in York Street, Glasgow. A paper in the Records of General Science, vol. iii., contains an account of an examination and analysis of a specimen of this fungus, taken from a

pipes of wine, and the area of the structure. We found the same one we now propose to enter mea-plant in quantity in the wine-vault sures seven acres!-and this vast connected with the bonded stores space is not only thickly packed with wine-casks, but the casks are in two tiers, one above the other, numbering some 30,000 barrels in the vault at once. On presenting the order at the entrance, the visi-wine-cellar in Mark Lane, London, tor obtains the services of a cooper, by Dr. Robert Thomson, who, who places in his hands a flat piece limiting himself to the early state of stick about a couple of feet in of the plant, which he describes as length, with an oil-lamp burning at a gelatinous-looking stalactite, the extremity, and carries in his found it to consist of 97.53 per own a gimlet and a glass of the cent. of water, 2:21 of vegetable larger sort. Following your guide matter, and 25 of carbonate of lime you speedily lose all perception of and phosphate of lime. But to redaylight, except the glimmer of an turn to our Cellarius, the cooper, opening into the roof or wall a who has by this time discovered great way off, and which only serves the cask we are in quest of. Forthto make the darkness visible. The with he broaches it with his gimlet, atmosphere is chill, and loaded with and pours out a glass of generous the fumes of wine. The roof is old unadulterated port, or Madeira supported with rows of stone pil- reposing from the voyage to India, lars; and you come unexpectedly with a flavour such as it will never upon a huge funnel or chimney- more possess after its first contact shaft communicating with the up- with the market. Strange stories per part of the building, and known are told of visitors who, having by the name of the Queen's To- forgotten the necessity of exercising bacco-pipe, by reason of its being circumspection and forbearance the furnace where the excise incre- amidst the seductive influences of mation of the confiscated "weed" the place, have become the subjects is performed. This is an odd place of an optical illusion, whereby the to botanize in, but the ubiquitous lights at the end of their flat sticks tribe of fungi is represented here, were seen double, and on emerging as in wine-vaults of humbler di- from the cool and murky atmomensions, by a species named sphere of the vault into the warm, Racodium cellare, which occurs in clear sunshine, have found their great profusion on the roof, walls, powers of locomotion unaccountand casks. In its young state, it ably disturbed by an eccentric tenappears in spreading tufts of snowy dency, requiring the friendly accomwhiteness, yielding to the touch, modation of a contiguous cab. It and becoming compressed and was formerly the rule to exclude pulpy. When more advanced, it all visitors after one o'clock, but extends along the wall in broad this is only enforced in the case of patches of a blackish-green hue, ladies, who are not admitted after soft and dry to the touch, or it that hour-no doubt from some festoons the roof in prolonged pen- inexplicable caprice on the part of dulous masses, more or less dark- the presiding powers of the winecoloured. Under the microscope vaults. Punch thought he could the plant exhibits an inextricably unravel the mystery, when visiting interwoven series of delicate fila- the vaults with a "tasting order.' ments, having a slightly jointed After the manner of Mr. Pepys his

THE GREAT PLAGUE AND THE GREAT FIRE.

359

Diary, thus wrote the Facetious gency of affairs required every perOne:-"After tasting so much, our son should go to his respective Party very jolly and noisy, and did home. I very greedily laid hold of begin to dance and sing, and flourish the opportunity of going to Greentheir Lamps; and methought I did wich, where I remained ten months. see the meaning of the Notice out-It was a custom peculiar to this side, that Ladies could not be ad- unhappy time to fasten up the doors mitted after one o'clock. Coming of every house in which any person into the open Air, our Company could scarcely stand; and Mr. Goodfellowe did see them into two Cabs, and I home on Foot-I fear not very straight-and my Wife wondering at the Redness of my Nose. Good Lack, to see the Quantity of Goods and Wine in the Docks; and to think what a great and mighty Nation we are, and what Oceans of Liquor we do swill and guzzle.”

MEMORIALS OF THE GREAT PLAGUE
AND THE GREAT FIRE IN LONDON.

had died, and after having marked it with a red cross, to set up this inscription on them-'The Lord have mercy on them!' The plague at last reached our house, and we sent two maid-servants to the public pest-house. At the time my father and mother lay sick in different beds, and my eldest brother troubled with a tumour in his thigh; but no one of our family dying, I was soon set at liberty. In the month of September, when six thousand were swept away each week, my father commanded me to The Camden Miscellany recently carry some letters to town. It was printed, contains an "Autobiogra- not without reluctance I obeyed; phy and Anecdotes by William but at last my duty got the better Taswell, D.D., from 1651 to 1681," of my inclinations, and after he had a fragment originally written in provided me with the herb called Latin, from which it has been trans- angelica and some aromatics, belated into English by his grandson, sides eatables in a bag, my kind the Rev. Henry Taswell. He re- and indulgent mother giving me cords that he saw King Charles on too some Spanish wine, I made the the 29th of May proceeding to best of my way to town. There a Whitehall "with a fine red plume variety of distressed objects prein his hat;" and in the January sented themselves to me, some following, "the bodies of Cromwell, under the direct influence of the Ireton, and Bradshaw, not long be- plague, others lame through swellfore taken out of the Royal depo-ings, others again beckoning to me, sitory at Westminster, exposed and some carrying away upon biers upon Tyburn gallows." About this time he was admitted into Westminster school.

to be buried. In short, nothing but death stared me in the face; but it pleased God to extricate me from the danger which threatened me."

"In 1666, when the plague commenced in town, Dr. Busby removed his scholars to Chiswick. But it [He did not return to Westspread its baneful influence even to minster school until Easter in the this place. Upon this Dr. Busby following year, "when the violence called his scholars together, and in of the plague was considerably an excellent oration acquainted abated." Here he was witness of them that he had presided as head-the Great Fire of London]:master over the school twenty-five "On Sunday, between ten and years, in which time he never de- eleven forenoon, as I was standing serted it till now. That the exi- upon the steps which lead up to the

pulpit in Westminster Abbey, I fire. The people who lived conperceived some people below me running to and fro in a seeming disquietude and consternation; immediately almost, a report reached my ears that London was in a conflagration; without any ceremony I took my leave of the preacher, and having ascended Parliament steps, near the Thames, I soon perceived four boats crowded with objects of distress. These had escaped from the fire scarce under any other covering except that of a blanket. The wind blowing strong eastward, the flames at last reached Westminster; I myself saw great flakes carried up into the air at least three furlongs; these at last pitching upon and uniting themselves to various dry substances, set on fire houses very remote from each other in point of situation. The ignorant and deluded mob, who upon the occasion were hurried away with a kind of phrenzy, vented forth their rage against Roman Catholics and Frenchmen; imagining these incendiaries (as they thought) had thrown red-hot balls into the houses."

[This bitter hostility of the common people towards the French displayed itself in many acts of violence]:

"On the next day, John Dolben, Bishop of Rochester and Dean of Westminster (who in the civil wars had frequently stood sentinel), collected his scholars together in a company, marching with them on foot to put a stop if possible to the conflagration. I was a kind of page to him, not being of the number of King's scholars. We were employed many hours in fetching water from the back side of St. Dunstan's Church in the East, where we happily extinguished the fire. The next day, Tuesday, just after sunset at night, I went to the Royal Bridge (King's Bridge) in the New Palace (Yard) at Westminster, to take a fuller view of the

tiguous to St. Paul's Church raised their expectations greatly concerning the absolute security of that place, upon account of the immense thickness of its walls and its situation; built in a large piece of ground, on every side remote from houses. Upon this account they filled it with all sorts of goods; and besides, in the church of St. Faith, under that of St. Paul's, they deposited libraries of books because it was entirely arched all over; and with great caution and prudence every the least avenue through which the smallest spark might penetrate was stopped up. But this precaution availed them little. As I stood upon the bridge among many others, I could not but observe the gradual approaches of the fire towards that venerable fabric. About eight o'clock it broke out on the top of St. Paul's Church, already scorched up by the violent heat of the air, and lightning too, and before nine blazed so conspicuous as to let me read very clearly a 16mo edition of Terence which I carried in my pocket. On Thursday, soon after sun-rising, I endeavoured to reach St. Paul's; the ground so hot as almost to scorch my shoes; and the air so intensely warm that unless I had stopped some time upon Fleet Bridge, to rest myself, I must have fainted under the extreme languor of my spirits. After giving myself a little time to breathe, I made the best of my way to St. Paul's. I forgot to mention that near the east walls of St. Paul's a human body presented itself to me, parched up as it were with the flames; whole as to skin, meagre as to flesh, yellow as to colour. This was an old decrepit woman who fled here for safety, imagining the flames would not have reached her there. Her clothes were burnt, and every limb re

.

noise was heard, compared by a young midshipman on board to the rattling of a chain cable when the anchor is let go.

duced to a coal. In my way a thousand picturesque forms. home I saw several engines which Bright forked flames were seen to were bringing up to its assistance dart upwards; and a loud rumbling all on fire, and those concerned with them escaping with great eagerness from the flames, which spread instantaneous almost like a wild-fire; and at last, accoutred with my sword and helmet, which I picked up among many others in the ruins, I traversed this torrid zone back again. The papers, half burnt, were carried with the wind to Eton. Oxonians observed the rays of the sun tinged with an unusual kind of redness. A black darkness seemed to cover the whole hemisphere; and the bewailings of people were great.”

[The great extent of robbery during this time "by certain persons assuming the character of porters," is also referred to; by this means his father lost property to a large amount.]

DESCRIPTION OF AN OCEAN VOLCANO

BY AN EYE-WITNESS.

"At daybreak the following morning I was awoke by a rap at my cabin-door; some one telling me that we were fast approaching the island, and that I had better make haste, as we would soon have passed it if the wind continued in the same direction. I made a rapid toilette, and putting on my bonnet and cloak, ran upon deck; and never shall I forget the sublime sight. In the soft, warm, gray light of a Mediterranean morning, and from the bosom of a perfectly unruffled ocean, the new volcano was exhibiting its mighty operations. From the crater, which appeared in the form of a cone, jagged at the top, a fleecy vapour rose in globular clouds, which, expanding themselves majestically, assumed in their ascent the form of a towering plume-'si parva licet componere magnis' that known as the illustrious decoration of the Prince of Wales. Large stones, carrying with them a quantity of black dust, were thrown up, and as they rose and fell broke into a thousand curious shapes; and the "It was on the 5th of August, at effect of this through the white 6.30 p.m., smoke was first visible to vapour was magically beautiful. the many anxious eyes on board the Flashes, like lightning, darted occaMelville, at the supposed distance sionally through the vapour; and of about thirty miles. This, as we noise, as of thunder, was distinctly proceeded, became more apparent, heard. All this time the white rising to a considerable height smoke was extending itself, so as above the horizon; at first, as it to cover the whole island, hanging appeared, from three sources, but together like that which issues further observation showed it to be from Vesuvius, and then ascending but from one, divided by the wind, in an unbroken column for a much for presently another column arose longer period than smoke generally to windward, whose more rapid does. The eruption appeared to be ascent showed it originated imme- most violent at intervals of two diately from the volcano, and which, as it settled over the water in a tardy progress to leeward, assumed

The eruption of Graham's Island (which soon after sunk to a shoal), off the coast of Sicily, took place as Mrs. Fitz Maurice was returning home; and she had the gratification of seeing that rare sight, a volcanic island in the course of formation:

hours; and at 11.30 one took place in some respects different from those I have attempted to describe.