The Massachusetts Spy, And Worcester County Advertiser

Extraordinary instance of natural affection and ferocity of a Cat.

The following facts are well authenticated:
A family in the lower town of Quebec had
a cat with kittens about two months old; one
day the mistress of the house had occasion to
open a cupboard where provisions were kept,
and on shutting it a kitten got squeezed by
the door, and uttered a loud and piercing cry.
The mistress of the house, after seeing that it
was disengaged, apparently not much hurt,
turned to go to another part of the room.—
Presently the mother of the kitten came in,
went up to it, and then flew furiously at the
mistress of the house, first biting and scratch-
ing her legs, thighs and arms, and proceeding
to her neck, upon which she fixed; the wo-
man used her hands to preserve her eyes, low-
ering her head to save her throat; her cries
alarmed her husband, who came into the room.
to her assistance; the cat then let go her hold,
received a kick, passed under the stove—to
the other side of it, where she was followed
by the man; she then re-passed making again
at the woman; but, being pursued she went
out of the door, which was immediately clos-
ed. She then began to fly up against the door
uttering hideous cries; the family was so
much alarmed that assistance was had, and
finally the cat was killed on entering the door,
partially opened for the purpose. The wo-
man was much hurt, but her wounds are
nearly healed, The cat had frequently shown
symptoms of boldness and ferocity when irri-
tated, but never before in a way to excite a-
larm in the family.

Who would have a daughter ?—The follow-
ing singular custom is said to prevail in by far
the larger portion of the islands of the Archi-
pelago: the eldest daughter, on her marriage,
to which the parents cannot refuse their con-
sent, takes as her marriage portion the family-
house, together with all its furniture, and one-
third, or a larger share of the maternal prop-
erty, which, in reality, in most of these islands
constitutes the chief means of subsistence.—
The other daughters, as they marry off in suc-
cession, are likewise entitled to the family-
house then in occupation; and the same shares
of whatever property remains. It appears al-
so that the minds of the natives are complete
ly reconciled to this strange custom, inasmuch
that there are few instances of any endeavor
having been made to evade it by an appeal to
the Turkish law. In the diocese of Mytilene,
however, the Bishop has procured the adop-
tion of some modifications which mitigate the
obvious evil of such a usage, and the rule es-
tablished there is as follows:—If the family
property be valued at more than 100 piastres,
(in 1797 equivalent to about £80.) the eldest
daughter's portion is one-third of the amount,
and the second daughter's portion one-third
of the remainder, and so on if there be more
daughters. As for the sons, they have a right
to nothing, and the remaining property may
be bequeathed in whatever manner the fa-
ther pleases,

Interesting Antiquities of Pompeii:—A-
mongst the curious and interesting objects
which have been discovered, during the sub-
terraneous search which has been lately made
at Pompeii, four drinking-glasses were found,
some of them containing olives in as perfect
a state of preservation as those of last year's
gathering. These olives are said to be not
only entire and whole, but soft and juicy, re-
sembling in shape that species which is known
by the denomination of Spanish olives. Their
odour is somewhat rancid and strong. with
that acrimoniousness of taste, producing a
sharp and astringent sensation on the tongue.
Some of those olives have been analyzed, and
the rest have been deposited in the Museum,
in the identical glasses in which they have
been found.

[From Noah's Enquirer.]

CURE FOR DRUNKENNESS.

Mr. Editor—You must know that I am bless-
ed with a tipling husband—not one who gets
roaring drunk and falls helpless on the bed,
and snores out the night, but one of your
soaking fellows, who topes incessantly, never
gets positively drunk, but is always brutal in
his cups, and has a very awkward mode of
locking me up whenever he intends wetting
his jacket. While thus confined, I read in
your paper a cure for drunkards, a few grains
of tartar emetic, ipecac and assafoetida, which
I obtained and mixed with his favorite brandy.
A few weeks ago he released me from confine-
ment one evening, and having seen no person
for six hours, I was happy even to see him—
"well my love," says I, "you are home ear-
lier than usual—I have been very lonesome."
"So much the better," says he, "you wo-
men are ever chatting and gabbling when you
are together—always scandalizing your neigh-
bors, and finding fault with your husbands."
"But my dear," said I, with great mildness,
"you know that sometimes the affectionate
solicitude of a wife may plead her excuse for
being troublesome." "O bah, dont talk to
me, you're a fool"
So saying, he rose up,
went to the sideboard, and took a copious
draught of the brandy-mixture, which he re-
peated in ten minutes, and sat down to read
the paper. In a short time he began to make
a variety of wry faces, puckered his mouth,
squinted awfully, wrinkled his face, and forthwith, the dose operated as effectually as a
chancellor's injunction. I pitied him all
night, but desperate cases require desperate
remedies. Next day he felt quite easy; the
tone of his stomach was improved; he shrunk
from the brandy bottle, and assured me that
drinking spirituous liquors to excess produced
bile on the stomach, and he would renounce
it forever. He has not touched liquor since,
and there is an evident improvement in his
health, person and manners.—On Saturday
one of his toping friends just called in, to say
"I hope I dont intrude," tell a long story,
and occasionally moisten his lips with a glass
of the injunction brandy, which stood on the
sideboard, "Thinks I to myself," you will
have spasms shortly. —He left us, after a third
and fourth glass, and I learn that he likewise "renounces the devil and all his works," having been powerfully moved. I have just commenced upon a third person.

Thus you see, my dear Mr. Editor, that your receipt has been of incalculable benefit to a disconsolate wife, who has seen her husband daily undermining his health, wasting his resources, brutalizing his habits and manners, and neglecting his family.

ARABELLA THOUGHTFUL.