The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-05-01 00:00:00

1 10 ry ..... uts. Hay 1 1849 *••••....1 • ! torY o f t !00 ° i t a ne s° I Xfterature. AY. 14 0; trad e ' r eBP sole , xl4is 36013 5 .' ' 5 stet Orr POETRY. LE.q' AND THE STEM. BY T. J. OUSELEY, A child played with a Summer leaf, A,,Green was the leaf and bright e'r had h e known a pang of gnef, I lls merry heart thrilled light. t ed In" telegrs.-bsf, We k to u beep, legraP., A entog su e . lOSS t° O tt h#ave iptionital 4 An old man gazed on a withered stem, Ole lea's life all was gone 's gha Or ar - as Autumn op stly diadem— tedr fell thereon . sprßis ing passed away—the child grew old, p le asant scenes had fled 1.11.. winter's breath had cold, Ao w sleeps he with the deaden. T he old man can no more be found, c °"e A h eap of d ust i s there, Wh ere i aled beneath a gss moun; s life's light— ra say y where? All I Where art thou, my merry boy, , And thou, my sombre man? . 'lllldheod's shrill laugh of love and jo Say, NVisdona, if you can ! / Wherebrir is the e mera l d leaf of Spring? 13elled on INI Autumn's breast, O THER—'Tis a fearful thin Th at Youth on A ge must rest. g, NOTICES. eart , e 4 :„S : •able n a t , 3 s n ( lP bo f f° throgi witho ut en to ti cpP a loO f D „solo roa ° 9 l it sl a ce d 31f: F inari °l lrA ,een Isle they or" f the )f bsfid d a t ;4 suin e fore " t 'd of j o te l :0 pa i l ero !en I,▪ 0'; sc e at j , 00 1 1,, r sUPP ft' i al, b l ee f c 0 (ICS ° beeil sn' e• s o `li o h' .I'll ,°pf - P re ',ocr t 'oel ers ev t 'l,o o , for i r e I , i.. „ t o i i r o tp e 4 1Y i9O for ti FCr l l l , f v ilod e l ie 11 0 0 i, , if, . 4 e X 04,. s " t - e,o l ;e i ft Lto Y o tP' n e ' he ft t o "' ir ef l , ac tiler, 011 C1) t , ,„10 ro:io ))10 1 , h ot , .") of Evil ; or the Consequence of Marry ceased EVife's Sister. London : Masters. le y tiero the o l„ s .orloe a time when all controversy, religious ' q pre,, t 4 gli ci a t r t . h u e g r_ le ! : l, Was carried on by grave Ten . in a dead e polemics of the day were principally con k:tied thbzlhools, and classic taste and classic phrase th e ftil sh o . t d angerous lowering of sacred things—that 4%ledisce, . k to reverential feeling—invariably attending 1 ive' ,acrimoniouseligious subjects in plain, and some eaa English. But now-a-days things tri t e a thous In the place of one controversialist we 1 4 4 with , 1 !u. It is quite surprising to see the ala wmch persons eminently disqualified for the t4:)3!"ge themselves Veteran officers flushed with instinctive . ,„ illiterate people with an animosity .over ta":ql qi i es als proportioned to their knowledge, discuss terl i 4enable with presumption that make a thinking t r4 p* fre que ,,,,, While the bitterness of Feligious contro l 6evol ent n,,Y.uoints a sarcasm, and infuses a dash of tea, into the stale and weary scandal of the 0 14 , t1 - 1 3 s a ,"l. It is not our vocation,. as journalists, to read ers eci subjects in a controversial spirit. We, as to 4 ,l 4 eret s w ell know, have taken no part in the present 1 4 ,',€l , i ate eo the marriage quest i on, nor do we i ntend th e , blaxe r eM our prescribed line of conduct, though, !4 . %ri cs oriacise of al terary censorship, we offer a few of th is t he. work of which the title stands at the kr ;r4st Yet ti .:;`u has been written and said on this subject, e. generality of persons profess not to have skl e , ll , Per ied a tio (i i i i st inet. or comprehensive . view of its merits. t; , s will find "The Inheritance of Evil " a •-•-,. to • without being so didactic or controver -144, Al, nts works of its kind it states the various argu trreocsion:l_ei; t brings forward' with great perspicuity and . Ridells m wcile at the same time its picturesque descrip t,lli"enlinated style convey vivid impressions of the itrset e , s 4 • eti to the reader's mind. The leading female a4 .es 41 the book are two sisters, Elizabeth and the f 'ln becom e orphans when the latter was sixteen, I: kirs M Of a ° l,7 4 er about five years older. Their mother had b efor e ken heart, from her husband ' s neglect, some taitujoieththe event which made her daughters orphans. the Injunction she had on her death-bed cora itit`t; "liugest child as a sacred charge to her elder , 1 4 , deeply did that sister resolve, that " whatever thattheir fate, her work and office must ever be to kit little one close by her side, and shield her 1 ;1 1 ,1y kepsto.rrow and danger." This resolution was faith ci`ji and before her marriage it was a stipulation ;wed taffianced lover, that Elizabeth should ever be fulfil her vow of affection and duty. Eliza b°rtnnatel for her own happiness and that of Ike s and Y • d t the th o ti tne wa3 of a peculiarly reserved, an . a e , e sh f , I sensitive disposition. " Her affectio9 for te: l3 „ (le t 4"d Was so profound and exacting, that it had k b ",e, of th a Jealousy of disposition which makes such ithqed, e soul that harbours it." And when she was 4 4 1 1 s otia 4s might be expected, she committed a fault " by e wives are prone to—she harassed her bus e,xacting an amount of tenderness and affee i,4,las not s he was by no means justified in expecting." 1 14 j'aad unnatural then, that Richard Clayton, the ta a 'eilde t d i ptild find an agreeable relief in the gaiety and a ,„ iveliness of Agnes ; and it cost poor Elizabeth i ti ,hia ti reg to know that her husband, in many a long any a long ride, was enjoying the more charm taabeto h Y of her sister. This jealousy on the part of jlita, not caused by any apprehension of her li t) : "Y r e —S uing to marry Agnes ; such a thought was o eve r, mote from the mind of all the three ;—one day, prnit,l e iZe overheard Ri c h ar d Cl a yt on d e f en d ing , in g a P r iety ci t e the clergyman of the parish, the abstract e %lite marriage with a deceased wife's sister. This tar th e a new turn t o h er th oug ht s : s h e saw i n h er ki,Rjeat fu ture bride of her own husband. A s cene I -4 11' 8 '9d painful interest f o ll ows th e di scovery o f 4 e 'Y W lews on this subject. The shock of this dis 4itivet!° great as to have a fatal effect on the too k. e ss f h ,`"lncl of the distressed wife. She fell into an Which she never recovered, and her last mo -0,. p filled with agonizing apprehensions of the 141,aieharyjoresaw approaching. To do justice, however, ti t ': th e and Agnes, they never contemplated marriage k lt t tley , , w eisPer of scandal, breathed by an ill-natured th,°ve h Wife, determined the guardian of Agnes to tb:4B childrenl'm Richard's care. Richard, for the sake otell and his own happiness, prevented the 1 11 ,try e l l : s eParation by prevailing on Agnes to consent r. 'ere I 'ma• iikjeever, that short our analysis, promising our readers, kitt; the if they choose to pursue the subject of the ti.ett„will find an interesting narrative , . abounding TC)s, an 'variety of incident, written with genuine kiia4l o ,„ 4 -- a high tone of moral and religious reflection. o h ."4e i h - ",.. 11 ,g of the pictures is perhaps a little too high, ey'lop'luents of a painful character rather too nume '4ol4l- s elail work of 186 pages. They comprise no Eld ( t t ali a ;_ie broken heart and two sudden deaths ; one w o ‘ e lied by grief. and another b dissipation, be tcote, , Ill ere in the Course of nature; one nearly fatal tti** tworrow escape from drowning, an entire point of raith;tl,ta, w blighting, irremediable, life-long disapp terri2, final separations, a brain fever, and two or k l e7, ahauto illnesses ; a great deal of feminine endu kno4l-11Q,en undue proportion of masculine selfishness -4) er• As a specimen of style, we subjoin the tt;,l4 extract : La B IterUlCl it. f ast e have advanced to . meet his hapless ch n ild r , n bu_t a h n i d s h w eaed' o uehlY ated : was as though a . h Kea rais heart; its action was imped . ed_ , his breath 047 as is face assumed a leaden . _ hue he n k_n h ew ia well rte 4 grzsp.that was checking the pulses f wtlll o Pit tit ?, hIS clyes imploringly. Clear, distinct, Japi o d k_ti L e ch w g flash, he could discern . the unbrolr 11 f l it - ' l 4. 9r e tb is_t (?od a had psen nnt o that hour .L the altar with the sister of his wife—now a t o 44a v:?cable past. Their joy and their sorrow alike he must go forth to see what fruits they would k 4.,, thi n tto „ ..` 4l in eternity. His whole existence now tO't onic vapour —a dream that was flitting from was hi_ ow tNi k , eo stood real and palpable before him—the j d m. lk t , hi to 'or the deeds done in the bod strength madeumf: • rn at Pla Ce h' Ae , 21 . self on his knees, put and life ' 6 lm (1 1,4 Ylkzi e or the Mode of Preventing Disease, by a fi t 9 4,t, peiation of the Grand Elements of Vitality— ' 4°114,2? ° and Water. By Edward Bascome, M.D., Wood, London. Cd 4e . A t l • (C ONCLUDED FROM OUR LAST . ) _ thZtl i k :e ti file tle o ur extracts from this interesting work : c 't and af ter, Pope Gregory the Great brought into the 1 1) eas.set 11P in the most solemn manner, relics en kit' to' of gold, which were sometimes placed upon 14 4 i, ot *,ara, genes under the altar. This made persons ,th?‘trulVenl, and bury' their dead there, in the hope 44: 4 2ir t ,n , 44` qceive benefit from such veneration. Thus tkorleo r Ztn n ally e con i aidered !tprofaiiation, t - in a .-, , ,ti sfv - aJi_ , un of . subsequent ages, a be s c u am ap e p n a o re t u o t i l i y ly u a t i e ll 'he bii l g: ambitious pride, but 1 ,, L 4 ,. tr,, 5t0 4 . 1 asis of eternal happiness. . ‘l , oF'lle d •Of interring persons of rank in churches was !r tut ~,,,,, estit into this country by Cuthbert, the tenth Arch 'ii:tite t oe ;,, th ary, who in the year 798 procured the privi kzet' 0 4 ' 0 - P to have churchyards for interment. With tctZ, vsa the ' l i ng in churches, the custom did not arise •!+ voiiii,!le co year 1076. In the reign of William the Con- N l kte_kreP of gllell held at Winchester, under Laufranc, t '. 1 ,4: ; iruuerbury, by the ninth canon opposed burial u rl lti rtet i : trob)ailts ~le a r f tey, however, becli s mea horrid' custom,sia and ti e , ern:''',/, the place . of wors . hip, a temple of the , th ... -ur ek , 7;•iouid be converted into a pesthouse for IL_ 01 7 it t i b ,., 4,7 l ll,el'el i lls and fatal effects of exhalations arising of 4400 d, burial-places, our author relates many Ve the of the and space will only admit the cita -40 t ' a Mt eri 'illiero, and that one is quite sufficient to \t l erio u "I of the most apathetic of our towns ko;k t E. ,, f 8 co nsideration of this solemn subject :_ t tel t p , „z r , ago, in the autumn of 1843, the poisonous r aim "g a grave -yard were but too fatally evident. 41 'ha • church vio g ard of Miichinhampton are very cold ; tpult4tietl--:4 servedleariiasfoci-0 a burying-gr d o e u n n s A for the previous Ntivittllght 11,,,,tebl,ti lding n ge lu c e llr y ch, it be y came necessary, 0, j e „ 18 a I;Pedlent, to lower the surface of the grave b% h" We re ° l. cr two of the remains of those bodis, l )it e, ea rth _ isturbed during this process, and re-m -teN 14 ~`, the"„'o removed, of a dark colour,—saturated, tti k ,N t i l 4,gvot e r t ° l ltict of human putrefaction,—was, in a ,„ ~,'L-lna d. 0 the purpose of agriculture ! About one R,1 1 .,' olnuid ads Were thus employee —some on a new piece tftt I ,ktio he 4 4 i 1 . 0 Make the grass grow quickly—some as kr ol k , tllie .ghbouring fields—some in the rector's gar tr,t4A4z4,4ly 1 4 11 2 patron's garden. The seeds of disea e t , t`k Doi n s , '!, and the result was such as any person 1tci,1,,,q 4, 4 %, „Vnight have expected. The diffusion of a tiliVrin this Boon followed, was evinced by an out ,- 2) , E tt ,;', to n/B previously healthy locality. The family up , r, , ,,,t0 r 1i, q e Te inhabitants of the street adjoining the qirlt (l 4 .tk i . ° Bt.- i i s urßt attacked, and the greatest sufferers. lytt , Bi tl . ( le 4 , "de, his daughter, and his gardener. The ii1 i 1 ).'Th... 1 10„! ... , ,51i0 had been employed in the unseemly act ' tth,"dr:'ve r ',, oeds with human manure, also died. In vti 'a Wh o . 4 e earth had been taken, disease followed. tl ' "Bd tt I; tellY id so il ended the school took fever as they passed % N I not 6 e of the grave- ardent home and died; It x , - 1 11 . 4 t / l a iiitei7de.tiltiirnt a U r n i i s C e a‘e n t a h n e Y disea w se to pose wh u o u c t a e m x ! Ilk4,1:1 1 4, ‘ ,a,e0f its d evelorL i rr e ie r nl ns v gev o en7e r e e n deaths 4. . t 4 4 , se„ le a t is of two hundred children were attacked 4 t s . eob, e 8 ' ver, and peculiar eruptions." tokktevtteiipliwr:itio;.4ettliolcnltotsuepinthaeutwhohroiltey:Lith the following 4 egoing ob s e va t v i o e n u s til a a r: e d d o r n u s u e tu ri s o seriously h of the ill-ventilated workshops,— the damp, dark, and insalubrious cellars, little better than dungeons,—the dreary, close, stifling courts, and narrow, dark alleys, into which the light of heaven rarely penetrates; we say, while contemplating these abodes of our lower classes (which would be injurious even to swine), the culpable apathy, prejudice, and bad arrangements of those whose duty it is to remedy such crying evils, cannot hut be obvious." We are, however, of opinion that the people themselves are as deserving of censure as those in authority, in not pressing this question upon the notice of the legislature, who have shown themselves ready and willing to adopt measures of sanatory reform whenever appealed to by the voice of the multitude, as will be seen on reference to the 11th and 12th Vict. cap. 63 (the " Health of Towns Act"), in which, by sec. 81, local boards are empowered to pro vide premises for the decent reception of the dead pre vious to interment, and for the economical interment of any corpse received therein ; and the General Board of Health, by sec. 82, are empowered to prohibit interments in overcrowded burial-grounds. Sec. 83 also prohibits the construction of vaults for the purpose of interment under or within the walls of any church to be built after the passing of the act, or the formation of any burial ground without the consent of the General Board of Health. We therefore have much pleasure in uniting our efforts with those of Dr. Bascome, in calling the at tention of the public to this vitally important subject ; and we cannot conclude these remarks without congratu- lating the learned author of Prophylaxis on the success which has attended the publication of his little volume— s striking proof that Englishmen are never backward to appreciate talent, or reward the exertions of those who are known to have the welfare of their fellow-countrymen at heart. General Remarks on Steam Communication, in reference to the United Kingdoms as the centre Under this title, a pamphlet has appeared, by T. Knox Fortescue, in which the author, after supplying a sketch of the strides already made in steam communication by sea and land, points out several routes for its further ex tension, which would be beneficial not only to this coun try, but to the whole civilised world. He considers that Great Britain and Ireland occupy the centre position in the map, whether with reference to " the habitable," the commercial," or " the civilised world ;" and adduces facts in support of his argument. He shows that this country is the radiating point of steam navigation, to every land, where railroads then become lineal continua tions. Amongst other improvements, he advocates a ship canal or railroad across the isthmus of Darien, also a rail road through the island of Ceylon, which he deems the natural centre or depot of steam in the Indian Seas, and which is at once fertile and salubrious. He points out two lines of direct communication between England and Alexandria, one vid Marseilles and Malta, and another vial Trieste and Corfu, which last island is most advan tageously situated for commerce, and as a place of de fence. We must, however, refer those interested in the details of our author's propositions to the work itself. Romanism an Apostate Christianity, being a Series of Lectures on some of the leading points of the Romish Controversy. By the Rev. Verner M. White, A.B. (T.C.D.), Liverpool. London : Hamilton, Adams, and Co. 1849. The author of these eloquent, temperate, and argu mentative lectures is now well known in this town as a sound and judicious expositor of the Word of God. We are quite aware that much has been already written on the corruptions of Romanism in contrast with the simpli city and purity of the Gospel of Christ, and yet we are much mistaken if there is not a " needs be" for the work before us. Mr. White conducts his arguments in a man ner at once logical, amiable, and convincing, and affords throughout his statements a practical evidence of what he himself lays down as the two departments in the duty of Protestants towards Romanism—hostility to the system, and kindness to the men. In the nine lectures he un folds the distinctive features of Protestantism in all their glory and beauty, exhibiting their identity with scriptural truth, and their opposition to the erroneous dogmas of the Church of Rome. He also enriches his arguments with much historical information, especially valuable in the present day. The exposition of the " Gospel method of justification, as opposed to the fallacy of the Romish me thods of pardon," is written with more than ordinary clearness, and is enforced with a weight of scriptural tes timony rarely compressed within so small a compass; but we can strongly recommend the whole work as a very seasonable and able publication. We cannot resist ex tracting the following indignant and powerful remon strance against the subjection of man's reasoning faculties to the despotic tribunal of Popish infallibility : "Such a state as this I maintain to be utterly irreconcilable with vigour and activity. It must dry up the springs of action, and, instead of making every man a self-acting and intelligent creature, reduce him to the rank of a mere machine, deprived of all power of exertion and responsiblity, set in motion by another's power, and judged by another's decisions, Better to live a pauper upon your right, than reign a monarch by suffer ance upon your throne. The former may be clothed in rags, and every object may remind him of his poverty, but in thought and spirit he is free. With the latter, the gorgeous robes in which he is arrayed, and the gaiety and splendour by which he is surrounded, only make the mockery the greater, to think that in soul and mind he is a slave. We often speak of the effects of the slavery of the body upon man, that it is calculated to degrade and deteriorate; but there it is a thing of detail, it is but a part, and that the lowest part, of man; no matter what may be the bondage by which he is held in slavery, or the cruelty with which he is treated, his soul may still be free. Here it is different : it is the noblest part of our nature,—the mind, the judgment, the reason, the conscience,—and that in the worst of bondage. How can you expect the machinery to answer its ends, when the main spring which gives motion to the whole is immoveable? And how can you expect a man to be diligent and effective in answering the ends of his being, when his reasoning and responsible powers are locked up in the conscience of another ? " Religion stimulates in all right duties, because it calls a man into a nobler position ; he is no longer the mere child of creation, he is the son of God by regeneration and adoption, the heir and expectant of a glorious immortality. It gives him new powers to act, an :understanding taught of God and en lightened by the word, a will renewed by Divine grace, affec tions spiritualised and quickened by the Spirit, a conscience faithful as a monitor, warning of the evil and approving of the truth ; and it inspires the whole by high and heavenly princi ples of action to call them forth. The commands of heaven carry with them the convictions of the conscience, confirmed by the conclusions of enlightened reason, and the testimony of the senses. When these run counter to each other, there can not be full energy of action. The servant who receives certain orders from his master, which are felt to be ruinous to the Lord he loves, may obey; duty to his superior teaches him to obey; but he has no comfort, no power in obedience, because he feels an inward conviction, which he cannot overcome, that in pro portion to the measure of his activity must be the measure of the injury inflicted upon his master. Can he put f ort h hi s whole energies? Impossible. And equally impossible is it for the Romanist to act with vigour, no matter how desirous to obey the Church, when his senses, his understanding, his judgment, all combine with the revelations of God's word in condemning the Church's decisions as absurd and unrea sonable." The Opening of the Seals: Remarks on the Sixth Chapter of the Revelation. Liverpool: Kaye. A considerable portion of this interesting pamphlet is occupied with the substance of a highly-important lecture by the Rev. Dr. M'lsTeile (not before published) on the " evidences" spoken of in Jeremiah, when the prophet was commanded to buy the field of Hanameel, and in which that historical incident is proved, by a series of elaborate and forcible arguments, to be pregnant with Christian instruction and prophetical application. On the basis of the rev. doctor's interpretation, the writer of these remarks proceeds to unfold his views respecting the main intention of the visions which accompanied the opening of the seals, which, he says with great propriety. ;overn- give us a sublime view of the divine agency in th ment of the universe. The arguments are ram , cogently urged, and we transcribe the following passagi as exhibiting the principle on which the author conducts his exposition of the portion of Scripture referred to : "The first vision consists of a white horse, a symbol of power and purity, with a crowned rider. armed with n This is generally understood to mean the Christian Church during the period of her primitive simplicity and rapid pro gress, as the subsequent seals are supposed to refer to her va rying aspect during later periods. The comparisons, however, are found extremely difficult to adjust, and the interpret'ttion altogether seems much too narrow and partial. It is doubtless the most natural one, if the visions which the Apostle saw were designed to apply exclusively to a time then future. All expositors, so far as we are aware, have set o u t w ith th e as sumption that they were so designed, and hence the preva lence of the opinion that they prefigure successive stages in the history of the church. St. John was certainly told that he should be shown the things 'which shall be hereafter;' but he was likewise told that he should be shown the things which are.' It is not denied that the visions may have a chronolo gical application. Variety of application, and depth of mean ing —variety and depth past the utmost powers of man's mind to comprehend —are the characteristics of divine truth. But *, the fact that the ft, " • mere is nothing in the tnat .evelation mainly had re ference to the future, to militate against the idea that it also pointed to the past. It refers to the doings of Him with whom there is neither past nor future, but an eternal present, so that the things that shall be are the same as the things that have been. It might be necessary, moreover, in order to instruct the Apostle properly, that something should be revealed in the way of recapitulation, as preachers are in the habit, occasion ally, of recapitulating the heads of a preceding discourse in the next, which nevertheless professes to be a development of views not previously expounded. "We would therefore depart altogether from the system of interpretation which makes the opening of the seals to com mence after the time when the Revelation was given. We con sider that it comprehends the whole time that has elapsed since the struggle between the powers of good and evil, in reference to this world, began, as well as that which is still to elapse. The right of ownership was acted upon from the first, though the purchase, as regards the outward act, was still incomplete, in the same way as the atonement was acted upon from the first, though only fulfilled, as reeards the out war d act, 'in these last days.' " What is it, then, that is revealed to us on the opening of the first seal ? A vision, we humbly submit, of Christ, the Prince of the kings of earth.' A crown was given' unto him in covenant with the Father, and was his from the beginning, in virtue of what he has in due time to accomplish. He ex ercises an invisible authority, which is indicated w ith s i ngu l ar propriety by the weapon with which the ride r on th e w hi te horse is armed. It is a bow. And what is a bow ? A weapon that strikes at a distance. The arrow may b e f e l t, w hi lehe who sends it maybe totally h i dden from sight. Surely D av id must have seen the fitness of this image, and referred to it, when he says, 'Thine arrows are sharp in the he ar t s o f the king's enemies 1' And again, `Ride prosperously.' A nd with yet more significance, Gird thy sword upon thy thigh'—lay aside the arrow and the bow; cease to keep at a distance from the earth ; let the time come for the . full putting forth o f t h y strength 0 thou most mighty 1' Plainly connecting the t wo em bl ems in the Apocalypse—the rider with the bow and the rider with the sword—acknowledging the power of the one, and antici pating the manifestation of the other. No one doubts who is the rider on the white horse, of whom St. Jonn afterwards speaks, whose name is " Faithful and True,' And that the time of his appearance will be the time when he shall come i n t o im mediate contact with the enemies seems equally undeniable. Then the weapon will be properly a sword. Now, while he is at a distance—while his power is only felt and hisperson is unseen —it is properly a bow. "A moment's reflection must satisfy every candid mind that nothing could be more inappropriate to the character of the Chris tian church during the existing dispensation—nothing less in accordance with the mission on which she was sent, or the fate she was taught to expect—than a crown.' She is, as the Eng lish liturgy truly designates her, the church militant here in earth,' and such she must remain so long as the present con dition of the earth lasts. Christ, on the other hand, even in the days of his humiliation, described himself as a King. He it is, and not his church, that goes forth conquering and to conquer.' And when his conquests shall be complete—when all his enemies shall be subdued under him—he will come forth crowned with many crowns.'" TIIE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. anteral /iftiOrtilanp. To-day is the eightieth anniversary of the Duke of Wel lington's birth-day. Mr. Thornton, of Stapleton, near Darlington, had se n t to him, by the King of the Belgians, a gold medal, in re turn for a present of a shorn ox. SARAH HARRIET THOMAS.—The mother and sisters of this wretched girl were present among the crowd as sembled to witness her execution. It is intended to erect, at Edinburgh, a monument to the memory of the late Sir Andrew Agnew, similar to that to Dr. Chalmers. Prince Albert has arranged to lay the first stone of the Additional Pauper Lunatic Asylum for the county of Middlesex, at Colney Hatch, on Tuesday, the Bth of May. On Tuesday, a prisoner confined in the house of correc tion at Southwell, Notts, slipped while descending from the treadwheel, and his' head was so dreadfully crushed under the wheel that he expired immediately. Five men were drowned at South Shields, last week, by the upsetting of a boat. The calamity was mainly caused by the men " larking" with the seamen on board a ship which they were The county of Cambridge has, at a public meeting, de clared against the free-trade system. An amendment for vote by ballot, Mr. Hume's plan for reducing the expen diture, &c., met with only twenty supporters. FIRE AT GREENOCK.—On Sunday morning a fire broke out in the extensive sugar-house in the Glebe there, the property of Messrs. Ebenezer Connall and Co., which destroyed property to the amount of £20,000. On Thuisdity, a number of boys were gathering shell fish on a ledge of rocks, near Leith, when the tide sur rounded them, and, though several boats were put off to their relief, eight or nine were drowned. An osprey, - which measured five feet three inches from tip to tip of the wings, was lately taken at Windlestone, Durham, in a trap set by Sir William Eden's gamekeeper, who had seen the bird catch and devour several of the fish n his master's fish ponds. The inhabitants of Durham are about to erect in that city, at an expense of £2OOO, a new town-hall and market piazzas. The mayor (W. Henderson, Esq.) has contri buted the munificent sum of one hundred guineas for the object, and the bishop and dean the same amount. A man and his wife were, a few days since, crushed to death at Torquay, by the sudden fall of a wall which buried them in the ruins ; the woman was engaged in washing at the back of the house, and the husband was reading a newspaper to her. A SENSIBLE RECANTATION.—Tf there is an incident in the conducting of this paper, to which we look back with strong dissatisfaction, it is that we should have been per suaded against our own taste and our own inclination to admit a wood-cut print of any criminal into these columns. —Bristol Times. The Queen Dowager has caused twelve neat cottages to be built at Penge, for the residence of the widows of three commanders, three lieutenants, three masters, and three Paymasters and pursers of the Royal Navy. It is also said that each residence is to have an endowment of £3O per annum. Mr. Mitchel, the Irish convict, is to be removed, with about 300 other convicts, from Bermuda to the Cape of Good Hope, in the Neptune, convict ship. His health has been suffering a good deal. They are to be allowed tickets of leave on arrival at the Cape. On Thursday, a female, aged 29, while dancing with a young man in a public dancing-room, suddenly fell down and died. A surgeon said that he found the vessels of the brain much congested, and the heart extensively dis eased, which were quite sufficient to cause death. He had no doubt death had been accelerated by the excitement of dancing. HEAVY FAILURE IN THE SALT TRADE.—In the Gazette of Tuesday night appears an announcement of the bank ruptcy of Mr. G. Ellins, salt manufacturer, of Droitwich, and a magistrate of the county. The liabilities of the estate, it is said, will fall little short of £lOO,OOO, and the affair, it is feared, will turn out very badly for the unse cured creditors. Martha Price, an old woman of 93, died suddenly on Thursday, at Maddresfield, Worcestershire, under strong suspicion of baying been murdered by Thomas Price, her own son, a labourer, who resided with her, and who is said to have administered arsenic to her in a cup of tea. The old woman had £l7O in the bank, to which the son became entitled on her death. A SINGULAR VIOLET.—A singularly-grown violet was plucked a few days since near Truro. Its stems, instead of being of the usual forms, were flattened and winged ; its flowers were suspended on a kind of tendril ; while one of the flowers appeared, as it were, in a state of transition between a leaf and a corolla, and was illustrative of the botanic theory that flowers are but further developed leaves. A woman, named Geering, of Hastings, is in custody at that place, it being suspected that her husband and a young men, her son; both of whom recently died sud denly, were poisoned by her, and that a second son, who is ill, has also had poison administered to him by her. In each case of death she received £5 from a benefit society for burial money. James Burdett, aged fifty-three, a labourer, was tried at Aberdeen, on Wednesday, for having poisoned his wife with arsenic, which he administered to her in lieu of powder sent by the medical attendant. He was found guilty, and sentenced to be hanged on Tuesday, the 22d instant. It is nearly twenty years since an execution took place at Aberdeen. The last was that of a woman for having poisoned her husband. _ _ A CHILD DROWNED IN FLOUR.—On Tuesday morn ing, the 10th ultimo, as a little boy, aged four years and a half, was playing on some sacks in the Wainford Mills, Norfolk, where his father was at work, it is supposed he fell into the hopper, and was suffocated, as his father, on emptying the hopper, was horrified at discovering his child literally drowned in flour, grasping a sack in one of his hands. On Friday, as a female with her child in her arms got out of a buss in Parliament-street, London, another woman coming suddenly out of a baker's shop ran vio lently against her, forcing the child against its mother's breast. The latter took no notice however till she got home, when she found the child was dead. On a post mortem examination a surgeon attributed its death to a shock of the nervous system. TERRIFIC BOILER EXPLOSION,—On Tuesday morning, a terrific explosion of a steam-boiler took place in the saw mills of Mr. Keys, Back Church-lane, Whitechapel, Lon don, by which the roof and walls of the saw mills and some of the surrounding houses were blown up, and a great number of the houses in the neighbourhood materi ally injured. Immense pieces of the boiler were blown into the air to a considerable height, and in their fall they broke everything before them. The drawing for the prizes of the Art Union took place on Tuesday, at Drury-lane Theatre, with the usual cere monies. A clergyman, the Rev. Mr. Blathwaite, ad dressed the meeting amidst loud cheering, asserting that the falling off of subscriptions to the society had arisen soltly from the badness of the engravings, which he con sidered so utterly disreputable, that he tore them up and burnt them lest they should contaminate the taste of his children. The Chairman acknowledged the fact, and promised amendment for the future. Five men were drowned at South Shields, on Saturday morning, by the upsetting of a boat in which they were returning, after dinner, to a vessel in which they were at work with ten of their fellow-workmen. On nearing the ship some one on board commenced, in sport, to fling chips of wood at the boat, which, causing some of the party to swerve to one side, the boat upset, and the men were precipitated into the water. Every assistance was rendered as speedily as possible, and by dint of great ex ertion ten of the party, including the scullerman, were rescued, but the other five were drowned. The embankment of a reservoir at Cowling, near Keigh ley, suddenly gave way on the night of Sunday week, and a vast body of water rushed down to a lower level, sweep. ing before it large stones, trees, gravel, earth, and a bridge. Fortunately no life was lost. At the village of Ickornshaw, a widow and two children were in peril ; the water filled the basement of a cottage to the depth of five feet. and the people were struggling in it for some time, till they could be drawn into an upper room by a hole broken in the flcor. Acres of land have been covered with silt. LADIES' SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING THE EARLY EDUCATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE CHILDREN OF NEGROES AND OF PEOPLE OF COLOUR IN THE BRITISH WEST INDIES.—A public meeting of the friends of this institution was held on Friday, at Willis's Rooms, which was very numerously and fashionably attended. The' Marquis of Cholmondeley was in the chair ; and amongst the distinguished persons on the platform were the Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of Oxford, the' 'Rev. Chancellor Raikes, of Chester ; the Rev. Hugh Stowell, Charles Buxton, Esq., the Hon. Captain Joseph Denman, R.N., C. Rochfort Clarke, and Gurney Hoare, Esqrs. The Gateshead Observer states that a skipper of a vessel adopted the followfng method of evading the heavy im port duty on lead into the United States. He had the metal cast into so many statues of Lord Brougham, and then passed them duty free. The custom-house officers were lost in wonder at the sight of so many giants turning up their noses at Brother Jonathan, and inquired what the monster-importation meant. " Statues of Lord Brougham," replied the skipper : " one for every city in the Union, being the gift of his lordship's English ad mirers to the American republic." This the officer could not gainsay, and, once past the customs, Lord Brougham's representatives were soon returned into pigs —of lead. DIABOLICAL OCCURRENCE.—Between the hours of five and six o'clock on Sunday evening week, a malicious attempt was made, apparently to destroy human life, by the firing of twenty composition bullets through the win dows of a dwelling-house situated at No. 75, Argyle street, Glasgow, occupied by a gentleman named Fer guson. Three of the balls, which are marked C. C. C., supposed to be the initials of a defunct club, were fired into the kitchen, and the greater portion of the remaini ng number through the staircase window. There were two other shots ; and by the latter an elderly lady passing along a lobby in a line with the window in the staircase, narrowly escaped being wounded. The instrument of projection is supposed to have been an air-gun, as no sound was heard. MURDER AND CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.—The only offence for which the penalty of death is now inflicted is that of wilful murder, and thanks to the wholesome fear produced by a just law, that dreadful crime has diminished, whilst other crimes have incresed. In the ten years end ing in the year 1836, the total number of murders com mitted was 672 ; in the ten years preceding 1846, it was only 644. There is thus a decrease of 28 cases, notwith standing an addition of two or three millions to the popu lation, in wilful murder, the only offence in which the punishment of death has been retained ; whilst in those offences in which it has been abolished, there is an in crease in the number of offences at the rate of one hun dred per cent. in cases of burglary ; of thirty-six per cent. in cases of arson ; of more than one hundred per cent. in cases of forgery; and of upwards , of eighty per cent. in outrage,s. on females.. SKINNING CATS ALIVE.—A basket containing six or seven cats divested of their skins, and yet alive, was found a few evenings since at the rear of the Freemasons' Tavern. The poor animals set forth the most piteous moans, writhing in the greatest agony, till some labourers who were passing despatched them from their torture. The object of this cruelty is to preserve the glossy appear ance on the skins of the animals, which would, it is said, be otherwise valueless to the furriers. A paragraph has been going the round of the papers, to the effect that the Duke of Wellington, having entered the 33rd regiment as ensign on the 17th of March, 1787, was the oldest officer in her Majesty's service. A corres pondent, however, informs us that this is a mistake, as there are about thirty general officers, now living, whose ensigncies are dated previously to that time. Some of these are veterans of great distinction, as, for instance, Sir James Kemp, who was master-general of the ord nance, and took a memorable part at Waterloo, and whose ensigncy was dated four years prior to that of the Duke of Wellington. POISONING BY A WIPE.—The week before last Henry Merchant, a labouring man at Bath, was taken ill after having drunk some tea administered by his wife. He lingered a few days and expired. Three days after his decease his young widow married an old man of independ- ent fortune named Harris, who had buried two wives within the past twelve months. A post-mortem exami nation was ordered by the coroner, and the stomach was delivered for analystaion to Mr. Herapath, chemist. The coroner received a communication from Mr. Herapath, on Thursday, which induced him to issue his warrant for the apprehension of Harris and his wife. They were taken into custody at their own house, at twelve o'clock on Thursday night. Miss CATHERINE HA.YES.—Miss Hayes appeared at the Royal Opera on Thursday, in the character of Lucia, one of the parts on which her reputation was chiefly founded in Italy and Germany. It was a very fine per formance, and was completely successful. Her reading of the character differs much from Jenny Lind's. She has more softness and less passion ; and in the final scene her madness does not rise to that terrible violence that terminates in death. Her manner of singing the air in that scene, " Alfin son tua," was exquisitely beautiful. Mario performed the part of Edgard°, for the first time we believe—and, we confess, disappointed us. He was cold, and in the famous scene of the malediction, he was tamer than any other great performer we have ever seen in the character.—Daily News. SPANNING THE GLOBE.—An American merchant bound for Canton left New York on the 4th inst. in the Canada mail steamer, and arrived in Liverpool and Lon don, he arrived at Southampton by the day mail train on the 20th, and immediately embarked on board the Ripon steamer, which was preparing to start for Alexandria with the Indian mail. This gentleman will reach his destina tion on the 15th of June. Thus he will have travelled from the United Sates to China, a distance of nearly 15,000 miles, in 72 days. In a little more than two months he will have traversed the Atlantic and Indian oceans, and the Mediterranean, Red, and China seas, called at England, Gibraltar, and Malta, in Europe; Alexandria and Suez, in Africa; and at Aden, Ceylon, Penang, Singapore, and Hong-kong, in Asia. With the exception of passing through England and Egypt, the whole of his journey will have been performed by water in British ships. The Peninsular and Oriental Company's servants never recollect a passenger for China who had been so recently in America, and it will probably be, for length and rapidity, the most extraordinary voyage ever performed. EXTRAORDINARY Loss OF A VESSEL.—About half past eleven o'clock on the night of Monday last, the sloop ` George and Mary," George Johnson, master and part owner, was lost in a most extraordinary manner. The vessel was, at the time of the occurrence, between Scarbro' and Robin Hood's Bay, about twelve miles from the land; it being very thick, with no wind, and a small mizzling rain. About the time we have mentioned, according to the statement of the master, a fire ball, or something similar to lighting, descended on to the vessel, entered the cabin and set fire to it instantly. So rapidly did the de structive element progress, that in about half an hour the whole stern of the vessel was in flames. Every endeavour was made to extinguish the fire, but to no avail, and seeing that all chance of saving the sloop was gone, the crew en deavoured to save their clothes, but in this likewise they were unsuccessful. The master, besides his clothes had £l2 or £l4 in money, which he lost. They then all took to the boat, and abandoned the vessel, and in three quar ters of an hour after leaving her she went down. No lightning or anything of the kind was seen previous to the unfortunate accident, but afterwards two or three flashes ,osed, in a were seen. The crew landed, as may be sup, very destitute condition.—Hull Packet. JENNY LIND AT HER MAJESTY'S TREATRE.—The scene presented in the Haymarket, on the opening of the Opera doors, was fully equal to that on the 4th of May, 1847, when Mademoiselle Jenny Lind first made her debut in London. Anxious groups were similarly placed about the Colonnade watching the arrival of the long string of carriages, and the visit of Her Majesty to the theatre increased, if possible, the general excitement. Immedi ately the doors were opened the pit and gallery were crammed to suffocation. The stalls and boxes were more gradually, but not less steadity, filled, and before the curtain rose the whole theatre was occupied. The recep tion of Mademoiselle Jenny Lind, the shouts of applause which arose on every side, and the waving of handker- chiefs, were an indication that the enthusiasm which has held the public for two seasons is still in full force. The belief that Mademoiselle Lind had retired from the stage, and intended to sing in concerts only, which, after all, are but a frigid recreation as far as the habituerB of the opera are concerned, gave the significance of a debut to the reappearance last night. There was something like the delight which is felt at the recovery of a lost child in the greeting with which the public received Mademoiselle Lind. ENTERTAINMENT TO HER MAJESTY'S MINISTERS.— On Wednesday a grand entertainment was given by the Lord Mayor and the Lady Mayoress to her Majesty's ministers, their ladies, and a distinguished company, in vited to meet them at the Mansion-house. The decora tions of the Egyptian-hall, where the banquet was served, were tasteful and elegant. Immediately behind the Lord Mayor, overshadowed by the canopy of state, stood a lofty sideboard, on which was displayed a most superb collec tion of gold and silver salvers, chalices, cups, and goblets. In the centre of the chief table was placed a magnificent golden plateau, and on all the tables was a rich profusion of silver plate and other costly ornaments. All the mem bers of the Government and the corps diplomatique ap peared in their official uniforms, and all the other dis tinguished guests being either in court dress or profes sional costume, gave to the assemblage—graced by the presence of so many ladies of rank and beauty —an aspect of rare magnificence and splendour. The dinner, with all its adjuncts, was tasteful and luxurious. The after dinner proceedings were of the usual complimentary cha racter and presented no novelty, not even the speech of the Prime Minister, which contained more than the usual amount of generalities. . _ _ _ _ DEATH OF A MISER. — An inquest was held on Monday afternoon, at Bristol, on the body of Mrs. Parsons, an elderly lady, who was found dead in her bed on the pre vious Saturday morning, when some facts were detailed of a rather extraordinary character. It appears that at the latter end of last July her husband, Samuel Parsons, who was a master mason, was accidentally killed by a stone falling on him from the top of a quarry in which he was engaged at work. The deceased administered to the property, and in her account stated that there was only 6s. in money in the house. She has since continued to live in the most penurious way, denying herself even the very necessaries of life, and has been even known to assist in making and carrying the mortar for the men to use, and she was frequently in the habit of collecting the offal from the public roads. As some rumours, how ever, had got afloat that the old lady had a zood deal of money, on the information relative to her death being circulated a whole tribe of her relations, first and second cousins, entered the house, with a view of seeing what they could get. In ransacking an old chest of drawers they pulled open one which seemed rather weighty. There was a large sheet of paper on the top, on removing which they found underneath a whole layer of sovereigns, and so on till they amounted altogether to over £l,OOO, with 80 old spade guineas, and 30 half-guineas. We are also in formed that the deceased has left behind her a consider able property, consisting chiefly of houses. . . CELEBRATION OF SHXKSPERE'S BIRTHDAY AT STRAT FORD-ON-AVON.—On Monday, the members of the Royal Shaksperian Club held their annual meeting at Strat ford-on-Avon, it being the anniversary of the birth of Shakspere ; Dr. Thompson, the president of the club, occupying the chair. The report stated that the completion of the purchase of Shakspere's house and premises was the first point in importance in the pro ceedings of the past year ; the committee, in connection therewith, having to express their regret that they had been obliged to obtain a temporary loan on the deed of the property from the Stratford Bank for £470, and until that sum was repaid no steps could be taken as to the ul timate conservation of the property. The committee felt confident that when the discreditable position in which " a relic so essentially national" was placed became known, the small amount required to release it and place it under the care of government, would speedily be sup plied. For the satisfaction of contributors, the report stated that a trustworthy person was placed in the birth place of the bard, which was open to all visitors, free of charge ; but a subscription-book being kept in the room, and there being rents derivable from adjoining property, it was hoped from these sources the interest upon the money advanced by the bank would be defrayed. A go vernment grant of £2OO was acknowledged, and the fund raised by Mr. Dickens and his friends, by their amateur theatrical performances, for the purpose of endowing a custodiership of the house, which amounted to £1,500, had been invested in the funds in the names of Charles Dickens and John Forster, Esqrs. The club accounts showed a deficit of £25. A handsome mulberry tree cup had been presented to the members by the widow of the late Rev. Elias Webb, in conformity with the wish of the latter. The report concluded by a congratulatory para graph on the success of the last year's anniversary. THE GOVERNESSES INSTITUTION AND JENNY LIND. —The anniversary dinner of the London Benevolent In stitution for Governesses was held on Wednesday, the Earl of Harrowby presided, supported by Earls Talbot and Kintore, Lord Saye and Sele, &c. The noble chairman, in proposing " Prosperity to the Institution," said "it was difficult to find terms in which to plead the cause of those who frequently, by their position, superseded the mother's care. He proceeded to allude to the cases of those young gentlewomen, who having been the objects of the most affectionate solicitude, were, by circum- stances, compelled to seek their own livelihood, and who, having become elderly persons, " were cast aside as forgotton things." It was painful to reflect on the man ner in which those to whom so much was due, were too frequently treated. In many instances the daughters of decayed clergymen and others were looked up to as the mainstay and sheet-anchor of a family. Little indeed did the mass of society know of the severe sufferings and trials of these estimable young women, who first im planted into the breasts of the rising generation the first seeds of virtue and religion." Mr. S. C. Hall, in pro posing a vote of thanks to the female friends of the in stitution, concluded by handing to the treasurer a cheque for £2OO from Miss Jenny Lind.—(Loud cheers.) He was proud, indeed, to be made the mouthpiece of so dis tinguished and excellent a lady, who, in the course of her career, had had to struggle with the changes and chances of this world. That lady had known adversity- she had known the sweets of prosperity—she had fought the great battle of life. He begged to present the cheque of Jenny Lind for £2OO. (Great cheers.) It was, he hoped, but an earnest of future assistance to this charity. Her heart was much interested in this cause. He need not tell that company that Jenny Lind had not passed through the struggles of life without knowing how much governesses stood in need of aid. He believed that this donation was but a moiety of the assistance which this lady would give. He was proud in being her mouthpiece, and to present her best wishes for the success of this institution, for which she entertained the greatest sympathy. HOW HER MAJESTY'S CHAPLAINS AR PROVIDED. aspect, can yet find dupes, and not only dupes, but money. The report of what took place at Bow-street, on Tuesday, is an apt illustration of the sal ' ' • rience, like the stern-lights of path we hare of Color a Alp, only i that expe mines the ous angler for sirn- 1 tO s The first bait flung by the anony pletons was a taking one. He profes chaplain " whose duties would lead to corium the highest personages of t pn with there deemed to be indefinite visions of patronage, of - a bishopric, nay perhaps (breathlessly allowed) of Lambeth itself ! However this may be, the Rev. C. Griffin, vicar of Haselor, was soon found nibbling the bait held by " Beta." The latter personage came out of his incogn to a natural enquiry, and in propria assumption of " P. Hay," intimated that th was a royal one, involving the slight dui - - certain number of Sundays in tbr. ) answer Icier the ersonii, or u year in of the Chapels Royal 1, commencing at " some £6O per annum," was to reach a cu point at the satisfactory figure of £6OO yearly. thought it was unnecessary to expatiate on the advantages of this " appointment in the gift of the Crown," which ' I need not add is a permanent one;" but Mr. Griffin asked a few more questions, and the good Samaritan, now of Cannon's-row, hastened to reply to them—of course in confidence. The power of nomination to the appointment, said the dodger to the dupe, was in the hands of Lord John Hay ! " Doubtless (thought Cornelius), my correspondent Peter is a cousin of the gallant Lord of the Admiralty." He appears to have entertained no surprise at a naval captain nominating to chaplaincies in the gift of the crown; and when £6OO sterling was asked as the price to be paid into the hands of the benevolent Peter, Mr. Griffin prepared to get together an instalment of it ! Was he disarmed by the polite assurance of my lord's cousin that the money was only to be paid after her would-be Majesty's chaplain had been introduced to her Majesty's ecclesiastical agent, who is a post captain in her Majesty's service ? The ga zetting was to follow as a matter of course. The whole matter was strictly legal, but no questions were to be asked. Peter Hay just inquired for the usual t als, " as I must necessarily lay them before my " moni- and Cornelius Griffin actually transmitted them by post! What his feelings were at hearing that the testimonials were " entirely satisfactory " we can hardly tell. Suffice it to say that, after some fencing on the part of the " Crown Colonies-office !"—it was ultimately arranged that the ambitious Vicar of Haselor should be duly intro duced to that one of " the sea-lords, as they are called; Lord John is one of them," whose mission it was, for the consideration of £6OO, to find chaplains, not for the royal navy, but for her Majesty's own edification ! Well, poor Mr. Griffin believed it all ! A little uneasy about the le gality of the proceeding, but in no uneasiness at all about the rationality of it, he took leave of his vicarage—felt, perhaps, that a future Archbishop of Canterbury was oc cupying the second-class carriage that brought him to town—rushed to Cannon's-row—and, under shadow of the abbey, of whose episcopal greatness he might yet be a part, and within view of a palace whose archiepiscopal occupant is neither youthful nor immortal, Mr. Griffin, soothed by Mr. Addam's opinion that the transaction was perfectly legal, actually paid down £lOO (by order upon St. Clement's Savings' Bank), and gave eager assurance, with proof thereof, that he would find security for the re mainder ! Did midsummer madness ever rise to such a pitch as this ? _ _ _ Mr. Hay took the money, and left his victim to "en tertain himself" with the Times, while he repaired to Lord John. In half an hour he returned—reported my lord as being in a pet at the smallness of the sum paid down—and stated that until his lordship was in better humour the gazetting must be deferred, and the vicar's introduction also. The vicar, good easy man, nothing suspicious, did call again. He did not find access to the naval provider of chaplains for her Majesty; but he was assured that that personage had " given his sanction for the appointment." Oh, happy Cornelius Griffin !—in an ecstacy he pays what he can—resolves to sell his property at Portsea, Hants, to provide for his future liability—is not startled at a demand made for "it may be £7 or £lO, which Dr. Wesley, the sub-dean of the Chapels Royal, says will have to be paid to different officials connected with the establishment," and unhesitatingly writes a cheque for £23 10s. in favour of Hay, to provide for the usual fees of the Gazette, office! The step towards being metropolitan was purchased as " cheap as dirt"—so thought the unsuspecting Cornelius, and he :paid his money with both hands and a heart and a-half ! The dream of coming greatness endured but a very brief period. The Gazette appeared, but it made no mention of the Rev. C. Griffin. He wrote and wrote again, but he received no reply. He concluded that, having been robbed, his despoilers had done with him. By no means. So dull a fish was likely to nibble again, and Peter Hay tested the probability. The scene i; at Stratford-on-Avon, and Mr. Griffin was meditating upon the lines of a poet whose bones lie in the church there, and who has written something, too trite to quote, upon the bladder-like consistency of foolish ambition. Upon his meditation broke a soi-disant detec tive policeman who denounced Hay as a swindler—who suggested methods for recovering the documents which Mr. Griffin had surrendered—and who, by citing the case of an alleged fellow-victim, endeavoured to skew that the exposure of the affair, in preventing his future prefer ment, would be more serious to him than the loss of his money. For the first time, Mr. Griffin appears to have been aroused to suspicion, and forthwith he hurried up to Bow-street to ask the advice of that exemplary magis trate, Mr. Jardine. Now, it so happened that on the previous night Peter Hay got both drunk and proud upon Mr. Griffin's money, without, we are afraid, growing more honest than was his wont. He rode in a cab, refused to pay his fare, became disorderly, and being intoxicated was locked up in what Oliver Goldsmith's country squire called " a con catenation accordingly." In the morning, this " relation" of the " sea-lord" was brought up before the magistrate, but he could not be discharged after rebuke until he had paid certain fees. There was retribution in the very word. To enable him to effect this necessary preliminary, he sent a messenger to an honest gentleman named Alves ; and the latter hastened to release his friend from durance vile. It has been often said that truth is stranger than fiction, and so it seemed here ; for, in spite of the tre mendous odds against such an accident, these three per sonages came most unexpectedly face to face in the presence of the magistrate ! There was a general tableau of the principle characters, and the Pose Plastique was only broken up by the sudden recognition, on the part of Mr. Griffin, of Alves as the member of the detective police-office who had repaired to Stratford-on-Avon in furtherance of Justice ! Risunt teneatis We confess that we can not; and we laugh at the idea that there are more offenders caught in Mr. Jardine's presence than Mr. Griffin would be willing to allow. How the law will deal with them all remains to be seen. Btstrtrt flu On the night of Monday last, or early the following morning, the shop of Mr. T. Dandy, grocer, Rufford, was broken into and upwards of £l4 stolen therefrom. A neat mural tablet has been erected in St. Philip's Church, Salford, to the memory of Sir Thos. Arbuthnot, K.C.8., who died at Manchester, in command of the Northern and Midland district. The Leeds Intelligencer states that a young man, clerk at Messrs. Holdforth's silk mill, Leeds, has obtained the prize of property at the Borough Buildings, Manchester, which have been disposed of by ticket. The value of the prize, we hear, is £B,OOO. • THE PRESTON INSTITUTION BAZAAR was held the whole of last week. It has added upwards of £l5OO to the funds. The Committee of Management of the New Building will now be extricated out of all their difficulties, and the noble edifice at Avenham will at last be com pleted. WAREHOUSE ROBBERY.—At the Borough Court, Man chester, on Tuesday, two young men, named Lear and Smith, were committed for trial at the sessions, charged with breaking into the warehouse of Messrs. Joseph Eller and Co. merchants, Back George-street, and steal ing three bills of exchange, for the respective sums of £9OO, £ll6 12s. Bd., and £6O. COUNTY RATES AND EXPENDITURE.—An official state ment for the year ending June, 1848, has just been pub lished. The total expenditure is 176,983. The two new lunatic asylums have cost £24,127 ; but the two great items in the account are the ordinary annual expenditure for the county police and the county gaols. The police cost £35,198; the four gaols, £32,496. This is exclusive of £28,175 extraordinary expenditure for new buildings at the Preston and Kirkdale gaols, and at the lockups. The rapid increase of population and property should certainly be borne in mind. In 1801, the population of Lancashire was only 672,565 ;in 1841, 1,667,054. In 1815, the valu ation was £3,106,009 ; in 1841, £6,192,067. THE FIRST CATTLE FAIR AT CREWE. On Wed nesday last, the first great central cattle fair was held at Crewe. The day being very fine, the attendance of both buyers and sellers far exceeded the expectations of the committee, whose exertions have been unwearied in the car carrying out of the fair. The stocks were prime and the prizes well contested for. The confident belief of all is, that the fairs at this place will take the lead of any in the neighbourhood. Mr. Peover, of Sandbach, took the first three prizes for cows ; the fourth was taken by John Woolf, Esq., of Haslington-hall, for the exhibition of the best bull ; the fifth was taken by Mr. Kempt, of Doddcott, for the best horse ; the sixth by Mr. Panton, of Chorlton, for fat sheep ; the seventh by by Mr. Owen, of Stapeley, for store sheep ; the eighth by Mr. Cliffe of Crewe gates, for sow and pigs. There wiil be su ip fairs held both for cattle and cheese. 8 714 N i( 11 140 0Z A. ft 0 If ,er-.1 _ 4 . 3 , -.:.• ...• ....--AA p. . ..... e. ) VARIETIES. ETYMOLOGY OF CONNAUGHT.—Sir Robert Peel's pro ject for the plantation of Connaught, which we trust will turn out to be no mere political plant, has drawn atten tion to that unfortunate district, and, among other things, to the etymology of the name of the province. Some say that Connaught is of Celtic origin ; but in our opinion it is merely a corruption of the plain honest Saxon Can naught, which pithily expresses the inability of its in habitants to help themselves.—Punch. ATTACHMENT OF GROUSE TO THEIR MATES.—I re member an instance of a hen grouse being caught by the leg in a common vermin-trap which had been set for ravens. It happened that the trap was not looked at till late the following day, when we found that the cock grouse had brought and laid close to his unfortunate mate a quantity of young heather shoots : they were enough to have nearly filled a hat, and the poor bird must have been employed many hours in collecting them. I cannot ex press how grieved I was at the hen having been caught.— St. John's Tour in Sutherlandshire. A NEW EVERGREEN.—An acquisition of the highest interest has been lately received by Mr. Standish, of the Bagshot Nursery. We allude to the funebral cypress. This plant was first mentioned in Lord Macartney's Voyage, as growing in a place called " The Vale of Tombs, near the tower of the thundering winds," in the province of Zhe-hol ; which is a mountainous district, 'yin:- in latitude 41 (leg. 58 sec. N. in Chinese Tartary, and has a far more rigorous climate than is ever known in England. The seedlings in the Bagshot Nursery were raised from cones lately procured by Mr. Fortune, while at Shanghae, from a place 200 miles to the north of that port. We have also a dried specimen of it, which enables us to say that it must be a plant of the greatest beauty. It may be best described as a tree like the weeping willow in growth, with the foliage of the savin, but of a brighter green ; it is, however, not a juniper, as the savin is, but a genuine cypress. It has long been a subject of regret that the Italian cypress cannot be made to grow in our climate, and to decorate our burial places ; but we have now a finer tree, still better adapted for the purpose.— Gardener's Chronicle. ANECDOTES OF THE ACLAND FAMILY.—THE " RU LING PASSION."—This same gentleman (the father of the present Sir T. D. Acland), as is generally known, had a delightful residence near Minehead, which was burnt to the ground, when forty thousand ounces of magnificent family plate were melted by the flames. On some per sonal friend commiserating with him on the dreadful de _ . struction of his valuable property, particularly dwelling on the loss of his silver, this gallant sportsman was known to have replied :—" That he cared little for the house or the plate ; the one," said he, " can be re-built, the other re-purchased ; but I am indeed grieved a t th e loss of my splendid colection of antlers, which I have preserved from stags killed by my own hounds, and which I shall never live to kill again." * * * The following anecdote of a member of this family is yet more interesting :—" On Major Acland proceeding to America with his regiment, his wife, Lady Harriet, a daughter of the Earl , of Ilchester, was determined to share his fate; and nobly did she carry out her intentions even to the battle-field, for on the knowledge that her husband had fallen in the action, and was taken prisoner, she fastened a white handkerchief to the end of her whip, and riding with this flag of truce into the enemy's camp, boldly asked permission of its leaders to tend the suffer ing bed of her wounded or dying husband." A RoYAL ROMANCE.-At the grand and brilliant ball given by Prince Schwartzenberg, the Austrian Ambassa dor at Paris, in the year 1810, in celebration of the mar riage of Napoleon with Maria Louisa, at which the em peror and many illustrious persons were present, it is well known that a most destructive fire broke out in one of the temporary buildings erected for the occasion, by which the young and beautiful hostess and several other persons were burnt to death, and many seriously injured. One of the visitors at this ball was the then Dowager Duchess of Savoy-Carignan, mother of Charles Albert, ex-King of Sardinia. This lady, prevented by the great confusion from getting out in time, found herself in one of the saloons burning on all sides. When in this most perilous situation, and almost suffocated, she was acci dentally discovered by her courier, who resolutely rushed through the flames into the room, ook his mistress in his arms, and jumped from a window on the first floor to the ground. By this heroic conduct he broke both his legs, but the duchess was unhurt. Her life having been thus miraculously saved through the courage of her courier, she, of course, paid him all possible care and attention during his illness ; and when he had recovered from this accident, she married him. He received afterwards from some Italian prince the title of Count Montelart ; and ever since they have been living together, but not very happily, in various parts of the continent, and are now in Paris.— Globe. "PROGRESS" OF RADICALISM. — Nothing I admire more than the readiness with which the noble lord talks of a settlement of the question. A settlement of what ? Of a question that you yourselves have unsettled. (cheers and laughter.) The noble lord goes about looking for a great question for the session. He finds among his free trade allies some crude and gewgaw theory. He takes it up—attacks some great interest opposed to it. Immedi ately a great agitation ensues, and having produced the agitation, the noble lord comes forward as a great states man to appease it. (cheers and laughter.) That is the whole policy of the Whig party. (renewed cheers.) To night they have a great ally with whom they seem to be well satisfied. I mean the gentleman who has decided between re-action and progress, and who has determined to stand by progress. Progress ! Progress to Paradise, or progress to the devil ! (much laughter.) The people of Engl nd are sick of hearing those indefinite windy phrases about progress. They want to know where you are progressing to—what you are at—what you mean to accomplish, and then they will be able to say whether that which they possess be worth more than you promise, but cannot pay. (cheers.) And, sir, with the disciples of progress we have arrived at that point. We want to know what they are about. The gentlemen of the Man chester school tell us frankly what they are after. They have told us they will attack the Church, that they will destroy the landed interest, that they will completely change the electoral law, and do many other things which may be fatal to this country, but which when advocated by them we know what they are about. With them we deal with manly foes, and we hope and believe we shall defeat them. (loud cheers.) But these dilettanti disci ples of progress are very dangerous opponents, and I ex tremely regret that one so experienced and so practical as the right hon. baronet the member for Ripon takes his stand where he does, because I, for one, must express my belief that where he is, there he will remain. (cheers.) — Mr. Disraeli's speech. _ _ IMITATION.- - Captain C—d. of whom, by the way, Stephen Price used to say, " He is the only amateur per former I ever saw to whom I would have offered a salary : I would have given him, sir, five-and-thirty shillings a-week," was another proficient in this art, and Mathews used to narrate an amusing instance of his imitation of the well-known " Dickey" Suett, which was, he said, far more exact than his own. They had both, then very young men, been invited to attend the funeral of the " poor player," and were placed in the same coach with Jack Bannister and Palmer. The latter sat wrapped up in angry and indignant silence at the tricks which the two younger mourners (who, by the way, had known but lit tle of Suett) were playing • but Bannister, though mu c h affected, nevertheless could not refrain from occasionally laughing, in the midst of his grief, while the tears were actually running from his eyes. At length, on the pro cession reaching Fleet-street, on its way to St. Paul's Church-yard, where Suett lies buried, Mr. Whittle, commonly called "Jemmy Whittle," of the firm of Laurie and Whittle, stationers, came to the door of his shop to see the remains of his old friend pass to their place of rest. An obstruction in the road at this moment caused a short delay, when C—d called out in the exact voice and man ner of the dead man, " Aha! Jemmy ; oh law ! hew do ? oh dear ! going to be buried ! oh law ! oh lank ! oh dear !" The astounded stationer rushed back to his house, shocked, surprised, and possibly not a little alarmed at the sound of the familiar tones. It was a little singular, that at the conclusion of the ceremony, as the benediction fell from the lips of the clergyman, a grinning urchin, perched on a tomb-stone close by the iron rails, began vigorously to clap his hands. So practical a compliance with the plaudits," at the actor's grave, struck the whole company ; the boy, however, on being questioned and taken to task for his irreverence, blubbered out, " La, sir, there was only them two dogs outside as wan t e d to fight, and was afeard to begin, so I just did it to set them on like," The coincidence was a very pretty one as it stood—it was trpity to disturb it !—Life of Theodore Hook. TRIALS OF A GOVERNESS.—IS it not, I may ask, a beautiful and noble thing to see the many instances, which all of you may have, in some degree, witnessed of females born and nurtured in the very hotbed of wealth and luxury, educated to the highest degree, and in the most expensive mode that can be afforded—beings thus ren dered apparently frail as fair, and adapted only for the calm and sunshine of life ? Is it not a beautiful and noble sight to witness these seemingly helpless beings (when family misfortunes may have fallen upon them to destroy all this outward splendour) casting out all sensi tive and selfish feelings, girding themselves up for the unexpected contest with adversity, subduing all feelings of individual pride, and that little vanity which might be so readily excused, and at once without a murmur, (if not perhaps without a sigh,) applying, not for their own ad vantage alone, but for the benefit of their suffering family, all those varied accomplishments and accumulated know ledge which their costly education had enabled them to acquire ? Thus it would seem that, in women also, even as in men, trials and difficulties and adversity seem unable to subdue the indomitable energies of the great Saxon genius of our country. It has been stated by Seneca, that there is no sight more pleasing to the gods, than that of a good man struggling nobly against adver sity. Surely, then, when we see beings, formed for all kind and gentle things, ordained to be the recipients rather than the artificers of fortune, struggling more nobly than man can struggle against the pressure of ad versity,—casting away at once all their previous ideas of worldly pleasure as mere feathers to the wind, turning back again to their true hearts and minds, rousing up the noble aspirations within them, and strengthening their failing hearts to gain their daily bread, with far more toilsome and irksome labour than he who obtains it by the mere " sweat of his brow." Surely, when we see such fortitude, such resignation, such noble efforts, such im molation of all selfish feelings, such a sacrifice of perhaps long-cherished hopes on the altar of a stern but sacred duty, who can contemplate the spectacle unmoved ? Who can withhold his tribute from that institution which will comfort so many noble hearts in their painful career, by the conviction that they will not be forsaken, that they will not be left destitute at its close.—Mr. Bain brigge's Lecture. QUEEN BESS. How vary opinions about great Queen Bess, How her enemies rail, and her friends how they puff her But this may be said of her temper and dress, Her coil-ar WaS• ruff, and her ch.QI-er was rougher..