{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_55202/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_55202","id":"gutenberg_55202","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55202","summary":null,"tags":["Category: History - European","Category: Journals","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Category: Short Stories","Ireland -- Periodicals"],"text":"THE IRISH PENNY JOURNAL.\n\n        NUMBER 43.      SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 1841.       VOLUME I.\n\n[Illustration: DRIMNAGH CASTLE, COUNTY OF DUBLIN.]\n\nAmong the many objects of historical or picturesque interest in the\nimmediate vicinity of our metropolis, there are few, perhaps, better\nworthy of a visit than the subject of our prefixed illustration--the old\nCastle of Drimnagh, which is situated between the villages of Crumlin and\nClondalkin, and distant about three miles from the city. We have here\npresented to us an ancient castellated residence, of irregular but highly\npicturesque outline, still surrounded and protected by its ancient moat,\nand, though in good condition and inhabited, still retaining to such an\nextent its original character as a place of strength, that as we look\nupon it, we might almost imagine ourselves living in the ages of its\nmilitary greatness, and belonging to a state of society very different\nfrom that secure and peaceful one in which we happily have our existence.\nIn addition to these circumstances, the Castle of Drimnagh is highly\ninteresting, from the beauty and picturesqueness of its situation, which\nis not only strikingly romantic in itself, but commands a variety of\nviews of the most pleasing character; as the scenery of the City and Bay\ntowards the east; that of the Park, Castleknock, and Clondalkin, towards\nthe north; and, in congenial harmony with its ivied walls, the dark\nmountains of the county of Dublin towards the south--the wild fastnesses\nof the Irish clans whose predatory aggressions it was originally built to\nrepress.\n\nThe date of the erection of this castle is not exactly known, but there\nis every reason to presume that it was originally founded as early as the\nreign of John, by Hugh de Bernivale, who it is probable came with that\nPrince into Ireland, and at all events received in 1215 a grant from him\nof the lands of Drimnagh and Terenure, which continued in the possession\nof his descendants for four centuries afterwards. It is from this Hugh de\nBernivale, who, as it is said, derived his descent from the ancient Dukes\nof Brittany, that the several noble families of Barnwall, in Ireland,\ndescend. He died in 1221, leaving a son and heir, Hugo, who died without\nissue the 8th of October 1237; and another son, Reginald, who becoming\nheir to his brother, had his inheritance of four carracutes of land with\ntheir appurtenances in Drimnagh and Terenure confirmed to him by patent,\nby king Henry III. These possessions were ultimately, and after much\nlitigation, alienated from the family in the reign of James I, when they\npassed into the hands of Sir Adam Loftus, ancestor of the noble family\nof Ely; but Drimnagh Castle is at present the property of the Marquis of\nLansdowne.\n\nThe Castle of Drimnagh has been repaired or re-edified at various\ntimes, so that it is not an easy matter to determine at present what\nportions of it are of great antiquity, and what are altogether of more\nrecent date; but upon the whole it will convey a very good idea of the\nfortified residence of a noble family in Ireland previous to the close of\nthe seventeenth century. During the troubles consequent upon the great\nrebellion of 1641, it was considered a fortress of such consequence that\nthe Duke of Ormond had, in 1649, some thoughts of strengthening its\nfortifications and making it his residence, but was dissuaded from doing\nso by General Purcile and other officers of his army.\n\n                                                                       P.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOSTER BROTHER.\n\nBY WILLIAM CARLETON.\n\n\nThere is scarcely a trait of human nature involved in more mystery,\nor generally less understood, than the singular strength of affection\nwhich binds the humble peasant of Irish life to his foster-brother, and\nmore especially if the latter be a person of rank or consideration.\nThis anomalous attachment, though it may to a certain extent be mutual,\nis nevertheless very seldom known to be equal in strength between\nthe parties. Experience has sufficiently proved to us, that whilst\ninstances of equality in feeling have been known to characterize it, the\npredominant power of its spirit has always been found to exist in the\nperson of the humbler party. How to account for this would certainly\nrequire a more philosophical acquaintance with human nature than has\nfallen to our lot; we must therefore be content to know that the fact\nis precisely as we have stated it. Irish history and tradition furnish\nus with sufficient materials on which to ground clear and distinct\nproofs that the attachment of habit and contiguity in these instances\nfar transcends that of natural affection itself. It is very seldom\nthat one brother will lay down his life for another, and yet instances\nof such high and heroic sacrifices have occurred in the case of the\nfoster-brother, whose affection has thus not unfrequently triumphed\nover death itself. It is certainly impossible to impute this wild but\nindomitable attachment to the force of domestic feeling, because, whilst\nwe maintain that the domestic affections in Ireland are certainly\nstronger than those of any other country in the world, still instances\nof this inexplicable devotion have occurred in the persons of those in\nwhom the domestic ties were known to be very feeble. It is true, there\nare many moral anomalies in the human heart with which we are as yet but\nimperfectly acquainted; and as they arise from some wayward and irregular\ncombination of its impulses, that operates independently of any known\nprinciples of action, it is not likely that we shall ever thoroughly\nunderstand them. There is another peculiarity in Irish feeling, which, as\nit is analogous to this, we cannot neglect to mention it. We allude to\nthe _Parisheen_, a term which we must explain at further length to our\nreaders. When the Dublin Foundling Hospital was in existence, the poor\ninfants whom an unhappy destiny consigned to that gloomy and withering\ninstitution were transmitted to different parts of the country, to be\nnursed by the wives of the lower classes of the peasantry--such as\nday-labourers, cottiers, and small farmers, who cultivated from three to\nsix or eight acres of land. These children were generally, indeed almost\nalways, called Parisheens--a word which could be properly applied only to\nsuch as, having no known parents, were supported by the parish in which\nthey happened to be born. It was transferred to the Foundlings, however;\nalthough, with the exception of the metropolis, which certainly paid a\nparish tax for their maintenance, they were principally supported by a\nvery moral act of Parliament, which, by the wise provision of a large\ngrant, held out a very liberal bounty to profligacy. At all events, the\nopprobrious epithet of Parisheen was that usually fixed upon them.\n\nNow, of all classes of our fellow-creatures, one might almost naturally\nsuppose that those deserted and forsaken beings would be apt, consigned\nas they uniformly were to the care of mercenary strangers, to experience\nneglect, ill-treatment, or even cruelty itself; and yet, honour be to the\ngenerous hearts and affectionate feelings of our humble people, it has\nbeen proved, by the incontestible authority of a Commission expressly\nappointed to examine and report on the working of the very hospital in\nquestion, that the care, affection, and tenderness with which these\nill-fated creatures were treated by the nurses to whom they were given\nout, was equal, if not superior, to that which was bestowed upon their\nown children. Even when removed from these nurses to situations of\nincomparably more comfort--situations in which they were lodged, fed, and\nclothed, in a far superior manner--they have been known, in innumerable\ninstances, to elope from their masters and mistresses, and return to\ntheir old abodes, preferring the indulgence of their affection, with\npoverty and distress, to any thing else that life could offer.\n\nAll this, however, was very natural and reasonable, for we know that even\nthe domestic animal will love the hand that feeds him. But that which\nwe have alluded to as constituting the strong analogy between it and\nthe attachment of the foster-brother, is the well-known fact, that the\naffection of the children to the nurses, though strong and remarkable,\nwas as nothing when compared with that which the nurses felt for them.\nThis was proved by a force of testimony which no scepticism could\nencounter. The parting scenes between them were affecting, and in many\ninstances agonizing, to the last degree. Nay, nurses have frequently come\nup to Dublin, and with tears in their eyes, and in accents of the most\nunfeigned sorrow, begged that the orphans might be allowed to stay with\nthem, undertaking, rather than part with them, that they would support\nthem at their own expense. It would be very difficult to produce a more\nhonourable testimony to the moral honesty, generosity, and exquisite\nkindness of heart which characterize our people, than the authentic facts\nwe have just mentioned. They fell naturally in our way when treating\nof the subject which preceded them, and we could not, in justice to\ncircumstances so beautiful and striking, much less injustice to the\npeople themselves, pass them over in silence.\n\nWe shall now relate a short story, illustrating the attachment of a\nfoster-brother; but as we have reason to believe that the circumstances\nare true, we shall introduce fictitious names instead of real ones.\n\nThe rebellion of ninety-eight was just at its height, when the incidents\nwe are about to mention took place. A gentleman named Moore had a\ndaughter remarkable for her beauty and accomplishments. Indeed, so\ncelebrated had she become, that her health was always drunk as the toast\nof her native county. Many suitors she had, of course, but among the rest\ntwo were remarkable for their assiduous attentions to her, and an intense\nanxiety to secure her affections. Henry Irwin was a high loyalist, as\nwas her own father, whose consent to gain the affections of his daughter\nhad been long given to his young friend. The other, who in point of fact\nhad already secured her affections, was unfortunately deeply involved\nin, or we should rather say an open leader on, the insurgent side. His\nprinciples had become known to Moore, as republican, for some time before\nthe breaking out of the insurrection; in consequence he was forbidden his\nhouse, and warned against holding communication with any member of his\nfamily. He had succeeded, however, before this, by the aid of Miss Moore\nherself, who was aware of his principles, in placing as butler in her\nfather\u2019s family his own foster-brother, Frank Finnegan--an arrangement\nwhich never would have been permitted, had Moore known of the peculiar\nbond of affection which subsisted between them. Of this, however, he was\nignorant; and in admitting Finnegan into his family, he was not aware\nof the advantages he afforded to the proscribed suitor of his daughter.\nThis interdiction, however, came too late for the purposes of prudence.\nEre it was issued, Hewson and his daughter had exchanged vows of mutual\naffection; but the national outbreak which immediately ensued, by forcing\nHewson to assume his place as an insurgent leader, appeared to have\nplaced a barrier between him and her, which was naturally considered\nto be insurmountable. In the meantime, Moore himself, who was a local\nmagistrate, and also a captain of yeomanry, took an extremely active\npart in quelling the insurrection, and in hunting down and securing the\nrebels. Nor was Irwin less zealous in following the footsteps of the\nman to whom he wished to recommend himself as his future son-in-law.\nThey acted together; and so vigorous were the measures of the young\nloyalist, that the other felt it necessary in some instances to check the\nexuberance of his loyalty. This, however, was not known to the opposite\nparty; for as Irwin always seemed to act under the instructions of his\nfriend Moore, so was it obviously enough inferred that every harsh act\nand wanton stretch of authority which he committed, was either sanctioned\nor suggested by the other. The consequence was, that Moore became,\nif possible, more odious than Irwin, who was looked upon as a rash,\nhot-headed zealot; whilst the veteran was marked as a cool and wily old\nfox, who had ten times the cunning and cruelty of the senseless puppet he\nwas managing. In this, it is unnecessary to say, they were egregiously\nmistaken.\n\nIn the meantime the rebellion went forward, and many acts of cruelty and\natrocity were committed on both sides. Moore\u2019s house and family would\nhave been attacked, and most probably murder and ruin might have visited\nhim and his, were it not for the influence of Hewson with the rebels.\nTwice did the latter succeed, and on each occasion with great difficulty,\nin preventing him and his household from falling victims to the vengeance\nof the insurgents. Moore was a man of great personal courage, but apt to\nunderrate the character and enterprize of those who were opposed to him.\nIndeed, his prudence was by no means on a par with his bravery or zeal,\nfor he has often been known to sally out at the head of a party in quest\nof his enemies, and leave his own mansion, and the lives of those who\nwere in it, exposed and defenceless.\n\nOn one of those excursions it was that he chanced to capture a small body\nof the insurgents, headed by an intimate friend and distant relative of\nHewson\u2019s. As the law at that unhappy period was necessarily quick in its\noperations, we need scarcely say, that, having been taken openly armed\nagainst the King and the Constitution, they were tried and executed by\nthe summary sentence of a court-martial. A deep and bloody vengeance was\nnow sworn against him and his by the rebels, who for some time afterwards\nlay in wait for the purpose of retaliating in a spirit prompted by the\natrocious character of the times.\n\nHewson\u2019s attachment to his daughter, however, had been long known, and\nhis previous interference on behalf of her father had been successful\non that account only. Now, however, the plan of attack was laid without\nhis cognizance, and that with the most solemn injunctions to every one\nconcerned in it not to disclose their object to any human being not\nofficially acquainted with it, much less to Hewson, who they calculated\nwould once more take such steps as might defeat their sanguinary purpose.\nThese arrangements having been made, matters were allowed to remain\nquiet for a little, until Moore should be off his guard; for we must\nobserve here, that he had felt it necessary, after the execution of the\ncaptured rebels, to keep his house strongly and resolutely defended. The\nattack was therefore postponed until the apprehensions created by his\nrecent activity should gradually wear away, and his enemies might with\nless risk undertake the work of bloodshed and destruction. The night at\nlength was appointed on which the murderous attack must be made. All\nthe dark details were arranged with a deliberation at which, removed as\nwe now are from the sanguinary excitement of the times, the very soul\nshudders and gets sick. A secret, however, communicated even under the\nmost solemn sanction to a great number, stands a great chance of being no\nsecret at all, especially during civil war, where so many interests of\nfriendship, blood, and marriage, bind the opposing parties together in\nspite of the public principles under which they act. Miss Moore\u2019s maid\nhad a brother, for instance, who, together with several of his friends\nand relatives, being appointed to aid in the attack, felt anxious that\nshe should not be present on that night, lest her acquaintance with them\nmight be ultimately dangerous to the assailants. He accordingly sought an\nopportunity of seeing her, and in earnest language urged her to absent\nherself from her master\u2019s house on the appointed night. The girl was not\nmuch surprised at the ambiguity of his hints, for the truth was, that\nno person, man or woman, possessing common sense, could be ignorant of\nthe state of the country, or of the evil odour in which Moore and Irwin,\nand all those who were active on the part of government, were held. She\naccordingly told him that she would follow his advice, and spoke to him\nin terms so shrewd and significant, that he deemed it useless to preserve\nfurther secrecy. The plot was thus disclosed, and the girl warned to\nleave the house, both for her own sake and for that of those who were to\nwreak their vengeance upon Moore and his family.\n\nThe poor girl, hoping that her master and the rest might fly from the\nimpending danger, communicated the circumstances to Miss Moore, who\nforthwith communicated them to her father, who, again, instead of\nflying, took measures to collect about his premises, during the early\npart of the dreaded night, a large and well-armed force from the next\nmilitary station. Now, it so happened that this girl, whose name was\nBaxter, had a leaning towards Hewson\u2019s foster-brother Finnegan, who in\nplain language was her accepted lover. If love will not show itself in a\ncase of danger, it is good for nothing. We need scarcely say that Peggy\nBaxter, apprehensive of danger to her sweetheart, confided the secret\nto him also in the early part of the day of the attack. Finnegan was\nsurprised, especially when he heard from Peggy that Hewson had been kept\nin ignorance of the whole design (for so her brother had told her), in\nconsequence of his attachment to her young mistress. There was now no\npossible way of warding off such a calamity, unless by communicating\nwith Hewson; and this, as Finnegan was a sound United Irishman, he knew\nhe could do without any particular danger. He lost no time, therefore,\nin seeing him; and we need scarcely say that his foster-brother felt\nstunned and thunderstruck at the deed that was about to be perpetrated\nwithout his knowledge. Finnegan then left him, but ere he reached home,\nthe darkness had set in, and on arriving, he sought the kitchen and its\ncomforts, ignorant, as were indeed most of the servants, that the upper\nrooms and out-houses were literally crammed with fierce and well-armed\nsoldiers.\n\nMatters were now coming to a crisis. Hewson, aware that there was\nlittle time to be lost, collected a small party of his own immediate\nand personal friends, not one of whom, from their known attachment to\nhim, had been, any more than himself, admitted to a knowledge of their\nattack upon Moore. Determined, therefore, to be beforehand with the\nothers, he and they met at an appointed place, from whence they went\nquickly, and with as much secrecy as possible, to Moore\u2019s house, for the\npurpose not only of apprising him of the fate to which he and his were\ndoomed, but also with an intention of escorting him and all his family\nas far from his house as might be consistent with the safety of both\nparties. Our readers are of course prepared for the surprise and capture\nof honest Hewson and his friends, of whose friendly intentions they are\naware. It is too true. Not expecting to find the house defended, they\nwere unprepared for an attack or sally; and the upshot was, that in a\nfew minutes two of them were shot, and most of the rest, among whom was\nHewson, taken prisoners on the spot. Those who escaped communicated to\nthe other insurgents an account of the strength with which Moore\u2019s house\nwas defended; and the latter, instead of making an attempt to rescue\ntheir friends, abandoned the meditated attack altogether, and left Hewson\nand his party to their fate. A gloomy fate that was. Assertions and\nprotestations of their innocence were all in vain. An insurgent party\nwere expected to attack the house, and of course they came, headed by\nHewson himself, who, as Moore said, no doubt intended to spare none of\nthem but his daughter, and her, only, in order that she might become a\nrebel\u2019s wife. Irwin, too, his rival in love and his foe in politics, was\non the court-martial, and what had he to expect? Death; and nothing but\nthe darkness of the night prevented his enemies from putting it into\nimmediate execution upon him and his companions.\n\nHewson maintained a dignified silence; and upon seeing his friends\nguarded from the hall where they were now assembled into a large barn, he\ndesired to be placed along with them.\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said Moore; \u201cif you are a rebel ten times over, you are a\ngentleman; you must not herd with them; and besides, Mr Hewson, with\ngreat respect to you, we shall place you in a much safer place. In the\nhighest room in a house unusually high, we shall lodge you, out of which\nif you escape, we will say you are an innocent man. Frank Finnegan, show\nhim and those two soldiers up to the observatory; get him refreshments,\nand leave him in their charge. Guard his door, men, for you shall be held\nresponsible for his appearance in the morning.\u201d\n\nThe men, in obedience to these orders, escorted him to the door, outside\nof which was their station for the night. When Frank and he entered\nthe observatory, the former gently shut the door, and, turning to his\nfoster-brother, exclaimed in accents of deep distress, but lowering his\nvoice, \u201cThere is not a moment to be lost; you must escape.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is impossible,\u201d replied Hewson, \u201cunless I had wings and could use\nthem.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe must try,\u201d returned Frank; \u201cwe can only fail--at the most they can\nonly take your life, and that they\u2019ll do at all events.\u201d\n\n\u201cI know that,\u201d said Hewson, \u201cand I am prepared for it.\u201d\n\n\u201cHear me,\u201d said the other; \u201cI will come up by and bye with refreshments,\nsay in about half an hour; be you stripped when I come. We are both of a\nsize; and as these fellows don\u2019t know either of us very well, I wouldn\u2019t\nsay but you may go out in my clothes. I\u2019ll hear nothing,\u201d he added,\nseeing Hewson about to speak; \u201cI am here too long, and these fellows\nmight begin to suspect something. Be prepared when I come. Good bye, Mr\nHewson,\u201d he said aloud, as he opened the door; \u201cin troth an\u2019 conscience\nI\u2019m sorry to see you here, but that\u2019s the consequence of turnin\u2019 rebel\nagainst King George, an\u2019 glory to him--_soon and sudden_,\u201d he added in\nan undertone. \u201cIn about half an hour I\u2019ll bring you up some supper, sir.\nKeep a sharp eye on him,\u201d he whispered to the two soldiers, giving them\nat the same time a knowing and confidential wink; \u201cthese same rebels are\nlike eels, an\u2019 will slip as aisily through your fingers--an\u2019 the devil\na better one yez have in there;\u201d and as he spoke, he pointed over his\nshoulder with his inverted thumb to the door of the observatory.\n\nMuch about the time he had promised to return, a crash was heard upon\nthe stairs, and Finnegan\u2019s voice in a high key exclaiming, \u201cThe curse\no\u2019 blazes on you for stairs, an\u2019 hell _presume_ all the rebels in\nEurope, I pray heavens this night! There\u2019s my nose broke between you\nall!\u201d He then stooped down, and in a torrent of bitter imprecations--all\nconveyed, however, in mock oaths--he collected and placed again upon\nthe tray on which they had been, all the materials for Hewson\u2019s supper.\nHe then ascended, and on presenting himself at the prisoner\u2019s door, the\nblood was copiously streaming from his nose. The soldiers--who by the\nway were yeomen--on seeing him, could not avoid laughing at his rueful\nappearance--a circumstance which seemed to nettle him a good deal. \u201cYez\nmay laugh!\u201d he exclaimed, \u201cbut I\u2019d hould a wager I\u2019ve shed more blood for\nhis majesty this night than either of you ever did in your lives!\u201d\n\nThis only heightened their mirth, in the midst of which he entered\nHewson\u2019s room; and ere the action could be deemed possible, they had\nexchanged clothes.\n\n\u201cNow,\u201d said he, \u201cfly. Behind the garden Miss Moore is waitin\u2019 for you;\nshe knows all. Take the bridle-road through the broad bog, an\u2019 get into\nCaptain Corny\u2019s demesne. Take my advice too, an\u2019 go both of you to\nAmerica, if you can. But, aisy. God forgive me for pullin\u2019 you by the\nnose instead of shakin\u2019 you by the hand, an\u2019 me may never see you more.\u201d\n\nThe poor fellow\u2019s voice became unsteady with emotion, although the smile\nat his own humour was upon his face at the time.\n\n\u201cAs I came in with a bloody nose,\u201d he proceeded, giving that of Hewson a\nfresh pull, \u201cyou know you must go out with one. An\u2019 now God\u2019s blessin\u2019 be\nwith you! Think of one who loved you as none else did.\u201d\n\nThe next morning there was uproar, tumult, and confusion in the house of\nthe old loyalist magistrate, when it was discovered that his daughter and\nthe butler were not forthcoming. But when, on examining the observatory,\nit was ascertained that Finnegan was safe and Hewson gone, no language\ncan describe the rage and fury of Moore, Irwin, and the military in\ngeneral. Our readers may anticipate what occurred. The noble fellow was\nbrought to the drum-head, tried, and sentenced to be shot where he stood:\nbut ere the sentence was put in execution, Moore addressed him. \u201cNow,\nFinnegan,\u201d said he, \u201cI will get you off, if you tell us where Hewson and\nmy daughter are. I pledge my honour publicly that I\u2019ll save your life,\nand get you a free pardon, if you enable us to trace and recover them.\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know where they are,\u201d he replied, \u201cbut even if I did, I would\nnot betray them.\u201d\n\n\u201cThink of what has been said to you,\u201d added Irwin. \u201cI give you my pledge\nalso to the same effect.\u201d\n\n\u201cMr Irwin,\u201d he replied, \u201cI have but one word to say. When I did what I\ndid, I knew very well that my life would go for his; an\u2019 I know that\nif he had thought so, he would be standin\u2019 now in my place. Put your\nsentence in execution; I\u2019m prepared.\u201d\n\n\u201cTake five minutes,\u201d said Moore. \u201cGive him up and live.\u201d\n\n\u201cMr Moore,\u201d said he, with a decision and energy which startled them, \u201cI\nAM HIS FOSTER-BROTHER!\u201d\n\nThis was felt to be sufficient; he stood at the appointed place, calm and\nunshrinking, and at the first discharge fell instantaneously dead.\n\nThus passed a spirit worthy of a place in a brighter page than that of\nour humble miscellany, and which, if the writer of this lives, will be\nmore adequately recorded.\n\nHewson, finding that the insurgent cause was becoming hopeless,\nescaped, after two or three other unsuccessful engagements, to America,\ninstigated by the solicitations of his young wife. Old Moore died in a\nfew years afterwards, but he survived his resentment, for he succeeded\nin reconciling the then government to his son-in-law, who returned to\nIreland; and it was found by his will, much to the mortification of\nmany of his relatives, that he had left the bulk of his property to Mrs\nHewson, who had always been his favourite child, and whose attachment to\nHewson he had himself originally encouraged.\n\nThere are two records more connected with this transaction, with which\nwe shall close. In a northern newspaper, dated some fifteen years\nafterwards, there occurs the following paragraph:--\n\n\u201cAFFAIR OF HONOUR--FATAL DUEL.--Yesterday morning, at the early hour of\nfive o\u2019clock, a duel was fought between A. Irwin, Esq. and J. Hewson,\nEsq. of Mooredale, the former of whom, we regret to say, fell by the\nsecond fire. We hope the words attributed to one of the parties are not\ncorrectly reported. The blood of Frank Finnegan is now avenged.\u201d\n\nThe other record is to be found in the churchyard of ----, where there is\na handsome monument erected, with the following inscription:--\n\n\u201cSacred to the memory of Francis Finnegan, whose death presented an\ninstance of the noblest virtue of which human nature is capable, that\nof laying down his life for his friend. This monument is erected to his\nmemory by James Hewson, his friend and foster-brother, for whom he died.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTRINITY COLLEGE LIBRARY.\n\n    With awe around these sacred walks I tread;\n    These are the lasting monuments of the dead:--\n    \u201cThe dead!\u201d methinks a thousand tongues reply:\n    \u201cThese are the tombs of such as cannot die!\n    Crown\u2019d with eternal fame, they sit sublime,\n    And laugh at all the little strife of time.\u201d--CRABBE.\n\n\nOur College Library is a creditable establishment--a goodly structure to\nlook at, both inside and out--and has a choice and ample collection of\nbooks of all sizes and in all languages. Gentle reader, have you ever\nfelt the book passion? Know you what it is? If not, belike you might walk\ndown our noble library\u2019s length, and survey the books and busts, and\nstalls and gallery at each side, and the beautiful antique manuscripts\nin glass cases at the end just before you enter the Fagel Library, and\nbe no more impressed--you will excuse us--no more than a grave-digger in\nknocking about an old coffin or a skull, yea, though the skull should\nonce have belonged to poor Yorick, the king\u2019s jester! Ah, sir, the\npassion is a tender one, if you knew but all--full of lack-a-daisical\nand melancholy, yet pleasing fancies. There are people smitten by the\nmere outside of a book--by the fineness of the paper, the breadth of the\nmargin, or the beauty of the letter-press; but they know nothing of the\ntrue affection. Give them an annual, or an album, or any other bit of\ngilt gingerbread, and they will have all they require to their hearts\u2019\ncontent. Let them make sonnets to their mistress\u2019s eyebrow; there is no\nsoul in them; they are mere dandies; they have nothing congenial with\nthe true passion. To be a proper lover of books a man must have been a\ngreat reader of them; and the more his reading, the stronger will be\nhis love for them. They then present themselves to him with their train\nof associations, and as his eye passes along the shelves, he recognises\neach volume as an old acquaintance: some he shakes hands with cordially;\nwith some he exchanges a few words; others he just nods to, and to some\nperhaps he may give the cut direct; but he knows them all in some way\nor other. As the review of a fine army to an old general, so is a fine\nlibrary to a true student. He loves to see his levy _en masse_, and\nin detail. The sight of them cheers his spirits, elevates his mind,\nand--mark this, gentle reader--gives him the idea of power. There lies a\ngreat secret, which in these costermonger days we deserve great credit\nfor communicating to the world free-gratis for nothing.\n\nKnowledge is power--that\u2019s our major; there one stands in the midst of a\nnoble army of books--that\u2019s our minor, or lieutenant; then a man feels\nstrong, and vastly well pleased with himself--and that is our fife and\ndrum, or conclusion, by every law of drill or logic.\n\nIn our juvenile days, before we were A-B-C\u2019d, and therefore before we\nenjoyed the privilege of free ingress and egress at the superb Old\nTrinity, we used to pass whole days of rumination in the quiet pastures\nof Marsh\u2019s. This library, situate in an antique building to one side\nof Saint Patrick\u2019s Cathedral, is graciously open to the public in\ngeneral, and to all under-graduates of the University in particular, and\nwears a secluded, cloistered, antiquated air about it, that invites to\ncontemplation. You are there on classic ground. The genius of Swift seems\nto hover o\u2019er you. You fancy yourself with an age that has passed away,\nand among spirits that have long since winged their flight from earth.\nMany a summer\u2019s day have we mused and read, and read and mused, in its\ndelightful solitude, without any other interruption save the cackling of\nhens and crowing of cocks in some of the neighbouring yards, the playing\nor screaming of children in Kevin-street or Mitre-alley, the scolding of\nwomen in some of the adjoining houses, or a few words of conversational\npoliteness interchanged between us and the Rev. Mr Cradoe, the librarian,\nchiefly on the news of the morning.\n\nBut as a book-store, Marsh\u2019s is not to be compared with the College\nLibrary. Formerly this splendid repository was open only four hours in\nthe day for public use, from eight till ten in the morning, and from\neleven till one; but a more liberal access to its treasures has been\nconceded of late; the entire is now free from nine in the morning till\nfour in the afternoon, without interruption. This is a great acquisition\nto the privileged, and has been attended by a vast increase of readers\nand visitors; but there is still room for amendment in particulars of no\nsmall importance to general convenience. We are happy to say, however,\nthat to some of these the attention of the enlightened heads of the\nUniversity has been directed, and that great improvements in the economy\nof the institution may at no distant day be expected. In the first\nplace, the books are exceedingly ill arranged, and there is no printed\ncatalogue of them, so that the visitor finds great difficulty in laying\nhis hand upon those he may be in quest of; in addition to which it may\nbe stated, that there is no attendant librarian, or other official whose\nduty it is to give information, or procure the work which the visitor may\nrequire. They order this matter better in France; but whatever may be\nintended as to such functionaries, we have learned with much satisfaction\nthat a new catalogue is now in course of preparation, and that it is to\nbe a printed one. The preparing of so great a work for the press must\nnecessarily occupy a good deal of time. It has been, we understand, now\nabout two years in hands, and will be completed, it is expected, in about\ntwo more. There are six writing-clerks constantly employed in preparing\nslips for the printer, under competent direction. A greatly improved\nclassification will be effected, and the printed volumes, when perfected,\nwill be offered for sale. Incidental to the execution of this great work,\nthere will be a new and improved arrangement of the books on the shelves\nto correspond with that in the catalogues; and when both these important\nmatters are effected, it is obvious that the difficulties which are now\nexperienced in the pursuit of knowledge within this venerable gallery,\nwill be in a great degree removed.\n\nThere is another point on which complaints are sometimes made, namely,\nthe excessive cold of the building in winter. It was originally intended\nthat no fires should be lit in it, as a security to its valuable but\nhighly combustible contents against accident through that medium; but in\nthis provision, it is plain, the preservative principle was much more\nattended to than the utilitarian, and is carried, as we conceive at\nthe present day, to an unreasonable length. But, at all events, modern\ningenuity can meet the difficulty; for the air may be heated by means of\ntubes, without the immediate presence of combustion; wherefore we are\nled to expect that the same liberal and enlightened spirit which has\nsuggested and directed the realization of other improvements, will direct\nand realize this also in due time.\n\nBy the bye, the origin of this great establishment is curious. On the\ndefeat of the Spaniards by the English at the battle of Kinsale in 1603,\nwe are told that the triumphant soldiery determined to commemorate\ntheir victory by some permanent monument, and that they collected\namong themselves the sum of \u00a31800, which they resolved should be laid\nout in the purchase of books for a library, to be founded in the then\ninfant establishment of Trinity College.[1] This sum was handed to the\ncelebrated Ussher, and by him judiciously expended, conformably to the\nwishes of the generous conquerors at Kinsale. And here we pause to pay\nour most profound respects to the memory of these literary warriors.\nWho would have expected that the most scientific, and studious, and\nintellectual men of _our_ age, would owe the most splendid temple\ndedicated to their use, which the country can boast, to the bounty of a\nvictorious soldiery in the beginning of the seventeenth century? There\nwas a spirit of chivalry in this transaction which we cannot sufficiently\nadmire; and though we live in an age in which we pique ourselves\nexcessively on the march of intellect, we doubt that any testimonial\nmore solid and convincing is producible by us to show that our organ of\nveneration in this respect is at all more highly developed than that of\nmen who went before us in the days of Queen Elizabeth. The bequest at all\nevents does honour to the profession of arms, and we are sure would be\nduly appreciated by a grateful posterity, as a memorial of their mind and\nachievements, if it were only more generally known.\n\nSo began our splendid University Library. In process of time its\ncollection of volumes was increased by many valuable donations, till\nat length their growing number demanding a corresponding increase of\nroom, the present edifice was erected for their reception. It is built\nof hewn stone, with a rich Corinthian entablature, crowned with a\nbalustrade, reminding us in its appearance of the gallery of the Louvre\nat Paris, and was completed in 1732. The room is certainly the finest\nin the empire appropriated to such a purpose. It is 210 feet long, 41\nfeet broad, and 40 feet high, and is very elegantly and suitably fitted\nup. At its farther end, in the eastern pavilion, is a fine apartment 52\nfeet long, 26 wide, and 22 high, containing the Fagel library, purchased\nat an expence of \u00a38000, and comprising upwards of 17,000 volumes. This\nlibrary was the property of Mr Fagel, Pensionary of Holland, who had\nit removed to London on the French invasion of Holland in 1794; the\npurchase money was a grant to the College from the Governors of Sir\nErasmus Smith\u2019s schools. The total number of volumes now in the entire\nbuilding, including the Fagel library, and 1419 volumes of manuscripts,\nis 89,455.[2] The manuscripts are in Greek, Latin, English, Irish,\nHebrew, Arabic, Persian, and other languages. Many of them relate to\nIrish history and antiquities, particularly to the troubles of 1641,\nall the depositions relating to which are here; as also the particulars\nof the settlement of Ireland and plantation of it by James I. There are\nmany Latin manuscripts of the sacred scriptures, particularly of the New\nTestament, of various ages and remote antiquity. Several are in the Irish\ncharacter but Latin language. There is also the Greek manuscript of the\nNew Testament that belonged to Montfortius, and is the only one extant\nthat reads the once contested verse, 1 Ep. John, ch. 5, v. 7. There are\nold translations of the Bible by Wickliffe, Pervie, Ambrose, Ussher,\n&c. There is no fund for the augmentation of the library except what\nthe Board may please to allot for the purpose; but it receives a great\nannual increase by being entitled to one copy of every work entered at\nStationers\u2019 Hall.\n\nOur library and the Bodleian at Oxford are exactly of the same age;\nand it is another curious fact, that while Ussher was laying out the\nsoldiers\u2019 money in London to the best advantage, he met there Sir T.\nBodley engaged in a similar business for his establishment at Oxford.\nIf there were auction rooms in those days, we have no doubt the two\ngentlemen were acceptable visitors, heartily welcome to the auctioneers,\nand that they seldom let a good thing go without a smart competition.\n\nWith regard to Marsh\u2019s Library, we may mention that it was founded in\n1707 by Doctor Narcissus Marsh, then Archbishop of Dublin, and that the\nbuilding is erected on part of the ground attached to what was formerly\nthe archbishop\u2019s palace. The books were originally the collection of\nthe celebrated Bishop Stillingfleet, and were purchased by Doctor Marsh\nfor the public use. Once upon a time each book was fastened by a chain\nto an iron rod which ran along the shelves, so that all who partook\nof the bounty of the good archbishop might read and satisfy their\nsouls without any danger of violating the eighth commandment; but this\nstringent system is now abolished: the chains are broken; the prisoners\nare free; the books are emancipated! The change may be considered as a\ncompliment to the honesty of modern times; and all we say is, we wish\nthey may deserve it. Much as we admire and commend these great public\ninstitutions, however, it is not to be denied that their real amount of\nutility is limited enough--limited at least when one compares the end\nwith the means. Many thousand volumes must lie on their shelves from year\nto year, without ever being opened; there must be many that are fit only\nfor burning, and that just occupy good room to the exclusion of their\nbetters; and as to the very best books, how limited must the access to\nthem necessarily be in a great public room! Their use consists chiefly\nin their being available for consultation--a most important purpose,\nno doubt, but yet one the accomplishment of which still leaves a vast\nhiatus in our reading hours to be filled up by other means. Now, every\nindividual, we humbly think, should have a library of his own, if it were\never so small. No man ever made a good gardener that had not a small\ngarden, his own property, to begin with; and it is something the same\nwith a good reader. The careful, and leisurely, and repeated study of a\nfew good books, does one more real good than a cursory and indigestive\nperusal of a vast number. This is well known; and, therefore, without\ndetracting from the just value of public libraries, we would wish that a\ntaste for book-collecting, as well as book-reading, were widely diffused\namong us. Take our word for it, there is no better company than good\nbooks; you may choose from among them companions for all hours, and for\nall moods of the mind. Ask them questions, and they will be sure at all\ntimes to give you at least a civil answer. They are finger-posts to the\ntravelling man, and travel through all regions to him who never moves\nfrom the chimney corner. They are implements of trade to the professional\nman, and a profession itself to him that has none. They are music to\nthe melancholy, and as a dance to the merry; as salt are they to the\nsolid, and to the solid as salt. They are as a new world to him that has\nexhausted the old, for \u201cof making many books,\u201d as the preacher saith,\n\u201cthere is no end.\u201d But we must come to an end ourselves. We would,\nin short, advocate the claims of literature in general, and its high\ntitle to consideration, as it commends itself to all men in common; and\nwe plead guilty to the ambition of adding to the numerous honourable\ncharacteristics of our countrymen, that of being in an eminent degree a\nreading people. Irishmen ought to remember that their country was famous\nin ancient days for its learning, and cherish an honest ambition in\nmodern times to retrieve its character. As one means of forwarding this\nobject, we would seek to diffuse among them a reading habit, and give our\nbest encouragement to whatever instrumentalities might tend to increase\nlibraries, and make reading easy to all classes. Cheap literature is a\nluxury of sterling value; but until people have acquired a taste for\nit, they will hold it cheap enough. Never do we pass a book-shop, or\nan humble bookseller\u2019s stall, without a feeling of reverence for the\nprofession. There, say we, is a dispensary of ideal aliment indispensable\nto our mental existence, and, if properly used, yielding nothing but\nhealth, prosperity, and enjoyment to the soul. If our countrymen read,\nthey will become informed--learned; and if they read good books, they\nmust not only become informed and learned, but wise. The vivacity of\ntheir conversation will then be enriched with all the streams both of\nuseful and entertaining knowledge. Reading will be a delightful resource\nto the working man, and no bad employment at least to the idle. Poverty\nwill have its compensations. There will be another distinction set up in\nsociety besides that of having, or not having, mere worldly professions.\nThe dignity of mind will be asserted. Mind with its congenial influences\nmust act upon manners; and if, as the inscription upon the old gate at\nOxford beareth record, \u201cmanours maketh ye man,\u201d our country will be once\nmore exalted among the nations.\n\n                                                                    X. D.\n\n[1] The first stone of Trinity College was laid on the 13th March 1591,\nby Thomas Smith, Mayor; it was opened two years afterwards, in 1593.\n\n[2] This return is given from the most recent calculation officially\nmade, and may be depended on.\n\n\n\n\nSANTA CROCE.\n\nBY J. U. U.\n\n\n    I stood and saw the pictured gloom unfold\n      Grey Santa Croce, crossed by dusky rays\n    That dimmed its columned aisle; as from of old\n    Its ancient air lay slumbering o\u2019er the cold\n      Dark dwellers underneath. When to my gaze,\n      Shade-like, \u2019mid that grey gloom of distant day.\n    She stood, whom Petrarch looked on there and caught\n      That love too strong for death! A tender gleam\n    Like moonlight fell around her, baffling thought;\n    Strange! \u2019twas remembrance thither stole, and brought\n      That smile of sweetness from my breast\u2019s deep stream\n      More strong than fancy, and transformed the dream\n    To thee--from her, whom a less hallowed fire\n    Hath made immortal with the love-devoted lyre.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nSENSIBLE ADVICE.--Avoid condolence with those who are mourning the loss\nof friends. Condolences, as well as mournings, are bad things. Men,\nand more especially women, give actual increase to their grief while,\nunder the notion of duty, and even of merit, they make display of it. If\nmournings were altogether out of use, a vast mass of suffering would be\nprevented from coming into existence. Some savage or barbarous nations\nmake merry at funerals: they are wiser, in this respect, than polished\nones.--_Bowring\u2019s Deontology._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nWhen a native of Java has a child born, he immediately plants a\ncocoa-tree, which, adding a circle every year to its bark, indicates\nthe age of the tree, and therefore the age of the child. The child,\nin consequence, regards the tree with affection all the rest of its\nlife.--_Buck\u2019s Harmonies, &c., of Nature._\n\n\n\n\nTHE THUGS.\n\n\nThe Thugs were known in the time of the Emperor Akbar of Delhi, by whom\nmany were executed. They were first known to the British government\nin 1812, and then many were hanged in Bundelkund. Again, in 1817,\nthey attracted notice by their horrible acts, and twelve villages in\nBundelkund, which were peopled almost entirely by them, were taken by\na force sent against them. They were then dispersed, but assembled in\nvarious parts in Sindhia\u2019s and the Nagpoor country, also in Holkar\u2019s\ndominions. From 1817 till 1831 they were not molested, and, in\nconsequence, increased greatly in the latter year. Measures were taken to\nsuppress them, which have been attended with great success. One hundred\nand eleven were executed at Jubbulpoor, and upwards of four hundred\ntransported for life to the eastern settlement of Pinang.\n\nThe Thugs form a perfectly distinct class of persons, who subsist\nalmost entirely upon the produce of the murders they are in the habit\nof committing. They appear to have derived their denomination from the\npractice usually adopted by them of decoying the persons they fix upon\nto destroy, to join their party; and then, taking advantage of the\nconfidence they endeavour to inspire, to strangle their unsuspecting\nvictims. There are several peculiarities in the habits of the Thugs, in\ntheir mode of causing death, and in the precautions they adopt for the\nprevention of discovery, that distinguish them from every other class of\ndelinquents; and it may be considered a general rule whereby to judge\nof them, that they affect to disclaim the practice of petty theft,\nhousebreaking, and indeed every species of stealing that has not been\npreceded by the perpetration of murder.\n\nThe Thugs adopt no other method of killing but strangulation, and the\nimplement made use of for this purpose is a handkerchief, or any other\nconvenient strip of cloth. The manner in which the deed is done will be\ndescribed hereafter. They never attempt to rob a traveller until they\nhave in the first instance deprived him of life; after the commission\nof a murder, they invariably bury the body immediately, if time and\nopportunity serve, or otherwise conceal it; and never leave a corpse\nuninterred in the highway, unless they happen to be disturbed.\n\nTo trace the origin of this practice would now be a matter of some\ndifficulty, for if the assertions of the Thugs themselves are entitled to\nany credit, it has been in vogue from time immemorial; and they pretend\nthat its institution is coeval with the creation of the world. Like\nmost other inhuman practices, the traditions regarding it are mixed up\nwith tales of Hindoo superstition; and the Thugs would wish to make it\nappear, that, in immolating the numberless victims that yearly fall by\ntheir hands, they are only obeying the injunctions of the deity of their\nworship, to whom they say they are offering an acceptable sacrifice.\n\nA very considerable number of the Thugs are Mussulmans. No judgment of\nthe birth or caste of a Thug can, however, be formed from his name; for\nit not unfrequently happens that a Hindoo Thug has a Mussulman name with\na Hindoo _alias_ attached, and _vice versa_ with respect to the Thugs\nwho are by birth Mahommedans. In almost every instance the Thugs have\nmore than one appellation by which they are known. They usually move in\nlarge parties, often amounting to one hundred or two hundred persons,\nand resort to all sort of subterfuges for the purpose of concealing\ntheir real profession. If they are travelling southward, they represent\nthemselves to be either proceeding in quest of service, or on their way\nto rejoin the regiments they belong to in this part of the country. When,\non the contrary, their route lies towards the north, they represent\nthemselves to be sepoys from corps of the Bombay or Nizam\u2019s army, who\nare going on leave to Hindustan. The gangs do not always consist of\npersons who are Thugs by birth. It is customary for them to entice, by\nthe promise of monthly pay or the hopes of amassing money that are held\nout, many persons who are ignorant of the deeds of death that are to be\nperpetrated for the attainment of these objects, until made aware of the\nreality by seeing the victims of their cupidity fall under the hands of\nthe stranglers; and the Thugs declare that novices have occasionally been\nso horrified at the sight as to have effected their immediate escape.\n\nMany of the most notorious Thugs are the adopted children of others of\nthe same class. They make it a rule, when a murder is committed, never\nto spare the life of any one, either male or female, who is old enough\nto remember and relate the particulars of the deed. But in the event of\ntheir meeting with children of such a tender age as to make it impossible\nthey should be enabled to relate the fact, they generally spare their\nlives, and, adopting them, bring them up to the trade of Thugs. These men\nof course eventually become acquainted with the fact of the murder of\ntheir fathers and mothers by the very persons with whom they have dwelt\nsince their childhood, but are still not deterred from following the\nsame dreadful trade. It might be supposed that a class of persons whose\nhearts must be effectually hardened against all the better feelings of\nhumanity, would encounter few scruples of conscience in the commission of\nthe horrid deeds whereby they subsist; but, in point of fact, they are as\nmuch the slaves of superstition, and as much directed by the observance\nof omens in the commission of murder, as the most inoffensive of the\nnatives of India are in the ordinary affairs of their lives.\n\nIn the event of an expedition proving more than ordinarily successful, a\npilgrimage is usually made to Bhowanee, and a portion of the spoil taken\nby the gang is set aside for the purpose of being sent to the pagoda\nat Binda Chul, near Mirzapoor, as an offering to the goddess Kalee.\nPropitiatory offerings are also made, and various ceremonies performed,\nshould the Thugs have failed in obtaining any plunder for a length of\ntime.\n\nIn every gang of Thugs are to be found one or more officers, who\nappear to hold that rank not by the choice of their followers, but in\nconsequence of their wealth and influence in their respective villages,\nand having assembled their immediate followers in the vicinity of their\nhomes. The profits of an officer are of course greater than those of his\nfollowers; he receives six and a half or seven per cent. on all silver\ncoin and other property, and then shares in the remainder in common with\nthe other Thugs of the party. When gold is obtained in coin or in mass,\nthe tenth part is taken by the officer, previous to dividing it; and he\nhas a tithe of all pearls, shawls, gold embroidered cloths, brass and\ncopper pots, horses, &c. Next to the officer, the most important person\nis the _bhuttoat_, or strangler, who carries the handkerchief with which\nthe Thugs usually murder their victims. This implement is merely a piece\nof fine strong cotton cloth, about a yard long; at one end a knot is\ntied, and the cloth is slightly twisted, and kept ready for use in front\nof the waistcoat of the person carrying it. There is no doubt but that\nall Thugs are expert in the use of the handkerchief; but if they are to\nbe believed, only particular persons are called upon or permitted to\nperform this office. When a large gang is collected, the most able-bodied\nand alert of their number are fixed upon as stranglers, and they are made\nthe bearers of the handkerchief only after the performance of various and\noften expensive ceremonies, and only on the observance of a favourable\nomen. The junior Thugs make a merit of attending upon the older and more\nexperienced Thugs, shampooing their bodies, and performing the most\nmenial offices. They gradually become initiated into all the mysteries of\nthe art, and if they prove to be powerful men, these promising disciples\nare made stranglers. When a murder is to be committed, the strangler\nusually follows the particular person whom he has been nominated by the\njemadar to strangle; and on the preconcerted signal being given, the\nhandkerchief is seized with the knot in the _left hand_, the right hand\nbeing about nine inches farther up, in which manner it is thrown over\nthe head of the person to be strangled from behind; the two hands are\ncrossed as the victim falls; and such is the certainty with which the\ndeed is done, as the Thugs frequently declare, that before the body falls\nto the ground, the eyes start out of the head, and life becomes extinct.\nShould the person to be strangled prove a powerful man, or the strangler\ninexpert, another Thug lays hold of the end of the handkerchief, and the\nwork is completed. The perfection of the act is said to be, when several\npersons are simultaneously murdered without any of them having time to\nutter a cry, or to be aware of the fate of their comrades.\n\nFavourable opportunities are given for stranglers to make their first\nessay in the art of strangling. When a single traveller is met with, a\nnovice is instructed to make a trial of his skill; the party sets off\nduring the night, and stops while it is still dark to drink water or to\nsmoke. While seated for the purpose, the jemadar inquires what time of\nthe night it may be, and the Thugs look up at the stars to ascertain.\nThis being the preconcerted signal, the strangler is immediately on\nthe alert, and the unsuspecting traveller, on looking up at the heavens\nin common with the rest of the party, offers his neck to the ready\nhandkerchief, and becomes an easy prey to his murderer. The strangler\nreceives half a rupee extra for every murder that is committed, and if\nthe plunder is great, some article of value is assigned to him over and\nabove his share.\n\nOne of the most necessary persons to a gang of Thugs is he who goes by\nthe name of Tillaee, or spy. The Thugs do not always depend upon chance\nfor obtaining plunder, or roam about in the expectation of meeting\ntravellers, but frequently take up their quarters in or near a large\ntown, or some great thoroughfare, from whence they make expeditions,\naccording to the information obtained by the spies. These men are chosen\nfrom among the most smooth-spoken and intelligent of their number, and\ntheir chief duty is to gain information. For this purpose they are\ndecked out in the garb of respectable persons, whose appearance and\nmanners they must have the art of assuming. They frequent the bazaars\nof the town near which their associates are encamped, and endeavour\nto pick up intelligence of the intended dispatch or expected arrival\nof goods or treasure, of which information is forthwith given to the\ngang, who send out a party to intercept them. Inquiry is also made for\nany party of travellers who may have arrived, and who put up in the\ninns, or elsewhere. Every art is brought into practice to scrape an\nacquaintance with these people. They are given to understand that the spy\nis travelling the same road. An opportunity is taken to throw out hints\nregarding the unsafeness of the roads, and the frequency of murders and\nrobberies; an acquaintance with some of the friends or relatives of the\ntravellers is feigned, and an invitation from them to partake of the\nrepast that has been prepared where the spy has put up--the conveniences\nof which, and the superiority of the water, are abundantly praised.\nThe result is, that the travellers are inveigled into joining the gang\nof Thugs, and they are feasted and treated with every politeness and\nconsideration by the very wretches who are at the time plotting their\nmurder, and calculating the share they shall acquire in the division of\ntheir property.\n\nInstances sometimes occur where a party of Thugs find their victims\ntoo numerous for them while they remain in a body, and they are seldom\nat a loss for expedients to create dissensions, and a consequent\ndivision among them. If all their arts of intrigue and cajolery fail\nin producing the desired effect, an occasion is taken advantage of to\nply the travellers with intoxicating liquors; a quarrel is got up, and\nfrom words they proceed to blows, which end in the dissension of the\ncompany, who, proceeding by different roads, fall an easier prey to their\nremorseless destroyers. Having enticed the travellers into the snare\nthey have laid for them, the next object is to choose a convenient spot\nfor their murder. This, in their technical language, is called a _bhil_,\nand is usually fixed upon at some distance from a village on the banks\nof a small stream, where the trees and underwood afford a shelter from\nthe view of occasional passengers. The Thug who is sent on this duty\nis called a _bhilla_; and having fixed on the place, he either returns\nto the encampment of his party, or meets them on the way to report\nthe result of his inquiry. If the bhilla returns to the camp with his\nreport, the grave-diggers are sent out with him to prepare a grave for\nthe interment of the persons it is intended to murder. Arrangements are\npreviously made, so that the party in company with the travellers shall\nnot arrive at the bhil too soon. At the particular spot agreed on, the\nbhilla meets the party. The jemadar calls out to him, \u201cHave you cleared\nout the hole?\u201d The bhilla replies, \u201cYes,\u201d on which the concerted signal\nis given that serves as the death-warrant of the unsuspecting travellers,\nwho are forthwith strangled.\n\nThe division of plunder, as may be supposed, often leads to the most\nviolent disputes, which it is astonishing do not end in bloodshed. But\nit might almost be supposed the Thugs have a prejudice against spilling\nblood; for, when pursued, they refrain from making use of the weapons\nthey usually bear, even in defence of their own persons. The most wanton\nprodigality occurs when plunder is divided; and occasionally the most\nvaluable shawls and brocades are torn into small strips, and distributed\namongst the gang, should any difference of opinion arise as to their\nappropriation. The Thugs say this is also done that every person may run\nthe same risk, for such an article could not be shared among them until\nconverted into money, and some danger is attendant upon the transaction.\nThey appear invariably to destroy all bills of exchange that fall into\ntheir hands, as well as many other articles that are likely to lead to\ndetection. Ready money is what they chiefly look for; and when they have\na choice of victims, the possessors of gold and silver would certainly be\nfixed upon in preference to others.\n\nTo facilitate their plan of operations, the Thugs have established\na regular system of intelligence and communication throughout the\ncountries they have been in the practice of frequenting, and they become\nacquainted, with astonishing celerity, with proceedings of their comrades\nin all directions. They omit no opportunity of making inquiries regarding\nthe progress of other gangs, and are equally particular in supplying the\nrequisite information of their own movements. For this purpose they have\nconnected themselves with several persons of note residing in the Nizam\u2019s\ndominions, who follow the profession of Thugs in conjunction with their\nagricultural pursuits.\n\nSuch is the extent to which this dreadful system has been carried, that\nno idea can be formed of the expenditure of human life to which it has\ngiven occasion, or the immensity of the wealth that has been acquired\nby its adoption. When it is taken into consideration that many of the\nThugs confess to their having, for the last twenty-five or thirty years,\nannually made a tour with parties of more than a hundred men, and with no\nother object than that of murder and rapine; that they boast of having\nsuccessively put their tens and twenties to death daily; and that they\nsay an enumeration of all the lives they have personally assisted to\ndestroy would swell the catalogue to hundreds, and, as some declare, to\nthousands--some conception of the horrid reality may be formed; of the\namount of the property that they have yearly made away with, it must be\nimpossible to form any calculation; for, independent of the thousands\nin ready money, jewels and bullion, the loads of valuable cloths, and\nevery description of merchandise, that continually fall into their hands,\nthe bills of exchange that they invariably destroy must amount to a\nconsiderable sum.\n\nThe impunity with which the Thugs have heretofore carried on their\nmerciless proceedings, the facility they have possessed of recruiting\ntheir numbers--which are restricted to no particular caste or sect--the\nsecurity they have had of escaping detection, and the ease with which\nthey have usually purchased their release when seized by the officers\nof the weak native governments in whose dominions they have usually\ncommitted their greatest depredations, have altogether so tended to\nconfirm the system, and to disseminate it to the fearful extent to which\nit has now attained, that the life of no single traveller on any of the\nroads in the country has been safe, and but a slight chance has been\nafforded to large parties of escaping the fangs of the blood-thirsty\ndemons who have frequented them.--_Abridged from the New Monthly\nMagazine._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nLOVE AND POETRY.--\u201cYou know,\u201d says Burns, \u201cour country custom of coupling\na man and woman together as partners in the labours of harvest. In my\nfifteenth autumn my partner was a bewitching creature, a year younger\nthan myself. My scarcity of English denies me the power of doing her\njustice in that language; she was a _bonnie, sweet, sonsie lass_. In\nshort, she altogether, unwittingly to herself, initiated me in that\ndelicious passion, which, in spite of acid disappointment, gin-horse\nprudence, and book-worm philosophy, I hold to be the first of human joys,\nour sweetest blessing here below. How she caught the contagion I cannot\ntell; you medical people talk much of infection from breathing the same\nair, the touch, &c., but I never expressly said I loved her. Indeed, I\ndid not know myself why I liked so much to loiter behind with her, when\nreturning in the evening from our labours; why the tones of her voice\nmade my heart-strings thrill like an \u00c6olian harp; and particularly why\nmy pulse beat such a furious ratan when I looked and fingered over her\nlittle hand, to pick out the cruel nettle-stings and thistles. Among\nher other love-inspiring qualities she sang sweetly; and it was her\nfavourite reel to which I attempted giving an embodied vehicle in rhyme.\nI was not so presumptuous as to imagine that I could make verses like\nprinted ones, composed by men who had Greek and Latin; but my girl sang\na song which was said to be composed by a small country laird\u2019s son, on\none of his father\u2019s maids with whom he was in love; and I saw no reason\nwhy I might not rhyme as well as he; for, excepting that he could smear\nsheep, and cast peats, his father living on the moorlands, he had no more\nscholarcraft than myself. Thus with me began Love and Poetry.\u201d--_Burns in\na Letter to Dr Moore, 1787._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nPHENOMENA OF SOUND.--In the Arctic regions persons can converse at more\nthan a mile distant when the thermometer is below zero. In air, sound\ntravels from 1130 to 1142 feet per second. In water, sound passes at the\nrate of 4708 feet per second. Sound travels in air, about 900 feet for\nevery pulsation of a healthy person at 75 in a minute. A bell sounded\nunder water may be heard under water at 1200 feet distant. Sounds are\ndistinct at twice the distance on water that they are on land. In a\nballoon, the barking of dogs on the ground may be heard at an elevation\nof three or four miles. On Table Mountain, a mile above Cape Town, every\nnoise in it, and even words, may be heard distinctly. The fire of the\nEnglish on landing in Egypt was distinctly heard 130 miles on the sea.\nDr Jameson says, in calm weather he heard every word of a sermon at the\ndistance of two miles! Water is a better conductor of sound than air.\nWood is also a powerful conductor of sound, and so is flannel or riband.\nSound affects particles of dust in a sunbeam, cobwebs, and water in\nmusical glasses; it shakes small pieces of paper off a string in concord.\nDeaf persons may converse through deal rods held between the teeth, or\nheld to the throat or breast. Echoes are formed by elliptical surfaces\ncombined with surrounding surfaces, or by such of them as fall into the\nrespective distances of the surface of an ellipse, and are, therefore,\ndirected to the other focus of the ellipse; for all the distances from\nboth foci to such surface are equal, and hence there is a concentration\nof sounds at those points direct from one focus, and reflected back again\nfrom the other focus. An echo returns a monosyllable at 70 feet distance,\nand another syllable at every 40 feet additional. The echo of artillery\nis encreased or created by a cloud or clouds. Miners distinguish the\nsubstance bored by the sound; and Physicians distinguish the action of\nthe heart or lungs by a listening tube. Gamblers can distinguish, in\ntossing money, which side is undermost, though covered by the hand.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nGENERAL RUN OF FACULTIES.--Society is a more level surface than we\nimagine. Wise men or absolute fools are hard to be met with, as there\nare few giants or dwarfs. The heaviest charge we can bring against the\ngeneral texture of society is, that it is common-place; and many of those\nwho are singular had better be common-place. Our fancied superiority to\nothers is in some one thing, which we think most of, because we excel\nin it, or have paid most attention to it; whilst we overlook their\nsuperiority to us in something else, which they set equal and exclusive\nstore by. This is fortunate for all parties. I never felt myself superior\nto any one who did not go out of his way to affect qualities which he\nhad not. In his own individual character and line of pursuit every one\nhas knowledge, experience, and skill; and who shall say which pursuit\nrequires most, thereby proving his own narrowness and incompetence to\ndecide? Particular talent or genius does not imply general capacity.\nThose who are more versatile are seldom great in any one department; and\nthe stupidest people can generally do something. The highest pre-eminence\nin any one study commonly arises from the concentration of the attention\nand faculties on that one study. He who expects from a great name in\npolitics, in philosophy, in art, equal greatness in other things, is\nlittle versed in human nature. Our strength lies in our weakness. The\nlearned in books are ignorant of the world. He who is ignorant of books\nis often well acquainted with other things; for life is of the same\nlength in the learned and the unlearned; the mind cannot be idle; if it\nis not taken up with one thing it attends to another through choice or\nnecessity: and the degree of previous capacity in one class or another is\na mere lottery.--_Hazlitt\u2019s Characteristics._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nTRUTH.--The confusion and undesigned inaccuracy so often to be observed\nin conversation, especially in that of uneducated persons, proves that\ntruth needs to be cultivated as a talent, as well as recommended as a\nvirtue.--_Mrs Fry._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nKnowledge is an excellent drug, but no drug has virtue enough to preserve\nitself from corruption and decay, if the vessel be tainted and impure\nwherein it is put to keep.--_Montaigne\u2019s Essays._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n    Printed and published every Saturday by GUNN and CAMERON, at\n    the Office of the General Advertiser, No. 6, Church Lane,\n    College Green, Dublin.--Agents:--R. GROOMBRIDGE, Panyer Alley.\n    Paternoster Row, London, SIMMS and DINHAM, Exchange Street,\n    Manchester; C. DAVIES, North John Street, Liverpool; SLOCOMBE and\n    SIMMS, Leeds; J. MENZIES, Prince\u2019s Street, Edinburgh; and DAVID\n    ROBERTSON, Trongate, Glasgow.","title":"The Irish Penny Journal, Vol. 1 No. 43, April 24, 1841","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":11998}