The Sun. — London, England, 1837-09-01 00:00:00

MAGAZINE DAY. BLACKWOOD. There is infinite variety in this Number, which is of more than average merit. The articles are numerous, _lecll-digehted, and not too long. Among the contri butors we think we recognise the clever author of the " florae Germanicm"—a series of critical papers whicl attracted c-msiderable attention a few years since. articles we allude to, as being from the pen of this Popular writer, are, a notice of Korner's drama of " Hec'wig," and the " Life of a Poet, by Ludwig Tieck," in which ample justice is done to two of the most successful of modern German scribes. Th " Elections," is forcibly written in point of style, but we protest strenuously against its political tendencies. The writer begins by observing that " the Conservativt cause is triumphant, and the career of revolution ar rested for another Parliament." Now, never was there a greater fallacy than this. Toryism—for we repudiate its favourite alias of Conservatism—is in just as hope less a state as ever ; true, it is noisy, and somewhat more swaggering than usual in its bearing ; but it has no inherent vigour, and no more chance of seating itself on the Treasury Bench—however specious just 'a t pre sent ma y b e its , show of Parliamentary numbers—than it has of converting the South of Ireland to its creed. But supposing, as Christopher so boldly states, it were triumphant, so far would its triumph be from arresting the " career of revolution," that it would infallibly accelerate that catastrophe. Let the Tory scribes say what they please, the country is Liberal, not Tory, at heart. It does not forget the Castlereagh gagging acts ; the Reform martyrs ; the war taxes kept up when the war was over ; or the blood poured forth in torrents on the red plain of Peterloo. Those who like stirring language and adroit sophistry will be pleased with the article on " Elections," but the right-thinking reader will turn from it with abhorrence. " The World W e Live In," like the " World " of which it treats, improves as it grows older. The present series is in comparably the best we have had, whether as regards . the eloquence of its manner, its sound matter, its occa sional wit, and frequent smartness. We quote from it a sketch of Lope de Vega, which introduces some perti nent strictures on the present state of the drama ; " Lope de Vega was born in Madrid the 25th of No vember, 1562. The spirit of poetry broke out in him early, for he wrote verses at fire years old. After being Patronised by the sanguinary Duke of Alva, the death of his first wife drove him to divert his care in the perilous ex periment of'the Armada. The death of a second drove him to a monastery. He became a Franciscan, and was even employed in the Inquisition. He now probably grew in sane ; f or after having long suffered under dejection of mind, h e gave himself so severe a penitential flagellation that ho died. This event took on the 26th of May, 1635, at the age of 63. He was buried w ith g reat p omp, and assumed thenceforth the rank of the first dramatist of his Count r y. The Spaniards boast of his marvellous facility of Pioduction. He is said to have written upwards of two thousand plays. It has been observed that, if the native account be true that he wrote 21,300,000 verses, he must have written, for fifty years, 500 a-day. His wonderful Superfluity, however, arose in some degree from the octo sYllabie metre, and also. from his adopting all kinds of sub . Jects. 01480 of his principal plays, lie acknowledges that but six were regular. His exhibition of character is al ternately feeble and unnatural ; his taste extravagant, but national.; his plots improbable, yet full of incident. He Was th e poet for a time of national intrigue, animation, and eccentricity ; a period of desperate crimes and brilliant f rivolities ; of a dissolute court and a gallant people ; in !lion., of a Spanish cavalier, mingling Castilian pride with French subtlety and Italian dissipation. But in Spain the stag e has gone down ; the solemn tragedies and gay co spedies have been superseded, as in our own country, by interludes, dances, and melodramas." We should not omit to mention the ironical notice of some of George Robins' picturesque auction advertise tents, portions of which are worthy of Ari,uthnot. We have always regarded George as a master of style. -7 1 \Lre is more originality in his productions than in any others of the day. The rivers flow, the hills tower, it lid the meadows blossom, in his descriptions, in a way delightful to think of. He can make a palace of a pig stye, and convert a kitchen-garden into the Gardens of Alcinous. Never was so great an enchanter : he beats • Merlin hollow. The " Exhibition "is a notice of this year's paintings in our New National Gallery. We arc glad to find that the Reviewer coincides with us in thinking that this boasted Gallery is an arrant failure, whether as respects its external aspect or its bternal accommodations. Each is worthy of the other, and both are detestable; "My Aunt's Talc shows much graphic power in places ; but, as a whole, is too much spun out. There is also too much of the " fashion able novel " assumption about it. Why should " Mr. Huggins " be set clown as a vulgar fool, because he lived i n th e pastern quarter of the metropolis ? The writer should rel,72ember that the " Wise Men " of old did not reside in tit: " West," but in the " East." Animal Magnetism in London, in 1837," is well worth reading, for it contains many curious particulars arranged with much tact. In the review of the T o ur of rshal Martnont in Hungary, we find one or two in teresting statements respecting that famous old Russian savag e , Su warrow. The Reviewer states that the sangui nary conqueror of the Turks and Poles was a well-edu cated man. We question much whether he could spell his °"rn name. Th Q worst part of this notice is the intro duction, which is a laboured attempt to white-wash the political character of the Marshal—as difficult a task a ' to wash the blackamoor white. orb within orb—an imperium in imperio—the Exclusives. It is difficult to define what the qualifications for an exclu sive are ; it is not rank, connexion, talents, virtues, grace, elegance, accomplishments. No. But I shall not attempt to explain the inexplicable. Certain it is, however, that our hero was admitted into the coteries of this caste, as dis tinct—as much separated by a line of demarcation drawn round them from the rest—a the Rajhpoot is from the Raiot, who sprang, one from the head, and the other from the heels of Brahma." _ _ . Being a remarkably handsome man, Mascalbruni soon managed to gain the affections if the daughter of an Irish Bishop, but before the wedding-day was fixed, his real character was discovered, and he was reduced to a state of destitution. Determined, however, on re venge, he followed the Prelate's family to Ireland, and appeared before his daughter just as she was about to be married to a young Englishman of rank and fortune. We subjoin a sketch of this scene : " Scarcely had four months elapsed, however, when fresh preparations were made for her marriage, and a day fixed for the nuptials. " The hour came ; and behold, in the conventional lan guage used on such occasions, the happy pair, Lady M. the bride-maids, and a numerous party of friends assembled in the chapel of the Palace. The Bishop officiated. " The ceremony had already commenced, and the rite was on the point of being ratified by that mystical type of union—the ring—when a figure burst through the crowd collected about the doors ;a figure more like a spectre than a man. " So great a change had taken place in him, from the wild and savage life that he had been leading among the mountains, the privations he had endured, and the neglect of his person, that no one would have recognised him for the observed of all observers, the once elegant and handsome Mascalbruni. His hair, matted like the main of a wild beast, streamed over his face and bare neck. His cheek was fallen, his eyes sunken in their sockets ; yet in them burned, as in two dark caves, a fierce and sombre tire. His lips were tremulous and convulsed with passion ; his whole appearance, in short, exhibited the same diabolical rage and thirst of vengeance that had electrified the wile d'arrnes in his memorable conflict. He advanced straight to the altar with long and hurried steps, and, tearing aside the hands of the couple, the ring fell over the communion rails to the ground. So profound was the silence, so great the consternation and surprise the sight of this apparition created in the minds of all, that the sound of the ring, as it struck and rolled along the vaulted pavement, was audibly hettid. It was an omen of evil augury—a warning voice as from the grave, to tell of the death of promised joys—of hopes destroyed—of happiness for ever crushed. He stood wildly waving his arms for a few moments between the pair, looking as though they had been transformed into stone, more like two statues kneeling at the tomb than at the al ter. Then he folded his arms ; gazed with a triumphant and ghastly smile at the bride ; said, or rather muttered, ' Mine she is then, turning to the bridegroom, with a sneer of scorn and mockery he howled, "Mine she has been ; now wed her !' " With these laconic words he turned on his heel, and regained without interruption the portal by which he had entered. So suddenly had all this passed, so paralysed and panic-stricken were the spectators and audience of this scene, that they could scarcely believe it to be other than a dream, till they saw the bride extended without sense or motion on the steps. Thus was she borne, the service be ing unconcluded to her chamber. The ceremony was pri vately completed the ensuing day. "No domestic felicity attended this ill-fated union. It was poisoned by doubts and suspicions, and embittered by the memory of Mascalbruni's words • Mine she has been' continually rang in the husband's ears ; and on the anni versary of that eventful day, after a lingering illness of many months, a martyr to disappointment and chagrin, she sunk into an untimely grave." Subsequently Mascalbruni was convicted of a mur der, committed in one of the Swiss cantons, and be headed—a richly merited punishment, of which the author, Captain Medwin, tells us he was an eye-wit ness. The whole of this extraordinary memoir is vigorously written, and would make a capital subject for a melo-drame. " The " Professor" is a laughable tale, though rather too long. " Biddy Tibbs," who cared for nobody, contains many amusing incidents well put together. " Glorvina," by Sheridan Knowles, is not unworthy of the pen of our best dramatist. The Illustrations to the Miscellany, which are two in num ber, are in Cruickshanks' most humourous manner. NATIONAL, MAGAZ. 'EVE. We omitted to notice the first .Number of this periodical, which made its bow to " a discerning public" lust month ; and we are sorry for our remiss ness, for it contained much readable matter—rspccially the " Student," and the tale of " Frank Woodley," both which were of a superior character, which we ate pleased to find are continued in the present Number. " Jenkin Tomkins" is also an interesting story, and inculcates a beneficial moral. The " Mother's Death" is an affecting sketch, but there is rather too much in it about " summer evenings," and " suns sinking be neath the horizon," which should be left to the senti mental novelists of the Minerva Library school. We are sick of sunsets, and cannot tolerate even a moon, except in such exquisitely humorous tales as " Daniel O'Rourke !" The " Character of Mr. Punch" is a grave, ironical dissertation, not unlike Canning's famous Treatise on the epic poem of the " Queen of Hearts," which may be found in the " Microcosm." The author does every possible justice to his momen tous theme. The " Chase" is a spirited sea-sketch, one or two of whose brief, but graphic descriptions, are not unworthy of " Tom Cringle's Log," which attracted so much notice the other day in " Black wood." Altogether, we think this Magazine very likely to succeed, for it is well written ; the articles are well selected ; and the lithographic embellishments are skilfully executed. We quote from its pages this month, the " Pestilence," which is an animated poem 'rom the pen of a gentleman named Calder Campbell : " Bring forth the Dead !" and the words came fast From the haggard lips of these men aghast ; " Bring forth the Dead 1 we wait not now For parting prayer or holy vow 1" The crimson cross of the Pest was o'er The sculptured arch of that lofty door ; But no menial hand unclosed the gate— Nu sound was heard from those halls of state, Save aye and anon the howl of a hound, That moaned as if struck with a mortal wound; And it was the only living thing 'Heath the roof that bad wont with mirth to ring. But the cry passed on—" Bring out your Dead 1" And a tardy footfall's solemn tread, And a low faint wail was heard to come From the desolate gloom of that humble home. A little babe ! and the mother there, Kissed the loved corse in her mad despair 1 Why should she weep that it first should rest, Since the purple spot is on her breast ? Why should she seek such leprous kiss? To-morrow will see her a thing like this ! " Bring out your Dead I" and the buriers stand Under the porch of a hostel grand ; And strange. wild sounds from that gorgeous hall Their hardened courage of heart appal. Oh 1 dread is the echo of mirth that is heard In the chamber where death bath newly been 1 Like a tranquil lake, that is fiercely stirred By the monster shape of a fiend obscene. And ribald shouts and laughter loud, And the hoots and the oaths of a drunken crowd, And the crash of the glass and the goblet there, Mingle with songs in the sickening air." BENTLEY'S MISCELLANY. As we observed last month, " Oliver Twist" bids fair to become Boa's master-piece. If it do not possess all the broad humour 'and variety of the "Pickwick Papers," i t is far more vigorous in its portraiture, and 1 .1 8 incid en t s are mo re in accordance with probability. his black char ac t er o f th e fawning, vindictive old Jew , wit h black heart and placid smile, is as striking a con cePtion as we know of in modern literature. It is k 'Pt up to o w ith u nflagging vigour, and appears to b e a fa vourite with th e author. The " Poisoners of t he ' e venteenth Century" is a curious biographical sketch Of t he notorious Marchioness de Brinvillier, who created uelt a sensation throughout France during the reig n oc Louis the Fourteenth, by her colossal ctimes, having s ere upwar d s o f twen ty individuals, among whom e re her father, sister, uncles, and brothers. The author of this singular historiette is M E r. Hogarth. 4.lThe Narrative of John Ward Gibson" is a tale which is P la ys considerable graphic powers. " Mascalbruni" I . It memoir of one of the most scoundrelly Italian ad eriturers that modern times have produced. This lica ml 3 who was, it seems, the son of a pauper living in b th e h marsh es o f A ncona , was taken notice of in his__ hi: "d by an Italian lawyer, whom, in gratitude for Pat r°nage,llie robbed and murdered, and then ran 4 4 1 , to Paris, where he figured as a man of fashion , e eame a favourite in the higher circles. Tired the o monotonous dissipation of the French metropo , crossed the channel and came to London. :th e ' e now turn e d hi s face towards the Channel, and opened cam paigntl in London on a much more extensive scale. ta ttle ,' uP his quarters at Higginbottom's hotel in th e left ie' e , ar that young Napoleon came to England, and only Plieh e P l en it was given up to that lamented and accom visitearmee. It i s no t g enerally known that he ever Prof oun rgiand. Hi s so j ourn in the capital was kept a "'ant secret,. The master of the hotel and all his end th: t ook an oath of se crecy ; and Prince Este rhaz y t° htlnembers o f th e A us t r i an em b a ssy were not likely e the d Y it. Th e p r i nce p asse d a week with George s i te _ r urth at 1.3E1 at the Cottage at Windsor, and after.vards as " c oncert at the Hanover-square rooms, hims e lf °need on the pi a no. 'Fhis by the bye. gas nll ea,` c " On that occasion attracted all eyes, and fascinated 1 I : l64 ldit i ;. " R d WA S greet e d a ft er a solo with the loudest for let tr t 4.6 bad no w b ecome t h e f as hion, and, having tl: e is at Alnir t" om on e of the cardinals at Rome to A pa kaotliree hundraed thattained the entiee, and made one Of ‘'-- 4 $ L owey e . compose the world of London. You er, In this world that there is another worki,”-- NEW MONTHLY. The " Gurney Papers" are excellent this month, containing more incident, and sprightly characteristic dialogue than they have yet done. " Confessions and Opinions of Ralph Restless," by Captain Marryatt, remind us, " as with a difference," of that amusing, desultory series of papers entitled "The World we Live in," which are now in the course of publication in Black‘vood's Magazine." The writer furnishes ' us with some entertaining sketches of the several towns in the neighbourhood of the Rhine, and gives the fol lowing directions to those English tourists who may incline to visit that charming country : f‘ If I were to plan a tour up the Rhine for any friends, I should advisa them not to go by the Rotterdam steamer ; it is a long voyage and without interest, and with many inconveniences ; but start lit the si.eamer to ik.ntwerp, go up to Brussels by the rail-road from thence you wilt start from Cologne by tile route of Namur awl Liege through Waterloo ; and I rather expect that many will prefer tbe banks of the Meuse to the Rhine. I know nothing more beautiful than the road from Namur as far as Claude Fon taine, although, compared with the Rhine, it on a mj. niatuta rSC4/C? From Liege to Aix-la-Chapelle, and - from thence to eoiogue, Ei9 up the Rhine by land as far as THE SUN, LONDON, FRIMAX, SEPTEMBER 1, 1837 Mayence, and then you may do as you please. When you are co ning back, descend by the steam-boats ; fir then you go witlt the stream and with great rapidity, an I arrive in good time at the towns where they stop. You will then have seen the Rhine by land and by water. At present the Bubble is at its height ; but it will burst by-and-by. The English are lining the banks of the Rhine with gold, and receive insult and abuse in exchange. I have been much amused with a young countryman who has come up in the steamer with me. Not able to speak a word of French or German, he is pillaged every hour of the day ; but if he could speak he has no idea of the value of his money. He pulls out his purse and the waiters help themselves—very plentifully,l may safely add. What he has come for it is difficult to say : not for the picturesque, for he slept the whole time between Cologne and Mayence —that is, all the time that was not occupied by eating and drinking. His only objet appears to he to try the Rhenish wines. He has tried all upon the Weein Et.esen. He called for a bottle of the best ; they gave him one not on the carte, and charged him exactly one pound ster ling for the bottle. He is a generous fellow ; he sits at the table with his bottle before him, and invites every man to partake of it. When he has drank enough he sleeps it off and begins again." " Plagues of Popularity" is an ingnious essay, containing much truth and more sarcasm. The author in an amusing vein of irony, thanks God that. he is not popular, and never likely to become so, because he has thereby saved all the annoyances resulting from the visits of itnpertineni, lion-hunters ; and the piles of MSS. in bad prose and worse verse, which are always sent to the " successful author" for his careful perusal and revision. " Lunacy in France" is, e understand, from the pen of Mr. Carne. It is written with feeling and simplicity, and contains some startling details res pecting the sayings and doings of madmen. " Ben Johnson" is from the pen of Cornelius Webbe. It is an interesting bit of gossip respecting old Ben and one or two of his poetical contemporaries. The writer ex presses a hearty admiration of Herrick, and we are glad of it, for he comes the nearer to Anacreon of any lyrist in the language. The " Phantom Ship" keeps - - up its interest unabated. The supernatural part of the story is just kept sufficiently in the back-ground, so as not to draw too much on the reader's credulity. The days of hobgoblinism are well-nigh past : they went out with Tory ascendancy ; but we must confess to a sneaking relish for them. A well-told legend is far better than a dull essay on Utilitarianism ; and Captain Marryatt dresses up a ghost for us in the true spectral fashion. " The Lives of Brown, Jones, and Robin son," contains one or two vigorous bits of description. " The Golden Pippin" by Alfred Crowqu;ll, is as good as anysrticle in the Number. AS a specimen of " New MUnthly" poetry, we quote some beautiful lines on " A Child at play with a Watch." The writer is Mrs. Osgood : " Art thou laughing at Time in thy sweet baby-glee? Will he pause on his pinions to frolic with thee? Oh ! show him those ahadow!esa, innocent eyes, That smile of bewilder'd and beaming surprise,— Bid him look on that cheek, where thy rich hair reposes, Where dimples are playing "bo-peep" with the roses ! His wrinkled bro,c press with light kisses and warm, And clasp his rough neck in thy soft-wreathing arm Perhaps thy infantine and exquisite sweetness May win bim for once to delay in his fleetness. Then—they, would I keep thee, my beautiful child ! Thy blue eyes unclouded, thy bloom undefiled, With thy innocence only, to guard thee from ill In life's sunny dawning— a lily-bud still I Laugh on, my own Ellen His voice, which to me Gives a warning so solemn, makes music for thee ; And while I at those sounds feel the idler's annoy, Thou hears't but the tick of the pretty gold toy His smile is upon thee, my blessed, my own ! Long, long may it be ere thou feelest his frown. And oh may his tread, as he wanders with thee, Light and soft as thine own little fairy step be ; And still through all seasons, in storms and fair weather, May 'rime and my Ellen be playmates together !" THE ECLECTIC BEVIETV. The criticisms in this Number are sound, but heavy —as almost all critiscisms are that appear in this perio dical. Their leading characteristic is sterling good sense, without a spark of genius, or the remotest ap proach to anything like liveliness. They might be all penned in a pulpit, and read from one, without fear of stumbling upon a light or irreverent passage. Th e Reviews include " Poynder's Speech" on Idol Wor ship in India; which appeared in Me Sitn of the 273 . of December last ; Ty tier's Life of Henry VIII. •' the " Honourable and Reverend Baptist Noel's Tour in Ireland ;" " Young's Lectures on Intellectual Philosophy :" '' Opinions of Lord . 13 ! rou g m " The Curate of Steinho ;" and " Hallam', Lstro duction to the Litera:ur:! of Europe works re spectively noticed in our columns. An article on the Result of the Election is full of confidence in the ap proach of a YEtenni= of happiness. " God grant it l" was the simple ejaculation of the honest Irish woman, when told by a spaewife that the urchin on her knee would one day be a Pope ; and we would repeat her prayer, had we her faith, on the present occasion. THE S P 011 T S AN. Old Boswell. court. This Number is embellilihed with two handsome engravings—the one a " Stag at Bay," by Thckwith, from a pencil-sketch by Fielding ; the other " Barbie - fishing up the Thames," drawn and engraved by Beck with. The first is the subject of an interesting article, by the Editor, rich in quotations, from the poets, si ne , the days of Shakspcare. The " Diary of the Pytchlev Hunt" will be read with pleasure by every keen sports man. This periodical improves apace—the surest way to a lasting popularity. THE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF . AGRI. CULTURE. Blackwood and Sons. We never open this periodical without being sure to find a number of articles of the first importance to all who profit by, or are engaged in, agricultural pursuits. The humane landlord, and the intelligent, industrious tenant, find a mentor equally vigilant, impartial, and agreeably instructive in one of the most able periodicals of the class to which it belongs. An article on the unequal distribution of, and unequal assessment for, public burdens in Scotland, is particularly worthy of the reader's attention. But by far the most interesting article in the present Number is one on the agricultural state of Ireland, from the pen of some gentleman whose knowledge of the country is not clouded with the prejudices that disfigure almost every page that is written on the subjects of its moral and physical con dition and capabilities. An extract from it, on the " Habits of the labouring population," will afford our readers an opportunity of judging for themselves : We shall conclude this article with a few remarks on the habits of the people. In many parts of Irelam% the lazi ness and the unthriltiness of the peasantry are very ob vious, their habitual indolence is traceable to the. paralysing nature of their condition ; they can only provide a bare sub sistence fur themselves and families, and being so often thrown on the Lire of land for an existence, they are com pelled to agree to any terms to obtain it ; they live on, cot tiers it may be, from year to year, unable to retain any of their earnings for the use of their families, without interest in the permanent improvement of their holdings, and being obliged to work out a rack rent by a given number of hours, they have no adequate motive to exert themselves. Thus an indolent mode of labouring becomes their habit ; but give them advantageous work to execute, where it is their interest to save time, and they work with great energy ; in dolence, where the characteristic of any di*trict, has been assuredly engendered by hopelessness. Where the condi tion of the labourer (or small-holder, who is himself a la bourer) is really good, he is an industrious man. Where even a reasonable hope of obtaining the great object of his desire, a bit of good land on reasonable terms, he will un dergo labours and difficulties which would appal an English man. We are well acqusinted with a common labourer in the County of Wexford, who has walked eight mies every working day, to and from the place of his emp!oyment, during the last two years, although he might have had work fol4F . !?i§ AWfi cabin ; The cons/alley of the emplo3ment (we forget whether at I*. Pr 10(1 par day), and the hop . e of 'at tracting the notice of the gentlem an on w h ose d mesn e he labours, and obtaining 'a house and land with tl'e various advantages enjoyed by the dependents of that proprietor, have supported him io his extra toil. It i s no u neommon . hiatto for worlooeo ul - 03 i,0 , 0 miles to h` - 4 1 from their place of work, six days in the week. Wherever law- less habits and recklessness of life (as we have before re mirked on indolence) are characteristic of the labouring classes, it may be concluded Curt they have been oppressed, and are hopeless of ever possessing- more than a mere sub sistence, and so prepared to become the ready agents of mischief which they sometimes perpetrate on their own ac count, as in the case of forcibly digging up grass lands for potatoes, under the alternative of starvation, but more fre quently without being themselves suff:rerc from the acts of the individual whom they injure ; arid it has often occurred (as in the ease of Lord bevoli's property in the County of Limerick, stated in a recent Number), that persons much above the rank of small holders, have instigated tie people to white-boyism, with a view to protect themselves from ejectment. When comfortable in their circumstances, and permanently employed, they are peaceable in themselves, and with difficulty drawn into ..7,,iriiln disturbances." NEW STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF SCOTLAND. Rini , XV. Edinburyh, IDacl.•wo„d and Song. The present Part of this excellent work, which is embellished with a coloured Map of Perth and Clack mannan Shires, embraces the history—topographical, statistical, natural, antiquarian, civil and religious—of the far-famed town and county of Perth, by the Rev. Messrs. Thomson, Gray, Esdaile, Findlay, Ferguson, and Millar. Among the mass of interesting selec tions from old records scattered over its valuable pages, we find the annexed account of a Trial and Execution for Witchcraft in Perth, in the beginning of the 17:h Century : Trial and Execution for Witchcraft.—ln the year 1623, three women were tried and executed for witchcraft. Their names were, Margaret Hormeeleuch, Isahell Haldane, and Janet 'Trail. luformation being lodged against. them in the session, they were summoned before that court, their depo sitions were respectively taken, and witnesses were and examined to establish their guilt. The examination of the witnesses appears to hove occupied the court for seven days in the months of May and Juue, and to have been conducted with great minuteness. Instead of entering into particulars, it may be sufficient to state the following things, deponed by witnesses, and confessed by the accused. " With regard to Margaret Hormselench,—that she came to Alexander Mason's house, and having seen his wife, who was very unwell, she commanded that south run ning water should be brought from the Tay, the hearer to be dumb both in going and coining, and to hold the mouth of the pig to the not th. That she washed her with this water, and afterwards made a bath of great meal. That the diseased immediately recovered, arose, and supped with her. That she cured Marjory Lamb in the Meirton, (who was sick by the dint of an ill wind,) by weighing her with south running water, and rubbing her arms with fresh butter and that she learned these cures from Oliver Itat tray's wife in Pittmudyne.—That she had restored milk to the cow of Robert Christie front Ruthven, (which had grown geld) by causing a peck of draff to be carried borne to the cow, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.—That she had restored milk to the cow of Andrew Louraine in Mireside, by mumbling some words over a firlOt of draft, which he bought by her directions ; that she sent him home with it, and bid him cut the cow's lug, and mix the blood of it with the draff, which he did, and the cow gave milk.—That as Patrick Auebinleck was going at the plough he took a cholick, and she was sect for to cure hint ; and that she for that effect commanded him to he washed with south running water, and bathed in black wool and butter. " With regard to Isabell Haldane,—that she cured An drew Duncan's bairn, by taking water from the burn at the turret Port, bein g dumb, and carrying it to Andrew's house, and upon he r knees washed the bairn, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. That afterwards being accompanied by Alexander Lockheart, she took the water and the bairn's sark, and cast both into the burn. That being asked if she had any conversation with the fairy folk, she answered, that ten years since, when she was lying in her bed, she was taken forth, (whether it was by God or by the Devil she knows not,) and was carried to a hill side, when the hill opened and she entered. That she staid there three days, to wit, front Thursday till Sunday at twelve hours ; when a man with a gray beard came to her and brought her forth again. That she made three se veral cakes, every one of theM being made of nine cures of meal, which had been gotten from nine women that were married maidens ; that she made a hole in the crown of every one of them, and put a bairn through every cake three times, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ; and that there were women present who put the same bairns thrice backward through every cake, using the same words. That she went silent to the well of Ruthven and returned silent, bringing water from thence to wash John Crow's bairn ; that when she took the water from the well, she left a part of the bairn's sark at it, which she took with her to that effect ; and that when she came home again, she washed the bairn with the water, and that she had done in like manner to John Powery's beim. " With regard to Janet Trail—that Janet Burry brought her bairn to her, and told her that it started in the night. 'That she told the mother that the bairn had gotten a dint of evil wind, and site directed her to cause two persons to go down to south running water, and bring as much of it a; would wash the bairn ; and that they slaeuld be dumb. when liringing the water. And that after the bairn was washed, they should carry back again the water with the hairn'e sark, and cast them into the place where the water had been taken up. She farther directed her to bathe the bairn with black wool and butter. That she got a shot star at the burn side, and sent it in with black wool, and that after the cure was used, the child was healed. That Duncan Tawis and Isabell Haldane came to her at her house in Black Ruthven, and Duncan told her, that lie thought his bairn was taken away, it being stiff as an aik tree, and unable to move. That having heard this, she promised to come in and see the bairn. That when she came in, she took the bairn upon her knee before the fire, and drew the fingers of its hands and every toe of its feet, Mumbling all the while some words that could not be heard, and immediately the bairn was cured. " Being asked where she learned her skill, she deponed as follows, to wit : When I was lying in child-bed lair, I was drawn forth from my bed ta a dub near my house door iu Dunning, and was there puddle(' and troubled. Being asked by whom this was done, she answered by the fairy folks, who appeared some of them red, some of them gray, and riding upon horses. The principal of them that spake to me, was like a bonny white man, riding upon a gray horse. He desired me to speak of God, and to do gocd to poor folks ; and he showed me the means how I might do thin, which was by washing, bathing, speaking words, putting sick persons through hasps of yarn, and the like." The above arc excerpts of depositions, and con fessions, taken by the session, as formally engrossed in the records. " George Robertson, post, was sent with the depositions of the witches, to purchase a commission to put them to an inquest. The clerk was ordained to direct a missive to Andrew Conqueror, commissioner to Parliament from the town ; and another to Charles Rollock, baillie, who were both at the time in Edinburgh ; and another to Mr. John Guthrie, minister there, that they all three might con cur for obtaining the commission. "The commission having been obtained, directed,to the civil magistrates, to try Margaret Hormscleuch, Isabell Haldane, and Janet Troll, accused of witheraft : they were put to an assize, and being condemned, suffered the ordi nary punishment by being strangled at the stake, and after wards burned, on Friday, July the Ith, 1623. " The session thereafter proceeded to. censure the persons who had sought cures from them, and caused them to make their public repentance on a Sunday before noon, clothed in black cloth, and standing under the bell strings (ropei)." There were, as there still are, perforations in the arched roof of the Old, now Middle Church, immediately under the tower, through which the bell ropes were let down for the convenience of the ringers. And it was a frequent practice to make delinquents, as a particular mark of dis grace, stand under these before the congregation. The place where such tragic scenes as the one now nar rated were perpetrated, is said to have been a hollow in the North Inch. TAI7"S MAGAZINE. The literary department of Tait is capital this month. The feast of the Poets is a feast indeed—a banquet from which no reader, no matter what may be his tastes so he have taste at all, can' rise disap pointed. If he prefer the stern but unavailing pa triotism of the last of the Tribunes, to the dignified martyrdom of the most eloquent but vainest of the Consuls, he has only to turn from the Tomb of Cicero to the triumphal chair of Rienzi—the boast, the idol of regenerated Rome. If he would behold the harrowing contrast produced by the working of a system, which teems hourly with weal and woe, independently of the will of the objects of its bountiful and baleful influences, the lines on a " Beggar" —a Lazarus at the door of a second ayes— .will amply content him. " Tom Wabster's Farewell to the Spulc," the ‘.‘.l.,ities suniesied to a Sott:sb Mechanic on conversing with an exiled Irishman," and the " Song; for thel‘lasses," will find a response • in the bOsoms of tens of thou,ands of those 'hq C):P. - stitute the right arm oft,i jntl. - pp lovers of sell tioleut have a course especially provided for them• selves ; and let us add, in justice to our Radical friend Mil, that it would be no easy task to arrange a better. The following lines are so expressive of feelings of which we trust a majority of our readers are prepared to confess the power, that we teadlly give them inser tion in our columns : Faithful in fortune's darkest hour, Till tit= our loves were dreams of youth l 'Twas then I f.•lt affection's powcr, 'Twas then I proved thy bosom's truth. Ye;, when I sec the gushing tear Bedim the eye that thrill'd before, I feel that thou indeed art dear, And love thee—love thee more and more. Waked from a soft Elysian trance To life's severe reality, fiad in thy mare pensive glance A deeper, tmert,r sympathy. Our griefs, as from one fountain. spring, Now that our mutual joys are o'er— Yes, not a sorrow time may bring, But I shall love thee more and more. I'll.elasp thee yet— I'll elaSp thee yet, Though passion's burning hour is past, Nor breathe one accent of regret That the bright moments fled so fast : Nay, the more dark the sky may be, And the more loud the storm may roar, The closer will I cling to thee, And love thee—love thee more and more. Thus far together have we come— Nor he the hope, the forayer supprest, That we may reach our long last home Together, and united rest. But should my fate be first to die, While Death stands beck'ning at the door, I'll turn to thee, and faintly sigh, I love thee—love thce more and more. The " Massacre of Kringellen," final the Noise, is one of the most animated I .fistmical ballads in the language. But the eeet which it leaves on the mind is not agreeable. There are means by which we can not contemplate with pleasure even the triumph of jus tice and patriotism. The reviews of " Lockhart's Life of Scutt," and " Talfuurd's Life of Lamb," afe interesting summaries of those very popular works. Of the political complexion of Tait we have spoktn elsewhere in our columns of to-day. THE METROPOLI7AN. The " Parliamentary Portraits" are amusing enough as sketches ; but unfortunately the people sketched are not worth the time and trouble the writer has bestowed on them. Who cares to know anything about the minor stars of St. Stephen—whether they be pale or ruddy, short or tali, young or old ? The sketcher should fly at higher game. " Nelsonian Reminiscences" are not so interesting as they have been ; the details of the death of Abercrombie, father of the present Speaker, on the plains of Egypt, are the best poicions of them. ". Prose Sketches by a Poet," contain some good thoughts and stirring descriptions. The " Backwoods of America" is the produCtion of a writer well acquainted with his subject. The de scription of a journey into the woods is as dramatic as anythinLr, in Dr. Bird's late clever tale " Nick of the Woods." On the whole, the Number is a good one. FRASER'S MAGAZINE, Eschewing Fraser's politics—which, if possible, are more rabidly ultra Tory than they ever were— we - have nothing to find fault with, but, on the contrary, ample scope for commendation in the varied contents of the Number before us. " The Tableaux of the Taverns" would of itself put us in good humour for a month. The adventure of Reeve and the Cornish Miner at the " Wrekin" is capitally told. To appreciate the following extract as it deserves, it is important that the reader should know that a rich Miner in Cornwall having oc casion to wait upon Mr. Canning, when Prime Minister, on some matter connected with the working of mines in his native district, was favoured on setting out for the capital with -a letttr of introduc tion to John Reeve, the Comedian. Oa arriving in London, the miner's first business was to find out Reeve, who, after performing at the Adelphi, acccompanied his new acquaintance to half the taverns in town, when, being rather obfus cated, they adjourned to finish the night at the " Wrekin," in Broad -court, Bow-street. The. up shot will be gathered from what follows : The time had now arrived when the miner might, with :mire propriety, look for a little information at the hands of John. "• Who arc they all r was his first comprehensive qu scion._ " Can I trust you ?" muttered John. " Trust me! flow ? Why ? What do you mean ?" " Mean! Why, I mean if you tell it's—all Dickey— yes, you may look—all Dickey." " What do you mean by Dickey ?" " Why, if I tell you, and you tell anybody elsp, and Anybody else tells anybody that you told them, we shall be all scragged." Scragged ?" asked the miner, with not the faintest perception of what scragged meant. Aye, scragged !" echoed John ; " hung by the neck with the legs downwards. Pleasant, eh !—you may look.' The minor put but little faith in the alternative, and de, Glared that his first question might be safely answered. " Well, if you think so," said Jack, " listen!" and lifting his glass to his lips, he finished his " go" of brandy and water. Reeve now continued in an under tone, a little inflated with pomposit3. He was, in fact, making a speech. " Well, Sir, after the cares of business—you may look—it befits great men—you may look, but I say great men—to relax from their arduous and anxious toils in the society of a few kindred spirits. Waiter, some more brandy —you may look—yes, kindred spirits. Now—draw your ear closer— you won't peach, ell ?" " Peach ?" said the miner. " Yes, you may look ; but if you peach, it will be a neck-train." And the miner did look, for he was at a nonplus as.to apprehension. " I mean tell, you know—tell, tell." Oh, I -won't tell," said the miner. Well, then, what was I saying? Let me see—yes— great men—kindred spirits—ah, I know—draw your ear closer—well, great men—aye, the greatest men in England —come here—after the toils of office—and—and— But Jack feigned to be too big with his subject for utte rance, and merely took another swallow of his " cold without." " And—and what ?" anxiously inquired Mt. Deepore, with a suspenseful gaze. " What—ab, you may look," resumed Jack ; " hut— well, then, there are four Cabinet Ministers, and three Members of Parliament, in the room now r " The devil there be !" said the miner. " Yes," said Jack, " you may look !" and his friend libe rally availed himself of the permission. " Then, who's that ?" he asked, singling out one of the guests. " That--Mr. Ilume." " You doant say so! And who's that?" " That's Huskissou." " Be it really ! And the gentleman' with the bald held a top o' the table ?" " That's Canning." " What, prime minister Canning gasped the miner. " Yes, prime minister Canning ! You may look." Mr. Deepore was for a moment filled with amazement ; but speedily, with the acute perception and peculiar shrewd ness of his countrymen, he bethought himself of turning the incident to instant account. He remembered that his sole business in London was, if he could so manage it, to be with Mr. Canning on the subject of those mines of which he was captain and chief ; and be justly appreciated the value of the coincidence which had brought him into free, unrestrained convivial collision with the great man himself on the very evening of his arrival. At once he communicated to his friend, John Reeve, his intention of taking advantage of the prime minister's good-natured move ments to press his suit ; and that worthy having passed round the hint to a company, none of whom were evtr slow in taking one, the miner began to exp!ore, and commenced his first excavation into his subject. He approached Mr. Canning (or rather the intaigent; bald-headed reporter, who was on that occasion his proto type) with a Cornish bow, he begged him a thousand ctn• Wish pardons, and " Could he r the ntiuister aa(kii‘ Deepore had to ssy secrets from the ii lends t l o l u Y n ° h t i — m ; sane he might say :.loud, without fe ar end without reserve. So out spoke the Mitiop t He broached his plans—he presentfA ; 1 1 twOg°4 -,,, e1e eloquently pressed its prayer -1111 %Y enPuraged by some lucid observatic,:is from Hus- AlsOrl-1 and h is first damper was from Mr. Hume, on the ground el ease. One or two of the members present spoke to the question. But on John Reeve's remindirg tlum of his presence, by shouting, " Cut it, Canning— you may look!" the proxy prime minister brought the m. t ter to a close. " Mr. Deepore, when I first gav2 you perm'ssien to speak, I was not aware that you wished to address me upon a matter of business. As my friend Reeve says, you may look! But the fact is, we come here to cseap from business altogether, and to have a little pleasure. Ic tt not, therefore, consent to any usurpation of cony:6 ility here ; you must drop the subject. You shall not, ho vever, be forg otten. You have been introduced to me und th; most favourable auspices, by a gentleman remarkable for gravity, sobriety, and judgment, in the selection of bi's friends. I will give you a card. Here ; I have w•itt upon it, Admit the bearer instantly.—G. C.' Call upan me at two o'c!ock to-morrow in Downing-street, and .1 the clerks make any ceremony in admitting you, show them this. Tell them it was given you last Light by Mr. Can ning at the Wrekin in Broad-court, and you'll be us scrod in directly. But don't show the card unless you find a nt cessity. And now, gentlemen, as two of our lamps are out, and the other is upon its last legs, I beg to knock Mr. Reeve down for a song." There was a shout of approval. It has since been supposed that Reeve was inebriated ; for he exclaimed, " Well, as you've knocked me down, I'll put, your last lamp out. You may look—but hear." " The Last Rose of Summer. It's the last lamp on t)he table, Left blazir.g alone ; All its oily kimpaniops Is burnt out and gote. I'll rot leave thee, th 6 lone one, To go out in smoke ; Since the rest arc in darkness, Why, you shall be broke." Wherewith Jack finished his " cold without," and aimed its empty tumbler with sufficient accuracy to smash the ,amp, douic the glimmer, and break up the cornpz ny. Even amid all the dilemmas of drunkenness, and although he went to bed with his feet on his pillow and hi. head to the pons, and put his candle out with his nizhtci-p instead of an extinguisher, Mr. Diepore did not forget his appoint ment with the prime minister, and two o'clock the next day found him punctually at Downing -street. Mr. Canning was denied, and Mr. Deepore's Cornish blood was up: 'He was on the eve of calling the chief clerk a liar, when he thought of his card. " There," said he, pulling it triumphantly from his pocket, " there, read that : Admit the bearer in stantly.—G. C.' Now, then. I got, that from Mr. Can ning last . night, when we were all drinking to ge th er a t th e Wrekin in Broad Court, Bow-street. There, Will you let me in nor?" It was in vain that the clerk, who now doubted the mi ner's sanity, assured hint that Mr. Canning' was with the King et Windsor. Mr. Deepore would not believe, and he remained in an agitated and somewhat uproarious state of non-coneiction, until it was found necessary to have him forcibly exi oiled into the streets of Westminster. Sensibly alive to his degradation,. he felt himself an injured m an ._ Hi e Cornish blood,' in his indignation, had now . set fire to his cheeks, and his heart almost burned a hole in his waistcoat. He put himself upon a coach for the place of his nativity, and on arriv . ng there assured his friends :and relations that the prime minister of England was a blackguard, who could make an appointment with an honest man in his cups over night, and have him kicked down stairs the next morn ing, which is the impression respecting George Canning in that part .of Cornwall up to this day. The "Oiland ScrQeant" is an affecting tale, but the idea has long since been worn threadbare. " Blue Friar Pleasantries" is pleasant enough in its way, but the conceptions are for the most part either hacknied or common-place. MONTHLY REPOSITORY. The most acceptable paper in the Number before us is evidently from the pen of its Editor, Leigh Hunt, and calls pleasantly to our mind some of his Incst sparkling and discriminating theatrical sketches in tl:e " Examiner" and the " Tatler." It is entitled " Mar- riages from the Stage," and has been suggested by the recent death of the Duchess of St. Alban's—a lady who now that it is too late, seems likely to obtain all the lavish eulogy that was denied to her during life. Hunt must ha, , e turned over many' volumes to have got the materials with which be has so abun dantly supplied us in his account of the marriages of Actresses with Aristocrats—which, by the bye, are far pore numerous than we were aware of. agreeably written, interspersed with piquant anee rlotcs ; and evinces throughout a cordial relish for the lraina, and everything connected with it. The •' High Life and Low Life in Italy," is not quite to our taste, The article yen though Mr.. Savage Landor be the author. The nide on the " Elections and on Parties," which heads !ic Number, contains some sound political refiectionz. THE RAILWAY MAGAZINE. Wytde. _ _ A very useful periodical, very ably and impartially conducted. Prefixed is a map of the projected 1i .il way, from London to Southamptort. A lette:• from the Editor to the Duke of Wellin g ton, on the amended Railway Standing Orders, will be found worthy of Jeneral attention. As the contributors are, for the m tst part, practical engineers, this Magazine is well adapted to the tastes of scientific readers. [We have received an immense quantity of Maga zines this mmning ; but, from want of space and time, must defer our notices of them to some future d: y. We cannot• undertake the task of wading through periodicals which do not reach us till the Ist. They should be sent at least a day before.] BERGEN, AuG. 15.—The well-known Marquis of Waterford arrived here last week on board his handsome yaett. In our streets he attempted to play the pranks by which be has acquired a very equivocal reputation in the United Kingdom ; but unhappily encountered a watchman who is one of the most vigorous of our guardians of the night, and a blow of whose staff 'felled the Ma: quis to the ground, where he lay half dead. This happened near to the principal guard-house, wl.ere a subaltern officer of the Burgher Guard was on duty ; by his care his Lordship re ceived speedy assistance, but is in such a deplorable condi tion that our physicians despair of his life. HAMBURG, AUG. 28.—The Crown Prince o Bavaria arrived here from Hilegoland. THE WEATHER.-This is the first month of Au tumn, and the temperature begins to be sensibly felt. Eva poration is 2 2-3 inches, and the rain is 2 2-10 inches. The equinoctial gales commence the latter part of the month, and sometimes before, and the changes of the baro meter arc great and sudden, as is generally the case in stormy weather ; yet some of the most pleasant weather of the year occurs in September, which is the best month for sea-bathing. CA RUST BONDS.—A singular scene took place yesterday afternoon in Camden-town. Flames having been seen to issue from the banks of the canal, some alarm was occasioned, and fears were entertained that the coal barges hi the adjacent wharfs had taken fire, and many persons proceeded to the spot to ascertain the extent of the mischief. On their arrival they found that the filmes arose from a vest a ,Ilection of papers, which had been heaped up and set on tire by several foreigners, who had gathered round and were eagerly contemplating the work of destruction. From th e anxiety which they btrayed that not one stray morsel of the paper should fall into the bands of the spectators, great curiosity was excited, and several persons made a rush at the flames with a design of rescuing a few of the devoted documents. One person, who succeeded in getting hold of a parcel of them, was immediately beset and assP.ulted by the foreigners, and summoned to give up the pav ers , which they represanted as contagious. The party, however, re fused to give up the prize, which, on oper.ing, he found t o he a roll of bonds of a loan for D on Carlo; bearing int eres t at five per cent., and payable six months after th e en t raUCe of his Majesty Chirles V. into Madrid. Two steam navigation companies are already in full activity in Antwerp, and recent letters thence speak of a third company as about to be formed. The bew company proposes to raise a capital of twelve millions of florins, ten millions to - be expended on the purchase of sixteen steam boats, and the other two millions to be kept as a reserved fund. The vessels are to be employed across the North Sea, the British Channel, and to the Mediterranean ; tho chief object in view is to place Antwerp in direct commu nieation with America, and with the English stoam-boat line to the East Indies. A Geneva Journal mentions that the Queen Dowa ger of Naples left that city on the 20th instant for Milan, takirg tbz; road over the Simplon. A few days before, her d by a band of music. She dined near the Castle aeoninpanie with ai.ljesty made a tour of the hake in the steamer of Chiron, aad was highly delighted her excursion. LIVEnroOL COTTON-MARKET, AUGUST 30, Tne demand for cotton to-day was rather brisk, an d t h e a es mount from to 5,000 to 6,000 bags, with a firm market for all kinds ;in some instances higher prices paid. The particulars are 500 Pernams; Sid. to . 10d. ; 300 Maran h inis, Bd, to 91d. ; 200 Bahias, Bd. to BA.d. ; 250 Egyp tians, qd. to 104 d. ; 1,400 Surats, to 4id. ; and - the !est American, 5-td. to 71d. 400 bags American and 400 Surat, are taken for export, and 500 American on speculation.