onet, who has received fo many wounds in the cause of Venus, that his whole carcafe is a corrupted mafs of distempers. Hector immediately made up to the fame corner of the affembly, and for two or three moments, with great brifknefs, fnuffled about this hero's garments, and then with a mortified look, taking two or three traverses round the room, he hung his ears, and with his tail between his legs, fairly fcampered down ftairs, notwithstanding the repeated calls we made after him. As I always regarded the actions of this beaft as fomewhat above common instinct, for he is a remarkable cunning creature, this immediately struck me, and I ran down after him, where I found him drinking out of a gutter that ran from a pump before the door; that finished, he rolled himself in the duft two or three times, gave fome yelps, and quietly laid himself before the threshold to wait our coming out; nor could all my intreaties or menaces get him in again. Is there any thing furprising in this? No-the gentleman was grown fuch a stink-pot, that even a brute could not endure him, and was forced to ufe methods to get rid of the hautgout, even after he had left him. Indeed, we, more complaifant than honeft Hector, ftood the whole naufeous perfume, at the expence of fickened ftomachs, to preferve the appearance of good manners: If perfons who have reduced themfelves to fo low an ebb by their vices, had any modefty remaining, they would not pefter public places with their company, and endanger the lofs of many a good cur, whofe nofe may not be fo complaifant as their mafters. And let me tell them, that a good dog is of infinitely more worth, and fills up his rank in the creation with much greater grace and decorum, than fuch filthy mongrels as they do, who have forfeited all right to humanity, and rendered themselves more despicable than the beaft that perifheth. Shadowy remains of guilty pleasure! Relics of difaftrous debauchery! they but crawl about to the offence of their fellow-creatures, and when the fatal fifters, at last, taking compaffion upon the fufferings of those about them, cut the fine fpun hair of their lives, they drop, and are a bye-word to pofterity. Dogs of all kinds are fenfible when they encounter fuch wretched objects; nay, within thefe few days I have obferved more than ordinarily their actions in the street, and found they have made a large circuit to avoid fome perfons who have looked pallid and emaciated, whilst they have paffed clofe by thofe of fanguine, heal thy phizes. B b 194 Some Account of S. BISSET, the extraordinary Teacher of Animals and a Wonderful Inftance of Eccentricity and Patience. P (From the Anthologia Hibernica.) ERHAPS no period has produced fo fingular a character as Biffet; though in this age of apathy, his merit was but little rewarded. At any former æra of time, the man who could affume a command over the dumb creation, and make them act with a docility which went far beyond mere brutal inftinct, would have been looked upon as poffeffed of fupernatural powers, ac cording to the Pagan notions; or, be burned as a wizard, according to the chriftian fystein. Biffet was born at Perth, in Scotland, about the year 1721; he had one or two brothers bred to the watch-making business, who' fettled in this kingdom; but having himself ferved a regular time to a fhoe-maker, and a remarkable hand at what is called women's work; he went to London, where he married a woman' who brought him fome property, turned broker, and continued to accumulate money, until the notion of teaching the quadruped kind attracted his attention in the year 1739. Reading an account of a remarkable horse fhewn at the fair of St. Germain's, curiofity led him to try his hand on a horfe and a dog which he' bought in London, and he fucceeded beyond all expectation. Two monkies were the next pupils he took in hand, one of which he taught to dance and tumble on the rope, whilft the other held a candle, with one paw, for his companion, and with the other played a barrel organ. These antic animals he also instructed to play feveral fanciful tricks, fuch as drinking to the company, riding and tumbling upon the horfe's back, and going through feveral regular dances with the dog. Being a man of unwearied patience, three young cats were the next objects of his tuition. He taught thofe domeftic tigers, to ftrike their paws in fuch directions on the dulcimer, as to produce feveral regular tunes, having mufic books before them, and fqualling at the fame time in different keys or tones, firft, fecond, and third, by way of concert. In fuch a city as London, such a matter could not fail of making fome noife; his houfe was every day crouded, and great interruption given to his bufinefs. Among the refe he was vifited by an ex-' hibitor of wonders;-Pinchbeck, brother to the little gentleman whofe elegant trifling in the toy-way has been well known to attract the attention of royalty. This gentleman advised him to a public exhibition of his animals at the Haymarket, and even prov mised, on receiving a moiety, to be concerned in the exhibition. Biffet agreed, but the day before the performance, Finchbeck deelined, and the other was left to act for himself. The well known Cat's Opera was advertised in the Haymarket; the horse, the dog, the monkeys, and the cats, went through their feveral parts, with uncommon applause, to crouded houses; and in a few days Biffer found himfelf poffeffed of near a thousand pounds profit to reward his ingenuity. This fuccefs excited a defire of extending his dominion over other animals, including even the feathered kind. He procured a leveret, and reared it to beat feveral marches on the drum with its hind legs, until it became a good ftout hare. This creature which is always fet down as the most timid, he has declared to the writer of this article, to be as mischievous and bold an animal, to the extent of its power, as any he has known. He taught Cana❤ ry birds, linnets, and fparrows, to fpell the name of any person in company, to diftinguifh the hour and minute of time, and play many other surprising fancies; he trained fix turkey-cocks to go through a regular country-dance; but in doing this he confeffed he adopted the Eaftern method, by which camels are made to dance, by heating the floor. In the course of fix months teaching, he made a turtle fetch and carry like a dog; and having chalked the floor, and blackened its claws, could direct it to trace out any given name of the company. It is not, however, imagined, that the very great time he employed in teaching those different creatures, could ever make him a return for the neglect of his industry. He found himself constrained, in the course of a few years, to make an itinerant exhibition of part of his groupe, and to fell fome others of them. In the year 1775, he fhewed his animals in this city, to the very great aftonishment of thousands; after which he took the north-weft circuit of the kingdom, and fettled at length at Belfast, where he established himself in a public-houfe, determined to have nothing more to do with any other but the rational part of animated nature. But the habits and the amufements of life cannot be all at once abandoned. He trained a dog and a cat (now in the poffeffion of his widow at Belfaft,) to go through many amazing performances. His confidence even led him to try experiments on a goldfifh, which he did not defpair of making perfectly tractable. fome time afterwards, a doubt being started to him, whether the obftinacy of a pig could be conquered, his ufual patient fortitude was practifed to try the experiment. He bought a black fucking pig in the market of Belfalt for three fhillings, and trained it to lie under the stool, or kit, on which he fat at his work. At various intervals, during fix or feven months, he tried in vain to bring the young boar to his purpose; and defpairing of every kind of fuccefs, he was on the point of giving it away, when it ftruck him to adopt a new mode of teaching; in confequence of which, in the courfe of fixteen months, he made an animal, fuppofed the most obftinate and perverse in nature, to become the most tractable. In Auguft 1783, he once again turned itinerant, and brought his learned pig to Dublin, where it was first fhewn for two or three nights at Ranelagh. It was not only under full command, but appeared as pliant and good natured as a spaniel. When the weather having made it neceffary he should remove to the city, he obtained the permiffion of the chief magiftrate, and advertised the pig in Dame-ftreet. It was feen two or three days by many perfons of condition, to fpell without any apparent direction, the name or names of thofe in company, to caft up accounts, and to point out even the words thought of by perfons prefent; to tell exactly the hour, minutes, and feconds; to point out the married and unmarried; to kneel and, make his obeifance to the compa ny, &c. &c. Poor Biffet was thus in a fair way of "bringing his pig to a good market," when a man, whofe ignorance and infolence difgraced authority, broke into the room, without any fort of pretext, and armed with that brutality which the idea of power gives (what Shakespeare calls,) "a pelting petty officer," he affaulted the inoffending man, broke and deftroyed every thing by which the performance was directed, and drew his fword to kill the fwine, which Pope would have called half-reafoning, inftead of grovelling-an animal, that in the practice of good manners, was at leaft the fuperior of the affailant. The injured Biffet pleaded, without any purpofe, the permiffion he obtained from the chief magiftrate: he was threatened to be dragged to prifon, if he was found any more offending in the fame manner; in confequence of which he was constrained to return home, but not before the agitation of his mind had thrown him into a fit of illnefs, from which he never effectually recovered; and died a few days after at Chefter, on his way to London. NARRATIVE, AN ACCOUNT OF THE SPANISH BIRD HERMIT, In Montferrat Hermitage. HE mountain of Montferrat is fituate in Catalonia, and has Tmany hermitages difperfed about the higher parts. Mr. Thickneffe, whofe travels have afforded the public much entertainment and useful information, gives us the following account of a vifit he paid to the Bird-Hermit, fo called, because the feathered tribe are his conftant affociates. The fecond hermitage, in the order they are ufually vifited, is that of St. Catherine, fituated in a deep and folitary vale; it, however, commands a moft extenfive and pleafing profpect at noon-day to the eaft and weft. The buildings, garden, &c. are confined within fmall limits, being fixed in a molt picturefque and fecure recefs under the foot of one of the high pines. Though this hermit's habitation is the most retired and folitary abode of any, and far removed from the din of men, yet the courteous, affable, and sprightly inhabitant feems not to feel the lofs of human fociety, though no man, I think, can be a greater ornament to human nature, If he is not much accuftomed to hear the voice of men, he is amply recompenced by the mellifluous notes of birds; for it is their fanctuary as well as his; for no part of the mountain is fo well inhabited by the feathered race of beings as this delightful fpot. Perhaps, indeed, they have fagacity enough to know, that there is no other fo perfectly fecure. Here the nightingale, the blackbird, the linnet, and an infinite variety of little fongfters, greater ftrangers to my eyes than fearful of my hands, dwell in perfect fecurity, and live in the most friendly intimacy with their holy protector, and obedient to his call: for, fays the hermit, "Hafte here, ye feather'd race of various fong, O come, ye tender, faithful, plaintive doves, Perch on my hands, and fing your absent loves!" When inftantly the whole vocal band quit their sprays, and furround the perfon of their daily benefactor, fome fettling upon his beard; and, in the true fenfe of the word, take his bread even out of his mouth; but it is freely given; their confidence is fo great, (for the holy father is their bondfman) that the ftranger too partakes of their familiarity and careffes. Thefe hermits are not allowed to keep within their walls either dog, cat, bird, or any living thing, left their attention fhould be withdrawn from heavenly to earthly affections. I am forry to arraign this good man; he cannot be faid to tranfgrefs the law, but he certainly evades it; for though his feathered band do not live within his walls, they are always attendant upon his court: nor can any prince or princefs upon earth boaft of heads fo elegantly plumed, as may be feen at the court of St. Catharine; or of vaffals, who pay their tributes with half the chearfulness they are given and received by the humble monarch of this fequeftered vale. If his meals are fcanty, his defert is ferved up with a fong, and he is hufhed to fleep by the nightingale; and when we confider, that he has but few days in the whole year which are inferior to fome of our best in the months of May and June, you may eafily conceive, that a man who breathes fuch pure air, who feeds on fuch light food, whofe blood circulates freely from moderate exercife, and whofe mind is never ruffled by worldly affairs; whofe fhort fleeps are fweet and refreshing, and who lives confident of finding in death a more heavenly refidence; lives a life to be envied, not pitied. Turn but your eyes one minute from this man's fituation, to that of any monarch or minifter on earth, and fay, on which fide does the balance turn? While fome princes may be embruing their hands in the blood of their fubjects, this man is offering up his prayers to God to preferve all mankind; whilft fome minifters are fending forth fleets and armies to wreak their own private vengeance on a brave and uncorrupted people, this folitary man is feeding, from his own fcanty allowance, the birds of the air. Conceive him, in his laft hour, upon his ftraw bed, and fee with what |