The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1805-10-17 00:00:00

Thursday being the first day of T.ern, the follow.
ins Gentlemen weie cho en Officers of the Univer.
sity for the year ensui,g :

Proctors --:en-ge HArLes, M A. Queen's; and Sion :11
Ciulcur, M. A. Sidney.

Morlerators.—George B.intes, M. A. Queen's; and
Brown, M A. Trinity.
Taxn:s.—.Wilt.am Webb, M A. C:arehall ; and Charles
Rushworth, Af. A. St John's.
Serutators —John Henry .Renoosid, M A. Trio ; and
Thomas Castley, M A Jesus.
Mr. Thomas Thampson, of Queen's College—
Messrs. Williarn Ter: Jtt, Richard Williams, and
Robert Roberts, of St John's—Mr. Wrn. Hanbnry,
of Clarehall—and Mr. W. G. Phillips, of Caius
College—were the same day admitted to the de-
Icre vt Master of Arts; and Mr. C. E. Green, of
Emmanuel, to the degree of Bachelor of Law.
On Saturday last, the following Gentlemen were
chosen for the Caput, for the ensuing year :
Trir virectisiteetter.
The Rev. Dr. Gratton Magdalen-College—wiNvinity.
Dr. Jowett,
Dr. Davy, Master of
Rev. Mr. Cromwell, Clare-Hatt—lien Non. RAT.
R... Mr. Twining, remb-nite-Hs'i—.Sets. Reg.

CORONER'S INQUEST.

Yesterday, an inquisition was taken at the Barley.
mow public house, Mount-street, on the body cf a
female, found drowned in the 'serpentine, on Top,-
day morning. The man who took the body out et
the river, was the only witness examined. He Stated
the faits, which have already been detailed to the
public, namely, that a bonnet and cloak were seen
Roating on the north side of the Serpentine by se-
veral boys ; and, shortly after, the deceased was dis-
covered, lying near the boat-house. She was dressed
in a dark cotton gown, had rings on her finger., and
appeared to have lain in the water hut a short tine.
During Tuesday and yesterday, the body remain-
ed at Mount-street Workhouse, to be owned ; but
no person attended who had the slightest know-
ledge of the deceased. The Jury, unable to obtain
any satistaflory evidence, relative to the way by
which the deceased came by her death, returned
a verdiet —Rived drawled.

From the situation in which the body was foun,l, it
was cur.jedured that the deceased had straggled irs
the water with a child in her arms, as her hands
were fastened together across her breast ; the Ser-
pentine has consequently been dragged near the
boat-houw, but no infant was found.

Yesterday morning the body of a female wis
brought to Mount-street Workhouse, taken eu• of
the Seipentine, near Kensington Gardens, w..iLlt
also remains to be owned.

, Yesterday, a journeyman butcher, in Carraby-
market, cut his !trod. He was conveyed to St.
George's Hospital, the incision wts sewed ur, and
he is supposed to be in a state of recovery. The un-
fortunate man was deranged in his inteletqs.
Mr. Beaks, jun. grocer and tea-dealer, of Co-
ventry-street, Piccadilly, was suddenly taken ill, ae
eleven o'clock, on Tuesday night, and expired in
about a quarter of an bout.
On Tuesday night, as two men were waning
along Lisle-street, they discovered a female attempt-
ing to hang herself with her garters. They has-
tened towards her, and, as they supposed, saved
her life; but, on conveying her to St. Agnes watch.
house, to be taken care of, she was identified as a
itie de joie, who frequently pralised deceptions in
the streets, to excite the .ommiseration of pawn.
ger% with a view of obtaining money.
On Saturday, a man, belonging to the Superb. in
Portsmouth hatbour, chopped off hi. finger-, and
maimed his wrist, with a hatchet, because ha was
reused leave to go on shore, he having, a short time
previously, . a a fortnight's liberty. He WAS con-
e sidered one of .ne best seamen in that ship.

SINGI.E-STICK

(Further Particulars )
A Grand Match at Single-Stick was played in the
village of Antes,. near Southampton and Bishops'
Waltham, on Friday and Saturday. the II di and
12th inst There were four prizes; the Ist of fifteen
guineas awl a gold-laced hat; the ent, six guireas
ant a silver-laced hat •, the 3d, four guineas : the
two guineas. 'I he players. who entered the
lists for the Ist prize, were from four different coun-
ties; namely, Somersetshire, Dorsenhire, WO! shire,
and Hampshire; the gentleman who instituted the
prizes, having announced, that there should he no
distinction as to place or person. their objet being to
reward and to honour real manhood, from whatever
part of England it might come. The rules were,
that, for the first prize, when a player had broken
two heads, he should go riff the stage ; that, at an
hour appointed, the conquerors of two should be, by
ballot, paired against each other to play out the
ties ; then the conquerors of three, in like manner,
to play nut their ties ; and so on, 'till there should
remain but one conqueror, and. of course, 'till all
the heads, except one, should be broken. In the
following list, the first column exhibits the names of
the combatants, in order of their mounting the stage,
the initials chewing the counties. The other co-
lumns, to the right, show who were, in succession,
the conquerors:—
gene, • S.)
Replin, Replin.
Wallrr S)I
Replin.
Pape, - W.
- H
Moreton, H)
Haw, H Moreton.
Upjohn, - D.
Somerset
Singleton, in _in ,
Diniin, s gteton.
Summer-et.
Stimmer.et, W.
Tribe, H.
This, it will be seen, 'hat there were three of
Wiltshire, three of Snmersetshire. one of Dorset-
shire, and six of Hampshire. Summerset, who woe
the prize, was one of the most abl.t and aeliee men
that any one present had ever beheld. lie played
with admirable skill, and with go id humour not
less to he admired. His superior height and strength
gave him vast advantage over his antagonists, Sin-
gleton and Tribe ; and he had another very great
advantage in beginning his play upon a man alrtndy
half exhausted, by gaining a head, an edvantage, it
will be perceived, that no other convener of two
happened to meet with. A third, and -till greater
advantage, was, that he never had to encounter a So-
mersetshire man ; and that, as to Replin. with whom
he had last re contend, he had won his three heads sn
dearly frnm the Snmersetshire men, that the cringtiest
was very easy. Replin's head, when he entered on
the contest with Wall, thongh not broken, accord-
ing to the rules of the match, was swelled to an enor-
mous sire ; one eye was closed up, and both arms
and both sides were very much bruised. Summer-
set's task was, however. upon the whole, very far
from being a sinecure. In Singleton and Tribe, he
might be fairly said to have to contend against the
greatest skill and the best blood of Hampshire. Sin-
gleton had been engaged half an hour with Gaudin,
from whom he had received many severe blows, be-
fore he had to meet the superior skill of Summer-
set. By these he was, however, not at
all dw.ort-
ed, and, though the contest was in unequal, he main-
tained it for rather more than three rplyters of an
hour, with a degree of courage and fortitude that
was not equalled even by Replin, and that it is im-
poisi:rle should ever be surpassed. To the very last
bout, and, when he was black on both sides, from his
crown to his waist ; when his body must have been
writhing with pain ; and when he must have clearly
perceived his exertions to be useless ; even then his
spirit never sunk, he preserved the cheerfulness of
his countenance, and, to the moment the blood
spouted from his head, he faced his man with an at-
titude and a look expressive of a heart never to be
subdued. Tribe played in a very masterly manner,
and would, in all probability, have succeeded against
any man present besides Summerset ; but. by the
superior strength of the latter, he was finally over-
come ; not, however, till he had dealt his antagonist
mane severe blows, and till he was himself so cut in
the arms and the sides, that the blood ran through his
shirt in several places.—The Dorsetshire man lost
his head without much exertion on the part either of
himself or his antagonist Moreton, who also won the
head of Hunt with very little trouble, though not
without the exchange of many very hard blows,
which were manfully borne on both sides. The tine
znersetshire men all displayed very great skill as well
as bravery. Baker was unfortunate in his contest
both for the first and the second prize; but it re-
quired no common degree of bravery to engage on
the second day (with Nlornan) all covered as he
was with the stiff wounds, and with a face so swelled
as almost to blind him on one side. Bunn played
with astonishing agility; but he engaged Morgan, foe
the second prize, to great disadvantage, having been
severely wounded the first day by Replin. He did,
however, after having his head broken by Morgan, ,
win the third prize against Pope, and a fresh hand
of Wiltshire. Wall would have defeated Replin,
and. of course, would have had finally to contend
for the first prize with Summerset; but. his basket
arm had been so dreadfully wounded in his combat
with Morgan (who played left-handed, and who sold
his bead the dearest of any map, except Single-
ton and Tribe), that, when he came to play out
his tie with Replin, he was quite unable to keep up
b;s guari; yet he scorned to give in. though
strongly weed so to do, till the blood finally ran
upon his chin, far enough to satisfy the rules of the
match, mid of his own honour. rise fourth prize
was won by Pope, against players, and under cir-
cumstances of inferior importance; so that Sum-
merset and Pope carried off the first aid fourth
prizes to Wiltshire ; Dunn, the third prise, to Somer.
mtsbire s and the second prize remained in Hamp-
shire, with Morgan. In the conduft of Summerset,
the principal conqueror, there appeared not Lss ge-
nerosity thaa bravery and skill. Ile bore off his
hat, which the females had decorated with gilded
laurel ; but the whole of the money he either
divided or spent amongst the vanquished com-
batants Thr stage was crated •apon a spot, and at a
height r as to he conveniently seen from every part
iso 't* laialord tof the village; the playing was
interraisaioa, from twelve o'clock

bre-

- -

LITERATURE.
—..wwwileitiseaw.
NO. 11
Mr. EDITOR-4 some time since addressed a
letter to you, on a subjed which I consider of the
utmost importance to the peace and welfare of the
country ; but which does not appear at present to
have obtained that attention which its powers of in-
flitting injury, or cots/erring benefit, seem to de-
mand : I mean the peculiar circumstances of that
numerous, and too much negleded class of men, de-
nominated Literary. Having, myself, the happiness
of being, by the bounty of Providence, placed above
the necessity of labouring for daily bread in the
fields of literature, I trust, I may, without the im-
putation of any motive, but an anxious desire to
lessen the miseries and enlarge the comforts of ge-
nius and ability, he permitted, occasionally, to en-
deavour to plead the cause of those sons and daugh-
ters of sorrow, who, by a variety of causes, are
driven to seek a scanty and precarious mainte-
nance, from the labours of the pen.
I cannot convey my idea; of such literary mi-
sery in any language so appropriate and so beautiful,
as that in which a most zealous and successful ad-
vocate of this benevolent cause has elegantly treated
this subjed. 1 shall, therefore, place them before
you, in quotations from three of Mr. Fitzgerald's
Anniversary Poems:
" When warns with hope, in lit-'s aspiring mom,
The tints of fancy ey'ry scene Atilgil ;
The glowing landscape charms the scholar's view,
And youth believes the faity rape& true!
But soon experience proves his eye betray'd,
And all the pi3ure darkens into elude.
The noble fervour of his early days,
His thirst of fame, his lore of honest praise;
Ail that couid make his ardent lei, 4i Aspire,
And kindle fair Ambition's mend ire!
Ltke Betting visions of the heated brain,
Dass.ive iu poverty, and end in pain."
master, 18114.
" Hard is his task, Who writes for daily bread.
And pillows, on a couch of cares, his brad.
Can fancy charm the poet's freed brain,
Where thought serves only to erigender Ilan
Can passion animate his torpid breast,
By hope deserted, aid by want opnreo'd 1" .1111. 1800.
" How often dreary is the Author's fate,
Tbrolgh life unknown, or valued when too late!
Low droops his heal, by worldly cares oppresed.
And talents dieing'', rankling in his boost;
Hope's fairy vision train his pillow flies,
And leaves the tesetere, Want, before his pees I
His consetous worth but ageraystes the smart,
Disturb► his brain, and breaks the victim'. mart.
AN tens,
Those who were present at the animated recita-
tion of these Pcems, will recoiled, with pleasure.
the effed they produced; but, it• has long b. en a
matter of surprise to me, that the kindness and zeal
with inspires the annual effusions of this gentle.
man's muse, have not excited, in a more evident
manner, the gratetal and public notice of those her
disinterested benevolence is intended to serve. 'I he
causes that produce this apathy in literary men, to-
t, :iris their ft iends of the fond. I consider as a Ctl•
f jolli SUN:. .‘.l of investigation ; but shall reserve the
consideration of them to a tutors letter.
In the mean time, I cson•st but hope, that the
same ardent and liberal ze il will continue to burn
with a steady flame, unabated either by these causes,
or by the interested insinuations of any. either with-
in or wik.iout the society, who may wish artfully to
scatter the sees of dissension. and lead the most
anise fi tends of genius, to mistake each other's mo-
tives, and misinterpret each other's best affirms. Un-
der the impression of sentiments so melancholy and
so just, as those quoted above, I rejoice at the evident
progress made in the public estimation by the Lite-
! my Fund. I now comfort myself with the hope,
that, " Time will not sweep the present race away,"
till we see literary merit, in some considerable degree,
rescued from the grasp of poverty, and sheltered
from thosechilling blasts of negledandindigence,that
have too often driven the unfortunate and distraded
sufferers, to seek from the proffers of venality, cor-
ruption, and slander, the precarious sustenance, that
honour and integrity could not obtain.
In these hopes I have been much encouraged, by
observing the Nobles of the realm not disdaining to
lend a compassionate ear to the plaintive cry of li-
terary misery; and while I see the illustrious bene-
volence of the Heir Apparent, zealously seconded
by the exertions of a Somerset, a Chichester, a
Spencer, and a Moira, I cannot doubt of its ulti-
mate success.
But, in reviewing this subbed, another source of
satisfa&ion to the friends of starving genius, and
patrons of the Literary Fund, presents itself; we
now find upon the pages of its benevolent records,
the names of the most eminent booksellers.
The same wonderful combination of causes, that,
in the discovery and perfettion of the art of printing,
may be said to have called into existence, the now
necessary, but suffering class of human beings, who
are the objetts of this address, may also be stated
to have been the origin of another class, equally ne-
cessary, but as far as the supply of corporr al neces-
sity is concerned, far more fortunate—the Book-
sellers.
These two bodies of men are mutually dependant
upon each other ; and althcugh a superficial glance
might lead (and certainly has led) many to suppose
that their interests are in dire& opposition, yet to a
more accurate and attentive investigation, it will
evidently appear, that, as the same parent produced
them both, so a fraternal regard to each other's
welfare is the only certain and efficacious means of
obtaining mutual prosperity ; and that, when illi-
beral distrust, or malignant envy, insinuate them-
selves into the councils of either party, the true wel-
fare of both must be injured, in exa,l proportion to
the influence of such baneful and mistaken opinions.
In the present circumstances of society, the circu-
lation of books necessary to produce a pecuniary
profit, must depend upon, and he carried into area
by the same means, as the circulation of other
articles of trade ; a considerable capital, and mach
active labour must be employed to give the necces-
sary facilities to an extensive and produdive circu-
lation. An article may use produced without pfCIS.
aldry capital, and yet require a considerable one to
insure its circulation, and the produidion of a trad-
ing profit : of this, books are a striking instance.
The claims of books,llers upon literature are, there-
fore, compounded of their capital, their time, and
their industry. Whether the booksellers derive a
larger gropotti ,n of profit from the produdinns of
authors. than these claims have a right to demand ?
or whether the distresses of authors could be re-
moved, or even alleviated, by any alteration in dye