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favour of the good old villagers of Scotland, if they are the same I left them thirty years ago, however it may be scouted at by the superior clafs of your readers, who must not always be pleased.

I have discovered, then, that Damavoy is the elder brother of your Scotch Browny, who must have emigrated to Scotland with your Danish ancestors, as I hope to demonstrate by the following authentic state of facts.

1st, There still exists a branch of the family in both Denmark and Norway, known to the good people of a certain class and age, by the name of Nifse. This little funny fellow, is commonly seen in a red cap and a brown coat, (the very drefs he proba bly carried to Scotland with him, and got his name from,) either on the top of a house, or the back of a horse at grafs, especially in a dark night; or strolling in the woods,/ enticing the cows to lose their way. But he is, above all, cused of setting the peasants by the ears, and laughing heartily at the joke; this truth any one may convince himself of, by only walking a little way into the dark wood, and listening at midnight to little Brown Coat's mirth. Sweden I find boasts of another branch of the Damavoy family, called in the language of that country Tompte Grubbe, or the little old man of the house, (probably the wren of the nest, by his diminutive size,) whose little bonnet is sometimes found in the woods by the peasants, and carefully left in its place untouched, as the little gentleman is remarkably choleric and irrascible when meddled with, particularly if left bare headed in winter. As to his

other tricks and caprices, they appear to be much the same with those of his Danish and Norwegian brothers.

In short, Mr Editor, I have discovered that this fairy, or goblin family, is originally from the north and that there are branches of it in the five northern countries within my line of research, including Scotland, which certainly cannot with much propriety be called a southern kingdom. I presume, then, that by giving the history of the branch nearest the pole, (the seat of the family in all probability,) it will pretty nearly characterise the whole fraternity, allowing for the modification of climate, and other local circumstances, which must have more or lefs affected the propagande in a lapse of ages. However it is but doing common justice to the races, when branding them with such an epithet, to declare, that according to the best information I have been able to obtain, they are much lefs dangerous than the new propagande of foul fiends, who are at present wandering about Europe, to disturb the peace of men, whilst Damavoy and his family content themselves with a few pranks on old women and cattle. indeed these plotting imps, and all other devils I have heard or read of, are fiery fiends; whilst mine, you will observe Mr Editor, (and I beg to claim priority of discovery,) are icy devils, a span new genus, which cannot be accused of antiquity, feudal origin, or of having been disgraced by the respect of our ancestors, which I know are sufficient causes of rejection and damnation in your part of the world at present.

But

In compliance with the sceptic spirit of the times, I shall begin with my authorities, who are in general grave matrons, worthy of credit from their age and ample information on the subject, which they deal out by the hour, when they can find an audience; and to the horror of my goblin spirit of research be it spoken, I have frequently been ranked amongst the respectful hearers of those village wonders. But above all I must acknowledge particular obligation, to a venerable hoary coachman, whose silver beard gives credibility to the weekly report he brings up from the stable, of oats, bridles, and such like stable items, being scattered abroad and lost, by the equestrian fiend. Sometimes Damavoy takes a whim to ride in the night, then the poor animal is found all in a sweat in the morning, requiring rest when the master requires exercise. Sometimes he takes a marked dislike to one particular horse; and is said by the good folks to transfer in that case, the oats of the devoted beast, to the manger of another favourite steed, which of course thrives well, whilst the other is reduced to fkin and bone. In this last respect your correspondent was uncommonly unfortunate for several years, in having a pair who had both incurred the fiend's displeasure, and were at last reduced so low, that he might have lost them, had not a suspicion arisen, that the coachman, not the horses, was the object of Damavoy's indignation, and the result showed the truth of the suspicion; as on turning him away, the goblin went with him, and the cattle regained their oats and flesh.

*

A decent elderly woman, who serves the house. with milk, laid long the bad quality of that necefsary fluid likewise to the pranks of Damavoy, when it happened to be below par; who fhe said sometimes amused himself with drinking milk, and putting water into the pail in its place. However, having found a more fortunate milk woman, whose cow house was not haunted by Damavoy, we are now well served, and hear no more of his frolicks.

The Russian peasants, especially those who keep hackney horses in town, and are of course more immediately under our observation, suppose that Damavoy is particularly fond of a long clotted mane, which never has felt the teeth of a comb; and as they stand particularly in awe of that fiend, they let them grow to an enormous length, which has a strange appearance, especially to travellers. However I think of late years I see much fewer of these dedicated animals than formerly. Thus you see, Sir, that the most northern of the whole goblin groupe, and who has resisted the thunder of the Greek Vatican, which drove all the Sclavonian deities into the Black Sea, (as the nearest, whilst fulminating at Kiove,) only haunts the stables and cow houses of the Rufsians; and never like your ill mannered Scotch Brown Coat, (for I beg to correct the corrupt reading of Browny,) defiles the dwelling house with his presence. Justice however, obliges me to acknowledge, that what the Caledonian goblin has lost in manners by emigration, he has gained in other good qualities, which he certainly did not carry from Denmark or Norway with him; as no

traces of them remain with the rest of the family. Here again I speak from as respectable authorities in Scotland, as in Russia, as I received the following information, not only from my dry nurse, but likewise from the grave matrons who served the paternal mansion with salt and sand.

They all declared with one accord, that Browny had been known to ride, like a devil as he is, (though a good natured one,) for the bowdie or midwife, when a favourite cortager was in labour; and on another occasion, to afsist a favourite servant girl in doing her work in the night, except her indelicate gratitude led her to offer him food as a recompence for his labour, when he was sure to leave the imprudent lafs to her own exertion, who was then well off if fhe did not find her broom stuck up the. chimney, and a sprinkling of soot on her well washed floors.

I have now, Mr Editor, traced the family of our Rufsian Damavoy, to all the northern nations within the range of my research, according to promise, (a service he by no means merits at my hand, on the score of milk and oats, as hinted above,) so that if any of your numerous readers, choose to follow the polar breed through the different colonies. from the north, settled in the other parts of Europe, it may not only serve to satisfy curiosity, but as a peace offering for the repose of their stables, providing these imps still preserve in foreign emigration, their old equestrian taste.

And that this difsertation may tend to the repose of mine, is the hearty with of ARCTICUS.

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