NOTES OF THE MONTH. 



331 



trust the next step the Viscount will make in the royal favour will 

 be as " the Most Noble the Marquis of Margate !" and if he should be 

 so fortunate as to progress in the royal estimation, that he may, 

 at length, arrive at the dignity of " Duke of Deal /" 



HUMAN THERMOMETER. We hate scepticism in whatever form 

 it may please to exhibit itself. We have faith in almost every thing. 

 We have no idea of straining at gnats when a whole caravan of camels 

 can walk down our throats without jostling. We are indebted for the 

 following gnat of an anecdote to a morning newspaper : 



" A drover, a few evenings ago, laid himself down upon the platform of 

 a lime-kiln, placing his feet, which were benumbed with cold, upon a heap 

 of stones newly put on to burn through the night. Sleep overcame him in 

 this situation, the fire gradually rising and increasing, until it ignited the 

 stones upon which his feet were placed. Lulled by the warmth, he still 

 slept ; and though the fire increased until it burned one foot and part of 

 the leg above the ankle entirely off, consuming that part so effectually that 

 no fragment of it was ever discovered, the wretched beiny slept on; and in this 

 state was found by the kiln-man in the morning. Insensible to any pain, 

 and ignorant of his misfortune, he attempted to rise and pursue his jour- 

 ney; but missing his shoe, requested to have it found; and when he was 

 raised, putting his burnt limb to the ground to support his body, the ex- 

 tremity of his leg bone crumbled into fragments, having been calcined into 

 lime. Still, however, he expressed no sense of pain. The poor fellow sur- 

 vived his misfortune in the hospital about eight days; but the fire having 

 extended to the other part of his body, recovery was hopeless." 



Every particular of this story is so consistent and probable, that it is 

 impossible to withhold one's ready belief from it. The poor fellow's 

 foot and ankle "were so entirely consumed, a few evenings ago, 

 that no fragment of them w r as ever discovered." "Lulled by the 

 warmth, the wretched being slept on ;" but attempting to rise and 

 pursue his journey, he missed his shoe; upon which, as many other 

 drovers would have done, he " requested to have it found." It being 

 impossible to fulfil this polite request, the poor fellow discovered 

 that he had been caught by the leg, like an unconscious bird with 

 lime ; and the faculty having perceived that the fire, not confining 

 itself to his foot and ankle, and extended itself to l( the other part of 

 his body," the unfortunate drover was compelled to "hop the twig" 

 upon one leg. 



It may be impolitic to insist very strongly upon the truth of anec- 

 dotes like these, seeing that their general reception with the public 

 might induce them to make light of a certain place in which no ordi- 

 nary degree of heat may be expected to be furnished ; but we cannot 

 resist the opportunity of relating to our readers an anecdote which we 

 know to be a fact. 



" An uncle of our own, residing at Saffron- Wai den, was not un- 

 frequently subject to hypochondrical illusions, and on one occasion 

 believed himself to be a teakettle. Proceeding to the kitchen, he 

 sent out the servant on some trifling errand, and then went to the 

 pump and filled himself with water. On the return of the servant, 

 the poor fellow was found seated on the fire, singing, the smoke is- 

 suing from his mouth ; and, missing, as he thought, the kettle- 



