them, he rolls them down into a rivulet which runs at the bottom, where they lie till the winter or spring, when the rivulet being swelled by the melting ice and snow, conveys them by the force of its stream to the place of their destination. "North-east from this village lies a steep hill, called Frodboenypen, which seems to contain strata of coal, as large pieces of it are found among the stones, which fall down from the rocks; on the north side of it is a small inlet called Frodboe Botnur, and near it a hill with three small headlands. On the top of this hill are several large stones, which when seen from the sea have various appearances; such as that of a nun, and sometimes of a watchman; who, however, never moves from his post. "In a hill called Hesten-Hove, and which one ascends from the inlet of Lobro, in travelling over land to Sundboe, the road passes along the brink of a steep cliff. To have a view from the top of this rock, I ventured out as far on the shelves as was prudent, without the assistance of a rope; but I was well rewarded for my trouble, as the rock here has a most wonderful and singular appearance, being filled with large pointed projections resembling the gavel of a house, spires, &c. which extend so far from the land, that one could row between them in a boat; and in some places large blocks lie across, from one side to the other, forming a kind of natural gates, through which the waves have a free passage. southernmost extremity of the island stands the Monk, a large mass of rock about seventy feet in height; round which there runs a current exceedingly dangerous, on account of the many rocks, both concealed and visible, that lie on each side of it. This rock, when seen from the sea, has the appearance of a ship under full sail; but on the land side it pretty much resembles the statue of a monk: the neck is formed of hard red clay, and the head and body of a blackish grey kind of stone, which is somewhat like irregular basaltes. On the top of this rock there are several loose stones, one of which is so large, that it may be seen from the land. The Lesser Dimon, which lies at the distance of four miles from the Greater Dimon, and about the same from Suderoe, is a small uninhabited island, nearly of a circular form, a little more than half a mile in diameter. The coast all round it is exceedingly steep, and is accessi'ble only in three places. The whole island has the form of a haystack; and, when visible, might serve as a very certain mark to navigators. It abounds with sea-fowl, and contains a great number of wild sheep; but what Debes, and others after him, have asserted, that white sheep placed in this island change their colour, and become spotted with black, and afterwards entirely black, a change ascribed to the fog or sea-vapour, is entirely false; for there are here a great many white sheep, which retain their colour; but the black wild "On a small eminence in this sheep of the island may be a peculiar island, called Krosgearahamra, I species; they are of a small size, found, on the 15th of June, that have short curled wool, and do not beautiful little plant, the Schilla readily mix with the others introverna, in bloom, and in such abun- duced into the island; their flesh dance, that it almost covered the also has a peculiar dark appearance, whole of it. and in taste approaches near to that "About three miles from the of other wild animals. These wild sheep sheep shelter themselves from the severity of the weather in some natural caverns found in the island; and when the inhabitants of Sude roe come hither for a few days to catch sea-fowl, they take up their abode in caverns of the same kind.” CUSTOMS AND MANNERS OF THE ENGLISH. [From Mr. STEWART'S TRANSLATION of the TRAVELS of MIRZA ABU TALEB KHAN.] "I SHALL here endeavour to give some account of the mode in which the English pass their time. The middling class, in London, divide their time in the following manner: they rise from eight to nine o'clock in the morning: their dressing employs them an hour; after which they sit down to the breakfast table, where they spend another hour: from that time, till five in the evening, they employ themselves either in business, or in walking and riding at six they sit down to dinner; and if there is company invited, the men seldom rise from table before nine o'clock: they then join the ladies, to drink tea and coffee; after which they play cards, or listen to music, till eleven, when the party breaks up, and they retire to their beds. "Those who are unmarried frequently go, after dinner, to the play, or other places of public amusement, and remain there till a late hour: others go to the gambling-houses, where they often stay till near morning. The common people rise earlier, and go to bed sooner than those above mentioned; but the nobility and higher classes have seldom done, breakfast before one or two o'clock, and are never in bed before the same hours after midnight. "What I have said respecting the division of time, may be considered as a general rule; but the length of the days and nights in England is so very unequal, that considerable variations will often occur. Thus, in the middle of winter, the sun does not rise till past eight, and sets a little after three o'clock; which, allowing two hours for the morning and evening twilight, makes the day, at the utmost, nine hours long; there consequently remain fifteen hours of night. On the contrary, in the middle of summer, the sun rises at four, and sets at nine; which, with three hours of twilight, curtails the night to about four hours. But in the northern part of the island, I understand there is scarcely any night at midsummer, as, during the few hours the sun remains under the horizon, there is a twilight, by which a person may read: and in the winter, their nights are full eighteen hours long. 66 The shortest day in England is on or about the 21st of December : from that time, till the 21st of March, it gradually increases; at which period the day and night are of an equal length. The length of the day continues to increase till the 21st of June; after which it decreases till the 21st of September, when the day and night are again equal; and continues to decrease till the return of the 21st of December. "The English, in general, are not fond of high-seasoned cookery; and and their dinners mostly consist of plain roast or boiled meats. But the rich, or higher classes, have a great variety on their tables, which is divided into three courses; the first consisting of soups and fish; the second, of roast and boiled meats, fricassees, &c.; and the third, of puddings, pies, and game; after which there is a great display of fruit of all kinds, called the dessert. "The regular meals of the English are, breakfast, dinner, and supper: but in London they frequently stop at the pastry-cooks' shops, which are generally kept or attended by handsome women, and eat something between breakfast and dinner. They also eat bread and butter, or cake, with their tea or coffee in the evening; so that they may be said to eat five times a day; yet, as they eat but little at any one time, they cannot be called gluttons. "The English legislators and philosophers have wisely determined, that the best inode of keeping women out of the way of temptation, and their minds from wandering after improper desires, is by giving them sufficient employment; there fore, whatever business can be effected without any great exertion of mental abilities or corporeal strength, is assigned to the women. Thus they have all the internal management and care of the house, and washing the clothes. They are also employed to take care of shops, and, by their beauty and eloquence, often attract customers. To the men is assigned the business of waiting at table, taking care of the horses and cattle, and management of the garden, farm, &c. This division of labour is attended with much convenience, and prevents confusion. "Besides the above important regulation, the English lawgivers have placed the women under many salu 1810. tary restraints, which prevent their making an improper use of the liberty they have, of mixing in company, and conversing with men. In the first place, strangers, or persons whose characters are not well known, are seldom introduced to them; secondly, the women never visit any bachelor, except he be a near relation; thirdly, no woman of respectability ever walks out (in London), unless attended by her husband, a relation, or a confidential servant. They are upon no account allowed. to walk out after dark; and they never think of sleeping abroad, even at the house of their father or mother, unless the husband is with them. They therefore have seldom an opportunity of acting improperly. The father, mother, and whole family, also consider themselves disgraced by the bad conduct of a daughter or a sister. And as, by the laws of England, a man may beat his wife with a stick, which will not endanger the breaking of a limb, or may confine her in a room, the women dare not even give their tongues too much liberty. "If, notwithstanding all these restraints, a woman should be so far lost to all sense of shame, as to commit a disgraceful action, she is for ever after shunned by all her relations, acquaintances, and every lady of respectability. Her husband is also authorized by law to take away all her property and ornaments, to debar her from the sight of her children, and even to turn her out of the house; and, if proof can be produced of her misconduct, he may obtain a divorce, by which she is entirely separated from him, and loses all her dower, and even her marriage portion. From what has been stated, it is evident that the English women, notwithstanding their their apparent liberty, and the politeness and flattery with which they are addressed, are, by the wisdom of their lawgivers, confined in strict bondage: and that, on the contrary, the Mohammedan women, who are prohibited from mixing in society, and are kept concealed behind curtains, but are allowed to walk out in veils, and to go to the baths (in Turkey), and to visit their fathers and mothers and even female acquaintances, and to sleep abroad for several nights together, are much more mistresses of their own conduct, and much more liable to fall into the paths of error. Liberty may be considered as the idol, or tutelary deity of the English; and I think the common people here enjoy more freedom and equality than in any other well-regulated government in the world. No Englishman, unless guilty of a breach of the laws, can be seized, or punished, at the caprice or from the gust of passion of the magistrate he may sometimes be confined on suspicion, but his life cannot be affected, except on positive proof. I was credibly informed, that the H.. r A...t of the throne, while one day walking, was jostled by an impudent fellow; that the P....e struck him with his cane, and chasfised him for his insolence. man, however, sued his R. . 1 H:..s in one of the courts of justice, and compelled the P...e to pay a considerable sum of money. The "Governor H....gs came one day to visit me, immediately after the hall-door had been newly painted, and even while the man who had done it was collecting his pots and brushes on the steps. The Governor, not perceiving the circum stance, lifted the knocker of the door, and spoiled a new pair of gloves; on which he turned round angrily to the man, and asked him why he did not inform him the door had been just painted: the fellow, in a surly manner, replied, "Where were your eyes, that you could not see it?" From these anecdotes, some idea may be formed of the liberty and freedom of the common people in England: in many instances they carry it too great a length; and I have even felt the inconvenience of it. Their lawgiversTM are however of opinion, that this freedom tends to make them brave. "In England, no gentleman can' punish his servant for any crime (except by turning him away), but must make his complaint before a magistrate. The servants in England receive very high wages, are as well fed, sleep as comfortably in raised beds (not on the floor, as in India), and are as well clothed, as their masters, who, in general, prefer plain clothes for themselves, while their servants are covered with lace. "In their newspapers and daily publications, the common people often take the liberty of abusing their superiors: also, in all public meetings, and even at the playhouses, they frequently hiss and reproach any nobleman or gentleman they dislike. Another mode they have of expressing their displeasure is by caricatures: in these, they frequently pourtra the ministers, or any other public characters, in ridiculous situations, either talkto each other, or conversing with John Bull, who, by his blunt but shrewd observations, is always made to have the best of the argument, and to tell his opponent some disagreeable truths. "After all, this equality is more in appearance than in reality; for the difference between the comforts of the rich and of the poor is, in England, much greater than in India. The servants are not at liberty to quit their masters, without giving proper warning; and, in general, they are as respectful in their behaviour as the slaves of Hindoostan. "The rich, or higher classes, also, enjoy some privileges from this equality. They can walk out at all times, and go wherever they please, without being watched by a retinue of spies, under the denomination of servants, as in the East: and if they are abused by the common people, they can also indulge their spleen, by abusing the Ministers, Princes, and even Royalty itself. "I can scarcely describe the pleasure I felt, upon my first arrival in Europe, in being able to walk out unattended, to make my own bargains in the shops, and to talk to whom I pleased; so different from our customs. It is not to be inferred, however, from what I have said, that every man is at liberty to follow the bent of his own inclinations. There are certain rules established in society, and a degree of decorum to be observed, the transgression or omission of which would be attended with bad consequences. Thus, were a gentleman seen to enter a publichouse, and to drink with low companions, or to walk about the streets with a common prostitute, he would be shunned by all his acquaintances; and were he, in any point, to offend against the laws, he would immediately be seized, and sent to prison; or, were he to be guilty of sedition, treason, sacrilege, or blasphemy, he would be severely punished. Even the Ministers of the empire, when they find any ancient law or custom inapplicable to the present times, or even contrary to common sense, dare not boldly and openly propose its being cancelled in Parliament; but they endeavour by degrees to effect a change in the system, by proposing special modifications, uncertain whether the law may not have been framed for some good reasons, not understood by them, but which may be discovered by their opponents. "Amongst the custom which are, I believe, peculiar to the British, may be reckoned their duels, and boxing-matches. The first are confined to the higher classes, and are effected by the use of pistols or swords: they are now always fought in the presence of seconds, or witnesses, who take care that no treachery or foul play is practised. The other mode is used by the common people, either to obtain satisfaction for an injury, or as a trial of skill. In these combats, it is not fair to lay hold of, or grapple with the adversary, in which strength might get the better; but the whole contest must be decided, as fencing is in India, by skill and dexterity. If either of the combatants fall, the other must not strike him, while down; but if it be discovered that one of them falls purposely, he is hooted and abused by the spectators. These combats are carried on with such violence, as frequently to occasion the death of one of the parties. The loss of an eye, breaking of the nose or jaw, or having the cheek laid open, is a common consequence. The lower classes are so fond of, or are so convinced of the utility of this science, that there are few of them who do not learn pugilism; and even many of the nobility and gentlemen encourage these matches, and argue, that it serves to preserve their courage, and inures them to hardship. During my residence in England, I was present, |