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SCOTTISH KNIGHTS.

It is worthy of remark, that the last Knight that was made in Scotland, before the union of the two kingdoms, and the last made since the Union, were both painters; the first, Giovonni Battista Medína (vide Pilkington's Dictionary of Painters, edit. by Fuseli); and the last, Sir Henry Raeburn, who was knighted at Hopetoun House, when his Majesty visited Scotland.

THE CONGREGATION OF PIOUS ANIMALS. ONCE upon a time, it is said that an extraordinary fit of piety influenced the animal creation, to offer up their grateful acknowledgments to Jupiter for the various gifts and endowments he had bestowed upon them; and when assembled, some of the most forward of them, with much seeming humility and thankfulness, professed the deepest sense of the peculiar happy talents and dispositions with which they vainly thought they were blessed. The peacock returned thanks for the exquisite sweetness of his voice-the hog for his love of cleanliness-the viper for his harmless dispositionthe cuckoo for the pleasing variety of his musical notes, and the goose for the gracefulness of her carriage, and so on. Jupiter accepted this commendable act of duty, in return for real blessings that they undoubtedly did enjoy; but at the same time informed them, that their being so very particular as to specify these endowments was quite unnecessary, as the particular gifts which each of them had to boast of were best known to himself, who gave them.-Northcote's Fables.

KENNY, THE DRAMATIST.

MR. K. was travelling in Ireland, where the roads had been tended by the "finest pisantry in the world," and of course were nearly impassable. Suddenly Kenny, who writes better than he rides, was thrown off. "Hoiloa!" said his friend, "that is not the way to Cork." "No," said Kenny, "but it's the way to KillKenny."

ANECDOTE.

IN one of the bed-chambers in Bishopthorp Palace, near York, on each side of the chimney are (or were) two Cherubims weeping most bitterly; and the story says that when the carver was asked by somebody how it entered into his head to represent them crying, his answer was, that he appealed to the Te Deum for the propriety of what he had done,-" Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry."

A MAN DESTROYED BY A LION.

THE following dreadful occurrence took place at the Star Inn, Bedminster, in a caravan of wild beasts. The keeper being in want of an attendant, a young man, of the name of Josh. Keddle, a native of Sherborne, who had been accustomed to the business from his infancy, offered his services and was accepted. He was, however, cautioned not to go within reach of any of the beasts; this caution he unfortunately neglected. A party came to see the animals, and as the lion was asleep and did not appear willing to rise, the man imprudently went into his den; the lion suddenly awakened, and probably hungry, and alarmed at the presence of a stranger, darted forward a paw, with which he seized the showman by the shoulder, at the same moment with the other he dreadfully lacerated the face. The miserable man cried piteously, and struggled to get loose, but all his efforts were in vain, and the lion, now infuriated, seized him by the throat with his mouth, and held him in that situation till death put an end to the too horrible sufferings of the victim. A gentleman instantly brought his pistols, and another person called to a black smith, who had a piece of red-hot iron, to afford assistance, but it was twenty minutes before the animal would quit his prey, although its mouth was much burned. At length the head of the unfortunate victim fell from his jaws, a spectacle too horrible for description, when the body was drawn from the cage.-Bristol Mercury.

Printed by W. Davison, Alnwick.

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