The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-12-25 00:00:00

bI:CEIMER 25, 1855.] ° 4 thither the first voyages, nearly two thousand Ibefore Christi an ity. Here Pompey, in a great e defeated the Iberians as the allies of Mithri ' , after havin g d r i ven th em ou t o f G our i a , th e rn Geo rg i a . Th e descendants, or more correctly, s uccesso rs of , those Iberians now form the militia `aledern. and far more powerful Mithridates, and m ustered to check an equ all y a bl e assa il an t, w h o _ against their master's dominions from the oppo- Lurection. li g Oices POWERS OF FAcE.,---When Garrick was Preville, the celebrated French actor, invited 1 his villa, and, b e i ng i n a ga y h umour , h e pro ,to go in o n e o f th e hi re d coac h es th a t regu l ar l y „°etween Paris and Versailles, o n w hi c h roa d "e s villa was situated. When they got in, ordered the coachman to drive on ; but the answered that he would as soon as he zot his -ent of four passengers. A caprice immediately Garrick : he determined to give his brother ,a specime n o f hi s ar t. Whil e th e coac h man a ttentively looking out for passengers, Garrick at at the door, went round the coach, and by iderful command of countenance, palmed him the coachman as a stranger. This he did Al was admitted each time into the coach as a 'enger, to the astonishment and admiration le. Garrick whipped out a third time, and, -ressed himself to the coachman, who said in tone, " that he had already got his comple and would have driven off without him had 31 1 e called out that, as the stranger appeared fery little man, they would accommodate the and make room for him. OF THE GREEKS.—The Faraniotes dress Inch fashions, and ride on English saddles. . a purified Greek ; they know French, and A. languages ; they resemble other European their wives are ladies who get their gowns iris. In a hundred years there will be no 'kars. Now the Greek race is, so to say, it° two nations, of which one is imperceptibly away into the other ; the future is for the . _ Between the Palikars and the Farani- nearer to the latter, are the islanders ; they seamen or traders, generally both at once. Ar the red cap,. with a particular fold, a short and the immense Turkish trowsers. It is a observing, that the so-called national cos he Greeks is borrowed either from the Turks nans. King Otho, to show his patriotism the himself popular, put on, on feast-days, the a small nation of Slays ; and the sailors of distinguish themselves from the barbarians adorn themselves with a Turkish costume. 1, of whatever condition or whatever origin, beard and wear the moustache ; they let the when in mourning. Dandies, who wear in the European fashion, are thought ill of Citizens. The Palikars think it good taste to seir waists immoderately. It is the men that /S : and as the Greek race is thin and nervous, ' as the Turk is heavy and powerful, when you People assembled in an open space, you can Yourself amonc , the wasps of Aristophanes.— and the Greeks. STOOPS TO CONQUER.—When Goldsmith's " She Stoops to Conquer," was to be brought the stage, he was at a loss what name to give le very last moment, and then, in great haste, . it " She Stoops to Conquer ; or, the Mistake irt." Sir Joshua Reynolds, who disliked this a play, offered a much better, saying, " You to call it the ' Belle's Stratagem,' and if you will damn it." However, Goldsmith chose it himself as above ; and Mrs. Cowley has iven the " Belle's Stratagem" to one of her . 5 3. Goldsmith was in great anxiety about its • He was much distressed in his finances at and all his hopes hung on the event, and at finer preceding the representation of his play his . became so parched and dry from the agitation mind, that he was unable to swallow a single The actors themselves had great doubts of ;5 ; but, contrary to their expectations, the received with great applause, Sir Joshua and a large party of friends going for the supporting it, if necessary. The dinner Which took place at the " Shakspeare," is 11 %b' b to ge ° I ri etw e , Is lc : li e li k e:s er v d o larg '' ausw o os Plea -lent e 5b 0 Garri t he . er a s pe , 15 altentb !l ei t ‘1. 7 11 9 . ut 1 . , 1 u gerft II; 'Von th at t3h l Passet;: a : olio 'teville' I k addre 2 , es ti I to ne, so I, t and rsll eville , at° ' er: n er Y , s r -41 a . Oo P LY 1 ,7 1 O'l, llE p „, _ rent h od Peal ; , 1 1,011 ' o ther 1 o val i th e , b lul 111 ' 4 4111 . 1 ,, :a t P tia j ik into a t 't aw- bs tt\4l4 at ' re ii, f he t net . 11 1115 ‘. lll , sear 1 ore y'rear t t itticle ~' and ths l) " t h c ilor kit i th e i` fat , to anian ecl , ito . . s ipak e P 41 1 . 2 " 1 ast Vt.,43 di n i n on' ' k lt i,v,est, et t : e ks , o r ; -e ne $ f ' a ro w tb Ro4 in ~i ,I I eiti: p ' t heir re " t i Bt aYs • pp Atoll a • 1 s i g o, N p e : .e 0 YoursP4 '' KO e eee 0 .. az e yed t s To oar , 141 Y , ‘, s ey ii ;' ) a th e s coil'' ku th e vE aOO . 4,,d it 5 1 , 11 ~'\ lght.- P ill i's 1 °r a , ,0t v 3 et . v O A . ' '' 1 4 ktlie . wil • it tc t ' e i s ven , (l ira , 'line, ar inner 1 11 1 ' h beta ~,' , mind, r t i o o l• Ti of f b ess ; , ir ii, , tkl‘;'. n . / ip byre a peso f 1,4.:, SUPPLEMENT TO THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD humorously described by Cumberland. Dr. Johnson took the head of the table, and there were present the Burkes, Caleb Whiteford, Major Mills, &c. " I re member," says the relator of this anecdote, " Dr. Goldsmith gave me an order, soon after with which I went to see this comedy ; and the next time I saw him he enquired of me what my opinion was of it. I told him I would not presume to be a judge of its merits. He then said, ' Did it make you laugh ?' I answered, ' Exceedingly.' ' Then,' said the doctor, ' that is all I require. ' THE SULTAN.—We were ushered up the grand staircase of the palace, towards the large reception room, where sovereignty was embodied in propria rersona. This apartment is one of ample dimensions, and its numerous windows look out on the winding Baghaz. It is plainly yet neatly furnished ; like Res chid Pacha's room, it is covered with a light matting, and divans form the prominent buttresses of four walls. Handsome mirrors, from ceiling to floor ; wonderful clocks ; a few chairs of ordinary stamp ; two or three mosaic tables ; and two large globes on stands, com plete the rapid inventory. At one end of the room, and the centre of all eyes on the " centre of the uni verse," sat the Sultan on a divan, which was raised by a platform. His shoulders were covered with a cloak he generally wears clasped around the neck with dia monds. He 'was looking better than usual, though his general appearance is not one strongly marked. He is a man of moderate stature, probably five feet six inches, and delicate frame, having a slight dropping and recession of the chin, accompanied by a laxity of the muscles of the mouth, denoting that want of firmness which is a point of his character. His hair is black, and his eyes small and languid. With these personal disadvantages, heightened in walking by the bandy-leg movement,he has the redeeming trait of a natural good ness of heart, which, if cultivated and unrestrained, would lead to a great amelioration of his people. True, he has often shown this fact at different times and in different actions, and he possesses a strong inclination to deeds of charity, kindness, and liberality, which is diminished, if not counteracted, by a selfish and in triguing ministry.—Correspondent of the New York Times. PORTRAIT OF SIDNEY SMITH.—The following is an extract from a lecture on " Wit and Humour," by the Rev. Sidney Smith, which constitutes, as we think, a most happy though unintentional portrait of himself : " The meaning of an extraordinary man is, that he,is eight men, not one man ; that he has as much wit as if he had no sense, and as much sense as if he had no wit ; that his conduct is as judicious as if he were the dullest of human beings, and his imagination as bril liant as if he were inextricably ruined. But when wit is combined with sense and information, when it is softened by benevolence and restrained by strong principle, when it is in the hands of a man who can use it and despise it, who can be witty, and something much better than witty, who loves honour, justice, decency, good nature, morality and religion ten thou sand times better than wit ; wit is then a beautiful and delightful part of our nature. There is no more interesting spectacle than to see the effects of wit upon different characters of men ; than to observe it expand ing caution, relaxing dignity, unfreezing coldness, teachinr , age, and care, and pain to smile, extorting reluctant' gleams of pleasure from melancholy, and, charming even the pangs of grief. It is pleasant to observe how it penetrates through the coldness and awkwardness of society, gradually bringing men nearer together, and like the combined force of wine and oil, giving every man a glad heart and-a shining coun tenance. Genuine and innocent wit, like this is surely the flavour of the mind ! Man could direct his ways by plain reason, and support his life by tasteless food, but God has given 'us wit, and flavour, and laughter, and perfumes to enliven the days of man's pilgrimage, and to charm his pained step over the burning marl. A DINNER.—The ordinary books on the drawing room table were always removed on Sundays, and replaced by religious ones, which, like their predeces sors, were never opened. People called after luncheon, and then the Observer was put behind the sofa cushions. As the merest boy, I was struck with the twaddle the visitors talked. They told one another things that had been in the papers days before, and were especially particular in inquirinc , after persons I knew they did not care twopence about. 6 And when at last they said, " Well, we must go now," I won- 219 dered how it was that the necessity of departure had not struck them all before. Some friends did not come in, but merely left cards : they were sensible people, and had considerably the best of it. The position of their cards in the large china dish depended, in a great measure, upon who they were. There was a. fat, wheezing man, who had been knighted in the City sometime, with a full-blown lady, and who gave heavy dinners, and was very rich, and could procure anything for money, except his H's. He was a great card, actually and metaphorically, and was always at the top of the dish. I dined once at his house : it was a solemn and dismal banquet. At one time, for three minutes at least, not a word was said—not even a platitude was launched. The servants stalked round the table, and gravely croaked " Hock or Sherry" in your ear : and there really was nothing left, after you had crumbled all your bread away in desperation, but to drink ; and so I took to it for the remainder of the feast. Once I tried to make some little diversion to the dreariness by offering to bet that there was always more false hair at the Opera on the nights of " Don Giovanni" than at any other representation of the season (which there always is, and I can't tell why), but the attempt was a failure. When we went up stairs, a lady, who could not sing, tootled out some thing, half inaudibly, at a piano that must have cost 200 guineas at least. Then came a dead pause, and the mistress of the house said, " Oh, thank you,—it is so very kind of you ;" and somebody near the instru ment, obliged to say something, asked whose song it was, and, on being told, was no wiser. Then came another pause, and then, as I. felt strangely inclined, from simple oppression, to stamp, and yell, and smash the costly tea-service that the servant was bringing round, by kicking the tray up into the air as a relief to my bottled-up feelings, I hurried out of the room, and hnrrahed to find myself once more upon the free, common pavement.—Albert Smith, in the Keep sake. THE ENGLISH IN THE lONIAN ISLANDS.—This is not the place to inquire whether the English have done to the lonians all the good they might have done them. What is positive is, that Corfu is a mili tary position as important to the English as Malta or Gibraltar, and that they have an interest in preserving it. What also may be guessed, and that at first sight, is, that Corfu and the other six islands are better cul tivated and more flourishing than any province of the kingdom of Greece ; the communications by land and sea are easy ; the country is traversed in all directions by admirable roads; 'all the islands are connected together by a regular line of steamboats. It might therefore be supposed that the islands have as much pleasure in keeping the English, as the English have in keeping the islands. This would be a gross mis take. Yet the lonians do not look askance at the English ; they find at need those gracious smiles and clever flattery, which the Greculi of the name Au gustus lavished on the Romans, their masters. I have seen growing up at Corfu a generation of young dandies, whoforget Greek and Italian to learn Eng lish, who hum " God save the Queen," trim their whiskers like hairbrushes, and would like to be able to dye them red. The English, however, are detested by all, except by the men of cool judgment and poli tical foresight, who do not form a majority in the seven islands. It is true that the English are terribly English. It has been said with some truth, "What gives those people their power is, that they repeat to themselves, twenty times a day, I am an Englishman." I am sure that at the lonian Islands they repeat it once oftener than elsewhere. An Englishman, one of those who have rendered the greatest services to the lonians, a real Philhellene, Lord —, who spoke Greek like M. Hase or M. Le Normant, asked an lonian one day if he did not notice anything in his language that required correcting.— " Yes," said the Greek, " you have retained a slight accent."—" I know it," replied the Englishman ; " and I take care not to lose it. I wish that, even when I am speaking Greek, I should be recognized as an Englishman."—An lonian, who was riding on one of the roads near Corfu, fell with his horse over him ; an. Englishman, who was going by in his carriage, stopped his horses, ran to the man and held out his hand to pick him up, when he was stopped short by a reflection.—Are you a gentle man P Luckily the fallen rider was named Dandolo, and reckoned some of the Doges of Venice among his ancestors.—M. About' s Greece and the Greeks.