The New-York Weekly Magazine, or Miscellaneous Repository Part 22

A FACT.

At the commencement of the present war, between France and Great Britain, a serjeant in the recruiting service of the latter power, asked a tall countryman of Yorkshire, what bounty he would take to engage in his Majesty's service? the countryman replied that he was his man, if he would for the first half inch of his stature give him a halfpenny, (one cent.) a penny for the second, for the third, two pence, and counting at that rate, till he had finished his measure; the bargain being struck, and the countryman measuring six feet in length, the calculation was carried on for some time, until the serjeant thought proper to drown the affair in a bowl of punch. I find, upon calculation, that the countryman's bounty, allowing five dollars to a cubic inch, would (including fractions, which of theselves come to an enormous amount) have been equal in value to 27,364,368,033,632 globes of solid silver, each globe measuring as large as the earth.

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ANECDOTE.

A gentleman having put out a candle by accident one night, ordered his waiting man (who was a simple being,) to light it again in the kitchen; "but take care, James," added he, "that you do not hit yourself against any thing in the dark."--Mindful of the caution, James stretched out both arms at full length before him, but unluckily, a door that stood half open, pa.s.sed between his hands and struck him a woeful blow upon the nose; "d.i.c.kens!" muttered he, when he recovered his senses a little, "I always heard that I had a plaguy long nose, but I vow I never have thought that it was longer than my arm."

CURIOUS LAW ANECDOTE.

The following curious anecdote is told, in the Negoristan, of a famous lawyer of Baghdad, called Abu Joseph. It marks several peculiarities in the Mohammedan law, and displays some casuistical ingenuity adapting them to the views of his clients. The Khalif Haran Alrashid had taken a fancy for a female slave belonging to his brother Ibrahim. He offered to purchase her; but Ibrahim, though willing to oblige his sovereign, had sworn, that he would neither sell nor give her away. As all parties wished to remove this difficulty, Abu Joseph was consulted; who advised Ibrahim to give his brother one half of the slave, and to sell him the other. Happy to be relieved from this embarra.s.sment the Khalif ordered 300,000 dinars for the moiety of the slave; which Ibrahim, as a mark of his acknowledgment, immediately presented so the lawyer. But a second difficulty now arose. The Moslem law prohibits all commerce between a man and the wife or concubine of his brother, till she has been remarried and divorced by a third person. Abu Joseph advised the Khalif to marry her to one of his slaves; who, for a proper consideration, would be easily induced to repudiate her on the spot. The ceremony was instantly performed: but the slave, falling in love with his handsome spouse, could not be prevailed upon to consent to a separation.

Here was a strange and unexpected dilemma; for, all despotic as the Khalif was, he durst not compel him. But Abu Joseph soon discovered an expedient. He desired the Khalif to make a present to the lady of her new husband, which virtually desolved the marriage; as no woman, by the Mohammedan law, can be the wife of her own slave.

Overjoyed that the Gordian knot was thus so ingeniously unloosed, the Khalif gave him 10,000 dinars; and the fair slave receiving a considerable present from her royal lover, presented him with 10,000 more; so that Abu Joseph, in a few hours, found his fees amount to 50,000 dinars, or nearly 15000l.

NEW-YORK.

MARRIED,

On Sunday evening last, by the Rev. Dr. Foster, Mr. JOSEPH HANNAH, of this city, to Miss POLLY GRAY, of Brooklyn (L.I.)

Let fortune on this blithesome pair, With cloudless aspect smile; Nor trouble e'er or anxious care, Their peaceful life beguile.

On Monday se'nnight, by the Rev. Dr. More, B. PENROSE, Esq. of Philadelphia, to Miss H. BINGHAM, of this city.

Last Sunday se'nnight, in the Methodist New Meeting, by the Rev. Ezekiel Cooper, minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Mr. JOHN WILSON, to Mrs. HESTER BLEECKER, widow of the late Mr. John Bleecker, all of this city.

On Thursday evening last, by the Rev. Dr. M'Knight, Mr. ENOCH ELY, merchant, to Mrs. KEZIA CAMP, both of Catskill.

On Thursday evening last, by the Rev. Mr. Dow, Mr. CORNELIUS DAY, to Miss ANN HAMILTON, lately from Trinadad.

On Thursday evening Lft by the Rev. Dr. Kuntzie, Mr. JOHN AIM, to Miss PEGGY MOORE.

Same evening, by the Rev. Dr. Beach. Mr. WILLIAM WOODS, to Miss JEMIMA SIMMONS, both of this city.

_METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS._ _From the 1st to the 6th inst._

_Days of the Month._ _Thermometer observed at 8, A.M. 1, P.M. 6, P.M._ _Prevailing winds._ _OBSERVATIONS on the WEATHER._

deg. deg. deg. 8. 1. 6. 8. 1. 6.

100 100 100 Aug. 1 76 25 86 75 73 75 SW. do. W. Clear, rain, thun lt.

2 76 82 83 50 NW. W do. clear, do. do. lt. wind.

3 70 75 75 75 75 NW. do. clear, do. do.

4 66 72 75 71 N. nw do. clear, do. do.

5 71 76 73 SE W. SW. clear, do. do.

6 69 72 67 SE. do. E. cloudy, rain, cloudy

ON READING SOME ELEGIES.

Hither your wreaths, ye drooping muses bring, The short-liv'd rose, that blooms but to decay; Love's fragrant myrtles, that in paphos spring, And deathless poetry's immortal bay.

And oh! thou gentlest shade, accept the verse, Mean though it be, and artlessly sincere, That pensive thus attends thy silent hea.r.s.e, And steals, in secret shades, the pious tear.

What heart by heav'n with gen'rous softness blest, But in thy lines its native language reads?

Where hapless love, in tender, plainness drest, Gracefully mourns and elegantly bleeds.

In vain, alas, thy fancy fondly gay Trac'd the fair scenes of dear domestic life; The sportive loves forsook their wanton play, To paint for thee the mistress, friend and wife.

Oh luckless lover! form'd for better days, For golden years, and ages long ago: For thee Persephone* impatient stays, For thee the willow and the cypress grow.

[* The G.o.ddess of Death.]

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ELEGY ON AN UNFORTUNATE VETERAN.

The loud inclement storm now rages high, Then why, my friend, imprudent dost thou roam?

Go seek some hospitable shelter nigh, Or haste and warm thee at thy social home.