purpose, gave them strength to bring at length the sack from the closet to the chamber. The servant was somewhat restored to himself, as the sack was dragged into the room, but every person, who in the beginning of the alarm had rushed into the apartment, had now disappeared.

The opening of the sack surpassed all that human language can convey of human horror.

As his lordship loosened the cord which fastened the sack's mouth, the dog fixed his eyes on it, stood over it with wild and trembling eagerness, as if ready to seize and devour the contents.

The contents appeared, and the extreme of horror was displayed. A human body, as if murdered in bed, being covered only with a bloody shirt, and that clotted, and still damp as if recently shed; the head severed from the shoulders, and the other members mangled and separated, so as to make the trunk and extremities lie in the sack, was now exposed to view.

The dog smelled the blood, and after surveying the corpse, looked piteously at his master, and licked his hand, as if grateful the mysterious murder was discovered.

It was proved, that a traveller had really been murdered two nights before his lordship's arrival at that haunt of infamy; and that the offence was committed in the very chamber, and probably in the very bed, wherein his lordship had slept; and which, but for the warnings of his faithful friend, might have been fatal to himself.

The maid servant was an accomplice in the guilt and the ruffian travellers, who were confederating with the innholder and his wife, were the murderers of the bloody remains that had just been emptied from the sack, whose intent it was to have buried them that night in a pit, which their guilty hands had dug in an adjacent field belonging to the inn-holder; whose intention it likewise was to have murdered the nobleman, which was providentially prevented by the wonderful sagacity of the dog. The inn-keeper and his wife were taken up, and punished according to their deserts; and the nobleman was so affected at his miraculous escape, that he bound up the wounds of the faithful dog with the greatest care, and the balms of love and friendship were infused. The master's hour of con

trition was now come; he was sorry he had ever neglected so invaluable a friend; and, as the only peace-offering in his power, departed with this faithful companion from the house of blood, to that mansion he had formerly left in disgrace; where the caresses of a grateful family, and an uninterrupted state of tranquillity, meliorated with every indulgence they could bestow, was regularly continued as long as he lived.

FATAL EXPEDITION OF PRINCE BECKEWITZ.

IN 1717, the Czar being informed that great quantities of gold sand came down the river Daria, on the east side of the Caspian Sea, toward Usbeck Tartary, sent Prince Alexander Beckewitz, at the head of 3,000 men, to land at the mouth of that river, and build a fort there: and then to proceed further up the country, to discover the mines from which this gold sand came. The prince accordingly built a fort without the smallest opposition, although the Usbeck Tartars were upon the very spot; but, instead of hindering, they gave him every assistance in their power, providing the troops with all kinds of provisions, and maintaining a most friendly intercourse with each other. The fort being finished, the prince wanted to proceed up the river to discover the mines, which the Tartars observing, told him, if he proposed to follow the course of the river, he would find it insurmountable, by its many turnings and windings; and if he wanted only to come to the mines, there was a much nearer way by land, which they could march in three days, and they were ready to conduct them. The prince, trusting to their seeming friendship, and having no eason to fear their inconsiderable number, left a captain with 200 men to garrison the fort and secure the ships, set out through a desert with the Tartarian guides, and having arched seven days instead of three, they were in the utmost distress for water; and at length, after abundance of fatigue, they arrived at the mines, but found there, before them, the Cham of Usbeck, with 50,000 of his Tartars, who now with every appearance of friendship, offered Prince

Beckewitz all the assistance in his power; assuring him, since he understood that the Prince was to erect a fort there, he would give orders to his people to provide materials for the building; and offered to canton the army in the kibbits or tents with his own men, as they had suffered so much on their march through the desert for want of water, and might now be distressed for provisions, with which he also offered to supply them until they could be otherwise provided: the Cham all the while entertaining the prince, and all his officers, with so much seeming friendly familiarity, that they thought themselves extremely happy. When the prince proposed cantoning the men among the Tartars, all his officers to a man protested against it, alleging the Tartars ought not to be trusted for so long as they kept themselves together in a body, they had nothing to fear from the Tartars, notwithstanding their number; but as soon as they separated themselves, they would run the risk of being every one massacred.

The Tartar Cham observing that they were not inclined to trust to him, said to the prince and his officers, that they had no reason to mistrust his kindness, as it entirely proceeded from his regard to the Czar, their master, whom he knew to be engaged in great wars in Europe, which could not be carried on without gold; and for that reason he freely gave them liberty to take as much of it as they pleased; for his own part, he neither valued gold nor silver, as it was of no use in their country, for they lived without that, or even bread, consequently had no use for either; their whole riches consisting in herds of cattle, which, with their tents, they could remove at pleasure; and consequently, could not fear having either castles, towns or villages, rifled or taken from them; for they lived here one day, and elsewhere the next. As to his offer to quarter their men amongst his people, it was made with a kind intention, and to provide for them till the arrival of their own stores from their ships, which could not be long, as he had sent a party of his men with camels to hasten them forward.

The general, at length, by these insinuations, against the advice of all his officers, was prevailed upon to quarter his army among the Tartars; whilst this was doing, the

Cham was entertaining the prince, and his principal officers, in his own tent, till late in the night, when, in the height of their merriment, a Tartar entered and told the Cham his orders were executed; on which the Cham put on a stern countenance, ordered all the officers to be disarmed and bound, which was instantly done; he then told the prince that all his troops were massacred, and that since he had presumed to enter into his territories, and taken possession without his leave, he and his officers were to be put to death; the officers were at that instant despatched before his face, and Prince Beckewitz was ordered to kneel down on a piece of red cloth, spread on the ground for that purpose, to meet his fate; but the prince began to upbraid the Cham with his treachery, and assured him, that the Czar would resent it in the most ample manner; he was immediately cut on the legs with their scimitars till he fell, and then they inhumanly cut him in pieces. At the same time, the party that had been sent to the fort for provisions, surprised and massacred the whole garrison that was left there, and then destroyed the fort and burnt the ships, leaving not the least appearance that any thing of that kind had ever been there.

This disaster occasioned various conjectures and speculations all over Russia, as not the least accounts had been received either of the men or ships, till at last it was concluded they must have perished in the Caspian Sea. The whole of this affair was discovered to the Czar by an officer, a German by birth, who had been taken prisoner at the battle of Pultowa, in the Swedish service, and went on this expedition as a captain and aid-de-camp to the general, and was an eye-witness to the whole transaction, from first to last; he was preserved in the general massacre by his host, in order to sell him; but as he had not been used to hard work, he was often sold from one master to another, till at last he fell into the hands of an Armenian merchant, who had a correspondence with other Armenians at Astrachan : he discovered himself to this merchant, who, on having security for the money he cost, gave him his liberty; by which means he got this information, otherwise it might have remained a secret for ever.

EXTRAORDINARY TRIAL FOR ROBBERY.

A GENTLEMAN, followed by a servant in livery, rode up to an inn in the west of England, one evening a little before dusk. He told the landlord that he should be detained by business in that part of the country for a few days, and wished to know if there were any amusements going on in the town to fill up the intervals of the time. The landlord replied, "that it was their race and assize week, and that therefore he would be at no loss to pass away the time." On the gentleman's making answer, "that this was lucky, for, that he was fond of seeing trials;" the other said, “that a very interesting trial, for a robbery would come on the next day, on which people's opinions were much divided, the evidence being very strong against the prisoner: but he himself persisting resolutely in declaring, that he was in a distant part of the kingdom at the time the robbery was committed." His guest manifested considerable curiosity to hear the trial; but, as the court would probably be crowded, expressed some doubt of getting a place. The landlord told him, "that there could be no difficulty in a gentleman of his appearance getting a place: but that, to prevent any accident, he would himself go with hin, and speak to one of the beadles. Accordingly they went into court the next morning, and the gentleman was shown a seat on the bench. Presently after, the trial began. While the evidence was being given against him, the prisoner had remained with his eyes fixed on the ground, seemingly very much depressed; till being called on for his defence, he looked up, and, seeing the stranger, he suddenly fainted away. This excited some surprise, and it seemed at first like a trick to gain time. As soon as he came to himself, on being asked by the Judge the cause of his behavior, he said, "Oh! my lord, I see a person that can save my life; that gentleman (pointing to the stranger) can prove I am innocent, might I only have leave to put a few questions to him." The eyes of the whole court were now turned on the gentleman; who said, "he felt himself in a very awkward situation to be so called upon, as he did not remember ever to have seen the man before, but that he would answer any question that was asked him.”

"Well