creature, an' the gauger sometimes comes athort us; but he's nae troublesome; sae my master sent me aff wi' a cag o' the best o't to him, for's civility. Oh, Sir, it will be fine again' Yule! Now, Sir, tell me the house, and how mony stairs up." The officer, deceived by the assumed simplicity of the man, gave him a particular direction, and proceeded on his journey. It is unnecessary to add, that on returning home he found the man had mistaken the road.

Nearly thirty years ago, a poor wandering lunatic haunted the east coast of Angus. Being inoffensive, he was often teased by idle boys, and grown-up people, not arrived at the years of discretion. One day, when sauntering along the road, he was met by some farm-servants, driving their carts. They all stopped their horses, and began to provoke poor Jamie by every means which illnature and vulgar wit could devise. One fellow, in particular, with a very ill-favoured countenance, attempted to lay hands on him. "Stand off, you ill-looking scoundrel!" cried the maniac; "were I not sure that the Almighty made all mankind, I would swear that you were a counterfeit !"

I have been repeatedly in company with a farmer, whose humour and ready wit are well known in his neighbourhood. I have heard him utter such things as set every risible muscle in the company in motion, always excepting his own, if he had any; for I never yet saw a smile upon his unbending features. The following I have often heard told as specimens of his ready wit :

About that period of the French revolution when the poissards and sans-culottes were in the zenith of their glory, and the guillotine was kept in constant employment, D was a young man, working on his father's farm. A poor woman in the neighbourhood had lost her reason, and, at length, become violently outrageous, threatening to burn the house and murder her children. Parties of the neighbours were in the practice of assembling to watch her nightly; and, by their ill-timed and imprudent remonstrances, increased the irritation of her brain. Done night joined the party: the lunatic was in one of her wildest moods,

exclaiming, that neither man nor devil was longer to be trusted-for that Satan had promised to come for her more than six months before, but had not kept his word, and she would be mocked no longer! D, with a face of most imposing gravity, and slow, solemn tone, addressed her thus: "Well, Janet, I have known you for a sensible woman these many years, and must own, that this is the first unreasonable thing I ever heard you utter; and I am sure, when you think a little, your own good sense will see it so." "I do not see what is unreasonable in blaming Satan for breaking his promise," replied the maniac. Ay, but Janet," said D-, you know the proverb, Give the devil his due. Consider what he has had to do; he has been in France for more than a year past, night and day, toiling hard; only at home for an hour or so once in three months; trusting his whole business to young rascals of clerks, who have allowed all things to go into confusion; but you know the term of Whitsunday is just newly past, and he has made a clean sweep, and got a new set. Your name, Janet, is down; but there are many before it; however, he will keep his word, and you must just have patience till your turn come in fair play." "Well, D," said she, you're the only ane, man or woman, that's given me a sensible advice, an' I'll follow it

but how long do you think I' need to wait yet?' "Indeed, Janet, it is hard to say-I would suppose till after harvest-perhaps the new year." "Thank you, D; you've 'common sense!" The poor woman continued insane, but was not so violent and unmanageable as before.

Some years after this, Mroccupied a farm of his own. A dissenting preacher, who had formerly been a shoemaker, had a meeting-house a few miles distant; but, eager to make proselytes, he was in the practice of itinerating; and, on one occasion, sent his wife to solicit Mrfor the use of his barn for this purpose. Mrs Z. explained her mission to the housekeeper, who, stepping out to the barn-yard, informed her master. "Well," replied he, "step in-give Mrs Z. a dram-and I shall follow." Mr

soon entered, with

young man was either a mason, or house-carpenter, and, in a few weeks after, fell from a gentleman's house where he was employed, and was killed on the spot! One of the three young men who were present now resides in Edinburgh, and bears a very respectable character. The story is told as related by him, without any comment.

At Kirkland spinning-work, several years ago, a young girl got entangled among the machinery, and had one of her legs most shockingly mangled. She was carried home, and a surgeon procured, who, after examining the patient, pronounced amputation the only means that could save her life. The girl was told that her leg must be cut off, and that the operation would be performed after breakfast. "Very well," replied she, "but in the meantime let me have my parritch before the doctors come." The above was told to me by one of the proprietors of the work. I have also heard it talked of by others.

In early life, I was acquainted with an amiable young lady, who was much addicted to sleep-walking. She would unlock the garden-door, walk in the garden, and sometimes return with a rose ce a pink in her hand. At other times, she would extend her walk into the wood adjoining to the house, where she has been known to pass a narrow wooden bridge, with a hand-rail on one side, which lay at a considerable height, across a rivulet. These nocturnal rambles were productive of much uneasiness to her parents, and she was never permitted to sleep alone; but, occasionally, she would make her escape unnoticed by her companion.. One night, she left her bed when her sister was awake, and it being a beautiful night in summer, the sister resolved upon keeping close by her, and allowing her to follow her own inclination. The somnambulist passed down stairs, went to the kitchen, took a piece of cake from the cupboard, and a small decanter from a shelf; she then unbolted the door, and proceeded straight to a pumpwell at some distance, pumped water into the decanter, and seeming to look cautiously around her, as if fearful of being observed, began to

VOL. IX.

eat the cake, drinking at intervals. Having finished her repast, she exclaimed, in a soft voice, but with much feeling, "Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant." Walking forward to a green bank, she sat down, seemed to contemplate the sky, and repeated a night-piece of considerable length, from some of our poets; after which she returned, entered the house and went to bed, without exhibiting the slightest symptom of being awake.

Brechin Castle, a seat belonging to the Honourable William Maule of Panmure, stands in a fine romantic situation, on the banks of the Esk. Sometime about the middle of last century, a falcon hawk had built her nest on the face of a precipitous cliff, overhanging the river, in the vicinity of the castle. Many attempts had been made to reach the nest, (particularly by two gardeners belonging to the castle,) but it was found inaccessible, either from above or below. The young hawks were supposed to be about fledged, and the gardeners had resolved upon making another effort to secure them. The young men slept together, and on the morning of that day when they were to make their final attempt upon the falcon's eyrey, one of the gardeners, when he awoke, said. to his bed-fellow, "O, Will! I had a fine dream to-night. I climbed the cliff and plundered the hawk's nest of a couple of fine cyass falcons."

Aye, but where are they now?” said his companion jeeringly. thought I placed them below that tub which stands in our room," replied the other. Upon lecking out of bed, they saw the tub bottom upwards, contrary to its usual "position. One of them sprung out of bed, lifted the tub, and--the hawks were below it!

A learned and much-esteemed. friend of mine, with whom I have been long and intimately acquainted, related to me the following circumstance, that happened to himself, and, as Hamlet says of the ghost, I would take my friend's word for a thousand pounds. Being much attached to mathematical studies, he had attempted the solution of a very difficult problem; but having proceed-cl a certain length, he found the next

3r

step a pons asinorum, which he vainly tried to pass. His other avocations left him little leisure for perseve rance in the pursuit, in which he had resolved not to be baffled; the attempt had been renewed at different times, but always had an unsuccessful termination. My friend was an enthusiast in his favourite study, and the thing had taken a strong hold of his mind. One night, he dreamed that he had solved the problem and made a copy of the solu tion, from the first to the last step. Upon awaking, the dream was fresh in his memory, but the ideal copy wanting. He, however, thought he could still retrace the track which his mind had pursued in sleep. It was day-light; he arose, sat down, and went along to the final solution, as if it had been an operation which he had previously performed.

When a boy, about fourteen or fifteen years, the following incident occurred to me. I have often thought of it since, and never could find a sa tisfactory explanation. I was one night in bed, and, as I then believed, broad awake. There was just that degree of light which enabled me to discern the furniture in the room. It came on to rain heavily. I heard it patter on the window, and also heard a broken pane clattering in the wind. While I lay looking from my bed, and listening to the storm, the landlord seemed to pass in front of my bed, cross the room, and remove the family bible, and some other book which lay in the window-sill, depositing them upon a chair near by. This I only conjectured from his motions, as the light was not sufficient for me to discern small objects. He then passed before my bed, and walked slowly out of the room. I began to be surprised that I had not heard the tread of his feet, and immediately recollected, that there was an intermediate apartment between my room and his bed-chamber, and that the doors of both were shut every night. I had not heard either of these doors opencdl upon his entrance, nor did I hear them closed upon his exit. Although not afraid, I, to this moment, believe, that I felt an emotion of spirits, which banished sleep, and I waited with impatience for day-light, to clucidate the mystery. It came-I

arose the books were not removed from the window-sill; but it had rained heavily, and the doors mentioned were both shut as usual. It is needless to say, that upon enquir ing at the landlord, he replied that he had not left his bed during the night. I still believe that I was quite awake during this phantasmagoria; but have never been able to ascertain, whether it was produced by a temporary hallucination of mind, or by any optical deception.

Before entering upon the following relation, allow me to premise, that, ever since I grew up, I have been not only fearless of spirits, ghosts, and all the countless train of hobgoblins, but also most decidedly sceptical as to their existence; and could pass through a burying-ground, at any hour of the day or night, with as little apprehension as on the highway, although my mind might be more solemnly impressed.

Not many years ago, a gentleman, with whom I had long been intimately acquainted, died very suddenly. The circumstances attending his death were of such a nature, as to inspire the most painful feelings in the minds of his friends. The information had reached me in the morning, when it produced considerable emotion; in pursuing my business, the subject had often recurred to my mind, and it had been repeatedly mentioned, by those with whom I had associated. About nine in the evening I went up stairs, and joined my family, conversing upon other, and quite different subjects. When past eleven o'clock, I went down stairs, to take a walk in the court behind iny house, which was airy, and bounded by open gardens. The sky was clear, and the night serene. My entrance to the court was by one angle, and I had proceeded slowly about halfway across, musing upon something totally unconnected with my deceased friend, when he suddenly appeared before me, in the opposite angle of the court, about twenty feet distant. I do not see the desk and paper, on which I am now writing, more distinctly than I then saw him, not in his usual dress, but in one that he had left off wearing some months before. I even recognised the figure of his vest, and a coloured silk handker