Then a piece of the skin of the bony scaled pike was taken for part of a sea-serpent's hide. A speckled mother duck, with a numerous brood of young ones swimming after her in a line on Lake Ontario, was described as the sea-serpent itself. And from such occurrences as these, perhaps, mingled with careless observation of the motions and appearances of porpuses, basking sharks, and balaenopterous whales, appears to have originated every thing that has been said about American sea-serpents.--_Brande's Jour_. * * * * * THE GATHERER. A snapper up of unconsidered trifles. SHAKSPEARE. * * * * * ELEGANT COMPLIMENT. A French officer, having arrived at the court of Vienna, the empress, knowing that he had seen the Princess de * * *, asked him if he thought this princess was, as reported, the handsomest person in the world? "Madam," replied the officer, "I thought so yesterday." * * * * * Should women sit in parliament, A thing unprecedented, A great part of the nation, then Would be Miss-Represented. * * * * * ON A STONE IN THE WALL OF CHISWICK CHURCHYARD. This wall was made at ye charges of ye Right Honorable and _trulie pious_ Lorde Francis Russell, Earle of Bedford, out of true zeale and care for ye keeping of this church-yard, and ye _wardrobe of Godd's saints_, whose bodies lay _theirin_ buried from _violation by swine_, and other prophanation.--So witnesseth William Walker, Vo. A.D. 1623. O.W. * * * * * A singular custom was formerly observed in the city of Middelburg, in the Netherlands. When any inhabitant died, a bundle of straw was placed before the house, with the ears towards the street, if the deceased was a man; but towards the house, if a woman. G.W.N. * * * * * SINGULAR SUICIDE. In 1767, a gentleman, named Davers, (who was descended from Sir Robert Davers, of Roughham, in the county of Suffolk, bart.) died at the Angel Inn, Islington, by poison. A card, which he was seen to write a few hours before his death, contained the following words:--"Descended from an ancient and honourable family, I have, for fifteen years past, suffered more indigence than ever gentleman before submitted to. I am neglected by my acquaintance, traduced by my enemies, and insulted by the vulgar." Beneath the above was written:-- "Of laudanum, an ample dose Must all my present ills compose; But the best of laudanum all, I want; not resolution, but a ball." G.W.N. * * * * * POLYGAMY.