Part 94
MAHOMETAN PARADISE.--The paradise of the Mahometans is said by them to be situated above the seven heavens, or in the seventh, and next under the throne of God; and, to express the amenity of the place, they tell us that the earth of it is of the finest wheat flour, or of the purest musk, or of saffron; and that its stones are pearls and jacinths, the walls of its buildings enriched with gold and silver, and the trunks of all its trees of gold, amongst which the most remarkable is the tree _luba_, or tree of happiness. They pretend that this tree stands in the palace of Mahomet, though a branch of it will reach to the house of every true believer, loaded with pomegranates, grapes, dates, and other fruits, of surprising size, and delicious tastes, unknown to mortals.
If a man desires to eat of any particular kind of fruit, it will immediately be presented to him; or if he chooses flesh, birds ready dressed will be set before him, and such as he may wish for. They add that this tree will supply the blessed, not only with fruit, but with silk garments also, and beasts to ride on, adorned with rich trappings, all which will burst forth from the fruit; and that the tree is so large, that a person mounted on the fleetest horse would not be able to gallop from one end of its shade to the other in one hundred years. Plenty of water being one of the greatest additions to the pleasantness of any place, the Koran often speaks of the rivers of paradise as the principal ornament. Some of these rivers are said to flow with water, some with milk, some with wine, and others with honey: all of them have their sources in the root of this tree of happiness; and, as if these rivers were not sufficient, we are told that the garden of this paradise is also watered by a great number of lesser springs and fountains, whose pebbles are rubies and emeralds, their earth of camphor, their beds of musk, and their sides of saffron.
But all these glories will be eclipsed by the resplendent and exquisite beauty of the girls of paradise, the enjoyment of whose company will constitute the principal felicity of the faithful. These (they say) are not formed of clay, as mortal women, but of pure musk, and are, as their prophet often affirms in his Koran, free from all the natural defects and inconveniences incident to the sex. Being also of the strictest modesty, they keep themselves secluded from public view, in pavilions of hollow pearls, so large, that, as some traditions have it, one of them will be no less than sixteen, or, as others say, sixty miles long, and as many broad. With these the inhabitants of paradise may taste pleasures in their height; and for this purpose will be endowed with extraordinary abilities, and enjoy a perpetual youth.
OPINIONS RESPECTING HELL.--The hell of the ancient heathens was divided into two mansions: the one called Elysium, on the right hand, pleasant and delightful, appointed for the souls of good men; the other called Tartarus, on the left, a region of misery and torment, appointed for the wicked. The latter only was hell, in the present restrained sense of the word. The philosophers were of opinion, that the infernal regions were at an equal distance from all the parts of the earth; nevertheless, it was the opinion of some, that there were certain passages which led thither, as the river Lethe near the Syrtes, and the Acherusian cave in Epirus. At Hermione, it was thought, that there was a very short way to hell; for which reason the people of that country never put the fare into the mouths of the dead to pay their passage. The Jews placed hell in the centre of the earth, and believed it to be situated under waters and mountains. According to them, there are three passages leading to it: the first is in the wilderness, and by that Korah, Dathan, and Abiram descended into hell; the second is in the sea, because Jonah, who was thrown into the sea, cried to God out of the belly of hell; the third is in Jerusalem, because it is said "the fire of the Lord is in Zion, and his furnace is in Jerusalem." They likewise acknowledged seven degrees of pain in hell, because they find this place called by seven different names in Scripture. In the Koran of Mahomet, it is said that hell has seven gates; the first for the Mussulmans, the second for the Christians, the third for the Jews, the fourth for the Sabeans, the fifth for the Magians, the sixth for the Pagans, and the seventh for hypocrites of all religions.
Among Christians, there are two controverted questions in regard to hell; the one concerning the locality, the other the duration of its torments:--The locality of hell, and the reality of its fire, began first to be controverted by Origen. That father, interpreting the scripture account metaphorically, makes hell to consist, not in external punishments, but in a consciousness or sense of guilt, and a remembrance of past pleasures. Among the moderns, Mr. Whiston advanced a new hypothesis. The comets, he thinks, are so many hells, appointed in their orbits alternately to carry the damned into the confines of the sun, there to be scorched by its violent heat, and then to return with them beyond the orb of Saturn, there to starve them in those cold and dismal regions. Another modern author, Mr. Swinden, supposes the sun to be the local hell. However difficult it may be to ascertain the local place of hell, we may rest assured God will find both place and means to punish the obstinately wicked.
LONDON.--This metropolis is unparalleled, in extent and opulence, in the whole habitable globe, except, perhaps, Pekin in China, Jeddo in Japan, and Houssa in Africa; which are all said to be larger.
It comprehends, besides London, Westminster, and Southwark, no less than forty-five villages, of considerable extent, independent of a vast accession of buildings upon the open fields in the vicinity. Its length is nearly eight miles, its breadth three, and its circumference twenty-six. It contains above 8000 streets, lanes, alleys, and courts, and more than 65 different squares. Its houses, warehouses, and other buildings, make 162,000, besides 246 churches and chapels, 207 meeting houses for dissenters, 43 chapels for foreigners, and 6 synagogues for the Jews, which in all make 504 places of public worship. The number of inhabitants, during the sitting of parliament, is estimated at 1,250,000. Among these are found about 50,000 common prostitutes, and no less than 60,000 thieves, coiners, and other bad persons of all descriptions. The annual depredations on the public, by this numerous body of pilferers, are estimated at the sum of £2,100,000 sterling. In this vast city, there are, moreover, upwards of 4000 seminaries for education, 8 institutions for promoting morality, 10 institutions for promoting the arts, 122 asylums for the indigent, 17 for the sick and lame, 13 dispensaries, 704 charitable institutions, 58 courts of justice, and 7040 professional men connected with the various departments of the law.--There are 13,500 vessels trading in the river Thames in the course of a year; and 40,000 waggons going and returning to the metropolis in the same period, including their repeated voyages and journeys.--The amount of exports and imports to and from the Thames is estimated at £66,811,932 sterling annually, and the property floating in this vast city every year, is £170,000,000. These circumstances may be sufficient to convince us of the amazing extent and importance of the capital of the British empire.
The numbers of bullocks, sheep, lambs, calves, hogs, and sucking pigs, purchased at the Smithfield markets, and annually consumed in the metropolis, are in the following proportion: bullocks 110,000; sheep and lambs 776,000; calves 210,000; hogs 210,000; sucking pigs 60,000. Markets for hay, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The markets for the sale of provisions are numerous, and amply supplied with every sort, generally of the most excellent kind: the bread generally fine and sound. Besides animal food and bread, there are no less than 6,980,000 gallons of milk [and water] annually consumed here: of vegetables and fruit, there are 10,000 acres of ground near the metropolis, cultivated wholly for vegetables; and about 4000 acres of fruit. Of wheat, coals, ale, and porter, &c. the annual consumption is as follows: of wheat, 700,000 quarters; of coals 600,000 chaldrons; of ale and porter 1,113,500 barrels; of spirits and compounds 11,146,782 gallons; of wine 32,500 tons; of butter 16,600,000 pounds; and of cheese 21,100,000 pounds. Fish and poultry are sometimes excessively dear, and the quantities consumed are comparatively small.
COINS OF THE KINGS OF ENGLAND.--The silver Penny, which was first circulated during the Heptarchy, continued to be the general coin after the kingdom had been united under one head, and extends, in a continued series, from Egbert almost to the present reign. The only kings wanting are Edmund Ironside, Richard I., and John. At first the penny weighed twenty-two and a half grains, but towards the close of the reign of Edward III. it fell to eighteen grains; in that of Edward IV. to twelve. In the time of Edward VI. it was reduced to eight grains; and in queen Elizabeth's reign to 7-23/31 grains, at which it still continues.
Halfpence and farthings were first struck in silver by Edward I. in 1280: the former continued to the time of the Commonwealth, but the latter ceased with Edward VI. The groat and half groat were introduced in the reign of Edward III., in 1354, and continue to this day, though not in common circulation.
Shillings were first coined by Henry VII. in 1503; at first they were called testoon, from the teste, tête, or head of the king, upon them; the name shilling being derived from the German _schelling_, under which name coins had been struck at Hamburgh in 1407. The crown was first coined in its present form by Henry VIII. The half-crown, six-pence, and three-pence, were coined by Edward VI. In 1558, queen Elizabeth coined three-halfpenny, and in 1561, three-farthing pieces; but they were discontinued in 1582. Gold was coined in England by Henry III. in 1257; the piece was called a gold penny, and was larger than the silver one, and the execution by no means bad for the time. The series of gold coinage, however, commences properly from Edward III. In 1344, this monarch first struck florins, in imitation of those in Italy; and it is remarkable, that though these coins, at the time they were first issued, bore only six shillings value, they were (even before the late increased value of gold) intrinsically worth nineteen shillings; so much has the value of gold increased since that time. The half and quarter florin were struck at the same time, but only the last has been found. The florin being found inconvenient, gave place to the noble, of six shillings and eight-pence value, and exactly half a mark. The latter had its name from being a limited sum in accounts; and was eight ounces in weight, two-thirds of the money pound. The noble had its name from the nobility of the metal; the gold of which it is coined being of the finest sort. Sometimes it was called _rose-noble_, from both sides being impaled in an undulating circle. It continued, with the half and quarter noble, to be the only gold coin till the angels of Edward IV. appeared in 1465. These had their name from the image of Michael and the Dragon which they bore. The angelites, of three shillings and four-pence value, were substituted in their place. In 1527, Henry VIII. added to the gold coins the crown and half-crown at their present value; the same year he gave sovereigns of twenty-two shillings, and six-pence, and ryals of eleven shillings and three-pence, angels at seven shillings and six-pence, and nobles at their old value of six shillings and eight-pence. In 1546 he caused sovereigns to be coined of the value of twenty shillings, and half sovereigns in proportion.
On the union of the two crowns, James gave the sovereign the name of unite; the value continuing twenty shillings, as before. He coined also rose ryals of thirty shillings, spur ryals of fifteen shillings, angels of ten shillings, and angelites of five shillings value. Under the Commonwealth, the sovereign received the name of the twenty shilling piece, and continued current till the coinage of guineas. These were so called, from their being coined of gold brought from the coast of Guinea, and were at first to pass but for twenty shillings, though by a universal but tacit consent, they always passed for twenty-one shillings. Half-guineas, double-guineas, and five guinea pieces, were also coined during the same reign; which still continue, though the two latter are not in common circulation. Quarter-guineas were coined by George I. and likewise by his late Majesty; but they were found so troublesome on account of their small size, that they were stopped at the Bank of England; and therefore are not to be met with in circulation at present. A few pieces of seven shillings value were likewise coined, and are known by the lion above the helmet; but none were issued. In 1668, the guinea rose to twenty-one shillings and sixpence, and continued to increase in value till 1696, when it was as high as thirty shillings; but after the recoinage in 1697 and 1698, it fell by degrees, and in 1717 was at its old standard of twenty-one shillings. During the reign of George III. vast numbers of seven shilling pieces were issued, which continued some years in general circulation. Sovereigns have also been coined since his present Majesty's accession, and they constitute at present the prevailing gold currency of the realm.
SINGULAR CALCULATION RESPECTING THE NATIONAL DEBT.--The national debt, funded and unfunded, on the 5th of January, 1811, was £811,898,811, which are equal to 773,236,267 guineas, which, at 5 dwts. 8 grains each guinea, weigh 6312 tons, 11 cwt. 3 qrs. 5 lbs. 1 oz. 6 drs. nearly, avoirdupois. Now supposing a waggon and five horses to extend in length twenty yards, and to carry two and a half tons of the said guineas, the number of teams necessary to carry the whole would extend in length twenty-eight miles twenty-three yards. To count the debt in shillings, at the rate of thirty shillings in a minute, for ten hours a day, and six days in a week, would take 2,469 years, 306 days, 17 hours, and 30 minutes, nearly. Its height in guineas, supposing twenty guineas in thickness to be an inch, would be 610 miles, 339 yards, 9 inches; and supposing each guinea an inch in diameter, they would extend in a right line, 12,203 miles, 150 yards, 7 inches. Moreover, the said guineas would cover, in space, 348 acres, 2 roods, 202 yards, nearly. And, lastly, in shillings, each being an inch in diameter, would cover 7319 acres, 1 rood, and 349 yards!
CONCLUSION.
Thus we have conducted our reader through some of the principal curiosities of Nature and Art, Science and Literature. We trust he has found both amusement and instruction. Our object has been, throughout the work, to assist the reader in looking through Nature up to Nature's God. All second causes derive their origin, permanency, and efficacy from Him alone.
Since, then, the LORD GOD is himself the source and perfection of all beauty and excellency, the author of our existence, and the bountiful giver of all good gifts; we undoubtedly ought to love him with our whole hearts, and to serve him with all our powers; we ought to reverence his majesty and authority, and endeavour above all things to obtain his favour; we ought to devote ourselves entirely to his service, and make all our actions tend to the advancement of his glory. And as his mercy and goodness are unbounded, so should be our gratitude and praise.
Jehovah reigns: let ev'ry nation hear, And at his footstool bow with holy fear; Let heav'n's high arches echo with his name. And the wide-peopled earth his praise proclaim; Then send it down to hell's deep gloom resounding, Thro' all her caves in dreadful murmurs sounding.
He rules with wide and absolute command O'er the broad ocean and the stedfast land: Jehovah reigns, unbounded and alone, And all creation hangs beneath his throne: He reigns alone; let no inferior nature Usurp or share the throne of the Creator.
He saw the struggling beams of infant light Shoot thro' the massy gloom of ancient night; His spirit hush'd the elemental strife, And brooded o'er the kindling seeds of life: Seasons and months began the long procession, And measur'd o'er the year in bright succession.
The joyful sun sprung up th' ethereal way, Strong as a giant, as a bridegroom gay; And the pale moon diffus'd her shadowy light, Superior o'er the dusky brow of night; Ten thousand glittering lamps the skies adorning, Num'rous as dew-drops from the womb of morning.
Earth's blooming face with rising flow'rs he dress'd, And spread a verdant mantle o'er her breast; Then from the hollow of his hand he pours The circling waters round her winding shores, The new-born world in their cool arms embracing, And with soft murmurs still her banks caressing.
At length she rose complete in finish'd pride, All fair and spotless like a virgin bride: Fresh with untarnish'd lustre as she stood, Her Maker bless'd his work, and call'd it good; The morning stars with joyful acclamation, Exulting sung, and hail'd the new creation.
Yet this fair world, the creature of a day, Tho' built by God's right hand, must pass away; And long oblivion creep o'er mortal things, The fate of empires, and the pride of kings: Eternal night shall veil their proudest story, And drop the curtain o'er all human glory.
The sun himself, with weary clouds opprest, Shall in his silent dark pavilion rest; His golden urn shall broke and useless lie, Amidst the common ruins of the sky! The stars rush headlong in the wild commotion, And bathe their glittering foreheads in the ocean.
But fix'd, O God! for ever stands thy throne, Jehovah reigns, a universe alone; Th' eternal fire that feeds each vital flame, Collected or diffus'd, is still the same. He dwells within his own unfathom'd essence, And fills all space with his unbounded presence.
But oh! our highest notes the theme debase, And silence is our least injurious praise: Cease, cease your songs, the daring flight control, Revere him in the stillness of the soul; With silent duty meekly bend before him, And deep within your inmost hearts--adore him. _Mrs. Barbauld._
APPENDIX TO THE BOOK OF CURIOSITIES; CONTAINING CURIOUS EXPERIMENTS, AND _AMUSING RECREATIONS_, WHICH MAY BE PERFORMED WITH EASE, AND AT A SMALL EXPENSE.
_A Person having an even Number of Counters in one Hand, and an odd Number in the other, to tell in which Hand each of them is._
Desire the person to multiply the number in his right hand by three, and the number in his left by two.
Bid him add the two products together, and tell you whether the sum be odd or even.
If it be even, the even number is in the right hand; but if it be odd, the even number is in the left hand.
EXAMPLE I.
No. in right hand. No. in left hand. 18 7 3 2 -- -- 54 54 14 14 -- 68 sum of the products.
EXAMPLE II.
No. in right hand. No. in left hand. 7 18 3 2 -- -- 21 36 36 21 -- 57 sum of the products.
_A Person having fixed on a Number in his Mind, to tell him what Number it is._
Bid him quadruple the number thought on, or multiply it by 4; and having done this, desire him to add 6, 8, 10, or any even number you please, to the product; then let him take the half of this sum, and tell you how much it is; from which, if you take away half the number you desired him at first to add to it, there will remain the double of the number thought on.
EXAMPLE.
Suppose the number thought on is 5 The quadruple of it is 20 8 added to the product is 28 And the half of this sum 14 4 taken from this leaves 10.--
Therefore 5 was the number thought on.
_Another Method of discovering a Number thought on._
After the person has fixed on a number, bid him double it, and add 4 to that sum; then let him multiply the whole by 5, and to that product add 12; desire him also to multiply this sum by 10, and after having deducted 302 from the product, to tell you the remainder, from which, if you cut off the last two figures, the number that remains will be the one thought on.
EXAMPLE.