Ten Thousand Wonderful Things: Comprising whatever is marvellous and rare, curious, eccentric and extraordinary in all ages and nations
History
Ten Thousand Wonderful Things: Comprising whatever is marvellous and rare, curious, eccentric and extraordinary in all ages and nations
Curiosities and wonders; Encyclopedias and dictionaries; Folklore
The perpendicular height of Snowdon is, by late admeasurements, 1,190
yards above the level of the sea. This makes it, according to Pennant,
240 yards higher than Cader Idris. Some state Whernside, in Yorkshire
to be the highest mountain in South Britain, and more than 4,000 feet.
Helvellyn is 3,324 feet, Ben Lomond 3,262. Mont Blanc rises 15,680
feet; the American Chimborazo is 20,909 feet, the highest ground ever
trodden by man; and the mountains of Thibet above 25,000 feet, the
highest at present known.
INTRODUCTION OF THE WEEPING WILLOW INTO ENGLAND.
The _Salix Babylonica_, that is the Willow of Babylon, or our English
weeping Willow, is a native of the Levant, the coast of Persia,
and other places in the East. The manner of its introduction into
England is curious; the account is as follows: Pope, the celebrated
poet, having received a present of Turkey figs, observed a twig of
the basket, in which they were packed, putting out a shoot. The twig
he planted in his garden: it soon became a fine tree, and from this
stock, all our weeping Willows have descended. This species of Willow
is generally planted by a still pool, to which it is a beautiful
appropriate ornament; and when in misty weather, drops of water are
seen distilling from the extremities of its branches, nothing can be
more descriptive than the title it has obtained of _the weeping Willow_.
FINE FOR INSULTING A KING.
The use of gold and silver was not unknown to the Welsh in 842, when
their laws were collected. The man who dared to insult the King of
Aberfraw, was to pay (besides certain cows and a silver rod) a cup,
which would hold as much wine as his majesty could swallow at a
draught; its cover was to be as broad as the king's face; and the whole
as thick as a goose's egg, or a ploughman's thumb-nail.
CARRONADES.
This species of great gun, so much used on board of ships, is generally
accounted a modern invention, taking its name from the Carron foundry
where they were made. In the patent office, however, will be found
a notice dated September, 1727, to the following effect: "That his
Majesty was pleased to grant to Henry Brown, Esquire, a patent for the
sole use and benefit of his new invention of making cannon and great
guns, both in iron and brass, which will be much shorter and lighter,
and with less powder will carry farther than those of equal bore now in
use, and which, it is said, will save great expense to the public."
EXTRAVAGANCE AT ELECTIONS.
On the death of Sir James Lowther, his son William stood for the shire
of Cumberland, and entertained 3,650 gentlemen freeholders at a dinner,
at which were consumed 768 gallons of wine, 1,454 gallons of ale, and
5,814 bottles of punch. Sir James appears to have been eccentric in
some of his habits, for after his decease L30,000 in bank notes were
discovered in a closet, and L10,000 in the sleeve of an old coat.
MARTIN LUTHER'S TANKARD.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account