of more than thirty miles, twelve miles of and San José de Cucuta, with all the which went straight through one of the neighboring towns, was destroyed on May forests of that country. And a drive 16-18, 1875. Still, these are exceptions through such a forest in summer is beau- to a very general rule, and there was no tiful and charming enough; but in the real reason to expect that the severe dark, grey winter, it is a very dreary ex- shocks of February 23rd would be reperience. The carriage hardly ever met peated on the following day, or after. Of a single living thing; a stray huntsman, course, where houses and hotels were renperhaps, or a party of woodcutters, or a dered actually uninhabitable the inmates frightened deer rushing into a thicket. had no choice but to decamp; but this And then G— itself, - - the old servants was not invariably, or even usually, the dead or in second childhood, their mis- case. It must be owned that life on the tress failing fast, the doors in the corridor Riviera is not bracing to the nerves. The all shut, the damp alleys of the park de- pure pursuit of health or of pleasure was serted. Cold winds blew straight through never supposed to make heroes; and then the house, which stands on a hill, and it there is all the rest the sun, the orangerequired some courage to come out of trees, the blue, tideless sea, the far niente, one's room, wrapped in shawls, and walk the small talk of the table d'hôte, the susalong the freezing, silent passages, and pension of all active duties, of all habitual down to the great empty halls below, where obligations - what wonder if the sum total immense wood fires blazing up the chim- produce enervation? Then, too, there neys only seemed, in some mysterious was the sense of absolute security. As a way, to make the house more lonely still. matter of fact, the Genoese coast expeIt is all over now. Ghas passed rienced a sharp earthquake in 1819, and into other and younger hands; the mar- from very ancient times the peasants have quise is at rest. Perhaps, when another believed that the so-called Monte Nero, century has gone by, another chapter in which rises behind Ospedaletti, is an unthe history of the old house more or developed volcano. But confidence was less eventful, who knows?— may be told the order of the day, and any one who in from another memory. the last hours of the carnival had hinted at a Ligurian Casamicciola would have been laughed to scorn. So everything combined to heighten the effect of the awakening, and, obedient to the first uncontrollable impulse of fear, the tens of thousands fled.

E.

From The Saturday Review. INCIDENTS OF THE EARTHQUAKE. THE earthquake on the western Riviera will be always memorable for the opportunities it gave of studying the contagion of fear among educated people. Most persons are as unwilling to acknowledge that they are without presence of mind as that they are without a sense of humor; and, when all is going on well and smoothly, we are apt to think that there is something savage in panic, something, at any rate, only partly civilized, and more proper to the unwashed stratum of society than to our superior selves. But, alas! that shaking on Ash Wednesday morning threw the thousands and tens of thousands of winter visitors to the sunny south into a state of utter terror which sent them flying in all directions, when a moment's calm thought would have enabled them to see that, for their own comfort and convenience, they would in most instances * have done much better to stay where they were. Serious earthquakes do sometimes come in pairs; Canton was convulsed on the 26th and 27th of May, 1830; Peru and Ecuador suffered on August 13-15, 1868, |

Meanwhile, in the little mountain villages where for the most part not one tourist has ever set foot, the real sufferers were beginning to count up their dead, and bring aid, if haply aid might be brought, to their wounded or dying. The earthquake had left erring Monte Carlo with hardly a stone displaced, to wreck ruin on these humble homes, on these pious folk, the majority of whom were engaged in saying their prayers. Some very serious damage was done in several of the less frequented of the coast towns, notably at Porto Maurizio; but the great calamities were reserved for the adjacent village of Diano Marina, and the small mountain hamlets of Bussana, Baiardo, Castellaro, Ceriana, San Romolo, Taggia Altanames unknown to English travellers, with the exception of Taggia, where many English pilgrims have gone to see the house of the Signora Eleanora in “Dr. the house where Ruffini's Antonio " mother, the original of that beautiful character, lived, and where Ruffini himself died two or three years ago. It is now a heap

of ruins. It was strange to see at Taggia | the men had escaped by taking refuge on the crumbling walls scraps of the hand- under the arches of the side altars, the bills which the previous day had invited rest were crushed by the roof falling in, the belle ragazze to the rustic carnival which happened instantaneously. The dance. priest scrambled on to the ruined stones, At Diano Marina the dead amounted to and cried in a loud voice, "My children, two hundred and fifty. The unfortunate trust in God's mercy. I absolve you all fishing village lies now amongst its cac-in articulo mortis." At Baiardo the tuses and rich southern vegetation with church fell at the moment when the priest the quiet sea washing its shore- -a picture was distributing the ashes, according to of desolation. Most of the men were custom on Ash Wednesday. Three hunaway in their boats, so that the victims dred were buried. Some days after some were chiefly women and children. The women were seen kneeling on the road survivors, who have lost their all, are which overlooks the cemetery of Baiardo; calm and do not beg; they hide even their when asked what they were about, one tears from the gaze of the curious. Here old dame replied simply, Preguoma pei and elsewhere the behavior of the Ligu- morti nostri; me figgieu è là." (We pray rian population in the midst of this sore for our dead; my son is there.) At Pomtrial has been admirable. The cases of peiana the safety of the inhabitants was theft and pillage which often disgrace due to their being in church; for the three humanity on such occasions have been aisles were solidly constructed, and realmost absent, and almost everywhere thesisted, while the hamlet was reduced to people have worked nobly at the perilous ruins. At Apricale and at Ceriana the task of searching for the wounded and discovering the dead. Many lives have been lost in attempts at rescue. At Diano an old Garibaldian named Bono was killed in this way; in another place six members of a rescue party were crushed to death. Needless to say that the conduct of the military despatched from Genoa to assist in the work of mercy was beyond all praise. Once or twice there was some difficulty in persuading the peasants to help in burying their poor dead in the rough and ready fashion which alone was possible. At Baiardo, a village cradled among snow-capped mountains nearly three thousand feet above the sea, where the victims numbered two hundred and twenty-six, it was necessary to threaten a general cremation to induce the people to place the bodies in the two monster graves dug for their reception. One poor woman, who had dragged what was left of her husband to her house, absolutely refused to part with it until a rude coffin had been knocked together so as to give it the honors of a separate burial. At Castellaro, a hamlet of eight hundred souls, situated on a mule-track above Taggia, high mass was being said, and the old priest was reciting the last prayers at the altar, when he heard a tremendous noise, and instinctively he rushed out. by the door leading to the presbytery. "Afterwards, signore," he said, when relating his experience, "oh! afterwards a burst of sobbing stopped his utterance; presently he added, "I had baptised them all; I looked upon them as my children, and they were dead, all at once!" A few of

churches fell in; but no one was hurt,
because, in the one case, the priest had
been suddenly sent for to take the viaticum
to a dying person, and all his congregation
had followed him to form part of the pro-
cession, and, in the other, mass had been
deferred, the parroco having to perform a
funeral. At Bussana, where, unlike most
of the places, the people were too terror-
stricken to help in the rescue, which was
effected solely by soldiers, several people
were got out alive after a confinement of
two or three days. A mother and daugh-
ter thus rescued thought that they had
been immured for only half a day. A
young man, who had lain quite naked for
two days and a half in a narrow but secure
crevice, was hardly freed when he sprang
to his feet, and when offered a bottle of
wine exclaimed eagerly, "Is it for me?"
On receiving an answer in the affirmative,
he swallowed most of the contents.
house in the same village were found be-
neath the ruins two brothers clasped in a
last embrace. Only the hand of one of
them had been left uncovered. These
brothers had a little tame sparrow; the
shock of the earthquake opened its cage,
so that the bird, flying forth, escaped in
safety. There it was, perched on the out-
stretched hand of its dead master.

In a

At Ceriana a poor man, who earned his living as a milk-carrier, was supposed to have gone on his ordinary rounds, on which he started at four o'clock in the morning. No one, therefore, thought of inquiring about him; but the fact was that, having taken a glass or two of wine in honor of the carnival, he had overslept

himself, and was still asleep when his | raphy has revolutionized the newspaper cottage fell down upon him. He had a press; and building societies have proved large dog, which drew the little cart bear- of immense benefit to the thrifty among ing the milk up the mountain paths, and the working classes. The jubilee of these the dog by chance was outside and safe. will no doubt be fittingly celebrated durHe found out where his master lay, and ing the present year; but the jubilee for succeeded in clearing the masonry so as which 1887 will be remembered in English to uncover his head, which was bleeding. history will be the completion of the fifty He then set to work to lick the wounds; years' reign of Queen Victoria. but, seeing that they went on bleeding, and also that he could not liberate the rest of the body, he started in search of help, running up and down among the surrounding ruins till he met some one whom he caught hold of by the clothes. The man, however, thought the dog was mad, and fled for his life. Luckily another man guessed the truth, and allowed himself to be guided to the spot. Thus the poor milk-carrier was saved, and the ex-minister of public works, Signor Genala, paid a visit to him where he lay, under a tent, with his head bound up and his dog stretched by his side.

A royal jubilee is not an every-day occurrence, and hitherto only three of England's monarchs have lived to rule for fifty years over the nation - namely, Henry III., who sat on the throne for fiftysix years; Edward III., who lived for six months after completing his jubilee; and George III., who reigned for sixty years.

Because, therefore, of its rarity, a sovereign's jubilee is always made the occasion of general rejoicing. Respecting the celebration of Henry's fifty years' rule, very little is recorded; but concerning that of Edward we learn that "he laid hold of that era as the occasion of his perform. Signor Genala, it may be added, won ing many popular acts of government; the hearts of these unhappy people by his that he had given orders to issue out genprompt arrival on the scene, and by the eral and special pardons without paying obstinacy with which he insisted on visit- any fees, for recalling all exiles, and seting all the most dangerous places, where ting at liberty all debtors to the crown and the walls were still falling. He is a young all prisoners for political matters. The man, a native of Cremona; it is not many Parliament, on their parts, not to be wantyears since we heard him make his maiden ing in gratitude, having obtained their petispeech at Monte Citorio. His gallant tions, on the day of their rising presented conduct has been much appreciated by the king with a duty of twenty-six shilthe country and by the king, who, daunt-lings and eightpence upon every sack of less himself, is a keen admirer of personal wool for three years, besides continuing courage in others.

From Chambers' Journal. JUBILEE YEARS. EIGHTEEN hundred and eighty-seven will be a year of jubilees. Among the things which will see their fifty years' life between now and Christmas, and which have proved of immense advantage to the community, will be the practical application of electricity as a means of communication, the introduction of phonography by Isaac Pitman, and the establishing of building societies. Concerning the utility of these to the nation, or in the case of the two first-named it might be said, respecting their usefulness to the entire world, that it is scarcely necessary to write a single word, their advantages to the human race being so well known. By means of the electric telegraph, the antipodes is practically brought within speaking distance of our shores; Pitman's phonog

the former duties upon wools, fells, and skins. This year (1377), being a year of jubilee, was spent in hunting throughout the great forests of England, and other magnificent diversions, in which the king laid out an immense sum.'

By reason of the progress of civilization, and the consequent facilities for chronicling important events slow though they were-particulars as to how the jubilee of George III. was celebrated are more plentiful than in the case of either of the sovereigns to which we have referred. How best to celebrate King George's fifty years' reign caused no little concern to his Majesty's subjects. The occasion was indeed an auspicious one, for a like occurrence had not taken place in England for nearly four and a half centuries. As may be imagined, suggestions almost without number were made as to what would be the most fitting manner in which to celebrate so interesting and rare an event. Among the proposals made was one which sounds somewhat droll to our minds was that each loyal citizen of London

it

ness.

should attire himself in Windsor uniform | stations; and all persons confined for milon the day of jubilee; and that the ladies itary offences were released. He likewise should array themselves in dresses of granted the officers of the army and navy royal-blue velvet or satin, and should be- a general brevet promotion; that of the deck their headdresses with devices em- navy consisting of five admirals, ten viceblematical of the occasion. When we admirals, ten rear-admirals, twenty postconsider the grotesque appearance which captains, and twenty commanders, all the streets would have presented had the being taken in regular succession from suggestion been carried out, we can hardly the top of their respective lists. Persons suppress a smile at the absurd idea, imprisoned for debts due to the crown though the proposal appears to have been were also released, except those whose brought forward in all earnestness, and to cases were distinguished by peculiar cirhave been received with the utmost sober- cumstances of violence or fraud, as well as all instances of official delinquency; Among the suggestions which were car- the latter exception being made on acried into practice was one -as is custom-count of a determination arrived at by his ary on the occasion of incidents of national Majesty never to screen from punishment interest- - that a medal should be struck those who had abused the power derived to commemorate the event. This bears from him to the injury of his subjects. on the obverse a bust of the king, together All prisoners of war hitherto on parole with his title and the dates of his acces- were permitted to return to their own sion and jubilee ·October 25, 1760, and countries, except the French, who were October 25, 1809, respectively. On the debarred the privilege because of the unreverse is a representation of England as paralleled severity of their ruler in detainfame seated on clouds and triumphing over ing all British subjects in France. mortality. There is likewise a throne, illuminated by rays from heaven, and a centenary circle, one half of which shows the duration of his Majesty's reign up to that period.

The imprisonment of debtors for small liabilities was at that time a pressing social evil. The Morning Post drew attention to the matter, and suggested that the best way of celebrating the king's jubilee would be for the residents in London to subscribe a sufficient sum of money to release the persons confined for debt in the City. The debtors were some seventy-two in number, and their liabilities amounted to a little more than two thousand pounds. The proposal met with hearty approval; and the nccessary amount was speedily subscribed. In other parts of the country the same suggestion was acted upon; and his Majesty was so much in favor of the scheme, that he gave two thousand pounds out of his privy purse for the release of poor debtors in England and Wales, the distribution of the money being intrusted to the Society for the Relief of Persons confined for Small Debts. He likewise appropriated one thousand pounds for a similar purpose in Scotland, and one thousand pounds in Ireland, out of funds remaining at his disposal.

His Majesty further signalized his fifty years' rule by other gracious acts; for instance, he granted a free pardon to all deserters from the army and navy, without the severe condition usually attendant thereon of serving upon the most odious

The nation generally gave vent to its loyalty on the occasion of the king's jubilee, and high festival was held throughout the country, the Englishman's characteristic of celebrating important or interesting events by feasting being extremely prominent. In the metropolis there were municipal pageants, splendid illuminations, and abundant feasting. The lord mayor (Sir Charles Flower) proceeded in state to a thanksgiving service at St. Paul's; and salutes of artillery, fired by regular troops and by corps of volunteers, went on for a great part of the day. Treats were given to the inmates of the various charitable institutions, and innumerable private hospitalities took place. Services were held at the Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Jewish places of worship; and perhaps the most touching incident connected with these was that witnessed in the Jewish synagogue, where a sermon was preached from Leviticus xxv. 13: "In the year of this jubilee ye shall return every man into his possession." The whole of the twenty-first Psalm was afterwards sung to the tune of "God Save the King."

Windsor, the royal borough, was the scene of great rejoicings. As early as six o'clock in the morning the sound of trumpets was heard; and later in the day the bells of the various churches rang merry peals, and a parade of household troops, militia, and volunteers took place. Between eight and nine o'clock, the king, queen, and members of the royal family

Like celebrations took place in the various towns throughout the country, the

attended service in the private_chapel; | We also learn that at the close of the fireand subsequently, the queen, Princess works display "two cars or chariots drawn Elizabeth, and others, drove to Frogmore by seahorses, in one of which was a figure to inspect the preparations for a fête, on representing Britannia, in the other a reptheir way passing under triumphal arches resentative of Neptune, appeared majestiand between lines of soldiers. The fête, cally moving on the bosom of the lake, which was held in the evening, was given followed by four boats filled with persons by the queen, and was attended by a select dressed to represent Tritons, etc. These circle of guests. At one o'clock the queen, last were to have been composed of chorwith a brilliant retinue, and the mayor isters, who were to have sung 'God Save and corporation of Windsor, walked to the the King on the water, but, unfortuBachelors' Acre—a large piece of vacant nately, the crowd assembled was so imground near the centre of the town mense, that those who were to have sung where an ox and some sheep were roast- could not gain entrance." ing whole, the former having been put on the spit at two o'clock in the morning, so that it might be cooked by one in the after-proceedings in each instance to a great noon. The royal party were received by fifty bachelors, who conducted them to the fire at which the ox was roasting, after which they inspected the culinary arrangements. The butchers who had charge of the cooking of the ox and sheep, the latter of which were put on the fire at nine o'clock, and were stuffed with potatoes, were (shade of Beau Brummell!) dressed in blue frocks and silk stockings. When the animals were ready, they were distributed among the crowd in the presence of the royal party, who were offered and graciously accepted the first slices, the same being served up to them on silver plates by the butchers and bachelors. Afterwards, the distinguished company were entertained to a private banquet; and subsequently they returned to the castle. Of course, rejoicings of this character would at that time have been incomplete without the old English sport of bull-baiting being indulged in, and accordingly we find that this barbarous diversion was provided for the afternoon's entertainment. In the course of the day, fifty pieces of cannon were discharged in Windsor Park, and there was a royal inspection of troops and great feu de joie in the Long Walk. At night the town was brilliantly illuminated. The fête at Frogmore was a grand affair, and the pyrotechnic display on the This was the last royal jubilee witnessed banks of the lake at the conclusion of the in England. But on the 20th June next, rejoicings was very fine. Among the fifty years will have elapsed since our illuminated structures was an elegant Gre- present ruler, then a girl of eighteen, ascian temple, which, we are told, was cended the throne; and how most fitly to "erected on a mount surrounded by eight celebrate the event is a problem which is beautiful marble pillars. The interior of at present perturbing the minds of various the temple was lined with purple, and in classes of her Majesty's subjects both at the centre was a large transparency of the home and abroad. Within living memory, Eye of Providence, fixed as it were upon "the days of fifty years ago, when George a portrait of his Majesty, surmounted by the Third was king," were thought of and stars of lamps." Tea and coffee were sung about as the best in our annals. served in marquees, and supper was pro- But to-day a different opinion prevails; vided in the dining-rooms at midnight. for it is acknowledged by all that the glo

extent necessarily resembling each other. The day was generally observed as a national holiday; and in almost all corporate towns a civic procession to the church or cathedral was one of the chief features of the occasion; whilst in those places in which military were stationed, numerous volleys were fired by the soldiers in honor of the event. Feasting was indulged in to an enormous extent by all classes, the poor being entertained by their more wealthy neighbors; and the inauguration of charitable institutions and benevolent societies was a characteristic of the jubilee. In keeping with the custom of the times, ox-roastings took place all over the country; and "good old ale" was distributed with the greatest lavishness. In rural districts, most of the nobility and gentry kept open house, and provided entertainments for their poorer neighbors; employers feasted their servants, and "the king, and long life to him," toasted with the utmost enthusiasm throughout the land. Dancing was carried on upon the village green; and balls, bonfires, and pyrotechnic displays concluded the rejoicings of a day on which high and low, rich and poor, had vied with each other in showing loyalty to their sovereign.

was