Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-10-26 00:00:00

SCYLLA AND CHARYBDIS.

TO THE EDITOR Or THE NORTHERN TIMM

have a trick of taking up an old news-
paper now and then of an evening, to read the
speeches of the municipal senate. The advaltatze
is, that I am able to measure, by their fruits,
speculations that were put forward with the bright
visions of hope, and often, I am sorry to say, with
concealed views of private interest or egotism. In
one of these speeches I was struck by the classical
allusion of the Ci3ero- of the Council to, Scylla and
Charybdis. I then remembered that Scylla was
the daughter of Typhcn. " Typhon, one of the
giants (a sort of Nena Sahib), rose against the
gods, and played the devil for a time, but jupiter
at last put Typhon to flight with his thunderbolts,
and crushed him under Mount 'Etna." I maintain
that, instead of Mount 'Etna, it was Rivington
Pelik, vulgarly called Pike.

" Snylla (whom we may more properly call Miss
Pik,O, was greatly loved by Glaucus (our Cicero),
one of the deities of the sea and of the Mersey.
Scylla at first scorned the addresses of Glaucus,
and the god, to render her more propitious, applied
to Circe (our Mrs. Spencer): whose knowledge of
herbs and incantations was universally admired.
Circe no sooner saw him than she became
enamoured of him (how could she help it r) and
instead of giving him the required assistance, she
attempted to make him forget Scylla, but in vain.
To punish her rival, Circe poured the juice of
some poisonous herbs (bog-wash) into the waters
where Scylla bathed at (Rivington), and no sooner
had the nymph bathed there, than she found every
part of her body below the waist changed into
frightful monsters. Terrified at the metamorphosis,
she plunged into the waves (glinglez irk reservoir),
and was turned into a whirlpool." Our Glaucus
was not more fortunate when he approached
Charybdis, " a dangerous pool (Wallesey Pbol) on
the coast of Cheshire. It is supposed that Charyb-
dis was an avaricious woman, who stole the oxen of
Hercules (Hercules's dues, no doubt), for which
theft she was struck with thunder by Jupiter, and
changed into a whirlpool. The name of Charybdis
was properly bestowed on mistresses who repay
affection and tenderness with ingratitude.'' The
retroach is great, for the Charybdis of our
Glaucus not only picked the pockets of Glaucus
and his friends of a million and a third (the:
spoonies'), but jilted him into the bar-
gain.. The wooing of Scylla has cost Glaucus
and his friends three-quarters of a million, and
they say that another fourth will be lavished upon
her. I hear that the new suitors of Charybdis
have repaid Glaucus and Co , but I am pretty sure,
from the character of Charybdis, that she will
never return 1 per cent. to them The reader will
now see that if the Cicero of the Council (sa.tis
eloquentice sapuntios parum) is not lucky in his
speculations he is felicitous in his allusions,
" Ineidit in Scyllam qui vult vitare Charybdim."
Charybdis past, in vain he ports his helm,
For Scylla's whirlpool shall his barque o'erwhelm.
—Yours, WHIFF.

Tun Su?rono MURDER —No positive information has
yet been obtained to thrlw any further light upon this
mysterious affair. Dr: Alfred Trnylor has been actively
employed in analysing the con'ents of the carpet bag. His
report, we believe, will be ready' by Mond 4y next, when
the adjourned inquest will be resumed. Mr. Painter, the
divisional surgeon of police, still most firmly adheres to the
opinion first formed by him, that the dsceassd man was
assassinat-srl, afterwards mutilated, and then partly boiled.
—.Lancet.

TELE WATEELDO-BRIDGE TRAMDT.—Nothing has tran-
pired which enables the police to calculate with any
confidence upon fi -Ain any s Intion of tha Waterloo-
bridge mystery. All the circumstance; upon which they
bused their suspicions have gradually crumbled away, and
they are now literally et a stand still. They hays visited
many suspected parts of Loneoa and its suburbs; many
houses have been ssarcheo,. others closely watched, and
many persons have been seen with a view to identification,
bat all to no avail. There appears to bo a pretty general
belief amongst the most intelligent portion of the police
force that all chances of discovery are at an end, except
that which may arise from the confession of an accomplice
who may be tempted by the reward offered by the
government.

- OPENING or TUX NORTHUMBERLAND Docx, TYNTE.—The
Northumberland Doak was formally opened on Thurslay,
at noon, by the Duke of Northumberland lacing the last
stone. Preparations were made on August 9, 1853, and the
works being sufficiently advanced, the foundatb n stone
was laid by Joseph Cowen, Esq., Chairman of the Tyne
Improvement Commissioners, on the 13th of September,
1855. The channel through the entrance basin, and the
look, were opened on the 22nd of June, 1857, when tle-
contractors began to close in the ends of the embankments,
and dues were commenced to be taken on the 31st of August
last. The area of the dock i 3 fifty-five acres; there are
two entrances; a tidal basin, 475 feet long, 175 feet wide,
with a 70 feet entrance; a lock, 252 feet between the gates,
and with a 52 feet entrance ; the lock is the same depth as
the basin. The average height of water at high water
neap tides on the sins of the entrances is iS fio: ; at high-
water spring tides, from 20 to 24 feet. The works have
been executed under the superintendence of Mr. Plues,
engineer-in-chief, London; resident engineer, Mr. John
Pines, jun. The contractor is Mr. David Thornbury,
Washingbonugb, near, Lincoln. During the progress of
the works, not the least obstacle has bean presen el to the
exportation of coals from the Hayhole shipping berths, in
fact, the shipments of coals have been i .creased from
1,200,000 tons per annum to 1,400,000 tons per annum,
(luting tin it construction. The tenoning collieries ship
in the decks at present, and there is accommodation for
more—Plummer's East Holywell, West Cramlington,
Seghill, Cramlington, Seaton Delaval, Seaton Burn, Carr's
Hartley, Baddle's West Hartley Nether Lon, and collieries
on the El?yth and Tyne Rail eay. The cost of the docks is
£200,000, which has been raised by the River Tyne Com-
missioners by bonds ; when principal and interest is paid
off, the docks will be free from dues.—Newcastle Chronicle.

At LEWIS & ompArms, Ranelagh-street,
BOYS acs CLOTHED from the Ago of Six to Twenty Team