that the country at large may, in consequence, not long hence experience the beneficial effects of their united wisdom thereon, through the powerful sanction of some strict and wholesome law which shall be enacted for the above purposes; I beg, by your kind leave, Sir, through the medium of any future page, that you may have to indulge me with in your widely-circulated Miscellany, most heartily to second the motion of your Correspondent Philopatriæ on this public concern, by adding to his own remarks thereon, a short sketch or definition of the classification of bankrupts, if I may be permitted to make use of such an expression on this occasion, under the existing laws in Holland, antecedently to the dreadful overthrow of the old constitution of that ill-fated country, which has since, unfortunately, been carried into effect through the irresistible force of that accursed and all-devouring revolutionary system of French tyranny and usurpation, under the vexatious and almost insupportable burden of whose galling and cruel chains, the whole continent of Europe, more es

pecially, has for so many years past groaned and been hopelessly tormented! The sketch alluded to, is taken from a fragment of an old newspaper which I have now before me; and Philopatriæ in particular will, no doubt, be pleased to find, when he comes to see it, that the mode of distinction contained in it, in regard to the different specification of bank rupts, and the consequent treatment which each separate class amongst them respectively received, which was always in proportion to the real nature and quality, as well as certain measure and magnitude of either their misfortunes or their crimes, as might, in each individual instance, happen to turn out to be the case, falls in exactly with his own praise-worthy sentiments on the subject, and actually exhibits, in its executive form, a most complete and perfect model, or, more properly speaking, a most complete and perfect precedent, in the legiti mate and undeniable practice of a foreign country in the purest times of its civilization, of the very plan which he himself seems so anxious to have established here, under the authority of the Legislature of our own land. It is as follows:

"The Dutch, whose bankrupt laws; are the best calculated in Europe, distinguish bankrupts into four classes. The first, those who have failed through real misfortune in trade, or the failures of others; the second, such as have shut up through weakness and imprudence; the third, those who have run out through extravagance ; and the fourth class are the fraudulent bankrupts, who, as the phrase is, break to make themselves." These four kinds meet with very different treatment: the persons who can prove their integrity and their misfortune, are constantly restored by their creditors; those who have acted honestly but imprudently, either by trading beyond their capital, or by giving im proper credit, are admonished, advised, and set up again in a lower degree, till their industry advances them; the third class, who, though fair dealers, have lived extravagantly, are imprisoned for a fixed proportionable term as a punishment; and those convicted of fraud, are condemned to death."

Bath Herald, May 11th, 1793.

Yours, &c.

THOMAS ABRAHAM SALMON.

Mr. URBAN,

March 2.

SHOULD be much gratified if any of

your numerousReaders would give me their sentiments on the following subject; viz. in what places do Birds usually die, and what become of the bodies of such as die every year in a natural way?

The question at first sight may appear puerile; and many will answer, that as they must die, so they must of necessity decay in common with all the othe rworks of Nature. No one will doubt the truth of this assertion; but it is not a sufficient answer to the inquirer into Nature, and it would be satisfactory to have some information relative to the particular places in which they perish. Eagles, hawks, and others of the larger tribes whose period of life is rather extended, do not increase in a great degree; but of the smaller genera the increase is immense; of course we may infer that the annual waste is proportionate; and yet I never, in my walks or rides, in winter and summer, through every description of country, recollect to have found the body of one single bird, which I could suppose died through age or any other natural cause of death, although such a thing has long been the object of my search, 1 if that birds are composed of mate

rigla

rials so fragile, that when the spark of life is extinct, the bodies instantly fall to atoms? or are they as quickly devoured by the large birds of prey or vermin? On the whole, I am disposed to think that birds have some secret recesses to which Nature directs them when their dissolution approaches, such indeed as seem to baffle our keenest observation.

There is in the East Indies a bird called the Adjutant bird, of which description numbers come down every day, to all appearance from the sky, who feed on the meat and offal that is daily thrown away by Europeans,in consequence of the religious notions of the natives forbidding them to touch it; when hunger is satisfied, they ascend, and are lost in height, till the calls of nature bring them again to the spot on the succeeding day. Where the Adjutant bird comes from, breeds, or of its natural history, nothing is known, nor is it likely we ever shall know, as investigation is attended there with great difficulty and danger. Even in England we may never be able to determine the questionable migration of Swallows, or the disappearance of Flies.

66

Yours, &c.

Mr. URBAN,

JOHANNES,

Cuckney, Notts.
Feb. 15.

S busy as the Devil in

cacies. Shakspeare playfully gives precisely the same definition:

Kate, the prettiest Kate in
Christendom,
[Kate,
Kate of Kate-Hall, my super-dainty
For dainties are all Cates ·

Taming of the Shrew.

I am informed that the words cates and acates, perhaps from the French achat, frequently occur in house accounts of the sixteenth century; and uniformly distinguish, in such accounts, the provisions purchased, among which we may presume to class delicacies or dainties, from such as were the immediate produce of the farm. It does not then seem reasonable to infer that the adage in question has any relation to “eate or cake, or other omelette fried and turned in a pan." Proverbial sayings, generally speaking, took their rise from circumstances and occurrences familiar to those in the lower stations of life; from common objects, and not from the habits or customs of the few in the higher ranks of society. How then is it probable that one of our most common sayings should allude to a practice, of which the great majority of mankind, in all ages, may with reason be supposed to be ignorant? that is to say,the method of dressing certain delicacies for the tables of the great.

Give a an ill name and

A wind, see Mag, for Decem- him, is another old saying, and tends

ber last, page 505) is an adage of probably much greater antiquity than the legend of Saint Michael, and originated in the generally-received opinion of the Devil being the author of all mischief.

The proverbial saying to turn cat in band, (see Vol. XXIV. pp. 66, 172, 212, and LIII. pp. 926, 928,) has hitherto been "obscured by the corrupt pronunciation" of pan for band; and notwithstanding much reading and some ingenuity have been exhibited by your old Correspondent, in support of the text to turn cat in pan, yet the attempt to prove that cat is a corruption of cate, and that cate is "an old word for a cake or other omelette usually fried, and consequently turned in the pan," is very far from being satisfactory. Indeed, it is afterwards observed by the same respectable writer, that "cate is no other but the last syllable of the word delicate, and that cates signify deli

to shew, that before the invention of gunpowder, offending dogs as well as cats were customarily destroyed by suspension. Since the invention of gunpowder, another engine of destruction has superseded the cord or band; and notwithstanding the prac tice of shooting the cat is doubtless of high antiquity, yet the proverb now under discussion did evidently take its rise from the punishment inflicted by hanging, as a cat when suspended by the neck in a band twirls about, and from its rotary motion and gesticulation, requires, it is said, more space when undergoing this ope ration of strangulation, than perhaps any other animal of the same size. Swing and hang are synonymous terms; hence the origin of another old saying, serving to elucidate and confirm the true reading of

* See Grose's Dictionary.
† Ibid,

the

come against him like a whirlwind. However barren the laurels, laurels have been always gained.

That this singular and most destructive war against the king, is more worthy of prophetical notice than other attacks which have been made upon him, may already appear. Army after army have been swallowed up in it, and human foresight discerns no probable termination. If nothing clse, its length has already given it a peculiar importance, and every month adds to the amount. Neither is it clear that a revealed limit is affixed to its continuance. We may almost, indeed, conjecture that the theme of the next verse, lis entrance also into the glorious land, is not altogether successive to the Spanish war. The turn of expression at least admits the entrance into Judea, if such be the glorious land, while the Southern and Northern powers are united against him in the Peninsula,the countries and kingdoms of which he has entered and overflowed and passed over. It should be observed that as the king of the North comes against him, it is not the countries of the Northern king which are to be passed over, but the countries which the Northern king would defend. The very specification of the entrance may be expressive; for it is certain that either the British or their allies might have seized the passes of the Pyrenees, so as in all human appearance to have precluded an entrance. This, however, may rather be in the fact than the prophecy. The entrance may rather be the tak ing possession. Whether this entrance and overflowing and overpassing be more than temporary, is perhaps left doubtful by the Prophet. I do not feel confident that they signify a final and complete subjugation. All the prophecy seems already fulfilled. They have entered, overflowed, passed over, and yet Spain is unsubdued as at the first butting. The waters overflow, pass over; perhaps they do not settle on the land." It is true," says the writer of one of our daily papers, "he has over-run a large tract of territory; but as fast as he has advanced, the ground he has left behind him has reverted to its former owners, and must be re-conquered before it can be said to belong to France."

the unconquerable perseverance of the Spaniards, their unextinguishable hatred of the oppressors, and the unabated magnanimity which they have hitherto displayed amidst so many melancholy reverses of fortune, afford us strong hope that their efforts will not be in vain."

Unless, Mr. Urban, some of y your Correspondents can convince me of error, I may on some future occasion follow up the further fortunes of Daniel's Infidel King.

C. N. CANTABRIGIENSIS.

Mr. URBAN, Cambridge, Jan, 4. THE following extract will give entertainment, I hope, to your Readers, and great pleasure to R. S. ON ARMORIES.

Armes, as ensignes of honour among military men, in the generall sig nification, have been as anciently used in this realme as in any other; for, as necessitie bred the use of them in managing of militarie affaires, for order and distinction both of whole companies and particular persons amongst other na tions, that their valour might thereby bee more conspicuous to others; likewise no doubt among the inhabitants of martiall as any other people whatsoever. this island, who alwayes have been as In so much, unlesse we would conceive hardly of our own progenitors, we cannot thinke but that in martiall services they had their conceit sin their ensignes, both for distinction, direction, and decency,

"He that would show variety of reading in this argument, might note out of the sacred Scripture, that every tribe of Israel pitched under their own standard; out of prophane authors, that the Carians, who were the first mercenarie souldiers, first also bare markes in their

shields; that the Lacedemonians bare the Greek letter A, the Messenians M, &c. .

"But to come home, some give the first honour of the invention of the armories in this part of the world to the ancient Picts and Britans, who, going naked to the wars, adorned their bodies with figures and blazons of divers colours, which they conjecture to have beene severall for particular families, as they fought divided by kindreds *.

"When this isle was under the command of the Romans, their troupes and bands had their severall signes. As the Britanniciani in their shield a carbuncle,

"We will not pretend to say what Britannici a plat party per saltier. Stamay be the ultimate issue of the struggle in the Peninsula; but surely

*Notitia Provinciarum.

blesiani,