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presence or appearance ; and mermaids still live in the memo- 
ries of our sailors. Witchcraft and its practices are next 
proved to exist in Lancashire, and a curious instance is given 
of the process of “ burning a witch.” Various practices are 
then enumerated, together with a charm for keeping the 
witches from injuring the inmates of a house. A considerable 
variety of miscellaneous customs, popular superstitions, cere- 
monies, &c., are then enumerated, amongst which the Folk-lore 
of dreams is included. Christmas customs, and the practices 
which prevail on New Year’s Day are alluded to, together 
with several singular practices at other seasons of the year. 
A statement made by a recent writer in the “ Quarterly 
Review,” is introduced as a preface to some general remarks 
on the whole subject, and the essay concludes with the desire 
that the Folk-lore of every county in England may be collected, 
when all that is common or peculiar can be easily selected. 
