The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 14, No. 406, December 26, 1829

"Edward, among whose weaknesses we cannot number cowardice, was reluctantly forced from the bloody field by the Earl of Pembroke. The noble Sir Giles de Argentine considered it as his duty to attend the King until he saw him in personal safety, then observing that "it was not his own wont to fly," turned back, rushed again into the battle, cried his war-cry, galloped boldly against the victorious Scots, and was slain, according to his wish, with his face to the enemy. Edward must have been bewildered in the confusion of the field, for instead of directing his course southerly to Linlithgow, from which he came, he rode northward to Stirling, and demanded admittance. Philip de Mowbray, the governor, remonstrated against this rash step, reminding the unfortunate Prince that he was obliged by his treaty to surrender the castle next day, as not having been relieved according to the conditions.

"Edward was therefore obliged to take the southern road; and he must have made a considerable circuit to avoid the Scottish army. He was, however, discovered on his retreat, and pursued by Douglas with sixty horse, who were all that could be mustered for the service. The King, by a rapid and continued flight through a country in which his misfortunes must have changed many friends into enemies, at length gained the castle of Dunbar, where he was hospitably received by the Earl of March. From Dunbar Edward escaped almost alone to Berwick in a fishing skiff, having left behind him the finest army a King of England ever commanded.

"The quantity of spoil gained by the victors at the battle of Bannockburn was inestimable, and the ransoms paid by the prisoners largely added to the mass of treasure. Five near relations to the Bruce—namely, his wife, her sister Christian, his daughter Marjory, the Bishop of Glasgow (Wishart), and the young Earl of Mar, the King's nephew, were exchanged against the Earl of Hereford, High Constable of England.

"The Scottish loss was very small: Sir William Vipont and Sir Walter Ross were the only persons of consideration slain. Sir Edward Bruce is said to have been so much attached to the last of these knights as to have expressed his wish that the battle had remained unfought, so Ross had not died."

The present volume contains 350 pages, in a very pleasing type, and a vignette title; and the style in which it is produced is uniformly worthy of the very responsible quarter whence it emanates.

THE YOUNG LADY'S BOOK

This is indeed a golden gift for any demoiselle of our readers' acquaintance, for it blends the unusual qualities of elegance and usefulness of the highest order. It is described in the title as "A Manual of Elegant Recreations, Exercises and Pursuits," and numbers in its contents, Moral deportment—the Florist—Mineralogy, Conchology, Entomology, the Aviary, the Toilet, Embroidery, the Escrutoire, Painting, Music, Dancing, Archery, Riding, and the Ornamental Artist. Each of these subjects is treated of in separate chapters, in a neat style, slightly scientific, and highly amusive; and the whole are illustrated with upwards of Six Hundred Engravings, which are appropriately chosen and admirably executed. Botany, Conchology, Entomology, and the Aviary thus admit of scores of little cuts worked in with the type; the female accomplishments of Embroidery, ornamental card and basket work, contain many beautiful devices; and the "elegant recreations" of Dancing, Riding, &c. are equally well illustrated by the various forms, positions, &c.—Each subject has been treated of by a master or mistress of the respective art, but the uniformity with which the editor has marshalled them in his work, almost makes them resemble the productions of one hand. We need not point out the merit of this individual contribution; for the lady-pen must be omnipotent indeed which could write equally well on every branch of female accomplishment. By way of a seasonable extract we take part of a brief historical sketch prefixed to the Dancing instructions, and a few of the hints:—

"From the death of Elizabeth, until after the restoration of Charles II., the turbulence of the times, and the peculiar character of the age, prevented this art, which flourishes only in 'the bowers of peace and joy,' from making much progress; but in the days of the merry monarch it began to revive, and advanced more, or less, in all the succeeding reigns. The celebrated Beau Nash, who was, for a long time, M.C. at Bath, may be considered the founder of modern ball-room dancing; which, however, has been divested of much of its cold formality, and improved in various other respects since the time of that singular person. It is, nevertheless, a matter of regret, that the graceful and stately Minuet has been entirely abandoned in favour of the more recently-invented dances.

"The French country dances, or Contre-Danses (from the parties being placed opposite to each other,) since called Quadrilles (from their having four sides) which approximate nearly to the Cotillon, were first introduced to France about the middle of Lewis the Fifteenth's reign. Previously to this period, the dances most in vogue were La Perigourdine, La Matelotte, La Pavane, Les Forlanes, Minuets, &c. Quadrilles, when first introduced, were danced by four persons only: four more were soon added, and thus the complete square was formed; but the figures were materially different from those of the present period. The gentlemen advanced with the opposite ladies, menaced each other with the fore-finger, and retired clapping their hands three times; they then turned hands of four, turned their own partners, and grand rond of all concluded the figure. The Vauxhall d'Hiver was, at that time, the most fashionable place of resort: the pupils of the Royal Academy were engaged to execute new dances; a full and effective band performed the most fashionable airs, and new figures were at length introduced and announced as a source of attraction; but this place was soon pulled down, and re-built on the ground now occupied by the Theatre du Vaudeville. The establishment failed, and the proprietor became a bankrupt. A short time after, it was re-opened by another speculator; but on such a scale, as merely to attract the working classes of the community. The band was now composed of a set of miserable scrapers, who played in unison, and continually in the key of G sharp; amid the sounds which emanated from their instruments, the jangling of a tambourin, and the shrill notes of a fife were occasionally heard. Thus did things continue until the French Revolution; when, about the time the Executive Directory was formed, the splendid apartments of the Hotel de Richelieu were opened for the reception of the higher classes, who had then but few opportunities of meeting to 'trip it on the light fantastic toe.' Monsieur Hullin, then of the Opera, was selected to form a band of twenty-four musicians, from among those of the highest talent in the various theatres: he found no difficulty in this, as they were paid in paper-money, then of little or no value; whereas, the administrators of the Richelieu establishment paid in specie. The tunes were composed in different keys, with full orchestral accompaniments, by Monsieur Hullin; and the contrast thus produced to the abominable style which had so long existed, commenced a new era in dancing: the old figures were abolished, and stage-steps were adopted;—Pas de Zephyrs, Pas de Bourrés, Ballotés, Jetés Battus, &c. were among the most popular. Minuets and Forlanes were still continued; but Monsieur Vestris displaced the latter by the Gavotte, which he taught to Monsieur Trenis and Madame de Choiseul, who first danced it at a fête given by a lady of celebrity, at the Hotel de Valentinois, Rue St. Lazar, on the 16th of August, 1797; at this fête, Monsieur Hullin introduced an entirely new set of figures of his own composition.—These elicited general approbation: they were danced at all parties, and still retain pre-eminence. The names of Pantalon, L'Eté, La Poule, La Trenis, &c. which were given to the tunes, have been applied to the figures. The figure of La Trenis, was introduced by Monsieur Trenis's desire, it being part of the figure from a Gavotte, danced in the then favourite ballet of Nina.

"To the French we are indebted for rather an ingenious, but in the opinion of many professional dancers, an useless invention, by which it was proposed, that as the steps in dancing are not very numerous, although they may be infinitely combined, that characters might be made use of to express the various steps and figures of a dance, in the same manner as words and sentences are expressed by letters; or what is more closely analogous, as the musical characters are employed to represent to the eye the sounds of an air. The well-known Monsieur Beauchamp, and a French dancing-master, each laid claim to be the original inventer of this art; and the consequence was a law suit, in which, however, judgment was pronounced in favour of the former. The art has been introduced into this country, but without success. An English dancing-master has also, we believe, with considerable labour and ingenuity, devised a plan somewhat similar to that of the French author: diagrams being proposed to represent the figures, or steps, instead of characters.

"There are a variety of dances to which the term National may, with some propriety, be applied. Among the most celebrated of these are,—the Italian Tarantula, the German Waltz, and the Spanish Bolero. To dwell on their peculiarities would, however, as it appears to us, be useless: the first is rarely exhibited, even on the stage: the second, although it still retains much of its original character, has, in this country, been modified into the Waltz Country Dance, and all the objections which it encountered, on its first introduction, seem to have been gradually overcome, since it assumed its present popular form; and the graceful Bolero is restricted to the theatre only, being never introduced to the English ball-room.

"The manner of walking well is an object which all young ladies should be anxious to acquire; but, unfortunately, it is a point too much neglected. In the drawing-room, the ball-room, or during the promenade, an elegant deportment, a 'poetry of motion,'—is, and ever will be, appreciated. The step ought not to exceed the length of the foot; the leg should be put forward, without stiffness, in about the fourth position; but without any effort to turn the foot out, as it will tend to throw the body awry, and give the person an appearance of being a professional dancer. The head should be kept up and the chest open: the body will then attain an advantageous position, and that steadiness so much required in good walking. The arms should fall in their natural position, and all their movements and oppositions to the feet be easy and unconstrained. The employment of soldiers to teach young ladies how to walk, which, we are sorry to say, is a practice adopted by many parents and heads of seminaries, is much to be deprecated. The stiffness acquired under regimental tuition, is adverse to all the principles of grace, and annihilates that buoyant lightness which is so conducive to ease and elegance in the young."

Besides the host of cuts incorporated with the text, each art has a whole page embellishment exquisitely engraved on wood; the designs of which are the very acme of taste. The head and tail, and letter pieces of the chapters are in equally good taste; and taken altogether, the "Young Lady's Book," either as a production of usefulness or illustratration of art, is the finest production of its day. It has been erroneously noticed, from its publication at this season, as an "Annual," but it displays infinitely more pains-taking than either of those elaborate productions—and is, we should judge, neither the labour of one or two years.

We had almost overlooked the imitative Mechlin lace-facings, which would deceive any Nottingham factor.

THE ZOOLOGICAL KEEPSAKE

The design of this "Annual" is good, we may say, very good; but we are alike bound to confess that the execution falls short of the idea. It contains an account of the Gardens and Museum of the Zoological Society, but this is too much interlarded with digressions. All the introductory matter might have been omitted with advantage to the author as well as the public. The descriptions are divided by poetical pieces, which serve as reliefs, one of which we extract:—

THE LOST LAMB; OR, THE CHILD SAVED

BY H.C. DEAKIN, ESQAuthor of "Portraits of the Dead."Morn rose upon the purple hills,In all his pomp display'd;Flash'd forth like stars a hundred rills,In valley, plain, and glade.The foaming mist, day's chilly shrine,Into the clouds upcurl'd,Forth broke in majesty divineThe Grampians' giant world.It was a glorious sight to viewThose mountain forms unfold,—The Heavens above intensely blue,The plains beneath like gold.Day woke, a thousand songs arose,Morn's orisons on high,Earth's universal heart o'erflowsTo Him beyond the sky.The shepherd roused him from his sleep,And down the vale be hied,Like guardian good, to count his sheep,His firstling by his side.His firstling! 'twas his only child—A boy of three years old,The father's weary hours beguiledWhilst watching o'er his fold.And many an hour the child and heJoy'd o'er the vale together;It was a lovely thing to seeThat child among the heather.The vale is pass'd, the mountains rearTheir rugged cliffs in air,He must ascend to view more nearHis distant fleecy care."My child! the flowers are bright for thee,The daisy's pearl'd with dew;Go, share them with the honey-bee,Till I return for you,Thy dog and mine with thee shall stayWhilst I the flock am counting,"—He said, and took his tedious way,The hilly green sward mounting.O'er crag and cliff the father toil'd,Unconscious pass'd the hours:He for a time forgot the childHe'd left among the flowers.The boiling clouds come down and veilValley, and wood, and plain;Then fears the father's heart assail,He will descend again.Morn melted into noon, and nightDark on the shepherd shone,Terror in vain impels his flight,His child!—his child is gone!He calls upon his darling's name,His dog in vain he calls;He hears naught but the eagle's scream,Or roar of waterfalls.He rushes home—he is not there—With agony and woe;He hunts him in the cold night air,O'er hill and vale below.Morn rose—the faithful dog appears,He whines for food so mild,The father hied him through his tears,And said, "Tray, where's my child?"Thrice rose the morn—the father's heartWith grief was almost dead;But every morn the dog appeared,And whined and begged for bread.Yet through the night and through the day,The dog was never seen—"He is not wont to stay away,Where can the dog have been?"On the fourth morn this faithful friend,As usual whined for meat—They mark the way his footsteps tend,And follow his retreat.They watch him to a cave besideThe Grampians' craggy base—Behold! the shepherd's wandering childWithin the dog's embrace.He springs—he weeps away his cares,He cries aloud with joy—He kneels, he sobs to heaven his prayers,For his redeemed boy.Then, turning, hugs his favourite hound,The trusty, true, and bold,By whom was saved, through whom was foundThe firstling of his fold!

The Engravings, which are very numerous, are exclusively on wood. A few of them are views in the Regent's Park Gardens; but in point of execution, we think the best is a Portrait of the Satyr, or "Happy Jerry," at Cross's Menagerie. Though by no means one of nature's favourites, he appears to possess the companionable qualities of sitting in a chair, smoking a pipe, and drinking spirits and water, and appearing to understand every look, word, and action of his keeper; indeed, so thoroughly contented is the creature, that he has obtained the name of "Happy Jerry."

To speak zoologically, next year we hope the artist and editor will put their best feet foremost, and improve upon the present volume. The design is one of the best for a Juvenile Annual—for who does not recollect the very amusing game of "Birds, Beasts, and Fishes, and sometimes Insects and Reptiles." What a menagerie of guessing novelties would have been a Zoological Keepsake in our school days.

THE GATHERER

A snapper up of unconsidered trifles.SHAKSPEARE.

SPILLING THE SALT

It is a curious fact, though not generally known, that the popular superstition of overturning the salt at table being unlucky, originated in a picture of the Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci, in which Judas Iscariot is represented as overturning the salt.

KANGAROOS

"I have been much entertained during my wanderings through the country adjoining this town, in observing the singular habits and extreme sagacity of the kangaroos. I have noticed several who carried in their fore paws a sort of umbrella, or fan, which they held so as to protect their head and shoulders from the violence of the sun. One day I slipped a brace of large greyhounds at a female who carried one of these useful appendages, which she soon dropped and escaped: it was formed of a large bough, over which some large leaves were spread, and fastened on simply by the shoots of the bough sticking into the leaf."—From a letter dated Hobart's Town, February, 1829.

THE EARL OF MANSFIELD

"When he was at Westminster School, Lady Kinnoul, in one of the vacations, invited him to her home, where, observing him with a pen in his hand, and seemingly thoughtful, she asked him if he was writing his theme, and what in plain English the theme was? The school-boy's smart answer rather surprised her Ladyship—'What is that to you?' She replied—'How can you be so rude? I asked you very civilly a plain question, and did not expect from a school-boy such a pert answer.' The reply was, 'Indeed, my Lady, I can only answer once more, 'What is that to you?' In reality the theme was—Quid ad te pertinet!"—From Holliday's Life of the Earl of Mansfield.

"IN SPITE OF HIS TEETH."

King John once demanded of a certain Jew ten thousand marks, on refusal of which, he ordered one of the Israelite's teeth to be drawn every day till he should consent. The Jew lost seven, and then paid the required sum. Hence the phrase—"In spite of his teeth."

SWAN RIVER

A gentleman who had just arrived in town met an Hibernian friend, and with anxious solicitude asked him "where the best bed was to be got?" "By my soul," said the Emeralder, with a Kilmainham look, "I'm tould at the Swan River, where there's nothing but down."

W.C.R.R.

SIAMESE YOUTHS

QUERY.—Would not the law be the most profitable profession for the Siamese Youths? They might plead pro and con, and take fees from plaintiff and defendant. If raised to the Bench, they might receive the salary of one Judge, but act as two, thereby saving the nation some money in these hard times of cash payments, and please all parties, one summing up for plaintiff and the other for defendant.

P.T.W.

N.B. They appear very good natured, although they huffed me twice at draughts.

1

For a general description of this magnificent edifice, see MIRROR, No. 247.