however, more attention was devoted to the establishment of private rights than to the means of providing for the public safety. The discord of conflicting claims, and old animosities, excited more sympathy than a sense of recent suffering and future danger, and consequently those means of security against foreign invasion, and of consolidating and extending the national power and resources, so necessary, were neglected. The result was, that several parues of Norwegians, under the guise of merchants and traders, but in reality a military armament, under the guidance of three skilful chiefs, named Amelanus, or Amlave, Cyracus, and Imorus, arrived in Ireland, and were permitted to settle in the cities of Dublin, Waterford, and Limerick, &c., for the professed purpose of traffic, which they pursued for some time, but gradually armed secretly such individuals and bands of their countrymen as had been permitted to remain in the country after the revolution effected by Malachy. The disuse of commerce by the natives, owing to the long and jealous tyranny of the foreigners, made them more disposed to tolerate the settlenent of these insidious adventurers, who contrived to render themselves useful, and, in some degree, necessary, by the conveniencies of their trade, and their skill as military partizans, to the purposes of the indolent and infatuated Irish, until, at

length, they monopolized the power of the principal towns they occupied, and gradually extended their control over the territo ries of those chiefs against whom, and with whom they acted in warfare. Some time after they had thus re-established themselves in the country, a considerable armament of Danes arrived with a view to participate in their advantages; but, as might be expected, the Norwegians were no more disposed to favour the Danes on this occasion than the Danes were to favour them at a former period, and, accordingly, they collected their forces, and gave battle to the Danes, who defeated them after great slaughter on both sides. The Danes were thus again placed in power in Ireland, for the Irish had remained neutral in the quarrel between them and the Norwegians, and thus lost an easy opportunity of getting rid of both. This transaction, however, appears to have roused them; and a cleric, named Eagna, having, after great exertions, prevailed on the southern and northern chiefs to conclude a peace which should never have been interrupted, they combined against the common enemy. They were stimulated to further activity by the circumstance that Malguala, King of Munster, was stoned to death by the Danes, and a convention of the states having been summoned by Malachy, it was resolved to attack the foreigners. This was accordingly done with great success, the Danes being cut off in great numbers, particularly in Dublin and its vicinity. Malachy did not unfortunately live long enough to preserve this union among the native forces, and direct it to the liberation of his country, as he died shortly after, a natural death, deservedly regretted. He was, undoubtedly, a courageous, patriotic, and able prince, and is entitled to the reverence of posterity. He is recorded to have died on Wednesday, the 30th of November,

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Designed by Samuel Lover, Esq. R. H. A. Jor the Irish Penny Magazine.

THE COUNTY WEXFORD AND ITS PEASANTRY. | landlord and the tenant, the employer and the labourer, follow [FROM THE IRISH MONTHLY MAGAZINE FOR MAY, 1833.]

THE whole face of the county of Wexford exhibits an appearance rather singular for this side of the channel. Surrounded on the north and west by Croghan and the Black Stair Mounins, and on the east and south by the sea, it forms an almost isolated district, in which the organization of society is on a different basis from that of the neighbouring counties. Here the

their various avocations in harmony and friendship; whereas, in most other parts of Ireland, these classes are arrayed in deadly opposition,-the one, to grind and oppress by every means which the law-that law "made alone for the rich"-sanctions; the other, to seek "wild justice" from those dark and sanguinary conventions of frenzy and desperation so peculiar to the people.

Perhaps nothing tends more to this happy state of things than

the manner in which the land is divided. Unlike the bulk of Irish farmers, who, being scarcely distinguishable from their labourers, either in dress or appearance, are considered to be long nearly to the same grade, the Wexford landholder seems very little behind the lord of the soil in education or address, and he is certainly his equal in practical information. Holding extensive farms, he is in general "a middleman;" and whatever may be its effects elsewhere, in this district, owing to the leases being, for the most part, old, and the rents consequently low, few of the evils exist which are said to flow from the system. Accordingly, in no part of the kingdom is Pat to be found more truly Irish. Meeting with nothing but kindness from his employer, and friendship from his neighbour, his heart, uncorrupted by grinding land-agents, or any of those other petty tyrants whose inhumanity has generated so much ferocity in the Munster character, expands with good will to all about him, and the native kindliness of his nature has become completely predominant. The hospitality of these fine fellows is really astonishing. Even in times of scarcity, they will share their last potato with the wayfarer and the outcast; whilst their obliging disposition, and inclination to serve, which they show to travellers of a better order, who are not "above bein' civil to a poor body," must win the hearts of all who come in contact with them. Though given to fighting and "fun,” as well as those around them, they indulge in the passion with more of what is termed "fair play," than the "boys" usually do. To them the disgraceful custom of waylaying is altogether unknown; nor do they ever think of taking unawares any of those with whom they may have a quarrel, which is too frequently the case in other parts of the "Emerald Gem." "You may depind upon it," said one of them to me, "that there's nothin' bud what's great an' grand amongst us; there's neither shootin' from bushes, nor burnin' o' houses, nor houghin' o' cattle; we never take a man at an amplush, no, nor never will, widout he's well prepared, wid his frinds all about him; an' any divilment we do, is done by the light iv the blissid day!"

In

It is only at a "gatherin', when the dhrop gets into his head," that the organ of combativeness, so prominent on the Irish cranium, assumes its irresistible influence over the Wexford peasant, and he is seen "up to fun, an' a pinch above it;" and then, "oh, then," give me a score of "bouncin' yellow bellies't with a shillelagh in each hand, "to clear a fair." Let any one who doubts the truth of this, attend at the green of "Sweet Clabaman," on the 11th June, "an' its there where he'll see the fightin' that 'ill do his heart good." Tents, torn down for the wattles with which they are constructed, disappearing on all sides; tables and forms "flittherin' asundher," for the same purpose; pots, pans, kettles, jugs, decanters, tumblers, "pewther pints," and "baken an' pullets," flying in all directions, form but a small portion of the amusements of the scene. one corner may be seen the poor piper, with half a dozen of the boys "fightin' for the bare life" over his prostrate carcase, and "threadin' the very puddins out ov him." In another, the oneeyed Paganini of the village, "laid quite an' easy," with every appearance of having also received "piper's pay," his fiddle kicked to "smithereens," no more to wake delight in the sympathetic toe. Here basket-women and bear-leaders, pedlars and packmen, hurrying to shelter, and, as they scampered off, in danger, every moment, of being trampled down by the affrighted herds, which the cattle-drivers are thrashing away from the scene of "slaughter," with all their might. There, tent-keepers and their better halves "makin' off wid the crockery;" mothers and wives following their sons and husbands into the melee, with the intention of withdrawing them, if possible, from this vortex; and thackeens "in plenty," hovering, like light cavalry, on the borders of the fight, to see "if any iv thim bloody Cavanaghs 'id get the betther iv Tim." In the latter contingency, a heavy stone slipped into the ready stocking and laid on the bare skull of the victor, by the fair object of his prostrate foe's adoration, with a force and fury that might make Thalestris dance with envy, usually terminated his career for the day.

I know no nation of which the lower classes appear so little selfish: so thankful for the least friendly word vouchsafed to them by a gentleman, without the least gain. The people, taken in a body, with all their wildness, unite the frank honesty and poetical temper of the Germans, with the vivacity and quickness of conception of the French, and the pliability, naturalness, and submissiveness of the Italians. It may with the fullest justice be said of them, that their faults are to be ascribed to otherstheir virtues only to themselves.-Prince Puckler.

A soubriquet by which the peasantry designate their Wexford

brethren.

These rows generally commence in the following manner :— You will see as "fine a lump ov a boy as you'd find in a day's walk, of coorse, a rale divil," come jumping out of a tent, "as dhrunk as a piper, and his heart burstin' wid the pure love of every one and every thing about him." Then comes the eternal, "Who's able to fight?" after which said boy takes a "fagary" of plunging and prancing through the nearest crowd, "and the first man he meets, not a friend, he downs his house wid the lick iv a stick." This sets the fun going. Ere the blow has been well given, the Dunnes, Doyles, and Dorans-the Nowlans and Ryans-the Murphys and Kellys-the Cavanaghs and the Kinselaghs, are on top of one another like lightning, and all parts of the fair, from a state of undisturbed repose, becomes, in an instant, as great a scene of confusion, as if all the devils in hell were let loose upon it. To cne unacquainted with Irish life, the rapidity with which the fight spreads over a fair-green, of, perhaps, a quarter of a mile in extent, must be inconceivable. The cause of this is, that the adherents of either faction, watching eagerly for the moment of mischief, no sooner hear the first "hurra for Kilbranish!" or, "the Gap for ever!" than they fall on without further ceremony, no matter how distant from the place of quarrel. The conflict usually ends by one of the factions being completely swept out of the fair, whilst the "rale divil," the father of mischief, is sure, let the fight go what way it will, to be "bet to chaff," and carried off insensible, to have the chinks in his carcase mended against the next merry meeting.

The county of Wexford is classic ground to the readers of Irish history. On every hand are to be seen those strong holds "of other days," built by the first English adventurers, the better to shelter themselves against the sudden and impetuous attacks of the native chieftains, who seldom gave much rest to their strange invaders. Though grey with the hoar of seven centuries, during a long period of which they have been exposed to "the war of elements," unrepaired and unprotected, it is surprising to see how perfect most of those structures remain. In some of them that I have examined, the walls appeared to be nearly as sound as if built but a few years, giving another proof, if any proof were wanting, of the extraordinary durabi lity of gothic masonry. But they are now beginning fast to disappear; some being pulled down for their materials,--others deprived of their fairest ornaments, to help the construction of buildings in the neighbourhood; and it is not anticipating too much to say, that, perhaps in the course of forty or fifty years, from the emigration of their descendants, and the dilapidation of their castles, every vestige of the chivalrous and gallant Normans will have disappeared from the county of Wexford. There are, also, the ruins of several religious houses scattered over the face of the county. Amongst those in the best preservation may be reckoned the Abbey of Dunbrody, (Cistercians,) founded anno 1175, by Harvey de Montè Marisco, "in whom there was neither manhood in battell abroad, nor mercy in consultation at home;" that of Wexford, (Minorets,) by William Manfield, Earl of Pembroke, son-in-law to Strongbow; Clonmines, (Augustinianus,) I believe, by Meyler Fitzhenrý.

"Indomitus domitor toties gentis Hibernæ ;"

and Tintern, (Cistercians,) named after Tintern Abbey in Wales, by the before-mentioned Earl of Pembroke, in performance of a vow, made when in imminent peril from a storm at sea, anno 1200.

The men of Wexford have been always remarkable, in bygone times, for their bravery. In the reign of Richard the Second, irritated by the conduct of their new neighbours, the inhabitants of the northern part of the county, under the command of young Arthur O'Cavanagh, a native chief, attacked, and, after a severe struggle, routed all the English generals, and reduced the pale to the verge of destruction. At length, the king himself hastened over with an army composed of 30,000 archers, and 4000 men-at-arms, to take the field, but he too was foiled, and finally beaten, by his youthful antagonist. The settlers, thus left at the mercy of the conqueror, were glad to purchase safety by an annual tribute, (known by the name of Black Rent,) which continued to be paid till the time of the Reformation. Were it not for this gallant leader, the hapless mies in the sister country; as the army destined to act against monarch would, in all likelihood, have easily subdued his ene

All these castles were built by the invaders, whose descendants now rent the lands, won by the swords of their forefathers. It is no unusual thing to see the surviving descendants of these families tenant the very spot on which the castle of their Norman ancestor is mouldering in ruins.-Sic transit gioria mundi.

the Irish, with the discomfited remains of which, only, he returned to his dominions, was of a number sufficient to place him above all danger; in which case England would have been spared the desolating wars of the rival Roses, which afterwards, for so long a period, crimsoned her fairest fields with the blood of the best and bravest of her chivalry.

Here also Cromwell, who, on his arrival in Ireland, found her sons engaged in cutting each others throats with the same blind fury that has so often rendered her energies of no avail, and enabled the common enemy to strike her down with a rod of straw, met with a firm and determined opposition. So fierce, indeed, was the resistance, that, when it was finally overpow ered, and the country overrun by the invincible fanatics of his army, he dispossessed all the descendants of the old AngloNorman proprietors, long since become "more Irish than the Irish themselves," who thus, after a possession of five hundred years, had to give place to the Barebones and Holdenoughs of that fortunate leader, amongst whom the lands were divided, and in the possession of whose descendants they still remain.

PHENOMENA OF HEAT.-No. II.

The effect, in fact, belongs not to the class of ordinary expansion by increase of temperature, since the body, after the change of temperature, does not consist of the same constituent parts as before, and since, probably, its parts are united by other chemical agencies different from those which previously prevailed among them. In the art of pottery, regard is necessarily had to this effect; for otherwise the design of the potter, in the formation of vessels, would not be fulfilled, since their size and form in coming out of the furnace would be different from that which they had when put into it.

The enormous power which solid bodies exert in dilating and contracting their dimensions by change of temperature, will be understood if we consider, that it must be equal to the mechanical force necessary to produce similar effects in stretching or compressing them. Thus a bar of iron heated so as to increase its length by a quarter of an inch, would require a force to resist its increase of length equal to that which would be necessary, supposing it to be maintained at the increased temperature, to reduce its length by compression a quarter of an inch. In like manner, a body in contracting by diminished temperature, exerts a force exactly equal to that which would be necessary to stretch it through the same space.

THE effects which vicissitudes of temperature produce upon This principle was beautifully applied by M. Molard, some the instruments used in astronomical observations, furnish one years ago, in Paris. The weight of the roof of the large galof the numerous examples of the intimate connection which ex-lery of the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers pressed the sides ists between the various branches of physical science. The outwards so as to endanger the building; and it was requisite astronomer, who is ignorant of the effects which a current of to find means by which the wall should be propped so as to cold air, or any other casual change of temperature, may pro- sustain the roof. M. Molard contrived the following ingenious duce on the instrument with which he observes, loses one of the plan for the purpose. A series of strong iron bars were carried essential conditions of the usefulness of his observations. He across the building, from wall to wall, passing through holes in is not only unable to record results which can be rendered use- the walls, and were secured by nuts on the outside. In this ful to himself, but he is unable to convey to others that inforstate they would have been sufficient to have prevented the furmation which it is necessary they should possess in order to ther separation of the walls by the weight of the roof, but it was apply to any useful purpose the observations which he furnishes. desirable to restore the walls to their original state by drawing Astronomical instruments are usually constructed of metal, them together. This was effected in the following manner :-in the form of a circular arch, or a whole circle. The rim is diAlternate bars were heated by lamps fixed beneath them. They vided with great minuteness and accuracy, and it is applied to expanded; and consequently the nuts, which were previously the measurement of the angular distances of celestial objects. in contact with the walls, were no longer so. These nuts were Such instruments, by exposure to changes of temperature, are then screwed up so as to be again in close contact with the walls. susceptible of expansion and contraction, in conformity with The lamps were withdrawn, and the bars now allowed to cool. the general laws of dilatation by heat. If this expansion or In cooling they gradually contracted, and resumed their former contraction affect one part of the instrument more or less than dimensions; consequently the nuts, pressing against the walls, another, its figure will become distorted, and its indications will drew them together through a space equal to that through which suffer a corresponding error. These effects should, therefore, they had been screwed up. Meanwhile, the intermediate bars be guarded against, if possible, by removing the cause of une- were heated and expanded, and the nuts screwed up as before. qual temperature, or if that cannot be accomplished, at least. The lamps being again withdrawn, they contracted in cooling, the fact of the change of temperature, and the way it operates, and the walls were further drawn together. This process was should be strictly recorded, together with the observations which continually repeated, until at length the walls were restored to have been made. their perpendicular position. The gallery may still be seen with the bars extending across it, and binding together its walls.

All metallic structures, such as bridges, pipes for the conveyance of water, gas, &c., are subject to similar effects, and if the parts of such structures be firmly and unalterably united, their unequal expansion may be productive of fracture, in the same manner as a glass is broken by hot water acting upon one part of it, while the temperature of another part is unchanged. A remedy for this evil is, therefore, provided in such structures by introducing, at proper intervals, joints, or other contrivances, which are capable of yielding. Thus, in a series of pipes, at certain intervals, two pieces may be united so as to slide one within another, like the joints of a telescope. If one part, therefore, expand or contract more than another, such a joint will yield, so that the expansion will not cause either flexure or fracture of the series.

There is an apparent exception to the general law of the dilatation of solids by heat, in the fact, that a certain aluminous clay, when raised to a very intense heat, by means of a furnace, is observed to contract its dimensions. This phenomenon also presents, in another respect, an exception to the law. It has been already said, that the changes of dimension which a body undergoes in heating, will be exactly reversed in cooling; so that its actual dimensions, at any given temperature, in the two processes will always be the same. In the case just alluded to, however, it is found that the reduced dimension produced in the clay by intense heat, is retained even when the clay is cooled. This, however, is only an apparent exception to the law of expansion; and the fact that the clay does not assume its former dimensions when restored to its former temperature proves this. The contraction in this case arises from the effect of moisture intimately combined with the clay having been extricated by the ardent heat to which it is submitted, combined, probably, with amore powerful and intimate attraction of the constituent parts of the clay being called into action by the operation of heat.

Among the apparent exceptions to the law of the dilatation of solids by heat, may be mentioned the cases of many vegetable and animal substances which appear to contract by exposure to increased temperature; but this effect is accounted for in the same manner as that which has been just mentioned respecting heated clay. The solid, in fact, does not continue the same during the process, but dismisses those constituent parts which are most easily reduced to vapour by heat, the parts which remain collecting together more closely by their physical properties.-Dr. Lardner.

EXECUTORS. An executor is one appointed by a testator to carry his will into effect. He may renounce the office, but he cannot transfer it; if he takes the usual oath, he is bound to execute the duties of the office. He regulates the expense of the funeral, and is responsible for charges that are not reasonable and fitting the condition of the deceased. An executor has the entire control of the property on the death of the deceased, and is bound to take proper steps for its security. He is bound also to do such acts as not being immediately done will deteriorate the property. He may sue for debts due to the testator. He may retain debts due to himself; but if a testator appoint his debtor to be his executor, the appointment is a complete discharge of the debt. He must pay the debts of the deceased in the following order :-Debts due to the King, poor's rates, post office letters; debts of record, such as judgments, recognizances, &c.; debts due on special contract, those due on simple contract, bills, &c. If the assets be insufficient for all the debts, the executor ought to pay those claims of equal degree, by equal proportions. Executors paying legacies and not leaving enough for debts, are responsible to the credi

tors.

MACHINERY FOR MAKING CIDER AND PERRY. THE chief machinery necessary for the manufacture of cider are, a mill for grinding the apples, and a press for separating the juice; along with a proper supply of vessels for the fermentation, racking, and storing. In Herefordshire, the mill made use of is the common vertical millstone moving in a circular stone trough. The millstone should be made of granite, but by no means of limestone, as this is readily acted on by the malic acid. It may be four feet in diameter, and one foot in thickness. The stone moves vertically in the trough where the apples are strewed, one apple in depth at first. It is moved round by a horse, the principle being the same as the crushing mill, commonly used for a variety of purposes.

In Ireland, a very different mill is made use of. It is composed of two horizontal rollers of hard wood placed about the distance of one or two inches asunder, and so connected by toothed wheels at their ends, that when set in motion they move in directions contrary to each other. Into each of these wooden cylinders are hammered square studs of iron, like nail-rod iron, much in the manner in which the pins are driven into the cylinder of a barrel-organ, forming complete and regular ranks all round the cylinder. But these ranks are so disposed, that the pius of one cylinder do not oppose the pins of the other, but pass immediately beside them or through them. Thus, if there be 100 ranks on each cylinder, the distance between each rank on one cylinder will be just enough to permit a rank on the other cylinder to pass through. It is obvious from this arrangement, that an apple thrown between the two cylinders turning in contrary directions will be torn into minute pieces in a moment. Yet this mill never reduces the apples to so smooth a pulp as Mr. Knight declares to be necessary. And it is even common to beat the pulp, with wooden pestles, after it has passed through the mill, so as to reduce it much smaller. The iron pins remain so short a time in contact with the apple juice that Do impregnation takes place by the metal.

The press in Herefordshire is a modification of the common screw press, the screw being vertical and the pressing boards horizontal. Into the cross-holes of the screw levers are inserted. The pulp is contained in hair-cloth bags.

In Ireland, the press is altogether different. A floor of strong planks set on stone masonry, is first constructed. Round this floor a rim of plank is raised to prevent the juice from running to waste. A vertical stout pillar of wood stands beside the floor, into which is movably inserted one end of a lever of the second order. At the other end of the lever is applied a sufficient manual power and in the proper situation the lever is made to act on pressing boards, between which and the floor are placed the hair-cloth bags containing the pulp. The lever is kept to its duty by causing the end forced down by the assistants to be caught in a fork, and held there by a pin in a hole, until forced below the next hole.

It is not considered a good plan to press out the juice from the apples as soon as they are ground in the mill. According to the season and degree of ripeness the juice should remain one, two, or three days in the marc, or residue. If the season be summer, and the fruit not ripe, one day will be sufficient; if autumn, and the fruit quite ripe, three days may be allowed. There are several reasons for this mode of proceeding: because by allowing the juice to stand on the marc the flavour of the pippin is extracted; the fermentation is the sooner excited; and the juice is more easily and copiously separated by the press. But in warm weather, if the juice be suffered to remain too long on the marc, the vinous fermentation is endangered, and a stage partaking of both the acetous and putrefactive kind is likely to set in. While the apple is yet unripe, its juice when extracted will contain an abundance of natural yest; and hence the action of the additional portion of yest remaining in the marc would be too energetic. Experience proves that these positions are well founded: for apple-juice extracted from fruit not quite ripe, in summer begins to ferment in a few hours after it has been pressed; whereas the juice of perfectly ripe apples, such as we obtain in the middle of autumn, will not ferment for several days, even when kept in a warm room.

INGENUITY OF THE WASP IN PROCURING FOOD.

THERE are various species of American wasps, which feed their young with cock-roaches and other insects. Cassini furnished Reaumur with an interesting account of the mode in hich these wasps attack and kill the cock-roach, so injurious to the bousewives of tropical countries. The wasp is seen walk

ing or flying about in various directions, evidently on the lookout for game; as soon as it discovers a cock-roach, it remains fixed for a few seconds, during which the two insects seem to eye each other. The wasp then, pouncing on its prey, seizes it by the muzzle; it then insinuates its body under that of the cock-roach, and inflicts a wound. As soon as the wasp feels sure that the fatal poison has been introduced into the body of its enemy, the insect appears to be aware of its effect, and takes a turn or two to give it time to work. Having thus departed for a few instants, it returns, and is sure to find the cock-roach motionless on the spot where it had been left. Naturally timid, the cock-roach appears to be at this juncture totally incapable of resistance, and suffers its enemy to seize its head and drag it backwards towards a little hole situate in the next wall. Sometimes the way is long, and then the wasp stops and takes a turn or two, to breathe and recruit its strength, ere it proceeds to finish its task. Sometimes it lays down the unresisting cockroach, and makes its way alone to the nest, probably to reconnoitre whether any obstacles impede the way: returning in a few moments, it again lays hold of its prey. M. Cassigni having, during the absence of the wasp, removed the cock-roach to a little distance, was highly amused with the restless embarrassment of this creature when the prey seemed to have been thus snatched from its gripe. But the cock-roach having been ultimately dragged to the den of the insect, the hardest part of the task was yet to be accomplished; for the aperture by which the wasp could enter, was by no means roomy enough to admit the larger frame of the cock-roach; the insect, however, went in, and applied its utmost force to drag its prey in after. But these efforts were too often quite unsuccessful. The remedy adopted in this dilemma would not have disgraced a reasonable creature. It quietly lopped of the wings and legs of the cock-roach, and thus diminished the bulk of the animal, without depriving the young worm of any part of the food destined for its support.

FLATTERY has a delicate frame-a loose silken dress of evervarying hues and a soft, silent, insinuating gait, which it is not easy to imitate or describe. Her florid countenance wears a perpetual smile, and her melting voice steals upon the ear, and often thrills, with agreeable sensations, every fibre of the heart. She paints and perfumes with wonderful art, and purveys delicacies for the great with unwearied assiduity; so that she carries her pallet and colours, her incense box and honeypot, into all companies; but these things being cautiously wrapt in a fold of her garment, they can only be seen by a penetrating and practised observer. A more wily and dangerous enchantress does not exist on the face of the earth: and yet she is the very life and soul of the fashionable world: for, when she is absent, the whole region is filled with vapours and complaints. I am told that she is a special favourite at court, and that the soothing whisper of her voice never fails to give a fine flow of spirits to a bevy of beauties, or a band of gallants. Nor are her visits unfrequent in the walks of literature, where authors, who ought to know better, may be seen snuffing up her incense, and devouring her dainty morsels, with no small satisfaction.You might be pleased with some specimens of her eloquence, but the difficulty of doing justice to them, or the chance of losing their ethereal spirit, induces me to decline any attempt of this kind. Indeed, it is not necessary for her always to speak: her obsequious and bewitching manner, and her flattering attentions and assiduities are such as cannot be easily resisted. Nay, more-when she is even absent, her influence may be perceived by the pictures she has drawn, the perfumes she has scattered, and the luscious sweets she has prepared and left behind her. All these Vanity takes care to preserve as long as they will keep, and sits at ease to gaze and regale upon then.

TO PRESERVE Eccs.-Why are eggs preserved by rubbing them with butter? Because the butter closes the pores in the shell, by which the communication of the embryo with the external air takes place; the embryo is not, however, thus killed. Varnish has a similar effect. Reaumur covered eggs with spirit varnish, and found them capable of producing chickens after two years, when the varnish was carefully removed.

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