The Express.
London, England, 1853-06-09 00:00:00

BYRON.

Lord Byron was altogether in the dark about himself.
He lived most passionately from day to day, and he never
knew and cared what he was about. . . . Every thing
was too narrow for him. Enjoying as he did the most un-
limited personal liberty, he felt himself oppressed ; to him
the world was a prison. He went to Greece, not from
his own tree will, but because his false position to the world
compelled him to take that step
Lord Byron is to b, considered as a man, as an English.
man, and as a great genius. He derives his good qualities
from his quality as a man ' • his bad qualities are owing to
his being an Englishman and a peer of the realm. His
genius is incomsasassurable. . . . .
He was always a poet, and hence what came from the
man, and chiefly what came from his heart, was excellent.
He cams by his pieces as women come by pretty children ;
they do not think of these, and do not know how, or in
what way.
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THE ENGLISH.

Is it their derivation, or their soil, or their free eonstitu•
tion, or national education—who tan tell ? But it is a fact
that the English appear to have the advantage of many
other nations. . . . Whatever day are, they are
always " complete " men. Sometimes tbey are " com-
plete " fools, I grant you, but even their folly is • folly of
some substance and weight.
These are by no means the deepest sayings in this
book. But they are fair specimens of the wise and
easy flow of it. And here is no talk for the sake of
epigrammatic effect—so natural to smaller men. Not
a " witty" saying but has something more worthy
than " wit " in it F

The Teri of Slinks,aeare vindicated from the Interpola
loons and Corruptions advocated by J. P. Collier, Eq.
By 8. W. Sisont. Pickering.
- -

Mr. Collier has conjured up a host of adverse
spirits that he will have some difficulty in appeasing.
The majority of those who have distiurished them-
selves aforetime as Shakspearean critics, and who
have committed themselves to various readings
which are unceremoniously thrust aside by Mr.
Collier's annotated copy, have come forward to
vindicate the ancient text. Mr. Singer's opinion of
the value of Mr. Collier's annotated copy ma be in-
ferred from the conjecture which he hasards as to
the origin of the notes. He supposes that some
" Puck of a commentator"—finding a tattered copy
of the second folin which had belonged to some old
player or person connected with the stage, containing
erasures of those parts considered superfluous in re-
presentation, asd numerous stage directions—grafted
upon it all that he could glean from some edition or
editions with notes, and added conjectures and inter-
polations of his own, foisting in rhymes and whole
lines without reserve or scruple. The object of the
author's treatise is to prove this by showing that it is
very far from probable or even possible that the cor-
rectors of Mr. Collier's old volume had any ancient
authority for their doings, but that, on the contrary,
the greater part of the corrections are adopted from
recent annotators. An endeavour is also made to
prove that of what are original, or can be considered
new readings, abundaice are changes for the worse,
and a stilliarger number entirely unnecessary and
impertinent. Finally, Mr. Singer accuses Mr. Collier
of abandoning all his old canons of criticism, and
adopting a new set characterised by revolutionary
" rashness."

It must be confessed that the author has been able,
by, a careful and laborious scrutiny of all the emend-
ations proposed by Mr. Collier, to show that he has a
good foundation for many of his assertions. At the
same time it is due to the latter gentleman to admit
that some of the alterations which he has introduced
are beyond all cavil. The controversy will doubtless
be productive of the greatest benefit in purifying the
text of our great poet, and is a cheering proof of the
reverence which exists in the hearts of his admirers
for every line that he has written.

COMMITTAL OF A WlMllLL3l.—Yesterday Mr.
Wakley concluded an inquest am the body of Mary
Mead, aged 49, the wife of John Mad, a shoemaker, re-
siding at 20, Henry street, Maryleboue. The case was a
most painful one. The principal witnesses besides the sur-
geon were the fellow lodgers of the deceased and the son of
the prisoner, a boy of 14. Mead was in the habit of fre-
quently beating his wife most brutally. The lodgers saw fatal
violence going on, but never called in the polies, it " not
being their business to interfere in other people's affairs."
On Saturday week last the prisoner beat his wife, until
her face, head, and arms, were bruised and swollen ; then
kicked her, and hurled her about the room, until he had
broken two of her ribs, which, penetrating her lungs,
brought on inflammation of those organs, of which,
lon the following Monday, she died. Kau Wynn, an ee-
-1 quaintanee of deceased, said that she visited her on Monday,
when she saw her husband sitting at deceased's bedside.
Witness asked how she met with the injuries. The has.
band replied that on Saturday night his wife had been
drinking, and that on running away from him she fell
down stairs and fractured her nhe. Ile then asked deceased
U she wished to say anything in witness's presence. She
" What do you wish me to say ? I forgive you, and
nay take Lord forgive you. 1 have nothing to say ; I die
hose." After a pause, she further said, "Francis, lam
; take care of my children, and don't beat Frank."
then requested to see her brother, whom she mat affec-
tionately embraced, and in about an hour afterward, died.
The jury found a verdict of manslaughter against Francis
Mead.

SHOCKING CASUALTY AT WINSTER.—As impost
was held on Tuesday last, the 7th inst., at Master, Derby-
shire, before Mr. Coren.r Msndoo, upon the bodies of two
boys who had been killed the day: but one previous, by
falling down a pit. The evidence went to show that in
this district (a mining one), when the shafts become ex-
hausted they are covered over by a sort of dome, called a
cove, of rough stones. At the time in question a number
of boys were striving to catch some swallows who had built
their nests et the head of one of these Atha. Two of the
lade approached too near, and were precipitated headlong
down the pit, a distance of 70 yards, about two tons'
weight of stone falling upon them. An alarm was imme-
diately given, and • vast number of persons assembled.
A constable named Newton descended, and extricated
the 'bodies; life, however, was extinct. A verdict of
" Accidental death" was returned.

SEVERITY OP THE WEATHER IN NORTH WALES.
—The weather in some pitta of North Wales, during the
last month, has exatesW any season in severity dar-
ing the last 50 years. In any
sleet and
snow have fallen for hours, until the hills have been
covered to a great depth, and animals have been unable to
extricate themselves. In Merionoth, too, the season he,
brae bitterly cold, end the lees to the farmers, arising froeV
the deaths among the lambs, has bees very great. An
itallei4l number at these poor creatures, which had bees
sent to the Motioned% and Montgomery hills in April,
perished in the drifts and by the cold, thus entailing a
serious loos upon their twain. Deaths have also happened
to mea who have been overtake* in the storms, and, en the
Berwyn ran a poor fellow was fonad lying with a sheep
lotom Ws, boti tYwea to death.