It was a Florentine who found, buried in a heap of dust, and in a rotten coffer belonging to the monastery of St. Gal, the works of Quintilian: and, by this fortunate discovery, gave them to the republic of letters.
Papirius Ma.s.son found, in the house of a book-binder of Lyons, the works of Agobart. The mechanic was on the point of using the ma.n.u.scripts to line the covers of his books.
A page of the second Decade of Livy was found by a man of letters on the parchment of his battledore, as he was amusing himself in the country.
He ran directly to the maker of the battledore: but arrived too late; the man had finished the last page of Livy, in completing a large order for these articles about a week before.
Sir Robert Cotton, being one day at his tailor"s, discovered that the man held in his hand, ready to be cut up for measures, the original Magna Charta, with all its appendages of seals and signature. He bought this singular curiosity for a trifle; and recovered in this manner, what had long been given over for lost.
+For the New-York Weekly Magazine.+
ON GEOGRAPHY.
Geography is a science which is no more looked upon as a fine accomplishment, but a necessary part of education; for there is no study which seems fitter for the entertainment and instruction of young persons than this. Geography gives them a perfect idea of the exterior surface of the globe, of its natural and political divisions, and of the curiosities of all its parts: hence it may be called with reason, the eye of history, the soldier"s companion, the merchant"s director, and the traveller"s guide.
It is also a study which holds the first rank among those qualities which are requisite for forming the scholar; for it is adapted not only to gratify our curiosity, but also to increase our knowledge, to banish prejudices, and make us acquainted with our real advantages, and those of our fellow-creatures.
_For the +New-York Weekly Magazine+._
ANECDOTE.
During the summer of the year 1780, an old Indian, an inhabitant of the wood, used to visit the town of Poughkeepsie for the purpose of disposing of wooden ware, it being the only means he had for gaining a livelihood---Among the purchasers of his goods, was a lady who much wished for a utensil for working her b.u.t.ter as she called it---and desiring him, when he came again, to bring some _b.u.t.ter ladles_.---"_b.u.t.ter ladles!_" answered the tawny son of the forest, in the native simplicity of his soul---"Why mistress, if I was to fashion such things, they would all melt away before I could get here."
L. B.
ON THE MUTABILITY OF FORTUNE.
There is nothing certain in this world but death: theory supposes, experience sometimes proves, but the latter often deceives. The fatality which constantly attends the wayward lot of mortals, is so secret in its operations, that it baffles all the penetration of men to discover it.
Xerxes came to conquer Greece with such a numerous force, that his armies quite exhausted the rivers in quenching their natural thirst. He covered the sea with ships, as numerous as the caterpillars which formerly infested Egypt; whence he was inflated with such a certain prospect of success, that he already considered himself as a complete master of the sea; and he commanded it to be whipped with rods, for having the insolence to mutiny tempestuously against him. But, alas! he shamefully lost so many thousand men, and such a number of ships, that he thought himself very fortunate in escaping on board a small fishing bark.
NEW-YORK.
MARRIED,
On Sunday se"nnight, by the Rev. Dr. Foster, Mr. PETER HOPMIRE, to Miss SALLY WILSON, both of this city.
On Monday se"nnight, by the Rev. Dr. Moore, Mr. JAMES BLEECKER, merchant, to Miss SARAH BACHE, daughter of Mr. Theophylact Bache, merchant, of this city.
On Sat.u.r.day evening last, by the Rev. Dr. Moore, Mr. WILLIAM JAMES, of this city, to Miss ANN READ, of Trenton.
DIED,
On the 27th ult. of a sudden illness, TIMOTHY MASON, son to Christopher Mason, Esq. of Swansey, in Ma.s.sachusetts. He promised fair to realize the hopes of his affectionate parents, but was prematurely cut off in the seventh year of his age, on a visit to the city. On the 28th, his remains were interred in the Baptist burying ground.
TO CORRESPONDENTS.
The ELEGY on an UNFORTUNATE VETERAN, by MATILDA, and TWILIGHT, a Sonnet, by ALEXIS, are received, and shall appear in our next.
_METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS._ _From the 24th to the 31st inst._
_Days of the Month._ _Thermometer observed at 8, A.M. 1, P.M. 6, P.M._ _Prevailing winds._ _OBSERVATIONS on the WEATHER._
deg. deg. deg. 8. 1. 6. 8. 1. 6.
100 100 100 AUG. 24 70 74 69 NE. sw. s. clear do. rain.
25 69 73 67 S. do. do. clear do. do.
26 70 70 72 E. do. se. clear cloudy. do.
27 70 76 50 79 NW. do. N. clear do. do.
28 73 79 78 SW. do. do. clear cloudy clear.
29 78 85 50 80 W. nw. w. clear do. do.
30 76 86 80 SE. W NW. clear do. do.
31 75 84 79 50 NW. sw. do clear do. do.
RESULTS OF METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS.
For July, 1796.
deg. 100
Mean temperature of the thermometer at 8 A.M. 73 25 Do. do. of the do. at 1 P.M. 81 5 Do. do. of the do. at 6 P.M. 75 5 Do. do. of the whole month 76 45 Greatest monthly range between the 8th and 25th 21 0 Do. do. in 24 hours the 21st 12 0 Warmest day the 8 88 0 Coldest day the 25 67 0