The Sun. — London, England, 1835-10-19 00:00:00

IlAl~l ISSION S a t Guildhall, 'Bench of Ms- charge of the ras fined 51• for ,ed. a t ,ihen it sits LY.) e. 8. wind ailed, the 1 0 , Norfolk, Hele fo rl; L rolina ; pool, WV' for lice, Begg' i and Amp s.;niled for e th Thames, Dar' rs.-1 K•--~~~~ rived the SYIPb► Procris, rs°l(/' deanniman► fro Robert, Valea• leaky, b°llllu ro' ) ith, Aga! , f Nei ian, Puttee,co, arlestown ; lirminghan i f f J c right, an p;eto o; from le, port, the Orezia, Maranhao from Atr i l; d Jo d, an e Canning, Les, Wilson , fr°° i , mo derate. --• ~,, , sailed the ilt;;4 ' me et and lge i ft 511 Inglis, VI . 'in rmeco, Be ll " e West Indies' DAY•) tbt l° t at present .4 lay last, althol downward. # Les a decline rP"ji Oats also thee to their purcbasesid Beans, Pea s ,' t ot this day we; is very heav y • new) ............ old) ........... .;"5 ew) ......... )ld) ........... . • (new) ......... (old) .......... "'": v. ................... 0.2 a. yi ................ ew e ............. .............. I.e ............ ..... l ad . 19S• 03. ..... r er sack) ....... ; ..... .... .503 8:. Country 1 4 / ............................. ST 'G LA Qrs. 31 OrS• 2 25 11-7 LITERATURE THE PRIME MINISTER. Br A PEER. Churton. London. 1835. The author of this poem is exceedingly anxious to Impres s on his readers the momentous fact that he 1 . 8 a " Peer," for he repeats the imposing monosyl lable not less than three times in as many pages ; first, I , n his titl e - p a Robert ge ; secon dly, i n hi s d e di ca ti on t o gir :Peel— w h om , by way of compliment, we pre atnne, he takes care to remind more than once in the ours-e of his panegyric, that he is a " cotton-spinner's 1,"11)--and, thi r dl y , i n hi s Add ress to the Public ' 4o vs' allowing its full weight to the word " Peer"— granting too the truth of Pope's remark— " What woeful stuff this madrigal would be, In some poor, half-starved sonneteer, or me I But let a Lord once own the happy lines, How the wit brightens, how the style refines 1 Before his sacred name flies every fault, And each exalted stanza teems with thought"— g ra nting all this, we yet cannot but regret that our aristocratic poet has betrayed such a nervous anxiety to Claim the benefit of his " Order," for it is modestly tanttatnount to a confessimf that his production cannot I ,t upon its own intrinsic meth, but, needs the help of the coronet to give it lustre and importance ; whereas if h e h ad only bethought himself of Dean Swift ' s en couraging adage, that " A poem in Sir Bob's defence" Must, sure, abound in wit and sense," lie would have been at once persuaded that a poetic panegy r i c on a P rem i er must, f rom t h e very nature o f e subject, be superlative in excellence. Indeed he huns elf—notwithstanding his diffident allusions to his (pain Y—is somewhat of this opinion ; for he observes in. his Dedication, " as Homer paints the Pylian sage, s o Would I ex hibi t Si r R o b ert P ee l , t h e N estor o f t h e Commons' Ho use ;" th us di rec tly com p ar i ng hi mse lf t o u "ler—a bold comparison, but in the present instance i le . t only excusable, but even commendable, for a more gigal poem than the " Prime Minister," or one more florneric in the sounding march of its verse, the world bas not seen since the days when the " blind old man of Scio's rocky isle" laid his reverend head in the grave. This unique production opens, as in duty bound, with a God-s ave -th e -Ki ng sor t o f eu l o gy on William th e Fourth, after which it slides, with a facile descent, a t once in medias res, in this singularly sonorous / tanner : " Now sinks our prelude, and begins our theme, As sleepers pass at once into a dream, Embodying forms of visionary light, Thought of by day, and followed up by night ; So as at first in thought the dream doth dwell, Will we our purpose from our prelude swell." to The "purpose " which our " Peer" here proposes " swell " from his " prelude," is no other than an atta ck on Lord Palmerston, who, we are informed, " Looks forth afar, Lugubrious lion in his den of war, Bids Charles and Miguel from their kingdoms dance, Opposes Holland, and succumbs to France." We pause here to express our admiration of the in genuity of the charge which the above passage insi nuates again s t th e N o bl e S ec r e t ar y f or F ore i gn Af larrs--namely, that, in his quality of " lion," he had e eropell e d an o ld man o f seventy - t h ree to " d ance !" fan any thing. be more truly Homeric than the idea of " lion " turning dancing-master ? His Lordship, row ever, soon ceases to figure in a leonine capacity, for c ' t we find him in the very next couplet—and what a couplet it is I—metamorphosed into Cupid : " Meek Cupid fain he'd be; and meek he proves, Because his mother drove a pair of doves !" There is reason, says the proverb, even in roasting e ggs ; we suppose, therefore, that there must be mean- Mg in this distich, though the turn of its logic has not b e little perplexed us ; for w h y s h ou ld L or d P a l merston meek, because his mother drove " a pair of dov es ; " and w hy, if he desired to be thought so, S hould he so b e li e hi s c h aracter f or gen tl eness , as wan tonly to insist on a septuagenarian dancing the gallo t? Surely, th e r e is some s light inconsistency Ze I Pas s we , h owever , t o more i m p ortan t matters. aving despat c h e d th e F ore i gn S ecre tary, our modern li °fl ier goes on to speak of the Whigs and the Re form Bill, the former of whom he likens to Cleopatra, (th e Whigs, it must be confessed, Lord Althorp, es 11°,1allY, bear an uncommon resemblance to the Queen '-'gYpt 1) and the second to the river Cydnus. " So," 'Y$ he, " So when the Whigs, with new ambition warm, Embark'd upon their Cydnus of Reform, Smiling forth promise from the deck of place, As fair and as sincere as Cleopatra's face ! Meanwhile sweet songs of what would now be done Kept the sails bellying while the bark rode on, Making their praise in softest music ring From Zephyrs' voices, who were hired to sing, First, paused the listening crowd in mute amaze, What sweet sensations crowned their tickled gaze I Next, the low voice of glad approval broke, And then the air with bellowing thunder spoke." If obscurity be, according to Burke, one great source ti t he subli me , th en th ere i s n o passage in an ent or modern literature more characterised by full and perfect sublimity than this. It is an e nigma not to be solved, even by an Edi s' Inde e d so p er pl ex i ng ly co nfused .is it tu u ell a complete " rudis, indigestaque moles" of °e V, that did we not know that its author was a • Ner," we should have been tempted to attribute it t he pen o f o ld Ch aos hi mse lf ; f or , i n the first place, ou r moder n H omer converts Cl eopa t ra , an Egyptian vtunette, into a blonde, giving her a " fair face," when all kno'w she was as brown as a berry ; secondly, he of d o Ws bellying sweet songs" with the extraordinary faculty the sails" of a vessel ; thirdly, he attri butes to hi s ,t zephyrs" the mercenary propensity to • si ng for hi re ," like Braham or any other vocalist ; • and lastly, h e crowns a " tickled aze" with a " a g a 1 g ,"" -- --a marvel equalled only by that which Mr. t Wrought i n hi s " Life of Byron," when he Cr - e ''"lled a- " winding-sheet" with a white night-cap, aLn , d Called it a " myster y !" H av i ng f a i r ly launched the Cleopatra-like,,, Wh i gs upon t h e C y d nus — our mo d ern *9.otner there leaves them, to sink or swim as may hap- Pe t) • ' he returns to England, to look after the • sc hoolmast er ," w h om h e arra i gns as a ran k Ignora assurina assuring that his only object is to persuade the I le °Ple to ° " Vote the Peers upon the Paupers clogs, Banish the Bishops to the Isle of Dogs, Bid labour knock machinery on the head, ,„ And burn d own cor n-ricks, just to cheapen bread." t „ i lle mentio n o f corn - r i c ks reminds our Peer, natu ttily enou g h, o f t h e D u k e o f W e lli ngton , w h om h e u s majestically introduces to his readers : " Look out—look out—who rides from London's Tower ? (London superb in wealth, supreme in power)— Calm on his brow thought's gentle spirit dwells, And moderates the tale his memory tells, As through the city's streets be winds his way, (:) f all the good he did for her that day— On, on he rides ; now mark the gathering crowd, What the g ra t u l a ti ons l ong a nd loud ; Vhat ! none of these ? The nation's spirit dumb, The fount all closed whence gratitude should come. .The exp ectant winds prepare to b ear a b ove The pealing music of a nation's love ; Heaven looks to welcome its inspiring birth, Andlongs toiling its echos back to earth. "fah (The effect of this Hah 1" is irresistible.) 4 ,1 - fah ! W orse t h an s il ence 1 What ?do traitors dare „ 1 12 rend with impious groans the consecrated air ?" Our modern Homer may well be astonished, if not at s t he beh av i our o f t h e mo b towar d s t h e D u k e , at least at his own description of it, for we will venture a ) r that a m ore startling pi c tu r e than that of the (1 winds" waiting in th e aitin g anxious expectation to carry up ?ea music o f a nat i on ' s l ove " to h eaven , f or no other I , t , s°ll than that h eave n may "fling its echos back" a gain, i 8 no where to be met, without the pale of his * Sir Robert Walpole. 969 i____ : , , , OP i I I -- - o° l '9 18 ' 0. 0 INDS 51 -96 0. rtfil e , .• _s —Mustarrl,e— ose' ET. as go d the trade : THE OFFS 1 11, to eep ............ 2 6 lay ditto :: ..• • 4 4 li e d ditto....: JO : ill: Wethers 3 0 ; 6 .......... 4 ers ..... •it ..c.,, . i o Pigs s e rE3iENT. ro. es. 440, 0 ,00, tn's road;' abbe Irish) from 600.1 0, i o ttbik, t:ssel,ool.>, Id most of the MARKETS' ss. a d 0. d' "0 3 0 1 a 6 5 ° ..... ferior ........ [ddling ........ ime ............ ..... 1 1,0 ?.T,()GTO a fair derns°,oceo days, atlntaaP-stiori,rd s • b u t tap co ; day. Bra1: 1, to ek's quotatiousetto; tensive Pr e c a v to apprtion,„os; an a 250 ''; 1, namely-- d, / an hams,•.- G 1 7/1 ands ....••••' i r4 / nams, .... 0 0 .. ... 0 I iras ...... at 4 , badoes ..... 1 " 9 /1 neraras •••• igi; / rptians ...... /110 uvians • • •.• 9 ,1 ;uayras ..... 0 " t minas • • • •••• 58. Brazils 4, i 0 01 I 1 orts of Cotton to O e i 10 of Janua r, ' o eri 4/ 1 r the sag ° 01;3 ;ear. 678,-,;96 . ............ ••• ......... 112 .11 ,6i ............ .............. ........ rbio 919er Bags' 682, 369 89, 792 5, 878 1 7 67, 78 !65 , 7,/ ' 7,64 v 87 4 w ith sam e Or ......... . ' 0, 01; , 3 : as t 10 18, nds, 30. ........ 84,6 ••••.. 8491v' 3114 E oille ,iverpool in trait: Ai attend the ;lice og ecurred to one oicild trains were tto tl tio the whole plif hour. ~y . ...----- ....... own daring imagination. But this is not all ; the passage proceeds, in a strain of still greater originality, to contrast his Grace's last year's ride through Cheap side and the Poultry, with his memorable one in 1815, when the whole city, from Temple Bar to Whitechapel turnpike, was phrenzied with admiration ; and then informs us, that on the former occasion, he was brick batted, and all but lithographed ; lin short, that the mob were " By change reversing all that once they felt, And whom they welcomed, running now to pelt :" which, we can assure him, was not the case, for there was but one man who pelted the Duke, and he was an Irish hod-man out of employ, for which irregular sally he was next day vi.3ited with the serious dis pleasure of the law, the Habeas Corpus Act having been suspended in his person, at the unrighteous in stigation of a vile Bow-street despot. We have hitherto seen our Peer attempting to rival Homer. We have now to show him equally emulous of the fame of Theocritus. The subjoined sketch of a conversation at a Whig beer-shop is in the true spirit of the old Greek pastoral : The darkening twilight now bespreads its wings, While on his homeward way the labourer sings ; Are you not tired ?' is his companion's cry, Tired I am, and thirsty ;' "so am I, And may no worse luck fall, since here's an ale-house nigh." Onward they journey, a few paces more, A sign-board hangs by yonder cottage door, Nor at its threshold do these letters fail, Dobbs, licensed to sell beer by retail.' How could two thirsty labourers pass the spot ? How could such license be by them forgot ? ' Friend Dobbs, a civil chap,' so in they rush, Two screws of baccy, and a pot of lush." The arch and graceful prattle of the two rustics in this colloquy is strikingly like that of Praxinoe and her friends in the " Syracusan Gossips" of Theocritus while the last finish is given to the passage by the pic turesque images of " the baccy" and the " lush." From Dobbs and his beer-shop, to O'Connell and the House of Commons, is but a step with our Peer ; and accordingly he passes at once to a sketch of the great Agitator, whom he describes as sitting in St. Stephen's like " A Polypherne, with no Ulysses by, To quench the light of his ferocious eye," thereby insinuating that Mr. O'Connell, like the Cyclops, has only one eye, and that right in the centre of his forehead !—a false and malicious accusation, which could have suggested itself to the mind of none but a fiend. We now come to the Second Part of this unrivalled poem, which opens with the accession of the " cotton-spinner's son" to office; on which occa sion we are told that " Reliance gilt the universal face," and with such dazzling effect, that even the Muses themselves would fail to convey any idea of it, " Tho' each should claim to swell a sounding line, In one concentrate voice, and sing for all the Nine." This gilding, however, is soon rubbed off " the universal face" by the Russell phalanx, that " Hermaphrodite, pig's head and panther's feet ;" who not being impressed, as they should have been, with a sense of the transcendant worth of Sir Robert Peel, league with O'Connell and his " forty-jointed tail" to expel hit; from office—a conspiracy which so shocks the sensitive nerves of our modern Homer, that he forthwith hurries his poem to a conclusion, with this parting benediction to the Whigs, that they are a set of intolerable scamps, " Who shovi their own, to cheat the people's sense, And tell their power just to get their pence." Having thus given the reader some idea of the more prominent excellencies of this Homeric rhapsody, we shall now proceed to lay before him a few of its mi nuter beauties : Remarkable grammar ! " Would that our country could those years recall, Which almost changed her greatness into small."— Ineffable modesty I " A little knowledge is a dangerous thing :' So said the sage, and I, confirming, sing."— Uncommon elegance • "'Still as he triumphs, his fantastic rigs Alarm the country, but delight the Whigs."— " The factious democrat expert to poke Sedition's image under freedom's cloak."— " Believed him the Destructive that they wished, And longed to find the Constitution dished."— Pindaric obscurity ! " Pass we the small events, the change of seat, The dolphin dies of triumph and defeat" — Pungent sarcasm ! " When did a Radical, with all his Vox Et preterea nihil, e'er affect the stocks ?" Colloquial vivacity ! " And now, what measures will these worthies choose, To prove the valour of their P's and Q's ?" " Well, we have painted thus, for public show, Two finished full-length portraits, top to toe."— Irresistible drollery I " While in a thousand jests and sneers of scorn, Masters are thrashed in speech, instead of corn."— Original imagery I " Let some new resolution act the birch, Flog out the Minister, and down the Church."— If these specimens do not satisfy our readers that the " Prime Minister" abounds in imaginative beau ties of the highest order, and fully justifies its author's direct comparison of himself with Homer, then are they deaf to all conviction. Much, however, as we admire his poem, still we cannot help regretting that he did not give it a dramatic, rather than a didactic character. As a Pantomime it would have made a prodigious hit. Conceive how the impromptu transformation of Lord Palmerston from a "lion" into a " Cupid;" and of O'Connell from an Irish Agitator into a Cyclops with one eye, would have told on the stage ! Then, too, the scene of the " lugubrious den," with old Charles the Tenth dancing in front, and the Secretary for Fo reign Affairs roaring within—bow could a scene like this have failed to create a sensation, if properly painted by Stanfield ? As for the Duke of Wellington, he would have made a capital Pantaloon on horseback ; Sir Robert Peel might have been personified as Har lequin, whisking the Whigs out of office with one touch of his wand ; Cleopatra" might have figured as Columbine ; while, as respects the Clown, the author, in default of a better representative, might have exhi bited himself. Put forth in this allegorical form, the " Prime Minister" would, no doubt, have gained the same enviable celebrity that " Mother Goose" gained in its day ; but in its present shape, we fear—notwith standing its unrivalled excellencies—its perusal must be confined to the select few. However, be this as it may, it is a production that reflects credit on the Peerage ; and, to use the words of Poison, " will be universally admired when Homer and Milton are for gotten—but not till then." SELECT MEMOIRS OF PORT ROYAL. BY M. A. SCIMMELYENNINCK. Fourth Edition. London. Hamilton, Adams and Co. 1835 We are exceedingly glad to see a new and much enlarged edition of this highly interesting work. To the lovers not only of classical learning, but of elegant literature in general, Port Royal must ever be dear. The institution which can boast of Racine and Pascal, of Lancelot and Arnauld, of Rollin and Tillemont, of Fleury and Dugnet, to say nothing of other distin guished writers, can never fail to be an object of the deepest interest to every one who is not either a Goth or a Vandal. But Port Royal is not exhibited in the volumes of M. A. Schimmelpenninck in an aspect ex clusively literary. On the contrary, high as its repu tation stands in that respect, we doubt whether it is not a still more extraordinary phenomenon in a religious view. We see here the members of a religious institu tion in the bosom of the Catholic Church for upwards of a century, not only openly professing and promul gating, under the name of Jansenism, doctrines which are THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1835. esteemed the very test of orthodoxy among the majority of protestants—but actively engaged in circulating the Bible among the Catholic community. After this we trust we shall hear no more of the Catholic religion being hostile to the spread of Divine truth, or that the Catholic translations of the Scriptures arc unfaithful. Should such assertions be made by blind and narrow minded bigots, let it be remembered that the French translation of the Bible, used by the British and Foreign Bible Society, is that of the illustrious De Saci, a re cluse in the Catholic seminary of Port Royal. In the work before us the history of this celebrated institution .is traced from the beginning of the 17th century to the close of the reign of Louis XI V.--the period during which it ran its brief but brilliant career. Its fame had from the first excited the enmity of the Jesuits, who had till then maintained an un rivalled supremacy in learning. They could " brook no brothers near the throne," and Port Royal fell a victim to their literary jealousy. The instrument which they employed was worthy of the cause in which it was used. They prevailed upon Louis, through the agency of Madame de Maintenon, to order its suppression ; and the order was carried into effect by the Minister D'Argenson, with every circumstance of brutality and cruelty, in the year 1709. The biographical sketches interpersed through the work are full of interest, and some of the letters of the inmates of this far-famed monastery are written with great beauty, and in the calm, meek, and charitable spirit of enlightened devotion. DUBLIN ELECTION COMMISSION. (From the Dublin Evening Post of Thursday.) This Day the Commission sat at ten o'clock. The Court was crowded to suffocation by persons anxious to witness the proceedings. The minutes of the previous day having been read, Mr. O'CONNELL, addressing the Chairman, said—Sir, I handed in a document yesterday containing a number of sug gestions, and urging the Court to receive evidence on several points. Now, Sir, this document will show that by your pro ceedings yesterday, you have refused to receive evidence on these points. I wish to be informed upon which of these do you persist to refuse evidence. lam ready to prove the facts of this suggestion, and I want to know from the Commissioners whether I will be allowed to do so. The CHAIRMAN, Mr. Haire, explained the points on which they would receive evidence, but that they would not on those urged by Mr. O'Connell. Mr. O'CoNNELL—Surely, Gentlemen, you are exceedingly bountiful—you will admit that which I do not ask for, and which is of no value whatever, and you refuse upon the only points to which I attach importance. Mr. Commissioner ARDILL here said—lt is right I should state that there is a division of opinion amongst the Commis sioners as to the propriety of receiving evidence on the three points regarding agreements. [This announcement created a marked sensation in the Court.] Mr. O'CONNELL—Now we discover that the Court is ac tually divided upon the very question on which they have been acting, as if it had been already judicially decided. They refuse to hear evidence, although they are not unanimous as to whether or not they have the power to refuse it ; and they peremptorily refuse to hear me, in bringing forward argu• ments which might induce them to become unanimous, and ad mit the evidence. Mr. HAIRE—We cannot hear you. Mr. O'CONNELL-I tell you, Sir, you must hear me. What a mockery of justice it is to tell me you have not made up your minds, and yet that you decide against me. The CHAIRMAN-Mr. O'Connell, I shall not permit you to address such terms to this Court. Mr. O'CONNELL - Oh, Sir, you must allow me to proceed, or hear the evidence which I tender. I mean no disrespect ; but lam determined to enforce my right. I again tender Ri chard White as a witness. Mr. WHITE having made his way into Court some time pre viously, placed himself on the chair opposite the Commis- sioners. Mr. HAIRE—To what point do you propose to examine this witness ? Mr. O'CONNELL—To the points regarding agreements. Mr. HAIRE—You may go en if you please, but I shall ad journ the Court. Mr. O'CONNELL—YOU may go where you please, but as low , - ' as you sit there, I will insist on my right of being heard, and I shall speak whether you are here or not. Mr. HAIRE took out his watch, and exclaimed, " I now ad journ the Court at twenty-five minutes after ten o'clock to ten o'clock to-morrow morning." The Chairman then walked away from the table, and moved towards the window, from which he appeared to look out on the street. Mr. Ardill still occupied his seat, but the Clerk hurriedly bundled up .his pa pers. Mr. Commissioner Joy did the same thing, and there was a general move from the table occupied by the Counsel and agents of the Con3ervative party. In the meantime Mr. O'Connell proceeded to address the remaining Commissioners, and read from the Act of Parlia ment the section under which the Court were acting, which pointed out the evidence they were to receive, and contended that the evidence offered by him was perfectly regular. During this scene considerable confusion prevailed, and in the mean time Mr. Ardill also rose from the Commissioner's table. Mr. O'Connell, on observing it entirely deserted, turning to the portion of the Court allotted to the public, humourouslv observed—as I am refused a hearing in front, perhaps I had better address myself to the rear. (Much laughter.) Mr. O'CONNELL, addressing Mr. White, who still sat in the witness chair, said—l am sorry, Mr. White, for all the trouble I have unwittingly given you ; but if you had voted for me you might be now at home. Mr. White—No trouble in life, Sir; but wait till the next election. (Roars of laughter.) Mr. O'Connell then left the Court, which was empty in a few moments after. (From the Dublin Evening Mail of Friday.) ANOTHER ADJOURNMENT. The crowd assembled this morning was nearly as great as yesterday ; but, owing to a sufficient body of police being in attendance, better order was preserved than on the previous days. Mr. Ardill was the first of the Commissioners who made his appearance, and he was received with loud cheers by Mr. O'Connell's friends. At a few minutes after ten o'clock Mr. Joy arrived. The two Commissioners consulted together for a few minutes, when Mr. Ardill said, " We have just received a certificate signed by the State physician Dr. Jack son, properly verified, setting forth that he was requested to visit James Haire, Esq., and that he was so ill as to render it unsafe for him to attend here to-day. Under these circum stances," said Mr. Ardill, " we are precluded by the Act of Parliament from hearing evidence in the absence of the chair man, and I am, therefore, obliged to adjourn the Court till ten o'clock to-morrow." LET TER FROM DANIEL O'C3ONNELL, ESQ., TO MR. BUCHAN, OF KELLOE. (From the Edinburgh Patriot.) " Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." Merrion-square, Dublin, Oct. 12, 1835. SlR,—The catechism which I was taught contained the ex position of the last word of that Divine commandment thus : Q. Who is meant by your neighbour? A. All mankind—including as well all those who differ with us , in religion, as those who actually injure us. Without more preface, I come to the cause of my thus ad dressing you. The newspapers represent you to have said, at a special meeting of the Assembly, " That I was an impious person, and had polluted the soil of Scotland." Such was your testimony against me. I deny both parts of your accusation. I deny that lam an impious person—and I utterly deny that I have done any mis chief to the soil of Scotland. The latter, to be sure, is figu rative language—and I readily forgive you your " poetic imagining." I merely caution you against using other than the language of sobriety when you address a grave and sober assembly. But that which I complain of is, your gratuitous charge against me, of my being an impious person. You made that accusation in an assembly of persons of undoubted worth and respectability—in the solemn assemblage of clergy and reve rend elders of the Scottish Church. You made it without any provocation from me. I had never assailed your Church or your religion—nor indeed did I ever speak discourteously of the religion of any man—still less, did I ever accuse you or any other man of impiety. I know, sir, that it is forbidden to me to judge of the servant of another master. I would, therefore, not presume to pro nounce judgment upon the piety of any fellow Christian —the servant of that God who sees the secrets of hearts, and who alone can pronounce a judgment with full knowledge of all the merits. I do, therefore, complain of your condemning me—yon who are not my judge, and have not heard me in my defence. Yet, without jurisdiction, or authority, or knowledge of the cause, you fulminate your anathema, and pronounce me an accursed — that is, an impious person. I have no means of knowing your character, save from find ing that you are a member of the Ganeral Assembly of your Church ; I therefore am warranted in considering you a res pectable person. The charge was made against me in a body entitled to respect. J u d ge , th en , h o w painul it ought to be to me, who have all my life been the decided advocate of free dom of conscience, to find myself treated as if I were an infi del by a fellow Christian, in an assemblage of the heads of a National Church. However, I am so accustomed to every species of vilification , that is would not make this appeal to you to retract your unjust charge, but that I am actuated, I firmly believe, by higher mo tives than any which could attach to my personal feelings. If I understand you right, you have in my person assailed that religion of which I am a member. Your charge against me is, I conceive, a charge against the Catholic faith, which I profess, and most sincerely believe. The impiety you accuse me of, is the profession of the Catholic faith. If you disclaim that intention, and mean to confine the ch arge t o me i n di v idually, then it is not worth while to discuss the matter further. I readily forgive the personal calumny, and will speedily forget that it ever existed: Let us understand each other—What I call " the Catholic faith"—simply because I am convinced it is so—you probably call " Popery," or " Romanism," or some other insulting de nomination. Be it so. It is intelligible to both of us. I will not complain of, though I protest mildly, but firmly against, the insult. One thing is certain, that I never will imitate the example of those who rail at the religion of others. I never will call your religion by any name which you disclaim or disavow. I may not be able to call it by as flattering a deno mination as you may claim for it, but I never will denominate it by any term which you deem to be an insult. These preliminaries being understood, I proceed to expos tulate with you upon the calumny you have uttered against my religion. Idoso in the total absence of harshness or violence of language. I can be harsh and violent enough upon political topics, but I deem either the one or the other totally unsuited to religious subjects. Let me then ask you, whether it be befitting, or even decent, to stimatize as impious the religion of the great and over whelming majority of the Christian world ?—the only religion known or recognized in Christendom for many, very many centuries ?—the only religion of Scotland for many ages ? the only religion of Great Britain for at least eight centuries, as I am warranted in saying even by the Book of Homilies of the Church of England ? I conjure you to recollect that this charge of impiety is made by you against a great proportion of your exist ing fellow-subjects in Great Britain and Ireland. In Ire land alone the Catholics—the impious, as you are pleased to call us—are proved to be six millions and a half. The Catholics of England, Scotland, and Wales, proba bly amount to one million and a half. If you take the trouble of looking at the list of Catholic chapels built and building in Great Britain, you probably will not deem this an over-estimate ; but take them at only one mil lion—and they certainly amount to that number at the least— they make for Great Britain and Ireland seven millions four hundred thousand. Is it really not too bad to charge such a number of your fellow-subjects and fellow-Christians with impiety ? But the Catholics are, I do believe, more numerous in the United Kingdoms than any other Christian persuasion. I doubt much whether there are seven millions and a half - be longing to the Established Church of England. One would say certainly not more. Of your religion—that is, of persons in communion with the Established Church in Scotland— there are not more than two millions and a half. Ought you then so lightly and idly to accuse us of impiety ? We Catho lics of the present day do not accuse you Presbyterians of im piety; and yet we are three for one. This does not make us insolent. Why, then, will you hurl affronts at us ? You re vile my religion. I never will revile yours ; and yet lam as firmly convinced that you are in error as you are that the error is mine. But my conviction of your error is only a reason why I should pity and pray for you ;—not any reason why I should abuse or calumniate your creed or yourself. I should indeed hope that the time was come when Chris tians of every persuasion would attend more carefully each to his own religion, than to the censure or condemnation of the faith or religion of others who differ with him. It is time to give up vituperation, and abuse, and calumny upon our respec tive creeds, and to think and speak of one another in terms of mutual forbearance and reciprocal charity. After all, I ask you, Sir, what is the use of abusive epithets on the subject of religion ? You do not convince or tend to convince me of my error, by calling me impious. Nav, if you were to use language ten times more abusive, it would present no argument to my mind against my religion, or in favour of yours. The contrary is the natural consequence —go farther, and use blows and personal violence, still you do nothing to persuade or convice. You may make a hypocrite and rene gade, but you do not make a convert—go farther still, and punish " impiety" with death, you make a martyr, but you also exhibit a persecutor—and on his part no Christianity at all. The time is come, when persecution, verbal as well as cor poral, should cease—when argument should be substituted for invective in the manner of religion—and benevolence and charity preside over the differences and discussions of Chris tian men. In this spirit, I invite you to withdraw your calumnious charge of impiety, or to sustain it by proof. lam ready to meet you in fair argument, and to defend, without heat or passion, that faith on which my hopes of eternal happiness rest. Ido not provoke the controversy—but infinitely less do I shrink from it. Ido not invite it, but Ido not dread it, and I am quite ready for it. If you embark in the controversy, it shall certainly be conducted on my part in the total absence f anything which could violate that Christian charity which it is my first and most ardent desire to see prevail amongst Christiani of all denominations. _ It may be thought and said, that it would be preferable that I should leave your charge of impiety unnoticed. My opi. nion is otherwise. I owe too deep a debt of gratitude to the people of Scotland, not to repudiate the charge of impiety upon the man whom they have so honoured. I have too great a respect for the integrity and intelligence of the Scot tish people, not to be persuaded that they will esteem me the more for the sensitiveness with which I seek to expel from the vocabulary of Christians, terms of reproach and obloquy, as addressed to their creeds and modes of faith. Besides, the last remaining hope of the oligarchs and mono polists of abused power is to be found in exciting rancour, ani mosity, and strife, amongst the different sects and persuasions of Christians. The forward march of improvement in our social state—the attainment of equal rights to all—the shifting of the fiscal burdens of the State from the operative classes to the possessors of property—the amelioration of our institutions until the machine of the State partakes of the improvement of all other species of machinery ;—all those tranquil alterations which are destined to produce cheap government and good government—all this mass of public and private utility, is now sought to be retarded, and stayed, and stopped by the obtrusion of bigotry and religious jealousies. It is an oft-repeated experiment, by which a combination of all the oppressed against the oppressors has been many a time prevented. But the cry of "No Popery" is almost exhausted. Its last efforts are puling and paltry; but they are perseveringly made. The Hero of Waterloo has now little of other resource. The more practised hypocrite of Tamworth is literally at his last prayers. The minions of Toryism, anxious for public plun der, and for a restoration of those happy, happy days, when favoaritism supplied the place of talent and of worth—and lastly, the lordly majority of 170, " our most potent masters" are now defended by their last bulwark—the animosity, jealousy, and rancour, which formerly subsisted, and now are sought to be re-animated, between the various sects and persuasions into which the British and Irish people are divided. This, therefore, is the time to discountenance every thing that tends to assist the common enemy of our country's wel fare—to repudiate everything that tarnishes or stains our common Christianity. On the contrary, let us proclaim " the peace of God" amongst Christians of all persuasions, and that combination of good men which can easily extinguish hypocrisy and injustice, and establish in their stead constitu• tional liberty.—l have the honour to be, Sir, your obedien humble servant, DANIEL O'CONNELL. To Mr. Buchan of Kello, Member of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. SPANISH GOVERNMENT. GENERAL ALAVA AND M. MENDIZABAL: The grand object of the Spanish Government is to produce union among all classes of Constitutional Spaniards; and it is astonishing what progress that union has made since Senhor Mendizabal seized the loosened reins of Government. With the exception of the insane and debilitated band headed by the Count de las Navas, the whole country is united ; and the most gratifying and honourable instances of adherence to the Queen's Government pour in daily. This grand union being once established, immense masses of troops will be marched into the Insurgent Provinces ; so that the whole rebel country may be ocupied by the Queen's troops, the roads by which the factions now receive provisions and ammunition completely closed, and then by a simultaneous attack upon the factions' strong holds, the rebels will be either destroyed or forced to lay down their arms, because they will have no points on which to retreat. Hitherto the Queen's forces have not been collected in one point in sufficient numbers to carry into effect so energetic a project ; and (as I have before stated, when on the spot) it is astonishing that with such a limited force Ge neral Cordova has been able to keep the field so constantly and so efficaciously. The Government has expressed its confidence that there are sufficient resources in the country for putting an end to the civil war, securing the Throne of Isabella 11., and consolidat ing liberty and public credit; all it requires, on the part of the nobility, clergy, landed proprietors, the commercial and manufacturing classes, and the great majority of the popula tion who are interested in the prosperity of the nation, is that they will give indubitable proofs of patriotism and of adhe sion. Ministers ask only for union, confidence, and six months' time.' The Gazette of the sth instant contains a Royal Decree, dated . the 4th, whereby the resignation of General de Alava, as Minister of State, is accepted, in conformity with the re peated wishes to that effect expressed by the General, who re tains the distinguished post he occupied before he was ap pointed to the Ministry—viz., that of Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of London. The Decree is addressed to the President of the Council, who takes upon himself ad interim, the Ministry of State, which was left vacant by the resignation of General Alava. As the retirement of General Alava from the Administra tion will naturally give rise to animadversion on all sides, and will, without doubt, be seized upon by the enemies of the Constitutional and Liberal cause, as a weapon for attacking it, I feel great satisfaction in being able, from my own personal knowledge, to assure you that the most perfect harmony and union exist between the President of the Council and General Alava, who remains at Madrid purposely to support Senhor Mendizabal and his Administration, which, after due delibe ration and mutual explanations, it was considered he could do with infinitely more effect in his private capacity, and in his place in the Chamber of Proceres at the approaching meeting of the Cortes, than even if he had been a Minister. General Alava has assured Senhor Mendizabal that he will not leave Madrid until the latter shall say that his presence is no longer necessary for the support of his Administration. In the present, as in every other instance, General Alava has acted consistently and honourably ; approving as he does most fully, the general plan of the President of the Council. There might have arisen differences of opinion between them, with regard to the more or less rapidity with which certain measures of reform, &c., might expediently be effected; and General Alava having the most unbounded confidence in the patriotism, judgment, and energy of Senhor Mendizabal was anxious to avoid the most . remote possibility of any impediment being thrown in thg way of the free working of his political system. This is the exact state of the case; the sanction, advice, and influence, of Gs n4ral Alava are all in full operation in favour of the present Administrations and with regard to the latter—influence, it is decidedly much more powerful in the General's present posi tion than if he were Minister. There is not an individual in existence who 1; more universally or more justly esteemed than General Alava. hit I,i;rightnessis proverbial ;he has given undoubted proofs of his liberal ps.. -•htical principles, at the same time that he has invariably taken a stem-4 upon the ground of ass l rac c y of gradual reform. Connected as he is with tn. aristocracy : of his country, he is now a moderator between that and the sincere and ardent liberals, and by the eminent 2 . nd peculiar qualities he possesses, he will, I feel persuaded, draw them together, and induce them to proceed, hand in hand , in the path pointed out by true patriotism. The quantity of business accomplished daily by the President of the Council is immense. He rises at six in the morning, and immediately receives, at Isis private residence, a number of the officers of the different Ministries of which he has charge ad interim, with whom he is occupied until about ten. He then goes to the palace, where the official business is carried on; there he remains, receiving officers and individuals of all ranks, until five in the afternoon, transacting business with his secretaries, in the intervals of his audiences, writing letters, &c.—in short, in constant occupation ; presiding when a coun cil of Ministers assembles in another part of the palace, &c. At five he dines alone in his office. His meal being speedily discussed, he again returns to business till midnight, when he starts for the palace of the Prado, to make his report to the Queen. He arrives there at one, a.m., and remains with her Majesty until three, reaching his private residence at four, when he retires to rest for two hours, which rest is, however frequently interrupted by the arrival of couriers with despatches from various parts. In answer to a question which a gentle man addressed to him, as to how he could exist with so little sleep, the Minister said, " I get sleep in my carriage going and returning to the Prado." And all these gigantic efforts are made by Senhor Mendizabal in the most unaffected manner possible. He receives every body with frankness and kindness : and among the many remarkable qualities with which he is gifted, is that of unbroken self-possession. In the midst of the agitation which has reigned around him, he has not lost his calm for one moment. The only outward sign of the great fatigue he must endure, is that he is considerably thinner than when he was in England. The Queen Regent takes a most lively interest in the affairs of the nation. That she bas the utmost confidence in Senhor Mendizabal, and that she is herself endowed with considerable talents; her Majesty, well aware of what may be expected from court intrigue in the way of attempting to warp her mind with regard to her liberal and constitutional advisers, and she is resolved to nip in the bud every machination of the kind. It may be as well to record, at this moment, all the most important decrees which have been issued by Government since Senh.or Meudizabal's programme of the system a hich ought to be adopted for the welfare of his country ; they will be found to be in conformity with the principles laid down in his address to the Queen Regent, dated the 14th of Septem ber last. September 16.—Decree releasing Madrid from the state of siege, in which it was placed after the events of the 15th and 16th of August. September 18 : Royal Order to Governors of provinces to attend with candour and good faith to the representation of the people; and to submit those representations to Govern ment, accompanied by observations, in order that the most elP cacious measures may be adopted for restoring concord with Tut injury to the Royal dignity ; preserving in fact the privilegts both of the Crown and the people. September 21 : Decree completing the municipal organi zation. September 25 : Decree annulling all the penal regulations of the decree of the 3d of September ; and declaring that there should be an ample, general, and complete oblivion of all that had occurred since the first breaking out of the schism be tween the former Government and the people. September 25 : Decree establishing a provisional regulation for the better administration of justice. The section appoint ing justices of the peace is calculated to produce the most be neficial effects. September 28 : Decree convoking the Cortes for the 16th November. September 28: Decree for changing the name of Urban Militia for that of National Guard. October 4 : Decree suppressing the Superintendant-Ge neralship of Police; the duties of which are to be transferred to the department of the Interior, whereby a great public saving will be made. DUTCH PAPERS. THE HAGUE, OCT. 14.—Her Majesty the Queen, and her Royal Highness Princess Albert returned to the Hague yes terday from the Loo. The first boat with fresh herrings be longing to De \'askevisser, arrived on Saturday morning at Scheveningen, from the herring fleet on the English coast. Half an hour afterwards the second boat arrived. The first brought 40,000, the second 24,000 herrings. The usual pre sents were immediately sent to the King and the principal Officers of State. No more of the thirty-five boats employed in the fishery have yet arrived at Scheveningen, which is pro bably owing to the bad weather. The herrings brought by these first boats arc sold at 40 florins per 1,000. OCT. 15.—Their Royal Highnesses Prince and Princess Frederick of the Netherlands, arrived here this morning early after an absence of several months. The comet was very plainly seen here last night with the naked eye. It was in deed seen without the aid of a telescope at the end of last week, but yesterday evening the air being clear it made a much more brilliant appearance, having a shining tail which extended over several degrees. It is evident to persons not deeply versed in astronomy that the comet follows the course which M. F. Kaiser, Professor of Astronomy at Leyden, pointed out as the most probable, in his essay, and in the chart accompanying it. His calculations have proved much more correct than those, for instance, of M. Lethow, at Vienna, who, in his essay on the comet, pointed out a course very different from that which we see it take. THE HAGUE, OCT. 16.—The Princess of Orange arrived yesterday, on her return from Germany, at Soetsdyk, where the Prince, her consort, was ready to receive her. AMSTERDAM, OCT. 14.—We learn that the steam boat ex pected from Hamburg has been towed into the Texel by fish_ ing boats, with the loss of its chimney, and otherwise much damaged; but we do not hear of any accident to the passengers or crew. The storms of Saturday and. Sunday did great damage on our coasts. Yesterday and the day before his Ex cellency M. Jets Van Goudrian, Minister of Finance, presided in the ordinary meeting of the Syndicate, in which the Report of the operations of the 12th year, ending June 30, 1835, and the statement of the accounts, were unanimously approved. DUTCH FUNDS—AMSTERDAM, OCT. 16. Money. Bills. Actual Debt, 9. 1 ,4 per Cent. 55 55 1 4 Loar 'IS3O) 5 - - cent..-- 10114 101 ~an ( I) 5 per A mort Syndic, 4% per cent 83 95' Ditto, ditto, 3% per cent 79U 79% Commercial Company, 41= 2 per cent 114% 1164 Ditto (1832 and 1833) 5 per cent. Exchange on London, One month l2 22%. Two months —Dutch Papers, Oct. 17. DRESDEN, OCT. 10.—Prince William of Prussia (the King's son), with his consort and suite, arrived here to-day from Prague. His Majesty, the Emperor of Russia, has, however, gone for a few days from Prague to Vienna, but will likewise be at Fischbach by the 15th, where we hear that the birth-day of his Royal Highness, the Crown Prince of Prussia, will be kept in the circles of the familes of the two Sovereigns. BERLIN, OCT. 12.—His Royal Highness Prince Charles has arrived from Prague. PRUSSIAN FUNDS.—BERLIN, OCT. 8. Bills. Money. St. Schuld. Sch 4 per cent. lOl 7-12 1 01 1 - 12 Prussian English Loan, 1830, 4 per cent 9 I 99% Exchange An London, Two months 6 27!4 -Prussian State Gazette. Oct. 16. DRURY LANE TIIEATRE.-Their Majesties, the Duchess of Kent, the Princess Victoria, the Duke of Bed. Ford and Devonshire, the Duchess of St. Albans, Lords Chesterfield, Tullamore, Worcester, Allen, A. Fitzcla rence, and Castlereagh, Messrs. Wombwell, Duncombe, and others, have taken private boxes for the present season, and above 400 free admissions have been sold by the lessee. CALUMNIES ON MRS. NESBITT•—A placard has been, for the last few days, exhibited in some of the principal thoroughfares, bearing the following inscription : " Public and private life—secret amours and wonderful in trigues of Mrs. Nesbitt, the gay young widow and mana geress of the Queen's Theatre." The person carrying the placard, at the same time hawked about pamphlets bearing a similar title, but which, instead of containing an account of the secret amours and intrigues which the placard and title page of the pamphlet promised, was found on inspec tion to contain a highly complimentary article upon Mrs. Nesbitt, extracted from the last number of the World of Fashion. On Saturday afternoon a considerable sensation was 'created at Charing-cross, in consequence of two gentle men being observed to go up to the man exhibiting the ob noxious placard, and without using any unnecessary violence to the man, seize upon the placard itself and break it on the street ; after which they quietly walked away. On inquiry it was ascertained Oat the two gentlemen were na other than Mr. Macnamara, the brother of the calumn niated lady, and Mr. Mitchell the stage manager of the Queen's-theatre. Several bystanders who witnessed the " fracas" expressed, in the most unequivocal terms, their dirr b nation at this diabolical attempt to injure the reputation and wound the feelings of a lady, whose character stands so high in the public estimation as Mrs. Nisbett's, and their approbation of the summary manner in which the offensive placard has been dealt with. It is understood that on the first intimation being given to Mrs. Nisbett of such placards being abroad, she instantly made application to Mr. Min shull, the magistrate at Bow-street. Mr. Minshull, how ever, finding that the matter was not cognizable in his Court, would not interfere, but recommended an indictment against the parties at the Sessions, which, it is„.understood, is now in progress. No doubt the offender will be duly punished, if Mrs. Nesbitt thinks it worth her while to fol low up the business against the poor wretch ; but in truth, it is not worth her while. Her character and reputation stand too high to be affected by a trick which, though very galling to a sensitive female mind, it must be evident was only resorted to, in order to draw a few Fence from the pockets of the public. WHITE HARES.—Two hares of this description have been shot during the present season by S. Cooke, gamekeeper to the Rev. J. A. Rhodes, of Hersforth Hall. MUNICIPAL CORPORATION (GOVERNMENT CIRCULAR.) Whitehall, Oct. 1, 1835. SIR-I have already, in conformity to the directions of Lord John Russell, transmitted to you a copy of the Muni cipal Corporation Act, and of the Order in Council of the 1I th September. I now transmit a copy of a Supplemen tary Order of the 30th September. I am likewise directed to forward to you a copy of in structions which have been addressed to overseers, framed upon the provisions of the Act. You will observe that, by section 38, the existing mayor and ,2embers of the council, or governing body, are to go out ceb. der this Act.a . fter the declaration of the - first election of o f o councillors .? u You will likec.rise observe that where, by any statute, charter, by-law, or custom, any election is to take place between the time of the passing of the Act and the Ist day of May next, no sztch election shall take place, but every persen holding office the time of the passing of this Act shall continue to hold such asce till the time appointed by the Act for him to go out of office. You will perceive that, by the Order in Council issued in wirsuance of the powers given by the Act, some of the days mentioned in the Act are changed to other days, but, with this alteration, —the directions contained in the Act are to be strictly ob served. With respect to any vacancy by death, where by any statute or charter it is necessary to proceed to a new elec tion, there is no espress provision in the Act which would make such election illegal, and the governing body of tho corporation will take that course which the urgency of the case or the positive directions of the charter may seem in their judgment to require. The provision in sec. 30 of the Act, that, wherever any day appointed for any purpose shall happen on a Sunday, the business shall be done on the Monday following, must be construed as equally applicable to any days appointed by the Order in Council of the 11th ult. I am directed to request that, so soon as the declaration of councillors has been made, you will signify to the new councillors that within five days they must make and sign the declaration mentioned in sec. 50. You will likewise take the precaution to call their attention to sec. 51, whereby the fine for non-acceptance of office is made in some degree discretionary with the Council. I am likewise to request that in case your borough is in schedule (A) of the Act, you will make it publicly known to the new council that any recommendation which they may think fit to make of persons qualified to be entrusted by his Majesty with the commission of the peace for the borough of which they are the governing body, will have its due weight with the advisers of the Crown.—l have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient servant, S. M. PHILLIPPS. The Mayor or Chief Officer of A GHOST STORY. At . the latter end of last and the commencement of the present week, the most strange stories were told of a ghost that had fixed its nightly abode in the office of Mr. Lane, the architect, at the corner of Cross-street and St. Ann's street. As all children and nursery-maids know, ghosts are of two kinds. the visible and silent, and the invisible and noisy, and this was said to be one of the latter. A long account of its nocturnal visitations was printed and hawked about the streets, by which we find, that " some suppose it to be the troubled spirit of some person who has been buried in the neighbouring chapel-yard." This authentic history further tells us, that " various laughable adventures are said to has e taken place, in one of which it is said that five men were determined to surround the ghost. They ac cordingly procured the keys of the warehouse, and took their station in one of the rooms. Presently the dreadful sound approached ; it appeared to issue from the floor close to them ; nothing, however, was to be seen. This was too great a trial for their courag e. They simultaneously took to their heels, and with all speed rushed into the street to report the awful tidings to an already terrified assemblage of persons who were collected there. Indeed, one of the men has since been heard to declare that he actually thought that his ghostship had got hold of him and was litterally . tearing him to pieces." The sting of a serpent is in the tail, they say, and certainly the pith of this - eloquent narra tive lies in the advice couched in the last sentence. " Such is the consternation these sounds have produced, that it is hoped that active measures, will be taken for the de tention of the ghost, and thereby set at rest the existing alarm." Of course the greater part of this statement is a gross fabrication ; but the real facts of the matter are to the full as singular, though perhaps not quite so much to the taste of lovers of the marvellous and horrible. About 11 o'clock on the night of yesterday week Mr. Booth, who keeps the Lord Hill public-house, St. Ann's-street, (which is sepa rated from Mr. L.'s offices by an entry), thought be heard a. • noise as of some one walking inside Mr. Lane's office. He gave information at the watch-office, which is distant not more than 50 yards, and Mr. Davies, superintendent of the watch, returned with him to the spot. On applying their ears to the window-shutter they distinctly heard the noise of footsteps, as if of some one pacing up and down, the drawers appeared to be opened, and occasionally there was a rustling, as if papers were being examined. Without making any noise, a watch was kept outside the premises ; the keys were procured, and Mr. Davies had not the slightest doubt that on their entering the place the thief would be immediately discovered. No such thing. The watchmen searched every nook and corner in the two lower rooms used as the clerk's office and that of Mr. Lane ; they went up stairs, but no one could be found, nor was anything disturbed. A porter-cellar below the offices was also searched, but with no better succes. As the noise had been heard by many persons, and as no natural cause was to be discovered, the credulous and superstitious immediately ascribed the thing to supernatural agency, and the vicinity of Cross-street chapel furnished them with a home for " the restless and perturbed spirit." Crowds of people collected round the place, and as the noise was still to be heard at in tervals, hearing was held to be believing, and the watchmen had great difficulty in inducing the people to disperse. Dur ing Saturday the report spread, as such things d o, faster than eiter good or bad news of the ordinary every-day complexion, and on Saturday night, from the hour at which the office of Mr. Lane was closed, hundreds of people congregated near the spot, including many pickpockets, who are ever quick at discovering a crowd, and who would ply their vocgs tion undismayed by the presence of a hundred ghosts.. The watchmen, with some difficulty, cleared the street, and Mr. Davies being determined to ascertain the cause of the noise, which he supposed to have its origin in a mischievous frolic, placed several of his men inside the office ; others within the porter-cellar below ; and others again in the entry and yard at the back'of the premises. In this way he arrived at one fact which, at first sight, would seem to favour the notion of a supernatural visi tant, viz.—that while those who listened at the office win dow heard the footsteps cross the floor, and, to all per ception, evidently approach the window itself, the watchers within, who remained perfectly quiet, heard not the least sound. But this fact, which to the credulous would have been " confirmation strong as proof from holy writ," only led Mr. Davies into a further investigation. Finding that the tap-room of Mr. Booth's house was the next inha bited place to the office, although, as we have already said, it was separated from it by an entry leading to the yard behind, he directed Mr. George Shorland, who was present, to listen at the office window, while he entered the tap-room. He paced across the floor two or three times, sometimes slow and sometimes fast ; and it was found that the footsteeps were again heard with precisely the same variation in pace. This discovery once made, all the pranks of the ghostly visitant admitted of a ready and simple solution. A noise resembling the rustling of papers could be produced by drawing the hand along the surface of the tap-room table, as guests do when drinking ; and pushing the table an inch or two along the floor was found to give the noise of a drawer being opened to the listener at Mr. Lane's office window. This discovery, which was made about one o'clock on Sunday morning, might reasonably be thought to have set the matter at rest ; but all the assurances and explanations of Mr. Davies and the watchmen have not hitherto been able to con vince some people of the fallacy of their notion that there is a ghost. They hear the noise, and hearing is believ ing ; so that, unless Mr. Booth can be induced to close his tap-room in the evening, crowds will assemble in the streets, and the affair will attain a celebrity inferior only to that of the Cock-lane ghost or some other equally mar vellous tale. The whole circumstance is, however, a cu rious one, curious as an illustration of some of the laws of acoustics. We remember being astonished many years ago at finding that the scratching of a pin could be heard distinctly at. the other end of a very large and long log of timber ; and we doubt not that the noise heard in St. Ann's-street is another exemplification of the same pro perty in timber of conducting sound. It seems that the beams on which the taproom floor rests are connected with others supporting the floor, &c., of the office. The wall of the office, which is an old building, has recently shrunk, cracked, and sunk at the end next the tap-room, and on the stairs there is an aperture, owing to this circumstance, in a situation which is highly favourable to the admis sion of sound. Without listening at the window of the office, which may be done any evening after it had been closed, no one could have any notion of the complete acoustic illusion (if such a term may be used) which these circumstances combine to present. Yesterday and over valiant ghost-hunter was brought up at the New Bailey, charged with wilfully damaging one of the outer doors by kicking at it, in a vain attempt to frighten the ghost. Reprimanded and discharged. —Manchester Guardian. At Shrewsbury fair, on Tuesday, fat sheep averaged about sd. per lb. Pigs sold at the prices of last fair. / F _~