Star. — London, England, 1829-11-13 00:00:00

4 .._*_,S.=%l%,. filtiii 4 V r 0 'W r iWlf -..-"' `:I.Y'• ~1 ---- ------_, ) . n2' 1 ) 4 'A' Jai i A' \ N t' I 1%0 iif , f 111:1, A ( .1 1 CS r C - ° o4s: . 4 . 10 r _!_ ~, , i Tr .... 0 ......... w 1 kil l t (ill 111 ." • -___- THE CONSTITUTION-NOTHING LESS, AND NOTHING MORE. '! A•*.thA FRIDAY EVENING. NOVEMBER 13, 1829. NUMBER 13,318.] v:up ! PRICE SEVENPENCF. FALLS OF NIAGARA. Princess, having been informed of the circumstance, or dered some of her attendants to follow the carriage ; but they soon lost sight of it. He first drove to the &stile ; but be did not go in. He then proceeded to the Temple, and from thence to the convent of the Peres de l'Oratoire, where he asked for Father de la Tour, the general of the congregation. The brother who came out to speak to him, seeing that the visitor was very shabbily dressed, told him that be was too late to bee Father de la Tour. The Prince was urgent. " Father de la Tour," replied the brother, "is with a bishop; as soon as be is disengaged, I will inquire whether he will see you." The Prince waited pa tiently, notwithstanding the severe cold, for the space of an hour. When thealshop went away, Father de la Toar,who was not a tie surprised tosee the Prince, made some apology to hint. They both drew near the Are, and they continued conversing till near eleven at night, when the Prince returned to the Hotel de Condi, where be found that his absence had occasioned great consternation. He ordered supper, and he was that night seised with a fever, volsklunever left his till his deatiso.—Cestrt Arrant. • FRESH BEEF. VICTUALLING OFFICE, October 30, 1829. THE COMMISSIONERS for VICTUALLING his MAJESTY'S NAVY, 4.c. do hereby give notice, That on Fem.:, the 20th of November neat, they will be ready to receive Tenders in writing (sealed up), and treat for the supply on separate Contracts, of all such quantities of FRESH BEEF, as may be demanded for the use of kis Majesty's Ships and Vessels at the following places, for Twelve Kalendar Menthe, from the Ist day of January. 100, viz. Chatham. I Jersey, Cork snd Kinsale. Kingstown and Dublin, Carrickfergus, Woe Harbour, mite. and Newry,. Milford Haven, C.ampbellawr, Newhaven, Downs, Plymouth, Falmouth, Sheerness, Greenock, Harwich. • The Conditions of the Contracts may be seen at this Office, or by applying to the Resident Commisdoner of the Victualling at Plymouth; the Agent for the Victualling at Haulhowlide ; the Storekeepers at Sheerness and Deal; the Secretary to the Poet. master General at Dublin ; and to the Collectors of his Majesty's Customs at each of the other places. Each Tender must specify the.price in words at length, and be delivered before One o'Clock on the day appointed; and must be accompanied by a Letter signed by two responsible Persons en. gagieg to become bound with the Party tendering in the penal Sum of AI ,500 for Chatham,. Plymouth. and Sheerness, and for each of the other places in the rail lons of 02500, for the due performance of each of the Contracts. ''' • The Person who makes the Tender, or some Person on his behalf, must attend to answer when called for. M. FALLER CLIFTON. PURSUANT to a Decree of the High Court of Chancery, made in a Cause " Gummi rt. Levu," the CREDITORS of EDWARD GREAVES, late of Nett!swarth Hall, in the Parish of Warsop, in the County of Nottingham, Esquire, decesseA, (who died in the month of March, 1824 ,) are , by thei;Solicitors, pp . or before the 21st day of December neat, to come hi and prove their Debts,. before Jobe Edmond Dowdes. well, Esquire, one of the.Magers of the said Court, at his Oflice in Southampton-buil4loll9l Chancery-lane, London ; or in default thereof they will b.e. peremptorily excluded the benefit of the said Decree. ELLIS, WALhfSLEY, and GORTON, 0, Chancery -lane, Plaintirs Agent,. TAM O'SHANTER AND SOUTER JOHNNY. ! THESE STATUES, illustrative of Scottish Charac ter and Costume, and of the Poetry of Beans, Scotlmd's immortal Bard, executed by the self-taught Artist, Mr. JAMES THOM, are exhibiting at 9.8. OLD BOND-STREET, where duce their arrival they have been visited by upwards of 60,000 Persons, The Public are respectfully informed that these Figures are soon to be removed frost Town, and in order to give every facility fur visiting them, the Exhibition Room has been completely lighted lith Gas, and is now open in the Evenings from 6 o'clock till 10 ; nd as usual from nine in the Morning till four In the Afternoon. —Admission One Shilling—Cbikdreo Sispence. This day was published, price ed. or .81. per hundred, THE SUPPLEMENT to the ANTI-SLAVERY MONTHLY REPORTER, No. 55, for OCTOBER, con taining-1. Observations on the Present State at the Anti Slavery Cause. IT. Extract from the Edinburgh Review of October, 1824. 111. Extract from the Westminster Review of October, IU9, dtc. &c. (Being a transcript of a pamphlet just published, entitled " The Death Warrant of Negro Slavery through the Bri tish Dominions.") To be bad of Messrs. Hatchard, 187, Piccadilly ; Menu Arch, 61, Corolla' ; and at the office of the Anti-Slavery Society, No. 18, Aldennanbury. CATON'S WORKS JUST PUBLISHED, WITH CASES. ______ A. PRACTICAL TREATISE on the SYMPTOMS, TREATMENT, and CURE of the VENEREAL DISEASE, captaining Observation, on the Diseases, immedi. ately ur remotely connected with it • as Derangements of the Bladder, Urethra, Ulcerations, Eruptions of the Face and Skin, Gleet, &c. with Remarks on Mercury, and its Effects on the Constitution. Intersp ersed with select Prescriptions. By T. M: CATON, Surgeon, Late of the United Hospitals of St. Thomas's and Goy's. Price ss. TREATISE on the PREVENTION and CURE of the Dif ferent Stages of ASTUM A, exhibiting the Character, Symptoms, and T sent of this Disease; with copings Observations on Diet, Liquids, Clothing, Residence Climate, &c. &c. Containing also a necessary collection of Prescriptions. Price Ss. Sold by Sherwood and Co. 23, Paternoster -tow; Highly, 174, neet-street ; Chapple, 66, Pall-mall ; Bowen, US, Oxford street ; and all other Bouksellen. EXTRAORDINARY FREAKS OF A CONDE. FROM AN UNPUBLISHED PORTION OF THE MEMOIRES DE RICHELIEU. When the Prince de Conde went to preside at the As- • sembly of the States of Burgundy, he took it into his head that he was transformed into a hare ; and orders were issued to prohibit the tinging of bells, because on hearing them, his Royal Highness •could scarcely be prevented from running into the woods. At one time he fancied himself a plant, and having stationed himself in the little garden of the Hotel de Conde, he directed one of his . pages, bl. de Plainville, to water bim! kl. de Plainville, however, thinking it advisable to evade this singular ceder, laid down the two watering pots, which he had filled, and Bed to hide himself in the Hotel. At this time the Prince was furiously enraged; but • after a little time the whim sway, and he forgot the trick that his page bad him. :I c e i xt extraordinary fancy, wa to think himself dead. He then said be had no need of food ; and he would probably have died of starvation, had not the fal lowing plan been devised to induce him to eat. Girard, one of his valets de cbambre, whose son afterwards became the Dyke 's secretary, and Rickard, another confidential servant, dressed them selves in clothes'Used for the dead, and.presented theniseives to the Prince, one pretending to be 'the late Marshal. de Latiembourg, and the other bit grandfather. After %lone conversation on the realms of death,whence they pretended to have just arrived, Mbegged the Prince would accompany ' them to dlite with arshal Tvretine.' He was surprised at the iwopeeltion, and replied that he wai"not 'aware thle dead ever eat dinners. But Wing been assured of the contrary, be accompanied his supposed *Wore to one of ibp.vaulta of the Hotel de Conde, where he found atieflecf. of hikservactsida .witiding sheet, Peisonating MAMA ru mp!. "Tie wh:di part); table'and ;ate a 'very ,. hearty dinner; "ce ..01.1 served be' dotiesticit all tubbed. in the livery of the vatic: While' this hailicination continued, the Prince regularly took. his meal; itr.the vault, and as regularly . received imitations Irene all' 'the , illustrious . ‘'deteased of his acquaintance. 'AV 'titer* often 'imagined himuelf—turn ed to a 'hat; and. When this fit wan upon him be weed to retire to *cabinet, which he had ;completely hung with cloth through the hpr that if be . tepiamed l q. bis chamber, he 'should strike his heed .. .sabot fhq walls or Ceiling. Shortly after this he gradually wasted away. and it 'etias tcrafillsollt him that he . could not long ' surviie. The' 'Print - Ali; whois very de(rnut,requested that M. de LI Chetardie, the Cqre of St. Solpice, wopid contrive some mans of ...l a rlogipg him tqConfitedon; she air directed Mademoiselle &Man ilpgrier del..ingetop ; one maid. tirtagar . ,'wbo bid' great jpgitetice over the tirtiti 'Pride*: til 'peek ttalduireiwtke Nib lick. All thil seethed to mike's great impeession whim. -.About I* o'clock nolovimer afternoen,he ordered one of the yalerts;to g ot joge,ikfaafrf. ytas je e r:ail told' that he had kairlageself Isis rifniedib male use twat, int' the servant sea Obliged inlets hito which he he steppe& tathereilibblip elerised s in • 'a large surtout. He seciitl, 'forbade Nal of 'hie rviots 114isitIold him, especially Chiron, who was much attacked to. 114. , the TAMPICO, August 20. On the 17th ult. the Spanish expedition, consisting of 3,500 men, under the command of General Isidro Barradas, landed at Punta Xeres, near Cape Rozo. While on the march, a few days subse quently, towards Pueblo Viejo de Tam**, they were attacked by about 300 Meziauts, advantageously placed in ambuscade, and the firing was briskly maintained, by both parties, for a quarter of an hour, but the Mexicans were eventually repulsed with the loss of between 40 and 50 killed and wounded, one field-piece, and a quantity of ammunition. The Spaniards bad two officers and eight soldiers killed, seven officers and about 30 men wounded. General Barradas marched his saes, without farther opposition, into the towns of Pueblo Viejo and Tampico el Alta, which had been previously abandoned. He then seized the fort at the bar of this port, crossed the river, and took quiet possession of this town on the 7th instant, with the loss of only two men, who were killed by the explosion of a gun. The force of the Mexicans amounted to between 1,100 and 1,100 men. of which about two-thirds were militia. under the command of General La Gana. After a few shots from the Spanish gun-boats they retreated precipitately, and passed through this town, on their way to Altamira, in the must perfect order. General La Garza, on the morning of his retreat, issued a pro clamation. directing all Mexican citizens to quit the town oo the instant, un pain of death, and the mandate was immediately obeyed. One thousand Ave hundred or one thousand eight hun dred men, headed by Gen. Barradas, left this place on the 15th inst. for Mistake, which is about six leagues dia. tent, leaving behind him a garrison of only 400 men, which was deemed a step fraught with imminent danger to these who remained, and a most unwise measure on his part, and could only have been suggested by his contempt for the na tives. But what is even more extraordinary is the fact of his or dering die transports and all the ships of war, (with the exception of one brig) to return to the Havannab, before a decisive blow bad been struck ; and should they be compelled to retreat, they mast inevitably be cut to pieces! However, the greatest enthusiasm prevails among the Spanish soldiery, and they, one and all, declare that they are determined to conquer or to die ! Early this morning s a printed notice was circulated by the Mili tary Governor of the canton, Don Jose Miguel Salomon, dated last night at eleven o'clock, informing the public that he had re ceived a communication from General Barradas i dated that day from his head-quarters at Altamira, of which the following is the substance : " The division under his then command, encountered the enemy, very strongly fortified. A battle ensued, in which the Royal troops behaved with unparalleled valour, • strewing the field with the curses of their enemies.' The General will take an early opportu nity of promulgating the particulars of that brilliant morn ; and concludes by stating that the Mexicans were terror-struck, and in their • shameful' flight towards Soto Is Marina, they forced the in habitants of the ' innocent' neighbourhood of Altamira to fly with them, which village the conquerors entered triumphantly on the 1 Bth." In condonation, it is stated that the loss of the ?deafens must be considerable, though the Royalists themselves ally had five men killed and three bruised / A salute of six guns was fired early in the morning, and the Governor, with his Staff, attended Mass, to commemorate the " brilliant morn." It is said that Gen. Santa Anna, with 1,700 men, has landed at Tuspan from Vera Cruz, to join the troops under the command of Gen. La Garza, and he may, therefore, be daily looked for. Barradas is a vigilant man, and well qualified for such an adven. tura, but he is extremely arbitrary in his public acts, which has rendered him rather disliked by the few inhabitants that remain, most of whom, if not all, are foreigners. He has established a customhouse, and thrown open the port for the admission of wines and spirits, a s 4provisins of every kind, for a period of six months, free of duty. Both men and officers speak in a very confident tone of their Id- timate success in possessing themselves of the country ; but this Is extremely doubtful, and, unless they can bring 20,000 or 50,000 additional troops into the Seld, they will, assuredly, do no good. A few depredations have been committed by the invaders, princi. pally in the dwellings of the natives, who abandon their proper. ties ; but the effects of foreigners, up to this moment, have beet respected. It is said by the Spanish Officers that 1,600 picked men are daily expected from the Havanna, and an expedition direct from Spain, composed of about 14,000 men ; but these are merelT reports. Amuse 21.—At about two o'clock this morning General Sues Anna landed on this aide the river with 700 men, when the arise commenced in every direction, but was principally maintainM from the roofs of the highest houses, and partially in the streets. The entire force of the Spaniards amounted to nearly 200 men ; of these about 40 were invalids, but the whole of them displayed the utmost intrepidity, and fought with the greatest coolness. Alter an incessant firing, which lasted nine hours, the Governor, SenorSalomon:ordered a Sag of truce to be hoistedZand immediately the.hostilities ceased. While the belligerents were in treaty about the evacuation of the place, General Barradas suddenly appeared with the whole of his force, and in one minute be settled the mat ter by informing Santa Anna that he might continue the conflict, or withdraw hictinops to the other vide on the instant: Of course he prefecred. the latter s*ternative, and embarked his men. The loss of both parties, between killed and wounded, may be reckoned - at atrout6o, but the Mexicans were the greatest s u fferers. The Mexicans palsied every house they Could enter, and the property-stolen and destroyed is said to he very considerable, be aldis the injury whirl the buildings have sustained. Mr. Harri ette; at the firm of Harrison, Brown, sad Co. estimates his loss at 8,000. dollars, and no man could have acted more generously and humanely than this gentleman did during this disagreeable affray. limiter 1.3.-.—The packet is still detained. Nothing of any in terest transpired yesterday. About four o'clock this afternoon a lag of truce was sent by Santa Anna, intrusted to an officer of ea vile', who was tee' beam of despatches addressed to the different 'Consols, couched in the most friendly terms, intimating to them his intention of besieging the town, and strongly Urging them to re commend the citizens of their respective Governments to retire with their properties into the interior, where they would be pm - reedy safe; granting them ; for that purpose, a period of six days, at the expiration of whiclitermtbe bombardment will commence. Aoa 29.—. The time allowed by Gen.Senta Anna expires this day, and.tbe foreigners are bully occupied In shipping their goods fur Paseo. n village a few miles up the river, from whence they will be .f~rsiaportsd into the interior. About 400 of the Spaniards are coo ed bY the yellow !Wier ' bat their ehtlinsiasni for the cause in" WWII-they bave-embirged does not appear to have abated. The - Moslems tortaris atostdesabk. A few days must decide the con test, and It is conjectured that the Mexicans will succeed in driv: ' Mittman out otthe casta!ry. 04 . Consul will embark oa boy& the packet this afternoon for Veri Cnii;and will return immediately to this place should there , ang"British vessel it war as that sestina. AU the foreigners have embarked moat of their effects, and will quit the Lula Octant sunset.—Merton` Herald. • • • • • .k. .. 1 1., A correspondent of the New York Advertiser, under the date of October 8, gives the following account of extraordinary exhibitions which took place two days pre vious at the Falls of Niagara : Like a great many other gentlemen from the provinces of both sides of the Niagara rivulet, I was called here upon pressing busi ness ; and being here, I must either shut my eyes or see the show. The arrangements contemplated the blowing up of a large projecting rock near the Indian Ladder, at half-past twelve o'clock. on Tues day, the 6th ; the blowing off of a part of Mrs. Dawn's Island, on the margin of the British Falls, at one o'clock ; and the bursting of the outer Terrapin Rock, at half past one o'clock, on the margin of the American Falls, near the termination of the bridge which pro jects out to the verge of the precipice, from Goat Island, toward. the Canadian shore. It was originally intended to have made a still greater blast by throwing off near a quartet of so acre of the surface of Table Rock, immediately below where the large fragment fell some two years since. There is a fissure of sixty or seventy feet long, by more than a hundred deep, which seems now almost to separate this immense block from the mighty rampart over which it fearfully impends. And to tell the truth, from the rapid disintegration of the shale at its base, it already bangs but insecurely, and threatens ere long to tembie into the abyss by its own specific gravity. And it is feared that some rash and inexperienced young travellers may be standing upon its summit at the time of its separation, unless it should chance to fall in the night; as others have fallen before it. Under there elscumnances, Mr. Foregth had determined to shake off this crag by an artificial earthquake on the 6th ; but the colonial government hearing of this project, and Sir John Colborne fearing, perhaps, that the whole cataract ntight be blown up, and the upper Mee let out to drown bin beautiful capital of York, leaving the Welland canal high and dry, issued an order at once to prevent the explosion and avert the dire catastrophe. The nest " treat" was to be the descent of the schooner, at three o'clock. Punctually to the hour she was towed to the foot of Grand Island, and left to her own guidance, a few degrees N.N.W. of the celebrated city of Araret, founded by a great Rabbi of ancient times, the numerous spires and turrets and the frowning castles of which I could not see, on account of the dense and beautiful forests with which the suburbs of the city are ornamented. This was truly a beautiful spectacle. At first -the Superior looked like a dark *pot upon the water, increasing In size as it was borne down the current. The waters above the rapids were as smooth as a sea of glass ; and the sun shone upon them, as upon the surface of a polished mirror. How de ceitful the calm ! And here I might moralize, U I bad time. It was intended that the schooner should be swept down the main channel near the Canadian shore. Her velocity became quicker as the glided gracefully onward, running like a youth in the smooth sea of pleasure, to swift and certain destruction. By and by her masts were discernible ; and then the streaks upon her sides. And mitt/ she approached the rapids, Xt was a moment of breathless interest. Sew she plunged Into the breakers, and with a loud crash away went both masts. Now she was lost in the surf ; and now again she rose proudly upon the surge, and, though &masted. plunged gal lantly among the breakers like the noble war-steed in battle.— But her struggle was sho rt.: She had entered the rapids at too great a distance from the shore; and wheeling round in an eddy, broadside to the current, she struck upon a fiat rock, about mid way between Goat Island and the shore, where she now lies, the hull entire, bidding defiance to the impetuous torrent which comes dashing against and rushing by her. Thus closed the memorable 6th of October, 1622, on the Niagara frostier, with a promise which nobody believed would be performed, that Mr. Samuel Patch, Gent. should leap the cataract on the day following, at 12 o'clock precisely. It was arranged that he should leap from a ladder, erected at the foot of the precipice below Goat Island, midway between the British and American falls. S.'m came out from a cleft in the rock, dressed in white, and quickly ascended the ladder, amidst cheers so loud that they would have been beard far abroad bad it not been for the roaring of the turbulent Nia gara. At length he reached the pinnacle, where he sat for a mo ment like a sea-gull upon the corner of a cloud. Now he stretched himself to his full length, bowed as gracefully as be could to the gentlemen, kissed his hand to the softer sex, and made his f ear f u l leap. What a fall was that, my countrymen!" He sank down, and disappeared in the whirling cauldron, which closed upon and boiled over him. " He has made an everlasting leap.' said an old man, wiping away a tear. It was now time to look about for the new messenger to the deep ; and the boat plied briskly. round the eddy to seize him by the crown as soon as he should rise to the surface. But Sam didn't choose to favor them with his custom, as he continued to skull himself ashore unperceived by any body, and the next that was seen of hint be was discovered clambering up the rocks like a soaked muskrat! He was received with hearty cheers, and the people all scampered home to dry their clothes, and talk grandiloquently of the hero of the day. At our house it was voted ems. con. that Sam Patch is bat a scurvy name for the hero who was the first to leap tile cascade, And law is the basin of the Niagara, and that henceforward he shall be known by the more appropriate cowmen of Samuel O'Cataract. NOTES ON ITALY AND SWITZERLAND. BY A WANDERER. FLORtiNCE.—It is hard to. write any thing new on Florence, and any thing old would be more tedious than a thrice- told tale. Of all the towns in Italy, it is, perhaps, the moat beau tifully situated, as it is certainly the best governed. The present Grand Duke is an amiable and unostentatious Prince, who appears among his subjects without any show or parade ; his manners are mild and conciliating, and his Government is certainly just. Yet It is a Government of alliance, of checki- and precautions, but checks and precautions so seldom and generally so wisely. and rea sonably resorted to, that those who are sometimes among the vici. tinis do not cease to regard the character of the Date sod Foal. sambroni, his Minister, if not with affection, at least with esteem, The polka are active, well informed, and most efficient in Tuscany, but they are seldom or never seen lathe public way, nor do the molest with an impertinent curiosity or a sordid searchiogness th vehicles of travellers. No, they confine themselves to their bursa and barracks, and, unless some actual breach of the poste occur thernever interfere. In thus speaking of a despotic system, I tip not desire to be understood as advocating it ; but people in this lit ate apt to judge more by comparison than in the abstract , and, t him who bas recently quitted Austria, Italy, or the domtinions his Holiness the Pope, the Government of the Grand Duke of Tuscany eannor fail to appear. gracious. •It is hard to say whethe the police of the Pope or the police of Austrian Italy is worst, but I incline to think that his Holiness's thief-takers must be ace del e f this bad `• yre-eminence." More mercenary than the Austria police they cannot well be, but they certainly are more instil t and less efficient as regards toreigners, both systems (i. .. the system of the Pope •as well as that of the Emprroro is, perhaps, the best organised and mug ingeniously devised plan of rubbery and plunder that can be well imagined. —Coaling in and going out of every town your passport is called for, and, if you enter at the critical hour of nine in the morning , these fellows, suspecting that you are about to breakfast, put the • question so you boldly I if you reply in Abe affirmative, your pass port is take, from you, on the pretest of a sire—hreakfaat being considered a stoppage or temporary - dwelling in the town, as Well as dhow or supper. The reason, *trod, of all this is plain. The Cotaimimery of Police carries the passport, after an hour's 4.- 14, to y.ui. Hotel, and then Makes a' regular demand• for his tignMsi flet. if any imposition Is practised on is foreigner by post masters au postilions, these police are never to be found ; and, if you ao find them, they ale always shre to take part with-their own country's's. • Now there is 11011 e of this is. Ts•casy.• Your p ,• S' port is examined at the truntier town, and there is an end of it.— At the frontier custom-house a certain Sum is paid on-the entrance w .v 1.) . ,. is, !V.. ..). ~ i: :i of every carriage. for which you are given a receipt. Thus there can be no imposition. These are some among the many can., . • which render Tuscany a preferable residence. I should, however. disguise the truth if I did not declare that the vast influx of Eng lish to Florence (and which influx often in the groat, but always in the detail, make it a sort of abiding place,) has contributed ro %tall the town as a residence for people of moderate means. I spea'r with reference to Hotels; for in an establishment of your own you can live cheap enough The Hotels, however, are, for Italy, error - mously dear. Dinner, without wine (for the wine of the country, ut which travellers vaunt so much, is not drinkable), usually cost. from 10 to IS pants a-head. A paul varies front 50. to 51d. of our money ; and even for 15 of these pieces (about 6s. Bd.) the dinner you do get is very indifferent. B•eakfast and lodging are proportionally dear. This rite of price has taken place within the last IS years. In 1815 one might have as good a dinner for five pants as you can now procure for ;5. The meat at Florence Is generally good, with the exception of the mutton, which is the worst I have ever tasted Vegetables ton are very bad; bat this Is nwio; to the extreme carelessness of the peasantry, who take no pains to cultivate the finest soil in the world. A rake and hoe is all they use: They are content merely to skim the surface; and if their daily toil produce them a pound of btead and half a pound of roast chesnuts, they are content. So it is with their vintage ; they have the finest grapes, the most luxuriant vineyards. and the worst wine. It is the fashion in England to praise this wine, and more especially among medical men, as eminently wholesome, but I confess I think it quite the reverse; and in truth no foreigners drink it who can have any better! When newly made it is as sweet as gooseberry or currant wine, but 'not half so good. The Italians say it is so delicate that it will not keep one season. For " delicate," however, read care lessly mad*, and you have the truth. Alaacuauss.--In all the old Republics of Italy you will find the most extensive and the most gorgeous palaces built originally by merchants. At Venice, Genoa, Florence, all the noblest edifices were raised by merchants. The founder of the house of Medics was a merchant, so was Pisani. Barberini, and a host of others. When these men became ennobled, however, their sons spent what their fathers made. Hence many of the descendants are now as• lowly as their great ancestors first were. While I write many of the oldest palaces are inhabited by a new race of new men. Tomo nica, the banker, at home for instance, who was bred a baker, has turned one of them into an Hotel. Scotto, of Pisa, who was a porter in s wine cellar, and who is now the richest man in Tus cany, has turned another into his private dwelling, as has Fend, the Jewish banker, who was an old clothesman ; and lan, though not least, Gasperini, the hotel-keeper of Florence, who is on the point of marrying a Noble dame ' has, within a few days, pur chased an old Hotel, intending to retire from the sign of the Pell. can.—Meriting Herald. PROBATES OF WILLS. Some time during the last session of Parliament a return was ordered, in consequence of the motion of Mr. Prothe roe,of the different courts and other authorities in the country em powered to grant probates of wills. That a registry of wills is necessary no one can doubt, and that every measure of security should be adopted for the preservation of them, and every facility afforded to the inquirer, seems equally evident. From an exami nation of the report, a ndi a practical knowledge of the system, it is, however, no less evident that the latter objects are far (runt being accomplished. In most cases they are very insecure. It, many cases there is considerable difficulty in getting at them, and in all cases the object is only to be attained at great expense. Of course, I do not speak of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, inasmuch as all wills are there easily obtained through the medium of Is. and an alphabetical index for the year; altboueb, as far as regards the poorer inquirer, to whom the facilities ought to be greater, the band in which they are transcribed must be nearly as illegible as Greek or Hebrew ; and then another Is. is required, in order that he may be made to understand it. A slight survey of the different Courts in the kingdom will serve to convince any one of their insecurity and their inconvenience. Let us take a few, by the way of example. In the see of Bath and Wells, one Court keept its records in a room " at the outer entrance of the palace," another " in a room belonging to and ad joining to the house of a late deputy registrar." a third in a room '" at Taunton," and a fourth in a room " over the cloirters." 1,, Bristol, some wills are in the Cathedral, some at Blandford, and others at Wimborne. In Chichester, we find them not only in a private dwelling-house in that city, but at Lewes sad at Bette!. In &. David's they are to be met with at Haverfordwest and Brecon. In Ely at no less than five different Courts. In Exeter the scope for inquiry ranges from Exeter to Totness, from Totness to Bothnia, front Bodmin to Barnstaple, and from Barnstaple to Penzance. To have a better idea of this disjointed system, take the following use :—A person writes to Exeter for the will of a man who has died within the limits of the Arcbdeaconry of Corn wall; a letter comes back, informing him that be must write to the registrar at Bodmin. The registrar at Bodmin writes that the will is not there, by reason of the Bishop's inhibition (a periodical suspension of the lesser power), sod he then re-writes to Exeter. All this is frivolous, vexatious, and absurd. To proceed :in Gloss. tester they are kept in an insecure building, and the Dean and Coapter have not (as the return testifies) yet been brought to al low a more secure place to be provided! In Lichfield, we are sent sometimes to Bridienorth, at others to Shrewsbury and El lesmere, and even in the Peak of Derbyshire. York is eminently fertile in the abuses of peculiars and manorial courts--but it is use less to swell the list. One diocese tclietb another, and the evil will be best explained by referring to the report. One hypothetical instance more will suffice. A person wishing to obtain the will of a man who died at Theme, in Oxfordshire, naturally writes to Ox ford ; from Oxford he is referred to Lincoln, and from Lincoln to Aylesbury, in Buckinghamshire, that place being a peculiar in the deanery of Lincoln ! To give a still better idea of the peculiari ties of some of these said peculiars, the following note, relating to that of Corabam, in Wilts, occurs in the report :—" The vicar is now abroad, but is expected home shortly no wills can be proved In his absence!" First, then, the keeping of wills over porches and cloisters in cathedrals is had, because they are exposed to damp, and are therefore insecure. Secondly, the keeping them in private dwellings is bad, because they may be lost or destroyed, and are therefore insecure. In stating this, no charges are brought against any individuals for neglect : it is the fault of the system,and should be corrected. Nevertheless, it is a notorious fact to all who have been engaged In such researches, that many wills of no very an cient date have, through the insecurity of their situation, beconie totally illegible, or been reduced to a mass of powder, and that many, mentioned in the indexes, are not to be found. '1 be registry of wills in the different dioceses is generally intended as a facility for the poorer classes ; and in order to proportion the expenses ac cordingly, they are called upon to pay Ss tki. for a search which the wealthier citizen caw make at Doctors' Commons for Is. This is bad—unjust as far as regards the poorer inquirer, who is made to pay such a sum,—injurious as far av regards the interests of all whose property may depend upon the issue of a search,—and vex atious to the antiquarian, who may find aU his labours lost in a cloud of pubserised parchment, se Inch simultaneously blinds his eyes, and sti fl es his inquiries. The remedies (better late than never) which may be suggested. are—lest, that all wills, now to be found in the different dioceses, whether kept by the bishop or the steward of a manor, should be transcribed with proper alphabetical indexes, and forwarded to the registry office in London, .r to sonic other room chosen for the purpose, and to be open to public inspection on the same terms as those now In the Prerogative Court; secondly, thetas aplbabetical index be likewise kept at the different registry offices in the corn ties, or at the Episcopal registry rice in each diocess, and that care be taken to put the wills themselves into a proper place of se curity, either in the <Ace is in the Teeny ; and lastly. that from henceforth, transcripts of ail wills be sent annuslly to the Prero gative Court of Canterbury. As a question of expense, when we are engaged In building pa laces, bridges, arches, and post-office,, it would be perfectly car.- teroprible to oppose such a proposition ; and, as a quesnon of di.- ficulty, should it be deemed impracticable (not that it is adoitted by any means) to obtain transcripts of ever) will throughout the king dom, at all events indexes might be made out and lodged in the Prerogative Court. The longer we wait the worse will the evil become, and in point of mere utility, the trans ribing of 'the re , tuntetuary evidence in the different dioceses, on which the fate of much properly may depend, would be far. greater than the prin.• ing the Isysiiitiooses Pistriserteas, and the many other public record. which Parliament has, proceeded in a most ptaisewsirthy ; manner to rescue frogs destruction. The evil of these petty jurisdicttons is palpable, and the remedy plain. It is to beihoped Pariliourt will dosconethiltp , . . •