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A DRAMATIC MURDER.

Some curious facts appeared in a former number of the MIRROR, relative to the treatment of the Princess Sophia Dorothea, the consort of the first monarch of England of the Brunswick line. Her me. moirs have recently appeared, in which we find some very singular representations.

We know not how to receive them as se

rious, but give a specimen as a part of the literature of the day. In a diary which the unfortunate princess is supposed to have kept during her imprisonment, the melancholy end of count Königsmark, her friend, who soothed her in some of the dreary hours in which, through a husband's neglect, but for that nobleman she would have found herself alone, is described. If its truth were undoubted, it would be one of the most remarkable productions ever seen since the invention of letters.

To make what follows clearly understood, it should be stated that a Madame Platen admired Königs mark as well as the princess, and in fact seems to have been jealous of the attentions he paid to her. The count eventually lost his life; and in the diary, we are given to understand, Sophia Dorothea wrote an account of the catastrophe, which she threw into dialogue. It certainly is just possible that the poor lady thought that in giving it this dramatic form, and painting in such odious colours the conduct of Madame Platen, she, in some degree, avenged the murder she deplored. The horrid scene is strangely brought before us:

"Countess Platen, and four halberdiers concealed in the hall.

"Countess Platen (standing within the door). Behind this chimney and the door you are all four to place yourselves in such a manner that you shall remain unperceived by the person who is to be secured during his approach along the gallery of the saloon of knights till he is in the centre of this hall; two of you are to prevent his return, and all four are to attack him, to throw him on the ground in order to thrust this handkerchief in his mouth, and secure his hands with this cord. Mind it is the strict command of the elector that the arrest be executed as quickly, and with as little noise, as possible. Whoever disregards this command will be punished, but those who pay proper attention to my directions, in order that the wishes of our Sovereign may be gratified, will not only be rewarded by the elector, but also by myself. If you hear any one coming, announce it to me immediately; in the meantime, empty the bottle of punch that has been brought you, and make yourselves comfortable. [Paces the room. Well, I am sure I do not know what is the matter with me, I feel such cold shiverings. But, courage!

I have now hopes of revenge. The sweetness of these hopes steels my nerves. But it would be well that I keep a good look out for his arrival. [Goes to the door.] Ah! he stops a long time. He ought to amuse himself well, but how unexpectedly will his visit terminate! [To the halberdiers.] Now! Yes! I hear some one approaching. very careful that two immediately cut off his retreat, and two prevent his progress-then throw him on the ground and secure his hands. (A pause.)

Be

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Königsmark (from the hall). Treachery! Treachery!

"Countess Platen. Prevent him from

drawing his sword. Make use of your arms! (Noise of fighting.) Be bold. Fear nothing. Defend yourselves well. Strike him. Throw him down. Fling him to the ground and secure his hands.

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Königsmark (from the hall.) Murder me if you will, but spare the innocent princess!

"Countess Platen. Do not mind him. Do not spare him for his insolence. Do not give way. Throw him on the ground. Königsmark. Murder me if you will, but spare the innocent princess.

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"Countess Platen. One must hold each

arm, the third is to throw him off his legs,

and the fourth to bind his hands and then

his feet, and, above all, to muffle his mouth. Tie his hands firmly. Do not spare him. Well, now he is in our power.

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'Königsmark. Spare the innocent prin

cess!

"Countess Platen. Stop his mouth with the handkerchief. Stop his wicked mouth. Tie his legs more securely, and then bring him in.

[Enter four trabants bringing in Königs

mark severely wounded. They try to make him stand. He faints.] "Countess Platen. Lay him on the floor. (They lay him down.) Pull the handkerchief out of his mouth. (She tries to bind up his wounds.) Now (addressing Königs mark) you traitor, acknowledge your guilt, and that of the princess.

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Königsmark (recovering, and gazing around.) Viper, is it you?

"Countess Platen (interrupting him). Traitor, do you inculpate yourself, to make your situation worse? Confess the guilt of yourself and the princess.

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Königsmark. Spare the innocent princess. (Swoons again).

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"Countess Platen (continuing to bind up his wounds). Go quickly, and fetch vinegar and water to recover him from fainting. [Exit trabant, Königsmark (recovering.) You horrid[He is interrupted by the Countess, who, as if by accident, while examining his wounds with a candle pretends to be frightened, staggers, shrieks, and tramples on his mouth.]

"Countess Platen (perceiving Königsmark to be dying). Ah, what is the matter with you? Oh, what a misfortune! Endeavour to keep him alive, or try to recover him. I shall look for assistance. I am obliged to go to the elector. [Exit Countess Platen.

[The three trabants endeavour to bind up the wound on his head, and look at him closely, shaking their heads.] "First Trabant. He is dead!"

THE ORIGIN OF THE TERMS "YANKEE" AND "UNCLE SAM." The origin of the term yankee, so frequently employed by way of reproach to the American people, and even in the United States, to the inhabitants of New England, is said to be as follows. A farmer, of the name of Jonathan Hastings, of Cambridge, about the year 1713, used it as a cant, a favourite word, to express excellency when applied to anything; as a yankee good horse, yankee cider, &c., meaning an excellent horse and excellent cider. The students at the trans-atlantic Alma Mater, having frequent intercourse with Mr. Hastings, and hearing him employ the term on all occasions, adopted it themselves, and gave him the name of Yankee Jonathan; it soon became a cant word among the collegians to express a weak, simple, awkward person; and from college it was carried and circulated through the country, till, from its currency in the six northern states of the union, it was at length taken up and applied to the New Englanders in common, as a term of reproach. It was in consequence of this that a particular song, called "Yankee doodle," was composed by a doctor of the British army to ridicule the Americans in 1755. This is the definition I received while travelling among the Yankees themselves. Some suppose Yankee to be an Indian corruption of English. Yenglees, Yangles, Yankles, and finally Yankee.

"UNCLE SAM."-Immediately after the declaration of the last war between England and America, Elbert Anderson, of New York, then a contractor, visited Troy on the Hudson, where was concentrated, and where he purchased, a large quantity of provisions-beef, pork, &c. The inspectors of these articles at that place were Messrs. Ebenezer and Samuel Wil

son. The latter gentleman (invariably known as "Uncle Sam,") generally superintended in person a large number of workmen, who were employed in overhauling the provisions purchased by the contractor for the army. The casks were marked E. A. U. S. This work fell to the

lot of a facetious fellow in the employ ment of the Messrs. Wilson, who on being asked by some of his fellow workmen the meaning of the mark (for the letters U. S., United States, were almost then entirely new to them), said "He did not know, unless it meant Elbert Anderson, and Uncle Sam," alluding exclusively, then, to the said " Uncle Sam Wilson. The joke took among the workmen, and passed cur. rently, and "Uncle Sam " himself being present, was occasionally rallied on the interesting extent of his possessions.

Many of these workmen being of a character denominated "food for powder," were found, shortly after, following the recruiting drum, and pushing towards the camp, for the double purpose of meeting the enemy, and eating the provisions they had lately laboured to put in order. Their old jokes, of course, accompanied them, and before the first campaign ended, this identical one first appeared in print—it gained favour rapidly, till it penetrated and was recognised in every part of the great republic, and will, no doubt, con

tinue so while the United States remains a nation. It originated precisely as above stated; and the narrator of this article to me distinctly recollected remarking, at the time when it first appeared in print, to a person equally aware of its origin, how odd it would be should this silly joke, originating in the midst of beef, pork, pickle, mud, salt, and hoop-poles, eventually become a national JOHN BYRNE.

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CRABS MISTAKEN FOR CAVALRY. Walton, in his "Hispaniola," speaking of the marine productions of St. Domingo, has the following curious anecdote of the land crab. "The land crabs found here are of an immense size, burrow in the sands, and at night issue in great numbers. It is on record amongst the natives, that on one occasion, in the still of the night, the English landed an ambuscade to surprise the Spanish camp, which, being unprepared, and consisting of irregulars, had it been pushed, must have certainly fallen. The advanced line from the first boats had already formed, and were proceeding to take post behind a copse, when they heard apparently the loud and quick clatter of horses' feet, and, as they supposed, of the Spanish lancemen, who are dexterous, and whose galling onset they had experienced the day before. Thus believing themselves discovered, and dreading an attack before their comrades had joined, they embarked precipitately, and abandoned their enterprise. But the alarm proved to be these large land crabs, which, at the sound of footsteps, receded to their holes; and the noise was occasioned by their clattering over the dry leaves, which the English soldiers mistook for the sound of cavalry. In commemorating this defeat, considered highly miraculous, the inhabitants solemnly celebrated la Fiesta de los Cangrejos,' or the feast of the crabs, held on the anniversary of the day, when an immense solid gold crab was carried about in procession, equal in size of the head of a drum. This valuable and curious piece of plate, collected principally from the devotion of the people to this feast, and in celebration of their supernatural release, long held an undisturbed place in the sanctuary of the cathedral; but its massive weight was too tempting to the French, when they arrived, who soon took off its hallowed character, by passing it through the crucible. A. S. W. L.

The Gatherer.

Law Anecdote.-The petition of Timothy Oates, in the year 1792, public crier of the court in Wiltshire, represented to the judges: "That your petitioner is this day eigty-four years of age, and was a crier in this court before either of your honours were born. That, small as his perquisites are, his wants are still smaller. He, alas! can cry no longer, but he may possibly live a little longer; and during that small period he implores to cry by proxy. His son Jonathan has a sonorous echoing voice, capable of rousing a sleeping juror or witness, to the remotest nook of the court-house; our petitioner begs that Jonathan may be

accepted as his substitute; so that, of your petitioner it may be said when he is dead and gone, that, although he cried almost all the days of his life yet he never shed a tear." The bench granted the petition nem con.

The

Experiments on Wheat.-The British Association for the Advancement of Science have obtained the following answers to the questions enumerated:-1st. What is the average amount of inorganic matter in the grain of wheat? From 1.5 to 1.75 per cent. 2nd. What is the difference in the result obtained from the combustion of wheat which has been previously dried at differr ent temperatures? A great number of experiments were made by drying at temperatures of 245 deg., 260 deg., and 60 deg., and the difference of result was shown to be considerable. 3rd. Can any temperature be recommended as the one to be preferred, at which the materials for these and similar experiments should be dried? result of the experiments alluded to in the previous answer was in favour of the temperature of 60 deg. 4th. Can any chemical preparation be added to the substances experimented upon before or during the combustion, which will facilitate the otherwise tedious process? Several substances were tried, particularly nitric acid, but they all failed to give satisfactory results. per-centage left by nitric acid was always less, but not uniformly less, than it ought to have been. 5th. Does the quantity of inorganic matter bear any relative proportion to the specific gravity of the grainthat is, to its weight per bushel? The experiments show that a steady inverse ratio is maintained between the proportionate weight per bushel and the amount of ashes. Wheat weighing 64lbs. per bushel yields 1.5 per cent.; and this amount gradually increases, till wheat weighing 58lbs. per bushel gives 1.75 per cent. 6th. The practical question then follows:-How much inorganic matter is removed from the soil of an acre of land by the grain of a crop of wheat? The answer is one pound per bushel.

The

The

Grenadiers in Russia.-It appears that in Russia, grenadiers are extravagantly honoured. In the collection of drawings belonging to the famous ventriloquist, M. Alexandre,there is a sketch by no less a personage than the emperor Nicholas. subject which employed the imperial pencil was a grenadier. “A lady in good society," says Mr. Raikes (in his 'City of the Czar'), "of whom you were to ask for what profession she intended her son, would laugh in your face." She is the mother of a future grenadier; her ideas have no further range, and, beyond a pair of epaulettes, does not mount her highest ambition.

Comparative Expenses of Honour.-Sir John Bramston, chief justice of the court of King's Bench in the time of Charles I, being offered a baronetcy which he declined, but he accepted that of being a knight of the Bath. The former he says neuer likeinge a descendable honor; and in my judgment I did and doe thinke, the honour of baronets a great injury of the crowne, it takeinge off the dependence of soe manie considerable families in every countie, which, haueinge as much honor as theire estates are capable of, are not at all sollicitous to serue or apply to the crowne. I might haue binn much cheaper a baronet, for tho' I payd noething for the letter but the lord Chamberlins Secretaries fee, and might haue had a warrant for a patent for baronet gratis too, yet the equippinge myselfe, page, and seruants, with the fees cost me 500 pounds, whereas the fees of the patent would haue binn vnder 200 pound a great deale."

Party of Pleasure to Constantinople.-A lover of sights proposes that a party shall be made to visit the Turkish capital early in December, to witness the uncovering at the Seraglio, of the Khyrquai Sheriff, or holy black robe of the prophet, which is there deposited in the sacred chamber, enveloped in forty coverings of the richest stuffs. The ceremony of displaying this sacred relic accomplished, and a long form of prayer gone through,the sultan and all who accompany him, proceed to kiss it in succession, and it is then plunged into a basin of water, from which, after all have drunk, small vials are filled by the Kislar Aga, which, sealed with his own seal, he sends to every one who assisted at the solemnity; and the possession of it is supposed to repel sickness and all sorts of calamities for one year. If its efficacy can be satisfactorily established, to bring home some of this water would make the expedition extremely profitable in a mercantile point of view.

Monkeys and Snakes. In one of the Asiatic Annual Registers, there is a remark. able account of the manner in which mon

keys destroy snakes. The monkeys in question inhabit a prodigious banyan tree, on the banks of the Nerbudda, having 350 large trunks, and above three thousand smaller columns; but the monkey colonies are annoyed by having snakes for their neighbours, and being perfectly aware of the danger to be apprehended from these enemies, and where it lies, they watch the snakes till they perceive them asleep, then creep towards them, seize them fast by the neck, haul them to the nearest flat stone, and then grind down the head by dint of violent friction, every now and then stopping to breathe a little to take a proper view at the progress of their work. When the relentless operator has demolished the

head so far as to be well assured that the venomous fangs are utterly destroyed, he tosses the withering body to the young pugs for a plaything, and their exultation is conspicuous in all their motions, as they toss the unarmed reptile from one to another.-Omiana.

Country Residences." The residence of people of fortune and refinement in the country has diffused a degree of taste and elegance in rural economy that descends to the lowest class. The very labourer, with his thatched cottage and narrow slip of ground, attends to their embellishment. The trim hedge, the grass plot before the door, the little flower-bed bordered with snug box, the woodbine trained up against the wall, and hanging its blossoms about the lattice, the pot of flowers in the window, the holly providently planted about the house to cheat the winter of its dreariness, and to throw in a resemblance of green summer to cheer the fire-side; all these bespeak the influence of taste flowing down from high sources, and pervading the lowest level of the 'public mind. If ever love, as poets say, delights to visit a cottage, it must be the cottage of an Eng. lish peasant."-Washington Irving.

How to get on in Trade.-"Let me give you one piece of advice, though I believe you want it less than most manufacturers in Ireland. Never think your paper either good enough or cheap enough, be it ever so cheap, but always endeavour to make it both better and cheaper, and sacrifice a little present and precarious to future and permanent profit. Acquire the public confidence in the goodness and reasonableness of your manufacture, and your fortune will be solid and lasting, both to you and your family, if they will tread in your steps. I know a thread-merchant of Rotterdam, who has got above thirty thousand pounds by his industry, punctuality, and integrity. He never let a yard of bad thread go out of his hands, and never took a farthing more than reasonable profit. By these means he has acquired such confidence, that people make no difficulty of sending a blind man or a child for what thread they want, sure not to be deceived either in the quantity or the quality of it."- Lord Chesterfield's Advice to an Irish Papermaker.

Sudden Death frequently occurs from drinking large quantities of cold water in warm weather. Quintius Curtius relates that Alexander once lost more men from drinking cold water, after a ing march through the desert, than he ever lost in battle.

LONDON: Printed and Published by AIRD and BURSTALL, 2, Tavistock-street, Covent-garden. Sold by all Booksellers and Newsmen.

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