The Sun. — London, England, 1844-03-01 00:00:00

V: the receipt.by his Right H on . Friend of this placard. (Sir :James Graham) immediately called the chief °fa—. ellet i• o aTrs of of the C rown toaether, and the Lord IrelandChan and the Lord Lieutenant were directed _ once to p rocee d to Dublin. In the meantime the itleond placard had been issued, not altering the cha- Nter of the meeting in his opinion, but still so modify tirtg the language in which it was called, as to require ora him and the Government every precaution and dis cretion i they. n their acts. The two placards, differing though tl aY did terms, meant pretty nearly the self-same ,'"ag; and in his opinion it was mere quibbling to .at ,•ereat a, I' 1,0 establish any difference between them. ° He was losed to treat one as he would the other. But not 'Yrs i medi ing to be too cOnfident in his own judgment, he im ately transmitted the second to the Government, to B ay if ther e was t h at substantial difference between the t 7 O that the coucoctors of them would wish the Pablic to believe. This placard reached the Home-office Wednesd a y, the 4th.,. the day - on which the Lord tioleateriant and th e L or d Ch ance ll or were t o l eave Lon aet!'„for Dublin. It, of course, required deliberation ; km_ue_SLord Eli o t) s h ou ld lik e to k now w h at Honour we opposite, what the country at large o Id-have said, if they had issued a proclamation to Put down a meeting whose illegality- they could not establish?—Hear,arly ( hear.) What would have i o ,_a said of them to put cavalry, infantry, and artillery tuotiOn and take possession of ground to hinder a. tneetirfe l ona being held which might have been proved con nt with the law?—(Hear, hear.) This was a point °F gre t • f ok a nicety, and he felt it as such; for, as he had be ar bo s ajd, he had no doubt in his own mind of the intent ta ,._ ' , Et the placards being the same ; still, what he, in o pinion altered circumstances, had to ascertain, was the , 111 1.,.'° 11 which the law would attach to the second one. atarlear, hear.) The Government, however, came to the l a a l r conclusion as to the character of the two a u ,„, a ,rds- They determined that the intention of the s ett ' o - "a_,g was not altered by the issuing of the Mdedl n u Placard —that, in their opinion, it was de illegal. This circumstance detained the Lord thee•atetiant and the Lord Chancellor until Thursday. By hi Post st of Thursday morning Lord de Grey wrote to a a a tp say they would leave by the train that evening, directed eeti,s. him, on the receipt of his' letter, to call a fertll., of the chief persons of the Government. Un -41..7 atelY, that letter did not reach him (Lord Eliot) u a eoy ::: lt it o fte rn r in t g h .e disembarkation of Lord de Grey on Fri- A meeting of the principal officers of the f o „ - "ment, took place that evening, and the discre • % ,, l i f lar,Y power which Lord de Grey had been armed ex ercise 9 - the Government it was. determined should be e ett l a el s t ed• Now, it was very easy to say a proclamation ,°e drawn up in ten minutes, but, in Ma (Lord p er r'''') opinion, all such documents, to be drawn pro- NY and" effectually, should be drawn thoughtfully. was proclamation was drawn up, and next morning it s ahmitted to the Privy Council, but it was nearly twelve., o'clock before .the members could be got to- A l ete ery for th e purpose o f s i gn i ng it. It was t wo before tile.ilireelaination was in the printer's hands. The Hon. Gallant C o l one l (R aw d on ), i n i n trod uc ing his mo tsa•h ' had read several letters, stating the time at which e anr9elardation was posted in the parts around Dublin, f unding from them an imputation upon the Govern wie;!‘• Now, h e had two papers in respect to those letters athe' ich he wished House to pay attention to. The ~e tip '', of the Gallant Colonel's evidence was of a nega e character. His correspondents did not see the croelelamation posted about. Now he had a return from 0 c 'ael M‘Gregor, the head of the constabulary, and 4 e . of the most honourable - and able man that ever held et , ce• With this return he had received a map of the to l ta ,,_t.rY thirty miles round Dublin, marked with all the 5 v " I Pal police stations. The return pointed to the er al stations, and stated at what hours the proclama- Li'ons arrived, and were spread around the country. At tr a k they arrived at seven that evening; at Johns san, 'distance •of 20 Irish miles, they arrived at the kf ri e "our ,• at Bray, at five on the aturday morning ; at to e r e a distance of thirty-one miles, before daylight; f ae k , elkir l idge, between seven - and eight; and so on. In sag i nounted.policemen were -diapatched to between, O th es „, stations. Now, Hon. Gentlemen, in _Making iss a , e narges 'against abe Government. fer_delay a ia:the h aei t , ng of the pro c lamation, had invariably keot bathe to ok a r ound the important fact, that these meetings never th e y .Place till the afternoon. The placard ordering out repeal' ca va l ry did not require them_ to--muster: at I ort7tarf until twelve o'clock. Therefore there was none Wa s I ,Particular inconvenience that was complained of, nor ar i a 'are danger. Why, he (Lord E.) was'himself there, e t a e ould speak of his own knowledge to seeing the proa! 47 3 , a ,tions in the most populous and frequented parts of! tad 41 - The 'proclamation was at the - Corn Exchange, a w as being criticised and taken to pieces there before •e q e a ,. of th ree o ' c l oc k.—(Hear, hear.) Where was i ft auger Hon. Gentlemen were constantly assert veld at the masses were always unarmed, and the Go 'l'll:lent had covered-the ground at an early hour with l ea a y s ,•9rY, artillery, and infantry, and had strong . bodies' san''s stationed in every proper place and was it to be. unarmed people would attack ' them? Govern ":ad taken every precaution, and shown the highest he ;7, t t ,Y,.—(Hear.) Without disrespect, then, to anyone; would assert that it was absurd to say that the people, "saw - 'avo taken possession 'of the ground, or that there : C e i f ,„ a °,Y danger of collision. The Hon. and Gallant saf e - '," e ' (Bowdon) had said that these meetings were jeowAe-valves, and that people had a right to petition., irl ga a R 4 g.oitl Eliot) saw no safety-valves in such meet ray,orrth-,'Tese ; 50 - td he begged to say that for the nine . "aswhich they had been going on, no pet he *hat had been adopted.—(Hear,; aa) It should to Parliam_nt.. P„,"'er 11, s hould be remembered,- too, that though the 4.itiri a ll- '"t had no moral doubt of did impropriety and' po llt 2s tendency of these meetings, such were not thelt ! Wa y upon which they could constitutionally act. daanecessary they should have legal proof of their the y the peace and good order of the country before' *au t .; ° L oad be in a position to put them down, or to pro saee of the meetings with ally prospect oft AtC s • Ile believed he might appeal with confidence to fi the t f i tY - General for Ireland, whether or not the b rs tier ce - ,l e ' Un g - was taken the moment the Government .a- , affee ca they had evidence to prosecute the parties with, i+,„ t • Al the ti me o f the Clontarf proclamation there' was a strong case, but not such a case as to enable the! laete_runtent to take the steps they afterwards did take. ai,aol7,,uld not n ow di verge in t o other topics, as there; ,( B be he other and more fitting occasions for doing so. agaia " ,Ahear-) He-would-not go into the other charges! Crte c r t ". the Govern men t. —(Hear, hear.). He had con he ~ lu mself strictly to the'Clontarf proclamation, and; had assure the House, notwithstanding all that late en said to th e con t ra ry, 'that there had been no , p i, '- °n on th e p art o f t h e Government'to entrap the '441 (Hear, hear.) He did not believe any danger i •Droelk'eurred to any individual from the issuing of the thigh4ll he ; and under these circumstances, he did not t he C' e House was ca ll e dupon to express its censure of ea t etatnent in the way asked for by the Hon. and mb kr, er. aad G sa ,`" sl ßßS would support the motion of the Hon. hey h-'arit Member. He deprecated the course that l'h ey 'r adopted by the Government towards Ireland. kwer ' 9 r tind , ,' When the present Government came into tqmit! Bre l and peaceful and quiet, and what was its 11 ' 4 e l new ? The acts of the present Government, themecoated the feelings of the people of Ireland from krof . s , th„, "ARMAN CRAWFORD could•not allow some sba:ere--4.ol3l,,servations of the Noble Lord to pass unan ,4l-e had complained of this subject being 4 3a'a,," 1 :°rward at the present moment, after a nine elesti c ; h - tte• In his (Mr. B. Crawford's) opinion, the • u a t t eCt. - 4 1 ,atl now been properly raised and properly de oe grievances of the . people of Ireland ought cl eaafea th was a a . d over and over again till they were redressed. t ea otiee t the meeting at Clontarf was illegal, because °l•t stated that the parties were to assemble in a • In ilitary array. He denied that such a pro ttgetaa illegal, and he did so from precedents that si ong e a Place in Ireland.. When the Orange pro t°°k place in Ireland, the party appeared in 11 4114 y et a t r h r aY,• they carried arms, and shots were fired, °hie "ese meeting's were not deemed illegal. The thePao 'U'd said- that meetings u s did not believe that a single la'ad be en got up at these meetings—was he in WN a pile Yesterday when the Hon. Member for Cork ye 2 4 . them by him?—(Hear, hear.) He would • rieaa: s oecided support to the moan of his Gallant 0 4 athe and he hoped that other motions would be made' ~4 44 e „ P 6 ints of the late proceedings. He hoped that i e _ c4 M - . l3 : st i_tutional lawyer would take notice of the . pr00ff,,,,,(11 off,,,,, (11 the Irish Attorney-General, and the insult the '-`-` sthe Bench, thereby attacking the liberty ar e a bj ec to t. q B is anti • • ROCHE would support the motion of his a 11 It, end, on the broad principle that they had not '4 a similar measure towards Ireland in the pre -414 ease 1, 11 1 % as they would, under similar circumstances, its Mo t lP te d towards England. He would not attri ia: w ahj • t the Government ; but the effect of their Att e Y to lead to the worst of consequences. tael ar ,',.?te Lord must know that the publication of their • - -anon lea;worth nothing. unless aided by Mr. O'Connell, would have by , 4 nt of s „ 'mg- And all this risk was incurred on t t , - Nn e se - rue gasconade put in the Nation newspaper hl knob, useless blockhead. The Right Hon. Baronet I t a elth e , as well as any man that there were such l• a, a -4 ' r ,, to be found in ever:) , party. The Right larnigh - t n „ e t,had some brainless blockheads about him ittt,%htliyoellottuacitdetioreu,) risAknd what was to be done with them ? „ ti V ran not reason with them—(Laughter)--and yet of involving the country in- a civil th at 1 1'A nt of a foolish thing, not done ostensibly, c , he acknowledged by the party. He felt incidentally discussing a question uy ti i i -Por ta ,'"utY threadbare ; at the same time eir a.b"°.e of the question was not lessened • -tie - atm • il ttte 4 who we re g it. He could assure the House that l'ter e ti °n o thing to press thelrish question on the 411 3 , bat as s t ouse, and of the people of this country, ho thltsott the and. disinclined to do' it as 'a h,"ught the world world. But he felt bound to say that 14 8 % 4 '441g '° ll - and• Gallant Officer was quite right htta ti °4 r e su ch a question. before the House. The t yota ti a 9 ae i a s i ) . r l e v i ed itself into this—that the Government ewer ki t land what, in similar circumstances, they co l i rte nture to do in England.—(Hear.) What :_ s . e te tt i rteeti A ne a ut : t e h r, :t ta t in bo . dy, then agitating the repeal of th eir onai neo of Parliament might adopt—of this he whateier might' be the number 'of 14 4 4 0 10 1 0_ 8 , they ivonld not attempt to destroy the oh s g throul discussion in England, without, at least, I tisl tte d g a,, ° l 'e of the forms of law than they had e r , qa e „. •ea ttt a •alon a • --- (•u•ear.) It was this neglect of aria d'sb a - the , and the contemptuous treatment of this Peofle ef.Enei that made him a firm ree,„,„ „ a ~ t r F trq l ;: r as h4";;;;I: and he should continue to be tli t4 M d an d anin and one measure of justice • „hat h e sa _ , other for this country. He thought, eople England there was but little chance of • theita n ta i nd forcing the Government the go o he had auestion; and having that ti o y.. _th at _ .. '!:•Et still but one course to ' e t th e n il . _ tie lit i er ja , spite of the threats of E ton ofu_n_ rope l e as to continue the agitation , ti le . h rePeal as long and as ardently' as he 4144 IMO of thiConstituti6n. unPr " enov e jos . qed kot press w hose oi9 olioo , e Coo le gene' an d e Ra uwk inted'l nes, wO lll4 ri a - sher g On the (11 11 ‘ 1 ,1i be ;his P re"° to bring fore the le ii°l3l 4 He hoped that the Right Hon. Gentleman would in future pay some re aril - to -the was,..in Ireland, and notagain step beyond its limits. Strangers were then ordered to_ withdraw, and the House divided. The numbers were— For the resolution Against it Majority against the resolution COMMONS AND LAND INCLOSURE. Lord WORSLEY rose for the purpose of asking leave to bring in a Bill to inclose commons and land held in common, and in so doing it was not his intention to do any thing which would interfere with the rights of the poor. It was his intention that sufficient ground should be left for the recreation of the poor. An erroneous impression had gone abroad with respect to the subject, but his opinion was, that if the management of waste lands were put into the hands of a board properly con stituted, the result would be that the poor would find employment" for eight or ten years in break ing up the land and inclosing it, and after this was done, that thew would be empleyed in cultivating it, If this Bill passed, many persons who were out of employment at present, might obtain work. This was not only, his opinion, but it was also the opinion of many persons possessed of much experience on the subject. But it might be. said, if those lands were ca pable of improvement, why had not parties come to Pars liament for power •to inclose them? But the fact was .that the - expenses of obtaining an Act of Parliament for the purpose were so great that no person Would be found willing to incur the expense. That was the rea son why they did not apply to Parliament on the sub ject. He had received a letter from a gentleman in Nor folk, stating that 1,713/. 17s. were expended in pro curing an Act to inclose certain waste lands in that county. If there had been a Commission, this might have been done for less than 500/. He had a return showing the amount of waste lands in England and Wales, but it only referred to those places to which the Tithe Commutation extended. The summary of the return showed that out of 6,718,523 acres in England there were 1.358,419 acres common or. waste . land. In Wales, out of 1,897,502 acres, there were 501,815 acres common or waste land, a great portion of which might, under proper management, be brought under cultivation. He was yesterday in the county of Surrey, where he was told that there were 6,000 acres of waste land. lie did not mean to say that the whole of this'was capable of cUltivation, but a great portion of it was. He would not only, give fair portions of the waste land to the poor for the purposes of recreation, but also he would give them a right of pasturage. It appeared by the evidence given by Mr. Mott before the Committee which sat last session, on the allotments to labourers, that not only was there a vast extent of un inclosed land, but that it also might to some extent be properly cultivated. The Noble Lord then referred to the evidence of Mr. Ilibbert, of Yorkshire, on the same point. His opinion was, that great advantage would be derived by the poor from the.employment given to them in bringing waste lands under cultivation. If the first expenses were got over persons would be ready to invest capital in cultivating the land. Mr. Mott stated in his evidence that in Lancashire there were 2,000,000 acres of uncultivated land, and he gave an instance of land sup posed to be incapable of producing any crop, which was so cultiVated that it was surprising how much it . pro duced. He said that if 301 . were spent upon biinging an acre into cultivation it would, when improved, lie worth Soh What he proposed was, that there should. be Commissioners appointed as Inclosure Commissioners, and that those persons should be the Tithe Commission ers ; but he would have no objection to leave with the Government the appointment of the Commission. He also proposed that if two-thirds of the parties who had an interest in the common land, or the land held in common, should wish to have it inclosed, an Assistant Commissioner should be, sent down to inquire into the expediency of it wlni would take into consideration not only the interests of the landholders, but of the local in terests and the advantages to the neighbours of the land for recreation and other purposes. If he were of- opi nion that it would be advantageous to have the land in closed, he should so report to the Commissioners, and the - day would then be appointed for holding a . meeting, when the claims of the parties would be heard; and" : after thk" _different claims were heard, a cer tain time and,notice would be given to enable the parties,. to _object. Iles/hen proposed that if one fourth of those interested: objected to the inclosure they-should petition the- Raise, and give notice of their intention, to-the , Commissioners, and no proceeding should be taken till six weeks after the House sat. He proposed -that the Commissioners should report twice a year - ,:as to the progress they made with regard to en closures ; and the Reports should be laid before Par liament within six weeks after the sitting of Parliament. He thought that would prevent any hardship being done to the poor. This would give the House the power 'of taking steps to have the land inclosed,, and it would prevent parties from making objections merely for the purposes of delay. He had endeavoured to shape the. Bill in such a way, that its provisions would not inter fere with the rights of the poor; and he endeavoured to have their rights respected, at' the same time that it would be for their advantage to have the lands in closed, and also for the advantage of the proprietors. He also proposed, that they should have a certain number of acres left them for recreation. The Bill was nearly like the one which he had introduced last session, but he thought it right to extend it more, because much inconvenience had risen in consequence of power being given by certain general and local Acts, which in some' instances were not carried out at all, and in some instances were unfairly carried out. The Noble Lord concluded by moving for leave to bring in a Bill to facilitate the inclosure and improvement of commons and lands helds in common; the exchange of lands, and the division of intermixed lands ; to provide remedies for the defective or incomplete execution, and for the non-execution of the powers of general and local, inclosure Acts, and to provide for the revival of such' powers in certain cases. Mr. AGLIONBY seconded the motion. Colonel SIBTIIORP regretted that he should con sider it his duty to oppose this Bill from the outset. He had great respect for the Noble Lord's desire to support the agricultural interest of the county of Lincoln, and of the country generally, but when he looked at this Bill, containing 140 clauses, which would affect the country in a spirit of innovation, he must offer it his most strenuous opposition. At the present day there was a dangerous -tendency to adopt 'innovations, such as railroads—(A laugh)—and there was the Reform Bill, which was an innovation that nearly revolution ised the country. One of his main objections to this Bill was, that it was of too general a nature, in his opinion, however highly he might think of the character and' motives of the Noble Lord, to be brought in by any in dividual Member of that House. He (Colonel Sibthorp) was as willing as any one to make sacrifices for the good of the country, and even if he thought railroads advan-• tageous to its welfare he would support their construc tion. But this was not a measure that would benefit the country. Why not, he asked, let her Majesty's Govern ment, with all their liberality for the people introduce a' measure of this kind ? He, as well as other Honourable Gentlemen, felt for the poor, and therefore it was he' opposed this Bill. For why should they deprive them of those commons where they enjoyed inno• cent pastimes and open' air ? He also objected to • the measure -on the score of its calling into existence a host of Commissioners and clerks, and' thus furnishing grounds for a system of jobbing. The Noble Lord might say, why not allow the Bill to be in troduced and read a first and second time, and that then, in Committee, its provisions might be well and fully considered? But he (Colonel Sibthorp) had Sufficient experience tolnow the evil of introducing an injurious measure of that sort. Wires acquirit eundo. Many a wicked man, if hanged in time, would have been saved the commission of many crimes.- - (Laughter.) He should' certainly. oppose the motion. - -Mr. TRELAWNY supported the motion. He stated, however, that he did so in the hope that a pro vision might be introduced in a future stage of its pro gress, which would secure to the poor all the rights which they possessed, and leave them sufficient land to enjoy themselves.-(Hear, hear.) Lord J. MANNERS also supported the motion, re serving to himself the right of opposing the Bill in its future progress, if the equitable rights of the poor should not be secured to them.—(Hear.) Mr. S. CRAWFORD said he felt himself called upon' to oppose the introduction of the Bill. From the ex planation of the Noble Lord it appeared that the Bill did not essentially differ from the Bill of last year.—(Hear.) He (Mr. S. Crawford) was of opinion that no lands should be inclosed without provision being made for affording allotments for the labouring classes. He thought that was, a most essential element in their pros perity.—(Hear.) The recommendation of the Allotment Committee was not to be disregarded. It was contained in these words :—" The Committee recommend that in any general, or even private. Inclosure Bill, which may hereafter pass into law, facilities should be given for guarding allotments." The Committee also stated that the allotment system had proved a powerful means of improving the condition of the agricultural and mann facturing population;-while-in many - cases it had been the means, of reclaiming criminals and reforming the dissolute. They ought not 'to consent to the inclosure of any land without considering-whether this object was sufficiently kept in 'view by the framers of the, Bill; • and though the Noble Lord said he would agree to introduce a clause for this purpose rather than. lose his till; it was sufficiently evident .that he was not favourable to the insertion of such' provisions. With regard to play-grounds for the working-classes, he (Mr. S. Crawford) despised the idea. If they gave the working classes allotments of land, they would care little about play-grounds. They would then be provided with pleasing occupation when discharged from the labours of the day, and at the same time they would be relieved from the necessity of applying , to the parish for relief when deprived of' employment. Considering, therefore, that the great object which ought to be kept in view was not contemplated by the Noble Lord ; and, considering that every Inclosure Bill which had passed that House had given a monopoly of the rights of the poor to the rich, lie should oppose the Bill until he should be - convinced that full provision had been made in it for securing to the poor generally those advantages to which they were justly entitled.—(Hear, hear.) Sir CHARLES BURRELLL said it appeared to him that; according to the laws of. England, no one had a right to take from one'man the rights which he pogy sensed, and give them to another. But lie thought that the present Bill would be beneficial to the poor .them- Selves. The cultivation of waste lands would afford em ployment to numbers and be beneficial to the country at large. He thought that in times when they were called upon to repeal the corn-law, on the ground that the sup ply of wheat was at present insufficient, every facility should be given for -carrying out the objects of the Noble Lord. hear.) He should certainly vote for the introduction of the Bill. Mr. BRIGHT said that he looked upon this Bill with considerable suspicion, which was not diminished by the circumstance that if extended to 144 Clauses; but en the ground that Eton, Members should have an opportitaty THE SU - N .I ,_I ? _ONDON, FR of exarnining its priwisions;'-Wihonld support the nio- Tiiicof the NOBreLOA:Ire: hiiit lseen much pleased to hear the allusion of the Hon. -Baronet, the Member for Sissex, to that great constitutional principle, that no man's property should be' taken from him, and given to another. He trusted that at a subsequent period of the session, when the proprietorship of land was the subject of discussion, the lion. Baronet Would keep that princi ple in view. Colonel SIBTHORP withdrew his opposition to the motion. Leave was then given to bring in the BilL At a subsegtient period of the evening Lord WORS LEY brought in the Lill, which was read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time On Wednesday week. - BLACKWOOD'S MAGAZINE. Major Harris's late work on the highlands of 2Ethiopia forms the subject of a criticism or rather essay, in this Number ; th e wr it er h as skilfully ex tracted all the most relishing passages in the Major's volumes, and produced a very readable article. Speak ing of the prospects of African disco Very, he tells us that it is not likely that that great. continent will ever be extensively explored, unless it be entered famtrthe Abyssinian side. '" All attempts," he adds, "to enter it by the western coast • have failed. The heat, the swamps; the rank vegetation, and the Unhealthy at mosphere, have proved insurmountable barriers. The north is fenced by a line of burning .Wildeineis. But the east: is . open, free, fertile, and .beautiful." This is a suggestion well worth being attended to, should a taste for exploring ..kfrica:again find favour in the eyes of our enterprising travellers. "A Word or Two of the Opera-tive Classes ", furnishes us with some amusing particulars respecting some of the mosteminent execu tioners and dancers —strange conjunction a=ofthe past century; But singularly enough,. the. Writer makes no.mention. of Samson, the expertest and politest ex ecutioner on record, who went through his trouble some dUties so :Scientifically that it . must haie been quite a pleasure to have been guillotined by him. There were three, we believe, of the name, but the elder brother was the Samson. He. invariably made a most deferential• obeisance to' his victims before proceeding to business, and sometimes even offered them a. pinch of snuff; . .but 10, .before .they had time to sneeze, their heads were rolling in the basket ! If a man is to ,be beheaded; it must be:a : great comfort to him .to be beheaded by one who understands and practices the gentilities. Speaking incidentally of the fame acquired by opera-dancers, we are told that it is often as " European,' nay, as universal," as, the fame won by a Wellington, a Talleyrand, or a Met ternich. This is but too true, and what is worse, it is a truth as old as the hills. As in past, so :present times, the world neglects its instructors, and pays court only to those who amu s e it. A learned and philosophic Coleridge dies in comparative neglect and destitution, while a Taglioni lives in affluence, is patronised 'by mighty Sovereigns, courted by rank and fashion, and sees all her movements chronicled from day to day, just as though she were a crowned head! Truly, this is a great ,encouragement for people to wear away life in the effort to instruct their fellow-creatures ! " Belfront Castle" is an agreeable tale, illustrative of some of the social enor mities of those days of chivalry which' Burke has praised so highly. " Free Trade and Protection," contains a diverting theory or two. The Roman empire, it seems, fell a victim to the destructive prin ciples of, free-trade! The mistress of the world might have been alive to this day, had she been go verned by a monopoly Executive, with a Peel at its head; but she chose to put faith in Cobden and Bright councillors, and the consequence was, that' she went off in a gallopping consumption. The irruption of the Goths and Vandals, the luxury and recklessness of her . patricians, and the slothful, degenerate habits of the vast mass of her effeminate citizens—no longer what they were under the Republic, or .the earlier days of the empire—these combined circumstances had nothing to do with the matter; Rome died of a free-trade in corn ; and the inference which Blackwood would 'wish to 'establish is this—that England will die, too, if she wantonly exposes herself to the same mortal malady. " A Roman Idyl" is a m ore c h as t e and thoughtful pee* than is usuall y t o b e f oun d i n magazines, and accordingly subjoin it : friend,g with scoff u n f ee li ng , grief and wro ng , • Oh T ! he blame gentl not, ot , tale of Which, all the pains of life revealing, Yet teaches peace by thoughtful song. The land Scape round us wide expanded AS ere Was heard the name of Rome ; - And . lteme, though fallen, our souls commanded, In this her empires earliest home. Her brightness beamed on each far mountain, Her life made green the grass we trode, Her memory haunted still the fountain, And spread her shadows o'er the sod. • Her ruins told their tale of glory, Decreed to that eternal sky ; And through that ancient grove, her story With sibyl whisper, seemed to sigh. The pile her wealthiest mourner builded, In glimpse we caught through ilex gloom— Metella's Tower, by sunshine gilded, That beams alike on feast or tomb. And on this plain, not yet benighted, 'Mid awful ages mouldering there, Young hands in new-blown flowers delighted, Young eyes look'd bright in sunniest air. Till we, Viterbo's wine-cup quaffing, Which fairer lips refused to grace, Could win by jest those lips to laughing, And veil'd in folly wisdom's face. But say, my friend, thou sage mysterious, What nymph, what muse disown'd the strait Which bade our heedless mirth be serious, And woke our ears to nobler pain ? That region grave of plain and highland, With Rome's grey ruin strewn around, Is not a soft Calypso's island, Nor fades at Truth's evoking sound. High thoughts in words of quiet beauty Accord with visions grand as these, And song's imperish a bl e duty Has holier aims than but to please. By word and image deeply wedded, By cadence apt and varied rhyme, To rouse the soul in sloth embedded, And tune its powers to life sublime. By loftier shows of man's large being Than man's dim actual hour displays, To clear our eyes for purer seeing, And nerve the flagging spirits gaze. By strains of bold heroic pleasure, And action strong as thought conceives, By many a doom-resounding measure That best our selfish woes relieves ; By these to stir, by these to brighten, By these to lift the soul from earth, The poet dares our joys to frighten, And thrills the dirge of lazy mirth. Ye Ruins, dust of empires vanish'd, Ye mountains, clad with countless years, From your great presence ne'er be banish d Sad songs that live in earnest years : Sad songs, the music of all sorrow, Profound and calm as night's blue deeP Accurst the dreams of any morrow When man will feel he cannot weep. BENTLEY'S MISCELLANY. This periodical reached us at so late an.hour yes-, terday that we have scarcely had time to do more ' than just glance at its contents. It i s , on the whole; an amusing Number, an d opens w ith Albert Smith's story of the " Fortunes of the Scattergood Fam il y , " which, SO far.as it has yet p roc eeded, is an improve-, ment on his forme r t a l e. Th e d e scription of Mr.- Glenalvon Fogg's . Coburg melodramßl and . its re , hearsal at the theatre, in the presence of the enrap-. tured. author,- abounds. in sly -touches of. humour, which are the7tnoreeffeetiire inasmuch as they seem to be based on truth. There . is also a spirited sketch of a young :boy's first Iday at a public school —an im portant epoch in their lives which few school-boys everforget: "Eve of St. Andrew" refers to the pe riod of 'Napoleon's. invasion of Russia, when all Ger many was in- astate. of high political ferment, and secret Political. societies Were spreading in every di reetiont; The -heroine of the narrative is Herman . Mallet "art - cothiiiiiiitie.yoiing German, who 'falls in. love ,with 'Louise-Palm; the daughter of the President Of one of thesaCietia. in question. Now it chanced that the father .of this girl, tho Ugh a staunch patriot, ..... wasakioa -confirmed: monomaniac, and this malady shoiied itself - in-the strange means which `he adopted for proCiiiing: tire . editions..of. old books. . He would call at the-houseof-some - gentleman or'lady who he. understood' tali a rarity of this sort, and, While en gaged' in conversation; • would suddenly knock their brains Ont: . withAnieo little hammer whi c h h e a l ways kept concealed •-about his person, - and then walk coolly 1 Off. :with 'his' . trastire, as ,if nothing Of .moment had happened. He 'had thus .dispatched several respectable gents folks Without. 'creating the least-suspicion, for nOonesupposed -that so staunch a patriot TaS . ,Falin;::o;iid Ond.V.O.:.F.O.:gentle in his nature, could' be- a wholesale umrderer •;, -when - unfortunately onEfine,day he. too) of . a countess, whose: track was turned towards him ; and being Ills coverectin: the 4.6C.b.y.Heiii-Mtiller;:wlio happened to beentering.the: room . at:. the moment, he was of course2airestedv . found - gOty,Tand debapit a t e d. By a note:attnuhed to thelTale,welearp that :if is - strictly founded striking illustration - of Lord ßyron's famous. •iilage, that , .truth: is strung* than fiction.. ..The present- part -of -Mr, Fisher Murrav's " Physiology. of .I.4ondotatife”: opens with -a descrip tion,- as minute :as• an —auctioneer's• catalogue; of the first .daY of ::term iiithe . tbridonlitw• courts, anti closes • with a-story illtistrative of the 'troubles and difficul ties and vexations that beset . the path of the. young and briefless barrister. The "Death-. of Joachim . Murit" details the last days . of'.,the late exAcineef Naples—Napoleon's brother-in-law, a brave, gene rous, but rash man, and the finest cavalry officer in Europe. Melancholy as was his fate; we can 114r41y say that it was altogether untherited, for - Murat had in - succession betrayed all parties who trusted him ; and was warned beforeliand What would bq the con sequence should he again set. foot on the shore of Naples. But he disregardedthe well -meant warning, and 'rushed headlong . on . his destiny. The ." Gaol Chaplain" relates an interesting anecdote of the late Edmund Kean, which we subjoin : " As to Kean, his transit from the * depths of obscurity and penury, to fame and' wealth ;was altnoSt instanta neous, Poor fellow 1 I have seeil'him at YaiiPP4 phws a ho has I p t lintis played 'in his finest Sadly and of his chaqueredotoney. At Exeter more. than once I styleari it~ hay to bee a itil u s s p : spectator ivdh noton -sorely dispirited - did-he rluitit. At-Drury ; -after his -hit, I have:stood behind _the Scenes, "andhave Witnessed Peers and Members of Parliament rushing to his dressing room to eltpress their unbounded delight at his, perform ance) and have been amused more . than once by seeing members of the committee of management jostling against each other, in_ their eager haste to presentmegns, lemon ade, and .orgeat, to the favoured and flattered actor, And mine was the sorrow —saddest spectacle of all !—to view hith in hiS. decline.: He was crossing the Tyne, a few miles.beloW Newcastle, in iisteani ferry-boat, that plyed between the opposite shores,, so contrived that a carriage could be driven on and Off it Without requiring the ee ' cupanti to alight. A large, heavy travelling-Chariot drevir-iip; and-in it sat a thin, - .feeble-looking, little man, muffled up in cleaksand fur. With the face I;was sure I was. familiar. I bent f orwar d, an d caught the profile. It was Kean. A woman of colour sat by his side. On the crishions and floOr - of the'carriage were strewed va rious plapbooks ; torn, dirty,. , dogs'-eared, and disfi gured enough. He-was to act that evening in a neigh bouring country town _; and thither, impelled by old as sociations, I hollowed him: Alas ! I gazed oh 'a wreck —a prematare bid thorough wreck. Voice, memory, strength, all. were gone., The bOx I at in was , near the stage—too near—it commanded so compl e tely the exit and entrance of each actor as greatly to dispel the illusion. But on that night its positicin was invaluable to me. It enabled me to watch • my, former favourite closely and throughout. Whenever he quitted the boards it was in a state of thorough , exhaustion. But every gesture was most . anxiously . observed. His com panion,- the woman of colour, was' in close attendance on him ; had evidently her fear as to the result of the even ing, and gave him continually small quantities of what appeared to me, strong spirit-and-water, as a temporary but fatal' - stimulus. - I-could 'have choked her,'" cried Pounce, 'for her assiduity -The , play was the Iron Chat, and he, .of,eourse, 'Sir Edward Mortimer. Long before it closed he was voiceless from exhaustion.' • " Fit 'suliject,' said I, for the moralist ; health, talents, energies, all profusely drawn upon, and all pre maturely spent r - " I would do battle with ye'on that point too,' cried Nunce ; time presses. In truth everything con nected with that - man was unprecedented, and Out of course. His friends, his haunts, his liosts, all were ro mantic and out of keeping. Was there ever anything so droll as the contrast afforded to him and his habits by his host, Miss Hake, 'the little feather-dresser, with whom he lodged at Exeter ? Imagine a punctilious, pre cise; correct, and rather timid old maid, of a certain age, of very staid demeanour, and matter-of-fact habits. Imagine her, I say, the host of an erratic genius like Kean ; and yet he lodged with her for a very con siderable period. She, staid and timid as she was, liked him, and they parted with reluctance and regret.' " Droll enough certainly " And instructive ; for it showed the power :Kean possessed of kindling strong feelings of personal attach ment at a . period when 'those prepossessions must have been wholly disinterested? " PRISON DISCIPLINE (SCOTLAND). The LORD ADVOCATE moved for leave to bring in a Bill to amend the law with respect to prisons and prison discipline . in Scotland. He stated that previous to 1839 the laws of Scotland relating to prisons and pri son discipline had been very unsatisfactory. The prisons were not fit for the reception of any human beings, and there was no sufficient security for the safe custody of the prisoners. The expense, both of erecting and main taining the prisons, fell exclusively upon the Royal burghs, and the consequence was that very inadequate provision was made. In 1839, a statute passed, to im prove the then existing state of the law. .That statute had been,in operation ever since, and it had caused a great improvement in the discipline of prisons. There was a general Board in Edinburgh, for . the manage ment Of prisons, and 'they reported annually bn the subject. Their reports were most valuable documents. They showed that the new system had in general worked admirably ; but, of course, some defects had been found in it, and to remedy those defects was the object of the Bill. The report of last year st-ted that the system had been in operation four years, and that experience had proved the soundness of the system upon which it was founded, at the same time some imperfec tions might be pointed out. A Bill had been introduced last session to remedy those inconveniences, and for af fording additional facilities for improving the manage ment of prisons. The measure which he was about to propose was essentially similar to 'the measure of las:; year, and its objects were to remedy those imperfec tions and to afford those facilities. He would not weary the House with details, but would content himself with alluding to two points. Since 1839 there had been a new census, and as - the contribution of each district towards the expense of maintaining these prisons was regulated by the amount of population, it was necessary to have an enactment authorising the authorities to take the last census as the basis for the assessment. It was also ne cessary to reniedy some imperfections in the plan at pre sent used for the transmission of prisoners. The ; Bill, therefore, contained provisions for the better removal of prisoners. The Bill was, in fact, the same as the Bill of last year, with some few alterations. _ _ Mr. WA - LLACE would not propose the amendment of which he bad given notice. He had now on the paper a notice for the appointment of a Committee to inquire into the subject, and he thought that would be a more Convenient time for discussing the subject of prison dis cipline in Scotland than the present. He should not, therefore, oppose the motion of the Learned Lord Advo cate. He believed the system of prison discipline had been greatly improved in Scotland since 1839. The motion was then agreed to, and the Bill was brought in. and read a first time. AGRICULTURAL' STATISTICS. Mr. M. GIBSON postponed to that day fortnight the Motion of which he had given notice for this evening on the subject of agricultural statistics. The remaining Orders of the Day were then disposed of, and the House ad.ourned at a Quarter before Eleven o'Clock. LIVERPOOL GRAND STEEPLE CHASE. (FROM OUR TURF CORRESPONDENT.) -WEDNESDAY NIGHT.—The disappearance of the frost, and the favourable . state of the weather, this morning, suc ceeeding to several hours of heavy rain, removed all appre hensions of a postponement, and enables us to state, not only that there was an excellent shoW of company, but that the gratification afforded by two very sporting races was un alloyed by accident, wrangle, or mismanagement ; still, in speaking of the numbers present, we are forced to admit that the variable state of the weather in the early part of the week prevented hundreds from the metropolis and other distant localities from risking an expensive,' fatiguing, and, it might be, bootless journey, and that the assemblage in consequence was somewhat below the average. We men tion this with regret, from a knowledge that the lessee's heavy responsibilities in the shape of rent, money given to be run for, and incidentals, must of necessity make any falling off a matter of serious anxiety. The start f o r the principal event was fixed in the cards at two o'clock, but as the precision observed at the legitimate races is not looked -for in sports of this description, it was nearly three before the horses were in the starting field. Until the stated period for starting the weather had been favourable ; the sky then became over cast, and just before the race commenced the rain set in, accompanied by a mist, that rendered it next to impossible - to distinguish the colours of the riders a quarter of a mile from the stand. -For this reason we shall make no apology for confining ourselves to an official return of the starters and. their riders, and a brief general " idea" of the manner in which the race conunenced, progressed, and terminated. Handicap Sweepstakes of 20 sovs. each, 10 ft, with 100 added, the second Saves his stake. (41 subs., 19 declared.) Mr. Quartermaine's Discount, 10st.121b (Crickmere 1 Mr. S. Crawfurd's The Returned, 12st (Scott 2 Sir T. H. GoOdrick nd Tom Tug, lOst 71b (Rockley 3 Lord Maidstone's Caesar, list 101 b • (Barker 4 The following also ran :—Mr. Ekins' Peter Simple, 12st 121 b (Frisby) ; 'Mr. Millbank's Robinson, 12st 7lb (Parker) •, Lord Maidstone's Wiverton, 12st 41b (Oli ver) ; Mr. W. Scott's Heslington, • 12st . (Mr. W. Benett) ; Lord E. Russell's Lather, I Ist 21b (Ball) ; Sir J. Gerard's* Louis Philippe, 1 Ist (Cowell) ; W. Hollinshead's Little Peter, lOst 121 b (Day) ; Mr. Moore's Nimrod, lOst 101 b (A. M'llonough); Lord Sefton ad. Ma rengo, lOst 101 b (Brotherton) ; Mr. Kennedy's Teetotaller, lOst 71b (Sharkey) ; Lord G. Bentinek ml. the Romp, lOst 71b1 (Byron); and Sir W. M. Stanley nd. Charity, lOst 71b: (Powell). Bettinn•--5 to 1 agst Marengo; 5 agst Discount, 8 to 1 agst Heslington, 8 to 1 apt Wiverton, 12 to 1 agst Charity, 14 to 1 agst Robinson,' 14 to - 1 agat Nimrod, 15 to 1 agst The Returned, 20 to 1 agst Louis Philippe, and 25 to 1 agst the. Rorpp. _ _ _ No sooner were they all fairly off, than Tom Tug, emerging . from the crowd, took the lead at a middling pace, attended by, The Romp, The Returned, Lather, and, after the first three or four fields, Discount, Heslington, Wiverton, Caesar,* and a nick of horseslying up. Except that Peter Simple found his way into a ditch, nothing occurred to give variety' to the race until they reached the hurdle fence that inter-' seeted the line a few strides below the artificial water jump. It was taken first by Tom Tug, followed by The Romp, at' the next moment by The Returned, and afterwards, in quick succession, by Lather, Heslington, Discount, &c.; in nearly' the same order was the water cleared, without a mistake, except The Romp, who fell on her knees, but recovered her self in an instant, and without losing her place. Tom Tug went on with the running to about the fourth fence, which he refused, and The Returned was left in advance. Toni, however, speedily resumed his position, and was first in the throng up to the lane ; here he was joined by The Returned, The Romp,. and Ciesar, and the four raced together nearly, abreaSt along the lower end of the course. Discount, who had waited on them, then drew upon them, and getting up inside as they entered the straight running, passed them one by one, was ahead at the distance, and, improving his advantage every stride, passed the winning chair at least 20 lengths in ad vance. The Returned headed Tom Tug at the distance, and beat him for second by about a length and a half. Caesar was six .lengths behind, and was placed fourth ; Lather was fifth, Marengo and The Romp next, but all beaten off a long way. Most of the others were pulled up some distance from home. Charity fell after jumping the water, and Lather broke down near the end. These, and Peter Simple's mistake at the ditch, were the only casualties. We should state, in conclu sion, that the ground, run over was precisely the same as last year, with the exception of the walls, for which a hurdle jump was substituted ; :and that the rain en Tuesday night: had made it very heavy. The_Champion Hurdle Race Sweepstakes of 10 sm. each with 50 added; the second saved his stake. Two miles. (11 subs.) Mr. Raworth's Chance, aged (Bradley) 1. Mr. W. Scott's Heslington, 6 vrs ,(Oliver). Mr. Milbank's Robinson, aged (Parker) 3., The following were not placed :—Mr. Dauber na Baronet; 5 yrs (Thomas) •, Mr. Skins' Peter Simple, aged (Frisby) ;, and Mr. J. G. Watson's Mudlark (Brotherton). Betting— Even on . • Chance; 5 to 2 agst Heslington; and 4 to 1 agst Robinson. Peter Simple made all the running to the last,_ hurdle but one, at which he wasp passed by Heslington and Chance, the horse leading; the mare,. however, was well hand, collared him at the last jump, made him safe at. th Stand, and won cleverly. Baronet and Mudlark were beaten . , off several lengths, Match, 300, h ft, Lord Maidstone's Wiverton received 1204 from Hon. S.. Herbert's Arctic. • • Amongst the company present were the Earl and Countess of Sefton, Lord De Tably, Earl and Countess 'of Eglintoun, Lord and Lady Craven, Lady C. Townley, Lord Curzon, "Lords Macdonald, Maidstone, Cosmo Russell; Sir G. Hong'. ton; Honourables Stanley' Fitzroy, F. Craven,' Captain 'Stan ; Sir W. M. Stanley,'Sir.'R. Brooke,'Sir H. Brownrigg, Sir F. Bathurst ; Messrs.' Payne, Errington' J. Stanley, Mill banke, F. A. Millbanke; Range, A. Graham, J. Bell, J. 'White, Mare, Heywood, Blackburn, Ste. &c. The 'Waterloo and most of the principal hotels are full ; but time will not admit of our giving-it list of their visitors. BEr4NG AT THE TALBOT. CHESTER CUP. 10 to 1 apt Sir Robert 14 to 1 agst The Prior 15 to 1 agst Cattonite, 20 to 1 agst Pharaoh 20 to 1 :agst Freedom 20 to 1 agst Tacita'—taken 30 to 1 agst What 40 to 1 agst Arna g ill-taken_ '27 to 1 agst Alice Irlaw.thorrr 50 to 1 agstirikeel=ltaken. DERBY. 13 to 2 agst Uglyßuck—t. 20 to 1 agst Forth's lot, bar Leander—t. 33 to. 1 agst Lord Exeter's lot—taken 40 to 1 agst Saddlebow—t. 50 to 1 agst Theseus—t. TUE CURRENTS AT CAPE, ,AGULEAS.—,-A ~ b ottle, containing the following, was picked up near the mouth of the Kaffer Kin! River, , Cape of Good Hope, .a short time since :—" Barque Maria, Sproule, from Batavia to Cowes, thrtowri overboard 20th kruly, 1843, lat. 35. 23. S., lon. 20.54. E. Should this be picked up by: any one, for the exten sion of our knowledge of the currents :of. the ocean, they will please to make it known." A difference of opinion exists amongst nautical men, trading to the eastward, regarding the current abreast of Cape Aulhas, but it has been ascertained from captains Who have long traded on the eastern coast, and who have had very frequent occasions to notice the current, that it generally runs westward on the edge of the bank all the way from Port Natal round the Cape. Close to the shore there is often a reaction, and there are also eddies formed, which are apt to mislead strange vessels in coining too near in. • • - • NARROW ESCAPE: Last week, as a commercial. traveller was proceeding in a .gig from Dunkeld to Blair gowrie, when about. half-way, he discovered, through the twilight = a woman sitting at the roadside, partly enveloped in the.kapidly Ailing snow. On speaking to her, and receiving -answer; he alighted, and found she was senseless thrpugh the extremity of the cold. He humanely lifted her into the gig, and took her to the nearest public-house, where the usual restqative.s iii such cases were used, happily with effect. On recovering, it was ascertained that she had been round the neighbouring country, selling small wares, &c., and being fatigued, had sat down to rest he rse lf, w h en a s t upor , as o ft en happens in similar cases, ,c ame over her, whiCh would most prohably have ended . . sleep of d ea th, h a d s h e no t b een Otis providentially cbscovered.—.Peillt Journal. .<l.O &I" EVENING, MARCH I, la NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE. Some sensible remarks, appear in this Number headed " The Censorship of the English Drama," which, as the majority of our readers know, is'a power delegated to the - Lord Chamberlain and his deputy, the Licenser: The remarks have been sug gested by the singular circumstance of a new comedy in five acts, " Richlieu in Love," having been for mally prohibited by the officials—after it had been accepted by Mr. Webster, and advertised to be per formed at the Haymarket—on the plea that "it was unfit to be represented, because it was calculated to bring the Church and State into contempt!" As we have not seen the piece, we cannot, of course, under take to say how far this plea is tenable or otherwise; but who can possibly imagine Church and State to be in danger of being blown, to atoms by a broadside from a Haymarket comedy? The idea seems to us pre-eminently absurd , and could only have insinuated itself into the imagination of a man blest by Provi dence with the very thickest of skulls. The writer of the remarks who tells us that he has read the pro hibited pfay,- expressly states that no 'man in Eng land, except the Licenser himself, could point out a single passage, situation, scene, or combination of any kind, which bears such a construction as that, on the pretext of which this play has been sentenced to per petual ostracism from the stage. If this be really the case, the :sentence, of prohibition is as arbitrary as it is ridiculous ; but we are not at all surprised at it, for Shakspeare has long since assured us that— " Man, vain man, Dressed in a little brief authority Plays such fantastic tricks before high Heaven As make the angels weep." In the " Letters from Hong-Kong and Macao," "we find some diverting . characteristic sketches of Chinese customs and manners. The Chinaman is, it appears, as proud of his tail, as an opera-dancer of her heels, " and a very favourite mode of punishment used by the English, was to cut them off, when the poor curtailed Celestial went away as disconsolate as the fox in the fable." The Chinese are also great be lievers in omens; "like our forefathers,' says the author,' " they associate misfortunes with the appear ance of comets, and pay no slight attention to all signs and wonders in the sky. The kT'overnor of Canton, when I arrived there, was in deep mourning for an eclipse of the Emperor's sister, the moon !" " Many Happy Returns of the Day" is a gracefully versified, poem, from the pen of Miss Eliza Cook. " Enquire Within ; or , the Confessions of a Key hole," contains, inter alas, a satirical sketch of that very common character, a confirmed invalid—one of the most teasing and irreclaimable of bores. In general it may be taken as a rule that all " confirmed invalids" are as tough as whipcord, and—to use a genteel expression—" stick like bricks" to life. If they happen also to be annuitants, they are, as a m a tter of course, immortal, like Godwin 's St. Leon —the first annuitant on record. Mrs. Trollope's, story of the " Butt" is somewhat too long-winded for our ~taste.. We are glad to meet with Ingoldsby. again, who, in the " Lord of Thoulouse," exhibits his worldly comic tumour to great advantage. This Lord, and his friend the Marquis Rigmaree, are anxious to see how their respective spouses—both of whom are prim and 'pious ladies—are getting on during their absence; and accordingly they go to consult a con juror, wo delights their optics with the following most edifying spectacle : He takes from a shelf, and he pops on his head, A square sort of cap, black, and turned -up with red, And desires not a syllable more may be said ; He goes on to mutter, And stutter, and sputter Hard words, such as no men but Wizards dare utter. " Dies mies !—Hocus poem— , Adsis Demon ! non est jokus ! Hi Cocolorum !—don't provoke us A desto ! Presto ! Put forth your best toe.!" And many more words, to repeat which would choke us.— Such a sniff then of brimstone I—it did not last long, Or they could not have borne it, the smell was so strong. A mirror is near, So large and so clear, If you priced such a one in a drawing-reom here, And was ask'd fifty pounds, you'd not say it was dear ; But a mist gather'd round at the words of the Seer, Till at length as the gloom . • Was subsiding, a room On its broad polish'd surface began to appear. . And the Count and his comrade saw plainly before 'em, The room Lady Isabel called her " Sandman." They start, well they might, With surprise at the sight, Methinki I hear some lady say, "Serve 'em right:" For on one side the fire Is seated the Prior, At the'opposite corner a fat little Friar; By the side of each gentleman, easy and free, ' Sits a lady, as close as close well may be, She might almost as well have been perch'd on his knee. Dear me! dear me! Why one's Isabel—she On the opposite side's La Marquise Rigmaree To judge from the spread On the board, you'd, have said That the parie quarree had like aldermen fed, And now from long flasks, with necks covered with lead, Theywere helping themselves to champagne,white and red. 'fobbing and nobbing, And nodding and bobbing, With many a sip Both froth cup and from lip, And with many a toast followed up by a " —The Count, by' the way, Though he sees all they're doing, can't hear what they say, Notwithstanding both he ' And Mar-quis Ilipnaree Are so vex'd and excited at what they can see, That each utters a sad word beginning with D. AIMS WORTH'S MAGAZINE. Mr. Ainsworth's story of the " Court of Queen Anne" makes rapid progress. In, the chapters before us we find the Duchess of Marlborough's influence fast verging' to its extinetion—dimmed before' the rising star of Harley and his wily confederate; Mrs. Masham. There is a spirited scene between the Duchess and her Royal mistress, at which Harley . ii present, when the antagonist parties abuse each other in good • set terms, .and with a heartiness of hatred that reminds us of the famous dispute. between that spotless couple; teachem and Lockitt. The supper-party tat',Mr.•St. John's is less cleverly Ma naged._ All- the ;wits of the day, the- -COngreves, Steeles, Addisons, Vanbrughs, &c.; are in Afton.: dance, and 'their ,persons are: described - with the minute accuracy of a hue and cry placard; but their conversation is a mere non-entity—Without life, hit= inour, raillery, or knowledge `of. any kind. They eat abundance of 'good - things, hut . they say- unne. "'A Demon's Mirror" is an ingenious vete of diablerie, to which- a useful moral is attached.: A young man,. by meads: of a magic looking-glass ..given him by an accommodating fairy,'is enabled to see into the hearts of all his friends. Of course the sight is one more edifying ; than satisfactory, for while words of honied softness are on.the lip,, hate, and jealousy, and spite, and a thousand bad passions are rankling in the heart. The writer closes his legend with this serviceable ex= wuiin you are tempted to hold the mirror too near to the hearts of those you wish to love; rub off the :luic.ksilver." Death of t4e Xattpu easalite j,.Deofjf,the,nple - p.l4§ ik4itatious -that-have-recently appeared,-of--Mr.-lloas "-Song of It: is by Alias- Camilla Touhnin, Who shows herself ; a melodious versifier, if ziot a; . decided- _poet. "A- Jar of Honey from Mount IIybla; is from the pen of . that veteran essayist, Leigh Ilutit;'Who observes, in reference to the earth quakes' that are of: such frequent occurrence in the neighbourhood of Atitv—" Perhaps the most touch ing of all theconsolations to be met with in the his tory of : those catastrophes, is the testimony they bear to the maternal affections. The men who perish from the overthrow of houses are said to be generally found in attitudes of resistance; the women are bent double'dier their children." - cc Oriona and Vespe rilla" is a fairy tale, told with feeling and fancy, though we, fear it is, not . ealculatedto suit the mat ter-of-factrtastes of the day. The adventures of some toWn-bred thief Or. k navis% adventurer, with no more sentiment in his composition than .a leg of mutton, Would be Tar - more likely'to be popular.' " Tohn Manesty, the. Liverpool - -Merchant"-pOOr Ma.ginn's last-work .of •• fiction—turns . outas we anticipated, not withstanding his piety, to be notorious and bloqd thirsty pirate. As a proof of the affectiopateness. of his nature,' the*Orthy''Livetpeol saint mdlies this ugly confeision . to his own son. F rom the en t er t a i n i ng " Elliston -Papers" we 'quote an illustration of the generosity of this versatile actor. lie had won large sums atihazard_ from a:young man, and thus wound up the night's proceedings • ‘" Will.you for, Sve minute's resume your seat?' said Elliston, solemnly--' we must not - part yet. They tell me I am fond of long speeches, but = I will be brief, for our. time is so. I have told you J must have further—. better security for the Work, done to-night—l am not satisfied. But in the first phiee here'-{cOntinued he, in the tone of one calmly determined)—' here,. Mr. is the _Cash, and the whore amount. of what I have -this night won from you;_and. that _we .may proceed without fear of retracing a step,. I seriously_ pronounce, no power on earth shall induce me to retain one guinea.' " L— gazed in speechless 'attention—he knew not the nature of his Own emotions. " ' This has been a long sitting,' resumed Elliston— has broken deeply into our rest, but it shall close to our comfort=to our happiness, if you but permit it. Mr. you are far from a state of health—perhaps not a long-lived man; think how little time, therefore, could be given to reflection, even were the whole amount so devoted. Do not despise the admonition of even an erring man; and let not pride, that pitiful illusion, be the last cheat to leave you barer than poverty. Never,' (concluded he, with great energy)—' never will I touch again one farthing of this sum—it is yours, or it con sumes this night before your eyes. Now for the security I ask—give me the honour of a man you will never play again.'. —" The accents of the young man failed upon his lips, but the tears, rolled down his cheeks, and his frame drooped by exhaustion. " Alas! alas!' sighed he, after a labouring pause. How am I humbled! In the sense of my own worth lessness, and before the generosity of this man, how am I humbled !' . ' "‘ Rumbled!' cried Elliston, with energy—' humility! —why, how, is this, when I had hoped on both sides for exultation? Exultation, I confess it, on my part, that I had been able to achieve a substantial good, and exul tation, still greater on yours, that you had secured the moment whilst it yet remained, to make peace with your own conscience. Will you give me the word of a man?' " Yes; and before God, my wituess—' " No—no—not that!' interposed Elliston. I have no right with such a bond; and believe me, my friend, if the deliberate word of a deeply impressed mind shOuld ever submit to dishonour a more solemn coßtract would yet live to be despised, whilst the penalty would be mul tiplied a hundredfold. Give me but your word—your word of honour.' " Such was the generous appeal, awakening; as may be imagined, the long abused and paralysed energies of the poor youth to whom it had been addressed. It was not made in vain; and the security which our•hero had so warmly sought, was given with all the impassioned evidence of sincerity. " tlliston was of a temperament fully to enjoy that sublimation of delight, which such an adventure was so calculated to produce. His end had been accomplished; for when again visiting (strange and inconsistent as is the nature of man) the old scene of riot and dissipation, he discovered his friend had returned no more, but had been recalled by his means to the timely task of binding up a -wounded conscience, he felt a sense of happinessi far surpassing any amount of his varied life. But t strange and inc onsis t ent , we repeat, as man ' s nature Elliston himself still continued to visit Blackfriars as' usual, so that all traces of the past scene were soon lost' in the mazes of the hazard-table." • FRASER'S MAGAZINE. . Unlike the rest of the world—that is to say, th London world, which was the only one recognis by Selwyn and Horace Walpole—we have never ye seen the celebrated danseuse, Fanny Elssler, which we are somewhat disposed to regret ; not that wel would care to give even the lowest coin of the realm to see the most accomplished dancer that ever stood, on one leg, like a stork, for half an hour together on the' boards of her Majesty's Theatre, but that we have, missed seeing a lively, intelligent, and we may add, witty young woman, who writes with remarkable grace and fluency, and, by the arch bonhommie of her manner, imparts an interest to the ver i es t t r ifl es . Fanny Elssler's "Letters from the United States,; " which are continued in the present month's Fraser, are indeed full of vivacity ; and the little way-sid sketches of character and manners that she intro duces, are as relishing as that famous French sauc with which, an enthusiastic gastronomist once obi served, a man might digest hi s own grandmother ' Our fair letter-writer was by no means slow in de , tecting the social eccentricities of Jonathan, whit must have caused her infinite diversion ; but sh touches on them in such a laughing, good-humour spirit that the most touchy Yankee cannot possibl take offence. On her arrival at New York, true to the professional 'instinct, she of course hurried to th theatre, where she saw Forrest in one of his bes characters, and thus records the impression which h Made on her :—" Never in my life did an actor ins spire me with deeper admiration! Mr. Forrest has ardently studied the mysteries of his most difficult art. A more refined and accomplished artist I have never seen, and he gives a tint so natural and familiar to his lifelike • creations that you are seduced intd utter forgetfulness of the actor. It is idle to attempt a description of his classic attitudes, his noble gait,, his distinct enunciation, and, above all, of the fine dramatic expression he gives to every passion of the, heart—every. working of the mind." Ardent as is] this eulogium, we subscribe to every word of it. We had ourselves the good fortune to see Mr. Forrest, l when he played at Drury-lane some years since, al shall not readily f orge t th e s t rong i mpress i on he mad on us in Othello—that impressive character, all whosel leading points Mr. Macready disguises with suclip curious and diligent perti nac ity. W e quo t e F anny " Elssler's account of her first appearance before a, New York audience, which she seems to have looked forward to with the most unaccountable misgivings " I trembled in every limb with apprehensions I could not control; I had hardly strength to walk upon,the stage. The curtain rose, and breathless silence pre-' veiled; the music struck up, and the moment came, and I appeared. The scene that ensued beggars description. The whole house rose, and such a shout ascended, as stunned my senses, and made me involuntarily recoil. Men waved their hats, and women their handkerchiefs, and all was inexplicahle dumb show for several mortal moments.. I stood confounded,. and tears streaming' down my face. Order at length restored, the dance' began. How I went through it I know rot ; I was scVeely conscious of what I was doing. I felt only one dreadful sensation of a great weight being attached to my limbs ; or as if palsy had stricken them. But I must have danced as I hope never to dance again. I was encored to the echo, and in a few moments recommenced' amid the niost cheering applause. A vaudeville suc ceeded,• and I retired to get ready for the ballet. I was not curious to know the feeling of the house, for II feared it must be unfavourable. I b egan t o warm to my l work, and my ambition awoke. I resolved to make some desperate efforts b e f ore I yi e ld e d to t h e str u gg le .. l I soon learned that such a state of feeling prevailed as' had been calculated on. Great confusion of opinion and' impression, perhaps some disappointment, but just that blank state of mind that I might hope the most from. This roused my soul to .action, and I longed to be at them. As I dashed in for the ballet, the sensation was hardly less strong than at the first. My appearance in feminine and coquettish attire seemed more in harmony with their expectations; and they evidently liked 'my looks. A loud murmur of surprise and intense satis faction rose on every side, and gave me a stirring im petus. It is not fur me to say what I did, sr how I did it, but never .was .I carried so resistlessly along on a buoy ant tide of 'feeling that bore me quite away. I danced without effort, and even Katty applauded some of my feats. The most deafening exclamations of delight broke at rapid intervals from all parts of the house, till they lashed themielves into a perfect tempest Of admiration. Never before did I behoid'so vast an assembly so com pletely under the sway of one dominant feeling, and so entirely abandoned to its inspiration. The curtain fell amid a roar that sounded like the fall of nighty waters, and that quickly brought me before them. Their ap plause was perfectly frantic." "A Suimner Hour in Pope's Garden at Twicken ham" is an imaginary conversation, ci la Landor, be tween - Pope, Bolingbroke, Arbuthnot, and Swift. The dialogue is tolerably characteristic, with this ex ception, namely, that the great poet is made to allude too frequently to his edition of Shakspeare—an allu sion which he always carefully shunned, knowing how signal had been his failure as a commentator. Swift's terse, dry manner is well conveyed, but we could have spared , some of Bolingbrokes verbal exuberence. In "Military Tableaux' we find a stir ring account of the approach' of the French to Mos cow, and their despair on the conflagration of that city. By the, writer's • account,' who - was a Prussian hussar, the invading army must have been in a sad state of disorganisation even on their first entrance into the territories of the Czar, and the infantry were distinguished by nothing so 'much as their dexterity in stealing the horses of the cavalry. It is a curious circumstance that the Cossacks took'such a fancy to the showy Murat, that they never attacked him with out first saluting him with loud cheers! The "Luck of Barry -Lyndon," is a clever, desultory' story, fralithe 'Nita M. A. 'Litmarsh,,to, whose 'sprightly pen also we are indebted for_ a. poem, entitled "Car' men Lilliense." The "Memoirs of Prince Metter nich" are, at best, but pra'ix twaddle, a portion of which is taken without acknowledgment from Mrs. Trollope's sketch of the Prince in her "Vienna and the :Austrians. " The "Turret-Clock" is a mild tale of the melo-dramatic:class: TAI7'S MAGAZINE. Our Radical friend Toil has no very sanguine hopes for the present session, which he seems to think will end, like so many of it's predecessors,' in smoke. "Save on Irisik,affairs," he says, with a distrustful shake of the head, ," the present,. it may rea dil y b e inferred, is to be another do-nOthing, or stave-off ses sion. This is apparent, not only from past experience, and the - the titter inanity of the Queen's speech, but from the declanitions of Sir Robert Peel, prompt and explicit, for once, on the absorbing subject of the corn laws, and,the equally significant hints, or indications, of Lord John Russell on the same subject." " Strife and Peace" i> a revieW, accompanied with numerous entertaining extracts, of Frederilia Bremer's last Swedish novel. '.Cite "Flight for Freedom," nig- - gested by . Miss Martineau's account of the flight of slaves froth the United States to Canada, contains some vigorous lines, but, as a lyric, it wants conden sation. Mrs. Gore continues her story of "Blanks . and Prizes,",,but-=-a fault not usual with her—is a little too long-winded in some of her dialogues, which', do not bear sufficiently on the leading incidents Of the narrative but are introduced as if to fill up space. `!lA,iistraTian Sketches" consist, this month, of a memoir of a notorious bush-ranger, .Jackey Jackey, who, - a few years since, kept 'the neighbourhoOd of Sydney in a constant state of ferment. He was said to be the most dexterous thief that had ever figured in New South lirales--a most exalted eulogium, when we remember howinanyfirst-ratecrnveyancers have taken uptheirconipnlsory residence in that classic region of more than Spartan integrity. Lillis facility of breaking from prison, Jackey surpassed even our own Jack Sheppard, so dear to the susceptible souls of modern novel-readers and once evaporated from Goulburn gaol, under circumstances so extraordinary, that we cannot forbear from giving his biographer ' s accoun t of the incident : " He broke twice out of the Goulburn gaol, then reek• oned one of the strongest fastnesses in New South Wales. The second occasion, was, perhaps, the most extraordinary case upon record. Two armed men slept, one outside the door of the cell, and one inside; both of whom affirmed to the day of their death, th a t th e y never hid a stir or motion during the night; and when daylight arrived they found him gone. The floor of the cell was paved with heavy stone flags; and Jackey Jockey had, some time during the day, when the eye of the gaoler was off his motions, loosened the cement and mortar around one of these flags, and let himself down to the cell-underneath, which with teimanted by a felon. They contrived to cut the iron Lars of the window; and as it was only about ten feet from the ground, there was no difficulty in reaching it in safety. Jackey Jockey then reascended to his own eell, and awaited the dark ness amidnight, with a beating heart. The soldier who was in the room had no idea that Jockey Jackey could escape but by the door. His orders were imperative, on no account to take his eye off the person of Jackey Ta — ckbeyf . but, - at - times, -- sleep overcame the poor fellow, and he leaned against the door upon his firelock, and slept, soundly. When Jockey 'Rickey was certain that he . was asleep, he set to work, and, with as little noise as possible, let himself down to the cell beneath. The two worthies knocked out the irons, and descended. Jockey Jockey caught the sight of a soldier approaching has tily to see -what the noise was, and sank flat on his face on -the ground. The other fellow had his feet just touching the earth, when the report of the soldier's piece was heard, and he fell, quivering on the ground, within a few paces of the spot where Jockey Jockey still lay. Jackey Jockey now crept along the ground for a great distance. There was a great noise about the spot where his companion had fallen; 'lights began to stream about, and the guard was called out. Jackey Jackey made one bound forwards, and reached the forest. The soldier inside heard the noise; but his orders were not to leave the spot; and he kept watch, with commendable care, over the campAied, where JackeyJackey ought to have been reclining, until the light of day showed him it was empty. He then gave the alarm; for as the felon had firmly secured his door inside, in case of surprise; and as all was right, by the soldier's account, in the room of Jockey Jackey, no person had suspected the fact that Jackey had escaped them. The poor soldier was tried by a court-martial, and sentenced to be shot. This reached the ears of Jackey Jackey; and the night be for the day appointed for the execution, he broke into the place of his confinement at Goulburn, with a picked company, and released him." JackeyJackey was it seems, originally a ge n tl eman brought up in the fashionable society of the metro polis ; he was clever, witty, " a crack shot, and a capital billiard-player ;" but—great geniuses being always eccentric—it came to pass one day that he signed a friend's name to a bill of exchange, in con sequence of which he w a s i n t ro d uce d to the special notice of twelve gentlemen and a judge, who hap pened to be sitting together in the Old Bailey, and the latter of whom informed him, with true official politeness, that he must be prepared to depart, at her Majesty's expense, to Botany Bay. He did so, and the very first result of his arrival in that polished colony was, that the Governor lost his watch and seals, and that several respectable individuals found themselves minus their purses and pocket-books. As Jackey (hickey, however, is now dead, we trust that Botany Bay will sleep in safety. DUTCH MAIL. TYE HAGUE, FED. 25.—1 n the sitting of the Second Chamber of the States General on Friday, the debate on the project of law respecting the extraordinary tax on property was continued. Messrs. Backer and Enschedy defended the project of law with. much talent. __The latter stigmatised, as they deserved, the culpable means that are employed to excite public opinion against a measure, the object of which was salutary. M. Backer properly reminded the Chamber of the fact, that the tax in question was for merly levied in Holland on several occasions, under cir cumstances much more unfavourable than at present. In fact we have before us a calculation made in 1843, which shows that the extraordinary taxes laid on Hol land, during the 16 preceding years, amounted to the sum of 360 millions of florins. In Saturday's sitting four members spoke against and three in favour of the law. The debate was adjourned to Monday the 26th. THE HAGUE, FEB. 27.—The debate was continued yesterday evening, and will be further continued this evening. His Majesty's steamer Bromo is to leave Helvoetsluys in the beginning of March, on a voyage to Java, and then to Japan, with presents for the Emperor of Japan. HAMBURGH, FEB. 23.—The latest accounts from Stockholm are of the 16th instant. - It is to be re gretted that the bulletins of the King's health seem only to indicate the constantly increasing debility of the august patient. They are as follow : "FEB. 14, ONE P.M.—His Majesty felt rather well yesterday after the food which he asked for and took int small quantities. His sleep during the night was longer and calmer than in any preceding night since he became ill. The place in the foot appears to indicate a com mencement of improvement. The 15th.—No change has taken place since the last bulletin. The night was tranquil, with about six hours' good sleep, but his Ma jesty remains faint. The 16th.—His Majesty slept last night as long and calmly as the night before, but his strength appears this forenoon to have diminished ra ther than increased." Dr. iledren, Bishop of Linkoping, the King's Con fessor, arrived here on Wednesday ; he received by ex press on Tuesday the order, to come to Stockholm, and set out an hour afterwards with post-horses. DUTCH 1U NOS.--AsunrEaris M, FEM. 27. onel . Bills. Am.%) Del t. V.M per Cent .... 541( 55M Jitto, ditto 5 per cent 2 .-- .... 100 lON ..... 04k 04 70 18 'N 1 41 14 142 00 9.)36 -dude*, 0fient0ntir............ 12 10 Two months 12 05 Harnburgh, One 35 3i;4 Twonionths ...... E 5 18% . Dutch Papers, Feb. 28. BELGIAN FUNDS.—Batrasp.a, Fss. 26. Actual Dont, 2 per Cent., .........»«....».» 57 Rothscbild's Loan, Five per Cent . ...... 105% Loan of Thirty , Millions, Four per Cent. 99 Thr per Minim e s e , ditto . 77 (1840)....,.,........107 Loan of City, 1832, Four per Cent. InfslL Atneit Syndic,4% percent.... P.tto, ditto, 3% percent„..., Cararnercial Company, 45i per Loan 1837, 5 per c0nt........... Exchangeon 000000 Society of Commerc e , Four and a Ha lf per t. Cen Bank of Belgium, Fi ve per 000000000 65 Issue of 1841.... 0000000 ••••••••••••••••••• 00000 los 0000000 erne. National Society Exch; 00000 lange on London (short) ............ —Brussels Papers, Feb. 27. AUSTRIAN FUNDS.--VIENNA, FEB. 17. Five er Cents. Metalliques ... ~ 1 1 Four pa' Cent 5............— ...... ...... ........... ...... 106 Three per Cents Bank Shares... .. . ... ........... —........... ...... Allgemeine Zeilung, Feb. 20. ' TRYING AN EXPERIMENT.—Mr. James Osbourne, of Ftundon-row, Newark, a native of the Emerald Isle, tried the experiment of cutting his throat •on Thursday, the 15th instant, and after cutting through the fleshy part shouted out lustily for help ; and on his son-in-law's answering, he found hi m - bleeding very profusely, but in no immediate danger. Ite had in one hand a razor, and in the other a penknife ; and it appears that lie had Met a disappointment whch - led him to make the attempt. His wife was confined to a sick bed, during which time be discovered a board of 140/., and this be placed in the hands of a faithless tonitianion named Childs, to accompany him to America. Childs was to lead the way to Gains borough, and Osbourne was to follow; but Chills proved to be old enough to decamp with the whole sum, and poor Pat returned so chop-fallen and chagrinedthat he ventured upOn the experiment above stated. We are happy to say his life is not in danger.—Stamford .3lereury. . COURT or SESSION (SCOTLAND).—Mr. Wallace, M.P., recently moved for a Return of the number and names of the Judges of the Court of Session in Scotland who have retired on superannuation allowances. It appears from this paper, that six Judges have so retired within the last two years—viz. Mr. C. Hope, Mr: D. Monypenny, Sir A. Camp bell, Sir W. Miller, Lord Cranstoun, and Mr. A. Maconochio. t The preient annual charge forthe allowances granted to these Sir A. Campbell, 1,950/ ;•• and . 3 ex ,600 -Ju t dref ir an l i f o o u n n y t p s e t n o l3 l3 ,, ,9 2 so ,4 l oo ., l o . f ; which Mr. Hope recen ea Sir W. Miller, 2,250/. ; Lord - Cranstoun, 1,5001._; Mr. made Macoi t io o e t h h ie e ,i a 2 s , t 2so/. - received by the oth er 1843, wa s gentleman. No pB77eten however, t g 7 rossm T' amount has yet 3 1 e a. t ym b er e t u t ex -Judges up to the 31st December, Ms.—Monsieur Petit, ft thin, wiry Frenchman, was recently caught by a crocodile of the ioN altoge th er io eIl 0 9 c 2 0 , Nile, and swallowed. " Tho poor Ituunitl," ban a Froth. journid,"-died of indigeltioaP :1.;,•: aua - , CAII