being sooner fulfilled than that of noon; the latter more quickly than that of the afternoon; and so on. If the seer beholds a figure in a shroud, it is considered a sure sign of death to the party represented by the figure; and, according to the extent to which the shroud covers the body, the end will be quicker or slower. If a woman be seen at a man's left hand, it is a presage that she will be his wife, and this will be the case (say the true believers), though even both should then be married. If more than one woman be seen standing at a man's left hand, they will be married to him in rotation, as they stand nearer or farther from his arm. A seer often announces that such and such a guest will arrive at a certain hour, and, though a hundred miles away, the guest, it is said, will appear at the stated time. If a seer observe a vision of trees and crops in some spot or another, though perfectly barren and bare at the moment, wood and grain will, it is believed, there be seen in due time. A visionary house is beheld by the gifted eye, in a place where stone and lime were never laid, or expected to be laid. Yet there will the real house forthwith be seen. To see a seat, as if vacant when one is setting it, is a presage of the party's death. The seer may behold crowds of people, or single individuals, and very frequently he meets imaginary funeral parties, and determines the coming decease by the apparent mourners.

These rules of vaticination are said to be unvarying. No ordinary person sees the vision while it is present to the seer, but the same vision often appears to two or more of the gifted, either while they are together or apart. The Highlanders believe that children and the lower animals, such as cows and horses, behold the appearances while they are before the seer. This is made plain, they say, in the case of the animals, by the trembling which seizes them at the moment; and frequently the children will cry, and, if asked the reason, will tell what unusual thing they behold or have beheld. It is almost needless to say, that the stories told to prove the truth of these notions, rest on no sure foundation, and that, at the best, the prophecies of the sight-seer only come to pass by chance. Atmospheric Illusions.—Spectra' or illusory appearances also take place from the power of refraction in the atmosphere. In certain conditions of the atmosphere, things at a distance, and really out of sight, as on the opposite side of a hill from the spectator, are represented in midair; but there is nothing supernatural in this-the whole is the effect of a simple cause. The following is an example of atmospheric illusion :-A gentleman and his servant in the year 1744, beheld a troop of cavalry riding and performing various military evolutions on the side of Souter (or Soutra) Hill, in a spot so precipitous as to render it absolutely impossible for man or beast to maintain a footing. The servant had in the previous year observed a single horseman hunting in nearly the same place, and had then come to the conclusion that the sight was illusory, it being impossible for a rider to cross a perpendicular precipice at speed The troop of cavalry, therefore, was at once set down as an atmospheric deception, and numbers of persons of the district came to look on the extraordinary scene, which continued visible till nightfall. An explanation of the circumstance was afforded by the rebellion of the following year. Some party of rebels were most probably exercising in secret, in a spot where the evening sun so caught their figures as to reflect them on the acclivity of Souter Hill. The legend of the spectre of the Brocken, in Germany, in like manner arises from the fact of the ground being favourable to the reflection of a visiter's figure against the evening sky. Our ancestors were occasionally a.armed with visions of armies fighting in the air, and similar illusions; had they been acquainted with the laws of atmospheric refraction, all would have appeared simple natural phenomena, having no relation to any future event, good or evil.

Dreams.-It has now been seen that there are various modes in which the system may be so disturbed as to produce spectral illusions, and that, in the majority of these cases, the parties subject to them might seem to be not only of sound mind, but in perfect bodily health. Another mode of explaining cases of this description may now be pointed out. Many of the apparitions which have been vouched for by those subjected to them, have certainly been neither more nor less than vivid dreams. A dream is a slight and ill-arranged action of the think ing faculties during a state of partial sleep; in other words, when we dream we are only thinking in a partially wakened state. The dream or the thought is in all cases but a momentary impression, perfectly natural in its operation; the state of mind which causes it being produced by temporary functional derangement; the stomach is usually less or more out of order. No dreams take place during sound sleep. In the greater number of instances, the half-awakened mind embarrasses itself with shreds of recollections of things formerly seen or thought of, and dressing these up in a new and fantastic form, a kind of drama is performed, having the semblance of reality. A servant girl living in a family where there were some phrenological busts, and, among others, a con. spicuous one of Curran, awoke her bed companion one morning with the alarming information that the ghost of Curran stood at the foot of the bed dresssed in a sailor's jacket, and having on his pale face the unwonted and unbustlike ornament of an immense pair of black whiskers. The other servant could see nothing, though the apparition seemed to her companion to remain visible for some minutes. On the tale being told, a pretty strong light was thrown on the matter. The master of the house had a yacht, and its sailors at that period were frequently about the premises. Going to bed much fatigued, and having her dreaming thoughts divided between her household duties and some gay whiskered beau of the yacht, the girl's fancy had dressed up Cu ran's bust, an object most familiar to her retina, in the way mentioned, giving him the sailor's person and whiskers as a fitting appendage. Had the object called up to the eye in this case, instead of being a bust of Curran, chanced to be a portrait of some wicked ances tor or ancestress of the family, as might casily have occurred from the greater comparative impression made on the mind by portraits of that cast, then should we have had a splendid instance of the preternatural appearance of a spirit stung by remorse, and haunting restlessly the scene of its mortal guilt. The girl, without imposture, might have conscientiously reiterated her conviction of the reality of the vision, and the possession of a haunted chamber would have most certainly been assigned to the mansion, inspiring such terror that renewals of the illu sion might really have taken place in consequence. Where the whole affair is not a fiction in such hauntedchamber cases, some solution of this kind may be with certainty applied. The practice of believing that dreams are indicative or symbolic of coming events, is one of the silliest superstitions, and is now very properly ridiculed by every rational mind.

MISCELLANEOUS SUPERSTITIONS.

During the seventeenth century, the belief in witchcraft, fairies, apparitions, charms, and every other species of supernatural agency, was universal in Britain, both among high and low, clergy as well as laity. So ill instructed were the people in the art of tracing events to simple natural causes, that there appears to have been a continual liability to ascribe occurrences to the direct influence of good or evil spirits, but particularly to the devil. "Give me leave," says a respectable writer of that age," here to relate a passage which I received from a person of quality namely-it was believed, and that not without good cause, that Cromwell, the same mom

The occurrence in 1840 of a fatal disease in cattle, called the murrain, and which was susceptible of remedy by proper surgical means, led to the exposure of various superstitious observances among a respectable class of the rural population of England. In Northumberland, a fire kindled by rubbing together two pieces of hard wood, was carried about in an old shoe from one house to another, and thus passed through the country; with this a bonfire was lighted, and the cattle were made to pass through its smoke, which was supposed to render them invulnerable to the attacks of the disease.

In Scotland, cattle are the subject of scarcely less superstitious maxims. In many districts, if a cow has been seized with phthisis pulmonalis, or any inflammatory disorder, or if she has become hide-bound, or rumination has been accidentally stopped, the wise people called in to minister know but one explication of the mystery: the beast has got the tail-ill. This is an imaginary disorder supposed to reside in the tail, and to show itself by eating away the bone of that organ. To prove its presence, the cow-doctor will ask the owner of the animal to feel the tail near its extremity, and satisfy himself that the bone is "clean awa," the fact being that in that region there is only a soft cartilage. Under this miserable delusion, the people make incisions in the tails of cattle, into which they rub salt, soot, or horse turpentine, thus adding to the pains of the animal, without doing the least for the relief of the real malady. Often a considerable portion of the tail is cut off, by way of making the cure more certain. An educated veterinary surgeon of our acquaintance informs us that, in some cow-houses in his neighbourhood, there is not a cow with a tail above sixteen inches long.

One of the most remarkable charms now or very lately in use in Lanarkshire for the cure of illnesses in cattle, is a talisman of great antiquity, still preserved at Lee, a gentleman's house in that county, and popularly known as the Lee Penny. The following account of this ancient talisman is given in the Picture of Scotland, by R. Chambers :

"Simon Locard of Lee accompanied the good Sir James Douglas to Palestine [in the fourteenth century], bearing the heart of King Robert Bruce enclosed in a locked case, on which account his name was changed to Lockhart, and he obtained for his armorial bearings a heart attached to a lock. Engaging in the wars of the Holy Sepulchre, this hero, who, at the death of Douglas in Spain, became the leader of the mission, had the good fortune to make a Saracen of rank his prisoner. The lady of the warrior came to pay his ransom, and was counting out the money, when she happened to drop from her purse a small jewel, which she immediately hastened to pick up with an air of careful solicitude. Lockhart eagerly inquired the nature of the jewel, and

deliver up his captive, unless it were added to the sum previously stipulated. The lady was obliged to comply. and Simon brought it home to Scotland, where it has ever since continued in the possession of his descendants, perhaps the only existing memorial of the Crusades in this country. It is called the Lee Penny, on account of its being set in the centre of an old English silver coin. Triangular in shape, it measures about the third of an inch each way, and is of a dark red colour, but perfectly transparent. The nature of the stone cannot be determined by lapidaries, being apparently different in all respects from any known in this quarter of the world. To the edge of the coin a small silver chain has been attached, and the whole is deposited in a gold box which the Empress Maria Theresa presented to the father of the late Count Lockhart.

"The Lee Penny did not lose its talismanic property on being transferred to a country of Christians. On the contrary, it has been all along, even till the present day, remarkable for medical virtue. It is especially sovereign in the diseases of horned cattle. The mode of administering it is this:-Holding it by the chain, it is three times plumped down into a quantity of water, and once drawn round-three dips and a sweil, as the country people express it-and, the cattle or others affected drinking this water, the cure is speedy and effectual. Even at this day, rife as the gospel is now said or supposed to be, people sometimes come from great distances with vessels, which they fill with water charmed in the manner described, and which they take home in order to administer it to their bestial. In the reign of Charles I, the people of Newcastle being affected with the plague, sent for and obtained a loan of the Lee Penny, leaving the sum of £6000 sterling in its place as a pledge. They found it so effectual, or were impressed with so high an opinion of its virtues, that they proposed to keep it, and forfeit the money; but the Laird of Lee would not consent to part with so venerable and so gifted an heir-loom. The laird of that time was a high Cavalier, and one of the charges brought against him by the party whom he had to oppose, was, that he effected cures by means of necromancy. One other remarkable instance of its efficacy is recorded. About the beginning of the last century, Lady Baird of Saughtonhall having been bit by a mad dog, and exhibiting all the symptoms of hydrophobia, her husband obtained a loan of the talisman; and she, having drunk and bathed in water which it had sanctified, got completely better. That this transaction really took place, seems indubitable, for an ancient fe male member of the Lee family, who died lately, remem bered hearing the laird who lent the Penny to Lady Baird, describe how he and his dame had been invited to Saughtonhall, and splendidly entertained, in gratitude for the use of the talisman. Being now visited by an incredible number of persons, whose curiosity has been excited respecting it, Sir Charles McDonald Lockhart, the present proprietor, has adopted the idea of keeping an album in which their names are recorded. We have all seen the use made of it by the author of Waverley, in his fine chivalric tale, the Talisman.'"

We need only add, what is here omitted to be mentioned, that the supposed influence of the Penny, like every similar charm, has been an entire delusion; and that if the cures were performed, as stated, something else than the charm of the talisman must have been the cause. In this, as in all similar traditions, the testimony is defective, every circumstance unfavourable to the superstition being suppressed.

the body, and a clear glittering appearance in the scales. Freshness is likewise known by the smell. If there be the least staleness, the fish has an offensive odour. As tricks are sometimes performed with the eyes and gills, freshness of appearance in these is not to be trusted.

It is very difficult to ascertain when eggs are perfectly fresh. There are different rules on the subject, but they are all liable to failure. One mode of judging, is to hold the egg between the eye and the light of a candle, shadowing the eye with the hand; if the appearance is universally luminous without any cloudiness, the egg is fresh; if cloudy or not uniformly luminous, it is probable that the egg is unfit for use.

Butter may be easily selected by the taste and the smell; but in buying both eggs and butter, it is best to deal with a person on whom you can rely, as it is troublesome to be continually seeking out and examining these articles to determine their freshness.

Good ham and bacon have a fresh savoury smell; the fat is white, and free from any yellowness. If it be yellow, reject it, as it will soon become rank and rusty.

Flour for culinary purposes should be new and fresh. Old flour is liable to spoil and become full of animal life, in which condition it is unfit for pastry and other dishes. The best kind of salt for the kitchen is that which is purchased in lumps and cut down.

Keeping Meat.-A larder is a place where fresh meat is kept till it is in a fit state for being cooked, and where cold meat or any other kind of food may be set aside. The larder should be cool and dry, with the outer air playing freely through it. It should also be impervious to vermin or insects, particularly flies. Two or three shelves, and a few strong iron hooks for hanging the meat, are the only furniture.

Beef and mutton are always improved by hanging some time after being killed before they are cooked. The length of time which they may be kept depends on the state of the weather. The best weather for the purpose is when the atmosphere is cool, clear, and dry; in such circumstances, beef and mutton may hang from four to ten days; mutton, if well managed, may hang a fortnight or even three weeks. A moist thick atmosphere is the worst for keeping meat; and when it occurs, great care must be taken with the contents of the larder. The meat should be wiped daily with a cloth, to free it as much as possible from the moisture that gathers upon all meat when kept for many days. In all cases, fresh meat should hang from a hook, and not be laid on a plate.

In most instances, fresh meat is cooked too soon after being killed, a circumstance perhaps arising from the general deficiency of proper larders, and the dread of the meat being spoiled. The consequence is, that, instead of being tender and palatable, the meat is tough and disagrecable, and not so nutritious or so easily digested as it ought to be.

While beef and mutton may with great propriety be kept some days to become tender, veal, lamb, and pork (being young or white meat), will not endure keeping more than a day, or two days at the utmost. Game may be kept for two or three weeks, that which is feathered being kept with the feathers on, and hares being embowelled or paunched. A fowl will keep a week, and a turkey a fortnight. A goose will not keep above nine or ten days. Great care should be taken in picking feathered animals which have been kept, for their skin will in such a case be easily torn.

Keeping Cold Meat.-When newly cooked meat is brought from table, and has to be set aside for after use, put it on a clean dry dish; if any liquor or gravy be left about it, the meat is apt to become sour. The drier and more cool that cold meat is kept, the better. Cold meat is always best when it has not been cut while warm, as

in that case the juices have not run out, but remain to enrich the meat.

Keeping Vegetables.-Vegetables of all kinds should be used as soon after gathering as possible. They begin to ferment, and to lose both their flavour and thei wholesomeness, very shortly after being taken from the ground. When they have necessarily to be kept for a day or two, place them in a perfectly dry and cool situation, but not exposed to currents of wind. Keep also each kind of vegetable separate from another, to prevent contamination of flavour. They should never be washed or placed in water till immediately before being used.

Kitchen Range. The most important part of the cooking apparatus is the range or grate. In general, too little care is bestowed by young persons when setting up housekeeping, in making a proper choice of this article. A common error consists in buying ranges which are too large, and which consume a great deal more fuel than is necessary, either for cooking or giving forth heat. One of the chief points in housekeeping, is to cook victuals with the smallest possible quantity of coal. To effect this desirable object, let the range be of a small size, consisting of a fireplace in the centre, large enough for only one vessel, with an oven upon the one side and a boiler on the other; the boiler also going round the back of the fireplace; the top of the whole to be flat. The fire in the grate will thus heat the water in the boiler without any trouble, and will in a great measure render the use of a kitchen kettle unnecessary. The fire will also assist greatly in heating the oven, which at least will at all times heat dinner plates; and if required for baking, a very small quantity of live coal put into the furnace beneath will be sufficient. A range of this description will cost about £4, 10s., will at once roast meat in front, boil water, bake a dish in the oven, though not so well as by a separate or large oven, and keep boiling or simmering at least three vessels on the fire and top of the boiler and oven. Care should be taken to have the range set in such a manner that the smoke from the oven may pass upwards behind to the chimney. By being altogether of iron, this kind of range requires very little building.

The main advantage of such a range is the constant and large supply of hot water which it affords. Every one experienced in family arrangements knows that a house should never be without hot water, as it may be wanted at a single moment's notice for various purposes; among others, for hot fomentations, bathing of infants, and so forth. A life may be saved by the ready supply of this article alone.

Boiling and Stewing Vessels.-The choice of these vessels will depend on the taste and judgment of the purchaser. The best kind (called goblets in Scotland, and saucepans in England) are those made of iron, well tinned inside, and these may be had of all sizes. It is convenient to have one or two of the very smallest dimensions, made of block tin, and also to have several to be kept for delicate stews or preparations. It is likewise advantageous to have a few shallow saucepans to be used for stews, or where little liquor is required. Also, one large fish-kettle, with a flat drainer to place below the fish in boiling, and for lifting to the dish when done. All the vessels should have tightly-fitting tin or iron

covers.

Roasting and other Utensils.-Roasting is always best performed with a twirling hook and bottle-jack. A spit spoils a small piece of meat, and is an instrument which, with the jack that moves it, should never gain an entrance into the kitchen of a family in the lower or middle ranks of life. The bottle-jack, which is in every respect preferable, should be attached to the top of a tin screen of the usual semicircular form. This screen reflects the heat upon the meat, and aids the roasting. Sometimes the screen has the effect of drawing out the