women. Alas, I suspected not that I was "Immediately after our marriage, for such it was to every other intent but that of sheltering me from infamy and loss of reputation, my husband conducted me to a chariot in waiting, and following me into it we departed for the metropolis. "Lodgings were already hired for me, but the fondness of Mirabel as yet knew no bounds; he purchased me a house, and || ordered Oakley to furnish it in a style of fashionable splendour. I was in every respect like the acknowledged wife of Mirabel, except that I was totally destitute of all society. manters. low in the presence of the whole house" and kicked him out of the box. The theatre was in an instaut in an uproar, and every eye was turned upon me as the cause. I found myself so unwell that I implored Mirabel to withdraw with me; he complied, and overwhelmed with insult I left the house. Upon reaching our home Mirabel, handing me from the coach, made a hasty excuse, and returned to the theatre to show his contempt for those who had insulted him. I was supporting myself till one of my attendants should come to my assistance, the door was open,-[ found my hand seized; I looked around, and met the eye, the stern eye of my father. O Mary, Mary! exclaimed he; but God forgive thee!' and with these words he hastily ran from my sight. "I had sunk motionless to the floor, and it was not without difficulty that I was at || length recovered to sensibility. Upon my recovery I found myself in the arms of my husband, who spared nothing to console me. Nothing was more effectual to this purpose than his recalling to my mind that the contempt, as unjust, had mistaken its object; that I was his wife and not his mistress. I assented to this, and ceased to weep. "Intoxicated by the splendour of my situation, I soon lost the simplicity of my An incident awakened me to a sense of my folly, at least, in suffering myself to pass in the world as the mistress of Sir Harry. Being without society I was a constant visitor of the theatres and public spectacles; one night, in particular, Mirabel had bespoken front places in the dress. boxes. As we did not come till rather late, the box was full, except the front places which had been kept for us. Spark-leave of me than usual; he refused, howling with diamonds with which the fondness of Mirabel had decked me, for let me do justice to his generosity, I took my seat; but had scarcely seated myself before the whole party, consisting of four ladies attended by one gentleman, rose and left the box. 64 "I could not, however, but observe, that my husband was restless, and slept not during the night. He arose early in the morning, and took a more affectionate ever, to explain why he thus left me, but promised to return to breakfast. "The hour of breakfast, however, arrived, and he returned not I waited with anxiety till noon, and still he returned not, I had already dispatched the servants in pursuit of him to his chambers in the I looked at Mirabel for an explana-Temple, when he at length returned, pale, tion; his face was suffused with colour; || haggard, and with evident looks of terror the box-keeper entered, and whispering and affright. Hasten hasten, dearest Mirabel, yet loud enough to be overhead Mary!' exclaimed he; pack up every by me, informed him that the ladies had thing which you may need, we must fly taken offence at the introduction of a kept without the delay of a moment." woman amongst them, and that it was necessary that I should withdraw. Mirabel, without further answer, collared the fel [To be continued.] THE HISTORY OF JOSEPH AND ASENETH; ACCORDING TO THE TRADITION OF THE RABBINS. THE first of the years of dearth Joseph visiting Egypt arrived in the environs of He lipolis, where lived Potiphar, a counsellor of King Pharaoh This nobleman had a daughter named Aseneth, of extraordinary beauty, who dwelt in a tower adjoining her father's house. This tower was composed of ten chambers; in the first were Aseneth's gods, to whom she every day immolated victins; the second contained her ornaments, her costly garments, and her jewels; the third was filled with the riches of the earth; and the remaining seven apartments were occupied by virgins, who waited upon Aseneth. These were of exquisite beauty, and had never spoken to any man. Aseneth's chamber had three windows, one to the east, another to the south, and the third to the north. Her bed was of gold, with purple curtains richly embroidered. Around the tower was a court surrounded by very high walls of free stone, which contained four iron doors, guarded by eighteen young men well armed. On the right of the portal was a fountain, and a basin to receive the water, for the purpose of refreshing the trees of the garden. Potiphar informed his daughter that Joseph, the favoured of God, was coming to lodge in his house, and that he would make her marry him. She replied that she would not have a slave, and that she would take for her husband none but a king's son. She then hastily retired to her chamber on seeing Joseph arrive, seated on Pharaoh's car, which was of gold, drawn by four horses whiter than snow. He was cloathed in a purple garment embroidered with gold, on his head he wore a crown of the same metal, ornamented with twelve precious stones, and held in his hand an olive branch and a golden sceptre. Aseneth seeing Joseph in his equipage was confounded and said, whilst contemplating his extreme beauty:-"This is surely the sun who approaches us in his car; I knew not that Joseph was the offspring of a god, for what mortal could have given birth to such perfection ?" Joseph having entered the house, his hands were washed, and he asked Potiphar who No. V. Vol, L.-N. S. that virgin was whom he had observed at the window, for he feared that she was like many others who had sent him presents and sought after him. Potiphar told him that she was his daughter, that she had never yet spoken to any man, and disliked them all; but that if he wished she should come and bow before him. "If she be a virgin let her come, and I will love her like a sister," was Joseph's answer. Aseneth was brought, and Potiphar said:"Salute your brother, who feels the same hatred for your sex as that which you bear towards his; embrace him." Joseph, however, put forth his hand that she might not approach him, saying, that he could not allow a person who worshipped idols to touch him. Aseneth was affected even unto tears. Joseph blessed her; she renounced her idols, and, sick with grief, laid down to rest. When Joseph was about to depart, Potiphar wished to detain him, but he would not consent, yer promised to return in eight days. During this time Aseneth clothed herself in black, threw her idols out of the window, and refused all nourishment. On the eighth day an angel from heaven came to console Aseneth, told her to eat, and to clothe herself in her richest garments, as her name was written in the book of life; and she should no longer be called Aseneth, but Mighty Refuge. At the same time the angel gave her bread and wine, and asked her for a drop of honey. Aseneth said she was sorry but she had none. the angel, "into the place where your provisions are kept, and you will find some." And as it was said she found some. The angel took a little and gave the rest to Aseneth. She intreated the angel to bless seven virging who had dwelt with her from their infancy, and had been raised in the same apartment. The angel blessed them all, and then vanished from their sight. "Go," said Immediately the return of Joseph was an nounced. Aseneth flew to meet him, and related that the angel had told her she was to be his wife. On the morrow Joseph asked her in marriage of Pharaoh, and this prince grant ed her unto him. G REMARKABLE DISCOVERY OF MURDER. A This request was considered very improper, and it was on the point of being peremptorily refused, when the petition of the dejected fa ther found a supporter; and this was no other than the bailiff himself. 66 By this catastrophe," said he, "nobody has lost so much, or at least more than I. Gladly would I pur IN a considerable village of the canton of "You know that I have lost a daughter who Berne in Switzerland, lived a bailiff named was dearer to me than any thing in the world. W, who though no more than thirty-five, || She was the wife of the bailiff of this village, was married to his third wife. The two first, and to me they always appeared an extremely whom he had treated with the greatest tender-happy couple. Her health seemed to be proof ness, had died in their first lying-in, and both || against every shock, and I cherished the convery suddenly. The third, to whom he ap-fident hope that my eyes would be closed by peared most ardently attached, was a young, her hand. She has been suddenly snatched handsome, strong and healthy woman. away, and bow painful her loss is to me it is child which she brought him at the end of the impossible to express. But to aggravate my first year, expired a few hours after its birth,|| wretchedness I have seen her in my dreams and it was not long before she was again preg. every night since her interment. She points nent. Her husband bore the character of a to her grave and tells me that she has been man who fulfilled the duties of his office with murdered. To be sure it is only a dream; ability and integrity, and he was esteemed by but for my satisfaction give me leave to have his colleagues. All his children had hitherto || her taken up and to see her once more.” been girls, but when his wife this time bore him a robust, healthy boy, bis joy knew no bounds Half the village was invited to the entertainment given at the christening; the mother berself was as well as could be expect ed, so that now he had no occasion to be at all apprehensive of losing his wife. Notwithstanding these favourable appear-chase the life of the deceased with two-thirds ances, on the thirteenth or fourteenth day, of my property. Often when I am alone and just when he had gone out upon his business, || reflect on the circumstance, when I consider and had reached the end of the village, a mes-how unexpectedly this stroke overtook me, it senger overtook him with the awful intelliseems to me as if it could not possibly have gence, that his young wife had been found happened, ss if my beloved wife were not really dead in her bed, and that she doubtless must dead. On this account I am the less surprized have been carried off by an apoplectic fit. At at the grief of her father, and the less offended these sudden tidings the bailiff sunk half dead by the suspicion of her having been murdered. on the nearest bank. With difficulty he was Her father has certainly not mentioned the # again brought to himself. No sooner had he person whom he deems guilty of so foul a deed; recovered than he hastened home, threw him- but it is of the greater consequence to remove self upon the corpse of his wife, shrieking, rav- every shadow of suspicion, and therefore I my ing, and expressing his sorrow in a way scarce- self desire that the body may be taken up and Jy becoming a man; he tried every thing that examined." the surgeon, the midwife, and the old women of the village could think of to recal the vital spark. Death, however, would not surrender his prey, and three days afterwards the deceased was interred. The latter, at the time of her unexpected dissolution, had no mother living, but she had a father, whose only child she was, and by whom she was loved with inexpressible tenderness. That he also wept bitterly over her coffin and her grave, it is scarcely necessary to mention; but what occasioned no little surprize throughout the whole place was, that on the fourth day after the funeral, he presented himself before the judicial authorities of the village, and thus addressed them : No person now could have any thing more to object. The corpse was dug up the same morning. There being no physician in the neighbourhood, the surgeon and midwife were sent for to inspect it, and other competent witnesses were not wanting. They found, however, not the smallest trace of violence upon the whole body; some blue spots on the left side were regarded as evident signs of apo plexy. The unanimous verdict of all who knew, or fancied that they knew any thing of the matter, was, that she had died a natural death. The village curate endeavoured to comfort the afflicted father. The bailiff, who had likewise shed abundance of tears, did not manifest the smallest degree of displeasure against the old mau." "God send us both some alleviation of our distress," was his pious and ardent wish as they returned home together from the church-yard. the coffin, when the old man, who on this occasiou stood by, as it were in a state of stupefaction, as soon as he heard that nothing suspicious could yet be discovered, all at once exclaimed:-"Well then, must at least be convinced of it by my own eyes and my own hand." So saying, he grasped the body of his daughter, lifted it up, and began to examine; when, by accident, or why should we not rather say by the dispensation of Providence, he first laid hold of it below the left breast, which was thus raised up. At this moment the bailiff cried out :-"I am undone! he has discovered it!" and sunk senseless to the Four or five days again elapsed. The circumstance ceased to be talked of in the village, when the father again appeared before the court-He was aware, he said, of the extraordinary, uay almost unjust nature of the request he had to make, and yet he could not overcome the inward impulse of his mind. Wherever he was, both day and night, he was still pursued by the torturing idea, that, notwithstanding all that had passed, his daughter had been murdered, and murdered by her hus-ground. band, but wherefore, and how, he could not tell. Every hour he kept repeating to himself that no mark had been found upon her body, and yet he could not rest; for, in spite of this conviction, his dreams were still haunted by the accusing figure of his lamented daughter. He therefore requested, he conjured them to permit another examination. The members of the court were very na. turally still more astonished than before. They resented the imputation upon their chief, and|| the bailiff himself lost his former equanimity, for which none of them could blame him.My father-in-law," said he, "has now accused me by name of the most atrocious crime. Nothing but the idea that the old man's grief has deranged his intellects, would now be able to pacify me, or to prevent my just complaints. The corpse of my dearly beloved wife has once been disturbed to no purpose, and it is now a matter of conscience with me not to suffer this to be done again. Not the slightest ground has been alledged for this infamous surmise. Justice, therefore, would dictate the refusal of this new request, and threaten punishment in case of its repetition; nevertheless, for the sake of my own good name, and the satisfaction of this old man, whom I have otherwise every reason to respect, I would rather concede too much than too little, and shall therefore agree to whatever you determine." They now endeavoured to dissuade the disconsolate father, but he persisted so earnestly in his iutreaties, that at length they once more complied. The corpse was again raised out of the grave. As the body had been so long in the ground it had already begun very perceptibly to be come putrid; the persons who examined it, and with whom another surgeon was associated, were therefore obliged to use great caution, and perfectly coincided in the former verdict. They were just going to deposit it again in With what astonishment the bystanders ran to his assistance may easily be conceived. When he again opened his eyes, -"I will confess all. It his first words were:was I that murdered her! Just there I murdered her! Allow me only a moment's time." This request only served to make them more urgent for a more explicit declaration. The substance of his confession was as follows: The villain had actually murdered all three of his wives, neither out of hatred nor satiety, but avarice. All three possessed property; his plan was to secure the fortune of each, and then to look round for a fresh wife. For this reason he never laid hands on them till they had borre him a living child; and it was only about this time that he thought it possible to execute his horrible design without With a large three-edged needle detection. he pierced the place just below the left breast where the heart is seated, till the instrument was completely buried; the orifice closed again of itself; the breast, just at this time unusually full and pendent, from its weight covered the almost imperceptible and yet mortal wound. As he always seized the opportunity of perpetrating this horrid deed when they were fast asleep in bed, it was but the work of a moment. His two first wives died with a single half articulate exclamation; the last, he said, suffered rather more, and cried out:-" O God! O God! are you killing me? My death will not go unrevenged." He had actually felt more remorse on this occasion than on either of the former. The exclamation which he uttered when the father's first touch was directed exactly to the fatal spot, had escaped him he knew not how, for he was almost convinced that had it not been for this, nothing would even then have been discovered It is unnecessary to describe the horror that seized all who heard of this diabolical decd, or the painful death inflicted on the perpetrator. Gga CURIOUS ADVENTURE OF GEORGE BRUCE; WITH INTERESTING PARTICULARS OF THE ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND. EXTRACTED GEORGE BRUCE, son of John Bruce, clerk to Mr. Wood, distiller at Limehouse, was born in the parish of Radcliffe-highway, in 1779. In 1789 he entered on board the Royal Admiral East Indiaman, Captain Bond, as boatswain's boy. Sailed from England for New South Wales, and arrived at Port Jackson in 1790, where, with the consent of Captain Bond, he quitted the ship and remained at New South Wales. | lutely to this painful ceremony; and his coURtenance presents a master specimen of the art of tattowing. Being now tattowed in due form, Bruce was recognized as a warrior of the first rank, naturalized as a New Zealander, received into the bosom of the King's family, and honoured with the hand of the Princess Aetockoe, the youngest daughter of Tippahee, a maiden of fifteen or sixteen years of age, whose native beauty had probably been great, but which has been so much improved by the fashionable charms of nature, all the sweetness of original expression, are lost in the bolder impres sions of tattowing. Bruce now became the chief member of the King's family, and was vested with the government of the island. At Port Jackson Bruce entered into the naval colonial service, and was employed for several years under Lieutenants Robins, Flin-embellishments of art, that all the softer ders, and others, in exploring the coasts, surveying harbours, headlands, rocks, &c. During this time Bruce experienced various adventures, which do not come within the design of this narrative. After being thus employed for several years, he was turned over to the Lady Nelson, Captain Simmonds, a vessel fitted up for the express purpose of conveying Tippahee, King of New Zealand, from a visit which he made to the Government of Port Jackson, to his own country. The King embarked, and the Lady Nelson sailed on her destination. During the passage Tippabee was taken dangerously ill, and Bruce was appointed to attend him; he acquitted himself so highly to the King's satisfaction, that be was honoured with his special favour; and,¦| on their arrival, the King requested that he should be allowed to remain with him, to which Capt. Simmonds consented, and Bruce was received into the family of Tippahee. Bruce spent his first few months in New Zealand in exploring the country, and in acquiring a knowledge of the language, manners, and customs of the people. He found the country healthy and pleasant, full of romantic scenery, agreeably diversified by hills and dales, and covered with wood. The people were hospitable, frank, and open; though rude and ignorant, yet worshipping neither images nor idols, nor ought that is the work of human hands; acknowledging one omnipotent Supreme Being. As the King proposed to place the young Englishman at the head of his army, it was a previously necessary step that he should be tattowed, as without having undergone that ceremony, he could not be regarded as a warrior. The case was urgent, and admitted of no alternative. He therefore submitted reso Six or eight months after his marriage, the English ships Inspector, 'the Ferret, SouthSea whaler, and several other English vessels, touched at New Zealand for supplies, and all of them found the beneficial influence of having a countryman and friend at the head of affairs in that island; they were liberally supplied with fish, vegetables, &c. &c. Our Englishman and his wife were now contented and happy, in the full enjoyment of domestic comfort, with no wants that were ungratified, blessed with health and perfect independence. Bruce looked forward with satisfaction to the progress of civilization which he expected to introduce among the people with whom, by a singular destiny, he seemed doomed to remain during his life. While enjoying these hopes, the ship General Wellesley, about fourteen months ago, touched at a point of New Zealand where Bruce and his wife chanced to be. This was at some distance from the King's place of residence. Captain Dalrymple applied to Bruce to assist him in procuring a cargo of spars and benjamin, and requested specimens of the principal articles of produce of the island, all which was cheerfully done. Captain Dalrymple then proposed to Bruce to accompany him to North Cape, distant about thirty leagues, where it was reported that gold-dust could be procured, aud Capt. Dalrymple conceived that Bruce might prove useful to him in the search for the golddust. With great reluctance, and after many entreaties, Bruce consented to accompany |