heard except the clashing of arms, is the immured who was once the leader of pleasure - who once lived encompailed with 'Pomp, and feast, and revelry, With mask and antique pageantry.' The queen fent to ask mourning of the national convention. One is furprifed fhe did not feel with Hamlet, 'Tis not alone this mourning fuit, Together with all forms, modes, thapes of grief, That can denote me truly." LOCAL CURIOSITIES and ANECDOTES. AT Odoonulla, a town of Ben- AMID the various opinions concerning the different modes of government, it is not univerfally known which is the maleft republic in Europe. It is the village of Gerifau in Swifferland, which is fituated on the eaftern branch of the Lake of Schweitz, at the foot of Mount Rigi. Its territory is only fix miles in length and three in breadth; fituated partly on a small neck of land at the edge of the lake, and partly lying upon the rapid declivity of the Rigi. It contains about 1200 inhabitants. They have their general affembly of burgeffes, their landamman, their council of regency, their courts of juftice, and their militia: but there is not a fingle horfe in the whole territory of the republic, as indeed may well be fuppofed; for the only way of arriving 2 at the town is by water, excepting a narrow path down the fteep fides of the mountain, which is almoft impaffable. Gerifau is compofed entirely of fcattered houfes and cottages cf a very neat and picturesque appearance. Each dwelling is provided with a field or final garden. The inhabitants are much employed in preparing filk for the manufactures of Balle. This little republic is under the protection of the four cantons of Lucerne, Uri, Schweitz, and Underwaldew; and in cafe of war, furnishes its quota of men. 1 the ambitious politician, who judges of governments by extent of dominion and power, fuch a diminutive republic, thrown into an obfcure corner, and fcarcely known out of its own contraced territory, muft appear unworthy of notice; but the fmalleft dom is cultivated and flourishes, canfpot of earth on which true civil freenot fail to intereft those who know the real value of liberty and independence, and are convinced that political happiness does not confift in great opulence and extensive empire. An Account of BERRY HILL, in Nottinghamshire, the Seat of WILLIAM BILBIE, Efq. With a Perspective View of that elegant Mansion. BERRY HILL is fituated about one mile from Mansfield, on the edge of Sherwood Foreft. The late poffeffor made many very great additions and improvements to it. It ftands on a fpacious lawn containing eighty acres. The pleasure-grounds are very extenfive and elegantly laid out by Mr. Mickle, a pupil of the late celebrated Capability Brown; the view upon the foreit extends to a great diftance: the fine old oaks are fo difpofed, and the fences fo contrived, that the foreft appears a continuation of the grounds. A large piece of water adds not a little to the beauty of the place. As Mansfield lies fo near Berry Hill, it may not be amifs to fay fomething of it. Its market has the reputation of a very good one, though much cannot be faid of the beauty of the town. There are many confiderable manufactures in this town and its vicinity. Sherwood Foreft, to one fond of legendary tales, must prove an entertaining fource of contemplation. To walk the haunts of Robin Hood; to trace the fpot where thofe wild fons of Nature took up their folitary abode, and think here ftood one, and there another fhelter, in which helpless travellers were placed, to be ftripped of their property, far from any probable affiftance; to trace an imaginary route, by which they fallied forth, to commit depredations thefe are amusing, and at the fame time inftructive. To bring back the remembrance of paft ages, and think of the depravity of Man when Induftry gives place to Idlenefs, muft place in a ftrong point of view the difference between the wandering life of those banditti, and the calm tranquil ftate of innocence and domeftic happinefs, produced by a clofe attention to the duties of fociety. But there is fomething in the character of Robin Hood, which must in fome degree plead for him: he was generous and humane. Oppofite to Mr. Kilbie's houfe is, at prefent, the moft pleafing part of the foreft: it is thinned greatly of its lofty trees, and much of it is heathy and bare. Exceeding fine mutton is produced upon it, much valued by all the neighbourhood. It is not large, but of a moderate fize. Mr. Bilbie's houfe ftanding on high ground, commands fine profpects from the back part. The plantation at Workfop Manor, the feat of the duke of Norfolk; and the beautiful house belonging to Mr. Gouch, with the village of Edwinftow, are very easily difcerned in the diftance. The fine fpire, with an evening fun gilding its fides, produces a charming fcene. The village tower affords, in a variety of places, an effect always pleafing. In this refpect, England yields to no country. Towns and churches are difperfed every where; few are the views where they are not to be found. GLEANINGS. REIGN OF QUEEN ANN AND GEORGE I. IN N the year 1711, a queftion in parliament was carried in the negative, by two accidents; the going out of one member, by chance, to fpeak to fomebody at putting the queftion; and the coming in of another, in his boots, at the very minute. If either of thefe accidents had not happened, it had gone the other way. What great events from little caufes flow?' Lord *** loft a queftion of importance in the upper houfe, by ftopping to cheapen a pen-knife. I wish you a merry Lent. I hate Lent;' fays dean Swift, I hate different diets, and furmity and butter, and herb porridge, and the four devout faces of people, who only put on religion for feven weeks.' The dean, confidering his ftrong attachment to the church, and his averfion to the diffeuters, was fufficiently lax in his obfervance of ceremonies, and no a little fo in his language. The extravagant charges of tavern keepers in queen Ann's time were not lefs deferving of complaint then, than they are now. The duke of Ormond, who gave a dinner to a few friends at the Star and Garter in Pall-mall, was charged twenty-one pounds, fix fhillings and eight-pence, for four dishes, and four, that is, firft and fecond courfe, without wine or defert. The fatal duel between the duke of Hamilton and lord Mohun is well known. One Macartney was fecond to lord Mohun, and was fufpected of having ftabbed the duke treacherously; a reward was offered for apprehending him. About that time a gentleman was fet upon by highwaymen, and with a happy prefence of mind, told them he was Macartney. On which they brought him to a juftice of peace, in hopes of the reward, when he gave charge against them for the robbery, and they were fent to jail. Harrifon, who was fecretary to the British embaffy at Utrecht in the reign of queen Ann, a post of confiderable trust and honour, was once in the fituation of Gil Blas when admitted to be fecretary to the prime minifter. Harrison was one morning with Swift for three hours, and when Swift came to the door, he found a coach that had been waiting all the while. Swift chid him for it. Poor Harrison told him it was impoffible to do otherwife, for he had not one farthing in his pocket to pay for it, and therefore took the coach for the whole day, and intended to borrow money fomewhere or another. So, fays Swift, there was the queen's minifter, intrusted in affairs of the greatest importance, without a fhilling in his pocket to pay a coach. Colonel Difney was a fellow of abundance of humour; an old bat terød rake; but very honeft. It was he that faid of Jenny Kingdom, one of the queen's maids of honour, but very old, that, fince she could not get a husband, the queen fhould give her a brevet, to act as a married woman! -They give brevets to majors and captains to act as colonels in the army. Dr. Davenant fays, acts of friendfhip create friends, even among trangers, that tafte not of them; and, in my experience, I hardly ever knew a man friendly in the courfe of his proceedings, but he was fupported in the world; ingratitude being the vice of which the generality of men are most afhamed to be thought guilty. faid The most generous revenge, an obfcure gentleman of those days, is to make the ungrateful appear yet more ungrateful, by laying fiefh ob ligations upon them. This would be more often practifed, if men were not too proud, and confidered not their obligations in too high a light. Lord Bolingbroke, in the fullness of confidence, wrote to a friend, In a little |