This festival was instituted in the ninth century. The business of the day was to pray for souls detained in purgatory.

The author of a Narrative of 'Three Years' Residence in Italy' thus notices the Church of the Dead at Rome:-This church belongs to a fraternity calling themselves 'The Company of the Dead,' who make it their business to search for and bury all the dead bodies of unknown persons in Rome and its environs. A regular list, divided into months, specifies how many are found in each month of the year. The number of victims of whose untimely end no notice is taken by the ruling powers is truly astonishing. How thankful may we be for our laws, where the dead body of the meanest beggar thus found would excite the strictest investigation. Such occurrences here are never permitted to be mentioned, in any of the public papers, far less commented upon. In our privileged country, though the freedom of the press may be abused, we know that no such event

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could be concealed, even if it were to happen. The church is open only during the first eight days of November in every year, to say masses for the dead, for which a collection is made at the door: every one who enters must give something. On entering, you descend some steps as if into a vault, but not a dark one, for the church is well lighted up, that its ornaments may be seen to advantage; these are human bones, with which the walls are well covered. On the centre of one wall a scull is fixed, surrounded by a frame of bones, to contain holy water; and infant bones form an à la Grecque border in compartments on the walls. A branch chandelier, entirely formed of bones, is also suspended from the roof. The vertebræ of the back, and sockets of the joints, are strung together for loops and chains, and form wreaths round the walls. In an inner apartment adjoining, is a representation of our Lord raising Lazarus from the dead; the figures in composition as large as life, and remarkably well executed.The Church del Santo Spirito, something similar to this, is to be seen at this time only of the year. The entrance is through a burying-ground, the graves as close as possible; they are little mounds of clay, inscribed with the name of the deceased. No green sod, nor stone, lies upon any of them; a scull and crossbones are laid on each, and at the head grows a cypress. Before the church-door there is a pillar of dead bones; the vertebræ of the back and jaw-bones, linked together, surround it, and form a frieze at top. The walls inclosing the burying-ground are ornamented in the same manner.

To enliven this lugubrious subject, we quote some pleasant lines by Mr. HooD: they are taken from Mr. Dagley's celebrated Death's Doings.'

DEATH (A Dealer),

To his London Correspondent.

Per post, sir, received your last invoice and letter,
No consignment of your's ever suited me better;
The burnt bones (for flour) far exceeded my wishes,
And the coculus-indicus beer was delicious.

Well, I'm glad that at last we have hit on a plan
Of destroying that long-living monster, poor man:
With a long-necked green bottle I'll finish a lord,
And a duke with a páté à la Perigord;

But to kill a poor wretch is a different case,

For the creatures will live, though I stare in their faco.
Thanks to you, though, the times will be speedily altered,
And the poor be got rid of without being haltered:
For ale and beer drinkers there's nothing so proper as
Your extracts of cóculus, quassia, and copperas-
Called ale, from the hundreds that ail with them here,
And beer, from the numbers they bring to their bier.
In vain shall they think to find refuge in tea-
That decoction's peculiarly flavoured by me;
Sloe-leaves make the tea-verdigris gives the bloom-
And the slow poison's sure to conduct to the tomb :
As for coffee, Fred. Accum well knows the word means
Nought but sand, powder, gravel, and burnt peas and beans.

But let us suppose that they drink only water

I think there may still be found methods to slaughter
A few of the blockheads who think they can cheat me

By swallowing that tasteless liqueur.

* They shall drink till they're dead From lead cisterns-to me 'twill be sugar of lead!

But why do I mention such matter to you,

Who, without my poor hints, know so well what to do?
You provide for the grocer, the brewer, the baker,

As they in their turn do for the undertaker.

P.S.-By the bye, let me beg you, in future, my neighbour, To send me no sugar that's raised by free labour,

Unless you can mingle a little less salt

In the pound-for the public presume to find fault

With the new China sweet'ning-and though they allow
That they'll take the saints' sugar (attend to me now),
Even cum grano salis-they do say that such

An allowance as 30 per cent, is too much.

5.-KING WILLIAM LANDED.

This king landed November 5, 1688, although, as

Burnet informs us, his great anxiety was to land on the 4th. See T.T. for 1826, p. 266.

5.-POWDER PLOT.

This day is kept to commemorate the diabolical attempt of the Papists to blow up the Parliament House-See T.T. for 1814, p. 280; and T.T. for 1826, p. 267.

6.-SAINT LEONARD,

A French nobleman of great piety and benevolence, who died in the year 500. He was, literally, the patron of captives.

9.-LORD MAYOR'S DAY.

Until the year 1214, the chief magistrates of London were appointed for life. The title of lord, in addition to that of mayor, was first granted by Richard II to Walworth, who slew Wat Tyler.-See our previous volumes; particularly that for 1826, p. 268.

Was born in Hungary in 316, and was chosen Bishop of Tours in the year 374. He had the reputation of great zeal, piety, and meekness; and died at the age of 84. Some curious customs on this

day in France, are noticed in our last volume, pp. 309, 310.

13.-SAINT BRITIUS

Was a native of Tours, educated under St. Martin, and afterwards bis successor. He died A.D. 444. *14. 1827.-RIGHT REV. SIR GEORGE PRETYMAN TOMLINE DIED,

Lord Bishop of Winchester, &c. &c. George Pretyman was born at Bury St. Edmunds, Oct. 9, 1753, the son of a tradesman in that town. He was educated with his brother John (whom he afterwards made archdeacon of Lincoln) in Bury grammarschool, and, at the age of eighteen, removed to Pembroke-hall, Cambridge. Applying to the great branch of study in that university, on taking the degree of A.B. in 1772, he was senior wrangler, and obtained the first of Dr. Smith's two mathematical prizes. In 1773 he was elected fellow, and immediately appointed public tutor of the college. It was in the same year he fortunately became connected with the Hon. William Pitt, and thus furnished with that future patron, without whom his merits might not ever, and certainly would not so early, have raised him to the distinguished rewards which were the consequence of this connection. He was not indebted for his introduction to any private interference, but, as he himself states in his Life of Pitt, Lord Chatham wrote a letter to the master, in which he expressed a desire that each of the two public tutors, which were then Mr. Turner (now Master of Pembroke-hall, and Dean of Norwich) and myself, would devote an hour in every day to his son. plan was accordingly adopted; but after Mr. Pitt's first three visits to Cambridge, he was entirely under my care and tuition;' and here Mr. Pitt, who went to the university at the singularly early age of fourteen, continued for seven years.

·

This

After various preferments to which Dr. Pretyman was collated by Mr. Pitt's influence, in January 1787, his grateful pupil took the very first opportunity of raising him to the Episcopal bench. The vacancy occurred by the death of Dr. Egerton, Bishop of Durham: Dr. Thurlow was translated to that see, and Dr. Pretyman succeeded Dr. Thurlow, both as bishop of Lincoln and dean of St. Paul's. An anecdote is related, that, when Mr. Pitt applied to the king on this occasion, the reply of his majesty was, Too young, too young-can't have it, can't have it.'-'Oh, but please your majesty,' observed Mr. Pitt, had it not been for Dr. P., I should not have been in the office I now hold.'-' He shall have it, Pitt-he shall have it, Pitt,' was the king's immediate decision.