it is very fearless; and bishop heber relates that an acquaintance of his having on one occasion shot a young baboon, the mother came boldly up and wrested the gun out of his hand without doing him any injury. by way of pendent, we add the present state of the zoological society, from the report just completed. gross amount of the income of last year £17,633[3] being an increase over the preceding year of 1,857 receipts of four months of the past year 3,330 receipts of corresponding months of the present year 3,755 _receipts of the society since its formation_ in 1827 £ 4,079 1828 11,515 1829 13,991 1830 15,806 1831 17,662[3] - total since its formation £63,053 _visiters to the gardens_. in 1830224,745 paying 9,773£ 1831258,936 11,425£ _visiters to the museum_. in 183111,636 paying 333£ number of fellows 2,074 [3] these items, which are not quite correct, are from the _morning chronicle_ report. the society have obtained a grant of nine acres and a half of land, in the regents park, contiguous to their gardens; and they intend to devote 1,000_l_. annually to the improvement of the museum. the curfew bell. (_to the editor_.) observing in your no. 543, some remarks relating to the ancient custom of ringing the curfew bell, and that _reginald_, your correspondent, had withheld the name of the village where he heard the curfew rang, i am led to suppose that it may not be uninteresting to your readers to be informed, that at saint helens church, abingdon, this custom is still continued; the bell is rung at eight oclock every night, and four oclock every morning, during the winter months; why it is rung in the morning i do not know; perhaps some of your readers can inform me. there are eight bells in saint helens tower, but the fifth or sixth is generally used as the curfew, to distinguish it from the death-bell, for which purpose the tenor is used, and is rung at the same time at night if a death has happened in the course of the day, and for that night supersedes the necessity of ringing the curfew. the curfew bell is rung, and not tolled, as _reginald_ states: therefore, what he heard, i suppose to have been the death bell. m.d. (_from another correspondent_.) the custom of tolling the curfew is still retained in the town of sandwich, to which place your correspondent, _reginald_, no doubt alludes, as the sea-shore is distant about two miles; hence is distinctly visible the red glare of the lighthouse on ramsgate pier, as also the north foreland. g.c. coin of edward iii. (_for the mirror_.) a beautiful gold coin, a noble of the reign of edward iii., was discovered, some time since, by the workmen employed in excavating the river witham, in the city of lincoln. the coin is in excellent preservation. the impress represents the half-length figure of edward in a ship, holding a sword in the right hand, and in the left a sceptre and shield, with the inscription edwardus dei gra. rex angl., dys. hyb. et agt. on the shield are the arms of england and france quarterly. on the reverse, a cross fleury with lionaux, inscribed, jesvs autem transiens per medium illorum ibat. these coins are very scarce, and remarkable as being the first impressed with the figure of a ship; this is said to have been done to commemorate the victory obtained by edward over the french fleet off sluys, on midsummer-day, 1340, and which is supposed to have suggested to edward the idea of claiming superiority over every other maritime powera dominion which his successors have now maintained for nearly five hundred years. w.g.c. penderell jewel. (_for the mirror_.) an ancient medal, or coin, ornamented with jewels, was purchased, a few years since, of one of the descendants of penderell, to whom it was presented by charles ii., as a valuable token of his gratitude for certain protection afforded by him to that prince, when endeavouring to effect his escape in disguise from england, in the year 1648. it consists of a gold coin of ferdinand ii., dated 1638, surrounded by a row of sixteen brilliants enchased in silver, enriched with blue enamel, and bearing the motto, _usque ad aris fidelis_. the reverse is also enameled, and the jewel is intended to be worn as an ornament to the person. w.g.c. pecuniary compensation for personal injuries. (_for the mirror_.) the present laws which enable a person to obtain pecuniary compensation for personal injuries, appear to be founded on very ancient precedent. mr. sharon turner, in his history of the anglo-saxons, gives a statement of the sums at which our ancestors valued the various parts of their earthly tenements