238 Siephensiana, 



way, llie whole botly of a tliousaml 

 men cleared the gulph, loaded with 

 arms and knapsacks, without tlic 

 smallest accident. When the last 

 man had passed over, five dogs, be- 

 longing to the party, threw themselves 

 down into the gulph : three were car- 

 ried oft' by the torrent, but the remain- 

 ing two eftected their landing on the 

 other side, climlied up the opposite 

 front of the precipice, and arrived at 

 the feet of their masters, severely cut 

 and bruised by the rocks. 



EMPIRE OF EGYPT. 



In Dongolasome late travellers came 

 to a granite rock, called the Gold 

 Stone, covered with hieroglyphic in- 

 scriptions. In the impression thus 

 left, we find a solid argument, to show 

 that the empire of Egypt extended at 

 least thus far. 



GREAT EVENTS FROM SMALL CAUSES. 



The Greek orator says, ^ixpo» zapot 

 HiyxXav irpayjji.ccTwv aiTioi yiyvovrai. 

 ( Dernost. adver. Leptinem, Opera, p. 

 665.) In English—" What great events 

 from little causes spring." I think 

 the small-pox may be considered 

 among these little causes, for it has oc- 

 casioned extraordinary consequences. 

 Sir William Temple writes — " At this 

 time arrived an ambassador from Den- 

 mark at the Hague, to try what advan- 

 tages his master could make of this 

 present conjuncture, by terms of en- 

 tering into the alliance against France 

 and Sweden. And, all things being 

 thus in the highest fermentation, a 

 sudden damp fell upon the whole mass 

 of these great affairs, by the sickness 

 of the Prince of Orange ; wliicli proved 

 liim to be the spring that gave motion 

 to all the other wheels : for while his 

 illness lasted, — and the event was 

 doubtful, — all was in suspense, and 

 none of the parties engaged seemed to 

 liave other motions and sentiments 

 than what were raised by the hopes or 

 fears of so important a life. After 

 some days' fever, it proved the small- 

 pox," &c. (vol. i. page 401.) 



In 1692, the Duke of Savoy was on 

 liis march into France, when he was 

 seized with the small-pox ; which 

 obliged Eugene to retrace his steps 

 from Dauphiny, and disconcerted the 

 most fortunate prospects. 



The small-pox has hindered, accord- 

 ing to Bruce, the traveller, one na- 

 tion from extirpating another. 



The King of Prussia says in liis 

 Memoirs, that the increase of the 

 Prussian army from 6,000 to 70,000 



No, XVIII. [AprH \^ 



troops, arose from Frederic the First* 

 being piqued by two Englishmen, wha 

 wagered that he would never have 

 more than 15,000 troops. {Segur, p. 

 32.) 



A paper was given by the British 

 minister to Fotcmkin, with objections, 

 &c. This was taken from Potcmkin's 

 pocket, and marginal notes were in- 

 serted, answering the objections ; the 

 paper was then returned to Potemkin's 

 pocket. 'I'he empress, being present- 

 ed with the memorial for her conside- 

 ration, supposed the notes were added 

 by Prince Pbtemkin ; which induced 

 her still more strongly to league with 

 northern powers against Britain. 

 (Tooke's Life of Catherine, vol. iir. 

 page 19.) 



DUTCH AND FRENCH. 



When I visited the Dutch, I found 

 them, as to public appearances, dirty 

 in their persons ; but clean, and even 

 brilliant, in their houses. I have rea- 

 son to conclude, from every thing 

 which I saw, that the French are 

 exactly the reverse ; clean in their 

 persons, dirty in their houses. When 

 I was once interrogated as to which of 

 these was the most agreeable, I an- 

 swered by avowing my prepossession 

 in favour of the English manner. 



TRAVELLING TRANSLATION. 



Every person who has travelled 

 must, at one time or another, have 

 witnessed the whimsical effects pro- 

 duced by a mistake or equivoque in the 

 language to which the party has not 

 been accustomed. A most ridiculous 

 circumslance of this kind occurred 

 to Capt. Knatchbull, (first-cousin of 

 Sir Edward K.) and a part of his 

 family, travelling to Paris by the way 

 of Lisle. Rattling at a great rate over 

 the pavement of Peronne, one of the 

 crane necks of the carriage suddenly 

 broke, and he was thereby obliged to 

 halt in that town a day, in order to 

 have it repaired. It so happened, 

 that the Assembly of the place was to 

 be held on that evening ; and the auher- 

 giste thought it due from him, out of 

 respect to his guests, to apprise them 

 of the circumstance ; supposing it 

 might be agreeable to them to take 



* This was the Frederic whose statue 

 the great Frederic condemned to a melt- 

 ing furnace. From this fate it was re- 

 prieved ; but it was sent to inhabit the 

 lumber-room where tlie great guns were 

 stored. (Eenige Berichten, &c. Hague, 

 1793.) 



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