"After this a feaft was prepared; and the remainder of the day was spent in mutual prefents and congratulations, 66 19th. The morning began with firing, and I was introduced to the married pair. About nine o'clock the Nair women, to the number of forty or fifty, proceeded to the Pagoda, with fome offerings of flowers and rice. Thefe women are much fairer than the men, well made, with agreeable features, and of the most alluring appearance. "In the evening the Mopillas retired to their homes, and the Rajah entertained his Nairs with a Malabar play. At this exhibition there were prefent, befides my people, five or fix hundred Nair women, men, and children. It commenced at nine o'clock, and continued until fix the next morning. The actors were brought from a neighbouring country, and were judged excellent. They were dreffed in the moft fantaftic Merry. Andrew-like manner. The ftory, or moral, is reprefented by action, fcreams, and geftures, which did not appear to me very impreffive. A Bramin interpreted to me. Different characters of both fexes were introduced, and the intention of the piece was to exalt the character of the Bramins, making many allufions to the unfortunate condition of their country, and the infernal difpofition of their late perfecutors, who are exhibited in the form of Devils. Thefe infernals fwear to deftroy the world, and to put to death, in the first place, all the Bramins they fally forth on this defign, and commit many murders, and at laft meet a Bramin, against whom they advance quite furious. The Bramin, in deep meditation, continues his devotion without regarding them, which trikes them with reverence, and they proftrate them felves on the ground. The Bramin, full of benignity, difmiffes them with an exhortation, and his bleffing. The furies foon return to their former courfes, and are repeatedly forgiven; but the Bramin, perceiving the infincerity of their repentance, obtains their destruction from Bramah. "The reprefentation confifts of a variety of feparate ftories; one of them particularly engaged my attention: "A God marries two young and beautiful wives; they appear on each fide of him full of modefty and referve; he pays them the most affiduous love, which they return with affection, and without any appearance of jealoufy or uneafinefs. He dances with them night and day; but at last a little repole becomes neceflary, and he retires, leaving his wives embracing each other. This apparent cordiality does not laft long, and the God is hardly afleep before the rivals begin a fierce battle. The combatants awaken the God, and his prefence reftores order; but he is foon fenfible that it is impoffible to preferve peace between two wives. In his diftrels he applies to his Superior, Bramah, whe advifes him to keep one always afleep, which would give him the variety of twowithout the anxiety. This experiment does not fucceed: the waking Goddefs torments him with her jealoufy, and he is obliged to watch that she may not ftrangle her fleeping rival. In short, convinced that he is unable to manage. two wives, he furrenders them both to a greater God. "The Nair women appeared at this entertainment, and mingled with their male friends or relations with an agreeable freedom. The performance was accompanied by the country mufiç, vocal and inftru mental." ADNEY, OLD HOUSE, HACKNEY, [WITH A VIEW.] THIS ancient Building, fituate in Wellftreet, was the country refidence of the Prior of St. John of Jerufalem, who, to ufe the words of a celebrated Hiftorian, "was reckoned the first Baron of the King. dom; and who, for ftate and grandeur, vied with the King," and now, to fhew the change of human affairs, the principal apartment is inhabited by a chimney fweeper. The original name of the Church of Hackney was St. Auguftine; but, on a grant being made of certain poffeff ons in this parish to the Prior and Knights Hofpitallers of St. John, the European Magazine. Old House in Well Street Hackney, formerly the Residence of the Prior of S.John of Jerusalem ACCOUNT OF THE METHOD OF SUPPLYING ARTIFICIAL NOSES; AS PRACTISED BY THE NATIVES OF THE MALABAR COAST. MOST of our readers have no doubt heard of the formation and adaptation of artificial Nofes. In Europe this operation has been generally confidered as vifionary, and has afforded a fine theme for the ridicule of fome of our wits of the first order. For example, Addifon, Steele, and Pope have not overlooked the art of famed Taliacctius. This art, it appears, is actually practifed, and with great fuccefs, in the Western parts of India, by a caft of Hindoos, called Kamoos. An account of their method of performing this operation appears in a paper published in the Bombay Courier of the 4th April 1795, which we have extracted for the information of the curious : "It is much to be lamented that the Europeans, whofe talents have been devoted to the literature of India, have applied themselves rather to the fpeculative than to the practical parts of knowledge; and that their difcoveries, however meritorious, have been more curious than useful. "Although we cannot agree with those who look to India as the fource from whence Europe has derived every thing that is valuable in fcience, yet we must allow that it has been the fountain of much of our knowledge; and that the common practice of the neceffary arts of life among an ancient people would yet afford us not a little inftruction. "The progrefs that has been made in furgery for feveral centuries paft in Europe makes it little probable that any improvement could be expected from the natives of this country; but we think, that in two operations we may ftill receive instruction. The first of thefe is the depreffion of the Chrystalline lens, when it becomes opake; and the fecond, the formation of Noles. We may also remark, that with inftruments far more imperfect than ours, they perform the operation of Lithotomy in the very place which, by the conient of modern furgeons, is elteerned the beft. "The Hindoos certainly delerve the praife of making artificial Notes in a fuperior way to any people in the world; an art, unfortunately for them, the more neceffary, as in no part of the world is the practice of cutting off noles fo com mon. The procefs of repairing them was recommended in Europe about three hundred years ago, and was faid to have originated with the Calabrians, from whom it was received by the furgeons of Bologna. "The celebrated Taliacotius, fo unjuftly expofed by fome of our wits to ridicule, wrote a volume on thofe unions of living matter, under the title of "Chirurgia curiorum per Infitionem Mɛmbrorum." We have never had accefs to this work; but we have reafon to think, from the following extract from Fabricius ab aquapendente, that the operation in Europe was much inferior to the one in ufe in this country. "Si verô portio nate cartilaginea ex toto amputetur, infanabile hujufmodi eft vulnus. Ne tamen tanta ex abfciffo naso in facie appareret deformitas ars excogitavit reparare amissum nafum, et primi, qui modum reparandi nafum calluefi fuerunt Calabri, deinde devenit ad Medicos Bonopienfes. Eft tamen modus adeo laboriofus, difficilis et longus, ut ii qui huic fe fubmiferunt i rurfus indigerent nafi reparatione, non amplius fe fubmitterent. Fit fearificata portione pinnee nafi, deinde incifa cute bracchii refpondentis majori portioni rafi deperditæ, et applicata cute atque confuta cum parte fcarificata nali; bracchium poftea capiti alligatur, ita ut neque hinc neque inde unquam dimoveatur, quia fi moveretur, non fieret agglutinatio. Facta glutinatione, iterum fcarificatur nafus altis foarificationibus, et frequentibus, adeo ut Caro rubea appareat, et cicatricis reliquia non appareant tum vicina bracchii portio inciditur et apponitur, nafo et confuitur, atque hoc toties repetitur et afficitur, quoufque totus nafus fuerit fcarificatus, et cutis bracchii ex toto fuerit bracchio ablata, et nafo agglutinata. Multas animadverfiones in hujufmodi curatione proponerem nifi fcirem hujus rei profefforem magnum volumen in lucem dediffe." "From the above curious paffage it will be oblerved, that the object could not be effected until an adhefion had taken place between the arm and the mutilated nofe; and we may readily conceive, that an operation fo long and painful would foon fall into difufe." "We "We have feen a letter from Mr. Lucas, an ingenious furgeon of Madras, defcribing very particularly the operation of putting on Nofes, which in one cafe he himself performed with fuccefs. This differs but little from the Indian method practifed by the Koomas, a caft of Hindoos; with which, as it has been ably defcribed by a Gentleman who witneffed the process, we fhall conclude thefe obfervations. "Some religious ceremonies are firft performed: beetel and arrack put into the patient's hands, he is then laid upon his back, his arms ftretched along his fides on the ground, he is ordered, on no pretence whatever, to raise his arms during the operation; and they imprefs him with the idea, that it cannot be fuccessful unlefs he complies strictly with thefe injunctions. A plate of wax being previcully formed into the fhape of the defective nofe, it is Rattened and laid obliquely upon the forehead, fo as to avoid the hairy fcalp. The ale and feptum of the artificial nofe being placed upwards, the other extremity of it terminating at the indentation of the offa nafi with the os frontis, the operator marks out a portion of integuments equal to the fize of the flattened wax, and then diffects it from the pericranium, leaving a fmall flip undivided between the eye-brows, to preferve the circulation in the detached piece until an adhesion takes place between it and the fump of the nofe. He then cuts or pares off the cicatrix from the ftump of the nofe; and inmediately behind the excision he makes an incifion, into which the edge of the integuments are to be grafted or inferted. "As there remains a flip of tegu ments between the eye-brows undivided, the detached portion, when turned down, is twilted half round; fo that its recent furface may be applied to the face of the fcarified ftump, and the edge grafted into the above-described incifion, which extends along both ale to the fuperior part of the upper lip; a tranfverfe incifion is alfo made in the fuperior part of the upper lip, into which the feptum is inferted. Thus carefully grafting or inferting the fcalp, it is kept exactly in this fituation by a cement, called in this country Kitta, which is foftened with a little water, and fpread on long narrow bits of cotton cleth; five or fix of which are applied over each other upon the junction which forms an irregular triangle. The dreffing for the wound on the forehead is pieces of cloth dipped in ghee; the patient is defired to lie on his back five or fix days. Four days after the operation the cement is removed, and the junction only covered with cloth moistened in ghee or oil, which is renewed every day: neither ftitches, fticking plaifter, comprefs, nor bandages, are required. About ten days after the operation, round doffils, made of foft old cloth, are introduced into the nostrils to prevent them from contracting too much, which would happen if this precaution were neglected. "The connecting flip of integuments is generally divided about the 25th day; and on this occafion fome more diffection is neceffary, to effect an exact union, and to leave as little feam as poffible on the fuperior part of the arch of the nose." INSCRIPTIONS FOR VIRGIL'S INTENDED MONUMENT. GENERAL Miolis, who now commands in Mantua (whence Virgil has been called "The Mantuan Bard") lately fent a letter to the Magiftrates of that place, in which he expreffed his furprise at not being able to find, in the native city of Virgil, a fingle Monument erected to the memory of that illuftrious Poet; and fuggefted to them the propriety of raifing a Pyramid, however plain it might be, that fhould point out the place which had been honoured by the birth and refidence of the immortal Author of the Eneid, the Georgics, and the Eclogue. The Magiftrates, on the receipt of this letter, entering into the views of the writer, immediately published an invitation to the Artifts to prefent plans of a Pyramid to ftand upon a majestic pedestal, and which they intend to erect in the ville of Pietole, near the spot in which tradition fays Virgil was born. An area about it ON ONE SIDE THE FOLLOWING VERSES: fuperftit) Aonio rediens, deducam vertice mufas: ON THE SECOND: Olim Nec fpes libertatis erat, nec cura peculi. ON THE THIRD: O Meliboe, Deus nobis hæc otia fecit. ON THE FOURTH: Natal. Pub. Virgilii Maronis facrum. The fecond and third Infcriptions evidently bear an allufion to the prefent flate of Mantua, and the third pays a high compliment to Buonaparte. |