recommend to you, having always found it grateful to the stomach. At breakfaste I doe commonly eat 12 goose's eggs, dressed in whale's oile, wherefrom I experience much good effects. For dinner I doe chiefly prefere a roasted cat, whereof the hair has been first burned by the fire. If it be stuffed with salted herryngs, which are a good and pleasant fish, it will be better. Cows' tripes with cabbage is likewise a dish which I much esteem at such times. I drink each day two or three goblets of cordial spirit, whereof I prefer gin, as being of a diuretic nature, and salutiferous to the kydneys. My supper consisteth usually of a mess of pottage, made with the fat of pork, and the whale's oile aforesaid; after which I doe drink another cup of pig's urine, which helpeth digestion, and maketh me to sleep sound." It were needless to offer any remark on the inefficacious nature of the singular and disgusting diet detailed in the above extract. Certain it is, however, that the absurdity of the Doctor's preparation must greatly enhance the wonder of his performances. For the individual who could accomplish such extraordinary tasks with a stomach loaded with roast cats, pottage, and whale's oil, was surely capable of much greater things, had his regimen been subjected to more judicious regulations. It may be considered surprising, that a man of Doctor Cofinbrosche's sagacity should have been betrayed into errors so contradictory to the common sense and experience of mankind. Yet the phenomenon is easily explained, for the absurdity is a common one. The Doctor was a foul feeder, and allowed himself to believe, that those articles of food which were most agreeable to his palate, were likewise best suited to his stomach. By this supposition we may at least account for Doctor Cofinbrosche's mistake, but it can afford no excuse either for his taste or his judgment. I have likewise found that there are certain national prejudices which operate in general very strongly on the trainer. An Englishman imagines he can derive strength only from beef and beer, an Irishman has strange notions of the efficacy of whiskey in such cases, and the Scotchman thinks he has discovered an universal panacea in bloodpuddings and kail-brose. In training, however, all prejudices must be discarded; and that man only can expect to attain success either as a pugilist or a pedestrian, who is prepared rigidly to follow the advice and directions of those under whose guidance he shall be placed. Before proceeding further I think it proper to state, that it is the training of the human species only of which I am now to treat, and that the training of horses, cocks, and dogs, though it will probably form the subject of some future letters yet, does not at all enter into the object of the present one.Much information on this subject has been collected, with his usual diligence, by Sir John Sinclair, in his work on Health and Longevity, a publication on the merits of which I shall express no opinion, as the paper on training is the only part of it which I have yet read, or, to say the truth, which I have any intention of reading. Sir John was led to turn his attention to this matter from the conviction that the information which he had thus collected might be turned to more beneficial purposes than those of the cock-pit or the ring. He is of opinion that good effects would result from training in all cases of debility and languor which have been brought on by too liberal an indulgence in stimulating food or sedentary habits. The gout, too, he thinks, would be completely cured by it, and that most people, especially those of a sanguine and corpulent habit, would greatly improve their health, by annually going through a couple of months of such discipline as shall hereafter be described. In Sir John's reasonings on this subject there is some truth, but much fallacy. The condition induced by a course of training, is a state of preternatural strength, and must necessarily be succeeded by a state of preternatural debility. That man, indeed, must have had little experience in training, who has not seen it frequently carried so far as to terminate, not in producing unusual vigour but unusual exhaustion. On the whole, however, though the practice may not be so generally applicable as Sir John Sinclair supposes it, it may be admitted that there are many cases (especially those of gout and corpulence) in which it would prove decidedly beneficial. The only other publication on training of which I am aware, is that of Captain Barclay. On this subject he certainly is well entitled to say "Haud inexpertus loquor," having frequently exemplified his practice, not only in others but himself. The general merits of his plan are considerable, and my intention, in the present letter, is merely to suggest a few improvements, and to point out several trifling errors, into which Captain Barclay has fallen. I shall proceed, therefore, to detail his mode of treatment, and shall accompany it with such observations as my own experience, and that of my friend Mr Pierce (a gentleman too well known as a trainer to require any eulogium), has led me to consider as applicable and proper to the subject. Captain Barclay first commences his training with a course of physic which consists of three doses. Glauber salts, are, in his opinion, to be preferred, and he directs that two ounces shall be taken at a time, with an interval of four days between each dose. All this is well; yet, I am of opinion, that at least one doze of the glauber might be advantageously commuted for a few smaller exhibitions of calomel, which would not only clear the bile from the stomach of the patient, but act as an alterative on his general system. The patient now commences his regular exercise, which is gradually increased as he proceeds in his training. If a pedestrian, he is directed to walk from twenty to twenty-five miles a-day; and if he is one of the fancy, he must daily accustom himself to violent and continued exercise of the arms. He must rise at five in the morning, run half a mile up hill at the top of his speed, and then walk six or seven miles, coming in about seven breakfast. This, according to Captain Barclay, should consist of beefsteaks or mutton chops under done, with stale bread and old beer. To all this there can be no objection, except with regard to old beer, for which I am convinced, wine and water sufficiently weak would afford an advantageous substitute. In training, the use of beer and ale is uniformly to be condemned. They are of a narcotic nature, and produce a disinclination to exercise, and, from the acid they contain, are liable to produce indigestion. After breakfast he is directed to walk six miles at a moderate pace, and at twelve to lie down in bed for half an hour without his clothes. On getting up he must walk four miles and return to by four to dinner, which should also be beefsteaks or mutton chops, with bread and beer as at breakfast. Immediately after dinner he must resume his exercise, by running half a mile at the top of his speed, and walking six miles at a moderate pace. Το this part of Captain Barclay's practice I have two objections to make. The first is, that from seven o'clock to four is much too long an interval of fasting, and cannot fail to be prejudicial. I would certainly prescribe a lunch in the forenoon, by way of taking the edge off the patient's appetite. When Crib was in training at Captain Barclay's in Scotland, I have been told he daily devoured about five pounds of beefsteaks for dinner! The bad effects of such a quantity of solid food being thrown into the stomach at once may easily be conceived. My next objection is to the violent exercise which he directs to be taken immediately after dinner. This is plainly a violation of the order of nature, whose great rule is rest after repletion. Exercise on a full stomach not only impedes digestion but injures the play of the lungs and diaphragm. Nor should the running which Captain Barclay prescribes take place either at the commencement or the conclusion of the exercise, but should invariably be preceded and followed by walking. When the course of training has thus proceeded for three or four weeks, Captain Barclay directs the pedestrian to take a four mile sweat. This is produced by running four miles enveloped in a profusion of flannel. On his return he is put to bed, and covered with a feather-bed and a dozen pairs of blankets, where he must remain about half an hour. Before getting into this pleasant situation, however, he must drink a pint of what is called the sweating liquor, which consists of one ounce of caraway seeds, half an ounce of coriander seeds, an ounce of liquorice root, and half an ounce of sugar candy, mixed with two bottles of cider, which must be boiled down to one half. In the efficacy of this liquor I have not much faith, and should be inclined to substitute a pint of white wine whey, with a little tartar emetic, or antimonial wine. The patient is then extricated from the bed and blankets, and rubbed dry with towels; after which he sets out again on his travels, carefully wrapped up, however, to preserve him from the ef BURG. fects of cold. At the usual hour he CATALOGUE OF PICTURES AT AUGSeats his dinner, which, on these occasions, must consist (though for what reason we know not) of a roast fowl. Having finished his bird, he again proceeds with his usual exercise. These sweats are continued weekly, so that a person under training must undergo at least three or four of them. Should the stomach of the patient shew any symptoms of bile, an emetic must be immediately exhibited; and when he has undergone this treatment for about two months, he is generally supposed to be in the highest possible condition. Such is the general outline of Capt. Barclay's mode of training, which, on the whole, must be confessed to be extremely well calculated to attain the object in view. In addition, however, to the observations which I have already hazarded on different parts of it, there is one great omission which I deem it necessary to point out. I allude to the total silence he observes with regard to the use of the tepid bath. Without the use of the bath, it is quite impossible to cleanse the skin of the patient from the perspiration emitted in the process above described. Quantities of fetid grease are left to clog up his pores, their healthy action is destroyed, and there can be no doubt that the muscular power of the individual must thus be in some degree impaired. The frequent use of the tepid bath, therefore, I have no hesitation in declaring, should invariably form a prominent feature in every system of training; and that Captain Barclay should have altogether omitted it, is not easily accounted for. I shall defer some other objections to his practice of training till my next letter, when I shall also beg leave to lay before you some improvements in this noble art, which have been suggested by Mr Pierce's experience and my own. The science of pugilism likewise will engage my attention, and I trust (for on the subject of the ring I venture to speak with confidence) you will not find my observations altogether uninstructive. I can only say, if they shall succeed in infusing a love of pugilism into a single Edinburgh advocate, or Glasgow cottonbroker, I shall not consider them as having been written in vain. Maidenhead, Nov. 1st. G. MARET. It is with great pleasure we learn from a correspondent, who is lately returned from abroad, that the rage for every thing French has considerably subsided in various parts of the continent, and that it is not impossible our own language may, in a few years, supersede in popularity and general usage, the dialect of our sprightly neighbours. But so short a period has elapsed since the downfal of Bonaparte, and the consequent check put to the universal dominion of the French, that it is not reasonable to expect to find much advance made towards so desirable a change. First efforts, however laudable, are, as is well known, uniformly imperfect. We have been led to make these observations, by the perusal of a curious production of the press, that has been transmitted to us from Augsburg. It appears that the landlord of Die Drey Mauren, or "Three Moors," one of the chief hotels of that imperial city, has united to the usual pursuits of an inn-keeper a taste for the fine arts, and that in a part of his large mansion, not required for the accommodation of his guests, he possesses a very extensive gallery of pictures. As the travellers who frequent his house, at least those who have most money to spend in the purchase of these luxuries, are generally English, he has published a description of his paintings in the language of that nation, which, notwithstanding its unpromising name of "A Catalogue," has afforded us much amusement. If his pictures be all of them genuine, or to use one of his favourite expressions, "of a singular verity," his trade in chef d'œuvres must be as profitable to him as that of the most famous traiteur of Paris, in hors d'œuvres, more peculiarly the objects of his savoury profession. We have been induced to copy a few of the first articles in the Catalogue of Mr Deuringer, chiefly with an eye to the benefit of the Dilettanti Society of Edinburgh, and the Shakspeare Club of Alloa, who may, perhaps, enrich some of their reports with a few of the new expressions of mine host of Augsburg-expressions which only wait the sanction of these bodies to become as good English as most of the phraseology used in newspaper-critiques on pictures and prints. We are extremely happy, too, in having it in our power to make known to the Dilettanti, more especially, the existence of so congenial a spirit as the inn-keeper: In case they should they should think of conferring on him a public mark of their veneration, we beg to inform them, that his birth-day is the 12th of January, a day celebrated at Augsburg by an annual dinner of the Society of" Augsburgischen kunstliebhabern oder lustiger gesellen," whose permanent Secretary this eminent connoisseur has been for several years past. 1. S. Magdalene in a cavern weeping over her falls, before her the red-book, a crucifix a skull and some plants, above a glory of angels. The figures painted by van Balen, the landscape by Breugel, and very fine. 17. 18. 19. 20. Abraham kneeing before the allmachty who speeks to him out of the clouds, grandly by Octave van Veen. Two marines, a sheepwrack and a sun sitting, both by Joseph Vernet. David playing on the harp and singing the praise of God, a many naked children dancing arround him, above a concert in Paradise, performed by S. Cecilia with various saints, virginities, &c. by Pietro de Candito. A lewdness by Hemskerk. 21. The demission of Hagar, sweet littil bit 22. A wolf devouring a ship, hardby a fox by de Witt. and a magpie, expresing a desire to partake of the meat, by Christopher Baudiz. 23. 2. The inside of a wood-land, the river 3. A dutch country by van der Velde. ker. 25. 26. 27. Two picces of merry company and bur- Queen Marie Christian of Sweden re- Our Lord dragged trough cedron; in 28. A large and precious battle piece representing a scene of the famous victory by Blindheim wonen by Marleborough over the frensh 1704. We see here the portrait of this hero very resembling, he in a graceful attitude on horsebak, is just to order a movement; a many generals and attend. ance are arround him. The leaguer, the landscape, the groups, the fighting all with the greatest truth, there is nothing that does not contribute to embellish this very remarcable picture, painted by a contemporary of the evenement and famous artist in battle pieces, George Philipp Rugeudas. Its companion. The fortified camp of the frensh full of interesting details and with a number of figures all in action. These two pictures are esteemed as the largest and exquisitest by Rugendas, and as works of a rang from Woverman or van der Meulen, The should be very worthy to embellish one of the finest Gallery of a Prince in Europe. The number of pictures in the Gallery amounts to 400. 2 S 13. Valediction of S. Peter and S. Paul, both in the hands of their jac-Kitches, large picture the figures the size of 29. life, by Casper van Crayer. 14. A hunting piece of great beauty by Schneyders, the dogs seem to be alife, the wild-fowls, a hair, toils, just as in nature. SOME ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE AND WRITINGS OF ENSIGN AND AD- (Continued from Vol. III. p. 55.)* THIS winter was indeed a memorable one in the life of Odoherty. Divided almost in equal proportions between the Old and the New Town of Edinburgh-between the society of Hogg, Allan, and the Dilettanti, on the one hand, and that of the female and fashionable world on the other-and thus presenting to the active mind of the ensign a perpetual succession, or rather alternation, of the richest viands-it produced the effects which might have been anticipated, and swelled considerably the bulk of two portfolios, respectively set apart for the prose and verse compositions which, at this period of his career, our bard was so rapidly pouring forth to the admiration of his numerous friends and the public. found less favour in his eyes than in those of most other visitors with whom we have had an opportunity of conversing. In one of those inimitable letters of his, addressed to the compiler of the present sketch, he comments with some little causticity on the incidents of several balls and routes "The which he had just attended. gayeties of Edinburgh," writes the Ensign, "are a bad and lame caricature of those of London. There is the same squeeze, the same heat, the same buzz; but, alas! the ease, the elegance, the non-chalance are awanting. In London, the different orders of society are so numerous that they keep themselves totally apart from each other; and the highest circles of fashion admit none as denizens except those who possess the hereditary claims of birth and fortune, or (as in my own case), those who are supposed to atone for their deficiencies in these respects, by extraordinary genius or merit.Hence there are so few stones of the His morning hours were devoted to first, or even of the second, water, that attend several courses of lectures in recourse is necessarily had to far infethe University; for Odoherty was rior gems-not unfrequently even to never weary of learning, and em- the transitory mimicries of paste. You braced with ardour every opportunity shall see the lady of an attorney stowthat was afforded him of increasing ing away her bedsteads and basinthe stores of his literary acquisitions stands, dismantling all her apartand accomplishments. His remarks ments, and turning her whole family upon the different lectures which he topsy-turvy once in a season, in order now attended, possess all his charac- that she may have the satisfaction of teristic acuteness, and would have dispersing two hundred cards, with done honour to a more practised critic. "At home" upon them. It is amusBut these we reserve for the separate ing enough to see with what lapublication of his works. To insert borious exertion, she and her daughany mutilated fragments of them here ters, sensible people that attend to dowould be an act of injustice to the il-mestic concerns, plain-work, &c. for lustrious Professors, Brown, Playfair, Leslie, Hope, Ritchie, &c., no less than to their distinguished disciple. Great and illustrious as is the fame of these Philosophers, it is possible that the names of some of them may live in distant ages, chiefly because of their connexion with that of Odoherty. The Ensign may be to them what Xenophon has been to Socrates; he may be more, for it is possible that none of them may have a Plato. The gay world of the northern metropolis, which, during this remarkable winter, was adorned by the graceful and ingenious Ensign, seems, we are constrained to observe, to have three parts of the year, become for a few short weeks the awkward inapt copyists of their far less respectable betters. It is distressing to see the faded airs with which these good Bourgeoises endeavour to conceal their confusion in receiving the curtsy of a lady of quality, who comes to their houses only for the purpose of quizzing them in some corner, with some sarcastic younger brother," &c. The rest of the letter, consisting chiefly of rapturous descriptions of particular young ladies, is omitted from motives of delicacy. Two fair creatures, however, a most exquisite petite Blonde, and a superb sultana-like Brunette, *The gentleman who drew up the two first notices of this life, having died of an apoplexy some time ago, the notice which appeared in March, and the present one, are by a different hand. |