verting the Opera House into a ballroom, for which he received a pension of six thousand livres; and a Carmelite Friar, named Father Sebastian, invented the means of elevating the floor of the to a level with the stage, and lowering at pleasure. The first ball was given on the 2nd of January, 1716. They now commence about the end of January, and continue on fixed days throughout the Carnival. The most select company is found at the Opera House, but balls are also given at the Odeon, the Theatre de la Porte St. Martia, Franconi's Circus, and various other places. A ceremony which has been observed for ages at Paris, upon the last days of the Carnival, is the procession of the Bauf Gras, designated in other parts of France Le Bauf Ville, or Viole, or Vielle, undoubtedly because the ox is led through the city to the sounds of violins or cymbals. A writer of the eighteenth century, in speaking of this ceremony suggests that it derives its origin from paganism, and describes it as celebrated at Paris in the year 1739. "The butchers of the Bou cheri de l'apport Paris," says he, "did not wait till the usual day for the procession of the Bœuf Gras, but on the morning preceding that of Jeu de Gras, they led through the city an ox covered with tapestry, and having a large branch of laurel on his head. This ox, adorned as the victims which the ancients led to the altar, bore on his back a child, who was called King of the Butchers, decorated with a blue scarf, and holding in one hand a gilt sceptre, and in the other a sword. About fifteen butchers' boys, dressed in red waistcoats, white hose, and red turbans or bonnets, bordered with white, accompanied the Bauf Gras, two of them holding the animal by the horns. The procession, preceded by violins, fifes, and drums, traversed the streets of Paris, went to the houses of the Magistracy, and finding the Chief President of the Parlement absent, proceeded to the grand hall of the Palais de Justice, by the stairs of the Sainte Chapelle. After presenting themselves before the President, the butchers led the ox through the various apartments of the Palace, and then descended by the new courts towards the Place Dauphine. On the following day, the butchers of different parts of Paris performed the same ceremony, but did not conduct their Bauf Gras into the Palace. The escort is now more numerous than formerly; but the animal which is led through the streets no longer bears a. child on its back; the latter follows the Bauf Gras, in an ornamented triumphal car, but without the sceptre and sword. This innovation on the ancient custom first took place in 1822. THE WARRIOR FAIR. YOUNG Delia once, a soldier's bride, For soft repose prepared: With firm and measured step she paced, Nor asked Minerva's aid--But still the foot and taper waist The trembling fair betrayed. But, hark! the trumpet sounds from far, The legions join, the battle burns, But who is he that stands alone? ALPHEUS. THE DISCOVERY AND USE OF COALS. COALS were discovered near Newcastle, 1234-in general use in London, 1400; 600,000 chaldrons used in London, 1773; and 766,880 chaldrons in 1788; in 1792, there were 841,380 chaldrons; cinders, 6,270 chaldrons, and Scotch coals, 2,449 tons; in 1793, there were 800,510; in 1794, 788,744; in 1795, 887,759 chaldrons, besides cinders, &c.; their duty yielded the Duke of Richmond, 23,000%. În 1802, government bought of his grace one-third of the grant for 144,6007. In 1791, the quantity of 450,000 chaldrons, Newcastle measure, was cleared out, in 4,956 vessels for oversea and coastways; in 1791, there were 334,513 chaldrons, besides cinders, &c. The duties on coals carried coastways, besides those in London, amounted in 1788, to 182,7457. 15s. Old. at 5s. 6d. per chaldron. Those brought to London pay 10s. 8d. per chaldron. All the duties on coals in 1783, were 445,8117., and in 1784, were 462,550. in England; and in Scotland, for both these years, only 3,000l.; the whole of the duties in 1788 was 306,7287. The daily consumption was, many years ago, about 2,300 chaldrons in London. By the statement of Mr. Chapman, an engineer of Newcastle, it appears that the following was the annual consumption of pit coal, exclusive of waste, in 1815; but the quantity has since been much increased. In the iron and other manufactories in the coal counties, about Coals paying coast duty, about 3,600,000 chaldrons, Winchester, or...... Coals consumed for culinary and other purposes, in the counties not paying duty, about. Tons. 4,000,000 schemes, and the two hundred other projects which, in that proud era of British enterprise and public confidence, were invented, are we at a loss to know how to employ a paltry sum of five hundred millions! We really blush for the noninventive age in which we have been thrown, and therefore, while our rumpsteak is dressing, and our appetite increasing at Anderton's, have determined to submit to the public, through the medium of a public journal, half a score projects, which we have maturely considered and formed from actual surveys and estimates. As soon as public meetings have been called, directors nominated, and ten per cent. been received on all these projects, we shall submit others equally feasible and advantageous to the public: 1. A plan for insuring tulip beds near London from the intrusive amours of the feline race, and for indemnifying maiden ladies of a certain age against the loss of favourite tabbies, spaniels, pup dogs, and guinea pigs. 2. A plan for enabling archbishops, bishops, and rectors, to dispense with 5,040,000 those lazy underlings, the curates, who are not satisfied with a salary of thirty pounds per annum for only preaching three times on a Sunday, and attending a dozen funerals in a week without the fees. 4,000,000 Total 13,040,000 NEW AND INTERESTING. PRO JECTS. GREAT in arts and arms as England is, she is still greater in her commercial enterprise, and no project that offers the prospect of gain will scare an English capitalist from adventure. To him "Methink it were an easy leap, To pluck bright guineas from the pale fac'd moon; Or dive into the bottom of the deep, But although there are no bounds to 3. A plan for converting our granite pavements into dust, whereby persons will be compelled to stay at home, instead of lounging about the streets, in summer.— Nota Bene. This plan is equally applicable in winter, for the streets will be so muddy, that no man in his senses will venture out, except on a pair of stilts, such as are used by the inhabitants of the Landes. 4. A plan for milking cows, docking horses, and cropping two-legged puppies, by means of a steam-engine, which will at the same time rock the cradle in every house in the metropolis to which it is applied, beat the tattoo for all the barracks, whip the boys in all the national schools, slice cucumbers, uncase shrimps, &c. 5. A capital of twenty millions for converting the Jews. It having been discovered that, by the regular and tedious process of preaching and teaching, the conversion of every Jew costs, upon an average, a thousand pounds, it is therefore proposed to effect the object by purchase in future. An eminent Israelite has agreed to contract for the conversion of two thousand, at 430%. per head, including women and children, but threatens to raise his price, unless imme diately treated with. 6. A plan for erecting a basin of three hundred acres, close to the river, where Thames water may at once be converted into porter, without the unnecessary process of passing through certain buildings called breweries. 7. A plan for insuring servant-maids against the loss of needles, thimbles, pin-cushions, old songs, dying speeches and confessions. 8. A plan for blowing up and dissolving the ice in the Arctic Ocean, with the exception of a field of a mile square, on which a colony is to be established, and the floating island towed like a steamboat into the Pacific Ocean. It is to be confessed that this is a somewhat hazardous project, but its daring and improbability of success are the very reason why it is sure to meet with the readiest support. A promise has already been made to the celebrated Captain Symmes, not to approach within thirty feet of the opening at the pole, to the centre of the earth, which he claims as the first discoverer. 9. A plan for sweeping chimneys by means of an artificial earthquake, which shall shake the soot out of all the chimneys of the metropolis every Saturday morning, and abolish that white slavetrade, the climbing boys. 10. A plan for increasing and securing a monopoly of the dupes in London. Literary Chronicle. The Selector; OR, CHOICE EXTRACTS FROM NEW WORKS. CAPTAIN PARRY'S LAST (To the Editor of the Mirror.) SIR,-Having just had the opportunity of a hasty perusal of the Journal of Captain Parry's last voyage, I find he sailed from the Nore the 8th of May, 1821, on board the Fury, in company with the Hecla, Captain Lyon, for the discovery of a North West Passage from the At lantic to the Pacific Ocean; and returned to England the 16th of October, 1823, on which day, Captain Parry and the Rev. Mr. Fisher, (the chaplain and astronomer,) landed at Whitby in Yorkshire. They were therefore absent this voyage nearly two years and a-half, after an unsuccessful attempt to get to Behring's Strait, through Hudson's Bay. The first winter both ships were frozen in at Winter-Island for about nine months; and the second winter at another island to the northward, called Igloolik, where they were frozen in for ten months. The furthest longitude which they attained was about 86 degrees west, and the highest latitude about 69 north, and the severest cold about 48 degrees below Zero. During the time they were from England, they lost five men, one by accidentally falling from a mast, and was unfortunately killed on the spot, the others died by various complaints. I do myself the pleasure of forwarding a few extracts from Captain Parry's Journal, thinking they may afford some amusement to your readers. I remain, Sir, Your constant reader, "Several of the ermines also, which we had procured for the last week or two were entirely white, except the little brush at the tip of the tail, which was black. In other specimens of this animal, however, the back was quite brown, and the belly of a delicate, light straw, or sulphur colour. "Myriads of small shrimps, (cancer nugax) for some weeks past had been 'observed near the surface of the sea. These insects were found to be still as numerous as ever in any hole we made in the ice, while at Winter Island; and such was the extreme avidity with which they immediately seized upon any meat put overboard to thaw or soak for the sake of freshness, that Captain Lyon one day sent me a goose to look at, belonging to the officers of the Hecla, that had been thus deposited within their reach only eight-and-forty hours, and from which they had eaten every ounce of meat, leaying only a skeleton, most delicately cleaned. Our men had before remarked, that their meat suffered unusual loss of substance by soaking, but did not know to what cause to attribute the deficiency. We took advantage, however, of the hunger of these depredators, to procure complete skeletons of small animals for preservation, as anatomical specimens, enclosing them in a net or bag with holes, to which the shrimps could have access, but which prevented the loss of any of the limbs, should the cartilage of the joints be eaten. For want of this latter precaution some specimens were at first rendered imperfect. "November, 1821. The people were employed in what they called, "Rigging the Theatre,' and on the evening of the 9th the officers performed the play of the Rivals,' to the infinite amusement of both ships' companies. "13th November.-About the time of sun-set this evening, the sky presented a most brilliant appearance; the part next the horizon, for one or two degrees, being tinged of a bright red, above which was a soft light blue, passing, by an imperceptible gradation, into a delicate, greenish hue. 17th November. This evening, the officers performed the two farces of Raising the Wind,' and the Mock Doctor,' for the amusement of the ships' companies. "23rd November.-In the evening, the Aurora Borealis made its appearance in the N. W.; vivid coruscations shooting at times across the zenith to the opposite horizon. The gold leaf of the Electrometer was not perceptibly affected by it. "2nd December. This was indeed a most inclement day, the temperature of the atmosphere having, for the first time, fallen to 27 degrees below Zero. "20th December.-A rare phenomenon was noticed at 7 A. M. by the officer of the watch, namely, that the moon in rising had assumed the appearance of two. On hearing this, I went on deck, and saw an inverted image of the moon below, and nearly touching that luminary, which was about half a degree high at the time, thus: ( ( and ships. A certain increase was also made in the allowance of provisions, to enable the people to partake of Christmas festi. vities to the utmost extent which our situation and means would allow; the day was marked by the most cheerful hilarity, accompanied by the utmost regularity and good order. Among the luxuries which our Christmas dinner afforded, was that of a joint of English roast beef, of which a few quarters had been preserved for such occasions, by rubbing the outside with salt, and hanging it on deck, covered with canvass. The low latitude in which our last summer's navigation was performed, would have rendered its preservation doubtful without salt. "30th December. This evening Mr. Fisher and myself remarked, that Sirius, which was nearly on the meridian at the time, exhibited the most beautiful violet and blue colours that can be imagined. The violet was to the westward, which was the direction in which the moon was, and the Aurora was playing about at the time. I thought I had never before seen any thing so brilliant: the play of prismatic colours in a cut diamond comes the nearest to it. "What with reading, writing, making and calculating observations, observing the various natural phenomena, and taking the exercise necessary to preserve our health, nobody, I believe, ever felt any symptoms of ennui during our continuance in winter quarters. "Among the recreations which afforded the highest gratification to several among us, may mention the musical parties we were enabled to muster, and which assembled on stated evenings throughout the winter, alternately in Captain Lyon's cabin and my own. More skilful amateurs in music might well have smiled at these, our humble concerts; but it will not incline them to think less of the science they admire to be assured that, in these remote and desolate regions of the globe, it has often furnished us with the most pleasurable sensations which our situation was capable of affording: for, independently of the mere gratification afforded to the ear by music, there is, perhaps, scarcely a person in the world really fond of it, in whose mind its sound is not more or less connected with his far-distant home.' There are always some remembrances which render them inseparable; and those associations are not to be despised which, while we are engaged in the performance of our duty, can still occasionally transport us into the social circle of our friends at home, in spite of the oceans that roll between us. "With our time thus occupied, our comforts so abundant, and the prospect to sea-ward so enlivening, it would indeed have been our own faults had we felt any thing but enjoyment in our present state, and the most lively hopes and expecta tions for the future. 12th January, 1822.-Some portwine, which was stowed in bins in the slop-room, having a week or two before been found partially frozen, a further examination took place on the 12th, when two or three bottles were found broken, and the wine entirely frozen in their lamina, not unlike the plates of white mica, and from one-eighth to two-eighths of an inch in thickness. "White wine was frozen into one mass, retaining its colour and translucency, and assuming the appearance of very clear amber. 22d January. Raising the Wind,' and the Sleep Walker,' were performed: the ships' companies testified the gratification which they had derived in their own way, namely, by three hearty cheers at the fall of the curtain; and the officers, I am confident, considered their trouble more than repaid by this expression of the men's feelings. “25th January.—A flock of nearly two hundred long-tailed ducks were swimming about in the open water to the S. E. of the point. "30th May. The first five grouse were killed these birds were entirely white in their plumage, except near the tip of the tail, where the feathers were of a glossy black. They were in very good condition, and weighed from seventeen to eighteen ounces each. Several ducks and silvery gulls were also seen, and Mr. Fife fired at a swan. "31st May. We were not the only inhabitants of these regions that seemed to think it high time for the summer to have arrived, for there was to-day quite a general muster of the birds about Winter Island. A great many ducks and silvery gulls, two swans, two pair of ring plovers, several ravens and grouse were seen, besides the usual flocks of the cheerful little snow buntings. Mr. Ross killed a swan, and a pair of grouse; the former of these was quite black, and one of the latter, a female bird, had a few speckled feathers on each wing, the tail being black near the tip. Captain Lyon was out for several hours with his gun, and met with eight rein-deer, but found them too wild to be approached. “29th June.—A number of plants were now appearing in flower: among those specimens of the potentilla nivea, saxifraga cæspitosa, draba alpina, and oxytropis arctica, had been procured within the last three or four days. "The Esquimaux at Igloolik were at one time rather badly off for food, in consequence of the winds having been unfavourable for their fishery; but this had only occurred two or three times in the course of the winter, and never so much as to occasion any great distress. It is certain, indeed, that the quantity of meat which they procured between the 1st of October, 1822, and 1st April, 1823, was sufficient to have furnished about double the population of working people, who were moderate eaters, and had any idea of providing for a future day; but to individuals who can demolish four or five pounds at a sitting, and at least ten in the course of a day, and who never bestow a thought on to-morrow, at least with a view to provide for it by economy, there is scarcely any supply which could secure them from occasional scarcity. is highly probable, that the alternate feasting and fasting to which the gluttony and improvidence of these people so constantly subject them, may have occasioned many of the complaints that proved fatal during the winter. It "Lest it should be thought that this account is exaggerated, I may here state, that, as a matter of curiosity, we one day tried how much a lad, scarcely full-grown, would, if freely supplied, consume in this way. The undermentioned articles were weighed before being given to him; he was twenty hours in getting through them, and certainly did not consider the quantity extraordinary : "It was with extreme difficulty that these people had imbibed any correct idea of the superiority of rank possessed by some individuals among us; and when at length they came into this idea, they naturally measured our respective importance by the riches they supposed cach to possess. The ships they considered as a matter of course to belong to Captain Lyon and myself; and on this account distinguished them by the names of Lyonoomiak, and Paree-oomiak; but they believed that the boats, and other parts of the furniture were the property of various other |