enemies against Philip, who could only obtain peace with France and England on condition of banishing Alberoni. He left Spain with immense property in his possession, and with the will of Charles II. by which Philip derived his title to the Spanish monarchy. The document was recovered from him by force, and the pope caused him to be arrested at Geneva for intriguing against the Turks. He went to Rome; the college of cardinals inquired into his conduct, and confined him for a year to the Jesuits' college, and Clement XII. appointed him legate to Romana, where, at the age of seventy, he plotted the destruction of the little republic of San Marino, and was ludicrously defeated when he imagined brilliant success. Alberoni was baffled in almost every scheme of national aggression. He accumulated great wealth, a universal reputation for political intrigue, and at the age of eighty-seven, died rich and infamous.* THE SEASON. "Now" " in this month, as in the month of July, and as, for example, in June, 1826, "we occasionally have one of those sultry days which make the house too hot to hold us, and force us to seek shelter in the open air, which is hotter ;-when the interior of the blacksinith's shop looks awful, and we expect the foaming porter pot to hiss, as the brawny forger dips his fiery nose into it; when the birds sit open-mouthed upon the bushes; and the fishes fry in the shallow ponds; and the sheep and cattle congregate together in the shade, and forget to eat ;-when pedestrians along dusty roads quarrel with their coats and waistcoats, and cut sticks to carry them across their shoulders; and cottagers's wives go about their work gown-less; and their daughters are anxious to do the same, but that they have the fear of the vicar before their eyes;when every thing seen beyond a piece of parched soil quivers through the heated air; and when, finally, a snow-white swan, floating above its own image, upon a piece of clear cool water into which a weeping-willow is dipping its green fingers, is a sight not to be turned from suddenly."+ NATURALISTS' CALENDAR. Mean Temperature . . . 60 15. General Biographical Dictionary, vol. i. + Mirror of the Months. June 27. CHRONOLOGY. Fire in Lincoln's Inn. On the twenty-seventh of June, 1752 about one in the morning, a fire broke out in Lincoln's-inn new square, by which No. 10 and 11 were entirely consumed. The chambers of R. Wilbraham, the hon. Edward Harley, hon Charles York, E. Hoskyns, — Chomley, Edmund Sawyer, master in chancery, and — Ansell, Esqs. all in No. 10, with the papers, books, plate, furniture, and wearing apparel were totally destroyed. In the next staircase, No. 11, were Mr. John Sharpe, solicitor to the treasury, and Messrs. Edward Booth, Ambler, Fazakerly, Fellers, and Wilmot. The loss and difficulties in which many families were involved, the titles to whose properties were lodged with the above gentlemen, were not to be computed. Mr. Wilbraham had lately purchased an estate of great value, the title-deeds of which, among other numberless deeds, mortgages, &c. were burnt. His clerk, Mr. Pickering, lost above eleven hundred pounds in money and bank notes of his own and others, and securities for thirty thousand pounds more, also all the title-deeds of lord Leigh's estate. When the fire was discovered most of the watch were asleep or drunk, and the wife of an upholder in Carey-street, whose husband left his bed to assist the sufferers, hanged herself in his absence.* Seal of Edward the First, for the Port of London, FOUND IN THE RIVER THAMES. A remarkably fine impression, of which the above is a faithful copy both as to size and device, has been transmitted to the editor of the Every-Day Book by a gentleman, the initials of whose name are J. L., and from him the following account has been obtained. The seal itself was drawn by ballastheavers from the bed of the Thames opposite Queenhithe, in 1809 or 1810, and purchased from them by the late Mr. Bedder, of Basing-lane. He was by profession a bricklayer, but a man of considerable taste, a lover of antiquities, and the possessor of a collection of rare and curious coins in high preservation, which he had accumulated at a considerable expense. This seal, from the inscription around it, appears to have been an official seal of the port of London. It is of silver, very thick, beautifully executed, and in the finest possible condition. By whom it is now possessed is not known to Mr. J. L., who received the impression from Mr. Bedder himself. The editor may venture to assert that full justice is done to it in the preceding representation; and as he is unable to give further information, he will be happy to receive and communicate any other particulars respecting the original. NATURALISTS' CALENDAR. Mean Temperature... 60 57. June 28. A VILLAGE FETE. To the Editor of the Every-Day Book, Wisbech, June 24, 1826. Dear Sir,-The rural village of Wisbech St. Mary, two miles west of this And annual exhibition of Rustic Sports, Will this Year be celebrated with the usual Splendour, on J. P. Un This Annual Festival is now considered as a superior Establishment to a Country Fair or other Merry-making, by the Numerous Respectable and Fashionable Assemblage of Company, who regularly attend from all parts of the Neighbourhood. disturbed by those scenes of intoxication and disorder, so usually prevalent at Village Feasts, the greatest harmony prevails throughout, and the superior Accommodation afforded by the Landlord of the WHEEL INN to all classes of well-behaved and respectable Visiters, cannot fail to render WISBECH ST. MARY'S RACES popular and attractive; or, in language more poetical "To gild with Joy the Wings of Time.". The Sports to consist of Horse, Pony, and Donkey Racing;-Wheelbarrow Racing;-Jumping in Sacks ;-Jingling Matches, and Foot Racing; all for FREE PRIZES. And to add a greater stimulus to the aspiring PLOUGH BOY, and for the encouragement of Agriculture in general, the Stewards purpose having A PLOUGHING MATCH, When will be given a Sovereign for the best, and a Half-sovereign for the second best Furrow, to be determined by impartial Judges chosen on the ground. The first Plough to start on Thursday Morning at Ten o'Clock precisely. By the Plough the Poor Weaver depends for his bread- A full Band is engaged to play loyal and popular Tunes during the Amusements, which will commence each Evening precisely at Five o'clock. There'll be a sound of revelry by night, The lights will shine o'er fair women and brave men; Music arises with its voluptuous swell, Soft eyes look love to eyes, which speak again, Tickets for the Ball to be had at the bar of the Wheel Inn. NATURALISTS' CALENDAR. Mean Temperature .... 60 85. June 29. CHRONOLOGY. On the twenty-ninth of June, 1813, died at his house in St. Alban's-street, London, Valentine Green, Esq. A.R.S., keeper of the British Institution; greatly respected for his superior talents as a mezzotinto engraver, for the purity and universality of his taste in works of art, for the general urbanity of his manners, and for that invariable benignity of disposition, which, in popular language, is usually styled "goodness of heart." Mr. Green, besides his distinguished merit as an artist, acquired considerable reputation as an author, by publishing, in 1796, a valuable work, entitled, "The History and Antiquities of the City and Suburbs of Worcester," in two quarto volumes; a performance of great research and labour. He was born at Salford, near Chipping-Norton, in Oxfordshire, October 3, 1739.* NATURALISTS' CALENDAR. Mean Temperature ... 61 70. June 30. LONDON PORter. All the world knows that London is famous for porter; it is not of this porter we speak to-day, but of a personage who derives his quality from the means by which he has attained the honour of doing credit to the corporation. The individual alluded to, was publicly made known by a police report of the thirtieth of June, 1826, viz.— Mr. Alderman Wood came to the Man Butler's Chron. Exercises. (Leach, Printer, Wisbech.) sion-house for the purpose of contradicting a statement which appeared in the Courier newspaper, that he had persecuted a poor man, named Brown, and procured his discharge, for sticking up bills against him (Alderman Wood). He thought it worth while not to let such a statement go unanswered; for he never exercised such an influence in the course of his life, and he never heard of such a man until the charge was made in the newspaper. He wished to know whether there really was such a man connected with the Mansion-house establishment. The Lord Mayor said, he believed there was such a man, not belonging to the Mansion-house, but to the Mansionhouse porter. The fact was, that their porter, like the porter to the "Castle of Indolence," had become so exceedingly fat, that he had employed a valet to do the only work which there was for him to do-namely, to sweep the gateway. This valet was the aforesaid Brown, in whom the liberty of the subject, and the constitution, was alleged to have been violated. How, or why, he had quitted the Mansion-house, the porter alone could teil. attention. He had been challenged to prove his statement respecting the bills, and he had proved it.* From this description of the "initial" to the Mansion-house, he seemed "a fit and proper person" to be taken by a "limner," and represented, by the art of the engraver, to the readers of the EveryDay Book. An artist every way qualified was verbally instructed to view him; but instead of transmitting his "faithful portrait," he sent a letter, of which the following is a Between this gentleman's "view of the subject," and the preceding "report," there is a palpable difference; where the mistake lies, it is not in the power of the editor to determine. The letter-writer himself is "of a comfortable size,” and is almost liable to the suspicion of having from the opposite passage of the Mansionseen the porter of the Mansion-house, house tavern, as through an inverted telescope. The lord mayor's alleged comparison of the porter at his own gate, with the porter of the "Castle of Indolence," may justify an extract of the stanzas wherein "that porter," and "his man," are described. Wak'd by the crowd, slow from his bench arose Thro' which his half-wak'd soul would faintly peep- And rous'd himself as much as rouse himself he can. The lad leap'd lightly at his master's call: Save sleep and play who minded naught at all, Meantime the master-porter wide display'd NATURALISTS' CALENDAR. Mean Temperature... €1.40. Thomaun |