The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-04-13 00:00:00

-.. . '' gOttrp ADIEU! Fur the Liverpool Standard, Oh! what language of mortal can ever express The depth of the hallow'd feeling, That is waked in the bosom when warm lips press, And the tears of love are stealing From the fountain of sorrow adown on the cheek : When those who are faithful and true, In low accents of grief, with a throbbing pulse, speak A solemn and mournful adieu! In the hand of the skilful the pencil may trae€ The features of sorrow and woe; It may shew forth the symptoms o( grief in the face, But not in its chambers below : All the power of surpassingly exquisite art No shadowy outline e'er drew Of the anguish within—of the burstings of heart— That are felt when we bid an adieu. Oh ! the deep gushing feelings of those whom the chain Of affection has closely tied, As they look on the image that never again With joy shall be viewed by their side ; That shall live, alas ! only in faint, feeble beams Of lonesome and sad memory,— Be recalled and be present save only in dreams Of pleasures for ever gone by. An affectionate heart can so seldom be found In a treacherous world like this, 'Tis a pity, when feelings of friendship abound, That aught should enhinder their bliss ; That e'er they whose fond bosoms in unison glow Should by far distance parted be — That between them the measureless waters should flow Of the blue, deep, fathomless sea. 'Tis a pity that even the sickle of death Should he able their hearts to sever ; 'Tis a pity they should not enjoy love's sweet breath, Still undivided, for ever. But delightful it is—oh I 'tis cheering for love — That when years fast-fleeting and few Shall have passed o'er the head, in a bright world above No more shall be heard an adieu. March 31. M. A. THOUGHTS They come when the sunlight Is bright on the mountain ; They come when the moonshine Is white on the fountain; At morn and at even, By minutes and hours, But not as they once were, Of birds and of flowers. They come when some token Of past days will rise, As a link to the present, And then they bring sighs ; They come when some dreaming Through hopes and through fears, Rushes on to the future, And then they bring tears. They come when the sea-mist O'er ocean is rife, And they tell of the shadow That hangs over life ; They come when the storm, In thunder and gloom, Spreads around, and they speak Of the earth and the tomb. They come when the ripple Is low on the lake, And the plover is nestling By fountain or brake ; And the twilight looks out With a star on its breast, And they whisper, that all But themselves are at rest They come when the low breeze Is fanning the leaves ; They come when the flower-cup The dew-drop receives; By night's noon-tide silence, By day's noon-tide hum, At all times, oh! deeply And darkly they come. LITERARY NOTICES. Fraser's Magazine for April. The number for the present month will be found well wor. thy of perusal, both by the grave and the gay, It contains some well written political papers, and an agreeable quantity of miscellaneous and lighter reading. The first article, head ed " The Poor Law Commission must be determined," con tains a variety of painful tacts, shewing the pernicious and cruel " working," particularly in large towns, of the poor law amendment act, with which Liverpool is unhappily to be ere long inflicted. The growing unpopularity of the measure throughout the country is amply demonstrated, and the wri ter clearly exposes the mischiefs that arise from it, not only in grinding the faces of the poor. but in entailing additional burthens on the rate-payers ; and he argues from these re sults, and the feeling lately expressed in parliament, that the outrageously unconstitutional and expensive poor law com mission must be put an end to, and a system introduced (an improvement of the old law of Elizabeth) more congenial to the generous feelings of Englishmen, and better calculated to effectually and humanely relieve the wants of the suffering poor. The " Remarks on the latest Biographer of our Poets" (" Lives of the British Poets, by Robert Bell, in Lardner's Cyclopedia") are evidently from the pen of a wri ter who has long and ardently devoted himself to the study of English poetry, and brings a well-cultivated mind to the task of exposing the fallacious misconceptions of Mr. Bell. whom he severely castigates for his ignorance of the works he professes to criticise. The article contains interesting anecdotes and reminiscences of Dryden, Collins, Brooke, Prior, Pope, Walsh, Young, Akenside, &c., also the vindi cation of Young. The Condemned Cells," chapter viii., embodies the " Confessions of a Swindler," and will amuse those who delight in, to us, the rather painful disclosures of the " secrets of the prison house." The " Specimen Leaders of a would-be Editor" contain some happy hits on the tone and mannerisms of some of the leading London journals. The biography of that gallant soldier of the 18th century, Marshal Saxe, is equal in interest to the " tableaux" that have preceded it, and is well drawn up. One of the best ar ticles in the number is " War with America a blessing to Mankind." The author combats the too fashionable opinion that our armaments are so powerful, and America so weak, that we could readily, by pursuing the old mode of warfare, crush up that great and populous continent. He, on the con trary, apprehends great evils, great loss in life, - treasure, and commerce from a war so conducted, which would necessarily be protracted, and points out a mode by which he conceives, if war must be waged, it may speedily be terminated, with honour to this country, and final advantage to America her self. After supplying from authentic sources some horrify ing details of the treatment of the slave population of the southern states by their owners, which amounts to three millions of beings, he•says— Such is the SIN and the WEAKNESS of America. It may be a doubtful point, how far 'another nation would be justi fied, in a time of peace, in embarking in a crusade of philan thropy, and endeavouring to coerce an independent people into the relinquishment of a national sin. But what possible doubt can exist as to the propriety, the expediency—nay, the absolute duty, of making a war subservient to the great and preeminent object of freeing these three millions of cruelly oppressed human beings ? Policy, too, not less than philanthropy, prescribes such a course of warfare. By this mode, and this only, a war with America might be brought to a speedy and inevitably trium phant close. As we have already observed, a struggle be. tween the people of England and their descendants in Ame rica must be a fearful, a protracted, and a lamentable one. But if assailed in this quarter, a vital part is instantly and surely reached—the Union is dissolved, and the war is at an end Among the three millions of slaves, we may fairly calculate the adult males at nearly one million. Every man of all this multitude would eagerly rush to embrace an emancipating invader, and within a few days' sail of their coast repose the free and happy blacks of Jamaica. In one morning a force of ten thousand men might be raised in this quarter, for the enfranchisement of their brethren in America. Such a force, supported by two battalions of Englishmen, and supplied with 2(1,000 muskets, would establish themselves in Carolina, never to be removed. In three weeks from their appearance, the entire south would be in one conflagration. The chains of a million of men would be broken, and by what power could they ever be again riveted ? We have not space to notice the remaining articles ; but we can recommend the number as one of the best we have recently perused. Smallwood's Magazine. Smallwood, Bond-slreet, London. What a new and fertile field the penny post system has opened to almost every trade, to feed and fatten upon ! In none more than that connected with literature has exertion, energy, and enterprise been awakened. The magazine now lying before us is one o f t h e i nstances in which her Majesty's mail is made a publication distributor, instead of the book seller's boy. A magazine by post!—according to the old scale, it would cost a rui nous sum sent by that mode. But to the magazine itself ;—not having seen the first two num bers, we are not so well able to judge of the merits of the articles continued in the present one; but our contemporaries, who have had that opportunity , speak highly o f their com mencement. The opening article, " Philosophy in its rela tion with Christian Intellectualism : " by James A. Morris, is a decidedly clever arid argumentative essay : th e reasoning is close and highly phil oso p hic. " The Dentist of Frankfort" is a continuation of a story. Of this we cannot judg e f or the reason assigned previously. " B lind Man's Buff" is a poem in the muanic style—smart and racy. " Rich Relations" is a capital story, shewing the evils of courting such " kind of folk." " The Recollections of a Silver Teapot" is a brusque, well told story, not without a moral. " Fragments from the Diary of a French Maniac" are, in spite of the subject, ex tremely laughable and absurd. " Nicotiana Tabacum ,, is an amusing and instructive paper upon tobacco —highly pleas ing to those who use the filthy weed in its three nasty modes of consumption, " Napoleon's Manners" is a slight histo riette, which has a " most impotent and lame conclusion." " The Vestal's Dream," by James A. Morris, is a clever poem, chewing the author's erudition. It is rayther Tom Mooreish in construction and sentiment. The number con eludes with an article on the Drama, and Reviews of Books. Taking it altogether, this is an arousing stranger, and " as a stranger we give it welcome." It will be read for its merits, and taken for its price. TO THE CONSTITUENCIES OF PROTESTANT ENGLAND.-LETTER IN FELLOW PROTESTANTS It is evident that such a body as will be returned by the purely Popish constituencies of Ireland, under the operation of Lord Morpeth's Bill, can never with safety be allowed to sit in a British Parliament. It was never calculated by the bill of 1829 that such a body should be returned for Ireland. Under that bill the constituencies contained at least some portion of the influence of Protestantism. The influence of the land was Protestant ; a Protestant yeomanry still existed; and, allowing for all the exertions which could be used by the priesthood, it was still calculated that a small share of the representation would be left in the hands of those interested in the maintenance of Protestantism and in the preservation of the British connexion. Whilst this check existed in the constituencies, the practical evils of allowing Popish mem bers to sit as representatives in parliament were lessened. But when the constituencies shall have become, by this bill, entirely Popish, the people of England can no longer tolerate, and ought no longer to tolerate, that the representative body should be also Popish. Somewhere there must exist a gua rantee that faith will be kept with us, that Protestantism in the constitution will be held inviolate. And if we no longer possess that guarantee in the circumstance of property in the soil being a component portion of the constituencies, we must inevitably be driven to insist upon possessing it in the Pro testantism of the representative body itself. It is no longer a question of speculation whether Roman Catholic members of parliament can be relied upon► to excl.-. cise the power, which we have given them by the bill of 1829, —and which we increase by this bill—in accordance with the ' interests of the people of England. Putting out of view all those questions which affect immediately the existence of that church establishment which they have sworn to respect; putting out of view all questions which relate immediately to the aggrandizement of their own church—questions which he must have been a madman who ever supposed that they would legislate upon with any other than a sectarian spirit— is it not an undeniable fact, I ask, that on every other—on questions of purely social bearing, and upon which the inte rests of the people of England alone are concerned—they have throughout displayed the same punic faith--the same utter disregard of constitutional principle and justice ? What party or what class of Englishmen have ever trusted them without being betrayed ? None, I reply. From the period of their betrayal of the factory children, for a valuable con sideration paid into the hands of their leader, the member for Dublin—to their betrayal of the poor of England into the gripe of the Somerset House tyranny during the past week, the history of their career in the House of Commons has been one long and disgusting falsehood—one revolting and loath some treachery. Has there been a ministerial job to be enacted, an instance of profligate expenditure of the public money to be defended, an insult to the national honour to he glossed over, or an act of national injustice to be perpretrated, the Popish body within the walls of parliament has furnished the ready instrument for any and every indecency with which an infamous faction has dared to insult the people of Eng land. And although ready to intrude their counsel into mat ters affecting our religion, our hearths, and our homes—to throw their filthy slime over the wives and daughters of our love—to scoff at our social feelings, and to libel and degrade us, as men and as Christians, in the eyes of mankind ;—if we have ever presumed—if, as legislators for the United King dom, the British Parliament has at any time presumed to stand between Popery and her slaves whom she grinds be neath her truculent tyranny ; one after another we have seen the members of that body rise from their usurped seats to dare us to interfere with the developement of their treasona ble plots, or to bully us into submission to their restless en croachments upon our liberties and our religion. The continuance of such a body in the united - parliament of Great Britain and Ireland is manifestly incompatible with the mere social good government of the people of England, putting out of view even the preservation of the established Protestant religion of the realm. And, with such a body, as the representatives of the people of Ireland, the British parliament will become equally incapacitated to legislate for the social good of that people. Placed in antagonism, upon all British questions, with the majority of British represen tatives, and unwilling to originate themselves any measures of merely social improvement, the Irish members and the Irish people will at length find just reason to complain that their interests meet with no sympathy in the parliament of the United Kingdom ; and the question of repeal of the union—the demand for a separate legislature—will then, perhaps, be agitated with some shew of justice, and may be defended upon some grounds of expediency. The concession of such a demand, by a British parliament, may appear 'im probable to us at present; but can we imagine under what harassing provocation such a body, at no distant period, may be brought to legislate? May we not imagine the arrival of a period when the representatives of constituencies, whose social interests are allowed to be totally neglected in the struggle of Popery for aggrandisement, will turn readily to any change which will release them from the tyranny which overrides them, even although that change involves the dis memberment of a portion of the empire ? i fear we may ; nay, I believe most firmly that to such a result it is which Popery looks as a portion of her contemplated triumph. She looks to a period at which Ireland—her church and the pro perty of her Protestant landowners—shall be handed over to the tender mercies of the Romish priesthood and a Romish democracy ; she burns to witness the establishment of a Popish kingdom within the circle of the British crown ; and she has bent all her energies —and the bill of Lord Morpeth is her greatest—to win that object by fraud and circumven tion which she dare not attempt, and which she would never be allowed, to win by force of arms. A repeal of the bill of 1829, then, or a repeal of the union between Great Britain and Ireland ? Fellow Protestants, behold the alternatives which are left to your acceptance after the passing of Lord Morpeth's bill ! The repeal of a legislative enactment passed only twelve years ago,—every condition of which has been violated by those to whom it was conceded, every result of which has falsified your own hopes and verified your worst feaq,—or a struggle at the point of the bayonet to preserve the integrity of the British empire ! Can there be a doubt as to your choice ? There cannot. There can be no question except as to the time when the struggle for repeal must begin—unless there be also a question whether the bayonet will not have to decide the question in either case. Let that question, however, answer itself. The present is no time for faint-hearted po licy. If the struggle must come—why, let it come; and upon the heads of those who have precipitated it, let the blood and tears which will follow in its track cry for judg ment ! The question which you have to decide is, whether you will return now to the " ancient ways" of the constitu- Lion—whether you will receive the passing of Lord Morpeth's bill as the last outrage upon your patience, and step forth boldly to demand, as the accompaniment of that measure, the only guarantee of safety which is left for the Protestant faith of Great Britain and Ireland; or you will wait until one portion of that faith is irrevocably destroyed—until the Church of Ireland is hopelessly prostrated—until the loyal yeomanry of that unhappy land are exterminated by mid- night outrage, or alienated from the devoted loyalty with which they look up for protection to the British throne, and to the sympathy of their Protestant brethren in this land. This question only—the question of time—it is, which you have now to decide ; and upon that decision may depend the amount of difficulty and of danger, of misery and blood, which you may have to encounter. I feel, and feel deeply, the individual responsibility of re commending a course of action which involves such great re sults. I am well inclined to believe that the repeal of the bill of 1829, under any circumstances, is a measure only to be resorted to in the last extremity. But I contend that the passing of Lord Morpeth's bill will have brought ua to that last extremity ; and that to the faction which, for venal and selfish objects, has originated that bill, will be justly due the crushing weight of retribution which must fall. We have not sought the repeal of the bill of 1829, even whilst lamenting and protesting against the abuses which have re sulted from it. No; we left the gradual removal of those abuses to the correcting hand of time. We trusted in the silent progress of public opinion operating through the medium of the existing constitution of the country. We trusted in the truth of our Protestant faith—in the stability of the rock upon which we had planted the standard of our liberties. Have we been deceived in our trust ? Have we written our testimony in the sand ? Has our rock moved from its base? No—we repeat emphatically—No! " The truth is great," and it would have prevailed—nay, it was al ready prevailing. Throughout England, Scotland, and — Ireland even—in that very stronghold of the accursed princi- le of popery—the sound and healthy action of the constitu ,on was gradually returning, until a worthless and reckless faction stretched out its hand to let loose upon us anew the destroying waters—to bring in upon us " devils stronger than the first." Upon that faction it is that we fling hack the re sponsibility of the evils which we may wake in our progress to stay the entrance of the flood ;—to that faction, steeped in treason and in crime, we may paint as the authors of all e heartburnings, and even the violence and bloodshed which may meet us in our course But no such evils, 1 trust, will meet us; and if even they do, we have justice at our side. lam unwilling to believe that the great bulk of the Irish people sympathise in the fe rocious insults levelled, day by day, against the creed and the persons of the British people by the ruffian agitators, whose ceaseless it is to bring about those results with which they menace us. On the contrary, I am far from be ing satisfied that a great portion of the really estimable peo ple of that unhappy land are not weary of the possession of a privilege which brings with it fever and contention, instead of health and peace. What social benefit has Ireland gained from the introduction of her demagogues into the British parliament. Not one ! Not one, at least, which she would not have received, with increased measure, from the tin prompted sympathies of British legislators. If she has made one step, within the last 20 years of agitation, towards im provement, I defy the loudest of her boasted friends to point to that step as the result, directly or indirei:tly, of the efforts of their Popish demagogues, or their liberattillies. I defy them to point to one measure of pretended social improve ment, Which they have not converted into an instrument of social torture. No, no : the day has gone by when the pre tences of these glib-tongued traders in the credulity of their fellow-countrymen could win any great portion of confidence from the respectable and influential people of Ireland ; and the instances of cowardice and betrayal, which marked the unhappy period of 1798, are not yet forgotten in the memory of those who, unreflecting and ignorant, might he induced for a moment to harbour the thoughts of violence which Rome, in the agony of her discomfiture, may seek to encou rage. We have no serious calamity to fear from Ireland, dis tasteful to her though the repeal of the bill of 1829 would be, which may not equally be feared as the consequences of re fusal, on the part of the legislature, to gratify the slightest demand of her insolent priesthood. The only serious cala mity which mould result to Great Britain would be brought on by a postponement of the time at which that repeal should be demanded. At present we possess. in Ireland a strong body of loyal Protestants, friends of the British connexion, true hearted, tried and trusty men, who have once before freely shed their blood in our behalf, and in behalf of their faith. Against such a body, aided by the power of the Bri tish empire, treason might in vain point the musket, or whet the pike. But if we allow that loyal body to be alienated from us—if we suffer the democratic bill of Lord Morpeth to disgust and to crush that body beneath the feet of trucu lent popery ; then, indeed, we may have to enter upon a straggle in which, although the result may perhaps be not doubtful, yet the value of success would be doubtful indeed. And if we procrastinate still longer ;—if we allow the same democratic principles to be introduced into the bosom of England herseW, the struggle to retrieve the ruined fortunes of protestantism in Ireland will become hopeless altogether, until we are driven to risk our all upon one decisive field ; to strike for our own altars, and to fight by our own desolated hearthstones! Fellow Protestants, can you allow such a calamity, in open day, and with the voice of warning in your cars, to approach your liberties, and to invade your dwellings ? You cannot ! The time to gird on the armour of the constitu tion—if you wish to avert the arrival of a fierce rebellion—is And when the last daring defiance of your strength is uttered by the lips of popery ; when the bill of Lord Mor peth is flung insultingly in your face by the recreant hands of this base and unprincipled faction ; Let England through all her hills arid vallies echo back your indignant resolve to STAND FIRM FOR THE CONSTITUTION ! Let the deathless words of the boys of Derry startle the ear of popery, as they rise in the proud and fearless shout of—" No SURRENDER." A PROTESTANT ENGLISH MAN. Liveipool, 27th March, 1841. THE LIVERPOOL PERMANENT GALLERY OF ART, We are glad to find that the prospect of a permanent gal lery of art in Liverpool is likely to be established. If those who possess, or pretend to possess, a love for the fine arts will only now bestir themselves, the happiest results will en sue, and however small the gallery may be at first, it will at any rate be a nucleus which our children and children's chil dren will prove grateful to us for forming. Most gratifying is the following extract from the report of the Royal Insti tion "At the last annual meeting, the committee were autho rised to expend the sum of £1,200 in the formation of a per manent Gallery of Art, provided that a corresponding amount were subscribed by the public. Your committee lost no time in procuring the plans and estimates for the building, and in making their appeal to the public for assistance, having little doubt that the required sum would be quickly subscribed. In this expectation they were for a time disappointed ; the sub scriptions received fell far short of the amount calculated upon, and your: committee were seriously apprehensive that the project must be abandoned. Within a very short period, however, of the present time, their prospects have greatly brightened. Many additional subscriptions —some most li beral in their amount—have been received ; and they now fully anticipate that, when next they meet the proprietors, a gallery will be completed on a scale creditable to the Institu tion and the town of Liverpool." The formation of a permanent gallery of art in Liverpool would give us and many more, inexpressible delight. We have so frequently expressed our opinions upon the subject of the influence of the fine arts upon society, that we feel unwilling to obtrude them again on our readers. But the contemplation of the works of the great masters of painting, those " Rare artisans, whose pencils move Not our delights alone, but love," is one that will repay any one for the time the/bestow upon it. That which becomes at first a mere pastime and an idle amusement, will at length become a passion —and a study, as varied and interesting as any other which can excite or en gage the teeming and inquisitive mind. The artists of this town—and there are some who show a promise of future excellence—ought warmly to enlist their wealthy friends to promote the establishment of a permanent gallery of art, for they will be most materially benefitted. How can they improve themselves without carefully studying the works of those perfections of art which time has stamped as invaluable, and judgment has declared to be genuine ? How can they expect to excel without observing and ex amining to the very groundwork those brilliant efforts—those immortal productions held in such high veneration and es teem ? The artists of the present day in vain attempt to out strip those illustrious Prometheuses whose magic pencils and whose busy fancies have given life to their subjects and vigour to their canvas. Let not modern painters, as is too often the case, decry the.works of the ancients and those of the middle ages. Let not the artists of our time, who contemplate with such serenity and ineffable delight their own works—many of which, when compared to those they attempt to decry, are mere daubs—despise and condemn their predecessors, but rather let them hold them up as worthy of imitation, and as standards of that perfection which their emulation should stimulate them to approach, for they cannot excel in excel lence. In a mercantile community like ours, although our merchants and tradesmen are deeply engaged in the soul absorbing occupation of making money, we hope that they still cherish a wish to see the arts and sciences flourish. The first show their taste in their private mansions and dwellings, and whoever walks through our streets must be struck with the architectural beauty of the buildings, while the shops of the latter display taste in the arrangement of wares and the mode of placing them in a tempting and pleasing as well as effective position. And are not these signs of taste existing ? Most assuredly. And a constant observation of the works of imagination or reality will improve and encourage that taste. Let us look at a picture, and see how many trades derive a profit from it, before it is placed with its pleasing face be fore the spectator. To begin with the frame. The ship owner is interested, to say nothing of the growers and the hewers of the wood, for his vessel brings it over sea. It then passes through the hands of the merchant, broker, and deal er, before it comes into the hands of the frame-maker ; and he requires the aid of the glue-maker and the tool-manufac turer before he can put it together. Then comes the canvas. The shipowner has to bring over the material of which it is constructed ; and what a train of trades must it not pass through before it can come into the painter's hands, w ith its groundwork prepared? Next we havelthe colours, varnishes, brushes, and palettes, by which an almost endless variety of trades are brought into requisition before they can be used, and the artist seat himself to ponder upon and work out his subject. When finished, the gilder, with another string of trades at his heels, must be employed. And then there is the artist himself. His class—composed of numerous and highly intellectual men—deserves encouragement in every way ; and we must confess that we like to look upon speci mens of his handiwork, from the rough and rude production of a self-taught village limner, as it hangs:in the cottage of the peasant, to the matchless production of a Correggio adorning the walls of a palace. Let not the scheme of a permanent gallery of art be neg lected. An opportunity now occurs of commencing it, by the purchase of a matchless specimen or two from a noble collection now in this town ; and if it can only be once com menced, we know that in the course of a very few years it will become the pride and boast of the port of Liverpool. Strangers will inquire for it as the first object worthy of no tice ; and while they will admire us for our enterprise as commercialists, they will honour us for our taste. Trix MnANNEss OF PRIDE. - Sir Lambert Blackwel and the Duke of St. Alban's strove which could outshine the other in parade and splendour. On one occasion, the Duke being engaged to dine with the Knight, found him dressed in a most superb brocade of Lyons manufacture. Shortly afterwards, the Knight returned the visit, and the Duke had taken care to provide a suit of clothes of the same costly materials for the servant who waited behind his chair. —On this subject, there is a good anecdote reported of Diogenes. Being once at Olympia, he perceived at that ce lebrated festival, some young men of Rhodes arrayed most magnificently. Smiling he exclaimed, " This is pride !" Afterwards meeting with some Lacedernonians in a mean and sordid dress, he said, " And this also is pride !" Diogenes,; nevertheless, went not without his rubs' on the same vanity. Visiting Plato at his villa, and perceiving that the floors were beautifully spread with carpets of the richest wool and finest dye, stamped hi s f oo t w i t h sar d on i c scorn, he exclaimed, " Thus do I tread on the pride of Plato !" With greater pride !" mildly replied the discerning Plato. VALE OF CLWYD.—The fertile tract of valley in which St. Asaph is situated, known as the Vale of Clwyd, extends not less than twenty-five miles in length, and varies from six to eight in width. It commences beyond Ruthin, and run ning northward, contains also the towns of Denbigh and St. Asaph, coming to a termination at Rhuddlan, where the Clwyd becomes a tide river. The first burst of the valley of the Clwyd , as it op ens on the spectator from beneath the ruins of Diserth Castle , is surpassingly beautiful. North ward is a length of twelve miles of coast, forming the boundary of the vale, with the sea beyond ; immediately below, a rich tract of land, dotted over with farms, the river, winding its course beneath the Castle of Rhuddlan, which carries the eye towards the sterile district around the rapidly rising town of Rhvl ; on the opposite side of the val e , G wryc h C ast l e i s seen, perched like an eagles nest on the side of a rock—the town of Abergely—Kinmel, the sumptuous abode of Lord Dinorben—the tower of Bo dlew yd da n Castle, peeping over a forest of oak—Pengwern , the reaidence of Lord Mostyn, and, ath edral _ r terminating ronit the osseceonee,s Wales, new edition, , the bold outli ne o f St. A sa ph C now pub lishing in monthly parts. SKETCH OF CRESSWELL CRESSWELL, ESQ., M.P. FOR LIVERPOOL. The idea of writing a sketch of Mr. Cresswell, M.P. for Liverpool, (says a correspondent of the Britannia,) has led me to make one observation, which, on consi deration, I find to be well founded ; there are no rising young men on the liberal, side of the House of Com mons. By rising young men it is understood young men likely to rise in the house on the score of their parliamentary abilities. Of a certain class of rising young men there are some individuals on that side, of course; but the claims on which their prospects are founded are of a very different kind. Such men are, for instance, Mr. Tom Duncombe, Mr. Wakley, Mr. Hawes, et id genus omne. Perhaps, also, one might ex cept from the sweeping censure a few individuals, such as Mr. Charles ISullgr, or Mr. Vernon Smith, a gentle man of considerable ability, who is, unfortunately, ra pidly dwindling down into a government hack; but their pretensions are not of that order to excite the hopes of the public with regard to their probable fu ture efforts. On the conservative side, however, there are several members who may be fairly looked upon as rising men—men who have already established their title to the reputation of talent, and who would be trusted, should any of the present leaders retire, or should the public, from any unforseen circumstances, be deprived of their services. To pass over Sir. Wm. Follett, whose parliamentary standing is already among the highest, there are on the conservative side such men as Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Thesiger, Mr. Fitzroy Kelly, Mr. Milnes, all of whom fairly belong to the class of members already indicated. It might be worth while to inquire into the cause of this apparent ano maly, for if the principles of liberalism are what they are vaunted to be, surely they ought to attract all the young, ardent, and talented minds of the country, and conservative principles on the other hand ought to be embraced only by the worn-out minds, the ignorant, the bigoted, and the prejudiced. The solution lies in the fact, that men seldom evince talents, as they seldom achieve wit, unless they have fixed ideas and principles which their wit or their talent are employed in illus trating. The wittifist man is generally he who has a humorously bigoted attachment to some leading idea or prejudice, and his wit consists in placing that idea or prejudice in all imaginable shapes, and so eliciting amusement; either by the inherent ludicrousness of his views or their pointed contrast with the opposite ideas. So, in the more ordinary operations of the mind, he who is engaged in illustrating a foregone conclusion, has more scope for his talents and more means of dis playing their ingenuity and variety than he who is wandering in a sea of doubt without principle for his guide, and who must first convince himself of the truth or rationality of what he is about to utter before he dare submit it to the comprehension of his auditor. 1 am inclined to think that this circumstance will be found to account in a great measure for the great su periority of talent on the conservative side. It might be said that education is on their side, but that only makes more strongly for the argument, to say nothing of the fact that some of the most effective speakers on the liberal side are men who have never received a re gular classical education. Mr. Cresswell is certainly a rising member on the conservative side, and his suc cessful advocacy of the long-disputed Danish claims, on a late occasion, renders him an object of temporary interest. He is a man much valued by his party, be cause he brought into parliament a considerable legal reputation, which was the immediate cause of his elec tion for the second commercial community in the empire. He by no means requires, however, that claim, in order to make him a valued representative; for during his short parliamentary career he has dis played talents for business, and a tact and self-posses sion as a speaker, which make him a man very fit to be trusted where those qualities are particularly required. He never says too much on a subject, and what he does say is complete in itself, and quite to the point. It would be well for the public could other honourable members be brought into the same state of sanity ; there would be fewer long speeches, more practical business would be done, and constituencies would not be so often deceived. From these remarks it will be inferred that Mr. Cresswell does not aspire to play the orator—a quality which, in these days of bungling tyroism, amounts to a positive virtue. Such men are invaluable; men who come into parliament, not to dis play themselves before the public eye, but to practically serve their constituents to the best of their ability. They disdain to make cats'-paws of the newspaper re porters, by delivering speeches eternally, in order to save themselves the trouble and expense of visiting their constituents. Mr. Cresswell, in fact, generally confines his parliamentary efforts to questions either directly interesting to his own constituents, or to the whole mercantile world, except when some legal sub ject is before the house, on which his experience would be of value. When called upon, by the exigencies of party, to speak on the great party topics, though he al was acquits himself well, yet he does not seem to take a pleasure in that kind of occupation. His style of speaking is plain and straightforward; and, I would also add, quite unaffected, but for a peculiar manner which he has, that might go to contradict the latter as- sumption, were it not that I believe the peculiarity to be one of manner only. For Mr. Cresswell's mind is quite masculine, and is really utterly incapable of any thing like affectation, being decidedly a practical man. But those who have observed him pleading in a court of law will recognise what I allude to, when I say that he has a peculiarly effeminate mode of address that would lead you to believe him affected. It was a long time before I could get over the black kiel gloves in which it is his pleasure to plead, or the habit which he has of constantly pressing together the gloved and ex tended fingers of both hands in an angle upwards from his chest, like a pert dogmatist propounding. Yet I do really believe that he is not affected, and that his apparent effeminacy proceeds only from an excessive politeness of disposition. In fact, his style of address, whether at the bar or in the house, resembles that of an amiable and accomplished gentleman in a ball-room, talking complimentary badinage to a pretty woman, of whom he does not stand very much in awe. Mr. Cresswell's personal appearance goes, perhaps, to help this delusion, for he is more handsome than the gene rality of men, has fine eyes, and a - fine set of teeth, which as he is a good-natured man, and almost always laughing, he constantly displays very much, to the im provement of the general expression of the counte nance. His forehead is high. and intelligent, and his eyebrows are particularly well marked, and arched. He is well, if not symmetrically, made, and his whole appearance is as unlike that of a successful lawyer as can be well conceived. I should prefer not to have him my rival in a love affair. Strange to say, he always dresses soberly in deep black; , but, neverthe less, I should say he takes great pains in tying his neckcloth. The events of Mr. Cresswell's life up to his entrance into parliament, were confined to his suc cesses at the bar, which were latterly very rapid. He is a Queen's counsel. His return for Liverpool took place in 1837, when he ousted Mr. Ewart. He is the son of a gentleman named Easterby, resident at Black heath, who took the name of Cresswell, on marrying an heiress of that name. THE PRACTICE OF NAVIGATION (Front the Times.) Desirous at all times to call attention to every wor. of merit calculated to advance the interests of our vase marine, we think we cannot too earnestly recommend to the notice of nautical men the production of a treatise purporting to facilitate the practice of naviga tion—we allude to a work recently published by Lieut. Raper, R.N., Secretary to the Royal Astronomical So ciety, entitled " The Practice of Navigation and Nau tical Astronomy." The feeling which could induce this gifted officer to devote so many years of slavish toil to the attainment of a purpose at once so laudable, and indeed consi derate, as that of diminishing and lightening labour in others, will doubtless be duly appreciated by every mariner competent to estimate the magnitude of the task undertaken, and the utility and importance of the end achieved. The treatise before us we believe to be the first pro, duced by a practical seaman, uniting to an unusual share of scientific attainment sufficient of professsional experience to take into account every probable case or cause of obstruction afloat likely to militate against the success of long solutions, elaborate, or laborious " reckoning." Sailors have a great predilection for " short scores"—long calculations, like long speeches, are their utter aversion. Nor will the nature of a sea faring life always admit of time to obtain results through the medium of complicated " methods," producing, as it were, a multitudinous mass of figures. For these, and other well-matured reasons to be found in the pre face of his work, Mr. Raper has contrived to furnish for the practitioner (too frequently at sea the slave of time) short and ready rules, which in every required case at once abridge and render comparatively facile the process of computation. Who but a clear-sighted seaman could have seen the necessity of effecting in figures a radical reform ? How often does it happen, that in a short-handed vessel, returning from a distant voyage in the season of winter, the mate and master, all anxiety to ascertain the " ship's place," are suddenly called from the work of computation, compelled to drop slate, and " clap on a clew-line," in order to shorten sail and save their " complaining spars ?" in situations of a similar nature which call for immediate manual aid—the help of every hand aboard save the hend at the helm—the mate and master (not tranquil lised more in mind), subsequently finding their slates in the " lee scuppers, or water-ways" of the vessel, are compelled in anxious suspense to watch the weather, so as to take advantage of the first favourable lull which may seem to afford sufficient time to attempt another trial at solving the question s o much desi re d. Thi s may be the determination of the latitude by means of " two altitudes of the sun" obtained at intervals apart; the solution of which, by following the customary me thods given in other works, becomes a matter of reckoning puzzling in the extreme, and, indeed, often beyond the comprehension of the mariner, fatigued both in body and mind. What, then, is the. result ? The sought solution ends in total failure, the two corn putors giving it up as unattainable, having no desire to be swamped, or swept away in a flood of figures. Under such circumstances —cases of constant inter ruption, so trying to the nautical temper—it surely cannot be considered a matter of marvel that the ma jority of seamen, particularly those employed in the merchant service, should manifest something of distaste for calculations of a complicated nature. Indeed, we question whether a veritable blue-water mariner would not as soon, or nearly as soon, undergo the torture of listening to erne of the senseless and long-winded ora tions of a certain senatot , notorious for his narrow : minded opposition to everything which relates to the well-being of our wooden walls, as attempt the task of wading through the " sea of troubles" which, by the way of formuke, are to be found in works we would cite, purporting to assist the unitiated in nautical science.f But, indeed, " extreme brevity of solution" is not the only attractive feature of our author's work. The stu dent, practitioner, and even the teacher, will not only find much Chat is new,- interesting, and instructive to seamen, but also many useful precautionary hints, with a fund of valuable lore, unaccountably omitted in other productions of a similar nature. In the pages of Mr. Raper's Practice we meet with no superfluous book making matter (would that we could say the same in all elementary works.) Each table, rule, and precept, appears in the place best calculated to facilitatg prac tice, and no ordinary pains seems to have been taken in the important particular of preserving uniformity in the . design and system of computation. The rule designated the " Degree of Dependence" (the name speaks for itself) we prize much, and only regret it cannot be made available in cases of political practice. Mr. Raper (and we think no one will dispute his ap preciation of the subject) seems to set a high value on " precision in maritime positions." Accuracy in this respect, as navigation advances to perfection, becomes a matter of increasing importance, because, as Mr. Raper very properly observes, " where longitudes are well 'determined, the error of a chronometer may be ascertained on every occasion of making the land." For this, and other reasons which must be obvious to all maritime men, no inconsiderable pains have been taken to produce correct data in the latitudes and longitudes of the numerous geographical positions necessary to appear in the pages of our author's Prac tice; the attainment of which, as the computor informs the reader in his preface, " has been a very laborious task, and cause of great delay in the appearance of his work." It would be an idle task to attempt, in the columns of a daily paper, anything like a detailed or minute analysis of this inimitable work. Our purpose is more to call attention to its value, and vast utility, particu larly to those who seek surer guidance and safer sailing of the ships and vessels of our commercial marine. In closing our necessarily brief notice of this ser viceable volume, we hesitate not to pronounce it as the only perfect practice (and we are emphatic on the word) we know of on navigation and nautical astronomy ; and, from the many considerations the author has em braced in carrying out his cardinal design—namely, short practice and uniformity in the process of 'com putation, we feel confident it will be hailed by every seaman of sense, every master-mariner, and merchant mate who can appreciate the value of time afloat, in the light of a friendly and welcome work. * In one practical work of pretension we find thirteen different methods given to work out " a lunar observation," and out of these several unrecommended modes the unprac tised computor is left to choose for himself, and to trust to chance in the selection of the method he may adopt. It is these street-showman-like " which-ye-please" sort of me thods which give to seamen such distaste for figures. For instance, " adjustment of the compass," height and description of lighthouses, spherical traverse table, used in great circle sailing, and throughout the practice of nauti cal astronomy, and tabulating rules, by which the distinction of cases is made by ocular instead of by mental means—in other words, by referring to the eye instead of to the mind. These tabulating rules are quite new, and are.singularly happy in producing ready results. For example—A ship from India to the Cape of Good Hope makes the land unex pectedly. The ship is in east longitude, sailing west, and it becomes desirable to ascertain whether the chronometer has gained or lost. A single glance at the tabulating rules de cides the question, and shows that the chronometer has " gained less, or lost more, than allowed for." $ To wit ie quackery under the respective heads—" How to- clear for action," and " how to survey a coast when sail ing along it." On these subjects see the erudite cifrections of John Hamilton Moor. SINGULARLY ROMANTIC STORY. " Truth stranger than Fiction." The Droit furnishes us with the following singular story : " In 1829, M. S., a Frenchman, arrived in London from Paraguay, where he had passed fifteen years in the service of the arbitrary and eccentric Dr. Francia. Soon after his arrival M. S. formed a close intimacy with a fellow-coun tryman, who lived in the same. hotel, to whom he related his whole history, informing him that he was about to pro ceed to Paris to see his only relation, an uncle, who was an honorary canon of the chapter of St. Denis, with a fortune amounting to 15,000 f. a-year, to which he, M. S., was the only legitimate heir, and that he had with him in his trunk all the necessary documents for proving his identity, as he doubt ed whether his uncle, who was eighty years of age, would recollect him. It was agreed between the two friends that they should set out together for France, but in the evening before the day fixed for their departure, M. S. was arrested and taken to Worship-street, on a charge of having forged some Bank of England notes. His pocket-book, which he had about him, was examined, and in it were ten notes, four of which were ascertained to be forged : M. S. was com mitted. On reaching the prison he sent for his friend M. B. and received for answer that he was gone with M. S.'s bag gage and his own on board a steam-packet, having first paid their joint bills. It was in vain that poor S. stated and proved these circumstances, and protested that the forged notes were received by him of B. He was brought to trial, convicted, sentenced to be transported for ten years, and sent to Botany Bay. In the meantime B. came to Paris, presented himself to the old canon as his nephew, assuming his name, and, by means of the documents in hia possession, so completely im posed himself upon the aged ecclesiastic as his nephew, that when he died two years afters he made the pretender sole in heritor by wilt of all his property. After a lapse of eleven years, M. S. was at last carried back from Botany Bay to London, and thence made his way to Paris. After two months' search, M. S. has discovered the retreat of 8., and claimed the fortune and name of which he had been robbed by him. B. of course, maintains himself to be the true nephew, and proclaims the claimant to be the imposter. A suit is about to be commenced which cannot fail of being long and intricate; for not only will it be difficult for S. to maintain his case by proofs, on account of his many years' absence from France, but it is a question whether he is not precluded by the law of prescription. The interest of this case is greatly heightened by the circumstance that 'B. has for the last six years been living in one of the northern towns of France making a most honourable use of his wealth, was two years ago married to the daughter of one of the greatest landowners of the department, and had, it is said, in con templation to offer himself as a candidate for the Chamber of Deputies at the next election. LOVE OF CHILDREN. — TeII me not of the trim, precisely arranged homes where there are no children ; where, as the good German has it, " the ily-flaps always hang straight on the wall ;" tell me not of the never disturbed nights and days of the tranquil, unanxious hearts where children are not. I care not for these things. God sends children for another purpose than merely to keep up the race—to enlarge our hearts, to make us unselfish and full of kindly sympathies and affections ; to give our souls higher aims, and to call out all our faculties ; to extend enterprise and exertion ; to bring round our fireside bright faces and happy smiles, and loving tender hearts. My soul blesses the great Father every day that he has gladdened the earth with little children ! Hope on! Hope for ever !—By Mary Iloivitt. FAUNTLEROY, WHO WAS HANGED, ALIVE.—It may seem strange, but it is no less true, that there are strong opinions abrcad that Fauntleroy, the banker, who was several years ago convicted of and hanged for forgery, is now living with his son in America. So strong are the opinions on that point, that about nine months past his executors, in answer to a bill in equity, filed against them respecting his property, put in an, affidavit prayinc , time to inquire after him, as, from report and hearsay, they believed that he was alive. It appears that a proprietor of a large hotel in Marylebone, chose name was was Pearse, died childless, bequeathing his property to his nephew, and appointed Fauntleroy executor. The nephews, who were wild young men, were, at the period of their uncle's death, either in the army or navy. The friends of the nephews, mistrusting Fauntleloy, insisted upon his vesting the money left by the uncle in the funds. This Fauntleroy did ; but afterwards sold it out, with the ex ception of £l4O. After Fauntleroy's supposed executipn one of the nephews returned, and having been informed that a legacy had been bequeathed him instituted proceedings against Fauntleroy's executors to account for that property. A bill was consequently filed against' them in th e Vi ce - Chancellor's Court, and . the executors, in reply, stated their belief that Fauntleroy was not hanged to death, but that he was alive with his son in America. Having put in an affidavit to that effect, the court granted nine months to make the necessary inquiries. The nine months will terminate next term. It is said most confidently that Fauntleroy had a protection around his neck against the rope, that he was suspended but a very short period, and that as soon as he was cut down he was conveyed to a house in West Smithfield, where the necessary remedies were im mediately and successfully applied. All this, it is supposed, was done with privity of the Government and the officers of justice. Be the report well founded or not, the affidavit was made, and the time alluded to was granted for instituting the necessary inquiries respecting the existence or non-existence of a wretched man, around whose neck it is said, the rope virtually was for 14 years previous to his conviction, as he was a forger for that period.—[This is a strange story, Fauntleroy may he alive, but we saw him executed, and saw him hanging for some time. If the answer to the bill be not put in till Fauntleroy be found alive, we fear the delay will be longer than even a Chancery suit.]—Evening Paper. About three months since, a physician residing in Paris, Laving been present at a brilliant soiree, given by an ac . . quainiance, was returning to his domicile, in the rue de Pon thieu, on foot, when, while going slowly along the faubourg St. Honor 6, he was accosted by a genteelly-dressed young man, who, without any ceremony, said, " Sir, if before noon to morrow I cannot provide myself with the sum of fifteen hundred francs, I am a lost, a dishonoured man. That sum you have about you—you have been playing cards this even- mg at the house you have just left, and you have been very 'ortunate. Denial is useless, for I was present. I wish you ;c1 lend me that sum, whichwill save a family from dishonor tud despair. If you refuse to lend it me, this is for you, and the fellow of it for me (showing while he spoke a brace of pistols). If, on the contrary, you consent to render me this service, I swear, by all I hold sacred, that the sum shall be faithfully restored to you before the expiration of six months. Decide then, quickly, I beg of you." The doctor was not armed, and his loan compeller seeming very determined, he thought his most prudent plan was to yield with a good face, and handed over the sum, which the young gentleman put in his pocket, and wished his kind lender good night, renewing his promise that the money should be punctually returned, with interest, at the tune specified. The doctor, it may be supposed, placed little faith in the promise, and put himself down as robbed. A few days since he was taking a stroll in the garden of the 'I uilleries, when he was accosted - by a young and elegantly dressed female, who asked him if his name was not ? On his replying in the affirmative; she added,— " Sir, to you I am indebted for my life, and what is dearer, my honour. Those are obligations which cannot be cancell ed ; but in addition to that, 1 owe you the sum of 1,500 f, with interest." " What do you mean," replied the doctor, " I have not the honour of your acquaintance." " That matters not," replied the lady. " Take this pocket book, 1 beg of you ; you will there find the sum I men ti one d. T a k e it quickly," she added, seeing the doctor h es it a t e d. "My husband may be here in a moment, and this transaction must he a profound secret between you and I." Saying this, she disappeared, leaving i . n the hands of the astonished doctor the pocket book, which, on examination, he found to contain bank notes to the amount of 3,000 f! ',TARIETIES. ANECDOTE OF LOUIS PIIILIPPE.—May we be permitted here to relate a recent anecdote of his Majesty, at once ex tremely characteristic, and indicative of a superior mind. A very distinguished English nobleman, Lord B had the honour of dining with the King in that uncere monious Manner in which he delights to with4l:aw himself from the trammels of state, the conversation was carried on as if between equals, and his Majesty, inter alia, remarked, that " lie was the only sovereign now in Europe fit to fill a throne." Lord B—m, somewhat staggered by this piece of egotism, muttered out some trite compliments upon the great talents for government which)lis royal entertainer had always displayed, &c., &c., when the King burst into a fit of laughter, and exclaimed—" No, no, that is not what I mean ; but kings are at such a discount in our days, there as no saying what may happen; and I am the only monarch who has cleaned his own boots,and could do it again!"—Literary Gazette. a, having AN EVER-BURNING FiAmi. , --A paper was lately read at the Royal Irish Academy, by Mr. G. .1. Knox, " On a Principle for producing an Ever-burning Flame." " A be lief," he observed, " in the discovery of an ever-burning lamp appears to have been prevalent in all ages ; and tradi tion informs us that lamps have been found in tombs where they have continued burning for upwards of 1,000 years, of which mention has been made in the works of St. Austin, Plutarch, Pliny, Ludovicus Vives, Baptista, Porta, and Licetus. The Rosicrucians, who laid claim to the know ledge of everything mysterious, pretended to have re-disco vered the secret of their construction, which was supposed to have been buried in the tomb of their founder. Dr. Plott, in a treatise which he has written upon this subject, alluded to a lamp mentioned by St. Austin in his book De Civitate Dei, which was hung up in the temple of Venus ; and to another found in the tomb of Pallas the Arcadian, who was slain by Turnius in the Trojan war, which continued to burn after its removal from the tomb and exposure to the air—proving that these lamps were not supplied from any bituminous source, or volcanic fire. He considers the requisites for an ever-burning lamp to be,—a perpetual wick, which might be made of gold wire, or asbestos; and a perpetual supply of fuel, which he imagines the bituminous springs of Pitchford, in Shropshire, or the inflammable gases issuing from fissures in coal mines, would afford. That such could supply fuel for a flame, so long as the bituminous spring existed, or the gas con tinued to exhale froth the mines, is evident; but it no more deserves the appellation of an ever-burning lamp, than does a fire arising from any volcanic source. The desideratum for such a lamp is, that it should contain, within itself, a re novating principle, such as, probably, does the luminous • atmosphere encompassing the body of the sun, supposed by Sir William Herschel to be electrical. That electricity was the kinciple upon which such a lamp could be constructed having occurred to me some years ago, I reflected upon the different means by which a constant light could be produced from this source, and concluded that, if by an at r.igement of metals, a thermo-electric current could be produced of sufficient intensity to decompose water, the heat produced by the burning of the two gases arising from the decomposition would be sufficient, when applied to the alternate metallic junctions, to continue the electrical current of the thermo electric pile; while the gases, which in burning become aque ous vapour, might be condensed by passing through a long tube, through which being conveyed to the closed vessel in which the water had been originally placed, they would again undergo decomposition, recombination, and condensation. Such athermo-electric arrangement has been discovered by Prof. Botto, of Turin, who has obtained decomposition of water from a series composed of a great number of wires of platinum and iron. To prevent the apparatus from acquiring in time the same temperature, the alternate junctions of the metals, to which the heat is not applied, might be connected with the pedestal upon which the lamp is placed : and the pedestal be either allowed to rest in a cold situation, or . else be connected by wires with some extensive cooling surface." STATISTICS FOR ALL.—In Great Britain the number of individuals in a state to bear arms, from the age of 16 to 60, is 2,744,847. The number of marriages is about 98,030 yearly ; and it has been reckoned, that in 63 of these unions there were only three which had no issue. The number of deaths is about 362,700 yearly, which makes nearly 25,492 monthly, 6,398 weekly, 914 daily, and 40 hourly. The deaths among the women are, in proportion to the men, as 50 to 54. The married women live longer than those who continue in celibacy. In the country the mean term of the children pro duced by each marriage is four, in towns the proportion is seven for every two marriages. iThe number of married women is to the general number of individuals of the sex, as one to three ; and the number of married ►nen to that of the male sex, as three to live. The number of widows is, to that of widowers, as three to one; but the number of widows who marry again is, to that of widowers in the same case, as seven to four. The individuals who inhabit elevated situations live longer than those who reside in less elevated situations. The half of the individuals die before the age of seventeen years. The number of twins is, to that of ordinary births, as 1 to 65. According to calculations, founded on the bills of mor tality, one individual only in 3,126 attains the age of 100. The number of births of the male sex is, to that of the female sex, as 96 to 95.—Edinburgh Philosophical Journal. SHAKSPERE ' S SIGNATURE.—The curious in such matters may remember, that about three years ago much interest was excited by a book being brought to the hammer (at Evan's), with " Willm. Shakspere" inscribed on its title-page : it was the first and folio edition of the English translation of " Mon taigne's Essays," by John Florio, printed 1603. That sold for £100: it was bought by Pickering, as was understood, for the British Museum. Previously to the discovery of that book and autograph, according to Sir F. Madden's observa tions on that autograph of Shakspere, and the orthography of his name, communicated to the Society of Antiquaries, by Sir F. Madden, in a letter to Mr. John Gage, director, there were only five acfcnowledged.genuine signatures of Shakspere in existence. Of those, three are attached to his will in the Prerogative Court, executed on the 25th of March, 1615-16; the fourth is written on a mortgage deed, dated the 11th of March, 1612-13, of a small estate purchased by Shakspere of Henry Walker, in Blackfriars ; and the fifth on the coun terpart of the deed of bargain and sale of the same property, dated the 10th of March, 1612-13. It is in a good state of preservation, except in the folds, where the writing is slightly injured. It is in the engrossing hand of the period. DESTRUCTIVE ENGINES IN WARFARE.—As a recent in vention for blowing up and destroying ships or towns has of late excited considerable curiosity, the annexed extract from the travels of Count Falkenstein, (Joseph 11., Emperor of Germany,) will be read with interest :—•` A native of Dau phiny, by name of Dupre, who had spent his life in cultivating the science of chymistry, invented a kind of fire, so rapid, and so devouring, that it could be neither avoided nor extin guished : water, instead of destroying it, gave it new force. Various experimen& were tried with it on the Canal of Ver. sailles, in the presence of the King (Louis YV.), which were repeated at the arsenal of Paris, and in several seaports. The most intrepid soldiers trembled at the effects of so dia bolical an invention, and considered it with the same horror that the ancient knights felt at the discovery of gunpowder. Being convinced that one man, assisted by such an art, could destroy a fleet, or burn a city, the king commanded Dupre never to communicate his secret, and paid him for his si lence. His Majesty, however, was at that time engaged in a ruinous war; the English braved him in his harbours, and every day he suffered losses and disgrace. He could easily have destroyed his enemies, but he preferred to suffer rather than to augment the evils of humanity. Dupree is since dead, and his dangerous secret lies buried with him." WHAT ENGLAND HAS DONE : WHAT IT HAS YET TO DO.—The earth-works on most of the great lines of railway in England are very extensive, in many cases averaging from 100,000 to 150,000 cubic yards per mile. On the North Mid land Railway from Derby to Leeds, a distance of 72i miles, about 9,500,000 yards of earth were moved, being more than 130,000 cubic yards per mile. During part of the time that the works were in progress, from 9,000 to 10,000 men, assisted by.eighteen steam-engines, were employed, besides great numbers of horses. Temporary stables were erected, and the agriculturists in the vicinity obtained large supplies of manure, an advantage from which they had previously been excluded on account of their distance from towns. The quantity of earth and stone removed in forming the London and Birmingham Line was about 16,000,000 cubic yards, which, if formed into a belt three feet wide and one would more than encompass the earth at the equator. LoiikL ing at what has been effected in this country, by the labour, ingenuity, and industry of man, we are reminded, says the Penny Magazine, of a striking passage in one of the rhapso dies of Mr. Carlyle :—" Who," he asks, "shall say what work and works this England has yet to do ? For what purpose this land of Britain was created, set like a jewel in the encircling blue of ocean ; and this tribe of Saxons was sent travel ling hitherward ; No man can say ; it was for a work, and for works, incapable of announcement in words. Thou seest them there ; part of them stand done, and visible to the eye ; even these thou canst not name; how much less the others still matter of prophecy ! They live and labour there, these twenty million Saxon men ; they have been borne into this mystery of life out of the darkness of past time :—how changed now since the first father and first mo ther of them set forth, quitting the tribe of Theuth, with passionate farewell, under questionable auspices ; on scanty bullock-cart, if they had even bullocks and a cart, with axe and hunting spear, to subdue a portion of our common planet ! This nation now has cities and seed fields, has spring-vans, dray-waggons, Long-acre carriages, nay, rail way trains ; has coined money, exchange bills. laws, books, war-fleets, spinning jennies, warehouses, and West India Docks ; see what it has built and done, what it can and will yet build and do ! These umbrageous pleasure woods, green meadows, shorn stubble-fields, smooth-sweeping roads ; these high-domed cities, and what they hold and bear ; this mild ' good-morrow' which the stranger bids thee, equitable, nay, forbearant if need were, judicially calm and law-observing towards thee a stranger,—what work has it not cost ? How many brawny arms, generation after generation, sank down wearied ! How many noble hearts, toiling while life lasted, and wise heads that wore themselves dim with scanning and discerning, before this waste White-eV, Albion so called, became a British empire!" MR. TRESIGER.—A curious anecdote is current as to the accident which first brought Mr. Thesiger into notice. The tale is, that, at the Surrey Sessions, he was acting as counsel for a defendant prosecuted by the ExciSc, for smuggling ci gars. The indictment charged that the defendant had smug gled certain quantities of the cigars, in bundles weighing one pound each. The case was so clear that there could be no hope ; the cigars were weighed, and found exactly to tally with the indictment : and all was. supposed to be Over, when Mr. Thesiger remarked that his client was not indicted for smuggling straws, but cigars ; and he demanded that the straws which, in accordance with the then custom, were passed through the cigars, should be withdrawn, and the bun dles again weighed. It is needless to add that, with the per mission of the judge, who did not even affect to preserve his gravity, they were placed again in the balance, and being found under weight, the defendant was of course acquitted, and the reputation of this shrewd advocate made for ever. The tale is quite consistent with the learned gentleman's character. DAY OF ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND.—It is now admitted by all persons possessing any knowledge of the southern he misphere that the Bay of Islands has established itself as the most important locality of all the explored regions of New Zealand ; and to those who have been sufficiently interested in the success of the new and important colonies in that lati tude, it will have been fully manifested that the tide of popular choice has fully set in in favour of the site where the British government has established itself. The arrival of each suc ceeding ship in the country has brought intelligence tending still more to confirm the favourable impressions gradually developing themselves in England towards the Bay of Islands; and it is now confidently believed that, as its many advanta ges become more generally known, and the additional infor mation emanating from private individuals colonising these, which continually appears in the public j ourna l s, become diffused throughout Europe, the Bay of islands must inevi tably be the favourite colony with all emigrants. At this juncture, then, when emigration is proceeding with unre strained rapidity, a highly-important sale is advertised by Mr. George Robins to take place early in May, and which consists of a large tract of land situate on the banks of the Great Keddie Keddie River, laving a frontage of many thou sands of feet to that noble estuary, in the heart of the com merce of the country, and in front of the.bay where all the ships from all parts of the world anchor. To all those, there fore, whose prospects of worldly improvement are somewhat dubious in their parent country, and who are about to launch themselves anew in the far south, it will be well if they per. mit these few observations to confirm them in their inten , tions ; and with a view of entering at once into busy occupa tion and profitable mercantile pursuits, let them ponder deeply upon the opportunity now afforded them of purchasing frontage land in the most estimable position of the Bay of Islands, nor wait until they arrive at their destination, where, 'as . a natural consequence, land so importantly situated bears a price of £5OO per cent. more than in England. Several* instances of longevity have occurred recently its the parish of High Easter. On Saturday morning a pauper, named William Brewer, aged 87 years, was found dead in his bed by his grandson, who had been sleeping with him ; and Mrs. Anne Mead, of Blounts Farm, died the, same morning, aged 91 years. Withi n th e l as t th ree wee k s , two vfaupers have died in the sarna.parish—viz., Jane Clift, aged 81, and Sarah Sorrel, 91.—Essex Herald. GAS LIGHTING, LoNnoN.—For lighting London and its suburbs with gas, there are eighteen public gas-works ; twelve public gas-work companies; £2,800,000 capital employed in works, pipes, tanks, gas-holders, apparatus ; £450,000 yearly revenue derived ; 180,000 tons of coals used in the year for making gas ; 1,460,000 cubic feet of gas made in the year ; 134,300 private burners supplied to about 400,000 customers ; 30,100 public, or street consumers ; about 2,650 of these are in the city of London; 380 lamp-lighters employed; 176 gas-holders, several of them are double ones, capable of storing 5,500,000 cubic feet ; 880 tons of coals used in the retorts, in the shortest day, in twenty-four hours ; 7,120,000 cubic feet of gas used in the longest night, say 24th Decem ber ; about 2,500 persons employed in the metropolis alone in this branch of manufacture ; between 1822 and 1826, the consumption was nearly doubled ; and between 1827 and 1837, it was again nearly doubled.—Mr. Hedley, Engineer of Al liance Gas Works, Dublin. DENBIGH.—The town of Denbigh, that is what consti tuted the ancient town from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century, was gathered within the circling walls that ran round the rocky hill, on which stood the fortress; and nothing, perhaps, could better show the altered condition of society than to contemplate, at the same time, the narrow limits marked by the boundary of those crumbling walls, and the cheerful street which now descends the hill in perfect se curity, running away, as it were, from the needless protec tion of the huge fortress, and spreading into the vale, to in vite the foot of the traveller to enter into its peaceful and attractive precincts, The view from that part of the " mu sic mount" which is now used as a bowling-green, is surpass ingly beautiful. Thu eye ranges along the belt of the Clwy dian hills that bound it on either side, with their summits here and there crested into sharp peaks, or occasionally gathered into forms which Mr. Gilpin denominates " heavy and lumpish." Beneath, in the hollow of the vale, the gentle Clwyd, though somewhat of a diminutive stream, curvets in all the wantoness of unrivalled dominion and ample space, tracing the neighbouring lands into all the varieties of figure which correspond with her own capricious course. On all sides the landscape swells into majesty, or subsides into the sweetest recesses of sequestered life. Herds of living and lowing animals gaze over the rich meadows, and flocks of sheep pasture the verdant slips that ascend the'mountain side, or dot the towering steeps like fleecy spots upon a ground of flowering heath. In some favoured tracks the ad venturous plough has already overcome the difficulties of hill culture, and consecrated to Ceres the unfruitful waste, filling her golden horn with the varied treasures of the year. The picture of the Mantuan bard might almost be transferred to the vale of Clwyd : Serunt, et vomere duras Exercent colles ; atque horum asperrimo pascunt —From Roscoe's Wales, new edition SPORTING DID-YOU-EVERS, BY RIGDUM FUNNIDOS: Did you ever know a man confess that he had never been a-hunting in all his life? Did you ever know a man thrown out in a fox-hunt who hadn't cast a shye ? Did you ever see a stage-coachman turn pale ? Did you ever know an angler miss his trout when there was not something the matter, either with the hook or the rod, the line or the reel, the river, the bank, the fish itself, the air, the earth, the sky, the water, the solar system, or Murphy's Almanac? Did you ever know a stout man of opinion that a little man looked well on horse back ? Did you ever know a horse that has just kicked your horse ever known to have kicked before? Did you ever know a modest blacksmith ? Did you ever go pigeon-shooting a second time? Did you ever know a rough rider who was member of more than one Teetotal Society at a time ? Did you ever know a huntsman with agree yourself (or any one else) as to the best cast for hounds at fault? Did you every know a huntsman truly grateful to you for having lifted his hounds during his temporary absence in the rear? Did you ever know a man offer to lend you a horse for a day's hunting— that looked as if he meant it ? Did you ever know a skating or fishing party fixed for Thursday, that the weathercock didn't chop round to due south or north on Wednesday night ? Did you ever...come home from an archery meeting without either a metaphorical hole in your heart, or a real one in your leg ? Did you ever see a lady driving a gig without secretly congratulating yourself that you were not in it ?—Netv Sporting Magazine. HoLYwELL.—Who has not heard of Holywell and its miracle of a spring ! Who has not had his youthful heart stirred within him at the wonderful story of the chaste and beautiful St. Winifred, and her recovered head ! But the Holywell of former days, the place for pilgrims and penitents, is no longer what it was, but has become a bustling manu facturing town, more estimated for its mines, mills, and ma chinery, than for the waters of its far-famed well. The town still, as it formerly did, crowns the brow of an emi nence, which slopes down to the shores of the dee. The stream, which flows from this celebrated spring, and which in early times, carried its healing waters in murmurs that spoke of " promised pleasure" to the gazing sufferers, hav ing upon its banks one solitary mill to supply the hospital brotherhood of Basingwerk with the fine flour of their deli cate simmels, now absolutely roars with the sound of batter ing hammers and battered -anvils, used in the conversion of the ores and metals raised in different parts of Flintshire and Denbighshire, and in fabricating them into copper sheets and copper bolts, rolls of wire, and articles and vessels of all kinds for use and ornament. St. Winifred's well, which gave the name of Holywell to the place, is a powerful spring, throwing up about thirty tons of water per minute, with scarcely any variation in rain or drought, in winter or sum mer. The whole of this structure as it now stands, together with the chapel above, was built by Margaret, mother of Henry VII.; the style partaking of the character of that era, though Mr. Grose is of opinion that portions of it are of much earlier date. The interior work is most beautifully executed, and presents a fine specimen of enriched groining, with carved pendants illustrative of its legend, and sculp tures alluding to the house of Stanley, forming a canopy o ver the well; from whence the water passes under an arch into a large basin, in which the artist of the accompanying engrav ing has introduced several characteristic figures in the act of immersion—no doubt intended to represent the infirm and holy pilgrims of bye-gone days. It would speak favourably to their taste if the well, basin, and building were kept in a more cleanly and careful condition, by the good people of the town ; but the said good people in their justification affirm, that its comparatively neglectbd state is attributable to the proprietorship being disputed by th.'marqu i s of We " — miuster and the authorities of Holywell."—From Roscoe's Wales, new edition, now publishing in monthly parts. FEAST OF THE PASSOVER.—Monday week commenced the grand feast of the Passover among the Jews : during the whole of the week before, the Jews, all over the world, have been busily employed in removing from their houses the vestige of leavened bread ; and on the day previous to this feast com mencing, the master of the house, with a wax light in his hand, enters and examines every room to see that it is per fectly free from leavened bread. The feast lasts eight days, during the whole of which time they neither eat nor drink anything containing yeast. As eight days% holiday would fall particularly heavy on the poorer classes, it is only the two first and the two last days that are kept strictly, they being allowed to follow their various callings during the interme diate four. Formerly the Jews (and a few still keep up the ceremony), would on the first two nights kill a lamb and roast it whole, and all the household, even to the servants of the same faith, assemble together, and the master of the house explains how they were in bondage in Egypt, and how the Lord delivered them by the slaying of the first-born of the Egyptians. This now almost obsolete custom of slay ing a lamb and sprinkling the blood on the door-post has, at different periods, formed the basis on which the enemies of the Jews have founded their charge of imputing to them hu man sacrifices, though the Old Testament expressively in forms us that the Jews were commanded to do so by God, that it should be a sign to the angel of death to pass over those houses; and in commemoration thereof the Jews to this day keep the feast of the Passover. FRENCH SWINDLER.—A wealthy wine-merchant of Ma con, who has also large cellars at Bercy, had arrived from the country to settle some law affairs in Paris, and had made an appointment to meet his attorney a few days ago at the Palais de Justice, being compelled in the settlement of the cause to make a tender in court of the sum of 1700 f.. for which purpose he provided himself with that suns ; he came to Paris for the purpose, accompanied by his young wife. On arriving at the palace du Chfitelet, they found that they had yet an hour to the time of their appointment, and decided on going to a restaurant's in the neighbourhood and taking breakfast. While they were at their meal, two young gen tlemen entered, and, seating themselves at another table close by, began talking in rather a loud tone of a most extensive conflagration which had broken out within the last hour at Bercy, and it was feared that the price of wine would rise in consequence of the large quantity that would doubtless be destroyed. Our merchant pricked up his ears, and handing over the sack in which was the devoted 1700 f, to his wife, told her to make the best of her way to the Valais de Justice, and pay over the money to his attorney, who would be ex pecting him, whilst he ran as fast as he could to Bercy to look after his property there. This arrangement was carried into immediate execution. No sooner had the lady entered the Palais de Justice than she was accosted by a person whom, from his robe, she took for the attorney of her husband, who, addressing her respectfully, asked if her name was not Mad. H—. On her replying in the affirmative, he said he was glad of it, for that lie was afraid they should be too late, the cause had been called on, and he had not a moment to spare. Madame therefore handed over the money to him, and he left her. She took her seat very quietly in the court to wait the arrival of her husband. In about half au hour he came in quite in a fever from his baste ; he had been to Bercy, where he found every thing as he had left it. The story of the fire was a hoax. Ile then asked his wife if she had seen the lawyer, and she replied " Yes, and have given him the money." While pondering on the mischievous hoax that had been played him, the attorney, " the real Simon Pare," came to him, reproached him for the money, as if not imme diately paid into court it would be too late. Our merchant stared ; said the money had been paid some time since by his wife, whom he then introduced to his legal friend. The mystification of the fire then flashed upon thein all. The fire story-teller and the first lawyer were " fellow-workmen," and had managed by the means above related to obtain pos. session of the money, which, it is needless to say, never was paid into court. Information of the mystifiers was given to the police, but no clue to them has yet been found. SHOCKING ACCIDENT AND MIRACULOUS ESCAPE.—A few days since, two workmen in the commune of Fresne, near Couches, had just descended to pursue their usual occupa.. tions in a marl pit, when, as the basket which had serv e d them for thei r d escent was being drawn to the surface, tho sides of the pit gave way, and enclosed them in the abyss. A number of workmen were immediately collected, and set to work ; but as it was considered dangerous to begin from the opening of the pit, fearing a further part of the earth might give way, there was a hope entertained by the engi neers that the men might have had time to make their escape into some of the chambers of the pit before the body of earth fell on them, and it was therefore, determined on that the best mode of proceeding was to sink another shaft, which would lead to the chamber in question. this was immedi ately commenced, mod th 3 wurkthen proceeded with every possible diligence; but it was not until 46 hours after the falling in of the pit that they succeeded in reaching the cham ber, where they were rejoiced to find the men in good health, and unhurt by the accident. It appears that they had had warning of the impending disaster by some small pieces of stone falling down, which alarmed them, and they had just time to escape into the chamber where they were found, ear rying with them a basket containing some provisions, which they had used very sparingly, not knowing how long it might take their comrades to reach their place of refuge. The 4oy of their families may be more readily conceived than describ ed. At one time they state they began to despair of relief, and were suffering from the want of air, but were soon after encouraged by hearing the sound of their deliverers at work, and every minute advancing nearer and nearer to their place of shelter. At one time they had quite given themselves up as lost. After hearing distinctly the sound of the pickaxes working for their relief, they heard a loud sound as if a fur ther quantity of earth had fallen in, and considered that (ill was over, and when they again heard the glad sound of ts labourers, they were restored to hope, and were thus mira culously saved from that most horrible of deaths, starvation. LIVERP 0 OL : TUESDAY, APRIL 13, 1841, „ . PRINTED AND PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY MORNING, BY - JOSHUA FLETCHER LACE, of 88, Mount Pleasant, and LEONARD ADDISON, of 14, Great Orford-street, At No. 4, ST. GEORGE'S CRESCENT, LIVERPOOL.•