FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   >>  
ed into _Kavelingen_; as lots of land were formerly measured by strings of cord, _kavel_, _kabel_, _cable_. Vide Tuinman _Trakkel_, d. n. t. p. 165. _Kavelloten_ is to receive a cavell by _lot._ cf. _Idem, Verrolg_, p. 97. JANUS DOUSA. _Lord Kingsborough's Antiquities of Mexico._--Has Lord Kingsborough's splendid work on Mexican hieroglyphics ever been completed or not? J.A. GILES. [This magnificent work has been recently completed by the publication of the eighth volume, which may, we believe, be procured from Mr. Henry Bohn.--ED.] _Aerostation_ (Vol. ii., p. 199.).--The article BALLOON, in the _Penny Cyclopaedia_, would give C.B.M. a good many references. The early works there mentioned are those of Faujas de St. Fond, Bourgeois, and Cavallo; to which I add the following: Thomas Baldwin, _Airopaidia, containing the Narrative of a Balloon Excursion from Chester, Sept_. 8. 1785. Chester, 1786, 8vo. (pp. 360.). Vincent Lunardi published the account of his voyage (the first made in England) in a series of letters to a friend. The title is torn out in my copy. The first page begins, "An Account of the First Aerial Voyage in England. Letter I. London, July 15. 1784." (8vo. pp. 66 + ii. with a plate.) It ends with a poetical epistle to Lunardi by "a gentleman well known in the literary world" (query, the same who is thus cited in our day?) from which the following extracts are taken as a specimen of the original balloon jokes:-- "The multitude scarcely believed that a man, With his senses about him could form such a plan, And thought that as Bedlam was so very nigh, You had better been there than turned loose in the sky. * * * * * "In their own way of thinking, all felt and all reasoned, Greedy aldermen judged that your flight was ill-seasoned, That you'd better have taken a good dinner first, Nor have pinched your poor stomach by hunger or thirst. "In perfect indifference the beau yawned a blessing, And feared before night that your hair would want dressing; But the ladies, all zeal, sent their wishes in air, For a man of such spirit is ever their care. "Attornies were puzzled how now they could sue you, Underwriters, what premium they'd now take to do you; While the sallow-faced Jew, of his monies so fond, Thanked Moses he never had taken your bond." Mr. Baldwin ascended in Lunardi's balloon, the latter being prese
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   >>  



Top keywords:
Lunardi
 

balloon

 

England

 

Chester

 
completed
 
Baldwin
 

Kingsborough

 
Thanked
 

monies

 

senses


dressing

 

Bedlam

 
sallow
 

thought

 
ascended
 
literary
 

epistle

 

gentleman

 
multitude
 

scarcely


believed

 

original

 

extracts

 
specimen
 

premium

 
wishes
 

dinner

 

feared

 

poetical

 

flight


seasoned

 

pinched

 
indifference
 

yawned

 

perfect

 

ladies

 
stomach
 
hunger
 

thirst

 

puzzled


turned

 

Underwriters

 

Attornies

 

Greedy

 
aldermen
 

judged

 
reasoned
 

thinking

 
spirit
 

blessing