FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28  
29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   >>  
his head with his hands, and laying it in his chair. Poor fellow! we could have sympathized with him from our very hearts--we mean teeth. Jerry's remains have been carefully embalmed, (we hope in his favourite spirit,) and are now at the Surrey Gardens; where the arrival of a living congener is daily expected. Meanwhile, will nobody write the _hic jacet_ of the deceased? or no publisher engage for his reminiscences? Mr. Cross would probably supply the skeleton--of the memoir--not of his poor dead Jerry. What tales could he have told of the slave-stricken people of the Gold Coast, what horrors of the slave-ship whence he was taken, what a fine graphic picture of his voyage, and his travels in England, _a la Prince Puckler Muskau_, not forgetting his visit to Windsor Castle. Baboons may be rendered docile in confinement; though they almost always retain the disposition to revenge an injury. At the Cape, they are often caught when young, and brought up with milk; perhaps Jerry was so nurtured; and Kolben tells us, that they will become as watchful over their master's property as the most valuable house-dog is in Europe. Many of the Hottentots believe they can speak, but that they avoid doing so lest they should be enslaved, and compelled to work! What a libel upon human nature is conveyed in this trait of savage credulity. The bitterest reproofs of man's wickedness are not only to be found in the varnished lessons of civilization. Here is a touching piece of simplicity upon which James Montgomery might found a whole poem. Baboons, in their native countries, are sometimes hunted with dogs, but their chase is often fatal to the assailants. Mr. Burchell tells us that several of his dogs were wounded by the bites of baboons, and two or three dogs were thus bitten asunder. A species of baboon common in Ceylon, often attains the height of man. It is very fearless; and Bishop Heber relates that an acquaintance of his having on one occasion shot a young baboon, the mother came boldly up and wrested the gun out of his hand without doing him any injury. * * * * * By way of pendent, we add the present state of THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY, from the report just completed. Gross amount of the income of last year L17,633[3] Being an increase over the preceding year of 1,857 Receipts of four months of the past year 3,330 Receipts of corresponding months of the present
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28  
29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   >>  



Top keywords:

present

 

injury

 
months
 

Receipts

 

baboon

 
Baboons
 

assailants

 

wounded

 

hunted

 

countries


native
 

Burchell

 
civilization
 

savage

 

credulity

 

bitterest

 

conveyed

 
nature
 

reproofs

 

wickedness


simplicity

 
touching
 

varnished

 

lessons

 

Montgomery

 
common
 

ZOOLOGICAL

 
SOCIETY
 
report
 

completed


pendent
 

amount

 

preceding

 

increase

 

income

 

compelled

 
species
 

Ceylon

 

attains

 

height


asunder

 

baboons

 

bitten

 
fearless
 
Bishop
 

mother

 

boldly

 

wrested

 

occasion

 

relates