$ Ancient Customs. 
The family were neighbours to the fa- 
mily of Miss M‘Crea, and were acquaint- 
ed with the circumstances of her tragi- 
caldeath. They said, that the lover, 
Mr. Jones, at first, vowed vengeance 
against the Indians, but, on counting 
the cost, wisely gave it up. 
Henry Francisco has been, all his 
life,a very active and energetic, although 
not a stout-framed man. He was for- 
merly fond of spirits, and did, for a 
certain period, drink more than was 
proper, but that habit appears to have 
been long abandoned. 
In other respects he has been remark- 
ably abstemious, eating but little, and 
particularly, abstaining almost entirely 
from animal food; his favourite articles 
being tea, bread and butter, and baked 
les. His wife said, that after such 
a breakfast, he would go out and work 
till noon; then dine upon the same, if 
he could get it, and then take the same 
at night, and particularly, that he al- 
ways drank tea whenever he could ob- 
tain it, three cups at atime, three times 
a day. 
The old man manifested a good deal 
of feeling, and even of tenderness, which 
increased as we treated him with re- 
spect and kindness; he often shed 
tears, and particularly when, on coming 
away, we gave him money; he looked 
up to heaven, and fervently thanked 
God, but didnot thank us; he however 
pressed our hands very warmly, wept, 
and wished us every biessing, and ex- 
pressed something serious with respect 
to our meeting in the next world. He 
appeared to have religious impressions 
on his mind, notwithstanding his prett 
frequent exclaimations, when animated, 
of “Good God! O, my God!” which 
appeared, however, not to be used in 
levity, and were probably acquired in 
childhood. from the almost colloquial 
* Mon Dieu,” &e. of the French. The 
oldest people in the vicinity remember 
Francisco, as being always, from their 
earliest recollection, much older than 
themselves; and.a Mr. Fuller, who re- 
cently died here, between eighty and 
ninety years of age, thought Francisco 
was one hundred and forty. 
On the whole, although the evidence 
resis, in a degree, on his own credibility, 
still, as many things corroborate it, and 
as his character appears remarkably 
sincere, guileless, and affectionate, Iam 
inclined to believe that he is as old as 
he is stated to be. Heis really a most 
remarkable and interesting old man; 
[Feb. 1, 
there is nothing, either in his person or 
dress, of the negligence and squalidness 
of extreme age, especially when not in 
elevated circumstances; on the con- 
trary, he is agreeable and attractive, 
and were he dressed in a superior man- 
ner, and placed in a handsome and 
well-furnished apartment, he would be 
a most beautiful old man. 
Little could I have expected {o con- 
verse and shake hands with a man who 
has been a soldier in most of the wars 
of this country for one hundred years— 
who, more than a century ago, fought 
under Malborough, in the wars. of 
Queen Anne, and who, (already grown 
up to manhood,) saw her crowned one 
hundred and seventeen years since ; 
who, one hundred and twenty-eight 
years ago, aud in the century before the 
last, was driven from France by the 
proud, magnificent, and intolerant 
Louis XI1V., and who has lived a 
forly-fourth part of all the time that ° 
the human race have occupied this 
globe! 
What an interview! It is like seeing 
one come back from the dead, to relate 
the events of centuries, now swallowed 
up in the abyss of time! Except his 
cough, which, they told us, had not 
been of long standing, we saw nothing 
in Francisco’s appearance that might 
indicate a speedy dissolution, and he 
seemed to have suficient mental and 
bodily powers to endure for years yet 
to come. 
—p>——_ 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
OTWITHSTANDING the wisdom 
of Solomon, we continue to con- 
sider ancient practices as inventions. 
Salt was used auciently to assist in fat- 
tening cattle.—See Aristotle, t. 1, p. 
906. Edit Lutetie, 1619. He mentions 
the same elsewhere. Turnips were 
given to the cattle of the Gauls.—Colu- 
mella, lib. 2, c. 10. 
Bark was given in wine by the Ro- 
mans. — Preeterea cortices in vino, 
Pliny, lib. 20, c. 3. I do not say the 
Cortes was Peruvian. 
Swallowing swords was a juggler’s 
trick in Greece, forDemades mocked the 
Lacedemonian’s sword, saying, ‘‘Jug- 
glers could swallow them.” ‘Short 
as they are,”’ replied the Spartan, “ they 
can reach our enemies’ hearts,””—Plu- 
tarch Moralio, Edit. Basilez, 1574. 
SEMPER IDEM. 
For 
