1821.] 



Some Account of the late NeapolHan Revoluiion. 



an hour : and a rush still of gi-cater length 

 has been known to burn an hour and a 

 quarter. 



, These rushes give a good clpar light. 

 W'atcli lights, (coated with tallow) it is 

 true, shed a dismal oae," darkness visible," 

 but then the wick of those have two ribs of 

 the rind, or peel, to support the pith, while 

 the wick of the dipped rush has but one. 

 The two ribs are intended to impede ihe 

 progress of the flame, and make the candle 

 last. 



In a pound of dry rushes, avoirdupois, 

 which I caused to be weighed and num- 

 bered, we found upwards of one thousand 

 six hundred individuals. Now suppose 

 eich of these burns, one with another, only- 

 half an hour, then a poor man will purchase 

 eight hundred hours of light, a time ex- 

 ceeding thirty-three entire days, for three 

 shillings. According to this account, e ich 

 rush, before dipping, costs 3'j of a farthing, 

 and Jj afterwards. Thus a poor family- 

 will enjoy .5j hours of comfortable light for 

 a farthing. An experienced old house- 

 keeper assures me that one pound and a 

 half of rushes completely supplies his fa- 

 mily the year round, since working people 

 burn no caudle in the long days, because 

 they rise and go to bed by day-light. 



Little farmers use rushes much in the 

 short days, both morning and evening, in 

 the dairy and kitchen ; but the very poor, 

 who are always the worst economists, and 

 therefore must continue very poor, buy an 

 half-penny candle overy evening, which, 

 in their blowing open rooms, does not burn 

 much more than two hours. Thus they 

 have only two houis light for their money 

 instead of eleven. 



While on the subject of rural economy, it 

 may not be improper to mention a pretty im- 

 plement of house-wifery that we have seen 

 no where else ; that is, little neat besoms 

 which our foresters make from the stalks of 

 the polytricum commune, or, great golden 

 maiden-hair, which they call silk-wood, 

 and find in plenty, in the bogs. AVhen this 

 mo$s is well combed and dressed, and di- 

 vested of its outer skin, it comes of a 

 beautiful bright chesnut colour; and being 

 soft and pliant, is very proper for the dust- 

 ingof beds, curtains, carpets, hangings, &c. 

 If these besoms were known to the brush- 

 makers in town, it is probable they might 

 come much in use for the purpose above- 

 mentioned.'' 



For the Monthly Magazine. 

 Some ACCOUNT of the late NEAPOLITAN 

 RKVOLUTION, and of the Actors con- 

 cerned in it. 

 To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 

 .sin, 



IN addition to its old and well-ineiitcd 

 IKi'rary and .scientific cliaractcr, I 

 Jiave frequently o'jscrvcd with satisfoc- 



403 



tion, that nia^ly and decided tone in 

 political opinion, so consistently and 

 rarely preserved by your invaluable 

 Miscellany. More trifling, and per- 

 haps, therefore, more agreeable claims 

 upon the reading public may be ad- 

 vanced by others of the monthly press, 

 with which yoxi first supplied your more 

 imitative brother e;litors; and I will 

 confess to you that when my periodical 

 appetite (which regularly returns with 

 magazine day) is once fairly saturated 

 witii the sound English thoughts and 

 real meaning, with the rich collection 

 of historical and other facts contained 

 in j'our Magazine, I occasionally finish 

 my meal upon the literary sweet-meats 

 — the devilled biscuit whipt cream, and 

 froth and garnish of the after-meat or 

 dessert, provided by your followers. 

 But -lest you should think I am about to 

 palm upon you some specimen of the 

 latter^ in the shape of «OH-*e?we tvritiny^ 

 which, like nonsense verses of old, is 

 coming a little too much into fashion, 

 and which, I believe, you cannot digest, 

 I shall return with pleasure to the noble 

 and animating subject which forms the 

 title of this paper. 



It was with far other hopes, than 

 such as subsequent events have justified, 

 that we had prepared to present the fol- 

 lowing view of The New Neapolitan 

 Constitution, to the sympathies and 

 approbation of a British public. 



Whether we are to attribute the 

 subsequent successes of the unholy cru- 

 sade against Italy to the treachery of 

 leaders chiefly, to the cowardice of the 

 people, or to the more probable causa 

 of secret corruption, by means of Aus- 

 trian or foreign agents ; to which ever 

 of these we are to look for the unhappy 

 results, it will not in the least diminish 

 the atrocity of this repetition of the tale 

 of Poland — this dismemberment of a 

 neutral, nay of a virtually allied state. 



The only shadow of authority or rea- 

 son advanced by the Holy Alliance for 

 this act of unredeemed violence and vio- 

 lation of all national laws, consisted of 

 a disapprobation of the principles, and 

 the means by which these principles of 

 the New Constitution were established. 

 The subjoined translation of a prospec- 

 tus and sketch of the Neapolitan go- 

 vernmeut will at once convince, even 

 a British Tory^, if he be not quite a 

 slave, that this form of government, in 

 its moderate spirit, and even loyalty, 

 and the peaceable niodfi of its introduc- 

 tion, is precisely what was formerly 

 promised so solemnly by each of this 



Holy 



