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THE COURANT; A SOUTHERN LITERARY JOURNAL. 95
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during that time had fallen, the merchant paid, according to
agreement, only ten per cent. "So that my father," said the
son, "received 700 florins for nothing; but he would much
rather have delivered the root itself for 7000." The term of
these contracts was often much shorter, and on that account the
trade became brisker. In proportion as more gained by this traf-
fic, more engaged in it: and those who had money to pay to one,
had soon money to receive of another, as at faro, one loses upon
one card, and at the same time wins on another. The tulip-
dealers often discounted sums also, and transferred their debts
to one another; so that large sums were paid without cash,
without bills, and without goods, as by the virements of Lyons.
The whole of this trade was a game at hazard, as the Missis-
sippi trade was afterwards, and as stock-jobbing is at present.
The only difference between the tulip-trade and stock-jobbing
is, that at the end of the contract the price in the latter is de-
termined by the Stock-exchange; whereas in the former it was
determined by that at which most bargains were made. High
and low priced kinds of tulips were procured, in order that
both the rich and the poor might gamble with them; and the
roots were weighed by perits, that an imagined whole might be
divided and that people might not only have whole, but half
and quarter lots. Whoever is surprised that such a traffic
should become general, needs only to reflect upon what is done
when lotteries are established, by which trades are often ne-
glected, and even abandoned, because a speedier mode of getting
fortunes is pointed out to the lower classes. In short, the tulip
trade may very well serve to explain stock-jobbing, of which so
much is written in gazettes, and of which so many talk in com-
pany without understanding it; and I hope, on that account, I
shall be forgiven for employing so much time in illustrating
what I should otherwise have considered as below my notice.
At length, however, this trade fell all of a sudden. Among
such a number of contracts many were broken; many had en-
gaged to pay more than they were able; the whole stock of the
adventurers was consumed by the extravagance of the winners;
new adventurers no more engaged in it; and many, becoming
sensible of the odious traffic in which they had been concerned,
returned to their former occupations. By these mans, as the
value of tulips still fell, and never rose, the sellers wished to
deliver the roots in natura to the purchasers at the prices agreed
on, but as the latter had no desire for tulips, at even such a low
rate, they refused to take them or to pay for them. To end
this dispute, the tulip-dealers of Alkmaar sent, in the year 1637,
deputies to Amsterdam; and a resolution was passed on the
24th of February, that all contracts made prior to the last of
November 1636 should be null and void; and that, in those
made after that date, purchasers should be free on paying ten
per cent. to the vender.
The more people became disgusted with this trade, the more
did complaints increase to the magistrates of the different towns,
but as the courts there would take no cognizance of it, the
complainants applied to the states of Holland and West Fries-
land. These referred the business to the determination of the
provincial council at the Hague, which, on the 27th of April,
1637, declared that it would not deliver its opinion on this traf-
fic until it had received more information on the subject; that
in the meantime every vender should offer his tulips to the pur-
chaser; and in case he refused to receive them, the vender
should either keep them, or sell them to another, and have re-
course on the purchaser for any loss he might sustain. It was
ordered also, that all contracts should remain in force till fur-
ther inquiry was made. But as no one could foresee what
judgment would be given respecting the validity of each con-
tract, the buyers were more obstinate in refusing payment than
before; and venders, thinking it much safer to accommodate
matters amicably, were at length satisfied with a small profit
instead of exorbitant gain; and thus ended this extraordinary
traffic, or rather gambling.
It is, however, certain that persons fond of flowers, particu-
larly in Holland, have paid, and still pay, very high prices for
tulips, as the catalogues of florists show. This may be called
the lesser Tulipomania, which has given occasion to many laugh-
able circumstances. When John Balthasar Schuppe was in
Holland, a merchant gave a herring to a sailor who had brought
him some goods. The sailor, seeing some valuable tulip-roots
lying about, which he considered as of little consequence, think-
ing them to be onions, took some of them unperceived, and ate
them with his herring. Through this mistake the sailor's
breakfast cost the merchant a much greater sum than if he had
treated the prince of Orange. No less laughable is the anec-
dote of an Englishman who traveled with Matthews. Being in
a Dutchman's garden, he pulled a couple of tulips, on which he
wished to make some botanical observations, and put them in
his pocket; but he was apprehended as a thief, and obliged to
pay a considerable sum before he could obtain his liberty.
Reimman and others accuse Just. Lipsius of the Tulipomania;
but if by this word we understand that gambling traffic which
I have described, the accusation is unfounded. Lipsius was
fond of scarce and beautiful flowers, which he endeavored to
procure by the assistance of his friends, and which he cultivated
himself with great care in his garden; but this taste can by no
means be called a mania. Other learned men, of the same age,
were fond of flowers, such as John Barclay, Pompeius de An-
gelis, and others, who would probably have been so, even
though the cultivation of flowers had not been the prevailing
taste. It, however, cannot be denied, that learned men may be
infected with epidemical follies. In the present age, many
have become physiognomists because physiognomy is in fash-
ion; and even animal magnetism has met with partisans to
support it.--Beckmann's History of Inventions.
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The Prussian courtiers are scandalized by the discovery of
how little importance Humboldt attached to personal distinc-
tions. After his death the great number of decorations which
he had received from the sovereigns of all countries, were found
lying pell-mell in a cupboard. He did not take half the pains
to preserve them that he bestowed upon the wing of a butterly
or a piece of old red sandstone.
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An editor out West being deserted by his printers, who were
"on a strike," was compelled to turn into the office himself.--
In his next week's paper appeared a graphic account of the
circumstances, composed by the editor's [some letters upside-down] "own fair fingers,"
concluding with the words--[some letters upside-down] "Talk of the sublime art of
Printing! bless our soul? it's as easa at rolling off a Log."
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A "CURIOSITY OF LITERATURE."
From the Crola Mail we extract the following, which is cer-
tainly one of the very richest productions which it has been
our luck to encounter lately.
WINFIELD FISH-FRY.
-----
Wake up ye backward, we are too soon,
A fish-fry we had on the 21st of June,
There were fish that were large, and some very bony,
But all did well for the river Dugdamonia.

There was the big mouth, the little mouth, the all mouth Perch,
The Gaspagoo we had not although we did it search;
The Gar and Alligator we did not spy,
For such fish we need not at a fish-fry.

Now dinner came on, and no one was selfish,
The fish they were ate with a good deal of relish,
The ladies served first, for good manner sake,
With fish, bread, cofiee, wine and cake.

The youngsters they laughed at every little notion,
While the old ones ate on, and sanctioned the motion,
The young folks would laugh and then take a sup,
In the mean time the old folks had ate all the fish up.

The time passed off quite lively and fine,
Commencing in the morning about nine,
All passed off lovely, as mentioned before,
And closing the frolic about four.

Our frolic passed off without anger or frenzy,
Another frolic expected on next Wednesday,
And Ladies and Gentlemen, as none is to be slighted,
By reference to this you can see that you are invited.
Winfield, June 25, 1859. H. C. B.
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ANECTODE OF LABLACHE.--Poor Lablache was absent-minded
enough at times. One day the King of Naples summoned him
to the Palace. Lablache obeyed, and stood waiting his turn of
audience in the drawing-room, which preceeded His Majesty's
closet. It was full of courtiers, who all knew him, and flocked
around him to enjoy the brilliant conversation of the great sing-
er; for Lablache was a thoroughly educated and intellectual
man. As he had a bad cold, he asked permission of the gentle-
men present to keep his hat on, which was, of course, instantly
granted. The conversation was suddenly interrupted by the
appearance of an usher, who told Lablache the King was wait-
ing for him. Lablache took up a hat and walked rapidly
towards the King's closet, which he entered, bowing and scra-
ping, persuaded his manners were most courtly. The moment
the King saw him he roared with laughter. Lablache blushed
and felt exceedingly awkward. "My dear Lablache," said the
King, "what in the deuce are you going to do with the hat I
see you hold in your hand?" "I beg ten thousand pardons,
Sire, I--really do not understand Your Majesty." "I beg
your pardon, my dear fellow, for I cannot see what use you can
make of the hat you hold in your hand." "Why--Sire--I wear
it." Lablache, joining pantomime to speech, attempted to put
the hat on his head. The hat in his hand struck the hat on his
head, and for several minutes, Lablache did not know what to
make of it; then he recollected how the mistake occurred, and
begged the King's pardon, but the King was laughing so hear-
tily he could hear nothing, and Lablache joined His Majesty's
laughter.
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WITCHCRAFT.--In the course of the century during which
the persecution against so-called witchcraft was at its height in
Germany--from 1580 to 1680--it is calculated that more than
100,000 individuals, nine-tenths of whom were women, were
its victims. To the honour of humanity be it said, some voices
were raised against this bloodthirsty practice, but they were
drowned in the general clamour. In every part of Germany,
Protestant or Catholic, the same atrocities were committed.--
At length, in the year 1631, the noble-hearted Count Frederic
Stein, himself a member of the order of Jesuits--an order
which had been amongst the most violent denouncers of sor-
cery--ventured to step boldly forward and declare that, among
the many whom he had accompanied to the scaffold, there was
not one whom he could confidently declare guilty. "Treat me
so," he added, "treat in this manner the judges or the heads
of the church, subject us to the same tortures, and see if you
will not discover sorcerers in us all." Despite this burst of
generous indignation, it was not until 1694 that this incompre-
hensible insanity began to abate. The last so-called witch
burnt in the German empire was a poor nun, aged 70, in the
year 1749, at Berg. But at Glarus, in German Switzerland, an
execution of a similar nature took place as late as 1794. This
time the victim was a servant girl, accused of having practiced
diabolical arts to lame the child of her employers. Germany,
indeed, seemed to live in an atmosphere of sorcery. The
ground which Faith had lost, Superstition had made her own.--
Poets and the Poetry of Germany.
------------------------------------------
We copy the following paragraph from the Ecclesiastical and
Misionary Record, the organ of the Presbyterian Church in
Canada. It is a resolution passed at the Presbytery of London,
Canada West, reflecting in very strong language on the con-
duct of those Church Members who assisted in celebrating the
late Burns Centenary;
"That, in view of the part which several office-bearers and
members of the Church of Christ have taken in the late anni-
versary of the poet Burns, this court cannot refrain from ex-
pressing its unqualified disapprobation of their conduct; be-
lieving that all such celebrations tend to lower the tone of pub-
lic morals, and lend a powerful influence to a corrupting litera-
ture.
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The number 21 had a curious importance for Louis XVI.--
he was married on the 21st of April, 1770; on the 21st of June
took place his marriage fête, when several lives were lost; on
the 21st of June, 1791, he fled from Paris to Varennes, and was
captured by the revolutionists; he was judged by a commission
of 21 members; and beheaded on the 21st of January, 1793.
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GOD.
The following sublime ode to the Supreme Being is transla-
ted from the Russian. It was written by one of their most
distinguished poets, Derhaven. The ode is said to have been
translated into the Chinese and Tartan languages, written on a
rich silk, and suspended in the imperial palace at Pekin. The
Emperor of Japan had it translated into the Japanese, em-
broidered with gold, and hung it up in the temple of Jedda. We
believe that no man, however powerful his intellect or sublime
his imagination, unacquainted with Holy writ, ever did or ever
will compose so exalted a poem. It abounds in scriptural
allusions. The finest parts of the ode were written when the
soul of the author perhaps unconsciously was wrapt in contem-
plation of passages in the Bible. One of the most exquisite
verses in the poem is that where the poet, fleeing from the
nothingness of humanity, takes shelter in the gloriously con-
soling idea that the Divine Spirit shines in his spirit, "As
shines the sunbeam in a drop of dew." Immediately after-
wards follow the words, "In Thee I live and breathe and
dwell." It is manifest that the whole of this sublimely beauti-
ful passage is borrowed from Acts, chapter xvii, verse 28, "In
Him we live, and move and have our being."

O thou eternal one! whose presence bright,
All space doth occupy--all motion guide;
Unchanged through time's all devastating flight,
Thou only God! there is no God beside.
Being above all beings, mighty one!
Whom none can comprehend and none explore;
Who fills existence with thyself alone,
Embracing all--supporting--ruling o'er;
Being whom we call God--and know no more!

In its sublime research, philosophy
May measure out the ocean deep--may count
The sands, or the sun's rays--but God! for thee
There is no weight nor measure, none can mount
Up to thy mysteries. Reason's bright spark,
Tho' kindled by thy light, in vain would try
To trace thy counsels, infinite and dark;
And thought is lost ere thought can soar so high,
Even like past moments in eternity.

Thou from primeval nothingness didst call
First chaos, then existence--Lord, on thee
Eternity had its foundation; all
Sprung forth from thee--of light, joy, harmony,
Sole origin--all life, all beauty there;
Thy word created all, and doth create;
Thy splendor fills all space with ray divine;
Thou art, and wast, and shall be, glorious, great!
Life-giving, life-sustaining potentate!

Thy chains the unmeasured universe surround,
Upheld by thee--by thee inspired with breath;
Thou the beginning, with the end hath bound,
And beautifully mingled life and death!
As sparks mount upward from the fiery blaze,
So suns are born, so worlds spring forth from thee;
And as the spangles in the sunny rays
Shine round the silver snow, the pageantry
Of Heaven's bright army glitters in thy praise.

A million torches lighted by thy hand,
Wander unwearied through the blue abyss;
They own thy power, accomplish thy command,
All gay with life, all eloquent with bliss.
What shall we call them? Piles of crystal light?
A glorious company of golden streams?
Lamps of celestial ether burning bright;
Suns lighting systems with their joyous beams?
But thou to them art as the moon to night.

Yes! as the drop of water in the sea,
All this magnificence in thee is lost;
What are ten thousand worlds compared to thee?
And what am I then? Heaven's unnumbered host,
Tho' multiplied by myriads, and array'd
In all the glory of sublimest thought,
Is but an atom in the balance weighed
Against thy greatness--is a cipher brought
Against infinity! What am I then?--Nought.

Nought!--but the effluence of thy light divine,
Pervading worlds, hath reached by bosom too;
Yes, in my spirit doth thy spirit shine,
As shines the sunbeams in a drop of dew.
Nought! but I live, and on hope's pinions fly,
Eager towards thy presence; for in Thee
I live and breathe and dwell, aspiring high;
E'en to the throne of thy divinity,
I am, O God, and surely thou must be!

Thou art! directing, guiding all Thou art!
Direct my understanding then to Thee,
Control my spirit, guide my wandering heart.
Tho' but an atom midst immensity,
Still I am something, fashioned by thy hand!
I hold a middle rank 'twixt heaven and earth,
On the last verge of mortal being stand,
Close to the realm where angels have their birth,
Just on the boundaries of the spirit land.
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WHAT IS A FLIRT?--A young lady of more beauty than sense;
more accomplishments than learning; more charm of person
than grace of mind; more admirers than friends; more fools
than wise men for attendants.--Longfellow.
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