certain hour of the night closed in upon a house
particularly suspected. Seeing unusual light, and
hearing many voices, they at once broke in, and
found a band of old negresses scantily clothed
and engaged in the idolatrous Voodoo ceremonies,
dancing and chanting round a caldron in
which a rattlesnake was boiling. The ring-
leaders were arrested and taken off to the
caboose, and were condemned eventually to
various durations of imprisonment.

It startled me, in this nineteenth century
which we brag about so much, in the great capital
of the south, in the midst of the New
World's vigorous and never resting civilisation,
to hear of a band of snake and devil worshippers
being arrested and sent to prison for the almost
open celebration of such rites.

DRIFT.

KING HENRY THE FIFTH'S SPOONS.

"KILL the poys and the luggage," says our
friend Fluellen, in the play; " 'tis expressly
against the law of arms: 'tis as arrant a piece
of knavery, mark you now, as can be offered."
Of course the worthy Welsh gentleman is quite
justified by the historical account of the attack
by French freebooters on the camp and
baggage of King Henry the Fifth at the battle of
Agincourt. An eye-witness of that great
fight, one of the army chaplains, of whose
name we are not adequately informed, writes,
that " the king ordered the baggage of the
army to the rear of the battle, for fear it should
fall into the enemy's hands, it having been
placed, together with the priests who were
about to officiate and pray earnestly for the
king and his men, in the villages and closes,
with directions to wait till the end of the battle;
for the French plunderers had already, on every
side, their eyes upon it, with an intention of
attacking it as soon as they saw both armies
engage; and upon the rear of which, where by
the inactivity of the vassals the baggage of the
king was, they did fall as soon as the battle
began, carrying off the royal treasures, the
sword and crown, with other jewels, and all the
household stuff." Some of the jewels were
recovered, with much difficulty, but Sir H.
Nicolas notices the description of the plate lost
on this occasion, which evidently belonged to
the king, and was carried to France for his own
personal use. The articles are mentioned in an
acquittance from the king to his treasurer and
others, for the objects entrusted to their custody,
but lost at the battle:

A salt-cellar of gold, enamelled with links and
collars.

A long serpentine (a precious stone), weighing
2 Ib. 3 oz., troy weight, valued at £16 a pound—
£46. 13s. 4d.

Thirteen spoons of white silver, marked with a
small crown, weighing, according to the same
weight, 1 Ib. 3½ oz., which, at 30s. the pound and at
2s. 6d. an ounce, is 38s. 9d.

Three salt-cellars of silver gilt with covers, with
the tops in the form of bells, marked with swans
enamelled, weighing 7 Ib. 7 oz., at 60s. a pound and
5s. the ounce, is £22. 15s.

A spoon of white silver, marked with a small
crown, weighing one ounce, value 2s. 6d.

A spoon of gold, not marked, weighing 2 oz.
7 pennyweights, 1 ob., value at 26s. 8d. an ounce
and 16d. the pennyweight, is 63s. 4d.

Six spoons of white silver, not marked, weighing
6¼oz., at 2s. 6d. an ounce—15s. 17½d.

Seven spoons of white silver, not marked, weighing
6¾ oz. at 2s. 6d. an ounce—16s. 10½d.

A salt-cellar of gold, of morask (mauresque)
work, garnished with two amethysts, with a Scotch
pebble on the top, and with many little garnets red
and green, value £10 in money.

Among these valuables, it will be observed
that there is no mention made of forks; and
this circumstance will help to support Mr. H.
Turner's assertion, " that the fingers and knives
of folks served for many centuries after the
thirteenth century to enable them to eat their
several meals; and that spoons were common
enough, and must have often served in place
of forks." Moreover, in the inventory of
goods, chattels, jewels, and personal effects of
the same monarch, prepared by the executors of
his will, there is mention made of only four
forks, among dozens upon dozens of spoons and
knives.

A DAY'S RIDE: A LIFE'S ROMANCE.

CHAPTER XXXV.

"WELL, what next? have you bethought you
of anything more to charge me with?" cried a
large full man, whose angry look and manner
showed how he resented these cheatings.

I staggered back sick and faint, for the individual
before me was Crofton, my kind host of long
ago in Ireland, and from whose hospitable roof I
had taken such an unceremonious departure.

"Who are you?" cried he, again. " I had
hoped to have paid everything and everybody.
Who are you?"

Wishing to retire unrecognised, I stammered
out something very unintelligibly indeed about
my gratitude, and my hope for a pleasant journey
to him, retreating all the while towards the
door.

"It's all very well to wish the traveller a
pleasant journey," said he, " but you innkeepers
ought to bear in mind that no man's journey is
rendered more agreeable by roguery. This
house is somewhat dearer than the Clarendon
in London, or the Hôtel du Rhin at Paris.
Now, there might be perhaps some pretext to
make a man pay smartly who travels post, and
has two or three servants with him, but what
excuse can you make for charging some poor
devil of a foot traveller, taking his humble meal
in the common room, and, naturally enough, of
the commonest fare, for making him pay eight
florins—eight florins and some kreutzers—for
his dinner? Why, our dinner here for two people
was handsomely paid at six florins ahead, and
yet you bring in a bill of eight florins against
that poor wretch."

I saw now, that, what between the blinding
effects of his indignation, and certain changes
which time and the road had worked in my
appearance, it was more than probable I should