834 Stepbenahma 



s'lm'iht to the Derbyshire hard coal, 

 M'liich burns (o a white ash ; it appears, 

 however, tliat an uuliuiited quantity 

 might be raised, and the deeper strata 

 are not yet explored. This, in con- 

 junction with the other products, 

 might render this island the ricliest 

 spot in or near the Baltic; in fact, 

 Enofhind in miniature. The island is 

 fertile, and the inhabitants industrious. 

 *J'hey brins^ various articles of provi- 

 sion to tte supply of Copcnhageu, ajid 

 likewise to the sliips passing near the 

 island by day-time. 



leman's biscuits. 

 If, for the satisfaction of an ignorant 

 foreigner, or som« uninitiated stranger, 

 one were desired to give a good instance 

 of the means by which in London uoto- 

 xiety may be attained, and specify one 

 of the numberless little things that give 

 a general name, and make a man 

 sought after, — it were hard to mention 

 a better or clearer suitject for the pur- 

 pose than Leman's biscuits. For 

 many years this notable man's narrow 

 shop in Threadneedle-street has al- 

 most exclusively supplied the nume- 

 rous population of London with his 

 crisped manufacture ; and stilJ the 

 article is unrivalled. No bread {the 

 women will have it,) cats so short. 

 Sucli is the demand, that, in a few 

 minutes alter the drawing of bis oven, 

 the whole batch is sold! Yet he holds 

 no patent, and the metropolitan bakers 

 have long pined in despair to arrive 

 at the discovery by which Leuian gives 

 to the labour of his hands such win- 

 ning taste. 



ATHENIAN SAYING. 



It passed into a sort of proverb 

 among the Athenians, wi)o seldom said 

 any thing without a good reason, that 

 health is strengthened, and life pre- 

 sjerved, by the external use of oil, and 

 iuteroal use of honey. 



SEVERAL CHARACTERS, 



Joseph Mead—divd November 1799, 

 at Shirborn, near Warwiik, in bis 

 ninety-second year. He was the in- 

 ventor of a machine for cleansing a 

 ship's-bottom at sea, known to the 

 sailors by the name of Mead's hag. 

 He was also the author of an " Essay 

 on Currents at Sea;" for which he 

 received the thanks of the Admiralty. 



Thomas SA«r/>e,— watch-maker, of 

 Stratford-upon-Avon, wiio wasthe sole 

 purchaser of Sh:tkspcare's mulberry- 

 tree, ditd in November 1799. 



Thomas AirnV/g-e— died at VVood- 



No. XIX. [May 1, 



bridge, at an advanced age. He was 

 one of the yeomen of the guard, and 

 the person who preserved George the 

 Third from the assassinating hand of 

 Margaret Nicholson. 



Lieui. Wood — died in the year 1778, 

 in the Fleet Prison, of a broken heart. 

 He was the first promoter of the Ma- 

 rine Society, to which he subscribed 

 1000/, ; yet his debt was but 70/. 



DR. JOHNSON AND MR. WILKES. 



It is well known that neither the 

 political nor moral principles of John 

 \^ ilkes were, according to tlic vulgar 

 adage, "over and above tight-laced." 

 The story of an extraordinary fraud, , 

 said to have been practised by this 

 gentleman on a celebrated Jew, cer- 

 tainly, under every consideration, bore 

 hard against him, and occasioned the 

 following ready mode of reconciling 

 controvertible points. When Dr. 

 Johnson was inveigled, by an artifiee 

 of friends, into Mr. Wilkes's company, 

 at a large dinner, (as stated by his 

 contemporary historians, although 

 many particulars on record relative to 

 this meeting are extremely incorrect,) 

 it was contrived so that the parties 

 should sit beside each other at the 

 talile. Johnson, evidently disconcert- 

 ed at the arrangement, continued 

 sulky and silent, except now and then 

 expressing some short term of evident 

 disapprobation ; turning his brawny 

 shoulders so completely squared against 

 his neighbour, that Wilkes could not 

 direct his optics askance, only to one 

 end of the table. However, the witty 

 democrat was happy in the uncommon 

 display of his talent for humour, and 

 at last something like a smile, now and 

 then, seemed to afl'ect Johnson's risi- 

 ble features, — seldom moved, and musr 

 cular in tlx-ir movement; till, on hear- 

 ing an uncommon brilliant repartee 

 from Wilkes, he suddenly turned 

 round his unwieldy figure, and, with- 

 out a word of previous circumlocur 

 lion, by way of prelude to his address, 

 he looked him full in tlie face, empha-r 

 Ircally saying, in no soft cadence, 

 "Sir, I like your humour; but will 

 you be pleased to explain to me the 

 story relative to the Jew whom you 

 cheated out of ten thousand pounds !" 

 " Doctor, (replied Wilkes, with the 

 most unblushing front,) it is all a 

 d 'd lie." — " Indeed, (said the doc- 

 tor.) then, sir, that being explained to 

 me, I shall enjoy your company with 

 pleasure the remainder of the even,- 



